One Night in Bangkok

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Four nights actually.

Happiness was waiting to board the plane to meet my loved ones. Even though the flight was a seven hour flight on a plane that has no onboard entertainment whatsoever, I didn't mind. After all, I am going to meet Lina, Nazzim and Sofia. I spent the flight sleeping and later chatting with the German guy next to me - he's on his fourteenh trip to Bangkok, read my lips, empat belas..... he must surely like Thailand. Each trip he'd stay for 2 or three weeks in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiengmai. I think I know why he loves going there. But can't tell here..... Oh, did I mention that the food onboard is is is........ let's put it this way, my sardine sandwiches would be gourmet compared to that.

Our lives have been topsy turvy since I was transferred and this trip was to make up for me being away. This trip has been my way to make up to them. Sofia will be sitting for her UPSR and Nazzim for his PMR and they will need all the time to prepare. After those exams are over with, it's time for another trip I suppose. I wonder where should we go next....

I was like Santa Claus those five days. They pretty much got everything that they wanted. Thank God most of the things they wanted were trinkets. Most..... One omnipotent characteristic of our trips anywhere was getting things for folks back home. Years ago, we always thought that each trip would be the last time that we'd be getting things for people back home. We say it each and every time we were away. Then we found out that we simply could not come home empty handed, we simply don't have the stomach to do that. Tak sampai hati. So here we are a decade later, still doing it. But we are happy remembering the people whom we should and care and what goes around does comes around for we have had our share of souvenirs when other people goes atravelling.

And of course, all good things must come to an end. My journey back here was a lonely sombre one. They left Bangkok about an hour before I did. The lousy food aboard didn't help. About the only solace was that the flight was not full, like at some other times when it was full of people returning to Moscow, transitting at where I'd get off. And so I slept and slept and slept and slept..... On the other hand, I had a bag full of goodies, Maggi mee, Berahim ready to eat and lots and lots of Granola bars that should keep me happy for the next few weeks.

Well, another three weeks before I have (key word - have) to attend a forum back home. If K. C. Kasem taught Americans how to count backwards from forty, I can surely count backwards from twenty-one. Life could be good at times.

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Aidil Adha and The Black King

Besim, the butcher's son...

Islam, the butcher's apprentice, with Arslan the butcher working on the kurban...

Garahan - Black King, of thge local Alabai breed. Yes, the butcher rear dogs.

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It has been a long since I am away from the family during any festive season. Well, this year’s Hari Raya Qurban was celebrated far away from the family.

I try not to think about it because thinking about it will make me think about it and thinking about it is no good since I could not do anything about it. Well, that was a mouthful. Someone has to mind the shop. I do have a guy who just recently reported for duty but since he is new to the area, it might be wise not to let him be here alone. He seems OK and able to handle himself here. And there is the other thing about my boss saying that I must get that lifting agreement that was supposed to expire at the end of this month, be renewed. Great……

Anyway, early morning Aidil Adha found me walking to the masjid, which is about ten minutes away. One thing about this place is that everything is short. The solat terawihs were short. The khutbahs are short. The solat Aidil Adha was short. Right after the solat, we went to the office for our makan-makan. Heavenly, the ones who have their spouses with them here brought nasi himpit, kuah kacang, beef rending, roti jala and we who are singles here brought nada. Our peruts maybe.

Then we went to the house of Arslan the Butcher to kurban 3 cows and 3 sheep.
Well, I think I leave the photos to do the talking……

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Makan Jambu*

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I got my luggage back - 2 weeks later minus my Levi's 501.

Aku sumpah Pak Arab atau Bangla mana yang ambik tu biar berulat badan dia bila dia pakai.

Why Pak Arab? Because it was traced to Cairo and Dubai.

Why Bangla? Because you simply could not imagine how many of them are in the middle east. I was at the Abu Dhabi aiport and having to go through the metal detector, I put my phones, watch, coins, lighter and pen (genuine fake original gold pen) in a plastic tray and this Bangla who was attending the machine picked up my pen, held it in his palm, jiggled it, like when most people do when they want to feel how heavy, thus maybe how valuable something is. It didn't matter to him that I was right in front of him, he just wanted to see if that pen is valuable or otherwise..... He did not look left or right, he was just interested in my pen.

"Ya alah, mangkuk ni, depan mata aku pun engkau berani buat!!!!!"

Aiyo, the gall of some people... tak malu, tak beradab betul separuh orang ni.

And minus the roti canai instant. But that, I don't mind lah, if someone is desperate enough to eat something that does not belong to you, tak dapek den buek apo-apo.....

At least my seluar banyak poket tu selamat....

And, boleh tak somebody tu registerkan I dalam Facebook so that I boleh tengok gambar-gambar. Bolehlah.......

P.S. *Makan Jambu is part of a cuss word of our local origin, concocted a long time ago, used by a few people.

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Here and There

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No one has ever told me that I should not use fish curry for beef, especially not Lina, she’d probably just say “Papa ni…..” and just shake her head. Beef in fish curry tastes nice too. I just don’t feel like working through the cuttlefish or the prawns that I got a few weeks ago.

It snowed for the first time last Thursday. I woke up, got ready for work, went downstairs to catch the transport and the apartment security guard, Kakajan, pointed excitedly outside while saying “sniek”, “snack” or whatever is the local word for snow. True enough, it was snowing. It wasn’t much, maybe 2 inches but it was enough to cover everything in a white sheet. The mountain south of the city was almost totally covered by snow, last week only the peaks were white. But then, later in the day, the sun came out and al the glorious snow was reduced to mucky mud. No clean cars that day sir. It was just enough snow to later melt and form the perfect concoction to cake all cars with a grayish beige muck. Hooray….. Surprisingly, there were still clumps of snow when we played football on Saturday, right in the middle of the pitch. Well, imagine playing soccer with a few clumps of snow the size of washing machines around.

Oh, I’ll be coming home for a meeting on Friday. This time I’ll just be home for a few days and I’m not taking any chances by being too long from work. The last thing I need is someone to say that there is no one available in town from the department. They have had their fun and I’m going to make sure that I’ll be able to deny them that pleasure in the future, forever.

On a more pathetic note, my luggage from my last trip home is still lost. And not lost in France, as the song goes. The last they traced it was it was in Cairo, routed from Bangkok and on its way to Dubai. That was 5 days ago. Why and how it got to Cairo, only God knows. Now, if anyone has seen a large Polo hard-shell luggage (designated Type 02 by the IATA baggage classification chart), dark blue in colour, with two pink straps around it, please detour it my way. The contents are mostly food, lots of Maggi noodles, Berahim ready to eat stuff, cornflakes, granola bars, instant roti canai and my toiletries. The instant roti canai are gone I presume, I don’t care about the food but my 501’s, 2 light jackets, my ice hockey jersey, my Liverpool jersey, my football socks and other shirts and pants that I like were in that bag………….. Great, that’s the third time I’ve lost my luggage in 5 months. The next time I check in a luggage, I’ll put a so many tags complete with the travel itinerary all over the bag so that if it ever strays, they will only have to read one of the probably twenty-five tags on the bag.

I’m looking forward to seeing Lina and the children later this week and later this month too when all of us take a jaunt in Bangkok. I’ll fly there from where I am and they’ll do likewise from home. This is the only time that I have away from work during this school holidays. And next year will be exam year for both Nazzim and Sofia. I’ll miss celebrating Aidil Adha at home and I’ll miss Aina’s wedding. I’m going to miss a lot of things over the next few years……..

It’s getting colder and colder and colder as the days go by. The mornings are usually foggy. The weeks are seemingly shorter – I don’t know when I could go to the supply base, the training centre and the terminal. I wonder if we could go by road…… it’s a 500 km trip but I’m never one who shy away from such an adventure. I wonder if I could get away with it……

P.S. I’m no Liverpool fan but the jersey was really comfortable.

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