Yee ‘O Lost Souls

I had fun today. I hadn’t had so much fun in a long time.

Let me tell you about my day.

It started yesterday.

Yesterday was my go-out-and-visit-people-day. It was the sixth day of raya.

I already ‘booked’ my friends and told them we’re going to Telaga Air to visit Me and her friends. If not now, when?

Our date at Telaga Air was set for noon, so we visited two friends’ houses prior to that. Motherhood was nice enough to ‘lead’ the way with our driver on another car. So they led us, and we only made a wrong turn once, and it was very close to the village already.

When we arrived, my mom promptly went home coz she had things to do and I stayed there for the rest of the day. Me’s cousin cooked us food. ‘She’ is a very good cook. ‘She’ works at Normah as an assistant cook.

Me and her friends greeted us. In the middle of the village in the middle of nowhere, they looked like displaced tourists.

But they were nice and made us comfortable, even though I was practically melting because it was so hot. I hope I didn’t go overboard in my ‘hotness’.

Before we ate I raided their rooms, and found them covered in posters. I wished I could do the same to my room, but that’s impossible. Karoline showed me her games collection, which was in a huge four-pocket-per-page CD album. I shall remember to borrow her FFXII before mine arrives from the US.

Anyway, we stayed and talked, and I introduced my two friends. They got along well. I am glad. And we took lots of pictures. Me and Karol are like papparazzis with their humongous SLRs. But I am not one to complain when people take my pictures willingly.

We stayed until about 6, where by that time I had said ‘we have to go’ three times already. But at 6 there was no more delays because I have to get out of the area before dark since the kampung has no street lights.

We had met for Bing the day before and decided to make plans for Friday. So on that day, Thursday, we decided to go to the cultural village on Friday. I suggested we take my car because it’s bigger, and more convenient. They only had a battered little Kancil and could barely fit four big people.

We decided to go for the cultural village in the morning and leave the rest of the day open for whatever. Even if we have to cut the day short, we still have to eat together.

One of my friends wanted to come along to the cultural village. My other friend couldn’t make it. Honestly, I did not invite, because I already practically ‘forced’ them to come along on the trip to Telaga Air, so I guess I have no right. But one of them wanted to come, so I said okay. Besides, he seems to be getting along great with Nadja.

Nad was envious he could speak Japanese/Chinese/German/Arabic while she was half Egyptian and barely spoke Arabic.

So today. We are finally at today.

They arrived at my house early. Our date was set at 10 am, and they arrived some time before 10. Me’s cousin couldn’t make it because ’she’ had some problems with them family people.

They came bringing extra clothes for swimming. I raised my brow. Trine and Karol were planning to go for a dip somewhere near the cultural village. I had told them there was a jungle pool at camp permai since they said the beach was too hot last time they came.

I guess they remembered.

After a brief detour, we arrived at the cultural village at 11. The cultural show was at 11:30 so we wandered around in the souvenir shop because it was air conditioned.

We sat at the front row because my friend wanted to. The order was: Karol, Myself, Me, My friend, Trine and Nad.

Even before the show started those three papparazzis were already flashing their SLRs onto the dark stage. I don’t know what they are taking pictures of.

When the crazy orang Ulu with his blowpipe appeared on stage, it was routine for him to tease the audiences with his blowpipe, looking incredulously at the cameras pointed at him, and pretending they were fair game.

In the end, Karol was invited on stage, because she was a hardy photographer and remained pointing her big lense at him, even as he was pointing the blowpipe to her face.

When he gave her the blowpipe, he told her to shoot at me. Of course, he was kidding. But later Karol told me she really was thinking of shooting me.

I told her if she did, that dart would stick on me, wherever it may land. The point might look blunt, but if enough force is applied in the blow, it will stick.

I shudder.

We left the cultural village in the crack of day, and they decided to go to that jungle pool to cool off. So we went to camp permai and hiked up the trail to the junlge pool. There was nobody there so we had the pool all to ourselves. Karol and Trine went swimming while the rest of us just dipped our feet. I went down to the beach for a while, but it was too hot, so we didn’t stay long.

At 5, we left camp permai and back to civilization because everyone was hungry.

Trine kept wanting spaghetti and Nad kept craving Japanese food and niku.

It was one hell of a ride home.

After a last minute decision, we decided to eat at the food court at TJ. I had sizzling mee. It has been a long time since I had one. I finished it, but I was still hungry. Then suddenly, Karol and Trine said we should go eat brownies at Bing. I never thought of that. I debated for a while if I should order Japanese food or eat lamb panini at Bing. I later succumbed to panini.

So we went to Bing. Everyone except my friend and I had brownies because I prefer their mars bar cheesecake and lamb panini. But tonight they didn’t have mars bar, so I had panini and strawberry smoothie. We talked again and I learned how to say ‘Where is the toilet’ in Norwegian.

‘Voov arkh tuelette’ or something.

I used that phrase when we were at my friend’s house. I asked them to stop over at his house for a raya visit and to try the cookies he baked himself. I intentionally suggested it so that he could show off his friends to his family. And also so they won’t wonder where he’d gone all day. I supposed he scored some brownie points as his brother was home, with a friend.

I could tell his bro was almost ‘culture shock’d because by this time, these girls were speaking to my friend like old friends, and whoever his friends were their friends too. So his home was their home too I suppose hehehe. His bro had to quickly adjust himself to these foreigners because they were way past the ’shy new friends’ phase (if there ever was one). But soon he was taking out his camera and trying his best to match the girls’ ‘comfort zone’.

Because honestly, they looked more comfortable in his house than he was.

We stayed for about an hour where Me and Karol were transferring pictures from their cameras to my friend’s laptop. I will ask for them later.

Me and gang only went back after that, when I dropped them off at my house, where their car was parked. But not before they booked me for another brownie meeting tomorrow.

These girls are seriously addicted to the brownies at Bing.

And yes, tomorrow is the same day I am leaving for KL. Hopefully I will have pictures after this. I am thinking of taking Kujong with me to KL, because I am not sure how long I will stay back after my final exams.

But we’ll see, I suppose.

I am tired. Tomorrow I need to exercise.

Ta’ra!

This entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2007 at 10:15 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.