Shaken To The Bones

Pycno is finally back, alhamdulillah, after a long journey that has taken me to my favourite haunt up north, then to Kelantan. And now I'm back in KL. Arrived around 3 o' clock in the afternoon.

To be honest, Pycno extended invitations to the rest of the family, but nobody wanted to tag along. So you see, I'm always revealing myself! Pycno may appear to be lovable in cyberspace, but not to his loved ones in real life; so much so that they don't want to follow him even on holiday. So DITH, there's no need for the raised eyebrows. My solo holidays are actually a win-win situation for them and also for me.

I'm the kind of person who when around, I just can't pretend not seeing, or not knowing things which are happening around me. Case taken into example - waking up the household every morning. But even when I'm not around, I will still hold onto my 'reign of terror' (as described by my children). You can ask Bea, even when I was away in Penang, how many times did I SMS her in the mornings, just to check up on her whether she has woken up the children and performed their Subuh prayers or not.

Ayyo. Pycno really needs to learn to let go. I remember one of the entries written by DITH - the one about having an almost empty nest now. Why is it that I am not feeling as sad as her? Maybe when my nest is empty, only then do I no longer need those solo excursions to retain my sanity.

One thing I want to share with you about my trip to Penang this time around, is about the public transport on the island. If you ask me, Penang is only second to Kuala Lumpur. But why is it that I get the feeling that public transport there is comparable to India? Not that I've been to India, but perhaps Ayumi can enlighten us on this.

Now you just have a look at this:

Do you notice how the door is tied to the pole using a piece of rope?

I used to think that it was just my luck to get all the bone shaking buses. But as my recent trip proved, all of the buses serving Penang Island are very much capable of rattling your bones (Unfortunately, Pycno's bones aren't that young anymore. Does that mean I have to start taking Anelene Gold too?)

Now, Penang is a favourite with tourists; and just like Pycno, foreign visitors would also like to really get the feel of being a Malaysian, and not just show photos to their friends back in the UK. I wonder then, how do they feel when they board a bus to reach their destination - and I'm not only talking the feeling in their hearts, but also in their bones. Can you imagine the picture where those bone shakers go for the emergency brake? Not a pretty sight I can assure you.

Now you may be asking "If you have all those complaints, why not just take a taxi?". The reason is because I like using public transport. Even here in KL, I will always use the buses and the LRTs. So, every time I read about complaints by angry commuters in the newspapers, I can empathise with them. How I wish our big menteris try to board a packed LRT early in the mornings, or better still, try to stand directly under the sweaty armpits of a fat salesperson in a packed bus that hasn't been moving since the past 30 minutes, all the while being treated to the aroma of some cheap imitation perfume mixed with the piercing bodily odours from the rest of the passengers. Then you can tell us whether we are still 'almost there' as a developed nation.

I noticed this eatery at the Sungai Nibong bus terminal:


I guess that that the chef must absolutely love adding garlic and lots of ginger to his dishes. So much so that he's even inviting the customers to F**T disini as a show of appreciation.

Note: That was just a personal joke. Perhaps in Arabic, the name has a beautiful meaning. But to a person like me, I couldn't help but find it amusing, to say the least. Of course, I did not take my meal there, for I did not wish to show my appreciation through that way. Not in a cafeteria at least. Sorry for the blurred image. My son told me that I had forgotten to turn on the flash.

From Penang, I took another bus to Kota Bharu. Due to the long weekend, all the seats in the usual buses were already taken. So, I had to settle for a 'bas tambahan'. I was assured by the person selling the tickets that I'd be getting a comfortable 'bas persiaran'. However, that was not the case. Just like its cousins in Penang, this bus was also a bone shaker. Frankly speaking , I'm amazed it managed to arrive in one piece. Sure, the air conditioning was cold - something like winter in Coventry I suppose. But that does not really matter. So long as it took me safely to my destination to see my mother.

Just to share with readers here: the bad news is that the house is still not completed since the workers shifted their work to my brother-in-law's house, which is due for a wedding in June. So, kita mengalah dahulu lah. The good news is that the lower floor is done, and ready for occupation. In fact, my mother has moved back from my sister's house into that new room. I promise to post a picture once the whole thing is finished and painted nicely. As of now, there's not much difference between the interior and the exterior, except that the roof is now there, and the walls have been plastered.

I suppose it was because of my tales about the bus from hell that one of my favourite nieces offered her car for me to go back to KL. How nice! Can you believe it, I left my mother's house at 4 in the morning, and had my breakfast of nasi dagang at Kuala Terengganu, bought keropok lekor along the way, and even lemang at Kijal.The children absolutely loved the lemang, which I also gave some to my neighbours.

So Ikelah and DITH, I actually drove past Kuantan, Cherating and Gebeng, some time around noon. Of course I remembered all of you, but the idea of stopping all by myself was not a comfortable one. So when I read that comment from DITH about when are we going to go to TC, I quickly told Bea that we have to find time to visit you. But how do we go about doing that without bothering you? So, if you promise only to accept us when you are truly free, then we will come and drop by. If not, the most that we'll do is stroll along barefooted, with big straw hats and big shades, walking leisurely incognito on the beach behind (or is it in front of?) your house.

This is an entry written without much thought as I'm feeling a bit under the weather. I've always told you that I need a holiday after my holiday. Ni pun dah rasa seram sejuk dah. I think I'll go and cover myself now, if you'll excuse me.