Roaring Forties

After hearing so much about Pulau Ketam or Crab Island, we finally decided to make a day trip there on 29^thApril. M & I took the noon ferry which was cramped and packed. We took separate seats and I sat next to an Indon lass. The air-cond and a Jet Li movie made the 40 minutes ride bearable.The jetty at Pulau Ketam was a new concrete structure and we were greeted with a huge restaurant named Kuai Lok Hian at the end of the jetty. Kuai Lok Hian was utterly packed, so we decided to look for somewhere more peaceful. We went past the volunteer fire brigand station, a clinic, a police station and a temple before reaching the ‘main street’ of Pulau Ketam. It was a ‘main street’ with a difference. There were many vehicles on the street but consisting only of one kind; bicycles. The only way to move around is to walk, by bicycles or by a boat. It would have been an environmentalist’s heaven except that rubbish was thrown indiscriminately. But being a village on stilts, rubbish were dumped into the swamp which on the village was built on. The rubbish stayed and accumulated. There was rubbish everywhere.

Despite the abundance of rubbish and the fact that most of the pathways on the island were now concreted, the village still maintained its charm. The lifestyle was still rustic and the atmosphere was something which you would not get anywhere else, not in Malaysia and maybe not even in the world.

The colourful houses, the numerous temples, the boats, the children swimming in the brackish waters all added to make Pulau Ketam unique on its very own. 

We had a Bak Kut Teh seafood lunch comprising of pork, crabs, fish and prawns. Tasted a bit foreign for my taste. Then we spent a total of four hours wandering about in the maze like walkways by which time, the sun got the better of M and she felt too sick to continue. We left with our curiosity quenched.

House moving has always been an event for me and on 27 April 2007, I moved again for the sixth time, first it was to Melawati, then to Manila, then it was Manila to Melawati followed by to Bukit Mentakab and in May 2005 Melawati to Bukit Jalil. And now for the sixth time, it was from Bukit Mentakab to Taman Mentakab.

It was an experience from the fussy old spinster of a landlord, the poor conditions of the house, the cleaning up, the new furniture, the clashes in ideas between M & I, the nosey neighbour, the over active Dalmatian, 41 nails & holes left behind, the tapless porch and yard, the free flow of water, poor Ah Lex being harrased by Ms. Lim and the broken doors. All in all, we survived.

We did the preliminary survey and cleaning which had helped a long way towards reducing the stress for the day.  Taps were repaired, wiring done, A/C and water heaters installed all before the D Day. The movers arrived at 8.45 a.m. There were 3 of them. The useless ‘boss’, the drunk and the driver. Only the driver seemed have some inkling about moving. I had to help carry the wardrobe up the stairs as the ‘boss’ Mr. Lee pretended to be busy with other things and the the driver was afraid the drunk would drop the wardrobe on him. All’s done by 11.00 a.m. despite the handicaps. The new furniture came at noon and but 1.00 p.m. all bug items were done. We then had to go back to the old house to move the remaining smaller stuff. M did a massive clean up at the old house, leaving me huffing and puffing. She is just too nice and an obsessive perfectionist when it comes to these things.

We managed to get back by 4 pm and it was the final cleaning up. Had to hang down a 60 feet hose to water down the porch. The water was blacker than Calcutta. M did all the cleaning upstairs. Curtains went up in the master and by 7 pm the house was actually hospitable.

Left the house at 7.30 to check in at Bukit Bendera Resort. Because of the ‘calculative’ Ms. Lim, we did not want to give her any reasons to blare out her trumpets. Will move in when the lease begin in May. Bukit Bendera Resort sucked. Even the water in the pool is yellowish green in colour.

Yam Char with the office gang from 9.30 up to 11.30 and by the time we returned to Bukit Bendera, we were dead tired.

It was the time of the year to show our respects for the lost ones. We did it late this time round on April 14 instead of the the actual day of April 5. The superstitious ones would be shocked at the tardiness of the obligation. But it was a great day. Left Bkt Jalil at 5.50 a.m. and was in Temiang by 6.30 a.m. Hua, Hoe and Bro were only rising at that point in time and we actually proceed for the hills at 7.00 am.  Sim stayed back in Malacca to accompany mom while Seng preferred not to follow. The next generation were all missing, making me wonder whether this tradition will be continued in 2020 and why only my current generation is punished. Traffic was great, absolutely smooth and we reached Sendayan by 7.45 a.m.

While  Bro went about with the traditionally obligations, I toured the temple of urns checking out the dates of the dead. It came as a shock to me that many of the dead were born in the sixties and seventies. Would estimate that about 20% of the urns belong to people who had died in their 20s, 30s and 40s. It served as a reminder that life is fragile and that we make most of what we have, while we have the opportunity.

Found the urn of Lim Kien Seng who died in the USA in a traffic accident and this brought back memories of the friends who has left before me.

The most recent was Yong Lai Kim who left behind a wide and three young children. Yong succumb to liver and lung cancer on 9 months after finding out that he had cancer. Yong left us on March 11, 2007 the day that Koo Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong won the doubles All England. Met Yong a year ago and he was perfectly fine then. First met Yong when we represented the school in football during under 12. We both lost our fathers at about the same time then and during the school years, we have done much together, from the days of the Demolition Boys, Cougars FC, football in the Lake Gardens, dinners in Trafalgar Square looking out for Deep Purple, numerous sleep overs in Rasah, the first party at 15 in Yong’s place, PD trips, chasing after Bad Toad & Co., Yong’s stint in Genting, his Hamburg stories, Imbi Road and finally the Madam Kwan days. Will miss you, my friend.

The first to leave us was Vivian Tho Thau Tee, Vivian with 3 Ts she called herself. Sad story of getting hit by a motorcycle outside her house in Rasah on her way to Form 6 class. This was in 1984. It was real freaky!

After Vivian, it was Lim Kien Seng who was killed together with 3 other Malaysians in a car accident in the USA. Was the only child. Can’t imagine the grief of the parents.

Yap Swee Kong who called himself Trevor Francis but we called him Yap Ah Loy, succumbed to throat cancer while he was still an undergraduate in UM.  

P. Mariappan was killed in a hit and run in Sarawak. He is the gentlest giant you will ever find. Known as Ma Baker throughout his secondary school days, he would have been a friend whom I hope to keep for the rest of my life.  Absolutely nice 100%. Good guys die young!

Siew Yoke Hoong who was always seeking thrills and spills, finally found the ultimate escape by propelling himself through the 3rd floor balcony unto a parked BMW, midway during the game when France beat Brazil 3:0 on July 12, 1998 to win the World Cup.

Zaidi Ismail, the most talented hockey player I know, who would made it in the national team with his one handed dribbling, overdosed himself.

Along the way, there were others; Rosalind Tan who has gone missing until today and presumed dead, Johhny Neo who died in a freak accident in front of my very eyes, Ng Juat Tong who was killed in a hit and run in Singapore, my neighbours Mohammad Noh and Safuan who lost their lives to illness.

May all of you rest in peace, my friends.

Just did not do a head count, which normal person would do that, until that day I found the urn of Lim Kien Seng. Looking back, life is really fragile and we should be glad of the life we have and make the most of it.

May & I started the weekend of 7th April 2007 started with lunch at 126 restaurant in Bukit Tinggi. The specialty here is their dry noodles with delicious crispy fried bacon. Have to have noodles for the day because it was May’s birthday. We also had “Thin Chat” leaves and black fungi soup. Lunch was fabulous but it left the both of us bursting at the seams.

We then took the slow climb up to the Colmar village. The trees seemed to have grown and made the drive up scenic. The village itself was an utter disappointment. The roof tiles have been discoloured with age while the wooden structures are beginning to rot. Was hoping for a surprise but the poor upkeep which was as expected from the Berjaya Group, killed the place. Will no longer consider to introduce any visitors to the place. It was a far cry from the days when we brought Sarah. It was really at its peak then.

The weather was quite warm and May felt nauseated from the heat and drive. Spent an hour and we left for downtown. An expensive tour of RM 36 which left a sour taste in the mouth but at the cat was drowned. We didn’t even bother to visit the Japanese garden.

It was straight home for a rest. The detour bombed me out.

Had ABC soup and went out to Bandar Utama. Got hit by a traffic jam and found out that there was a free concert organized by Hot Link together with Hitz FM. Managed to get tickets for the Shooter and went over to check out the concert.

It was great. Definitely the highlight of the day. Caught Jason Lo at the concert. An ear opener for us actually. Not bad at all.

Managed then to catch The Shooter. Great entertainment throughout and definitely one of the best for the year so far. By the time we got home, it was 2 a.m.

All in all, it was slightly different than a normal Saturday. We had a great lunch, a detour, a concert and an entertaining movie. It was also May’s birthday. Well a day to remember by. 7 April 2007 or 747.

April 6^th 2007 – The taps ran dry, the frantic phone calls, the nonchalant responses, the calculators, the crowds scrambling for water, the two workmen who broke their backs to get the pipes back on line and lady luck all played its part on this memorable day.

Amidst the frustrations, we celebrated J’s Birthday in Temerluh away from the water woes. The seven of us (Kurosawa’s samurais?!) had lunch at the Regend; M, Jeng, JC, J, Con, Sheyin and I. Con decided on the Menu while M brought the cake. The food was mediocre, the ambience was non existence (alas; expected of Mentakab) and the time was too short. 

But what’s important was that J was visible happy. She has been a good friend for the past 10 years, a friend whom you know, genuinely feels for you when your are happy and is equally disturbed when you have problems. She could be a bundle of joy where her laughters are full and unrestrainted. If you need something, J would be the one who would try her best to help. She could be naive, demanding and insensitive but she has a heart of gold.  J, I wish you a very Happy Birthday and may all your wishes come true. Thank you for your friendship.

It was the April’s Fool Weekend. So much for the nostalgic years of playing tricks on people. The joke appeared to be on us who are in the roaring forties. Amidst the unresolved family drama of who take care of an ailing but cranky mum whom has been in my custody for the past 5 years, I left Mentakab in the morning of 31 Mar 07 for an old favourite hideout, the Swiss Garden Hotel in Beserah with M.

Stopped over at Zaman for the famous nasi lemak. It was just as crowded even at 11.00 a.m and they have even started a new self collect system of everyone lining up for the nasi lemak bungkus. The detour was definitely worth it with steaming fragrant hot rice and delicious hot sambal. Prices has gone up to RM 1.50 per packet but die hards like me will ensure that the place will continue to prosper.

Got to the hotel and checked in at 1.30 p.m. where rates has soared to RM 308 Nett. One who think that we are staying at the Hyatt. But what the heck! It is only for a night. Time for a short siesta.

After the Spanish past-time, M and I then went for a walk along the beach. It was a long and pleasant walk passing by acres of sand and sea and crossing two rivers. Came across kite enthusiatics flying their kites and and reached Beserah Seafood. Was quite surprised with the distance and made a point to note the distance later when we drive. (Found out that we walked about 8 km)

Stopped at a Malay Gerai and had keropok lekor, pisang goreng, teh ais and ais kacang. It was absolutely delicious an cost only RM 5 in all. My, this is what is a holiday is all about.

On the way, back we trekked through some Malay fishing villages before going back through the beach where the tide was coming in. Waded through the river in about 3 feet deep water where it was earlier only ankle deep and M got her mobile wet. There goes the phone. With all the modern technology, Sony Ericson still can’t make the phone water proof. Sigh! Back in the hotel when the sun as setting and our short jaunt actually took 3 hours. No bad.

Showered and we went to Kuantan town for dinner. Went to T & L coffee shop where we had great fishballs the last time we visited. Ordered fishball with noodles and rojak. M did not enjoy the noodles but fishballs was just as good and the Rojak was alright. The noodles spoiled the dinner for M. Only highlight of the night was that T & L Coffeshop girl was quite tall and pretty, about 5′ 6″.

Dropped by Parkson Grand for swim trunks and suit. It was then back to the hotel for the Man U vs Blackburn game. The first half sucks with Man U missing a million chance and Blackburn scoring at their only shot. The second half was pure art with Man U scoring 4 goals through Paul Scholes, Park Ji Sung, Michael Carrick and Ole Gunner Solskjaer. Retired early (midnight) despite a Pinoy band belting it out at the pub downstairs and the calling of the spirits. The walk took its toll. Just before lights out, text T and J happy birthdays. Both were part of an April’s Fool joke. Getting old, but still pulled two bunnies out of the hat.

The next day, we stared at the glooming looking weather long and hard and working ourselves up by thinking to the cold water before deciding to skip the swim. Instead we had  breakfast in Kuantan town, was looking for an old roti chanai place which Nassem brougth us but couldn’t find it anymore. Had to settled for Taj Curry House. Managed to get some good ointment from a medicine shop near Taj Curry House.

Checked out and went to Cherating to reminise the old times. Kampung Inn is now in a ramshackle condition. But the other places especially Coconut Groove appeared to have grown with times. Crowd’s a bit thin since it was a Sunday. Warmed by sights of two young Malay girls in jeans and T-shorts, enjoying the sea with their boyfriends and a trendy looking Malay lady waiting for her husband who was overseeing some construction works.  One would not expect such fashion sense in the East Coast but it was heart warming.

Proceed to Cukai to Tong Juan, the famous stuff crab shop which faces the river front. Tasted better than the last time we were there and would definitely recommend the place to anyone who likes crabs.

After lunch, it was a drive through the scenic fishing villages, to Kuala Kemaman where poverty still stands out loudly to remind us not to take thing for granted and to a little hidden beach called Pantai Makcik Nik.  What a name?! Wonder whether it is named after Nik Aziz’ aunt?

Finally, it is back to Kuantan to admire the Harajuku fashion in the mall and to get a new phone for M. Haggled for an hour with a Ms. Ng before settling for a new Nokia phone. Looks Cun and it is bye-bye April’s Fool Weekend. Left Kuantan at 8.30 p.m. and reached back reality at 10.00 p.m. only to find Ms. Ng has given us a German language manual for the Nokia…………….