Twelve Days To Go

Twelve days to go before I bid farewell to family members and friends, and I can already imagine the tears at the airport. I am praying hard that Dev and I get to go on the same flight. I would need him with me when my eyes are swollen and teary. I must not forget my sunglasses!

Three days ago, Dev told me that he had gotten my flight ticket confirmed. I will be flying on 17 July in the afternoon via Bangkok, and a couple hours later from Bangkok I will depart on Etihad Airways directly to Abu Dhabi, arriving there slightly past midnight.

Let's not mention the emotional state I am in right now thinking about how close the date of departure is and that I have twelve days to make the best of my stay here before I move on to the next stage of my life. It may sound as though it isn't such a great deal, but it is a great deal to me. Leaving my family is never an easy task, and to my parents and perhaps my siblings too, this separation is the similar event which took place about twelve years ago when they had to leave me to travel alone to New York for two years of college.

On the bright side, Dev had just received the keys to a new three-bedroom apartment unit. Finally, no more hotels and service apartments - we are having our own place! If I am not mistaken, it is the second-highest or the highest floor on the apartment building, and it faces the sea. The unit comes with three bathrooms, each attached to a bedroom. According to Dev, the kitchen is small, but it sure is fine for me - less space to clean up after cooking! Both or us are excited to start decorating the place. Dev will be getting his furniture allowance soon, and by the time we both are there after the 17th, we will be busy planning ways to decorate our new pad. Dev is already getting the basic electrical items - a convection microwave oven, toaster, electric kettle and vacuum cleaner. The rest, he says, he'll wait for me to be there. After all, he will be coming home to Malaysia next week for five days.

I guess this weekend it's time for me to start packing. No more delays ...

Balik Kampung

In Malay, balik kampung means going home to our hometown. Last Friday after dinner, my brother, sister and her family, her new Indonesian maid, Mom and I drove up north for three hours to our hometown in Sitiawan. We arrived slightly before one on Saturday morning, just the right timing to surprise Dad on his 66th birthday. Thankfully, Dad was home watching football in his favourite Ikea chair, and with my honking to the tune of "A Shave & A Hair Cut, Ten Cents", he knew instantly that the 'troop' had arrived. See, we have always surprised our parents by travelling after work on Fridays and arriving past midnight. To Dad, he said he sort of expected it. Plus, my sister's new maid arrived several days before earlier, and that meant Mom was 'free' to go home after being in KL for a month to help out with the babysitting (my sister has three little girls, and they can be a handful).

After unpacking our cars, my sister and her husband went hunting for food. We were a little hungry, and the first thing my sister and I wanted was asam laksa. About 45 minutes later, they came home with bags of food. Then, it was time to bring out the Secret Recipe chocolate banana cake from the car, and with six large and six small candles, my sister and I surprised my Dad with a birthday song, choired by the rest -- err, come to think of it, it was only the two older kids singing the Birthday song!

asam laksa

Dad is never a cake-lover, except for fruit cakes. This time, we could see he truly enjoyed and commented on the lovely chocolate banana cake. And since he knew it had travelled all the way from KL back home, he enjoyed it even more.

The kids had a whale of a time back home -- they walked the back lanes looking for and chasing cats, being pampered by their Grandparents and had a great time at the playground by the beach. The kids joined the other children there on the swing, slide and see-saw. It was dawning on us and just before we left the playground, my sister and I, each with a kid, went on the see-saw, and seeing how fun it was, the Grandparents and my brother went on it, too -- each with the same reason that the kids needed someone to hold them. There were laughter all around, but after a few ups and downs, we adults got a little dizzy, and that was when we decided it was time to go. Dinner in a chinese restaurant was great. Dad gave us a treat :)

popiah

Once back in our hometown, my siblings and I go along with the motto "Late to bed, late to rise". Breakfast would be nasi lemak from the wet market, and Mom would have finished with the preparation for lunch before all of us wake up. Mom even woke me up just to say she was going to get me some durians from the market, and by the time I woke up with my oldest niece, there were three large durians ready to be eaten! That's not it; after lunch, we all had the bottle of champagne I brought home and soon after my cousin brought cendol, and not wanting to give it a miss, I had some.

cendol

With a combination of all these local food and desserts, no wonder I am down with the cold, cough and a bad sore throat. My nieces were having a bad cough and cold, and I blame them! Hehehe! Mom and Dad just wanted me to have as much local delicacies as I could possibly eat or crave before I move over to the Middle East.

durian

Mommy & Daddy -- thank you very much!