Life Of A Typical Malay - April 2000

Sunday 23/4

That outing was fun. Really. Too bad it was a short one.

Went to the port by train, Haji Hashim and the gang were already there. It rained a little but that did not at all dampen our spirit. We proceeded to the restaurant right after having a quick chat in the cabin. Food was great but I was not that hungry. Together with Halim, we went to almost every corner of the liner. Right after Isyak, we proceeded to the hall for some entertainment programmes. Fun but not suitable for kids I guess. The dancers/singers (mostly Filipinos) went a bit overboard. It was like watching strip show or something. The music? Yeah, that Mambo # 5 all the way. Towards closing time (when everyone was not really themselves anymore) the dancers took to the floor for a round of "flirt dance". Yeah, it was called "flirt dance".

I was like, "Oh shit! She's coming this way. And she's going to embarass me. Shit! True enough, one of the girls stopped right infront of me and started to wiggle and dance like there was no tomorrow. Everyone started to clap and whistle and all I could see were 2 enourmous whatchamacallit bouncing up and down my face. Go Zainal, Go!, screamed Abang Wan, Kak Siti and the rest of the gang. Lucky the song ended just when I was about to stand up. It was so embarassing.Jatuh kemaluan aku...heh.. Pheww...!!!

Karaoke session started right after that, Abang Wan, Nana and Kak Zainab really did us proud. They sang so well, Nana and Abang Wan especially. Went to one of the casinos to watch people gamble. Shah won about 500 ringgit and Teoh more than a thousand.

The rest of the night was spent drinking by the poolside and watching movie. Went to bed at 3 something, woke up at 7 for Subuh but too sleepy to go for breakfast.

Monday 24/4

Oh dear, why is coffee market so unpredictable? I spent the whole afternoon compiling figures of past Commitment of Traders (CoT) reports. Not only that but I did extensive analysis on market behaviors before and after the release of the reports. My conclusion was that when funds are short, the market is long. When the funds are long, as they have been, the markets been short. Funds are viewed as opposite their position. The commercials/hedgers are viewed as whatever position they have more of. As well as small/typical traders.

Last Friday's CoT showed funds are holding net short positions of more than 4000 contracts, in order to liquidate their positions they have to go long and this will gradually make the price climb. But instead, coffee tanked again tonight. Took us by surprise, everybody was so bullish and we were ready to follow the hedgers.

"The Easter holiday meant most Latin American producers were out of the market on Thursday and Friday last week, while Monday's European holiday meant the absence of European roasters" read DowJones market report I received just now.

Let's see what these roasters bring tomorrow.

Wednesday 26/4

I'm sorry for not writing yesterday, what a humble man I am...*LOL*... Hey, this is my journal, I am in control. Well, actually I was (and still am) a bit busy with tons and tons of reports to be printed, what with imminent start of Brazil's frost season when there's the risk of damage to its coffee crop.

So busy I even forgot to go to KL to buy cincin hantaran (ring to be presented to Rozita, by my family). Yeah, my family will be going for menghantar tanda this Sunday. It's a traditional thing - not really an engagement ceremony but basically it is...truth is I hate the word engagement, well, no, I hate to be "tied" this soon. But I am too good a son to hurt my parents' feelings and I just want to make them happy (so that I'll be happy too) so I agreed to have the ceremony be held this Sunday.

No, don't get me wrong. Not that I don't want this to happen. Just that it happens too soon.

I protested at first (it's my life by the way) but gave in a few days later. And that was last week. I was sad, too sad to be mad. No, I was not fighting a losing battle. I wanted my engagement to be held in August or September. Not April 30th. The wedding will be in November, during school holidays.

Oh no, I'm not going into details, see, I'm busy....what a lame excuse and I don't have much to say. Maybe later...just maybe...

And thanks for all those messages, don't congratulate me too much please. It hurts....

Friday 28/4

Apalah aku ni, ini hari dah hari Jumaat, cincin pun tak beli lagi. Dah berapa kali dah aku cancelled nak pergi KL, Ida asyik dok menalipun aku tanya dah beli cincin ke belum. Semalam aku janji dengan Kak Siti, ajak dia temankan aku pergi Subang Parade, pergi Wah Chan Jewellery, tapi malam tu dia kata tak free pulak. Semalam Mak ada talipun, suruh beli kain sepasang, pulak dah...mula cincin, sekarang ni kain pulak. Lantaklah, aku ikut jer. Yang lawaknya aku tak tahu pun saiz apa cincin yang nak beli tu, lagi satu, aku mati-mati ingat cincin belah rotan tu cincin rotan. Rupanya cincin belah rotan tu cincin yang tak ada permata, cincin bogel. Senang sikit guna perkataan "cincin bogel", ini cincin belah rotan....macam-macam orang dulu-dulu ni. Tak masuk akal langsung.

Akak Anis gelak jer bila aku kata "taknaklah pergi shopping kain kat KL", aku kata aku nak beli kain sepasang jer, buat apa pergi banyak-banyak kedai? "Betul jugak", dia gelak. "Kau ni tak romantik langsunglah Nal", dia balas balik. "Memang pun Kak, memang saya ni tak romantik langsung", aku jawab selamba jer.

Aku cadang lepas Sembahyang Jumaat tadi nak pergi Kompleks PKNS ker, Klang ker, manalah tahu tak sempat nak pergi kedai cincin hari esok. Tapi hari macam nak hujan jer, aku malaslah, lagipun banyak reports yang nak di print ni. Lagipun malam ni aku janji nak bawak kueh kat office, roti jala dengan kueh yang berlapis-lapis tu, kang lewat pulak kang susah jugak. Aku ni punctual punya orang.

Aku tak adalah pikir sangat pasal hari Ahad ni, biasa jer, merisik, hantar cincin. Mak aku suruh aku datang sama pasal keluarga Rozita tu nak kenal aku...lah...baru ni nak kenal aku? Baru lepas nak hantar cincin baru nak kenal aku? Buatnya aku ni jenis tak "terkenal", nak hantar cincin balik? Unless cincin yang aku beli tu nanti salah size.

Aku tak talipun pun adik-beradik aku yang lain, masa-masa macam ni aku nak support dari diaorang, moral support. Aku rasa adik-beradik aku jer yang paham perangai aku ni, my parents, my aunties, my uncles diaorang ni lain generations. Cara diaorang lain. Tapi nak buat macamana, tawakkal sajalah.

Yang aku tak berapa puas hati tu bukan apa, cepat sangat, tak mengedan-dan (ini bahasa orang Pahang). Tiba-tiba jer, agaknya diaorang ni excited sangat bila tahu aku setuju nak kahwin, but that doesn't mean aku nak kahwin cepat. Aku punya YES tu disalah anggap. It was meant to be, YES, next year. Not, YES, this year.

Lagi satu yang aku pelik, dua-dua families selalu sangat cakap pasal "jodoh di tangan Tuhan, jodoh di tangan Tuhan". Memanglah, aku percaya jodoh di tangan Tuhan. Jadi, kalau dah jodoh di tangan Tuhan, apasal nak buat tergesa-gesa sangat? Kan jodoh di tangan Tuhan? Aku rasa aku betul dalam hal ini, aku dah beristighfar dah kalau pendapatan aku tu salah.

Mungkin dia orang ingat aku ni womaniser kot? Itu pasal nak cepat-cepat takut nanti aku lari cari orang lain. Hmmm...lagilah salahnya tanggapan diaorang. Aku taklah seteruk itu, wei...

Esok, aku balik dengan Ida & Lina, petang agaknya, pasal Ida kerja sampai pukul satu. Danlah aku nak pergi beli cincin pagi tu, itupun kalau aku bangun awal, biasanya tidur pukul pukul 7 pagi, bangun pukul 1 tengahari. Kalau aku bangun awal esok, itu tandanya aku pun excited jugak. Kalau tidak tu, tak tahulah, aku buat macam biasa sajalah nampak gayanya. Selamba.

Tengoklah, kalau aku rajin aku sambung lagi karang....nak Sembahyang Asar ni...

* * * * * * *

6-30 pm:

Dua kali Mak talipun kejap tadi, mula tu masa aku tengah cukur misai, luka sana sini aku. Dahlah lepas bercukur ni aku tengok cermin semacam jer, sure malam ni kat office kena kutuk punya, aku agak dah, tentu diaorang kata muka aku macam bontot ayam bila tak ada misai. Aku nak pakai contact lenses lah malam ni, biar nampak hensem sikit..heh...

Mak kata kalau aku tak beli cincin lagi tak apalah, esok boleh aku pergi sama dengan Rozita beli kat bandar Raub. Dia ada balik. "Tapi Mak, saya balik petang, sampai pun Maghrib, lepas tu nak pergi jumpa Cikgu Amin kalau dia ada. Kedai tentu dah tutup. Tak apalah, saya beli di sini sajalah, kalau tak padan nanti pulang balik. Susah apa", selamba jer aku jawab.

Kali kedua tu masa aku tengah online, checking London exchange opening price."Ngapa line talipun engaged jer? ", Mak aku tanya. "At least it's not engaged to be married", aku sajalah melawak. Aku phobialah sekarang ni agaknya bila dengar perkataan engage. "Macam ni, cincin tu biar Mak dengan Mak Chu & Rozita pergi beli esok, senang sikit, takut nanti salah saiz". "Itu lagi bagus", aku dengan penuh keselambaannya.

Bersambung lagi kot?....Karang...

* * * * * *

Oh my! why did I write that in Malay? Well, I did that on purpose really. Not to sound silly. Because I am not.

Sorry to my non-Malay readers but you have to understand, we are of different cultures and backgrounds and when comes to things like this I'm very much a typical Malay guy. Family comes first. No matter what.

Have a great weekend everyone.

...sambung lagi, Isnin...

Masa driving home semalam aku senyap jer, Lina duduk kat depan, Halimah, Ida kat belakang. Aku perasan Lina jeling aku semacam jer, banyak kali pulak tu. Aku tahulah. Dia sure ingat aku pikir pasal nak hantar cincin tu. Dua hari lepas dia ada tanya aku, "Abang Zainal ni macam tak serius jer, kalau tak andak tu biar cakap awal-awal", dia kenen aku. "Bukan Abang Zainal tak nak tapi cepat sangatlah, Abang Zainal tak sempat nak pikir dah kena buat keputusan. Tak dan nak bernapas", aku balas balik.

Sebenarnya aku sikit pun tak pikir pasal benda tu, aku pikir pasal kopi, aku agak minggu depan kopi nak rally pasal banyak bullish fundamental news.Aku tak naklah terlepas lagi kali ni, been waiting for this moment for months now.

Sampai rumah dah senja, Akak The sekeluarga, Teh sekeluarga dah sampai. Yang lain tu tak dapat balik, Ani tengah sarat, Long kerja, Nuar nak hantar orang kawin. Aku senyum kat Nana (anak sedara, umur 3, 4 tahun) masa dia tegur aku, Akak The nampak aku senyum. "Amboi, senyum jer bakal pengantin kita ni..." dia perli aku. Sedih aku. Tapi aku buat serius jer, aku tengok Abang The, aku pandang mak, aku pandang Pak, aku rasa lain semacam jer. Lepas bersalam aku terus simpan beg, lepas tu rileks kejap depan rumah tengok pokok limau. Rajin bapak aku tanam pokok limau, buah dia elok-elok pulak tu. Lepas tu aku pergi kolam ikan Pak, banyak nampak gayanya ikan kat dalam 3 kolam tu. Udang kot? Aku sambil-sambil jalan tu pikir jugak, tak boleh jadi macam ni, sure kena perli jer kalau aku lepak kat rumah malam ni. So aku talipun Cikgu Amin (my local hero, my former secondary teacher) tanya dia kalau dia pergi sembahyang kat Masjid Bandar Raub. Dia kata ya. Terus aku start kereta, Iwan pulak nak ikut, aku bawak sajalah.

Lepas sembahyang, aku nampak Cikgu Amin kat sebelah aku, panjang dia punya baju melayu, dah masuk tabligh ker Cikgu aku ni? aku tanya dalam hati. Dia ajak aku pergi surau Simpang Kallang pasal ada bayan (tabligh punya ceramah, lebih kurang), aku ikut jer lah. Kat surau tu aku kenallah 3 orang budak Hulu Gali, memang diaorang ni kaki tabligh, aku tak berapa perasan mula tu pasal aku jarang balik kampung, diaorang pun datang masa Raya.

Bayan tu tak jadi, pihak surau tu tak bagi buat apa-apa ceramah/bayan. Jadi kitaorang blahlah, singgah kat gerai, minum tea tongkat Ali sambil borak-borak tunggu Isyak.

Aku katalah, "Tabligh kat Malaysia ni approach dia tak berapa betullah. Kalau kat overseas memang sesuai, tapi kat sini kena tukar sikit cara dia", aku sajalah komen pasal Cikgu Amin tanya aku. "Awak pernah "keluar"?, Cikgu Amin tanya balik. "Pernah jugak, masa kat UK dulu, kat Malaysia pun ada jugak. Tapi lainlah...".

Lepas Isyak kitaorang balik semula ke Masjid Raub, sembang-sembang kejap, lepas tu aku ajak Cikgu Amin makan pasal dia kata dia lapar. Balik rumah pun dah gelap, dekat 11-30 malam dah, terus tidur.

* * * * * *

Ahad, pukul sebelas setengah kitaorang bertolak, adalah dua tiga dulang, kueh, buah, entah apa-apa lagi. Aku sempat tengok cincin tu, ishhh...kalau aku yang belikan tentu cincin bentuk lain, cincin yang Mak beli tu ada bunga-bunga sikit bentuknya. Satu jer aku kurang puas hati, dia punya bekas cincin tu, ada tulis nama kedai emas tu, bekas plastik pulak. Nampak macam murah jer. Kalau aku, tentu aku beli bekas cincin yang baldu tu, nampaklah kelas sikit.

Kereta Abang The sampai dulu kat rumah Rozita, lepas tu kereta aku, dari dalam kereta tu aku nampak ramai orang kat depan rumah, dari cara diaorang bercakap tu aku tahu, diaorang bagitahu orang kat dalam rumah, "yang lelakinya ada datang, yang lelakinya ada datang". Kat depan rumah tu aku tengok ada Pajero, ada Mercedes yang plet dia double digit. Dua kereta lain pun double digit jugak nombor dia. Nasib baik kereta aku BDQ 71 dua digit jugak. Kira ok jugaklah kan? Nasib baik Ngah sampai tak lama lepas tu, adalah jugak BMW wakil kitaorang.

Kat dalam rumah tu aku duduk sebelah Mus (sepupu) , sajalah nak mengonfusekan diaorang yang tak kenal aku. Aku dengar, "yang mana satu? yang mana satu?", aku dengan Mus senyum jer.

Diaorang bincang-bincanglah, kawin bulan Januari (tentatively), lepas Raya Puasa, tapi sebelum Raya Haji pasal diaorang sekeluarga ,dengan Rozita sekali, nak pergi buat haji. Lega jugak aku dengar, pasal bukanlah tahun ini walaupun Januaru tu kira tahun ini jugaklah. Tambah-tambah bukan November. Duit hantaran nak masa Raya, alamak, hantaran dia sama dengan 2.5 points harga kopi kat New York Cocoa & Coffee Exchange, mintak-mintak dapatlah aku buat profits sikit....heh..

Ngah ada dua tiga kali beritahu aku, "eh, ok budaknya Rozita tu, baik jer, padanlah dengan awak Nal sebab awak orang baik" masa aku main ping pong dengan anak sedara aku. Aku tak jawab apa pun, Ngah nampak macam tak puas hati jer tapi aku taknaklah tunjukkan apa-apa reaksi. Aku diam jer.

Hujan lebat selebat-lebatnya masa kita orang nak bertolak balik ke KL. Ngah, Akak The balik dulu, aku dengan Ida setengah jam lepas tu. Kat tengah jalan, dekat Lee Rubber Bentong, kitaorang perasan kereta Abang The tersadai, tak jalan. Puas cuba start tak mau hidup. Hari pun dah senja, aku kata aku nak cuba cari tow truck kat Bentong, manalah tahu ada, walaupun masa cuti panjang macam ni susah sikit. Puas jugak aku merayau-rayau dari satu petrol station ke petrol station yang lain. At last dapat jugak satu mechanic, dia tarik kereta abang The sampai kat bengkel dia di Bentong.

Kitaorang selamat sampai KL pukul 11 lebih, mengalahkan kereta keling lagi, penuh. Aku kesian kat Abang The jadi aku suruh dia bawak balik jer lah kereta aku, esok kalau dah selesai semuanya, hantar balik. Kalau tak jugak tak apalah, aku boleh pergi kerja naik teksi.

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(..you're a little late, I'm already torn...)




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