Year of the Big Meow

I was home for the Lunar New Year, pretty much to spend my time resting as much as possible before returning to the rat race at the city. Life is a little more relaxed here with the hustle and bustle nowhere near as bad the hectic 24/7 life at KL. It's never too busy here and never too laidback either with things to do at all times, depending on whaty you fancy.

The journey back was pretty uneventful except for the issue of flight status updates at the airport which was malfunctioning, causing people to stand in front digital boards wondering why are the check-in counters open yet even when it's less than an hour and a half to departure. Thankfully the helpful people at the information counter relayed to me the correct gates to check in. Met an old classmate who took the same flight whom were as groggy as I was that morning thanks to the lack of sleep - I was at the airport at a little past 4.30 am.

It took quite some willpower not to bark at the check-in officers at the gate when they had to put on a show speaking to one another when queried about the problem with updates, correcting one another on the number of times they called support. I couldn't care less about how many times they bugged the people manning the digital boards, a simple "We're sorry about the inconvenience. The technical crew is working on it" is more than sufficient compared to " we've called them ten times yeah? No idea what happened there, it's still going on after we called them ten times".

Who's keeping score?

Life has gotten a little more busy of late with the festivities et al, the number of people in town seemed to rise dramatically compared to just a year ago. You have traffic jams now in town, though not as amazing as the ones on the Federal Highway every evening. Business and commerce is bustling with shoppers everywhere buying everything, pretty much to prepare for the upcoming celebrations.
 
I was out in town with Bro to shop for clothing and my instinct to wait until I was home paid off - every single year I went for clothes shopping in Miri because I happen to prefer the kind of cuts and designs available and get this, the sales would often render expensive brands to less than three digits in pricetag - something I don't see very often in KL considering the price war is supposed to be a lot fiercer there. Perhaps it's because I didn't go out often enough there, but I have been out for window-shopping during sales before and heck, what we have in Miri ain't chopped liver. Furthermore I don't have to fight for walking and breathing space although the number of shoppers has increased and a lot of the designs are nice enough to suit my tastes.

My cousin made an observation which I was about to talk to him about regarding the city apart from the increasing number of people - the sudden spike in the number of attractive women wondering about the place in just a single year. To quote his comment, it was as if they all took a study trip to KL or Taiwan on grooming and came back just in time for the New Year. I suppose many came back from KL or Singapore for the celebrations but that doesn't quite explain the ones taking care of shops.

If there's anything that doesn't change, the guys with spiky, ruffled hairs ala Cloud Strife are still around even if it makes them look no different to one another. A bit of highlight here and there, they still don't look any unique to the other guys who just passed by. I suppose no one is immune to cultural influence - I tried to copy Clark Datchler's prep hairstyle, while Bro did the Vanilla Ice eons ago. Nowadays to us, anything practical and easy to take care is the best.

The old barber's shop that I frequent throughout my life relocated again, now at the corner next to the old bazaar. They had six chairs now instead of four with all of it fully occupied when I dropped by, perhaps from the influx of people wanting to have their hair cut before the New Year or simply because business was getting better. I only recognised one of them now, the plump man who has been there for as long as I've had my hair cut, while the rest were people I didn't know with one youngish fella with them.

Apart from a few visits to the houses of I have not been to for ages - we spent the last few New Years away from town - it's pretty uneventful here nowadays. My parents are a little older now that they only visited close relatives & friends whilst skipping houses of others. It's also pretty hot, a big change from the flood infested of the year before, so not many of us are that enthusiastic about going out to visit houses. Gone were the days when we went from house to house in consecutive days (and raking up red packets).

It's the price we pay for a town's maturisation into a city I suppose. The busier it is the less for people to meet up unless at work, things slowly become a little more impersonal with the number of unrecognised faces increasing daily so we stick more with the ones with identify the most with.

As I type this a second lion dance troupe is making its round in the neighbourhood, the first one waking me up at the 'ungodly' hours of 8.30 am with their ching-chang and drum beats right downstairs. The family no longer appreciates lion dances like we used to - my parents probably can't tolerate the loud noise whilst I've grown cynical about 'blessings' from paper mache lion heads. I guess it's a matter of perspective now - what was fun back then isn't much so nowadays.

Undeniably, superstition plays a big part in what was supposed to simply be the ushering of the new lunar calendar year. "Do not sweep the floor during CNY or you'll sweep away all the fortunes", heard of this one before? My family has never believed in all that, I've always wondered how did things like these become as ingrained in tradition as it is in superstition. Take for instance the term 'guo nian' and firecrackers; legend has it that a monster named Nian terrorised a village in China during ancient times and were chased away by the loud noises made from explosives and clanging of metal pots & pans - how many people still believe in that nowadays?

To me the tradition to usher in the first day of New Year with firecrackers has the same logic of claps or cheers during any occassion - it's a declaration of happiness, a celebration, approval. Now that makes sense, 'Nian' however, doesn't.

I had a small chat with some colleagues in the office many weeks ago about the word 福 being suspended downwards at some houses as a symbolism of the pouring of fortune from the heavens. I asked the origin of this practice and predictably nobody gave me any good reasons except that one won't know unless they try it and it costs nothing to have it put upside down - people do so because it is a symbolism. I then ventured to the idea of turning the word gold 金, money 钱 or even health 康 the same way, but was told that people don't do so because it's not a tradition.

Tradition.

I often wonder who sets these traditions as acceptable or not anyway? Why would a reversely suspended word gold not mean the same as suspended word fortune? Why won't it be intepreted as 'downturn of fortune' instead of pouring fortune?

Well, to quote Mom, it's fine to believe in the influence of the stars and cosmos in our lives, as long as it doesn't blind you from what is true. What is true, you might ask? It can mean many things, from one's principle, to science to religion. It's ok to suspend the word fortune upside down but it's wrong to think that will be the key to success or lack of.

Whatever it is, I'll still enjoy watching people blasting fireworks of multicolours up in the sky on the midnight of new year's eve or buy pork jerky to munch on, but they will be nothing else to me but things for celebration instead the celebration itself.

Happy Year of the Tiger 2010.

Home Home Home

My flight home to Miri was pretty much a non-affair in the sense that everything went smoothly and all to plan. Not that I'm looking for problems mind but the feeling of everything going too smooth is almost hard to believe. Well I did forget a couple of things when I packed the night before - my alarm clock and the earphones but apart from that I was sorted.

Parked the car at Carrefour's basement for Lawrence or Cathryn to drive back when they come home after work and made my way lugging the company's laptop and my luggage to the KTM station some 400 meters away. Heck, 400 meters felt like eight hundred as the bag, though only half-filled with mostly clothing, was heavy and bulky. Suffice to say it's going to be even heavier when I return in February.

Arrived at KL Sentral at around twelve and made my way to the Skybus for immediate boarding that made its way on the road to the airport after half an hour. The only notable thing to happen on this trip is having an Air Asia stewardess on sitting next to me whom I'd imagine had a good night out with her friends as she had no trouble falling asleep sitting straight, hairs all falling in front of the head and occassionally using my shoulder as a side cushion. I marvel at how people could actually sleep on a trip that move the passengers all about with the turns et al while sitting up straight. My neighbour later that evening pointed that on long haul flights that is how they rest so I suppose it makes sense.

No, we didn't talk and I didn't get her number as I myself was feeling pretty sleepy after staying up the night before until 5:00 am traversing the Great Wasteland of DC fending off Super Mutants and Raiders after waking up from a three-hour nap the night before.

The flight didn't delay in any sense but the efficiency of the Air Asia crew made it feel like a delay as we boarded the plane on the stipulated time before departure but had to wait for some twenty minutes while bags of five passengers who won't be making the trip would have to be removed from the cargo as per procedure. I don't know why they won't be making the trip - all guesses go from being arrested for something, a medical emergency etc.

We took the sky later and for the rest of the two and half hours of flight I was sat next to a middle aged fella who doesn't seem to speak anything at all. Even to the air hostess he just pointed to them what he wanted and paid. He doesn't seemed miffed that I had to go out to the loo (just) once throughout the whole flight or that I had the window shutter pulled down to block out the bright sun outside when there's nothing to see but the bright blue sky and the blinding sun.

The landing was pretty smooth for one done in turbulence as the weather was pretty gloomy here in Miri for the past two weeks with water pouring down the from the heavens almost without respite. It was cold and wet throughout the evening even as my neighbour and I were having supper at the well known Servay Jaya eateries.


"Ah, you're back"

I planned to get a haircut the day after of which I asked my father if the old barbershop is still there in which he said there will be but I would have to be there soon before the renovate and expand the place which is a good thing for their generations old business I suppose.

Sadly though, the old barber who cut my hair since I was a wee lad - try five years old - was no longer there to ply his trade of trimming and shaving tresses. Every year, except the ones when I won't be celebrating the Lunar New Year in Miri or if I already had a haircut before I made my way home, without fail I'll visit the barbershop in the morning and be greeted with "Ah, you're back" from the man with long sideburns in his usual low and friendly tone.

I didn't believe it at first when my dad told me about his demise but was eventually proven when I asked his colleagues, all whom also cut the hair of my brothers and my dad for 'the other guy'. They knew whom I was looking for as they worked with him throughout those two decades, replied me "He's no longer around, how can he cut your hair?".

My brother mentioned that he grew some sort of tumour on his spine, not very disimilar to the one that afflicted my late brother in 1999. He eventually lost functions to his legs and was bedridden. Slowly his eyesight gave way too and all he could do was cry in despair. On August 2008 he finally breathed his last.

His ex-colleague barbers are all just as good, but this guy knew how I want my hair done and does it speedily and properly but at the end of the day it's just different. He's the more talkative one, asking my family about how things are going and catching up on times, for over twenty years on my head of hair alone.

I had my hair cut as I planned to and left the place feeling a tiny tinge of sadness that another one of my childhood connection back to my hometown is no more as I reflected on how times has changed. I wasn't devastated by it though a little sad that the good old man would no longer be the one doing my hair for the coming new years and the ones after.

I glanced at the photo placed on one of the shelf of the four guys who worked the place and he stood there on the leftmost side with that almost Japanese-like face smiling at the cameraman.

That's how I will remember him.


Festivities

That night we made the usual trip to Old Town to take in the carnival-like atmosphere of the annual New Year market. Much like your pasar malam everywhere this one was setup just for the purpose of the celebrations. The main roads were closed to traffic, allowing tents to be setup from one end to the other with the permanent eatery in the middle serving those who are looking for food.

IIRC, this is the oldest town area of the city where all the businesses began when this place was still a fledgling oil town so it is only fitting to have them here amidst the backdrop of refurbished old commerce buildings. A big God of Prosperity doll was erected in front of the Chamber of Commerce, pretty much one of the main attractions of the the market alongside food, ornaments, clothing and plants. Even my dad had a photo taken in front of it with my uncle.


As usual, being the anak merantau I went to look for the usual food that is either hardly found in KL or not as well done as it is in a less-commercialised environment while my brother is onto decorations for his house. My dad and uncle walked around to soak in the festivities whilst comparing prices of goods as they normally do.

As we sat at one of the permanent eateries built between two streets for some tea and coffee, my uncle asked me the very question that is done almost exclusively by my mother's siblings.

"Do you have a girlfriend?".

"No".

"Why not?".

I couldn't bear to tell him the reason that I am recluse spider that is highly resistant to loneliness so I told him about my daily schedule of which he seemed to understand.

"I take the weekends off as the weekdays are busy enough".

He worked in KL before so he knows about how life is over there.

"How about your co-workers? Aren't there any pretty and attractive ones?".

"Of course there are but office mates, well, it's not recommended - you see one another every day, the other person's mood under scrutiny etc".

Again, he seemed to understand very well.

"How about client sides?".

"I work with system admins, network engineers - I have only met two of them whom are female and even that was unusual".

"Well they have secretaries, the admins etc".

"I work with technical people, I hardly meet with the rest".

First encounter, done.

Second encounter soon, my aunts which would probably happen when we make our trip to Kanowit next.

Bring it on!