Oh yes, what an interesting Saturday indeed.
I saw a friend of a friend who owed me money get on the Kelana Jaya LRT! I walked towards my money-owing friend and whistled, hovering over her, irritating her on purpose. She settled her debt. Interestingly enough, I asked her the night before if she was free for lunch on Saturday. She said “sure if you treat me”. I *ahemed*. She didn’t reply.
I then met Aznin at PJ A&W Drive In, Amcorp Mall. Yessir the girlfriend of Syefri.
The A&W bear land, once the premier playground of my childhood and many other kids, was now a sad-looking place. It was just one small construction with one tunnel slide, a monkey bar, and a few springed-seat rides. Before this, it was a grand, tall, long slide, loads of tunnels, and the rollercoasterish climax – a slide leading to a huge maze! The only thing that stayed? The original hand-painted sign that said “A&W bear land”.
We got a cab from Kelana Jaya LRT. Not any regular cabbie. He, as usual, asked if I could speak Chinese, to which I said I could understand Cantonese but not speak it with the proper intonation. However, other things cracked me up:
He: Eh you know ah today is the taling day?
Me: Taling day?
He: You know, taling day!
Me: (Pretending to know) OHHH taling day!
He: You know that day if girl kiss you you extra happy…
Me: Oh…
(Later he waves at a cabbie to his right.)
Me: You know him ah?
He: Yeah, actually they all know me.
Me: How ah?
He: I’m the chairman of the taxi drivers association lah! I so handsome, go on TV and talk, complain to the government…
Me: Wah, so they let you pass all the time ah?
He: Nolah, I keep low profile.
(Later still.)
He: You know actually I can speak Tamil.
Me: Really? Wah! Can hear ah?
He: (Rattles on in Tamil.) Yeah… last time I love this Indian girl.
Me: Last time? What happened? Did you pick her up from the same spot all the time?
He: 3 years ago lah. I love this Indian girl and she love me. So I learn Tamil from her.
Me: And then what happened?
He: She left me! She left me for some other Chinese fella and married him! Until now I am still single… I say lah. Must be damn bad luck one. If not means I won’t drive taxi any more.
I was swept with true pity. This Chinese dude was old (in his sixties) and balding! I paid the fare and asked him to keep the change. We then got out and laughed like hell. It was better than Kerpal (you know, that hit Jerky Boys – You Kicked My Dog MP3 being forwarded around?)
We went to Ikano Power Center and went jakun over everything! The corridors were wide and the tunnels were skinny and long!
The Euphonics music store was stocked with different brands of guitars (Fender, Ibanez, ESP LTD) you don’t usually see in one shop (with a very informed salesman, to add!) The Popular bookstore had a cheap RM3.90 Rubik’s Cube imitation by the same brand (but each time I find one, it’s distinctly different – in this case, it was 133% the size of a regular one, and it felt as spring-loaded as an original, but a bit smoother…)
We terrorized kids in Ikea’s playpen and went around trying to open those darned doors to nowhere. We then ran through the maze that was Ikea to meet a unnameable supposed-to-be-my-date friend for dinner at Ikano’s food court. I looked around for the fancy fountain tap that I heard my mom telling me about, and found it at the back. It was in one tiny room instead of being the center of attraction!
As we left to walk to One Utama (cab drivers would charge crazily to go to Kelana Jaya) I realized what taling day meant. Darling day! Darling day!
Aznin (in jilted sobby voice): “Why didn’t you get me a real, red rose instead of this pink clump of leaves which I picked, gave to you, to give to me?”
Me (in agitated Indian voice): “Aiyah I tell you lady, I am dressed in red already and I am biiigger than any red rose you can fiiind on the overpriced florist! Whaaat more could I be haaa? Selfless that’s iiit! To give myselllf to you!”
One Utama 2 was huge as we walked past it, but we didn’t go in, since we were rushing to the taxi stand.
She asked me to pick up a fallen rose from an exhibition in One Utama’s main hall. I told her “I’d pick up a RM5 note from Taman Bahagia LRT but not a rose, shy lah…” What would they do with those anyway? (You know, roses around a arched top between two pillars…)
Hmmph. I got her a 4D puzzle from Jaya Jusco One Utama, much like those I have made Hannna fall in collectible love with. I got myself an apatosaurus (long-necked 4-legger) and for her, a hedgehog with its spikes combed down. Damned cute and round! She loved it. (My brother has one too, but he’d never let me touch it since it was too damn round and cute to be pulled apart.)
While lining up at the cashier, I said to her, “You know why I like you so much? I don’t need to learn a new language to be with you!”
We walked, talked and laughed until we had to stop for thirst-quenchers every 15 minutes.
We managed to hitch a taxi at the first point where taxis turn in to One Utama. What luck! This taxi driver was quiet though. At Kelana Jaya they did some fancy switcheroos since the earlier taxi wanted to go where she was going, LOL! The passengers were asked to get out and take the taxi behind it!
How about Sunday? I have always dubbed Sunday the day of rest, and rightly so, I slept till dinner, waking up only for lunch.
Oh, and dead blogs have been removed from the links of my About Me! page. Irma and Ed are relinked. “Broken links” is a funny oxymoron.
Oh I used to play at that A&W playground too. Its been a loooong time. How sad to hear its no longer the same.
wha…interesting journey…but did u bomb Ikea playpen or make any kids cry…i know u r good at that…lol
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