It’s Always Like That

It has always been that way. Always avoiding each other for fear of hurting one another, fear of getting hurt more than how we were hurt then. The easiest is always to say with hindsight that it would have been better for us to have been together from then on; but maybe we would not appreciate each other as we do now.

We were always heading in the same direction, but were on different track of pain; we were always close to each other but were always far apart. We were always talking to each other, but it was always in silence. We were always crying together, but always alone.

It is time to stopped being sad, be on the same track, head the same direction

It’s time to walk this little path of life, on the last leg of its little journey.

It’s time to be happy together. Time to discover.

Where Malayan Sailors Died

Sadly I do not have photos of the British minesweeper, HMS Banka. She was sunk by Japanese torpedo action during the opening phase of the Second World War in the Pacific theater.

Names of local sailors like Abdullah bin Badrom, Arshad Bin Ambi, Din bin Ali, Junid Bin Isa, Adnan Bin Hahran, Madar Bin Bakong, Minsuri Bin Malik, Jantan Bin Repin, are now etched on a name list on the HMS Banka memorial in Liverpool, England.

She now rests in waters between 55 meters to 60 meters deep.

I will be away working underwater from the 31st March until 6th April. I plan to go on a 6-men trip to the HMS Banka on the 11th April, to return on the 13th. It would be a good practise for me before I go to the wreck of the battlecruiser HMS Repulse end of April.

Apart from the HMS Banka, we will also be diving the Dutch submarines, the O-16 and the K-17. Both were lost to mines off Tioman on the same day the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse sank.

Sadly, I do not have pictures of the HMS Banka, but below are pics of the O-16 and K-17.

Dutch sub O-16
The O-16

The hatch of the O-16 now
The hatch of the O-16 now

O-16 conning tower
The conning tower of the O-16 wrapped in fishing nets

Dutch sub K-XVII
Dutch submarine K-17 (K-XVII)

Deck gun of the K-XVII
Deck gun of the K-17

Down the hatch
Looking down the hatch of the K-17

Kau Nak Apa Wahai Betina Berambut Perang?

Mocha - MOR-KA, bukan MOR-CHA, bahalol

Melayu bodoh.

Dalam pemikiran aku sambil aku memandu selepas makan tengahari tadi, aku tak akan kahwin dengan perempuan melayu lagi. Kalau perempuan melayu pun, janganlah beliau berfikir dan mempunyai sikap seperti seorang perempuan melayu.

Aku sedang berhenti dalam suatu kesesakan lalulintas berhampiran tempat Yummy Baby menimba rezeki apabila sebuah motorsikal yang begitu ghairah mencilok apabila si bahalol ini terpaksa menekan brek kecemasan. Akibatnya, cermin sisinya terhantuk sedikit di belakang kereta ku menyebabkan cerminnya itu berderai. Dengan muka bengis si bahalol ini memberhentikan motorsikalnya di sisi pintu aku sambil memandang aku dengan marah. Lantas aku membuka cerminku sambil bertanya dalam nada paling sesuai dan mimik muka yang paling afdhal dari Shafie Afdal, “OI BUTOH! APAHAL TENGOK? DAH LANGGAR ORANG MENGAKU AJELAH SALAH! DASAR MAK MAIN DENGAN BABI DAPAT ANAK SIAL MACAM NI.” Dengan segera si bahalol yang kononnya nak tunjuk betapa rempitnya beliau, terus memecut dari situ tanpa memandang beakang.

Aku memang sinis hari ini. Sinis dan bengis.

Nasib baik aku baru sudah makan tengahari dalam suasana gembira. Kalau tidak, memang aku kerjakan si bahalol tu.

Lantas aku pun tuju ke Uptown. Melihat keadaan cuaca hari ini, walaupun ada seseorang itu mempunyai tahap kelembapan yang amat tinggi pada hari ni, namun suhu di luar menunjukkan 36 darjah Celcius, panas terik, kering kontang, aku pun menghantar kereta aku untuk dibasuh setelah pagi tadi aku terlihat kereta aku hampir berwarna perang dan tidak lagi hitam. Setelah meninggalkan kereta aku di tempat cuci kereta, aku menapak menuju ke Kedai Kopi Bintang Duit. Di sini ada wifi, maka tak perlu aku gunakan 3G card aku sepertimana aku gunakan komputer riba aku setiap kali aku terperangkap dalam kesesakan lalulintas.

Sedang aku beratur, aku terlihat sebuah tubuh mungil di hadapanku; memakai skirt yang pendek, berambut perang, berdada besar sambil memakai baju yang menampakkan lurah dendamnya. Dalam tangannya adalah sebuah tas tangan Salvatore Ferragamo, dan dia bertutur dalam Bahasa Inggeris yang caca-merba tetapi dengan slang yang boleh menyebabkan orang tua berumur 90 tahun beraksi di atas ranjang seperti seekor kaldai yang amat horny.

“What would you like to have, ma’am?” tanya gadis 80 kilo di belakang counter.

“Can you give my furr-riend heer a Larr-tay and I want a More-Char,” jawabnya dengan penuh kematsallehannya.

“I’m sorry, you want more what?” tanya gadis 80 kilo dengan penuh kehairanan.

More-Char, you know? More-Char? It’s derr on your mer-new derr!” jawabnya gadis berambut perang sambil menunjuk ke arah papan tanda harga yang terletak di dinding belakang counter tersebut. Gadis 80 kilo berpaling ke arah papan tersebut tapi mukanya masih menunjukkan seribu tanda soal.

“Adik, dia nak Mocha!” sahutku kepada gadis 80 kilo.

“Oh! Mocha,” sambut gadis 80 kilo sambil menahan tawanya. Gadis berambut perang pandang ke arahku seperti seekor kucing kelaparan melihat seekor cicak, dengan mulutnya yang dicebik.

“Puki lu la cakap tak betul nak marah orang,” fikirku dalam kepala sambil senyum kepada gadis 80 kilo. “Buang masa dan kederat aku aje melayan perempuan seperti ini.”

Walau bagaimanapun, untuk membantu Dewan Bahasa dan Puaka, PERANG IALAH PAY-RUNG…BUKAN PURR-RUNG, okay?

Idus Martiae

Mort de Cesar

The Ides of March has come and gone
hanging on to friends is an attempt forlorn
as much as you want them all to stay
the Day of Treachery lives on today

Caesar had called for the Senate to meet
when came a Seer on his own two feet
a great peril he forewarned Caesar
but the latter only scoffed at the Seer

“Beware O Caesar, a murder is being planned
by members of the Senate whose anger has been fanned”
Caesar dismissed this talk of terror
“Nobody dares to harm the Emperor”

The die is cast, the scene was set
in the theater of Pompeii with the Senate he met
the stabbings followed with emotions razed
none hurt Caesar more than a best friend’s knife raised

“Et tu, Brute? Is this what you want?”
As the X-Files saying goes “Trust No One”

5.13am

It’s 5.13am.

Still sniffling.

One glass of Sangria and a glass of Margarita Lime…and I am still wide awake.

Here comes the Xanax as the clincher.

Yeah, I love you too, Baby. You’re fast asleep!

I better sleep now. Have to go and pick up my meds and go for lunch after.

And I Love You So

And I love you so,
The people ask me how,
How Ive lived till now,
I tell them I dont know!

I guess they understand,
How lonely life has been,
But life began again,
The day you took my hand!

And yes, I know,
How lonely life can be,
The shadows follow me,
And the night wont set me free!

But I dont let . . .
The evening get me down,
Now that youre around,
Me!

And you love me too,
Your thoughts are just for me,
You set my spirit free,
Im happy that you do!

The book of life is brief,
And once a page is read,
All but love is dead,
That is my belief!

The Show Has To Go On

I feel nauseous reading the papers nowadays about how Pak Lah is now doing an about turn. Initially he banged away at the Terengganu Palace for appointing a Menteri Besar unconstitutionally; now he is seeking an audience with the King, who is also the Sultan of Terengganu, and says that there is nothing that cannot be solved diplomatically.

PUKE BIG TIME!

Anyway, back in January, I was supposed to go for a medical screening to determine both my fasting blood sugar, and the effects of the Enalapril Maleate (ACE Inhibitor) on my kidneys. The latter is for controlling my hypertension. There was no drive then for me to do so, I had no reason to want to be any better than I was then. I have been refused supply of my ACEI because I do not have any renal function test result. To do so today would still mean getting the results next week some time when my supply runs out by Saturday afternoon. Come Monday, I have to get back underwater to work.

As uncontrolled hypertension is bad for diving, I have no choice now but to not worry at all and take the necessary measures when I am underwater so my blood pressure does not elevate any higher than 140/80. With medication it is at 110/70.

I am going to do my work no matter what. The show is NOT going to stop just over a few tablets. I have a contract to fulfil and I am fulfilling it come what may.

Hikayat Seorang Maling Yang Membuat Aku Nak Muntahkan Semula Breakfast Ku

Eh, jatuh logo ni?

Kau berleter tak habis-habis. Perpaduan itu penting kata engkau. Kesetiaan kepada pemimpin itu penting kata engkau.

Aku hanya mendengar kebodohan engkau itu sambil mencungkil bawang dari roti telur yang tersangkut dicelah gigiku. Aku malas nak layan kebodohan engkau itu kerana perkataan-perkataan yang bakal keluar dari mulutku untuk menggambarkan ahli-ahli seperti engkau hanya akan membuat novel The Catcher In The Rye bagai sebuah buku yang digunakan di Tadika KEMAS dan dibaca oleh rata-rata kanak-kanak Ribena.

Parti ini dibelenggu dengan sel-sel barah dalam bentuk orang-orang yang mencantas mereka-mereka yang mempunyai potensi untuk membawa parti ke satu tahap yang lebih baik. Akibat pencantasan ini maka yang hidup dan berjawatan hanyalah mereka-mereka yang umpama barangan buangan dalam tong-tong berwarna biru, perang dan hijau.

Kau tak habis-habis memuji mereka-mereka yang merosakkan parti dengan memperlakukan ia bagai hak milik persendirian. Lama kelamaan aku sendiri naik mual dengan perkataan-perkataan yang kau luahkan. Aku rasa, kalau aku kasi engkau sebatang straw, besar kemungkinan kau akan gunakannya untuk menyedut isi-isi dari dalam bontot mereka-mereka yang kau puji itu, atau dalam erti kata lain, kata orang kampungku, sucking up people’s ass.

Sudahlah. Perpaduan apa yang kau nak? Adakah kesetiaan yang kau laung-laungkan itu untuk menyelamatkan bontot mereka-mereka yang berpegang kepada jawatan kerana ianya merupakan tiket untuk membuat lebih banyak wang? Aku tidak pernah bertuhankan wang, jadi aku tidak takut kalah. Bak pepatah orang kampungku: a man who has nothing has nothing to lose.

Lawan tetap lawan, kata aku kembali sambil berlalu dari situ tanpa membayar.

Kau kan banyak duit projek yang kau dapat sebab kau terer mengampu. Kau bayarlah.

It’s Impossible

It’s impossible, tell the sun to leave the sky, it’s just impossible
It’s impossible, ask a baby not to cry, it’s just impossible
Can I hold you closer to me and not feel you goin’ through me?
Split the second that I never think of you? Oh, how impossible

Can the ocean keep from rushin’ to the shore? It’s just impossible
If I had you, could I ever want for more? It’s just impossible
And tomorrow, shouldya ask me for the world, somehow I’d get it
I would sell my very soul and not regret it
For to live without your love–It’s just impossible

Can the ocean keep from rushin’ to the shore? It’s just impossible
If I had you, could I ever want for more? It’s just impossible
And tomorrow, shouldya ask me for the world, somehow I’d get it
I would sell my very soul and not regret it
For to live without your love–It’s just impossible