The Awesome Tale of How We Conquered Johor, Terengganu & Pahang

Well last week we had our semester break and instead of going home, my homies and i decided that we should stay together and go for a road trip (again) instead! And one hell of a road trip we did.

Unlike the last road trip we had, this one went for a week. And this one had not been as disastrous. Most probably because we had learned from our mistakes. I went with a different set of people this time, just us college mates (me, Damia, Zuley, Adilin, Alief, Ainaa), because the others were busy with their examination period in their own respective unis. So there we have it. New trip, new people & new experience!

Putting the road trip thing for a while aside, lately i have been having How I Met Your Mother fever. I watch the show a lot now and it affected my life so much that i even started to speak HIMYM language. I tweet the word "Legendary" a lot, say "wait for it" for every possible reason, heck i even applied the stupid theories from the show into my real life. God knows how badly my fingers itched to start the post with "You see kids, back in September 2011, my gang and i went for a road trip" , HIMYM style.

So when i think about it one more time, maybe a HIMYM style post is not so bad after all. You know how in the show, they always give a name for something. Be it a story, a theory, a tradition, a crazy psychopath ex-girlfriend or whatsoever. They always have a special name for it.

And so i am recording the memories of my road trip here, HIMYM style, by giving names to the phenomenons (yes, i purposely use the word phenomenon just to make it sound bombastic) that happened and that are worth remembering.

1. Free Food Mania
Believe it or not, during our 7days 6nights trip, we only had to fork out money to eat twice. Yes, TWICE. The rest of our meal were automatically sponsored since we crashed into so many houses. Scene of crime: Zuley's, Ainaa's, Hafiz's, Faitz's & Damia's aunt's. We even managed to score duit raya from one of those houses. What is up! *fist bump*

Ainaa's lil brother who i named "Gendut" without his mother's permission

2. The Bangla In Shining Armour
When were just about to start the road trip, somewhere around Melaka, our car's bumper got ripped into half. We were literally dragging the dangling thing along the highway for a solid 20 minutes until one of us realized that the bumper have fallen. I was consumed in my own world at that time, watching episodes of - wait for it - HIMYM on my laptop. Long story short, we stopped at the nearest gas station and asked for help from some Banglas. A bunch of them did helped, but halfway through repairing the bumper, they were summoned by their boss, getting scolded at for trying to waste their time helping us. After being threatened that they will not get their wages for the day, only one Bangla came back. "The Bangla In Shining Armour". He continued helping us despite the fact that we have nothing to offer him in return. But we did gave him RM20, kesian lah the guy. Well Malaysians, ONE MALAYSIA YOUR ASS. Turns out this Bangla from another country is more helpful than us Malaysians. Shame.

3. The Birthday Surprise
We missed Ainaa's birthday and didn't get the chance to celebrate it. So we thought, hey why not do it during the road trip? The plan was to meet Faitz and Wafa in Terengganu, where Faitz would then bring us to a beach and do the celebration there. Unfortunately luck was not on our side that day since it rained so bad the moment we started heading to the beach. And so the plan ended up with us celebrating it in Secret Recipe with a birthday song playing in the restaurant and all. Ainaa was indeed surprised, thank God. Okay Ainaa, if by any chance that you're reading this, yes i do know that we're awesome. There's no need for you to say that another million times. :)

The birthday girl

4. The Kuantan Experience
If there's one thing i love about Kuantan, it's the signboards! They were stupidly hilarious and were damn straight forward. Can you imagine, having to drive there and see signboards that reads "TAK RASA BERSALAH KE POTONG Q..?!". Hahahahaha these Kuantan people, what were they thinking. We spent the day in Kuantan by watching a movie and playing at the beach.





5. Play Date With Law
We had two play dates with the law. 1) Alief was driving behind this one stupid slow car and when he couldn't stand it anymore, he overtook the car by using the left lane. Duh, it was wrong, but who the hell drives slow on the right lane? Little did we know that the driver of the slow car was actually mad at us for doing that, and so he overtook us in return and blocked the road. His car was in the middle of the road, in a HORIZONTAL position. Cars were passing by at high speed so if this guy's not stupid for doing that, than i don't know what stupid is. Alief and the driver screamed some words i couldn't tell for a while, but after the driver commanded us to step out of the car, Alief has had enough. He just drove away, driving like mad at a dangerously high speed, left right left right (imagine Fast & Furious, seriously, it happened just like in the movie. Okay i exaggerate ) trying to get away from the driver. We even hid in a corner for about 10 minutes until we were sure we were not followed. The runaway got our adrenaline pumping and it was legendary! Felt like i'm in Mission Impossible for a moment there. 2) Zuley was driving back from Kuantan to Terengganu when we met a roadblock just outside the boarder. We did not have our P sticker and so Zuley had to stepped out from the car. When he got back, he told us that he settled it with the police officer by giving him "duit minum" just like he asked for. When i heard about this, i was in a total disbelief. It was my first time witnessing bribery by a cop right in front of my eyes. Seriously, BRIBERY? And i should be calling you sir. Shame.

6. Gambang BBQ
We went to the new Bukit Gambang Waterpark and played the hell out of it. We tried on every slides we could find and played at every pool there is to offer. Who knew playing in the wave pool could be so much fun! If i were to play there with my family it would have been kinda dull. But when it was with my homies, it was wonderland! The downside was, we went out from the waterpark all dark and sore. Our skin hurt so much due to the sunburn that we went "ouch" every time our skin makes contact with anything. BBQ-ed indeed.



7. The "Nina should stop eating turtle eggs" Mission
Since we were in Terengganu, we decided that we might as well have the experience of watching turtles lay eggs. To my friends, this is also an effort to get me to stop eating turtle eggs, thinking i would be touched by the sight of a mother turtle laying (delicious) eggs. We got to see three turtles that night, one was just about to reach shore, one was already hiding her eggs while the other one is laying hers. The myth that i heard so much about, saying that turtles cry when they lay their eggs, well apparently they were true. Except, the turtle didn't actually cried because she was sad or anything, she's just doing that to cover her eyes from sand. By the way, we also got the chance to release baby turtles out to the sea! The ranger told us to pick one turtle and named it before releasing it. I named mine Qaseh (coughfuturebabynamecough). Aww those little bastards were so cute! There was also this one couple who came with us, newlyweds i think, and the husband is the sweetest guy ever. I overheard him saying to his wife at the beach, "Sunrise tomorrow sayang? It's quite late already, tak payah tidur lah." Aww.

Oh and the "Nina should stop eating turtle eggs" mission? MISSION NOT ACCOMPLISHED. Yes the babies were cute, but the eggs still taste pretty good. Mwehehehehe *evil laugh*




8. The Handbag Dilemma
A girl's gotta be a girl, so when it's a handbag problem, IT IS A PROBLEM. First, i should tell you that i am in love with my yellow handbag. Because it's YELLOW. So when one of the small screws from my handbag came off causing it to be deformed, i freaked out. It fell somewhere in the car and because it was night at that time, and the screw is really small, i thought that finding the screw would be impossible. Or so i thought. Alief then took out his phone to get some light and started looking for the missing screw on the car's floor. I still thought it was impossible to find and i asked him to stop. He wouldn't and somehow, a while later, Ainaa and Adilin joined in the search. They were all on the floor frantically searching while i just sat on my chair yelling "Stop stop" to which they wouldn't listen. And of course, minutes later Adilin managed to do the impossible and found the missing screw, and Alief screwed it on the bag back for me. Ainaa too contributed by teaching me how to sew (what does sewing have to do with the bag, i do not want to explain). These guys saved my handbag, they should be given medals of honor! Thank you!

Me faking a smile while deep inside i was crying for my bag

There you go, I think i have told the highlights of my trip right. It was pretty laid back, the trip, and i was loving every single moment of it. But if i were to write every single moment that i love here, it would take forever and would require a lot of adjectives that my mind would probably fail to think of.

Thank you guys for a wonderful road trip without complications. This story, twenty years later, should be told to our kids because it was definitely legen - wait for it - DARY!



p/s: Some of you might find this post a little bit confusing, with the HIMYM language and jokes here and there. If you're a HIMYM junkie, you would probably understand. But if you're not, well, i guess you just have to deal with it.... Or go watch HIMYM right now and be a HIMYM junkie yourself!

p/s/s: I will be going to a musical theater with my friends next week; The Secret Life of Nora. I know it's a week away but i'm already pretty stoked!

Give me a tshirt that says I LOVE KIDS

Me and kids. We have this relationship that even i can't explain. Google it, search it up in a gigantic dictionary. You wouldn't find any word to describe my relationship with this small creature we call... KIDS. *cue scary evil music*

You know how i'm always "Awh this kid's so cute i feel like i wanna blow him up to pieces" or "Come here you adorable little thing let me eat you up". Back then, i actually meant those words literally. If only the law allowed me to do that. Because when i say i want to blow a kid to pieces, i really do want to blow the kid to pieces.

Why? Because kids are annoying for crying out loud.

But as i grow older, i realized it's time for me to change my perspective on kids. I cant be hating on them forever can i? So instead of putting a sign that reads "I HATE KIDS" i toned it down a little bit by changing it to "I MIGHT LIKE KIDS IF THEY'RE ONE DIGIT OLD AND DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO TALK YET. AND THEY HAVE TO BE CUTE. AND DOES NOT PUKE ALL OVER ME."

So over the years, i have slowly ease myself into finally connecting with kids. And hey. They weren't so bad after all. Some of them are genuinely cute and had successfully made me go "Awww" in my heart sometimes. I tried so hard, it comes to a point now when every kid i see excites me.

Kid walks by me, i pinch cheek. Kid runs, i chase. Kid smiles, i touch.

Aaaaa so many cute little kids running around everywhere in this world, they should all gather around in small groups and arrange themselves like bowling pins so that i could knock em up with a bowling bowl!!

But i'm so tied up with trying to let myself to like kids, i forgot to actually try and make kids like me. Who am i kidding. I failed sometimes. Tried playing with a kid and ended up looking like a loser. Sometimes i think i tried hard enough, but to others it looked like i wasn't even trying. And sometimes i'm doing it the wrong way and didn't even realized it until it's too late. Hmmm kids used to hate me big time.

Proof 1 : Once i was assigned to take care of my little cousins. They ended up crying with no apparent reason, so i got mad. And i left them crying and rolling on the floor. I just left them until they shut up. Don't worry they still love me now.

Proof 2 : Bought this sweet lil kid an orange juice, trying to be nice and all. She stared at the orange juice for quite some time, not even drinking it. Much later, i found out that apparently she does not know how to open the bottle juice. Poor kid so thirsty, but who the hell does not know how to open a bottle? Pfft. Sissy.

Proof 3 : I always try to attract kids by stealing their toys. That way, they would want em back and come near me. Nahhh but most of the kids would end up crying or go running to their mom saying "Mama mama kakak tu curi mainan waaaa". Yup, happened a couple of times.

Proof 4 : I make fake fun facts to kids just so that i would look cool. But my so-called fun facts always sounds scary. I once lied to a kid that i have a double personality, and this other me would get really mad whenever she's hungry. Made the kid scared by making scary faces and he ended up giving me food so that i can eat and be nice again. Haha stupid kids, so naive.

Proof 5 : You know how kids can go all "Why this? Why that? Why this colour? What is the name? How? Where? Why? WHY? WHY??" Man, like shut up already! This is what i hate most when it comes to kids. They have like gazillions questions inside that tiny head of theirs and i'm sorry but dear old me does not have the bloody time to answer each and one of em. That's why i said that i might like kids if the kid does not know how to talk yet. That way, the kid can keep all the questions to his/herself. Yelled at kids a couple of times because of this, and of course it made em cry. Hooray.

I am so not mommy material. Yet. Eheh. Hehehehe.

You see, kids are fun and cute, sure. But at times they can get so annoying i feel like i'd rather play dead than having to entertain them. So yeah, i created this stupid ways for me to connect with them just so that i can have fun in it too. But hey it works sometime. Some people are telling me that i am getting better at this.

KIDS LOVE ME NOW! YAY! *fireworks*

Of course people love kids. Who would not? They're cute. Funny. Adorable. Fat. Stupid. All the qualities of a lovable human being. And i tell you this, i am actually starting to love kids too. Sincerely. Just as long as they're mighty cute. And doesn't talk at all. And doesn't puke all over me. And does not have snot dangling from they're nose. And have a nice haircut. And doesn't ask me stupid questions.

Now i don't sound sincere at all do i?

But i do love kids :)

There's a child in everyone

I was having a conversation over dinner the other day with my dad and suddenly out of nowhere he came up with a this question:

"Do you think of yourself as an adult or as a child?"

"Pfft, an adult, of course." I answered.

Upon hearing my answer, he laughed.

HE. LAUGHED.

I was confused. Why was he laughing? I could think of only two reasons, one, there's something funny on my face or two, he thinks my answer's absurd. I checked my face for any embarrassing stuff like some snot or rice dangling from my nostril, but no. My face was normal. So it had to be the latter.

He thinks i am not worthy of the title "adult".

Then i started judging myself in my head. I am 19 and i live in this big city all by myself. I pay for my own food, my own bills, my own transportation, you name it. I am not in high school anymore and i settle my life dramas on my own, unlike five years ago where i would cry over the phone and spill my problems to my parents. One year from now, i would have the phrase "teen" removed from my life for good.

So doesn't all that makes me an adult?

But then again, there's the other side of me. The other me who still enjoys watching cartoons and can't live without Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. I still can't do house chores properly, let alone cook. I woke up late almost every no-class-mornings, which i know the behavior that my parents hate the most. I have also been told that I have a massive problem with procrastination and that i tend to settle my problems immaturely. Adding to my list of shameful traits are irresponsible, naughty, foolish, lazy, unwise in making decisions, etc.

So now what? Getting heavier on the "child" side?

Therefore instead of exaggerating this confusion in my head while chewing my dinner, i decided to just straight away ask my dad.

"Why are you laughing? I am an adult, no?"

He just gave me a smile and shook his head. As if he's ignoring my question in disbelief.

What lahhhhh???

And here i am, still confused. Oh well, maybe i'm a little bit of both.

How can i describe this... "Dipping my toes in the pool of adulthood, while desperately clinging to my teenage years for support."

Hmm yeah okay that'll do.

p/s: Technically speaking, i am still 18 till the very last two days of 2011. Cheers for a late birthday and having to pretend that i am 19 for almost one whole effin year! How's that for a little confusion.

In less than 24 hours i will be facing reality.

And it kinda bugs me. Having to end my two weeks of holidays (which i rarely get, and when i mean rarely, i do mean it in a hundred million years way) and starting to go back to the old routine of going to classes again really sucks big time.

I used to think that when i am off to college, i won't have this feeling again. You know, the feeling i get back then everytime i had to go back to the hostel. They don't have the exact word for this feeling. It's not homesick, no. Not even lazy, no that's not strong enough. Scared? Maybe, but still not quite getting to the point.

Bottom point is, it's "that" feeling.

And i have another feeling that's been interfering my usual self lately. It's pretty confusing. I have a "this" and "that" feeling that i can't even name. Does normal people have that? Or is that just me being weird and mentally ill?

Whatever.

Gets me LOL-ing

How I Met Your Mother

Awkward

These are some serious funny shit! They're currently keeping me company during my holiday. Oh, and i've been playing Sims too.

And apparently playing Sims is a crime. Or so i was told.....

Because i should be studying.

HAHAHAHA I KNOW RIIIIGHT THAT WAS HILARIOUS OKAY YOU CAN STOP ROLLING ON THE FLOOR NOW.


p/s: This is just random but, how in the freakin hell do you tell the story of how you met the girl you married in SEVEN BLOODY SEASONS (and counting) ??

Random updates

1. It's been what? The 8th day of Raya already? My Raya was just ordinary, nothing out of the norm. The usual trip to kpg, the usual open house, the usual visits to friends and families' houses. I don't get a lot of duit Raya this year, maybe because i don't look like the cute 5-year old i was anymore. Who the hell created the theory that the older we get, the lesser money we shall receive?? I don't see 5 year olds worrying about money-related problems like fuel prices. Or paying for food. Or the new top at Forever 21.

2. One thing i learnt at kampung is that, the mak ciks there can be so nosy. Especially when you're a lady, or as what they call "anak dara". They always want to know what you're up to, and apparently not being in the kitchen 24/7 seems like a crime. You'll make it worse if they found you sitting in the living room watching MTV. And boy, do they gossip.

3. My parents seems to be getting quite a shock now that i am friends with guys. Not that i never had one before, it's just that all this while when i was in school they assumed that my friends were all girls. Since i studied in an all-girls school. Little did they know that back then we have this thing called "socializing" and we have this magical sites called "Myspace" & "YM" to get us connected. So now, when i'm out of school and suddenly getting rides or going to the movies with some guy, they'd think that i'm dating. Oh my parents give me headaches. I need to tell them that not all guys are my future husband.

4. My laptop is currently being such a pain in the ass and i am sending it for repair. I am now typing this post on my house's PC and let me tell you, the process was not easy. I had to wrestle the little monsters who; one wants to play some Facebook game and the other wants to laugh at some stupid video on Youtube.

5. I have been watching a lot of malay movies on the television lately. Since that's all the TV's been showing right now. Oh well, i don't really mind since i am kinda embracing the Raya spirit. Some were good, but some were not so. What is it with malay movies and stupid (and supposed to be funny?) ghosts?? Or, if it isn't that, it'll be some anak derhaka begging for forgiveness from their parents on pagi raya. Come on Malaysians, be more creative.

6. While i am typing this, i am also watching Camp Rock. Man, i forgot how hot Joe Jonas was. I used to have a huge crush on him when i was a teenager. I'd forked out money just to buy the latest Tiger Beat magazine (which costs a fortune for a 14-year old kid) just so that i can get a hold on Joe's poster. Ahh puppy love.

7. This month will be the return of the TV shows as i called it. My favourite TV shows are resuming for their new season starting next week and you bet i am psyched! Pretty Little Liars just went on hiatus last week and i am currently moping around and having a hard time accepting the fact that i don't have anything to look forward to every Wednesday anymore. But i guess my pain will soon go away. Vampire Diaries and Glee will be back soon, and i am welcoming a new TV show to my group of favourites, which is New Girl. Zooey Deschanel will be in it so there's no doubt it'll be awesome. However, i have to wait for another month for Chuck's 5th season (and sadly it's the last). How will Stefan cope with his new life as a killer? Will Sam continue to date Mercedes? Would Morgan be a better Intersect than Chuck? F it i really can't wait.

8. A lot of my friends have been tweeting that they want to perform the puasa enam during this Syawal. Well here's one news i am ashamed to admit. I have never done puasa enam. Nope. Not once in my long 19 years of life living as a Muslim. Thinking of doing it this year, even better now while i am still in Sarawak, where the maghrib comes earlier. But then again, i am having back pain these couple of days, a sign that my time of month is coming. Hmm

9. These days i am feeling left out. Maybe it's because i'm far away from everyone, meaning my friends, so i'm having this stupid irrational thoughts. Thoughts saying that i am not important and don't mean a thing to anyone. And sometimes i have thoughts saying that i am just a someone to go to when they're happy. Kinda like.... an accessory. Never a need. It made me realize that all this while i have never found someone that makes me feel that i am their number one. I don't know, maybe i have? But i just don't feel it. Wait, ignore this whole paragraph. I think this is my PMS mode doing the writing.

10. I can't wait to celebrate raya with my friends, but my heart tells me that i am not ready for college. For life. How i wish i can go back ten years ago, when school was such a joy and i have my family and friends near me.

Lisa (bukan Lisa Surihani)

Ini kisah Lisa (bukan Lisa Surihani). Seperti yang diimpikan gadis gadis lain, cerita Lisa berakhir dengan happily ever after.

Okay. Mula.

Lisa, seorang gadis 17 tahun yang datang dari keluarga kaya raya. Sering diburu jejaka jejaka kerana hartanya, atau mungkin kerana mereka salah sangka Lisa adalah Lisa Surihani. Hidup Lisa dari luaran mungkin nampak bahagia, tapi hakikatnya, saat ini Lisa sedang meringkuk gaya posisi featus dalam kandungan ibu di atas katilnya. Tangan di kepala, menutup kedua telinga. Bising. Mama papanya bertekak di luar. Bising.

Lisa tutup mata, sorok muka dalam bantal.

*****

"Lisa kau sedih?"

"Tak Ash. Sebab itu aku menangis. Sebab aku tak sedih."

"Tipu."

"Memang."

*****

Lamunan Lisa terganggu dengan text message yang baru diterimanya. Nice. Text daripada Suri mengatakan Ali on the way ke rumah aku. Ali, seorang lelaki kacak berumur 17 tahun yang juga merupakan anak orang kaya kaya. Ali, boyfriend aku yang abusive.

Aku sentuh parut di pipiku (buatan Ali) dan pejam kembali mata.

*****

"Kau tengok atas tu. Bintang itu namanya Nashira."

"Kau memang tak peduli kan bila aku sedih."

"Nashira tu maksudnya the lucky one. Aku beri kau bintang tu, moga hidup kau dipenuhi dengan tuah."

"Masalahnya hidup aku dah fucked up gila. Kau untunglah Ash. Abah umi kau sayang kau. Mama papa aku cuma anggap aku satu kegagalan. Anak sial, mereka panggil aku."

"Sebab itu aku bagi kau bintang, Lisa. Aku nak kau sentiasa lucky in the future. Mama papa kau bodoh. Apa mereka cakap semua bodoh."

"Haha. Kau pun bodoh sama. Bagi aku bintang konon. What kind of bullshit is that?"

*****

Telefon Lisa berdering, mengacau lagi lamunan Lisa. Ahhh Suri lagi. Lisa tekan reject, seminit kemudian berdering lagi. Reject, berdering lagi.

"Kau nak apa ni Suri. I need to be alone."

"Lisa, kau kena lari. Ali mengamuk. Dia nak datang rumah kau. Dia.. dia ada pisau. Dia mengamuk kau bagitahu mak bapak dia pasal kerja setan dia jual dadah."

Crash! Bunyi pinggan pecah. Masih bising lagi di luar, belum ada perubahan. Rancak mama dan papa Lisa bergaduh malam ni. Lisa jadi takut mendengar kata kata Suri, jadi sedih mendengar pertelingkahan mama dan papanya. Lisa takut.

Lisa perlukan Ash.

Tapi mustahil, bukan? Kerana Ash, kawan baiknya sejak kecil, sudah meninggal enam bulan yang lepas.

*****

"Kalau aku ada masalah kan Lisa, aku selalu cerita dekat bintang aku. Tu, tu bintang aku. Namanya Solaris. Solaris ni bintang paling terang. Jadi lain kali kalau kau ada masalah, bila kau rasa macam shit is everywhere, kau cari bintang kau Nashira tu. Bintang will always be there for you. Bintang sentiasa terang, sentiasa ada. Kau cuma perlu dongak. Atau kalau kau nak, kau boleh cari bintang aku, Solaris. I dont mind sharing. Haha."

"Tapi masalah aku tak akan lari kan?"

"Mungkin tak. Tapi kau sendiri boleh lari seketika. Kau baring, macam ni."

Ash baring di atas jalan tar, dan ditariknya Lisa.

"Lepastu kau cari bintang kau. Bila jumpa, kau pejam mata. Kau akan rasa macam dekat syurga. Rasa tak?"

"Rasa."

*****

Sepantas kilat Lisa keluar dari biliknya. Dilihat tangan papanya berdarah, dan mama sedang menangis. Tapi dia tidak peduli, dia terus keluar. Di luar, Lisa nampak kereta Ali di hujung jalan, menuju ke rumahnya. Jelas kelihatan Ali kemarahan. Tapi Lisa tidak peduli. Lisa teruskan berlari, berkaki ayam.

Lisa lari jauh jauh. Jauh sampai kakinya lenguh. Jauh sampai dia rasa sunyi.

Kemudian Lisa baring. Baring di atas jalan tar. Lisa perlu cari Ash. Lisa mahu cari Solaris dan bukannya Nashira. Jumpa! Lisa tutup mata dan mengharapkan untuk lari ke syurga.

Tidak perasan pula Lisa ada lori muatan berat datang ke arahnya dengan kadar kelajuan yang agak sukar untuk brake di saat akhir. Lisa digilis, kepalanya di seberang jalan.

"Hey Lisa, Ash ni. Buka mata. You're in heaven now. You made it."

Told ya it's a happy ending.