Four Days Too Short

Back in Dubai. In a snap. That was too fast, too furious. Not all that I wanted to do, was done.

I did, however, pleasantly surprise my mother, in Singapore.

I lugged my luggage off the MRT platform, dragged it through the gates of Modena and just when I thought I would shock the family within the walls of my Simei home, I saw my mother, accompanied with my aunty, Mak Yong and my sister, Jehan, berendam malam-malam kat dalam pool! Sungguh menggelikan hatiku to see three of the women I love most, in wetsuits, no less, trying not to look like sea-lions. I couldn't control myself. I plonked my stuff on the wet pool floor (including my treasured new Gucci hobo!) and screamed, "Hi, MUMMY!"

She looked up from trying to dunk my sister. She froze. She stared. She processed. Then she started screaming. And she started crying. And she struggled out of the pool, she staggered on to me and she stifled me half to death with her hug of shock. She was wet. I got wet. Our eyes got wet. She demanded an explanation. I couldn't even string a sentence; she had a serious case of shocked verbal diarrhoea. So drama. I mean, she just saw me a few months back, didn't she? Well, a mother's love for her daughter.... no one knows the depths.

I proceeded to hug Mak Yong and Jehan, who were also crying. Aiyooo....what's with the tears?

*smiles*

Anyway, I don't have to describe the reactions of my nenek and my Baba. You get the picture by now. The element of surprise can be quite, quite reeling.

Four days whizzed by. I went Children's Day shopping with Mak Yong, who is an HOD in Chongzheng Primary. I picked my mummy up from work. I went to my Gillman Heights home for awhile to see my father, after much persuasion from my mother. I only managed to meet up with my Crescentian galpals, though I wanted to meet up with a million more people. I have to honour the sweetness of SK, who cancelled her tuition session in a bid to spend more time with me. Awwww......you're a star, babe! I managed a small family reunion at Banquet@The Raffles Hospital. Of course, since Banquet's halal status causes a huge congregation of the hungry Malay society, I bumped into a few old friends I have not seen for years! What are the chances?!

Besides that, I took trips to Joo Chiat Complex, Tanjong Katong Complex and the Malay Village with my family. Yes, I do miss being Melayu and the essence of being Melayu lies in heaps at these places. Also, I need to recce the baju kurungs they had in some of my favourite boutiques. Though I live in Dubai and tailoring the myriad of exotic Arabic and Indian materials and textiles in one of Dubai's many dressmaking shops comes easily, I pay homage to those tailors in Singapore whose baju kurungs give off-the-rack a whole new different meaning. Their masterpieces manage to stand out when too many of the others follow the trend and become almost carbon copies of each other. A few of my favs? Okay, Gihan's Closet. Very classy, very exclusive, very mahal also. Sinaran Collection. They have nice kebaya tops and they give discounts to Mediacorp employees. When I was in Mediacorp, that was my always first stop. And now, though I am no longer with Mediacorp, they still do recognize me and bestow upon me, a fab discount. Salmah Manaf's. Relatively unknown place with one-of-a-kind pieces.Therefore I won't see some minah clad in my selection. So there. Go see.

I also stuffed my face with: Lemang. Nasi Ayam. Yong Tau Fu. Rendang. Goreng Pisang (smiles at Mad Noor). Epok-epok sadin. Lauk Lemak Ayam. And a million zillion bergedels.

I then stuffed my luggage with: Ready-made rempah and mixes for local dishes. Kaya spread. Pandan chiffon cake. Bawang goreng. Nasi ayam concetrated stock. Quran translated into Bahasa Indonesia.

And yes, I took the MRT. Once. From the airport. I didn't want a mouthful from the taxi driver just because Simei is too near the airport to justify his hours of waiting for a passenger. And I missed the Mass Rapid Transit trains. So I braved the crowd and thronged the carriages, with my luggage and my obvious post-flight appearance disarray. Got pissed off with the shameful display of commuter decorum of Singaporeans and their constant eagerness to rush in/out of the train at each and every station. There I was trying to get off the train, with both my hands busy with my luggage. There they were, blocking the exit as they, in huge groups of ten, shoved their way in and almost, shoving me and a few other people with me, with them, into their paths and away from the exit!

I, in my bitchiest voice, bellowed, "Can you PLEASE, let us OUT OF the train FIRST!"

And like when Moses parted the sea, I parted the gaggle and created enough of a clearing to stomp my way out in a huff, leaving a disgruntled trail of Singaporeans not used to being nit-picked of their favourite bad habit without a government campaign.

So that's how I squeezed my world into a span of four days. And as a parting shot, let me let you in on some wisecracks I got from some people when they heard I took the MRT and survived.

"Hey, budak balik Dubai mana boleh balik rumah naik MRT? Mesti naik helicopter!"

"Aik?Princess of Dubai naik MRT?"

"MRT takde throne tau. Ada plastic seats aje!"

"Han balik naik MRT dari airport? Eh eh...kesian....tak sesat?"

The last crack came from my mom, minutes after she recovered slightly from the shock of seeing me. Sempat,eh Mummy? And since when have I ever let the public in on my delusions of grandeur?

Let's put things in perspective, I am ONLY a princess when Azim is around, like most of you attached ones are when your other half is within reach. People in Dubai do get around in helicopters but that's only for the super Arab beings and not commoners like me. And in Dubai, helipads are easy to find. And before my big fat move to Dubai, I have always, ALWAYS taken the MRT and I have never gotten lost nor do I forget, now, that the seats are still plastic and not gold. In fact, I still keep my EZ-link card.

Enough?

Yes, that's quite enough. I have just made four days in Singapore sound like four years.

Mak kau!!

(Will post pics up later,kay?)