The Trip Back

The reunion taught me a lot of things, at least it made more or less of an impact on what I've used to think. It has been a long 8 years since we've celebrated CNY with my paternal grandparents and relatives. When I was young balik kampung trips used to be fun filled; with extensive map reading lessons and bottomless topics to talk an laugh about. Now, on the same front passenger seat, things are different. Different people drove the car; the car is different, the atmosphere was substantially different; the motionless stupor and strong silence. Nobody would have quoted this a good trip, unless, oh wells. Unless things are the same as ten years back.

The thing good about Pekan Nenas is the fact where things never changes. So when we were finding the way to the house it made our lives simpler. Another thing about the place is everyone seem like celebrating CNY like some big thing, because everyone in the village will blast fireworks at night. It's every house in the bloody village. And it's those full fledge nice colourful fireworks which is obviously illegal and expensive. And the stupid firecrackers made my car red after blasting shreds of paper debris which STUCK to my car. Not only that, we've saw lion dance, visited temples which are walking distance away. Of course I don't pray in temples but I'm just interested in the culture. In that village, everyone knows everyone, and everyone's daughters and sons and grandchildren.

Plus, my cousin have got a son who I've no idea at all. ZZZZzzZZZzz. I didn't even knew she got married, considering she's just 18. I've also got 4 year old twin cousins who I already forgot their names by now. Of all my cousins there, we don't even talk; the most being hi, bye, eat already? all these nonsense. How close I'm with my paternally related cousins? Oh wells.

After 3 days of extensive eating baazar and non stop booze, I'm back in KL. I'm so happy being back in KL because it's my home, but the journey back got me thinking.

No matter how much I'm drawn apart from them, my Dad's side relatives, are still family regardless. Indisputable fact, and bound not by choice, but by blessing. No matter how dramatic things had been during the past, no matter how mum thinks of them (she herself also super ego sial, kaacaucau there, ish), I've still got them as family. Although I've complained about the boring distance back to JB, the relatively isolated geography of the village, the lalabengs people there, the super kuno-ness ideology they have, I'm having no regrets of boarding this trip back to my hometown. After 8 years of CNY in KL, my 2011 CNY in Johor is one with lots of gluttony, gossips and one which I'll never forget.


Fuji Instax Mini trial shot, featuring yours truly, my siblings and my grandma.