Crazeee Sunday

There's actually no words to describe the state i was in last sunday. a crazy concoction of serabut, sedih, teruja & seriau all mixed together to form a volatile cocktail of emotion.

Earlier in the week we had news that golfman was to attend a meeting in ashgabat and would be leaving on sunday; its only been a couple of days since he got back (rindu pun tak lepas lagi). later on friday we received a call informing us that AH had been shortlisted for petronas sponsorship & was to attend a 2-day eduquest camp held in UTP seri iskandar starting sunday; the same sunday that her abah was leaving.

Golfman leaving meant not only getting all his things ready but also fulfilling the requests made by his friends in ashgabat...  usually foodstuff & other goodies.

AH eduquest camp meant getting all her documents in order and everything necessary for the 2 day 'ordeal'.

Coincidentally AF & AI were both involved in activities related to anak yatims that weekend.

So what that all meant to me was to be in my best, top-most form.

But when you find yourself having to divide both time & energy between 2 equally important people, it becomes a little hard-going. and there's also the matter of my datelines at the office.  taking monday off at a crucial time like this would take some explaining. but unless they're willing to take over my responsibilities of an  'almost' single parent, they'd better let me take my leave.

So sunday saw us all up in the wee hours of the morning.. i was to accompany AH to seri iskandar and AI was to drop golfman off at KLIA. each with our own mission, each going our separate ways. i couldnt help but feel a little lump in my throat as we moved off bcos there was nothing i wanted more than to be with my husband, but there was also nothing i wouldnt do for my kids.

Tersepit. oleh keadaan. but thats life.

We made our way to seri iskandar without mishap & arrived at UTP around 8.15am.  although it was our 1st time, there were enough pak guards to show us the way and registration when quite smoothly. later at the briefing (attended by both students & parents) we were told that there was in total about 1000 plus students shortlisted and broken down into 4 sessions. ours was the first.

 Registration of Eduquest Camp at the hostel area.

Kompleks Canselor - hall on the left, library on the right.

The Rector's opening speech.

Rapt attention of students & parents alike.

After getting our bearings right, we could then appreciate our surroundings & the spacious uni grounds.  there were man-made lakes incorporated into the landscape and the area was ideal for morning (or evening for that matter) jogs,  notwithstanding the 'hot spells' & the extreme humidity that we're having right now, especially up north.

Parents left after lunch but instead of going back, i made my way to my aunty's in seri manjung.  it's been a while since i've been back that-a-way.  and since mak came to live with us, her house has fallen to a sad & sorry state of disrepair.  nak disewakan dia tak nak. she'd been very abdamant about it, "kalau aku nak balik takkan aku nak halau orang keluar kot".  that was about 20 years ago.

 Pak Ngah & Mak Ngah

 Mak's house

It's rather embarassing for me to admit that i had a pretty hard time trying to find my aunty's house.. everything looked so different!! the development in sitiawan/lumut has been in leaps and bounds and its now a bustling township with rows upon rows of shops. but pakngah & makngah assured me that even locals who'd been away have been known to lose their bearings so i didnt feel too bad la lol.

And lets not talk about the heat & humidity. i stayed the nite but in the short time that i was there, i was taking showers every couple of hours and was mostly in a state of berkemban lol. of course that made me the target of my aunty's constant ribbing, "laa camni ni rupanye orang shah alam balik kampung!".

Kampung la sangat lol. its just as much a concrete jungle here as it is in the city!!

We went over to mak's house for a look-see and to also bring back her favourite mempelam epal.  i dont actually feel any ties to the house bcos mak had acquired it when i was already in my teens and away in a boarding school. mak now wants me to take over the property and looking at it, i know something should and could be done. sayang.. it could easily be turned into a holiday home or retreat, with enough land left over for a couple of fruit trees.
 

 Mempelam Epal.

We'll see.

AH completed her session by 4pm, monday and we left UTP around 6pm. with everything now behind us, it was a pleasant ride back. and its also worth mentioning that i found the tapah rest area an interesting stop. it not only boast of clean & spacious toilets, its suraus are nice & cosy and theres also a wide variety of food available - from the usual food stalls to airconditioned cafes (a godsend in this humid weather), dunkin donuts, baskin-robbins etc. a great place to stretch your legs & take a break :D

Mak was eagerly waiting for the latest news of her kampung.  and why didnt she come along with us you might ask? i dont really know why but these days she just refuses to go anywhere, prefering to stay home with the cats, the gagaks & the tupais.  they're almost like her babies.

 The ever curious Miso, mak's latest companion.