Currently Playing: Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s - Talking in Code.
A couple of weekends ago, Ummi
decided to pack everyone up and head back to her kampung. It was a spontaneous
move since Abah had a kem bina of some sort in Sungkai, which meant the family
car was available for the journey to Perak. Abah didn’t mind and sent his
wishes, so by early Saturday morning we were well on our way up north.
As much as Abah cannot stand certain brands of music I listen to, I’m glad that
the CDs he stacks in his car cater very well to my own taste. Ummi as head driver
was very lenient in letting me choose what to put on, just so as long as it
didn’t involve
any head-banging, if you please. I rifled around for a bit, and finally into
the CD player went Sean Ghazi’s Semalam, Michael Buble’s Call Me Irresponsible, the Best of Amr Diab
and a collection of Keronchong Jawa. There you have it; music from all four
corners of the world.
We took the Kuala Selangor route instead of the North-South Expressway because
Ummi was feeling a little adventurous and in the mood for a slow ride. She let
me drive when we were heading back to KL the next day, and I confess, it was my
first long-distance drive on a single carriage kampung road. What an experience! I’ve
mentioned how much I love kampung images; driving back past coconut trees and
oil palm estates with the sun setting behind us and the Keronchong Jawa playing on the
stereo felt so surreal. Dreamlike, even.
Speaking of kampung images:
Pardon the grainy quality. I only had a camera phone to work with, and that’s the best I could get out of the shots.
I think the one thing I would really love to get is a good camera. Not too high-end with multiple options and dials I’ll never bother to figure out, but something handy and light enough to lug around so that I’ll have the proper equipment should a photo op tickle my fancy.
One thing I noticed back in kampung is that there are far more flags flying there then back in the city. There was at least one big flag for every papan house I passed, and at one time I saw this one small kid riding on his rusty bicycle flanked by 2 Jalur Gemilangs on each side.
How about that? Patriotism (if measured by flag-hoisting, that is) seems a lot stronger among the folks who are living in poorer conditions than we urban folks over here. I feel ashamed. The Government should take that into account the next time they have any hesitations as to where the loyalties of the poor and poverty-stricken lie.
Enough said here.
