Sunday, Nov 12, 2023.
Long weekends, weddings and traffic snarls go together. That was the scenario this time with 2 weddings and the Deepavali celebrations, spread over two days and about 180 km return. The distance between the two locations and the Saturday-Sunday appointed times, when the Indian community celebrated its Deepavali this time, cost me a total of 12 hours. 75% of that time was on the road to the two sites, Saturday in Kuala Pilah, Sunday in the Ampang Jaya area in KL.
I'd long maintained that the large number of private vehicles on our roads is caused by our poor public transport. What are the ratios of cars to road distances in this country, and cars to population ?
Saturday was Abin's daughter's wedding at the Melang Inn Hotel, KP. Sunday was Kak Lang Noi's grandson's wedding in the Majestique Palace in Ampang Jaya. Abin is a first cousin. Kak Lang Noi a second cousin, and she called twice. So the weddings couldn't be missed, traffic jams notwithstanding.
Abin is in a wheelchair now, not paralysed but weak in the legs. She's 70 +. Kak Lang Noi is not in a wheelchair, but is also weak in the legs. She'll be 80 end of this year.
Abin lost her husband, Sulaiman, a few years ago. She stays in Kuala Jempol, which is closer to Bahau, but had chosen to have the reception in Kuala Pilah. I wonder why, because the groom is supposed to come from Jempol also. In fact Abin had family here in Melang, but the old folks are all gone now.
Kak Lang Noi is from Bukit Temensu, where my maternal grandparents were. Both of us were also born here at the end of the Japanese Occupation - we're the same ages. In fact we attended Quran-reading tuition together, under one Lobai Net who hailed, would you believe it, from Kuala Jempol. The evening classes were conducted in Bukit Temensu. I remember another classmate, Chandoh (a nick-name), Hj. Malek's daughter from across the Sg. Pilah river in the "Seberang" kampong. When I was the GM of Felda Transport in the 80's, Chandoh telephoned me out of the blue, asking to help take her son into the company, which I did. Chandoh has died. I wonder if the son is still there, in the Shah Alam Depot.
I also took in Kak Lang Noi's first cousin into Felda Transport. She's Alwi's daughter. Alwi was Mak Cik Limah's brother. Mak Cik Limah was Kak Lang Noi's mother. My mom was close to that family - our houses in Bukit Temensu were just across the KP-Tampin road, maybe 100 m apart.
In fact in a way I also gave Alwi's daughter (I've forgotten her name) her husband. He was also taken by me after his mother, a Felda settler from Pasoh, I think, approached me to take him into employment. I've also forgotten his name. They met at work.
When Kak Lang Noi got married to Mutalib, from Sawah Lebar, she moved with him to KL, where they have been ever since. That's how the grandson's wedding was in KL today. And that's also why I bumped into Dr. Onny at the reception. Onny's wife is from Sawah Lebar. She's also a doctor. Onny said he's semi-retired now. Just as we were chatting away, my younger brother, Dr. Din, came to our table. So there were 3 doctors from KP sitting together.
This is the style now, having wedding receptions in rented halls rather than at home. It makes sense. You have more space, air- conditioning, ample parking, and toilet facilities. And afterwards you just leave. In the house you face at least 2 weeks of cleaning. At least.
The Melang Inn Hotel affair was nice. It was comfortable and the food was very good, in taste and variety. The Majestique Hall was equally nice, but in the food section I think it was second to Melang Inn Hotel.
I told Kak Lang Noi I don't know when we'll meet again. We're both in our 8th decade, and living so far apart. But we have our own grown families, and there may be some occasions together left.
I was with Calit, in Dekna's car. We went back to Seremban via Shah Alam, because I wanted to check the venue for my meeting on 24/11. But it was the same laboured drive back the way we came. There are just too many cars on the road.
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