Monday Blues

Last week, my dad went back to Saudi Arabia because he had to work. And today, my mom and siblings all flew back to Saudi as well because the kiddies are starting school soon. And for the first time ever, it was me who had to send them to the airport and the one who had to bid farewell to them, because usually for the past six years it was the other way around. From hotel-hopping between three different hotels for the past three weeks, I'm finally settled at my uncle's condo somewhere in Puchong for the time being.

Anyway, I have loads to do when I'm on my own. I just hope that I won't be called to start the induction course until after Raya, because that'll give me the chance to go to Saudi as well to celebrate my first raya with my family after six missed Rayas, as well as the first Raya Aidilfitri in Saudi. Without my folks and siblings around I can hardly call Malaysia home, despite the good foods, the wonderful shopping sprees I can do here, etc etc... you get the point right. I won't be lazy-bumming around that's for sure.


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Watched the Badminton finals between Malaysia and China yesterday. Yeah well, it is disappointing to see Lee Chong Wei lose because he's really, really a good player, it's just that Lin Dan is a better player yesterday night. Still, Malaysia got its first medal, and a silver one at that. Besides if you put the disappointment aside, it's what a game is all about - someone's gotta win, and somebody's gotta lose. And overall I think Chong Wei did a good job - he made it to the final match, a feat which is already difficult to achieve. Way to go.

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Was queuing up to help my mom check-in all the baggage. We got at the line the earliest because mom had the foresight to come early. We were the first in line so I thought it would be easy. The check-in counters for Emirates that night weren't open yet so we hovered by the entrance-way to the M counters in KLIA, right by the opening where only two trolleys lined side-by-side can fit. Mom told me that it's a general rule to keep the right side free, and thus we lined up at the left side of the entranceway. An Arab family came and became the second in line. All was well...until an Arab couple came by terkedek-kedek macam itik gedik and dengan tak malunya lined up beside us, at the line that was supposed to be empty (that line is for the people from the other side of the entranceway to walk out, trolleys in tow). The patriarch of the Arab family behind us gave the couple the evil eye but was ignored. Mom and I considered the fact that several counters will be opened for us so we still would be able to check in ASAP anyway so nevermind. It would be amusing, we thought, to see the couple became flustered when people from the other side wanted to walk out. They would have to move out of the way. Still they managed to remain there - I'm not sure whether the couple is just plain dumb in not realizing that it should be really strange to see one loooonnnggg line was formed beside them, whereas the line they were occupying were of them, only (because nobody else was stupid that night, it seemed).

However, idiocy can spread like a disease, it seems. Another Arab couple, as equally terhegeh-hegeh, came towards the line, analyzed the situation, and unceremoniously went to the should-be-vacanted line, behind the first couple. Wow. I mean, really, WOW. But I have to really give credit to the other civilized Arabs behind us for not choosing to cut queues as well. Really, good for them. Thus the two couples remained the only two couples that lined up at the line which should be kept free for other people to walk in and out of the entranceway to the M aisle smoothly. Not only that these two couples were showing to the others what idiots they could be, but they were also obstructing the smoothness of the entranceway like some cholesterol plaques inside a blood vessel. Sure glad that they were the only idiots in the house that day....

Oh I was wrong. There were several people who suddenly appeared from the other end of the M aisle, and despite seeing the long queues that were formed at the beginning of the aisle, they remained ignorant of the fact that it's common act of courteousness to go back in line. Right then, idiocy is just not the right word to describe them. I'd say the more fitting word is Neanderthals.

Nonetheless, when the check-in counters were opened, us civilized people who had lined up pushed their trolleys as quickly as possible to avoid the Neanderthals from cutting the queues. Some people were nice enough to allow the Ns to check in before them, but mom and I weren't so nice. Aside from the Ns that appeared from the other side of the M aisle which unsurprisingly got the first check-in counter, we managed to check-in our bags as quickly as possible, and I got to spend the next couple of hours with mom, sibs, and several relatives that came by to see them for the last time until summer 2009 comes rolling.

That's all for now. Really need to sleep. I feel a bit guilty for using the N word on the people who didn't queue up at the airport earlier. Yeah....guilty pleasure. Adios amigos.