Last of everything, the start of something.

Prologue: I am home, I am home, I AM HOME! Safe and sound. Basically just slacking around not being very productive. Currently living a sedative lifestyle of a part-time home maker cum driver cum graduating student and full-time slacker. I am waiting for my Master’s application, remember?

Previously on *insert catchy title akin to America action drama series*:

Everything went on according to the what was originally planned until a sudden change throw it into jeopardy. A sms from cousin who was supposed to sent me to the airport…

'”I can’t send you to the airport tomorrow. I’m not in Penang”

*Panic button pushed and all hell broke loose*

I am now out of transport to go the airport. Immediately after the sudden message, all the other mode of transport for going to the airport were considered. The choices:

1) Ask a favor from any friends or acquaintances who are driving and in Penang. (The most viable, convenient and cheapest option, relying on the goodwill of friendship.)

2) Calling a taxi. (2nd most viable option and the one that did not bother other people the most…but also the most expensive one since Penang’s taxi enjoy slitting the throat of their customer)

3. RapidPenang bus. (Technically feasible and among the cheapest but require EXTRA effort of dragging my heavy luggageS to Sungai Dua gate, wait for buses, disembark at Sungai Nibong and/or Queensbay Mall, wait for 401/401E to Penang International Airport. Need to allocate extra time as well. Pretty much inconvenient in many way.)

Decision made: 1st choice. Rounds of messages and MSN-ing were made. Messaged MeiMay (2nd year junior who happened to live at Gambier Height), Vincent and AhBui. The replys: MM: “I think I am not able to do that cos I don’t have a car today” (Tch.), AhBui on MSN “How about calling taxi?” (Double tch. I know it’s pretty impossible to ask a second favor after the previous one anyway but still.) And no reply from Vincent just yet. The panic-meter continues to rise. Second choice looks imminent. Preparing myself mentally to 破财消灾 by searching up Yellow Pages online for taxi. Went off to AB Cafe to have one last lunch in Penang before coming home. And only then Vincent replied in MSN…

“I am sending my friend to airport around that time as well so shouldn’t be a problem”

PROBLEM SOLVED. Oh thank you so much, Vincent! Thank you gazillion times! You are a life saver! With the last bit of problem solved, it’s pretty much going to be smooth flight all the way home…

Saturday 8 May 2010, 4:00pm

Just finish stuffing all my stuffs into my bag went Vincent messaged that he is here at Tekun. Quickly wear my shoes, check through my room for one last time just in case I accidentally left anything behind. With the coast clear, it’s time to say good bye to Tekun, USM, and Penang.

One last look at my room. Yeah, I left quite a lot “presents” for the new tenant including a free box, useless toothbrush, a couple of plastic bags and a few bottle of pepper which I didn’t manage to give it to my friend before it expire. What a waste.

Good bye, E-8-15, Tekun. Oh so many memories that I had made in this room!

Bags and stuff and that I am bringing home. Green Boulevard bag containing all formal stuff, red Nando Bag for the souvenirs and all other miscellaneous stuff and of course my red luggage bag for my clothes and shoes. Opps gotta go cos Vincent is waiting!

The checkin counter that I am all too familiar with. Probably will be quite a while before I need to check in to this counter again. Bought myself The Star to kill some time while waiting and went to McDonald as usual for a little pre-flight meal. Bump into a few familiar faces including the CS second year that shared the same class as me in my Spoken English class. But there’s one thing that is different since the last time I came here.

They add in glass partition that separates the airside into two sides for arrival and departure and also by domestic and international side: Gate 1-10 is for international flight while gate 11-13 is for domestic flight. Supposedly. But the thing is, my flight to Kuching that day is at Gate 9A, at the supposibly International side of the terminal. And for some reason, we can’t go over to that side until our flight is calling us to go. What’s with the ample spaces over there for anyway? Why our movement is so restricted?

The glass partition extends all the way to the end at each and every gate and they only provide such a small spaces of corridor for departing passenger in contrast to the wide walkway for arriving passenger. Just look at that empty waiting spaces and the crowded corridor. It’s cattle flight to the max! Anyway in the end, we all boarded the flight and it’s all routine AirAsia flight anyway. I got trapped in the middle seat (26B) but as a consolation (somewhat), the passenger on my left (window seat) is a primary school teacher from Kedah but currently works in Sri Aman (2 hours plus drive!) that talks about pretty much everything (My career prospect as a translator, comparison of local universities, working life as a civil servant/teacher, working in Sri Aman, the lack of bonus after Najib become our Prime Minister, Sibu by-election, Sarawak CM Taib’s politico-business connection etc etc. That’s pretty much how our conversation go.) while on my right is a rather handsome (and sleepy and how much I pray he would lean his head on my shoulder) guy who plays Tennis and Badmintion (based on the racquets that he brought on board. Hmm, can’t recall seeing him around USM main campus. Maybe he’s an engineering guy). So it the end, the flight itself was special on its own.

Landed safely without any mishaps (It better be!) in my home sweet home Kuching and went to reclaim my luggage. One of the clip that holds the strap of my luggage went off and missing WTF!? That’s one rough handling of cargo there!

And as usual, waited outside the terminal. This time it was my dad who picked me up. Chatted a little about my Master etc.

Ahh, home cooking that I missed so dearly. No outside food, no matter how expensive and tasty it was, is better than home cooking. Trust me. 

So there you have. 3 years of my undergraduate life have pretty much come to a close. What’s left for me is only the release of my final result (Dean’s list if god’s willing) and my very own convocation on August (if they decided to do it before Ramadhan.) And of course, waiting for my new chapter of life as a Master student unfold. Meanwhile though, I will be lingering around at home…waiting for it to start…

Epilogue: Just realized that a lot of my usual Kuchingite limteh-gang is not around Kuching for most part of two months: Tauke Owen is doing his practical over Singapore (work hard and good luck!), BeiShan stayed in Kuala Lumpur and will only be back around June, same thing for Bella as well. So who’s left in Kuching? TaukeLip and SanHui might still be busy with their FYP. AhKei doing…the stuff he is suppose to be busy off. Who else? Who else is back in Kuching? Can somebody tell me cos I am gonna be bored at home if no one invites me out. Anyone? ANYONE? Even my own younger brother went to Form 6 in St. Thomas already. *random spazz before spazzing out!*