Adventure with The Boys - Part 1

Just got back from Cherating last night. The holiday with the boys, was a blast! :)

Ivan, Acat, Jamil and I had more fun and laughter in the last few days, than we have in the whole year. :)

There's something cozy about old friends: you can just be yourself because the familiarity is almost second nature, you're unafraid of being judged on your fears and confessions and the silly jokes, insults and bantering are almost at a psychic level - one of us would finish the sentence, where the other started.

It didn't matter that one of us was married, the other two were attached (in various levels of commitment) and yours truly was single. But in Cherating, we were all 16 again - curious, mischievous, adventurous and looking for new things to experience. And in the process, deepening our understanding of each other and further strengthening our bond of friendship.

The long morning breakfast chats, the ogling of hot babes, the foosball, pool and arcade games, the walks by the beach, deep discussions (laced with a constant stream of humour) till the wee hours of the morning, the trip to the world-famous Kedai Kopi Hai Peng in Chukai (established in 1940), the reasonably priced and delicious seafood dinner, the trip to the breezy Pantai Kemasek and the jetty in Kerteh, were all memorable.

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The riverside dinner in Kuantan and the "illicit" trip to the dodgy GRO bar that followed later especially, was eye-opening, in all senses of the word. All of us wanted to taste a slice of Kuantan nightlife - just to see what it was like.

There we were, 4 "oldish" guys with 4 classes of Coca Cola, accompanied by two 19-year old Malay girls, in very revealing and tight-fitting clothes. It did not leave much to the imagination, you can say.

Me being me, I started on my "Edisi Siasat" mode - I asked Liza (not her real name) one of the two pretty girls, on why she worked there. And she said that the bar was owned by one of the owners of a well-branded telco player in Malaysia, which happened to be her (daytime) employer too. Furthermore, they made RM60 a night - "just for chatting and keeping customers happy".

Even if she worked 3 nights a week, that would easily add RM720 to her pocket - a lot of extra pocket money for a 19-year old girl in Kuantan. From her accent, I noticed that Liza was from Terengganu. I asked her if her 24-year old boyfriend (who I was told was working as a forklift engineer) minded her working there. She paused reflectively and said "yes".

And then she said - "Tapi kalau tunggu dia buat duit nak kahwin, sampai bila le tak kahwin". She's been with the boy for 3 years and was intent on getting married by the time she is 21. But to her - now was the time to earn and start saving for the future. It was calculated and pragmatic - it was all, a means to an end.

I wondered how many more girls who didn't do well or didn't have the means to continue their tertiary studies, have fallen into this GRO trap.

Ivan meanwhile, continued staring at the other girl's cleavage, intermittently reminding himself that he was married. Lyn was 18 years old and was generally, ahem - not very shy. She was very attractive and had a body that would make grown men, weep. Jamil felt guilty even sitting there and Acat, was just breathing in, the novelty of the environment.

It was an interesting night in Kuantan. As we drove back to Cherating, we realized that inside or outside of KL, the differences in social environment were getting smaller. The rot was setting in, even outside of KL.

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Satar and otak-otak in Kemaman was brilliant! Sedap gila! I was just wondering why we can't package this and export it overseas, as a Malaysian delicacy. If the Japanese can do sushi, why can't we do satar and otak-otak?

A brainwave for a franchise outlet called "Satar King" has just crossed my mind,...hahahahaha,...

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Secrets sharing was always a part of the norm, of the trip with the boys. And this time, some of the stories had a supernatural element to it. I was quite surprised at how one of us, was so attuned to the world of non-humans. It's pretty eerie and gave me goosebumps, just thinking about it.

He certainly got the award for the secret of the night. My story was pretty good and it shocked the boys pretty good, but I had to settle for first runner-up. But whatever it is, confession is good for the soul, they say.

Not many people have the privilege of being truly honest with their friends. So many of our friendships are so full of pretences and bogus posturing. So much fear of being judged by others, even those closest to us.

I thanked God, for the few people in my life that I could be truly honest to. I know someone out there, who could use such friends - people that she won't be afraid of being herself to.

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Acat, being the mischievous one in the group, (and the one that had the unfortunate luck of being Jamil's roommate) decided to record Jamil's snoring on his handphone. According to Acat, it had a precise timing and rhythm to it - every 8 seconds or so, the snoring would begin again. He played the snoring sounds over breakfast - it was hilarious! Ivan said we should volunteer it for an Ultraman movie, for one of the dinosaur sounds,...ahahahha,....

I woke up one morning to the sound of Jamil's snoring, in the adjoining hotel room. I could see Ivan putting his clothes on, preparing to go for breakfast and I asked: "Are the boys awake and ready to go?"

Ivan's reply was dead sarcastic,..."Acat tengah mandi,...tapi kerbau masih kat kandang",(referring to Azmil's snoring)...ahhahahahhaha,....

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Scene in the car:

Ivan was driving and Jamil was the navigator.

Ivan: "What's the speed limit, ah?"

Jamil: "It's 90 km per hour"

Ivan: "How do you know that?"

Jamil: "Because it's a highway and there's 'angin melintang' in this area - it's usually 90, at a place like this"

Ivan: (Quietly impressed with Jamil's knowledge and keeping below the suggested sped limit)

About less than 5 minutes later - they saw a speed limit sign that said "110 km/h". The boys and I burst out in laughter. After that, any 'waffle' attempts were severely labeled as "angin melintang" stories. Hahahahahahaha,....and Jamil never heard the end of it, for the duration of the trip,...

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There is nothing in the world, quite as comfortable as the hammock, tied to the trees, in Legend Cherating. The feel and sound of the soft breeze, the feeling of being suspended in the air while swaying to the wind, shutting your eyes and just letting your mind wander,....what a divine feeling,...

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It was one of those moments when all 4 of us were seated on the bed, reflecting on how far we've come in our 24-year old friendship. Maybe it's just age and the hardness of the world that made us sentimental, but we're all beginning to appreciate this bond we have more and more, everyday.

And that discussion and reflection would have been nicely ensconced in our memories if not for Ivan crossing the line, with this remark: "Man, wouldn't it be nice, if we were all gay?"

The moment was killed and ended abruptly and everyone jumped off the bed. Aiyyoooo,...there are certain lines that male bonding should not cross and remarks like that, was certainly one of it. Hahahaha,....maybe for the next trip, we should bring our female partners along. ;)

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It was a great trip with the boys - more stories, to follow later. But we've decided that the next outing will be in Phuket in February 2006.

I'm looking forward to it.

This is also my investment for my children, one day. All these bi-annual trips, memories, photos and stories - one day when I'm not around, these boys will make sure that my kids will know who I am and what my life was like, when I was younger. My friends will fill in the blanks for my children - as my late parents's friends did for me.

Never underestimate the value of lifelong friends, who will allow you to be yourself and the best (and sometimes, the worst) person that you can be. It's worth all the treasures, in the world.