...and they all grew up....

(i posted this particular writing on my old blog, and decided to move it here, especially for those of you who haven't read it yet).

Once upon a time, there were a few boys and girls who looked forward to the Raya celebrations every year because it meant that they could all get into the car and be driven by their parents back to their beloved little magical hometown, the land of great adventure and delicious cuisines...taiping... A few days before Raya they would all gather at their grandparents' home, aptly called Rumah Kampung Jambu, because of its location in Kampung Jambu, and wait patiently for Raya to come. The more daring uncles would rush out to purchase the forbidden Raya necessity... the bunga api and the secret hiding place for these things once it reached home was in the little storage compartment of the old grandfather clock. The less daring uncles would frown at this act of crime but deep inside they secretly longed to reach out for one bunga api and relive their own childhood... The mommies would be in the kitchen, baking the ever traditional biskut arab and kulcha. One person would be assigned to ketupat duty, someone else would be incharge of the decorations and the rest would either lounge in front of the tele or be assigned to shopping duty.

Now where were the boys and girls? Hmmm....... As usual, they're off somewhere in the house fighting over one thing if not another. The girls would indulge in a certain activity, namely recording songs into the cassette player and the boys would come along later and take the cassette, listen to it, and mock the girls. But eventually they will all sit together and record something together. The eldest boy was very talented in mimicking the voice of Rowan Atkinson, and another boy was beginning to show a keen interest in music, and this was exhibited with the help of the old piano underneath the stairs. The eldest girl would always suggest that they play entertainment quizzes. The boys were in one team, and the girls in another. And they almost always end up accusing the other team of either cheating or of not playing fair.

And then of course, there's the trip into town, or the magical land of the great lake garden... where monkeys and transvestites co-habit in peace... It's a wonder how they never disturb each other's business in public... As they ventured into town, one of the must visit destinations would be the ais kacang stall. After that comes the bubur kacang stall. And then, the more adventurous ones would make their way to the waterfalls. Let's not forget the old cinemas, where the eldest girl had to endure a screening of a Kamal Hassan tamil movie...

Whatever the activity, be it swimming at the falls, or fighting till the wee hours of the morning, or making roti canai segera at 12am, they were all very happy and always looked forward to the next adventure. But then after a while, the boys and girls grew up and trips to the magical hometown began to decrease. Soon they no longer went back for Raya there, as everyone decided to spend it in the big city.

One day, the eldest boy sent out word to the boys and girls asking them to come home to taiping to relive the good old days, and they all accepted with much enthusiasm. Seven of them set out on a bright saturday morning, after having a very tough time waking one of the boys up. But he soon got out of bed and they all piled into two cars and the journey began...

Suddenly, Rumah Kampung Jambu looked a lot smaller than they had all remembered. Perhaps they were tiny ones back then. But now they all possessed the heights of runway models and basketball players. Taiping was still like it used to be, waiting for its occupants to return... A land of tranquility and calmness.... Modernity was apparent but it was still old, in some ways.... Something all of them welcomed with open arms...

No trip to taiping was complete without taking a drive down lake garden. The monkeys outnumber the transvestites this time around... And then of course, a trip to the taiping zoo where the animals all look as though they were plotting an escape... either that or a takeover... Next agenda was the food... Bismillah roti canai and their special maroon couloured kuah, which believe it or not, has never been seen in any other kedai mamak throughout malaysia... the ais kacang and bubur were also on the list... although the ais kacang, according to the boys and girls did not taste quite the same because the aunty passed away and her brother took over...

The great taiping getaway, as they called it, was a huge success, although it was rather weird, because they were all such grown ups now... but one thing remained the same though, the bond that they have shared ever since childhood, the ties that brought them all together, that made them like brothers and sisters, the fights and the teasing... inside each and every one of them, that child form their childhood days lives on...... and it is the hope of the eldest girl that they will always come back to this magical hometown... be it ten years or even fifty years down the road... rumah kampung jambu will forever be the place they return to... the place where all good memories lie, waiting for us to walk down memory lane and remember them all...