Selamat Hari Raya

And today i went to Zaza's home for ketupat, rendang and lemang.

Kedah, being the land of Padi, is no joke. We jakun people were Oooooooh-ing and Aaaaaaahhhh-ing, about 15mins from the bridge when we had padi fields on both sides. It was really a beautiful sight. The green was so green. The kind of green that cannot be imagined, but only understood once in its presence. Here and there the green was dotted with white; bangau! Even they looked whiter against the greenest backdrop.

Bangau = the old song = "Bangau o bangau mengapa engkau kurus?...'Macamana aku tak kurus, ikan tak nak timbul, ikan tak nak timbul'..." Cant remember the whole thing, i know envolves a sick cow somewhere along the way though.

Zaza's area is really a kampung, with wooden houses and chickens darting across the narrow lane. Her mom and dad were nice, welcoming. I love being with real people. Those who just are who they are and dont try to be anything they're not. I had this conversation before, with Sam trying to explain what i meant by real people. Too lazy to explain the context now, but i do know i said "...real people are those that have stretch marks and are not afraid to show 'em."















After stuffing our faces we, sat talking. Thats the best part; talking. I remember all the times when i stay back after parties or whatever, sometimes the last one to leave cause of the talking that just flows on and on. To break the moment with an abrupt, hasty farewell is just wrong. We three pigs sat and talked and watched the kids run around the house playing hide-and-seek.

Our lack of mobility caused us to miss the chance to go exploring around her area, for by the time we managed to stand it was exactly the moment when it is no longer day but not yet night. There was still a lasting dim light from the sun that had long ago set, leaving stubborn rays refusing to say goodbye before showing us more beauty.















Above is the view from the back of Zaza's house. She stands watching us as we admire what she calls biasa je... She shrugs it off, but to see it spread out before me, the cool, damp air on my skin and a myriad of sounds in my ears was really special.

I miss seeing thousands of stars in the sky.