Pasar Malam. Say that word to any of my close friends and they will know that I’m passionate about it. Especially the one near where I stay, in Connaught. Every week, I go for walk there twice on the same day, which is like a weekly routine no matter how busy I am. The rationale behind it? I’ve got no idea. My friends call me cracked; some even say I’m nuts. I don’t know which one, but I can assure you that I am indeed in love with Pasar Malam.
For me Pasar Malam is the place where I had ‘discovered myself’ (shophoholic), the place where I ‘meditate’ (after stress from boring classes), and the place where I had revealed my inner talent (bargaining).
There is this sense of relief I get just by looking at the sparkling economical jewelries that hardly lasts for a week. Otherwise, I love listening to blasting senseless music from the CD stalls, if not eating those fancy unhealthy, fattening foods. Even pushing my way through foul smelling crowded people recharges my brain and strangely, I have never felt this way elsewhere..
And as for today, I’ve just realize that I am going to leave this place soon after I finish my studies and I’m sure I’m going to miss Pasar Malam badly. I’ve got no idea how I’m going to manage my days after this. I guess I’ll have to settle with meditation or a yoga class, except I’m sure it can never replace my fav. Pasar Malam as it is still and will always be the most effective stress reliever.
I finally resumed my dance class today. Though I didn’t feel like going and was contemplating to stop, I’m glad I made it. After class, my teachers had rehearsal for their upcoming performance, and it was simply fabulous. It was a fusion between contemporary and Kathak, and at the end of the class, I was more then convinced to join Kathak for the rest of my stay here in KL.
During the rehearsal, Pin and I were sitting next to one of my teacher who was waiting for his wife (another teacher) who was performing, and I could see that he was constantly looking at his wife. I started teasing him about it but he denied playfully, saying that he was looking at everyone; except it was so obvious that he was gazing at her; with a face filled with pride and admiration (she is such a graceful dancer).
As for me, I’m surprised to see such act, especially that they are married for a couple of years now. Don’t get me wrong, but I only see such acts, especially between Indian couples in movies, not in real life. At least not from the background I come from.
From the place I come from, besides my dad and uncle, no one actually appreciates what their wife does, what more being proud of them. None of them actually take pride for their wife’s delicious food (my aunts are all good in cooking), or realize the way they had helped in bringing up the kids (all my cousins are doing well, very good obedient kids), or even a thanks for taking care of their home. Instead they treat them like some unpaid maids, who needs to wake up early to take care of their kids, home, parents, job and the list just goes on. And at the end of the day, what do these husbands do? They grumble and criticize to their friends how worthless their dull looking wives are. That seriously pisses me off!! I wish I could do something about it but what can I do? Why can’t they at least once appreciate their wives? Why cant they just be proud and admire the way their wives had handle things in their lives? I’m surprised that my aunties are actually tolerating such life. If it was me, I’m sure I would have left my husband since day one!
Well.. I hope the day will never come, because deep inside, I wish to find someone like my teacher :-)
Allah … Allah
God
Gumsum chandni ho
A lost moonlight
Naazneen ho
A fairy
Ya koi hoor ho
A precious gem
Dilnasheen ho
Heartbreaking
Dilkasheen ho
Heartstopping
Ya jannat ka noor ho
Or a light from the heavens
Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah
By God’s grace
Gumsum chandni ho
Naazneen ho
Ya koi hoor ho
Dilnasheen ho
Dilkasheen ho
Ya jannat ka noor ho
Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah
Tum saba ho
You are the sunrise
Ya ghataa ho
You are the gentle breeze
Kehkashaa ho
What to say
Saaibaan ho
You are a beauty
Subah ki pehli kiran ke jaisi
Like the light of dawn
Bebaat alhar pavan ke jaisi
A silent fragrance from the gentle wind
Khushboowen tum lutati ho
You shower us with that scent
Masti mein choor choor
And make me go crazy
Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah
Tum haya ho
You are modesty
Tum rida ho
You are covered up
Tum wafaa ho
You are loyalty
Tum nasha ho
You are intoxication
Khamosh nazre sadaaon jaisi
Silent gazes scream out to me
Tumhari baatein duaon jaisi
Words are like a prayer
Har nafas mein tum samayee ho
You are in every breath I take
Phir bhi ho itni door
And still so far away
Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah, Masha-Allah
Yesterday I went to the education fair in KLCC with Nads and my sister. And guess what? Believe it or not about 90% of those who went there wanted to be doctors! God knows how many uncountable booths were offering degree in this ‘honorable’ field, along with terms like “one house one doctor”, door marks stating “don’t disturb I’m studying to be a Doctor”, and a lot of other pathetic sentences were displayed everywhere. It was like everyone had one and only one mission in life and that is; to be a doctor.
It’s not like I have anything against them (besides the fact that they took away our dispensing rights. But hey, we are doing their job by prescribing too in the pharmacy, so no complaints there:-)) but its just that the way these kids are going about wanting to be a doctor despite having unexceptional marks is just so heartbreaking. If before being a doctor was a noble job, coz the only thing they wanted was to care for people, now almost everyone is being one for glamour and name. Very few actually are doing it for care purposes.
On top of that there is this family pressure that makes sure that these kids have got no choice but to do it! I feel sorry for these kids. I was also one of them but thank god my dad ‘opened’ my eyes and made me see what being a doctor really was, and I changed my ambition. And now, looking at my medic friends, all I can say is; it’s a no-play-field. I mean getting into it is one thing, but surviving it is another. And when you come out, the journey doesn’t just stop there. Its one hell of a long journey which I think will never end till the day they die. And I am so lucky that I didn’t choose that path, or ill be dead by now:-)
