A night to remember

Sorry for the much cliche title. 

It was back at 2015, when I am still in my secondary, I am still a very active person, participating in a lot of activities, have my fingers in all pies, is that how the saying goes? Well anyway, I came across an event that is held in USM which is the Run for Peace 2015, it would cost 20 Ringgit for each person if I am not mistaken. So, that instantly shut my intention to participate, as I am some poor kid who is mean about spending money, I don’t even spend money for my breakfast.

But then one of my friends was going, her friends were going as well, her brother was going as well, her brother’s friends were going as well, and they ask to if I want to go as well, and so the poor kid promise that he would go. So, I ask my dad whether she can fetch me to school at 6 o’clock in the morning as we need to go by bus and the bus would depart from the school. But dad is not around as he wanted to go to Genting Highland with his buddy and mom only knew how to ride a motorcycle and she don’t want to wake up that early.

So, I came up with a crappy idea, the day before the event, my school was holding a mid- autumn festival, and my friends are performing, i then lied to my mom that I wanted to see the performance, and I would stay at a student hostel beside the school which cost 10 ringgit per night. And that night I went to my school with a sleeping bag, and I hid at a classroom after the performance ended waiting for all teachers to leave. Nobody is allowed to stay at school at night.

I still remember, the first thing I did when I reached my school that day is to pray at a small temple behind the school. Not out of the feeling of guilty for lying, but because I was afraid of ghost. I can’t sleep that night, I was scared of being caught by the guards, or the teachers, or I would just be a portrait in a missing notice the next day being drag to the other world. I keep hearing voices that night, sound like footsteps, or water drippings or it was someone urinating at drainage I DON’T KNOW!

It was 3 in the morning, someone opens the door of the classroom I am in, scaring the hell out of me. It was 2 students wo is looking for their belongings I guess? Then I found out from them that there isn’t any guards who is on shift now as they just entered so easily. Half past 3 and I decided to move to the space at the front of the hall to do some homework that I brought that night. It is almost impossible to focus, as I keep hearing sound of footsteps…… from my back! But 5 o ‘clock in the morning, I heard the footstep again and I decided to have a look…… JESUS CHRIST!!! It was the guard! I then quickly ran to the backside gate of the school and climb over to it to run to her house!

And so, the lesson taught us, not to do something stupid for some girl you’re in love with, actually it's not a bad idea at all, it was a nice memory to look back, but maybe don't lie to your mom.

The Friday Laksa!

To me, the best food is never at a high- end restaurant, maybe because I had never been to a high- end fine dining restaurant yet, but comparing to food in restaurant like McDonalds, Sushi Kings, Tao, Kim Gary, the kinds of restaurant that you would probably spend 20 ringgit for one meal, but none of them have the flavour profile that would match an authentic local stall food, and today, I will introduce the laksa from a night market in Kampung Bahru, Bukit Mertajam, Penang, the place where I live.

Every Friday, the place would we crowded with people from various neighbouring area, the specific address is Cangkat Damai, Taman Permata, 14000 Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang, the night market stretches across Cangkat Damai, and the laksa is located at the end of the road where Cangkat Damai meets Lebuhraya Muhibbah. It would only take me 10 minutes to walk from my house to reach it, and I ate it almost every Friday before I went to study at university.

The laksa is made by some Chinese people, I’m not sure who is the genius behind the invention, but laksa in Penang is basically divided into 3 domains, one is the Chinese style, which has more acidity, one is the Malay style, which has a more salty flavour, and another is the tomato sardine style which taste like spaghetti Bolognese with the tomato meat sauce being replace by tomato fish sauce. Well, all laksa broth base is made of fish meat, it is form by cooking the fish to a mushy state and you can basically drink the fish.

Since it is made my some Chinese, the laksa has an acidic flavour profile, making it very appetizing together with the sour lime juice and chilli, making it more delicious. The broth is packed with the right amount of fish meat, not too diluted and not over saturated as well. The laksa noodles is white and smooth, while staying tender, it is chewy as well. The topping is easy, just some raw red onion and lettuce, but it goes very well with the acidity of the soup by adding a hint of sweetness. The laksa cost 4.5 ringgit for each.

The laksa stall is very famous at the area, with flow of customers that are nearly unstoppable, they would run out of ingredient even before 9pm. Besides laksa, they also sell fried noodles and fried vermicelli, which is also known as economical noodles in Malaysia. Well, I don’t know its price because I never order the economical noodles, my instinct always prompt me to buy the laksa every time I go there.

The KAKOM Camp

During the first semester of matriculation college, I participated in the KAKOM Perkemahan, which is a national level camp for matriculation student from all states in the country. The participation will ensure a full mark in the co-curricular mark, which weights 10 percent in our overall academy, that is my intentions too, that’s why a lot of people participated, but it turned out to be one of my best memories I had in college.

And so, I together with 30 other students represent the Matriculation College of Perak to participate in the KAKOM Camp 2016 that is in the Matriculation College of Pahang. In the four day of camping, we had to cook our own meal with the ingredient all provided and sleep in tents that is anchored to the soil and no electrical plugs! And for guys, we had to shower in public, even though the camping site for guys is located at higher ground which is isolated from everyone, but everyone can still see us naked, that’s why we all showered with our underwear on which is still insane. Despite being on a higher ground, we all looked like a bunch of strippers that is performing on stage. The first is just a starter, no activity was planned on that day, we all just set up our camp site, shower, eat and sleep.

The next day, I was assigned to participate in a competition called orienteering, which we were given a map of the college where 20 locations were marked on it, and we have to find those location to retrieve a mark from each of the locations. There is a portion of the college that is covered in jungle and several locations are in the jungle, that isn’t the worst part. You know the type of water tank that is high up in the air, one of the locations is there, the water tank should be a restricted area, but the door is opened, and some girls from the other group told me that the mark was up there which it wasn’t. So, I climbed up the water tank, found nothing, came down and found the mark at a tree beside. I had cursed them a hundred times that day.

While I am busy running around the college like some contestant in The Amazing Race, I other comrades were participating in other competition, some of them were in the backwoods cooking competition and some of them were in the gadget building competition. It was a tired day, but we still have to spend time practice for the marching competition tomorrow.

The next day, I remembered we just put on our uniform and put on our marching boots and go on for the competition, it was about 1pm in the afternoon, and girls no matter you’re Malay or not, all girls had to put on tudung. At first I kept laughing at my friends, but then I thought I might be a good idea wearing tudung on such hot weather and I’m kind of jealous of them, I’m just kidding. The competition went smoothly, minus the slips and someone drop her beret, everything is smooth. After the marching, our mission was done! And we just waited for the BBQ at night. It was a fun night and we just ate and chit chat then sleep to the next day.

There is still one last session on the next day, which is the prize giving ceremony, surprisingly, we still manage to get 2^nd runner up in both marching competition and the gadget building competition.

"Tentmates"

Cameron Highland

Cameron highland has always been a fairy tale to me, I had always heard people talk about it, but I’ve never been there despite being a Malaysia. Therefore, I’ve always kept my imagination about it. I always thought that Cameron Highland would be like a resort on the hill, where all entertainment is gathered around in an area, like Genting Highland, which then I found that some people think like that too.

I’ve always been an active person, I joined a lot of activity, and one of the societies ty planned a trip to Cameron Highland and this is how I ended up sitting in a school bus now. Yes, that’s right, sitting in a school bus now at 6 o’clock in the morning departing to Cameron Highland. Without any hesitation, I sleep instantly. The bus stopped at somewhere in Bercham, Perak, a district at the southern area of the state Perak, to have our breakfast. It is half past 8 in the morning, and I never know that Malaysia can be this cool in the morning, my friend’s phone shows 23 degree Celsius. Anyway, we stopped at a hawker centre named Golden Point Food Court, which is famous for its Langkap Pau.

Just in case you’re a foreign reader, pau is a Chinese steam bun with various type of fillings. The Langkap Pau provide a wide span of choices that reach 24 flavours, it is basically 3 times the variety we would see at a typical pau store. Instead of having the pau which most of us have ordered it, I chose a Kimchi Ramen, which I found satisfying. The spicy and sour broth instantly wakes me up, the kimchi’s flavour has fused into the soup leaving the cabbage some faint sweetness. The ramen also includes a gyoza (Japanese dumpling) which is also very tasty. I’m not sure if it’s homemade, but it sure taste like gyoza that you’ll have in a restaurant. The wrapper is crispy, and the filling is chicken and Chinese chives which is packed with flavours, making it a mini flavour bomb.

The trip continues when the continue to drive all the way to the Lavender Farm on Cameron Highland. The entrance fee is 9 Ringgit per person which in return gives you a stunning view of lavender field. Despite being called a lavender farm, there are also various other plantation including strawberries and flowers. It is a sweet spot for Instagram lover, there are a lot of view that can be used as background. The bus continues to move to the butterfly farm where is located at higher ground which then I am starting to realize something odd, there were residential house all along the way, then only I find out that it is a district of Pahang, and it is stated on the internet that its size is 712 square kilometres! I’ll tell you how big that is, it is almost as big as Singapore! I feel like “Oh my god!” because all this time I had been having the wrong imagination.

The bus continue to move to the butterfly farm, which is 4 ringgit per entry. The butterfly farm is not exactly a butterfly farm as well, it is basically a butterfly farm slash reptile exhibition gallery slash zoo slash farm. The butterfly farm is only a small portion of it. Nothing so particular about that place, it is also a sweet spot for Instagramer, you can take pictures with the butterflies, holding them on hands, just be proactive!

We have our lunch at Watercress Valley, which they highlight watercress as the star ingredient of their meal. The lunch set for pax of 9 includes 7 dishes and rice for each. Even though it is meant for nine-person, we eleven people can’t finish it, we were so full. It is overall a nice meal, hearty and delicious, and vegetarian- friendly.

We then proceed to the strawberry farm. Again, it is not exactly just a strawberry farm, it is also a cactus farm slash vegetables farm slash café, there are plantations like lettuce and carrots. The café has a variety of items that contains the element of strawberry, such as strawberry ice cream, strawberry yogurt, strawberry salad, etc. If you’re a strawberry lover, this is definitely a great spot as you can be surrounded by strawberry everything.

I was very weak that day, keep feeling too cold, and so, the best thing to do at a cold weather, is definitely steamboat! We have our dinner at…… I don’t know where that is as Cameron is just too big! After the hearty dinner, we went back to our homestay to rest. If you’re going to Cameron Highland for a vacation, you should spare some slippers as the floor of anywhere you wish to stay is probably freezing as hell!

The next day, we still left a spot that we have not go to, that is the Boh Tea Farm, again, Instagram sweet spot, the pictures we took here are gorgeous! Not to mention the cake and pastry and tea at the café! Yes, there is a café up there’s a tea farm, we had a matcha cake, a mint tea chocolate cheese cake and some bread, even though I am not used to eating dessert in the morning, but after the cake, I think I am used to it instantly XD

As overall, the Cameron Highland would be a better travel location, if I had a camera.

Awakening

It’s as if the gravity around is multiplied tenfold, I am completed overwhelmed by the force helplessly, limbs strangled by invisible ropes, and I can only helplessly watch time flows away from my fingertips. In this strange mansion which I was lying in, it was dark all around, there were no shape to all the furniture,

everything looks distorted like they were melting.

Like chocolate, I was melting,

with the mansion we are fusing,

looking at the ceiling my conscious is losing,

in this eternal despair I give in.

With my little remnant of conscience, I look to my side, I had sink into the ground as if I am floating on the sea, the liquid cement is surprisingly warm, odourless or did I lose my sense of smell. The wall slowly melts down, it drips from the top to the edge between wall and floor, the drips look like mixture of acrylic colour and grey milk.

Despite this chaos that is happening, I don’t feel any fear, instead, I just lie peacefully enjoying this catastrophic scene in front of me like it’s a masterpiece. “Why is this happening?” The question crosses my mind. Just when I am wondering, a pair of round red lights are lighted. At first I thought it was a pair of LED light but that thought is instantly cancelled when they blink, like they are watching me. Followed by that blink, the whole ceiling is enlighted by millions of red lights. As the ceiling is falling apart, the lights start to detach from the ceiling and fly in a circular motion, they fly in a spiral motion, like they are forming a portal to the underground world, I wonder if hot lava is going to pour down.

A song echoed all it way to the room from the hallway, the melody fills the house with a joyful ambient which made everything weirder as the song does not fit with the scary mansion. It woke my conscious, I start to materialize again, pulling myself off the liquid. It feels pain like I am tearing off a part of me, I feels heavy, like my head is filled with the concrete.

The dimension starts to shift, everything disappears, and I was sitting on my bed. Well, waking up is always a fight.

The dance of The Masquerade

As the face light is turned on, the girl in a red and white dress whispered a story. Far across a land of mystery, there is a contingent which no one dare to enter,

Submerged in the liquid of red

Master of charm yet creature to be alert

Delicate and slender but powerful

Blessed with immortality when being sinful

In a night where performers got to shine, the girl in a dress of green beside continued the story

Sovereign of blood creatures in the coffin

For years an ancestor she’s been waiting

Of the eldest of all

Beauty that sure you will fall

Waiting in the back stage, the lady in red beside me felt a shiver, may because of the coldness of the hall, may because of the wound on her chest and the break bone in her rib, but her eyes were filled with flame of determination and desire, a desire for the stage.

On a night of full moon

In the castle of blood, a girl roam

Out of hunger the girl will be raided

Let us welcome The Masquerade

As the emcee que the last phrase, all the boiling blood in our veins cools down and flow smoothly like streams of red river, from head to toes, we are vampire for the moment. A creature of dark who lives on absorbing human life force in forms of blood, creatures who are pale and petite yet dangerous and monstrous, creature who a human- like but filled with desire of beasts, and the woman in red is our queen. Everything was set for the moment, and the queen is going to lead her vampire squad to rock the stage.

The queen walks boldly to a glass coffin on the centre of the stage, with a sprain on her ankle, an open wound on her chest which underneath is a fracture rib bone, she still walked as if she’s the queen of the world to the coffin which is specially prepared for the queen.

All “vampire” stands in their position, and the music starts. In front of me is a girl in black masquerade. My hand on her waist while hers on my shoulder, on the other side is our hands which were holding, still she kept her cold demeanour, watching only her own hand, as if I am nothing more than just a servant. On the beat of the song, and purple light from the moving head above the stage, we continued moving in six step which completed a cycle dancing a waltz.

The queen is still in hibernation, when we finish the waltz, we bowed down to her. At this moment, an innocent girl ran to the centre of the stage out of nowhere. No human who enters the blood castle shall leave unharmed, the girl struggles while the vampires hunt for her. While struggling she falls for a curse of the vampire having hallucination out of her deepest desire. The queen saw her potential as an ancestor in her desire for power and her hatred for the world. 

 The girl have the honour to dance with the queen, the queen is obsessed with the human and she made her one of us. In the end of the story, a new immortal was born, and a new leader was chosen.

Night has chosen thee; thy death will be thy birth.

Night calls to thee; harken to Her sweet voice.

Your destiny awaits you at THE MASQUERADE

And it marked an end to the performance which we had been practicing for 3 months.