VERY MERRY MERDEKA DAY!

It’s National Day..!! …Tomorrow, that is.

But unlike millions of Malaysians back home who will undoubtedly be on holidays from work, school, college etc and celebrating this occasion in their own little way, I’ll be attending uni…

DAMN IT!

Sigh, I have a story to tell. It’s called the Tale of the Prodigal Citizen.

Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in a country where the amount of public holidays was as abundant as leaves on a tree. She grew up loving these holidays, because it always meant that there’ll be something good on tv…cartoons, showcases, movies that she’d missed, WONG FEI HONG…from morning through to afternoon to the night and most importantly…NO SCHOOL!! Free from education, even for a day, was god-sent.

There were SO many of aforementioned public holidays that she lost count (or, in some cases, forgot what holiday it was) … but there were several notable ones. Like Chinese New Year or Hari Raya, for example…because it always involved money, fireworks and new clothes…and any holidays that has influences of cash and explosion were considered a good holiday to her.

Another holiday that she remembered most was Hari Merdeka aka National Day. When she was small, she’d wake up extra early on those days, run downstairs and out into the garden and watch the fighter planes fly in formation overhead with colourful Jalur-Gemilang-coordinated plumes streaming behind. She’ll then stare and gape and gape and stare until her father HERDED her into the house… where she will immediately plonk herself in front of the tv and watch the Merdeka Day Parade…whilst eating coco pops or froot loops or something…

This routine happened every year… up until she hit 12 years of age…

Every National Day from then on would go something along the lines of this…

Dad: GIRL! Wake up!! You don’t want to go outside and see the planes ar??
Girl: *grunts* (goes back to sleep)

…5 minutes later…

Dad: GIRL! Wake up!! Can hear anot?? The planes are flying above our house lar…!
Girl: Aiyah…duwan la…I want to sleep la… plane oni ma…

…1 hour later, girl emerges from room…

Mom: Eh girl! You didn’t see the planes today hor? Wah…their formation very nice!
Girl: Aiyah…every year oso the same la…

Switches on the tv…

Girl: EH! Why nothing good on tv wan???
Mom: HAR? Nothing good?? Watch the parade la!!
Girl: Aiyah…every year oso watch the same thing…sien edi la…


Yes…this routine went on and on every year…until one day, she found herself in some foreign land…it was National Day, she knew it was…31 August… what else could it have been? But there was one problem..

NO HOLIDAY!!!

ARGH!!! At that precise moment, when she came to terms that for this year, and the next 2 years, she will NOT have any holidays on 31 August, she will NOT hear the jetplanes flying overhead, she will NOT see the police, the army, the nurses etc march in sync in front of crowds of thousands and salute to their Sultan, she will NOT be able to watch Wong Fei Hong on tv anymore…

She also realized that she’d been an ingrate. UNGRATEFUL!! NOW YOU WILL SUFFER THE PANGS OF SEEING OTHER PEOPLE ON HOLIDAY!! BURN IN HELL!!!

Sigh…harshness of reality.

Therefore she is determined that if she ever gets to be back home during Merdeka Day, she will buy a mini flag, stand outside Dataran Merdeka and start waving and shouting once the parade starts. She knew that she took her public holidays for granted…well, NEVER AGAIN!

………

Sigh, now wasn’t that a nice story??

Hmm…just wondering…should I have a self-declared public holiday as well for tomorrow? I mean…all I have is 3 lectures and a maths tutorial…it’s not THAT bad…

Hmmm…should I? Should I not?

Good side of mel: NONO!!
Bad side of mel: aiyah…no point attending la…just go and sleep la…
Good: NONO!
Bad: Go la…
Good: NONO!
Bad: EH! Can you shardap anot???
Good: YOU SHARDAP LA!

Scuffle breaks out

AAAAaaahhh...

And a Very Merry Merdeka to you too!