A passing bitch.

APL CORAL Docking 2003

To write volumes of nonsense, gently morphs stupidity into logic.

As I gaze the murky plains of the quay, my speech had turned to a parrot for no one seemed interested with my invitation for Mexican.

Then like a messiah, her presence made the universe dance to her feet whereby there was a stream of pink rose petals fondling her footsteps. The wind which caught her hair, raptured with cascades of bliss. Lost I became, and the depth of the grave I fell, made sunlight even brighter. Blood had rushed to my temple, setting my ears blazing and blushing my discoloured cheeks. The heat melted the stealth within my knees, and what more I wondered than these petty words could I have said. These words seem to simple, too unfair, for the all the colours at my disposal my brushes were confronted with a confused potray to paint.

"Who was I?", I asked.... except a slave to such agonizing beauty who stood under the gawking haze and heat which dispatched me into dreams. But with the recollection of my eyes and imagination, it began carressing the surreal soft milky condensation of her brightly coloured pale skin, the eyes caught the tiny teasing mole above the upper creast of the breastbone.



"How may I help?" With all that thinking these were the silly few words I muttered & mumbled,*hopeless!!, the heart pranced like a whinning horse, thus I began to launch the missle of charms to implore her perception. Sittings by the river were filled to the brim, but the roof top had a more enticing view... as the story goes, my charm was nullified by her sheer arrogance, Her uncompromising stance of wanting the riverside was beyond my control. How I cursed those bastard hogging the table with a barrage of silent vulgarity.

Transporters accross the Suez 2002

However in all hell, there was one more stairway to heaven.... a tour and of course some imaginary discounts were on offer. Her mother was pleased, and my determination was further carved upon the ego with the exceptance from the sister. But she being who she was opposed everything my Kingdom had to offer.

She came, captured and castrated my soul within mere minutes. Bewildered I became for nothing could have changed her prejudice, pathetically I was robbed & left to rot. I cannot explain my observation, nevertheless the search continues to the pangs of despair to unearth such baffling mysteries. *what rubbish!!

.......... I have seen something under the sun,
the race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor the food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned ;
but time and chance happen to them all

Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come,
As fish caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so men are trapped by evil times
that fall unexpected upon them................Ecclesiastes 9



















Fire dance Perhentian 2001

Eyes only for you... Chapter 2

Surprisingly sleep did not curse me to be bedridden, Friday 6:45AM, quietly moved around my room not wanting to wake Ruby who was happily snooring away. Work went on as per normal, there were too many urgencies to handle, and with my "own time, own target" set slightly on the unattainable, I found myself tinkering with the computer doing close to nothing and floating beneath the dew of milk from the crest of a breast. *what was i thinking?

As the sun increased itself in altitude, and the craving for Mutton Curry from the canteen joyfully satisfied, my body began the painfull process of moving into shut down phase. It was another four hours until we officially ended, and the heart, nerve and sinew began to oppose rebeliously my escapades the night before. Every phonecall triggered total discomfort, every push of the key become an act of backbreaking trauma and every thought was only begging and yearning for some form of rest. Finally at 4, I could no longer hold on and made my decision on not staying, hurrily I left on time ; but leaving on time meant I had to meet Ruby for the keys and to dileberate the plans for the remainding waking hours. Departing the yard was a breathe of fresh air (literally as we are situated right beside an oil refinery)my exhaustion mysteriously dissappeared, and our rendeavous point was Beer Garden along lady Shipyard Road, never knew it existed till then. Rama coincidentally was also in town, big dreams of going to the gym to prep for the grudge game the next day was in the cards. So again Ruby and I were galloping on the Phantom. Cleared some bills and another impulsive decision made way for further actions ; we were to make our way to JB!!

Laying the keel at Dock 2


The jam along the causeway was palatable, took us a good 30 mins to clear, and it was much needed "teh halia" to calm the feeble mind. Another one of my favourite hangouts, Muthu's along Dobi Road... my conversation began to slur due to fatigue, and of course with a limp mind, more impulses began to intoxicate actions ; we were to top up, load up on ciggies and shoot to Marina Bay for the National Day Fireworks, and so we did just that. Alvin had already made reservations for a table by the river. Our arrival was greeted with the abundance of crowd tempered with chaos whereby everyone was wrestling for a good view of the show. Where were we to find parking in this madness?, It would have been alright just to watch the show anywhere, but the prospects of actually having a perfect view was there and great Alvin was the answer to our woes. Luck was on our side, parking came in the form of apparently legal parking behind some shaddy building. We rushed, jostling across herds of kiasu cattle,(Ruby walking within the Malaysian pace, and I was on running the mile in 4 minutes) time was still on our side, and Alvin was seated comfortably in One Fullerton. It is moments like these "kiasuism" was at its best, everyone did not want to make way even for passerby's, the Police had condorned all movement along the main road to avoid any unforseen meetings between man & machine, thus leaving all walkable areas with little room for movement.


Finally we got to One Fullerton, the line in was another amazing sight and heart breaking, there were just too many people, but Alvin was the Man!! all he had to do was to inform the bouncers that "we" had arrived and for "safety purposes" we were let in immediately, before it devil started speaking. Quick introduction to break the ice with his pals were made and we were even quicker to seek comfort with a pint of Stella.(No Kilkenny tsk tsk tsk...) 2 mins to blast off, and a mesmerizing blast it was.... it was a the singapore team showcasing their skills. The accompanying music was not loud enough, but the fire works itself was very beautiful. Shimmering arabic skirts bursting in the air, alien stares from the base of liftoff, the momentum picked up with the passing time and the reflection which could be seen from the mirrors of Marine Mandarin was superb... the heart was at awe and senses mostly captivated.

With the end of the fireworks, the crowd mellowed to a whisper almost immediately. And this time it was three to tango, Alvin, Ruby and I... next plan "small drinks" at the forbidden city. Here we found ourselves with new friends from Ireland and Auzzie, (memory tainted in alcohol, makes no room for names to remember) The forbidden city was a very pretty place, tentalizing lighting, cousy sofas, music was with the flow of good beats & Kilkenny was indeed on the menu, the pricing fair. Conversation was in staccatos with the guest, however after a drink or two eveything began to fall in place. Again another plan blossumed, MOS!! Oh fuck me, I need sleep!! I gave a very reluctant yes to Alvin but his trust in us being his backups just fueled interest in the club for other simple reasons ; to finally indulge first hand of all good & bad things that have been said about the great Ministry of Sound. The entrance made Zouk look like a dying dog. There was one particular dancer that moved as though he bones were dettached from her hips, and she gave her mind bending moves on the podium with all eyes transfixed, must applaude her (Roman Abramovich style) for she did beyond well. Cover was for two drinks and gradually we threaded darker

waters. I just couldn't wait for the Rhythm and Blues room....Smoove. Sure enough Alvin had it all planned out to perfection, he was to be the tour guide and we the tourist, finished our drinks and there we were like kindergarden children on a leash while the teacher dragged us accross the crowd. First Stop Club 54 retro room, not my cup of tea however it was a good dancing crowd, here we had a generous amount of old timers with their dilluded escorts. The women loved the place, for whatever sordid reasons, and we were uncomfortably pacing within our confinement. So next stop, was Pure, and bliss it was, it depicted the abode of love. The party concoction was just right, not too many people, music a good blend between house,latin,samba plus electronic, and sure enough there were many eye catching quotable vessels. Nevertheless, we still had one more stop, thus with one more hope for better things to come. However the bigger the anticipation, the bigger the dissapointment. Our last stop being "Smoove" the crib, was packed with young army goers, the heatbeat of the dance floor was the rhythm of mediocre tracks, every living soul crowded the dance floor, and to add salt to the wound ; movement was minimally and overly pretentious. So off we were, dropping off the ladies in the retro, while Ruby and I showed some faced by being in an unwanted arena.... enough was enough, and we needed Pure to feed of our desire of more rapturous hallucination.

The crowd picked up, straight ahead were the usual "pataya" lady boys who were the best dancers as always ( or rather more animated), their intentions were merely focused on cock teasing prospective partners, ... as much care and meticulous work done on them to be showcase who they really are, the overall outlook was a rather confusing sight. Time 1:30am, and it was the Kickoff of Happy Hour, drinks were one for one, which resulted with good introduction to my new favourite blend of whiskey....whiskey grind. Perfect, with the sweet potions for distortion which filled my veins with illogical passion, hence I began trying to acquire my vessel, but she had set sail to Africa. My eyes refused the mind to stop staring, and she was a trance in visioned of a person. Her hips trapped by the hardened grasps of her tootsie. He danced without a care in the world, for he just stood like a statue while she , his sole posessions made sure he was hers, and she being the part of his rotten ribs, made him God, ..... her raw unscatched matted locks, ressembled the thick embroidery of medussa's hair... while her skin was a tapestry of arabian silk and the amazon tiger, She danced only to him, and her eyes was clear brown layered in blue, lips laced in ruby red with lust.... and it was only for him, for he struck a pose, and she swayed to his wills, and her eyes was in a trance only of him, she swayed like a swan while he was her post....and I breathe the heavy pull on dunhills to catch scent of her skin....alas I had not a chance, but only too look beyond her beauty... those eyes were of total vice of sin, and yet she only looked at him....as I watched in vain.

Anyway, Happy hours resulted the pockets to dry up faster than one can say "Jack Robinson". Whiskey, Vodka, Gin.... and here came the Irish accountant, can't really remember his name, he came appeared in absolute disgust & frustration from retro music, he was higher than a kite, for all I recalled from the Forbidden City conversation with him was clear and precise, but he had one too many and Irish blood was taking his sane mind into a coup, I had to dig out my ear drums and crack my head to comprehend his conversation. However one thing was clear, he was happy... dancing like a kid who managed to catch his balls, and balls he did want to catch.... the trannies caught his attention and he was head over heel...... until I had to point the obvious that a sailors does know best," they are men" he stop stopped dancing & looked at me in amusement and confusion *are you sure?, Alvin came by and he burst out laughing for his parrot got flacid with the facts, continued laughing and acknowledged his stupidity with 2 big high fives hoping to avoid any more embarassment..... consequently drowning his sin of thought with more drinks.

The music only got better, and the time grew even later.... but who the fuck cared!! We were happy and soon desire was subjected to reality, that we had way exceeded our " curfew" yet again*strike two. The Yard always has a sad story on Saturday, because its a working day & I foresee a difficult match against the Wednesday Night Ballers in the evening whereby our last meeting triggered off a fracas of fighting, police, doctors and a sweetest thing I have laid eyes on, a baby named Shima. Anyway, here we were, three hungry drunk, and what else was there except McDonalds. Our misadventures lead us here, and within the que, I caught scent, these specimens of raw and wild passionate beauty, even without touching them the aura of ambience was softer than the clouded heavens.*must be the alcohol But with perfection, the imperfections became even bolder, their skin upon closer inspection ( no no, they were not lady boys) was tainted with unimaginable amounts of paints, even with such natural length on their lashes, they were forced fed with thick layers of black rubbish.... alas, my lust for them diminished, and I swayed my attention yet again to an unnecessary slut of a specimen. However, we just settled with contentment another night of Mc Donald's Chicken Pattee.... In all that imagination, Alvin in his dazed stance found great irritation of a couple of foreigners bullying poor locals. The Island and it's policies have somewhat made the people ignorant of what is. How I wished those punks disrupted our circle, for one has to be kind to your neighbours, thus this shall transcend to their neighbours...... pain begets pain.


We were the gang of three hungry ghost, gobbling like gluttons accompanied with what seemed to be serious conversation of life but in truth it was mere drunk men ranting .Alvin and I had great guilt for we had outdone ourselves, how the hell we were to manage the Yard in morning (which was only 2 hours away), And I had bigger concerns because I was adamant to head back with the Phantom in such pickled state? Ruby on the other hand, was happily wiping the chillie sauce off his mustache.......

Vancouver 2001, I miss the sea

Eyes only for you.... Chapter 1

Blooei's Location : Click Pic.

My writtings have come in far and few, for mingled thoughts and the rampage of work has left me bruised and battered. Thus I can only attribute such stupidity through my senile accusations towards the guilt of Irish Ale, which has been my staple diet for the pass few months and a resultant for such mismanagement of thoughts. Consumption in moderation is always the plan, however with one sip of sweet nectar, fools we become under the merciful command of alcohol.

As I juggle the mammoth task of 10 ships, and contemplate my schedule on obtaining my elusive shipping license, the decision to loaf and hide through the memories of the weekend that was can only bring fullfilment to my petty escapades in this Island.

The day was Thursday, and I greeted the evening with the arrival of Dear Ruby. My "keling" timing left the poor fellow waiting for a good thirty minutes.... and he being one giant lost puppy thinking that the law is everything in the Island, was so terrified to lit up. As we mat, the customary bear hug and grunts were exchanged and of course we marked our meeting with the first round of A grade ciggies from Malaysia. First thought was to head straight to the bar, but Ruby's luggage was underquoted, furthermore it was beyond the Phantom, but with Bond, anything goes...(you could actually hear the bike cry for help) So we headed home, dropped his baggage of rubbish and had dinner, McDonalds, as much disgust I have for this organization, cost and timing only lead us here. Our customary reports were made on our many adventures and mis adventures which took place between our absence, most talked about recap was the historic maiden voyage with the Phantom to KL. ( which is a another chapter all together)

Anyway, we gobbled the chicken pattee and beef terayaki like some hungry ghost, and shoot off
to where else but Blooei's. Thursday are particularly quite here, school had not started and we had the occasional new students who think blending in with alcohol is somewhat a fade to impress, as for us seasoned "kupeh kudikaran" we couldn't care any less. Our visit to Blooei's was basically my intention to embrace the Chef with a barrage of kisses, considering our foreplay via text sms'ing, and for Ruby to have a feel of my beloved private hangouts. It has no longer been private, my pilgrimage to Table 34 has been subjected to too many communist rulings which were implemented on the 1st of July. The comfort of kilkenny, big screen for my utmost support for Chelsea, my own corner to filter the mediocre music from their speakers through some soothing tunes of the ipod, the nonsensical writtings while trying to balance focus between football, women and work, all these points suddenly vanished with the introduction of the bikini clad chef. As of now, Blooei's has lost its touch of exclusiveness, and its funny when we are alone we crave some form of attention, in the end when everything falls into place, we seek again the path of solitude.There she was unrealizing our eyes existed, she made sunset look pale, for with the abundance of clothing, the choice was made only to cover the bare necessity with mere strings ,only with the excuse sweat transpired from some animated pipe pumping repertoire* think straight and not too far.

*Keling is not a deragotary term so live with it.

More Kilkenny came more expression and inflation of the ego, whereby we pitted our skills on the pool table,needless to elaborate on who won except "Everybody wants Chelsea to lose a game, when they do, they declare a public holiday". More coaxing on my part of the pre agreed "contract" via text with the chef. Sad but true, words are a huge facade for small actions.

Slowly but surely it was time for Blooei's to sleep, we exchanged our goodbye's and again poor phantom cried foul of such excess ballast. My mind had already ran riot, for with Ruby the heart was happy to know a friend was in town. More drinks was much needed and what better place to experience it Kopitiam style. A place where the smokers are rounded like cattle into the boundaries of a yellow line, while they jostle for space and comfort to puff away. This time it was some downgrading to Heineken, which was lesser contentment than Killing Kenny. My complains of my bread and butter was quick to be dished out, and he listened patiently, nodding everytime in deep thought and with visions of better things to come. One after the other we Killed Heineken and soon the time was teasing at 3 am. Oh no what have I done, I have divorced my sleep, and now face the gallows of work at 7am!!

We staggardly headed home, a quick shower follow suite and yet began mumbling our sentences which was no longer made lesser sense, soon we slept with fatigue flushing through our withered minds.... with tomorrow was only 2 hours away.....

Just a passing thought :
So much I gazed on beauty,
that my vision is replete with it.
Contours of the body. Red Lips. Voluptuous Limbs.
Hair as if taken from greek statues;
always beautiful, even when uncombed,
and it falls, slightly,over white foreheads.
Faces of love, as my poetry
wanted them... in the nights of my youth,
in my nights, secretly, met....

CPC

The Island....the end

None to decline your nectar wine......

The journey had ended prematurely but the day was far from the end. As I found myself on solid ground, my system could no longer bare any resolve to combat the venom. Slowly like a creeping slayer, the venom tormented my nerves, the pain no longer came from the skin, but it had penetrated my abs and it began convulging in unimaginable pain. Such pain was alien to my senses, it surpassed the agony from my many encounters with physical suffering. Again, that little energy which was reserved was released through some berserk baboon driving to the nearby clinic, and immediately the Doctor administered pain killers jabs and told me to rest!! WHAT??!! rest??... the pain refuse to dissappear!!, but these stings are quite similiar to that of "sea sickness" One just have to fight it!!

By the time I reached home, I had discreetly tip toed through the back door, with Mum & Dad busy going about their daily routine of dance classes and business dealings. Honey was in the room, and he was focused on the computer. Had a quick shower, with a lot of hide and seek from the folks at home, I finally found my way to bed, told Honey the synopsis of my whole journey and tried to get some sleep. The eyes was an easy task to shut, but sleep was never going to come due to the boggling anguish of pain. I tossed and turned and mourned like dying animal. Honey was there to remind me that the folks were still around...."so shut the fuck up!!"

As for Panjang's ordeal , he was admitted to the General Hospital, late at night. But he went through some form of torture before finally being admitted. Those fools, Pin Kee, Manipal , Ular, Possum, (and again I have a vague memory....I think Wee was somewhere in the picture) took him to the clinic got his jab and did not bother to send him home. In the mean time, they left him to bake in the car while all of them gluted on a few rounds of "cendol" & snooker.... Poor Panjang. Things were about to decend to chaos for him, the plan was to keep such worrying news of his condition from his parents, he was admitted and stabbed with another 13 jabs due to his severe allergy which worsened through being cooked in the Corolla, & there was one patient in his ward whom was a distant relative. Alas, his parents knew, while we just mysteriously dissipated from the scene.. *just to reiterate what friend's are good for!!

I managed to salvage some rest despite the misery, but had to be quickly & quietly rushed to Preety's clinic during the later part of the evening. The pain had gone haywire and all forms of focus and control only worsened my deteriorating condition. Here I had another jab, soon after managed to barely swallow Magee Mee Goreng and Teh Halia, during which I was accompanied by two devils, "Jade & the Mountain Goat".... our location Habibies... and guess who else was around, The whole crew expect Panjang.


Its been 7 years since this saga took place, for as much time which has been spent with my fellow camaraderies, from sunrise to sunrise, for the most part of my youth, we have all drifted to our own "island". Our communions are rare to come by, much due to conflicting interest and a thick sense of prejudice from some quarters (needless to elaborate). The Malay saying goes, "Because of a drop of blue dye, a whole pot of milk is contaminated" So much has been said and done, those were the times where nothing really mattered except the sincere essences of companionship & trust; Money, Politiking, Caste and other similiar forms of poison towards our virtues were never heard of




..... But with time and influence, the heart becomes detached from what was, "... being hated, don't give way to hatred..." For now, I can only sit alone with my thoughts, caress the twirling smoke with my faithful lover (what else but dunhills) and breathe a huge sigh, and smile and say thank you for everything.

A passing thought:

... When you come to the end of a perfect ,
& sit alone with your thoughts,
While the chimes ring out with carol gay,
for the joy that the day has brought.
Do you think what the end of a perfect day,
Can mean to a tired heart,
When the sun goes fown with flaming ray,
and the dear hearts have to part?
Well this is the end of a perfect day,
Near the end of a journey too,
But it leaves a thought that is bbig & strong,
With a wish that is kind & true.
for memory has painted this perfect day.
With colours that ever fade,
And we will fin at the end of a perfect day,
The soul of a friend we've made.

C.J Bond

The Island....part 4

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting....


With the unforeseen delay in the departure date, Panjang made an unscheduled visit from UM, he was "kidnapped" from the bus station and left to our whimps and fancies. All of us went about our daily routine, Pin Kee to "Murky Water", Manipal & Ular to Taman Sin, and Possum to the "Edge of Sand". There was no certain timing for our next attempt, but the excitement was already drumming uncontrollably within our nerves. *for those who grew up in Malacca you should know these places without doing much thinking.

While all were busy with their scheduled loitering, I found myself tied to the four corners of the garden with beautiful sin. Yet again another sleepless night trying to do what rabbits do best , and by time all reserves were drained, one could hear some revving of the engines from Manipal's trusty Corolla and the time was already 5:30AM!! & I was rested between sweet plush pillows, To add to the dilemma, how does one break the shackles of sin. Anyway, with the sound of the Corrola, it was the calling and I gathered all focus to leave with the disapproval from sin itself. It was a pleasant surprise to see Panjang,we have managed to blackmail him into joining the crew. Prior departure, we had equipt ourselves with the necessary provision, "Cangkuls", few loafs of bread, 4 bottles of water, mum's Olympus camera, and of course sex with Dunhill, 2 packs of it.

Upon arrival at Padang Temu, there were no gusty winds or heavy down pour to tame our spirits, Pin Kee backed down & reassured us he would be assigned the honourable duty of being the designated "shore emergency response team", but in any case there was still the 5 of us. Manipal, Ular, Possum, Panjang & Me. Without much thought, we gathered all the necessities, rubbed off our sleepy, beady eyes and began to PUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSH!!


It was through some luck that the tide was on our side, High tide meant we did not have to thread along too much mud. Soon enough, after some manouevering across the jagged edge with our bare feet, we were afloat!! However, the dreadful consequences of too much development, just made our shores very shallow..... we just kept pushing and pushing and after some distance there was enough water for an "under keel clearance" . Even for those baboons who could not swim, they some how began to figure out the fundamentals of floating. We just kept on laughing & laughing, at times some climbed up the raft and the few good swimmers began to pedal. Yet again the morning greetings from sunrise made us sit in utter amazement. Progress was slow but good, from time to time we realized tiny electric shocks which quietly caught and jolted our soles while threading the sea. We took no heed of it, and continued on our journey.


The irony of our planned route was that after 2 years of sailing under Manipal'e belt, he was an absolutely useless fool in his assessment of tides and timing, surely there should have been some sort of perusal on his side, we have been threading water for a good hour plus, the Island was nearing, but we kept drifting away from our course line, we unknowing drifted closer to Pulau Besar. The Mystical Island which is surrounded by rich legends & myths, the Seven Princess from India, a fisherman 's love story with the Princess of Malacca , Jin Princess Stabbing husband with pins and much more baffling incidents. (which befits the hour long drama on RTM)



The sun's altitude was already up, and soon the party atmosphere was beginning to tire. Subjecting to laziness, we made good use of the "cangkul" and our "feet" to paddle our way on course. But all efforts were futile and tiring. Possum and I began our strategy of pushing the raft while swimming, eventhough he was one crippled swimmer, he hanged on and paddled like crazy. The water leverl had already reached approximately 7 feet, the currents grew slightly bolder, even more effort was needed to tug the raft.
Above: Sleeping Devil, this may have been the jolts under our feet

We managed to loiter about the straits for another hour and soon the sun began to blister our skin. We were clad only with shorts and t-shirt. Then without warning, Possum shifted places with Manipal, the buoyancy of the raft had been largely based on mutual consensus of ballast, the ballast meaning us, the crew... with his sudden decision to change position, and with Ular, Panjang & Me not being informed of the movement, we were caught off guard, the raft took a violent roll, the angle of it just rocked everyone to fall overboard, to the surprise of the non-swimmers, they were soo happy to find themselves actually swimming, everyone began laughing. I was the only surviving crew hanging on for dear life, trying my level best to keep the raft upright & to keep the camera and the ciggies dry, but the buoyancy had run amok.... the raft tilted like the Titanic, laughter grew louder, I was still hanging on the top most part balancing the raft on a 90 degree angle, but sure enough, Neptune wanted a show,and threw one tiny swell which caught me off balance. The raft just slammed itself upside down.... and I had some memorable air time before I hit the water. First thing Ular had to cry out was "AIYO THE DUNHILLs!!".... and I just shoked my head knowing the repercussions of a damaged Camera, I will have to face the wrath Mother !!




All of us were laughing madly, happy to know that we were still in one piece, happy to know the raft was also in one piece, but upside down.... we were just happy!! As I have mentioned, Neptune really wanted a show, so he decided to deploy his army of jellyfish, the verocity of its attacks were beyond vicious, all laugther turned us grown men into screaming bitches , like burning hot whips, they attacked, those innocent, flacid tenticles, just reaped our skin with its venom, this time luck had ran out on us. Our immediate reaction to stay alive allowed us to muster enough reserved strength to upright the raft within seconds, and we frantically climbed onboard to safety and with a wounded crew.... Panjang couldn't stop screaming in pain, for he had gotten the sharp edge of the knife, our minds were lost but yet some were still had the audacity to giggle away. None was spared, but only the two of us had some reaction from the stings, Panjang and me. We rush to nullify Panjang pain, and when we examined under his short, a huge jellyfish was happily rested on his right thigh. He just screamed at the sight not knowing what to do!!! and some of us began laughing again!!With Possum cooling removing the alien creature and examining it with accompanied by a lenghty explanation on it. Somehow we did not realize how sever the problem was. Everyone had surfered some form of attack from the jellyfish, but we managed to shake the pain away & checked if everything "else" was intact particularly our set of balls. The island seemed so near but yet soo far. We were sure to reach it, but another twist was to take place. Panjang began complained of breathing difficulties, this time our giggling and laughter turned cold. The only sound which could be heard was the sea and the breeze. He lay helpless like a fish out of water over Manipal, and the only logic we had was to retard the sting from the jellyfish and the only immediate remedy was the ammonium from our sacks. So without much forethought, Panjang got his remedy, Ular did the pissing, and of course with giggling to follow. *Can't we just stop laughing?



His screaming had simmered into a more painful silence, the fact was Panjang's system was in disarray, and that we were standed, right smack in the middle of the island and shore, we couldn't do anything.(note : no such thing as handphone at that time, even if we had one it would have drowned!!) Time now 9am, 3 hours at sea..... how do we get immediate help? I just sat silently, contemplating to swim back, but everytime my feet grazed the sea, I had a warning through the whips of the jellyfish. We could see help through the form of many fishermen, but they were too far off. What were we to do?? Panjang began to slip into delirium, but with time running out, we began to back paddle, but the current just made our efforts pointless, we were drifting further and further from land, and closer to Pulau Besar.


Next, we summoned our might & yelled for help, while yelling I was still torn between the decision to jump or not to jump!! All the energy of shouting through our lungs was drawing no attention... slowly the crew slipped into the pangs of despair. Despair, but we were being "watched" and one Pakcik on his sampan answered our frantic call for help. Finally a saviour!! But he was amused with our predicament, and offered no help whatsoever, he just circled around us, and his first words "YOU SEMUA BANDUAN KE?!!",*are you all fugitives? (quite apparent statement due to our army styled hairdo) To our shock and disbeleive, he was not here to help, but to mock and remind us the wrath of the sea!! Ular and Possum were quick to explain to him our situation, and we were negotiating ways to get Panjang back for medical attention. The scenario was like the boy who cried wolf, he was not buying any truth that we spoke, and began teasing us by ramming his engine indicating that he was going to leave us to rot!! I stood up, and was ready to jump and highjack his sampan, but with his next question we managed to come to a compromise, "macam mana saya tahu u semua buka banduan, IC tak de ka?" (how would I know if you fellows are not fugitives, no IC?) said with a stern wrinkled up face.(e.g pic on the left) Manipal was the only fool to have brought his wallet which was by now pickled with salt water. He took one glance at the IC and without saying a word threw us a heaving line, and we did instinctly made fast on our dying raft.


What a relief, Panjang was being nursed with piss, and the effects of the sting started to attack my system, but at times like these, we did not need another ailing crew to care of. Pakcik began towing our raft ashore, but after 10 mins we noticed that we had not moved an inch from our initial position. The current was beyond his horse power. Therefore a quick decision was made to off load Panjang, Ular and Possum, while Manipal and I would wait for the Pakcik's return trip.


As we watched them leave, Manipal and I assessed the whole situation from day one of the planning, of course we were already trying to pin point the topling of the raft to Possum's stupidity, I began to lament on the death of the Olympus, he began to laugh and concluded his foolishness of bringing his wallet actually saved us all.... Gradually, the pain was beginning to weakened my withered body. I had no choice, but to administer my OWN ammonium onto myself. After 45 mins the Pakcik returned, while we sat on his sampan we just silently bid our farewell to the raft which kept us afloat. The sun had almost reached its meridian and this time with the venom and heat, it made a perfect spell for hallucination.


The raft was in a distant, and a tinch of sadness engulfed us, and a vow was made to eventually make it to the Island one day. The tide had abated, and the so called beach had turned into the muddy banks. Possum & Pin Kee had already sent Panjang to seek medical attention in the nearby clinics, while Ular waited for us with his laughtered, the rescue mission from the Pakcik had managed to gather some curious onlookers, and you guest it right.... those glue sniffers on bicycles (there is needless point to elaborate here). We thanked the Pakcik many times, and I think I wrote down his Sampan Registration No, with the intention to look for him and thank him.(but never did) He asked for nothing, and quietly went about his way. Manipal managed to manoveur his way through the mud, and as he cleared his pockets, one palm size jellyfish had quietly managed to stay on his backside on the better part of the whole ordeal. Thus laugther was the best medicine...... as for now, we were save.

.......... Do not say I love her for her smile, her look,
her way of speaking gently,
For a trick of thought that falls in well with mine, &
certed brought a sense of ease on such a day.
For these things in themselves,
Beloved may be changed, or change for thee...... from sonnet XIV, E.B Browing.