20 May 2009

A heavenly encounter too many




It was one fine Sunday, by Bolehland standard. Bright bluish sky, cloudless troposhere , and with God's blessing you can see heaven staring directly into your eyes. The scorching heatwave and the hazy atmosphere caused by many 'secret' open burning, of which we should be thankful to the many 'expats' working in the construction industry didn't dampen my spirit to plan few family's weekend activities.

Last weekend my parent came back after two weeks performing their umrah to the motherland. My kids were really excited to go to the airport to greet their tokki and che' (nenek). The kids behaved very well and got themselves ready as soon as the sun started to rise. They even couldn't bother much to wait for their favourite cartoon show 'Hagemaru" to finish and with astonishing speed, seated themselves comfortably in the car.

We arrived earlier than ETA and have to wait for another two and a half hours before we could see the first glimpse of my weary but very contented parent. Ther recent outbreak of H1N1 put everybody into a higher alert state. A more thorough screening and some miscalculation on the ground staff in handling the baggages had caused the delay. It was a big relief though to see both were in a very good health. Even though my mother had just recovered from a flu, I was very thankful and glad to see her having steadfast recovery and as cheerful and compassionate as ever.

Another five hours of transit time before they embarked a domestic flight to the Keropoklekorland had given us ample time to get together and to catch up on many interesting things. As usual several common paraphernalia from the Holy land changed hands very fast in the airport itself. This included air zam-zam, dates and other dried fruits, par fumes and even jeweleries - things that every woman in this earth can't resist for. Even though I'd on many occasion reminded my mother especially, not to buy many thing (as in their previous trip - the dates she bought could feed the whole jemaah in our kampung for the next five year!), still my parent had to pay for the domestic excess baggage. Off they flew and we will see them again in the next couple of weeks, when I once again plan to visit my home town during this coming school holiday.

On our way back home, I stopped by at one of our blogger friend at Shah Alam to deliver some item she asked me to buy for her earlier. I purposely didn't inform her of our visit because firstly I didn't intend to stay long and secondly I wanted to surprise her. And a surprise we got as she was still donning in her weekend white 'bedak sejuk' - a rare sight to behold! Even her hubby look bewildered and was still yawning when he opened the door. Luckily he wasn't in his pyjama. Sorry Maria & Faizal for gatecrashing into your house! I know that was quite uncivilised of me, but given another opportunity, I would love to do that again :)

Having chuckling and giggling of the funny thought (cheeky me), I continued our journey back to Subang. It didn't take long for the karma to happen. A heavenly wrath befell on me, more precisely on my car. All of a sudden, the car stopped and the engine died at a traffic light not too far from my house. Having a similar situation earlier, I checked the fuses (fuel pump fuse) but this time the fuses were all intact. I suspected the fuel pump kaput beyond repair. Since I didn't have the correct tools to rectify the problem and nothing much I could do, I called my regular mechanic to tow the car to the workshop.

Even though I am a member of AAM, our Bolehland motoring association, a previous mishap experience told me it was better to trust my friendly neighborhood mechanic rather than waiting for them (AAM), dangerously beside roadside, not knowing how long it will take to reach you - sometimes it could be forever. My suspicion was later confirmed and it was a faulty fuel pump that caused a dent to my wallet.

Lesson of the day - never, never gatecrash into your friend's house (and having a very big smile after that) - because karma is just waiting to greet you anytime, anywhere. If not sooner, it will come to you later.



At last we saw familiar faces emerging from the crowd after a long waiting hour. It was a big relief to see both my parent managed to perform their umrah flawlessly. I was a bit relief also to see my mother didn't push any cart this time :)

My second son greeted his nenek, closely watched by my significant half. The youngest member of my family didn't realise the importance of this event, was helping himself with snicker - his lunch of the day.

There was a lot to catch up and a good few hours to kill before my parent embarked their domestic flight. Both my sons were too excited to see some exotic produces from the Holy land, unaware to their surrounding.

Earlier, my kids posing in front of an exhibition at the departure hall knowing that waiting longer down stair at the arrival hall will almost increase the chance to contract airborne bugs. These days, in that very hostile environment, you have to take all the possibilities into account. Even extreme measure like sticking cotton into your nostril!


When God says kun fayakun, all the creatures will obey and the car stop! Luckily we had a very good rapport with our neighbors, they ferried my family safely back home while I attended the car with my mechanic (seen here attaching a towing tool at the rear).


35 comments:

Fadhil said...

Doc,

I pernah kena macam you, fuel pump problem. Nasib baik dekat kawasan opis KL, ada office mate tolong carikan mechanic. Initially I called AAM for a tow truck but after 2 hours of waiting, I gave up. The workshop called a private tow truck for me and it cost me RM150 for a short distance of about 3km. What to do, have to pay lah.

But to be fair to AAM, they have helped me out a number of times. The most recent was about 2 weeks ago when my wife's car refused to move.

Nice to see your old folks in good and safe condition, alhamdulillah.

patungcendana said...

welcome back to your parents...and yeah...hukum karma working at full force...hehe

hikayat melayu lama selalu membawa aku ke alam sejarah yang penuh adventure dan fantasi...

I'm such a sucker for cerita2 hikayat... :-)

DrSam said...

Oldstock,
I payed RM80 for about 10km of joyriding with a tow truck. Not bad eh. AAM probably need to improve on their delivery system, probably in term of increasing their limited manpower. Once my prenant wife almost broke down on Jalan Duta (i was abroadat that time) when she had a problem with the brake system (smoking tyre), and it was during night time. Nobody from AAM answered her call except an answering machine.

patungcendana,
Thank you. Hukum karma is always there for us to always be nice to our brothers and sisters.

Zue said...

Alhamdulillah....

Sejuk hati mak ayah lihat anak- menantu-cucu menyambut mereka balik dari umrah

Mia's Mom said...

Salam DrSam (:-D),

Syukur that your parents are well and in good health.

Well, in a different perspective, this can be some plots in an adventure story, ya? Hehehe... Sorry DrSam (:-D). I've been in quite a similar situation too but in our case, it's a puncture. So, my 3 children (Aqil was about 5 month old that time) & I sort of camp by the road side while my eldest helped his Dad changing tyre.

Anyway, my Salam to Zaida.

Cheers!

MariaFaizal said...

DrSam,

First of all,Alhamdulillah that your lovely parents are already here in our Boleh-land, safe & in great health.

Dear owh dear...
Let me confess that I'm very glad I had my thick bedak sejuk on that day.That just indicates my hubby & I were not engaging in any other activity,he he...PLUS a BIG THANK YOU & sis to have delivered the beauty soaps right to my err..gate :D

Really appreciate it!

And, I'm really sorry about your beamer. That wasn't karma,it's just time for the new MPV and this time may be you can try something-something not from Bavaria-land ?hehe...

Have a great weekend & Salam to Sis Zayda & your beautiful babies.

Encik Ariff said...

byknya land.
:)

selamat kembali dgn selamat!

Leenoh said...

Salam.
Saya juga pernah ada pengalaman, tersiksa dari Air Keruh sehingga Seremban 2, barulah masalah selesai.

*SiRibenMerah said...

ouhh.. udah kepulangan yg di nanti.. best je cucu2 dapat jumpa atuk n nenek..
sorry for what happen to ur car..
seb baik la x kne tgh2 jam.. syukur semua selamat kan..

Thanks for inviting me to distress wif Sis Zayda power recipe.. btw, I will be in group Trip la.. naik bas maaa.. camne nk singgah situ?? hehehehe.. tunggu g senate la.. 9, 10, 11 jun.. hehhehe..

kem salam sis zayda n anak2..

Mencari Sinar Bahagia @ Tommy said...

Hello Bro...

Happy to see your parents arrived safely home..:)

How are you lately???
Haven't been talking for U for sometime,rite...
Hope all goes well to U..
Have a great weekend,bro..:)

Naddiea said...

Dr Sam..

Salam kenal..alhamdulillah ur parent arrived malaysia safely..
as for me usually i will flooding of tears when i see my parent arrived kl safely eventho they just came from kuala terengganu..huhu..suke emotional i ni.

Hidup KOKA said...

Salam Bro,
Nice to see you yesterday! and welcome home to your mom and dad!!!!

DrSam said...

Zue,
sesejuk dan semurni air zam-zam rasa hati ini.

Mia's mom,
Sometimes when I have too many thing scrambling in my mind, I just type and follow the flow. Good adventure, yes.

My wife is silently peeping into this blog at home and I am sure she has answered your salam :)

MariaFaizal,
Now I am giggling again since you are mentioning that surprise encounter. Yes, luckily we didn't stumble upon any uncompromising situation back there :)

Being thinking of a bigger transport, haven't finished our survey yet. So far the cars from the Bavarialand have not let us down to the point of dumping them into the drain. Still want to enjoy the ride :)

A great weekend to you too!

encik ariff,
memang macam-macam land ada :)

SiRibenMerah,
alhamdulillah semuanya selamat. Bagi can kat mak dan ayah berehat dulu sebelum cucu-cucu serbu balik kampung ketika cuti sekolah ni.

Orang Subang Bestari ada je kat sini, 9 - 11 Jun tu sounds like a good plan :)

Insyaallah, kak Zayda baca tu :)

Mencari Sinar Bahagia @ tommy,
tom, thanks. so far so good. Yes, things a bit silent these days. A great weekend to you too.

Naddiea,
Salam ukhuwah. things get a bit emotional as our age catches up. You are from Ganu?

Hidup KOKA,
Salam bro, It was nice meeting and chatting with you too. I think you know Batu Rakit more than me:) Next mengeteh session, its your turn to venture into my territory. Family BBQ?

kuIna said...

sy ckup takut bila keta breakdown tgh jln.. nampak bila sorang2... yg datng datang bukan membantu.. ambik kesempatan... masyaAllah.

SRISUFI said...

Sampaikan salam sri buat kedua ayahbonda mu ye Dr.

alhamdulillah

cendawanintim said...

jangan tak caya, ayah still tambah berkilo2 beli kurma lagik kat sini...orang datang ziarah tak putus2....

mebi abang balik nanti plan nak buat kenduri sket, jemput jemaah masjid..

syazli nampak tinggi n tembam lah..

DrSam said...

kulna LadyInRed,
kita berdoa dan berharap agar dijauhi segala musibah. Memang kena selalu kena berwaspada dan hati-hati.

SRISUFI,
Insyaallah. Terimakasih.

cendawanintim,
Hi..hi...beli lagi kurma (kat mana tu?). tapi tak ori lah kot ;)

memang dia tinggi dan tembam sebab balik sekolah, makan...makan dan makan...

besi said...

tapi dr sam...cam cool je..apa2 pun musibah ada hikmahnya...
KLIA macam zon perang ke?

nAz said...

saya rasa saya buleh jadi gang dgn anak dan ibu dr sam.. Hagemaru fan & shopping!

kirim salam ye ;)

DrSam said...

besi,
dah begitu ketentuanNYA, kita redha aja. lagipun bila dikenang, ada yang menerima musibah lagi teruk dari itu.
KLIA, harap-harap masih boleh terkawal.

nAz,
anak yang paling kecil asyik menjelir aja lidah, kuat betul pengaruh Hagemaru. harap-harap you tak jadi le macam tu juga :)

Insyaallah.

Memorable trails... said...

Salam Doc,Alhamdulillah your parents selamat mengerjakan umrah.Believe me,when you re over there you just cant control yourself buying things,gaknya tok2 arab tu baca doa kut,kita jadi tak lokek di sana.Buy buy and buy..walaupun products from China yg banyak bersepah kat Masjid India tu.Balik to Bolehland baru nyesal for being so boros.Of course that s me..Yang guna pos malaysia lain,yang bagasi lain,yang bawa di tangan lain..Kalau ada more than 2 hands tak tau lah..
Before you spill out the name I agak dah,the lady in bedak sejuk must be Maria.
Sorry abt the car..well one of those days you know..

gman said...

lol siannye doc!haha
better luck next time. and btw, pray me for a very important exm this monday~haipp~

Zendra-Maria said...

Alhamdulillah Ibu dan Ayah Doc selamat kembali. Terasa rindu pulak dengan ibu saya sendiri....

Kereta jerman pun boleh rosak seperti juga doktor (perubatan) pun boleh sakit... setiap bende ada jangka hayat ;-D

zafi said...

alhamdulillah...
hope everything goes well!!!
btw
i really appreciate your advises! tq very much! i really need that.

DrSam said...

madam gold,
Alhamdulillah, yes everything goes well and accordingly to plan. Pak Arab with sweet smelll of attar donning a big smile and friendly welcome will charm any ladies to buy anything they sell. Luckily there is a limit on how much you can carry on board, othewise the flight from the Holy land will be 'senget' all the way :)

Yes, I at first suspected Maria wearing her mask was practising her acting skill in a Chinese Opera :)

gman,
You just do what you got to do gman. Study hard, tawakkal and Insyaallah you'll see the fruit of your labour later. We pray this monday you'll answer all the questions easily (and correctly).

Zendra,
Alhamdulillah semuanya sihat. Terubat rindu bila dapat ketemu biarpun hanya sedetik waktu

Hi..hi...dah tua agaknya kereta jerman tu, nak suruh pencen nanti nostalgia pula bila dah lama bersama, banyak jasanya.

zafi,
No problem mate. Just sharing my experience wih you. You too take care.

Anonymous said...

Salam Dr.Sam..

ada hikmah tu... :)

kirim salam kat.. (tokki che) yer..:)

Sally said...

DrSam,
yea..like u i too believe in karma..hikksss..dont u ever come gatecrashing at my house eh..

car brokedown eh..ermmm..get a new car perhaps?..mujur di siang hari..dekat trafic light..if not it could be rather scary..

Ida Hariati Hashim said...

Dear Dr. Sam,

Syukur your parents are home.

I am so sorry to hear about ur car went 'kaput'. You know, that is one of my nightmares when on the road. I wonder how would I react to that? I ni nak pump in petrol pun baru sekarang belajar, ni kan pulak nak cari the button or whatever thing they call it..to open the bonnet of the car..dasyat tak?

anntaj said...

DrSam!! ada hikhmah disebalik kejadian...

salam manis, anntaj.

Naddy said...

hukum karma, what goes around comes around.

good to see your parents happily returning after umrah. my late maternal grandfather died in mekah while in haji a few years ago. he went there almost every year as some sort of guide, i am not sure because i was not very close to him. but i'm glad he died in the holy land.

Naddy said...

oh yeah, i only ikut pergi hantar my late atok to haji when i was 8 to 10 years old. I knew he was performing haji but it had no big impact on me, just feeling i awe at the huge senai airport and the many colourful things sold outside the airport like this plastic horse with wings.

*SiRibenMerah said...

wahahaha.. lagu dan nostalgia.. x leh dipisahkan.. lagu itu menggambarkan nostalgia.. hurmm, lagu jugak mengungkap rahsia hati.. heheheh.. adeshhhh~

Riben layan feeling pulak malam neh..
sis Zayda, bg sup ayam semangkuk.. riben demam neh.. hehehe..

DMIS TRADING SDN BHD said...

So DrSam bila nak beli kereta baru??..Walau apa pun Alhamdullilah semuanya selamat kembali. Sabar je la..

DrSam said...

fahmi latiff,
memang setiap yang berlaku ada hikmahnya. cuma kita yang kena menilai dan mengambil iktibar.

Insyallah, salam disampai bila balik Ganu nanti.

tchersally,
I actually am expecting you to gatecrash into my house this coming 28th :)

Car breakdown ok lagi, jangan tuan dia yang breakdown.

Ida Hariati Hashim,
Thank you ida for the wish. A big syukur to see everything and everybody in the group came back safely.

I think you should get one of those hybrid cars of solar-powered cars so that you don't have to visit petrol pump ever. In fact I think I should get one too :)

Actually having a mishap on the road is everybody's nighmare. We just doa and tawakkal that our journey will always be a smooth and safe one.

anntaj,
Salam. Ada iktibar yang perlu diambil dari setiap pengajaran.

mizzyN,
Hukum karma or not, everything will happen if God permit.

When I was a child, I still vividly remember sending off my tokki and nenek on a ship (kapal bunga raya) at Port Klang to the Holy land. If I am not mistaken, it took them one whole month on the sea to reach the land. Now it take less than a day to be there.

Doa that both our late grandfather is always blessed with Rahmah.

SiribenMerah,
tiba-tiba dengar lagu-lagu tangkap lentuk ni, memang buat syak wasangka betul. Mengusik emosi dan perasaan.

sup ayam boleh oder sekarang, makan bila singgah K.L nanti. Ni demam kura-kura ke demam kena pahanan ehem..ehem..

Multiman,
Buat masa ni tengah dok survery tak habis-habis. baru dah berkenan satu, keluar satu yang baru lagi. Yang ada pun masih berjasa lagi.

PerantauSepi1306 said...

Dr Sam, your significant half sweetlah.. hehehehehe neway time for a new car, perharps ;D

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