Good Riddance

07/03/2005

Hello. Namaste. Salam sejahtera. Greeting from Pune. I hope everyone back home and elsewhere, no matter where you are, are at your jovial mood at the time of reading this blog. I don´t know how long this blog gonna last because to me every latest blog seems to be the last one and yet when the time come, there is always something in me or something I came through will prompt me to put into words. I am tired of recording my life hence for this one; I would like to keep it as short as possible.

Last week, we bade farewell to Mario (resident of C1) and Nills the big guy, resident of the then A20 and now Lucky 7 which both of the apartment, I was one of the member of the house. Nills, the big guy (Mr. Big), a charismatic guy with a friendly attitude and Mario, the ever funny party animal will definitely be miss by those who left behind by them.

It was too bad that I missed much of the opportunity to be staying together with Nills because in his short span of time in Pune (2 month), I was most of the time away, travelling to the North. But at least, I was the one that helped him integrate in Pune and India during his first day.

As for Mario (the same to Nills), I saw them come and go. Being 4 and the half month here, I can consider myself one of the oldest generation left. Times spent with Mario namely partying, good time and blackout in Goa, watching our first live monkey fuck in Matheran hill station etc will definitely be cherish forever. With Lars and Aylonna leaving end of this month (this will mark the end of the oldest generation and the beginning of new generation, spearheaded by myself and Thomas the German football hooligans, my colleague, my friend, my flatmate, my bank, my travel buddy etc who arrived two days after me), I would be the oldest trainee in Pune and hence the most experience one (except for Magda, which being hired permanently by his company, almost one year already)

So, on Thursday night, we celebrated Mario and Nill´s farewell dinner at one of the most extravaganza restaurant, near Nirvana pub. The restaurant’s name was “flag”, practically serving famous dishes from all over the world (Malaysia included). I knew it gonna cost some money for me but for event like this, I would not forgive myself if I were to miss it just because I want to save some bucks by forsaking gestures and friendship. This, I would not allow to happen. It is a shame. Only one person can do that and it was Bernard. He didn´t go for the farewell dinner, with no reasons whatsoever. We actually doubted that he actually knew Nill was gone.

Earlier and the day before, Thomas and I was too caught up with the last minute assignment, assigned by the chief director himself for a major meeting the day after. In was really an eleventh minutes assignment hence for the first time in our four month, we actually spent time in office until 8pm, gathering statistic and preparing powerpoint. We had a pleasure and opportunity to present our finding as well as to be involved in a major meeting where it involved the company´s directors, branch and regional managers (fly from all over India), departmental managers, seniors and etc. That night, after 8pm, Dr. Naushad Forbes gave us a ride back home to Koregeon Park (He stayed across the street, his new mansion is located about 5 minutes walking from our condominium) with his elegant Merz, with driver.

In the car, again, he repeated to me (and to all) that he would be delighted if we are considering extending our traineeship. He also expressed his knowledge of my intention to be extended and he basically are very supportive. As from my side, I would stay if my visa is successfully extended. I would collect my new visa this Friday. We reached home that night in the nick of time for a photograph session in Lucky 7. We departed to “Flag” for the farewell dinner shortly after 9pm. I ordered a Jamaican exquisite meal, simply name Jamaica sizzler. A dish with combination of slices lamb, pork bacon (I miss them), potatoes, tomatoes grilled, rice with some special gravy, served on the sizzler plate with lots of smoke still blowing out from the dish as it was still under the stove. Everybody was present at the dinner including all of lucky 7 people (except for Bernard, Omar was late but at least he came, and that´s all matter), all of C1 & E3 people. DJ Sharifi, Martin the Bostwana guy, Nina, Erin and all non AIESEC related were there. I would say it was about 20 over people and it was a long table dinner. Lots of flashes from camera and conversations and then come the moment of seriousness where Marielle prompted me to give a impromptu speech. She knocked her spoon several times on the goblet (as a sound of proposing a toast) and attention were given by everyone. I stood up reluctantly and without any prearranged notes in my mind, I shot out my impromptu speeches to Nill and Mario. It was a speech with a melancholy feeling as I would like to put it. At the end of the speech, I though it was bad as I never share enough moments with the duo, but some of my friend came to me including Michael CDD and Nina and praised my impromptu speech, that it touches them. Mario and Nill personally stood up and gave a short speech by expressing many gratitude and appreciation to all of us for making their life in Pune a memorable one. For Mario, he couldn´t imagine the idea of him going back to school after the happening traineeship life in Pune and for Nills, he left a heavy heart behind us as the next point of his life is to spearheading the setting up of his India employer in Germany hence a business partnership in making.

After the dinner, DJ Sharifi brought us in to Nirvana pub and we partied away the final occasion of Nills and Mario. Just before I left Nirvana, DJ Sharifi announced on his speaker box, a song tribute to me, from my own CD, “Roses” by Outkast. I was flattered when he told me personally and to Omar that he didn´t dig so much of Outkast´s “Roses” before, not until he heard me playing and groove to the beat of the song during one of our Lucky 7 moment.

At the time of writing this, Nills probably reached Germany already and Mario, now in New Delhi, will be meeting up with Meike, for a further travelling. Meike, is now on her 1 month travelling and had just left Tibet, having experienced a lecture from the Dalai Lama himself and a slight earthquake there. The next one who gonna bid farewell to us is Michael CDD, Omar for his 2 weeks travelling in India then another 2 weeks for a time in Egypt, to be with family before coming back for another year with Forbes Marshall. Omar and I are the only two that extended our traineeship. Marielle, the Dutch girl, my flatmate since the crazy A20 time, will be leaving us end of this month. She will be on her 6 weeks travelling across India, with her ex boyfriend, from Portugal. And by end of April, most of the current trainees, including those from my batch, will be gone including Thomas.

Well, that´s life my friend. The bitterness of saying goodbye and bidding farewell. That having said, nothing is permanent. When you living like this, you will meet a lot of people, from all over the world, listening to different kind of stories and life experiences but the bad thing is when come to disattachment. The only consolation is the life opportunity of being strong and learns how to deal with it. I was down sad, crash boom bang at the earlier stage when most of my crazy buddies left, back to home for good, as well as the ones I like and the one I love. I didn´t know then that too much of anticipation would harm you and do more damages than good itself. But I know now on how to deal with departures. I learn to say hello and to bid goodbye. For all of this, we are unsure of when our path will cross again. Maybe never and if it is never, then the times spent together, live together, travelling together, through thick and thin, good and bad, through many agreement and disagreement would forever be a memory, a memory that never fade away, a memory that will light a smile on your lips twenty years down the road when you look back at your life. I can imagine how I would be blessful and be so thankful to all these people, the peoples that taught and shared many aspects of life value, from all over the world that would made me the person I will be, in the future. Even for Bernard, I might seems to be unhappy with him many times over but there will be a time where I will just sit and smile and being thankful to him for giving me an opportunity to learn how to deal with an asshole.

Today, I finally come to term, to believe that I am still in India, travelling and meeting lots of people. I was always firm at the idea of leaving my comfort zone, to live abroad independently, travelling and sees of more world as this would make your life stronger and your knowledge richer. If I am not here today, most probably I would still be around PJ or KL, wandering and dreaming of travelling and sees of more worlds and relying on the things I might learn if I were to go living abroad and travelling. I might be speaking of the many assumed adventures (that will never take place in a first place if I still sticking my ass around back home) and at the same time, caught in the cycle of the norm society of having graduated, getting a job, pay a bill, lamenting at the later age of how life was so fuck up and meaningless and repetitive and so forth. It is not easy and in fact, it was never easy to be different, to be the only black sheep among the white sheep, having unusual idea about life and all of that. The society will scare you of the many assumed things you will encounter along your travelling or life abroad and the time you will be wasting, the pressure of leaving behind the people your age which are now climbing up corporate ladder in one way or the other. While admitting there´s nothing wrong about it, I, on this side, being the un-norm of the society, still being proud of my decision.

I survived through all the so called threats imposed by the society, the norm of society. They told me you will meet crazy tiger, murderous lion, hungry wolf, deadly diseases and many more threat to life and yet I survived this. Before I came here, money was the main challenges, so main that it could shut my dream at anytime and anywhere. It was almost an impossible dream. But my dream and will was strong, stronger than I knew. I wasn´t a kid where I want to go abroad and everything including money is sorting out under my nose. I have to work my ass out in order to realize my dream. I am not saying that my family wasn´t supportive. Of course if I were beg or beg to loan, I will get it. But I chose the hardest way, to work my ass out to achieve my dream. I almost falled many times over when seeing my friends enjoying so much salary, working for reputable company, being mocked by close relatives even my sister of my job with AIESEC and a low pay. It wasn´t easy to survive that period. But lucky for me, my parents especially my mother was so supportive. She knew I was dead serious about it and nothing she could do to change my decision. So she supported me and my idea to the end. She understood my passion of seeing more of world, the idea of travelling and right now, she is very happy of my travelling record. Mother´s love is the greatest love of all.

You can tell that the people who told you about many threats to your decision are the people who never been there and never done that. Because, the things you will learn is when you take and experiencing the winding route to where you intend to reach and having been there. No matter what the outcome is, at least you were there.

I believe, people will evolve and grow in and out, internally and externally, mentally and physically when you travelling and sees of more world. When you travel, you discover, encounter and experience many things that you will never have the opportunity to even feel it if you stick around your comfort zone. When you learn to be at peace with the nature, with the places and people you meet and encounter, when you meet and talk to people you don´t even know but end up gaining mountain of knowledge through travelling, your horizon will be expended. You will begin to think and ponder or contemplate at life and many little things of your everyday life in a different way that you could never imagine. This, I will call the ability of thinking out of box. If you read Paulo Coelho´s “Veronica decides to die”, you will come to know that it is OK to be different because life it too precious to be pretentious, too precious to worry about the nitty-gritty of what people might perceive of you.

All the world’s greatest travelled in their life in one way or the other, to be who they were. Buddha left his luxurious life to discover value of life, even more luxurious than his royal life, Jesus Christ travelled around to be with the people his loved, Che Guevara is who he was because of the experience and things he encountered when he travelled across the continent of Latin America. The same goes to Christopher Columbus, Vasco da´ gama and even my childhood favourite story book character, Dr. Gulliver in the “Gulliver travel”.

Vitas, the Dutch traveller who did his goodwill acts in Kenya left Pune few days ago and back to Kenya. His short visit had also been part of my life that I will remember one day. From him, I added to my CD collection some African raggae (Glen washinton) and “Langala” music from Kenya.

Just before he left, there was this two Dutch which Vitas and Dennis met in Jodhpur while travelling, stop by Pune and bum in E3 for couple of days. They are couple and from them, another set of life experiences and travelling being told. They managed to save up about 11000 Euro for their 1 year travelling. At this point of writing, they had completed Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, HK, Myammar and after India, they will go to China, Mongolia and all countries around that area and from there, boarding a train to Russia and somehow someway, back to Holland. Wow!!

The next two week, we will have two new female (ah….thanks to God) trainee, one from Macedonia (rumous had it that she is quite gorgeous, just like most of the Macedonian girls) and one from Germany, Mario´s successor. The Macedonian girls will check in C1 and the German girl will check in Lucky 7. (“Chi lan Chi Pua Kam cheng bei si sua”). Literally transfer from Hokkien, it means each one have half, relationship will not goes sour.

On Saturday afternoon, I was walking in MG road, shopping for books which I ended up buying another classic of Paulo Coelho´s “The eleventh minutes” instead of “The fifth mountain” because the latter was not available. As I was walking, I heard someone behind me was conversing in Bahasa Melayu. The excerpt of stolen conversation goes “Hey Mat, lat ni kita nak gi mana” or something that sounded like that. It was such a long time already that I didn´t hear my own language. I suddenly turn behind and asked them if they were from Malaysia. And Yes there were from Malaysia, first time seeing Malaysians in Pune or India. I ended up chatting with them for about 20 minutes, with my proud loghat penang. They turn out to be a government worker, attached to JKR, and were visiting Pune for one of their project. Funny thing about this coincident is these are the two faces that I will never talk to if I were to bump into them in one of our Malaysian street. You know…the arrogant government official look. But anyway, they turn out to be a very good guy. This taught me not to always generalize people, and that people are not what they seem.

Mark Knopler (of Dire Straight) just done his concert in Mumbai and I missed it again, just like how I miss Sting live in Delhi. But the rational decision I made didn´t cause me any regret whatsoever. It is more to financial difficulties. As for now, my aim is to travel and covering more of India. Though I might seems going places but there´s still lots of places I haven´t been which I would like to go including Rajastan (Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jalsalmer etc), Minali, Jamu & Kashmir, Dalamsala, Southern India (Bangalore etc), Tibet, Himalaya and Nepal. Up to date, the longest travelling period was the two weeks to Northern Delhi, covering most interesting part of New Delhi, Agra, Rishikesh, Mossouri, Haridwar and etc. This weekend, I would go to Buldana, a cultural centre of India, about 12 hours bus ride away from Pune, to visit some of the places there and most importantly, visiting some friends.

Since I am extending my stay, which is for two purpose only, longer traineeship and travelling. So before the season end for Goa (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world), I would go again, ut this time is southern Goa, Polerim, coming this end of March (the season end at April) and lots of hotels, and beach resorts will be closing down because of the great monsoon. I will be going on the 17th until 21st of March, with Erin and Nina (confirmed). Martin the Everclear, Gesine my girl, Carolina, DJ Sharifi, Marielle is considering. Omar is confirming game for the trip. For this one, I am proud because finally, I am the one that initiate the idea of this trip and will be the one that materialize this idea.

At this stage of writing, I can proudly said that I am becoming more expert in drinking. Now, I no longer need beer opener anymore. The new skill to open a beer bottle (Thanks to the many Germans) is with any object namely another bottle, bottle of mineral water, spoon, lighter, broom etc. It was great especially the sound of “pop” heard in the air.

Saturday night, I was supposed to go to the dealer with Dj Sharifi. So I waited for him downstairs his apartment, along the street where German bakery located. I smelled something fishy gonna happen when I saw lots of African people hanging around and was chatting in their mother tongue. The only English word I heard was “one and one” and “Sharifi”. And when Sharifi finally appeared from the dark staircase, his hello to me was unusual and unenthusiastic. The guy approached him and Sharfi was muttering to him to stay away but he slapped him in the face and pang! That guy was a mistake, sorry ass when Sharifi turn around and swing a punch to hard that it “poop” heard in the air. The guy was corner, being kicked and punched repeatedly in the face until the rest of the gangs (from both side) started to resolve them. I was calm and was there until the brawl was over. I waited to see if Sharifi got any problem but apparently my help was not needed because he was attacking most of the time. (His hand was banded after that). Just when everything seems over, second brawl broke out again, between Sharifi and the same guy. They were struggling for a while before Sharifi got him down again, at the corner and repeatedly punching him in the face and cover him with his own shirt until he was gasping for oxygen. Sharifi asked for peace and he rebutted to Sharifi for loosing him up because he was unable to breath. Sharifi completely forgotten about me and went off. So I went to the dealer myself and gave him a courtesy call before I smoke out at Lucky 7. The whole fighting scene reminds me of those fighting days in school, during my growing up, the sweet and innocence sixteen/seventeen. I beat up some guy so bad before as well as having experience of being rounded up by six malay guy from the neighbouring school, being kicked all over and lying on the ground until one of my malay friend intercepted. I still remember his name, Mamat. But after that, we were at peace, during one of our football game. That was one of my fighting scene I could remember.

That night was a party at E3 apartment and it was Yushi´s birthday, the new trainee from Japan. Omar and I went there late and the party was over as they proceeded to “Fire & Ice”. Omar, me and the Dutch traveller stayed in E3 to whack most of the leftover foods namely Briyani, beers, brownie, chocolate cake etc. Magda and Martin had a new boxer dog, name Stacey. She is so damn cute. We were so addicted to her charm. We brought her over to Lucky 7 and she was hanging around in the apartment before she got stone from the smoke in the air.

Sunday afternoon, the weather was so fine that most of the trainee went to the Pyramid, the newly open swimming pool around the neighbourhood. It was a very fine place, with huge pool, and lots of palm trees and lazy chair. I didn´t go because I want to save some money for my travelling. I mean, I will go there someday but as for now, I would delay the gratification, for my one month budget travelling, tentatively at the beginning of September. So, the whole afternoon, I spent time copying some good music from Kenya, Germany, Holland, France and so forth. My love for Jazz and instrumental, blues, Raggae, chill-out music had achieved a greater height. I guess the love and interest for all this music especially the chill out music are from my many travelling trip across India, the time spent on the bluesy journey and being surrounded by a God sent landscapes and natures. Even now, as I am writing this, Spyro Gyra Jazz is played in the air while the ceiling fans was crazily spinning around and the mosquitoes, one by one being killed by my occasional luck.

Well, without realizing it, 4 and the half month already I was away from home and still, I haven´t have any homesick syndrome. I am looking forward to my unpredictable journey. And I can’t tell for sure what would happen when September come. Anyway, I am having the best time of my life here and I hope you have the same things as well, back home. Whatever you do, feel good about it. If you don´t, listen to your heart and go for it.

With that I end my notes. Good day everyone.

Love, regards & Rock n´Roll!!

P/s: If music is the food of love, then play on! “William Shakepeare”