I am Rainbow

I planned to leave office straight at 5.30pm but it was what it was - a plan. Car & I were going to meet up with SGMY in Pavilion. Since the food court has soooo many varities of food, we would never die of choices.

Car suggested La Bodega & even forwarded blog entries about the food there on Friday. I was fine with any food as long as they were cooked properly & preferably bland - I had only taken MC the day before.

Rushing to the bus stop, the bus that I wanted to take had departed & I had about 15minutes to wait. I pondered between going back up to my cube to complete the stats report & email to manager or discuss work with manager. I opted for the latter since I had to ask him stuff related to the stats report too.

Manager asked, “So.. how.. are.. you?”

“Do you mean me or the team?”

“You.. lah.”

“I’m ok-not-ok,” I shrugged. “Been better.” I plopped myself onto the chair he had emptied.

“I wasted expensive food.”

“What.. food.. did.. you.. eat?”

“Secret Recipe.”

“Secret.. Recipe.. is.. not.. very.. expensive.”

“It is when you eat and vomit!”

After we discussed work, I went to the bus stop again. Yeay, the bus was still there waiting :)

Just as I reached KL Sentral, SGMY called me. Heh, he has my number?!

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I just reached KL Sentral. I’m going over now.”

“Ha, now only go over?”

“Why - you are there already?”

“No ah I also a lot of things to do just now. But I’m coming over now with taxi. You not yet come ah? I think I wait awhile first.”

“No lah! I’ll be very fast. 20-25min can reach already! You leave now lah!”

Once I had landed at Lot 10/Sungei Wang, SGMY called me again, “Eh where are you?”

“I’m at Lot 10 walking-”

“Lot 10 shopping?!”

“No, coming over.”

“Ohh, coming over. I wait where?”

“Ah.. wait at .. where are you now?”

“Forever 21.”

I guffawed, “You so old already, forever 21?! Wait at information counter in lobby lah.”

“Information counter ah… where ah?”

“Ground floor, got Club Monaco & Coach.”

“Oh I passed by there just now.”

“OK, I wait there.”

“You wait or I wait now ha?”

“You wait (for me to come over) haha.”

When I reached Pavilion, I saw Car but we didn’t see SGMY. “Where is he?” we both asked each other. We called him but nobody pickup.

We tried again & he said one word, “Toilet.”

LOL.

We went over to La Bodega & he grimaced at the menu immediately, “I don’t want. All bread only!”

So we moved on to other places. Lots of pretty girls in skimpy clothes promoting drinks, Celcom & football screens in the restaurants. Euro Cup fever.

We asked him, “We eat something that is not found in Singapore lah.” He’s working there, on and off comes over to Malaysia & US. We went back to the information counter, Car pointed at the food court. She told him, “That’s the food court.”

“I knooooooooow, I had been here before leh!” SGMY said. “Many times lorrr.”

Haha & we treated him like a tourist.

We walked around the food court & towards the end of the food court, I was about to say, “Please no Madam Kwan” coz I remember I had eaten that for someone’s birthday, albeit months ago. He decided, “Madam Kwan lah. Singapore doesn’t have Madam Kwan.”

“OK lah.”

He looked at the menu & balked. “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH so expensive one ah!”

“We treat you,” I said. Car told her, “You just look at what you want to eat.”

“If like that, we eat food court loh,” his eyes looking outside to the food court.

“You want or not? If want we go to food court.”

Nobody moved.

I looked at the menu. What to eat?? Nasi lemak or spicy food, cannot. Mushroom ick. Chicken screaming. Local delights not worth the $. Got mushroom mee. 2 huge dark brown mushrooms on top of the mee with miso like soup.

I turned to Car, “Do you want mushroom?”

“You don’t eat mushroom?”

I shook my head. I looked hopefully at SGMY.

“I don’t eat mushroom,” he replied firmly.

I pushed them aside to reveal the mee. Almost wan tan mee. The shredded chicken slices were nice, not hard to eat with braces. Car passed some delicious fried chicken from her Nasi Bojari onto my plate. Yum..

SGMY nodded as he ate, “Delicious.”

“Mix with the curry gravy nicer,” I pointed at the orange curry on his chicken. “Nasi lemak also nice,” I sighed I couldn’t eat it.

When I noticed SGMY’s notebook bag had been smeared with some mee’s soup, I pointed at his bag. We both didn’t see when it happen. I thought he was going to complain since he had told us his complain histories. Lucky for the staffs, he was in good mood & explained, “I don’t like to complain in public.” I guessed he could make a fit on the phone..

As I got out to the washroom, a couple from my company came in. The guy used to had a thing for Car. The gal has a thing for Car now. Hatred & jealousy. 2 things. Maybe..?

After we finished eating, I asked SGMY & Car, “So, want to order more?”

Car shook her head. She couldn’t even finish her plate.

“Yamcha yamcha,” SGMY chanted.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Coffee Bean.”

“HA?! Singapore also has Coffee Bean lar!” I disallowed Coffee Bean as an option.

When the bill came, I had my RM50 out but the bill was RM60+. Car just sat there. Gal, she could’ve done something. I stood up and grabbed SGMY’s hand but got his pinky instead. He had already put his credit card onto the bill holder. I pinched his pinky.

“Ow, painful ah. Let me pay. I can collect points. Can win a flat screen tv and IPOD.” His eyes glistened with the thought of free stuff.

“So? You are going to give it (tv & IPOD) to us?”

“No.”

“Then why tell us?”

“I want to pay ma.” He beamed.

After he got the receipt, we walked outside & waved awkwardly/friendly with the couple.

Car suddenly grabbed our arms, “Eh eh go there!” She pointed to the end of the food court.

John King tarts.

I bought some for SGMY in return for his treating us dinner. I queued up at the cashier quickly and looked back at them.

“You don’t worry, this time I let you pay,” SGMY said.

We drank Toast Box @ food court instead. SGMY told me, “I want de-si.”

“Huh?”

“De-si,” he peered at the menu, “you order.”

“I don’t see it in the menu.”

“You order see…”

Feeling like a duh, I told the cashier, “De-si.”

The cashier nodded, “De-si.”

Ha ha. I had no idea what it was. I ordered another for myself.

Oh, tea. Lots of sugar at the bottom that I just didn’t stir. SGMY asked for another cup to replace his.

Couldn’t zzz after that.

I sms Sam’s bf on what time we would leave but he only replied on the wedding day.

“7.15″

I texted back, “Dinner is at 7 woh.”

The reply, “Ppl drive, depends on him lo.” Turned out another guy, our mutual classmate, was going to drive.

Malaysian time 7pm means 8pm especially for functions & dinners.

Still, it was a special occassion for someone and we should be early. The dinner venue wasn’t like a stone’s throw either - it would take at least 40min to reach there. I guessed the guys had an idea where the restaurant is…

I asked Car, “Have you been here before?” I wanted to know if I should wear really formal or just semi-formal. I’d been to wedding where guests bought newspapers to read and dressed in t-shirts & jeans! Was it cold?

“It’s normal restaurant only. Not cold.”

Sam warned me, “Be early if he fetch. Coz he’s very chiong hei.”

“Hahah, sure, sure. You must have kena a lot of times already.”

“Yah lah!”

By 7.15pm, there was still no car. Then I received a call from unsaved number, “Eh where is your home?” Couldn’t recognize the voice but it was male.

“Who are you?”

He said his name. I gave my address & landmarks. “Come out, I’m here already!”

True enough, before I could step into my shoes, a car appeared in front of my home.

We were late!

We still had to fetch Sam’s bf! He was standing in front of his home impatiently. Before he got in, he complained, “Why so loooooong? What time already now?” He tapped his watch. “Ha? What did you do? You went for game ah?”

They play badminton sometimes. This time, Sam’s bf didn’t go for badminton but the other guy stayed back for longer badminton session!

“Not enough people you know. So I mm hou yi si don’t stay back,” he gave his “excuse”.

“You know it’s important occassion, right? You don’t play badminton can die ah? Not enough people meh?” Sam’s bf asked.

“Got lah. Just ngam ngam enough.”

“Then why didn’t you leave early?”

“Aiya, that side they go home early so in the end, not enough.”

“Then others leave, you leave also lah!”

“Aiya, you know got 1 saying: if you come in late, that means you are high class.”

Sam’s bf and I snorted.

“Do you know how to go there?” I asked him.

“Oh, it was my dei kao (earth), I sure know!”

“You work there?”

“I studied there! UPM mah!”

When we reached there, there were a lot of cars parked & there was a minor traffic jam. At the roadside, Sam’s bf & I left the car & went in first. The “driver” would look for parking space ;) We weren’t sure which door we should enter. All the notice boards were in Chinese characters. Aiyo…

Then Sam’s bf called me, “Where are you?”

“At the end.”

“It’s at the 1st. I found it.”

So both of us got up the stairs & saw the hall was long & wide - with no walls separating all the guests! So weird! I had never seen anything like it. Where was the couple??

We asked 1 of the staffs and she said our couple was at the other end, “If you want to give angpao, better go up from the other end staircase.”

So we got down & rushed to the other end up the stairs.

Stopped at the top. Couple was going to walk in!! WOo hooo.. we were so late! I hid behind the wall-staircase but Sam’s bf was just standing there & shook hands with the groom, our Ass2 Prefect! Really, he didn’t mind the attention that every1 was looking at the couple & he was beside them. LATE!

After the couple had entered the hall & seated, we walked in behind (out of the spotlight, thank goodness). Everyone at our table cheered, “And here comes the wedding couple!”

I didn’t pay attention to that & just settled myself, glad to be sitting (& reaching there before the dinner started). Normally, I would balk at being the joke of marriage when the other guy is not someone I’m interested in - oh, wait, I would certainly mind if it’s a joke on me with the other guy that I like! - ahh.. but this time, maybe I am developing thick face attitude…