Saturday 22 May 2010

..the courting..

..I did not know it then..but when I came back in the late sixties, I was going against the tide..times were uncertain, then..Kota Bharu, long known as the Paris of the East was about to lose that tag..Britz Park, the place of loud music and svelte joget girls and dark nooks was winding down and closing its gates..and so were the night-clubs..biding its time before the order to close..Pantai Cinta Berahi lost its passion and became Pantai Cahaya Bulan..jobs were scarce and people were leaving the state by droves..looking for better opportunities elsewhere..some to become settlers with newly opened land schemes..those with a little bit of skills in construction left for jobs in Singapore..it was the lull after the May 13th incidence..the New Economic Policy had been forged, but too new to bear any results..it was the worst and the best of times..

..but for a young man madly in love it was courting time...and finding the going rough..for her mother would not have anything to do with him..this two bit clerk, more uncouth than unkempt..and she would served him unfiltered coffee without sugar everytime he went a-visiting... but he went, nonetheless, time and again, going clickety-clack with his Vespa..and parked it gingerly under her porch, and waited anything from 10 to 20 minutes before the front door opened..and he drank the coffee like as if it was nectar..coffee beans and all...

..it  was the time of the Bee Gees. Ray Coniff and Los Indios Tabarajas..and an end to the glorious days of Malaysia Cup when Singapore was a participant..Dali Omar left for Australia..

..and a  young man in love found himself the centre of mirth by friends and relative alike..for having designs on Audrey..but through it all he was unfazed..he may not have power, position or wealth..but he had this inner confidence..

21 comments:

June Malik said...

pandainya pak mat put us on edge with your story .. cepat2 sambung!

NanaDJ said...

Can't wait for the next instalment. Oh dear, this is getting to be addictive - for someone who does not even see ONE soap opera currently playing on tv!

nurmisnan said...

salam Pak mat..
long time no comment here.. hehehehe.. how is thing?

cerita benar ke ni Pak mat? lovely.. ada sambungnya lagi tak?story about coffee, i can't take it without sugar... pahitt je kalau manisnya kurang.. mcm pak mat =)

take care Pak mat n gd day

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Abe Mat,
Kopi pahit rasa coklat? Oh dear...your (past) life is like a song.... purrrr....meow!

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Pakmat, u must have look a wee bit like this guy in the 60’s singing;

Makcik U got a lovely Daughter

Pakmat, FYI, that lead singer from Boyzone, Ronan Keating is my Ah Soh heart throb..hahaha. Whenever she merajuk & give me the ‘silent treatment’, I’ll play this song of his, to break the ice, she giggle & then all if forgiven…kekeke;

U say it BEST when u say nothing at ALL

I look forward to your next installment!

Cheers,
Tommy

P/S – Bad night at the office so rush back & now watching Bayern Munich v Inter Milan. For Mourinho ‘The Special One’ sake, I hope he win :))

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Goallllllllllllllllllll Diego Mulito!!!! Inter 1 Bayern O....kakaka
What a goal head down, 1-2 & what a shot!!!!!

Tommy Yewfigure said...

Goallllllllllllllll again Milito, what a solo dribble effort, yooohoooo...Inter 2 Bayern 0 :(((((

Granny Hani said...

go on pakmat, keep on writing. U make me unsettled until i know the ending..go go go..

Anonymous said...

Pak Mat

Ore kato pak mat maso tu,
'jerawat kato kato cemar peloh,kurap kato pana,tok leh kelih tuan buleh kelih tangga rumoh pon tak po"

MFT

Anonymous said...

phhhweeetttt! some more.. some more!

..and I love the last line. I can imagine you strutting in your bell-bottoms with the tight polyester shirt and hair berkilat with Brycream.

rizal hashim said...

what's the story with your mak...after 20 minutes baru bukak pintu? my....

Snakebite said...

pakmat,

seriously, you should write a book. it will be a record for future generations of what life is like in the 60s n 70s in KB and everywhere else. after all you got the flair to captivate your readers and your experiences are priceless. your book could be representative of an era that is gone, never experineced by the younger generation and nostalgia for the older generation.

serious ni pakmat. even though there are already such book written but mostly they are about kl life, not KB and the east coast

Unknown said...

..salam, ladies June and Nana..I do not know whether I have the stamina to continue or not..lagi pun I am treading on dangerous waters..:)

Unknown said...

my dear cat and nur..well. the story about the coffee is true..in as much as I can recalled..after all it was 40 years ago..

Unknown said...

hi, tommy..:)yes,I was into Hermans Hermit..and that song was a favorite..hehe..but not really into football..cannot stay up too late at nights..forl helath reasons..hehe..

and hani@kemulut..I will try, lady..

Unknown said...

..salam mft..lamo tak jupo..:) but I think her mother saw through me..:)

.salam Andrea..I believed all pants those time flared at the bottom..and I did have my hair in a mop..cheers..

Unknown said...

hi, lc..talk about a disapproving mother..heheh..

salam Dato Snakebite..I believed you are a bit extravagant in your comments..for I do not think that my talent can go beyond blogging..thank you for the compliments..keeps this old coot motivated..:) cheers..

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Pak Mat,
Ronan Keating looks so good in this video ... sounds equally good too!

Jay D said...

pakmat...my first time here, and i am already a fan!
Cayalah pakmat!
saya suka cerita cinta macam ni.

pakmat ada anak prempuan tak?? (yang single lah)

Jay D said...

pakmat...my first time here, and i am already a fan!
Cayalah pakmat!
saya suka cerita cinta macam ni.

pakmat ada anak prempuan tak?? (yang single lah)

Unknown said...

..salam lady FI..my children say Ronan looks good in any video..but then they r diehard fans...cheers..


..hi, joe..:) macam wali band je..heheh..30 and still single?..thought that is a nice age to be..all those gals out there, including the boss herself..and with that wicked sense of humour of yours..they will fall for that..and they will find you anything but average..cheers..