Rustic memories...

There are times I wish I had more time for my family and I do wish I strike the lottery just like any one else so that I can really take a good rest. Huh! Fat hopes, right? Probably this is the same wishful thinking of millions of Malaysians out there and also, a friend used to tell me whenever I shared this fat hopes with him, he would say, " Buy the ticket first-la! Then dream,ok? Don't buy,  how to dream, Ivan" I would always laughed my head off thinking of what he said and very true in every sense. Anyway, I decided that if  I wanted to be happy as I am , I might as well, get the best out of the days I have and splashed it like it's the last days of my life. That's exactly what I did - bringing family to great fun around Melaka, my own backyard town. 

I must say that I am very impressed with what I found out. There is so much things to do , experience and also, quite an ambiance to look forward to. It is much more than the ball ball chicken rice or the satay celup or even the cendol and the historical sites. It is the eccentric and eclectics of the smaller hidden jewels in the heart of  Melaka town. The straits born buildings, the people, the services, the run down buildings, the cafes, the taverns, the watering holes and the roads makes it all so interestingly crazy yet fun. Though I am born and bred as a Malaccan, I find it hard to drag myself to walk these streets I am so familiar with all my life but somehow, when you really take the initiative to learn about the rich culture and ways of life in those times, you get intrigued and fascinated by it all. Getting stuck in traffic jams, sticking out your hands and limbs to get a bowl of cendol plus haggling over the overly inflated  prices ain't my cup of tea, actually. I really do prefer the tranquil of home and plush servanthood of my reddish sofa set! Quite accustomed and blended in with the sofa set quite nicely over the years.

Coming back to my little adventure, I am no historian nor a story teller but these columns, carvings, paintings and even signages of the olden days brings a whole lot of nostalgic feelings. I remembered sitting in a rustic cafe sipping my Vietnamese coffee and I was transported back to my childhood days some 3 to 4 decades back. I smiled to myself as I caressed those fond memories only to be awakened by the gruffy voice and perplexed look of SLing who asked me if I was okay. Just maybe, I am a sentimental fool and what if I am a sentimental fool then - everything seemed so tranquil and relaxed as I continued to tear to the taste of the freshly baked blueberry muffin, my favourite fare, actually. "I could get used to such life,actually" - I told myself that! Coffee and muffin : great combo to mess  up your head with memories!

I must say that as I walked through the hallway of the cafe, I passed through the colourful glass lattice door and one sold timber door of the olden days. Wow! These were doors from my childhood days when I was staying in Tranquerah and Gajah Berang Road. Rustic, old and yet so colourful - like my life these days too!!! I kinda like that comparison as I felt that beautiful pieces like these are fading away -just waiting to be discovered. Many would not see the beauty of a plain door as that or a colourful glass piece of a door because there aren't many around anymore to savour and to feast the eyes on. I am glad that the proprietor actually took the trouble to not to restore them but left them as it is. Maybe a wash or two to clean up but other than it was classic. I like the rustic feel a lot. Had it not been SLing asking me to move on, I would have sat there for hours just enjoying the staircase carvings, metal work and even the back section tree stump table setting. As we moved on to a classic hotel settings, it was another piece of historical fun. What fun we had at that hotel. Artistically well maintained, clean, classic and culturally spot -on with ts decor lighting up the place so much.

Then it's night walk time and visiting one of boutique hotel was fun. Great news is that there are little goodies every where at the hotel and we whacked the goodies nicely before leaving the hotel. Simple fares goodies like small sugared biscuits, buah kana, small peanut cookies ( the ones that used to be sold at olden days grocery shop in a big glass container! ) and some peanuts fares in big jar certainly made our day indeed!

The best part of it all was that we did not have to travel far for some small pleasures in life. Sometimes. the better things are those things that is right before our very eyes. Yeah, I was told that I slept like a baby as I put my head on the pillows that night.. Maybe what they did not know was that I had an even wider smile in my heart.......There is always something new to discover each day, right? Let's inpsire , shall we? In the midst of our perspiration under the heat of the blistering sun?