Rainforest Music Oh Seven

I finally have time to post pictures of the Rainforest World Music Festival 2007. You’ve probably read the various reports and reviews in the local dailies but nothing says it better than being there. It matters less if you’re attending the intriguing workshops during the day or soaking in the life of the concert at night because you’ll find yourself wanting to move to the beats even if you’ve never danced in your life, ever before. There will always be a nagging urge to swirl those hips, stamp your feet, slide those ribs and raise your fists! It’s very exhausting to describe and I will not attempt to. You gotta be there. Perhaps this link to an article by Mumtaj Begum in TheStarOnline could serve as a teaser for the curious.

http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2007/7/18/music/18329511&sec=music

I’m working on editing some clips my friend recorded to be uploaded to YouTube.

In the meantime, do browse the following pictures. I know they don’t mean much without the sound but I’m working on it.

Having Sarawak Laksa at the Santubong Resort restaurant. Affordable and Good.

Members of Inka Marka serving songs from the Andes during one of the workshops at 3pm, Saturday

Percussions without borders. A selection of world beats at it's best. Thump! Wait for the video!

Decorated columns of one of the traditional show houses at the cultural village.

The food sale booths and dining area. Very affordable, they're almost cheap. Don't bother bringing your own because you'll end up wanting to sample at least two dishes. I hope they keep this up. Imagine the food they sell at Sepang F1; yeah, that's expensive rubbish in comparison.

People enjoying the bountiful local and not-so-local delights.

Chilling out by the lake. The weather was generous come evening. It was still bright but there was no ray in sight. That's the magic of the rainforest.

During the concert, Channel V's Marion and Alvey dropped by for some scoops of the event. The crowd started to take pictures of the impromptu set but I remained seated behind them. I didn't want to get in the way of the film crew so I took the only view I ended up with, their royal behinds. Hey, now now, it wasn't me who pushed my way into the seated crowd to get a good angle for TV.

It didn't take long for the seated audience to stand up and be counted. Well, most of them were pushed to the back by the standing and ever-eager-to-dance crowd. In a way, they were forced to get off their buns and shake the bon bons. Not that anyone's complaining of course.

This was when everyone was politely seated for the first show, as requested by the performers, since it was a sacred ritual performed by the local tribe, Mah Meri, first time on stage.

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People say this one was special because it was the tenth year and in conjunction with the visit Malaysia year and 50 years of Malaysian Independence. Two things I hope; one, it gets better every year, two, they stick to the old price of sixty bucks instead of eighty (Yeah, that one million ringgit breakthrough is really mind blowing ain't it, it couldn't be partly because of the twenty ringgit price hike, duhh!)

Sadly, even as we speak, they have probably set the target of 2 million ringgit for next year's festival.

I wonder what 'quality over quantity' really means to the organisers... let's hope for the best shall we.

Other related news links.

Source: TheStarOnline


Ticket sales hits magical RM1m mark
[NATION 16-Jul-2007]
History was made at the 10th Rainforest World Music Festival when ticket sales crossed the million-ringgit mark for the first time.

Rainforest music fest ticket sales cross RM1m mark
[NATION 15-Jul-2007]
The 10th Rainforest World Music Festival, which drew the biggest-ever gathering of music fans here, crossed the million-ringgit mark in ticket sales


Rainforest festival off to rousing start
[NATION 15-Jul-2007]
The 10th Rainforest World Music Festival got off to a rousing start at the Sarawak Cultural Village with stirring performances from eight local and international groups.


Randy's back and awestruck
[NATION 14-Jul-2007]
Multi-instrumentalist Randy Raine-Reusch, one of the founders of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), is back for the 10th edition and is awestruck by its phenomenal growth.


Rainforest music fest kicks off today
[NATION 13-Jul-2007]
The three-day Rainforest World Music Festival starts today at the Sarawak Cultural Village

Drum roll
[SOUNDNSTAGE 13-Jul-2007]
The Aseana Percussion Unit is a band with a lot to look forward to.

Bands start to fly in for weekend of global rhythms
[NATION 11-Jul-2007]
The place to be this weekend is the Sarawak Cultural Village in Santubong, where The Rainforest World Music Festival will take place.

15,000 tickets sold for Rainforest World Music Festival
[NATION 11-Jul-2007]
Ticket sales for the Rainforest World Music Festival this weekend have already hit the 15,000 mark with more expected to be snapped up.

15,000 music fest tickets snapped up
[NATION 12-Jul-2007]
More than 15,000 tickets for the Rainforest World Music Festival have been sold.

Triple Oh Seven

I was at a wedding last Saturday, as were many of you, most as guests, some as kings and queens of the day.

Hey, what else can I say, it was a happy day.

I didn’t get many pictures because there were two professional photographers and I didn’t want to get in their way and the flow of things.
So, here are the few that I managed to grab at Mike's wedding.

A glimpse of the banner complete with obstructions as I sat politely in Church that afternoon, waiting for the ceremony to start. The names should read Michael Drieberg and Ai Yoon.

After the wedding celebration dinner that night, we took a few pictures, on our way out to congratulate the newly weds. Photos of the dinner? None, because I was busy eating.

The couple, Mike and Ai Yoon. The Single, Agus. The couple, Su Anne and Kuan Ming, both are my university friends.

New friend, Timothy, me, course mate, Kuan Ming and another new friend, Clement.

It was good to see my uni mates again.

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As they say, make love not war.

How does the rest go again?

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Make hay today, because tonight you'll make love in the hay.

Love is in the hair, i mean air.

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I'm making no sense; damn these allergies.

Big chair, big eyes

Chubby cheeks...

My niece two years ago at age of 2++. She just woke up and was feeling fuzzy. Looks like raggedy Ann. It's been a while since I visited them up north. Time to make time.

Uhm... did I do that...?

Alright folks, have a sweet weekend. I know I will. I'll be at Mike's wedding, yes, the one with the box.

07.07.07 is such a nice date, a Saturday no less. It's surprising people can still get venues for their wedding receptions. Oh, let's not mention 08.08.08 next year! Try book your venue then, If you have, do make sure you are ready for it, i.e. hopelessly attached and ridiculously in love.

Get hitched quick! You only have till 12.12.12

Oh, wouldn't it be cool to have-and-hold the one come 11.11.11

I think

This happened a long time ago.

Mike: What are you doing?

Me: I’m thinking

Mike: That’s my line!

Me: What do you mean it’s your line?

Mike: I'm always the one who says ‘I’m thinking. Besides, you're just sitting there, staring blank, doing nothing.

Me: That’s what I do when I think.

Mike: No.

Me: Whatever.

This never happened but I’m making it my line, just in case Mike does it again.

Mike: What are you doing?

Me: See that box?

Mike: Yeah.

Me: See where I am, outside?

Mike: Yeah

Me: I’m thinking!


(I just hope there's a box lying around.)

Labuan Scenes

Some random shots taken during my limited stay in Labuan.

Feeling patriotic?









June bloom.

Sail through the remaining week, enjoy the weekend.

Just you wait

After meeting several clients at Asian Supply Base in Labuan on Thursday morning, I rushed to the airport to catch my 1210 flight to Miri.

I had bought FlyAsianXpress (aka FAX) ticket since it was the only direct flight from Labuan to Miri. Malaysia Airlines do fly to Miri but there will be a transit in Kota Kinabalu, usually a four hour wait. I am not that patient, especially considering there is an alternative, even if it means my flight risk being delayed. You see, Fax is under AirAsia, notoriously known for their ‘now everyone is late’ reputation.
I thought I was a few minutes late for check in when I read a note at the check in counter saying the flight is delayed for one hour; a minor relief since I didn’t have to rush like mad anymore. I studied the departure schedule to double check.



One hour had passed, it was 1.10pm, and there was still no sign of the plane, let alone arrival announcement. As if cued, the ground staff came to the departure counter pushing a trolley.
The chime rang and her announcement went “Dear passengers of flight D7 2243 to Miri, the flight has been delayed due to a technical problem in Miri. As of now, the estimated time of arrival is still not known. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Meanwhile, we invite you to the counter to receive your snack attack. Thank you.” As we collected our snack boxes, our cell phone numbers were recorded.






And so we waited.
Two aircrafts came and gone but our departure was still unknown

At 3pm I overheard a person at the other bench answering his phone. “Yes…. Yes…. Okay… So this six thirty, is it confirmed?... Ok then. Bye.”

“Huh, must be the call update. Ahh…So that’s what the phone number was all about. So they can face passengers individually instead of risking life and limbs with the whole mob” I thought.

15 minutes later the expected call came. I was not going to let go that easily.

“Hello, Mr. Agustus. This is Natasha from Fly Asian Express. I’m calling to inform you that your flight will be expected to depart at six thirty” she informed.

“Is that six thirty tomorrow morning or six thirty this evening?” I asked.

“Six thirty this evening sir.”

“Did they tell you what was wrong with the plane? What kind of technical problem are they fixing in Miri?” I asked.

“No sir, they only told us they have technical problem in Miri. And the flight is expected to arrive in Labuan by six pm. You can check back in around five thirty”

“Six thirty. That’s three hours from now. That’s a very long time to wait” I hinted desparation.

“Yes sir”

“Then I will have to wait. Thank you.” I ended the call.

So I grabbed my luggage and took a walk around the airport. Not that there is much to see but like the rest of the ‘waiters’, I needed some fresh air and bigger space than the departure lounge.

Around five pm, another announcement regarding my flight was aired. We were invited to collect our meal from the airline counter. It was the colonel himself.

Unpaid advertisement
Hey kids, wanna get free KFC? Buy AirAsia or FAX ticket and hope they screw you enough. You may have your fingers crossed but it will be licked.

So Misteragus, how does it feel being screwed by FAX? Why, IT’S FINGER LICKING GOOD!

By six, I paused typing this post and headed to the departure lounge. Metal detector and X-ray scan only; no one was feeling frisky. We waited patiently.

Six thirty in the evening, no sign of the aircraft. Not a gust of wind, not a hum of sound, not a freakin FAX. It was going to be another long wait. Some ‘waiters’ have inside information that the latest departure time will probably be nine thirty. People started talking. Some went down to the check in counter to get clarification. The ground staff should consider themselves lucky. People know they have done their best to cope with the situation, and there is really nothing they can do except keep pushing for current updates and get a firm result to report to the waiting customers.

Tired of just watching from the lounge, I went down to join the crowd.

A lot were exchanged. The ground staff kept repeating their incomplete and uncertain reports, like a broken record of a horrible song they go. The aircraft under repair remains just that. Another aircraft from Kota Kinabalu had to be deployed to the rescue. But not before picking up passengers from Miri bound for Labuan; our stranded counterpart. The first group of waiters of the day. We were all part of and an ugly chain of events. And the evening flight scheduled at 8.30pm, the one using the same ill fated aircraft was simply cancelled. Passengers had the option to fill in the remaining seats in the replacement. First come first served of course. Otherwise, a reschedule or a refund is in order. Some of the morning passengers opted for a refund, only to find out that their money will only be returned after 30 days. Now that’s classy. Must I tell you they were fuming mad?

I hung around the check in counter for quite some time, watching people scanning their luggage and proceeding to the check in counter only to be told their flight was cancelled.

Facing the entrance, I saw two familiar faces pushing a trolley each. They were the ground support staff.

Well, well, well, look what the wind rolled in; more dead chicken, to appease the frustrated gods. Could we take another chicky meal?

As I was typing this, it was already 9.20pm. The ground staff were getting nervous. Another promise undelivered, it would seem.

“But wait! I hear a buzz. Zee plane! Zee Plane!” I got mildly excited.

The chime rang and she went “Announcing the arrival of Malaysia Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur.”

Ah, false alarm. Not the FAX we were waiting for.

Soon came another announcement “Passengers for Malaysia Airlines flight MH2624 to Kota Kinabalu, please proceed to the departure hall, thank you”

“This is not going to end so soon is it…” I thought.

At 9.40pm, there was another hum. The chime rang yet again and she announced “Announcing the arrival of Fly Asian Express from Kota Kinabalu”

And,
“Passengers for Fly Asian Express flight D7 2243 are invited to the departure lounge for immediate departure”

And I started singing Daughtry’s ‘I’m going home’. I feel like an American Idol ready to be faxed home.
At 9.45pm we were ushered out of the terminal building into the waiting aircraft.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. On behalf of Fly Asian Express, I would like to apologize for the very, very, verrry long delay. Your high patience means a lot to us... blah blah...."

The apologies were again repeated by the flight attendant.

Upon landing, the flight attendant went "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment we have been waiting for. We have landed at Miri Airport. ...blah.blah..."

After this delay of epic proportion, you can only ask, could they screw even deeper?

Just you wait.

A positive life

Friend: Agus, I need to talk to you about something.

Agus: Yeah, go on.

Friend: Be very honest with me, how has your sex life been so far?

Agus: Uhm, not good, really.

Friend: Then you’re okay. I cannot stress this enough; SAFE SEX, ALWAYS. I was recently diagnosed with HIV. My result came out positive. I got the news early June, the first of June, to be exact… I’m only telling you this because, one, from being a 'friend of a friend' I have come to consider you as a close friend, … two, I don’t want you make the same mistakes I did.
… you can never be too sure. Yes, she’ll tell you she loves you and you trust her with all your heart. Of course she’s honest; she honestly has no clue she’s positive. And when you have a lifestyle like mine, the risk is higher. Sometimes you let your guards down and it slips.
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the rest was all blur for a long while. I didn’t expect a routine weekend ‘teh tarik’ session during supper would be shockingly disturbing.

When I snapped back from daze, he was well into the ‘safe sex’ and ‘living positively’ evangelism. It was obvious; he was being mighty brave facing the grim reality. More than that, he is making sure others are well informed and afraid of the infectious disease instead of fearing the infected. He is using internet portals and forums, most of the times under a pseudonym, to allow discussions and outreach. His enthusiasm and dedication could be seen as channels to take his mind off the misery, regret and frustration. Either way, he is doing a good thing.

“This is very disturbing for me. I am disturbed, I am upset. Sorry. You must be getting a lot of this response by now. I am aware of the disease and I make it a point to protect myself. But having someone I know, infected, takes this awareness to another level” I told him.

“From the stories that you two shared just now, I thought you were talking about another friend of yours with HIV” I added.

“I was devastated when he broke the news to me over the phone. I couldn’t say anything for a long while. He was crying and I had nothing to say”, another friend at the table shared.

He understood, and the three of us continued talking; about the abrupt change of lifestyle to cope with the disease and medication, the additional tests to determine the level of infection, the psychological effect the news has to both the infected and the people they love, the shape of things to come, and the commitment and responsibility he is determined to shoulder. Needless to say, he was doing most of the talking.

“So, now you know. If you have any questions, or things you’d like to know, anything at all, just ask” he said.

“I will” I told him. That is for sure.

Go green

Ever gaze around your route to work? Appreciate the shades that trees give on your way to your favorite lunch spot? Taken a moment to appreciate nature's lines, even if it's human's lanscaping plans?

Here are some of my favorite angles.

I know world earth day, or week, or whatever, came and gone. But the consequences of our action turns up everywhere, everyday. Floods once seen as problems in foreign countries doesn't look foreign anymore. The cost for remedies and damage control is mind blowing. With intelligent this and that, smart here and there, it seems like we've been successful in transplanting our brains into non living machines and structures, leaving none for ourselves. The flood keeps coming in like a royal flush. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is.

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What is being done, precious?

I don't know. A lot, I guess. If you consider the treaties and protocols signed during conventions and what not.

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Does it work, precious?

Nah, it's just for show I guess.

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What happens now, precious?

Now? Well, as an individual, we educate each other. Increase the awareness. Thanks to 'Day After Tomorrow' and 'The Inconvenient Truth', I'm taking note of the changes and what little things I can do to make things better. Hopefully everyone plays their part and affect a huge drive to make this earth last longer.

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Here's another brilliant material for a deeper understanding of the real situation (as linked by Pandabonium weeks ago, and I decided to carry the torch). If you care about earth, check it out at whatever cost. Download the required Java updates to view correctly.

CRUDE

A violent death awaits our earth if we choose to ignore.

The future could be gloomy indeed.

Elane

Traffic was heavy on the Federal Highway yesterday, yes, even on a lazy Sunday evening.

While everyone was patiently moving with the slow queue, my friend and I was cruising along the emergency lane.

After many minutes I said “Hmm, the emergency lane is certainly your favorite lane, eh.”

He replied “Yeah, I must be pissing other drivers in the queue. Drivers like you.” Complete with a grin.

“Yeah. I try to stay off this lane. But there’s nothing I can do, or anyone else for that matter, about people using the emergency lane. We can only let them pass by and really hope there are traffic police up front, ready to nab offenders. Drivers like you” I said, returning the grin.

As we laughed a little, he seemed more alert, but unfortunately we were still on the e’lane.

Hot, smoking pot

While going through some old stuff I came across an old friend, my almost forgotten moka pot, bought from Ikea many years ago. The gasket is rather old and brittle. I know this because I broke the only spare that came with it. So with only the existing rubber gasket left, I gingerly cleaned every component.

Nearby was the mini hot plate I conveniently used as the heat source.
That was when I figured I could finally have espresso at work, albeit from a traditional Italian invention.

So for the past few weeks I’ve been re-experimenting and tweaking the pot, getting the correct grind setting and adjusting the pressure in the water chamber, all in the pursuit of java love.

Here’s what I got so far.

My moka pot, to be used with coffee filter paper, carefully cut into round pieces to fit the basket's opening, . Here's a Wikipedia link to learn how a typical moka pot works.

Espresso oozing from the spout, complete with crema (of the crop, I must add). Now that's what I call java lava! Yeah baby...

More crema... Oh, by the way, the filter paper I mentioned earlier is put between the ground coffe and the top metal filter. This adds to the pressure in the water chamber thus optimizing extraction to near perfection. If I could only tell you exaclty how many bars of pressure it created.

I can't. But it does the trick. And it prevents a muddy espresso too. Lovely.

Almost there. Just look at the froth! Gosh!

Pour me gently, pour me good... Pour me like a java lover would.

Good to the last drop.

After you've had your espresso, or during, it's always nice to see how the filter paper held up, indicated by the clean top metal filter. Achtung! The pot's smoking hot!

Dont forget to blow the end of the funnel to get that coffee cake out, examine it's firmness and watch it crumble as you break it into pieces. Like a crumbly cookie it does.

Conclusion; despite not giving a perfect shot like an espresso machine would, a moka pot works wonders, given good effort and attention. Love and passion truly go a long way. Just ask the Italians.

Kick that bucket!

What do you do when something gets in the way and you think there is no other option around it?

Think again. Think hard.

If you've a single track mind, Henry's predicament must ring a bell. Otherwise, it's just delightfully funny and amusing.



Is life really that simple? Or does it look complicated? The answer might just be in the bucket. So find that holey bucket and kick it!

Sex? Yes please...

We were in a book store’s language section, French, when Wegra noted “French is a gender biased language. Well, most European languages are.”

“Yeah, I agree. Even objects are classified male or female. It makes language learning very complicated!” I said.

“But they are improving English to be less biased. And most Asian languages are the least sexist” she went on.

“Hmm, that’s right! Malay for example, has ‘dia’ or ‘that person’ instead of he or she as a pronoun. But sometimes it is necessary to identify the gender as a more detailed description for a comprehensive and descriptive story” I added.

“Is it really necessary?” she asked.

“I think so. Because in Malay, a story can go on and on using ‘dia’ without a hint of the person being male or female, it creates the need to question ‘is the story referring to a female or a male?” I elaborated.

“Well, that’s the way you look at it” she said, ending the discussion.

Ironically, asking if the person is male or female may be construed as sexist. And you’ll probably get ‘what difference does it make, male or female?’ hurled at you.

The discussion may have stopped there but it kept me thinking. And a few clicks on the net proved how ignorant I was.

How ignorant exactly was I? Google up ‘gender biased language’ and see for your self. Here, let me help; follow this link http://www.google.com.my/search?hl=en&q=gender+biased+language&btnG=Search&meta=

I totally understand now why eliminating gender biasing is necessary. It eliminates discrimination on every level. It’s the first step to creating a fair and civilized society.

Go gender free. Yeah, I can do that.

Even squirrels can go gender free without losing their nuts.

But don’t start calling your mom and dad female and male parent. That’s weird.

Misteragus

“Mr Agus, why are you so quiet?” asked a university intern as she parked in front of my cubicle.

“I guess I have nothing to say” I told her.

She’s now in her three weeks of her three months internship and gradually bonding with the rest of the crew at work. The fact that she’s attached to the second company (billboard advertising) owned by Boss gave us nothing much to exchange, apart from setting up her laptop’s networking and computer system optimization.

“But it makes you invisible…” she added.

That quickly pulled a smile on my face and I replied “That’s good. Really good!”

“That’s not good. You’re invisible. It’s like you’re not here.” She begged to differ.

“Oh it’s good” I assured her. And she went on to chat with the receptionist.

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Well how about that! Now there’s one person who’s not afraid to ask, and she’s only been here three weeks! Very thoughtful indeed.

As usual, I didn’t give it a rest. I continued to ponder the reason that justifies my silent behavior.

The office is a place where work dominates the conversation. When work scopes don’t collide, silence is golden. When my time is not occupied with work, the internet satisfies me with good education; whatever I need to learn, it’s bound to be there. From curing a lethally infected PC to the best nasi lemak recipe, everything is there if you know how and where to look. If I have loads of spare time, I blog.

Sometimes you’ll see me walk around the office rearranging stuff, improvising the way things work; be it the jammed toilet door, the cluttered store in the pantry or the choked toner vessel in the copy machine. When that doesn’t work, I’ll snake out to the nearest mall, mostly having lunch with a friend or two.

Unlike friends, workmates and their life stories are a daily encounter. All I need to do is ask, and if I don’t, it means I’m not interested. But if you really want to share, by all means, start the discussion thread. You’ll be surprised with what I have to share about the things I deem worthwhile. And it’s quite different when we have functions out of the office.

Yes, we do have our own in-house chatterboxes. Make that the one-and-only chatterbox. Throw anything at him and he will chat you silly. Have a napkin ready for your melted earwax. Even when you start to hint boredom and time out, he would go on and on, until you finally walk away. It’s a good thing he’s not always in the office. Working for sales in billboard advertising warrants him to go places and meet people. Come to think of it, he is in the right business. But don’t get me wrong, he does deliver.

And deliver I do as well. The only difference is I often do it quietly. It’s really not too much if I claim to be the unseen force quietly making things happen in the background, things that are expected of me. But that doesn’t make me a lonesome cowboy either. I fiercely believe in teamwork.

Seriously, nothing pisses people off like a huge empty can tumbling down fleets of bare concrete stairs. It’s noisy and achieves absolutely nothing, well, except for destructive relocation.

“So Mr. Agus, what do you do during weekends?” she continued asking, obviously trying to start a conversation, from one cubicle away no less.

“Oh, not much. If no one calls me to hang out and I’ve not planned anything with friends, I’ll be at home watching Astro”

“What channel? Vaan?” she chuckled.

Huh? What was that about? She’s Indian; was that meant to be a joke? Society and television taught me that racist jokes are only acceptable internally, or when it is told by a person of the race in reference, i.e. only blacks can tell black jokes. Or maybe I misunderstood.

I played it safe and said “Nah, now I fancy channel 78, Discovery Real Time. Loads of stuff about cars”

After a long pause and clicks on her pc, she was at it again.

“Guess what Mr. Agus. I saw your picture from our accounts exec’s wedding pictures.”

“Yeah, that was two years ago I think.”

“You look so cute, with that chubby face. You look so different now” she remarked.

“What do you mean cute? Chubby is not cute on me.”

“It is. You look so cute and chubby. Why so different now?” she asked.

“I lost a lot of weight, that’s why”

“But why?” she just had to ask.

“Because I thought I needed to” I said and she dropped it. We continued whatever we were doing till lunch. I seriously wanted to point her to my earlier blog entry, my detailed weight loss adventure but that would bring her here. Not that this entry trashes her up or anything. It’s just not the time yet, or ever. And I don’t think she blogs, yet.

Leaking

Is your roof waterproof?

Trust the minister to tell you it needs to be. He puts the roof in waterproof. He’ll also tell you it’s going to cost a lot.

This ain't a scene

Two Saturdays ago (yeah, it’s been a while), I walked into Nando’s Restaurant at Bangsar Village to have late lunch while my car underwent regular service at a workshop nearby.

I ordered my favorite extra hot whole leg with mediterranean rice and fresco salad. A complete meal.

“Your chicken will be ready in ten minutes” said the waiter.

“Thank you”

I sat facing the entrance, a vantage point for people watching. A few groups of people entered and their orders taken.

While I waited there was a commotion at the cashier counter behind me.

“Oh that’s just great. 58 bucks flying out of my pocket!” said a waiter.

“How come they just walked out without paying?” asked a waitress.

“Well, maybe they thought they’ve paid so they just took a damn hike!” the waiter guessed, obviously furious.

The discussion spilled into the kitchen and after a while I heard the waiter said “Ok, that would be 58 bucks divided by four. Damn! Fourteen fifty out of my pocket, just like that!”

Having done a fair share of waiting I know this kind of crap happens no matter how hard you try to avoid it. It sucks.

All that and I was still waiting.

When ten minutes became fifteen I started to take note of other diners waiting for their food.

“Yeah, they were already seated when I came in. Them too. Ah, that mother and teenage son came in after me. If and when their food comes before mine, I’ll speak.”

After twenty minutes, sure enough, they started eating.

“Oh this is not right. Where’s mine. What happened to ‘first come first served’? As if bad timing isn't already a problem” I thought.

I flagged a waitress and asked about my order which was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago.

She went to the computer and started to click through the order database, just to get back to me with “uhm, the waiter didn’t key in your order earlier”

“But he said my chicken will be ready in ten minutes” I told her.

“Let me check with the kitchen” her panic expression surfaced and she toddled like a chicken toward the kitchen.

Another discussion ensued at the counter behind me. Thinking like only a customer would, I got up, approached the counter and participated in the discussion for what it's worth.
“Is my chicken even on the stove yet? Do you see that mother and her teenage son? (I pointed) They came in five minutes after me and they’re now tucking in nicely” I firmly explained my situation.

“It’s ready now sir” said one of them as she pointed to the plate over the dispatch counter.

“Huh? That fast? Ok then”

“We’ll send it over right away” she confirmed as I turned to walk to my seat. I can’t help but wonder who’s plate they instantly shoved as mine.

A waitress placed the plate in front of me and said softly “Sir, my manager said you don’t have to pay for this one”. I sensed a ‘gulp’ in her speech.

“I don’t have to pay?” I repeated.

“No sir” she answered.

“Ok.” I couldn’t decide how to set my facial expression so it was left void. I mean, should I smile when just a nanosecond ago I seemed mildly agitated?

As I started to dig in, another woman approached me. Probably the manager.

“I’m very sorry for that mistake sir. You don’t have to pay for the meal. It’s on me.”

“Seriously? You don't have to take it that far” I suggested. It's rhetoric, I know.

“Yes, seriously. Your time is more important. Enjoy your meal”

“Thank you very much”

Needless to say, it wasn’t just a meal, for a whilrwind of thoughts rushed in as I was munching away.

“Oh that was too easy. It almost made me look like I was waiting for this to happen. Wait a minute, that don’t sound right. Neither does it look right.!” I thought.

Indeed it was an unsatisfactory service but that doesn’t mean I deserve a free lunch, not on someone else’s expense. It ain't a scene that I wanted; I just wanted someone to know they screwed up and learn from it. Strive to improve. People make mistakes and everyone deserves a second chance, provided they don’t take it for granted.

Besides, in less than an hour, this would make the second incident of forking out the staff’s cash after a group of diners simply walked out without paying. These guys have had a rough day. Plus the manager owned up and apologized. I would feel real awkward, not to mention guilty, just walking out of that joint. It's almost like saying 'thanks for lunch, suckers...'

“Alright, here’s what I’ll do; I’m gonna ask to pay for this meal, at least settle for a discount. Yeah, they could take my drink off the bill. If that doesn't work, I'll just leave a ten ringgit tip. That's a fair price. Yeah, I always enjoy Nando's chicken, so it's worth it. ”

That settled, I continued to finish my lunch.

Instead of calling for the bill, I went straight to the cash register and asked to speak to the manager again. While one of them went to call the manager out, I scanned the counter for a tip box; none.

“I want to pay for my meal” I told her.

“No sir, it’s on me” she said.

“No, I mean it, let me pay”

“The bill’s already taken care of” she said smiling.

“You have the courtesy of owning up and apologize. Now I need to feel better” I exposed my agenda.

She smiled more and said “No, it’s fine. Next time sir. Next time you bring your friends here”

“Alright then. Thank you very much”

Geez, some people just have to have the last word. But trying to be the better man didn’t fail, for I dealt with a good woman.