Night by the river

Was away with my ex-colleagues to Malacca. The initial plan was to just drive up to northern JB to dine but we had other plans as the day unfolded. Walked along the river bank to enjoy the night music & tonight, there were about a handful of live performances that really captured the festive atmosphere. This gentleman here did some oldies to the delight of both the dining patrons & bystanders. The others (spread along the river banks) mostly played Malay songs.

My visits to Malacca can be considered as frequent; at least twice a year for formal family holidays or quick getaways. I enjoyed walking along the river banks both at night & during the day time. There is a rustic charm here as opposed to the river banks in Singapore which are overwhelmed by F&B establishments & formalities. More importantly, everyone looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Hello June / mid-year...

A night across

I was across the Causeway last Monday night meeting brother Yus to hand over his purchases. Brother Yus is this blog's regular reader & a capable tech back in his home town, Selangor, Malaysia. He had bought some equipment for his workshop & I acted as his agent in the payment & collection of items to prevent shipping exigencies. More importantly, the tech equipment are fragile & there's no telling what harm could befall them in transit; we've read far too many horror stories pertaining to freight handling.

The meeting was a post-dinner gathering but all five of us (I had relatives & friends helping me with this matter- very thankful to them) had yet to consume dinner owing to busy schedules. We proceeded to lepak at one of the food night markets in the Tampoi vicinity. As seen in the pic above, the atmosphere was laid back & there was much talk over food- life, politics, work, culture, perception, anything goes to forge the new camaraderie. Food-wise, the food trucks operating here specialize in what's known back home in Singapore as Yong Tau Fu, a hotchpotch of vegetables, seafood & faux tempura food items dipped in succulent, tangy, creamy sauce. We had a serving of rojak & lime syrup juice as well over more than an hour's worth of heartfelt conversation. It was slightly before midnight before we parted company owing to the consideration that Bro Yus had four hour's worth of driving home ahead of him. 

I seldom venture into JB during post-sunset hours. There were no incentives to do so. This prime time is reserved for me to appraise my gear at home or sip coffee over another blog entry. This time, the friendship through this blog necessitated a meeting & it was worth every moment. JB at night is a town that refuses to sleep. Despite the weariness in everyone's demeanour, there was this sublime acknowledgement that we need to sit back & let everything go over good company. This lifestyle is much absent back in the Lion City. Every night, everyone's in a hurry to retire to re-charge for work ahead. Work that never ends & threatens to drown society in material living. 

Maybe it's time to call elsewhere home.