A Walk Down Memory Lane

On Tuesday, I went to the pasar malam (night market) near my house as my eldest sister, Along, had asked for my help to buy some provisions for her as she was not feeling well. Truth be told, it has been a good ten years since I last went to the said market and that was before I got married. It's not that I have been shying away from local scene. The main reason for the absence of yours truly is undeniably due to the apparent fact that the night market in my home town is not exactly a night market so to speak.The stalls here close up as early as 7 pm when the norm for night markets is that they would go on sometimes well over midnight. As such, by the time that I would have reached there from work, the night market would have long ceased its operation and it would have been purely a waste of any time and effort on my part to even make the journey over there in the first place.

It was no different this time around. I reached the market at almost 7 p.m. and true to my predictions, there was only a small number of stalls left trading. Most night markets would have different stalls selling a wide variety of choices from food, to fruits, vegetables, fishes, poultry and sometimes even clothing. The ones that were open this time were mostly food stalls selling a variety of food including that of my favourite kuih putu piring - a sweet delicacy which resembles a small pancake made of rice flour, sugar, dissected coconut and shaved gula melaka, steamed in a special container (though it reminded me more of a UFO ship, really) and served hot on a square cut banana leave .

I was asked to buy some fishes and vegetables for Along so off I went to the wet market section which is on the other side of the night market. As it was already late, there were only 3 stalls left open and I went to the stall that looked like there were still fishes available for me to choose from. Although the quality of the fishes left was not to my satisfactory, however I quickly reminded myself that if I wanted fresh stocks I should have gone to the morning market instead like the ones in Selayang or Banting where stocks there come in abundance as early as 3 a.m. straight from the source.

I quickly chose my fishes, put them in the small basket provided by the fishmonger who was standing behind his stall and went to pay for my purchase. As I hand him my basket, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fishmonger was the same "abang-jual-ikan" (guy who sold the fish) whom I had a crush on when I was 17 years old. I was a naive teenager back then and I remembered that I would often look out for him amongst his peers because somehow he reminded me of a young Keanue Reeves who acted as one Detective Jack Traven in the 1994 movie - Speed. He looked just like how I have always remembered him as except he was older, his face rougher and there were some fine lines surrounding his eyes - a sign of age and maturity perhaps. He gave me a smile and almost immediately, I was reduced to a state of 'nothingness'. I saw his mouth open as if he was asking me a question. I don't remember ever replying to him but I hope that I have given him a proper answer and not something embarrassing indeed for truth be told, the very moment that I saw his smiling face, it was as if my brain had gone all mushy and I had lost all speech capabilities. Heck, I don't even remember the question that he posed but I saw my hand handing over a few blue Ringgit Malaysia notes to him when he gave me my purchases in a pink plastic bag. I don't remember leaving (apparently, I must have suffered temporary amnesia as I seem to have forgotten A LOT of things after that) the stall but I had hoped and prayed to God that I had left the stall in a manner that shows my maturity and wisdom - in accordance to my age and of my stature. I really, really hope I did not left the stall skipping and giggling like a shy high school girl who had just met her idol - just as I would have done a long time ago.

I then walked around the night market. There were mostly familiar faces but there some new ones as well. The same man who sold roti john stood there at the very same corner, just as the couple who sold the yong tau foo did, although I can't say the very same for the prices of the goods sold. The skies were getting darker and the sun had started to set, but standing amidst the small crowd, I was somehow transported back to the time when I was stil just a teenage girl roaming around the pasar malam with my girlfriends - through the sites and smells of all things which were very familiar and haunting to me.

Oh yes, 'tis was a fine walk down memory lane for me. And very fine one indeed that I don't mind coming back to sometime near the future.

The Curious Case of ....

Today I defied all odds and faced one of my many greatest fears (that besides swimming in shark infested waters and of flying cockroaches).


Today, I went to see ... the DENTIST.

It is most certainly no laughing matter I tell you. Well, not to me, at least. I have always felt a little bit apprehensive about going to the dentist ever since I was a little girl. The idea of being at one's mercy ( I call it as "serah diri" in Malay) - with your jaws open under the brilliant white light and the sound of the instrument "whirrring" in the background certainly has caused me some sleepless nights. I was only able to control my "hyper-imagination" only when I was about 10-11 years old, when I began to understand the importance of dental hygiene.

But then, all were lost in the year 1996, when Hollywood came up with one of the their greatest horror film of all time. It starred Corbin Bernsen who was famous for his role as Arnold Becker on the one top series during the late 80's - L.A Law.

Have you ever watched The Dentist? The movie was inspired by the real-life story of the serial killer dentist, Glennon Engleman (1928-1999). This movie bagged several awards for their special effects and let me tell you, there is a reason why they won it in the first place. Safe to say that "thanks" to the writers who came up with the movie plot and to the creative team who successfully brought to life the sheer terror from paper to the screen, my life has never been the same again. And my teeth too, for that matter.

However today, after more then a decade, and as part of my many new years resolution , I have decided that in order for me to conquer my fears, I shall need to face them. And I am kicking off this year with resolution No. 299 -that is to see the dentist (and also for the fact that I have to get treatment for my sensitive gums which makes eating my favourite Peanut Butter Chocolate ice-cream a real chore!!!).

It was a spur of the moment thing. My friend from work wanted to see the dentist to seek treatment for his aching tooth and I decided to tag along to give him the moral support that he needs. Truth be told, I can be in denial sometimes as for the fact that at the end of the day, I was the one who was in great need of moral support!!

I told the doctor's assistant that I wanted to do 'scaling' - a routine dental cleaning procedure of removing plaque and tartar from all tooth surfaces. When my name was called and the doctor appeared at the the door with her white lab coat and the surgical mask on, I started to develop heart palpitations and thought that I would get into cardiac arrest any minute then. It doesn't really help that I could see the famous 'dental chair' with the lights and surgical tray behind her being prep by the doctor's assistant. My palms were sweaty and cold sweat started to develop over my forehead and above my dry, chapped lips. Only when the good doctor pulled down her mask and gave me a gentle smile did I realise that she has been calling my name a couple of times now, with me standing rooted on the same spot - frozen in place. I then took a deep breath, gave my head a quick shake and walked towards the doctor, while chanting to myself, "I am macho" over and over again. The power of mind control, or so I've heard. You are what you think you are.


Uhuh, yeah right.


I thought I had my fears under control. I walked, no - 'glided' towards the doctor with a calm look on my face. As she ushered me into the room, the doctor casually asked, " Is this your first time?" to which I confirmed her inquiry. I then asked her how did she came by to this conclusion to which she smiled and gave a gentle reply, " It's quite obvious dear". Only when I came out from the treatment room did my friend told me that instead of 'gliding' smoothly towards the doctor, which I really thought I did, the fact was that I resembled more of a person who was suffering from 'constipation' with my feet dragging across the floor - looking like I was heading towards my doom. My friend had in fact, at one point contemplated to himself on whether to push me all the way to the room or drag me by the arm as I was moving far too slow for his liking.

To give credit when it is due, the doctor was EXTREMELY patient with me. She was in her early forties and had this distinctive 'maternal' aura about her. Very motherly indeed. There was something about this doctor that just calms me. She was informative indeed and told me what she will be doing to me and what to expect before she starts with the scaling procedure. And all the while, throughout the process, above the sound of the instruments, the only words I hear repeated by the good doctor was "Buka ya..." (Open please). Apparently throughout the exercise, I kept attempting to close my mouth over her hands making the task of scaling my teeth very daunting for her. At one point I think I almost bit her little finger off as well. Thank god she had the patience of a saint, or else to quote Alicia Silverstone from the movie Clueless, I am " just a law suit waiting to happen"!!

All and all it took her only 20 minutes to get my teeth and gums all cleaned up. She later prescribed me some medications to treat my sensitive gums and advised me to change my tooth paste as well that would be more suitable for me .


Doctor : Oh yes, one more thing. Not only your tooth paste but I would advise you to change your tooth brush as well.

Me : Why doctor?

Doctor : Well you see, rahang you 'dalam' (you have a deep jaw), so you tak boleh pakai berus gigi yang biasa untuk orang dewasa(you cannot use the normal tooth brush for adults). It is too big and you won't be able to reach the teeth at the back.

Me : Oh, if that is the case, berus gigi apa saya kena pakai? ( What toothbrush I should use then?)

Doctor : I suggest you pakai berus gigi budak-budak (I suggest you use children's tooth brush). Its smaller and more suitable for you.

Me : Uiikk????!!!



Aren't I suppose to grow older? Bigger? Shouldn't I be flocking with the birds of the same feathers? I am now reverted back to my childhood - well for my teeth at least. Is there anything else that I need to revert back as well? Or am I just another "Curious Case of Benjamin Button"??.

Aisseeyymaannn, and here I thought I am already approaching my 'expiration date' with the big THREE-OWHH this year. But apparently, deep down inside, well in this case, deep inside my jaw, I am still a toys-r-us kid afterall!!!! =)



"I don't wanna grow up, I'm a toys- r-us kid,
There's a million toys at toys-r-us that i can play with
From bikes and planes to video games
I just wanna be a toys r us kid ... "
-- Toys R Us 80's tv commercial song