H 1327: Chapter 1- Megha [Part 2]

3^rd , Saturday, H 0040

You would probably wonder, what language do Kiran, Hamsika and I speak in the house on daily basis. Obviously, we speak English, Malay, and sometimes Hindi. No, none of us is fluent in Tamil. As I wrote before, we kind of did not get the direct cultural education. We were born in Malaysia, raised in a community that speaks in either Malay or English and our parents move about a lot due to business. Although we are quite sure Nani and Dadi are very fluent in Tamil. Hamsika, however, have absolutely no interest of learning Tamil. I can see that she is very content with her Punjabi skills. She did very well in lashing her anger using Punjabi language. Nobody could understand what she was raging about. Not even the suspicion and semi-judgmental Pak Cik Wang. Yes, we are all Malaysians. Although we all do have that percentage of being hyphenated Malaysians. Still, we are proud Malaysian.

Hamsika brought home barley from Punjab. I brought back nothing but chitki when Kiran and I stopped by Khandala for hiking the day before we travel back to Malaysia. Kiran chose to bring back postcards from Khandala to be sold at her saloon. She strives too hard for unnecessary things sometimes. Hamsika and I thought she is close to becoming like Pak Cik Wang.

“Kiran, relax yaar. Tum bahut jyada cinta. Kyon?” Hamsika threw a plush toy over Kiran while we were watching Dil Dekhe Dekho earlier today.

“Hang tau kan status kewangan salun tu macam mana?” Kiran shot Hamsika with one of her dead-serious look.

“Aur?” Hamsika as unaffected as ever.

“Aur? Masalah ni besar tau. Takkan tak faham?” Kiran has finally shown the deal. She was worried.

“Kya main nahin samjhao?” Brow rose. Brow rose versus dead-serious look is never a good sign. A vendetta would start any moment.

“Kuch nahin. Tum nahin samjhao!” The final straw Kiran had.

“Batao na.” The challenge has begun.

“Okay, stop! Both of you. This is going nowhere. Can we please settle down? Let’s at least enjoy Asha Parekh-ji.” I spoke with the cushions I held before thrown at them both.

“I will stick to my ground; we’re better off closing that saloon.” Hamsika chirped a few seconds later.

“Not another word or I’ll have the whole pack of chitki splatted on both of your heads.” I warned. That kept them quiet for the rest of the day.

That was the first financial argument we have this year, considering another year have just started. It is considered lucky since Kiran had only started worrying about the saloon on the third day of new year. Last year she freaked out on the New Year’s celebration which pretty much ruins the effect and purpose of celebrating New Year. Sometimes, I do wonder how I ended up being her cousin given that my range of patience varies inversely proportional to hers. It was mean of me, of course, to even have thought of that. She is my cousin, my flesh and blood.

The next thing you would probably wonder, “So, Hamsika and Kiran manage their own saloon. What actually you do to contribute?” Well, I’m sorry to break it out this way, but I am contributing exactly nothing. Nada. I am currently a student engaging in accountancy studies at a local university nearby. Obviously, I am a university student with no job, no commitment. There is just assignments and allowance. Both Kiran and Hamsika are two years above me, which means they graduated first and had started their saloon business for two years already. Pretty much explains Kiran’s worries, huh? Still, Kiran’s worries often brought her ridiculous ideas for her saloon. Like Lonavla postcards. They were absurdly incoherent.

When I say this year is going to leave a bombshell on my life, I don’t mean it to start off with financial arguments. This is only the beginning of the year. There’s still eleven months left for the bombshell to drop. Eleven months is such a long way to have to go through until we reach next year. One can never tell the future exactly, right? Pen off, Malaysia. Good late-night.

Today’s glossary

Relax yaar – Relax, buddy.

Tum bahut jyada cinta. Kyon? – You worry too much. Why?

Hang tau kan status kewangan salun tu macam mana? – You do know the saloon’s financial status, right?

Aur – And

Masalah besar ni. Takkan tak faham? – It’s a big problem. Don’t you understand?

Kya main nahin samjhao? – What don’t I understand?

Kuch nahin. Tum nahin samjhao. – Nothing. You won’t understand.

Batao na. – Tell me.


Khandala - A pretty well-known hiking spot in India.Also known for its chitki and waterfall.
Lonavla - A town nearby Khandala.
Chitki - A variation of local pronunciation/slang of chikki; an Indian sweet.
Asha Parekh - A 50's Bollywood actress.
Dil Deke Dekho - 1959 Bollywood film.