Thursday 13 January 2005

Cakap Kosong

Whenever the family gets together, makan (food) and cakap kosong (small talks) are abound. While we are filling our stomachs with the gastronomic delights, we are also feeding our minds with information, business opportunities, latest gossips and what nots. More often than not, the talks degenerate to cakap-cakap kosong that is not unlike the sembang kedai kopi (coffee shops talks).

Last weekend the whole family gathered at my in-laws’ place. My MIL’s invitation included a special mention of udang galah (tiger prawns?) and that had built up enough anticipation. As usual, everyone devoured the dinner with much gusto. Did I mention before that post-marriage, I had gained 11 kg? Such was the power of MIL’s cooking.

After dinner, some of us moved to sit on the floor to watch the idiot box while the rest just sat idly at the table, obviously too full to move. The small talk started and soon the subject matter settled on holiday plans. Before I move on, let me caution you that this is a cakap kosong in its most true sense, that is, it is simply a cakap kosong. The likelihood that the plan will turn into a reality is almost zilch.

The last time we talked about a family holiday a millennium ago (okay it was about 2 years ago actually), we more or less settled on New Zealand. So for the past 2 years, many of my dreams have been based in NZ. But now, some are not so keen on NZ because apparently, besides the scenery and cows, there is not much else to do. We are not an extreme sports bunch of people, so bungee jumping is out of question. Thus someone suggested moving the destination slightly (a few hundred kilometres?) up north to Australia.

My younger BIL suggested London and helpfully told everyone that Yasmin’s Mummy wanted to go to London too (not I don’t). Everyone except for that BIL started complaining about the exchange rate and the cost of living in London so the general consensus was London was not a good idea. SIL’s DH said that for the same amount that we would have to fork out for a small apartment in London, we could have a much better accommodation in Australia. My DH added that with that same amount, we could have a 5-star accommodation in Calcutta. But then, we hear that Malaysians cannot really tolerate Indian water, apparently because of the different types of bacteria and virus that live on Malaysian and Indian soils, so India is not such a good idea for a family made up of more kids than adults (no I’m not counting my 30 year-old BIL, DH and myself as kids).

My FIL tried to suggest NZ again but obviously the others were not keen, though secretly I would love to go there. So it was back to Australia then. The pro- and anti- Australian holiday gave their views:-

1. DH and I already went to Gold Coast last year and we feel that it is a nice place for a family holiday. There are a lot of places for the kids (and kids in us) to visit and almost everywhere is within reach.
2. SIL wants her children to experience cold weather, and Australia seems like a right choice. It’s not too far away from Malaysia and the exchange rate is more palatable than Sterling.
3. FIL feels that if you want a cold weather, you might as well go to some place that snows. SIL said the kids had seen snow at Genting Highland so a holiday in the snow is not necessary.
4. BIL does not want to go to Gold Coast. Reason being, DH mentioned that the apartments rental there are reasonable. BIL’s argument is that if we were to stay in an apartment, MIL will make us eat masak lemak instead of the local food. SIL commented that regardless of where we go, we would still be eating masak lemak so BIL’s argument is not valid.
5. Another BIL suggested Perth, but no one agreed.

In the end, the majority agreed on Gold Coast. DH was appointed as a coordinator for the holiday.

Let’s see whether this plan will materialise. Don’t start dreaming yet.

2 comments:

Ummu Auni said...

yasmin's mummy, have u tried nedstat basic? try to incorporate the script into your blog.

Yasmin's Mummy said...

tak reti nak incorporate :(