Oops! my part 2 has been long overdue but I have the perfect foolproof answer - my streamyx was down and just when I managed to get it started, my motherboard ( that's what the computer guy called it, not me) was damaged . As the saying goes, ' it doesn't rain but it pours'. It certainly did.. my microwave went kaput, my washing machine played me out and the computer part had to be replaced - all in a matter of 2 days. Sigh......
To continue where I left off, not many of the vibrant citizens of Shah Alam were aware of our expo and subsequently, Shikin and I had to be content with talking to each other. We walked about all over the interior of the stadium, looking for something to distract us from our languishing minds. Miss Boredom, with a capital B, was with us all the time. To escape, Shikin took to having her skin analysed at the booth set up by teenagers(!), for want of nothing else to do. I guess she didn't like what they said about her skin analysis, for she came back and went into a tirade about them. ......ha .. ha...
Time : 1.05pm
A speaker came on stage to talk about the Palestinian cause. Nothing unusual. The speech became lengthy and the lady speaker became overly emotional and aggressive in her presentation. It was now all fire and brimstone. A few parents with kids in tow left. The 4 big video screens displayed gory and violent scenes of decapitated heads and body parts. The acoustics system went into high pitch and children were starring wide eyed at the screen. In the midst of these going ons, a large group of children with donation boxes went around soliciting funds from the customers . Some of the parents left and the few who were browsing around listlesslly ,( Shikin and I included) felt distinctly uncomfortable. Just as we heaved a sigh of relief when the lady left, a second speaker, continued in the same vein with a rasping voice and this time, the interpreter joined in .
This was more than I could take. This certainly was not the appropriate venue nor forum and the targetted audience was ill prepared for this. I am all for humanity and have done my fair share of helping whenever I could . I still do. I don't look at colour or creed for aren't we all Children of God ?. However, using a bazaar on a lazy Sunday afternoon to expouse about war crimes with ghastly gory scenes in the midst of parents and children was certainly inappropriate from every angle, no matter how much one wants to justify it. I was very disappointed and decided to call it a day. Not that it mattered if I had stayed longer. No one was in the mood to buy anything anyway and the listless few who were drifting about were just fidgeting as I was. I had had no breakfast, I missed my morning cuppa , had a terrible driving episode, had to bear the pain of listening to a terribly upsetting speech, there was hardly any sales and plain hunger was gnawing at my stomach. This was not my idea of a relaxing Sunday at all. All in all, I learned another lesson in patience and more patience. Sigh, part of the learning curve thingy again... I guess....
Oh, I would like to share something funny before I sign off... the lady who was demonstrating how to cook 'briyani' rice kept on saying 'beras mati' instead of 'beras basmathi'. Have a great beras mati day on me.......!!!
