Budaya Sambung Meja - uniquely Malaysian!

Bersama keluarga Hj Z and his extended family~!

Budaya Kita...Budaya Sambung Meja!
Saturday, 14 August 2010 05:50

When I was in Kuala Lumpur, my sister from Kelantan and all four of her children and their respective families came visiting us in KL in conjunction with her youngest daughter's convocation. Together with my own family, there were nineteen adults and half a dozen kids. We went to Mid Valley, and decided to have lunch at the Kenny Rogers.

What did we do?

We went to the usher and said, "Nineteen adults and six children!"

The Kenny Rogers girl, straight faced, said, "Give us 5 minutes Encik, kami sambung meja!"

I took a glance into the outlet and wondered how on heaven's earth was she going to do it. The restaurant was already three quarter full.

We hanged around outside, window spying into the nearby Poh Kong. No, none of the girls in Poh Kong believed for a moment that they were about to get lucky with nineteen hungry looking man and woman! They simply ignored us, which was good for my pocket...hahahaha!

"Serious darling, I meant it when I offered you that diamond bracelet, but they did not layan us, so what to do!" I had to explain to my daughter! *Chuckles! teehehehe*

Five minutes plus a few seconds later, the same usher from Kenny Rogers gestured for us to enter. We paraded in to some curious stares from other patrons. Twenty five in all, and all seated around a few tables joined into one very long master dining table. Fantastic!

It was then that i reflected. This is why Malaysia is so unique and Malaysians so special. it is in the culture. We try out best not to let anyone within a group to feel left out. We do what we can to accommodate everybody. The culture of 'Sambung Meja' is uniquely Malaysians!

The same can be seen happening in plush restaurants or in roadside stalls. Part of the training given to waiters and waitresses, it seems, is to take the 'Sambung Meja' task in their stride. No group is too large, and no space is too small. They will always find a way to 'Sambung Meja! and they know the customers simply expect and love it!

No, please don't expect the same overseas. It is not common and not done. Often, all you would get is a shrug of the shoulder and a curl of the lips, "Sorry, you will have to sit separately!"

"Sorry, we are Malaysians, we want to 'Sambung Meja!'" I wonder what would their reaction be if I were to insist with this request.

Exactly the same thing happened when sixteen of STAR old boys met for dinner at the KLGCC as was reported HERE. Instead of sitting comfortably at two tables of eight, we changed the big comfortable chairs with narrower ones to fit 16 around ONE table.

Guess what? We were even more comfortable. Sitting elbow to elbow, we were able to share jokes, and connect eye to eye with everyone present. No one was left out!

Di Konvo itu....

The car park was full. I managed to get the last one right at the end. That didn't bother us. That morning was not like any other morning. I was happy and brimming with pride. My wife Aishah was seemingly just as happy, if not more. And she deserves to be, for while I was chasing my career it was her who had given the necessary attention to our children's education. That morning both of us were accompanying Fariz, our son, to his convocation at the University Malaya.

At the car park mother and son stood still for a few minutes. I caught that special moment on camera. The moment when a motherly love was much needed even for a graduating young man who was about to spread his wings to fly free from our nest. He needed someone to pin his stripes to the collar of his convocation gown. Who better to do it but a mother!

When all was done and Fariz started to look like a man with a mission, we walked briskly out of the sun heading for the convocation hall. Just as we ascended the stairs, Fariz met with a group of his friends, and they spontaneously posed in a line for me to capture their memorable day. I was more than happy to oblige!

I turned looking for my wife. It was then that I saw the girl. She has just parked her honda cup motorcycle and was holding her gown in her hand. She then rushed to the shade of a tree. She hanged her gown on one of the branches, and straightened her hair. I stood still watching. I closed the lenses of my camera, and moved to the side of a pillar so that she did not notice me watching her.

The girl was putting on her gown. She was struggling to pin the stripe. It was not an easy task. Nobody noticed her. Everyone was in their own cloud nine, celebrating! No one noticed the girl who arrived on a honda cup. Even if someone did, no one gave a second glance. After all, it has become such a norm these days that everyone come in a car to a convocation !

That morning I saw an exception. The girl was alone. There was no mother to help her to pin her stripe. No father trailing to take her pictures. No siblings to carry flowers or teddies. Not even friends to tease with something silly. I saw she was biting her lips holding back emotion, her eyes void of twinkles seen on others around her. Who was the girl? Where were her parents? Many questions rushed to my head. When she could not reach the back of her shoulder, she could not hold back her emotion much longer. She leaned against the tree and her body shook. She wept. At that instant my vision became misty with own tears.

Out of no where, my wife suddenly appeared, beaming with a smile. I quickly turned away and wiped my eyes with the sleeve of my shirt.

"What happened?" Asked my wife.
"Something got into my eyes!" I gave a feeble excuse. She knew better as my lips were still quivering.
"Nangis happy lah tu ye!" She said, teasingly.
"Aha!" I nodded, and managed a small laughter.
"I am hungry, let us go get something to eat before we go into the hall!" My wife gestured towards the canteen. I glanced back towards Fariz who has already joined his friends making their way to their meeting point. I turned towards the tree where the girl was, she was gone! So was her gown.

That morning, just when I thought nothing could dent my happiness, I was affected and carried a lump in my throat into the convocation hall. The image of the girl, alone, without anyone to share her happy moments with, stuck to me like my own shadow. Sitting in the hall amongst hundreds of parents, all proud and overjoyed, I was momentarily lost in a flash back of the image of the weeping girl under a tree! Perhaps, a flashback of a time and place long ago in the past when I too was on my own!

i was jolted to the reason why I was there when the Emcee announced the arrival of the VC. Everyone rose to their feet. For an instance, I saw a glimpse of Fariz standing on the very front row reserved for the graduates. He turned, and our eyes locked for a brief few seconds. Yes, I was so proud to see him standing there, looking every bit like a man who were going to win matches in his life!

I scanned the hall looking for the girl. Standing with her chin down to her chest, she was there in the third row. I was urging her to look my way. I wanted so much to reach out to her! She didn't. Through out the ceremony, my eyes were shifting between Fariz and that girl. When it was her turn to walked up to the VC to receive her scroll, biting my quivering lips I applauded quietly.

That morning, at the convocation, I was reminded ... that special moments are more special when we can share with people we love. Loneliness is even more lonely when it is felt in the presence of hundreds of happy others!

That morning I felt for the girl. To her, I would like to dedicate this greeting, "Congratulations! If your parents were there, they would have been proud of you, You have done it alone. You can be very proud of yourself! May God Bless You!"

To Fariz, "Congratulation son! Go far, go for the stars! Always look down to where your feet are...~!"

Pole Dancing - uncensored~!

Watch only if you know what 'Pole Dancing' means and that you do not find it offensive~!

The video was recorded by an 'amateur' who happened to be at the scene, hence the poor sound quality.

In any case, the dancer is adorable, perhaps because I do like 'montok2 gitu! hehehe'.