My Drives
As I took to
drive down to my hometown again this weekend, I've been pondering upon some of
the things I've learnt from this long stretch drive. Over the course of the
past 11 years I've taken dozens of trips up and down this stretch of the PLUS
highway. Driving on my own through those long hours allow me to stop talking
and start thinking and realizing things. And particularly, I realize that:
1) I need to drive through 4 states before I reached my parents place. I dare say of all the highways that I have driven on in Malaysia, the stretch from KL-SP and SP-KL have the most interesting landscape (and the least sleep-inducing haha). You see a combination of all sorts of views, Allah-made and Allah-inspired man-made built ups along the way. Passing through Gunung Semanggul and Gua Tempurung, two of the most dangerous stretch of the highway, gave you a surreal (Read: Spooky too) feeling because they carry some the most beautiful natural landscape of the whole trip. If one follow the speed limit of the two areas to the latter, one may even relax and absorb the breathtaking views :-) As of late PLUS had upgraded their R&R areas into some of the most beautiful R&R of the entire PLUS managed highways. Sg Perak’s Musolla is exquisitely designed, Bukit Gantang’s Rest Areas is calming, Tapah’s is vibrant and Simpang Pulai has one of the best Rojak Singapore I’ve ever tasted and a huge Agro Market. I know that somehow, I am going to miss the drives along this route one day.
2) My patience in dealing with reckless driving on the highways has increased. There’s a slight (for some maybe huge) difference between driving in towns and on the highways. One of the most annoying things that usually happen on the highways is when your car is suddenly being tailed, many times too close for comfort. I know lah I don’t drive a Merc or BMW, but pleaselah have some respect for Malaysian made cars and this particularly nice driver :-P And I thought driving up to 120km an hour is fast enough (well that is the safe limit for not getting a speed trap, but I guess, not too fast and furious enough :-P) One time you looked at the rear mirror there’s no one there and suddenly out of nowhere they are busy flashing their fancy head- lights at you. Duh… In my younger days, I would be mumbling all my negative ‘prayers’ (Read: Maki berhemah) for them – yeah I know, that’s bad. But I was the nice lady-driver whom you head-lighted earlier, so you might as well deserve all those ‘toned-down’ prayers. Nowadays, I just gave way, and thought perhaps their wives wants to give birth to triplets or maybe they need to get to the toilets because depa nak terkucil or their child has puked all over depa, although sometimes, I’m pretty sure they just passed one of these R&R I mentioned above:-P
3) I have a bad back. Driving long hours only intensifies the pain. And I am only 36. I know I need to seriously start taking precautionary measures. Deal with it now, rather than later. And I also know that one more pregnancy is going to take its toll on my back. Sedih… And I hated milk, but I’m not sure apa kena mengena statement tu tadi dgn my back problem. Well, I guess being short can have its disadvantages, especially when it comes to pregnancy. There’s just so much of your back that can hold on to a growing baby. So being short is a disadvantage then? Huh? But wait some will say I am not short. Well let me get this fact through, standing at 5 feet 3 inches, I am the shortest in my family, including my parents. Sedih…again. Still, I am not sure apa kena mengena statement tu tadi dgn my back problem. Maybe I just want to tell people how short (tall) I am :-P Whatever it is, perhaps the time has come for me to give up on all these long drives because it is killing my back! I will surely definitely miss it, even if I feel relieved that I no longer need to do it anymore. Perhaps the time has come to start moving on…Perhaps the time has come to really work on why my heart always do that leap of joy, every time I come down the hilly part of the highway towards the Duta Toll Plaza :-)
1) I need to drive through 4 states before I reached my parents place. I dare say of all the highways that I have driven on in Malaysia, the stretch from KL-SP and SP-KL have the most interesting landscape (and the least sleep-inducing haha). You see a combination of all sorts of views, Allah-made and Allah-inspired man-made built ups along the way. Passing through Gunung Semanggul and Gua Tempurung, two of the most dangerous stretch of the highway, gave you a surreal (Read: Spooky too) feeling because they carry some the most beautiful natural landscape of the whole trip. If one follow the speed limit of the two areas to the latter, one may even relax and absorb the breathtaking views :-) As of late PLUS had upgraded their R&R areas into some of the most beautiful R&R of the entire PLUS managed highways. Sg Perak’s Musolla is exquisitely designed, Bukit Gantang’s Rest Areas is calming, Tapah’s is vibrant and Simpang Pulai has one of the best Rojak Singapore I’ve ever tasted and a huge Agro Market. I know that somehow, I am going to miss the drives along this route one day.
2) My patience in dealing with reckless driving on the highways has increased. There’s a slight (for some maybe huge) difference between driving in towns and on the highways. One of the most annoying things that usually happen on the highways is when your car is suddenly being tailed, many times too close for comfort. I know lah I don’t drive a Merc or BMW, but pleaselah have some respect for Malaysian made cars and this particularly nice driver :-P And I thought driving up to 120km an hour is fast enough (well that is the safe limit for not getting a speed trap, but I guess, not too fast and furious enough :-P) One time you looked at the rear mirror there’s no one there and suddenly out of nowhere they are busy flashing their fancy head- lights at you. Duh… In my younger days, I would be mumbling all my negative ‘prayers’ (Read: Maki berhemah) for them – yeah I know, that’s bad. But I was the nice lady-driver whom you head-lighted earlier, so you might as well deserve all those ‘toned-down’ prayers. Nowadays, I just gave way, and thought perhaps their wives wants to give birth to triplets or maybe they need to get to the toilets because depa nak terkucil or their child has puked all over depa, although sometimes, I’m pretty sure they just passed one of these R&R I mentioned above:-P
3) I have a bad back. Driving long hours only intensifies the pain. And I am only 36. I know I need to seriously start taking precautionary measures. Deal with it now, rather than later. And I also know that one more pregnancy is going to take its toll on my back. Sedih… And I hated milk, but I’m not sure apa kena mengena statement tu tadi dgn my back problem. Well, I guess being short can have its disadvantages, especially when it comes to pregnancy. There’s just so much of your back that can hold on to a growing baby. So being short is a disadvantage then? Huh? But wait some will say I am not short. Well let me get this fact through, standing at 5 feet 3 inches, I am the shortest in my family, including my parents. Sedih…again. Still, I am not sure apa kena mengena statement tu tadi dgn my back problem. Maybe I just want to tell people how short (tall) I am :-P Whatever it is, perhaps the time has come for me to give up on all these long drives because it is killing my back! I will surely definitely miss it, even if I feel relieved that I no longer need to do it anymore. Perhaps the time has come to start moving on…Perhaps the time has come to really work on why my heart always do that leap of joy, every time I come down the hilly part of the highway towards the Duta Toll Plaza :-)
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