langkau fiction

I still can’t get over Dylan’s “Must Be Santa” video. Initially, I found it strange, then bizarre, and after it seeped into my system, I thought it was hilarious. Now, ‘hilarious’ isn’t the word that is usually associated with Bob Dylan.

I found this video of his press conference in 1965. Well, when asked about whether he sees himself as a poet or singer, he replied: “…I think of myself more as a song and dance man.” That cracked me up! Who said Dylan didn’t have a sense of humor? In fact, the whole interview was comical, especially with the journalists asking some weird questions. One of them asked for Dylan’s reason of wearing the Triumph motorcycle t-shirt on his album cover and what it meant to him. When Dylan asked “What d’you want to know about it?” and the journalist answered “…It means something. It’s got philosophy in it…visually, what it represents to you because you’re a part of that…” That also cracked me up!

But my favorite question: “Do you think there will ever be a time you’ll be hung as a thief?” (5:26mins)

Anyways, here’s the video. Oh, oh…”Subterranean Homesick Blues” is playing in the ‘intervals’. Damn cool! “The pump don’t work / coz the vandals took the handles” Enjoys!

A big Dylan fan friend of mine sent me a link of this clip last night. I played it and my jaw was left gaping for 2:51 minutes!

I asked him if this is the same guy we saw performing under that orange tent in 2001, he said “er…yeah, I am almost certain it’s him but…what’s happening, man?”

I found myself humming to the song the whole morning “…cap on head / suit that’s red / special night / beard that’s white / Must be Santa! / Must be Santa!” I would play the video every 30 minutes and still, my jaw was left gaping the whole time!

I can’t help but just have to share this with you, people. His ‘dance’ or that hop at 1:10mins was…indescribable.

How bizarre.

Must Be Santa

Who’s got a beard
That’s long and white?
Santa’s got a beard
That’s long and white

Who comes around
On a special night?
Santa comes around
On a special night

Special night
Beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus

Who wears boots
And a suit of red?
Santa wears boots
And a suit of red

Who wears a long cap
On his head?
Santa wears a long cap
On his head

Cap on head
Suit that’s red
Special night
Beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus

Who’s got a big red
Cherry nose?
Santa’s got a big red
Cherry nose

Who laughs this way
Ho, ho, ho?
Santa laughs this way
Ho, ho, ho

Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that’s red
Special night
Beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus

Who very soon
Will come our way?
Santa very soon
Will come our way

Eight little reindeer
Pull his sleigh
Santa’s little reindeer
Pull his sleigh

Reindeer sleigh
Come our way
Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that’s red
Special night
Beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus

Dasher, Dancer
Prancer, Vixen
Comet, Cupid
Donner
And Blitzen

Reindeer sleigh
Come our way
Ho, ho, ho
Cherry nose
Cap on head
Suit that’s red
Special night
Beard that’s white

Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Must be Santa
Santa Claus

The weather has been unstable for the past couple of weeks. It’d be bright and sunny in the morning, as if telling me it’s alright to enjoy work today, and by mid-afternoon the clouds turn dark and nasty, as if saying I should have just stayed at home and watch my dogs play in the rain. Yeah, “scattered rain in some areas” my ass! Or hujan di sana, di sini dan merata tempat…cis!

I hope it doesn’t rain tomorrow. Otherwise, it’d be a dread walking through the muddy jungle footpaths for four bloody hours!

Oh, a random song came to mind as I write this post, so I’m going to post it here too. It’s…*cough*…ABBA…*cough*

Have a wonderful weekend and catch you when I get back. Hopefully, in one piece.

Chiquitita by ABBA

Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong
You’re enchained by your own sorrow
In your eyes there is no hope for tomorrow
How I hate to see you like this
There is no way you can deny it
I can see that you’re oh so sad, so quiet

Chiquitita, you and I know
How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leaving
You’ll be dancing once again and the pain will end
You will have no time for grieving
Chiquitita, you and I cry
But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you
Let me hear you sing once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita
Try once more like you did before
Sing a new song, Chiquitita

I never really liked conversing over the phone. It’s good for providing information such as “We’ll meet at the pub at 7pm, okay? Okay” instead of having a conversation “Y’know the other day, while I was observing the manual laborers working their ass off in one of the construction sites near my office, Marx’s notion of alienation finally struck me! It was only then I realized that the workers are actually being alienated from the process of…bla bla bla.” What the heck, y’know. Either you email me or talk to me face-to-face, preferably in a quiet bar. And yes, you buy the beers.

I digress.

Got a call from one of my friends in the kampung some days ago. He had to climb a hill behind his house in order to make the call because there’s no phone reception in that whole area except for that particular spot. You can imagine how people had to climb up the hill, even lining up waiting for the guy at the hilltop to finish. Anyways, he called first but I didn’t pick up the phone because I only heard it ring later. So, I had to call him back otherwise when he goes downhill, that’s it man, you won’t get to talk. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello?

Jack: Ya.

Me: Hello, Jack? You called?

[pause]

Jack: Hello?

Me: Yes, Jack. It’s me, Uakgnal.

Jack: Ya.

[pause]

Me: Can you hear me, Jack?

Jack: Yes. Loud and clear. So, you’re coming tomorrow [Monday]?

Me: No, I’m not. I’m coming on Tuesday instead.

[pause]

Jack: Oh. You can’t come?

Me: No, I can’t come tomorrow but I will be coming on Tuesday.

Jack: When can you come?

Me: On Tuesday.

[pause]

Jack: So, I don’t have to pick you up tomorrow?

Me: No, I’m coming on Tuesday.

Jack: Oh, you’re coming on Tuesday?

Me: Yes, on Tuesday.

[pause]

Jack: I thought you said you weren’t coming?

Me: Yes, I can’t come tomorrow but I can come on Tuesday. So, can you wait for me on Tuesday?

[pause]

Me: Jack? You understand what I just said?

Jack: Ya.

Me: Good. So, I’ll meet you on Tuesday, ya?

Jack: Yes. You won’t be coming, I understand.

Me: No, no, noo…I will be coming but only on Tuesday.

[pause]

Jack: Oh, I see. You will be here only on Tuesday.

Me: Yes, only on Tuesday.

Jack: Then, you won’t spend a couple of days in the kampung?

Me: Yes, I will. But you pick me up on Tuesday and then I will stay until Friday or Saturday.

Jack: Oh, I see. I see. You won’t be coming tomorrow but you will be coming on Tuesday instead. Right?

Me: Yes, correct.

[pause]

Jack: Oh, okay then. I’m going down tomorrow anyways. So, if you’re not there, I’ll meet you on Tuesday.

Me: er…as long as you’re there on Tuesday, it should be okay. Thanks.

Jack: Okay.

When the insitution of beers at Ruai was told to vacate its premise in Greenhill, the management quickly opened up a waterhole not far away its original place. The current patrons are more or less the same regulars that planted their ass in Ruai. Last night was my third time drinking at that new place.

It’s now called Old Kuching Town kopitiam and I was kindly told by the management that this kopitiam is “just temporary”. The management is now renting another shoplot next to the Old Kuching Town kopitiam and will revive the new Ruai, which will be the ‘real bar’.

Despite being a kopitiam, the beer prices aren’t really kopitiam prices. Yes, it’s cheaper than Ruai but understandably so because Ruai was a bar. The Old Kuching Town kopitiam trade their Tiger beers with your cash for RM18 per jug. In normal kopitiams, Tiger beers would cost RM11-RM13 for a jug of Tiger. At Ah Liong kopitiam, for instance, three Stella stubbies would cost RM10! So, don’t be fooled by the name Old Kuching Town kopitiam because it ain’t that cheap as expected of a kopitiam.

Oh, there’s also the Kuching Prison right across the Old Kuching Town kopitiam. My demented kanid and I are suggesting to the management that they should work out with the prison officials to see if it’s okay for the OKT kopitiam customers to have a mini tour of the prison ground during one of the drinking sessions.

It’d be a good tourist attraction…