langkau fiction

This is the second time Ruai bar changed location since leaving the Green Hill area. The new premise is now stationed in a wooden shed 15 feet away from the Telang Usan Hotel building. There’s more space in this new establishment compared to the two previous pubs and it has good ventilation (there are no windows and no doors). It’s definitely better than the Old Kuching Town kopitiam, which I thought to be a kedai kopi that sells overpriced beers.

Speaking of overpriced beers, the Ruai bar only sells beers in stubby bottles…but they don’t have Tiger, which I think is a disappointment for my demented kanid. His species is what I call handicapped beer drinker i.e. the ability to drink only one brand of beer. A Stella stubby would costs RM6.00 which is RM1 more expensive than beer in cans.

I went there last night and took some photos of the place and the human-like creatures patronizing the place.

Last night was pretty red! No matter how I adjusted my camera’s white balance, exposure, ISO and whatnot, the whole place was still red. I only realized later that it’s because of the Christmas decoration, which I thought seemed to be out of place in such a setting. My eyes were red this morning.

Aki (left) works on and off at Ruai since it first opened. When Ruai first opened at Green Hill, he helped at the bar and did the BBQ. Now, he does mostly maintenance work and sometimes when he’s not busy, keeps Stella and I company. Quite, unassuming and he likes Stella too.

Baki (right) is Ruai’s most recognizable character primarily due to his hobbit-like size. He takes customers’ orders, does the sweeping and collects empty beer bottles. Sometimes, like last night, he’ll burn the rubbish at the back of the premise. So, he must be the man of lighting up fires as well.

This is Desmond. Before he worked at Ruai, he used to fry kuay tiaw, noodles, do burgers, fries and things like that at the front entrance of Ruai. After a couple of months, he stopped all that and decided to join the Ruai crew as the barman. A very hard working fellow. Last year, I saw him manned the bar, did the bills, serve the customers and collect empty beer cans and bottles alone! And the bar was so packed due to those weirdos the people who attended the Rainforest World Music Festival. He stopped working at Ruai some months ago but he’d help Baki and Inta whenever he’s there. Last night, he told me that he’s got a job at the ship and will be going to Rotterdam tomorrow for three months.

Tino (left) is the bar owner’s son. He’s supposed to be Ruai’s manager, the bartender and does the bills but at most times, he’d take control of the music and mix around with the crowd, who are mostly his buddies. Inta (right) is the bar owner’s wife and she’s essentially THE BOSS of the bar. She manages, tends the bar, does the bill, and a few days ago, I saw her cut the nibong trunk with a chainsaw while her husband looks on. And sometimes, she’d punch me or other regulars just for the heck of it. Especially when she’s had a bit of beers.

In conjunction with the COP15 (UN Convention on Climate Change), I propose that we should practice reading in the dark to save electricity.