Chapter One - Love at First Sight

It was on evening  May 27, 2012 at Cathedral of St John, Kuala Lumpur that I met her for the first time in-person. Before this we met in an online dating website and then facebook and she invited me to meet on the mentioned day via facebook message.

So we went to the evening Sunday Eucharistc Celebration at the cathedral. I am not sure where she is sitting and so i just told my self not to look for her yet and concentrate on the celebration.

After the mass is over, I waited a while at the entrance and I started to feel akward, so I decided to walk around the cathedral for a while to think if I am making the right move. I was nervous and have not prepared any introduction words expect for the common word, "Hi" and she phone-called me. The first sentence i heard from her with her timid and nervous voice, "Errmm... Where are you?" And I responded her that I am at the cathedral and to wait for me at the entrance. I can't remember how I said them but I know that my sentences are not properly arranged and I had to repeat certain words for her to understand what I am saying.

At the entrance I saw her holding a roll of poster. She is a simple looking person. No make-up. Dark skin but not too dark. Wearing an eye-glasses like mine and put on a a grey colour sweater and carrying a bag. She was not the girl of my dream but I felt that I really really wanted to know her more. I felt that I am attracted to her because she presented herself so naturally without any makeup and yet she still wanted to blind date.

So I went near her and as I thought my first word is "Hi" and she replied the same too. Then she asked me, "You came here alone?" I was very nervous that time that I did not hear what she asked me that I had to reply, "Huh? What you were saying?". Then for sometime there was some akward moment with silent and at that time I asked her if we can go to a 'mamak shop' for some cups of tea and she agreed.

So, we walked down from the cathedral which is actually built on a hill to a President Corner Bistro. We sat facing each other and took an order for cups of tea with milk and the other without milk. Deep in my heart, I am saying to myself I must break the akwardness and start with a warm conversation and guess what, it did happen. I could suddenly start a casual conversation with her, saying where I am staying, my family, about my involvement in church's activities, my hobbies and bla bla bla.... I am pretty sure that we sat there for almost and hour and most of the talking done by me. Nervous at first but I got comfortable with her as the conversation prolong.

During the conversation, she gave the poster to me. It is the picture of Mary, the Mother of Universe. I told her that in my house we have a lot of holy pictures and posters and one of the waiter saw the picture and asked us, "Are you church goers?" I immediatedly asked him, "Are you a Catholic?". And he said, "Yes". So I asked her if I can give the waiter the poster and she agreed and I gave the poster to the waiter. After a while we decided to leave. We paid the bill and we walked back uphill as it started to drizzle.

We walked to a junction and said goodbye. I asked her if I could drop her at her house but she politely refused my offer. She walked to the nearest LRT station and I crossed the road to go to my car parked at cathedral but once I crossed the road, I stole a moment to look at her from far. I already in love with her but I was not sure if a relationship could happen since we never arranged a second date. But..... This story has a continuation....
   

Okay Mah.. Both Same Price Mah

Just what happened today reminded me of my past of the same kind of happenings. So what did really has happened today?

I was in Petaling Jaya New Town at afternoon doing a case study for a Car Park Design proposal for Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (Town Council of Petaling Jaya). The weather was very hot and so decided to buy a cold drink in a coffee shop and I entered a shop nearest to the Standard Chartered Bank.

The menus are readily placed on the tables. I sat down at one and took the order card and the pencil, while looking for the right choice of cold drink and I spotted the item number 804 which is Honeydew Fresh Juice. To save some paper since I have only one item to order, I put back the order card in a box of empty order cards on the table and called the waitress. She looks late 30s, maybe early 40s. She was dressed smartly and not at all looks like a worker. I'm much convinced that she must be one of the owner because she is a Chinese lady at her late 30s.

I told her my order and she said to me, "Tulis dalam paper" (In direct translation 'Write in paper'). What she meant was to write my order on an order card. Then I replied her, "But it is just one item." But she gave me a look like I am some kind of noob, so I wrote down '804' at drink column.

After a while, she served me with a drink, supposed to be my order, but it was Watermelon Juice. Before I could tell her that that is not what I ordered, she already walked away to serve other customers. So I waited for her without touching the drink, thinking that this might be other's order but by mistaken given to me. Then she realised that I am just sitting at the table without drinking or anything else, so she turned and looked at me and I was looking at her. I called her and told that I ordered item 804 which is Honeydew Fresh Juice, but she tried to convince me that the served drink is Honeydew Fresh Juice.

She went to the counter to see what is my actual order was and realizing that she gave me the wrong order, she negotiated with me with something that I never thought of that she would say. "Okay mah... Both same price mah..."

I was like, "What?! Same price but not the same taste"