Mad About Malaysia: Big brother is cool

Words of the day: Awas, as in Awas Selekoh Bahaya (Caution. Corner. Danger.)

Kaelen versus the Canadian crepes (with mango, papaya, banana, yoghurt and maple syrup!)

After a pit stop in KL for food supplies (we are doing dinner tomorrow night for Allie and Anton and also crepes – with all the lovely fruit here -- for brekkie), we are back at Allie’s. Not a long break, as Ali comes racing through from the bedroom (we are all flaked out all over the place, and J&T are playing ping pong with River, Kaelen and their buddy Alister) to tell us that we have to go NOW, because of traffic, to meet up with his oldest brother, for an eventual dinner somewhere. But that he is meeting us at point XYZ and then taking us from that point on to his condo. NOW. We have to go NOW. (Allie of course tells us we are crazy to leave NOW because the traffic in KL, on a Friday night, is vicious from 3pm to about 9pm). But no, we leave NOW, and Ali decides – in a fitfully dilemma-ed state that I should drive as he has instructions and will direct me as he sort of knows where we are going. Ok. Fine by me. But I need a shower before we go NOW. The kids are grumpy (we just GOT here, Papa, they say) and I think, oh boy. But I really want to meet his brother. Other than last year, Ali had not seen Charlie (his nickname) for close to 20 years...long family story...Oprah material, not blog material...and I am dying to meet him. I have a sneaking suspicion he will be cool.

Uncle Charlie is cool. Uncle Charlie has long hair, used to race cars and now has a workshop with a bunch of Malaysian Protons (car) in it and an old Porsche he is refurbishing. He also does elaborate displays of engine cutouts at various shows, commissioned by Lotus (now Malaysian owned) and other car companies. We chat a bit in their condo, where he and Ezra, his wife, and his grandchildren (Elix, aged 10 and Omar, aged 7) hang out. The grandchildren hang out at their grandparents’ place a lot, which is really cool. Charlie and Ezra are so laid back; it is obvious the kids love being with them. Charlie takes us out to a restaurant called the Laman Grill which has a team of award-winning chefs and the food is not only delicious but spectacularly presented. Gillian, you would have loved it.

Hannah seriously enjoying her prawns nested atop a display case

Uncle Charlie and Omar

I forgot to say that, heading out that night, I drove us – between Ali shouting directions or getting headachey from reading directions scrawled on a piece of paper – to this meeting point, a Porsche dealership. Here on the side of the road (where everyone is doing 100kph+), Ali spots Charlie sitting in HIS Mazda MPV (green version of what we are driving), at which point we follow him. It’s complete organized chaos. I am already driving like a bat out of hell, but now I feel like I am in a car chase scene in some Jackie Chan film, the two of us driving quite unstable old vans, as I madly try to keep up with Charlie as he weaves in and out...and in and out...and in and out...of traffic and lanes...exiting...changing his mind...doing u-turns...and TEXTING Ali. Ali – who is half giggling (and half feeling carsick as he reads the text) says his brother has texted “No fair, lah, you got a driver...sooooo special. And matsalleh, too. Where got?” I think this is hilarious and know for sure I like this guy. He eventually leads us to his condo complex, where the guard begrudgingly lets the crazy matsalleh driver in after Charlie, and then we enter a narrow underground parking lot at much the same speed we were doing on the highways. I am on a bit of a high here (I feel there should be a wreath of flowers and some champagne at the end of it all) and zip into a spot beside him, edging the nose of the van right up to the wall, instead of about 5 feet from it. Ha, I think, feeling a bit like the character in Ten Apples Up On Top – ha, you can do three? See...I can do more. I can do four. Of course we get out of our vans, lots of greetings and hugs and kisses and, as we walk past the front of our van, he says, “So...do all Canadians park so close to the wall, lah, like this?” We all burst out laughing as I realize, you are SUPPOSED to park up to a certain line, leaving a big gap for people to walk by. Ooops. So much for my Jackie-Chan-turned-Jackie-Stewart manoeuvres.

So, getting back to dinner; it was delicious, the company was great, and Ali had a great time catching up with his big bro, both completely engrossed in cars and engines and bits about life in general. It’s all really easy and fantastic, and we part with Charlie saying we should go out for a pint sometime this week.

Today is Saturday and once again, we are happily hanging out, post-crepe-making fest with Hannah, Taz and Kaelan as Chief Crepe Flippers. There is a huge thunderstorm happening and it’s all quite cosy and relaxing. I can hear ping pong being played outside under the car overhang , other kids are taking turns on the computer and Hannah has discovered a lengthy string of tiny magnetic metal pearls, and is making crazy contraptions with it on a doorknob. Ali and Anton are off to the fish market for something to bbq for our so-called ‘Canadian’ dinner tonight that includes chimichurri, sweet potato fries, guacamole and a replacement green salad (cannot find kale for Phoebe’s kale salad! Canadian? Chimichurri? South America. Guacemole? Mexico. Sweet potato fries? Southern US. Oh, who knows. I also told Allie about Eb’s squid, and she wants to try that too. So that’s on the menu later this week.

Joompa lagi, blogglebugles.