Monday, September 22, 2008

World Without Men - Baju Raya (My First Pair of Jeans)

Aunt has given me the money for baju raya and I know better not to ask her come with me to the kedai to help me argue with Mek Kemamang herself for a better price since I'm buying 3 sets of baju raya. Grandma will tell you right away that a widow like Aunt shouldn't go around shopping with a child my age when almost everyone in Dungun including the A.D.O himself is out shopping for baju raya at Kedai Mek Kemamang. And so it's better that I go get the baju raya myself since I am a child about to become an adult soon when I would be eligible to have my own Kad Pengenalan in two years. Grandma can't come along with me because she doesn't like it when the shop is jam packed with people rushing to buy baju raya now that raya is a couple of days away. You can't disturb Cousin. She's busy baking Ovaltine cookies.
I'm outside the shop looking in for a space to squeeze through. You can't see Mek Kemamang from here but you can see her sons and daughters going about the shop with a long stick that has a hook at the end which they use to bring down the baju raya from the overhead rack so people can look at it and start arguing for a better price knowing very well how Mek Kemamang put a price on everything which is triple times over so you can have a good time haggling for the best price. 
Next door is a shop run by a young enterprising China man whom everyone knows is the son of Bok Peng. People say he has just got back from overseas and you can tell that they are telling the truth about him because he dress different. He's got a pair of glasses bigger than anyone in Dungun and a pair of shoes taller than the tallest building in Dungun. I go into his shop to look at the nice posters of AMCO and TEXWOOD and LEE and Levi's. He asks where my father is. I say I don't have one. I only have a mom but she's not coming with me because she's busy making nekbat. And so he says; are you looking for something nice to wear for raya.? I say I sure am. And so he shows me a pair of jeans my size which I like very much on account it has a label on the pocket that says SADDLE KING.
I'm home to show Grandma and Aunt the pair of jeans I got which I like very much because I've seen cowboys wear them all time when they're having fun punching people in a barroom brawl. Grandma says I must have gone insane to wear something like that for raya. I say why not? She says what's wrong you? These pants are so rough that it'll bruise what you've got in between your legs. I say cowboys wear these all the time. Aunt doesn't say anything except she asks me where's the rest of the money? I say there's none because what she gave me is just enough to get me a pair of SADDLE KING.
That was my first raya without baju Jawi because I used up the money to buy me my first pair of jeans. Aunt says; padan muka.

16 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I suppose w are contemporaries, Bergen. I was, and still am a fan of Saddle King.

I'll also vouch that Saddle Kings do not bruise whatever it is we have between our legs.

At least, I've never had any complaints! :)

12:41 AM  
Blogger muteaudio said...

I remember going to Penang Road to get my jeans from Pitchay Gunny. But then again, that wasn't my 1st pair. What a shame, I can't recall when I got my 1st pair of jeans.

4:24 AM  
Blogger Ailin in Aalborg said...

Padan Muka? Hey, cool Bergen.

6:21 AM  
Blogger Fauziah Ismail said...

Hahahaha ... padan muka! I laughed out loud reading this post.
I remembered my first jeans, a Texwood, bought when I was 15 years old. I asked my Dad for money to buy it, telling him I was tired of wearing dresses similar to my other cousins and nieces during Raya (when my Mak and my aunt go shopping together in Singapore, the children will end up with matching dresses.)
He not only gave me money but went shopping with me (he never liked going shopping with us. He doesn’t have the patience to wait for us to finish). I think my Dad was tired of seeing “double” too.
Bergen, Selamat Hari Raya where ever you are. Yes, I’m going back to JB for the Raya holidays. We haven’t decided on the Raya menu yet but I know for sure that I want Mak’s lodeh, rendang and kuah kacang, to be eaten with ketupat. You’re welcome to the house if you’re in JB!

10:15 AM  
Blogger maklang said...

selamat hari raya maaf zahir batin...

tahun ni raya baju warna apa...

10:28 AM  
Blogger ZABS said...

Salam Bergen,
Tak prnah paki jeans tu. Tapi saya paling sesuai pakai AMCO dan Levi's.
Masa brsekolah dulu, beli kasut raya yang boleh pakai untuk ke sekolah selepas beraya.
Selamat Hari Raya, ma'af zahir dan untuk anda dan keluarga. Tentu dah siap baju Jawi nya sekarang.

10:51 AM  
Blogger AuntieYan said...

Salam Bergen,

I hope you already have a pair of baju Jawi for this Aidil Fitri.

Mind you...dok sesuai langsung pakai Saddle King di pagi Raya!!!

( I had a great laugh!!!...guling-guling lagi!!!)

11:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You, Sir Bergen, never fail to make me laugh - a much needed distraction on this mundane Tuesday morning.

Selamat Hari Raya to you too, Sir. I hope you have a memorable one. Take care.

11:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

wah,mek kemamang has established her business longer than i thought.during my childhood in dungun in 80's, her shop was our main destination to buy our clothes.nowadays,she had moved to a new location, near dungun weekly market site as the old place was torn down for the construction of new shophouses.

5:04 PM  
Blogger Pak Zawi said...

Bergen,
Sigh. I never had any pair of trousers until I was in form four. It was the prefect uniform paid by the school's PTA. Stopped going out to town when a friend commented about my going out in white school pants all the time. Started going out again only when I bought a pair of long pants using my first payment of Federal Minor scholarship allowance.
Boughtt my first pair of Levi's after getting my first scholarship when in College in 1969.
Selamat Hari Raya.

7:08 PM  
Blogger IBU said...

I think mine was an Amco (eagle head right?) - but not brand new. 'Hand me down' from my sisters. I have 3 elder sisters. So entah berapa "hand" dah tak tau.... hehe.

11:14 PM  
Blogger Kama At-Tarawis said...

bergen, zul.. mek kemamang tu has been around since..forever la. i was a teenager in the late 60s and early 70s..mek kemamang ada doh though I never gi kedai dia. my grandma was a great seamstress herself, so my baju all jahit sendiri. where were you in dungun zul? I was in kg sura, near the kg sura primary school.

10:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Salam Sir Bergen,
Hahahaha! Sounds familiar!? & Have a good raya!

11:53 PM  
Blogger abdullahjones said...

amco.. :)

11:38 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

dearest berg,

i only managed to buy a box of cookies for this year's eid. itu pun jenuh korek beg duit. terkilan jugak sbb tak dapat belikan mak baju baru. i only have enuff money to go back hometown this afternoon. to come back here after raya is another survival :p

2:17 PM  
Blogger Bergen said...

Bangkai: I believe we are, sir.

Muteaudio: Penang Road, the memories I have.

Ailin: Gotta be cool - gotta find me a pair of shades. he he.

Fauziah Ismail: Texwood is famous for its corduroy range.

Maklang: Tahun ni baju Jawi warna meroh daroh ikang.

Zabs: I've been a Levi's wear since.

Auntie Yan: Saddle King sesuai - buat panjat nyior. he he

Elviza: Glad I do, ma'am. You have a nice raya now, y'hear?

Zul: Yes, Mek Kemamang has been around for a long time. One of her daughters was in my class - Remove D. Also in that class I remember a stunningly beautiful Chinese girl - anok kedai Mary - Wong Kwai Lan. She's a good friend of Poh Ah Nee. I think I'll write about her.

Pak Zawi: 1969, wasn't the year Apollo II made the landing?

Ibu: That's the quality of the jeans - I remember a Levi's poster. Levi's baru harga dia US14.00, yang dah season dan koyak-koyak US45.00.

Puteri Kamaliah at-Tarawis: Kampung Sura masa tu dak ada jalan pantai lagi kan? Kena lalu kot jalan batu 48. Uncle stayed there - rumah isteri no 12.

Dhahran: You have a nice raya now, y'hear? It's hot but it's a perfect weather for a raya picnic in the park.

Abdullah Jones: Good to have you here, sir. Lama tak nampak. Thank you for coming.

Simple Jane: Don't worry about it. You'd be all right. You be sure to have a good raya now, y'hear? Do that.


To every who dropped by this way - Selamat Hari Raya, ma'af zahir dan batin. Have a good raya. If you are driving, be safe. Do that, it's a good thing.

10:47 PM  

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