What a day it was, yesterday. According to the skeptics, the date was chosen to cause disruption to the process it was chosen for.

So, the big question is: Did it cause a disruption?

No one turned to the guy with the flying carpet, the 2 meter long bamboo binoculars and coconuts for help to control the weather.

First of all, the flying carpet…it seemed big enough for a “pilot” and 3 passengers. Come to think of it, no one has actually see it fly. Next, the most powerful binoculars in the world. The 2 meter long binoculars is claimed to help one see the next universe and back. Quite a feat. There is a caveat to this: only this guy, the “pilot”, has the resonance with this 2 meter bamboo binoculars for it to work; something like Thor and his Mjolnir (Hammer).

Odin placed several enchantments upon Mjolnir prior to Thor wielding the hammer: No living being may wield it unless they are worthy. This is reflected in the inscription on the side of Mjolnir, which states: Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor. (1)

So, it goes with the bamboo binoculars, more commonly known as “bambino” (short for…well.. yeah, bamboo binoculars). Whoever is worthy shall have the power to use it, focus and see the next universe and back with it.

And the coconuts? They are meant to balance the flying carpet with passengers on board. You thought they were for drinking, didn’t you?😉

Our neighbours from near, not so near and further away, who made their was to the school nearby us, were directed to our respective lines based on our ages. In Malaysia, the term “line” is more commonly used instead of “queue”. Many locals when reading the word. “queue”, will have difficulty pronouncing it – “coo-ee-u-ee“. So, we waited in line, patiently.

Malaysians were out early as the school gates opened at 8.00am to welcome the streams of people in. Schools were used as polling centers. It was Malaysia’s 15th General Elections. This date, November 19th, 2022; was announced about a month ago. Political tensions and fever, if you may; built up.

Politics: the bad, not so bad and the good (yes, there is hope), filled the media, especially the social one; with all the politicking. Not enough attention or emphasis as to how the country had progressed in nearly 5 years since the last elections, were insights based on the Malaysian layman’s or “rakyat’s” (as we are more commonly known) point of view.

What was happening in this school while we waited our turn to vote was people were chatting away merrily with each other. I had a chance to meet some friends whom I had not seen in a long time (since the last elections?) and meet many new friends.

What everyone was speaking without having to say a word was “change was in the air”. It was our fundamental duty to our children, our family, our country… to vote change in.

In the meantime, the weather tried to put up a determent for others to come out and vote, too. But the determent was all but a whimper – after a few measerly drizzling drops, the rain stopped. The word “measerly” is more commonly used rather than the actual word “miserly”. I have no idea why. I don’t think that “measerly” even exists in the English dictionary. Colloquial or another Malaysian invented English word?

I tried resisting having my finger pushed too deep in the inkpad as the inkpad felt like a soft, rubbery, squeezeball feeling. I felt like I was poking a slug…not that I have ever experienced poking a slug before. So…yeah, with my inked finger as a signed that I had come to the ballot box, received my ballot paper, marked it with a sign of hope; mission accomplished.

We are all looking forward to a new Malaysia with bated breath.

NOTES:
1. Wikipedia