Friday, November 03, 2006

Rombongan Cuci Baju

With the DeepaRaya hols safely tucked into the past, I guess its safe to assume that its about time I stop taking leaves off blogging too. For the entire semester 1 that consists of 12 weeks, I've only got one week off. That's it. No more. Nah-uh. =(

I got Week 5 off, only because we've got the kind-ess lecturers in the whole wide world!!! If not for Dr. Doughty, we would have to attend classes on Monday before a short break, then crawl through the classroom entrance just for 2 hours on Friday. See? told you he's a great person!

In total, we would have 9 days off. Isn't that great? I've got plans drawn up one week before the holidays even started. With holidays being so scarse, it's no surprise that I would wanna savour every single second of these sweet sweet days. So sweet that diabetics will just have to give way, Muahahaha~

This holiday, have only led me to believe, even more strongly, that...

MY GREATEST ENEMY IS NONE OTHER THAN MYSELF.

I said I wanted pleasure. But my conscience is shouting a BIG FAT NO! And in the end, guess who won? It's pathetic.

On Thursday, with 4 more days of my holidays to go, I was back on campus, in the sweating like a fountain in scorching Semenyih. Up till this very minute, I still cannot imagine what the hell was running through my mind when I made that decision. Abandoned, back in Valencia, was my desktop, my cosy little room and toilet, where I can walk around in my birthday suit in full glory without worries, my very loyal and COLD Air Conditioner, and glorious food! Stupid idea, I know. This is even more moronic than voting for William Hung in American Idol.

So there I was, counting the seconds off my VIRGIN weekend stay on campus. Of course, with a virgin stay, there followed many more virgin activities, that I had not previously attempted before. For instance, on Sunday, I participated in the “Rombongan Cuci Baju”.

30 minutes of staring at the sole unit of washing machine in the entire hall was rather amusing. The pioneers, namely Lynnette, Snowy, and Lillian, showed me the ways of a true member of the Rombongan.

In honour of the efforts put out by our pioneers, I’ve come up with a slogan. Hear this…

The Rombongan Cuci Baju, in The Great Machine we trust.

Taa-daa~ Say hi to the pioneers of the Rombongan Cuci Baju.



First, a true member must bring her own pail, even if the member intends to wash only her handkerchief. The reason for this will be elaborated on later on. Then the member must have succeeded the preliminary mission of gathering part of the required 6 x 50 cent coins, to be qualified for participation in that particular week’s Rombongan. Precise understanding of the instructions written on the washing machine is crucial.

What follows is the Practical Test. The member must prove their constant competence to be worthy of their membership in the Rombongan. A chosen member would be appointed to serve The Great Machine. The worship procedure starts with every member contributing their laundry offerings into the large cavity built deep in the middle of its majestic white structure. This process must be followed by purifying our offerings, by drizzling on the secret potions of Dynamo, and Fabric Softener in generous amounts. Following that, the chosen member will present The Great Machine the symbolic items of worship, 6 SHINY 50 Cent coins. The moment the last coin was being presented to it, it sprang into life! At this precise moment, the chosen member must key in our prayers through it delicate buttons, asking for blessings onto our laundry. After which, the fate of our laundry shall entirely be in the decision of The Great Machine.

The Great Machine takes about 30 minutes to decide. Hence, we are assured that whatever decision that it comes to, would have been after much consideration. However, all members are not allowed to show any signs of disrespect for it, especially when it’s deep in thought, or risk being blasted instead of being blessed. I personally can sense the restlessness in The Great Machine, vibrating vigorously, tossing and turning our laundry about, carefully evaluating our sincerity and worthiness of its blessings. The best way to wait for it, without disturbing its concentration of Holy Energy, is to tip over our pails, and meditate on it. Yes, the moment I did as I was told, I felt completely different. The feeling of being on a pail is indescribable…


After 30 minutes of anxiousness has passed, The Great Machine has finally come to a verdict for its loyal devotees. It has granted us its blessings, and bestowed onto us, clean, and fresh smelling laundry in return! The final Ritual of Gratefulness was performed by accepting its blessings. A true member must not reject it as it might otherwise have incurred the wrath of The Great Machine.

From that moment on, my faith in The Great Machine has been sealed, now and forever!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like this. It's a sign of madness.

Eric said...

urms...cheer up...maybe learn to not move too fast?life in the fast lane isnt exactly fun ><

dont eat too much junkies hor..not good for health =)