Friday, December 02, 2005

Leaving On A Jet Plane

Leaving On A Jet Plane
by: Peter Paul and Mary


All my bags are packed
I'm ready to go
I'm standing here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breaking, it's early morn
Taxi's waitinHe's blowing his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leaving, on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go... hate to go

There's so many times I've let you down
So many times I've played around
Now you know, they don't mean a thing

Every place I go I'll think of you
Every song I sing, I sing for you
When I come back, I'll wear your wedding ring

So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leavin on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
Oh babe I hate to go...hate to go

Now the time has come to leave you
One more time, oh let me kiss you
Then close your eyes, I'll be on my way

Dream about the days to come
And I won't have to leave alone
About the time's when I won't have to say..

Kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go

I'm leaving on a jet plane
Don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe, I hate to go

Leaving on a jet planeI
don't know when I'll be back again
oh babe I hate to go
I'm Leaving on a jet plane,
Leaving on a jet plane,
leaving on a jet plane...yeah

Yes people.... our tickets have been confirmed. We've even gotten our tickets via the travel agent at the Loughborough Union. The travel agent that deals for UPM apparently had overcharged Zareef's ticket to be RM12,000 while ours were just RM3,000 a pop. UPM was a bit reluctant in paying because of the 12k. In the end, B and I decided to buy our own tickets and will claim it later from UPM's bursar, with the consent of them, of course. It came to a total of about RM 8k just for the three of us, taxes included. Apalah punya travel agent. Tau la depa nak komisyen. But kok ye pun, distribute la sket the amount tu. Nih, selonggok depa charge kat tiket Zareef. Unreasonable betul!

A lot of my friends over here kept on saying to us, "Bestnya dah nak balik". Truthfully, I'm not that excited to go home despite being away for 3.5 years. I'm quite sad actually. If given the chance, I would really love to stay here longer but not forever though.

I would definitely miss this place a lot! I would miss the shopping excursions, car boots, trips to town alone, the quiet quality of life that the three of us went through together and the wonderful, wonderful friends that we've made and foster along the years that have become part of our big family here in Loughborough and the fact that we're on our own making our decisions independent from outside influences.

What I fear most about going home is trying to find a job. I've been away from the working scene for so long that I've forgotten how it was when I left it. Joining the rat race and competing with bright-eyed young graduates gives me the creeps because my engineering skills are rusty almost to the point of being unsalvageable.

If possible, I would love to be a stay-at-home-mom but I know with the current influx in the cost of living especially in the city, that is most impossible. Like B said, "If you don't work, we won't be able to buy the house of your dreams or even your favorite car for that matter". Aiyaaaa....

I'll be arriving at KLIA on Sunday at 6.30 pm. My brother will be picking us up in his Naza Ria (I specifically asked him because of his huge car capacity) and straight home to my parents' place in Klang where my family and B's will be congegrating. I've called my mom and asked her to prepare our favorite sambal goreng, yong tau foo (yg ni dah 3.5 tahun tak makan wooo...) and KFC. Laugh all you want people, but these delicacies have been on the top of my mental food list for so long that I'll salivate everytime I even think about it.

Give us a week to settle down (we'll be at my mom's place till we get a place to call our own) and after that, we're good to go. I'll be out and about meeting everyone and trying to gorge like a pig. Anyone care to join me?

So, this chapter of my life is officially closed now. Today's the last day for Zareef at his playgroup. I even got Zareef a thank-you card for him to give to his teachers. B is meeting up with his supervisor to hand in his hard-bounded thesis and also to bid his supervisor farewell and to give him a farewell gift that was specially flown in from Malaysia. And me, tears are rolling fast down my cheeks as I type this because I really don't want to go home.

This is me, checking out. Till we meet again in Malaysia, this place that I've called home will always hold a special and meaningful place in my heart and fondly remembered. Adios....