Sunday 12 October 2008

Shopping with Nek

Tok, in the days when laser was unheard of, was already known for her mulut laser. Thus, Mak poking her head out of the window to beckon in a vendor would prompt Tok to look up from her daily task of picking bunga melur in her garden or from her sewing and let out a tirade such as this: Why don’t you all put a signboard outside the gate, inviting all vendors in?

Yes, why not? The trail of vendors to the house would include the Chinese Man selling carpets and lace table cloths, the Indian guy with all manner of materials latest from his part of the world, the mak cik selling trinklets and gold accessories, the Mamak Mee goreng and those selling kuehs in the afternoon. They all made a trail to our front door knowing very well that time spent at number 13D, was time well spent as they’d get their returns soon enough.

Pak wasn’t too fussy about what Mak bought: the various coloured tupperwares and pyrex of different sizes and shapes were always useful during kenduris and birthday parties. The carpets made an appearance once or twice a year. Pak only called in the mamak kueh. He never went out, so the vendors came in.

In a way, it was more like having your personal shopping time, without the rush and the dizzying and maddening crowd of Lorong Sempit or Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.

There’s the usual bargaining tactics. Mak was quite good at bargaining; feigning to be indifferent and most not interested in the wares spread out before her.

The vendors too had their tricks; dropping a name or two of other possible interested parties. Once the transaction was almost done, out came the Buku 555 and a plan of payment was drawn out.

For this raya, I poked my head out of the YM "window" and called out to Nek to see if she had any new items for Raya. I hate shopping and browsing and spending hours in shops in crowded Oxford Street isn’t my idea of a good time. So having Nek come over to my window is certainly the best alternative, without having to leave the comforts of my living room and not upset Snowbell dozing on my lap. All I needed to do was buzz Nek and beckon her over.

“Salam, Nek! Ada apa kali ni Nek?” I asked.

“Eeeeeeeee, Kak Teh! Ada banyak! Cantik-cantik. Ada beg Coach ni. Eloklah pakai untuk hari raya,” she said employing her tried and tested sales tactics.

“Alaaaa, mahal laaa, tak mampu. Tak ada ke yang murah-murah sikit?” I asked.

“Lalalala.....Kalau berkenan Nek boleh bagi discount kat Kak Teh. Ni yang last dah. Kalau tak mau Nek nak hantar balik,” she tried again.

And yes, that did it. I clicked frantically on the page of Coach bags, picked one and closed my eyes and typed – YES!

See how easy that was? And within five days, I was already carrying the brand new bag for my hari raya visits.

Nek has more in store – that was just to whet the appetite. She came back after her LA raya trip with more bags and accessories to tempt me. Again, I had a private viewing session – and needless to say I succumbed to Nek’s sales tactics once more. This time, it wasn’t for me. I bought one bag to be delivered to someone dear in Malaysia as a present. See, no hassles!

If you want to shop around and see other collections of branded goods and accessories, then go to Ninnie’s. There’s no need to worry about parking space or the rush back to beat the traffic jam. Take your time to browse around and your spouse wont even suspect where you've been. Just put on your most serious 'hard at work' look on your face.

Before venturing to Nek's, I went shopping here to get new tudungs for Raya. I am no expert in tying tudungs but these Ezy Peazy Tudungs are a real godsent. I picked a few and had them delivered just in time for raya.

There was one year when I ordered the most delicious fruit cake online.

So, really, there's no reason to get into the rush and come back home tired and worn out. By buying online – the only damage you get is of course to your bank account, which is unavoidable, and also to your manicured nails.

I can almost hear Tok reprimanding me: Bukalah tingkap banyak-banyak, ajak semua orang mai jual itu ini. Pantang tengok orang jual barang!

33 comments:

Nek Rock said...

opss..tersedak nama nek disebut2 kak teh..anyway thanks a lot kak teh,nek really appreciate it and thank you again for your support and trust

muahhs
nek

Kama At-Tarawis said...

OOOO..in rupanya kerja anda berdua! orang juai sorang beli.. shopping sakan ekkk..nampaknya i pun kela la pi ziarah 'umah' nek jugak lagu ni..

Anonymous said...

Isn't it great how everything can be done online these days, esp. shopping without much fuss?

Ah, but when certain days of insanity takes over, I still prefer jostling with the crowds and hunting for a bargain. Tee hee.

MrsNordin said...

That was "Home Shopping" at a much slower pace back then. I used to love it when the beggali jual kain came visiting my opah. Seronok je tengok they all belek2 kain.

Sigh... life was so much simpler back then..

Queen Of The House said...

You've managed to tempt me to go take another peek at those sides. Bukan tak pernah tengok, tapi takut nak renung lama-lama! This is a great way to shop. Yeah, sure beats Lorong Sempit, hahaha. Dah berkurun rasanya I have been to that part of Alor Setar ... bukan apa, dulu takut 'beretuh' backside dengan orang, la ni, lagi lah takut sebab pungkok pun dah bertambah besar!!

Hope you had a great Raya, Kak Teh, especially with the new Coach bag in hand.

Pi Bani said...

Laahai... ingatkan shopping dengan Nek mana tadi... rupanya Nek Rock...

Anyway, my arwah Opah used to be very good at bargaining. Kalau dia pergi kedai, dia boleh bergaduh dulu dengan taukeh kedai tu pasal bargain bagai nak gila, and then she'd just walk off. Lepas tu after dah round a few other shops and she finds that the earlier shop offered the lowest, dia boleh pergi balik kat kedai yang dia dah gaduh dengan tokeh tu tadi. Kalau I segan nak masuk balik...

Later, bila dia dah jarang2 gi kedai sebab tak berapa larat, sekali-sekala we'd bring her to supermarkets... sampai cashier dia boleh bargain jugak lagi!! Lepas tu masing2 tak berani nak bawak dia gi shopping! :)

zaitgha said...

kak Teh,

not too late kan to wish you Selamat Hari Raya and Maaf Zahir Batin...belum 15 Syawal pun hehe...

tengah wondering how my eldest is doing in school doing his PMR....i pray for the best la kan....anyway nak leave word kat your kebaya biru posting but had a bad net connection pulak that time...that posting pun nostalgic to me coz i wore blue for my nikah ceremony 16 years ago...that baju was worn by my niece a few years back...

take care and cheers...

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Kak Teh
Dah tak cukup shopping kat shopping centres, ni nak shop online pulak.
Thanks for the link. Makes my shopping much easier now!

Anonymous said...

wah kak teh aka kak z pandai betul bercerita....seronok baca ur story. brings me back to those childhood times, benggali jual roti on their motobike, apek jual ais kerim sandwiched in roti (is it called ais kerim kapit?) and in kelantan pulak ada makcik2 jual etak (etok?) salai......nostalgic pulak di buat nya.
thanks....ninnie kat sini pun very much appreciate your support and 'advertising' of the online shopping. keep shopping ye.

Kak Teh said...

Neeeeeek! Sampai jugak Nek ke blog kak teh untuk beri komen. Thanks.

Puteri, hahaha! you sound like my Tok. Berletiark! PI lah tengok and beli sebiji dua.

kenny, yes, I am not a very patient shopper. If I want something, I'd go straight for it and then leave the shop.

Kak Teh said...

mrs N, I wonder how we or our children will reflect on this day - how would they say: those were the days. I believe our those were the days are more interesting, kan?

Queen, ada lagi ka Lorong sempit tu? Kak Teh dah lama tak pi. Balik sekali sekala tak dan nak jenguk pun.

Pi Bani, my mother's tactic pun boleh tahan. Berjam-jam, almost like a game. Kena sabarlah kalau ikut dia membeli belah.

Kak Teh said...

zaitgha, Selamat hari raya ti you too. Am sure your son will be alright for his PMR. My nephew pun ada sorang ..mak pak dia demam tak kebah sekarang ni. abt your wedding kebaya...wah you pun simpan and your niece wore it? Must have brought back memories!

Fauziah, hehehe...tu lah. Dah la sekarang ni credit crunch!

Ninnie,lamanya kak teh tak makan roti sandwiched ice cream tu! Oh, alangkah lemaknya! Thanks for the visit.

Hi&Lo said...

Kak Teh,

The shops brought exclusively to your doorstep. Those were the days. Have Buku 555 and shop till you drop.

Kak Teh said...

Hi&Lo, Ya, bringing shops to your doorsteps can be dangerous too. If shops can come to the door, so can Ah Longs!!! Oh no!!!

atiza said...

kak teh...i'm also guilty as charged..pantang orang jual benda, mesti nak beli..

there's one thing that i could not find in the market..a clothes folding machine..kalau ada..sah saya dah beli...

kay_leeda said...

Kak Teh,

Buku 555 - selalu beli roti dengan Bai roti and had him put extra spread of kaya & margerine on the roti Bai. Heaven!!

Pyrex (especially those with yellow & blue flowers ) - yess...only made its apprearance during Raya. After that, back into the lemari cabinet which is parked in the middle of the living room. Later Acropal came about and penuh lagi lah the display cabinet.

Ahh...those were the days...

Anonymous said...

Komen Pak Malim, kucing ray yang alim.

Cantik tudung dalam gambar tu, kata Pak Malim sambil menggaru kutu. Warnanya manis dan menarik, kata Pak Malim sambil meminum teh tarik. Oooh, tapi saya tak pakai tudung, kata kucing ray sambil memeluk ular tedung.

aofuad said...

Kak Ah,
The mamak mee that carts around Lorong Air Puteh and Lorong Nyior Setali must have been the famous 'mee bersin'.I don't remember a day that i did not patronise the mamak mee during my afternoon ugama class at Madrasatul Al Huda at Lorong Nyior Setali.Even as i write this, my mouth waters for that kind of mee.
Such simple mee but the taste is heavenly!!!
Another staple diet of mine was 'Mee Sup Pak Musa'initially at Lorong Wan Mat Saman...tiap tiap petang makan...
Mee Abu was quite a distance away..

Kak Teh said...

atiza, kak teh pun, kalau ada mesin lipat kain kak teh akan beli. And guess what, antara benda tak berguna yang kak teh dah beli? a packet of what was claimed to be pasir from Sahara Dessert and beberapa keping bata yang dikatakan drp the Berlin Wall!

kay, sungguh betul! Semuanya masuk balik dalam lemari di tengah2 rumah. Arcopal is the one I had forgotten. Beli arcopal sebab mak kata ringan sikit drp pyrex - dulu apa entah excuse beli pyrex - mungkin sebab bunga rose tu mak suka sangat.

Kak Teh said...

Pak Malim,
Tengok dalam internet semua nak beli,
kata kak teh sambil simpul tali,
bila beli tak pakai, sorok dalam lemari,
kata kak teh sambil berlari-lari.

Din, kak teh ingat sangatlah mee bersin tu!! Bukannya ada apa sangat dalam mee tu, tapi tunggu ataih ndui (swing) meleleh ayark liork!
Masa kak teh balik hari tu, Pak Musa tutup , frust betui! Lilah dengan wan and ajie, bila balik alor stark, tak sah kalau tak pi mee abu. Depa letak beg, lepaih tu bagi isyarat mata - nak keluark sat. tengah malam pun boleh keluark lagi.

Ms B said...

Kak teh dear,

Truly sorry for the late sms reply. My mobile was giving me a headache!! I should have replied using my office phone.

Anyway, the credit crunch does not stop us from shopping, eh? *winks* I went to Oxford st the other day and it was swamped with people (with shopping bags!).

And here I thought people would be saving than spending.....

much love from both of us

Argus Lou said...

Hahahaha! Your Tok is hilarious. My biggest online shopping sin is to buy books delivered free by The Book Depository. Then it's not easy trying to hide the big blister-envelop as garbage disposal costs a small bomb here. ^_*

Ida Hariati Hashim said...

Salam Kak Teh,

Kalau ada mesin lipat kain, I pun beli..Masa tak de maid dulu, lemari kat umah macam kosong sebab my clothes banyak tak lipat atas sofa..time consuming le lipat kain ni..bukan malas nak lipat, tapi tak de masa (ceh wah alasan!) :)

Kak Teh said...

ms b, when you go on your break, forget abt the credit crunch - and am sure it wouldnt dent your account anyway. Have a good time cos you and the lil one deserve a break. Have fun.

Argus, this is about the only luxury I allowed myself this year. And I'll be carrying ot around with me for a long time to come.

salam Ida, thanks for the return visit. Looks like someone must invent a mesin lipat kain. Mesti laris!

Salt N Turmeric said...

Kak Teh yang duduk London, kampung segala cheaper designer handbags pun beli online jugak ye.

I tried looking at stuff online but somehow mesti tak jadi beli. I guess im the type yg mesti tengok the things on my body to see if it suits me. If only i can do my shoping online, Michael would be so very happy! lol.

Kak Elle said...

let the fingers do the walking eh kak teh?

nek I pun nak discount bolih tak?hehe

Royalshoppingarcade said...

salam Kak Teh,
Tx so much for promoting my EPT.hehe..your blog is my pelaris.ahhahaha...tukar la ur picture with a pix of you donning the EPT..ha..baru kelas gitu..chewah..

Kak Teh said...

farina, di london ni semuanya mahal..and I dont usually shop. So, sekali sekala bolehlah and that will last me a long time.

kak elle, dah penat dah jari ni bershopping!

Puteri, ooooh, i will never chang emy avatar - that means so much to me..and after all that is me.Tak pa, yr tudung is already selling quite well.

Ummi365 said...

kak teh, tq for dropping by.. yey yey ummi suka kak teh datang rumah.. boleh saja kalau kak teh nak link kan.. malu pun ya jugak tu..

Kak Teh said...

ummi, insyaallah kak teh akan linkkan, di sini dan juga di sentraalstation.blogspot.com

RozIlah Kamarudin said...

i like kak teh buat analogy window internet with the real windows that we have to physically open to see the sellers...

hmmm.. that is good analogy indeed...

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Kak Teh - saya baru balik dari menziarah posting Oct 4, 2007 dimana AG proposed (in his roundabout way lah tu), in his WV 28 yrs ago, sama ada nak ikut dia gi London ke tak.

Saya nak comment pasal your editorial team actually. Gambar2 yg sungguh mencuit hati, especially the proof-reader and the photo editor. comel sungguh!

Kak Teh said...

Rozilah, thanks for visiting. haha, di london ni kita tak buka tingkap sebab sejuk - so, kenabuka tingkap YM lah! I remember one P Ramlee movie - about ahli jawatan kuasa tingkap - where all of the bujang lapoks communicated via their tingkaps. Now mak cik2 pun bercakap via tingkap - ie - tingkap YM!

Puteri, our editorial team tu semakin menjadi! Now dah nak tidur sekali pulak - and luckily i ni bukan jealous type.
Well, that scene in the VW - aaah, you remember that tree? I bet its gone now. And Jalan Riong is not the same anymore, is it?