Excerpts from my note pad, from my numerous business trips to Kota Kinabalu
*************
We just sat there and drank. I lost at pool. The rest talked, and drank more. We felt old but it was a good feeling. In few hours we were already longing for bed but the night had just begun
*************
"Assalamualaikum"
"Waalaukumussalam"
"Oh saya bukan Islam sebenarnya *grinning. Tapi adik saya Kristian masuk Islam"
"Jadi kau agama apa?"
"Saya dulu tiada agama, sekarang saya Kristian"
Cab rides have always been interesting whenever I'm on a business trip on my own but this one in particular was definitely top on the list. The driver was a 50-year-old ex junkie who stopped cold turkey after founding religion. He kept saying that without Jesus, he won't be able to quit and forever he is in debt of Jesus. Then the discussion on religions came out. We talked on no matter how different we are in many ways, we can all be traced back to Adam & Eve. "Kan bagus kalau ada satu agama saja, tak payah gaduh-gaduh". And then he started complaining about his wife.
15 minutes to destination and he started singing. The song was about global peace and love, and Jesus, and was alright, but the bad breath was a turn off.
"Semoga Tuhan Jesus merahmati perjalanan pulang kamu". Thank you Uncle *smilling while getting off