the SHOOTING at Subang Parade

now this post is inspired by Atikah's post on Tuesday, February 6, 2007.

Subang Parade was robbed.

Okay, specifically Poh Kong and Tomei in Subang Parade were robbed. It was a dark Saturday night and I was in my room getting ready for a play I was going to go see at my sister's college named Kolej Yayasan UEM. She had this event called "Bangsawan Night" and she was going to be on stage acting as a Dayang so there was no way that I would miss that!

As usual mom must have something to say about my dressing. So by the time mama wasdone commenting me, I was totally in a different outfit than I originally put on myself. And that makes her very happy. It was after Maghrib that Mama, Abah and I set out for a 45 minutes ride to her college.

The next thing I knew we were reaching the front gate and I had saliva running down my chin. Not appealing. When we got the parking, the three of us roamed inside the hall looking for my sister while the first play was already coming to an end. I spot my sister in a blue and yellow ensemble with a too red pair of lips. We gave our hello-s and she found us a good seat. By the time we settled in, the first play by the Sapphire house was done.

The hall roared with applause while I sat there groaning to the fact that we missed it. The next play was by the Garnet house. A fairly interesting play. It was my first so I enjoyed it. It was about this prince killing his father and his REALLY-CUTE brother all to get the girl and the throne.

But typically the girl loves his brother and when the brother died, she was forced to marry the evil prince. Until she could not stand it anymore she wanted to kill the evil prince. But the guard protected the prince and killed the girl. And the prince was mad so he killed the guard and then killed himself. It was presented much more interestingly than what I just wrote. The script, the costumes, the set. Love. I cringed when the cute brother died though. Told my dad about it and he laughed at my teenage-crush-on-the-cute-actor act.


After it was done, we were presented with refreshments. That was when I saw Farah Liyana as in 5 Delta, Aidi's girlfriend Farah Liyana. My sister told me she went to that school but when I saw her, we somehow acted like we've been best friends for years and gifted each other with a big hug.

My sister started her play at around 10pm. I LOVE THIS ONE. Her house, Diamond, played a
somehow similar storyline. I mean, all of them are about kings, and power, and killing anyway. This play was about this king who killed his father and everyone who stands in his way to get the throne. Familiar? Then when he was ruling the kingdom, he got bored of his first wife, so his Nujum (which means something like a psychic) found him a beautiful maiden who happened to be the daughter of the good Bendahara. So he killed the Bendahara and forced the lady to marry him. Really Familiar?

So the beautiful girl got a dream from her father telling her to pay back for his death. So she cooked up a plan to do so. First she framed the loyal Nujum of trying to molest her, making the king believe it and kill the supposedly guilty Nujum. And then, somehow, in someway that I didn't really understand, she tricked the first wife into believing that the King was bad, so the first wife ended up killing the king and all the hoopla. So she succeeded. ;D

Well again it is much more interesting than it is stated here. My sister did greatly though. She was the narrator cum dayang for the play and everytime she comes out, I giggled inside. Imagine seeing your sister, who you always remember as shorts, MTV, and pain-in-the-ass, turning into this petite, swaying, sopan person. My mom thought I was being mean, but who could help it. I was proud of her though. Very much so.

Then the last team was up. Topaz house. I don't really understand this sotry because this way when I got an sms from Wawan. miza is right. He was saying things like "Ï just want you guys to know I appreciate you guys because I just saw a robbery and I'm taking life for granted blar blar blar". I was touched and surprised at the same time. Until I got a call from Shahrul Iman telling me that he witnessed a robbery at Parade on account that Kenny Rogers was opposite of the shops in questionned.

I couldn't talk back then so all he could tell me was the robbery happened. I was shaken in the middle of the crying lady in red on stage. After that my mind just blanked. I couldn't pay attention to the rest of the play because all I could think about was me picturing the incident. I can't believe my Subang Parade. My mall. My second home. Was robbed.

I imagined the shooting, the bystanders, the sales people in the shops, the guards, the Shahrul who was standing so near there, and how envious I am for not being able to be there and watch it happen. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't volunteer myself to be in the scene at any day but I've never been in a heist before, or seen a real live one, so the experience would have been great.

When all the plays were over, we waited for the judges to come up with the winner so by that time I was getting restless at the thought of the robbery. But all was forgotten when I joined in the oohs and ahhs and applause when they announced that the Diamond house won. My sister was overjoyed because she was also the co-director of the play so all hard work paid.

I went home tired and grumpy at being tired. Haha.

The next day I read the papers and found out what was the deal with the robbery. A set of 5 Siamese robber Tomei and Poh Kong, the neighbouring jewellery stores in Subang Parade. Two security guards were killed while one robber was shot to death. It gave me chills just reading the paper. I flashed back to the time where I always pass the two stores and saw the guards sitting outside the stores looking bored. I often pass them and wonder.. "must be boring being them, sitting there doing nothing".

But after I read about what they did, then my hope just lifted up and gave them my highest appreciation and honour for what they have done. Even if it meant, losing their lives for it. I send my condolences to them and my deepest gratitude to protect the people there. Even though the jewellery were stolen. But then I thought, maybe they were glad to have that incident. Okay my bad. Not glad. But its something to do other than sitting there humming whatever song they have in their minds. A change.

Regardless. I am glad.

Today I went to Subang Parade with my uncle and my co-workers for lunch, and I took a moment and just stared at the place the incident occured. It shooked me and it made me emotional. Kiki is right. Subang Parade has always been the safe place. The place where you can feel like home. The place where families go and spend time with each other. And it might not be the same.

Don't take me as somebody who gets easily very emotional over little things but Subang Parade has been my second home for a long time now. I don't remember a week that goes by without me making a trip there. Doesn't matter if it was for the food, for buying presents, for spending time with your family, or maybe for a cup of ice cream. Subang Parade has always been the place. My place. Now it won't be the same.

I love Subang Parade.

- pardon me while I go be nostalgic. regardless of this freaking period pain thats bugging me.