Love thy neighbour

Yesterday, when we arrived home after work, Ah Pei was outside shearing the shrub. As usual, I greeted her and after unlocking the gate I approached her, telling that soon we will be moving out. So, just in case if she sees lorries loading our stuff, she wouldn't be so wary and start calling the guards/police.

Apart from Ah Pei & Mr Leong who live next door, there's Purwanes' family and Kak Bad's. The rest in the row is anonymous. Hehehe.
Occupying the corner lot means that we have less neighbours, which is a bonus to us. Not that we don't socialize. But I just can't stand snoopies.

The other row facing the side of the house are Mr Leong (again, but a richer one), an unknown neighbour and Sofia. While in the backyard, there's this family whom we 'hi' to once in a while, and they even helped us when a snake got into our house that day.
Ahhh... very little that I know, eh... after two years renting there. What a bad neighbour I am!

Back to Ah Pei & Mr Leong... they are the type that I really like. We greet & smile whenever we see each other. Yet when there are earth-shattering news (yes, I am exaggerating :P), we'll let each others know. e.g when someone broke into their house before.

Yet, due to their hardworking nature... beautifying their house and doing gardening, Sham & I always 'create' the dialogues they might have had about us.

Scene 1
Us : Wah! Doing gardening, eh? So rajin!
Neighbour : Ya la. Sikit-sikit saja. U don't do meh?
Us : No la. We love growing the weeds.

Scene 2
Us : Why do u do gardening up to here? This is already our compound.
Neighbour : What to do? U don't want to.
Us : Ehem, wanna be sarcastic eh?

Scene 3
Neighbour : Hey, guys. U don't feel like cutting the grass/weeds ah?
Us : No la. Just let it be. It's not our house anyway.
Neighbour : The problem is... when your weeds are tall, we couldn't see if there's any giraffe in your yard.



Hahaha. That's just our buruk sangka on the nice neighbours.

Actually I once had nosy neighbours in BNE who loved prying meddlesome-ly. I only noticed when another Malay (who lived miles away) bumped into me at the Saturday market and asked, "Whoa! U joyfully take piccas outside ur house, eh?"
My mind quickly told me "It must be the Malay couple who live across the road."

My oh my... Malays are like that. I thought when they are abroad, they wouldn't be as kepoh as they are in the home country. Boy, was I wrong!
That's why until today, I refuse to live in a typical Malay community. I'd rather have multi-racial neighbours although I have to tolerate the loud bangs of firecrackers during Chinese New Year and the noise made during the Hindu parade once in a blue moon.

BTW, Rasulullah (SAW) said it was not right for a Muslim to sleep with a full stomach after having had a good meal but let his neighbour starve. Nowadays, we sleep like pythons after having swallowed a goat. Errr... there's no starving neighbours in BBR, right? Teeheehee :P



I wonder... Soon when I move in to the new house, what type of neighbour will I have? Nosy? Concern? Ignorant? Friendly? Kaypo chee?
I might not exchange delicacies with them that often as the kampungites do or let my kid(s) cry obstreperously in the middle of the quiet nite. But if there is no emergencies, I surely will leave them alone.