Al Karaoke fi Khartoum

What have the Alleycats, Lionel Richie, Anuar Zain, and the incomparable Sudirman all have in common? They are all here in Khartoum!! Not physically, mind (that would be silly), but their songs are karaoke-d here.

Thanks to our friends who have a well equipped karaoke system in their appartment, we've been able to let some pressure off by singing. We'd always go just the two of us (and sometimes some of our friends tag along!), and our sessions will be on a Friday afternoon (single staff frequent the place at night). We have a whale of a time! But we really owe them as we are sort of intruding; but they insist on us crashing their place and even carry a tune or two themselves.

Ckn's permanent playlist includes : Amy Search's 'Tiada Lagi', the whole Alleycats catalogue, and some Rahim Maarof's 'Cinta Kristal'. Ezal's playlist covers : Zainal Abidin, Alleycats as well and Lionel Richie - no Elton John 'Sacrifice' here, unfortunately!. We're quite 'competitive' when it comes to hogging the mic but we recently discovered some nice duets that helps reduce the hogging!

Good to have a choice of activities here in Khartoum then eh?

Ezal striking a pose near the massage chair, while Ckn is picking her next song. Our host, Azizan is so impressed with my singing that he had to sit down...

KMA - not so obvious slang...

I found this interesting link - about doctors' private slang used at the hospital - makes for fun reading! I had no idea my trusted doctor would be using these kind of abbreviations on their report - but then again, I'm not privy to their charts during my stay in the hospital!

Now if my cousin Azlie and his wife Nazlin can confirm if a similar lexicon is shared by our Malaysian doctors in Malaysia... if not, then may I share some suggestions:

• BK - "Buntut Kurap". Used by proctologists when inspecting one's derrier (sic..read : ass)
  
• GAEWFO - "Gave Atomic enema - wait for outburst". I guess this can be used from GPs to dentists...

Washing instructions (for those Stubborn ones)

Step 1
Collect stubborn ones. The timing is entirely up to you, but it is suggested that the following times are most ideal:

• After they have been playing non-stop for 2 hours
• After they have 'going to the toilet', but not at the toilet
• After your domicile acquires a 'comforting' smell and you can deduce that such smells come from the stubborn ones

Be careful; they may be strewn about in the house, or in corners where you would least likely to find them. Also, they may bite.

Step 2
For more stubborn ones, you must firstly give them a good soak. To do so, place a stubborn one into a pail half filled with water (for optimal results, please use warm water. cold water may cause shriveling). Clothing is optional.

Then, proceed to squeeze some soap into the pail and stubborn ones. Not too much as they have a side effect - they make the stubborn ones smell nice. See Illus. 1

Illus. 1 . The stubborn one must be carefully placed, in order to avoid yourself being splashed when soaking them. Please note the aforementioned biting (teeth)

Step 3
You may then proceed with the hand washing. Start at the top and work yourself downwards to the bottom. Otherwise, just start anywhere convenient to you as the stubborn ones are not known to stay dormant during this critical phase. You may find yourself occasionally losing the stubborn ones, as they have a habit of sliding everywhere and hiding. Please refer to step 1 on how to re-locate them in such circumstances.

Step 4
If you are satisfied with the hand wash results, you can then rinse the stubborn ones. Be sure to check all areas for leftover soap or suds. Also, it is best to make sure that there is no more 'leaking' from the stubborn ones, lest you find yourself feeling warm from said leaking when you carry them back from the washing.

Step 5
If you are NOT satisfied with the hand wash, you may then proceed to bring the stubborn ones into your top-loading washing machine. Top loaders are better, compared to front loaders, as they are easy to operate and the stubborn ones can be easily fit in it with the minimum of fuss. Washing instructions are the same as before, except for Step 3 as all the washing up is done by machine.

Just be sure to set the machine to 'super wash', 'hyper rinse' and 'spin to dry' functions to complete the wash. See Illus. 2

Illus. 2. This illustration shows the stubborn ones in the top-loader. Please ensure that the cover is completely closed, or risk losing the stubborn one. Again, please note the biting teeth.

Step 6
Repeat. Please note : YOUR RESULTS WILL VARY