I woke up at 5am to get my IC done. I then decided maybe a few minutes more sleep would do me good. I then woke up at 7am.
The streets of KL were still empty and the sun was only just peeking through the skyline. I planned to get there, queue up, get my number, go to work and come back to pick up my IC.
Easier said than done.
The JPN office at Maju Junction is on the 6th floor of the carpark. The queue went from the JPN office, zig-zagged throughout the entire carpark, then went down two more floors. This was going to be a fun morning.
After about an hour and a half I was on the 6th floor with a lot more zig-zags to go. Another hour and a half went past and I was halfway through the carpark. My dad called to see how I was, then asked if I wanted him to bring me a drink or something.
This is why I was putting myself through this hell because when my dad came over he was the polar opposite of the day before, looking happy (and, dare I say it, proud) and bringing me 100 plus and bread buns. I still don't understand why this whole 'getting an IC before the end of the year' is such a big deal to him. It's a real mountain-molehill situation. Whatever it is, at least he's happy.
As for me, being stuck in a queue for 5 and a half hours isn't exactly my idea of a swell morning. Especially when I ran out of cigarettes, the press came and some government minister popped over as a PR initiative.
The whole time that fucker was there in his bush jacket with hordes of PA's, cameramen and reporters surrounding him as he said hello to those in line, I prayed he'd come over to talk to me.
"Hi there, young man, how long have you been queueing up here?"
"Since 7 in the morning."
"Tsk tsk tsk... see what happens when you leave things to the last minute?"
And then I'd bitch-slap him. Right on national TV.
I now have no feeling in my legs and a number. I'm number 4128. When I was there they were on number 3289. The guy behind the counter said to come back at 8pm which meant having to reschedule my rehearsal with Y2k, much to the annoyance of the band and, less importantly, the guy running the studio.
Now, for those overseas who are curious about the new, technology based identification card here in Malaysia, let me let you in on what I've learnt so far:
1. The card not only holds your personal details, but also any criminal records, your health status, drivers license details & passport details.
2. The card can also be used as a switch card for transactions and a Touch n' Go (Touch n' Go cards are what's used to pay toll gates on roads).
3. All the information is safe. According to the cheap and tacky poster hung up on the government office's wall.
Try introducing that in England.
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