A Scary Experience of A Brief Memory Lapse

On 18 May 2024, I sent my wife to attend a reunion lunch organized by one of the former students of a class in St. John Tuaran. The gathering was held at a roadside restaurant along Jalan Sulaiman called D’Dalit Transit Tuaran, located in Kampung Lok Batik. Since the restaurant was just 7.5km from Tuaran Town, I decided to head into town for lunch at one of the local eateries after dropping her off.

My plan was to enjoy a plate of Tuaran Mee at the original founder’s outlet - Lok Kyun Restaurant. I believe this is the same place Junshi developed a liking for Tuaran Mee after tasting it during her first visit to Sabah in January 2009 (Read here). Unfortunately, the Tuaran Mee we had more recently at Restoran Tuaran Mee (Read here) in March this year - when Sam's family came for a week-long holiday in Kota Kinabalu - was disappointing and did not live up to our expectations.

To my dismay, Lok Kyun was closed on 18 May 2024 , apparently undergoing renovation. Not wanting to give up on my Tuaran Mee craving, I searched on my phone and discovered another outlet nearby - Tai Fatt Restaurant - also reputed to serve Tuaran Mee. This eatery happened to be within walking distance from Restoran Tuaran Mee.

I parked my car behind a row of shophouses and began walking in search of Tai Fatt. However, I had trouble locating it and eventually decided to retrieve my car and drive around instead. After a short search, I found a parking spot beside another row of shophouses and, finally, located Tai Fatt.

After finishing my meal, I walked back to the original car park to pick up my vehicle - only to find, to my horror, that the car wasn’t there. My immediate thought was: “My car has been stolen!” Panic set in as I mentally ran through my options. I considered heading straight to the police station to file a report and began planning how to inform my wife about the situation and arrange for alternative transport.

Just before making the police report, I decided to take one last walk around town in the hope of spotting the missing vehicle - perhaps, I thought, the carjacker might still be driving around nearby. As I turned a corner, I spotted a familiar-looking car parked beside a shop. At that moment, it hit me - I had moved the car earlier from the original car park!

I was overwhelmed with relief but also slightly shaken by this brief lapse in memory. What a rollercoaster of emotions over a simple bowl of noodles and a misplaced car!

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With the car "recovered", I was able to drive to visit Kampong Panandawan before picking up my wife later. Panandawan is a sizable native settlement just next to a bay which is 8.5Km from SMK St. John Tuaran. Many of the children in this Kampong choose to study in SMK St. John.

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When I went back to the restaurant to pick up my wife after their meal, I was asked to be their photographer for their group photo! These high school students are now in their early 50's after a span of over 35 years since my wife was their school principal in mid-1980s to mid-1990s!