Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Adaptation
On my first trip to VA and second trip to a cybercafe overall (for the sole purpose of multiplayer gaming), I finally understand how guys can game for hours and hours on end without fatigue.
They automatically assume the position of least energy: they slouch in their chairs, as far back as they can while at the same time keeping a visual on the screen, backbones seemingly dissolve in flacid muscle, and their jaw slackens considerably, attaining that gormless look that's so often likened to goldfish.
Their right hand rests on the mouse, wrist on the edge of the table, and their fingers follow the exact curve of the instrument so that no strain is involved in actually holding up any part of their body. Their left palm rests on the edge of the keyboard and they flick their fingers across the keys with maximum precision and minimum exertion.
Optically, they achieve a fine balance between relaxing their eyes while keeping the screen in as sharp a focus as needed for whatever particular game they're engrossed in.
Watching them play is a bit like stop-start animation, the bright lights of the computer dance in their glassy eyes or off their spectacles as all other organs cease to function and their nervous system moves into overdrive, making their fingers and wrists twitch in time to the demands of the game.
This is the zone.
They automatically assume the position of least energy: they slouch in their chairs, as far back as they can while at the same time keeping a visual on the screen, backbones seemingly dissolve in flacid muscle, and their jaw slackens considerably, attaining that gormless look that's so often likened to goldfish.
Their right hand rests on the mouse, wrist on the edge of the table, and their fingers follow the exact curve of the instrument so that no strain is involved in actually holding up any part of their body. Their left palm rests on the edge of the keyboard and they flick their fingers across the keys with maximum precision and minimum exertion.
Optically, they achieve a fine balance between relaxing their eyes while keeping the screen in as sharp a focus as needed for whatever particular game they're engrossed in.
Watching them play is a bit like stop-start animation, the bright lights of the computer dance in their glassy eyes or off their spectacles as all other organs cease to function and their nervous system moves into overdrive, making their fingers and wrists twitch in time to the demands of the game.
This is the zone.
Monday, August 29, 2005
I don't think I miss the bus
I was scared of this. A week away and I feel so out of my own life that it might as well be someone else's. That and the fact that Rudy has 10 new posts down which, over the course of seven days, isn't too bad I guess.
I was looking so forward to coming back. China's really interesting but people don't seem to understand the idea of personal space or hygiene. You'll be sure to find more posts on how my week on the road went as I find words to pin down the memories. But as I was saying, I was looking forward to coming back, but it's sorta an anticlimax to be honest.
I was looking so forward to coming back. China's really interesting but people don't seem to understand the idea of personal space or hygiene. You'll be sure to find more posts on how my week on the road went as I find words to pin down the memories. But as I was saying, I was looking forward to coming back, but it's sorta an anticlimax to be honest.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Hitting the road
Yea, I would say I'm pretty lazy. Hateash got it right on the money. I could say that I'm lazy about everything other than work or the stuff I'm interested in, but I guess some people just wouldn't be convinced. It's pretty hard to shift a preconception at any given time, especially in today's cynical world - nothing gets by you, eh?
Anyhow, in about four and a half hours, I'm off to Shanghai. It's a tour - which saves my parents a lot of hassle, but then again, it's a tour - so there'll be a large degree of stress I'd imagine; it's always so difficult to move a family of five on time.
This should be good. It's been a while since we've been together for longer than the duration of a meal, and the entire tour's conducted in Chinese so my sister, who hasn't slept all night, is putting together a guidebook. Only not really, 'cause I think she's spending more time talking to her 'friend'. Ahem.
So that's why I'm up at 4am tying up all my lose ends which involve apologizing to Audz for not calling her back in time, leaving Weng with last minute instructions on how to handle my various accounts, filling up my water bottle, and setting up my FF team for this week. Important stuff.
My doggie's at the kennels. Mum left Bryan and I with the worst ever job of leaving her there and turning our backs on the saddest look in the world. She went nuts. It was all very upsetting.
So I'll get back to you in about seven days. Toodles.
Anyhow, in about four and a half hours, I'm off to Shanghai. It's a tour - which saves my parents a lot of hassle, but then again, it's a tour - so there'll be a large degree of stress I'd imagine; it's always so difficult to move a family of five on time.
This should be good. It's been a while since we've been together for longer than the duration of a meal, and the entire tour's conducted in Chinese so my sister, who hasn't slept all night, is putting together a guidebook. Only not really, 'cause I think she's spending more time talking to her 'friend'. Ahem.
So that's why I'm up at 4am tying up all my lose ends which involve apologizing to Audz for not calling her back in time, leaving Weng with last minute instructions on how to handle my various accounts, filling up my water bottle, and setting up my FF team for this week. Important stuff.
My doggie's at the kennels. Mum left Bryan and I with the worst ever job of leaving her there and turning our backs on the saddest look in the world. She went nuts. It was all very upsetting.
So I'll get back to you in about seven days. Toodles.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Busy like a squirl
I jarred my finger this morning during basketball because I can't really catch early in the morning or at any other time of the day for that matter, so it feels like I've got a gherkin attached to my knuckle in place of my first finger and typing is challenging.
I saw Audrey today for the first time in a good year or two and goodness do I miss her. I would tell her I love her only she'd probably punch me, lol - she hasn't changed a bit!
Salsa ends next week only I'll miss that class because I'll be in Shanghai, which is supposed to be a helluva lot hotter than here. We always pick the best time to go. The first time we went to Europe was during that 40degree heatwave. It looks like this year's no different.
My only gripe of today: I wish people would take a good look at themselves before they get all righteous on my ass, and annonymously too, about embarrassment, bitchiness, and culture.
And y'know, I'd work but can't, for the following reasons:
I saw Audrey today for the first time in a good year or two and goodness do I miss her. I would tell her I love her only she'd probably punch me, lol - she hasn't changed a bit!
Salsa ends next week only I'll miss that class because I'll be in Shanghai, which is supposed to be a helluva lot hotter than here. We always pick the best time to go. The first time we went to Europe was during that 40degree heatwave. It looks like this year's no different.
My only gripe of today: I wish people would take a good look at themselves before they get all righteous on my ass, and annonymously too, about embarrassment, bitchiness, and culture.
And y'know, I'd work but can't, for the following reasons:
- I'm not allowed to work here because I'm not Malaysian and they're dwaddling over PR-ship.
- I'm not in my penultimate year so I have another summer and the rest of my life to work.
- This summer is for my family before studying and working abroad kicks in and I spend the rest of my life missing them.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Perfect punctuation
I'm like '...'.
Rarely has punctuation ever expressed something so completely.
It feels like one of those days where you're so stretched out that you feel thin and tired all over. One of those days that lasts much longer than its designated 24 and much much longer than is really healthy. It's been one of those days.
And Charlie and the Chocolate factory is...weird.
Rarely has punctuation ever expressed something so completely.
It feels like one of those days where you're so stretched out that you feel thin and tired all over. One of those days that lasts much longer than its designated 24 and much much longer than is really healthy. It's been one of those days.
And Charlie and the Chocolate factory is...weird.
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Aware but not
I have finally caught onto The Game, the earlier realisation of which could have saved me weeks and weeks of nagging. Then again, just because you know about The Game doesn't mean that you're automatically good at it and I'm up against some real pros who learn, and learn fast, from my mistakes.
The Players: Bryan, Cheryl, and Me
The Aim of the Game: to chalk up the least amount of nagging and the maximum time spent being unproductive.
My mother hates unproductivity i.e. anything that's not chores/studying/improving yourself. She's not a complete tyrant, she understands the need to waste some time online, which is usually about 20 minutes a day.
In this day and age who spends 20 minutes online? That's barely enough time to visit all your daily sites or must-hits much less entertain your adoring public (even if my adoring public seems to consist of three individuals). Then again, it's a good thing she's out a lot.
So the game goes like this. All three of us will sit around being 'productive', which means watching a documentary or revising or playing one of the various musical instruments we begged so hard to learn and later gave up, and the minute her footsteps disappear down the corridor, we make a free-for-all dash to the computer. This pretty much occupies the rest of the day until she gets back.
Five minutes beforehand however, everyone's supposed to leave the PC and do chores so that when she does come back we're all in a state of domestic fervour. This makes her happy and less inclined to nag or scold.
The trick is to somehow know when exactly she's coming back so you can save your own ass in time. Only I'm really crap at this so I always end up as the lazy, lacking in initiative child that gets a right earful. Cheryl's really good at this game, and Bryan knows all the right things to say to get her to stop lecturing him.
So points-wise I'm way behind and I think the three months spent away every term just eats away at what little alertness I have left so I always come home and end up being the scapegoat. It really sucks.
The Players: Bryan, Cheryl, and Me
The Aim of the Game: to chalk up the least amount of nagging and the maximum time spent being unproductive.
My mother hates unproductivity i.e. anything that's not chores/studying/improving yourself. She's not a complete tyrant, she understands the need to waste some time online, which is usually about 20 minutes a day.
In this day and age who spends 20 minutes online? That's barely enough time to visit all your daily sites or must-hits much less entertain your adoring public (even if my adoring public seems to consist of three individuals). Then again, it's a good thing she's out a lot.
So the game goes like this. All three of us will sit around being 'productive', which means watching a documentary or revising or playing one of the various musical instruments we begged so hard to learn and later gave up, and the minute her footsteps disappear down the corridor, we make a free-for-all dash to the computer. This pretty much occupies the rest of the day until she gets back.
Five minutes beforehand however, everyone's supposed to leave the PC and do chores so that when she does come back we're all in a state of domestic fervour. This makes her happy and less inclined to nag or scold.
The trick is to somehow know when exactly she's coming back so you can save your own ass in time. Only I'm really crap at this so I always end up as the lazy, lacking in initiative child that gets a right earful. Cheryl's really good at this game, and Bryan knows all the right things to say to get her to stop lecturing him.
So points-wise I'm way behind and I think the three months spent away every term just eats away at what little alertness I have left so I always come home and end up being the scapegoat. It really sucks.
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Westernised beauty
It seems that ang-moh faces have more marketing value. They're everywhere. Caucasian or caucasian lookalikes that grace our Asian billboards as if they're a higher species of human saying "Here, buy this, we've endorsed it with our aqualine noses and deepset eyes."
I'm not bitter that my nose doesn't have much of a bridge, but I can see the casting agents now, "Ah okay, goot, you look abit angmoh, can can" and picking her over another less chiselled face just because the other girl lucked out in the gene pool or because her great-grandmother didn't dally with a British officer.
Is it our colonial past that we makes us hold on to the preconception that white skin and anything-but-black hair will put you well on the way to being beautiful? I guess that means the majority of Asians will only end up being cute or at the most exotic and never attain Kelly-Brooke-status without a team of plastic surgeons and a massive bill.
It's so wrong. We're on the rise and almost equals of our Western counterparts (oh damn, Colonial brainwashing strikes again) so surely we should determine the meaning of skin-deep beauty? We have the bigger market.
But until ideas change, I'm quite happy to sit here with my black hair and stubby nose secretly wishing that maybe just for a day, I could be red-headed, green eyed, and svelte.
I'm not bitter that my nose doesn't have much of a bridge, but I can see the casting agents now, "Ah okay, goot, you look abit angmoh, can can" and picking her over another less chiselled face just because the other girl lucked out in the gene pool or because her great-grandmother didn't dally with a British officer.
Is it our colonial past that we makes us hold on to the preconception that white skin and anything-but-black hair will put you well on the way to being beautiful? I guess that means the majority of Asians will only end up being cute or at the most exotic and never attain Kelly-Brooke-status without a team of plastic surgeons and a massive bill.
It's so wrong. We're on the rise and almost equals of our Western counterparts (oh damn, Colonial brainwashing strikes again) so surely we should determine the meaning of skin-deep beauty? We have the bigger market.
But until ideas change, I'm quite happy to sit here with my black hair and stubby nose secretly wishing that maybe just for a day, I could be red-headed, green eyed, and svelte.
Who needs a megaphone
I was woken up by a shrill, "Do I have to drive myself??!!!" so you can guess what the rest of my day felt like.
I was exhausted. Last night's social outing must've been too much for me to handle, even if it was just dinner, chitchat, and a few games of Connect 4, so I had to be dragged out of one of those gloopy dreams you have that don't want to let you go. It was about hundreds of snails, slugs, and bugs anyway.
Other exciting news: Charlie and the Chocolate factory happens on Friday. Then it's EPL, EPL, F1, EPL (yay!), and Monday sees us flying to Shanghai. I really hope the weather breaks.
I was exhausted. Last night's social outing must've been too much for me to handle, even if it was just dinner, chitchat, and a few games of Connect 4, so I had to be dragged out of one of those gloopy dreams you have that don't want to let you go. It was about hundreds of snails, slugs, and bugs anyway.
Other exciting news: Charlie and the Chocolate factory happens on Friday. Then it's EPL, EPL, F1, EPL (yay!), and Monday sees us flying to Shanghai. I really hope the weather breaks.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Saturday seems so far away
Fantasty football has completely taken over my weekend and many of my MSN convos. When I talk to Sean and Rudy, it's all about football and they were extremely gracious (after the initial gloating) and dispensed with a few helpful pointers, which I'm not going to share here because the points are just too precious - there's a good reason why they're sitting in the top three along with Tish "The Treble" Tham.
Then there's the compulsion to tinker with your team that threatens to take over the rest of the week as other players seem more risk-worthy than others. Too many choices.
It's also given Weng and I something else to talk about. We spend endless hours with each other on the phone being geeks - talking about computer games and football. There hardly seems to be enough hours in the day to fit everything into the conversation.
I'm lovin' it!
Then there's the compulsion to tinker with your team that threatens to take over the rest of the week as other players seem more risk-worthy than others. Too many choices.
It's also given Weng and I something else to talk about. We spend endless hours with each other on the phone being geeks - talking about computer games and football. There hardly seems to be enough hours in the day to fit everything into the conversation.
I'm lovin' it!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Counting chickens
Monday is the most blah day of the week.
Things that really suck are as follows:
Things that really suck are as follows:
- I dropped from sixth to eighth in the league and the learning curve is intimidatingly steep.
- I'm losing lots of fake money in Puzzlepirates because I'm a horrendous gambler.
- I've spent most of today doing laundry because since my sister came back it's increased fourfold.
- I'm so bored
- I still can't speak french.
- Summer's past the half way mark.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Let the points roll in, please
I really should learn my lesson about crap talking, i.e. don't do it. I'm sitting a cosy sixth after the first day of matches and you could say I'm leading the back half of the pack because fifth place is a full ten points infront. Hopefully the today's matches will go in my favour and put a little bit of credability into my footballing comments - it's a long shot though.
It's also half way through the Wigan-Chelsea match and I'd have to say it has a very Disney feel to it. It's the classic story of the underdogs against the giants, and Wigan are making Chelsea look a little less than champions. I mean Chelsea still look quite good, but Wigan have spent 45 minutes making them look clumsy. It's awesome, and would be even more so if I hadn't got Del Horno and Terry sitting in my defence. The conflict of interests is irritating because I can't watch a match without taking sides.
I'm completely exhausted but fully determined to see out the first weekend of football +sigh+. It feels like good t.v. programming has finally come back.
It's also half way through the Wigan-Chelsea match and I'd have to say it has a very Disney feel to it. It's the classic story of the underdogs against the giants, and Wigan are making Chelsea look a little less than champions. I mean Chelsea still look quite good, but Wigan have spent 45 minutes making them look clumsy. It's awesome, and would be even more so if I hadn't got Del Horno and Terry sitting in my defence. The conflict of interests is irritating because I can't watch a match without taking sides.
I'm completely exhausted but fully determined to see out the first weekend of football +sigh+. It feels like good t.v. programming has finally come back.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Oh joy, football!
I've never been so psyched about the season starting again. I think it's been helped along significantly by the fact that Liverpool pulled a miracle out of their ass and won the CL last year and that I've got a lot of ego, pride, and huge amounts of craptalk riding on Ben's fantasy football league.
The haze lifted today and the sun was beautiful, if a bit piercing. My eyes had been so used to the depressing gloom of the last week or so. Still no rain though, so everything's a little dry.
My sister's back so I don't think I'll be hearing a lot of anything but HawaiiHawaiiHawaii.
My dog tracked and mauled a lizard this afternoon and was proud of it too as she dragged it around the house showing everyone.
The haze lifted today and the sun was beautiful, if a bit piercing. My eyes had been so used to the depressing gloom of the last week or so. Still no rain though, so everything's a little dry.
My sister's back so I don't think I'll be hearing a lot of anything but HawaiiHawaiiHawaii.
My dog tracked and mauled a lizard this afternoon and was proud of it too as she dragged it around the house showing everyone.
Friday, August 12, 2005
For you
Thank you for sharing
My best moments, when my family just couldn't be there.
My worst moments, when it felt like nobody was there.
And all my inbetween moments, with that ever ready grin.
Thank you for knowing
Absolutely everything about me. I think you know me better than I know myself.
How to make me smile all the time. You probably live with a stress level nearer a bombsquad.
How to cook, clean, and do laundry. You have no idea how grateful I am.
Thank you for teaching me
Patience. For building up my much needed reserves over the last couple of years.
Understanding. Kind of like patience, so that I generally don't fly off the handle so much anymore.
Accounting. Haha, you knew this was coming. I still don't really have a head for columnised numbers, but they're a little less murky.
Quick comebacks. Totally vital.
Thank you for bringing me
Laughter. For all those long running jokes that we can share with a look, for the pranks and goofing off sessions.
Flowers. For the few and far between roses that make me appreciate them all the more.
Out for dinner or that necessary breather. For reminding me to relax.
Back to God. Possibly the most precious gift of all.
Thank you for loving me.
My best moments, when my family just couldn't be there.
My worst moments, when it felt like nobody was there.
And all my inbetween moments, with that ever ready grin.
Thank you for knowing
Absolutely everything about me. I think you know me better than I know myself.
How to make me smile all the time. You probably live with a stress level nearer a bombsquad.
How to cook, clean, and do laundry. You have no idea how grateful I am.
Thank you for teaching me
Patience. For building up my much needed reserves over the last couple of years.
Understanding. Kind of like patience, so that I generally don't fly off the handle so much anymore.
Accounting. Haha, you knew this was coming. I still don't really have a head for columnised numbers, but they're a little less murky.
Quick comebacks. Totally vital.
Thank you for bringing me
Laughter. For all those long running jokes that we can share with a look, for the pranks and goofing off sessions.
Flowers. For the few and far between roses that make me appreciate them all the more.
Out for dinner or that necessary breather. For reminding me to relax.
Back to God. Possibly the most precious gift of all.
Thank you for loving me.
I'm aaliive!!
Mg it feels good to see both of those tiny computers blinking at the same time with that encouraging light blue that tells you you have cyberspace at your fingertips.
I don't know what was going on all day with the network. My desperation drove me to dig out my old modem and and plug my baby right into the wall in the hopes that I wouldn't have to spend Friday night watching documentary after documentary the way I'd spent the whole of today watching documentary after documentary in a haze inflicted stupor.
Cheryl's coming home tomorrow, which is great because she's the only one who knows how to fix the network. Then again, it means I have to beg some money off my mum and hit the mall early tomorrow to dig up a suitable birthday present. I know I had all week.
I had something really good to say but I've forgotten. I'm going to go Puzzlepirating now to make up for all my lost time today! Whee! I have internet!
I don't know what was going on all day with the network. My desperation drove me to dig out my old modem and and plug my baby right into the wall in the hopes that I wouldn't have to spend Friday night watching documentary after documentary the way I'd spent the whole of today watching documentary after documentary in a haze inflicted stupor.
Cheryl's coming home tomorrow, which is great because she's the only one who knows how to fix the network. Then again, it means I have to beg some money off my mum and hit the mall early tomorrow to dig up a suitable birthday present. I know I had all week.
I had something really good to say but I've forgotten. I'm going to go Puzzlepirating now to make up for all my lost time today! Whee! I have internet!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
Gritty eyes and rising numbers
This is really something. We seem to be the only area that's affected by the haze. I remember last time it was the entire peninsula and Borneo as well. It must be the geography of this area that allows the wind to funnel the smoke into the Klang Valley. Only.
How easy it is to turn around and blame it on Indonesia. What complete and utter crap.
We had to dig out the air filters today, so they're blasting away and they seem to be losing unfortunately. KL seems to be definitely heading towards a state of emergency.
Bewitched was so-so, and no, it's not the one about the genie. I'm totally in love with the old black and white series but this one didn't measure up. There were a couple of good lines, but the rest of the show fell flat.
How easy it is to turn around and blame it on Indonesia. What complete and utter crap.
We had to dig out the air filters today, so they're blasting away and they seem to be losing unfortunately. KL seems to be definitely heading towards a state of emergency.
Bewitched was so-so, and no, it's not the one about the genie. I'm totally in love with the old black and white series but this one didn't measure up. There were a couple of good lines, but the rest of the show fell flat.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
More dreaming
The haze is just getting worse. It wafts its way into everything, seeping into clothes, airconditioning systems, and lungs. KL feels and smells like a giant smokehouse with a hint of grease and an infusion of grime.
I've had a lot of time alone to just sit and think. It's true I've probably overthought everything, including the bits of life that should probably stayed glossed over, but one of the things I've been thinking about more and more is my wedding.
I love dreaming about what it's going to be like - the exact shade of white, the music, how pretty it could be. Maybe it's a little girl thing, although I'm not sure how true that is nowadays.
Don't confuse it with marriage though, although that's definitely going to be a chapter somewhere along the way, and no, I'm not going to go Monica-crazy and have a wedding book that just sits there growing fatter and fatter the longer I stay unmarried or unengaged.
It's just nice to sit there in a happy thought, hoping that there'll be a day in my future that involves a glass of champagne, a beautiful bouquet of dark red roses, and a gorgeous strapless gown that's just barely off-white.
It'll probably be expensive.
I've had a lot of time alone to just sit and think. It's true I've probably overthought everything, including the bits of life that should probably stayed glossed over, but one of the things I've been thinking about more and more is my wedding.
I love dreaming about what it's going to be like - the exact shade of white, the music, how pretty it could be. Maybe it's a little girl thing, although I'm not sure how true that is nowadays.
Don't confuse it with marriage though, although that's definitely going to be a chapter somewhere along the way, and no, I'm not going to go Monica-crazy and have a wedding book that just sits there growing fatter and fatter the longer I stay unmarried or unengaged.
It's just nice to sit there in a happy thought, hoping that there'll be a day in my future that involves a glass of champagne, a beautiful bouquet of dark red roses, and a gorgeous strapless gown that's just barely off-white.
It'll probably be expensive.
I dream of Ben
I've finally joined Ben's yahoo fantasy soccer league thing after so many years of hearing Tish talk about it - that's how his Friday nights are taken up, prepping his squad for the weekend.
Anyhow, last night I dreamt that I totally forgot to buy any players for the first weekend and I was panicking so hard that Ben would kick me out of the group, and that Tish was shaking his head and Ben was coming after me. It was so real! I even remember logging on and seeing, much to my dismay, all eleven blank spaces. Have I really been thinking about it that much?
But no matter, I shall be sure to carefully choose my squad for this weekend under the guidance of master Tish who's won it more times than anybody, i.e. twice.
Anyhow, last night I dreamt that I totally forgot to buy any players for the first weekend and I was panicking so hard that Ben would kick me out of the group, and that Tish was shaking his head and Ben was coming after me. It was so real! I even remember logging on and seeing, much to my dismay, all eleven blank spaces. Have I really been thinking about it that much?
But no matter, I shall be sure to carefully choose my squad for this weekend under the guidance of master Tish who's won it more times than anybody, i.e. twice.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Happy Birthday Cheryl and Nick
Happy seventeenth birthday Cheryl! I hope you have a wonderful year ahead filled with many traffic lights and car bumpers! I can't wait for you to get your driving license!
Happy third birthday Nick, we 'iss oo 'o muhsh 'di!
I love you both so so much!
Happy third birthday Nick, we 'iss oo 'o muhsh 'di!
I love you both so so much!
Sunday, August 07, 2005
The Puppeteer
I cringed every time the corner of her mouth twitched, ready for an aural onslaught that could melt earwax. As her nose began to wrinkle in the middle of a red, angry face, her eyes darted back and forth looking for an unsuspecting victim or a sympathiser, carefully gauging the reactions of her audience. She began to draw a deep breath.
They quickly scooped a small slice of cake onto her plate and helpfully handed her spoon back to her, her facial muscles relaxed. Maybe later. She could play them like her colourful wooden glockenspiel at home anyway.
The 18-month-old was appeased for now.
They quickly scooped a small slice of cake onto her plate and helpfully handed her spoon back to her, her facial muscles relaxed. Maybe later. She could play them like her colourful wooden glockenspiel at home anyway.
The 18-month-old was appeased for now.
What I did during my weekend
There's something about that first breath of air or first step on Singaporean soil that always gently nudges some of my rusty patriotic synapses into life. Perhaps it's because we always come back to Singapore around National Day when you see hundreds of flats proudly flying the moon and stars or strings of those colorful triangles bearing the stylised lion's head. But it soon had my brother and mother going full force on why Singapore's so great and me marvelling at how identical all their trees are.
My cousin is turning three in a couple of days. My mum and his mum are the only ones who seem to understand Baby. I have to usually take a minute or two after he's finished talking to translate it into English, which naturally makes me look very stupid so I have to thank him for his patience.
Most of Friday was spent waiting at the hospital. Thankfully my grandma came through her op with flying colours. She was even lively enough to complain about the waiting time. Eight hours is absolutely ages - I guess there was much to discuss about the earlier cases that went in.
Saturday was spent on Orchard Road, more or less. After my brother ended up with the funniest IC picture ever and my grandma was discharged, we headed to Swenson's where we ate ourselves sick.
Then, in accordance with tradition (everytime we come here we have to hit one of the big bookstores) we stopped at Kino. I went in with the intention of buying a novel of sorts and came out with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning French. The lady in the line behind me asked why The Idiot's Guide. Mum and I figured that since it was a third edition, they must be doing something right.
A little more shopping that afternoon came up with a pair of trainers and a top. I've been horribly brainwashed by Weng and this whole branding thing. I resolved not to get anything Nike when I walked into the store, but came out with a pair bearing the all-famous swoosh. They were just so pretty.
Last night was the piece de resistance of our trip. We tried a seafood place and found ourselves being entertained by a live band. Quite interesting. They called themselves Revival, and aptly so because a couple of songs in, a grey-haird man who looks like your run-of-the-mill 'I have a mehsaydiz and a lollex' uncle took the stage to belt out a two Elvis hits, accompanied by his favorite dance move - a quick study in epilepsy.
There was a brief interlude when a Tamil guy got up in the heat of his nationalistic pride and proceeded to perform a self-written song (in Tamil) that seemed to involve and extraordinary amount of nurnurnuhh and lalala. I'm not familiar with the language so I really couldn't say.
After the National Day song, that darling senior citizen came back out in a white and gold spangly Elvis costume!! Talk about entertainment value!! Oh boy, do we know how to have fun!!1! Unfortunately it was getting late and we couldn't stay for the encore.
Anyhow, the haze really doesn't seem to affect anywhere else except for KL. We could almost see the wall of muck rearing its ugly head a little past Nilai. It seems to cling to this city like a bad cough.
While my dog proceeds to dash around the house making sure absolutely everything is in order (I can hear her panting up the stairs), I'd like to introduce you to Ashley The Runaway Pig. My Aunt thought it was funny so she bought it for me.
My cousin is turning three in a couple of days. My mum and his mum are the only ones who seem to understand Baby. I have to usually take a minute or two after he's finished talking to translate it into English, which naturally makes me look very stupid so I have to thank him for his patience.
Most of Friday was spent waiting at the hospital. Thankfully my grandma came through her op with flying colours. She was even lively enough to complain about the waiting time. Eight hours is absolutely ages - I guess there was much to discuss about the earlier cases that went in.
Saturday was spent on Orchard Road, more or less. After my brother ended up with the funniest IC picture ever and my grandma was discharged, we headed to Swenson's where we ate ourselves sick.
Then, in accordance with tradition (everytime we come here we have to hit one of the big bookstores) we stopped at Kino. I went in with the intention of buying a novel of sorts and came out with The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning French. The lady in the line behind me asked why The Idiot's Guide. Mum and I figured that since it was a third edition, they must be doing something right.
A little more shopping that afternoon came up with a pair of trainers and a top. I've been horribly brainwashed by Weng and this whole branding thing. I resolved not to get anything Nike when I walked into the store, but came out with a pair bearing the all-famous swoosh. They were just so pretty.
Last night was the piece de resistance of our trip. We tried a seafood place and found ourselves being entertained by a live band. Quite interesting. They called themselves Revival, and aptly so because a couple of songs in, a grey-haird man who looks like your run-of-the-mill 'I have a mehsaydiz and a lollex' uncle took the stage to belt out a two Elvis hits, accompanied by his favorite dance move - a quick study in epilepsy.
There was a brief interlude when a Tamil guy got up in the heat of his nationalistic pride and proceeded to perform a self-written song (in Tamil) that seemed to involve and extraordinary amount of nurnurnuhh and lalala. I'm not familiar with the language so I really couldn't say.
After the National Day song, that darling senior citizen came back out in a white and gold spangly Elvis costume!! Talk about entertainment value!! Oh boy, do we know how to have fun!!1! Unfortunately it was getting late and we couldn't stay for the encore.
Anyhow, the haze really doesn't seem to affect anywhere else except for KL. We could almost see the wall of muck rearing its ugly head a little past Nilai. It seems to cling to this city like a bad cough.
While my dog proceeds to dash around the house making sure absolutely everything is in order (I can hear her panting up the stairs), I'd like to introduce you to Ashley The Runaway Pig. My Aunt thought it was funny so she bought it for me.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
My happy place
I finally satisfied my three month old char kway teow craving and we laughed about how cheap the restaurant was, charging RM1.20 for a mug of chinese tea that wasn't even freeflow. In fact we laughed about everything.
We walked hand in hand past all the signs screaming Sale!!, gawked at the animals in the pet shop, and shared the last bubble tea from the takeaway counter. Then, sitting on a bench, we talked about everything from religion to Malaysian geography.
Everytime an unfortunate soul crossed our peripheral vision, we'd nudge each other and quickly speculate about what drove the person to dress, walk, talk, or act in their remarkable way before reverting to the latest topic of discussion, quite smug in our own little world, kinda like a pair of goldfish.
I finally understand how two people can be in the noisiest, most crowded place ever but still be completely wrapped up in each other.
I love nights like this, when you aren't there because of things to do but when you've got time to just be with that other person and enjoy the individual that is them.
We walked hand in hand past all the signs screaming Sale!!, gawked at the animals in the pet shop, and shared the last bubble tea from the takeaway counter. Then, sitting on a bench, we talked about everything from religion to Malaysian geography.
Everytime an unfortunate soul crossed our peripheral vision, we'd nudge each other and quickly speculate about what drove the person to dress, walk, talk, or act in their remarkable way before reverting to the latest topic of discussion, quite smug in our own little world, kinda like a pair of goldfish.
I finally understand how two people can be in the noisiest, most crowded place ever but still be completely wrapped up in each other.
I love nights like this, when you aren't there because of things to do but when you've got time to just be with that other person and enjoy the individual that is them.
Technological parallels
Weng made a really interesting comparison the other day after I had put him on hold for a couple of minutes and he fell asleep waiting for me.
He said he was like a pentium 4 and I was like a really old computer. He said it was because all of his processes can close more or less simultaneously allowing him to shut down incredibly quickly, whereas I needed to close each application one by one before coming close to settling for the night.
I think I'd like to give him his pentium 4 because during operation it often malfunctions/hangs and we all know that while sometimes Mr. Lee's so sharp he could cut himself but at the same time he is the one who trademarked the phrase "Huh? What? Huh?".
I don't remember old computers ever having so many software problems - probably because there wasn't all that much software to start with, but I don't think I ever shut down, it's more like hibernation.
That's all for today's deep, meaningful analogy.
Yea, he's a geek, but I love him.
He said he was like a pentium 4 and I was like a really old computer. He said it was because all of his processes can close more or less simultaneously allowing him to shut down incredibly quickly, whereas I needed to close each application one by one before coming close to settling for the night.
I think I'd like to give him his pentium 4 because during operation it often malfunctions/hangs and we all know that while sometimes Mr. Lee's so sharp he could cut himself but at the same time he is the one who trademarked the phrase "Huh? What? Huh?".
I don't remember old computers ever having so many software problems - probably because there wasn't all that much software to start with, but I don't think I ever shut down, it's more like hibernation.
That's all for today's deep, meaningful analogy.
Yea, he's a geek, but I love him.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
I love my dog but
I scratched the other car today. I'm really on a roll.
Or maybe I'm just tired, or the haze is really getting to me.
My dog likes to live on the edge I've realised. That's why she uses all those naps to recharge her adrenaline stores. Today she decided to pick on an Alsatian. I was walking her on one side of the road and the Alsatian was happily minding its own business on the other side. Perdy suddenly started to act all perky and friendly and made a mad dash to the other side to check out this dog.
My dog is not, in actual fact, friendly at all. She's a sly, antisocial furball that thinks she's human and that all other dogs irritate her. So after she'd fooled this Alsatian into thinking that she wanted to play, the Alsatian (called Venus) trotted over to say hello. Perdy then turned on her with a vicious snap and plenty of annoyed yelping while at the same time drawing Venus into the middle of the road.
Several cars had to stop while we tried to help 50kg of horribly confused and betrayed dog off the yellow dotted line and at the same time shut up my armful of yapping fury. I was mortified.
Did she not see that the Alsatian was three times her size and could've easily bit her head right off? She barely made it to the dog's elbow. What a nutter. And when I was scolding her, she had the gall to look at me in puzzlement.
Or maybe I'm just tired, or the haze is really getting to me.
My dog likes to live on the edge I've realised. That's why she uses all those naps to recharge her adrenaline stores. Today she decided to pick on an Alsatian. I was walking her on one side of the road and the Alsatian was happily minding its own business on the other side. Perdy suddenly started to act all perky and friendly and made a mad dash to the other side to check out this dog.
My dog is not, in actual fact, friendly at all. She's a sly, antisocial furball that thinks she's human and that all other dogs irritate her. So after she'd fooled this Alsatian into thinking that she wanted to play, the Alsatian (called Venus) trotted over to say hello. Perdy then turned on her with a vicious snap and plenty of annoyed yelping while at the same time drawing Venus into the middle of the road.
Several cars had to stop while we tried to help 50kg of horribly confused and betrayed dog off the yellow dotted line and at the same time shut up my armful of yapping fury. I was mortified.
Did she not see that the Alsatian was three times her size and could've easily bit her head right off? She barely made it to the dog's elbow. What a nutter. And when I was scolding her, she had the gall to look at me in puzzlement.
Resisting change
Every summer has a theme. This one seems to be leaning towards desperately quiet. I miss the ones that had 'friendship' written all over them.
Two years in uni and more has changed than we realise. Like Tish said, I guess now's the time you find out who your real friends are. Everytime I turn around and realise I've grown apart from someone who was there through secondary school promising friends forever, whether through my own fault or not, it hurts.
I'd like to act spoilt for a bit and demand in general that groups of friends can't disband. That we can hang out with other people and stuff, but that we stay loyal and true to the ones who've seen it all. Don't they know how much it sucks when so much as one old face is missing? How selfish people can be. I just want to keep them all together in bubble wrap and sellotape, jealously guarding something that has brought so much joy into my life against outsiders who have no right to be there because they just don't know.
And I miss them so much. I miss being able to relax in their company, not to have to put my guard up all the time and watch what I say. I miss feeling like every piece of the puzzle's in place and I miss living in the moment surrounded by peals of laughter.
It feels like such a big part of life is broken, and I don't know how to fix it.
Two years in uni and more has changed than we realise. Like Tish said, I guess now's the time you find out who your real friends are. Everytime I turn around and realise I've grown apart from someone who was there through secondary school promising friends forever, whether through my own fault or not, it hurts.
I'd like to act spoilt for a bit and demand in general that groups of friends can't disband. That we can hang out with other people and stuff, but that we stay loyal and true to the ones who've seen it all. Don't they know how much it sucks when so much as one old face is missing? How selfish people can be. I just want to keep them all together in bubble wrap and sellotape, jealously guarding something that has brought so much joy into my life against outsiders who have no right to be there because they just don't know.
And I miss them so much. I miss being able to relax in their company, not to have to put my guard up all the time and watch what I say. I miss feeling like every piece of the puzzle's in place and I miss living in the moment surrounded by peals of laughter.
It feels like such a big part of life is broken, and I don't know how to fix it.
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
A little excitement
I'm hardly ever allowed to drive on unfamiliar roads by myself, so I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to anything outside of Mt. Kiara, Bangsar, and certain parts of PJ. Batu Caves is no where on my repertoire, so when I had to go and pick up the car from the service center I was panicking slightly, which only increased when I dazedly drove past the KL/Ipoh exit with a faintly bemused Bugger.
The next few kilometers went something like ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit, worrying that I'd end up on the interstate. But it was okay. I found a U-turn in Kepong, negotiated a tricky Malaysian roundabout filled mostly with irate drivers, and was more or less safely on my way home.
I can barely handle the tank of a Merc on roads I could drive blindfolded so I was fairly proud of myself when I pulled into my condo and the car wasn't sporting a single scratch, merely a faint layer of dust. I even got it around the corners and ramps of our multi-storey carpark before backing into the parking lot and into the wall.
Good thing I wasn't going fast - the gut wrenching crunch sounded worse than it implied, and there wasn't any damage that you couldn't wipe off with some spit and a sleeve. Thankfully, I didn't put out a light or anything, otherwise it would've been back to the workshop.
The next few kilometers went something like ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit, worrying that I'd end up on the interstate. But it was okay. I found a U-turn in Kepong, negotiated a tricky Malaysian roundabout filled mostly with irate drivers, and was more or less safely on my way home.
I can barely handle the tank of a Merc on roads I could drive blindfolded so I was fairly proud of myself when I pulled into my condo and the car wasn't sporting a single scratch, merely a faint layer of dust. I even got it around the corners and ramps of our multi-storey carpark before backing into the parking lot and into the wall.
Good thing I wasn't going fast - the gut wrenching crunch sounded worse than it implied, and there wasn't any damage that you couldn't wipe off with some spit and a sleeve. Thankfully, I didn't put out a light or anything, otherwise it would've been back to the workshop.
Out of touch
I got my breakdown. The numbers are interesting to say the least. Nice big numbers don't look as bad as percentages. Not a bad second year overall, but if I have to work that hard for the next year and the next, I'm going to be so much closer to insanity. This is crazy. I'll be totally burnt out before the career even begins.
It was Evan's birthday yesterday. His birthday is always much anticipated because it always brings together so many people you haven't seen in a while and this year was no different.
Weng and I made him a card because we couldn't find one that was just right. What you get for letting an Econs student fold a piece of A4 card in half is a 1cm strip left over. I couldn't understand it either, but I think the card turned out pretty good in the end. A commendable effort for a half hour's work. He even made an envelope. I think all that tax accountancy stuff he's doing this summer is really inhibiting his creativity.
We had a pretty intense heart to heart last night. I didn't realise I had locked up a lot of stuff. He didn't realise anything was actually wrong. Funny how things can fall apart underneath everything else.
It was Evan's birthday yesterday. His birthday is always much anticipated because it always brings together so many people you haven't seen in a while and this year was no different.
Weng and I made him a card because we couldn't find one that was just right. What you get for letting an Econs student fold a piece of A4 card in half is a 1cm strip left over. I couldn't understand it either, but I think the card turned out pretty good in the end. A commendable effort for a half hour's work. He even made an envelope. I think all that tax accountancy stuff he's doing this summer is really inhibiting his creativity.
We had a pretty intense heart to heart last night. I didn't realise I had locked up a lot of stuff. He didn't realise anything was actually wrong. Funny how things can fall apart underneath everything else.
Monday, August 01, 2005
I <3 Jesus
Last night was relatively hitchless. Everyone did such a great job!
I struggled with blocked ears and a racking cough that threatened to get out of hand so I couldn't pitch properly or sing anything higher than an A, which meant I lip-synched a lot of the songs when I couldn't coax a single note out of my choked-up vocal chords.
It was still really fun, and even funnier because we were all trying desperately not to fidget and have our worst moments immortalised on DVD courtesy of the three cameras that were trained wholly on the stage for the entire two hours.
It was hard work standing still, concentrating on not succumbing to that itch just below your nose or trying to take your shoes off discreetly without falling over and taking out your entire row. But the singing was glorious, you could tell that every single choir member believed the beautiful message we were trying to get across, and we really sang from our hearts.
The tenors were particularly powerful and soon enough several members of the other sections began slipping into their part because it was just so much easier to go with their flow. Apparently that's why we didn't have much of a bass line.
Phenomenal stuff though, I can't wait til next year!
I struggled with blocked ears and a racking cough that threatened to get out of hand so I couldn't pitch properly or sing anything higher than an A, which meant I lip-synched a lot of the songs when I couldn't coax a single note out of my choked-up vocal chords.
It was still really fun, and even funnier because we were all trying desperately not to fidget and have our worst moments immortalised on DVD courtesy of the three cameras that were trained wholly on the stage for the entire two hours.
It was hard work standing still, concentrating on not succumbing to that itch just below your nose or trying to take your shoes off discreetly without falling over and taking out your entire row. But the singing was glorious, you could tell that every single choir member believed the beautiful message we were trying to get across, and we really sang from our hearts.
The tenors were particularly powerful and soon enough several members of the other sections began slipping into their part because it was just so much easier to go with their flow. Apparently that's why we didn't have much of a bass line.
Phenomenal stuff though, I can't wait til next year!
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