A New Year Has Come

Happy New Year folks!

31.12.2007 marked the warmest day yet in Victorian history. The wind was strong, yet it was blazingly warm. It reached 42 degree Celcius in the arvo. I had never had a taste of such wind; perhaps it was a little sneak peek of the Middle East?

Edmund asked me if I had any new-year wishes? I didn't. Perhaps I had not given it much thought. But I have never believed in birthday or new-year wishes.

2007 was probably my lower point in life, for I have not achieved much in that year, in a number of ways. It passed without leaving much heart-print in me.

So what do you say for 2008? What's in store for me, for everyone?

Hopefully 2008 will be a year of more peace, less war, more green, less grey and red, more money, less worry, more health, less sickness, more love (for family and friends, and for strangers), less hate.

To 2oO8!!

Assassination of Bhutto

Technorati Tags: politics

I didn't expect to wake up to such news, the first thing I saw on Towleroad.

I didn't know Bhutto. But I have seen her quite a few times on news. I thought, this is an incredible woman.  A woman who was twice the Prime Minister in one of the chaotic countries in the Middle East and Asia. A woman who was standing among idiot men. She must have done something right. And brave, so brave.

Of course I would think that all fingers are pointed at Musharraf now.

I can't agree more with Sally Field when she said, "If the mothers ruled the world, there would be no goddamn wars in the first place," during 2007 Emmy Awards. I heart Sally.

Perhaps scientists should develop some drugs that numb the adrenaline rush that men get from war or killing each others. 2008 will start with one of its warriors (how ironic) lost.

in the same room?

When I was staying at The N*v*t*l mid November for my interview, I found this in the bedside drawer. I couldn't wrap my brains around it for 2 seconds. Really? The Quran and The Bible in the same room?

turning point

Scared is an understatement.

Hopeless is a possibility-cum-reality.

Hope is a luxury stretched so thin.

compensated, indeed

Following my incident with the chips vending machine, I've received an apology letter from the company. It even came with a $3 postal order! I guess it's not bad at all!

not the time yet

So I'm jobless and penniless. Soon I'll even have no roof over my head. I was calling an agent property to ask about an apartment on the Docklands.

me: Hi I'm interested in one of your apartments. It is on the Docklands.

woman: Sorry, say it again?

She sounded a bit old and so I forgave her.

me: I'm looking to rent one of your apartment, it's 608/2 McCrea St Docklands...

woman: I'm afraid you've called the wrong number. This is a funeral home.

Instant karma!!!

me: Sorry? Where did you say you were?

woman: This is a funeral home. I'm afraid it's not your time yet.

Hell no!!!!

me: I'm so sorry. I've called the wrong number.

woman: That's alright. Hold on a second, what is your name? You sounded familiar.

Oh dear, has Death ever sought after me before?!?!

it did happen

Sometimes one would think about certain things that would never happen to one. Not to say never, but with a low probability.

At least a couple of things happened to me today, which I had not envisaged to be so probable in one go.

So I was waiting for a train. Since I had not had lunch and I was hungry, I went to the vending machine for a bag of chips. After putting in the money, I waited for the packet to be pushed down the chute. It did, but just a little bit! Oh god... My $2.20!!!! I tried to shake the machine but it wouldn't move at all! I couldn't shake it like a mad man as there were people on the platform too! What I did next was even more there's-no-word-to-describe, I called up the vending machine company to complain! Guess what? They are sending me a money order of $2.20!!!!!!

On a hungry stomach I hurried into the train when it had arrived. The trains nowadays were very dirty; one had to look before one sit as the cushions would often be stained. Look I did. Except my vision was on the chairs but not on the floor! You might have guessed what happened next, yes, I stepped onto someone's puke!!!!!!!!!!! Yuck!! Luckily there wasn't much. I dared not even look at it properly. So the whole journey home, I held my leg out as further away from me as possible, despite the soreness. And I willingly breathed lightly so as not to take in any foul smell, albeit I doubt there was any.

The story could have ended there but it continued. I was buying bread at Coles. When I passed some coins to the cashier, she said that I had given her a New Zealand coin!!!!!!!!! Oh god.... the vending machine didn't only deny me my hungry-saving-but-bad-for-health chips, it also gave me a New Zealand coin!!! However now it wasn't worth it anymore to call and complain....

就是一个字 - 笨！

（一）馬來人不長進的反思
（二）一堂9250萬令吉的課

近来英国一所研究所发布最新大学排名，我国大学果然不负众望，名列后茅，排名每况愈下。这项消息来得正是时候，这跟马来西亚政府奢梦太空国互相辉映，好不讽刺。就先说一说这个太空梦，花了九千万打造一刹那光辉。九千万啊，可以建多少所华小、培训多少名医生护士……马来西亚连一所像样的太空研究所都没有，竟然有如夜郎般自大，要向世界宣布我们还有九千万块钱可以花。究竟这项海市蜃楼的壮举有些什么收益呢？我们是否要像外星人宣传马来西亚闻名银河系的马来糕？

拉伯就是不甘愿马哈迪的成就。当马哈迪在位时，我们建有吉隆坡塔、国油双子塔、雪邦第一方程式赛场。有什么可以高过世上数一数二的建筑物呢？又什么可以比天高呢？答案就是在外太空。拉伯还批评马来人不长进 - 他身为一国之首，想的做的都反映着他的无能及眷恋权势。当他国都在飞奔，为各国政、经、社及环境努力时，我国马来人还因为自己拥有拐杖而沾沾自喜。三年后马来西亚会把这一次后备太空旅客也送上太空，再花一次九千万、再花一次人民的血汗、再一次证明马来西亚政府的英明！三年后，恐怕我国大学连什么排名都挤不进去；三年后，如果那些马来钝剑还有用处的话，就用来砍香蕉树吧！

无心插柳

懵嚓嚓下，我就可能要飞回去。怎么办呢？心好乱哦。有人要我回去，我自己想留，但是梦到头来会不会是一场空呢？

留下来吗？肚子怎么填呢？

回去吗？梦呢？

就在梦与面包之间，脑子再也转不来了。

it's called "Mother"

Who would you think of when you fell sick? You know, in between rushing to the toilet with one hand covering one's mouth and another on one's twitching tummy or the hind door; or you know, burning at 39C...

I would think of my mother. Mother would always come to rescue when I was sick. I was always a sick kid. And Mommy would always be there, opposite to Dad who used to think that I should be not take too much western medicines. She would sat by me, changing the wet cloth on my forehead. She would sat by me, feeing me spoons of water or congee. She would stand by me, patting my back as I threw up. She would be awake several times at night, to check up upon me if I was OK and to get me to take the medicine.

I remember when I first living on my own and I was sick - I couldn't stop crying when I spoke to her over the phone. I thought about the things she had done for me, not just when I was sick. As I grow older and more apart from her (and Dad), and as I become more able, these things kind of fade away. But remembering them, it feels like they just happened yesterday. It's called heart prints.