Walking down THAT lane..

This morning i had the brilliant idea to unsubscribe to the multiple junk that i, at one point in my life thought would be cool to receive emails from for the rest of my life.

As a result, i've lost the chance to win 100 million pounds in the lottery draw, the countless amazing travel deals (all departing from Australia), and daily emails informing me of the irrelevant job vacancies out there.

In between all those, i've also been receiving notifications from Friendster. Aahhh..the memories. Back when the term "social networking sites" was almost non-existent. So i find myself logging into Friendster (no i don't remember my password but i have not switched email accounts since time began)and voila, i enter my profile page. I have a total of 33 friends and about 18 photos. Wow i was cool.

Anyway, in Friendster i also created a few blog entries which i have no recollection of ever writing (yes, Friendster was so cool that you can blog right there!!). They're memories all the same and i've included them in this entry. Hope you find it as much fun reading as i did.

Oh and one last thing, i was trying for ages to log into MySpace only to figure out later that i never actually had an account. I don't think so anyway. But i was cool..so i must've had one...right?

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Blogging Frenzy

I read in an article that people in the office spend a substantial amount of their time blogging. So, while their bosses looked on and probably congratulated themselves on how lucky they were that they managed to get all the good, productive employees, little do they know that these “busy” employees of theirs are typing rigorously about how much they hate their jobs, their deepest darkest fantasies, or just like what I’m doing, babbling about what’s in their minds.

On the bright side though (to employers reading this), it has been suggested that this may actually have a positive impact on the employee and on the productiveness of his work. And you know what? I completely agree. You see, in this society we live in, especially in this part of the world, speaking out on what you believe in is unorthodox. It’s completely unacceptable and sadly, it is what most of us are taught until it becomes a dictum in which we live by.

Blogs represent a way out of that. A blog is like escapism. It’s a place you go when you want and miraculously have the freedom to say what you want, to think what you want. And I think that is what people miss most. That is what we yearn the most. From a psychological point of view, nothing heals better than letting the devil out, instead of having to fight this internal battle all the time.

So my point is this. We bloggers actually have a healthier mind and soul compared to those who lack outlets. Of course, you could do the whole working out / exercise, or yoga or whatever it is people do to de-stress. But sometimes, nothing can compare to putting all your problems, all your misery, all your fears and worries into something tangible that you can look back on and ponder.

A guy friend recently asked me if I kept a journal and I said yes, in the form of a blog, only to be rewarded with his withering “oh-god-you’re-such a girl” look. Dude, you’ve got to keep up with the times. People everywhere are starting to realize the liberty that comes with blogging and you so have no idea what you’re missing. Us “girls”…we’ve had it all figured out a long, long time ago.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 1st, 2005 at 1:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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Raya anecdotes

Even though it’s only my second Raya here in almost 10 years, it’s funny how nothing seems to have changed. I went back to Ipoh as I’ve always done and other than the fact that my grandparents seem to have aged, everything else appeared stagnant, with the exception of a few minor details…

• Maybe I’m getting old and sentimental or maybe without knowing when or why, my values and perception of things have somehow changed without any conscious thought. I was touched to have witnessed this: the sight of my granddad stroking my grandmother’s arm lovingly whilst talking softly to her. It was obviously that at that moment, for them, nothing else exists except each other.

• The “monsters”, as we like to call our little cousins from my mother’s brothers, were as usual, creating a ruckus and were this time, attempting to kill a little baby goat that my uncle brought back (last year they killed the chicken, before that the bird and I think the cat as well). Obviously not learning his lesson, my uncle decided that a baby goat should be safe enough.

So on Raya morning, the “monsters” decided to untie the goat, and let it into the house. In great joy, the goat started chewing the bouquets of flowers that grandma received for Raya, and then, to make sure no one forgets about him, little goat decided to poop on the sofa.

As fate would have it, right at the moment, my grandmother walks into the living room (please note that my grandmother is actually blind). What does she do? Yup…sits on the poop. The commotion after that was unbelievable. There were screaming and yelling, half the people had no idea what was happening but decided to join in anyway. Poor little Billy the goat was scared shitless, completely unaware that he was the cause of it all.

These little horrors, as they are sometimes fondly (irritatingly?) called, are made up of children from about 5 to the oldest being about 14 or so. Individually, it is actually safe and even accurate to call them little angels. But together…they seem to acquire what my granddad calls the “Herd Syndrome”. His ever so faithful followers will imitate everything that the leader does. They even walk in a straight line…

• This year, people seem to have increased their eating capacity. My grandmother made her signature Nasi Briyani four times in four days. And let me tell you, these are by no means small portions. She makes them in this humungous pot that gives you the impression it has the ability to feed a relatively small nation.

So other than that, Raya was as Raya always was. My uncles amusing us with stories of when they were young, the little horrors running around without any discipline whatsoever from their parents, constant stream of people in and out of the house bringing even more imaginative Raya cookies/cakes compared to the year before, the smokers sitting on the veranda all day, smoking, sipping coffee and wishing desperately for rain, and the I-ate-too-much ailment striking anyone who walks in its path. And so, I’m not at all surprised that I am really looking forward to Raya next year…


This entry was posted on Saturday, November 12th, 2005 at 7:06 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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A touch of Heaven
Dream Island

…or Huvafen Fushi as they say in beautiful Maldives

Nature’s best kept secret. We spent 6 blissful days in the beautiful island with no phones, no cars, no pollution, and no noise and above all, no commitments.
How do you put in words the beautiful serenity of a place? Or the wondrous nature, the boundless energy that surrounds you in its presence?

We were treated like kings in a paradisical island that beckons you to stay forever, to forget about that other world you just came from. And to be honest, that was the easy part. Like it or not, the minute you arrive, you realize there is this whole new world you never knew existed.

We spent the whole time just soaking up the sun, the sea and sand, and nature itself. Only taking a dip in the sea or our own plunge pool on the sun deck, hunger pangs, or the perilous heat of the sun broke up these incredibly mindless activities. *Sigh* it’s amazing how paradoxically fulfilling that was. There was minimal diving, surprisingly for us. But I think we were reluctant to leave the island any more than was necessary.

Then there was the dolphin cruise. Again, one of the most amazing sights we’ve ever seen. Schools of dolphin swimming in orchestrated synchronization. The playfulness they demonstrated by jumping around effortlessly in the water (although I think they were just showing off…with full awareness of their adoring audiences). Sipping champagne, nibbling on canapes, sitting at the front of the boat, sighting dolphins…a completely incomparable experience.

Did we want to stay there forever? Yes, no doubt about it. Who could say no to waking up every morning facing the endless ocean in the luxury villa with fresh clean air? How can you not love the fact that you walk barefoot everywhere feeling the sand and sea on your toes? But real life is out there waiting even if you try as you might to make time slow down.

The photos we took reflect our happiness, our contentedness at this little magical surprise. Who knows when we’ll ever have the opportunity to do this again. But we hope very much that it’ll be in the near future.


This entry was posted on Saturday, December 17th, 2005 at 4:33 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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Monday blues …. but it’s Wednesday!!!

I’ve always wondered why they called it the Monday blues…why not the Wednesday blues? Thursday blues? For those affected by this syndrome, I’m guessing it’s because the weekend’s over, and now you have the whole week looming ahead of you. And boy is it looming…it’s looming dark and it’s looming long. It seems endless and there is definitely no white light of any kind at the end.

For some people (i.e. me) Monday is not the only affected day. It can in fact, be any day of the week (well…obviously except Fridays…you can’t possibly have the blues on Fridays). Like today for example, it’s Wednesday and I am so feeling the blues. Maybe it’s just the fact that my brain’s not up to thinking and doing any sort of work that makes sense. Maybe all it wants is to rest and to dream of beautiful things.

So what is with the Monday blues? Maybe some people (i.e. me) spend most of the weekend drinking copious amount of fermented liquid that basically misleads you into thinking that everything and everyone is great and full of good intentions. Then comes Monday and you realize how wrong you’ve been. You realize that this goddamn drink has completely distorted your thinking and you’re annoyed that your usually very intelligent brain can actually bow to the demands of some measly liquid.

So back to the blues that some of us feel on other days of the week. Hmm…why do we reckon that happens? On Tuesday you’re thinking how ridiculous it is that it’s only the second day of the week and the weekend looks like it’ll never come? On Wednesday…it’s one of those neither here nor there days. It’s not really the beginning of the week but neither is it the end of the week. Your addled brain is trying to find your place and meaning in this seemingly confusing day of the week placement. On Thursday…”oh God” you’re thinking…”will Friday never come? I’ve been working my ass off and it’s only THURSDAY???”. Then comes Friday … but I won’t go into that because the jubilation is ridiculously tremendous that it’s to the point of being embarrassing.

Maybe some people are more prone to others to these blues thingy. Maybe for some, they feel it only on Mondays and others (i.e. me) can get it any day of the week (again, except Fridays). I remember when I was living in the UK, I used to get the blues during winter. Smart people call it the SAD syndrome (Seasonal Affective Disorder). I just call it “I really need to get a tan” syndrome. But hey… what do I know right?

So, to those blues sufferers, I sympathize and more importantly, empathize. There’s nothing wrong with you other than the absolute compulsive need to go out, get sloshed and have fun on the expense of your (what you believe at the time) bottomless bank account. So that when reality strikes (i.e when you realize that your bank account is far from bottomless), and this usually happens when the effects of the liquid wear off, it’s a slap in the face. Now all you want to do is return to the feeling of having the bottomless account and the notion of everything is great in this world.

But the great reality is this; you actually have to work for money, and this pays for the fun. Contrary to popular belief (this belief is also enhanced by that damn liquid) money does not grow on trees and no matter how much you wish for it, chances are you will not wake up every morning with a bag full of cash at the foot of the bed.

So there we have it. Monday blues; when reality hits home and the start of the agonizing wait for the weekend. Any other day of the week blues; I really need to be in that misleading state of mind again. It does not matter that it’s not true but at least at that very moment, you can believe that it is. And it feels gooood….;D

This entry was posted on Monday, June 5th, 2006 at 7:24 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.


One Response to “Monday blues …. but it’s Wednesday!!!”
1. Veronica Says:
February 11th, 2007 at 12:15 am
hahaha…. yeah but i just hate mondays bacuse i had too much fun procrastinating on the things in needed to complete on Fri, Sat & Sun… & i must agree on how Mondays forces u to face the harsh reality of the STUPID things u did on Saturday nite! hahaha… been there, done that… Ergghhh…