Friday, April 13, 2007

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13th, usually associated with bad luck and horror stories.

But 13 is a fantastic number to me because I met the love of my life on 13th January 2007. We’ve been together for 4 months and it’s been the best 4 months of my life.

By now I feel less of the spinning, dizzy, floaty feeling. I no longer feel like I’m floating in heaven. Because I’ve found a piece of heaven right here on earth.

Our love has grown so much in the last 4 months. I can’t wait for the next 4 years. And the 40 after that.

My darling, happy 4th month anniversary.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Snatch Thefts

Yesterday, while lunching with Michelle Shell at Decanter 3 in Section 17, I witnessed yet another snatch theft. We were sitting among the 3 tables placed outside the restaurant. A yellow Hyundai Getz was parked 10 feet from us. A middle aged man was sitting at the back of a car when a bike stopped next to the car, the rider or pillion rider opened the front door, took a handbag belonging to his grand daughter who was in the shop and rode off. There was no drama or anything. It was over in 3 seconds and everyone hardly noticed that it even happened until the man came out of the car and told us. The thieves were so cool about it. They probably ride around and do this several times a day.

A few months ago, I was dining with Andrew at Ka Soh in Damansara Heights. I wanted to sit outside but he suggested we sit inside instead. Which was a very good idea. After ordering our food, we heard a piercing scream from the table outside the restaurant. A couple was sitting outside when I guy ran past and took her bag.

And the third incident happened to be about 10 years ago. I was walking out of my house in Taman Megah to catch a bus to college. A bike zoomed past behind me and made a grab at my bag. But he missed and rode off. I was shocked and I stood rooted to the ground. Then he stopped his bike about 50 metres from me and looked back. I thought if he were to turn around, I’m screwed. It’s too far to run back to my house and who would heard me if I screamed since the houses faced a very noisy highway. Should I try running anyway? Or should I wait for him to come and then push him off his bike? Or should I toss him the bag as he comes towards him? Thank god I didn’t have to make a decisions as he decided to ride off. And honestly, I was in such a state of shock that I can’t remember what I did after that – ran back home or continued walking to get a bus.

Things are getting worst. And the world we live in is more dangerous than ever. I’m not even talking about acts of terrorism but about over everyday lives. In the last 2 months, I heard of 2 incidences from friends where bikers threw stones at their car window or tried to smash the window with helmets with passengers in the car. Even if they don’t succeed in the theft or even hurt you, can you imagine the emotional trauma of being attacked like that.

We can no longer feel safe and when out of the house, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and my heart beats faster every time I hear a bike near me. I remember a time when I was young, even at pre school age. I used to live in SS2 and could play in the play ground with my friends unsupervised and only return home after dark.

My kids will no longer have that kind of freedom. Even if they were to play in the park, they will have to be watched like a hawk as there are so many evil doers out there.

Which causes me to think. Is it even right to bring a child into such a harsh and cruel world where things get worst with each passing year. And if I choose to have the kid, would I be an over protective mother? I don’t ever want to be. But how can one help in with danger lurking in every corner?

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

An Eventful Weekend

It was an interesting weekend.

It started out with dinner at the Old Town Bak Kut Teh on Friday night after work. Paul, Michelle Shell, Sin Cyn and I. After which we went home. Paul and I played PS2 but Marsupial wanted to drink so we trooped down to Somo to meet Marsupial and Michelle Shell.

Somehow Marsupial got it into his head that the 3 of us were already drinking somewhere even though our SMSes all said we were chilling at home. Thus he was very disappointed when we met up and he was the only non sober one. He kept on saying ‘Come to my level’, a phrase we use on each other when one is not as high as the other.

So, being the good friends that we were, we drank with him. Out came the tequila shots, Guinness pints and sake in a wooden box.

I specifically wanted the sake in the wooden box but Amrit, the manager there said it was called a ‘katsu’ or something like that. So I said “Fine it’s called a katsu in Japanese. And when you translate it to English, it’s called ‘wooden box’, right?”. Hehehe. I won that argument.

Anyway, after those drinks and Marsupial saying he was bored, we were too sober and him wanting to move on to another party – Paul bought a bottle of Macallans. So there we were drinking it on the rocks. Somo started closing up so we checked in the bottle. There was about ¾ left. After a few minutes, we decided we wanted another drink. So out came the bottle for one more round and we checked it in again. After that round, we still wanted more so we brought the bottle out again (wonder if we annoyed the waiters) but Somo was almost closed. So Amrit and the waiters moved us over to the Coffee Bean which was long closed by then but the tables were left out at night. We must have been very high by then cos before I realized it, we had finished the bottle and the waiters were chilling out next to us. Then we knew it was time to go home.

That seems to be the pattern during my last few drinking sessions at Somo. It may not be a club but when I’m with my friends, we turn it into a club and we hardly know when it’s closing till the bottles run out and we turn around to order some more only to realize that the place has completely closed (as in lights off and chairs stacked up) and the waiters are standing around waiting for us to leave. Looks like we're doing what almost retired clubbing folks are doing - moving from clubbing to pubbing cos the older you get, the less tolerence you have for crowds and bad service.

On Saturday night, 3 cars convoyed to Coconut Flower in Telok Gong for seafood. We ordered the works- from crabs to crayfish to clams. And of course we have to have todhi. Whats seafood in Klang without todhi. We started mixing it with the standard Guinness stout. Then we tried it with white wine (I didn’t like it bit the boys did) and Coke (tastes like whiskey coke!). If the alcohol wasn’t entertainment enough, I brought out a lighter which was stuck in a plastic dog’s body. Marsupial and Wijay Penguin Friend took turns yanking it out. That provided hilarious entertainment for about 20 minutes.

Then we left Klang and poor Sharky blew her back right tyre! We didn’t have the right tools to change it so we called Wijay who turned around but by that time, the Kesas highway guys spotted us and helped changed it to the spare tire. A 2 inch nail was the culprit. Wijay named the nail Poky Poky. So strange for someone who wants to kidnap Popo the Penguin and Cedric the Frog from me and give them freedom cos he thinks it’s strange for someone to talk to animals. Poky Poky indeed!

After Easter Sunday service, Paul went to replace the blown tyre. The shop didn’t have any stock left of his existing tyres which were the Good Year F1s. So he changed them all to Michelin Somethings. The changing of tyres, balancing, alignment and testing took a few hours. Paul and I sat there and waited and while away time by just talking. I love it that we can just talk and talk and not have any need for any external form of entertainment. We just enjoy each other’s company so much and have so much to talk about. I do hope it will stay like this for always. It will make growing old together very sweet.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Baby Rabbits Are Not Called Bunnies?

I’m very upset! I asked Shan (for fun) what’s a baby rabbit called. He guessed ‘bunny’. Then he had to go research it and told me that it’s not. He even quoted that www.dictionary.com says that:

1.

Informal. a rabbit, esp. a small or young one.

2.

Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a pretty, appealing, or alluring young woman, often one ostensibly engaged in a sport or similar activity: beach bunny; ski bunny.

3.

Chiefly British. a squirrel.

4.

Australian and New Zealand Slang. a person imposed upon or made a fool of; victim.

–adjective

5. Designed for or used by beginners in skiing: a bunny slope.


I don’t care! Even if it’s informal, that’s what people call baby rabbits. So let’s call them bunnies till it becomes formal. Isn’t that how certain words end up in the dictionary?


Rabbit's Don't Drink Carrot Juice

I’m still obsessed with the Raving Rabbid’s game! They are so cute that I just want to squish and plunger and drown them in carrot juice.

I’ve fed Sin Cyn’s rabbits (we now know that a baby rabbit is called a bunny) carrots before and they enjoyed it.

She invited Paul and I over for dinner a few days ago. Paul asked if he can bring a plunger to plunger the rabbits. She said no. So we brought carrot juice instead!

She tried feeding them but they had a sniff, made a face and flounced away! Ungrateful rabbits!! And we went hunting for Pokka Pure Carrot Juice some more! Not those local or cheap carrot juices mixed with other fruit juices.

I’ve been asking people if rabbits drink carrot juice. Now I know they don’t. I’m still upset with them tho!

A Baby Rabbit is a Bunny

Sin Cyn and I just had a debate over what baby rabbits were called. Though we call rabbits bunnies (cos it sounds cuter), a baby rabbit is really called a bunny! I’ve cross checked this on several websites. At first my copy writer said that it’s called a babbit. But then he was joking and it really is a bunny! Hehe!

And a male rabbit is called a buck and a female rabbit is called a doe. And a group of rabbits can be called a nest, warren, drove, trace, down, husk, trip, leash, colony or bury.

A bury of rabbits and bunnies! So cute!

I Would Rather Sit On A Pumpkin

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

- Henry David Thoreau

I came across this line while watching CSI last night. CSI has thought me a lot…… besides how to get away with murder.

And this line about the pumpkin really got me. I like quirky quotes. But I also thought that there was more to the quote.

So I searched the net on Henry David Thoreau. I found out he was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. He was born to John Thoreau and Cynthia Dunbar Thoreau. He contracted tuberculosis around 1835 and died in Concord, Massachusetts on May 6, 1862. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetary.

Henry David Thoreau was not highly appreciated during his lifetime, but he is now considered one of the foremost American writers of the 19th century. Works like "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience" are often studied in classrooms.

Other than his biography, I could not find out that much more about the pumpkin line or in which context it was quoted it. Anyone got a copy of Walden? I usually like buying my books but I doubt I’ll be reading this one from cover to cover. I just wanna know more about the pumpkin.

As for how I interpret that line and how it affects me in modern life (the line was quoted about 150 years ago), I literally would like to sit on a pumpkin, if only I could find one that big here in Malaysia. Even if we can find some during Halloween, they’re usually quite small, dented and deformed.

As for metaphorically, in recent times, I find that I would rather do something cosy and personal like having a nice dinner with my darling or a small group of friends over going to a club where I get pushed and shoved , have no space to dance and have to wait too long for drinks. And this is in the VIP area! I have no clue how I managed it before….. 4 times a week.

Thus in a nutshell, I’d rather sit on a pumpkin with Paul than to fight the crowds in a club.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Why Do Trolls Live Under Bridges?

Why do trolls live under bridges?

Because they are ugly and dirty and no one wants to be friends with them. They do need water and shelter from the weather thought. And they are too cumbersome to climb trees to build a tree house. Thus, under a bridge makes a suitable place for his home.

Why is Bluetooth called Bluetooth?

The Viking King Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark. He was renowned as a great communicator, skilled at bringing people together to talk to each other – but he would never have guessed that a thousand years later a powerful technology would be named after him!

I ask random questions. Whatever that pops into my head at any point in time. I’ll think about it for a while and if I don’t know the answer or want a second opinion, I’ll ask the person nearest to me.

The 2 questions above are examples of my questions. They can sometimes be factual or have real answers. And sometimes there can be no real concrete answer but I’d appreciate the person attempting it anyway.

Both those answers were provided by Paul. He’s a fountain of information and when the fountain runs dry, he pulls rabbits out of hats to constantly keep me entertained.

He really gets me.

My lunch with 3 post / current / pre pregnant friends

I just came back from lunch. Heart beating fast and feeling nauseated. Food was fine. It was the conversation I had with 3 girl friends who:

1. Just gave birth

2. Will be giving birth soon

3. Getting married soon and will straight away try for kids after.

The conversations was mainly about the pain of breast feeding, purple veins appearing on the breasts and snakes all the way to the neck, shriveled breast like prunes, nipples growing a lot bigger than usual, shrinking breasts, not washing ones hair for 30 days, the pain of engorgement, gushing of blood, going through natural birth…..

My friends tell me that this is good to prepare me for when my time comes. I agree to that. But I still feel ill nonetheless.

That said, friends who have known me for the past 5 years and more would say that I’ve made tremendous progress.

I now can’t wait to get married (before I used to break up with boyfriends once they start talking about marriage).

And I can picture kids (just not the getting pregnant, giving birth, confinement period and taking care of baby stage) when they are more grown up in the future.

I’ve got about 2 years to prepare for this. All the best to me.

I’m sucking on a plum sweet now before I barf.

Monday, April 02, 2007

In the Office Before 8.00am

I got into the office before 8am today! That's never happened in the 1 1/2 years that I've been here. How amazing is that, considering I usually walk in just before 10am. All cos the Traffic Department has set a Work In Progress (WIP) every Monday at 8.30am starting today. When the email went out, there were screams of protests. But we were told that this is non negotiable. And anyone walking in later than 8.30am will be fined RM10 and will not be provided breakfast. It was the latter that was my motivational factor to come in.

I’m scarily cheery and happy and chirpy this morning. Very odd. Think my body is in shock. Woke up too early. What more it’s a Monday!

The meeting starts soon. Off for a smoke now, make coffee and hope that breakfast is good.