tête - à - tête

Friends come and go. And yesterday, I actually experienced it, first hand!

I spotted a chinese looking girl strapped in the front seat of Eddie's approaching car. I quickly stubbed my newly-lit cigarette as the car rolled to a stop next to me. I blushed away as I realized, my Chinese New Year greeting didn't catch much attention. Turns out, the girl was a Japanese.

Zul - a brilliant photographer, I was told. Poor guy just found out his adopted Jap name Zuuru, means 'cheater' in Japanese! So I guess it's Arigato gozaimasu to his Haru-juku girl for naming him that, and to Mei for the long-overdue tip to what it really meant! Haha :P

Mei - The lonely planet traveller, or backpacker, to be precise. Her benevolent smile coupled with her Japanese features somehow brought more warmth that Sunday afternoon. I take my Y-3s off to her for having to tahan our curiousity on the Japanese language. At least now we know that I am very Iketeru and Eddie is so kuru ta. Alfi however, got his tongue so twisted, nothing came out right Haha! And for Zuuru, at least now he knows :P

Alfi joined not long after we arrived Alexis in Ampang. He finally lost the cap, which made him look less poyo. :P However, I should have anticipated his affection towards Hackett! The only consolation was that his was white on white... but still! BTW, Eddie was so gay that day! :P

Nan da yo?! Leave the kawaii boy alone! :P I was completely knackered by the time we got home. Can't believe we spent almost 5 hours in Alexis alone! Nevertheless, I must say that the company this time was somewhat different from the usual crowd... a different kinda fun. Probably because Eddie for some reason wasn't as satirical that day! Haha :P By the way, where were you that night? You missed the session at Lyn's! :P

To Mei,

It was fun having you around! Such a shame that you couldn't stay on longer. You should come down again soon and see more of Malaysia! Till the next time, take care, keep in touch and safe journey home. Sayonara!

From, all of us.

Year of the Dog

This time around, the moon has decided to dedicate the whole year to the dog. So, to all my dawgs out there... here's to you!

Xin Jian Kuai Le, Gong Xi Fa Cai; Xin Nian Jin Bu, Wan Shi Ru Yi!

- Li Shu Kai (Supposedly my name, in Chinese) :P

A Consultant or a Prostitute?

Here's something I found on JeffOoi.com, left as a comment to one of his posts. Frighteningly significant, as an investment bank executive myself!!! Regardless, it's worth a giggle :P

1. You work very odd hours.
2. You are paid a lot of money to keep your client happy.
3. You are paid well but your pimp gets most of the money.
4. You spend a majority of your time in a hotel room.
5. You charge by the hour but your time can be extended.
6. You are not proud of what you do.
7. Creating fantasies for your clients is rewarded.
8. It's difficult to have a family.
9. You have no job satisfaction.
10. If a client beats you up, the pimp just sends you to another client.
11. You are embarrassed to tell people what you do for a living.
12. People ask you, "What do you do?" and you can't explain it.
13. Your client pays for your hotel room plus your hourly rate.
14. Your client always wants to know how much you charge and what they get for the money.
15. Your pimp drives nice cars like Mercedes or Jaguars.
16. You know the pimp is charging more than you are worth but if the client is foolish enough to pay it's not your problem.
17. When you leave to go see a client, you look great, but return looking like hell (compare your appearance on Monday AM to Friday PM).
18. You are rated on your "performance" in an excruciating ordeal.
19. Even though you might get paid the big bucks, it's the client who walks away smiling.
20. The client always thinks your "cut" of your billing rate is higher than it actually is, and in turn, expects miracles from you.
21. When you deduct your "take" from your billing rate, you constantly wonder if you could get a better deal with another pimp.

Not the Typical Sunday

This morning I woke up with a splitting headache. I guess it's got something to do with the horrible nightmare I had, which I'm not gonna share. Shucks!

I bought another Apple wireless mouse yesterday. The old one died... of a stroke! Haha! The thing is, it switches on, I can tell by the red optical light, and it could still click, but it's not moving the cursor. So, I banged it somemore, thinking that it'll somehow work again? But now it's even more dead! To be honest, I don't blame it. Lately, I kept finding it on the floor, next to my bedside table where I normally keep it together with the keyboard. I must have accidentally knocked it off, everytime while sleeping. Makes me wonder how I sleep at night. :P

After that I met up with Lop in Souled Out for drinks. First thing he said, "I heard a funny story about you!". Turns out, Nub, a mutual friend mistook my sister's wedding last month, for mine. I actually thought it was funny?! And apparently I've got Eddie to thank, for coming up with this crap - you never fail to amuse me, exaggerator!!! :P Anyway, y'all will know when this eligible bachelor decides to get married... trust me! But for now, I'd like to remain single for awhile. At least until I sort my life out! :P

Back to reality...

Jon called at around 10, asking if I wanted to hang out. Somehow we couldn't decide where to go or what to do. Funny. All of a sudden, KL has turned out to be a boring place for us. I guess we've been out and about far too much already. Enough to qualify for the "Been there, done that, got the pic", line. In the end, I settled for a bottle of 1999 VOLNAY 1er Cru Burgundy and drank myself to sleep.

Talking about marriage, today was my neighbour's wedding reception. I must say we were never close, even though we live right next to each other. A typical girl next door, everybody seemed to know her, and quite a few of her friends know me too. Alas, reluctance was still thicker than the concrete fence that separates our houses. However, it didn't keep the rest of my family from going. To save face, I decided to stand by the fact that my head was about to explode anytime soon, as an excuse.

Meanwhile, I kept popping paracetamols to control the pain. When I felt better, I drove to my grandma's to pick up my cousin and brought him to my sister's, for my niece's 4th birthday. Not long after, I went back home and slept some more but the pain kept coming back. I seriously hope this pain will ease by the time I wake up tomorrow...

Goodnight!

Cold Storage

I've never felt so uncertain about the future until today. As much as I want to deliberate on this, I just can't. It's a very sensitive issue. It's to the extent that my fears may soon be realized if I start talking openly about it.

Life is so unfair, so they say. But if it wasn't, would it make things better? Should the word, "alternative" or even "backup", exist? It may, but it could carry a different meaning. Crazy, u think? Maybe. But whatever it is, it can't possibly match the fears that I've now started to think about.

A lot of us tend to take things for granted. Lighting up a cigarette with a disposable lighter is good example. How many of us actually thought of the possibility that a lighter may explode while trying to light it? I did once, back in prep school in England when a Korean friend of mine told us that most lighters in Korea comes with a liability cover of up to a million Won if any of it were to explode during usage. So it could explode. How long did the conscience last? Not very long, I must admit. But, even a beautiful rose don't last that long. With any luck, it may, as a Pot Pourri, a Rotten Pot, that will eventually be thrown away, somehow, someday.

Ironic as it seems, this was exactly what happened to a certain someone today.

For a few months, I was kept in cold storage. But I didn't just sit quietly and freeze to death. I survived. With some protest, I made myself think that I deserved it and learn from my mistakes, which I am still clueless about. When I got out, I hoped and prayed that nobody else will have to go through the same thing.

Unfortunately, the dark side has taken control again. The predator has identified yet another prey. Only this time, it came with a frosty ultimatum, the likes of a beer mug, kept chilled in the freezer, waiting for a weary traveller, to order a pint.

But then again, not everyone drinks beer.

Snippets of Me!

1. Do you still talk to the person you had your first kiss with?
Hmm, wonder where she is now. Haven't seen her since kindergarten!

2. What would you do with 1,000 plastic spoons?
Sell 'em!

3. What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school?
New Kids on the Block, 4U2C! Muaehahehaehahehaea

4. What is the best thing about your current job?
My contribution

5. Do you wish cell phone etiquette was required?
No, mandatory!

6. Are you against same sex marriage?
Yes, I prefer different kind of sexual positions! Muaehahehaha ~ Kinda. We need to reproduce.

7. Have you been on a date in the past week?
No. Call me!

8. Where are you going on your next vacation?
Either Cambodia, or London, again...

9. Quote a song lyric...
I don't wanna be anythin' other than what I've been trynna be lately!

10. Are most of the friends in your life new or old?
Mostly new. Even the old ones are new. Go figure!

11. Do you own any furniture from Ikea?
Yup, and I have to admit they've improved alot.

12. Do you like your parents?
I'm beginning to...

13. What state/country are you from?
Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

14. Tell us about the last conversation you had?
Bitch about MAS, and how they should allocate more
budget for their R&D in order to keep up!

15. Where do you see yourself in one month?
Still here, dazed and confused.

16. What is your favorite smell?
Grass, after a rainfall.

17. Do you consider yourself bi-polar?
No, I'm metrosexy! :P

18. What is the time and the outside temperature at the moment?
Whoah! Finally I get to make use of my widgets! 31° Celsius as at 1.05pm

19. Have you ever done anything vindictive to your co-workers?
No, but to a former flatmate! We ganged up on him and wrote a nasty complaint letter to the Flat Manager. Revenge was sweet!

20. Have you ever gone to therapy?
Spa therapies got la. Shrink? No.

21. Have you ever Played Spin the Bottle?
Don't get me started on the Koreans!

22. Have you ever Toilet Papered someone's house?
How do you toilet paper someone's house?

23. Have you ever liked someone but never told them?
Definitely!

24. Have you ever gone camping?
I have, and it sucked. How I thought the Summer Camp was like the ones in the US, but I was so wrong. Never been so wrong in my life before!

25. Have you ever had a crush on your sisters friend?
They would be too old for my preference at any given time. She's older by 7 years!

26. Have you ever been to a nude beach?
Yup, nothing much to see.

27. Have you ever had sex on the beach?
Just the cocktail :P

28. Have you ever had a stalker?
Yea man!!! It really creeps me out. Don't understand how some people can find it flattering!

29. Have you ever gone skinny dipping?
Uhuhhhh!!! I think it was Pulau Perhentian, or Redang, under the moonlight!

30. Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?
Well, no cry la but it wet my eyes. Dinas cries everytime! I used to think she's spastic, but we all know she ain't now!!! Muaehaheha

31. Have you ever gone to a party where you were the only sober one?
Alcohol? Yea. But only because of another vice :P

32. Have you ever been cheated on?
Funny enough, no. Should have asked if I've cheated :P

33. Have you ever had sex with one of your myspace friends?
No. Is that legal? Muaehaehahehaea

34. Have you ever felt betrayed by your best friend?
I have and I'm sure everybody else has too.

35. Have you ever felt like you were just completely rhino raped?
I know Jim Carrey has. Muaehaheahehaha Loved that movie!

36. Have you ever lied to your parents?
Little white lies... *grins*

37. Have you ever been to the US?
Well yea, it was fun as a child, but yet to go as an adult :P

38. Have you ever thrown up from working out?
Swimming. Had to swim for my team at a team building.

39. Have you ever gotten a haircut so bad that you wore a hat for a month straight?
No. He knows I'd kill him if he did, right Joe? :P

40. Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food places in 1 day?
I'm sure I have! Especially back in the UK.

Friday the 13th!

Doomsday is here again (for some people, anyway)!

Some say it's an unlucky day. But to me, it's the weekend! So, do what's fun and don't tell anyone!

Till the morning sun,

Son of a Gun

Selamat Hari Raya Haji!

And all I had was roast chicken and rice. Damn the ulcers!

Diclofenac Overkill

I was at the doctor's today. I ran out of painkillers so I had to go out and get somemore or I'd die. The pain is so unbearable, it became a chore, just to swallow my own saliva.

Chore? Pfft...

Little did I know, the best way to cure this tonsillitis and ulcer is to get an antibiotics jab... in the ass! I mean, what's my ass got to do with my throat anyways? And, I've always despised ass jabs 'coz it's such a government hospital practice, and it sounds cheap too! Missionary style (upper/lower arm) would be more macho, I would have thought. But if need be, so be it... rather than getting a jab at the throat, right?!

Silly!

Though I wasn't supposed to go to work (doctor's order... it has always been that way) :P but I felt guilty having to leave it not for just one day, but two since tomorrow is Hari Raya Haji. So I went in to divert some emails I was expecting from overseas, and picked up some work to bring home. It was pretty quiet, I could tell even before parking the car. It's not normal to get a sweet parking spot right infront (or at the back, in my case) of the building, but I guess today wasn't the typical day as most staff would have taken the day off anyway.

So, another drugged up day... and apparently for the next 4 days. I'm just chuffed that I won't be able to eat anything at the family luncheon tomorrow.

Life's a bitch sometimes... shucks!

The Flight That Fought Back

There was this documentary about 9/11 on Discovery Channel. It was about the hijacked flight that fought back. I was overwhelmed by the fact that the passengers didn't just sit down quietly and do nothing and let the plane crash into the White House, but were rather enthusiastic about the whole idea of fighting back against the three terrorists; against terrorism.

The passengers were told by their loved ones over the phone that the news on the ground was that they were gonna use the aircraft as a makeshift missile to crash through the White House at Capitol Hill like how their comrades did with the three other planes to both World Trade Centre Towers and The Pentagon. So, they knew they had to react fast and do something about it.

Using real audio recordings and flight data from the flight recorder and the various cellphone companies used by the passengers, they re-enacted the situation with excerpts from the interviews of their family members after the disaster, in between scenes.

They fought back with galley foodcarts, hot water, fire extinguishers and anything they could get hold of despite a warning by the terrorists that there was a bomb on board, and that they would detonate if anybody tries anything. The flight recorder recorded almost everything that the pilot's two-way radio can capture, including clips that proved the passengers really fought back and that the noise confirmed the cockpit door managed to be breached by the passengers seconds before the terrorists decided to crash the plane, midway.

I was also quite amazed at how strong and calm the family members were when they were asked to describe the situation when some of them were on the phone with their now perished heroes at the time. Despite their loss, they took pride of their actions. Of course, towards the end of the documentary, all of them shed tears as the fact is, they will never see their loved ones again. Even I did.

Even though so, passengers of Flight 93 will always be regarded as heroes and remembered amongst other unsung heroes and victims of the atrocity, as they were the first group of people to have fought back against terrorism, as it was happening. Because of them, their plane crashed in an empty field in Pennsylvania, some 15 minutes flight time from the original target: The White House. Although we will never know the exact ongoings on the doomed flight, as there were no survivors (apart from the blackbox) to tell the tale, we for sure know that what ever they did, was somehow the right thing.

Who could ever imagine this happening. Let alone fighting back against the terrorists. What drove them to do that? I'm sure none of them thought that they were going to be rewarded and lived a little bit more comfier with the recognition they would get from saving the White House from an imminent attack. No, I don't think so. I think it's much smaller than that. It's their family that they were thinking about. The passengers who could make phone calls from their mobile phones and on board telephones called their husbands or wives, moms and dads... even their secretaries... to say how much they loved them and perhaps to bid farewell. And I'm pretty sure also that some of them even thought that they were gonna go home and have dinner with their family, still.

I take my hat off to these heroes for their courage and to their family members they left behind as well, for whatever reason they have made them become heroes. True heroes.

I've heard alot of other air tragedies like this, but this is probably the only few in which the family members do get to move on, solely because they know that their loved ones did not die in vain, but more like soldiers who died for their country.

Make Love, Not War...

Sunday Morning

Woke up with a bad sore throat I've been having for days now... It shows how well the meds prescribed by the doctor at the ER I visited last night works in keeping the pain away for a bit, but not curing it!