The Love Affair

For someone who believes in love, I am not sure if I can say the L word, heck, I don’t even know how to show it right.

Love is such a complicated feeling that anytime I felt deeply in love I withdrawn. I don’t believe you can force love.

I feel that love shouldn’t be about whether the other feels the same way you do. It’s not about who loves the other more. It’s not about reasons behind it. It’s about how you feel.

To feel love is the biggest reward itself. You know the warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Wonderful things you see that only you can see. It’s romantic.

Love is complicated for me cause I can never admit I am in love. But today I can no longer contain this feeling. The time is right. Tomorrow is her birthday and I am gonna show my love to the world. I am gonna say it...



I LOVE YOU, MALAYSIA

…..and you know I don’t have to have reasons for this.

HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY!

Things We Don't See...

Yesterday And Tomorrow

Mr No talent is back.

As some of you probably knew I was on course since Monday. The particular subject in question?



Neat. Now I can turn my blog into business circular update…..NOT!

-------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow we’re gonna bid our YBhg Datuk a goodbye – a farewell-do for the outgoing the CEO. Guess who’s gonna be busy tomorrow? I have my heart right up on my sleeves right now, so to speak. But I am just gonna take it easy. After all I am staying.



Coir – check
Multimedia – check
Usherers – check
Songs – check

Songs?

Coir: 1.Jangan Kau Pergi – Indigo 2.Dimana kan Ku Cari Ganti – Tan Sri P.Ramlee
Multimedia: 1. Ku Pergi Jua - Dayang NurFaizah 2. Sukiyaki - A taste of honey

Don’t understand why it took two entire weeks to decide on the songs. And don’t understand either why suicidal-inducing songs were chosen. Personally I am all for more upbeat songs. (Since you’ve been gone – Kelly Clakson will add magic to my initial vision)

Why goodbyes must end in tears, it’s not like anyone’s dying anyway. He’s resigning and still is richer than most of us here.

By all means he should be respected for all his doings for the Bank, but what’s with the somber mood?

The more I think about it, the more I convince that this ‘sadness’ (read: anxious) comes more from us, little people than it is from him. We are afraid of uncertainties of our future. ‘Is the new boss gonna better?’ ’Will the changes affect me?’ We are afraid of change. So instead of embracing the new change, we mourn the past.

He should leave the Bank with a broad smile on his face knowing that he had done good here that people come to celebrate the best times we had with him.

Gotta run: gonna make this happen tomorrow.

A Painted Weekend

So how bad was it?

A disaster.

Really?



Really.

It can't be that bad.



U-oh

You think I should thrash this?

Don't. It's for charity right?

Yeah.

So keep it. It was for fun anyway.

YES.For what it worth it was all...



Note: "Disaster" in this made-up, talk-to-self script was actually referring to 'the painting'- 'my painting', NOT my weekend as some might have speculated!....I had a 'FANTABULOUS' weekend just so you know!.

Beauty's Skin Deep

Your colleagues made cruel remarks about you. Your date failed to turn up (yet again!). Looking to the mirror is a torture business every morning that you’d rather be stoned dead.

Life’s full of stress and heartbreaks. And that’s not counting the feeling of getting old everyday and still unmarried. So what can you do?

You can take a leaf out of Ginger’s book.



“The hell with everyone!”

Ginger is a friend of mine, a professional who works miles away from home. She works with a giant conglomerate in automotive industry in northern part of the country. I have known her since my college days and like many friends I’ve known, she’s got a spitfire-acid tongue personality that makes even Simon Cowell blushes. (God have mercy on us!)

Ginger is quite an attractive woman, to say the least but I think she cares a little too much about her looks that to say ‘vain’ would be such underrated, unfavorable word. But I figured it wasn’t really a bad thing.

Years that I have known her before, she used to had a big, giant self-esteem issue.

But I wouldn’t blame her.

For the longest times, she has this ‘bushy’ issue that won’t go away. You know, those unwanted hairs in certain places in her body that grow a little bit longer than necessary. You get the idea.

But she’s simply refused to back down and wallow in self-pity. She took her shortcoming with stride and became more confident than ever. She’s completely clear and independent on her direction, feelings and decision and not easily being led. And now, she’s very much comfortable in her own skin and has emerged as a confident and sophisticated middle-age woman she is inspired to be.

I was once attended to one of the beauty contest that she happened to win. She was asked by the jury ‘what beauty means to her’ and in an act of self-delusion she gave an elaborate, passionate speech about ‘beauty’s skin deep’ crap that for a few seconds the hall was awed in silence. I was on tears! ( Though I didn’t believe she meant it)

From that moment on I realized she has achieved much on what she wanted to achieve and I couldn’t help but to cheer her on.

She’s an old friend of mine with considerable number of my dark, embarrassing secrets. She’s also a woman who wants to look and feel her best. In both roles, she awarded Mus’
"Most beautiful people that need shaving”

Now, anytime you feel down and out and ugly: remember what Ginger said.

“There are uglier people out there, they just haven’t come out from your mirror”

Have A Heart That Never Hardens.....

I made plan this weekend and it involves charity.

Gasp! Is that possible to say Mus and charity in one sentence?

O Come on! It’s not like I am lobbying for UN Goodwill Ambassador for God’s sake! I was just thinking about showing up at Plaza Damas, Sri Hartamas this weekend.

Of course, poor people don’t shop there silly, but there'll be activities organized by err…some charitable foundation that I planned to participate, plus I got to splash paint while at it (to raise money not to sabotage).

Following the fallout of my 'Anti Flush Toilet' campaign with Greenpeace recently, I am more determined to follow through on my promise to do more charity work and what a better way to spread the joy to the world than to paint them.

If you haven’t got a clue what I am babbling about, read this:

Come celebrate Merdeka through ‘Remembering 50 Years of Nationhood with Gajah-Gajah Gallery’ at Hartamas Shopping Centre, Plaza Damas.

The event is an 18-day affair beginning on the 16th of August and ending on 2nd of September. Highlights include:

1. Six Square; an art initiative involving members of the public working 6” X 6” canvases. These canvases will be displayed for the duration of the celebration.

2. Work-in-Progress; where Gajah-Gajah Gallery artists will collaborate on a jointly-executed art piece on-site and this piece will be auctioned at the end of the celebration.

The proceeds from the projects above will go toward the Madeleine Children’s Fund (MCF), a charitable foundation to aid pediatric cancer patients in Malaysia.

Yusoff's Gajah 2007 Collection.

Work In Progress.

Exhibit by Public.

Exciting, isn’t it?

So what’s gonna stop you from coming over this weekend? Just participate in one of the activities, pay a small token as a donation and you’ll be surprise that a small act like this can actually change the world.

It’s not much and probably there’ll be a million other people richer than you that would drop millions of ringgit to them at one go, but hey why not start small? Like my mom always said:



I am not a great painter and I know I am not the best tipper around, but I know this much: You will find, as you look back on your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others.

So start now.

The Lonely And His Muses

“ Mus, did you die? Are you dead? You must be dead because you’re not updating your blog.”

Get a newspaper for Pete’s sake!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do you usually write when you’re angry?

Sometimes. But I write when I am happy too. I’ll tell you the easiest time to write: when you’re lonely.

Are you often lonely?

Interestingly enough, I’ve led a pretty lonely life.

So the fringe benefit of being lonely is good writing?

Yeah. The muses visit when I am lonely.

But you’ve never short of friends.

Yeah, it seemed like it but I still do feel lonely sometimes.

Why?

You can have 100 of friends at one time and still feel lonely. When the party's over, that's the time you know for sure. Being lonely isn't really a bad thing. It gives us a break from it all: to recuperate and to reflect. Most of the time I chose to be lonely but they know I’ll come around.

To recuperate and to reflect?

Any interaction or encounter I had with my friends I would treasure, regardless how trivial or stupid the conversation was. Interestingly enough, most of these ‘discoveries’ usually provide me a refreshing new look on my own life and this is the kind of stuff that I like to write.

But not all people appreciate that. Some stuff is considered personal. Aren’t you afraid of backlash?

Am I? I thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But there are times when I truly risk something or may have crossed the line. I stop.

How do you know when to stop then?

By being very observant and using my instinct.

Sounds like your friends were actually your muses.

Absolutely!

Barely There

I had lunch with a female friend yesterday. I ordered ‘rojak buah’ while she was having a full plate of mixed rice. She asked me whether that would do.

“I could eat a plate of mixed rice if I want to,” I said, “but I won’t. I feel so guilty afterward.”

“Aaa…you’re on diet.”

I care about the way I look. “ I go back and forth between two mirrors in my apartment like I am going to look different in each one. It’s like, yeah, I look good in this mirror, let me see if I look as good in the other. Doesn’t everyone do that?”

My friend stared at me and nodded and made encouraging noises. But she wasn’t really paying attention.

“Sometimes I get so distracted.” She said.

“Why is that?”

“Your hair.”

“My hair? Thanks a lot. I hate my hair.”

“No. I like your hair like that. It makes you look…..less bald.”

We both cracked up.

Luckily there was no fork within my reach.

Sigh. My sexy lips – that’s all I can go by now.

I Think I Got It Right!

Before I dig into the details of my weekend activities, I’d like to preface it with a shameless free marketing for Disney/Pixar Films:

GO WATCH RATATOUILLE NOW! – It’d be a single most enjoyable things you ever done in your pleasure-seeking life.

Now on the substance of this post….

Last weekend was anything but boring. I got to do things I haven’t been able to do for a loong time: I watched a good movie with my housemate; hang out with my long lost friend; did my laundry (ahem!); and attended a wedding.

It was all started on Friday evening…

I bought 2 tickets to watch ‘Ratatouille’ and simply knew it was going to be the best money I ever spent on a movie in a long long time (since King Kong, I think).

So, how really good was the movie? Well I tell you, I am no professional films critic, but the movie was, in one word, sensational. You can’t ask for a better film that Ratatouille, a new classic from Disney/Pixar that is filled with humor, amazing animation and most importantly lots of hearts. So go watch it now and don’t forget to send me a thank-you card.

Saturday night I got a little nice surprise.



A good friend of mine from JB whom I haven’t met for nearly 7 years suddenly decided to pay me a little visit. I was super exited. He hasn’t changed a bit (and so was I he said...hmmm, I hope he meant it in a good way).

Anyway, we chatted over 2 glasses of teh O ais and then had a whale of time cruising around KL's ‘hottest’ spot. (If you know what I mean). It must be sooo fun hanging out with him that night that I risked my friendship with my other friends by stood them up (ooohhh, I am so gonna talk about that in another post). I had fun and am looking forward to do this again with him, next month.

The next day was nothing less ‘fun’.

On Sunday afternoon, me, Bad and Fezal, went to our friend’s wedding in PJ. He was my schoolmate but I can barely remember if we ever had any meaningful conversation before. But I came to his wedding anyway under the pretext that lunch was provided and you know I am a sucker for free food.

I usually hate wedding, especially someone’s I barely know, but this one was a little bearable. Maybe because it was quick since we didn’t wait for the ‘pengantin’ to show up. Bad got called from his boss and had to run to work ASAP. Soon after that, me and Fezal went straight home to get our Sunday afternoon nap.

Ahh….Sunday afternoon nap; fitted nicely as an encore to my great fun filled weekend.

Finally, I think I got it right this time.

Hate Is What Fuels The World

Yesterday, the world was fuelled with hatred.

“……..But what pissed me off even more is when I did not get what I've ordered for.”

“Never look back and regret it.. bencilah!!!!”

“…..Sehingga kekadang tue aku rase mcm nak jer lempang muka die.”

“I hate cats”

And of course, the most-hated remarks in recent memories by yours truly:

“ I really despise weekends, so damn costly”

Today I am not gonna hate anything or anyone. Hatred is an awful thing. Everyone knows that. But not everyone is willing to admit that they do hate sometimes. I, myself, do believe it is natural to hate. Oftentimes, hatred is a gut response, and gut responses are outside of your control.

Just a few days ago, one of my friends had a bad encounter by ‘a certain fast food chain’ through their lousy delivery service. He experienced anger. While other people in his shoes often express their anger by calling it hatred, he expressed his anger appropriately with maturity and mental health…errr…well by sending emails to some major newspapers.

Anyway, It’s best to accept that you will hate from time to time. Accept it and then get past it. It only becomes harmful when you hold onto the hate and allow it to determine your actions.

Having said that, hatred, like any tool of nature, is not good or evil. That is determined by the context in which it is expressed.

I hate cancer
I hate poverty
I hate one or two people I have known who have wronged me.
I hate evildoers.
I hate ideas and systems, which want to destroy me or my ideas.

Anyone who doesn’t constructively hate something is not using all the tools that nature gave them and that’s a shame.

That’s why, despite what happened (or rather what I said) recently, I am not ashamed to admit I do hate sometimes. When I say, “ I hate……,” I mean it in a casual, chatting-over-lunch sort of way. It doesn’t mean I wish to kill them all. It just means, well, I hate them.

So please don’t hate me for putting this up……

….cause I mean it.

Fully Stocked Up On Stupid People

“You really hate babies huh?”

“Yeah, but I never said I wouldn’t like to have my own baby, I just said I don’t like babies in general.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Sure it does. Think of it this way. I love my mom very much. She is my comfort, my pillars of strength. The fact that I don’t hang all over your mother and try to pinch her little cheeks does not mean that I hate all mothers, it just means that I prefer my own mother. Get it?”

“O my God, so you don’t like babies, and you hate mothers?”

Have you even been listening?

“Yes. So, I guess you are still single now because you can only love your own mother?”

Arghh. For the love of……I am going to lie down. Wake me up when it’s not so stupid outside.

5 Things You Never Knew About Mus

If you thought ‘I have third nipple’ or ‘ I once married a bigfoot’ is among ‘things’ in the list, o boy, you’d be sorely disappointed, my friends.

I, as you might hard to believe, am a totally normal and wholesome guy. There’s nothing freakish or deviant about me, except well, maybe a little one or two quirks (aha!) that can hardly pass as Ripley’s materials.

(A common understanding and empathy is needed before you proceed)

5. I don’t like babies and kids

Yeah, you heard me right. When I see people congregating around an infant. I am always the one hanging back, the one not begging to hold the baby, the one not cooing and squealing but the one clearing his throat and looking politely bored.

Because of my noticeable lack of socially expected enthusiasm, people tend to associate my disinterest with my own personal reproduction. Sheeesh. I just thought toddlers are nuisance when they cry incessantly and preschoolers make way too much noise.

4. I hate cats

Cats are annoying. They incessantly lick themselves. I used to have a housemate that never took showers. He only licked his whole body clean everyday. If you think that is gross, you have to think cats are too.

3. I like destroying things

As a kid I would always take things apart to see how they worked (and still do to this day) and would usually find a way to use what I unassembled in a way it was not intended for.

My mom banned me from touching her blender, even my ex housemate was forced to sell his washing machine and refrigerator to me. I guess that why my dad called me ‘Mus the Destroyer’

2. I have a morbid fascination about UFO

I have had a life long fascination with UFO's. I have never been abducted that I am aware of. I do not wish to be either. But I am so consumed by the topic or in the advanced technology that this subject is related to.

Look, we get so wrapped up in what Paris Hilton is wearing or who actually Erra Fazira is seeing – trivial things. Then you look up at the sky and you see stars and you think, “Wow, there’s a whole endless possibility above us.”

1. I eat my own fingernails

It started out by trying to bite off a hangnail, fray or tear in a nail. I’d try to fix it with my teeth to make it smooth. The next thing I know a chunk of skin or nail has been chewed off. Yikes!

Do you know nail biting can spread oral diseases like oral herpes because of the constant contact of fingers with the mouth of the individual? Do you know too that nail biting can be responsible for severe dental problems, like gingivitis?

You bet I didn’t know that.

So, here's the list of some of my biggest secrets that I have been hiding behind this exquisite exterior thus far. So whaddaya think? Still didn’t think that they were shocking enough? OK I tell you one more, but please don’t tell anyone.

I once thought Maradonna was a pop singer!

The Sign

Today is August 14, 2007. So what does it means? It means that today is precisely the sixth month I have been with this Bank. Ain’t that wonderful?

Not quite.

Today I am supposed to get my confirmation letter, but nooo. My boss is away in Australia right now and she couldn’t possibly finish up my confirmation appraisal by today. She called and I sulked. She promised she’d do the appraisal first thing once she comes back from overseas, which means sometime next week. Apparently she forgot about the whole confirmation thing before she departed.

OMG. This can be good. Is she going to extend my probation period? What did I do wrong? Why am I being punished this way? O No. Is this some kind of a sign from God that I never good enough for bigger and better things? Why? WHY?! (People please calm down, it’s just an over-dramatic-but-totally-harmless rant from my usual self).

Exhale. Anyway, if she does has anything to say about that. I may have to admit that I’ve made my share of mistakes alright. But that’s all part of being a new staff under probation right?

I am getting nervous now. You think I should wait her up at the airport?

People might not understand this, but I have my own reasons to be this jittery. To get my probation period extended is simply not an option for me. I need to see THE SIGN that this is finally the place that I am destined to build my career on. I am tired of my job hopping days, and I mean it. Looking back of what I have done with my life – career wise, I have no regret, but I am not proud of them a single bit. How could I possibly be proud if none of them lasted more than 2 years?. Looky here:

MBF Finance - 2 years
Alliance Bank - 1 year and 6 months
Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad - 1 year 4 months
CitiBank - 8 months
McDonald’s - 8 months
HSBC Bank - 6 months

And a couple more organizations that I fail to mention here; either 1) because of a very short span of me working there or 2 ) because of a very short span of my memory.

I promised myself when I signed the offer letter six month ago that I am gonna be here longer than anyone would expect me to be (God’s willing) and I am gonna prove my skeptics wrong.

Now, take that for a measure, you know why to pass 6 months period such a big hoopla to me.

Whoops Now! (Sorry I Can't Go)

It makes no difference if you’re off work or not,
You dream your weekend hand on the doorknob,
Out with your friends, hey, fun in the sun now,
That’s when the phone rings,

Whoops now, sorry I can’t go (3 Times)

Saturday evening and I am all alone at home,
I know my friends are having fun,
I’ll plan my weekend, damn it, leave the machine on,
Next time my friends call, they’ll hear my voice saying loud and clear,

“Please count me in”.

(Whoops Now, Janet – Janet)

Ain’t that creepy to hear that song over and over again inside your head? Heard it while driving. Heard it in the bathroom. In the kitchen. I even hummed it while I was sleeping. It’d drive me nuts and believe it or not I had to live with the %&*^ song for the past two days.

I should’ve a peaceful weekend. It was supposed to be an easy weekend for me. No drama. No conflict. No gossip. No nothing worth blogging about. In fact I should have strolled the entire two days feeling totally indifferent and loosen.

But did I? Nooooooo...

I felt so swamped by guilt that I was seriously thinking about driving up to the hill alone and paying you, unsuspecting people, a little surprise.

Sigh, but the contents in my wallet stopped me.

So it is fair to say my weekend sucks. Big time. Thankyouverymuch.

To Bad, Zack Reena, without you guys I was rotten bored to death. In fact it was so bad that at times I’d talk to my car and I’d suddenly break out into song, making up the lyrics as I went along. (Post controversial ‘The Troubled Weekender’ small talks – only if you buy that!)

Welcome back guys. Be glad to know that someone is missing you but please be easy on the details fun of the trip.

My feeling ain’t made of steel and it definitely (very) green in color.

Join The Fight Against Bachelorism

My mom asked about it. Ariel bragged and couldn't stop talking about it. So when is gonna be?Next month I’ll be officially 30. I dread just to think about it.

“So, bila nak kahwin ni?’

You see, I am not single now because I chose to be single but alas, no one has struck my fancy so far. Though I am not pursuing anyone right now but I think it’s all in good fun

With my age inches to big 30 every minute, my rising star status as a single never has been brighter. So I list down some of the things I need to do to avoid die-alone-at-old-age syndrome before I hit 40.

1. Make more money. I know money doesn’t make the man, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

2. Make self more irresistible. Remember ‘the best flirting technique would be not to flirt at all and just let it happen’.

3. Get self a celebrity stylist. As bad dressers go, I have it good. I was never good at fashion or matching colors.

4. Do ads or sign up with licensed match making company.

Hmmm...Speaking of which, maybe my ads should read something like this:


Buzzed hair and striking eyes aside, I emit an air of quiet mystery that is irresistible. I definitely have a shy component. There’s part of me that wants to be seen and heard, but then I want to retreat. As for what I am looking for in a partner. I am definitely a mind man. Intelligence is a big thing. If you can’t have a conversation, it’s done.

Ouch!

Excuse me for the semi-accurate description; I had to be done feeling like I didn’t deserve good things.

Things He Does For Love

"Guys... ada bad news. Aku tak dpt join sesi karaoke kita sabtu ni
kerana aku bertanding dalam kejohanan olahraga BNM.
Very last minute and very short notice. Sorry for any
inconvenience caused. Aku masuk acara 5000m jalan kaki &
merejam lembing".

I’ll be lying if I say I wasn’t a bit disappointed with the last minute
cancellation.

Well how could I not.

I already picked up what songs to sing, complete with my own choreography. I even avoided oily foods and drank only tamarind juice all week long just to protect my ‘asset’. So it was major setback for me. It’s the only time I know I am allowed to temper with law of physics.

But I moved on.

And so did Bad.


"Maknanya kau akan dtg memberi sokongan moral kat aku sabtu pagi ni?
thanks, Mus U really surprised me!"




"Rugi kau tak dpt tengok aku bergelek.Target aku nak buat below
33 minutes. I did 35 minutes on my first attempt and 34 minutes
last year. Rejam lembing ni, baru nak jumpa tahun ni"

But this comes with a ‘small’ price!

"bestnyeee aron masuk merejam lembing...bolh ke ronn??? aku tkt ko yg kena rejam nanti...takpun ko rejam pengadil2 tu plak...aiyooo disaster la..."

So, when he e-mailed those photos to us yesterday morning, what I saw changed my view. From the photos I can see he’s so err..determinedly happy. The picture was so right that it dawned to me that maybe we shouldn’t come between his sports and outdoors activities. Let him has his moment, as there’ll always be karaoke joints waiting for us to celebrate the victory.

He may be really good at it and I can see how happy he was. So I guess I should give him a little break and be more supportive. It’s a pity though, that I couldn’t be there to cheer on him from front-row, due to some logistics arrangements hiccup (blame Zack!)

Looking to what he had achieved from that tournament make it a little forgiving and I guess all ended well for us.

Love comes with understanding so maybe I should learn to love what he likes so that I can understand him better.

Congratulations friend!

BFF* Alert!

"Hi sayangs!, Jangan lupa ya... percutian kita di Fraser's Hill weekend ni."


"YES!! I ok jer... 11th august pagi ke bertolak uols?"


"Trip to Fraser's Hill sound interesting, so, if it confirm, count me in."

"Guys, I have to say NO for both events. This is because, on 4 Aug I have a kenduri to attend. My fwen's wedding. Fraser Hill, I have to go back my hometown. Kenduri arwah. It is a family event. Sorry guys....."

Badril, Zack, Reena, Ariel and Mus seem attached at the hip – from their weekend retreat at Graha Residenku to weekend trip to Fraser Hill.

Turns out Badril dan Mus met Zack, Reena and Ariel in the late ‘90s (lie!).

Why are the guys inseparable now?.

Could this so-called frienship is 'closer' than you think or could it be more than meets the eyes - a'la Wisteria lane?

"No" says Mus’ rep.

“People can be just friends.”

Their interests do seem secular.

“We sing karaoke and we love hanging out by the pool,” Mus recently told People Magazine.

“Whitney's Saving My Love To You and Ramlah Ram's Kuterbakar Kepanasan Cintamu are our anthems".

Eighties pop: That’s what friends are for.

*BFF-Best Friend Forever

Shy Guy

This is Din. He's also fondly known as Oten. He's very shy, that's why he hasn't been introduced properly to any of my friends yet.

He's a very good friend of mine and I have known him for a long time. Actually exactly a year from today.

p/s He doesn't know I posted this video of his here, so please hush hush okay?

Catching Up!

Think about friends you haven’t seen for a long time. Think about 1001 things you want to say if you ever met them again. Don’t you wish now they would never leave so that you won’t have to admit you actually ‘miss’ them?

I read Zack’s blog – Love Me, Kiss Me, Hug Me (In Memories, August 5th edition) with great interest. Basically it’s about how he came to contact with a long lost friend and plans they made for his upcoming visit to KL. Zack wrote fondly about his best friends and can’t seem to wait to meet him again. While I am not so sure to what extend of this friendship ‘closeness’ but I do sense he’s over exited about whole thing.

I think it’s sweet and hope he won’t ‘abandon’ me again for his new-old friend.

Anyway, I said I read that posting with ‘great interest’ cause something inside me whispered ‘something need to be done’. I have lost a lot of friends along the way and realized I am not making enough effort to reconnect with them. Sometime without realizing it, these are the people that provide the much-needed break in our busy life. We may go our separate ways but the memories stays. I don’t like to feel like I am missing out and so I hang on something like this.

So, last weekend I met friends whom I haven’t seen for sometimes. Not that too long though, but enough to make anyone forget that we’re still friends. While admittedly it wasn’t in my weekend plan but I am glad I did and we had so much fun played ‘catch-up’ together.

Unidentified friend No.1, but I think his lips are a big give away.

Friend No. 2 refused to be identified but his hair is hard to miss; another big give away!

We talked about a lot of thing, nothing substantial, but mostly about what we were missing out on each other. We had a great time and this add some excitement to my quiet but otherwise dull weekend

Catching up was the theme of the weekend and I plan more to come.

Dream Can Wait

Yesterday, remember when I bragged about how I managed to save RM1000 for the Bank?

Of course you do. You just don’t care. Am I right?

Anyway my boss was ecstatic about it and the committees were thrilled. I was simply over the moon. It’s good to know you can help your organization the best you know how and I was basking with joy for a while. However my joy was short lived. Honestly, though I didn’t expect them to erect a life sized statue of myself in front of our office porch, neither that I expected to receive this memo late in the afternoon.

Tuan,

Sukacita dimaklumkan bahawa tuan telah dilantik sebagai Ahli Jawatankuasa Majlis Persaraan Y.Bhg Datuk Abdul Rahim Mohd Zin . Majlis ini akan diadakan di Menara Bank Pembangunan pada 30hb Ogos 2007.

Sehubungan itu mesyuarat pertama seluruh Ahli Jawatankuasa Majlis Persaraan ini akan diadakan seperti butiran di bawah:

Tarikh : 3 Ogos 2007 (Jumaat)
Masa : 9:00 pagi
Tempat : Bilik Latihan Aras 7 (Bilik 2)
Menara Bank Pembangunan

Kerjasama tuan untuk menghadiri mesyuarat ini adalah diharapkan bagi menjayakan Majlis di atas.
Sekian, terima kasih.

Guys, I am not complaining here. I know I am kinda good with this sorta thing. It just that after months of robbed weekends and relentless rehearsals I just feel that I deserve a break and opportunity to do other things that I am passionate about. You know like joining ‘Greenpeace’ in their anti-flush toilet campaign to save water or helping WFP (United Nations World Food Programme) to promote ‘anti-aging sardine sandwich’ to the third world countries to fight wrinkles.

Looks like those ‘dreams’ have to wait for a while now.

Sigh.

The Other Woman

Flushed Away

Yesterday evening, after work, I met Encik Amran at Tupai-Tupai (the guy who helped me putting up a good show last Monday). The meeting arranged as a post mortem of the well-received show and also for me to negotiate on the quotation given.

The meeting lasted less than 2 hours but it was a fruitful one. I believe I used everything I have to get the best deal out of this meeting and I think I succeeded. At the end, he eventually succumbed to my pitiful plea and agreed to give us a huge discount. A cool RM1000. How’s that for a rookie! I was overjoyed.

We then decided to have our dinner there, on him course, and I didn’t wait a second to run through the menu twice. I had a plate of Chicken Chop with Black Pepper Sauce and Orange Juice while he was having, err, I don’t remember.

Initially, I thought it was a wise choice for me, since I am on a diet and all, but apparently my body didn’t agree. Immediately after I 'vacuumed' the meal (trust me, it wasn’t long) I felt bloated and my heart filled with guilt. I feel like s***.

Since this is a PG rated page, this photo is used as a metaphor of how I felt yesterday.

What happened next was so brutal that no words or photos can be justified for posting.

On the same note:

Earlier in the afternoon, I read something worth sharing.

"The world’s dependence on flush toilets could be its environmental downfall.

Since the 1900s, scientists have known that flushing away human waste comes with environmental consequences, such as using precious, potable water. Each year, a typical person will use almost 4,000 gallons of drinking water to flush away 75 pounds of feces and 130 gallons of urine, according to a 2001 study by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

While drinking-water shortages plague millions in such places as India and in some African nations, we continue to waste water by flushing everyday".
(Sources: LiveScience)

So friends, do your part now to save our planet. Start saving water by stop flushing.

So remember next time you need to answer nature call whilst in Graha Residen, Don’t flush!

Saying NO

An e-mail I received on July 30, 2007:

A trip to Fraser's Hill (since can't get one in PD) will be organised on
second weekend of this August (10-12 August 2007). A 4-room
bungalow has been booked for only RM16 per night. And
convenience sake, insya-Allah kita bertolak awal2 pagi 11 Ogos.
Once again, please reply, latest by 31 July 2007.
And no vague answer ya, Mus. hehehe.
Only YES or NO.

My immediate reply:

Morning,

YES to karaoke
NO to Fraser Hill

p/s sorry if i sound kekwat.

The reply back:

No lah... I like this tone better
Ok, thanks for your prompt response.

We often afraid to say No to our friends cause we don’t want to be labeled ‘snooty’ or worse, we won’t get any invitation to social-do anymore. So we ended up giving ‘vague’ replies in hope of sudden twist of fate and they’ll soon understand. But most of the time that doesn’t happen.

‘I love to join, but….’, ‘I’ll confirm later….’, ‘Please count me in….’

The truth is, with few exceptions, we won’t and can’t make it at all. So what with the false hope?

Don’t hide behind lies and ambiguous, instead be honest and firm. If you really can’t make it say so. You don’t even have to explain yourself. They will understand. Like one of my close friend used to say ‘we are not kids anymore’.

Give yourself a huge leap of ‘I am sorry’ by saying ‘ ‘I’ll make it up to you guys later’ or ‘I’ll make time for you guys next time’ and get the respect you deserve from your friends.

Surely, hanging out with your friends once in a while can be as important as other things in your life too. So find the time for the important things. You know you can learn to do whatever you wish and do what you set your mind to do.

And how you can say No to that.