Blame It On The Devil

Raya shopping came a little early for me this year. Not that anyone’s complaining. Let’s just say I hate putting off something that is so important and ‘of great consequences’ like this until the very last minutes. You see, I prefer to shop in ‘peace’.

But with prices of consumer knick-knacks skyrocketing by the minute, we’re going to have to be a bit prudent with our, sometimes frivolous, purchases, aren’t we?

O yeah you poor, poor kid!

So I had my Raya shopping list ready waaay back before BN lost 5 states to Pakatan Rakyat. The list is going on and on but trust me most of the things on the list are hardly frivolous, much less extravagant – it’s strictly ‘festive-related’ only, very prudent and sensible. Or so I hope.

Alas, two days ago, the words ‘prudent’, 'sensible’ and ‘festive-related’ took a tragic turn. I skidded to the darks side. The devil inside me was working overtime - wait, aren’t they supposed to be ‘locked up’ during Ramadan? – O well I guess it was just me being bad. Really really bad.



Say hello to these 'babies'. I guess this year Raya will be more about 'viewing' and 'washing' than 'visiting' and 'celebrating' eh?



I swear I hammered ‘NO’ repeatedly to the salesperson and then ran for a cover under the display sofa. Heck, I even pretended I lost my parents! But noooo, before I know it I received a call informing me that my purchases of ‘delights’ are on their way. Damn those! I could almost hear me banging my head on the wall right now.

God, I wish I had more money than JK Rowling – most of mere mortals can only dream about. They say happiness is the measure of true wealth. Rubbish; it’s money, and lots of it –all spend on those things you proudly show off to your guests on the first day of Raya and forget all about it the next day. Sigh!

Blame it on the Devil. I am innocent.

Unwind

I love my job – a little too much I guess. Up until last Friday, I still have about 20 days of annual leave to be cleared off - an achievement of some sort if you considered my murky past employment records.

So my boss was up on her toes, she suggested the obvious:

“Mus, have all your leaves cleared before October, or you’ll disturb the entire cosmic balance!” (or something to that effect)

I was about to let it slip when I realized, “Hey! I still have a lot of annual leaves, so what in blazes am I still doing here?” I needed my break. I needed a rest. I’ve been working my ass off all these months and I seriously needed to ‘recharge’. The sign? Lately I have been in a bizarre mental space - I get irritated easily I could spit bullets.

It’s high time for me to get the balance. It’s called, wait for it, cosmic balance (sorry, can’t help it)

So how do I pick the week when to go? I have my own rules, some kind of ritual I have been following since the beginning of my working life - I look for these signs:

1. Public holiday. I can get my much-needed, longer, peaceful break at home knowing that nobody from office could ever call me.

31 August. Yeap, it’s Merdeka Day! It’s our nation’s 51th birthday and since it was on Sunday, so we got the Monday off (Yippe!). I don’t have any (new) wish for this year celebration. Having been kept disappointed for several years already, my wish remains the same – and I believe I speak for every Malaysian – stability, equality and trust.

2. It's Ramadan

It’s that time of the year again – the joy of giving, self-discovery and humility. Though the words “Mus”, “generous” and “unselfishness” don’t often find themselves locked together in the same sentence, but this year I vow to be a better Muslim, if not a better son, a better brother or a better friend. I dedicated the entire first week of Ramadan to observe religiously the true meaning of Ramadan. Sumpah!

3. Someone’s birthday.

Gosh it’s sure weird when it’s MINE. If there’s anyone should ever remind me on my own birthday is me. And only me! That’s why this year I try to be discreet about it. Try to get away from people who tend to have the stupidest idea that birthdays need to be celebrated aloud and with lots of surprises.

I hate surprises. So I guess the best way to remind that I am an ancient fossil is by crawling on my bed with my Kiki and Lulu. Age is only numbers, so I was told, but it's also the sign of maturity. Sigh!

And O just in case you are wondering, yeap, it’s 3 September.

4. Because my mother says so!

Well, How could you say No. How could you even begin to argue with the woman who gave you birth. If she says ‘come home’, you go and pack your bag right away. No argument. Being a good, mama’s boy, that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

Yes, I am on my weeklong leave since last Saturday and I still have another 5 days to go - to do absolutely nothing. I am gonna savour every single minute of it. No worries, no care in the world as if the clocks are completely stop ticking and nothing can bothers me at all.

So what am I doing right now? Picture me on a beach, sipping my non-achoholic drink, staring gleefully on the open water, wearing absolutely nothing. Pretty much sum up how I feel right now, liberating and naked. Now if you are offended by the notion of me in nude, please go check your meds. I am so not in the mood of caring.

See if I care next week.