I love this shot: Postcard moment! The beach was well-lit by the moon that night so we took a stroll along the beach.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Roller coaster.
Yesterday marked two months since I officially embraced (more like hesitantly clung on to) singledom. Two months. How about that? Seems like forever. It's been a roller coaster since then and all I can do is grip the bars for dear life and hope I'm properly locked into my seat. I've got my fair share of ups, downs, twists and turns to put a giant triple-loop coaster to shame. Here's my take:
Ups
I've been going out more. And yes, I am enjoying my evenings of intoxication - to a point of concern sometimes but I'm still standing. My career is improving and I've been doing more freelance jobs. The money isn't the main thing at this point, it's more important that I carve a name in the writing industry. In fact, most of my writing has been FOC but I'm anal about getting my name up there next to my article. I've also been thinking more and more about pursuing my postgrad studies - most likely Australia. A shout out to Dillon in Melbourne who's been twisting my arm to get my ass down there. He's even got a spare room in his apartment waiting for me. Hey budak Singh bising, trust me, you'll be the first to know if I decide to make my way to too-cold-too-hot-too-everything Melbourne!
On the upside, I have a newfound appreciation for my family and friends who have helped me pull through. They've made me realise that although they're behind me 100 percent, I'm the only person who can drag myself out of a funk. True dat. And I've been writing more. Just random ramblings but each time I put the pen down, I feel like i can breathe again.
Downs
In 26 years of my life, I've had boyfriends. Yes, I've been in and out of love but there was only one person I could finally picture sharing my friggin' white-picket fence life with. But as Murphy and his bloody law would have it, we didn't see through the same rose-coloured glasses when it came to the future. Rejection is never a pretty thing. Unrequited love sucks even more. Too bad it took me two and a half years to get the message. I'll admit I wasn't the perfect girlfriend but what fun would there be if I was? haha. (When all else fails, laugh it off). And I don't make enough money *wail*.
Enough wallowing.
Twists
....you know, best not blog about the twists. Stay tuned.
Turns
Everytime I think I've got it covered, something new awaits me at every corner. I've learned to stay clear of dead-ends. Always pick a junction: Choice is good.
Hallmark moments aside, I'm spending the weekend at the Bukit Naga Beach Retreat in Kuala Penyu this weekend. It's about 2 and a half hours away from KK and yes, it's a work-related trip. Anything to get away I suppose. Will let you know how that goes.
You left your smell
you left your taste
You left me here with my mistakes
And I can't relate to what you say I've done
Just for you
I'll bite my tongue
- Eleanor, Low Millions.
Ups
I've been going out more. And yes, I am enjoying my evenings of intoxication - to a point of concern sometimes but I'm still standing. My career is improving and I've been doing more freelance jobs. The money isn't the main thing at this point, it's more important that I carve a name in the writing industry. In fact, most of my writing has been FOC but I'm anal about getting my name up there next to my article. I've also been thinking more and more about pursuing my postgrad studies - most likely Australia. A shout out to Dillon in Melbourne who's been twisting my arm to get my ass down there. He's even got a spare room in his apartment waiting for me. Hey budak Singh bising, trust me, you'll be the first to know if I decide to make my way to too-cold-too-hot-too-everything Melbourne!
On the upside, I have a newfound appreciation for my family and friends who have helped me pull through. They've made me realise that although they're behind me 100 percent, I'm the only person who can drag myself out of a funk. True dat. And I've been writing more. Just random ramblings but each time I put the pen down, I feel like i can breathe again.
Downs
In 26 years of my life, I've had boyfriends. Yes, I've been in and out of love but there was only one person I could finally picture sharing my friggin' white-picket fence life with. But as Murphy and his bloody law would have it, we didn't see through the same rose-coloured glasses when it came to the future. Rejection is never a pretty thing. Unrequited love sucks even more. Too bad it took me two and a half years to get the message. I'll admit I wasn't the perfect girlfriend but what fun would there be if I was? haha. (When all else fails, laugh it off). And I don't make enough money *wail*.
Enough wallowing.
Twists
....you know, best not blog about the twists. Stay tuned.
Turns
Everytime I think I've got it covered, something new awaits me at every corner. I've learned to stay clear of dead-ends. Always pick a junction: Choice is good.
Hallmark moments aside, I'm spending the weekend at the Bukit Naga Beach Retreat in Kuala Penyu this weekend. It's about 2 and a half hours away from KK and yes, it's a work-related trip. Anything to get away I suppose. Will let you know how that goes.
You left your smell
you left your taste
You left me here with my mistakes
And I can't relate to what you say I've done
Just for you
I'll bite my tongue
- Eleanor, Low Millions.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Women Are Crazy and Men Are A**holes
(Caution: Following material may prove to be offensive to both genders. The views presented are solely those of the author’s. Reader discretion advised.)
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this just might be the title of my first book. Forget all that Venus and Mars nonsense. Time to get down and dirty with the facts. Plus, you might be interested to know that the blog subject of the day was inspired by a male acquaintance.
“Women are crazy. Simple as that,” said my Muse. I was defensive at first but still curious to see what he meant. The mood swings, the emotions, the suspicions, the ‘over-thinking’…Where does one begin? My temper was flaring and then I caught myself. We’re only crazy in the eyes of a man. And could you blame them? Would you expect them to understand what PMS does to your hormones? Or why we need 50 pairs of shoes – kept in almost-pristine condition in their colour coded boxes? They probably think we ask them to put the toilet seat down for conversation’s sake. And yes, sometimes when you men glance at other women, we think you’re cheating on us and you don’t love us and all you think about is sex.
And then we realize we’re just PMS-ing so we go out and buy a pair of shoes to make ourselves feel better and our men think we’ve gone crazy. It’s a vicious cycle, really.
So yes, maybe we’re crazy. But that’s also because men are so logical to the point of boring that they can’t see past crazy. Anything with more than two emotions (horny and hungry) is too much for them to handle. “You women…You think too much,” said my Muse. “We men…We’re straight to the point. We don’t feel too much. We can shut off and detach ourselves from just about anything.” And my favourite: “It should only take a few minutes to get over something that annoys you. You harp too much, too long. It’s tiring for us men.”
Ah, ok. Thank you for enlightening me with your heart of steel, O Wise and Learned One.
Strangely, my Muse is also responsible for Chapter 2 of my book: All Men Are A**holes. Quote, unquote. Yes, ALL men. Even your dads and brothers and Sunday school teachers. It’s harsh but think about it. The difference between Guy A and Guy B is the level of Assholeyness. Some rate a perfect ten (Hitler?) and some barely past 1 (the…Pope? And that’s only probably because he left the toilet seat up once when he was 15). But they’ve all got a little bit of a**hole in them. I’ll get personal here. I love my dad and my brothers but sometimes their testosterone-infused self-righteousness really piss me off. They overtake a really slow car and take look at the driver, followed by the typical remark, “No wonder. It’s a woman.”
What is THAT about?
The trick, ladies, is to find a man who doesn’t rate too high on the a**hole scale. Find someone who isn’t on the scale, you say? Whoa whoa, wait a minute. Men on that level are a whole new category: Wimps. Don’t go there. They are far more frustrating than A**holes because at least the latter has the balls to argue with you.
So here’s my point: we’re gonna need some a**holes in our lives who will love us even when they think we’re crazy and as much as they hate to admit it, they love having a crazy woman in their lives who will love them despite their a**holes moments.
Wait a minute, I just proved a new theory: Men are crazy a**holes to want crazy women in their lives while women are just plain crazy. So you see girls…We’re definitely the better species, haha!
Disclaimer: I love my guy friends who love me despite the fact that, like the rest of the female population, I am crazy. Cheers to the nicest a**holes I know! To the rest, don’t bother with the hate mail. You’re so predictable.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this just might be the title of my first book. Forget all that Venus and Mars nonsense. Time to get down and dirty with the facts. Plus, you might be interested to know that the blog subject of the day was inspired by a male acquaintance.
“Women are crazy. Simple as that,” said my Muse. I was defensive at first but still curious to see what he meant. The mood swings, the emotions, the suspicions, the ‘over-thinking’…Where does one begin? My temper was flaring and then I caught myself. We’re only crazy in the eyes of a man. And could you blame them? Would you expect them to understand what PMS does to your hormones? Or why we need 50 pairs of shoes – kept in almost-pristine condition in their colour coded boxes? They probably think we ask them to put the toilet seat down for conversation’s sake. And yes, sometimes when you men glance at other women, we think you’re cheating on us and you don’t love us and all you think about is sex.
And then we realize we’re just PMS-ing so we go out and buy a pair of shoes to make ourselves feel better and our men think we’ve gone crazy. It’s a vicious cycle, really.
So yes, maybe we’re crazy. But that’s also because men are so logical to the point of boring that they can’t see past crazy. Anything with more than two emotions (horny and hungry) is too much for them to handle. “You women…You think too much,” said my Muse. “We men…We’re straight to the point. We don’t feel too much. We can shut off and detach ourselves from just about anything.” And my favourite: “It should only take a few minutes to get over something that annoys you. You harp too much, too long. It’s tiring for us men.”
Ah, ok. Thank you for enlightening me with your heart of steel, O Wise and Learned One.
Strangely, my Muse is also responsible for Chapter 2 of my book: All Men Are A**holes. Quote, unquote. Yes, ALL men. Even your dads and brothers and Sunday school teachers. It’s harsh but think about it. The difference between Guy A and Guy B is the level of Assholeyness. Some rate a perfect ten (Hitler?) and some barely past 1 (the…Pope? And that’s only probably because he left the toilet seat up once when he was 15). But they’ve all got a little bit of a**hole in them. I’ll get personal here. I love my dad and my brothers but sometimes their testosterone-infused self-righteousness really piss me off. They overtake a really slow car and take look at the driver, followed by the typical remark, “No wonder. It’s a woman.”
What is THAT about?
The trick, ladies, is to find a man who doesn’t rate too high on the a**hole scale. Find someone who isn’t on the scale, you say? Whoa whoa, wait a minute. Men on that level are a whole new category: Wimps. Don’t go there. They are far more frustrating than A**holes because at least the latter has the balls to argue with you.
So here’s my point: we’re gonna need some a**holes in our lives who will love us even when they think we’re crazy and as much as they hate to admit it, they love having a crazy woman in their lives who will love them despite their a**holes moments.
Wait a minute, I just proved a new theory: Men are crazy a**holes to want crazy women in their lives while women are just plain crazy. So you see girls…We’re definitely the better species, haha!
Disclaimer: I love my guy friends who love me despite the fact that, like the rest of the female population, I am crazy. Cheers to the nicest a**holes I know! To the rest, don’t bother with the hate mail. You’re so predictable.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Eye Tee My A**
Paperless society, information technology, cyberspace… So they say we’re moving forward. Everything is one click away. E-mails are more cost-effective than phone calls (albeit less personal). An office without a computer is like a pool without water. It just doesn’t work.
Enter Melissa’s world, Thursday, October 13, 2005. For the last three days, my office e-mail has gone missing in action. Let me backtrack here: The office uses Outlook Express but as luck would have it, mine died early this year, taking with him ALL my e-mails. I mourned but was soon introduced to Mozilla Thunderbird – yes, I use an e-mail programme that sounds like an Ultraman villain. It took me a week to get used to the whole thing (I’m SLOW so sue me) and I’ve finally come to terms that it’s not as user friendly as Outlook but it does the job. And today, the Gods of CPUtopia have cursed me again and vanquished my inbox and all its sacred contents.
Oh woe is me.
I’m annoyed, yes. But not devastated because I can still check my emails on the temperamental and unstable webmail server online. Completely user unfriendly but again, beggars can’t be choosers. So la la la I’m trying to log into Webmail and it tells me something along the lines of “I’m not available right now so piss off”. This happens for like five times in a row so I call our lone IT guy (who’s based in our parent company office, some five minutes away). Long story short, upon hearing the disappearance of my inbox and logging in problems, he says with a laugh, “What’s that got to do with me?”
“WHAT’S THAT GOT TO DO WITH ME?”
Just kept ringing in my ears. Gee, I dunno, what’s a surgeon got to do with performing surgery? Or golly gee whiz, you think carnivores eat meat? I dunno, maybe the Pope’s not Catholic…HELLO.
I have no patience for incompetence, ignorance and pure idiocy at this point. So I emailed the entire office to forward emails to my yahoo account due to the village idiot’s refusal to help me out.
It’s frustrating when a lot of your work depends on the influx of emails. Important emails. Not the ‘If you don’t forward this letter in 5 days your ears will rot and fall off’ kind of emails. More like, “Your kind attention to the abovementioned is highly appreciated. Best regards, Melissa Leong, Resident Company Mascot.”
Anyway, here’s the song blaring from my speakers as I try to cleanse myself of murderous thoughts involving computer cables and someone’s neck.
“Everytime you cry, save up all your tears,
I will be your rainbow when it disappears,
Wash away the pain, till you smile again,
I will be the laughter in your eyes,
Everytime you cry.”
-John Farnham, Everytime You Cry
Enter Melissa’s world, Thursday, October 13, 2005. For the last three days, my office e-mail has gone missing in action. Let me backtrack here: The office uses Outlook Express but as luck would have it, mine died early this year, taking with him ALL my e-mails. I mourned but was soon introduced to Mozilla Thunderbird – yes, I use an e-mail programme that sounds like an Ultraman villain. It took me a week to get used to the whole thing (I’m SLOW so sue me) and I’ve finally come to terms that it’s not as user friendly as Outlook but it does the job. And today, the Gods of CPUtopia have cursed me again and vanquished my inbox and all its sacred contents.
Oh woe is me.
I’m annoyed, yes. But not devastated because I can still check my emails on the temperamental and unstable webmail server online. Completely user unfriendly but again, beggars can’t be choosers. So la la la I’m trying to log into Webmail and it tells me something along the lines of “I’m not available right now so piss off”. This happens for like five times in a row so I call our lone IT guy (who’s based in our parent company office, some five minutes away). Long story short, upon hearing the disappearance of my inbox and logging in problems, he says with a laugh, “What’s that got to do with me?”
“WHAT’S THAT GOT TO DO WITH ME?”
Just kept ringing in my ears. Gee, I dunno, what’s a surgeon got to do with performing surgery? Or golly gee whiz, you think carnivores eat meat? I dunno, maybe the Pope’s not Catholic…HELLO.
I have no patience for incompetence, ignorance and pure idiocy at this point. So I emailed the entire office to forward emails to my yahoo account due to the village idiot’s refusal to help me out.
It’s frustrating when a lot of your work depends on the influx of emails. Important emails. Not the ‘If you don’t forward this letter in 5 days your ears will rot and fall off’ kind of emails. More like, “Your kind attention to the abovementioned is highly appreciated. Best regards, Melissa Leong, Resident Company Mascot.”
Anyway, here’s the song blaring from my speakers as I try to cleanse myself of murderous thoughts involving computer cables and someone’s neck.
“Everytime you cry, save up all your tears,
I will be your rainbow when it disappears,
Wash away the pain, till you smile again,
I will be the laughter in your eyes,
Everytime you cry.”
-John Farnham, Everytime You Cry
Sunday, October 09, 2005
What Mel Did Over The Weekend
Lazy Sunday afternoons. Don't you just love 'em? I'm alone at home, listening to Fairground Attraction on my winamp and craving for a Whopper. It's 3:10pm and I just realised i haven't had lunch. Recap on my weekend? ok, if you insist:
Friday
Still on leave but i have to drop by the office anyway. I figured i'd drop by for an hour, get my stuff done and be home before lunch. Guess again. Took longer than i expected and halfway through it was already lunchtime at the office so Haw, Charlie and I headed to CPS for food and several rounds of pool. Dex calls me up as I'm making my way back to the office and he wants company for lunch. So...Lunch round two! I had a drink while we talked about studying in the UK and the art of eating tom yam soup when wearing a white shirt (it's a skill, I tell you). Friday night, it's off to Blue Note for a bottle of Chivas and badly dressed singers - What's with the auntie-shorts and J.Lo sunglasses? By eleven, we've polished a bottle and still hankering for a buzz so we head to Shenanigans. Much better. Had some tea of the Long Island kind, worked the dance floor and a bit and decided to drop by a friend's house for an after-party. We arrived at 1am and lookie lookie, more beer! I've slowed down at this point but now I'm just hungry. Its 2am and in KK that means only one thing: Time for Foh Sang's famous prawn mee! Sated and sleepy, time to get home. Time check: 3am.
Saturday
Up by 8am. Damn body clock. A nice, hot shower followed by vegetating in front of the TV. I'm halfway through The Bold and The Beautiful (it's MY holiday and I'll watch what I want...) when Haw tells me he's got a headache and he's hungry. Totally forgot about breakfast. We head to a coffee shop nearby. 1pm: Lester invites me for lunch. I accept. We eat. I'm off to KK Toys Store to buy a gift for baby Thomas' one month party on Sunday night. I bought him Elmo and Cookie Monster hand puppets. They're so adorable...I might keep them for myself, haha. At night, I'm off to Upperstar for beers and Shenanigan's for more drinks. It's Joey's birthday. He's happy, we're all happy. Yay. It's about 1am and yes, I'm hungry again. Hokkien mee sounds good. Dex sends me home. Time check: 3am
Sunday
Here I am. Spent the whole day at home, bored but contented. Tonight is baby Thomas Slade's full moon party. Which reminds me, I have yet to wrap the gift. I'm really hungry though. Oh and here's the best part:
I'm still on leave tomorrow *celebrates with a little Irish jig*
Friday
Still on leave but i have to drop by the office anyway. I figured i'd drop by for an hour, get my stuff done and be home before lunch. Guess again. Took longer than i expected and halfway through it was already lunchtime at the office so Haw, Charlie and I headed to CPS for food and several rounds of pool. Dex calls me up as I'm making my way back to the office and he wants company for lunch. So...Lunch round two! I had a drink while we talked about studying in the UK and the art of eating tom yam soup when wearing a white shirt (it's a skill, I tell you). Friday night, it's off to Blue Note for a bottle of Chivas and badly dressed singers - What's with the auntie-shorts and J.Lo sunglasses? By eleven, we've polished a bottle and still hankering for a buzz so we head to Shenanigans. Much better. Had some tea of the Long Island kind, worked the dance floor and a bit and decided to drop by a friend's house for an after-party. We arrived at 1am and lookie lookie, more beer! I've slowed down at this point but now I'm just hungry. Its 2am and in KK that means only one thing: Time for Foh Sang's famous prawn mee! Sated and sleepy, time to get home. Time check: 3am.
Saturday
Up by 8am. Damn body clock. A nice, hot shower followed by vegetating in front of the TV. I'm halfway through The Bold and The Beautiful (it's MY holiday and I'll watch what I want...) when Haw tells me he's got a headache and he's hungry. Totally forgot about breakfast. We head to a coffee shop nearby. 1pm: Lester invites me for lunch. I accept. We eat. I'm off to KK Toys Store to buy a gift for baby Thomas' one month party on Sunday night. I bought him Elmo and Cookie Monster hand puppets. They're so adorable...I might keep them for myself, haha. At night, I'm off to Upperstar for beers and Shenanigan's for more drinks. It's Joey's birthday. He's happy, we're all happy. Yay. It's about 1am and yes, I'm hungry again. Hokkien mee sounds good. Dex sends me home. Time check: 3am
Sunday
Here I am. Spent the whole day at home, bored but contented. Tonight is baby Thomas Slade's full moon party. Which reminds me, I have yet to wrap the gift. I'm really hungry though. Oh and here's the best part:
I'm still on leave tomorrow *celebrates with a little Irish jig*
Thursday, October 06, 2005
kickin' my heels off...
An interesting story behind my six-day leave from work. I'm supposed to be on a plane to Phuket with Mia and May Leng right now but i'm not. Long story short, couldn't make it but my six-day leave till monday has been approved so I've been debating whether to proceed with it or not. Let's see: early mornings, paperwork and boring confinements of my office OR waking up whenever I want, hogging the TV control and not giving a rat's a** about the sky falling....
Tough choice.
Anyway, here I am, enjoying a brief so-called 'holiday' from work although the most exotic location you'll find me at right now is my backyard with my three dogs. I've entered my second day of 'holiday' and already I've spent a chunk of my time completing a freelance writing job - side income is always good. So much for holiday huh?
So what's in store for Mel this lovely week? Well, first things first, I plan on catching up on some serious rest. I feel like I'm getting sick again and before my body starts to break down, I'm taking it slow. Late mornings mean I wake up at 7:30am, roll around in bed till 8:30, read trashy magazines and finally take a shower. I begin my love affair with the couch and remote control and this goes on till about ten, which is when i get hungry....
Ok, you know what, before I get all Monica and start planning my 'free time', I'm gonna stop. Seriously, I need to just go with the flow the next few days. Go where the wind blows. Throw caution to the wind. Livin la vida loca. Carpe diem. You catch my drift.
On feelings.
Bad thing about free time is you now have time to think. About everything. And i mean EVERYthing. You all know about my never-ending relationship fiasco. And although most days I really am coping better, today is not one of those days. I made the mistake of watching some romantic comedy on Astro (BAD astro) and soon found the waterworks going. And I got angry with myself. Everytime I think I've picked myself up again, I find myself back on the ground. Everyone tells me it takes time. Well, I wish time would hurry up because this is taking a toll on me. I physically feel ill inside, like someone's making mashed potatoes in my chest. I've done everything that's humanly possible to distract myself, from retail therapy to getting intoxicated, just to get a feeling of temporary sanity. Has it been only two months? Feels like two years. I miss him. I miss us. And I miss things being in place. I'm fine, really I am. But I can't lie and say that I'm happy. Ever been between a rock and a hard place? I'm the Mayor there right now.
Kevin Cowherd is one my favourite columnists. Check him out here at the Baltimore Sun. Funny guy, great writing.
"Loving someone don't make them love you."
-wise words of Jack Johnson, surfer god and songwriter extraordinaire
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
The Mountain Diaries
Ok updates. Spent the weekend at Mt. Kinabalu. Four a.m wake up calls and chill factor aside, it was pretty fun. This is my second year at the Climbathon and I have to admit it’s one of my favourite events to organize. The environment isn’t too controlled and we have free reign of our responsibilities. Basically, just make sure you have your head screwed on right and you know what you’re supposed to do. No room for incompetence.
Anyway, we made our way up to the mountains on Friday afternoon. It was drizzling so hell yeah, it was colder than expected when got up there. Half the team arrived the night before so the Secretariat was already set up. Some runners were still registering for the race so we were still busy attending to that. My main duty is to take care of the media, both foreign and local, and making sure they’ve got all the information they need. It’s quite easy dealing with the media because most of them are my friends (recap: I used to be a reporter). Dealing with the foreign media can prove to be a wee bit trickier. Sometimes they have the strangest requests. For example, TWI (Trans World International – an international sports channel) from London wanted to take shots of the surrounding villages and market after the event. A few phone calls here, a bit of coordination there and it’s a done deal. Another thing I enjoy about the Climbathon is meeting the athletes themselves. I mean, anyone who can RUN up and down 4095.2m of granite in three hours pretty much gets my respect. For those not in the know, regular climbers usually take a leisurely two days to climb Mount Kinabalu (they spend a night at the halfway point, Laban Rata and proceed to the peak at 2am). Professional mountain runners take an average of 3 hours. THREE freakin’ hours. Not days, mind you. HOURS.
In a nutshell, here’s what the Climbathon is all about:
The Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon has made its reputation as “The World’s Toughest Mountain Race”. It is a true challenge to the spirit of human endurance. The race involves running up and down Mt. Kinabalu (4095.2m), a total distance of 21 KM for both Men and Women category.
The Climbathon first started in 1987 where its origin can be traced to the Sabah Parks’ intention to acquire rapid rescue squad – a team of rangers who can bring down injured climbers fast (this is especially useful during bad weather when helicopters cannot be used.) It was an all-Malaysian affair for a year until it was opened for international participants. Sabah Tourism Board took over to organize the event in 1995.
The Climbathon is now popular among European mountain runners who form the majority of the members of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), whose patron is the International Amateur Athletic Federations (IAAF).
For the past 3 years, the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon was included in the World Skyrunning Championship circuit by the World Federation of Sports at Altitude (FSA) base in Italy. Again in 2005, it will be in their final circuit. Top runners from around the globe will meet in the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon to compete to win the championship.
I love the cut and paste feature, don’t you?
Back to my weekend… We stayed at Kinabalu Lodge, a large cabin within the national park. In the evening after dinner, it was time to whip out the whisky (hey, we need to warm up somehow) and guitar. I was bundled up in three layers of clothing, as usual, but after a few glasses of Chivas and several renditions of Deep Blue Something’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, I warmed up pretty fast. The second night we had a barbeque, which would have been fun if not for the fact that the pit is outdoors and it’s c-c-c-cold. I took the task of tending the fireplace while the boys played chef at the BBQ pit. Me smart, no?
During the prize presentation, I took the opportunity to get the autographs of the Men’s and Women’s Champion, Ricardo Mejia from Mexico (my favourite runner) and Anna Pichtrova of Czechoslavakia (she’s also an Olympian. I think she took the 28th placing at the recent Olympic’s marathon event). I’ve been a fan of Ricardo for a while. Compared to the other athletes, he’s smaller built. Back in Mexico, I was told that he’s someone’s chauffeur and I think a part time mechanic. But here on the mountain, he is THE MAN. I just like his humility and determination to win. He can’t afford to participate in the race by himself so he actually gets sponsors from all around. Looks like he turned out to be worthwhile investment after all. Oh and get this: Anna Pichtrova gave me her Buff Sky Running Champion trophy! I kid you not. She said it was too heavy to carry back and eventhough I offered for our company to send it via post, she refused. Heh, how about that?
Ok peeps. I will let the photos tell the rest of the story.
Anyway, we made our way up to the mountains on Friday afternoon. It was drizzling so hell yeah, it was colder than expected when got up there. Half the team arrived the night before so the Secretariat was already set up. Some runners were still registering for the race so we were still busy attending to that. My main duty is to take care of the media, both foreign and local, and making sure they’ve got all the information they need. It’s quite easy dealing with the media because most of them are my friends (recap: I used to be a reporter). Dealing with the foreign media can prove to be a wee bit trickier. Sometimes they have the strangest requests. For example, TWI (Trans World International – an international sports channel) from London wanted to take shots of the surrounding villages and market after the event. A few phone calls here, a bit of coordination there and it’s a done deal. Another thing I enjoy about the Climbathon is meeting the athletes themselves. I mean, anyone who can RUN up and down 4095.2m of granite in three hours pretty much gets my respect. For those not in the know, regular climbers usually take a leisurely two days to climb Mount Kinabalu (they spend a night at the halfway point, Laban Rata and proceed to the peak at 2am). Professional mountain runners take an average of 3 hours. THREE freakin’ hours. Not days, mind you. HOURS.
In a nutshell, here’s what the Climbathon is all about:
The Mt. Kinabalu International Climbathon has made its reputation as “The World’s Toughest Mountain Race”. It is a true challenge to the spirit of human endurance. The race involves running up and down Mt. Kinabalu (4095.2m), a total distance of 21 KM for both Men and Women category.
The Climbathon first started in 1987 where its origin can be traced to the Sabah Parks’ intention to acquire rapid rescue squad – a team of rangers who can bring down injured climbers fast (this is especially useful during bad weather when helicopters cannot be used.) It was an all-Malaysian affair for a year until it was opened for international participants. Sabah Tourism Board took over to organize the event in 1995.
The Climbathon is now popular among European mountain runners who form the majority of the members of the World Mountain Running Association (WMRA), whose patron is the International Amateur Athletic Federations (IAAF).
For the past 3 years, the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon was included in the World Skyrunning Championship circuit by the World Federation of Sports at Altitude (FSA) base in Italy. Again in 2005, it will be in their final circuit. Top runners from around the globe will meet in the Mt. Kinabalu Climbathon to compete to win the championship.
I love the cut and paste feature, don’t you?
Back to my weekend… We stayed at Kinabalu Lodge, a large cabin within the national park. In the evening after dinner, it was time to whip out the whisky (hey, we need to warm up somehow) and guitar. I was bundled up in three layers of clothing, as usual, but after a few glasses of Chivas and several renditions of Deep Blue Something’s ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’, I warmed up pretty fast. The second night we had a barbeque, which would have been fun if not for the fact that the pit is outdoors and it’s c-c-c-cold. I took the task of tending the fireplace while the boys played chef at the BBQ pit. Me smart, no?
During the prize presentation, I took the opportunity to get the autographs of the Men’s and Women’s Champion, Ricardo Mejia from Mexico (my favourite runner) and Anna Pichtrova of Czechoslavakia (she’s also an Olympian. I think she took the 28th placing at the recent Olympic’s marathon event). I’ve been a fan of Ricardo for a while. Compared to the other athletes, he’s smaller built. Back in Mexico, I was told that he’s someone’s chauffeur and I think a part time mechanic. But here on the mountain, he is THE MAN. I just like his humility and determination to win. He can’t afford to participate in the race by himself so he actually gets sponsors from all around. Looks like he turned out to be worthwhile investment after all. Oh and get this: Anna Pichtrova gave me her Buff Sky Running Champion trophy! I kid you not. She said it was too heavy to carry back and eventhough I offered for our company to send it via post, she refused. Heh, how about that?
Ok peeps. I will let the photos tell the rest of the story.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Dream a little dream...And then some.
You guys ever have a recurring nightmare? I don't have the exact same dream but over the last few years, it's been the same theme. It always starts out with me in a car. Sometimes I'm in the driver's seat, sometimes I'm the passenger. But regardless, I'm ALWAYS in charge of car control. And without fail, the brakes never work. No matter how hard I push the pedal down, the car just keeps going and I start to panic. Sometimes, the steering wheel jams.
Two nights ago, I had the same dream. This time, I'm sitting in the backseat but somehow the pedals are right there with me. I couldn't recognise the other two people in the front seat but they were freaking out because the car wouldn't stop. And I kept screaming that the brakes weren't working but the other two just kept on freaking out. It finally spun to a stop but that's because we crashed into someone's brick wall (actually, I recall it being Mia's brick wall/fence). I sat in the car, in stunned silence and suddenly my brothers and sister appeared out of nowhere. But instead of checking on me, they start laughing and teasing me for ruining my car. I started to cry, mainly out of frustration because no one believed that the brakes weren't working. The more I cried, the more everyone laughed.
And then I woke up.
I've been getting the same 'brakes don't work' dream for years now and I'm wondering if someone can enlighten me on what it could possibly mean. Anyone?
Commitment: Mel's Take
I read Mia's recent blog post on commitment and I share her sentiments. And not just in the relationship sense, but jobwise/car payments etc too. I think it's the fear of getting stuck in the rut and being tied down to a routine. It's subjective really. I personally handle routine well and prefer it when I know what's going to happen in the next two hours/days/
weeks/months/years. But back to commitment. Here are some things I've learned over the years:
1. Commitment are for grown-ups. If you're still dating 'that chick with the nice ya-yas' or 'having a good time with that Italian stallion', you're not ready.
2. It's either you want to be committed or you don't. Leave no room for 'grey areas' also known as 'see first/you never know/let's just have fun for now'. If it's casual, ensure both parties are aware so no one gets hurt. It's called respect.
3. Ability to commit comes with age, particularly for men. Hence the logic behind the 'older man, younger woman' pairing.
4. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be in a committed relationship. I used to think it was so sad when people talk about finding 'The One' and settling down. As I age, I realise it's a natural progression.
So sue me.
5. Right time, wrong person. Wrong time, right person. Right time, right person. I believe we'll all get there somehow. And even if we don't, I believe in the freedom of choice. There's nothing wrong with staying single if that's what makes you truly happy. Screw society's expectations.
On another note, I do wish that our generation was less non-chalant about marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the whole 'go forth and multiply' sentiment. I guess i'm just an old-fashioned girl at heart. Divorce rates are disheartening to say the least and these days good ol' Malaysia is finally catching up with their American counterparts on rising divorce numbers (Malaysia boleh).
Here's what I say about commitment, relationships and all that jazz: Do what makes you happy. Don't sell yourself short or make decisions based on what everyone else is saying/doing. Be true to yourself because that's the only person you're guaranteed to wake up with for the rest of your life.
This Weekend:
I'm going to the highlands again for the annual Climbathon. That time of the year when crazy people run up and down Mt. Kinabalu in less than three hours. As usual, my company is the main organiser and it'll be two days of 4am wake up calls and running around in the crisp mountain air (which isn't such a bad thing except I hate the cold). So no updates till I get back on Monday, ok peeps? Don't miss me too much...heh heh.
Anyway, I'm off. I might be watching Flight Plan tonight or have dinner with some friends. We'll see which plan pans out better. Till then, here's Mel's song of the day:
"Ding dik ding dik ding ding, ding dik ding dik ding ding..."
-The Crazy Frog song. haha.
Two nights ago, I had the same dream. This time, I'm sitting in the backseat but somehow the pedals are right there with me. I couldn't recognise the other two people in the front seat but they were freaking out because the car wouldn't stop. And I kept screaming that the brakes weren't working but the other two just kept on freaking out. It finally spun to a stop but that's because we crashed into someone's brick wall (actually, I recall it being Mia's brick wall/fence). I sat in the car, in stunned silence and suddenly my brothers and sister appeared out of nowhere. But instead of checking on me, they start laughing and teasing me for ruining my car. I started to cry, mainly out of frustration because no one believed that the brakes weren't working. The more I cried, the more everyone laughed.
And then I woke up.
I've been getting the same 'brakes don't work' dream for years now and I'm wondering if someone can enlighten me on what it could possibly mean. Anyone?
Commitment: Mel's Take
I read Mia's recent blog post on commitment and I share her sentiments. And not just in the relationship sense, but jobwise/car payments etc too. I think it's the fear of getting stuck in the rut and being tied down to a routine. It's subjective really. I personally handle routine well and prefer it when I know what's going to happen in the next two hours/days/
weeks/months/years. But back to commitment. Here are some things I've learned over the years:
1. Commitment are for grown-ups. If you're still dating 'that chick with the nice ya-yas' or 'having a good time with that Italian stallion', you're not ready.
2. It's either you want to be committed or you don't. Leave no room for 'grey areas' also known as 'see first/you never know/let's just have fun for now'. If it's casual, ensure both parties are aware so no one gets hurt. It's called respect.
3. Ability to commit comes with age, particularly for men. Hence the logic behind the 'older man, younger woman' pairing.
4. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be in a committed relationship. I used to think it was so sad when people talk about finding 'The One' and settling down. As I age, I realise it's a natural progression.
So sue me.
5. Right time, wrong person. Wrong time, right person. Right time, right person. I believe we'll all get there somehow. And even if we don't, I believe in the freedom of choice. There's nothing wrong with staying single if that's what makes you truly happy. Screw society's expectations.
On another note, I do wish that our generation was less non-chalant about marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage and the whole 'go forth and multiply' sentiment. I guess i'm just an old-fashioned girl at heart. Divorce rates are disheartening to say the least and these days good ol' Malaysia is finally catching up with their American counterparts on rising divorce numbers (Malaysia boleh).
Here's what I say about commitment, relationships and all that jazz: Do what makes you happy. Don't sell yourself short or make decisions based on what everyone else is saying/doing. Be true to yourself because that's the only person you're guaranteed to wake up with for the rest of your life.
This Weekend:
I'm going to the highlands again for the annual Climbathon. That time of the year when crazy people run up and down Mt. Kinabalu in less than three hours. As usual, my company is the main organiser and it'll be two days of 4am wake up calls and running around in the crisp mountain air (which isn't such a bad thing except I hate the cold). So no updates till I get back on Monday, ok peeps? Don't miss me too much...heh heh.
Anyway, I'm off. I might be watching Flight Plan tonight or have dinner with some friends. We'll see which plan pans out better. Till then, here's Mel's song of the day:
"Ding dik ding dik ding ding, ding dik ding dik ding ding..."
-The Crazy Frog song. haha.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Lucky Seven
A little survey i picked off Yolanda
7 Things I Would Like To Do Before I Die
1. Visit Ireland
2. Visit Disneyworld – the real deal, not the Hong Kong/Euro ones.
3. Write a book
4. Get my masters and PhD (hah)
5. Have children
6. Learn another language
7. ok, ok… Get married.
Seven Things I Can Do
1. Make a really good cat face
2. Cover my nostrils with my upper lips (must be seen to be understood)3. Write (?)
4. Do a Beyonce/Shakira/Britney/Christina
5. Knit (I might need a refresher course though)
6. Play the piano
7. Shop in record time
Seven Celebrity Crushes
1. Johnny Depp
2. Josh Hartnett -those eyes
3. Jericho Rosales - very yummy Filipino actor
4. David Duchovny – strictly in his Mulder role only
5. Jeff Corwin – a guy who likes animals and getting down and dirty. Can’t go wrong here.
6. Cillian Murphy – brooding cute. Irish. I like. (see photo)
7. Ewan Macgregor – geeky cute. Scottish. I like.
Seven Often Repeated Words
1. That’s why (I think this is contagious)
2. Tulah
3. You know
4. I mean…
5. It’s not that…
6. And then
7. I see
Seven Physical Traits I Look In The Opposite Sex
1. His eyes
2. His voice – and the way he talks
3. His laugh/smile
4. A certain natural scent – I don’t like men who douse themselves in cologne nor am I looking for a guy who reeks of B.O. But there’s this certain natural scent that some guys have… Pheromones that match mine I suppose.
5. Huggability
6. Teeth
7. The complete structure of his body – he doesn’t have to have a perfect body, as long as everything looks like its in place. Wait. That sounds wrong.
I didn’t tag anyone. I believe in free will (ok and the fact that Yolanda’s tagged the other bloggers I would’ve tagged myself) Feel free to enlighten me…
7 Things I Would Like To Do Before I Die
1. Visit Ireland
2. Visit Disneyworld – the real deal, not the Hong Kong/Euro ones.
3. Write a book
4. Get my masters and PhD (hah)
5. Have children
6. Learn another language
7. ok, ok… Get married.
Seven Things I Can Do
1. Make a really good cat face
2. Cover my nostrils with my upper lips (must be seen to be understood)3. Write (?)
4. Do a Beyonce/Shakira/Britney/Christina
5. Knit (I might need a refresher course though)
6. Play the piano
7. Shop in record time
Seven Celebrity Crushes
1. Johnny Depp
2. Josh Hartnett -those eyes
3. Jericho Rosales - very yummy Filipino actor
4. David Duchovny – strictly in his Mulder role only
5. Jeff Corwin – a guy who likes animals and getting down and dirty. Can’t go wrong here.
6. Cillian Murphy – brooding cute. Irish. I like. (see photo)
7. Ewan Macgregor – geeky cute. Scottish. I like.
Seven Often Repeated Words
1. That’s why (I think this is contagious)
2. Tulah
3. You know
4. I mean…
5. It’s not that…
6. And then
7. I see
Seven Physical Traits I Look In The Opposite Sex
1. His eyes
2. His voice – and the way he talks
3. His laugh/smile
4. A certain natural scent – I don’t like men who douse themselves in cologne nor am I looking for a guy who reeks of B.O. But there’s this certain natural scent that some guys have… Pheromones that match mine I suppose.
5. Huggability
6. Teeth
7. The complete structure of his body – he doesn’t have to have a perfect body, as long as everything looks like its in place. Wait. That sounds wrong.
I didn’t tag anyone. I believe in free will (ok and the fact that Yolanda’s tagged the other bloggers I would’ve tagged myself) Feel free to enlighten me…
Monday, September 26, 2005
My life so far. Yawn.
I'm too lazy to blog coherently so I'm gonna do this in point form:
1. I cut my hair. I now have a fringe and I kinda like the 'Cleopatra' effect. Wilson thinks I look like a doll. Is that good or bad? I'll take it as a compliment.
2. I went to the Kinabalu Shell Press Awards. I left the press three years ago but I've kept close contact with my old reporter buddies. They're a fun bunch of people and made me the drinker i am today. Thanks guys :)
Anyway, the awards bit was alright but its always the after-party that i look forward too. Booze, dancing and old friends catching up. Till next year guys...
3. I lack sleep. Hence I am sleepy.
4. I had tom yam for lunch. It was delicious, just as I imagined it to be two hours before lunch time.
5. I didn't have breakfast because I was EXTREMELY late for work. But Haw gave me two of his tuna sandwiches so I survived.
6. Cowhead cheese biscuits are yummy.
7. I feel like eating pasta.
8. I think i'm PMS-ing.
9. I spent the weekend indulging in retail therapy. I bought three tops, a tiny skirt, three pairs of earrings, make-up and a dress. I don't know why but it made me disgustingly happy. Yes, it sounds materialisic but I'm PMS-ing so I don't really give a rats ass.
I'm gonna head home now. But before that, I'm grabbing Haw to have a drink (of the non-alcoholic kind, mind you) with me. I need to perk myself up. Can't wait for the day to be over...
1. I cut my hair. I now have a fringe and I kinda like the 'Cleopatra' effect. Wilson thinks I look like a doll. Is that good or bad? I'll take it as a compliment.
2. I went to the Kinabalu Shell Press Awards. I left the press three years ago but I've kept close contact with my old reporter buddies. They're a fun bunch of people and made me the drinker i am today. Thanks guys :)
Anyway, the awards bit was alright but its always the after-party that i look forward too. Booze, dancing and old friends catching up. Till next year guys...
3. I lack sleep. Hence I am sleepy.
4. I had tom yam for lunch. It was delicious, just as I imagined it to be two hours before lunch time.
5. I didn't have breakfast because I was EXTREMELY late for work. But Haw gave me two of his tuna sandwiches so I survived.
6. Cowhead cheese biscuits are yummy.
7. I feel like eating pasta.
8. I think i'm PMS-ing.
9. I spent the weekend indulging in retail therapy. I bought three tops, a tiny skirt, three pairs of earrings, make-up and a dress. I don't know why but it made me disgustingly happy. Yes, it sounds materialisic but I'm PMS-ing so I don't really give a rats ass.
I'm gonna head home now. But before that, I'm grabbing Haw to have a drink (of the non-alcoholic kind, mind you) with me. I need to perk myself up. Can't wait for the day to be over...
Madam Zora says...
My horoscope for the day. Sounds more like the story of my life:
In Detail
Speak up if you've got a problem. It's important that you're able to accurately identify and voice areas in your life that aren't working. Go ahead and put your feelings on the line. Constructive change only happens when you're honest with yourself and others -- otherwise the universe might take matters into its own hands, and the results could be far more dramatic than if you take the initiative. The outcome will be far less frightening and more beneficial than you think.
The Bottom Line
Taking a risk -- especially a romantic one -- will earn you the rewards you're due.
In Detail
Speak up if you've got a problem. It's important that you're able to accurately identify and voice areas in your life that aren't working. Go ahead and put your feelings on the line. Constructive change only happens when you're honest with yourself and others -- otherwise the universe might take matters into its own hands, and the results could be far more dramatic than if you take the initiative. The outcome will be far less frightening and more beneficial than you think.
The Bottom Line
Taking a risk -- especially a romantic one -- will earn you the rewards you're due.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
She blogs.
Hey there. I survived after all. After one week of being very careful with my food and getting the rest I needed…I’m back! In the blogging sense anyway. Let me update you on my oh-so-exciting life:
The Weekend
The weekend was spent relatively relaxing. I needed to get out of the house so I went to play Dawn Of War with some friends. I need practice but it felt good to blow up things. I went to watch Romero’s Land of The Dead with Haw and Charlie. The storyline was alright, the zombies were funny but they had some noteworthy gross-out bits so that made up for
it. Other than that, this movie will not change your life.
Next on my Must Watch List is ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’. Yes, I’m probably gonna have a sleepless night but that’s never stopped me before, haha. Back to my weekend. Went for a quick drink at Lintas after the movie with Mia and Adrian. Sunday was spent shopping for Charlie’s birthday gift – two pairs of funky boxers and a couple of t-shirts.
Monday
Still recuperating at this point but had to attend a Thank You dinner hosted by the Minister. There was SO MUCH food (and yummy to boot. Damn) but I had to be careful because my tummy was still being a bitch. And there was free flow of beer and wine! Oh the pain of it all…
Tuesday
Had to work late again. Photo shoot for the magazine. Haw and I had to wait around for people to get their act together and I really get annoyed with that. It’s nine pm, I’m still in my work clothes and I just want to sleep at this point. But I still have a smile pasted on my face, trying to be Professional Mel.
Wednesday
Another photo shoot at the museum. We had to model traditional costumes and whoever said models had it easy got it wrong, big time. The costumes were heavy, my make-up was melting and trying to ‘look natural’ for two hours under those circumstances is tough. I had the chance to wear the traditional Murut costume, which is really interesting. I’ll post photos soon. At night, I was summoned to attend a function again and get some interviews done. There was wine again and this time I didn’t hold back. After that, my colleagues and I headed to a nearby pub for beers. Lots and lots and lots of beer. Felt so good to drink again *big, happy, contented smile*. No, I am not an alcoholic. I just enjoy the occasional glass of wine/beer/buzz-inducing beverage. I got home a bit tipsy (er, apologies again to those who received my incoherent phone calls last night, heh) but I slept like a baby.
And there’s today. How fast the week flies. I have a press conference to organize tomorrow so lots of running around today. My magazine is almost done (yay!) and I’m looking forward to relaxing weekend. I might go to a nearby island, just to laze on the beach and work on my tan (haha, tan. What a joke).
Ok peeps. Work beckons so I leave you with a song in my head…
“If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad how good does it need to get?
How many losses how much regret?”
-Tracy Chapman, Change.
The Weekend
The weekend was spent relatively relaxing. I needed to get out of the house so I went to play Dawn Of War with some friends. I need practice but it felt good to blow up things. I went to watch Romero’s Land of The Dead with Haw and Charlie. The storyline was alright, the zombies were funny but they had some noteworthy gross-out bits so that made up for
it. Other than that, this movie will not change your life.
Next on my Must Watch List is ‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’. Yes, I’m probably gonna have a sleepless night but that’s never stopped me before, haha. Back to my weekend. Went for a quick drink at Lintas after the movie with Mia and Adrian. Sunday was spent shopping for Charlie’s birthday gift – two pairs of funky boxers and a couple of t-shirts.Monday
Still recuperating at this point but had to attend a Thank You dinner hosted by the Minister. There was SO MUCH food (and yummy to boot. Damn) but I had to be careful because my tummy was still being a bitch. And there was free flow of beer and wine! Oh the pain of it all…
Tuesday
Had to work late again. Photo shoot for the magazine. Haw and I had to wait around for people to get their act together and I really get annoyed with that. It’s nine pm, I’m still in my work clothes and I just want to sleep at this point. But I still have a smile pasted on my face, trying to be Professional Mel.
Wednesday
Another photo shoot at the museum. We had to model traditional costumes and whoever said models had it easy got it wrong, big time. The costumes were heavy, my make-up was melting and trying to ‘look natural’ for two hours under those circumstances is tough. I had the chance to wear the traditional Murut costume, which is really interesting. I’ll post photos soon. At night, I was summoned to attend a function again and get some interviews done. There was wine again and this time I didn’t hold back. After that, my colleagues and I headed to a nearby pub for beers. Lots and lots and lots of beer. Felt so good to drink again *big, happy, contented smile*. No, I am not an alcoholic. I just enjoy the occasional glass of wine/beer/buzz-inducing beverage. I got home a bit tipsy (er, apologies again to those who received my incoherent phone calls last night, heh) but I slept like a baby.
And there’s today. How fast the week flies. I have a press conference to organize tomorrow so lots of running around today. My magazine is almost done (yay!) and I’m looking forward to relaxing weekend. I might go to a nearby island, just to laze on the beach and work on my tan (haha, tan. What a joke).
Ok peeps. Work beckons so I leave you with a song in my head…
“If you knew that love can break your heart
When you're down so low you cannot fall
Would you change?
Would you change?
How bad how good does it need to get?
How many losses how much regret?”
-Tracy Chapman, Change.
Friday, September 16, 2005
Sit. Heal….Good Girl.
This just in: I’m sick again. I’m so sick of being sick. It started with a lung infection, which resulted in me spewing green phlegm for three days (sorry, details were necessary). I refused to subject myself to antibiotics again so I left it alone. Two days later, I’m hit with a high fever in the office but I can’t take the afternoon off because I have a photo shoot to attend in the evening. Three layers of clothes and a quick 15 minute nap in the conference room later, my head is pounding and my fever escalating. I pop two paracetamol pills and hope for the best. Luckily for me, my fever dissipates by six pm and I’m off the photo shoot. Oh and did I mention that my stomach is acting up? I’m not sure if it’s fever related but it’s not taking any food well.
Fast forward dinner time, I’m puking my food out and my fever is making an encore appearance. I just want to lie down and hibernate for six months at this point. My brother visits me (I knew medical school would come in handy one day) and lo and behold, antibiotics are the only way to go at this point. Fine. Whatever. Just leave me alone so I can sleep. Everything’s fine till 3am and my fever is back. I drug myself up again and slip into blissful oblivion.
I take Thursday off and spend rest of the day trying to ‘rest’ but fail miserably. Instead, I feel depressed, lethargic, bored and restless. Yep, your regular ball of sunshine. And as a cherry on my shit of a sundae (no pun intended) , I develop something else. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have diarrhea.
I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s my late nights. Maybe it’s my late nights spent drinking. Maybe it’s my body telling to just stop treating it like crap. I’m supposed to celebrate a friend’s birthday tonight at Blue Note but I’ll have to sit this one out. Yes I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to a good night out with friends but hey, what’s another disappointment at this point?
Other than that, I’m peachy keen.
Fast forward dinner time, I’m puking my food out and my fever is making an encore appearance. I just want to lie down and hibernate for six months at this point. My brother visits me (I knew medical school would come in handy one day) and lo and behold, antibiotics are the only way to go at this point. Fine. Whatever. Just leave me alone so I can sleep. Everything’s fine till 3am and my fever is back. I drug myself up again and slip into blissful oblivion.
I take Thursday off and spend rest of the day trying to ‘rest’ but fail miserably. Instead, I feel depressed, lethargic, bored and restless. Yep, your regular ball of sunshine. And as a cherry on my shit of a sundae (no pun intended) , I develop something else. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have diarrhea.
I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s stress. Maybe it’s my late nights. Maybe it’s my late nights spent drinking. Maybe it’s my body telling to just stop treating it like crap. I’m supposed to celebrate a friend’s birthday tonight at Blue Note but I’ll have to sit this one out. Yes I’m disappointed because I was looking forward to a good night out with friends but hey, what’s another disappointment at this point?
Other than that, I’m peachy keen.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Banana pancakes.
In Between Dreams. That's Jack Johnson's latest album and it's my current ear candy. I bought the album - and no, not the RM10 one (if you love someone, go original I say!). Buying the album was unplanned and merely a lovely twist of fate. I spent Saturday with my colleague, Haw, and after breakfast, few rounds of pool and aimless roaming, we decided to hit the shopping mall to buy a pair of jeans. Almost an hour of bad service and 'sorry miss, no size' later, we decided it was not in God's Greater Plan for us to purchase jeans that day. However, being the retail junkie that I am, I refused to go home without buying anything. Shoes? Not today. Clothes? Hmm, nah. Maybe a quick pit stop to the CD shop. I blinked and there it was. Jack Johnson beckoning me on the second shelf. Should I? I picked it up. Put it down. Flipped through more CDs.
But Jack was still there. Patiently waiting.
So I picked it up with newfound resolution and utter glee. Made my purchase and held him tight to my chest, to be mine forevermore. I got home, slipped him into my CD player and our love affair began. He sang to me, while i curled up in bed wrapped in my pink rayon quasi-blanket and the rain started to fall outside. For a moment, I could almost feel him sitting at the edge of my bed, strumming his guitar and singing to me. Only me. So i listened as he told me about the perils of love and the simplicity of life. He talked about good people and difficult times. He spoke of disappointment but more importantly, hope. And we shared the same sentiment on sitting, waiting and wishing. Finally, I thought, someone who gets it. But best of all, he promised to make banana pancakes for me on a lazy morning. To unplug the phone, and for a moment, there would be no one else but us, enjoying each other. And banana pancakes, of course.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Friday, September 09, 2005
Say hello to the weekend!
Merahmu bara, semangat waja
Putihmu bersih budi pekerti
Kuning berdaulat payung negara
Biru perpaduan kami semua
Puncak dunia telah kau tawan
Lautan luas telah kau redah
Membawa semangat jiwa merdeka
Semarak jaya kami warganya
Jalur gemilang di bawah naunganmu
Jalur gemilang kami semua bersatu
Perpaduan, ketaatan
Amalan murni rakyat Malaysia
- Jalur Gemilang.
Yep, i sang this today. Not alone of course. Along with a 100 plus or so of the Ministry's officers and department heads. In batik kebayas and shirts. And then our Minister gave us a 'pep' talk, so to speak. I dunno what to make of it. I felt so 'government-y' but it was also nice to hear the minister say pleasant things about us for a change, rather than being screamed at.
It rained cats and dogs this morning and you can imagine how much more difficult that made
waking up at 5:45am. Oh ya, i forgot to mention that our little patriotic singing stint took place at 7am.
Seven am on a rainy friday morning...sigh.
But its ok because Friday lunch breaks are from 11:30 to 2pm, yay! But instead of watching a movie (as we usually do on Friday lunch breaks), we headed to Lintas for some delicious beef kon lau mein. Wah...so sedap i tell you. A bit of promo here: It's located at the driving range place in Lintas, only available during lunch time for RM4.50 a plate. Go get yours today!
It's almost four thirty and i'm all 'written out' at this point. My colleagues have left early (Haw has a dentist's appointment and Zee is not well. Melina took the day off) and here i am, listening to Heather Headley moaning about how she wished she never met you so you couldn't hurt her. On a happier note, IT'S FRIDAY PEOPLE! And the Fridaycat is ready to play. Tonight, Shenanigan's is the place to be. Heard DB8 is back (a band from the Philippines who has quite a following here in KK) and will be interesting to see if they're still as good as they used to be. No heavy drinking today, just good times with good friends.
Ok, maybe just a wee bit of wine...
Say hello to the weekend!
When you have to look away
When you don't have much to say
That's when I love you, I love you just that way
To hear you stumble when you speak
Or see you walk with two left feet
That's when I love you.
-Aslyn, 'That's When I Love You'... Some people are so jaded aren't they? nice song, albeit.
Putihmu bersih budi pekerti
Kuning berdaulat payung negara
Biru perpaduan kami semua
Puncak dunia telah kau tawan
Lautan luas telah kau redah
Membawa semangat jiwa merdeka
Semarak jaya kami warganya
Jalur gemilang di bawah naunganmu
Jalur gemilang kami semua bersatu
Perpaduan, ketaatan
Amalan murni rakyat Malaysia
- Jalur Gemilang.
Yep, i sang this today. Not alone of course. Along with a 100 plus or so of the Ministry's officers and department heads. In batik kebayas and shirts. And then our Minister gave us a 'pep' talk, so to speak. I dunno what to make of it. I felt so 'government-y' but it was also nice to hear the minister say pleasant things about us for a change, rather than being screamed at.
It rained cats and dogs this morning and you can imagine how much more difficult that made
waking up at 5:45am. Oh ya, i forgot to mention that our little patriotic singing stint took place at 7am.
Seven am on a rainy friday morning...sigh.
But its ok because Friday lunch breaks are from 11:30 to 2pm, yay! But instead of watching a movie (as we usually do on Friday lunch breaks), we headed to Lintas for some delicious beef kon lau mein. Wah...so sedap i tell you. A bit of promo here: It's located at the driving range place in Lintas, only available during lunch time for RM4.50 a plate. Go get yours today!
It's almost four thirty and i'm all 'written out' at this point. My colleagues have left early (Haw has a dentist's appointment and Zee is not well. Melina took the day off) and here i am, listening to Heather Headley moaning about how she wished she never met you so you couldn't hurt her. On a happier note, IT'S FRIDAY PEOPLE! And the Fridaycat is ready to play. Tonight, Shenanigan's is the place to be. Heard DB8 is back (a band from the Philippines who has quite a following here in KK) and will be interesting to see if they're still as good as they used to be. No heavy drinking today, just good times with good friends.
Ok, maybe just a wee bit of wine...
Say hello to the weekend!
When you have to look away
When you don't have much to say
That's when I love you, I love you just that way
To hear you stumble when you speak
Or see you walk with two left feet
That's when I love you.
-Aslyn, 'That's When I Love You'... Some people are so jaded aren't they? nice song, albeit.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
by Jack Johnson
Well I was sitting, waiting, wishing
You believed in superstitions
Then maybe you'd see the signs
The Lord knows that this world is cruel
I ain't the Lord, I'm just a fool and in love with somebody
don't make them love you
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you
Must I always be playing, playing your fool
I sang your songs, I danced your dance
I gave your friends all a chance
Putting up with them wasn't worth ever having you
Maybe you've been through this before
But it's my first time so please ignore
These next few lines because they're directed at you
I can't always be waiting, waiting on you
I can't always be playing, playing your fool
I keep playing your part
But it's not my scene
Want this plot to twist
I've had enough mystery
Keep building it up
Then shooting me down
But I'm already down
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting
Well if I was in your position
I'd put down all my amuntintion
I'd wonder why it had taken me so long
But the lord knows that I'm not you and if I was
I wouldn't be so cruel cause waitin' on love ain't so easy to do
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you
Must I always be playing, playing your fool
Excellent song. Cool video.
by Jack Johnson
Well I was sitting, waiting, wishing
You believed in superstitions
Then maybe you'd see the signs
The Lord knows that this world is cruel
I ain't the Lord, I'm just a fool and in love with somebody
don't make them love you
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you
Must I always be playing, playing your fool
I sang your songs, I danced your dance
I gave your friends all a chance
Putting up with them wasn't worth ever having you
Maybe you've been through this before
But it's my first time so please ignore
These next few lines because they're directed at you
I can't always be waiting, waiting on you
I can't always be playing, playing your fool
I keep playing your part
But it's not my scene
Want this plot to twist
I've had enough mystery
Keep building it up
Then shooting me down
But I'm already down
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting
Just wait a minute
Just sitting, waiting
Well if I was in your position
I'd put down all my amuntintion
I'd wonder why it had taken me so long
But the lord knows that I'm not you and if I was
I wouldn't be so cruel cause waitin' on love ain't so easy to do
Must I always be waiting, waiting on you
Must I always be playing, playing your fool
Excellent song. Cool video.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Music to my ears...
“Once I was all so alone
Unsteady and cold
But your love rained down upon me
Washing away uncertainty
But now I am free.”
Mariah Carey’s ‘I Am Free’ from her Daydream album, before her ‘look-at-my-big-ya-yas’ days. I’ll confess I’m a Mariah fan, especially her earlier stuff. Her first album still remains my favourite. ‘Vision Of Love’ and ‘Someday’ showcased her eight-octave range really well and she wasn’t doing too much of that heavy breathing stuff. And she didn’t have lyrics like “Mariah…You’re on fai-ah (fire)”.
Right now I’m listening to her Daydream album in the office, 8:50 on a Wednesday morning. Still getting my engines running. I’m in a writing mood so I just might get some work done today, yay. Yesterday I hit a writing wall where it took me seven hours to write three paragraphs. I spent most of the time planning an imaginary holiday to Koh Samui. Now if only I had the money…
On another musical note, I’m into John Legend these days. He has a gospel/R&B sound so if you’re looking for something refreshing from the usual radio-friendly songs, tune in. I really like ‘Used to Love You’ and the video is pretty cool – a church, a gospel choir and Kanye West. It’s not something I usually listen to but I admit I’m hooked. And take a listen to ‘Ordinary People’ – the arrangement is simple but it’s the lyrics that got me. It’s nice to listen to songs that make you go hmm. More songs on my playlist these days:
Best of You – Foo Fighters
Don’t Lie – Black Eyed Peas
We Belong Together – Mariah Carey
You Oughta Know – Alanis (acoustic version)
Rest In Pieces – Saliva
Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage
Behind These Hazel Eyes – Kelly Clarkson
Close To You – The Carpenters (don’t ask. There’s something relaxing about an oldie)
Cool – Gwen Stefani
Cadillac Pimpin’ – Youngbloodz (compliments of my brother, Ted, who’s a big rap fan)
There you have it. Sometimes I whip out some really old stuff from the 80s. They’ve got better love songs to be honest. Also, you’d be surprised at how good some movie soundtracks are. I like the sappy ones, heh. I recommend the following:
1.One Fine Day (Natalie Merchant’s version of ‘One Fine Day’ is noteworthy)
2.My Best Friend’s Wedding (great mix, including Amanda Marshall and Tony Bennett)
3.French Kiss (great way to learn some French songs, heh. I like the French version of ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’)
4.You’ve Got Mail
5.The Wedding Singer (Eighties. Need I say more? And Adam Sandler’s original ‘I Wanna Grow Old With You’ *sigh*)
Last night
Last night I went for happy hours after work. It was a good session with my workmates. Unwinding after a long day, bitching about work and drowning our misery in beer. We were joined by two other friends –a photographer and tour guide (friends of the industry we call them)- and more beer started pouring in. And then Viv and Toi joined us and soon we were one big happy drinking family. We had dinner after drinks and by nine pm it was time to get home. Last night was good. Last night I was happy again. Need to do more of that.
Monday, September 05, 2005
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