Malu

Today while on the train, Moobs and I were told off by some guy (Moobs says not guy but prat) to 'jangan berintim-intim' (stop being intimate).

We were only hugging. I swear.

I was confused (didn't understand what he was saying), then embarassed (a lot of people stared) then felt like I committed the biggest PDA (public display of affection) crime in the history of public transport.

Moobs says these self-inflicted guilt trips is inherently part of my catholic upbringing (Not true! I'm just conscientious).

I'm disappointed and hurt that as a non-muslim Chinese citizen living in this country, I don't have the right to give my boyfriend a goddamn hug. I'm even saving space so more people can stand in the train comfortably.

Next thing you know, cinemas will be gender-divided and in case you prefer it that way, movies will be shown with allllll the lights on (for the uninitiated, there are certain cinemas in certain states here that are like this already), rape victims will be shot and we'll all look like ninjas.

It sucks that we are treated like second class citizens that haven't earned their keep, although 8 out of Malaysia's top ten richest are Chinese. Indians are even more bullied than us and their man's number 2 on the list.

I hate that they've made me say 'us' and 'them'.

I hate that I panic and think "Shit" when I see cops on the road, although I've done no wrong.

I'm not sure but it might be all the rice we eat, because there is no place in the big, big world that Emilia sings of, that things like this and this should even need to be discussed.

Just like that

I feel like one of them housewives that aren't interested in anything but caring for their home.




Here I am, sitting in front of my laptop, and I can't think of anything better to read except for mail and recipes.

I don't know if I have any interests left. I can't even be geeky properly because I don't do geeky things anymore.

I worry that one day Moobs is going to realise that I'm not the person he fell in love with, and I'm like any other boring Malaysian Ah Lian zombie out there.

I worry that we both might one day find me shallow and incompetent and as useful as an expired can of pineapples.

Things are getting too comfy (this does not include roaches roaming around my room watching TV with me), and I need/want to feel scared (the good kind).

I want to do all the carpe diem things the movies talk about.

But I feel like I'm getting nowhere and doing none of the things I set out to do -- and I can't even remember them because I've not thought about them for a long time.

I don't want to be one of those movie side characters that people see and say, "That's just what most people become."

God does not love hypocrites.

My mom's garden.

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While I was home, mom told me that our dog, Scooby (creative, aren't we?) had not eaten much for the past week except for tiny pieces of meat.

And so I went to have a look and noticed he could not run.

The following day, he could not walk.

And the day after, he could not stand.

The vet gave a week's worth of medication and insisted we give Scooby at least a week's time to try to recover, failing which, we could let him 'go to sleep'.

Two days after I left Kuching (two days after the vet visit), my sister called to tell me that my family had called city council who came to our house, dragged Scooby into a cage, locked him up and took him away in a van - with him yelping for us all the while.

This is no way for a dog to go.

At least this beats the time my parents took my previous dog of more than 10 years, and without my knowledge, chucked her at some marketplace because she was getting old and senile and too inconvenient to care for.

"I guess I should leave you guys somewhere too when you get like that."

I love them but how am I supposed to grow up to be a decent human being when they are so apathetic, I don't know.

Screw church and philosophy, all the donations, hail marys and reasoning don't make you a better person.

Bloom.

My mom's garden.

Where have all the flowers gone?

Long time passing

Where have all the flowers gone?

Long time ago

This isn't being sappy.

This is me, loving home.

I've been home for four days now, and the only time I've gone out was to go to church and eat breakfast out with my sis and mom.

I love the non-commitment of being home; that I don't have to go out because I can barely tolerate my living conditions (dirty/crazy landlady), that everything is familiar and just simply makes me happy.

At home, I don't need anything nor anyone (not even Moobs) as long as all that is home is here, including the routine.

Dad goes to work, Kev (10 years old, youngest bro) goes to school and my mom bustles around the house, albeit sometimes pissed off-ly doing housework and preparing lunch, with my sis in tow while I .. er... loiter. Jon (the 14-year-old bro) would wake up about 10am, eat and eat and ask us ridiculous questions while we beg him to go take a shower and get ready for school.

Then my mom, with my sis still in tow, drops Jon off at school then wait around til Kev finishes school then pick him up. Me, I wait at home for my dad to come for lunch, and we'll eat while I say something stupid on purpose so that we can have a conversation.

Here, I know where my place is and what role I play. I am the daughter who tells the father off if he drinks too much beer despite being diabetic, and the one who tells lame jokes to get her mom out of her mood swings.

I am the sister who bribes her brothers into being more active in sports and slips them petty cash whenever I have some.

I am the sister who bullies the younger sister into doing stuff for her, but offers shopping sprees when she goes on her 'I am a princess' rant.

Being back makes me feel like a queen.

Angry, loud people.

I'm one of them, sometimes, especially when I get bad service or if Moobs doesn't manage to save me from a roach.

There are a lot of them now at Mr.Sia's site, giving him grief for the post he put up of an accident, which needless to say, has his usual flood of photos.

Many, like Moobs, find the post distasteful.

I would too, if not for the fact that I could not with certainty, say that I would not take photos and blog about them too.

After all, hit generating or not, it is quite interesting. What does an accident scene look like? What do people do?

I am sure many would say, without hesitation - "Not taking photos!". Fair enough. But in the spirit of my man Jesus, have you, during or after an accident (with dead people or not):

> slowed down your car to see what has transpired?
> tried to take note of the car plate number to buy lottery?
> if the accident is quite terrible - use it as a conversation piece (i.e. the most exciting bit of your day)?
> knowingly scrutinised accident pictures in the news/ blogs/ internet to detect the extent of gruesomeness/ tragicness?

Voluntary participation, in whatever form that benefits no one, is just as bad.

Let the person who has never done remotely similiar during such a situation (tragicness is not a factor), cast the first stone.

Be honest now. He knows.

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This is, in no way, advocating Mr. Sia's actions. He alone is responsible for his actions - right or wrong. If morality is an issue, I'm sure karma will get him (when does it happen is not your concern). There's no need for your insults, they only serve to gratify temporary self-righteous ideals that you neither believe in nor practice.

Also, bloggers are not journalists - which is exactly why they are allowed to get away with almost anything they say and do. Blogs are personal spaces, which might have expanded into different forms of 'personal' accounts, but it is still nontheless, an account someone is concerned with personally.

It is by no means a source of credible, fair information - neither is the media but we know that already. People need to recognise that blogs, too, are one-sided.

There are of course exceptions, but this is rather rare.

Of rivers and snot.

I am crying like how a little kid would cry when they watch Bambi's mother die for the first time.

Or that Titanic scene.. ok, not really. More like how wretched Robin Williams in Patch Adams felt when his girlfriend got murdered by a loony.

Gilmore Girls ended at Season 7 Episode 22. It's finally over. No more mother-daughter incoherent banter. No more annoying town folk who say weird things. I will never know how Rory faired in journalism.

I don't know why I am so emotional (I actually teased Moobs when he expressed regret/ sadness that we would be watching the last episode ever).

"So silly!" I jeered.

And now look at me, crying rivers.

But good writing should never end! Like how Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman are not allowed to die.

All I've got left is a lesbian show with a sucky theme song.

This sucks.

I found this song last night after watching the season finale of How I Met Your Mother repeatedly and straining to pick up the words to google because no one seemed to know about.

After letting Kim hear it she said something that I thought was about as true as anything anyone could say about our relationship.

"This is exactly the sort of song we like to listen to together"

And she's absolutely right. It's sappy, a little sad and somewhat strange.

Take a listen. And someone tell me where I can get the blasted CD

Jaymay- Sea Green, See Blue

Ooo. Zoo.

Having regarded the local pet shops as my personal zoo for far too long, Moob and I went to the Singapore zoo when we were there.

Boy, oh boy was I excited. My first zoo trip (yes, I am that deprived)!!

It was a labourous task; making sure that we stopped by every. single. exhibit - as I've never seen a tiger/ elephant/ rhino/ hippo/ ostrich - you name it, I've not seen it.

Which is why I took tons of photos as it would probably be awhile till I see my next err.. wildlife.

No manatees/ seals/ sea lions though, area was under renovation :(

"Whooooopp..whoooooooooop...whooooop." - Howler Monkey

Elephant porn shot

Lazy pi... wild boars

Poser otters

"Come and join us," said the Llama couple to their gardener.

There's no Greater Kudu than he. Or she.

Meerkat tiki-head

(too lazy to edit the other photos, maybe another day :)

c'mon baby give us a chance

why you gotta be like that?

Love for Adoption

16 pups were rescued from being eaten by an alligator (I kid you not) at a construction site in KL.



They've been to the vet and are healthy but the volunteers need help in getting them adopted as well as donations to pay for the vet bills.




They (the puppies) will be at Hartamas Shopping Centre this Saturday, May 12, from 1pm to 6pm, opposite BT Computers (same row as Starbucks).




For more info, visit www.rescue2rehome.blogspot.com or contact Rena Chang @ 012 305 1815 or Sherrina K @ 0122026384

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In other news, our apartment was broken into last Friday, but only our Arab flatmate's laptop, bag and aircond remote was stolen.

We found that the door was in perfect condition and suspected it might've been the work of a previous tenant who had the key to the house and his room.

Our landlady was pissed - we don't really know why.

We tried getting her to change the lock to the main door, just in case the thief would come back. But she dilly-dallied and gave a shitload of excuses.

Moobs didn't sleep for two nights and didn't go out for three days, just to stay on guard in case the fellow wanted to come to steal our stuff.

I called the landlady on Sunday and reiterated our concerns and of Moob's guard duty - she laughed.

Monday night, my landlady called, assuring me that it was perfectly safe and secure, that she wasn't going to change the locks because she didn't think it was necessary and that we needn't worry about someone coming to steal our stuff,

Because she was the one who stole the laptop.


The CRAZY ASS BITCH broke in, stole and made us terrified for THREE days.

Moobs and I are moving out in July.

Jesus was awesome.

Seriously. After 3 days of lack of sleep, I have come to the conclusion that the dude was a badass.

Now, I'm no Christian. In fact I hover between atheist, agnostic, free-thinker and heathen savage depending on a variety of variables including the time of day, barometric pressure, lunar phase and how many pretzels George W. Bush has choked himself with that week (political joke! Ba-dum tshh!). But even through all this, after reading the bible (the interesting bits anyway) I have come to the conclusion that Jesus H. Christ was the biblical equivalent of Jackie Chan, Batman and Connor McLeod(THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!) and could probably take them down and make them cry like little bitches with a clever line or two.

And that brings us to the crux of Jesus' badassery: he would say shit. And people would not be able to come up with a reasonable come-back. And then they'd feel pretty bad about themselves.

Seriously, in a situation where a bunch of dudes were about to throw rocks at this other dude until the latter dude died horribly, Jesus had this to say:

"If anyone of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone"

All the first group of dudes could do was stand around, stare at their feet sheepishly and mumble "Whatever" in really small voices and feel embarrassed.

He was so cool a whole bunch of dudes followed him around and probably did his laundry and bought him food and stuff just so he would keep saying cool shit at them.

He was so manly, prostitutes fell to their knees and get this, WASHED HIS FEET. My own girlfriend who says she loves me wouldn't even get me a drink from the fridge. Even if she was on her way to the kitchen to get something else.

More evidence to his manliness: Do you see the shit that people have to wear to walk around in the desert at this day and age? Combat boots, 500 dollar sun glasses, pants with pockets in the double digits containing compasses, tampons, grappling hooks, ninja throwing stars, cactus repellent and probably some bottle with a catheter stuck up their pee-hole to recycle water. Fuck all that shit. The Son of God walked around the desert in nothing more than a pair of sandals and a toga, a really luxuriant beard and a benign expression of infinite compassion. Except when he was pissed off at you. Then it was ON.

Case in point, look up the Wandering Jew. Poor guy decided to be a twat at the wrong damn time. Now he has to walk around forever.

Jesus was so awesome, he said some shit to a dead dude and the dead dude came back to LIFE because of the wave of awesomosity that hit him.

Plus he was probably a sensitive dude who was kind to small animals, too. Jesus, not the dead dude.

In the face of all this, I'd have to say, colour me impressed. They don't make Sons of God like they used to anymore. The ones these days just whine for donations and try to get people to commit suicide in groups to attract attention.

I'm still not going to be a Christian. Too many assholes.

ps: Please direct all death threats, claims of blasphemy and general unpleasantness to me, Fishballs, as opposed to Kim, who is a lovely, slightly-lapsed, Catholic girl who puts up with me for some ineffable reason. If she wasn't getting drinks from the fridge for me then, she definitely isn't getting them for me now.

Of places

In Malaysia
Went in to work on Monday, post-holiday blues and all, only to discover that it was my day off.

But the world was saved from my tyranny when I found complimentary tickets to catch the Spiderman 3 (fighting scenes were great, M.J. scenes not so) premiere Monday night. It helped too that Nokia sent me an E65 to review.

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Only here can you go out for a lazy, public holiday brunch and see an old lady stop in the middle of an open air car park, pull down her pants, squat, and take a wee-wee.

Lucky for me, I had eaten.

(Account witnessed today, 1.18pm at PJ State)



In Singapore
Love it for actual customer service and pork chops.

Phantom of the Opera was A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I want to marry Brad Little.

Love the train ticketing machines.

Met the fashionista, loved her too (but forgot to take a picture in the midst of my excitement).

Would love the zoo more if they hadn't renovated the sea lions/ manatees section when I went.

Love Merv because he let us take over his room.

LOVE minute maid lemonade (If any of you come down here, bring me some? The six bottles I lugged back aren't going to last me).

Love that there are sidewalks.

Don't love that everything is 2.26 times more for a Malaysian ringgit earning journo.