My Birth Month Quiz

You know the many tests and quizzes on Facebook? They can get to you, yeah? Well I did another one.. this was fun - there were a few questions (if I could fail, I think I would have, ha ha ha) and then the results came out -- tadaaaaa! Here goes.. and I obviously could not resist responding in my own fashion. Itchy fingers. Go on.. read it and see if you think this fits me. I mean, the Quiz's evaluation..

So I’m a May child and after some of the pertinent questions.. (the image is a bit blurred tho')

Lunch and a Ghost Story..

Had lunch with an old friend at the Latest Recipe Restaurant (if I’m not mistaken it was formerly known as One on One) at the Le Meridien, in Sentral. It was a long-time-no-see and when-was-the-last-time-we-had-lunch-together lunch, which was wonderful!! After the usual how are you and how is work questions, we inevitably started talking about MY work life ! hahaha I only realised how bad it was for me when I said “Hey, what do you think it’s like when the highlight of my day at work is Where/When are we going for Morning Coffee/Lunch/Tea” ? OMG I never realised that was how pathetic it had become for me. I’d been feeling a bit dead lately, and not keen to go to work in the mornings. In fact, I actually have a big task of dragging myself out of the comfort of my bed/bathroom/bedroom/house every morning. My friend was shocked as I was known to be someone who was at work by 7:45am (I used to be the one to open the fire doors in the morning) and the last to leave (and close the fire doors behind me). Thinking of which, if there was no camera to record the visitors at the entrance, no one would know that the fire doors aren’t shut at night if I didn’t do it !

As to how late I usually stayed at work, I even remember this one occasion when I had an ‘encounter’ – I was working very, very late at night and all alone – was the only one there on my floor. I heard a cough somewhere near the copier, but I knew there wasn’t anyone else in the office. As the copier was next to the stairwell, I dismissed the sound as probably coming from a security guard making his rounds. I checked the time, it was getting close to the midnight witching hour. I still had a bit to do, the MD wanted it before 6am so he could start work on it (no kidding !!) So I just went on working on my report. Then I heard it again. This time, the cough was closer, like somewhere in the cubicle in front of mine. Checked the time again on my desk clock, 1:30am. Oh well. I had WORK to do, didn’t I ? 2:00am and the cough this time was next to my left ear !.. My hands froze. Hmmmm, how now, brown cow ? Oh well, feigning bravado (funny thing is, I had no visible audience hahahah), I said out loud, “Ok, Ok… I know it’s late and that I should get myself home, but I do have work and Bala is waiting for this, and it is important!! Just let me finish this tab and I’ll pack up after.” So I feigned work a bit (can you honestly work any more ? hahaha) shutdown my laptop, calmly put it in my backpack, cleaned my desk of papers I don’t need, walked over to my Manager’s room, switched off her lights and printer which I was using, locked her room door, switched of the lights at my place, walked out through the training room, switched off those lights and the ones at reception, walked out the glass door (coolly, mind you), shut the fire doors, walked down the corridor to the other fire door, went through that, and RAN LIKE HELL !!! I think if the whatever was watching me, he must have laughed his head off (or any other part of his body that is still there, that is).

I have had other encounters similar to that while working in different areas of that office, but this was the funniest. One thing I felt (or is it just me :P ) is that the whatevers are harmless. They have never had any bad intentions towards me – they have been rather cordial and friendly – keeping me awake, reminding me to go home etc. So my take on it is that I have been lucky that none have ever harmed me (well, maybe one had bad interntions but respected when I scolded…). They are there whatever they are and they share our space. Maybe it was just their way of letting me know that they want THEIR quality time hahaha

Oh where was I ? I went off at a tangent !! A large one ! Well it’s my blog, and I obviously can choose to write about whatever I want, yes ? Okay to recap my lunch, I was asked to consider if I would like to join my friend instead of fattening my behind at whatever I was doing now. But of course it has to be agreeable and acceptable both ways. The idea of me joining has to be presented to both our respective Managers (the Ops manager and My Darling Sweetheart hehehehe) and also must be a win-win accomplishment (I want to go for my December holiday and that is when work is expected to peak !!) So we’ll see how it goes, should know by next week on the outcome.

Wish me luck ? :D

I never asked for this

Why must we have to keep painful secrets ?

Why must we have our own skeletons in the closet ?

Why must we hurt in silence ?

Why must we endure all this pain ?

Why must we go through all this sadness ?

Why must we tolerate all this pressure ?

Why must we be calm in the face of all this tumult ?

Why must we be sensible and deal with all the introduced mayhem ?

Why must we understand all this confusion ?

Why must we be victims of other people’s blunders ?

Why must we suffer all this just to grow into better people ?

Why am I required to seek professional help in order for me to cope with the stress from all the problems that I never signed up for in the first place ?

Why ? WHY ? W H Y ???

Abscess in the abyss

Feeling tired, depressed and down. My body is hurting.

"I think it's psychological, Doc. The way I'm feeling now is manifesting in my body as aches and pains. Problem is, I recognise it, but how do I tell it to go away?"
"No lah.. you have a genuine case of pain, else you wouldn't be coming to see me. I know it's not for an MC because you know I don't give them out especially to you ! Ha ha"
"Errrr... yer la tu.. you did give me an MC the last time I came, kan.. you forced me to take 2 days off"
"Oh yes, tapi yang itu was because you were in great pain"
"So now in not-so-great pain la kot ?"
"Ha ha... now I'm giving you Arcoxia for your frozen shoulder"
"Frozen shoulder tu amenda nye ? I tau frozen lamb je la Doc"
"Ish.. you ni. Your condition is called frozen shoulder. And it's affecting you at the joints as well where you feel the other pain"
"Yeah given my previous record, I thought I'd come to see you. Just in case it was coming back"
"Record mana ni ?"
"Yang kes abyss in my upper torso tu la..."
"Abyss apa ? Tu Abscess lah !"
"Alamak... ok Doc... he he he yer, yer.. abscess"

So I'm cleared of any abscess in the abyss problems for the moment. Have been told to exercise my shoulder gently and put heat compress on the area. Adoi. Still sakit even after the Arcoxia.


So to cheer myself up, I went to lunch in SACC mall. Tapi tak habis pun. Tak lalu nak makan bila ingat kan issue lain yang even more depressing. Oh well. I cleaned out the mushrooms and chicken in the pie, and left the pastry shell and fries. I finished the veges. The freshly prepared Orange juice was good. It helped to cheer me up a bit.

My 'heart' will go on...

A year. Minus one from the current year and you're back in time. Not really in time too, she left without saying a proper goodbye. Maybe she did, but I didn't. Not given a chance for a proper goodbye. She said goodbye on the day that I left for London in June and never spoke to me again since. I called and each time there was a different excuse "She's praying" "She's asleep" "She's in the bathroom" "She's not in the mood to talk". "Ok lah kalau cam tu, Bapak just tell her that I have got her favourite - the Aero chocolates in Mint, alright..?" "Yes I will"

Arrived home two Wednesdays later and rang them. Bapak said "Mum's sleeping"

"Ok just to say that I'm back, and why didn't you wait for me to come back as promised ? You said you'd wait for me to get in before going back home ?”

"Entah la, Mak hang nak balik sangat.."

Thursday

"Mak buat apa ?"

"Entah tadi dalam bathroom. Nak get ready nak pray. Dah lambat, tadi she was lying down kat sofa in front"

2:30pm Friday

"Erm Bapak ni.. your mother.. her breathing's not so good la I can see ni…. Kalau Emma free, boleh balik tak ? But don’t rush, I’ll see her progress in the next couple of hours, and I’ll let you know.. yer ?”

"Aha.. ni memang plan nak balik this evening. I'll clear up and leave earlier then. I'll call you to let you know when I'm leaving ok ? I'll get Aman to pack dulu"

"Ok. Bapak pun ni baru balik sembahyang Jumaat, tadi makEncik nak suap bubur kat Mak, she doesn't want to eat saying she is too tired. I'm going to try pulak"

"Ok. Mak kalau tak makan nanti lagi la letih kan"

2:45pm Friday SMS

"Atam where"

"On my way back to Taiping. just left KK"

"k. Bapak called, me go soon as i fin thgs in ofc. keep me posted k"

"Right. When I get there I let u know what's status"

"k. am going back anyway"

3:35pm Friday

"Emma... Bapak ni................"

"Yeeessss……. Bapaaaaaak………?"

"Mak hang.. your Mother..."

"Naper.. ? What is it, Bapak ?"

"Habih dah. Mak hang habih dah. Your mother... habih dah... 3:30pm tadi... Ok yer ? Bapak nak call Ayah Pa bagi tahu"

"Bapak, are you alright ? Are you ok ? Who is there with you ?"

"makEncik and Kak Teh are here with Mak. Aku call Pa dulu yer ? Ok yerr..?"

"Ok Bapak.... ok... yes.. Bapak pergi lah call Ayah Pa"

click…..

and all the held-back emotions during the last few bits of the conversation came pouring out. bewilderment. grief. loss. confusion. emptiness. shock. and the howling came as if from afar, from an alien being. I watched and heard myself as if detached, and didn't recognise me. Bapak was alone to manage things. Mak didn't want anyone else there. She waited for Bapak to come home from Friday prayers, and she said her goodbyes, only with her one beloved. The only one who mattered most to her. For her children there were no goodbyes, farewell, be good... She has said it to us all through her life.

"It is against (the order of) nature for a child to go first, and we have lost two.." you wailed to Bapak before..

Mak, your youngest child misses you. I have absolutely no one now, as you decided to follow Nyah. You did soooo want to go and have been asking the Almighty for this for the longest time. And you finally got your call.. you hasten to go before someone else’s number is called..

The pacemaker is still ticking in the ground. "It is good for about 20 years’ of use, providing the patient does not operate a jack-hammer, which would bring the battery life down to about 15 years’"

Wow.. it's been more than a month !

It's been so long.. So many things have happened - and DIDN'T happen! Happy happy happy - the new dining table has arrived, to replace the old one. Got it in the same fashion, round and extendable so it can accomodate the whole family when we go home for Eid. Dad wanted to keep the old one "Still in good condition, la !" I said no. It's time to let go. You can donate the top - that is definitely still good, but the supporting bits are in terrible shape. Someone keeps on saying "ooh we can just repair this, bapak you have to do this, do that".. another someone always actually DOES the repairing so we can continuously use it, so I decided to just contribute to buy another one. The old one IS already almost 30 years old, after all ! Well-served and past it's time. Dad says, so is he..! he hee i said up to him lah to consider himself as what ever !

Sad sad sad - My sweetie couldn't make it home after all. His home Co's board meeting has been postponed indefinitely. Mad rush as he was supposed to fly home direct from AMS after his conference, tickets all ready. Imagine the mad rush to find tickets and accomodation to fly back to IFN on short notice! Bad enough the peeps at THR insisted that he get a visa to go to Europe on departure ! Malaysian passport holders DO NOT need a visa to go to Europe. Little did they know and wanted to understand ! A delay to the conference, obviously, even if they did compensate with a direct THR-AMS flight on KLM, with 3 seats allocated to him so he can sleep the night off; it was still a bad start, no ? Then it was a roundabout trip back to IFN being AMS-CDG-DXB(overnight)-THR-IFN.. fuh banyaknya codes.. I had my share of the action - did the online booking for my Sweetheart's stay in DBX. Good thing I wasn't yet asleep at that time. And since still not yet midnite, sempat transfer duit via MB2U sebab he had run out of cash. Abis nak makan kat DUbai kena pakai cash kan, as original plan he wud have arrived KUL by then !

Happy happy happy - went to visit little Justin of Emily and Chris for his full moon. The tiny one has gangly arms and legs and is seem to be on track to beat Mummy and Daddy at height and size. Congratulations, little one !

Sad sad sad - had a mad craving for Irani Kebab ! but the restaurant in YC Plaza is gone as the whole place is under reno, but happy happy happy again because we found the place on Jalan Putra to compensate. Not so great, hoping for better but enough to satisfy us for now. The Zaffron Ice Cream pacified us .. a bit ! Lovely !

Oh well so many things to be thankful for and I can't write it all here. More bits and pieces later I hope!

Tot Ziens !!

Wheels !

I finally got pics of my new car! Silver present from my hubby. It’s a lovely C200, 1998 edition. Low kilometer-age (less than 100k) Have a look-see. It's all nice and especially shiny - our Pilot told me he'd given it a bath the day before.. although he omitted to tell me he'd hit the wall when he moved the car back up under the porch..

front view

back view

Thank you so much, Sayang, I love you as always, forever..