of life, health and good FOOOOOD!

When down to KL last weekend. Ada class. Took the opportunity to visit my aunt who had just been discharged from HUKM after having an operation to remove several stones in her bladder. She's 80 years old. Nothing noteworthy about this actually. Many survive such operation, even some who are much older than my Busu, the nickname that she is commonly known by her nieces and nephews. Busu is my late mom's youngest sibling.

But what made me tick is the fact that she is 80 and never had any serious illness before. She hardly has fever or cold. Can't even remember hearing her sneeze! (don't know if she did when I'm not around!). Me? I'm much younger than her and yet I'm complaining about a lot of things. Feeling sick almost all the time! Monthly visit to the doctor is a must. The little packet of tablets has already have a permanent corner in my bag wherever I go. Keep reminding myself to stay healthy so that I will not become a burden to people later in my life but hmmmm... Keeping fit is already a burden!

I did an exercise a few days ago. A first after so many many moons. I had to give it up just after a few moves. Can still feel the ache all over my body. So macam mana nak keep fit and healthy? Maybe I should stick to the diet. No, not cutting down on the amount of intake ridiculously but rather making sure that the food that I'm eating is good and healthy and eat moderately... and of course, tastes good too. So Kuala Perlis, here I come...

mengong, mengong and more mengong...

Talk about ciklol and mengong, I was really pissed off with someone (wil not mention who but definitely not my friends, just acquaintance) that I've made a conclusion -- even if you have a dozen degrees from all the ivory league universities in the world, but if you do not have that human communication skills, you are nothing, at least to me and to those who appreciate some courtesy and sensitivity.

I feel sad for this kind of people. They maybe successful materially (I mean, you may be productive in terms of research, publications, have good positions in the organisation) but they don't actually have friends. The "friends" that they thought they have, are actually just acquaintances. At least that's what this person is to me. She may take me as her "friend" (from my perspective, she seems to be closer to me than to anyone else in the office -- scary!), but I don't think I will ever be her friend if she keeps up with all the wrong attitudes. How can I when this person is, to me, a selfish person who loves things that will glorify her and will pull her face when her ideas are not accepted. There are many more things about this person that I just cannot take it.

Sometimes I just feel like telling her right into her face to grow up, smell the coffee. You are not the only one in this world. Other people have ideas too and they are much more brilliant than yours. Being a senior with a long-list of credits to your name does not make you a perfect person. If you do not know how to respect and communicate with the people around you, you to me are nothing. I believe I have more friends than you. A long list of accomplishments and credits would be a nice too but there is no better gift than having some good and nice friends that you can share all your goods and bads with. And one more thing, I know I'm BRILLIANT if not clever....

So many things, too little time...

Cliche isn't it? But that's what most people would say, not excluding me. People would ask, duduk kat this sleepy town pun banyak sangat ke yang nak kena buat? From one end of the town to the other only takes ten minutes! So why do I want to complain about time? Well. I guess basically it is not so much about time but more about motivation. I have very little motivation to do a lot of things lately. The proposal yang I'm supposed to present is still stuck at the first few paragraphs. Talked to a friend who helped gave me some idea on how to go by doing the research recently and she was surprised I was still not done with it. Been wanting to write seminar papers but never got to it. Anak-anak pokok frangeepani yang Toksu bagi are still in the plastic bags waiting for me to get a pot and some soil. And mind you, the wait has been, I would say...months (don't exactly know how many!). GOD, what's wrong with me? Am I getting sleepy like this town? Ironically, this town is getting much more happening everyday! So, it must be me. Wake up girl, you have a life to live!!!!!

I read my friends' blogs just now. Some interesting things are happening around them. Pesta makan and cerita hantu, and some nasty but interesting poems to ponder. Hmmmm....Maybe I should find someone to bash today. That might make my day interesting! Yeah, why not. I have 2 classes today and my students are supposed to hand in their project proposals. Can use that as an excuse to bantai orang....hahahahahah. And then no students will come to see me for the rest of the semester sebab ketaq nanti kena belasah. EVIL ME!!! Hmmm, maybe I should change my personality.... Ooit! Buang tabiat ke???

"lepakking" with my badak friends...

I was down in Penang last weekend. Not really there for a social visit. I was there to teach at RECSAM. But as usual whenever in Penang, the main task will always turn out to be less important. Getting together with my badak friends will always be the priority. Tempat jatuh lagi dikenang, ini kan pulak kawe-kawe yang tidoq sebantal, makang sepinggang...

On my second night, we had a gathering at Intang's. Potluck style. The menu include sambal sardin, daging dengan kuih asam, telur dadar and pekasam, and rebung masak dengan daging. Simple but yam, yam tok yam. And of course Aa's freshly baked bread! My countribution? Since I did not have a kitchen (stayed in a hotel), fruits and drink je le.

But food was not the prime factor here.(really???) What's important was to be able to be amongst my badak friends (except for one. Wished Shill was around!). Just like old days... lepak-lepak, makan-makan... Maybe the next time when all the badaks are around, we'll have a bigger party...

Haa, apa tu...?

Many of us have not experienced an incident where you would be the center of attention due to an unfortunate event that happened unexpectedly.

After so many years of my life, I never thought that I would be that person who would be standing in the limelight of an embarassing incident, until last friday evening. I was in a departmental store browsing through some things. I was at the costume jewellery counter checking out some items there. I did not realise that there was a mirror on the counter behind me. As the alley between the counters was quite narrow my handbag had apparently hit the mirror off the counter. Phrangg.... For a moment there was silence on the floor although there were quite a number of shoppers around as the sales had just begun. Suddenly I heard someone said..." haa, apa tu?". I looked down and saw shattered glasses around my feet. At that particular moment I could only hope that there was a plastic bag or anything big enough within my reach that I could grab to cover my head. Maluuuu.... However I managed to keep my cool and asked for the supervisor. The rest of the story, biasale... the cleaner came to sweep away the glasses, the supervisor made a few calls to find out how much the store should charge me and bla, bla, bla...

The moral of the story, whenever we come across such incident, never make remarks that may embarass the person involved. The part about knocking the mirror off the counter did not really impact the situation but the remark made by one of the shoppers had suddenly made me feel so guilty and so embarassed. Even worse, I was there alone!