The Week in Focus

Hmm.... am I having a bad week? Not really. Sure, there was some upsetting news, and I'm trying to catch up with things that has been on the back burner for weeks, months, even. But not a bad week, per se. Just one of those times when things are dead serious and no idiotic ideas pop into my head...

Am feeling unsettled, someone is making a big mistake, or maybe not... I don't know. It sucks, this not knowing... Feeling something is not right and not able to do anything about it.

Have some major tasks to take care of. Trying to move forward, though in doing so I'm letting go of something I wanted. Sad? Strangely, no. Just acceptance that I have no choice but to choose for something that is possible and forget about the impossible.

In any case, don't think I'm making much sense here. Later, then, when I have something coherent to bitch about :p

Really...?

Dear Azura,
Here is your horoscope
for Sunday, May 28:

Whether they're new or old, your relationships are pleasant and passionate at this time. Never forget that you're wealthy where it truly counts -- but the extra cash influx you're about to receive doesn't hurt, either.


Oh, yes~! IF.. it comes true la :)

Relieved

Managed to get the CD from the computer shop and painlessly revive my laptop parts from their driver-less condition this afternoon.

Stopped by for a chat with Mr. Thor (Jason's father a.k.a. cantankerous old man in Sepet & Gubra) in his bookstore. They're starting work on a prequel now; hope it will be as good as the previous two.

Just reinstalled my must-have applications, carefully guarding them with Zone Alarm. Norton is a pain and PC-Cillin is too expensive to renew. Hope it will keep off those blasted adware and spyware stuff... Might be a good idea to stay away from Friendster too - it's chock full of traps! Also (unintentionally) installed XP on D: drive - will have to figure out how to get rid of it and properly set up my data stores.

In the process realized how much of a hoarder I was - a data hoarder. I bitch about the piles of junk my sister insists on hoarding, but horror of horrors - I now realize how many unimportant emails I was clinging on to, offers that I might want to take up before they expire 3 months ago, documents that are totally unnecessary, "important" environmental news that I will read "someday"... All gone since the mailbox has gone totally corrupt and any attempt to link it to a fresh Outlook Express will cause it to be irreparably screwed. Don't get started on the half-baked article drafts, pictures I may never ever use but too sayang to delete, "important" stuff to read... Should really clean up my "My Documents" folder. Someday... :-D

Struggles...

This week has been a struggle for me.

People breaking up due to a third party. Being constantly just under the weather. Some virus-like thingy on the computer. Spyware and adware popping up everywhere. Trying to deal with chores while fixing lappie. Accidentally deleting my hardware setup files...

It's amazing how things can and will go kaput right when a job needs to be submitted. Promised Carrol to proofread document yesterday and only just managed to pick it up on sister's PC tonight. Nasib baik ada backup!

I won't be able to hook up to the projector tomorrow. Will need to copy presentation and use project computer - my laptop has been rendered deaf and dumb because there are no drivers to make things work properly. Speakers, internal modem, ethernet port, touch pad, display - all the non-basic stuff are not working at their best. Urgh. Mr Sundram had better give that CD he owed me since last year tomorrow noon... And I hope Plaxo does its magic and reinstates my calendar and stuff on Outlook as expected...

On the other hand, I learnt to reinstall and reformat... Maybe laptop will work better now. Software problems have been bugging me all year despite good quality hardware. Sigh. I so look forward to Sunday...

Taking It All In Stride...

Am in Penang, supposedly to promote an Energy Efficient lifestyle to the Penangites. Had an easy time setting up - the exh company guys helped put up my display boards and shelves. However, the dudes who got the venue had to make do with Island Plaza, one of the most deserted shopping centres I have ever encountered... So the only way I can tick off a reasonable number of visitors to the booth is by chasing after anyone who happens to walk by - something I gave up on hours ago. Surfing lagi best. Am getting free TimeZone from the nearby Starbucks. Ha ha.

On the other hand, I'm enjoying my morning swims at the hotel, and the company of the Energy Commission gang.

- There's Ben, the advertising company dude who would not look amiss in a WWE ring, but is really an adorable guy whose ring tone is his baby's cry.
- Then there are 2 girls hired to distribute leaflets and entice people to their booth.
- En Nawawi + wife and Fiza, from EC.
- And 3 dudes who are supposed to be from a band - D'Putra.

Am not familiar, but may have seen the name on an album cover somewhere... Me like this la... so blur katak when it comes to artistes. What I DO know is, these dudes can SING! They have lovely voices that can sound like Zainal Abidin, Jamal Abdillah, Dato' SM Salim and whoever else at will. Except Celine Dion la. Apparently the Metrojaya staff actually asked them to sing "My Heart Will Go On", except they wrote on the note "You jump, I jump. Ahak 2x". Pening la mamat2 tu nak fikir lagu apa diorang mintak. The guys are singing up a storm, so I have plenty of entertainment.

Managed to get a free crystal heat pack from Fitness First by 'selling out' my good friends this morning. You'll be getting a call from them soon. Tough luck, dudes. Ha ha.

Am planning to buy something for Abah later on, then claim a free manicure from OPI. Almost forgot his birthday. Phew! Nasib baik teringat...

Am torn between sleeping over at my cousin's place or enjoying the hotel facilities tonight. One more morning swim won't go amiss... Besides, I like my privacy. And the sunrise view. The only reason I HAVE to go over to Along's is because I need to audit his house. Already had dinner with them last night. Shoot. Will figure it out somehow.

Am missing out on the Da Vinci code - Acik had an extra ticket for tonight. By the time I balik most people would have watched already. Darn it! Oh well. C'est la vie. Hardly the end of the world, right?

Cheers, peeps. Have a good week ahead :-)

Of Betina Gatal and Jantan Miang (Part I)

In other words - Infidelity.

It is splashed on newspapers, in the gossip columns, the advice pages, magazines... in short, just about everywhere. Every kampung has a case or two, in unis, offices, wherever there are men and women, you can be sure they are there, lurking, just beneath the seemingly calm surface…

What is it?

In a word, unfaithfulness. Married men or women who has a third party on the side, boyfriends and girlfriends who are not as ‘exclusive’ as they profess to be.

Does THAT count?

There can be a fine line between friendship and romance, and many parties will insist that it was just ‘a friendly gesture’. A hug can be neutral, a kiss can be friendly, a peck on the cheek ‘doesn’t even count’. Well, that depends on your personal beliefs too. Something acceptable for one may not be for another. In the same vein, someone can be ‘seeing’ numerous people, yet can it be deemed wrong if they were just ‘spending time with a friend’?

So when is an affair an affair?

I would say when there are feelings invested. Otherwise it would not even count as a relationship, would it? Except if it was termed a platonic relationship, like the ones we have with friends, colleagues, neighbours and extended family. That’s a technicality. It doesn’t count.

Perceptions and misperceptions

Like it or not, every time an affair rears its ugly head, the one getting rich will be the bomoh or medium. For our seemingly ‘modern’ surface, the service of the bomoh is still in great demand.

The common perception is that the other woman is always in the wrong, even if it was their husband who started the affair. I notice that every time a bomoh is consulted, the offending woman will be accused of having given the unfaithful husband ‘something dirty to eat’, thus capturing him in a magical spell. Something in the lines of ‘nasi k…….’ as in the one portrayed in “Perempuan, Isteri dan …”, a film made in the nineties, starring Sofea Jane, for those unfamiliar with the local movie scene. Maybe because the one that is hurt prefers to believe that the other woman is at fault, and not their husband. After all, he is the one they love, and often, the father of their children…

Unfortunately, this belief did not come up out of thin air. I have seen cases where ‘the other woman’ basically ‘hijacked’ the husband, literally causing him to abandon his family. The situation gets worse if the wife i snot working, so she has no means to support the children. Some of these women even go so far as to threaten the wife and insist that she ask to be divorced!! I wonder WHAT kind of woman would do such a thing…? In some places, it seems poaching of one another’s husbands seems particularly rife, causing divorce rates to be alarmingly high.

To be fair, many married men do seek younger women, basically because they could. They will lie to buy a girl's sympathy. Call it pride, ego, greed, stupidity? I personally think these people have no consideration for the well-being of their wives. They are just self-serving people who has no respect for others and no sense of responsibility to their family. I'm not bitter, I'm just disgusted with these guys.

But.... Can it be justified? Let's discuss that in Part Deux :-)

The Winds of Change...

You know how I love to merepek meraban on my blog and come up with all sorts of weird ideas... But there is only so much nonsense you can write la, esp about oneself. Lately have been thinking about deeper stuff, so don't be surprised that this blog will soon talk about topics that are often hush hush in our society.

No, I don't think I'll make it as serious (read: boring) as some of the other activists' blogs. After all, the purpose of this blog is to share parts of my life and thoughts with friends, not to change the world! Will try to bring up the topics in an easily digestible manner, and hope to get lots and lots of feedback from everyone :)

I have one which have grown long beyond proportion, so will have to edit it and serve in smaller chunks. Will post it out soon. Tunnngggguuuu!!!!

There is no truth, only perception...

Been listening to all the hoo ha about "Lelaki Komunis Terakhir", and my comment is...

I don't have enough information to form an informed opinion.

Why? Because all information has been sterilized and only nice things can be shown. Only mainstream views can be published. There is a dearth of real information.

I felt banning a movie without even watching it is stupid. And he proudly proclaims the fact in the newspaper. Duh!

A lot of people were supporting Amir Muhammad. Did they actually know what they were talking about?

The point is... EVERYTHING IS BASED ON PERCEPTION!!!

The common wisdom is, "There is no truth, only perception." But making all decisions based on perception is very short-sighted, is it not?

- Communist? Cannot make movie about them, they're bad. Endof.
- NGO? Eh, cannot work with them, they're anti-government...
- A man shown cooking in the kitchen? Isy 3x...

Some people are afraid of their own shadow. They are afraid to look deeper underneath the surface. Takut drown ke? Tak reti berenang?

- Some people say Chin Peng was just trying to save his nation because the Mat Saleh dah cabut lari to Singapore, leaving Malaya undefended.
- Many people had family members killed by the communists or suffered because of them. Therefore communists are bad.
- People are arguing why CP is not allowed to return, but the others like Shamsiah Fakeh were. Is it a racial bias?
- Were the communists like Darth Vader - good guys who turned to the dark side...?

Can't we acknowledge that nothing is 100% good and nothing is 100% bad?

Can't we look at things objectively and form an informed decision instead of jumping to conclusions?

Could this joker please make an INFORMED DECISION which can be JUSTIFIED to the public instead of simply banning it because of a perceived notion??

Nasi Goreng Nyai

While we're on the topic of food...

One of my favourite breakfast foods is nasi goreng, made from the previous night’s leftover rice. In KL, it’s hard to find a nasi goreng kampung that can match my Nyai’s in terms of taste and heartiness. Let me share the recipe for the ultimate nasi goreng kampung with you :-)

Bahan2nya:-

A
3 cawan nasi putih

B
½ biji bawang besar
3 ulas bawang merah
2 ulas bawang putih
1 biji cili merah
3 biji cili padi
Sejemput ikan bilis (rendam dulu, biar lembut)
½ sudu teh garam

C
1 senduk Minyak masak (agak2 la byk mana)
1 biji telur (optional)

D
Ulam (optional)

Cara2nya:-

1. Make sure you have nasi to digoreng, and also the other ingredients la
2. Tumbuk/ kisar bahan B
3. Panaskan minyak. Tumis bahan B yang dah dikisar sampai naik baunya.
4. Masukkan nasi. Gaul rata. Kalau kering sangat tambah air sikit.
5. Tambah telur, kalau nak.
6. Goreng sampai masak.
7. Makan dengan ulam, preferably something manis to offset the pedasness. Contoh: jambu air, kacang panjang, epal, tembikai…

Senang je, kan? Amt of cili can adjust, but must have the ikan bilis. Lagi pedas lagi best…

Serves 4 - depending on appetites...

He he he. Selamat mencuba! ;)

The Best Cendol In the World

Or perhaps... the best cendol in MY world. Heh heh...

I'm sure you all have your favourite vendors for your favourite foods. For me, the best cendol seller is this uncle who has been trading in my neighbourhood since I was a kid. No kidding, a bowl of his cendol then was just 35 cents!

Currently, his mobile stall is parked opposite the Taman Tun Shell, the one near the Balai Bomba, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Usually Rojak Kadir will be there too. If there's a long line of cars parked by the roadside, they must be there la.

One of the charms of this stall is the ice grater. Note that he doesn't use the metal ice shaver, he uses a wooden 'bench' with a knife in the middle. A wooden piece with nails holds the ice being shaved.

This jovial uncle currently sells a bowl of cendol for RM1.20, inclusive kacang merah, jagung and pulut. The drink is not overly sweet, tasty without being too rich. Just perfect. So the next time you're in the area, check it out. You've got nothing to lose :D

Further and Further Down Memory Lane…

Was manning the exhibition booth in Seremban last weekend. Like it or not, I actually lived there for five years, albeit most of it in the confines of my alma mater.

The sight of a young guy reminded me of our then favourite teacher – the sweet and shy En. Ahmad Bidin, fondly known as Mat Bid or Mat Blush. The latter came of his unfortunate habit of blushing at the drop of a hat, or in his case, a chalk! Imagine the consternation of a young guy, just out of teaching school, to be placed in a school full of precocious girls. Yet he was a good sport, always ready to help in any way. He had a cheeky side too. Back then, we had class names in Latin, and he ‘helped’ find the name for his class – Narcissism Nexus – the center or self-adoration! I’m amazed the girls decided to keep that name. They really did adore him… He taught math and played cricket, something he picked up while studying in Australia.

Did MY math and realised that it had been 20 long years ago when I first stepped into that school… Oh dear, was it really THAT long ago? The guy must be in his forties now. I just can’t imagine him being forty. Guess he’ll always be that tall, thin, young teacher in my mind :-)

I wonder where the other teachers are now. Many are probably retired, some would have passed on. I remember with fondness Pn Sabariah, Ms Vicky, Ms Nana Tilaka, Pn Fatimah, Mr Nathan, Mrs Ho, Ms Satpal and so many others. We owe them so much for their dedication in teaching us then.

Would I ever be a teacher? Maybe a lecturer. I don't know. Still thinking about it...