Boleh berkenalan..?

I've been reluctant to bitch about this because.. well, I'm Malay too. In my younger days it seemed to be a romantic thing to say. Yeah.. like in the movies la. Today? EWW!!!! Please la. So poyo... I do like to meet new people, but meeting new guys online in this day and age is like walking through a minefield. I think I'll make it a rule that any new male friends must be introduced by a legitimate acquaintance, at the very least.

I really dread it when a guy starts chatting with "boleh berkenalan". More often than not, he's married and looking for a bimbo to fool with. Especially when the wife is dalam pantang. Guys, please don't forget who got her in that state in the first place... Otherwise, he's a total freak who thinks he has the right to demand that you give him your phone number after only 5 minutes. God knows what else he's going to demand next!

Even the nicer ones seem icky to me. Like.. why do you need to 'berkenalan' with total strangers when you could spend the time online connecting with yr spouse, yr children, yr colleagues, neighbours, family..? I really don't get it..

If, by some chance, you come across a single guy, he would have this long list of requirements for you to fulfil. You must be within a certain age range, be drop dead gorgeous, a good (as in submissive) girl, bla di bla... Have you ever watched "Date Patrol"? Usually it's the girl who has this problem - having a list of attributes for the 'perfect guy' and scaring them off with their 'interrogation'. Well, this is the exact opposite. Despite the opening line, it seems to me that there's no real attempt to look under the surface. They're just checking off a list of must-have attributes before the final interview. And if you fail, the doors slam shut. No more conversation, no more friendship. You strike out.

Why can't they just communicate like normal adults, for goodness sake? I do have a pretty interesting life, you know; I'm not some debutante at the match-maker's to choose from. Talk to me long enough and you'll know me pretty well. There's no need to bombard me with 20 sensitive questions up front! Learn a little subtlety, for Pete's sake.

And the things they can say...

One guy actually went (yes, in capital letters) - 'KENAPA TAK KAWIN LAGI'?? after 3 questions. Excuse me!! As if it was something I wanted to happen.. Totally insensitive. I lost it and called him a jerk. He said "he knew my type". I doubt it. We never even got that far in our 'berkenalan' session.

Once, I was chatting with this guy I kind of knew from my uni days. It was OK until horror of horrors - he asked me to belanja him that night! OH MY GOD!! Belanja him?? That night? What? Drop everything for the dubious honour of belanjaing someone I barely knew?? I know it was a joke - something you said to your equally pokai coursemates when you were students. I do expect the boys to behave like men now that we're working adults, thank you very much.

Someone pointed out that Skype was not a place to 'cari jodoh', but i really don't think it's any excuse to make it a place to suss out sluts either. I need it to keep in touch with close friends and family; and if anyone wants to make friends, they should mean it. That's all I ask.

I'll Be There for You

So no one told you life was gonna be this way
(clap clap clap clap)
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's D.O.A.
It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)

-------That's the end of what they play on the show, the rest of the song as originally recorded continues------

You're still in bed at ten, but work began at eight
You burned your breakfast, so far things are going great
Your mother warned you there'd be days like these
But she didn't tell you when the world has brought you down to your knees
That
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)

No one could ever know me
No one could ever see me
Seems you're the only one who knows what it's like to be me
Someone to face the day with
Make it through all the rest with
Someone I'll always laugh with
Even in my worst, I'm best with you, yeah

It's like you're always stuck in second gear
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year
But
I'll be there for you (when the rain starts to pour)
I'll be there for you (like I've been there before)
I'll be there for you (because you're there for me too)

Finding Peace

There are amongst us; homebodies, and those who are infected with an unsatiable wanderlust. What makes each the way they are, and what do they achieve by being so?

Homebodies are those who tend to stay in a place they call home. They seek solace in the familiar, and find comfort where they come from.

There are others who are exactly the opposite. Those who run from the familiar, and seek peace from the unknown.

I suppose, if the familiar brings painful memories, it makes sense to run from it. And vice versa if comfort is found among the everyday.

"Going home" is something commonly done among those who are travel worn, and seek to find long forgotten happiness in their past.

There are some who journey long distances to find their peace, especially with the untimely death of a loved one. They long for change, to accept an unacceptable reality, to make a new beginning, to escape the yearning for something irretrievably lost. Pain can sometimes be terribly acute, it cuts us to the very core. And to some, as the tedium of existence can no longer be borne, that they escape to places far far away.

I would venture to say, each of us are both in our own ways. After all, home is where the heart is. Even the wandering matilda eventually finds a place he calls home. May we all find a place we call home, and find peace there with people who are dear to us.

To peace. To love. To happiness. May God bless us all.

Don't Try This At Home...

Being thoroughly frustrated by my wonky computer which kept sticking and worried sick about the amount of money required to fix it, I gave the board a good slap or two this morning. Of course I was immediately remorseful and worried that I had totally broken the board or whatever. Luckily, the opposite happened. It now works nicely again. It's still a little delicate, but I no longer need to prop it up in order for it to work. My laptop can sit on my lap again! Hurrah!!

There's no guarantees how long this is going to last, but I'm hoping the comp won't die/ get seriously ill again until I can afford/ really really need a new one. Thank you, God! I'll be a good girl now. Promise :-)

Big Bookshop at Atria

Went to Atria yesterday and found that the Big Bookshop has decided to stay. Hurray! They've got books at very reasonable prices, many less than RM20. Didn't buy anything, but it's nice to know that I've got an option for bookstores :-)

BTW, if you want computer parts, don't go to BML at the top floor. They're moving outside by next month, but since it's the same people, just don't go there. The owners like to overcharge. I was blur yesterday and stupidly agreed to pay RM300 for something that should be RM295.80. Yes, it's not much, but I don't like their attitude. Have been going there for yonks, but still they cheat whenever they can.

I don't know the future for Atria. It's not a happening place, but it's convenient - easy to park, there's a Guardian, KFC, Nando's, Dermalogica, Big Bookshop and Victoria Music. Plus Giant and Language House. Their toilets suck, but otherwise, it's all right. Easier to quickly buy something here than braving the jams to One-U or The Curve...

Have a good week ahead, guys :-)

A Lempeng by Any Other Name…

... would be called either a pancake, or a crepe, or blintze, or pannekoek…

He he, the things we learn from our favourite activity – MAKAN!!

Pancakes occur all over the world. In Malaysia, it is the ubiquitous lempeng, or kuih dadar, which is essentially lempeng with sweet coconut filling. My dad likes lempeng pisang while Yaie prefers lempeng kelapa. After watching David Rocco, my personal choice is wholemeal lempeng slathered with Nutella and filled with sliced fruits. Yum!

2nd September: Upon suggestion from our Ms Big Boss, 4 of us met in the Curve, aka, new haunt, to check out The Paddington House of Pancakes. Who suggested it to her? Hrmm… ehem!?

I was actually tempted to try it out the night before, but Pakcik insisted we go somewhere else, so as not to spoil our outing the next day… Sigh. Kapured Pakcik somewhere else more expensive. Padan muka dia. It was my birthday anyway.. he he..

Anaz & me got there first. Look at her excited face (pic) - donno how to choose from over 100 types of pancakes available. There is a variety of pancakes from all over the world, with both sweet and savoury fillings/ accompaniments. There is a wide variety of drinks to choose from as well. Prices range from RM6.00 to RM30.00, depending on the set. The savoury sets make great lunch/ dinners. A word of caution: portions are HUGE.

Since it was lunchtime, I asked for a Boston, which is a big pancake filled with corned beef and accompanied with mash potatoes, vegs and a whole roasted tomato. It looked kind of thin at first, but I quickly discovered how filling it was. For once, I could not finish my food, which is a rare occasion indeed. The others got a mish mash of stuff, all of them good and plentiful. And of course we monopolized the place for HOURS just chatting and creating a ruckus. It was a wonder we weren't shooed out after the first 2 hours.. Biasa la.. melepas rindu, kan?

Got quite excited over the place, and was dying to go again for desserts, until I discovered how easy it was to make lempeng in the comfort of your own kitchen. Ingredients are really cheap, you don't even need a recipe to whip up a batch, and the extra batter can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.

The Pancake Place is pretty cozy, though, so I DO want to go there again and try out the other stuff. Need to set a date with Pakcik for that... Hrmm... bila, eh? Heh heh... :-D

Scare tactics

I have been overweight for the longest time, even though I'm pretty active and love to do outdoor activities. My stamina is pathetic, however, for real sports, so I always opt for non-competitive swimming and hiking.

Watching TV yesterday, I tuned into Home & Health, which is fast becoming one of my favourite channels, and saw "Downsize Me!". It featured an obese homemaker who is so lazy she surfs the net and eats junk food all day long! Once she signed up, though, she was forced to get rid of all the junk, eat healthier foods and exercise a specific number of hours a day. Wow, her trainer is tough.. She hated the food, craved her tons of sugar, but managed after 2 months to drop 11 kg and looked great. Eventually she realised that it was a necessary step, and decided to continue with the lifestyle change. It scared me enough to make me get on the exercise thingy and check on my weight :-p

Puasa is coming, and i guess I should be able to lose a few kg. Just realised that I needed to lose only 4 kg to reach the max of my normal weight range. I wonder what I would look like without the extra 'babat' on me... :-) I WAS slim at some point of my life, you know.. It was a long time ago, but well, it would be nice to be 'normal' again, I think. I'm lucky I inherited Yaie's height, so the extra weight is not too obvious, but I really want to look nice again. All my Singaporean cousins are tall and slim. Jeles la pulak..

Since I have been able to keep my weight relatively unchanged over the past year or so, I guess with a bit of push, I'd be able to lose the remaining extra weight, hopefully. The main catch would be getting enough exercise and cutting out unnecessary fats from my diet. Hrm.. won't get too excited, will just try my best to make the necessary changes and see how it goes. :-)

Walking The Talk

Sometimes change happens so slowly that you can hardly see them. But knowing that you're moving in the right direction certainly helps.

In any case, it has been a great weekend. Managed to go birding with the birders, which also means good exercise. I got 4 lifers today, which is compensation enough for the time and energy spent, not to mention the sacrifice of sleep. Spent quite a bit of time with Abang & the kids, even Yasmin.

A few things still need to be done, but insya-Allah, will be able to handle them now. Sigh. Tomorrow is a working day, and I really want to clear up the loose ends before puasa starts.

Selamat menyambut Ramadhan al-Mubarak. :-)