When Your Life Falls Apart

This afternoon an ex-colleague sms me someone from our previous company has been jailed 5 years for forgering company cheques amounting more than $400k. Good grief... I know the fella, and upon reading the news in the ST today all I can say is -- he has my sympathy.

This morning a cyclist knocked me while I was on my way to work. I nearly sprawled on the pavement and got cuts on my knees. Amazingly my pants didn't show any tear. It wasn't until I was in the train that I noticed the bleeding. When it happened I just wanted to scream at the cyclist but I stopped when I realised he didn't understand what I was prattling about. Apparently he was one of those foreign workers who spoke only Chinese -- with you know that particular mainland China or whatever accent even my Chinese friends find difficult to comprehend.

He was actually thrown off his bicycle. [I don't know how that happened, but it did.] Then he was polite enough to show concern by saying something or apologising something -- profusely and even helped pick my haversack. So our worlds collided -- briefly.

And I thought the start of this morning was really bad.

Then came along that sms.

Imprisonment. Poor guy, it's dangerous how desperation corners you into a place where you fall deep and hard and escape is simply non-existent.

I'm sitting here in my room, typing this and I'm thinking -- Be thankful for the wonderful gift of being able to serve humanity, your planet, and your God.

Bloody cliche man... But it's true.

Getting Lost

I bought two books from Borders last week and I only managed to begin on one of them today. Could've started early as I got tied up in some other mundane matters -- but the wait was worth it! It's Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Memories of My Melancholy Whores. The other book, a compilation of short stories I gave it to my nephew whom I visited last Sunday at the hospital. I sort of gave it to him so that he could while his time away in that awful place.

I can still remember the smell of disinfectant. I imagine if I'm hospitalised I'd be a difficult patient.

I'm a big Marquez fan and I've been reading his novels ever since I got a copy of Love in the Time of Cholera. Arrgh... exquisite stuff. Just like Time of Cholera and 100 Years of Solitude, Melancholy Whores has managed to bring me into that world where I'm just contented to be a listener and observer of lives I can't possibly experience. I just get lost in words.

I'm past writting synopsis here, but this is from the publisher -- just in case you're interested in the book.

"On the eve of his ninetieth birthday, our unnamed protagonist - an undistinguished journalist and lifelong bachelor - decides to give himself "the gift of a night of wild love with an adolescent virgin."" The virgin, whom an old madam procures for him, is splendidly young, with the silent power of a sleeping beauty. The night of love blossoms into a transforming year. It is a year in which he relives, in a rush of memories, his lifetime of (paid-for) sexual adventures and experiences a revelation that brings him to the edge of dying - not of old age, but, at long last, of uncorrupted love."


I couldn't wait for the paperback and had to be poorer by S$27.95

He Gives Some

and then He takes some away.

One of my nephews, the second one, had been in an accident yesterday. What is it with motorcycles and Malay youths especially guys? Is it like some adulthood rites of passage? I don't get it. He was lucky the injury was not severe but it was enough scrapes to be hospitalised for a minor op. I was damn upset when I heard this news, and to think this happened while he still has a few months to complete his OCS training. Totally fcuk@d.




But shukran... shukran* God. I take this piece of news as it is. It could've been worse.


*grateful

Bridge in the Forest Canopy

The 250m suspension bridge.

Who would've thought such gems can be found here? This bridge will allow nature lovers to come up close to the rich flora and fauna of the forest canopy. Cool. Even if you didn't notice much around you -- just take in the vista.

The HSBC TreeTop Walk showed me there are indeed many natural places in Singapore worth visiting and preserving. Sometimes you don't have to travel that far -- sanctuary is right here amidst us all. And as you awaken to your divine nature, you'll begin to appreciate beauty in everything you see, touch, and experience.

In all, it was a good Saturday morning walk with the folks from my workplace.

Duracell Bunny

Everything is in a mess as I'm consumed by work. If there is a Duracell bunny of me it would have stopped marching a long time ago. What keep me going you may ask? It's the work satisfaction and the small little personal successes I achieved at the office. How much longer can one keep up at this level? I seriously don't know -- I guess I have to wait for my appraisal end March.

I collected my Fujitsu notebook from the service centre at Takashimaya yesterday. The change of hardisk due to bad sectors set me $290 poorer. That bloody amount excluded service charge and GST. Anyway, the girl who manned the counter really needed to work on her softskills. Imagine talking to her friend on her handphone while entering some data in the system -- all while attending me. The service was really lame. Half the time I was hoping she'd say something rude during the encounter so I could have an excuse to create a bit of a mayhem. The other half I was too busy nursing my runny nose.

Side note. Today coming home my old man mentioned to me that he was worried because our next door neighbour, who lives alone, doesn't seem to respond when he knocked on the door. "Why did you do that?" I asked him. He said he saw traces of oil or some unknown substance seeping out from the door and the doorsteps. God bless that old man of mine as he began to imagine my neighbour could have fainted la, what la and no one really knows for sure or takes notice. I nearly gave a snigger but I didn't. I told him let's wait tomorrow as this neighbour of ours is seldom seen in the first place. He might be working irregular shifts, he might be a super recluse -- so let's just see. "Ok", said my old man.

Throughout the conversation I tried to assuage myself for this lack of apathy and I just hope we don't start to smell a stench coming next door.

Alrightee. 5 things to look forward.

1. My pet project of a little website -- I sure hope it's coming along fine.
2. My project with some colleagues has finally taken to a cohesive output. It's just a matter of streamlining it a bit more.
3. This Sunday.
4. O2 Atom.
5. A new guitar score to play.

'Night.

What a Headache!

I can't remember the last time I got home, straightaway dashed into my room and crawled in bed -- still in my office pants and long-sleeved shirt. Only a splitting headache will do that me.

I woke around 8pm to continue whatever that I usually do when I got home -- shower, dinner, prayers and stuff.

Keeping this short.

'Night.

Leave My Prophet Out of This

Last September the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published images, caricatures, call it whatever you like, of the Prophet Muhammad. What is so wrong with these folks? Why are they so dark and bent on destroying the goodwill of millions of Muslims all over the world?

It just breaks my heart to see so much ill done on someone who I dearly love, my Saviour.

And as if to demonstrate solidarity and in a calculated move championing freedom of speech cause, papers in Germany, France and Italy began to reprint the images. I'm telling you I'm a great believer in freedom of speech and it's beginning to be a major yawn for me already. But I find it hard to understand why educated people with influence can be so dumb.

If street protestations and angry hue and cry are the reactions the publishers expect from good Muslims, pseudo Muslims, Muslims of every shades and ilk, then they certainly had it coming.

France newspaper Soir published the cartoons under the headline, "Yes, one has the right to caricature God." I can accept this. But dear editors why do it when you know there'd be social unrest like the one in Denmark? Where has commonsense gone to?

So what do we have here? A whole lot of crappy assertions.

The editor asserts, '"Yes, one has the right to caricature God."
The wannabe Osamas assert, "Yes, one has the right to kill western infidels."
The gun-toting villain asserts, "Yes, one has the right to buy weapons."
The misguided martyrs assert, "Yes, one has the right to a bevy of virgins in paradise."
The talented Rushdie asserts, "Yes, one has the right to write Satanic Verses Part 2."

This is tiresome. Ain't it stupid?

Summersnail asserts, "Yes, one has the right to wake up past 8 tomorrow morning."

We Should Have More of This

A four-day holiday break strategically placed throughout the year.
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My is neck is stiff and my shoulders aren't exactly co-operating. Too much bummin' I guess -- dangerously turning me into a hyperchondriac, when simple laps in the swimming pool would be the answer to my needs.

This week I'm staying away [trying to] from chocolates and oily foods and surrounding myself with high-energy people. Well what can I say? The holidays are over but if it's any consolation this is a short week.