Several interesting things have happened since last I updated. Which was not too long ago... but you know what I mean. A lot of things can happen in the shortest imaginable amounts of time.

No, I did not get hitched in a 24-hour whirlwind romance to some blond, blue-eyed 'angmo'. And I certainly did not get RM 19264 in of those dodgy TOTO things. Though I wish I did, most heartily.

First interesting thing....

Blessed Peace.

I did not get bugged by my relatives. At all. I mean, like, they left me alone. Wonderful! They didn't ask me questions, they forgot I existed, they didn't even see my face! Its amazing! I am so happy! I mean it! I was chilling with me MP3 all night and no one bothered me! Its... its....just wonderful. Sigh.

Vegetarian Indian food at RM (blank)

Can you imagine? I have lived in KL for all my life. A total of 21 years. Of which 5 of them included the existence of Midvalley Megamall (less? more? I dunno, could be less) and yet I did not know the existence of this vegetarian Indian restaurant that serves up food at any amount you wish to pay. No, really. You take your food, you chow it and then you pay any amount you want. Its more like a donation/charity. However, a certain something happened changed my mind about it being a charity.

Me, MZ, M and W went to Midvalley during the 4 hour break we had on Monday, see. And then HS and Bozu showed up. So HS tells us about this place. And me and M, out of sheer curiousity, decided to check the food out. So we shared a plate. And it wasn't a big plate or anything. It was, you know, cukup satu orang makan la. We shared anyway. But let's make it clear it was only one plate.

When M went to pay, the lady at the cashier (for lack of a better word) asked her if she was paying individually or a group, since there were four of us at the table. She looked immensely suspicious when M told her only she ate. Which is true. I split it with her the payment, because I also nibbled some off her plate, but there was only one plate. We paid RM 5, which I think is supremely reasonable and very decent for the fact we took so little and it was only a lot of curry. We didnt even take the fried rice; we took plain white rice. And trust me, we did not take much. We had already eaten at McD's earlier.

The point, however, is that you should not actually make demands as to how much one should pay. It's a charity, isn't it? And what if the people who go there to eat cannot afford much and so goes there to grab a decent meal and pay what they can afford?

Its a charity thing, isn't it? It defeats the entire purpose if you start demanding that people must pay a certain amount. And for crying out loud, its not sotong and prawns and mutton and expensive stuff, its all simple fare. With very few varieties. So what business do you have to dictate a tacit agreement on how much to pay?

Of course, common courtesy dictates that we have some form of decency. Don't la go and eat for 10 people and pay RM1. D'oh. But for two people share one plate (which was not much) RM 5 is quite decent. It ain't generous, but it ain't indecent for sure.

Anyway, I still do think that that place is a good idea actually. The food was okay, btw. Sort of like temple food.

Traipsing around a large part of KL with me Momsikins.

This is far by the most interesting. Let it be made known that me and my mom never actually go anywhere together, at least not in the KL area. It is always 'All for 5, 5 for all' with us. With the occasional 6th. (My bro's wife-to-be). We never actually go out, take public transport and go shopping together.

See, my mom had some stuff to settle at the banks in KL, but unfortunately my sis got involved in a small car encounter (some guy wasn't paying attention and zoomed out of a T-junction without looking and smashed into me sister's Kelisa even though she honked in warning when she saw him. He admitted, its his fault, but now me sister's car is in the shop, left front wheel out of whack) and so me mom has no transport around. Dad got power meetings so couldn't fetch her either.

This was yesterday, btw. I decided to cut class 'cause my Grandfather's B-day party was that night and so I decided to stay home and help my mom cook. And good thing I did, or else my mom would have to wander around KL all by herself. On public transport. My mom is 49, by the way, people. One simply can't allow 49-year-old moms to wander around alone. Not that my mom isn't capable, I just worry for her.

So I followed, and we went to KLCC to do some shopping along the way. Well, at least she did some shopping for me. Sister didn't come along coz' not feeling good. Which makes person number 3 on the 'Sick' list for me this week. J and another old friend of mine being the other two.

Anyway. It was interesting; for the first time I went out with my mom, just the two of us. And well, kind of enlightening. I never thought I'd have so little to actually say to my mom. At least not on the LRT anyway. I am simply not used to talking on the LRT much, seeing that I spend more time on it alone than accompanied.

I can talk to my mom, but only when we're in the kitchen, peeling garlic or onions or whatever. Anyway, I bought her lunch at Signatures in KLCC, some Ipoh Hor Fun. Expensive, small helping, very MSG-heavy. Do not try, people. Trust me.

Sigh.

Just received some sad news about J's dog, Max. And J himself is sick.

(Keep your chin up, mi amigo. It will hurt for a long time, but in the end, it'll go away, leaving only a sort of dull ache when your mind wanders to him from time to time. And drink lots of water ya. Though not so much that you end up like me when I ate too much salty stuff and nearly exploded from too much water intake. Bleargh. Not nice.)

I go. I got some undead ass to kick. Goodbye all. Muahahahahahaha.

Attending a Campaign, Attending TWO Birthday Bashes (literally, BASHes), Answering THAT question and Losing my Bloody Mind.

Attending A Campaign

See, when Bra-man asks if I am free on so-and-so day, I know something is up. But, he being such a funny and nice guy, and me being a soft-hearted bowl of whale-blubber, if he asks me for a favour I'd most likely do it.

Anyway, he asks if I would like to attend the 'A Leader is A Reader' campaign, which was joint-organized by the National Library and glorious UTAR and was the sweat, blood and tears of the PR final year students. It was held just yesterday, Saturday, the 27th of October at 10 am in the morning. So whats the favour, you ask?

Appearantly, he promised a senior he'd rope in 3 JR students (himself included) to attend a mock press conference. So he asked Mr.FCY and me. Mr FCY FFK-ed, btw.

So I thought, erm, hey, why not. It ain't 'Cleaning Saturday' so okay lor, go la. Got free food mah. Then I heard got Book Fair. And since it's sponsored by MPH... Well. Draw your own conclusions. Ehehe.

So I boarded the train, mashed with the mad crowd (it's Saturday, for crying out loud! Stay at home!) and arrived 15 minutes early. Bra-man not there, but no sweat, I was busy watching the crowd growing and listening the slightly O.T.T music playing in the background. By O.T.T, I mean Over The Top. Like all those jiwang terror music you get at official events, not a UTAR event by students.

Anyway. It turns out that it was SO much more fun than I thought. The speeches were kept mercifully short, the games were quite fun though ridiculously ill-planned (the answers were all there for everyone to see), there was even a book fashion show ('models' parading with books in their hands) and some free food. Media (that's me and Bra) get to eat in the VIP room. Kewl.

And I have not even gone to the best part. The goodie bags.

When I arrived, I expected nothing more than some refreshments and a two hours of mind-numbing talks. Then the PR student (I think it was Tan Telur, MZ's house's former tenant) handed me

1) A small red Hotlink backpack
2) A Hotlink paper bag.

She said, "Here is your goodie bag!" and I thought, hey, cool, a small bag and more notebooks (everyone knows notebooks are standard issue at press thingies) then I picked them up and it was heavy.

So, what did I get?

1) Mario Puzo -'The Family' (Mario Puzo is the guy who wrote The Godfather series), hardcover, by the way.

2) FOUR relatively new, popular magazines (as in relatively new issues, it wasn't a March 1986 issue or whatever) of which two were Chinese and so I exchanged with Jonathan G later for Female and Lime.

3) A handphone keychain, toothpaste, two plastic spoons, one small pack of Nescafe coffee beans, National Library notebook, a pen and a Garnier sample size facial wash... and a few vouchers.

Not bad at all for RM 5.80 for transport. No book fair though. :(

It was altogether rather good fun.

Attending TWo Birthday BASHes.

I now have to attend TWO birthday events, not just my dad's, which I do not mind in the least, because it will be in our favourite restaurant, but also my maternal grandfather's 80th birthday 'bash'. My paternal grandfather passed away 7 years ago.

Now, you may think it'll be a mucho grande event, but think again! My relatives are cheapskates! They are all so indulgent in their belief of their own so-called opinions that they can never agree on which restaurant to go to! And so we are down to pot-lucking at my grandfather's PJ house.

I do not like speaking of my relatives so unfavourably; but one cannot deny that horrible relatives are horrible relatives. I envy my friends with normal, nice relatives who come over and help cook and laugh and talk and do their parts. It must be nice to actually have a friendship with your cousins and all.

Answering THAT question

Why do my relatives ask 'So, you got boyfriend already ah?' and give me pretend-sympathetic and pitying looks when I answer 'No'?????

Why do they ask every year even though I repeatedly answer 'No'?

Sometimes, I feel like saying...

'My boyfriend? Oh, I am waiting for him to come out of Maximum Security Prison'.

That'll teach 'em to so busybody. What has it to do with them whether I get hitched or not? And what is with the pity???

As if my life will be humdrum and pointless without a boyfriend. Newsflash: My life is fine, thank you for your concern. My paternal relatives are even better, they always encourage me to go and chase boys and be more outgoing. (I am very quiet at family gatherings, I don't talk at all). I think, 'No thanks, my track record shows I must exercise extreme caution in matters of the heart.'

But I am sure you get it too, my friends. Except for you attached ones. For us singletons, we must simply come up with more creative ways to get pesky relatives off our backs.

Losing my Bloody Mind

With all the procrastination I've been doing. And the immensely boring classes!!!! I only have TWo subjects, and one of them is supposed to be interesting!!!!

Mr. Money is so boring, he makes priests look like circus performers. And priests are about as exciting and interesting as Flobberworms.

Ugh, I say, UGH.

Sigh, anyway, tata my friends....... for now.

Its the little things, people.

In one's life, there are several thousand little things that occur on a minute-ly basis.

Little things; like an extra onion in your stew, a simple 'thank you' , a friend's birthday remembered, a small compliment paid to somebody who doesn't get them too often, a little gesture of friendship.

Small things; like remembering your dad doesn't like tuna and so you never eat it when he's around, adding several garlic cloves to your soup (believe me, it makes a HUGE difference), knowing a friend's likes and dislikes, saying 'please.

All these things occur so often we don't even know that they do sometimes. Its the smallest of gestures that make the difference. And it is even more unlikely that we actually take our time to appreciate these small gestures.

How often do we actually sit down, think about the small things someone has done for us or we have done for someone? Not very often.

And yet, these small things always make your day just a little better. Because chances are, when you actually take the time to notice, it always make you feel warmer; if just only a little.

Sometimes, it's the littlest of things.

So go on and do a small nice thing for someone today. :)

He was late.
By an hour or so.
And we waited with waning gusto.
He was late.
By an hour or so.
And wrath upon him we bestow.

He was late. By a good 50 minutes. And it was due to some flood at his house or something to that effect. I was far too bored to listen; much less actually pay attention.

When one arrives at 7.30 am for a 9.00 am class, one expects friends to show up and for some conversations to take place before the lecturer shows up and ends everyone's fun. It didn't happen. There I was; sitting forlornly in the classroom, K not there, J not there, MZ not there, Bozu not there. Bra, HS and M not arriving till much later. Lecturer showing up at nearly 10 o' clock. Bra pre-occupied with Mr.F's computer. HS sleeping like the dead.

Made some tentative plans for duck rice. In fact, have been making plans for duck rice repeatedly for some time now; only to be thwarted in the end by a myriad of reasons. No duck for me. Hell, no lunch for me either!

Came home to brooding Dad and leftovers.
Wishing for Spicy Beef Foldovers.
Alas, I faced a boring day.
Now someone throw a steak my way.

A very, very boring day indeed.

PAiN, PaymEnt, PossIbIlities and oh Yes, More PAIN.

PAIN

There is something to be said for an entirely sleepless night. I never thought I'd actually experience it (worst was a 3 am stake-out due to an assignment) but yesterday is a first. I DID NOT SLEEP. AT ALL.

This was due to a nasty case of food poisoning, of which I shall, in spirit of our friendship, spare you the gory details. However, let it be known I was nauseous, in pain and suffering from dehydration (still am). Now, as the wafts of dinner bombard my bedroom, I am RAVENOUS. I had nothing but Jacobs and Milo O all day and that is NOT fun.

However, my mom is now fussing about, making sure I don't end up in pain again; so this bodes ill for dinner.

Sigh.

However, am feeling waaaay better (thanks to sleeping ALL day and some power-derful medicine) and now my stomach is ready for more abuse. Bring on the curry! Bring on the pork! Bring on the various unhealthy stuff! Rahhhh!

PAYMENT

Comes in the form of RM 100 for exemption fees. In spirit of my grief over the loss of RM 100, I shall now type out a list of 10 things I COULD HAVE done with RM 100, in no particular order.

10. Buy myself sushi. A total of 50 RM2 plates. I could eaten till sushi leaked out of my ears.

9. Gone to the arcade. That's 200 tokens. I could have played till my brains leaked out of my ears.

8. Eaten 25 plates of pork noodles. Large. Could have eaten pork till it leaked...you know. Out of my ears.

7. Shop for accesories. My earring collection can never be too large. There are 365 days a year, okay. So that's one for everyday.

6. Taken the LRT at least 40 times. Maximum rate is RM 2.50, so I could have taken it from Terminal to Kelana at least 40 times.

5. Taken my family out for dinner. D'oh.

4. Gone to see Hairspray and eat Cold Storage chicken a total of.... 5.5555555 times. Hah.

3. Bought myself TWO sets of earphones. Blue colour some more.

2. Buy meself another pair of uncomfortable, foot-abusing, toe-torturing yet oh-so-pretty wedge heels.

1. Kept it in me bank for contribution towards my laptop. Sigh.

But however, when you think about it, getting to go home early on Mondays and Tuesdays and having only (oh joy) TWO subjects this semester is, in my opinion, worth RM 100.

Possibilities

What are the odds??? What are the odds????? I say it is better, when the odds are against you, to give up entirely. When there is NO HOPE. When it is not possible. Give up, I say. Give up! There is no point hanging on, really. Don't even bother.

MORE PAIN

Results are out. And mine are, well, decent. I was pleasantly surprised, actually. I did far better in some subjects than I expected. However, Journalism II fell way short. Very disappointed. But I am, at least, thankful that I passed. Even if just barely. Pride and Joy and Joke of the Century is getting A for Comm. Theories and B- for MTA. HAHAHAHAHA.

All round, we did okay, I think, with J beating me in JR II and Vic getting nice loads of B's. B's are good, at any rate. Considering this time exams were tough. K did not do as well as I expected, 'cause he is actually smarter than he lets on (yes, you can pick up your jaw from the floor, I complimented him) but like I said, it was waaaay tough.

Me? I am content. Been managing CGPA's of 3.3 to 3.4, just a little short of 3.5. Must push for First Class!


I end here. My stomach growls (nay, whines piteously. Wait, that was Maya) and so I must go hunt for pre-dinner food. Rawr!

Lunch like in the old days, stuck in Amcorp Mall and some very strange musings.

LUNCH like in the old days.

Lunch today was a result of a unanimous decision to skip Bahasa Kebangsaan lecture after a rather mind-numbing Feature Writing lecture with Mr. Money. Who, by the way, if you ask me, can be potentially fun in his own way. If he gets rid of his problem with plurals and singulars.

Ahem. Lunch was in ANW, the PJ branch obviously. After deciding that we certainly do NOT want to attend class due to some 'horror' stories we heard from MZ (lecturer sit outside, students inside room don't know doing what), we decided on going out for lunch. In the group was MZ, the Blob, Bozu, Bra-man, HS, J, K and me. It was like stepping back into first year, in our first semester, when tensions did not arise and we were all one big happy group. Except that J is new, o'course.

And so we ate, laughed, joked, Bra-man had some interesting genital-related explanations, HS had torture methods to share and we all round had a blast. At least I did. It is good having lunch with loads of friends. Especially when all are good friends, all are crazy and none make any sense at all.

Let it be known that K can eat 2 double-scoop ice-cream waffles.

STUCK in Amcorp Mall

Amcorp Mall has only a few highlights, which include Payless, Book Xpressway and cheap magazines. Being stuck in it for nearly 2 hours is not amazing. (Sorry J, me not very good company on rainy days, or on most days for that matter. I am a dreadfully dull person, actually.) Was stuck as a result of heavy rain (which Bra-man described as kinda raining, which gives one an impression of a light drizzle) and no umbrella. And damn, I wore my turqouise wedge shoes. Its a curse, I tell you. Everytime I wear new shoes I get caught in rain.

We (me and Hugh Jackman) * nah, just kidding, see, I knew you weren't paying attention* (me and J) wandered around the place, looking not unlike two escaped criminals forced to endure relentless loafing in a not-that-interesting shopping mall. I even saw the security guard trailing us, whispering furtively into his walkie-talkie something that sounds suspiciously like our physical descriptions. I can just imagine........

"Hello, hello, Mat, Apek kat sini. Ada dua orang tengah jalan-jalan pusing-pusing tak henti-henti dekat kedai game ni la. Yang pompuan tu tinggi lampai besar bukan main, yang laki tu kecik sikit tapi macam ada senapang bawah jaket dia. Aku rasa bahaya la dua orang ni. Baik kita jaga sikit kedai Poh Kong tu. Nanti mana kita tau mereka tu macam Bonnie and Clyde."

Silence.

"Oi, you tak kenal ke Bonnie and Clyde tu? Ah, iye la, tahu la I pompuan tu takla lawa mcam Bonnie tapi ini real-life okey? Bukan filem! Kalau orang jahat tetap jahat, lawa ke tak lawa."

Silence.

"Ah, tu lah. Kan dah kata pergi la toilet tu awal-awal sikit. Nanti mereka tu buka langkah, hah, aku terbeliak seorang nak jaga kedai Poh Kong. Ish, kau ni."

Silence.

"Eh tunggu, mereka dah pergi dah. Tengah hujan lari keluar. Mesti orang gile ni.".

This is if they're both Malay dudes. Can you imagine if they were Chinese?

"Eh, Ah Chan ah. I think there is two persons very dangerous la. They walking walking non-stop. The girl very big-sized la. The guy look very dangerous also. Keep looking at the game shop la. I don't like this."

Silence.

"Eh, where got? Where got? I didn't steal your Chee Cheong Fun okay?"

Silence.

"Just watch out for the Poh Kong shop okay? Aiyo."

No, really. I am starting to freak myself out.


Some very STRANGE musings.

I am feeling a little uncomfortable. I wish I was more comfortable. I wish I were more comfortable being me and more comfortable with people around me. I want to feel at ease with my looks, my size and my all-round attitude.

Truly, is it alright to be YOU sometimes? Those penny-press, cheap-ass, make-you-feel-ugly-and-poor magazines out there (I can name a few but then again....) all tell you that the MOST important thing is to just be YOU.

But when YOU is not much, or in my case, TOO much, can you really be you? I admit that I get completely carried away a lot and my volumes go sky-high. I am also highly-strung. And I freak out. That is ME. I got it from my mom. So is it alright to be ME then?

Should I not, in realization of these flaws (I have so many more but they would be too many to write down here and now) change these flaws? Make myself better? Would that be untrue to who I am? Or would that just be improving oneself?

I wish I knew for sure, but I probably never will. I just feel really uncomfortable. Uncomfortable over a certain relationship. Uncomfortable about being as huge as I am. Uncomfortable with the way I am. Uncomfortable in my hard wooden computer chair.

And thus ends my post on a strange, uncomfortable note. Goodnight all.

Will I ever get my butt to work?

Perhaps not.


Dear all, the holidays are drawing to an immensely tragic close. Work done to date?

None at all.


I have not finished a single review, nor a single article nor anything I set out to do. Though most are painfully 'Under Construction' (imagine, if you will, me, in my dad's little 'office'; dusty, moldy and with a typewriter chained to my hands and drool at the sides of my mouth) I regretfully say that I have been an absolute slob.


But there are highlights to the 3 weeks I spent at home....

Kajang trip.

Major highlight, this. For the immensely enjoyable KTM ride (because it was not crowded, lucky me, and air-con was on full-blast) and the immensely fun company and the good food. Ate, played and joked to our hearts content, we did. On the menu was curry noodles, pork thingamajig (sorry, Cantonese is still too bad to remember the name of this dish) and satay.

Also, PS2; Lego Starwars, Lord of the Rings and a trip to a cyber for DOTA. And most importantly, great company and great friends.

Warcrafting

Procured the game of Warcraft at last; have been playing it like mad. Obtained the DVD on lunch trip with Bra-man after a Melawati Hill picture-taking trip with J. Had crash course in DOTA; to which I think I learnt loads of stuff. Like, how to run with my tail tucked between my legs and wait for my creeps. Or, how to run with my tail tucked between my legs and wait for my creeps. Or, how to run with...you get it. 'Run like hell at the first sign of trouble' is the key.

Oh yes, Warcraft characters say the funniest things!!! Orc Shamans even sing 'Raindrops Are Falling on My Head.' To which, when first told, I misconstrued and accused J of bamboozling me (sorry mi amigo!) but now I giggle everytime I click repeatedly on the Orc Shaman. Hahaha.

Love the peasants. "yes Milord?" "more work?" "Job's done" "work, work". Love the peons. "something need doing?" "Huh?" "Me happy to".

They really say funny stuff. The witch doctors even say "its a cookbook I tell you, a cookbook!"

Hairspray

As one can see from my previous post, I loved Hairspray. Though, in all actuality, I don't like hairspray per se, you know, literally. I hate hairspray. I do. I hate the fact that they make your hair feel like an extra-terrestrial being perched atop your skull. And that it is a HUMONGOUS pain the the ARSE to remove from your hair later. And it gives you split ends!!!!! It ruins your hair completely! It makes your hair feel so stiff it isn't real.

Y'know what you have to do to get that stuff outta your locks? Conditioner. At least 3 rounds of conditioner, to which you have to leave on for at least 20 minutes and then rinse off and then condition again and again and finally shampoo thoroughly. Its madness. And even then its a pain. I will NEVER allow anyone to go near my hair with a can of hairspray again.

And its bad for the environment too. *righteous expression* But I do like the movie.

Catching up with a friend that I have not caught up with for ages even though we be in same class.

I have lost touch with a certain person for some time now. We used to be quite close, and these holidays saw two outings in one week with this person. It has not happened for some time, that. Went to eat McD on the first trip and noodles on the second and then we went jalan-jalan. It was great fun; even bumped into an old lecturer (which, though it sounds positive when I say it it was not a positive experience AT ALL) and we (not the lecturer) chatted for a bit. It was fun; and it felt good to catch up again.

Being a lazy bum

It was an absolute delight and pain being a lazy bum. Delight for the fact that I have been so stressed out about studies and assignments (ahaha, we all remember my breakdowns and freak-outs, so I will not attempt to deny) and pain because it meant that I procrastinated like heck. Achieved bloody nothing.

But my dear friends, it has been fun. And given the chance I'd do it all over again (minus the procrastinating) and now, I have Feature Writing to look forward to. After that is Industrial Training and voila! The third year will loom and our blood pressures will soar and then before you know it, graduation. I feel kind of sad thinking about it, honestly. The idea that we all will grow up and be serious, unfunny adults. I hope we never lose our sense of humour!


So in the end;

We must now go back to classes,
and work our lazy arses.

Hairspray and Hairy Situations.

Today I laughed till I cried. No seriously. I had tears in my eyes from laughing really hard. No, no llamas were doing tapdances. No, there was no green goop involved. No, no singing donkeys either...thousand-eyed squirrels? Spiderpigs? Exposed privies? Yellow fellows? Nope, no, not a chance and nuh uh.

All there was today was Hairspray. Loads of it. Ooodles and oodles of CFC. Did someone say ozone layer? I'll take my chances!

Edna Turnblad (John Travolta) and Tracey Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) Check out Edna's man-hands!

The story starts off with a wonderfully upbeat and positively glowing Tracey Turnblad; singing 'Good Morning, Baltimore' -a catchy little song with some rather nifty lyrics and a sense of something good to come. The one thing I loved most about Tracey as a character was that she was so comfortable in her skin, so in tune with her body.

Although her character was (in the words of J) drowned by the other side characters later in the show, she was, for me, the star. Nikki Blonsky played someone so positive, so happy and so sure of who and what she is. There was no 'I'm victimised 'cause I am fat' whining anywhere in the show, and none of the condescension that is so prevalent in most shows about fat people. You know, how big people are always portrayed as people to be pitied and always to be considerate towards. Or how we are always to be tagged with the 'inner beauty' cliche.

But we proceed.

We are introduced to Tracey, whose dream is to be on the Corny Collins Show where she can pursue her dream of dance. And when an opening emerges on the show, well, she strikes! She auditions, but is rejected by a deliciously bitchy and catty Michelle Pfeifer, aka Ms. Baltimore Crabs. And not to mention her attention-hogging daughter; both are thin, blond and bitchy.

She has a crush on Link Larkin, one of the leading dancers on the show, played by the surprisingly un-annoying Zac Effron. Her best friend and lollipop-sucking fiend, Penny Pingleton (played by Amanda Bynes) is supportive and well, sweet. Despite a crazy mother.

So the story goes on how she is finally given a break to dance on the show one day due to a combination of detention, butt-shaking and a peeping-tom-ish Zac Effron.

Now, let's see.... what else is interesting about this show.... hmmm....

Oh yes.

JOHN TRAVOLTA IN A FAT SUIT DRAG GET-UP.

Oh, yes, and flirting and dancing with Christopher Walken. That was what got me and J laughing. Oh, that one scene, that one song 'You're Timeless to Me', that scene......Priceless. Worth all the 8 bucks I paid.

And the thing that I appreciated most about this movie?

How it never took itself too seriously, despite handling issues like racism and individualism. It had a good, strong message to drive home; but it never for a second got all solemn and sober. It was cheesy, upbeat, very very corny and very very 60's. Big 'do and all.

The message in this show, in the end, is going for your dreams no matter who you are (black, white, gray, brown or any other colour for that matter) and what you look like. Its okay to be different. Its okay not to conform to the mass-produced norm. Its okay to be who you are; unafraid of criticism and sneers.

Oh, and that in the end, having a positive attitude, really big, sweet smile and really big hair will win you the boy of your dreams. Lol. That only happens in the movies, eh? But we can always dream, can we not? After all, what are movies but imitation of reality; though it be twisted and warped?

This is the feel good movie of the year. Besides Ratatouille. Okay, Simpsons was good too, but this is a guaranteed feel-good movie. A few notes of caution: do not watch this alone and do catch it within this week. There aren't many screenings left. Why don't watch it alone? Because fuzzy, warm feelings are a guaranteed-thing and if one watches it alone, this feeling will go to waste. Trust me. I walked out of that cinema feeling like I had a hot, thick and sweet cup of Milo. Which is good. However, this is not a movie to be watched over and over though; it may get a little tiring. Too much warmth and fuzziness will eventually wear itself out.

If you have your girl friends over at your place (as in girls-only sleepovers kind of thing, NOT the many-girl-orgy kind of thing, you dirty, dirty people) this is perfect.

Overall score? A-. Minus because no movie can be perfect. Lol.

Hmm.

Hairy situations come in the form of Carrefour today. I know, I know, I am simply asking for trouble, going on the eve of Raya, but hey, Dad wants to cook and ingredients must be bought! So off I went with me sis.

Not too many people, good, good, I mean, I am a mencae when it comes to shopping for provisions; I push the trolley around with such impatience that I may get arrested for unintentional assault someday. Parking also easy, good, good.

Found the stuff; all within budget I might add, and so went to pay. Had only ten items exactly, so went to Express Counter.

Now, let it be known that the greatest ironic statement in the whole world is the statement: 'EXPRESS COUNTER'. Because no matter which hypermarket you're at, the express counter is about as express as my driving (and let it also be known I drive at 40 km/h) and it always, always takes about the same time as any normal counter. And this is something no one can deny. I don't care which hypermarket. Uppity ones like Cold Storage, mid-range like Tesco or Giant or cheap like Mydin or Carrefour; it is ALL the same.

So, when I went to pay, lo, behold! The line was so long, it was all the way up to the aisles! I waited there with my heavy basket (forgot to bring a 20cent coin with me, so no trolley) for 40 mins! All for:

One cabbage (small)

Two cans of Corned Beef

Two packs of prunes

Milk

Onions and potatoes

Spoons (we never have enough spoons)

Frozen green peas

Thats it.

Now, it may seem unsignificant, but when it was my turn, oooh I tell you, the cashier started rifling through my stuff with an expression akin to having had unsatisfying sex the night before. She was making sure I had ten items or less. I mean, does she think I am stupid? Does she really think I will wait bloody FORTY minutes in the 'Express Counter' with MORE than 10 items????? I mean, sheesh! I may be so blur that I need supervision each time I cross a busy road, but I certainly am NOT stupid. And hell, I do not need supervision either, really. I have not gotten knocked down by some two-tonne six-wheeler, have I? *indignant*

Ahem.

Pardon my ranting. Its just that provisions-shopping for me is like trekking through a jungle. Human jungle, which is the worst kind of jungle.

I end here, and next time you want to be able to battle through the human jungle on your monthly provision shopping trip, do call. For a small fee (one packet of Milo drink) I will help you push your way through. For another packet I will hire my sister's 6 foot-5 inch tall BF to aid our cause. Throw in a free bath towel (my favourite NS one has more holes than towel in it now) and I will equip myself with a bamboo stick. You know my number!

Oh yes, interesting bit of funny stuff (courtesy of J!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3K7RSw_8wU

Its the lyrics to the theme from God of War.

Enjoy, people.

Oh me Gardy. Lookies!

Hello all. This is the book I picked up at Borders today, while on me and MZ's outing today. Ursula K. Le Guin's 'The Birthday of The World and other Stories'. Now, we all know Ms. Le Guin's books are remarkably cheap (you can practically smell the sarcasm here) and so when I found this in the Bargain corner... Well. Last copy people. LAST COPY on the table, that is. And another rather interesting story follows this book, by the way.

Ahem.

Guess how much I picked this up for. No, really. Guess. I hear.... RM 30? Nope. I hear.... RM 15? Hello, my friends, this is not a flea market. No way. It was cheap, but not that cheap. I hear.... Rm 45? Erm, bargain, didn't you hear? Ahaha, I hear a RM 25.90?? Congratulations sir/miss/madam/dato/datin/tan sri/tun sri/yg berhormat/sensei/senpai/you-get-my-point, you have got it right.

RM 25.90.

Which, when you think about it, is not like jaw-droppingly cheap for a book. Some books are that price anyway. But ahaha, remember my friends, this is an Ursula K. Le Guin. Her Earthsea books go for a whooping RM 50++. And this is a short story anthology. I love short stories.

The interesting story is when I went to the counter to ask if they have a better copy of the book, and the Indian girl at the counter checked it out for me on the computer. She then told me most nonchalantly, in a moste casual manner, that they actually have THREE copies left, but if the one I hold is the only one there then the others must have been stolen.

STOLEN.

Her tone was one of such remarkable nonchalance; so much so it occurs to me that damn, book-lifting must happen quite often there, dunnit? And it hits me that heck, it ain't difficult really, to steal a book. Just remove the sticker thing you find inside and voila! You can walk out with it, and nobody will be the wiser.

And then she proceeds to give me the punchline of the day.

"But we have other books by this guy if you want...."

My jaw dropped (in my head) and I thought "Ursula? A guy? You've gotta be kidding me!"

I mean, even if you are not familiar with her works, at least c'mon. Common sense says that Ursula is a girls' name. Not a dude. MZ was equally as horrified.

Huh. Stranger things have happened though. Of which is a tale for another day. For now, I hear thunder so I must leave. Goodbye all.

Its good to have a Cause, don't you think?

It's good to have a Cause. Now, what one's Cause may be is left to one's discretion; but it IS nice to have one.

A Cause is something you stand up for. It is something you rally for; a worthy reason for you to put all your best efforts into. A Cause gives you an aim, a goal or a focus. A Cause is potentially something that will consume every fibre of your being and make you an advocate of sorts.

I have a Cause. I want to save Taman Melawati Hill. I am just one small person (figuratively, o'course, not literally, my dear friends, because seriously, the last time I heard the word 'small' used on me was concerning my brain) in the fight against the greedy developers who want to LEVEL the hill to make way for ugly hard concrete, but DAMN I will try.

I pledge to wear the T-shirt as often as I possibly can (without sacrificing hygiene; but I may get some stronger reactions if I smell bad...hmm... that gives me ideas...) and indirectly publicize this issue. I also pledge to write something that will truly do justice to the lovely place I call home. I refuse to let Melawati become another PJ or Shah Alam; where all you see is stone and mortar and miserable-looking shrubs that wilt and droop as if they didn't get enough water or McD's ice-cream. Truly miserable is the situation in many cities and towns where every morning brings the fresh waft of eau-de-carbon-bloody-monoxide. Melawati is one of those rare areas where trees are still in existence.

Some call it Development. I call it DESTRUCTION.

And so I persevere. I will talk to as many people as I can and get this article going as best I can. And thanks to J for helping me out with pics (I be a camera-retard) and for not bailing out on me (unlike a certain someone). THANK YOU!!! :)

I do NOT like people who FFK, especially for something such as money. If you be FFK-ing me for something like you broke your collarbone or your dog has a surgery or your parents decided that they simply MUST dress you up in Gothic Lolita clothes or whatever, I'd totally understand. Money? (and not THAT much to boot) Nuh uh.

I also have another Cause. I must see John Travolta in drag. And not just ANY drag (cause we've seen that a dozen times) but a FAT SUIT drag. He's got a fat suit on. This I HAVE to see. And besides, I like musicals. There is also the lead actress; whatshername... can't quite recall.. but I wanna see her. I like the look of her already.

I have just one last Cause. I must finish every single Warcraft campaign. I am onto the Undead campaign now and it is kind of hard for me; since me be a noob and all. I am not ashamed to admit I used 'whosyourdaddy' a few times when things looked bleak. Someday I WILL finish it without a single cheat.

For now, my tummy is full from Grilled Chicken Foldover, the toilet is sparkling clean, I've done most of the house chores and what's left can be comfortably procrastinated, and so for the next few hours I am content.

I think I'll play a little Warcraft. We shall meet again when I have finished ravaging the elven lands.

The Phantom Menace, The Great Interview Menace, The Just Plain Menace and Then Some.

Yesterday night marked another first for me... First episode, that is. I watched 'Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace' for the first time. I know, I know, what coconut shell have I been living under?

Now, before I end up wearing pocket protectors, carrying a fanny pack and hiking up my pants to ribcage level (I already wear glasses, yet another geek requirement) let me say this: Qui-Gon is cool. Damn Darth Maul. But Darth Maul be sliced in half by Obi Wan (incidentally, Anakin was given the same treatment in Episode Three before he became Darth Vader, odd, I know, I watched Episode Three before Episode One) and he be dead. Yay. That'll teach him to kill Liam Neeson. I like Liam Neeson and even though I know he met up with Darth Maul and became a ghost, it still sucks to see him get killed.

I also saw the the exact location in planet Naboo (which was re-created in the Lego Starwars game) where I was convinced by a certain someone to jump to my death. Now I know the storyline and finally I know who the black dude is. Haha. And Jar Jar Binks deserves to get kicked off the cliff 'cause damn, he be annoying. Mesa very annoyed. Jar Jar Binks doesna deserve to live.

But in all honesty, I feel like I should give kudos to Mr. Lucas. Now I know why so many people are so into StarWars. I was always partial to LOTR meself, but now me like both. Will watch Episode Two tonight.

The Interview Menace comes in form of the people I am trying to interview for me article. Its very hard to get hold of people, it seems. And so I go on trying. And coupled with the fact that I cannot seem to remember that its Ramadhan month.... I don't leave good impressions. Sigh. But really, how can one expect me to remember when all I do is stay at home? And when all the people I hang out with are all pork-loving, food-loving people? But ah, no excuse. Silly me. Blur old me. Grr.

Its also a bit sketchy to be calling people and claiming to work with The Star when all I am is a freelancer. This sucks. And people dont give good responses unless you say you're working with The Star; and would that be tantamount to false pretenses if I say I was? Technically, I am, but technically I am not. Sigh, I sigh.

And what with the hubbub... And the procrastination on my part.... SIGH. Maybe, like before, I bit off more than I can chew? But man, I DO SO want to do something for this hill!!!

Just Plain Menace? My bloody Insomnia. Grrr, I wanna be all pissy abut this because I have not been quite myself what with the lack of proper sleep patterns. I toss and turn and think all night; which is NOT good, because it gives me funny dreams when I finally fall asleep at bloody 3/4 am. Funny dreams which are really, not funny at all so much as just plain weird. I had one where I was eating peanut cakes all day. And another where I dreamt classes have started and I forgot my bag (like the ones you get when you were in high school and after the 2 month holidays) and I also had several other rather odd dreams where if I type it out, I will be arrested. And lose all my friends and be labelled a loser and a weirdo forever.

I have tried several tried-and-untrue home remedies for Insomnia: first, I tried suffocating myself and limiting my oxygen supply so that I will begin to feel drowsy. All I achieved was a mouthful of eau-de-smelly-pillow. No sleep.

Next, I tried reading. But unfortunately, I can only switch on the dimmer lights (I have two lights in my room, one whitelight, one yellowlight-which is the dimmer one) and so it be insufficient for me reading and me get headache. Which results in no sleep. Besides, me pesky sis is light sleeper and she will notice lights are on and start to fuss. No sleep.

I tried listening to my music, my Zen, my Neeon. But since most of my songs are depressing and not exactly sleep-inducing, all I achieve is a sense of miserable-ness and you guessed it, NO SLEEP. I mean, when you get lyrics like 'If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world' you tend to think of death and not sleep. Sheesh. Or 'I wake up, its a bad dream, no one on my side, I was fighting, but I just feel too tired to be fighting' it does not exactly make you want to go la-la land.

Now, I even tried going downstairs to watch TV, but too bad, my mom will chase me up to bed when she makes her nightly sojourns. Or when she realises the TV is on. Or when she prowls about making sure we are all in bed. Heck, even my dog won't leave me alone when I go downstairs to watch TV. She will lie down at the door and give me a MOST disapproving look, as if she were saying 'For goodness sake, go and sleep so I dont' have to pretend I am watching the house and I too, can go to sleep.' Or she'll demand for food.

I even tried getting something warm to drink, but I gave up halfway cause me too darn lazy to brush me teeth again.

And then some more. Have been an absolute slob. I may grow moss on me hair soon.

I give up. I go eat cookies. Goodbye all.