it's another new year!

crap, the new year is fast approaching and i have yet to come up with anything solid for my resolution. then again, the hell with new year's resolution...i'm just gonna live my life the best i know how. heck, everything is turning out just fine for me hahaha.

but i have done some personal retrospection and i'm very well versed with my strengths and weaknesses and i realized that i haven't lived up to my true potential. so, come new year i will live up to my reputation as the guy you wanna hang out with (that is if you can accept my sarcastic, sanguine and care-less attitude haha) because generally, i could be fun and interesting if i wanted to or given the situation hahaha.

yeah, i intend to do everything and have fun every chance i can get without compromising the coolness in me by being in a relationship or flirtatious liaisons hahaha. i know this may sound sick, but i am honestly enjoying my life as a single pathetic dude...i'm not even considering to have a housemate to share the burden! hahaha. despite loving the solidarity, i do miss my pals back home, especially the ladies who could make me laugh like no other (yeah, the gidiots haha).

okay peeps, time to hit the sack. merry (belated) christmas and happy new year! cheers :D

christmas what?

normally, at this time of the year i would be enjoying myself with lots of booze regardless of whether i am with family, friends or alone. but this year around, not only am i not back in my own hometown, i even got the fever which puts my christmas celebration plannings, which is not exactly fun to begin with, to a stall. so, what did i do on christmas eve and day?

obviously, there's nothing much to be done when it feels like you're on your deathbed hahaha. i've been sleeping alot, been swallowing panadol pills and cough syrup and been watching reruns of Bones, CSI and Eureka (good thing my astro was activated right before the holidays haha).

despite feeling uncomfortable and weak, something good actually came out of being sick:

a) it inhibited my need for a cigarette.
b) i've been sleeping alot, which means i've been catching up on my much deserved rest.

well, so much for christmas optimism. in my case, no miracles happened and i am stuck with spending christmas alone with only my tv and internet hahaha.

Cheers :D

bribery is a two way street :)

how trusted can our law enforcers be? now that is the question. all my life i have never resorted to bribe someone to get my way around, or even thought of accepting any form of bribery. not because of moral ethics but simply because i was never in a position to commit such unlawful deeds. but a recent experience has given me a different insight on why bribery still persists despite the widescale efforts to curb it, yeah...i experienced it first hand.

to cut it short, i was asked to pullover by a policeman for cutting a double line. i admit i was at fault and willing to accept whatever was thrown at me but even then, i didn't think of trying to bribe the officer. but what was supposed to be a quick affair was dragged on for another 30-40minutes with the officer asking (or maybe trying to make small talk) silly questions. after 10 minutes, i kinda knew what the officer wanted, but i wasn't going to take a chance of being caught red handed for offering bribes.

throughout the conversation, i took note of several hints which the officer was subtly suggesting:

a) Minum Kopi (drink coffee)

- when my colleague sitting next to me tried to get a pardon (which i told her not to. you can blame it on my ego but i wasn't going to beg for a pardon of something which i clearly did. my reason was, he was just doing his job), the officer rebutted, 'saya cuma menjalankan tugas, kalau tidak, lebih baik saya lepak di kedai sambil minum kopi' (i'm only doing my job or i would be better off drinking coffee in a shop).

b) Gentlemen

- he kept on asking me, how am i going to settle this and i kept telling him, 'if it is already my fault, just give me the ticket and i'll settle it at the station'. but he kept asking the same question over and over again and said 'okay, let's be gentlemen. how do you say we should settle this?'

c) Price Naming

- Unsure of my own judgment, i played along being the naive and innocent road user. he then called me out from the car and he proceeded to bombard me with the same questions and this time i told him 'there's nothing much to be done, if you give me the ticket then i would have to pay at the station, end of story'. then came the gentlemen talk again, and by this time i was pretty sure he wanted a bribe so i told him 'saya cuma boleh bagi 2 *ikan merah' (i can only give two red fishes), i learned this trick from my policemen classmates back in Uni. instead he said *ikan merah cannot cut it and i asked what is it does he want, of which he replied 'RM50'.

i found it bold of him to quote the price straight away and frankly very dissapointed. i've heard stories of how the law enforcers are mostly made up of corrupt government employees, but i didn't think i would actually meet one personally.

anyway, in my defence i would like to state that i would be okay to pay the RM150 fine. but i was quite curious on how does one get involved in bribery hence the unlawful and unethical action :D. but this wouldn't have taken place if the officer did not pester us and just issue the damn ticket straightaway :p.

*ikan merah (red fish) is a term to describe a RM10 bill.

then again, i'm not blaming the officer for what had transpired. after all, it takes two to make it happen...

DAMN YOU ASTRO!!

it's few minutes to 12am and i just got back from work. thinking i might be able to relax and enjoy whatever is showing on the tv, i actually convinced myself that the tiredness would subside once i plopped myself on the couch and do some channel surfing.

the 15minutes drive back home felt like it was worth signing up for the ASTRO services despite their slow activation, i was pretty sure my account would be activated today after the numerous complaints to get it up and running. unfortunately, that wasn't the case. the moment i switched on the tv and decoder, the same frustrating message appeared on the screen 'Please insert the correct Astro smart card or call the Astro customer service for assistance'. my anger suddenly rose, i decided to call the customer service representative to vent out my anger. while waiting to be patched through the rep, i reconsidered the option of blowing the head of the next unlucky person who answers my call...i decided to vent my frustration instead of anger because, being more or less in the same customer service oriented field, i kind of understand what it feels like to be suddenly shouted at by an unknown stranger.

'good evening and thank you for calling Astro, this is Mona speaking...(or some shitty greeting like that)'

'yeah good evening Mona, my name is Jeremy and my IC number is XXXx.......', in a very monotonous tone. it sounded fair to introduce myself and give out my ID number straightaway knowing that they would be asking it anyway.

'how may i help you mr. jeremy?'

'this is my third time complaining and i would like to have a straight answer, when will my account be really activated?'

'when was the your astro installed sir?', i was kind of pissed off at this stupid question. i wanted to shout at her, 'woman, i just gave you my full name and ic number, i've even told you this is my third time complaining. can't you just look into the system for heaven's sake?!!!'...yeah, but i did not. instead, i politely replied in the same monotonous voice, 'last saturday'.

'could you wait for a moment sir', of which i replied yes.

after one or two minutes of being put on hold to listen to the crappy music or message that was played, 'thank you for waiting sir, i've checked in the system and it'll take approximately 2 weeks for your account to be activated'.

'TWO WEEKS?!', i raised my voiced a little bit. i wanted to bring up the previous response which said that my account would be activated within 24hours (which by this time, it has been more than 48 hours since my last complaint) but thought it would be a waste of time. 'tell me, what's the point of having my decoder installed just to wait for it to be activated in 2 weeks time or probably more? it sounds silly doesn't it?', i was hoping she would get my hint that if i were to wait for two weeks for it to be activated, i might as well sign up two weeks later instead of spending rm200 for the recent installation.

she went on to explain something about a system upgrade which i didn't really give a shit, 'Mona, i'm not blaming you for the bad service, i'm blaming your company. Please do understand my frustration, i just came home from work and i was hoping i might be able to enjoy some kind of entertainment on my tv. but after three days of continuous complainings, nothing has been done yet and you expect me two wait for another two weeks for my account to be activated? that is really unacceptable. if you look in the system, it has been noted that my request is urgent. is this how you (people) treat urgent matters?

silence...

'mona, like i said, i'm not blaming you for the slow service. but what i would really appreciate you to do is send a note or an email to your management or anyone for that matter, and tell them i would like my account activated tomorrow before i come back from work at 6pm. can you do that?'

'ok sir, i will send them a note, but i cannot guarantee that your account will be activated tomorrow'. for those working in the customer service line, let me remind you that this is not the answer you want to tell to your frustrated clients because we do not want to know that it cannot be done. be smart, play around with your words..give them something tactful to look forward to. one golden rule is, just do not lie to them.

'i don't care, just tell them that i would like my account activated tomorrow by hook or by crook'.

i dont think i sounded like an ass did i? i was merely stating the obvious.

anyhow, this wasn't a good day for me. just this morning i had to bribe a police officer to keep him from giving me traffic violation fine..but that will be another story to tell in my next entry...

cheers peeps...

what's the rush?,....

27 more days until Christmas!!! and frankly, i'm not that excited. come to think of it, i'm not sure if i've ever been excited about Christmas. when everyone's out there shopping for Christmas trees and presents, i'm here in my own little world asking the same questions over the years ,'what's the rush?' hahaha.

i don't see any reason to celebrate Christmas except for the holidays. if we look into the history of how christmas came about, it's not much of a religious celebration but more to a twisted plot of a certain religious body to assimilate the pagans into God fearing people and waddya know...it worked, well okay, not so much on the god fearing side though haha. so if you think our Lord Jesus was born on December 25th, you have another thing coming for you :D.

anyhow, despite the misleading tales and lessons we tell our children or peers about Christmas, the centuries old effort of promoting the date as a special day turned out to be a blessing in disguise. whenever christmas is nearing, you can actually feel the joy and warmth of the festivity and prolongs until the new year's arrival, and the best part is you don't have to be a Christian to experience all these! :D.

Christmas is a season of giving and forgiving and where love and kindness are spread regardless of who or what you are.....damn it, that sounded wrong doesn't it? aren't we supposed to do that like every other days, hours and minutes regardless of whether it's christmas or not? there you go, another example of how society and religion can brainwash us into shaping our beliefs hahaha.

you my think that i'm a grinch who have something against Christmas, trust me..i don't haha. it's just that, i don't feel as excited as everyone else when Christmas time comes near. it's nice to hear people laughing, seeing people smiling and doing good deeds, but it would be great if all these could remain like it all through the year and not only when Christmas approches.

so what do i look forward to when christmas approaches? if you guessed the presents then you're way over your head! hahaha. i like christmas not because of the date or the season or the presents. i like christmas because this is one of those times where people can be seen as sincerely happy, and a time where friends and family gather. besides, i've known (hopefully i wasn't the only one in the family whose hope of being showered with presents by a red suited fat man was dashed by the wonders of reality at an early age) that santa clause doesn't exist even before i turned 7 and never expected that tooth fairies would appear if we hid our tooth under the pillow hahahaha. despite not believing in these mystical beings, i do still believe in magic as a kid and until now :D.

ever since i started my tenure here in a foreign place, i could feel the pull to return back to my hometown and celebrate the year-end celebration with friends and family. i think i am a little homesick or maybe i'm, just lost to what else to do or where else to go to spend my remaining holiday since most of my firends and colleagues won't be around during that period hahaha.

okay, i'm spouting nonsense again..geez. cheerio peeps hahaha

a rodent's life is still a life...

the first thing i noticed when i went through today's paper was this headline 'Rodent Threat' published in the STAR's Star Metro section only because i was interested with how are they going to deal with the issue and also i'm a sucker when it comes to animals. cruelty to rats is still animal cruelty to me.

anyhow, it's only natural for humans to be disgusted by these furry rodents. aside from its growth spurt which can be as big as a house cat and their mean look, these animals are also the harbinger of death famously known for its deadly piss, the main cause for leptospirosis (i think..maybe i should do my homework haha).

anyhow, the reports have shown the booming numbers of rat infestation in klang valley and sentul and also, quite tactfully, potrayed these places a dumpsite. i mean, isn't it obvious? and what actually ticked me off was, they're blaming the rats for procreating! which rat wouldn't want to continue their family legacy here, it's a haven for them hahaha.

it's fine to express dissatisfaction over this matter, but it's not fine at all if you're blaming the rats for the problem when in fact, the problem could be dealt with if everyone played their part in ensuring cleanliness and hygiene in their areas. don't be expecting the municipal councils to do the clean up job because even if they're under the taxpayers' money to do the dirty job, they're still human. they're being paid to keep the city clean, not to clean up our mess. it's like hiring someone to clean up our ass after taking a dump.

the best they can do is to clear up the area at designated times (not everyday!) and everyone have to lend a hand in keeping the place clean after the clean up. it's a matter of taking responsibility on your own compund and area. but maybe these people doesn't understand this, and if they don't, i could safely say that they have a very weak family foundation and thoroughly selfish and can only hope that their home inside is as messy as it is outside..like the person themselves.

one thing that people don't realize is that, these rodents have lived far longer than any humans and they're generally adeptable to their surrounding. poisons wont work effectively because over a period of time being exposed to such chemicals, they would be immune to the effect and thus creating a super-rat which would take more than designated poisons to eliminate them.

there're certain cultures, especially in Asia where people consume these rodents as delicacies, it's not only served deliciously on a dish but it also serves as a control and preventative measure over the rat population. maybe we should serve these critters in restaurants, in that way we wont have to worry about running low on meat hahaha. then again, just to remind you guys that rat consumption is not allowed for both Islam and Christian...and Jewish i suppose (for Christians, refer to Leviticus 11:29).

what i'm trying to say here is that, before we blame our municipal for not doing their work or blame the RODENTS for existing (which most dumbassess do), just remember that it only takes a little effort to maintain cleanliness and hygiene. Be a responsible society.

the classical tales in modern times...

i had a chat with a parent, and being thirty and still single we came to talking about marriage and children. normally when this happens, the topic would tend to lean towards the one question i dont quite like being asked, the million dollar question of...'so, when's your turn?'. it's not that i'm ashamed of being single it's just that, i don't see any relevance for them to be in the loop to my private life.

good thing i had the forsight or the spidey sense to know (like many other times) what's going to happen next, so before the conversation started leaning towards my bachelorhood i took the oppotunity to be the conversation playmaker and keep the ball in his court by talking about his children.

from what i've been told, nothing much have changed in the country's primary education system since the last time i was in their shoes (which is like...AGES ago hahaha). but one thing that caught my attention was the book the children are reading now. looking back, in my primary years i don't quite remember having to read any other English story books but the ones from the text book or the local children tales which are of course all in Malay..but the children nowadays are starting off with works by Enid Blyton as their reading materials! i mean how lucky are they? during my time, i had to go to a library or borrow from my classmates to read those classics!

anyhow, it's great that these children are exposed to international literature at an early age but hopefully they know how to balance it with our own local literatures..especially the classic ones because some of them are worth reading. i dont quite read much on Malay novels simply because...their writing style are (in my opinion after having read several) all the same. the drama, the plot, the nostalgia are all predictable (and the same goes to most of the Malay movies and dramas, that's why i don't watch much of them anyway). but when it comes to classical fairy tales, i can say that they are on par with any other international publishings out there. i grew up reading 'batu belah batu bertangkup', 'malim deman', bawang putih, bawang merah', 'si tanggang' and some others i couldn't recall and despite their tendency to include all those unnecessary poetries or rhymes or adianoetas, i was able to follow it without any difficulty..heck, even my classmates would come up to me asking for an explanation the same way i would go to them when i have difficulty with my maths (yeah, i wasn't so bright back then...or even now hahaha).

One thing great about these stories are the lessons and values imparted to all the readers, not to mention how much it reflects our own people and nation both in good and bad portrayals. and here we are buying other books in our quest to be better people when in fact we can just read these classical tales and improve from then on. sometimes, we need to retain our child-like qualities for a clear mind and being simple could be the best way to look at things :).

maybe all those abuse i got from my mom for not being able to read before reaching 7 and the inability to differentiate the small 'b' and 'd' was a torture in blessing hahaha. i wonder, why didn't it work on my maths? hahaha

ps: how do we translate 'cerita rakyat' in english?...hmmmm