Disturbances

I’ve shifted to the hospital store. It feels weird working in a hospital! Like, one walks into a hospital expecting to jab, or be jabbed – people go there because they’re in pain, or want to help others who are in pain – not to sell over-priced coffee!

Ah well, but here it is - I now sell over-priced coffee to people in pain, or families visiting people in pain, or others. I’ve found myself wondering, these past two days (I only started at the hospital yesterday!), what do I say to these people while trying to make conversation over the retail counter? Do I ask “Are you having a good day?”. I mean…they’re not there to shop, or hangout! They’re there because they/someone they know isn’t well, or its their job to pick at brains or drain blood and clean bed pans. Not exactly sunshine and glamour, if you ask me – well, maybe not to me at least. My hat is off to the ones who willingly, with a smile, change adult diapers, perform coffee enema on others and mend human guts!

On the bright side…its a new place for me to explore! (I accidently walked, almost into the MORGUE late Tuesday night…now, that was creepy!) I plan to wander to the paeds ward (if I get to go in) and see the babies tomorrow. Awww :) :) :) We get lots of babies at the store (when their parents get coffee for themselves). I love looking at them. The babies, that is.

When I was at One U, I was comfortable…almost to the point where I considered (if the meager salary wasn’t a factor) just doing this my whole life (I hope none of my aunts/dad/Jen/Dai May see this! :P). It was fun, I had great colleagues and everything was so accessible. PLUS I loved that I was working in One Utama! Now that I’ve been taken out of my comfort zone, I can’t wait for something more permanent (and NOT in a hospital!). Maybe this is God telling me to look ahead and that I simply cannot stay in Starbucks forever (I know…you must be thinking duhh! –who says ‘duhh anymore, anyway?!) but, well, just hanging out some linen.

Some other random stuff:

We (the Youth) are going for Steamboat-BBQ in Kepong this Saturday, and I’m really REALLYYY looking forward to it. I went once, our ex-colleagues at Fly took us there on our 2nd-last day of work…and it was WONDERFUL! (*cue angels song). The spread is amazing, and you get to barbeque and boil all your food all by yourself and there’s unlimited ice-cream and fondue and jellies annnnddd….FRIED CHICKEN WINGS! 

Insert: Fried Chicken Wings! *beam

Maybe I’m just hungry now, or maybe thinking about the buffet is making me hungry.

Today I...

Went to church in the morning. Thank You for a wonderful time, Lord :)

Sat down on the landing in front of the entrance with Inkkie and Jack, and let them brainwash me.

Had kopi ais with Lisa, Yeuwks, James and Mr. Lee. Couldn't finish my cuppa, so I gave Mr. Lee the rest. Cost RM 1.50.

Accompanied Lisa to Tmn. Megah to sign for her *ehhem* grey new toy. There were a lot of papers to sign. We perah-ed freegifts out of the salesman, till we couldn't think of anything else to ask for.

Had limau madu ais at the Old Town Kopi Tiam, which cost RM 3.60. CRAZY EXPENSIVE RIGHT? ...I contradict myself. I keep saying it, but I keep going back there.

After helping to load and unload some children's books, went to KL with Mr. Lee. RELA workers were catching foreigners and cramming and shoving them into trucks; like dogs being sent to the pound. It was hot enough outside, imagine what it was like inside the truck. I saw it as an abuse of power of the part of the RELA, and a violation of the basic human rights of the foreigners - unfair, because the foreigners were helpless. I was saddened and wondered what I could do, what we all could do to change things.

Made friends with the purse salesman in KL Sentral, who told me he's eaten crocodile and elephant meat, and monkey's brains out of a monkey while it's still alive. He says the shop's in Pudu. It's too much. I'm going to report this to SPCA.

Had dinner out of a bento box, and then Mr. Lee and I watched UP!. In 3-D! We had to wear some special reflective glasses to see the 3-D effects. Coolness to fullness!

*Some people in front of us snuck in and ate some Ohmygosh-smelly-until-can-faint something disgusting. It smelt like this - imagine a cross between chow-tow-foo, sweaty feet that have been in a shoe for too long and herbal chicken soup. It smelt like that, and I suspect that was what it was. I couldn't take the stink - yes, stink - after awhile, so I whispered as gently and politely as I could, without gagging, "Excuse me, the smell from the stuff you're eating is really strong. Do you mind not eating it here?" And the guy replied "Ok, ok". Hmmmph! Inconsiderate AND rude! We should have (would have) reported them, had we not (too) snuck in Krispy Kreme. But Krispy Kreme does NOT emit a pungent odour!

After Mr. Lee had enough of looking at cameras, we had coffee in Austin Chase in Pavillion. Cynthia and Goh said we should. So we did. I recommend the iced cappuccino! Yums! :)

Bought bread which was going cheap (because they were about to close) from Bread Talk. 5 breads for RM 10!

There were people throwing coconuts on the street in Brickfields. At 11 pm! Made friends with an Aunty standing nearby who told me it was a hindu god's birthday. I don't understand the throwing coconuts part though.

Got home, washed my face and blogged about today.

G'nite, sugar

When I start eating like this, I know it's coming.

It's been the First Week. And I've been getting a lot of exercise, brisk walking around the campus looking for lecturers, trying to take just the right subject at just the right time because my class times keep clashing, because I'm taking too many subjects.
Much thanks be to Father in Heaven for letting me take the subject I really wanted to take. I almost didn't get to. But nothing is too difficult for my tycoon Dad up there. :)

Meeting my old friends again - the used bookstore and Nescafe cafe - has been greatly comforting. I shall hit the pool soon.

While cleaning out our mini-room on Monday, I found a dead cockroach under my bed. It has been there, dead, for so long that when I tried to sweep its (yech) rotting shell onto a dustpan with a broom, it quite literally just fell apart. There was nothing left of its body to hold its head, feelers, legs and (shudder) wings together. I am still trying to recover from the fact that a cockroach has been decaying under my very being for a WHOLE SEMESTER!!!

Urgh. *Shudder.

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We (Mich and I) have changed the decor of our mini-room. We've arranged our beds and tables to form a square and we now have a small space in the middle where we can put a rug and dance about, or sit down and talk nonsense if we wanted to. So much space for activities! This is what I call optimizing space; and I can't imagine why we didn't think of this arrangement before!!!

Mich says it's because we were "saving it for this year".

We have some new neighbours too! Some of them are pretty dodgy, though. The ones living next to us are ok - nice, quiet, respectful boys studying at the vocational school near here. The ones staying in the lot opposite to ours, however, keep waving at us (they can see through mine and Mich's windows into our room). It doesn't help that our windows are pretty huge. So now we keep our curtains drawn most of the time.
Because of them, I was at first a little apprehensive to hoist my colours, if you know what I mean. But then I thought to myself, "why should I let a couple of itchy, bored boys keep me from wearing clean underwear?!". At present, our room is as colourful as ever. :D

So, I've reached Friday (phew!). And to think it's only been the first week! As He has been reminding me over and over again during the holidays; I gotta hold on tight to the True Source, to Him, Jesus.
He will carry me through
Until the battle's done
and the victory is won
My God will carry me through.

Things are moving pretty slowly. Slow like snail. But maybe sometimes slow is good. Good is steady. Steady is snail. Slow is steady.
Slow and steady :)

Haha.
Well, hello weekend! I've waited a whole week for you!

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He said, "G'nite, sugar". Hehe :)

7.40 a.m.

Being up at this hour - it's not even really bright out yet - has it perks. For one thing, hot coffee actually tastes nice and warm, like hot coffee should.
It's also really cold because it rained last night, and I know it won't be this cold for long (I give it two hours for the heatwave to come back) and I should take advantage of the morning and go for a walk or something. But I'm scared 0f getting my arm slashed by desperate foreign workers who would do anything for some petty cash :(

Ok, ok. One shouldn't be so gloomy and dreary in the morning, especially on a beautiful morning such as this. The birds are chirping outside, so I should chirp too.

Lovely morning! :)

Life in an oven.

So,

complain.
The long awaited holidays are finally here. When I was not on holiday, I had all sorts of plans for these next two months. Work? Not work? Shop? But how to shop without work? Go for MYPG/FWP/etc? Who would hire me for work for only one month, then?
So, despite having all these plans - too many in fact - I'm now sitting here; it's the first day of my 2 month (on the calendar, May has 31 days and June has 30) break, and I find myself wondering what to do with, well, myself.
Actually there are alot of things I could do, all the stuff I'd left for later for all the times I had procrastinated.
Like clean out the fish bowl.
Finish making last year's Christmas present that I owe everyone.
Finish reading the pile of books that I had gone through halfway. (and had left for later because I found something more enjoyable to read)
Clean out my closet.
Clean my room.

But I just don't want to do them now, maybe later. Heh.

It doesn't help that it's suuuuuuuper hot and the sky is as blue as kerabu (no sign of rain), and the aircond in my room went *pok* yesterday and wouldn't turn on since.

Today, all I've done is make myself a mug on Nescafe Regular and put ice.

That's pretty good for a hot day's worth, don't you think? :)

From the Land of no U-turns

It's the 13th week! Woooohooo! :D
Next week will be the 14th and last week of my 4th semester and second year in UKM and then....holidays! Yaaaaaaayyy!!
I know...I ought to behave more grown up. But what can I say? I still put up a fight going to school.
I was sent to kindergarden at the age of 3, and even though I went to Eden (which is a 5 minute walk from my house), my parents had to charter a bus sekolah to bring me to kindergarden because I would throw a fit every morning and refuse to walk to school.
It was the same every morning when I got to primary school and in high school. And same bus, driven by Uncle Bas picked me up every morning, for 12 years.
Now the battle is within myself. Uncle Bas doesn't pick me up anymore, I drive myself to class; and I have no one to argue with about going to school, except myself. It's been a long battle. Haha. Hats off to Uncle Bas who put up with me all those years.



















(When Edmund, my crazy housemate decided he wanted to arrange our shoes, and our Middle-Eastern neighbours' shoes outside our house)
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Lead us to greater heights

WE at the Malaysia Think-Tank look forward to your upcoming appointment. We apologise for not being able to address you by name yet, as that would transgress the prerogative of His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Your judgment and wisdom will affect the fate of our democracy and the future of 27 million Malaysians. We urge and beseech you to lead Malaysia to greater heights in your new office by pursuing the ideals espoused by our Proclamation of Independence and other founding documents, and by continuing the narrative towards freedom and prosperity that our various histories have woven to get to where we are today.

We implore you to act upon the following:

» Defend the rule of law. Observe, protect and advance the rule of law, by: respecting the independence of the judiciary; restoring dignity to our courts; and upholding the supremacy of the constitution so that Malaysians from every background may understand and uphold it too

» Liberate the people. Free the people from the despair of poverty and the crutches of dependency, by: encouraging entrepreneurship, cutting bureaucracy and ensuring that the tax regime does not stifle growth and innovation; allowing individuals to mature and develop, to make mistakes and learn from them, and to be able to work and play in an environment that suits them best; and by allowing Malaysians to believe in God and to be loyal to King and country in their own manner.

» Limit the role of government. Reinforce our federal structure, by: acknowledging that central government does not have the answers to everything; restoring the rightful powers of the state governments; further decentralising power where it will result in greater competition and efficient delivery of services; and to gain the cooperation of states run by different political parties.

» Free the market. Uphold our inclination towards free markets; let the rakyat access the goods and services they prefer without the protectionism that cripples competition; and recognise that the welfare of the people can be advanced with the help of civil society collaborating with the private sector.

We believe passionately and resolutely that effective leadership and urgent action on your part on these four principles will unite the people and ensure continued peace and prosperity, and enable Malaysia to become the envy of the world, so that every Malaysian citizen can confidently say, as Tunku Abdul Rahman so proclaimed upon the ancient fields of Malacca, that we are a nation "founded upon the principles of liberty and justice".

Tunku ‘Abidin Muhriz
Wan Mohd Firdaus Wan
Mohd Fuaad
Wan Saiful Wan Jan

Letters, The Sun, April 2 '09

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
To give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
More deeply than the oceans,
More abundant than the tear
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice,
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow?

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all You are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
Forgetting what my life has cost
And wipe away the crimson stains
And dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need You now,
I owe You more each passing hour
The battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
And wash the feet and cleanse my pride
Take the selfish, take the weak,
And all the things I cannot hide
Take the beauty, take my tears
The sin-soaked heart and make it Yours
Take my world all apart
Take it now, take it now
And serve the ones that I despise
Speak the words I can't deny
Watch the world I used to love
Fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross Forgetting what my life has cost So wipe away the crimson stains And dull the nails that still remain So steal my heart and take the pain Take the selfish, take the weak And all the things I cannot hide Take the beauty, take my tears Take my world apart, take my world apart I pray, I pray,

I pray Take my world apart

Jars of Clay, Worlds Apart

Some words and smells.

Cling-wrap
spoon
coffee
coffee
coffee
mustard and onions
I don't like chilli sauce.
Bear
Aliens
envelope
meep! meep!
Applesauce
toothpaste
Strawberry
Chipmunks
have sharp teeth
Napkin.
Ding, ding go the chimes!
Ding, ding go the chimes!
Timun.
Starfish
Star-shaped jelly
Batman fatman

One for the day.

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless"

Sometimes I'm scared. Scared of what I do not know. Scared to find out. Sometimes I wonder what all this will come to, if the waiting ever ends. Then I wonder what I'm waiting for, or if I should be waiting...since I don't really know what I'm waiting for. Or maybe its just PMS
Now I know everything happens in seasons, and this is just one of them. And I know each season is meant to teach us something, and it's not like I've never gone through these 'seasons' before, but O teach me to wait patiently...because this time it seems to be taking so very cookie long!

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. (Psalm 56:3)

Oh well, have a holly jolly Christmas everyone!

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Later

Mal's outside listening to Coldplay's 'Yellow' by himself in the dark.

I have the door opened, and I can see him sitting there, his back facing me. I think eventually he's going to watch an episode of SouthPark, like he always does. And I have been sitting in this room all day, staring at my screen because I don't want to study...but I should, i really should. I feel fidgety, I have been feeling this way since my Dark Cherry *uber sweet cough medicine* Mocha this afternoon. The world is just too big for me, and my space is just too small.

I think I'm gonna go stand under a cold shower now. See ya.

I'll walk closer now on the higher way
Through the darkest night, will You hold my hand?
Jesus, guide my way.

O You mourn with me and You dance with me
For my heart of hearts is bound to You

Though I walk through valleys low
I fear no evil
By the waters, still my soul
My heart will trust in You
My heart will trust in You

O You counsel me and You comfort me
When I cannot see, You light my path

Though I walk through valleys low
I fear no evil
By the waters, still my soul
My heart will trust in You
My heart will trust in You.

Still my heart, and let me know Your will. There is no other way I would rather take. Still my heart so I can hear Your voice, because Yours only is the Truth.

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In other news :

• Hermit the Crab's shell broke, again. Poor little fella. I had to push his little behind to get him out of his shell just now...or whatever is left of it; it was dangling behind him and he was dragging it around. I gave him a piece of apple and a new bottle cap. I hope he feels better.
• I had to eat the rest of the apple. It is 4.08 a.m. -.- The things I would do for that crab. It just that he's so darn cute.
• There was a baby cockroach on the wall!!!! Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I killed it with one wack of a newspaper roll. ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh...I hope there isn't a Mothership!!!

For Today.

For Today, this is appropriate.
Fuh, what a one and two days it has been.

The heart is a bloom
Shoots up through the stony ground
There's no room
No space to rent in this town

You're out of luck
And the reason that you had to care
The traffic is stuck
And you're not moving anywhere

You thought you'd found a friend
To take you out of this place
Someone you could lend a hand
In return for grace

It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away

You're on the road
But you've got no destination
You're in the mud
In the maze of her imagination

You love this town
Even if that doesn't ring true
You've been all over
And it's been all over you

It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
It's a beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Teach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the Bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
And see the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colors came out

It was a beautiful day
Don't let it get away
Beautiful day

Touch me
Take me to that other place
Reach me
I know I'm not a hopeless case

What you don't have you don't need it now
What you don't know you can feel it somehow
What you don't have you don't need it now
Don't need it now
Was a beautiful day
U2, Beautiful Day

Fog-ed Up, Part 2

They fogged the house again. This time without warning, malang tidak berbau (Well, in this case, malang yang berbau la).
I was happily eating porridge + marmite + vege + egg (porridge + marmite + vege + egg are my staple diet here) and drinking Nestle's Yogurt Drink (Tropical Fruits), whilst reading The Kite Runner. It was a very relaxed time, just sitting there, chopsticks in one hand, novel in another. Yohan came back with his tapau-ed nasi kerabu, we exchange greetings. It was all very serene, calm, nothing chaotic. No rushing about, not much talking. Just quiet, book and chopsticks.

Suddenly the distant vrrrr came nearer and nearer, VRRRRR. And without any warning, the house was filled with smoke. Literally.

The calm changed to quiet shock, which broke when Yohan shouted, "Get the food off the table!", so i grabbed an empty plate to cover my precious vege, and ran to hide it, of all places, in my bedroom.

As the smoke seeped in, out of control, we frantically tried to find a place to shield ourselves from it. There wasn't anywhere. We opened the front door to run out, and more smoke came in. The "laundry room" was too full of, well, laundry, for us to even squeeze in. In the end we were driven into a corner, and there we waited with the front of our t-shirts over our noses. The fog was so thick we couldn't even see each other, let alone the rest of the house.

Well, the smoke in the house eventually subsided, because Yohan braved through all that poison to turn on the fans full blast. We still couldn't open the front door because more smoke from the stairway would get in, so we felt our way to the back windows and opened all of them wide. And hung with our arms dangling from the window grill, gasping for fresh air.
It was terrible.

However, in other news, I had a blast tonight with my GaLZ :) We had CG and a very fulfilling time discussing quiet time.
Praise the Lord for all His goodness (even the mozzie fog - it keeps dengue at bay). I am reminded again of His Love and His Sovereignty, reminded that because the LORD of all holds me, I am in good hands.
There is nothing like :)

You are my Strength

You are my Strength
Strength like no other
Strength like no other
Reaches to me

You are my Hope
Hope like no other
Hope like no other
Reaches to me

In the fullness of Your grace
In the power of Your Name
You lift me up
You lift me up

Unfailing love
Stronger than mountains
Deeper than oceans
Reaches to me

Your love O Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness
Reaches to the skies
-United, Savior King