do you want to be happy or to be right?

that question cropped up recently in a conversation with a friend over steaming kopi and an ohh so delectable simpang roti john cheese rip-off in the shady, recyled-oiled-smelling atmosphere that is al-ameen bukit timah,

the malay-french combo of bread, cheese, egg and minced meat was heavenly, but we didn't order it, we had in fact ordered a couple of cheese pratas,

to end this piece of reluctant analogy, well, is another question,

can we be happy and wrong at the same time or for that matter, sad and right?  ¶ 5:14 pm 0 comments

  142501579371056731960713-6731-9681-6t5w5sdgfwsehwh

have been trying unsuccessfully to change my pin number for three days now, and while i'm doing that, my library book fine keeps mounting, great

seems that our lives are reduced to mere numbers these days - in fact, it starts on the day we're born, when we're given our unique identitiy card number

this number identifies you in scary enemy-of-the-state style, at the various government agencies, schools, custom checkpoints, anywhere in singapore really, your entire existence, can be summarized in a combination of seven numbers and a letter,

not only that, when you're on the road, you're defined by another string of numbers, some form funny acronyms, most totally meaningless, your movemement is restricted by double digits enclosed within a red circle - ignoring those digits mean you'll be faced with even more numbers and then you'll part with even more,

during exams, i'm 026989J10, at the doctor's i'm sometimes 25, sometimes 10, on a lucky day, i'll get a single digit,

a single digit means you don't have to wait behind a long line of ah peks with wheezing coughs or mat skivers from rentokil, while double digits indicate that you should probably have brought along that shaver from the bathroom, or at the very least, your own magazine that doesn't date back to the 70s,

speaking of the 70s, that's the decade when the first modern cinemas were introduced to us, but 30 years on, in spite of technology and all the creature comforts we get in our dth and thx sound-proofed entertainment indulgence, we're sometimes puzzled by the alphabet and number combo on the piece of paper that directs us to our seats - we wonder why we dread seats A1 and A2 that guarantee a trip to the chiropractor since those very same numbers are the same grades we long for during our o' levels,

the list probably goes on and on,

but it ends when we are dead and buried, and our loved ones, if any, remember us by the grave's lot number,

i guess we would've come full circle then  ¶ 10:18 pm 0 comments

 
confessions, brudder

got a printer today,

it's one of those consumer all-in-one (aio) printer models - the one that can print, copy, fax, copyfax, print from sd/cf cards, connect to a network, make coffee, clean the bed, makes excuses for you when you want to get out of attending weddings, you know those types,

anyway, i would like to be able to say that i got it because it solves my printing problems - that my old test printer seems to prefer to first crumple and then print, (as a bonus, sometimes it tears too)

and that this new printer finally allows me to include a fax number on the namecard and email signatures,

or that now i can photocopy old certificates and scan moth-eaten kindergarten photos in the comfort of my bedroom,

but all those reasons are not true, maybe half-truths, but that would be pushing it,

the truth is, i bought the printer because i got suckered by the girl in yellow sleevless top and batik wrap around skirt,i mean, who's ever seen anyone wearing batik selling computer stuff right, handing out flyers?

ok, i admit i'm a sucka for tight batik skirts,

now i just need to get something to fax, a cf & sd card, a digital camera to put the cards in, a network to log on to  ¶ 11:53 pm 0 comments

 
i stepped on a cockroach today,

rather, i squashed and squeezed the living daylights and innards out of the unsuspecting insect on my way to the bathroom,

as usual, i didn't bother to switch on the lights, and stomped on the poor fella, i actually felt the squish, although i thought i had stepped onto a piece of date or something initially, in the end, what's left of the roach was just a messy pulp of gooey shit

i think it was pay back time for all the epic battles i lost in the past - chasing after cockroaches with a roll of paper and kipas sate,

but, what a way to go huh,

and i obviously need a life  ¶ 2:26 am 0 comments

  found these old assignment photos while cleaning the pc,,,


somewhere in kuantan (2003)


at night @ botanic gardens (2003)


guess where?


August 25, 2003  ¶ 12:02 am 0 comments

 
running

kids can't stop running, and that's a fact,
go to a supermarket on friday night and you'll see tons of kids running around, some stopping, shouting and then gasping for breath and then running again, but mostly running, not from anything or to get anywhere, but simply just running, probably it's the freedom of youthful exuberance or simply the blissful ignorance of anything but candies and play

adults run too, as a matter of fact
but adults run with a purpose, sometimes to escape problems, other times to get to a better place, but mostly, adults are always running - towards that better paying job, better grade, away from past lovers, old enemies, bad debts, adults run all the time, from their friends, family - basically, adults run away from trouble,

of course, lots of times, we run only as as a temporary respite, we know that eventually we would have to square up our shoulders and face them one by one, look at each in the eye and scare those ghosts away, but many times, the easier solution of escape presents itself as a more viable option,  ¶ 6:04 pm 0 comments

  funny meh?

i'm stating the obvious - there are many ways to be funny (duhhhh), and in the truest sense, funny means a. causing laughter or amusement and b. intended or designed to amuse, according to www.dictionary.com

but because there are many different kinds of people, (i'm making it a habit) there are many different kinds of ways to be funny or to joke around, and some of the ways are just not nice, while some are simply witty, most are probably lame, you get my drift,

so, in my long and valued existence, i've come across many who think they have the funnies, some are downright disclaimers, while some might give seinfeld a run for his money (or ellen degeneres, for you feminists, gay activists,)

well,

#1. witty person

the person think up of jokes on the spot, from other people's words, actions, reactions, the jokes are usually not personal, and he or she is regarded as the funny man, or woman of the group - all who want to be funny should aim to be witty first

#2. old joker

the old joker stores all jokes told by the witty person in memory to be used on another occasion, he is a leech, he doesns't have original material, and usually, the punchline is weak

#3. mean joker

he/she makes fun of his friends, creates funny uncomfortable situations at the expense of his friends, his or her jokes make people laugh, but the friend that is the butt of the joke is cursing silently

#4. unfunny "but he thinks he's funny " joker

self explanatory, anyone has at least one such person in their group, joke macam sial, takda context, comedy becomes a tragedy

#5. "i can't help it" joker

someone who's funny by default, sometimes it's just the face, i mean look at hamid gurkha, who won't laugh right? or laurel and hardy, this joker sometimes can't help being funny, even when he falls on his bum and crack his hips, he's still the butt of the joke,  ¶ 5:18 pm 0 comments

  2 down and one more to go

:)  ¶ 9:00 pm 0 comments

  confessions

over the years, i've accumulated tons of nicknames for people which are sometimes derogatory and most times not funny, especially now that i'm beginning to mature,

so here's the list

cyber monkey - i avoid the person now
very gewwwd - a classic
hero sableng - fathie
two stoopid dog - associated with cyber monk
jun busuuuuk - i won't bitch
man-boy - on the contrary, she's so fine
cupcake - amirul's favourite
jack - amirul's favourite number 2
ginger- everyone's favourite
bird bird - hehe
love bird - ghani's classmates, who never fail to suap each other during assembly

i can't recall anymore lah, so please, add on to the list will ya,  ¶ 12:51 am 0 comments

  sporadic glimpses of perfection

you know, when the moment happens
when everything comes to a momentary halt,
and time stands still
your heart can't stop beating fast enough,
till it almost skips a beat

of course, the moment goes away in a blink
for it doesn't belong to you,
it belongs to no one actually
yet it belongs to everyone
for any one that has experienced the magic,
will never forget, that instance,
when everything is just perfect

Stanley Newton (1637-1670)  ¶ 2:13 am 0 comments