Life is fragile

I found out today that a friend had just lost his wife, eldest son, and motherparents-in-law in an accident. His two other children are in intensive care. Mich didn't know the details but she thought they might've been on their way back to their hometown for cheng beng when the accident occurred (a traffic accident, we presume).

Although we're not close, we used to work those long crazy hours together as a team and Mr. Tan is one of the nicest, most unassuming, and ever helpful people I know. That such a tragedy should strike him is just too hard to imagine.

Please help pray for Mr. Tan and his children.

To break or not to break?

Mix FM's "He Says, She Says..." segment every morning is quite entertaining to listen to. They will throw out a topic pertaining to the male-female gender and get callers to call in with their views.

Past topics include :

• Why do women blame men for everything when things go wrong
• Why do men blame everything but themselves when things go wrong
• Men cheat for thrills, women cheat for attention
• Women are better at managing money than men

The entertaining part is listening to the callers. Like the last topic above. It was yesterday's topic and this lady called up and started her spiel, which went something like this:

"Yes, it's so true. I give you an example of my man. They always spend spend spend. They never think of saving for tomorrow. They never think about whether we got food to eat tomorrow, or whether the children got enough money to go to school, or whether the wife got enough money to buy veggie. Then they come home and say "Hah, ikan again today ar" They earn five thousand ringgit and give the wife one thousand ringgit and come home and say "Hah, ikan again today ar"....."

It was damn funny, man, the way the lady was talking. But I guess to her, it was an outlet to vent. And boy, do we all sometimes need to vent, eh?

Yesterday evening, on my way home, they played a snippet of today's topic "When you've been going out for 5 years and haven't gotten married, maybe it's time to break it off."

Which brought back memories about my five-year relationship. And yes, we've broken it off. After the 5.5-year mark. Haha. That was about 3 yrs ago.

Pietro and Serena were of the opinion that people shouldn’t get married just because they have been together for n number of years. Ika said that she would break if off if she wasn’t married after going out for 2 years with a guy.

We didn’t break it off due to any reasons pertaining to marriage. We did briefly touch the topic once or twice during our relationship but it never went very much past the surface. I think one of the main reasons it didn’t work out was due to the distance (he was halfway around the world) and also coz our priorities and goals had changed. At that time, I was quite naive and idealistic. “Oh, distance no problem lar. Can handle one.” Hah, yeah right. That’s a lesson for being so idealistic and having such high expectations.

Anyway, back to the topic on hand, hhhhmmm, would I get pressured to get married after being in a relationship for n years? Depends what I want at that point in time lor. If I wanted to have a family, then maybe I would. But knowing me, the reason I’d want to get married would be NOT because I want a family but coz I love the guy that much that I’d want to spend the rest of my life with him. But then again, if having a family is secondary, then why even need to get married? Hhhmmm...

Tomorrow’s topic on “He Says, She Says…”

“Are men or women more paranoid when their partners hang out with their exes?”

* where n = the number of years one feels is sufficiently long to be in a relationship and the next step would be marriage.

Would you adopt?

So I was reading this blog where the writer was talking about adoption. Of kids, that is.

I was and am never one who goes all crazy and google-eyed when I see babies. When I happen to be around babies (cousins' babies, friends' babies, etc.), I would silently pray "Please dun ask me me if I want to hold him/her. I can't say no else I will sound rude but I dun want to hold the baby!" Mainly coz they seem so fragile and me being the klutz that I am, I would be so paranoid about "breaking" the child and then have the whole entire family come after me.

But I don't hate kids. I'm ok with them, as long as they don't bug the hell outta me.

So far, my biological clock hasn't been screaming at me to start reproducing and neither has my maternal instinct started getting me all misty-eyed around those little creatures we call children (thank gawd!). But if some day I ever decide I want to try motherhood, I would give adoption a consideration.

Why? Firstly, because humans are overproducing as it is. I read in the papers a few weeks ago, there were like, 400,000+ births in M'sia alone in one of the recent years! I don't know if that's a huge figure, but it certainly sounds like A LOT of births to me. Secondly, like homeless animals, there are a lot of orphans out there who are starved of love and affection. My thought is, why not channel my love and affection to a few of these orphans and try to give them a better life, rather than add to the whole menagerie of humans. Thirdly, I've never felt the need to have my own child. I can't quite comprehend when people tell me there's nothing like having your own child. I mean, if I like children, why can't I adopt since there're so many of them available. Maybe it's something that can only be experienced when one is actually IN that situation. I don't know.

But I think my underlying justification towards adoption is just the need to do something to help one or two orphaned children to have a better life, if ever I have the means to. You know, like how I always preach about adopting pets from an animal shelter rather than buying them pedigreed from a breeder or pet shop.

That's not to say that I don't like people who reproduce or that I think people shouldn't reproduce. Not at all. Each to his/her own, I say. Anyway, I didn't say that I'm totally ruling out actually having my own kid some day *gasp!*

Just don't come up to me and tell me that my eggs are getting older by the year and that I should start making babies right now.

Infuriating!!!!

GAAAAHHH!!!

This just makes my blood boil!!! This and that stupid Eye on Malaysia monstrosity.

To think most of us citizens work so hard to pay our taxes and see how our so very "wise and efficient" powers-that-be use all our hard-earned money.

GAAAHHH!!!

And we have some departments around just as namesakes. Like the so-wonderfully-useful Department of Environment. Hallo, I thought one of the purposes of all these different depts is to ensure that proper laws are in place and that they are being followed. Oh, you know what? I'm sure proper laws are in place somewhere, they're just not being enforced coz corruption is so blatantly happening in front of our faces everywhere these days. Even the Anti-Corruption Agency director-general practices it. Allegedly of course. Duh. Isn't that absolutely absurd???

And the "We-can't-prove-anything-coz-everything-is-subjective" Wildlife and National Parks Department. Hallo, that's what you are supposed to draft in your LAWS!! To spell out exactly the definition of cruelty!!! Define what cage size is sufficient and what is not!! But oh wait, let's see how much they earn from issuing keeping licenses. RM219,380 in 2005! Oooohhh, now I get it. These people who apply for these licenses, most of them probably wouldn't meet the minimum requirements specified under the law if the law was revised. Hhhmmm... now I wonder WHY it's taking so long for them to table the new Bill.

Geez, I cannot tahan these people. Talk talk talk talk talk only ALL the bloody time. Propose this, propose that but end up doing nothing or worse, doing USELESS things with OUR money. Work until the wee hours of the morning only to see my tax money being frivolously thrown away.

And you know what's the worse part??? I can't do anything to change the situation. Sure, I can vote. But ultimately, one tiny mite like me can't do anything at all. Sometimes, I just wish I could stand in the street and scream my lungs out "YOU BLOODY MORONS ARE DRAGGING MY COUNTRY DOWN THE DRAINS!!!" But not that anyone cares anyway.

Oh, but wait... according to them, I'm privileged to be allowed to even stay here.

The absurdity of it all.

GAH!!!

Feeling Poorly...

bluurrgghh...

It's so not fun being sick... and that also not like, I'm-so-sik-I-can't-get-out-of-bed. At least, if that, also worth it to get sick. But I'm like in between... down enough to feel like my bones have been steam-rollered but still can hobble out of bed. Blearrrgghh...

And it seems that the older I get, the more "down" I get when I catch a bug. I used to be able to shrug off a bug in a day or two. But now it takes more than that. Oh the joy of aging... :-(

So not looking forward to go back to work tomorrow... sigh...

o_O

**********
I really get annoyed with people who talk more than they should to justify their actions. Seriously. I mean, if you have a good reason to do something, then just say it, short and sweet, and get it over and done with. No need to beat around the bush and tell grandmother stories just to get people to believe why you did what you did. Really, I get quite impatient with people like this. Unfortunately, I have to deal with them every single workday. Bleargh.

Barbaric!

This is just too barbaric.

And, correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the main purpose of a VETERINARY Services Department is to look out for the welfare of animals. But seems they are more preoccupied with shooting them.

Why can't they round up the dogs and take them to the pound and euthanize them humanely, if they really MUST kill them? Oh wait, it's called "systematic eradication of dogs." *rolling eyes*

Really, where do we even begin to THINK that we're a developing nation??? And this is not even the start of it.

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. ~Mahatma Gandhi~

Any updates???

Life's pretty quiet... schedule's back to normal.

Same ol' news in the papers, same ol' gripes about the people running the country (will it ever improve??)...

Generally restless... hmm...

Started Pilates. I find it quite good, though I need to work on the exercises outside of class in order to enjoy the benefits. I just learnt that the muscles on our least used limbs are more flexible than those that we use more often. For example, I'm a leftie so my left muscles are less flexible than my right... coz my right muscles are less used and therefore, are more flaccid. Haha! Seriously, I didn't know this :-p

But my knees are giving me problems now, ever since Spellbound rehearsals. At first, I thought it was just normal strain from the extra work but it got steadily worse. So now I have to take a break from Odissi for a few weeks to recuperate. Sigh... :-(

Bleh... am stuffed, bored, and getting sleepy now... *yawn*

o_O

What about you? Anything new happening in your life???

It's All Worth It

People who know me, sooner or later, will find out that I have an extraordinary affinity to animals (to some, this isn’t necessarily a good thing).

I see my pets as members of my family. And as such, it makes perfectly normal sense for me to award them with similar consideration that I give to other human members of my family. And it makes perfect sense that they are worthy of the same love and attention that other members of my family and/or loved ones get from me. For example (this one I had personally experienced), when I was moving back home from the States, I could’ve easily dumped my cats back to the animal shelter that I’d gotten them from but because I had adopted them and therefore, had a responsibility toward them, I couldn’t just do that unless I had exhausted all other options of bringing them home with me (or unless the vet told me that it’ll absolutely kill them to travel such a long distance). Also, I considered the thought that if they were actually human members of my family, the thought of leaving them behind wouldn’t even cross my mind.

BUT that’s not to say that I assign human-like qualities to my pets. I don’t expect them to understand me like the human members of my family do nor do I expect them to sit at the dinner table and eat with the rest of us. I love my family and my pets equally, but differently, if that makes sense (which would to like-minded people but maybe not so to others).

Also, this I personally strongly believe, if one can’t handle the responsibility of taking care of a pet, chances are, one may not be handle the responsibility of taking care of a baby/child either. Because to me, pets and children are almost similar in their needs. Of course, I’m sure many would be appalled that I can even think of comparing an animal and my own child (if ever I have any) but when you think about it, they’re more similar than you care to believe, in the younger years, at least. They both depend heavily on you to provide food and shelter and love. They both can’t talk to express their needs and wants or when they're in pain. They both make messes. And they both can be a nuisance when they decide to be.

But to me, whether pets or children, these are all the stages that one must go thru at one point or another. All these are part and parcel of having pets, just like children throwing tantrums or refusing to listen to you and stop running around the shopping mall are part and parcel of parenthood. Puke can be cleaned up, couches can be replaced, money can be earned again. Because at the end of the day, when my cat comes up to me for a head rub and starts purring contentedly, it’s all worth it. Just like when your child snuggles up to you at the end of the day and says “Mommy/Daddy, I love you”, you’d feel on top of the world.

It’s all quite difficult to explain to people who don’t have this type of affinity towards animals, how people like us (i.e. “animal people”) feel towards animals. A lot of times it’s quite frustrating and sometimes, it’s depressing as well, because someone you care about might not feel the same way and as such, this may cause some sort of tension between the two of you. And I’m sure people who don’t have this type of affinity towards animals think us “animal people” are just nutcases who have nothing better to do with our time but mess around with four-legged furry creatures.

But in all honesty, we enjoy that bond and connection we have with animals that we can’t get from human-to-human interaction, a bond that cannot be explained unless experienced personally. At the end of the day, if I get asked “So is all that trouble worth it?” after another clean-up session of kitty puke, or when my cats scratch the couch, or when they find out how much I’d actually spent getting my cats from the US to M’sia, I'd say HELL YEAH! Coz all those small things don't matter to me.

This is not to say that people who don’t have this type of affinity towards animals are bad or inferior, better or superior. We’re all different after all; different wants, different needs, different tastes, with different things that make us tick. It’s just that some of us need the company of animals as well as humans to be complete, that’s all.

:-)

Me and My Best Friend

And the end result is...

THIS!!!

We only did 2 takes... but oh, those 2 takes felt like forever! Coz I was so conscious of every move that I made and tried so hard NOT to make mistakes coz then everyone would have to do it again. But 2 takes was quite few, I thought... I was expecting them to stop us constantly during the dance to do a re-take but we just did it twice, full-out, and that was it.

The morning began at 4:45am. I was quite zombified, no thanks to some stupid mossies who decided to have a feast on my blood the night before i.e. kept me awake almost the entire night. Bah! Arrived at the studio before 7:30am. Did the hair, then got called for breakfast. After breakfast, continued with the makeup. Now here's the part where I take at least double the time everyone else takes -- to put on my makeup. Yeah yeah, call me anal or whatever :-p but I really detest having messy makeup on. So I take forever to do my eyes, and then forever to do my dots (make sure they are precisely dotted and evenly spaced!) and by the time I'm done with my makeup, everyone else had already long finished and put on their headgear.

Then comes the process of putting on the jewelry, most of which I don't have problems with except with it comes to the earpiece. I've never worn this particular set of earpieces before even though I'd had my jewelry for a few years now. Coz everytime I try to insert the post into my earlobes, it wouldn't go in coz the post is just too big! So the day before the shoot, I tried it again and managed to to get the right side in. But the left side just wouldn't go in!! So I had to get my trusty mom to help me with it and she came up with the ingenius idea of rubbing baby oil on my earlobe and the earring post, which made it a whole lot easier to be inserted (though it still hurt like mad!). And the hook that goes around the top of the ear? I didn't even dare touch that part after I'd put it on the next day, coz each time I did, it hurt double mad!!! My poor ears were throbbing after the shoot :-(

Anyway, it was a good experience. At least I got into a TV studio once in my whole life... hehe... :-D

One more show tomorrow... and I'm done! YAY! Need rest... pooped to the bone... zzzzzzzz.....

Off Tangent

Some funny pics from KK...

*snorkle snorkle, glug glug* Yoo hoooo!!! I can see yooouuuuuu!!

Kitty was enjoying herself, all sprawled out on the chair at the resort. Didn't even wake up when I poked her many times!

Was fascinated with the bite marks that insects left on this leaf

Nice pics of the babe...

Waaaa... so 'yau yeng'.... hehe...

Some more posing posing all... :p

Turn of Events

It's interesting how a slight turn in events can result in such different outcomes.

I just found out that if s.h.e hadn't been on leave on that day, I wouldn't be where I am today.

If we didn't choose to compete, we wouldn't be where we are now.

Sometimes, things like these can be blessings in disguise...

:-)

Main Kayu Tiga (or empat... or lima... or...)

So what is it with guys who simultaneously date multiple women?? This is one thing I will never understand about men (some women do it too). Isn't ONE relationship consuming enough???

Give the gal some dignity and break up with her first lar, before chasing another skirt.

Unless, of course, exclusivity is not in the picture... then can go around with as many skirts as you desire.