Alone Again, Naturally.

 Something I read a while ago, and think it's beautiful and honest, true and appropriate.

Time does not bring relief

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year's leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year's bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide.
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go - so with his memory they brim.
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, 'There is no memory of him here!'
And so stand stricken, so remembering him.


Edna St Vincent Millay (1892 -1950)

POTTT Update!

SO after what seems like AGES of not taking the bus and the train, today i finally had to. Duty called *yawns*

Anyway , when it was time to leave, i had to force myself to walk two bus stops away, because RapidKL came up with this AMAZING system called the ZONE system! *oooooohhhh aaaahhhh*

This was the saddest piece of news I heard when it first was announced, it still is BECAUSE :

1 ) Anyone using the RapidKL buses KNOWS that there's nothing very rapid about them. They're NEVER on time. Well, they are once u learn their UNpunctuality. I have a little book of Rapid, jotting down all the times i've spotted the bus so i might might just on time for one and not have to wait a million years for it. Anywho, the 20minute rule is pretty non-existent. Everyone only knows this : It comes after 3 yes, THREE Metro 12 busses.

  Side Track : Why doesnt everyone just take the Metro 12 then?
  Reason : Because like every student travelling back and forth EVERYDAY from Kajang, or Shah Alam , Klang or anywhere, its EXPENSIVE!

1) continued..

So the only reason anyone in the right mind would mind the half an hour to one hour wait , is cause it's RM 2 no matter how far you travel.

Metro : It's RM 2 one way to KL Sentral from Millenium Court.

So it was perfect, you had the Metro for all the one way taking bus people, and the RapidKL for all the two-way / lots of interchange of buses/ traveling every day kinda people.

Now, the system is just broken! Rapid has become like Metro, with the one way passes and the only-for-one-bus rule.

So what is a person like me, and like many others out there to do? I think Rapid is still slightly cheaper than Metro because Metro raised its prices too.

But anyway, its ridiculous ! Oh and the Zone system :

I found out today, since they've FINALLY pasted the list of zones and how much each stop costs from the place you get in the bus, that from the UH bus stop to the Mahsa bus stop, is a whole 90cents more! This is 2, yes TWO bus stops away, it would take u 5 minutes the MOST to walk from one to the other.

This just doesn't make any sense. OK! It would make total sense to make it 90cents more expensive maybe AFTER that MC bus stop, cause the next bus stop is after the fly-over and near Jaya 1? But to make two bus stops different from another one that's on the SAME stretch of road!

Ohmygosh! I don't think public transportation has ever frustrated me more. Not even the crazy KTM delays.

So today, i walked to the UH bus stop, and payed the FAIR Rm 1.00 fare! There, u happy now u Greedy RapidKL people!!

Blahhhh, this post was not supposed to be about RapidKL and their evil ways, it was actually supposed to be about the nicest old man i met in the UH bus stop.This bus stop is definitely more interesting than the MC one. Almost everyone here, is sick or has some part of their body bandaged and just anyone with from holding x-rays to children with the sniffles.

I finally got a seat after most of the peopel left when the Metro 12 arrived. And this very pleasant looking old man sat next to me after making conversation about my bottle and book that was occupying his soon-to-be seat. I picked them up and placed them on my lap and just simply said sorry and giggled a little.

But as we were sitting down there, this man kept glancing behind to his left, over his shoulders, and kept smiling like he's just seen a friend. I heard some voices coming from the back so i assumed he probably did. But it didnt just end with one glance and one smile, he did it again. Okay, so maybe they missed him the first time. But then, again for the third time. Okay, now i had to look, who was this very very blur person?

So i turned, and saw an indian man speaking to a malay man, while barely sitting on the little space the wall provided. Okay, so these are his friends huh? Sweet. They must be hospital buddies. (kekeke)

Then, he did it again, and this time with a "HI!" , i just impulsively turned to look at his friends, to quickly realise they weren't his friends. They did even stop their conversation. They've not been listening to him the whole time. And he, he was saying hi and smiling to no one.

I took a nervous glance to the man on my other side, and he returned it. I just looked straight ahead and ignored the rest of his glances and "Hi!''s. He also twitched and made funny faces in intervals of about 5 mins. But in the mean time, i just couldn't believe the absolute manner this man had. He smiled at EVERY person that walked by, be it a kid or a woman or a man! He smiled! And it looked absolutely genuine.

An old chinese man sat just down on the bus stop cement right beside him, and  he just began to talk to the man. He said " Ohh, nak duduk ke? i would give you my seat, but saya pun penat jugak." I immediately moved a little more towards the man on my left, making room just enough for one more person. He soon realised, and then said "aahh, adapun tempat duduk, mari mari duduk!" then turned to me and said "Boleh ye?" gesturing coming closer to me. I of course said ok,and giggled more. Then the four of us sat on this tiny strip of metal of a bench, and he continued talking to the chinese man. He asked him what he was there for, and after he said for gastric, he mumbled something about happiness and kept rubbing his chest.

I'm pretty sure the chinese man was a little uncomfortable, he merely answered in short simple sentences that left little to elaborate on, or make new conversation with. Then a Tempatan bus arrived, and this malay man asked the chinese man, "bus ape ni? pergi ke central market ke?" the other man didn't know so i told him, no it doesnt. Then he looked at me, and was just so amused, and said, "ohh, only the metro 12 does rite" , "oh yes and the U85" ,"my name is (memory fails!) what's your name?". we shook hands and he muttered something about talking and happiness and people. "ooo ok, how much is the fare?" then i told him the wrong amount with which he replied "ohh the metro is only 1.90". I told him a metro was at the traffic light, he just got up and said "arent u coming?". I told him i was waiting for the Rapid and he said "ok, all the best to you!" and slightly bowed before getting on the bus. As the bus moved, i saw him sit next to a young chinese girl and say something,and i saw the girl put on a small smile that quickly disappeared as soon as she turned away from him. LOL! =)

There was definitely something wrong with him. Delusional, ticks and weird eyes. The ticking and the Hi's never stopped but to think that such a nice man, had to be ill! That's heartbreaking. He was one of the most pleasant person I've ever met. And i think that bus stop is now my favourite one and my new inspiration for blogging! =P

Spinster the new IN-Thing!

With all the recent weddings, and more to come, there's just going to be pressure on all my other single cousins, relatives, friends I'm sure. What is this pressure anyway? Like finding a soul mate or "true love" has its age limit?

I'm often greeted with shocked faces, mocking ones when i say " When I'm 50!" if someone asks me when I'm gonna get married or start dating! So what if i were 50, I'm sure many people have been there!

I think for most women, its before 30, we've GOT to get married and have the first kid before 30, then we're set! Our lives will be a-okay! It's so crazy this weird constraint we have on ourselves. Yes giving birth after 30 has its risks, but that cannot be the only reason we force ourselves to find someone and get married! Or worse, find someone solely to be married before 30! We have got to be more than baby-bearing machines. And besides, what ever happened to adopting? All those poor kids out there without a loving home, and here you are ready to offer one, so why not? And who says all women must be ready to have a kid before she hits 30. It's absolutely ridiculous that we have this age limits when it comes to marriage.

We all have "standards" we set, not too tall, a poet, an actor, a rock star! =) When you're 21, and someone asks you "what is it you want in a partner?" the list may go on and on, as it should! And out of the list, you'd soon realise that there are some thing too important to compromise on, and some not so. But tell this to 30 year old cousin who's married with a kid, and they'd tell you "You're just young!".

So why should my standards get lower as i age? I'm certainly the same person i used to be, with a few more wrinkles and bigger feet? The only reason i think it gets lowered is because we NEED to get married by 30! by 26, 27!! When you're in such a rush, who cares if he/she doesn't know Led Zeppelin from Boy Zone or Enid Blyton from Arundhati Roy, all you care about is she/he's fertile and ready to make some babies! She's obviously got to be bearable enough to want to hang out with..but what if it matters? These thing...books, music, it may not be significant enough for another person but it might mean a whole lot to you! And that's all that really matters!

I'm sure everyone would have enough judgement to let some things slide and some things NOT! and it's exactly these things that should never change, be it you're 30 or 40! People find love when they're 50. I'm sure they do. It's either that, or finding love with a man who's in his fifties! Shessh, the racket that would create! But seriously, who can blame us? If only all men were as mature as we are!

Anywho, i say YAY! for all the people out there that are staying true to themselves and waiting for the right one before making that leap! Be it at 27, 37 of 57...you go girl! i mean.. people!

Indian Weddings I like!

Indian weddings are the best BESTEST! It's the only time EVERYONE gets together! And if there's anything I like, its a house filled with loud funny weird crazy non-privacy-respecting cousins and relatives! Well for that 3 few days at least.

I'm calculating after the recent MAJOR wedding that took place in our family, that it's just the first of MANY MANY! It just takes the first to get the ball rolling. Now, i hear my other cousins and all are under the pressure of tying the knot too. Marriage! Beautiful yet scary yet thought provoking?

I'm all up for culture! Always!! But in weddings, it perplexes me to watch cultures/traditions carried that I cant help but feel a little uncomfortable with. I cant help but find some traditions quite discriminating.

Like for instance, I noticed in most (all?) of the weddings I've been to, that the bride ALWAYS comes out for the first time as the "shy, bashful bride" . The bride looks at her feet at all costs, and if she forgets and by natural habits(ahh the horror!) starts to bring her head up, her faithful "bride's-maid" is ever ready to push that stubborn head back down. I'm thinking, it's your wedding and you should be able to see all the amazing people that came to your wedding and all those shocked/happy/jealous faces looking at you in your BEAUTIFUL saree. There's no harm in walking with your head looking at your feet, if someone is INDEED that shy, but I'm pretty sure they do it out of culture and tradition. Brides have to be shy. Chances are, you've known your partner for a nice hefty 4 years or more, so who is really EVER THAT shy?

Then there's the main event, that whole process of actually tying the knot! I know there's the washing feet ceremony that both the bride and bridegroom does for each other. And then they wear those cute toe rings for each other and all which is totally cool cause they both do it.

So I'm wondering, why is it that the "thalli" is only worn for the women? And i know older generation of women, think its an absolute CRIME to part with it on a normal day, and ESPECIALLY on an event like weddings or dinner, where ALL the what-the-hell-is-your-name relatives would be there. The "thalli" is displayed very proudly with their beautiful sarees. If a woman doesn't wear her ""thalli", something would just have to be wrong. The gossips and rumours would start.

So since only the girl wears the "thalli" then its only for the girl to give out a message , "I'm someone's wife." But wait wait, the men have their rings, but so do the women, so what is the need of this EXTRA string around someone's neck? And the absolute weird thing of how much importance and power it's given.

In a world so modern, where equality is all we strive for, definitely this tradition should be amended? I know I would feel absolutely weird if someone wear to tie something around my neck and for me to feel proud of it. If at all it should happen, I would wanna have the right to do the same.

And also, with all these snatch-thieves around, and the crime rates increasing, that we still want to wear these chunky pieces of gold chain and walk around. Surely safety must triumph over culture! And even the fact that we choose to wear them, or the rings at all times to show we're married? What exactly is the point? We NEED to show people we're married? Why? What has changed from the day before when you were merely a couple with no document forcing commitment unto your relationship?

So many things that come with marriage. I would think that the only reason sound enough to get married is in fact for security; that in the case of a spouse deceasing, you're not left to fend for yourself or with nothing to fall back on, or or security for future children.

The fact that people only live together after marriage and everything else, is merely just culture and the way each of us choose to see our roles in society. I know it's a big No - No for Indian couples to live together, before they're legally registered or engaged. It's absolutely crazy the social restraints we put on ourselves. If it feels right, do it! I am now living by a new motto : Life's too short, baby! Live it!

Then there's the walking around the fire, three times. The man leads the way, pinky finger in pinky finger with the bride. At no time in this ritual does the woman ever walk in front of the man. Why? After asking around, it makes perfect sense that this just means that the man holds the responsibility of taking care of the woman, leading in life; leading them in life, and being the leader in general maybe? Only once, i watched the girl taking over the man in the last round around the fire (watch: Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam *sappy movie that i absolutely LOVE with all its ridiculousness, forgiven because of its songs and the colours!*) just to tell her lover that the reason of this act is to die first, before him, the pain of living without him would be too much. That was the meaning of the last round. A sweet gesture but WTH? Is that the only thing we're allowed to "lead" in? I would be totally fine with my lover leading there. =)

So maybe, the women could also go three times around the fire, with them leading the way the next time.

I guess it would be a huge HuHa if someone were to alter these things, but everything starts with a first right? Cultures have been amended so many times before. We don't burn ourselves to prove our innocence or purity anymore as Sita did. We don't expect the women to have a full meal prepared on shiny silver platters for the hardworking husbands anymore or for the women to only belong in the kitchen and no where else. So traditions and cultures can be amended! as it should! All we need is a liberal/radical priest, a bridegroom up for a change and a hall full of people ready to be taken on an eye-opening journey! (*reasons provided on a projector screen)

Weddings are beautiful if someone does want to go through it. A small nice wedding ceremony joined by the utmost important people you KNOW are genuinely happy to see you getting married and not just waiting to run to that buffet table. Something simple that doesnt dig so deep into your pockets that leave you in debt for the next 10 years, that's remembered solely as the day you shoved your love down their throats!

Comparing Grief

It's always heart wrenching when your phone rings in the wee hours of midnight, ALWAYS! Because that could only mean one thing, something really bad or urgent has happened and you're getting THE call. I jump every time the phone rings after 12am, its just not a good feeling.

But the funny thing is, bad news is subjective. Grief is. Anyone who is anyone must admit that we all compare our grief. I most certainly do. It doesn't mean i don't feel bad or sympathise with them, but at some point, everyone must have gone "oohh, things are not THAT bad, there ARE worse things that could happen". And this is almost ALWAYS true.

Someone steals your laptop or handphone, but at least you're OK! Just flip through the daily newspaper and you can see hundreds of things worse off. If all you've lost is money, then really, count your lucky stars and move on! Get two jobs and earn it back.

Surely, having your car stolen, is far less trivial than the people out there who are being abused, raped, murdered ( DEATHS) and people suddenly becoming homeless as we read this. It has to be.

Comparing is never a good thing i guess, but its just funny how I'm pretty sure everyone does. That does not take away the sympathetic values of their concern or anything, but they do, i do.

Big Bad Wolf Books Sale

I managed to catch the book sale on its last day, and boy was i hoping i went on the first day! There were so many books to pick from that my neck is still hurting from all the looking down.

On the last day though, i reckon all the good titles would have been snatched by some lucky person who got there a lot earlier. I mostly saw things from Jodi Picoult, or books along those lines, Jeffrey Archer and books along those lines.

After going through the whole place, i picked three books i thought worth buying.

Changing Planes - Ursula le Guin, The color purple - Alice Walker and Kafka on the shore - Haruki Murakami.

I need to REALLY catch up on my reading. I've tonnes of books I've not even touched since i bought them during the last sale. And i saw around 3 books i bought for half price (around RM 14) selling at the book fair for RM8. All fiction books were sold for RM8.

There was a lot of non-fiction books too. I don't read non-fiction but thought i might get something for my dad, but i just couldn't pick on that i thought he would like.

People were buying just LOADS of books, everyone had a box they were carrying around, with AT LEAST 20 books or more. Gosh, i really didn't see that many titles there that i would buy but it was just amazing! BOXES of books!

Lots of teenage books too, and children books! Just about every kind of book under the sun.

We gave them our emails so the next time there's a sale in town, I'll try to be there on the first day!

Movies Catch Ups!

So i finally got around to catching up on my movies!! In cinemas and at home! Movies always have a way of making you feel like you wish you were the person in the movie when you leave the cinema. It's always had that effect on me at least. The amount of weeks i pictured Spider-Man watching the stars with me in a big spider web, aahhh... i probably took it a little too far! But that's probably why all the sad movies, remain un-watched like Boys Don't Cry and all. Most human rights movies are sad movies, I'll probably be bawling my eyes out during the movie and several days after that, and my threshold for sad movies is getting lower by the minute.

Anyway, some of the recent movies i watched :

First up, Star Trek : Me likey! Well for a prequel, it sure as hell is a lot better than the Star Wars prequels. I thought everyone was really good too. And seeing Leonard Nimoy in the movie was a nice pleasant thing.

Sell Out! : Was truly amazed since it was a Malaysian made movie! there were only 6 of us in the cinema, and everyone was laughing continuously! It was really just so funny. And the singing was a pleasant surprise, never thought there would be any.

Tim Burton's old movies : Watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Mars Attacks. I love anything and everything Tim Burton has ever directed, just cause. So they were both fun movies to watch to kill some time.

Woody Allen movies : Watched Hannah and her sisters. Liked it! Woody Allen movies are all just so real and funny in sometimes the strangest way. Still have Purple Rose of Cairo and Annie Hall.

I've got a few more movies lined up to watch : Milk, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road (watched bits of it when i was on my clinical posting), the Reader, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, the Namesake.

Some old ones : My cousin Vinny, a fish called Wanda (watched both before just cant really remember it), the shining.

Tale of Desperaux : I liked it! A little cliche' but was a fun watch. Nothing beats Toy Story though!

I have not watched Slumdog Millionaire. Just not very interested i guess. Don't think its as good as the academy thinks it was. Saw snippets when my betraying family watched it during my exams. Just not dying to watch it, but will eventually just so i can talk more 'smack' about it.

I am absolutely devastated that i did not catch Watchmen in the theater. Just bad timing! And i have yet to watch Wolverine, although everyone(the opinions that matter to me) says its not as good as it should be, still gotta watch it, but it doesn't look like i would get the opportunity too though.

Tonight feels like something light, so might watching another Woody Allen movie. =)

U82 Adventures

I took the U82 for the first time yesterday, from KL Sentral. It was a very very interesting journey since i had no idea where i was going. The most crucial part about riding the bus is knowing when to ring the bell. I am particularly freaked out about this. The first time i took the bus to college, i called my sister twice just to confirm "Is this where i ring the bell?".

So anyway, i was supposed to meet a friend, and she gave me some vague descriptions of what i would see before ringing the bell. So i thought i would be okay. The bus took the nicest route! It took that highway that I've always thought was the prettiest highway here! Its the one we take to go to Taiping i think, right after the Istana ? It diverges and i think leads to Jalan Duta. I think. Anyway, I loved the route. So i finally got to where i was supposed to go, after MANY calls and misleading descriptions.

This made up for it though, a colourful car like thing in the parking lot that also had Alfa Romeos and Jaguars and Aston Martins. Made us wonder what in the world are these people doing in an apartment? Before we started grumbling about how we wished we were rich!

Post-Its ! Pretty!

My first time in that part of Damansara, Damansara something. And anywhere you go, its customary to visit the nearest mall so we went to a new mall,called Tropicana City Mall or something like that, and they had a book sale!! I'm not sure if all the Carrefours have it but this one did, so we HAD to get a book or two, it was only RM5. I got a book of short stories from authors i've never heard of and a book called "Sardine in Outer Space 2". I couldn't resist! It sounded so funny and inside was just comic strips about adventures of a SARDINE..in OUTER SPACE! LMAO!!(Am hoping to prove my friend wrong of her "It's LAME!" accusations!) So that's excitement number 2!

Collection of Short Stories

Sardine in Outer Space 2

Then i decided since I'm ALREADY out, i might as wel not go home =D So I paid my cousins a visit and stayed the night in Ampang, ALSO after many calls and planning! People are so busy nowadays, whatever happened to just dropping in and staying the night? But as always it was just the laugh fix i needed. And i would only be mentioning it here if i had something to share...and i do. I learnt something new, the magical effects of Brasso!

My aunt went on and on about how it shines ANYTHING! Mostly silver stuff. And she was on a Brasso frenzy, took out everything silver in the house and started polishing it apparently to test if it actually works. And it DOES!! I've got tonnes of stuff i need to get Brasso-ed! So I'm making my way to a hardware store today to get some. Not very sure it's called Brasso though, my aunt has been known to pronounce words funnily but shall try.

The gross cotton after polishing with Brasso.

Top : After(Shiny!!) Bottom : Before

OH and my travelling was RM2 cheaper because some kind girl in KL Central said " Are you waiting for this bus? You can take my ticket cause I'm not using it anymore." So Yay!

And i met a fellow Beatles enthusiast on the way from the train station. Did not appreciate the remixed version of EVERY Beatles song though. Rappers were rapping weird rhymes in between Imagine and Let It Be. RAP? Urgh!I protested against the cruel defamation of a beautiful song, then we reverted back to the original, just the way it was. Nice ride home!

It was a very very nice day to travel but today i'm probably going to spend in bed. =)


Quote/Joke of the day :

(on the phone)"Stop the BUS NOW NOW!!" "What??! Stop the bus NOW NOOOWWW?" *everyone in bus turns to look even the bus driver through his rear view morror"

"I'm in Desa Kiara" "Ohhh Desa Kiara, say lah earlier, i thought the Dog, Kiara!" (WTH?!)

"How do u spell Brasso?" "B-A-S-S" (ROTFLMAO!)


PITTT:
A chinese woman who was positively pissed that she HAD to sit between two big men. I think she was expecting one of the men to exchange seats with her because he was sitting beside a girl wearing the Hijab (it covered a part of her face too). He didnt though, seemed to chirpy and engrossed in a conversation with his friend to notice. She got up and took my seat as soon as i got down in Central. Hope she went home feeling okay though, they really seemed like nice men to be sitting in between. LOL!

There is only Pepper ~

So where did i stop? Right, being DEAD wrong.

Pets, i think are a valid measure for potential parenthood! We've all seen the number of irresponsible jerks that call themselves parents around here, and if you CANT take care of a pet, then you most definitely CANT be a parent. So don't bother, and rid the world of your uselessness.

Pepper is in every sense of the word, a child.

She's probably MORE dependent than a child would be, because children grow up. They learn to speak, learn to walk, learn to work and start doing things. Pets are always just children. They're that same little bundle of joy you knew 8 or 10 years ago with the EXACT dependency level. They don't demand, don't ask you to take them out for dinner, or ask to borrow your car, or anything! Everything you do, is just perfect! Dogs NEVER think you're the bad guy, never run into rooms and lock themselves up. They're just there all the time.

And Pepper has changed or lives in ways we never thought possible. Well mine at least. Right now, my entire world revolves around her and the things she does. And to know someONE the way you know your dog, with every inch of detail, it is truly the most amazing bond you will ever have. People might feel this way about cats or fish or any pet for that matter. But that bond....is something that you would have never thought possible till you actually have a pet.

Getting to know Pepper is like getting to know the other half of me. And in the 2 years that we have been together, its amazing how much i already know. I'm not sure if i even know that much about my human sister =P

Getting her house-trained was a difficult time for us all. Piss and poop all over the hall! But after a few months, she got the hang of it and now is an absolute darling when it comes to Potty matters!

She's still the most stubborn one in the house though. When she was younger, she hadn't gotten used to the idea of being left alone in the house when we went to work or school so she'd target ANYTHING she could reach(usually paper) and just rip it to pieces!! When we got home, there would be paper all over the hall, once a few pages from my Maths STPM book was all over the house. and ONCE, my Swatch watch(birthday gift from my sister and navin) was in her mouth, and the crack on the glass is still there. I love it too much to get rid of it, and the dumb Swatch people don't sell a replacement glass thingy so...that was the angriest i have ever been with her. I remember just scolding her, then ignoring her the whole day, which meant no hello, and no manja-ing when i came in through the door and just no nothing the whole day. She followed me around the whole day, occasionally barking at me and even waited outside the bathroom door when i took a shower! I OF COURSE didn't even last till the end of the day and caved right after that, and felt just so guilty! And I was to blame for leaving my watch on the telephone table (that was the consensus in the house).

And getting to know every single quirk she has has just been GREAT! But boy does she have many! Like, just MENTION the word CAT, and she could be sound asleep but would still manage a half awake bark in between, even though no intention of ACTUALLY seeing the cat would ever on her mind. Same goes for the word "Shoo!" and if anyone so much as ATTEMPT to look out the sliding door, she barks!! LOL. It's the most fascinating thing, and i admit i VERY OFTEN use this as a stress-reliever and just to get on her nerves!

OH and getting on her nerves! Ahh the most rewarding thing. I make it a personal mission to find as many things possible that would make her TICK! and I've already got a list, a very fun list! This comes in handy when I'm just over excited over something(which is quite often) or just going crazy from the tedious studying and need a break! She's such an easy dog to get excited or just be crazy with me. This list would be a very long one, too long for any blog. But sometimes she gets so irritated, that she gives out this "Hmmpphh!" and just lies on the floor like "ahhh, just do what you will to me and bugger off and let me enjoy my sleep!" LOL

And companionship. Pepper is a snuggle machine. I came back utterly DEPRESSED when i thought i made a careless mistake in an exam about a month back, and was convinced i was going to flunk it, and when i got home all i wanted to do was lie on the floor and snuggle with Pepper. She would lick your face off if you snuggled, and that was exactly what i needed.

She is ALWAYS excited to see anyone come back from work, school or college. Even if you only leave for 10 or 20 minutes, she still comes to the gate and make weird howling noises and jumps on you till you are down on your knees and scratch her behind the ears or her back or let her lick your face.

Who does that? Who jumps aways from whatever they're doing just to greet you? And misses you even when you've only been gone for 10minutes? And understands when you're sad or down and just need a nice pal to come rest her head next to yours. And just LOVES you with every fibre of her being.Pepper.

She saved us in dire times, and she still is. Every moment of every day.

***The pictures are always blurred or shaky cause Pepper ain't a dog that sits still. Ever!***

Radio is Crap

The only time i find myself listening to the radio is when i take the train and bus to college. I would give it up all together if only i remembered to keep changing the play list in my phone!

Today on HitzFM, the DJs asked people to call in to talk about their obsession with their friends MOM! FOR...MOTHERS DAY! EEK! and for mothers day? What the hell is wrong with them? This boy called in going on and on about his best friend's Mom and how "HOT" she was. Then they called up the best friend to tell him what his BEST FRIEND thinks, and then asked him "does you mom work out?".

It's just one of those things that we picked up from the movies i guess. Hot Moms are so in this season! Not that mom can't be HOT but to say HOT in such a way is just WRONG! Sounds so sexual...

HitzFM like every other radio station, plays the same songs over and over and over again and i know they have an obsession with anything Akon! *pukes*

FlyFM also repeats every single song, and only the new pop trendy ones.

RedFM is nice for the talking, at least when Will and Shaz were on in the mornings. A lot of talking but at least its a more intellectual than the rest. Nice songs too.

BFM has nice music! Its not a channel for music though i think, lots of interviews with CEOs and General Managers of all kinds of business, though sometimes interesting people come on. Lol but i do remember listening to a whole hour or so (couldn't get my phone out my pocket in the packed KTM) to the CEO of Mercedes Benz Switzerland or something, going on about safety and their marketing plans for the future...kept laughing to myself.

MixFM, i don't really listen to. Except when Preya is on, or asks me to listen.=P

Light&Easy very old and slow and soft songs nice at night when you want to sleep in the car!

MinnalFM A lot of talking too. Its like HitzFM in Tamil. And the gatal kepak songs i actually like are hardly on.


People In Train Today(PITT):

Sat beside an Indian girl, that was resting her head against the window the whole time, and had her songs on speaker!!! And she kept playing the same two emo Tamil songs over and over. And kept doing that clicking sound with her lips and was just REALLY into the song but DONT IMPOSE your songs on everyone else woman!! My Prince's 7 kept mixing with her emo Tamil songs, and it just spoilt the whole mood! She NEEDS headphones!!

Pepper~

This i HAVE to blog about! Its one of the few things in life i have absolutely no regrets of, and well I've also been telling everyone that i would blog about it but i NEVER do. So here goes..

I remember when we first got pepper! IT was a rather rash sudden decision. My sister just finished her degree, sat for her last paper and her boyfriend had this crazy idea of getting her a puppy! Since he was already a DOG person, i guess he wanted everyone else to be too. And well, we HAVE had "the talk", dog or no dog?

Anyway, this little mini schnauzer caught our eye in a pet shop near Petaling Street. I was terrified of dogs then! ABSOLUTELY terrified. But i tagged along and my gosh, i remember when they took her out of the kennel thingy and put her into this large metal basket thing so we could play with her. It was love at first sight.

She was the most hyperactive dog I had ever seen. When we hid behind the shelves of the pet shop, she'd yelp and bark and stick her head out to the side waiting for us to come back! So it was no surprise that we ended up bringing her back home, a new addition to our family.

It was about time too i guess. The house was getting too lonely and depressing and well we all needed a distraction and what a distraction she was. I remember already having a name picked out ages ago, Pepper would be the name for ANY dog...unisex, and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper incorporated! We found out that her colour was ALSO salt and pepper! So perfect....!

Carrying her in a that cardboard box from the pet shop to the car, was the hardest thing i did. I was so terrified that she would jump out and start gnawing at my face so i kept the box at such a distance. Just lucky me that there weren't many cars on the road so late at night!

Then she was home! Everyone was there. Parents and aunty and cousins. All so anxiously waiting for her. And ooohhh, she was as tiny as a rat i swear!! As soon as she was free in the house, she started running everywhere her tiny paws could take her and we all just sat there and stared in awe. My parents never thought my sister would SERIOUSLY bring back a puppy. But all that talk got lost as soon as they actually SAW Pepper.

I still gushed from a distance, and did not want to get into her laps-around-the-hall course. It stayed that way for a while. I was always so cautious when i got near her. Cause immediately after that phase, her teething phase started. She would nibble on anything and everything she could get into her mouth. Oh the hours she spent lying on her back nibbling on the edges of the sofa! And if you stuck your finger close to her face, you know she's going to get to that too. And i had no intention of letting that happen!

I was utterly depressed when i thought of the fact that i could not muster myself out of this fear. And there came a point when i just started accepting the fact that i was going to be those people that are never really close to their dogs or shared this "bond" i read about so much.

But my oh my, am i happy that i was DEAD wrong! =P

Fair must be lovely?

I've always hated those commercials where the girl HAS to look a lot fairer just so that cute guy notices her. And one commercial has ALWAYS stuck in my head, Fair&Lovely! Absolutely ridiculous.

The whole commercial revolves around this made-dark girl being depressed because a guy doesn't notice her then suddenly her world becomes happy and sunny when she uses this product that made her as fair as she can be in 6 weeks? BECAUSE the guy FINALLY notices her! Yeah right, like us girls have nothing better to do then sit around waiting for a guy that may or may not notice us based on how fair we are?

The good news is i don't think they still run that commercial here in Malaysia but i remember the time when they did. And i also remember a very young friend of mine being so so so influenced by it, that she used it day and night and absolutely HATED anything dark, and thought no beauty could come from someone dark. It's a sad world when commercials can actually teach young girls to think that.

And a lot of F&L commercials are actually shot in India. Makes perfect sense i suppose since we are the most naturally inclined in having dark skinned girls amongst us. But why in the first place, or how did being dark be misconstrued into being a bad thing i never will know.

I certainly can name so many influential people who are dark, singers, actresses, activists, political figures, leaders.

But the troubling thing is when you "youtube" fair and lovely, you'll find so many Indian versions. I know a lot of Indians that think fair so very very well means you're the prettiest thing their eyes have ever seen. I know Chinese who think it's just plain wrong to be dark when you're a Chinese! Malays...not that much. But these are just based on the people I'm surrounded with.

Young girls everywhere should start feeling AMAZING enough about themselves to NOT associate themselves with the amount of skin care products applied on their faces. Being dark is OKAY because at the end of the day it only comes down the decisions and actions we've taken in life. If Tracy Chapman can go on to write politically conscious songs, then so can we all! If Oprah Winfrey can be the richest woman in the world, then so can we all! If Alice Walker can fight for women rights' then so can we all!!

A few links :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-9tcXpW1DE&feature=related
As if she was NOT pretty when she was dark?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIUQ5hbRHXk&feature=related
Yes, cause NO dark news casters/reporters/VJs EVER exist!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxt7XndHfqE&feature=related
Okay, shes not even THAT dark to begin with, and she's dying for a guy to notice her in a temple?

And all three of them...HAS to have a guy inserted somewhere in the commercial to finally NOTICE us women!

WE are so above these!

And They Call It Puppy Love...

Oh I was bound to blog about it someday. It probably happens to every girl!

I can vaguely remember my last crush. 12 or 13 i think. But i cant remember it being NICE or a bed full of roses. All i got from crushes, were that they were horrible feelings that left you confused and obsessed and distracted! You constantly find yourself thinking of this boy, with his perfect hair and perfect dress sense. And you've got a test tomorrow but all you see when you open the book is his face and the day-dream of him talking to you in school tomorrow. Cliche i know, but its absolutely true!

And at that moment, everything in the world seems to ride on this one boy. THE boy. You find yourself happy when you're in school (though not actually talking to him) and depressed when you're at home! Every thought you have involves a swing and a big house and marital bliss!(not sure bout this part.) And you become incapable of doing anything! I bet if a survey was done, the reason some girls were the poor achievers in class, would be crushes.

I cant imagine the world being a nice nice place for a 13 year old girl who has a huge crush on the smartest boy in class or the first boy that said "hi!" to her in that awkward stage with the hormones and acne and all that.

And people don't make it any easier too i bet. The constant teasing and the laughing, that makes you blush and do the most ridiculous things to get his attention. Gosh, crushes are horrible!

Guys maybe have it easier? All the guys I've known to have crushes, either go up to the girl and make it known or very easily do those ridiculous things without a moments thought to it. Life might be a lot easier that way. Girls just don't naturally make the first move, and when they do, then they're desperate and cheap! So life's tough, especially when you have a crush?

I bet people much older have crushes too, but i think when you're older, you very easily just go up to the guy and ask him out. I'm not very sure if that's common too. There's the "ohh..what if he says no?" and "What if he says no, and i have to see him tomorrow at work?". Guys might be a lot better at rejection(since they do the "asking out" more often) cause I'm sure those question run through their minds too, but are probably dismissed a lot quicker at the prospect of a possible dinner.

I'm not sure if I'll ever ask a guy out. I might. But urgh , the pre- rejection questions! a NO would be the most horrible blow to my ego, i don't think i could recover! And then to see him and be all nice and curtsy? What could be a more torturous punishment! If in the event of a NO! the only thing i would want to happen is extinction, either his or mine from each other. That's something i should probably work on though, GIRLS should start asking guys out! And I'm going to work on that from now.....and who knows, maybe soon it shall happen? ;-P

Train made Interesting

The people I've met so far on the train, whom in their own ways have at least stopped me from dozing off and missing my stop :

A refugee from Sri Lanka that i tried so very hard to speak in Tamil to and DID, and learnt quite a lot from. I bet he was secretly wishing he never asked me how much a cab to Bangi would cost cause i wanted to know so much but just had all the trouble in the world finding words in Tamil to relay...i ended up making really lame gestures and signals and got the message across. He had a very different Tamil slang but i understood it almost perfectly =) HATERS: BOO!

A TNB/Telekom guy that had this weird habit of taking off his shoes and putting his feet (with socks!) on the seat in front of us. I learnt how the telekom business was blossoming and nothing comes without hard work. The weird thing was, that he didn't move to the vacant seat but instead placed his bag there. Most people would move, cause you'd rather have no one beside you for the added space, but maybe it was a blessing in disguise? To imagine his feet next to me? Eeekk!! He shook my hand before i got down in Kajang, (a first!)

A young boy from Kedah? that just could not stop talking, or just wouldn't! And admitted it to everyone on the train when he spoke so loudly about where he's from and that he's not shy to speak to girls and made that very clear in asking this one particular attractive Malay girl where she worked and how she gets there and what she does and woahh a whole lot more of question ...bordering on STALKER type questions! But the whole coach, no one slept! i noticed! He was so loud , i could hear him over Led Zeppelin , and that's a rarity! But good for him, for being so secure with the amplitude and the convictions of his questions! I don't think he was a stalker, just a VERY curious traveller....first time in KL!

A law student that was headed to Nilai, that said "you don't look like a UKM student" when she correctly guessed where i was headed! As if UKM students don't wear shorts? lol, but it made a good story for a couple of months. She offered me tissue paper, and to the new mother that was running out of it for her VERY drool-ly kid! We kept gushing over the cute kid and then talking universities and studies.

Oh and all the long-lost friends I've met! YAY! I've met people I've not seen since primary school sometimes! And people I've seen way too often, hehe..the KTM is a good good way to keep in touch.

And riding the 7.21am train everyday naturally makes some people more recognisable than the rest. Like there's this one guy that always wears a grey long sleeved shirt with black pants, always with his white pair of ear phones. His shirt might be a dark blue on some days, i only remember the grey though. He must be a hard worker, cause he looks absolutely exhausted every time he gets into the train.

Then there's the aunty that's always trying to find the right place to stand so she's right in front of the door. And always in a conundrum when the express train comes first. Seem to always think that the KTM people are going to change the stops and on some days its not going to stop at Sentral.

ohh and that guy that seemed to be annoyed at every girl he looked at. something against us higher beings i suppose. Or just broken hearted.

More to come I'm sure...and i cant wait!

LRT Folk, KTM Folk

Recently, i've not only been taking the KTM, but also the LRT! I've grown so attached to the KTM that every time i step into the LRT, i feel like a lying conniving cheat, so i make up funny little excuses in my mind to justify the act.

Most of the time its "I've got exams! i HAVE to be there on time..." or "my friends are waiting..i cant get there any later!" and they usually work in making me feel better. I guess this must be the sort of thing curang people say to themselves just before entering that hotel room "ooohh it'll make me appreciate her/him more..." "ohh its just a one night thing, I'll go back HAPPY for once and that cant be bad for the both of us...".

Well anyway, taking the train almost everyday, i couldn't help but realise that riding the LRT was in so many ways different than riding the KTM. The main difference being...the people!

Now, i love KTM folk as much as i can possibly love them. They've made my travel logs so so much more interesting and just have been the best entertainment on boring days! But...on certain days, KTM folk get cranky as any old partner does, they don't smile at you, push you to your edge, and just irritate the living daylights out of you! Now, its usually on these days that i tend to appreciate the LRT folk a lot better.

LRT folk generally, are a lot more courteous and smell better! Generally. Everyone smells bad though on Sunday evenings from KLCC or KL Sentral.

Reason : But generally...on working mornings. I guess people that work in KL use more perfume? Or...it could be that they travel a very short distance, so the perfume tends to last! Perfume from Kajang to Sentral on the 7.21am train will last you about 10mins till Serdang station when the REAL crowd rushes in. Then you'll be lucky to catch a breath!

Courteous .

Reason : And the other day i was in the LRT, this lady saved a girl from staining her perfect off white slacks by telling her the seat she was about to sit on was wet! This gesture alone made me smile the whole way, and made me a more annoying optimist than i already am. People are nice! People don't do that enough and they should. The girl kept thanking the lady repeatedly and all was well. Ahh...its amazing when two strangers suddenly seem to have all the care in the world for each other over a wet seat! The most amazing feeling!

Also because the stops are a lot nearer to each other, people tend to standing most of the time so you NEVER see an old man/woman, pregnant woman, kid that's standing!

This (^) you will never see in the KTM, or at least i have not. No one cares if you seat on a wet seat or a stained one, everyone is just too damn cranky!

Reason : They've waited too long for the train, tried too hard to get on the train then tried too hard to not fall in the train and bear the constant shoving and nudging of everyone around them!

And because the stops are lights years away and the train moves at an incredibly tortoise speed when its packed with people, people get a lot more possessive over their seats! They see someone old/pregnant, they either look the other way hoping no one noticed that they noticed, or pretend to be sleeping(most common). Some are pretty good pretenders, to the extent of the open drooling mouths...they must really love that seat to bear public humiliation.

Whatever the reason, its plain ridiculous!

Although, KTM folk are much better talkers than LRT folk.

Reason : LRT folk are like those people you see in New York or Japan that are in a CONSTANT hurry. So they wouldn't want to waste a minute of their precious time talking to YOU! They've got better things on their mind, meetings and being on time...they probably take the train at the nick of time, since its THAT fast.

KTM folk on the other hand, have all the time in the world to get to know you. Where you're from, what you do, where you're headed, your family...and at times of awkward silences : the weather.

Reason : Now this is just an obvious reasoning. With the KTM, you either decide to be REALLY early or you are bound to be REALLY fashionably late to an event. Mostly opt for the former. No one likes being late rite? Unless you're about to meet a bunch of friends who are always late, but that's a different story. And the journey takes easily more than 10 minutes, so theres loads of time to get to know someone.

On my journeys alone, I've met some pretty interesting people: (different post!)

I do enjoy the train with all its moods. Very menopausal. And i enjoy the people! The nice, interesting ones that take an effort of course.

the mean , rude ones should be pushed off the platforms to face the wrath of the KTM/LRT! Muahahhahah.....

Inside the KTM

I only think its fair i blog about something i know all too well, so the KTM!

If you've been in the KTM, you would have noticed the stained, discoloured seats. Now a BIG BIG thing that's wrong with these seats are in fact more than that, its the SEAT itself! Notice those seats that go all the way over you head? I recently found out (cause its a MIRACLE to get a seat!) that those seats are just so so very uncomfortably painful! Every time i rose from it, i feel my sacrum aching for a much needed massage! And its IMPOSSIBLE to REST your head when you're in that seat! Trust me...

First, I thought it was because i tied my hair, so maybe that was why my head was in a permanent "im too shy to look at you" position, i couldn't get myself to look straight ahead! So i just assumed that it was because of my protruding hair clip.

So...

One day, my hair was untied, but it was still the same!

Those chairs were probably designed for a 6 / 7 feet person cause there is NO WAY to actually let your head REST on them if you were the height of every other average asian! Its absolutely crazy!

Walking out of the train in KL Central, i find myself for the first 3 minutes or so looking only at the shoes of everyone around me.

And the coaches where the doors are really far apart, coaches for SEATING, are made up solely of those seats! Gosh! The ergonomics are just all over the place!

Those metal seats in the LRT are so much more comfortable, at least you wouldn't be dreading that you decided to sit down, and feel too bad to offer the seat to some innocent standing person. Or even the other seats that only go up to your shoulder, would make a much much better solution!

The KTM is so far from being APT even, but the least they could do is to offer the people that have already waited for (most commonly) 30minutes or more( MUCH more) a comfortable seat, or and OKAY-ly comfortable place!

They don't come on time, have stained "back ache giving" seats but they ARE extending their services, the latest i think was to Batu Caves? Just means the longer you wait for trains, and the KTM is bound to be the number 1 reason of back injuries in Malaysia. The seats NEED to go!!

I might be a little paranoid ever since my recent clinical placement, but there are just SO many way bones get misaligned or injured and people are growing older faster , so the least we could do to not hospitalise them into the already over-crowded hospitals is well to be a little health conscious! Back aches are often the MOST common kind of injury, everyone in their lifetime is bound to have a back ache of some sort, and these problems just make up for a more unproductive society, capable of contributing less than they already are.

And metal seats, or half seats ---- cleaner! cheaper for sure!

No more sitting for me, at least on those evil things!

Star Power!

Anoop has got me blogging !

I knew the day had to come, and it's finally here! But at least he didn't stink like that Sanjaya guy when he went out!

But no no, i've got a lot of people to prove WRONG , that i'm not only all about STAR POWER!

But so what if i am? If people are going to be on E! or in a major motion picture, they had BETTER make a difference! Isnt that the whole point? And so what if Pamela Anderson got a 15 year old conform to the ways of a vegan and jump on cars to stop cruelty against animals? With the amount of money they're getting off people that watch their sex tapes or True Hollywood Story, at least they're giving back?

Or Alanis Morrissete and Carly Simon has thought an 18 year old girl the best way to get back at a cheating ex-boyfriend and gave us girls those wonderful songs to shove in their faces!

Or OR OR....to start a revolution from your bed? (= P)

So yeah, star power does get to me! But it certainly doesn't make my intentions any less real...

Uniformity

The whole idea of uniforms, well it never really bugged me a lot, not in the past and as i found out, not now.


We recently got our uniforms, to be worned everyday to college. Now the only part of that statement that actually bothered me was the ," im supposed to wash that pair of uniform EVERYDAY??" We only got a pair.

It was a tad bit UGLI but somehow the idea of uniformity seems okay to me. Its another day i dont have to think what to wear to college. Hate those mornings when you have to carefully calculate how long of a t-shirt you can wear that day cause there would be a practical class but then i'm meeting my friends in Mid Valley so THAT tee wont do, and this is too short and this doesnt have any sleeves!

But it has probably saved a lot of time when it came to presents! You could tell what looks fab on them and what made them go yuck!

Something very Marxism about uniformity that makes me like it. The illusion of equality. I do appreciate the freedom of expression and not going by the rules, but strangely when it comes down to uniforms, it doesn't make me want to hold up a picket sign screaming for it to stop!

Idol

Reality TV might be just about the most shallow thing aired, but i cant help it. However dumb they can be, i have to say I'm glued to the TV when they're on(as if I'm not USUALLY) , well some of course. (even with the back-handed comments from mua) and knowing well enough that singers like Ella Fitzgerald etc would have not won American Idol, Idol is one show that i have to admit that i do follow.

So American Idol is back, and the rockers are usually the ones that get my NOT ONLY-APPLICABLE-IN-THE-US vote! But this year.....ANOOP DOG!! Its amazingly rare to see an Indian on the show, well Sanjaya i think was the last i remember, and we all know what a travesty that was, uurgghh! But Anoop Desai might just be the one to turn that around!

This week however was bad for anoop! =C He's definitely not the BEST singer in the competition but he's pretty good. Very bad choice of song with Beat It though, oohhhh and others I'm routing for is that rocker-Broadway-musical-performer Adam Lambart, and Mary J. Blige almost Lil' Rounds(coolness of a name!) and the so sweet always-with-a-picture-of-his-wife Danny Gokey.

Jasmine (what is it with jasmineS and this competitions? Read : Jasmine with the flower in her hair) is probably not as good as most of the other contestants in the competition. And i don't really see that special SOLIDness the judges see in Matt, at least not this week.

But anyway, I'm pretty sure Anoop is not going to make it to the very last round or the few rounds before that, but i hope he stays in at least till i get bored of his whole quirky cool attitude!

Junkie

I'm a "statement" junkie! There ..I've said it, admitting it is the first sign of getting over it right? anything that comes close to having words like (the above) portrayed ANYWHERE, be in a t-shirt , at the back of pants..I'd want to have it! but seriously though, WHY don't more people wear capes?? Life would be a LOT more interesting i tell you, EVERYTHING impossibly possible only happens to people with capes, Superheroes!


I'm currently on a mission to only buy t-shirts with statements on it, or posters! Still looking for a poster to put on my room door, has to be something different. -no bands, movie actors- Something different. But statement posters are even harder to find! So that's another one of my on-going missions.


The DREAM would be an IMAGINE poster...something like this:

But i know for a fact, that i wont be able to get THIS , not here anywhere, so the quest continues! Idea : bug my friends overseas to get me a weird poster in French or something ....hmm !

Some have even been the inspiration for interesting articles and debates or rather NEW debates:

And the ultimate, undeniably true, perfect artwork :

Muaahhhhahhahahhahahahah....................!!!

Movie Rave

I can hardly remember the last time i actually dragged my ass to the cinema for a movie, but its vaguely coming back to me now...the spirit i think was my last,oh no no the day the earth stood still, now that's a story.

The Spirit

I read this HORRIBLE review in the star the other day about it, gosh, it was merciless. The reviewer liked NOTHING about it. I wouldn't say it was as nice as the other Frank Miller movies I've watched, Sin City and 300 but i definitely didn't HATE it. It did deserve some compliments. All the things the review said, "how unfunny Samuel L.Jackson was" "the tedious monologue" and "the weird effects" well i think was all purposefully done. I think it was MEANT to be unfunny, that was blatantly obvious to everyone. And the monologue, i liked! Very weird how the city was described to be his "superpower" . And then the effects, with the "kapppoowww" and "banngg" in those little white speech bubbles, made it look SOOO comic-y! Again i think it was all intended. There are very few comic movies i did not see on the big screen, DareDevil (think the idea of Ben affleck as the lead kinda put me off) but watched it later, Ghost Rider , sure there is at least one more, can't seem to remember...but yeah...overall, I'm glad i watched the spirit though and liked it! Just gonna take it as an interpretation of an eccentric genius!


The Day the Earth Stood Still

I've never liked Keanu Reeves in anything OTHER THAN the matrix, that expressionless face of his. Gosh ! But this movie was just simply BAD! The beginning actually made us doze off a lil' here and there, it was SO draggy and just SLOOWWW, i looking at my watch waiting for it to END! And how the whole thing unravelled was even worse....came to a PREDICTABLE end, an EASY end..!and all the sentimental moments in between seemed totally unnecessary! But BUT i did like one part VERY MUCH...the part of that HUGE robot -like thing with only one red eye that gets activated when it senses danger, now that was nice! I liked it especially when it was captured and that idiotic guy everyone knew was going to die somehow, wanted to drill through it. That was cool. The only part that was cool.

KTM Chronicles

I've gotten accustomed to my Monday-Friday routine. Sure, nothing i-see-a-flying-pig incidents ever happen ALL days but the most mundane part of my day has to be my ktm and bus rides. If I'm lucky they'll pass in a flash, with my bobbing head filled with sleepiness. Put me in a car, in a train, in a bus,if I've been lucky enough to win a seat, chances are i wouldn't be awake much longer. I TRY to keep reading my book but at some point of my one hour (good days!) journey , i place the bookmark and give in. The worst part is when you're jolted awake now and then, and getting back to sleep is not very easy. I'm not known to be a "gracious" sleep-er, couldn't care less where my legs or hands end up in the morning or that my bed sheet is always on the floor in the mornings and at least one pillow, i had a good night's sleep and that's that! public places though have a way of making you a little more conscious(damn you!) so I've realised that a few things work to suppress the not-so-gracious me and bring out a more "cuppa-tea?" person and maybe just maybe some of the people out there might be able to relate to this:

1) Telling yourself repeatedly to always ALWAYS keep your mouth closed. Drooling has got the be the biggest embarrassment ever, and worse still drooling onto someones shoulder? Not good! Drool on your own time baby!!(i know i do!!) Works the same if I tell myself repeatedly to wake up at 6am, I'm up on the dot! Realised that when i don't, i don't hear my phone alarm and am only awake when my dad starts calling me, my mom turning on my room light and my sister being forced to turn off my phone alarm (lying an inch away from my face), yeah they're a force alright!

2) Fight for the seat that's right at the back or right beside the glass barrier, so your head's not just bobbing all around and onto peoples' shoulders.

3) If the seats are taken, always positioning yourself between two equally sleepy people, so your sleepiness or head bobbing does not become notice-able.

4) If no two sleepy people are seen, always rest your head on your hand or completely facing your lap. (if hair is loosely left to partially cover the face or the sides, that would not be so bad too!)

Then if all of the above fails, try your VERY best to stay awake! These work for me :

1) Start taking sips of water as soon as that wave of drowsiness hits you like a tennis ball on your head. (works wonders in class**)

2) Look around to see if you can make out anything interesting from the people around you. The slightest thing will do, like a tear in a seat. Or , these are the better ones, a PDA obsessed couple , a feuding couple, or just feuding people, loud telephone conversations, etc etc.

I've almost seen and heard all of it, but recently on a VERY VERY sleepy day, I walked into the train and through my "Purple Rain" , i hear sobs? Now everyone who knows me probably knows that i like a good story (Read: DRAMA) whenever i can get some. But when routine comes along there's not much of THAT going on. Recently i was talking to a friend i haven't spoken to in ages and the only exciting thing i could say about my life was that i got a haircut...wait.....1 month ago!!So when a nice little juicy story comes along , I'm all ears!

So i turned to look obviously as any natural person would do, and there they were, my 30 minute entertainment of the day. A feuding couple.

My seat was right in front of them, and it was the most bizarre thing because never have i seen anything like that on the TRAIN! Of course it was none of my concern but who would not look when a pretty little thing like her was wiping her eyes and nose with tissues and a macho handsome guy like him sat right next to her and was sms-ing of all things. My mak-kepo instincts suddenly reached a new high and i NEEDED to know something, anything!

For a very long time they just sat there, doing exactly what they were doing when i first walked into the train, everyone on THIS side of the train definitely glanced a couple of times just to make sure he was not secretly holding a knife to her back or something. Then after seputeh i started to give up hope, to give in to my sleepiness, like every other day. Then just as I was about to chant my "closed mouth, drool-free mouth" mantra,... something.

The girl began speaking, she's lucky she doesn't have a throat like mine ,her voice could hardly be heard so a little privacy was maintained. It didn't really matter though, just the idea that these two people were there discussing its-the-end-of-the-world issues in the train in front of me, was good enough. Everyone must have been trying to listen to, what else is there to do? The guy next to them really didn't mind even if they noticed him starting at the both of them.

She says, " How do you know? I never did that. She just told you that....(drowned by the sound of the train)....." Then he looks at her finally and says , "Ok fine, but you tell me now (voiced a little raised now) that you didn't tell him u were there? Promise on your parents and tell me now.." She very badly avoided the question, clearly showing she did indeed told whoever it was wherever she was. He just gave this cold smirk and went back to his phone. She stopped talking a little while and her sobbing got a little louder. Then, after a while of silence, she suddenly burst out saying "u tell me lah who you don't like, you don't like ravin, you don't like him, everyone also you don't like" ..then again silence because i THINK i THINK he might have said "i don't like you?" to be mean, or something because she stopped talking and started sobbing again then started meddling with her phone till my stop came and i got off the train.

So some of my thoughts were (this is my favourite part) :

1) She was at a bar or club (there was brief mention of that) and she told this guy that the bf doesn't like (thus wants her not to like or have any sort of connection with ) and the guys pretty upset about it.

2) Stop that sobbing sister! He's angry at you, have some pride and get angry back!!You're crying for actually telling a person your whereabouts because your bf doesn't like him?

3) Guy, making her cry on the train, seriously? Any other place in the world to discuss it would have been better. Guys you don't like are not necessarily serial murderers she has to stay away from.

4) If they made up, they would have beautiful children.

5)If all fails, they would have no problem getting back on the horse.

Useless, but it did the job i didn't fall asleep and had a story to last me at least a month or two. Unless my friends read this and it spoils a good late-night mamak session.