Friday, August 25, 2006

FIRE FIGHTING AND WEDDING INVITATIONS

Note: I actually put this up yesterday, accidently... it was supposed to be a draft, but through mere carelessness, it appeared on my page for 3 hours. And then I accidently deleted it. I was supposed to only make it invisible so that I could edit it in my free time. Maybe it's not meant to be seen... lets just wait and see

I thought that it's weird that the company is having the annual safety week when the safety officer herself is on maternity leave. Then I remembered... the fire of August 2004 (I wasn't there then!) Tanks caught fire, someone fainted... Ha! August is the anniversary of the fire. No wonder.

The company is observing safety week this week. Not that they don't on other weeks, it's just that there are no fun activities then. Take the fire fighting competition for instance.

They announced it on Tuesday morning. The announcement ended with a message to women who intend to compete to please wear trousers. As if! Most of the women here wear trousers, except for some of the office staff. For unknown reasons however, the statement tickled me to death. So much that I decided then and there to take part in the competition.

I could say that I enjoyed the competition immensely. Who wouldn't? It seemed to be a form of escapism from the daily boring routine. Well, routine is not necessarily boring, either... but the competition helped. Unfortunately I didn't win. But now I know I can extinguish a fire (oil based) in 10.21 seconds :)

A few hours later in a totally unrelated matter, I get a call from my friend Nan asking if I was free later that night to meet up. Our friend HK is getting married in 2 weeks and wants to hand out her wedding invitations personally.

So there were 5 of us, Nan, HK, SLL, her bf NK (who is also my long lost cousin) and me. We had dinner at this Nyonya place amidst conversation that surrounded wedding plans, work, and 21 year old dogs.

I found some of our conversations to be just downright odd and led to most of us laughing out loud. Here are some excerpts:

HK: NK, how are your eyes now?
Nan: Didn't you ask him the same question the last time you met? (May 2005)
NK: They're Ok now. But the astig(matism) is still there. How's yours?
HK: We underwent the same procedure, of course I have to know the latest news. Mine's still dry.
NK: Still using the drops?
HK: Of course. I need the fake tears. I just guess there's not enough tears in my eyes.... (said in a slow, melancholic tone)
(During this conversation, the others kept quiet, not having undergone laser treatment. I wear glasses, Nan uses contact lenses, and SLL has near perfect eyesight)

As I mentioned earlier, NK and I are long lost cousins. None of us knew about each other's existence until we were both 18. Our only connection being an uncle whom we both don't like very much. The said uncle weaseled his way into my family by marrying one of my aunts. By doing so, he used to be a tyrannical fiend of a person, questioning us about our examination results (the school semester exams, mind you) and trying to decide our future for us. He wanted me to be a doctor, and was totally against my choice of engineering.

He most probably tried to rule NK's life in such a manner too.

A long time ago...when I chose to enter UTM for enginnering instead of going to form 6.

Uncle: wait till they make you climb into tanks.
Me: It's allright. It'll be a form of exercise.


Back to yesterday's conversation. NK and SLL announced their impending wedding in January next year. Well, sort of...
SLL: Do they know about NK and me? (in undertones, referring to Nan and me)
HK: No
Me: You haven't... when's the engagement
SLL: December
Nan: Figured it out when you guys were comparing stress levels
NK: So, Terra, when is your turn?
(silence emanates as I look up from my plate and see the folks at the table looking at me with curiousity etched on their faces)
Me: You mean, as in getting married?
(More silence as I see him nodding)
Me: err... this is why I stopped going to relatives houses (Not the truth, but who cares?)Actually I don't have any plans
HK: Terra, don't forget your 'yet'
Me: Ahem... yet

Another bit of conversation:
Nan and I live a few streets apart, and recently the dumbasses who live across the street from us, renovated their single story house into a double story house. Firstly, it's against the law, but nobody in the area seems to have complained. My parents have forbidden me to lodge any complaints either because apparently the people who live there are something like the mafia. Only difference is that they (the REAL mafia) are impeccably dressed in tailored suits and have sexy accents.

Nan: Terra, you know the people who live across your house, the new double story house...
Me; Them. Sunset thieves.
Nan: They apparently have a son. Have you seen him?
Me; No...
Nan: My mom said that they mentioned to her that they have intentions of getting him married, and asked about me
(Laughter across the table)
SLL: What's his name?
Nan: After a few days my mom finds out that his name is (S*********)
Me: What a boring name!(I get curious looks again)
Me: A nice name is important. (especially if you're the mafia kind)
NK: You guys should throw stones at their windows...
Nan: hahahaha.... then they might throw back stones with their numbers tied on it.
NK: Ah... then they might get ideas and decide to pair of Terra with S*********'s cousin, M******.
(Everybody laughs again except for me)
Me: And yet another boring name...
Nan: What kind of name do you like? Sean? Paul?
(Me thinks she secretly listens to Sean Paul)
Me: No I was thinking... well, I've got this friend who's real name is actually N****. You know, names should be unique. And nice.

By the way, I just found out that Nan, who lives a few streets away has a dog with a blue collar and is 21 human years, the same age as her brother! Where have I been?
I would love to continue, but I can't think of anything else at the moment. Dang!

13 comments:

  1. Oh yes, a nice name definitely counts!

    Imagine screaming out `Nigel! Nigel!' in the throes of passion ... not quite a passion-builder, is it? *LOL!*

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  2. You bet... but i kinda like the name Nigel though... :D

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  3. Is SilverSabre a good name? :S

    The people at work have this insane Idea that I will be married by the end of the year..Im not even seeing someone!

    Apparently because I have "invested in property" I am now "Elegible bachelor number 1"...what a load of nonsense :P

    SS

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  4. You bet... Silver Sabre kinda sounds ummm 'heroic'... Don't you think?

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  5. Its really the same everywhere, isn't it?! At my cousin's wedding a couple of years ago I had to duck away from the thrown bouquet that was aimed at my head.

    I'm working on developing my erratic behaviour so that family members will no longer ask me when I'm giving them a day out and switch to the knowing nods and whispers about the crazy niece/cousin etc... Although I think it still won't stop my mother badgering me for grandchildren (I am single by the way).

    As for the name discussion I give you shakespeare and the simpsons.

    Marge: A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet.
    Bart: Not if they were called Stenchblossoms!

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  6. Trust Bart to come up with something like that...

    I agree... all some people think about is getting settled. Come to think of it, it's pretty odd that the term get settled is used to indicated getting married. It's as though only then you have your feet planted to the ground or something like that...

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  7. Umm.. Prometheus likens that settle thing not to planting feet, but to settle; as in settle to the bottom of a tank, as exhibited by a body with a rather large stone tied to itself. Or settle; as in slag/precipitate settling to the bottom of a crucible after due chemical reaction.

    Hey, Prometheus ain't against marriage. Its just the archaic view of the institution that riles him.

    PS: Ever think why people "fall" in love?

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  8. I'm glad I stopped by. I'm still agog over 21-year old dogs. I thought that was the stuff of myth, and I used to laugh out loud when teaching the Odyssey and Odysseus comes home after being gone 20 years and his dog is still alive. I'm thinking, when does that happen? Okay, it happens in Rip Van Winkle, too, yet another piece of ficion. I'm not sure I'm in your demographic, but it's interesting to hear you guys talk about your singledom. I don't envy you the intrusion of "well meaning" folks. I've been married 21 years. It's been great for me, but it's by no means easy or a "ticket" anywhere. So I don't know why people want to push others into it. Although I admit I've done a little of it myself. Hmm. Gotta watch that well-meaning streak, I guess.

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  9. Prometheus: Terra shall use Prometheus's style of writing as she has the time to do so on a lonesome Sunday evening. Terra agrees with the view of a stone tied to the legs and sinking to the bottom, and this terrifies Terra as she does not know how to swim. at least if Terra intends to drown in deep waters with a stoe tied to her feet, she needs to do it with someone she 'loves' and not some run of the mill starnger that anyone hooked up for her.

    Gem: Hi... thanks to you for dropping by :) Actually, regarding the well meaninged folks, it's this bunch of friends who think that it's necessary to get hitched as err 'age is catching up' (26 years). peronally I have nothing against it, but they should at least wait till I'm seeing someone before pushing the conversation into my direction that way.

    I might have made a mistake with the dog, though.... it's 3 human years and 21 dog years... honestly I'm confused myself

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  10. Another thought on the subject of singledom: It's fairly safe to assume, and I make this assumption as a married woman, that married women are heavier than single women. Think about it:

    A single woman comes home from work, looks at what's in the refrigerator and goes to bed. A married woman comes homes from work, looks at what's in the bed, and goes to the refrigerator. ;)

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  11. Prometheus is happy that Terra has picked up his style. Prometheus would shortly be sending across a 1293 page contract for Terra to sign and return along with a cheque (amount disclosed in contract) towards style licensing charges. And Prometheus also agrees with Terra on the love factor and cites something he once read: "Don't marry someone you can live with, marry someone you can't live without". Prometheus is yet to find a volunteer who would endure a period of time larger than 37 seconds with him.

    Prometheus find Gem hilarious and is hard-pressed at this moment to come up with a rejoinder. Ergo, he desists from one and applauds that marriage hasn't taken away her sense of humor.

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  12. Gem: Great observation... And I concur that you have a fantastic sense of humour... :D

    Prometheus: Please make the contract for Sundays only. Thanks!

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  13. Even with a pecked-out live, Prometheus is mad-wise. Truly, one can't be married 21 years and not have a sense of humor.

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