Thursday, October 25, 2007

JUST A WHOLE LOT OF RANDOM STUFF

Well, it's been a busy week and what seems to me like the longest week ever, what with working for 14 to 15 hours on Monday and Tuesday. I'm actually very very tired and this might also have been contributed by the severe lack of sleep and a brand new addiction throwing pillows at and casting spells on friends with this thing called Facebook (all this after the long hours in front of the computer and mentally exhausting discussions with fellow colleagues!)

Anyway, I had a lot of stuff in my mind, you know, the kind of posts that you plan to post about (after all I'm 70% addicted to blogging as a test I took says), but never actually sat down and typed them out. Why does it always seem nicer in our minds as opposed to on the screen?

About two weekends ago, I got to meet some really old childhood family friends. We had lost contact because we were too young back then to maintain contact, and they had also moved over to Belgium so meeting up after we got in touch again took awhile... And the thing that bothers be teribbly is how we were all very very quite despite the fact that when were kids, we had (allegedly) plotted the murder of one of my uncles! Of course we spoke, and it seemed all normal... but nevertheless there was an intangible awkwardness towards the whole situation.

This morning, I heard Hey There Delilah (not the first time) on the radio, and I couldn't help feeling sad. It's very difficult to say why exactly... was it because of the song? (Although it has nothing to do with my life at the moment) There's just this overwhelming feeling of something which I can't explain.

I need to write more as it is wonderfully therapeutic at the moment... but then my break time is almost over and I need to get some stuff done...

Thursday, October 18, 2007

IF YOU BELIEVE, THEY PUT A MAN ON THE MOON

They did... Back in 1969

So, our country's first astronaut (or spaceflight participant- ahem) - known locally as angkasawan finally went up to space in the swanky Soyuz TMA11 at 9:23 pm local time last Wednesday. In the midst of all the drama surrounding the excitement of sending off our first man to space almost 40 years after the first man landed on the moon, I had missed out on what he was actually supposed to do up there... was it to make 'pulled tea'? or make "roti canai" a type of bread which you have to toss into the air (so that it collects all the dirt from the atmosphere hence making it yummier) - as you can see, Malaysians are obsessed with food! Then there was talk about him playing batu seremban in zero gravity, and trying to spin the top....

It baffles me... the man is a doctor. Maybe he could make pulled tea... but tossing a roti canai, or spinning a top - you need some experience. But what's the point? It's not like we built our own spaceship from scratch... and it involved tonnes of taxpayers money just to send a man to space. Wouldn't it be better if we tried developing the technology instead?

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

HAPPY DAYS?

I just noticed this evening that you can be perfectly content for a maximum of three days without any worries... that is if you chuck all the worries at the back of your head, eat cornflakes sans milk at 10 pm (don't ask why), have a reunion with some really really old pals, sleep very very late at night after half scaring yourself to death with some scary stuff, and listening to your favourite songs (all in no particular order)

And then reality sets in at an unexpected moment. You don't have a plan... where do you see yourself in a year? or two? No plan at all!

Oh crap! I'm panicking!!!! Why now?

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

THE BLOGGYAWARD REVIEW

Quite some time back, out of curiosity, I submitted this blog to be reviewed by Bloggy Awards.

Basically, what they do is they rate your blog based on several categories such as visual asthetics, user friendliness, reading enjoyment, useful info as well as an overall experience of your blog.

It's quite interesting actually, to know how your blog is perceived by others. For instance now I know I need to spruce up the blog with a little bit more visuals. Add some colour, perhaps...

Anyway, if you're interested, the review can be viewed here: http://www.bloggyaward.com/bloggyaward/the-secret-backup-blog/

Monday, October 08, 2007

THE DEMISE OF THE SUBTLE ART OF FLIRTING

It was as normal as any normal Sunday morning (circa 1 am) could be. Sleep deprived and yet unable to sleep, I was switching windows like a crazed maniac, playing Sudoku and crossword puzzles at the same time, stalking blogs and fooling around with a new project.
An inactive friendster tab lay undisturbed until I thought that I might as well close it. The laptop touchpad being what it is and my clumsy fingers being what they are I ended up on my messages page. There was something new there, I read it with eyes wide open, started laughing madly at the laptop, got somewhat freaked out and closed up everything. Haunted cyberspace?
Here's the e-mail, copied and pasted word for word. Only the e-mail address of the sender was deleted.

Hello There,

How are you my dear lady?. How's your life getting on? Hows your career, you're your job and everything at work? Is everybody treating you well? I really hope that your job gives you satisfaction and will open-up new avenues. How's your family? Hope that they are great too, just like the ay you look. I saw your profile and would love to get to know you better in person. Am working as a secondary teacher in Brunei. Im off course a Malaysian, you don't have to worry about that ya. So please, I would be extremely happy to have your private email in order for us to initiate contact and we'll see what happens thereafter. So my lady, please have your meals on time, take fruits and lots of water daily. Have vegetables and you must have good rest always. Drive safely take good care of yourself, stay free, be happy, do things you love and bye bye. Please mail me at (insert e-mail address)

Here's my imagined reply
If I was a lady, I'm sure I'd be fine... but even if I wasn't (a lady - and especially NOT your dear lady) I'm still fine. I hope.
As for your questions, here are the answers:
Q:How's your life getting on?
A:Great. But even if it wasn't I don't think I'll talk about it to a stranger unless they were a psychiatrist
Q:Hows your career, you're your job and everything at work?
A: Hmmmm... evidently you didn't read my profile before typing this out, didn't you?
Q:Is everybody treating you well?

A: For me to know - for no one else to find out. Thank you.
I know I make conclusions rather haphazardly, but I suppose it's quite safe to say that you are very career minded. For me, it's just an avenue to make $$$. Of course if you enjoy the job it's all the better.
Q:How's your family?
A: Do you know them? I doubt it, but since you asked, they're fine. If they read this, they're definitely going to laugh their heads off. We all have damaged funny bones.

Yes, I figured out that you had seen my profile, hence this e-mail. But what puzzles me is how you managed to send me the e-mail. As far as I can remember I had closed my messaging options up to 2nd degree friends. You, as far as i can tell are not in the network. Friendster has quite a bit of explaining to do.
So. you're in Brunei, eh? My friend once worked there. And seriously it doesn't matter whether you're Malaysian or Argentinian. So you don't have to worry about me worrying about that! Besides, what's wrong about not being Malaysian?
About e-mail addresses and such. It's not a particular habit of mine to go around giving my e-mail address to all and sundry. Seriously. And I'm also afraid that I'm not particularly interested in initiating contact, or seeing how it turns out. I'm a terrible e-mailer. I write a whole bunch of rubbish most of the time. You might want to poke yourself with the blunt edge of a spatula after reading what I write.
Oh well, what can I say? Thank you for the advice that I get from my mom (or Baz Luhrman) all the time? Oh, by the way... let me guess... your e-mail is a template, isn't it?
regards,
The Cynical Misanthrope
PS:
#1 - I have chosen to ignore the message in real life.
#2 - I checked my Friendster settings and apparently both my profile and message service was open to everyone - which probably explains the sudden influx of e-mails. Managed to fix it to 2nd degree friends once again.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

MORONS BUILT THIS CITY

So, I've recently resorted to the company of a scrunched up packet of Fisherman's Friend - the amazing sore throat lozenges that seem to do their work just fine, although the sore throat (or what remains of it) has given me what friends from school use to call a 'sexy voice' hahaha...


Anyway, last Wednesday, when I was reaching my house, I saw a big difference on the main road. They resurfaced the road with new tar (which I'm afraid will start displaying potholes within the month given the high volume traffic) and painted new lines. But it's not the evenings that bother me.


On the Thursday morning as I was rushing out, I noticed that I could not get out into the main road because of the new lines they made the day before. The road had been made into a double lane that stretched out a few metres ahead of my exit and cars were moving in twos (and sometimes threes) without giving a tuppence about those of us waiting to get out. That is until a man in a Pajero stopped and signaled me to move first. What a kind person!


So yeah, in the name of development, we (the people of my neighbourhood) have been ignored. Rather mercilessly. I really do hope that they have a better plan than that - like a new traffic light or something, because if this situation remains, things will just get worse. Some cars might start spiderlike spindly legs just to move forward. I wish!


Actually i should be thinking of Starship's We Built This City. But I like this one better...




THE WORLD I KNOW - COLLECTIVE SOUL
Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in new york city
And I dont know why.


Are we listening to hyms of offering?
Have we eyes to see that love is gathering?
All the words that Ive been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding into one.


So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
As the years roll down.
cause its the world I know.
Its the world I know.

Friday, October 05, 2007

IT's THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

Time for the Annual Appraisal again.  It's a cloudy Sunday afternoon, and I had just finished giving scores to my subordinates on their ...