RACONTEUR-ESQUE SCRIBBLINGS

Otherwise known as the random post. I was in the midst of trying to fall asleep when I was bothered by the urge to violently sneeze. Eyes watering, I sneezed like there was no tomorrow. By the time I was done, my eyes were still itching, and whatever sleepiness that had manifested earlier was also gone. I had two options, read or blog. 10 points for anyone who can guess which option I picked ;) On reading materials I'm trying my best to read A Clockwork Orange, a book which seems to be in a lot of people's good books. Ha ha. I'm finding it an extremely difficult read, though and it's not because I have to learn a whole new language to actually get it. That's the least of my problems - I actually had fun trying to guess some of the words.  I can't seem to explain it, but the book just doesn't interest me as much as it should.  On another note, I recently downloaded The Golden Bough from Project Gutenberg . Interestingly, I came across the book being...

"Whatever you do, Terra..." he paused for dramatic effect, taking another sip of his canned iced lemon tea "don't ever buy anything from that machine" "Why not?" I asked, my fingers smoothing the creases of the RM 1 note which I had extricated from the mess in my pocket with the intention of using it to get something from the vending machine for the very first time.  "I'm now on my third can for the day" he said, raising his can in his right hand. He took another sip. "It's crazy. Hear that sound?" he asks. I nod my head. "They're refilling the machine now. After this there'll definitely be guys lining up to get themselves a can or two. It's like everyone's addicted. Did you know the machine needs to be refilled every two days?"  Vending machines and I had a very interesting relationship while I was in Japan This *conversation happened over two weeks ago when I had asked B who sit...

It's been almost 3 weeks since the incident involving the rogue lorry and 22 other vehicles. I thought it would be all over by now, and Kets (that's how I call my car, although his full name is actually Ketsbaia) would be with me right now, but apparently that is not the case. The damage done was far worse than anyone had initially anticipated and it turns out that the one of the major repairs require some sort of approval from the Road Transport Department (RTD) Earlier this week, the agent who was in charge at the workshop handling my repairs called and said that I have to go and swear an oath at the RTD (this was literally translated from 'angkat sumpah kat Puspakom). Having never met with an accident before and not knowing anyone else who's been in such a situation, I honestly thought I'd have to sign the form and swear in front of the RTD officer. Turns out, that's not how it's done. You take the forms to a commissioner of oaths, get his (it's alwa...

When you know for a fact that something should only appear on your "wall" or "timeline" as they now call it, if and only if you were the one who put it there, wouldn't you almost have a heart attack when you see something you have no recollection of ever putting up there? Does it make it worse if the time that the something you have no recollection of putting up there ended up on your wall or timeline when you were positively sure you had no access to the internet?  The answers are yes, and yes. And that is how I spent my lunch time panicking over the fact that I may have been hacked, thanks to a friend who commented on the link I supposedly liked on my wall. I replied to my friend's comment, and told him I might have been hacked, then I updated my status update with something to do with my fear of being hacked. I changed my password and then went back and deleted the offending link I supposedly 'liked'. What if it was something that would infect yo...

The day begins. A brand new day, you tell yourself as you prepare to get to work. You hear a bit of an interesting conversation on the radio before more important things drag you away forcefully and you leave not knowing how the topic was concluded. You make a mental note to download the podcast with your new superspeed internet connection and almost brand new laptop when you get back home later that night. Life goes on. The hours you spend solving problems you didn't create in the first place vanish with almost the blink of an eye. Soon, it's time to face the superspeed internet and your new laptop, but the mental note you made earlier stubbornly stays a mental note. So you lie down on the floor with the laptop and play Tetris Battle until you spend all your energy. Literally. Repeat the cycle the next day. *Edit: Mark mentioned something about being stuck in a rut in the comments below, so I thought I'd just add this video by one of my favourite 'current' ba...

Around two weeks ago, I almost went cold turkey on my daily dose of 2 cups of fully caffeinated(?) coffee no thanks to my sudden fear of having more cellulite than I think I can handle. Besides, I've already hit and crossed over the BIG 3-0, and although people whom I've just met mostly ask if I'm still studying (instead of where I'm working), it's still best to be on the safe side. I also figured I'd give giving up coffee a try because I had done something similar for almost three weeks back in 2009. This time, it lasted for merely a few days before everything went down the drain. Everything except for the coffee, that is. After the unfortunate incident with my car last week, my coffee intake increased up to about 3 cups per day. I don't know why - maybe some subconscious part in me thinks that the extra coffee will make me feel better/healthier/more energised or something to that effect. Besides, without a car, I've also had to give going to the gy...

I became a reluctant contributor to some local statistics yesterday... I can't say where it all exactly began, but if I had to pinpoint at something, I guess it would be the day I decided to apply for leave on the 30th seeing that my whole section at work was unofficially shut down until the 2nd of May. Due to the leave, I got roped in to help my sister move her stuff to her new place, which is roughly an hour away from where we live now.  After getting some furniture from the local shops and a heavy lunch for the 'labour intensive' tasks ahead of us, we proceeded with the journey, went up to her new place, did some cleaning, assembled the furniture and performed magic to the room like one of those many reality shows where people get their living spaces pimped up by total strangers.  I suppose we also picked up the wrong time to leave her new place as it was already after 5:30 pm when office workers would be making their way home after work through massive traf...