When Keeping A 'Hantu Raya' Can Be A Good Thing

When your neighbor's kids are the devils incarnate themselves, even their parents have given up on giving advice, having a 'hantu raya' would probably help. Some neighbors' kids are giving my mom major headaches who in turn, passes the headache to me as she will keep calling to complaint. Not that I can do anything about it. Probably having a 'hantu raya' would help scare the kids away and leave an old makcik in peace. No wonder some people keep 'it' in the olden days. Maybe even now too. It doesn't have to be real. A good rumour would help. Can someone please start a rumour my mom keeps a 'hantu raya'? So does this wish of mine make me a good or lousy daughter ah?

Can the real hantu raya please stand up, please stand up
But keep away ok...

Temporarily Single

During school holidays, there is a phenomenon called 'temporarily single' among some married men. Their wife/wives and children 'balik kampung' and the husbands can't afford to take their annual leave for many reasons. Some reasons are legitimate, others... their wife better not know it or we might see some flying saucers around the house. During this 'temporarily single' phenomenon, ladies must beware of buayas celebrating their bachelorhood.
Note: Ladies mentioned here are inclusive of the buayas wife/wives and single ladies alike and the buaya mentioned here is not this buaya :)

X: Sue, jom tengok wayang.
Me: Tengok wayanggg??? Pegilah balik kampung ambik anak bini bawak balik.

X (not real name) is very much married and 'temporarily single'. He certainly asked the wrong person. He could be joking. He could also make it sound like a joke but hoping for the best. Whichever it is, only God knows. I wonder what if X and all the Xs in this world happened to ask the juz-wanna-have-fun kinda girl, one thing could lead to another. Even if X started out with just want to have fun too, emotions and feelings are very tricky, risky and can't be trusted. So many Xs around us who choose not to 'prevent' things before it happens. They are the Xs who is supposed to be more rational than the female species. Hmmpphh....

Admiring The Blue Skies

I love watching the skies this past few days. I'm glad I'm able to find simple pleasure just by watching the bright blue skies. After the bad haze we experienced, I'm still excited when I see faraway trees are green instead of dark grey. I'm glad I can see all the tall and majestic looking buildings in KL. I can really see the windows and the lights.

I felt like someone with poor eyesight who has just gotten her first spectacles. Everything seems much clearer now. Despite my allergies and mild asthma, I'm glad to say that my vision is the only thing affected during the recent haze.

I can't stop admiring the bright blue skies and the spots of cottony white clouds looks like billowing waves. A colleague suggested maybe I need a seaside vacation to which I fully agree. Another colleague didn't quite get my fascination with the blue sky. But I'm sure today many will miss the bright blue skies as it is pouring in KL this afternoon.

I didn't expect the rain despite the grey clouds. We went out for lunch as usual and can't return to office due to the heavy rain. After waiting for quite sometime and the rain didn't show any sign of stopping, we decided to hunt for umbrella. I already have 3. One at home, one in the office and another in the car. I have no choice but to buy another.

I didn't have a folding umbrella so I might as well buy one. Giant's stock of umbrella was sold out so we went to Guardian. The cashier smiles looking at so many people buying umbrellas. The 3 umbrellas we purchased come up to almost RM50. Any salesperson would smile wide. Even our colleagues who didn’t go out very far for lunch laughed looking at our newly bought umbrella with the price tag still intact.

It is OK. Let the rain wash the world and hopefully tomorrow we can see bright blue skies again.

Handsome??? and the Ugly

Scene 1:

Guy friend: Baju you ni nampak tak kena lah. Pendek tak, panjang pun tak.
Me: Yer ker? (Dalam hati: Amboi mamat ni. Pandai nyer nak komplen. Dia ingat dia tu saper? Boyfriend pun bukan.)
Guy friend: Yer lah. I rasa kalau you potong bagi pendek nampak better.
Me: Hmm... (Dalam hati: Pandainyer mengomen dressing org. Macam lah dia tu punya dressing macho habis)

Scene 2:

Me: Eh I nak masuk kedai ni jap tengok-tengok.
Guy friend: Pakai baju macam ni lah. I suka tengok ladies wearing this kind of shirt.
Me: Laaa... takkan I nak pakai office wear on Sunday.
Guy friend: Apa salahnya.

That was one of those days when I don't feel like dressing up but I still have to go out because I've made a promise to see a friend. That male friend lah. I just pick one decent dress that I rarely wear coz I'm bored with the blouses I normally wear. I know the dress didn't fall nicely on my non-statuesque body due to the ever increasing 'bumper' size but what the heck.... it's not like I want to impress anybody.

This guy's dressing is quite unique. Or more appropriately described as uncommon. I don't normally see guys with his sense of style but I never complaint. He's a friend and I don't judge my friends by their dressing style as long as they're comfortable with it. We do criticize each other openly but to have him criticize my dressing like that is quite shocking.

Hellooo.... If you want my honest opinion, sometimes I should be embarrassed to be seen walking with you, you know! Since I don't really care about people's opinion, that thought never occurs to me. OK I lied. It did occur to me sometimes but I suppressed it. What other people think is not important. He's a friend and I will not make him uncomfortable with my comments on how he carries himself or his fashion style. Obviously, he didn't share the same thought.

He has just confirmed what I already know. No matter how 'selebet' a guy is, he still has a 'high' taste where girls are concerned. Hmmm... enough said :)

Kahwin! Tak Nak! Kahwin! Tak Nak!

Your wedding is in two weeks time. You thought you have all the questions answered. Questions like "why I'm getting married", "do I want to live my whole life with him/her", etc. But now you suddenly feel you're not sure of anything anymore. The only reason you can cite for getting married, your parent (father/mother) has high blood pressure. When you mentioned your uncertainty about the marriage and you don't feel like going through it, your parent almost fainted. The only reason you can cite for going through with the marriage is to make your family happy, to save face. The invitation is out.

He/she (let's call the person X) is a nice person. Someone you can depend on, someone safe, but that's all. You did not expect any fireworks, X did not set your heart racing, X cares for you in his/her own way and is there and willing to marry you and spend the rest of his/her life with you for whatever reason of his/her own. X said he/she loves you but there's only a dull feeling in your heart. You did not really care about X feelings. You know X will make a good spouse but shouldn't there be more than that when you want to spend the rest of your life with someone? There MUST be something more isn't it? Otherwise people will not go through sufferings and heartaches for something called LOVE.

Is this just pre-wedding jitters? What if your subconscious is trying to tell you something? That this is not right! How did one should feel come their wedding day anyway? Is it a calmness that you've made the right choice? Is it the turbulent feeling you're experiencing right now? Readers, would you continue with the wedding if you're in this situation?

It's not me. I'm not getting married yet. But when a friend (let's call this person Z) tells me about her feelings, the first thing I can think of is do not go back for the wedding if the family can't accept her last minute change of heart. The hell with saving face and making your family happy for a day or two if you're the one who is going to suffer for the rest of your life. So what if your parent is not well. We're gonna die one day anyway. Did I sound like an evil person? I am evil.

Z is hoping for a sign. I told her sometimes God will not give you any sign or maybe He did but you did not notice it or do not want to notice it. But you can't expect THE sign like in the movies. The haze will not suddenly go away and give you a bright blue sky as if celebrating your wedding. You will not suddenly found heart shape chocolate in a pack of square chocolate. You will not see unusual blink of your engagement ring as if calling you to quickly pair it with a wedding ring. You just have to find the answer in your heart.

If not continuing with the wedding is a mistake, the effect is not as much as when getting married is a mistake right? Too many parties will be involved. It will also be unfair to her husband-to-be. The right thing to do is of course to do some soul searching the moment she felt something is not right. Maybe 2 months ago. Or better still, before the engagement. Busying oneself with work to avoid thinking of the problem is not going to solve the problem. But if she did not feel right, it is still not too late now. I don't know what else to say. Z said she is too lazy to think so she will just go with the flow.

If one day I met a special someone, I wonder whether I'd go through the same thing. I wonder whether I'd feel the peacefulness of making the right decision or tumultuous feelings of insecurity? I think I'd flee the moment I feel something is not right. I did not wait for so long only to settle for second best. How sure are you?

To Z, I hope things will turn out well for you. If it didn't, I don't think you'll have a problem of going with the flow just like what you're doing now. I may sound harsh but we reap what we sow. Most of the time, the output depends on the input we give.

Input: Do not want to think. Just go with the flow.
Output: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

I know it is not easy. But no one ever said life is going to be easy. However, there are times when we get something great unexpectedly. Call it God's gift. I hope this is the one you'll be getting after what you went through in the past. All the best to you.

Broken Earth Cable

Nanoo.. nanoo.. the earth cable is broken and the planet is now moving haphazardly. It will probably move out of Milky Way if something is not done soon. Already, NASA fears the Earth will hit other planets or meteorite. Is that the kind of news you expected when you read the title? Read on...

I went out from office about 5.10 yesterday. It's Friday and I wanted to do my Friday routine. I wanted to go back to my mom's place on Saturday and she has ordered few things from the night market. I reached my car few minutes later, put the key in my ignition and turned. Nothing happened. Not even a single squeak. I check the radio, aircond and lights, they worked fine. I check if I accidentally press the alarm button to lock, I did not. I tried the ignition again, still silent. Oh oh...

I called my brother. Luckily, he did not have something on today so he said he'll come immediately. With the peak hour traffic, I have to wait for one hour for him to reach my office. My brother looked inside my bonnet and found a wire cutter. He asked me how did it get there. I shrugged and said maybe from my last car service. Then he saw a yellow bottle cap lying somewhere in between the wires. He shakes his head in amazement at his findings. I just smiled. What else can I say. He then changed my car battery with his. Nothing happened. So it's not due to dead battery, which is not a very good news. A dead battery means there is an easy solution. If it's not the battery, we have to find a mechanic. So we drove around the area to find a workshop, many are closed or are closing. My brother finally chooses the most dilapidated workshop in the area that didn't look like it'll close soon.

He said, nice looking workshops are rich. They'll probably over charge or not willing to do it. They don't really need the money if it is not convenient to them. The dilapidated workshop would want any business they can get. I'm impressed. Pretty good logic there. The mechanic there said he can follow us in another half an hour. Fine with me since I'm famished and there's a Mamak Restaurant nearby. I know this will probably take some time and if I'm hungry, my head will start to pound again. Is that gastric? Lately, if I'm hungry I'll get a headache.

So we ordered drinks and nasi lemak. The spoon looked dirty. Even my brother did not want to use it. We asked for another, the waiter gave us his 'menyampah' look and took a long time to come and give us clean pairs of fork and spoon. He just leaves the dirty forks and spoons on our table. He probably thought the next patron who didn't notice or didn't mind will use it. I wonder why there are so many people there. If I'm not pressed for time, I'd look for another place to eat.

We reached my office parking area at dusk. Luckily there's a working torch light in my brother's car. I have a torch light too but no battery. Duh! The Indian mechanic looked like a nice guy. After a while, he got a phone call probably from his boss. I exchanged glances with my brother when he fluently speaks in Chinese. Then my brother asked whether he can speak Tamil. He said yes. Hmmm... how I wish I can speak another language too.

Problem discovered, the earth wire/cable breaks. It got corroded from the leaking battery water. My brother looked at me. I said don't look at me. When I send my car for service, those people put in the battery water until very full. Not between the min and max level. They probably thought since I'm a lady driver, I wouldn't check my battery water very often. Maybe even never. They can help by putting the battery water until it is full. I've noticed this but didn't say anything because they probably know what they're doing. Now I know better.

So the Indian mechanic tried to find some ways to fix the broken cable. It's dark, only my brother's torchlight lit him while he did his work. I pity him. There's no shop nearby or I would buy some bottled drinks for him. I share my half bottle of water with my brother. It is getting very late. I can see the lights from the KL Tower not very far away. It's not that hazy last night. Not long after that, another Chinese mechanic from the same workshop came on motorbike to give him a hand. They finally fix it and charged me RM50 for it. The revving of the engine sounds like music to my ears. The mechanic brought only one helmet so my brother will send the Indian mechanic back to his workshop. Then I discovered another problem. All the signal lights are not working, the horn is not working and my brother almost left. I waved frantically and the Indian mechanic saw me. Looks like the job is not over yet. We called the Chinese mechanic again. Sigh!

They decided to bring my car back to their workshop. It is not far but the night traffic is very heavy. It's Friday night and tomorrow is first Saturday. Probably everyone is driving down to KL. The Chinese mechanic drove my car and I sit beside him. He fears the engine might die. My brother drives behind us. So we drove without any signal lights whatsoever. I felt so relieved when we reached the workshop. I opened my back car door and sit while my brother watched them. I felt so tired. They finally fixed the problem some time after 9 p.m. If I have more money, I'd give them extra just by looking at them work. It is hard work. Sweat run down from their faces and bodies. No one stopped for a drink. Only one cigarette after another. It almost felt unfair isn't it when some worked so hard and earning very little while others worked in an air-conditioned room and earned more.

Despite being philosophical, I'm not rich. This is already an unexpected expenses to me. So I'll just give my prayers to them. Today, I have to go to another workshop to fix the cable properly. Foreseeing this, I have to be careful with money. Who knows how much they'll charge me. I reached home a few minutes before 10 last night. I waited for my brother again this afternoon. He said he already talked to the workshop and asked them to order or get the cable ready. I'm very lucky to have a brother whom I can depend on in situations like this. They told him they'll use a makeshift cable and not the original. It'll be cheaper. If it is fine with my brother, it is fine with me. I can now drive my car without worrying about a broken cable anymore. The charge is less than RM50.

Unlucky:
- The earth cable broke
- Have to spend for unexpected expenses
- Have to miss the night market so my mom can't have what she ordered

Lucky:
- It happened after work and not before going to work or I'll be in trouble
- It's not a working day tomorrow
- My brother is free when my car won't start
- We found a workshop not very far from the place
- My brother has a working torchlight
- The police did not stop us while driving to the workshop without any signal lights
- Nothing happened while driving to the workshop without any signal lights
- The unexpected expenses is less than RM100
- I'm supposed to go outstation yesterday but it was canceled. If I go, this problem might occur on Monday morning
- There's a nearby restaurant while waiting for the mechanic or my head will be pounding due to an empty stomach
- I have a dependable brother
- It's not raining
- The haze is not heavy like two days before
- We found nice and hardworking mechanics
- Sometimes I go sheeshee like a leaking tap. I have to go like every half an hour. Last night I was fine. Luckily I didn't drink coffee during teatime.

I'm just counting my lucky stars :)

Headache and Hair Salon

I've just cut my hair. The last time I cut my hair is here. Unlike last time, today it is a spontaneous decision while driving back from work. I had a pounding headache since afternoon and the bridge of my nose can't take the weight of my specs anymore. I noticed I have frequent headaches lately. The weight of my hair could be a contributing factor to my headaches. It may not be but I don't really care. I really can't stand the headaches anymore.

I'm even thinking of using contact lenses. I had to take off and put on my specs many times today. When the weight on the bridge of my nose is too painful to bear, I'd take it off. I have never felt like this before. If the headache persists after cutting my hair, I'd consider the contact lenses. I've never worn one before. My eyes are very sensitive. I don't think contact lens is a good idea. When I have allergies, my eyes would get red and itchy, I'm sure wearing contact lenses would be very inconvenient. I might accidentally rub my eyes with the contact lenses on it but I'd give it a try.

I had to drive around my area to look for a non-unisex hair salon. I don't frequent hair salons. My hair is very low maintenance. There are many salons to choose from but I decided to stop near one hair salon without the word unisex. I'm quite surprised when I see my brother's car. I thought I'd see him at one of his favorite restaurant but I couldn't see a glimpse of him so I decided to just go to the salon located on the first floor of the building. The door to the salon is glass and what I saw made me stop for a while. That looks like my brother with his hair wrapped up with a towel. My brother in the salon????

He couldn't turn his head so I stand outside the door for quite some time just to be sure. I was standing outside the door and smiling. Almost felt like laughing. My brother a metro sexual male??? OKlah he's just having his long hair washed but still the idea of seeing him in a salon makes me want to laugh. I pushed the door open and he saw me. I don't remember what we said to each other but the two girls thought we're a couple. Whenever I walk with my brother, people will think we're a couple. Can't they see our similarities? I wonder.

Only one of my friend spotted our similarities immediately. We're schoolmates. She has never met my brother. The first time she saw him and get to know his name, she asked whether he has a sister blablabla and she's right. Anyway, back to the salon, if my brother is there, it means that is a unisex hair salon. At first, I 'm not sure whether I should cut my hair there but since there is no one else but my brother and the two girls, I thought it'd be OK. Half way of cutting my hair, two men came. Oh oh... not like I could run away so I stayed. One looked like a gangster. I'm glad my brother is there.

I didn't plan to wash my hair but after seeing my brother getting his neck and shoulder massaged, I decided to wash my hair too. With a pounding head, who would pass that up? My brother waited until I'm done and paid for it. He later told me the guy who looked like a gangster is a cop from Sg. Buloh. He has seen him around. A police looking like that? Anyway, not that I've met a real life gangsters before. My brother said he has no problem spotting him as a cop so probably we need a gangster looking cop to catch a gangster. Having said that, a cop in a salon??? There's more to the story but I'll let you wonder :)

My head is still pounding. Maybe what I need is a sleep. I'll think about the contact lenses tomorrow. Which one should I wear? Disposables? Non disposables? 14days? 1 month? Blue? Brown? Before my headache gets worse, I better stop now.

Criteria of a Husband???

Those days...

- Good voice during azan
- Good family background
- Physically fit to take care of the family

These days...

- They can karaoke
- Good shopping companion
- Physically strong

Hmmm...

Note: Only those who watched 'Mencari Cinta' will see the relevance of this entry :)