Must be Halloween

Sometimes I wonder how crazy ideas seem to pop into my mind, which I may or may be tortured by or regret for the next month. This November, five of us will be abstaining from a certain something they cannot resist the urge for.

One person shall not spend unnecessarily.

One person shall not write "emo-posts" on blog.

One person shall not play online games.

One person shall not procrastinate.

And yours truly shall not consume sugary stuff in excess.

He She who breaks the pledge must treat the others to a meal.

GREAT! I've had my final ice cream, final piece of chocolate and final soft drink for the end of the month. DO NOT TEMPT ME!

How did I get myself into this? Sigh... must be Halloween. Well, tomorrow, day 1 starts.

Anyone else want to join?

PS. Code of Honour applies.

(Therefore...No. There are no chocolates hidden in my pocket.)

Road TRIP

It echoes in my ears, 'Let's go to Bangsar...Bangsar...Bangsar..'

The only thing running in my head to day is the 'adventure' we had while we were at it.

Rachel Chiah, Sue Ann, Sion, Sher Lynn and I did go to Bangsar to window shop (Note: Not shopping for windows). All of a sudden it was almost 1.30pm and it's about time to rush back. That we did, and after dropping Sher Lynn off, our next stop was simply less than 5 minutes away.

Just one wrong turn and next thing the four of us knew, it was a trip down the highway, which had no U-turns until very much further down. In fact, it was so close to home that had we no classes, we'll gladly switch destinations.

Then we missed another U-turn, which was quite shocking but thank goodness we left Bangsar early. Apart from the fact that we had lessons to attend, the road trip was surprisingly fun, funny and 'punny'.

Here and there we turned about, and after passing 1 Utama, we were on the right track. Back on time for class as well! Brownie points for us!

As we laughed our way out of the car park and to the lecture hall, we talked about how we should do that more often --- "Drive to Penang, and purposely make a wrong turning!"

I guess that's another spontaneous adventure to experience one day!

Signs

Fatigue is one scary thing when you're doing research in a library. 'Taming of the Shrew' becomes 'Taming of the Screw', 'Radcliff insitution becomes 'Brad Pitt instituition' and 'New Women' becomes 'Male Women'.

It's a sign that the clock is about to reach 5 o' clock and it is time to leave.

Then on the way back you barely hear the ceaseless lecture of the driver on how to control the wheel better. Your head droops to the side as you struggle to find some surface to doze off.

It's a sign that you've been having a long long day.

At home you suddenly snap awake and forgot all about the tiredness that struck you.

It's a sign that the fatigue will get back at you at night. As it is now.

Start with the Step!

Writer's block is never good. Neither is procrastinating. Nor is taking too much sugar (especially ice-cream). Brewing them all together concocts an unhealthy reaction.

This will not do!

This is it. I'm going to start with that single step now! And break down that block so I may scramble to the other side. I think I know more or less what to do now.

And I'll cut down on the sugar intake. Of course I'll miss the ice-cream...sigh... but no one, not even that little figure in red yelling into my ear, can pull me down!!

Don't tempt me! Especially the shopaholic who wouldn't go into a one-month-abstinence with me!

My resolutions are set for now.

To the little guy...

This is to someone whose heart is too big for size. That's a compliment, little bro! Now that you're 14, I have no doubts that you'll shoot up suddenly and perhaps get that deep voice we'll have to get used to. Frankly, it's a scary thought.

We'll always love your goofy and fun-loving nature, and seeing you reminds us of the bliss one can find in a hectic life.

Here's his card with hours spent on it, inspired by that beautiful movie which you should know of! (I really love it, so just bear with me.)

Three 'layers' of paper balloons popping out from the surface and slowly drifting off into the sky, carrying a boy to the dreamy world reigned by the clouds, where only the wildest of imaginations is invited.

Not that the boy is you. Or is it? Well, I do hope your dreams will pop out from a 2D surface and carry you to where you long to be.

Happy 14th birthday! Of course I cannot compare you to any brother since you are the only one but I suppose there wouldn't be anyone just as sweet. Sometimes. Most of the time.

Arrows or Traps

"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."
~William Shakespeare

How ironic that I should come across this sentence just as our little foursome came into existence. No tiny wings flutter behind our backs, nor do we carry a quiver of arrows and a bow with us. No tiny harps, no random targets to aim for. Just a foursome with a friend to help.

All we have are sentimental, hilariously-possible ideas which are slowly solidifying into cleverly plotted plans. Then there are the unsuspecting connections which are bound to work to our benefit.

Yet what a pessimistic statement from Shakespeare, which is very much unlike him. I don't think their arrows kill. Perhaps it would have simplified so many things. And all because of that resort to traps one must.

A Story in the Sand

It's amazing how creative a pair of hands can be, doing more than just paint, draw or make music. And with something as ever-changing as sand!

This is the winner of Ukraine's got Talent and such a wonderful performance! She made something as inconsistent as sand a storyboard for the inconsistency of human life. With every new drawing it pierces through your heart as you know it only gets better and better. I found tears welling up by the last scene.

Before you watch, this piece tells of a Ukraine girl living through the invasion of Germany, how it had affected her life and how it took her love away for war.

"всегда рядом" means always by your side...

Do watch... and enjoy...

HK Episode 5 (大结局): Home

Sure I had a great time, especially in Episode 4. I miss it already --- all the dream-like escape into a world of fantasy.

But there were several things that tapped into certain memories...

#1: It's already a roller coaster ride back at home...

#2: I still have research to complete for the Literature coursework.

#3: I was supposed to finish up my hours, then go for my driving test (which came back with good news)

#3: How can I forget English Matters?

#4: Nothing beats Malaysian food.

#4: I can't wait to post about the trip when I return.

Well, in that case, back to reality!

HK Episode 4: A Whole New World...

Save the best for last, right? What place an possibly make the trip more interesting other than Disneyland?! Whee~~

At the heart of it all lies Snow White's castle. It looks more amazing at night.

Notice the 'Cheer Me Up' shirts. It's a trend at Hong Kong now. The Giordano outlets in Malaysia don't have them...sigh.

YES we did see characters. In fact, we hunted down all but three.

The Parade was absolutely fun!! Knowing how sizzled people were under the blazing flares of the sun (very much fatigued and dehydrated too), The Water Works was devised for the summer!

It was all full of water sprinkling, squirting and splashing, so we were half shocked (yet half in anticipation) to see the gigantic hoses.

While heading to the heart of the theme park, I got separated from my family, so I sat myself down with the crowd. Later I realised that I got the best spot of all!!

You can't find a place with generous amounts of simply awesome fireworks illuminating the sky if not here!! Save the best for last, right?

A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming...

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I'm way up here
It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world
With you

Unbelievable sights,
Indescribable feelings,
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky...

A whole new world,
A hundred thousand things to see,
I'm like a shooting star,
I've come so far...

I can't go back to where I used to be.

~A Whole New World~

On Owning a Zoo

Welcome to our very own 'animal reserve'---where family knows no species. Let's begin the tour, shall we?

Here we have ONE dog!

Give her a drumroll!! I have no idea how old she is since her previous owner moved to a 'no-pets-allowed' apartment and didn't give us the number of years. If anything, though, she's definitely a senior.

She loves visitors, of course, please don't judge her by the size of her eyes. It's a asset, okay! With her habit of fidgeting, taking pictures of her really isn't a piece of cake.

My heart beats of pride!

Then we have TWO darling kittens!

How they came about was a long story. To cut it down, we found four kittens on our balcony as it was about to rain. Their mom came back for two. We had to feed the other half with bottled milk, and it's like taking care of babies! They drank while on their backs!

Watching them grow, meeeeooowing with such affection...this is their baby photo!(Great, now I feel like one of those aunts with a walletful of photos.)

This duo has, so far, broke a vase, caused furniture to tumble over, brought home live and dead 'toys', tore up documents and I'd say they are going through the rebellious teenage phase.

Yet how adorable they are!

Last but not least, a pond community right in our garden.

Guppies! Guppies!

My mom's enjoying her role as their midwife, ever so gleeful upon seeing a single minute fry. Only at one point---"Why are there no males!!??"--- She found on the internet about some sort of connection between the temperature of water and the gender of the fishes.

I thought she'll start boiling the water.

Anyway, this was the nursery for the fries! Okay, so you won't see any in this picture, but there were 18 of them in there.

As of now we do not keep track. They're multiplying too fast.

Thank you for visiting our humble abode. So who said it's a viscious cycle of "dog eat chase cat eat fish" world?

Hey! Who tore a hole in my blog now???

Choppy.

News spread fast in our family.

She's leaving today.

She's calling everyone.

She's holding back her tears. Sometimes.

And then it rings. So I pick it up, though I already know who it is.

I'm overwhelmed suddenly. It all rushes to me. Her tone was of controlled sadness.

Then mine was. All the best. Good Luck. How are you. Are you alright. So what are you going to do there. How long.

The usual questions. And still so hard to ask. Perhaps we both know that we both sounded a little controlled, asking only simple questions for simple answers, with nothing emotional.

"I'm sorry? Haha I can't really hear you. The connection is bad from here."

"Haha me too... it sounds choppy."

To be honest, it wasn't choppy on either end. It was just...us.

"I'm reaching the air port soon. Okay...bye." She stutters.

"Have a safe flight...bye." Hold back...hold back...

When I put it down, all I can think is...it wasn't choppy.



*sobs*

I feel the earth move...

Tap, tap, tap just as I am doing now. This was what happened at around 6 o' clock yesterday. Since it's been the big buzz of today, perhaps I should tap, tap, tap this in too.

The door is lock, the fan is rumbling and the silence is unnerving. Apart from the intervals of yawns from my cat from beneath the bed, it is just silence and me. And the tap, tap, tap on the keyboard.

What's with the vibrating? Is the cat scratching the chair?

No, he's fast asleep.

Great, now the table's vibrating. Is it the laptop?

No, laptop vibrations wouldn't make my head spin, would it?

Great. I must be falling sick. I conclude that my sleeping debts are finally due, and I should have a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

Then I continue with the tap, tap, tap on the laptop.

So what if you missed it? Why do people want to feel the earth move under their feet anyway? Would they do the same when the sky comes tumbling down, tumbling down? *Touch wood*