Aimlessly Wandering

Sometimes I wonder...

Why are there times in life when we feel at a lost? I don't mean the lost of someone, but the feeling of not knowing what to do, where to go, who you are. It's the feeling of aimlessness when you have no idea which direction to take.

When you really think about it, all our life, we have been taught, shown, even educated, on how life is suppose to be. From birth to school to work to family to God. It's like everything is so clear-cut.

But what if you don't want to go to school? Most parents think it's better to work for/under someone, but what if you want to run your own business, even if it's risky? What if you don't want to have children, let alone get married? What then?

For some people, they may never have experienced this before. For others, it might be just a bump on the road until they get hit by their true calling. For the select few, this indecisiveness, this lost-in-every-direction, may be an everyday occurrence.

How long does it take before you realize what you want to do with life? It seems as though once you reached a certain age, you're suppose to know what you're going to do and how long you're going to do it. Have you ever talked to some of those people who have everything in their life planned out? The reaction from them when they find out your life is totally unstable, a.k.a not what society expects, is mostly full of confusion and worry. "You're 26. You should be having a stable income and planning to be married." See what I mean about the clear-cut guide to life?

It's funny how those who do not conform to this guide are seen as failures or rebels. My young cousin told me a story about a guy who wanted to be a singer so much, he quit his job, took voice lessons and was endlessly criticized. But...he managed to put out an album. My friend is in his 30s but that didn't stop him from still pursuing his dream of becoming an actor.

When people hear the beginning of the stories, before the people in the stories became successful, they are full of scorn and disdain, and, forgive me for saying, this is extremely truthful among the adults, among those of the old decades.

It is so obvious that the generation of today and of the old are totally different. The current generation marry later, focuses more on career, are more open to risks and untraditional ideas. You'll find that they are more people now who are openly unhappy with their current state of life, who wishes to take a different route even if it means having their close and loved ones argue with their choice.

It's like that song 'Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)' by Baz Luhrmann, "Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't."

Maybe it's ok to feel lost once in a while. Maybe it's acceptable to not be one of the many sheep of life. Maybe, just maybe, feeling lost is absolutely normal. Maybe it's time to sit back and re-evaluate the life you're living now.

Oh, by the way, whenever you feel lost or sad or anything negative, it helps to listen to Baz Luhrmann's song. I totally recommend it.

UN's Best Poem of 2006

Sometimes wisdom comes from sources least expected, like this African kid, who wrote a simple yet insightful poem on racism, nominated by the UN as the best poem of 2006.

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray

And you calling me colored?

Joke: The Onion and the Christmas Tree

It's nice to get a joke you haven't heard before and that makes you laugh out loud. And here's one to share with you that I got from my fun-loving uncle.

THE ONION AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE

The family is sitting at the dinner table. The son asks his father, "Dad, how many kinds of boobies are there?" The father, surprised, answers, "Well, son, there's three kinds of breasts. In her twenties, a woman's breasts are like melons, round & firm. In her thirties & forties, they are like pears, still nice, but hanging a bit. After fifty, they are like onions."

"Onions?"

"Yes, you see them, and they make you cry."

This infuriated his wife and daughter so the daughter says, "Mom, how many types of "willies" are there?" The mother, surprised, smiles and answers, "Well dear, a man goes through three phases. In his twenties, his willie is like an oak tree, mighty and hard... In his thirties & forties, it's like a birch tree, flexible but reliable. After his fifties, it is like a Christmas tree." 

"A Christmas tree??"

"Yes, dear, dead from the root up and the balls are for decoration only."

Haha!! (^O^) Haha!!

Fuel Price Hike

          Hmmmm.... I distinctly remember that I wrote a blog about an unexpected petrol price hike a while back, which was about a few months after Pak Lah mentioned that the government would not impose an increase in petrol prices for the year (oh, it was back in July 2005 and a few months before that, we had another petrol price increase). Now here we are again with yet another price increase of a human civilization necessity.

          Now, I'm not placing any blame on Pak Lah (God forbid me if I do) but you must wonder whether it's (a) some sort of government punishment to the rakyat for not backing up BN, (b) a sort of scheme to ensure more money is pumped to 'the worthy people' a.k.a. duit kotor lar, or (c) a setup for a global monopolization (for what or who, I have no clue so you figure that one out yourself). I mean, look at what the different sides are saying. Idris and Mukhriz claim there is no fuel shortage therefore a price hike should not occur, while the other side of the story is a certain country (really? A country?) is buying up tons of fuel, which is causing the hike.

          Now (I know, I use that word alot lately) it is of no use for us, the rakyat, to point the finger to our government and say 'Hey, it's your (point finger), your (point finger) and your (point yet another finger) fault'. It's like talking to God. You can say, scream, shout, angst all you want, but if God ain't listenin', you ain't gettin' nowhere. Sure, sure, the government should listen to the rakyat's woes. Sure, sure, without the rakyat, where would the government be. But you must remember, or register it into your head, the people with money, power and status are the ones who make the law; who say what goes and what doesn't; who make the world go round. As long as they are comfortable, what care could they possibly have for the rest, the unfortunates, the poor?

          Yes, it's harsh. And yes, it's a pessimistic way to look at life. But, yes, it is also a fact. No matter how deep you try to bury your head into the sand, it is a matter-of-fact truth. There are those of wealth and power who try their best to represent the rakyat, such as that wonderful woman my mom keeps talking about, but these people are but one fighting dolphin in a sea of preying piranhas. How long can their battle last? Or if you want to look at life all rosy and clean, you can always think that the government is listening to you but at this moment in time, their hands are tied. There, how's that? Feel better? :)

          Anyway, I'm straying from my point (don't I always?). With petrol costing us RM2.70 per liter, we need more alternatives for our transportation. Sorry to say but forget about our public transportation. Aside from our trains and LRTs, the rest of them are totally garbage. If it's not hours of delay and lack of standing space from our buses, it's the cut-throat fares from our taxis (yes, some of them DO overcharge). I got contacts to two really honest taxi-drivers if any of you need a cab. One of them has been with me since my primary school years and the other is always our choice when we need to go to the airport.

          One suggestion that is so obvious is carpooling. Just make sure that whoever you carpool with DO pay the petrol price when it's their turn. If not, just kick them out. The second suggestion is to walk more. If you're within distance to the area you want to go, just pick up your feet and walk. Oh, pleeeeeease don't bother with the pathetic whinings. "It's so hooot" or "I'll get blisters on my perfectly manicured toes" or worse, "It'll rain, and I might get all hot and sweaty, and then no guy/girl is going to find me attractive and I won't get laid for a week." Bla bla bla. Suck it up!! If walking is too unbelievably impossible for you, then the next best thing is a bicycle. Hmmm, or how about rollerblades?

          If you really need your car, being a travelling salesman and all, you might want to do what most other Malaysians are doing; converting to NGV, natural gas vehicle (visit ngv.com.my or ngv.net.my for more info). You get to travel, as they claim in their site, 200km with just RM10 (that was the claim before the price hike so it might be like, what, RM15 now?). Only one problem. The cylinder that they install in your car is huge. Be prepared to sacrifice your boot space in order to conserve your fuel. Oh, and yes, according to them you can use both natural gas and petrol even after conversion.

          For Mitsubishi cars, or USF-HICOM car owners, I've just talked to one of the staff there and he claims that next week, USF-HICOM is bringing in something that might be able to help conserve fuel for their cars. Once they bring it in, they will test it on their Mahindras and Mitsubishis to see just how well (or how bad) the thing works. Don't ask me what the thing is, I have no idea 'coz even he doesn't know about it in detail. I'll get back to it if I have more info, and if I feel like it, heehehe.

          As for the rebates, well, yeah, it may be good of the government to help out the rakyat in that way. But RM625 for each person, regardless of how far or near they travel? That's like giving a guy who has to constantly travel from one state to another the short end of a thorny stick, while someone who only travels 10mins a day to work gets the longer, smoother end. Someone they interviewed on the news about 3 days ago has this idea of giving rebate according to the distance they have to travel, which I think is much more fairer. My friend, on the other hand, included that the rebate should also look at the cars that the people are driving. If they can afford a first-hand Lexus, do they really need the RM625 rebate? Maybe that's why the rebate only applies to cars with 2.0 and less liter engines.

          But our government is right with one thing; it is time for Malaysians to change their lifestyle slightly. Try to save more, conserve more, recycle more, think more. If we have time to whine, we have time to think of solutions to better our predicament. And there's no better time to start than right...this...very...minute.

Marriage & the D Word

          This topic has been on my mind for so long that it was just begging me to be let out. The problem with this topic is that it's highly sensitive and has been known to cause temper eruptions, long and loud arguments as well as verbal abuse from those who disagrees with what I'm about to say. But hey, if Dina Zaman (author of 'I Am Muslim') can talk about it in her column in The Star, then why should I keep quiet?

          A sudden search for The Star's contact numbers brought me to the online column of Dina Zaman, 'A Writer's Life', who, just a day before my search, wrote an interesting column titled 'Today's Men Not Like Our Fathers' (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/5/22/focus/21309067&sec=focus). Now, before I continue, I would like to give fair warning to ALL Malay men out there to keep an open mind and think before you start lambasting either me or Dina Zaman. If you can't handle it, then please, PLEASE, stop reading.

          Ok, so back to the column, Dina Zaman was musing over the question 'Why are the men of today not like our fathers?' Many people she knows are either divorced or are in the proceedings of divorce, and she brought up numerous relationship and marriage cases where the wives are crying acts of infidelity, laziness, irresponsibility and abuse by their husbands.

          The first case she brought up was of a girl she met on a flight who asked for her advice. "...her husband now uses condoms with her because he’s been sleeping around, and because he didn’t know where the girls have been and because he loves her, the wife, he’s protecting her. From disease." And Dina's first response to that in her column was, "Wow. Is that love or what?"

          Call me stupid or naive but if you love your wife, won't you NOT sleep around with other women in the first place?

          Another case that I really must bring up from the column is one I have heard soooo many times and one that I myself have been guilty of: staying in an abusive relationship.

          "I see an old friend for tea. She looks like a walking aubergine. Brinjal to you. Her husband beats her up for the heck of it and to discipline her. I ask her, why did she marry him?

          She tells me: “Dina, I’m like you. Our fathers were diplomats. We had non-Malay boyfriends. But at the end of the day, semoden-moden kita ni (no matter how modern we are), we think of God. So I married him because of bangsa dan ugama (race and religion). I married a Malay man because I thought of akhirat (Judgment Day).”

          She weeps and tells me: “Fat lot of good that did me.”"

          Alot of people I know are either married or are in the stages of getting married, and I am very much happy for them and wish them loads of joy. Me? Years ago, I would have looked forward to the idea of being married to someone I love, but now, with a combination of personal experiences and stories, I'm scared shitless!! And in my defence, I am not the only one!!! Even Dina herself is having second thoughts of remarrying, saying, "Marriage is for the brave."

          The thing about this divorce and marriage problem is the classic 'he says, she says', or 'the blame game'. Husband blames wife for negligence, nagging, etc, so he decides to find someone who 'treats him as he should be treated'. Wife blames husband for ignorance, infidelity, etc, so she too decides to find someone else, or, worse, get a divorce. Thank the heavens if the couple doesn't have a child or else where will the child stand?

          Couples of today don't really attempt to work out their problems. Marriage was suppose to be forever. Do you even remember the vow "Till death do us part" (for the Western marriages lah)? Well, neither of you are dead yet. When something goes wrong with the marriage, they always do one of these choices: (a) divorce, or (b) sleep around or marry another. I am ashamed to say that even the men in my family are guilty of those acts and their father (my grandfather) was akin to Dina's father, who is a successful, practicing Muslim and who is loyal and un-abusive to his family.

          Where have the Malay men of yesteryear disappear to? What has happened to their honour? How far have they strayed from the Malay culture and Islam? Would they ever return?

         To Dina's musing question 'Why are they not like our fathers?", well, I'm sorry to tell you, Dina, that my father and my father's father are not like your father so perhaps my expectations for Malay men are considerably lower than yours.

          Yes, yes, yes, I hear you. "Don't always pick on the men. Why don't you pick on your own gender?" Yes, I do agree that both Malay men and women have changed drastically since our forefathers' time, but my topic today is on men. Don't even get me started on the stories of husband-snatchers, one of whom is my very own step-mother.

Shrimp-licious

"Life is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you're gonna get."

The ever famous quote from Forrest Gump. Ever since its film adaptation from the 1986 novel, I've been hearing that quote over and over. And the thing is, I never really understood it. I mean, sure, maybe zillions of years ago, a box of chocolate is full of surprises, but nowadays the cover of the box always has pictures of each chocolate with a description of what filling it has; almond, cream, caramel, etc. Buuuuuut I'm running away from my point.

If you didn't notice, there's a new eatery at the Curve called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. And yes, your assumption is correct, it does have a connection with Forrest Gump.

Bubba Gump is named after Forrest Gump and his army friend, Benjamin Bufford "Bubba" Blue. In the film, their plan was to open a shrimping business after the war but unfortunately, Bubba died during the war. Inspired by the 1994 film, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. came to life two years later in 1996, opening its first branch in Monterey, CA.

Now, finally, finally, FINALLY, after all these years, Bubba Gump has finally reached Malaysia. And I had the chance to taste its food about 10 days after it opened.

Their menu is unbelievable, in taste, size and..... pricing. They have an entire section dedicated to shrimp with delicious titles like Shrimpin' Dippin' Broth (shrimp in spicy broth with rice and bread), Chipotle Shrimp (shrimp in creamy Parmesan sauce) and "I'm Stuffed!" Shrimp (crab-stuffed shrimp baked in garlic butter). I had Dumb Luck Coconut Shrimp, a supposed favourite dish of Bubba, served with Cajun Marmalade sauce and fries, which is quite delicious if you don't mind the taste of coconut flakes.

If you're allergic to seafood or simply don't like shrimp, don't fret, Bubba Gump's menu has other choices for meat-eaters. There's the typical Captain's Fish & Chips (this one is beer-battered in the US, not sure how it's cooked in Malaysia), burgers and sandwiches such as Texas Cajun Chicken Sandwich, and salads for the dieters. I had Mama's Southern Fried Chicken which had the best mashed potatoes with gravy, yum!!!!

Although their menu is halal, they do serve alcohol so drinkers won't be disappointed and the non-alcoholic drinks are quite a tasty selection. I tried a Peanut Butter Alabama Sweet Smoothie (if you like peanut butter, this drink is for you). Some drinks even allow you to keep the glasses they come in, but you have to collect it from the gift shop. Yes, people, Bubba Gump has a gift shop, right beside the restaurant. Choked full of t-shirts, key-chains, mugs and glasses, everyone can take home a souvenir.

Oh, yeah, I mentioned pricing, didn't I? Well, considering how pack the place is, you would think the pricing would be affordable, yes? It is, but I wouldn't exactly recommend it for those with a tight budget. Try it at least once, but the next time you go there, make sure it's for a special occasion. And make sure that there are at least 2 of you because, trust me, the servings are huge!!

Oh, oh, oh, one thing you must know before you go to Bubba Gump is the signboard. Signboard? Yes, signboard, or, ok, fine, we can call it plates. On each table, you will find two car license plates; one red with Stop, Forrest, Stop and one blue (or was it green?) with Run, Forrest, Run.

What's their purpose? Well, instead of waving your hand hysterically to get the waiter's attention, you use the plates. The blue one says "Everything's fine at my table" while the red one is used to motion a waiter to come over and help you. We didn't really know what it was for so we kinda tested it out and lo behold, it actually works. In fact, it works even better than holding up your hand. The customer at the table next to me was trying so hard to get about 5 waiters' attention (all of whom just passed him by) while all I did was flip the plate and zoom, the waiter appeared. It seems that they're trained to spot the redness that they seem to be blind to other gestures.

Oh, and why the phrase 'Run, Forrest, Run'? Well, for those who don't know, in the novel and the film, Forrest Gump ran across the country and became famous for it because he ran it several times, in over three and a half years.

There are many other things I haven't even touched on about Bubba Gump but I'll let you find out about it on your own. What's the point of having an adventure if you already know what you're expecting, right? :) Enjoy the food!!!

Cotton Words

          Has anyone realized the latest trend in t-shirts around KL nowadays? Think reeeeaaaaaalllllly hard. No idea? Well, does Little Miss Naughty or Little Miss Curious ring a bell? No? Walk around the Curve fleamarket during the weekends and you'll see what I mean.

          When I was growing up, there was this book series entitled Mr Men and Little Miss. Each title in the series told a story about a particular character, such as Little Miss Chatterbox who talks and talks, or Mr Greedy who just eats and eats (visit http://www.mrmen.com/ or http://www.ilovemrmen.com/ for more info). Well, they seem to be making quite a comeback recently, what with Kinokuniya selling the books and t-shirt vendors importing the character t-shirts (RM29 each at Curve fleamarket). Apparently, in Singapore, the Mr Men trend has been going on for quite some time and Malaysia is just only experiencing the craze. The thing is, the series is called Mr Men and Little Miss, but I've only seen Little Miss t-shirts. I even asked the vendors for Mr Men t-shirts but they say, "Don't have". Is it 'don't have' or 'takkan laku so tak ambik' (won't sell so won't take)? Face it, would you really see a guy wear a character t-shirt like Mr Tickle or Mr Clumsy? Hahahhaha!!!

          Another trend among t-shirt wearers is the most sought-after 'Couple' t-shirts. You know those types: 2 t-shirts to be worn together by the boyfriend and girlfriend, such as the popular 'I Love My Boyfriend, I Love My Girlfriend' and 'Romeo, Juliet' (all can be found at Curve fleamarket).

          For those who are single or unromantic, there are other wordings, such as 'Tell me why I need a boyfriend', 'Fat people are harder to kidnap' and 'I only look innocent'.

          T-shirts with words are getting more and more popular nowadays since they are one way to convey your personal message to the world without opening your mouth. Or, for the vain people, they simply attract attention.

          But how come most wordings on t-shirts don't follow our current affairs? I mean, yeah, there's the usual 'Peace to the World' and 'Say no to War'. But what about socially? If there are t-shirts to say 'I love my boyfriend' for faithful girlfriends, why not have a naughty one for players, like:-

                     

          Or how about one for the 'threesome':-

     

          Another t-shirt craze is the film t-shirts. This is so obvious. Wait for a major movie to come out and you'll see tons of its t-shirts (real or fake) bombarding the market. Take Transformers for example. There's a story of one guy who printed the Transformers t-shirts at a cheap price and sold them at a killing figure on e-bay. Damn!! Should have thought of that. I wonder if Ironman has any t-shirts?

          We need some sort of movie and major event t-shirts too. Like, maybe before the election, we could have t-shirts like:-

                                     

          Just kidding. But I'm sure someone out there will buy it if the t-shirt actually exists.

          Just wait for, oh, maybe another week, and you'll start seeing Indiana Jones t-shirts out in the market (if they're not already out there). Oh, and if you wait for a while, I'm pretty certain someone in the t-shirt market will make even worse slogans than the ones I made up there. In the meantime, I'm gonna think up more weird t-shirt slogans. It's kinda fun, hehehe!!

Everyone Needs A Hero

“Everyone needs a hero”. I can’t remember where exactly I heard that from, or who said it, but I remember that particular phrase. Not because it held such meaning or what not but more of the cynical reaction I gave when I first heard it, which went something like “Pfffft, yeah, right” followed by rolling eyes.

Back in the olden days (of fairy tales), young girls were always made to believe (through fairy tales) of the arrival of a gallant knight, a.k.a hero, to come to their rescue and save them from their dilemmas, a.k.a their miserable, lonely (sexless?) life. The knight/hero usually fights, and successfully, defeats the arch enemy, e.g. dragon, dark knight, corrupted king or prince, witch, the bad guy, etc, before claiming his prize, a.k.a the princess, damsel in distress, abused maid, the woman, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be gender-biased or anything of the sort, but that’s how the (fairy) tale goes. Well, poo to you, I’m not going to sit on my booty and wait for my ‘prince’ to come and save me. I don’t need no hero.

Or so that’s what I thought.

I never knew it, never realized it, never saw it, but I actually do have a hero. Yep, a real honest to goodness hero. However, my hero is not one who comes rushing to my rescue or flatter me with sweet nothings.

My hero is one who waits for me to come to him but is always there for me regardless of the time and place. He is one who would tell me the cold hard facts whether I want to hear it or not. His belief is that he won’t simply tell me that ‘Everything will be alright” but rather he’ll go through the situation with me and point out what I should worry about and what I could do about it. He won’t sweep me off my feet and slay my dragons for me; he expects me to slay them myself.

Harsh? Maybe, but I would rather have a hero who helps me to develop myself.

Who’s my hero?

Well, I can tell you that he’s definitely one of a kind. Patient, understanding, worldly, fun, unpredictable, thoughtful, he’s everything a girl could wish for.

He’s my brother.

Innocence Lost... or Curious?

About a month ago, my 15-year old cousin asked me about sex.

Inwardly, this was what I was feeling: 'What??????!!!!!?????!!!!!!'

How do you respond to that? When she asked me that, I felt like a parent who was dreading telling their kid about the 'birds and the bees' (why do they call it that anyway? do birds and bees mate with each other?). But outwardly I had to keep a cool face.

But it struck me how fast kids grow up nowadays. I still remember when I first went into college, I saw a group of young girls (they couldn't be more than 15), and they were lepaking at the old wing of 1U, smoking away!! Now I'm hearing from my own cousin's mouth that one of her classmate (also 15) got pregnant and most of her classmates are no longer virgins!! They're not even 16 yet (legal age in US)!! And here's my cousin asking me about sex. (>o<) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What was even scary was when she asked 'What if you find out one of your cousins is not a virgin anymore?' What does that mean???!!! Is that a hint?? Is she trying to say something?? What, what, WHAT??!! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Hehehehe!!! Actually I'm just exaggerating. Yes, she did ask me about sex and while I was surprised, I decided that she's old enough to know.... a few (tiny, miniscule) things, not in details though. No way, no how.

The older generation believes that our youngsters are out of control. They blame it on everyone, from parents to teachers to society and to the children's peers. I believe that the people around our youngs are actively involved in their upbringing and development but I also believe that the children themselves play a part in the choices they make. They are curious, of course, about how the world is, about every new thing they come across. But the difference lies in them weighing the pros and cons, and knowing what they are getting themselves into.

I'm just thankful that my cousin questions things before she does anything, and I'm especially thankful that she chose to ask me instead of her young friends. This way I can keep an eye on her and her activities.

Ugh, now I'm wondering what other questions I have to face as she goes through her high school.. not to mention college. Groan!!

Sayonara, 2007. Konnichi wa, 2008.

As my cousin said the day before the New Year, "It's the end of the beginning". Or was it "the beginning of the end"? Or maybe it was "the beginning of the end of the beginning". We-ll, whatever. What he meant was, we have reached the end and are now starting a new beginning.

I hope you celebrated the end of 2007 with a joyous and safe BANG!! As usual, whenever the country comes alive and spreads itself to every available space, I stay indoors, ahahha!! It was a quiet night with family and later, with a few good friends, just the way I like it.

2007 was interesting for me. It consisted of alot of 'firsts'. I opened my first business. It also saw the first time I let my dad know how I really feel about our 'family', which was also the first time I scolded him...hmmm, and also the first time I made him totally speechless with my outburst, ahahah.

There was also the first time I told my step-mother off for her put-downs and 'kutuk-ing' of my mother, and the first time I introduced my cousins to my dad's house and his second wife.

However, there was one 'first' that I wished didn't happen because it changed my feelings and ignited distrust towards a particular person, which until this day, I cannot fully let go. In April 2007, I experienced my first punch in the face by a man, and no, it was not accidental. Though he has apologized and though it has been many months since the incident, my family's opinion is very clear and strict on matters of physical abuse, no matter how small. We believe that no man should ever strike a woman and if he did it once, he is capable of doing it again. At this point in time, I am still unsure of how to settle it.

But some bad events actually had silver linings behind them. I lost two 'friends', who turned out not to be true friends so that wasn't bad. I discovered my gardener's adopted son was stealing from us, which was the final push to the family to talk to him about his many problems. There are a few more but I can't pull them off the top of my head right now.

The best highlights for 2007, in my opinion, were the births of my friends' children (three of them and they are all baby girls) and my distant cousin's and my friends' marriage (Jason and Rocky; I feel like I miss someone), and my friends' (Mas and Fir) and neighbour's engagement. I wish them all the best with much happiness. Another highlight is Sean's major, major, MAJOR breakthrough into the acting world. I can see he's having LOADS of fun and I'm very happy for him.

So, like any other year, it was filled with ups and downs; mistakes made, lessons learnt; life lost, new life born. One thing I noticed is that every year, we start out with a fresh new outlook but as the days, weeks and months go by, we start to forget the hope we had at the beginning, and the resolutions too, of course.

I, for one, do not think I will forget my resolution (yes, I did finally make one). My resolution for 2008 is very simple; to take as many pictures as I can. Why? 'Coz time moves on, sometimes without me even noticing it. Thus, I aim to capture the moments, the memories, the people, that fill my life with equal joy, pain, experience, sorrow and happiness. For one cannot possibly say that they enjoyed life to the fullest without taking note of the things, animals and people that accompanied them until the end. Friendster has limited space so for those interested to view whatever pictures I take, please visit my facebook account.

Have a Happy 2008, everyone!!!

P.S: Please don't mind my grammar or seemingly topsy-turvy story-telling in my blog. Right at this moment, I'm having a very bad headache and a cold at the same time. But I didn't want to put off writing this entry a day longer.