A New Adventure ...

A new adventure beckons ... I refer to it as harvest time. A combination of excitement and anxiety chokes the air.

It can be overwhelming ... so many things happening at the same time. It's like standing in the center of falling confetti and you try to only pick focus on one coloured piece. So I'm just going to let it all rain over me with a smile.

The lyrics to Titanium is kinda apt right now. So here you go ...

You shout it out,
But I can't hear a word you say
I'm talking loud not saying much
I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet
You shoot me down, but I get up

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium

Cut me down
But it's you who'll have further to fall
Ghost town and haunted love
Raise your voice, sticks and stones may break my bones
I'm talking loud not saying much

I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose
Fire away, fire away
Ricochet, you take your aim
Fire away, fire away
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium
I am titanium

Stone-hard, machine gun
Firing at the ones who run
Stone-hard as bulletproof glass

You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
You shoot me down but I won't fall
I am titanium
I am titanium

Titanium (Madilyn Bailey's cover)

Turn left turn right

I think I've lost myself. Need to find myself ... trouble is ... where do I start looking? :(

Lost ...

It feels like a dead end
I've failed miserably as a man
The path in front seems dark and grey
Now I walk aimlessly like a lonely lost stray
The world sees me smile and laugh out loud
I veil my torments with an emotional shroud
I look into the mirror and see a ghost
Not true, its just me at my ugliest most
I hold you, I hug you, never let you go
You shove me, you stab me, hurting me so
Sitting on the broken pieces of my heart
I wonder if the faults were mine ... did I not do my part
I try to glue the ruined pieces together
I only hope you will not cause them again to shatter
Your life seems to have opened up
Everything from work, friends ... even love from a pup
I see you enjoy basking under bright shiny lights
While I stand behind the shadows, away from sight
You willingly share our worries and issues with others
Not caring that this is our private and personal matters
Should I do the same and wash the dirty linens
With family and friends, no difference men or women
You see glorious sunrise and hear happy chirpy birds
While I lay here covered in unwashable dirt
I imagine running away and leaving all behind
But I'm so lost ... the roads ahead bear no signs

-From Unknown Author-

Everything happens for a reason they say ...

Reflecting back at life for the past 1 year ... many things have changed ... some of em' unexpected. I'm thankful for the positive turn of events while I'm trying to cope with the not-so-good ones.

I've been told that everything happens for a reason ... It's hard to fully appreciate this statement when you're metaphorically trapped in the eye of a twister.

Here's hoping that time will reveal the truth behind all of the recent happenings and that I'll be showered with 'blessing'-in-disguises'.

As for the good things that I've been blessed with, I am trying to remind myself to be thankful and contended.

BUT ... I still want that F30 damnit!!! *droolzzz*

A New Chapter ... How Will It Turn Out ...

I've been waiting for this moment ... diligently counting down the days, the hours, the minutes till I can finally head home for good. The past thirty three months I've been thrusted into a world I never knew before ... but all this will come to an end in a couple of days time. Soon I'll be back to a life I was once familiar with ... a life I once had.

The odd thing that hit me is this ... I expected myself to be feeling on top of the world ... I mean the prospect of going home, to be with family and friends, to seize back the life I used to relish ... all these should thrill me to no end ... but somehow that's not what I'm experiencing at this moment. In fact, deep down inside, I feel that there's a sense of dread that's trying to claw its way out of me. A definite fear that is trying to eat me whole.

I reckon all this may sound a little too melodramatic ... maybe it is ... but to a certain extent, it's true. A frequent quote I've heard and used many times ... 'Time will tell' ... I guess there's no denying that time will ultimately reveal everything. So it's just a matter of waiting it out and see what happens. Just that I'm not comfortable starring into the abyss and wait for the monster to come get me ... if there is one in the first place. Still ... the idea of not knowing terrifies me.

I ought to be thankful for what I have ... I mean considering all the shit that's happening around the world ... the tsunami the Japs were hit by, the constant war that has enveloped the Arab world, starvation in the African nations ... actually, I should be shot for even voicing out my oh-so-trivial discontentment with life. I guess this is just one of my off days and I would really appreciate an avenue where I can channel out my grouses. So just bear with me or you can simply click on the little red button with the 'x' at the top right hand corner of your screen. :p

I think I've blogged bout this some time previously ... the part where I wake up every morning, look into the mirror and I say to myself 'Hey buddy, sucks to be you huh'. Despite his bleh-ness, some good did come out from all these. Well, I'm now a proud co-owner of a rather nice pad, at least that's how I would rate my home. Also, working here have afforded me a couple of memorable holidays and not to mention some cool gadgets ... only God knows how I survived without the iPad previously. Let's see, what else ... oh, I've managed to catch up on a lot on my reading, one of the few activities that helped kept my head in check all these while. It's where I can 'escape' briefly from the bitter reality. Ok ... I know ... drama queen again.

Ok, now towards the downers. Well, my health ain't at its optimum so to speak. I may look ok on the outside but I'm pretty sure the insides isn't as pleasant looking healthwise. I've been consuming instant noodles AT LEAST ONCE EVERYDAY. That means my stomach is probably lined with enough wax to fill an entire Madame Tussauds galery. I know you'll say something along the lines of 'Why don't you just eat something else instead?!!!'. Well, given the situation that me and my colleagues are in, it's easier said than done ... trust me on this one. Also, never before have I been exposed to weather this harsh ... at the peak of summer, it goes well above 50 degs C. So I laugh when I hear the pussies back home whining over how scorching it is when the thermometer reads a paltry 38 degs C. Pffttt ...

Oh and then there's the sand. You know how you read about the white soft sands along the sapphire beach that holiday makers just love to squish between their toes ... well, newsflash, the ones we get here aren't the same. During a sandstorm, you'll get particles of sands making its way into every of your available orifice and there's really no way of preventing it. So the next time you see me, you might as well call me a walking hourglass.

The other stuff are almost neglectable ... the lack of social life, no proper transportation at my disposal, NO GYM (I've been gym-ing everyday before I came over here), the shortage of proper food amongst other things.

Well, my biggest grievance is time. Well, how I was robbed of it to be more precise. Of course, no one pointed a gun to my head and forced me to spend three years here but nevertheless, it's fact that I've lost three years of my life being away from the people that matters most to me. Take for instance, a colleague of mine whose mom passed away while he was working here. So the million dollar question is ... is all the money in the world worth what we're trading it for? And another aspect of my life has simply gone from bad to worse. Well, that's a story for another day.

We cannot turn back time, what's gone is gone. So I should try to make the most of what I have now. But is it too late? *cue drama music of your choice now* All jokes aside, this period of time have been a real trial for me. I guess I'm weak. A lot of others have endured worse and aren't bitching bout it. This makes me sound like a pussy. So I guess I'll just cut it short and end it here.

Let's hope things will turn out well for me eventually. Let's hope I'll see the rainbow after the storm.

Thanks for reading.

Ciao.

The Wife's Birthday

Sandy opened the door and reached out for the morning paper. The headlines screamed 'President Ousted' in bold. She vaguely remembered watching a segment on the news late last night reporting the indictment of a certain political big wig for siphoning large amounts of the nation's money into his own private account. The world is in choas she thought, just like her own life.

She opened her letter box and its rusted screws screeched, shattering the serenity of her apartment corridor. She fished out the contents and rummaged through them. In her hands was a Chinese take-out menu which she crumpled and discarded immediately. There was also a letter from the bank. She would be most suprised if it wasn't another reminder to settle her credit card dues and lastly, there was a baby pink envelope addressed with her name on it.

Sandy went back into the apartment and closed the door behind her. Delicately, she peeled it open and pulled out a card. On the front was an illustration of a three-tiered cake staked with dozens on multi coloured candles. On top of it, the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY was punctuated in some typical cartoonish font. A tired smile escaped her lips. She flipped the card open and read its message ...

Dearest Sandy,

May you have the most wonderful birthday this year. We're awfully sorry we couldn't make it to see you, Jake's got his soccer tournament today. We hope you understand. Will definitely try to pop by sometime next week. Make it up to you then sis.


XOXO,

Gabby and Jake

P.S. Hope you liked the balloon Jake had drawn for you :)

Beneath the message was a squiggly heart shaped balloon crayoned in red by her six year old nephew.

Gabby was her twenty five year old sister and also a single mother. Jake's dad decided he couldn't stomach the responsibility and had left Gabby high and dry two months before Jake was due. So for the past six years, it was the two sisters who slogged and raised Jake into the beautiful boy that he is today. They showered him with as much love as any kid could possibly digest and as a result, Sandra found in Jake the son she never had.

Today, October the 13th was Sandy's twenty ninth birthday. She felt her entire life wasting away by the minute and had achieved nothing except harnessing copious amount of unhappiness and grief. To add to it, the absence of her sister and nephew on her birthday this year added a tonnne of lead to her already heavy heart. Sandy shut her eyes tightly and tried in vain to wish away the depression that was shrouding her. Her futile attempt was interrupted by a sound coming from her bedroom. Jacob, her husband must have awoken and the thought of seeing him added to the dread within.

Sandy put the kettle to boil and spooned some coffee powder into her mug. A cube of cane sugar was added and she admired the stark contrast of white against black. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob coming out of the bedroom fresh from a shower. As much as she hated to admit it, he smelled delicious from his Hugo cologne. He pocketed his keys and wallet and went for the door.

He stopped there, looked at her and said 'I'm going out for a bit.' She ignored him. Two seconds later, she heard the door slamming and the echo of his footsteps going fainter and fainter along the corridor. He didn't even have the decency to remember her birthday, she thought. Fucking bastard.

Their relationship as husband and wife had been strained for some time now. He was always being occupied with something and she felt painfully neglected. Sandy desperately craved for her husband's emotional support and physical touch but as far as she could recall, this was not to be. Every little thing seemed to set off arguments and hence, the scraps of moments they had together was peppered with cold shoulders and long periods of deafening silence. It was killing her inside to go through this state of agony and she often wondered where did that sweet loving man she married dissappeared to.

The kettle whistled loudly disrupting her train of miserable thoughts. She turned off the stove and emptied the fillings in her mug down the sink. She just wasn't in the mood for anything, not even her morning brew.

Sandy must have dozed off while watching the Sunday noon talk show programme for she was jolted awake by the piercing message alert from her mobile. Still drowzy, she read the sms

Can we do an early dinner tonight? I have a game with the guys later at the club

She typed in her reply

Whatever

and hit the Send button.

By half past four in the afternoon, he was dressed and waiting in their living room. He was watching one of those slutty teenage singer shaking and grinding her thang shamelessly on the MTV channel. She came out of the bathroom with her hair still wet. She put on an old floral dress and thought to herself 'When did it became so bad ...'

Sandy opened the front door and walked out. She heard the TV being turned off and Jacob hurrying behind her.

He asked 'So, any preference? Where do you wanna eat?'

'Up to you,' she answered coldly.

In the car, he was whistling almost too cheerfully as they snaked along the heavy traffic. 'So how was your day? Did anything interesting?' he questioned, trying to dissolve the uncomfortable quietness.

'What do you care,' she said.

She heard him inhaled deeply and stayed silent. Deep inside, it satisfied her to piss him off. Nothing helps with bitterness like spreading it around.

He parked the Volvo in front of an all day buffet restaurant. They had frequented this place a couple of times before not because the food offered someting to shout about but because it does the job if you want to make your money's worth. For 25 bucks, you can choose from an array of seafood, cold cuts, salads, grilled meats and a pitiful selection of overly sweetened desserts.

At 4:50p.m., the place was empty. At one corner, three Indian waiters were busy wrapping metal cutleries in gardenia white serviettes. Jacob picked a table by the glass window overlooking the street outside. One of the three came over and emptied half a bottle of water into their glasses.

'Shall we?' he said.

She got up without a word and headed towards the spread. Nothing seemed appetizing and she finally settled for some greens and ceasar dressing.

Moments later, Jacob came back with his plate filled to the brim. A wide grin was plastered on his face and he was obviously very satisfied with his haul. He dug in and found it difficult to eat without spilling some of his food on the table. So he took the huge piece of grilled dory and placed it on the side plate. 'Too much there,' he said to no one in particular.

Sandy stared at him with anger brewing within her. She took her fork and stabbed his fish. 'This is ME!' she said too loud.

The three waiters were staring now. Jacob looked up from his plate, his mouth stopped chewing and his eyes expressed bewilderment.

'Huh?' he uttered.

'You heard me. THIS.IS.ME!' she said through gritted teeth. 'Everything on your plate now is your fucking life. You see the steak, that's your work. The rice, those are your colleagues. The prawns are your family and the chicken ... your idiot friends. You have too much on your plate and there's just not enough space in your life for me,' she exploded. 'Don't you see???!!! I'm just this fucking fish that you can easily do without. I don't fit anywhere in your life anymore'

'Aw come on, this isn't fair. It isn't like that,' he replied trying to soothe her.

A waiter came over and asked 'Is everything with the food alright?'

'Everything's fine. Thank you,' Jacob replied.

The waiter stole a quite glance at Sandy who had her face buried in her hands. Eventually, he turned and walked away.

Jacob reached out to hold her hand. She jerked back and said 'Let's just eat and go.'

They ate what's left on their plate in silence. Jacob signalled for the bill and they left the restaurant. Once outside, Sandy said 'You go on ahead. I need to be alone for a while.'

'Come on dear. Don't be like this. Let me take you home. It's cold out here,' Jacob pleaded.

Sandy started walking and Jacob tried to hold her arm. She turned around and pulled herself away with a little too much force. 'Don't touch me,' she hissed. 'Go, just go. Go to the club with your friends. Don't keep them waiting,' she said spitefully. With that, Sandy walked away rapidly leaving Jacob standing on the walkway alone. Across the street, an elderly couple stood watching and shaking their heads.

She didn't know where she was going and was walking aimlessly. She felt utterly lost. Tears were uncontrollably streaming down her face. Every now and then, gust of wind would sweep across and send chills down to her spine. She wrapped her thin jacket tighter around but it doesn't help with the frosty weather. Her nose was runny and she was beginning to shiver. The sun was fading on the horizon and by now, the soles of her feet were aching. Her mobile rang and she saw that Jacob was calling. She pressed a button and it sent a busy ring tone to the other end of the line.

Fifteen minutes later, Sandy was climbing up the stairs to her apartment. By now, her tears have stopped flowing but her eyes were still red. She felt exhausted and the idea of going back into an empty home dismayed her tremendously. She wanted to curl up in bed and call her sister. She desperately needed someone to talk to.

She turned the key and pushed opened the door. She heard what was like a child's giggle and a wave of panic blanketed her. She was certain the noise came from inside of her house. Someone was in there. She quickly fumbled for the light switch and flipped it on.

The brightness blinded her for a moment but her ears were pounded with shouts of SUPRISE!!!

When she regained her vision, she stood there dumbfounded. Staring back at her were all the people she loved and cared for. Her closest family and friends. Gabby was there with Jake in front of her, his hands clutching on a nicely wrapped box with a yellow ribbon going around it. He was smiling at her revealing a missing tooth in front. Sandy's mother was there too, sitting on the sofa with her eyes wide, as if willing her to have at least some reaction. At the back, members of her book club were standing, all sportingly wearing party hats and grinning. Finally, standing in the center was Jacob, holding up her beautiful birthday cake. It's tiramisu, her favourite. He remembered ... he didn't forget she thought. Then she was burdened down by so much guilt for the way she had treated him earlier. Tears started to form once more at the edge of her eyes. She couldn't hold it back and her vision began to blur.

Before she knew it, Jacob was hugging her tightly, squeezing a little breath out of her. It helped with stopping the tears.

'Jacob, I ...,' she started to say but he stopped her mid sentence.

'Today's your special day. I spent the whole day making this happen, so promise me you'll go and enjoy it,' he said with a smile. 'Besides, you've kept your guests waiting for quite a while.'

She could only nod in response.

Jacob let her go and her nephew was there next, throwing himself at her legs, clinging to them for dear life.

'Happy Birthday Aunty Sandy,' he said shyly. And then Gabby was there, embracing them in a group hug.

'I hate you,' Sandy told her sister. 'You don't know how much grief this caused me,' she said between sobs and laughter at the same time.

'Jacob made me promise not to tell,' she said with her hands up in a surrender pose.

Soon everyone was mingling in the party and was having a good time. They then sang Sandy her birthday song and she made a wish. A wish that if came true, would guarantee a happily ever after for her and her Jacob.

'The cake's delicious,' she said to her husband.

'Especially when all you had earlier was salad,' he teased cheekily.

As the night was getting late, the guests began to leave. There was school tomorrow and Jake had to be up early. So Gabby took both her son and her mother home. One of her book club member was actually drunk and had to be helped by two others as they staggered home.

Jacob and Sandy were left cleaning the place up. She was doing the washing by the sink when he came and hugged her from behind.

He whispered in her ear 'I know things haven't been so good lately. I'll make it better ok. Promise. I ...'

But she didn't give him a chance to continue. She turned around to face him, tiptoed and kissed him deeply. He was taken aback but only for a split of a second and then, he kissed her back locking their mouths together. Sandy felt overwhelmed with love and a thought came to mind, as long as our lips still fit perfectly ... our lives will too.

The 7 Days

Day 7

Lisa woke up and the first sensation that hit her was the excruciating throb inside her head. She tried to distract herself by recalling what happened. The curtains were flapping lazily and sunlight poured in, enveloping almost every inch of her tiny bedroom. She scanned the room for Tyler and he was no where to be seen. She strained her ears to listen for sounds, still hopeful that he could probably be lingering somewhere in her apartment. Several seconds passed by and the agonizing hangover got the better of her. She reached for her mobile and saw a piece of paper, neatly folded in two at her side table. She stared at it momentarily and slowly reached out for it. She felt her heart pounding as hard as the thumping inside her brain. Suffocating with a mix of anxiety and fear, she unfolded the paper and read its contents.

My dearest Lisa,

Please take your time in reading this letter for through writing, I’ve found the little courage I need to tell you my truest sentiments. There is really so much I want to talk to you about, so much I need to say to you. But when I’m with you physically, I’m at a lost. The things I’ve been meaning to tell you seemed to evaporate. It’s as if an unseen force is dying to prevent my heart from reaching out to yours. I won’t blame you if you despise this cowardice of mine. I have no excuse for it. I’m sorry ...

Before you came along, my routine life in this town was painfully dull. Day in and day out, I functioned like a zombie, alternating between work, meals and sleep. Everything I see appeared to be shades of white, grey and black. I hope you know what I mean. I couldn’t stand another day living like this. Bumping into you in that train was the best thing that ever happened to me. You brought the rainbow. No, you are the rainbow. And now, I wish time would freeze, so you could continue to colour my soul. How I wished we would have met sooner. How I wish you came into my life under different circumstances. Through the days of being with you, I hated so many things ... God, life, you name it ... for forcing us in this scenario. It feels that we’re being punished for nothing.

Now I’m pleading for you to forget about me. Take the past 7 days as a fleeting dream and nothing more. I know it’s hard. For me, I think it would be impossible to ever forget about you. But still, I’m selfishly asking you to try. To be leaving soon and never seeing you again is the hardest moments in my life. I swear this. The pain I’m feeling is simply indescribable. But I know it’s for the better. Like I said, I’m no good for you. I am not who you see me to be.

Live your life to the fullest. Reach for the stars. I have no doubt you’ll find happiness in someone. Someone who can truly give you everything you’ll ever want and ever need. Forget about me but I beg you, please don’t hate me …

With all my heart and more,

Tyler


Lisa re-read the letter three times. The more she read, the more her mind was being sardined with clutters of questions. Has Tyler left town? Why is he no good for her? Does he have an incurable illness? Why didn’t she cherish their last moments together better? Why did she have to pass out? So many questions. So many regrets. So much pain. No answer. No relief.

Live your life to the fullest. Reach for the stars ...

Lisa knew what she had to do. She jumped out of bed and realised that the hangover had magically disappeared. Propelled with a rush of adrenaline, she afforded herself a quick wash up, brushed her hair, put on the first clean dress she found in the closet and dashed out of the apartment.

Following her heart, she broke into a run and headed towards their usual café. Laughing silly to herself, she felt liberated. For once, she is actually fighting for something she believed in. She was basking in a glorious mood and felt invincible, as if nothing could ever dampen her spirit and resolve.

When she neared the café, she expected to see him sitting on the bench beneath the jasmine tree. No one there. She then peered through the enormous glass door of the café, confident that she’ll find him sitting there, looking back at her, smiling. Instead, she was stared at by a dozen faces stamped with bewilderment, none of them familiar.

Panic began to creep into her system causing her to hyperventilate a little. She took deep breaths trying to calm herself and sat on the bench. Lisa fished out her mobile and dialled Tyler’s number. The dialling tone sounded muffled for all she could hear ... all she could sense ... was her heart hammering against her ribcage.

The call connected.

Her throat was parched. Her lips trembled without a sound. Then, she heard a voice from the other end of the line.

‘Hello,’ the voice said.

The voice wasn’t familiar. The voice wasn’t Tyler’s. The voice belonged to a woman.
‘Hello,’ the voice repeated itself.
‘Hi *pause* Hi. Can I speak to Tyler please?’ Lisa mumbled.
‘Oh, Tyler just got home. He’s in the shower,’ the voice replied.
‘I see. Ummm ...’ Lisa said as a thousand thoughts flooded her mind.
‘This is his wife. Can I take a message?’ the voice offered.
The word ‘wife’ revibrated again and again in Lisa’s ear. She felt utterly numb.

Lisa hung up.

She felt her world shattering. Anguish and disappointment exploded internally causing her body to convulse. Only the sudden gust of wind caught her by physical surprise and her quivering eased. A solitary jasmine flower twirled and landed gently on the ground in front of her. Lisa stared at it, trance-like. That image overwhelmed her. Seconds later, countless more jasmines surrounded her as they fell from above. Lisa buried her face in her hands and wept like never before beneath the tree of sorrow.

The 7 Days

Day 6

For a twenty five year old girl, Lisa’s studio apartment was incredibly bare and clinically clean. In the living area, there was a two seater fabric sofa and a no-nonsense square coffee table. An out-of-date copy of the Financial Times and a beat up laptop sat on the table. Propped on the wooden tv cabinet was a solitary 32 inch plasma. The ‘bedroom’ was separated by a sandblasted glass partition. In there, a queen sized bed resided next to a makeshift side table. On it was an unfashionable radio clock. There were no posters adorning the naked walls. Only a two tier bookshelf housing a number of Dickens’s classics gave the room some much needed contrast.
Lisa was busy in the kitchen. Both she and Tyler had agreed to have dinner together but when Tyler suggested a cosy Spanish restaurant in town, she had insisted on cooking for him.
‘You need any help?’ Tyler asked politely.
‘Nope. Just make yourself at home. Oh, there’s beer in the fridge,’ she replied from the kitchen.
The bottle of Heineken was scarcely chilled. She must’ve bought it not too long ago he thought to himself.
He went into the kitchen asked her ‘You seem to be a huge Dickens’s fan huh?’ By now, the entire apartment was blanketed with a delicious smell of chicken broth.
She was chopping up some leafy vegetables when she stopped and answered ‘Not really. Dylan was. I just made it a point to read his entire collection. I figured that way, I could still remain some sort of connection with him. I finished the last one two days ago.’ She then resumed her cooking and Tyler felt as if it was his heart on the chopping board.
When dinner was served, Tyler’s jaw dropped. On the table, lay a magnificent feast. There was steamed fish in soy sauce, stir fried beef with spring onions, chinese ‘pak choy’ in oyster sauce, fried wan tons and herbal chicken soup.
‘Wow,’ he said, truly admiring the result of her efforts.
‘I bet you didn’t think I could cook,’ she teased.
‘Well, to be honest, no. My humblest apologies Ms. Stewart,’ he replied.
‘Apology accepted. Now dig in and tell me what you think,’ she said as she spooned the soup into his bowl.
By the time they were done with the meal, both of them were stuffed to the brim.
‘That was by far the best meal I’ve had ever since coming here. In fact, it was the best meal I’ve had in a long time,’ Tyler complimented Lisa.
‘I don’t believe you. You’re just teasing me,’ said Lisa but she was blushing a little at the same time.
‘It’s true. Now why would I lie to you. Here, let me help you with the dishes,’ he said and they both started clearing the table.
Standing side by side at the sink, she washed and he did the drying. When it was finished, she asked ‘Wine?’
‘Sounds good,’ he said.
He uncorked the bottle of white, poured them both a glass and sat in the balcony.
‘It’s good,’ he commented after taking a sip.
‘Really? I don’t know anything about wine, so I just asked for an expensive bottle,’ she admitted.
‘It’s beautiful isn’t it,’ Tyler said looking at the full moon.
No answer.
He looked over at Lisa and she was crying. ‘Stay longer … please,’ she said looking at him through her streaming tears.
It shattered his heart to see her this way. ‘I’m no good for you Lisa,’ he said, almost a whisper.
Lisa gulped down her wine and refilled her glass to the brim. She then drained its content down her throat and let out an audacious burp.
Tyler couldn’t help but to chuckle. Next thing he knew, Lisa was straddling him trying to lock her lips onto his with much aggression. He held her back and she tried to push forward. Exhausted from the struggle she screamed ‘WHY???!!!’ and then broke down into an uncontrollable sob.
Tyler held her tight, one arm holding her back and the other stroking her hair. His shoulder was soaked wet with tears and after what seemed like forever, Lisa fell asleep. He gently laid her on the bed, wrote a note, placed it on the side table and left the apartment.

The 7 Days

Day 5

‘So tell me, what do you actually do?’ Lisa asked.
‘Well, the local university bought a machine and I’m here to commission it,’ Tyler replied.
‘What sort of machine?’ she countered.
‘It’s a CNC machine. Computer Numerical Control. By writing certain programs in its PLC, you can get the machine to perform all sorts of functions like cutting, grinding, profiling materials automatically. Quite fascinating really … well, to me at least,’ he said.
Lisa nodded. ‘Though I hardly understood what you just said, it does sound remarkably … what’s that word … intelligent.’
‘What about you? What do you do?,’ he returned the question.
‘Well, I used to work a nine to five job as a clerical accountant. That was until Dylan passed on. Now, I do freelance accounting works for small firms around town. That way, I don’t have to apply for sick leave whenever I plunge into depression mode. Haha,’ she said not so jokingly.
‘He must’ve been really close to your heart?’ Tyler said out loud.
Lisa sighed to herself and said ‘Yea, he was.’
‘Are there things in your life you wish you could change?’ she asked him.
Tyler took a few moments to think and then said ‘I guess. Humans are never satisfied. They always want more, they always want better. The grass is always greener on the other side no?’.
‘If it were up to you, what exactly would you change right now?’ she queried.
Tyler let out a long breath and replied ‘My circumstance. And you?’
‘Yea, me too. My circumstance. All my life, I’ve never really dared to do anything for myself. I’m more of a follower. If asked to choose between the norm or taking a risk … any sort of risk for that matter, I would conform to the norm instead of fighting for what I believe in. I’m just useless that way I guess,’ she said.
‘Trust me when I say you’re not the only one feeling this way. Most people are. At least you have the guts to admit it,’ he said.
She looked at him and asked ‘How long will you be staying in town?’
‘If all goes smoothly with work, I’d be leaving in two days,’ he said.
‘So soon?’ Lisa exclaimed.
‘Yea.’
‘Will you be back coming back again?’
‘I don’t know really.’
The sun was almost setting and they were sitting on the bench in front of the café under the jasmine tree. She rested her head on his shoulders and laced her fingers tightly between his, simply wishing for time to stop. Above them, a loft of pigeons flew past, heading back to their nests.

The 7 Days

Day 4

Tyler cursed silently when he felt patches of his shirt clinging to his back. He was beginning to sweat from walking a little bit too swiftly to the train station. He glanced at his watch and it told him that he was already eight minutes behind time. When he arrived, Lisa was already waiting on the platform. He could see that she was twiddling with their tickets. A slumbering stray kitten on the opposite side of the tracks was keeping her attention. He stood still for a moment and studied her. Today, she wore a beige knee length dress sprinkled with navy blue florals. Her hair tied back in a neat bun exposing her ears. She also had on a simple pair of sapphire earrings to compliment the dress. Against the radiance of the morning sun, Tyler thought her beauty was most mesmerizing.

He took a deep breath and walked towards Lisa. She heard him coming and treated him to a glowing smile. He realised that it was this smile that first captivated him when he saw her in the train. This smile that left an imprint of her deep inside of him.
‘Hey, sorry I’m a little late. I sort of misjudged the time it’ll take me to get here,’ he said.
‘Don’t worry ‘bout it. Besides, I had good company to keep me entertained,’ she said indicating to the still snoozing stray.
‘So ... where are we heading to exactly?’ he questioned.
‘You’ll see,’ she replied mischievously.
As Tyler was headed to bed last night, he received a SMS on his mobile from Lisa. He had written his number behind the muffin wrapper before he handed it over to her. The message was rather brief. First was to apologize was messaging him late at night. Second was to ask him if he would like to join her for an outing the next morning. And third was another apology for doing things at the last minute. He replied to her message ‘When and where?’.

A train arrived as they were finishing their coffee from the vending machine.
‘This is us,’ Lisa said as she hopped out of the bench. ‘Don’t ask me anything until we reach our destination okay.’
‘Huh,’ Tyler grunted.
‘Promise?’ she continued.
‘Yes maam,’ he relented.
They boarded the train and being a Sunday, there was hardly anybody on it. They seated themselves side by side and ten minutes later, the station master gave the green light for it to resume its journey.
It wasn’t long before the scenery outside the window took a remarkable change. From the rustic grey buildings of the sleepy town, they were now greeted with a refreshing panorama of endless fields ... a picturesque vista with multiple shades of green and yellow. Rolling hills spread majestically across the horizon and on the cloudless sky above, a pair of swallows was performing an aerial courtship waltz.
The conductor came to verify their tickets and Lisa handed it over to him. It was the same guy who had checked on them a couple of days before when Tyler embarrassed himself in front of Lisa. If the conductor recognised the pair of them, he didn’t show. After he was gone, Lisa smiled at Tyler and continued looking out of the window, allowing herself to be lost once more to the charming landscape on the other side of the glass.
The swaying of the cabin eventually lullabied Tyler to sleep and when he awoke, he found Lisa staring at him. He cautiously checked himself for saliva stains and was relieved when he found none.
‘We’re here,’ she told him demurely.
Tyler got up and gave his body a good stretch before following Lisa onto the platform.
‘So now, can I ask where we’re heading?’ he asked her.
‘You’ll know soon enough,’ she replied.
Just outside the station, there were two rows of double story buildings lined up on both sides of a narrow street. At first glance, Tyler noticed a bakery, a bookshop, a hair saloon and two hardware shops. The remaining others were closed and not a soul was in sight.
‘This way,’ she gestured.
Tyler followed Lisa, keeping a couple of paces behind. For reason unknown, he felt that he didn’t want to invade into her personal space. So for a while, he trailed her in complete silence.
They eventually came to stand in front of a meadow. Hundreds of acres of shimmering grasslands dusted with wild pink fireweeds flourished before them. The view was breathtaking and the air, so clean and crisp. Every now and then, strong gushes of winds would pass, disarraying their hair in all directions.
Lisa stopped to rest on a large tree stump and Tyler sat beside her.
She looked at him and said ‘I want to tell you something.’
Tyler nodded.
Lisa stared ahead, deep in thought and finally said ‘I brought you here to meet someone.’
She paused momentarily.
‘He’s my boyfriend. Or rather he was. He passed away exactly two years ago. Last year, I came here alone and it was petrifying. So many memories of him came flooding back and it suffocated me,’ she continued.
Another pause.
‘It was unbearable,’ she whispered and he saw the first teardrop splattered on the ground.
Tyler didn’t know what to say. ‘Time will heal,’ was all he could offer and the words felt cold coming from him.
‘The worst part is that I’ve never cherished him when he was around,’ Lisa whimpered. ‘I was always busy with my life and never took the time and effort to make him feel loved. I mean, I love him, I really do, it’s just that ... I never showed him,’ she added between sobs. 'Yesterday, when I realised that I needed to come here, I was terrified. So I asked you to come along. Please don't be angry with me.'
'Of course I'm not,' he said meaning every word of it.
She brushed the tears away and stood up. ‘Come. I’ll take you to him.’
They crossed a bridge made of solid old pine with a tiny stream flowing beneath it. The burgundy dirt path led them to a small opening shadowed by dense groupings of red oaks. Beneath one of the trees, a faded marble stone stood erected. There were no engravings of any kind on its smooth surface. They came to stand in front of the stone.
‘His name is Dylan,’ she said.
Her eyes were closed and Tyler guessed that she must be having a private conversation with the man buried there.
After several minutes, she took out a can of Guinness from her bag and placed it on the stone. ‘It was his favourite,’ she said. ‘You know, the both of us used to come here often. We could spend the entire day reading or just napping. It was our special place. Now, it’s the worst place for me to be in.’

He walked towards her and hugged her lightly. He felt her body tensed and then she pressed her head into his chest with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist now.
‘Thank you for being here with me,’ she whispered.
‘My pleasure,’ he responded, noticing a lonesome grey squirrel staring wide eyed at them.

The 7 Days

Day 3

Tyler sat on the bench outside the café with coffee in his hands. The steam rising from his cup blurred his vision of the few pedestrians occupying the quiet street in front of him. A young mother was pushing her baby on one of those ultra modern strollers. Behind her, a boy of about 15 years young was walking his cock-eyed Shih Tzu and finally, a cyclist was zooming past both of them as if being chased by a crashing asteroid.

He wondered if she would show up. This is a weekend afterall. They had parted ways yesterday with a mere ‘See you around’. Tyler didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. He got out of bed just like any other Saturday. He dressed himself in his casual Gap Polo-T paired with a simple bermuda khakis. And yet, something was different inside. Today he was hoping. Hoping to see her again.

‘Hey you,’ came a voice behind him.
He smiled, knowing the owner of that delicate voice. Tyler turned around to face Lisa.
‘Good morning,’ he said. ‘You here on weekends too?’
‘Yeap. Caffeine addict. Guilty as charged,’ she replied, raising both hands in a surrender pose. ‘How come you’re sitting out here today?’
‘Just wanted the fresh air, especially when there’s less traffic around,’ he lied. Truth was, Tyler was afraid she might miss him if he’s tuck in one of the corner tables inside the café. ‘Care to join me?’
She sat down beside him and opened her paper bag. She took out a warm muffin purchased from the café and offered it to him. ‘You want some? I could never finished it.’
He laughed and took out a similar muffin of his own. ‘What flavour you got there?’
‘Blueberry but it’s low fat,’ Lisa answered. ‘You?’
‘White chocolate, the fattening kind,’ he replied with a grin.
The wind blew and rustled the tree that was shading them. Tyler looked up and saw patches of yellow and green. Yellow from the peeping sun rays and green from the pointy leaves.
‘Notice how the leaves appear blackish against the light of the sun?’ he said as he popped the last bit of muffin into his mouth.
‘That’s just the way life is,’ Lisa answered. She offered nothing more.
‘What do you mean?’ he asked after a while.
‘Well, you only miss the green because it looks blackish against the sun. Similarly, people always take what they have for granted. Only with the bad will people appreciate the good. Sadly, it’s often too late when you realised what you have missed,’ she said all too serious.
‘That’s deep, especially for a Saturday morning,’ he tried to lighten the mood.
She looked at him and smiled. ‘Do you know what tree this is?’
He looked up and frowned. ‘Errr, not really. Do you?’
‘It’s a jasmine tree. Older folks refer to it as the tree of sorrow. The flower will bloom at night and fall in the morning, when the sun hits them,’ she answered sagely. ‘As the myth goes, as long as the people beneath it are happy, the flowers will remain. Only sadness will cause them to fall off. Silly myth isn’t it,’ she continued gloomily.
Tyler could see now that Lisa was enveloped with a sense of grief. He wanted to reach out to her. To hold her and tell her everything will be alright. Instead he took out a pen and scribbled a note on his muffin’s wrapper.

They both continued to sit in silence, staring out at the empty street.
Lisa got up to leave. ‘I’ve got to go now. Thanks for keeping me company.’
Tyler got up as well. He gave her a smile then pressed the wrapper into her hand.
She unfolded the crumb stained wrapper and it read ‘After the storm, try looking out for the rainbow’.
‘Goodbye now,’ she said as she hurriedly walked away, hoping Tyler wouldn’t notice the tears glistening in her eyes.

The 7 Days

Day 2

Tyler woke up to the thunderous sounds of blaring trumpets, hollow tubas and smashing cymbals. Since his rented apartment was located next to the local university’s field, he had to put up with all sorts of noises especially on a weekday. The worst being on Friday mornings when the marching band conducted their weekly practice. This was one deficit that wasn’t highlighted by his 84 year old landlord when they negotiated the tenancy agreement and when Tyler brought the subject up, the landlord defiantly told him that he could now save on an alarm clock. The nerve!

He got dressed and headed out to his usual coffee place at the end of the street. He had been frequenting this café for his daily dose of caffeine since he moved into town 3 weeks ago and had learnt that by being there between 7:20 a.m. to 7:30 a.m., you get to beat the morning crowd. There’s just something about the pleasing jingle from the clinking of mugs and whirring from frothing milk that gets his mornings started on a sweeter note. But most of all, he preferred to fill his lungs with the bitter sweet aroma of freshly brewed java instead of being intoxicated by Chanel No.5 and the latest Armani Black Code the yuppies these days love to cloak themselves with.
Today, only one customer was lined up in front of him. The barrista was taking her order and something familiar struck him.
‘Would you like any syrup with it miss?’ the barrista asked.
‘Just two pumps of vanilla please,’ the customer answered.
‘And you name miss?’
‘Lisa’
‘Here’s your receipt Lisa. Please wait at the corner for your coffee. Thank you and come again’. The barrista scribbled Lisa on the paper cup and passed it to her colleague manning the machine.
Tyler couldn’t take his eyes off Lisa. This is Lisa from the train. Lisa who witnessed one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. Lisa who laughed at him. Lisa who offered him wet wipes. Lisa who went into the opposite direction. Lisa whom he thought he will never meet again. Lisa who left a twitch in his heart when she walked away. The phrase love at first sight was creeping into his mind when the barrista interrupted him to take his order.
‘What’s it going to be for you today Sir?’
‘Ummm, just straight black,’ he replied without taking his eyes of her. She was now standing at the other end of the counter, iPod plugged in and reading Dickens.
Tyler thought to himself if its possible for someone to read and listen to music at the same time.
‘Anything else Sir?’
‘No. That’ll be all. Thanks.’
‘Your name Sir?’
‘Lisa.’
‘Huh?’
‘Oh God. I mean Tyler.’
‘Your coffee will be with you in a minute Tyler. Please proceed to the corner. Thank you and come again.’
He caught the barrista sniggering as he walked away and was sure that this was going to be topic of the day for the staff at the cafe. Bloody punk Tyler thought to himself.
Lisa was too self absorbed in her book to notice Tyler or anything else for that matter. So when her coffee came, she knocked it over by accident, spilling the brown liquid all over the counter top. She gasped, more from shock than the scalding of her hand. She took two steps backwards a little too hastily and bumped right into Tyler.
‘Sorry,’ Lisa said before even looking at him.
‘No worries,’ he replied, holding her shoulders firmly.
That was when she saw and recognised him.
‘Here you go … Lisa,’ he said, handing his packet of Kleenex to her.
The barrista was done cleaning up the mess and said ‘Here’s your coffee Tyler.’
A hesitant pause, a little smile and she took it from his hands. ‘Thanks Tyler.’

The 7 Days

Day 1

‘Excuse me sir, your ticket please,’ asked the conductor almost too regally.
Tyler stirred and let out an involuntary groan for the sudden influx of light from the afternoon rays stung his eyes.
The conductor cleared his throat, his stare brimming of irritation.
Tyler searched every compartment in his rucksack but couldn’t find his ticket stub.
‘Did you purchase a ticket for this ride … Sir?’ the conductor said, punctuating the final word with a dollop of menace.
‘Yea, just gimme a minute. It’s here somewhere,’ replied Tyler, this time searching on the cabin floor.
Then he heard a voice. ‘Try your shirt pocket,’ she said.
He looked up and sitting opposite him was a girl, smiling. His gaze stood transfixed on her causing her blood to flush her cheeks a little. She then gestured towards his chest. Tyler looked down and saw a piece of white stub sticking out against the red and black of his chequered shirt. He promptly handed the ticket over to the conductor who glanced at it, handed it back to Tyler and left without another word.
The train continued chugging along its century old tracks, gently swaying the cabin sideways.
‘Err, thanks,’ Tyler said.
‘No problem,’ she answered. ‘You must’ve had a really good sleep huh,’ she continued.
‘What do you mean?’ he replied.
She grinned cheekily and using her eyes, pointed towards the corner surface of the table resting in between them.
He saw a small pool of liquid and took it all but 2 seconds to realize what it was. By instinct, he quickly rested his elbow on his puddle of saliva and felt the cooling sensation soaking up the sleeve of his shirt. It was repulsive but no where near the embarrassment he was suffering at that moment.
The girl laughed out loud and Tyler wished he had a hole he could crawl into now. The girl placed a packet of wet wipes on the table but he chose to ignore it.
She then fished out a book from her bag and began reading. The worn out hardcopy had A Tale of Two Cities labelled on it and Tyler wondered to himself, who the heck still read Dickens nowadays.
He was on the brink of dozing off again when the train began slowing down. The name of the next station came over the crackling loudspeakers as the metallic wheels let out an ear splitting screech. Tyler got up and swung the rucksack over his shoulder. He noticed the girl bookmarking her novel and then placing it back delicately into her bag. She also pocketed her tissue she had offered to him earlier.
They were the only ones who got off at the platform. He was in front and she, a couple of steps behind. He felt her gaze weighing down his shoulders and increased his pace. They both reached the exit of the station and headed in opposite directions. Tyler glanced over his shoulder and saw the girl walking with her face buried in the Dickens classic once more.

X'mas 2010, New Year and 2011 ... so far

I managed to schedule myself to be back on X'mas eve. I haven't been home for X'mas for the past two years and it's just not right (in my books) to be celebrating the yuletide without your loved ones. Anyways, at the airport, I was informed that my flight home will be delayed no less than 3 hours. Apparently the plane taking me home is flying in from Dublin and the chaotic weather over in Europe is the cause of the delay. Don't know bout you peeps but I simply hate spending time in the airport. Ate a cheeseburger at the Happy Hippo restaurant and then lazed the next couple of hours away reading magazines and listening to my Ipod.

When I eventually touched down in KL, it was during the evening rush hour and by the time I reached home, it was time for the annual X'mas eve dinner at my grandma's. At least wifey being there to greet me when I reached home made up for it :) After dinner, I went over to the in laws to pay them a visit before heading home to my parent's for the X'mas countdown. We usually exchange gifts after the countdown but because Shaun had to work late that night, we postponed it to the next day.

For X'mas morning, we went for mass at The Church of Divine Mercy in Glenmarie. Chit chatted with some of my relatives after mass before heading to Paparich for breakkie. Ooo how I miss nasi lemak!!! After that, did some errands before heading back to my parents to give and receive pressies. This year, I got shirts, towel and a set of bowls. On a sadder note, the shirt that wifey got me shrunk when I tumble dried it *DAMNIT!!!*

For the rest of the time, wifey and I spent quite some time in the kitchen experimenting on different recipes, mostly from Jamie Oliver's cookbook. We had great fun and the food turned out pretty darn good too ... well, most of it lah. Seems that wifey got bitten by the cooking bug and she seems to have developed quite the talent :) Am sure we'll be trying out more when I'm home the next trip.

We also managed to steal a li'll bit of time to watch Gulliver's Travel. Nothing like the classic by Jonathan Swift, this one took a playful twist starring Jack Black. I'd rate it 5 out of 10 but it was ok cause it was quite some time ago since wifey and I watched a movie together.

Oh and I also had some of the Sheffield boys (my ex uni mates) and their better halves over at our crib. We had quite a good time catching up over wine, garlic bread and my failed apple crumble *boo hoo*

On Dec 29th, I woke up real early and drove to Alban's home. I was to be a member of his red army ... one of his 'heng tai' for his wedding to Samantha. It was rather nice being part of all the fun and games devised by the 'chee muis' and I actually ate a banana laden with enough wasabi for an entire year's worth of Jap food ... while doing push ups no less. Later picked wifey up for the church ceremony in Assumption Church. After the wedding service, we and two other couples headed to Kanna Curry House for some authentic banana leaf rice. It was awesome I tell you. *droolz* Later in the evening, we made our way to Cyberview Lodge Resort and Spa for the wedding dinner and it conclusion, the wedding was a beautiful one indeed. Met Jason (in the gents ... haha) from Jason Geh's entertainment who also played at our wedding. What suprised me was that Jason still remembers us.

For New Year's eve, wifey and I cooked dinner at home ... a simple meal for two. In fact, her pork chop is so good, she'll be preparing them again for the upcoming CNY Eve dinner. *Yay* We later met up with some gym peeps at Starbucks for the countdown. While waiting, we played a li'll Taboo to pass the time. When the clock struck 12, only our group was making some sorta noise while the others just stared at us as if we had gone bonkers ... *party poopers* :p

Since Ji's b'day is on the 3rd of Jan, we decided to celebrate his big day a li'll earlier to coincide with the weekend. This time around, instead of buying him a cake, wifey had the idea of making him one. In the end, we made a tray full of fairy cakes with blueberry and chocolate icing. It turned out rather delicious and everyone enjoyed them.

Soon it was time for me to head back to Babu Babi ... :((( Met our company's accountant who was on the same flight as I was. Weather back here is cool and nice since it's winter now. But that is essentially the only pleasant part being back here. We'll be shifting out soon to the outskirts since our villa's tenancy is expiring. Sighhh , as if life isn't sucky enough, soon we'll be practically staying in the middle of nowhere. *Sighhh* To make matters worse, we also have to shift out of our office cabins and into the plant itself. Apparently, our cabins are located on top of a pipeline which needed to be relocated. This is the third time we're relocating already. *Siennn* And to make matters worse, the isn't any phone reception inside the plant and it is also not internet-ready. Sometimes I wonder what management are thinking?!

Also, I can only head home just before the eve of CNY since a bunch of consultants will be making their way here for some redundant work. Can't understand why must they only be here so near towards CNY and why must we accomodate them so. All are chicken shit, that's why. I wouldn't mind it so much given if it was before I got married. Now things are different and I have two families to 'take care' of. When I highlighted this fact, all I got in return was this lame reply ... 'No choice lo'. KNN! Like I said ... chicken shit!

Also, no internet means less communication with wifey. Today she sms-ed me bout encountering with a road bully of sorts. I was boiling inside knowing that there's nothing I could do being so far away from her. It kept replaying in my mind that if I was at the scene of the incident, I would love to stick my shoe so deep into that MOFO's arse he'll be tasting my soles with his tongue. Fucking Malay idiot!

Oh and while jogging earlier today, I almost got hit by a car because the moron behind the wheel doesn't know how to utilize his signal indicator *dumbass*

That's all for now folks ... feels a tad bit better after ranting. :p

Ciao

Guns n Roses Live in Abu Dhabi

A couple of weeks ago, news all over was abuzz that the legendary hard rockers Guns N Roses would be coming over to Abu Dhabi for a one day only concert. When I first heard bout it, I brushed it off thinking 'No Freakin' Way!'. Not long after that, it was official ... Thinkflash, a local events company announced in all major publications that the show was on. The best part, general admission tickets were going for AED150 (approx. RM125). VIP tics a.k.a. Golden Circle tics cost AED450. A couple of my colleagues were all excited and began planning for this 'MUST SEE' event.

In the end, eight of us including Ferdie, a chap from our sub contractor's company confirmed our attendance by purchasing the tickets. What's even better was that if tickets were purchased in batches of 4, we get AED25 off ... which translated to only AED125 a stub. Now this is a real STEAL!!! :D


So on Dec 16, we packed up and left work slightly earlier that usual. Once at the villa, everyone rushed to freshen up and had an early dinner. At 6:15pm. we were on the road ... bound for the Yas Arena (next to the Yas Marina F1 circuit and Ferrari World) where the concert was to be held. Ferdie decided to go on his own since he wasn't ready by the time we left. On the way there, Khairi was already blasting Sweet Child O Mine from his mobile just to get everyone in the mood. Our driver wasn't very sure of the direction but luckily all we had to do was to follow the throng of vehicles headed towards the same direction.

After a slight traffic congestion, we arrived and had to walk a couple of hundred meters from the car park to the arena. That was ok though as the weather was sublimingly cool. Along the way, we also feasted our eyes Ferrari World's rollercoaster track. It looked amazing and am sure the ride is even more so. Everywhere you see people donning GnR T-Shirts chatting excitedly ... obviously waiting for the show to begin in eager anticipation. The MASSIVE crowd of 25000 were made up of mostly Westerners, Filipinos, Indians and locals. A good mix that clearly proved GnR have reached out and garnered fans from every corner of the globe.

At about half past 7pm, we made our way through the front gates of the arena. It's my first time there and I must add that the place is rather impressive. Humongous open field area that allowed the concert goers to bask beneath the bright crescent moon and the millions of twinkling stars ... but the only stars everyone were waiting to see had to be the ones getting ready backstage. :)

While waiting, we browsed at the merchandise booth and they only had pathetic Yas's t-sirts and caps ... nothing from GnR whatsoever. *Boo hoo* Anyway, I headed to the booth with a big sign that read 'Beer Only'. For AED30, I snagged myself an ice cold pint of Heineken. What's a rock concert without booze eh :p Also available were other non-alco drinks and finger food i.e. kebab rolls, fries etc.

We picked a spot behind the VIP area facing the center of the stage. Those VIP ticket holders have proper seatings while the rest of us 'poor' folks had to stand. But then again, wouldn't it be weird watching a rock concert seating down? By 8pm, the crowd were pressing in and there was no need for a jacket despite it being winter over here. Both the large LCD screens on stage were playing a mix of adverts while the speakers were blarring mostly pop rock tunes.

At precisely quarter past 8pm, the lights on stage went out and a bunch of guys positioned themselves behind their intruments. Introducing themselves as Juliana Down (a local western rock band), the pumped out a couple of their songs which this blogger think is very very mediocre. Credit must be given as they tried really hard to get the crowd going but it's just isn't good enough. About half and hour later, they thanked the crowd and made their way ot of the stage. The stage crew then went about tuning the drums and guitars for the main event guys. It's very apparent that everyone was filled with uncontrollable eagerness. The level of expectation created electricity in the air.

But alas, we waited and waited ... each time the organizers tested the stage lights, the crowd went wild ... thinking that the show was finally starting only to be left dissapointed when another lousy song blasted on the speakers. We bitched amongst ourselves that the band was probably OD-ing backstage *lol* but I personally think they weren't even at the venue yet at that time. I guess this is what rockstars do ... revving up the enthusiasm by being exceptionally late :p

Our spot was very close to the camera crew's podium. So when I saw two burly guys climbing up and stationed themselves behind their respective cameras, I knew this is it!!! I grew up in high school listening to the few of GnR's better known hits and to somehow see these idols performing live is some sort of a dream come true. Before this I never thought I'd ever see GnR rocking it live, so this is one item I can cross out of my bucket list :)

The lights went out. The crowd cheered deafeningly. Everyone was clapping, shouting and wolf-whistling wildly. The screen played a collage of images from the band's latest album, Chinese Democracy and then the screeching sounds from Slash's guitar sent everyone into a fanatical frenzy. Axl Rose then came out and belted out one of their newer hits. Don't ask me what song it was cause I'm only familiar with their older ones. :p


Here's the opening in case you guys wanna see it ...

They rocked and they rocked HARD ... non stop for the next two and a half hours. All the tiredness from standing for the past 3 hours or so seemed to be have evaporated. There were quite a few solo performances which were nothing short of amazing but it was after Slash's solo effort that he 'goreng-ed' his guitar for Sweet Child O Mine. This is when things EXPLODED!!! Everyone started headbanging in unison and I couldn't even hear Axl cause everyone else including yours truly were singing along at the very top of our lungs. The other GnR 'classics' I really enjoyed last night were Knocking On Heaven's Door, November Rain and Don't Cry.


Here's the ending to November Rain with Axl on the piano ...

One incident stained the outing when a jackass from behind thought it'd be funny to throw a pint of beer on the people in front. So a bunch of us got drizzled by Heineken. It's not that big of a deal for me but for my Muslim colleagues, it was a big turnoff. We suspected that it was done by one of the ang moh teenagers since the group was getting rowdy ... moshing around with their shirts off. Subsequently, another group ... also ang mohs confronted them and a near scuffle ensued. But the efficiency of the organizers was showcased as the security bouncers appeared out of no where and neutralised the situation instantaneously so everyone else could get back to enjoying the concert.

It wasn't long before they guys bid everyone goodbye and the lights went off but the show wasn't over. Why you asked? ... cause the camera guys were still manning their stations very attentively. *Haha* Everyone shouted 'We Want More!!!' and it didn't take 5 minutes before the band was out again and the crowd roared.

The show finished with a bang with Paradise City. The stage was fantastic with no expense spared. The lightings were breath taking ... in fact, the best I've ever seen and the spontaneous filming editing by the crew was superb. Most importantly, the showmanship by each and everyone of the band members were incredibly astounding. Slash also displayed his trademark ciggie on the guitar :) With a combination of fireworks, shooting fireballs and a shower of confettis ... this is without a doubt the best concert I've been to as echoed by my colleagues as well. Okay ... so I've not been to that many anyways but you get my drift. *Haha* Guns N Roses ... truly rock legends in their own right!

Before this, I never imagined ever seeing GnR rocking it live before my eyes and I'm glad I did. As we made our way home, my knees were aching, the neck sore and my throat parched but the overall satisfaction more than made up for it. Tiesto will be playing in Feb and I heard Metallica is headed this way too. Oh boy!!! ... >:D

Note : The two videos above were taken off Youtube

UPDATE : That wasn't Slash that played that night ... read the comments.

The One Where We Moved In :)

So I went back home for a short trip recently with one main agenda in mind. It's something both the wife and I have been planning and looking forward to but I'll come to that later.

I exited the gates of the KLIA to be greeted by gloomy grey skies ... not suprising since it's now the dreaded monsoon season. Wifey took the day off to pick me up from the airport but I was being all cranky from the severe lack of proper rest. I guess it's the built up from weeks of lousy slumber and the red eye flight I was on was absolutely torturous with a toddler literally screaming his head off through out the 7 hour flight. If only murder wasn't a crime, I wouldn't think twice about flushing that li'll bugger down the toilet.

Anyways, I perked up after getting my much needed dose of caffeine at Old Town Kopitiam with the family. From there, wifey and I adjourned to the in-laws and we were presented with a gift from YJ. It's one of em' steamboat cum grill set which I'm certain we'll put to good use. :)

We then braved the rush hour traffic frenzy to the gym in PJ for a special Body Combat class by Peekae (a Les Mills Master Trainer from our nothern neighbour). The crowd was overwhelming without an inch of space to spare in the studio. Even with the intteruption of the failed sound system, it was a awesome class and I enjoyed the preview to the upcoming release. After a good workout, wifey and I treated ourselves to some delicious grub along Jalan 223 ... we feasted on Hokkien Mee, ikan bakar and ling chee kang. And that concludes Day 1.

The next day, we met the in-laws for breakfast before taking Bryan to the hypermarket for some grocery shopping. Bryan was gonna serve us chicken chop for lunch and we spent quite a fair bit of time buying the ingredients as wifey and I were also shopping for our own. Back at the in-law's place, I met Bryan's other half for the first time and Abby turned out to be a rather pleasant girl. Although it was a wee bit too salty, Bryan's chicken chop in mushroom sauce is good enough to sell. Credit must also be given for his efforts in the presentation of the dish. Later that night, wifey and I thougt of heading to Feast Village for dinner but detoured to Paya Serai @ PJ Hilton instead since it's been a while since we both had buffet. The spread was decent and by the time I paid the bill, satay and rendang were oozing out of my ears.

We met up with the Lims for lunch the next day at Duck King @ Jaya One. Shaun's buying in conjunttion with his graduation from the management trainee program. The food was excellent and we adjounred thereafter to Starbucks for coffee. Later that night, we attended a friend's wedding dinner and it was good to catch up with some ol' mates. Food was aplenty that night since 4 others from our table decided to emulate Houdini's dissapearing act.

We were invited by the in laws for lunch the next day. Tony Roma opened a new outlet along Jln Yap Kwan Seng and wifey's parents being regular customers were invited to grace its pre opening. The management of Tony Roma wanted to train their staff and so we were the designated 'guinea pigs' to test out how well the team was doing. Food was delicious although teething problems with the service were encountered. That is to be expected though and we couldn't really complain much since the entire meal was on the house. *Woot*

Alas, disaster soon struck. It was pouring heavily and Rain (our family dog) was barking like crazy as he is terrified of thunder. So to calm him down, dad released him from his leash, so he was roaming free within the porch area. When I got home, I totally forgot that Rain was unleashed despite my dad sms-ing me earlier bout it. The moment I opened the gate, Rain dashed out of the house. By the time I parked my car in and went out to look for him, he was no where to be found. Dad and I drove around the area but there was no sign of the furry bugger. This isn't the first time Rain 'escaped', so we were hoping that he would eventually find his way home, just like last time. Wifey and I hit the gym later that evening but I guess Rain being missing really affected me. Halfway through the class, I lost focus and left abruptly. We had a simple dinner of porridge before calling it a day.

We woke up early the next day and had some dim sum in USJ 21. Still no sign of Rain but we've got pressing matters at hand. Today is the day wifey and I are officially moving into our home. We bought a small condo and spend the last couple of months doing up the place. Bit by bit, the place is almost complete now and we're proud to call it home. After breakfast, we went to Carrefour for some last minute shopping before making our way to he condo. My mom had earlier prepared an auspicious basket of pineapple and oranges as a token of luck and prosperity. I've also printed out a list I found on the internet pertaining to the do's and don'ts of moving into a new home. We turned on the lights, gas and water for some time and opened all the windows to regulate the flow of 'chi' in the house. We also boiled some water and sprinkled a mixture of rice, salt and tea leaves on all corners to ward off uninvited guests. :p Next, we hung up a piece of red cloth at the main entrance and placed sweets on all desk and table tops ... apparently this is for garnering wealth. Better to be safe than sorry no? *Hehe* We then said a simple prayer before 'asking' all 'uninvited guests' to please vacate the house. *BOOOooo ...*

We then busied ourselves to prepare for dinner. Both our families were coming as well as a couple of YJ's and Bryan's friends. We cooked some and bought the rest. Our families helped as well. Mom prepared her signature chicken curry and helped with the dessert. Shaun made his trademark almond jelly while YJ whipped up an awesome raspberry and blueberry cheesecake. Sree made roasted chicken, yellow rice and fried up a very tasty dish of mixed vegetables. I made 'char siew', salad and coleslaw while Ah Yi added a fruit salad (which kicked my salad's ass) as well as a cheese dip that went along very well with crackers. We also ordered satay ... A LOT of satay and some ketupat to add on to the menu. Oh yea, we also had some nyonya kuih that added pretty colours to the food spread. Everyone enjoyed the sumptious meal except Shaun who couldn't make it due to work commitments. Ryan presented us with an ice bucket as a housewarming gift. He knew I was eyeing it at the Kitchen Shop previously. *Thanks bro*

We ate drank and be merry. By the time the party ended and we all helped with the cleaning, we were totally worn out and I slept like a log. Wifey had a little trouble adjusting to sleeping at our new home though.

When we woke up the next day, we vacuumed and mopped the entire house since we didnt do it the day before. Apparently we weren't suppose to clean up the 'luck' on the first day of moving in. :p

We re-heated up the balance of the food from the night before and wifey's family came by again to help us 'kautim' all those grub. Later that evening, we had a few friends from gym drop by to see our place. Ping arrived first while Sharon and Celest busied themselves shooting photos before we went to Madam Kwan's @ Empire Galery for dinner. After that, we walked around the mall for a bit before heading home.

I promised Wifey that I'll cook her a meal, so we went to Sunway Pyramid for grocery shopping at Giant Hypermarket. Lunch was at Canton-I and it wasn't long before we were home and I started preparing for dinner. Since there seemed to be quite a lot of food, wifey suggested we invite my family over to join us for dinner. Mom, Dad and Ryan took us up on the offer. Shaun couldn't make it again due to work. :(

Anyways, it was going to be a simple meal of soy sauce chicken, pickle veg soup, stir fried mix vegs and fried rice. Sounds easy and I'm sure it is for most people but it's the first time I'm cooking for five people ... so this is pretty huge for me. *haha*. The food turned out to be pretty okay, so I'm giving myself a pat on the back for that. *pat pat* For dessert, I made caramelised pear with honey and orange sauce and vanilla ice cream. Although it didn't exactly turn out the way it was supposed to, I reckon it wasn't half bad either. *keke*

Now here's the amazing part. Just before dinner time ... mom called to tell us they are going to be late. Apparently someone called and said he might know where Rain is. Here's the story. The day before, my dad was chatting with one of his client and the subject of Rain goine missing surfaced. So his client suggested that my dad check out Paws (a center for dogs and cats), just in case someone who found Rain might have brought him there. My dad went to Paws and met an elderly couple who enquired if my dad was there to adopt a dog. My dad told them bout Rain and soon the couple were describing Rain's looks. Apparently, their son had a friend who called the day before saying that there was a lost dog near my housing area. Someone had tied Rain to a lamp post hoping that its rightful owner would be able to come and claim him. By the time the couple's son went there after work, he said Rain wasn't at the lamp post anymore. The son's friend also took a photo of Rain and posted it on FB. My dad then asked for a copy of the photo to confirm that it is indeed our Rain. The next day, just as my family were getting ready to come over to our place for dinner, they received a call from the couple's son who said he might know where Rain is. My dad and Ryan met the young chap at a temple in SS13 and indeed they found Rain there :D Looks like it's all been fated as a string of coincidences miraculously led Rain back home to us. When we bought Rain ... it was raining heavily. When we lost Rain, it was raining heavily. When we found Rain, it was raining heavily. Hmmm ...

Anyway, suffice to say, everyone was really glad that four legged rascal is safely back home and dinner that night tasted especially delish!

The next day, we took things easy. We were suppose to head to Ikea to buy a serving tray and some stools but ended up spending a lot of moolah on so many other stuff. Everything is soooo tempting to buy there and it's excruciating to say 'no' to them. *Blehhh* Later that night, we made our way to Kepong for a friends' gathering at Eric's place. Although not the entire SASA gang was present, it was a good catch up session nonetheless.

On Saturday, we had our housewarming session with the same SASA gang. Good thing is more of them were able to make it this time around. The menu was almost identical to the food we had with our families before except this time, we had spring hoppers (putu mayam) instead of rice. I would like to think everyone had a jolly good time. We ate, drank and be merry. Got ourselves a couple of nice gifts as well. As our last guest left and we cleaned up the place, it was already past 3:00 a.m. It's been a while since wifey and I partied till the wee hours. O_O

Next morning, I went to church and was about to head home for lunch when Shaun called to say his car suffered from a tyre puncture. So after we both fixed his tyre, I got him over as well for lunch and we were joined by Ah Yi's sister and family. We polished the leftover food from the night before. Haha ... not good to waste food ma.

We barely had time to digest before we made our way to Lemon Garden @ Shangrila Hotel for a scrumptious buffet dinner with my family. The food spread was nothing short of splendid and we makan makan makan. *nom nom nom* This time, it was wifey who overstuffed herself but who could blame her ... the food was THAT good.

The next day, we ran some errands before I headed back to the sand pit. Till my next trip home ...

P.S. Photos for all the above will be on my FB :)

Ip4 vs BB vs Andr.

Source : Soyacincau

Happy Birthday Baby :)

They say distance makes the heart grow fonder

But every waking moment I wonder and I ponder

My thoughts echo the feelings of my heart

The wretched bitterness from us being apart

On the same day last year, a promise was made

That this time, surely I’ll be around to celebrate

To be together to cherish this special day of yours

Instead of sending flowers from an online store

But alas, here I am missing another opportunity

I hope to make it up from now till eternity

Although beside you I cannot be today

My affections and love ... you can feel I pray

To the very love of my life

Happy Birthday my darling wife

Everytime I listen to this song, it reminds me of you ...
Everytime I think of you ... my day gets a little less blue ...

My Memoir ... Life in the U.A.E. so far

Cliche' as this may sound but truly, I remembered it as if it was yesterday ... my boss called me into his room. He sat me down and gave it straight to me without beating around the bush. The company wanted to send me to the U.A.E. ... its capital, Abu Dhabi to be exact ... to construct a district cooling plant. He said the project duration is planned at 20 months but he was pretty certain that we could easily finish at 16. 20 months on paper was just playing it safe he said. I asked him if this was a request or an instruction. He just smiled. I told him I needed to consult my surgeon to check if I was physically fit to work under such environment. Four months prior, I had undergone two surgeries on my brain and spine. I was still recovering. Truth to be told, I didn't know if I wanted to go or not. Hence, I decided to let my surgeon help me decide. When I met the doc, Prof. Vicky, he asked me how I felt bout myself. I shrugged. 'Ok I guess'. But I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't anticipate for the unknown. Before I left, the doc said that in the worst case scenario, I can always hop on the next flight and come home. I couldn't argue with that.

The other fact was at that time, I just got involved with someone. For some time I pursued her but my labour wasn't fruitful. Only when I told her about my surgery that she realised what her heart had wanted all along ... and that was to be with me. She visited me almost everyday while I was warded in the hospital. Since the damaged nerve on my arm was causing me pain, she often massaged it till she doze off. I reckon that earned her major brownie points in my parents' eyes. :) During my recovery period, we got closer than ever. Life was blissful indeed. I told her about me being asked to work in Abu Dhabi. We talked about it and she felt she have no right to stop me. Logically speaking, it was a good oppurtunity for me career wise. I figured that it would give me a head start on life. A couple of weeks before I was due to depart, we planned for a getaway on a little island. As the waves lapped the shore and the sun bidding the day goodbye, I popped the question and asked her to be mine. She said yes.

On the 28th of July 2008, I boarded the plane with a heavy heart. Seven hours later, I touched down and hailed a cab to the hotel. The humidity was atrocious and for the first time in my life, my feet were literally sweating. I hated the place already. The next morning, I was greeted by one of my colleague who brought me to an Indian restaurant opposite the hotel for breakfast. The place was small and reeked of sweat and customers were packed in it like sardines. For the following 10 days, my colleague and I had all our meals there for convenience sake. Eventually, I got used to the flies hovering over my food and flicking away the roaches that were occupying my seat.

The other thing that needed getting used to was the sweltering heat. The rays were most unforgiving and blazed every inch of the city. I tried to stay indoors as much as possible but there were times where I had no choice. Once, our freelance driver left me by the highway because he needed to rush off to pick up another customer. I had to make a mad dash across the highway and hope I wouldn't end up as roadkill. Good to note that we never engaged his service after that.

There was also the time where our office was raided by Immigration officers. Our visas and work permits were in the hands of our Public Relations Officer (PRO) then, so we were hauled up to the Immigration Department and since their detention area was undergoing renovation works, we were remained in their transport vehicle ... a caged van. Funny enough, two of my female colleagues were not 'detained' despite not being able to produce the required documents. Anyway, our PRO rushed to us and helped sorted out the issue. Looking back now, it was quite an experience.

Work was slow, there was an issue with a water pipe belonging to the government which cut acrossed our construction site that prevented us to start work. It took eons for them to relocate that bloody pipe before we could do anything. When work eventually kicked off, we had to deal with unscrupulous subcontractors ... all trying to make mince meat of us given the lack of experience we have working in this region. Being the only sheep surrounded by a pack of wolves isn't a pleasant feeling. Malaysian contractors were labelled as being too soft, too trusting, too obliging and I guess we lived up to that billing initially. We learned many things the hard way over here ... but through blood, tears and sweat (literally), we're finally sprinting towards the finishing line (I hope).

Weather in the city was more forgiving than in the desert. Here, the sun scorched everything. I found it to be unbearable initially. A visit to the stuffy loo was excruciating. It's like being in a natural sauna except that the thermostat was cranked to maximum temperature all the time. Spend 5 minutes in there and we'll be drenched in our own sweat from head to toe. If you want to lose water retention, I bet there isn't a better way :p

Our clients and supervising consultants, after dealing day in and day out with them, I can confidently conclude that they are either lazy or stupid. Most of the time, they fullfill both criteria. They talk well and they present well. But shake em' up a fair bit and the phrase 'an empty tin can makes the most noise' comes to mind. Nevertheless, their incompetence isn't entirely a bad thing. There are times where it works to our advantage. We get things done easier since they know jack shit bout the actual work. I've acquired the skill to butter up people's ego real nice throughout my duration here. *Yay*

There really isn't much to do for leisure in this part of the region. Ok, so maybe there are but the option is not made available to me. I don't possess my own car here. So getting around is a real drag. Imagine walking to the bus stand under the desert sun ... NOT FUN! In addition, cost of living here is pretty high. Most of us are here to save up the money we earn. So the limited spending power also tightens the leash on our wallet. With that being said, all is not lost. Certain things are cheaper than it is back home. Vehicles here are being sold tax free ... no import duties, no road tax etc. So I see Porches here as often as I see Protons back home. I come across Bentleys on a daily basis ... you get the picture. The money I paid for my Honday City back home ... I can afford an Accord here with change to spare. I've also re-discovered my affection for Gap. Yeap, the American casual clothing retailer. The trick is to buy when its on sale. So what if it's last season's line ... a Gap T-shirt for AED29 (bout RM24) is a good bargain in my books. In M'sia, the Gap sales are a rare occurence and even then, it's crappy. Just yesterday, I was scouting around at for an Ipod docking station and was told that it's cheaper by about 30-35% compairing to prices back home ... depending on the brand and model of course *woot*

Now let's get on to my diet. Since being here two and a half years ago, I've taken more curries than I did in my entire life. The same goes for McDonalds, instant noodles, briyani and 'yong sum so' (some chinese herbal roots supposedly works well to cool the body). Overall, my food intake is appalingly unhealthy but it really isn't much of a choice. When there's only one kitchen shared by almost 16 others ... we can't afford to be fussy. The company used to hire a 'chef' to prepare our daily meals. This chef was previously working at a mamak restaurant in KL, so to him, chicken curry and mutton curry is an entirely different. To me ... curry is curry. And curry we had almost everyday. When management decided to let the chef go to cut the company's expenses, we relied a lot on instant noodles. they say beggars can't be choosers, so who am I to argue with that. Besides that, with only a part time cleaner who comes in to clean the place once a week, we share the kitchen with thousands of roaches. Nasty buggers who won the battle against every insecticide available on the market. Our request for management to hire a pest exterminator is still pending. Sighhh ...

Appliances in the villa is constantly breaking down ... especially the air-conditioners. Being in the Middle East, not having AC is akin to not having air to breathe. When the owner of the villa signed the rental agreement with us, he insisted that maintenance of the place should be borned by us. I guess we were conned again then. Funnily enough, almost each time we got a repairman to service a broken AC, another unit will give problems shortly after. I'm beginning to suspect something foul is going on but without proof, it's my word against theirs. Mind you, these repair charges comes from our own pocket and not the company's.

My colleague's and I are housed in a three storey villa. Inside, there are a few rooms on each floor. Some of us have to share rooms while others are fortunate to have their own. I had my own space until someone of higher position was hired and I had to relinquish my room cause no one wanted to share with him. Ok, so none of us could stand him cause he's no more than an bungling wanker. When his service was terminated, we said good riddance to old rubbish and I gladly moved back into my old room. I get along generally well with most of my colleagues but then again ... to see the same faces almost 24/7 was more than I could bear. Imagine seeing them the moment you wake up, during meals, during working hours, after working hours etc. ... not exactly my cup of tea. Also, to have so many people of different characters living under one roof, conflicts and difference of opinion are bound to occur. In addition, having an inconsiderate superior who thinks he's king of the world despite being out of office doesn't help. How would you like for your boss to come over to your house after working hours and still boss you around? Mostly on Fridays which is my day off, I will head to a nearby mall for a movie and then hole myself in a quaint cosy cafe for a cuppa. With soft music and high speed internet, this is the luxury escapade I permit myself to indulge in. It helps keep things in balance or I swear I will start going on a killing rampage. Haha. There's only one TV in the villa and the boss ... yea, that inconsiderate one will be occupying it most of the time. So to pass the time, I read for leisure. Soon the bookshelf at home wouldn't have enough space to accomodate my collection of books :p

What about the people here you ask? Well, we have all sorts to make this world go round. I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. The local Emiratis make up the minority while expats and labourers from all over the globe poured in with the promise of a better life and a fatter pay cheque. I'm pretty certain you heard stories of how selfish and unreasonable some Emiratis can be ... especially the rich ones ... well, it's true most of em' are ridiculously wealthy. Either through inheritance or support from the government / royal family, some of these people have taken their priviledge for granted and have gone to the extend of abusing it. Take for instance, I've witnessed a local lady parking her car outside a grocery store. She honked repeatedly for the shopkeeper to come out to attend to her. After about 5 minutes of no response, she called the police who came and arrested every worker in the shop. These poor buggers were released later in the day. On another occasion, I was part of a massive queue at the local telco provider's office. We each had our number and was waiting for our turn. Two local men just waltzed in and demanded to be served immediately and their request was met. On a plane, a little boy refused to be buckled up as the plane was about to take off. His mother sitting beside him said she could do nothing as it isn't within her right to tell the little brat what to do. Only his dad (who wasn't on that flight) can do so. Beggars belief huh. I'm not saying all locals are rotten ... I'm simply implying that some of them are and it's these maggots that are tarnishing the overall reputation of their nation.

Before my surgery, I used to hit the gym almost everyday. I enjoyed working out and teaching classes in the gym's studio on a part time basis. Not only did it enabled me to avoid paying for gym membership fees, the gym pays me in return. The additional income made it possible to spend on luxuries I wouldn't have otherwise been able to afford. The experience from teaching transformed me from being an introvert into an extrovert. I enjoyed making new friends and meeting new people. I socialised and was enjoying it. Over here, gym memberships cost a bomb. Hence, I resolved to running. So everyday, I would run around my villa area to maintain in shape. Not easy to keep this up since it's getting really really reallyyy mundane. I've also missed out on many outings with my friends and had to skip weddings and birthday parties. Thank God for Facebook ... at least through it, I'm not entirely cut out from everyone I know back home :p

Now on to better things. Let's face it, the main reason most of us are willing to work here is because we're lured by the moolah. To be honest, it's not as good as some might think, but it's definitely better than what we could earn back home. It afforded me a proper wedding and a wonderful honeymoon. Not only that, I'm now the proud owner of a humble abode ... a little place for Wifey and me to call home.

So all in all, being here for the past 28 months have blessed me with some and at the same time taken some away from me. To look at it from a positive angle ... with the bad, I learned to appreciate the good. If given the choice to do it all over again ... I guess I wouldn't change a thing. I say this now since I'm almost done with this place. If all goes well, I shall bid it goodbye by year end and the thought of heading home for good ... into the arms of my wife and being in the presence of family and friends ... now that's something I've been looking forward to for a long time now. Wish me luck! :)

A Fairytail : Chapter 16

‘You’ve all got ten more minutes,’ the examination invigilator boomed over the microphone. Anna was writing furiously trying to cramp as many words as possible on her last sheet of answer paper. From the corner of her eye, she caught Wei Yee who was seated beside her, tapping the tip of her ballpoint pen on the table rhythmically, as if willing for time to pass quicker. Anna, filled with anxiety and irritation, shushed her friend who replied with a lop sided grin.

The two girls have always competed against each other throughout their academic years. Anna would spend countless hours burying herself in her notes and textbooks but alas, Wei Yee would always emerge the victor despite taking things a lot easier. Wei Yee would contribute the fact that she paid her utmost attention during lectures and tutorials but Anna often argued scornfully that her best friend is blessed with a photographic memory and the intelligence of a rocket scientist. She frequently blamed this unfairness on the genes she inherited.

‘Pens down everyone,’ the invigilator said. ‘And I mean now!’ she added, referring to the few students who obviously ignored her initial statement. After their exam sheets were collected, the girls along with the rest of the students thronged towards the bottleneck at the exit of the hall. A few of them were spotted browsing deep into their textbooks, trying to confirm their answers. Some looked relieved whilst others appeared dejected.

Outside, the weather was simply lovely. The air was fresh from the after-rain and the sun was still playing hide and seek behind thick heavy clouds.
‘I need to head to the library. Got a book overdue,’ Wei Yee said.
‘Oh ok. We’re still set for lunch tomorrow right?’ Anna asked.
‘Yup,’ Wei Yee answered and offered her friend a pinky promise.
‘See ya babe,’ as she walked towards the opposite direction.
Gabriel was leaning against one of the concrete pillars, playing on his mobile, oblivious to the group of girls who were too busy admiring him to notice Anna approaching. Anna was close enough to make out the whispered words hot, gorgeous and yummy before one of them spotted her and promptly nudged the rest. The group scooted away with much reluctance.
‘Enjoying all the attention huh?’ Anna said with much sarcasm.
Gabriel looked up and responded with a blank look, the confusion making him look all the more dashing.
‘Nevermind,’ she said as she looped her right arm into his left.
From behind, a voice was calling loudly, ‘Anna’.
They both turned around and a guy was running towards them. He was catching his breath when he finally stood in front of the pair.
‘Here,’ the guy said, handing over a cardigan to Anna. ‘I saw you left it behind in the hall earlier’.
‘Oh yea. Silly me,’ Anna said as she took her cardigan from the smiling guy. ‘Thank you so much ...
‘It’s Rufus,’ he said, still smiling.
‘Well, thank you Rufus. I’m Anna and this is ...' she answered.
But he cut her midsentence and said ‘I know who you are. You’re from 10B right?’ he referred to her class.
Anna looked over at Gabriel who was trying to stare down Rufus before nodding awkwardly.
‘I’m from 10A. So I guess I’ll see you around eh,’ he said with a wink before turning around and taking his leave.
‘You know him?’ Gabriel asked as they descended down the staircase.
‘Obviously not. I don’t even know his name,’ she said.
‘Well, he most definitely knows you,’ he said with a tone of jealousy.
‘You’re acting all silly. Come on, our exams are just over. You promised to take me some place nice to celebrate,’ she said reaching out to tickle his chin.
His attempt to stay livid failed miserably and he broke into a smile. He squeezed her waist a little tighter and said ‘I know just the place’.
As they exited the college grounds, they heard a honk. They spun around and saw a silver BMW 7 Series flashing its headlights at them.
Puzzled, Anna looked over at Gabriel whose shoulder had slumped and a scowl plastered across his face.
‘Wait here for me,’ his voice stern.
He didn’t wait for her response and walked towards the car. From the back, his body language seemed abnormally rigid with tense. The tinted window at the back wound down and she saw Gabriel lowering himself, speaking to whoever it was inside. From where she was standing, she couldn’t hear the conversation but she saw that the sentences exchanged were brief. He straightened himself and jogged back towards her. She could tell he wasn’t his cheerful self by the looks of his tightly clenched jaw.
‘I’m so sorry baby but I’m afraid I’ve got to give our date a miss,’ he said looking utterly disappointed.
‘Hey, don’t worry ‘bout it ok. We could always do it another time but is everything ok?’ she asked worryingly. ‘Who’s that in the car?’
‘I’ll tell you everything later ok. Promise,’ he said as he hurriedly walked back to the Beamer.
Gabriel got into the back seat, closed the door and the car sped off like a bullet, leaving behind a very distressed Anna.