Christmas...

Silver Bells...

White Christmas...

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer...


The colours of Christmas, bright and shiny. When we think of Christmas, we think in colours like white, green, red, gold, silver... When we think of Christmas, we think of gifts and presents. When we think of Christmas, we think of food and fellowship. When we think of Christmas, we think of family and friends...

When I think of Christmas, I think of what cookies to bake, whom shall I give those cookies to, who is on my "good" list and my "not-so-good" list... However, in the midst of all that stress, I was reminded: 'How nice it would be if I got to spend my Christmas with someone special..."

But I am.

See, the beauty of Christmas is finding that Someone who loves me more than life itself. That Someone who would constantly remind me, in big and small ways, that He is thinking of me. That Someone who still cares for and loves me even when I am not worthy to be cared for or loved. Finding that Someone who came to rescue me from the darkness that surrounds me.

I know of the events that came later on and the significance of it. But more importantly, I know that Christmas is a defining moment in itself; because it was then that He came.

He came.

He could choose not to and all the other events would not have happened. But the beauty of Christmas is that He did, despite the circumstances that laid before Him.

He came.

So, I hope the beauty of Christmas fills you not only in magnificent colours but in the knowledge that there is that Someone special who loves you more than anything on this earth. Have a blast spending Christmas time with that Someone special because He is.... Special.

Isn't It Ironic, Doncha Think?

I finally found some time to blog again... After a difficult month, with life, the loss of three great people (two family, one friend), tonnes and tonnes of work and such, I finally have time to be amused to write something.

Remember, a while back, I wrote about Sean Kingston's song 'Beautiful Girls'? I think you know the words to that song, he goes on and on about how a girl is so beautiful that she had him "suicidal... suicidal" when she dumped him, or something like that. All I can remember was that he repeated the word "suicidal" like 4,356,159,015 times... (OK, I made that number up, but you get the point!)

So, what is it I find ironic? Brings me to this next song, Edwin McCain's 'I'll Be'... He croons about being there for his girl, singing "I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love's suicide..." except, on the radio, they somehow cut and paste a portion of his song, making him sing "I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be love's suicide with the trappings of love..." OK, the 'trappings of love'? What the...?! So, let me get this straight; it is OK to repeat the word "suicidal" in a song but not OK to be "love's suicide"? Hmm... Interesting.

Another song I came across was Rihanna's 'Unfaithful', better known as the 'murderer' song (to me, at least!). The bridge of her song goes like this: "Our love, his trust, I might as well take a *bleep* and put it to his head, get it over with..." The bleeped out word can be found in Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name' which goes something like: "Oh, you're a loaded gun..." Figured it out yet?

I find our censorship board really funny. They censor things that they think are "harmful" and then give the green light to others which are actually about the same in meaning... I am still pretty irked with "the trappings of love" since I still hear 'Beautiful Girls' ever so often on the radio. They either need to buck up or standardize everything they do, otherwise, it won't ever make any sense.

In the words of Alanis Morissette, "Isn't it ironic, doncha think?"

You're A Good Man, Ah Kong!

Goodbyes are never easy, I have a deep-rooted dislike for the departure halls at the airport, but this... is the final act (so to speak).

Reminiscing your every action, every response, every smile, every word does not make it any easier to pass the time. As much as we could prepare ourselves, we never expected it to be so soon and so sudden. From your cheery disposition the night before, we thought things may be looking up.

I dreaded the phone call that came at around half past noon on Monday. My heart sank when I heard the distinct ring tone that I have set for family members and the moment I saw the caller, I could only pray for the best. It was not to be...

I may not have as many memories of you as my other siblings and cousins had, but I cherish the few that I have been privileged to be a part of. I have never seen you get angry or even raise your voice up a notch. It is a trait that most of us still struggle to achieve, I know I do. You were never fussy about things, except maybe your own, but that was your comfort zone - keeping things orderly.

You were always friendly... everyone knew who you were. You cared a lot about our well being, to the extent of being a little "cheong hei" (long-winded) but that's just you. How I wish I could hear you being cheong hei to me again about crossing the road or driving carefully or not being out too late at night or keeping a tab on my belongings wherever I go.

I know I will miss the weekly jabs we give each other when we talk about the English Premier League, you being a Man U supporter and me being a Liverpool fan makes for great banter. Who will I tease when Liverpool beats Man U again next season?

I may not remember riding on your motorbike but I think I may have had a few rides when I was younger. I do remember that you have a knack for gardening. I remember visiting you back at the old house where I would always find you at the front garden, either clearing the dead leaves or trimming the branches or watering the plants.

I wish I could recall more, I wish I had pictures to remember these moments with, but most of all, I wish you were still here cracking jokes with us, laughing till your dentures peek through...

You've lived a long life, Ah Kong, and I hope you are pleased with us because we have definitely been blessed by you. See you again someday.

Diary of The Unfortunate Car Owner...

Dear Diary,

This entry is not the first but from the looks of it, it may not be the last either. And I'm trying not to curse the fate of my car here, it's just that I can't help but feel sorry, hurt, spiteful and angry - at the world; at idiotic, irresponsible, imbecilic drivers.

First, there was this:


Then, in an unprecedented error on my part, this occurred:


A few months later, this happened:


And today... Fresh off the press, newly minted, hot off the oven; as I was taking a stroll from the office to have lunch, something that was seemingly normal made a turn for the worse when my eyes caught sight of this:


As I made my way closer to the car, my heart sank below the depths of the abyss. (OK, I should turn down the drama...) It was heartbreaking to see yet another scar in the life of my car, which is only 1 year and 4 months old, by the way! Worse still, having to chase down the whodunit. As you can see, the perpetrator (whom I suspected) was still parked next to my car when the photos were taken but to get the owner to fork out repairs for my bumper... remains nonexistent.

I left a note for the driver of the other car, who did contact me, but denied any wrongdoing. There goes my pocket again! Aside from the second incident, all the others were not my fault yet I suffer the greatest. WHY?

Sigh... I am beyond boiling mad... I'm flippin' pissed!

Yours truly,
Unfortunate Car Owner

Human Nature...

It's funny how different every individual on earth is; their characteristics, their temperament, their reactions and so forth. Lately, it makes me wonder if our character as human beings are deteriorating with each passing day.

Are we less courteous now than we were a few decades ago?

Are we getting more impatient as time passes by?

Are we more "me" centered than ever before?

I question because I find it really funny how people who cut into your lane on the road can somehow stare at you or gesture at you as though you did something wrong when it was actually their fault. Or how someone can go up the no entry ramp only to stare you down because you have to give way to them even though it is your right of way.

When have we become so inconsiderate to other people by double parking on a narrow road, making it almost impossible to drive through? Or cross the street without even looking left and right to check for cars? Is the line between right and wrong completely wiped out that people still think they are right when they are actually wrong?

When have we become so ignorant, selfish, self-righteous? Is it inborn? Human nature?

Human beings are not perfect, but I choose to believe that we can work at getting at least near-perfect. I believe we can work at being more polite with one another. I believe that we can learn to be humble enough to know our mistakes and admit them. I believe that we can be more considerate of other people's needs and not just our own. I believe that we can choose to be better people.

The sad reality is, we choose not to. That's the problem.

So, I am stuck with wondering whether I should go scratch the owner's car for his wrongdoing or not.

Kidding.

First Anniversary...

Of what, you ask?

Well, I'll give you a hint:

Chomp...

Still not enough? OK, maybe another hint:

Stadium Batu Kawan, maybe? Nah...

Well, maybe that was a random picture. Here, if you still can't guess....

Shanghai Stadium

Indeed, it is the first anniversary of my trip to Shanghai that I won through MixFM to catch Céline Dion live in concert. First time in an outdoor, live setting; as opposed to the closed-in Las Vegas feel.

So, how did I celebrate this first anniversary?

Well, my friend and I drove down to KL for a little showcase, held in Sunway Lagoon....

Heading to the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheater...

... to see a cute little boy...

Cute, eh? Edible too...

Well, not the cupcake, but the person himself... David James Archuleta, runner-up of American Idol Season 7... you know, the battle of the Davids? Yup, he came down to Malaysia for a little showcase to promote his self-titled debut album. I happen to win a showcase pass from his dedicated Malaysian fan club.

Showcase Pass...

At first, we were told that it was JUST a showcase pass. Little did I know, the winners scored a VIP seat.

VIP Tag! Woohoo!

So, what did the VIP seat entail? Well, the VIP B people got to sit right in front, dead-centre... Seriously!

I sat here... Where the arrow is pointing at...

My view...

That was probably a WAY better view than my RM1000 ticket at a concert I went to LAST year (which I shall write about soon!)... And it was free!

And so we waited... and waited... People were streaming in, squeezing with one another (because it was free seating!) and some even sitting on the steps... 3.00pm came... Still nothing. We're glad that we had some music to entertain us, although sitting in front DOES have its drawbacks - blaring speakers.

Oh, did I mention that there was at least 6000 people (that's what the papers printed) in an amphitheater that sits 3000?! Imagine the screams... the shrieks... the shrills... the squeals... It was LOUD and it really pierced my eardrums...

Then, at about 3.15pm, the HitzFM announcers, JJ & Ean, came on the stage to offer some goodies to the people who could answer their VERY simple questions and then we were entertained with 3 opening acts (which I thought was a waste of time, but oh well... impatient me...); a runner-up from Astro Talent Quest - Hou Ren; a second runner-up from One In A Million - Alif Satar and finally Malaysian Idol second season winner - Danell (Daniel) Lee.

And then, of course, the main course & dessert:

Oh yeah... Work the mic, dude!

He came on and sang four songs off his debut album: A Little Too Not Over You; Touch My Hand; Don't Let Go and Crush... There were loads of screaming going on the entire time that I could barely hear him off the speakers, but he sang his butt off live, that's for sure...

And then, he sorta bid the crowd goodbye before giving a couple of encore songs on the keyboard: Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" and his version of Robbie Williams' "Angels".

Walking a Thousand Miles on the keys...

He even flubbed on the keyboards, at least once... That was how LIVE the performance was....

After those two songs, he finally bid a fond farewell, "Terima Kasih" and "Malaysia Boleh" were thrown in somewhere along the way and that was it.... Or was it?

Because I was one of the winners and also a member of the fan club, we were asked (by one of the head honchos) to stay back for a little surprise. The surprise was: a group picture session with David Archuleta backstage. My friends and I waited and waited and finally lined up and were brought backstage, only to see a little queue. It turns out, we get INDIVIDUAL pictures and an autograph to boot! And so... ta-daa...

The money shot...

And that was how I celebrated my one-year anniversary of seeing Céline Dion live in Shanghai...

But wait... there WAS still a group photo with the fan club members!

He sat just behind me!

OK, I still have not received the proper group picture, but hey, he sat just behind me in the photograph!

And so, that was my story of how I met David. *sigh*

Half Birthdays...

I was reminded of half birthdays while driving to work this morning. A family, particularly, a certain wonderful friend of mine came into my thoughts this morning and the next thing you know, the thought hit me. "It's my half birthday!"... I think!

See, this family celebrates their children's half birthdays every year. And the kids look forward to it too. In fact, they are so familiar when their half birthdays are.

So, what's a half birthday? It's basically half a year from your birth date. For example, if your birthday falls on May 1st, your half birthday is November 1st.

Anyway, I think today is my half birthday, so Happy Half Birthday to me... It's another 6 more months to my real birthday, so, yeah! (Stop counting!)

Heidi, thinking of you and missing you loads! Thanks for the memories. *hugs*

Ramblings Of A Fool...

What hurts the most

Is being treated like a fool

Blinded all this while

Thinking it was mutual

Little did I know

You were already told

And here I was

Thinking every chip of news

Were little nuggets of gold

It wasn't yours to tell

I understood that, you know

But the rubbing in my face

Was quite the bitter pill to swallow

Trustworthiness is a welcomed trait

I respect that, I do

But in all honesty

I felt played

I got fooled

To think that every time I shared

You were probably laughing away

Thinking, "Hah! I already knew that!"

Yet, continued with the charade

The delivery could have been softened

Rather than a slap in the face

You could've either hinted

Or just played it all the way

Then, I may never even know

I guess I could not fathom

How someone so close to me

Could play me for a fool

While others were nice enough

To let me figure out

That they already knew

It wasn't because you were told first

This matter would surface regardless of that

I just did not appreciate

That I got played, that was it

At least, now I know

How it feels like being taken for a ride

It wasn't really fun after all

It stung like a knife

Really, it did...

Justice Served Cold... Brutally Cold...

I 'fought' for justice and fairness. I 'won' the battle... How come I feel awful about it?

Here's how the night went down:

I was having dinner with my grandparents and aunt at a hawker centre downtown. I ordered Fish Meat Bee Hoon (Noodle) Soup for Grandpa and ordered a side of Chee Cheong Fun per Grandma's request. When I was at the Noodles stall, I ordered fresh fish meat to be cooked in soup, rather than the usual fried fish meat that they put in. I remembered the lady mentioned something about "pek chneow" (pomfret) and I just said, fresh fish meat. Fish meat. I walked back to my table, thinking nothing of it.

The next thing I know, the stall owner's helper served us a bowl of bee hoon soup with the entire fish (bones and all) in pieces. I looked at it and went, "That's not what I ordered. I ordered fish meat, not fish meat with bones in pieces. How is my Grandpa going to eat that?" The helper said, "I don't know. This is what was ordered." I replied, "No, this is not what I ordered."

She went back to her stall and consulted with her lady owner and came back, "This is what you ordered. It is already cooked, we cannot change it. RM6!" I was flabbergasted. I looked at the price list and a normal bowl of fish meat bee hoon soup costs only RM3.50. Now, I'm being charged RM6 for a bowl of soup with the ENTIRE fish that I did not order. Eventually, I paid for it. Gave the helper RM10.

Then, my aunt went back to the stall to get an empty bowl to remove the fish bones and any additional noodles my Grandpa couldn't finish. She came back to our table with an empty bowl and asked, "How much did you give them? Why did they ask me to give them RM2?" Puzzled, I looked at my aunt and said, "I gave the lady RM10, she's supposed to give me back RM4 in change, why should they ask you for another RM2?" I checked my purse, true enough, I had 4 RM10 notes before, now I only have 3. (Prior to that, I had to break my RM50 to pay for my ice cream earlier that evening. Ice cream was RM4.90, I had RM45.10 in change, that means: 4 x RM10, 1 x RM5, with 2 x RM1 notes I previously had in my purse.)

The helper came over and said, "You gave me 4 x RM1 notes, that's why I asked for RM2 because the noodle soup costs RM6." I replied, "I gave you ONE RM10 note, I could not possibly have given you FOUR RM1 notes because I did not even have small change. You are supposed to return me RM4 instead."

The helper vehemently denied any wrongdoing, so, I proceeded to talk to the lady owner instead. I went up to the stall and said, "I paid your helper RM10. I did not get my change back and now my aunt tells me she had to give an additional RM2." The helper then told her lady owner, "She paid me RM4 only. Another guy paid RM5 for his soup, there was no RM10." I replied, "That could not be possible. I had four RM10 notes, now I only have three RM10 notes left (showed them my notes), I gave you RM10 for the soup because I did not have enough small notes for the exact RM6 amount, I don't have enough RM1 notes to even make up RM4! You still haven't given me my change, yet you asked my aunt for extra money."

In the end, the lady begrudgingly took out four RM1 notes and placed it on the table. "There! You can have your change. I know you already did not want the order in the first place." (What the...?! She gave me the WRONG order, I asked for a change, she didn't give me one and now she has the cheek to say that?!)

After that, I stood there still, even though I had my RM4 change, my aunt paid RM2 extra for no reason. I asked for that back too and had to explain again, "In actuality, I paid RM10 and my aunt paid RM2. That means, we gave you RM12 for an RM6 bowl of noodle soup. In that case, you would have to return RM6. You gave me back my RM4 but what about the RM2 my aunt forked out?" She eventually, reluctantly AND begrudgingly took out RM2, again, placed it on the table instead of handing it to me. I took it to return to my aunt and walked back to my table.

I was really unhappy with the service (or lack of it) and the attitude that was shown to my aunt and myself. In fact, I was seated not too far away and because I was facing in their direction, I could see that the lady was still seething and staring at me, making hand gestures and pointing in my direction to the other people she was talking to. As much as I should not be affected by it, but I was. I fought for justice and I fought fair. I do not wish to cheat anyone of their possessions. If it was my mistake, I would own up to it but it was their mistake and they denied every single bit of it. I was not out to get back something that wasn't mine. I was entitled to my change and that was all I wanted. Justice.

But I was so miffed that I lost my appetite for the evening. In fact, after seeing that lady mouthing words and pointing in my direction for the umpteenth time, I was close to wanting revenge, rather than just settling with justice. If my conscience did not stop me, I would have deliberately pushed their ceramic bowl off the table and onto the gravel, breaking it. Revenge.

I did not break their bowl. I left it where it was, on the table. That was not what I set out to do, I only wanted justice, I obtained it, albeit, in a very uncomfortable situation. I was not going to stoop so low as to exact revenge. But the entire episode left such a sour taste in my mouth. In fact, I wondered why I felt awful when I shouldn't be.

Is justice such an awful thing to want?

Donation From A Stranger...

I should probably consider changing my email address soon. Real soon. Nothing wrong with Yahoo! Mail. I think they've done a great job filtering out all the spam, but sometimes, one or two interesting ones tend to sneak into my Inbox. (Like this and this)

Now, I have just received a nice 'donation' from some stranger from Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). I've had friends and family members from a few places around the world, but I do not know anyone from the Ivory Coast. Still... as flattered as I am, I think I have enough sense to smell a scam when I read one. *wink*

Donation From Mrs Hadeel Mohammed

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 2:10 AM

From: "hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com" hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com

To: hadeel2mohammed@marafiki.com

Donation From Mrs Hadeel Mohammed
N38 Rue Des Martyrs Cocody
Abidjan,Cote d'Ivoire.

Beloved

I am Mrs Hadeel Mohammed from Kuwait. I am married to Mr Mohammed Abbas who worked with Kuwait embassy in Ivory Coast for nine years before he died last year.We were married for nineteen years without a child. He died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days.

Since his death I decided not to remarry or get a child outside my matrimonial home. When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$3.5million dollars in a Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire.Presently, this money is still in bank.

Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next Eight months due to cancer problem. The one that disturbs me most is my stroke sickness. Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a person or organisation that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein. I want this fund to be use for orphanages, widows,schools and propagating the message of love to all mankind.

I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money, I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul.My husband relatives are selfish,they refuse to distribute to charity organization some amount of money which my late husband gave to them for charity on the second day of his illness,I don't want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way. This is why I am taking this decision. I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going.i know that God will fight my case and I shall hold my peace. I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband's relatives around me always. I don't want them to know about this development.With God all things are possible.

As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact of the Bank here in Abidjan Cote d'Ivoire. I will also issue you an authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund. I want you to always pray for me. My happiness is that I lived a life worthy of emulation. Please always be prayerful all through your life.Contact me on the this e mail address(hadeel002mohammed@yahoo.com) any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing another person or organisation for this same purpose. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein.

Hoping to receive your reply.

God bless you
Mrs Hadeel Mohammed.

What do you think?