Reason to believe* - Wilson Phillips

So everyone is excited about the country celebrating its 52nd year of independence! Not me.

I know there are things i shud be thankful about - but i am one who is never patriotic!!!!

After 52 years, we still have laws that put people under detention without a charge or trial. And we have leaders who think that such laws are just!!!!

We still hear of innocent people being beaten up - and some even killed - while under police detention!!!!

We have witnesses who are found dead after spending the night at the MACC office.

We hear of torture tactics used during interrogation.

Tear gas are still being used against citizens who are merely exercising their basic human rights!

Discrimination is practiced rampantly and openly!!!

Religious intolerance - just this week itself, a group of Malay people staged a protest march - against a Hindu temple!!!! And to make things worse, they paraded a head of a cow, the holy and sacred animal of the Hindu religion!!!!!

People talk about things getting better. The possibility of ending racial discrimination, equality for all citizens. An improvement of the judiciary.

I am a pessimist - but even so, i can't believe this country is heading in the right direction! You won't find me flying and waving a Malaysian flag proudly!!! Only government servants do that as they are told to do so. Only taxi drivers stick the flags on their cabs to attract customers.

*One of the widely covered songs that i know, this version is a cover version too!

Hot n cold* - Katy Perry

15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelations chapter 3

Lukewarm - apathetic, indifferent, uncommitted, unconcerned

A timely reminder from this evening's prayer meeting - we need God in our lives.

*This was the song that introduced me to Katy Perry!

Reunited* - Peaches & Herbs

...and it feels so good! :-)

*A huge hit in the late 70s, it topped both the pop and soul charts.

Schadenfreude - Gary & Nicky from the cast of Avenue Q

The title of this song is a German 'loanword' which has been interpreted as "largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate". Basically, it just means taking delight i other people's suffering.

Now i can only guess how many of you must have been reading with delight about the pain and the loss i've been suffering in the last few posts. Fair enuf. This is an open blog and all are welcomed to read - and react however you want to.

Still, it shocks me that some people actually experience great delight over it - and laugh me at my face when they see me. To me, tt's a new low.

Well, here is the latest - no more emo posts about it anymore. Go away. Shoo. Find yr sick amusement some place else.

In the wee small hours of the morning* - Carly Simon

So Ted's mom (in HIMYM) told him that nothing good ever happens after 2 am. I'm sorry but with all due respect, i whole-heartedly disagree.

So many wonderful and brilliant things have taken place in the wee small hours of the morning for me - some may even say, Legen... wait for it... dary!!!!

I mean, as students, what will you be doing after 2 am? Fast asleep? Studying? Doing your essay which is due in 8 hours' time?

We've had so many wonderful times - and it need not be something 'special' or out of the ordinary! We could - and most of the time - be just sitting in the common areas and chatting away. Or drinking. Or eating. Or practising kung fu moves!!!! Lol! Yes, yes. On the fourth floor kitchen of Marley Hall at the Barking Campus of UEL!

Or how about taking a walk to the 24 hours Tesco cuz one of us ran out of printer ink?

Or dressing up to go over to the frozen lake just to see if the ice was strong enuf to support our weight (it wasn't)!

Or those long long telephone calls thruout the nite?

Or those European Nights when i'll be jumping up and down but trying very hard to remain quiet and singing under my breath, "You'll never walk alone".

Or just sitting at a Indian stall, 2 cups of pulled tea and the whole table covered with law books and notes.

Or those lonely nights when i would sit on that freezing metal bench and look up into her room, wishing and hoping that she too would look out and see me there?

How about dancing along the empty road with tears in my eyes but a silly smile on my face? (Ok, ok - that may have taken place before 2 am)?

One of the most magical nights was waking up in a strange eeriness - like i was in a dream. I looked out my window and the entire world was covered with thick white soft fluffy snow! I could hear the laughter and squeals of joy of the people outside, playing in the snow - and i joined them quickly. We were out til the sun came out. It was only when we decided to go back to our rooms and change into something dry that we realised that we were completely knackered!!!!

That my frens, was truly legendary! Too bad our exploits to the nearby park to catch a duck surely took place before 2 am - but that too was simply legen... wait for it... dary!

So yeah. Good things can happen - before or after 2 am. It's just how we view things. I could have just chosen to cry all alone on that road - but i decided to dance instead! :-)

*This version is found on the soundtrack of the movie, Sleepless in Seattle.

Telephone* - Sheena Easton

(Pic taken from online)

Yup, the circle is now complete. I started off with a Nokia on a DIGI line and now i'm back with a Nokia on a DIGI line!

Yes, my phone is finally here!!! :-) Actually, it was here a couple of days ago - but i haven't started using it yet!!! Too busy... well, more like too lazy! To learn how to use it. Since it's a Nokia, it shud be user frenly.

Anyways, which colour do u think is nicer? I really like the red one. but since i bought it via mail order, the colour was chosen for me.

Yeah, it wasN'T the red one. I got the blue one. Which isn't really bad!

And not the first time too! My Sony Erickson was blue. One of my old Nokia was blue too. And blue seems to be the colour for me at this point of time!

*One of her big hits, it was nominated for a Grammy in the early 80s!

She's the one* - Robbie Williams

Being in a couple is hard. And committing, making sacrifices; it's hard. But if it's the right person, then it's easy. Looking at that girl and knowing she's all you really want out of life, that should be the easiest thing in the world. And if it's not like that, then she's not the one.

Marshall 'Marshmallow' Eriksen (HIMYM S01E12)

*This was actually a remake of a song by World Party - and it went on to win inter alia the Brit Award in 2000 for single of the Year.

Anything is possible* - Debbie Gibson

Is the LORD's arm too short? (Numbers 11:23)

I forget it too. But after seeing his great works and miracles in my life, why do i still wonder and doubt? Nothing is impossible for him!

*The title song to her 3rd album

Longer* - Dan Fogelberg

Mun Onn would have held on a little longer if he knew at that time it was the last time he got to hold your hand.

That was my status not too long ago on FB. I had to smile when that generated sad smileys of different kinds!

=(
:(
):

I still feel the same. And not just with respect to holding her hands. But also hugging her, smelling her hair, having a meal with her... everything, in fact! If only i knew it was the last time, i'd done it longer.

*His highest charting hit of his career.

I swear* - All 4 One

So i finally played futsal - after so so long! No surprise at how bad i played - not to say that i was ever good.

It was good fun - and a good work-out!

But one student kept on screaming out a 4 lettered foul word again and again. Actually, he did that only when he failed to score - which was pretty often that day! And mind you, he did not just say it out. He shouted it out!!!

I guess it shouldn't be any surprise that in a heated game like that, these kinda language is used to let out frustration. But after hearing it over and over and over again, it gets a bit painful in the ears.

I remember tho during my primary school days when we used to play football using some seed from the trees that grow in my school. We used to scream out this chinese phrase (suffice to say that it's acronym is 'TNS').

The funny thing is that none of us knew wat it meant!!!! I remembered asking a fren about it and he said he din know but he supposed it must be a bad word!

The other funny thing was that we dun shout it when we miss. We shout it out when we wanna take a shot! Just before unleashing a kick, we would shout it out - almost like an intimidation against the other side. But we seem to kick better when accompanied with such a shout!

Boys! Sigh...

Oh, i'm glad i finally got to try out my Puma boots! :-)

*Hitting the top of the charts in the UK in the summer of 1994. I remember listening to it while packing my stuffs.

Through the rain* - Mariah Carey

Well, i did ask for the rain!!! Yeah, little children. Be careful what u ask for - you may just get it!!!!

The first half of this year has been just brilliant!!!! It started off with me being in London, then again at London!!! Then the addition of tGiF! Then another 2 trips to Saigon.

Then, suddenly, the skies opened at the beginning of the 2nd half. And it started raining. And just like the saying, when it rains, it pours!!!!

The worse thing is that the person whom i thought will be with me getting wet - or holding the umbrella for me - is not here.

I can make it. As always, in times like these, i experience the supernatural strength and grace to endure the circumstances and be strong.

*The 1st single of her 8th album, it didn't do very well.

Disappointment* - The Cranberries

Movies this summer has been a disappointment. Perhaps expectations were high. The last 'hope' for me was GI Joe - and that too did not manage to deliver - for me, anyways.

The best thing from the movie?

If you have caught the trailer, then IMHO, you have seen all there is to be seen! Unless you wanna see how it ripped off so many parts from Star Wars!

The final underwater dog-fight scene was like how the rebel forces attacked the Death Star in Episode 4. I was so glad that they did not have a 'trench' scene or i'd have walked out!

When Duke and the Baroness were trying to escape in their underwater sub-thingy, how many of you thought of the Snowspeeders from Episode 5? And the way how they got out of the whole place as it blew up? Yup, the Millenium Falcon did the same thing in Episode 6!

And the final battle between Snake-Eyes and Storm-Shadow? Yes, Obi-Wan and Vader duel from Episode 4? And then when SS joined his swords together at the handles - yes, Darth Maul's saber from Episode 1. Even the way how SS falls after he is killed is like how Maul fell - only difference is that SS did not split into 2 parts!

I must admit that the first scene where the Baroness tried to steal the weapon was pretty good. Apaches being blown away. Those were pulse guns, right? Cool. So was Scarlett's bike ride thru the Paris traffic. But Scarlett's gun had this irritating kiddish sound - 'eeeeeeeeeeee'.

I'm not saying that it is bad. It just din blow me away. Just like Terminator Salvation. Just like Transformers RoTF. What other summer big movie was there? Dun get me started on Wolverine where Hugh Jackman had this perpetual constipated look thruout the whole movie!

Where is the toilet????

All these were not really bad. Just weren't that great. Sigh...

For some reason, Star Trek did not work for me.

At least Harry Potter was not too bad! :-)

The best movie this year is definitely 'Departures' - which i will blog about later.

Summer is coming to an end. But there is still hope - can Pixar save the summer with 'Up'? Or will Peter Jackson blow us all away with 'District 9'? We'll see!

Pics taken from online

*Track 8 from their most succesful album so far.

A place in time* - Amanda Abizaid

I find it sadly ironic that someone who acts like i dun exist, ignores me and sidelines me, suddenly wants to be my 'best' fren and expect me to open up to him! Of course, there are others who despite seeing me on a regular basis, refuse to talk to me and ask me directly but would rather stalk my blog and then hold discussions about what is actually going on in my life!

I'm so looking forward to tomorrow nite - a reunion of old frens! :-)

I'm finishing season 10 of Friends. Watching it always gets me emotional. After all, i started watching Friends while i was at Rayleigh Tower. So inevitably, i will think of my frens there and i will miss them a lot.

While watching the episode when they find out that the Bings will be moving out of that very apartment, i started thinking of our flat - flat 11. Just like in the episode where they showed flashbacks of that apartment, i started having my own flashbacks too!

I remembered the very first time i stepped into it and met Yuki. I remember when i sat in the kitchen and chatted with Ghisseh. I remembered the late nites in the dining hall eating with Michael and Tom. I remember the movie nights we had, the parties, the birthday celebrations, the drinking sessions. I remember watching world cup matches there. I remembered how all of us gathered there to admire the brilliant rainbow outside, or look at the snow falling. I smiled thinking of us dancing on the benches. I remember the times when i sat there all by myself, watching the sunrise. I recall the hellos and the goodbyes, the pastas and the pizzas, the sushis and the rice, the wine and the pina coladas, the laughters and... more laughters!

I just finished watching the episode where Rachel prepares to leave for Paris and is saying her goodbyes to everyone. And i started remembering the goodbyes. The large entourages early in the mornings or late at nights to the bus stop just to say our farewells.

Flat 11 initially was a cold unfriendly place - one floor in a huge imposing square block. But it soon became a refuge. It became hang-out place. It became our home. And is it any wonder that when times are bad here, when things are rough and difficult, i find myself running back there and hiding there just for a while? I have been doing that far too often lately, tho. :-(

So long ago, Another life
I could feel your heart beat
It's not a dream, remember us
I can see it in your eyes

We'll find a place in time
A place in time beyond the sun

We'll find a place in time
A place in time to call our home

*The theme song to the TV series, 4400.

I will survive* - Cake

I don't expect my love affairs to last for long
Never fool myself that my dreams will come true
Being used to trouble I anticipate it
But all the same I hate it - wouldn't you?

So what happens now?
Another suitcase in another hall
So what happens now?
Take your picture off another wall
Where am I going to?
You'll get by, you always have before
Where am I going to?

Time and time again I've said that I don't care
That I'm immune to gloom, that I'm hard through and through
But every time it matters all my words desert me
So anyone can hurt me - and they do

So what happens now?
Another suitcase in another hall
So what happens now?
Take your picture off another wall
Where am I going to?
You'll get by you always have before
Where am I going go?

Call in three months time and I'll be fine I know
Well maybe not that fine, but I'll survive anyhow
I won't recall the names and places of Each sad occasion
But that's no consolation -- here and now

So what happens now?
Another suitcase in another hall
So what happens now?
Take your picture off another wall
Where am I going to?
You'll get by, you always have before
Where am I going to?
Don't ask anymore

Tim Rice

*Their cover version of the classic by Gloria Gaynor.

Sometimes love just ain't enough* - Patty Smyth and Don Henley

^{1 Corinthians chapter 13
4}Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

*Their hit single way back in 1992

Sorry seems to be the hardest word* - Blue

All of them gave me the same advice - just go and apologise to her. Say you are sorry. But i refused. Simply because i am so sure that i did not do anything wrong. So why should i say that i am sorry? It would set a really bad precedent! At that point, i was scolded and told not to think like a lawyer!!!

Yes, it is sometimes hard for one to say sorry. Why is that so? Well, it would mean that the person admits guilt. It would involve the swallowing of the pride.

Then, there are those who just cannot accept the fact that they could ever do wrong! It is never their fault - so therefore, there is never a need to say sorry.

Yes, some of you must be jumping up now and saying that i am exactly like that kind of a person! Well, i am not. Or so i think!!! After all, i have said sorry before many times.

So what made this time so different? Well, it really isn't, actually. Being right is important - but sometimes, it is better to - as the cantonese say - "eat dead cat" than to be right all the time.

So tt's wat i did. If it was important enuf, i'll eat that stupid dead cat. If the relationship is important enuf, i'll do anything to ensure it is saved and protected.

Now, wat will happen if i ate the dead cat and still dun get the results?

Kinda sad, rite? End up with no more pride, nothing... except the horrible after-taste of the dead cat. Sigh...

*Their remake of Elton John's classic

Run* - Leona Lewis

Perhaps it is good that i have a bad run before i take a 3 months plus break from competitive running.

A flying saucer landed near us before the race started!

I thought i did not too bad. But the timing cannot lie. I ran slow - even slower than the really bad run last Saturday!!! What a surprise! last Saturday, it felt like i walked for most of the way. the strange part about it is that last Saturday's run was longer than today's!!! Ok, only by 500 meters but it is still longer. Yet, i completed it faster than today's run!!!

It was hilly and i walked a lot too. And this is the first run ever when i actually walked pass the finish line. Everyone will end off the race in style. After all, at the finish line, there are loads of people there cheering you on. Last Saturday, i was suffering from cramps but i still forced meself to jog pass the finish line.

We had to run into the stadium to end the race!

Oh, this run also gave what some felt was the best ever running vest - and it has to be this race when they ran out of sizes and gave me a very obscene looking size M. Obscene cuz when i tried it on, it was like my second skin! Spandex superhero type! Too bad i din have a superhero body.

Typical M'sians pushing and shoving their way to gt the free drinks

Oh, oh - i finally got to see 'Pee Ass' - some girl i've been stalking following her blog for a while. I must say that reading her blog palyed a big part in pushing me to run again. and it was thanks to her that i finally bought a pair of Brooks - and this run was my Brooks' maiden run. It felt really really good! Worth every sen. Too bad it din help me achieve a better time!

So no more runs till the Penang Bridge in November. But i'll try to make meself run a 10 km course at least once a month til then!

*Her remake of Snow Patrol's song.

Good day* - Jewel

Saturday was a good day! :-)

It was time to send me car for service. The service center is near Atria shopping complex in PJ. What i normally do is leave me car there and then hang around that area for a couple of hours.

I would normally start off with seafood noodles at the nearby Teochew Noodle shop. Yummy!

The noodles - with seaweed, foochuk, fishballs and fish cakes.

The star attraction for me tho was the deep fried fish cake - yummy and the skin is crunchy!

Thereafter, i will walk around and window shop. There's this huge book warehouse at Atria and it's always a joy to wander aimlessly there and occasionally discover a hidden gem!

After that, i headed to Lotus for a nice glass of hot 'pulled tea' and read. It's so nice to just sit and read. the weather was really nice and it was rather breezy there.

After that, walked summore - and i discovered a little gem indeed! Shoes!!! At the concourse area, there was a small area where Brooks shoes were going for 60% off!!! I have been seriously thinking of investing in a pair of proper and real running shoes! Nope, Nike doesn't count. Only a few brands are reputed to be specialising in running shoes - Asics, NB and Brooks.

The salesman there did a pretty good job. I allowed meself to be putty in his hands and he naturally recommended me the most expensive pair there. It normally costs close to RM500!!! Now, it was just slightly less than RM200.

Oh, the salesguy also comment that i have a big foot. And you know what they say about guys with big feet - they also have big.... shoes!!! ;-)

Brooks Glycerin 6 - so they have the new Glycerin 7 out now.

I decided to walk about to thin about it. And i decided to go get it! :-)

I must say that retail therapy is really therapeutic! Felt so good after that!!! Altho the cost of the car service was close to RM1,000, that din dampen my spirits, tho. :-)

I really enjoyed that day - very simple. But good food, time spent reading and of course, getting a real bargain!

That nite was the Law Ball. To be honest, i din really enjoy meself at all. As one of the hosts commented after a musical item (or was it a comedy item?), she felt like she was bewitched, bothered and bewildered!!! Still it wasn't all that bad. It was good to see the students receive their just rewards for the hard work they put it - and i felt very proud of them all. It was good to see them all nicely dressed up like pretty ladies and good looking gentlemen. It also felt good to see the students again! :-)

Oh, the food was not too bad too! It was almost like a wedding dinner meal - altho the waiter serving our table had something against me!!! He as always giving me less than everyone else! Ah well...

*The 2nd single from her 5th album.

Always on my mind* - Willie Nelson

Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
If I make you feel second best
Girl, I'm sorry I was blind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your sweet love hasn't died
Give me, give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied, satisfied

Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time
You were always on my mind
You are always on my mind
You are always on my mind

(words & music by wayne thompson - mark james - johnny christopher)

*Won the Grammy for song of the Year in 1983.