Thursday 31 March 2005

cornered into making decision

On a gloomy day like today, all I wanted to do was to go back under cover and sleep till noon. Obviously, no chance of doing that. By 8am, I was making toasts and nasi goreng for our breakfast and bekal. There was no way I'm going to stop and have a meal at restaurant as we had a long drive and a lot of places to visit.

As I was munching my first bite of the toast with cream cheese, Aci said, 'You know, I hate to bring this up. Even JavaMan is furious with me for stirring the issue in the first place. However, I have to ask you since there are people who are expecting some answer'.

Oh oh! What this? So, she told me how it started and how I become involved in this situation. And how she got trapped in her own becokness. At least, I knew that my bro-in-law told her to mind her own business, but she being my sister, had to ask me personally. This is the second time she brought this issue up, after almost 3 years.

I laughed after I heard this nonsense question/request. Come on! It's almost like incest.

There I was, writing about dreams and stars, and today I was asked to consider something that wasn't on my list. I'm commitment-phobic and I've been independent for too long. What will happen to my travel plans if I give the much expected answer that will make some people happy? Will I be happy? Do I want to tie myself to a pole? Gosh! Decision has to be made before she leaves.

Please God! I think I know the answer, but what's my excuse? I'm almost 31 and they are folks I know.

Wednesday 30 March 2005

out with my secret and our differences

Yay! I'm off til the end of the week. Aci is here. Picked her up at Heathrow and after waiting for more than an hour, she was among the first to come out. She was surpised to see me looking like this. I think she had the question at the tip of her tongue but I told her, 'Later'

We chatted about her long flight and food she brought for me. She had a very pleasant chat with a manis man, Anuar Zain who sat next to her. All they did was talking and eating, or so she said. Apparently, he's here to give support to that Pahang lass at the Royal Albert Hall. I guess she desperately needs all the support she can get, they even reduced the price by half. Doesn't that tell you something? And I think maybe you people will hear about me being there too.

As we were driving out of the car park, I knew she had to ask. A brief explanation from me as I do not know what else to say. I can't really say what's in my head like I do to friends and it seems like I still see as the big sister I'm scared of, even though I tried telling myself to treat her like a friend. No, can't do. Maybe it's the huge age gap. Maybe it's the different views of life. Maybe it's my restless unsettled adventure streak. Maybe she's too engrossed with career and family. Maybes.

I didn't give her time to relax (for all I know she might feel jetlag) and off we went to central London for a night walk. Yeah right! It was raining, and she can't stand the cold weather. I don't know how she lived in the US for 7 years. Oh! I forgot, she cheated. Moved to sunny CA to avoid freezing Wichita.

It's 1:30am, she's now asleep, while I'm writing nonsense. Long day tomorrow. I'm taking her to Kent. Don't know if I have time to write more entries.Night night.

Friday 25 March 2005

Leave us alone

Being born as the eldest, one may say it is going to be an uphill task showing good examples and carrying more responsibility than the rest of the siblings. The parents' dreams to be fulfilled, the grandparents' expectations and the family legacy to carry forward. Some think that since the firstborn is normally expected to excel in everything they do, the other siblings feel less burden thus ensuring them to have some breathing space. And the youngest is said to have an easy and pampered life because the path has been cleared and expectations are slightly less than before.

It is true that a lot is expected from the firstborns. New parents will map out their first child's life with what they think is best for him or her. It starts with the best kindergarten, the branded clothings and the trust fund up to the prestigeous university and later to the post of an executive director or a medical specialist. This is the trend among the parents, and no matter how hard we deny this, it somehow reflects the Malaysian society too.

But that is not what I want to talk about, because I do not know how it feels to be the firstborn in the first place. However, I do know what it is like to be the youngest. A lot of people make generalization that usually the youngest sibling leads a spoilt life. In another word, a brat. It may be true, because sometimes I felt that I was allowed to run free in my younger years, though I do not see myself as a brat.

Most of the time, our parents would grant us a lot of things we asked for and on top of that, we have brothers and sisters who are looking after us and showering us with material goods as well. Firstborns normally have a lot of pressure from parents but when it comes to us, the youngest, most parents become more mellowed and lenient, thus giving us less pressure. Nevertheless, I do feel that if one has an older sibling who is great at everything, one will have greater burden and an uphill route to follow.

Everything one does will be compared to the eldest sibling's achievements. Who was better at SPM? Why didn't you get good result like your brother? Why can't you be a good son like your brother? Your sister went to the US, your brothers in Mesir and Japan, where are you going? Why can't you be pretty and sweet like your sister?

These typical questions drive us crazy. So we do what we know best. We protest. By flunking our exams, showing our tantrums, joining bad crowds and doing exactly the opposite way from what the eldest did. We can never be like our sisters or brothers. We may be slow and we may be different but we still carry the same responsibility and we are expected to deliver similar results. Yet, we are unique in our own way, so leave us be. Given time, space and understanding, we will turn to be the most beautiful butterfly and when we spread our wings, we will fly as high as others, sometimes even higher.

Friday 18 March 2005

Think it over and over again

There will be a time when a person has to make a decision that will either make her or break her. As we are busy accumulating wealth and simultaneously trying to find happiness, we often forget to live our lives the way we want to.We go along living an ordinary routine because that's what our family and society expect us to do. We learn to adapt or simply make do with what we have or what we can get. Priorities set aside as circumstances change. And as we grow older, more are expected from us than what we can deliver.

Sometimes when people tell you to set your priorities right, do they mean, 'change your present life for something better', or 'live your life the way you see fit', or 'by the age of 40, you should have a house or two and drive a beamer because that's what expected of you'?

One day you will wake up and say, I wish I had taken the opportunity, I wish I can turn back time and be 24 again. Well, guess what? Your wishes will never come true. Once it's gone out of your grasp, it may never pass your way again. Or so I thought.

I took a chance, gambled my life and here I am. In a another land of opportunity. Life is good, but all the good things never really last, innit?So, at this age, I find myself at a similar junction just like when I was 24. I took a wrong turning and found out a few years later that I made the wrong choice. I blew it up then. But God is great as a second chance came passing by my path. All I have to do is work a little harder to reach for it.

What if I did the same again? Dare I say that this time I will right the wrong? Maybe my wrong is your right and my right is not so wrong after all. I'm confused but I am determined that this time I won't have any regret. Shall I gamble all I have in order to find the ultimate fulfillment?

Tuesday 8 March 2005

what nationality are you?

The rent was supposed to be deducted from my account today, but early this morning Wolves left a bombshell note saying that she couldn't go to the bank since she'd be out of London. Dammit! Rang the bank and found out that I had an overdrawn of over 140 quid. Shit!

Had to transfer some money from my savings to cover that up and after 20 minutes of waiting (they just love putting people on hold) and talking to the reps, it was finally settled. You know, by listening to the way people speak and their accents, you can tell whether they are Indian, Oriental, Black or English. These days, I can say that it's kinda easy to recognize a Pole, Czech, Japanese, Italian or even a Hungarian after I spoke to him or her.

So, when I first heard her voice, I kinda knew that a Malaysian was talking to me on the other line, but I didn't want to ask. However, she had the advantage because she knows my name. After she cleared my account, I knew she had to ask. The question was out and I told her.

We chatted for a while, and she told me her name is Fazlin. While we were talking, she kept calling me by my father's name. I don't have a problem with that because I'm used to being addressed by my last name but it was kinda weird when a fellow Malaysian did that. Uh! I hope she doesn't read this blog though, or else she would know who I am or where I work. The only consolation is that not a lot of people knows what I look like and I'd like to stay faceless to most.

Oh! Btw, do you know that in Lithuania, the last letter for a girl's name is always 'a' and for boys it will always be 's'? Like my friends' names Angelina and Aturas. I was told that Lithuanians never had and never will use names like Michael or Peter or Dorothy or Heidi. Interesting discovery. Mmm... maybe they lithuanized the names to be Michas, Petras, Dorothea and Hedia.

Thursday 3 March 2005

3 budak setan

I've been having itchy feet all week after watching Richard Gere and J. Lo. I heard the Japanese version is so much better. Wish I can buy it from my local dvd pirate. Dancing is kinda sexy and exotic, no? But, right now I feel more like sleeping and resting my legs. I didn't know what made me walked to the cinema from home. It's a good 20 minutes one way. If it's nice and sunny, I don't mind but it's freezing cold though no more snow.

I'm gonna miss this place when I move out in less than 2 months. Yes dammit! I'm moving again. I'm tired of packing and unpacking but I think it's best to find another place.

The current flat is comfortable, cozy and nice but it's too expensive for us all. The rent itself is not too bad considering the location and I love my room, but when you add up all the bills, I have just little left at the end of the month. That's why I can't afford a broadband :(

Another reason is Wolves may be going back to her country to finish her studies. I'm annoyed with her because when she asked me to move in with her, she should have known her plans or at least let me know of the possibility. If I have known that we're only staying here for 6 months, I wouldn't move at all. Bengang lah macam ni. Masa before pindah, macam macam cerita and urging us to move out cepat cepat. I even told her my doubt about the rent and the bills, but she said everything won't be that expensive. Now that I let go my fab old place, she backs out on me. Darn it! Tak boleh pakai punya orang.

To top that up, Kfiatek is giving me unnecessary headache. He thinks that maybe we could join forces with The Hotelier in finding a flat. Unfortunately, The Hotelier seems keen to find a 3 bedroom flat in Camden or Hampstead area for us all, which will kill me. Doesn't she know that to share a flat between 3 persons in that areas is a huge dent to our pockets? Hey woman, I got other bills to pay also you know. At the moment, the rent for her tiny pathetic box studio is £620 per month and she doesn't earn 6 figures either. The only nice thing about her place is that it's in Notting Hill. Notting Hill, babe! Yang ni memang minah glamer. Lagi mahal tempat tu, lagi dia nak. Hancur.

It's such a hassle to relocate. Change GP, find new gym, change of address for all bills and banks, new parking permit, bla bla. Tired lah.

I mentioned to Kfiatek that maybe we should go separate ways but he whines and moans that he can't live all by himself. According to him, I'm all he has left in London after he got dumped and all his friends went back home.

Oh no. What have I got myself into? I know I've been giving him advices, listening to him and encouraging him to move on to better things, but I didn't mean for him to be depending on me.He's a nice bloke, but he's just lazy and take life for granted. Basuh pinggan pun malas. Penat nak clean up after him lah, but if I didn't clean them up I won't have any pots and plates to use. Cis! Ada ke patut dia tak cuci my grill machine for one week and keep on re-using it to grill his chicken everyday until I told him off. Geli aku nak makan lah but he doesn't care. Mangkok ayun betullah. And then moaning about not having opportunity coming his way and stuff. Having no ambition whatsoever and no direction and goals to achieve. He doesn't even know what he wants to do ultimately. No clue. Only after some hard probing on my side, then he got into thinking about his goals but he's still blur.Sigh.

Kekadang aku rasa nak cekik je dia ni. Wake up! Wake up!So, I'm dealing with 3 people who are not sensible in making decisions. Well, decisions that affect me, that is. I am going to do what I want. I'll find a place just for me. They think I'm looking for a place for us all. Sorry lah ye. I'll tell them after two weeks that I didn't find any that fit their criteria, but in fact all along I won't even bother looking for anything except my own place. Memang I jahat and selfish, so what? Even before we moved here, it was me who did all the work, the rest just tagged along. Hah! I gave enough, now it's time for myself.

Tapi kan, nanti I mesti rasa tak sampai hati pulak. Sigh.

Wednesday 2 March 2005

Epilog Cinta Dari Bromley

Today, I had an appointment to see a theatre manager in Bromley. I never set foot there before, so I was kind of excited to find out about the town. Every time I saw the name Bromley, it reminds me of the song by Sohaimi Meor Hassan.

First impression as I entered the area, neat. Very nice and quiet residential areas, not too posh and not tooshabby either. The high street is quite well planned unlike some places I went. People are friendly and the manager was even friendlier and talkative (I'm not complaining). And the most important thing is that the town is clean. I didn't see rubbish on the streets or the pedestrian walkway, which is a big A+.

I don't mind living here except it's quite far from M4 motorway which is an essential aspect in choosing a place to live, for me anyway.

The thing I like about the theatres is I usually get a free entertainment and a tour of the place, from the backstage to the seating areas to the bar and the store rooms. Like yesterday, I was at the Theatre Royal in Brighton and most of the time I was left alone to do my work in the foyer next to the entrance to the stage. A whole bunch of the casts went in and started practising their numbers and I got to listen to a free show.A

nother time, I was at a theatre near Strand with my former colleague when the sotong manager took us inside to see Christian Slater rehearsing his lines. We had to act normal and unaffected, but dalam hati Emm and I were so excited and giddy that we just had to let the whole world know about it. The manager even took us to wait at the backstage just in case we could say hi, but CS was busy concentrating on the stage. Unfortunately, we couldn't take pictures because it's a private rehearsal and no paparazzi is allowed. Heh.

Epilog Cinta Dari Bromley
Kau tersenyum manja
Menyatakan hasrat di hatimu
Kau kata kau cinta
Cinta pertama kepadaku
Ku hampir tergoda
Bergelora dalam kalbu
Kau bukan untuk ku
Kau dan aku
Tak mungkin berpadu
Nun di sana beribu batu
Kau kutinggalkan
Bersama hatimu
Nun di sana kau meratap pilu
Satu masa nanti
Kau akan mengerti
Apa maksudku

Kini kau menanti
Harapan mu abadi terhadapku
Kau coretkan lagi
Rahsia hatimu kepadaku
Ku doakan dikau
Bertemu seorang teman sejati
Yang satu aliran
Satu kepercayaan
Aduhai Katie