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Okay. I feel like random things.


I almost bought a dog tag yesterday at One-Utama. It has double tags, one attached to the long chain, and another on a much shorter chain linked to the longer one. To visualize my weak description is an image below that is similar to it. My collegemate works there and he was and still is willing to sell it to me for much cheaper but I got distracted by another item, so... I almost bought a dog tag yesterday.

I saw a grey crow today at Asia Jaya - what a black sheep.

I can't wait to go back to Penang this weekend. I bet the traffic will be a nightmare although I'll be escaping by 6.30am, hopefully. I can't wait to devour more pineapple tarts and eat oily salmon and study the angpow designs this dog year and calculate earnings. Hmm. $. Hehe.

My last day of internship will be this Friday, the 27th. But I will still be working the first week of February, unofficially. I think.

Picture of the day - Kyren strikes a pose with an air-cond remote control. He's too cute! He looks like he's in a secret circuitry room and he's about to detonate a bomb because Agent X is hot on his heels, armed with a Super Soaker. Arrghh, squeeze those cheeks and hands (Thank you Desmond, for the picture).

Out-of-the-blue question in office by lunchtime - "Judith, let me see your toes."

I have to go One-Utama again, for the umpteenth time this week, and this is only Wednesday. I have to go tomorrow too.

Oh yes, yesterday I met a beautiful and loveable golden retriever, Mulder, who belongs to Alan. Hopefully Jason will offer a picture or two of Mulder. He better, he was doggedly pursuing the canine, snapping like a paparazzi, heheh. Haven't met a golden retriever for a long time now - I wonder how my neighbor's golden retriever back in Penang is doing. His name is Goldy and he's overweight.

Happy birthday Alan! And Mar-Xha and Moush; Charlie and Ray! So many people growing older on the same day! Hehe. Not forgetting Kendrick! Happy birthday.

I'll be going for my first manicure on the morning of 6th February, somewhere in Hartamas. Hmm.. it'll be interesting, I'll be doing it for Marie Claire.

I am getting hungry, and I smell food! Smells like chicken pie. Shoulder is aching. I shall make my way out soon.

Happy noontime everyone.

I dreamt of you again
for the thousandth time this week.
Your silent face in the midst of changing crowds
it almost makes me wave, if i could, in my sleep.
And tiny glimpses are enough for me to remember
that I dreamt of you again,
for the thousandth time this week,
and again that week before.

I'm in the office; I'm almost asleep.

Today, I sat next to a white man in the LRT feeder bus to work. And as I took my place next to him, I almost exclaimed out loud, "Oh my gosh, he's reading a Chinese book'. He was reading a Chinese novel.. And being of Chinese ethnicity, I couldn't help but pull an uncanny expression of both shame and delight. Shame, because I am almost good for nothing when it comes to speaking any Chinese (what more to sit in a bus and read a book full of it), and delight, because the 'ang moh' (Caucasian) beside me could probably speak fluent Chinese on my behalf because he's sitting in a bus reading a book full of it.

I bit my lip as I stared into the book full of intimidating strokes of Chinese characters, and I thought I felt something like depression with a dash of guilt because I couldn't share what he was reading (although I'm not supposed to give myself the permission and freedom to read his book from the corners of my eyes, I wished I was that self-invited person to intentionally dwelve in the juicy plot of his paperback, with or without him knowing).

Not long after a few potholes and brief stops in our morning busride to individual destinations reeking of routine and telephone conversations, the wunderkind next to me opened his mouth to speak. He had to ask me: "Are you Chinese? Yes, I am. Do you speak Chinese? asjdhnaisuhdihweriewirhskjfnsidufh No, I don't *insert all kinds of cheesy facial expressions one can come up with within seconds, for many seconds* I can't."

That was when he must've have thought "TSK tsk tsk" in his head but was too kind to convey it to the stranger. I wiped my nose to make myself look less pathetic (I'm down with flu and lots of custard pudding up my nose and throat.. I'm not gonna share any of my pudding with anyone. You are fortunate for my being selfish).

"Okay, I've got this bit here I need help with. My dictionary doesn't have it". And he indicated in his book where he couldn't understand - it was such a small fraction I'm sure the author wouldn't mind if he completely missed it, casually skipped or misunderstood it. I began to apologize to him like I how I would if someone were to ask for directions to my house and I told them I forgot (never happened before and I hope it remains so). Our conversation continued and by the end of it, he had known why I still am Mandarin-handicapped till today and blind when it comes to reading Chinese. It only took a few more potholes before he understood and after saying goodbye, I zipped out of the bus at my stop with the other sleepy looking ones.

I need to do something about my Chinese.

When I was apprehensive about the new year ahead some time in December 2005, I wrote, "It's that time of year again where flashbacks and desires either make me wanna jump right in to the new year or stand at the edge of the 31st, staring at the list of 12 months and how long more it'll take before I feel this way again."


On the 1st of January 2006, I came across Hosea 11.

¹"When Israel was a child, I loved him as a son, and I called my son out of Egypt. ²But the more I^[a] called to him, the more he rebelled, offering sacrifices to the images of Baal and burning incense to idols. ³It was I who taught Israel^[b] how to walk, leading him along by the hand. But he doesn't know or even care that it was I who took care of him. ⁴I led Israel along with my ropes of kindness and love. I lifted the yoke from his neck, and I myself stooped to feed him.

⁵"But since my people refuse to return to me, they will go back to Egypt and will be forced to serve Assyria. ⁶War will swirl through their cities; their enemies will crash through their gates and destroy them, trapping them in their own evil plans. ⁷For my people are determined to desert me. They call me the Most High, but they don't truly honor me.

⁸"Oh, how can I give you up, Israel? How can I let you go? How can I destroy you like Admah and Zeboiim? My heart is torn within me, and my compassion overflows. ⁹No, I will not punish you as much as my burning anger tells me to. I will not completely destroy Israel, for I am God and not a mere mortal. I am the Holy One living among you, and I will not come to destroy.

¹⁰"For someday the people will follow the LORD. I will roar like a lion, and my people will return trembling from the west. ¹¹Like a flock of birds, they will come from Egypt. Flying like doves, they will return from Assyria. And I will bring them home again," says the LORD.

What a way to start off a new year - a revelation of the entire year of 2005. The feeling while I was reading that chapter especially verses 8 to 9, was something like finding a letter written by your deceased father or lover, and reading it long after they have passed on - a priceless reminder as to why you were loved so much when they were still around.
The reality and comfort mixed well. It's a great thing to know the Lord.

And now I can't wait to taste the days ahead.