Say ‘Good night!’ and Go

And I am NOT looking forward to it! I think my exams are coming up too! Eek!! What to do? There are no tables in the room and it’s either the floor or on the bed if I wanted to write notes. Quite dark on my bed because I’m on the lower bunk. I’m glad I got the lower bunk, because the breeze created by the fan can only be enjoyed by those on the lower bunks. It’s weird.

One full month down, three more months worth of classes and then it’s an additional two months of practical training. It better be worth it since I passed on the chance to be a tour guide. =)

For finally winning the Oscar for Best Director. It just goes to show if you keep doing it and live well into your 70s, you’ll eventually win something. I don’t know about Peter O’Toole though. But I just saw that he’s only 74. He’s got at least 15 years in him.

At 8:26am, I was awakened by my ringing cellphone. It was that shady character again. I let it ring and it died after the second ring because my battery was empty. Yaay! I’m sure he’ll get the hint eventually. Anyway, to get him a little confused, I’ve changed my caller ringtone. It’s no longer that classic Chinese New Year song, Cai Shen Dao. I’ve replaced it with an instrumental James Horner composition for the Soundtrack of Apocalypto, The Storyteller’s Dream. I get to at least maintain some form of respectability if some company is trying to contact me. =)

Ever since I lost that praying mantis, I haven’t been out in the garden much. It’s so darn hot as well - it’s only the end of February and it already feels like the baking heat of April!

I miss the little fella with the alien eyes that tracked my every move. I can’t find that midget mantis either. Managed to catch a bit of that documentary narrated by Sir David Attenborough about Praying Mantises and learnt that those small mantises are called Midget Mantises. So cute!

Went out to town to get some provisions (like food) and the sky was nothing but blue. Not a cloud in the sky. If it wasn’t for my Mum already waiting in the car, I would have taken a pic of the sky then and there.

No news about the Valentine’s Day iPod contest results yet. *sniff* I can’t stand the waiting and not knowing! I have never been so desperate for an iPod before. Perhaps it’s due to the support I got from the forum - they liked my slogan. If people from the UK can like my slogan, maybe the Apple Malaysia people can, too? *hopes*

There I was, thinking I only had three days at the hellhole training center and then on the first day back, the SiGt3ch guy tells us that we will still have our 5-day stretch of classes as usual, which mean staying back on Friday and Saturday. I have another week of that before the schedule returns to normal.

Thank goodness I still managed to catch Heroes that Saturday, since my class ended at 5:15pm. The two instructors hatched this idea of a group photo. My camera battery was dying and I hoped it wouldn’t conk on me in the midst of all the ‘chaos’ (people keeping the equipment, arranging themselves in the best possible position). The first photo was passable, but I tried to zoom in a little more and got the SiGt3ch guy to snap it for us once again, but he either shook or the dying battery was making the focusing difficult.

Note to self: bring camera cables to recharge camera.

Parents know I brought the camera, and so far no objections.

I’ve always heard that orange juice tastes crappy just after you’ve brushed your teeth. I’ve never tried this before because I don’t want to drink crappy orange juice.

This morning, Mum told me I could drink the milk in the fridge. I gulped about half down when I noticed the bowl of jackfruit (nangka). I decided to eat some. And then I drank the milk.

Yuck BLEAUUURGHH! XÞ was my reaction.

It’s a taste I can’t describe, just that it tasted heavy on my tongue and I was hesistant to finish my milk, but me being me and not wanting to waste anything, I just drank it.

Just the other day, I had bought two squid balls (sotong balls) from the cafeteria. Before paying, I saw my friend replace all the sotong balls that she had taken earlier with keropok lekor (fish crackers that almost look like a gray hotdog, but sliced diagonally). She told me they were ‘Masam’ (sour), which didn’t compute in my brain as ‘gone bad’. I took one bite and that’s when I realised what she meant. XD I was just thankful I only bought two. I ate both, and my friend was surprised I still ate them after what she told me.

Yup, crazy is me. But hey…I’m STILL alive! Now hush when I keep reminding my parents about expiry dates.

First off, happy birthday to my dearest brother. =) Don’t see why he should feel depressed with the addition of a year to his age. He’s got plenty to be happy about. He’s got a sweet wife who loves him and tolerates appreciates his idiosyncrasies, he’s got a job, and he’s not staying with Mum and Dad. XD

Okay, to continue from my last post. Hmmm, I can hardly recall what happened now. XD These are the bits that are still stuck in my head. They might not entirely accurate.

After I replied to his message, he called me. I was reluctant to take the call, but I convinced myself that this was all to find out if he was full of crap. He sounded like a typical Chinese-educated, didn’t pay attention in school and had a bad upbringing type of guy. Yeah, you can tell that much about a person as soon as he opens his mouth. I spoke in English and he insisted in replying in Malay. So in the end I compromised with Manglish.

He asked me for my photo. He INSISTED on having me send a photo of myself. I humoured him by taking down his address, but I did tell him that I looked hideous and I wasn’t going to send a photo to a stranger. I asked if he had e-mail or could get online and he replied in the negative. Hmmm…even more reason not to give a photo. When one doesn’t have web presence, it’s very unlikely that there will be ‘google-able’ information about them.

The line was bad and we got disconnected. So he called again. I told him that I was Chinese-Indian but could only understand the most basic of phrases. As soon as I said, “I can’t speak [Chinese]” in Mandarin, his Chinese language cells activated and he started rattling off in some dialect. Probably Hokkien, as that is one of the most common dialects spoken in those parts.

He asked me what religion I was and I said that I didn’t have one (it’s so difficult to say ‘free-thinker’ in Malay). And the sound of absolute shock came through the line. It translates to, “WHAT?!?!? Then who do you pray to?!?!?!” That was an absolute gem! I couldn’t help but laugh.

He said earlier that he was 22…and then he said he lied when I told him I was 32. This time, he said that he was 30. He kept asking me when I was going to Penang. I told him never anytime soon. I explained that I was still studying (again, he sounded incredulous) and that I wasn’t going to go anywhere. I told him I had paid off my loan and was virtually penniless. When I told him I still lived with my parents, I think he was convinced that I was pulling his leg.

So anyway, I asked him what could I do if I went to Penang and he said, “Buat cinta” (direct translation of “make love”) and it sounded so idiotic, I laughed! Who is he trying to kid?

Well, I told him I wasn’t interested in being his friend. I said goodbye and turned off my phone. This was already about 11pm. As my battery was dying, I left it off the whole night through (easy to do when you tell your friends not to call you). The next morning (okay, almost noon), I turned on my phone and discovered NINE missed calls from him. A Penang fixed line number and one of his cellphone numbers. All starting from 2:21am.

Now, any sane person would think twice about calling someone after midnight, ESPECIALLY when they’ve just known the person. This guy had ‘loser’ written all over his forehead. I’m not answering any of his calls if he does call. No Penang numbers accepted, unless they are already in my Phonebook. Most new numbers to my phone are wrong numbers anyway. XD

I was talking to one of my 11 roomies the other day and she mentioned a friend of hers. She got acquainted with him when she mistakenly called his number instead of a friend’s. Since then, he’d occasionally call her and has been pestering her to marry him. My friend is Malay (Muslim) and this guy is Chinese. Any normal Chinese guy would think twice about marrying a Muslim woman because of the religious complications, and even more so when he has NEVER set eyes on the girl.

My friend told me that he was in his early 20s and was working. I told her to be very wary of this individual. She then suggested that I contact him to see if he was the real deal. So she gave me his number.

I pretended to text a friend, asking how she was and that I was extremely bored. The next morning, he called. I didn’t answer the phone because I had set it to ’silent’ before going to class. And I usually lose the signal when I get to class. When I checked my phone, I saw that he had left a text message. He very ‘nicely’ asked who I was and why I was bored.

I texted him back, apologizing for my mistake, and explained that my ‘friend’ hadn’t written her number clearly in my book. He then asked my gender. I told him I was of the fairer sex and he replied, asking if we could be friends.

This was when I was rushing back after lunch, so I didn’t reply until several hours later…

(to be continued next Thursday).

They left on the 8:30pm Transnasional bus headed for Singapore. It was nice having them around again.

My ang pow haul was much better than expected this year. And to think I was just telling my friends that it would be meagre pickings this year due to the fact that I wasn’t going to my granny’s. I hadn’t counted on getting any ang pow from my aunt and brother, so it was a huge bonus for me. Don’t forget, I don’t have an allowance and I owe so much for my broadband connection alone. XD

I ate like a Piggy this year. Totally stuffed myself with Mum’s food. Laksa for lunch for two days, followed with Chendol for dessert, and then loads of mandarin oranges. I think I gained two kilos within 2 days. I just ate half a buttercake and *burp* I am feeling the effects right now. *yawn*

One of the proprietors at the cafeteria brings her children along to work and the youngest is a girl aged 4. Her name’s Aqilah or something to that affect. Sure, she looks angelic and sweet here. BUT DON’T LET APPEARANCES FOOL YOU! She bites, she kicks, she takes things, she lifts shirts at the back while people are trying to eat…

The roomies on my side of the room have taken a liking to her and we do give her the attention that she’s not getting from her busy parents. But it sure wears my patience thin. Many a time, I have shot down the urge to just shake some sense into her. I know, I know, she’s only four and she’s only doing this to get some attention.

Two days (Sunday and Monday) off for Chinese New Year for the first time in Terengganu. Prior to this, it was only a day compared to the rest of the states. This means that I’ll only have to endure three days at TESDEC! Next week will see the start of my hands-on training. The class is supposed to be divided into four groups (five members each, except for one with just four) and I’m not going to pick members like what my friend is doing. I’ll join any group. As long as work is done, I’m fine. I’m not going to go all obssessed and choose the most hardworking members, and then see that everybody’s already found their team members and I’m not included. Yes, I’ve had experience in the past with this. I’m fine, I tell you. =)