Quick! What’s the answer for “barbarian greeting”?
Yi told us the answer, and we were stupefied. Well, it did sound plausible and yes, there was that shop sign which fit her explanation.
Krista Goon
Happy Haze-less Days Are Over
The first thought which came to my mind this morning when I woke up was, “Is that Auntie burning joss paper again?! This early in the morning?”
You see, the Aunties in my apartment block love burning joss paper. Since we live in apartments and not bungalows, there’s no space for them to do it in their own houses so they’ll cart the metal container and the joss paper and go downstairs to burn ’em.
Only this time, it wasn’t the acrid smell of burning joss.
It was the haze.
Oh. For all the times I’ve happily gloated and thanked my lucky stars that I wasn’t in the Klang Valley. For all the times I’ve pitied the Klang Valley folks but felt quite invincible up here in Penang.
Darn. It’s over. The happy, haze-less days are over as of this morning.
The haze was around yesterday afternoon but I didn’t notice it much although Nic kept telling me it had arrived about 3pm. I didn’t see it nor smell it and that was fine by me.
But this morning was awful. Imagine waking up to no sun! None at all. And the air smells funny. And I am the least sensitive type of person. When Nic’s nose twitches, I’ll go, “What? I don’t smell a thing.”
Today, my nose is twitching and it is not the Bewitched kind of twitch. My throat isn’t doing fantastic either. I am given to bouts of coughing which is my body’s response to the polluted air around me.
I don’t even dare to put my pet lovebird, Sawadee, out on the balcony for fear he’ll keel over. In fact, the poor bird isn’t singing very loudly or much today (he usually wakes the whole apartment with his morning song and he’s often very noisy).
And the worst part? I have a treasure hunt to take part in tomorrow! How am I supposed to hunt when the air quality is so bad? And my KL friends are coming to Penang to escape the haze…what irony!
This photo was taken from my balcony at 9.42am today. On good days, I can see all the other buildings (apartments) and even the hill on Pulau Jerejak from my balcony. Today, nothing!
Another shot showing how thick the haze is!
Here's A Better Idea…
You know, technology isn’t about making life better or faster or easier sometimes.
The way I see it, it complicates life mostly. People just can’t stick with one simple idea. They like to adorn their ideas and see it grow, with bling-blings and tassels and silverdust.
While I work with technology most of the time, there are times when I say “Enough!”. I mean, do we really need to have our handphones hanging off our left ear? Is everything so urgent that we simply MUST take that phone call or the world will go bust?
Come on…. I think most people fall in love with the idea of technology, not realizing technology is supposed to make our human lives better, not turn us into robots who’re on perpetual Go from the moment we wake up.
Be A Brit, Will You?
There’s something absolutely charming about the British, in spite of their rather dry wit. Possibly there’s something regal, even aristocratic about the British, their humour, their work, their writing.
A Gem in Armenian Street
“You like Penang?” A friend once asked.
I guess I do. I didn’t spend much of my growing up years here but I spent almost all of my school holidays in Penang when I was younger.
There’s something about Penang which is charming although the traffic can be crazy at times. But Sundays are good days for exploring Penang, at least the little nooks and crannies where the tourists won’t go. But I cannot be too sure. These days, tourists are a heck of a lot smarter and know more than the locals. I take that back. Friends of mine who are occasional visitors to Penang often confound me with the places they find and the unknown things they experience.
Things and experiences I take for granted at times.
Today it was Armenian Street. I’ve been to Teresa’s Edelweiss Cafe all but once and I’d been raving about it to Nic. The ambience and the decor can really sweep you back into an era where life moved a little more leisurely.
Make Your (Own) Funny Story
It’s one of those days that you just want to kick back and start savouring the weekend. (Yes, even for people who work at home like me.)
I got this by poking around someone’s blog and found it to be just the thing to trigger some creativity in all of us. It’s fun and it’s definitely fast. I just did one in under 5 minutes so if you want to humour yourself, and your friends, and show off a bit of your film-making skills, this is the place for you. It includes some great music too. And if you’re well-versed in Flash, you can contribute your skills and create a character or two.
But before that, have a look at my own movie here.
(The speed is a bit fast, and there’s no way I could tweak the speed but I hope it’s readable! If not, you can play it again and again!)
Yes, I Work From Home
I am sure my neighbours wonder about me and my other half all the time. I used to get out of the apartment at 8 plus in my formal business suit, ready to get my car started so I can get to work on the dot. Everyday for the past couple of years.
Suddenly, it all stopped.
Now I no longer do that because I work from home. Well, I don’t lounge around in pajamas (I think that’s just plain laziness if you don’t get out of your sleeping attire when you are not sleeping!) but I still sit in front of my computer. In fact, it’s now a laptop instead of the regular PC.
The Tragedy of Life?
I am the type of person who shies away from watching tearjerkers at the cinema. I don’t like to walk out of the cinema feeling melancholy. I much prefer to laugh my cares away with some comedy, with a chuckle and a smile and a dozen good feelings in my head the minute I get out of the darkened cinema hall.
Because I am the type who feels deeply for others. Empathy is my strong point. It is also my Achilles’ heel. It drives me to involve myself in activities I usually won’t get into, but emotions, once they get you, never leave.
That Indian Thing
I know why I love Penang, despite its crazy traffic jams and rude motorists who jump into my lane when I am happily driving along.
The culture.
Where else can you get, side by side to Chinese establishments, little enclaves of Indian shops which seem to have been forgotten by time? In Penang, Little India is vibrant and alive, in more ways than one. The colours are strong, and the air smells of curries and spices and incense sticks.
One of the best ways to sample the culture and its people is to break out of one’s comfort zone and go shopping in Little India. Be it Queen Street, King Street, Bishop Street or Penang Street, there’s always something happening – Indians going about their daily shopping, stopping by a shop for a quick bite and drink, or just strolling about, buying their colourful clothes.
This Thing Called Divorce
The SMS came a week ago.
The gist of the message was: July 14th would be the day she would walk out a free woman.
She would be officially divorced from her ex-husband.
And yesterday, at about 10.20am, I got another SMS from her. Finally, after all the waiting, she did walk out of court a free woman. Unencumbered by her past.
The first thing I did was to send her a message of support. That I was truly happy for her. I truly was because I knew she had been waiting for this day for the longest time.
She’s a happier person this way, and she’s found much strength in herself, after walking out of a bad marriage.