Reading about the student who gave up his organs so that others could have a new life prompted me to think about the time I signed up to be an organ donor.
This was back when I was a undergraduate in USM. It was during one of those semester breaks when I had gone home to Selangor, happily announcing to my parents that I had pledged my organs – I cannot remember which organs I pledged but the major ones were included (I don’t have 20/20 eyesight so maybe no one would want my eyes).
Musings
Bitter Potions and a Temporary Herbivore
I’m quite proud of the fact that I managed to go on a full vegetarian diet for the past one week.
Oh, it’s not because of Wesak Day that I decided to become a temporary herbivore. I don’t think I am the type to follow trends – I know of people who fulfill a strict vegetarian diet due to religious reasons but I am not one of them.
PhD of a Snail
I got a questionnaire in my postbox this morning. It wasn’t stamped which means it was hand-delivered.
It had this official USM letter stapled to it, and anything USM makes me curious (me being an alumni and knowing USM usually means something odd or another). I read it and found that it was a request to answer the attached survey from a post-grad student doing his PhD.
I like helping people. I don’t mind filling up surveys if I know it’s for a good cause. Or an academic exercise. God knows it was trying when I was doing my thesis the last round.
But the more I read, the more I think: heck, this student does not deserve my help at all because he’s a lazy jackass.
Mad Start, Mad Week
I thought I could get some rest after my hectic KL trip but it seems that it’s not to be! There should be a holiday after a holiday as post-holiday is just as bad as pre-holiday. Anyway, the upside is, I work for myself so if I think I can wing it, I can just vegetate in front of the TV (tsk, tsk….).
But I am also the sort to feel utterly guilty if I don’t engage in some form of productive work. I think this ‘guilt phobia’ of mine is debilitating; it punctures some of the best moments of lepak!
Nic on the other hand can be such a hippo. He can laze about, or lie about and be so carefree about life even when deadlines are approaching. Maybe that’s why women cannot gain the upperhand in this battle of the sexes; we’ve never learnt how to let go and relax when it’s needed.
But it’s a mad start to a mad week. I can foresee a number of appointments this week which would eat up my time. I’ve got a proposal to complete (which I am not looking forward to – I mean, who looks forward to doing proposals?), I’ve also got a KL friend coming up to visit and I get to be her driver for the day (hurray for me… hmmm) and I’ve got a Mother’s Day lunch to plan for later this week.
Walk Your Talk
What I love about Penang is that the island probably has the largest number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are active and take a strong interest in the island’s happenings. Although Penang is not hip in the KL sense, Penang has many activities for those who are interested in local culture and its peoples.
That’s how I found myself on the 4th floor of 60, Weld Quay two weeks ago, after huffing up many flights of cramped stairs. Nic and I got there just in time – Dr Choong Sim Poey or known affectionately as SP was giving a speech about what PenangWatch was all about.
Margaret
We took Margaret to the vet yesterday. It’s tough explaining why we paid RM85 to neuter a cat which wasn’t even our own.
Margaret is supposedly 2 years old (this we found out when we got the vet’s card this morning) and colour-wise, she’s a mackerel tabby. We didn’t know her age all the while and we never knew she weighed 3.94 kg. Is that fat for a cat? A stray cat?
A-hunting We Will Go
It’s odd that I even do this. I am not even in Mensa (that’s a totally IQ thing if you ask me). I first got hooked on motoring treasure hunts last year when on a whim, I told Nic that we should be joining the Mensa Penang Treasure Hunt to show our support. It was also raising funds for the La Salle Learning Centre right here in Penang.
Why MayaKirana?
Through this blog of mine (which I started back when blogging wasn’t even cool or understood), I’ve made plenty of good friends. I leave my blog URL in a few places but somehow, people find their way here and end up being my good buddies.
When they email me and I reply, they are inevitably surprised. The first thing many e-buddies ask is this, “Why did you choose Maya Kirana as a name for yourself and your blog?”
Cheats and Liars
I really get mad when people try to do things behind your back and then try to cover up when asked.
I got hopping mad when I found out that the bank which I got my credit card from has been doing this. You see, I could have changed my credit card for one which didn’t charge me annual fees. I could have. But darn loyal me. I see credit card promoters each time I go to Tesco, Giant and Komtar. Everyone’s trying to get me to change to a card which doesn’t have annual fees. Free for life.
Thought of These in the Shower
I thought of these truisms (well, to me they are anyway but I won’t tell you what sort of experiences I went through just to have these succinct snappy phrases but some were quite harrowing) while showering just now.