and then there was 13

Feel kinda sad our once big group is dwindling down slowly. The ones left in Bukit Jalil are just me, Ben, Mus, Prasad and Chee Mei. Hui Lin was last seen shopping at Sunway Pyramid (tak ajak pun! :P), and Yew Wen was said to be Down Under settling some business. Add the 6 in Seremban, that makes 13 of us still around here.

--

31st March, Jackie flew off to Aberdeen. Seems like a little while ago, this day was still far away.. and just a few hours ago we sent him off at KLIA..

Though most probably we're going to meet up sometime in Scottish lands, it feels kinda weird to see a (another) friend walking past the gate, knowing the next time we meet will be months away. That a friend you used to see on a daily basis, now probably might be someone you see a couple of times a year at most.

That's life for you, isn't it.

--

Liew Yen Eit with his fully extended wingspan aha

Don't really have much to say right now, just here's wishing our Liew Yen Eit have a safe flight to Aberdeen (:. Remember what we asked you to do, go take a tour around UK and Europe before we go there k? You have to be our tour guide! Haha :P

ps - and bon voyage to Lydia, Deborah, Sue Ann, Kong Fui and Fabian as well! you guys enjoy your time in Scots, we'll be over pretty soon ehe

a man who does not belong

There was this homeless man near Klinik Kesihatan DBKL on the street along where i walk to my office everyday. And every time on my way to work and back, i would see him on the dirty pavement, sometimes lying down, at times sitting up.

His clothes were a very darkish brown-black, most probably due to months or years of sleeping on the streets. He had this fuzzy greying hair, sort of the one you see on Einstein. Must have looked years since he had a nice hot bath, or even just a minute of shower. His slippers were one of those white coloured with blue strap you see in pasar malam, obviously worn and close to retirement. Though most of the times i saw him, he weren't wearing them. Uncomfortable, or just trying to make them last longer, i could not have guessed.

Along with the shirt on his back, he also brings along a plastic bag, the contents of which my curiosity hadn't spurred me to peep at (homeless as he may be, he deserves respect and privacy, not a curiosity on the street for strangers to scrutinise). He had a little notebook too, and he can be seen writing on it sometimes with a black marker pen. Once i had a glance while he was writing, and it seems like a few simple chinese characters i learned in kindergarten. 人 人 人 人 ...

Sometimes, i would see him holding onto his left arm. Sometimes he would hit his left arm slightly, slapping it like it wasn't listening to him. There was a suppurated wound on his left elbow, but he didn't seem to be in much pain from it. I thought he had some neurological problem affecting his left arm, but i hadn't notice any twitch or tic so far.

And everyday, people walked past him, oblivious to him, as he is to them. Maybe one or two kind hearts looked at him with sympathy, but most i would dare say look on with just pity in their eyes. Among the passers-by with their busy lives and hectic schedules, the man just sits there, seemingly in his own time and space. This world he lives in, has totally forgotten about him, lost in the currents of time.

What could have driven this man to this sorry state? Behind that dirty, unkempt appearance, there was a story that possibly, no one ever knew, or even remembered.

--

This day last week, it was raining very heavily. True that it'd been raining everyday since a fortnight before, but this time, the sky's tears did not stop falling even for a minute. I had to stay in the office a little longer to wait for an interval where i could rush to the train station with an umbrella as my shield.

Seeing the rain would not relent, i couldn't give a heck and just walked all the way as quickly as i could. Ended up with my shoes wet, and the bottom half of my jeans drenched.

As i walked past the junction where the homeless man stayed, he was nowhere to be seen.

Unsurprisingly, he must have found shelter somewhere nearby.

But the following days, he was not there around his usual place anymore.

Would anyone had noticed his disappearance? Would anyone had cared?

He was but just a forgotten man, lost in time and space.

the day we headed south

Yesterday was Awal Muharram, which signifies the start of the Muslim year or calendar, Muharram, which also coincides with Prophet Muhammad's journey from Mecca to Medina on the first of Muharram in 622AD.

For us, it meant public holiday! Wee! Haha.

So since it's a holiday for us working people in Bukit Jalil and the studying people in Seremban, we decided to head south to invade their houses (:

Prasad took the wheel, me, Mus and Chee Mei made up the rest of the invaders. Got there earlier than we expected, had to wake Yih Seong up half groggy half asleep to guide us to their house. Aha sorry mate disturb ya on a pub hols.

Summarising things up, what we did there was went to the most happening place there, Jusco Seremban 2 and had lunch, saw someone with someone there, went visit Kherdz's house, had cendol, then back to the 'family' house, dinner at a halal tai thong restaurant, before the four of us head back to Bukit Jalil.

--

Really missed the Seremban gang, and the big gatherings. Even though there's only half of the full roll call there in Seremban yesterday, it is really great to see all of them again after so long. Much of their talk now shifted to hospital postings and stuff tho, while the four of us seem kinda noobish there haha.

Loads of gossip news from Seremban too, right from bitchings to the makes-and-breaks haha. Especially funny how rumors appear from nowhere lol. And how little we know about our (ex)batchmates for 2.5 years, surprisingly.

At least things seem much more interesting over there. Bukit Jalil doesn't really have enough 'material/victims' to stir up bitchings =/. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing, well that depends. Haha =P

Here's thanks to our hosts in Seremban, Yih Seong, Winnie, Paul, Chung Kia, Kher Dee, and Wei Loong. Hope we could make another trip down again sometime soon, with Ben, Hui Lin and Yew Wen as well next time around (:

--

Guess i should update more on things over here for the 'family' members overseas. Everyone seems pretty busy themselves that contact aren't as frequent as it'd been.

ps - oh yeah Hui Lin.. the Seremban gang haven't got their own internet yet, so i guess the e-mail circle plans gotta wait? =/

pps - oh and here's thanks to Yih Seong for clicking on the ad on my blog so religiously, i shall blanja you mamak once i get the money (if i even get it in the first place haha)

of rainy-and-sunny land

I stood along the corridor, unable to take a step further. It was a couple of minutes past 6pm, right after my work shift is over.

It was raining heavily.

I looked to the sky and watched the rain clouds floated past high over me. The setting sun, on the further side of my vision, shined brightly still.

Another ten of minutes later, the rain stopped.

--

This, is my home. I can't imagine me myself being anywhere else.

This weather, this cities, this food, this roads, this people, this atmosphere, this rain.

Maybe i was just a frog under a coconut shell, for never having seen outside the boundaries of my own country Malaysia. But one thing i know, this is where i was born, where i grew up, and where i will die. Tanah tumpahnya darahku.

Perhaps this sudden sense of patriotism came about because soon, for the next couple of years or so, my feet will not touch this land more than a couple of weeks a year. Probably even much less.

I just received my offer letter from University of Dundee Medical School last week.

21st July, that's when a new chapter of my life starts. Leaving behind all things comfortable and familiar, i wasn't sure if i made the right choice not to go on with my switch to Seremban Clinical School. But decision's made, the path is chosen, and what's left is up to me myself to tread it.

--

Right now, it always felt like there's a clock somewhere ticking away my time left here. Seconds, minutes, hours, days closer to my departure. I know i'm not ready at all right now, if not for the months ahead for me to prepare i would have been a lost sheep when i get there. baa..

Still, much things to do, letters to type, arrangements to settle, decisions to make.

I just wish life isn't changing this fast.

--

Other note: am amazed that Veejay remembers me. haha. i know i was very quiet/shy/antisocial when i was in primary school, so i thought most people wouldn't have even known i existed.

but maybe that's another story for another day :)

MY: general elections 2008

Indeed, any Malaysian would have known bout it by now. Personally, i, too never have thought everyone could be so -for lack of better word- united. United in their showing of dissatisfaction at the ruling coalition, of course.

While i was never interested in politics, and could never had name any single politician (besides the obviouslah) before this, i still find myself clicking the refresh button on the news page of malaysiakini furiously every minute that fateful night.

And as the results came on one by one, i was amazed at how much the winds of favor had blown towards the opposition. I did expect the public to show their dissatisfaction in the ballot boxes, but denying the ruling coalition of a two third majority, that simply means something is wrong with the ruling coalition. Very wrong.

In fact, starting two weeks ago, anyone who read the newspaper couldn't have possibly not sense something amiss. It got to such a disturbing extent that i had to stop reading them for the whole week leading up to the election. Fair coverage? Yeah, and i couldn't flip a page without stumbling over an accusation of empty promises or threat of chaos and instability.

And some even resorted to childish tactics as well, right here in Sri Petaling. Haha is it any surprise who won the seats?

Still, as much as the ruling coalition had failed to retain the public's favor, i still do wonder how would the 3 opposition parties work together. Good thing that going for an islamic country was dropped from one of the party's manifesto for this year (we chinese can't live without pork! :P). But different ideologies, different leaders, a compromise is for sure but it does remain to be seen how everything'll work out =/

I just hope this change means good things to come.

--

On March 8, 2008, i should had been eligible for voting. But i didn't register myself. I wasn't political-savvy at all, and i thought me casting my vote will be like casting blindly. I didn't want to grow up, i was in denial that it's time i become an adult. But i can't always close my eyes and face away all my life, ya?

I should have made the effort to see what's happening around me. I should have thought about how my country is doing. Should've been start caring and stop being an ignorant child.

Many things had happened this election. Indeed, it has been history in the making.

For me, i guess i finally grew up =)

mid-holiday depression syndrome

There was an ulat in my lunch.

--

Seriously that's about as exciting as work can get haha. Okay, it's not actually THAT bad since my colleagues are really fun people to work with.. if i could stand hearing 'First Love' playing everyday from the secretary-cum-office-DJ's music blaring.

There's a new girl in the office as well, working for HR department.. which consists of her and her alone. Which means before this there was never a HR department. Aha guess it's really a small company..

.. and i got my first paycheck yesterday! Wee! After travelling an hour to and another from the office everyday and working 8.5 hours a day for the past 2 weeks.. i got a whopping RM616.41! Which, after i deduct the money spent on transport and food during the same time.. leaves me a profit of RM50. siiiiggghhh ..

--

On to other news.. we finally have a car in IMU! Thanks Chee Mei's daddy! Haha. Now we don't have to wait for taxi or walk all the way to Sri Petaling for mamak supper anymore.. =)

I kinda miss the old days sometimes, just for the company we had.. though now isn't so bad either. At least i don't have exams to study for, lectures to sleep in, CSU to be scolded for, PBL to be wiki-ed, and the like. And with Ben, Chee Mei and Mustaqim around, it does feel kinda home-y.. huddling together like a small bit of the family left stranded here haha

..

But for the past couple of days i've been feeling out of place, felt like just dive head first into work and not care bout anything. Like i've become a workaholic and i can't do anything else besides work anymore. Maybe it's the realisation that i'm not earning as much as i thought i was.. or maybe i can't wait to work because i don't want that feeling to tug at me. The feeling like i'm missing a part of me..

Doesn't help finding out second phase starts on July 21st (from Wai Kien's sister). Shucks. I know we're gonna leave in mid-July, but something bout finding out when exactly my freedom ends just made me all gloomy inside (just like the hazy KL right now) :(

ps - tomorrow's election day, which means holiday to us ignorant citizens who 'forgot' to register for it haha :P

pps - see the ad above? They're even selling land there O.o