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

work, work.

An old draft sitting in my blogger for some time now. Backdated post.

I give up. Trying to blog has become so hard these days that every single draft i created in the past week never made past the first sentence. Sigh.

--

So actually i had gotten a temporary job, an office job, somewhere in Cheras. Initially me and Mus were working together at the company.. i sort of registered and got the same work for him as well. Haven't really got to know any of the co-workers till now, but at least i could remember most of their names already. No it didn't help that there were like 10 people altogether in the whole department :P

I don't really know what 'titles' or 'positions' we were given actually (i guess we were called temp boys.. which sounds.. er). I don't even know what the other colleague's jobs are. Dad said for all i know, they could be dealing with 'dirty' money. -.- Haha but basically we were working in the Accounts department, sorting, filing, writing, typing, filling, checking, photostating, printing, checking, double-checking, asking, eavesdropping, chatting on msn, laughing at people's names, disturbing each other, sleeping, looking bored, acting busy.. you get the drift.

It's going into the second week of work for me now, though Mus had suddenly been fired unemployed relieved of his job as of today due to unknown reasons (i tell you.. it's face problem haha :P). Incidentally, he was thinking of quitting anyway =/. Work is gonna get more boring from now on .. yawns. Mus was the only source of entertainment after all.

Did notice the environment was very relaxed tho.. and most of them seem pretty happy and cheerful, particularly Flora and Julia. Aha all of them were friendly and helpful too.. i must have disturbed each one of them with dozens of questions everyday. That's for being such a noob in the office. Gotta be grateful to have such tolerant colleagues =)

--

In a couple of days we're going to have another reunion mamak session. Paul and Yih Seong's coming over.. wee

oh and a happy belated birthday to the bonze, Yih Seong who turned 22 yesterday. i know you missed me. haha

senaiboy is a temp boy!

On Valentine's Day, no less.

- to be blogged haha this be the busiest day in a looong time -

quote unquote

.. Watching school guys and girls walking in and out the gate, i wonder if they know that they are actually creating memories. They probably don't realise that they're living in memories of their future.

taken off Siau Ying's blog post

Meaningful quote i found on my batchmate, Siau Ying's blog :)

--

Update: 2am.

Me, Prasad, Chee Mei and Mustaqim had mamak for suppa at the usual place, Ajimal at 12am. And the talk went from friends to politics to gossips.

As Prasad said, IMU just seem different now.. feels different. Maybe it is a sign of change. We're super-seniors already after all. I'm still getting used to it. Super-seniors. We ARE old, aren't we? :(

In a while we could have a mini reunion of sorts. Ben will be back in around 12 hours, Paul's coming over to stay in KL for a couple of days on 27th. Yew Wen's already in Vista, and Huilin's home in TTDI sort-of-nearby.

I miss everyone.

ps - wonder how Chow's doing. we haven't hear a thing from him since he left.

job hunting

4 hours of walking around Bukit Bintang. Seriously i've never been to so many malls in a day before aha. By the end of it all i could think of was a warm bed in a cold room under the air conditioner. I could have slept there in one of the malls if there was a bed within reach.

--

So. Finally set about looking for work. Have absolutely no idea where or how to start, so i ajak-ed along another clueless guy.. Mustaqim! ..which didn't help much haha. But at least there's two lost boys in Bukit Bintang now..

Took the LRT to Times Square around 10.30am, had our brunch at McD's, then walked around the mall. And walked around the mall. And walked around the mall.

Then out of Times, crossed the road to Lowyat (Mus wanna check out some shop), walked directionless in search of Pavillion (i don't know where we were 90% of the time), then checked out Bintang Walk, BB Plaza, Imbi Plaza, KL Plaza, Lot 10, Sungei Wang. Swear i didn't know so many malls could be crammed into such a small area. Whoa.

Still.. after all that walking and all that looking and all that asking, we end up with nothing. From Starbucks to Giordano to Dome and we still couldn't get one :(. Heh easier to say looking for jobs than really look for jobs..

--

Tomorrow gotta go for the Starbucks' interview at Times Square (again!). Hopefully something worthwhile will come out of it :)

Edit (12.2.2008) - no go. they wanted someone who can work for at least a year. sigh :(

ps - guess what, i found out something interesting yesterday.. which made me feel really noob at the same time. my laptop had a CD/DVD burner built in all along! -.-

pps - Jem's in Tasmania and Chia Huan's in Melbourne already :(. and i didn't get to send off both. sowee. hope you two are having fun over there.. all the best!