I love the Chinese New Year 2009 google look:

The firecrackers woke me up this morning and I suddenly realized that it's Chinese New Year. I almost forgot the ambiance back home. It is never quiet during CNY. With all the lion dance visiting from house to house asking for red packets, children burning fireworks outside the house, visitors coming to your neighbors house earlier than expected...

Ahh...I am missing my homedays! 

Anyway, today we are going to JJ market to just look around. We planned to go to China town but celebration and shows will not be up until tomorrow and by tomorrow, we will be busy having friends around. I wish I could have a week of holiday just like Hobbit. His is an anglo school. No doubt a long holiday for this occasion. Well, I hope I don't get carried away by food because I don't want to have Anoretix sitting on my table! 

Signing off for a shower, enjoy your mornings people!

Do you listen to the radio in the morning? Well, I do. I listen to 88.0FM on my morning showers and to 107.0FM on my way to school. I also have my favorite Djs.

On my way to school this morning, I again came across this "irritating" song, at least to Hobbit and I. It's irritating because apart from being played often on our favorite stations, the lyrics is irksome! The chorus goes

"Are we human or are we dancers...bla...bla...bla..."

What more, I think many ears heard the chorus sung without an 'S' on the dancers. 

I told Hobbit that I am so going to check out this song and try to make sense out of the lyrics. I did and woah, here are a few things mentioned by others about this hit song:

1. It's top 5 in the UK single chart.

2. "Human" is described as "Johnny Cash meets the Pet Shop Boys."

3. Many a times people thought it's denser instead of dancers.

Human - By The Killers

I did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind

And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes, clear your heart
Cut the cord

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance
They always did the best they could

And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye, wish me well
You've gotta let me go

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
Let me know, is your heart still beating?

Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer

You've gotta let me know
Are we human or are we dancers?
My sign is vital, my hands are cold
And I'm on my knees looking for the answer
Are we human or are we dancers?

Are we human or are we dancers?
Are we human or are we dancers? 

I blogged this somewhere while waiting for something. Today I found all my holiday journals and managed to patch them together although each in pieces of papers. So disorganized...but here...My Dec 18-19, 2008 chaos! :)

Dec 18 and Dec 19.

Last day of school for me. Given a choice, I would rather stay home and do my last minute packing, but no. Instead of rushing through normal Thursdays routine, I rushed through settling my going home business. As soon as I reached school, I did my grades on the school's computer, went for classes in between, out to the bank, did my last bit of grades and rushed for class. Thank God I managed to get my December pay and managed to pay our car bills immediately. Then I paid other misc. stuff and without realizing, moola fast gone!

As soon as Hobbit picked me up, we did our last minute shopping. Due to stress, I decided to take a walk at Tawana open market. I spent some of my going home money and almost died. Not because of the spending but because of the dirt cheap nice clothes they have there. It wasn't like that the last time I went there. Hobbit got too excited too. Thus there goes my conscience, asking me to buy more. I happened to use the lousy 299B purse and the bank money was too fat to button it. After Tawana's shopping "spree", I realized I had no problem pushing the button through. That, smacked me on my face. Thank you 299 purse! So we left Tawana, dumped the idea of a last minute shopping for others, had dinner and headed home.

Another drama unfolded. Since I had a blast at Tawana and Hobbit did bought something too, we decided to do the KC in front of our closet's mirror. That took more than an hour. Then we pulled the luggage, bags, backpack, etc out and started dumping in more stuff. We couldn't believe what we were about to take with us but lets not elaborate. I finally managed to wack an elephant and fold it nicely into our luggage. It was 10:44pm.

Checked our Nixon watches, 1:34am, I was still debating whether to bring my silky undies or the nylon ones. Then I decided on silky since it dries fast. Passports, ICs, concealer...

2ish, I tried to sleep.

4:30am, the alarm woke us. Unwillingly I dragged myself to the shower room and quickly dressed up. Dragged our stuff down towards the ground floor and waved for a cab. Not bad, the cab only cost us 190+B. Went to the AA checked in point, grumbled about the line and got our boarding pass plus an overweight bill which cost about 1000+B. Heck. Didn't bother, paid and waited to go on board at 6:20am.

It was a smooth journey from Bkk to KL thank God. Due to overweight, we decided to handcarry one bag and went through transferring liquids from bag to bag. Rushed to the check in point, got our boarding tickets and headed to the boarding area. Ahh! The Kakak told us that our backpack is overweight and requested us to checked it in. No, I refused to pay for overweight. So Hobbit and I slowly lessen the content of the bag and unwillingly I handcarry all of the stuff and "tied" them around my body. With Air Asia, you are only allowed 7kg handcarry with medium size bag. Ours was 10kg and the backpack was a hippo. As soon as the scale hit 7kg, we were allowed to enter. Thank God.

The flight was rather bumpy. Not as smooth as BKk-KL flight but we thank the Lord for bringing us safely home. Met our parents, headed for makan at 1Borneo and later on met with my aunt's family and went for ANOTHER chinese dinner at Cherry Cafe. Glorious food. Hallelujah!

Home sweet Home. 

First day of the second semester started today. I wasn't very excited going back to work. The break has brought so many good things and now moving back to normal and waking up to reality!

The weather is freaking cold right now and I thought it was over when I came back last week for I didn't even feel the cool air blowing when I got off the plane at the airport. Then I was tossing and turning that night until the next day when slowly I started pulling my blanket up and soon after realized that I was already tightly wrap in a bundle! Thank God no more tankless water heater like what happened in our previous apartment! 

It's time to shower. Don't even feel like going under the spray. Tsk!

My lovely Aunt Alice sent me this story that greatly touched my very soul. Old age, loneliness...Kinda describe the woman I met along the road that I blogged about previously. It made me think...Would I reach and live up to my 70s? Who will take care of me if I do make it to that age? Questions after questions. I am being so much into the future lately and probably this has something to do with my homesickness that has not left me yet. I greatly miss home! Enjoy the story...

I arrived at the address where someone had requested a taxi. I honked but no one came out. I honked again, nothing. So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear

something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware. 'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.. 'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown Westgate?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. 'What route would you like me to take?' I asked. For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing. As the first
hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now' We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair. 'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse. 'Nothing,' I said 'You have to make a living,' she answered. 'There are other passengers,' I responded. Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. 'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.' I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away? On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully  wrapped in what others may consider a small one.