counting blessings

Z: You're so old already. You should go out and see the world. What's the point of going KL only all the time? Aren't you bored??

Me: You've got a point...

It's true that I'm not getting any younger and sadly, I don't travel, nor do anything particularly exciting with my life. Perhaps that is why I sometimes feel so frustrated by my own "under-the-tortoise-shell" (that's a literal translation from the malay proverb!! haha) lifestyle, which is partly due to certain limitations, that I feel compelled to do something really foolish and stupid to vent my pent-up emotions. Like if I was on the road driving, I would impulsively break the speed limit and crash into a tree or something of the sort... just so the impact would jolt me back to my senses.

But of course, the consequences of such foolish actions will not only "wake" you up to the sensible world and reality, it would also cause grievous harm to yourself and to those who love you and whom you love. I've realised that sometimes, to wish for more, to crave the greener grass on the other side, is never really in your best interests.

I feel blessed for whatever and whoever I have in my life right now, and it's about time I start showing my gratitude for all these things and people I'm most fortunate to have in my life. Moreover, despite my meager December bonus (which has already become public knowledge), I am thankful that I have a job to go back to at all. =D

another cab, another conversation

Cab driver: Around three years ago, there were hardly any jams along the expressways at this hour...

Me: Eh? How come??

C.d.: Because COE has dropped so much, more people buy cars. That's why more jams!

Me: OH.. I see...

C.d.: Price of COE now $2... last time $10, 000!

Me: REALLY???!!

Either I'm very gullible or I'm just not updated about current affairs. I'd rather think that I'm the latter. Anyway, taxi fares are not what they used to be. From my place (in Jurong) to Millenia Walk, it cost me twenty bucks! There was a time it didn't even hit $12 or $14... sigh.

just another day

The rain was pretty heavy in the late morning and it went on all the way 'til late afternoon, thus giving the perfect excuse to stay home and laze around unproductively. Of course, an "off" day is not really an "off" day unless one has slept in (i.e. wake up quite late) but fortunately, I managed to pull myself together and roll off my bed by approximately 10am. That's not too disgusting a time to wake up from sleep on an "off" day, right??

I brought my sulking eight-year old niece to the library after the rain had turned into a slight drizzle. By then, it was already 4pm. Was actually determined to avoid the peak hour crowd and traffic. Am trying very hard to instill a reading habit into my niece so that she will be able to improve her (English) language skills but I'm not sure of the type of books that a primary-two-going-to-primary-three kid should be reading. As it is, she is still going for books which have more illustrations than words. Heck, the books she picked out probably had fewer than fifty words on each page. Is that normal for an eight-year old?? Have resolved to try reading to/with her at least twice/thrice a week.

Apart from that charitable library visit, I guess, the day hadn't been truly productive/constructive for me. However, I DID discover two new things today:
1) The National Library Board have increased the book lending quota to twice (or is it more than that?) the usual amount. For a limited time period of course.
2) The driver of the cab I was on, informed me that the first McDonald's ever to open in Singapore was the Lido branch.

Sometimes, conversations with cab drivers can be very interesting and enlightening -- Seriously, everytime I board a cab now, I expect cab drivers to make some kind of conversation with me and when they don't, I'd feel a tad disappointed. However, there have been a few cab drivers who just crap around too much and you feel like telling them to just shut up. But of course, these kind will never actually shut up until the moment you've paid your fare and stepped out of their cabs.

Anyway, it's back to the office tomorrow (or later actually) and the day after for some workshops/seminars and hopefully, the next couple of days won't be as dreadful as I think they'll be.

anniversary

Sometime early last week, was the anniversary of my father's death. It's amazing to think that it has already been close to six or seven years that he's been gone. It's also amazing that most of my most vivid memories of him are restricted to those few difficult months after his stroke, up until his passing. The significance of every other memory of him, during happier moments, seem to be eclipsed by that tumultous period of darkness when my family grappled with the aftermath of his stroke, and then his eventual death.

Rasulullah SAW. bersabda, "Apabila seseorang telah meninggal, terputus untuknya pahala segala amal, kecuali dari tiga hal yang tetap kekal: sedekah jariyah, ilmu yang bermanfaat, dan anak saleh yang senantiasa mendoakannya."

One of my biggest regrets in life is not being able to know my father truly, as a person, beyond his obligations as dad and husband, and not being able to tell him how much I loved him and appreciated his efforts to give me a good education so that I can have a "bright" future. I may not be, or even could ever be, the "anak saleh" father had wished or hoped for, but I have, and always will, mention father in my prayers.

an evening with anuar zain

"I was at the first floor, third row from the front. The view was GREAT! :D"

Anuar Zain is indisputably one of the most talented male artistes of his generation and it would seem inconceivable for me to miss his first ever solo concert (in Singapore?) at the Esplanade Concert Hall. So maybe sitting in the third row was a tad too obsessive perhaps but with ticket prices being what they were, I just thought I might as well get my money's worth. From my vantage point, it was possible to actually see the beads of perspiration that gradually trickled down Mr Zain's cheeks when he finished the first half of his concert!

Contrary to what you may think, I am NOT such an avid fan but I couldn't pass up on the opportunity of catching Mr Zain LIVE. All this while, I've seen him sing a couple of songs (or half-a-dozen at most) on TV in some variety show or other but can he carry the full weight of TWO hours (or slightly less) of concert showtime on his skinny shoulders? The answer is a resounding affirmative.

Despite having only three studio albums to his name, there is actually a rich plethora of ballads (and a precious few, yet still rather notable, uptempo numbers) for him to choose from to make up his itinerary of songs for the evening. Right from the moment his soulful vocals soared through the hall on Keabadian Cinta, he had the audience hooked. Although Mr Zain complained of a sore throat (or something of the sort) after an amazing rendition of I'm the Lucky One (or was it Mungkin?), his voice, fortunately, was in fine form that evening, all the way 'til his encore pieces Ketulusan Hati and Lelaki Ini.

However, I have two little grievances. One: Repartee with audience, was virtually negligible, except for maybe a couple of feeble attempts. I guess I was probably expecting something akin to the seasoned banter of Siti Nurhaliza or Sheila Majid, chatting up the audience, sharing "personal" experiences and stuff. Two: With the exception of a spontaneous (and awesome!) rendition of Greatest Love of All, all the other songs were from the Anuar Zain songbook. I was hoping that he would surprise his fans with a couple of songs, at least, which were not his own. Anuar Zain singing Dealova perhaps?? LOL

I was also quite disturbed by the sight of at least two whole rows of stall seats empty/unsold but from my point of view, it looked as if the upper floors were all nicely filled up. Apart from this, and my griping from earlier, Mr Zain's concert, I thought, was a triumph.

And I almost forgot to mention that the moment Mr Zain walked out after his last song, the same fans who were screaming for him previously, started calling out for Taufik Batisah. The latter even caused quite a jam in human traffic when he was exiting the hall. Honestly, women can be so fickle! =p

Avenue Q

JS: Is it any good?

Me: Yes! VERY!

JS: But it's about muppets, right? So childish!

Me: But it's NC-16 for a reason. It's starring muppets; It's NOT about muppets.

I think people who are afraid to watch Avenue Q fall into two categories: either they are afraid they would not be able to relate to the jokes and find them unfunny, which would of course be a complete waste of their time and money (seeing that tickets can be rather expensive) or they think that any show starring puppets cannot be seriously entertaining or worthwhile watching. However, Avenue Q is no Sesame Street and indeed, its NC-16 rating is not a mistake made by Singapore's censors. Sexual innuendos abound and there's even a couple of vulgarities but the elements of Avenue Q that remind us, not by accident, of Sesame Street only heightens the amusement factor of the show rather than diminish it.

Most of the songs sport some very witty, zany and even profane lyrics but they're so darn catchy that there is no doubt you will leave the theater with at least one or two tunes stuck in your head. However, I strongly advise against youtubing the tunes or watching clips of the show off the net until you've actually seen the whole show in its entirety because doing so would only take away some of the surprises from the comedy numbers. As you know, hilarious one-liners do not hold the same power when you hear them more than once.

There are a few times when the script requires the audience to have some knowledge of American culture, but even if you're pretty ignorant, I'm sure you would still be able to enjoy the performance of the talented Filipino actors and actresses who make up the cast. Of course, one must be realistic and NOT expect the original cast from the 2004 Broadway production (and if you ever do expect such a thing, for any theatrical show in Singapore, you're extremely foolish!) but I must say, the cast they've cobbled together for the Singapore shows are more than adequate in terms of acting chops and singing prowess to carry off their roles effectively. In my honest opinion, the actress handling Kate Monster especially, was very engaging.

According to the show's official website, there's only less than a week left before the show closes. There's a reason why Avenue Q won the prestigious Tony Award (which is the theater industry's equivalent to the Oscars) for Best Musical in 2004 -- it is really pretty good! Go catch it if you haven't but only if you have some spare change (because of inflation and all that). =D

we don't talk much about you anymore

We don't talk much about you anymore,
except on those rare occasions when conversations were
related to you in some way,
like about your eldest sister who has gone blind
or about scooters and helmets,
or hypertension.

And they don't talk much about you anymore either;
your siblings, on their merry visits during Eid
as they sit around the coffee table
making petty coffee table conversations
about every little inconsequential thing
their little minds could think of.

When they're around, I'd always make sure the TV was on
so that all chatter remains inconsequential,
but sometimes there are awkward silences in between
and then I'd wish you were here to help to fill in those gaps
with your unfailing way of making
conversations.

We don't talk much about you anymore, it's true,
Not in conversations over lunch, nor dinnertime, or at occasional get-togethers;
But there is a small part of you in my mind that is still
breathing, and laughing, and talking
and snoring. And perhaps mom, and sis, and bro and even your little nieces who
once knew you,
keep a small part of you too.

a month has passed

It must admit that it was more than a conscious effort for me to "avoid" blogging but I wasn't aware that it had been a month (and a day!) since I last blogged.

I HAVE been very busy especially during those October weeks and perhaps I SHOULD have taken a little time off to blog but unfortunately, every other free time I had, I thought it was better doing something else. Like SLEEP for instance. LOL.

Anyway, I DO have a lot to write about but it would have to wait 'til my next entry...