Saturday, January 31, 2009

Quotable Quotes

'Who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present controls the past'
-George Orwell,1903-1950
'Out of the crooked timber of humanity no straight thing can ever be made'
-Immanuel Kant,1724-1804
'He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent'
-Proverbs,29,xviii
'Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.
Nothing ain't worth nothing, but it's free'
-'Me and Bobby McGee', Kriskristofferson
'In trouble to be troubled is to have your trouble doubled'
-The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, Daniel Defoe
Some quotable quotes for the soul..

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Way Things Are..

Oh yes, allow me to just dump those crap of optimism and goodwill..Just for this post..

A criminal (or a suspect, i dont care which..as long as they have any connection with a crime by being on the wrong side of the law, they dont get any sympathy.. at least, not from me) was given a hero's send-off.. How much more will this civilization stoop to?

Oh, tens of thousands of innocent people in our country were cheated, robbed, wounded, raped, killed.. Even they didnt get this wonderful treatment and so much of publicity that a criminal has gotten.. Thanks to some people who preferred to not use their damn brains while doing what they were..

I dont care if u r a Hindu, the same race with me, or whatever crap u r..
Ur a criminal, in my eyes, n u will be, in God's eyes..

For those who share the same sentiment with me, let's just remember..

God will not be giving him a hero's welcome up there..
But, if he does..Then there wouldnt be a meaning to the word 'justice'..Never again..
Damn the crminal to hell..

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Its A Global Virus..

I was just reading the Sunday Star online, which I look forward to every other Sunday..
Their Sunday mag is packed with some real goody-goody, educational & fun stuff..
Wow, how i used to enjoy Mom's Sunday lunch & wash it down with juicy stories & articles in Sunday Star, while lazing on my bed.. N how much i'd give to live those days again..n again..
Aaagh, dats another story entirely..
This post is about Huzir Sulaiman's "From Bed to Worse" Wide Angle - Sunday Mag 25/01/09.
Now, what is it with people who know not the meaning of the word "integrity"? Who cannot care less about honouring their words? What's with the lame attitude they present, especially when they are paid to serve customers like us and its our money that puts food on their table?
I believe that Huzir's wife has got all the patience that I do not have.. If it had been me in the same scenario, God-only-knows what agony the ears of those creeps would have had to endure..
(No..really, people won't believe when I say I have a very short temper & a nasty choice of language when I am pissed off..Until they see me in action, then they take me seriously..)
Like it happened to me last week..
My job requires me to visit some embassies here to get certain things done.. Of all, I need to liaise quite often with the Indonesian Embassy because all the constuction workers here are Indons..
Well, so I needed to get some visa document attested by them embassy people. Now, its such a simple process which they charge us exorbitantly for and take their own sweet time (3 working days between collection of the document & attesting it) to get it done..
Ok,well..So they have some so-called procedures & ok, that may justify the time period.. So, i went on Monday the 19th to submit the document & the guy at the counter happily snatched AED 75 from me for attesting a 1-page document and told me to return 3 days later to collect it..
Excerpts of the conversation between Counter Guy A and me..

Me : Sir, just to confirm, do I collect it on Thursday?
CG A : (Looks at the calendar, uses his finger to count 3 days from Monday.. Then, slowly looks up and
tells me) Yes (a mono-syllable).
Me : What time shall I come over and whom do I meet? Should I call first before turning up?
CG A : (Now looks at his watch, then at the wall clock behind him..Then back at his watch again before
looking up at me) Anytime.. Anyone at the counter.. No need to call..
Me : (Sensing that he was getting irritated) Thanks, sir. See you on Thursday..

3 days later, on Thursday the 22nd, I went again.. I particularly told the driver to fetch me as early as 7.15am, so that we can reach the embassy at the time they open, collect the document and be back to the site early..

N so, despite the mad rush hour and all, we reached there at 8.45am..

I went inside and saw a number of people already waiting to get their things sorted out..It was now about 15 minutes since the Embassy opened and all their counter staff were sitting in their resting place behind the counters and having breakfast while chatting away and playing with the kids loitering around in the office (Well, they happen to get the privilege of living within the premises of the Embassy)..

This scenario puts me thru a frenzy of impatience immediately (having being got used to it back in the some government departments in Malaysia). So, I go to the counter & ring the bell.

Aaah, our CG A peeks from behind the partition, looks at me.. Then turns around chatting with his son again. (Aaaagh, the nerves he has).. SO, I ring the bell again, this time incessantly as loudly as possible.

CG A : (Walks up to the counter and looks at me blankly)..
Me : (Not wanting to start the day with hammering people, I started off very politely) Good morning
Sir, I’m here to pick up the document I gave for attestation 3 days back.
CG A : (He looks at his watch, then at the clock..yet again..maybe that’s how his teacher taught him)
You have to wait..
Me : Huh? How long do I wait, sir?
CG A : I don’t know.
Me : Excuse me? What sort of an answer is that supposed to be?
CG A : Maybe half an hour.
Me : But excuse me, sir..You were the one who told me to pick it up anytime today..
CG A : (Somewhat irritated) Yes, but he Mr. Ahmad is not here yet. You have to wait..
Me : Ok, thanks (Thinking to myself..Thank God I have Martina Cole’s Goodnight Lady to keep me
from insanity)..

It was 9.45am, n the half-an hour that he promised was up, but the Ahmad guy was nowhere to be seen..
More people were waiting to see the officers, but of course, who cares? They were busy reading the newspaper and one was watching an Indonesian drama on TV..
I went back to the counter.

Me : Excuse me, sir. It is already half an hour. Where is Mr. Ahmad?
CG A : Just wait.

By now, my temper was flaring. I went back to my seat and continued reading my Martina Cole.
With every page moving forward, my BP was moving together with it..

I looked up at the clock again and it showed 20 past 10am..
I approached the the strikingly handsome looking guy at the counter, who was into his newspaper..

Me : Good morning, sir. I came here to collect an attested agreement copy. Can you help me?
CG B : Yes, madam. But Mr. Ahmad is not here yet. He has the copies.

At this point, CG A comes to the counter and tells me what he had told me more than an hour ago, in some rude manner (looking at me as if to ask if I’m deaf / just plain stupid..)
Ok, so that was the last straw..

Me : Excuse me, gentlemen.. I have been waiting here since 8.45 am, and that is a 1 ½ hour wait.. just
to collect a document which is supposed to be collected today at anytime according to what you
told me 3 days back.. Now you please tell me, where is this Mr. Ahmad at this point of time?
CG B : He is upstairs in his room.
Me : Why is he still in his room when he is supposed to have been at the counter more than an hour
ago? And how long do you expect me to wait here?
CG B : He will finish all his work in the room, only then he comes down..
Me : N do you expect me to wait till he comes down at whatever time he wishes to? Excuse me, but it
happens to be that my salary is paid by a company which expects me to accomplish a task as
efficiently as possible with the shortest downtime as possible. It also happens to be that the
particular company is not this embassy, so please don’t try to buy my time. I do not have the luxury
of time to come here and wait for not less than an hour, every time I step into your office. This is the
third time I’m coming here to collect something and the last time, I ended up waiting for more than 5
hours,n I don’t think it’s funny. I have my driver waiting outside and I need to go back to my office.Now, if I don’t get a proper answer from you, I will barge into
Mr.Ahmad’s room upstairs and talk to him directly. Please try to be professional instead of handing
out lame excuses all the time. It reflects badly not only on you, but on your country as well, which is a
great thwart you are doing to your country.

By now, the crowd stood quietly waiting to watch what happens next. I strode back to my seat and sat down, fuming all over.
The guy who was sitting next to me, got up quickly and went to stand by the door, while CG A excused himself and scurried out of the room.

He appeared in less than 2 minutes, took a stack of documents which was on his counter and looked thru it before taking out my document and calling me. By now, a number of people who were there for the same reason were already queuing up to collect their documents and visas.

Even so, he told me to go first and collect the document.
He had it all the while, right on top of his desk, and he made me wait for nearly 2 hours, and had I not screamed the place down, he’d still be giving me some excuses, 3 days down the road..
I just collected the document and walked out, without a word, not a backward glance.

Sometimes, you just have to scream your lungs out to be heard and taken seriously..
Diplomatic handling has never been a virtue for me, not at times like this..
Too bad, sometimes I do wish I had the patience of a cow..

P/S : Downside of it :-
  • Since the place was fitted with CCTVs at every nook and corner, I may not even be able to step into the embassy after this. Pro’ly, they’d have told the security guard outside to deter me from going in there again for the ruckus I created.
  • Or maybe, they’d poison the next document I submit, and when I collect it 3 days later, I’d die within the time I leave the embassy and reach my office.
  • Or most likely, they’d have laughed their heads off during their lunch break, sharing gossip about the funny old lady who walked in and behaved like she was mad or something.

Miracles Do Happen..

When I tell some people back home that it is winter now in Dubai and the air is chilling cold at 10-12 degrees celcius even at daytime, they laugh in my face..
N They go like, "Yeah right, Shuba..Tell me it snows there also.."
Huh? Ok, i do understand that Geography is not a famous subject in school for most of us(neither has it ever been my forte..) but of course, I now live in this desert and I've got better things to do than pulling pranks like a 5-year-old..
So, to those of you who refused to believe me & to those who did believe me also..
Here goes.. IT DID SNOW YESTERDAY in one of the neighbouring emirates here which is oh-so-blessed with mountains & sheer greenery.. Ras Al-Khaimah..
N in Umm Al-Quwain, the place I live in.. unfortunately no snow, but there was a heavy thunderstorm & hail rain..
Some pics :-


Saturday, January 24, 2009

Hang In There..

Well, it hasn't been a splendid start into the year for many of us..
What with the worst-ever economic recession in the making, financial topsy-turvies, raging wars, innocent lives taken away, emotional dramas here & there, n broken hearts along the way..

In short,an insecure future staring at us bleakly..
Hoping as much as we do that we can secure it; for the sake of the future itself..

But, let us all just remember :
  • When the going gets tough, the Tough gets Going..
  • Winners Don't Quit AND Quitters Don't Win..
So..
Hang in there,
Do not Despair,
The Greatest Lord who brought us here,
Will see to it that we are forever kept in His care..

Cheers, people..

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Our Own Rhyme..

Ok, as far as I know..I have not acquired any foes..
But just for the sake of rhyming.. like Family, Friends n Foes (FFF)..I put that word in..

Sorry people..

N oh yeah, I have this rhymey song that a long-lost-SRKTSG-primary school friend of mine taught me in school..

I don't know what language he invented the song in & I terribly hope I'm not belittling anyone or any particular language..It goes like this:-

Icheka macha eecha pocha, Cheenaka mala cholo..
Chiki chiki cholo, chinnaaka cholo..
Eeya eeya O..O..O..
(N God,we all used to sing it aloud together n laugh till we cried..)

His name was Hari Hara Suthan, from Seri Gombak n i've lost touch with him and my whole gang there, thanks to moving across South China Sea to a beautiful place called Labuan, where my dad was based in the RMAF..N thanks to the nonexistence of emails n stuff, I lost contact with the whole bunch of them..If anyone has heard of any of the names I'm looking for and who were born in 1980 and have stayed in TSG n studied in Darjah 4A of SRKTSG, kindly do let me know.. I'd love to have an email / facebook / friendster / hi5 / blog reunion with them (That's all i can do for now, being a 7-hour flight away from homeland..)

They are (not in any particular order):-
  • Hari Hara Suthan
  • Shankar
  • Mohlini
  • Khaw Ee Ling
  • Suhaimi
  • Khoo Yue Lin
  • Benny
  • Nurul Shalia
  • Wan Mohd Suhailan

God, i miss them all..Pro'ly i should go around in a car carrying a pembesar suara n singing the ryhme all over Seri Gombak, i dono..

Haihh..how fast time flies..

Why Does My Life Worry You? - Part II

Haihh, my BP shot up by the time i finished making myself clear on the 1st part of the "Why does my Life Worry You?" series coz I'm just plain mad at some people..
N because the 2nd part is equally pissing off, I had to have a break or I'd have broken my keyboard pads in fury..
- Maybe I shall not elaborate on the 2nd part of it, coz even the dumbest people will understand that it shouldn't be any of their business the moment they read the heading..

2. The Fact that I Don't Have a Baby Yet..
  • Again, its totally up to my husband and me to worry about it.. N so far, he and I are totally fine with it (Even if 1 day, he feels that I'm not good enough for him n if he chooses to walk away, that's still my problem to handle - just dont come to tell me what I should have done to keep him..Though im sure he walking away from me is equavalent to a kebarangkalian of 1 to a zillion zillion..hehe..)
  • I believe that a child is not just born to sexual doings.. Its the greatest gift ever to a couple, given by the Great Lord..
  • N just like He knows evrything else, He also knows when is the right time to handover the beautiful gift down to us..So till He does, I hope people on Earth don't act like God n give stupid advises n so-called concerned talk..If you have a child, good for you n do enjoy the pleasure & take good care of him/her..Don't start teaching me about how to go about it n when is the right time to do it, n what positions (OMG, funny n so disgusting how people can talk abt such delicate & sensitive matters to a near stranger..I mean, just how?)
  • N to all those people who look down on me pitifully n ask "Wei, wat only you both doing at night lar?Just good for eating n sleeping is it?"n that sort of really freaking dumb questions, just remember..Its your karma, not MINE.. (I regret to say that some of these people are not outsiders, but people whom I love and count on - some very close family members)..

I do not wish to say more coz this happens to be a very sensitive matter n if i continue to say things, more people will be sinned, coz every word posted here is done in pain and agony & God definitelyhas watched me cry coz of some of these dumb people..No doubt its been very hurting to me, I do not want them to be sinned..

On the contrary, I've had some very understanding friends like Nisha (Im sorry I had to bring up yr name again,but you've been a great friend n a more of a sister,my dear) and Hemma and Kavi who have stood by me all these years n known me in and out.. If anyone outside my immediate family members have got the rights to know the reason I do not have a baby till now, its people like you.. N also some of you who haven't been mentioned, but are very close to my heart n I know i can relate to..


P/S : The last 2 posts serve as a gentle reminder to all I know, family, friends n foes..

Now, if you ever have the urge to continue giving out crude remarks to me, I warn you, that you may not like the way I respond to you or the crude answers I can come up with to match or even be worse than your scale of crudeness..

Yours faithfully,
Shuba

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Why does my life worry you??

There are currently TWO things that I am being under constant scrutiny for..

N guess wat?

Those precise two things are actually mine (n if there's another soul concerned here, its my husband) to worry / brood about..

But I dont see the reason for others to give crude remarks about it to me, when it is absolutely none of their damn bloody business..



1. The Fact that I have piled up on Fat..

  • First and foremost reason, I do not (I repeat..) I DO NOT in anyway depend on a single cent from ANYONE to buy food for myself.. That itself is a very good reason for people to shut their big mouths.. As long as I don't take away your food / money from you, you do not have to worry about my eating habits or my BMI..

  • Secondly, if there is another soul to be concerned about it, I give that credit to my dear husband, because I belong body, heart & soul to him n only him.. So he may feel that I'm a disgrace to him (in or out of bed..), but of course, that is not the case.. As far as I know, he is a man so wonderful that he hardly belittles anyone he knows.. N of course, he loves me all that much till you can't even begin to imagine just how much.. N very importantly, he does not belong to the cheap category of people who love to pass rude comments on other people's looks / BMI / whatever n feel nothing about it..

  • Thirdly, I would have given the cheap skates some credit if they had first bothered to ask, "Hey gal, u seem to be piling on the weight too much these days..I hope its only because ur happy n its showing..n nothing to worry about.." BUT of course, they are too shallow-minded for all that.. They just bombard.. "Wei, u have put on so much of weight la..can u get in thru the door? Or even worse, can the aeroplane bear your weight?" Wow, i can't begin to explain the urge I have to say some very flowery words I have to these people..
Now, for the sake of clarity to all my family members / friends / foes who have been very supportive to me n also to shallow-minded,cheap skate, frog under the shell people, I choose to disclose this information..
(Mind you..Its not to defend myself, but rather share what I am facing with kind n cruel people around me..So that the ones who care will be kept in the knowing n so that the stupid,shallow-minded ones will know that people, women especially, DO put on weight for reasons other than stuffing too much food down their throats..)

So, i suffer from a condition known as PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which is a type of hormonal imbalance n the main symptom of it is unexplainable n sudden weight increase.. Those who want to learn more about it can google the term PCOS and there are several articles which will help to explain things in a more medical sort of way..
And I've been going for treatments in Msia n now in Umm Al Quwain Hospital..There's this wonderful gynae here, her name is Dr.Preetha n she has been so helpful in explaining things to me n treating me..

I hope to be able to go thru all the treatments n come out with a clean bill of health..

N just a word of advice to all women readers..This may seem like a small problem, but it causes a lot of unwanted stress n psychological effect on the patient, esp so if its a married woman.. N so, don't take matters lightly.. N if you happen to know anyone who suffers from the same problem, do ask them to seek medical treatment promptly..

to be continued..

Monday, January 12, 2009

Oh So Drama..

Is it just my husband or are all men weirdos?
I dono..he's been saying weird things these days..

Situation 1:
I was as quietly as a mouse doing my work in my new office, really concentrating on my finance report.

He : Barges into the room & announces to the world "Now that the drama queen is here, u will all get to see lots of drama going around.."

I : Huh, what? *Blink innocently*


Situation 2:

A few days back, our driver was off to Dubai to drop off the bosses at the airport, so he couldn't beat the rush hour & reach the site on time.. N so the whole bunch of us had to walk back home (btw, the apartment is less than 1km away from the site n it was a pleasant winter evening to walk- So despite the husband's hesitance, I still forced him to walk..)

*Note : That may have prompted him to say totally outrageous things..But i still wonder why..

So, i walked quietly alongside him, watching the sunset & breathing in fresh air.. Then, i remembered something & wanted to share it with him..

I : *Total innocent look* B,do u know something? I can never walk straight (wich is a matter of fact).. I walk like snake one, so bengkang-bengkok.. Lat pointed that out to me many years back n I notice its so true (Lat is short for Latha, who's a dear fren of mine back from school n campus days)..

He : Turns n looks at Lau (Our Project Manager) & loudly exclaims "See, now u know..I have a moronic wife"..

I : Huh? Not again..


Situation 3:

He keeps on humming the song "Enge sellum intha paathai, yaaro yaaro arivaaro" - traslated into English means "Who knows where this path leads".. So dramatic the song & he particularly sings only that sentence - over & over again..

I dono lar..
  • Maybe he is so tired of me, loving me for more than 7 years & living with me for the last 1 year +, maybe its taking a toll on him..
  • Maybe he hates me..
  • Maybe he gona 'drywash' me..
  • MAYBE IM JUST SO DRAMATIC, like he claims..
Oh yeah, i dono abt me, but I think people out there are really becoming more dramatic these days.. I received the following pic & ad from a well-reputed training centre in Malaysia..
Wat training are they trying to sell, I really have no clue..

Can anyone figure it out?

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Oops,I didn't mean it..

I just made a discovery..

When i opened "Unleashing Drama" todAy, i realised something..
Dat the latest look of my boring blog looks very identical to cheryl's..

No cheryl, im not OBSESSED with your blog ( u see,well, actually i am..but that's with the content of your infectious n indulgent posts )..

I did not mean to tiru yr colour code or something, its just that its cold here n the cool colours made my blog look more adaptive to its surroundings.. so, i really do apologize if it looks so much like yr blog there..

anyway,when people start reading, then they'd soon know the difference between "oh so boring blog" n Unleashing Drama..

hmm..

Wild Wild in Mid East..

Somebody is gona do something ReaLLy WiLd tomorrow..

Hehehe..Go figure..

Monday, January 5, 2009

Alamak..Lupa..

2 very significant changes in my life ryt now, which i lupa to post tadi..

1. MOST IMPORTANT
Have successfully got rid of my whole-house-including-
kitchen-vacuum cleaning cleaner..Now i have a lesser-crazy maid, but isnt it too soon to
judge?
Oh, n btw, i'm supposed to be optimistic..

2. NOT SO IMPORTANT
Just now very smartly went on a lookout for a new template for my blog (saja je..sempena
tahun baru, nak pakaikan dia baju baru).. n then, it turned out as disastrously as it looks now..
Now,i very the malas wana further decorate him/her/it/wateva, so let her be my ugly but
adorable baby..
Kikiki..

Happy Birthday To You

Many many more Happy Returns of Yesterday, Darling..


To start off the year on a happy note, there's the birthday of this wonderful woman i know..

Pardon me,woman..Sorry for the belated post.. But, there's always reason to celebrate you every other day u know.. Ur presence means a lot & is all happiness to a lot of us around you..

So,Happy 2_th Birthday Nisha.. N wish you only the best of life's deals..

Love ya,
Shubi..

Happy Everything to Everyone..

Ok,its another new year 2009..

N new beginnings, new optimism, new hopes, new dreams,new every good thing to everyone..
Wishing all of you and all your dear ones a jolly good head-start n journey thru life..

So, what's new with me?

1. I did not, for once, make a resolution.. Why make something n break it? Hehe,better stay put..
2. I am comfortably sitting in my office, now based full-time onsite; rather than the hassle of
switching n being switched back n forth between my apartment n the site-office..
3. I'm counting the days to March, when we can go home for our first home-vacation..
Yay-yay..tak sabarnye.. God, let it all be well..
4. I'm diligently following up with my doctor and going for each one of my appointments w'out
dilly-dallying.. Enough is enough, I tell myself..It's about time i walked towards recovering
from whatever conditions I'm suffering from..
5. N somemore little bits n pieces, here n there,to make me feel better n more useful to
humankind..
6. So, w'out a written / spoken resolution, I'm practising a new way of life, on a more positive n
cheerful note..

N there's this li'l voice in me which keeps on echoing,
Bless You,My Dear..Move On..I'll Hold Your Hands & Take You Thru This Journey..

N So,i end my new year post by saying a prayer for each one of you, kind-hearted soul..
May Lord be with you to love n guide you thru, too..

God bless,
Love,
Shuba

The Reason Behind It..

The last i posted a blog was LAST YEAR..

OMG,how lame..
Wats becoming to DailyDots? Wat a shame..
An author who doesn't keep up to the name of her work..
But, wat kept me away? N is still pulling me with a long invisible string, while i try to keep my fingers on the keyboard..Nya nya nya..

Thanks again to Nisha,my beloved sis-fren-partner in crime, i found souq.com ..
N with it came lots of joy..

In the form of BOOKS!!!

So,that's it..The secret of my absence..
My first deal was a collecction of 9 novels which i got at AED 72..Great deal,huh?
So, Lord did answer my prayer..
Check it out..

*Remarks: The picture supposed to be placed here, but for some Heaven-forbidden only-God-knows-why reason, i can't *darn* upload the pic.. But i shall save this space for when i can finally do it..

N Guess what? I'm reading the 8th book now n lots more are coming my way..

Mmmm..nothing beats the pleasure of curling up on the bed with a good book n a mug of hot drink..

*****************The End*****************

EtErNaL LoVe

Daisypath Anniversary Years Ticker