Farid, Madat was Right... 7:01 PM Share

No, I'm not on a hiatus.

I haven't been writing because...

...there's just isn't anything important to write about at the moment...

And, yes, Farid, what Madat said was right...

...there haven't been anyone around to argue with or be angry at at the moment.

Not anyone worthy of my rantings, anyways. =D

Was going to write about a certain someone who claims that jumping around as a ha-nun-ta-wau calls for an impressive acting...

...but, pissing a ha-nun-ta-wau off probably isn't a good idea.

I piss off friends and families, just not a ha-nun-ta-wau.

This Raya, What Social Class Do You Belong To? 4:47 PM Share

First of all,

HAPPY EID MUBARAK!

I like the festive season. Everybody gets a reason to get all dolled up and visit friends & relatives. For me, though, I like it because I get to do some people-observation. In other words, I'm gossiping with myself inside my head where no one can hear me say stuff like "She's about to blow up in that tight baju raya" or "Oh my, what thick make-up" and even ask things like, "Are you expecting?" while looking at her tummy and then getting a jerked response, "NO!" There's a drama in my head and I provide the scripts, too.

Call me cruel - but I'm sure you do that, too.

I guess for others this festive season is for them to show the scope of their wealth in everything. The big house, the grandeur buffet table, the crystals-adorned lightings and decoration, the size and amount of "manik" on the baju raya, the blings on the shoes and rings; and all the other glitzy paraphernalia. I will admit that that is what I look at when I'm "raya"-ing.

Nevertheless, I'm not saying that that is necessarily a bad thing - to want to show how "kaya" you are during Raya. Besides, I'm only observing the etiquettes of the social monkeys during this month of get-together and making new acquaintances.

If there was one thing I could nit-pick about what I don't like that people do during Raya, it would definitely have to be someone creating a division of social classes in terms of what we do (occupation) and assuming how much we're making in a year.

Yesterday, my family and I went to an uncle's place up in Sengkurong for an openhouse-lunch. My parents were making small talk with my uncle and his wife about much-ado of nothings when another batch of family came, I assume a colleague of my uncle, who later joined the conversation. Out of formalities, my parents were introduced to the colleague, of whom was a high-ranking officer of a department in the ministry or of the sorts, I presume. So the conversation turned into a showcase of his connections with "pehin-pehin", the "dato-dato" and the likes.

Maybe out of courtesy to not leave out my parents in the conversation, he asked what my parents do for a living. My parents are both in the education department - nothing glitzy about it but it is a noble profession. The high-ranking officer did not think so highly of it, though. In fact, he responded to my parents' answer with a "hmmph" and nothing else. Then he continued his showcase of connections with people in higher places, snubbing my parents off into oblivion.

Later, in the car when my parents told of that incident, I told my parents that they should have said, "Oh, we are just teachers but we still make as much money as you do." My mother however, reasoned that there is no need to show your social standing because it doesn't matter. We didn't need to get that high-ranking officer's approval just so that we could be in the same social class.

My mother has a point. I reckon this is what becoming a teacher does to a person - it gives you the power of wisdom, much wiser than that of a high-ranking officer, at least.

That was Day 1. Wonder what else will come next?

Christmas, I hope.

Of Buses & Trains - What do you think? 2:46 PM Share

Love to see this come to fruition in the near future.

Have something like the tube in London or the monorail in KL right here in Brunei, I'd be happy to use public transports all the time.

Provided that it doesn't soon become synonymous with the standards of them purple buses that most Indons (no offense) always take.

Maybe, then, we could have those Oyster cards like they use in London.

I don't know, but there is something "cool" about carrying these card passes around all the time and topping them up with a swipe. 

But then that's just me.

Instead of Oyster, we could call it Kerang...or Ambuyat...or Pulut...

I don't know..I'm just making these up.Any suggestions?

Behind These Words....Are More Words 5:13 AM Share

Mankind shouldn't have been given the gift of language. Spoken or written, it was a BAD, BAD idea all the same.

Especially when words are used by persons who do not understand the full weight of a particular word or phrase or sentence. We would have never looked so ridiculous if someone hadn't string-ed the word "freedom" with a "but" in the same sentence.

Talk is cheap. That is why anyone can do that. It's easy to say I don't like backstabbers or I am a friendly person. It's not easy to show that in character. Despite these kinds of self-portrayal, we still talk behind people's back or ignore someone we decide not to like.

This is the danger of using words to portray ourselves - they're not often realized in our own actions.

Of course, the probable solution to this is that we could always add more words so that it becomes clearer. For example, I don't like backstabbers but I do it, too and I am a friendly person - only to people I like. This way, we'll save a whole load of trouble of having to ask so many questions about you because then we'll know why you're not friendly to us (because you don't like us) or why we shouldn't back-stab you (because you'll back-stab us back).

I mean, it really makes everything less confusing for post-ape revolutions like us humans.

And as I sit here in my four-poster bed amongst my velvet plushes, wearing my PJs, my laptop on a pillow in front of me and write away, my words portray me as the person that I am.

I am a hypocrite - only because I know everyone else is.

I criticize others a lot - because when I sat on a particular chair in the computer room, others criticized me.

I can be unfriendly - because I'm upset that you're unfriendly to me.

I don't forgive often - because when I apologized, you laughed at my face and called me a liar.

I hold a lot of anger in me - because so many have been angry with me.

So many negatives, and many acts have proved them. But to me, they are still just words. And surely, these do not define me, but only when according to you.

Terasa? Tak...aku takut je... 2:22 PM Share

(sambungan)

"You tulis note tu utk sape ye?"

"Inda nuju ke siapa-siapa. Sekadar luahan hati sja."

"Tapi kalau ada yang terasa, barangkali note atu utk orang atu lh."

"Tepuk dada, tanya sendiri napa terasa."

"You tak takut ke diorang marah kat you?Gossip2 psl you kat org lain?"

"Sukati durng lh k. Bkn aku bleh buat apa-apa."

"Durang kn gossip arh boipren/gepren kh, arh mak-bapa durng kh, arh makcik sblah rmh kh?"

"Manasaja lah."

"Oh, you tak takut lh?"

"Aku nda takut orang."

"Aku takut pada Tuhan saja...."

"....dan ular..."

"...dan spider..."

"...dan lipas."