Random Ramblings Not Worth Reading # 7

I’m glad that they’ve decided not to charge Nurin’s parents. Compassion and understanding aside, I think that the issue of negligence in their case is somewhat hazy.

So, all in all, I’m glad that the issue is out of the way. Now, let’s hope they can catch the monster soon.

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Speaking of negligence, the next time you are at a swimming pool, do observe the behaviour of some parents who probably think that just because their kids can swim a few strokes, they can take their eyes of them the entire time.

Kids being kids, will do all sorts of stunts especially when they’re in the water. I cringe every time I see kids as young as 6 or 7 years old jumping into the deep end of the pool and their parents are nowhere to be seen. My own two adult feet can’t reach the floor, let alone their short little ones. Yet, their parents seem oblivious to the danger.

If, in fact, something happens to their kids, I bet my little toe they would blame the swimming pool management or the life guard and take none of the blame themselves.

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On the office front, I was told by a colleague that The Toad thinks that I have stopped talking to her, hinting on the possibility that The Sheep may have influenced me into not being friends with her anymore.

What the hell? I thought it was she who stopped talking to me after I snapped at her, not the other way around.

And what the bloody hell was she thinking, hinting that I can be so easily influenced?

Dumbass.

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The other day, while putting my nephew Danial to bed, I lightly patted his bottom, as his mother often does, to rock him to sleep. Apparently, my light pats were none the lighter, for he exclaimed, “Maksu! That hurts! You are not a good mother!”.

WHAT THE BLOODY HELL??

“Darling, I’m not even a mother. I’m just your auntie and nobody’s mom”.

“Then why is it that I have to call you Mak?”

*LOL*

Took a while for me to explain to the poor thing of the whole Malay thingy for aunts and uncles and that the ‘Su’ in ‘Maksu’ refers to anak bongsu and not part of my name.

While I was at it, I also had to explain that my brothers, Danial’s Ayah Tam and Ayah Teh, are not named Hitam and Puteh respectively.

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Some of my friends think that calling one’s aunts and uncles in the Malay way is archaic. Most of them get their own nieces and nephews to call them Auntie this and Uncle that. A bit more modern that way I guess. Although it is undoubtedly a matter of preference, I must however say that I find it a little lacking in character for my taste and that I wouldn’t trade my Maksu-ship for anything in the world.

I can’t always remember the sequence of the terms, so I always try to recall my father’s siblings in order to get it right. This is it:

Mak/Pak Long (or Chak, in some parts of the Northern states)
Mak/Pak Ngah
Mak/Pak Lang
Mak/Pak Anjang
Mak/Pak Andak
Mak/Pak Tam
Mak/Pak Teh
Mak/Pak Chik/Uda
Mak/Pak Su

I think the sequence may differ from state to state, so, please do tell me of any variation elsewhere. I’m keen to know.

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The Sheep has just approved my Raya leave, but complained that it’s too long.

It’s just ONE BLOODY WEEK!!!!

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But on the other hand, he’s anxious because he’s going to be in China around that time and needs someone he can trust to stand by in case he needs to give instructions from there.

Well, considering that there are several other lawyers here who may be able to do my work (although probably not as well as me if I may say so myself, haha) , I’ll take that as a compliment.

Negligent, My Foot!!

I haven’t been in the mood to blog lately, and it’s not for a lack of stories. The scene at the office was chaotic the whole week. The screaming clients continued screaming. The Sheep continued spewing psycho-babble crap out of his mouth. The Toad continued having her syok sendiri moments again and again. The staff had their usual daily little tiffs with each other. Work, leisure, affairs, gossips. It all thrived. In other words, there are loads and loads of stories to tell.

Yet, it all seems so trivial and petty now.

In the wake of the brutal murder of little Nurin Jazlin Jazimin, many of us are feeling a little sense of helplessness. Helpless, because we weren’t able to do anything to help when she went missing. Helpless, because we weren’t able to lift a finger to help her family when she was found murdered. Helpless, because in spite of the tragedy and the danger still lurking for other children, the powers-that-be and the police, our so-called protector, are more inclined to punish the grieving family than finding the brutal monster who did that to her.

Nurin’s family had suffered tremendously since her disappearance on August 20. The parents must have been beating themselves mad for letting her out of their house. What an ordeal they had to go through in trying to find their daughter and having no leads whatsoever on her whereabouts. To top it off, some measly little creatures took advantage of the situation to get a little high by tormenting the parents with hurtful words and accusations via telephone and SMS. Not to mention, all the gossips being spread around by irresponsible people about the family, it must’ve all hurt really really bad.

But what hurt the most must be what happened in the end, when the parents, after being in denial for days, finally saw the truth and accepted the fact of the unspeakable horror that happened to their precious child, and that she is forever gone.

As if their torture isn’t enough, the powers-that-be and the police are now talking about hauling them to court for negligence in failing to protect their child from harm. What utter nonsense is this? Negligence, my foot!!

The powers-that-be are known for speaking through their asses. But stupid though they may be, they are the ones in power and it’s always scary to note what idiots can do if they have the magic wand. In this case, instead of using their magic wands as our elected representatives to raise the alarm on the abduction and to help find Nurin alive, they are waving it now, after Nurin is already dead, to punish the family while the vile beastly monster who had broken a thousand laws is still at large. If only their magic wands were used to do something, ANYTHING, at all to help Nurin and her family at their most desperate time of need. If only.

The police on the other hand, are the action guys we all thought we could depend on. They are the protector of the society, the ones who are appointed and paid to serve the people and keep the public safe from harm, the ones who are supposed to bring back Nurin to her parents alive and well.

The police failed to do just that and failed to apprehend even a single suspect until now. What have they been doing since she disappeared? Did they manage to get any leads on the abduction in that whole month? Did they find any trails of her whereabouts? Did they take adequate measures to find this missing child? Did they do anything, ANYTHING at all to find her alive?

Excuse me when I put it to you sirs, that the powers-that-be and the police are all negligent in discharging their duties. Haul your own asses to court, you morons!!!!

It's Her

It’s her.

It’s Nurin.

DNA tests have confirmed that the body of a little girl found in a gym bag in PJ last Monday was that of Nurin Jazlin, the girl who was reported missing since a month ago. Click here for the story.

The brutality of the crime is beyond belief. It made me sick to the pit of my stomach. How could anyone do all that to a little girl?

I can’t imagine the pain and anguish that her family had to go through when she went missing, and for it to end like this, it is utterly devastating and heart-wrenching.

I am grief-stricken, to say the least.

My heart goes out to Nurin and her family.

Al-Fatehah.

Ramadan

It’s the fourth day of Ramadan, and my tailor informed me that my baju raya is ready. Yahoooo!
I’m gonna go and collect my green baju raya soon and try it on and send it for dry cleaning before I wear it on Raya day. I have already been window shopping for a nice selendang to go with it and will go buy it soon. Next on the agenda are shoes. Must get me a nice pair of green shoes.

Now, what else?

Jewelleries, purse, and oh, bunga api. Yay!!

*voice from above*
OY!! BARU 4 HARI POSA DAH NAK RAYA KA?

Okay, let’s face it. When it comes to puasa and raya time, I’m a bit of a kiddo. A bit manja on the puasa side, but tahan nonetheless. I’ll gorge during berbuka, and then skip sahur altogether. The next morning, when my tummy starts grumbling by 11 am, I’ll be whining and complaining that I’m hungry because I didn’t take sahur. No one to blame but myself, but did I ever learn from it? NO!

This has been happening for years and years and on average, every Ramadan, I only get up for sahur once or twice depending on how early I go home to my mummy’s and have to force myself out of bed lest she pours a bucket of water on my face.

Yes, I’m THAT lazy.

As the youngest in the family and the only one who’s still single, my brothers and sisters always entrusted me with the unenviable job of baby-sitting their off-springs. Not such a fun thing to do when you no longer have that youthful energy to go chasing after them around the house.

Playing with fireworks- that’s about the only part of baby-sitting that I truly enjoy. While the kids play with the sparklers and other lame stuff, I get to light up the fancy ones and the popping ones. Yeah! Can’t wait to light up the sky again. This is gonna be fun.

As always, Raya will not be Raya without some meriam buluh being fired in the middle of the night just as you are about to fall asleep. Annoyed as we may be by the noise, as caring adults, we are mostly more concerned if the kids firing up those cannons may get themselves injured or worse, killed. Every year we read about kids losing their eyes, fingers, arms or even lives in meriam buluh mishaps. Yet, every year this keeps happening again and again. They never learn, do they?

I have yet to read of any such incident in the papers this year. Good sign, I guess. But then again, it may be too early to rejoice since we are only in our 4th day of Ramadhan; the explosives experts are probably still scouring the jungle for the perfect bamboo for the job.

I used to know a few of these ‘experts’ back in my younger days growing up in Alor Setar. They seemed to know everything about making meriam buluh. They come up with all sorts of plans and designs to make the blast louder. Looking at them at work, one may think that they are geniuses, and that they must be marvelous at chemistry in school. But in fact, most of them flunk their science subjects with flying colours.

It is sad that the brilliance, ingenuity and passion of these kids were confined to the making of meriam buluh and nothing more.

Sadder still, when their passion backfired, and they ended up in the hospital fighting for their lives.

Even worst, if their so-called expertise brought them into one of those extremists groups.

*sigh*

I hope to not see any news of meriam buluh mishaps in the papers this year. May all the kids perform their fasting steadfastly and avoid maiming themselves at all costs.

Selamat Berpuasa
Selamat Berbuka Puasa &
Selamat Bersahur

to all Muslim readers

… and don’t go firing up that meriam buluh now, ya hear?

Random Ramblings Not Worth Reading #6

My computer at the office is acting up again. I tell ya, that old thing is a piece of junk not worth repairing. It hangs while I’m browsing, it hangs while I’m drafting, and most annoyingly, it hangs when I’m blogging! Arrrgh!!!!!!!

It has gotten from bad to worse now. Since last week, I can’t even go online. Bugger!!

It’s a total freakin’ nightmare. I now have to do my blogging from home, and you know what’s the worst thing ever?

Dial-up!!

Yup. That’s what I’m using at home. Double the nightmare. Aaaarrrhhh!!!!

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There’s this commercial being aired on TV right now. I’m not sure what it’s about but the name of the woman appearing in it kept popping up in my mind. She’s the Miss Malaysia/Universe 2005 and her name is Chermaine Poo.

I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make fun of people’s name…

but then again, …Poo?

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Can somebody tell me what the difference is between duku langsat and dokong?

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I just bought a brand new handbag in silver metallic which I fell in love with at first sight 2 nights ago. But now after I bought it, I feel like it’s something straight out of a Vulcan spaceship.

One word; Tacky. What the hell was I thinking???

Oh well, knowing how fast I can change my mind, I’m sure come tomorrow, I’ll love it again.

We’ll see.

Slip Slip

I was coming out of a certain shopping centre in KL today when not far in front of me, a woman slipped and fell down on the floor. Behind her, a group of young women stopped right in their tracks and giggled. Some men at a nearby Starbucks stared at her and one guy actually stood up and craned his neck to get a better look. But nobody, I mean, NOBODY did anything to help.

Yea, not even me. But then again, by the time I reached her, she was already up and about. So don’t blame me for not trying!

She must’ve been quite embarrassed I reckon, judging from the look on her face and by how quickly she got up and walked away. I noticed she had a slight limp. God, that must’ve hurt!

I know exactly how she must have been feeling. The same thing happened to me once. There I was happily walking away when all of a sudden, “PLONK!”, my purse flew high up in the air and I was flat on my butt on the concrete slab. How embarrassing!

When it happened to me, there was only one other person around the area (at least I thought so). He didn’t move an inch and just stared at me. Thankfully, with the exception of that one insignificant being, nobody else was around and therefore I was spared a huge public humiliation. So I quickly picked myself up and walked away in a hurry, hoping nobody else have seen it.

It was quite an irony actually. On the one hand I was rather annoyed at that man who was there and looked but did not offer to help. On the other, I was thankful and relieved that he didn’t make a big deal out of it and thereby prolonging my embarrassment.

How would you feel if you were in that situation? Would you want attention from passers-by, or would you rather they just pretend they didn’t see you?

It’s embarrassing enough to lose your balance and fall down flat in front of everybody. Worse still, if people make a big fuss and draw more and more attention to it.

But I guess it’s different if you’re injured. There’s nothing embarrassing about being hurt, no matter how. I’m sure our fellow Malaysians, as uncaring as they may seem at times, will stop to help an injured stranger. No shame there.

So, the next time you slip and fall in front of a crowd, if you can’t stand the embarrassment and can’t seem to get up fast enough to get the hell out of there, perhaps it’s best to feign pain. Better still, pretend you’ve fainted! If you’re lucky enough, maybe you can even get a mouth-to-mouth from a handsome bloke! Haha!

Excuse my silliness, please.

On a more serious note, and further to above rantings, I propose the following:-

• Pavements and walkways should not be tiled, unless of course, the tiles are the self-polishing kind that gets rid of its own mold and mildew and whatever slippery material.

• Slopes, wherever situated, should never be tiled unless it is made of very dry abrasively hard material that causes extreme friction and will grip everything to a standstill, even a rolling football.

• Respect women with heels by giving them proper walkways in buildings; carpeted from end to end if need be. Better still, provide travelator or moving walkways, like in the airports, so that we don’t have to walk and endanger our lives everytime we take a step.

• High-heeled shoes should come with super grip material at the heels. Peter Parker can supply the formula for that extreme grip. So long as we can step on everything without fear of doing a split and ending up with our skirts over our heads, cost is not an object.

Any more brilliant proposal, anyone?

P/S: I'm so in love with my new layout. Yay!! Changed today @ 5pm.

Post Merdeka Day Ramblings

Post Merdeka Day. I'm upset again. In 1 post and over 3 days, my blog has been hijacked twice. By the same stupid racist character no less. I'm moderating my blog now. God knows I hate to do that, coz that means I have to log in every so often to check and approve comments. If any of you leave comments and they don't come out for days and days, my apologies in advance.

I am well aware of the racial and religious sentiments that are going around right now. Just because I blog about toads and sheeps doesn't mean that I don't care about politics and current affairs.

I do understand the frustration of the non-malays and non-muslims about a lot of things and I agree that they should speak out and ask for a reform. So many people are not happy with the way things are now and they do come out and say it out loud, but they do it in the proper time, in the proper place, in their own names, without playing the racist card and without imposing themselves on other people's time and space.

That's how changes are made in the civilised world. It may not come as swiftly as you and I would like it to be, but I'm sure it will, in due time, if we all work together and not tear each other apart.

This idiot who has been going from one blog after another insulting Malays, Islam and prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and spewing words of hatred everywhere he goes is the one thing that is wrong with the fight for reforms. Instead of tackling it intellectually and acting with class, he chose to spread seeds of disunity by insulting other people's race and religion. He chose to be the bigot that he really is, albeit a bigot with his tail between his legs. He is one who dares not speak up. He is the type to shout insults and run away like a coward. Coward he really is. A loser. Nothing more.

I'll give him no more mention after this. Not another breath, not another thought. Just saying my peace on this post merdeka day.

On another note, here's something I found on another site and thought I could share with you for a laugh. Don't forget to switch on your speakers ya! (Also, please switch OFF the background music via the MP3 player on the sidebar)