Bits #1

I have been having a sore throat since two Fridays ago and it has manifested into both cough and flu. My nose has stopped dripping mucus like running water from a tap but there's no sign of the cough leaving anytime soon. If they say sit-ups don't help build your abdominal muscles, try coughing. Hard. It's been a week since I started coughing and each time I work up a cough, my abdominal and serratus muscles hurt as though I'm putting them on some hardcore exercise. Give me another week of coughing and I'll get to see my six-packs again. But before you start imagining me with a six-pack, do know that I have six-packs due to the fact that I'm slim and not the fact that I workout.

It's five degrees Celsius here in Moscow and I have my window open but I feel very hot. It's five freaking degrees and I'm actually sweating. My body's screwed up.

Why has no one ever drank Milo after workout instead of protein shakes? In one packet of Milo Fuze(30g), there's more than 4g of protein. That's like a lot right? Try substituting the amount of protein powder you consume a day with Milo, I bet Milo has more protein than shakes! Leaving the caloric values aside, the main reasons why people should consume Milo is that Milo 'brings out the champion in you' and also makes you 'go further'!

I have stopped stalking Sam on Facebook for more than a week now and I think it's a very huge accomplishment, though at times I still have the urge to view his profile and to send him messages.

I've been talking to the ex the past few days and learnt that she went through a lot of things recently. Suddenly felt distant for we had told one another more than once that if we were to ever face difficult situations, we should always let the other one know so that we could work things out. If I did not initiate the conversation, I don't think I'll ever find out about it.

Well, that's it for now, the collection of bits of my life which if blogged independently will be nothing more than just short notes that look meaningless.

Although I don't think putting them all in a single entry would make it mean any more.


P/S: After publishing the post and actually read it on my blog page, I realize that this entry makes no sense at all. I guess I just needed a place to vent. Too many things are happening in life now and I'm trying to cope.

Kill The Lights

I'm sure by now everyone knows about 'Earth Hour'. So, the next Earth Hour will be taking place this Saturday, 28th March 2009 at 2030 hours, local time.

I'm glad both Malaysia and Russia are involved in this activity, although this afternoon was my first time seeing the poster for Earth Hour 2009 in a metro. I think the Russian authorities should have done more publicity on this activity and done it much earlier. Less than a week to Earth Hour and only one poster? Maybe they have posters in the city, I don't know(I rarely go to the city centre now because I no longer have classes anywhere near there), but I have my reservations. After all, Russia only started acknowledging WWF in these recent years. But still, it's better than not joining, right? Russia's the biggest country on earth and I'm sure with its participation in this activity, the amount of energy saved in an hour will be significant.

That is if many people support it lah.

Anyway, in the Malaysian Earth Hour website, there's a list of landmarks which we can vote to go dark on that day. Too bad there's no option for Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil. Farenheit's having their concert there on the same day, and starts only 30 minutes earlier than Earth Hour! I wonder what happens if Stadium Putra decides to turn off the lights for an hour on that day.

So, Earth Hour 2009. 28th March at 8:30PM local time. Are you on or off?

Encephalopathy - II

Who knew, there's actually a sequel to the previous post!

My greatest apologies for leaving my previous post hanging because I was too tired to continue writing that night(early morning?).

Let's continue from where I've left off, shall we?

I'd say that friendship and family ties are the things I treasure most, though my mom always says that I spend more time with my friends and that I actually treat my friends better than I treat my family. I say it's pure jealousy. =p

But what's life without love? My friends love me, my family loves me, I know. But being a greedy person, I wish to be loved by more than just these people. You know, to be loved by that special someone. That very person who shares more that just common interests. That very person who loves you unconditionally, who holds your hands when you both are out, who kisses you goodbye when you go to work/class, who goes through thick and thin of life with you. That very person whom you can go to bed cuddling and wake up next to in the morning.

That perfect other half who completes you.

It's been several lonely nights. In Malaysia, even though I have the whole room to myself at night, I don't feel lonely at all because I have my family's and my friends' companies in the day, and there are just too many activities going on that I don't even have the time to feel lonely. For the past two-and-a-half years here in Moscow, life had been great too because I was lucky to have great roommates.

If only the third year could be as great.

Few days ago, my roommate moved out of our current residence into another, leaving me and my other two blockmates behind. The first night, I felt kinda relieved some way because this is the first time in three years where I get to have the whole room to myself. I could do anything I want, I can sleep anytime I want without having to worry that the lights would wake my roommate up, and having my sleep uninterrupted. But now, these things don't seem to matter that much anymore. Nothing beats a lonely man sitting in his room facing four walls with no one to talk to.

And at times like this, the non-existence of 'the other half' only makes things worse.

Hah.

Anyway, enough of sad, depressing talks. Let's move on to the more cheerful part of me.

Guess what? I almost spend RM500 on shopping today. Luckily, I only spent RM300 in the end. I think it's the fact that I've only withdrawn the money from the ATM just yesterday(!) and the fear that if I spend too much money my dad's not gonna put anymore money into my bank account till summer that stopped me from splurging.

But RM180 for a pair of boots and a winter jacket! I'm such a loser for not buying but I'd rather be a loser than starve and die. Lol. But if I charge it on the piece of plastic, I'll have both the items AND cash, no?

Darn, if only my mind was clearer then!

Before I end my post, I would like to share parts of conversations which I had with several friends on different occasions which happen to be about the same topic.

Friend#1: Why ah you always buy GQ? What do they have in there?
Me: Er, cos it's like the ONLY men's fashion magazine in Russia?
Friend#1: HUH? Got men's fashion magazines one meh?!

Friend#2: Eh, you're buying GQ again! I've never seen this magazine before, what's it about?
Me: Um, about men's fashion?
Friend#2: Lemme see, lemme see. Wah, so many good looking guys in here! Some of them very hot too! But why ah guys buy such magazines?
Me: Huh? Cos it's about men's fashion?
Friend#2: I don't get it. Why men's magazines only got mens' pics? I thought usually lots of girls' pics?
Me: HUH? This is a fashion magazine, not Playboy.
Friend#3: Hey #2, you didn't know our friend here is gay? That's why he's reading this lah.
Me: WTF. One does not need to be gay to read GQ! Does that mean details is for gay men too?? And I'm not gay!
Friends#2,3: details? Apa tu(What's that)?

Friend#4: Wah, you buy GQ again! I always ask you to lend me to read but you never did! What's it about anyway?
Me: It's men's fashion magazine la. You know, there's Vogue and L'Officiel and Harper's Bazaar for the ladies, right? GQ is the same, just that they're for men.
Friend#4: Oh, but why keep buying lah?
Me: You don't buy Vogue and all??
Friend#4: In Malaysia I buy la. In Russia, for what?
Me: Just because you're in Russia doesn't mean you don't read magazines!
Friend#4: But it's not like we could understand everything they write!
Me: You don't read a fashion magazine, you look!

Encephalopathy

OK, maybe that's too strong a word to use but I do think that I'm suffering from brain injury.

Literally that is.

(Tried 'hyperfunction of the brain' but there wasn't any matching result)

I've been thinking for a very long time now, about myself, relationships, my future, and also very minor things such as getting a new bedspread and getting a new hair colour.

I can't help but think about all sorts of relationships. Family ties, friendships, love. From young, my siblings and I have been taught to appreciate all our relatives(be it my uncles, my aunts, grandparents, cousins) because they're the closest to family after my parents and siblings. I'm glad we were brought up in such a way because many, if not most, of my friends don't share such a close relationship with their relatives. My cousins and I grew up together. We used to play masak-masak when we were young, and when we got older, we would go to the cinemas for movies, hang out in McD's(somehow, they aren't fans of Sri Murni or any other mamak of that sort), or just walk around in malls. Now that we're adults, most of us are scattered all around the world, some to pursue higher education, and some to work for a better living. We may not be able to see each other that often anymore now but thank God there are Facebook, MSN and also Skype to keep us connected.

Friendship used to be something I treasure very much because they're sweet like cotton candies but as we grow up, we're exposed to the ugly truths. Turns out, friendships aren't as innocent as I thought they were, and definitely not as sweet! When we were young, friends seem to be everything to us, because they're always there when we need them, they're trustworthy, reliable, and most importantly, they will never betray you. But then again these things only happen because we were kids. We were stupid.

It's so hard to open up to people these days without worrying that they'll use these information against you in the future. It's hard to trust people because they're hypocrites, two-faced. Tell them a secret at 10am and the whole world will know about it by 10:05am. So much for being 'friends'. And it's even harder to please everyone you know, because everyone thinks differently from you. Say you're friends with A and B, but A and B don't like one another. Imagine being in the same class with both of them five days a week. You're considered lucky if you are still sane by weekend because you'd to endure listening to all the bad-mouthing about one another the whole week. And you're really damn lucky because they didn't make you pick a side to stand. If they do, might as well ask them to put a bullet in your head.

The things we have to go through as adults. Sigh.

iStrip

OK, that sounds wrong but that's what I saw on the net!

On Apple's App Store, to be precise.

Just few days back, I was browsing the iTunes Store in hope of getting a Russian-English dictionary so that I don't have to drag my very thick dictionary everywhere I go. Especially not in the cold winters!

Being a cheapskate person, the first section I browsed was the 'Top Free Apps'. I've always known that no one in this world is kind enough to spend so much effort on a mobile dictionary and putting it up on the net to be downloaded for free, but deep down I've also been hoping that there are such kind persons on earth. Maybe not putting it up for free but probably make it work in a way such that the dictionary can only be accessed when it's connected to the net? That way people get to choose to either pay a price to use the dictionary offline or use the free version by connecting to the net.

Anyway, back to iStrip. I cannot believe my eyes when this App is actually in the top ten of the free Apps category! I don't know about you but I don't see how anyone can be 'entertained' by a 3D figure stripping in an iPhone or iPod. Not to mention the stains when things become messy. I'd never trade my precious iPod for temporary pleasure.

Heck, that's not even pleasure to begin with!

After several futile attempts to get a freeware, I gave up and went searching for the dictionary in the paid Apps category. And many different types of dictionaries did I find. Everything's about business huh?

So, if you guys have the free time, just go to the iTunes Store and you'll be fascinated by the amount of useless Apps they have there. And while you're at it, check out iGirl-At Your Command and iFart too.

We're Dunzo

It's been a year.

The very first time I looked at you, you were angel to my eyes. I thought that we could give us both a chance, a chance to make our lives better.

We tried, and we tried. People around us think that we're not meant for one another but we didn't care. We tried.

But the truth always prevails. It was only a short course of six months and I've started feeling bored spending time with you. We both knew I was the problem. I tend to become bored of something very fast, and it's just a matter of time before I set my eyes on something else. I started seeing you less, and I even skipped several dates just to avoid the question.

"Are we breaking up?"

I wanted to but I just couldn't bring myself to tell you that. It's not like you'd approve anyway.

Another six months passed, and finally, we sat down and talked about the problem between us. We both agreed that we weren't meant for one another, and that no matter how much we both try, we'll never turn out the way we want it to be. It's too late. We couldn't buy the time we've lost, but we surely can have better lives if we let one another go.

It was a hard decision to make, but we finally decided that letting one another go would be the best choice for the both of us. You could search for someone that genuinely loves you, and I could reassess myself so that I do not make the same mistake in the future.

We may not be the best match, but it wasn't all too bad having you as company for the past year. At least you never complain, Microbiology!

Metrosexualo

A metrosexual: is a modern, usually single man who's cool, smart, attractive, taking care of his appearance, cultured and up to date with the latest styles, that confuses some guys when it comes to his sexuality. But he's so secure in his masculinity that he doesn't care.

I think that's the best description of 'metrosexual' I've ever come across. I'm very familiar with 'modern', 'taking care of his appearance' and 'confuses some guys when it comes to his sexuality' but to include 'he's so secure in his masculinity that he doesn't care' really takes the word 'metrosexual' to a higher level.

But then again, people would label metrosexuals as gay men as most people have the perception that 'only gay men take good care of their appearance and are up to date with the latest fashion'. What the guys forget is that no matter how they go around telling people that metrosexuals are gay men, they secretly envy the way metrosexuals present themselves with flawless skin and dressing up in the best styles; as for the girls, they think that metrosexuals are gay men but still, they want their boyfriends to take fashion tips from metrosexuals, and they even buy GQ, details and Men's Health magazines for their boyfriends so they could dress up like gay men metrosexuals.

As for me, I really don't care if people say that I'm a metrosexual today and a gay man tomorrow. All I know is that the guys come to me for fashion tips(though I'm not as updated now as I used to before. I blame med school for leeching all the time away!) and the girls love to have me around when they shop because they know that I'm one of the very few people around who's able to fix a wardrobe malfunction.

Metrosexual or gay? It really doesn't matter that much.