Fer and I made a short trip to city square in Johor Bahru. He took me to a back alley filled with various stalls selling the familiar Malaysian food. After looking around, we decided to settle for a stall which sells Chapatti. Conveniently enough, a stall which sells drinks is located right beside of it. After ordering a cup of Teh Tarik, we proceeded to order the chapatti. Fer noticed that the man who is selling the Chapatti looks entirely Mamak. The Chapatti comes with a bowl of curry stuffed with potatoes. Despite being a simple meal, this was the best meal I had for the month.

Valentine's Day 2007-2008

It was back in the year 2007 when I first find myself celebrating Valentine's Day. I am curious on the celebration as I have never once celebrated it. Thus, I have a foolish idea of giving away expensive chocolates to girls whom I admire. As I could not drive back then, I took a bus to Tesco Hypermarket a week before the day itself in order to avoid the last minute males who have forgotten to buy chocolates for their lovers. Another reason that I choose to buy there is that they were offering chocolates at a cheaper rate. Wrapping the chocolates proves to be a challenge as it is shaped into a semi-rectangular box.

I ended up drawing up a plan enabling me to cut and assemble the wrapper so that it fits the casing of the chocolate just like a cardboard box. Presenting the chocolate wrapped gift proves to be another challenge as the girls are reluctant to meet me. Somehow, I manage to stir something up giving me the opportunity to present them the gift. My heartbeat went off the chart as I awkwardly gave them the gift. Never in my life have I experienced this feeling before. I was offered nothing except for a simple thank you followed by a text message from them. I would repeat the same ritual over the next year. Looking back after two years, I did not even receive a simple thank as a token of appreciation from them.

Spotted This Incident

Sudah jarang kali saya membaca akhbar semenjak berlakunya kemelesetan ekonomi. Manusia mempunyai andaian bahawa apa yang diterbitkan adalan benar. Akibatnya, pemikiran manusia seringkali dipegaruhi oleh media masa. Di sini, akhbar diedarkan secara percuma kononnya bagi mengalakkan rakyatnya membaca tetapi saya percaya ada udang di sebalik batu. Akhbar ini sebenarnya bertujuan untuk memanipulasikan golongan pembaca dengan menpengaruhi minda mereka. Selain itu, iklan-iklan yang menarik seringkali diterbitkan bersama bagi mengoda para pembaca.

This proves that not everybody in this country is smart as presumed

I spotted this incident when I was on my way to purchase a bus ticket. From the picture, you can see that it has attracted many attention. A vehicle which is above the height of 1.82m is trying to gain access to a parking lot which is not designed for it. The driver not only made a fool of himself by not following the parking lot specification but also by driving into the wrong entrance situated on the left. After an attempt to lower the height of the vehicle by releasing the air pressure of the tyres, yet the vehicle failed to enter the parking lot. Then another problem arise as the vehicle might not be able to exit the entrance without a scratch to due to the height barrier. Fortunately enough, the onlookers helped to guide the driver out from the exit of the entrance.

The Fate of C-Yan Trade & Service

I was not able to check my status as I have been barred by the Finance Department for not paying the fees. As a result, I have no idea whether have I passed the Industrial Training Programme. Then another question comes into my mind, “Did I actually take the entire required course to graduate?” My timetable was in a mess as I do no follow the schedule. All of these were answered when I accessed the Student Financial Kiosk. My status has been updated to Graduated.

The remnants of what used to be Mr. Benny’s shop

As I was by passing a road where Mr. Benny's shop was once located, I was not surprised that he has closed down. Ini mesti berpunca daripada kemelesetan ekonomi. Business turned out to be bad during the final month of my Industrial Training Programme. So bad that it prompted Mr. Benny's long time associate-technician to move out. Apparently, the associate-technician found a nearby lot to rent for a mere RM200.00. Mr. Benny once told me that he has been in the IT industry for a very long time. I wonder will he be able continue the trade despite not really making any money.

Gung Hei Faat Coi, Ning Sei Bat Wat...

恭喜發財, gung hei faat coi
年年有餘, nin nin jau jyu
歲歲平安, seoi seoi ping on
恭賀新禧, gung ho san hei
財源廣進, coi jyun gwong zeon
財源滾滾, coi jyun gwan gwan
大吉大利, daai gat daai lei
年年高升, nin nin gou sing
步步高升, bou bou gou sing
事事如意, si si jyu ji
招財進寶, ziu coi zeon bou
吉祥如意, gat coeng jyu ji
心想事成, sam soeng si sing
萬事如意, maan si jyu ji
扭轉乾坤, nau zyun kin kwan
一路發財, jat lou faat coi
新春愉快, san ceon jyu faai
國泰民安, gwok taai man on
風調雨順, fung tiu jyu seon
新春如意, san ceon jyu ji
開春大吉, hoi ceon daai gat
六畜高升, luk cuk gou sing
閤家平安, hap gaa ping on
宁死不屈... ning sei bat wat...

Inactivity, Money & Nasi Campur ala Vegetarian

While I was walking back, I saw a little girl running around as her mother was having difficulty to catch up with her due to her weight. The overweight mother finally manages to corner her child at the entrance of the elevator as the little girl does not know on how to operate it. As the mother quickly grabs hold of her child she notices that the child's heart was beating rapidly as a result of running around. She sounded concern when she advises her child to stop running so that she can keep her heartbeat rate at a minimum. I was actually laughing away in my heart as she is promoting inactivity to her child.

My female colleague commented that I am a stingy person as I did not spend a single penny on luxurious items. She keeps wondering why I am saving all of my hard earned earnings while she is having a good time spending hers. To her, money is for spending after a hard day's work. She also believes that shopping reduces her loneliness in this foreign land. The government of this foreign land should be thankful for people like her as spending could help by alleviating the economic crisis.

Tempat inilah di mana saya seringkali menikmati hidangan untuk makan tengah hari. Medan selera ini terletak berhampiran dengan kawasan perindustrian memudahkan pekerja-pekerja di sini untuk menjamu selera. Lagipun harga makanan di sini amat berpatutan dan lebih murah berbanding tempat lain. Di sini, anda boleh melihat pelbagai telatah terutama daripada para-para penjual makanan. Inilah gerai makanan yang saya biasa mengunjungi. Mereka menjual nasi campur ala vegetarian.

Death of the Smoking Hazard Man

While I was having lunch my one of my female colleague, it seems that she discriminate against people who are dirty as a result of their nature of work. She said that they were disgusting and she loses appetite looking at them while she is having lunch at the nearby canteen. Such a “work-ist” person! She should be thankful as without these people, she might not be working in a comfortable office with air-conditioning. Some people are just certainly spoiled.

I find myself visiting a place named “Bugis Street” as I volunteered myself to accompany one of my female colleague for shopping. You are bound to find many shops which are selling cheap goods such as accessories, clothes and shoes. High level of humidity, noise pollution and overcrowding are expected in these places as all of the shops are being cramped into a small tiny space. I personally do not like these crowded places but I do not mind as I am being accompanied by a female. I decided to share my view after observing her buying behaviour. She has a irregular shopping conduct where she travels from one shop to another scouting for the things she wants. She will buy anything which is cheap that catches her eyes. I believe that she should have planned her travel route as we kept wandering the same spot frantically looking for an exit as the place is jam packed with shoppers.

In another story, an old man who was staying the room beside me has just passed away from what I believe a long term effect of tobacco smoking. After enjoying a final puff of his favourite cigarettes, he experienced difficulty in breathing where he were then being rushed to the hospital. According to my landlord, he suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of multiple blood clot which lead him to his death. Reach in peace old-man-whom-does-not-utter-a-single-word-and-whom-occupies-the-bathroom-for-a-long-period-of-time.