The Aged

While driving just now I noticed an elderly couple by the side of the road. The man was trying to step up onto the sidewalk from the road. It was just a height of about 4 to 5 inches but it was painfully obvious that he was struggling. His foot kept abutting hopelessly against the side, failing to reach sufficient height to plant itself on the pavement. He would have toppled over if not for his wife who was holding his arm and an umbrella to shed him from the sun while he tried again and again.

When our bodies are able, we take things like stepping onto the sidewalk for granted. For this man the mere few inches may as well have been the tallest mountain in the world. I remember when I was laid up in bed after screwing up my back. The act of getting up from a lying posture was sheer torture. My chronic backache has now become a part of my life, so much so that I am now unable to bend down to reach for that lower drawer or to pick things up from the ground. I have to squat to get at things below waist height. I shudder to think what I would be like when I reach the age of the elderly man I saw today.

Change is over-rated

Its been too long. Somehow got caught up in real life a bit too much to have time to blog about...err...real life. Writers' block is real and it hangs over me like a ratty curtain. Back to normal programming then.

A few years ago i had a conversation with a close friend and in the course of shooting the breeze he said that he was feeling very restless and felt strongly that he needed a change of environment. A short time later he actually uprooted himself and left for foreign pastures. You will never catch me saying or doing anything like that, not in a million years. Not if hell freezes over.

Why? I live for the stability of my immediate environs. Every time I change, I die a little. I worry that if I change too much there would be nothing left of me in this life. Some may argue that change signifies growth. That's well and good but who wants to grow up anyways?

Forgetfulness - Billy Collins Animated Poetry

A thought provoking animated poem about a slippery thing called memory.

Lunar New Year

Every year at this time there is a human exodus, something which i have managed to avoid up until now. Like gaggles of migrating birds, I became a part of a V formation in the sky, resolutely pointing towards warmer climates and the core idea of family; security and familiarity.

After a month of being away from home, I am understandably excited about sleeping once again in my own bed, ruffling the back of my dog and savoring my mother's cooking. Happy to report that my anticipation was met a hundred fold over. To sweeten the deal even further, the light drizzle on Chinese New Year's eve brought pleasant respite to the usual heat and humidity around this time of the year.

After a veritable feast around the dinner table, we uncorked a bottle of red wine and drank to a new beginning and fresh hopes. Here's wishing everyone who reads this a great one ahead!

Machine Love

There is something about an iPod that just feels right. Its deceivingly simple in design but if there is an embodiment of the x-factor, this little gadget is it. Its no thicker than a deck of cards and weighs slightly more. The 2 external movable parts it has (ie the click wheel and the ‘hold’ button) fits right in to make a solid whole.

In the center is the wheel which many have tried to copy but the pale imitations have never amounted to much. Its genius the way the wheel creates both a tactile and auditory sensation when you run your finger around it in the course of selecting the items in the menu. The feeling is indescribable; you just have to touch it yourself to fully appreciate the ingenuity of design.

My iPod is white although the black version has its legions of fans. The merits of both colors have been the subject of flame wars online largely among people with unhealthy amounts of time. In a fit of trendiness I decided that my iPod must match my all-white iBook laptop. Irrational but undeniable.

The surfaces have a slick finish whether you are talking about the chrome bottom or the plastic top. Its propensity to pick up fingerprints and scratches is the trade off for the metallic smooth feel. A dab of Brasso has always worked wonders for my little friend. I sometimes find myself unknowingly running my fingers along the sides; enjoying the sensation a bit too much to be healthy.

Yes, I am a fanboy. So sue me!

The Man

Its only right that nature tied child-birth and child bearing to the woman. Its against every instinct in the male genome to actually provide care of any sort to the young. I am not saying that it cannot be done but that its just unnatural, a travesty of human existence.

I am at the airport now and just saw a family with 2 kids. The husband has planted his posterior resolutely onto a chair and his wife is frantically calling out to her missing child. The little rascal has apparently tottered off to god knows where. She is practically hoarse now and all her mate can do is shout at her for not taking better care of their children, all done from the comfort of his chair. The offender is finally found and the man goes back to picking his nose.

This man is the perfect poster boy for a nationwide vasectomy campaign.

Holiday .........NOT

'Holiday' has got to be one of the most predictable and hackneyed piece of fluff to come out of Hollywood. Yes, I know its a romantic comedy but does it have to be so formulaic? Is it too much to ask for some originality? Its like the writers just sat through an entire weekend watching all the chick flicks ever made and then just regurgitated the whole sorry mess onto paper, hoping that no one would notice.

The dialogue is lazy and the characters one-dimensional. Jude Law looks too good to be real and Jack Black is a fish out of water. He should stick to playing the psycho-clown with a heart of gold and leave the sappy stuff to others.

As a meditation on love, it is mediocre at best. As a piece of entertainment art it fails miserably. Stay away from this turd!

Bloggers Meet in Penang

Helping out a fellow blogger to promote a meeting of like-minded folks in Penang. More details to be had here. Unfortunately I will not be able to make it as by then I would be back on the chain gang in Kuala Lumpur. Have fun guys and gals!

Help! I am blind on the left side!

Another month another mishap. After my shoes got spirited away in the dead of night, I woke up this morning to find that one of the side view mirror of my car has been broken by some one who will surely roast in the pits of hell for all eternity come judgment day.

It was either a failed attempt to steal the thing or it was a hit and run. Either way I hereby rain curses on this person and his/her subsequent 7 generations.

Orson Welles - so much to answer for

Want to hear the original radio broadcast of Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds"? I know you do.

Love In Time

Locked in an eternal embrace, this Neolithic couple, found at a dig site in Italy, have sparked great excitement in the Archaeological world.

BIID

'Body Identity Integrity Disorder'; that's what it stands for. To find out about it, read this harrowing confession by a mother of two.

cool air

The man on the sidewalk has resurfaced! Due to the exceptionally hot weather, he has taken to sleeping in an air-conned environment. A nearby bank has an after-hours banking alcove where there is a row of ATMs and cheque-deposit machines. In the space between the last machine and the wall, a pair of legs stick out. The cardboard that he previously used to sleep on is now on top as a blanket.

To the people that go in to withdraw cash, he does not exist. Everyone musters an extra ounce of concentration and hunkers down for the task at hand. There is an invisible wall that separates them from him and its impenetrable. To his credit, the man is considerate and stays out of the way. All he wants is his forty winks and the last thing he needs is trouble. Thus the wheels of the world turn and the status quo is maintained.

at the car wash

Ever had the visual sensation that you are being swallowed whole by a pre-historic giant creature of a science-defying species? Forget about Disneyland (we can scarce afford it anyway). Pay a few measly dollars, drive into the mechanical maws of the local car wash and still your beating heart.

First water is spouted from every direction. Foam covers your car, the salivations of the beast to moisten and juice up the meat. Seconds later there is a lot of rumbling and whooshing like air from a growling stomach. Green giant brushes appear from the sides and the top, inching closer with each passing second. I swear I can hear chomping teeth. The brushes make contact and you start to tremble.

The foam is washed away in waves and finally you can see. Air is blasted against you as if after being partially digested, you are now expelled through the back passages of the beast. A green light indicates that your ordeal is over and being thus humbled you drive out, thanking your lucky stars that you lived to tell the tale.