shut up and let me go

A few days ago, I was doing a flight to Denpasar. It was a full flight consisting of 80% Caucasians and the rest Indonesians.

About an hour into the flight, this Australian guy with a family of four calls chimes me and I go over to his seat and he points at something in front of him, "Look", he says. And guess what?

It's a grasshopper! A big one! It's brown in colour and for some reason, it looked like a cockroach which made the hair on my arms stand on its ends. And as we watched it, the grasshopper crawled and wedged itself between the seats of the row in front of this Australian guy whose children were very curious at their new friend. And the Australian guy kept looking at me, expecting me to do something about it and from the looks in his eyes, it was needless to say that he had a fear of insects cos believe it or not he was squirming in his seat and he kept telling his kids to sit still and not touch it.

At that point I was thinking to myself, does this guy expect me to touch it? Now, don't get me wrong. I'm okay with most creepy crawlies. Okay as long as they don't come near me or I don't have to touch them so this particular situation was in violation of both my principles. I dashed to the front and asked my female crew "Are you in any way afraid of insects?" All she did was look at me and I knew the answer. "Forget it" I told her. Grabbing a cup and some serviettes, I went back to the seat, psyching myself for a showdown. Told myself to not embarass myself and to be a man and just be brave about it. Believe it or not, I was ready to catch the damn thing.

And then God smiled on me. The Indonesian guy who was sitting in front of the Australian with his family asked me what was happening and I explained to him. He told me not to worry and he got up, did a quick lookabout around his seat and in one single movement, had the grasshopper in his hand!!

I told him to place it into a plastic bag to which I punctured some holes in. As much as I do not enjoy looking or touching insects, I am still pretty humane. I thanked the Indonesian guy profusely, even the Australian guy was all smiles and kept patting the Indonesian guy on his back.

Later, Mr Australia comes up to me and shares with me that very little in this world can freak him out. But anything more than 4 legs and his entire world goes upside down. I lean closer to him and say, "Don't tell anyone, but I have the same issues" To which he laughs.

And there we were. Two grown men. Laughing about the one thing that scares us. Small tiny insects with many legs. Ugh.. And I know we are not alone. In my family itself, there are so many of us who are terifficed of insects. And I know many friends who have the same phobias. What is it about these tiny marvels of nature that bring out the fear in us?

As for the grasshopper? We set him free once we landed in Denpasar. We being the Indonesian guy and me. Me more as an observer and he the actual freedom setter ;)

shake your body (down to the ground)

The other night, I was in my favourite club dancing the night away and I see an old friend whom we shall call FurryB. I haven't seen FurryB in like a year and we've been close for a very long time but you know how it is with certain friendships, you tend to grow more and more apart as you discover your common grounds are no longer common.

I spotted FurryB amidst the crowd of gyrating bodies dancing to BlackEyedPeas' I Got A Feeling. And I knew it was him instantly cos believe me, you'd know it was FurryB anywhere. So I made my way over to him and tapped him on his shoulder and he was more than surprised to see me there. And I'm thinking, why are you surprised? This is my turf. I'm always here. I'm the one who is surprised to see you here. So anyway, we hugged. A very tight hug.

And as I'm hugging him, I look behind him and his friends have a very bewildered look on their face. Like they've never seen two men hug before. And I'm thinking, oh God these are the dumb office type clowns who don't get out much and even if they do, they're pretty closeminded. I gave them the finger while still maintaining a tight hug on FurryB. To which they were shocked by the looks on their faces.

Then FurryB introduces me to them and I look at him, then at them then rolling my eyes I say, "Seriously?" And walked off.

So do not need to be in the company of neanderthals. FurryB texted me and asked me where I was. I ignored him. Wasn't his fault for having moronic friends but I seriously have had enough with homophobia and morons who can't accept people for who they are. Oh and let's not forget the ignorant fools. I have a friend who for her whole life thought that gay people don't need to use protection during sex. She kept asking, 'what's the point?' And in my heart of hearts, I prayed that she meant the fact that we can't get pregnant and not the STI factor.

Ugh..

eternal flame

Sometimes..

Sometimes, sometimes isn't enough

And nothing will never be enough..

It feels like I'm falling and falling and I can't seem to hold onto anything

I can see the people around me and they're all reaching out

And I'm reaching for them but I can't

They look at me

All broken and in pieces

And they shake their head

And they whisper to each other

He did this to himself

We tried to help

But they didn't help

They didn't see

They didn't hear

They didn't feel

I felt them

I felt them breathe

I felt them

But no one felt me

Sometimes..

Sometimes, sometimes isn't enough

don't stop til you get enough

Another lifelong dream fulfilled.

Me. On a raft. Down the river. Pure bliss. And pure excitement. So so happy.

Happened a few weeks ago in Bali with the bestest group of people in the world. There were too many of us for one raft so we broke up into two rafts. Mine was with BK and RS. And it became sort of a battle of the rafts with us seeing who gets to the finish line first and both sort of attacking each other's rafts. The disaster of that idea..

But it was so much fun. I loved it and need to do more of it soon. Nature at her best all around us. All the damn greenery and the gorgeous flora everywhere. It was a very good feeling. Perfectly content with the world around me.

And that was what I seriously needed. Just to get back to nature and be one with her and let her heal me.

goodbye to you

Woke up today with extremely tragic news. EXTREMELY sad tragic news. One of the greatest pop icons of all times passed away today. And no other news in the world today can come close.

It's so tragic. It took awhile for me to grasp the fact that he's gone but he is gone. I never liked Michael but his music and his influence, now that I like. He was truly a force in the music industry and I personally think he has changed and enriched so many of our lives.

I know his music was always blaring in my house when I was growing up. All the countless albums and songs. My sister was a huge fan and so were alot of my cousins and friends. Could never escape him wherever you went. Especially for those of us growing up in the 80s and 90s. It was either BAD or BEAT IT or THRILLER or HEAL THE WORLD. And say what you want, but he had amazing kick ass videos that kept pushing the boundaries of music videos. Every video was a statement in itself and I know people always anticipated the coming of a new MJ video. Just typing this is making my eyes all teary thinking back about the good times I had.

I am very happy to say that I have attended one of his concerts when he was in Malaysia and it was an event to remember forever. I was spellbound and I knew that was the day I fell in love with the music industry and the powers it held.

Rest in peace Michael. You are indeed a legend and will always be cherished.

Another news that saddened me was the passing of my favourite angel, Farrah Fawcett..

Such a beauty, such a stunner, such a smile. She was the epitome of Charlie's Angels. Always liked her, not so much for her acting but more for her personality and her charms. And her hair of course!!

I think she was the first blonde I fell in love with. And as we are all aware, we always remember our first love ;)

Goodbye Farrah.. Rest in peace.

A very wise man I know had this to say about today's passings.. "God's gift of life is such, we r all so inter-connected. I thank God for the gift of entertainers who so enriched our lives..." So true MV. So true!

jump

I finally got to do one of my lifelong dreams. It was not an easy thing to do but I did it. And I'm happy to say I lived to see another day. That's right boys and girls, I bungy jumped!!

B U N G Y J U M P ! ! ! ! !

How freaking amazing is that?

Did it in Phuket with my best girls. The moment Phuket was on our travel plans, I knew I had to try out their bungy jump and fulfill my lifelong dream and let me tell you it was not at an easy thing to do. When you're up on that platform about to leap off, nothing is going thru your mind. You can hear the attendant telling you to jump and just lean forward and let gravity do it's job. And i'm like, "GRAVITY DO IT'S JOB?!" Aaahhh... It took awhile before I managed to jump but jump I did. Did it with Nutzy. A tandem jump. It was insane. Seriously the most insane thing I've done in my life thus far. The feeling of standing up there looking down over the edge was the worst feeling on earth. I still get goosebumps thinking about it. The first few seconds after jumping off is total madness. There is no feeling except panic. Then euphoria takes over followed by insanity and of course the screams!

I'm so glad I did and will definitely do it again. One of life's best adrenaline rushes. The first thing we did when we there was sign the insurance forms and then get measured for our weight and height so that they can do the necessary precautions.

Then they proceeded to tie up our feet which had us hopping to the bungy booth. Once on the bungy booth, we were given a short briefing on what to do and not to do during the jump.

Of course there was time for some camera whoring ;)

And away we go up and up and up and away. If you look closely you can see us on the edge of the platform trying to build up the courage to jump.

This gorgeous pic was taken by my hunnybunny PYkins.

This was the moment of truth. To jump or not to jump. The attendant kept telling us that no matter what we do, we must not let go of each other as we fell or the result would be a serious head trauma. I kept telling Nutzy, "whatever happens, do not let go of me. I'll scream for the both of us"

It seriously took alot for us to finally jump.

And jump we did. There we go!!!

I screamed and kept asking God why do we do this to ourselves? The sheer rush of blood and life flashing before your eyes not to mention everything becoming a blur.

This amazing shot was snapped by the photogenius PYkins. Such an amazing shot. The reflection in the water.. Us hanging upside down..

And finally they come to save us. First extending a stick and me frantically grabbing it and then pulling us to safety.

And we were back on ground. Greatful and giddy with laughter and most of all happy.

There we are SkyDancer and Nutzy, bungy jumpers so glad to be back on solid ground

It was indeed a good great thing for me and I truly enjoyed it. I'm glad I had my BFFs there with me to share the moment. Thanks PYkins and Nutzy!!

heartbreak make me a dancer

I cannot stand desperation in stupid people. I cannot stand stupid people. Shallow I like. But stupidity.. is a whole different story. And it's worst when stupid people do stupid things that make you go WTF?

Seriously, if you cannot handle rejection, do not put yourself in a position where you will be rejected. Think ahead and brace yourself for the fall. Don't keep thinking that life is peachy and fun when you look like crap. If you look like crap, life is never gonna be peachy and fun for you cos you DO NOT deserve it. Make an effort and go dress yourself up and do something about that personality. Or better yet, why not put us all out of misery and go hang yourself.

And I don't think I'll ever understand people who demand an instant sms reply. Yes, I understand if it's stuff that's vital but not when it's random stuff.. Things like, "How's your day?" or "Let's plan to meet up next week", these don't require instant replies!! Which leads me to another thing I can't stand. People that reply smses 2 or 3 days later when the sms you first sent them no longer seems valid. Seriously people, isn't an sms' validity only for like 24hours? After that, it doesn't matter whether you reply it or not. So the key is here, smses should be replied in a period of 24hours or else don't bother replying. Cos I've found myself in situations when I receive an sms and I'm like, what is this guy talking about then I realize I asked him something 3 or 4 days ago. And it's not like they'll start the sms with, "to answer your question.." or "regarding my.." Oh no, instead they'll just go "Ok" or "Yup, I'm cool with that" or the worst, "definitely!" DEFINITELY WHAT DUMB ASS?!

And the worst thing I can't stand are people who think the world owes them. People who think that just because they're alive and have contributed used up space to the world that everyone and the universe has to give them something in return. Well wake up and smell the freaking acid rain losers, the world does not owe you anything. Everyone around you makes an effort to make things work for them. You are a fucked up moron if you think you can just sit around and wait for things to happen just because you smiled today. Bastards..

waking up in vegas

I'm off to Phuket this morning!! Be back in three days!! So excited, I can't hardly wait!!

Main reason I'm so excited, I'm gonna attempt bungy jumping. Why I say attempt? Cos I'll only decide once I'm up there about to jump off. Having goosebumps just thinking about it. I have an insane fear of heights, ironic as it may seem ;)

Photos and stories to follow.

Til then. Have a good weekend!

boom boom pow

I always enjoy a good barbeque and I sincerely believe I rock at barbequeing. SO whenever a need for a barbeque comes up, I'm always first in line.

Recently, I was in the GoldCoast and despite the 16 degrees temperature, we had a small mini barbeque. We had practically an entire lamb, tons of sausages, prawns and of course a good side of potato salads and fresh fruits. The moment that first piece of lamb hit the hot plate and it started to sizzle all thoughts of the cold surroundings melted away into a frenzied hunger pang. I totally enjoy the smell of barbequing meat especially one that's been properly marinated. Alas, since I was Head Chef, I didn't have the chance to take many photos due to my dirty and oily fingers and I got fed up of having to constantly wash them each time I wanted to handle my phone. The first shot is of the meat on the hot plate sizzling away. The heavenly aroma filling the night air.

The subsequent shots are the "WE" that I'm talking about. I do not know anyone else who does a barbeque during late autumn when most sane people would be indoors. But then again sometimes a little craziness helps make life a whole lot more enjoyable doesnt it? We had wine and beer and even champagne as we devoured our little feast of assorted meats. The whole time laughing and shivering in the cold.

Can't wait for my next barbeque. This time in proper tropical climate ;)

goodbye

About two weeks ago, my life was thrown off course by a single piece of news that just shook my day and made me think alot about life in general.

A childhood friend of mine was killed in a hit and run. He was on his way to college but he never made it. Highway patrol found his body on the side of the road with his bike a few feet away. 

This kid used to hang in my house so much that he called my mum "Amma" as well. She became his second mother. There was never a day when he wasn't in my house. And as kids we used to do everything together. We'd imagine all kinds of things, we'd laugh about things that only kids can laugh about, we'd torture each other, bully each other, we'll hate each other and then become friends again the next minute. And back then, we had no PSPs or gameboys or superfast internet. All we had were ourselves and our imaginations. During the school holidays, when my cousins came around, we'd have a huge blast playing all kinds of games. As I think back, I realize we were quite a mental bunch ;)

I can't remember but I think he was in my life for the first 12 or 13 years. And then we sort of grew apart and never spoke again after that. His mum and my mum had the occassional calls and all but the two of us never spoke again. I don't know why. So when we heard about his death, needless to say, my mum was heartbroken. And the rest of us lived out the day with a very heavy heart. At the end of that faithful day, we all came together to go to his house to pay our respects and show our support. It was the least we could do. This guy was part of our childhood and his death has left a hole in our minds that I believe will take a long time before it's covered up. 

At the funeral, his mum kept asking him to wake up and when my mum came in, his mum started shaking him telling him to get up and that his Amma was here now. It was devastating to say the least. His brother refused to accept his death and never came out from the kitchen. His dad was crying while talking to visitors. 

And it's so totally weird how you never hear from a person for years and you think life is all peachy and then BOOM something like this hits you and life is never the same after that. And I hate this feeling. I hate it hate it hate it. 

I think about him everyday now and all the things we used to do and laugh about and the amount of trouble we used to cause. And I always smile thinking about it and I always end that smile with guilt. Guilt maybe because I should have tried harder to keep in touch? I don't know. But one thing I do know is that, God definitely works in mysterious ways and we need to always ALWAYS let the people we love know how much they mean to us. Cos once they're gone, it's too late for anything already. 

Rest in peace SunnyBoy. Thank you so much for the memories.

Photo taken from Trey Ratcliff. Thank you!

if you seek amy

My road tax expires in a month so being a good responsible driver, decided to go and renew it at the insurance company that handles my car stuff. Dragging my sister along one Tuesday afternoon, we set out on our little adventure. Neither of us knew where the place was but we had a good sense of direction between us and were both very road savvy so we figured the trip would take a good half hour at the most back and forth.

One and a half hours later, we were still in the car bickering at each other trying to figure out the road. We were positive we had made one small mistake or we kept missing the turn off from the highway. We tried retracing our steps, tried taking different routes but it was all in vain. Tried calling the company but for some reason no one was answering. We were almost at our wit's end when my dear sister said something that changed us forever.

"Doesn't your new phone have like integrated GPS system?"

I looked at her like I was seeing her for the first time and was in utter shock. And then I screamed. 

"Couldn't you have said that earlier?!!!!!"

To which sister dearest replied, "What do you mean?! It's your bloody phone!! You should know what's in it!"

And then we both burst out laughing our hearts out. It was such a dumb blonde moment. In the end, we got to the insurance company in less than 15 minutes. FIFTEEN MINUTES! 

Talk about hopelessness ;)

Moral of the day, always know what's on your new phone inside out.

pokerface

A few days ago, I went down to my local grocers to get some cereal and fruits and a few other stuff. I took along this little girl my mum looks after. She's about 3 going on to 4 and she is such a chatterbox with an extremely curious mind. Always asking 'what's that' and 'why is that'?

So as we were strolling down the aisles with her sitting in the trolley cart, her very loose spaghetti strap top came down her left shoulder exposing her chest. And as I was re-adjusting her top I whispered, "Girl, put your dress on properly, everyone can see your boobs". Which was a big mistake.

She looked up at me with her eyes opened wide and said out loud, "What is boobs?" To which all the other mothers in the aisle turned around to look at us and I swear time stood still!! I tried to keep a straight face but couldn't. Tears of laughter were forming in my eyes and I quickly pushed the trolley out form the aisle. Once safe, I laughed til the tears poured! All the time, Little Girl was looking at me with curiousity in her eyes. And to make matters worst, she kept asking "What is boobs?"

I kept hushing her and pretending not to hear but she kept persisting which did not help the situation cos people were starting to look at me differently. I finally said, "When we get back, go and ask ur mummy, ok?" Which shut her up for good. Thank GOD!

Must seriously need to watch my words when little children are present. Obviously when we got back she asked her golden question out loud in front of my parents and her parents as well. I laughed running to my room leaving the older folks red faced and struggling for an explanation.

;)

circus

I just realized it's been ages since I last posted. Dunno what is wrong with me. Kept putting it off and off and now it's 2009!! Seriously time passes to fast and life takes on a whole lot meaning after awhile.

Will post proper stuff soon.

God bless..

womanizer

Love it love it love it! Check out the costume!