Wednesday, October 31, 2007

...Roses

What's in a name?
That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet
- William Shakesphere, Romeo & Juliet

Photograph taken in Hotel G, Galway, Republic of Ireland

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

...Thin Gray Line...

Alrite, alrite - I shall admit it...

Yours truly, the rabid cow is a sucker for... yeap - you guessed it...

Fairytales
Indeed, I think I have a remarkable appetite for fairytales and a remarkable capacity to want to believe in them.

It was rather unsettling - as you know most 26 year olds usually consider themselves beyond the age of fairytales... but I have had almost 8 hours to think about it as I travelled between Paris and KL just earlier today (yes - I am back in KL).

Flying Singapore Airlines for the 1st time in yonks - I was treated to the new Krisworld entertainment system (which is miles better than MAS Select!!!) of which I happen to choose the movie "Stardust"

It was a simple tale - one of which I could predict the ending from a mile away... a story of a hapless hero becoming a seasoned prince in shining armour, falling in love (not with the lady he intended to marry) with a heroine-damsel in distress... escaping from evil princes, dark witches... running into honourable buccaneers... with magic, warped realities and falling stars thrown in with equal measure...

In all honesty, the simple story somehow affected me deeply. The clear delineation between evil and good - no grey areas, just black and white that is ever present in fairytales seems to appeal to me at the moment (or rather all my life).

It is this almost far-fetched simplicity that makes fairytales... not the unicorns, flying ships or hidden princes... not the beautiful princesses, perpetually honourable handsome princes and impossibly tall palaces and castles. The essence of fairytales that set them apart from reality is the fact that good and evil are so tangible and clear cut. Reality is so much different - half of the time I question whether my actions, be it at work, in my family, in romance and relationships are right or wrong... it seems that my life is painted more grey than anything else, with murder, pillage and plunder the black band on the far end, prayer, church and respect the white bar on the other end.

Watching this refreshingly simple tale made me wish and pray that one day that the life I choose to live will have more black and more white - with only a Thin Grey Line seperating them. That this confusion I seem to be always in on recent days be in the past.

*sigh* Fairytales...
If only...



If only life was that simple.

and everyone can live... Happily Ever After

The above pic is actually taken in my office of one of my 'castles' to test out my new 50mm lenses :)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

More travelling...

Greetings from Changi Airport - in transit on the way to Paris CDG... this time in a way for work (or rather babysitting) @_@

Hope I can put up pictures (as I always promise but fail to deliver)... *sigh* I don't know why but a sense of foreboding depression seems to have crept into my outlook as I look into the faceless mass of travellers in Changi...

A nagging questions begs to be answered...

Everytime I came into an airport the feeling is different - as well as the outlook, the opinions and the state of mind. The last time I transited Changi - it was almost 1+1/2 years ago on the way to Frankfurt. I realised that since my dreams have been amended, my prose of life have been edited... my outlook irrevocably changed, my heart have shifted...

The only thing that seems the same - is that I have yet to find the purpose of my life...

Man, I am bloody depressing...

:P

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Not Another Traffic Post...

Really... this is not another traffic post :)

A close friend of mine, Fergs (GCB) happen to mention today that my blog is starting to sound like roadkill central - so I will take up his suggestion to post some piccies up.

Well, now that I went back to my photos - I realised that there has been a tremendous backlog of pictures I have not yet 'processed' - reaching back to January!!! So here is some pictures from June-July 2007...


Street Fellowship
The WAJR cell visited the Street Fellowship on Petaling Street (or rather very close to Petaling Street)...

The Street Fellowship in Petaling Street



Reena leading worship in 3 languages (or rather 4 languages if you count dialects)


God's presence was in the house!


"You are my everything... You are my Lord..."


YJ sharing...


Cell Leader FY leading Word Study


Nightscapes in KL & Putrajaya
This is a random selection of nightscapes around Putrajaya and KL taken between June and July 2007...



The fountain located in front of the Putrajaya Mosque


One of the bridges leading to the administrative centre of Putrajaya


KLCC Fountain at dusk

Friday, October 19, 2007

Everything...

Well, its 2:08 am but I am still wide awake - the aftermath of too much coffee and a drink with my very old frens Yin & Su-Li...

Checking my email just b4 bed - I came across a site that is worth visiting - Godtube with a video that touched my heart tremendously...

It is from a song called 'Everything'... and I would like to thank God for allowing for such creativity to spread his message as well as people like Reena (which I got the mail from) for spreading it...

It truly touched me.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Of Trust... and Friendship

I have around 5 minutes to write (my own allotment - I need to sleep in 5 minutes to wake up around 4:40 am tomorrow (or rather later today)... but somehow I need to have a release from the fright I just had.

It was raining heavily and as I was proceeding back home - I ran into a partial accident - partial that nothing much was affected - accident that my car received a knock... It is all attributed to my tiredness *sigh*

I literally press the accelerator when I went over a bump - instead of the brake - dun know why I did it - but it was scary. I knocked some thingy over (thank God it is not a wall) and went over the bump in a crash... the rain was not helping... so basically I hit the undercarriage of the car, and swipe my bumper... no biggie - except that I am now worried about leaving early tomorrow to Singapore.

Thus, I am sleeping at home - not over at a friend's. Because I need my sleep and to calm my nerves. I just need to be trusted to turn up at the appointed time (5:45am) and proceed down to Sg. So... I go to bed with this prayer.

Lord,
Grant me peace and calm my nerves. Let me have a good sleep so that I may be refreshed on the morning.
Grant me strength and the ability to wake up early tomorrow... and grant me the will to fulfill my friend's trust in me.
Grant us journey mercies and safe passage... and protect us from all harm.
This I pray in the name of Christ Jesus.
Amen!

A friend once quoted to me - "Relationship is all about trust..." So is friendship...
So Lord, please please help me out!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

A Crime Story... in living daylight

I received this email today from a close friend of mine working at a company in Petaling Jaya. So, anyone reading this - especially ladies - please take NOTE!!!

My boss almost kena carjacked yesterday. She sent out an email to the entire department telling her story - as a caution to all single women drivers. It sounds damn scary. Can not imagine what I'll do if I was in her position. I've pasted her email here in its entirety. Girls, please be careful and be wary of your surroundings - bad things can happen DAY OR NIGHT - bad guys don't CARE anymore.

Here, her email:

Colleagues,i was chased and attacked by a group of men in 2 cars trying to hijack my car in the afternoon yesterday. I was driving my husband's car alone on my way back from mid valley at about 4.30pm and only noticed these 2 cars as I was turning left into jalan beringin, damansara heights. They came awfully close and fast which I thought strange as it was a residential area and full of road humps.

Then the first car (which was a E class Mercedes) came to my side and the passenger (had a policeman's hat but not in uniform) had a walkie talkie and was gesturing for me to stop. When I didn't, he overtook and parked in front of me and the second car (which was the new 3 series BMW) was parked right behind me. the guy came up to my window and using his walkie talkie again, was frantically asking me to wind down - it was that split second that I realized that they weren't undercover cops (yes sounds silly now when one is rational!) and I just reversed and drove off. Both cars were chasing me trying to swerve and corner me.

I was stopped 3 times by them - the second time was the road downhill between SC and the Science Centre and the same guy from the Merc came out - this time with a parang. I reversed as far as I could - these people were definitely professionals and didn't want their cars damaged cos everytime I reversed, the bmw at the back also reversed. I thought I'd be safe going onto a public road so I went on the sprint highway - they continued to chase and managed to stop me again- and I was on the fast lane of sprint highway (right between the SC and Bukit Kiara) and there were plenty of traffic - and this time - they parked so close to me - one in front and one at the back and the guy with the parang came out and this time was smashing with full force at my driver's seat window. Another guy came from the black bmw and started hitting on my passenger seat window - there were plenty of cars but no one stopped or honked despite seeing these 2 men smashing my car. I just reversed not caring if my car got knocked and trying to get some space so that I can drive out and finally managed to. I lost them when I turned onto jalan damansara highway.

It is absolutely traumatizing as I, like many, only read about this.. but the audacity and desperation for them to be doing this in broad daylight and at such a public place is unimaginable. I am so thankful that I am ok but I have to write this because i know many of us take it for granted that it would not happen to us.. but it has happened and it will happen again.

Please please be careful - one can never be vigilant enough. you've read it all:

1. ladies - don't drive home alone at night - they will target women driving alone - day or night.

2. don't stop when you're being chased

3. know that they're not the real cops when the proper police cars are not being used

I was given this no. by the inspector - 2274 4465 - it's the Bilik Gerakan in Brickfields and if you think you're being followed or chased - call this no. and they will send a mobile team who's nearest to where you are.

Needless to say - I am appalled by this happening - and that the fact that no one even attempted to help this lady... The least we can do is to honk or CALL THE POLICE ON HER BEHALF. SO EVERYONE - take the number 2274 4465 down or just dial plain old 999.

Remember - Safety demands our eternal vigilance... same as Freedom :)

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Stupid... Stupid.... STUPID

I really don't understand Malaysia sometimes...

A friend of mine just got rammed but an idiotic driver at KM 29.9 of the Sg Besi Expressway... which is just NORTH of Putrajaya and NORTH-EAST of Kajang... But, it appears that it belongs to the Sepang district of the Royal Malaysian Police...

She went down to Putrajaya - and was turned away and SENT TO SALAK TINGGI. OMG!
Salak Tinggi is SOUTH of Putrajaya and SOUTH-EAST of Kajang... why not to a nearer police station?

This is just another sign of the utter bureauCRAPcy and red tape of Malaysia today? When will we get a reprieve?

I do have to say that I was impressed with the RMP when I made my report in Kajang over an accident (I got hit by a mosquito... aka motocycle) - I just have to wait 4 hours for my turn (buka puasa was in the way - understandable...) and got my report done in just under an hour...

Which makes me the lucky one...
At least I am not being sent on a wild goose case to tiny towns in the Selangor hinterland... we need to rationalise... really do...

I hope that one day I can report a traffic accident at any police station - no matter where my accident occured...

*sigh*