Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Brains hibernate in December

December is the least productive month of the year. It’s the school holidays, so travel agents charge extra for everything they can think of – fuel surcharge, weekend surcharge, school holiday surcharge, tax, etc etc. So, I don’t prefer to travel, although I’m on a month break.

I guess I’ll get a head start on my Individual Project (IP) since there’s no class. IP is only scheduled to start in March next year. But I couldn’t get hold of the people who I need to work with on my IP because of the school holidays and the end of the year: they are taking leave to get a break with their children (really, or is it to take a break FROM their children? I thought they would kill just to escape from their brood ). There goes another of my grand plan into the monsoon drain (together with the rain).

Speaking of monsoon drains, it’s also the monsoon season, raining everyday, so I can’t really do outdoorsy activities (or travel), plus, we’ve been hit by the worst ever flood in recent years. Anyway, I’m thankful that I’m not affected, but 2 of my friends were: Yani’s (uni mate) and Yuz ‘s (Kerteh friend) hometown in Muar. Hatim’s house (Hatim = Dr House, heheh), although also in Muar, was not affected. He said that Noi’s house might be affected, but I wouldn’t know until I ask him after he returns from Mecca. Azlan’s, Ita’s and K Faizaa’s house in JB are thankfully safe. I hope Chee Hoe’s house (Batu Pahat) is OK, I don’t have his number. Rohani’s house in BP is also OK.

My sympathies for them, and to all the flood victims (and to anyone who are victims of any kind of nature’s wrath or human atrocities). On another note, I’ll make sure I volunteer for a cause (doesn’t matter which one, the ongoing flood is in urgent need for volunteers, but I’ll be tied up with FDP, such a shame for me not to be able to lend a hand, but you can! ) so that I can help ease the pain of those who’s suffering. It’s not enough to just sympathise and not do anything about it.

I thought about Saddam’s hanging, I have to agree with Robert Fisk, who wrote in The Independent of London (excerpt from The Star, 8 Jan) Quote : “History will record that the Arabs and other Muslims, and indeed many millions in the West, will ask a question not posed in other Western newspapers – what about the other guilty men?
No, Tony Blair is not Saddam. We don’t gas our enemies. George W Bush is not Saddam. He didn’t invade Iran or Kuwait.

He only invaded Iraq. But hundred of thousands of Iraqi civilians are dead because Messrs Bush and Blair and the prime ministers of Spain, Australia and Italy went to war in 2003 on a potage of lies and mendacity and with great brutality.

We have tortured, murdered, brutalized and killed the innocent. Yet we are supposed to forget these terrible crimes as we applaud the swinging corpse of the dictator we created”
Unquote. Plus, it was done on Aidiladha, quite improper.

Back to low productivity, another example: I couldn’t even strike a decent conversation with K Lina when I met her on a day in December although I haven’t seen her in 2 months (that’s quite a long time, so I should have some topics to discuss, but I didn’t). I bored her to sleep (actually I didn’t talk, I just looked at her, and she did the talking). She asked me on the latest gossips, - I had none. She asked me what I’m up to – nothing of great importance. She asked me have I watched “Cinta” (she said it was good) – no, it’s not my cup of tea ( for the record, the reviews say it’s good). With that, she took a nap at her workstation, and I took it as a sign to leave. I appologised and told her I’ll contact her when I have something interesting to say, otherwise I won’t. I told her that jokingly though, but still, I shouldn’t have said the last part. My brain is definitely hibernating already.

Anyway, all is not lost in December. I did manage to catch up with old school mates and uni mates at 2 of the ex-school mates’ weddings. It was really nice to see them after all these years. We planned for a reunion dinner some time next year, hope it happens! I also met up with a good uni mate of mine, in fact I stayed at her house for a night. There are so many places in Cheras and Sentul that I didn’t know of that she took me to. Thanks K Faizaa!

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