Fuck Him.
What makes men think that they're allowed to play games? They hate it when women play games, and then they do a 180 and, in turn, fuck with your mind.
Why is it that He is allowed to ask me the most difficult questions, and actually expects me to answer them .. and yet, avoids one I ask at all fucking costs?? Fuck You. I know they're difficult, but you think the things You ask me are so fucking trifling to me? Fuck You for thinking you're the only one entitled to fucking answers!!
Fuck all men who play games. No, screw that. I curse them all to an entire life of UnFuck. No fuck, of any form, of any magnitude what-so-ever for the rest of their fucking lives.
*Fumes* How is it that you can love a person so much, and yet hate him with every fibre of your being? I so fucking hate Him right now.
Fuck this. Love him or not, it's time to fight back. I've fucking had enough of being Little Miss Understanding, Little Miss Complacent, Little Miss This-Is-Fun-Fucking-With-Jas'-Mind. You owe me answers, and they're way past due.
I've truly got nothing to lose. I have nothing. I've always had nothing, from You. Now it's time to get something back for me. No more Little Miss Nice-Girl.
It's time to fuck back.
Monday, October 11, 2004
Sunday, October 10, 2004
The Scent of Lilies
My room smells heavenly. The bouquet of Madonna lilies I got from my mum for my convocation ceremony this morning is now sitting in a vase, permeating my room with its delicious scent.
Nothing beats the delicate fragrance of fresh flowers, Ambipur be damned. My favourites are lilies, jasmines, roses .. and the prostitute flower. Hehe.
I'm not sure, though, if flowers are the best smelling things on earth. I mean, chocolates smell pretty wonderful too. Famous Amos. Yum. And RotiBoy. *Groan* Not much else beats the smell of RotiBoy. When the doors to the Putra LRT open at the KLCC stop, the wonderful aroma of Rotiboy is the first thing to hits your senses. Yes, it's that kau. I love buying the buns home. My car smells so yummy! Why can't they make RotiBoy car perfumes? The floral ones make me so loya. Give me a RotiBoy air-freshner and I'll ferry everyone to work every day.
lolz. We'll take it easy today, folks. It's been a wonderfully light-hearted day for me, something I've been needing badly of late. Today has been a lovely day. I hope you all have one tomorrow. God Bless.
Nothing beats the delicate fragrance of fresh flowers, Ambipur be damned. My favourites are lilies, jasmines, roses .. and the prostitute flower. Hehe.
I'm not sure, though, if flowers are the best smelling things on earth. I mean, chocolates smell pretty wonderful too. Famous Amos. Yum. And RotiBoy. *Groan* Not much else beats the smell of RotiBoy. When the doors to the Putra LRT open at the KLCC stop, the wonderful aroma of Rotiboy is the first thing to hits your senses. Yes, it's that kau. I love buying the buns home. My car smells so yummy! Why can't they make RotiBoy car perfumes? The floral ones make me so loya. Give me a RotiBoy air-freshner and I'll ferry everyone to work every day.
lolz. We'll take it easy today, folks. It's been a wonderfully light-hearted day for me, something I've been needing badly of late. Today has been a lovely day. I hope you all have one tomorrow. God Bless.
Friday, October 08, 2004
To Cut A Long Story Short
Okay, so I had the whole rest of the 'chronicles' all written down and pre-saved, but after posting the first two, I thought, "Who the hell is really interested in this rambling?" The thought which immediately followed was, "Nobody." Yes. So I shall spare you all and just skip to the bare essentials.
Went to Medina. Just as beautiful as I remembered. Felt like I had come 'home'.
Left Medina, went to Mekah. 5-hour bus ride again. Stopped in pretty courtyard-like mosque in Mina. Arrived in Mekah close to 10pm. Performed umrah, stayed back at mosque while everyone went back for sleep for a bit more ibadat-ing, ended up staying till Subuh coz too tired to walk back to hotel.
Day after, went to Padang Arafat. Rode camel with sister. Better than 6 Flags. Took lots of pics, got chased and cursed at by crazy swindlers with Polaroid cameras. Psychos. Went to Jamratul Aqabah and made jokes about the three 'setan's. On bus ride back, worried about later kena sambar petir. Fortunately, did not happen. Made more jokes. No, will never learn.
Stayed 6 days. One-and-a-half hour bus ride to Jeddah with bus-driver-from-hell. Amazed by the fact that although there seemed to be very little regard for traffic rules in Saudi, did not see even the teeeeeeeeniest accident. Mujarab Tanah Suci, kot. Six-hour wait in Jeddah airport, two-and-a-half hours flight to Dubai, one hour transit in Dubai, five-hour flight to KL: arrival 5pm, local time. We were finally home. Exhausted, but so glad to be home.
Highlights: Though I absolutely love the city of Medina and the city of Mekah not at all, being in the Masjid Al-Haram in Mekah was like a homecoming, of sorts. Although I said that being in Medina was like coming 'home', it's more like Al-Haram is 'home', and Al-Nabawi is my 'room'. This isn't mini-blasphemy, is it? It's just more personal in Medina. Nevertheless, the minute I laid eyes on the Ka'abah, I felt like I was someone who had travelled the world, and finally returned.
To say I merely dislike the city of Mekah would be severely understating it. I almost despise it. The people are so rude, the climate so unforgiving, the city itself almost totally bereft of any beauty. It is truly a harsh land with harsh people. In my opinion anyways.
Medina is its total opposite. Yes, I know that geographically they are practically the same, yet, the climate in Medina is by far more comfortable. Yes, it still is a desert, just like Mekah is, but while the desert of Mekah seems almost cruel, the deserts of Medina have an inexplicable beauty in their barrenness. The people are by far more refined, polite, more genteel. There is no competition. Medina will always come out tops with me.
I have been told that not everyone feels this way, not everyone finds Mekah so unfavourable. Apparently there is a reason I love Medina more: evidently, I am a person who berjiwa lembut. *Snort* But, seriously, it is apparently for the very same reasons the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. chose to make Medina his home. Or so I have been told.
Despite despising Mekah, however, there is a peace to be found in the Masjid Al-Haram which I don't believe can be matched anywhere else in the world. It's like being in a loving embrace. All your troubles simply fade away. I should know. I have them in more than plenty. It's not saying my troubles simply vanished. No, the issues are still there, only sans the anxiety. The problems don't go away, they simply become unimportant for a while. A sort of meditation, only you don't have to go into a trance, or chant, or zikir, or pray to achieve it. It simply .. happens.
It was like coming home. It was laying your head on your mother's lap, weeping as your heart bleeds while she strokes your hair. It was, in a rare moment, being completely honest with yourself. It was a moment where you no longer had to pretend you are trying to be strong. It was a moment where you laid open your soul, leaving yourself completely vulnerable, and finding strength within that. It is the one place you have left to turn to, to be completely honest and receive no censure.
It was a moment where you recognized the divine, and acknowledge its undeniable presence. It was a moment where you realised what 'divine' truly means, that it is no single entity, and that not 'one' person, or 'one' religion, or 'one' civilisation can lay any claim to it. It is free for whoever who chooses to believe it, and whomever who does choose to believe it, it opens the mind to a whole new realm of endless possibilities.
It was a moment where all my faiths were reaffirmed. There is a God, and that God is good and kind. We make our own suffering and we create suffering for others, no help necessary from Lucifer & Co.
This is turning 'preacher'-ish. Must apologize. I am not trying to pass any of this off as truths, they're just some truths for me. It's the sentimental part of me showing through.
Towards the end of the trip, I was almost pining to come home to KL. As they say, your visiting Mekah is an 'invitation' from God to visit His home, and I guess our invitation was up. On the last day, I could barely stand spending another day in Mekah. Being in Jeddah, despite the six-hour wait was a relief. It was like that the first time I went too. Despite that though, as we made our farewells to the Ka'abah, I wept bitter tears at the possibility I would not have the opportunity to come again. I can't wait for the next time I'll be able to go.
Went to Medina. Just as beautiful as I remembered. Felt like I had come 'home'.
Left Medina, went to Mekah. 5-hour bus ride again. Stopped in pretty courtyard-like mosque in Mina. Arrived in Mekah close to 10pm. Performed umrah, stayed back at mosque while everyone went back for sleep for a bit more ibadat-ing, ended up staying till Subuh coz too tired to walk back to hotel.
Day after, went to Padang Arafat. Rode camel with sister. Better than 6 Flags. Took lots of pics, got chased and cursed at by crazy swindlers with Polaroid cameras. Psychos. Went to Jamratul Aqabah and made jokes about the three 'setan's. On bus ride back, worried about later kena sambar petir. Fortunately, did not happen. Made more jokes. No, will never learn.
Stayed 6 days. One-and-a-half hour bus ride to Jeddah with bus-driver-from-hell. Amazed by the fact that although there seemed to be very little regard for traffic rules in Saudi, did not see even the teeeeeeeeniest accident. Mujarab Tanah Suci, kot. Six-hour wait in Jeddah airport, two-and-a-half hours flight to Dubai, one hour transit in Dubai, five-hour flight to KL: arrival 5pm, local time. We were finally home. Exhausted, but so glad to be home.
Highlights: Though I absolutely love the city of Medina and the city of Mekah not at all, being in the Masjid Al-Haram in Mekah was like a homecoming, of sorts. Although I said that being in Medina was like coming 'home', it's more like Al-Haram is 'home', and Al-Nabawi is my 'room'. This isn't mini-blasphemy, is it? It's just more personal in Medina. Nevertheless, the minute I laid eyes on the Ka'abah, I felt like I was someone who had travelled the world, and finally returned.
To say I merely dislike the city of Mekah would be severely understating it. I almost despise it. The people are so rude, the climate so unforgiving, the city itself almost totally bereft of any beauty. It is truly a harsh land with harsh people. In my opinion anyways.
Medina is its total opposite. Yes, I know that geographically they are practically the same, yet, the climate in Medina is by far more comfortable. Yes, it still is a desert, just like Mekah is, but while the desert of Mekah seems almost cruel, the deserts of Medina have an inexplicable beauty in their barrenness. The people are by far more refined, polite, more genteel. There is no competition. Medina will always come out tops with me.
I have been told that not everyone feels this way, not everyone finds Mekah so unfavourable. Apparently there is a reason I love Medina more: evidently, I am a person who berjiwa lembut. *Snort* But, seriously, it is apparently for the very same reasons the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. chose to make Medina his home. Or so I have been told.
Despite despising Mekah, however, there is a peace to be found in the Masjid Al-Haram which I don't believe can be matched anywhere else in the world. It's like being in a loving embrace. All your troubles simply fade away. I should know. I have them in more than plenty. It's not saying my troubles simply vanished. No, the issues are still there, only sans the anxiety. The problems don't go away, they simply become unimportant for a while. A sort of meditation, only you don't have to go into a trance, or chant, or zikir, or pray to achieve it. It simply .. happens.
It was like coming home. It was laying your head on your mother's lap, weeping as your heart bleeds while she strokes your hair. It was, in a rare moment, being completely honest with yourself. It was a moment where you no longer had to pretend you are trying to be strong. It was a moment where you laid open your soul, leaving yourself completely vulnerable, and finding strength within that. It is the one place you have left to turn to, to be completely honest and receive no censure.
It was a moment where you recognized the divine, and acknowledge its undeniable presence. It was a moment where you realised what 'divine' truly means, that it is no single entity, and that not 'one' person, or 'one' religion, or 'one' civilisation can lay any claim to it. It is free for whoever who chooses to believe it, and whomever who does choose to believe it, it opens the mind to a whole new realm of endless possibilities.
It was a moment where all my faiths were reaffirmed. There is a God, and that God is good and kind. We make our own suffering and we create suffering for others, no help necessary from Lucifer & Co.
This is turning 'preacher'-ish. Must apologize. I am not trying to pass any of this off as truths, they're just some truths for me. It's the sentimental part of me showing through.
Towards the end of the trip, I was almost pining to come home to KL. As they say, your visiting Mekah is an 'invitation' from God to visit His home, and I guess our invitation was up. On the last day, I could barely stand spending another day in Mekah. Being in Jeddah, despite the six-hour wait was a relief. It was like that the first time I went too. Despite that though, as we made our farewells to the Ka'abah, I wept bitter tears at the possibility I would not have the opportunity to come again. I can't wait for the next time I'll be able to go.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Chapter 2 - A Opossum Goes to Medina!
We arrived at the Jeddah International Airport 8pm-ish. We left the airport 10pm-ish. That's right. 2 bloody hours of waiting in line for immigration checks. And it wasn't even the busy season. Gah!!
The Jeddah International Airport .. eh. For a country which receives several millions of visitors each year, they could do with resurfacing the asphalt, painting the walls, expanding a wing or two .. heck, scrap that! They should raze that place to the ground and start over! Seriously, it's not like they lack the funds to do it!
Alright, it's not too bad, actually. The air conditioning is fantastic! Most important, that. Hehe. Otherwise, think along the lines of Terminal 3, Subang Airport. Not even as big as that. At least T3 had a second floor. The JIA has just some 8 arrival gates and 10? 12? departure gates. Of course, the gates I saw were numbered in the 50s and 60s, so they may have more gates that I didn't see. Or maybe they just numbered them that way to create the illusion of a larger airport. Hehe. Mentang-mentanglah dia ada the ultra-modern KLIA, pandai pulak komen pasal airport orang. ;o)
Anyway, what followed was a bumpy, 5-hour bus ride to Medina. If you could call it a bus, that is. It was a cross between a van and a mini-bus. I think it seated 20 max. Seeing as how we were a party of only 13 though, it was comfortably spacious. The bus driver however, *shudder*. He must have driven straight out of hell, gotten lost and decided to stay here on Earth to terrorise us hapless, helpless pilgrims. I believe it was God's ploy to make us appreciate the small things we take for granted - the tame Malaysian drivers, road courtesy, traffic lights, oh! not forgetting to mention our lives.
Fortunately, the medication I took to supress my air-sickness hadn't yet worn off. My GP assured me it was not a sleeping pill, although it does have that effect on me. Therefore, I slept for the bulk of the journey. In my in-between moments of wakefulness, however, I discovered something I didn't remember from my first trip there - local radio stations air mengaji tracks in lieu of Justin Timberlake and co. But what amused me the most was that our driver was singing along to it! lolz. Beribadat sebelum mati ke? What with the way he was driving and all. Needless to say, there weren't many moments of wakefulness. Whenever I saw him swerve into the next lane, missing the other car by inches, I'd quickly shut my eyes and go back to sleep. I figured that if I had to go, I'd like to go as painlessly as possible. Amazingly, though, we arrived in Medina in one piece. Whadda ya know? Miracles DO happen in the Holy Lands!
It was close to 3am by the time we settled into out 4-star accomodation. Do not let this misguide you into believing we were given plush quarters. You know how the 'star'-rating is NOT the same worldwide? How almost each country has it's own definition of each 'star'? Yes, apparently, in Mekah and Medina, it goes like this: one star each for: beds and attached bathroom, air-cond, proximity to the mosques (if it's right across the street, that's TWO stars!!), dining facilities, ELEVATOR, etc. Yes, ladies and gents. Nevermind that the furniture looks like it could have been used by Khalifah Ali himself, and that you had to wait 2 minutes for the elevator DOOR to CLOSE, we stayed in a 4-star hotel! *G*
Also somewhat unfortunate was the fact that we arrived at 3am when Subuh prayers was at 4am. Groan. No time to sleep. ALSO, we only had 2 days in Medina, which also translated into no time to sleep if we wanted to take in the sights and go ziarah-ing. I barely got any sleep since I arrived in Dubai, but I figured that I could catch up on it once we finally get to Mekah. Our travelling had been (and would still be!) at a hectic pace until then.
Our hotel was just a short walk down the street from the women's entrance. Just for that, I didn't care what my room looked like. The convenience beat it all to inconsequence. Right after we dumped the bags in the room, we immediately left for the masjid.
I walked with eager steps. After four long years, I could hardly believe I was finally here again! Scepticism always meets this thought, that once you've been to the Holy Lands, you'll always want to return. Sceptics can believe what they like. It's true. It seems like I had only been there a few weeks ago, yet it had been too long. And now that I was finally back in this city I love so much, sleep can wait! I want to see my Medina!
~ to be continued ~
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
p.s: Wonderful plans for today and tomorrow have gone belly-up. I feel like a yo-yo. Why do I let things get to me?
The Jeddah International Airport .. eh. For a country which receives several millions of visitors each year, they could do with resurfacing the asphalt, painting the walls, expanding a wing or two .. heck, scrap that! They should raze that place to the ground and start over! Seriously, it's not like they lack the funds to do it!
Alright, it's not too bad, actually. The air conditioning is fantastic! Most important, that. Hehe. Otherwise, think along the lines of Terminal 3, Subang Airport. Not even as big as that. At least T3 had a second floor. The JIA has just some 8 arrival gates and 10? 12? departure gates. Of course, the gates I saw were numbered in the 50s and 60s, so they may have more gates that I didn't see. Or maybe they just numbered them that way to create the illusion of a larger airport. Hehe. Mentang-mentanglah dia ada the ultra-modern KLIA, pandai pulak komen pasal airport orang. ;o)
Anyway, what followed was a bumpy, 5-hour bus ride to Medina. If you could call it a bus, that is. It was a cross between a van and a mini-bus. I think it seated 20 max. Seeing as how we were a party of only 13 though, it was comfortably spacious. The bus driver however, *shudder*. He must have driven straight out of hell, gotten lost and decided to stay here on Earth to terrorise us hapless, helpless pilgrims. I believe it was God's ploy to make us appreciate the small things we take for granted - the tame Malaysian drivers, road courtesy, traffic lights, oh! not forgetting to mention our lives.
Fortunately, the medication I took to supress my air-sickness hadn't yet worn off. My GP assured me it was not a sleeping pill, although it does have that effect on me. Therefore, I slept for the bulk of the journey. In my in-between moments of wakefulness, however, I discovered something I didn't remember from my first trip there - local radio stations air mengaji tracks in lieu of Justin Timberlake and co. But what amused me the most was that our driver was singing along to it! lolz. Beribadat sebelum mati ke? What with the way he was driving and all. Needless to say, there weren't many moments of wakefulness. Whenever I saw him swerve into the next lane, missing the other car by inches, I'd quickly shut my eyes and go back to sleep. I figured that if I had to go, I'd like to go as painlessly as possible. Amazingly, though, we arrived in Medina in one piece. Whadda ya know? Miracles DO happen in the Holy Lands!
It was close to 3am by the time we settled into out 4-star accomodation. Do not let this misguide you into believing we were given plush quarters. You know how the 'star'-rating is NOT the same worldwide? How almost each country has it's own definition of each 'star'? Yes, apparently, in Mekah and Medina, it goes like this: one star each for: beds and attached bathroom, air-cond, proximity to the mosques (if it's right across the street, that's TWO stars!!), dining facilities, ELEVATOR, etc. Yes, ladies and gents. Nevermind that the furniture looks like it could have been used by Khalifah Ali himself, and that you had to wait 2 minutes for the elevator DOOR to CLOSE, we stayed in a 4-star hotel! *G*
Also somewhat unfortunate was the fact that we arrived at 3am when Subuh prayers was at 4am. Groan. No time to sleep. ALSO, we only had 2 days in Medina, which also translated into no time to sleep if we wanted to take in the sights and go ziarah-ing. I barely got any sleep since I arrived in Dubai, but I figured that I could catch up on it once we finally get to Mekah. Our travelling had been (and would still be!) at a hectic pace until then.
Our hotel was just a short walk down the street from the women's entrance. Just for that, I didn't care what my room looked like. The convenience beat it all to inconsequence. Right after we dumped the bags in the room, we immediately left for the masjid.
I walked with eager steps. After four long years, I could hardly believe I was finally here again! Scepticism always meets this thought, that once you've been to the Holy Lands, you'll always want to return. Sceptics can believe what they like. It's true. It seems like I had only been there a few weeks ago, yet it had been too long. And now that I was finally back in this city I love so much, sleep can wait! I want to see my Medina!
~ to be continued ~
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
p.s: Wonderful plans for today and tomorrow have gone belly-up. I feel like a yo-yo. Why do I let things get to me?
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
The Adventures of Jas the Opossum - Part 1
The roses are blooooming! The rabbits are fluffy, the sun is shining, and the grass is cloud-soft! Am currently in the best of moods! *G*
How is it that some things are able to inspire you to such mood-extremes? But so long as it's a good extreme, then what right have I to complain? And depending on certain factors, I'll probably remain in this blissful state of near-euphoria for the next three days, at least. *G*
Right. I know I said I would write some days ago, but the computer crashed (again!) and brilliant us (me and siblings) forgot (again!) to back-up our more recent files. *grumbles* So because I was in a merajuk mood, although I have a laptop, I was boycotting all computer-leisure related activities. Hah! Irrational, I concede, but if the pissed-off-ness has degraded so much that you've gone into merajuk mood, it's obvious that you've given up all claim to rationality. N'cest pas?
My birthday passed without .. incident. Thank God. My (non-immediate) family can be somewhat demented. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Thanks also for all the well wishes regarding the umrah and return! And now, for all of you who have been asking for "The Adventures of Jas the Opossum and Friends - Jas Goes To Mekah!", here it is! Only it'll have to be in installments because Jas the Opossum is crap at summarizing, and in case you hadn't noticed, is superlatively verbose. Nyeh eh eh.
p.s: Nads, I saw the word 'mayn't' used in literature recently: in Henry James' "The Golden Bowl"! So there you go! *G*
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Chapter 1 - Jas in Dubai!
Our journey began at KLIA. Duh. Fast forward 6 hours and we found ourselves at the Dubai International Airport. I, the snobby Malaysian-with-the-KLIA I am, expected a not-even-Subang Airport-type facility. Boy was I wrong! It totally slipped Jas' mind that Dubai is the Middle Eastern playground for the ultra-rich. What we were met with instead was a KLIA-standard facility, only maybe 1/3 in size.
[mini rant]
Y'know, when they take away the 'duty' to give us 'duty-free' shopping, then hike the prices up sky-high on account of it being at an airport, 'duty-free' shopping becomes a load of baloney! *Huff* Then again, what would I do with an ashtray carved to resemble a semi-nude nymph?
[rant over]
As we flew Emirates, we were in transit in Dubai (that's doo-BAY, not doo-BUY, evidently) for 16 hours. Yeesh. Plus to that the fact that we arrived at 1am-ish, they gave us accomodations at the airport hotel.
How often does a girl find herself in Dubai, baby?!! (Shuddup all you jet-setting rich people! lolz.) Not one to pass up an opportunity, I roused everyone at 8am to go sight-seeing! It didn't help in making me Little Miss Popular, but I wanted to see Dubai!!!
I should have just slept in. Beach-malls-beach-malls-beach-beach-beach-malls. Very LA ... or Penang. Seeing how it was also a Friday (which is their weekend), most of the malls were closed. Sigh. And add to that the fact that we were all covered up (due to being on 'umrah'), watching everyone prance around in bikinis and Speedos in the hot, hot sun, well.
The only semi-highlight to the 'tour' was seeing the very-hyped-about, most expensive and only seven-star hotel in the world, the Burj Al-Arab in the flesh. Err .. in the concrete-and-steel. Glass-and-canvas. Whatever. And I say "semi-highlight" because we couldn't actually go into the hotel to have a look-see. While we were riding in the taxi, I joked that the hotel is so exclusive that we would probably have to pay to breathe the air. Mulut masin! It costs 200 dirhams just to walk over their foyer for non-guests!! That translates into RM200, approximately. Yikes! Oh! But you get a free drink! (What? Liquefied gold?!?!!)
We headed back to the airport to catch our connecting flight at 2pm. Spent a leisurely time browsing through 'duty-free' items (cekik darah!!), sipping Turkish coffee. Yum. I can't find Turkish coffee anywhere in Malaysia! Forgot to buy some back. :o(
One question: why are there so many Bangladeshis in Dubai?? The airport was absolutely teeming with Bangladeshi arriving and departing. Even more weirdly, they were buying 'duty-free' foodstuff by the trolley-loads and stuffing it into their luggages. Absolutely boggling. On our 5pm flight to Jeddah, easily 60% of the passengers were Bangladeshis. The fragrance! The aromas! The choking bouquet! *Aheks* Cubaan! Thank God it was only a 2 hour flight ......
~ to be continued ~
How is it that some things are able to inspire you to such mood-extremes? But so long as it's a good extreme, then what right have I to complain? And depending on certain factors, I'll probably remain in this blissful state of near-euphoria for the next three days, at least. *G*
Right. I know I said I would write some days ago, but the computer crashed (again!) and brilliant us (me and siblings) forgot (again!) to back-up our more recent files. *grumbles* So because I was in a merajuk mood, although I have a laptop, I was boycotting all computer-leisure related activities. Hah! Irrational, I concede, but if the pissed-off-ness has degraded so much that you've gone into merajuk mood, it's obvious that you've given up all claim to rationality. N'cest pas?
My birthday passed without .. incident. Thank God. My (non-immediate) family can be somewhat demented. Thanks for all the birthday wishes!
Thanks also for all the well wishes regarding the umrah and return! And now, for all of you who have been asking for "The Adventures of Jas the Opossum and Friends - Jas Goes To Mekah!", here it is! Only it'll have to be in installments because Jas the Opossum is crap at summarizing, and in case you hadn't noticed, is superlatively verbose. Nyeh eh eh.
p.s: Nads, I saw the word 'mayn't' used in literature recently: in Henry James' "The Golden Bowl"! So there you go! *G*
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Chapter 1 - Jas in Dubai!
Our journey began at KLIA. Duh. Fast forward 6 hours and we found ourselves at the Dubai International Airport. I, the snobby Malaysian-with-the-KLIA I am, expected a not-even-Subang Airport-type facility. Boy was I wrong! It totally slipped Jas' mind that Dubai is the Middle Eastern playground for the ultra-rich. What we were met with instead was a KLIA-standard facility, only maybe 1/3 in size.
[mini rant]
Y'know, when they take away the 'duty' to give us 'duty-free' shopping, then hike the prices up sky-high on account of it being at an airport, 'duty-free' shopping becomes a load of baloney! *Huff* Then again, what would I do with an ashtray carved to resemble a semi-nude nymph?
[rant over]
As we flew Emirates, we were in transit in Dubai (that's doo-BAY, not doo-BUY, evidently) for 16 hours. Yeesh. Plus to that the fact that we arrived at 1am-ish, they gave us accomodations at the airport hotel.
How often does a girl find herself in Dubai, baby?!! (Shuddup all you jet-setting rich people! lolz.) Not one to pass up an opportunity, I roused everyone at 8am to go sight-seeing! It didn't help in making me Little Miss Popular, but I wanted to see Dubai!!!
I should have just slept in. Beach-malls-beach-malls-beach-beach-beach-malls. Very LA ... or Penang. Seeing how it was also a Friday (which is their weekend), most of the malls were closed. Sigh. And add to that the fact that we were all covered up (due to being on 'umrah'), watching everyone prance around in bikinis and Speedos in the hot, hot sun, well.
The only semi-highlight to the 'tour' was seeing the very-hyped-about, most expensive and only seven-star hotel in the world, the Burj Al-Arab in the flesh. Err .. in the concrete-and-steel. Glass-and-canvas. Whatever. And I say "semi-highlight" because we couldn't actually go into the hotel to have a look-see. While we were riding in the taxi, I joked that the hotel is so exclusive that we would probably have to pay to breathe the air. Mulut masin! It costs 200 dirhams just to walk over their foyer for non-guests!! That translates into RM200, approximately. Yikes! Oh! But you get a free drink! (What? Liquefied gold?!?!!)
We headed back to the airport to catch our connecting flight at 2pm. Spent a leisurely time browsing through 'duty-free' items (cekik darah!!), sipping Turkish coffee. Yum. I can't find Turkish coffee anywhere in Malaysia! Forgot to buy some back. :o(
One question: why are there so many Bangladeshis in Dubai?? The airport was absolutely teeming with Bangladeshi arriving and departing. Even more weirdly, they were buying 'duty-free' foodstuff by the trolley-loads and stuffing it into their luggages. Absolutely boggling. On our 5pm flight to Jeddah, easily 60% of the passengers were Bangladeshis. The fragrance! The aromas! The choking bouquet! *Aheks* Cubaan! Thank God it was only a 2 hour flight ......
~ to be continued ~
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
*YAWN*
Hallo. I am back. I have been back since Sunday, 4.25pm. (Unless, of course, you consider being in Malaysian airspace as 'back', in which case I have been 'back' since Sunday, 3.25pm. Inaaaaaane....)
Who sez working with your mother is lelaxing?? For all you people out there who think I've got a cushy job, you obviously don't have a mother like mine, who roped us into working the very day after our arrival, even though we 'officially' applied for leave till Tuesday.
Hence, I am exhausted. Travelling 'back' in time is okay. It's travelling 'ahead' that leaves me no choice but to prop my eyes up with paper clips at 10am.
Updates must wait. Bringing my body clock forward takes precedence. Give me .. till tomorrow? Heh heh.
Who sez working with your mother is lelaxing?? For all you people out there who think I've got a cushy job, you obviously don't have a mother like mine, who roped us into working the very day after our arrival, even though we 'officially' applied for leave till Tuesday.
Hence, I am exhausted. Travelling 'back' in time is okay. It's travelling 'ahead' that leaves me no choice but to prop my eyes up with paper clips at 10am.
Updates must wait. Bringing my body clock forward takes precedence. Give me .. till tomorrow? Heh heh.
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
Mekah, Here I Come!
It's 11:19pm, and I've only just come home from a whirlwind absolute-last-minute shopping expedition. Heh heh. It's amazing how much you learn about what's available in your neighbourhood after 10:30pm. ;o)
I have yet to start packing. Haha! Looks like I'll be up all night stuffing my bag. I figure there'll be ample sleep time on the plane. ;o)
Will therefore be A.W.O.L. for the next 10 or 12 days. I could probably find Internet connection in Saudi, but it's hardly likely I'll log in. You understand. ;o)
I'm ;o)-ing a lot. I'm hyped! I'm excited! *G*
Intinerary: KL-Dubai-Jeddah-Madinah-Mekah-Jeddah-KL. Two days (of shopping! eh eh heh) in Dubai. Heard lots about the city. Can't wait to go! I hear the Burj Al-Arab is something else. Am planning to check it out. Will they charge me for walking over their foyer carpeting?
Whatever awaits me in Mekah, I am ready for it. See you in 12 days.
;o)
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
I have yet to start packing. Haha! Looks like I'll be up all night stuffing my bag. I figure there'll be ample sleep time on the plane. ;o)
Will therefore be A.W.O.L. for the next 10 or 12 days. I could probably find Internet connection in Saudi, but it's hardly likely I'll log in. You understand. ;o)
I'm ;o)-ing a lot. I'm hyped! I'm excited! *G*
Intinerary: KL-Dubai-Jeddah-Madinah-Mekah-Jeddah-KL. Two days (of shopping! eh eh heh) in Dubai. Heard lots about the city. Can't wait to go! I hear the Burj Al-Arab is something else. Am planning to check it out. Will they charge me for walking over their foyer carpeting?
Whatever awaits me in Mekah, I am ready for it. See you in 12 days.
;o)
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Anonymity Is Underrated.
There's a lot to be said of the benefits of being anonymous. Like, DUH, Jas! *D'oh!* <- Homer Simpson style. People use blogs (or online-journals, or whatever it is you choose to call it) for many different reasons. Some as an actual diary, some to practise their writing skills, some to inflate their own egos, and (like someone said) some simply to tell the world about their screwed up lives and blacken other people's names in the process. (!!!) Huh.
For me, like I said in my very first entry (I think), this is a place for me to share my thoughts, vent my frustrations, and share my joys with others. Someone, anyone, no one. That's the beauty of publishing on the Internet. Nobody necessarily reads your writing, yet it feels as if someone does.
Another beauty of the Internet is the option of anonymity it offers. Sometimes I wish I had opted for that.
While I don't mind sharing my thoughts and joys with other people, it's sometimes hard to write the things you want to write about without intruding on the privacy of others. Because people know you, they also usually mostly know who you're talking about. Sticky. She would know exactly what I'm talking about.
Thing is, honestly, this is a good place for me to rant and bitch and complain whenever I need to. Well, 'good' here being totally relative, of course. It's definitely good for me. Heh.
Unfortunately, sometimes, I can't. Much as I need to rant and let it all out, I cannot ignore the boundaries of other people's privacy, no matter how much the rant-ee has pissed me off. And it all makes me wonder why the hell I didn't just be anonymous from the start.
But I know why: because otherwise, who would read it? lolz. Yes, ladies and germs, it's Ego, screaming for it's time on the soapbox. *Sigh* Yes, I also realise that my logic is chasing its own tail somewhat, but pteh. I never claimed to be logically coherent. :o)
So I'll just have to suffer the pains of my Ego. Maybe I'll start another blog as an Anonymous. Hmm .. yes, maybe I will. I'll be sure to give you guys the new address.
p/s: No, I'm not pissed off with anyone. Just musing. :o)
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Yes, yes, I know that it is unacceptable to begin sentences with 'and', 'but' and 'because', but frankly, I never understood it, and they fit, so nyeh.
A woman is in labour delivering her first child, and her husband stands by her side, holding her hand. A contraction hits her unawares, and she starts yelling, "Can't! Don't! Didn't! Won't!!!"
"Doctor!" says the panicked husband. "What's wrong with my wife?! Why is she yelling like that?!!"
The doctor looks up and says, "Contractions."
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Unkymoods! They were too cute to resist. Thanks to MzMin, MrsNads and HoneyR.
For me, like I said in my very first entry (I think), this is a place for me to share my thoughts, vent my frustrations, and share my joys with others. Someone, anyone, no one. That's the beauty of publishing on the Internet. Nobody necessarily reads your writing, yet it feels as if someone does.
Another beauty of the Internet is the option of anonymity it offers. Sometimes I wish I had opted for that.
While I don't mind sharing my thoughts and joys with other people, it's sometimes hard to write the things you want to write about without intruding on the privacy of others. Because people know you, they also usually mostly know who you're talking about. Sticky. She would know exactly what I'm talking about.
Thing is, honestly, this is a good place for me to rant and bitch and complain whenever I need to. Well, 'good' here being totally relative, of course. It's definitely good for me. Heh.
Unfortunately, sometimes, I can't. Much as I need to rant and let it all out, I cannot ignore the boundaries of other people's privacy, no matter how much the rant-ee has pissed me off. And it all makes me wonder why the hell I didn't just be anonymous from the start.
But I know why: because otherwise, who would read it? lolz. Yes, ladies and germs, it's Ego, screaming for it's time on the soapbox. *Sigh* Yes, I also realise that my logic is chasing its own tail somewhat, but pteh. I never claimed to be logically coherent. :o)
So I'll just have to suffer the pains of my Ego. Maybe I'll start another blog as an Anonymous. Hmm .. yes, maybe I will. I'll be sure to give you guys the new address.
p/s: No, I'm not pissed off with anyone. Just musing. :o)
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Yes, yes, I know that it is unacceptable to begin sentences with 'and', 'but' and 'because', but frankly, I never understood it, and they fit, so nyeh.
A woman is in labour delivering her first child, and her husband stands by her side, holding her hand. A contraction hits her unawares, and she starts yelling, "Can't! Don't! Didn't! Won't!!!"
"Doctor!" says the panicked husband. "What's wrong with my wife?! Why is she yelling like that?!!"
The doctor looks up and says, "Contractions."
~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~
Unkymoods! They were too cute to resist. Thanks to MzMin, MrsNads and HoneyR.
Monday, September 13, 2004
A Penny, A Pound.
A .... lot .... has been happening, but as is typical, nothing of monumental significance. Enough to make me think about things, though. Maybe I'll share them later, when I'm feeling more ... articulate, or lucid, because despite having a lot to think about, nothing really seems really important, and I'm not really able to express them well right now anyway.
I'll be leaving for Mekah to perform umrah next week. Will be leaving on Thursday evening, to be exact. I am looking forward to this trip, I have been for a while now. Excited is not the word, Eager might be better. It is an eagerness which almost borders on the verge on urgency. Almost.
At a time of great confusion in my life, I seek answers. I seek clarity. I seek resolution.
I seek to understand the meaning of it all. I'm going with the hope that I might find peace. While I realise, realistically, that a miracle is unlikely to occur while I'm there, I'm hoping to find solace in the only Place I have left to turn to.
This last week saw a .. change, of sorts, in the way I've been looking at things. While much of the same things have been running through my thoughts, I've been viewing them in a very different manner - totally devoid of emotion. Very objective, very impersonal, very clinical. It's very strange. You know how sometimes your eyes skim over the words on a page, and while you're reading the words, you're not really comprehending it? That's what it feels like.
In a place where wishes should not be made lightly, it's as if I'm trying to put my priorities in order - determining what is truly important, what might be frivolous, and which are just plain foolish. I must admit that I had an almost desperate wish to make. Yes, it might have been all for the wrong reasons, but it honestly wasn't my main motivation for making this journey, and it was a desperate desire all the same. Now I wonder, is it really so important? As the saying goes: "Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true."
I'm not a very religious person. I try to be the best person I can be, in all aspects, but I'll be the first to say that I'm not very religious. Yet Faith and Beliefs are something so unseperable from what you are, whether in excess, moderation or lack of it. It cannot be denied, and sometimes it's the only thing that keeps you going.
I don't know. Whatever. I'll not bother you with this mystical-ish mumbo-jumbo. In short, I'm just a girl looking for answers - on a semi-expensive trip. :o) Wish me a safe journey?
I'll be leaving for Mekah to perform umrah next week. Will be leaving on Thursday evening, to be exact. I am looking forward to this trip, I have been for a while now. Excited is not the word, Eager might be better. It is an eagerness which almost borders on the verge on urgency. Almost.
At a time of great confusion in my life, I seek answers. I seek clarity. I seek resolution.
I seek to understand the meaning of it all. I'm going with the hope that I might find peace. While I realise, realistically, that a miracle is unlikely to occur while I'm there, I'm hoping to find solace in the only Place I have left to turn to.
This last week saw a .. change, of sorts, in the way I've been looking at things. While much of the same things have been running through my thoughts, I've been viewing them in a very different manner - totally devoid of emotion. Very objective, very impersonal, very clinical. It's very strange. You know how sometimes your eyes skim over the words on a page, and while you're reading the words, you're not really comprehending it? That's what it feels like.
In a place where wishes should not be made lightly, it's as if I'm trying to put my priorities in order - determining what is truly important, what might be frivolous, and which are just plain foolish. I must admit that I had an almost desperate wish to make. Yes, it might have been all for the wrong reasons, but it honestly wasn't my main motivation for making this journey, and it was a desperate desire all the same. Now I wonder, is it really so important? As the saying goes: "Be careful what you wish for. It might just come true."
I'm not a very religious person. I try to be the best person I can be, in all aspects, but I'll be the first to say that I'm not very religious. Yet Faith and Beliefs are something so unseperable from what you are, whether in excess, moderation or lack of it. It cannot be denied, and sometimes it's the only thing that keeps you going.
I don't know. Whatever. I'll not bother you with this mystical-ish mumbo-jumbo. In short, I'm just a girl looking for answers - on a semi-expensive trip. :o) Wish me a safe journey?
Sunday, September 05, 2004
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