Half my extended family is _______ . I'm sure most of you that know me know which half (although the other half are almost as equally melodramatic as they are ________ ). I'm not criticizing them, but more so of commenting on their _______ manner in which they handle things. One case happened years ago, another, just yesterday.
#1) Years ago, my mum repeatedly got a phone call from my grandfather asking for my dad. He was obviously at work and when asked what the matter was, he just kept saying never mind and put down the phone. Many many times. Much much later, my mum managed to contact my dad it turned out that my grandma had a stroke but they didn't know what to do. When told to call an ambulance, they decided to wait until xiaomei was home before calling. So about 12 hours after the incident after xiaomei came home, they called for the ambulance and well, it was confirmed that it was as stroke. Apparently though, the first few hours after the attack is the most important as chemicals/medicines can be injected to ease the damage caused by the stroke and help the patient towards an almost full recovery. But no. They chose to not tell anyone outside of the 'family' (anyone without DIRECT blood relation) so not even my mum whom would have told them to call for an ambulance immediately and the old fart may still be walking around today screaming her head off and reigning the household. That's one ridiculous incident.
#2) Yesterday, I got a call from my uncle multiple times looking for my dad. From 2 different numbers. I kept asking him what it was regarding and whether I could leave a message for my dad and he kept saying no, it's nothing. Never mind. Having decided that whatever went on in that side of the family had dipshit to do with me anymore after I tried to tell my dad what they were doing (withholding information from us when we could obviously help) was wrong and got reprimanded for it, I didn't even care whether anything was really wrong. But apparently as usual there was something wrong. It turns out that my aunt had contracted breast cancer and well, I simply wasn't 'family' enough for this information. So fine. Even when my dad came back at night, I told him my uncle was looking for him, and knowing my dad, he can't be bothered to call back unless he knows HOW important it is. So today my uncle keeps calling back and looking for my dad and my mum picks up. After the second time he called, he finally relented and told my mum about my aunt's condition. I guess maybe because my mum knew my aunt personally or that maybe she was more adult than me, but IF he had told me that yesterday, my dad would have gotten the news last night and he would have definitely called back. Not that it's any help though. The operation is today. Apparently they saw a small dot on the mammogram and then they went in to take a sample. By bursting the cell to take the sample, the cancer immediately spread within the few days and now have to cut both breasts. Whereas my mum's colleague last time got small dot, the doc advise her to go radiation and kill the dot without disturbing it and she has no problems after that. Maybe they should have asked for a second opinion or consulted relatives (considering we have how many cancer relatives) on this matter before acting. Sigh.
I honestly didn't know that such an arcane way of thinking can still exist.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
人生不该那么惨
对这个世界如
果你有太多的抱怨
跌倒了
就不敢继续往前走
为什么
人要这么的脆弱堕落
请你打开电视看看
多少人为生命在努力
勇敢的走下去
我们是不是该知足
珍惜一切就算没有拥有
还记得你说家是唯一的城堡
随着稻香河流继续奔跑
微微笑小时候的梦我知道
不要哭让萤火虫带著你逃跑
乡间的歌谣永远的依靠
回家吧回到最初的美好
不要这么容易就想放弃
就像我说的
追不到的梦想
换个梦不就得了
为自己的人生鲜艳上色
先把爱涂上喜欢的颜色
笑一个吧
功成名就不是目的
让自己快乐快乐
这才叫做意义
童年的纸飞机
现在终于飞回我手里
所谓的那快乐
赤脚在田里追蜻蜓追到累了
偷摘水果被蜜蜂给叮到怕了
谁在偷笑呢
我靠着稻草人吹着风
唱着歌睡着了
哦哦~
午后吉它在虫鸣中更清脆
哦哦~
阳光洒在路上就不怕心碎
珍惜一切就算没有拥有
还记得你说家是唯一的城堡
随着稻香河流继续奔跑
微微笑小时候的梦我知道
不要哭让萤火虫带著你逃跑
乡间的歌谣永远的依靠
回家吧回到最初的美好
还记得你说家是唯一的城堡
随着稻香河流继续奔跑
微微笑小时候的梦我知道
不要哭让萤火虫带著你逃跑
乡间的歌谣永远的依靠
回家吧回到最初的美好
The Cat Chaser
Looking at the open casket transported me back to primary 3 when I was faced with a similar situation. I was delegated with the honorable task of chasing cats away from the tentage area. We had to ensure that no cat jumped over the coffin as it may result in us having to tackle our undead grandfather (although I believed then that the glass covering the coffin was enough to hold him in). This time round, it was my uncle.
He wasn't my favorite uncle for the simple fact that I never had one. But he was a good family man. Extremely patient and tolerant, he was able to bear everything he faced headlong and never faltering. He didn't drink, he didn't gamble, he didn't smoke and of course he didn't drink and drive. What he did do was to work hard to provide for his family and work even harder (initially) to propel his own parents and siblings out of poverty. Although he had a very demanding wife whom went for treatment at times for her problems and idyosyncratic tendencies, he never left her side even as she turned their matrimonial home into a war zone and frankly speaking, less habitable than my toy room. That explained why for a prolonged period of time they stayed in hotels for months. He did not make much money, but he tried all he could to provide for his family.
I never spoke to him about politics, about school or even about how we were doing much. We met during the obligatory chinese new year gatherings and exchanged pleasantries. That was all. Whatever I knew came from stories that my parents told me. Hence it was a shock when we heard a few months back that he suffered a serious heart attack which left him with only 5% of its usual strength. But yet he persevered. Doctors told us that his heart stopped twice and yet he fought back. We knew he loved his daughter, we just didn't know how much.
It was a worse shock to hear about his passing a night ago. Apparently the remaining 5% of his heart strength just expired, taking with it a great man. He wasn't a minister, he didn't make millions, he wasn't even well known in his housing estate. But this man in bid to create the perfect life for his wife and daughter, made sure that everything was taken care of for them. His wife never worked and so he was the sole breadwinner of the family. Yet he managed to pay off a two-storey HDB executive flat and his car. They have essentially no bills and no debts to worry about. His final gift to his loved ones: a peace of mind.
But even then he couldn't let go. From what was told to me (maybe a bit melodramatically), his eyes were opened and even though the doctors pushed his eyelids down, they couldn't do it fully. It was only after my mum told him to rest in peace and move on as we would all look after his family, did he finally close his eyes (drama). I believe that he was a good man. He wasn't a womanizer (although he had all the reasons to be one) and he sacrificed his life to go back to work full time for his family after his heart attack and that may have been what drained his heart.
But I am angry. People can say it's life. But I still have to say that it's unfair. How can someone so good be taken away before those more deserving of death? For starters I know for sure Clorance from Led Dawg surely has character flaws so bad that everyone he meets would want him dead. So why did a good man have to go and not someone so despicably bad that actually backstabbed 3 people and caused them to lose their jobs? It just doesn't make sense. Doesn't balance out.
If there is someone up there, He should be going "You! the Pubic Renaissance associate that just spurted vulgarities at your client when he's asking you what went wrong. Take THIS for your punishment for getting a $2,000 fee for 3 months and acting like a big fuck!" Okay I digress. But you see my point. And well, just fittingly, my other aunt came along and reminded me why I lost the plot with the dude upstairs when she refused to hold the incense because it was against her religion. Fantastic.
Do people believe in spirits? Do people believe that a butterfly at the alter means his spirit is back? Do people believe in the 7x7 49 days of when the spirit is wandering in the house? I think my aunt does. Apparently she's too afraid to go home because she is afraid of him being there. Other than that, another reason why she doesn't want to go up home is because the place has too many memories. Which is why mother and daughter will break down frequently when they see some object my uncle used fondly when he was alive. A solution which my relatives employed when my grandfather passed away was to throw away all his stuff. Especially his bed. Although then it took some time because times were hard and they didn't want to waste money. So my uncle (another one) stacked my grandfather's mattress below my grandma's, thereby encouraging my grandfather to visit my grandmother at night in a bid to take her away with him. Luckily she outsmarted him. I dunno how. But that's why she's still 95 and kicking. Hence apparently alot of my uncle's stuff has to be thrown out too. Even if I don't believe in that mumbalo jumbalo, I'd still be afraid to stay in the house, afterall, someone died there. Sorry I hum. But I was having a backache from resting on the cold hard cement void deck floor like a bangrah because the comfy chairs were for the grieving folk. (And I just got home and it's like 12:33 in the afternoon)
But enough ranting. I've survived the night chasing cats, building anti-cat weapons, establishing forts and inventing new ways to prevent cats from turning my uncle into a zombie. I also ate alot of food. I believe that deserves some incoherency.
He wasn't my favorite uncle for the simple fact that I never had one. But he was a good family man. Extremely patient and tolerant, he was able to bear everything he faced headlong and never faltering. He didn't drink, he didn't gamble, he didn't smoke and of course he didn't drink and drive. What he did do was to work hard to provide for his family and work even harder (initially) to propel his own parents and siblings out of poverty. Although he had a very demanding wife whom went for treatment at times for her problems and idyosyncratic tendencies, he never left her side even as she turned their matrimonial home into a war zone and frankly speaking, less habitable than my toy room. That explained why for a prolonged period of time they stayed in hotels for months. He did not make much money, but he tried all he could to provide for his family.
I never spoke to him about politics, about school or even about how we were doing much. We met during the obligatory chinese new year gatherings and exchanged pleasantries. That was all. Whatever I knew came from stories that my parents told me. Hence it was a shock when we heard a few months back that he suffered a serious heart attack which left him with only 5% of its usual strength. But yet he persevered. Doctors told us that his heart stopped twice and yet he fought back. We knew he loved his daughter, we just didn't know how much.
It was a worse shock to hear about his passing a night ago. Apparently the remaining 5% of his heart strength just expired, taking with it a great man. He wasn't a minister, he didn't make millions, he wasn't even well known in his housing estate. But this man in bid to create the perfect life for his wife and daughter, made sure that everything was taken care of for them. His wife never worked and so he was the sole breadwinner of the family. Yet he managed to pay off a two-storey HDB executive flat and his car. They have essentially no bills and no debts to worry about. His final gift to his loved ones: a peace of mind.
But even then he couldn't let go. From what was told to me (maybe a bit melodramatically), his eyes were opened and even though the doctors pushed his eyelids down, they couldn't do it fully. It was only after my mum told him to rest in peace and move on as we would all look after his family, did he finally close his eyes (drama). I believe that he was a good man. He wasn't a womanizer (although he had all the reasons to be one) and he sacrificed his life to go back to work full time for his family after his heart attack and that may have been what drained his heart.
But I am angry. People can say it's life. But I still have to say that it's unfair. How can someone so good be taken away before those more deserving of death? For starters I know for sure Clorance from Led Dawg surely has character flaws so bad that everyone he meets would want him dead. So why did a good man have to go and not someone so despicably bad that actually backstabbed 3 people and caused them to lose their jobs? It just doesn't make sense. Doesn't balance out.
If there is someone up there, He should be going "You! the Pubic Renaissance associate that just spurted vulgarities at your client when he's asking you what went wrong. Take THIS for your punishment for getting a $2,000 fee for 3 months and acting like a big fuck!" Okay I digress. But you see my point. And well, just fittingly, my other aunt came along and reminded me why I lost the plot with the dude upstairs when she refused to hold the incense because it was against her religion. Fantastic.
Do people believe in spirits? Do people believe that a butterfly at the alter means his spirit is back? Do people believe in the 7x7 49 days of when the spirit is wandering in the house? I think my aunt does. Apparently she's too afraid to go home because she is afraid of him being there. Other than that, another reason why she doesn't want to go up home is because the place has too many memories. Which is why mother and daughter will break down frequently when they see some object my uncle used fondly when he was alive. A solution which my relatives employed when my grandfather passed away was to throw away all his stuff. Especially his bed. Although then it took some time because times were hard and they didn't want to waste money. So my uncle (another one) stacked my grandfather's mattress below my grandma's, thereby encouraging my grandfather to visit my grandmother at night in a bid to take her away with him. Luckily she outsmarted him. I dunno how. But that's why she's still 95 and kicking. Hence apparently alot of my uncle's stuff has to be thrown out too. Even if I don't believe in that mumbalo jumbalo, I'd still be afraid to stay in the house, afterall, someone died there. Sorry I hum. But I was having a backache from resting on the cold hard cement void deck floor like a bangrah because the comfy chairs were for the grieving folk. (And I just got home and it's like 12:33 in the afternoon)
But enough ranting. I've survived the night chasing cats, building anti-cat weapons, establishing forts and inventing new ways to prevent cats from turning my uncle into a zombie. I also ate alot of food. I believe that deserves some incoherency.
You just need 100 ringgit to bomb Malaysia
According to my cousin, on or around 2 September 2008, he was stopped at Malaysian customs (JB) due to his camera equipment. Of particular importance was his camera battery which resembled a black capsule. He was told by the customs officer (the one chopping the passport) that his camera battery was a bomb and that if he wanted to bring it in, he would have to pay 100 ringgit to pass with it.
So there we have it, you just need 100 ringgit to bomb Malaysia.
(Note: He was stopped at Singapore customs on the way back and spent a long time there due to the same problem but he wasn't asked to pay a toll fee to carry his "bomb" through)
So there we have it, you just need 100 ringgit to bomb Malaysia.
(Note: He was stopped at Singapore customs on the way back and spent a long time there due to the same problem but he wasn't asked to pay a toll fee to carry his "bomb" through)
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
20th Century Boys
I was kinda surprised when I saw this movie poster in bus stops and mrts. Primarily because I thought the manga was so convoluted and confusing that nobody would want to make a movie out of it. In fact, I gave up reading it after being a fan of 13 issues. It started off very nicely but then became a whole mess of conspiracy theories and whatnot that made me kinda sick of it even after I suspended my disbelief for like issues 11 thru to 13. Maybe I should go back to read it considering the movie is coming out and has been a big hit in Japan. Anyway, there's a link online to a kind soul's website that actually hosts scans of the entire series in English (I read mine in Chinese!).
http://www.onemanga.com/20th_Century_Boys/1/00/
The above link starts from chapter 1 page 1 and is quite comprehensive. Maybe readers here that are damn free (read: my PLC friends) can care to give it a try. Afterall it's free. :)
Official trailer: http://www.20thboys.com/index.html#/trailer/
Slacker Uprising
This is a new film by Michael Moore and is available free for download on the internet. The aim of him in this new film was to turn out as many first time voters as possible. Even though it's not that applicable to Singapore in the sense that we do vote if we have to (i.e. contested!), I suppose it's still relevant when we consider the number of blank votes we have in each election. It's free, so just download and looksie right?
If you're not in Singapore, here are the links to download from via the email signup:
Michael Moore to me
Reply
Thanks for signing up to download Slacker Uprising. It is available for free as a gift from me to all of you. And you have my permission to share it or show it in any way you see fit.
Watch it all: http://slackeruprising.com/download/location.php?utm_medium=download&utm_source=32106873
At that link, there are five ways you can watch it free and without advertising:
blip.tv is providing streaming right from slackeruprising.com, free of commercials and advertising.
Amazon Video on Demand is providing a higher resolution version of the above stream for people with lots of bandwidth.
iTunes makes it easy for you to download "Slacker Uprising" on your iTunes, iPod, or Apple TV, and view it there or transmit it to your television. This way, the film can be portable as well as for home viewing.
Hypernia is providing bandwidth and servers to host MPEG4 and DivX versions of "Slacker Uprising" online, so you can burn a DVD or download the film to watch on your computer, XBOX, or PS3.
Lycos is providing free streaming of the film and an on-demand version.
Stream it, download it, burn it now. It's the first time a major feature-length film is being released for free on the internet. You can be part of this historic moment by logging on now!
Enjoy!!
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
SlackerUprising.com
P.S. Remember, we're doing something that's never been done, so I have no idea how it will all go! Don't give up if it seems to go slow (like with any streaming, give the downloading a head start before you hit play), and don't forget there are two places where you can actually download it to your hard drive and three ways to stream it. You can get to all of them at the link above.
P.P.S. If you're not yet registered to vote, here's a good link: https://www.voteforchange.com/.
If you're in Singapore, torrents are available: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4409927/Slacker_Uprising_Michael_Moore_[2008]_Official
Even if it's a one-sided account, I'm sure it'll be entertaining nonetheless. :)
Source: http://slackeruprising.com/about.php
If you're not in Singapore, here are the links to download from via the email signup:
Michael Moore to me
Reply
Thanks for signing up to download Slacker Uprising. It is available for free as a gift from me to all of you. And you have my permission to share it or show it in any way you see fit.
Watch it all: http://slackeruprising.com/download/location.php?utm_medium=download&utm_source=32106873
At that link, there are five ways you can watch it free and without advertising:
blip.tv is providing streaming right from slackeruprising.com, free of commercials and advertising.
Amazon Video on Demand is providing a higher resolution version of the above stream for people with lots of bandwidth.
iTunes makes it easy for you to download "Slacker Uprising" on your iTunes, iPod, or Apple TV, and view it there or transmit it to your television. This way, the film can be portable as well as for home viewing.
Hypernia is providing bandwidth and servers to host MPEG4 and DivX versions of "Slacker Uprising" online, so you can burn a DVD or download the film to watch on your computer, XBOX, or PS3.
Lycos is providing free streaming of the film and an on-demand version.
Stream it, download it, burn it now. It's the first time a major feature-length film is being released for free on the internet. You can be part of this historic moment by logging on now!
Enjoy!!
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
SlackerUprising.com
P.S. Remember, we're doing something that's never been done, so I have no idea how it will all go! Don't give up if it seems to go slow (like with any streaming, give the downloading a head start before you hit play), and don't forget there are two places where you can actually download it to your hard drive and three ways to stream it. You can get to all of them at the link above.
P.P.S. If you're not yet registered to vote, here's a good link: https://www.voteforchange.com/.
If you're in Singapore, torrents are available: http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4409927/Slacker_Uprising_Michael_Moore_[2008]_Official
Even if it's a one-sided account, I'm sure it'll be entertaining nonetheless. :)
Source: http://slackeruprising.com/about.php
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
