I suppose I should make it official.  I have moved.  Look for me here.

I'm thinking of moving here.  Should I or should i not?  Should I?  Should I?  Hmmmm....

There's something about a slinky that I find soothing.  I find its fluidity very calming.  Much like water flowing through my hands, but of course I don't get wet, since it's a metal spring.  In the midst of the craziness at work, I want to sit still and watch the slinky move back and forth between my hands.  I want to feel its weight shifting from one hand to the other.  I want to listen to the soft metal rustle that it makes.  And it's so cute - red with white polka dots - I just want to stare at it.  Yes, this is much more fun than getting down to those reports and investigations.  It wasn't my ambition to be like Sherlock Holmes, dammit.

I haven’t posted anything in a while.  This week has been mighty hectic.  Wednesday I was in a meeting all morning. About five minutes after I got back to my desk, a line was slowly forming – people were waiting to ask me questions.  Yes, sometimes I feel like an old-reference book.   People come to me to get a feel for how things will fare.  God knows why.  It’s not like I make the decisions.  Wednesday late afternoon I was playing catch up with work that was supposed to get done Wednesday morning.  (Yes, this is going to be boring.  And I still have some ways to go.)  Where was I?  Wednesday afternoon.  Yes.  Wednesday evening I raced home to greet my new toy.  Ah, there it was waiting for me behind the storm door.   I was worried that the mailman would leave it out in plain sight and someone would’ve snatched it.  But s/he was smart.  Next time I will not worry.  Wednesday night I was busy preparing for my interview.  Oh ok, I was playing with my phone for a bit too. 

Thursday morning, I was frantic, trying to get ready in my “professional work attire”.  Those damned pantyhose.  Legs big.  Pantyhose small.  Runs.  Wiggle wiggle wiggle.  Yes, finally got in.  (The extra pair came in handy.)  The interview was ok.  The lady was friendly.  I’m careful about what I wish for, but sometimes I almost hate friendly interviewers, coz then I get paranoid that they’re trying to catch me off guard.  But we had a nice chat.  She asked me why I want an MBA.  So I told her.  She asked why Berkeley.  I told her that too.  Managerial style, what I do to relax, you know, those kind of stuff.  I was myself, for better or for worse.  I really really hope I get in.  I’ll be dead broke, but I’ll be damn happy.  Well, at least in the beginning.  I’m sure I’ll find something else to bitch and whine about.  Going back to Berkeley was something, though.  I almost forgot how hard it is to find parking.  And the crowd.  People who look like they just fell out of bed, walking to class.  They sure brought back memories.  I'm ecstatic that the interview is over with.  There’s nothing else to do now but wait for June 1^st.  I still need to finish my application for my backup school.  Argh.

But, today’s Friday.  And as always, that makes me feel infinitely better.  My heart skipped a beat even as I was writing that.  Today is KK’s birthday, so tomorrow I’m taking her and the kids out.  Sometimes I miss spending lots of time with the two kids.  They’re growing up too fast!  Abang is like completely bujang trang tang tang now.  And Deem is still mischievous and sneaky.  They both are doing well at school, it’s amazing.  Deem is in a gifted student’s program, and his report card had this assessment questionnaire that the teacher filled out.  So apparently he uses big words, forms his own opinion on things, and “provides directions for his peers” (bossy?).  Haha, that sounds like Deem alright.  In my mind, he’s still 5, and I still dukung him around from time to time.  Pretty soon he wouldn’t want me to hold his hand when crossing the street, I’m sure.  I'm looking forward to spending my day with them tomorrow.  Even though it means I'll be stuck in traffic for more than 2 hours.  I'll try to take pictures with my new phone.  Hehehehe...  Enjoy your weekend, people!  Have a good one.

Intro:
One evening, around dinner time, I was craving for C****h's Chicken and looked online for a location near me.  But the website was so crappy, and my rage motivated me to write to the customer service.  Today I found their response to my email...

Dear Mr. K*****: (apparently they thought I was a guy)

At the C****h's Guest Response Line, we received your comments 
today regarding the recent changes made to our web-site. We 
genuinely apologize for your dissatisfaction and appreciate your 
taking the time to write us.  Your comments have been forwarded to 
our Marketing Department to make them aware of your concerns. 

Our site was developed to be a marketing promotional tool, so it 
involves audio, video, and imagery to make a more immersive 
marketing experience. Because of this, the site is targeted at a 
higher-bandwidth user but is optimized so that lower-bandwidth 
users can still navigate and use the site.

If you have any other concerns or comments, please do not hesitate 
to share them with us.  We are committed to earning your loyalty. 
Thank you, Mr. K*****, for sharing your comments.  We look 
forward to serving you in the future.


Sincerely,

xxxxx
C****h's Guest Response Line

P.S.  Please retain your Thread ID in your message body.  This 
will help us locate your information should you need us again.

[THREAD ID:1-EQNW9I]

This is what I sent them: 

-----Original Message-----

From:  
Sent:  3/18/2006 08:09:30 PM
To:  "C****h's Support" <c****hs.support@xx.xx.com>
Subject:  C****h's Web Form Email Message

This is the stupidest website i've ever been to.  Your store 
locator is incorrect, and does not even give the address of the 
restaurant.  Why on earth would I need macromedia flash 8 to go to 
C****h's chicken website?  It's C****h's chicken for god's sake.  Half 
of the customers probably does not even have computers! The other 
half can't get to the site because it's too high tech.  What on 
earth were you guys thinking??? You can get a much better website 
for free!  You just wasted thousands of dollars for this website's 
design.  Someone should get fired for this stupid decision.

Don't mess with me when I'm hungry.  Especially when I'm looking for fried chicken....

So Iddy said I have to answer these questions.  Baiklah Cik Iddy.

How many schools did I go to?

How many schools?  Let's count.  Primary school: SRK Convent Batu Pahat, Secondary school: SM Convent Batu Pahat for about a month.  Two weeks of which I stayed home after fracturing my foot doing high jump.  Mom got into a spat with the headmistress because she wouldn't let me stay in the class during recess.  Apa apa tah.  After that, I was off to STF.  Lah, tiga skolah aje?  Tak adventurous langsung.

Was I the studious nerd, or the last minute hero?

I was definitely the last minute hero.  It all came so easy to me back then.  Or maybe I was just a nerd in denial disguise.  Oh who knows...  Do you know Iddy? 

Was I the class 'taiko' or the teacher's pet?

I was a mix of the two.  I was the teacher's taiko pet.  Nakal, but the teachers couldn't help liking me.  HAHAHAHA!  You believed that?  Actually, I'm only half joking.  Some teachers did let me get away with more.  They let me sleep in class.  Or maybe they just didn't know because my tudung was so low and they had their backs to me.  A couple of teachers did seludup me and brought me along when they went out.  (Outing haram!)  The fact that I was crying my eyes out for the first six months (homesick) might have had something to do with it.  But to this day, some people are convinced I'm kaki bodek.  Maybe I am.  I'd like to think I have charming manners.

What was the biggest rule I broke in school?

Maybe when I went outing haram and got caught because my dad came to visit.  The warden was paging me the whole day.  I lost my outing privelege for the whole year.  My dad's advice that night: "Lain kali kalau keluar kasi tau lah Abah.  Takde lah Abah datang.  Kan sekarang dah susah."  I miss my dad.

Three subjects I enjoyed

English.  Yup, I loved English too!  Did we actually learn anything academic in class?  Sometimes I'm not too sure.  I love PS time.  Terbaring baring kat depan tv nengok Beauty and the Beast.  And those singing we did in class?  Did I actually sing?  Cannot remember lah.  And FB.  Those memories.  Have I ever seen another teacher baru keluar maktab tortured more?  I don't think so.  Talk about being thrown in the deep end.  But she deserved it.   Tak pakai common sense ka?

Math - it was fun.  Plus got to catch up on sleep.

Kimia - too many entertaining memories.  1) Was left in class when everyone else went to lab - I was asleep.  2) Watched a girl stretch after yawning, lean baaaaaccckkk.  And whoops, the stool didn't have a back rest.  And down to the floor she went.  I had the giggles for hours.  3) Barged in on the wrong class in Chem Lab - my partner and I fell asleep, woke up, and ran into the lab.  We looked at the schedule for the wrong day.  Most embarrassing moment of my life.

Three teachers that inspired me

Cik Rozita - she was a new teacher when I was in fifth grade.  She was like a sister and a friend.  She got into a lot of trouble because of her friendship with us students.  I think some teachers were just jealous.

Cik Norley - she taught me math.  She was so dedicated, I used to think she worked harder preparing me for the exams than I did.  I was touched.  She actually made me realize that I was good at math, eventhough I had been scoring near perfect for over 2 years.  (I told you I didn't realize I was a nerd.)

There were a couple others who inspired me, perhaps in much more significant ways.  But I cannot think of any at this moment.  I'm running late.  This will have to do.

I keep hearing people say that if you appreciate someone, you should tell them.  I don't know whether it's right, but today I will do that.  So this entry is dedicated to my old friend MC.  My old partner in crime.  Those days when our biggest worry was how to get to the front of the lunch line when they serve ayam masak lemak.  And kita in charge of class reader books bersama-sama since Form 1, kan, kan, kan?  No better reason to wander around the school buildings during English period.

MC, I was just at Myra's fotopages site and what a bundle of joy she has become!  I can't believe she was once a tiny baby girl.  Dah besar anak mummy.  And her wardrobe.  Ahem, do you have to travel with a collapsible closet to accommodate all that outfit?  I can see how hard you've worked to keep everything together - your family, your job, your life.  Although I doubt it feels like hard work since you must be enjoying your hearts out.  GA is one lucky man.  And you know you're lucky to have him too.  Enjoy and take care of each other. 

MC, I love reading your blog and looking at your fotopages.  It's like watching a movie of life unfolding.  No, I don't envy you.  I'm so so happy for you.  I'm glad we're friends, and if nothing else, knowing you and watching you enjoy life remind me to enjoy mine.  I'm glad you got out unscathed from your recent scare.  I cannot imagine how you felt.  I thank God that you have many people around you to help you get through it.  I hope you know that if you need help, you can always count on me.  "In good times, and bed times..."  'member that song in Set 1?

MC, thanks for your friendship.  I pray that your life continue to be blessed.  May we be friends for many many years from now.  And may you continue to be the sunshine on my rainy days.

The end.