Old Man In The Picture

The old man in this picture (taken in Hanoi) reminded me of an elderly person some time ago. I was on my way to see my ex colleagues from work to have dinner with them when I received a distress call.

Jenny, my ex colleague, asked if I could come over to our regular restaurant to pick up an elderly gentleman, believably to have lost his way.

I was puzzled with the request. I hope he’s not having Alzheimer or something, or else, we would need to take him to the police station till his next-of-kin come looking for him. And I loathed going to the police station.

When I arrived, my other colleague, Tan and Jessie were there too. They helped the elderly gentleman to his feet and ushered him into my car. The elderly gentleman was reeking with urine smell. Sensing my discomfort, he kept apologizing for wetting himself. I assured him that it was alright.

Apparently, he fell as he was walking on the pavement towards his house in nearby flat. His weak knees due to diabetes gave way and the heat was unbearable. He had been sitting on the same spot since lunch time. By the time, we picked him up, it was already 6.00 pm. How could this old man withstand the scorching sun without food and water? Since he couldn’t move, he had no choice but to pee in his pants.

How could anyone just leave this old man sitting under the sun for 5 hours? We cursed among ourselves that the restaurant owner didn’t do anything to help this old man as he was sitting on the pavement right in front of the restaurant. We didn’t go to the restaurant ever since.

We kept asking the old man, where are his sons and daughters? Where is his family? But he merely gave us directions to his house. As it was almost impossible to find a parking at Pekeliling flats (which was now demolished to make way for development), I waited in the car while the rest of them took him to his house.

My friends were very disturbed by the condition of the house. It was very dirty and there were graffiti everywhere in the house. This old man is staying with his younger brother. The brother was jilted by love and hence, he was disturbed emotionally and mentally. The graffitis were all about the woman. It was a good thing that the brother was not at home when my colleagues went to send this old man to his house.

The old man used to sell Yong Tau Foo when he was young and healthier. It was due to his sickness that he had to stop working. We asked about his family and all he could do was to smile faintly.

After we ensured he’s fine to be left alone in the house, we talked to his neighbours. It seemed that this old man has family. His children rarely come to visit him and for the past one year, they were hardly seen visiting the old man. He was pretty much left alone with his mentally ill brother.

Our colleagues bought some cookies and food for the old man. We couldn’t do much after that when the old man insisted that he is able to take care of himself and told us not to worry. He merely has weak knees and apologized profusely for troubling us.

We haven’t heard from him since. Despite us being sympathizing him on the fate that befallen him, we couldn’t do anything but wonder, how would our fates be like when we get old and turn feeble.

Some young people now do not have respects for elderly people. You could witness this happening everyday if you take public transports. Not many would give up their seats for elderly people or pregnant ladies anymore. They never realize that one day, they would grow old too.

Once I saw an elderly lady in Sg. Wang all alone. She was climbing staircase slowly as if the act was too painful for her to bear. She was unaccompanied. I offered help and walked with her slowly till the top. I asked her, where are her children? Is she lost? She said no. Her children went shopping and left her alone there since she couldn’t walk. She assured me that they would come looking for her when they are done and thank me for my kindness. I simply don’t think it’s a good idea to leave an elderly lady wandering around shopping mall by herself. You might as well leave her at home.

I remember my piano lessons very vividly. Not because I excelled in playing piano. It was my piano teacher. Since I went to her house to study piano, I would hear her screaming almost everytime I was there and witnessed how she ill treated her grandmother. I heard stories from my mom that, this grandmother used to be ruthless and ill treated her mother (my piano teacher’s mom) when she was young. I guess they obviously disliked the grandmother for a very long time and prayed to get even when they grew up. Eventually they did and it was payback time.

Being as unforgiving as I am, I still couldn’t tolerate an elderly person being yelled at. As terrible as they maybe when they were younger, I don’t think anyone should ill treat elderly people. Whatever that has been done, you couldn’t undo them. They were already in the past. Their final days are numbered. You reap what you sow. I feel, if you are reluctant to take care of your elderly, you might as well send them to old folks home. No elderly people would like to stay in old folks home. But I guess it’s a better solution than having to be yelled at all the time.

The grandmother passed away a few years after that. I was actually relieved to learn that as I do not wish to see her being ill treated further.

Where have all the filial piety values gone?

Bed Manners

 

me: wahh
me: today rain damn heavy
me: good to sleep in

me: with warm blanket, fluffy pillows
me: and long, long hours
fren: ha ha ha
fren: missing one thing
fren: from the bed
me: ah? what? teddy bear?
fren: let you guess
fren: ha ha ha

me: someone to cuddle is it?
me: i dunno lah. i cannot sleep with ppl one. sure kick them off the bed
me: lol
fren: yeap… a big hairy bear
fren: no wonder you cannot find a mate
fren: cannot hv such a mind set
me: haha
fren: 8-|
me: find already also kick them off the bed
me: how ah?
me: hahah
me: if not also
me: i snore too loud till ppl also sked
me: haha
fren: ini macam, mana boleh
fren: [-(
me: unless i get a partner who really sleep like a dead log
me: till rumah terbakar also cannot wake up type
me: then, shud be ok lah
me: lol
fren: no comment
fren: dont think it is a good idea
fren: a sound sleeper normally snore too
me: then ah
me: both had to be heavily sedated with valium
me: in order to sleep

fren: then the robbers also carry yr house away

fren: ha ha ha

A conversation this evening sent me chuckles.

When I was younger, I swear I didn’t snore, unless I am dead tired.

These days, even taking afternoon nap, I would snore. The worst part is, I am always awaken by my own snore!!!

A colleague asked me why didn’t I take a short nap in office since I looked so tired. I said, you wouldn’t want to see me when I sleep. I would snore obscenely loud. I might scare my boss and he might fire me, thinking I am actually a man in woman’s clothings.

I remember I once laughed at a friend when we went to have facials together. She was lying on the bed next to me. 10 minutes into the session, she snored – rather loudly. I tried to contain my sniggers as mud was being slapped on my face. Don’t want to get wrinkles. I told her that when we were done and her face blushed.

Karma is a bitch. So, I think I am snoring now because I laughed at people. I even snore when I am in yoga class – doing my favorite pose – the corpse position. This is really disastrous. Sigh.

Snoring runs in the family or is it the food we eat? Sasha seems to snore too! She is not biologically linked to us and she is only 5 years old.

I really pity my room mate whenever we go traveling. Most of the time, I would let them sleep first before me or else, they find themselves cannot sleep at all. Usually, we would be dead tired by the time we were back in hotels, so, there hasn’t been any case of not being able to sleep. Thank God!

A rather embarrassing thing happened to me the other night. I was watching tv upstairs when my sister’s friend dropped by to say hi. After chatting for a few minutes, he went downstairs to talk to my mother. As I was very tired, I dozed off with the tv on. When he was about to leave, he came upstairs to bid me good bye.

Lo and behold – there I was, lying in corpse position (just that I don’t even look half as good as the model in the picture!) in full snoring splendor. I got to know this when I woke up and my sis threaten to take video of me if she caught me in the act again. No more visitors after 9 pm or whenever I am sleeping in the living room upstairs, please.

Is there a way to cure snoring?

Forgive and Forget

Friends or rather enemies, are very well aware that I am not a forgiving person. Once I am annoyed or pissed – depending on gravity of the annoyance and also, affections I have for that person, it would be very hard for me to be nice to the person again.

Unlike my sister, who is ever gracious and nice (hence being bullied by me.. err.. I mean others), I am a total bitch when it comes to forgiving.

Just the other day, my sis was telling me about introducing her uni-mate to a good friend of ours. I looked at her, horrified.

This girl once stole my sister’s ideas by copying the entire assignment and presented it to the class as her own. When the lecturer gave her good remarks, she didn’t even bat an eyelid, acknowledging it with pride. When the lecturer asked, who would like to present next, this bitch cold heartedly suggested my sister by calling her name out loud. My sister was fuming mad as she had to think of another idea and then, excused herself to be given another day to prepare her paper.

My sis could put the past behind just like that and she even helped this bitch when she was heart broken. This bitch’s motorbike got stranded somewhere along the highway because she attempted to ride her old rickety motorbike all the way to Johor from Seri Kembangan to meet the boyfriend when he jilted her over the phone. My sis hired a van and drove all the way to the highway to pick her up.

Yes. My sister is very kind but utterly stupid. I hope karma would work for her for all the nice things that she had done for people who totally don’t deserve it.

I wonder which chromosomes in her body which is twisted that she is THIS nice and I, on the other hand, a total monster. Or maybe, I am the twisted one here. Sigh.

When I spoke to her about the bitch’s past wrong doings towards her, she was stunned and she said, she couldn’t really recollect the incident – I could swear she was fuming when she related this story to me some 6 years ago and I, having a mammoth brain for storing useless things; absorbed the very essence of the incident and remember it for life – on behalf of her. Never ever wrong a woman – especially women with high storage space memory for useless and inane things like me.

Last Sunday, when I was in KLCC having coffee with some chums, we bumped into someone whom I had a tiff with a few months ago. She actually didn’t wrong me directly. She was merely being a bitch to another friend of mine and I took this matter very personally. Come to think about it, she did wrong me directly – she tried to screw up my birthday party.

After a few e-mails of listing down all the wrong doings, denials and baseless accusation on her part, I decided to cut all ties with her.

There she was, with her children when I least expected it. I remained calm and talked like normal with my friends. Being unforgiving and quite anal about it, you guys would have expected drama. If you do so, you would be disappointed.

When she was about to leave the coffee shop, she tapped me on my shoulder to say hello and we exchanged some pleasantries cordially.

I was actually quite surprise with myself. When I was younger and not to mention, stupid, I would probably pretend that I didn’t know her and tried to embarrass her in public or walked away from the coffee joint the moment she came in. Since I am not longer childish and stupid, I flashed her a smile and waved good bye.

We even  ended up watching the same movie too. LOL. Not sitting together lah, of course. Phew.

During the whole episode of sitting in coffee with her presence a few tables away, my mind was running wild – relating back to the old e-mails we hurled at each other. I find it utterly stupid and useless.

Even if she refuses to admit her mistakes due to her bad attitude (or failing memory), I should have been more forgiving and explain to her nicely, even if she did say the nastiest things during the spur of the moment because she was in a terrible mood. Everyone has their bad days. It depends on how one deal with their problems.

I told a friend today – sometimes people said things that they don’t mean to say. They are merely expressing their discontent when they are in a dire state and by no means to hurt someone in the process, albeit accidentally.

I don’t know but I somehow felt bad for not continuing to be her friend when she needs a listening ear the most. I have empathy for her and already tried my best to guide her when she was lost or being taken granted or abused by her so called “friends”. Unfortunately, her over protectiveness over her pride and also her incomprehensible obsession over certain things rendered her an outcast among our friends.

I am not saying that I am turning into a softie here. I am still very anal about granting forgiveness. But I hope, somewhere along the way, when I have time to sit down and reflect upon it, I would finally realize that it would be much, much more easier if I could just learn how to forgive and forget.

Coughing Season

I am suffering from incessant coughs since my Hanoi trip. It feels like the lungs gonna spew out from my throat any minute.

Looks like it’s gonna take at least a two more months to recover – or the Chinese called it – the 100 days cough. Being a lazy ass and also a wimp – I didn’t want to see my regular doctor because he always ask me to weigh myself first the moment I step into his clinic every time. I opted to take medicine from my cousin sister, who is also suffering incessant cough. But it didn’t work. The irritating part is, I would only cough at night or when the weather is slightly cooler.

I took Ubat Batuk Cap Ibu & Anak almost every night before I go to sleep. Thank goodness the coughs immediately stop as soon as my head touches the pillow. I guess it’s a blessing to be able to doze off at any given situation. Sleep first, cough like mad later.

When I went to My Fair Lady last Wednesday, the coughing and sneezing sounds among audience were so damn annoying. It was more like a coughing symphony than a musical. I tried to suppress mine by popping one Strepsils after another. Thank goodness I managed to keep it under control.

I could feel the Plenary Hall was oozing with germs, bacterium and viruses! Thank God the RM300 ticket is free – or else, I would never pay RM300 to listen to people coughing away. I might as well go to the hospital, putting on the headphone and playing the musical on MP3.

Enough of whining. Well, folks – pop some vitamin C, drink plenty of water and stay away from people like me. The cough is here to stay.

Of Villains, Babies and Elephants

Sempena Mother’s Day, I dreamt of something related to being moms. No, not that I am gonna give birth or what…

After the hefty lunch – instead of kiam chai and porridge as suggested earlier, we had 13 course lunch – buttered crabs, salted egg crabs, steamed fish ala teow chew style, mushroom chicken, fried rice, nasi kerabu, ramen with char siew, steamed taufoo, stir fried kangkong, ABC soup, tempura, stir fried vege and leng chee kang!

While the 14 of my family members were toasting away downstairs with sparkling juice, I was already feeling drowsy from heavy lunch and hit the sack in the hot afternoon in my almost-like-steam-bath bedroom. In between slipping into a coma and semi consciousness, I could hear YUM SENG! peppered with laughter and chuckles as well as my anti-social dad cheering for the national badminton squad upstairs, which eventually lost.

Then I had dreams of babies, elephants, cemetery, being naked, police, US dollars and villains.

How do these sum up together?

I was instructed to borrow babies from moms for a game show ala treasure hunt style. It was kinda stupid and the cash prize was nothing more than USD10,000.

I couldn’t really tell where was I – as the place looked uncannily like Hanoi (the cemetery on the padi fields), yet it was Cambodia (the language the native were speaking) as well as Thailand (the elephants). I got all the places mixed up in this dream.

The air was cooling. As we were persuading a mom to “lend her baby” for a game show, the mom was reluctant. I saw some of other competing teams were acting like villains, trying to “kidnap” instead of borrowing from the crying mothers.

It was heart wrenching to see moms parting with their flesh and blood. I assured the baby’s mom that I would take good care of him.

As we were getting out from the place, we passed by cemeteries in the padi field (as seen above in Hanoi on our way to Halong Bay), we stopped by for a breather. My team mates were no other than my own sister and my mom. The worst part was, instead of my sis driving, my mom was determined to drive. I was alarmed and as usual, nagging at my sis to take over the car before the untoward happens. I was busy keeping the baby safely in my arms.

We decided to continue our journey. We were transported to a bustling city (looks like Bangkok to me!) and in front of us, there was a truck load of elephants! The elephants were squeezed in one big truck and were uncomfortable. There were like almost 10 of them on the truck! Their legs appeared to be all rubbery and kept slipping out from the truck! I wanted to tell my mom to maintain her distance from the truck but she drove right behind it. I prayed to myself, hoping that the elephants won’t fall off and landed on our car but they did!

I was thinking of the worst. Out of the blue, the sky was raining elephants!! Imagine, these elephants weighing almost 1-2 tonnes each, smashing onto your car. We were doomed. In my heart, I whispered, see you in the afterlife.

Miraculously, we escaped unharmed and managed to continue on with the stupid game show.

It was then I decided, USD10,000 is not worth it to make the baby’s mom unnecessarily worried about her baby and also putting my family’s lives into jeopardy. I decided to take the baby back to the mom and to the hell with this stupid game.

As I was going to see the mother of the baby, I was stopped by 3 mean looking guys, asking where I was going. Out of the blue, I had a stack of USD20,000 in my pocket and a pair of scissors. They wanted to rob me. I took out the scissors to defend myself while the other hand, carrying the fragile little boy.

I was lucky. I bumped into a policeman and he helped me to stop the villains from getting to me while I made a run for my life. (You can rely the police… in your dreams! Haha!)

I was then transported back to my late grandma’s house where I felt I needed a bath badly. Without shame, I took my clothes off in front of my family and jumped into the shower while keeping an eye on the baby.

After I was fully clothed, I took the baby back to the mother and paid her USD500 for bearing it with me. The organizers didn’t spell out the rules of the game but I had to return the remaining USD19,500 in my pocket to the game show host. (Why??)

I woke up as soon as I handed the money and the little boy to the grateful mother who broke down in uncontrollable tears.

I was sweating by the buckets over the afternoon heat, hoping some calories were burnt during the chasing scenes in my dreams.