Thicker than blood and water

Looking into the wallet, there’s always a dollar short. In terms of money, ironically, we get just enough just to give it away. Unless you’re Aladdin with a genie in a lamp, like a bump on the road, there will be times of ‘Mc Hammer Broke’ crisis in life. It is however to be a bona fide belief that no one in this materialistic little big planet likes to be indebted. Habitual maybe but definitely nobody enjoyed it. For sure. Yet, desperate time needs desperate measures. Left with no other alternatives, most would put on their Batman costume, saying ‘to the bat mobile!’ with a husky voice and choose the easiest way, i.e take up a loan. People that comes in mind – blood relatives or best friends.

 

 

Call it an act of kindness or naivety, lending money to a loved one is a risk similar to a no-rope-attached bungee jumping. Geronimo all the way down. Either you’ll be saved by a giant trampoline or fall flat on your face, the aftermath will most probably ‘rust the trust’ in a relationship when the I’ll-pay-you-back-for-sure party couldn’t live up to their words. That goes without saying. Just because you’re brothers in arms, there is no excuse for taking-it-lightly attitude. Instead, as strong as you presume your relationship are, when it concerns money, it is as breakable as the thinnest crepe. Sad but true.

 

When a person lend their money, logically, s/he is conceived as the good guy. When s/he wants their money back, if you can’t pay them immediately, you’ll feel like they’re the bad yakuza guy. Then, when either party can’t get what they want, things get ugly. Thus, ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’ theory of money lending. High chances are the borrower will likely asked their money back later than earlier. Believe it or not, some even feel guilty. No one is more lenient and considerate since it is a bet they’re willing to take for their loved ones.

 

All is well if within the five fingers limit, we couldn’t cash in the debt on the ground of acceptable reasons. Yes, there’s no helping it right? But don’t push your luck. The price tag you’re bargaining is TRUST. Even if they won’t point a Gatling gun at your face like Al Pacino did in Scarface, they’ll probably just hate you forever. It is a fact that the nicest people can make the worst enemy.

 

Preposterous it may seem but nevertheless, money is thicker than blood and water. In today’s world, it is only human. Money make things happen.

 

So, All YOU NEED IS LOVE? 

GO FIGURE.

 

 

What does a man with money wants? More money.

 

What does a man with power wants? More power.

 

 

 

 

Typical.

My Days of Driving – Part 2

Can you see that piece of cello tape?

Cello tape??

 

There. (Pointing).

 

I don’t see any. (Confused, my eyes were frantically looking outside the car).

 

Right there! Honestly!
Where are you putting your eyes at ??
(Furiously pointing at the window).

(Intimidated. Come on eyes! Cello tape! Fast!). Oh, THAT Cello tape. Sticking at the window? I thought you were pointing outside.

Anyways, when you reversed the car, stop as soon as the first parking sign pole is somewhere within the same line as the cello tape.

 

Okay… (Ears ringing).
 

 

 

That was the starting of my first parking lesson.

 

At the first sign of idiocy, my teacher was quick to snap. With crushed enthusiasm, I couldn’t grasp how the wheel works when reversing. Should the wheel go right or left? Constantly questioning myself, I made more mistakes that I intended. My teacher, instead of being a figure of encouragement, effortlessly emitted sounds that I interpreted as pure annoyance.

 

Panic, scared and irritated, learning was anything but easy. Focusing was harder. Suddenly, my brain was a separate entity from my body. Forget the trauma of solving mathematical Pythagoras Theorem, THIS was by far a lot worst.

 

 

Assuming that I was making my own rules, she concluded the lesson after a mere 15 minutes.

Before, I waited half an hour because someone else was late. It even took me half an hour just to get here. Now, I got a lame 15 minutes parking lesson?? Unbelievable!

Unfastening the seat belt, I took a long deep breath. I was determined to give her a piece of my mind. Or rather, I felt like screaming at the top of my lung.

Then, just before I allowed myself being possessed by the devil, at the spur of the moment, another student came up. Giving me the confused look of ‘What’s taking you so long?’, my heart gave out. All is lost but honour. Barnicles!
 

 

 

 

~ To be angry is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way… that is not easy. ~

(Aristotle)





Truly Madly Single



‘Don’t worry so much. You’ll get married eventually.’ I remembered saying those comforting words to a dear friend of mine. Being only a year older than me,  I was puzzled cos unlike her, I wasn’t having those I’m-getting-old-and-should-be-married-soon thoughts in my head. Perhaps I was missing some important female hormones?

 

I’m perfectly aware that at some point of my life, I should grab the nicest guy available, settle down and produce a baseball team of miniature me and my husband. Since they always say that the right guy will come along at the right moment, the marriage-thinking was safely stored in the temporal lobe of my brain. Well, not until recently when my mom started giving me the it’s-about-time-to-get-married-and-produce-a-rightful-heir-to-the-throne speech. At that point of time, I knew I'd better start practicing the penguin’s dance of seduction.

 

So, just to relax my mind, I opened my Facebook account. Maybe somewhere someone was feeling as miserable as I am. Rather the contrary, I was notified on several invitations to attend friend’s wedding ceremonies, photos of honeymoon pictures, first born and loving couple posts. I was made to realize that while my friends are all busy ‘pluralizing’ themself, I’m left in the state of singular comatose. Thus begin my days of worrying like an old spinster in their 80s.

At the office, while pretending to be immensely busy, I started scanning for eligible bachelor. Being in the accounting work field, the guys are the perfect resemblance of either John Nash or Forest Gump. I guess in my case, there’s little chance I’ll get hooked up with Keanu Reeves. Not being a hottie myself, I know beggars can’t be choosers. But every girl can dream right? I remembered going back home with a strained back and a defeated heart.

 

The fact that I was 25 and single never bothered me before but now like an itch that can’t be scratch, it left me insomniac for weeks. I felt like Hunchback of Notre Dame's twin sister and I was drowning in my own self-blaming world. Still, fortunately, being a creature that take things lightly, I wasn’t depressed enough to the point of suicidal. So, after days of self motivation and drop-the-subject face I gave my mom, I was back on my feet again.

 

Then, like any typical movie, there came along a guy. (Let’s call him Justin Bieber since he was younger). So, Justin was cute in his own way and have a charming smile. Seated just behind my enormously small cubicle, we chatted between breaks and get along just fine. On weekends, he’d sms me and I’d sms him back. All the formalities of being in the friendship zone. This went for as long as 6 months until one fine day, Justin asked me out. As happy as I should be because FINALLY SOMEONE ASK ME OUT, unlike Selena Gomez, I didn’t say yes. Porque? It was the matter of the heart. I couldn’t say yes when my heart was saying no.

 

Unable to find the coach for my baseball team, I’m back to square one. I come into terms that finding my star crossed Keanu Reeves hangs on a thicker string called destiny. Serendipity movie is a good example! Being single doesn’t mean that you’re leftovers that nobody wants. Even if you feel like it, leftovers are just as good. Heat them up and they'd still taste great. Beside, guys who doesn’t waste and eat leftovers? That's priceless.

~ Whatever you are, Be a good one~
(Abraham Lincoln)
 

U.G.L.Y (Unidentified Goosebump Like Yourself)



 

Mirror Mirror On the Wall.
Who's the fairest of them all?

 

With skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony, every girl wants to be Snow White. Cinderella is gorgeous too but let’s pick Snow White because she doesn’t have to do much. Just eat a poisoned apple, got kissed while in comatose and voila...you’re set to be married with the sexiest Prince alive.

In this ‘Never-Ending-Judgy World’, being pretty makes life seem a lot easier. Yeah, they get second glances, extra cheese in their burritos but it doesn’t make the world a better place to live. Just more endurable. It’s a given to say that with good looks also comes great sufferings. (Hooray??).

Clearly, we have no control over how we look like. Its one of those oh-surprises in life. There’s absolutely Nothing Wrong being ‘below pretty’. The word ugly was created just to add extra vocabulary in the human-being-mean dictionary. It is merely a word used as often as stupid does.. yet not as easily forgotten. To those that believe them, it magically comes true.

It is inevitable that beauty captures attention. BUT,
Being pretty ugly can be pretty awesome too. Apparently because :

1. People will love you for who you are

• Rest assured. If anyone’s interested in you despite how imaginary-ugly you assume you are, the chances are they like YOU, not your looks. Period. Consider yourself lucky because these kind of people are quite rare and almost extinct! Quite a catch huh.

2. Healthier

• Hate your big nose? Well, don't. Bigger nose are healthier! Mouth-breathing are so lame. Thanks to your large nostril, germs would think twice before going in, fearing they might get lost on the way. How cool is that?
• Shorter people live longer too. They also make good Limbo dancers. It’s proven since the longest living people are from Japan with the elderly average height of 4’9”. Still, accidents happen.

 

 

 

3. More Mr. Cash in your wallet

• Cosmetics? Spa? You don’t need them. You’re secured,financially. Looks vs money. I’d pick money anytime.

4. More Me Time

• Since Snow White get so much attention from her evil stepmother, she can’t barely make time for blogging or putting up her status in Facebook. With only 24 hours a day, pretty ugly people have more time for themself. Wrapped up in their own world, they’d make good bloggers ,inspiring writers and awesome hackers.

5. We are the majority

• Believe it or not, we dominate the world. We can easily take over the world now.
 

No one is butt ugly unless they feel they are.  We might not like what we see in the mirror but when you feel ugly, definitely you can’t feel pretty. May it be your nose, eyes, skin or lips, they’re never perfect to begin with. Nevertheless, nothing short of unique in its own way. Like how Sylvester Stallone can’t be Rambo without his crooked mouth or Wesley Snipes won’t be Blade if he hadn’t been black. Rather than hating how we look, we might as well embrace it. Before you know it, ugly might be the next beauty.

~The most beautiful thing in the world is the world itself.~

Uragiri Wa Boku No Namae Wo Shitteiru



Betrayal Knows My Name.

Judging by the title, I was left puzzled on whether I should watch the anime. The big punch line is obviously Betrayal (Uragiri). So, I expected the anime to have a gloom doom atmosphere + tears rolling down cheek moments and most probably someone DIED. I was very reluctant since sad stories are enough to make me miserable. Life is already sad as it is so why indulge more right? But, since I have a thing for sword fighting animes, I decided to give it a go.

I'm glad that I did and Uraboku has been one of my top favourite since.

 

Uraboku revolves around the life of Sakurai Yuki, an orphan with special empathy like powers who is very kind and caring towards others. Yet, he is deeply lonely since being abandoned as an infant have left him wondering the purpose of his existence. His life then takes an interesting turn when he was saved from being run down by a van (or was it a truck) by the mysterious silver moonlit eyes Duras (demon), Zess a.k.a Luka Crosszeria.

Yuki is actually the reincarnation of Giao Clan's God's Light whose power is vital for fighting the betrayer Giao Reiga, who presently happened to be reincarnated as Yuki's somewhat older brother as they grew up together at the orphanage. Yuki is unable to recollect his past life. So, unbeknownst to him, Yuki was also Luka's master and past lover (Yuki was a girl previously). Kyaaaaa! So, thats the overall idea..

Watching the anime really tugged my heart since Yuki's suffering is portrayed really well. Constantly targeted by the enemy, he does seem like the damsel in distress (and he cries a lot) but he compensates them by healing his fellow rescuers' wounds and inflicting them onto himself. Dealing with the fact that he have to fight Reiga, Yuki's sacrifice left me teary throughout the anime and made his place as my favourite character.

The romance in this anime is not your typical 'boy meet girl and they rode to the sunset' cliche. It swims along the forbidden and tragic love story since Yuki is presently a boy and have no recollection of his past life. Yet, Luka stands firm to protect Yuki which made me want to bawl my eyes out.

Personally, Uraboku was definitely a good anime (Girls may dig it but guys maybe not so much). Overall, it has outstanding soundtracks that matched well with awesome fight scenes, great voice acting and a beautiful story. And yes, it made me miserable for days...

Only I know your pain
Your uncertainty
Your loneliness
If only we could be together forever
I'll say it as many times as you wish
I will not betray you


~ The manga is even better ~

My Days of Driving

Last time I checked. cars are a luxury. Nowadays, it's like having an i-phone. Unless you're Adam Lerner in 50/50 with a brain tumor and friends/girlfriend as your chauffeur, not knowing to drive one is a huge NO NO.

I'd always find driving as rather unsettling. Behind the wheels, most people somehow hulked into an extra crispy Michael Schumacher. Everyones on the rush. There's a chance you might end up being road kill or splattered lasagna.

So, recently, I decided to take my driving licence. BIG DEAL right? So, I thought.

My first driving lesson was nothing unusual. It was a new experience. Yet, it wasn't impossible. Yeah, I can do this....

1. Fasten your seat belt.

2. Check the mirrors, adjust your seat position.

3. Start the engine.

4. Press the clutch.

5. Jab in the first gear.

6. Release the hand brake.

7. Release the clutch slowly

8. Step on the accelerator.

Magically, the car started to move and..there I was. Driving. For the first time.Eventhough I drove like a fat snake without direction, but yes, I did it!

Sheeessh. It wasn't as hard as I thought.

My second driving lesson however requires me to drive on the road.

Being quite the mice, I was unsure of myself . The word Splattered Lasagna kept playing in my mind. Still, I stepped on the accelerator,  like a fat snake towards the road. Quite a few times , the engine shuts down as I released the clutch too fast. So, there I was, making my own private traffic congestion. Instead of making u-turns, I'd make w-turns and went to the other road (It was reflexes!). That irritated my teacher and I got a good scolding since I caused her to be late for the next student. I really felt like throwing up.

Arriving home, my dad asked, "How was it?

"Piece of cake Dad."

(Me, sucking it up....uwaaa)

~ The thing I don't want to learn is a lesson ~ Homer (Simpson)