L'été Abstrait

I had a chat with an 'old' friend today. I'm ashamed to admit that in some ways I've actually gone so far as to have erased her from my mind. I called her early.. straight off the gym and there was no answer. Typical. She never wakes up this early anyway. Except for that one time when I had to give her something out of the blue. It was a kind of present just without the birthday. She was happy even though it was an item with no real material value, just an item that meant something to her. Anyways, as I got back home, sat on my bed and wolfed down on my breakfast (2x Sausage McMuffins with Egg!) whilst impatiently watching the latest episode of Scrubs (yes, I know I'm THAT slow) she rang. Just as i got to it, it got cut off. Patience was definitely a virtue she did not have. So i called her back, and lo and behold it went straight to her voice mail. "Forget it," I mumbled under my breath. "I'm tired of being the good samaritan all the bloody ti...

What a great weekend. One of the very few (since work always gets in the way) that we're so proud to be having; surrounded by a group of exciting, young and very chatty bunch of twenty-somethings. La Bodega and Alexis served the canvas to which we splashed the rainbow of our conversations. An unforgettable weekend surrounded by a truly memorable group of people. Edit: In the previous post, I posted a comment wondering who we'd 'bump' into this week. It was a joke more than anything else. But I suppose not all jokes are actually funny. Some of them are downright uncomfortable. So I did bump into someone this weekend. She was the last person i thought i'd see, but see her i did anyways. We had small talk for a bit, deftly avoided the "why didn't you reply my messages" question (which would've been directed at me) and turned around and continued talking to our respective friends. I guess in some ways, it's a fitting end to the tale of iPanema. As ...

I don't think I'd like to be on TV; trundling along like an idiot with nothing better to do than to smile wider than the Penang Bridge whilst reading a teleprompter that shuffles faster than an ecstasy laden 18 year old chuffie during a rave party. But most of all I wouldn't want to be on TV for one reason and one reason alone; the constant eye glances and finger pointing at all but the most dilapidated of places. Plus, I'm sure no one would want to hire me either. Harith is funny as a pelican, Douglas Lim has wit to match his charm, Sharifah Amani has her cutesy pre-pubescent outlook and Mawi...well, everybody makes mistakes right? A television personality doesn't have to be the cream of the malaysian crop, but having good looks does help your door swing just that little bit wider. Once you're in the semi glamorous world that is Malaysian television you'd be hard pressed to get yourself out. I suppose it's fun for the first few months when a few hea...

Inspired by Elizabeth Bishop's seminal poem, One Art. So tell me, when was the last time you did something truly selfless? Ah, I see a few wayward hands being shamelessly lifted up, but people please..hands down. I'm here to inform you that giving to the poor isn't a selfless act. It's societal. A selfless act is something you do in spite of yourself. Like jumping in front of grenade, losing an arm and a leg for a squadmate. And no, doing it on the Xbox doesn't count. The act of human generosity and decency is waning so vividly in our society that in time, even primates might supersede us. Hey, at least they share their bananas. When was the last time you shared your Big Mac ? We have crafted the art of Selfishness to such an extent that it has become unrecognizable; a blur among other inate human tendencies which have become fallacies that directly contributed to our follies as denizens of what should have been a more productive and conducive society. The One Se...

Why can't I just get some fucking slack. Honestly. Just a little bit of room to breathe. I'm tired of getting an inch and losing a mile. Fuck. Some people have it easy. You should thank your lucky stars that you are. Damn it.

And to think that I spent 3 years studying this in Uni! You can get it all in just ONE internet post! Lol. Read it..it's really quite good! FEUDALISM: You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk. PURE SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else's cows. You have to take care of all of the cows. The government gives you as much milk as you need. BUREAUCRATIC SOCIALISM: You have two cows. The government takes them and put them in a barn with everyone else's cows. They are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the government took from the chicken farmers. The government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you need. FASCISM: You have two cows. The government takes both, hires you to take care of them and sells you the milk. PURE COMMUNISM: You have two cows. Your neighbors help you take care of them, and you all share the milk. RUSSIAN COMMUNISM: You have two cows. ...

“Are you driving?” came the voice on the other end; sultry, smooth with a hint of gentle playfulness. “Not really,” I replied, as a wall of noise blared through the telly. “My friend’s playing a driving game.” “Hah..at least I was close .” I could almost see her smile. The girl from Ipanema is back, like sunburn on a badly scarred skin, it hurts like hell but you can’t help but be amazed at how persistent that grimy crusted skin is seemingly seared onto your body. Like the typical disgruntled policeman, she’s always there when you least expect her to be. The girl from Ipanema inadvertently became the topic of yesterday’s very long and overdrawn lunch. Needless to say, I was told time again, that I should leave South America well and truly alone and return home, where the girls are just as inexorably intoxicating.  “But, I just can’t seem to find someone as ‘quirky’ as her.” I replied politely but firmly. “ Bro ,” his eyes tightened the way people generally do when they’r...

It was quite a sight really. Seeing him play with his niece at home, jokingly teasing his friend not to cry at the mamak stall..the small moments which happen everytime someone leaves. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but a farewell is never a happy moment. Seeing a friend leave for better and greener pastures has become quite a norm for me lately and I thought I'd be comfortable with it - but I'm not. I don't want to be used to it. Two friends have left for Singapore. I don't know when I'll be seeing them again even though it's just across the causeway. At least we had a hoot. The brash insults at everybody at the gym, the jokes we made at mamak stalls, the stupid lamborghini incident...they were all funny as fuck. Gym ain't gonna be the same without you since there's not another single crazy idiot who bench presses 100 lbs dumbells. All the best in your ventures in Singapore, 'brader'. And yes, I won't stop going to the gym. ...

"Hello..." Was the voice on the other end.  Sweet, innocent, with nary a hint of the intention behind her unexpected social call. "Hey," I responded. "I'm in a meeting."  "What?" she asked, unsure of what she had heard. "You're eating ?"  I repeated myself three times before she finally caught on to what I was actually saying . We both laughed. She laughed at my inability to form proper sentences, I laughed at her apparent hearing disability.  That's why I find her to be so intoxicating. She's like Blue Cheese dressing on your Nasi Lemak. So very wrong, yet so very exciting..a moving contradiction, so to speak. I have tried to shake her off like a bad case of the flu, yet I can't help but be drawn to her everytime she calls. She's cast  a spell  on me. And a pretty strong case of magic to boot.  Last week when I was down with my vicarious and largely temperamental viral infection, I told the girl from Ipanema ...

Ever wondered why a conversation over a warm cup of tea on a cold rainy day is one of the most pleasurable moments in life? Me neither. But I for one can attest that it, rocks. We can talk about anything and everything, and still have a canyon's worth of tales to recite. I derive a huge amount of pleasure from having the smallest most uninteresting conversations, just as long as it's with a group of people that I love. We joke about other people's idiocy and laugh at our own shortfalls. We take life's many challenges in giant yet humble strides, and try not to take everything too seriously. Sometimes you wonder if the moments you're experiencing will ever repeat itself again..and in some ways, it never does. But that doesn't make us any less fortunate. To have the opportunity to even bask in the comfort of each other's presence is a gift in itself. I never thought I'd see some of my friends ever again and I did. Some have even gotten married, and I'm...

What a new year's celebration. Thank you all for your kind wishes before, during and after new year's. My mailbox actually filled up..so I'm really sorry if i didn't receive/reply to all your msgs, probably i'll receive the remainder of the msgs today. I hope everyone had a new year's to remember, and may all your resolutions and wishes for 2006 come true. New Year's The company And our group shots. As Matiin said, "I couldn't have wished for a better group of people to share New Year's with." I couldn't agree more. I love you guys. To a smacking good year people. Warmest Wishes, Adlin Yusman