When one is left behind...

It's morning. The morning light brings with it a sense of a new beginning. A new beginning for everyone. For me, for my family, my friends. Everyone.

But I didn't want it to begin this way...

I have had new beginning's before. More than I would like to remember, and this one like the others, pains me as well. Maybe more, since I am now able to fully comprehend the complex emotions that flood me.

At first I started out venturing into the big wide world. More for necessity than choice. You see, my mother left me. I don't know where she went and whatever siblings I had I don't remember what happened to them.

Lost and alone, someone picked me up. Salvation. I thought I was saved. But that feeling was only short-lived. Soon, I was to be sent away to another place.

I arrived safely and was cared for. It was a good feeling but deep inside, I knew this was not to be my permanent home. No, the greater powers above had other plans for me. Still I made friends, most unexpected of all with a dog named after the infamous hurricane which ravaged New Orleans.

True enough a family came and adopted me, giving me a place to stay. And for a while I thought I was home...

The time has come for me to go. My new foster parents are here for me. My family, is moving away to a land far away. It's better for me this way they said. Don't worry, I won't cry. I've done this many times before and I'm all grown up now.

You may see this as an end, but for me, it's a new beginning. So be happy for me, the way I'm happy for you. That you're moving on. I will too, in my own way.

I wish you a safe journey to the land for away. May you be well and happy. Farewell, and thanks for all the fish.

-The one who was left behind-

Oh... f@ck...!

Oooohhh.... f@ck! This is bad, this is bad! He knows! God knows how he knows but he knows! Even I'm not sure if God knows that he knows, but he knows!

Ohf@ckohf@ckohf@ck! He's BACK!!!!

Why so soon?!?!?! It's too soon it's too soon it's too soon! He's not supposed to be back till late! That's what he said! Oh s#it! What am I gonna do??!?! I'm so f@cked!

Hooooooolleeeeeeyyyy s#iiiiiiiiiiiiit! I can hear his bike, he's back! Onononononono, wait, I know. I'll pretend, yes, it's always good to pretend. I'll just pretend like nothing happened and he won't know. I'll just sit and look up at the beautiful full moon tonight and pretend that nothing happened...

But he'll find out!!! Eventually... and eventually means it'll be too late! Haha!

But what if he knows the moment he stopped the bike? He has this uncanny way of knowing things. Some might call it a sixth sense, and some say we have it too, but it's just too much to RISK!!! I just know he'll know! My own sixth sense tells me that!

Oh f@ck, he's back! He's just outside the gate. Hide the evidence, HIDE the evidence! Oh wait, it's too late, he'll see. I'll just act innocent. That's right, don't look him in the eye. He'll know.

Dum de daa...

Cathy, what're you doing??? Cathy! Stop acting suspicious! He has his way of knowing! CATHY stop that now! Just chill, okay? Relax. Don't! F@ck! Just act normal, okay? We're in this together. If I get in trouble, you'll get in trouble too. You're my accomplice remember? Haha!

Okay, he's got off the bike, taking his gloves off. Act calm act calm. Just sitting there, acting calm. That's it, Cathy, do the same. That's a good girl. We're gonna make it.

He's opening the gate, Cathy! Stop! Don't go there! Just stay here with me. I need you. Please. Thank you.

Okay, he's coming in. He doesn't have a clue... (grins inside)

*In reality, I dare not grin out loud for fear of being discovered... but all seems well... for now... *

Wait, he's not smiling. Oh f@ck, he paused! I knew it, I just knew it! Oh no he's taking out the torchlight app!!!

Phew! False alarm. He's just shining the way in. Okay, divert his attention away from the area. Okay, that's good. We're safe. Oh f@ck! He stopped again. My heart is beating. My sixth sense tells me he knows. Oh f@ck he knows!

Wait, he's going into the house. We're safe! But wait, he isn't smiling. I bet he knows something's up, he just hasn't seen the evidence yet. Anytime now...

Cathy, behave. Remember, the plan is to be on our best behaviour. Hopefully he forgets to check... That's it, go to your room Cathy. I'll wait here for him. Okay, he's wheeling the bike in. So far so good, but don't smile yet. It'll give it away.

He's shutting the gate, we're almost there Cathy. Just stay nonchalant. F@ck! He stopped. Ononononononoo... he's turning to the left... I knew it, he KNOWS!!! Some how, he just knows this stuff! Arrrghhh! We're busted Cathy, we're so busted. He'll have our @rses for dinner! Oh f@ck oh f@ck oh f@ck!

HE FOUND IT!!! NooOoOOOOoOo!!! We didn't cover it up in time!!! He's sorting it out now!!! Oh woe is me!!! He's gonna kill me!

S#it, wait. He's walking back into the house. Could it be? Are we forgiven? Oh no oh no oh no... oh f@ck! He's giving me The Grin! Oh f@ck I'm so dead! He's going in, he hardly even flinched after seeing the mess we made! We're so in deep s#it! Oh f@ck!

He's still inside. I don't think he's gonna walk us tonight. That's our punishment.

He gave me The Grin. I'm sure he has something planned. Oh f@ck, I'm so scared! It's your fault Cathy! If only you jumped up and down to greet him like you always do! It's all your fault! What? Me? WTF?!

Oh f@ck how am I to get peace of mind?!?! Oh the guilt! Oh the suffering... oh f@ck oh f@ck oh f@ck...

-Cirque the Relentless-

A Random Solitary Thought...

It is a rare occasion when I can sit down in front of my trusty laptop and have absolutely nothing urgent to attend to.

And thus, it is so on a quiet (well, not quite, considering it is still Chinese New Year and my neighbours are still shooting fireworks in the sky...) Saturday night. The dogs have had their walk and are tucked into the porch and crate where they sleep, the water is on the boil for some nice herbal tea and I have a couple of minutes before the water boils to finish this entry.

So it boils down (no directionally intentional pun intended) to how often I find the time to update this intriguing piece of cyberspace. No doubt my posts have been sporadic at best, and my recent meetings with old friends have yielded the question of when was the last time I wrote. Ironically, these same people haven't been reading my blog for the past year. Or more.

This blog originally served as a platform to update friends of the mundane and sometimes less than mundane happenings of my life. However as one friend puts it, Facebook does that efficiently these days. So is it still necessary to update this space?

I believe so. For this blog also serves as a channel to express my unresolved thoughts and opinions, most of which (especially to those who know me) are not fit to publish on a site such as Facebook for fear of many repercussions, be it towards co-workers, friends and even family.

But lately, most of my blog-able thoughts have been resolved before they make it to the binary fields of the internet, causing much silence in this blog in need of dire attention.

So it has come to be that I shall henceforth express my resolved thoughts and opinions on this space, at least as a creative means to practise my writing. The occasional story may follow, as and when the bug bites.

And I guess, as I manage to find these little pockets of time, so shall Multipurpose Man arise, as will the alter-egos of my pets, past and present; and many more.

Good night everyone, and have a good weekend ahead.

Happy Anniversary!

No, it's not mine. Not even close. Not that I have any particular anniversary that is big enough to regard. Or even an official one.

I'm talking about my parents' anniversary. Well, it hasn't happened yet at the time of posting, but it's coming soon. Thing is, me and my sibs (siblings); we decided to do something for them this year. But let me start at the beginning.

The three of us have been working for some time now. And things have been moving lately. And my parents, well... they've been around through thick and thin, through tempers and lack thereof. They've given us unending support through our tough times, constantly reminding us of our responsibilities, but always there, sometimes nagging, but never forcing.

They've seen us through. They had faith in us. Still have faith in us. And their faith is what brought us here today. Their trust in us enables us to grow in our own way, to forge our own paths with minimal restraint, yet plenty of support.

They've never really berated us for our decisions, rather guided us through them. Even when I secretly bought that bike. But that's another story.

Anyway, someone came up with an idea to get something for them for Christmas or Chinese New Year, and I thought, why not surprise them when they least expect it? Give it to them as an anniversary gift! Because (check this out!) none of us really knew when they got married and had kids (that would be us btw) and if that never happened, we wouldn't be born and wouldn't be able to buy that nice flat-screen TV they're watching now, right?

Well, not quite true. If I remember correctly, it was sometime in the middle of this month. But my memory hasn't been too reliable lately. And my parents don't really celebrate it anyway; not as much as the other holidays and birthdays.

So if you're both reading this, and if you're both watching that new flat-screen TV which we got you (and which I haven't even seen myself) every other night, then know that we bought it for you, as a testament that you raised us the right way.

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad! May you enjoy your gift from all of us and may you always be well and happy!

P.S. May you also make sure my dog gets plenty of exercise. Thanks! :p

Inspired Experiments

This post is what I call an experiment. Rather, the inspiration for this post was born from a discussion I had recently with a friend on the somewhat mundane topic of 'back-lit' keyboards.

I had casually mentioned to him my intention of upgrading my current laptop keyboard with a back-lit version so that I can blog in the wee hours of the night without the lights on. Yes, see the irony? And I don't even share my room (or my house for that matter) with anyone else.

So as I was sitting at my desk in the middle of the night wondering what I can do to pass the time before my hair dries (I always prefer the natural method) and perhaps feel sleepy enough to partake in the mundane but necessary task of sleeping, I stumbled across this age old blog and remembered that it's purpose is to digitally log my unexciting and sometimes meticulous thoughts in 0's and 1's. Plus I totally forgot to update it last month, something I promised myself to do more of this second half of the year.

Anyway, as I logged on, I wondered what I should be writing about. Then I remembered the conversation I had with my friend, to which he casually and diligently called me a noob for needing to look at my keyboard while typing. "Do you even look at your keyboard when you type?", he asked. "No... I guess not", I answered, somewhat unsure of the answer myself. "So why do you need a back-lit keyboard?" came the curt retort.

And so, I flipped the light switch as I logged on to the blog and have been happily typing in the dark for the past fifteen minutes. Without looking at my keyboard. Much.

Point taken. I will now spend my couple hundred ringgit on other necessities such as toothpaste and cheap beer. Or maybe even donate it to a charity of my choice.

Decisions, decisions.

The Adventures of Pete and Pikay

Pete grew up in a nondescript part of town in a small house enough for his family of three which consists of him, his construction worker father and his mother who is unemployed and does housewifely duties.

His only companion therefore, is a little chicken which he lovingly calls Pikay. Little Pete is fond of daydreaming, something he became increasingly good at since he is devoid of the usual amenities which children his age are subjected to. Little electronic necessities like the PlayStation, Xbox, Wii, iPads and many more. Things his rather poor family couldn't afford.

So Pete spends his days playing with Pikay, imagining the great adventures they would encounter together. 'One day Pikay, we're gonna be heroes!' he always tells his yellow feathered friend.

This story is about one of their adventures. The day started with no particular event worth mentioning. Then just after lunch, Pete was summoned to the kitchen by his mother. 'Pete, I need you to do something for me!' she yelled in her usual commanding voice. And in his imaginative mind, he begins to wander...

'Behold Pikay! The Queen has summoned us for an adventure!' Sir Pete told Pikay upon his return from the castle. His feathered mount stood as tall as its master. Pikay was the size of an ostrich. He vaguely resembles one of the Chocobos from the Final Fantasy series, a talk yellow ostrich-like creature which heroes would mount as their preferred mode of transportation. Pikay clucked in response.

'Ho! I bet you're just waiting to find out what adventure awaits us!' he continued. The huge bird nodded eagerly. 'We have to seek out the Galus Domestica! A fearsome creature that has been terrorizing the nearby villages! If we succeed, and I've no doubt we will, we will be greatly rewarded!' Pikay looked on attentively. 'We shall slay the beast and bring its carcass back to the Queen! And then the townspeople will feast on its meat tonight!' Pikay nodded his approval and the adventurers headed off into the horizon!

Soon they arrived at the place where the Galus was last seen. 'It's got to be here somewhere... stay with me Pikay' Sir Pete whispered. 'Pikay? Pikay, where are...' he turned around, but Pikay was nowhere to be seen. 'Ah well, it's better this way. He might just get in the way when the fighting starts...' Pete tried to convince himself. He was puzzled as to why his companion had disappeared.

Suddenly, a slight rustling behind alerted him to possible danger. Pete turned around just in time to see a monstrous creature loom over him. With his lightning quick reflexes he dodged the talons of the beast and rolled away to safety. Getting up, he turned towards his adversary, sword in hand.

The creature stood tall, with a majestic wing span, its feathers unfurled in rage! Its feet are armed with talons sharp enough to cut through steel. 'My armor won't protect me this time...' Pete thought to himself. Its beak was long and sharp, enough to impale a full-grown man with its strike. On the creature's head lies a thorny crest, a testament to the beast's rank as one of the deadliest creatures to walk this earth.

Pete's hands began to sweat. The creature dug its talons into the ground ready to charge. Pete gripped his sword with both hands. He would have to kill the creature with one strike. He has only one chance. It's him or the bird.

With a piercing scream the Galus charged towards Pete. He could only stand still as the gigantic strides of the beast took it closer to its prey.

At the last possible moment Pete leaped to the side and stuck out his sword to the side. The creature's charge missed him but his sword managed to pierce the creature's side. However it became stuck in its flesh and Pete was dragged along and the creature tossed and turned, trying to dislodge his passenger.

After a struggle, Pete managed to climb atop the bird and yanked his sword out. The beast roared, a terrible sound that could be heard for miles. Pete took the opportunity to slit the throat of the beast. The monster roared on last time before it collapsed. The Galus is finally killed.

Rejoicing, Pete looked around for Pikay but his trusted mount was nowhere to be seen. 'Guess I'll have to drag this thing back myself...' he said to himself as he grabbed the feathered monster and started on his journey home.

The Queen was pleased to see him as he dragged the monster to her throne!

'Oh Pete! What a good boy you've been! Thanks for completing your task!' his mother beamed at him. 'Tonight we'll all have roast chicken for dinner!'

Little Pete looked down. Cradled in his bloody hands was the body of Pikay.

Recollections...

It has been a year and a day to a month since my last post. Time flies... and so did I, at least more than I did before. Priorities have taken their place and as this cobwebbed web space has shown, they have taken my time as well.

Sometimes all it takes is a quiet moment in the middle of a sleepless night to reminisce about the old days a year ago, and perhaps a little further back. Back to the day when I decided to embark on a yet unknown journey of self discovery.

Who'd have thought I'd get here one day. Assuming so, and those who know me know how much I dislike assumptions; that this is only a mere pit-stop on the race track of life.Having said that, I much prefer to stick to the slow lanes instead, despite having a much faster vehicle of late.

Life is too long to be rushed, and too short to dawdle. I'm taking the middle path, wherever it may take me. I'm just hoping it's not some place too warm or too cold. I do the same with my actions, or rather I try to. That's something I learned along the way.

As time passes by me, so do priorities... and it's time once again, for a change. Let's hope it's a good one this time.