My Name is Earl

You know how life screws over one person and rewards another at the same time? Every once in a while you have to be the sucker who got screwed.

Lately, the feeling of living in the inside of my head has been so overwhelming that I have been less mindful of what I am doing physically. So today after being entrusted with a huge cash bill, I was sent on a shopping errand. I don't remember much of the events that happened, but I lost this bill. Desperate attempts to find it were futile.

It took me exactly 1.5 hours to get over the shock, the disbelief, the anger and sadness of the loss and means of replacement; all thanks to an adorable picture of a cat loaf! Feelings of disappointment over the unexpected turn of events remain, but with acceptance of facts, it is easier to handle.

So that was the sucker's part of the story.

Let's see the lucky person's side of the story. This area was particularly crowded with foreign workers of the lower-income range. I hope the one who found this bill was someone who needed it badly. Although I can't be sure of who the recipient was, it is some consolation knowing that who ever took it, will make good use of it for their happiness.

What a day!

Small Talk

Today I was awfully pissed off at a "friend" from work. Lately, she has been very distant and she is undoutedly passing a very destructive phase in her romantic life. Add to it, she is also quite manipulative. Work has been very hectic lately and my lunch breaks are reduced in half. I come to the lunch room to enjoy my lunch in peace. But no, I can't do that; there is a rowdy bunch who laughs so loudly, you can hardly hear your own thoughts. To add to that, my "friend", starts updating me on her love life without any invitation (I DON'T GIVE A DAMN, WOMAN. I HAVE LOST TRACK OF YOUR BOYFRIENDS AND THEIR BIOS. NOW LET ME EAT MY FOOD IN PEACE), as I play with my food longingly, trying to sneak in a spoonful of food when she stops talking for a bit.

Oh no, I am not that nice. I may feel sorry for her later and have her unload her troubles on me willingly, but not today. In the end, I was forced to listen to her simply because I had no other place to go and eat in a hurry. And she had no clue. URGH.

I very much dislike having "small talk" with people I don't associate with much. It is too fake most of the time:

X: HI (with much enthusiasm), how ARE you?
Me (for the hundredth time today): I am good, thanks *forced smile*.
X: How was your weekend?
Me: It was good (Quick Shu, try to recall what you did) *forced smile* (Shit, I can't remember! :O). I relaxed at home *forced smile* (OH OH I know, try the weather!). It is getting hotter now, can barely go out to do anything! (which is a lie, the weather is still bearable).
X: That's right! (loud laughter, hard to tell if it is real or forced), which is why I did _______ and ________ with ________ on Friday. OMG it was SO exciting. Blah Blah Blah. Next weekend, I want to do _______ at _______ with ________. And more Blah Blah Blahs.
Me: *forced smile* (Good grief. HELP) *another forced smile*
X: So how is that report coming along?
Me: (Finally, thought you'd never ask). Oh? That is coming along well. I should be done by lunch time. I will come and see you about it later today.
X: Thanks. I'll catch up later.
Me: Great, you have a good day. (Whew)
X: Yeah, you too.

Walks past, to notice another small talker approaching. (Quick Shu, make a dash for it!)

*WHIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ*

(Success! :D)

The Show Goes On

This week's No. 1 hit on on Shu's OCD chart IS:

*drum roll*



DAMN, I can't get enough of the orchestral music playing in the background. It even has a Chinese classical music feel to it. Love it!!!

Of resources

My phone rings and I take a look. "Asshole calling". Answer? Reject? my phone asks. I ignore.

Yes, that's what I've named him under my saved phone contacts!!! Brings a smile to my face each time he calls :D

I have a phone stalker/ nuisance caller. He gives me regular missed calls. Very few now, but a few weeks back, he was very persistent. I picked up the first call, not knowing who it is/ what it was about. He even managed to profess his intentions: "I want for you" (DUDE, if you ever want to attract a female, get your grammar right first. Chicks dig good English). Then, he kept calling till my sis threatened to "call the police". His calls reduced after that, and now, he gives me the occasional missed call at 12-ish in the night.

I also found out, because of a certain smart phone application which picks up people using this app AND being a saved contact on my phone, that his user name was "Ahmad". So the next time I face the unfortunate event of talking to this psychopath, I am going to call him by this name and see if he pees his pants. Worth a shot, anyway.

Apparently, my dad reads my facebook updates. My parents don't really know me like this blog does. As much as it is disturbing to know my dad sees my updates and judges me, I'm glad he gets to see a part of me that way. Damn, I got to be more careful now. No swear words. No sexual references. No racy comments. No revealing photos. I can do that. 

An example on how thought processes evolve as one ages (hypothetical scenes added for visual effect):

Stage 1:
What the hell is wrong with me? Why is everything I do wrong? (turns up the volume to max on her CD player and toys with the idea of accidentally drinking a few extra sleeping pills.)

Stage 2:
I am not assertive enough. People don't care about what I think. I'll never get ahead in life being like this. I am useless. (She comes home after a dreadful day in school, humiliated and frightened, throws herself on the bed and weeps.)

Stage 3
I am not very assertive. But that is MY inherent style. Sure, it is harder to get things done being like that. But I WILL find (quiet) ways of getting what I want. (She smiles.)

"Social Networking"

There is actually a term called "Facebook depression", gaining popularity in today's society. Eventhough the article on it I read addressed teens with low self-esteem issues, I think it applies to a huge population of Facebook users, regardless of age.

I myself have fallen into this plenty of times, mostly for brief moments, when I see and hear about all the happy, smiling faces going to exotic places, spending great times with loving partners or hanging out with adventurous companions. These carefully picked photos and phrases (I myself am guilty of this practice) just paint a very biased picture of the world. And if one is particularly feeling down on life and wallowing in self pity, then, spending hours on Facebook comparing notes will only send them down a spiral. For me, it doesn't take long to kick myself and tell myself that these are probably the very few great things happening in their lives and that I should be happy for them in the least.

Also, I realise that the morons who write silly things and show off their imperfections are not a bad thing after all. They are some of the few who keep it real in the Facebook world.

Meet the Friends

In the course of our life's journey, we make many friends. Different circumstances bring us together and different reasons keep us together. Some will remain closer to our heart than others.

The other day, I arranged for my 3 closest friends here (from office) to meet my travel buddies at an outdoor movie screening at a beautifully designed Egyptian-themed mall. I was a bit nervous. After all, they come from different backgrounds and the only common link for starters, was me. The initial unfamiliarity is like a black veil separating two worlds. Though, I know very well what's on either side, there is no knowing if these two worlds can co-exist happily when the veil comes off! It was not entirely a disaster and it will take time to develop and get past their differences in culture, gender, interests and preferences.

Adele. I first heard a song of hers on radio, when it peaked number one on the charts. The first time, I didn't like it; it is very different from what you might hear on radio these days. The second time, I heard it on radio during a long quiet drive, I was blown away. Somehow, I was left mystified by her voice and control of the song. I watched her on YouTube and thought to myself, how strong and confident she sounded, and that it must be because of her mature age (she looked matured). But today, I read up about her on Wiki and find out she is only 22 years of age! :O Looks can be deceiving!

Shuri is wondering if it is time to have an intervention for her Sis, who lately has been going on sudden bouts of spending cash on expensive shoes. This month alone, she got 3 new pairs. Compare this with the number of times she actually went out somewhere fancy wearing those of shoes this month = 3 days. hmmmm....the stats are a bit disturbing...

A New Delivery!

I went to see a new born baby today. My first impressions: it looked so tiny and fragile and dispropotionate. I didn't know what else I was supposed to think! I didn't feel my heart turn to mush like it does when I see baby animals. While in conversation with its mother, she describes her caesarean experience: it was better than my first. They gave a lot of pain killers and a local anaesthetic (injected to the lower spine) and I watched the whole operation. To me, this seemed like a development from traditional times. I mean, who doesn't want to take the path of least pain? Or pain distributed over a course of a week instead of that same raw pain felt over a short course of 5-10 hours? The healthcare system has brilliantly tapped into this market. Back in the olden days, child birth probably didn't cost a penny (might have cost a life, though). But now, a spohisticated child delivery as described above, costs nearly USD 6000.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is nearing it's finals. I'm thrilled the Aussies are out for good. Sure, they are a strong team, but those guys really have a rotten attitude. Plus, they've won too many times in the past. It's time for the tables to turn.

Seems like the English have lost their patents to the English Language. Seriously, I can understand many nationalities speak English better than I understand some of the English people's at work.

I just finished watching Karate Kid (the one with Will Smith's son) today, after 4 days of watching bits and pieces. It had its good moments,especially with Jackie Chan. But I thought the ending was rather lame. An African-American kid who trains possibly 3 months wins a tournament against all the Chinese kids who have probably been training for YEARS. I'm not buying it. Shu, when did you turn to such a cynic?!

This guy has a really sexy voice:
"Wonderful World" by James Morrison



Damn, I am coming down with a sore throat.