Sometimes, I would get really pissed with my colleague - Blackie. I think he has a fucked up thinking that he don’t rightfully breathe at all.

He can sometimes be a very self centered person, and unbelievably particular at one thing. For example, he would drive 10km further to another station just to earn an extra point for his petrol. I mean, come on, not that the extra point would get you much…

In my country, this is commonly called - Kiasu or Kiasi (afraid of losing or die). It’s a cynical behavior that is known to plague the Chinese in Malaysia and Singapore. Typically, a kiasu person would calculate up to the cents and points just for his/her own advantage. Such is the character of Blackie, my lunch mate. And if it involves borrowing or lending stuff, he would always be the one to borrow and never lend. That is why I never ask him out to a party or a drink. I don’t party or drink with a people like him. It makes me feel sad.

This morning, I was complaining about some traffic problem I encountered a few weeks ago. I was complaining about some inconsiderate fuckers who did 20 - 30 kph on a perfectly clear, straight, one-way and wide expressway, on the express lane. I was expecting some rational empathy from the guys but much to my shock and horror, I got a protest from Blackie. I was like, alright, why do you think it’s wrong for me to feel this way. He said it’s perfectly legal for them to drive 20 - 30 kph on a perfectly clear, straight, one-way and wide expressway, on the express lane - because they are merely complying to the speed limit. I went like - What the fuck??

To me, that’s definitely road hogging. Driving at 20 - 30kph is ridiculous and those who drives at that speed on the express lane on ANY ROAD, ought to be hung and shot. Or at least get a ticket. But Blackie insisted that roads without the speed limit sign, have a standard limit of 40 kph. Doug seem to also support that idea (that old fart). I do not know what the fuck was wrong with both of them today but, I lambasted at them right away

“That’s why we have so many cases of inexplicable traffic congestions! It is because we have fucked up people like both of you.”

There are no such rules that you should drive your car complying to the imaginary 40 kph speed limit if there’s no speed limit sign. If you want to go somewhere - go there FAST and safe. He told me “Even the parking lot has a speed limit of 10 kph…”

“That’s because they are PARKING LOTS moron… Parking lots are different from expressways.”
“Some bigger highways have a speed limit of 60 kph. What more of this smaller expressway you’re talking about?”
“You stupid fuck. That’s probably because there are exceptionally high number of accidents there and they specially imposed a 60 kph limit.”

I don’t understand how a guy of 30 years old still could not get his mind straight.

Ok. I hate to admit this but, I have a ‘boss’. Nope, not my workplace boss but, a ‘boss’ outside. You know, the one that covers me when I’m in trouble? Yeah.

Well, some of my friends always bash me up with concerns, how could a fine person like myself can end up with such troubles. What can I do? I am living in a challenging world out here, and without the ‘boss’, I surely would not have survived that long.

The protection that the boss gave doesn’t come free of course. I have to pay monthly fee to sustain the service… and there’s no bailing out unless I clear all my debts. He has an organization not to be messed with. With his networks of cohorts, and other connections, it’s virtually impossible to escape from his clasp once you’re in.

*Sigh* My mom always reminds me not to mix up with bad company like this, but it really is not that I refuse to listen to her. It’s just that, I was pushed to a dead end and had no choice but to submit to this. I am in so much trouble now. Me and my stupid ass. I could have lived a much more carefree life without this. No more sleepless nights and worries.

[Tears rolling down my cheeks]. Oh, is there anyone out there willing to help me get out of this mess? Please? Does anyone care anymore?

The boss I was referring to = Citibank. I just came home from settling a fraction of my credit card debts. [wiping my tears away]

I woke up feeling like shit all over this morning. I felt so darn sleepy. Actually, I felt pretty much the same every morning except weekends, but today was exceptional. Why? It was because I knew I’m not going to have a good night sleep frin tomorrow onwards.

Emily’s sisters are coming to Penang tomorrow. Well, her sisters are actually ok for me, but it is their kids that are not ok. That’s right, 2 sisters, 2 nieces and 2 nephews. I will probably be thrilled to have so many kids around if I were Michael Jackson. But this is Michael Ooi here. This Michael, isn’t too fond of have little people running around.

Tonight will be for me to do some major housekeeping around. I will have to keep all my harddisks… cables… modems … and other computer gadgets. You can imagine myself like preparing for a war, everything will have to be stowed away for safety. Not those little bastards’ safety but, more for my stuff. My floor will also be littered with rice and pukes… and I’m also in for a risk of having my sofa wrecked again. Like what Charles did months ago.

And then, I also will be worrying about my car. Emily will be driving them around the town with my car. That’s because our family only owns one car. I already started to imagine the kids jumping up and down inside my car and stress my absorbers to the limit. And they will not hesitate to practice their footprinting art work on my cushions and screens. My car will be stressed to its mechanical limit and over, like there’s not going to be another tomorrow. And without the car, I will have to stay at home by myself… no clubbing, no movies and plenty of worries.

That’s why I am feeling like shit all over. It is because I know I am fucked for the weekend. [sigh]

My ailing knee is getting worse and I finally went for another checkup today. The physiotherapist recommended for an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan, as he suspected that I might have a torn ligament. I was about to tell him that my pocket’s torn too, and if this is going to cost me a leg, then I might as well live with the ailing knee. But before I could tell him that, he told me of a good news - that both the scan and treatment are fully claimable with my medical insurance.

Since I do not have to pay a single cent, I agreed to go for the scan. I had to travel to another location in town to do it.

Once I was inside the MRI clinic, I was greeted by 2 young nurses. One of the nurses, gave me a set of verbal questionnaire prior the scan. I was made to answer all sorts of questions - am I a smoker? did I pierce my body parts? do I have earrings or any metal parts inside my body? And of course, all my answers were ‘No’. But the nurse kept repeating the ‘body piercing’ question, as if she couldn’t believe that I’m clean. Maybe I looked like a punk to her. Whatever.

Then I was led into a room where the other nurse asked me to change to a green robe. The green robe was the type where you’re to wear it by slotting in through the front. Like a semi-poncho or something. And I looked ridiculous with that thing on. I looked like a dolt in it, especially with a shower cap on (yes, they made me wear a shower cap as well). I was then ushered towards a small room, and while I was walking along the long corridor, I heard some giggling behind me. I was the nurses. They’re laughing at me from behind, probably because my ass was exposed from behind (the stupid robe)… It was humiliating (now that I think of it, I should have ripped a badass fart right then)

Once I was in the MRI scan room, I was asked to lie down on a flat table and had my leg strapped like I was about to be raped or something. Once the strap was secured, I was electrically conveyed into a machine that resembled a giant coffee maker. Once I was inside there, the doctor bellowed through the microphone to ask me “Stop moving or your scan will be affected”. I wasn’t even moving, I was strapped… remember? I had to lie down very still for 40 minutes, half naked and it was cold. My nipples were rock hard and my strapped leg was numb. For the first time in my life, I felt like a lab rat… all for that stupid knee.

Well, fast forward an hour later, I finally got out of there and got the result. The scan revealed that my knee suffered some kind of condition called ‘plica syndrome’ (no it’s not a form of retardation you motherfucking cheebye). The doctor tried to explain in detail to me but I could not register anything at all. So, the layman term that I would use to describe my knee is - a fucked up knee that doesn’t need no surgery. And that’s good enough for me. I just need to take some medication and follow 10 sessions of physiotherapy to make it well again.

But it means nothing much to me. All I wanted was a good night sleep. The knee had caused enough sleepless night for me… and if this doesn’t work, I’m gonna have to fucking die.

There was a program shown on National Geographic last night talking about food taboo. It was basically a study about various cultural differences when it comes to food. Eg. durian smells good to most of us South East Asians, but the Westerners think it smells rotten.
Quite interesting I must say.

Now that durian example was just a light case. Do you know that there are actually places in this world that condones eating exotic animals? There was this one part in the show featuring candid interviews with a few gweilos (typical white dudes) about consuming dog meat — “Eeeewww… I would never eat a dog. It’s cruel.”

They were exhibiting such an intense abhorrence on the topic as if they were being asked to kill and eat their school music teacher. Killing dogs are cruel, they said. They can’t bear the thought of having to kill a living dog just to have its meat. Like, you’d be cast into the deepest pits in hell if you do that. You get the idea.

You know what? Those guy are assholes.

They must have thought that beef and pork are derived from vegetables. If I was actually there during the interview session, I would have yelled square at their faces - WAKE UP! PEOPLE KILL ANIMALS FOR FOOD! From the beef patty in your MacDonald’s burger, to the bucket of fried chicken you ordered for your son’s birthday, they’re all parts from an animal slaughter. If you still do not fucking get it, here’s another way of saying it - some animals have to die everyday to feed your ignorant and stupid ass. And why is it so different with dogs?

My point is - don’t be such a hypocritical jackass if you don’t know about something. If you’re a meat eater, then you’re a meat eater. It makes no difference if you eat a chicken or a giraffe. If you’re refraining from eating certain types of meat because it violates some of your personal principle, fine. Just don’t fucking eat it. But don’t be going around insulting other cultures as CRUEL, just because they eat something you do not agree.

Let’s face it. We humans have been eating animals for thousands of years to evolve into what we are today. Had our cave dwelling ancestors had reservations about consuming meat, we’d all be sloths hanging upside down on tree branches now, or worst, folded back in existence through massive extinction. We needed all the proteins, fibers, fats, minerals and energy for the evolution. For the brain to grow. For survival.

Food taboo is a very sensitive topic and has always been. For me, I personally believe that all cultures are unique and they should be respected as they ought to be. They world will be a much peaceful place if we could only learn how to respect other cultures. Having said that, I am not ashamed to admit that I’d eat anything edible just to get a taste. Not so much on respecting other cultures but, just a principle of my own that I only get to live once, if I don’t try it in this lifetime, I won’t get another life. (and I don’t go around condemning people who eats something out of my common diet)

Anyway, it was a good show.