Days of Delirium

Do you realize that we're coming to an end of a decade? Seemed like only days ago we sang and danced to Jennifer Lopez's 'Waiting for Tonight', with its millennium-ushering theme video and now, 10 years have passed by just like that. Okay, maybe not you but I did sing the song in my room back then. I mean like, really? Has it really been 10 years from there to here? Maybe time doesn't do the justice but in terms of what I've endured in that period was worth telling through a memoir. A decade full of colors. The end of the year signifies my, ehem, birthday as well. I don't celebrate it in a grandeur way and I don't know how to either. Maybe I wasn't brought up in that way. Thankfully, some still remember it, earlier than expected. Megat sent me a card across the sea, way ahead of everyone else. Come to think of it, the last birthday card I received was like 3 years ago from Farra (complete with a gift, Pride & Prejudice novel by Jane Austen - our ...

So this is Boboy's replacement. Meet Baptiste McStormy ( pronounced as 'Bap-Tee') , a new addition to my family. He's a BlackBerry Storm 9500, a touchscreen smartphone with only four real button - call, end call, menu and back buttons. To Firah, I'm sorry I had break our pact of no-touchscreen-phones! I still haven't got over Boboy but I really need to reconnect to the world. So, I reached out to my sister who's (surprisingly) sorry for my loss and provide me with an adequate stimulus package a.k.a loan, to buy a new one. How I hate the idea of being indebted to anyone, financially or not. I don't believe in downgrade. I only believe in upgrade. The only times you need to downgrade are when you are being polite to others and when you're praying to God - that's when you have to be submissive. Other times, uh-oh, you only have to go up, up and up. Broke or not. So, I better upgrade myself then. Bold is too expensive and totally out of the budget an...

I've known Dr. Maya Angelou through her numerous appearances on Oprah and captivated by her personality. Her wisdom, her ideas and the way she talks as if a mother talking to her children. No wonder Oprah sees her as her mentor and I definitely learned a thing or two from this interesting lady as well. This book was first published in 1967 as a memoir of her life thus far and reprinted for its second edition this year, 2009. I saw it couple of weeks ago in Borders and the title is enough to entice me to read it more. I didn't buy it that day though, and ended up returning home feeling guilty and miserable. So, the next time I was in Pavilion, I dropped by Times bookstore and quickly made a purchase of this book. Though the first few pages seemed confusing and rather slow-paced, I simply couldn't put it down after moving on to chapter 3, 4 and so on. Miss Angelou shared her bittersweet childhood in this memoir and unlike most memoir where the story-telling seemed formal and ...

In Madam Kwan KLCC circa October 2008 I still remember clearly that evening. Tired and wasted, long train ride back home from Subang Jaya. Ayi accompanied me. Despite all, I wasn't even complaining with a new phone on the palm of my hand - a BlackBerry Curve I named Boboy. It was pure joy. That's one of the perks being neither rich nor coming from a wealthy family - I learned to work hard to get things in my way and when I did, it really paid off. This wasn't just a 'thing' - it was a momento of a dream come true for a 20-year-old boy, a hard work paid off and a passion realized even when people around me were going like 'BlackBerry what?' at that time. It has become like a midget friend, a companion to class, to leisure and everywhere else in between. A gadget that also acted as an instant accessory the moment I flipped it out of my pocket. Boboy was loved beyond comparison and he deserved too after much desiring and wanting. It was a single slip of fate la...

Couple of days back, my friend Hannah Azmir posted on my Facebook wall: "OMG Kye, you look like Dave Nuku!" Today, another pal the lovely Miss Hana Amira text me: "You should watch the Biggest Loser Asia. The trainer from the Blue team looks like you!" Seems like girls with name 'Hana/Hannah' really digging the similarities between he and I. I mean, I do notice the same tan skin, receding hairline and big nose but that's it. Maybe there's a slight similarity after all. Only from neck up, of course. Dave Nuku would probably laugh at my muffin top and recruit me ASAP into the blue team. Now, excuse me. I better start practicing my Aussie-British hybrid accent to role play him and get a sleeveless blue top.

Koko with his Juicy Couture baby bib (Photo taken last year) Hi Koko, I bet you must be feeling rather drab there. Sitting around for months in the same spot, here beside my CPU and resting your back against that LV paperbag - don't you feel lonely or bored? I bet I'd be if I were you. Hey, wanna know something? 2009 is almost over and - yeah! - my birthday is coming soon. Yeah, I can't believe it too, I know! Seems like I did nothing for the past one year except groaning, moaning and whining here in front of you. Do you know what I'd like to have for my birthday? There are three things actually. What did you say? Yeah, nobody would even care to give any of it to me, but no harm daydreaming and wishing for it, right? You know what, I'd love to have this inreciatto wallet from Bottega Veneta. It's something that I could use even after 10 years from now, I totally see it. The last time I checked, this one is around RM1500-RM2000. Kind of silly to spend that much ...

My awesome brother-in-law was recently admitted to Prince Court Medical Centre due to some knee problems. So, he had to undergo a surgery to reconstruct the ligament. Now, don't you ask me about the technical stuff here because I know nothing whatsoever about it, except that it sounds complicated, painful and expen-to-the-sive. Since I'm on holiday and had nothing to do except updating catalogue for my sister's online store (chantek-chantek.com - go and see it!), I've been travelling back and forth to the hospital. Of course I have an ulterior motive as well - to check on the swanky hospital too, alright. For KL-ites, PCMC is best known as that new hospital situated along Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Bukit Bintang, which is also a stone-throw away from Pavilion and other retail havens. Thus, finding it isn't hard at all for me as I've passed it gazillion times before. If the outside facade looks amazing, the inside looks equally breath-taking - if not better. There...

It's December and tonight it's raining. Probably, this is why I love December. A month filled with melancholy and damp air, but most importantly a month where we would always stop and reflect of the outgoing year. Has it really been a year, we would definitely ask ourselves though it seems silly to do so. I love December for as long as I could remember. This is the time when my walk slows down, my heart softens and my emotions get mellow. Everyday isn't as hot as the remaining eleven months. Almost everyday it rains. Suddenly, people all around care about each other and get together in the mood of ushering the new year and of course, the Christmas for our fellow Christians. I'm not spared in this mood of togetherness. I kept thinking about how wonderful the people around me are and what an exquisite bunch they have always been. Growing up was hard for me. Jeering and ill-words lingered around me as I grew up. Life was not always all-sunshine-and-butterflies, both at hom...