Oink

Introducing Cartman's pig: Fluffy

Yes, this is indeed my year. If I were to go by the horoscope brouhaha, the year of the pig and all fellow piggies worldwide will be coupled with every sort of turmoil there ever will. I wanted to kick off this blog with a big bang the Occident way, only to stumble into an emotional cesspit of sorts.

Of sorts.

Understatement of the year.

So, sod the mind riddling travesty horoscopes have in store. I mean at the end of the day, it’s all a self fulfilling prophecy if you allow yourself to gag at the bullshit fengshui masters, astrologers and priests have regurgitated over the millennia. (whilst laughing on their way to their rolling bank, may I add.)

It’s been a long time since I blogged and while I find myself giggling at made-up anecdotes on the way to work, peeing in not-so-sterile pub toilets, and policing the atrocities people wear at Raffles Place, I am at a bloody lost on what exactly to talk about on my virgin post. I’ve switched blogs countless times now, either to avoid the vindictive pro-Islamic-fans, non-friendly blog applications and hacker(s) alike. So now, I’ve gone public. Be nice, because if you know me, I really am. :)

Back to my Oinky year. But before this blog continues to pay homage to a year of drama-mamaness, let’s recapitulate the big, eventful events in my life for the past year:

• Thailand, Tioman, India

I profess. I’m not a frequent flier. I’ve hardly traveled when I was younger; my idea of the world consists of Malaysia, Malaysia and Malaysia. So I made it a point come 2006, I have to take small baby steps, while stringing my budget and see what’s the big fuss all about out there. Conclusion: I still don’t see the fuss. Maybe I’ll eventually understand what the hell these life-turning enlightening trips are all about.

• Birthday

Celebrated my birthday in 2006 for a whole week. I had three birthday cakes, two hide and seek surprise dinners, loadsa gifts and enjoyable dinner/drinking sessions. Being single has its many perks – the company of too-good-too-many-friends. :)

• Work

Wonderful colleagues. Bitchy lovable drunkards. Only downside? Boss and pay. I’ve plans for both of them, which of course I shall not discuss publicly here. Ah, sweets!

• The-Start-Up

Fingers crossed. I’m not going to discuss this any more publicly. And despite my sardonic snorts when it comes to fengshui and superstition, I honestly can’t afford to jinx this one up. All in good time.

• School

Took up a part time B.A while busting my ass at work. That’s probably because I was busy writing my paper, dozing off at my desk and doing all sorts of research when I’m supposed to be working. All in all, I’ve been chalking up decent grades. So I got to pat myself on the back, no?

• Mum

We, (the whole family) were expecting it. But when the news came, it hit me hard. You know they say how news could be so bad it seems to hit you right in the gut? I never thought that was possible, partly because I’ve always seen mum as my superhero and another, I’ve never faced the possibility of her bowing down to the illness. And I’m dead afraid of death, fully knowing it’s inevitable and it’s the only confirmation for every single soul out here.

The good old manager had to drag me in the meeting room at work upon which I immediately burst in tears, sobbing and hyperventilating. He was kind enough to offer me his cigarettes, buy me coffee and suggested I go home and take the day off tomorrow. I stayed on at work, walked around Far East Sq in a daze, talked to mum who was sobbing like a little girl over the phone, started wailing in public (Thank god that place’s practically a ghost town in the evening) in between answering phone calls from concerned friends who insisted on knowing where I was so they could be there for me.

I’m still struggling to cope with this whole debacle and I know it’ll never end. Either this thing which shall not be named takes my mum, or she’ll overtake the thing via her mortality. Which is pretty redundant, I say. We all die.

The past few months consists of doctor appointments, financial appeals, and trying to live life normally. She’s getting paler, her skin’s thinning from all that Glivac and I’m trying to keep myself as busy as possible to just not to think about it.

• Love

A girlfriend once told me that my life will consist of many many whirlwind romances before culminating into The One. It’s a jinx I swear. (yes yes, didn’t I just pledge myself as a horoscope atheist?)

Whirlwind romances are great, fun, flighty. Girlfriends have told me not to get attached because they live vicariously through me. But four years of the same old shit? Pfft. This is what I’ve deduced so far on my “love” life:

“Love” has been reduced to equate the great clash of civilizations. (That's drama-queen for you) Filial piety, Islam, East, West, Orientalism, Muslim, Muslim Muslim and possibly Islamophobia. Oh, don’t we just hate bloody binaries? I’ve dated a good number to know me being Muslim will pose a huge problem for the long term. I don’t wish to insert any theological arguments here. There were splendid moments, great chemistry – in and out of bed, but the jinx shall prevail. To more whirlwind romances and *yawn* The One.

• Friends

- The joyrides, singing at the top of our lungs in the middle of the night along our many three-letter-acronym expressways

- The giddy pubbing sessions listening to live bands and dancing ourselves silly

- The serious one-on-one catch ups over coffee *blink*

- Eye candy watching and fashion policing along Raffles Place. And ye can’t say I can’t multi-task

- The late nights banging out our presentation, ordering Macdonalds take out and moonwalking down the library shelves

- The crazy club-hopping marathon we had

- The after-work drinking sessions or staying back in the office just talking. :)

- Supper sessions. Prata, Teh O Halia, Nasi Pattaya, Milo Dinosaur, Nasi Padprik. Al Ameen, Baghdad Street, Jalan Kayu, Tampines, Changi Village, Simpang Bedok, Gardens. No, we hardly do Newton or other tourist traps posing themselves as authentic hawker centers. Although I do concede, the food at Newton rocks.

List is endless. And the events above were a shallow summary of it. It’s been a tiring day, and will be even more so when I get back from The Good Vibrations music festival. To all the babis, piggies and boars out there: this is our year and may no ideological bullshit get in our way of **great success. Heh.

** To be enunciated and pronounced Borat-style.