Coolcat's Jottings

A chat with a dear old colleague of mine reminded me of the simple, sunny and cheerful person that he was. And he has not changed one iota in that respect. He talked about the rough patches in his life the same way as he talked about his awesome New Zealand vacation. The way he looked at problems and tackled them ~ everything is taken in stride with a dose of realism and heavily peppered with optimism.

TigerPrawn Drunken Chicken, you are such an inspiration, you know that?

When you take a bird's eye view on things, seemingly mammoth problems are reduced into pieces of cake.

I must confess that I do gripe about the things that are not right about my country. About corruption, the injustice I see, the inefficiencies, the 'tidak apa' attitude, and so on and so forth. When you can't think of anything else to say to a fellow Malaysian, these are all hot topics for conversation. Even though it's over-talked, over-analysed and over-everything, for those few moments that you gripe about the warts of the country and the government, you feel a temporary bond with that Malaysian(s). That you have a common ground and a common 'enemy'.

But for all the warts of my country and the bad image that some of its citizens portray, there are still a few good souls that quietly serve behind the scenes, untainted by the lure of corruption. Just because the good deeds were not reported doesn't mean that they did not happen. And to these few good people, they wouldn't consider it to be anything out of the ordinary. They were just doing their jobs.

An example that is close to heart happened to my brother. He was walking home one day and just before he was about to turn into the road where our house was, a boy who looked like a gangster came up to him asking for money.

My bro: I'm sorry, I don't have much with me now.
Gangster-like boy: Oh, where do you live then? Maybe we can get the money from your house. Also, I think I may need a place to stay. I'm hiding from some people.

When my brother heard that, he didn't know quite what to do. He certainly didn't want to lead this gangster boy to our home and endanger the rest of the family members. But if he doesn't comply to the boy's wishes, what would be the consequence of that? Also, he felt sorry for the boy who looked dirty, scared and hungry.

Thankfully, a patrol car pulled over and two plainclothes policeman came out to query the two boys. They have received prior complaints from various residents nearby about suspicious characters lurking around the area and have been patrolling the residential area regularly. So when they spotted my brother and the boy talking, they smelled a rat and decided to query them.

They allowed my brother to walk on home and they asked the other boy to follow them to the police station for further questioning since he couldn't produce his identity card for their inspection.

When my brother related the incident to us, we were amazed at the good timing of the sequence of events. God's timing was perfect and He sent a few good men to my brother's rescue. But how could He have sent anyone if they have not availed themselves? If they had just decided to be lax and just roam around the neighbourhood without observing much? Or just decide to take a break instead?

Yes, my country is not perfect. But for the good people that strive to do their best and give their all for it, I salute you. You unsung heroes are what makes our nation shine. May you no longer go unnoticed and unappreciated.

Recently, due to the persuasive skills of a salesgirl in Jaya Jusco, I decided to try out a new coffee brand ~ P-erl Cafe with Kacip Fatimah (need to put a dash because it's a banned word on my site!). It seems that Kacip Fatimah (ginseng specially formulated for women) helps women who have just given birth regain their energy faster. And for other women, it's just an energising herb.

But Kacip Fatimah has about the same connotation as Tongkat Ali (ginseng formulated for men). Both are notoriously touted as aphrodisiacs.

I wasn't into all these energising (nor aphrodisiac) thingy but the sample brew tasted good and the salesgirl was so sweet, so I bought a packet. No harm trying, right?

The very next morning I tried it. And discovered that it energised my wits a wee bit too much. Tongue became sassy and sharp. Teased my frens mercilessly. Yikes.

So, I decided to try it out in the afternoon instead. Today, specifically. After a heavy lunch and all, I needed all the energy I can get. The minute I mixed hot water into the brew, the whole office was abuzz. Everyone was sniffing the air and wondering who the coffee culprit was.

HK suspected it was me and turned to look and smile enquiringly at me. I lifted my mug and nodded to her. Everyone else saw that and their curiousity was soon appeased. We all had a good laugh.

The aroma is very distinct because of the ginseng, I guess. So far, no effects both good or bad have been observed as I sip it. It sure tastes great. But I still prefer my Chek Hup leh.

Because of its aphrodisiac connotations, I dared not offer it to my colleagues. Again, have an image to maintain mar.

Good to the last drop.

An excerpt of an email joke in Malay had me in giggles. The translation are in italics:

Murid : Selamat sejahtera cikgu!
Students: Good day to you, teacher!

Cikgu : Sama-sama, duduk! Dengar sini baik-baik. Hari ini cikgu nak uji kamu semua tentang perkataan berlawan. Bila cikgu sebutkan perkataannya, kamu semua mesti menjawab dengan cepat, lawan bagi perkataan-perkataan itu, faham?
Teacher: Same to you. Now sit down and listen up. Today, I will test you on 'Opposite Words'. When I say something, all of you must give me a quick answer of the opposite of what I say. Understand?

Murid : Faham, cikgu!
Students: We understand, teacher!

Cikgu : Saya tak mahu ada apa-apa gangguan.
Teacher: I don't want any disturbances.

Murid : (senyap)
Students: (quiet)

Cikgu : Pandai!
Teacher: Clever!

Murid : Bodoh!
Students: Stupid!

Cikgu : Tinggi!
Teacher: Tall!

Murid : Rendah!
Students: Short!

Cikgu : Jauh!
Teacher: Far!

Murid : Dekat!
Students: Near!

Cikgu : Keadilan!
Teacher: Justice! (also the name of a political party)

Murid : UMNO!
Students: UMNO! (Political party) (the opposing coalition party)

Cikgu : Salah!
Teacher: Wrong!

Murid : Betul!
Students: Correct!

Cikgu : Bodoh!
Teacher: Stupid!

Murid : Pandai!
Students: Clever!

Cikgu : Bukan!
Teacher: No!

Murid : Ya!
Students: Yes!

Cikgu : Oh Tuhan!
Teacher: Oh my God!

Murid : Oh Hamba!
Students: Oh my slave!

snip snip

Cikgu : UMNO adalah jawapan yang salah! Kamu semua ditahan tengah hari ini!
Teacher: UMNO is the wrong answer! You are all detained this afternoon!

Murid : UMNO jawapan betul! Dilepaskan tengah malam itu!
Students: UMNO is the right answer! We will be released on midnight!

Cikgu : (Senyap dan mengambil buku-bukunya keluar.)
Teacher: (Silence as she took her books and left the class)

Sebentar kemudian, loceng pun berdering. Murid-murid berasa lega kerana guru yang paling ditakuti oleh mereka telah keluar. Walau bagaimanapun, mereka merasa bangga kerana telah dapat menjawab kesemua soalan cikgu tadi, tetapi esok masih ada
A few moments later, the bell rang. The students were relieved that their most feared teacher has left the class. Nevertheless, they felt proud that they managed to answer all of her questions. But there is always tomorrow...

---

The joke kinda reminded me of what younger brothers normally do to irritate their elder sisters. The majority of my tiffs with my bro always revolves around him repeating every word I say.

Me: Eh, pick up after your own mess.
Bro: Eh, pick up after your own mess.
Me: Oi, are you trying to be funny?
Bro: Oi, are you trying to be funny?
Me: Arrggggh! I'm gonna cane ya!
Bro: (flees from crime scene)

Am I so ever glad that as the years passed, he grew up and decided to stop that irritating habit of his for good. Some things from childhood I do miss occasionally, but this one is definitely not one of them.

Was feeling peachy and fine when my bro had to share this link with me while doing some techy research.

Dedicated to Minchinbury. I'll miss you, little monster.

Reading the touching site dedicated to a deceased cat just made me wanna snuggle up somewhere and bawl in tears.

Thanks, bro for making me teary on a nice cool Wed afternoon. sniffles sniffles sob

It reminded me of the day my favourite cat Moosy died. Moosy was mostly black, too. She was the most loving and affectionate cat to ever grace my path. Her warm, loving nature was unlike any other cat. You know when a cat sucks up to you when they are hungry or just plain greedy. But Moosy (short for Musang) wasn't like that at all. I love calling her name and she would always come. Even when I have no fishies on hand for her, she would joyfully snuggle up to me and would be contented to just rest there by my side or on my lap. She was simple and uncalculative - unlike most cats. The 6 months or so of her stay with us was pure bliss.

One fateful morning, before I left for school, I called out her name as I stood outside the house. But no Moosy came. I felt a cold hand grip my heart. Instinctively I walked out to my house gates to check the road. And there Moosy lay, her usually warm body stiff and cold in the side of the road. Lifeless.

My heart broke into a million pieces that day. I felt that I could never love a cat that way again. Or even find another Moosy. I didn't even have a single photo of her to remember her by.

Even to this day whenever I think of dear Moosy, the tears would just well up. Rest in peace, Moosy - I'm sure you are in a better place now. I miss you.