Monday, June 29, 2009

11,443...

days later.


I've learnt that...
I should never recommend my dad watch a pirated Hollywood DVD before I've watched it first.

I've learnt that...
if water coming out of the water-cooler smells like durian, it's probably not the water.

I've learnt that...
respect must be earned. And kept.

I've learnt that...
if you're looking for something, it helps to know what it looks like. Or at least what it should look like.

I've learnt that...
contrary to popular belief, there are some things lawyers can't do.

I've learnt that...
it really is mind over matter.

I've learnt that...
there are some things that will only make sense when you go through it yourself.

I've learnt that...
women's lack of a sense of direction is not a myth.

I've learnt that...
speaking clearly and to the point is becoming a lost art.

I've learnt that...
too many people I know want things they know they will most likely not get.

I've learnt that...
many happy people I know did not have things going the fairy tale way.

I've learnt that...
I should not question the plots in Hindi movies.

I've learnt that...
dates and anniversaries (save a few) are not as important as they are made out to be.

I've learnt that...
for some of us, time is running out :-)

Monday, June 15, 2009

Seventeenth...

at.


I hadn’t noticed it before, but there’s an abandoned house that comes into view first.

Apartments that are too expensive follow.

I never realised that the city was quite this green. There are lots of trees, forming what seems to be a forest, dotted by buildings.

Next, a building where a friend of mine used to work in. Haven’t heard from her for a while now.

I can see the intersection of two of the busiest roads in Kuala Lumpur from up here, Raja Laut and Sultan Ismail. Who were these two men anyway? In the mornings, it’s actually quite scenic to see the traffic snarl, it’s as therapeutic as watching a river flowing slowly. And in the late evenings, the never-ending streams of car lamps help illuminate the city roads. When these streams of light begin to quiver, it’s time to go home.

If I look straight down, I can see one of the reasons Malaysians are the way we are now. Three primary schools, side by side. I didn’t realize they were so close together. Learning pretty much the same thing, but in different languages. Walls separate their school compounds today, walls that we’ll try to bring down tomorrow. Bird’s eye view of the future I have of these children.

Looking up, sometimes I get to see a storm coming. Quite a show - the buildup of the clouds, the graying of the sky, sometimes aging the day by numerous hours in a matter of a few minutes. The rain pelts the window, but never indicating the havoc it will cause all the way down there. Gridlocks result.

I can see the Gombak river. The colour of the river seems healthier these days. A relentless heavy downpour still makes it break its banks though, and flood the minor roads behind this building, submerging the cars parked illegally and the Tiong Nam households. The metro heaves on above the river, on its tracks that snake with the flow.

I can also see the world’s fifth highest telecommunications tower. It gives the city skyline character, regardless looking like a massive baby rattle or not.

There is a somewhat resident eagle that flies the skies around my building. I haven’t seen him in the one week that I’ve moved to this floor.

Only after watching the movie ‘Cinta’ did I appreciate what a charming city KL was. Now, I am charmed by the city every working day.

I really like my new room, and certainly don’t mind spending hours working from here, with a splendid view like this. And with my cup of Ipoh old town coffee.

I turn back to my desk.

Two laptops stare back at me.

Now, if only either one was in good working condition…