Suck Camel Toe

Got a short notice that I am suppose to go Lahore to clean up some shit on a certain project over there *sigh*.

The first thing to be done was to apply for visa. I brought my passport to office yesterday, to be given to our company appointed travel agent to apply the visa for me. Normally they will come to collect our document and by the end of the day will bring all the neccesary travel document back to us.

Yet, I was informed by the office admin that the travel agency told us the High Comission of Pakistan suddenly change their policy. We can no longer apply our visa through the travel agent. I have to personally go to the commission and apply for my visa.

By the time I was informed of this, it was already almost 11 am. I was told the comission visa application counter closes at 12 pm everyday. My plan to do a detail investigation into the shitty problem was abruptly interrupted. But that was just the begin of a hellish day.

The sky is dark, and it could rain anytime. I was comtemplating if I should lend a car from my colleague or should I go ahead with taking my bike. With car I could get stuck in the traffic jam, and finally I decide to go with my bike.

True enough, just when I was like 800 m away from the High Comission the rain poured down. I gotta stop my bike by the roadside and take cover under the monorail station (near Cheraton Hotel). It was about 11:20 am.

Just when I stopped and got down from the bike, my mobile started to ring. One of my team member carried out a system migration at a customer place the night before, and apparently there was problem with their system and my team member only manage to start the migration at about 6am or later. They had been there since 8pm the night before. My team member manage to migrate our part of the system successfully without any problem. Yet as a whole, the migration process was a screw up! So the customer wanted to us to help them rollback to old version. The problem was, they wanted my team member who was exhausted staying up whole night and morning to attend a meeting and most probably carry the rollback immediately.

So the phone call I received was from my team member, who explaining to me about the situation and asked for my advice. She offered to do the rollback remotely from her home to the customer, but they want her to be physically present. So there I was under the monorail station, with my pant partially wet, gotta make some decision for her. I made a couple of phone call, and come to conclusion that no matter what she will only do it remotely. I asked for favour from a guy from another department to attend the emergency meeting, and stand-by. Just when I was done with arranging that, I receive a phone call telling me that now the customer willing to allow my team member to carry out the rollback process remotely. So no more issue.

So back to my own problem. Now, the rain doesn't show the sign that I will stop or recede anytime soon. If I kept waiting there, I was sure fail to make it to the comission before 12pm. By 11:40 am, I made decision to leave my bike there and stopped a cab right there. So I manage to stop a cab. Only to be told in the cab that cab is not allowed into the comission compound. He has to stopped and dropped me at the hotel next door. So meaning will still get wet to running into the comission.

So after I got down from the cab, I decided to borrow an umbrella from the hotel. Only to be told I need to leave a RM50 deposite. Fine, I got not choice. So I manage to be at the visa application counter just few minutes before they closed. Now there was another problem. The office admin prepared all the documents for me, and so I take it for granted that every thing which is required for the visa application was provided for my in the envelop. Only at the counter when I saw the fee schedule pasted on the glass did it cross my mind about the application fee. Bugger! I only have RM70 left in my wallet, minus the RM50 I left at the hotel as deposite for the umbrella. The visa application fee is RM100. Shit!!!

Stupid mana! I gotta rushed back to hotel next door, returned the umbrella and get back my RM50 and run back to the comission next door, though the rain receded somewhat, I still got wet. Luckily I manage to get back in time before they close the counter, or so I thought!

When it's my turn came, I submit all the documents only was told that I need to photocopy my passport! Shitt!!! I try to get them to accept my application first, and I will run to hotel next door to photocopy my passport, and get it back to them immediately. He doesn't accept it, and insisted he will only accept full complete set of the documents. Damn... and looks like he gonna close the counter right after I left.

True enough, few minutes later when I got back with my passport photocopy, the counter already closed. Shit!!! I got into the comission main building asked about the guy where about, and was told to go into a back portion behind of the main building. I couldn't find the guy. After knocking and got into a few rooms, finally there was a guy who is kind enough to try to contact the visa guy for me, I was asked to wait.

So there I was waiting, but not too sure if they will accept my visa application or not. The problem was, it was kind of hard to comunicate with them, I don't really understand their english. Anyway I wait there for like 30 mins, when visa guy appear out of one of the room but told me wait further. He was going out for friday prayer I guess. Only like 20 mins later did he came back again, and asked for my documents.

I was pretty relieve, as if I don't get my visa approved I it will be too late for me resubmit it on Friday. I need to be in Lahore asap. I had my flight arranged on Friday, so I need my visa to be approved immediately. Thursday (today) is public holiday. I was running out of time.

The was another problem, they don't accept cash for the processing fee. I need to bank in the money into a bank and they will only take the receipt of the deposite. I try to explain to him my situation and urgency of the matter. He understood and promise to accept and approved my application by that day itself, but first I must deposite the money to their account first.

My bike was 800m away, and the rain has finally stopped. So I gotta walk all the way back to take my bike and head to the bank. Luckily my bike was still there, as park just by the road side. Went the deposite the money to the bank and took the receipt and went back to the comission. Finally got my visa application accepted. My visa can only be collected after 4:30pm. So headed back to office, and before that I asked them if it's possible that someone else collect it on my behalf. They said it's okie as long as I issue a authorisation letter to the guy.

So I call back to office, inform the office admin about it, and she will fax over the letter to our travel agent and asked them to collect my visa for me. That could be the end of it.

Yet, in the afternoon I was only being told more bad news. The comission do not want release my visa to our travel agent personnel. Now only they said they want to see the receipt that was issued to me. I told them we will fax the receipt over, but they are not willing to accept the fax. So I had to go back tomorrow morning to collect my passport and visa myself. Luckily my flight is in the noon.
Bugger!

Busted

After after having managed to avoid from bumping into my boss when I went into and went out of office for like one whole week, finally there is just no more avoiding today. He owe me a status update on certain issue and I can't wait to get the update until tomorrow (well, technically it's today).

So he was standing and discussing with one of guy just outside our room when I was leaving office, and I went to check with him on the update. Well, he asked me to join him with another vice president for a drink and told me he will update me during the drinking. And, finally he saw that I was holding my worn-out leather jacket and helmet.

As usual, he try to ask me not to ride bike and try to get me to car pool with other colleagues until my car is fixed. I told him, it's not convenient and promise to ride carefully. He doesn't seems convinced, well (eyes rolls).... anyway I manage to change topic and so the whole issue of me riding was being forgetten.

So three of us was having a bottle of chivas in the blacken pub just now. It's like that for almost one hour until the power supply to the pub (and few lots of pubs) was restore. And three of us had finnished like 3/4 of the bottle before we decided to call it a day.

I was pretty high, and I had I have another shot I would be drunked. So the vice president was sending me back to office (car park) to get my bike and head home. Near my office, he was trying to find out if I was still sober.

him: Are you sure you are okie to ride home? We can stop by a mamak have something to cools off and get sober.
mana: It's okie.
him: You pronounce it's okie like it'swokie. You sure you are fine?

Then we passed by a billboard ads.

him: You see that billboard over there? What was written on the billboard?
mana: You mean the top or the bottom?
him: The bottom.
mana: The top is "Sharp". The one on the piece of paper the lady is holding is "Mesin cetak, penyalin dan fuck!"
him: WTF? Okie, you are sober. It's not "fucks" lar, it's "Faks".
mana: Well, I was pronouncing it using bahasa baku! Hahaahaaa.....

Mercy there is still

Well, it's a near miss again this morning. Well, technically yesterday morning.

I had to use the Federal Highway again, needed to submit one last document for the claim. While I was passing through a certain motorcycle lane's tunnel, there was this idiot decided that to carry out some stunt. Everyone knows the motorcycle lane on the Federal Hightway is a one way lane. Yet this bugger decided to act funny, and went against the norm.

Well, I wouldn't be so pissed if he were to do at a straight stretch. Yet, to do it at the sharp corner in a tunnel that's almost suicidal and homocidal.

I was in this tunnel, and at the sharp corner out of no where this bugger just appear to be heading toward me. The only thing which came to me was "FuckED!@#$@#@#!!!!". What the hell is this idiot think he is doing?

Luckily I was riding on the left side of the lane. If I were to decide to ride one the right side or even the middle of the less than 1 meter wide motorlane, at the very least I would have a broken limb. Riding at the 70 KM/hours is normal in a dark tunnel like that, yet assuming he is riding at 30 KM/hour, that effective mean the head to head colision happen at the effective speed of 100 KM/hour.

The moment when his front light come into my view, he was at the very most 3 fucking meters away from me. That mean I had less than 1 second to react, and steer away, which is almost impossible. If I was to ride on the right side of the lane, I would have been a direct hit and I wouldn't be able to update this post now.

Well, after all my luck wasn't so bad. There is mercy still on this soul. rAmen!

How much worse can it get?

I don't how long will this bad luck period last this time. Lately, I don't really feeling like riding my bike through Federal Highway. Despite it comes with a motocycle lane, I just don't think it's safe enough. With endless constructions and reconstructions going on, there are too many hazards and having to slow down and detour to car lane wasn't to my liking at all. I rather ride all the way on the car lane, at least I don't have a false sense of security and be more alert, and the ride is smoother.

Yet I had to take Federal Highway to work this morning. I need to drop a few document for my insurance claim at the workshop, which happen to be near the Federal Highway. So I dropped off the document, and got back into Federal Highway to get to office.

At a certain stretch, I had to slow down my bike and forced to detour onto the car lane. Despite all the plastic divider they put to turn the car road's shoulder into a temporary motorlane, I just don't feel safe. As careful as I ought to be, I turn to look at my right before make the detour and true enough there were a couple of bikes came into temporary motor lane from the car lane, which ought not happen. So I slow down my bike, and come to halt to let them pass before I hit into them.

I was putting down my left leg to support myself and the stagnant bike. The next thing I knew, there was a thud sound, and that sent me into imbalance. Obviously my right leg can't support the sudden surge in momentum, what more with a pretty big bike like that. All I manage to do was to quickly put both of my leg firmly on the ground, and open it as wide as possible and let the bike fall to it's side in between my leg.

As soon as the bike has safely landed on it's side on the ground and it's engine went off, I turned around. There was a kapcai at the back. Obviously he wasn't paying attention, and hit into my bike's rear wheel when I stopped my bike. He has guilty painted all over his face, and apologise profusely. I was pretty pissed, but wasn't in the mood to even scold him.

I am more worry about picking up my bike and put it upright. With the compact physique that I have, the last time I had my bike lie on it's side, I spent almost all 90% of my energy to bring it upright. Yet luckily I manage to bring it up without much effort this morning. Make a quick inspection, and nothing seems to be damaged, not even a scratch mark. I waved my hand to let the guy go, he seems to be pretty nervous but grateful. Off he went, and I started my bike and continue my journey to work. Only when I was already in the motion did I noticed the gear pedal had somehow slightly bended inward. Having gone through two accidents in a week, small little bend like this not even worth fretting about.

Two accidents in a week, how much worse can it get?

Sedikit Pun Tak ingin Ku Lepaskan

Ku rela terus terjaga demi mendegar pernafasan mu
Perhatikan senyuman dalam lena mu
Sambil kau jauh mengelamun
Sanggup ku luangkan hidupku dalam kepasrahan semanis ini
Sanggup ku terus tengelam dalam detik ini untuk selamanya
Setiap detik bersama mu pasti ku abadikan selamanya

Tak ingin ku pejamkan mata ku
Tak ingin ku terlena
Kerna ku pasti merindui mu, sayang
Dan tak ingin ku terlepas biar sedetik
Meski ku termimpi akan diri mu
Mimpi semanis madu sekalipun takkan sepadan
Ku tetap merindui mu, sayang
Dan sedikit pun tak ingin ku lepaskan

Terbaring di samping mu merasai dengupan jantung mu
Dan ku ingin ketahui apakah mimpi mu itu
Tertanya-tanya jika ku yang kau tampak
Kemudian ku kucup akan mata mu dan bersyukur kehadrat ilahi
Dan aku hanya ingin terus bersama mu
Dalam suasana sebegini untuk selama lamanya

Tak ingin ku pejamkan mata ku
Tak ingin ku terlena
Kerna ku pasti merindui mu, sayang
Dan tak ingin ku terlepas biar sedetik
Meski ku termimpi akan diri mu
Mimpi semanis madu sakalipun tak terpadan
Ku tetap merindui mu, sayang
Dan sedikit pun tak ingin ku lepaskan

Tak ingin ku tertinggal biar hanya satu senyuman
Tak ingin ku tertinggal biar hanya satu kucupan
Sesungguhnya, ku hanya ingin bersama mu
Ku hanya ingin mendampingi mu
Merasai hatimu hampir pada hati ku
Dan kekal di sini dalam saat sebegini
Sehingga ke akhir hayat ku

Tak ingin ku pejamkan mata ku
Tak ingin ku terlena
Kerna ku pasti aku akan merindui mu, sayang
Dan tak ingin ku tertinggal biar sedetik
Meski ku mimpi akan diri mu
Mimpi semanis madu sekalipun tak terpadan
Ku pasti tetap merindui mu, sayang
Dan sedikit pun tak ingin ku lepaskan

Tak ingin ku pejamkan mata ku
Tak ingin ku terlena, yeah
Dan sedikit pun tak ingin ku lepaskan.

* * *

Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Lying close to you feeling your heart beating
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming
Wondering if it's me you're seeing
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together
And I just wanna stay with you
In this moment forever, forever and ever

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna miss one smile
I don't wanna miss one kiss
Well, I just wanna be with you
Right here with you, just like this
I just wanna hold you close
Feel your heart so close to mine
And stay here in this moment
For all the rest of time

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
Cause I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Cause I'd miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Cause even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'd still miss you, baby
And I don't wanna miss a thing

Don't wanna close my eyes
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah
I don't wanna miss a thing

Wrecked my car

Yes, I wrecked my car few nights ago. Well actually it was morning. I had a few drinks, before that. Not drunk, just careless and wasn't pay full attention on the road. At one of the corner, I think I step on the break a little to hard, and combined with the slippery road and also the rubber strip on the road, sent my car into a spin.

In that split second, I don't know if I should just let the car continue to spin or should I step harder on the break. The car was thrown toward the curb on the left side of the road. I think I tried step on the break again, but to no avail. Then I turned the steering wheel to counter the spin, maybe I turn wheel a little too fast, and that brought the car to spin in another direction. I felt hapless and the car was beyond my control anymore. That was when I gave up trying and let the car head straight into the curb on right side of the flyover.

The car come to a sudden stop when it hit the curb. The car was in perpendicular to the curb. I didn't remember when did I switched the gear to neutral, but that was the position it is in when I wanted to switch to reverse the car and get out from the tight corner before any vehicle come from around the corner and bang into me. To get down the car and check the damage was definitely not a wise move. In that tight corner, any vehicle could come anytime and it may be too late for them to notice a stagnant car stop in the middle of road, and bang right into it.

It took a couple of reverse and maneuvering before I manage to bring my car out from the tight spot, and from the feels of it I don't think there is any damage to the engine or internal moving part of the car. Both light are still functioning, the engine sound ok. It's just a couple more km's to my house. So I just head straight home.

Only once I reached home and parked my car did I come down from the car and checked the damage. Everything was still there. There is a dent on the front bumper, there is also a couple of dent on the bonnet. These two alone could make a big dent in my wallet.

Based on the rough estimation from the guy at the service center just now, the repair will easily cost 6 to 7 grand. There goes my NCB. Gonna have to pay for higher premium for insurance next year. Life's suck!

Anyway, I was lucky to escape from any bodily injury, and also for the fact that there is no car tailing me during the accident and after the accident when I was getting out from the tight spot. So what do I learn from this? I guess, I learn nothing.

Though this could be the most serious accident (at least in term of damage to my wallet) that I had ever get into, it's not the first. Through out 16 years of driving and riding, I had not more than serious 3 accidents. Most of the time, it's because I wasn't paying full attention. When I said I wasn't paying full attention, it's not sometime like paying 60% or 70% percent attention on the road. It's more like paying less than 50% attention on the road :P It's my bad.

In the last accident, maybe 8-9 years ago, I was on my kapcai and was greeting a certain receptionist who happen to come out from the factory gate and standing by the road side. The next thing I knew, the bike hit the hump and send itself and me flying into the air. The next thing I knew, there were blood on my left hand and left leg. I can't remember exactly how I fly and hit the ground, but from the wounds, it's obvious that I landed with left side of my body first. There was wound on my pride too, I guess :P

The receptionist, and a security guard came to me. Help me up to my feet, and brought the bike up. As in most of situation like that, adrenaline which being pump into my blood sort of suppressed the pain from of the wounds. Also being the stubborn ass that I am, I rode more than 15km all the way back home with the torn shirt, pant and flesh. I got home and took a bath and clean the wounds myself before head to clinic :P The cut on the back of my left hand was pretty deep that, the scar remains until today. But what did I learn? Zero!

I am thinking, can we really avoid accident? Probably to a certain extends, but not totally I think. It's has to do with luck (or karma or whatever you name it). Just like death. When it's time, there is no escape. Well, you may delay it sometimes. But sooner or later, it will get to you. So why worry too much about it? Worry is good sometime if taken in small little dose, but not too much. When it started to take a fun out of our life, that's when to stop. Too much of a good thing may not necessarily be a good thing.

The key word is balance. That accident I had few nights ago, it's probably a natures (or karma) ways of achieving balance. It snap me out of my inattention, and brought thing back into a balance before it's too late. Before I get into a much serious imbalance state, which may require a life or more to achieve the balance again. It could have been worse.

Three shaky legs and two pairs of foul lips

This, or something like this, was told in the car while we were heading to Ampang for a dinner with a couple of business partner. It was told in mandarin, and may sounds better in it's original form. Anyway without further ado... Ops.. one last thing, this is a 18SX post.

A man got up a bus. While walking toward the back of the moving bus, he knocked into a women.

Woman: What's the blardy wrong with you? You can't even walk steadily, even with three legs!
Man: I figure you have two pairs of lips my lady, and I reckon that both are equally foul!

Devil's Advocate

I am that little devil today (well technically yesterday). A business partner made a proposition, which based on our evaluation seems to be strategic in the long run, alas they are too eager. The relationship is too important to be jeopardised with outright rejection.

Then come another entity which are equally eager to jump onto the bandwagon. Pushed themselve in and proposed to supply a certain crucial component to the system.

A couple of weeks ago, after a certain discussion, the game plan was being ironed out, and I was to play the role of the little devil. As someone who normally ought to suggest and find a solution to problems, this role requires lots of hard-rewiring of my circuits.

Instead of removing the stumbling block, or find an elegant way around stumbling blocks, I have to seek out the stumbling block and put in open for everyone to see and do nothing about it. Well I have to somehow, "act" like I am thinking very hard to find a solution, and in the end I gotta failed myself. And of course the stumbling block has to come from the other entity.

Throughout most part of the discussion today, I need not directly single out the stumbling block. It was pretty obvious to the partner, and they brought up on their own. Yet, whenever opportunity present itself I do add in some fuel to the fire. It's my bad.

I am not an angel, and this is not the first time for me to play the little devil. Yet all the previous devil hatched from anger, hate or other negative emotion/feeling from within. But not this time, this is purely survival instinct, in it's natural and naked form. Like an animal. Animal Mana!

Tomorrow, well technically it's later today; will be another animal day for Mana. From what transpire today, and the backup force which has been summoned, tomorrow gonna a tougher day and Mana may need to reveal it's horns and tail. Wish me luck!