Locked out of the house, entrapped in a game

Last Monday night, me, my brother and my dad got locked out of the house...Only mom was fast asleep in her bad. How come? Well, mom forgot to take the key out from the door on the inside, so those outside couldn’t get it. And my house phone not working, so couldn’t call. And her handphone was in the living room, so she couldn’t hear. Basically, we couldn’t get her and so we all found our own place to stay for the night.

Li Yee was supposed to stay over that night, so we were in a pickle. Ended up in Samuel's house and we decided to play RISK, modern style, using network-ed computers. Lemme say first off that I had never, ever played RISK before and Li only once, so we were literally new-bees. Attempted 2 games, both were cut short thanks to the laptop batt dying out, and the second time it hung...

At that time me and Li were one team, Samuel another, and Chris n Joe the 3rd team, they were in another room. After the 2 mini games, we got so sick of Samuel's noise, he was literally talking to the computer monitor, and at one point I’m convinced he was speaking in tongues. Then Timothy came in, and started giving team Numanuma (me and Li) advice... Not that we didn’t appreciate him helping, but we preferred to do it on our own, learn from the bottom up. So for the start of the 3rd game, we chose to take the other room, locked the doors, didnt let anyone in and refused any help or advice.

And so it began, the third and final game. I and Li had gotten a better hang of it, and we're determined to prove the guys wrong. Sorry la, but this is the part I cant stand, they think they're so great, from the start already look down on us, so me and Li really focused this time, and guess what ?!?!? They got a real good challenge, and bottom line, me and Li WON!!!! The com hung again, after the 3hour+ game, but the statistics show that we were on top, and so, so, SO near to completing our mission. The guys will say "no la, not counted cause the game didn’t properly end...etc..." but WHATEVER! We still won. It’s a lesson to be learned...See what you get when you underestimate first timers...

Slept at 6am, woke up at 7am...did errands, showered, went to work by 10. Was a zombie the whole day. Hope this won’t get back to my boss..hahaha...

Time, Flags and Captain Ball

Last Saturday was Copa Iba...woo hoo! Sadly I couldn’t take my digicam with me cause my mom wanted to use it. I did take some pics when we were making the flag, and after uploading them, I realized that I took almost the EXACT same pics last year...We were at the same place(Joshua's house), same time (night) but different ppl.Josh and Sam look so young! Looking at the pics its crazy to think how fast one year went by. So much has happened and so much has stayed the same.

I played for TTDI church again this year...feel a bit guilty and again say sorry to TLC.I'm not a traitor okay, they didn’t have enough girls...(?)And last year there wasn’t even any space in TLC's team, so...I have to admit though, I really enjoy playing with TTDI team, we're all so jolly, laughing at the most silly nonsense imaginable, and even with barely any training, we can play together alright.But the ironic thing is, the grouping I was in, first match was against LIFE CHAPEL! Argh! The horror of playing against own church. Oh well,thats the way the cookie crumbles...

It was a bad start to the day actually, with me and Li getting up late, thanks to our usual mamak session the night before…terrible…! Poor Josh had to wait outside for 8minutes while we got ready. But all worked out as we weren't the latest ppl to arrive at church...as long as Samuel's around, I'll never be the latest! TLC's convoy got lost on the way to RRIM, so hilarious cause in my car Josh was saying "We should've taken a left back there, not a right..." and true enough, about 3minutes later, the bus we rented, along with 6other cars all had to make a big U-turn, and trust me, on those kinda roads its not an easy task.

This year Copa for me was more fun, I guess cause after RBS I know a whole lot of other ppl from various churches. Was nice to see ppl here n there with the monkey shirt on. But I don’t think was the right time for a proper "catching up" session, as everyone was just everywhere, doing their own thing. Overall I had a very fulfilling day, played the best I could, got bonked on the head by an elbow that resulted in a slightly painful bump, goofed about with my pals, and just enjoyed spending the day cheering on others.

Now I come to the part of copa that I don’t like. Put competition and guys together, its bound to turn into something ugly. Kayla, not all the blame on guys,90% at least. But I feel copa is not achieving what it started out to do. Its become so competitive, that injuries, sometimes serious ones occur during matches, people lose their cool, and in anger, words come out that shouldn't. To me, it should just be a day where different churches can all come together and have a good, fun day of sports, as well as an event for bringing friends. NOT who's the winner, NOT bad mouthing churches behind their backs, NOT winning at all costs. Sorry la, but I feel strongly bout this cause how can you on the one hand say we're Christians at a Christian event, and then behave like we have no principles. This is SO not practicing what you preach, and at the end of the day, what matters most? A good testimony or a medal. I'm not saying I wouldn’t wanna win , or that those who trained hard for it don’t deserve it, its just that I expect a different standard of playing and ethics at Copa Iba I guess...There were some really great teams that seemed to have it "right" , playing properly, yet laughing and just having a good game of Captain ball.

Then there's the whole importing the best players from state level and so on...I'm cool with ppl inviting a friend that they've been making an effort to bring to church and all, but last minute call to come, then never see ever again...? What’s that all about?!? Sometimes I wonder if events like this do more harm than good? I'm optimistic by saying, of COURSE good la, think of all the new comers and fun had...and so on. But every year its so predictable what’s gonna happen that in the back of my mind I’m like "...what’s the point?"

Basically, at Copa I do get to see the ugly side of people, but then again we are only human. I just hope I never become a highly strung, crazy "win or die trying" person. Don’t think I ever will tho, I laugh too much and take it easy most of the time. I mean, what is the point of shouting ur head of, or getting all angry and bothered over something that will soon melt into the past?

Which brings me back to how time works. Like last year's Copa, it's already become a memory. And since I took it as just a game, I can remember things like how the flag took so long to finish, how the TTDI convoy got lost going (ish,maybe I’m the jinx), my un-colour coordinated team, when I was catcher I nearly fell off the chair and a cute defender helped steady me...Mmmmm...(cant believe Chris saw that!) and of course, getting sun burnt. NOT how many points we lost by, NOT who banged into me hard on purpose, NOT which church was the rough one...

On a happy note, I DIDNT get a sunburn for the first time in YEARS! Usually I’m the one looking like a lobster by the end of the day. Really pays to keep reapplying sun block. Its so much fun to see others in pain cause of the trapped heat and peeling skin...Muahahaha...

Its 3am and i must be lonely...

Nope. Not at all. The past week, at around 3am I’ve had some of the deepest conversations with people, ever. I think it has something to do with when you stay awake past your body clock's normal sleeping time, then you're body is tired-ish, but mind so awake and alert...You just say whatever that comes to ur mind, but because of laziness or whatever, you don’t bother to sugar coat ur words, or be politically correct or word it in a way so as not to offend anyone. You just say what’s from your gut, honest and raw.

With diff people, I talked about relationships, masks we wear, people's expectations, church policies, practices and beliefs, the new pope and how to clean a baby's blocked nose. (I’m still very skeptical of the method I was told). The conversation just flowed on and on. And the best part is, it was with people who would actually listen to what I was saying, and not just want to speak their opinion and to heck with what I think.

But if course you cant just be having these kinda talks with any ol' Joe, because it’s at these times, 3am is when you might be vulnerable. Like thieves, they break into ur house when everyone is fast asleep, commanders attack the enemy in the dead of night, like wise, when speaking openly and honestly, you’re breaking down masks, and barriers and defenses. So, if it’s with the wrong person, there's the danger of damage being done.

I've kena that before. Being honest with someone, telling them some stuff, and the fella turn around and backstab me...Argh! Talk about a totally wrong judgment of character. But back to the talks I had, one of the main themes was who we are, and who other's view us as...It’s very scary. What was kinda concluded is that nobody really knows anybody... And that’s super sad, dont you think? We only know to a certain degree about a person what that person chooses to reveal. But I don’t believe in that either. I feel I know some people really well, better than they think I know.

I guess, we can never really know if we know someone. And maybe some things are better left unknown. But I still think if there's even an opportunity to talk with a friend, a 3am talk as I call it, go for it. Some people have told me it seems too prying and not appropriate and “don’t la, maybe the person doesn’t wanna open up”. There’s no harm in trying. Obviously don’t push it la, like a rhino barging into a tree. But if you never try, then you’ll never know if you could’ve actually opened up urself to someone and had the same in return.

**For those that saw World on Fire, I wonder if you noticed something. There's a scene bout a woman that works 2 jobs in Ghana, selling oranges at night, bout 1minute 35seconds into the video. When she enters her house, did ya see that was painted on the door? Psalm 118 (5-12?) I dunno bout you, but I find that amazing.**

Even 2cents can help someone somewhere...

I'm so irritated with myself. The times when I actually have alot to write, I never can find the time to do so, the times when I’m blank-minded, oodle's of time to do all sorts of nonsense. So anyways, I’m first writing bout last Saturday's treasure hunt at TTDI that I took part in. I was SO geared up for it, cause I love things like that. Arrived at the place, earlier than my other teammates and was blindly walking about trying to figure out where to go.

Finally the others arrived and ten minutes later it began. The first challenge was hilarious! Each team had to piggy back their members up a slope bout 100m. This is when u see the gila-ness of some. After the 3...2...1...GO some hero's tried to run all the way up, starting off at such an impressive pace, but before even reaching half way, their arms were dead. It was SO funny to see all the teams laughing, joking and having a fun time from the start. I must say it was a good starting game cause everyone then had such a happy mood. Thankfully since my team was 5 ppl, i didn’t have to carry nor be carried (the person would prob die man) so I just walked along beside giving support and laughing my butt off.

And then the real hunt began.Lemme say this, I thought it would be a very challenging and tough hunt, figuring out the clues...getting the right answers. Basically, we read SO much into the clues thought so so deep bout it, when the answer all along was so obvious. I mean some answers were just smack right in front of out noses...But there were one or two clues that got us really stumped and one involving a pic of a map,which made me regret not knowing more world/general knowledge...And another number puzzle that we couldn't for the life of us figure out. That was so frustrating, but at least the next night, after scrutinizing it again (we took a pic of it) I got it, and it was simple once you don’t think so hard. I guess the "lesson" to learn from all this is, sometimes in life we shouldn’t read too much into things..Just take it as it is, dont question, ponder, or delve too deep,cause the more you do so, the further away you are from what it really is.

Another silly thing we did was take our own sweet time to finish it..We were slowly taking a stroll, as if we were taking a nice evening walk...I think we were the second last team to finish...kekeke. But it was great fun overall, and if there was another similar event anytime soon, I’d go again.

It was organized by World Vision, a Christian relief and development organization working for the well being of all people, especially children. Through emergency relief, education, health care, economic development and promotion of justice, World Vision helps communities help themselves. There was a display of pic's and information on what they'd done since 1950.I was looking at the pics and feeling so sad at the plight of others. I hate the world and the way it is. I hate the fact that some people live luxurious lives in one part of the world, and in another, people are struggling to get enough food. I hate seeing ppl (celebrities) splash out on unnecessary things, when the money could be used so much better else where. For any of you who've seen Sarah McLachlan's, World on Fire video, you’d understand what I mean. For those that haven’t, if you've read this far, please GO and check it out. I was so sad when I first saw it. I just hope by watching it we'll all think twice before spending...or doing anything for that matter. How can we have dreams and ideals for a better world and yet don’t even make a change ourselves.

"...We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line
On this short run ...
The more we take the less we become
The fortune of one man means less for some..." Sarah McLachlan

Dont be perasaan la...for others sake =)

Tuesday night, 11.20pm,pull up in front of friends house to surprise him.
By 11.45,it was all over. Had we acted at 11.44, it would've been a success.But sadly it didnt go as planned...
Lemme explain. We we're supposed to show up and surprise our friend to celebrate his bday at the stroke of midnight.Supposedly this dude knew all the tricks and couldnt be conned. Well,we were really THAT close to it working. Because we arrived early, we sat in the car planning the best way to get around it.Daniel kept saying faster ,do it faster or he'll suspect! But we still thought it was too early...When we did exit the car,it was the same time the bday boy came outta his house,so we scurried into a back alley,but too late,we were spotted. ARGH!!!! So irritating okay,there we were all ready to get him,but...sigh...
His reasoning, he said he know's us better than we thought,and he knew we'd be up to something...Putting his perassan-ness and so-sure-of-myself attitude aside, its kinda nice i guess, that he just KNEW we'd do something..
Oh well,although plan failed, we still had a brilliant time. Went to a nearby padang,bday cake, guitar and all...Really nice little spot actually,tho someone was spooked,and waited for midnight to come. Well,after making him stand on the bench while we sang,we got our revenge by smearing the cream all over his face ,and forcing him to eat half the cake.We then spent the next hour or so talking and just enjoying the night.
Overall, it ws a semi-success i guess. Only flawed by his overwhelming perassan-ness..hahaha..still, i think he apprieciated it..Anyway, the next time i ever plan anything for anyone, i gotta make sure all angles are covered,otherwise the surprisers will end up becoming the surprised...

Moral of the story is : "Dont give guys too much time to think,or else they'll figure it out..." -Daniel Looi-

Just a fun day to remember...

Is there a rule that says you cant publish anything late...? Cause i'm atempting to recapture Sunday's feelings and put them down. Actually, i wanted to write it on the Monday,i was still having the after effects of a fun weekend so was all ready to jot em down, when i had an argument with a friend out of the blue over msn. I dunno what triggered it, and it was just a small debate at first,then grew into something...not so small. Spoilt my mood, my own fault perhaps, i was in the mood for an argument,and when it was about that particular topic...
Nyways, my weekend was a blast...Considering i work on Sat's as well,it basically leaves just Sunday for me to enjoy myself.I left the house at 8.15am and got home at 12-ish am...Loooong day. A friend from Kuantan had come down ,and so we spent the day together. Went to One Utama thinking she hadnt been there before,turns out just the day before she had gone and spent SIX HOURS walking around there...Oh well, thats life i guess. Then i gotta call from another pal, who didnt invite me for her bday lunch first of all, so i pretended to throw a bitch fit la, act like a diva...Turns out they had no plans yet,so were asking me what i was doing..See la,these ppl just cant live without me....Hahahaha! So after proving my point that I'm a happening person,and that without me nothing's the same (yeah rite!) they decided to come to O.U as well and we all have lunch together. We had BK and just laughed our pants off, talking bout anythng and everything. Its one of those days,where everyone's happy and the group n feeling is just right! Saw a cute lil Mat Salleh toddler that was wearing undies with car's on em, so cute! The others accused me of being gatal....Idiots. After lunch,we went to play pool...That was another experience altogether. Out of 6,2 know how to play, 1 played once before, and the other 3 dont know. So in an hour forty minutes,we managed to finish TWO games...Amazing. Even had time to take pictures...we posers no shame wan.
Went for ice cream, talked some more and decided that by about 6, we should get going. I planned to go home first,shower and change then go for dinner with some other ppl, but ended up just waiting at a friends house till the time came,then going straight.While waiting,3 of us girls sat on the bed and talked about BOYS....! hahaha,so funny, considering our age,we were reduced to giggling teenagers...

So dinner time,have i ever mentioned how i hate it when ppl cant decide where to go,what to eat..etc...? Well, i cant stand it. The juggling back n forward,no one wanting to say they dowan mamak or want chinese or feel like banana leaf rice...Irritating! We had only 2choices so that made it easier. Less choice the better actually.When the others finally came, 40mins later (cause someone had to change out of his hot pants to more decent shorts) we settled down to eat! And again,after dinner, went for ice cream!!! There's just something about ice cream that brings out the kid in you, especially cone,cause it'll be melting and dripping all over the place,that even the most "proper-mannered" person will have to lick all over or else risk getting sticky hands. So a McDee's choco top,and 2hours later,it was time to call it a day. After getting home,washing up n all, i just lay in bed thinking what a great day it had been.Going through the events. The reason i'm writing about this day,is cause its rare to have a FULL day of fun and happiness...And i fear i'll forget, and so on days when i'm down or blue, i know i can always come back to this entry and get an instant pick-me-up.

Skies

Today i had dinner out on the roadside, havent done it in some time as its been raining most evenings... This evening, was lovely...the air around was cool, the "wet/rain" feeling had gone, and my fav. the sky was lovely...a beautiful blend of blues and purples and pinks,with touches of the suns last rays shining here and there...Ever since i was younger, around sunset i'd jump up n sit on my wall , and watch the sky change as the sun went down. From my limited view, i couldnt see directly the perfect circle dissapear,but the sky was good enough for me. So if you ever see me looking up at something,dont be surprised if its just the sky . I mentioned to my friend how i'd love to paint my room like the sky at sunset. But i think,personally I'd never be satisfied with it. It would never be the right colour, right hue , right feeling... Much like how i feel about life in general. Right now, i'm not feeling "Brady-bunch happy", actually kinda down. And its so weird cause few hours ago i was having a blast playing pool n foosball with my friends! Like the sky, how its mood changes so quickly. Like life, you expect things...weather forecast for "sunny skies" or "Rainy thunder clouds" but in the end, there's never 100% certainty in it. A sunny sky day can end with rain clouds, and a cloudy day usually stays that way, while a bright morning shower may just give you the refreshening jolt that you need. Its not easy being a sky... Bright,ppl grumble say hot, Dark- people grumble say gloomy, Normal-people grumble say boring, and when its Fantastic - people dont care. The Sky is taken for granted. Like everything else, we neglect it, harm it, ignore it, until the worst happens, then we moan and ask "why didnt we do something sooner?!?" For me, i think the world is on its way to hell. But thats another topic altogether. But whenever i can, i will look at the sky..ppl have laughed at me, but i dont care. Whenever i rmb, i take a minute to just see the glory ,beauty and the perfection of the sky.Its my reminder of how small i am,tiny in the world and yet,like each puff of cloud or ray of sunlight, contributes and comes together to make the painting of God saying good night to the world...We're always told to stop,take a step back to look at the big picture, but there's one already there for us to see, and all we gotta do is just look up
.

Ang Mo ?

...
Hmm, i'm so confused with how to post pictures and all. But tot that pic quite amusing and fitting, dont ya think?
WHats happened thats worth blogging...Well, the Pope passing on didnt make much impact in my life, and my mom was telling me all the great stuff he did and i was just like, err, erm,huh? Ooh, can rant abit about my getting lost in Subang experience...On Sunday went to Subang to pick up a friend, thought we'd find the area, but no, went round in circles - or rather squares - and eventually after much phone calling,found the place.Due to rain n traffic, we then had to zoom over to Sunway to watch our friend sing in a choir and nearly missed it. Pulled up outside the place, with NO time to spare, parked backside sticking out and literally ran from the car into the building. We made it with not even 1minute to spare...thank God for Msian events that just ALWAYS start on time...right.....
I've been hanging out with a diff group of ppl once a week or so for the past 2months...Its refreshing in a way,cause we previously never knew each other,and so there's the whole different feeling than hanging out with ppl that's known you forever,ya know? We can tell stories without worry of it being a recycled one, we can talk without each other trying to figure out who we're talking about,simply put - no baggage la...It really is amazing how you can just really click with some, and not matter how hard you try,u just cannot with others. I think back to how i met my buddies...its really great cause my pals are all so SO different from each other,and the story of how we . I wonder if there's a connecting factor. I must think bout that one.Then comes the whole illogical behaviour of time. Example, when i'm at work, an hour goes by so freakin slowly, you literally see the clock hands move each millimetre, and yet when with friends, 4am comes within a flash. I'm the type of person that loves talking with friends...one on one talk, group talk...and it seems like, no matter how much n long we talk, it can never end. I guess i'm thankfull that i have friends that i can just talk to,regardless the situation. I think everyone needs that,they really really need it. An outlet, somewhere to channel the energy...Blogs just dont have the same fulfilment...Blog takda umph! =)

April Fool's Fool

Urgh. Why is it a great prank can turn so wrong...?!? Really,some people just dont have a sense of humour...I'll write what i can here as a reminder to think a million times before doing something.

Twas the 1st of April and all was well,
"Time to think of a prank" thought naughty Shel
She mused and pondered and finally said,
"I'll message my friend and mess with his head!"

So she typed out the message ever so carefully
Spent 20minutes just to make it fit perfectly,
And just as she went to press the send button,
A voice in her head said "Dont be so rotten!"

"But its only a joke,what harm can it do?
Especially for the person its being sent to,
He probably will get tricked for half a minute
And figure it out and laugh in good spirit"

Well,the button was pressed,the wheels in motion,
She sat back to wait for his reply and emotion,
Minutes went by, one, two then three,
Yet not a reply, nor a comment from he.

She forgot all about it,thought it didnt work
She heard a beep-beep,and started to smirk
"At last it came!We shall see if he got conned,
There must be something since he chose to respond"

His responce wasnt at all what she expected!
Oh how she laughed and with glee she gloated,
So she replied him the usual "Happy April Fool's Day"
But he was NOT happy and had something to say.

He told me i shouldn't have done what i did
It was bad to mess with his head and to kid
About something so serious and dangerous too
And to that obviously,i couldnt argue!

So i said my sorries and expressed my regret,
And speedily enough he answered "No sweat!"
Obviously i thought that eveything was now cool,
Here's where the tables turned, and i became fool.

You see, he wasnt okay,actually far from it
Probably his ego wouldnt allow him to admit
He avoided eye contact and didnt talk to me,
Didnt answer my calls,claimed he was busy

Now here's the part where she got real annoyed
It was a joke,to take lightly,and be enjoyed
But his behavior wasnt called for, she felt
Appologized again,but still he didnt melt.

"Fine! If thats the way he wants to be!
I'm not gonna pretend to be in misery"
So she left it at that,since thats what he wished
Who cares if the friendship they had was finnished

Okayla,so it wasnt really THAT dramatic
And i've written so much, i'll end it quick
Its amazing how i can actually rhyme
Although i realize its a waste of time!

She discussed with 2 buddies what she should do
After an hour they still had no clue!
One fellow tried to be hero,spoke to him,
Ended up telling lies on some crazy whim

So she decided she'll settle it face to face
They got in her car and went to his place
Her friends hid in the bushes,she called him out
She didnt know if he would laugh or shout

It turns out,his reaction wasnt so bad
He just needed time,and for that she was glad
Kiss they did not,but make up they did
While in the bushes the 2 jokers still hid!

She called them to come out of their hiding place
And laughed at the look of surprise on his face
They all confessed how idiotic they behaved
She was just thankful that the day was saved

They sat, they talked,they laughed,they sighed
About life and the future and the world outside
Time flew by,they had talked till so late
In her mind she was thankful for friends so great

Here ends the tale,of a very long day
And i know what everyone will say
"Play pranks some more la,just wait and see
You'll end up the fool, for all eternity!

Hehehe, that was fun to write. Some how a horrible day can be made to sound so cute... Well,thats my creativity drained for a while. Boring one line blogs to come...goody!

Caught!!!

Dang.Someone found my blog.And then another. And it spread. And now i'm caught. I feel the pressure of having to deliver something. No more at ease just knowing i have an unknown blogspot,comfortably tucked away for my eyes only. Its the same with eveything else in life. When we know someone's watching, we act differently, the need to prove something to someone else? I dunno. Even now as i type this, no one but my friends will see, obviously the wont judge me, but still i feel "shy" that if they do view my page, no change, no update, no anything. When your caught,its not a nice feeling. Its when you wished yo had listened to your conscience. And the "...if only i had..." comes into play.Pause and think of "Caught" moments...There are good caughts, as well as bad...i rmb trying to do something nice for someone, and was caught,thats a good caught. Bad caught, being somewhere when i shouldnt with someone i shuoldn't have been with.But i think overall its just the knowledge that someone somewhere knows something. It changes things. Like me and my blog.And so i shall take this pressure and put it to good use, wait, i already am! i've written a second entry. Amazing what getting caught can do...