Friday, October 29, 2004

I miss Australia!

A few old snapshots of our students days in the Land Down Under... Damn, I really miss those days.


My bed at Unit 27, Vickery House.


The sturdy white shelf I got while at Vickery.


David's birthday party at his house.


Me, David, Scottie and Scottie's gal.


Lisa and me lazing around on the grass at the Sunset Cinema, King's Park.


Hitchin' a Ride.


A dry, arid, sandy stretch of land with weird protrusions sticking out from the ground.. The Pinnacles.


Elegant, colonial architecture.. The building you fool, not me!


Bryan, Lee and myself...


Drunk people at a resort in St. Kilda.


Drunk people at my 20th birthday party in Flat 21, Murdoch Student Village.


At another one of our flat bashes.


Me and housemates of 21.


Stefi, Ken and myself at... Ermm.. some National Park in Perth.


Ken and me outside the steps of a church in Fremantle.


In the hallway of our flat.


At Cottesloe beach on a hot summer's day.


Waiting for the carriage to come pick me up for the ball.


Ultra-cute threesome!

Posted by Doreen at 10:42 am



    

Thursday, October 28, 2004

Datuk or Dato'?

By rule of thumb, Federal States confer the salutory titles of "Datuk", and States with a Sultan confer the titles "Dato'".

But what about the Prime Minister? Does our Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi use "Datuk" or "Dato'"? Conflicting evidence are found everywhere!

I pointed my browser to the Prime Minister's Office website, thinking that this is the place to obtain the correct information.

On the header of the page, in elegant print, it was written there "Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi". I thought, "Aaahh.. There you go!"

Contented with my find, I scrolled down the page to see what's in the PMO website, never having been in there before. I came to this article.. guess what? The article started off with "Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi..."

At this point in time, I was really confused. And upset. And mad. Can somebody tell me which salutory title should I use for the PM?!

Can I call the PM's Office to find out? Will they give me a quick tutorial lesson on the difference between a Datuk and a Dato', and when to use what?

Completed an advertisement yesterday for a client congratulating the PM on his first year in office. We used "Dato'".

Posted by Doreen at 11:39 am



    

In a Nutshell







Posted by Doreen at 9:42 am



    

Thursday, October 21, 2004

*toot*

It's been a while... well, a week only actually. But damn, it felt so long ago. So much has happened - wars were waged, heroes have risen, land conquered and lives taken. It has been one helluva tumultuous week.

Imagine you not having any friends among your work mates... Imagine you not being invited to lunch today, and tomorrow, and the day after, and after and after... Imagine being boycotted by collagues within your department...

Imagine being a monster with worms on your head and yet still having to endure all the abovementioned.

Life must stink.

So leave!

*sniggers*

Anyways, I'm horridly tired. Feel so numb. At the office till almost 4am in the morning, and back here again by 8am, plus it's event day...

I'm knackard.

Posted by Doreen at 9:23 am



    

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Supernatural Powers

A pair of deep-set eyes and a bright cheery smile greeted me as I turned to the left to see him. I held my gaze on him momentarily before turning away shyly. We exchanged smiles and flirtatious eye contact before he gestured for me to wind my window down. We both did, and made small talk for a few moments, till the lights turned green.

He moved into the same lane, came up behind my car and flashed his lights before moving back into the other lane. We drove side by side for a while more, all the time still exchanging glances at one another... Finally, he waved and took an exit.

It was surreal.

*smacks myself in the head* Why didn't I ask for his name? Or a contact number? Shucks. Now I'm never gonna know who the hell he is! Dammit. Oh, but he was cute!

*laughs*

OK, so let's get back to the real world now. That took place a few days ago, but still can't get him out of my head. A stranger! A stranger did this to me? Sigh. If it was Ji Sun, she would have chased after the guy in her Satria GTI and made sure he pulled over... though I think she would have followed him all the way till his next destination if he didn't stop! She's a crazy one that girl.

Oh, something freaky happened 2 weeks ago. While having tea with Stefi...

Stefi: You know Allan and Rowena broke up?
Doreen: Yeah...
Stefi: How did you know?
Doreen: Err... not from you?
Stefi: I only found out about this last night!

Then it came back to me. I dreamt about this last night - I dreamt about Allan and Rowena breaking up!

According to Freud, dreams are manifestation of the day's events or happenings in your mind. When people sleep, the gates of SUB-consciousness are opened, and the things that stayed in your subconscious slips out... hence the formation of dreams. It may not be the exact representation, but there is relativity.

Say for example, I went to a green grocer today called Green Fingers. The dream could take form as... dreaming about owning a garden filled with lots of pretty flowers, and me tending the garden every evening after work.

Get my drift?

But the thing is, I tried hard figuring out what the relativity is - but found no connection whatsoever. My only connection to Allan and Rowena is via Stefi, and well, I haven't spoken to her for 2 weeks till that afternoon when we had tea!

Woo Hoo! I've got supernatural powers!

Posted by Doreen at 9:33 am



    

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Nature of Trichotomy

Ever since the publication of H. Usener's monograph in 1903, no one has questioned the importance of the number three in Greek and Roman culture. However, in American culture one finds quite frequently that there are alternative classification schemes: One binary and one trinary. The present thesis is not that the number three is the only numerical native category in American culture, but rather that it is the predominant one.

The following general statements about the nature of trichotomy may be of interest -

(1) Often three appears to be an absolute limit; there are three terms or three categories and no more. In folk speech one can give three cheers for someone, but not two or four. (And each cheer may consist of "Hip, Hip, Hooray.") The starter for a race will say "One, two, three, go." He will not count to two or four. (Cf. the three commands "On your mark, get set, go.) The alphabet is referred to as the ABC's and in the common folk simile, something is as easy as ABC; one does not speak of learning his AB's or his ABCD's.

2) If there are more than three terms, the additional ones will not infrequently be defined primarily in terms of one of the three basic terms, usually one of the extremes. For example, in shirt sizes, one finds small, medium, and large. The size "extra-large" is certainly linguistically and very probably conceptually derived form "large," rather than possessing separate individual status.

(3) One source of trichotomies consists of positions located in reference to some initial point. In golf one tries to shoot par for the course. He may, however, shoot "under" par or "over" par. In music, the point of reference from which "middle C," which serves, for example, as a midpoint between the base and treble clefs in addition to functioning as a point of reference from which to describe voice ranges (e.g., "two octaves above middle C").

(4) The number three also figures prominently in American superstitions. Sometimes, it signifies luck: "Third time's a charm." Sometimes it is the opposite: "Three times a bridesmaid, never a bride," "Three on a match is bad luck," and "Going down for the third time" (i.e., drowning).

5. In American folk songs there are numerous examples of trebling and it is doubtful whether many singers are fully conscious of it. A word or phrase is thrice repeated: "Row, row, row your boat," "Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb," "Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man?" "Did you ever see a lassie, a lassie, a lassie?" and such other favorites as "Buffalo gals, won't you come out tonight?" "Joshua fit the battle of Jericho," "Here we go round the mulberry bush," and "London Bridge is falling down," to list just a few.

6. The pattern is also found in traditional games. In the popular parlor game Tick-Tack-Toe, whose title itself is trinary, the object of the game is to get three x's or ciphers in a row. In card games, three of a kind or sequential runs of at least three cards may be important. In games such as "Hearts," where each individual passes cards to his neighbor, the number passed is three. The playing cards themselves are of interest. While there are four suits (possibly a reflection of a Chinese origin), there are but three face cards in American decks of cards. When it is realized that some European sets have four face cards, and further that the particular face cards in American culture are a King, Queen, and Jack, a secular trio of father, mother, and son, the three penchant becomes more apparent.

7. Threeness also occurs in team games or sports. In the "national pastime" threes abound. In baseball there are nine players; nine innings; three outs; three strikes; first, second, and third base, left, center, and right field; and often three umpires. Moreover, the fact that in professional baseball both batting and fielding averages are calculated to three places, pitching "earned run averages" (ERA) consist of three digits, and box scores commonly list "runs, hits, and errors" does tend to suggest a ternary pattern. While the patterning is not perfect (a walk is earned by four balls), three does seem to be the prevailing number. Batters are measured in part by the number of RBI's (runs batted in) and whether or not they hit over .300. (Is it just a coincidence that this particular percentage is singled out?)

8. In many instances, only the first three participants to finish a race receive official recognition. Similarly, in horse racing the three possibilities are win, place, and show. Noteworthy also is the fact that in many American games there is more than the binary possibility of winning or losing. The third alternative, that is, drawing or tying, allows the choices "win, lose, or draw," which is consistent with trichotomic patterning.

.. and a few other examples which are too lengthy to be incorporated here. Of course, for more information, please refer to The Number Three in American Culture.

Anyways. So it is true. The number 3 plays a significant role in modern day culture. And Since American culture is pretty much the world culture due to cultural imperialism from the West.. it's well, erm.. applicable.

I mean, honestly, 3 weekends in a row I've had mishaps befalling me.. It's not just coincidence for crying out loud!

24 September - Some morons smashed my car window only to get a way with a few measly items.

1 October - The ceramic water tank in a restaurant's toilet fell on me which resulted in lacerations and abrasions on some parts of the body, as well as 3 unsightly stitches on my left thumb.

7 October - AES 3989, a silver Mercedes Benz was being a moron and did not stop at the junction where he was supposed to, which resulted in him scraping the sides of my car.

They say a positive mind maketh a positive life. So I resorted to chanting to myself every day - "From today onwards, I will be happy because only good things will happen to me!"

Even funnier, one night as I was driving along the LDP highway, I found myself chanting that line loudly as DJ Fono co-hosted the Wicked show with Sar on RedFM.

I needed to do that. Really! Some even said I might need to arrange things in my office or my room, maybe the feng shui isn't that suitable or something. Well, I've not gotten around doing that. I think I need a feng shui master to guide me don't I? Or at least a book on feng shui. I mean, who knows, if I suddenly place my laundry basket in another position, some bad shit is gonna be happening again! So I'll leave that feng shui bit out for a while till I get some professional advice.

The weekend is merely a couple of days away and I'm getting very edgy. Help!

Posted by Doreen at 11:36 am



    

Friday, October 01, 2004

A Man Will Do

It was supposed to be an easy-going night, few people from work getting together for a little bit of fun. But of course, it turned out otherwise - all in the name of fun though! *grins*

I remembered the sequence of events up till about 12midnight? But I only got home at 3am in the morning. So for that 3 hours in between, I have absolutely no idea what happened. Though I remembered trying to vomit, but nothing came out. The last time this happened, I swore to myself - I'm never ever gonna guzzle drinks on an empty stomach. But of course, it happened again. I just never learn!

And of course, all these happened right in front of my dearest manager. HAHA. Poor boss! Had to give me tissue when I puked, had to stop the car for a good hour to let me rest because the motion will make me even more dizzy. Thank goodness he had Resh and Anna to help him out, else he'll be cursing me even more.

So here's a big THANK YOU to them who helped messed up me last night *grins*

I just realised something - I am indeed a lost kid. Maybe I have some identity crisis happening. But I think it makes sense...

Being the eldest of four sisters has moulded me into being more protective over my sisters. It has also developed in me, a need to take charge of things, that I know it all, and that I can take care of them. I've always thought I projected this sort of an image to my friends as well. Apparently not.

While speaking to Resh over lunch today, he was surprised to find out that I'm the eldest child in the family. He said, "But you behave like you're the youngest kid!"

Then we thought about it for a while - it's probably like that to balance things out. When I go home, I'm Big Sis who will take care of it all. I'm the 23 year old daughter who has 3 younger siblings aged 21, 20 and 17 respectively. Mom and Dad make me feel respected being the eldest child. Mom and Dad make me feel like they trust me in certain decision making because I am the eldest child and I've reached a certain age where I'm capable of doing that.

But when I'm with friends, I'm always the youngest one around and I guess I want to be taken care of too. It all started in high school - my classmates were all a year older than me. When I went to college, I was 2 years younger than most if not all of my peers (I was 16, they were 18). Then when I went off to Uni, I was 18, and everyone around me.. 20 or 21. When I graduated I was 21 and the rest were 23 or 24. When I started work, I'm the youngest in the company of 300 staff.

So technically, I don't go around looking for older people to hang out with. They just happen to be there, and happen to be older than me. And of course, I guess I took the opportunity to take my turn to be the baby, to be taken care of?

I've also spoken to a few people recently - I think I'm changing again. But like Sim Yin said in her blog, life IS about changes. It's how people move on and forward in life.

Again, from speaking with another friend... I realised that I'm getting tired of
playing. I'm beginning to doubt whether I still find casual relationships fun and exciting. OK, so maybe it is exciting.. But how long do I expect to be living this for? Hmm. Maybe I should do what everyone else is doing - do what my younger sisters are doing - do what my mom is hoping I'd do - find a decent guy and start some serious dating and a proper relationship going. That will make Mom happy. That will shut some relatives up. Hey! I can kill so many birds with one stone! Just perfect isn't it?

Now the challenge is finding THAT guy. Why is it so hard? Am I fussy? Am I too snobbish? I don't want just any guy-next-door or any ordinary Joe. So if I'm so fussy, how can I expect to find THAT guy? But what? You're asking me to settle for second best? Hmmm. No wait, but there is bound to be a guy that fits the bill right? I mean heck, there are millions of men in this world right? All I need is one. Just ONE goddamit.

HAHA. OK, now I sound like some desperado right?

Anyways, I'm just saying all these cos I think I'm getting tired of mucking, playing and fooling around. I think I'm ready for some real action yeah? Or should I just sit around and go with the flow... No no, must not go with the flow. If I want changes, I gotta go get it yeah?

Oh shucks. Like this is gonna make my hang over any better with so much thinking to do!

Posted by Doreen at 4:05 pm