A New Pet In The House

I have been wanting to get Insyirah a fish for a pet for some time now. I have noticed that she's taken a particular fondness for our swimming scaly friends of late, most noticeably after she had gotten herself to watch that ultimate movie about fish (for kids at least), Finding Nemo. So, while waiting for our turn in our now monthly appointment to see my wife's doctor on Saturday, we took the opportunity of the long hours of waiting to do a number of chores, which included exploring the fish and aquarium shop that was located not that far from the hospital.

We had intended to get a number of marine fish similar to those fish you find in the aquarium of that dentist in Finding Nemo, but the owner of the pet shop somehow advised against it, reminding us that tending salt water fish is no easy feat and would require us to get a bigger aquarium to make it feasible. Bearing in mind that there's a very distinct possibility that i might be the one ending up having to look after the fish, i thought the advice was rather reasonable. Perhaps it isn't such a bad idea to start with a more common variety of aquarium fish before we venture to the more exotic ones. So we settled for a pair of goldfish, one each for Insyirah and Hannah. The girls somehow typically named the pair Nemo and Dory.

Insyirah and Hannah were predictably excited when i was putting the aquarium up, assisting with filling the tank with water. Since then, they have consistently been checking on the fish. Yesterday evening after we came back late for dinner, Insyirah made sure she stopped by the aquarium to see the fish were doing. She spoke to the fish, sort of asking if they were ok and comfy. After feeling they were ok, she wished them goodnight and turned the lamp of the aquarium off. Half way up to our room however, something seem to have come over her and she stopped in her tracks and went back to the aquarium. Both wifey and i thought her behaviour was rather baffling.

We then heard a clicking sound as though a switch had been turned on. Apparently, Insyirah had gone back to turn the aquarium lights on again.

"Why did you turn the aquarium light back on, sayang?", i asked my daughter gently.

She quipped back, giving a look of concern, "Fish is scared of the dark, abah. Scared of ghost!", her eyes wide when pronouncing the ghoulish word. Hehe...

Nemo and Dory. Welcome to the household!

So Much To Do...

... But so little time. Work has been piling up so fast of late i don't even have the chance to reflect what's happening. It's just a matter of getting things out of my out-tray as fast as i can at the moment, and chasing the deadlines that have been set for me. At this rate, i doubt i can even complete all that is in my plate now, even if i stay up 24/7 doing them. Must keep going... But i'm feeling so mentally and physically tired at the moment...

*sigh*

Rest today, and fight tomorrow. I think i'll catch that winkie now and preserve enough energy to face another tough day tomorrow.

Night-night.

Amazing News!

I read this interesting article from Yahoo! This would definitely give a great sense of hope, not to mention relief, for people like me who is not just on the border line between being overweight and obese, but also finding that time is increasingly a premium to be spared for a decent exercise. If this article is anything to go by, then it means that I won't really have to spend that much of a time to get fit again.

I have been on a stress-induced bingeing spree this last couple of weeks. Very stressful work schedule has driven me to pig out to get enough of the 'happy' inducing food chemicals that you would usually find in unhealthy food like donuts, oily and greasy char kuey teow, and coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk, just to name a few. And now suddenly, I find some discomfort already getting into my new pants that I had made to tailor after the fasting month last year, having successfully lost almost 4 kilos at the time. And now, I resemble a lady who is due for labour anytime soon.

So let's see if this article has some truth in it. Maybe I can start by some quick sprints on my exercise bike every morning now. A healthy body breeds a healthy mind. With work expecting to peak come March, I need the best of both body and mind to face it.

I'm A Hostage

I am in a meeting at the moment, although my heart is screaming to go home. Been going home so late this last week I don't get to spend enough time with Insyirah. Wifey was planning to go out tonight and take Insyirah for an outing when the boss told me to stay back until 830pm. It is 8.45pm now and meeting doesn't look like ending soon.

:(

Unspoken Thoughtfulness And Decency

In human relations, I believe there are certain things that go without saying. For instance, when you're sitting in a bus and you see an elderly man, or maybe a heavily pregnant lady - someone whom probably deserves a seat more than you by virtue of their condition or age -standing with much effort because there is no available seat on the bus, would you wait for someone to tell you to offer your seat to them before you do? Or should it come more naturally to you offer your seat instinctively to them the moment you see them board the bus? I'm not surprised if a big chunk of those people out there would wait to be told - if there's anyone out there with enough guts and decency to do so that is - instead of sensitively doing what is right.

Such scenario as the above if considered out of decency and selflessness, would lead you to opt for the action that breeds out of respect. Then our society would probably be a better place to live as the weak or the elderly would get the respect they deserve, without having to blushingly claim that such respect be afforded. Really, it is not something that is written as black and white, although our public transport does make it clear sometimes to give such priority. And really, it is not easy for the affected to just go and stake their claim without feeling a tinge of embarassment. After all, shouldn't respect and decency be practiced without saying?

I'm still raging from a similar experience this last couple of days. And in my case, i had once unashamedly staked my claim before, only to receive a reply, to the effect of "i didn't know you deserved it". And of late, i've been afforded the same shitty treatment again. Some people are just so full of themselves it makes me grimace. It hurts me to think that i may not feature in that person's calculation of respect and consideration of decency.

Oh well...

Here's to human decency and thoughtfulness.

Keeping The 'Smiths' At Bay

I don't intend to lose the fight just yet...

Of late, I have been the feeling like I'm playing the character of Neo played by Keanu Reeves in the classic cult film trilogy of The Matrix, squaring off with hundreds and thousands of multiplying Agent Smiths, feeling like I'm constantly on the verge of losing the fight. For those who are not too familiar with the Matrix movies to make sense of the metaphor I'm trying to make, here's another one. Imagine a clown performing a juggling act who constantly gets thrown more and more juggling items, bigger and heavier, every now and then that after some time you have that feeling that the clown will eventually drop something to the ground, resulting a big mess all over the place.

In short, I have been feeling totally overwhelmed of late by the frantic pace of stuffs and events that have come my way, mostly finding their roots from the office. If there's anything I've come to reflect more than any other of late, it's about whether all this frantic chase of deadlines and incessant pressures are all worth it. What's the carrot for all this trouble anyway? An overdue promotion with measly pay raise, and with more hard work to top it off? And to rub salt to the injury, they make it bloody difficult for you to pass the assessment for the promotion to begin with.

I feel like the lagging rat in the brutal rat race that I have no chance of winning, with a whip lasher constantly lashing its whip behind me to run faster and further. And to be honest, I am beginning to feel more and more certain by the day that I do not want to continue the race anymore. I feel like taking the leap out and finally do what I really want to do, although the problem is at the moment it is not yet very clear to me how I can do that whilst at the same time bring in the dough for my family.

So in the mean time, until I can learn to fly like Neo in The Matrix, or find a portal somewhere where I can transport myself to another world that offers me a better life, I just have to keep fighting and keep all the Agent Smiths at bay.