Happy Day in Pictures

Cheryl and Laura came over the other day for some fun in the sun. I use the expression, and we sure had fun, but I'm not sold on the sun. Not the Malaysian one, anyway. Anyway, Cheryl brought the baby - Canon Leong - along, and culling the manymanymany pics she took was no easy job. It's finally done now, so enjoy!

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Animal Activity

The day starts off with three bullies, one victim, and two very amused observers. As you can see, said observers were much more occupied taking photos instead of coming to my aid.

Ah, but being a victim does not mean I am helpless.

Here you see my supreme intelligence at employing

"the trick" code-named "morsel magic".

Ah-ha! Look who's the boss of who now...

See how they sit in line so prettily,

and with almost-invisible tails, no less.

Lining up...

for a drink at their favourite watering hole...

...the fish pond! Happiness!

(For the record, there is ample H2O in the water bowls. I think they just like messing with us.)

You have spring onions, we have cabbage.

Fishy-cabbage soup is dee-lee-cious!

Sip sip sipping daintily,

as little sausages should.

Oh, ain't I the cutest sight?

Slurp slurp slurping away, and melting hearts while at it.

I'm a fine specimen, I am. I have the deepest, fiercest growl... and the teenyweeny tiniest teeth! Don't let my dentals fool ya - I bite. Unless you dish out ultimate manjaness. Then I'm all yours. Hee.

Getting a "family portrait" is so hard these days.

What with one looking left, one looking right...

and one who should clearly know better, looking down.

Moving on from the four-legged,

we are totally engrossed in the pretty-winged.

Here I am, saying "eeeee, so pweety".

Can anyone tell me why we say "eeeee" to things we like?

Sitting pretty on my palm,

it fluttered wings, and we were charmed.

Little butterfly, floating by and by.

I wonder what they would sound like, if we could hear butterflies cry.

And now, to the underwater realm, fishy-a-buyin' we go.

Note in the reflection the concentration in Laura's eyes.

~*~

Gluton Grossness

Laura demonstrates concept why choose when you can have all.

And, boy did we have. All.

Her eyes are closed as she sucks away in enjoyment. My brows are furrowed at sucking futilely.

(I know, I know, they gave us a bigger straw, too. I was testing to see if the tiny one was there for any reason other than uselessness.)

Joy's Guide to Looking the Part of the Glutton.

Step 1: Slurp every last drop of drink from straws.

Step 2: What else? Suck the spoon as well.

Lick, too, if it helps.

Step 3: Tilt head backwards, and lift drink to lips. Open mouth wide.

Thump on bottom of thumbler to give gravity a helping hand.

Step 4: Jut lower lip in show of great sadness at the true finishing of drink. Stare pitifully into thumbler for added effect.

Step 5: Scout the area; look around for any other potentially unfinished drinks. Unfinished drinks whose owners look upon them with adoration and the memory of longing in their eyes are the best kinds.

Step 6: Suddenly point to something and exclaim look! (Make something up - use your imagination.) Grab unprotected drink from distracted owner, and start gulping. Fast.

Proudly display the now-empty thumbler. Congratulate yourself with wide upturned smiles, and categorically ignore the downturned ones you feel your tummy giving.

Dot Points

• I swear the weather (or is the the pollution?) is being a royal pain. My eyes are itching constantly, forever dry and irritated; my nose is swollen internally like a float a fish would be proud of, and has now honed its own brass section; my skin takes multiple involuntary sweat baths; my hair is on mode haywire; the heat is giving me major headaches; my entire self is like the buffet served at the kingdom come celebration of mosquitoes the world over. Surely there are more euphoric reasons to get sweaty hands than this.

• Trip with family to Port Dickson over the weekend was... eventful. I refuse to call it holiday, and it certainly wasn't restful. I have photos (but of course), but I can't be bothered right now. Later, later.

• Trusting that most of my readership is English-speaking (but oh well, otherwise), the other day I was at a little store trying on tops when the shopowner-aunty decided to bestow upon me that lei hoong hou leng. I spluttered, looked increduously at her, and she repeated it again. I managed not to choke and die, but muttered something about it being the fact that it wasn't really me but that I use um, effectively enchaning items of clothing. To which she took the liberty to make a grab at me to reveal the secret of my jzan hai hou lengness. Thereupon, she inspected said enhancing item of clothing, laced with repeated hou hou lengs. She wanted to know where I got it; I said overseas. Then she found the charity within her to show me hers, proudly announcing hers was not unlike mine, from X-brand! Maybe I should have said but hardly, it's not VS, is it? but I wanted one of the tops I tried. It was all quite amusing, really.

• Guess who came over to play today? We had such a whoopadeedoo time! First we had some raw, animal fun (I like how it sounds so wrong, so misleading, heh!), followed by food fun, and then more animal fun! Ooh, it was great spending time with those who love what you love - it would be a sin to dot point this and do no more, so check back for a photo post of its own in the near future! In the meantime, the photographer of today's events should have some nice things up.

• Why do we need to be re-reminded time and again? Do we forget that easily, or are we just suckers for punishment? I think, inherently, some part of human nature is just plain stupid.

• EDIT: Epk! My dot points are dot flowers??? How ultra girly is that?! Sigh, I suppose they match the wallpaper in the background...

Spectrum Emotion

Today, I watched Lanun-Lanun Pulau Caribbean 2: Kotak Lelaki Maut. If that's not already a giveaway clue, the movie was totally giggle-friendly, not least because of translation misfortunes. The script was so funny, there were languagey jokes punctuated throughout all the live long three hours! Yep, it ran about that long, but none of us noticed, if that's any measure of quality. Ooh, I think that's the most succinct I've been in a while - a one-liner review. Yay me.

Anyway, it was also funny because I think the few of us were the only ones laughing heartily at all that semantic brilliance. I imagine most of anything witty went woosh woosh over everyone else's heads. And boy, can I go on about why I think why. Gits.

In other news, what the hell is wrong with being frustrated? The apperance of whatshouldbe is hardly the most important thing, for goodness' sake. Frustration is a natural, if not necessarily, part of life. No matter, the end deal is frustration is a given, and one of the only things more annoying than that is having no release. For crying out loud, outlets exists for a reason. Let someone vent! Stiffling it can only cause more harm, and there is no shame in feeling inhibited sometimes. There should be much shame instead for he who encourages the inhibition of feeling so. For those of that mindset I have only two words: Stupid Moron.

Ok, I have more, but I'll keep them unvoiced. For now, at least.

Somewhere in between the two, there is good ol' ranting. Yeah, it may not solve anything, but the case for it is as above. Rant and vent have more in common than just rhyme, y'know. Ran my mouth with some old-fashioned bitchin' with CharmerlaSharmela (the nut spurs me on, I swear, that ranter-encourager) and if nothing else, I'm emotionally-calmer now. You can deadset forget about my being intellectually-calmer, not gonna happen. In any case, I'm sure there will be more of the same the next meet because someone practically lives on trashin', yes? *grin*

Phelgmy Parts

OMG Liz, those photos! Need I remind you of the photos *I* have? I suppose I deserved the hands-in-the-air one, haha, ooh and the ice!!! Man, it swelled (as expected) and bled (eek!) and scarred (not happy), and I can say with utmost confidence, rain is so not the product to have in your hair - yuk! Flat locks, begone!

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Flu and I have a love-hate relationship. It loves me, I hate it. Marathon sleeping is always lovely, but not when I feel like I've eaten a whole tub of thick gooey glob, my throat feels like it got dragged on tar then thrown into a fire, and every inch of my body is about expire I'm in bed the entire day for days on end, and certainly not when I have other, more exciting agenda marred only by the effects of this blasted bug. Bugger it.

Oh, and in a neverbefore, I've had flus before, but never one where it hurts like hell to speak. I present to you, a once in a lifetime chance to see (not speak to) Joyonmute. It may never happen again.

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So afraid to agree, for so many reasons. But you'll never know just how much I want to. Like the way I think you'll never know how afraid I am.

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Messages in my mobile inbox are entertaining. It's the only entertainment/distraction I've got now at the moment, so I'm grateful for them even if they're only plans in the tentative stage.

C - Yes, I will try to "faster recover" so we can get on with our many "eeee so nice" animal-related plans.

I - "Always give this kind of surprise" cuz for you, special. And I swear you are obssessed about the whole thing. You, and my other friend, S. I need a surebeyondsure design, so Just Wait.

S - I know you're dying to go also. I don't care if it's my fault. Refer above. Haha. Maybe you two should meet, though I suspect he really only wants to see me in pain. Never listens when I tell him he will be disappointed, and that some pain is a good thing. Maybe we should discuss that blasted business that is design, sigh.

E - "What a nightmare" seeing my name "first thing in the morning" but catching a movie is ok? You just want me in a dark place, say so. No need to insult me as well.

V - Got your "let me know asap" instructions. Believe me, I want to come out and play asap, too.

L - You crack me up, you investigator-interrogator-snooper. Keep me in the know about if "the skirts and shorts and tees [can] get any shorter."

A.M. Activity

By A.M., I'm referring to that of the sunless variety. In keeping in line with my disgusting uni schedule, I hopped straight onto the nighttime-weddingcard-making-for-a friend bandwagon and did little else (because I was waytoolittle-sleeping my days away and waking up in time to do the barest minimum before everything shut at five). Work, no matter how much you enjoy it, is still work, and all the more when you clean shift from one motherofallpilesofwork to another veryimportantone with a rightnowdeadline. Clearly, I was far from making up for lost ZZZs, but a long drawn out, long, long awaited Friday Frenzy was not to be piked on. That was that, and like it or not, my panda eyes and veryweary body just had to tag along.

~*~

Workin' it! And even then, we waitedwaitedwaited in line forever!

In rain, and with no shade, in our little tops, and in the middle of winter, mind you.

Guess picking happenin' places has a price *grin*

How pretty! Me likes!

Things are lookin' up already...

...even if we looked like something the cat dragged in.

There are some benefits of dim, mellowed down lights, y'know.

We're here for a specific reason, and nothing's gonna stop us damnit, oh no no no! ;P

The view from one of the stages - one of those ones showy people haul themselves up onto to boogie!

Yup, we were on one.

Nothing like a drink (ok, several) to loosen everyone up! *wink*

The JD goes: Toast - Down - Lick!

Little Tease!

Just look at that!

So much tongue action!

Tongues everywhere! *cheeky grin*

In keeping with the theme...

What??

Caught mid-action!

Too bad photos don't catch ass-shakin'!

OK, everyone pause together for just one second!

No wait, one more second...

...Or we'll only get this :(

Non-stop movement, heh.

Getting girls onthego to freezestill is a lot harder than you think...

What more when they're on a roll.

Because all she wants to do is dance dance danceeeee...!

All she wants to do...

With a bit of cheeky thrown in, of course! ;D

Oh, baby!

Play that funky music, whiteboy!

Or in this case, the notsowhiteDJ someone thinks is cute! *grin*

How to poke someone's eye out Method #37

AKA Mary likes to wink Case #41

How to poke someone's eye out Method #22

AKA Mary really likes to wink Case #85

Nursing our favourite drink is not a bad nursing job at all!

Midori-cranberry yumyumyum.

Partying = Happy Chickadees

As demonstrated by the JoyMezLizJen Grins!

~*~

Hmmm, I realized that all these pics are of us (well, duh *shameless*). The thing is, there were photos of... parties other than ourselves. Lots and lots, in fact. There's a whole bundle I could put up of Liz and manyotherindividuals, shall I say, and that would warrant an entire post in itself! But. I won't. Can't go minimizing her future chances at youknowwhat now, can I? What sort of a buddy would I be? That, and we were only being nice enough to amuse some very*cough*young boys, is all, right Expert?

Segment Seconds

The Atheletically-Challenged One Sucks Not

Can't believe I won at doubles table tennis three times in a row with Jason. We beat everyone, instead of me singlehandedly sealing our fate in doom! I mean, we're talking about the sometimes-if-I'm-lucky-I-win-when-Jason-plays-extraslow-with-his-lefthand-and-with-righthandbehindback player here.

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Double Over and Die

Extreme Eating Extravaganzas are so afterward-sickening, and so, so fulfilling. It's so sick, it's great!

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Look

Oh. There are more Annual Dinner photos to be found at Lizzie's and Annie's, for those interested. (And yes, that means you Tomaz. I'll spare you by not saying why. But perhaps I don't have to, teehee! We'll be discussing this after, you can count on it!)

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I Don’t Want To Care

I don’t want to care anymore.
Someone teach me how.



Sometimes all that work towards self-preservation seems so futile.

Done with a capital D

The only reason I am still up at this ungodly hour is because I so crashed and burned earlier a house on fire couldn't have roused me. Talk about messed up timing. Since my body persists on running nocturnally, I am poisoned beyond repair for a good week or so yet with countless flat whites and Vs (no more than one a day warning pishposh!), and I am still wearing off the fuel that is adrenaline, I fear there is only one thing to be done:

Expert, put on your showiest heels! I'm pumped, and I know you've been... restraining yourself! More nocturnal adrenaline-pumping activity with a change in poison of choice but poison nonetheless, watch out - we're coming to get'cha!

For now, let me loose into the world and Dazzle me with a capital D. Daily life Drama will catch up with me ohtoosoon.

Gah

I wouldn't have to go for Anger Management now, would I, if people went for their Stupid Management!!! But nooo...

What Really Went Down

The city is beautiful because there is a darker, opposite side that thus defines it such. Behind the scenes (and sometimes, right under their noses), other not-so-publicly-declared acts of questionable nature creep surreptitiously into the Book of Time, making its mark forevermore in history unbeknown to unsuspecting citizens. Luckily, some unidentified die-hard serial photographer firmly planted some same unidentified behind at the scene with some unidentified clicker-weapon of choice, and several thousand clicks later, there is the cold, hard, unforgiving proof. All attempts to repossess the leaked evidence was, as is often the case, futile. In some not-so-happily-oblivious party's quest for knowledge and snobbily-presumed right to know, the revealing of secret information otherwise shielded from mankind proved successful. So here - ladies, gentlemen - is the pictorial account of What Really Went Down the night of A Beautiful City. For truth always prevails, and judgement weighs down heavily on those who venture to prevent it.

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You'll have to excuse me. Professional Writing is doing my once-Creative Writing head in, and everywhere I go, there are comicbook-movies calling out to me to abandon work for them, and besides, what's life without a little drama?

~*~

EDIT: I was reading what I wrote, and man, I can crap. But for the record, Alan is, in fact, very much single and available for meals, drinks, dates, flirt sessions and other such scandalous activities that might take your fancy. Contact details upon request.

Time Draws To A Close

My thoughts are scattered raindrops abandoned sweetly on the windowpane. Random, varied, not unpretty, not all easy, left there to quietly dry away. Perhaps dew is a better medium because it is more constant. But perhaps choice is not an option.

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Not you

I’ve grown up and nothing stings like knowing you were a choice only for a more childish past.

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I Find It Delightfully Peculiar…

That the Brits can get away with swearing without being crass. Or with being cheeky without also being well, crass. It’s just one of those wonderfully unfair things of the way of the world. Perhaps it’s in the accent, which, incidentally, I have the biggest soft spot for (once upon a time someone would deliberately sent me into fits of giggles with the cutest Brit accent). I am unabashedly biased and tickledtobits at the sound of a wicked, wicked somesuch, until someone pointed out that it’s all good up until the point it’s heard in porn.

No, I’m not going to provide any examples. Those of you who can’t think up one, you probably aren’t meant to know anyway. And to those who can, surely you agree it does still tickletobits – for all the wrong reasons.

Either way, you got to give it to them – those tea-sipping, dry-humoured, sarcastically witty, stiff-collared propers certainly have a much more enviable vocabulary than like, you know.

Then again, you would if you knew the pain of being at loss for words.

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Vapour

Will it always be this way, after all this time? Why, when I already know that the facts are the direct opposite? Even knowing, it doesn’t hurt less.

As if I never happened. Dispersed into thin air, a breath never breathed. Others now seep steadily and steadfastly, into the space I once was.

It’s not fair. Time is supposed to be a healer. My time, it seems, has only played at mock-medicine.

Even after all this time, it doesn’t hurt less.

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Facing reality is sometimes a real pain. And all the more as time draws to a close.