The confession of an alter ego

Ok… So after one year-plus of a good (and sometimes average) thing, we decided that it is time to part…

The decision was mutual…

The Buckingham Palace is just within walking distance. So is the headquarter of The New Scotland Yard and Channel 4.

Yup.. It sure does smell like London.. My shopping list so far?

Postcards? Check

Keychains? Check

Kitchen towels? Check

Fridge magnets? Check

Lockets from Argos? Check

Tablet eraser from WHSmith? Check

Right.

So that leaves t-shirts, chocolates, vacuum filter, artistic charcoal, dirty mags, cufflinks and some lager…

I expect additionals later. Haven’t reached the legendary Oxford Street yet.. Hihi.. But for those people who are expecting ‘gifties’..? Well you’re just getting chocolates (if I like you)

Conversation 1

Cikus: I wanna quit my job…

Ayah: At least find another one first lah…

Conversation 2

Me: I wanna quit my job…

Ayah: No…

When going to work is a chore, methink it’s time for a holiday…

At Bukit Jugra, the paragliding season is from March to September… My tandem guy’s already asked if I want to fly…

"Ajak la kawan-kawan", he says. "Harga berpatutan…"

Hmmm… I wonder…

So my parents and I went house-hunting… Although we weren’t seriously thinking of purchasing, considering the state of finance (or lack thereof) that I’m in right now, the houses we went to were enough to make me wish that I was born rich (not that I don’t wish that every other day)… Or at least moneyed enough to get me through the RM2,000 a month home loan re-payment…

Dream homes don’t come cheap. Sigh…

Yes, I have expensive taste… And yes, most of the things I need want, I can barely afford… But that doesn’t mean that I’m a spendthrift … No… That said, I don’t have a huge savings either… For rainy day and all that… And rain is a terrible thing when you don’t have the roof of your dream home over your head… Sigh…

Just before my previous boss opted to retire at the age of 40+, he told me that he’d started structuring his retirement plan when he was 35. On hindsight, he said he should have started when he was 25. I was 26 when he shared with me this little bit of wisdom… And like a true consumer (as oppose to saver), I paid little heed to his advise…

Two years down the road and with the weight of study loan, car loan, credit card debt and guilt on my little shoulders, the gravity of the situation is even more apparent… Which is why (whilst attending a rather dull meeting), I managed to scribble down an action plan towards a more  "saving oriented" Me…

Let’s just see how this resolution turns out huh…

I think this entry might be slightly premature… I planned to look back on 2007 on the day I posted my 2007 Resolutions, which should be the 28th January…

Oh heck… Since I’ve got times on my hand, here goes… All the crossed-out ones are my achievements… And the rest… Well, you catch the drift…

1. Brush up on my “other” languages… LOLROTFL

2. Learn to swim… Not only did I not make any effort at this, the closest I got to "swimming" was during the water-confidence session before white water rafting…Glup..Glup..

3. Get fit… Yeah right..

4. Learn to sew…properly… Not even, but I did undo some darts on my tight fitting kebaya… Does that count?

5. Be more meticulous at work… Airghtt.. Blergh…

6. Dress better… Hmmm… According to the people at work, I should wear more kebaya… Which I have, but I don’t know if that’s for the better?

7. Go white-water rafting…  AND I went paragliding

8. Be comfortable in my own skin…  It’s better now… I just need some supplementary albeit continuous "treatment"

9. Get a confirmation as a civil servant and pass my PTK exams  Am confirmed… Yay!!! Thank goodness I don’t have to resit… Double yay!!!

I received:

*An email from Nescafe Shake. She will be happily engaged in December

*An email from Sleeping Beauty. She has resigned from PTD. Last date 7 December 2007

* An SMS from Kakak Cool. Her beloved father had passed away.

* An SMS from an old friend. She has resigned from her job. Will be seeking greener pasture in Singapore. .

.. Heck of a lot of things to digest…

"If that’s OK With You
I love the way that you look without your make up
I had a girl before we met but we broke up
Theres something ’bout you that makes me want to step up
Step up and be with you
If that’s Ok With You…"

It’s not particularly groundbreaking, but I like this song by Shayne Ward… Aiii…

Nescafe Shake broke a happy news to me and the sisterhood a few hours ago…

Was I happy for her? Extremely…

Was I envious of her? Possibly…

Happy, yet slightly envious. But not with malice of course. I couldn’t wish for anything better for her. She’s my ’sister’ after all…

It just makes me wonder more about me and my future… That’s all…

Aiyoh… This calls for a barrel full of chocolate… Blergh…

So after months days of careful planning I eventually did it!!! Well, we did it. The three of us… But not all at once of course…

We had our Paragliding Adventure at Bukit Jugra…

We arrived at the Bukit Jugra light house, at approximately 10 am, not knowing what to expect.

There, we excitedly wait for the unknown… The operative word here is WAIT..

Paragliding is an outdoor sport that, gears and training aside, would wholly depend on Mother Nature for the ideal weather condition,  wind strength and direction…

If the wind is too slow, it would be a direct glide down, with no tour of the site…

If the wind is too strong we’d be blown off course, possibly into the lighthouse, or worse into the military training area on the east…

If it rains, there’d be no gliding at all…

      So we waited… And waited… And waited

At approximately 12.30 in the afternoon, as promised by our guide, the wind started to blow…

Rafiqa went first… Then Mama Kakak Cool… Then me… This is an excerpt of my conversation with my tandem guy…

Me: Semua dah on ni Encik Rahman…

Him: Ok… Kita tunggu angin…

Me: Emm…Saya nak muntah…

Him: … eeeh… Betul ke? Jangan la…

Me: Angin..angin… <pointing at the wind sock which he obviously never took his eye off>

Him: Ready?

Me: Uhuh… <still nauseous>

Him: Lari!!!!

Me: <dalam hati> larilarilarilarilari….

Before I knew it, we were already in flight and my feet were running on air…

It was like that scene from the Titanic, but instead of being on a doomed liner with feet firmly on deck, I was really flying…

The flight was liberating and peaceful… It’s not that easy to describe the feeling of floating and gliding in mid-air… Nyaman!!! I only wished that it could have been longer…

My landing on the other hand could have been worse better… I landed on my feet, immediately followed by my knees, and then I was on my feet again… Don’t ask how that happened, cos I’m not so sure myself…

So I tore my DPA track bottom from the landing… I bruised my knees and they are still bluish red from the burst cappilaries… But the best thing is, I had the time of my life…

Now I know how Superman feels when he’s not zooming around being a hero… Or at least Harry Potter on that broom of his…

No need to go to space to experience something out of this world… You just need a willing tandem guide and a good weather…

Nak lagi! Nak lagi!Nak lagi!