The Act Of Being Sarcastic...

Have you ever come across individuals who always make sarcastic comments about almost everything? I have. Quite a few actually for the last 10, 15 years. I always wonder what makes a person do that. Is it because you secretly want certain things and therefore you envy people who have those things? Is it because you simply can't stand the sight of other people being happy? Or is it just because you are born with sarcasms?

Interestingly, most of these 'sarcastic individuals' seem to be so natural in being sarcastic. The sarcastic words just come out automatically as if on cue. They can't even praise you without being sarcastic first. And sometimes they smile while being sarcastic. I wonder are those compliments sincere then? How should one react to such situations? By smiling and by politely saying thank you? By agreeing with the sarcastic remarks? Or by pretending as if those sarcastic comments are something nice instead? I know..I know..I am using a lot of the 's' word here. It's just that, I couldn't find the perfect synonym for sarcasm or even sarcastic. Can you?

Sometimes you get people who don't have any intention to go any extra mile at all..but they are full of sarcasms. Wouldn't you feel like laughing? I mean..is there any logic in that? Think about it. You don't like doing it and yet you don't want others to snatch those opportunities from you. What do you expect? For the bounced ball to keep rolling back towards you everytime? Maybe it will..but believe me...it won't be forever. I believe individuals will always be given chances, but there are or course limits. Once you exceed the limit, your time is up. I am sure you have heard of this phrase.."grab it while you can...'

I guess if you ever in doubts, you might want to clarify by saying, 'excuse me, are you being sarcastic?' or 'I assume that you are being sarcastic' or somewhere between those lines. Hahaha. Now who is being sarcastic? At times you need to avoid being hurt by being sarcastic yourself. It's not revenge though. It's just getting even. Just like this Mrs Dot here:

I Finally Can Swim!!!

Ahah! After 33 years, I finally can swim! It began with Tuesday being so stressful for me.. On Wednesday morning, I felt so annoyed with things happening at home. And when I arrived at the office, there were so much work to complete that I ended up not doing anything. So, I decided to take a dip in the pool with K.Ana. Just to cool off. Dr Murali said I was losing my focus..so no sense to continue working there. Yup! I wanted to practice anyway because by Saturday my young instructor would definitely want to see some improvements. She always said..'you need to practice..that will make the process of learning faster.' I always nodded my head..nod, nod, nod..of course, I understand that. I am a lecturer..hahaha. But, I just couldn't find the time. Alasan.

When we arrived, the pool was quite empty. The feeling of those cool water all over me gave a very soothing feeling. It calmed me. In the beginning I started my breast stroke like before...three strokes and breathed, three strokes and breathed...Then I saw K.Ana doing her breast stroke..so gracefully. She told me to find the rhythm. I had nothing better to do...so I tried. One stroke and breathed..one stroke and breathed. All the time my mind was humming the rhythm for my body to follow. The power of your mind can sometimes amazes you. When I was in Missouri last time, I wanted to learn roller blading. The first time I tried, I couldn't even balanced myself even to stand still for a few seconds. I was practising with my husband in front of his house. I managed to slid under his feet everytime I tried to stand. The people in the cars that went by his house were my witnesses. They honked at me! Somebody shouted encouraging words to me though. Thank you. God bless you. For the next few days, I remembered playing with my mind, imagining myself standing up while wearing my blades..and, guess what? The next time I tried, I was a natural. That experience was really amazing. Wow.

Well...I guess that was what happened with my swimming. After 1/2 hour of mind training, I finally did it. Congratulations to me. Hahaha. It felt great!

PIBG oh PIBG...

Tonight I attended my first PIBG (Persatuan Ibubapa dan Guru or Parents and Teachers Association) meeting. It was a new territory for me..kind of embarrassing to be so out of loop in the discussion. I was so far behind because I never attended any PIBG AGM (Annual General Meeting) for the past 2 years because I was away, studying for my PhD. So, the last AGM (that was in January), I decided to come. I dunno what happened, but somehow I got elected as one of the AJK (ahli jawatankuasa or committee members). Which literally means, more work for me. It's hard enough to juggle my day schedule, now I will have meetings at night. My parents are of course jumping with joy when they heard the news. Having previously worked as teachers, both of them see this election as an opportunity to make a difference for my children. As for me, I have my own doubts. Although my husband is willing to take care of the kids during my night meetings, the intellectual support I get from him is almost nil. He is an IT person and his life is just his work..back and forth. Nothing more, nothing less. No more thinking after office hours. In the 10 years that I have been married to him, I can count the intellectual discussions that I had with him.

Most of the AJK have worked together before. Many have been re-elected. So they know each other well. Most are quite veterans..and they seemed to have made up their minds on certain things already tonight. Felt like I was the youngest parent there (more in terms of my experience as opposed to my age - though I always feel young..hehehe) and I was having this awkward feeling..butterflies in my stomach. I couldn't helped myself from feeling a bit low in terms of my self-esteem. I kept thinking, 'they are just waiting to see me do something foolish so that they can laugh.' God help me. I hope I will be able to do something good. My credibility is at stake here. If I fail, indirectly my children will also feel the impact. The teachers will know about my failure. And then, how will they perceive our family? What shud I do? What shud I do? What will you do if you were in my shoes?

My Hari Raya Cina Vacation...

'the young becaman, not the pakcik'

'fun in the pool'

'the Lion Dance'


'on the top of the hill!'


Oh well..where should I start? Hmm...I had a great Chinese New Year vacation! We took the kids to Malacca for a new experience. Of course for us it was to relive our past. It was so..so long ago when my father took me to Malacca. I remembered going for a swim in Tanjong Bidara..but the rest of the trip was just a blur now. In those days, we didn't have a camera. So there were no pictures to remind us. We relied more on our memories. Today, we are so blessed with the technology. It is easier to remember things that you can see, isn't it?

Although we were stuck in a traffic jam for a few hours, the excitement on my children's faces was clear. The Equatorial was at the heart of Malacca. That made it easier for us to wander around. The walk to Mahkota Parade, Dataran Pahlawan, A'Famosa, St Paul Church, etc. just took us only a few minutes. My daughter, Kamalia, seemed so happy when we went out for a walk that night. Perhaps, for her it was really a new and breathtaking encounter. She couldn't really describe her happiness in words, but her many smiles just said it all.The next day we rode the tricycle rickshaws (beca in Malay)..just for fun. I kept telling my husband to get the older becamen. Called me 'sensitive' if you want, but it really depressed me to see those pakcik-pakcik working very hard. At their ages, they should have proper rests, not spending their days under the hot sun, cycling around town with passengers. I asked that pakcik, 'tak penat ke?' (aren't you tired?) and he said, 'apa nak buat, dah terpaksa. Anak pakcik sorang jer yang dah kerja. Lagipun pakcik dah biasa.' (what can I do, I have to. I have only one kid who has just started working. Anyway, I am used to it.) Who says life is fair, eh?

Ooh..I forgot to tell you..the hotel had a Lion Dance show in the morning. I was so excited because I had always wanted to see a Lion Dance from beginning to end (kungfu movies are always my favourites..and kungfu movies almost always have those Lion or Dragon dances). I practically forced everybody to be back at the hotel on time and stayed at the lounge until the dance finished. I wished Jet Li was the one doing the dance. Hahaha. 'Not in a million years,' said my husband. Ooh, he was just jealous. My daughter managed to get an orange from the lion and she eventually became excited too. I whispered to my husband, 'trust me..the feeling was contagious, and people tended to become more and more excited as the music grew louder.'

Later, in the evening, we went to the zoo and we visited the ocean the next day. Then, suddenly ..poof..everything was over. I guess, when you had fun, time always seemed to fly very fast. Your life reluctantly turns back to its ordinary nature, following similar routines day after day...but silently it waits.. patiently..for yet another chance to become extraordinary once again!!