Happy Birthday, AJ!

My favourite pic from the birthday boy's chalet! Everyone looks so happy, for I-can't-remember-what reason. =) I love these guys!

Photo courtesy of jasmine, w/o permission

This week

One word: busy! Work has been piling up, and I've been clocking 12-hour days, without any OT pay. =( The novelty is starting to wear off, I guess, and I've come to conclude that it isn't a job that yields instantaneous, immediate satisfaction - especially when your clients are not entirely appreciative. My current batch is already better than the previous, just that a lot of them are too preoccupied with other stuff, and I can't say I can't empathise. Perhaps I should just be like Melvin and leave them to their own devices. *evil grin*

I like yakking with the colleagues, and discussing stuff that we're gonna do in uni. At least I now have people to lunch with, and I've sorta graduated from micro-supervision, but I've also been given (somewhat) more work. Give and take, I see it as "job progression" and that's probably something to be happy about.

The job isn't exactly difficult but the returns are more long-term and you'd need a lot of patience and passion to sustain a career, say for 30 years. Probably not my dream kind of job, but then again, the same can be said for a lot of occupations.

___
Finally met up with the gang yesterday for a belated birthday celebration for Zebra and it was fun! But tiring as usual, because I'm perpetually sleep-deprived (thanks to chronic insomnia) and alcohol intolerant.

We watched "Definitely, Maybe" which was cool and great for valentines but I'm not too into the romance genre so it didn't do much for me. But at least it's more sophisticated than your typical rom-com fluff, so I was sufficiently engaged to not have succumbed to ZzzZz. The cast of relative unknowns (except for Rachel Weisz and Abigail Breslin) made up for the lack of star power with honest performances, and the script, though meandering and lacking in a climax, is not without its charms. At the very least, it eschews cliched dialogue that plagues many similar Hollywood offerings for sincere and heartfelt lines and manages to deliver a wholesome, feel-good experience.

After that was dinner at Holland V followed by chilling at Wala-wala. I like the mood and the vibe! Music's great as well but it was loud when the band started to play, such that a lot of the vocals was drowned out as all the instruments vied for attention - a common gripe when bands play 'live' gigs. A little more balance would have been great. And some of the song choices were pretty obscure but it's all good. They are really talented, esp. the drummer and guitarist!

I was drifting off midway after just one small glass of vodka but managed to stay awake till the end. The un-sober me is still quite good at "big fish-small fish"! *beams proudly* There wasn't any more public transport by the time we left so we walked all over trying to look for Night Rider buses but to no avail.

Did I mention Zebra was lugging along a 10+kg dumbbell - his birthday present - the entire way (with some help from the rest)? LOL. Way to go, I'm sure he'll develop a drool-worthy body pretty soon. Then he can make full use of the NUM Mr. Hamsup singlet we got him. Muaha.

Anyway we eventually decided to share a cab back to AMK/Hougang and I slept over at Zebra's place. Thanks, bro. =)

Even more confetti

Happy Birthday, Zebra! Finally 21, can go watch all the *ahem* R21 shows. LOL. And don't slack too much today, must study hard man, doctor-to-be, all my future MCs 靠你了!


Because of all that confetti, there's a big hole in my wallet. (Confetti very exp. one, ok. That's why only see during big celebrations like NDP and Superstar finals. And maybe when Mas Selamat gets caught. =X) And I'm going to be even more underutilised during work, which means a paycut. =( Haiz. Think I can really go try out waitering soon, so many places are hiring!

Happy 2008!

A brand new year, lots to look forward to. Here's wishing everyone a great '08!

As requested by aj, here's the pic of him gracefully posing with the merlion at Sentosa.. Erm yeah, let's pretend he's ushering in the new year with an auspicious symbol.
And I went with jinny & aj to catch the fireworks at Marina yesterday, or technically, today. At the strike of midnight, we were greeted by 8 minutes of fireworks bonanza, heralding the beginning of another remarkable year (hopefully) for Singapore and Singaporeans. Well, this time I wasn't thinking too much, and it felt great being part of the massive crowd and experiencing the exhilarating atmosphere. But the GSS ("Great Singapore Squeeze") after that was insane, and for a moment, I thought I must be insane to be there. Well, hopefully the rest of 2008 would be just as colourful.

Thanks

Thanks for all the well wishes and gifts. Not many people knew, remembered, or bothered, but I'm contented to have a small bunch of great friends who made my day, or rather, weekend. Thanks for the "surprise", guys, and the effort to spend today together. I don't know if I deserve it because I know I haven't always been a great friend.

Thanks AJ, my pal of 7.5 years, 4 years in the same class, 1 year in the same unit, and pseudo gay partner (before we each find our better halves) with whom I can talk cock to no end.

Thanks Jinny, my pal of 7.5 years, 1 year in the same class, and ever so understanding, accommodating and cute (like his mum, I must add). ;)

Thanks Zebra, my pal of 4 years, 2 years in the same class & CCA, more alike in thought and attitude than any one else I've ever known, and an admired counterpart.

In alphabetical order, incidentally, no other order implied. LOL.

There's so much more to our friendship than just these pathetic lines, but there's no need for a public profession here lah. The understanding is implicit, and hopefully mutual. Amigos para siempre. =)

Birthday, Spidey, Tank

Happy birthday, aik joon!!! He seems to have bad blood (pun unintended) with mosquitoes, for them to give him dengue twice and now malaria (both mosquito/blood-borne diseases, if you didn't get what the pun was about). I'm pretty sure he now shares my abomination for mosquitoes.

Jinny, zejia and I popped by his house today midnight (0000hrs) to give him a birthday surprise. We had a birthday cake and song, like what we did for zejia's birthday (albeit in the dying seconds and with a really miserable slice of cake). Hope we can carry on the "tradition", though we should opt for less fattening cakes in the future. LOL.

Watched "Spiderman 3" on thursday. A bare bones review would have read something like this: The action and CGI rocked but the plot and dialogue sucked, esp. in comparison to the critically-acclaimed sequel.

But for most of us action junkies, the many well-choreographed and executed action sequences would have been a real blast. It's almost non-stop action peppered with crappy dialogue (except , probably, for Aunt Mae's wise words), many subplots, and comic relief moments. There are attempts at characterisation, especially with Sandman, but having time split between 3 villains meant they aren't (or couldn't be) as well developed as Dr. Oc in spidey2. Can't have the best of both worlds, I guess, unless you're talking about the LOTR trilogy by Peter Jackson, which took three 3-hour++ films.

I thought Toby Maguire (Spidey) put in a credible performance, switching between wide-eyed earnestness and the darker venom-consumed spidey pretty convincingly (apart from the comical interlude). Kirsten Durst (MJ), as usual, could not extricate herself from the sobbing/screaming vase stereotype of the fairer sex in male hero comics. But she shares a chemistry with Maguire, developed over three movies, and that's great.

Went back to HC to watch Tank's school concert (free) after the movie, and I was pretty impressed. Not because he was a great 'live' singer, but because, to quote zejia, "he sang seriously, making sure every 尾音, 拉音, 假音 and every 转音 was done probably...the thing I had felt most today was his sincerity and the effort (he) put(s) in when he sings". 认真的男人最吸引人。Yep, plus he's humble, and I can see how his down-to-earth demeanor easily endears him to his audience.

One more day of rest tomorrow, and it's back to camp.

Farewell, old dame!

This past week has been pretty eventful.

After 4 days of outfield, numerous mosquito bites, and a golden (or rather, brown) tan, I think I've become more accustomed to the wilderness.

Well, having been through the crap (a grave understatement, I assure you) on Tuesday on behalf of someone who decided to chaogeng, in a position I am not trained and hence ill-prepared for, you'd think it can't get very much worse henceforth. As if. Next week is another 4-day outfield week, and there are lots more coming up.

I wonder how much longer I can hold out if they continue to subject me to such "generous" treatment. My back has already begun to ache from those n-hour manpack expeditions. And the other two signallers are already down; almost 1/3 of the coy is on some status, and more people are flocking to get ATT C on Mondays. But it appears it still hasn't dawned on them that there is a problem somewhere...

Anyway it was Zejia's birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday, Bro!!!

Had fun at the sing-along session at the National Stadium, you can read more about it on Zejia's blog. What a way to pay tribute to the Grand Old Dame, and bid her a fond farewell.

Not too long ago, we were slogging away building the grand stands for NDP, then marshalling, and finally witnessing the grand finale on National Day. But by National Day this year, she would be no more. Sad sia. Took quite a few pictures for keepsake.

Just a random thought. Singapore is realy small! Saw another signaller and his gf, as well as the PL5 people yesterday. It's almost impossible not to bump into someone familiar when you are along Orchard Road, or the City Hall-Suntec-Marina Square stretch. How pathetic right, like there's nowhere else to go. Which is partly the reason I want to go overseas for my studies. We all need to leave behind the well to embrace the skies, someday.

The track-by-track review of Stef's new album should be up by next week. It's a FANTABULOUS album! Zzyo has a nice review on his blog, so much better than the one in zaobao... He should start writing 乐评 for them lor.

Jinny!

Presenting the cute Jinny.

Jinny wearing my specs

Jinny and the Christmas lightings along Orchard Road

365 days!!!

ORD is finally in sight! I should be getting back my pink IC in exactly 365 days - 5 Nov 2007, a Monday. This calls for a celebration, man. *Pops champagne* But, sadly, the truth is, I have completed less than half of my NS term...

If you realise, I haven't been posting much about army life. Because I can't bring myself to rant. You get tired of complaining. No lah, it's not that bad. Just that it's so mundane, I don't even wish to post it on my already mundane as hell blog.

Oh yeah, I should be posting about more interesting things. Seems like many people are getting attached. And people nowadays are so liberal. *Looks at jinny and shakes head* LOL. Zejia has so many women in his life. Then aik joon has these mysterious dates. But all I see are guys. Bleh. No lah, I ain't despo for a gf. Will probably find a rich blonde when I go overseas and make all of them jealous. =P

OMG

OMG, Jinny has strayed... to the evil side. LOL. And he even announced it on his blog. Anw all the best, buddy.

Zejia, where's my rich medicine girl? =P

One Run, Two Movies, Three Books

Batallion run yesterday. It was fun, but mighty exhausting, considering the longest distance I've done in 4 months is 2.4km. Torrential rain at the end saved us from static exercises (euphemism for numerous repetitions of push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks and what nots). Anyway it was the first time I was told to seek "shelter" under a tree during a thunderstorm. We were soaked (still standing under the tree, mind you) by the time the briefings ended.

Determined not to squander the half-day off we were forced to clear, I asked zejia out for a rendezvous. Accompanied him to NYGH to help out with their drama production after lunch and I must say he's a pro director! So 佩服. LOL.

We then watched "The World's Fastest Indian" with Yuling. I fell asleep at the beginning coz it's rather boring and I was so tired. A very down-to-earth plot based on a real story, kept afloat mostly by the incredible portrayal by Anthony Hopkins. "Overcomes its formulaic storyline thanks to Anthony Hopkins' warm and endearing portrayal of an age-defying thrill seeker", to quote Rotten Tomatoes. Not exactly the most inspirational movie I've watched, but the happy ending is both heart-warming and fulfilling for the audience who've traversed this long and enjoyable journey along with old Burt Munro, mishaps and all.

A happy ending was not to be for "King and The Clown", however, though it was still a good movie IMHO. Dubbed the Korean version of "Brokeback Mountain", it tells a touching and tragic story of "a delicately effeminate male clown caught between the affections of a despotic king and a fellow performer". It's not so much the homosexual element that stirs, but rather the engaging plot and nuanced acting. At once humourous, entertaining, shocking and melancholic, it calls on the audience's various emotions as the story unfolds, and successfully develops the characters such that you feel for them, and understand the motivation behind their actions.

I've also had some food for thought with "The Kite Runner", "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" in recent weeks. As most of you would know, the first 2 are recommended by NLB, and they are indeed very good books, especially "The Kite Runner". The prose is simple but effective, and you can read it like any other novel though it's very much a piece of accomplished literature filled with metaphors, irony, and themes such as love, betrayal, identity, etc.. "Tuesdays with Morrie" and "The Five People You Meet In Heaven", both by Mitch Albom, on the other hand, are inspirational stories which carry certain lessons for the reader. Not my favourite genre, and I tend to forget all those "lessons" almost immediately after I put down the book, but enjoyable reading material nonetheless.

Catching "Pirates" tomorrow, and I've got a few new CDs. Might post some short impressions tomorrow if I have the time. Ciao.

YEAH!!!

Zejia made it into Med!!! Mighty congrats, he's the man! I knew he would make it lor, and my intuition usually very accurate one. LOL. Anw he's in high spirits now, and I'm really happy for him too, that he has shaken off the looming darkness that not so long ago troubled him so immensely. Well for one he can disrupt from NS (more specifically OCS, that eeky place), and I think it's something he really wants to do, so, good for him! Good for me too, coz having a doctor as a friend would come in handy some time down the road, I am sure. =) Ermmm in return, can call me if you all have any problems with your pipes or drainage. LOL.

Watched DVC with my family today. It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be, having read all those reviews. But still, it's mediocre at best and I think it helped that I did not step into the cinema with exceedingly high expectations. In fact, I wanted to watch "Over The Hedge", which had much better reviews.

A word of caution to those who intend to watch the movie: Read the book or you might not understand some parts of the plot. Also, you wouldn't be able to appreciate the movie as much, coz it only glosses over the riddles/puzzles, which is what really made the book exciting IMHO (rather than the controversial religious theme). Seriously, it would have been difficult to do the book justice considering the content we are dealing with, so I would say it was a reasonable effort on the part of the screenwriter and director.

Tom Hanks, like the movie, was mediocre. Audrey Tautou was slightly better, look out for the scene in which she confronts Silas. Sir Ian McKellen was brilliant, as usual. There's this part in DVC where Sir McKellen (Leigh Teabing) says to Robert and Sophia, "You may pass." Sounds familiar? Yes, coz Gandalf roared "You shall not pass!" in LOTR. Haha, just some trivia I thought I would share. Anw Sir McKellen played Gandalf, Leigh Teabing and Magneto. Do you see a pattern? All wise and powerful old men! LOL. I like the way his eyes twinkle with mischief.

Booking in for guard duty tomorrow. Going back to 42 on Wed/Thu. Sianz. Shall watch "Over The Hedge" and "X-men III" next week. Ciao!

Happy Birthday, Aik Joon

=)

Merry Christmas

First off, thanks to all those who sent me x'mas cards (excluding the insurance agents who do tt coz my parents give them commission...). I know pple will usually say nice things abt u in cards, but still, I'm happy to know tt pple actually think I'm a worthy friend. =) I think I have tried by best to be nice and helpful to everyone, and to be as sincere and honest in whatever I do and say for the past 2 years. So dear Santa, if you or any of your elves are reading this, please give me a BIG present for Christmas because I've been a very good boy. ;)

Had class BBQ on Friday. The food wasn't great, and it started raining midway, but it was good to see everyone again, looking ordinary, like banished prince charmings and cinderellas after one night of glamour (prom). LOL. Stayed over at Esther's house, and the night was spent playing bridge and a few rounds of mahjong. Thanks to Esther and her parents for being such very gracious hosts, and sorry for causing all that mess.

Oh yeah, there was also a gift exchange, and as expected, with such a shoestring budget ($10), the quality of the gifts were... dubious. I thought the one I bought wasn't too bad after seeing the others, at least it's more practical and I get to introduce someone to the music I like. Yep, it's Stef's latest album CD. NOT unwrapped choc biscuits from Mark and Spencer, like Ruyan alleged on her blog. Kao, ruin my reputation lor. I where got so cheapskate one. Dear Santa, please don't believe her... Shall not reveal what I got in case I need to zhuan3 song4 coz I really have no use for it. LOL.

Rushed off from Esther's house (Pasir Ris!) the next day coz had to meet aik joon and zejia at 1.30pm @ Orchard MRT. Reached home at 11.30am, so tired coz I barely slept the night before - think I managed a 3-hour wink - and decided to pangseh them. In the end I still went lah, and zejia told us a great deal abt NS. Btw he looks more tanned, toned, and lean (he said he lost 3kg). Hmmm NS does indeed do wonders to one's physique, apart from the hair, that is. LOL. Zejia looks (literally and figuratively) more down-to-earth without his hair. =X

Met up with jinny and yang jie later. They're really quite fun pple to be with, and I can understand why the 4 of them clique so well together. But as I was telling jinny and aik joon, it's funny to see them walk together:
__yang jie_____
|
|
|___zebra______
|__jinny & aj____

The vertical axis is height, if you are wondering.

Towards the end of the day, I was so tired that I felt like a zombie walking amongst the hordes of pple thronging Orchard Road on Christmas eve. I hate crowds, man. Slept like a log for 12 hours yesterday night while others were counting down to Christmas. What a wonderful way to spend Christmas eve.

The Joys of Solitude

It's amazing how time flies even as you slack around every day. Btw that's not a typo, it's every day, not everyday. Haha. Anw as I was saying, time slips by faster than you know it, and in 17 days' time, I would be enlisting. I'm kinda looking forward to that day, not because I love BMT, but because I can't wait to get it over and done with. This waiting game is basically a waste of time, coz there's really nothing much you can do in that few remaining weeks that we guys have. I kinda envy the girls, coz I want to work too! For the experience, for the money, to pass time. But as I was discussing with aj the other day, we will earn back all the money after NS coz our pay will be higher by a few hundred bucks per month (assuming the same basic pay lah, duh). =P

Yeah back to the topic, I actually quite enjoy being alone, watching TV, surfing net, reading book, listening to music, etc. I recall there's this chinese essay we had to write in Sec 2, roughly translated as "what I do when I'm alone" (dang1 wo3 du2 chu3 de4 shi2 hou4). I wrote (just for a small part of the essay) that I'd enjoy taking a shower and my teacher commented it's somewhat obscene. Bleh. That's because she's dirty-minded or something (as are all those who have those thoughts as they read this entry), what's wrong with enjoying a long shower and relaxing at the same time...

Haha anw that's beside the point. I kinda relish the thought of not having to put up a mask, nor try to squeeze topics from my brain to talk about. Of course it's not that I don't enjoy company, or that I'm a bloody fako, but sometimes you do indeed try to project yourself as someone you are not, for whatever reasons, if you get me. I tend to believe most, if not all, of us put up different facades when we are with different people. It's part of the imperfect human nature, as I always say.

Another thing is, I can't seem to gather that impulse to initiate outings. There's great inertia on my part, in other words. So I'm passively waiting for others to ask me out. And if that doesn't happen, well I'm perfectly fine being left alone as I am, to spend my time in quiet solitude. There are many things you can't do alone, but there are also many things you can't do without being alone, yeah?

It's getting pretty long, so I shall not go on. The "book review" has been shifted to another entry. Anw I'm (single and) available so you can ask me out if you want. =P Otherwise I will just continue to indulge in the joys of solitude (sounds weird, doesn't it. LOL). Oh yeah, I'm pretty looking forward to seeing Zejia when he books out in a few days' time. Both aik joon and jinny say they can't imagine him bald. Knowing the "vain" guy that he is =X, and how much effort he puts into styling his hair every day, it's gonna be really interesting. Haha. Yes, I'm gloating. ;)

All the best, Zebra!

Sorry that this is a little late coz Zejia was enlisted yesterday, but still, all the best to him! I'm sure he will come out much fitter after PTP, and be able to kill muscular Alvin.

Like this =)

Jiayou!!!

All the best, Jinny!

Thought I would put this in a separate entry as the last one was getting too long. Jinny is gonna be enlisted tml, so here's wishing him all the best (sounds familiar right? it appeared in my "best entry". LOL). It'll all be over in 2 years and 1 month, and I'll be joining you in a month's time! I know it sucks to spend your bdae in army, but I am sure your platoon mates will make your day. Ya know, those army stories about stripping the bdae boy to his bdae suit, and applying toothpaste, medicated oil, and kiwi shoeshine to your... Yeah, you get the idea. Jiayou!

Incidentally, I somehow managed to sprain/twist/injure my right wrist, so I can't do push-ups, or carry anything heavy. And it has been raining in the mornings and evenings so I haven't been running. How to be fit for NS?...

Encore: My "best" entry

Jinny's Confession
1st posted Oct 12 2005

I feel guilty posting this as it seems as if I'm "betraying the trust" of a good friend, but I've been thinking, there's nothing shameful about liking someone, so why not make it known instead of hiding your feelings deep inside your heart? Hopefully someone who knows the girl can convey the message to her, and something good may come out of this.

It took us a long time and the sharing of some personal "secrets" to coax Jinny into making this confession. As you might know, he's quite a shy guy, and there's always the fear of derision when it comes to affairs of the heart.

Anyway it all began when we noticed that he had taken a particular interest in an S6 girl (her name is Ying Ying) from VnR. He has seen her a few times on bus 74, and commented that she was "not bad-looking"(Jinny's way of saying a girl is pretty). When he heard that she's Wanlin's friend, he even asked if Zejia has her number. Sensing his hint, Zejia asked Wanlin for YY's number and gave it to Jinny on MSN, albeit unrequested. We then tried to test Jinny the next day by asking for YY's number and he was able to give Zejia her contact immediately, which simply means that he had saved her number despite denying any interest in her.

Armed with this piece of "incriminating" evidence, we proceeded to interrogate Jinny. He was in denial at first (as expected), but eventually relented and told us he has a "slight crush" on YY. Being the KPOs that we are, we asked him what he saw in her, and he replied sheepishly that her sunshine girl image appealed to him, and he was mesmerised by her smile. WOW! Sensing that Jinny is beginning to open up and not wanting to lose this golden opportunity (yah I know it's cliched...), we decided to probe further.

"Is this the first time you've ever felt this way about a girl?"
"I think so. Yeah."
"Do you intend to let her know of your feelings?"
"Dunno."
"Huh why not?"
"Ermm... I'm scared she will reject me."
"We help you ask?"
"Huh, better not lah."
...

There are more questions but I'm too lazy to type all of them out, so I'll skip the boring bits and move on to the juicier revelations (LOL). Jinny hopes to see her wear a cleavage-bearing and bare-back, low-cut dress and push-up *** (gasp!), with a mini skirt or a skirt with high side opening (up to the thigh) for prom. I dunno what made him say that, but yeah, that's exactly what he said when we asked him what he wanted her to wear if she agrees to go to prom with him. Well I hope YY doesn't read this part, but seriously, Jinny is a very nice guy, and well worth consideration.

Here's wishing him all the best.

Jinny's Confession

I feel guilty posting this as it seems as if I'm "betraying the trust" of a good friend, but I've been thinking, there's nothing shameful about liking someone, so why not make it known instead of hiding your feelings deep inside your heart? Hopefully someone who knows the girl can convey the message to her, and something good may come out of this.

It took us a long time and the sharing of some personal "secrets" to coax Jinny into making this confession. As you might know, he's quite a shy guy, and there's always the fear of derision when it comes to affairs of the heart.

Anyway it all began when we noticed that he had taken a particular interest in an S6 girl (her name is Ying Ying) from VnR. He has seen her a few times on bus 74, and commented that she was "not bad-looking"(Jinny's way of saying a girl is pretty). When he heard that she's Wanlin's friend, he even asked if Zejia has her number. Sensing his hint, Zejia asked Wanlin for YY's number and gave it to Jinny on MSN, albeit unrequested. We then tried to test Jinny the next day by asking for YY's number and he was able to give Zejia her contact immediately, which simply means that he had saved her number despite denying any interest in her.

Armed with this piece of "incriminating" evidence, we proceeded to interrogate Jinny. He was in denial at first (as expected), but eventually relented and told us he has a "slight crush" on YY. Being the KPOs that we are, we asked him what he saw in her, and he replied sheepishly that her sunshine girl image appealed to him, and he was mesmerised by her smile. WOW! Sensing that Jinny is beginning to open up and not wanting to lose this golden opportunity (yah I know it's cliched...), we decided to probe further.

"Is this the first time you've ever felt this way about a girl?"
"I think so. Yeah."
"Do you intend to let her know of your feelings?"
"Dunno."
"Huh why not?"
"Ermm... I'm scared she will reject me."
"We help you ask?"
"Huh, better not lah."
...

There are more questions but I'm too lazy to type all of them out, so I'll skip the boring bits and move on to the juicier revelations (LOL). Jinny hopes to see her wear a cleavage-bearing and bare-back, low-cut dress and push-up *** (gasp!), with a mini skirt or a skirt with high side opening (up to the thigh) for prom. I dunno what made him say that, but yeah, that's exactly what he said when we asked him what he wanted her to wear if she agrees to go to prom with him. Well I hope YY doesn't read this part, but seriously, Jinny is a very nice guy, and well worth consideration.

Here's wishing him all the best.

I don't understand myself

To clarify things a bit, I'm not angry (at anyone or anything), pissed or moody, although I have been unable to convince people about this, simply by refusing to talk. Must there be a reason for not wanting to talk? I dunno, maybe I don't even know what's going on in my brain, but I just didn't feel like talking. I'm really fine, if you still aren't convinced.

I was a little pissed initially, but that was way below the threshold I could take. It takes a smash (literally, with a foolscap pad or something) on my head to cross that threshold. Or backstabbing. Or accusing me of something I didn't do. Or breaking a promise made previously. I wasn't offended by the sarcasm and jokes either, seriously. Not so easy. I'm so used to them, and they originate from me too, none too often.

I just wanted to shut myself off, and there was no turning back after a while. The "silent game" became too "fun" to abandon, and I just couldn't pull myself away. No, I don't think it's a mood swing, or anything you thought I was going through. I wasn't feeling particularly angry, sad, melancholic, depressed, yada yada. It's simply that - not wanting to talk. They were trying to coax me to say something, and I was really "tempted" at many points (especially given their acute and apparent exasperation), but somehow, something just got the better of me. I am quite amazed myself at the ease with which I suppressed the urge to talk. It somehow seemed easier to fork out money to treat someone to lunch (though they eventually returned me the money..).

Perhaps it's the inherent autism flowing in my veins, or someone - or something - was tempering with my "emotions". I'm going to stop short of apologising to these people, but I want to thank them for tolerating those moments of silence, and trying so hard to find out what they had "done wrong". Nope, nobody did anything wrong. Really.

Ignore this post if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.