Posted on 30 April 2007 @ 01:10 in The Working Life
I’ve finished filing my income tax returns for 2006 and it was done online. But I haven’t submitted it yet cuz the form refused to let me fill in the amount of scheduler tax that has been deducted from my salary over the same period - a crucial piece of information required to compute the actual amount of tax I have to pay out of my own pocket. And tomorrow - or rather today - is the deadline. Somehow, I’ll need to find the time to get over to the Income Tax Department to sort this out this electronic malfunction. But I’ve also been invited to lunch with two gorgeous creatures … so how, ah?
Updated: Mon, 30/04/07, 10:50 p.m.
It wasn’t an electronic malfunction, but a case of aging eyes missing the all-important scheduler tax box. 
All’s well now, my tax returns have been filled, and the damage is not too bad … in fact, not bad at all.
As for the lunch, it was cancelled as one of the gorgeous creatures had come down with food poisoning.
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Posted on 28 April 2007 @ 22:10 in Pictures
At this month’s month-end literary events.
First up, red shoes at the MPH LitBloggers’ Breakfast Club in the morning:
Sharon’s right (with the fancy nail polish) and Chet’s left (in her much-loved chunky Crocs).
Next, an almost solid red T at the Seksan Readings in the afternoon:
Oops … Kenny looks like he has a growth at the back of his head! Sorry, man.
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Posted on 27 April 2007 @ 07:39 in Women
At the special 2-hour “Idol Gives Back” charity show yesterday evening, comedian and talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, announced on air that she was personally giving US$100,000/-.
Now the cynical part of me immediately thought “Yeah, yeah, I bet it’s tax exempted.” But does it matter? It’s still US$100,000/-. And it didn’t sound staged; she was babbling on and suddenly it came out. Plus she was looking visibly touched by the various video clips that were being shown as part of the show.
Way to go, DeGeneres.
Related Posts:
The Face of Peace
If women rule the world …
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Posted on 24 April 2007 @ 23:01 in Books
Original list submitted to Starmag’s book poll (in no particular order except as I remembered them):
House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
Wild Swans, Jung Chang
The Talisman, Peter Straub and Stephen King
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker
Dancer Dawkins and the California Kid, Willyce Kim
After an email from Daphne Lee who asked for another title to replace Wild Swans (because it’s non-fiction and therefore does not count), here is the revised list (arranged in the order of when I read them):
Early 80s
The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston
Fear of Flying, Erica Jong
The Talisman, Peter Straub and Stephen King
University texts
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
House of Mirth, Edith Wharton
The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway
Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
Late 80s
Possessing the Secret of Joy, Alice Walker
Dancer Dawkins and the California Kid, Willyce Kim
Looking at the list, it looks like I haven’t read a book since the last 80s! Of course, I have. It’s just that when I was thinking of what books I consider all-time favourites, I decided recent reads have not stood the test of time. Maybe in 10 years or so, Paul Auster’s Oracle Night and Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist might make it to my list.
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Posted on 22 April 2007 @ 22:47 in Books
I’d received an sms that Dina Zaman’s I Am Muslim is #1 on the Top 10 Non-Fiction List at Borders. And since I was in the neighbourhood, I dropped by to snap a pic:
Also spotted at the same bookstore, Kam Raslan’s Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato’ Hamid Adventures:
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Posted on 22 April 2007 @ 22:36 in Writing
From one of my favourite books, Dancer Dawkins and the California Kid by Willyce Kim. Not sure if this is chick lit (probably not) or even great fiction. All I know is it made me laugh out loud when I read it.
An excerpt for Ms Bib, as I’d promised her.
Headlines
The Department of Motor Vehicles has stated that a car traveling at the rate of ten miles an hour can inflict considerable damage upon a stationary vehicle. Little Willy had just dropped into second gear, bit the top off her Cubano, sunk back against the cushioned seat, when she ripped the door off Dancer’s car. It was like the 5:10 blind-siding a stack of egg cartons. Little Willy’s life passed in front of her. She saw her name in headlines. “I came to California for this! ” she exclaimed. Little Willie’s car came to a standstill. Her heart was doing the herky-jerky. Filled with more fear than loathing she gazed into her rear-view mirror. Dancer was still seated behind the steering wheel. Music blared into the street. Someone was having a party.
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Posted on 21 April 2007 @ 19:02 in Stress Busters
Mama Mei Xiang in her short black leather jacket and big bad black boots astride her custom-made Harley-Davidson at the National Zoo in Washington, DC:
Picture courtesy of humanity_7777.
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Posted on 20 April 2007 @ 21:40 in Being Silly
Apparently, I have been driving with a nail in the right rear tyre. Apparently, it had been there long enough to wear the outer rim of the tyre smooth.
No wonder the guy in the car behind me yesterday evening drew level, caught my attention, said something (which I couldn’t hear) and then pulled ahead. When I saw him coming into my lane ahead of me, I thought he caught my attention just so I would slow down enough for him to overtake me. Now I understand what happened. He was trying to tell me I had an almost flat tyre.
It was only when I was nearing home turf that I heard a funny noise somewhere beneath the car. All I could think of at the time was “Oh Lord, please help me get into the car park and my parking space without any trouble. ” The one thing I hate is to be stranded on the side of the road. And God answered my silly prayer and saw me safely into the car park and parking space.
As soon as I parked, I got down to check for the source of the funny noise. There it was - an almost flat right rear tyre. As soon as I got into my apartment, I called my trusted mechanic from the shop and he agreed to come over in the morning to change the tyre.
Even he was amazed that I was driving the car until the tyre was almost worn smooth (and flat). He said I should be able to feel a difference in how the car moved. Well, I didn’t. Honest. Yeah, I know - in a world of my own. 
He then checked the other three tyres and said they needed to have their pressure topped up. I said I didn’t know how, could he show me? We met 10 minutes later at the Petronas station across the road from Tesco where he showed me what to do.
Oh yah, the flat tyre is worn so smooth it can’t be repaired. I have to get a new one.
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Posted on 20 April 2007 @ 08:01 in People, Writing
Malaysian writer Kam Raslan will be appearing on RedFM’s morning show with Nell Ng & David Chew between 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. on Monday, 23 April 2007.
Kam will be talking about his new book, Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato’ Hamid Adventures.
The book, now available at major bookstores in KL and PJ, recounts the (mis)adventures of Dato’ Hamid …
The old boy and civil servant who’s been everywhere and seen it all (even though he never wanted to). Here he ’spills the beans’ on his adventures dating back to the 1940s, from Kuala Lumpur to Monte Carlo, Los Angeles to Algiers, London to Temerloh Rest House and much more.
Back Cover Blurb excerpt
Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato’ Hamid Adventures
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Posted on 17 April 2007 @ 21:47 in Being Silly, The Working Life
Or the English spelling - cooliecutive.
An ex-colleague taught me the word many years ago, and I loved it then, and still love it today. I use it whenever I feel abused at work. Today, I used it again, not because I felt abused, but because I had a lot of fun at work today. Not just today, but recently. New team mates, mah.
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