A Quick Update

- sent from a smartphone -

It's not that I've disappeared from the face of the world; it's just that my broadband line has crashed on me. Mama Carrie is much better now after going for Western and Eastern medicine but with the exception of aching chest bones from excessive coughing and weak lungs. She commented that I should probably suffer the whole ordeal if I want to lose any weight and truth be told, I really don't mind it if it meant sleeping like a corpse.

The ISP mentioned that my line should be back tomorrow or day after, so I should be back with another round of stories then. Until then, I'm going to take some time out since my computer's already been packed.

P.S. I hate blogging from a smartphone, especially the on-screen keyboard.

The Bleeding Heart

When she had received the news that her fiancé had been admitted to the hospital unconscious and with severe life-threatening injuries, she had sped from her workplace and had narrowly avoided a head-on collision with the oncoming traffic.

She had burst into the ICU and was guided to his bed after she enquired about his situation with the nurse’s station. The nurse in charge had looked up at her with a grave face, added that he was touch and go because his brain had sustained a concussion that may result in a short-term memory loss and in addition to that, he had suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs that narrowly punctured his heart. When she approached his bed, she broke down inasmuch as she kept telling herself to pull it together. He had an oxygen mask on him with a ventilator next to him with wires on his hand and chest and a bandaged head. She dragged a chair next to it and sat on it, clutched his cold, limp hand in hers and warmed it with her warm cheek.

"You promised to give nothing but happiness, love," she croaked. "I don’t want you to leave me just like that. Please wake up and make a full recovery in anticipation of our upcoming wedding. We’ll walk down the aisle surrounded by our family and friends with radiance in the air..."

She walked to the area that held a special place in her heart; it was here in this beautiful park a year ago that her fiancé had surprised her with a wedding proposal on her birthday. She remembered she had fallen silent, stunned at his move and that strangers had gathered around them and encouraged her to accept the proposal, which she did after she had regained her composure.

Her face became wet at the thought of it.

The attending doctor had mentioned that his chances of regaining consciousness were terribly slim and that the family should consider pulling the plug on him, ending his suffering. She couldn’t come to that decision as she was not ready to accept the loss yet but couldn’t bear the thought of him suffering another agonizing day either.

She wanted life to return to its normalcy, to happier times with happier memories but there was a side of her that knew that it was almost impossible unless a miracle happened. She bowed her head and cried her heart out, questioned the purpose of life.

The Almost Impossible Wishlist

Dream Locations

Credits to Sydney - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for the image

I had always thought that Sydney was Australia’s capital city until my sojourn in Auckland where I found out that it has always been Canberra that held the proud honor of being the capital city, not Sydney, even though the latter is larger and more populated. It pretty much has the same story; to prevent rivalry and a big fight between two large cities, a smaller one was chosen to be the capital. That’s what I heard in Auckland that Wellington became the capital because of it.

But inasmuch as I’d love to visit Sydney, it’s really Melbourne that I want to go to because of the CBD, shopping and food. Sydney’s more of an entertainment city where you can find the Aussie version of Broadway and the Opera House.

Maybe you could provide me with some insider details on the places I should visit and the eateries I should patronize when I’m there? =D Look, once I’ve saved enough money to finance the trip that will include accommodation, food and shopping, you shall find me there with my trusty oversized pair of sunglasses.

Credits to One Tree Hill, New Zealand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for the image

Believe me when I say that I have visited this place more than once because that’s the truth. I’ve always stayed back in this place whenever Papa Carrie had his hockey-related things next door at the stadium. Yes, the hill is next to the hockey stadium. Mt. Eden is the name of the place, I believe. Correct me if I’m wrong, yeah?

The hills there are spared the intrusive development and if you make your way up by foot or car, you’ll meet with an inactive crater. If you’re daring enough, you can make your way down there. As much as I was frightened with the height, I had made my way there and almost lost my footing on the way back. Stupid pair of shoes!

The best memory I have of the place is one dog owner – a Caucasian lady, I remember – allowing me to play Frisbee with her Golden Retriever. Of course I had asked her for permission and I could see it in the dog’s eyes that it was more than happy to play with me. It profusely wagged its tail, expressed his happiness and enthusiasm.

But yeah, with all that has been said, I missed my time and would want to return there for a winter/summer holiday if I can since I now know how to handle their cold, windy winter.

Dream Cars

Credits to Nissan LEAF for the image

OK. I’m not sure why Mama Carrie likes the design of it, but I know that it’ll take a while for me before I’m used to seeing it on the road even though it’s fresh and unique to society. It was the sky-blue color that we saw on the road a couple of days ago, caught our attention.

I’m still eying on that red sporty Sentra, though.

Credits to Toyota Prius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for the image

What can I say about the Prius?

First, I must say that after I saw the recent launch of C, I still prefer this model’s design. Even though I can’t imagine myself behind the wheels of this eco-friendly and sleek model, I really don’t mind having my hands on it even though if it meant bringing it around for a test drive. I need to know how good it is, the comfort especially. I don’t want the back passenger to complain of any bumpy feeling whenever the car is on the road, ferrying people.

If anyone of you happen to own a Prius, please share your thoughts about the car.

Property Investments

Credits to Sime Darby Properties | Planters' Haven for the image

To own a bungalow means you need to have loads of greens in hand even for the down payment because the prices run into the millions, even for Planters’ Haven. Hover over to the website and you’ll read that there is nothing but serenity and greens surrounding the neighborhood.

I’m not saying that I’ll like to invest in a bungalow as my first property because that’ll make me work for two centuries before I can even think of it.

Credits to Sunway Properties | BayRocks for the image

And the same goes with South Quay.

I’ve not gone round comparing prices now because I don’t have the financial means just yet and furthermore, why would I want to do it now when the property market will change in the next 5 to 10 years? Nobody knows if it’ll shoot up sky high or crash upon the bursting of the bubble. (But truth be told, I'm waiting for the market to crash so bad that it'll yank the property prices down with it. The price even for a small pad is quite high now.)

I’ll wait; I’ll wait until I’m financially, mentally and physically prepared to throw some greens into property investments. My eyes are however set on LaCosta and since there’s no way I’ll make it to be the first owner, we’ll see how it goes when I’m a working adult with greens to spare. If it’s meant to be, I will be an owner there.

The Zombie Improvement

Now that I'm in the final midst of packing, I think I can allow myself to catch a breather and slide back into the game and hopefully, the breather would also include a coffee with Kar Wyai and a meal with Angeline and Inez as a farewell gathering.

Credits to HireABox.com for the image
Let’s just say that the last couple of weeks had been a living nightmare that practically unleashed the zombie in me in addition to the enormous amounts of items to be cleared and/or to be stored away in those boxes. I’m getting there, but I don’t have the confidence to say that I’m done with the whole mess of it. No, not yet; it's either I keep finding things out of nowhere or I'm running out of boxes.

Let me tell you, no matter how early one starts, a pair of hands is never enough in this case. The best is to have at least two pairs of familiar hands, but one can never always get what or who one wants.

You might have already seen a post on how my sleeping pattern had been wrecked, so I’m not going to venture any further but allow me some time to recover; I’m still sleeping more than I should and am waking up in the morning feeling lethargic even though I’ve had at least 8 hours of complete, quality sleep.

Credits to Green Health Spot | Staying Asleep: Insomnia Prevention Trick for the image
Mama Carrie had a great part in it. She fell under the weather with a headache and body heat that eventually progressed into a high but fluctuating temperature with a persistent night cough and bubbly, colorless phlegm. Oh, did I mention that it included a painful, sore throat?

A visit to the nearby clinic was only made after much persuasion from me and a couple of friends/acquaintances and the simple blood test showed that she had a bacterial infection that wouldn’t have been that serious if only she had been willing to go earlier. The doctor mentioned that if she had continued to wait even longer, the next place she’ll end up is the hospital on an IV drip, fighting a case of bronchitis or pneumonia, which can be quite deadly if left untreated.

"But be a good girl, take your antibiotics and drink more liquids and you should feel better in a couple of days' time."

And as if that hadn’t been enough to deal with, laryngitis knocked at her door and swallowed her voice. When I vocally pressed her to see the doctor, I was severely lectured that I shouldn’t be harping on it and that her voice would recover on its own. I was like, right, it’s almost a week now with no sign of recovery. Just go and have it checked out!

She finally, willingly returned to the doctor – a week after her voice loss – and the doctor confirmed my suspicions; it was really laryngitis. Her voice made its return after been given the medication plus Prospan and is taking its own sweet time to recover to its normalcy. Her voice still cracks whenever she tries to scream or speak loudly.

Don’t look at me; Mama Carrie can be quite hard-headed at times. It’s in her blood. =.=”

Credits to LetsGoDine.com for the image

With that being said, I still can’t believe that a mere pack of nasi lemak could have done so much harm to her; the sambal must’ve been infected with bacteria that had been waiting to cause hell in an unsuspecting party’s system because the coconut-infused rice tasted fresh. Our Indonesian acquaintance had the same item and too fell under the weather with such intense pain and severe diarrhea that she crawled her way back and forth from the toilet and her bedroom. She cried her heart out, thought that her time was up but she took some OTC medicine in desperation, she said. She however believes that although she’s fully recovered, the bacteria will strike again if she ever eats the wrong item again.

It seemed that I’m the only one who escaped with little to no side effects; both mentioned that it’s due to my age, but God knows. When we however met up with a Thai acquaintance a couple of days after her return from Bangkok, she commented that not have my chubby face lost a little weight, black eye rings have appeared together with whitened lips. It’s nothing serious, she continued. I just need to catch more afternoon naps and drink more water.

Right.

If you want to know the exact location of where the nasi lemak was purchased a, shove a tweet to me or drop me a note on Facebook.

Friends, you know how and where to leak the details out of me. =D

7/23/2012

I had proposed the idea that we depart for the shopping mall from his place because his was the nearest to the shopping mall and I didn’t want to waste time and gas and the expensive parking fee. We exchanged hugs when the time came for me to leave hours later; he had planned to meet someone else there.

Later that day, when I had stopped by the gas station to purchase gas and some tidbits, I noticed that he had left behind his sweater in the back passenger seat. I drove back to the place and told Mama Carrie to wait in the car while I went inside, searched for the appointed place where he was to wait for me. When I had arrived, he was with another friend of his and I returned the sweater, exchanged short words.

My thoughts: It's baffling to know that I've not met the person before in real life and yet his name was revealed in the dream. Even though Dungeon had just mentioned earlier today that he would still like to come over to the city, I know that it's not him in the dream.



It was a beautiful hillside cottage with everything that one could ask for. The serenity it offered had done its part to soothe the nervous soul. The clean, hilly air had provided a break to the polluted city air and the system a break.

While we were spending time at the balcony of some hilltop café, I had caught a glimpse of someone pulling out the gun and suddenly, another friend and I were both pushed over the fence and down the hill to save our lives just as we heard a shooting and rounds of bullet cases hitting the floor.

Flashbacks of a certain person surfaced in my mind. How she, when she was alive, had volunteered her time in the same hillside cottage and moonlighted as the cottage’s substitute public relations officer, made sure that the guests had the best time without much worries. How she, at her spare time, would meet someone at the beach by the stilts.

As we rolled down the hill, a thought suddenly flashed in my mind that it was probably her who saved us from the scene, wanted not to risk our lives at the hands of the shooter.

My thoughts: Have I been watching too much news lately? Or am I thinking of Cameron/Genting Highlands?

7/19/2012

We had arranged to meet in front of Watsons in AmCorp Mall since the residences could only be accessed by those having the authorized cards. Since I was duper early, I decided to walk around the mall to kill the time and found a couple of interesting items that included a beautiful white skirt with painted purple flowers that doubled up as a strapless dress and stalls selling homemade cookies and accessories.

It was while I was making the payment for two shares of futomaki that I received a message on my cell, signaled that Eric had arrived at the agreed place. I replied that I was buying something and would be there in between five to ten.

When I had arrived there, we exchanged short words and a hug before he brought me up to his 2R1B condo located on the 22st floor. The minute he flung the door open, I found my paternal cousin, Kate Angela, seated on the couch with eyes glued to the TV. Not too sure why she was there, but asked nothing.

I felt relieved that I had made the decision to purchase the two shares of futomaki and treated both Eric and Angela to it while I hovered to his kitchen to brew us a jar of green tea. I knew his place quite well; I have been there too many times not to have it embedded in my mind. Furthermore, he allowed me to treat his place like my own.

My thoughts: OK. Why I had dreamed of Angela, I don't have the slightest clue. I don't remember ever meeting her as she's forever based in Sydney (or Melbourne, ask Papa Carrie) and rarely returns. Can't blame her; she has a family of her own now. But I'm however aware that she's a younger brother - his name is Marcus - who died in a car accident 2 years before my grand entrance. From what Papa Carrie mentioned, it was so horrific that he sustained severe injuries and landed their mother in hospital for quite a while.

I've seen Marcus's picture in the home obituary that his parents had made for him; exact replica of his father, the small sharp eyes, the bulky jaw.

I know this dream means something; I can feel it. I can feel that the subconscious me is craving for a day out with the girls and throw out our worries on the table, leaving each other with fruitful and appreciated advices.

La corda - Romance On Violin

Zombi-fied Emotions

Top (L to R): Michelle's brothers; Bottom (L to R): Michelle, Ciana (yes, that's me)

I was more than displeased when I heard that a group picture was going to be taken but I guess I hid it well as there is no obvious trace.

That was the 'before' me; life seemed so perfect back then with radiated happiness in the air.



This is the 'now' me; my sleeping hours have crashed and gone upside down as the day approaches by the minute with deep exasperation in tow. The second sick hand has fallen greatly under the weather, insisted to let nature takes it course and killed my nights in the process. I don't know what energy I am surviving on, but I know that if I don't have a time frame to pack the things up and leave, it will make the process easier.

My wallet will grow thinner for no apparent reason because of the move. I'm deeply pissed off because all I think about now is the arrangement of items in the countless amount of boxes that I have with me. Moving has never been an issue but once I'm slapped with a short time frame, it ruins the mood in me especially when there are so many cabinets to ransack with so many things to filter and only a pair of hands to save my sanity now.

Heal the sick hand and I won't be this exasperated. I will be mad, but I won't be that mad until I'm an overactive zombie. =/

It's encrypted, but it's obvious enough for the two people who wanted their way. My temper will flare up again if I ever run into them, so fingers crossed that the rope will forever be burned. If they don't want the rope to be burned, they have to extend the time frame (and from the way I see it, they won't; in fact, they can't wait for the time to be up).

A Brief Dream

Credits to Fun New Zealand Travel.com for the image

Since there was a heavy presence of negativity that soured my emotions, I knew that I had to take a trip out to a familiar town, the only town that I can say that I know as well as my hometown, to catch a breath and enjoy the beauty that it had offered. And perhaps to stuff my face with the popular, well-known snacks.

At the top of my list was to visit a childhood friend who had owned a successful beachside restaurant and during her off-time, she brought me around town, explained that the town had undergone some minor changes to capitalize on its natural landscape and beauty to lure more tourists to visit.

We passed by my aunt's modest-sized coffee shop restaurant but since she was busy with customers, I figured that I'll pop by later when she was much freer.

Really, I've been subconsciously craving to get away from all these mess in the form of a flight abroad or a drive out of town, but I can't; I have to clean it up all before end of this month. I guess if I want to keep my temperature in check, the only respite I have is to deafen my ears.

So, yeah, until that day comes, I shall keep on dreaming about food trips and travels.

Why, of all the time, must this matter happen now?!

P.S. I have to write it in a cryptic manner because I have someone's ego to look out for. If I were to write the actual events publicly, I think it will further complicate the situation that I'm going through now. Public defamation would merely land me with a court case and expensive attorney fees, nothing more than that.

I do not like it one bit; the unnecessary stress of running around town with papers and spending hours and hours in front of clearance items and boxes after boxes - at least a dozen here; I don't want to count in exact - has really gotten onto my nerve so much that it had landed me with such a severe backache that all I want is to rest in my bed until the pain has subsided to a bearable stage.

And as if that's not enough, my temperature has risen with intense fury and anger, all because of you. Yes, I'm holding you responsible for it because we both know that you could - and should - have waited until the stipulated time before you chose to set your foot in, rushed and instigated your way through to shoo me out in search for a better substitute. Okay, you may not think so but you should've taken a peek at it and value the true extent of it before you even thought of interference; it's not as worthy as gold, I'm telling you now.

So, you think that by hiding in the shadows, I won't know your tactic but the truth is that you're so wrong. One look at the situation, and it tells me that you want me out and would rather have me slide out at my own free will for your own personal gain than me holding you responsible for it. But sorry, it can't be done because you are indeed responsible for it; it should in fact be counted on your head instead, not mine. I'm aware of your identity and presence but to save me from complications and you from embarrassment, I shall keep it between us. See, at least I know my boundaries!

You should really feel the fury of a scorned Scorpio, and don't say I didn't warn you. You chose this ending, so just live with it then! And speaking of regrets, I regretted for making that one blunder which would've spared me all this mess today, spared me the inconvenience posed by you! *storms off in fury*