December 11, 2009
Happy First.
I told R that Lana Zaheerah would lead me out of hiatus. It took me a while -- her birthday was four weeks ago.
Happy Birthday Lana.
You sure know how to party. We should do something together for New Year's.
Posted by quickness at 09:15 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2007
Oh glorious warm sand...
SH, a friend and neighbour who stayed in a building next to ours during the first few years we were in New York, saw a photo of the giant mirror near the Rockefellar Centre in my last entry and messaged me yesterday if I was still in the city. I have re-read my last entry and I can see how a casual reader can misunderstand what I wrote. It was supposed to be taken in context with previous posts.
So, SH is in NY for the next month or so, after having lived in both KL and Singapore in the last 3 years.
I am sure we’ll have lunch soon SH. Meanwhile, enjoy the sub-freezing weather from all of us in the sunny South East Asian region. I heard it’s gonna last till just after you end your 4-week stay there.
Posted by quickness at 05:51 AM | Comments (0)
September 05, 2006
Antistrophe
This is to FLC who's going to Luxembourg in order to take on a new job and a new life. FLC, one of the nicest person one can ever meet, and deservedly lucky to be moving to a place where she can pursue her writing. How so bohemian this new life sounds...
All your friends will be missing the laughter you always bring, and will be expecting you to keep in touch. Have a good flight Sunday!
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September 04, 2006
Victorian Gardens Afternoon
During Labour Day Monday, NZ and SAM invited the family for a get together so that our kids can meet. Hannani, their daughter, had been Azmina's best friend since they arrived just over a year ago. And since we are leaving very, very soon, it was the perfect plan for a cool afternoon. For Azmina, it was a double surprise - she get to spend some time with Hannani and play on rides.
Azmina and Hannani sat together in the twin stroller while lining up to get tickets into Central Park's Victorian Gardens, and were together in half of the rides that they went.
They used to call each other, but, since both were constantly waiting for the other to speak, they had not gotten very far in their 3-minute calls. I can't speak for Hannani, but Azmina, looks forward everytime we tell her she was going to meet Hannani. That's the time when we can get Azmina to eat (semi-)properly, and that's the time when we can get her... well, force her to shut her eyes and sleep in a more civilised hour.
We thank NZ and SAM for the whole afternoon, for the food and for the company. We can easily stay in touch, but it won't be as easy for the little ones. Azmina will miss her best friend.
Posted by quickness at 11:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
August 20, 2006
Butterfly
Congratulations to N's sister, SZ and her husband W for the birth of their daughter.
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January 28, 2006
Wedding Singer
From the archives - taken during my brother's wedding.
By some odd chance a few weeks ago, I came across the same song that the boy was singing. I didn't know the song when I took the picture in June, and the words weren't particularly memorable. His performance on the other hand, was the total opposite. He had the sincerity that could only be explained by his age, and the voice of a child star. Music was provided by a man playing a whole band from his keyboard. The living room was transformed into a dance floor. The hosts, which were part of an extended, extended family, were my new kinsfolk. My own family, while small in number, was absorbed seamlessly during the day-long celebration.
Although the whole function had started around nine hours earlier, the party was still very much alive when we left around five hours later.
Posted by quickness at 09:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
September 01, 2005
O' where, o' where, did my August go? O' where, o' where did August go?
Looked at my watch this morning, and realised it was already the first day of September.
Not that I have taken August for granted, but it has been quite busy for a traditionally (for most other people) lazy month. We now have less daylight than we had a month before - more than 80 minutes less than what we had on August 1. Right now it feels like university finals all over again. It's perfect out, but you're stuck inside.
Atleast there is the long weekend to look forward to, and the weather outlook seems to be perfect. Seems to be the only real rest many of us will get for a very long time. I have thought of walking the length of Manhattan on Saturday, but there is that slight possibility that I might not be able to walk normally for a few days after. We'll see how it goes.
Now, something related to the photo:
The hand belongs to one of my best friends, Archie. In June, when this was taken, he said he was gonna quit in August. I haven't talked to him since July, but I hope he smoked his last cigarette yesterday.
Everyone knows quitting is hard, and many of us had been quitting for many, many years. Well now that the Internet knows of your own promise, hopefully you will get more support from friends. Do it for the two girls, if not for you.
Posted by quickness at 01:51 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2005
Playing Alone
A day short of 2 years and 7 months, after evening bath.
Posted by quickness at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2005
Mid-Summer Night Dance
I absolutely love images created by 1/2 to 1 second shutter speeds. It represents the atmosphere better - the movement, the lack of urgency. The sounds we had made, the laughter that been had - this is how this piece of memory was played as I brushed my teeth at the end of that night, and during the last few moments before my eyes finally rested.
Posted by quickness at 08:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
... I shall have the same hairstyle as ...
I know what you're thinking, but, no, none of them is going to sue the other for style rights any time soon.
Posted by quickness at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)
April 01, 2005
Dear Friends and Family,
I would like to apologize to all those who I’ve not written back, or never written to, or never called.
If you have written to me at my hotmail address over the last few years, then you most definitely have not received a reply as I rarely use it for email purposes. MSN messenger is the only reason that I keep it; and of course, because my hotmail account name is a word in the English language. The fact that hotmail only gives me a measly 2MB and that it is the favourite email target for spammers, doesn’t deter me as I can still somehow know many of you are alive and well on the other side when you log in.
I now use the gmail account as my primary email address in addition to my dotmac email. And since neitherhere.com is already mine, I might open up another account just for the purposes related to the domain.
If you have any of the above-mentioned email accounts, then that’s fine. I check them regularly – it’s my hotmail that I don’t really check.
I don't have any explanation for it, but I can’t talk on the phone for long periods of time, nor can I maintain a regular email correspondence. Doesn’t mean I forget however, only means that you know a friend who you can count on, but not on writing regular personal emails or make personal phone calls.
By the time this message is posted on this site, I most probably have not sent invites for anyone to visit this site.
Nonetheless, I feel it’s important to say this, because I, we, do miss everyone a lot. You are constantly in our prayers.
Posted by quickness at 03:10 AM
March 16, 2005
Sammy
Posted by quickness at 11:38 PM | Comments (0)
February 10, 2005
Dear Internet,
This morning's commute was one of those instances that you'd want to forget. In a full bus, with around 10 people standing, there was an empty seat. With skills honed from years of commuting, I quickly deduced that it was next to a seat occupied by somekind of maniac, as in someone who has an excessive enthusiasm of a particular thing. This lady was fanatically spraying perfume on to herself till her hair was wet, and from where I was standing 2 steps away, she smelt like industrial strength toilet cleaner. It looked like she already went through half a bottle when I stood next to her. It reminded me of something in my childhood, of the overpowering scent of lavender that the family car used to smell after being cleaned of travel-sickness.
It wasn't even 9, and I was already drained.
Had a chat with PE and Dr. J later that day. It's been a while since we've talked but they were online today and were nice enough to say hello.
It turned out to be one of the high points of the day.Some friends would not have heard about this yet, but what better way to tell the world, and the Internet, than through this. Even N had not heard about it.
PE and Elma are expecting their first child in August.
From what I could gather, the DVD marathons seemed to have something to do with this. It's time for pregnancy stuff from AMAZON and time to quit immitating the wrestlers on TV. I'd tell PE to be a better person, but he already is. No habbits, no vices to quit.
To talk to them made me happy, but to know that someone, with whom I shared many trips to the kebab shop ordering a half chicken, a half-pounder and a shawarma each for lunch, is going to be a dad for the first time, made me happier person. Can't believe that was 15 years ago. It would take days if not weeks and months to get me off this plateau.
And to the perfume-maniac lady, I say, "Bring it on!!!"Here's to PE and Elma.
Posted by quickness at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack