Words to Live by.

....Why fall for bad boys?

Because you're hoping you're wrong. And every time he does something that tells you he's no good, you ignore it. And every time he comes through and suprises you, he wins you over, and you lose that argument with yourself, that he's not for you.

Coup de Grâce

After what feels like eternity...

I'm done.

(Yay me!)

So now, the question is...

Masters anyone?

Comel-ness.

Boyfriend: Eh, I nak snow cap laa. Nak try pakai snowcap.

Me: Haa...boleh. Nanti we go look for one k? Adidas ke, Quicksilver ke....

Boyfriend: Anak tudung pun boleh kan?

*I died laughing, kthxbai*

Compare & Contrast.

It's really scary sometimes how, amidst the broken English and misinterpreted body language, my students are capable of talking some sense into me.

So, I have this guy in my class - he's from Saudi Arabia, in his mid 30's and married with two adorable little boys. His wife's studying here too. Given his age, he's one of the smartest students here and we often talk about life, love, experiences and food (he knows how much I love food and he just goes with it, I guess). Anyways, earlier today, we talked about love and relationships and he asked me a few questions about my past. You know how they say; it's easier to tell a stranger your deepest, darkest secrets, rather than telling your family/best friend? Well, they were so right. I ended up telling him about how my ex married my ex-bestfriend and all that jazz. He listened, and then he commented.

(FYI, English has been repaired for comprehension purposes. Thanks.)

Student: See teacher, this is the problem with this side of the world (referring to places that are not in the middle east). You get to choose your own boyfriends/girlfriends and you end up with too many choices. In the end, you start to compare your choices. So when you know this one girl is no good for you, you change, and you change, and you change. With us, it's different. I didn't get to see my wife until after we were engaged. Even then, I couldn't see her face (it was covered with her burka). Before I got engaged, we weren't allowed to "date"- see other girls, to make our own choices. My family chose the girl I was to marry and that was fine with me because I didn't know the difference. To us, it's normal to meet one girl, and fall in love with her. We didn't have to compare. All we knew was this one girl that we love, and we have to marry. When you have too many choices teacher, this is what happens, but then you only have one choice, what you have to do becomes clear. Teacher, I think if you were living in Saudi, you would have been married a long time ago (chuckles). I know teacher, you are still scared that this will happen to you again, right?

*sighhh*

I've developed a whole new level of respect for their way of life. Brings a whole new meaning to "never judge unless it is certain", huh?

The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round.

I have always been a frequent user of public transportation for, basically, my whole adult life. Buses, taxis, LRTs, Monorails, KTM trains, you name it, I've been on it (Okay, let's not be dirty now). Reason being, obviously, I don't have my own car yet. For now, it seems to be the most logical solution since money's pretty tight and I can already reach any destination with/without a car, so why bother? Anyways, the point is, I live in Kedah, spent 5 years in Melaka and now, I'm working in PJ. So as you can already guess, that's a whole shitload of bus rides up and down the North-South highway. I've had nothing (much) to complain about so far, but of course, there are a few things that come with using public transportation, namely; the express bus.

The Bad.

1. You have a design/plan a timetable that fits around the bus schedule. You are never on your own time. Plus, Malaysian express buses have a knack of being delayed and the highways are usually jammed up during peak seasons. So, what do you have to do? NOTHING. Wait for the bus, get on it, pray (hard) you arrive on time and hope for the best.

2. You never, NEVER know what type of driver you're gonna get. Oh, I've experienced them all. There's the guy who puffs away on his cigarette, there's the guy who can't stop chatting on the phone and there's the guy who turns on the radio as loud as he can to some shitty channel and expects everyone in the bus to love his selection of dangdut songs. Last but certainly not least, of course, there's the guy who drives too effing slow and his total opposite; the guy who drives like he's handling a Ferrari. In that situation, all I can say is, pray for a safe arrival and REPORT that mafaka to the bus company. That's what I always do. Honourable mentions are: the drivers who honk incessantly, the curse-ers and the sleepyheads who stop the bus 636782 times because they need to snooze.

3. The people who sit next to you. Most buses now have single seats, which is a gift from God, I swear. But most of the time, you'll have to sit next to someone. I don't mean to be rude here but some people are just plain ridiculous. I mean, if you wanna take your shoes off and dangle your feet next to me or talk on the phone like you're the only person in the bus or forget to shower for the past week, BUY YOUR OWN FUCKING CAR. Seriously! Scratch that, here's a cheaper alternative: DEODORANT.

The Good.

Don't get me wrong, there are also the pros of public transportation.

1. You save a whole lot of money. Paying for a bus ticket to and from your destination will cost less than just a one way journey with your car. Plus, you don't have to drive all the way and spend all those hours awake and alert, paying attention to the traffic. On the bus, you just close your eyes, and presto! You're there.

2. It reduces our carbon footprint. Indeed it does! Imagine if more people used the bus. There'd be less cars on the road, which leads to less pollution because we burn less fuel and of course, less traffic jams! Tadaaaa!

3. It really helps you grow as a human being. (Whhhaat?) No, really! Anyone can climb into a car and drive somewhere but it takes courage, street smarts, confidence and a strong sense of independence to make the effort to buy that ticket, be at the station on time, get on the CORRECT bus, and alight where you're SUPPOSED to alight. Not everyone's cut out for that kind of responsibility. Most people say: "Oh, that all sounds so tiring, I think having your own car is better. More comfortable. Easier. Safer." Blablabla... Well, they might be right, but they're also a bunch of pussies.

Safe journey, loves!--No matter how you travel ;)

S.M.

More than you asked for, I bet.

Well... hello hello. It's good to be back. My last post was in November. NOVEMBER! Crazy. All I can say in my defense is, that it's been a hectic ride up till now, and even that's grossly understated. So buckle up; it's gonna be a looooooooong one.

For those of you who don't know... (if you don't care you shouldn't be reading this in the first place, kan?). Anyways, for those who don't know, I've shifted my horizons and have broaden them to the fullest extent by moving (more like yanking) my life to the big city. I finished my degree in November and I've started working in, wait for it, Selangor, yo!! Well, PJ to be more specific. All that talk about working in Melaka just came to a big full stop for reasons which you will find out about later in this post ;). Patience, my lovelies. So, anyways, I'm working in a language centre in Damansara, teaching English to foreign students. Most of them are from the Middle East. Occasionally, we get enrollments from Japan, Kazakhstan and China. It's all good fun, really. My students are a fun bunch and we always have a good time laughing in the classroom. Although, some days I just feel like strangling them. It's different when you're teaching local students, even if they don't understand a word of English, you can always use words in Bahasa to help them. In my case, most of my students only speak their native languages. How the hell am I supposed to learn Arabic/Kazakh/Japanese/Mandarin to help them? So what do I do? I draw pictures. I must say, I'm getting really good at sketching random stuff e.g. animals, people, emotions, blablabla. You get the picture.

The first few months in PJ were a blur. I didn't have a proper...well, anything! I came for the interview, waited over the weekend, got the job on Monday and started on the same day. Gila!! So I had my work cut out for me. First and most importantly, I had to find an apartment/room. I did find a room to rent after a few days, affordable and near the office. I thanked God for that. The apartment was nice, and the girls who lived there were (kind of) nice as well. But they had a cat and the apartment was crawling with cockroaches!!! CURSES!!! So I told myself this has to be temporary. After working now for a few months, I've become very good friends with one of my colleagues, Avelyn. So...guess what?? We've moved into a brand new apartment, together! It's gonna be awesome! Wait, there's more! To top all the awesome-ness, Mas is gonna come stay there every now and then! LOVEEE! It's not furnished, but it's gorgeeeouuss! More updates on the apartment later as we start furnishing it! Can't wait!!

On a more personal note, I couldn't have gotten through the past few months without the help of my darling friends and of course, the beau. Yes, people. I've got a boyfriend. I know, right? Finally! I adore him to bits and I'm pretty sure he adores me too. Teeheee. He's gorgeous, funny as hell and SMART!! No more losers for me. Baahahah. No really, he's smart, eloquent and I can talk to him for hours. Which is probably why we get along so well. Alright, by now, you're asking yourself, WHAT'S THE FUCKING CATCH? Well, he's not Malay, for one. No, sir. This is nothing new to me and I do not think it's a hugeee problem. An obstacle, definitely. We might not have the same religion or beliefs but we're so alike. I have more things in common with him than I could ever have with any other man out there. Of course, we have our arguments, but that's what makes this feel real. We might have an expiry date, I'm not doubting that, but for now, I know he makes me feel happy, secure and so damn loved. I thank God for him, too. He's largely the reason why I decided to work in PJ. I've had enough of long-distance relationships. So far, I'm not regretting my decision. Plus plus plus points: he has tattoos. Ahhh....bliss ;)

Well, I think that's about it for now. Sorry for the lame updates...I know I'm not a rockstar and only 3 people care about my life but I'm doing this because I haven't written ANYTHING for so long I'm starting to get weird and rusty. So I needed to write something somewhere, and this is the only thing I could think of. TTFN. Chiao, loves!

Steph Morris.

Ink, NOT Mink.

Loving PETA's Ink, Not Mink series.

What more could a girl ask for? Sigh...