Hungry Ghost's Daily Diet (TM)

Must. Stop. Drinking. Coffee. Today.

Had a third cuppa by mistake. How you ask? I lost count. It was a bleary morning filled with great big juicy raindrops and strong winds rattling my windows.

One in the morning at home while staring out at the grey clouds
Second just before the 10:30 movie (Flower in the Pocket) with PJ
Third at Melriches after the movie when was being pelted with questions about the multicultural "experiment" that is Malaysia - it's NOT an experiment. It just is.

Now am back at work and flying high. George Michael's remixes of Flawless is playing - fortunately I'm alone in the office today.

Coffee. So good in moderation, so bad in excess.

Bladder, absolutely bursting again.


Flower in the Pocket. Another Malaysian film, this one by first-time director Liew Seng Tat, which apparently is part of a tiny wavelet of directors of independent movies that are "taking film festivals by storm"*

*or so the guy introducing the movie claims.

Hmm. More like tempest in a teacup if you ask me....but then again, I tend to be uncouth at 10:30 in the morning. There were some really cutting scenes and images, but somehow the sum of the parts didn't quite make a whole (it's the coffee speaking). The movie did show parts of life in Malaysia which aren't all that apparent to the casual observer which is always a bit of an eye-opener given the carefully groomed image of the country and people (always sunny! always happy! always prosperous! always welcoming to the great tourist dollar!) that the government likes to present before the world.

As always, in any movie made in M'sia that I've EVER seen - there was a preoccupation with food. Food in all forms and from all cultures. No wonder the I chose Hungryghost.

Memang tetap-lah. Hantu-lapar. Cheh.

I think PJ had it right when he said that this morning's screening felt like the end of a conference where everyone had partied hard the night before and only the die-hards were attending the morning plenary lectures.





I should be a psychiatrist. No, really. I mean this. These past few months, several friends have come to me for advice. Why, I'm not sure, but come seeking advice they have.

Their questions ostensibly centre around seemingly mundane things like:

"How do you repot that orchid thingy I bought, whose flowers have now wilted"

"Tell me how to make this e-mail more polite, but no less negative"

"Should I have another coffee or not?"

BUT

dig a little bit deeper, and it's clear these questions are mere symptoms of other more pressing issues.

• 
  
• Daughters who cry because "He's wrong for me, but I love him, but I have to leave him"
  
• Other daughteres who cry because "He's so right for me, but I don't love him, at least I don't think I do, although he does make a good wage"
  
• Singletons who long to love someone "It's so hard being single. Sigh. I long for the feel of this extra few feet in my bed"
  
• Smug marrieds who long to love everyone, someone, anyone other than the one they're with at present "It's so hard being a couple. Sigh. I long for the feel of this extra few feet in my bed"
  

You note that the same lament applies in both cases - it's one of those ambiguous statements from Margo Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies who originally sang the song. She once pointed out that a fan said the lyrics could mean 1) you're alone in bed, have extra space or 2) you're not alone in bed and have extra feet canoodling with yours. You decide. You choose. I just present the facts.



Other problems included:

• Ants eating away the supports of a house
  
• Children who don't drive on principle, but require a parent with a car to move their stuff from home to college
  
• Employees who don't get the job done, but can't be fired
  
• Employees who get the job done, but have no salary support
  
• Not facing up to problems and running away instead (literally)
  
• Agonizing over the meaning of excessive
  
• Wondering whether one is becoming a stalker (yes, that was an interesting discussion)
  

And the list goes on...

Sigh. At first, I listened intently and empathize to the best of my ability, gave advice:

• 
  
• Get an anteater!
  
• Tell child to pack lightly!
  
• Demote employee!
  
• Transfer demoted employee's salary to other employee!
  
• Get good running shoes!
  
• Look under Section E of the Oxford English Dictionary!
  
• The stalking question, I'm still working on...but I'm kinda getting close to calling the police
  

But now, I've had enough. Solve your own problems. I have my own. They may be good problems to have (GPTH), but they're still problems which loom large in my imagination. Goodness, I stay up nights at time because of them. I mean really. It's important what scarf I get for this winter. It really is. Not to mention, I have to find a better way of keeping track of my coffee intake.

Oh yes. The dumb application, I've crunched the numbers...HA! HA! HA!...what a good joke...and should now justify them.