Thursday, April 28, 2005

Addiction and that Green Tin

Who would not have drank Milo? I bet Nestle, the parent company is making millions each year through this product alone. Just practically every household in Malaysia has it. Add that to every single eating outlet, every mamak stall, every school and university canteen, you just name it, chances are every single place has Milo. Not just that, I remember while I was in secondary school, Milo is in everyone's private locker (despite the fact that we were not allowed to keep any food in the dormitory). It helped us to keep going. I woke up on Sunday morning and take out one packet of the 3-in-1 milo and indulge in the comforting feeling it offers. Another comfort food, this thing. When I was small, I seldom had my breakfast before going off to school, but my mama would force me to finish up my cup of Milo. There, I have mama to blame for my addiction towards Milo. Up to this day, I have Milo every single morning, well one of the reasons is because we only have two dinks to choose from, either Nescafe or the infamous Milo. Since I don't really fancy coffee, Milo is just a perfect substitute. So why suddenly there is so much chaos about Milo? Well, read this:

Milo naik harga mulai Jun

PETALING JAYA 26 April - Para penggemar minuman Milo di negara ini terpaksa membayar harga lebih mahal apabila pengeluarnya, Nestle Malaysia Bhd. (Nestle) menaikkan harga runcit produk itu di pasaran mulai Jun ini.
Pengarah Urusan Nestle, Sullivan O'Carroll berkata, harga produk itu yang merupakan penyumbang utama pendapatan syarikat dinaikkan antara tujuh hingga lapan peratus untuk memastikan syarikat tidak mengalami kerugian operasi.
Beliau menjelaskan, kenaikan harga terpaksa dibuat berikutan ketidaktentuan harga komoditi dan kadar tukaran asing yang menjejaskan pengeluaran produk Nestle termasuk Milo.
Katanya, tiga bahan mentah utama yang digunakan untuk menghasilkan produk Nestle mencatatkan kenaikan agak tinggi tahun lalu, menyebabkan kos operasi syarikat meningkat.
Tiga bahan mentah itu adalah minyak mentah, minyak sawit dan bahan pepejal susu kurang lemak (milk skimmed solid).
``Bagaimanapun, kenaikan itu masih belum diputuskan sepenuhnya. Kami akan cuba untuk meminimumkan kenaikan tersebut untuk tidak membebankan pengguna,'' katanya selepas mesyuarat Agung Tahunan ke-21 Nestle, di sini hari ini.

*******

Nestle isn't stupid, they know Milo is almost a necessity and the demand is pretty much inelastic. Substitutes? I would say many have tried to rival with it, namely Cadbury Hot Chocolate, Vico, Ovaltine, but these are just not the same as Milo. No perfect substitute. Now I wonder what they put in it that makes it just soo addictive. Drugs? perhaps.
Now it is not a question whether the price would increase or not, that is sure to happen already, and now, would the demande for it change? One wonders whether customers would switch to other forms of comfort drink such as Cadbury Hot Choc? I don't know about others, but to me, nothing could really replace the green tin contents. I am addicted.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Uncertainties

How would you be sure that the person you are madly in love now would be the one whom you'd spend the rest of your life with?

How would you know that the person you once hated so much could be the best of friends ever?

How would you know that you'd end up marrying a person you know for two months and not your loving boyfriend for 8 years?

How would you know that all the things you do now would be the things you terribly regret in say, two years' time?

How would you know that your best friend would cheat you and date your life-long crush?

How would you know although you love maths and accounting and everything about accountacy, but you wouldn't make a good accountant when you start working?

The question is, do we even have the power, or rights to know these things? Is it in our hands? NO. Can we control them? NO. Can you even predict what your life would be in say, 2 years'time? NO. Nothing is certain. I am afraid.

Suddenly I am afraid of the future. I am worried sick. Maybe I worried too much. Maybe.

Allah, help me.

Bloody Day

It is a bloody day today. I woke in the morning, quite late by my standard and automatically recalled that it is a BIG day today. The Day has finally arrived. Many of us has been waiting impatiently for today and nothing can ever stop me. No. Nothing.

Finishes class quite early, many free blocks now since the exams are coming just in a month's time. At exactly 10.35, we, the enthusiasist ones, quickly made our way to join the mass of people in the Great Hall. Yes, I am going to be a good citizen today, i told myself. I couldn't climb Mount Everest to make my country proud of me, nor had i taken more that 9 subjects in SPM to ensure everyone in the country talk about me day and night. My time has passed (For SPM that os, as for Mount Everest, i don't think anyone would sponsor me some 2million to let me go there, me?Everest? You must be joking). But today, I would at least feel that I could somehow do some good to others.

So, I eagerly took the form, took out my newly-bought pen and filled the form without taking off the smile on my face. Many people have already been there, so I wasn't the first, and it looked like I have to wait until it's my turn. Usually I hate waiting, but not today. They can ask me to wait as long as they want, and i wouldn't complain.

There, here comes my turn now. The three inspections have passed rather quickly and now it's time. An empty bed is waiting for me and a familiar young girl in white is there. I lied on the bed and the young girl in white started her job. My friend Azizah, or better known as Jij was on the next bed and she had started earlier but it seemed to me there was some problem on her side. Luckily mine was smooth flowing, and it felt nothing, like u've been bitten by an ant.

In less than 3 minutes, another lady, this time a middle-aged, also dressed in white tended to me and hastily asked me to stop pumping. (Theres this band we have to grip and pump to make the process smoother). But nothing worried me. From my previous two experiences, it was soo easily done, it took less than 5 minutes (if not lesser) in both ocasion. I was right, this time is no xception either. She commented something on how smooth flowing mine is, so I was meant to do this regularly. I would, I told her. I love it. My fear towards the sick smelling medicines and nurses and needles and ultimately blood have done nothing to stop me from doing this.

We exchanged thanks, and there i was, up and full of energy. Not to mention the merry feeling of having done some good in the only way i could. I hope i could help someone's life, if not more by doing what i've done. I've donated my blood today, and probably more in the future, how about you?

"Donate Blood, Save A Life, You'll never know when u'll need it''

p/s: I'm O+, so I am a universal donor.

Monday, April 25, 2005

Crush

They say if you really loved somebody, let him go, if he comes back to you, then his yours, if he doesn't, then he'll never be. I know i sound a bit emotional today, but that used to be one of the regular sayings while i was in school. You can say that there were many relationships as well as break ups so that trigger the old saying to be popular. I used to admire this one boy in school (be proud, because it's been so long since i've opened up to anyone about this, yes, i'm a painfully shy girl, if you must). Fortunately enough, this is the same boy that used to kacau me in the first place. You have to understand that it's very rare of me to me like someone who doesn't have any connections with me in the first place. Although it's true that i've never talked to him before, but the silence makes it all the more interesting. Of course the boy never knew i liked him, and i tried hard to ensure my best friends did nothing to let him know, but it's sure a pain to keep that secret. It was only natural that i often heard my name called when i made my way to the dining hall, or the surau or the netball court, or even in between classes. In the first few incidents, i grew mad and embarrassed, but there was simply nothing i could do to stop that, so i acted like nothing happened. Maybe we grew up, and his taunts diminished, but i sadly missed the times when he called me. It wasn't flattering, it wasn't maddening, it was just.. different. I felt i knew him through those name-calling sessions. When it was time for him to leave school (he was a senior) i knew i was going to miss him. And missing was what i did. I never attempted to show him i liked him. I was afraid the answer was negative. Those little things he did,like cheering me up during netball practices were moments i cherished, to this very day. Now i know, it wasn't him i liked, but simply how differently he treated me. Oh, forgot to mention,we used to exchange letters, and that's simply the way we talked, apart from emails and the constant kirim salam tradition. ln the letters, he would address me as adik, and himself as abang. So it was a brother-sister relationship. I liked him like as any sister would, but i also admired him. He wasn't the best of brothers, but simply, it felt good to have someone who cared and made an effort to make your life in an otherwise quite unbearable place a really fun one.

To this date, i am proud to say that no one has ever replaced him. I am not shy to say that i still like him today. Photos of us sit happily together on my study table. We are still in touch, but it's not the same anymore. Now i am more opened, but maybe still a little bit shy if we ever meet face to face. But the chance is almost zero, so being shy online is stupid so we chat like normal. Of course, he doesn't know any of this, but i'm not going to let him know, no way.
Someone said to me that i must moved on. I cannot cling to the past and live in those happy memories. They're wrong. I'm not praying for miracles to happen, but somehow, thinking that u have agood life in the past is able to make u smile during your worst moments. It does for me. And the picture of us will sit at my study table for as long as i want.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

psoriasis

this is what i found about psoriasis.

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, genetic disease manifesting in the skin and/or the joints. It is a non-contagious and life-long skin disease that has different forms. Some people may have a spot or two, while others may have extensive coverage on their body.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are serious diseases that affect more than 4.5 million people in the United States. A person's quality of life—including emotional health—can be seriously jeopardized. Because of this, it is important to understand the full impact of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

psoriasis: IT IS NOT CONTAGIOUS. do not dicriminate psoriatic. it's just a mere skin problem and NOT caused by poor hygiene.

more infos can be found here: www.psoriasis.org.

Of exams, jap drama, and sentimental me.

ok, this is such an understatement. have not made an entry since october and now it's already april! time really flies, i tell u.

if i could really summarise what has happened to me (ok, just a few highlights, mind u, or else there wont be enough space)
1. finished as exams last nov. alhamdulillah, A for AS business studies. A for accounts.
2.sat for ielts in october. alhamdulillah, nothing spectacular though, an average 7.5. but i think that's pretty ok for me, most unis require 7.0 to enter their business schools.
3.had a looong break. n that was just terrific! i lurve spending time with my family. my mom is my bestest friend.
4.school reopened. had some weeks before the mock exams
5.finished my mocks. i think i did badly. so need morreeee studying. (i am to take all the blame now, i wasn's really prepared, to tell u the truth. but i'm quite happy with my accounts. managed to obtained quite a high grade, n have improved my mcq paper) p/s:somehow i'm weak in mcq. i just don't know why.
6.my econs was quite bad so that triggered that i need to do more parctise in mcq.
7.maths were reasonably ok. but cannot be complacent. must do more papers

ok,heres some things not related to exams:
1.watched beauty and the beast(japanese drama about reporters) before the mocks. (ok, this is one of the reasons why i did badly in mocks).
2.just finished pride (another jap drama, this time about ice hockey, feat takuya kimura and the sweet girl, but i dont know her name). love it!!
3. all credits to atfy izad, the rightful owner of those wonderful cds.
4.i love japanese movies because they are not straight forward, although they are not complicated, they usually require u to respond to what the characters are actually thinking or what the course of their actions might be. They are not the sloppy romantic movies with cute hopeless looking guys and girls, that give away almost every single clue and after 15 minutes u know what exactly the ending would be. Most japanese dramas are different, if i can say that myself. Or at least, all jap series that i've watched made me think, and somehow made me respond. I felt the connection, I felt related to them in the drama,if you understand what i mean. Looking forward for more of this type of dramas in the future.

Ok, that's about all i want to say here, Until later, majulah cerita jepun untuk kami2 yang sentimental.. (haha, apekah??)