Thursday, June 10, 2010

Stress-Management: Perfect Ending to a Tiring Day

My life is like a movie, inside my head.

I woke up yesterday, to a phone call with all the bad news in the world.

In my grogginess, I made some other phone calls.

Half asleep, I took a shower and prepared for work.

Work, work, work.

Meanwhile, in Kuantan, my father was sent for blood tests. The doctors predicted months ago that his kidneys would be having some problems, which could spell his death. And I was getting an up-to-tyhe-minute report from my family, via Blackberry Messenger.

It was gripping stuff.

"We're wheeling him in now."

"We're sitting down and drinking mineral water."

We listyen to doctors because they're experts, right?

Then again, my father was diagnosed in 1980 for cardiac infarction and was told that he had between six months to five years to live.

Here he is today, 30 years later, still chopping down trees. I am thankful for every day that my father is still alive, but my confidence in doctors as well as 'expert opinion' has eroded dramatically.

One year it's eat fatty foods, as long as you don't take carbs. The next, it's fuck the fat, eat more carbs for energy.

So anyway, as I was running after a story, waiting for information that never came, sending over 100 e-mails, countless BBM messages, cursing at some idiots on Internet forums, reading wikipedia, preparing for Friday and all these other things, my mind was split in three.

I as thinking about the bad news call, and also about my father in the hospital.

All the while, getting updates from my family. I felt like I wanted to get a vacation in the middle of the work day.

I continued to do work, though, because that is the only thing I could do. Before I knew it, it was time to leave, and I also made an important decision as I left the building.

Oh, by the way, the nearby mamak restaurant now serves beef.

I got into a cab, and I went to a pub.

I met some old friends I haven't seen in six months or more. They're all doing okay, and I find it funny that some people never change. Actually, no one changes.

A Malaysian hero was also there, and soon, because it was more interesting, I went with a few of them to eat teochew porridge somewhere in town.

I have always loved teochew porridge. My mother cooked teochew porridge almost every week, at one point.

Great conversation, and for the first time that day, I didn't need to talk at all. I am tired of talking, really. I just want to do shit. I don't even know why I keep this blog anymore.

So, it was a break, to just shut up and listen. Great stuff.

And then I went home, and talked to someone over the phone, and finally, called a girl up. It's always nice to go to sleep when the last person you talk to has a pussy.

And with that, I end my long day, having done some stupid things, grew to be a bit wiser perhaps, listened to fantastic tales, ate some good teochew porridge and met some good, fun people. Also, my father's blood tests revealed that his kidneys and all his organs are okay, as far as blood tests can determine.

I think my father is half tree.

Reality: 1. Experts: 0.