Losing My Religion

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;

the philosophy is kindness.

- The Dalai Lama

I'm due to cover the Wesak procession this evening, starting at the Maha Vihara in Brickfields. Wesak Day is celebrated to commemorate the birth, enlightenment and passing away of Buddha 2,549(?) years ago. Officially I'm a Buddhist, but I don't call myself one because I know very little about Buddhism. Should be interesting though..

Seem to be in a haze lately, like I'm moving slowly through a vat of honey. As for job hunting, I've only applied to one place, but prospects are good after I went for the second interview. However, I should send my CV to more places.

Got to go make food now before I head out for my assignment. Although the celebration started last night with prayers that last till today, the procession itself - probably the highlight of the celebration - starts at 7pm. Apparently there'll be around 20,000 people taking part in it. Phew!

But before I close this post, this is my result from the latest quiz I found:

You scored as Cultural Creative. Cultural Creatives are probably the newest group to enter this realm. You are a modern thinker who tends to shy away from organized religion but still feels as if there is something greater than ourselves. You are very spiritual, even if you are not religious. Life has a meaning outside of the rational. Cultural Creative 81% Postmodernist 69% Romanticist 56% Idealist 56% Fundamentalist 44% Existentialist 44% Modernist 44% Materialist 38% What is Your World View? created with QuizFarm.com

Turn Turn Turn

Sorry for not updating for so long (again). I handed in my resignation on Tuesday (10th).... have mixed feelings about it. Rushing to go out now, so I will elaborate later.

Empty and Frantic

..like a cat tied to a stick

that's driven into frozen winter shit

calm, fitter, healthier and more productive

a pig in a cage on antibiotics.

- Radiohead

I'm just feeling... numb. Just when I had set my mind to sit down and really work on my articles, I got a bomb of an email from Ed, one that left me feeling completely crushed and wanting to leave that hellhole of a place, instantly. The email was CCed to two other people. The feeling I had was akin to a kick in the stomach. I was veering between hysterical tears of humiliation and numbness. Chose the latter because weeping might've made me feel worse. Maybe I deserve it, and maybe I should see it as a challenge to improve myself and mend our relations, but I'm just too tired and demotivated. Sometimes I wish I could just quit this fucking place and start over again far away, in a place where no one knows me, where I have the task of learning new things to keep me occupied.

I was feeling so shitty when leaving the hellhole that I just couldn't summon the strength to go for class. Also feeling under the weather, so I doubt it would've done me any good to exert myself.

When I came home I threw my energy into setting up the radio blog you can now see on the right sidebar of this page. It took quite some time to get it looking like it does now, plus the conversion of file formats and uploading, but it was worth it. Love the way it looks and am happy with the sound quality; plus, it kept me occupied, at least for a while.

For A Minute There, I Lost Myself

Karma police, I've given all I can, it's not enough,
I've given all I can but we're still on the payroll.
- Radiohead

I've just discovered this wonderful, wonderful radio blog thingy and have been playing with it while working on my articles. This is a productive day, like yesterday; I haven't felt this way for some time now.

Through the radio blog thingy, I've been searching and listening to tracks from Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Dead Can Dance, various Britrock bands as well as Radiohead. This is a so much better way to review
music than listening to 30-second sound clips on Amazon! I'd almost forgotten how much I love Radiohead.. sacrilege! Will be digging out their CDs when I get home. :)

Will also be setting up a radio blog on this site, so look out for it! I've got several playlists in mind already. :) Whee!

P/S: I've been thinking more and more how much I enjoy writing about and researching food. Am currently writing three articles on food for the next issue of the magazine, plus more issues of my column. Excellent. We are what we eat after all. Okie, I'll stop babbling now.

Siryn, the Book Monster

The greatest university of all

is a collection of books.

- Thomas Carlyle

Went to the Times warehouse sale on Labour Day, the one that CW invited me to go to last Friday. Not that much great stuff left, but still I managed to get 13 books (which includes the Chuck Palahniuk book I asked him to get for me). I just have to post this list before things get too stale:

Invisible Monsters - Chuck Palahniuk (RM8)
Field Guide to Gestures - Nancy Armstrong & Melissa Wagner (RM8)
Things my girlfriend and I have argued about - Mil Millington (RM8)
Before You Go (planning your gapyear) - Tom Griffiths (RM8)
Eat Me - Linda Jaivin (RM8)
Intercultural Marriage - Dugan Romano (RM20)
I Married A Barbarian - Dennis Bloodworth & Liang Ching Ping (RM3)
Fitness Stretching: the pleasures of staying supple - John Jerome (RM8)
The Third Witch - Rebecca Reisert (RM8)
New Free Chocolate Sex - Keith Lowe (RM8)
Good Girl's Guide to Negotiating - Leslie Whitaker & Elizabeth Austin (RM8)
The Only Boy For Me - Gil McNeil (RM8)
Chinese Palmistry - Henning Hai Lee Yang (RM8)

I wanted to include a good line from each book here, but after a few attempts I realized that it's a bit ambitious to go through 13 books in a short space of time. Yes, there are probably bloggers out there who would do it anyway, but I'm not one of 'em. :P

I've been very restrained this time but it's because 1) I'm broke, and 2) there are about 10 bags full of books bought from previous warehouse sales that I haven't had the chance to read... Apparently, there were other Palahniuk titles, as well as Kundera! Milan Kundera books!! Arrghhh! How come I didn't come across any?? :( Need to also look out for: Anthony Bourdain, Jeffrey Eugenides, Haruki Murakami and Hunter S. Thompson books in my second round, after salary's out.