Pearly

Today's her birthday.  

The girl with an odd name as such, although rather befitting for her smile.  I met her during my Sunway Uni times, as we have many common friends.  Pearly was the tiniest person of the lot, at nearly 5 feet tall.  Perhaps that's why she stood out.

Her soft-spoken nature and low voice made her seem much smaller than her actual size.  Yet, she commanded attention in the group through respect, and not in a basic b**th sort of way.  She was well-respected throughout the department, even with such a low quota of words ever being mustered from her mouth.

I found that intriguing.  

We've only had one class together, as she was a Finance major while I was in Biomedical Science.  That class was Business Statistics (it was one of my Gen Ed requirement courses).  I remember sitting in that small classroom in day one, when she hurriedly took a seat a matter of seconds before classes started (punctuality was a big thing in Sunway).

As our lecturer was conducting the formalities, introducing herself, stating her qualifications, she stopped short when she saw Pearly.  

"Well, hello there", she exclaimed.  "Pearly Siow, right?"

I noticed that Pearly was slightly taken aback, having been called out.  Embarrassed, Pearly just nodded.

"You're the one who missed the final (for this class) last semester, right?"

You could hear the slight sound of chuckles in the back.  I was guilty of grinning a little (just a tad, promise).  She just flashed a quick smile and our lecturer went back to her business.

Class resumed shortly after that.  And throughout the semester, Pearly outshone the entirety of her peers (of course, that includes me) and aced every single assignment and exam that came her way.  Albeit her quiet and reserved nature, she never showed any aversion to helping others (and there were quite a number of students who needed help).  

It was more interesting to see this person take on a whole new persona whenever she's out partying and clubbing with her group of friends.  If I had matured some 5 years ahead of my time, perhaps I would have overcame my social anxiety and actually got to know her.

Sadly, that would have to wait.  Maybe in another life.

Pearly died from cancer three years ago.  And I miss her more, because I never really knew her.  Rest in peace, Pearly.  Know that you're still loved by everyone in this side of the world.

Evening/Morning - 

Bombay Bicycle Club

Write

Currently I'm listening to Sabr's "Discover Weekly" playlist on Spotify as I write this.  The jazz-infused hip hop and rap tunes bring out the thinker in me, and makes it easier to write this piece.  

I've a rare moment of solitude in my own house: my sister has resumed studies in Australia, and my parents are out for their weekly Qi Gong session, buying me almost two hours to myself.  Usually at this time I'll be at Studio 46, busy combing through job applications with the help of less-abhorrent internet speeds.

Not today, though.  I'm going to finally revisit my Reader's Digest works and hopefully submit one "Inspiring Story" today.  I've already submitted a handful of entries to their "Jokes" segment.

Times have continued to be tough for me.  And a recent chat with Elisabeth, who's currently teaching English to schoolchildren in Vietnam, was a welcomed change.  She's a rare friend to have, considering how few words we've exchanged in real life.  It seems that we get along well, and don't require much common ground to have a conversation.  That's a welcomed feeling.

I've yet to make a new friend here, partly down to my financial constraints.  As a result, I'm reminiscing about my friends in ISU and how we've moved on from graduation.  I miss them a great deal.

I actually don't know where I'm going with this post.  I just somehow felt that it would help to verbalize my thoughts.  I usually cope with frenetic monologues, but I've been silent since dinner.

Maybe I'll do a personal karaoke session later, since I've reunited with my old, beaten up guitar.  Yeah, I'll do that.  After I finish up my write-up.

P.S.  I'm dying to get XCOM 2.  I need some tactical workout for my brain.  Frozen Synapse, which Chin introduced recently, was pretty good too.

Battlecry - Nujabes

Can't /won't

Just got back from Ban Joo's CNY open house and it was great to see old high school mates. Oh, how few things have changed...

That included losing to Roger in FIFA.

But I'm having my emotional bouts again. I want to see other people, and work on discounting my feelings for you. But I can't, or maybe I won't. I have no job, no money and that takes away my confidence.

All that's left is a struggling me, writhing in the dirt. I won't portray that to anyone. I can't. Even if you're non-judging eyes see me like this, I'd be ashamed.

Love is malleable to me sometimes. Today, I'm making it convoluted. Not by choice, sadly. Because I think I still love you. And that should be wrong.

posted from Bloggeroid

Eloquence

I can't sleep, even though I'm planning to wake up at 4 am to watch Liverpool play Augsburg and have two job interviews tomorrow plus I'm attending a friend's Chinese New Year open house at night.

I wonder if my proclivities can ever be discussed here. Sure, I'm writing this because I'm awed by Yan Chee's panache for writing and how she lays it bare. I can't do that yet.

Maybe it's because I would like to keep some moments to myself, without it being immortalized in this blog. Or maybe because I can't handle my own darkness sometimes, that I'd rather just brood about it than verbalize it all.

Perhaps, it's just not interesting enough to talk about. I dislike it when life's boring.

posted from Bloggeroid

Ball

Bin the current Malaysian tourism ad. Just use the footage from Ola Bola. All of it.

Yes! I'm writing my first movie review. Whutttttt. Granted I wanted to write this somewhat formally, but since my laptop is buggy, I can't do this with my phone.

Ola Bola bears the tale of the Malaysian national football team of 1980, and their attempts to qualify for the Moscow Olympics.

If was told through the looking glass of three players, namely Tauke, Ali and Muthu. That being said, the story resolves nicely around every other character associated with these three individuals.

Having not seen any of the previous movies done by said director (of which I don't know, yeah - informal), I went into this movie blind of expectation and appreciation. I only knew that he was behind the highly acclaimed movie called "The Journey".

And it was a good thing I did, too! The movie was beautifully shot, panning from the gorgeous Malaysian backdrop to the fully-packed Merdeka Stadium.

Everything the movie was oozed Malaysian roots. Roots of which my parents have lived through, and which I've never experienced. Stretching from the broken Manglish, to the strained economic setting, every scene was meticulously recreated to the Golden Age of Malaysian football.

The show was nothing short of tear-wrenching and difficult scenes. I found it beautiful that every scene was a huge hit on my pathos appeal. Oddly so as well, for each scene of the cast crying made me all teary-eyed myself. Be it from sadness, hope, or pride, every crying moment was well-constructed and full of narratives.

The movie was stellar, even with it's minor flaws. My only two gripes were the song choices as they failed to resonate with the moments in the show, and some football scenes as they were not believable. That being said, these are tiny blips in a proper movie.

What a movie for the fans, by the fans. If only the current football national team had seen this show before their forgettable campaign for the World Cup qualifiers.

Maybe I'll watch The Journey sometime soon.

posted from Bloggeroid