Thank you for staying by my side just now. Though you did not do anything, did not talk to me, did not even, in the slightest sense, make your presence known to me, the mere fact that someone else was with me as I ploughed through another long weary night truly makes a difference.

Last two years, I did an entry about my attending a post-marriage course in a series called Titian Harapan, organized by PPIS Jurong. Yesterday, we attended a similar session again, albeit with a different focus – called Sebelum Retak Mencari Belah, or loosely translated as Before the Crack Looks for Demolition (?) – sorry, I’m just not being very intelligent here.

Anyways, the course yesterday was indeed an eye-opener – the focus was about conflicts in marriages, how to avoid it, how to handle it effectively, what to do about it etc. It’s very relevant, especially if you view marriage as I do – a life time institution.

I also met a couple who were really having a test of their lives – what with having to cope with a special-needs child, to cope with in-laws, with differing expectations and hopes. They truly showed their courage in going through lives with heads held high and above all, they showed me how much I have to be thankful for.

I really like courses of this genre, where we couples are made to look inside ourselves and our partners, and to revisit our love and enhance upon it. It’s a refresher course for me, of sorts, and it always – always – make me feel blessed to be married to such a wonderful man now.

And I’m glad he does not think alike as most men – that these courses were a ‘waste of time’, were not for ‘people like them’ (unbroken homes etc.) – I feel sad whenever I heard such opinions.

Isn’t your marriage for life? Does it not require maintenance – at least on once a year basis? An employee upgrades his skills and proceeds on the career track – doesn’t your marriage deserve the same?

We were all without the access to the Web – for the past 2 days – till about an hour ago. It was then that I realise how much we all depended on the Net for practically everything. Earlier this morning, a colleague, O Furry One, came to me and asked me about a certain procedure that was to be introduced in a trial. The procedure is called phlebotomy. My immediate instinct was to reach for the mouse and start googling .. then I realise how unconnected we all were… sigh.

The power of ‘connection’ is restored after lunch earlier.

The other day, Hubs and I watched a ‘very interesting program’ on CNA and made a much more interesting discovery. This program - a documentary really - is called, I think, ‘The Truth about Food’.

Anyways, the ‘discovery’ that we made involved smoothies. Both of us then reminisced about the time we had dinner @ Kintamani Restaurant. We had buffet dinner with one of the best smoothies we’ve ever tasted.

And so, smoothies leave a good impression on us, since then. And now, after the ‘discovery’, we are even more into smoothies. And so, yeah .. does anyone own a smoothie blender? Any recommendations? Would a normal blender do?

But yeah .. please do not get me a blender for my birthday, ok?

Thanks!

Earlier today, we made a trip down to a warehouse and bought ourselves a home theatre system. Nothing fancy or expensive, just something that works fine. Hubs been wanting to get one for years, but I have been resistant to the idea. Why? Hmm ... I honestly did not think it's a necessity then … (or now, really). And also, hmm … I did not like the cluttered-ness the many speakers and the hoofer would make. And the dust. O-M-G.

Anyways … we bought one.

Once Hubs’ done fixing the wires and all, I began moving the tiny speakers around … and began to cover them up with their product casings - you know, those these-plastic-bags-are-not-toys-keep-away-from-children that new products are often wrapped in. I can’t help it, I can just imagine the layers of dust these tiny things would attract.

As I was doing that, my mind went to a present colleague of mine, F. She’s very pregnant now – her first after 6 years of marriage. Once, we chatted and we talked about children. I told her that yes, I do not intend to stop at two, God-willing. F said, not her. She said it took her six long years to decide to have a baby.

So now, I think – tomorrow, I will tell her this – it takes me 7 years before I decide to allow a home theatre system in my house.

Hee.

I like to listen to this song. I’d repeat it again and again whenever I’m in the car. But then again, that’s the only time I’d listen to it. As you may have guessed, my likings are somewhat seasonal.

The other day, while listening to this song, I had a very good laugh. Hubs started singing along loudly and substituting the SERI with SITI. It was hilarious. Now, I wish I had THAT on video!

2.26am

On MSN, with a fellow sufferer.

dva ™ is panicking ... quietly. said: im impressed, u r still awake

Cactus says: nasib... im doin my quiz n assignment n my end of chp quiz

Cactus says: n my readin n my research n so on

dva ™ is panicking ... quietly. says: hmm.. multitask. i have class in about 6.5hrs time

dva ™ is panicking ... quietly. says: and im still awake

dva ™ is panicking ... quietly. says: that says A LOT about how panicked i am

I write. Or at least, used to.

I used to dabble in poetry, too. Long ago (‘but not so very long ago …’ – CARS, the movie) when I had to finance my poly years myself, I would submit my short fictions and poetries to the Malay paper and get paid for it. Back then, there was a reason to continuously indulge in my creative streak – and so, I indulged with gutso (the money was good and much needed).

However, for good or bad, I do not do that anymore. Not to seek extra cash OR to write creatively.

Anyways, my point is – now that I am into sonnets, particularly good ol’ Shakespeare, I am so appalled at my insolence of actually writing ‘poetry’ the way I did (or so I thought those were poetry back then) and in fact, went all the way out to get those published AND be read by the masses!

How little I knew (back then)!  Now, whenever I think back to what I wrote, I would be filled with an embarrassment so intense that the feeling would stay within me for days to come! How amateur! How out-of-the-poetry-context I was!  AND THOSE WERE PUBLISHED! How dare I!

The sonnets are beautiful – they are what they are now because people take the pains to retain the structure and form. Albeit the subject matter changes, from love and adoration (Shakespeare) to worldly matters, like politics, racialism and death (Harrison), the structure remains sturdy and pure, the characteristics intact and glued.

A sonnet will always be a sonnet.

I think, what I wrote previously were more like SENGET … sheesh.
And I used to think literature was a pain.

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Sonnet 147.

By William Shakespeare.

What is this sonnet about? What features typical of sonnets do you find in Shakespeare’s poem? What contrast do you find between the octave and the sestet? How do they help create meaning in the sonnet? How does the poet create a powerful ending through the rhyming couplet?

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