Brenda Yap

I think birthdays are a fascinating thing. I may not be the girl who organizes the most extravagant birthday parties, or the one who is the life of the party (actually I'm the one who mostly has a quiet birthday with him and the family), but I do make an effort to be aware of when everyone's birthday is.

A week ago, I had to pick my sister up at the Bangsar LRT and I was early and she was a little late, so I ended up hanging around Bangsar Village, just waiting for time to pass. I have to admit that at first I was pretty pissed off but after a while I actually learned to value the time I had to myself; I mean, how often do I wander around on my own these days?

And I found myself wandering around the bookstore MPH, a shop that I used to roam around all the time when I was a teenager. Shopping? What did I care about that; all I wanted to do was swing by a bookstore. So I'm wondering around the store, looking for a book to purchase so that I can sit on a bench somewhere while waiting for my sister to arrive, and I find this compilation by Haruki Murakami called Birthday Stories.



So I get to the payment counter and the moment I hand over my credit card to pay for my purchase, my sister calls to say she has arrived. -.- FML I wasted so much time just picking out a book that I had no time to read it.

But I digress. The book is great. The short stories are perfect for someone like me who has a pretty short attention span, and I think all the stories are interesting in their own way. Some are just strange, some are morbid, some are lighter. It's not about how happy and fluffy and perfect birthdays are, but instead about the darkness and reality and how it differs from person to person. I haven't finished the book yet, but I have to say, I am definitely enjoying it. And this is the only other book I've actually read in years (apart from all of Sophie Kinsella's books) so that really says something!

Writing about birthdays has gotten me thinking; can I be 21 again pretty please?

Today, I received my first full paycheck ever, marking my first whole month of work, and being an adult. Sure I've worked before but it doesn't really count, since they were all part time work.

Work has been quite good, being a small company I get more responsibility and learn more on the job. But it also means less colleagues; I have 4 at the moment but 1 is leaving soon, and they all appear to be somewhat quiet people, although I reckon they are opening up a bit more to me. I wouldn't call myself a huge talker but in the office I think I am beginning to be known for that. -.- I guess I'll give it a bit more time.. ;)

Again, another backdated post I never got around to posting. -.- Shit I'm terrible at blogging.

A couple of weeks ago I discovered some bad news - I've been having pains for a year now and I always thought it was just me being unfit, but it turned out to be a bit more serious than that after all.

It basically started about a year ago in Melbourne when I complained of a rapid, pounding heartbeat and I was having a little bit of difficulty breathing every now and then. I mostly thought it was due to the stuffy stairwell at the house, and my housemates' smoking. But I did get it checked out by a doctor as advised by Wazir, and she did an ECG, thinking it was a heart problem, and although my heart rate was a bit fast, she said it seemed normal, and that was that.

Ever since I came back to Malaysia, I found that the palpitations were just getting worse, so I figured I would get it checked out one more time, and the moment my GP looked at me she said it was thyroid, and sure enough a blood test confirmed that. I was totally freaking out, like what the hell is thyroid anyway? How did my neck swell up for a year without me noticing it at all (I suppose I'm not that vain after all lol)? I saw a specialist next week and I'm currently on medication, although it hasn't been long enough for me to see effects yet.

But I feel pretty enlightened to know what it is finally, to get an answer to the uncomfortableness that I have been experiencing for so long. I get hot flashes all the time (sweat like mad also.. gross!), get headaches because my heart pounds so hard I can feel it everywhere, and have a bit of trouble sleeping at night.

And everyone has been incredibly supportive so I am very lucky indeed.

I miss Melbourne!

I've been home for more than a month now, and have since accomplished two of my resolutions for the year. I finished my portfolio a month ago, had an interview with an ex-lecturer of mine from Cenfad, and he offered me a job, which I will begin just after the CNY break.

A few of my favourite pictures from graduation:


Haidar's father was kind enough to take studio pictures for my family for free.. The pictures turned out great!


Shah and Haidar also took pictures for me. :)


Mel, Farah and I. 2+ years of friendship, hard work, stress, lunches and dinners. I miss you girlies!