Seven Days, X-Men and Goats' Heads

And we've reached one week in Malaysia! Whoohoo! *Insert blank face here*. At least, it will be, come 11pm. Oh don't worry, pretty soon this counting-the-days thing will stop, and I will be my usual happy charming self again...but until that point, I'm afraid it's gripe-gripe-gripe all the way. Parents have been bickering between themselves over the usual topic of money, and it's really frustrating being in the same room (much less car) with them when it happens. Usually this leads to tension and deep, grumpy silences, which makes being with them all the more enjoyable. Last night I hung out with my mates Debra and Terry at a Starbucks in Centre Point (which has been renovated since I was last there, and it's now looking very sophisticated and bright, flourescent-lightingwise!), and at about 1030pm my parents start calling me. I suppose it was to find out where I was. I didn't pick up. Not because I was being belligerent (well...), but because it was rather noisy and I didn't realise the phone had rung until afterwards. But still...! 1030pm on a Saturday night, and I'm being checked up on! Meanwhile, four years (six if you count Sydney) hanging out at clubs, pubs, straight bars, gay bars, smoking pot, drinking and living a totally hedonistic lifestyle (well...not really, I'm being a little generous there) and I don't hear a single peep of concern. Go figure. Okay, okay, I know parents are simply being parents and I ought to be somewhat appreciative, but honestly, it's terribly infuriating when what you'd really like to do is to make your own decisions and live your own life. Meanwhile, I've got to pick up my gear from the airport tomorrow and renew my driver's license, and I'm going to have to depend on Dad to give me a ride. Oy. Incidentally, I'm setting myself a limit of only two more blog-posts after this one for me to complain about my family. Best do that lest I keep going on and on and on, as I am prone to. Heh. A Whinge Quota. Good one. Moving on.

So last night, Starbucks and a dinner at the Manhattan Fish Market (which, curiously enough, serves some pretty fine fish and seafood, and their garlic butter sauce?? Mmmm, to die for!) ... and today went to this new movie-theatre complex, Cineleisure, to catch X-Men: Last Stand, which was pretty cool. Meanwhile, all these new buildings and shopping centres cropping up all over the place, it's amazing. This one's right next to The Curve (pix below, and no, I didn't take them, apologies to the owner, check out his/her website), which is right next to Tesco, which is right across from the Ikano Power Centre, which is down the road from the multi-winged One-Utama, which is about a 12-minute walk away from home. At least I can't complain that I'm (too) bored.

Meanwhile, the traffic outside these places is absolutely horrendous. Cars all over the place that it's making me thankful it's a walking distance from home! What is it that draws hundreds of people to a shopping centre when there aren't even any sales on?? Terry thinks they've planted a goat head in the foundations. I asked what that meant, and apparently it's an old hex/supersition that if you'd like business to be blooming, then you've got to literally bury a goat's head in the foundations of the building in which you'd like business to bloom and boom. Hmm. Interesting. And somewhat nerve-wrecking. But it's not so bad as the stories Terry was telling me last night, as told to him by his cousin and sister, who are both air stewardesses with two major airlines. Air stewardesses, you see, get a free hotel room whenever they make a stopover at whichever destination... and most times these hotel rooms come with additional (read: invisible) occupants. Truly scary stuff. I won't regale you with these stories right now because I'm hoping to use them for my next Get Spooked! book. Hopefully I'll have their permission to get them in. Fingers crossed. But they're spooky, truly they are.

Well, that's about all for now. Tomorrow, like I said, hopefully there's the keyboard-retrieval from the airport shipping place, and my driver's license renewal, and also the completion of updated resumes, job application letters and postal services. Oh, and I'm submitting songs for a couple of song contests, too - the Starmaker contest and the USA Songwriting Competition - so there's that. And then there's the computer hunt, since I really need a good computer to use with my keyboard for the songwriting stuff...have three Perth projects lined up, so I really need to get my gear together - and get my ass into gear. So until my next update, which is likely to be, like, tomorrow or sometime ridiculously soon like that, take care and I'll see ya soon. Byebye! ~N