BRAVE NEW DAY

Crooning on my STEREO: Monday Mi Amor by SOLUNA

I start 2005 typing this with an impaired vision. NO, I havent been staring at Cesc Fabregas.
In actual fact, I have been torturing my perfect vision with a pair of blue contacts, this morning I spent two hours stuffing alien objects onto my cornea. Shit, I see cloudy apparitions.

After pigging away for two weeks, here's a little update on the my festive end... I was home in Malaysia for two weeks, I did peanuts for my research paper and piled on 5kg. I sang 'Guantanamera' at a birthday party and everyone threw bananas at me. I have also been watching 'Reyes-less' Arsenal matches.

Of course there is also the need to mention the Tsunami. Eversince it took place, clouds have been flooding over Malaysia.
No SUN. What a rip off.
No different from British Winter minus the cold.
God knows why... I am not an expert in geographical climate and I don't know how ocean landshifts affect percipitation. Whatever it is, I came back to London without a tan.

The first question every concerned European asked me was, 'Are you alright? Did the tsunami hit you?'

I thought of lashing a sarcastic answer. But to be honest, I am not sure if the tsunami really did hit me. Thats because I COULD have been a victim. I initially planned to spend Christmas in Phuket, until the arrogant travel agents snarled, 'Sorry, we are OVERBOOKED until January. Get Lost.'

And got lost I did. But my infamous perseverance didn't end there. I eyed another vacation island, Penang.
Again, I was chased away.

Being chased away was a bizarre blessing. Later, the Tsunami struck both these islands.
The Lesson: My obsession with self-roasting almost cost me my life. Imagine me, a fat slob, lying on the beach... roasting, asleep and oblivious. Out of the blue, a massive 10ft wave, would flush me into the Indian Ocean. At that very moment, there is absolutely no way of negotiating with fate.

I seriously think that if my holiday plans went ahead, it would have been the end of me.
Today, I can only sigh in relief.

My heart goes out to the tsunami victims.