'Slightly Jaded But Living'

Slogan outside a reflexology centre:

'Your health is beneath your feet'.

So then i ask myself, "..If it's crap?".

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Revolution room has ended with me getting in touch with Mr Kee, a day too late. Apologetically he mentioned that some girl came by in the afternoon (I called after dinner 'round 10pm), and took it. So the next course of action that came, was for me to call up the free-lancing agent dude who stays at my block to assist me for another session of room hunting. Unfortunately, it was a 'dry' day and by then i had to resign to the fact that if i'd wait any longer, i might be sleeping on the streets or at least by some semi-decent shaded place: i took the 1st room which i had chanced by a week earlier. Not too excited on staying with 3 people who were definitely younger & probably studying/working part time/jobless/in-transitional periods of their lives.

Paid up a month's deposit. Glad that the mattress and portable electric fan was still left by the previous owner (who seemed to have left earlier that sceduled 'cause he lost his wallet - according to my future-to-be-housemates), and collected my keys to their kingdom. Passed my number to a dude named 'Ah Sing'. There was a joke between the agent and us who were there about his name, 'Ah Sing', but i'll leave that to your imagination. I didn't crack a smile.

A few moments after reaching my room at the 1st floor (I'm going to have a ball tidying up the place, i'm sure), Ah Sing called me up to say that originally the agent dude was going to collect the money from me staying at their place, if i was early. Eg if i stayed a week earlier before August, i would have to pay = 7 days worth of rent, which would then be pocketed by said agent dude. But after much discussion amongst them (Ah Sing & 2 nameless girls - one of whom i believe to be Ah Sing's significant other) and the agent: They decided to cut me some slack and nullify the payment. I said ok thanks alot, and Ah Sing asked me to ignore the agent on this issue, where his exact words were, "..Chap Siao Ee..".

Afterwhich agent dude called and told me that after much discussion (I pretended that i didn't receive the previous call, just to enjoy the drama), he managed to ask them to forgo me making 'early' payments (it's July 2005, and everyone still wants to be the good guy). And then came the part where i didn't expect. I would have thought him gentlemen to have told me this earlier but no: he decided he wanted to tell me during the last minute or so of our tele-conversation. He wants half a month's rent as commision. It was his pay for helping and bla bla bla. So ok, yeah sure agent dude. Wait till August 1st i told him.

So yeah, i'm still staying at the same flat. But i'm moving in to the tenth floor. I can practice looking down from the side stairs to see if i can overcome my vertigo. Or at least have some sense of illusion that if i leaned to a certain degree, i would topple to my death/comatose. Kidding, though i did actually feel that way yesterday outside my newfound penang-home.

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So i finally spoke to my landlady. It was nothing emotional, in fact i was too tired to feel anything during that part of the day. Listened to her talk about the circumstances surrounding my inevitable 'eviction'. It's always healthy to see 'both sides of the coin'. So i told her not to worry though she kept saying that she felt bad about it and what not. I said ain't this life? (a roller coaster on tracks unknown and if shat happens: just go through it and come out alright - didn't say this to her though...).

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As i rode in the bus on my way here to the place of virtual gunfire/racing circuits/porn, ehem; cybercafe, I realised that i had left my umbrella in the office. Hope it doesn't rain tomorrow morning like it did today. It ain't a highspeed car chase or an action packed movie scene, but i dread the excitement of keeping dry beside fast travelling cars and motorbikes. I burn enough calories walking as it is.

( _")