Random snippet #1: Unsolved problems in mathematics
I could feel my head was aching as I flipped through the mental notes in my brain. Everyone was staring at me so intensely that I almost puked. But I knew I could do it. There, in front of me, in those two pages lie the most difficult unsolved mathematical equation that humanity has ever encountered. And it was up to me to solve it. Yes, me. The one who failed matematik moden in Form Five…
…I woke up and found out that I was dreaming. Thank goodness!
Random snippet #2: Friend and favor (part 1)
This evening, as I was frying pufferfish eggs for dinner, I got a call from a good friend whom I have not heard from for a while. “Hey! How are you doing? Haven’t heard from you for a while…” he said, with a tone of unnecessary excitement. “Yeah, you too. So, what do you want?” I asked him, because somehow I knew he called to ask for a favor. I mean, why would anyone be excited to talk to me, right? He laughed and he went on about how we have not met for a long time (not that we meet all the time, anyways), how we’ve not met our common friends and chat over beers, and things like that.
Then, the punch line. “I need to ask you a favor…and you can’t say no, okay?” he said. When people say that, it’s almost impossible to say no especially when they’re your friends. And before I could ask him what was the favor, he continued “…it’ll be sometimes in December and don’t say no. I need you to help me out.” I didn’t need any more explanation and I asked him directly “What favor? Are you getting married in December? And you want me to be your best man at the wedding?” Silence on the other side. Then, slowly he said “er…how do you know? I haven’t told anyone yet about this…” I told him not to worry. I won’t tell anyone about it. “But how do you know?” he repeated his question. “Well, let’s just say I’ve got the same request from eight people over the past years and they said it almost the same way you just did,” I told him.
Random snippet #3: Friend and favor (part 2)
A friend popped up at my place this evening on his motorbike. He asked me if he could borrow my car. He desperately wanted to go back to his village to attend his cousin’s wedding. I told him “Okay but it’s a long way to drive back here to return the car tonite, especially when there’s going to be lots of drinking.” He said “Oh, in that case can I’ll return the car to you tomorrow morning” It was a statement rather than a question for permission. I said, okay. He left his bike at my place and drove off with my car. Now, I’m at home writing this stupid entry when I should be somewhere drinking beers and sing “…kegatalan, mata duitan, mata keranjang…” at the pub.
Random snippet #4: Friend and favor (part 3)
A couple of weeks ago, I helped a colleague of mine to work on her paper. She’s always nice to me. After giving my comments and snipped here and there, she said “thank you” and gave me a piece of blue cloth with white Japanese characters written on it. I asked her “What’s this?” She said “It’s a present I got for you when I was in Japan!” Curious with the Japanese character, I asked her what does it say? She told me it means “Japanese wine” or sake. Okay, I thought, that’s nice of her. When she left my god-forsaken office, I wondered “Why do colleagues or friends present me alcohol-related objects as a sign of appreciation? Why not, say, a shoe or something? Or cash. Yes, cash is fine.”
But it’s all good, nevertheless. Like what the cliche says, it’s the thought that counts. I should write a notice on my office door: “Need my favor? Thinking of a present to give me later? Ask, I am not ashamed to tell. Thanks.” Oh, there’s also another colleague whom I helped out months ago text me this message: “Thanks so much! Apart from kepala babi panggang, what else do you eat? I want to take you out for lunch.”
I really do not know how to figure out the value of such barter system.
