I know I said I was going to have a KNS Guide entry up a week ago but things got a little busy on my end. The good news is that my exams are over (yay!), I’m back at fizfit over at Studio 23, I’ve gotten most of my shit together and life is starting to become a pleasure again.

Regular programming will hopefully become regular. In the meantime, the lovely lady dog you see above is available for adoption. I visited the SSPCA this morning, and she and another beautiful dog (photo below) followed us around, saying hello to the puppies and even some of the cats!

They are both up for adoption. They might not be guard dog material but I’m sure they’ll make great companions. If you’ve been thinking of getting a dog, please please give these two a home. If I could, I’d take them myself. See more photos here.

Most of you know me as a cat person, but the dogs are gradually winning me over. This fella below was the one who scored a great win charming a cat person. But it died of heartworm before anyone managed to adopt him. Shit, I cried for days even if I only met him once. :(

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Brown and gold and smiling with tongue

If you like this photo and have a flickr account, please Fav it there. :-)

Been a great deal of busy and tired since I got back from Brunei.

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Flight simulation

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Cards are on the table

1. Became more than just another client at Studio 23. Became a fizfit assistant and came to really appreciate what a positive influence the place and people brought into my life.
2. Shaved my head. Again.
3. Was on TV twice, both for RTM1′s Kuppa Kopi. The first time was for an episode about reading and local authors, the second was about getting shaved again. Also shot a video for Go Bald.
4. Saw my first Broadway musical, which also happens to be the first musical I was introduced to. I never did write a follow-up post about it. (Next year, I’m seeing The Lion King in Singapore!)
5. Went back to school, and sat for two exam papers at the end of the first semester.
6. Performed a drastic measure to get my finances under control. And to see if I could do it.
7. Went on a holiday outside the country. Walked into and out of the craziest traffic I’ve ever seen. Swam in the ocean after a short display of being chickenshit.
8. Went on another holiday in Langkawi & Penang with a backpacker we met in Vietnam. Took a chance on each other, but it worked out better than we hoped. Also took a flying leap off a cliff to go down a 60m zipline.
9. Worked out and watch my eating harder than I ever did in my life. Pushed myself further physically, considering more running for exercise, and got infatuated with vegetarian food (of the non fake meat variety).
10. Took more risks.

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10 Things I Did In 2010

This was the second time this scenario happened. The first time it happened, I had a lot more things on my dashboard and the entire collection leaped into my face. I didn’t even know what just happened. This time round, I only had two things in the open and both were behind the gear box. My Starbucks tumbler jumped into the passenger leg space, and my phone dived into the garbage bag.

I just sat there processing all this and the lady came to check if I was okay because I was taking too long to get out of the car.

We both got out the survey the damage and quickly found out that we didn’t share a common language. Perhaps just enough to get by. But we were both calm. Nobody lost their temper, or raised their voices, pointed fingers. There was no drama throughout the whole thing.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I thought you were gone,” she said, still speaking Mandarin.

“That’s a common enough mistake,” I said. “Now what?”

“We go to your mechanic.”

I tried describing where my mechanic is but the language barrier wasn’t the only problem. She only recently moved here from Sibu. I decided to call my mechanic and let him give her directions.

She asked if it’s okay if she went and pick up her son from tuition first.

“Go on,” I said. “I trust you to meet me at the workshop.”

Not only did she meet me at the workshop, she got there before I did.

My mechanic assessed the damage and told the lady that he can only get an accurate quote by the next day. She was very attentive and asked all sorts of questions. I could only follow half of it, but I can tell she is no pushover. Neither was she trying to shirk responsibility or shuffle blame.

They will have to replace the bumper, the reflective strip, license plate, straighten out the dent and re-spray it. It will be in the ballpark figure of RM1,000. I know I wasn’t paying, but I cringed anyway.

Another mechanic helped me patch up the license plate so it won’t fall off before I delivered the car the next day. He was laughing that I had a roll of masking tape in the car. I told him I was cat-sitting a couple of months before.

Before I left, I tried my best to tell the lady that I’m sorry that this had to happen to the both of us.

“I’m the one who should be sorry. I hit you,” she said.

My mum was full of concern that the lady would simply vanish, leaving me with the bill. To tell the truth, I wasn’t the least bit concerned until then. Sometimes you just want to have a bit of faith that people will do the right thing. I spoke to the lady and had a good feeling that she will honour her word. My mechanic also said the same thing when I dropped the car off.

Since she and her family were new in town, they haven’t found a mechanic and was letting mine fix her car after my car was done.

I was car-less for four days.

For a few days after I got my car back, I was bracing for the mechanic to call me and say that she never turned up.

A few days ago, he called. When I picked up, there was a pause on the other end.

“Oh! Sorry, sorry! Wrong number!” he said and hung up.

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Car accident