Merepek

Came across a news item in The Star a couple of days ago about a businessman who has to spend extra a few thousand ringgit each time the haze comes to town. You see, Mr Businessman suffers from severe sinusitis and the haze makes him very ill. So, whenever the haze appears, he will go grab some plane tickets, book some accommodation and fly away and only comes back when the sky is sunny and blue again.

This haze story has been recurring so often that people might just start to think that it’s the third season, besides the hot & dry season and the monsoon season. Other than the obvious issue of causing a host of health problems, it is also getting kind of convenient to blame everything else on the haze.

I was in a grouchy mood for a good part of last Friday. It was because of the haze. How come? Because I had to drive all the way down town and got stuck in a horrendous traffic jam for 1 1/2hrs. Why? Because I had to collect an important and urgent document. Why? Because the office boy called in sick due to the haze.

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Another colleague was late for an important meeting because he overslept. He sheepishly confessed that he never used any alarm clock but all along depended on the sunlight to shine on his face to wake him up. **roll eyes** The thick haze blocked the bright sunlight and so he was late because he thought it was early. Go figure!

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B noticed red welts and rashes on her teenage daughter’s arm and she suspected the girl of downing some forbidden booze. When questioned, the girl blamed it on the pollutants in the air. “Mom, it’s the haze la. My arms itch real bad”, cried the girl.

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Had a banana leaf lunch with my 2 boys and we ordered a piece of fried tenggiri and one ikan senangin. That small miserable piece of tenggiri (half a slice, actually) costs RM4.00 and the senangin, just about 8 ins long (head to tail) costs RM9.00!

“The fish so small, why so mahal wan, boss?” I asked when presented with the bill.

“Aiyoh, achi. yini somua haze mia pasal. Laut tak boleh pigi, tarak ikan la” he explained.

?????? **slaps forehead**

(I remembered many moons ago when I also complained to this chap that the fried ikan kembong @RM4.00 per piece is expensive and he blamed it on the tsunami. tsk!...tsk!...tsk!)

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And I just received a call from another colleague reminding me to submit my input on something. Arrghh….. I hate deadlines. Who loves it anyway?

“Errr…. Can give me a few more days ar? The haze la – my brain lack of oxygen. So cannot think properly, cannot talk coherently, cannot write sensibly, cannot count correctly, cannot bla, bla, bla.....”

Get what I mean?