September 21, 2006

I'm sure most of you remember Kit, my friend who was badly injured in an accident and had to be in ICU. Guess what? He's still hospitalised and has to go for another surgery for his left cheek bone. You can read more here at Love for Kit.

We are holding an event at Handle Bar on the 30th of September. I know some of you have already donated and I've passed the funds to his mum but please, if you are in the vicinity that night, or don't have plans for that evening, come on down and join us! Have a jug of beer or two and indulge in the entertainment we have planned out for you. :)

I'm doing my share for the event by being auctioned off as a bacholerette (I am STILL a bachelorette, OK?) for that evening. My main concern is that no one would bid for me. o.O Eck eck!! Will some people come down and bid for me so I don't feel so pai seh? All in the name of charity. I promise to dress scantily. *Bwink bwinks* :p

By the way, I still have some tealight holders/ wine glasses left from the previous fund-raiser I had online. If you'd donated and would like to collect them from Handle Bar that evening, drop me an email @ rainia13@gmail.com and I'll reserve them for you. Otherwise they will all be going to the flea market that evening where they will be sold for Kit's medical funds. :)

Spread the love people! Spread the love! :D

August 22, 2006

Rainia says:
Everyone's getting older; Everyone's getting colder.

:: Richard! :: save the dolphins!!! eat the mermaids instead. says:
Not colder, just other priorities.

Rainia says:
Still colder if human relationships are placed below other things.

:: Richard! :: save the dolphins!!! eat the mermaids instead. says:
No, it's still human relations. Just not you.

One of the tight slaps of life. I just realised some friendships are not worth clinging on to. Because the more effort I put in to cling onto them - late night cab rides, sms-es, attempts at chats, etc... The more alienated I feel from them.

I've been there through their dark periods but they skip away when they have their cheery periods with another girl or man. I am merely secondary in the eyes. Not even considered a good friend in spite of what I do.

Sometimes I have to just learn to walk away, because some people don't see you as a good friend if you are not their love interest or if they know you won't sleep with them.

I suppose it is true afterall - friends you go clubbing or engage in after waking hour activities in only seek friends who engage in just that. Any real life dilemmas or unhappiness you hope for them to listen to are unwelcomed.

That's that.

August 8, 2006

Because of all the doubts and queries I've been receiving, I must say this:

If you don't think my pleas are true, then don't donate. I'm not begging for your money and not trying to convince you why you should. This is a do as you wish space. I'm telling you what happened, whether you choose to believe or choose to donate is really up to you.

Secondly, if you think the people who donate are in danger of being cheated by me or Kit (really none of his business since I took it upon myself to figure this way to help him and his mum out financially), then I HAVE to emphasize that I am not running a business, there is no such thing as no exchange or refunds here. If anyone who has donated really feels doubtful please ask me for a refund and I will gladly transfer the money back to you, no questions asked and no bad feelings as well. I understand it may seem strange to donate money to someone you don't know and you might feel the money is going down the drain or that you might be manipulated by my words. I sincerely don't want anyone to feel that way so please send me an email privately at rainia13@gmail.com if you want your money back. I'll be more than willing to do so. I'm very practical when it comes to this. :)

Thirdly, this is MY personal space and I don't think it's responsible of me to dissiminate Kit's personal details, etc because I don't have the right to. At least not in a public sphere. So if you have anymore queries about Kit, please direct them to ME personally and I'll answer if I deem it fit or my place to speak for him or about him.

That's all I have to say for now. Whatever opinions you have about why he isn't insured or how a person does not have the foresight to buy insurance or what not is strictly an opinion. Hindsight is always 20/20, please bear that in mind. Some people may lack foresight, some may be ignorant and yet others may not have the opportunity or means to think about their future. I can't speak for Kit here.

Like I mentioned in my reply in the previous entry - Welfare is a national issue. If the gahmen does not take care of its people, especially those who are less educated or have a shallow mind's view of only seeking the 5Cs and the like, they really can't say it's the people's fault for not being responsible enough to be insured when they blind us to the importance of our own welfare. Monetary and material pursuits seem to be on their A list afterall.

In places like the Netherlands where the gahmen actually serve their people and not the other way round, families don't have to worry as much about deaths, disabilities or illnesses because everyone is automatically insured and is forced to pay an amount each month whether they want to or not. In this case even the poorly educated in their country get protected some way or other. In our world, owning a car or a home or a handphone or a credit card happens to be way way more important and held in high regard than owning an insurance policy. I don't see anyone patting a chap on the back for purchasing a life insurance policy, I do see many Oohs and Aahs when he gets his first bike though. If your family is well-educated enough to think about the future it's great, but what if your family isn't? Can you blame them for being ignorant? The problem with the gahmen saying that they are teaching us how to fish is that not everyone is receiving the knowledge, only the elite.

And that is something we need to think about at this point. Not anything else but that.

August 7, 2006

(Inset: Kit (Kelvin Low) is lying in the ICU of TTSH and was admitted last Monday, 31st July 2006 when he got into a car accident at Upper Pierce Road (Damned monkeys jumped on the road causing the driver to swerve and hit a tree). He was in a coma for 4 days and is on the road to recovery now. He is not insured, his mum did not buy him any insurance and he lost his father when he was 12. He's been unemployed and looking for a job the past few months so his mum was the only one working.)

Thank you to all who've been blessing Kit with prayers, they must have worked! He's now out of danger, his brain swelling has gone down and the pressure in his brain has reached the normal, safe level. Finally saw his mum smile for the first time in 4 days last friday and it was really a very comforting sight to behold. He's still unconscious even though he's been taken off the coma list. Doctors are sedating him because of the probable pain he will encounter when he wakes. They are still observing him to see if there will be any consequences to the damage his brain experienced.

I've received a number of smses and emails from friends and strangers alike, all kind and big-hearted enough to come forth to offer their help and support. It's been quite a discovery of kindness and generosity for me as I see how big-hearted and selfless many people can be despite personal financial restrains. A big Thank You once again for your help. It's truly indispensable.

On our part, some close friends of mine have also come forth to help in creating works of art as tokens of appreciation to the kind donators. I know all of you offered financial help not expecting or even wanting to receive anything in return, but we would like to give you a little token to say Thank You and that your kindness means a lot to us. Of course, we are also hoping that our creations will help bring in more donations for Kit. These items are not actually for sale, but if you would like to get one of them, you can do so by donating to Kit's Medical Fund.

On top of these items, Dorothy is hand-painting tall champagne glasses, decorating office file holders, and making small clay figurines. With the help of Pheng and XX, I'll also be making Crane wind-mobiles which will be lightly decorated with shiny beads.

Warning: These items CANNOT be washed or used as drinking glasses. They are meant for decorative purposes only, and please don't go and rub or pick at the paint/beads because they are fragile pieces of work and we do not have industrial-strength glue la dey. :p Also, you can't drink from the glasses cos Dor isn't sure if the paint is toxic and we don't want anyone dying from our work. Thanks ah. ^_^

All these things are hand-made though so please give us at least a week or 2 to prepare them (also let us know if you want them personalized - colour, name, etc - and we'll try to accommodate as much as possible). My friends and I don't do this as a full-time stint, Dorothy and Pheng are still schooling. XX has also offered her services but school is about to start for her as well, and I'm going to start work next monday. We'll be making these things in our own time so bear with us.

I'll be absorbing the full costs of the items and giving every cent given to us to Kit's mum, so please try to donate as generously as you can. I don't wish to sound niao but because so much time and effort is spent on making these items, I do have the right to reject people who give too little and expect to get one of them. Sorry! It is in the name of a good cause though!

Thank you, all!

(Side-note: I feel like an entrepreneur now (without the profit money-making)! So exciting! :D)

It's come to my attention that a lot of people who donated money don't seem to want to accept our little token. Don't lydat leh.. We work very hard one leh. :p No, seriously, it comes from the bottom of our hearts so please don't feel paiseh to accept the gift. I know you would have generously donated the money anyway artwork or no artwork, but please don't shy if you really like an item and would like to keep it. I'll be contacting everyone who's kindly donated regarding this and I hope to meet up with everyone personally to thank them and to hand them the pieces. :)

August 1, 2006

Everyone will probably think I have a lot of gall to ask this but...

We need money to help Kit out.

Apparently he's not insured, his mum is not earning enough to even pay a fraction of what the bill would come up to, and he has to stay in ICU for a month at least. A night's stay in ICU costs about $2000-$3000. We still have to bear in mind that he may need surgery in the worst case scenerio (we all hope that won't happen), so yes, we are talking about a lot of money here. He's got serious brain damage and the impact of the crash affected both the front and back of his brain since he hit the front overhead compartment on full impact and was whipped back by the seatbelt and slammed back into the passenger seat. When I saw my friend who carried him out of the vehicle, his clothes were covered in blood. It's all very nerve-wrecking. And it's all very serious. And I am willing to shake off my pride to thick-skinnedly ask if anyone and everyone out there is able to help him monetarily. Please.

Well, I reckon if people like XiaXue can happily happily ask people to give her some money for her birthday (or was it some gadget?) and people actually DID transfer money into her bank account... then maybe people would be more receptive to a needy (and I DO mean needy, not selfish, not materialistic, not narcissistic and not wealth-inducing) cause. Granted the chances of anyone replying to this is slim, SIBEI dead slim and I'm not one to beg for money, but my friend needs support and his mum is really really in need of as much help as she can get. She's looking more frail each day (and it's only day 2, mind you), can't eat, can't sleep well and is looking so pale and worn.

Damn it. I feel so annoyed now about the whole people giving money to xiaxue thing. I fucking wish I'd won the Asian Blog Awards now so that my friend who's lying in the fucking hospital can get help from the millions of people who might have read this blog and sympathised. If just a quarter of a million readers decided to help with 5-10 bucks each, Kit's mum's load would be relieved significantly. So what now? Should I go get plastic surgery? Put up nude photos? Photoshop myself? Flame other people? What? Is narcissism and back-stabbing and hypocrisy and bimboticness and beauty the sure-fire way to get gallons and gallons of money? And without doing anything good or special! Just create a scandal and you're on your way to fame and fortune? What happened to talent and sincerity?

(Though I have to admit, sincerity never got anyone far. Not me, at least. Except it got me Rene because he's an angel.)

Sorry for digressing. I'm just so angry at the unfairness of the situations. Those stupid bloggers were NOT paid for just causes, they were NOT paid for doing SOMETHING like WORK. I want them to donate all their money which they did NOT earn but merely receive, and donate it to Kit's medical fund.

Ha. If only.

Anyway, I know most people will get all uncomfortable about this and think I'm making a useless plea but I reckon if so many people can donate $5, $10, $50, $100 and more to NKF.. to people they may never actually get to see (they don't even get so close as to be an acquaintance of the victims' friends' friends' friends man), surely some of those people may be kind enough to help out here - in an extremely 100%, real-life, if-you-want-I-can-bring-you-go-see-him-at-the-hospital scenario.

This is my request for now. I understand if you are financially unable to help, and most people would probably rather part with their money for material goods, but give me some time to work on that. I haven't figured out how to make jewellery, or paint photoframes or do anything worth selling yet. Once I find something that I can offer as a good, all of the proceeds will be given to Kit's family.

I hope you will help spread the word through this entry and tell people about his situation and really give him as much support as possible.

Anyone who's willing to help in some way or other please contact me or email me at rainia13@gmail.com. I promise you I won't take the money for my own use and if you want to, I can get Kit's good buddies to take the money straight from you without my intervention. I'd include Kit's mum but she's really distraught and should not be disturbed.

In the meantime, please keep the prayers coming cos Kit and his mum really need them.

I am completely shaken up.

All I can think of now is the last time I saw him, how he joked and criticised the way I played mahjong in a non-serious manner - "Wah lan eh! Anyhow anyhow arrange the tiles lydat still can man tai wor!". How despite my erratic playing which caused me to lose countless times, he still continued to coach me and generously impart his playing knowledge to me. The way he calls me "Hey Rainz!" or "Raindeer!". The neverending times he made jokes about my boobs - "she needs to keep abreast of things mah" and something about "er tong"s, etc.

And when I was in the Netherlands, how he would sometimes leave msn comments when I was away from the PC telling me that he missed me, and to ask when I was coming home and always ALWAYS asking how the weed over there was.

How strangely touched I was when he mentioned the heart-to-heart we had when he sent me home and we just sat in his jeep outside my place talking about our feelings and views on situations and relationships. He said, "We should do that more often lah babe. Miss having such talks with you."

I don't even mind his crude jokes, his bluntness and his lame humour (not that I ever did actually). I'd give anything to hear them now (even though sometimes it's really not very funny lah).

It felt strange to see the live wire of the group lying unconscious in the ICU, face and feet still dirty and covered with blood from the accident. Still not out of danger and has to be hospitalised for the next 7 days at least for observation before the docs can decide the next step to take. I hope he comes out of his coma, but I also fear what consequences the brain damage might have on him and his character.

Will he still be the same at the end of it all?

I felt so helplessly sad when I saw the look on his mother's face - a single mother with her only son lying in the hospital bed. The loss and sorrow she felt was written all over her face. The impact of the news struck her like blows and she seemed to be unable to fathom the intensity of his injuries. She lost her husband years ago, I cannot imagine how she must feel now about the uncertainty of her son's fate.

It was an accident and no one could have prevented it. Just so happened that the road had to be slippery from the rain. Just so happened they were going downhill. Just so happened that the monkeys decided to come out to play on the concrete. Just so happened that the vehicle did not have an airbag for the passenger's seat.

I had so many thoughts at the hospital and I realised something - Even though I can thoroughly despise someone, I don't think I would ever be able to wish the person dead or a victim in a serious accident. I realise life is worth so much more than anger and spite and jealousy and hate. It truly takes such a terrible experience for one to reconsider one's words and thoughts and to remember what's more precious than anything else. I don't want to see another human being suffer this way, no one deserves such pain.

Watching my friend lie on the bed in such a detrimental state, I could only think lovely, good thoughts about the times we had - without relationship politics, without frustrations, without anything else. I realise how important he is to me as a friend. I realise that I really wanted to have spent more kopi, mahjong and clubbing sessions with him even though I might have been tired or broke.

Now I pray that he'll be well soon so that I can take him out for kopi and hear him swear "nah bei chee bye" again. I want to watch him go "Juice!" when he's playing mahjong and laugh hysterically along with everyone. And to give him the big squishy goodnight hug I willingly dispense everytime we part ways.

He can even make as many boob jokes about me as he like just as long as he's OK.

Kit, you need to pull through. We are all waiting for you. We are all praying for you. You've always been a trooper. We have absolute faith in you. Jia you.

July 29, 2006

I had a nice night hanging out with my brother and his gf. It's been pretty lonely the past week with mum out of town, dad coming home late from work and my brother and his gf making their appearance only at 10pm-12am. So this afternoon, I called my brother up after my interview (got the job btw) and meekly asked if I could join his gf and him for dinner. He said ok, so we went to Holland V and had the famous XO fish head bee hoon soup. Yum yum. We ordered quite a fair bit though - a medium sized bee hoon soup, a plate of san lou hor fun, a plate of xia jiang ji, and a plate of sambal kangkong. Their small portions machiam feeding a family of 4 lydat. We managed to clean out the food though. =x

I wanted to catch a late night movie with them but they said they were tired so we'll do it tomorrow. My brother then had to rush off to another appointment so his gf and I had some girly time alone, so she started taking out her 'toys' to play with me.

Not what you are thinking, you pervs.

She recently bought a hot eyelash curler which curls your lashes very effectively and well, so she tried it on me. And she also bought electrically heated hair curlers and we spent some of the evening curling each other's hair. It felt like one of those girls' night-in I used to have in sec school (except we didn't do all the beauty stuff so much... we DID give XX a makeover though. :p) and we sat and talked about everything under the sky while I waited for my hair to get curled.

Here are the results. Ha.

Pity you can't see the lashes cos I lacked foresight and cleaned my face with make-up remover before taking the shot so all traces of mascara (which I had applied generously for the interview) and curled eyelashes were gone. =\ And I shan't even pretend that this pic is not posed. Placed the camera right smack in the middle (OK, not quite) of the shot. =x Anyway, there weren't enough curlers to go around for my thick head of hair, so half my head was left uncurled which explains the straight strands still visible on the pic.

I had my hair curled once before but I think I prefer straight hair in the end. I might end up curling just my fringe eventually though. I love how the hair curls over my eye and sexily twirls along my cheek to my chin. :) A head full of curls just seems too much for me though, and it makes me look much older and like a Tai-tai.

Leading away from the digression there, I really enjoy hanging out with my brother and his love, even doing something as mundane as going grocery shopping with them at Cold Storage. I like watching my brother's gf play with his chin when he's driving and pat his head whenever she says something cheeky to him. And I like seeing my brother kiss her head and hold her hand and pretend-he's-not-hugging-while-hugging-her.

I like seeing my brother happy, even though he may sometimes say things about Rene and myself that make me feel unhappy. I'm thankful that he's trying to be more open-minded about Rene now though and even thinking about places to take him for lunch/dinner when my darl comes over.

Blood does run deeper than water at the end of the day. Thank god for that.