Halloween Horrors

This would be the first Halloween since everyone from the neighbourhood has moved into the new blocks, and since there were a few foreigners in the building, we decided to get into the spirit of things. Dad and I found some cool decorations and ee wanted to get a giant skull but it was too big to stuff into our luggage. We decided to get something much smaller but packed a good punch as well. Once pressed, this doorbell will have a snake attacking your finger, followed by flashing red eyes and a scary voice saying "Welcome to the haunted house!" 

Wonder if there will be any daredevils coming around tonight. Mwuahahahahaaha!!

Networking Interests Or Social Stalking

Ever since little "apps" were available on our mobile phones, and almost everything was linked to Facebook, I sometimes feel as though some people are either lost sheep, stalkers or nosy.
For example, my sis got me to join Facebook as it was a social networking site, and it would help our family get quicker photo updates through it rather than emails which had a bit of a limit. This was just as they launched Facebook to the world instead of just universities. Then came the fun of getting updates about friends you've lost contact with for a while, some for about 20 years!

What I didn't understand were the request from strange people whom I've never heard of or met in my life. We might have a common friend, but that doesn't mean I know you, and I don't particularly like to give such people access to my photos. One might argue that it is called a Social Networking site, and so adding people is a means to socialising. I would then say I think I'm rather well socialised with over a 100 friends, excluding family. However, out of these friends, it seems that 90% of them act more acquaintances. So really, the social bit isn't exactly what Facebook is all about. Therefore, if I don't know you personally, I won't add you. And if you're dumb enough to put a cartoon photo with a made up name, then don't even bother asking. No one will know you really.

Then comes the weirder requests, which are on Twitter and Instagram. So the option available on these two sites are to follow someone you're interested in. For those who might not know, Instagram is a photo and short video (added recently) sharing sight with options to link to Facebook and Twitter should the urge arise. Twitter is a place to do shout outs - short and simple posts with photo addition options.

One of the strange things about this 2 sites is when a request to follow you is by an account for something that probably will never be in you search radar. Personally, I think these accounts are hoping that by following you, you'll follow them back, increasing the interest to their account. I honestly don't think I have posted anything so interesting for anyone to follow me. All I see is "attention whore" stamped all over their profile.

The other issue is actually with the friends/acquaintances who join sites such as Pinterest and Instagram. They send a request to follow me, and they would not post or pin anything on their account. This is where I wonder if they are following the flock and getting lost, nosy buggers or potentially creepy stalkers. What is so interesting about my pictures, posts or pins that you have to follow every account I have? How fun would it be if you decide to follow me and end up looking at no pins or photos on my profile? 

I need an Antisocial site. 

Someone's Plotting My Death?

The past 2 weeks have been slightly nerve-wrecking with the number of accidents I was almost involved in, as well as the one I ended up in. It started on the 1st of May with the drive back from East Coast Park with Amy. First, it was raining really heavily, so bad that most drivers were just driving into the carparks just to stop and avoid driving. Not only did the weather make it hard to drive, the lack of lights there didn't help, tree branches were dropping in the car's path and to make it worse, the lightning was really scary. Anyway, I had to get back as I had work, and there was no use for Amy and I to stay in a car and talk anymore than we already had. So, even with the fear of thunder breaking beside me, I drove Amy back to her place and almost had a mishap along Clementi. I had to brake a little harder than normal and with the wet road, and whatever crap was washed up on the wheels, the brakes kinda squeaked and grunted a little just as we halted to a stop. I'm not sure if we skidded a little but it was enough for us to look at each other with surprise and fear.

After getting Amy back, I was driving along Clementi once again and I noticed something odd about the car that was stopped on the extreme right lane. It didn't seem like it had any trouble and the owner was there just looking at something but didn't seem frustrated that his car had failed him. Passing the car, I realised that another car had somehow landed in the drain between the 2 roads, the bit right under the MRT line. How it got there I've got no idea and I didn't want to stop cos I wouldn't have been any help, and I didn't really know what else I could do since the ambulance was already there. Just passing the scene, I realised that it was just past that area where the car's brakes were grumbling about half an hour ago. That kinda creeped me out and I thought we were just lucky and blessed.

Next incident came about a week later when I was being driven to Vivo City. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to get somewhere and people were basically cutting into each other's paths. Well I was calling my mom when I realised that the car before us had stopped and that the car I was in was still moving, and it just didn't have enough space to stop in time to just make it a small bump. Somehow I just saw everything in slow motion, exactly like the things they do in movies, and all I told myself was to brace for a hard knock, for the airbag to pop in my face, and for me and my friends to end up hurt. Oddly enough, nothing seriously bad happened to anyone in the car, though I still don't know what hit me in the face and chest at the same time. My mom answered the call just as we hit, and all I could tell her was that we just met with one and everyone's alright before ending the call. I was too shocked to say anything more and my chest was also hurting for some odd reason, along with my cheek, and somehow I was more interested trying to figure out how that happened instead of what's going on between the drivers. My friends left the scene to get to Vivo after a little assurance, as well as grumbling that they won't make it if they stayed through the whole thing. Shocking thing was to find out that the damn car didn't even have airbags, and if there was one for the driver, it didn't even work. To think that the front was banged up pretty bad and all that saved us were the damn seatbelts, that wouldn't have worked if it occurred with higher speeds.

Even with the accident, it didn't spoil my plans to go up to KL and it was a good way to build up Mark's confidence level in driving after the previous day's incident. However, I think it actually lowered my confidence in being a passenger.... That issue later.... Once in Melaka, I actually tried my hand at driving one night and almost met with another accident. Thank goodness the other driver was alert and managed to stop in time no to hit me from the side. Yeah, this one was my fault but that didn't stop me from continuing anyway. I got a feeling I scared the shit out of Mark though.

Finally it was the last incident that really got me shaken up. I met up with Amy again after my trip to Malaysia and took a cab back while she opted for a bus. Along the way, I saw the accident at Kampng Bahru about to happen, once again in slow mo. I was in the cab, which was behind the cab involved in the accident. Somehow my driver decided to overtake that cab and I noticed this light coloured car turning at a speed that was a bit too fast and the car didn't seem to be making any effort to stop. All I could do was watch the car and hope that it didn't have a domino effect on the cab I was travelling in. I just saw it roll pass the stop line, where the lights were red ,and it was supposed to stop. Last thing I saw was that car halfway pass the stop line where my cab passes the point where I would have been in serious danger, and that was when I heard the car screeching to a halt. A little to late to stop in time, my cab passed the front end of the other cab just in time to hear the vehicles collide. My driver then just got us out of the way before anything else could happen and I was grateful for that. I wasn't even sure what occurred after the first hit until everything came out in the news the next day.

I got no idea why, but it seems like just before the accident I was in, I didn't like the way Mark was getting a little too close to the other vehicles every time he stopped. Then after the accident, it's like every cab driver seems to be doing almost the same thing and it still doesn't sit well. It's not that I'm scared of being in another accident, and I don't intend to be in anymore, it's just that I don't get why they have to follow so closely like dogs sniffing each other's butt. Or maybe it is just because of the lack of control as I'm not afraid to get behind the wheel of any car... well unless the damn thing has a retarded manual gear and no airbags.. and I know I wouldn't risk driving like that.

Am I turning into a control freak?