UN-BREAK MY HEART

Doing nothing at home, suddenly I had the urge to listen to this song which came out in late 1996 (how time really flies). 'Un-Break My Heart' by Toni Braxton. Yes, the title sounds so stupid now but it is still one of my favourite songs (I definitely have a penchant for these kinds of songs). Toni Braxton was at the height of her fame at that moment and she surely ruled the pop and dance charts. Too bad, nothing lasts forever. After that, she tried to resurrect her waning singing career ('Beauty And The Beast' musical, Las Vegas and Dance With The Stars) but without much success. A friend of mine once confessed to me that she could not bear to listen to this song since it brought back so many painful memories. I understand that the human emotion can be a very fragile thing and a 'jiwang' song like this (some might even call it too melodramatic) can sometimes break down all defences. I have often wondered how songwriters and lyricists think and feel. It seems as if they have lived a million lives when they come up with songs that hit you right where it hurts most (and I don't mean the place below your tummy!). To my dear friend, I hope time has healed all wounds. The scars (whether they are visible or not) will always be there but as some people say, it's better to love than never to love at all. My prayers will always be with you.

Don't leave me in all this pain
Don't leave me out in the rain
Come back and bring back my smile
Come and take these tears away
I need your arms to hold me now
The night are so unkind
Bring back those nights when I held you beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you'll me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart

Take back that sad word good-bye
Bring back the joy to my life
Don't leave me here with these tears
Come and kiss that pain away
I can't forget the day you left
Time is so unkind
And life is so cruel without you here beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you'll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry these tears
I cried so many nights
Un-break my heart
My heart

Don't leave me in all this pain
Don't leave me out in the rain
Bring back the nights when I held you beside me

Un-break my heart
Say you'll love me again
Undo this hurt you caused
When you walked out the door
And walked out of my life
Un-cry that tears
I cried so many, many nights
Un-break my

Un-break my heart
Come back and say you love me
Un-break my heart
Sweet darlin'
Without you I just can't go on
Can't go on....

WHY DOES IT HURT SO BAD?

Why does it hurt so bad?
Why do I feel so sad?
I thought I was over you
But I keep crying when I don't love you
So why does it hurt so bad?
I thought I had let you go
So why does it hurt me so?
I've got to get you out of my head
It hurts so bad

My life's been better since the day I left you boy
I must admit life's been kind to me
I went and did the things I said I would do boy
I found someone who loves me for me

Haven't had much drama since the day that we split boy
My heart's never been more at ease
And when I think of the things you put me through
Leaving you has been the best thing for me

So why does it hurt so bad?
Why do I feel so sad?
I thought I was over you
But I keep crying when I don't love you
So why does it hurt so bad?
Maybe I thought I had let you go
So why does it hurt me so?
I've got to get you out of my head
It hurts so bad

Never again
That's what I said to myself
Never want to feel your kind of pain again
Just when I think it's over
Just when I think it's through
I find myself right back in love with you

So why does it hurt so bad?
Why do I feel so sad?
I thought I was over you
But I keep crying when I don't love you
So why does it hurt so bad?
I thought I had let you go
So why does it hurt me so?
I've got to get you out of my head
It hurts so bad

YOU BLOOD-SUCKING LEECH!

I am not referring to anyone in particular but to the real leeches of course. If you feel that I'm talking about you, then there must be a reason why you feel that way. Anyway, leeches are from the family of blood-suckers (I'm not being scientific here as you can see) and can usually be found in damp, wet and dark areas (hmmm...). Actually, all leeches feed on blood but most of them survive on small invertebrates. Still, their favourite food I guess is blood. A friend of mine who kept a few leeches let one stay on my foot the other day and that blood-sucker stayed for hours enjoying my blood. It refused to budge even when I tried to push it away with my finger. I was afraid to pull it off my foot so there it stayed until it had had its fill. That greedy bastard stayed for more than two hours on my foot. Can you believe that? People stay that leeches only suck dirty blood and it will come off in about thirty minutes. Still, I don't understand why it did not want to come off my skin. Maybe it was having a difficult time trying to extract the blood from my veins. Well, I prefer to think that I don't have dirty blood. I have often wondered what would happen if a person is smothered with lots and lots of hungry leeches. I guess my question will never be answered unless someone is willing to be the guinea pig for my blood-thirsty experiment. Any takers?

WHITNEY HOUSTON ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL

Yes, it's true. She can be seen almost everywhere nowadays and I am glad. Really, really glad. I listened to her songs throughout my college years and I'm not ashamed to admit, I even danced to them! She has been coming out more often in the public eye lately and she no longer looks or acts like she did a few years back; shabbily dressed, anorexic-looking and as high as the clouds most of the time. I'm not sure whether she has been able to kick all her bad habits that she has acquired all these years but she sure looks good nowadays. The weight gain, the radiant smile, the chic clothes and most importantly, her public appearance signify that she is back. There is no certainty that her comeback is going to be a success but I like the spunk and the spirit that she shows. A few years ago, she was truly in the dumps and to me, it takes a lot of courage and determination to try and rebuild your life. She has lost a lot in all sense of the word and gone through enough humiliation that can make others want to hide forever in a hole somewhere. It takes a lot to face the world and not ask to be forgiven but to be given a chance to prove that you are only human and capable of correcting whatever that is wrong. Condemnation and skepticism definitely are not welcomed at the moment. I don't expect to see or hear her as the singer that she was during her prime years. Everybody knows that when you abuse your body, you cannot expect it to perform like you think it should. I hope there is going to be a happy ending to this roller-coaster life of hers. Human experiences have shown that we are capable of finding our own internal strength if and when we want to. And I believe she has.

CAMERON HIGHLANDS' CAMPING TRIP

Here are a few pictures taken during a camping trip that I participated in a few weeks back. My colleagues and I went to Cameron Highlands and some stayed at the camping site provided by the Forest Department. We had to set up our own tents and cook our own food during our stay there. I am no longer the outdoorsy type but it was quite fun to be able to just sit back and enjoy nature. I guess the comforts of life can make us quite reluctant to do things that we normally don't do. It can be quite difficult to leave our home and do things the rustic way such as cooking over an open fire or doing our washings in the flowing stream.