I’ve always liked ‘Sampaikanlah Salam’ by Alleycats. The beat is cheerful and the tune catchy. I’ve never thought much of the lyrics until McUser pointed it out to me recently.

“It’s far from a cheerful song lah,” the Alleycats fan said smugly.

And so, I took a closer look at the song:

Sampaikanlah salam cintaku padanya (Please send her my love)
Walaupun terluka namunku merindu (Though I hurt, I still miss her)
Kerana cintaku tiada akhirnya (Because my love is never ending)
Walaupun kau telah menghancurkannya (Even though you have shatter it)

Sampaikanlah salam cintaku padanya (Please send her my love)
Walaupun sengsara namunku masih sayang (Though I suffer, I still love)
Kerana cintaku mewangi dan harum (Because my love is fragrant)
Walau tercampak di mana jua (No matter where it is thrown to)

Andaiku tiada, andaiku pejam mata (If I’m gone, should I die)
Biarku abadi, cinta yang setia ini (Let me live forever in this pure love)
Biarpun kau jauh, sambutlah salamku (Though I’m far, receive it)
Kerana aku masih menyayangimu (Because I still love you)
Tidak pernah aku membenci dirimu (I’ve never hated you)

Blimey, the dude was right. The whole song reeks of jiwangness! Egads!

Jiwang is a Malay slang for ‘emotional’. I steer clear away from such songs. If you are sad and broken hearted, these songs will sink you further into despair and hopelessness. If you are secretly crushing on someone, the songs will exacerbate your longings and anguish at unrequited love. If you are happy and in love, they will make you ‘angau’ – lovesick.

Think about it, do the following lyrics contribute to you being a happy and healthy individual?

… I can’t live, if living is without you….
… How am I supposed to live without you…
… What can I do to make you love me…
… Can’t you just love me, you stupid fool?…

In short, these songs make you sappy at best and suicidal at worst. Here’s the thing, there’s no use pining over someone who doesn’t want you. Life is so much better without that louse, trust me.

Here are my suggestions of alternative songs that will get you off your fanny, get over your grief and moving towards fun and life:

Broken hearted? Listen to ‘I Hate Myself for Loving You’ by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Unrequited love? Listen to ‘Keep Me Hanging On’ by Kim Wilde

Say no to depressing love songs!

Knowing the Languages of Love has helped a great deal in understanding others and myself better. There are 5 languages of love in general:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Acts of Service
3. Quality Time
4. Receiving Gifts
5. Physical Touch

So, how does it help me in relating with others?

I learned that while my dad is not the type to exhibit affection by words or hugs, he has been showing love all along by doing things for the household. He takes care of my car like his own and offers to run errands for us. To make him happy, I learned to offer help and do my share of the housework.

My mom, on the other hand, loves to hear and give words of affirmation. She will tuck little notes of love under my door from time to time and always lets me know that she loves me. She treasures the poems and blog entries that I wrote about her. Incidentally, that was how dad got her to fall in love with him – he wrote pages of pages of love lorn letters to her when they were in a long-distance relationship.

Understanding how our loved ones perceive love will go a long way in enriching your relationships.  Find out what yours is by completing this quiz.

As a bonus, here’s a list of songs that you can play or sing to your loved ones depending on their language of love. Have fun and may it bring a zing to your relationship! A special thanks to Mr. McUser for helping me come up with most of them.


Songs That Would Make Their Hearts Go Zing:

Words of Affirmation – When You Tell Me That You Love Me (Diana Ross)
I Love You Always Forever (Donna Lewis), Say It Right (Nelly Furtado),
Tell Her About It (Billy Joel),

Acts of Service – Every Little Thing You Do (Westlife) I Go To
Extremes (Billy Joel), I’ll Be There (The Jackson 5), I’ll Stand By
You (The Pretenders), Take Good Care Of My Baby (Bobby Vee), What Can
I Do (The Corrs)


Quality Time – Spending My Time (Roxette) Come Fly With Me (Michael Buble)

Gifts – Diamonds Are Forever (Shirley Bassey)

Physical Touch – Touch My Body (Mariah Carey), When You Kiss Me (Shania
Twain), Besame Mucho (Andrea Bocelli) I Wanna Hold Your Hand (The
Beatles), Intimacy (The Corrs), Sealed With A Kiss (Agnetha Faltskog)

Songs You Should NOT Sing:

Words of Affirmation - When You Say Nothing At All (Ronan Keating) Hard To Say I’m Sorry (Peter Cetera), On And On And On (Abba)

Acts of Service - I Would Do Anything For Love But I Won’t Do That (Meatloaf)

Quality Time - Time To Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman)

Gifts - Gimme Gimme Gimme (Abba), The Winner Takes It All (Abba),

Physical Touch - Stay Away (Nirvana) Kissing A Fool (Michael Buble)

Lately, I have heard or come across strange folks like these.  I rate
them on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of danger quotient.  The higher the
rating, the more dangerous they are to your health – mental or
otherwise. 

1. People who comment on their own Facebook status and Wall postings. 
   It’s like they are having a conversation all by themselves online for
   all to see. WTH? Danger scale: 1 out of 5 – leave them alone in their own world.  If it makes them happy, leave them to it.
2. People who have an extremely large sense of entitlement.  Yea, yea,
   we know you have your own mag.  So, what?  Unless you have a Dato’
   attached to your name, you are just a normal folk like any one of us. 
   Take a number and queue lar.  Danger scale: 2 out of 5 – let
   them heave and rant all they want.  You never know when you need to
   apply for a job at their mag.  But then again, who would want a drama
   king/queen boss like that?
3. People who want to make a turn to the left but keep hogging the left
   lane – effectively preventing others from using that lane.  Stick to
   your own lane lar.  Danger scale: 3 out of 5 – they are
   dangerous on the road if you yourself are not alert to their doings. 
   Do not daydream while driving and you should be safe from these jokers.
4. People who lodge a report/warning letter against you but pretend as
   if nothing had happened.  Sweet as a honey bee… a lethal one.  Danger scale: 5 out of 5 – If you can help it, stay far away from such.

This is a Coolcat public service.  May all of mayhem be curbed and eradicated from the lives of the innocent!

Remember how I battled hiccups in vain?

Well, after a hefty lunch today, I had a bad case of hiccups. Nothing I tried worked. In desperation, I browsed Google for cures on hiccups and I found this gem of a site.

I tried it and it works.

Whee!!!

I came home yesterday intending to do some form of exercise. However, the sight of my inviting bed and soft pillows beckoned me.

“Ok, I’ll just rest for a few minutes. 20 minutes wouldn’t do any harm, right?”

So without further ado, I flopped onto the bed with a grateful sigh. Man, I didn’t realise how tired I actually was. I hugged my bolster a little tighter and closed my eyes.

The next thing I knew, the sound of my ringing phone jarred me from my fitful slumber. An hour had slipped by. So much for my 20-minute power nap. A cheerful friend was the culprit who woke me up. He did not seem the least bit repentant for doing that.

“Wah, if I didn’t call, you’d be sleeping right up till morning hor?” he chortled. I shamefacedly said that he was right – this had happened before. A short nap had turned into a full-blown sleep marathon all the way till dawn the next day.

We chatted for a long while before I realised that it was way past dinner time. And I was hungry. So much for exercising before feasting away.

Life really is indeed full of distractions.

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