Tangled

I'm 540 pages into Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain. Sometimes the discussions go over my head. Especially when Settembrini (the Freemason) and Naphta (the Jew-turned-Jesuit) go at it. You've got to read the arguments slowly, only I never do. I skim. And I don't like either although I get the idea that we're supposed to like Settembrini.

Good Friday we get a call to say an uncle has died. He was just turned 60. Young, in fact. But he had a heart attack and his children kept him at home instead of taking him to hospital and he gradually expired. Kill or cure. We tried to call his sister but couldn't get through (she wasn't answering her phone) so I sent her a text and she responded to that. Said she didn't feel like talking to anyone just yet. This is her second sibling to die. And she's the oldest. She hasn't gotten over her sister. Wonder how long it will take for her to get over her brother.

And then on Easter Sunday, with Mum watching the previews leading up to the Arsenal match (Arsene Wenger was in fine form, caustic, spitting fire) there was a newsflash that Sai Baba had just passed. Good day to choose, I thought. So I sent a text to another friend, one whom I knew would probably be sobbing her eyes out, because to her it would be like losing a father and a spiritual guide. She didn't respond.

I drove Ivan back to KL early Saturday morning for his first check up since the operation. Doc said, all good, healing nicely, just lose the fat. We went shopping to stock his fridge with healthy alternatives. He said he's been slowly chowing down on said healthy alternatives.

Early Easter morning, Chubs drove me to the newly renovated Pudu bus station only to discover that the buses from there no longer go south. In fact, there was a new bus station for all south-bound passengers at Tasik Bandar Selatan. Now, neither of us know where that is, so I called a few friends, woke up a few friends early Easter, and got a general direction, but nothing specific. Then Chubs called a friend and we found the place, a beautiful building in the middle of nowhere. And I mean nowhere. We circled it for a while as he tried to figure out where to drop me. When we finally found the entrance...I got up it...and the building was splendid. It was clean and everything seemed to be above board. No touts trying to get you to board illegal buses, because, guess what? No illegal buses allowed here. And in fact, even the legal ones were subject to massive scrutiny - our bus driver had to go for an interview with the officials about the bus's state of repair and the presence of unsettled summonses.

When he finally took off, he drove carefully within the speed limit and made only one stop for people to debus and pee. I slept the first half of the journey and read my Magic Mountain for the second half. My phone was running out of battery but my Mum did manage to get through to me, to find out what time I was arriving so she could come pick me up. When I said I could just get a cab home, she bristled:

"Do you know how EXPENSIVE that would be?"

Yeah, the JB cabbies are all conmen who refuse to use the taxi meter and charge whatever they want to. Especially difficult if they can see you're from out of town. I spotted her as soon as the bus turned into the Larkin bus stand, so it was all easy peasy.

Back home for an Easter meal of kueh teow soup and a long, long nap (right until nine in the evening). In fact would have probably slept longer if an itinerant aunt (we call her the mad one) hadn't called (not once but twice) and woken us up. Now when the phone rings persistently, we usually think it's urgent (read: bad) news, meaning someone else has popped his or her clogs. Turned out to be mad aunt wanting to wish my Mum for Easter.

I want to finish Magic Mountain so I can concentrate on Lamott. Also, I want to finish story of educationist so I can get on with rest of my life without that hanging over me. (I promised and deadline is today). Only I don't even feel like calling up the file.

Dear me. I'm going to have to get over that because the editor did give me a deadline after all. Not in the mood just doesn't cut it.

After watching Tangled, which Disney claims is their 50th feature length cartoon, I took out a notebook and tried to list down all the Disney feature length cartoons I could remember and I only made it to 21.

How many can you remember?

Oh and the Zachary Levi character is going to be one of my favourite characters of all time. Right up there with Baloo the bear and Thumper, what did your father say?