just minishorts.

I'll tell you a little open secret. The truth is, I've been getting a lot of flack since some smart aleck decided to do a little search on my background and came up with this 'out of the world' expose on what I actually do for a living.

The other fact was this, when I started this blog way way way back in 2002, I told the whole world my name was Khoo Choo Ki and I wanted to make it big as a writer one day. I had dreams. I wanted this blog to be a place for me to chronicle 'writing styles' and maybe certain thoughts.

It has brought me places. Along the way I graduated, broke up, started a new job, met new guys, starting dating again, quit the job, got another job, broke up again, met a new guy, met new guys, got famous, starting dating seriously, got a new job, and here I am. Far from what I had ever imagined, but honestly, not quite there yet.

And yes, of course I'm ambitious. Of course I've got plans in real life, the usual, work my way up the ladder, get married, have children, retire rich and satisfied with a long list of experiences to tell my grandchildren about. That's the plan.

And this blog? Oh it's just a part of my life. A TINY LITTLE PART, something that I call a hobby. And as far as hobbies go, I intend to keep it as long as I feel like it. But I'm nothing like you, I'm not the type who starts a blog and goes, 'OMG OMG I'm so damn great I'm finally a part of the media people will read me every darn thing I say is so damn important you must listen to me.'

But of course I didn't count on making it 'big', 'big'. Things just fall into place because I take things easy. And I follow this rule of thumb, which I feel, I KNOW every damned blogger must follow. YOu can keep a blog, you can call it an outlet for therapeutic release, or you can keep it with your own intentions, I don't know, maybe you choose to earn quick adsense bucks from it, or maybe some may feel they're huge and big enough to talk important things like politics and make a difference. But you must never talk about your work on your blog, which I don't. So if you don't do that analysis of work and work mechanics on your blog, do you think it's right to run out and DEMAND another blogger blog incessantly about her work as well, because as you say, 'It's only right?'

Along the way a lot of you would have realized I stopped using my real name, the one with three words, and substituted the identity behind minishorts with Claire Khoo. It was my strategy, the move that would separate CHOOKI from MINISHORTS. We are one and the same, but in real life, my blog will have no effect whatsoever in my job, my life, my relationships, how my closest friends think of me. When people get to know me, on a more personal basis, I told them, 'Call me Choo Ki.' And everyone respected that.

Of course I got the occasional troll who would pride himself / herself in strutting into this site and showing off that she knows that person behind this moniker, this mask. But never mind that, at least, I was able to wear my mask in person. I never denied that Choo Ki and Claire was one and the same person, but there was a reason why I separated identities. Choo Ki belongs in the real world, profiles and biodatas attributed to Choo Ki was what she was in person. Claire, is minishorts, so if you want to talk to minishorts here in her blog, you either call her mini or Claire. It's basic respect, and most of the readers respected that.

Then of course the usual idiots had to be so damn free to google and run background checks and run exposes and jump up with posts shouting gleeful success for, erm, something that was no secret all along. And in the process, messed up my little strategy to live separate lives, to not mix up the two. TO BE WHO I WANTED TO BE.

This is a violation of my privacy, and damn hell, I have the right to blog my angst about it. But this will about end this silly provocation and sniping from anonymous cowards and KNOWN PEOPLE in fact, who run in and poke DARES at me for something that I HAVE the right to figure out on my own, and in private since I choose to make it so. And if you're going to come up with a pitiful excuse like, 'Oh you're famous you're influential,' let me tell you this one thing, 'NO I AM NOT I NEVER WAS I NEVER THOUGHT I WAS YOU JUST GIVE ME FAR TOO MUCH CREDIT EVEN THOUGH YOU SAY YOU DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO GET FAMOUS.'

On my work, I run this rule of thumb, and every person who works for somebody MUST know this, I WILL NEVER TALK ABOUT THE MECHANICS OF MY WORK HERE. Of course I'll rant from time to time, Oh the workload's a killer, oh I have to go to work at the weekends, that's my right.

But if you're going to come in here and start to trash me up for being immoral because I don't choose to listen to your childish whims and pleas for me to talk about company policies, SIMPLY because I never made minishorts out to be the blog where I will talk incessantly about politics and how it affects me in my job, I'll have to tell you here, SOD OFF.

No comments.

Disappointment. Would have loved it very much if the person who leads my country didn't wait for two days to come up with his response to the person who used to lead my country. Would have loved it very much if the discussion they had for two hours was not described as one and a half hour, I talk, he only talked for thirty minutes, spent most of the time writing things down in a notebook.

So VERY VERY Disappointing.

Even more stupid are the people who decide on what goes on the front pages of our local dailies. What's wrong with saying something like, 'Pak Lah Responds'. '

'Doses of Venom'.

Working with journalists for a while now, and I'll say, the people who design headliners and write those articles are nothing like the ones we used to work with just about five years back. We're left with a generation of journos who choose to inject huge amounts of articulated adjectives in order to add jazz to their storylines. What's wrong? Is there not enough juice in your subject matters to keep you guys reporting what needs to be reported?

I'm ranting. It's the holidays. Don't mind me.

Even though its small, the Lumix FX3 takes really awesome photos of flowers.

Just jotting down some random thoughts.

To the person who said that I'm swayed emotionally, I have to say clean observation. Probably the result of years of observing my behaviour on this blog.

To the person who has done a lot of research in order to back up his conspiracy theory, I'd say awesome job, keep up the hard work. It's amusing to see that I'm worth a classification under the blogosphere X-files folder.

To the person who has been giving his opinions on my behaviour based on online observation, I want to thank you for the flattery I think.

I wonder actually how would another person feel like to be in my shoes. I think the right word for this now is, 'interesting' although I wouldn't call it a new experience. I'd just call this whole thing a mountain that has bloomed out of a molehill. Interestingly, last week I was quite furious… and when I told my boss about the whole hoo-hah, he said, 'Why bother about this? Let rubbish take care of itself.'

But I cannot, you know? That's the normal reaction a 'true' blogger would give in an earnest fight to feedback, with all the virtue boasting, 'I'm so honest in everything I say!'

And then the holidays are really a good thing. Because they force me to view things from a very relaxed angle, and I'm really quite engrossed in looking to see what other new things these peeps will come up with.

In the meantime, Eric's gone to Singapore again, for work this time, and I've a tonne of clothes to iron (because even with over 5k a month I can't afford a maid haha), so I'm leaving. Be back tomorrow.

I'm saying goodbye to my old baby. She's going to my Mum, who insisted that I not sell this old thing to anyone, or trade it in. Mum said she wants to practise with the Pentax.

And I'm officially saying hello to this.

April woke me up at 9 blardy am (I know I know, but it's a holiday!) to bring me this!

This girl should go into the business on a full time basis-lah!

But anyway, the day's just halfway over. Happy 2nd Day of Raya folks, and have fun, drive safely, I LOVE YOU ALL…!!!

p.s. Happy Birthday to Finicky Feline, Rambotan and Hannah Tan. I don't know the last one personally but I think it's awesome to be born on the same day with all of you.

AND OH… the older mile-stone hitter on the block. THE SNARK. (now I didn't miss yours, I made up for it!)