DELIVERING VALENTINES

I am in a state of ambivalence which is somewhat better than being in a state of ambiguity.
I am deciding whether to write about Valentine's Day which is tomorrow or about the government's delivery system which (once again) came into the news today.
Yesterday I read about two teachers in Taiwan getting a divorce because the bride did not deliver. Apparently, the bride became a divorcee and yet remain a virgin. There is this rumour floating around that lady teachers make good brides because teachers being teachers, if you do not do it right the first time, she will ask you to do it again. And again. In the case of the male Taiwan teacher, he did not even get to do it the first time, Valentine's Day or not. The bride was too shy to deliver.

Too shy is not what you would call the government machinery. You would use other expressive terms but never shy. After 50 years of "Merdeka" (Independence) only a few government departments made the effort to make a satisfactory delivery. The Immigration Department now can give you your passport in an hour if your papers are in order. You can renew your driving licence in less than 30 minutes at selected Post Offices once you get to the counter. I cannot say the same thing about other departments.


There was this old red Proton Saga Aeroback blocking my neighbour's parking lot. The neighbour complained and after a few weeks I complained too. The parked car acted like some sort of a decoy for other cars to park behind or in front of it and blocked other parking lots. Suspecting that it was a stolen car, I got two friendly policemen to run a check on the car. It was not on the stolen list.The policemen thought that it might be a car hiding from the finance company and they promised to tip off their repossesor friends. The local office of DBKL who manages the so-called condominium that I am living in told me that the proper people have been informed but no action has been taken. Soon it will be a month that my neighbour is deprived of her paid parking lot. She will not send any Valentine cards to DBKL and I am sure the owner of the offending car will not be driving his date to any Valentine's Dinner in that Proton Saga.

Delivery System? Maybe only the Tok Bidan (midwives) deliver.

UPDATE:
Today, 14/2/2007 at around 5.15 pm I went to my balcony and managed to catch a glimpse of the Saga being driven away. Driven not towed.
Wonder if the owner reads my blog? Naah.