Sorry Blog - been away for too long. So here is a new story!

Let me tell you what happened to me yesterday.

I woke up crazy late so had to rush to send my daughter to school so that I don't cause her to be late. So I had to park right next to this huge bushy plant. So exiting out from my side of the car was itself a challenge. So I had a facefull of leaves, dried leaves, twigs .. you name it, I had it on me.

So we got to school on time. I really dreaded having to get back into the car and also contemplated getting in from the passenger side but with all the other parents around, I thought against it. After all, if I could get out, surely, I would be able to get back in. Which I did, after another facefull and hairful or leaves, dried leaves, twigs ....

Then I drove to work. When I got out, I had to investigate whether any of that forest ended up in my car as well and as I suspected, I had to remove a dozen or more leaves. Sigh. Off to work now.

Lunch. I decided to have dim sum at Chulan Square so I drove there. That's when the excitement starts. Normal conversations in the car with my friends from Legal and Business Bank. Blah Blah .... then I felt an itch on my neck that could move. How odd. That was around about Wisma Genting. So I knew, had to be an insect. I am not very good with insects. So pray hard, this would be a small one. 

So a quick flick and something green landed on my lap. Phew. Not cockroach. That would have send me straight into the back of the car in front of me. Ok, but the idea of `still, it’s an insect' really bothered me. What bloody insect it this and Shereen, you still need to concentrate on the road. I could see it from the corner of my eye making its way back up my shirt until it slipped under a crease. Panic Panic Panic .. half my brain wanted to get out of the car. The rationale side of my brain said look straight ahead and concentrate. The other half wanted to scream. The other two in the car with me was pretty oblivious to the turmoil going on in my head but I think they could sense it a little since I was alternating between `get the green insect' and `damn this traffic'...... 

And then a triangular head peeks out from under the crease and looks at me (still looking at it from the corner of my eye). Great. Its playing peek-a-boo! But then I already knew what it was. Since only one insect that is green and can move its head like that, had to be a praying mantis. Shit. Custom has it, that I cannot kill a praying mantis. It’s not good luck (don't know why) but either way, I cannot crush the guy. But, there is no guarantee that won't happen if it decided to venture further into my clothing. Luckily for it, it was happy where it was. So I took a piece of tissue, and from the corner of my eye, I really prayed it was still under the crease and grabbed whatever was under and passed the entire white bundle to my friend seated in front. Who asked: Should I check if it is in there. I said no, just in case it climbed out and another hunting fiesco would start.

By then I got to the car park, quickly parked and checked the car to see if our green friend was still lurking in it or on me. Must have been an odd sight, since I was really fast out of the car and looking all around myself. Then told my friend to leave the tissue on top of another car (not risking it climbing back into the car). That was when the little green head popped up and it looked as if it was wondering where it was this time. A sigh of relief for it and myself, I said goodbye and I think I  saw it wave back.


Moral of the story: Don't wake up late.