things that go thump.

last night i had so much trouble falling asleep! i guess it shouldn't be too surprising considering i had two cups of coffee in the evening (early evening!) and took a long nap after getting back from bing, but still. it was annoying. think i only ended up falling asleep at 2ish. and i kept waking up throughout the night. i know, i know, i kinda asked for it...

but there were other reasons why i couldn't fall asleep... for one, a downside to living alone in a place where i don't know very many people is that i don't feel as safe and secure as i'm used to. it doesn't help that my cottage is right next to a relatively busy road, and so i can always hear cars zooming by, cars parking by the curb that's just in front of the cottage, car doors opening and closing, people talking, people walking... and then because there're a lot of trees and plants around there also sounds of little animals running around, climbing, scratching, crickets chirping...

in the daytime these are all friendly sounds, but they become a lot more ominous at night when there are a lot less cars and a lot more critters. when a car stops outside you wonder why... when you hear a scurrying creature you wonder if it's inside or out. and this effect is amplified when you've just read a chapter of "lord of the flies" where the boys have just had a meeting in the dark to discuss if there is a beast in the jungle on their deserted island. which i did last night (i then watched an episode of "the office" to balance it out... it helps to hear dwight talking about how he went werewolf hunting and actually shot one, but by the time he got to it it had turned back into his neighbor's dog. =P). i think i've played the scenario of an intruder coming into the cottage to often that if it does happen (which it won't) i'll probably just smile and be like, "hi, how can i help you?" because i've been so desensitized to it. hehe. seriously and realistically tho, this is a really safe neighborhood, and there are a lot of families around so i probably don't have anything to worry about. =)

then for some reason, i woke up before 8 this morning and just could not go back to sleep! which means that i'll probably be really sleepy at bing/when i get back from bing which means i'll be really tempted by the idea of coffee and a nap. which will only perpetuate the vicious cycle. must. resist.

oh, and in case anyone heard about the earthquake in california and was wondering if i felt it and/or if i am safe, the answer is no didn't feel it, and yes i am safe. the earthquake was in southern california, and i'm further north. on that note tho, i was talking to this guy at bing about earthquakes and he said he's been in about 10 so far (he's in his mid-20s), but mostly minor ones. that's how frequently it occurs here! it's not really registering for me as a real threat since i've been living in malaysia, the country surrounded by the lingkaran berapi all my life.

and speaking of bing... i'm late! malaysian indeed betul.