the haze is to be blamed

is there any scientific evidence showing the relationship between breathing in smoky air and the proper functioning of the brain?

recently my brain has turned into mashed potatoes. other than the standard routine of forgetting appointments and things, sending the wrong smses to the wrong people, etc. etc. i nearly stabbed myself today with the pair of red scissors i have in the office.

following the first incident of miscalculating my own pay, i stupidly made mistakes again and again and again in printing my own time records. till i was too embarassed to ask my boss to sign the document for the fourth time. till i missed the deadline and the hr bitch (i don’t hate her for this incident, i admit this is my fault. but i hate her for other stuff) declared that i will be getting my paycheck next month.

while i was at the photocopier silently lamenting about my own stupidity and the cold, hard irony that i have been able to calculate everyone’s (other than mine) pay correctly and on time, my boss came out to retrieve some printout.

he asked me, with a twinkle in his eyes, about what he heard: that i won’t be getting my paycheck this month. then, he asked if i’m ok with that. by that i knew that if i answered “no”, he’ll probably negotiate with the smelly hr woman, or give me advanced pay out of his own pocket or something. i know he takes care of his employees, and he treats “problem staff” really well. one of the technicians even named his only son after the boss out of gratitude and respect.

for a moment i felt like we were bonding, cos he has been joking and laughing a little more with me. there was this golden light from the narrow passageway where the photocopier was, showering upon us the basic goodness of humanity.

i told him not to worry, i’ll be fine. it’s really because i don’t like begging others for favours, and besides, i think i’ll be able to survive the next month, provided i live a thrifty life for the next forty days.

and then?

he pissed me off by saying, “hmm, ok. you look quite rich anyway.”

shit. i swear our eight characters clash.