Life Goes On...

2011-04-21T11:14:00.003+08:00

This post is a few months late but then again... better late than never...

2010 came and went. It wasn't a joyride at all the entire year. Generally it was more downs than ups but then again, I always tell myself to look for the silver lining. I held on... charged on... and it's now the beginning of the 2nd quarter in 2011.

You peeps out there who know me well would know the SHIT that I had gone through the entire year. It hasn't been easy but I have made a few more really good friends who have stood by me, supported me and urged me along. A very big THANK YOU to all you gal pals out there. MUACKS! MUACKS!

2011 started off with a bang and I really do pray that it stays this way for months and years to come. Ups and downs are really a big part of my life but so far it's been a good start to the year.

Something that I've been waiting for years is finally happening soon. I am engaged to be married in less than 2 months from now. My bestest friend in the world got married and is going to be a mother. And I am going to be the proudest godmother out there.

Business is picking up although careerwise I'm probably going nowhere at my job. So I'll put in more effort into my business and make it flourish. God, please know I really need this. *prays hard*

So... here's to my life going on...

Celebrations! Good Times!

2010-08-20T15:31:00.008+08:00

Choc & Cheese from Just Heavenly

First cake to kick off the celebrations... absolutely heavenly! Instead of icing, it's coated with cheese with just the right amount of sweetness (which is not too sweet). Dinner at Bellygood with fantastic folks made it a very special occasion.

Blueberry Cheesecake from San Terri

My family came from Ipoh for the celebrations this time (as was last year). Quiet weekend spent at home with my family made it a very special day indeed. Pure bliss!

But celebrations in my family are never without food so it was off to Chili's BSC (which turned out to be not a great encounter but we'll leave that for some other time). And since my younger sis celebrates her birthday just 6 days after mine, we ALWAYS have a joint celebration. Darned waiter put the wrong number of candles (a serious case of acting too smart) but the candlelight does make it look good :)

This year, my sis made me something very special for my birthday. Check out the custom-made jewellery she made for me. OK, it was initially just the bracelet but greedy me wanted the whole set so here it is! Thanks!!!

It's almost here...

2010-08-04T20:09:00.002+08:00

Sorry yet again... it's been months... no excuse on my part but there really hasn't been much happening that is out of the ordinary and worth blogging about. Some of you who are closer to me would probably know the stupidest and damnest thing that has happened to me this year. Probably still not worth mentioning here as I'm not about to let stuff like that ruin my blog... haha

Life still goes on despite whatever that happens.

I'm looking forward to this weekend. It's the first time my parents will be coming to KL to celebrate my birthday with me. Oh gosh... sometimes I do feel old but I still have all this energy deep inside me.

I guess that's what they mean by feeling young at heart and it probably helps when you start hanging out more with people younger than you. I think it really helps a lot!

So... till my next post... hopefully I will remember to take pics of this weekend.

Till then...

2009-12-17T15:44:00.001+08:00

To cut a long story short....

Lanterns!

2009-09-19T01:00:00.019+08:00

The residents of SS4 in PJ had their inaugural lantern festival potluck earlier tonight and it was a blast! The food just kept on arriving and I kept stuffing myself.... It is 1.30am now and I am still absolutely stuffed. I think I'm just gonna fast tomorrow all the way till dinner....

Of course the highlight of the night are the handmade lanterns by Uncle Khor. He's famous throughout Malaysia for his award-winning lanterns which are made from recyclable items. Anything you can imagine.... from styrofoam plates, mineral water bottles, styrofoam boxes, foam sponge sheets to name just a few....

All these below were on display tonight and I just can't but be in awe of all of them... They are absolutely just amazing...

To usher in the year of the bull, he made a friendly bull bearing CNY goodies. If you observe closer, the ears and tail of the bull twitch every now and then as if welcoming and beckoning you to try the goodies he has brought.

The plate of CNY goodies by the friendly bull. From mooncakes to pomelo to sliced dried minced pork to chinese tea. If you look closely, the sliced pork looks just like the real thing!!!!

A lantern made from paper cups. Honey bees all around it as if they are looking for pollen.

Lantern of local fruits. The durian looks shockingly real and the hairs on the rambutan were stuck on one-by-one painstakingly!!

A basket of dragonfruits and vegetables. That's not the highlight of this lantern. Notice the 2 chickens on the top of the basket handle? They are attached to a motor inside the lantern to mimick the movement of cockerels pecking at worms they find on the ground. And if you look even closer, you will notice a little pink worm that the chickens are trying to get to. The worm moves too!

Spider lantern

CNY lantern for Thean Hou Temple competition. Requirement was that everything must be recyclable items. This is the champion, by the way...

Basket of fish and vegetables.

Bouquet of flowers

Lantern made from mineral water bottles

A giant teapot with revolving tray of mid autumn festival goodies

Another basket of fish and vegetables. The chinese cabbage is made from combination of styrofoam boxes and mineral water bottles sprayed randomly with a glue gun to create the vein effect on the leaves. The capsicums are made from the bottoms of 100 plus bottles and the goldfish are made from cut out styrofoam plates.

Lantern of 2 giant pumpkins with butterflies

Uncle Khor distributing choco berries to kids at the party

The party was graciously attended by PJU MP Y.B. Tony Pua and ADUN Dr. Cheah Wing Yin. Uncle Khor had made a lantern in the shape of the DAP Rocket after DAP won the election in PJU in 2008. He later presented the lantern to Tony to be displayed at his office.

15Malaysia... 15th Movie... Rojak

2009-09-18T17:06:00.001+08:00

15Malaysia... 14th Movie... Lollipop

2009-09-16T12:03:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia... 13th Movie... Healthy Paranoia

2009-09-14T13:10:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia... 12th Movie... Duit Kecil

2009-09-11T14:31:00.001+08:00

Pet Updates

2009-09-10T16:14:00.002+08:00

I'm happy to report that Jane's eye is healing well after putting eye drops the past few days. Made her wear that stupid looking neck collar so that she doesn't scratch her eye. She looks really ridiculous in that thing and she keeps bumping into the wall and other things around her. Hopefully another 2 days and she'll be back to normal.

15Malaysia... 11th Movie... Meter

2009-09-09T22:52:00.000+08:00

Rainbow Phenomenon In Ipoh

2009-09-08T16:20:00.006+08:00

Ok, I think you guys are going to think I'm crazy but this is really the first time I'm seeing this. Not my first time seeing a rainbow of course but a rainbow in this manner is really a first for me....

The brightest area is where the sun is and the circle around it is the rainbow which we saw. This was just right outside my house. The black line at the bottom of the photos is my house awning. It wasn't easy to get these shots as the sun was shining directly into my eyes. All in all, this phenomenon lasted about 10 minutes and it was gone.

I have yet to have time to look this up on the internet to find out exactly how this happened. Stay tuned to see if I do manage to find some info on this....

Aarrggghhh.... Trespasser Killed

2009-09-08T15:39:00.003+08:00

Woke up this morning to find a dead kitten in the garden and Jane with her right eye swollen. I have no idea what time it happened but I'm pretty sure right until I went to bed at 1.30am last night there was no kitten sounds nor my dogs barking. So it must have been when I had already fallen sound asleep.

I guess the poor kitty did put up a good fight and scratched Jane's right eye. It's swollen quite bad. Have put eye drops for her and hoping it will heal soon. Didn't see blood dripping so I think it doesn't warrant a visit to the vet as yet. Will monitor closely to see how it heals.

Sigh.. why is it always Jane who gets herself into these things???? It's always her!!! Jack and Jill do get into mischief now and again but never to this extent where they get themselves injured. What am I to do with Jane? It's been so long and it doesn't look like anyone's going to adopt her although I'm above the limit of 2 dogs per household. Sigh....

15Malaysia... 10th Movie... Gerhana

2009-09-07T19:43:00.000+08:00

Mummy's Birthday.... Coming Soon

2009-09-05T02:06:00.002+08:00

I'm back in Ipoh again for the weekend to celebrate Mummy's birthday which is on Sunday. Have planned an 8-course dinner at the new Overseas Restaurant and invited a few of my parents' close friends to join in the celebration. The more merrier. Let's hope the food is as good as they preach since the restaurant has opened a new branch.

On the menu is a starter dish, suckling piggy, steamed patin fish, chicken with ham & kailan, asparagus with prawns, tofu, longevity noodles and water chestnut dessert. Will update my food blog with pics and reviews of the dishes. So keep a look out.

Mummy also requested for a blueberry cheesecake. Of course I panicked when she told me that's what she wanted. I have no idea where to get good cheesecake in Ipoh, what more blueberry cheesecake. Turns out, it's mummy's fave, my sister's fave and my fave.

And so, JJ Cakes to the rescue. Have ordered it specially made for tomorrow. Now I'm just hoping that a 1kg cake will be enough to satisfy everyone's appetite.

Decided to join my parents at their regular gathering with some friends. My objective? To sample the oh-so-talked-about stewed yam with pork (wu tao kao yok) that one of their friends make. OMG!!! It's just simply heavenly. The yam is soft and filled with the aroma of the spices. The pork is stewed to perfection. Juicy and the fatty part literally melts in your mouth.

And despite the age difference, (I mean, come on, the entire group are all my parents' age) we really had a great time. The jokes, the conversations.... who says it's boring to hangout with older people. They're probably more fun to be around as they share their stories and tell you jokes from their younger days. In fact, I think I should do this more often... haha...

I'm off to bed now. Early morning tomorrow as we're headed to some breakfast at the marketplace. My usual hong kong style chee cheong fun is waiting for me :)

15Malaysia... 9th Movie... Slovak Sling

2009-09-05T02:05:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia... 8th Movie... One Future

2009-09-02T10:45:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia... 7th Movie... Lumpur

2009-08-31T16:35:00.001+08:00

15Malaysia... 6th Movie... The Son

2009-08-29T09:16:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia.... 5th Movie... Halal

2009-08-26T11:16:00.001+08:00

15Malaysia.... 4th Movie... House

2009-08-24T12:12:00.001+08:00

15Malaysia.... 3rd Movie... The Tree

2009-08-21T09:52:00.000+08:00

15Malaysia Launching.... 2nd Movie... Chocolate

2009-08-19T09:27:00.000+08:00

Birthday Celebration

2009-08-17T11:10:00.003+08:00

My parents and little sis made a trip to KL over the weekend to celebrate our birthdays. Didn't take much pics other than the homemade cheesecake and us :)

15Malaysia Launching.... 1st Movie... Potong Saga

2009-08-17T11:06:00.001+08:00

My Big Day

2009-08-11T15:47:00.004+08:00

I am now officially.... 3x (age is sacred to the female)

Birthday came and went. It was a good day. Worked in the morning, attended 100-day countdown to GEW in the afternoon, hung out at The Curve and proceeded to Mid Valley for dinner at Chili's with Steven, Mei Lee and Terence.

Dinner at Chili's was quite a disappointment. I'm vowing never to have my meals there ever again, especially the branch at Mid Valley. Steaks came out with more tendons than meat. It was even harder to chew than chewing gum, can you imagine? It was just bad.

Quiet and simple celebration. Just the way I like.

The next day was also an eventful day. Mei Lee and Terence invited us to their house and they were going to make us a home-baked butter garlic lobster and beef stew. Was really yums! Much better than the food at Chili's, mind you.

We had already made dinner plans with Janice and Ian. Introduced them to Kong Sai Chicken Rice. The chicken rice that Steven has been raving about in Facebook of late. We had half a chicken (the big foot of the hill chicken - dai san keok kai), curry pork ribs, baked yam with pork (wu tau kau yok) and vege. Sumptious! And I must say tastier and more satisfying than dinner the night before at Chili's.

Now we have new friends to jalan-jalan cari makan :)

PS: I just realized in all that excitement over the weekend, there is not a single photo of me :)

Quote Of The Day

2009-07-28T16:00:00.002+08:00

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. - Socrates

I like this quote. Very apt as I deal with people who insist they know everything when in actual fact most of the time they don't know that much more than me... sigh... stubbornness!

On another note, I just came back from the ladies toilet at my office block. Some idiot had a ciggie break in there and the air is just suffocating! Inconsiderate buggers (excuse my language). Why do people assume that common toilets at office blocks are ciggie hangout places???

I demand that my right to clean and fresh air be RESTORED! Smokers should just lock themselves in a glass case and suffocate themselves in there. Let us all regain our rights!

Mid-Year

2009-07-28T11:41:00.002+08:00

Ok. It's not exactly mid-year but a little over. But I always like to mark the end of July as that means August is coming soon. August is always a month of celebrations for me. For one thing it's my birthday, followed my sis. And now to add to that, Steven's sis and then his bro. I just love August babies. We are a fun bunch and always a joy to hang out with.... Haha... self praise.... but I think friends can vouch to that!

One other reason is that I have nothing better to write late so I thought why not just write something... haha... sorry if you find this a bore but hey, it's my blog and I write what I want.

Life's pretty quiet these days. Other than the occasional eating fest, it's catching up on shows that I've been downloading. Finished watching Criminal Minds Season 6 about 2 weeks ago and am now anxiously waiting for Season 7 to start. It was such a cliffhanger ending in Season 6.... I want to know if The Reaper really killed Hotch!

Am now back to TVB serials. I have watched Forensic Heroes last year and now moving on to Forensic Heroes II. It's ala CSI style but with the usual HK drama and continuation. 30 full episodes of suspense and drama. Just the way I like it. Although the equipment and graphics may not be up to the standard of Hollywood but it's actually quite interesting how they combine Forensics Division with the Heavy Crimes Bureau division and weave several love stories in the midst of all those crimes. Oh well, being the serial addict, most series are nice and enjoyable to me... haha

This year, my birthday happens to fall on a Saturday, which means not a working day for me. Unlike past years where I will apply for annual leave as I make it a point not to work on MY DAY. Am still thinking what to do on that day though. No plans as yet. Maybe a quiet one this time.

The past few years have been exciting ones. 2 years in a row I was up in Genting. Some winnings in the casino and lovely hot choc at Coffee Bean while enjoying the breeze up there. Last year same time I was in HK for a seminar.

Hmm... any ideas?

Irresponsible Pet Owners... Sigh...

2009-07-23T15:45:00.002+08:00

My dad got bitten by a dog last night. Sigh...

My parents take evening walks regularly around the neighbourhood. There's this particular house with 3 dogs and around the same time, the owner lets his dogs out to do their 'business' on the roadside. Typical of Malaysians. As long as the dog doesn't SHIT in their house compound, they can pretty much SHIT anywhere they want.

So, last night, as usual, my parents went for their evening walk. And as usual, this neighbour lets his dogs out. My parents were across the road from where the dogs lived. Just as they were released, one of the dogs ran across the road towards my parents and bit my dad on his thigh. Luckily the dog owner saw and quickly called the dogs back. And thankfully the dog let go and returned to its master.

The bite wasn't deep. Partly also as the dog bit the part of his thigh with shorts covering it. Phew!

The owner offered to bring my dad to the doc's for treatment. Initially my dad was hesitant (as he always is when it comes to visiting a clinic) but my mum managed to convince him. So off they went to a 24-hour clinic with the dog owner and got his ATT jab, antibiotics, antiseptic wash, cream and painkillers. It isn't major but things could have been worse.

I am thinking... what if the dog has diseases? Worse case, rabies! What if the wound had been deeper? What if the dog didn't return to its master and continued attacking? What if the other 2 dogs attacked my dad at the same time? What if 1 attacked my dad and the other dogs attacked my mum? There are just so many possibilities that I can think of.

So there you go. Irresponsible pet owners. Why didn't he put the dogs on leash when letting them out to do their 'business'? So what if it's 3 dogs? Buy 3 leashes? It's only the responsible thing to do. I mean, if that fella goes out for his evening walks, he wouldn't fancy being bitten by a dog, would he?

Oh well, as Malaysians, I think many of us still have a lot to learn when it comes to being responsible pet owners. I'm not saying every Malaysian is irresponsible. Mind you, I have seen a couple walking 7 dogs and all of them are on leash.

Just like in my previous post, how is it possible a tame puppy wanders into my backyard? Quick update though, the puppy is now back with its rightful owner. A teenage boy lost the puppy while playing at the playground opposite my house. Again, why wasn't the puppy on a leash?

I hope and hope that we will all learn to be responsible pet owners....

Look What I Found In My Backyard Last Night....

2009-07-12T10:53:00.007+08:00

Went out for a gathering with some ex-colleagues last night. Came back past midnight and heard puppy sounds from the back. We had just been puppy free for 2 days and it was surprising to hear puppy sounds around the house. I thought it must be some puppy roaming the backlane but nonetheless decided to check it out.

Lo and behold... this is what we found...

She was hiding in a corner with her back facing. At first we thought it could be a kitten but a kitten doesn't have big ears standing upright like her. Turned on the lights and saw her instead.

She was shivering not because she was cold but more so because she was scared and hungry. Served up some doggie pellets and she almost immediately turned around and headed to the bowl. That was when we also noticed something funny about her left eye.

Was quite afraid that she's blind or something or maybe her eyeball was missing. On closer inspection, noticed there's a lot of discharge at the eye. We still had some eye drops in the fridge which we used for a kitten we had rescued from the drain before. So put a few drops for her.

Woke up this morning and she was sleeping in the backyard. She didn't yet dare venture to the front as she knows there are 3 big dogs and they aren't very welcoming yet at the moment, especially Jill.

Jill must be wondering what had happened to all her puppies. The 2 that are left had already been taken away by their new owner just 2 days ago. Thought we would be puppy free for a while... Oh well, we are doing a good deed by helping this puppy now.

She was hungry again in the morning (as pups always are) and she helped herself to Jill's leftover rice. As long as I was around in the garden, I might as well checked on her. It was too dark last night to really do much.

Gosh, she had so many ticks on her I'm wondering how she survives the itches. Have caught all the ticks I could find especially in her ears and between her paws. She's getting a little more adventurous now but still mostly stays in the backyard. Still afraid of the big dogs.

Now I'm wondering... The compound is surrounded by wire mesh all round. Front gate, back fence... they are all sealed up. How did this puppy get into the backyard? I suspect someone abandoned her (especially with the infected left eye) and decided to just dump into my backyard. Probably somebody staying around the neighbourhood and had noticed a lot of puppies in my garden. Maybe they think I run a dog pound? Sigh.... the cruelty...

I am hoping that is not the case though. Maybe she somehow managed to squeeze through the back gate... Hopefully someone will come claim her soon. Else, I'll have to put her up for adoption.

Meanwhile, any takers?

A True Legend Is Gone...

2009-07-10T16:42:00.006+08:00

Ok... I know this post is like way too late since now Michael Jackson's memorial is already over and done with. Yours truly has been busy and tied up with more important stuff. Not that MJ's death is not important enough to take up my time. I have been following news online about him since his death.

I'm a fan of his songs, yes. But not a fanatic. At least not fanatical enough to be crying and sobbing. In fact, for the past 2 days I've been listening to a lot of hits and I still do love them just as much.

With his passing, there have been so much speculating news going around. Frankly, I'm quite sick of them. The guy just died. Does it matter how he really died? Does it matter who gets custody of his kids? Does it matter where his body is buried? Who are we to even comment on these things? We are nothing but his fans and that's all.

I watched the repeat telecast of his memorial on Wed night. Couldn't stay up late enough to watch it live. I need my beauty sleep. Even watching the repeat telecast, I had to stay up till almost 1am and went to work the next morning feeling like a zombie.

Now back to what I wanted to say. Firstly, I thought having a memorial for MJ was a good idea. But after watching it, I would rather they have not had one. Well, not one that was held in that manner. It was like a concert! Even the opening choir performance felt so rehearsed. What more can I say?

Other than what his family had to say, I saw only 2 very sincere speeches. One from his long-time childhood friend Brooke Shields and another from Rev. Al Sharpton.

The most memorable quote from the entire night was from Rev. Al Sharpton when he said, "I want his three children to know, there was nothing strange about your dad," he said. "It was strange what your daddy had to deal with, but he dealt with it." I totally agree with that statement.

I had always wondered... So what if MJ had all those plastic surgeries? So what if he likes kids? So what if he spent all that money building Neverland? As long as he continued to produce great hits, I think that's all that matters. All these controversies have in the past years forced him into seclusion especially ever since his trial on child molestation charges. And there goes all the potential great hits he could have created and sang for us.

Criticisms have been abound as to why A-list celebrities and close friends like Diana Ross, Liza Minelli and Dame Elizabeth Taylor did not show up although Diana Ross did send a note to be read out to the audience. And is it any of our business whether they show up or not?

People grief in different ways. Some cry at the loss of a loved one, some laugh to celebrate their lives. Some display their grief in public while some hide in their own little corner. Why can't the media just let people grief in their own way? Why do they need to comment on who showed up and who didn't?

A true legend has passed on... Why can't everyone let him rest in peace, for goodness sake!

Weekend Of Birthday Celebrations

2009-06-29T11:20:00.011+08:00

Was back in Ipoh for the weekend to celebrate my little sis' birthday. We headed to Pusing for some fabulous seafood. Apologies as it totally slipped my mind to take photos of the scrumptious. Was just too eager to devour everything served.

I did remember to snap a photo of the cake mummy had bought. Fresh mango but it was missing pieces of mango in it. All it had was mango jelly on the top. Disappointment! We're never going back there for cake next time.

Here's one with the candles lighted up.

And here's my little sis cutting the cake.

And then on Sunday, rushed back to KL to celebrate Steven's birthday with his siblings. Again, we were too hungry and forgot to snap photos of the feast we had. Roast duck and roast pork was on the menu.

Here's the cake.

Little Wen-Burque was fascinated with the candle lighted and was trying to grab the cake. He wanted to blow out the candle together with Steven but I think Steven was too quick :)

Steven cutting his cute little birthday cake. We each had 1 tiny slice. Had to keep space in the tummy for JJ swiss rolls :)

My Little Sis

2009-06-25T15:12:00.003+08:00

Yesterday was my little sis' 26th birthday. She's a big girl now but of course still acts like a kid. We'll be having a birthday celebration for her this weekend. Those of you who know me well will know that she's a special child and we love her dearly.

Developments over the past years have been interesting.

1) She's now working as an assistant librarian in Ipoh International School. Our Welfare Department is also kind enough to give her a monthly allowance as long as she's working independently. Their way of encouraging special people to be independent.

2) Her idol is no longer Leon Lai Ming. She's now head over heels for Raymond Lam Fung. So for her birthday this year, Zara and I are getting her a specially imported CD (with postcards and all). I bet she'll be ecstatic.

3) Her favourite cartoon character is still Winnie The Pooh. Getting her gifts with Pooh will always make her happy.

4) Crazy over durians... but this hasn't changed since she was little.

5) She's now developed a knack for throwing tantrums and it's driving us all crazy. We're trying our very best not to get overly upset with her as we understand she's very frustrated deep inside.

6) She's now got more than 100 imaginary friends who seem to be her entourage everywhere she goes. She actually has real conversations with them. She even gets into fights and quarrels with them. Amazing!

7) She doesn't answer to the name June or Junie (that's how we call her in the family). She now goes by her Chinese name, Ah Yan. That's after watching a TVB series years ago where the lead actress was a police inspector called Ah Yan.

Well, that's my little sis.

Malaysia Boleh... Stuff You Will Only See In Bolehland!

2009-06-22T15:03:00.021+08:00

Stuff you will only see in Bolehland.... Got this in my Inbox this morning and I thought this should be shared...

Worker taking a nap in a makeshift hammock in the lorry while on the road...

No hands? Fear not... baby's stroller always comes in handy!

When petrol prices soar through the roof, you just have to find the cheapest mode of transportation even for bulky items.

Kids... need to take a nap? With makeshift bolster included :)

Amenities are such a dismal here that broken chairs are not replaced. As typical Malaysians, we just make do with what we have and not make a peep about it.

You know how it is when your contractor charges you for every little task you get him to do? Well, even to correct their mistake they would also charge you, the customer. So you rather just live with an upside-down signboard and business is as usual...

Live carp? Do they look like they're 'live' to you?

Vandalized police shack. What more can I say?

Malaysia's very own version of mobile homes... cable tv included!

You know how it is nowadays when so many English words are borrowed? Well, the latest addition will be 'carpark' but spelt with a Malaysian twist. So now does 'kapak' means carpark or axe?

While mummy shops for household stuff, I might as well give them cushions a test drive...

Probably one of them famous chicken rice stalls that everybody raves about but has no idea how the chickens are prepared... haha!

Every coffee shop or restaurant is required by law to display prominently prices of food and drinks. Very prominent this one, right next to the sistern in the toilet.... sigh....

Who Wants To Win A LV Bag?

2009-06-12T15:35:00.006+08:00

Check out ShoppingLifestyle.com latest promotion. Answer 3 easy questions and you'll be in the running to win a LV bag. Contest is open only to Malaysians and Singaporeans. End 31 Aug 2009.

Passed On

2009-06-11T12:32:00.000+08:00

Thanks to all who answered to my SOS call yesterday. I was informed early this morning that my friend's cousin has passed on after succumbing to her injuries. My heartfelt condolences to her family. This is a difficult period for them and I hope that they will stay strong.

SOS! Blood Needed In Ipoh GH!

2009-06-10T16:32:00.005+08:00

I just heard from a friend that his aunt and cousin met with an accident in Ipoh this morning. Both are in critical condition in the ICU in Ipoh GH. His cousin is only 12 years old and has lost 1 eye in the accident. They are in need of A- or O- blood urgently as there's none available in the hospital.

Donors are very much appreciated... Please help spread the word to your friends and relatives who are in Ipoh or anyone who would know of people in Ipoh.

Thanks! Thanks! Thanks!

Daddy's 61st Birthday

2009-06-02T10:52:00.009+08:00

Oops... Forgot to blog about dearest daddy's 61st birthday celebration. It was an intimate celebration as usual. Just the closest family. We had dinner at Moon Palace at The Mines Shopping Fair a few days earlier when the rest of my family had just returned from their holiday in Melbourne. Yes, yours truly didn't go along. Work commitments. Sigh...

Anyways, here's some pics. Of course food pics will be at my food blog as usual.

Daddy & Mummy enjoying a bit of karaoke together

Some fruit cake from a nearby stall in The Mines. Wasn't too bad. Not sweet at all.

On the actual day, Steven and I bought another cake for daddy back in Ipoh from Kings Confectionery. Chocolate & Banana... actually it's much better than the one from Secret Recipe.

Here's the cake!

Who Wants To Be Superman?

2009-06-02T10:16:00.004+08:00

I have seen this ad for days and never had the opportunity to snap the pic. Finally the traffic lights turned red and I managed to stop right at the correct position to snap this pic. If you guys are keen to take a look at this ad for real, this is at the road coming out from OUG to Old Klang Road, right in front of the turning to Parkson.

In the spirit of Malaysia Boleh, they preach Lelaki Boleh!

Zzzz.....

2009-05-07T11:16:00.004+08:00

Ok. I know I've been silent for a while since Cats. A lot has happened in that time and it'll take me ages to write about. Nothing major has happened to me but it concerns a very good friend of mine. Which is also why some of you might have noticed my IM status... I'm pondering...

I am pondering about life basically. Pondering on why bad things happen to good people. Pondering on why life is unfair to good people. Pondering on the fragility of life.

I won't go into details of what happened but those few of you whom I have spoken to about this matter will know what I'm talking about. After all it's still the private lives of others and it's not my position to divulge publicly.

Certainly I do hope that things will turn out well for my friend. I hope and pray that she will stay strong and know that she has a friend in me to count on no matter what happens.

Stay strong, my friend! No matter what, Life Goes On...

How Apt...

2009-04-29T11:36:00.003+08:00

Just found this quote:

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on. - Robert Frost

I think it goes really well with the theme of my blog. Don't you think so?

Cats Was Amazing!!

2009-04-27T15:27:00.016+08:00

Am back from Singapore after Cats on Saturday night. Flew out on the first flight to Singapore. Met up with Max and his daughters for breakfast at Toa Payoh. Had some pretty good dim sum at Crystal Jade compliments of Max. (Max: Next time let me buy la!)

Breakfast was barely digested and it was time for lunch with Ivy and Tommy & family at Atria. We decided to head up to Food Republic for more choices and cost effectiveness. Not fantastic food but it's quite ok actually. We had a great time catching up although we're quite new friends to be frank. But what the heck, we had great fun. Tommy's daughter is the absolute cutest. Rolling big eyes just like her daddy.

We adjourned to Coffee Club at Takashimaya and it was packed! Luckily there was still 1 more table available for the 4 of us. Sadly we had to call it a day by 4pm as I had to rush back to Toa Payoh, freshen up and get ready for Cats.

Fortunately from Max's place, there's a bus that goes straight to Marina Square. Nice! It was a 40 minute bus ride. Stopped by the food court for a quick bite in case I got hungry halfway through the show.

Arrived at the Esplanade with 5 minutes to spare before the show started. Just nice.

Right on the dot, 8pm, the show started. I had decided to splurge this time and got really great seats. 10th row from the front right in the middle of the hall. The view was just nice. Not too near and not too far. No heads blocking me in front too.

I have to say the entire show is very entertaining and fun. The songs and dances all beautifully choreographed. The vocals were amazing too. The sound system in the hall was up to standard. No echo and bounceback so we could hear everything clearly.

During intermission, I was sooooo thirsty I had to get something to drink. I was quite flabbergasted at the prices but then again I really didn't have any choice. So I ended up with a very expensive can of Diet Coke. Quite unlike me to have Coke but it was either that or even more expensive mineral water or wine or beer.

Just as the break was ending, I entered the hall. There were some of the Cats roaming around the hall. I managed to snap a pic with one of them.

And by the way, I also splurged on the program booklet which cost me SGD 20.

Cats! Here I Come!

2009-04-24T14:07:00.002+08:00

Yikes! It's tomorrow. Collected my tickets yesterday from the agent. Talk about procrastinating. Well, at least I didn't wait till today :)

Now to head off to the money changer. Believe it or not, this is what I do all the time. I won't prep until the very last minute. Let's just hope I get a good rate. I still remember one time I went to the money changer 2 days before my trip, she told me, "Singapore Dollar, sudah habis. No stock!"

I nearly fainted. Luckily I still had 1 more day...

Tonight will be just packing and an early night. Catching the first flight out tomorrow morning.

Cats! Here I come...

Countdown to Cats!

2009-04-20T15:35:00.002+08:00

Countdown officially begins for me. 6 more days to Cats. I can't wait.

Cuteness

2009-04-16T14:37:00.002+08:00

I couldn't resist taking this pic last week when I saw a little white thing hanging at the bottom of this pick up. I couldn't get close enough to take a clearer picture but that white thing is actually a Mashimaro soft toy which I suspect was one of those McDonald's collectibles a few years back. What a waste!

Kiasu-ness

2009-04-16T14:34:00.001+08:00

This pic was taken a few months in Ipoh about 2 streets away from my house. Couldn't resist myself when I saw this. Talk about kiasu-ness and protectiveness over one's belongings.

Aka Momiji

2009-04-16T14:33:00.000+08:00

Pics taken at Aka Momiji are up at my food blog.

Jack & Jill

2009-04-16T10:34:00.003+08:00

Over the weekend, rushed back from Ipoh and decided to send Jack to the vet for a checkup. Had called up vet few days earlier and told him about the miracle puppies. As Jack was castrated way back 2007, it was quite impossible for him to impregnate Jill. But it did happen. Vet insisted that it's impossible but my response was.. how do you explain 7 puppies?

So off it is to the vet. He did a check on Jack and still insisted it is impossible. He tried to extract his semen but was unsuccessful. Jack just wasn't excited :)

Anyhow, decided then to bring in Jill for spaying and the 2 pups for vaccination. Vaccination and deworming for both of them cost RM80 which is quite a good price. And for Jill, she spent the night at the vet's and will have the procedure done the next morning. She'll be back at home in the evening.

Jill is recovering well. Back to her active self. Still caring for the pups but weaning them. Much better than when Jane had the procedure done on her. It was such an experience then.

Grandma's Birthday

2009-04-14T17:16:00.003+08:00

Apologies for the silence but work has been hell with quarter close deadlines. And yours truly here is down with the flu. Wonder where the bug came from.

Anyways, was back in Ipoh over the weekend for my beloved Por Por's birthday. It's her 83rd! We had been cracking our heads where to head to for dinner. Knowing my dad, we'll end up in either Sun Lee How Fook Restaurant or Overseas Restaurant. No way!

So I thought hard and finally decided that Japanese it is. Por Por has never tasted Japanese food so I thought this would be a great time to expose her. But then the problem is I'm not at all familiar with the Jap food scene in Ipoh. Up went a post in FB and Twitter and lo and behold, the replies started flooding. Ah! The wonders of social media marketing.

We finally decided to go ahead with one of my schoolmates, Yin Fong's, recommendation. After all she's lived in Japan for a period of time so she would know how authentic the food is. It's a new restaurant called Aka Momiji somewhere behind Tesco.

Off we headed to the restaurant. We were lucky to be just slightly early as it was almost full house. Very good variety of food and bento sets available. Price wise is also good value for money. For 8 of us, the total bill came up to RM300 and that includes a bottle of sake which my dad ordered.

Por Por was very adventurous that night. She even dared try sashimi with wasabi. When we brought out the cake and sang her the birthday song, she was absolutely estatic.

Later, one of the staff offered Por Por a small tub of imported Japanese ice cream. Even June got a tub. We shared it among the 8 of us as we were just too stuffed from all the food and cake. Delicious!

Oh yah, the cake we bought was from JJ Cake House by Jennifer Liau. Pandan layered cake without colouring and preservatives and also low in sugar. Lovely!

Pics to come soon.

Carelessness...

2009-04-06T18:48:00.002+08:00

You guys wouldn't believe it but yours truly here forgot to put back the fuel cap after pumping petrol yesterday morning. Happily drove off and headed to Barcamp in the morning. I did get a funny feeling but couldn't really tell what it was until I decided to check and found that the fuel cap is missing.

Panic!!!

Headed to Tesco and they had replacement caps selling for RM7.90. But I thought I'd want to get an original replacement. So I called up Perodua this morning and you wouldn't believe how much they're selling it for.

A whopping RM99.00 for a fuel cap! I told them no thanks. I'll find another one.

Called up the spare parts shop that I frequent nowadays and they had 2 versions. RM10.00 and RM32.00. So I opted for the more expensive one since it is of better quality.

That's a lesson to be learnt. Never pump petrol when you haven't gotten a good night's sleep.

Another great lesson... (Part 3)

2009-04-04T17:59:00.020+08:00

*** Warning! Continuation of a super-long post. Be warned! ***

Part 3 of my experience in Bali

When I signed up to crew at EBS, I knew I was in for a great time. But I never expected the exhilaration that I felt over the next few days. I sort of knew what I was in for but the emotional journey was just something I never expected.

It's really tough for me to refrain from telling people the right thing to do when they are going the wrong way. Believe me, it's really tough for me. So I know that's going to be my greatest challenge over the next few days.

Day 1 went on rather well. The team seemed to work pretty well together albeit being strangers. Some of them kept on asking what is going to happen next. But as crew, we cannot tell. They have to find out for themselves and learn the lessons themselves. All we can do is guide them. We cannot tell.

Le Meridien observed Earth Hour so lights were off in the whole resort from 8.30pm for an hour. Some teams took this time to really get to know one another more while some just went about and did their own thing.

For me, this EBS has given me a lot of clarity especially on the content. I guess it's because I'm able to pay full attention to the content and not working on a business plan. And with some new content, it's now even clearer.

But the biggest lesson is not in the content. It's about the journey one goes through at EBS and it's different for everyone. I learnt how to let go and allow people to make their mistakes and learn their own lessons.

I also learnt that in giving we receive more. So the more I give the more I receive. I received so much love from my team and though we've all gone back to our own lives, I still feel their love. Although I don't believe that I have given that much to my team but to see and hear their appreciation really makes me appreciate each and every one of them for who they are. Some of us shared a very deep connection in those few days and I believe this connection will stay on no matter where we are. After all, we have the internet and XL Nation and that's how we will all stay connected.

I am looking to crewing again for the next EBS. I have registered my interest. Hope to see some of you there.

Till my next visit to Bali.... (I hope I will get to see the dolphins then)

Another great lesson... (Part 2)

2009-04-04T17:05:00.009+08:00

*** Warning! Very long post. Read at your own risk ***

Part 2 of my experience in Bali

Skipped breakfast next morning and waited for Wayan to arrive. Took us almost an hour to reach XL Vision Villas. There were so many XL members there. It was like a reunion. And there'll be an even bigger reunion at Le Meridien later.

Our day started with discovering that Bu Oka is closed for Hari Nyepi and will reopen on 31st March. Darn! There goes our brunch plans. Back up plan? Head up to Kintamani for brunch with a view. Food is not so great but the view more than compensates. Plus it was a very cooling day. Perfect weather to be up in the mountains.

While we were there, a guy offered to take us to Trunyan for a cost of Rp 1 million. We all agreed uninamously that it's way too expensive. So we got Wayan to drive us down to the lake side to find out more. We were greeted with freelance 'tour guides' when we arrived at the lake side. They offered to bring us across the lake for a cost of Rp 350k. But then we were concerned with insurance and all. So we decided to get on the official ferry and that only cost us Rp 375k.

In hindsight, when I caught up with Concepcion at Le Meridien, I found out that the freelance 'tour guides' always offer lower prices than the official ferry. And when the boat is right in the middle of the lake, they'll turn to you and say that the actual price is higher. Kinda like blackmail I would say. There you are, stuck in the middle of the largest lake in Bali and you're told that the price you paid is not the actual price. Pure extortion!

It was a 25 minute speed boat ride across the lake. No life jackets in the boat though :)

Just as our boat was approaching the shore, we saw another boat filled with locals arrive seconds before us. As it turned out, they live in the village of Trunyan and they saw our boat approaching. They were really friendly and started explaining the history of the cemetery, showed us around.

The unique feature of this village is that they do not bury the dead. Instead the bodies are wrapped in linen and left in slots built of bamboo with their personal effects. An umbrella is placed at the area where the head is. If the person had held office in the village, a silver umbrella with trimmings is placed. For the layman villager, a white umbrella with no trimmings is placed.

At any one time, there can only be 11 bodies placed in the slots as the village people believe that 11 is a holy number. And they have a FIFO basis. As more people die, older bodies will discarded to the side. There was a whole pile of what seemed like garbage in one area of the cemetery. When we took a closer look, there were human bones and skulls amongst the garbage. What a way to treated...

At another area, there were skulls lined up on a ledge. The villagers offered to take a photo of me with the skulls in the background but I politely declined. That wasn't in my agenda to be photographed with skulls.

What's most important to note is that there is a tree that grows in the cemetery and it is absorbing all the smells of rotting bodies. The tree is called the Taru Menyan tree and the name of the village is derived from the name of the tree. The village is one of the Bali Aga Village which means that the inhabitants are descendents of the original Balinese people before the arrival of the Hindu Majapahit Kingdom in the 16th century.

And also, not everyone gets buried at the Kuban cemetery. Only those with families and those who died a natural death can be buried here. So those who commit suicide or died in accidents get a normal burial at another site. This cemetery is accessible only by boat and there are no treks leading into the cemetery from the other side.

Here comes the most interesting part. There was a basket with some money in it and as we guessed, it was for donations. I am more than happy to give a donation whereever I go but not if I'm forced to donate a fixed sum. They were asking for Rp 100k. I was just not for it. I was also low in cash. I gave them Rp 30k which I still think is too much.

And then.... as we were leaving the cemetery, the villagers started asking us for tips. For them taking the trouble to come over and giving us explanations about the history of the cemetery. Oh my gosh! I really wasn't left with much by that time. So I gave him Rp 15k. And that was all I had with me. I was left with Rp 4k. Can you just imagine that?

Amazing how sometimes we think that Bali is still a very holy and pure island and you bump into people who will just try to spoil our image of Bali. Oh well, I'll just accept it the way it is. There are still plenty of great people here.

Off we headed back to our car. It was just about time to head to Le Meridien and we still had to go to the money changer. Needed more money for the rest of the trip. Plus Bob wanted to get some booze to stock up in his room.

We made it just in time for Bob's meeting at 4.30pm and our crew meeting at 5pm. Short briefing but we know we're gonna be having really long days ahead.

EBS always starts off with a dinner party. All total strangers so it's really a great networking opportunity. You never know who you'll meet. After all, EBS attracts people from all over the world. I had the opportunity to meet some great people over dinner but I felt the strongest attraction towards a lady from the US of A. Lorrin Parrish. I was to find out later that she is one of the founders of Quiksilver and is now running 2 non-profit organisations in Santa Fe. I have never met such a down to earth person who is always in her flow. A person with so much success in her life, you would expect her to really know it all and have it all. But yet, here she was at EBS and the amazing thing about this is she'd only heard of EBS the day before and here she was. She had no idea what she's in for and yet she was all ready for anything that's going to come her way.

I was fortunate enough to eventually have her in the team which I was crewing for. She was so attracted to the plan of my team that she traded places with another member on my team. It was really amazing for me to see Lorrin interacting with the team and just constantly flowing even when the rest of the team were not in flow.

To be continued...

Another great lesson... (Part 1)

2009-04-04T13:37:00.055+08:00

*** Warning: This is gonna be a very long post. Be warned! ***

Part 1 of my experience in Bali

For those of you who know me well, you will know that I am absolutely in love with Bali. I can't seem to get enough of Bali. People don't get it. My friends don't get it. Even my family doesn't get it. But what I do get is this sense of calmness and peace whenever I'm there so I've resorted to having my holidays there once a year. My annual retreat.

Last year was an exception though as I was there twice. Once for holiday and the second visit was to attend EBS. You can read all about my experience in EBS here. I learnt so much that I decided to come back as crew. After all, it's also in the giving back that lessons are to be learnt.

I had forgotten all about crewing until I received an email early this year reminding me to submit my flight details to the organiser. I didn't even have my flight tickets booked yet. I was still lucky enough to score really cheap tickets though. Under RM300 for a return flight, meals and travel insurance. Viva Air Asia!

And this time I thought I'd just coincide my annual retreat to Bali with EBS instead of flying there twice. Happily bought my tickets. 8 days in Bali! My longest trip ever.

Just few weeks before my trip, I found out that the day after I arrive was Hari Nyepi (Silence Day) in Bali. Clever me forgot to check the calendar and thought that I had gotten the deal of the century with the cheap tickets from Air Asia. No wonder!

I have all these great plans for my trip. I was gonna stay up in the north and take a boat out to see the dolphins at Lovina. I was also gonna visit the ancient village of Trunyan and its cemetery. Checked with Wayan, my good friend in Bali, and there is no way we'll be able to make it to Lovina. Trunyan is still doable.

So my new itinerary will be to check in to a hotel nearest to the airport with free wifi and pig out for a whole day. On the morning before EBS starts, we'll head off to Trunyan. Sounds good!

Just before my trip, I had the pleasure of meeting Bob Urichuck and his son, Dave from Canada. En route to EBS to be a mentor, Bob stopped by in KL for a momentum session with XL members in KL. That's part of his giving back.

We had decided to hook up in Bali before EBS to maximise our trip there. After all, Bob and Dave flew over 40 hours to be in this region. Nothing fixed but we'll just go with the flow.

I decided to read up more about Hari Nyepi and this is what I learnt. Every year on the first day of the Balinese Saka calendar, the whole island of Bali shuts down. And I mean shuts down completely, totally. It's basically no lights, no sex, no work and no play for 24 hours. From 6am till 6am the following day. Even the airport is closed for 24 hours!

So what do they do for 24 hours? I had a chat with Wayan when I arrived in Bali as we were having dinner to find out more. Celebrations actually start the day before Hari Nyepi. Families prepare meals as no work is allowed. There is a huge party on Kuta beach the night before. We were caught in a massive jam between our hotel and Kuta while searching for a place to eat.

For Wayan, personally, he refrains from talking for 24 hours. No chats with his family, no phone calls. He spends the day meditating and fasting. If possible he won't even reply to text messages on his phone.

At dinner, we also decided on our itinerary for Friday. Pick up from our hotel at 8.30am and proceed to XL Vision Villas to pick up Bob and Dave. Then off to Bu Oka in Ubud for brunch. We thought it would be nice to introduce Babi Guling, a traditional specialty food of Bali, to our friends from Canada. After brunch, we'll head to Trunyan and we'll be off to Le Meridien for EBS right after. Sounds like a plan...

On Hari Nyepi, it was a total day of relaxation for me. Had late breakfast and stuffed myself full coz I wasn't gonna eat much the rest of the day. I'm not a big fan of hotel food especially when it's prepared with limited supplies of raw material. Went back to sleep after breakfast and basically just spent the day taking naps in between tv shows on cable.

I was lucky that Harris Tuban came with free wifi and 60 channels of cable tv. Wifi wasn't very reliable on that day probably coz almost everyone at the hotel were stuck in their rooms and was clogging up the bandwidth.

Oh, and while at breakfast, I actually saw 2 policemen dressed down in black with the keris at their belts patrolling the streets to make sure that everyone is at home or in the hotel. Anyone found out on the streets will be issued a summons and fined. It's serious business.

And the lesson to be learnt here? Well, we create all this hype about Earth Hour and how great it is that major cities around the world are switching off their lights for 1 whole hour. Big deal!

When I experienced Hari Nyepi here in Bali, it's amazing to know that they have been practising this for centuries. A total shutdown for 24 hours to reflect on the year that has passed and to ponder on the year to come. It is in this 24 hours of solitude that true appreciation is given to all that they have. If only the rest of the world can follow suit and not make a big fuss about it when they do. And I believe if the whole island can shutdown completely for 24 hours, especially when tourism is the core of the island, I am sure that the rest of us can do it as well. After all it's only 1 day out of 365 days in a year. And if we, the rest of the world, can come to a common understanding and adopt this practice, I believe that all of us will learn to appreciate life so much more...

To be continued...

Pups Update

2009-04-04T13:34:00.003+08:00

I have great news! All pups are now officially adopted. It's such a relief. No more worrying days of how I'm going to be able to take care of all of them. I still 2 of them with me though while their new owner gets her new house ready to take them in. It is very exciting although I will miss them dearly. After all, they are like my grandchildren :)

While I was in Bali for 8 days, they have grown a lot. And I mean a lot! They must have been having a great time at my friend's place.

Oh well, life goes on...

The 'Thing'

2009-03-22T15:49:00.002+08:00

See What Got Into My Tire...

2009-03-22T15:05:00.009+08:00

Sigh... What a bad start to the day. I was on the way to a seminar at JW Marriot and as I was passing by Sungei Besi Airport, I heard a 'pop' sound. I thought I had run over a tin can or plastic bag on the road. Few seconds later I started hearing a 'woong woong' sound. I knew something was wrong. So I pulled over and saw that I had a flat tire.

It's 8am in the morning and this is not exactly what I had in mind to start my day. Called a friend to help solve my problem. Of course that's the natural thing to do. Theoretically I know how to change a tire but I doubt I have the physical strength to really do it. I'd rather watch and supervise... Haha!!

Finally managed to get some help and off I headed to the seminar. But I had to start searching for a tire shop that is open on Sunday. I think life must be pretty good for tire shops coz there sure aren't many that are opened. Made some calls again and found some are opened in Cheras area.

So off I headed to Cheras and met up with my brother-in-law who brought me to his regular tire shop. They didn't have the Yokohama tire that I wanted so I had to settle for Silverstone again. Apparently Yokohama tires which fits my car have been out of stock since the beginning of this year.

As I was waiting for the tires to be changed, I was observing the repair guy removing whatever it was that's caused the puncture. And this is what they discovered!

It took the guy a good 5 minutes to get it out!

This isn't all that came out. It's stuck so they proceeded to remove the tire from the rim with that 'thing' still stuck.

It's 16cms long!

And this is the hole in the tire after that shaft was removed.

Pups Update

2009-03-18T15:34:00.003+08:00

You guys wouldn't believe what happened yesterday evening. All the puppies (only 4 left) were in their cage as usual. I was watching tv. They were really noisy but I thought that was usual as they do that when they know there's someone in the house. They want to come out and play. So usually I just let them be and eventually they will quiet down. Although the neighbours are probably hating me even more.. haha!

This time, however, the noise didn't die down. Not at all. I was curious. Coz they usually quiet down after about 10 minutes. So out I went to take a peek. Lo and behold! The dark brown fella came greeting me at the doorstep. Gosh! He managed to climb out of the cage!

Partly my fault. I didn't put on the top of the cage. I thought that a 3 feet cage would be high enough. It's more than twice their height. They shouldn't be able to climb out. But this little fella did! I don't know how but he just did

So now, the cage is complete with it's top cover. No more risking any of them climbing out.

I must admit though. Secretly I'm proud of him. He's the smartest of the lot. He learned how to jump over the drain all by himself. The first one to do that too. Hardly falls into the drain anymore compared to the rest. His yapping is now almost a bark but high-pitched. He seems to be the first to learn anything new. He's still up for adoption so anyone of you out there interested in getting a puppy, he'll be perfect. You'll have a lot of fun with him.

Only 4 Left... Check This Out!

2009-03-18T15:28:00.000+08:00

Pups At 6 Weeks Old

2009-03-18T15:01:00.027+08:00

Sharing a feeding bowl. Start them young on sharing lesson.

Always giving me the 'kesian' look. Don't be fooled by her.

Feisty little one. Sleeps the least. Makes the most noise. Plays the most. Anyone keen to adopt him?

Don't ask me why but Blogger automatically turned this photo upside down. I've tried like a million times and it still comes out the same. Hasn't happened before.

Would you just look at that cheeky face?!

Favourite hangout place.

Cats! Here I Come!

2009-03-17T14:27:00.003+08:00

I have got my tickets to Cats musical next month. They cost me a fortune but I think it's gonna be worthwhile. My first broadway musical!

And kiasu me even booked Air Asia tickets to Singapore. RM 9 one way. Total return journey is only RM 158. Cheaper than taking the coach. Cool!

Then today... Jetstar ad in The Star. Zero fare to Singapore. OMG! But later on I found out that even with the zero fare, the price isn't that much as Jetstar flies out from KLIA and hence charges higher taxes and misc fees. Total price difference? RM 5... Haha!

I'm soooo looking forward to watching Cats next month. It's more than a months wait!

Cats!

2009-03-16T11:45:00.002+08:00

I just found out that Cats will be going to Singapore next month. Told myself years ago that if Cats comes to this region, I must go. I've missed other Broadway musicals so far and this is not one that I'm gonna miss. No way!

Anyone keen?

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2009-03-12T17:13:00.001+08:00

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Saying Goodbye To Pups

2009-03-12T09:41:00.002+08:00

Last night the new owners of Mojo and the black female pup came to bring them away. My heart felt heavy seeing them leave but deep down inside I know that they have found a good home. They had prepared a cage for them temporarily. Inside was lined with a Mickey Mouse mattress and a pillow shaped like a doggy bone.

So right now there's still 4 pups left with me. 2 females waiting to be picked up by a friends from Facebook. 1 male whom I'm babysitting till his new owner's house is ready and 1 more male still up for adoption.

Pups News

2009-03-11T11:44:00.005+08:00

It's been a long and challenging week. Over the weekend, I have sent the black male to Ipoh to his new owner. Quite an adventure keeping him in a box. Didn't manage to borrow a pet carrier. He was crying almost all the way from KL to Ipoh. Sometimes my sis would open the box and he would stop crying when he saw us. But then he would attempt to climb out. That's a no-no!

On another note, pups teeth are growing rapidly and they are getting their hands (or rather their teeth) on anything they can. Even the car tyre!

Alas! I had to resort to the unthinkable. Bought a cage to fit all of them in. The first night was a long and horrible night. Mojo was crying and crying while the others were sleeping. He practically kept the whole neighbourhood awake! I think whenever I step out of the house now I'm getting weird stares from the neighbours.

So last night decided to try bringing the cage into the living room as they were making so much noise outside in the cage. Lo and behold! They immediately stopped crying and went to sleep. Sigh... Maybe it was the air-cond in the living room or maybe it was just being able to see me around them.

Note to self: Must not let them get used to air-conditioning.

Updates on their adoption:
1) Dark brown male is now up for adoption again. Prospective owner decided to listen to her feng shui sifu advice of not rearing dogs as it will bring her bad luck.
2) A kind hearted soul in Jalan Imbi with a big studio and a garden will be taking the white female and beige female pups. It's such great news indeed.
3) The black female will taken by a friend's mum.

More Pup Pics - Updated

2009-03-10T14:49:00.003+08:00

Single white female - still looking for a good home

**Updated: Waiting for confirmation on her adoption. Hopefully good news soon.**

He'll be going to his new home in Ipoh soon.

** Updated: He's now in his new home in Ipoh. Hopefully he's found a good home.**

This little rascal is such a busy body. Always walking about. Falling into drains and getting stuck in the grill. Not to mention grumpy as well.

**Updated: He's almost able to jump over the drain now. Back up for adoption!**

This is the sleepyhead of the lot. Always the first to fall asleep after nursing.

She's still looking for a good home to go to. The fastest growing of the lot. Somehow she always manages to get to the milk first!

**Updated: Waiting for confirmation on her adoption. Hopefully good news soon.**

Hopefully she will find a good home soon.

**Updated: Just got news that someone wants to adopt her. Yay!**

Another feisty little one.

**Updated: His name is Mojo. He'll be going to his new home soon.**

Pups Are One Month Old!

2009-03-03T16:08:00.004+08:00

Hooray! Pups are now officially one month old. They are ever so playful nowadays. Always up and about. Playing with each other although I do notice that the little white one doesn't mix around too well. She's the smallest of the lot and eats the least.

They are learning to bark at strangers by imitating the actions of my other dogs. Whenever a stranger walks past, my dogs will run towards the gate and start barking. I have noticed the pups do the same. The follow.

Jill has almost stopped nursing them. I totally understand. Pups' teeth are growing fast and fangs have started to appear. I cannot imagine Jill's torture whenever the pups want to nurse.

A very funny observation. The pups have this natural instinct when it comes to their mummy. So whenever she's nearby any of them, they'll even start nursing while attempting to stand on their hind feet. It's really quite a sight!

Have started them on semi solid puppy food now instead of puppy mush. Their growing teeth is making them want to bite at everything they can get their mouths on including my toes! Unfortunately they didn't like the chewies I got for them on Sunday. Sort of a full moon treat.

Oh! Last Friday night, one of the black pups managed to squeeze under the front gate and escaped to the road. Luckily he didn't go too far before Jill and Jane started barking frantically as if calling for me to come out. Not their usual bark so I know it's definitely not strangers outside. When the little fella saw me coming out, he panicked and started squeezing himself through the gate but it wasn't the same way he went out. His head got stuck! Had a hard time getting him out of his predicament. So now there's wire mesh attached to the bottom part of my front gate.

On another note, there are still no takers for the 3 female pups. Why oh why the discrimation against females???

Playful Pups

2009-02-27T17:26:00.001+08:00

Pups At 3 Weeks Old

2009-02-27T17:07:00.012+08:00

Pups are growing beautifully. Very very playful especially the brown ones. Adventurous too. They are eating well. Gulping down puppy mush and their mummy's milk.

I have to say though that the white one always gets bullied. She's the smallest right now. Always the last to get to food. Even if she gets to it first she gets pushed away by the others. So everytime I will make sure she gets to eat while holding the other pups back for a while.

Here are more pics!

Greedy Pups

2009-02-25T15:22:00.001+08:00

These fellas were so curious they decided to try out their daddy's food. Rice cooked with roast pork and chicken.

Notice how at the end some of them even fell asleep in the bowl.

Pups-A-Playing!

2009-02-24T14:12:00.001+08:00

Should I Or Should I Not?

2009-02-24T13:50:00.003+08:00

For the past few weeks I've been thinking. Should I name the pups? On one hand I'm afraid of the attachment I'll have if I start calling them by their names. After all, I'm giving all of them up for adoption.

So for now I've to resort to calling them by their description. Eg. The dark brown male, the black male, the beige female and etc. Sounds really weird if you ask me.

It's just slightly over 3 weeks now and still no takers for the all the 3 females. I'm all prepared for the fact that I'll have to keep them for a while. Maybe I'll just name the 3 of them. It's only fair I suppose.

Any suggestions? My 3 dogs now are Jack, Jill and Jane.

More Pups Updates

2009-02-23T11:20:00.002+08:00

Jill is still moody and refusing to nurse the pups as much as she should. I guess I can understand. Checked and saw little teeth growing.

So yesterday I popped by Tesco and got them puppy milk powder and puppy food. Served up puppy mush for them. Wasn't easy getting them to eat from the bowl. Boy were they hungry. Between the 7 of them, they gulped down almost all the mush I prepared for them. It was such a huge mess on the floor!

Gave them a bath even though it was a cooling afternoon. Too dirty with all the bits of mush. Some of them absolutely hated the water but a few of them just loved it. They let me clean and dry them up while some were just struggling to get out of the water.

Pups Update

2009-02-20T14:20:00.005+08:00

All the pups can now walk! Albeit a little unbalanced sometimes. They are roaming the porch area in between feeds and naps.

Yesterday Jill was moody. She didn't want to let the pups nurse. So I ended up sitting beside and petting her while she nursed them. When my arm was tired, she refused to let me stop petting her. Sigh....

More Pup Pics

2009-02-20T10:11:00.011+08:00

Single white female - still looking for a good home

He'll be going to his new home in Ipoh soon.

This little rascal is such a busy body. Always walking about. Falling into drains and getting stuck in the grill. Not to mention grumpy as well.

This is the sleepyhead of the lot. Always the first to fall asleep after nursing.

She's still looking for a good home to go to. The fastest growing of the lot. Somehow she always manages to get to the milk first!

Hopefully she will find a good home soon.

Another feisty little one.

Pups Update

2009-02-18T13:58:00.002+08:00

White puppy can now walk although she still stumbles. Both the mixed brown pups can now bark although it's way too high pitched. The darker brown pup is a grumpy fella. Always grunting and wanting his way when all of them are cuddling together. It's just such a great feeling watching them sometimes.

So my daily routine now includes watching them for 5 minutes in the morning before I go to work. Partly also to check that none of them have crawled beneath my car before I reverse.

After work, another 10 minutes petting them and just watching them.

Had their nails cut last Sat. Scary experience as I was afraid I would cut too much and they would bleed. All went well though. Phew!

Pups are growing

2009-02-16T10:50:00.015+08:00

Pups are officially 2 weeks old now. They're all growing well. Making lots of noises when they are hungry. That's normal I suppose.

Woke up on Sat morning and saw their eyes have opened halfway. I can see that it's still blurry vision for them. They are trying to stand on all fours now but gets wobbly after 3 seconds. So it's really cute to watch them try to stand. I guess in no time they'll be walking and running around.

Still trying to figure out a way to keep them in an enclosure while their mummy still gets to roam about the garden without the pups running around. They're so small they can easily squeeze through the bottom of the front gate.

Here's pics from when they were 3 days old.

7 pups for the New Year!

Beige male - adopted

Black male - adopted

Mixed brown male - adopted

Beige female - waiting to be adopted

White female - waiting to be adopted

Black female - waiting to be adopted

Mixed dark brown male - adopted

And here are the proud parents:

Jack

Jill

New Year New Pups

2009-02-03T16:36:00.005+08:00

I feel absolutely estatic! Not just coz of Chinese New Year. After all, the angpow collection has been dwindling for many years. But my dog, Jill, is now a proud mummy of 7 pups. She gave birth to them on 8th Feb. Woke up in the morning to discover the 7 bundles of joy. Right now they all look like guinea pigs with their eyes closed.

Two are dark brown (looks just like their daddy - both males), two are black (1 male and 1 female), one white female and two are beige in colour (1 male and 1 female). Sadly none of the pups look like their mummy who is black and brown. The black pups are almost pure black except for one who has a white patch on its chest. Will post pics when they're older.

They make a hell of a lot of noise when it's nearing feeding time. Jill is trying very hard to keep all of them well fed and well taken care of. I'm also glad that Jill is eating well. I was worried that being a 1st time mum she will not be eating well coz of the confusion.

Last night was scary though. I got back and Jill started nursing the pups. But she had moved them all to another spot on the grass. Earlier in the morning all the pups were under shelter but Jill had moved them to an open spot on the grass.

It had been raining in PJ earlier in the evening and the rain clouds were travelling en route to my house. Gosh! I better get them under shelter.

So I tried and tried to get Jill to move her pups back to shelter but she just gave me a look that said, "Can't you see I'm busy nursing my pups? How can I move them now? They're hungry!"

And this grandma here (I sure do feel like a grandma now) didn't know what to do. It started drizzling. I brought an umbrella to give them shelter. And all the time talking to Jill to get her to move to shelter. She just refused.

The rain got heavier and heavier and the wind was blowing. I was feeling cold from squatting in the rain. What more those poor little fellas. But Jill just refused to budge. As usual, she's still her stubborn self. Maybe learning from this grandma here.

Soon it started to pour. That was the last straw. I got Steven to grab Jill by the mouth and dragged her into the sheltered area. I helped to get some of the pups. They were all shivering and drenched. And so was I!

Got some towels to dry all of them up and soon all the pups started nursing again. Phew!

All are doing fine this morning when I left for work. Can't wait to see them when I get back.

And oh by the way, they are up for adoption. I have 4 already taken (although the new owners haven't chosen which ones they want). So there's 3 pups available. Much as I would love to keep all of them I know that is impossible. I already have 3 which is already such a handful. Anyone keen to become a proud pet owner?

Ambitions

2009-01-07T10:38:00.001+08:00

Adventures While On Vacation In Phuket - Day 5

2008-12-24T10:50:00.003+08:00

Phew! It's the final day of our holiday. Time sure flies when you're having fun.

Breakfast as usual at the hotel. We had arranged for late checkout with the hotel at 100 Baht per hour. As our flight is at 9pm, it would make sense to have some place to rest. Airport transfer will be picking us up at 6pm so we had plenty of time to spend.

After breakfast, we returned the motorbike. Never rode it once after the fall :)

Took the 10am shuttle and asked the hotel driver to drop us off at the Patong hospital since it's along the way to Patong beach. He's kind enough also to pick us up at 12pm when he's coming back from Patong beach back to the hotel.

At the hospital, we were kinda lost as to where we were supposed to register ourselves to have our dressings changed. So we headed straight to the emergency room. They told us to register out in the front counter. When we reached the front counter, we handed them our appointment cards.

Suddenly a tourist police appeared next to me. A mat salleh lady. She asked if we needed any help. I told her that we're here to have our dressings changed. She proceeded to explain that the registration counter will issue us a ticket number. We're to take the ticket number and our hospital card and wait at the yellow chairs. They will call out our name or number in turn.

Whoa! Colour coded chairs. Yellow for those waiting to have dressings changed, white for those waiting for medicine and dark blue for those waiting to see a doctor. Talk about being organised.

So we got our number and waited at the yellow chairs. About 10 minutes passed and we were called in.

Gosh! They scrubbed the wounds again with a sponge. The pain was intolerable. There was no mercy in there! So once again we were bandaged up.

After having our dressings changed, we proceeded to the insurance department. Unfortunately our insurance didn't provide us with cashless basis cover. So we would have to settle the payment with the hospital and submit a claim back in KL. Which was not too bad. Total cost for the 2 days was about 1000 Baht. So we paid the bill and waited for the hotel shuttle to arrive.

Got back to the hotel and lazed around a bit. Started feeling hungry and decided to walk out for some lunch. Plus we needed another hairwash. We were to keep the bandages dry. So out we went and walked around nearby the hotel. Found a little shop selling mixed rice. Decided to try it out. Not too bad. Quite similar to chinese mixed rice we find in KL but with a hint of Thai. If I remember correctly, it costs us 100 Baht.

After lunch we decided to head to the salon for a hairwash. 100 Baht for men and 150 Baht for women. We negotiated for some discount and got 200 Baht for both of us. Yay!

It's very strange but all the Thai girls in Phuket have straight hair. I have curls. But after the wash, the hairdresser pulled it so straight. I came out looking like I have straight hair. Haha! But no complains.

Back to the hotel and started packing. Nothing much to pack since we didn't buy a lot this time. Not like Bali.. Hehe...

More lazing around waiting for 6pm to come. Short nap and movie repeats on HBO.

6pm and it's time to go. The airport transfer took almost an hour to reach the airport. When we reached the airport we proceeded to check in to our flights. We were a tad too early but they were nice enough to let us check in after taking a look at our bandages... Haha..

Plus we were told that we'll be able to board the flight right after Xpress Boarding passengers. Yay! We get priority boarding as well.

Dinner was at Burger King. Expensive. And nothing to shout about. Burger King is the same everywhere.

The flight took off a little early and we arrived 15 mins ahead of time. Back home!

Adventures While On Vacation In Phuket - Day 4

2008-12-23T12:31:00.015+08:00

This will be the most adventurous day of the entire trip and a real eye opener.

It all started with us talking about renting a motorbike to go round instead of depending on the hotel shuttle. That would give us more flexible timing especially if we wanted to stay out late in the night having drinks. So after breakfast, we decided to head on downstairs just at the hotel entrance where there were several shops. One of them provided motorbike rental service. For 200 Baht, you get a motorbike for 24 hours. Gas not included. But heck, gas is cheaper in Phuket than in KL.

So we paid for the bike and off we went to Patong. It was my first time on a motorbike and it was exhilarating. Ok. I can hear snickers among some of you. Yes, I led a very protected childhood. No bicycles and motorbikes. I held on tight and we managed a few turns very well.

Then, just as we were turning into Bangla Road, there was a small puddle of water at the intersection (it had rained the night before) and we couldn't avoid it. We did slow down to take the turn but unfortunately we still slipped and fell. And heroicly so right in front of 2 police officers who were on duty at that intersection. (Oh, I can just hear the snickers now!)

Now the sequence of events really served as an eye opener for us.

Both the police officers quickly rushed towards us (as we were in the middle of the intersection and there were cars coming turning into Bangla Road). One of them took a look at both of us and walked off. The other officer helped to push the motorbike to the side of the road. Now I was wondering where the other officer had walked off to. And momentarily he appeared with a jug of water for us to wash our wounds. I was amazed at the efficiency!

The officer with the jug of water took another look at both of us and told us that we had to go to the hospital. Washing on the road side ain't gonna help. They asked if we knew the way to the hospital. As we were both still in a bit of shock, we could recall passing by a hospital but had no idea how to get there. So one of them suggested that we ride our motorbike and while he led the way on his to the hospital.

Off we went to the hospital on our rented motorbike. The right side mirror was shattered in the fall. Other than that it was ok. It took quite a few turns before we arrived at the Patong Hospital as the roads were all one-way streets. Thanks to the policeman or we wouldn't have found our way there. When we arrived at the hospital, the officer made sure that we were both receiving treatment before he left.

In the Emergency Room, one of the attendants quickly started to ask questions like what happened, how long ago was the fall, what other injuries did we sustain and what allergies to medication did we have. Another started to clean my wound with cotton and antiseptic solution while another proceeded to take my blood pressure. While my BP was being measured, a nurse came with a sponge and started to scrub on my wound (like she was scrubbing the bottom of a dirty old pot). The pain was excruciating! It was pure madness.

After getting bandaged, the registration staff asked if we had insurance. Silly us forgot to purchase travel insurance this time round. But I do remember that I am covered. So I gave them the insurance card which I had and they contacted their Foreign Insurance staff. Can you imagine? They actually have a department setup specially to help foreigners with their insurance claims. And this is in a public hospital.

We were greeted by the insurance staff but she wasn't familiar with the insurance that I had. But anyhow, she told us that she'll try to contact their office in Bangkok and meanwhile we can just wait for our medication and return to the hotel. We asked about payment and they said that since we needed to come back the next day to change the dressings, we can always pay then if insurance wasn't going to cover the charges. I was thinking... how trusting? You'd never find this in Malaysia. No payment, don't even think of stepping out of the hospital grounds.

As we were waiting for our medication at the pharmacy, we noticed a sign that said, "If you wait more than 10 minutes, please contact our staff." Whoa! I am really amazed.

We were in and out of the hospital in under an hour. And that included waiting time for our medication and talking to the insurance department staff. Talk about efficiency!

After all that, I was pretty worn out even though it was barely past 11am. We rode our trusty ol' bike again. Passed a repair shop and stopped to ask how much would it cost to replace the side mirror. 180 Baht. Took it and had it replaced.

When we arrived back at the hotel, we quickly looked for the shop owner and told him what had happened. We were lucky that he wasn't too concerned about the damage to the motorbike but rather more towards our injuries. I had bruises and lacerations on my right arm. Steven had the same on his right arm but also on both his knees.

We decided to just rest in the hotel until we feel up to it to head on out again.

It was soon lunch time and we were hungry. So we took the 2pm shuttle out to Patong. No more motorbike rides for me.. haha

Lunch was again at Break Point. Had the usual tom yum koong and green curry. Still the best and cheapest here. Not forgetting the beer too!

Since it's already Day 4, I decided to get some shopping done. Souvenirs and xmas shopping... 2 in 1! I still had my eyes on the silk scarf so I went back to the stall that offered it for 150 Baht. Tried again to lower the price to 100 Baht but was unsuccessful. Shopped around inside for a short while and ended up buying t-shirts and stuff. Instead of spending just 150 Baht, I spent just over 1000 Baht. Haha....

Initially we were thinking of catching the 4pm shuttle back to the hotel to get some rest but we ended up shopping till 5pm. So we had to wait another hour before the shuttle came at 6pm. Decided to get a drink at KFC nearby while waiting and found out that KFC has delivery service. Wow!

Oh! Before that, we bumped into one of the pole dancers from the bar the night before and she / he recognised us. Or rather recognised Steven. Haha! We thought of just dropping by again before we left. After all, she / he was a fantastic pole dancer.

At 5 to 6pm, we waited for the hotel shuttle. It usually departs the hotel on time and will take 10 minutes to reach Bangla Road. It was 6.20pm and no sign of the shuttle. Luckily we had bought a local prepaid number and decided to call the hotel reception. Apparently the shuttle had gone out and returned to the hotel. No way! We had been standing there before 6pm. No shuttle had passed by.

After some arguing, the hotel decided to send their shuttle out to pick us up where we were. Phew! We weren't willing to hop on a ride on a tuk tuk as the prices have gone up terribly. It's 100 Baht per person. Crazy!

We decided to get KFC delivery for dinner that night. Was tired. Thought of getting some rest before heading out at 10pm to watch some pole dancing again. KFC dinner was ok. Reasonable prices.

At 9.30pm we had both dozed off and were in no shape to go out. Too much adventure for 1 day.

Adventures While On Vacation In Phuket - Day 3

2008-12-22T20:54:00.010+08:00

Breakfast as usual at the hotel early in the morning. We had arranged for Laguna Resorts to pick us up at 10am for a tour of their resort. You know one of those arrangements where you spend 90 minutes of your time touring their resort and understanding their 'plans' and you get something for free? We had come across this at the airport when we arrived and they were giving out 2 Phuket Fantasea tickets inclusive of transfers. So we thought, why not? (You're going to think, cheapskate!) But hey, those tickets normally cost 1500 Baht per person and the transfer costs 300 Baht per person. So we saved 3600 Baht. That's a lot of money!

Pickup arrived punctually at 10am. There was another Swedish couple with their baby joining us from our hotel. They had come across this at JungCeylon Shopping Centre and were also interested in getting hold of those free tickets.

Laguna Resort is really beautiful. Sheraton is there. So is the exclusive Banyan Tree. One can move around to all the resorts there by boat or bus available free. So we spent our 90 minutes touring and having a consultant explain to us their "plan". But of course, they'll never be able to make us pay anything. All we want is the free tickets... haha

We got what we wanted and they let us off pretty easy. Our friends, the Swedish couple, was there for 5 hours! Amazing how they manage to tolerate all that nonsense.

By the time we arrived at Patong, it was past 2 pm. Head for lunch (again!) at Break Point. Ordered tom yum koong again. Hahaa.. When in Thailand, this is what I do. Tom yum koong whenever I can get my hands on them. Well, lunch was again an affordable affair (I wouldn't say cheap). Less than 400 Baht.

Walked around a bit after lunch. Did some window shopping. One thing I realised this time is that many of the traders seem to be foreigners and not Thai. Strange. Gotta investigate. These foreigners sell the same stuff and at higher prices.

I was interested in a silk scarf. A local trader offered it to me at 150 Baht (after a 50% discount). But stingy ol' me wanted it for 100 Baht. So I kept asking other stalls. One stall I came across, the trader (who happened to be Nepalese) gave me a starting price of 800 Baht. I asked for a discount and she lowered it to 500 Baht. I asked for more discount and offered 100 Baht. She said it wasn't even enough to buy stock. She offered a final price of 400 Baht. Since the price wasn't right, I walked away. As I was walking away, she said to me from my back, 100 Baht can't buy anything in Thailand nowadays. Sigh... The rudeness!

After some 'window shopping' , we took the 6pm shuttle back to the hotel to get some rest before the pickup arrived from Fantasea.

At 6.50pm, our van arrived to shuttle us to Phuket Fantasea. It was a boring ride. Nothing interesting along the way. But when we arrived at the main entrance, it felt like a whole new world was waiting for us. The lights and colours were just simply amazing! All the staff were dressed up in traditional Thai costumes.

I went on to the ticketing counter to collect our tickets and proceeded to enter the theme park. It is just awe-inspiring to be inside this Fantasea world. There were stalls selling all sorts of souvenir items, there were games stalls, there were food stalls. It was a fun fair at night.

The show started at 9pm in the Palace Of The Elephants Theatre. Everyone was required to deposit any sort of photo / film recording type of equipment at the counter before entering the theatre. We were wondering why and then we saw it. After depositing the cameras, videocams and camera phones, there were stalls where one can have their photo taken with girls dressed up in traditional costumes, elephants, baby tigers and so on. You pay and have your photo taken. At the end of the show, you can collect it at the exit counter.

When we entered the hall, it was huge! Rows and rows of seats. Our seats weren't too good. It was high up and on the right side of the hall. But since we didn't pay for it, we shouldn't be complaining at all.

The show started with a parade of elephants entering from the side of the hall and walking up on stage. It was a story about Kamala beach. Amazing show I would say but personally I'm not too keen on watching animals perform. Humans performing, yes, I will be interested. But definitely not animals. It's not their nature to be performing. It's unnatural. It's torturous to them. I always wonder why people force animals to train for shows and stunts when it's not in their nature to do those things. Sigh...

Anyway, after the show, we took the shuttle back to our hotel. It was late and we hadn't had dinner. With the light drizzle, we decided to just have dinner at the coffee house in the hotel. Expensive and nothing to shout about. Just get our tummies filled.

And that's Day 3 in Phuket.

Adventures While On Vacation In Phuket - Day 2

2008-12-18T17:30:00.007+08:00

Day 2 started with an early breakfast at the hotel. Nothing specific planned for the day. After breakfast, headed back to the room and watched 2 movies on HBO. I can't even remember what movies they were.. haha...

We took the 2pm shuttle to Patong coz we were hungry and needed food. This time we headed again to one of the lanes around the beach. We decided to head straight to the place that was packed with patrons the night before during dinner time. Prices were reasonable but quality of food was still much better at Break Point, the night before. Still less than 400 baht for 3 dishes and 2 drinks.

After our late lunch, walked around Patong area slowly exploring every nook and corner. Did some window shopping. And finally we decided to get a hairwash. No massage for us this time. Just a plain hairwash. 100 baht for men and 150 baht for women. Not too bad. Although it's cheaper in KL.

More walking around after our hairwash and we stumbled upon a bar that had a sign saying... A-Go-Go Boys. Hmm.. this is a first. All the other bars were a-go-go girls. But the show starts only at 11.40pm. Very specific timing. We probably wouldn't be able to catch the show since our hotel shuttle leaves Patong at 12am.

After all that walking, we decided to stop for dinner. Saw 2 stalls. The roast pork was tempting us. I decided to opt for noodles instead. Steven decided on roast pork rice. Ordered some pork satay too. There were so many choices, I asked the lady to put in crab meat, cuttlefish, deep fried prawns and I can't remember what else. The roast pork was just superb and we ordered another plate of it.. haha... Well dinner costs 120 baht if I remember correctly.

And then greedy ol' me saw a pancake stall. I have been missing the pancakes since my last trip to Phuket which was pre-tsunami. I couldn't resist and ordered a chocolate & banana pancake. It's basically roti canai wrapped with sliced banana and beaten egg. Then topped with chocolate sauce. Heavenly...

After my indulgence, we headed back to Bangla Road. Ready for some excitement. More shows to see ;) This time we headed to another bar. More interesting shows and a fantastic pole dancer.

By 12am, my eyes can barely open so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

Adventures While On Vacation In Phuket - Day 1

2008-12-18T16:06:00.013+08:00

My long awaited trip to Phuket finally came. Booked them AA tickets way back in Feb when they had the 5 sen promo. My round trip air ticket cost me less than RM200 per person which is a steal!

So the day came and I packed my bags and head along to the airport. Of course I got a good friend of mine to send us to the airport that morning. I woke him up really early (coz he's well known for being late) and it turned out that I woke up later :)

Anyway, check in at LCCT was smooth. Albeit feeling more like a bus terminal than an airport. But hey, who cares?! As long as I travel at the lowest cost possible, I'm not gonna care how the airport feels like.

Landed just after lunch. Still hungry even though I had my favourite turkey ham & cheese sandwich on the plane. Now what's the cheapest way to get to Patong area from the airport? The bus of course. Hopped onto a bus waiting outside the terminal and the fare was 85 baht per person all the way to Phuket town. I had asked the bus attendant to stop me somewhere I can catch the bus to Patong. She did stop the bus as we were approaching town and asked me to wait across the road. 5 minutes later a bus to Patong came along. The fare was only 25 baht per person.

Now the problem is from the main road, it was a 1km hike up the hill to the hotel where I was staying and with my luggage, I wasn't going to hike all the way up. This is vacation. Not a hiking trip. So we decided to stop for lunch first and then only think of a way to get to the hotel.

Lunch was at a noodle stall. Didn't catch the name of the shop but there was so much options there I just told the lady to put a bit of everything into my bowl. That cost us 115 baht in total which included a bottle of mineral water.

After lunch, we decided to buy a local prepaid card and called the hotel. Told them we were lost and couldn't find our way to the hotel and asked if they could pick us up. We had the noodle stall operator explain to the hotel staff exactly where we were. 5 minutes later a van arrived to pick us up.

Checked in at the hotel and discovered that the hotel wasn't so nice after all. But then again, free hotel stay, better not complain so much.

The hotel has a shuttle to Patong beach every 2 hours on a daily basis. So we decided to take the 6pm shuttle to walk around and have dinner.

The shuttle stopped us right at Bangla Road. Happening!

Walked around a bit all the while looking for a place to eat. Thai food a must of course. Nothing western for me, not in Thailand.

Finally we found this quaint little restaurant tucked in one of the alleys by the beach. It's Japanese owned and they had the cheapest beer in town. A small bottle of Chang beer costs only 25 baht and a large bottle costs 50 baht. We ordered tom yum koong, stir fried morning glory (make a guess what's morning glory), stir fried chicken with cashew nuts (koong poh kai ting) and green curry pork. I had a strawberry shake and Steven had a large Chang beer. Our dinner costs us just under 400 baht. That's a steal. 4 dishes and 2 drinks. Go check out my food blog for more yummy info.

After dinner, it was time to walk around again. The sky was dark and the street is coming alive. Suddenly we saw a lot of activities at one of the small lanes. Ooh... there were transvetites dressed up to the nines parading about. You can take a photo with them for 50 baht. No way am I going to pay that kind of money.

We bumped into touts who kept on inviting us for 'shows', if you know what I mean. No cover charge some more. Just order a beer for 120 baht. Interesting shows. For me it's a first. So it was an experience. Had heard all about it from others. Well, it sure was an eye opener for me. We went to another bar the following night. Caught more interesting shows :)

We caught the 10pm shuttle back to the hotel and decided to call it a night.

And so ends Day 1 of my vacation.

Cute Ultraman

2008-12-11T14:49:00.002+08:00

Got this from Siew Says blog... Cannot resist putting it here ;)

Notice how the ultraman changes colour in sync with the music...

Conscience

2008-12-11T11:46:00.002+08:00

This is a good one. Sooooo true!

Bill Clinton in Malaysia

2008-12-10T09:35:00.018+08:00

It was such an honour for me to be able to get tickets to Bill Clinton's lecture in conjunction with The Inaugural Sekhar Memorial Lecture at the Plenary Hall in KLCC. I have to add that I was privileged to score Special Guest tickets and was seated right behind the VIPs. The view was great!

The day started off with some makeup, which I usually reserve only for dinner parties, and dressing up. That caused a mad rush for me early in the morning. Worked half a day at the office and by 1.30pm I was heading to KLCC. Traffic was a bit heavy that day since it was a Friday and it was prayer time at the mosques.

Passes were to be collected between 2pm to 4pm and I was thinking that there might be a long queue. I mean, this is the Bill Clinton we're talking about. I'm sure my Special Guest passes are not that special. But boy was I in for a surprise.

There was a long queue, never seen such a queue before when I arrived. But I thought, maybe I'll just walk up to the front to see what's going on. And lo and behold, there was a Special Guest counter and there was nobody queuing there. Yay!

I got my pass and decided to head for lunch. It was only 2.15pm and doors didn't open till 5pm. So off I went to Spring Garden Restaurant. Newly renovated. I thought, why not give myself a treat. As usual, even the simplest dishes amaze me at Spring Garden.

At 5pm, proceeded back to the Plenary Hall where I was led about on a wild goose chase. There I am in my heels (which I'm totally not used to - another story for another day) and those ushers just kept directing me the wrong way. From the Ground floor, they said to go up to the 3rd floor. So took the lift up and tried to look for the entrance. Asked around and was told to go to the 1st floor. At the 1st floor, was told to go back up to the 3rd floor. This is when I started to get mad. I hate it when people can't give me proper directions and make me walk such distances in heels.

Finally found out that entrance is at 3rd floor down the stairs to enter the Plenary Hall at the 1st floor. Gosh! And that took like 4 different people to get it right.

Went in the hall and phew there were still good seats available. Quite up the front just behind the VIPs. Unobstructed view of the stage. Cool!

The event was supposed to start at 6pm so it was quite a long wait inside the hall. I wasn't going to move and get out for fear of losing my seats. They're my seats! Mine!

As usual, nothing ever starts on time in KL. So it wasn't a surprise that the event only started at 6.30pm. Wasn't all that bad. Wedding dinners start at least an hour later. So half an hour wait is quite good actually.

The event started off with Datuk Vinod Sekhar welcoming and introducing Former US President, Bill Clinton. What followed in the next 40 minutes when Bill took the stage was just awe inspiring. His articulation of his thoughts on what is happening around the world is just amazing. In fact, it's exactly my thoughts.

Why must there be war? Why must people fight? Why can't people just be more tolerant to differences? In the end, we're all humans after all and we're all dependent on each other. That's what global interdependence is all about.

Few points that I will always remember clearly during his lecture are:

1) Before coming to the lecture, he had the opportunity to visit the Bird Park. There were all kinds of birds all living harmoniously in the park. And they were all getting along just fine. At one point, there was a male peacock which spread it's tail to another bird. I can't remember of what species but it wasn't a peahen. Now if birds could do that, why can't we humans do that?

2) After visiting the bird park, he paid a visit to our Prime Minister and his Deputy in Putrajaya. On the way back to KLCC, traffic was heavy and a 35 minute journey became a 65 minute journey. Hence the delay in starting the lecture which he promptly apologised for. But then he said, for a country with so much traffic, your economy will do just fine in these trying times. Coming from a man who was responsible for the longest economic expansion in American history, it sure does mean something for us.

3) Personally I have been wondering for a long, long time why wars are raged onto others in the name of religion. Bear in mind I'm not a very religious person. But I just hate to see all the fighting going on for years and years. And when Bill told the audience about his wife's personal aide who happens to be a devout Muslim and has a best friend who's Jewish, it really showed me that it's all about tolerance. When you're far away in another land, it really doesn't matter who you are and what your beliefs are. All that matters is the connection that each of us has with one another. No matter who we are and what we believe in, we are the human race. Simple.

4) Good business. When asked about charity versus profits, it all boils down to good business, according to Bill. And it just makes so much sense. Take for example, The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative with its goal to help being AIDS treatment to people all over the world. One of its biggest success is in brokering drug distribution agreements. Lower the cost, increase the volume. Result = same profit. Personally, I think the profit could be even more.

If only everyone could make the shift in their mindset about how interconnected we are with every other human being, life would actually be much simpler and happier.

After his lecture, Bill was presented with The BC Sekhar Medal for Transformational Leadership.

It was a very good day for me albeit I ended up with sore feet from the wild goose chase. But it was all well worth it.

Appreciation

2008-12-02T17:07:00.000+08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T13:53:00.011+08:00

Thanksgiving is here! Although we don't celebrate it in Malaysia but I sure have lots of friends who are celebrating overseas. I am thankful for what I have in my life right now. It has been a long journey and life still goes on. I just want to say a very big

THANK YOU

to everyone who has touched my lives, to my family and friends who have supported me through thick & thin.

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!

And in the spirit of being thankful, here's a game for all to enjoy!

Play the full size version on PETA.org.

The Greatest Lesson I Have Just Learnt - FLOW

2008-09-18T15:09:00.012+08:00

I have just returned from the most amazing and awesome weekend in Bali. And no... it's not another holiday. It was EBS.

What is EBS?

It's Entrepreneur Business School.

Business school?

Yup. But it's not about business. It's not about the plan.

Most of you readers out there probably wouldn't understand what I'm going to be rambling about for remainder of this post but if you did... you'd know.

Over the weekend, I learnt a lot about people and connection and flow.

I never really thought about flow throughout the weekend during EBS. But then a thought occurred to me at the airport while waiting for my flight to return to KL.

Why is EBS always held in Bali?

I had been wondering why Roger chooses Bali as the venue. At first I thought, hmm... maybe because his family now lives in Bali. But then I thought again. There must be something more.

So, there I was wandering around the boarding gate area waiting for my flight and it suddenly occurred to me.

I know why EBS is held in Bali! It is a lesson that Roger hopes all EBS participants will learn from the people of Bali.

Just think about it. What is it about these simple people leading simple lives in Bali?

Bali is one of Indonesia's wealthest regions thanks largely to the tourism industry. It is paradise to some. Despite all the development on the island, the Balinese people have always been very grateful for what they have. Yes, they are proud of their achievements, but they did not have any ego in them. They were just grateful.

Then, in 2002, the Kuta area was bombed by militant Islamist. It shook the whole island. Every single person in Bali was affected in one way or another. I remember several years back when I made my first visit to Bali and I had a chat with the travel agent there. There wasn't a single tourist for at least 3 months right after the bombing. Not a single one.

Workers went for months without getting paid. People could hardly survive. They couldn't feed their families.

Yet, they persevered. They struggled. And throughout this struggle, they were never upset. They accepted that whatever happened, had happened for a reason. Now, there are also Muslims living on the island. Most of them came from the island of Java. It could have been easy enough for the Balinese people to take revenge as Muslims are a minority on the island of Bali. But yet they didn't. Instead, they worked together to rebuild the island.

Things were only starting to get better when again in 2005, another bomb was set off. Again by militant Islamists. The lives of all the people on the island was once again sent into turmoil. Yet, the people were not upset. They accepted again that what happened, had happened.

And at that moment, when that thought occurred to me, I knew the reason why EBS is held in Bali. The people of Bali are so in flow... What better place to learn about flow than in Bali...

And if all the participants of EBS could just learn this one lesson from the people of Bali, that would have been the most important lesson learnt.

Malaysia. My Country, My Home

2008-08-29T12:32:00.000+08:00

Malaysia... What can I say? My country, my home. Despite the recent developments in the country, I must say that Malaysia is still a beautiful country. A rich country.

Rich? You would ask. Yes. Rich.

Rich in culture.

Rich in colours.

Rich in food.

Rich in people.

Rich in resources.

Rich in destinations.

Rich in talent.

Rich in so many other things.

Now you may ask. Is Malaysia really that rich?

Why not? Here's why.

Rich in culture.

Over the years, different races have been living harmoniously under one 'roof'. Yes. Amazing but true. Our cultures have blended so well that the oh-so-famous Coffee Bean Ice Blended Coffee can't beat that.

We see the Malays giving green packets during Hari Raya. Notice something familiar? Red packets during Chinese New Year.

And when it's EPL season, you'll see people from all walks of life floodingthe mamak stalls to catch their favourite team in action on the big screen.

What about the ever famous batik cloth now fashionably made into cheongsam. It's totally fabulous!

Rich in colours.

Have you ever seen all the different traditional costumes of all the different races in Malaysia all put together? You'll be amazed at the colours on display.

And then there's the Annual Flora Fest held in Putrajaya. Oh! The colours are such a sight for sore eyes.

Rich in food.

Anyone ever tried going on a 'makan' trip anywhere in Malaysia? For the benefit of overseas readers, 'makan' means eat in Malay. The culinary delights you'll find here are of (g)astronomical proportions. I read in a magazine recently that for every hour of the day, you'll be able to find something to fulfill all your cravings.

From the ever so famous nasi lemak to bak kut teh to durian tarts to fish head curry to Portugese grilled fish to chocolate banana cake to asam laksa to char kueh teow to hokkien meehoon to grilled chicken wings to satay to banana leaf rice to roti canai to dim sum to otak-otak.

I have to stop here. My mouth is watering...

Rich in people.

Some might think that there are only three races in Malaysia. The Malays, the Chinese and the Indians. Many have forgotten about the Dayaks, the Kadazans, the Ibans, the Bidayuhs, the Melanau, the Minangkabaus, the orang asli. And just imagine, we all live happily under one 'roof', regardless of race and religion.

Rich in resources.

Has anyone ever pondered upon the fact that the people of Malaysia are one hell of a lucky bunch?

We are strategically located in a little circle within the Pacific Rim of Fire, free of volcanoes, earthquakes, typhoons and hurricanes. Our neighbour, Indonesia, isn't as lucky as us. They have volcanoes which are the most active of the Rim. And to think we are only separated by the Straits of Melaka.

And within this strategic location, we are blessed with petroleum and tin. We have soil so fertile that rubber and palm oil flourish in plantations. Not to mention the various types of fruits that we export to the Western countries.

Rich in destinations.

One will be amazed at the inbound tourists that flood the country year in year out. We have Americans, Europeans, Middle Easterns, Australians, Japanese, Koreans and even Singaporeans constantly arriving on our shores. But have you ever wondered why we have tourists from all over the world coming here year after year after year?

One thing I have to admit is our government does a really good job promoting Visit Malaysia Year. And it's really not that difficult a task to do.

We have some of the best island destinations in the world. From Pulau Pinang to Pulau Langkawi to Pulau Redang to Pulau Perhentian to Pulau Tioman and not to forget Pulau Sipadan, home to one of the best diving locations in the world.

And how can we forget our beloved Mount Kinabalu, tallest mountain in Malaysia. Home to the Rafflesia, the largest single flower in the world. Mount Kinabalu is also home to thirteen species of the insectivorous pitcher plants, the Kinabalu giant red leech, the Kinabalu giant earthworm and the Rhinocerous Hornbill.

Rich in talent.

The above said, we have yet more richness in us. And that is talent. One may not know but there are quite a number of Malaysians who are internationally renowned.

We have Jimmy Choo (shoe designer), Zang Toi (fashion designer), Melinda Looi (fashion designer), Nicole David (squash player), Lee Chong Wei (badminton player), Siti Nurhaliza (singer), the late Sudirman Arshad (singer), Sheila Majid (singer) and oh so many more.

I was born here. I grew up here. I studied here (although I did a twinning program). I work here.

My life is here. My Malaysia.

Here In My Home

2008-07-17T18:29:00.001+08:00

Absolutely lovely video...

Quote Of The Day

2008-04-25T09:12:00.000+08:00

There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second. - Logan Pearsall Smith

How Fast Can You Type?

2008-04-18T14:17:00.003+08:00

How fast can you type? Try out this cool SpeedTest.

101 words

Rocky Inspirations!

2007-01-27T11:24:00.000+08:00

By ELIZABETH NG

So what does Sylvester Stallone have to do with a Penangite writer’s first book? The answer: everything, as the soon-to-be released book is a collection of the Hollywood actor’s “life values”. The philosophies are not only gleaned from Stallone’s life but are also mined from his most popular film character – the underdog pugilist Rocky.

The principles of persevering despite the odds and how winning isn’t the only thing that matters are found in Gerald Chuah’s inaugural book entitled In the Eye of the Tiger: Survival Principles from Sylvester Stallone’s Life & Films.

“The book offers fundamental principles on how to be successful in life,” said the slightly overwhelmed and nervous author during the book’s soft launch at Borders, Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur on Jan 22. “My first draft was written in 1990.”

Jacqueline Stallone (right) -- mother of the Hollywood actor -- launches Chuah's book. -- Picture by ELIZABETH NG.

Chuah has come a long way since then, rewriting the book countless times before finally deciding to complete it to coincide with the release of Stallone’s Rocky Balboa, the sixth and final movie of the Rocky franchise.

Of course, part of Chuah’s “final boost” came in the form of Jacqueline, Stallone’s mother, who wholeheartedly endorses Chuah’s dream project-turned-reality.

“I met Gerald through e-mail 10 years ago and when I saw the book about two years ago, I thought it was wonderful. I showed it to Sylvester and he said every bit of what is written is actually true,” said Jacqueline, a noted celebrity astrologer, who was also present at the launch.

According to Jacqueline, the principles in the book were what Stallone was raised on and her son had a really difficult time while growing up.

“His face was half-paralysed and his body half-crippled because he was injured at birth. He didn’t have many friends growing up and he couldn’t get along with the other kids -- they were mean.”

Chuah's book (above) will be available in Borders bookstores in February.

Stallone was also thrown out of 17 schools and didn’t excel in any subject, even physical education! So when Jacqueline turned to her astrological charts to see what the future had in store for him, she discovered something surprising.

“His chart said that he would be a writer so I told him about it and he got angry. Didn’t want to talk to me, but see now…” she said of Stallone, who penned all the Rocky movies.

Of Chuah’s book, Jacqueline hopes that readers will like the quotations and gain something from the insights as they aren’t dispensed by geniuses or experts, but a regular guy who has had experience fighting for what he believes in and achieving goals that others deemed impossible.

It looks like the zen-like principles do pay off. Just ask Chuah, who continued to pursue his dream even when he couldn’t see an end in sight. Holding on to the very values he was writing about, the New Straits Times journalist worked on his labour of love without knowing whether a book would ever be published.

“I didn’t know that today would ever come. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine my book would one day be endorsed and launched by Jackie. This is indeed a great honour, and a high point in my life.

“I want the legacy of the Rocky spirit to continue and if I can do it (publish a book), anybody can do it,” added Chuah, who has yet to actually speak to Stallone.

With materials sourced from newspaper archives, books, magazines, rare documentaries and the Internet, Chuah’s collection of Stallone-esque principles touches on various aspects in life such as love, faith, courage and spirituality. Apart from the inspiring insights into reaching one’s goals, the book also contains 36 hand-drawn illustrations of Stallone’s popular film characters.

Now that that’s done, what will Chuah attempt next?

“I would like to write a book on people who’ve gone through hardships and make it in real life. Stories of how people can be the best they can be. It would be about real ‘Rocky’ stories.”

In the Eye of the Tiger: Survival Principles from Sylvester Stallone’s Life & Films will be available in all Borders bookstores in February. Those who would like to pre-order the book can do so at www.stallonism.com.

Rocky Balboa is scheduled to open in cinemas on Feb 22.

Happy New Year 2007 http://www.audreychooi.com

2007-01-05T13:46:00.000+08:00

Tens of thousands of Malaysians ushered in the New Year on a boisterous note at various venues. Packed with tens of thousands of revellers for the New Year street party. A magnificent 15-minute pyrotechnic show took place. Roads in the vicinity of The Curve in Mutiara Damansara in Petaling Jaya were closed to traffic for a street party attended by a large crowd. At nearby Bandar Utama, thousands were entertained by Australian boy band North, Taiwanese singer Jenie Chuo, Singaporean Apple Hong and others. http://www.audreychooi.com

2006-12-20T16:02:00.000+08:00

Non-threatening, homely, down to earth, informal and relaxed.

Easy-going, organised, loyal, sometimes shy, an avid shopper, respectful of others' feelings.

A: With such an informal and relaxed demeanour, it's no wonder people feel so comfortable around you. That's what makes you even more approachable and others come to you simply for comfort and advice. Another reason is because you're a loyal and modest friend who genuinely respects what others feel and think. Be approachable effortlessly with 516 Secret Garden of L'Oreal Paris Colour Riche Star Secrets.

Take your personality test here: clovetwo.com

Aren't they just pretty?

2006-11-03T08:43:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since my last post. Have been busy. Anyway, had the pleasure of visiting Sungai Buloh nurseries recently and came across my fave flower. How could I resist?

Bad Day About To Get Worse

2006-10-13T16:05:00.000+08:00

Polite Way to Pee

2006-10-13T15:24:00.000+08:00

During one of her daily classes a teacher trying to teach good manners,
asked her students the following question:

"Michael, if you were on a date having dinner with a nice young lady,
how would you tell her that you have to go to the bathroom?"

Michael said, "Just a minute I have to go pee."
The teacher responded by saying, "That would be rude and impolite."

What about you Peter, how would you say it?"

Peter said, "I'm sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom. I'll be
right back."

"That's better, but it's still not very nice to say the word bathroom at
the dinner table. And you, little Johnny, can you use your brain for
once and show us your good manners?"

"I would say: Darling, may I please be excused for a moment? I have to
shake hands with a very dear friend of mine, whom I hope you'll get to
meet after dinner."

The teacher fainted...

Is it true???

2006-09-15T16:21:00.000+08:00