Monday, November 27, 2006

BICYCLE! BICYCLE! BAIIIIICYCLE!

Last Friday we went to Neway Karaoke to celebrate KS Dad's upcoming birthday. It was a package whereby you pay RM44++ for dinner and you get to sing for 4 hours for relatively cheap. I don't normally karaoke and usually end up softly singing or just humming to the tunes.

However, this time around, when it came to Bicycle Race by Queen, Jan, KS and I screamed on top of our lungs. This is a really fun song to sing at karaokes!

One Week Review

This is how my phone looks like. Yes, I got a white Sony Ericsson W810i - FINALLY! I love the white as it makes it look so different from other black phones.

After one week of using it, I am quite familiar with it already. It is surprisingly user friendly, coming from a Nokia 3210 user. Symbols are quite easily understood and the keypad allows two thumb typing with a good flow.

What I haven't done is to download songs into it to make full use of my Walkman feature. But I'll only start learning that once I get my hands on a software that allows me to snip parts of the music that I want for ringtones.

I'm looking for unusual tunes (currently using the song sung by Stephen Chow in Shaolin Soccer, the horribly out of tune one). Already know what tune to use when am being summoned by my boss - O Fortuna. Other than that, I have yet to be inspired.

All in all, I am very happy with the phone and love that I can hold a decent conversations without having the battery die on me.

(Ron, when you get back to Malaysia, can you bring me a copy of your CD from Paris?)

Friday, November 24, 2006

Garden Creatures

You want photos? I hardly take photos unless there's something interesting that I'd like to capture. Like these for instance. Our garden is crawling with these creatures.

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This is when I caught them mating while I was hanging clothes. Never seen them at it before but they were sure taking their time even after a couple of hours. This is what I grew up knowing as "Gonggok". They curl into a tight ball when threatened.

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Now this one, I don't know what it's called.

Our driveway is filled with these fellas at various stages of life. They provide the occassional crunch when we're walking by in a hurry.

And this one was a gigantic ant that was crossing my path as I was trying to wear my slippers. I stalled it by confusing it with placed slippers in it's path so that I could get this shot.
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I never saw it again after that. Dat Fella was the one who alerted me when her entire focus was on it as it walked by.

Sure Sign of Aging

Couple of days back, I was combing through my hair with my fingers when Jan stopped me. She excited exclaimed, “You’ve got WHITE HAIR!”. Now, the last time she did this was a false alarm as she discovered it was the glint of the sun that made my hair look white – but it wasn’t!

So I didn’t believe her but allowed her to pluck it out. The darn thing WAS silvery white from the root for a good 3 inches! My first white hair!

Yes, yes, I know there are many out there who have white hair even before they crawl out of primary school but my family has a fortunate DNA that doesn’t allow us to have a shock of white hair.

My Grandpa had about half his head covered in black hair a month before he passed away at nearly 91. My dad always gets people coming up to him and whispering “Tell me lah, you coloured your hair black, didn’t you? Don’t worry lah, you can tell me, I can keep a secret” at his age of 62.

Hopefully, that’s what the condition of my hair will be when I’m that age. But still, the first cut is the deepest. Waaah!

A Little Snippet – Coincidence

As at last week, Jan, KS and I have a boss by the name of Peter. Jan has had her Peter (an Aussie) since the day she started work, I had my Peter (I dunno what he is, maybe Portugese) since I joined the bank and KS just got his Peter (Chinese) last week. I kid you not.

And I just found out a slang word for “peter” when I happened to be in dictionary.com. It is the same meaning as Dick.

Things you learn on the Internet.

Monday, November 20, 2006

After All These Years

Jan said something really funny the other day. We were having breakfast when KS asked if she were free to go Karaoke to celebrate my dad-in-law’s birthday. She usually joins us for all celebrations, whether it’s the 8th day of Chinese New Year (Hokkien Chinese New Year), KS grandma, father, mother, sister, auntie… you name it… birthdays, anniversaries… I think you get the picture.

This has been going on for about 3 years now when she suddenly asked in reply to the invitation, “Eh, does your family actually mind or not, that I always join you all for these celebrations?”

There was a dumbfounded silence.

She quickly went on, “I told Mum and she scolded me saying that I was imposing myself. And I never thought about it until now!”

Well Jan, it’s 3 years a bit too late now. But never mind, we still love you.

Burst My Balloon, Won’t Ya?

Today I woke up with a slight tremor of anticipation. My phone will be delivered today! I had clipped my nails to prepare my fingers for furious keypad testings and for the first time in many moons, I actually looked forward to a Monday.

But when I got to work and read my email, the supplier says she will only send it tomorrow. Dang! I have to wait one more day!

My colleague just simply asked, “Why didn’t you just insist on them sending it to you today?”

D’OH! It’s too late now!

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Of Handphones, Again!

If you remember, I have been hawing on the fact that my antiquated 3210 Nokia is giving way, with a moody screen that blanks out during weekends, battery life that supports half a conversation... I can almost see eyes rolling on some who have endured the years of my complains.

For some people, changing handphones is like buying clothes, never mind the thousands they need to part every time they do it. Jan's colleage has an obsession of getting the latest ones in the market and what does he do with the "old" ones? He destroys it and takes out the memory chip. WHY? These gadgets are worth a month's pay!

Anyway, KS has kindly forced offered to get a new one for me to which I have counter offered to accept a subsidy of it, out of embarrassment.

So with an abandoned flourish (if that is possible), I clicked SEND to place my order via email yesterday. Now I will await in eagerness come Monday. KS will have to wait and see if I got the white or black.

Comes with Age

What's happened to me? For the past few weekends, I simply haven't been able to sleep past 8am! An automatic clock wakes me and even though I try my darnest to go back to sleep, I can't!

Grrr...

Rabbit Shearing

I swear, this is the first thing I thought about when I woke this morning. It must be because Kennysia went to Waitomo, NZ, gave a full account of what he did there but did not seem to have visited the Angora Rabbit factory.

No, it is not a slaughterhouse but an angora wool farm. Many who travel to NZ or Australia watch sheep shearing but how many people see rabbit shearing?

The Angora rabbit is a REALLY fluffy rabbit. Sometimes so fluffy you can't see it's face. Anyway, it takes 3 to 4 months for the fur to grow and by then, it needs to be shaved otherwise it will be too hot for the fella to live.

They are placed on a table with straps on both ends to fasten its legs, stretched as though it could do yoga. The clippers shave the top of the rabbit first, then the rabbit is flipped on the table to reach the bottom of it. Then finally the legs and tail. What's left is a skinny, shivering little fella, looking more like a normal rabbit.

Go see it if you're in Waitomo.

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Greenhorn

Today, I received my very first call from a head hunter. The feeling is quite amazing, that someone actually knows I exist in the banking industry! Hahaha… If the bank is the one that I think it is, it is certainly one that I’d like to go into! However, in the event that they do want to meet up, and in the event that I actually do get offered the job, I don’t think now is the right time. Why? Because bonus comes only in March!

Oh well, let’s not count my chickens… But heck, this is ego boosting!

Monday, November 13, 2006

eBay Explained

Yesterday, KS and I went to a talk on eBay. The How Tos on running a business from eBay. It's actually quite cool, people can sell ANYTHING on eBay. This guy in Singapore sells leaves that falls from the tree outside his home!

Yup, there is potential for a business on this platform. All I need to do now is to find something that I am passionate about in order to sell it.

I LUV DUNKIN'!

We stopped by an outlet this evening and tried to see if they had doughnuts on offer, you know, just to finish up their stocks so they can close for the day.

They had a tray of a mixture of doughnuts left and I eagerly wanted to get them if they were cheap. The guy shook his head and said the price was still the same, no offer!

Since I was there, heck, I thought I'd get one anyway. In the end, because I kept asking why they didn't have an offer, he gave me a 20% discount AND a box of mini doughnuts worth 4 times as much as the doughnut I just bought!

I may or may not go back to that particular shop but it's brought a warm fuzzy feeling for the brand.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Eric and the Burning Kitchen

I am on the way to making Eric an urban legend. My new colleagues can't wait to meet him and refer to him as "the guy with the snake in the apartment!". My friend who's met him says his stories are good for long haul drives and she has even retold his misadventures to her cousins.

So, on this morning when I feel like blogging but have nothing much to say, I am finally going to tell you about the Burning Kitchen Episode. Note that I have also put up my first label "Eric's Misadventures".

It happened one day when Eric felt a little too tired to jog and went straight home to his apartment. His mum was staying with him at that time had the kettle on the stove on the open wet kitchen area. To prevent wind from blowing out the flames, she had placed a cardbox around the stove.

Now, this recipe of a cardboard box near an open fire in Eric's home is a recipe for disaster.

He was lying on his couch, enjoying a rest when his mum shrieked from the kitchen. Running into the kitchen, he saw flames licking the walls and up the plastic piping connecting the apartment above. Unfortunately, the water pressure from his kitchen sink was very low and he had to run to and fro the toilet to fill buckets.

Now, his open kitchen faces the corridor leading to other tenants main doors. One of his neighbours saw the fire and poked her head nearer to have a closer look. This was while Eric was approaching the fire with a half filled bucket.

Her exclamation of "Waaaah!! Fire!!!" and whatever she was going to say was literally drowned when the bucket of water ricocheted off the wall full on to her face.

Eric didn't know or bother what happened to her after that but thank goodness the guards had been alerted. They unravelled the water hose and doused the fire and his kitchen out before any severe damage had occurred.

I believe the guards know him very well now, after this and the snake incident. They should have a CCTV trained onto all corners of his apartment for prevention.

There's still yet another story to write on Eric's Misadventures. The Bicycle Race Incident. That I will save for another rainy day.

Weddings!

This is a month filled with weddings. I have 4 invites, but am only able to attend 2.

Yesterday KS and I went to Wendy's. Hers was a last minute do (as she wanted to elope after being inspired by Karen) but was found out by the parents. But she managed to squeeze some tables out of this restaurant that had already 2 weddings booked for the very same night!

It was quite remarkable. She started off the dinner early and this benefited all her guests:
1. We got choice parking spots
2. We started and ended early
No blaring of some Kitaro (or Maxim, like the other wedding beside us) for the first dish, or grand entrances by the bride and groom. It was very simple and nice!

Oh, while we were busy toasting the bride and groom, the other weddings had just begun so our screams of YAAAAAM SEEENG drowned the grand announcements of the other wedding. Quite funny actually. Like Wendy said, it was like the brides were trying to outdo each other.

Speaking of yam seng, overheard in a wedding recently made by an emcee, who's first language isn't English, toast the bridal couple:
For Fidelity!
Haiyoh! Fertility and fidelity may start with the same letter and have the same syllables but... the guests toasted to it anyway.

The other one I heard was about the bride's father who was a politician and the emcee wanted to wish him well for the upcoming elections:
... and good ruck for your upcoming ERECTION!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaam seng!

Saturday, November 11, 2006

Bite Me!

Went for a full body massage in Melaka recently. It was, in short, painful. She kept telling me, "Relax!" but I just couldn't! There was a knot on my shoulder blade which she worked on in vain and in the end, she just gave up.

The next day, my back was absolutely sore.

I do feel highly strung recently and I haven't found the reason why. It's like having a permanant PMS.

In The Headlines

A Mongolian model was shot in the head twice and her body blown to bits when she apparently tried to get some money from her Malaysian "husband", who happens to be a political analyst. She wanted the money to pay for their son's medical bills as he is ill so she came looking for him.

Apparently the dude didn't want to just stop at ignoring her and got his bodyguards to strap explosives to her body and took her to some part of a jungle in Shah Alam.

I wonder how much this guy will pay to walk away scott free.

Moth in My Wallet

What a busy week.

All the days seem to blend into each other but all I know is that every night I came home tired and for the past two nights I have been sleeping at 10:30pm. I'm getting old!

Yesterday I was supposed to go make-up shopping with my colleagues. We planned this two weeks ago and got all excited about it. After all, I was looking forward to some girly advice on this matter (but after reading Karen's comments on this, I'm better enlightened) and a girls night out. Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication and they thought it was supposed to happen during lunch hour!

So, since KS already planned to burn the midnight oil at work, I dragged my available colleagues to Mid Valley to shop.

The propensity of cash flowing out of my wallet is frightening. If you know me, I'm usually very careful and think twice, thrice before I buy anything. Like, my handphone (which I still haven't bought!). These days I'm just impulsive.

I've bought two pairs of trousers, make-up stuff, dinner purse, shoes all within this week. I've already mentioned my other purchases over the last 30 days alone and this is really frightful. And the horrible part to it is that I'm actually looking for work tops, not everything else! So effectively, my shopping hasn't been successful. And hence, I will need to still go shopping.

Babi....

I told the story of my LRT-Rude-Singaporean to Jan and she blogged it. Some goody idiot on her blog commented:

You dont know wads going on with the lady...
If you knew her reasons behind the action, u might actually side her...

If you dont know her reasons or dont bother to find out...
you might live forever in bitterness, hate & prejudice.

What a load of bull$hit. I can almost see the halo he pinged above his head.

Saturday, November 04, 2006

What's In The Attic?

My friend told me of a true story about her friend who lives in Kota Kemuning. They heard some noises coming from the roof and decided to investigate. And found mattresses and used candles in their attic.

They were the first to shift into the row of terrace houses and thus some illegal foreign workers got into the roof via unlocked unoccupied houses to escape from being caught.

I've always wondered why the rats on our roof sounded a little bit too loud. I need a bunch of volunteers to come investigate this with us. I hope it proves to be a wild goose chase.

Uncle John's Passing

Dad was telling us that his friend, Uncle John (who's wife is Auntie Molly, my high school teacher) passed away last week.

So Dad, trying to be matter of fact, "Well, at least he is no longer suffering since he has been a cucumber since his stroke months ago..."

"Cucumber?"

"There! He's just lying there, cannot move lah!"

"You mean, vegetative..."

But it is sad. Uncle John was there for my Dad when Dad was going through his eye operation last year and they had just become close. Plus they are expecting their first two grandchildren.

Jelly Donuts

Last Thursday, my colleague offered me a jelly doughnut from Dunkin'. This is one food that I would consider "Branded". Why buy Dunkin' when you can buy a doughnut from the bakery at 75% cheaper?

Ah, but that was before last Thursday. You see, whenever I buy Dunkin', I would select the non-filled ones. Safe mah!

I was completely sold when I finished the lemon jellied one. I NEVER KNEW! Oh how I moan for the lost of jelly doughnut opportunities in my life so far!

Oklah, not so drama. But I really enjoyed it. Now am munching on my Bavarian creme filled one with another jelly filled one waiting for breakfast. Bliss...

Sight for Sore Eyes

One good way to destress myself, I find, is to look at photos of New Zealand. Was just browsing through kennysia.com and he's taken plenty of NZ photos. One doesn't need skillful photography to get really good shots. Point and snap. No haze, just crisp blue skies and white puffs of clouds.

I miss NZ.

Patriotism

The Malaysian government have always urged Malaysians to fly the national flag during Independance. Some politicians have even said outright that if we don't hang the flags, it means we do not have patriotism in our hearts.

This has never really bothered me much and I don't hang a flag in August. And I must say MOST Malaysians don't either. But that doesn't mean we are not patriotic. How do I prove it?

Today in the LRT, a lady, no, I will call her woman, stepped into the carriage at a particular busy stop. She immediately flipped on her phone and started speaking very loudly, "These Malaysians aah... they are so terrible! Simply rush into the train without waiting for others to come out first! Do you experience this too? It's a Malaysian culture, isnt' it? Yeah, ALL of them are like that..."

With her shrill voice coupled with her audacious generalisation on Malaysians and our culture in a train in Malaysia, she drew furious glares from all passengers around.

Then, as though she needed to establish what nationality she is, she continued to say, "Oh, so what did my beloved Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew say this time? You know, I really love him. He said that? But you know, it's true... These Malaysians and their culture, I tell you... My colleagues actually check their share prices on the internet during work hours, can you imagine? Yeah! The screen was on for over an hour, no wonder they don't get any work done!"

As she was speaking, a seat near her was vacated but when she noticed there was an Indian man sitting beside it, she threw him a caustic glare and pulled a face which clearly said, "No freaking way am I going to sit beside THAT!" and proceeded to afflict herself by sitting between two Malaysian Chinese.

The Indian guy standing beside me was nearly beside himself. I had to stop reading because her detestable voice drowned out every thought. I said to the guy beside me, "Some people can be SO rude!" and he immediately bit the bait and spoke loudly to berate her. She ignored us and continued her verbal abuse.

Finally the Indian guy raised his voice to tell her to stop it. Of course she got even bitchier, "What is this to you? I'm talking to my friend!" and continued to talk bad about him to her friend.

Half the carriage ended up spewing our guts over bloody kiasu Singaporeans, some wishing a gangster would beat her up, some sharing how some Singaporeans can be so barbaric when they cross the border.

I've never felt so patriotic in recent years. Believe me, if I had just one chance to be Jean Grey, it would have been exactly then.

Friday, November 03, 2006

Friday Blues

Yeah, I know Friday is supposed to be a fantastic day whereby you look forward to the weekend but today has been packed with sadness, worry, impatience and anger.

Sadness because KS is so stressed up at work, him working late and most importantly, Ah Jin the dog has passed on this evening.

Worry because my Dad's colonoscopy showed a little polyp. His results will be back next week. Mum assures me there's nothing to worry about.

Impatience at someone at work. I won't explain.

Anger because of a bloody Singaporean lady in the LRT on my way to dinner. This one, I will blog separately and perhaps write to the papers.

Social Nights

Been out every night meeting up with friends. Haven't had the time to blog. Or inspiration.

But I finally got my foundation, or rather, tinted moisturiser today! Yay! Next comes the other basic make-up stuff.

Oh, my parents are in Melaka and my in-laws are really going all out to make them comfortable and feed them. They are even going to send my parents to and fro the doctor's (Dad is there for a check up) since Mum doesn't know how to handle Dad's manual car and she's also not familiar with the Malaccan roads these days. My in-laws are AMAZING. Dad's almost in despair for wanting to reciprocate their kindness and hospitality but don't know what to do.

I'm silently enjoying this. Muahahahaha....