KS' Revelation

"So while you were away, I met up with Kenneth"

"Oh yeah? "

"Yeah, I was talking about the things you like to do, y'know, the DIY stuff, computer games, reading. Then suddenly, I realised I'm married to ... a NERD!"

Back!

Just got back from Singapore yesterday. I'm trying to clean the house and blog at the same time, doing both unsuccessfully but I can't help it! The urgency of doing both is killing (and I won't give you a sen to know which one I'd rather be doing!).

Anyway, I'm glad to see that the number of presents under the tree have grown and KS has not opened any of them until we could do it together. Ain't that sweet? :)

Singapore was great. I know I said we went there to see the lights but actually, it wasn't on our agenda at all. We went to Orchard Road only the day AFTER Christmas as the shops boasted Post Christmas Sales. Unfortunately, it rained the entire day, was absolutely crowded with people lining up to try on clothes and at the cashiers. The sale was mainly for their loyalty cardmembers, clothes did not look appealing and the price tags were still way too high. Give me my PJ shopping malls!

I did see this man take a photo of a huge lingerie poster at the ladies undergarment section on his handphone. He saw me observing him and didn't have the cheek to look embarrassed. In fact, he took his time taking ANOTHER shot. Hamsap man!

The other days were spent walking along small shops in Ang Mo Kio. We were bargain hunting and bought ridiculous things like tissue paper (I kid you not, we bought 8 large packs) and bought up the entire Hang Ten shop. Every day, without fail, we'd buy something from Hang Ten. Maybe it's because Mum has a loyalty card and they gave a further 10% from their reduced prices. No way can you find such a deal in Malaysia!

I love Singapore for it's cleanliness, it's orderliness, the prompt transportation, covered walkways. As soon as we step past the causeway to Johor, the change is very apparent with muddied potholes in the roads, blacked sidewalks from soot, touts shouting their taxi services... absolute chaos. Reminded me of Gotham City. Black and dangerous.

But give me Malaysians anytime. Singaporeans are too rude for my liking. Impatient and intolerable. So, I'm still glad to come home.

Ang Ku

We have renamed Dat Fella to Ang Ku (as in ang ku kuih). Let me explain briefly.

My cousin gave KS and I some roasted chicken, two red eggs and one ang ku kuih as a celebration of her son's full moon. Only Jan was interested to consume it and we were talking about it rather loudly since I was in the kitchen. Dat Fella was sitting just outside the door and meowed loudly whenever we mentioned the word Ang Ku.

Since she looks rather reddish, with a stump of a tail, Red Tortoise seemed like a fitting, bisexual (since we're still not totally convinced she's a she) for Dat Fella. Hence, the birth of the name.



Here, she is seen cleaning herself up after her very first bath. Although she protested loudly throughout the bath, I suspect she rather enjoyed the attention bestowed upon her. And the short privilege she had of roaming the house freely which she occasionally abuses up till today.

Christmas Tree 2006

Our Christmas tree was up since last week. Of course, it was KS who set it up and the pressies at the bottom is courtesy of yours truly.



Merry Christmas everyone! I'm going off to Singapore now.

Warning To My Siblings...

You know that water system I was to set up for my parents? The day I got home, I asked what had happened to that project. Mum flared up and said Dad didn't know how to fix it up properly and Dad retaliated by saying she shifted plants on a weekly basis so this upset the system. Thus it is not his fault!

So after that few heated words, I have left the "discussion" as it is. The pipes remained coiled on top of the chicken run. Dum di dum... Let sleeping dogs lie, ya?

Packed!

On the first day of coming home to Alor Star, I was sleeping the entire morning, ate lunch, slept in the afternoon, ate dinner and slept until the next day.

Today, my last full day of being back, I was absolutely packed from learning how to bake Mum's famous banana cake in the morning, meeting up with Tsiang after lunch for ice kacang and then to horse riding in Sungai Petani with two other friends.

Now I'm bushed but happy that I've managed to catch up with friends whom I haven't seen in yonks.

And tomorrow we head back to PJ. Can't believe I initially thought I'd rot away here in Alor Star with nothing to do! I'd like another week here please. I'm just beginning to enjoy line dancing on a daily basis. I've eaten more veggie than I've ever had in months. And today, Mum cooked OATS to be mixed with rice for lunch! Ugh! So... healthy!

Something about the Alor Star air. Or maybe I'm just enjoying my holidays. Only thing that keeps me from truly enjoying it is the various calls I've been receiving for work. Every working day. Dammit.

For Her Sake

What a great morning! I actually woke up for Line Dancing with my parents. Today they were teaching a new dance step which I learnt the final few steps. Of course, without the music, everything seemed possible but when they danced to the music, boy, I was one confused dancer!

Above all, I'd like to comment on a lesson of love. My Dad has been an avid tennis player and liked nothing better than to take us exercise when we were young. Badminton, swimming, tennis, ping pong, you name it. Unfortunately his enthusiasm for sports and exercise never raised an interest from Mum (and me now!).

Now that Mum is so into line dancing, I can see how Dad really makes the effort to wake up at 6:30am every morning to go line dancing with her. He is the only man there in the midst of 50 - 60 ladies and he stands in one corner while Mum dances with her friends. He fumbles some steps but is determined to dance.

If left on his own, Dad would not go line dancing at all. Whenever my Aunt talks about line dancing, he's hardly as excited as Mum about it. But because he wants Mum to exercise and to keep her company, he does this every single day. This is how Dad shows his love.

Shopping Frenzy

That's what I was up to for the last two days. Covered several hours in IKEA/Curve on Friday then today more hours at 1 Utama. My feet hurt and my credit card is in pain from too much swiping. But man! This is fun!

And tomorrow I go home to Alor Star where the most exciting thing happening is the recently opened Giant. Sigh. I may join my parents Line Dancing one of the days I'm back. What's stopping me is the waking up at 6am to reach the destination by 6:30am. To line dance. Hmm... I've got at least 6 days. I'll see how bad this curiousity needs to be scratched.

Toll Hikes

The Malaysian Minister of Works, Samy Vellu, has announced a New Year's gift - Toll Hikes.

Right now, I pay RM6.20 daily just to go to work and come back. That's going to increase to RM7.60 per day, that's more than RM200 per month if I calculate Saturdays just going into PJ.

Samy Vellu says, if you don't want to pay the toll hikes, take a hike and use the Federal Roads. Problem is, petrol prices had gone up this year too which makes every jam (which happens at every federal road) use up more petrol and hence, more cost to us drivers.

Either way, we lose.

Productive Day

My first day of leave proved to be extremely productive! I'm really happy I filled it with:

Finishing up Life of Pi
Gift wrapping 30 books for Jan's doorgifts for her ministry's dinner
Doing 3 loads of laundry
Pulling a bagful of weeds from the garden
Starting on Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception
Making 22 cupcakes
...and a partridge in a pear tree!

Notice how there is no: sweeping or mopping or cleaning toilet... In fact, I completely forgot to check my emails which I promised I would to my partners. Hence, there were quite a few urgent ones that needed my attention. At nearly 9pm.

Today, I plan to do what I wanted to do most when I took this leave - go shopping at The Curve/IKEA. Then later I'll be helping out with blowing balloons for the Children's Church party for tomorrow.

Man, I'm enjoying this holiday!

My Camera Phone

This is what my boss got for us when he came back from Egypt. It's a scroll made from papyrus. What really excited me was that I wanted to dip a portion of it in vinegar to test out the theory made real in Da Vinci.

Sorry, no scenery photos from my phone yet. I reckon 2MP with an auto focus is good enough to post up on blogs, eh?

Christmas Gift for My Parents?

One more day of work... and then I'm on call holiday! Yeah, my boss has allowed me to go on this long leave on the condition that I'm on call. Bummer of a holiday.

Days seem to stretch forth endlessly but judging from the things I plan to achieve this holidays, the time and resources seem a bit too short. Of course, most of the time is allocated to surf the internet and read. What a sociable calendar that lies ahead... NOT!

My plans for when I get back to Alor Star is especially tight. Other than meeting Tsiang and little Eliza and baking, hopefully I'd get the ball rolling for my parents to start putting up the watering system in the garden. My parents were so excited since they went to Canada years ago and saw my Aunt and Uncle having a system in the garden and vowed to do the same so that every time they went away for long periods, their plants would not die.

After hunting for the perfect system, getting Ron to export the timer from Melbourne, running from one Ace Hardware outlet to another just to get that one particular plastic thingamajig, they have coiled the tubes on top of the old chicken run which does NOT need watering. It's been there for over a year now. And almost every time my parents reach home from PJ, Mum will sadly report, "My so-and-so flower/plant died".

I only have about 6 days in Alor Star. Question is, can this be achieved with such a tight deadline?

No (But I Mean Yes)

I was relating a story about Eric again during lunch, about how his ex-girlfriend once told him not to follow her to her car parked at a darkened basement. He took it literally and left her to walk to her car herself after she repeatedly refused him to accompany her. As soon as he got home, he received a call and an earful from her for not being gentlemanly and insist on accompanying her.

My female colleagues agreed that they do this sometimes. My question to them was, "WHY?". Why do women say one thing but expect others to do just the opposite? Even as a girl, I get frustrated hearing their answers. "Sajalah. Sometimes we just like to manja. He should know better anyway..."

Gawd, KS, I give you full permission to force feed me a green leafy veggie if I ever do this to you, ok?

Aliens

Today being a public holiday in Selangor, brought about foreign workers in droves to my office area as they came to settle salaries and bank in to send home. The 5-foot way was filled with Bangladeshis, Indonesians, Vietnamese... you name it.

My colleagues and I walked through a throng of them and one of my colleagues shuddered. "Ew... I feel so scared walking amongst them". I was pretty surprised to hear that reaction from many of my other colleagues. I mean, they're human, aren't they? What's wrong with walking amongst them? And as curiousity got the better of me, after lunch I detached myself from my colleagues to go to a tuck shop and purposely walked through the thickest part of the crowd.

I suppose it is because when I was in NZ, a lot of Kiwis felt threatened that more than half of the Auckland population was Asian and they started to get uncomfortable. Then some of them became abusive. I hated the feeling and I suppose I don't want to treat them like how I was treated when I was the foreigner.

"But they will start to fight without any reason and you might be there at the wrong place at the wrong time."

Honey, you can be at the wrong place at the wrong time anywhere.

Funny News

Today in the papers, there was this guy who got stranded up on a billboard for more than half the day. Apparently, his friend and him went up there to remove a spotlight and somehow, as his friend left, he took away with him the ladder.

Now this man straddling the billboard was there from dawn until past noon and he used a metal rod to shoo away the firemen who came to bring him down with a ladder. Since it was getting hotter, the firemen doused him with water, taken from a nearby drain. If you know Malaysian drains, they are usually thick as gravy and stinks till high heaven.

In the end, they managed to drag him down using a forklift and in the process, one fireman slipped and fell, spraining his ankle.

Came & Gone

So our friends have watched U2 live when they were in Australia and Auckland. This sucks. One came back wearing a beanie and is sporting a goatee a.k.a. The Edge. Tickets on ebay Australia were going for triple the original price prior to the concerts. Now we were told that there were some people desperate to sell off their tickets on that day itself at cost. That sucks even more. Dammit.

The Parasite On The Tick

Last Friday, my company, or rather, my division met up for a game of inter department bowling at Berjaya Times Square. It was quite fun with all the cheering and shouting that went on. There were roughly about 800 of us and it really struck me how big my company is. This is not full attendance and this is one of the several divisions of my bank.

Whenever I give my name card, people always gape at the title of my departments. It was only after a few months of being with the bank when I asked my then boss, "What department AM I in anyway?". Unfortunately, my timing for asking the question was in front of my partners who dissolved into giggles. My boss merely shook her head.

I'm in the Co-Brand & Innovation which is part of Marketing & Sales of Cards & Unsecured Business under the Consumer Banking Division. Confused yet? Yeah, I'm the little bug on the slightly bigger bug.

Downloads

Thanks to Kelvin, I now am able to watch what I downloaded from BitComet. Problem is, my broadband isn't fast enough and my downloads are slow and painful. And unfortunately, it seems that everyone is into Season 7 when I have only watched until Season 4. Hence, the download capabilities is greatly reduced with past episodes.

I will persevere...

Oil & Water

I've just been handed a project at work that involves something totally un-me. It's like asking me to eat green leafy veggies every day. And the bosses want it pronto.

But wait! I'm on long leave starting this Thursday! See how enthusiastic I am about this project...

Un-Happy Feet

Everyone said it was good. Some said it resembled Riverdance, and all went away tapping their feet happily exclaiming "Oh, that was so cuuuuute!". Me? I walked away in absolute disgust. Why?

Tell me, would it have taken the world to stop commercial fishing at the Artic if they had seen something as phenomenal as tap dancing penguins? Okay, so there AREN'T tap dancing penguins. But there ARE gorgeous and cute creatures out there in the real world that are going extinct this very moment.

The part when Mumble returned to his clan with the tracking device, I was absolutely sure he had brought annihilation to his entire clan especially when the humans tracked him down. I was half expecting the wreakage of their home with the bulldozing ship and all the penguins scattering in fright and confused anger.

I wonder how many who have watched this movie felt that in real life, the penguins would have died generations after generations until a mere handful would be left before any futile attempt is made to save them?

Let's try something closer to home. What if the movie were made of a cute looking shark, with lovely parents. Then suddenly the poor kid sees his mother with her fin sliced off and left to bleed to death. I wonder, will that stop people eating shark's fin? No, I don't have that faith in humans.

We are like a virus, a plaque that spreads and kills everything in our paths - Matrix. How absolutely true. What are we doing, as individuals, to change our paths of destruction?

Looooong Break Looming

It's finally December and Christmas is coming!!! I absolutely love Christmas and have always felt we've enjoyed several "white" Christmases despite the sweltering heat here in Malaysia. All I had to do was stare into the tv when they were showing one of those Christmassy movies, with a good thick snow outside the home, with snowflakes gently falling and the family cuddled up in front of the fireplace.

So much for my Hollywood Christmases but somehow it would be THE perfect Christmas when I'd be able to do that one day. First, I need to be in a really cold country. Secondly, I'd need to be in a home with a huge fireplace because in that weather, I doubt if my quadruple layering would permit me to sit still.

As kids, we'd usually spend our Christmases in Melaka. We'd decorate the trees with cotton wool, sing carols until midnight (or until our eyes shut). One year, my cousins and my siblings saved up every coin we had and pooled our resources together to buy everyone gifts. THAT was really fun as we planned this in surprise, from purchasing to wrapping to playing Santa past midnight. That was one of my best Christmases ever.

Anyways, I'm taking my holidays starting next Thursday until Jan. Phew! This is fantastic! I've never had so much leave EVER, even after working 7 years in my previous company. Banks do have a lot of benefits... :)

Weird

Before I sleep, there is one thing that I found weird today. Over the last 4 days, when I couldn't sleep from too much sleeping, my mind wondered and grasped whatever that would distract me from sleeping.

One of it was the thought that Jan should not be leaving her house gate open when she goes out, which she often does even when she's gone for a couple of hours. It crossed my mind that someone could be watching her patterns and could very well ambush her as soon as she reaches home. So I thought this weekend, I'd better just tell her to be careful since the PJ house is located in the areas with the highest rate of crime.

And today, she tells me she's been having nightmares about the EXACT same thing at the EXACT period of these few days. I swear I didn't read her blog nor did she tell me prior to this evening.

At least now she's never going to leave her gate open but this is a strange phenomenon.

Noticing Nonsense

Today must be a festival for the Indians because all my Indian neighbours have lit candles all over their garden.

Then it suddenly struck me, most major celebrations have some form of lights. Chinese have their lanterns and firecrackers, Malays and Indians have their lamp oils and Christmas lights.

Okay, going to stop noticing nonsense and go to sleep now.

Horrible Hosts

Both my parents and in-laws are fantastic hosts. When you stay with them, you are never in want or need. Both will feed you incessantly even though you've just had a meal or that their fridges are chock full of food.

When you put both sets of parents together, as how my parents have stayed with my in-laws recently, my parents were fed until they nearly burst out of their seams!

So it is absolutely a shocking and horrible fact that their offsprings, KS and I (well, more so I), are truly terrible hosts. I've always known it but the knowing of a fact is never as painful as it is when you are being faced with it.

KS has already gotten over last weekend's visit by my in-laws but I'm still recuperating from the embarrassment and lack of hosting skills we've shown onto them. They deserved so much more than our lack of attention to providing some even basic needs such as breakfast!

Ok, I won't go into details but the only way I know how to rectify this is to host more and more people at our home so that we know what to provide without being asked. Anyone care to be our experiments?

Bit Torrent

My colleague introduced this software to me and I finally figured out how to download Gilmore Girls. Unfortunately, when I play the file, it comes out as a sound file and not a visual file! I'm so frustrated! Even though I just uploaded the latest version of Winamp it refuses to play.

I'm still ill but at least I can stay up a bit longer now and had my first proper meal which I promptly purged after half an hour. The chocolate flavoured medicine the doctor gave may be a little mild but I'd rather it mild than have it clamp my entire passage like the last time around!

Stomach Flu

I've been sick like a dog the last 2 days. Only managed to consume about 3 glasses of warm water in the last 36 hours and yet I still manage to purge.

But it's great being able to stay at home without having to worry about getting an MC. I have 13 days leave to clear so this is one good way of clearing it! Well, not exactly.

Ok, my brain isn't functioning anymore and my fingers are curled. I'm going to sleep again.

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?)

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.


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.


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.


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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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 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....

Cuppies!

After raving about the cupcakes from this Singaporean blogger, I finally decided to give cupcakes a try. Although my Mum loves baking, she never made cupcakes for us to decorate so since Jan was staying overnight, I thought it would be a great time for us to get our creative juices going.

Unfortunately, the chocolate cake recipe was a little, er, explosive. It was a total mess as it volcanoed over the cups and the bits looked like sai (shit). Never mind, I continued to do the icing. Sidetracking for a bit, the icing recipe I followed was total crap! 1.5 tablespoons of melted butter with 1.5 cups of icing sugar. I'd like to know what spoons this people expect us to use. I had to throw in almost quarter block of butter and loads of water just to bind the sugar! Dang, this is the second recipe that has done this to me!

Anyways, here is the result of our efforts:

I'll describe a few to you. Jan did the demented snowman, the ones with the stars, demented 3D snail and fish (I added the starry sai for the fish). Guess which one I did entitled "Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction"? KS contributed the spiral one and then went upstairs to surf the net. Men!

Actually, the snail is quite a nice one since it's the only 3D one.


It looks gross but when I had one this morning, it tasted quite good actually.

Oh well, we had fun. Just that next time, I'll change the amount of batter and maybe use my butter cake recipe for this. And I'll need another icing recipe.

Restlessness

For some time now I have been having this restlessness, disinterested in my work, my ministry, my reading... My daily life feels like a facade, going through the motions. Retail therapy doesn't seem to be working but reality bites when my bills come!

In the process of quelching this, I have orbited out of my normal habits by having a new attitude. I'd like to think of it as a carpe diem peppering, a renewed surge of resolutions. Who says resolutions need only come at the start of the year?

So what wheels have I set in motion? Firstly, I have been longing to be able to attend a photography workshop ever since my cousin in Canada attended one to learn how to use their newly acquired SLR. Not that I have an SLR or that I am interested in becoming a photographer, rather, to learn how to brush up and improve my basic photography with my humble Nikon Coolpix.

I've managed to find someone who is willing to teach a couple of us the basics for free. So that's going to happen next month.

Secondly, baking classes. I am still researching on this as I am looking for a hands-on class, to learn the foundations of baking. So far, no yields yet but still I will persist.

Thirdly, Toastmasters. Hmm... the fire for this one has died down as I have yet to find anyone interested to go with me. Solo is still fine but having a partner will help spur me on.

And finally, I am going to update my pathetic make up collection. My colleagues gasped in horror when I told them my set it at least 3 years old, an eclectic mix of cheap, ah affordable brands. "Throw them all away! Imagine the germs residing in your 4 year old foundation and mascara!"

So, in two weeks time, they are dragging me to KLCC to update (or ctrl-alt-del) my make up set for a girly shopping spree. They've been wanting to do a makeover on me for ever as I never wear make up to work. I'm happy to be putty in their hands for this.

Also, I have 13 days leave which I need to clear by end of the year. No idea where to go or what to do yet since KS doesn't have leave, now that he's started his new job.

Chicken Feet

A uni friend introduced this tim sum place near my home and I have been absolutely hooked to it. Their prawns are fresh and there is a good variety of dishes.

We've been there 3 times already and even though it is not cheap, I think this has taken precedence over my liking for sushi/sashimi.

And the best part is? I get to eat my yummy chicken feet!

Did I ever mention how I came to eat chicken feet? I was at my friend, jo-bloggs, place during secondary school. We were attending afternoon school back then and before heading to school, she offered me lunch, cooked by her granny. Of course I accepted. However, there was only one meat dish, and that was chicken feet boiled in dark brown broth together with chinese mushrooms. Thank goodness I was eating alone. My despair was apparent but I certainly couldn't starve and be rude, so I had to eat it. And discovered it wasn't THAT bad after all!

So, now I'm really hooked on the tim sum version. Absolutely yummy and KS lets me have the entire dish to myself - he hates it! Oh well, less men more share.

Crunching Bones

When we got back from Melaka late last night, Dat Fella failed to come running to greet us. Then, as I was surfing the net upstairs, KS called me to quickly come down to check if it really was Dat Fella who was crouching at a corner near our potted plant. She seemed busy, ignoring KS' calls to come rub herself on his foot as per her normal routine.

She seemed to be chewing on something and by the time I spotted the rat's tail, there was a sickening crunch as her jaws crushed the bones. As swiftly as I had come downstairs, I ran upstairs, not wanting to hear more.

This morning, all that's left is a slight blood stain on the cement floor. Ew... But I'm glad she's a good mouser. Jay always vomited the half eaten rodent at the doorstep and I had to clean up before I left for work.

Angels & Demons

When my friend told me how good this book is, as compared to the Da Vinci Code, I knew it would be a good book. I just wasn't prepared HOW it would have kept me turning the pages.

There is an illustrated version of the book in my in-laws place. It's been there for months and every time I go there, I never had the desire to pick it up. However, our trip to Melaka extended by accident (we overslept but that's another story altogether).

So on the last night, I wanted to accompany KS to watch the latest U2 DVD release, Zoo TV. I had hoped I could alternate reading one page and watch the concert. Of course, that never happened. By midnight, KS was ready for bed but I was still immersed and sitting on the edge of my chair. I decided I could still accompany him but read in bed.

Next thing I knew, I heard the sound of a motorbike right in front of the house. I bolted up in panic, as my mind was filled with the terrors and killings in the book, but there was a dull thud as the newspapers was flung into the compound. NEWSPAPERS? I scampered out of bed to read the time and was really shocked to find it was already 6:30am.

I cannot remember when was the last time I slept so late and if I wasn't interrupted, I would have gone on until I finished the book.

Dang you, Dan Brown! This is your second book that has kept me awake until I finished them within 24 hours. I'm glad I read Da Vinci Code first. Angels & Demons is FAR better and the illustrations and photos of the actual sculptures in Rome really helped with the visualisation.

I also realised that I actually have a fear of sculptures, they look so life-like! How marble is carved to look like a flowing cloak makes it seem as though the statue can come alive any time. I hope never to be in the vicinity of one at night.

Ryan & Colin

Just spent the last 3 hours downloading and watching clips from Who's Line Is It Anyway? from youtube.com. This is one show I can watch forever, it's so funny!

Ryan and Colin really crack me up. Colin always gets the female roles while Ryan gets weird ones like being an embryo or something.

So, Day 1 hasn't been very productive. But I'm lovin' it!

Shopping Bug

I don't know what's gotten into me but I've had the shopping bug for ages! I want to buy a new top for work, a new pair of shoes to match all my skirts, a pair of white trousers (my colleague convinced me it's a staple in any girls wardrobe and that I should NOT associate it with emphasizing my thunder thighs and fishball butt).

Even though I have already been scouring some malls, I come away empty handed and determined to launch myself on the next mall. But what I've successfully purchased was not on my shopping list. I bought myself some bras.

I am not shy to admit my bloodline produces pear shaped women and cup A has always been my size. Let me tell you what size I bought this week, cup C. Yeah. Width was tighter by 2 inches and the more comfortable size was a B with the correct width BUT STILL! I proudly whispered to my colleague the next day, "I can wear a C!"

Some years back, I suspect bra manufacturers cottoned on to the fact that not many girls like to categorise their bits as a size A cup. God forbid, it is like a guy going to the drugstore, "May I have a pack of condoms, Small size please?". You CAN'T find a small sized condom, it goes by Large, XLarge and XXLarge (wow, the things one learns at Marketing classes!).

Either that or my fats have finally reached where I have always longed for it to go.

Lazy Bliss

I have a stretch of 5 days due to the Deepavali and Hari Raya holidays. Had great plans of baking til the oven couldn't take it anymore, reading until my eyes watered, being on the computer at great lengths, watching South Park episodes until my speech becomes like Cartman (dammit!), paint at least one shopping mall red and just LAZE around. But there's only 5 days, dammit! Suddenly, there isn't enough time to do all that!

Oh, and perhaps tidy up my bags of clothes.

For the past month, I have been living out of bags. What with all that travelling, staying over in PJ, my home hasn't been a home. I've grown to despise packing, unpacking, packing and then finally unpacking. Thus, I have at least 3 bags on the floor with clothes I have used/packed during the last few stays.

Anyways, there's our trip to Melaka squeezed into this 5 days too. My sis-in-law is back from Perth and also KS's dog is living on the edge due to old age.

I'll start packing AFTER I've had my fill of blogging, clearing my bags, doing laundry...

Weekend at PD

My uni mates spent the weekend at Port Dickson and competed for these cups at the Go Kart there. My friend Z came up with the idea and tie the title of the Championship to our uni name, Waikato, and paint the cups. Alas, he was called to do some last minute work over the weekend so he couldn't join us.

Here are some photos of me and Andrew racing for the Runner Up Cup. I admit I used dirty tactics to get ahead of him, but I did so want the cup! Andrew unsuspectingly relaxed at the start of the race and within the first 5 seconds, I overtook him and never allowed him the chance to overtake me. =)


After the race, I and a few others, took a short trail on horseback. It took us to the beach but unfortunately, what spoilt it was that they had handlers holding on to the horse the entire time. Still, it was good to sit on a horse again after 6 years.


This place that we had all these activities was at Eagle Ranch. Great prices, only RM10 for 4 laps on the Go Kart, RM25 for the Horse Riding (short trail), RM10 for 15 arrows for archery, RM60 for 50 paint bullets for paint balling, amongst other facilities. Highly recommended for a place of weekend fun!

We stayed at Corus Hotel which had rooms facing the sea. This is what the view outside my window looked like:


Had a great time and had fun catching up with each other. One thing we learned from this trip is that, if you want to travel to any beaches in Malaysia, do it during fasting month. The beaches were EMPTY! It was simply splendid to walk around without tripping over running kids.


*Pictures are slightly blur due to the haze

Retro Friday

Had a great Friday night as my entire department went to Ikea for a buka puasa and celebrated someone's birthday. The spread was quite good for the price you pay, just RM16.70 per person. This is a buffet here in the Klang Valley and we're talking Ikea here. Highly recommended although it is better to go after 7:30 after the Malays have broken fast.

We then went to 1 Utama and played Daytona again and other arcade games. This time, boss wasn't too pleased as we ganged up against him and kept making him smash against the walls.

When I tell people about playing Daytona, they roll their eyes and exclaim people just don't play Daytona anymore. Ah well...we need to start looking for inexpensive group games which we girls can participate. Perhaps we'll look for internet cafès next. Any other suggestions aside Eric's idea of mud wrestling in underwear?

Fishballs

My colleague has a thing about checking out butts. She has checked out the butts of most guys on our floor and has cheerfully declared that the only one with nice buns are on the guy who looks like my Aunt. The one who is so rigid that every new person who comes into the office gasps in wonder when they find out he is married. He's certainly NOT what I would call handsome but if his buns are nice, well then, God is indeed fair.

Anyways, I was walking in front of my colleague on our way to lunch yesterday and she started sniggering with another colleague. Pointing to my rear end, she goes:

"We are looking at your butt! You have a nice butt. You know, like fishballs."

Suddenly, fishballs don't seem to appeal to me anymore.

Bubur Lambuk - Finally!

My colleague was kind enough to grab me a pack from THE original Kampung Baru Mosque Bubur Lambuk. It smelt absolutely delicious and by the time I got home to reheat it, I was really looking forward to having my first spoonful.

There were weird things in it which made each spoonful suspicious. Since I couldn't tell what they were, I spent a few moments sifting through each scoop. It smelt of sup kambing as I guess it used the same spices. Easy to digest, this is meant to be an easy meal to line the stomach after a day of fasting for the Malays.

However, I guess I was too eager and although it was nice, perhaps I hyped myself up too much and it tasted... just okay. I wouldn't mind having it again but I certainly got over my craziness in wanting to try it so much.

Okay, I can move on now.

Tight Corner

Couldn't resist putting up this photo of Dat Fella. Found her sitting amongst the brooms balanced against the wall one hot afternoon.

Why is it that cats like tight corners? She slept there that afternoon and I often find her in that spot thereafter.

And we're still not sure if she's pregnant. How long can a cat stay pregnant anyway?! Or we should just go get some deworming pills. And if she's not pregnant, could she be a he? Missing balls shouldn't be the only way to determine the sex of a cat.

Oh well.

Dentists' Bane

I hate flossing my teeth. The flossing tape would only come in handy when I have something stuck to my teeth and I don't want to brush my teeth when it is not the time for brushing teeth.

Anyways, here is my dental floss. Which I bought in Perth. In 2003.

Was introduced to this by Grace who asked me to buy it for her when I went there. It has the thinnest tape ever and doesn't really cause my gums to bleed should I yank it into tight spots. Unfortunately, it is only found in Australia.

So when my sis-in-law comes back next week, I'm gonna ask her to get my two packs. To last me another 10 years. By then, I would have had the chance to ask someone else to bring another pack back for me. Or I'd be wearing dentures and don't need floss anymore.

Strange Names

Along the way home in the bus, at about 4am, I awoke when we were about an hour away from Alor Star and took note of the signboards to determine where we were.

It struck me that some of the towns up north have really weird names and I have passed these towns countless of times on our journeys down south. Translated literally:

Kota Sarang Semut - Ant Nest District
Arang Batu - Charcoal
Gurun - Desert

And I used to think Malaysia did not have interesting names.

Alor Star Updates

Okay, this is specially for the benefit of jo-bloggs and Khor Ling, let me update you two on what's been happening to our friends from back home:

New parents:
Raily
Han Sen / Boon Lee
Alvin Tan / Ming Ai
Khoh / Jessie

Still single and available (any single girls out there, let me know if you're interested):
Kin Hup (didn't catch up with him, not sure what he's specialising in)
Shah (he's specialising in plastic surgery - "preferably breasts", he says)
Ngek (lost a lot of weight and looks really good)

Speaking of Ngek, he was extremely surprised that jo-bloggs just gave birth. What made him even more surprised was that Khor Ling also gave birth like 7 months ago. He never even knew you guys were preggers! Oh dear, our updates are not very frequent, is it?

Wedding in Alor Star

Just got home from a weekend at Alor Star. My friend, who happens to also be a neighbour, tied the knot last night and SO many old friends came back for it that the wedding dinner sort of turned out to be a reunion of sorts. People whom I have not seen in yonks were there. Ch'ng flew in from Hong Kong, Han Sen, Boon Lee (wife), Wong, Neoh (& wife) from Singapore and many more from KL amongst the usual suspects.

It was good to meet and catch up with some them. It was a night of revelation when we discovered those who had broken off with their partners, those who are already parents and that I felt like I was the only one who put on weight. One looked at me and said, "You're looking well!" and puffed up his face while indicating that I might be pregnant. Sigh. Don't worry, I didn't hit him.

The bride was resplendent and the groom showed his romantic side as he crooned songs to her. A funny moment was when he called all his buddies to come up stage to sing with him and amongst them was one of their fathers. And this dad was so cool, took the stage to sing a few more songs and thanked everyone for coming, as though he was the father of the bride or the MC. The two sons sitting at my table could only shake their head and cross their fingers that their dad would sing the correct song.

Which is when I found out one of my friends whose wedding I didn't attend, sang "I did it MY way!" at his wedding. Oh dear.

But overall, it was great to be home. We spent all day watching National Geographic. Now we're thinking of getting pay TV.

Psychic…

At work, we would often get complaints routed back to us whenever it involves our products. Sometimes, we get ridiculous ones like this:

Customer claims she is one of the winners of the XYZ special promotion. She is not very sure whether she won in May 2006 or June 2006. She has not been informed that she is one of the winners.

Well, obviously since she has NOT been informed, then how the heck does she know she is a winner?! Our customers are psychic!

Attempt

Last Friday, my colleagues and I attempted to hunt down THE shoe for me to wear to work with my no-longer-new office suit. We went to Mid Valley after work and looked at every shoe shop in that massive place - and came out empty handed.

Feeling disappointed that she didn't help me achieve my goal, I assured my colleague that this is normally how I shop anyway. I could walk for hours and not find it. Eric, my husband's best man and the guy whom I've been telling stories about in this blog, had walked into at least 15 shoe shops in Sungai Wang with KS and I looking for my wedding shoes. With aching feet and a disbelieving look, he gave the best eye-rolls ever when I explained I couldn't find ANY shoe that I liked.

Instead, I could be just at a mall to meet someone and happened to step into a shop and spot the one. Just that nowadays, I hardly step into malls anymore. That shall be my mission next week, to happen to step into a mall and happen to look at some shoe shops then. Eric, you free?

Step One

Last week or so, I chatted with my friend jo-bloggs a few days before she gave birth to her first child. Congrats, gal! Can't wait to see little Eliza! Her sms merely mentioned of a sore bottom when I would imagine mine will be filled with profanities from the pain experienced from giving birth!

However, I have finally come to the decision that being pregnant and giving birth ain't so bad after all. Many friends tell me epidural is God's mercy to women for the sins of Eve. Of course, the relief is different from one person to another and also depends whether you have a natural birth or caesarean.

Anyway, as I was revealing this to KS, he was delighted that I have taken at least one positive step toward inevitable motherhood. I did stop him short that I am NOT ready to be cleaning poo and changing nappies or taking care of a baby every single night for 2 years. That would be Step Two and hopefully I will overcome that in 2 years time "before my biological clock stops ticking", according to an aunt.

So then I casually asked KS how many kids he would like to have. He threw me a side glance and said, "Two?".

"YOU TRY TO GIVE BIRTH YOURSELF AND TAKE CARE OF TWO KIDS AT ONCE AND SEE IF YOU LIKE TWO KIDS OR NOT!!"

Oh well, at least there's an improvement. I'm just glad he didn't say more as our new car can fit 7.

Parting

You know when you have to start clearing your wardrobe to give away clothes you can never/will ever wear again? For me, I hate parting with my clothes, even though it's a really really torn t-shirt. I especially despise having to make an old shirt into a rag. Giving it to Grace or Jan is not a problem because then I know it's still in the family.

No, this entry is not about clothes. This morning we were supposed to go trade in the old car for the new one (the salesman called this morning to say he forgot to collect the keys from his boss so we can only get the car earliest tomorrow evening). Yes, although in my head, I keep reassuring myself that we have had so much problems with the car, with it's many breakdowns and expensive upkeep, I was really really sad last night. Sweeping the car with my fingers last night, a lump formed in my throat. This car is synonymous to KS. He's been driving it since he got back from NZ more than 8 years ago and it has taken us from North to South of Malaysia.

I feel as though we're trading in an old pet with a new puppy/kitten. Sorry ol pal, you're old and tired now, we don't want you anymore. Suddenly the car looks so woebegone, sitting quietly in the driveway in it's new polish which makes it's white paint gleam in despair.

The new car will look like the many thousands out there, with no special character to it yet. The old car is not as common as this new one, especially in white. How will it fit into our lives? Will it protect us as the old one has, will it bring us the joy we hope to find?

It's been quite funny actually. My parents have been anxious and excited about the arrival of this car. Dad has been sms-ing for two weeks now, asking when the car will arrive, if KS is getting someone else to do the paperwork, getting my Mum to call to ask how we were enjoying the car (even though it hasn't arrived) until even last night, asking when we are collecting the car. I get sms-es from Dad perhaps once or twice a fortnight or even lesser so it's funny to see so many sms-es from him. He is so excited about this car as he himself was longing to get one too.

Okay Dad, we'll give you a spin in the car when it arrives. Promise!

Bubur Lambuk

Even though I grew up in a predominantly Muslim community in Alor Star, I was never exposed to something which I only found out last year, through a popular Malaysian blog. Bubur Lambuk. Heck, what was that? Jeffooi.com the blogger mentioned how delicious his bowl of porridge was which he got free from the Masjid at Kg Baru during last year's fasting month.

And now that I'm working in a local bank, my emails have been beseiged with offers from people selling bubur lambuk. I then asked my Malay colleagues and they explained it was a broth that is cooked with rice, coconut, beef, intestines, prawns, chicken, vege, spices... the list seemed endless! This is usually cooked by mosques all over the country during the fasting month and is distributed free during the breaking of their fast.

Since my office is just beside a famous mosque, I have been tempted to sneak in and grab myself a bowl just to try this out. However, there are a few reasons for holding me back.

Firstly, I am a Chinese. Chinese do not normally step into mosques, especially when it is not for sight seeing. Secondly, I am a girl. Girls are required to wear headscarves and cover themselves when they enter mosques. Thirdly, my intention is to go in a grab food that is meant for those who have fasted the entire day.

I guess I would stick out like a sore thumb.

But I have been told, the most famous bubur lambuk is served at the Kampung Baru Mosque. I read somewhere on the internet that they have started selling bowls of it outside the mosque as part of a tourist attraction during Ramadhan. I may be curious enough to venture there for a RM2 bowl of what would be my first bowl of bubur lambuk.

Crimes

I recently found out that one of my uni mates was attacked just 3 months ago. He was about to get into his Mercedes at home when some Chinese men tried to steal his car. Now, this friend of mine is a self made businessman, around my age. I would assume that one of his first splurges was this car so it is not surprising he tried to put up a fight. He is also this tough macho guy slightly bordering gangster looking.

Anyway, the robbers slashed him with a parang and left him bleeding from his neck and arms after he shouted for help.

Today, I found out that my boss was ALSO robbed of his Merc last Friday at parang point. This time, he was fortunate enough that they told him they only wanted his car and he immediately gave up his keys to them. If I'm not mistaken, he just got home from work.

Then we've had several decomposed bodies found all over the nation, one of which is a teenage boy who was stuffed into a luggage clad only in his briefs and dumped at a construction site at a major intersection near my uncle's home in Damansara. This was allegedly a kidnap attempt gone wrong.

Another highly decomposed body was found, a lady whose wrists were tied behind her.

There was a kidnap attempt on a 14 year old kid in Subang last week while he was on his way home from school. The abductor is a company director who was heavily in debt due to his gambling. The kid was a random victim but thank goodness he was smart enough to escape.

It's horrific to read so many crimes happening here in the Klang Valley. Will it ever end?

Lurve...

Recently, I was in the company of a mother who really really loves her daughter. Everything her daughter did was perfect, and even if she didn't, it would only be spoken about with a brush of laughter. In this mother's eyes, her daughter could take on the world.

Thank goodness, contrary to popular belief, the daughter is not spoilt. She takes it all in her stride and is completely down to earth, no fighting to prove to others that she's top dog. You can't help but to like her too. In return, she thinks her Mum holds the solution to everything under the sun, from mosquito bites cures to nuclear fusion.

It is heart warming to see such a beautiful relationship. Perhaps this is normal to many mother-daughter relationships out there but I don't get to see it often. Usually, mothers demand perfection from their children and in the end, it stunts the child from growing confident in their abilities. In their obsession to appear "humble" in front of their friends, it is quite common to hear mothers say, "Oh, my child is not as clever as yours". Sad but true.

Of course, the rest of the family also plays an important part. How siblings encourage each other, how much they believe in each other.

Gee, this sounds corny but I really can see how this love can serve such a springboard to the child's future. Yes, yes, I knew all this in theory but having it displayed before my eyes really hits the truth home.

This posting must be the result of watching Akeelah and the Bee last night. Or that I'm going through some major PMS.

Time Crisis II

Ever since I started working, I have been playing this arcade game whenever I could. A game would cost around RM2 and you'd need to keep topping it up whenever your "life" has run out.

So today, after the brainstorming session, we headed to Berjaya Times Square and played Daytona. There were 7 of us including boss. It was such fun! But because I was already feeling slightly nauseous, I couldn't go beyond 3 games.

Instead, I invited my colleague to play Time Crisis II with me. I ended up using only RM7 (prices have dropped to just RM1 per game since they now have Time Crisis IV) and you know what? I FINISHED the game and emerged number 6 on the list of high scores! This is THE finalè to my near decade efforts.

I now do not have any reason to go into an arcade centre anymore except for Daytona. Perhaps I should start another quest, this time on Time Crisis III.

No More Steaks

At lunch today, I had a choice of having fried breaded fish with rice or a sirloin steak. Over the last few years, eating beef has left me feeling a bit ill as I start to have small burps every 20 seconds or so. Once this goes on for some time, I will feel nauseous. So far, I know of no cure for this burps.

Anyways, since I haven't had beef in such a long time, I decided to go for it. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good steak although I was eating at a posh and expensive restaurant. Not worth my feeling ill right now. If it had been a medium slab of tender steak, it would have been SO worth it.

My disappointment aside, I sadly come to the conclusion and will attempt to remember that I can not take beef anymore.

Dressing Myself

Tomorrow my department is supposed to have a brainstorming session at a hotel for the entire day. Each one of us is supposed to do a short presentation on our portfolios to the boss and this is rather a new thing for us.

But you know what is bothering me the most? The fact that the dress code is smart casual. Why? Because I'm wondering what on earth I should wear. Not just dressing but shoes. My only casual footwear is a pair of slippers which I trudged the muddy and poo-caked roads of Cambodia. I am one of those who hates shoe shopping as all the nice looking ones are heeled and uncomfortable.

I wear two pairs of boots to work, one a brown and the other a black to match the pants I wear every single day. To say that I would love to have a uniform to wear to work would define me to the T. But as Karen keeps wondering why I wear boots in such a weather, it's because I can brisk walk easily in one as compared to heels (I believe brisk walking deters snatch thieves) and I can wear socks so my feet won't stink my shoes to high heaven. And even when my feet sweats, it would be contained.

So back to what I am going to wear tomorrow, I still don't know. I have plenty of heels meant for dinners, I have a pair of sport shoes which won't fit the smart casual description and my poo encrusted sandals. And of course my two boots. After the brainstorming session, we're supposed to either go paint balling or go to the Berjaya Times Square Theme Park.

I can't believe I'm related to Karen, the fashion buyer expert. There isn't a drop of fashion sense in my blood. I'm happier sorting out the complications of the new office photocopier/printer/scanner/fax.

Office Politics: Apple Polishing - 101

This is something I have not (and sincerely doubt I ever will!) graduated in or wish to succeed in. To have experienced it for the first time in a major way, I must say it is quite shocking and I am repulsed towards the person who does it. My favourable opinions of this person has drastically dropped and I will never see this person the same again.

Sure, I have heard of it back in my old company but to have it applauded and evidenced in black and white is something else.

If this is the way to climb the corporate ladder, it sure is a sad way to go about it and I will only say the ladder will be a steep one for me. Then, so be it.

Round, Not Square

Oh ya, one thing I learnt over the weekend from my Mum-in-law. Chinese prefer having ROUND cakes instead of square ones. Apparently, roundness signifies completeness, no "corners" (or bumps as I interpret it) in life.

And all this while I have been making square cakes for their birthdays.

Now, I have to use my mathematical knowledge to find out what diameter tin I need to get to fit a cake that used to take up a 9" x 9" tin. Unfortunately, I have never thought the formulas I learnt in maths would be applicable one day. So is it pi x j squared or 2 x pi x j?

Size Does Matter

You know how I've mentioned that I've lost weight due to my purging recently? My hairdresser commented how slim I look and this morning, in a streak of vanity, I tried on my wedding cheong sam which I attempted to wear 6 months after for another function and screamed in horror because I looked like a lap cheong! I'll not go into details but you can imagine lah.

And the cheong sam fitted. Gasp! How do I maintain this? KS suggested I go Cambodia and get food poisoning again. Very funny.

Buying Behaviour

The deejays on a local radio were discussing about shopping behaviours and many ladies called in to say that if they spotted something they liked, they would not rest until they bought it, no matter if it is practical.

Most people I shop with almost always come away with a purchase and they, in turn, would be frustrated that I did not get anything even though we might be shopping for the entire day. Which is why I haven't really shopped for some time now, only when I urgently need to replace my pair of boots for work and that was some time in June. And I haven't shopped with any of my girlfriends for AGES because of my embarrassment of my indecision of buying the item which I really want in the first place.

For example, I know I've been talking about wanting to get a new handphone since my current one acts up every week or so, with it's blank screen. So I've identified a Sony Ericsson that I am keen on. Market price is RM830 and it is being phased out since it's an old model. What am I waiting for? I'm still weighing the pros and cons.

From an outsider point of view, I'd be telling myself, "Get it already and stop debating on whether it's THE phone for you. It's just a dang phone!". Ok, ok! Soon....

Thank goodness KS is used to my bad habit and ignores me.