Lost... in translation

Pai thee kong day

2012-01-30T10:02:00.000+08:00

I would love to blog now but unfortunately I still have much work to complete before tonight!

This is the price to pay now for having too much fun over the weekend.

Ganbate!

We sing, we dance, we makan good things

2012-01-26T03:01:00.001+08:00

It's a memorable day tonight alright, the 3rd day of CNY.

There were lots of talking, laughing and surprise surprise... in many years now.... singing. It's been a tradition for us to have an open house on the 3rd day of CNY every year now without fail and this year is not left out. Dad managed to fix the karaoke machine and someone gave him a whole bunch of karaoke songs to sing so try to imagine this scene:

A full house of probably 50-60 guests, all cramped in together in a small space.

Ok doesn't help much I know and it's really too bad I don't have any pictures to prove the night at all. We were all busy entertaining guests, making sure they had enough to eat and drink and we tried our very best not to bore them after feeding them with ridiculously lots of food. Guess that's why Dad got the karaoke machine fixed. Instead of boring ourselves in front of the tv after meal like the previous years, we now provide them with karaoke entertainment haha yea.. wtf some of you might say.

I was initially quite embarrassed with the idea in the beginning, you know, having my own bunch of friends there as well. I'd say they must be shocked by the amount of family members I have. Anyone would. ~~Sometimes I secretly wonder if that scared off my previous ex-es, having to deal with so many people.~~

But as the night dragged on and as I explained to my friends and bf that that's what the family usually likes to do hoping they'll understand, I saw the look on my dad's face and everything made sense. I felt embarrassed for being embarrassed that my family was singing karaoke. Why would I feel that way? Why? Of all this time... now? Was it because I just wanted to pretend that everything is normal when my friends are there and in reality it's not?

This is my family. They love to talk, they love to be noisy, they love a good laugh and they're not afraid to make a fool of themselves. It's perfectly alright because we're with family and we all understand. There is no pretense when you're with family. There is no need to behave, only the need to feel perfectly at ease with yourself.

Yes, I do worry sometimes if the guy I'm in relationship with can accept this. I come with the whole package. No, not like he has to feed the whole family but more of like... I don't know.. some people prefer dealing with smaller families you know what I'm trying to say?

Beneath it all, regardless who I'm seeing, I'm still a Chinese. I can pretend to be who they want me to be but I can't change the fact that I'm Chinese and being a Chinese mostly means you have lots of family members cause we value family relationships like that.

I don't force everyone to accept the Sharon + whole big crazy family package but I only merely ask them to understand where I'm coming from.

Because when you're with them, it feels like the safest, warmest, most comfortable place to be.

Tonight, I understand my roots all over again.

Facebook irrelevant

2012-01-25T10:30:00.000+08:00

You won't see this in Facebook.

Reason being... I guess I feel more comfortable not knowing who are reading the blog than people I know and sorta know viewing it in Facebook.

I swear my aunts made me do this.

They wanted me to flaunt it but obviously I failed.

It's obvious I'm not experienced in such thing.

But hey, if it's for fun and it made everyone laughed, why not?

S shape flaunting failed!

CNY 2012

2012-01-24T00:49:00.000+08:00

So the first day of Chinese New Year is officially over and I have to say... thank God!

It's sad.. as I find myself enjoying less and less of this festive season as I grow older. Dunno.. CNY was much more fun when we were younger it seemed. Everything back then was more exciting; new clothes, fireworks, staying up till late at night, glorious endless food, getting together with the cousins, yearning to gamble but not allowed to just because we were too young... and everything else.

Now, it's the complete opposite. I still look forward to the food but I no longer feel the excitement for everything else. Being financially independent is great; that means I can buy as many clothes as I want for CNY but somehow that doesn't seem like a big deal anymore. I shop the whole year round anyway. No anticipation or any excitement looking forward to wear the new clothes on the big day itself. If I happened to wear the new clothes before CNY, I can always buy a new one again.

And then the fireworks, well.. grew out of that too obviously... the kids still have a lot of fun and we sometimes go along with them just for the fun of it, but didn't really enjoy it. You know.. gotta be the 'cool', friendly big cousin and all...

Even the 'pop pop' we used to throw has evolved to this.

We attempted fireworks writing again but instead of 2012 my brother fast forwarded to 2018. Attempt failed.

Despite all the chaos in the house, Grandpa was looking lonely and he went about doing his own thing. This year however, he was in a better mood. And we managed to make him posed and really LOLed for the camera.

Nothing like a good laugh to brighten up the day :)

And ermm what was I saying.. yes.. staying up till late at night.. Now, I just want to hit the bed when the clock strikes 10 because the first day is always so exhausting and I'm not much of a gambler.

Still look forward to the glorious endless supply of food, I'll never get bored of our home cooked Nyonya dishes. Loh bak, curry chicken, pig belly soup, sour vege soup, jiu hu char with lettuce and sambal, fried mix vege, acar, tau eu bak, omg.. I can eat all those everyday if I never have to worry about getting fat.

Gambling... also the complete opposite now. Not really into it but my parents and my bro are definitely BIG into it -_- A good way to bond I'd say.

Now that we're all grown up (cousins whom we used to play together) the gap between us starts to get bigger. Each one of us leads different lives now and there isn't much in common for us to talk and bond. Gone were the days where we can click just like that and became bff for the entire day and teamed up against some other cousins. Gone were the days where we looked forward to eating or playing together. Poof* time changes everything.

So, what is Chinese New Year all about now that we are older? I guess it's a good opportunity to forgive and forget, renew family relationships and just be thankful that you have a 'home' to go to celebrate this special day. You start to like spending more time with the elders, talk about life as it is as well as getting some good old advice from them. And you start to realize that everyone is getting old :(

And of course, playing with babies :)

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2012-01-20T15:45:00.000+08:00

I will be super busy over the next few days and won't have the time to update this blog so I'm taking this opportunity to wish all readers a Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai!

May the Water Dragon brings you a year filled with prosperity, good health, good fortune and good luck!

Enjoy the much deserved holidays people :)

P/S: I look forward to the break but I definitely don't look forward to the traffic jams @_@

Tiger Shuffle

2012-01-18T10:16:00.001+08:00

LION dances, yes sure we've seen that a lot but have you seen a TIGER dance? And one that can shuffle too! Check this out, it's so cool! I'm finally feeling a little bit of the Chinese New Year mood!

Air Itam -> Balik Pulau

2012-01-16T12:38:00.002+08:00

A waste!

It's really a waste!

I hiked what seems to be the most scenic trail in Penang yesterday and I did not have a single picture to prove it! :(

The trail is from Air Itam dam to Balik Pulau, the distance is almost similar to the longest route from Teluk Bahang to Penang Hill, only this one is easier, more scenic and definitely have more people using it (mountain bikers, fruit vendors) and less scary. At least I don't have to worry about tiger jumping on me out of sudden from the bushes or something :P

We went with another older couple in their 60s and 70s, it was their first time (also my first time) and I think we nearly 'killed' them with the heat and distance :P They were initially told that it's going to be a 3 hour walk to and fro but little did they know we ended up walking 3 hours one way (cause they're not as fast as us and we stopped quite a bit for the wife to take pictures and chatted a bit with some locals and owners of fruit orchards).

This time around, we made sure we brought enough water and some food just in case but they only brought 500ml water to share between them @_@ Anyway, it was a good thing that we stopped to refresh and rehydrate ourselves at one of the coffeeshop in Balik Pulau before making the trip back again.

I love love love the trail! The slopes aren't as steep as the route going up Penang hill but there are so many of them that after a while, you just need to stop and take a rest for the sake of the knees. And there were quite a few things to see along the way, mainly fruits still attached to their trees (the route goes past a few fruit orchards). We saw pumpkins, gourds, pineapples, bananas, papayas, cempedak, mangosteen, coconuts, jackfruits, rambutans and many different species of flowers growing along the way. Very nice and relaxing! Too bad it's no longer durian season or I'm sure the route will be filled with aroma of durian, another added plus to the hike.

How come no one told me about this route before?! (*flashes a piercing look at the bf*) We're always going up the blardy Penang Hill every week and now that I know bout this route, even though it's longer than going up Penang Hill, it's much nicer and there are more things to see. I'll definitely attempt this trail again soon.

In total, I was told that we walked about 10miles (about 16km) coz someone took the trouble to check the map. Great achievement alright. I did feel a difference after that, my legs were aching quite a bit, must be the different levels of terrains along the way but I'm not complaining and I'm proud I did it. So am I proud of the older couple who did it with us, I've never seen such fit couple like them before. They took their time and walked on their own pace but they tried their best to push it to the end. You see, when it comes to fitness, it's the attitude that matters!

Anyway if you plan to attempt the trail, here's a link *click* you can get some reference on.

As satisfied as I felt after the hike, the good feeling was shortlived after I checked the content of what I consumed for dessert after...

21g of fat FML

Of joy and happiness

2012-01-13T15:35:00.001+08:00

A wise woman told me this today:

"Look, Sharon. You need to be able to distinguish between joy and happiness. Happiness comes from circumstances. When I have a house, I'm happy. When I have a good job, I'm happy. When I have food on the table, I'm happy. When I have this and when I have that, I'm happy. But joy, is different. Joy comes from within. It's your inner peace that lights up with no conditions. You have so many pluses than minuses in your life, you are happy but you don't have joy. It's only YOU... who can find your own joy."

Thank you... for giving me something to remember for the rest of my life. I will try not to disappoint you, I mean myself too. And thank you, to those who have always been patient with me.

Trauma

2012-01-11T12:47:00.001+08:00

Imagine this:

You woke up in the morning, stretched and thought about what a wonderful day it will be. You then turned to your side and faced the person sleeping next to you. Staring at his face, you had a big grin on your face as you thought about all the great times you both had gone through together as a new couple for the past few months. And maybe just thought a little bit more into the future. Where you'll be a few years down the road, or if you'll be married with kids or if things will take a little twist to another different ending. Oh well..not that important as of yet. What's more important is the current 'NOW'.

He looked so peaceful, you thought. He must be awfully tired from his birthday celebration last night. You swept the bit of hair that covered his face and studied it. He didn't stir. You gave him a kiss. He still didn't stir. The birthday boy must be really tired! you thought.

You checked the time and realized it's time to wake up and get ready for work. You nudged him and called out his name softly to wake him up. No response. You shook him a little harder, called out his name louder this time. Still no response. You're fully awake by now. You sat up on the bed and started to shake him harder. No matter how hard you shook or how loud you called out his name, there was no response from him. No stirring, no reluctant animal noises having to wake up, no movement at all.

At this time, you started to panic. When all attempts failed, you opened the door and ran outside. You banged hard on your housemate's door, asking him to come out. Fear started to creep into you and before you knew it, you were shaking all over while knocking mercilessly on your housemate's bedroom door, almost on your knees, begging him to come to your aid at once.

Imagine this:

You're lying in your bed, trying your best to fall asleep. No matter what you tried or how hard you tried, sleep just won't come. You've tried switching off all the lights, you've tried clearing the mind, you've tried listening to soothing songs, you've tried drinking milk but nothing worked. You felt restless as the night went on. You then reached for the phone and updated your Facebook status

"Can't fall into sleep and staying awake for the whole night is fine...only if tomorrow is not a working day!
Sigh...why the eyes are still wide open @~@"

After what seemed like eternity blinking in the dark, you eventually fell asleep. It felt like you were just about to fall into deep sleep when the banging started. You tried to block the noise away, convincing yourself it wasn't real. But it only got louder and louder, Knocking soon turned into banging. HARD. And then you heard your name being called outside the door. It sounded desperate.

With all your might, you dragged yourself out from bed to answer the door. Standing on the other side of the door was your female housemate; pale, anxious and looked as if she's about to burst into tears anytime soon.

'Oh thank God! Fabian, you gotta help me. He just won't wake up!'

Both of you rushed into her room to find the man lying in the same position. His eyes were closed, his face looked so peaceful. You dared not move forward but stood from the side and observed if the chest was moving. No sign of any activity. You walked closer and placed a finger under his nose. Nothing.

Shit.

You tried to check for pulse. Nothing.

Double shit.

Your first instinct was to call for help. Fast! You ran to your room to get your phone and called for an ambulance.

Everything that happened after that felt dreamlike. You looked on as the paramedics barged in. You watched in daze as they tried to resuscitate the man on the bed. You were still in shock when they took the body away. You felt helpless as you watched your housemate sobbed uncontrollably. You didn't know what to do. You didn't know what you SHOULD do. Everything had happened so fast.

You spent the rest of the day in shock. You helped to contact his family members and you tried as much as you can to stand by your housemate, who's in a greater shock and emotionally unstable. As a man who's not used to showing his soft emotional side, you felt helpless. By nightfall, when you've done all you can to help, you suddenly felt the urge to talk to your family. You Whatsapp your sister but she didn't reply. You called home and your mother picked up. You told her the sequence of events which had taken place earlier in the day. Somewhere deep down inside, you felt restless, almost uneasy. Your voice shivered, you mumbled most of the time. After talking to your mother, you sent your sister an sms. She replied 8 minutes later. You told her a friend has died in your house earlier. She called almost instantly. No matter how many times you relate the events your voice shook just as much. Trauma was in your voice. At one point, you blurted out that you should have done something. There was guilt in you. You should have acted braver. You should have thought about it in the first place before calling for an ambulance. You should have tried to perform CPR. Maybe it wasn't too late then. Maybe he could still be saved. Maybe..... Damnit, how could you let that slip?

She told you not to be afraid to sleep that night. Afterall, he was a friend. And friends won't harm their friends. Even with all the reassurance, you still found it hard to fall sleep.

What an unbelievably sad day it had been. It was a shocking loss. This man, who'd been a great friend, a colleague, almost like a brother to you. How can such a nice, good and happy man left the world just like that? And he just turned 30 the day before!

#############

Well, life still has to go on. This story has taught us to be appreciative of the people around us. Tell your family and friends that you love them before it's too late. Sudden adult death syndrome is not a myth! Take good care everyone.

I sure hope my brother will recover from this traumatic experience soon :(

P/S: The real C.O.D has yet to be confirmed, autopsy is still ongoing as this is being published.

Just married

2012-01-09T12:00:00.000+08:00

No, not me obviously.

But she did.

It was a crazy day for not only for the bride, groom and their families but also friends who were running around to get things in motion to help ease her burden. Man, getting married is really not easy.. so much (I use much because the todo list seemed endless!) things to do and everything is on a very tight schedule :S

I know if I'm the one getting married I'll be so stressed out I won't even enjoy the big day itself :S Oh well.. if I ever do get married that is -_-

Anyway, man were we glad for the newly weds when the day finally came to an end. It was a good reunion for all the girls, and we truly enjoyed ourselves greatly that night with lots of fun and laughter. Nothing like a good bitching session with great friends :)

One advice/comment we received from one of the groom's friends.

"You all not married yet hor? You know it's a good thing to get married early? That's because you will still have single girl friends to run around to help you with the wedding preparations. If you're the last one to get married, you won't have anymore friends to help you out in the wedding for they'll be all busy with their own families and babies!"

FML I sure do hope my friends are not like that @_@

Places I have & have not visited

2012-01-08T00:00:00.000+08:00

A friend forwarded this and I love it so much I decided to share it here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)

I have been in many places, but I've never been in Cahoots. Apparently, you can't go alone. You have to be in Cahoots with someone.

I've also never been in Cognito. I hear no one recognizes you there.

I have, however, been in Sane. They don't have an airport; you have to be driven there. I have made several trips there, thanks to my friends, family and work.

I would like to go to Conclusions, but you have to jump, and I'm not too much on physical activity anymore.

I have also been in Doubt. That is a sad place to go, and I try not to visit there too often.

I've been in Flexible, but only when it was very important to stand firm.

People keep telling me I'm in Denial but I'm positive I've never been there before.

Sometimes I'm in Capable, and I go there more often as I'm getting older.

One of my favorite places to be is in Suspense! It really gets the adrenaline flowing and pumps up the old heart! At my age I need all the stimuli I can get!

And, sometimes I think I am in Vincible but life shows me I am not.

2012 New Year resolutions

2012-01-05T00:00:00.000+08:00

So I tried to make some New Year resolutions this year. With 3 words to bear in mind as I make them.

DON'T BE OVERAMBITIOUS

In the past, I realized that I stopped making New Year resolutions when the goals were never achieved or materialized. Either I'm too lazy to stick to them or I soon found that they were too hard to achieve. This year, I shall make the goals more achievable and well..... realistic.

Here are my 2012 resolutions:

A. Be positive and optimistic.

I was initially affected by the bad start of the year and thought that this year is just going to go real bad for me but if I'm always having negative thoughts about things, I'm only going to attract the negative energy and not only it will affect myself but the people I care about so I'm gonna TAI CHI THE BAD ENERGY AWAY and ATTRACT ONLY GOOD POSITIVE ENERGY to myself with positive thinking ftw!

B. Be more assertive

I'd like to think that I'm getting better at this but a lot of work still need to be done. I've always put other people's needs first which ended up my own needs were left unfulfilled or I'm not happy with the way things turned out. When I looked back, I could have been more assertive about a lot of things I wanted but instead, I kept numb and didn't voice out my feelings. Now, I'm left wondering with a lot of what ifs....what if I had said what I wanted then...

C. Finish at least one self help book

I have never been interested in self help books but it'll be good to look into something to help with my moods ( be it stress or anger management wtf I don't think I have it (in denial) but doesn't hurt to try to identify the symptoms)

D. Travel to a new country

A new country a year, that's my travel motto. This will be my resolution this year, next year, and the year after and after and after...

E. Complete the last module of the teaching certification with flying colours

THIS MUST BE DONE BY HOOK OR BY CROOK. It should be easy peasy *fingers crossed*

F. Spend more time with the family.

You know la.. when you start a new relationship, you tend to be more obsessed with your other half more than your family. Yes it's the truth whether or not you want to admit it.

G. Save more moolah $$$

Need to cut down on shopping PERIOD.

H. Fix the scratches on my car.

Well, if point G is achievable then this point can be achieved too.

I. Grow my hair long

I love having short hair, it's so much more easier when it comes to sports but unfortunately, not all short hair look nice with dresses and I LOVE wearing and buying dresses. If the hair is too short, I feel like a tomboy in a dress. Long hair in a dress still looks better. At least for me. So I need to have more patience and stop chopping off my hair every chance I get.

J. Go for a FULL body checkup.

Was supposed to do it last year but chickened out the last minute when I found out that I have to bring my stool with me -_-" #gross factor But it needs to be done and it will be done by end of 2012.

K. Throw a birthday party.

*Big sigh* That's it, finally hitting the third decade, no hiding from it now. I remembered Izso used to tell me long long time ago when I revealed to him my age and he was like 'aiya still so young compared to me!' I wonder if he'll still say the same thing now. I mean, our age difference still doesn't change (duh!) but now that the age is going to hit the dreaded third decade, things are different you know. He'll probably say 'Welcome to the club!' FML

Bonus resolution:

L. Aspire to inspire

Still don't know what to do bout this yet but it'll be great if I can achieve it. Like for example I'd shave my head bald for charity if I have to... ermm something like that :D I'm open to suggestions!

Ok that's more or less my 2012 resolutions. Did you make any? And if you did, what's yours? Share share share!

Hen and chicks

2012-01-03T14:00:00.000+08:00

Here's a merrier, brighter post for the blog and to a greater year ahead.

A celebration!

Our friend is getting married! In a few more days as you're reading this :) And our last dinner with her as a single woman cum mini hen night was held just days before her wedding coz the poor girl was so busy running around she barely has time for much mingling before her big day.

Since we are going to be a loud bunch, we went to Cheers restaurant and beerhouse in Tanjung Tokong. Place was quite deserted and we had the whole upstairs for ourselves!

Obligatory FOOD pics as below:

Recommended if you're not on fat free diet

Meatballs with cheese

Seafood burger

Threesome chicken... kinky!

Overall food comments from everyone: Food is so much better compared to Berlin Beerhouse, I'm banning that place for a very long time except ok.. maybe when I crave for a Leffe Brune!

A thoughtful friend brought the bride-to-be a veil to wear :)

The veil

Hen putting it on!

The hen cheering with her chicks! To a blessed life long marriage!

Cheering at CHEERS!

Everyone hard at work coz we were finalizing the last details of our sisters duty for the wedding day. Groom's brothers be doomed!

It wasn't a wild hen night or anything like that, in fact it was pretty mild. The level of wildness depends on how wild the bride is :P There were just a lot of talking, discussion on the last minute details of the wedding, more bitchings and the sort, well you know...

Anyway, here comes the obligatory photos of the hen and chicks! Nothing too fancy (sorry to disappoint, guys) but memorable all the same :)

Chicks surrounding hen at first

With props added

Change positions

I truly love these continuous shots!

Continuous shot starts..1

Shot 2

Shot 3

Shot 4

Shot 5.. and everybody laughs!

Looking forward to the wedding this weekend! wtf I sound like I'm the one getting married -_-

New Year

2012-01-03T10:28:00.001+08:00

Everyone believes that the New Year should start with a bang.

So did I.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen the way I had it planned. And with my work-in-progress temper, when things ran out of course, I flipped. Though I must say, I regretted the way I reacted that day but it's too late to turn back time. There were a lot of angry tears, because I wanted to show how much I still care, how much I still want to be part of them and how much I wanted to be involved in the things they do. Sadly, due to no communication, it led to miscommunication. The stubborn girl in me took over and I distanced myself away driven by anger and disappointment.

The only good thing that happened that day was the bf's homecoming. The mood lit up when I saw him, but I felt bad I had to drag him down with the moods.

When I thought about things I began to wonder why is it that I'm feeling like this? Is it the need to control? Or is it that I merely only wanted to feel....

accepted?

I shan't be so pessimistic I know. Well.. I won't be. I'll try my best to work things out as soon as I get rid of this anger inside. It's not worth living life feeling ugly inside. And definitely not worth destroying relationships with the people you love because of miscommunication. How long it'll take I don't know but I do know deep inside, I still love them all dearly and I want things to work out.

Stay positive Sharon!

The 3Cs

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Adios 2011

2011-12-30T00:00:00.001+08:00

Hello everyone,

The time has come again to write the year end post. I actually had a draft drafted out last week but when I read back the draft, it sounded so emo that I decided to rewrite it again. Don't want to write the year end post sounding all emo and bitchy and whatnot. The year started with a bang and it shall also end with one too :) Also, Zeek has already sent a 'friendly reminder' asking if I'm going to be writing my year end wrap up post. Ah, the pressure is mounting to get this post out.

3 more days! (as of when I'm writing this)

So let's see...

If I were to summarize the year in a nutshell, it would be:

1) Lesser drama

2) Lesser popularity

3) Lesser flauting

4) Lesser partying

5) Lesser blogging on personal stuffs

In short, I'm tired of drama and I'm staying low profile :) I'd like to think that I'm more mature now, emotionally more stable and well, I really don't have to blog about every single thought and emotion that runs through that little head of mine now, do I?

Just when I thought the year has been pretty 'calm' and peaceful with not much of things going on, the blog archives told me otherwise. I'm not KennySia, the number of things I do will never match up to my age every year but I try my best. They don't have to have big impact as long as they help to make me (or the world) a better person with age. And if I can say this, I aspire to inspire and be inspired at the same time.

Without further ado, let's look at what's been achieved/done in 2011.

On travel:

1) Kicked start first travel of the year by traveling to Singapore and had the most amazing time with brother eating a lot of good things Singapore has to offer,

had a blast of a time in Universal Studio

Do we look like bf/gf here?

had mum accusing me of influencing him to drink -_-

and stayed a night in Marina Bay Sands.

Infinity pool I miss you!

2) Raced in Sabah

Yes you can tell we had a lot of fun on the trip despite the 'tragedy' :)

3) Climbed my first mountain in Lombok, Indonesia

Woohoo~ Best experience of the year! It was not an easy hike to the summit but I did it.

Die die also must show my dirty hardship face again

Camped next to a volcano

Cleaned ourselves up in hot spring

Ok I must resist reposting all the other pictures here. More BEAAAUUUTIFFUUULLL pictures here.

Toured other parts of Bali

Gili Island, where party never stops

Babi Guling, I miss...

Picture perfect group pic

Desperate self camwhore

Shit coffee truly tastes like shit

Best place for suicide, I mean cliff diving

Beautiful temple

On friends:

A girl friend decided to move to Singapore for better career opportunities and we had a small out of town trip before she left.

Your presence is being missed in our outings

On teaching:

Passed the teaching certification exam with flying colours *ehem* and my girl friends decided to throw a small party to celebrate the success

Other things I tried for the first time this year:-

1) Zumba - loved it so much I was so devastated when my instructor stopped teaching.

2) Dodgeball - was fun in the beginning but after a few sessions it got boring so I stopped.

3) First relay run

4) Joined Bootcamp finally and got obsessed with it! Wrote about the verdict here.

5) Attended mass in a church for the first time.

6) White water rafting in Padas River, Sabah

Looked like an idiot with the helmet

Got thrown into the teh tarik river and loving the adrenaline rush

Slept on a railway track!

On personal relationship:

Finally gathered the strength to write about the past abusive relationship. It was definitely an experience and I don't wish it on anyone, hence I shared it out with the world on How to know if you're dating an abusive guy.

As if luck would have it, when the moon and the stars aligned haha, I met a wonderful man in a place I never thought I would meet a guy, if you know what I mean.

One of the best things that happened this year :)

Love indeed happened in mysterious ways :)

So there you go.. year 2011 summed up. In fact, a lot more things happened than I remembered (that's why I still blog to remind me of the things I might forget one day down the road)

I am grateful for everything in my life: God bless the healthy awesome family, the great man I'm seeing, friends who never give up on me and different kinds of life experiences.

I know this is going to be cheesy but I have to do the obligatory wish anyway so here goes:

Happy New Year to all readers who are still reading this lame boring blog (you know very well I try to please you as much as I can right?), may the year 2012 brings you aplenty of joy and happiness, abundant wealth, pinkest of health and.... and...ermm... more $$$? You won't say no to that right?

See you next year everyone! Till then, party responsibly :)

Christmas gathering

2011-12-28T09:30:00.000+08:00

or something like that. It was supposed to be a very formal affair initially, you know, dress up nicely and dine in a slightly pricey venue but we decided it's too restricted if we're going to be talking a lot of cock and making a lot of noise. We want a place where we can be ourselves with no decibel restriction so in the end, we settled for Berlin Beer Houz. There's food, there's alcohol, we can make as much noise as we want to, perfect!

The attendees were:

Soon-to-be Mr and Mrs Tan

Old buddies

I think I was a little tipsy when this photo was taken

The guy who needed to bitch his heart out for the night...look how happy he was... Next to him is Daniel whom we call citizen of the world. He has a very interesting life story; a Vietnamese born in Texas, grew up in different continents and countries like Switzerland, Indonesia and God knows where else cause I don't remember, has traveled 99% of Europe, speaks 6 different languages... in short, an interesting guy to get to know.

Zeek and Daniel

A complete photo of all the ladies who were there

The ladies

Daniel introduced me to his most favorite beer in the world, Belgian beer called Leffe Brune. The alcohol content is slightly higher than normal beer (at 6.5%). I took a sip and I knew instantly why it's his favorite. It's so smooth and easy to drink. If you minus out the calories I can sip it all day long ( no.. I'm already tipsy after the first pint wtf)

Leffe Brune

The bottled version

Finally got to eat my pork burger... a bit too salty but not bad at all!

Pork burger with cheese

The 3 guys ordered pork knuckle to share and were so excited bout the idea of eating it with German beer but it took more than an hour of waiting time and it never came. We asked the waiters countless times, promised to be served but in the end it still didn't come! The final excuse given by the chef was pork knuckle no longer nice wtf... in the end they ended up eating pork leg instead! Poor guys haha

Pork leg

We moved to The Library next door for second round after dinner. Tried this beer and didn't like it as much as Leffe.

Kronenbourg

It was a good night of fun and laughter. I feel blessed that my friends can get along so well with each other. We were like old friends coming together after 10 years of not seeing each other although that's not the case but hell we sure talked, joked, laughed like one.

And the girls went

It's a blessing I never failed to count each and every year :)

Love you guys long long time <3

Christmas love

2011-12-27T10:00:00.000+08:00

Gone were the days where presents were judged by their value. I received the most amazing Christmas presents this year, despite not celebrating the day itself.

From the friend I thought I had lost to another man :P (kidding!)

Omg I've always loved handmade cards!

I love you I love you I love you MUACKS!

From a 5 year old boy (student la wh0 else).

He gave me an 'interesting' looking pen. It wasn't anything much but I felt touched that he remembered to remind his parents to get me a gift for Christmas! And he actually remembered my favorite color and specifically asked his mum to buy a yellow color pen but she couldn't find it so he gave me a purple one instead. So sweet right?! Since the ink is blue he said he'd get me one with red ink too so I can use it to mark his book wtf why so cute one?!

He told me I looked like the angel wa lau... beh tahan...kawai max haha

Look! It gives out light too when you write! HAHA

And the cutest Christmas greeting goes to...

Just too blardy cute... keep this baby away from me!

The day after Christmas

2011-12-26T16:04:00.003+08:00

It's the day after Christmas, oh Happy Boxing day! And I can't believe I've just finished working on my day off. And now, I'm so hungry that I'm eating chicken curry by itself while typing this. I hope you have had a good Christmas. Mine was ok...it was slow and peaceful in the beginning then it got hectic and stressful.

This was what we did on Christmas day....

yes we played tourist. We as in me, my parents, brother, grandpa and 3 other younger cousins.

I've always wanted to go into the Blue mansion but never got the chance too. Since we didn't have much to do after breakfast, I suggested that we pay this place a visit.

I won't say that I love the Blue Mansion very much as compared to the Green House (that's the famous Peranakan Mansion if you don't know). In fact, I was quite disappointed. If it's not for the interesting history behind it, I would think it's crappy having to pay RM12 for the guided tour. First, the garden outside the place is INFESTED with mosquitoes, and when I complained to the man selling the tickets, he told me a lot of people complained about the mozzies too but interestingly enough, they didn't seem to be too concern to do anything about it. I'm telling you, this place is waiting to give someone dengue if the mozzies are not taken care of ASAP. How can they possibly ensure continuous tourist attraction to the place if the mozzies are feeding mercilessly on every bit of flesh they can land on?

Apart from that, the tour was actually kind of interesting. The interior of the house was as old as it gets, but it's not as properly maintained as the Peranakan Mansion. We were 'educated' on the story of the man who built the mansion, apparently he was quite a smart Chinese dude, the feng shui of the house and some other things... (when the tour gets too long winded, you just sort of zoomed out once in a while) Go for the story but not the mansion itself, unless of course you have too much time on hand to kill.

It was a good experience, and grandpa was certainly very happy when he got to pose with this!

Hey afterall, he used to be a trishaw rider back in the days.

And I found out that trying to kill time when you really have nothing to do is really really hard. Had the 'smartest' idea to go shopping on a public holiday but ended up getting stressed out being stuck in the jam, bravo.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get the much needed rest before getting ready for the belated Christmas dinner with my awesomesauce friends tonight!

Ciao~

P/S:6th day without the bf, 6 more days to go before I see him again, halfway there!

Spring cleaning

2011-12-23T09:48:00.001+08:00

I hate spring cleaning. I absolutely HATE spring cleaning.The person who came up with that stupid idea must be someone who’s super lazyto clean his or her house that it only gets cleaned once a year… that’s whenthe dust has already been accumulated at its thickest.

I hate it to the core. My nose is all runny and I’m sneezingnonstop from the dust. I hate cleaning the damn windows .. although I do get asense of satisfaction after having them cleaned, I don’t exactly hate cleaningbut the amount of stuffs in my room are just overwhelming.

‘You are a hoarder’ that’s the first thing the bf had saidto me the moment he walked into my room the first time. I didn’t realize itthen, but after throwing out a HUGE bag of clothes with a few more bags of stuffsthat I never got around to use, I’m starting to think he’s right.

How can I explain to him that all the things in the room areactually things from 2 rooms? I never got around to throwing away a lot of stuffswhen I graduated. I just stuffed them into whatever space I can find in theroom. And with my nonstop shopping habit.. the clothes are piling up fasterthan I can wear them or store them. Some of them I regretted buying onlinecause they either don’t fit well or they don’t look the same as what you sawonline. It must have been at least a few hundreds of ringgits worth of clothes Ijust threw out last night. Mum was shocked to see that big bag of clothesoutside my room. She started nagging while sorting through them, God help her.A lot of them I didn’t wear for more than 3 times, either I just grew tired ofit or most of my friends have seen me in it and I don’t feel like wearing themanymore. Some, I grew out of them and yet I still kept them hoping that onefine day I will fit into them again. Bullshit.. I never fit into them again FMLand I made the decision not to hoard them anymore because I’ll just forgetabout wanting to wear them again in time to come and started buying new ones again.

Stupid fucking diva Jlo in me. I could possibly buy an iPadwith the amount of stuffs I’ve thrown out FML

Ok I gotta stop complaining for now.. need to get thosewindows polished then a lot more others stuffs to do. And hear this...this is only one room.. that’s not the rest of the house yet. It's going to be a loooong day.

Snowman in da house!

2011-12-21T17:11:00.001+08:00

Manmade snowman in the office. It's not the nicest looking snowman but I gotta give the credit to the creative people who made it. We may not have snow in Malaysia but we sure do have lots of shredded paper! :D

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2012 Calendar

2011-12-21T14:02:00.000+08:00

So I was just checking the new company calendar for the year 2012 and WOW do we really have a lot of public holidays. In total we are observing 18 public holidays and including replacement days, we have a total of 25 days off altogether!

Checking my leave balance, I realize that I still have 17 (originally 18 but I've decided to take this Friday off) days left to carry forward to next year and I'm thinking to myself.... what the hell am I going to do with all the unused leaves? Take 15 days off for CNY? Ok, that's a bit extreme.

Right, need to start making plans. Probably quit teaching next year so I have the whole Saturday to go out of the state and do something for the weekend. We've been looking forward to go away and try out other hiking trails out of Penang but my Saturday part time job just won't allow that. I just need to stay on for 3 more months...and I will be off the hook forever.

Ridiculously, unbelievably

2011-12-19T16:24:00.001+08:00

It was a ridiculously, unbelievably good weekend. Exhausting with a lot of running around but GOOD. And just when I thought I finally managed to lose 1kg, I put it all back in just 3 continuous nights of good food. And I mean REALLY GOOD FOOD.

Ok. Overusage of the word GOOD here.

Friday night was spent exploring Stewart Lane in town. We had a bootcamp members gathering. Yes, the girls have gotten closer after months of bootcamp training sessions together that we're now eating and drinking buddies, well starting to, anyway... We tried out Nostalgie, which is a newly opened heritage cafe and boutique tucked away in the quiet lane. Food selection is quite limited since it has only been opened for 4 weeks and they are pretty low on staffs (2 to be exact). I don't see the point of blogging it again since we pretty much tried out the same food as the other bloggers. If you like somewhere quiet, away from the busyness of town, this is the place to check out.

After dinner, we walked down to Muntri Street to a very special, quaint looking cafe at the side of the street for drinks. I regretted not carrying my camera with me that night, would have loved to show how the cafe looks like here. Very quaint, old looking cafe, practically jogs you down memory lane the moment you walked in. I'm definitely going back with a camera next time.

Came Saturday, attended an ex colleague's wedding in Mansion 32. Again, it was a new experience for I've never attended such ermm.. how should I put it.. It was very much different than all the other Chinese weddings I've attended in my life. Unlike the usual hotels and Chinese restaurants weddings we normally see, Mansion 32 provides just the best setting for something grand and yet low key. Ok, imagine a fine dining wedding. There were probably 10 or 11 tables at most, and everything was served as if you're having a 5 course dinner in a nice restaurant. I love it! I love the romantic ambiance, nothing too loud, like what you would get in most Western weddings. Voted best attended wedding dinner by far!

Every guest has a designated place assigned by the newly weds, with our names on it. The alphabet on the top left indicates the meal selection, B for beef, C for chicken and F for Fish. Lovely! Almost didn't want the night to end.

Then on Sunday, we met the Palmers! Story to come soon....

So what did you do huh huh?

2011-12-15T15:38:00.001+08:00

I am writing this in response to the Facebook/Twitter/blog link I posted up earlier regarding an author's brilliant writeup about the Malays in Malaysia. No this is not going to be a racist post or anything near that.

This is about selfishness.

What sparked me to write this was a friend's response to the article and one of the comments I wrote to another Facebook friend. The article was brilliantly written in English that I simply made a comment to have it translated into Malay for those who are illiterate in English to read it. I share the author's sentiments and views deeply, just like the others who have read his post.When I said what I said, which was

'....that this article will have to be translated to Malay.. a lot of those can't read English! no offense to rest of the Malays in my FB but unfortunately it's true!'

My point was simple.. to have this article spread and read by those who are still being blinded by the empty promises made to them by a certain political party. That is what the word 'those' refers to. That's it, I'm not targeting the whole Malay population out there, as was misunderstood by some people.

Unfortunately, someone mistaken my statement for something else. That I'm saying ONLY most of the Malay population do not know English, not other races like Chinese or Indians. I have been in this country for close to 3 decades, do you really think I don't know which race can speak English and which race cannot? Of course not everyone in ONE race is well versed in English. I have made fun of colleagues who can't even construct a proper sentence or those who speak with very very bad pronunciation. In fact, I think I made fun of the people of my own race more than other races.

To be able to laugh at others, first you have to be able to laugh at yourself first.

Yes, I laugh at myself often. I don't particularly like it but unfortunately, sometimes it's for the best. No point fretting over something stupid. I have had my pronunciation laughed at by the bf before. Lots of times, to be exact. I once argued with him that it's 'aneroxic' not 'anorexic' but I was wrong of course. And there were others where he had to laugh at the funny way I pronounce some words. That 'salmon' is pronounced as 'samon' with silent L. I was mad at first of course, in fact it was because I was ashamed of myself when I'm supposed to be an educator of some sort. After that, I began to take it positively. It's a learning curve, and to err is human.

Ok, back to the initial thing I wanted to talk about first. So this friend commented :

"Sharon Ong, I don't think you read the comments, but someone did translate it to Malay, also, when you're talking about 'a lot of those', maybe you should also refer to other races and not only Malays. As far as I know, there are Chinese and Indians who doesnt know English as well. No offence taken but this is also true. Maybe you should start teaching English in schools to educate those who cannot speak english. It will at least help your country. "

When I read this comment, my first reaction was to explode. One, because I was simply misunderstood. I felt the rage in me and the first instinct was wanting to slam her down and to get her facts right. Then I wanted to proudly tell her that I AM doing what she's suggesting. Teaching English. But what got me angriest the most was the fact she's asking me to help my country.

OH! And this came from someone who had migrated out of the country! I'd say, you have NO RIGHT at all to ask me to help my country when you FLED your country in the first place. I wanted to slam her down publicly but it will only get uglier. Ok, let's be more civil on the response.

"I do agree with u, I'm not denying the fact that a lot in other races don't know English as well. fyi, I am already doing my bit for the country as I am now teaching English as part time. I don't just sit n comment on things when i can do my bit to help"

Aha, I hope she gets my sarcasm. That I'm working FULL TIME but I'm also dedicating my time on the weekends to educate those in need. I'm not bragging but it's really not that easy. What would she understand about this when all she does all day is to sit at home, go on Facebook and takes care of her baby? As if it's not enough, she said this :

"That's great that you're teaching English.I hope its in the rural areas though as that's where they need help most."

The first thought that ran through my mind was some Malay saying 'Bagi paha kanan, minta paha kiri pula' or was it a Hokkien? Anyway you get what I mean. I was full of rage, I wanted to ask her what she has done for the country? Defensive, childish at the same time I know but instead of replying with rage, I merely commented:

"No its not unfortunately but I would like to"

Ok, I can go on and on about being angry at what this person replied to me but I wont go at length. Those who have me in their Facebook list can go check it out themselves. I am just pissed for being misunderstood and those who are not doing anything but bitch about their country are actually questioning those who are willing to step up and do something.

This is the selfishness of these people. For example, you pray to God everyday for a windfall let's say, and if one day you really strike lottery (you have to buy lottery ticket la right?) how many of us actually thanked God for His blessing? Most of us would just say it's good luck, no? How many of us actually praise a leader for the good things he/she had done? I think people would tend to blame more than they ever give out praises. How many of us actually thanked someone for the things they've done, instead, we got busy being calculative over things that were undone? Women blame their bfs for forgetting their favorite ice flavor rather than thinking of his behalf that he had searched and looked 3 or 4 stores for her favorite ice cream flavor under the pouring rain. The dragonboat team placed the blame on the coach and manager for losing the race but they failed to acknowledge the fact that these people have dedicated their time to coach the team with no cost at all.

So tell me, when you're not doing anything at all but prepared to place blame and shoot deadly questions to those who actually stepped up and tried to do something to help, do you think you have the RIGHT to criticize these people? I think NOT.

Hats off

2011-12-15T09:57:00.001+08:00

A Malay in Malaysia finally spoke of the truth.

This is a good read to make your day. My hats off to this author.

Takkan Melayu Hilang Di Dunia? ...dream on !

We need change... urgently and desperately.

2 things I found out today

2011-12-13T17:18:00.001+08:00

That to be a hawker, eg. sell "Chee Cheong Fun" in a coffee shop, you must attend a one day "hygiene course" conducted by retired health inspector at RM75. Upon completion of the "course", you will be given a certificate with a University Malaya logo WTF

That to operate a kindergarten, the owner must attend a 3 weeks course conducted by an outsider at RM400 per teacher. All your teachers must take this course, before they are considered qualified to teach. This directive came from the education department. Without this certificate, your kindergarten license will not be approved.

They sure do know a lot of ways to make money from the rakyat. Anything else I am not aware of yet? Aside from the totally irrelevant Computing Professionals Bill 2011 they're proposing?

Pesta Dragonboat Race 2011

2011-12-12T11:18:00.001+08:00

Pesta dragonboat race was on last weekend but I was not in it, competing I mean. Instead, I went as supporter on Sunday as a form of support to the team. The ladies team is a lot smaller than what it used to be...due to politics and complicated stuffs happening in the team which cannot be revealed here but.. it's still going strong nevertheless. I almost freaked out when competition was due to start soon and one of the girls was missing in action. Some of the guys suggested that I changed into the jersey and go down to row on behalf of the missing girl @_@ That was pretty scary alright, I'm sure I would have been hit by panic attack if I have to do that. Haven't been in the boat for 5 months now!

Here's a picture with some of the ladies rowers who had contributed for the last 2 days.

One of them is 5 months pregnant too! She only broke the news on the last day of the race and our coach was worried if she can really do it but being the tough woman she is, she pulled through till the end. See, dragonboaters are tough people, even the women HAHA

We didn't win champion for any of the events but came second for Penang Closed (men's boat) and also second place for Mixed team (men and women) small boat. So closed to getting third place for the big boat but was beaten by 1 second towards the end by one of the Singapore's team.

Best shot taken by me, we qualified to the finals easily by winning one whole boat!

Bravo team!

Obssessed with nude

2011-12-08T16:43:00.001+08:00

I can't stop thinking bout it ever since I came back from Singapore a few weeks ago. I should have tried it on when I had the chance to but instead, I let the opportunity passed me by.

Now that I'm back, I'm forever missing that opportunity. Ever since, I've been obsessively searching day and night for it.

For the perfect pair of nude heels. I found one it in Zappos.com but the damn company only shipped to US addresses FML.

Look at this gorgeous baby. It's so perfect!

PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT I wanna put my feet in it right now!

I should seriously consider signing up with vpost.

Oh great, is this an omen that I SHOULD definitely sign up with vpost? My credit card can help me save up to 30% on shipping charges!

NUDE HEELS ARGGHHHHHHHHH!!! I know I won't rest till I got one! :(

It was worth it

2011-12-07T09:22:00.001+08:00

My back hurts, where the shoulder blades are, from the hundred pushups, or possibly more, and burpees.

My knees hurt, from the steps exercises and running up and down the stairs for full blown 2 minutes non stop.

My thighs hurt, from the intense shuttle runs, squats and hundreds of starjumps.

My calves hurt, from continuous 3 days of hardcore exercises; 1 hiking + running up to 84 and 2 days of Bootcamp.

My abs.. well they don't hurt as much for I'm pretty used to doing a lot of crunches and situps by now, in fact I need more to tighten them up after all the sinful feedings I've been doing as of late. Bf said my packs are showing but unfortunately it's just the upper abs, the lower abs are still flabby and very undesirable looking. Oh God I hate leg raises.

In spite of the pain, I feel good and I want more. Being one of the old Bootcamp recruits, we feel the need to show the new recruits that we are fitter and can do more than any of them could. And nothing boost the confidence more than having other women telling you that they want to look as fit and good as you :)

Just had my blood drawn for blood test, hopefully this year's cholesterol level will be better than the last. *fingers crossed*

Best tandoori

2011-12-05T14:14:00.001+08:00

It was Sunday night and we were driving in circles...to be more exact, we were driving aimlessly without a destination in mind, not knowing where to go, not knowing what to eat. Hunger pangs have sent out some signals earlier but there was no craving whatsoever and we were too indulged in a conversation in the car to really come to a conclusion where to eat.

We drove to Pulau Tikus and every single restaurant we drove by was packed, not unusual considering it's the peak time for dinner. We drove further down past Gurney; the amount of cars and the thought of having to look for a parking spot was just a turn off. So we drove further all the way down to Esplanade and finally down to Penang road. Everywhere's packed, and then I had a thought.

A friend had told me bout the place before. We had looked for it before but couldn't locate it, thought maybe we'll get lucky this time. We turned right into the street where the Penang road police station is, and cruised slowly along the street looking for the place. It was gloomy and eeriely quiet, how is it possible that the shop could be there? There were some bright lights but it was a vegetarian shop, PACKED inside as well. WHAT THE HELL, were all Penangnites out that night for a feast or something?

Turned right at the end of the street, was about to give up then he spotted it.

'Aha, this is the place' Before I could really see properly for myself, he already swerved fast to the left lane and parked the car in one of the streets. We crossed the road and walked towards the shop. This must have been the only shop I've seen so far without customers.

Best Tandoori House, it says on the signboard.

Hmm if that's the case, how come there's no one inside? I was beginning to doubt my friend's recommendation. What the hell, just go in, we're starving by then.

There was man sitting on a table facing the door reading the newspaper when we walked in. He was shocked to see us. Ermm probably not their kind of regular customers? Anyway, we took a table, sat down while the waiter took his own sweet time bringing us the menu. Hmm pretty standard stuffs, not much of a choice.

The waiter's face lit up when we told him we were introduced to the place for their delicious tandoori chicken (or so they say). He became so friendly and polite out of the sudden. We placed our order and waited. Friend said the food is normally veerrry slow to arrive but look at this!

Empty so it ought to be quite fast right? Not really but at least it's not half an hour's waiting time. The mango lassi came first. I took a sip and instantly knew it was the best I've tasted so far. Not overly sweet and very 'kau' (thick) Great balance between freshly blended mango and yogurt.Thumbs up!

As for our food, well it was like a totally different world in there. The servers took their own sweet time preparing our orders, walking in and out a few times forgetting this and that.I felt like life suddenly became slower in there.

Ok, if he's taking his time to make the food, it has to be good. Food made with passion, we joked it off.

I don't remember how long it was but the food came soon after.

Erm ok.. a plate of Indian salad perhaps...

Then this...

Keeman naan

or literally translated, stuffed naan bread with minced meat, either beef or mutton. We took beef. My first time trying this and I have to admit, it's really good.

Then, the long awaited dish came. Ok I won't credit much on the food presentation

Tandoori chicken

He tried a bite, eyebrows frowned and made a noise. Was that good or bad? I didn't wait for him to respond, I cut a piece of the chicken to try. Hmm.... not too bad, slightly spicy and flesh tasted amazingly fresh despite being on display earlier for God knows how long. But then again, don't count on me to rate this coz I'm a bigger fan of briyani, not tandoori. Let's just say he liked it so much he ordered a second plate.

Butter naan and chapati

Obviously I opted for the less fattening option :P

Chicken Masala

It's just normal.. I won't order it again. A tad too oily for my liking. And I thought it would be something less oily with more spices.

I was told that the pratha and dahl are one of the must-try items. Since we've ordered too much 'bread' I decided not to order the pratha but asked for some dahl to go with my chapati instead. In my mind, dahl is supposed to be in liquidized form but when he brought me this, I swear I was a little dumbfounded for a short period of time.

Lentil dahl

We took it anyway. Bf was delighted to try this and he loved it. How is it possible that a foreigner likes this better than a local? -_- I don't know.. it just didn't work for me. Don't get me wrong.. it didn't taste bad but I just prefer something with a bit more taste I supposed.

The whole time we were there, we didn't see any customers like us going in. There were other customers but they're mostly regulars, one can tell. Regulars who ordered dishes that made us went 'what's that?' I guess this place has its own agenda, unlike other commercialized places like Kapitan. It offers more of home cooked 'original' dishes rather than those with funky recipes we normally get from Kapitan or Sri Ananda Bahwan.

As for the tandoori, I can't say it's best I've had so far (sorry CK :P) considering I only took a bite but I will definitely go back again to try it, will ensure that I have the full dish for myself and not nick and pick from someone else's plate :P

Simplicity happiness

2011-12-02T20:00:00.000+08:00

It doesn't take much to make my day. It could be a simple bowl of hokkien mee I've been craving for some time, an email from someone I've lost touch with, a tagged funny video on Facebook to show that friends thought of me, a serving of yam bubble tea or just a simple message from someone I really care about.

So I forwarded him this:

And he replied:

True

Then I replied:

:( can't trust men

Then he replied:

My bluetooth is off, broke it about a year plus ago, don't need it :)

I can't stop grinning from ear to ear after that. Yes it made my day, in fact.. a lot of days after that.

I thought I'm more mature now, no need for all the lovey dovey stuffs but deep down, I'm still a sucker for romance shit.

Roar 2

2011-12-01T09:30:00.000+08:00

continued from previous post

Coffee Club's Caesar Salad with Salmon

Best I Caesar Salad I ever had! The dressing portion is just right, unlike some others which tasted like the whole salad dressing fell into it if you know what I mean. Salmon's great and the base in edible too! Think they made the base from cheese and something else. I could eat this healthy and delicious salad every day for every meal.

SQUE Rotisserie and Alehouse

Beer drinkers will love this place to bits. It offers an extensive list of over 250 different types of international bottled beers and one of the largest selection of over 10 draught beers in Singapore. The beer menu is the thickest I've seen, spreading probably from 8-10 pages you'll be spoilt for choices.
Doug, add this to your list whenever you go down to Singapore. Oh yes, the nachos here are VERY VERY good too! Whatever you do, no matter who's persuading you (yes I mean the waitress) NEVER EVER try the babi guling, it's shit and it's bad, nothing like the real one.

The only downside here is beer prices are not cheap. Total damage of 350SGD for 4 people including beers, wine and food, ridiculous I know...

Viva Mexico

23 Cuppage Road, Cuppage Terrace, Singapore 229465

Recommended by brother since he was here before. Food's really not too bad, service is great too. Try the crab enchiladas if you get the chance to, something different than what you normally get in other places.

Nachos is still better at SQUE's though.

Honeymoon dessert in Sommerset 313

We sat down for this after brother's shopping at Uniqlo and I'm bored of walking 3 floors of Forever 21 and still can't find anything I like. We were here before early this year and I won't say no to this place. I love dessert so much I can eat everything on the menu if I have the appetite and space to do so.

Special creme brulee with sago and yam filling, love it!

Our top favorite is still the durian pudding

Seriously good we ordered it again the second time.

H and M:

Let's just say....

ermmm...

if I have to be honest, after all the big hooha on the place and after going in and seeing it for myself.. it's a real....

DISAPPOINTMENT, though I did find a dress there for a friend's wedding.

Well that's about it I supposed. Time flies when you're having fun, before we knew it, we were in the taxi heading to the airport on Monday. There are more things I'd like to try out in Singapore, more makan places brother would love to take me to and friends I want to meet up (sorry, didn't manage to see any friends down there this time, brother more important ma!) Oh well, next time then.

Till then, thanks for reading the boring post. Cheers~!

and a totally irrelevant picture :p It's officially 1 year and 2 months sporting short hair, now I want my long hair back!

Back from Lion City

2011-11-29T15:00:00.000+08:00

Singapore is bad for me, seriously... If I were to live in Singapore, I think I would be really broke, the shopping temptation is just too much. Every corner I turn, I see shops. Nice looking shopping malls standing there just luring me in with their beautiful displays of clothing, shoes, handbags.

The weekend getaway had been nothing but a shopping and eating trip. In fact we practically spent most of the time walking up and down Orchard road and STILL had quite a bit to cover before we left. I'm tempted to buy everything, but thank God my conscience was still with me before I went crazy splurging on things I didn't need at the end of the day. So you can say I was still under a lot of control while I was there.

And the crowd in Orchard Road was just CRAZY during the weekend. Recession, financial crisis, economic downturn MY ASS. None of it seemed to affect anyone there at all. Everyone carried at least a shopping bag. People still lined up in front of LV to go in, expensive restaurants still have their fair share of customers willing to pay good money for the food, people can still pay for taxis than MRT... well I'd say Singapore is still in good shape compared to a lot other countries. My motto is try not to think of the conversion rate too much over there, paying for quality goods and food was worth it.

Here's a recap of some of the things we tried there:

Meritus Mandarin Hotel :

Since it was only 3 days 2 nights trip plus we'll be doing a lot of walking, we thought it's ok to splurge a little bit more on the accommodation, besides we want this trip to be really relaxed (before the shopping stress set in of course). For the price paid, I'd say Meritus Mandarin was a disappointment. Maybe it's the great location customers paid for, but apart from it nothing really stood out about this hotel. Ok 2 thumbs up because Ippudo is just 5 minutes away in Mandarin Gallery but that's about it.

Room was smaller than what was shown on the website, bed was probably the smallest I've seen in all 5 stars hotel I've been. Yes, I have to say the bed was the biggest disappointment of all. Damn, should have complained in the customer feedback form in the room. Oh yes, the gym was sort of crappy too, even my good old Equatorial gym is way better.

Fake one, bed not this big also

Ippudo :

First and foremost thing we went for right after we checked in just in time for lunch. It was ridiculously close to the hotel, in fact the buildings are connected to each other. Lift down to level 5, then 2 minutes walk to Mandarin Gallery and 2 levels down with escalator. I did what other Singaporeans did, which was lining up for food.Think I stood in line for like 15 to 20 minutes before we were seated. Despite the busyness, service was ridiculously good and efficient. Tables were cleaned up and ready for next customer within minutes.

I don't remember the name of the ramen I had the first time so I asked the waiter for recommendation. We added flavoured egg and pork cubes in our ramen and ordered potato salad as appetizer. Salad was good but ramen wise... well I'm not too sure. The bf loved it but I much preferred the first one I tried on my first trip there with brother. This time, the soup was much thicker, fuller taste of pork but I preferred the one with miso better. Anyway, it's still good. The pork cubes are plain big piece of 'tau yew bak' with lard and oh it's so good and meat's just so tender! I can actually feel the higher level of saliva production in my mouth as I write this. But I'm disappointed with the flavored egg lor, not as good as the first time.

Man, someone should definitely bring this to Malaysia. Good business assured.

Great discovery, macaroons in Takashimaya basement 2

Zeek will be delighted to know there's a new orgasmic food to look forward to next time he's down in Singapore. Mark my words : These macaroons ARE TO DIE FOR. Bf's words : Top class, best macaroons I've ever tasted. Brother's words: SOOOOO GOOOOOOD eh! Next time I sure go again!

Need I say more? The basement level of Takashimaya is a dangerous place to be. So much good food everywhere you just want to eat all of them! Oh my poor figure... it's ok.. round is still a shape right?

Where to get the macaroons, the Twinnings tea stall.

Uniqlo:

It's the place to be for basics and fashionable winter clothing. I absolutely love their parkas and jackets, all very good quality lor! And not too expensive too.

You're not allowed to wear your shoes into the fitting room. The salesgirl will rearrange your shoes to turn outwards just like the Japanese. Singapore won't have earthquake kua...

Bro says this is his favorite shopping place

... to be continued...

Nasi kandar

2011-11-29T13:15:00.001+08:00

First thing I craved for after a few days of good food in Singapore.

I'm just your average plain Jane afterall.

TGIF

2011-11-25T10:30:00.000+08:00

It's finally Friday! Wow, what an intense busy week it has been. So many things had to be completed at work at the same time I tried to balance it out by getting the right amount of exercise. Stress has gotten me to eat more than usual, I think I have a little bit of love handle going on right there at the waist :( 30 minutes of double hula hoops in the gym last night didn't help much either.

Anyway, the good news is long weekend coming right up! We will be heading down south to the Lion City (second time for me this year) for some good food (Garrett popcorn! Ippudo! Ribs! Steak! Fine dining?!), a little bit of shopping (must go H&M!) and some catchup with friends (if we can squeeze in the time to do so). The thing is, we would also like the short trip to be pleasant and relaxed, not rushed. I'm soooo looking forward to the big fluffy pillows, comfy bed with crisp spread in Meritus Mandarin already!

Ok ok I gotta cool down, contain the excitement... I so desperately want another getaway since Bali (one with no hiking involved this time around) and this one will definitely do.

And yes, before I forget, HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!

I am thankful for all the great people in my life; awesome family, great bf, great friends, supportive blog readers. Most of all, I am thankful to be alive, to have known and experienced happiness, to have survived the low downs and live life.

Here's a shoutout to prominent/oustanding friends this year like Zeek, May Lee & Yee Tswen!

Have you counted your blessings lately? :)

Wish me a good trip and have a good weekend all!

Europe

2011-11-22T17:08:00.001+08:00

Darn Zeek, he said something in the email today that makes me miss Europe.

It's been 4 years since my last trip to Europe. Wow I was so much younger and naive then, as Zeek had said. I read back the post on the fairytale castle and I thought to myself, does Germany has to be that beautiful that I'm missing it badly?

I miss the chilly autumn weather, the big green fields, the countryside, taking countless numbers of picture and no one gives a damn cause I'm just another Asian tourist... most of all, it's weird but true... I miss being in a foreign country where everything is a new experience.

I want to fall in love all over again...

with somewhere new...

Perhaps, it's time to look into that trip of a lifetime.

Current read

2011-11-21T11:06:00.001+08:00

This is a good book introduced by the bf. I'm hooked!

It talks about some of the biggest success stories in history, analyzes the factors contributing to these successes. You'll be amazed how coincidences and the events in your life can actually make who you are today. Just started the book yesterday, into my 100 ish pages now so I can't conclude anything yet but so far it's been really informative and addictive. Trust me, you'll keep flipping the pages :)

I heard his other 2 books are pretty good too. Has anyone read it?

A birthday party

2011-11-19T16:20:00.001+08:00

There's nothing like turning 40 and embracing the number as it comes. I admire strong, confident women who are not afraid to admit that we can never run away from age but we can, however, deal with it positively; which is to remain fabulous and confident coz there's nothing hotter and sexier than a woman who is confident with herself.

Great party last night at the newly opened lounge in China House. Each and everyone of us looked fabulous alright :)

Only in Malaysia

2011-11-16T14:47:00.000+08:00

Uncle, you no hot ar?

30th

2011-11-15T09:11:00.001+08:00

There have been good times and there have also been bad times.

There were shoutings, there were tears, but there were mostly laughters.

There were a lot of worries watching the children grow up; the lines on their faces, the rough hands, dull skin are the obvious evidence.

Will they perform well in school? Will they end up mixing with the right company? Will they come to realize the importance of education? Will they get into good schools? Will they graduate with at least a degree? Will they find a good job after that? Will they make enough money to sustain themselves? Will they get a good partner in life? Will their future be much better than the parents? The worries never end.

And these are the worries of every parent, mine included.

Today marks their 30th wedding anniversary, not the longest one we know but as I reflected back on the years, it has not been an easy walk in the park. It takes so much determination, patience, hard work and most of all, never-give-up attitude on each other to make the milestone. We've been through a lot of ups and downs as a family, and though the children don't share all their parents worries, the parents are always there for us whenever we needed them.

ALWAYS. There was never a time they walked away from our problems, never a time they told us off even when they had problems of their own. Everything has been putting the children's needs first before theirs. This kind of unselfishness, it has always been something I'm doubtful of having.

Today, they're celebrating their anniversary in Macau. Both brother and I had sent our congratulatory messages to them and as always, they never fail to credit both of us for making the milestone.

Congratulations Mum & Dad, may there will be more anniversaries to come blessed with great health and happiness because you both deserve so much more than that.

I love you.

The last word

2011-11-14T09:20:00.001+08:00

He said he was leaving. She ignored him.

When Laura Munson’s husband asked for a divorce, she ducked instead of fighting. He needed to learn, she says, that his unhappiness wasn’t really about her

Happiness starts within. Eventually, my husband got it.

Let’s say you have what you believe to be a healthy marriage. You’re still friends and lovers after spending more than half of your lives together. The dreams you set out to achieve in your 20s—gazing into each other’s eyes in candlelit city bistros, when you were single and skinny—have for the most part come true.

Two decades later you have the 20 acres of land, the farmhouse, the children, the dogs and horses. You’re the parents you said you would be, full of love and guidance. You’ve done it all: Disneyland, camping, Hawaii, Mexico, city living, stargazing.

Sure, you have your marital issues, but on the whole you feel so self-satisfied about how things have worked out that you would never, in your wildest nightmares, think you would hear these words from your husband one fine summer day: “I don’t love you anymore. I’m not sure I ever did. I’m moving out. The kids will understand. They’ll want me to be happy.”

But wait. This isn’t the divorce story you think it is. Neither is it a begging-him-to-stay story. It’s a story about hearing your husband say, “I don’t love you anymore” and deciding not to believe him. And what can happen as a result.

Here’s a visual: Child throws a temper tantrum. Tries to hit his mother. But the mother doesn’t hit back, lecture or punish. Instead, she ducks. Then she tries to go about her business as if the tantrum isn’t happening. She doesn’t “reward” the tantrum. She simply doesn’t take the tantrum personally because, after all, it’s not about her.

Let me be clear: I’m not saying my husband was throwing a child’s tantrum. No. He was in the grip of something else—a profound and far more troubling meltdown that comes not in childhood but in midlife, when we perceive that our personal trajectory is no longer arcing reliably upward as it once did. But I decided to respond the same way I’d responded to my children’s tantrums. And I kept responding to it that way. For four months.

“I don’t love you anymore. I’m not sure I ever did.”

His words came at me like a speeding fist, like a sucker punch, yet somehow in that moment I was able to duck. And once I recovered and composed myself, I managed to say, “I don’t buy it.” Because I didn’t.

He drew back in surprise. Apparently he’d expected me to burst into tears, to rage at him, to threaten him with a custody battle. Or beg him to change his mind.

So he turned mean. “I don’t like what you’ve become.”

Gut-wrenching pause. How could he say such a thing? That’s when I really wanted to fight. To rage. To cry. But I didn’t.

Instead, a shroud of calm enveloped me, and I repeated those words: “I don’t buy it.”

You see, I’d recently committed to a non-negotiable understanding with myself. I’d committed to “the End of Suffering.” I’d finally managed to exile the voices in my head that told me my personal happiness was only as good as my outward success, rooted in things that were often outside my control. I’d seen the insanity of that equation and decided to take responsibility for my own happiness. And I mean all of it.

My husband hadn’t yet come to this understanding with himself. He had enjoyed many years of hard work, and its rewards had supported our family of four all along. But his new endeavor hadn’t been going so well, and his ability to be the breadwinner was in rapid decline. He’d been miserable about this, felt useless, was losing himself emotionally and letting himself go physically. And now he wanted out of our marriage; to be done with our family.

But I wasn’t buying it.

I said: “It’s not age-appropriate to expect children to be concerned with their parents’ happiness. Not unless you want to create co-dependents who’ll spend their lives in bad relationships and therapy. There are times in every relationship when the parties involved need a break. What can we do to give you the distance you need, without hurting the family?”

“Huh?” he said.

“Go trekking in Nepal. Build a yurt in the back meadow. Turn the garage studio into a man-cave. Get that drum set you’ve always wanted. Anything but hurting the children and me with a reckless move like the one you’re talking about.”

Then I repeated my line, “What can we do to give you the distance you need, without hurting the family?”

“Huh?”

“How can we have a responsible distance?”

“I don’t want distance,” he said. “I want to move out.”

My mind raced. Was it another woman? Drugs? Unconscionable secrets? But I stopped myself. I would not suffer.

Instead, I went to my desk, Googled “responsible separation,” and came up with a list. It included things like: Who’s allowed to use what credit cards? Who are the children allowed to see you with in town? Who’s allowed keys to what?

I looked through the list and passed it on to him.

His response: “Keys? We don’t even have keys to our house.”

I remained stoic. I could see pain in his eyes. Pain I recognized.

“Oh, I see what you’re doing,” he said. “You’re going to make me go into therapy. You’re not going to let me move out. You’re going to use the kids against me.”

“I never said that. I just asked: What can we do to give you the distance you need ... ”

“Stop saying that!”

Well, he didn’t move out.

Instead, he spent the summer being unreliable. He stopped coming home at his usual 6 o’clock. He would stay out late and not call. He blew off our entire Fourth of July—the parade, the barbecue, the fireworks—to go to someone else’s party. When he was at home, he was distant. He wouldn’t look me in the eye. He didn’t even wish me “Happy Birthday.”

But I didn’t play into it. I walked my line. I told the kids: “Daddy’s having a hard time, as adults often do. But we’re a family, no matter what.” I was not going to suffer. And neither were they.

My trusted friends were irate on my behalf. “How can you just stand by and accept this behavior? Kick him out! Get a lawyer!”

I walked my line with them, too. This man was hurting, yet his problem wasn’t mine to solve. In fact, I needed to get out of his way so he could solve it.

I know what you’re thinking: I’m a pushover. I’m weak and scared and would put up with anything to keep the family together. I’m probably one of those women who would endure physical abuse. But I can assure you, I’m not. I load 1,500-pound horses into trailers and gallop through the high country of Montana all summer. I went through Pitocin-induced natural childbirth. And a Caesarean section without follow-up drugs. I am handy with a chain saw.

I simply had come to understand that I was not at the root of my husband’s problem. He was. If he could turn his problem into a marital fight, he could make it about us. I needed to get out of the way so that wouldn’t happen.

Privately, I decided to give him time. Six months.

I had good days and I had bad days. On the good days, I took the high road. I ignored his lashing out, his merciless jabs. On bad days, I would fester in the August sun while the kids ran through sprinklers, raging at him in my mind. But I never wavered. Although it may sound ridiculous to say, “Don’t take it personally” when your husband tells you he no longer loves you, sometimes that’s exactly what you have to do.

Instead of issuing ultimatums, yelling, crying, or begging, I presented him with options. I created a summer of fun for our family and welcomed him to share in it, or not—it was up to him. If he chose not to come along, we would miss him, but we would be just fine, thank you very much. And we were.

And, yeah, you can bet I wanted to sit him down and persuade him to stay. To love me. To fight for what we’ve created. You can bet I wanted to.

But I didn’t.

I barbecued. Made lemonade. Set the table for four. Loved him from afar.

And one day, there he was, home from work early, mowing the lawn. A man doesn’t mow his lawn if he’s going to leave it. Not this man. Then he fixed a door that had been broken for eight years. He made a comment about our front porch needing paint. Our front porch. He mentioned needing wood for next winter. The future. Little by little, he started talking about the future.

It was Thanksgiving dinner that sealed it. My husband bowed his head humbly and said, “I’m thankful for my family.”

He was back.

And I saw what had been missing: pride. He’d lost pride in himself. Maybe that’s what happens when our egos take a hit in midlife and we realize we’re not as young and golden anymore.

When life’s knocked us around. And our childhood myths reveal themselves to be just that. The truth feels like the biggest sucker-punch of them all: It’s not a spouse, or land, or a job, or money that brings us happiness. Those achievements, those relationships, can enhance our happiness, yes, but happiness has to start from within. Relying on any other equation can be lethal.

My husband had become lost in the myth. But he found his way out. We’ve since had the hard conversations. In fact, he encouraged me to write about our ordeal. To help other couples who arrive at this juncture in life. People who feel scared and stuck. Who believe their temporary feelings are permanent. Who see an easy out and think they can escape.

My husband tried to strike a deal. Blame me for his pain. Unload his feelings of personal disgrace onto me.

But I ducked. And I waited. And it worked.

shared from this source.

Today in history

2011-11-11T10:20:00.001+08:00

It's a great date today 11.11.11!!!

I'm in a very good mood for a lot of reasons :D

May your day be as bright, colourful and juicy as these strawberries I had for breakfast. Have a great weekend!

Bootcamp 2.0

2011-11-09T21:35:00.001+08:00

a Nasi Lemak 2.0 inspired post.. no just kidding.

Exercise. It's something most of us find hard to get started with but once done, the great after-workout feeling and satisfaction are just incredible. I don't know for you but for me, it is. As a fitness nut (inspired anyway), nothing beats the satisfaction of a good workout.

But the truth is, I have been slacking off at least for the past 2 weeks.. or more.. though I still drag my sorry ass to the gym, something is still missing. Sure I enjoy the aerobics classes and whatnot but there's just something about working out in a studio class I don't completely enjoy doing. It feels like being trapped in a chicken coop if you know what I mean; it can get too smelly, humid and the level of carbon dioxide emitted surpasses the level of oxygen...worse, people don't try their best to push themselves to achieve the maximum level of workout. It's sad, really.

You could say I'm pissed in a way, yes. I was out of Bootcamp for at least 2 weeks or more. Falling sick and evening rain didn't quite help either. Today, however, luck was on my side. It poured in the morning but the weather was great came evening. Having stared at the dummy computer screen for at least 7 hours, I was glad to throw the towel for the day and made it a point to go to Bootcamp. Vision was little blurry, head a little heavy, body feeling lazy but thank God motivation was strong.

It was like a great reunion for the usual suspects at Bootcamp. Everyone's mood was good, glad for the weather that turned out right I supposed. Sham, the only guy in the class whom I haven't seen for a long time was more than delighted to see me, and me him. We're both like competitors in a way, which also means we're each others motivator. I try to compete with guys if I can, I may not always beat them but I tried anyway.

Class was a bit of a torture, having not had someone to really push me in weeks. I have great workout partners who try their very best to push themselves to the limit, moaning and groaning are part and parcel of a Bootcamp class. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and not everyone is up for the challenge either.

'Sharon, you are getting weak!' was my source of motivation to push harder. I might have lost my strength but I won't lose the will to fight. We fought for the entire hour. We ran, we jumped, we got down on the grass and by the end of the class, we all could only agreed it was money worth paying for.

With at least 5 mosquitoes bites on my legs which can be solved with peppermint oil, I'm blogging this out with lighter head, lighter body and extreme satisfaction. Pardon this ramble but I really haven't had such good intense workout in a while.

Ok now I won't feel so guilty hentam-ing my plate of char hor fun.

Goodnight.

Fitness tips of the day:
Combine your workouts, mix-n-match is the way to go for a total body workout.

Posh wedding

2011-11-08T18:02:00.002+08:00

Now this is what I call a damn posh wedding for a commoner. My cousin in KL got married last weekend and this is what they used as her wedding car.

Ok .. you can close that mouth of yours now.

China House

2011-11-03T10:22:00.000+08:00

If you are looking for a place to hangout on a lazy, gloomy (weather is like that lately isn't it?) weekend, this is the place I'd recommend. Located in 153 & 155 Beach Street, Georgetown, China House comprises of three heritage buildings, linked by an open courtyard.

This place also houses the new Kopi Cine, which previously was in Stewart Lane. There are 2 sides of the restaurant, the left side is more to fine dining style wherelse on the right side is the Kopi Cine cafe.

It's a very long narrow building that stretches all the way to the back, and we decided to dine a little further in the middle section away from the hustle bustle of the cafe where conversation can take place or if you like a little privacy away from others.

Breakfast is served all day long till 6pm *yay* and since it's our first meal of the day, yes, we ordered breakfast set at 2.30pm *ehem*

Big breakfast

Omelette wrap with cheese, greens and tomatoes

Everything tastes good so far...

No one can come to Kopi Cine and not get a taste of the latte

Cafe latte, tastes good on its own without the sugar

Can't resist the temptation of the sinful desserts

something called Mango Upside Down...

Nuts and chocolate lovers will absolutely love this.

Gateau Marjolaine, a MUST TRY!

It's rather weird to call this Tiramisu as it's nothing like the normal tiramisu we usually have, not to mention there wasn't a single hint of Kahlua in the cake but it's really really good. I love the soft cake and cream with sprinkled sweetened nuts, oh absolute perfection!

Tiramisu with Kahlua

After the great filling satisfactory meal, a few more friends joined us and one of them happened to know one of the workers at the place so we got ourselves a private little tour around the building :)

First we visited the private dining room, where chefs will cook in real time in front of the customers and customers get to savor the dishes hot from the wok. This room can cater up to 14 diners at the same time.

Then we walked upstairs to the art and photo gallery

where artwork from local artists are being displayed and put on sale here. And I must admit, most of them are really really good!

This is the view of the fine dining section from the gallery above

Am loving it so far....

And there's more.. we walked across the courtyard to the other end of the connecting building. Things are as old as they get, like this door over here. I love how the owner (which happened to be a VERY rich foreigner woman btw) creates a very quaint and yet natural feel to this place with a hint of nostalgia.

The biggest surprise of all, also the room which I happened to love the most of the whole building, is this lounge (I wish I have a real camera with me at that time to capture the whole place but too bad I don't)

The place is not ready yet and the guy only switched on enough lights for us to look around, hence the pictures can come across a little dark and creepy. But take note of how the different mix-n-match furniture are placed together. Very creative!

The last part of the tour took us up to the theater hall located on top of the lounge.

Chinese opera here anyone?

It was indeed the ultimate lazy Sunday for us. It rained almost the whole afternoon, conversation flowed and by the time we finally 'checked out' from the place, it was close to 5 hours since we first walked in. Would definitely love to be back there again.

And yes we discovered a new gem that day.

Live it balance

2011-11-01T12:00:00.000+08:00

At times when you feel stressed out, thrown off balance, got too overwhelmed or depressed that life is not going the way you wanted it to be, PAUSE and take a deep breath.

Look for an inspiration.

Mine was a gift.

A picture perfect moment about balance.

A description that fits me so well from a friend who understands.

And more meanings behind it:

A lamp post with 2 well balanced lamps and well balanced fence to fully portray the quote.

I'm not a big fan of B/W pictures hence the colorful hues.

And most important message..... *this statement just blew me away when he told me this*

....the time the photo was taken.

At sunset, a beautiful sunset... which means that at the end of the day, no matter how hot or rain or sucky your day is, it is still a beautiful day, if we can all see the positive side of it.

Thank you, again.

original post blogged out here

OktoberFest 2011

2011-10-31T16:30:00.000+08:00

was great. Nothing too crazy happened but I enjoyed the night a lot in the company of friends. I realize now that one does not have to go all crazy dancing and binge drinking (although drinking is a must) to have a good night out. I was stuffed up to the neck, not with food but Paulaner, tipsy but not drunk, just the right amount of alcohol.

Yes, it was another great weekend.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000+08:00

Here's a great suggestion for your Halloween costume this year as a tribute to Steve Jobs :D

A lil sharing

2011-10-28T09:50:00.001+08:00

A friend forwarded these quotes and just thought of sharing them out :)

(1)    When I was a child, it seemed that happiness was very simple. As an adult, simplicity is the essence of happiness.

(2)    Spending money is as easy as shitting, while earning money is as hard as eating shit.

(3)    Sometimes, the simplest advice that you give to others is the hardest thing for you to follow.

Have a great weekend all.

Standing Chicken

2011-10-27T00:00:00.000+08:00

Tried something a lil different in Tambun with friends for Deepavali dinner, nothing Indian though.

Crab claypot rice, the restaurant's infamous dish, loved it!

Then we had other normal dishes like kepah in sour spicy sauce, potato leaves cooked in lemak curry (very nice), mee tiau (don't order it's not nice) and

Standing Chicken! Saw others ordering this and we just had to try it as well. It's roasted chicken served in standing position, and upon serving, cooking wine is poured onto the whole chicken and fire will be lit to give a slight burn to the chicken. The sauce to go with the chicken was very nice!

Where to get it : Cia Xiang Seafood

NOM NOM NOM

Homemade cheesecake and big meal for dinner, how to stay in shape like this?!

Happy Deepavali

2011-10-26T11:32:00.000+08:00

It's time for a change again.

It's time for...

a new haircut or hairstyle maybe? I'm sick of the not long and yet not short hair that I need to tie up like bunny's tail all the time. Let's see what the hairdresser says. Wish me luck!

REAL STEEL

2011-10-25T09:29:00.000+08:00

Give It A Go! which happens to be one of the soundtracks from the movie that I'm addicted to.

If you have yet to catch this movie, I demand and command that you go watch it NOW! Ok maybe not at this point when you're reading this but seriously, at least open up a new window and book your movie tickets now.

HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. So far, none of the people I know that have seen the movie gave any bad ratings for it. They just told me straight 'It's so good you need to watch it'. And damn am I glad I did.

It's so good, probably one of the best movies I've seen this year. It was toe, fist and teeth clenching and so intense that I just started boxing in my seat at one point while watching the robots fight. Coolest thing ever. Transformers can kiss Real Steel's ass. I fell asleep watching that dumbass movie (sorry Transformers fans but I'm just honest like that).

Initially I only wanted to go because Hugh Jackman starred in it. You know, hot piece of oh-so-roughed-up-masculine body to go with the sexy deep voice *bimbo mood on* Even if the storyline sucks, who cares right? At least I spent the last 2 hours ogling at hot stuff. But boy was I in for a surprise. I found myself admiring the 11 year old boy in the movie most of the time instead.

Dakota Goyo, who starred as Max, Charlie's (Hugh Jackman) son in the movie was just splendid. It's been a while since I saw such talented kid. Don't bother with those pale gay looking Brits from Harry Potter, their performance is nothing compared to this.

He's very good at expressing emotions in his face and can pull the most charming eyes ever. I especially love it when he stares into the robot's eye and says 'Don't worry your secret is safe with me'. When he cried at the end, touched by what his father was doing for him, he made you wanna cry too. Many movie critics, bloggers and audience have acknowledge that this boy has real potential alright. He definitely WOWed many with this movie. Another great review here.

The director Shawn Levy was right when he said, if the kid isn't great, the movie can't be great. Well done Max! Err I mean Dakota!

Erm hey, wasn't I supposed to talk about the movie?

Hell yea, but no spoilers here, takes the fun out of it. JUST GO WATCH IT.

REAL STEEL, REAL WORTH IT. (wtf sounds like advertising only)

It's only Monday...

2011-10-24T15:16:00.000+08:00

Time out

2011-10-23T16:27:00.000+08:00

Empty, quiet and silence in the gym today. Guess everyone really takes their Sunday off seriously, except for this mad woman.

Tried out some new poses today. Really breaks you into sweat.

Ok imma have some rough time with the Kiwis and French now.

Don't wanna go home

2011-10-23T00:57:00.000+08:00

I don’t feel like coming home tonight… seriously I don’t. I dread walking into the room, looking at the bed and think to myself ‘Oh God, please let me fall asleep tonight’. Going to sleep has been a nightmare for the past few days, or actually week. Everytime I close my eyes, a million and one things started to flood my mind and it’s so hard to push all of them outta my head.

I drove around for the longest time right after the last session with friends. They wanted to go home early after dinner but in the end, we went for dessert and even a beer in Church St. I didn’t want to go home, I don’t feel like it, if I could, I wanted to stay out all night, keep myself distracted. After we bid our goodbyes, I tried to think of a place to go but don’t know where. Going anywhere alone now would feel pathetic, besides… who drinks alone in a pub on a Saturday night? Not to mention the danger of it too. So I drove slowly, taking the longest route home. My mind was occupied most of the time and not surprisingly, I almost got into accident, twice.

Tonight, great friends threw a small belated birthday dinner for me and I received my second birthday cake of the year. One even made back from Singapore specifically for this small occasion. That’s what real friends are. I was happy deep inside of course… but at the same time I felt empty the whole night through. It’s never easy to fake a genuine smile. She saw right through me and asked if I’m not happy that they threw me the dinner. Of course I was happy, blessed too in fact but I was just not myself.

The blog has finally turned against me. Words that I penned out of anger, emotions… I didn’t mean to hurt anyone but I did. Yes I have no right to write what I wrote. You know, I don’t even know what to write anymore. I’m so tired… of trying to keep this bloodline going. All the effort throughout the years, all things I thought I could make mine, I realized that I have to be responsible of the things I wrote and be ready to bear the consequences. I never thought it could be this bad.. or maybe I was just that naïve.

I find peace when I write. I find it easier to pour everything out when the fingers run smoothly on the keys. it’s not that I refuse to communicate verbally but writing helps to organize the delivery of speech. There were things that I wished I have said, and there were things I wished I hadn’t said. Regrets… it feels like karma, too late to turn back time to undo the past, just deal with the consequences. And karma is such a bitch.

Malaysian Indians

2011-10-21T10:43:00.001+08:00

This is a story told by a colleague.

There was a group of people talking; a director from India, a high level manager, an architect and a senior engineer. The director and the high level manager were talking about the significant achievements shown by some of the engineers and how they can reward them. The architect then decided to bring up the achievement by the senior engineer who happened to be an Indian.

The director then proudly turned to the high level manager (Chinese) and proudly made the announcment:

'You see, another great achievement by the people of India' (can't remember the exact words but it sounded something like that)

The architect, a Malaysian Chinese, felt ridiculed by the statement and decided to ask the senior engineer.

'Are you from India? I didn't know that'

Senior engineer replied, 'No! I'm a Malaysian Indian. I've NEVER even BEEN to India!'

And the director looked pissed and said nothing. HAHA YES! Right back at ya! Malaysian Indians cannot do work is it?

The silent treatment

2011-10-20T02:34:00.000+08:00

Oh, finally! A quote that describes what I thought was one of my weird moods. Now it makes a little more sense...

Wooloomooloo

2011-10-18T16:00:00.000+08:00

is actually not too bad. Initially read about this place from CK Lam's blog so I decided to take the bf there for his birthday lunch. I love the rich beef and cabernet casserole with mash so much I decided to return to it with Zeek (go follow him in Tumblr for his awesomest photos!) and Erin.

I ordered the same main dish again! You could actually call it beef stew in short la. The beef is so tender, love the soft carrots and the mash. You should really try it even if you're not a big fan of beef. I can never get enough of this.

Rich Beef and Cabernet Casserole with Mash

We ordered appetizer to share. It's not too bad but a little too sourish for my liking.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

Erin ordered fish. Tried a piece and shall I say, nicely grilled? The portion is probably enough for those who are on diet.. if you skip or only take half the mash though. This is part of the lunch set menu, RM19.80 which comes a mushroom soup, main course and dessert (ice cream and pudding) Worthy!

Grilled Tilapia with Mash

Zeek ordered blackened chicken, yes the chicken did taste a little 'blackened' alright HAHA a bit 'chao tar' on the sides but not too bad too! Another high protein diet food, served with funky tasting salad at the bottom.

Grilled Blackened Chicken

Last but not least, the MUST TRY dessert!

Poached pear in Red Wine

You can taste the sweetended soft and grainy structure of the pear's flesh but unfortunately no hint of red wine. Perhaps it's just coloring.

Truth is, we expected a lot from the presentation of the dish. The one we got looked so simple but how come the one blogged out by CK Lam looked so nice one?! Where's our starfruit?!

Verdict : Worth giving it a try. Service is friendly though some of the waiters can be really blur and some can be too attentive that they just sort of 'stare' and wait for you to finish your food so they can clean the plates -_-

Hey they're giving away free membership card with 10% off the total bill, applicable immediately the moment you fill in the form. It comes with some worthy vouchers like Buy 1 Free 1 for main course (dinner only from Tues - Thurs). Penangnites, what are you waiting for? Cheap cheap cheap! Go go go! HAHA

SAD...

Address:
Woolloomooloo Modern Australian Cuisine
21-G Persiaran Bayan Indah Bayan Bay
11900 Bayan Baru
Penang

Tel: 016-404 9118

P/S: Not recommended : Spagetti and risotto (as told by some friends who had been there) WTH these things aren't even Australian!

Mummy's little girl

2011-10-17T20:44:00.002+08:00

The numbers will always increase, we can grow older but in their eyes, we are still their precious little ones.

I came home from gym, rushing to go shower and get ready to go back to office for a night call and when I came down, mum had already packed dinner ready for me to bring to office to eat. She was extremely concerned with my voice loss that she purposely bought chinese herbs and cooked them for my consumption.

Chicken porridge and herbal tea

Mum's the greatest.

Monday blues

2011-10-17T12:00:00.000+08:00

Oh yea~~

Laryngitis

2011-10-16T19:39:00.001+08:00

I feel dumb at the moment. What am I saying.. I AM DUMB.

I have lost my voice for almost a day now and it's not really a great situation to be in. Should have known better, the symptoms were there and yet I ignored it, thinking it'll surely get better with time. The soreness in the throat a few days before, flu like symptoms, a lil feverish but the alcohol on Friday night was the last straw the larynx could take.

2 mojitos, 1 Snakebite, exposure to smoke plus lots of talking the entire night, I went to bed feeling a lil unwell but I thought it was just the alcohol acting up, not knowing the throat was suffering from the consequences. I was initially scheduled for 6 hours of class on Saturday but the last class was cancelled so I had only 4. Thank God. 3 hours and 45 mins later, my voice had gone hoarse, my throat was in pain, begging for me to stop talking. I was in total mess, good thing no parents decided to see me after class.

I had trouble swallowing not only food but water as well. I stuck out my tongue in front of the mirror and there were little bumps at the back of it, tonsil was swelling red. I knew then I needed a doctor to prescribe antibiotics badly. It's the only way to cure it before it got worse. I took one after dinner and I was feeling a lil better the morning after. The voice is still gone but at least the pain in the throat is not there anymore and I could swallow without pain.

As of now, I still have a little fever and cough is coming too.

Wish me a speedy recovery so I can be strong all over again, inside and out.

I hope you have a better Sunday than mine, coz mine's shit.

Presents

2011-10-14T00:50:00.000+08:00

As we grow older, the number of presents we receive grows smaller. In time to come, we'll be happy if people actually do remember our birthdays without having to be reminded by social networking sites. I think, if I have to count the number of people who ACTUALLY remember my birthday without reminder from Facebook, I can probably finish counting with 10 fingers, yes that's how sad it is!

Anyway, it doesn't matter how many hundreds of FB msgs I get on my FB wall, friends are just being nice and polite, I barely know or talk to 20% of them in real life. What matters most is the people who matter remember it.

Like a reminder from a bestie to remind me I'll always be her friend

Haha bribe me to keep your secrets!

Who also cares enough to make sure that I have a spicy sex life wtf

See through La Senza lace lingerie

There were some presents in form of cash from family members and I definitely am not complaining on the extra moolah :D

Then there's the bf, who gave me the most unexpected present only after hearing one (or was it two) complaints from me.

Present bag

The must have birthday card, it's so cute inside!

But I will not show you what's written inside, strictly for my eyes only *ehem*

Ok, and the biggest surprise

Holy Mother of God

I have been wanting to change my phone for some time, HTC Wildfire that I had was just too fucking slow.. it takes half a minute to load an sms to read can you believe it? So yes.. I did sort of curse and complained in front of him bout the crappy phone but I swear it was only because the bitching mood was on.

But hey, it showed that someone was paying attention afterall. Thank you! I love the speed, the better resolution, better camera... everything! I'm lovin' it!

image from Google

2011 birthday

2011-10-12T21:21:00.000+08:00

Shortalk : I love Blogger's new feature where we can blow up all the pics. Now you'll won't miss another pimple, another strand of unruly or untrimmed eyebrow hair, spotted freckles or boogers chucking out from the nose haha

Today is my birthday, yet another year has gone by. No more sadness, no more regrets. The past one year has been nothing but blissfully happy.I am still lucky to be surrounded by family and friends, those I love and love me back. Another year older, another year closer to the big three O but hopefully still looking like 25 haha

This year's celebration was a little different. For the first time in many many years, I actually had a big birthday celebration with the entire family. Mum threw me a family size birthday dinner of 3 tables, and when it comes to dinner like this, it's always Chinese cuisine + karaoke -_-" Ok, whatever makes them happy right?

I hope I didn't scare him off by bringing him to meet the whole Ong clan. There were some shocked faces but later on, mostly good comments.

"More mature man is better, they'll take better care of you." one aunt said.

"Yes yes, more stable emotionally, know what they want." another one added.

"Oh he's quite good looking!" another aunt checked him out.

"Errr... err... your hair is very beautiful" this had to be the funniest comment ever, and it came from my 4 year old cousin! He was so impressed with the color of the bf's hair that he had to tell him that HAHA

It has been a while since I put up some pictures of food so bear with me, I'm just gonna post up a few.

First dish is always the tastiest, lobster and scallops!

Shark fin, fried with eggs

Quail, gimme chicken anytime!

Some wintermelon dish, ultimate cooling effect!

Doing what they do best, singing!

"Your family sure like to do their own thing huh?" the bf commented the day after the celebration dinner.

"Yes, they're definitely not shy! Not even with strangers in the room" I replied proudly.

That's the thing bout my family. Unpretentious and totally capable of having fun on their own.

More pics..

Aunts...coz I seldom take pictures with them

Cousin - All grown up into a fine young man

VVIPIML - Very Very Important People In My Life, missing bro in the pic

This is a good picture!

Beloved Ah Kong

Family's ultimate Iron Chef - She's THAT good.

Great grandfather with great grandson

And then it's time to blow the candles!

Gather round now!

Singing Happy Birthday, I swear this was quite embarrassing

I wanna be a billionaire, so frigging bad~

Pls pls pls make it come true!

Ok what the heck, cut the cake already!

Ok, I know, quite childish, typical celebration with family but how much more interesting do you expect right? I can't have them going down to the pub and buy me Flaming Lambo or Tequila shots right? At least the dinner wasn't disastrous; family was happy, everyone had the time of their lives singing and dancing away like usual, I had a great time catching up with some of the family members I haven't seen in months, and the bf... well.. he was quite lonely for a bit when I was away mingling with the family but there's not much complaints there. Hey at least he hasn't dumped me yet for dumping this whole clan thing on him!

Thanks again to those who dropped the birthday messages through SMS-es and FB messages, I haven't had the time to personally reply to all but I really appreciate being remembered, even tho I know 98% are from FB birthday reminders FML

I have yet to eat the perfect birthday cake! :(