painting with my fingers

2011-03-03T14:04:00.001+07:00

__________________________________ 

The Painter has officially declared this Canvas closed.

She thanks all friends, followers and readers in being part of her Paintings herein throughout these years.

~Au revoir~

____________________________________________

self check

2010-10-31T14:59:00.000+07:00

Is it the last day of October already?!

how time dashes by in a blink of an eye. gosh, it is ridiculous. (tsk tsk tsk) :P

But i'm glad the whole month did not dissapoint.

not going to say much to elaborate on my previous post - just that everything was oh-so FABulous!!
The stand ups, the musical, the weddings.

Oh, last night's wedding dinner was almost perfect. Jap Buffet in Shangri La - so delicious! i can still taste the Oyster in my mouth (oh.. yuk), the passion fruit/mango desert. what was that?! i want to have it somemoooooore. and her dress... so simple, yet so elegant. (thank god there was NO slide show with a corny background theme song.). Sham and i burst out laughing in the middle of the previous wedding lunch (2 weddings this month, remember) when we heard the slide show's music (which went on and on and on throughout the reception) playing for the upteenth time that day. Note: get good DJ/ more then 5 songs in playlist/no slide shows on auto play mode, please!

... self check.

yikes.
OK. i must confess - i HAVE been mentally taking notes.
from the dress, to the food, to the venue, the setting, the music, the photography, the guest list, the speech .. oh my goodness even to the color of the napkin.

i AM freaking myself out.

i wonder whether he does it too?
:P

bye bye October 2010.

Hello, November!!

to Laugh Out Loud

2010-10-09T11:46:00.002+07:00

i knew October was going to be good. and it seems like it's getting better and better...

kicked off 4th October with winning my first Security for Costs hearing. Sure, a "mere interlocutory application" some would say.. but to face a senior lawyer (6 years seniority), topped with undue pressure from Boss - "Shobana, we can't lose this".. "you sure you can handle this, on your own??" [edit: OK la. let's not dramatize - 'twas not "undue", i know.. ;) ] and then to finally kicking ass before the Registrar and winning the application ... was aaawwesome! :) oh, did i say i was 5 days short from my first year mark in the profession that day?

wookeeyyy... all this boasting is giving me a heartburn.

But yeah, October is going to be good.

Watched Eat Pray Love last night (as predicted, i loved it). but that's not my point - on the way to the cinema from work to watch the movie - i won 2 tickets to the coolest stage performance ever!

Kings & Queen Comedy Asia!
- cloud nine, thinking that i'll be watching Harith Iskandar, Douglas Lim and Kumar all on one stage. Vek's gonna be soooooooo happy ;)

Thanked my lucky star when FlyFm rang me up after my first sms. one sms! damn lucky. had to laugh out loud like a moron on national radio to win them tix - but it was all worth it. i love radio contests! i love the month of October!

and oh, Pluck's in town! catching them with mum, sis and Vek next Fri. Mum managed to book tix on time (way to go, mummy).

not to forget 2 blessed occasions. . family friends' kids getting married next weekend and the weekend after. (granted, i'm more concerned of the wonderful dinners, and of course - to have a reason to dress up :P ) LOL.

Octoberrrrr... a wonderful crescendo to my more anticipated November.

blessed.

ennui

2010-10-04T19:03:00.002+07:00

the digital dial on my laptop reads 7.44 pm.

here i am, in the office. immersed in papers, files, and more papers and files. i am supposedly in the midst of drafting a witness statement.. WAS in the midst of drafting a witness statement. i stopped bout.. er.. 15 minutes ago to digress and surf the net.

that was when i stumbled upon this cool cool blog on cool electrical gadgets/tech thingamajigs.. cameras, laptops, handphones, pdfs.. the blogger actually owned practically everything he blogged about. and his write ups on these gadgets were pretty impressive. i could tell he had so much passion in them. passion...

sometimes i envy those who have so much passion in something. me? i don't know what i'm passionate about, really. surely, if i'm passionate about something, it'll be obvious enough that i need not ponder. guess that's that then. i am not passionate bout anything. that sounds sad.

but on the contrary. i'm far from that. far from being sad. sure, i'm not exactly the bubbliest of all people. but sad? hardly.

still, that doesn't answer my question. WHAT am i passionate about?

There has to be something.

At the meantime, probably i should get back to that witness statement. need to stop talking about myself, and start focusing on my client's story. wonder whether my client has anything he's passionate about...

2010-09-13T15:37:00.000+07:00

i felt helpless... when you cried.

how could he have hurt you so

when he said goodbye

i felt sad... when all you needed

was a shoulder to cry on

but the distance maimed us blind

i felt sorry.. it had to happen

twas so unpredictable

so unnecessary and so cruel

i felt rage.. to that useless soul

why did he do this to you

you didn't deserve it at all

but of all the feelings that

i had after i read

your sad mail, somehow i was glad

cos i know you will definitely find

someone new more sincere

and kind

let go.. and fly away dear friend

you'll find another

in due time

Pleasant surprise

2010-08-26T00:27:00.004+07:00

Look what I found in my mailbox today!

Dave & Hui Li's wedding invitation cards arrived (proly a couple of days/a week ago - i can't rber when did i check my mailbox last.. gosh this is so anti climaxing).. and love love the presentation of it - truly represent Dave & Hui Li.

i'm so happy for you, Dave! Hui Li, you and David are just meant for each other... looking forward to the Big Day in Nov!
xoxo

Sent by Maxis from my BlackBerry® smartphone

Aston's note on some stuff for Malaysians

2010-08-19T19:23:00.002+07:00

An honest surprise after reading Aston's article on religion, on how it affects Malaysian politics and on his thoughts of the general Malaysian perspective on the different races in Malaysia. Surprised because 5 years ago i would have most certainly not been able to imagine myself reading with such interest and agreement and admiration for any of Aston's work (5 years ago we were only 20 - and Aston surely didn't strike to me as someone as intellectual let alone so philosophical!). so yes, i was surprised.

i digress from my main intention of posting this article.

Read and be inspired!

There she goes

2010-08-15T19:08:00.001+07:00

There she goes..

off to the world of fantasy and make belief;

where her craziest dreams come to life,

pulling her away from reality.

There she goes...

building castles on top of candy-colored clouds;

she sees familiar faces and,

she points and she laughs at them all out loud.

There she goes...

not wanting to wake up from her dream;

she tries to keep herself from falling,

she tries so hard to stand on her two feet.

There she goes...

down down down on her back she goes...

she knows it's all gone now, she can't go back..

no matter how she tries to fall asleep.

.....

I'm Baaack....

*in creepy voice*

just one day was all i need

2009-10-15T09:03:00.005+07:00

There are times when one just wishes that she'd be able to go back in time - not in the regretful sense - but to literally be thrown back at days where things are much more simpler, where speed is only as fast as a bicycle going full speed, when our grandparents are in their younger days, when cars are only owned by the very few who can afford such luxuries.

Time really seemed to have stood still in Penang town that Sunday morning. i didn't hear honking of cars. i breathed in clean air. i sat at kopitiams with Vivek sipping kopi-o from an uncle making kopi from his stall under a giant umbrella.

Thankful for the fact that the lil island is one of Malaysia's UNESCO Heritage sites, i can't imagine what would have happened to the beutiful old buildings built so very long ago before the colonisation, long before World War II if not for the shield UNESCO provided for the island.

so i sat back and soaked everything in. it felt wonderful cos, time really felt like it stood still that Sunday.

Reincarnated

2009-08-09T22:34:00.001+07:00

… or resurrected?

what would you call it,

this blog’s current condition?

was it reincarnated,

or is this a resurrection?

pro’ly i should try and see,

their different definitions -

one brings you back to life,

the other: rebirth (you know – like Buddhism).

no, this is not about faith or religion,

just a miserable attempt with semantics;

to describe this lil being’s odd situation

as reincarnation or was it resurrected?

i err and i have to amend,

the mistakes that i have made;

there is nothing about death here,

when it was just in a comatose state.

so i strapped up and shouted “clear!”

when it was time to resuscitate;

“lets get this engine going,

before it is just too late.”

2008-09-16T05:05:00.001+07:00

malaysian political saga...
i'd say it's more like a soap opera then anything else.
sadly.. (fearfully), it's not.

blown up model, 2008 elections, disgraceful acts, sinful accusations, swearing on the Al-Quran, refusal to swear on the Al-Quran, Permatang Pauh, new member in the Cabinet, ACA, "what's gonna happen to Gerakan?", that trip to Taiwan, whisky and puer tea analogies, "squatters", refusal to apologise, UMNO's big foot down, ISA, blogger's dillema.... and the "latest"... September 16

i can't wait to read tmrw's papers... NOT

the end of an era

2008-09-02T09:54:00.003+07:00

let's state the obvious - my blog has been sleeping for the longest time ever. in fact, until today, it was in a comatose stage, almost dead to the world.

naturally, after more then 2 months, you can expect alot to happen. and i'm not just talking about myself.. oh, of course, i'm talking about myself. after going around Europe for 5 weeks, i've graduated from the Bar. i've uprooted myself from London. i've spent quality time with loved ones. i'm STILL spending quality time with loved ones. i've enrolled for driving lessons. i've applied for jobs in KL law firms. i've recieved calls for interviews. i'm home... i'm finally Home.

it almost feels like i'm starting a new chapter once again.

a new beginning.

as if a new era is dawning.

and i can't wait for it to start.

all set!

2008-06-14T00:45:00.002+07:00

i'm going for a backpacking trip!!

us 4 - Deepa, Deepak, AhSoo and i have been planning this for the longest of time. and tmrw - 10.50 a.m. - off we fly to Norway.

10 countries, 30 days - it's a mission, a pilgrimage.

here's our so called "well -researched" itenary we came up with:

Oslo - 14th June
Stockholm - 16th June
Copenhagen - 19th June
Berlin - 22nd June
Prague - 25th June
Munich - 27th June
Vienna - 29th June
Budapest - 2nd July
Zagreb and the Split - 4th July
Dubrovnik - 6th July
Italy - 8th July
Greece - 18th July

but here's the joke of the moment -
me being ME, failed to realise i had shortage of funds in my account to last me the whole trip. so badly shortaged, that if i went with what i had, i wouldn't be able to eat at all thru not till only yesterday. (greatness in the making, eh. 2 days before flight!) had to make urgent/tearful/pleading call to mum to ask for more money. so much for being independant and responsible.

so off we go tmrw - to our soul searching, tolerance testing euro trip. i'm predicting i'll know new sides of my 3 friends after this one month adventure. the bad and the ugly.. the shocking and freaky.. the hairy and scary.. (yikes.. scratch that).. [that sounded wrong too..]

anyways, i'm thinking of making a whole blog on the month's adventure. that way, i don't have to update everyday on my on goings.. doubt there'll be so much time to spen in the internet cafe.. but then again, blogging in the super past tense.. would be kinda.. texting. the bulk! so constant updates would be better.. hmm... so how ar?

for now - yayyyyyy!!!

eastern europe, here i come!

bloomsville

2008-06-10T01:29:00.010+07:00

walking home from the tube one day,
with the camera in hand and the sun in my eye;
i spotted a pretty yellow flower,
growing steadily in a hedge nearby.

"that's a weird lil flower",
i heard myself say,
(no wider then 2 inches);
no wonder i didn't see it yesterday.

crossed a narrow road,
walked pass that friendly grocer;
behind him i noticed;
was an interesting looking creeper.

is a rose a flower or a weed?
if grown so wild, so carefree;
i dare not imagine its fate,
if someone plans to clear that gate.

now, what else do i see?
not very far away from me;
tiny purplish pretties,
popping everywhere like daisies.

i must have gone overboard,
taking so many pictures that day;
a strange act in my little neighbourhood,
for a passerby asked whether i was "OK".

almost reaching home,
walking pass my neighbour's garden;
i stole another shot or two;
of her tiny little Eden.

too bad i don't know their names,
of these beautiful flowers;
well, i could start googling them,
but alas, that would take hours.

wheee... it's wii!

2008-05-30T11:14:00.009+07:00

i've found my fav past time, when i finally got my hands on Wii.
for all the non geeks, Wii's not a Korean/Chinese dude.. i'm talking about the world's best toy, in my book..

it's soooo smart!

i played tennis like a real pro (with actual racket movement - you can even feel the "racket" vibrate when it hits the virtual ball), swim laps, and run.. with your hands.

so, so, so cool.

and Ruey's even more cool to have bought it a day before his birthday party, and let us ceremoniously de-virginized his numchuks and console. hahaha...

oh, i love you, wii!

everyone tells me it's much cheaper back home. i need more confirmation, because i want oone tooo!

FYI, playing wii, olympic games, for hours that day caused ALL of us sore arms... talk about a good work out, eh ;)

2008-05-23T17:12:00.003+07:00

i'm freeeeeeee!!!!

no more classes, no more lectures, no more books..

shite.. i'm jinxing myself. results out in July... what a wait..

no, no.. no bad thoughts.

for now, partays, shoppings, lepaking sessions, movies, hullo hours and hours of TV, many nights of novel galore- FINALLY!!

i love The Killers. the killers are sooo cool.

how random.. but tht is it. i'm random, now.

"so come on, oh come on, oh come on.... Oh OOh OuHHH!!"

(to those still with exams... last lap, baby! go go go! worth the effort, really..)

"i'm coming outta my cage, and i've been doing just fine..."

YayyyYYYyYYyYYY!!!

dandy-lions - yes, i'm alive

2008-05-02T00:41:00.009+07:00

it hasn't been the most exciting thing to talk about, my life - and to go on blogging about something so drab and blue would be a big taboo...

until, we saw the sun that day. 18 degrees was the most welcoming thing. so wat i did, 9 am in the morning, was to dig up my flip flop from the box i haven't bothered opening since my arrival 7 months ago (gosh, has it been that long?), and did some gardening...

yes, the sun makes u do crazy things...

it brought out the child in me in a way. forgot how fascninating dandelions can be.. and seeing the feathered seed disperse itself from the pod, into the windy breeze brings a happy feel.

u can imagine, i'm sure

look what we saw outside our windows

2008-03-25T06:54:00.000+07:00

it snowed!

just for abit.

light feathery, flakey, snow!

when all hope was lost - snow fell in Spring, a day after easter.

what a pleasant surprise

weather post-caste

2008-03-24T06:57:00.001+07:00

in relation to yesterday's post (22nd march) on my episode in experiencing what i thought of was a hailstorm. it seemed to be, the supposed "freak weather" was not what i thought it was at all.

we got to learn that what we unexpectedly had yesterday was known as sleet. The Americans would call it ice pellets, apparently.

As Wikipedia (ahem..) properly defined it, sleet is "a term used in a variety of ways to describe precipitation that is intermediate between rain and snow but distinct from hail stones." too technical?

Basically, what we saw yesterday was as extrordinary as i initially thot it was. (we had hail in Malaysia, i remember - THAT was a freak in nature, so thinking it was JUST hail in the end was kinda disappointing). what we had weren't ordinary Hailstones, but part snow, part rain! The fact that it was too warm yestersday (note the sudden sunshine after the short shower), snow essentially, got "deformed" on its way to the ground. But, due to the fact that the climate was not too warm enough to make it turn to rain... snow became sleet! ;)

so, there.. that's a known fact for ya!
who knew my blog would be so informative.. heh~

cheerios

hail-le-lu-jah!

2008-03-23T02:12:00.012+07:00

i was going craaaaazy.. being cooped up in my room for so long, trying to remember everything on Criminal Litigation. the Big day is only but on the 28th..

was about to screeeeaaaaam senseless from going thru this long, tiring, non stop ordeal.. when suddenly..

i HEARD it

went to the window.. and screeeeeaaaamed... "SNOooOooOOOWW!!""

of all the little things i knew about snow, i somehow knew this wasn't right. it isn't suppose to sound like that, is it? nor am i suppose to actually hear it, am i?

is snow suppose to look like that? they felt like someone crushed ice and sprinkled them from the sky..

ok, so if you've seen snow before, you would've figured out by now, that this is most definitely NOT snow. but i've NEVER seen snow, and to see crystal like tiny particles falling from the sky on a less then 4 degree celcius day was so fascinating!

i made myself believe it was snow..

but "snow" lasted less then 10 min.

then half an hour later it showered again..

the... hailstorm (may as well call it right), came hailing down mixed in a light drizzle of rain.
All that and the cold temperature didn't stop us from going outdoors.

all the commotion lasted for, again, another less then 10 min.

then.. like "hope" during my desperate moment, the sun came peeking out from the sky. a burst of sunshine warmed up the streets, poured in its goodness into the room.

so beautiful!

changed my mood a 360°...

krrrriiiingg....

2008-03-01T01:20:00.005+07:00

last day of Term 2..

this is my Large Group a.k.a Lecture

the beginning of easter "holiday", the beginning of assesment month.

Miss Catherine Hill is telling us about points we should bare in mind when we carry out conference with our clients... and i hear "buzzbuzzzbuzzz... pet peeves..buzzbuzz.. in 25 minutes.. buzzbuzz..." nothing's going in my head. and i should stop before i start typing out what she says verbatim here on this entry. but hey, why not?? no, i shouldn't.. i can't keep up. she speaks as fast as the tapping that girl in front is doing with her pen.. annoying. stop it! the girl, i mean.. not catherine.. catherine's funny.. she wore jeans to the lecture that day, and apologized everyone, cos she actually forgot she had class... yea.. catherine's cool.

Etmoni's giving me the look.

ok, pay attention to Catherine Hill.

five min.. and i'm staring blankly at my juice. i carelessly left my water bottle at home today. so i had to fork out unnecessary money at Starbucks for this lil bottle...

hmm.. interesting bottle..

the lime juice was good, tho..

yes, it is the last day of term 2.. term 3 starts in April.. and then there'll be May.. and then i'm done. wow!

i'm going to miss my Large Group.. term 3 starts of with a new tutorial of 12 blokes and new Large Groups Lectures.. will be getting to know everyone all over again. well, not EVERYONE... cos i learnt that i know 4 future classmates already. and thanks to the popular choice of subjects, all 4 of em are Malaysian buddies... weeeeehpeeee... (hey, everbody is click-ish, k. i have a right to rejoice)

i must apologise for my long absentism. it has been busy busy busy... and monotonous at the same time. busy monotonous.. hmmm...

i know some of ya'll will beg to differ if you've seen my recent facebook pictures..damn tagging! but, mind you, that was last night and it was after sooooo long.

i still dont have a life.

edit: this entry was written partly in class on the 27th of Feb..

more to come, i hope... back to the books!

will think of more stuff to write about. will entertain questions.. cheers to all!

poTAYto, poTAHto

2008-02-03T03:08:00.000+07:00

right.

it has been 5 months now.
i still don't speak with a british accent.. *clap*clap*clap*. ok, 5 months is probably still too short of a time, especially when you live with malaysians and hang out with malaysians

(as a matter of fact, even one year's too short! - to all those that come back with tht haughty accent even after a 9 month stay.. i am refering to you.. and i'm going "hahahahaha"..*laugh and point*)

but there have been SOME cultural education.. certain words u'll have to learn the British dont say or say differently.. and you'd have to adapt and change.. or they won't know what you're talking about.
it is, after all, THEIR language.

just a couple of examples i have at the tip of my fingers now...
- toilets are appropriately loos. it does sound more polite/less "vulgar".. but we all know that already
- eggplants/ "terung" are aubergines. try using the word in public. instant britain-fied!
- Leicester square is NOT "Lay-ches-ter Square".. but "Lester Square" -_- tell me about it. i felt so daft.
- ATM machines?

"Oouuh.. you mean the Cash Point, luv?"
-_-.. yessss...

british don't vacuum their carpets.. they HOOVER...
and if a person is a Joker, chances are he's just "all about the banter" ;)

a friend pointed out i have been using lots of "fantastics".. "excellent".. "amazing"s lately.. tho i must say i think i have been using the last two even before. don't i? dunno..

anyways, our brit friends think us malaysians speak a whole different language when we talk amongst ourselves. its so easy to confuse them. just throw in a couple of "la's", speak in a manglish pace.. and walaah! they'll have no clue what u just said.

but what transpired me to write this entry - yes, i have not got to my point - is how come "vain pot" is not an acceptable english term. it wasn't until a couple of hours ago did i realise, for the first time, that calling someone a vain pot, is typically malaysian. i didn't know that!

i might be wrong... or the internet english & urban dictionary is just not updated enough.. i'm not sure
so is it or is it not an acceptable english term?

2008-01-23T22:08:00.000+07:00

the reason why i loved Ten Things i Hate About You..
the reason why i watched it over and over again

made me laugh in Brothers Grimm

was so beautiful in Casanova

i thought it was a joke when they told me what was on the front page of the Londoner today..

a distasteful joke, i thought... until i read it for myself.

i was shocked.. so shocked..

to one of my favourite actors

Heath Ledger

4 April 1979 - 22 January 2008

oh, boy

2008-01-02T05:31:00.000+07:00

if you're wondering whether this is a scene from one of the zombie movies (think: Shawn of the Dead) - you're wrong. but i won't blame you...

it was 10.30 p.m., at Waterloo. there were HUNDREDS walking in one direction, for kilometres, heading towards

the mothership.

It was New Year's Eve. and london's fireworks were apparently the BEST way to usher in the new year (if you don't have - a family to celebrate with/enough cash and time and energy to spend in a club/ invitation to a really cool and hip in house party...) ok, so it's not really the BEST way to usher in the new year.. But, how can u possibly explain the CROWD.

this really beat boxing day hands down. we practically crawled our way thru - blindly - the very moment we stepped out of the tube station. just followed the loud "new year music" in the distance.. to find ourselves getting sandwhiched even more in the crowd. everyone was just standing around waiting for the countdown in front of the London Eye. apparently the Thames riverbank was jam packed with people as well. whole of london is obviously awake.. i have never ever seen so many people in my life.

then it started -

London Eye Exploded with a spectacular display of fireworks...

believe it or not, we were on the "wrong side" of the river.. there wasn't a proper countdown.. the next thing we knew, the Big Ben started striking twelve, and simultaneously, fireworks erupted. caught off guard

what an experience, tho!

u can only imagine what happened after the fireworks ended. we crawled our way thru back to the nearest tube - duh.. that took, say, about an hour?

london eye bursting in flames... whoever took this was smart enough to be on the right side of the Thames, got there real early, and had a really handy cam corder (just to state the obvious). oh, he was smart to post it on you tube so quickly too...

Happy 2008, everyone!
luck in keeping them resolutions this time...

northern lights

2007-12-31T00:22:00.000+07:00

i love Di's entries..

the latest is coincidently on my current newly developing obsession. And what Di has to say on the newest "controversy" can't be electronically penned any better, Di style.

the Golden Compass, is my new favourite must see. i have yet to watch it, but i know i love it already. just waiting for the right time and company ( in case you didn't know i can't make myslef go to the theatre ALONE). that's why i wish i was in Lyra's world. 'least i might have my Daemon with me (constantly).

why would i love the Golden Compass? u would too if you loved Narnia, i guess. and have an undying fascination for the magical world, one caught paralell to ours (i pray it exists), where animals talk, and witches and flying beings roam freely. Tres fascinating!

Deepa being the darling she is, got me my ultimate gift this christmas.. she knew i have been eyeing them since day one.

nothing beats the original. 'tho i underdstand the movie version doesn't differ much at all - just the title.

i HAD to put them in the cupboard to stop myself from burying my head in it.. which is a shame. they HAVE to wait till the First Assessment is over! or i'll be in trouble.

according to Lyra's world, every being's soul takes the form of a daemon. i was pleased mine for now (click to help me decide), took the form of a winged creature. it feels so fitting.

edit: not winged anymore - i'm a jackal, thanks to some question and answering by a couple of friends to "reconfirm" my daemon.. oh well..

mecca

2007-12-28T11:43:00.000+07:00

shopper's mecca - it is said - is none other then Oxford Street in London.

Oxford Street on Boxing Day therefore, is very much equivalent to the annual pilgrimage in Mecca during Dhul Hijjah.

it felt like it.
i was there.

it was madness! it was equally bad IN the shops.. shopping that day really require superhuman strength and concentration. no wonder i didn't manage to get anything "spectacular". *sulk* a friend of mine got a pair of Gap Jeans for ten pounds (so her Facebook status read). oh well, i have enough jeans anyways *self comfort*

strangely that day, amidst the throng of people, a small seperate procession was going on. the saree and vesti clad (yes, u read it right) group marched against the crowd chanting and clapping to om, hare krishna... much to everyone's amusement.

the Routmaster. oxford Circus.

the junction where the christmas lights on Oxford Street began. squint and you'll notice the Enchanted Themed lightings in between the buildings.

fancy a chandeliar in the middle of the road?
why not?

Debenham's Christmas Deco. like golden threads

child's play

more christmas lights

so this i guess is how i end my christmas entries... wish i could say i saved the best for last, but no.. it isn't. the best entry i would be able to write would be one on SomersetHouse's Ice Skating Rink - opened only during christmas hols. we missed that trip. and how it'll look will only be limited to what we can see on the website.

but to end on a good note, most importantly, a merry christmas it was, i must say.

and a very merry christmas to all, i'm to wish... till here for now, from me you hear

christmas blessings

2007-12-27T22:58:00.000+07:00

christmas was unplanned and spontaneous.

happens when u suddenly fall sick on the eve of christmas, with high fever and diarhoea to boot. so due to such misfortune, i had to cancel xmas lunch at Ah Soo's. which was a shame cos it was something i was looking forward to since the invitation itself. mainly to see what tht fella can cook for lunch, since he's the main and ONLY chef for the day.

with me calling sick, Deepak and Deepa refused to go anywhere as well (i love them so for caring for me so much tht way), and decided to have our very own xmas party.

i was as fit as a fiddle on the 25th of December. whoopee! with that and knowing we were to have our very first christmas together, christmas joy couldn't feel any better.

we exchanged gifts. and we took photos.

counting my blessings, i can't imagine how my stay in london would've been without them two. it's such comfort knowing everyday that there'd be someone to listen to you if your day had been low, or that there'll be someone to share your peak moments on days when you're happy. it's more then the mere thought of having someone else under the same roof with you. They give my days reasons to have a smile plastered on my face, and the very often face ache due to excessive laughing. Deepak's my punching bag. Deepa my comrade. But when Deepa and i become the butt of the joke, it gets even funnier. it such a comfort living together!

especially on christmas day in london, where annually, there'd be a blanket shut down of public trasport (busses, trams, rails, tubes..), having the Dee's at home, sacrificing their christmas' sleepovers and lunches for their invalid housemate is just the ultimate blessing anyone can get.

the Beggar's Roost

2007-12-20T14:00:00.000+07:00

back to our adventure in newcastle...

(Yinsoon had been bugging us since day one to visit him in Newcastle. It was christmas and his family friend he lives with, Uncle Randy, wouldn't be in for the whole week. best opportunity to go and see yinsoon, and have the whole house to ourselves!)

after a 6 hour journey on the bus, we had to take a short train ride to Stockfield.. and the view there took my breath away.

frosted fields. vast acres of greenery. early hour sunshine
our journey to stocksfield from Newcastle's train station

i call the journey magical.
pleasant change of scenary from newcastle and london town.
sitting in the train, watching everything pass by from the window, was as if we were traveling backwards in time.

taking a breather half way on our trail towards Beggar's Roost.

Yinsoon led the way towards his humble abode

feeling thankful i wore Uggs.

warm and snuggly, loving the sound of frosted leaves and grass crunching under my feet

wishing we had a car.. lol..

impressed that yinsoon had to walk so much everyday to go to Uni.

Beggar's Roost!

the sight of it after our 15 min walk uphill was worth it

stained glass peacock

majestically looking out Beggar's Roost's beautiful garden

patio saved for summer

soaking up every corner of the house
i love english homes ;)

kitchen...

pool...

back to the kitchen again, after working out an appetite
sorry for eating up all of your food, yinsoon :P

we were so relunctant to leave Beggar's Roost. the best weekend holiday, ever.. and bet yinsoon had the best company after a long time ;) if i may say so for the others myself...

see you soon, yinsoon! we miss you already... and the pool table...

counting down to christmas

2007-12-15T21:46:00.000+07:00

nothing beats being caught up in the christmas atmosphere. it's everywhere here - the air you breath, the sights you see, the sounds you hear, everything you read. even the weather seems really fitting. Brrrrr....

i'm suffering from an acute sense of mixed feelings. the holiday season is upon us - and all i want to do is have as much fun and adventure as possible, naturally. it's just too bad that in January, Uni reopens with a string of Assessments to accomplish

not letting that dampen the christmas spirit, i have had my agenda planned out.

It started with my quest to visit the Christmas Markets in London. never really had the chance when the markets started on the 1st week of December. so you can imagine my luck and joy when old childhood buddies Wai Chia and Wai Peng decided to do some shopping for thier mum, and called me along

they brought me to the best market i've ever been in. nothing like the pasar malam's you'll find back home nor your ordinary market with weird smell that make your nose cringe and automatically stop functioning. Borough Market (as it has been called for ages and ages - 250 yrs to be exact -at London Bridge) is simply unique. now which market have u ever done "window shopping before"?.. i raise my hand to answer

first aroma that hit me when wai chia led me to the cobble-stoned pavement (ooh, how classic) was the indistinguishable smell of ... Cheeese, even before my eyes could catch hold of any. and when they did.. my mouth started to salivate. it was like heaven - cheese heaven.

there was a particular queue leading to a stall with hot steam and even stronger cheesy aroma -

what the man did was to heat up the top layer of a thick slab of cheese - look at that thick block!-then...
scraped the whoooole melted layer onto a plate with steamed pickles and tomato. ooooooooh!

"you shouldn't have had lunch before coming", waichia said.

now u tell me.

The sight was unbelievable.

mulled wine - which is sooo delicious (fruity and herby and warm and nice); neatly arranged pastries, pies, handmade jams - handmade, how much more traditional can you get; chocolates, sold in huge wooden tubs. never have i seen so much chocolate in such a small space of area before.. yummmm... fruits, pumpkin, turkey, partridge, pork, beef, stuffed meat, stufed pork, sausages of he weirdest sizes.... soooo many. it was like being in a totally new land.

someone once told me you can't find anything traditional in london. i wish that someone reads this and swallow his/her words back. he/she is so wrong.. it really can't get anymore traditional then this. lovely, lovely, lovely

speaking of chocolates - check out the price of winter truffles... :S

wai chia and wai peng

mother of all pumpkins!

on a slightly different topic,

wednesday marked the last week of term - and what better way to celebrate it with music and alcohol/coke *ahem*, at the basement of one happening club. i love london clubs! correction: i love my first london club experience - at TigerTiger. love the music - DJ played jacko's BillyJean, Queen, The Wonders, to songs like The Way I Are (nod, nod) to (lol, i can't believe this song followed me) Umbrella - girls the song made me miss you :( .. arms on another's shoulders when george michael's Last Christmas came up.. awwww.... wat a mix!

when they say Law school kids can party, they really meant we can parttaay!

Deeps and i decided to spruce things up among our college mates with reindeer antlers. and they were a hit! i can't remember how many times they changed heads :P

Today - we're at Stocksfield - a beautiful village in newcastle!! it's freezing, but the frost makes everything look so pretty.

YinSoon, Lord of Beggars Roost Mansion decided to (has no choice but to, rather) play host for us.. and when i say "mansion" i mean it literally.

The lack of sleep thruout our 6 hour journey from 11.30 pm last night is taking a toll on me now...

look fwd to the continuing posts on this 2nd newcastle adventure of mine very soon- Christmas, here i come!

being under my tortoise shell

2007-12-07T02:23:00.000+07:00

i'm hidden. covered. but strangely not protected.
oblivious with my surroundings. so narrow in perspective.
constantly in my own world. as if in a coccoon.

i'm a tortoise under a really big shell.

i shamelessly have to admit i missed out on alot of birthdays this year.. dave, if your reading this, this is a public apology. i missed urs too, rai. and *shame*shame* i forgot LingLing's, my cousin's. and so did aunty sylvia's. mum and dad's anniversary slipped off my mind. not untill i called her 2 days ago. so basically, i lost touch with the outside world for the whole of november.. *bow head with shame*.

with that said, i really dont know what's going on backhome as well. Deeps just got home. and the updates i got.. gosh.. i didn't know about this and that.. and i didn't know Uncle Lim died. all the jokes we made on our way up genting. bout uncle Lim paying for our school fee.. (yea.. we made lame jokes..).. and i found out he passed away 2 months ago only recently.

this shell is killing me - even as i walk daily my view is obstructed by the hood. i hate wearing the hood.

anyways.

back to me metamorphing into a tortoise.

i peeked outside my shell today. and the light was at first quite blinding. but the warmth so welcoming.. it suddenly hit me - such simplicity.. why didn't i think of this sooner??

i should get out of my shell more often.

facebook's birthday reminder! thanks prom.. how'd you guess i needed it :P
then there's thestar.com!

i found out Kluang's flooded again. and i remembered mum mentioning how the pots in the garden got overturned from the strong gales of wind 2 days ago. i should call her tomorrow.
then there's the mother of all news - HINDRAF.. sigh...
but most interestingly -
i learnt Jien's married. my celebrity crush from astro's disney channel. (i was really young). with sarah tan... wow.

one hour of e-news reading. the best hour for the week, truly.

it's difficult when u dont have the internet at home. it's really mahfan to have to go to the library and get misunderstood as being a nerd, when in truth, it's for the sole purpose of going online to say hello to the world. gosh, i'm such a drama queen. i'm not being misunderstood. i just think i am.

plus, no excuse for forgeting your friend's/relatives' birthdays!

i'm a tortoise trying to get out of her shell.. bear with me

ps: ever since the first frost - there hasn't been any frost at all. starting to doubt that it'll ever snow in london. with that thot, vickie - i'm looking fwd for more snow pix!

first frost

2007-11-19T21:42:00.001+07:00

I have 2 hours before I should crawl under the duvet and call it a night. But, I still have one more assignment to finish. And it seems like it’s taking forever.. should I just pack it and call it a night anyways?

Opinion Writing is such a bore. I have writer’s block, and I can’t seem to find the right words to explain the Instructing Solicitors whether or not “Mr. Shields” can be compensated by “Merryweather Ltd.” for his personal injuries.. Strangely ‘tho, I find myself having the urge to write something for the blog. Writer’s block can be selective.

so here i am, in Words.

This weekend was really really laid back and relaxing (despite not finishing my homework – problem with having one week deadline). Nothing in the agenda this weekend. Nothing was planned. Deeps and I had set foot outside our house for an amazing total of one hour throughout the weekend... not bad. You can say we were practically hibernating. Can’t blame us – it’s the weather.. so berry berry cold, and the internal heater is the only thing that concerns you at times like this. I shudder to think about how we’re to survive December and January.

Last Thursday, the temperature hit its lowest since we got here. Freak weather, I think. 0°C. My first ever “suhu beku”.. hehehe… it was no wonder that, on Friday morning, Deeps and I had a pleasant surprise (Deepak missed all the fun due to his court visit)…

Deeps was making breakfast, when I heard her say, “Oh my gawd, ShoOoooO….!”

She was staring out of our kitchen window into our backyard…
And there they were, lil’ bit here and there on the ground -

Our first frost.

Laugh all you want, if you find this funny. But the both of us were honestly, very excited. Like I said, it’s my (our) first time. And technically, I think it’s the first frost for the season.. at least for our backyard, that is.

We actually tried taking shots of our warm breath in the cold.. (if they were watching, neighbors proly think we’re mad). My camera couldn’t really capture it well. With hindsight, I think I should’ve tried using Macro mode. I dunno. Would that work?

Neighbor’s tree is totally bald now. I regret not taking its picture when it had leaves for a more effective before and after shot. Till spring comes…

Color me blue

Our backyard. Self timer. We posed. Fullstop.

who got tricked and who needs a treat?

2007-11-13T00:49:00.000+07:00

Halloween came and went...

much to our disspointment (deepa and i, to be more precise). well, to be fair, we didn't really took any effort. we just conveniently waited for an invitation letter to magically appear on our laps..

so halloween came and went.

Not for the bunch of kids in my housing area, of course.

3 nights before halloween, we had a loud knock on our front door. i opened the door to peep to see who was there (curse for not having peep holes..) and had a terrible fright when i saw 3 ski masked faces waiting in front of the door. immediate reflex - SLAM !

then i heard it

"trick or treat"...

-_-*

i really thot they were robbers..

no candies, we said to them..

then, you would expect them to leave, right?
instead, we heard one shouted - if we don't participate when they come back at midnight, "we'll live to regret it".

whaaat???

we slept with the front door double locked and our ROOM DOORS latched that night.. wat a bunch of stupid kids... we blamed the neighbourhood. we live in a dodgy part of east london.. so it comes with the territory, we thot. Oh, well.. nothing happened tho.

on halloween day, since the three of us homees had no plans (how awfully pathetic) we decided to stock up the house with candies, just in case..

but... nothing happened again, surprisingly.

even more surprising was us finding ourselves dissapointed they didn't turn up.

so, we ate them candies, and watched Stardust instead.

that was how halloween came and went.

dine and whine

2007-10-23T19:00:00.000+07:00

It was like being in the set for a Harry Potter’s dining scene. When the children eageredly waited for the Sorting Hat to work its magic. Difference is, there’s no Harry Potter, no Sorting Hats and no magic wands.

19th of October marked my first Dining in session. The traditional ritual all Barristers would have to go through (12 times) in order to be “qualified”, among many other things.

How was it?

I’m not going to lie – it was boring. From the way we had to nod in unison to the Benchers that slowly enter the Hall one… by…. One… at the start of dinner, to the way we had to bow at the Benchers who wobbled (after lots of wine, you see) their way out one… by… one… at the end of the night. (aww.. c'mon, Sho.. don't be such a whiner..)

The only thing I shall brag about tho, would most certainly be the food. 4 course of fantastic english dishes. they gave each course a fancy name.. which i sadly forgot. but basically we had steamy Potatoes, delicious, melt-in-the-mouth-fish with leak.. and turkey -which was everyone's favourite tht night. with a quick eeny-meeny miny moe on which fork and knife to use everytime, I shamelessly gobbled them down piece… by… piece (haha… )

Speaking of pieces, i must add, conversations were utterly dull. sorry. I guess I weren’t into small chats that night. Somehow I couldn’t care less for the war in Pakistan, how the weather is or whether the Bar Course is treating us fairly or unfairly. I couldn’t decide what was more painful – pretending to look interested to or trying to stay awake.

I couldn’t see how us pupils are to gain from this dine-ins. What were the odds of the guy opposite me were to remember my name after that night? Cos I sure won’t even recognize him without that coat and gown. So much for “rubbing shoulders” with a judge or a practicing Barrister when the Benchers sit in the long Bench way up in front throughout the night?

I envied Deepak’s table. He was the only guy among 4 girls, obviously being a real gentleman among the laydees. At least someone’s having a good time. Deepa? She stole my “date”. Etmonia’s in love with Deepa, and blames me for not introducing her to Deepa sooner… I’m just glad I got two nice girls know each other.

Lunch on Sunday was a different story altogether. It could be because of the sun shining brightly thru the stained glass windows. (and we had good conversational piece going on this time). Or it could be because I was craving for salmon or lamb and I got both! ;)

Somehow, after Sunday, I saw myself looking fwd to the next 2 sessions next weekend. It’s ok if I might have to make small meaningless chats with “new people”. who cares if we won’t remember each other again. But you’ll never know, right, until you try? And it’s living the moment and making the best of it that really matters. I guess I didn’t make enough effort on Friday, what with classes and all in the morning.
So yes, I’m looking fwd to next week. Wonder what they’re going to serve us this time..

sunlight, stained glass, sunday, luncheon. how fitting

insider's point of view

at the grand hall in the Inn

outsider's question mark.

lincoln's inn from the outside

Deepa, Imdan and i.

ps: the pashmina sheds alot

like being home

2007-10-23T18:25:00.000+07:00

HARI RAYA came and went. And weren’t we glad to have been part of the Hari Raya “open house” at the Stoke’s Centre a week ago. Sure, it was the free food. Yes, I admit. But our initial plan to just spend an hour there then leave backfired once we got caught up with all the hype. The Hari Raya mood was so like home. Hari Raya music in the background.. chatty noises. Familiar voices.. Bahasa Melayu sounded so nice after hearing so much british. Lol.. and colors! Oh, I loved the colors..

Deepa was right. We look great when we’re traditional. beautiful colors, both men and women. Flattering outfits – I’ve never seen anyone looking bad in a baju kurung, kebaya, Punjabi outfit or a cheong sam.

Oh, the food by the Malaysian Hall was good! I’ve never felt so happy to see Laksa Johor before. We had to queue. But I really didn’t mind. Queuing for Ketupat, rendang ayam, nasi… served by kakaks and abangs, how often will you get such service in London town?

“selamat Hari Raye, kak..”
“Selama Hari Raye… makan banyak banyak, eh. Here, I’m giving u the biggest piece…”

bless you.

Sitting with our legs tucked, on the floor (can’t duduk bersila, being all dressed up), indulging on Malaysian delicacies, I couln’t help feeling so proud. Look at us. All group together, dressed in baju kurung, kebaya, Punjabi outfits.. sambil bersalaman.. no one were strangers that day. Somehow, it didn’t feel like I was being amidst strangers. It was like being home.

Laksaaaaa....

look who i met, Thya - Jo! ^^

singying, served

True food

oink oink...

lunch and dinner

2007-10-12T20:37:00.000+07:00

EAT is good. (And so is my English)

EAT’s a little take away shop along High Holborn (branches everywhere to be honest. You’ll spot another “EAT” sign 10 meters ahead). It’s ideal for grabbing a quick bite – hot or cold. Yesterday, I decided to check it out for the second time since getting here.

The first time was bout a month ago, when we just started uni – gosh, has it been tht long? – anyways, I went to just get a bottle of mineral water. A quick dash in, paid and then sped out, that time. Didn’t really scan thru to see what it had to offer. ‘cos I thought the fact that I had to pay ₤1 for the bottle made me “X” out the place immediately. Little did I know, almost ALL mineral water in London is around ₤1. so, oh well.. (tap water anyone?)

I needed something for lunch, something fast. And thought I should try out somewhere new. So into EAT I went.

They had the usual sandwiches and wrap-o’s. but u won’t help noticing that everything looks so healthy! Salads, yogurt.. yum… is that carrot cake I see? (Prom, you’ll love this place.)

Then I spotted them – muesli in a tub. There were quite a few I could chose from.. different names, flavours, different colors. but muesli for lunch?? Er…

I bought it.. mahal sikit la.. but itu kalau convert la. I stopped converting a long time ago, BTW. Have to la.. I’m sorry. Have to…

Back to my muesli -

Oh, it was good!

That was lunch.

After class that night, tagged along with Deepak and Deepa’s classmates for dinner.. And we decided to have good ol’ Italian Pizza in this nice restaurant, also near uni at High Holborn.

I had Fiorentina... Egg on a pizza? Tht’s another first. It was surprisingly good.

Meher, Maham, me and Deeps..

Cara and her ways with Deepak

tonight? Ib mubarak!

Aidilfitri's today here.. but it's tmrw back home. i'm slightly confused now.

i know what i'm missing out this time of the yr.. Uncle Raja's open house, with the usual ayam rendang, pulut, ketupat.. yum...

might check out Malaysian Hall tmrw, and i'll tell you guys all about it.

ta!

2007-10-04T19:21:00.001+07:00

Doing the Bar can be a pain. Hours of lectures. Workload, tremendous..(hence the late entries..) But all these won’t be as bad it seems when you know you got something to look forward to during the weekend. I love the weekend! Particularly, last weekend.

Friday night, celebrated lil’ Daphne’s birthday with Aunty Sylvia from Aus who came down for a short holiday. Nobu is the best fusion restaurant ever. Would have gotten more shots of the food.. but I didn’t want to attract weird stares from the many horty haw haw guests in the restaurant that night.

10 p.m.

Daphne lost her tooth.. hahaha! isn't she adorable?

Saturday morning,

we decided to check out the changing of guards at Buckingham Palace, and hopefully catch a glimpse of the Queen (yea, right).. a huge crowd was already gathered when we arrived.. (“Great!”.. not as late as I thot we were.)

Then we spotted the sign..

TOMORROW…

Well at least we saw the Queen..

Queen Victoria, that is.

I found my match in a 7 yr old.

Daphne loves snapping photos…

and thanks to that, I got lots of weird poses taken.

Gosh, I love her so…

Stumbled upon

And

Prince Charles’ residential home.

Where’s my camera….

Found it just in time to be told that no picture taking was allowed inside. Aww…

Autumn breeze… autumn colors… and

Autumn leaves!

Spotted a couple of beautiful Shire Horses at the park.

Magnificent beasts..

And of course – shopping!

Loved the weekend!

the first supper

2007-09-13T17:57:00.000+07:00

we cooked!!

cost price - quarter of tht if we were to eat outside. so, to the beginning of many home gourmets!

-Deepa-

-full concentration-

-if only i cold post the aroma... -
i present you the sauce of our marinara sausage (with lemon)

-cheese!-
(pun not intended)

newcastle snapshots

2007-09-12T18:49:00.000+07:00

vek dragged me to Newcastle right before uni start to show me how he "survived" a year there. loved my stay at Gyn's and Swee's. and regretted not taking any photoes with them. shame on me.

the weather then was superb.. bright and sunny. and when its bright and sunny, you'll get to see this in any wide open spaces..

.. sunbath!

Adrian looking all cool and macho.. and vek.. what u doing, baby?

my superstar found her "superstar"

yes.. yes.. *eye roll*

.heaven.
the most heavenly chocolate truffle brownie i've ever sunk my teeth in.. one spoon and you'll most definitely go " OhhhhMGawwwwd"

i love you vek! thanks for making me have the best time ever.. i miss you!

vivek's finally back home in Malaysia,

feasting on his nasi lemaks tht he so desperately missed.

lol!

2007-09-06T04:34:00.000+07:00

Touched down…

It has been slightly difficult for me to blog since touch down. My laptop couldn’t access wi fi and my hunt in finding the cheapest internet café was fruitless.. standard rate’s a pound an hour here – what did I expect.

vek fetched me at the airport. And since then it was the beginning of my adventure on foot. And boy, do i mean on foot. like i've mailed to most of you.. i've never walked so much i my whole life! Walking is the best way to move around here!

Going online was so nice.. thanks for your emails, dears. yes, i was a wreck leaving. still mising home. but thank god for Deepa and Vek! -Deepak touch down today!

*at one of the many Fried Chicken outlets here.. we were starving*

something malaysians won't get from local KFC's

handwipes!

We've been doing a lot of hunting for our permanent accomodation, moving about in the tube and busses, from one end of London to another. hat's off to the transportation services here in london.. so i thot, until Monday evening... Tube went on strike!

the longest one ever - for 72 hours. madness.. caused roads to be clogged up, busses packed, and 3 particular malaysians to resort to loads of map reading and bus hopping. lol.. goo thing in a way. if not for the tube stations closed for a couple of days, vek and i wouldn't have taken the bus around london.

and visited many interesting spots.

-waterloo-

colorful people, London Eye and sunny sun!

i love this shot!

in London's Eye

Westminster Abbey...

Vic, this' for you! lol... Panelope Cruz acted there that night.

Big Ben!

The lion in Trafalgar Square.. strong, regal and powerful

signs of exhaustion in front of the National Gallery

eat all u can chinese...

a quick stroll in Soho :S

2007-08-31T16:44:00.000+07:00

Di, Kams, Rai, Prom, Irene..

looks like
WE MADE IT!

(bye bye LLB

- we Learned, we Lived, and we Bragged)

****************

but lets ponder in the yonder..

How sad to reach eternity and find there was more that we could be.

Would be as if a tree stayed small,

when it could grow mighty, strong and tall.

by Kate Buxbaum-Prado

me, the average sho

2007-08-21T22:53:00.000+07:00

where have i gone? i was back home in kluang for a week and i refused to touch the computer. i wouldn't have had the time to anyways (wouldn't bother finding the time).

obviously, i'm up in KL again. came back just to collect my visa and to remove my overloaded junk out of the apartment and to tie up some loose ends. the hall in the apartment is currently screaming with the fact that i have too much things. one too many unnecessary stuff i've hoarded throughout the 3 years studying here in KL. i'm ashamed.

i hate packing. i should be used to it, being a planter's daughter - travels and moving homes... but to pack alone.. Sathya's stuffs are still nicely intact.. it's just horrible. sathya proly feels it too, he seems "nicer" to me these days. lol! this dreadful feeling of mine prolonged throughout my arrival in kluang early last week, when i decided to go thru my old boxes of "artifacts" in the store-room. mum said it was about time to remove some stuff. i removed some stuff.. and found alot more that i hate to depart.

vic, u remember this? fate? destiny? or pure coincidence, i don't know... but i had this lil badge since form one i think. then tucked it away when i left sabah in 2001... and now, it's gonna be on my pencilcase once more. reminds me of the karangan's we had to do during Primary school - read: "aku sebentuk pin". hehe

ok, so it isn't exactly 100% confirmed. i have yet to face the final music on the 27th when the results get published. oh pls pls pls...

oh, what mixed feelings! part of me dread being thrown into unchartered waters.. another part of me get so excited thinking i will be swimming in that open sea. and then there's one more part of me trying to not get my hopes up so mighty high, cos in case, just in case, my luck decides to leave me.

but what if i do go? one thing for sure, winter clothes ain't a problem now, thanks to mum's good ol' collection, and gifts from Aunt Sylvia and cousin ling ling. me feeling the looove ^^ (and not to mention pressure). that week being home, besides trying out clothes and sorting out stuff to pack (and don't pack - can't believe i might say goodbye to my McDonald shoes!) i held on to that yearning to do everything and anything with sham and mum.. absorbing sights i knew i took for granted.. sponging aroma i knew i might miss - ah.. fried lap chiong!

a week ago, wednesday evening :

in the kitchen with mum

sham and her homework.. and her occassional - "jie, how do you spell..."

whilst mum and i try to hit triple word score

i love being home. who doesn't?

best buys of the year!

2007-08-07T18:00:00.003+07:00

i went shopping... and got 2 things i planned to get since january but never did cos either it was 1) not out yet or 2) no money.. or 3)both... hahaha...

my superstar!

yes yes yes!! i love the smell of new books.. don't you?

super dee dooper

2007-08-07T16:43:00.000+07:00

my last post was about my 4 day stint at the Midvalley. that 4 days came and went.. and we had so much fun.. so much so that a few of us decided to "volunteer" again last sunday at Super 8's carnival in Cheras.. not that i had anything to do in particular. plus, the commission that day was... so generous! lol.

not much "soliciting" this time. there was a group of "kids" for that already. all we had to do was entertain walk-in customers at the shop. much more relaxing.. i guess me being so relaxed promoting actually helped me with sales that day. not to blow my own trumpet, but, i managed to break my own personal best - 11 units! whoohoo...

we had tents set up, one clown with funny shaped balloons, and free ice creams for everyone. obviously super 8 wasn't just generous in giving us good commission - part of the crowd that came that day came for Mr. Clown and our free ice creams.. yes, us staff had free flow ice creams too, of course!

crowd consisted mostly of families.. kids aplenty (ice creams, remember). no "bad customers" that day. won't complain, cos the only one that gave me "hell" with questions and more than half an hour of suggesting on my part, bought 6 units from me (with lots of support and help from Brendan ^^ thanks, buddy!). haha! so yea.. the good, the bad, and the ugly all in one. the best was of course the easiest - walked in,

me: hi sir, we're currently on promotion. heard of our Air purifiers before?
client: yup.. i want that one

whoa! my cousin looked on and shook his head...
ok ok, not that easy la.. but something along that line :P

-"solicitors"-

-siti and i-
great look to attract customers!

-clowning around-
cuz alvin, brendan, Mr. Clown and lester (with ice cream)

last night together. dinner. karaoke. wine. peace signs, thumb signs and er.. daniel surrendered :P

for those wondering

2007-07-27T22:39:00.000+07:00

have you seen a sales person before? you know, those really pesky uniform clad mates you'll see in roadshows and shopping malls? well, here's a suggestion if ever you are to bump into any of them again - smile, be polite, and if you do have to say no.. say it nicely.

It has been 2 days for me. yes, yours truly decided to join her cousin's current phase in part time jobs as.. (wat did they call us again?).. Sales Advisors. lol.. yesterday was actually exciting. getting the buzz of approaching total strangers and trying to get them like your product. not easy to make people say "yes, i want one" to an expensive Air purifier.. but once they do, THE JOY! truly felt like i strike the lottery..

Sitting here, after a 12 hour job of standing and trying to persuade people.. i would love to have an air purifier to "keep me fresh, and energized - by breathing in clean ionized air" in this stuffy room of mine right now (honestly, why is it so freaking warm at night these days??).

2 days down.. 2 more days to go.. 3 purifiers marketed.. many more unsold.
plenty of new friends to keep the laughter going.. uncountable experiences to keep me learning;
sore feet that need some massaging.. bring in cash in the bank to keep me smiling!

hahahaha... i just made tht up. must be me spending too much time around "ionized air".. brain functioning in double speed :P

to those in KL, do bring your folks to the Home Living exhibition in Midvalley this weekend. hey, prep them a lil or two in getting an air purifier for the house. who knows, i might be the one persuading them in the expo. it'll make my job slightly easier! ;)

EESTin' at Westin

2007-07-23T23:44:00.000+07:00

Pampered. That was how i felt last night.

Shirlz' being the gem that she is, bought me the best dinner i've ever had. She brought me to Westin, and instead of ushering me to its Italian themed restaurant, Prego, as she did for my 22nd birthday, we walked to another "dimension" of the hotel.. with water features, zen-like sofas and oriental.. jazz? ^^ She pre-ordered a "pan-asian" cuisine - 8 course meal - without the slightest hint to me of what was to come. "surprise" she said. And more then surprised i was.. the food was scrumpuliciously, mouth wateringly, exquisite! topped of with the fact that the ambience was so.. fitting. we sat at the rice bar, by the calm pond, on comfy sofas, beside an altar looking counter where the dim-sum chefs work their wonders. no pictures, that night for you and me.. what u see here on my page would be those i saved from Westin's official website (which i couldn't resist going to) and from Shirlz' prev blog entry. LOL.. it pretty much looks exactly like what you see, really.

Not intending to sound like a pompous arse, but i guess the food that night tasted doubly delicious because for the first time in my life of "luxury dining" - which i have so ever often, BTW *and all eyes go rolling* - i actually knew who prepared the meal! Philip, has anyone ever called you Midas??

Having her man as the chef in Eestin certainly comes with its plusses. Good Food, Good Places, Good Price ^^ She's probably a celebrity herself in Eestin - judging from the amount of attention Shirlz gets, made easy by her down to earth , friendly and *ahem* chatty nature :P. Eestin's staffs probably love her more since she gives them business ever so often. Nah, they love her probably because they love their Chef Philip too. lol.. ;)

i was in a dizzy, bubbly mood throughout the night.. It couldn't be because of the ginger-apple-mint concoction they served us "on the house". It could be the filled tummy.. but looking back, sitting there, just us 2, talking about everything and anything, reminiscing, joking, laughing.. hard not to feel giddy like a kid. Chit-chatting just like ol days. Wishing Claire and Lyn were there beside us to complete the picture. But, just being there, by shirlz' presence, i truly felt pampered.. and most of all - loved. Love it!
shirlz, you're such a mummy ^^ you know what i mean.

love ya...

- Shirlz and Chef Phil -

Do go to Eestin, guys.. you'll never regret it (plus, i think i'll get commission if you mention my name ;P). Look out for Philip!

retail therapy, indeed

2007-07-21T18:11:00.000+07:00

[day out with sathya and Jo at subang parade... ]

sprouting your wings.. is one hell of a painful process..
damn, i look good o_O

ready to fly...

edit - after talking to Irene, it was then i realised, i got my place wrong :S
pix taken in Summit's Point B. not subang parade..
obviously, i'm still in need of therapy..

ABC's of Redang trip

2007-07-15T15:53:00.000+07:00

A is for All things beautiful All things bright

B is for the Boats that passed us By

C is for the Child in us, Charming its way out

D is for Darling friends

E is for the Enormous clouds and the Exquisite sceneries

F is for FEET

G is for Grinning Gorgeous beach babes, suntanning
*ahem*

H is for the occasional Hunks, suntanning babes get to see

I is for the Ideal hIstorical Infrastructures, we saw on the mainland

J is for Jewellary a.k.a Prav's Bling Bling

K is for Knowing we didn't take enough photoes for the trip :P

last but not least,

L is for simply Loving it

pictures from Prav and Prom. thanks girls! ^^

me and my good taste :P

2007-07-14T16:30:00.000+07:00

got hooked on to this site after Di did a post on it quiet sometime back.

what better face to play with then my dearest :P

here's more...

who knew :P

try it out!

burnt and blessed

2007-07-13T10:43:00.000+07:00

Dear, Kams

wish you were there, cos the Redang trip was awesome.

i arrived home at 11 last night.. too beat to unpack, i crashed on the bed after a good warm shower.. i unpacked my bag from the Redang trip this morning, and couldn't help reminiscing the time we had. seriously, Kams.. Redang is truly the most beautiful beach in Malaysia. hehe.. i sound like a line from an advertisement, but really.. I'm not exaggerating.

i remembered our ferry ride to the island, sitting in the open air upper deck with Ayush, Prom and Prav, with the wind in our hair and the sunny morning sun on our skin. The salty wind and the strong sounds of the highpowered ferry slicing through the south china sea was simply thereupatic. so relaxed, yet so excited in looking forward to what was in stored for us after that 2 hour ride on the ferry.

approaching the island, you'll never fail to admire the beautiful light blue color of the sea.. all 4 of us looked into the water, and noticed that we could actually see the sand at the bottom so clearly! Prav and Prom had the least sleep on the bus the night before. despite that, i could tell, just the sight of the beach was refreshing enough to keep them awake the rest of the day.

Our first activity after a sumptuous lunch (hey, for the price we paid, the food was good) - deep sea snorkeling. All geared up with the snorkels and life vest, the boat ride to "the middle of the ocean" made me a little nervous, to be frank. never have i jumped into the middle of the sea, what more swim among fishies.. comforted Prom, who was having second thoughts already.. but deep inside i was as nervous as an eel myself. but once the boat stopped, and once we saw the crowd in the water, curiosity overcame fear.

we saw the most dazzling array of fish. i had goosebumps. both out from the cool sea, and from the mere thought of swimming just inches away from fish the size of my vest and corals of many shapes and sizes all meters below me. oh, i saw Nemo's.. and many Dorry.. i took a mental note to bring Sham there in the future, and that time, you have to promise me you can make it. i wasn't as lucky as Prav in catching a glimpse of eels and jellyfish. but what i saw was enough to keep me contented. The underwater world is remarkably colorful, Kams..

another snorkeling trip the next day, this time at the Marine Park, another island in the sea. the boat ride itself was super. us girls chose the best spot on the boat to sit - on the boat's front tip. we were given extra privileges by the instructors, i would think. haha.. picture a seen from a Miami set music video clip. that was how we were. minus life jackets over swimming suits. you, i know for sure, would've loved it!

at the Marine Park, laughed and screamed more, what with prav constantly throwing bread crumbs towards Ayush and i while we were snorkeling. schools of fish fighting for the bread crumbs right infront of my snorkles almost touching my face was quite scary. it's amazing we could eat fish again for lunch that day..

we were hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the largest tropical sea fish - the Garupa. so shy, hiding in a gigantic cove like coral. again, Prav managed a glimpse of its uglyface :P it shocked her how big the head was. i was at first disappointed not being able to spot it, but after hearing Prav's description of the big fish, somehow, i just wanted to let it be alone, and not scare myself out of the water. the mere thought of swimming along a fish as large as you wasn't exactly comforting. thank goodness it was shy / lazy...

trip back to the island sitting on the same part of the boat, we saw not one but 2 beautiful sea turtles swimming. What are the odds, right? The boat stopped to let us all admire its beauty. one actually bobbed its head above the water! beautiful.

with all the swimming and lazying on the beach the rest of the day, all four of us are officially 2 to 3 shades darker.. i love my dark tan. Vek won't approve, i know.. haha.. prom claims she looks like a "red indian". but we all know how pretty she looks no matter what color her skin is :)

The last night, we danced on the soft sand, under a slight drizzle. the crowd at the Beach party started slow, but ended with so much hype, fireworks and all.. even a grandma joined the fun. she was adorable dancing to hip hop and r&b! coincidently, it was Thursday night. lol...

unpacking my bag, this morning, there was still sand in my backpack. wish i could bottle the little bit up, that little bit of Redang, i brought back.

i don't mind going again. hopefully the next time it's with you. cos, what i learnt throughout this trip was it's not the destination that truly matters in the end of the day, but the journey. sure, the place was beautiful, but it was made much better to spend it with our wacky friends Prom, Prav and Ayush.

see you soon, dear.

love,

sho

3 out of 6...

2007-07-08T21:21:00.000+07:00

and the "verdict" is :

the colosseum, the great wall of china, the Taj Mahal... and the others are, Brazil's Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Peru's Machu Picchu Inca trail, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, and the Jordan's Petra archaeological site were declared as winners.

i'm wondering now whether anyone will actually remember this new list?

the wonders

2007-07-07T21:39:00.000+07:00

finally! this is it!

the new list of the world's seven wonders will be out in a couple of hours.
soon, history will rewrite itself..

naturally, much debate and controversies accompanies this new suggestion.

but i personally agree in creating a new official list of 7 wonders - as a child, i actually thought the taj mahal was one of the famous 7 wonders... and when i found out the original line up, and learnt that only the pyramids still exist, i was disappointed. plus, what a super global event, putting all level of cultures and history on one big pedestal!

so before the new list comes out, this is my version of the world's seven wonders..

the sphinx and the pyramids of Giza

the Taj Mahal

the Stonehenge

the Great Wall of China

Easter Island

the Colosseum

Angkor Wat

you and me together can compare how many out of six (since the pyramids are still in the new one) i got right based on the worldwide votes. 'tho notably, my hopes are nothing close to the current top ten choices - top 10 are Greece's Acropolis, Mexico's Chichen Itza pyramid, the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island, Brazil's Statue of Christ Redeemer, the Taj Mahal and Jordan's Petra.

still, i'm so excited to know the results!

feeling the punch

2007-06-29T15:05:00.000+07:00

hi, i'm 22, going on 68.
i suffer from klutzinophrenia. i loose stuff. and i forget alot. (ok, i made tht term up.. but thee rest is so true :S)

i tend to be so careless sometimes i just feel like punching myself till i bleed.
i punched myself twice on the 26th of June (figuratively speaking), when at 5.30 pm, i realised i left my one yr old camera in the UK Visa Application centre. "punched myself twice" cos i lost my camera before... once bitten, twice cry.

*flashback - 26th june, 5.30 pm* immediately called the british agency. closed.
i prayed the lady securityguard that took it from me before i entered the visa application office still has it safely in the shelf. i thought to myself - the centre's safe, the guards are safe, my camera's ok... it's ok.. prom who was with me then assured me that it's ok. It's the British Embassy!

*flashback - 27th june, 9 am* immediately rang the Centre. After i enquired, receptionist confimed that my camera was there. i could go and pick it up. Yesss!!
* 11 am* went to the Visa Application centre with high hopes. same lady securityguard. good. She handed me an unfamiliar pouch. "This isn't mine." She said it's the only one left behind. Whaaaat??!! i screemed in my head.

i panicked. i lost my cool. i called the only person who i knew could give me a right sollution.

"mummy?...."
"... aiyo... again??... careless... no point crying over spilt milk... stand on your feet!... take matters into your own hand.. think like your dad.."

the last phrase got my adrenalin pumping. Maybe it was fear.. i dunno, but i dried my eyes and marched back to the security lady.. demanded for the Centre's Officer. i got introduced to a calm looking, sleepy-eyed dude. Explained the whole scenario to the him. pointed out how outragous it was for a security guard to hand out my camera to the wrong person. pointed out how irresponsible all this seemed (on their part). pointed out their negligence. made clear my distress level. demanded immediate action - i need compensation. 10 to 15 seconds of monologue with the officer, in 10 to 15 seconds i flipped my guilt into blaming them, in that 10 to 15 seconds, i became - my dad.

it has been 2 days. papa met up with me today. i couldn't bring myself to tell him what another silly thing his eldest did. losing another camera, i thought, would've been too much for him to listen... until, he asked whether i was done with my packing for the trip back home, and whether i remembered to pack the camera. (*dang!* of all questions! what were the odds?)

i had to tell. papa listened tentatively. Asked for Mr. Fernandez's number. i saw a look on his face. i think i've seen it before. he spoke for 10 to 15 seconds. i listened in admiration. in that 10 to 15 seconds papa managed to confirm that i would get a new camera or financial compensation.

really?

they better keep their word, or else, both my dad and i will march to the agency and in 10 to 15 seconds (hahaha...) give them the best kicking they ever had.

All things said and done, i still hate myself for being so careless. i lost some precious memories in that camera, which i conveniently procrastinated to download into the computer :S above all that i lost a good buddy :(

till here, for now..

BzZzzzz BzZzzzz

2007-06-24T16:13:00.000+07:00

what a week..

being back home was a blast, as usual.

From celebrating Father's Day, to sending off mum and dad on their trip to Jakarta, to Sathya's episode in the Hospital, which resulted in mum's Indonesian trip cut short.

my brother had the dengue.. and we deduced he got it from college - calculating the days he started having fever and all. well, it is possible he got it from the apartment here, in KL, but.. i'd rather say it's college to avoid being stigmatized.. (don't plan to suffer a sudden reduction in people coming over after putting up this post!)

despite the dengue fever, sathya never failed to put on his happy mask - anything for the camera.

the family finally met Jo ;)

hanging out in the hospital keeping sathya company was kinda fun overall. for the first 2 days, the bed next to his was vacant, as a result we had the whole ward to ourselves. we picnic, had lots of visitors, watched TV, enjoyed the aircon :P it was an ideal lepak spot! it's a wonder how much rest he had with all the activity going on. nurses were surprisingly lenient.. Plus, i finally got my toast bun from the railway station ^^ when i brought Jo there for breakfast on Friday.

as every sickness we had to go thru (note my chicken pox saga), mum would give us a homemade remedy. For dengue, sathya had almost the whole watermelon to himself. With more then a litre of blended watermelon, we believe it was because of that that he got discharged on the 3rd day. lucky boy..

he's home bouncing about now.. extra careful of mosquitoes, no doubt.
and me? Kay-EL! planting my butt in front of the computer.. ahh.. the wonders of broadband!
ciao!

starting it with pirates and songs

2007-06-15T20:18:00.000+07:00

Day 1 and Day 2 :

College was nice to treat those interested, to a screening of Pirates of the Carribeans yesterday. Thank You, Mr.Felix!
we were hoping to see more of our badge mates after so long of solitude, as the short glimpses in the exam halls weren't much. But the few that went were super enough. i regretted not taking pictures with Ms Mary and Ms Anne and the rest of the lecturers that came to greet us at the ATC counter at TGV Cinema. ^^ Fancy having a booth in KLCC to hand out the tickets! Almost the whole of Part 2 faculty were there. Surprise! would've remembered to take the camera out of the bag if i weren't too absorbed in coming up with a conversation to our lecturers who were standing around looking at us (or was that a beaming look i see?).. of all the many things i could've asked, all that came out from my big mouth was.. "no class today??" - stupid.
Rai was the cutest - going up to Ms Mary excitedly to apologize not collecting the FamilyLaw essays. exam's over, sayang! heehee.. Ms Mary laughed. It's always nice to see Ms Mary laugh. ^.^

When asked which Hall the movie was to be in, Mr. Lazarus made prom, rai and i roar with laughter when with a slip of a tongue answered "4th Floor" instead of 4th Hall.. spending too much time in college...

hanging out after the movie.
after studying in college for 3 yrs together, it only took Part 2 to make us hang...

we requested rai to take the starbucks sign (don't ask). and rai refused to get out of the chair

- shivani and ma-darlin-rai :P * -

today, met Shili, through Kams. lovely songbird, she. i wanna be in one of ur gigs, shili!

KTV, people!

Oddly, the tune "and the judge and the jury.. .. put a spell on me.. c'mon baby set me free!" is still ringing in my head...

so this is it for now. tmrw, HELOO, mummy & papa!

2007-06-13T22:07:00.000+07:00

oh yea!! I feel good.. ta na da na da na daa...!

no intentions to do an overall analysis of what i think of the 4 papers we LLB students had to endure for the past month. no Post mortems, and most definitely, no regrets (quote robbie williams from his song - "they don't work") :) for now, we are freeeeee!! to dave, hang in there pal. (why are the aussies ending their exams so late? But i truly can't wait for the "aussie wave" to come back to the malaysian shores soon! :P) so, to those still studying, jia you! to those as free as a bird - jom lepak!

no to-do-list as per last year, for now. Despite having that odd feeling to have things thrown about so aimlessly. Mum say go get drivers license. I say.. lazy la. 'Cos at the back of my mind, i have a whole load of things i feel like accomplishing before september comes, and getting the green card to drive legally suddenly seems so.. blah! Prom's so sweet to suggest a get-away before spetember comes with the whole gang. LOL.. thnx prom! keeping my fingers crossed that the idea will turn out.

i have been so left out in my "social circle" lately.. ONE month exam! impossible not to be.. even the ants on my kitchen walls seem so much more "sociable" then me. walking the walk, crawling their crawl... So to those whom i haven't been meeting up for so long, be prepared to see me beeping my way thru ur phones! that includes u, yes u reading this o_O

ttfn - ta ta for now!

2007-06-12T10:53:00.000+07:00

This is it.. less then 24 hours to my final paper of the LLB. unless all turned out bad.. then resit? *ChOI, cHoI!!*

emotions running high.. HIGH with Kopi-O.
head in a spin.. i don't want to forget anything - i can't afford to forget anything!
fingers shaking.. too many times writing and rewriting my notes.. i can't believe i'm still picky on neatness when it's down to these last hours.
fingers SHIVERING.. remind me not to take any more Kopi-O's for the rest of my life!

so jittery, even the Large fonts on the subject guide were a blur.
head's in a spin.. wait, i think i've mentioned that already.
needed to sit in front of the computer for some Vanessa-Mae to calm my nerves..

Tis isn't the time to panic. am i panicking? no, no.. no panics.
just nervous.. nerves are good... keeps me on my toes.

wait.. can't feel my toes..
where's my toes..??

i think i'll go sleep now

Pretty Baaaad Boys

2007-06-06T21:26:00.000+07:00

Everyone know’s a villain. You know, the Bad Guy, the antagonist, the one with the darker role in a film, the one that appears on screen whenever the background music turns dark green.. sounds dark green. Whatever that means… you got my point.

So, what’s up with villains nowadays?

I’ve never really given it much thought, until my 13 year old cousin pointed it out to me a couple of weeks ago.. (observant girl :P) It was really a by the way comment from her, just a simple statement : “Don’t you think Draco Malfoy looks cute?”

my first reaction - "huh??" and then.. i changed my mind. Yea, she’s right. Never thought of it.. He is cute.. for a BAD GUY. Clean look. Innocent face… but oh-so-evil smile.. even more cute, no?

if i only i was thirteen then that sentenced would've made sense

Thing is, i've noticed thereinafter (don't mind me, i'm in "exam week"), so are many more on-screen villains these days.

Last week prior to the Company Law paper… ahem... I finished watching the whole season of Heroes (sathya’s fault!) He watched, so I watched.. we watched. Hooked, mesmerized by the story line.. from one episode.. to another episode. (excuses, excuses). Anyways, as I was saying - I couldn’t help notice something. Something about Sylar (baddie). He looks good, eh.. haha… *blush*. To those that beg to differ, i assure you, it takes five episodes to note that :P ever heard of looks that grow on you? no? me too.. hahaha!

My point is, gone are the days when you’ll see chaps like Jack Nicholson, and Christopher Walken (who??) starring in antagonistic (?) roles. Seriously, bad guys are looking better and better by the movie.

Take the most recent movie (I’ve watched) - Spiderman 3. If I’m not mistaken, Venom isn’t suppose to look that good, is he?? They casted Topher Grace! Hot hot hot.. hotter then how he was in That 70’s Show.. look at that face!

Plus, he wasn’t the only one Tobey Maguire had to be overshadowed by in the looks department. Need I remind you of the New Goblin? James Franco is undoubtedly the new era’s James Dean. If I’m not mistaken, he did play James Dean..?? (note to self - need to check up on that later).

Have you seen The Covenant? that cool witchy movie with all good lookin' people, and nothing less... Prom and i were practically drooling throughout it (haha.. scratch tht). I just remembered of the bad guy there - Sebastian Stan.

He has a piercing look that can spear thru any witch’s heart. Ok, it might be a little unfair to take The Covenant into consideration, since, like I’ve mentioned, only HOT guys were casted as leads.. but, what about Star Wars? No no, not the old baddie Darth Vader, but darth vader before he got burnt and needed to hide his face under an oversized mask :P

i bring you, Hayden Christensen

The next one's is for you, Di..

Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List? And with honor, i'd like to quote Diana, Ralph Fiennes is nothing but h-o-t. even all the make-up as Voldermort in Harry Potter can’t hide that fact – ok, maybe it can..

..o_O..

I heard American Psycho was good. Haven’t seen it, but I know who won an award for the Best Actor in that movie. Yes, Christian Bale played the villain.

To the Disney aficionado’s over there.. This might interest you (and me) : Scar in Lion King was voiced by Jeremy Irons.

Ok, not exactly “pretty boy” material, but, minus the age? (To be fair, this might be a lil irrelevant on the topic, since we’re talking about on screen looks.. but hey, I’m writing) :P

Last, but not least.. the new Lex Luther :) not exactly the best pix i could muster, but try to imagine him with hair..

So, have I stated my point loud and clear?

edit : this post was responded by rai

i spied with my piggy eyes out side tht blue blue sky

2007-05-24T20:19:00.000+07:00

a "newspaper boy" cap tht i've been hoping to get!

where there's a meal, there's a way

2007-05-24T19:53:00.000+07:00

My mum's been starting to get quite worried with me. ok, frankly, she has been all the while, but her hints on me not taking any effort in "practicing" to cook have been quite too frequent these days. with the possibility of me going to do the Bar in UK this September, my "disability" in fixing up a proper meal at home has been a growing concern. NO THANKS to sathya, of course. his constant complaining of my laziness in the kitchen and my disasterS in making curry maggie (i blush.. its true) hasn't been doing much help to my reputation in my mother's eyes..

but he didn't lie - I HATE COOKING. I do try, tho... and for the past few days, what with being homebound for the exams and all.. i mus admit i've been preparing my own dinners. of course, i did Maggie goreng for most of the time! (:S "i'm practicing, waaatt...") hey, a leopard cant change its spots overnight, right?!

but tonight... ah! i think i faired well, in mummy's book.

i bring you - mushroomsoupspagghetti @ "grandma soup"

*cringe* i suck in naming things.. but tht's the best i could get after crackin my head while eating the soup.. yes, EATING the soup. cos, in this tastey meal, you'll find spagghetti ("yarn") and cute lil button mushrooms ("buttons") snugly covered in mushroom soup (*ahem*campbells...).. yarn + buttons = knitting.. and most grandmas knit one point in their life... so Grandma Soup. [cook time : 10 minutes]

haha!!

verdict : it tastes better then it looks.. to be honest, it's very very nice....! if i may say so myself.

i can cook!
ps: more easy recipes needed or i'll get sooooo phat by the end of this exam month

2007-05-20T21:15:00.000+07:00

“The heart that truly loves never forgets.”

all the best in the exams, girls.. HUGZ

a feast fit for a queen

2007-05-14T17:50:00.000+07:00

Mother's day treat at Barney's for my mummy

Went back home for the weekend to spend time with mummy. Sham and i insisted on her not cooking, and planned a girls night out - just us girls. good thing they accept watches in exchange for cash that night at Barney's... first time buying mum dinner, for me. the look on her face when i stood up to pay was.. priceless.. *brag brag brag*

i craved for spaghetti..

my sis just had to make mum work that night.. she just had to -_-"

side note : i remember mum pointing out the baked beans on Sham's plate. I never noticed it, but she's right - aren't baked beans for breakfast (well, not really)? But why did they serve baked beans? easy to prepare? for it wasn't even that tastey.. but what else could they substitute it for? It did look kind of measley on the plate...
note to others - if presentation is your concern, baked beans, not that appealing to serve for dinner.
but the chicken chop? MmmMmm.. thanks sham for not finishing your dinner.

one for the album

with our tummy filled and our lips burning from tobasco sauce.. we had dessert - chocolate brownies with ice cream. (no pictures, my apologies - my battery ran out *silly me*) but, i must say.. Barney's make really good brownies. A sure reccomendation to those who got no place to go for dessert in Kluang - if you dont feel like have ice kacang, that is.. but i shall leave that for another entry ;)

i love you, mummy ^^

Happy Mother's Day!!

2007-05-05T18:33:00.000+07:00

exam stresssss..................
and u might look like this

solution?

play masak-masak! ^^

good thing we still have one more nian kao (new year cake) left in the fridge (yes, ever since chinese new year :P)

ingrediants... and parang??

look at the nonya go... even dressed the part, eh -_-* since it's not chinese new year, sathya and i decided to do nian kao ala raisins... and added raisins ~duh. would've put in curry powder to make it ala chindian.. but didnt wanna risk it, esp. with sathya's exam soon and all. *grinz*

crunchy, tasty, sweet, sticky and... damn oily. but not bad la, i muz say. heh...
no name for it yet - any suggestions?

LRT - Life's Rapid Transitions

2007-04-20T16:36:00.000+07:00

This is it.. the final 2 weeks of revision.. heart thumping, head throbbing.. finger nails biting.. final 2 weeks. And then 2 weeks more after for personal solitude.. What follows ahead, i dare not speak...

This is it.. yes, it's finally kicking in (about time, i should say). Time to prove what we gained, what we've accomplished, what we've been preparing for for the past 9 months.. Unfortunately tho, my preparation seemed to have been all squeezed to the final 3 months instead..

time flies ever so swiftly.. last week's events seemed only oh-so-yesterday. i could almost hear Jurisprudence lecture ringing in my head - ah, if only i remember what was said! Steady, no panics.. Just a little nervous. It's the finals.. and then, that is it.

Life's rapid Transitions..
bringing us along for a ride along its rails,
opening doors to realms of opportunities, adventure;
and wonders ahead.

If the LRT could talk..
and were to tell me of what he thought..
of me throughout these 3 yrs,
what would he say?

He'd smile and tell me not to worry,
cos even tho the LRT never waits,
and constantly moves forward from day to day,
"enjoy the journey, enjoy the scene that before u i lay".

hello paolo

2007-04-09T22:16:00.000+07:00

My brother has a very different sense of music from me (and from maybe 90% of all teenagers in this decade). Our Ares is filled with downloads of The Beatles, Bob Marley, The Carpenters... u get my drift. Today, i shall not complain. Instead, i'll have to thank him for that wacked sense of music cos without Sathya, i wouldn't have stumbled upon Paolo Nutini.

i must've accidently clicked on him, intending to play Paganini. But instead of getting annoyed (out of both my clumsiness and my brother's habit of overpopulating our shared account with HIS music choices), i found myself (my feet) tapping away to the beat of New Shoes. i thought, "hey.. this is good.. very good..".

Curiosity got the better of me. cos i have never heard of Paolo Nutini, what more seen how he looks like. i dont even know (note my brother's list of idols aforementioned..), whether this Paolo dude is still alive?

so i googled - yea, he still breathing.. wait-a-momento - he's 19??!! where have i been? cos i can swear to you he sounds way older (u be the judge..)

so i YouTube'd. and found this.. close your eyes and listen.. then open your eyes and watch.. (oh, dont' forget to load it 1st ^^)

if it's your 1st time seeing him (humor me pls.. cos it is my first) tell me if you have the same expression as i did after seeing his face, which went along the lines of - eek! so cute! *schoolgirl giggles*..

gosh, where have i been??

papa dearest

2007-04-07T22:15:00.000+07:00

-"happy birthday, pa! how does it feel to be forty-six?"
-groans.. "girl.. dont' remind me"
-"alah, age is just a number la"
-laughs..

*five minutes later*

-"girl, why haven't you still add me on Friendster?"

-_-*

yikes.. did i just say age is just a number?

anybody interested in adding my dad in their Friendster list? just a small precaution before you do, please delete me 1st...

Lets blokefy (a friendly issue)

2007-03-31T00:33:00.000+07:00

Yes, be a bloke.. blokes are cool. So far as I see it these days, it’s true, cos they sure have less drama then us girls when it comes to friendship. In fact, when it comes to friends, I think they seem to have the strongest bond ever.

U’d very seldom see a guy whine and complain about how another guy does better in life; or you’d never hear him b*tch to his friends about his close buddy. (before I go on giving more examples and thread on thin ice...) what I’m trying to say is men tend to handle FRIENDSHIP better.

I love my friends - Most of them are just the sweetest of all people, and I am grateful to have so many that lasted for so long. But these days, disappointments just kept piling up. I get annoyed with things, and I start to question my credibility as a friend. Heh.. who am I kiddin.. I question THEIR credibility as friends.

I bickered. And I pointed. But with all the pointing and bickering I did, I realized how pointless all that seemed, cos pointing back were 4 more of my own fingers straight at me.

It dawned on me what my problem is – I expected too much, I appreciated too little. I should try to be a bloke and settle my problems like a man. Maybe being patriarchal at times like this is the best way out. Objectify! Rationalise! And stop using your messed up emotions do the judging for you. Not easy, I tell you. We girls are after all made up of a bundle of nerves.

I decided to seek help. And so, I went online and did my research on how to calm my nerves. I stumbled upon a cool site (no boys, not porn), and I think I sorta found my sullotion. So give me time, I’m workin on it.

I found this interesting article - thot I’d probably share :-

Keep Your Friends—and Your Sanity

Everybody needs friends. But sometimes you may wish you had a little less of the frustration that goes with the package. I know, because I have. Here are some solutions that have helped me—and might help you, too:

For a "phone yacker" friend: Set a limit. When she calls, say, "I only have 10 minutes to talk," then stick to that. For me, it helps to set the oven timer. When it beeps, I know we're at the time limit and I extract myself from the conversation.

For a "complaining about others" friend: Listen for what's behind the complaint. Is it a lack of self-esteem that causes her to put others down? If so, you wouldn't be a genuine friend unless you gently point that out in an appropriate time and place.

For a "woe is me" friend: Listen … unless your friend's problems are continually the same, and she never does anything to change her situation. If so, she, in essence, is asking you to play her therapist. When that's the case, you'll soon become discouraged and not want to talk with her at all. So this may be the time to say firmly, "It sounds as though you're struggling with the same issues. Have you considered professional counseling?" Help her find resources, then back off slightly. If you don't, you'll become part of the problem—enabling her to remain the "victim."

For the "frequent drop-in" friend: Don't always stop what you're doing when she lands at your doorstep. Say, "Hi! I'm in the middle of ironing. Want to grab a diet Coke and join me downstairs? We can talk while I work." By doing so, you're saying, I want to be your friend, but I also need to get something done while you're here. As a woman who's worked outside the home for 17 years, I'd never get any housework done otherwise.

For the "expects a lot of you" friend: Go out for lunch and confront the situation lovingly. Say, "Your friendship's important to me, Pam. But at times I feel you expect too much from me. Because of my schedule, I really can't get together for lunch every week. But I do want to set aside time just for us once a month. When is a good time for you?"

As you use these time–tested strategies, you may lose a few friends. But the friendships you keep will be deeper and more fulfilling.

—Leota Jeffrey

V-i-V-e-K

2007-03-27T11:48:00.000+07:00

In just one year, he went from wavy locks.. to crew cut.. to blonde and then.. RED. Must have been really boring in Newcastle, cos, after all that time spent on his hair, vek finally decided to do a Britney ‘do.

-Hair today, gone tomorrow-

yes, i was shocked (as if all those hair experimenting wasn't enough for me).. one interesting bit was, of all those years being with him, i never would've imagined that he really, truly is.. an EGGHEAD! Haha! explains alot now.. :P

Still cute to me, tho...

even “with all that changes, some things just remained the same..” ^^

the remedy is the comedy

2007-03-27T01:35:00.000+07:00

>how does he say so much in such a short time??<
watched this umpteenth of times. and still love it..
like warm sunshine for this grueling season.
It's exam/revision month. but let's not make it take a toll on us, eh.. as Mraz says - i won't worry my life away...ay.. ay... lol..

here is i

2007-03-16T23:15:00.000+07:00

i've been getting alot of remarks on how stagnant this blog's been. i do apologise. to be more diplomatic, i'll explain myself to those who actually bother knowing why - bluntly put, i had no internet connection for the past ten days or so. It was utterly dreadful, knowing that u have to pay a full month's bill (i know, me very the kiamsip one), and having a technician that kept postponing his "appointments". But anywhoo, all's well now. Thank you Mr. Lim (hope you get well from tht dreadful cold soon), and hello bloggers :)

right after having gained access to the Net (approximately 3 seconds after saying goodbye to Mr. Lim) 2 days ago, i attempted to blog. No it wasn't this entry you're reading i was attempting on.. it was another. a much better one. in fact it was damn Good. pictures and all.. if i may say so myself la.

feverishly typing away, and downloading pictures of Kam's Bday(which were- i quote Kams herself - so nice!*ahem*); of my first liondance of the year; something on In Pursuit of HappYness with Vic and Kent; and the superb luncheon at Modestos by Prom.. the page i was on decided to give up on me and shut down. *curse!* all that work.. gone.

lesson learnt - save your work from time to time - but honestly, who does that??!

i decided against retyping that entry. i was too furious to.

Today, however i have another story -
My aunt sent me a sweet and simple sms informing me that my picture's in the Star Newspaper.

i blanked. asked prom, who was balancing in the lrt with me at the moment, what that sms really meant.
"your moot??" she said
"er.. doubt it"
went home, checked the papers.. looking to see an ugly shot of me.. but instead, i spotted a very familiar name in Thumbnails..
hehe.. how did i forget -

Didn't win the RM50 prize, but it is a good enough of a motivation for me to send in more :)

Thanks for pointing it out AuntySan! so observant ^^

*the picture was taken from my bedroom window.

spotted two workers painting the 19 storey high apartment's roofs.

no harness, no wire. just paint :S darrrrriing

i spied with my piggy eyes, this chinese new year

2007-02-23T16:12:00.000+07:00

he'll kill me for putting this up, so thank god he doesn't read my blog :P

he was too excited to be home after 2 months, i guess...

colors of this lunar new year

2007-02-23T15:46:00.000+07:00

"chor yat", we dressed up as red as red our lanterns... and stuffed ourselves like pigs ^^..

but the stuffing bit lasted for days after especially on "chor yi", when Mum had her first try in making Beggar's Chicken. yup - tht's my aunt trying to pry it open with a hammer. The Buddha looked more serene these pass few days, even wai poh's cherry blossom bloomed!

gong xi fa cai, everyone.. wan shi ru yi.. tian tian kai xing >.<

May the year of the pig bring each and everyone of us lots of happiness, luck and of course - fat. ehehe... as quoted by an uncle during one of my annual visits - "eat, don't stop eating.."

p/s: sho's currently back in KL,

decorating her hall with lots of mandarin oranges

packed up by her persistant mother

Va Va va Voooom

2007-02-14T23:47:00.000+07:00

In an attempt to obliviate all boredom among us "single-tons" on Valentine's Day, a bunch of us chicas (there were supposedly 8 of us.. but it came down to.. 4), decided to have an all-girls-nite-out. We decided to play dress up, have dinner together, feast on a good movie and ultimately have fun. all in that order.. :)

movie ala carte was Music & Lyrics.
It was super hilarious! Hugh Grant's antics cracked us all up - OMG, those hips! :B Inevidently, the whole cinema was roaring with laughters (who would've imagined Hugh Grant to be so comical??) i guess that was what made it even funnier.

Ah, i don't plan to be a spoiler *halo on my head glowing like a 100watts bulb* so for all those out there interested in a romantic-but not too sappy-comedy, this is it! :) ~shanti, shanti~ hahahahahaha....

As predicted by Parvin, we snap snap quite a bit (pictures, that is). Not much according to my standard :P but enough to make Prom cringe in dismay. i would love to post up the pictures while the girls were getting ready putting on make up, getting dolled up, the works.. but ah, i don't plan to make enemies out of my loving friends :) so this is about the most decent ones around.

the dude that took this picture actually tried to give pointers in setting my perfectly-fine-simple-digital camera... WHY?? -_-* nice shot tho

footloose~

Parvin and her main course..

Parvin and her dessert...
Kiddin!
'tho it does look like a magic trick or something right? *teehee..*
ok, i'm lame :P

hey this waffle was scrumptiliciously gooood! just nice, 4 corners for 4 chicas
(eh, somebody stop me with this mexicano lingo!)

Kams, my new found love :P vickie i still love u. heehee.. oh, yea, vek.. u too.. O_o

sitting in the KLCC food court, Kams and i couldn't contain ourselves on how ticklishly funny all these seemed. Half of us, ok, WE (O_o), did look kinda out of place being so prepped up. but at least parvin and prom made full use of their attire and went clubbing after the whole "event". smart chicas :) i was too concerned in catching the last bus home. and Kams was too tired. But above all this, i must say, it was nice to hang out and do something together on Valentine's Day. nothing better than spending time with close pals, tho we really wished Di could've joined us as well. It would have made the gang complete. but i shouldn't be too selfish. Di had fun too i'm sure.

yes, as predicted couples were everywhere... and yes, i miss Vek even more today. But girls, u've made my day! *muah~* Happy Valentine's Day!

tired of cynicsms.. tired of conspiracy theories

2007-02-09T10:48:00.000+07:00

Dear world,

it's been only 2 days since the Perdana Global Peace Conference on War Crimes. Kams did an excellent entry on it. and so did apparently the whole world. i'm tired. i don't plan to bicker.. i don't plan to criticise. i'm tired of listening and reading about it too.

Honestly, i contemplated once, twice, many many times whether to blog about it (hence the delayed entry). cos in order to write on it, i'd have to think about it, and to think about it i get depressed all over again. but who am i kidding. i can never forget what i learnt and saw. it bleeds me to know how awful war can get. LOUD, Bloody, DISTURBING, Ugly and damn EVIL. any war. no war is ever a pretty sight...

so my only comment would be the fact that they should have focused on WAR as it is.. and not do an all-bashing-bush-and blaire campaign. Heck, even the invited guests and witnesses from Iraq were Neutral. but, i must say it was a bold move to bring awareness to the country (sidetracked from the title of "Criminalising War", no doubt) but still.. a bold move nonetheless. He might "get in trouble" for what he said.. ('though he wasn't the only one being brutally honest those 2 days).. and he might have been making it more of a personal attack. but we saw this coming didn't we?

the girls and i (i believe) learnt a lot throughout the conference. and i'm proud to know that we've not only took in what we learnt, but (being the cynics we are), managed to look into the whole matter with our on perspective and opinion. sad to say, we're equally aware half of the Hall wouldn't have seen it the way we did. not everyone's neutral.

but as a side note, on a very semi-related topic, (di, kams and prom would've seen this coming) - Dr. M's speech mesmerized me - with or without a prompter, with or without a written speech, he is the world's greatest speaker in my book. i'll always love him like a granddaughter. no granddad's perfect, but i'll always love him nonetheless :) (comments, anyone? :P) it was dissapointing when i didn't get his autograph, or a personal shot (actually i did - where's that journalist??).. ah.. long story.. at least (self consolation) i got to stand beside him, had flashes of light flashing, and said hi. LOL..

thank you,

sho
*more pix in friendster

oh wow!!

2007-02-01T21:15:00.000+07:00

mum just messaged.. and gave me a really wonderful news..it's super ! it's .. it's.. AMAZING! i was as excited as she..

*ahem* mum watched the Amazing Race Asia finale.. (what were you thinking?) and the winners?! oh, wow!! i'm so proud!

*ahem - regaining composure for the 2nd time* after getting mum's message a couple of minutes ago, i immediately surfed thru as many Amazing Race Asia sites as i possibly can.. Probably ALL. and none up to date enough to mention the winners. so.. that pretty much means... I AM THE FIRST! (ma, u better be right with the news..!).. heh! so.. if i may continue with my ecstatic piece of berita -

**ok, for those not wanting to know the results yet.. and don't plan to have me ruin the suspense - don't read further :P - but i guess it's kinda too late, right? ~teeheehee**

the champions, laydees and gentledudes.. of the 1st Season Amazing Race Asia, are - drum rolls pls -

Zabrina and Joe Jer!!

first ever all-female team winning the Amazing Race! and first Malaysians!! wheeee....!!!

go girls.. Malaysia, memang boleh!

>psst, dave.. u should have congratulated Zabrina when u saw her at DELIcious during your first trip there :P <

*screammmmmmm*

2007-01-29T22:51:00.002+07:00

they say the best things in life are free. i say - it's true! :P

i had the sudden notion of having my hair cut. today, i did exactly that - for FREE!

all i needed was a phone number, a wacky best friend and thick skin. hah!

AP, a trainee hairstylist (for 2 yrs) in toni & guy did an excellent job. she was steady, friendly and patient - or rather, we were patient. wash, cut and blow took 1 1/2 hours altogether. ah.. but worth the wait. cos, as quoted by jessica simpson, "i feel so much lighter on my feet with all that hair gone" :P

ok, so it might seem my hair looks, as sathya said "exactly the same". but in actual truth it's not! it's better.. i can feel it.. haha! (hey, i said i wanted a hair cut right.. not a hair make over)

pictures by misssweetvic. thanks for waiting so patiently babe!

anyways, bottom line - it was FREE! so for those interested in getting free pampering (esp in preparation for this chinese new year) just contact toni & guy and make reservations for their junior stylist. whoa~ i'm promoting the salon. heh!

caught in our free spirit (hehe..pun not intended) vic and i had a plate of free pasta at delifrance for lunch. thanks to jo for the coupons, we managed to save quite a bit of smackaroos.

vic admiring the pasta..

thanks, jo!

lesson for the day : the best things in life are free.. u just have to know where to look.

*pictures were taken with no other than my k800i.

a lovely gift from my sweet baby :) ah.. i'm so lucky!

somewhere Delicious for dinner

2007-01-19T22:35:00.000+07:00

last night, we went to...

by reccomendation - we had to wait for an aussie to bring us there ^^ (u are aussie, dave)...

hmmm - jia wei deciding

posing ^^ - while waiting for our meals. note the comfy blue cushion!

vonne - couldn't help comparing how much better her Seriously Delicious Burger looks (tht's what it's really called. lol.. imagine the waiter announcing it while serving - "seriously delicious burger"..haha..*doink*)

cheeze - happy customer!

camera man - david behind the legendary camera.. hence i reckon that there'll be many super shots of that night from him on his blog *hint hint* psst.. thnx for letting me play with your camera dave. i know what's on my xmas list this yr already. muahahaha...

pretty - mouthwatering desserts... leanna's phone's new wallpaper :)

*muah!*

sidenote: didn't realise till a few min ago that vonne beat me in blogging bout this.
^^ check it out here.

happy birthday, Di

2007-01-19T21:09:00.000+07:00

i must apologize for the delay.. i can't remember what took me so long to put this up.
considering the fact that WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! :)

16th January : Lunch at Little Vietnam, located beside Little Taiwan.. (oh, apparently little penang was somewhere around..haha.. no kidding) anyways, food was good. deco was better ^^

check out Kam's vietnamese coffee.. frrreshly brewed.. unique eh..

gather a bunch of law students, and u'll get the loudest gang in the restaurant :)
perfect timing, Di!

Secret Recipe for some sweet desserts... and

a surprise song for the birthday girl

It was just too bad that we couldn't take any pictures at the bowling alley - it was so much fun. Then again, there's always next time. we must do this again! :) a sneek picture of Mr. Flinstone in action, maybe?

The chronicles of the land below the wind

2007-01-03T19:59:00.000+07:00

I woke up the the shrill of a drill. The dude upstairs had to chose to do his renovation at the start of the year – at 9 a.m.? ah, back to reality, hols over.

It’s been 2 days since returning from Sabah. I miss it. I miss waking up late to fresh air and peaceful mornings, with only the sweet songs of chirpy birds to greet me.. and oh, mum’s breakfast. Honestly, I miss the crowd of my little family.

That drill didn’t sound like it was stopping. I crawled to the computer, and switched on the media player to its maximum – Shakira – eat this, you drill man.

Sathya’s about to leave for Kluang. His attachment at the private hospital got canceled – much to his disappointment. I’d go home too, if not for my attempt to start my 5 essays. Well I could don’t do them and don’t apply for the Bar... er... I didn’t just say that, did i? Sleepy head talking.

Staring at the blank Microsoft word page, I had the urge to write about something else – something I had been itching to write and hadn’t the chance to for the past 2 weeks. Oh.. there’s just so much to tell! So much to share – and so much mere words can never describe. So hello, ol’ blog! I’m Back!

2007-01-03T19:55:00.000+07:00

The.Ra.Peu.Tic...

Touched down at KK airport. 17th December. No rain, yay!

I was excited!

2 reasons: It has been ages since I’ve been here, and secondly, papa actually made plans for a trip to Karambunai! So that makes 3 reasons, doesn’t it?

KARAMBUNAI –6km of white sandy beach, strong waves.. and “some say it’s heaven” So off to Nexus Resort we drove. And you know what – it was heaven.

4 days of uber relaxation. We had...

.visual.therapy.

With the wind in our hair and the sweet salty taste of the South China Sea, I could have sat all day at the balcony and EAT everything up.

The Red flag was up the whole time we were there, to mark the monsoon season and its strong strong waves. No swimming, but who’s complaining?

.beach.therapy.
The waves were gEnOrMous! And they were calling us. Red flag or not, we waddled in and enjoyed its warm sea water, letting it push us around with its curly fat waves. I didn’t stay too long, though – wide spaces.. wide spaces..

.color.therapy.
Somebody painted the skies purple that day

.sleep.therapy.
With all the sun soaking and swimming, sleep never felt so good..

estate escapade

2007-01-03T18:30:00.000+07:00

We drove for 4 hours from KK – 2 hours on the bumpiest stretch ever... driving past acres after acres of oil palm trees... all the way to Sugut, my dad’s place.

Entertainment and news wise, we relied on nothing more but Astro (whoopee) and 2-day-delayed newspapers. Oh, and scrabble, of course. haha.. it wasn’t till the 22nd that it struck us how bad the flood was back in Johor. Was this the foreboding feeling I had at the sea a couple of days ago?
We horsed around that week – anticipating Christmas.

It smells great outdoors after a light drizzle. I can’t describe it – you’d have to be there. The trees’ll look greener and the air heavier.

Sham saw her first frog eggs

holding on to our dear lives while papa drove us around. now tht's what i call horsing around!

Sathya tried the pickup – while I, again, held on to my dear life

Christmas in Sugut, so good

Oh, check this out – self made chrismas tree! Trust my mum to come up with the wackiest ideas. You wouldn’t have guessed it’s actually made out of mahjong paper! LOL

Food in Sugut’s amazing. It's Seafood heaven everyday. It was cheap and easily accessible. i reckon our cholesterol level went up a notch or two. ah.. but who's counting, right?

SANDAKAN

2007-01-03T18:20:00.000+07:00

Before returning to KL, we spent 2 nights in Sandakan, in our old place, in Tshun Ngen. Dad’s friend currently occupying it was nice to let us crash in – so much for a tenant and landlord relationship!

It was nostalgic being back, especially being in my old room. A weird sense of familiarity – a mixture of “who would’ve imagined..” and “I knew I’d be back again..” kinda feeling. I know I don’t make sense.. it’s hard to explain.
I looked around every corner of its walls – and yes, there it was : my handwriting, in a tiny scrawl. Bad habits die hard...

There were so many people to meet and catch up with. One whole day clearly wasn’t enough! It was mostly mum and dad's call this time. "this time"... cos there's always next year!
New year's eve was extra memorable. Counting down with family and old friends. What better way to end 2006 - a trip back to Sabah, a trip back home.

peeping thru the hues

2006-12-08T23:04:00.000+07:00

Vic texted me a strange question the other day ^^ what’s my color? Without thinking twice, I described the colour of my outfit.. I can be quite daft.

So let me pose a question to you : stare out of your “window”, what do you see?

Still early, but I’m already looking forward to it...

2006-12-01T08:21:00.000+07:00

It’s currently been assignments, assignments and more assignments. Being an ATC law student, we actually have the liberty to decide whether we should do them or not.. I chose the latter, out of guilt, naturally. A guilt made worse by the fact that I decided not to go for the mock examinations, supposedly due in 2 weeks.

Reason: going back to Sabah!!

Mum bought the tickets, and laid out our itinerary for the 12 days. Sounds fantastique! Anything beats mugging, no?

Wish you could be going back as well, Vic.. but for you the “torture” ends in January! Mine would’ve just begun :S *yikes* to Vic, Kent, Ernest, Chia ling and all my other nerdy-medic pals (:P haha...) Tis is the season to be Jolly.. study and be merry.. mug mug mug! Ho ho ho...

P/s: I suck in motivating :P (if u hadn't noticed)

2006-11-26T22:50:00.000+07:00

Just got home from having a tooth achingly sweet time with Vic and Kent (finally I met him.. lol). I’ve been aching to try out the Bakerzin in One Utama – the ambience has been so inviting. Hence, my suggestion to celebrate Kent’s birthday there for some desserts.

We had a rich dark chocolate Chocolate Amer, Cookies and Cream (Oreo Cheesecake to the most of us) and a delicious mouthwatering green tea cheese cake – which was my first time ever. Hope the Man didn’t mind all the chocolate and sweetness, since his drink, picked out by Vic, was mint chocolate. I didn’t mind, naturally.. I was in sweeeet heaven.

Vic had a brilliant idea of making the each of us quietly choose a drink for the other. It was ticklish, cos to actually order it to the waitress, we had to point it out from the menu, instead of saying it out loud. Loved the waitress – she was quick in playing along!

Romantic, chocolate heaven... excellent service.. Vek, we have to go there together. come home fast! :)

macchiato, anyone?

ok, round 2...

2006-11-20T01:00:00.000+07:00

we're still smiling,

i smell nuts... "so what we going to do tommorow, Brain?" :B

the super duo.. congrats, Yin-Mike @ Mike-Yin! ^^

Regina
v
Jones

Dr Arthur Jones was convicted at the Flitland Crown Court of the murder of Baby X. The following facts were not in dispute:

At the time of the offence Dr Jones was in charge of the premature baby unit at the only hospital in the region. He had previously authorized the use of the only available life-support system for Baby X, whose chances of surviving without it for longer than a few hours were small.
A little while later another, more viable baby, Baby Y, was brought to the unit needing immediate support. No alternatives being available, Dr Jones decided to remove the less viable baby, Baby X, from the life-support system to make room for the new arrival, Baby Y. Dr Jones made this decision entirely on his own initiative, and without any consultation with medical colleagues or the parents of Baby X. Baby X died soon afterwards, and Baby Y died five days later while still on the life-support system. On the advice of his counsel Dr Jones pleaded guilty to the murder of Baby X after Stern J. had intimated that he would direct the jury:
1. that Dr Jones had caused Baby X's death, since the baby would, though born prematurely, have lived much longer if it had not been removed from the life-support system; and
2. that Dr Jones's belief that the life-support system would give Baby Y a far better chance of survival than Baby X was no defence to the charge. Dr Jones now appeals to the Court of Appeal on the ground that both rulings were erroneous, and that his conviction is accordingly unsafe.

In the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

Lady Justice Mary George presiding

Appellants : Michael Anthony, Koo Yin Soon
Respondents : Shobana Segran, Irene Kam

_____________________________________

3 hours and 15 min..

One-heck-of-a-game!

All rise...

2006-11-12T23:03:00.000+07:00

Mooting in pictures - round one

behind the scenes, where the brain juices start flowing.
i present to you my lovely partner in crime, Irene and our learned, honourable mentor.. Alister the Hamster

no laughing matter
Saturday, 10 a.m.
Court of Appeal
Lord Justice Fork presiding

winning smile! smile when you are winning...

2006-11-06T00:09:00.000+07:00

*It was raining, and pouring
at 6 in the evening;
So we took out San Remo,
and the bottle of prego;
cos sathya said “let’s do some cooking..” *

Timid? Shy? Or is it just plain Malaysian?

2006-11-03T22:54:00.000+07:00

Something outrageously, outwardly, ridiculously, typically... Malaysian happened to me today.. but first, let me briefly outline the new bus system in PJ town – One ringgit ticket for the whole day. Hence, note the importance of having our ticket at hand after paying for the ticket. OK? ok.

It started off with me getting up the bus after a long queue this morning, to get to the LRT station to get to my aunt’s... (or maybe it started off with my hyper state of hormonal imbalance – that time of the month, you know).. anyways, I shoved my RM1 into the money slot (with lots more RM1 notes sticking out).. I asked for my ticket.. and then.. after I conveniently put in my RM1 note into the money slot, guess what the bus driver told me (and apparently, to the 6 other people in front of me in the queue as well)?

“ticket habis”...

I gave him a weird look.. and in my mind, I was screaming - “why then didn’t u stop me from putting my one buck in??”.. and “why didn’t the other folks say anything??” “no more tickets??!”..

i just sat down, thinking that the bus driver would compensate us with our daily ticket by the time we reached the station. That would’ve explained everyone’s cool manner.

So, destination – the bus stop (opposite the station) reached.. the bus stops, and bus driver gets ready to drive off. I approached him immediately before he does, demanding for the ticket.. NOT FAIR LA... I paid and got no ticket in return?? Now, guess what the driver nonchalantly replied?

“ambil balik duit la”..

The nerve! I plucked out RM1 from the stuffed up money slot, fuming..

Off the bus, I was glad to know I wasn’t the only one as mad as a bull by then.. some of the other “cheated” passengers were gathering among themselves, talking bout the situation.
Not one of them took their money back... not one of them plan to complain.. they basically got mad at the fact that they “rugi” one buck today and that the driver was plain “giler..”

I “contributed” my 2 cents worth of “talk” and suggested that all of us complain to the bus station office. Ok, I don’t mean to be a mean rebel, a boycotter or a “cockfighter” here.. Heck, we have the right to voice out, no?! Much to my dismay, (and not to my surprise) not one dared to live up to my suggestion..

By now, extra fumed by all these absurdity.. I marched to the office alone and made my complain.. Hopefully it went to good ears, and some action was taken after that... so I comforted myself.. I believed what I did was right. By pointing out the incident to those incharged, I did my part to ensure that such nonsense wouldn’t have occurred again... Hell knows what the driver did with the access money.

What he should have done instead was not take any more passengers when he ran out of tickets, or not make us pay, or at least, have the plain initiative to compensate us with the tickets when we arrived!

But what truly baffles me is the fact that the others didn’t bother to do a single thing...

We Malaysians and our “tak apa-lah” attitude, and the “apa-apa saja” motto. Are these the reasons why we stay integrated? Is this the secret ingredient the US and UK are looking for to one “tolerable harmonious community”? far fetched as some might see it.. I can’t think of any other reason to justify the response this morning. Why? Why? Why?

putting my best face forward

2006-10-30T00:18:00.000+07:00

Vek's wicked camera makes the ugliest shots ever!

i shall name my alter egos Nosa, Murtha, Cheeka and Alienna.. U-G-L-Y!

2006-10-29T23:36:00.000+07:00

FOCUS!

Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
~Alexander Graham Bell

what we Indian girls do before Deepavali

2006-10-28T00:43:00.000+07:00

Well, shopping would be stating the obvious, ain't it.. This year, Prom finally decided to get her very own Punjabi costume. Val and i were glad enough to be her fashion escort.. and what better place than the Indian Bazaar that was on for the past weeks before Deepavali in KL Central.

i should've captured to hustle and bustle that was going on on my handy camera in that narrow alley that day.. but with the crowd and sweat and full hands with fresh coconut candy.. i rather not risk juggling. (u get my drift)..

after a long hunt for "the one" (2 pretty Karishma suits in fact)- the two of us (much to Val's annoyance with the heat, and the crowd and the sweat and the shopping bags..) decided to get ourselves our much anticipated Mehendi (Henna tattoo to some of ya'll)..

Finally, a chair!

the ladies were really quick with their work - very impressive judging by the detailed intricate job they had done on our hands..
why hands?? well.. It is usually drawn on the hands and feet, where the designs will last the longest due to the fact that it only penetrates the dead cells of the *ahem*..stratum corneum.. (not bad eh, vic.. heehee).. anyways, i think they're the prettiest there. maketh the hand more unique, no? and i couldn't have possibly did my feet in the middle of KL Central, could i.. hahahaha...

my Mehendi lasted for exactly one week.. it depends on the "body heat" too they say. wonder how long prom's lasted :)

2006-10-28T00:41:00.000+07:00

*****

2006-10-28T00:40:00.000+07:00

happy with our hands!

it was the deepa raya hols!

2006-10-26T01:32:00.000+07:00

To kick start the week of leisure, my family and I attended Sham’s music school’s annual concert.. despite the weather, we were all entertained – what’s more, seeing the lil baby of the family on stage was just SuPeR.. :) I didn’t ask, but I could tell papa had more butterflies in his stomach than Sham herself.. First, with her performance in the strings ensemble and then, to end the night, was everyone’s favourite – the ballet entry.. Sham, as one of the graceful red Indian girls. I managed to pose with the star of the show!

That night itself, the girls helped out in doing up this year’s kolam... Peacock feathers for Peace and Tranquility..The Lotus for Good over Evil.

It’s a family event!

My aunts prepared HOT tosai for all the 100 guests that came and went that night.. and the girls playing waitresses with the drinks. Me? Tolong makan lar..

to JiaWei and Vonne, thanks for coming.. check vonne's culinary experience out. Well depicted, vonne! hilarious~

Happy Diwali and Salam Aidilfitri, everyone!

the super McD challenge!

2006-10-08T23:10:00.000+07:00

Ever heard of a McDonald buffet? Eat all u want in McDonalds! choices? Well, what do u expect – burger, burger, burger and... Burger.

It was crazy! Dom and Yap went for it last Ramadhan.. I avoided. This year, sathya poped up the brilliant suggestion of stuffing ourselves with RM20.00 of McDonald “delicacies”. It became a challenge, really... and today... approximately 4 hours ago, he, Prom and I did just that.

If u’ve never been to a Malaysian McD buffet... this is how we do it.

Step 1: order... “Duh”
Step 2: grab your order from the counter... :P
Step 3: start eating.. Step 4: eat (you might try your level best took still look good doing it)... step 5: eat... step 6: eat more... step 7: eat (by now, no need to bother how u look).. Step 8: eat la... step 9: *burp...* continue.. eating..

Sathya set the bar at 10 burgers for himself!! Prom and I decided 5 each...By the end of it all... none of us sampai target.. it was an awful feeling! I swear – no more McD’s for me...

...can't breath!

Something different this Saturday

2006-10-07T17:10:00.000+07:00

Old pals, Unite!
Met up with yvonne, jiawei and leanna. And the chatter, laughter, gossip and smiles never ceased.. (happy belated birthday, Leanna! ~muax~)

the color of Fall, laydees.. PiNk & White. no planning.. just good sense of taste! :P

1 Hat.. 3 looks...

What's a blog without food, right?? As vonne said (to a certain extent) TGIF on Saturday. *i had fun!*

hear me whine

2006-10-04T23:11:00.000+07:00

Have you ever wished that you wouldn't have to be surrounded by people, but yet, you don't want to be left alone? It's like being caught in the middle of nothingness, but u still feel like your suffocating. No one's fun enough.. smart enough.. funny enough.. or charming enough. It's so easy to complain!

Yes, i'm back in my grumpy state. But i have a big grin on my face. I can't seem to be happy with my surroundings, but yet, i'm presuming it can't get any better than this.

Have you ever felt like you're stuck in a wrong box? Move to another, and realise that the previous one was much better? yea, the grass is greener on the other side. Maybe i'm just looking for a different change of scene and don't have a particular scene i want in mind. maybe, there's something missing.. or someone.

No, i don't need comfort. Just give me more s p a c e. Arghhh... space is too empty! no, no, come back. Don't run away. Just stop. Listen.

seeing it all in a different light for one last time...

2006-10-02T23:56:00.000+07:00

*Chili's at "Opening Hour".. *
ever wondered why from the moment our shutters are opened, the tables and windows are squicky clean? the napkins in the right places? the chairs in the right angle? the menu's facing in the same direction? the plants never wilted? the floor spotless? the cutleries bright and shiny?...

*the cool computer like gadget at every ledger where most waiter and waitresses lean on after every order*
oh, micros micros.. i shall miss you so.. your smooth sensitive screen.. your brightly coded functions.. u were there during my training days, happy days, angry days... u took my crap without complaining... u made my job so easy! oh, micros.. i'll miss u so..

*behind the scenes*
Gila-gila chiliheads posing at the QA - where the restaurants "magic" takes place.. exactly 2 hours after this picture was taken, the word "frenzy" gets a whole new meaning (ev-e-ry-sing-le-day).

ahh... i miss working la

2006-09-29T22:35:00.000+07:00

i've been getting complaints from "avid readers" *lol* about my idleness in blogging these days.. my blog's been in the freezer for far too long.. i know. well, listen up people.. i got NEWS :)

i finally bought myself a camera!! whopeee... been eyeing on this baby for ages (ok, its not exactly an SLR or a anti-shock-fancy-gadget) but, the Canon Powershot A430's super for me! (it's cheap.. kehkehkeh) after months of saving up $$, It's mine.. all mine!!

haha... i'm so excited! can't u tell?

and the snapping begins...

sathya's surprise

2006-09-29T10:50:00.000+07:00

It was actually meant to be just the 2 of us for dinner tonight..(my brother can be really malas sometimes). Not satisfied with the idea of having a "quiet" birthday for him, i secretly arranged a meet up with his long time ol pal.Leon and him hadn't seen each other for 6 years. So, imagine sathya's surprise...

*Kim Gary and secret recipe* we couldn't breath by the end of it all

*painting with my fingers*

self check

to Laugh Out Loud

ennui

Pleasant surprise

Aston's note on some stuff for Malaysians

There she goes

just one day was all i need

Reincarnated

the end of an era

all set!

bloomsville

wheee... it's wii!

dandy-lions - yes, i'm alive

look what we saw outside our windows

weather post-caste

hail-le-lu-jah!

krrrriiiingg....

poTAYto, poTAHto

oh, boy

northern lights

mecca

christmas blessings

the Beggar's Roost

counting down to christmas

being under my tortoise shell

*first frost*

who got tricked and who needs a treat?

dine and whine

like being home

lunch and dinner

the first supper

newcastle snapshots

me, the average sho

best buys of the year!

super dee dooper

for those wondering

EESTin' at Westin

retail therapy, indeed

ABC's of Redang trip

me and my good taste :P

burnt and blessed

3 out of 6...

the wonders

feeling the punch

BzZzzzz BzZzzzz

starting it with pirates and songs

Pretty Baaaad Boys

i spied with my piggy eyes out side tht blue blue sky

where there's a meal, there's a way

“The heart that truly loves never forgets.”

a feast fit for a queen

LRT - Life's Rapid Transitions

hello paolo

papa dearest

Lets blokefy (a friendly issue)

V-i-V-e-K

the remedy is the comedy

here is i

i spied with my piggy eyes, this chinese new year

colors of this lunar new year

Va Va va Voooom

tired of cynicsms.. tired of conspiracy theories

oh wow!!

somewhere Delicious for dinner

happy birthday, Di

The chronicles of the land below the wind

estate escapade

SANDAKAN

peeping thru the hues

Still early, but I’m already looking forward to it...

ok, round 2...

All rise...

Timid? Shy? Or is it just plain Malaysian?

putting my best face forward

what we Indian girls do before Deepavali

it was the deepa raya hols!

the super McD challenge!

Something different this Saturday

hear me whine

painting with my fingers

first frost