__________________________________

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~

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self check

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

… 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.”

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

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!

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

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!

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 ;)

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

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

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

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!

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°...