Purple Haze

My Melancholy and My Joy

2009-11-26T21:54:00.010+08:00

I hate it when kids or teenagers expect you to stop for them:

1) in a mall while you are walking along a crowded aisle, or
2) driving along a school zone on the road,

by raising their hands with palms up straight at you!

Where did they learn to do this?! Those days pedestrians cross roads courteously and they usually show the indication to STOP or just to slow down when they are walking an elderly, a blind person or young children. Even then their hands were raised to only waist level.

But these kids or teenagers nowadays just do it in your face. Like "whatever then rolls eyes" kind of attitude. Pests! I hate to say this too but so happen these kids are of a certain skin colour. I could not help but feel rather racial and want to look down on them regardless of their social status. I really wonder if their parents ever thought them anything about manners. Wait. That was redundant.

Imagine, I am carrying a tray of food looking for a seat, and this kid just purposefully stops in front of me, gives me that hand and some 'smack me' kind of look and then walks away. I was stunned for a moment but woke up and just let out under my breath "you're supposed to say excuse me". I was very sure that child's family saw just what happened as I felt their eyes on me. I do not give a rat's ass though people. If I could I would show you my hand on your kid's face.

Yes, I am annoyed. It is one of those days where flies and mosquitoes would avoid me. Probably because I am having PMS and that the awesome rainy and gloomy weather decided to move elsewhere knowing full well that some of us love the cool air after it rains. Damn it.

***

A couple of weeks back my colleagues and I were treated to AUTHENTIC (I have to emphasize this) Chettinad and South Indian cuisine lunch all the way in the City. Located in Lebuh Ampang we met up with the host, one of our lecturers at Betel Leaf. We had to go upstairs as the ground floor of the shophouse was undergoing renovation. Upon entering the restaurant, we were greeted with many beautiful framed pictures, copper and brass statuettes and carvings (which were for sale by the way) and friendly staff. Being there for the first time our host ordered the 'specials' for us while we chatted away.

The food arrived some time after, as there were a lot of other customers that day. Nevertheless, the aroma of the dishes that were placed before us soon got our minds off the waiting. There was Gobi/Gobee (fried cauliflower kind of dish), Tikka Masala (seasoned chicken) with mint sauce (it was so green!), some chicken curry like dish, Sambal Prawns, Cheese Naan and Briyani Rice.

The first couple of bites were unforgettable. It tasted so good, my eyes teared. No kidding. No doubt I smiled the whole time while savouring every bite of the food before me. Some of the dishes such as the prawn and chicken curry were a little spicy while some like the Tikka Masala and cauliflower were not. The cauliflower was rather sweet. Yet it went very well with the rice. I love it that in all these dishes, you could taste the sweet, salty, sour and bitter all at once, thanks to the number of spices and condiments that were added to the food. The Cheese Naan on the other hand was fluffy. Yes you read that right. It was no greasy nor burnt either. Pretty good.

Later, most of us felt rather 'high'' with laughter and made a lot of noise. Realising this, our host got our attention and informed us of a 'secret' ingredient in the Briyani Rice. Apparently, we had taken 'drugs'. I had to laugh when he mentioned that the so called secret ingredient was poppy seed powder. It was unfortunate however, most of my colleagues did not know what poppy seeds were let alone the joke. It was later when I explained to them that poppy seeds came from poppy flowers, and the same flowers were used a long time ago to make opium.

"Ohhhhh.."

At the end of the meal, the host recommended Masala Tea. He said that it would help with digestion, clears the 'drug' and the feeling of fullness in the stomach. The said tea was actually spiced black tea with milk. I shared some with my colleagues and it was a delight! Firstly, I am used to drinking ginger tea and this Masala Tea had ginger, cinnamon powder and some other kinds of spice and condiments usually used for cooking. That was quite different and I like to try new things that do not sound gross. Secondly, it had fresh milk which I love in my teas. To add more joy to this experience, it came in a metal cup and saucer. I love novelty so the whole thing was perfect. I happily finished my tea :)

My two younger colleagues opinioned it was nice too but they gave up after awhile. The young girl whom we knew all the while that she loves to drink English tea with milk also said, she was not used to it. The other one, who claimed to be a big fan of tea and was showing off how much he liked tea in general, could not come to finish it. Well my friend, I guess from this experience you were only a fan of oriental tea (Chinese tea and Japanese green tea). I chose to remain quiet and let him off the hook due to his age. If not I would have openly blasted him for his attention seeking behaviour. Grow up already. It ain't cool.

Oops, I just got annoyed again. Let me retract some of this "dislike towards young loud mouth smart alecs who think they know everything and think they have done a lot of things in life just because they have gone overseas to study for a year and trying to get my attention" feeling. Ahem ahem.

Overall, the lunch treat was really good. I was so satisfied with this first experience of mine I bragged to my mum and decided that we will definitely be going there again some other time. It was from this experience also, I do not think I am able to look at or eat in the case, Cheese Naan or Tikka Masala the same way.

***

The same weekend, I went with Z to piggywiggy's second gown trying for her wedding in December. Her mum and her bestie were there too and her fiancee of course. It was more relaxed and much easier to find the gowns this time around. However, it was harder to decide on which gowns were more appropriate for each session of the day. Nevertheless, it was really great that we actually agreed on one very sweet and pretty night gown. It was 'YES' on the first try :)

After the gown trying, Z and I went to Tropicana City Mall to look for dinner dresses as well as clothing items to match the theme for the morning session of piggywiggy's wedding day. After walking around a bit, I managed to find an evening dress which was dark purple. I was afraid that it would be a bit revealing with the thin straps and low criss-crossed bodice. Surprisingly, it was not. But to be on the safe side I might just put on a tubetop on the wedding. It was not expensive either. Unfortunately, when I showed it to my mum later that day she said it looked like a negligee. I just hope I do not make a scene at the wedding then. LOL.

After the shopping session, Z and I had a good talk over dinner. It happened that the both of us have not had Kenny Rogers for a long time. So it was really enjoyable both the meal and the company.

***

Recently, I had to attend an English Placement Test for staff by the HR Department. I was surprised at first but went ahead anyway. It was a one hour test and a couple of days later, I was given the results. I had 44/50 marks. Yet I have to attend Intermediate English classes starting 1st of December. Why?!

***

Christmas is coming. My intention of getting a new Christmas Tree has been fulfilled. Now the more difficult part is to find the time to decorate it. We took out the old box of trinkets and ornaments to fill up the tree. Unfortunately, there were some pieces that were either turning yellow or broken. So we may have to get new ones from the looks of it. Let us see how it goes.

Until then, wishing all my readers the best of luck in preparation for weddings, year end holidays, Christmas and rushing to complete your work or tasks at hand prior the long holidays!

Christmas is Coming!

2009-11-06T22:23:00.004+08:00

By next month I will be packed with work and celebrations. I must make conscious effort to bring my camera along to capture those important moments. But most importantly to also enjoy the moments at they come.

So far, work has been pacing quite well. Making the effort to not let myself be stressed when there is not a need to, and of course when there is a situation. But sometimes I actually worry when I do not really have challenging work to do. Would this become normal as compared to the job at the previous department? I do not know. I am slightly daunted with the idea that once I get comfortable, I would not be able to handle a situation that is out of my little box.

Which reminds me, I have been relocated to another cubicle. I am now closer to the rest of my colleagues and away from the really cold zone. I say that because one of two assistant managers I have, loves a cold office. She sets the temperature at 16 degrees celcius at high fan speed. Previously I happen to sit within this zone, exactly inside the four 'walls' of the centralised unit. Brrr.

So now, being away from it I do not have to worry about catching colds and flexing frozen fingers. Interestingly, there is a pillar just at the end of the partition making it part of the cubicle wall. Due to this, the walk way into my cubicle is narrower. Plus I arranged my workstation in such a way, it is U-shaped with the desk in front of me, a long side table and a cabinet behind me. I have aptly named this workspace my Cube-y Hole. It just lacks some pillows and a blanket. ROFL.

I am going to personalise it soon. Unfortunately I do not have the ideas yet as I am now 'busy' with all the coming events, outings and celebrations. Roadshows and Open Days, a couple or so birthdays, a couple of weddings to attend and Christmas, are the things occupying my mind. On top of that, I have also been planning to get a car of my own, looking at replacing a really broken but temporarily fixed handphone, plans to purchase the original Windows 7 at a discounted price, shopping for dress(es), prepping the current condition of my hair for a new hairdo, purchase a new Christmas tree and setting it up, and thinking of ideas for Christmas presents too.

How excitingly busy. But I am so enjoying all these *smiling with glee*. So looking forward to Christmas. I am already thinking of the colour scheme for the new family Christmas tree. I think I am ready for it. Are you? :)

What Am I Thinking...?

2009-10-22T20:59:00.003+08:00

While waiting for the food to be prepared on Cafe World, and seeing my blog looking so miserable with nothing new, I thought I could write something.

So I am thinking out loud what I want to write about.

But I have not anything to talk about.

No, I am not in a real cafe waiting for food. It is one of those games in Facebook. You spend a big amount of time waiting for something to happen while you do some other stuff. They call it time management. They call it multi-tasking. You still wait. After awhile I just give up. Like Restaurant City. I think collecting stuff or materials in WoW sounds more exciting all of a sudden.

Wait.

So I changed my mind.

I will stick to the girlie stuff. Though when I think about girlie games, in my opinion, I am reminded of games for or the actual PSP or Nintendo DS. In which case I have no interest in. Come to think of it, I do not have a good reason why.

So scrap that.

Okay I think I prefer games that have fast multi-tasking time management. Like Diner Dash or Farm Frenzy. But those are almost no brainers.

So I am an idiot for saying.

I think I need some form of escapism since we are at it. And when I think about it, it is either reading, watching TV or shopping. Now that is girlie *wink*

Crap. The Chips and Guacamole just went bad.

Great. I still do not have anything creative or constructive to talk about. I guess that means I have many things of the real world on my mind that are hindering me from writing. I am unable to 'escape' from them and pour out my creative thoughts here where I write to only satisfy myself and not care if a soul out there reads this.

I think the next best thing is to put up pictures to enhance this post.

But I have not been taking any pictures either.

Back to square one.

Gah.

When There Isn't Anything Else Better To Do...

2009-10-03T13:53:00.004+08:00

The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Truly loving another means letting go of all expectations. It means full acceptance, even celebration of another's personhood.
Karen Casey

We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find.
UNKNOWN

Sympathy constitutes friendship; but in love there is a sort of antipathy, or opposing passion. Each strives to be the other, and both together make up one whole.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition.
Alexander Smith

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made in love.
1 John 4:18, the Bible

Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A mighty pain to love it is, and 'tis a pain that pain to miss; but of all the pains, the greatest pain is to love, but love in vain.
Abraham Crowley

There is no pain equal to that which two lovers can inflict on one another. This should be made clear to all who contemplate such a union. The avoidance of this pain is the beginning of wisdom, for it is strong enough to contaminate the rest of our lives.
Cyril Connolly

No man is worth your tears, and when you find the man who is, he'll never make you cry.
UNKNOWN

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.
Mother Theresa

A woman has got to love a bad man once or twice in her life to be thankful for a good one.
Mae West

Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
Marcus Aurelius

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.
Martin Luther King

A bowl of vegetables with someone you love is better than steak with someone you hate.
Proverbs 15:17, the Bible

The one who loves least controls the relationship.
UNKNOWN

Love just doesn't just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made like bread, remade all the time, made new.
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin

One heartbreak is like a thousand lessons. Loving again is learning them.
Sandra McKendry

Romantic love is an illusion. Most of us discover this truth at the end of a love affair or else when the sweet emotions of love lead us into marriage and then turn down their flames.
Thomas Moore

Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing.
Anais Nin

When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we love not enough.
Maurice Maeterlinck

Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is
essential to your own.
Robert Heinlein

Love is being stupid together.
Paul Valery

If you love someone you would be willing to give up everything for them, but if they loved you back they'd never ask you to.
ANONYMOUS

Hate leaves ugly scars, love leaves beautiful ones.
Mignon McLaughlin

...let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
1 John 3:18, the Bible

Love is always open arms. If you close your arms about love you will find that you are left holding only yourself.
Leo Buscaglia

Love, you know, seeks to make happy rather than to be happy.
Ralph Connor

You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.
Sam Keen

To love someone deeply gives you strength. Being loved by someone deeply gives you courage.
Lao Tzu

It is the things in common that make relationships enjoyable, but it is the little differences that make them interesting.
Todd Ruthman

The choicest thing this world has for a man is affection.
Josiah Gilbert Holland

...A simple I love you means more than money.
Frank Sinatra

I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you. I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me. I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have YOU... The one who turns to his friends and says, thats her...
UNKNOWN

The couple that fights the most is the one most in love... it shows they care enough to notice the other one screwed up and care enough to mention it to the person so they can fix it. When you stop fighting it means you stopped caring.
Shawna Waltemyer

Don't let someone become your everything, because when they're gone you have nothing!
Kenya Mitchell

Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, Pain of love lasts a lifetime.
Bette Davis

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Mother Theresa

I get the best feeling in the world when you say hi or even smile at me because I know, even if its just for a second, that I've crossed your mind.
UNKNOWN

Women wish to be loved not because they are pretty, or good, or well bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves.
Henri Frederic Amiel

Love is a promise, love is a souvenir, once given never forgotten, never let it disappear.
John Lennon

Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.
Mother Theresa

The bravest thing that men do is love women.
Moht Sahl

Absence sharpens love, presence strengthens it.
Thomas Fuller

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:1-7, the Bible

Twittering

2009-09-25T09:46:00.019+08:00

9:00 am - wooo...arrive at the office on time. No traffic! Wahhhhhh!

9:05 am - hungry -__-

9: 06 am - la la la la~ oops. wrong password. thought how funny it is that today i did not open my facebook first right after opening the company email. Har!

9:09 am - staring at pile of papers on table. flip flip flip. move move move. open drawers. shuffle shuffle shuffle. bleh. what was i doing again?

9: 23 am - nature calling

9:25 am - damn hungry. see what i need to do first. oh yeah. fuck. 4 tasks to complete. must remember to print the design and bring home. wooo...can't wait.

9:33 am - fucking hungry man. must go already.

9:40 am - Om nom nom nom...butter bun. Eee...quite greasy lorr. Teh tarik kurang manis. (silence)

9:42 am - looking at Meebo. The person(s) i want to chat with are not online. Thinking about my gfs going to have a ball in Bangkok soon. Why i am i here ar?

9:45 am - Tappity tappity tap tap tap. Read read read. Flip flip flip. Tappity tappity tap tap tap away.

9:50 am - just told by colleague that my boss wanted him to assist me in my attempts at completing the task by today. Gee...how nice of the boss. Pooit.

9:51 am - thought of writing these thoughts on Blogger as though it's Twitter. LOL.

9:59 am - this is cool. i wanna go gym. nature calling round two. ergh...wait wait

10:01 am - long sip of teh tarik. (silence)

10:05 am - okay go go go

10:16 am - wtf did i ate last night?! oh. yeah. dragon fruit. eh heh.

10:16 am - and i said romeo save me they're tryin to tell me how to feel is this in my head something something something oh is this is in my head something something pulled out a ring and said marry me juliet you never have to be alone i love you and that's all i really know i talked to your dad go get yourself a white dress it's a love story baby just say yes oh oh....oh oh we were both young when i first saw you. whee...

10:31 am - left comment on bro's facebook thread. LOL!

10:43 am - Fatt sun king! Long time no use

10: 49 am - thinking about Japanese breakfast...damn it. eggs...eggs...aik. udon in the picture!

11:35am - wonder what my name is in Japanese. Hmm....

12:16 pm - tapau!

1:10 pm - Dry Pan Me. Awesome! Bleh. continue work

1:43 pm - Yay! Level 23. Aik...cannot hire anymore. Damn

2:42 pm - lifting weights by carrying a stack of study materials. Need to do some workout on the back today. Roar!

3:31 pm - Yay! Pneo's online <3 finally...

4:14 pm - meh

4:20 pm -bitching to my colleague about the old lady sitting at the front. can't stand her. everything she does gets to my nerves. and i just remembered one incident that is so icky. YUCK! she made coffee for the boss and she taste-tested it. later she added stuff to the same drink and used the same spoon to stir and taste-test again! argh!

4:45 pm - yummy! Seremban xiu pao... ^_^

5:13 pm - OMG. I finally finished the task. can go home soon! and go gym!

5:49 pm - what the...they bleeped "beer" from Beyonce's If I Were A Boy on the radio

6:54 pm - gym time! shit. left the padlock in another bag. how ar?

6: 59 pm - Used my spectacles to "lock" the locker. i so smat

7:55 pm - Hmm...don't see Pneo and Tatsumaki. Wonder if they're still playing the game...

8:02 pm - sms from Pneo said they just arrived. okay...i'll enjoy my shower then

9:00pm > - found Pneo and Tatsumaki at the towel counter.
- off to dinner at KFC.
- hmmm...wonder what the Cheezie Chickeroni is like? Aww...no Jelly Ice Cream, shucks.
- The Chickeroni is "Eeee". Making my own would have been tastier.

11:01 pm - just took measurements for the dress making. hope i'm doing it right. Pneo is still at it. Don't know how much longer i can take this... but only 2 more days to go though...boleh lar

11:27 pm - tomorrow need to work. better to sleep soon.

11:33 pm -Roger Out.

Up in the Gym Just Working on MY Fitness

2009-09-21T20:23:00.004+08:00

During this Raya break, while the boyfriend is busy with his mates playing a new kind of MMORPG called AIon Online on Open Beta now, I am writing on how better looking my biceps are today.

Yup, 'gym time' is on steady motion now. I just met up with a trainer at Celebrity Fitness today for the first free session out of two. I learnt how to use some of the basic machines that would be of use for reducing/toning the lower body, enhance/strengthen my upper body and discussing how to better improve my abs workout while reducing my back problems. Next week, will be the second session where he will teach me more stretching, some other free weight type workouts and some other thing I forgot. Looking forward to starting what I learnt today for the remainder of the week.

Meantime, nothing much has been happening since my cousins left. Shopping has come to a halt as I have gone over the budget for the month. At home, the nagging still continues. Other than being more lazy with keeping the desk clear and bedroom tidy, things are so far so good. I just hope it continues that way for the time being while I get the ball rolling on the workout regime and have discipline in the tidying and washing department again.

Work has been consistent at the moment ie boring. However, I will need to get back to my boss on my decision. At this moment I am assisting in the local accreditation for the department, assisting my boss in ad hoc projects, plus helping out my colleagues in the operations and/or academic side. Now, on top of what I have mentioned I need to take on one more responsibility and that is either marketing of the programmes or managing one of the programmes in the department. I still have not decided as I do not have enough information. It sucks to make your decision based on gut or feel sometimes.

Also, my friends are pretty excited about their upcoming weddings - one in December and the other in June next year. We are in the midst of choosing the right theme colour for the bridemaids' dresses for the June wedding. December wedding is not that far off either and I hope that work will not be in the way then. December is peak season in the higher education line. I am still looking for a dress for the December wedding. I just cannot seem to find what I like at the moment. Fingers-crossed that I could find something before the end of November. Yikes!

Before I go off and continue admiring my arms, I would like to wish my Muslim friends Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, maaf zahir batin! To the rest, enjoy your holidays! Till then take care all and will write when there is anything interesting.

*Flex some muscles*

T___T

2009-09-13T18:21:00.002+08:00

Yesterday after half a day of work I joined my mum and my elder cousins and their close friends to Sunway Pyramid for lunch. I was very excited and was very hopeful thinking I could do some serious shopping.

Indeed after lunch I went on my own to the mall's new wing. I was in search of the Asian Avenue and was so happy when I found it. The place very much reminded me of Sungei Wang, yet unlike Sungei Wang, each shop provide its own unique styles and fashion. Clothes are more classy and sophisticated IMHO.

I found a shop called Douz which sold the perfect pleated chiffon and laced skirt in sweet pastel pink. I also bought a pastel green layered skirt with small purple, pink and brown polka dots. They were the prettiest skirts I had seen so far other than in Japanese girly magazines. I bought a tank top to go with the pink skirt too which had silver sequins just on the neckline. So pretty and cute! And I like the 2 salesgirls who attended to me. They were really helpful and one of them knows her shop's fashion and style well.

Another outlet or 2 later, I left and went on to shop at The Pink Pussycat to get more tanktops and then bought a pair of black pumps from Mod. Not even to stop for a break, I thought, since I bought some casual stuff I better get some for work. I went in to Jusco and made a couple or so more purchases and immediately met up with the rest. We even teased each other for the bags we had to carry back to the car.

Because I drove there on my own, I did the same back and met up with the relatives at our usual Chinese restaurant for dinner. Since I had heavy lunch, I did not eat much. The new stuff I bought was filling enough <3

Was still feeling ecstatic when I reached home. Usually I would take out my hauls and try them on again but with guests around I decided to bring them up to the room and to keep them properly later instead. I took my shower after chatting with my cousins for a bit and started removing my clothes from their bags to cut off tags. As I removed the pieces one by one, I realised the pretty ones were missing!

OMG! OMG! OMG!

I must have fucking left that one! Of all the bags I was lugging around with!

I felt my heart beat like I just finished a 100 meter dash in 14 seconds (that was my high school record by the way. Sorry off topic)! I was screaming and running around like a headless chicken too! I got to my car, came back into the house - I searched everywhere.

With a broken heart, I told myself I am very sure I left it. I felt terrible and very dumb indeed. It was Rm105 after discount which was a good buy for 3 very nice, one and only pieces. Very upset, I had to take half a Zanax so that I could sleep.

***

This morning, I took Pneo with me back to Sunway Pyramid. I am glad that he offered to go with me. I definitely needed his moral support. Thank you babes.

We retraced my steps and went to every shop I stopped and/or had tried on something. Alas, nothing came out of it. I somewhat knew that I would not be able to get it back. I guess I was still being hopeful. Would not know until you try, right?

So, I hope whoever that bitch or bastard who took it (and did not bring it to lost and found counters) would have a really hard time looking for clothes or shoes that could fit her/him, FOR THE REST OF HIS/HER LIFE! Or would have a really hard time with people accusing them for things they did not do for a VERY, VERY LONG TIME! Curse you!

*Ahem*

Anyway, I do hope to find similar pieces again in the future. But when that day would come I would not know. Also, with a new destination like Asian Avenue, and having found a great outlet like Douz, I am sure I would be able to find something pretty quite soon. Well, not that soon. Burnt a hole in my wallet in one day already.

Lesson: If I were to ever go shopping alone again or even with company, I must remember to bring along a big shopping bag so that I can place all my purchases together, thereby reducing chances of leaving anything behind.

I Learnt to Rock

2009-09-06T23:11:00.011+08:00

"...the cat of a body with a head of a dog..."

The above are some of the things we would often get to hear when Rzeznik is around. So happen Discovery Channel was showing a documentary on some hyena like animal on the TV while we, Pneo, Marc, Rzeznik and myself, were having dinner at Outback Steakhouse just this evening. He read the subtitles and reiterated to us the above instead. We had to hold back our laughter to avoid spitting out good beef (all the guys had the same burgers) and lamb (lamb chop for yours truly). It was funnier when Rzeznik realized his own error and that brought back to memory another Rzeznik special.

A couple of months back, we were having dinner at Chili's 1Utama and the waiter recommended some new beef menu to Rzeznik. Instead of just keeping quiet or telling the waiter that he does not want any of the new items, he lied saying he does not eat beef. I took notice of this because I was informed that Rzeznik does not eat vegetables and eats more meat than anything. A couple of minutes later, he then placed an order for Beef Bacon Burger and to have the beef prepared medium. I brought this up after the waiter left and since then, we have not stopped teasing him about it.

***

I am still having a hangover from Saturday's awesome experience. A group of us got together to attend Michael Learns to Rock Eternity Tour concert! Shuper Shweet I tell ya.

Marc together with his sister drove Pneo and I up to Genting Highlands. Before hitting the Genting Highlands exit, we had a pit stop at McDonald's drive-thru and Dunkin' Donuts for Marc.

Halfway up the winding road I had to make Marc stop so that I could do the ever famous trick of mine. My close friends who travel with me often enough would know this. As this was not the first time I sat in Marc's car up to Genting I was quite confident I could pull through this one as well. I underestimated my lack of sleep the night before and thought resting at Pneo's before Marc came to get us was sufficient. Guess not. Sorry Marc!

I was then let off near the main hotel when we reached Genting because I did it again. While Marc and his sister searched for parking, Pneo accompanied me and we started to look for the Arena of Stars. I must say that the signs within the hotels were rather confusing. We followed 3 signs that lead us to nowhere.

We took a wrong turn but thankfully we found Marc and his sister not far off the correct direction. Being early we hung out at Coffee Bean to enjoy some hot drinks. Pneo got the both of us a Vanilla Milk which tasted too sweet for my liking. It was rather amusing that Coffee Bean was playing the latest MLTR album on their in house music system. But I was pretty much stoned from the motion sickness anyway to pay attention and I had no appetite whatsoever. Even when there was slices of blueberry cheesecake at the counter!

A while later we got into the Arena of Stars and we had to wait before anything happened. Marc's other sister chose us really awesome seats and as you can see from the picture below we faced the stage directly. When I was here for Jacky Cheung's I was right at the back and towards the left hand side of the stage. Can't get any better than this people. Really awesome!

We got a surprise when a voice over welcomed us to the show and everyone in the arena was so excited and cheered like crazy until the mention of some Andrew Tan to come up on stage. Cheers immediately turned to jeers. It was slightly embarrassing if you asked me. I definitely would not want to be up there on that stage when that happens. Andrew Tan sang a Chinese song and he sounded not bad though slightly off key sometimes. The audience gave a satisfactory applause anyway. I can tell you he sounds better than what was to come in a while.

Finally, lead singer Jascha, lead guitarist Mikkel and drummer Kare appeared to a big applause. I was so excited I wanted to pee in my pants. I am kidding.

That was when we noticed a female in the band. Without much introduction the band went straight for the first song - Sleeping Child followed by old songs. Being forgetful I cannot remember the sequence but there were songs like Strange Foreign Beauty and Complicated Heart.

Barely halfway, Jascha went for costume change and the bassist, by then introduced as Eden, took to the stage and totally murdered mine and Pneo's favourite MLTR song You Took My Heart Away! I was not happy at all. I gave a half hearted applause for the effort but she redeemed herself by showing her prowess on the bass with an instrumental performance with the lead guitarist Mikkel. Now that, was impressive.

Until this time, a lot of the audience members were video recording the performance with their cameras. I found this irritating. I know you paid a lot of money to sit right at the front but it is not ethical of you to record the artistes' performance. You buy the seat not the rights to their songs. They are performing for you so that you can appreciate their music in person. So behave and act accordingly.

Jascha came back for a solo on his keyboard. There were some rather slow songs then. When the rest returned to the stage, they played another favourite of mine I'm Gonna Be Around and Out of the Blue. I could still remember the latter song well as it was also one of my dad's favourite songs. If anything my dad was the one who introduced Michael Learns to Rock to the household. He would play the whole of the Colours album on weekends for at least a couple of months.

Few more songs and I was anxiously hoping and waiting for Take Me To Your Heart as it was their version of Jacky Cheung's Wen Bie. Just when I was telling that to Pneo, they performed it! I was singing along like nobody's business. What followed were newer songs and one of them Angel Eyes, which Pneo said sounded like Eurobeat, really caught my attention. They then played a song from their Eternity album, entitled It's Gonna Make Sense. I thought it was slightly different from their usual playing styles and unlike the older albums.

Paint My Love was the last song they performed before they were going to leave but the audience beckoned for more. Afterall they have not played all the songs we knew. True enough they reappeared for encore and played 25 Minutes, Wild Women and That's Why.

Well, all things must come to and end. So the band and the audience bid goodbye to one another and soon enough the gates were packed with people leaving. I dare say that every person leaving the Arena must have felt rather nostalgic with the cool atmosphere outside, singing their favourite number aloud if not in their hearts. I thought the ambiance quite romantic too. Pneo and I could not stop complaining about the butchering of our favourite song and decided to sing our own together. Perfect.

We decided to just go home and we had to walk a fair bit to Marc's car. On the way down the hill, I was again trying to keep calm and hoping not to get sick again. The embarrassment from earlier had not left me. This time Marc drove slowly making sure I was doing all right. I occupied myself by singing along to songs that were in his iPod with my Pneo as Mr DJ.

By the time I reached home I was knackered and stoned once again. It took awhile to drag myself up to my room and washed up. It was 2:30am by then. I knocked out and I woke up at 1:30pm today. Which is a record breaker since I came back from Australia :)P

Thinking about it now, I almost did not want it to end. I grew up with Michael Learns to Rock and I confess I am one of those people who pick out their songs to sing during karaoke sessions. So easy to sing and the lyrics are simple yet meaningful. It had been awhile since I heard from them so it was really wonderful to hear them perform their most popular songs, live. I enjoyed the concert even more so because I went with Pneo and we had friends to go with too. Their music is loved by everyone of all ages and I hope they will continue to create and perform more songs like these in the future.

Time to Lose

2009-08-22T21:09:00.002+08:00

Some weight!

Over the past month (or so) I have been eating a lot under the circumstance that I am celebrating an event or another. At the same time I have just gotten more things to do at work so I have compromised on the weight and figure maintenance department. Yeah I got like a thousand and one excuses.

Recently I dragged Pneo with me to get information on membership at Celebrity Fitness in which I was then given 2 weeks free trial after a pretty long chat with one of the sales reps there. So I went last Wednesday to just look around and did some cardio on the threadmill. Everything was fine until I was so nosy to try out a machine for triceps. I am now unable to straighten my left arm without flinching.

It was also unfortunate that on the following day, I had a fever. My mum was freaking out that I may be infected with AH1N1 while at the gym. She was more scared than I was. Anyhow, I went to see the doctor and well, there is nothing wrong with me at the moment except maybe a slight infection. I now have to take antibiotics for 3 days and see how things go.

But that ain't stopping me from going to gym! Damn it, I gained weight in just ONE day!

Nooooooo.....!

Paused

2009-08-03T12:34:00.002+08:00

Have been occupied with work, celebrations, laundry (lots of it), relatives and keeping myself sane and stress-free.

Sorry folks for not being able to contact or find some of you out for lunch, dinner or meet ups or even shopping. Too tired and feeling sick all the time. Sorry also to readers, if you have been regularly returning to see what I have been up to.

Until then, I think this blog is going to be slightly neglected.

Cheers!

Penang is on the way to Ipoh right?

2009-07-12T22:00:00.005+08:00

Or something along that line. Yeah, that was a question posed by somebody my brother's girlfriend knows, who is FROM Ipoh. Seriously.

My family and I went to Ipoh to attend my cousin's wedding, which included the traditional Chinese tea drinking ceremony followed by a banquet. She will have another session this weekend for the groom's, with a Christian wedding ceremony in a church and then a banquet. I will be her bridesmaid.

With dress, shoes and matching accessories checked, I only need to get my cousin to arrange a makeup artist and hair stylist for that day. Or I might as well do my own and get the usual aunty salon ladies to help me with the hair. I have plans to do my manicure and pedicure during the evening either a day or a couple of days before. So that is settled. Yet, I feel rather restless and excited at the same time.

Back to the main story - I was happy to see my relatives in Ipoh this time around. I feel more cheerful because I missed out on the Chinese New Year reunion earlier this year. However, I did not get to meet everyone. A series of unfortunate events had befallen one of my uncles. He had to be hospitalised and his children had to take turns to watch over him over the weekend. Another cousin on the other hand had to manage an event in another state.

Nevertheless, I got to meet a new member of my mum's clan - my niece. She was so adorable when I met her. She knows how to say yes and no in English and Cantonese, knows her numbers and even knows how to shrug when asked a question on where her missing uncle was! By the way she is only 20 months old. A fast learner indeed.

We had a lot of fun during the Chinese tea drinking ceremony. I am older than my cousin, by a couple of months so she and her husband had to serve me tea. It felt rather odd at first because I never treated myself as older than her but equal. Moreover, her husband is 5 to 6 years older than I and he had to call me elder cousin sister when serving me tea as well. Such drama. But that is tradition. It is by way of introducing a new member into the extended family and accepting that new comer and vice versa, formally.

Later the same day, I accompanied my cousin to have her makeup and hair done. I was offered to have my face made up as well. We went back to her house after and had to wait for her mother to tell us the right time to go to the restaurant. On top of that, it rained very heavily and thus a delay. We took this time however, together with her brother to take candid photos and in silly poses. That was awesome.

Arriving at the restaurant we took our respective seats and enjoyed the food. The thought "I need to diet in the next few days" just kept repeating in my mind, but my hands kept scooping a considerable amount of food onto my plate and then worked its way to my mouth. In fact the day before, it was the pre-wedding dinner party. My aunt had gotten a caterer to serve really nice finger foods, noodles, acar, squid in spicy sauce, desserts and sandwiches to name a few. I gained 1kg just over this weekend. Eep.

The following day, we headed home and much to my surprise I could not sleep when I should have been exhausted. Thinking too much about the second part I guess? Overall I enjoyed the trip back to Ipoh for the wedding. I feel happy for my cousin and wish her and her husband a blessed marriage. Once again I cannot wait for the church ceremony. I feel really blessed myself to be attending church weddings. It reminds me how fortunate and loved I am.

Anyhow, I am back and am trying hard to lose that bulge now. I still need to wear that dress. I told myself, after this wedding event I MUST sign up for gym!

You're A Cupcake Pixie

2009-07-07T21:11:00.003+08:00

Introducing my first Momiji Doll SillyBilly.

"Let's go camping silly-billy! Fresh air and green green grass."

"I like pumpkins and penguins."

These are a couple of the gifts my friends bought me for my birthday this year. Below is a mug from the Momiji merchandise. The doll featured on this mug is Pixie.

"I like escapology and cups of tea."

Each doll is made of heavyweight resin with a secret message slot at the bottom and stands at 8.5 cm tall. You can find them in Kinokuniya KLCC as well as MPH Midvalley and 1Utama. There is even a Momiji Doll Fan Club here in Malaysia.

That's All...For Now

2009-06-29T21:34:00.016+08:00

I was saddened to hear that Michael Jackson passed away that morning. I heard the news on the radio while on my way to work. There were fond memories during my schooling days listening to the songs and watching music videos of The King of Pop. Even talking about it now seems so sorrowful. Rest in peace MJ. You will be well remembered for days to come.

***

As of yesterday, I am officially a year older. I do not feel any different from the day before. However, I was slightly psychologically and emotionally affected with this acknowledgement. You see, in a couple of years I would be turning 30. Now that is something to be thinking about. Have I done much in my life to celebrate? I was actually dreading the additional number to my age. It only serves as a reminder for me to be more active in reaching my goals, ambitions, achievements, stay healthy and to be healthier and enjoy life as I go along. Surviving each year of my life until who-knows.

That being said, I was not expecting any celebration this year. Well, I did get an 'ang pow' from my mum and presents I received earlier from Pneo. They were clothing items which he personally handpicked. I thought that was really sweet of him :) So I got a surprise when Piggywiggy and Za organised a dinner on Friday. After a simple dinner at Sushi King MidValley, the girls took me to San Terri's Cottage at the Gardens for a slice of Blueberry Cheese.

That was when I was presented with gifts from Piggywiggy and Za, which were also from Chrissie-tina and BL. They included a couple of the items listed on my wishlist. I received a Momiji Doll (Silly Billy) and a Momiji Doll Mug (Pixie). Awesome! I also received 2 tops by Kitschen which was somewhat different from my usual style. Really nice work ladies! Oh and the one guy :)P And for some reason a lot of things around me were purple-y that day. How apt! Pictures later.

***

On Saturday, I attended a schoolmate's church wedding ceremony together with Piggywiggy and Pneo at DUMC's Dream Centre. It was beautiful. I felt happy to be able to witness the marriage. I was touched by the whole process (my only complaint were the number of bridesmaids) and was even moved at some point. Got me teary eyed.

Later that evening, Piggywiggy and I went to Bangsar Seafood Garden to join in the wedding celebration with our other schoolmates. It was nice to see some old school friends and sharing old jokes. It has been 10 years since I last saw a couple of them. It was cool.

***

On my birthday, I got to sleep in (it is considered a privilege to be able to sleep a little longer nowadays). Later I dressed and went for lunch with my mum and brother at Sakae Sushi at 1Utama. It was not that bad for me but my mum and brother complained a bit about that place. They preferred the Sakae Sushi at the Curve. We went home right after and later I went over to Pneo's.

Pneo treated me to dinner at Chili's 1Utama. Initially, I could not decide between Chili's and Outback Steakhouse. Was also contemplating on the location. In the end I decided to go 1Utama so that we can walk around after. We found parking quite easily. However, when we arrived at Chili's we had to wait 20 minutes for a table. We waited patiently and were watching people to fill the time. Finally we were seated and we proceeded to order. Pneo ordered steak and I had the Beef Bacon Burger. This is a first for me.

Our meals came together. Pneo's plate of steak was big, filling up almost half the plate. I was given the first bite and it tasted good! It was thick and juicy. The accompanying mash potatoes, vegetables and garlic toast looked delectable too. Then, looking at the size of the burger set before me, I was a little intimidated at first. But after cutting it in half and taking the first bite, I had burger-gasm - I liked it a lot! I was enjoying it so much, I was saddened when I had only one bite left, much to Pneo's surprise. I finished the entire plate of burger and fries. We were both happy with our dinner ^__^

We went home to Pneo's place again and he serenaded me with his guitar. Bliss I tell 'ya. Then we sang a few songs together before I had to go home. It was difficult to leave after having such a wonderful time together. Even so, I fell asleep with much ease and with a blissful smile on my face.

***

To sum it all, I was utterly happy, satisfied and contented. Happy with the outcome of the whole weekend and how my turning a year older turned out really awesome. Thank you to my friends (near and far) for the efforts in getting me presents, your thoughts and spending some time with me. Thank you to my mum and brother for the lunch, and leaving me alone to spend time with myself and my loved one. Thank you also to friends who sent me your wishes through sms and Facebook. Thank you little sis :)

And a special thank you to my Pneo for being there when I needed you and being extra supportive since I came home. Thank you for providing me a such wonderful and loving birthday. Love you too ;)

Optimus Awesome-ness to the Bee

2009-06-24T21:39:00.007+08:00

Apart from the jam and taking the wrong route to our destination (creating some tension between the driver and her passenger), skipped the first movie due to lack of good seats (because we were late and it was free seating), aimlessly walking about the shopping centres around the area, not so good food, pesky teenagers and a big crowd of the fans (including myself), the movie Transformers: The Revenge of the Fallen totally ROCKS!

Much more action, more drama, less cheesiness, more sexy cars and even bikes, and more hot girls - awesome people, awesome! And what is more special was we get to watch the premier buahahaha (though it also meant prices being hiked up)!

The Stingray

The cars were totally hot! New cars such as the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the Audi R8 were featured in this movie. I was drooling at them while Pneo was drooling at Isabel Lucas - who was quite a sizzle in this movie. Heck, I was drawn to her sexiness too as she was strutting her stuff in a couple of scenes! Yummy... I like the way Megan Fox was 'presented' at the beginning of the movie. Sheer hotness...

The R8

I was thrilled to see a lot of robot action and close ups too. Lots of awesome fight scenes by our favourites Optimus Prime and Bumblebee against some of the Decepticons. So cool! Even the decepticons did not fail to impress. And there were various types of robots under the Decepticon faction and Pneo was telling me which is which as we went along.

Ms. Lucas

And Linkin Park has their single as the theme song for this movie again. So exciting! Go watch it people!

Are You Ready?

2009-06-22T23:47:00.004+08:00

It is the first day of my job today. I am back in the previous company, but not doing the same thing. In a different team now. I will have a lot to do in due time.

Aye, the stress is going to start next month.

But before that, I will be rolling out to a movie tomorrow evening. Something that is more than meets the eye.

Bad Dinner

2009-06-20T23:16:00.005+08:00

I went with mum to Tropicana City Mall in hopes of having a good meal. I was contemplating between Japanese ie Sushi Tei (safe) or Kiku Zakura (to try) or Igentis (something new to try).

After going through the directory, we headed off to Kiku Zakura first. Price was a bit steep from the looks of it so we walked towards Igentis. Situated near the newly opened GSC Cinema, we viewed the menu on display at their entrance and thought to give it a try.

With the kind of menu (simple Western and local delights) and price (average RM8 to RM20), I was not expecting much of service. We sat ourselves at a table nearest to the entrance. We looked through the menu again and called for the waiter. I had Chicken Chop and my mum had Fried Udon with Beef.

The food came relatively fast. The presentation was decent. My mum's Fried Udon looked more like Hokkien Mee if you asked me - all dark and with bits of meat and chilis as well as veges, but without the dark sauce. My mum said it was very salty.

The Chicken Chop, it came with lots of chips, and a larger than usual amount of vege salad and cucumber slices with thousand island. The portion to me was not bad in that sense. I went for the chips first. It was freshly cooked and so they were crispy. I liked it. I then jabbed at the salad and thought they were fresh which is a plus point. I then cut a piece of the partially de-boned drumstick. Not nice. The sauce was bland. The meat was tender but more like not thoroughly cooked. Too bad. That minused a lot of points. Boo.

Halfway through my meal, while jabbing at the salad I was horrified to see a bug on the side of it! And it was still alive (its legs were still moving when I moved the vege)! Egads! But I was not that fussed to ask for a change so I just pushed that corner of the salad aside and continued eating. Though, the first sight of it already put off my appetite.

I rushed through the meal and only enjoyed the chips. The free drink that came with each course was nice though. We left for home as soon as possible and I told myself I would not go there again. One bug is enough to say no to any eatery for quite awhile for me.

Surreal

2009-06-20T12:15:00.010+08:00

It had been 49 days since I came home from Australia. I do not feel much has changed, though I feel something happened to me. Like a blur of images in your dreams and then waking up to something familiar. Something old yet something new.

I still feel as though I am stuck in some kind of limbo. Some place in between what is and what had. It is perhaps due to the length of time I have not being exposed to work and the trappings of life while over there. 6 months of doing nothing, spent reflecting and thinking about one's life sure does weird things to the mind. Almost like a lobotomy. You feel emotionless, floaty and surrounded by lots of directions to choose from. Yet I somehow know what I am supposed to do.

At the same time I think, "Maybe I am just being lazy". Justifying my procrastinations or waiting for things to happen. But things do not happen if you do not act upon them first is it not? But you cannot do anything while waiting for somebody to get back to you either? You cannot wait for money to come in while you list down the things to get by the end of the year can you? So what am I doing while waiting?

I have been visiting and being visited. I have been going out and hanging in. I have been reading and doing chores. And soon I will be working again. Though I feel excited to be able to start soon, I also feel tired already. What gives?

I guess it is that knowing. That returning to a mundane part of life again - work, eat, work, eat, do something, sleep. And then the same thing happens for 5 days. Then chores, eat, do something, eat, do something, sleep. And then do something, eat, do something, eat, do something, sleep. Then the 5 days start again after the 2 days of weekend. Of course some doses or sprinkles of laughs and sadness, nags and lectures, hugs and kisses, thinking and not thinking etc, to feel the voids. Sigh.

It is going to be like that for the next couple of years until some new stage in life occurs - turning 30 LOL!

***

There was someone whom I have been curious to meet yet dreading it. I have been asking about her many times. I have seen her in pictures and hearing her name mentioned here and there. That day came when I least expected it. I got a glimpse of her yesterday. It bothered me at first. But seeing the way she behaved and with my curiosity now extinguished, the insecure thoughts that I had earlier were really a waste of time and energy. Even though I was told not to feel that way right from the beginning, I cannot get it off my mind and chest until I saw or experienced it for myself. I was glad I did not make a fool of myself in front of her. Glad that it also came soon enough.

Now, I just need a slice of San Terri's Cottage Blueberry Cheese to celebrate ;)P

Diva Servicing and Something for My Old Friend

2009-06-11T18:29:00.010+08:00

This comes a little late. But I need to rant about it still.

Having worked in a customer service environment for close to 4 years, it had thought me to be more understanding of other people if not more humble.

I dare say that I understand how customer service works, what it is for, and most of all how I can be a good and nice customer. I know how to reverse the roles when necessary. That being said, I am also able to distinguish better what is good service, satisfactory service, standard service, bad service and poor service.

The case:
I had the opportunity to go along with Piggywiggy to select gowns for her wedding photoshoot. YLeng and Z as well as Vicman were also there to help search, give our due comments and eventually help Piggywiggy choose her favourites.

That morning I also experienced the breaking of one of the important standard customer service rules - not greeting a customer, by one of the staff.

It does not matter if it is at the door or front desk, whether it is a restaurant, a boutique, an office or even in front of a public washroom in certain shopping centres. It does not have to even be a greeting of words. This is the most important part for a good rapport with any customer. It is a way of not being rude no matter the level of the staff or the customer. Even a mere eye contact or a hand gesture or some body language is essentially good. It gives customers the best impression of acknowledging their presence, even IF no purchase of product or service was made by the end of the day.

How difficult is it to do?

That morning I followed Z in her car to Mon Liza SS2. Upon arrival, we saw Piggywiggy's car and thought to double park behind it as there were no available parking space left. It is so we would not block the entrance or other drivers. So happen, a group a young men were walking towards this same entrance and though they looked at us funny, a couple of them gestured that we could park right in front of the entrance. Not believing at first, we soon obliged as they were actually the photography crew of Mon Liza. That is good service.

We walked towards the entrance and met up with Piggywiggy and Vicman, who were waiting there for some reason. Standing there at the door, we chat a little and we actually waited for awhile for somebody to talk to. It was busy but then it was a Sunday morning. Fine. I waited with the couple. However, I got quite annoyed when Piggywiggy called out to one staff passing by as she was walking her customer out the door. Fine. She was occupied. Once she closed the glass door, she turned around and with what looked like an icy cold expression walked off, ignoring Piggywiggy's call and gesture for attention!

I mean, please bear with me but What. The. Fuck.?!

I do not care if you had a bad morning from waking up on the wrong side of the bed. I do not care whether you did not have a good night sleep because you had a fight with your boyfriend or husband or whoever. I do not care if you were having your PMS that morning just as you put on your pants. I do not care if that last customer gave you an earful for that right attitude you were showing to us too! I do not give a fuck whether you look so bloody fucked up bitchy and think that by giving such a diva face we would not bother to seek your help even though you work there and called out to you 3 times!

The fact is we called you loud and clear but you just walked off totally ignoring the four of us as though we were invisible - that is very bad service!

So Piggywiggy went up to the desk and informed one of the staff at the counter that she already had an appointment that morning. Their look of pretentious surprise did not make up for that earlier lack of customer service. It merely confirms their inefficiency and dumbness.

Which leads me to wonder, are they doing this on purpose? It is bad enough that bridal shops have been notoriously known for their great skill in sucking the bride-and-bridegroom-to-be's of their hard earned money. They lure the bride to pay for additional things to complement the existing package with smaller items like certain make up, accessories or more pictures and such. The more so these places should buck up on their customer service or soft skills and stop trying to cheat people of their money by taking advantage of the bride's joy in being princess for a day or two. This I know through some friends, relatives, and even on forums, where customers got really upset as they had to spend a lot of money but they do not get what they had paid for.

I cannot imagine what I will do when my own turn comes. All I know is I must be very careful and plan what I need and want well before approaching these places. I do hope that the friends around me would be able to find out more about how these people work, so as to reduce the disappointment that would follow should they not be careful. Unfortunately, it is only through other people's trial and error and experiences that we can try to help others.

***

Back to the selecting, I am glad that it turned out well. Though we started out quite at odds after that situation (with a little bit of confusion as to the package that the couple took), it turned out quite fun and even a little tiring. Not to mention the bride to be Piggywiggy getting a workout. I do not know how she did it. Earlier she hurt her arms while practicing her fondant creation and baking. Then she still wanted to do some arm workout O__o.

That is why we were quite amazed with the strength in which the attendant had while helping Piggywiggy put on and take off the heavy gowns. The best part about this whole thing was that I get to see Piggywiggy all dressed beautifully in the many nice gowns of many colours. Vicman took a lot of pictures and I thought Piggywiggy dressed to the nines and posing with her 'cute' trademark looked pretty amusing. Hey you do not get to see your friends dressed up like this often you know? In fact, once they get married only their husbands get to see more of these and ahem, more. LOL!

In actual fact I was thinking of putting this part in another post but thought I might lose the inspiration to write once I start working. At one point I was thinking to myself while sitting there on the armchairs together with the rest, how time had flown.

I knew Piggywiggy when we were... 9 years old. Yeah, like way back people. We went to the same secondary school. Then to the same college and university for our degree (same course too). And all together almost 20 years past, my friend here is going to get married.

I was feeling rather nostalgic. At the same time, I felt happy and sad. Well, 20 years is a lot to talk about. I felt happy that she will now be able to move on to the next stage of her life with her partner of close to 6 years. How blissful. I have grown up with her as well as watched her grow, as a little girl to now a woman. As a student to now a working lady and soon to be somebody's wife.

The sad part about it is that coming close to 20 years of being around each other a lot, she will soon be away in another country. Just as I was sad when I had to leave the country all by myself, at least she is going to have her husband at her side. Singapore is not far but it is still going to be different somehow.

I guess that is how life in general is supposed to be. Just like how, when we embark on our choice of studies and college or uni, followed by where our work or career takes us. Subsequently, to their choice of partners and where the priorities lead them together. I shall not go that far as to the point of having children. Yet.

And so to my friend Piggywiggy, it had been a wonderful journey with you thus far. I am sure there will be more to come though slightly different. I look forward to 20 years from now, where we would be sipping tea somewhere in either a kopitiam or at somebody's house and thinking back to this year. And laughing at that picture where your hand was suppose to act as a 'fill' for the rather large bodice of that light pink coral/peach gown. *Wink*

If ever anything in our 20 years that I may have offended you that have not been brought up before, I apologise. I guess after coming to this period of time, please know that there is not a time where I have ever intentionally offend you or hurt you in anyway. Same time, I want to thank you for all those years of fun, joy, jabbing at each other's good and bad, our plots to kill certain people (torture included), getting caught in the rain, driving around, eating (and more eating), baking and much more.

I do not remember if I had wished you here before, but I will say it again now - congratulations old friend. May you have a wonderful wedding and many happy returns. Wish you all the best in your preparation for the wedding of the year, and most of all more joy and happiness to you and Vicman!

Hmm...I wonder if I can ask for ang pows during CNY next year :)P

Something New

2009-06-08T13:06:00.004+08:00

First on-blog Book Review

Title: Scavenger
Author: David Morrell
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Headline
ISBN: 978-0-7553-3718-7
No of Pages: 407
Bought: October 2007
Started: 1st June 2009
Time taken to finish: 2 days
Rating:3 out of 5

For starters, the book cover was interesting with an hourglass draped with cobwebs and moths floating around. The tag "sometimes the past is buried for a reason" did appeal to my liking for stories related to murder and mystery. The description at the back also drew my attention as certain letters of the alphabet were highlighted in green, matching the colour of the wings of the mentioned moths. They spell out SCAVENGER.

The story tells of Frank Balenger, a character from the author's previous book entitled Creepers, continues his nightmares (more like action adventure to me) in this story. After a short description of what happened previously, Frank now living with the woman he saved, was chosen as a 'character' of a game created by a God-like Game Master. His beloved, Amanda Evert was kidnapped and brought to another location, must also go through a series of obstacles and scavenger hunt, within 40 hours. The said hunt revolves around a very old time-capsule named The Sepulcher of Worldly Desires which contains the ultimate answer to an old mystery where an entire town's people disappeared. So together, they work their way to solve the mystery, find each other and most of all win the game and thus their lives.

There are 2 concepts that run parallel in this book: one being investigative (as Frank tries to find Amanda), and the other adventure (as Amanda had to survive the obstacle course to search for more clues). The author managed to put this two concepts together in one book (of course it works with every new chapter) to actually keep my nose glued and breathing into it. I liked the fluidity of that transition from one character's point of view to the other. Not to mention the reality TV like drama and lots of action entwined. It was thrilling, absorbing, fast and keeps you predicting.

This book reference quite a lot on American history in association to time-capsules and the culture of scavenger hunting. It also talks about high-tech gaming and terms such as avatar, first person shooter, and the like appear here and there. So if you are into history, action, a bit of controversy, gaming and drama, you will be glad to find it all here in this book.

The only thing that annoyed me a little is the writing style. The use of straight to the point descriptive sentences, characters with little emotions and lack of that mystery or ambiguity makes my speed of reading faster than I normally would. Kind of like watching Indiana Jones fast forward by 5 seconds of every minute.

If not this is a pretty good read. I would recommend it for general readers as well as readers who like action type thrillers.

***

First on-blog Book Haul Update

When: 5th June 2009
From: Big Bookstore @ Atria Shopping Centre
Total dent to wallet: RM45.00

Titles:
1) The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby (416 pages)
2) Written in Bone by Simon Beckett (346 pages)
3) The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (725 pages) - damn good deal. I got this for RM8!

Bibliophilia, Bibliophile, Bibliophilic, Bibliophilism

2009-06-05T17:41:00.012+08:00

I became an enthusiast of books when I started secondary school. I appreciate books and love reading them so much I 'pushed' my way to be a librarian, and have been one until the end of my schooling days. Both my parents were great influences in honing my habit for reading. I have read all the books they owned. It is quite funny however that my brother is not as enthusiastic as the rest of us.

I am proud to say that our family has a library, a custom made cabinet with carved wooden frames. It has been filled to the brim and I had to purchase another bookshelf which I placed in my room. I used to consider myself a bookworm then but I have since been upgraded to bibliophile, when I started working.

I prefer collecting to borrowing books, which then makes me bibliophilic as well. The ability to see the 'collections' I have virtually create an achievement in my reading pursuits. Touching the thick glossy covers and their crisp content's material, smelling them upon entering a bookstore just drives me 'wild' like a kid going into an ice cream bar in summer. Or at best like a girl on a shopping spree at the end of a month ie payday.

I am open to various genres though I dislike biographies the most. Reading an actual person's life does not appeal to me. The first, and last biography I read was Wild Swans by Jung Chang and that literally drained my reading life force. No kidding. It is not to say I would not try again but I would need good reviews to persuade me to even look at any. This is probably due to a need to read on someone who could inspire me.

Growing up, my choice of genres changed through exploration and discovery, word of mouth and published recommendations. From Children's (early English language building read such as Ladybird books ala Peter and Jane), Classics (from Penguin Publishing), Teens (Enid Blyton's, Famous Five), Manga (the Bahasa Melayu translated ones), Girly Teens (the whole Anne of Green Gables, Sweet Valley High, Fear Street), Chick Lit and Fantasy (the Lord of the Rings, Wheel of Time and Shannara Series type - do not think the other kind), Horror / Mystery / Thriller, and most recently Cultural or Ethnic fiction. (I do not think there is such a category but I am stating it for the benefit of you readers for easier reference. The Fiction category is wide and will be confusing with my long-windedness.) I am looking out for books that depict the lives and cultures within the Oriental demographic, especially Japanese.

In addition, I am now rediscovering the Classics like good old Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, with a little bit of other Penguin Publishing authors. Must not limit myself to just the popular writers and what a good way to improve my deteriorated English. I doubt however, that it would do much for my sense of sentence structure as modern English is the path to more interesting literature these days.

I tend to read the more popular or media influenced recommendations but would include a book or two of the otherwise less popular choices and/or lesser known writers within my hauls. I am influenced by my own set of factors in book buying which includes, the above said reviews and recommendations, genre, author, book cover type, cover illustrations, descriptions, prologues and epilogues, thickness, pricing, and even location. Sometimes, when I happen to buy a good read before, I do reference the author in my next search for books.

Of late, I frequent warehouses, or shops that sell off old or rejected books rather than to the bigger commercial bookstores. Prices of books continue to inflate since when I do not know. Knowing my weakness, this is the only way for me to control my spending. I do have a plan to actually put aside some of my earnings specially for literary consumption later. I have a dream to build my own library of books and hope that my future children would also have the same passion - a habit, as a hobby, for knowledge, for reference or just collecting.

BIBLIOPHILISM!

So tired, but all is good (Part One)

2009-06-01T16:39:00.015+08:00

A very eventful week.

Day 0.5
@ Starbucks, Sunway Damansara
The initial plan was to greet our dear friend Chrissie-tina together at the bus station. However, the bus arrived ahead of schedule, thus I had to get Z, followed by Chrissie-tina and then Piggywiggy.

We were hoping to ease our excitement to catch up over nice cakes / dessert, but it was already late in the evening. So Starbucks would have to do. We ordered hot chocolate, mocha and I think it was vanilla (what was it you ordered again Piggywiggy?) and had lots of giggles and laughs as though we were the only ones in the cafe. We listened to Chrissie-tina's 'adventures' and the reason why she came down to KL, and getting tickled with all the 'gay-vibe' stories. Not that we are homophobic or that sort. Just the fascination of talking about it (especially Piggywiggy) might have reminded us of old times.

Day 1
@ Pasta Zanmai., 1 Utama Shopping Centre
Again, some change in plans. At first Chrissie-tina and I were to meet up with Z for lunch in the city, and later for dinner with Piggywiggy, BL and gf, Pneo and finonymous. finonymous was unable to make it for the dinner so, it became lunch date with finonymous, and then dinner would be with Piggywiggy, BL and gf, and Pneo.

It was great to meet up with finonymous once again after ages. We got to hear him talk about how he had been keeping himself busy over the past 6 months. finonymous and I tried to convince Chrissie-tina to look at getting a Proton Saga instead of the Perodua Myvi. It was funny. Well, price is a factor and not to mention the additional interest fees on loan and the fact that cars will deteriorate in value anyway. Value for money is the way to go. Sigh...it sucks not to be rich.

And if it were not for the relatively high price, Pasta Zanmai would have been a regular hang out place for the group. With many choices of Japanese style pasta offered, food is aromatic and delightful, albeit most of them being salty. This I must say is probably due to the use of miso or other Japanese preserves or condiments to create that aroma, or to fuse the taste onto the spaghetti (which is very plain in taste), or as a base, broth or soup. The rolls, sushi or sashimi, as well as desserts are good too. The ambience was pleasant (as was the first time we tried this place) and the atmosphere almost carefree - recommended for that favourite gathering among friends with the tummy satisfaction. Service is also good and right after you can still purchase some Japanese food items just at the restaurant's entrance.

This time I ordered the Salmon Sashimi Salada, with choice of Sesame Dressing. It was really good! I liked the fresh raw salmon pieces (slightly thicker and longer than the usual cut for sushi and there were about 5 to 6 pieces I think) and the greens. The mixed sesame dressing was a tad bit sweet for me but thankfully it came separate in a little bowl, and quite generously. So, one can pour and mix the salad according to taste. I remembered this dish was RM18. But then, it would still be cheaper than Chili's larger portion of Mandalay Chicken Salad which was RM24 or RM25. I must remember to take pictures of these salads next time.

Intermission
After saying our goodbyes to old friend finonymous, I took Chrissie-tina to look for a gift to her friend who will graduate over the weekend. Alas, we could not find what she was looking for. We ended up in Nail Parlour for a manicure and pedicure for Chrissie-Tina and a manicure for me. I also took Chrissie-tina to Kitschen, a boutique offering nice, cool and urban clothing at reasonable prices - quality, material, cut and design without the designer or expensive price tags (unlike that age-denial shop on the first floor with its overly crowded rails of cheap quality material and pricier tag hmph!). I quite like the styles and its more down-to-earth gear, with clothing for fashionably casual, semi-casual to cocktail formal. Kitschen is actually the same company as Nichi, but they offer clothes for the guys too.

Due to some scratches while trying on some of the dresses, Chrissie-tina had to return to Nail Parlour to fix up her Frenchies. So that took away some time for her to really enjoy her shopping. We soon had to leave to pick up Pneo and Piggywiggy also.

@ Carls Jr, Mid Valley Megamall
Dubbed by Pneo as the Shit Valley, no thanks to its constant lack of parking even during weekdays, I was smart enough to head straight into the Gardens Mall parking instead. Now, I do not shop at Mid Valley often enough to know the parking fees, but that night it was cheap for that 3 hours we were there. There was enough parking even though a portion of its P2 level was cordoned off. Managed to get a spot near the lobby too. Most fortunate indeed.

I was damn excited to have my taste palate savour Carls Jr burgers once again. Everybody was on time and we even had a table available for our larger than usual group upon our arrival. I ordered the Western Bacon Cheeseburger ala carte and I tell you... it. was. so. blood.-y. good! I have mentioned before that I actually missed Carls Jr more than I missed Malaysian local food while I was in Australia. So it was amazingly heavenly. My friends could not resist poking fun at me enjoying my burger as my face was passionately portraying my satisfaction. I had like at least 4 or so burg-asms! I cannot wait to have my hands on the other burgers soon namely Super Star, Famous Star and Portobello Mushroom. Oh-em-gee! It was like the heavens knew my desires and favoured me so, they paved the way for me!

Buahahaahahahahahaahahahaha! Hahahahahahahahaha!

*Clears throat*

Anyway, Chrissie-tina finally met BL's gf. It is funny that sometimes we treat our friends highly compared to our own family, that their initial opinion or comments towards our guypals or galpals are more important at the initial stage. Turned out all right. I guess there was too much distraction from eating orgasmic burgers. For me anyway.

The other couple left earlier and the rest of us decided to walk around to get some other idea for Chrissie-tina's friend. We ended up in Jusco because the girls wanted to use the toilet. Our dear friend Chrissie-tina found a big teddy bear and my legs were used as a point of measurement. This was to help her and her other friends decide if this particular teddy bear was large enough to beat her friends' teddy bear. Okay it was not like that. Anyway, the group of friends had a larger bear. And so, since Jusco had sales, Chrissie-tina bought the teddy bear for herself. And she bought a Japanese magazine for RM51. Yes. Ringgit Malaysia Fifty One.

Holidays can make a person lose their sanity sometimes. Holidays can also make a person regain sanity on other times. It depends when you realised which came first.

To be continued...

Afters

2009-05-15T20:45:00.005+08:00

Now Playing: Let It Rock feat Lil' Wayne - Kevin Rudolph

It started with the contents in the luggage.

I then moved on to the wardrobe.

Then it was the pile on the bed.

Followed by the drawers and the shelf.

Now it is the desk. Unfortunately the papers, knick knacks, and other uncategorised items have yet to find their rightful places. Ultimately some things within the wardrobe and drawers as well as the shelf will have to be rearranged again. Nevertheless it is nearly complete. A much better performance this time round. Indeed.

***

Now Playing: Rain On Your Parade - Duffy

Been unwell since my return. I blame the wrath of bad weather combinations and the exercise hiatus in preparation for my homecoming. Yet I have some energy waiting to flow out when needed. It is good to exercise on a regular basis. A reminder to oneself - keep it up and do not lose the momentum. You know it so do it.

***

Now Playing: Sugarless Girl - Capsule

My cousin AAveli and her parents came down to KL to register and check in at her hostel in TARC. Went along to recapture the essence of being young - the excitement of college/university life.

Unfortunately, my senses only captured the essence of anxiousness (and sweat). The kind of youthful 'calamity' that I too had to endure once, in my excitement of gaining entrance to higher education. I saw kids at least 10 years my junior, jostling (almost) with their parents to get in line only to be told a number will be issued. The next session was to start at 2pm. Bummer.

By persistence, my aunt managed to get a number for the next session. Having made to be contented for the time being, we explored the surroundings of the hostel after my AAveli had made some enquiries at the office. We actually got lost looking for the nearest shopping mall. Yes, I am as blur as my relatives from outstation though I have been in KL for most of my life.

Finding our way back to the hostel just in time for lunch, I had a taste of local college cafeteria food (aka canteen to me). Not bad I must say.

Just as we finished lunch, numbers were being called and when my cousin's turn came I accompanied her into the accommodation office. We helped check the room and finally after leaving some of her things there, we went home. Half the day gone.

Resting for awhile at home, we later went for dinner at the Curve. I had Vietnamese beef noodles. My mum then brought us to check out Daiso - one of the more popular 100 yen chain of shops from Japan. Everything in the shop is Rm5, from household to make up, car accessories to stationery, etc.

***

Now Playing: Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) - A.R. Rahman and PCD

Met up with my friends last night. A spontaneous arrangement by Z. What started with a house visit ended up a dinner at Wendy's Jaya One with Z, Piggywiggy, BL and his girlfriend S. It was good. Both the catching up and the burger. I am just hoping to be able to sink my teeth into Carls Jr's burgers soon. Wheee!

***

Now Playing: Strawberry Swing - Coldplay

Have been catching up with Pneo during weekdays over lunch a couple of times. First time we went to one of our favourite haunts - McDonalds. Well, it was also in conjunction with the Rm5.95 lunch promos. Another time I met Pneo at Tropicana City Mall, to have lunch at San Francisco Restaurant. A bit on the pricey side for me but it was pretty good. For Rm16.90 I had a medium sized grilled fish fillet, with roasted potatoes and a (small) handful of boiled vegetables, soup of the day, a drink and garlic bread (the garlic butter was served separately, leaving us to spread as much or as little of it on our bread slices as we like). Satisfying indeed. But will have to wait until I get a job to try the other sets next.

***

Now Playing: Love Story - Taylor Swift

My Pneo is sick at the moment. I hope he gets well soon. Another friend of mine B, has been unwell with vomiting since last Sunday. The girl who helps me with my facial is also having coughs and runny nose. People getting unwell and I was just recovering.

I blame the wrath of bad weather combinations. Keep yourselves hydrated people!

It's Official

2009-05-02T22:12:00.006+08:00

I'm back in KL. Home sweet home!

It was hectic preparing to go and just as hectic to come back. Trying to get used to the warm weather. It was so cold in Melbourne the week before I left. But all is good.

Surprisingly, I am not craving or excited about getting my favourite local foods yet. I guess I got turned off by the food served on board MAS. The nasi briyani was rather bland. The chicken pieces did not do anything to fire up my taste buds. I was more excited to see my Pneo instead.

We met up the next day and spent the whole day together. We had breakfast, watched a movie, had lunch, continued the movie, had a short nap, had dinner and another movie, before he took me home. It really felt like I am home - it was bliss I tell you. We went out again the following day. Pneo took a day off from work so we could go to the city, avoiding the jams and found ample parking. We have been planning this for some time now and so glad that we found the time to.

Later, we headed towards home and had late lunch at Chili's 1U. For the first time ever, I finished a whole plate of salad on my own (of course, Pneo did have a few scoops)! I am impressed with my new ability LOL. It was Mandalay Chicken Salad with balsamic dressing, mandarin oranges and pineapples. So that may have been a factor. Those days I could not finish a Caesars Salad without feeling 'filled' halfway. I shall try that soon.

On both occasions, I had McDonald's breakfast - Sausage McMuffin with Egg the first day and Big Breakfast the next. Finally! It was so good. I have not had any McDonald's breakfast since I left. So you can imagine the joy I had as I sunk my teeth onto the sausage and egg, bringing out a satisfied smile on my face.

Soon I will regain my appetite. That is where the fun will start. With that said, I hope I would not put on the weight that I lost during my sabbatical LOL!

***

During the solitary times in Melbourne, I was able to reflect and look at how my life had been going. There were regrets and past thoughts that were still haunting me. To cut the long story short, and by God's grace, I have let go of them.

I am looking forward to a new beginning - to restart my life. I am going to do things differently with a new attitude and a different view of things around me. I will have a new outlook and hope to achieve much change in my life, for a better future. Sound ambitious? It would take time of course, but knowing that I have taken that step, there is no turning back. I can only go forward and am assured that God is with me each step of the way. I know I am not alone.

I would like to thank my family and friends for their support all these years. But I would especially like to thank my Pneo. If not for him, I would still be stuck in my old state trying to get out of a mindless life filled with a past that haunts with no end. I would continue to drown my pains with temporary materials of happiness or try to blot out certain memories. I would not have even realized that it was so easy to get out of it.

He is my angel and I thank God for placing him in my life. I am truly blessed.

6. XS. What. The. ?

2009-04-15T16:54:00.006+08:00

Autumn winds and rain are here to stay and so is my moodiness.

Woke up feeling tired and under the weather. Ha ha ha. I made a pun.

After having something to eat and a nice cuppa, was still feeling a tad bit crabby. Talked to Pneo a bit in between calls and having to be the middle person between my landlady and my primary school friend, Bubble Doll. You see, on Saturday she came to pick me up to go to her house for an early birthday dinner, when she backed her car into the mailbox. My landlady had been bugging me to get my friend to fix it. Apparently, it was slanting so much, contents would purge out after letters and flyers were slotted in.

She swung by today, and after having a look at the damage, took me out for bubble tea and we did a bit of Op-Shop shopping. Op-shop meaning shops that sell second hand or reject goods at real bargains. We went into two and at the second shop I found two great pieces of clothing. Unfortunately the sizes were a bit small for me. Would have been a blast to get a classic sheath dress (by Portman) and matching pastel pink work jacket. Darn. The total would have come up to only AUD30. Imagine that!

Since the shop was about to close, we finally walked to the bubble tea shop. Thinking it would be good to have it warm, I ordered my favourite flavour passionfruit. And with milk. The verdict - still a wrong combination. Sucks. And the milk and juice were separating in the cup. All the more interesting. Hoping I would not get a stomachache.

We chatted a bit more before I was dropped off at my place. Had a good chat about what we want to do next in our lives and just happily telling her about my Pneo. My sweet Pneo ^__^.

Got into the house, chuck the handbag onto the dressing table, fell onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Not so bad afterall," I thought to myself.

But darn! If only the dress and jacket were a size bigger.

Cynism

2009-04-03T20:20:00.005+08:00

I think, helps with the coping of or an attempt to accept, reality. Sometimes. For some, reality is biting so hard, they cannot help but be a cynic. Feeling jaded? Turning callous? I am not sure.

Nowadays I cannot see that much a good in a cause organized to supposedly help with or create awareness about the environment. Then, I am always finding for 'terms and conditions' or 'clauses' or 'fine prints' to everything be it a product or a service. I have difficulty trusting the term 'free' or 'good value' or 'limited time only' when it comes with a dodgy advertisement or overly excited sales person.

Nowadays I see myself either putting less confidence in or offering less help to people. In the past, I get disadvantaged of in terms of my convenience, my time, my energy and I do not even gain or benefit from those actions. Instead I get disappointments. Generally, I do not have high expectations of people, not even myself. I think that way because I know nobody is perfect. Those days it was an automatic response for me to say 'yes I can help' or 'sure, no problem'. To think about them now, I feel stupid. I feel worse when I can actually tell or somewhat predict that a negative response or result is about to happen and I STILL went ahead with whatever idea or plan or suggestion by those people. All these had led me to believe that either they realise it and change, or I have to change. I highly doubt the former would. You can see now why I want to put a stop to my overly kind and gullible personality.

So, I either be 1) looked at as a 'bad' person for doing things differently than usual, speak up and offend somebody or throw a bitch fit and expect everybody to know what just happened. Or 2) to act the 'good' guy by being nice and just let it be, or continue being nice and allow a similiar situation to happen again some other time and still say it was fun or it was okay or that it was not so bad afterall, and be seen by other people as being unwise or so gullible. There is no justification when you have been hurt or inconveniened through your own willingness is there?

Either way, nobody is going to be happy. If that is the case, why should I let them - the naive people that they are be happy alone, and I have to suffer the consequence of their actions, because I allowed myself to go along with it or allowed myself to be part of it, and pretend I am okay?! If that is the case, I should make sure that I am happy too right?!

In retrospect, I am learning to be more selfish and to think twice about helping people or to be part of something. If some of you think that I am already selfish in some way currently, then you must not know me well. I have always been too nice or kind that I keep a lot of things to myself so that I do not hurt people's feelings. I have always been trying to ensure everybody is happy I sometimes forget about myself. Well, not anymore. The reality is people's priorities change as they grow older, stepping into a new phase of life or when they have experienced enough shit, I mean, trouble to need to adapt better for the future. That is life. You either survive it or always be unhappy about it. If you cannot accept people doing things differently now or see them moving on, then you have not had your reality checked.

I have a lot of anger in me I know. I currently have a new drive. It is helping me improve and to be above my sorry and emo self. Well, it feels good. And yeah, I'm lovin' it.

So, when people tell you to not judge a pretty person, I mean a book by its cover, they are telling you something - a warning. But be careful of the not so good-looking or plain ones too. Their contents can just be as nasty. Behind the facade or words of kindness are secrets, behaviours, thoughts, stupidity or bad things you might not know about. When you are not careful or prepared, it would be too late.

Just like I would not be able to view these Disney Princesses the same way either. I always knew they were evil in some way.