For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.
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The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.
- Sam Levenson
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As I savored my quart of BR Jamoca®, the 1954 classic Sabrina was showing on CineMax and had me totally mesmerized with Audrey Hepburn’s timeless and natural elegance. Even at age 59 when she made a cameo apperance in Steven Spielberg’s Always, she still looked gorgeous. Check her out here. Then again, one can expect nothing less from this beauty and fashion icon.
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The above poem gained worldwide popularity when it was known that Audrey loved it and read it to her children.
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Time tested indeed. I couldn’t agree more.
Archive for March, 2008
Time Tested Beauty Tips
Heaven-ly
Every year, Cheng Beng falls on my Sweetheart’s birthday. He grumbles that his day is so inauspicious but I told him at least it’s special and easy for folks to remember. 
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I learnt recently that the festival can start as early as 10 days prior and end as late as 10 days post April 5th.
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Having said that, most folks still picked this Sunday (30th March) to pay their respects to their ancestors. So what does that mean for the narrow roads of Penang? Jam lah! Not just regular jam but gila-gila kinda jam! 
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There are many sh!t in Life I can tolerate but traffic jam is NOT on that list. So, I made a pact with my parents. Want me to go with the family for Cheng Beng this year? We go after the mad crowd is done. Which means no early Sunday morning crowd-squeezing. It was decided that we will all meet at the Penang United Hokkien Cemetery at 5pm.
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So, today, we visited Ah Kong and Ah Ma.
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Can’t believe it’s been 10 years. 10 since I last saw Ah Ma and 12 since I last saw Ah Kong.
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Hope they are having fun in Heaven. To me, they have always been the coolest grandparents.
Happy Cheng Beng!
The most common English translation of the Cheng Beng Festival is ‘Chinese All Souls Day’. The not-so-common ones are :
- Chinese Memorial Day
- Spring Remembrance Day
- Tomb/Grave Sweeping Day
- Clear Brightness Festival
My personal favourite is ‘Tomb Sweeping Day’.
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Maybe because it brings back childhood memories of the annual trips we made to my great grandparents’ graves in Batu Gantung with fresh fruits, kuih-muih (traditional Malaysian cakes), roast pork, paper offerings and a hoe (to clear the weeds). I think we stopped when I turned 10. Not sure why though.
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Nowadays, due to lack of space on this small island, more and more folks are cremated and their ashes put into urns which are then put into a small space. No more graves and big tombstones. My grandparents (God bless their souls) no longer have the luxury of huge grave sites.
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Every year at this time, I will meet relatives I only see once a year. They travel back to Penang from all over the country and from different corners of the world for this day. Yes, they are part of the thousands of folks who contribute to the HORRIBLE traffic jams on Penang island at this time of the year!
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I personally think it’s weird how they seem to think Cheng Beng is more important than CNY but I have accepted a long time ago that there are many things my family does which I will never understand. Some, I don’t believe in either.
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But they are family. So…
I have many biker friends but I have never met a biker guy who is as nuts about Ducati as this guy. One just needs to grunt the word (or anything that sounds like) ‘bike’ and that will set him off. I sometimes believe that he would prefer his Ducati to a woman. :p
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While most folks celebrate their birthdays over a meal and some drinks with family and/or friends, this metro guy has chosen to hang out with 60 bikers from the northern states.
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So, since you have no time for us non-bikers tonight, we will celebrate with you tomorrow night instead, ok?
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This one’s for you, Jonnie Boy!
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Have a Yoda-licious Day!
H.A.P.P.I.N.E.S.S.
- Is when he drives all the way downtown to my favourite Hokkien Mee stall to pack lunch and drive all the way back to my place to savour the delish food together.
- Is when he saves the last prawn from his char koey teow for me.
- Is when I get a phone call from a good friend announcing that she is a free woman - FINALLY!
- Is when I see a blinking window at the bottom of my laptop screen with the message "Get ready to party! I will be in Penang again for the next 2 weeks!"
- Is when a second message pops up with the message "Time to restock your bar! Name your selection from the airport!"
- Is when enjoying a cup of Jamoca while getting a pedicure at the Nail Spa.
- Is when I look at you and know that I have invested my love and time well.
Happy, Happy weekend ahead, all!
Happy Birthday, James!
To quote the birthday boy, he is our ULTIMATE ‘loe’/stim/blur buddy.
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Here is the reason how he got that title.
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Damn right you are, birthday boy!
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Happy quarter of a century!!! *hugz*
I learnt today…
…that if we add more pain on top of existing physical pain, it eventually dulls the aches and all the pain will cease. Weird, maybe sick to some. But truth.
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…that Tesco is a great place for grocery shopping at 10pm, an hour before closing time on week nights.
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…that it doesn’t matter where we go but who we are with that keeps the heart soaring.
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…that my Sweetheart has realised I am strong enough to let go if I have to. Hence, the heavy dosage of TLC of late. But hey, I am not complaining!
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…that my parents have finally realised and accepted that I will not be pressured to live Life that passes the societal norm, but one that passes my own standards.
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…that I am who I am because of YOU! :)))
Release # 64
The new release is a KILLER!
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Read about it here.
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Sweetheart and I had a ball at the gym tonight. Amidst moans and groans, we managed to pull through the entire hour of BodyPump ® without quitting. I will admit that there were a couple of times through the combo sets that I was very close to giving up. Almost, but didn’t. I could feel the 2 weeks of deprivation right down to my bones! :\
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Me quit? So no way!!!
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In fact, we stayed on for the 2nd hour and pushed our abs to burning limit. Ouchhhhh, in a weirdly good sorta way…
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Oh but it feels darn good when we walked out of the gym at close to midnight tonight. One thing’s for sure though - I am soooooo gonna hurt tomorrow!
Weekend Reflections
- LOADS of pictures taken over the weekend. Not enough free time to edit them all yet (only managed to edit the dinner pix). Please gimme more time, yeah? Will try to squeeze some time during the week to edit them and share with all.
- Felt like an ‘Oh Chien’ seller purchasing more than 3 dozen eggs from the supermarket. Can’t believe my friends are so nuts over ‘em eggs.
- Sweetheart’s fav curry is surprisingly easy to cook. General feedback on it - "Excellent!" Even my mom loved it! *kembang*
- Forbidden fruits are essentially sweet, but we must know where to draw the line.
- Some like it hard, some like it soft. Eggs preferance lah! What were you thinking? :p
- My mom is getting cooler by the day. She’s finally gotten it that her daughter will always be more the exception than the norm.
- Sweetheart can do dishes AND look sexy doing it! *drooool*
- I love my PLU friends although they wouldn’t grant me my secret (altho it’s not really a secret anymore) wish. LOL.
- It’s blardy annoying that my gym schedule is still farked up due to work.
Oh well … we try to make the best out of Life as things get thrown our way, I guess.
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Have a GRRREEAAT week ahead, folks!
Halal Dinner
This Sunday, we went white instead of red.
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Partly because I wanted to try something new but mainly because I had to make dinner ‘halal’ for a dear friend who’s in town over the weekend from Down Under.
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So, instead of the usual beef, pork or mutton … I chose to cook fish for dinner tonight.
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Menu for tonight :
- Omelette with onions (Never in my entire life did I have to fry FIFTEEN eggs at one go! And yet, it was the first dish to be wiped clean!)
- Broccoli with Chinese mushrooms (they’ll never tire of this vege)
- Fried Water Convolvulus with sambal
- Sweet & Sour Fish
- Stingray Curry with Okra
Some pics of the food taken tonight.
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Scooping out the Stingray Curry to be served.
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Hungry folks …
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Because my dining table can only sit a max of 8 folks at one time, we had to split the gang into 2. So, while the first batch filled their tummies, the second batch did some camwhoring.
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Nice to finally meet Makiko!
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After dinner, Sweetheart did the dishes. Hehe…the sight of a man in the kitchen never fails to turn me on! 
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Since it was footie night, some folks watched the game on EPSN while others spent some time catching up with each other. It’s amazing how we work in the same building, yet get so lost in our own work and space.
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Despite our general agreement to keep Sunday nights alcohol-free, we still indulged a little tonight. All’s good, all’s good. Gave us a good buzz. Also had some rather interesting PLU conversations tonight.
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Oh, I bought myself a new toy today! It’s but a small luxury to reward myself for the hard work in the past few months.
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*wide grin*
Was it a dream?
Their time together was short. Yet, it felt like time stood still when they were together.
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It’s sweet.
It’s physical.
It’s WOW!
It’s madness.
It’s … just not meant to be.
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It may very well be one of those magical moments which we all wake up from and wonder "Was that just a beautiful dream or did that really happen?"
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And so, they went back to their different lives with that special memory buried deep in their hearts.
Reminder
Baby, you know how it always is…
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You’re the one who always tell me not to expect anything so as not to be disappointed. You’re the one who insist that we give ourselves unncessary stress when we allow others to disappoint us. And remember, you are the one who always remind me that we should love folks for who they are. We look past their flaws and then, we are reminded again of why we love them in the first place.
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So, don’t be down. Don’t be annoyed.
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Just know that when the sun rises tomorrow, we will once again love them for who they are - flaws, disappointments and all.
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And yes, I still love you despite your flaws. And hope you love me too despite mine. *hugz*
C’est La Vie
Things that make me go Ahhhhhhh….
- Waking up to an almost empty Inbox
- Having lunch delivered by my man
- Savouring sweet dessert after lunch
- Getting some cuddling time after dessert
- Chillin’ with mom over some tall glasses of Bacardi Apple and Lychee liqueur on a warm Friday afternoon
- Getting pampered at the hair saloon with a galfriend
- Celebration of sorts throughout the night
Yes, that’s Life on a Good Friday! :)))
Biru
Feeling blue today.
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Wanted to write a short post on someone who is back in Penang for 5 days … but am darn tired, physically and emotionally.
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Clubbed till 3am last night, met some new friends, made love and war, and finally got back home at 6am.
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So, my brain is now meshed up from lack of sleep and rest.
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Full weekend ahead. Plans already booked all the way till Sunday evening. How the hell did that happen???? Gotta remember to stop and smell the roses.
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P/S - Had my review with my boss 2 days ago. Good review and good increment. The performance bonus ain’t too bad either (although I wish it’s in USD instead of MYR! Hehe..). So, work-wise, me super tired but happy and satisfied. Gotta move faster, though. This speed is not good enough for me. Guess I just have high expectations when it comes to making waves in what I do.
Rancangan Tergendala
Remember my promise on the Tsukiji update and its many pictures?
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Fret not. I have not forgotten about it. I have not-so-good news though. Ya’ll will hafta wait till next month for that post. Reason being that the pictures I have to share are waaayyy exceeding my picture quota for this month. And I don’t wanna do it Heroes-style. Show the exciting episodes of Season 2 only to ‘potong steam’ by cutting the entire Season short. Then ask fans to wait till September. Cissssssssssss…
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So, no I will not do that to my friends and readers. Will wait a few more weeks when my picture quota refreshes, then I will post a complete update on my experience at the world’s biggest wholesale fish and seafood market, ya?
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In the meantime, will post other titbits.
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P/S - Happy Birthday to the Prophet! I know you and your followers cannot drink. Haram. Never mind, never mind … I sacrifice myself and drink for all of you tonight, hokay?
Ball-sy Sal
Sometimes, we get the raw end of a deal.
Sometimes, we’re too chicken shit to seek fair play.
Sometimes, we wish we’ve done more to get justice.
Sometimes, we’re just too busy with Life to be bothered.
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This time, someone actually braved all the odds and did something about her raw deal.
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Her case :
Expensive dress sent to laundrette for dry cleaning. On collection day, she found a HUGE hole in the material.
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She brought it up to the laundrette owner but he denied all responsibility. Claimed the material was already damaged when sent for dry cleaning. Indirectly, he told her to ’shut up and just leave’.
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Dissatisfied with not just the damaged dress but the brusque treatment from the laundrette owner, she decided to seek some justice. Wrote a detailed letter and addressed it to :
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Ketua Cawangan,
Tribunal Tuntutan Pengguna Malaysia,
Tingkat 9, Bangunan Tuanku Syed Putra,
Leboh Downing,
10300 Pulau Pinang
Tel : 04-250 5401/5402 Fax : 04-262 5196
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… and hand-delivered it to the office of the Consumer Claims Tribunal.
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Two months later, both parties were called to the Tribunal office. After hearing out the stories from both sides, the judgement was passed.
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Laundrette owner was ordered to pay claimant a total of RM300 for the damage to the dress.
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Lesson learnt :
- Make sure you keep the receipt of the transaction. This is essentially required to file your complaint with the Tribunal.
- Make sure you take note of above contact details (if you are living and working in Penang).
- There IS justice if we take time and effort to seek it.
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Way to go, Sal! So proud of you to stand up for what you believe was your right as a customer. So … ball-sy!
Happy Paddy’s Day!
"Everyone’s Irish on March 17th!" - so claimed Guinness.
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My fellow colleagues get the day off and go drink themselves silly, parading in their sexiest (or goofiest) green outfit. What did I do? Worked me ass off.
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Man, I feel sooo Irish - NOT!
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Ok, I am in a bitchy mood tonight. Better go finish off that Dean Koontz book and stop hammering on my laptop. I can continue with the hammering as early as 8am tomorrow.
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To my team mates in Austin, Limerick, Glasgow, Toronto and wherever part of the world you are at now … Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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Have a HUGE drink for me, yea! :Q
Sunday Homecooked Dinner
Menu for our Sunday homecooked dinner this week :
DuckPork Curry (I found out today that duck meat is not easily available in all wet markets. Need to pre-order. So, I substituted with pork)- Stir-fried brocolli with cocktail sausages and cashew nuts
- Omelette with ‘lap cheong’ and onions
- Bitter gourd with scrambled eggs
Pictures of dinner as below.
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The next picture was supposed to be a candid shot of the frenz who came for dinner tonight … but a certain someone couldn’t shake off his camwhoring habit! So, the picture abit not-so-candid lah. Ishhh…
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Dessert was zenzai (ぜんざい), minus the riceballs. Couldn’t get riceballs on Sunday and I was too lazy to make my own. Hehe…
It was supposed to look like this - minus the balls.
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But because I didn’t have enough red bean paste and too much soya bean drink, the zenzai I served tonight looked like this. Too dilluted instead of abit ‘pekat’.
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Hahaha! Never mind lah. It was my first attempt and it was kinda last minute also. At least I can say I made my first zenzai!
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I fell in love with this dessert when I was in Tokyo and made my Japanese friend walk all over the place looking for it for me. We eventually found it in some vending machine at certain train stations - and it popped out of the vending machine in a hot can! The only hot beverage that comes out of our vending machines here is coffee/tea/chocolate. Not a dessert. Of coz ‘jakun’ me was all fascinated with it. 
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After dinner crowd…
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…complaining about being too stuffed. Hehe…I always tend to cook more than necessary. Scared not enough mah….
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And of coz, the guys must somehow strike a cool pose to end the night.
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Thus ends another great Sunday night with some homecooked dinner in the tummies of those I love.
Remember my Filipino guys who can work magic in the kitchen?
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Well, they moved to a new place, a bigger place and more importantly, a bigger kitchen. That spells good news for us. 
It means they will throw more food parties and invite us over. *rub hands together in glee*
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On Saturday night, they threw a housewarming-cum-food party at their new place. Guest list was kept short. Mostly friends from the office.
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As usual, the food blew our minds away!
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Menu for the night :
- Kare-Kare (beef tripe and veggies cooked in peanut sauce)
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. - Prawn Sinigang (similar to the pork sinigang they cooked for us before)
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. - Pork Adobo (I’ve had this before and as yummy as it is, I find it a little too oily for my liking)
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. - Beef Morcon (this is my fav! It’s like the Filipino version of the beef cordon blue)
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. - Cream Fruit Cake for dessert
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However, the highlight of the dinner was not any of the above. It was something that I personally requested with the Filipino boys.
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Remember the 8 ‘baluts’ which the Amazing Race Asia - Season 2 (TARA2) contestants were made to eat in one of the early episodes of the season? Well, even before TARA2, I’ve heard alot about this exotic Asian food and have been eager to try it out. I got my wish last night.
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For those who haven’t the faintest idea what a ‘balut’ is, it’s actually a fetal duck egg that is already half developed into an embryo. So, half of the egg is still yolk and the other half is already an embryo. It sounds disgusting, looks sickening but actually tastes pretty good! Read more about it here.
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So, I was educated on how to eat this aphrodisiac.
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*Note* Prepare some fine salt (the same kind we use for our tequila shots) to dip the ‘balut’ in before eating it. It enhances its taste, it seems.
- Look for the darker part of the egg to identify where to make a hole.
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. - Make a small hole and suck the ‘juice’ from the hole. I was skeptical about ’sucking the juice’ (hmmm…sounds suggestive!) but after being convinced by my Filipino friends, I finally did it and I was surprised by how good the juice is. It actually tastes like some Chinese chicken herbal soup. Yum Yum!
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. - Peel off the remaining shell from the entire egg.
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. - Visually, the egg is made up of 2 portions.
(i) The yellow portion is the yolk and it tastes exactly like - an egg yolk. Nothing shocking there.
(ii) The white portion is actually the half-developed embryo. This, I proceeded with caution.
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Firstly, I was told to NOT look at it. That way, I will not be disgusted and turned off eating it. I took my first bite. Hmmm…tastes abit weird but I guess it’s not too bad. Second bite - I made the mistake of opening my eyes to peep at the stuff. What I saw turned me off and I couldn’t eat it after that.
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Click here to see the sight before me.
It looked like I was eating some animal’s brain. Urgh.
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So, I decided to just stick to the juice and the yellow yolky bit. Will leave the embryo to my Filipino friends. At least, I can bravely say that I’ve tasted one of Asia’s most notorious food - The Egg with Legs. :S
I also learnt that there are many different qualities for a ‘balut’ as well. I was lucky to have tasted one of the better ones. The poorer quality ones will be those that the embryos are too far developed that one can actually get poked in the mouth by the full beak of the embryo. Ouch!
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I remember some of the TARA2 contestants having to pick the hard beak out of their mouth coz it was just too hard to be eaten. Thank God my Filipino friends have higher and better tastes!
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After dinner, the gang had a fun time playing Trivia. I was sure their neighbours were cursing us for the ruckus created in the excitement of the game.
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Once again another great fiesta by the Filipino guys. Thanks dudes! I’ve enjoyed myself thoroughly, as usual. :)))
If you are a youth and living in Tokyo, then Shibuya will most probably be your second home.
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On 26th January 2008, My Japanese friend and I took the Yamanote Line from downtown Tokyo to one of the most vibrant and faddish shopping and entertainment district in the west of Tokyo.
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Unfortunately, because we did not use the Hachikō exit, I didn’t get to check out the statue of the famous Akita dog. I mean, how many canine in this world can claim popularity as this dog did? This loyal dog died on 8th March 1935 and his final resting place is in the National Science Museum. Click on the links above and read all about this legendary dog and how they ended up erecting a tear-jerking statue to commemorate his devotion to his master.
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When we exited the train station, I turned around and took a picture of this.
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Then, I took a good look around me.
The next thought that hit me was - "OMG! I am in Barbie Land!"
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I was surrounded by young girls with super heavy make-up, micro-mini skirts and knee-length platform boots. Looking at their heavily-made up eyes, I was pretty sure they had applied at least 10 layers of mascara on their eyelashes! A good friend who has been to Tokyo on many business trips confessed that Shibuya is one of his most favourite places on this planet. Gee, I wonder why…
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I soon learnt that it is extremely common for young Japanese girls to be offered modelling or photography contracts in this place. All they needed to do was hang out in the streets and wait to be ‘discovered’.
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I actually got to witness 2 young Japanese girls being ‘poached’ by some magazine folks. Here’s a picture of them giving their best pose, hoping to make it big someday soon. Good luck, girls!
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Of coz there are also some ‘fashion disasters’.
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I love the white coat worn by this lady.
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I tried to snap a picture with her facing my camera but she was looking the other way to cross the road. I did see her face later, although I didn’t manage to capture it on my camera. Yes, she looks niccceee.
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The one below doesn’t look too bad … except for the pink leggings. Oh, check out the boots sold there. The prices are decent too. There are some nice looking ones going for ￥1500 (less than RM50!). The boots are sized differently in Japan. While we go by numbers, they go by S, M, L, XL, XXL and XXXL. I soon found out that the equivalent of our size 7 or 8 is their XXL.
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I cannot even begin to describe the vast sea of humans moving around in this area. Click here for the short video I took to see how crazily crowded it is over there. If you don’t like crowded places and hate the occasional elbowing or shoving, this would NOT be the place for you.
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We only spent a couple of hours there. So, we didn’t get to walk around much before it got too dark. Of the many shopping buildings in the area, my Japanese friend picked Shibuya 109. Here’s its official site but it’s in Japanese peppered with English here and there. It’s not a really big building but inside, it’s packed with shops selling mostly women clothes and boots. I wasn’t surprised to find zero shops selling stuff for men.
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I found out later how they came up with the name ‘109′ for the building. It’s actually rather clever. The Japanese word for ‘10′ is "to" and the Japanese word for ‘9′ is "kyu". Join the words together and you get "Tokyu" - which is the name of the company that owns most of the buildings in the area.
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There are also a few capsule hotels in the area. Unfortunately for me, they are out of bounds for women. Why? I still haven’t gotten round to find the answer to that. Was too busy soaking everything in. Must remember to find out why only men are allowed in capsule hotels in Japan. For better pictures and details of how the famous Japanese capsule hotels look like, read about it here. They are extremely popular amongst young Japanese businessmen who have had a few too many after-work drinks and/or missed the last train home.
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Another famous building in this district is the NHK Broadcasting Center. I found out later that for only ￥200 (about RM6.50), one gets a tour of their studios. Unfortunately, due to the limited time we were there, I didn’t get to check it out.
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Oh well, for the amount of stuff I managed to do/visit in the short 3 days I spent in Tokyo, I couldn’t really complain much, could I?
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That’s it for the update on my afternoon in Shibuya. Stay tuned for my Tsukiji update. I have loads of pictures to share for that.
As promised, here is another one of my belated Japan posts.
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One of the few places I visited during my short time in Japan was Okachimachi. It’s a commercial district south of Tokyo and the best place to shop for inexpensive stuff, especially those yummy Japanese snacks that cost a bomb here. As we all know, everything is darn expensive in Tokyo. So, to find a gem of a place that sells stuff at affordable prices is a real find indeed!
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The place reminded me alot of Petaling Street in KL. Very busy, can get really good prices but the only difference being that one does not have to haggle over the prices. Unlike most touristy places in Malaysia, they do not mark up the prices at crazily cut-throat prices and then haggle it down with customers. They pretty much shove their calculators to your face to show the prices of their goods and you either pay for them or walk away. No haggling required.
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Of coz being the Penangite that I am, and unfamiliar with the no-haggling system there, I started to bargain on some product and the man gave me a dirty look before proceeding to ignore me until I took the hint and walked away! Fuyohh…damn embarrassing leh! Learnt my lesson then and didn’t bother haggling after that. Just look for what I like, pick them up, pay for them and walk away.
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I didn’t buy a whole bunch though. Thoughts of having to pack another extra box like how I had to in Austin kept me in check. So, all I really bought were a whole bunch of Japanese snacks (which the folks back home loved!), some yummilicious Unagi (my fav Japanese food!) which cost me a teeny fraction of what I have to pay back home, and that’s about it. I was totally proud of myself for the amount of control I had then.
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Here’s a picture of a man ‘auctioning’ off a whole bunch of cookies, chocolates, snacks - all for only ￥1000 (about RM 31.50).
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That’s like SUPER cheap, okay. I checked out the prices of those stuff at the airport and at other stores. They cost at least 4 to 5 times more everywhere else!
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Here’s another picture of some Japanese clogs and yellow gum boots made famous by Phua Chu Kang (except that these are not in yellow).
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Shoes, especially boots, are sold all over the place. Not just in Okachimachi but everywhere I went in Tokyo. 90% of Japanese folks wear them to keep their legs warm. So, I guess there is a huge demand to support.
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I started shopping for a pair of boots too - which my Japanese friend didn’t understand and kept going "Eleen, why you need boots in Malaysia? So hot!" - but didn’t find any that was suitable.
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After I got back to my hotel, I realised that I did not take many pictures that day. Reason being that my hands were too full holding on to the shopping bags (again, I did not shop that much, ya… :p) and also, I was too busy soaking in the ambience. Taking out the camera and attempting to snap pictures would spoil the moments then.
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After a full morning out at Okachimachi, I took the train back to my hotel to meet my Japanese colleague who had made plans to take me shopping at Shibuya. Will post a separate update on my time spent at Shibuya. Now, that, is one experience I will remember for a long, long time.
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While waiting for my train, this pulled up at the station and I quickly snapped a picture of it.
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This reminded me again of how packed Tokyo really is. They even need double decker trains to cater to the millions of commuters travelling daily in and out of Tokyo.
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More updates on my Shibuya and Tsukiji experiences. Stay tuned.
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Now … I’m off to get some late-night drinks with my Irish counterpart. It’s been a looooonnngggg day.
Shit happens…
I had planned on posting another Japan update tonight but Life doesn’t always happen as planned, does it? :\
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Got stuck in the office with my Irish counterpart from Limerick. No, no…not complaining about the company. He’s a really funny guy and really smart too. AND he’s been in Dell for 10 years! That’s ALOT of experience under his belt. I feel honoured to be working with him on this program. Picked up many useful tips from him on how to deal with corporate shit. Hehe…
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Then, my usual night con calls. Great discussions with my team but man, the day has been loooonngggg and I was oh-so-ready to call it a day!
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The one good thing out of all these is - Sweetheart is treating me like a Queen. :))) He knows about the crazy hours I am on these days and he knows about the stuff I go through in my line of work. So, he knows to handle me with care … else, I turn into a witch!!! *LOL*
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Tonight for instance.
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Was halfway through my con call when he came around with dinner. Sat next to me watching silent MTV (dunno how that works for him!) while he waited patiently for me to finish my con call. It was almost an hour later before the call ended.
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Then only did he unpack dinner and with CSI on AXN, we had our late dinner. After that, he had ‘dessert’ for me. *wink wink* I lurrrveee his desserts. Never fail to get me delirious.
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It was almost midnight when he left whilst for me, it was back to the grind. By the time I was done with work for the night, I was too tired to dig out and edit the Japan pictures for my planned post tonight.
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So, sorry yah…will hafta postpone it to tomorrow.
This is something I have wanted to post for the longest time. Since I came back from Japan, to be precise.
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Lots have happened from the time I got back in end-January till now. I got distracted with other updates but fret not, I will try to get back on track and share the few interesting experiences I gained from The Land of the Rising Sun.
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Let me start with Fuji-san.
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Standing at 3,777m west of Tokyo, it was the topic of discussion amongst my Japanese counterparts on the day I worked from our Kawasaki office. I was lucky ‘coz it was a clear day and the pride of Japan can be seen from any tall building in Tokyo.
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Here are some amateur shots I took from the lobby of The Strings Hotel which is on the 26th floor of the Shinagawa East building in downtown Tokyo.
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Before zooming in …
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After zooming in …
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I know, I know…my not-so-professional photography skills did not really capture the WOW moment one gets when staring at it from right there in Tokyo but hey, I never claim to be a professional photographer. :p
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For more canggih pictures that do justice to its majestic beauty, check them out here.
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I definitely want to return one day to conquer it. If I can scale Mount Kinabalu which stands at over 4000m, I do not see Fuji-san as an impossible feat. My fellow Kinabalu conquerors, agree?
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More belated Japan updates coming soon. Stay tuned.
Constant Change
I learnt something important recently.
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Human beings have this reeeeally bad habit of taking things for granted. Some folks pin it to a certain gender but I personally think it’s an innate weakness in all of us. Not just to a specific gender or age group.
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All these years, I’ve thought it’s tied to a certain personality or mental as well as relationship maturity. Of late, I was proven wrong. I came to realise that it’s in all of us. Having said that, all is not lost. There is still hope, if we believe in the constant need to improve ourselves to be better partners, better friends, better family, or just better human beings.
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I am happier these days because I finally allowed this realization to sink in. Not only did I stop taking things and people for granted, I also (more importantly) cut off any opportunities for folks to take me for granted. I made a 360° turn and made it clear to the folks around me that I may not be around forever for them to take for granted. Only thing constant in Life is Change - a wise saying indeed. Even our seemingly strong BN received a reality slap, FIVE times over, in our nation’s recent General Election.
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I love the people in my Life for many different reasons. However, I have learnt the difficult lesson of letting go if I need to. No matter how strong the love still burns. Yes, I am that strong.
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I endeavour to stop taking things and people for granted. I hope you do the same too. Or I will cease to be there for you to take for granted.
Whoosh went the Sunday!
It seemed just like seconds ago when I opened my eyes to see the Sunday morning light streaming through the dark curtains of my room. Now, I am struggling to keep my eyelids up from a full day that seemed to have whooshed by. :\
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We wanted to do so much more. No…no regrets for all the things we did over the weekend but still, there is soooooo much more that we wanted to do.
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Like the Relay for Life event. Sweetheart and I talked about it from the begining of the weekend and Sunday came and went - we never made it to the event. There was just too little time, too much of each other to enjoy … and just too much of Life to live.
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Watched 10,000 BC in the early afternoon after dragging ourselves out of our comfy bed. I was still sleepy but knowing how work is gonna be like when Monday rolls around, I decided to forgo some precious sleep and went for the movie. It was all good coz we still got to cuddle while watching the movie.
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After the movie, it was off to the afternoon market to get fresh stuff for cooking dinner. This time round, I decided to keep it simple. No rice and dishes. Just ‘mee tiau’ (flat chinese noodle that reminded me so much of pasta. Kinda like a combination of angel hair and fettuccine). Got the recipe from a schoomate’s mom (thanks CC’s mom!) and decided to try it. Came out pretty ok. Was too busy cooking and making sure all my friends had enough to eat and drink. No time to stop and take pictures. So, no pictures to share.
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And oh…I made my first sambal belachan today - from scratch! Didn’t really like how it turned out though. Not spicy enough. Must remember to add some cili padi next time to give it more kick!
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I know I know….it’s no biggie to some folks who could make sambal balachan with their eyes closed but hey, you gotta remember that my speciality is Italian food, not Malaysian. I only started cooking local dishes lately coz my man has a Malaysian stomach. So, quite an accomplishment for me already with the sambal belachan, okaayyy. :p
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After stuffing their tummies with dinner and non-alcoholic drinks (it’s a Sunday night, for crying out loud! :P), our friends thanked us for dinner and called it an early night. By 10pm, Sweetheart and I found ourselves alone again. Blisssssssss.
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Decided to put a DVD on. Gabriel was the lucky movie picked. Great show. We were both tired but it was still good to keep us awake till the end.
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Midnight came too soon. Time to hit the sack soon.
5 super duper FULL days ahead. Woohoo~
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Nitey Nite.
A New Dawn
8 March 2008 was a historical day for many Malaysians, especially Penangites.
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For me, it was a day I will remember for a loooooonnnnggg time.
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Morning
Woke up to a slight hangover from the partying with Austin friends the night before. Left maid to clean the apartment while I nursed my aching head.
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Noon
Sweetheart called to ask me over for lunch with his family. As usual, his mom cooked YUMMY food and consequently, I overate. Felt uncomfortable with my overstuffed tummy but the food was too damn good to resist!
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Early afternoon
Headed downtown to fulfill my duty as a ‘rakyat’. Got drenched in the heavy downpour. Still soldiered on to the voting station to cast my vote. *Found out later my vote was totally worth it! I made a difference!!!*
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Mid afternoon
Headed to the gym with my mom and spent 30 minutes in the sauna steaming ourselves. Mom thoroughly enjoyed herself and reminded me to do it more often. "Your job is so stressful. You should try to do this at least once a month lah. Very relaxing."
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Late afternoon
Galfriend called to vent her frustration with her man. With some time to spare before dinner time, I decided to drive over to her place to calm her down. After hearing her out, I told her point blank that in this instance, she was in the wrong. I am known to call a spade a spade. If my friends fucked up, I will tell them they fucked up and go clean up the mess, not take their side just coz they are my friends. That was precisely what I told my galfriend for picking petty fights with her man who was just defending some issues close to his heart. Poor guy. *chuckle*
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Early evening
Time for dinner. Picked up Sweetheart and headed to one of the many eat-all-you-can-steamboat-cum-BBQ place that seem to have mushroomed all over Penang. Food was so-so (hey, what can we expect for RM19.90 per person, eh..) but company was FUN! Also discovered that some of my friends have bottomless pits for their tummies and yet, are so pint-sized!
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"Eeeyerrrr…these are so damn kewt!" - Emily ended up not eating those ‘kewt stuff’.
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And of coz the guys will always play with their food at every opportunity.
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We learnt the art of de-shelling mantis prawn from Mrs Ivan Oo. She was expertly removing the shells off those buggers in 3 easy steps and passing them around the table.
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Sweetheart and I didn’t eat much. Food there was just below average for us. Guess it’s really the company that matters. Also, we walked out of that place smelling totally smoked! Urgh.
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Towards the end of dinner, conversation got rather exciting as our phones got all charged up with text messages and calls with updates on the election’s ‘unofficial’ results. All of us agreed to head to some place more comfortable (for starters, not so blardy smoky!) to catch up on ‘live’ news of the latest count. New World Park was the selected venue. Why? Coz got free WiFi mah!
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So, we trooped over and planted ourselves at a comfortable spot to wait for the ‘good news’. With the laptop wired up, we sat down and waited.
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The guys anxiously checking out the Malaysiakini updates.
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And this was how they were when they read about the ‘unofficial’ update that for the first time in 40 years, the Opposition topples the goverment in Penang!
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After midnight, we started getting calls and text messages from family and friends.
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"Better stay home tonight. Riots already started on the mainland."
"Where are you? Get your ass back home soon!"
"Delete all SMS’es you received on the Opposition’s win. Cops are checking phones at road blocks!"
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Did that mean that we went home after that? Hell NO! It took Sweetheart all of 3 seconds to decide "Let’s go pick up the Austin dudes from their hotel and go have some fun!" So, while our friends obediently headed home to their families, two rebellious devils headed downtown for some Saturday night clubbing.
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Andrew, Al and Daniel made fast friends with the cigar lady over the weekend. They were happily lighting up what they couldn’t get back home in Austin - Cuban Cigars.
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No disrespect to my smoking friends but I miss smoke-free clubbing. Like California, Austin has declared non-smoking zones for all indoor places and of coz, it was a dream come true for folks like me and Sweetheart. However, I also realised that kinda ruling will never fly in clubs here. Oh well…
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I guess what really matters is that we are with those we love, eh?
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The night ended with smiles on our faces and hopes in our hearts that Penang is getting a new Life … Finally!
Rakyat’s Responsibility
Today is the day before D-Day.
The day where millions of folks in this country get to decide their leaders for the next 5 years.
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For folks in Penang, last night was an exciting one - even for those who are not into politics. A final ‘ceramah’ by the Opposition was held at the Han Chiang Private school and thousands flocked to the site to listen to the Opposition leaders. To be precise, about 50,000 folks turned up for the event. I was on my way home from gym and got stuck in the massive traffic jam in Jalan Masjid Negeri caused by the event. I was rushing home to take my nightly con call - so couldn’t pull over to join in the ‘fun’.
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Here’s a picture of the massive turnout last night.
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Those who did not make it to the event got email updates the very next day…and folks who went wouldn’t stop gushing about it.
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"I was standing for more than 4 hours, but it was worth it!"
"What a GREAT talk!!!"
"It’s high time we see some justice in this country!"
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I have never been that excited about politics and my uncle (who is actually one of the Pantai Jerejak BN candidates) has been futilely trying to get me interested in the stuff he does for the ‘rakyat’. Whatever.
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However, I must say that it was rather interesting to observe how both parties have stepped up their efforts to bring in the supporters this time round. I especially love DAP’s introduction of The Rocket Kid! Lots of folks poked fun at the mascot and claimed that it looks more like a red condom than a proper political mascot but hey, I think it’s cute! I actually like it. You can’t deny it’s cute-ness for sure!
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Hmm…wonder if I give them my vote, will they give me one for free??? kekeke….
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Poor Sweetheart wants to vote but he couldn’t coz he didn’t register himself earlier. And our damn efficient voting system needs 3-4 months for a registration to be manually updated into the system for one to be eligible to vote.
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To be fair, Sweetheart didn’t fulfill his reponsibility as a ‘rakyat’ and register himself early. So, 50% blame on the system’s archaic updating process and 50% blame on his procrastinating attitude. Heck, I had to drive him all the way to a post office at lunch time today just to get him to register and quit whinning about "But I don’t get to vote coz I have no time to register!". He still won’t get to vote this time round but at least he will be eligible for the nation’s next General Election.
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Needless to say, I gave him shit about it. "Shame Shame, baby. Only gonna cast your first vote when you turn 35!" He wasn’t too happy about that but hey, that’s the price one pays for procrastinating and taking things in Life for granted.
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Yesterday, my mom sent me a text (she recently got into texting and would send me texts about anything and everything!) asking me to pick her and my dad up so that we can go cast our votes together-gether this Saturday.
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So, tomorrow, me gonna go ber-undi with my parents. Talk about a ‘fun’ family outing, eh?
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Happy mengundi-ing, folks!
Zombified
I feel like a vampire.
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Staying awake through the night till the wee hours of the morning, catching up with sleep during the day and squeezing more work in-between naps. Only leaving the darkness of my apartment when the sun sets to head to the gym for my daily dosage of blood-pumping satisfaction.
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Whoever invented the speaker phone, thank you!!! If not for you, I would be paying lotsa moolah to get neck therapy for the number of hours I hafta cradle the phone on my shoulder every single night for my con-calls.
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Even Sweetheart is getting worried about how this schedule is affecting me. I get cranky and moody during the day when he calls to check if I am still alive. I only see the folks in my office once or twice a week, even got an email from the guy sitting a few cubes away on why he doesn’t see my face around lately.
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Sigh….the price we pay to put food on the table (or drinks in the bar!).
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I know it may sound strange and hypocritical but I actually love my job. Love my boss and my team members (who are all across big oceans). In my entire work-lifetime, I think this has got to be my most interesting job by far. It challenges me tremendously, makes me live the Life of a vampire, creates many global opportunities, and sucks every single living cell outta me!
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Tired. So blardy tired.
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Sweetheart’ll hafta be working OT to appease me this weekend. *chuckle*
PGC 4595
You know those times when you wish you had a camera in your hand to capture a moment that you felt was worth capturing and sharing?
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I had one of those moments tonight.
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Except that it ain’t exactly a I-wish-I-had-a-camera-in-my-hand moment but more a I-wish-time-would-stand-still kinda moment. I had my W880 in my hand and was ready to turn on the camera mode but all vehicles were moving and there just wasn’t enough time to stop and capture the moment. It was gone seconds after I saw it.
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So, no picture to illustrate what I am going to share in this post.
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After an entire day of being couped up at home - working from my laptop - it felt good to leave the comfort of my apartment and to a satisfying session at the gym. On my way home after dropping Sweetheart off, I saw a black Chevy Aveo with small prints on the car back bumper, bearing these words :
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How is my driving?
Dial 1-800-EAT-SHIT
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It made me LOL so hard that I almost drove into the road divider!
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Now, to the girl driving the vehicle PGC 4595…Nice! *winky grin*
White Kisses
It was snowing in Glasgow yesterday.
It was cold. It was beautiful. It was fun!
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Remember the thief who stole my heart when I was in Austin 1.5 months ago? I got his picture yesterday and my heart skipped a few beats - yet again - at the sight of his happy smile with his freshly-made snowball.
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So tempting. Made me feel like getting into a snowball fight with this little guy.
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Keep making those snowballs, sweetie. Although I cannot be there in person to catch those balls when you throw them, know that I am there with you in our hearts.
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Lots of hugs & kisses.
Today, I’d like to write about a topic that means alot to me.
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As I go through this exciting and demanding journey of Life, I discovered that I may/have to tolerate many unpleasant things…but there is one thing I have ZERO tolerance for - Lies.
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I do not tolerate lies to myself and definitely not to/from others. Yes, I am dead serious about it. That’s how much it means to me. Of coz that makes it the easiest way to hurt me. Words, actions, physical objects - none of them all could hurt me as deeply as lies could.
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I do not claim to be a guru or a walking lie-detector but over the years, my alarm bells are tuned to go off when lies are flashed in front of me. Sometimes, I have proof to call them bluff but other times, I don’t. I just know it. Nevertheless, one important lesson I learnt over the years is that there is absolutely no point in calling anyone bluff. All I needed to do was to shut down. Shut down my ears to their lies, and shut down my heart to that friendship/relationship. It may sound drastic but It’s the only thing I can think of doing to save myself from being hurt.
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"I lied ‘coz some folks cannot handle the truth!"
"I lied ‘coz I want to avoid confrontations!"
"I lied ‘coz I don’t want to hurt others!"
- these are some of the many reasons liars give.
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My answers to them :
"Who are you to decide what others can or cannot handle? God?"
"Not all confrontations have to be ugly. It’s up to you to make it amicable."
"Do you not realise that you are hurting them MORE by lying???"
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It’s basic yet, a lot of folks never really think about it when they dish out lies. They never stop and think for a moment that as soon as the first lie is out, they have to be prepared to dish out the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and God knows how many more lies to cover the very 1st one.
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Awhile ago, someone very close to me fed many lies to a person who loved him deeply. I kept advising him that he should stop the lies but he kept insisting "She is too immature to handle the truth! I HAVE to lie to her!". I cried many silent tears - for her and for him. I wondered when he will stop stringing her along with his complicated web of lies. He never did.
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Almost two years of many, many lies later….the inevitable happened.
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The lies caught up with him and she finally realised all the stuff he had been feeding her were total BS. What I feared most happened - he lost her friendship. I may seem cruel to say this but I do not feel sorry for him - not even the tiniest bit. To me, he deserves every single shitty treatment she is giving him today.
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I am not going to attempt to speak on behalf of others coz we all know that every individual is different. I will not argue the point that there are actually some folks in this world who prefer to be lied to. They prefer to live in their own little safe world and to quote a common saying - ‘To close one eye to the real world happening around. It’s easier that way.’
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So this is a special message from me to you :
Please dish me the truth - no matter how hurtful you think it may be. Trust me. To me, no truth is as hurtful as lies.
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And the minute you dish out the first lie to me, please be prepared to lose my love, and my respect, for you. That, is a promise from the depths of my heart.
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