From the movie Stardust

"You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine. "

~ Yvaine (Stardust)

The salt of life

From now on, this is my job description...
my ass, specifically.

Any aids?

Paintball

I am against war and violence. I dislike guns although I have toy guns with the sheriff badge when I growing up. When I see young kids, I will make the shape of guns with my fingers and pretend to shoot at them - "peow! peow!" Some love it, especially boys.

On Sunday I was invited by Asther and her friends to play Paintball at Kuang, somewhere a bit further than Sg Buloh. I didn't know what to expect and what to bring but I just knew that it is quite painful when the paint pellet hit you.

The bad news is true. It is painful. It bruised you and leave you with nasty blue blacks.

The good news is that it is actually very fun. It is like almost like a battlefield except that you won't get kill and each game only last about 15 minutes. If you don't feel well or your marker (the gun) don't work well, you can stop. Raise your hand and move away to safety zone.

Sorta like those war type of computer games too but on physical world. You get dirty, you have to crawl, you hide behind broken walls, trees, bunkers, you have to run and peek. Very physical. Very challenging.

Ifyou are serious about Paintball, there are strategies and planning involved, special markers and equipments and you can even dress up like a soldier. Very expensive sport, as always.

But for me, it is all about not getting shot (coz it is painful) and trying to bring down as many members of the opponents. I chose to hide in the bunker to defend our team's flag. Even that, I get shot.

Playing this game make me realise that it is really really ultra scary during an actual war. And you are actually sending yourself to death. If you don't die now, you'll die later. Now I know why soldiers are given awards after they returned from their postings. And why "purple hearts" when you were injured during war.

I never felt more female until I was being briefed before the game. I just find it repulsive to start killing people (although not literally or really killing) with a gun (although it is just a marker).

But during the game, it was actually nice to start shooting and bringing down your opponents. I actually enjoyed that. I was shot many many times but I only managed to bring down one opponent. Totally useless of me.

Some other players are really good. Their hands are steady when shooting. They move calmly. They seem to understand how to distract and move to protect themselves from being hit.

Now I also know how a seemingly nice and quiet person can go berserk when they are given the opportunity to kill or when they are engrossed with their computer games.

Very good stress reliever too. But if you someone that are full of anger and very bitter, I suggest not playing this coz you might hurt people and go overboard when you are too consumed.

Well, frankly I don't know much about Paintball, but what I wrote here are what I have observed.

I don't mind the pain and the bruises, but the only thing I dislike about the game is wearing the mask. It is very suffocating, hard to breathe and smell of smelly plastic.

Give it a try, at least once in your lifetime. Glad I went. Thanks Asther, Mike and Francis for taking me there. Thanks too for meal at Kanna. Love the banana rice dishes there. Yummy!

Tom Ford

If you wonder who he is - He is a fashion designer who gained international fame for his legendary turnaround of the Gucci fashion house and the creation of the Tom Ford label.

A bit of Dr Christian Troy of Nip Tuck, but more charm.

Check out his photos. He is so darn gorgeous. I heard he is gay. Sigh!

Britain Got Talent - Paul Potts & Connie Talbot

You gotta watch these two YouTube clips. They are so amazing and brilliant! I am so impressed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnUOJonRcCw

FYI, Britain Got Talent is a tv programme to search for Britain's next best amateur talent act, featuring singers, dancers, comedians, variety acts, and other talents of all ages. The winner of the show receives GBP100,000 and will perform at the Royal Variety Performace in front of the Queen and members of the Royal Family at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool.

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I do.

Unsafe Malaysia

Almost everyday, I hear something about petty theft, snatch thief, burglaries, stolen cars and smashed car. It is scary but doesn't affect anyone until it happens to oneself. And I seriously hope it won't happen to me coz I don't have much money already and I hate the trouble of reporting stolen bank and ct cards, MyKad, etc etc.
Parents are afraid to let their kids (even tho they are already teenagers) to go to school by school buses. Ladies are afraid to go anywhere alone especially at night or lonely places like car parks.

I am afraid to withdraw money from ATM or fill petrol at night.
I am not sure about you guys, but I really feel that Malaysia is really becoming so unsafe everywhere. If you don't have money in your wallet may also pose a big problem, coz if a thief come to you and find you without money, he might just slash you. It seems like Singaporeans fears of Malaysia are becoming facts of life and a reality.

I am thinking of drafting a letter to Pak Lah, Ketua Polis Negara and Menteri Dalam Negeri to express how we (the rakyat) feel. I believe they need to really look into this matter seriously and actually SOLVE them. We must stand up and express our fears and worries.

Otherwise, soon enough, we might as well stop mentioning that Malaysia is a safe and peaceful country. Or is this a lost cause already?
So friends, will you be interested to participate in this letter writing? Let me know your thoughts. If you have anything you wanna express in the letter, let me know too.

Shall I or not? (to continue blogging here)

Hi there everyone,

Hope all of you had a great weekend. Mine was good coz I spent a nice weekend with my family in Singapore. The weather was nice as it wasn't hot. It rained on Sunday though, but we was indoor in the mall.

However, I am pretty sad coz I have just received news this morning that my dear friend Asther's dad has passed away a few days ago. My deepest condolences to Asther and her family. Take care Asther. Hugs!

Anyway, I am kinda unsure where I should be blogging. Where do you think I should blog? Should I move to my new blogging place or continue as usual back here at blogspot? You gotta let me know if you like me to maintain this blog.

Hope to hear what you think :) Take care and have a great week ahead!

First post elsewhere

As part of my research about social networking site, I created a blog and start doing stuff in somewhere else to see how it works. So I decide to copy and paste my posts from there to here, since I don't have much time to blog anyway.

*** *** ***

To start the first blog is always the hardest.

Most of you already know I've got another blog in blogspot, which I barely update these days.

If I blog, it will be nothing but about work and sleep. These are what I do lately. Gone are my days of gallivanting around - climbing, diving, sneaking away to neighbouring countries , tv tv tv and plentiful of dinners and meet ups with friends.

Anyway, am going to Singapore tonite to meet my dear sister whom has not been back here for a while now. My whole family going too. Nice!

Hopefully there will be a next post in this blog section. I am lazy.

Updates from me again

So many books to buy each time I step into a bookshop. It is scary to be in Kino. It is so tempting. There are tons of books I wish I could buy. The only problem is that I don't have that much of money to buy them. And of course, the time to read.

This is a book I wanna get for the longest time : Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life by Gene O'Kelly. Somehow I always fail to remember the name when I am in a bookshop.

I have been coughing for about month now. It is so irritating. It disrupts my sleep. I am medication now, hoping it will go away real soon. No ice creams, no fruits and no cold drinks for me for now coz it seems that each time I ate or drank one of those, I cough more.

I ate too much "pan mee" these days. I love this noodle, but been eating it almost everyday. I still love my mom's pan mee the best.

My tummy is still bulging. Darn. It is awful esp when I wear baby tees. Must be too much "pan mee". Haha.

I must say that my teammates are bunch of bright, smart and progressive people. They are quick and assertive. Nope, they are not reading my blog, so I am not apple polishing. It is kinda intimidating for me. I kept doubting if I am cut to do this job. But it is good for my soul coz it is sorta like a wake up call and to stop my brain from rusting.

I am learning a lot from my current workplace too. Almost everything is teaching me something. And almost everyday is a learning process.

I miss climbing. I have not climb for ages. I must make time to climb. I must! I must! I must! My new resolution for the last 2 quarters of this year.

I finally watched Season 6 of The Shield, but only up to episode 5. It is really good, the plot is getting thicker. Just another 5 more episodes to go. Then I will start on Criminal Minds, which I have stopped for a long while.

I finished The Earl Season 2. It is such a feel good tv series. It make you laugh too.

I am writing these from work since morning. So, that's it folk. Time for me to pack my bag and go home.

p/s: Hi my dear Arizona, I got your email from Delphinus. It was sent to my old email id. I changed my job, so my email has changed. Luckily she forwarded it to me. I hope you'll know what I have been up to from my last few postings in this blog. And I miss you too. The wed gatherings is missing your presence. Send my best regards to your hubby too :)

Me randomly

Shardy and Patrice are away in Cairns diving. Oh I am so so jealous.


I dunno them, but I sure like reading their blogs. Their writing always brighten up my days - karencheng.com.auand kennysia.com


I can't wait to the end of today. It has been my team's main priority to make today right and perfect since the first day I joined this company. I pray it will go well and we will get the approval.


Everything in life is bittersweet. You just can't have it all. It sure seems some have it all. Or maybe bitter don't bother them. I guess every bitterness we faced in life is a little step to build courage and agility, a time to acknowledge the blessings of sweetness around us and a moment for us to reflect on ourselves.


I forgot who has my "Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hoseini. I forgot who I lent it to. If you are reading this and you are having it, just sms me, k?


It may sound absurd...but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed...but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
It’s not easy to be me
I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
I’m only a man
Looking for a dream
~ Superman by Five For Fighting


Maybe, sometimes, perhaps always, we want people around us to be a little more forgiving, a little less judgmental, a little more accepting of who we are. There is often more to us that what meets the eyes. Take a little time to discover or are we too distracted or too occupied to do so? Or is it the world we are living in now moves so fast that we keep running along and lack of time to dwelve in depth.


Sometimes I think I am weird. When I do, I feel I am all alone. I try to understand the whys and hows. I try to accomodate but inside me, it don't feel right. But I have no answers to the puzzles and I think I am weirder more than ever. Does it make me a freak if I often think and perceive things differently and that I have different aspirations from others? Maybe I am a really weird.


Are you reading or listening to anything nice at the moment? Care to share with me?


I bought a Mitch Albom book - For One More Day in the airport the other day. I almost finished it but I left the book in the plane. I am too careless.


These days, I kept missing everyone around me. I miss my dad, my sister, my mom, my ex colleagues, my close friends, my friends overseas, my climbing buddies, my diving buddies and my cousins. I will try to catch up with you all. I will try to call. I will try to write. And it would be really nice if you could call or write to me once in a while too.

About Web 2.0 and Online Social Networking

Thought I share this in my blog too.

My new immediate boss emailed me this - "k*a, can you please provide some background info on social networking sites, what web2.0 means, what the latest developments in the online world are etc to CFO and COO please?"

So, based on what I have read and am reading now, as well as from the resources of the Internet, I mashed all the infos up and wrote the below for my bosses. Hope you'll enjoy reading it too.

*** *** ***

These 2 articles are pretty good to explain how the term web 2.0 is derived, what web 2.0 means and what it is all about. I needn't explain more :-)

http://www.paulgraham.com/web20.html
http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/oreilly/tim/news/2005/09/30/what-is-web-20.html

This is my illustration of what is Social Networking Sites. Happy reading!

Social networking is an everyday thing which we human have been doing all along. We go to gatherings or parties or even business meeting to meet other people, meet our friends or make new friends. We call our friends or family to update about our lives or to keep in touch. We go on holiday, we take photos. When we are home again, we write to our friends to inform them about our trips. We send photos too.

Now everyone can perform all the above through the Internet. That is what social networking sites are all about. There are specific social networking sites for specific activities such as blogging, photos, favourite links, videos, etc. And there are social networking sites that provide all these functions for its members such as MySpace, Friendster, MSN Live Spaces, etc.

For e.g. Flicker.com is a site where people store, share and organize photos. It is so simple. With the advancement of digital camera and cheap yet huge storage card, everyone can be a pro in photography. We no longer worry if we have sufficient film rolls. We are not limited by the 36 pieces per roll. So we tend to be trigger happy, camera that is.

We often have hundreds of photos after a holiday trip. Isn't it so convenient that we can just post them all up online and share with all friends and family? We save money from printing hard copy of photos, which are to be given away or burning them ito CDs for our friends or family. Through these photos sites, we can easily allow access to view the photos only to people we know. We can even sell some of our artistic shots online and make some money.

One of the biggest social networking elements is Blog. Blogspot.com and Wordpress.com are examples of sites where people can write about almost anything. Let me illustrate how big is Blogging in this current time.

Blog is such a mania. People are blogging shamelessly about their private lives. It is like an online diary for some. They blog about what they eat, what they see/hear, what they think, about their dreams, their hopes, their fears, their lack of lives, their anger, their frustrations and about their alter ego.

It is speculated that a blog is created in every second. At this moment, it is estimated that there are 60 mil blogs in the cyberspace and by 2010, there will be 500 million blogs. They have become authority in opinions from arts, politics to health and culture. Blogs have became so infinite that it blurs what's true and what's false Most kids are unable to differentiate between credible news written by professional journalist than what they read on kennysia.com. Kenny Sia is a celebrity blogger and he resides in Kuching. He is such a hit and most blog readers love him. I think people might have withdrawal symptoms if he stop blogging.

Another big Web 2.0 thing is Wikipedia. It is an online encyclopaedia where anyone can publish just about anything from apple to zoology. It is estimated that more than 15,000 contributors have 3 millions entries in over hundred over languages. Mind you, none of these are vetted or edited for accuracy. Hundreds of thousands of visitors are estimated to surf to Wikipedia for information. The contents of Wikipedia is trusted by readers, although it has no experts or editors.

And let's not forget You Tube. All of us have, one way or another, view at least 1 video clips from You Tube. The video (via a hyperlink) could be sent to you through email by your friends. You Tube is definitely a haven for amateur videos. It is estimated that 65,000 videos are uploaded to You Tube and 60 mil video clips are being watched per day. Most of the videos you get through You Tubes are absurb and it is again an infinite gallery of people showing off themselves. Well, actually you can almost watch anything through You Tube.

Through a more diverse social networking sites such as Friendster or Mutiply, users can easily do all the above and store them in one area, in their own personal pages, created by themselves for themselves. And share all of their blogs, photos, videos, music, etc with friends or anyone they want.

It is pretty common these days, if you asked someone how his /her holiday trip was, he/she will reply - "Hey just go to my blog or my Mutiply to read about it. Oh btw, I have posted up my photos too. Go check them out!"

That's what online Social Networking is like these days. It is no longer just about publishing, but it is participation. It is not about what the experts say anymore, but it is about you, me and everyone - all free to express ourselves, free to share, to connect, to comment and to communicate - all through the Internet, quite easily too. It is an extremely democratic ecosystem.

Alright, that's all folks, think I will copy this and paste it to my blog and share it with my friends :-)

*** *** ***

I didn't mention all the virtual world sites that are mushrooming these days. A place for you to escape, to do things you can't in your real life. A second life for you. And there is a site called Secondlife.com. Really, you can do almost anything you want there - further your studies, be a pop idea, run a succesful business and even fulfil your wildest sexual fantasies.

Anyway, wiki away anything you want to know ;)

My post on my trip to Hanoi

This was an old post which I saved as draft since 25 May 07. It is unfinished, but I doubt I remember much about my trip now. I am a goldfish. Besides, all the photos which I took in Hanoi are no longer in my pc and they were stored away in another storage area.

I know that I have not been blogging, sorry again. I am not on a hiatus or having any blogging block. Just that I have been too busy with new work and when I am free, I want to be away from my pc.

But I really miss all my friends, family and my carefree days - I have so little time to go around and keeping in touch. So I guess blogging is even the better way to update all my friends about me and my thoughts.

-----

Before I move on to a new work, I cleared all my leave in the current company. 6 days to Manado in Feb. Another 6 days to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Here are some photos to share with you.

Under the blazing sun, on a steel boat rowed by the local, with the companion of ducks, along the canal to Perfume Pagoda. Took a day tour to visit Perfume Pagoda. It is about 2 hours bus ride outta Hanoi city, then another hour via this steel boat and a 15 mins ride on a cable car - all just to visit a temple in a cave and the Perfume Pagoda.

Junks resting in the calm Halong Bay

The gold sky illuminating the tranquil emerald bay of Halong. The 2days/1 nite tour to Halong Bay, where you can stay in a self-sufficient junk on the calm bay, is good for the soul. Nice break away from the honkings and messy streets of Hanoi.

The rather fascinating interior of the Song Sot Cave in Halong Bay. Huge cave with really nice formations. Nice and cool inside. This photo do no justice to the view you behold in the cave

We are being rowed into 3 caves through the boat ride in Tam Coc. It was another day tour to Tam Coc and Hua Lu. Another 2 and half hours bus ride outta Hanoi city. The the boat ride was really pleasant, due to the nice cool breeze and sunless sky. It seemed like it was going to rain but it didn't. The scenery is nice coz the canal is surrounded by green padi fields on both side. But the boatmen harrased you to buy their goods, mostly embroidery products

Vast green padi fields in a Thai decesdant village.

At the border between China and Vietnam. Apparently this crossing between these 2 countries has just been recently opened, which has helped to forge a strong trading ties.

A group of Black H'mong ladies with children near the marketplace in Sapa town. They are very enterprising - persuasive in selling their crafts and silvers (the cheap stuff are actually steel that are made to look like silver). Some even can converse in English.

Playing football at a square in the middle of Sapa town. It wass pretty cool weather during my visit there>?

Sapa is breathtaking. Everywhere you'll see valleys and hills.

Up the wall and down in the sea

Last weekend, it was an adventure weekend.

Some of my friends were roasting themselves under the Sunday sun while molesting and grabbing the Damai walls in Batu Caves.

Eileen, the power girl on the rock
Very agile Renee, up up and away
Them climbing. Nice wall. One day I wanna try too


Meanwhile, across the Banjaran Titiwangsa, I was breathing O2 while going in and out of swim-throughs in the waters of Tioman.

Patrice and me posing underwater
Shardy and Patrice - the air guzzler :D
Shardy got whacked by me :P


I have no idea when is my next diving trip. Sad :(

And I have yet to be able to lead. And nowadays, not even able to do a 6a route.

Feel good profiler

Renee and Delphinus did this. I like what I read bout them. So I tried too. Here is mine.

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Go try create yours too and share it with me and your friends :)

p/s: This is not an ad ;)

Dearest Arizona and David - Congratulations!!!

Over the weekend, my dear friend, Arizona got married to her Prince Charming, David. If you see both of them, you would agree with me that they are a match made in heaven. Love kinda sizzles around them when they are together.

Arizona and David - A very huge congratulations to both of you! May your love for each other grows deeper and more everyday. May you find peace and joy among each other, in good and bad times. Take good care of each other!

I miss you both dearly and hoping that one day our path will crossed again.

Here is a pix of them...

Rainbows, The Holiday and Jude Law

I promised to upload these last week. But I didn't. My bad. Anyway, here they are...

It was drizzling very lightly as we are leaving the village around the jetty to Lembeh Straits towards Manado town. And we spotted the rainbows. Can you see both of the rainbow?




A quote from the movie "The Holidays" starring Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black and Cameron Diaz.

"I've found almost everything ever written about love to be true. Shakespeare said "Journeys end in lovers meeting." What an extraordinary thought. Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I am more than willing to believe Shakespeare had. I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should. I am constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives. It was Shakespeare who also said "love is blind". Now that is something I know to be true. For some quite inexplicably, love fades; for others love is simply lost. But then of course love can also be found, even if just for the night. And then, there's another kind of love: the cruelest kind. The one that almost kills its victims. Its called unrequited love. Of that I am an expert. Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other. But what about the rest of us? What about our stories, those of us who fall in love alone? We are the victims of the one sided affair. We are the cursed of the loved ones. We are the unloved ones, the walking wounded. The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space! Yes, you are looking at one such individual. And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years! The absolute worst years of my life! The worst Christmas', the worst Birthday's, New Years Eve's brought in by tears and valium. These years that I have been in love have been the darkest days of my life. All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back. Oh god, just the sight of him! Heart pounding! Throat thickening! Absolutely can't swallow! All the usual symptoms."
~ Iris (Kate Winslet)


"It doesn't matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends... you still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. and how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes you can even convince yourself that he'll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you'll go somewhere new. and you'll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little peices of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade."
~ Iris (Kate Winslet)


I think Jude Law is really cute. Aww...

Updates from me

Hello.

I was silent. Sorry. I was hit by the no-mood-and-no-inspiration-blog syndrome again. I have no idea on what to write. I have nothing significant or exciting to post, while some of my friends are making money outta blogging.

I shall rewind my life from today to last month and share what I can still remember. It is gonna be boring and long. It is about non-important things I did. Be patient or click x at the top right.


Today
My boss' birthday too. Bought books for him from all us. Other than that, I don't care.

I had migraine again. You've heard this from me way too many times. Others report about their PMS. I report on my migraine. Which is worse? Migraine or PMS?

Shardy, the dark lord. Been a long time since I seek wisdom from him. I gotta meet up with him soon. I am not avoiding you, Shardy. You've got my stuff and money. I am a chinese, I will get 'em from you, that's for sure. LOL.

Am meeting with Chinoz and Bobo tonight for dinner at Angel. Very Charlie's Angel. 3 females.

And talking about meeting ups, I miss my Ting Ting. Hope to catch up with you and everyone at home real soon!


Yesterday
Had dinner with Delphinus, Orion and Laura at Orion's place. Orion cooked spaghetti with pesto sauce, made salad with balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing. Very nice. Very Sex in the City. 4 females. Not desperate housewives!

Smewwy gave me a really nice fish keychain for a special day. I like it very much. Thanks very much. It is a regal angel fish, I reckon, which mostly found commonly among reefs.

Witness a very rude customer towards a customer service at Kinokuniya, KLCC. Story below...

CS wrapping books I bought for my boss.
A guy, big chinese guy, with messy beard, threw about 8 thin books of children's story books onto my books.
So I turned around, wonder who the heck is that. CS stopped wrapping, lightly jolted, looked up and asked, "Open?"
Big guy said, with irritation in his voice, "Yeah, you got a problem with that?"
CS looked confused and replied, "No".
CS teared away all the shrink wrapper around the books and passed all of them to Big guy.
Big guy snarled rudely, "If I am white, it will be different treatment, right?"
CS already very confused, get more confused, "Huh? .... No."
Big guy snarled again, louder and ruder, "If my wife is here, different treatment"
CS really really confused, "What?"
Big guy said, "White skin are treated better, right? You are so rude!"
CS was shocked and confused. Me there stood in perplex, "What the..." ringing in my head. He is the rude one, a unreasonable rude person.
CS turned to her fellow colleagues and asked, "Eh, apa dia cakap ni? His wife, apa?"
Big guy already moved 2 metres away, turned around and shouted, "What are saying about me?"
CS bravely replied, "No, I didn't say anything" and continue wrapping my books.
I spoke to CS and asked if it is common to have rude customers. Big guy glared at us. I looked away.

He probably thought he was superior and that we were afraid and CS was rude. Honestly, I just hate to create trouble especially with a prick like him. All this happen with his son and wife around. Gosh, what is happening to us?


Last weekend
Had a wonderful getaway over the weekend with my LP8 friends in Palace Beach and Spa Resort. We rented the Royal Suite. The toilet was huge, it can fit 2 Mahjong tables.

On friday nite, ate and sang all night long with climbing buddies organised by the two sweets - Rene and YJ. Hamtaro aka Totoro was funny, as usual, in our group. One person was very enthusiastic. Rene has a really cute voice when she sings. Many can sing, I am impressed. I can't sing but I can eat :P


In March
Was busy with work for about 2 weeks, lotsa deskbound work. Very mundane.

Been in and out of a chinese physiotherapist for about 3 weeks to treat the numbness on my thumb and first finger. He said it was Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Sounds like Karpal Singh. It is still numb and I have gotten used to it.

We celebrated the birthdays of my niece, Amanda and her little brother, Dylan. Nice food from Pelita Nasi Kandar.

It was also Asther's and Delphinus' birthday on this month (March). Very Happy Birthday to both of you.

Other than that, I don't remember much what has happened in March.


In last week of Feb
Went back to Melaka for CNY celebration with my family. I am still eligible collected angpaus. That was nice. I didn't collect much though, only around RM500 something. The most important was to able to spend time with my family. Luckily my sister is married to someone who lives very near our home in Melaka, just 10 minutes drive away.

Right after CNY, I went to Singapore to fly to Manado, North Sulawesi to dive in Bunaken and Lembeh Straits with Shardy, Asther and Raymond. The trip was 8 days and it wasn't expensive. The accomodation was very basic and to some, might not be pleasant.

I simply love the breeze in Lembeh Island that passed through the straits. It was very relaxing like lullabies. The wind was cooling too, all these explain why I am always sleepy there. Hats off to the friendly staff. The dive guides put extra effort to find us stuff to see.

It was muck diving in Lembeh and I must say, the straits was brimming with life. Critters everywhere, despite the dark dirty sandy bottom with no corals or reefs, but rubbish as it is nearer to the shore of the main land. Diving there was amazing. Every dive was excellent, with lots to explore.

We then transferred to Bunaken. There, it was wall diving. Beautiful, abundant and unspoilt colourful corals, but very little marine life. The dive guide showed us turtle and we weren't excited. The weather in Bunaken was hot and we were sweaty all the time.

Anyway, we decided to leave Bunaken earlier and went back to Manado to pamper ourselves with spa and massages. It was a great trip coz I saw so many cool stuff underwater - it is all worth it! Thanks to Asther whom had organised this. She was often worried if we are unhappy and dissatisfied. But rest assured, it was great diving there.

To see pix of all of the cool stuff we have seen there, mostly in Lembeh Straits and Bunaken, click on this : Asther's Blog and Shardy's Photo. The took amazingly beautiful photos. I love 'em.


Alrighty, that's all I can think of for now. Tomorrow, I will update a pix of double rainbow I took in a village as we are driving away to Manado. And also some quotes from the movie - The Holiday which can be quite truthful.

Songs for V Day :)

Here's a dedication for those hopeful and looking singles...

Let there be him,
Let there be you.
Let there be oysters
Under the sea.

Let there be wind,
An occassional rain.
Chile con carne,
Sparkling champagne

Let there be birds
To sing in the trees,
Someone to bless you
Whenever you sneeze.

Let there be cuckoos,
A lark and a dove,
But first of all, please
Let there be love.

*** *** ***

And from Tina Turner for those who think love is overated...

What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a second hand emotion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do, got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken


Happy Valentine's Day to everyone.

Toilet white lies

From the next toilet cubicle from mine.

I could hear a mobile phone went off.

Woman whispering loudly, "Hello...I am in a meeting. Call you back later"

A brief silence.

Woman whispering loudly again, "Ya, same to you. Bye"

Some bustling sound of clothing material, continued by a toilet flush.

Door clicked. I guess she l left.

Oh, I wanted to laugh so badly but nobody knew I was there, so invisible, I stayed on.

As I maunder...

~ I love Kurmas ~

I ate a lot of kurmas the past 2 days.

They are so yummylicious and sweet. I like. My colleague bought it from Mekkah.

If you like dates, next time anyone you know go to Mekkah or Saudi Arabia, ask them you to get Ruthab Sukkari kormas. You can get these from Bin Dawood supermarkets.

*** *** ***

~ Twitching Eyes ~

My eyes twitched both sides. Superstitions says that if your eyes twitched that means you will meet friends from afar and not seen for a long time. Voila! Banker, Paul and Gary called today. Co-incidence or is the superstition true?

*** *** ***

~ Angel : New Eating Place in Bangsar ~

If you think eating in Bangsar Baru is expensive, I agree with you. Eating a simple dish of briyani rice with fried chicken and sirap rose in Nirwana Maju can blast your wallet.

Delphinus and I stumbled into a quiet cafe and bakery called Angel last week. It is at the same row with Nirwana Maju. There is only 2 customers and we didn't have high expectations.

However, I am glad to say that the food is pretty delicious and not expensive. They serve dishes like Spaghetti Aglio Olio with mushroom, Mushroom Bruschettas, Burgers, Rice with choices like Black pepper chicken/Honey Mayo Chicken and Nyonya Curry Laksa, ranging from RM 6 - 8. They also have dessert like chocolate fudge cake with ice cream which cost only RM5.50.

*** *** ***

~ Movies ~

Cinta - a must watch movie. It is a story bout 5 types of love - Unggul, Romantis, Abadi, Sepenuh Jiwa and Tulus. In my humble opinion, it is a pretty good movie. It made me cry or it could be that I easily cry. You might somehow associate yourself to one of the 5 love stories.

Watch Blood Diamond even if you dislike Leonardo DiCaprio. And maybe, it will make you more aware when you buy diamonds. In America and those who can afford diamonds, it's bling bling. But out there in Africa, it's bling bang. People die, villages destroyed and children go into war.

*** *** ***

~ Eat, eat and Eat ~

Lotsa dinners/lunch gathering whole of this month.

From Pulau Ketam to Bangsar Seafood, La La Chong, Cyberview Lodge Resort, Overseas Chinese Restaurant and Maju Palace.

My tummy is just gonna be fatter and my wallet thinner. But I can't resist Yee Sang.

*** *** ***

~ Surech, U r de Man! ~

My climbing friend, Surech is in the news. He is the first Malaysian to climb Ama Dablam, which is a very difficult route – even more challenging than the ascent of Everest itself.  

Read more here

Hey Surech, we are really proud and amazed by you!

*** *** ***

~ My dream ~

I want to join Amazing Race Asia. But can't think of a right partner. My biggest weakness - I can't read maps. But I will jump despite my fear of heights.

I wonder if my boss will approve my leave of 13 weeks. Hmm...

For Asther

May this moment of despair fade away,
replaced by blessings, trust and hope...

Blessings that brings love, unity and strength
upon you and your family,

Trust that God will make all things
right if we surrender to His Will,

Hope that is seed to all glad tidings and
miracles,

May serenity, courage and wisdom
be with you and your family.

May all of our prayers be answered and granted.

May your daddy be well again.

Tapestry of Faces

Tapestry of Images out of Siem Reap

Orion recommended to visit Banteay Srey. It is indeed beautiful as she mentioned, see pix below. The Apsara authorities (the ones managing the entry to all the ruins all over Cambodia) are planning to impose a timed visit for each tourist due to the size of the ruins. It is very small compared to the ones in Angkor Area. It took less than 2 hours to arrive here from Angkor Wat. It was a scenic journey, passing through villagers and padi fields. The tuk tuk had to stop to let a big pig with black and white patches like dalmations to cross the road. I thought that was funny. The pig strided away really quick.


It was a super dusty road to travel from Banteay Srey to Kbal Spean, just like cowboy town. It is about 2 hours trip with tuk tuk. It could be the longest trip of your life due to the constant brown cloud of dust whenever a car or lorry passes by. I was brown all over when I reached the hotel at the end of the trip. When I sneezed, it was brown phelgm. When I showered, the water was brown. I showered twice. Orion suggested taxi but tuk tuk was cheaper. Frankly, take a taxi, now that I know better.

From Kbal Spean, you can trek through a jungle about 40 mins to the River of Thousand Lingas where the river beds and rocks around it have carvings, There is a small waterfall with clear clean water. It was a nice and easy trek. Two Koreans and a Indochine tourists wore heels to trek. I was so impressed.




On the way back from Kbal Spean, a detour to Banteay Samre. After a while, most ruins look pretty alike, or they just become a bunch of rocks or rumbles. In fact, the design and architecture of all the ruins are very uniform, as if they have to adhere standard code.


Visit the Water Village on Tonle Sap if you wanna see how some of the Cambodians live. It is a boat ride which cost USD15 per pax. I think it is expensive. The boatmen is only paid USD10 per month. So, if you have a dollar to spare, you can tip him. It is very depressing there, watching the lives of the villagers. People live in very small hut made of attaps. I mean it when I say small. It is so small, like the size of a bathroom of an condominium.

The water of the river is very muddy (brown) and smelly. This is the water the villages used to drink, bathe, wash and fish. The boat trip will stop at a place where you can eat, see crocodiles, visit a pathetic fish museum which showcases the fishes that can be found in the lake and also watch a girl feeding small fishes to a bunch of vicious huge fishes.

On the boat, along the muddy river.

A home. This is one of the better and bigger ones.

Villagers buying and selling vegetables and supplies.

The hut. Isn't it small? It is very sad to see the condition. It is really bad and poor.

A school. Most school here were built through donations for e.g. from the Japanese or Korean or French government.

Fishercouple beating the net to remove some small silver fish. Not as small as ikan bilis, maybe the size of a gold fish, but flat.

A Catholic Church. Must be one of the missionary churches.

Moving house. Literally moving the house, no kidding. Note the entire frame of house on the lorry. I guess they don't much, do they?

Truly, it was a pretty adventurous trip, which I did walk a lot everyday. It was enlightening too. It reminded me how lucky and blessed I am. Most of us here are. Here, we don't see ten or twenty kids without shoes and dirty clothes begging you to buy knick-knacks from them. Or eating too much bons bons from tourists when they hardly ever know about dental hygiene. There, this is their life when they are suppose to be in schools.