What Have I Gotta Say...

Happy Chinese New Year 2012!

2012-01-27T18:50:00.000+08:00

GONG XI FA CAI! HUAT AHHHHH!!!

Counting Calories

2012-01-18T19:58:00.000+08:00

Some folks in the health department now require school canteens to display the calorie content of the canteen's menu, in a bid to raise awareness on obesity in our school children. You can read about it here.

Image from Greenlaunches.com

This is just my general take of the whole thing. You see, counting calories isn't just limited to school kids. Even adults who are on diets, sometimes count calories. What are calories?

The answer, from cedokok.com:
Calories are the unit measurement of energy for food (1 calorie = 4 joules). The main sources in food are carbohydrates, protein and fat. We eat so that we get nutrition and, more importantly, energy to sustain our activities, bodily functions and life itself. Every breath you take, every movement requires a certain amount of energy. How Calories Influence Weight Gain And Weight Loss Losing or gaining weight is all about energy, and all about CALORIES.

So in summary, calories are energy measurements.

Now, back to the idea of displaying calorie content in school canteens. Do you really think this move would stop school kids from buying that piece of nugget? Or fried chicken leftover from 2 days ago? My answer is NO, simply because kids don't understand what calories are. Calories? Can eat ka?

Why are our future generation getting fatter? Because their diet and lifestyle is bad. All that intake of fast food, deep fried stuff, process food, sedentary lifestyle, that's what is causing the kids these days to be FAT. It's pointless to display all that calorie content, when the problem really lies in understand what living and eating healthily really means.

So the kids goes to school, sees all the calorie numbers. Which would you think the kid would pick?
Ayam goreng - 300 calories.
Mihun soup - 160 calories

Ask any kid what calories are, I bet none of them can tell you what it is or means. You get my point? And mind you, even some adults have the wrong idea of calories. Some think that by counting your daily calorie intake, you can lose weight (or at least don't gain). An average male should have a calorie intake of about 2,000, while an average female is about 1,500. What happens if you consume less than the ideal count? Nothing really major really, as our calorie intake varies day to day (sometimes more, sometimes less). It's what's happens if you EXCEED that amount (and if you exceed it often), that's when trouble starts.

For me, the logic would be: To lose weight, you must burn more than you consume. If you consume more than you burn, eventually the numbers will build up, and you start to gain weight. Also, your age is also a big factor, as the older we get, the slower our metabolism rate becomes (which just means, you will burn even slower as you age). It's really pointless to count calories, if you lead a sedentary lifestyle and just sit all day, expecting the fats to melt away.

It's actually more effective to educate kids about what eating healthily really means, instead of showing them a bunch of numbers (they would just think it's some random Maths test). Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to go organic or vegan, it's about being wary about what you put in your mouth, and how it would affect your body. To be honest, I indulge in deep fried food once a while, and burgers too. I feel that a once in a blue moon intake is fine, so long you have a consistent exercise routine to boost your metabolism rate and overall well being. In fact, I would choose a Zinger burger over a Big Mac anytime. Why?

Zinger burger uses whole chicken meat. Big Mac's beef patty is processed meat. See the difference? Processed meat is loaded with sodium and all sorts of artificial flavouring and food conditioners. But of course, having a Zinger all the time is also bad, too much of a good thing, is bad too. More leafy greens, more grains, less fat, less salt, less oil. And that once a while ice-cream craving, it's actually okay :)

Fatt Fatt Fatt~~~

2012-01-12T14:16:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I have been putting up some CNY decorations, going around looking at decorations, and identifying walls in our home to put up decorations :D Here's a peak at one of the new docs we got. We want to get a couple more bright ones and stick them on some walls to bring in the good fortune!!! FATT AHH!

When The People Speak

2012-01-11T20:46:00.000+08:00

The condo I'm living in recently had an EGM (Emergency General Meeting) held, and it was a much needed meeting. You see, over the last 8 month or more, a group of us parcel owners had band together, to push for this EGM to be held. Why?

Because we have a tyrant helming the JMC Chairman position, and some JMC members are on board his dictator vessel and cruising by, trying to find ways to utilize the condo's Sinking Fund. And if no one stopped them, he and his happy campers, including the Developer rep, would milk the condo dry and then disappear as if nothing ever happened.

How did this ugly scenario come about you ask? It all started about 8 months ago, when our annual AGM (Annual General Meeting) was held. You see, high rise buildings are governed by a certain ACT 663, and in 2008, the first JMB (Joint Management Body - consist of all parcel owners) JMC (Joint management Committee - consist of elected parcel owners) were formed. Now coming back to 2011, elections were held and a few new parcel owners were elected into the JMC, as some decided to step down to make way for fresh faces.

Now Bucktooth was in the first JMC for a short stint, but he resigned because he wasn't elected as Chairman. Now if you think about it, if you are truly sincere about serving the community, you wouldn't care about positions and titles. Not Bucktooth, it was Chairman or nothing. Come 2011 when the annual AGM was called, someone else was elected as Chairman, while he had to settle for Treasurer. Bucktooth didn't stop there. He started getting into cahoots with the Developer, made himself acting Chairman (because the newly elected Chairman decided to step down after 2 weeks, citing personal reasons). There, the crazy shit started.

Stupid resolutions were passed during JMC meetings. He evicted 3 JMC members because they were not being a yes-man to him. Bucktooth was constantly relying on the Developer rep for advice, and since a resident is so Developer-friendly, obviously she will try to convince him to utilize the Sinking Fund of the condo, for "projects". They also fired the condo's in-house security guards, citing cost cutting measures (but have never arranged for any backup plan to safeguard the residents and condo's security). Bucktooth was spreading wild fire all over the place, all of which angered a group of us.

We banded together and strategized. We needed the support of fellow residents and parcel owners, to come together and push for an EGM. He was after all, the acting Chairman, hence his position is not formally recognized. And after 8 moths of hard work and perseverance, not to mention pressure to the COB MBPJ (toothless tiger they are), the EGM was called. Over 100 residents turned up, a big number considering the past AGMs/EGMs, less than 70 would attend. This time around, we managed to rally our cause out loud, to protect the residents interest and funds from a bunch of blood sucking crooks.

Bucktooth was pissed needless to say. The COB rep waltzed in an hour late without an apology, and was given a very serious lecture from a resident, and was booed by everyone else. Even the Developer rep showed her bitching colours and was reminded of her place. Bucktooth was eventually ousted, and he was very angry and full of drama, so much so he accidently admitted to committing a crime/corruption (see video here, he confessed to offering a car park to a fellow parcel owner. The car park lot was an initial plan by the first JMC to draw extra lots and rent out to residents via rotation basis, but the Developer caught wind of the plan, drew the lots and sold them. Guess who was the salesman?). Another of his crony snatched the microphone from a resident, and stormed out in a jiffy. The residents and parcel owners who attended the EGM that day had spoken up in unity: Do not take us lightly, and do not use the Sinking Fund without prior permission.

Bucktooth and his gang of bandits resigned en masse when they couldn't rally up support from the residents and parcel owners. Such are the characters of irresponsible and self centred people, who would rather run away than to actually admitting their mistakes and work towards rectifying them.

A new team of JMC was elected that day, at least until the next annual AGM to be held in April 2012. A lot of damage was done by Bucktooth over the last 8 months, the new team has to prioritize a lot and try their best to deliver. The EGM also brought out the ugly characters of the Developer rep and COB MBPJ, one is out to think of the condo as a cash cow, the other is just a rubber stamping bimbo, splurting out lame guidelines and hoping everyone else is too stupid to understand/question them.

Is this the end of Bucktooth? I doubt it. Unless he drops dead.

Read more Bucktooth stories here and here.

Tong Tong Tong Chiaaannnggg~~~

2012-01-07T13:22:00.000+08:00

A sign that prosperity is on its way :)

Steamed Garoupa in Soy Sauce

2012-01-05T20:18:00.000+08:00

My BIL from Kota Kinabalu recently gave us a box of frozen seafood, and in it were 2 garoupas and 2 boxes of prawns.

Look at me~~~ ain't I sexy~~~

Now we've never really steamed such a large fish in the house before. So hubby and I figured, lets give it a shot. As the fish was frozen fresh, a simple soy sauce recipe should do the trick to bring out the freshness of the fish. I did some Googling and found this recipe from rasamalaysia.net:

Ingredients:

One whole garoupa, about 700gm

Some salt

2 tbps cooking oil

Ginger (some thick slices for steaming, julienne some for garnishing)

Scallions (spring onions)

Cilantro leaves for garnishing

Soy sauce mix:

2 tbps soy sauce

2 tbps SHAOXING wine or rice wine (I personally prefer SHAOXING wine, more aromatic)

1/4 tps sesame oil

3 dashes white pepper powder

2 tbps rock sugar (grind to powder)

FYI, we did not have rock sugar with us then, so I replaced it with some molasses, so the overall taste might differ slightly. Apparently the rock sugar is the secret to making the soy sauce so yummy and addictive (just like in those Chinese restaurants), you can practically have the sauce with a bowl of white rice. Also, the quality of the soy sauce you use could also make a difference. We were using a relatively good quality soy sauce from Knife, which was a little thicker than usual, so I had to reduce the quantity slightly and added a bit of water.

Clean the fish and gut it nicely, pat it dry. Using your kitchen knife, slice the belly at an angle to create an opening to put the ginger slices in. If it's a big and thick fish, I suggest you slice the belly twice on both sides, it also helps to cook the fish faster. Rub some salt over the fish and place the ginger slices and scallions inside the belly area.

Fill a wide wok with water and bring to boil. When the water is boiling, place the fish in and steam for about 10mins (a little longer if your fish is really thick). When the fish is cooked, pour the remaining fish water away. Some people might say to reuse the water, but I personally think it's too fishy to be used.

Heat up the oil until it's smoking, then pour the oil over the fish. Then, heat up the soy sauce mix until it bubbles and pour it onto the fish. Garnish and serve.

This was the outcome, our first steamed garoupa in soy sauce. Taste was quite passable haha! The first time we steamed the fish, we found the soy sauce a wee bit strong, so the 2nd time I steamed the fish, I reduced the soy sauce a bit. But I forgot to add the SHAOXING wine, so the overall taste wasn't quite there -__-"
Never the less, will continue to perfect this dish :)

Dreamy

2012-01-05T10:21:00.001+08:00

A random post, just looking at the picture makes me dream of pink fluffy clouds in the sky~

Goodbye 2001. Hello 2012!

2011-12-31T16:39:00.000+08:00

Here it is again. Another year ends. Yet another year begins. So, how was my 2011 so far?

Love wise, things between me and hubby just gets better and better :) The support, the love, the many hugs and kisses and quality time spent together, strengthens the bond every time. Little petty arguments now and then, but nothing serious which we drag for long. A little patience, a dash of luck, a sprinkle of hope and a truckload of love <3

Health wise, I've never felt better. I feel much better about myself than I ever have 5 years ago. Running may not be my cup of tea for now, as I have decided to quit running for at least 6 months, to give my right knee a break. Switching to other forms of cardio workout for now, and of course, yoga <3

Work wise, things have been pretty ok for me so far. Towards the end of 2011, there was a little bit of a rough patch for me, as I try to work things out, grappling the new situation and all. I'm still trying to find ways to solve it, cos what I've been asked to consider, is really not something I want to do long term.

The next question would be: Any resolutions or hopes for 2012?
Well, if the world doesn't end in 2012 (LOL!), maybe wanna plan some holidays with the hubby :) Not sure if we wanna still think of conceiving again, cos really, somehow I'm not sure nor am I keen about it right now. In fact, we like how things are now. Maybe give it some thoughts again after the coming Chinese New year la, no rush on that matter. Rather go holidays hah!

Here's wishing everyone a great 2012 ahead. Peace, harmony, love for all~

Arrowroot Chips a.k.a Nga Gu

2011-12-29T18:41:00.000+08:00

Arrowroot chips, the only snack in the world I cannot stop nomming :) Also a clear reminder that Chinese New year is not too far away :)

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-24T23:45:00.000+08:00

Merry Christmas folks!

Let's welcome 2012 with a blast!

Malakoff Kuala Lumpur 2011

2011-12-20T15:16:00.000+08:00

Finisher medals from Malakoff KL2011.

Much, pain, much sweat, much inspiration, much improvement. I completed the 12KM trail despite a non-cooperative right knee midway through the 1st lap. Instead of pushing myself too hard, I decided not to further aggravate the knee and took it easy. During the 2nd lap, I tried to do a slow jog, but after a while, the knee was telling me to fuck off and just walk the rest of the way.

My timing was probably slower this time around, but it's a given when you're suffering from a painful knee. Not gonna be sad about it, I did try my best after all, given my physique. Bumped into some friends who also took part in the event this year, and usually I hardly bump into anyone due to the large crowd. This time around, I bumped into a long time friend Alex Auyong, my neighbour Jason Loke, an ex-colleague Jeremy Chin and saw my cousin Nick Yow whizzed pass me somewhere during the first lap.

While I was in the first lap, probably 20mins in, I saw a black dude whizz by all of us. And he whizzed by me again later, and I was still in my first lap, heading towards the main junction to start my second lap...! That guys is not human, I'm telling ya...

Christmas-Year End Annual Dinner 2011 @ Mizu Japanese Fine Dining, TTDI

2011-12-18T15:04:00.000+08:00

The company had our year-end dinner at Mizu this year, a good choice for good Japanese food. It's a short drive from the office and the food won't disappoint. My GM had made special arrangements for them to arrange for a buffet dinner for us on a weekday, and because we had the numbers, that arrangement was granted. At RM 65++ per pax, which is their normal dinner buffet rate on weekends, everyone trotted there after work for some massive wolf down.

As usual, one of the highlights of the dinner was also playing Dirty Santa. This time around, I exchanged my gift with a stainless steel water bottle :D I knew no one would want the bottle, so I took the chance to exchange for it MUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

It's such a cool water bottle! Using the Jack Daniels emblem and modifying it, how awesome is that! Plus hubby and I are actually phasing out plastic bottles at home, and replacing them with either stainless steel water bottles or glass jugs. All part of our continuous effort to help the environment :)

On top of that, this year we also had some special awards handed out, just like last year. Last year, I won the "Best Dressed in Theme". This year, I won the "Sportiest Person" (active in sports) hehehehehehe! Can't wait till Isetan opens in 1U, then I can utilize my RM50 voucher w00t!

Uncertainties

2011-12-16T21:22:00.000+08:00

I've been plagued by uncertainties lately. A lot of confusion and just the feeling of being unsure. For some, it's no big deal. Maybe I tend to think too far ahead of things, but that's who I am. To a certain extent, I'm a planner-cum-worrier.

Hubby and I had been planning to make a trip up to Mount KK early next year, but due to some technical mismanagement and sudden high cost, we're pulling out from the trip. Prior to the trip, hubby and I had thought of perhaps after scaling the mountain, maybe we can think of trying to conceive again. But off late, we're not entirely sure anymore if we even want to try to conceive again.

Here's the reason why we're no longer certain if we want an additional family member:

I've been through 2 miscarriages, which puts me in a higher risk of going through another miscarriage.
The 2nd miscarriage was due to a virus (CMV), and despite me having gone through the short drug treatment to boost my immunity against the virus, the doctor said there's still a risk of the virus coming back.
I'm afraid of going through the same emotional and mental pain all over again. I haven't fully recovered from the last 2, and I don't think I will ever fully recover from it.
Getting pregnant again just seemed so stressful to me now. I might just constantly worry if this one would end up the same as the other 2: miscarriage again.
One of the main reason I've delayed the idea for so long was also because I didn't want to get hurt again.
Hubby's also not sure if he wants to have a child in the family anymore.
I've heard stories about pregnancies going wrong and abnormalities develop. I'm afraid it might just happen to us.
A close family friend of mine had a perfectly normal and healthy pregnancy. The baby is now >18 months old, but still cannot walk nor sit up on her own. I don't know what I will do if that were to occur to us, for it's already hard to raise a child, what more a child with special needs.
If we do decide to conceive again, it's a do or die situation. Which means if our luck is damn 'suey' and this third one also doesn't make it, the baby idea goes totally out of the window, with no chance of revival. I'll rather adopt than to conceive again.
I can't stand wailing screaming babies. Never have, never will. I'm a bad cop.

Yes I'm selfish, and I have every reason to be. I'm only protecting myself and my emotions from getting hurt. It's not being told that your pregnancy has failed. It's not fun being wheeled into the cold operating room. It's not fun to hear words from people who start questioning what's wrong. It's not fun to hear your own father calling you weak.

And besides, it's not compulsory to have kids after you're married. With the cost of living these days, everything is so expensive now, and will only get higher. Is it worth all that stress?

Jacky Cheung 1/2 Century Tour 2011 - Kuala Lumpur

2011-12-12T10:30:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I had our first concert experience recently at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil. And it was a date with a THE Heavenly King: Jacky Cheung Hock Yau. My sister and BIL had flown in from Kota Kinabalu to catch this concert (their seats were 4 rows from the stage, yowza!), and I was supposed to meet them up the next day, but whaddaya know, lady luck was with hubby and I, and both of us also got to watch Jacky Cheung as well :D

It was really by a stroke of luck we got the tickets, a close friend of hubby's happens to be working with Tune Group, one of the sponsors of the concert, and he offered us complimentary tickets just a couple of days before the scheduled Friday night concert.

Seating positions during the concert. Image from TicketCharge.
Our seats were at VIP L, indicated with a dark blue box. Very good seats with a clear view of the stage :D

Initially we were supposed to get the Royal Box tickets, which is seated on the left hand side of the stage. At the last minute, our friend said he had no more Box tickets, but offered us VIP tickets instead. Woohoo! Even better!

VIP seats w00t!

We arrived at the stadium to be greeted by a throng of Jacky Cheung fans from all over the country. That Friday was actually the 2nd show for the week, 2 more shows over the weekend. With 4 shows in total, it's really a miracle he can perform for all shows *salute*. Security was rather strict, you can't bring mineral bottles into the stadium. The people on duty needed to scan through our bags before we could enter. Once inside, we were guided to our seats. Since it was in an indoor stadium, there was air-conditioning, temperature was just OK for the night. At least you won't sweat during the concert.

Everyone is waiting patiently for the concert to start.

Here we are at our seats, patiently waiting for the King to make his appearance. Hubby and I were really excited, as this was our first concert ever! I've never been a fan to concerts because of the crowd and heat, not to mention the costly tickets. But hey, no one would say no to complimentary tickets, right? Not just complimentary tickets, tickets to watch the one and only Jacky Cheung, an awesome singer.

Full house!

The crowd behind me minutes before the concert started. The whole stadium was full, the concert was a sellout not just for Friday night, but for all 4 nights he was to perform! Later I found out that Jacky Cheung was initially scheduled to perform for 2 nights only: 9th & 10th Dec 2011. Due to the overwhelming response, the organizers added 2 extra nights. And still it was a sellout!

Bright lights above.

The above images were taken during the first 2 songs Jacky Cheung belted out. For a man in his 50s, he looks damn good. We were pretty sure he does yoga or pilates, or both. His movements were still pretty nimble and agile for someone his age, although stamina wise, it's not as good as his younger days of course. In fact, at one point of the concert, he had to tell his musicians to hold off for a while, as he had to catch his breath.

Never the less, Jacky Cheung was amazing. He had the whole crowd mesmerized and singing along to every song he sang. Everyone was constantly cheering his name (myself included). Everyone was well behaved, no rowdy teenagers and bottle throwing maniacs. Then again, the crowd that night was probably more mature and are from the generation who grew up listening to Jacky Cheung haha!

Not only that, Jacky Cheung also paid tribute to the late Lydia Sum, who was an inspiration to a lot of the Hong Kong entertainers.

This was probably the only time I can get this close to a superstar. The photos above may look as thought our seats are far, but in actual fact, it was near enough to see his facial expressions very clearly. Hock Yau, thank you for an amazing Friday night. You are THE REAL HEAVENLY KING...!

Guardian Angel 2011

2011-12-11T20:54:00.001+08:00

It's that time of the year again at work, where we play the Guardian Angel/Mortal game. And one of the surprises I got this year was a pink iPhone cable charger!

Honestly, I didn't expect to receive this. One of my bosses had received one and he posted a photo of it in our company FB page. All I did was jokingly commented that I would love to have one new cable too, and the next morning, I discovered one on my desk. Thank you dear Angel, whoever you are. I've been thinking of getting a spare one, so this came at the right time :D

Oli's Japanese Restaurant Take

2011-12-06T19:37:00.000+08:00

*Entirely my own opinion.
I love Japanese food. If you're asking me about my top list of favourite food, Japanese food is sitting pretty close to the top. I love Chinese food too, so it's really quite tough between choosing those two you know *greedy*.

And when I say Japanese food, I most certainly do not mean places with the conveyor belts. In my opinion, those places are complete rip-offs. They're crap! They serve you shit! Even my family friend's Japanese boss says convenyor belts are crap!

I'm talking about the real deal. I'm talking about proper Japanese food. I'm talking you sitting down in a Japanese restaurant and actually ordering from a proper menu. Not taking the plates of food which has been sitting on the belt for the past 1 hour.

Shun was no doubt, one of my favourite Japanese restaurant for the time being. Located in Subang Jaya (same row was Domino's pizza and Windmill, next to SDMC), it's authentic settings and ambiance attracts many Japanese patrons everytime. You know what they say, go where the Japanese go. Too bad the establishment is no longer around :( Taking its place now i's Sakura Sakura Hatana, possibly same owner, just with a different signage. However, the menu has a slight change and the yummy Shun Bento is no longer available :(

Rakuzen is one of my favourites too. Quality of the food is well QC-ed, and for the price that you're paying, it's very well worth it. Another Japanese restaurant I love is Hanazen, located at Jaya One.

And if I want to eat cheap but good Japanese food, I head to Hokano @ Uptown, Damansara Utama. Value for money, this place serves some really good Japanese sets that will keep you coming back for more.

And no, I'm not advocating that you have to pay through your noses for good Japanese food. You can get a good spread without having to check into a 5-star hotel. And if you're craving for a good Japanese buffet spread, head over to Mizu @ TTDI (weekends only). Honestly, conveyor belts... are just ripping you off. You want the real deal, get out there and away from conveyor belts.

2011 Birthday @ Lemon Garden, Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur

2011-11-26T12:56:00.000+08:00

I made reservations at the Lemon Garden Café @ Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur a few weeks prior to my birthday. I've been planning for this since I got to know about the Shangri-La's 40th Anniversary Facebook offer, yes it's been THAT long...!

This offer is valid from 1st January to 32st December 2011, and I think it's an awesome offer which Shangri-La is sharing with their customers. The complimentary meal is only valid on your birthday, and all I had to do was LIKE their Facebook page, register for their 40th Anniversary offer, and make my reservations for my birthday :) The selected F&B outlet, in this case it's Lemon Garden, came back with a confirmation email and also gave me a call 2 days prior to my reservation, to confirm everything. Because of this offer, I got a 50% discount of the buffet :)

Pot of gold, wait for meeeee...!!!

Food was awesome, so many choices to choose from. From local cuisines to Chinese to Italian to Japanese to Western, guaranteed to fill your hungry tummies. And for a weekday, the café had a good crowd too. I didn't take a lot of pictures, was too busy tucking into the food and just enjoying my birthday :)

Some of the cold dishes available, and much more!

A wide range of desserts to choose from, yums!

Some sort of brownie with raspberry and whipped cream.

Indulging in chocolate fondue and marshmallows ~~~ Screw the calories tonight!

Beggar Chicken @ Bkt Jugra (Tanjung Sepat)

2011-11-25T21:35:00.000+08:00

Almost a 2-hour drive to reach this friggin' place. Checked out some blogs which talked about this place, and how it's supposed to be the original beggar chicken cooking style. What do I personally think about it? Nothing great, and definitely not worth the 2-hour drive, meh... By the time we drove back PJ, I was tired and hungry...

The signage, which says beggar chicken something something I guess...?

The brick building on the right is where all the beggar food is cooked.

Yes, this is the kitchen. Your food is underneath all that sand and charcoal.

Huge pile of charcoal for cooking.

Friendly beagle!

All the food is of the same colour. There's beggar chicken and mutton as well, the photos didn't turn out so well.

Friendly kitteh!

Laser Eyes

2011-11-22T22:04:00.000+08:00

I beam you with my laser eyes. Bllliiittzzzz...!

The Blue Kombi

2011-11-16T20:39:00.000+08:00

A division in the company recently made a unique purchase: A Volkswagen Kombi. The division is still trying to think of ways to put the Kombi to use, and from what I've heard, the vehicle already has a waiting list to be photographed in pre-wedding albums. Not bad for a classic, eh?

Here we go....!

Some of us took a spin in the Kombi recently. Kinda hard to resist not taking a spin. It is after a Volkswagen Kombi :) Think Scooby Doo and friends, except this Kombi is blue, not green. I salute you if you can drive this classic. Manual drive, the steering wheel is similar to that of a mini bus, and no power steering, talk about toning your arms! Overall the Kombi is pretty well kept, except for the missing door handle, some rusty parts, no air-con blower for the back seats, heavy rattling, hard suspension :P But hey, when you get a classic like that, you'd definitely expect to put in some moolah to fix it up.

Now this is my Kombi, a mini Kombi. It's the Milo truck Kombi, from the Milo redemption a couple of months ago. Pretty awesome too! Best thing is, I don't have to drive it, haha!

Fatty Meow

2011-11-15T09:46:00.001+08:00

Let my fats mesmerize you~~~~~

Not A Full Grip Yet...

2011-11-10T22:18:00.000+08:00

On days when I'm feeling crappy like this, it only goes to show that I have yet to fully get a good grip of things. The grip is there, just not as firm as I had hoped for.

Life will always be unfair. Deal with it bitch.

Something that was once beautiful, is now a nightmare for me. I dread it really, even though I've told myself many times over that I will only consider it after a certain deadline next year. I've very clear of what my plans are in the coming months. It's just that on some days, I wake up and feel all woes. GAH!

I appreciate my life to the fullest mind you. It's just that on certain days, I tend to rant and woe a bit more than usual. After a good night's sleep, everything is back to normal for me.

But I guess sometimes... I can't help but feel sorry for myself. I tend to put unnecessary pressure and be hard on myself at times. Part of my strength and weakness at the same time.

I dread it, but a tiny part of me also yearn for it. It was an unjustified occurance for my part, and I know that no matter how much I question it, there won't be an answer for me. And yet, being a stupid human being, I still question it from time to time. I say it's unjustified because I know people in my circle, who have done more harm and put themselves in much higher risks.

I am no longer sure if that is what I want anymore. Right now I don't see much value in it, nor do I see the worth in it. I've been through enough pain to know what it feels like. I don't need to feel the same pain again. I don't want to.

The Black Seal

2011-11-05T18:34:00.000+08:00

And I lay me down to sleep... zzzzzz...

A friend pointed out that this is not a seal, but is in fact, a walrus. I stand corrected :)

A Short Getaway

2011-10-31T18:03:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I took a short trip up to the highlands, just to chillax and unwind a little from all the hustle and bustle of city life. The trip was short but sweet :) Kinda gives you the chance to just unwind and do some self reflection on everything.

The newly refurbished rooms at Strawberry Park Resort.

BOH Tea Plantation, a must visit for every blardy tourist.

The steep and narrow road up to a hidden strawberry farm, a slip road off BOH Tea Plantation.
I really like this view a lot :)

Tea break! Scones from T-Café, Tanah Rata.
Some say it's over-rated, we just like to have it :)

Chocolate banana cake from T-Café, Tanah Rata. Yums!

Yummilicious strawberries we picked from the hidden strawberry farm.

Ending the whole trip with some sweet banana pancakes from Yong Teng Café, Tanah Rata.

Of Alcohol and Halal-ness

2011-10-23T10:30:00.000+08:00

Now before you start judging, this post is entirely my personal opinion and has nothing to do with what you think. So now that we've made things clear, let's move on.

Picture taken from here.

I'm sure you've seen this bottle on display in supermarkets. It's a range of non-alcoholic beer from Barbican. It comes in various flavours like apple, peach and strawberry.

I don't take alcohol. Well, actually, I have a very low tolerance to alcohol, mainly because I don't enjoy the after taste which lingers on my tongue. But a non-alcoholic beer?

Beer is beer. Period. Beer has alcohol. Period. All this nonsense about non-alcoholic beer, is really just to legitimize drinking for those prohibited by their religion, to consume alcohol. An excuse, alibi, a clause conjured up to suit the senses and to convince themselves that they're merely drinking flavoured water, and not alcohol.

Bollocks.

Any drink, even if it only contains 0.5% alcohol, is still an alcoholic drink, you doinks. Go on, keep lying to yourselves. Keep trying to convince yourself that flavoured non-alcoholic beverages such as the ones shown in the image above, is halal.

You might still insist that the 0.5% is a minute amount. Never the less, 0.5% is still 0.5%. What do you think?

My Caffeine Story

2011-10-19T13:48:00.000+08:00

I'm not a coffee addict, and will never be. However, I do enjoy a nice cup of white coffee from time to time. You see, I'm caffeine intolerant, which basically means, I won't be able to sleep if I drink coffee after a certain hour.

My system is not used to caffeine intake at certain hours of the day, and coffee is not the only culprit. I can't take certain type of Chinese tea too. If I'm craving for white coffee, I will have it during lunch hour. Anytime after 2.30pm is just asking for it.My eyes and energy will be at a high, and I won't get any sleep at all. You may laugh about it, as it is quite funny to hear intolerance.

Also, I'm not a fan of places like Starbucks and Coffee Bean, overpriced cup of java really. For my dose of white coffee, I sometimes head to Old Town, or sometimes even some good ol' neighbourhood kopitiam. Yea, not very fussy when it comes to white coffee. As long as it's smooth and not cardboard tasting...

OM NOM!

2011-10-18T21:34:00.000+08:00

Smile!

An early surprise birthday present from my dearest sister living in the land below the wind (Sabah lah). Introducing Om Nom, the lead character of the game Cut the rope.

Ten Things Not To Say... And a Few More

2011-10-12T22:18:00.000+08:00

*Bitch mode ON. If you can't handle the heat, I suggest you close this window. I'm having one of them bitch mode days and just feel like venting things out by writing. The words are not directed to anyone in particular (see, I don't include names, I'm nice that way).

My sister recently shared with me this blog post about the things you should never ever say to a woman who is going through some form of infertility (miscarriages included). I read through the list and couldn't help but laugh at some of them, mainly because some of them have been thrown my way before.

Having gone through the difficult and sad times twice in the same year, I know all too well about what to say and what not to say. It has also taught me not to stay angry at people for too long, simply because they actually mean well, just that their words made them sound ignorant (which some of them are probably are, it's just that I'm letting it slide). You can read the full blog post here:

1. “Just relax and it will happen.”
I'm not really too bothered with this line, though it's curious to hear that most people just assume all you have to do is have intercourse and wa-la! Confirm sure can get baby one!

2. “You’re still so young, you have plenty of time.”
These days age is not as much of a big driving factor, although most people will tell you it's better to have a kid before a woman hits 35 because by then your "eggs" will get stale (for men, your sperms kinda "slow down" and quality is said to "decline"). Then again, you hear women having babies in their 40s, some even 50s (but that's really pushing your luck). Do you know in today's statistics, a high percentage of young couples are experiencing infertility issues more compared to in the last century? In fact, many couples I know experience a miscarriage during their 1st attempt.

3. “Are you going to have kids soon?”
If your "soon" means "tomorrow", then my answer is no. I don't exactly like to be caught off-guard when it come to baby plans.

4. “When are you going to give (name of first-born child here) a sibling?”
I don't hear this line, but I do have friends who are hounded by this line, and it stresses them out plenty unnecessarily. Really, first you bug people when they will get married. Then you bug them about having a kid. Then you bug them about having another kid. Then you bug them about having another kid on top of the kids they had popped out earlier. You're not exactly gonna stop bugging them right? Maybe you should just tell the parents right up front "Settle with 3 kids", to set the expectations right. That way, you don't have to constantly harass them, and they don't have to layan you with answers just to entertain you. Maybe I should carve my answer like this: When are you going to join (insert dead person's name) in the grounds?

5. “Well, my cousin’s neighbor’s daughter tried yoga and fish oil supplements and they were pregnant the next month!”
Why don't you try yoga and fish oil supplements, and lemme know the results?

6. “God must be punishing you.”
Oh, I heard this one from my own mother. A Buddhist who prays to the Goddess of Mercy, we were having a mother-daughter conversation about babies when she mentioned that the 2 miscarriages I went through could be my karma.

7. “You can have my kids. They’re driving me crazy.”
Yea right. Off load your crap to others and think it's ok. Seriously, I don't take such leftovers. And if kids are driving you crazy, maybe you shouldn't have them in the first place.

8. “At least you can still sleep in.”
Yes, I can definitely sleep in a hell lot! Don't be jealous k ;) I also don't have to worry about insurance, the rising cost of education, hospital bills, expensive kid-safe toys, BPA-free milk bottles, crying screaming hair tugging babies in the middle of a packed restaurant, you know the works. Honestly, if we decide to have a baby, we should be mentally and financially prepared for all that's gonna be coming with the baby, and I seriously don't need you to tell me what I already know.

9. “I hate being pregnant! I’m so fat.”
Some pregnant women do look good, but some just looks like a whale. So I guess it really depends on the pregnancy itself. And yes, when you're pregnant, YOU ARE FAT! Don't like to be pregnant, then don't get pregnant lor.

10. “Well, I know someone who dealt with it for seven years before they had any kids. So your situation isn’t a big deal yet.”
I also know someone who's mouth couldn't stop talking for the longest time.

Some other lines which reached my ears:

11. "Something must be wrong with you."
Excuse me, but last time I checked, you're not a doctor. And yes, something must be wrong with me to not punch you in the face.

12. "You're probably a high-risk person."
If you mean having to regularly exercise, don't smoke, don't drink, eat everything in moderation makes me a high risk person, then maybe I'm better off smoking, drinking and being a couch potato.

13. "You must be a bad mother."
And you must be an asswipe.

14. "Aren't you being selfish for not trying again?"
I choose not to get pregnant again because I'm turned off by the painful experience, so it's my choice. And besides, it gave me chance to concentrate on other things in life. Having a kid is only one part of life, it's not everything of life. There's more to life than just having kids you know. If having kids it's everything for you, then that's your choice. Not mine. So yes, I'm selfish for my own reasons which some of you will never understand, and I don't expect you to understand either. And besides, I can sleep in late longer.

15. "It's only a miscarriage, you'll get over it."
As much as I don't want to sound mean, but if something you consider precious to you (i.e: baby) leaves, you better be sure I'm not by your side saying this to you: "It's only a (insert precious item), you'll get over it."

R.I.P Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T13:38:00.000+08:00

Image taken from here.

Goodbye to a man who revolutionized technology. Is it a coincidence that his death comes less than 24 hours after the iPhone 4S announcement, no one will really know. What we all know for certain, is that Steve Jobs will never appear on stage again. He has built his legacy and left it for the world to remember him by.

I'm not an Apple fanboy (or girl). The Mac was the first machine I used, back in my college days. I eventually bought a Mac in my 2nd year of college, to do my assignments. When I came out to work, I was on the Mac for a while, before I made the shift to web design. It was also around that same time, my Mac broke down. And I ventured into the world of Windows. I've been using a PC ever since, and for the last few months, have been contemplating of moving back to a Mac (still contemplating, if you must know).

Sayonara Steve Jobs. You have touched millions of lives with your reinventions, your products, your words, your vision, your strength. You will always be remembered. Namo amithaba.

TRENDZ Waterproof Bags

2011-10-03T20:33:00.000+08:00

We were bumming around in Tropicana Citymall over the weekend and came across 2 booths on the top floor selling waterproof bags and pouches. Being the inquisitive being that I am, I went to take a closer look to see the merchandises on display.

There was a wide variety of bags to choose from, even backpacks from well-known sports labels. I was more intrigued by the TRENDZ waterproof bags in bright yellow.

The material is a high quality PVC which is 100% waterproof (Class 3). Suitable for all sorts of outdoor activities like water sports, jungle trekking, kayaking, fishing etc, these bags are the real deal if you're the outdoor junkie and looking for a lightweight and durable bag to stuff all your items, and still be reassured they'll be dry should you come into contact with water or dirt. And the best part is, no zippers or strings. You secure the bag by folding the lid down a few times, then lock it by clipping the side clips together.

Hubby and I got to thinking that it would be a good idea to get one, seeing that we will need an extra bag to bring for our mountain trip next year. So after much comparison and decision making, we settled for a TRENDZ 25L yellow bag for RM 65, not bad right?

This is what the bag looks like before you open it, compact and easy to carry.

After I shape the bag, this is what it looks like. Note the side clips at the top to secure it.

A closer look at the handle.

Adding the adjustable sling at the back of the bag.

Step-by-step instructions on how to fold and secure the bag.
Simply fold a minimum of 3 times, and clip the side clips to lock.

You can visit TRENDZ website for more info and take a look at their range of products available. Besides bags, they also have waist pouches, products for cameras, phones and even a waterproof casing for the iPad. I might just get another bag for my dad, who's into fishing ;)

Simple Salmon Steak Recipe

2011-10-02T08:14:00.000+08:00

Salmon doesn't come cheap, because it's a cold water fish and is full of healthy fats (omega). I love salmon sashimi and whenever we have a meal at a Japanese restaurant, I will surely have an order of salmon.

Once a while, hubby and I would treat ourselves and get some nice looking salmon steaks, to cook at home. The first time we bought some, was from Jusco 1U, when the supermarket reopened after a much talked about renovation to upgrade the old 1U wing. We were doing some grocery shopping and came across some good looking salmon pieces on display, bought a couple and pan seared them at home. Yummeh! I'm going to share a very simple salmon steak recipe here.

Ingredients:

2 salmon steaks (about 300 grams per piece)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp butter

Ground black pepper

3-4 tbps oil for searing

Pinkish delight~

Pat dry the salmon and place them onto a wide dish. Rub the butter all over the salmon flesh and skin. Then rub some salt onto the skin side of the salmon, this would make the skin crispy. Sprinkle the rest onto the flesh. Ground some black pepper over the salmon and let it sit for a while.

Whoopeee...! See all the omega?!

NOOOMMMMM...!

Heat up a wide pan and pour the oil. When the oil is hot, sear the salmon, about 2 minutes on each side. If you bought a thicker piece, then you need to sear it longer, so adjust accordingly. The salmon is done when the flesh is about golden brown and flakes when you poke a fork through. Drizzle with white sauce if you please (we like it as it is). Enjoy!

Spicy Tomyam Chicken

2011-09-30T22:58:00.000+08:00

A recipe we tried out over the weekend many moons ago, courtesy of Amy Beh :) In her recipe, she used 4 pieces of chicken whole leg, de-boned. But since we normal buy a whole chicken, we used half a chicken and chopped it into a few pieces :P

The chicken turned out ok, but I think I need to put a bit more tomyam paste into the marinate next time, hehe!

Here are the ingredients:
Marinate (A)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp pepper
1 tbps tomyam sauce (we used tomyam paste)
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 ground black pepper
1tbps lemon juice

(B)
1 egg white

(C)
3 tbps plain flour
2 tbps rice flour

First, you marinate the chicken with (A) for a few hours or overnight. If you're marinating the meat overnight, be sure to take it out from the fridge to cool to room temperature before you fry it. While heating up the oil for deep frying, coat the chicken with egg white (B) and the combined flour mixture (C). Fry until golden brown. Pretty simple stuff, eh?

Nasi Lemak 2.0

2011-09-24T13:22:00.000+08:00

Much has been said and sung about Nasi Lemak 2.0. The brainchild of controversial figure Namewee, the story revolves around an arrogant chef, at his down and out moment, goes on a search fora fantastic nasi lemak recipe and along the way, discovers the true meaning of unity, diversity, culture and non-discrimination.

Why Nasi Lemak? Well, I believe the reason he chose the term "Nasi Lemak" is because of the ingredient composition which makes up the dish. Rice, sambal, eggs, cucumber, these are the staple ingredients in any nasi lemak recipe. Every ingredient is unique on its own, but when you put them together in the right balance, you get an amazing mouth watering dish which cuts across all borders. Actually I also think that KFC cuts across all borders, but that's another story.

This is Namewee's first attempt in film direction, and for a first-timer, I thought he did quite ok. Hubby and I laughed so hard at some of the scenes until we cried. Not the best script and acting in the world, but not the worse either. Probably given more time and exposure, his future films could carry more weight.

The real reason hubby and I caught this production, was also in support of Namewee and his vision. This film was produced on a shoe-string budget and was shot using a Canon Mark II DSLR. Because he couldn't get government funding for his film due to many reasons, filming couldn't start until earlier last year, when he finally got the approval to shoot the film (no funding from the government in the end). I'll let you go Google out his videos depicting his journey of trying to apply for government funding to fund his pet project lah.

The film is a mixed of Mandarin, Cantonese, smattering of Chinese dialects, Tamil and Malay, and I think he has captured the essence of Malaysia, a potpourri of diversity, culture and stereo-typing. There are several scenes which are very Malaysian, poking fun at our current events and political scenes.

Recently I also read that an NGO in Perak, started a boycott, calling the government to put a stop on the screening of the film. Their reasoning? That Namewee is a traitor to the country, that the movie potrays racism, that the film had a yellow background and was somehow related to the July BERSIH 2.0 movement.

My take on this? I would suggest you go watch the film for yourself, then you make your decision. We are all racists to a certain extent. We all poke fun and stereo-type every single fucking day. And if you really think the movie is unfit to be seen, you can choose to stay home and not watch it. But don't force your opinions onto others. We can decide for ourselves.

A Lash Affair

2011-09-21T22:18:00.000+08:00

I was in the shower and had just washed my hair, when I felt something in my left eye. Thinking it was some dust particle, I blinked a few times hoping the tears would wash it out, but it didn't work.

As nasty thought went into my head.... Did my contact lens tear? I quickly showered and removed the left lens to check. No tear, good as new. Yet I still felt something in my left eye. I then applied some eye drops, but that didn't work either. I looked into the mirror and found nothing. Eek! Each time I attempted to blink, something was there. I could feel it! &%$# Rubbing my eye didn't work either, and the feeling was really annoying me!

I tried an eye wash solution. Nothing. Eye drops. Nothing OH NO! Something was stuck above the left eyelid, and I can't see it nor get it out T.T I was so irritated for the rest of the night, hoping the feeling would go away. I had a similar experience before, but it went away after a few hours, so I was hoping this one would go away too. It's amazing I could get some sleep at night, though I woke up several times with a bruised feeling around the left eye :(

The next morning, I was a grouchy bitch. Hubby took me to our regular GP, Dr Liau, and I related to him my woe. He told me to lie down while he called a nurse into the room.

"Ok, close your eyes now, don't open them, while I check your eye lid", Dr. Liau said. The nurse shone a torch light while the doc lifted my upper eye lid. Lo and behold, he said it's an eyelash that was stuck there, and it's causing the irritation! I was quite scared cos seriously, someone poking my eyeballs and eyelid is not a fun thing to do. On top of that, my eye was feeling kinda bruised already (I rubbed it, yes, I'm guilty).

Dr. Liau used a cotton bud and gently removed the stubborn eyelash out. I was tearing so much by the time he was done, which only took less than 10 seconds. After I opened my eyes, he even showed me the stupid eyelash which has been tormenting me for so many hours. I heaved a big sigh of relief, oh you have no idea how relieved I was after he got the eyelash out. "You managed to sleep last night ah?" he quipped.

After the procedure, Dr. Liau applied a couple of eye drops into my left eye, cos he said my rubbing has resulted in the upper eye lid having some scratch marks, which is causing me to feel the "bruised" feeling. So those eye drops would help soothe and heal the wounds. The only thing I have to deal with now is the bitter after taste of the nasty eye drops. Uuuweeekkk~~~!

Yucky eye drops.

Dr. Liau from Wong & Chye, Uptown, you are awesome!!!!

Snippets of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah

2011-09-19T19:14:00.000+08:00

The family and I fly over to the land below the wind recently, to unwind and also to celebrate the union between 2 people. Here are some snapshots to enjoy.

What better way to enjoy KK than to dine with fresh seafood...

When some of your girlfriends plan your hen's night, this is the banner you get...!

Roast beef... yummmssss...!

When you get the men to design your dream wedding gown, this is what you get...! At least they got the train right the first time, hehe!

Sweet desserts to end the day.

Oxtail assam pedas FTW!!!

When 2 souls become one...

Sang yuk meen aka pork noodles from Gaya Street.

Gaya Street ambassador. Happening wei...!

I could get used to this....

How Sabahans chill on weekends.

And the sun bids farewell for the day... till tomorrow.

The "Kebal" Phone

2011-09-16T18:56:00.001+08:00

This is hubby's trusty Nokia mobile phone, the 6300. I got it for him a few years ago, a birthday gift ;) This phone has served him over the years, reliable and lightweight.

This phone has also survived some pretty tough environment, in which most smartphones these days can't.

Example:
- It has survived drops on solid ground (from waist height).
- It has survived multiple scratches on its outer casing.
- The best part would be it has survived falling into a drain and being submerged under water for a good 5 seconds.

Not bad for a Nokia, right? Granted it's not the coolest looking phone around, nor is it the sleekest and comes with cool apps, but it's been a pretty reliable phone despite it's wonkyness from time to time i.e it can't save your call history anymore.

Hubby's been window-shopping for phones, in no rush to switch at the moment. At least not until his current Nokia really starts to act up. I've been suggesting to him to consider an Android phone, should he really decide to switch to using a smartphone. We'll see just how long this "kebal" phone can last.

Blogger Application for iPhone

2011-09-13T12:26:00.001+08:00

I'm testing out the Blogger iPhone app. Seems pretty awesome :) I can attach images and videos too, and even tag my location. Now if only the app can pull out the labels I've previously created to tag my postings via the app...

Catnip and The Cat

2011-09-07T21:58:00.000+08:00

6 Degrees of Separation

2011-09-06T20:59:00.000+08:00

Sometimes the world is so small, it's exciting yet scary at the same time. How every one of us is connected to one another somehow, even if it's a distant away.

It's quite amazing to know that we all know someone someone from another someone someone. Everyone is connected, somehow, somewhere. It's also scary, because that only means eventually our pass shit (if any) will come running back to haunt us :P

Social networking sites like Facebook is bridging the gap even more these days. We're connecting with people ever so closely, and sometimes you just can't shake it off. We're connecting with people from bygones eras, long lost years, maybe even people we don't really like.

That said, the separation, is really not much of a separation after all.

2011-09-04T17:23:00.000+08:00

Guilt trips
Guilt trip #1
My current running shoes are almost 4 years old. So maybe they haven't exactly clocked the mileage most regular runners do, but the soles do get hard and the cushioning will eventually lessen. For the past 4 years I have never once asked to buy a new pair. In fact, those are the only pair of sport shoe I have to my name, and they have been my faithful companion in the gym and whatever runs we participate. So I do think it's high time I get another pair and alternate between 2 pairs. I have never once questioned when you buy your many pairs of badminton shoes and racquets, because I know you need them and use them on a regular basis.

Guilt trip #2
There is an incentive programme from my current workplace which I have never utilized, simply because I had not seen the need for it just yet. Off late, I've been thinking of switching to a notebook, as the mobility and higher specs bundled in notebooks these days seemed ideal for my work. At first you were supportive of the idea too. But when I got the approval to utilize the incentive, you started questioning why I needed one and if it was necessary, and why can't I stick to my current machine. And after you sent me on a guilt trip, you decided that I should take up the incentive (WTF?). You just made the idea cumbersome to me and then changed your mind after you made me feel really bad.

Guilt trip #3
Went to a massive warehouse of all things sports, so many things and some on offer. Wanted to get a pair of 3/4 pants which were on offer (something I can use for yoga and running/gym) and you asked why do I need another pair, what's wrong with the ones I have bla bla. I put those pants back and decided not to buy anything. If you want to get some new shorts and dry-fit shirts, go right ahead because I know you use them on a regular basis for sports. I'll just stick to the old ones I have until they rot.

Has it ever occur to you that everything which I think of getting, goes through several rounds of reasoning and justification within myself first? I don't simply spend for the sake of spending. I think about why do I need it, where would I use the item, how often etc. If I want to simply spend, my whole wardrobe would be overflowing from junk by now.

Yes you made me fucking angry today because you don't trust my judgement when I have never once questioned yours. Bah!

2011-08-28T21:53:00.000+08:00

Of Waves & Ripples

The past weeks have been super busy times in my division. In the last 4 months, a flood of projects came in resulting in the team having to clock overtime week after week (even on weekends when the need arises).

It's a good thing actually, from a business perspective. It must mean we're doing something right, to have clients wanting to work with us. On the other hand, it also meant a lot of late nights for some of my team members, due to the limited number of resources to do that many projects concurrently. Some are already feeling the burn, but are persevering. Fortunately we've managed to get a few extra helping hands along the way, hopefully in the next coming weeks, the load will ease off to some of the new members, and everyone can take a breather or two.

The recent slog has also taught most of us just how much we can achieve, if we are willing to make some sacrifices when required. It also taught us some valuable lessons about being efficient and really pushing ourselves to new levels, to be better at what we do and make the most out of the tough situation, and come out stronger.

Unfortunately, not everyone was willing to be on the same boat. I received a resignation letter this week, and had a private conversation with the said person, together with my General Manager. You see, about 1.5 months ago, I made the decision to put this team member to work with the team of developers, as they could use the extra helping hand due to the influx of integration projects. I saw the window of opportunity for her, which with help her grow further into her role and also build her skill sets to new heights. The learning curb was going to be steep I said, but if she pulled through, the results and achievement would far outweigh the hardship. And I had faith in her because she had shown her potential to me before. So I asked, if she was keen to take the new responsibility and challenge. She said yes.

When she started with the new challenge, it was a struggle at first. Despite the shortcomings at one point, she managed to pull through. Made me proud actually. Then she fumbled. A few days later, she hands in her letter, citing the pressure and fast pace of the job is just too much to bear and she wants out. This new responsibility and challenge made her realize she doesn't want to do this after all.

The decision was made after she went through 1.5 months of hard work. From my perspective, she lacked the understanding and logic to be efficient in her role, hence the many late nights she had to endure in order to deliver work and meet deadlines. I posed a question to her then, perhaps it was a question she didn't really expect to be asked. My question to her was: Had I not put you up to this challenge, and you just went on doing what you were previously doing, menial tasks... Would you have thought of resigning? Her reply was a NO.

So I gathered that, she was contented and complacent in her current responsibility, even if it meant doing the same tasks time and again. And after being thrown into the deeper end, she realized she couldn't keep up and would rather throw in the towel than to push herself further.

I guess not everyone wants to grow and be better, even when the chance is given to you. Perhaps some prefer to just stay at the same spot, do the same things, think only so much, and grow only that much. I wouldn't really know...

As far as I'm concern, had I not see the potential in her, I wouldn't have even thought of giving her the opportunity to dabble in this new challenge. Makes me wonder if I had failed her, or am I expecting too much from a person?

I hope my question to her made her realize that her decision to leave was made purely out of the 1.5 months of hardship she had to endure to come out better and stronger. And if all it took was 1.5 months of tough shit to make her realize she's not cut out for hard work, or not willing to do hard work, then she should seriously take a good look at herself and her attitude towards life. Because life is hard as we know it, and there's only so many times you can run. I wish her all the best in her future endeavours, with hopes she will find inner strength and be brave.

Life is like a huge wave sometimes. You either ride with it to stay afloat, or you sink to the bottom.

2011-08-24T14:16:00.003+08:00

Gossips
Everyone gossips. No matter how much you try to deny it, everyone is guilty of it. Men, women, children, bet you even your pets gossip.

I gossip too. I'm only human. The only difference between a regular gossiper and a full blown gossip monger is... The regular gossiper would know when to stop and get on with life, while the full blown version thrives on more gossip, and sometimes even fuel existing gossips to add to the drama.

I consider myself a regular gossiper. Yes I do listen and indulge in them from time to time, but I'm put off when there's too much of it flying around. My life doesn't revolve around gossips alone, and my life is definitely more exciting then sitting around texting/Whatsapping on my phone with more gossips. And when there's too much, I rather not get involve or know about them. Ignorance is bliss sometimes.

Being pulled into gossips can be scary. You don't know how deep a depth you might end up in. And the worse thing is, sometimes gossips can change your personality. You might become so consumed with it, that it might just change your character.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's totally bad to gossip, heck I gossip sometimes, guilty of the act. All I'm saying is don't let it control or change you. And don't indulge in it for the sake of being part of the click. Some gossips are baseless, and worse if you fuel them for the sake of being petty.

2011-08-21T18:31:00.000+08:00

Fig & Olive, Sunway Pyramid

Hubby and I paid a visit to Sunway Pyramid recently. We don't usually make our way there because the traffic over there is kinda bad, plus the layout of the mall itself is kinda confusing. The only time we really go there is probably because I'm bored walking the same malls over on this side of town and needed to see something new, heh!

Plus it wasn't a good idea to head to MidValley on a weekday public holiday.

So as we were window shopping, we decided to have an early lunch and was browsing through the many eateries available. We walked into the Marakesh section and stumbled upon Fig & Olive. Checked out their menu and decided let's give this place a shot. The alluring food photography also played a deciding factor :)

Fig & Olive serves Mediterranean style dishes, and by its name, you find olives in their dishes. As we were browsing the menu, I came across the Grande Figo Grill Seafood platter for two, and suggested it to hubby. Served with rice, a good mix of seafood, what better way to fuel our empty tummies, right?

Grande Figo Grill Seafood for two, RM 49.90+

Here's what the platter looks like. Looks awesome eh? Two bowls of rice and seafood mix of prawns, squid, fish and green mussels.

A closer look at the Grande Figo Grill Seafood for two.

The rice was very fragrant and satisfying. For a moment there, it felt like I was having briyani rice, with the lingering spices such as bunga cengkih and tumeric. The seafood was good too, and the portions were definitely enough for two. I particular liked the fish, grilled to perfection and juicy to the bite. The squid was good too, not overcooked. The only downside of this dish we found it a tad salty. So if you're planning to order this dish, tell them to go easy with the salt.

While we were eating, we also noticed there wasn't much crowd patronizing the restaurant. Perhaps it was a weekday thing, despite being a public holiday for Selangor. The whole time we were there, there were only 4 tables. We were the last ones to leave that afternoon.

Would we go back there? Definitely, provided they don't close down the next time we decide to make our way to Sunway Pyramid.

2011-08-20T18:27:00.002+08:00

Kitteh

Wide eye kitteh.

Whatcha lookin' at?

The silly cat tried to swipe my left hand after I took this picture. Grumpy sial~

2011-08-12T22:10:00.001+08:00

JTean @ SS2 Mall
To be honest, I've only been to SS2 mall a handful of times. The mall's layout is not exactly appealing, it lacks a strong anchor tenant to attract the crowd, and the choice of F&B outlets is still pretty limited. So when some of my colleagues mentioned that you can now find pork burger in the mall, I was like... "Really? Where and how much?"

The first time I saw JTean's pork burger, was their oblong pork burger, priced at about RM17++. A colleague had helped another colleague to tapau lunch back, and it was that oblong pork burger.

It's not your ordinary pork burger. Instead of using the usual burger bun, it was the mantao bun, the same buns served when you order chilli crabs. The exterior is fried until golden brown, and yet the interior is fluffy and soft. And I was told there's a smaller pork burger version available.

So one fine day (actually it was on Saturday 9th July, BERSIH 2.0 day), hubby and I made our way to JTean for some lunch. My eyes caught sight of the pork burger in the menu, along with many other pork dishes. Pork ribs, pork knuckles, BKT, you name it. We settled for a bowl of pork belly BKT, a portion of curry pork ribs and 2 servings of rice.

JTean curry pork ribs.

The curry pork ribs were awesome. Tender, succulent, full of flavour, and best of all not too spicy. The pork belly BKT was pretty good too, with the soup being quite aromatic and herbal-ish. Needless to say, we left JTean with a happy tummy :)

JTean pork belly BKT.

2 days later, I was back there with my colleagues for lunch. And this time, I ordered the smaller version of the pork burger, RM7.90++ (the oblong pork burger is way too much for me to handle). It doesn't come with the mantao, instead it is served with a normal burger bun and the side of potato wedges.

JTean pork burger.

The pork burger patty was pretty interesting. Tender and juicy, you can catch a hint of herbs in the pork patty. Also, the tangy sauce and onions goes very well with the whole burger experience. If you're looking for a quick bite, this burger should suit you. If you're looking for something more filling, go for the oblong pork burger.

I would go back to JTean and try out some of their other dishes, like the deep fried pork knuckle and the pork ribs *yums*.

2011-08-10T13:47:00.004+08:00

Shape Nite Run 2011
30th July 2011, Putrajaya
I was all geared up for the night run. It was our second time participating in this run, and I had been gearing up for it for a few months, all excited and bubbly.

I wanted to see if I could do a better time as compared to last year, my first year. Last year, I managed to completed all 12.3KM in under 2 hours. 1hour 55mins to be exact. Not the greatest of time I know, it was my first ever run in my life, so cut me some slack :P I walked more than I ran because the distance was really far, but I had fun.

So there we were, Putrajaya Precinct 3. Hearts were racing, everyone excited and just can't wait for the air horn to blow to mark the beginning of the run. And then we heard the air horn. Let's go!

I had a good start, pacing myself as I ran. Didn't want to go too fast too soon you know. People were running by me, I was running by people. When it came to the 3rd KM, I sensed something was not right on my right knee. It was beginning to stiff up! WTF?! Of all day and time?!?I slowed down to a jog, and slowed down to brisk walk. There was pain in my right knee. FUCK....

I walked for a few hundred metres, hoping to walk the pain away. Then I started a slow jog again, to see if I could reach the 4th KM. I figured if my knee was ok by then, I can start a slow run and see how far I could go. Alas the knee wasn't going to give me that chance that night. The pain was getting more intense even as I jog. It was obvious I won't be able to run/jog as I had hoped for that night. Deep down in my heart, I was crying.

T_T

I made the call to brisk walk that night, all the way to the finishing line. I knew I couldn't stop, because the moment I stop, my right leg would stiffen, the pain would hit me, and I would have to hitch a ride with the ambulance back to the finishing line. So many times I had wanted to just stop and flag down the ambulance, but a stubborn kiasu part of me didn't let me cave into the request. I brisked walked my way, from the 4th KM onwards, all the way till the last KM.

I was beating myself up quite badly, disappointed with my poor performance. Something wasn't right, my knee was weak. I didn't feel good at all. I wanted to see my improvement this year, but alas, it wasn't meant to be for this year. I relegated to brisk walking due to the pain (hoping the adrenalin would mask the pain until the run is over). When I reached the last turn, I saw the finishing line, and I told myself to do a slow jog. Even then, my knee was telling me PAIN PAIN PAIN. I was between jogging and limping.

I crossed the line and heard hubby calling my name. I was so upset I almost cried that night. My mood was foul, I didn't want to speak to anyone, I just wanted to go home. And to add salt to injury, I dropped my iPod shuffle in the midst of the queue to collect the goodie bags and snacks.

Double whammy for the night.

I was limping the rest of the night, and the next day. Knee was stiff as hell. Did some research and found it may be runner's knee injury. I don't consider myself a runner, more of an amateur, but I guess I could be suffering from this injury now :/ The last time I had a stiff knee was after the Malakoff run held in December 2010, and that was a day after the run too (possibly because of the terrain route too). This time around, my knee just couldn't take the run after the 3rd KM, on a flat terrain. Sad.

When the timing results were out, I still managed to complete all 12.3KM is under 2 hours, 1hour 57mins. Ok I guess, wasn't really too happy with my overall performance that night. Better luck next year i guess. Now I'm reading up on ways to strengthen my thighs and lower back, to protect the knee.

Sigh~

2011-07-31T12:57:00.002+08:00

A Painful Shape/men's Health Nite Run 2011

1) Under performed.

2) Suffered a painful knee most of the way.

3) Lost my iPod Shuffle some time after the run. Must've dropped off somewhere in the midst of the crowd.

4) Limping on both legs.

5) Beat myself up silly over a poor run.

Bleh.... I suck :(

2011-07-26T22:00:00.000+08:00

NTV7 Feel Good Run 2011
Just realized I didn't blog about the NTV7 Feel Good Run which hubby and I participated recently, heh! So what was the run like? Well, it wasn't a competitive run, as the event was all for charity and having fun along the way. There were a few route options during registration, namely:

Feel Good Run – 7 km, aged 13 and above
Run with Celebrities – 3 km, aged 13 and above
Costume Fun Run – 3 km, aged 13 and above
Kids Run – 700 m, aged 12 and below

Each participate will receive a running kit, as well as a certificate of participation and a finisher medal. At RM 25 entry fee, not bad for a public event and to have some Feel Good fun ;)

As this wasn't a competitive run, our running bibs didn't have any numbers on it. Instead, we're encouraged to write a personal message on the bibs. My message was "RUN OLI RUN"...! Spot me in the picture below!

Picture taken by Yvonne Teo, thanks babe!

There was a huge crowd when hubby and I reached Sri Pentas that morning. We had to park at the housing area and took a short walk to the starting line. Everyone was pumped up and ready to have some fun fun fun! The 7KM category was flagged off first, followed by the other categories. The picture above was taken just before the turn to LDP, where my friend Yvonne Teo was perching precariously on the railing while snapping away.

We ran pass 1Utama, and made a turn into BU3 area, passing the houses. Wasn't exactly a comfortable route to run, as we were running within the housing area, with cars parked on both sides, narrowing the streets. There were NTV7 crews stationed all over the route, cheering and giving words of encouragement to all runners that day.

I clearly remember a man in red cape whizzing pass me, haha!

As we ran pass the long stretch of road in front of KBU, I took a short walk as I was experiencing stitches on the right side of my body. It was quite painful, so I had to stop to let the pain wear off before continuing my run. Took a quick sip of water at the water station, made a turn towards McDonalds, and I started a slow run. Had to stop for a few seconds to let the cars pass through, and I went all the way to the finishing line, catching sight of hubby waiting for me there.

Not long after I crossed the finishing line, the sky started getting really gloomy, the rain clouds were looming above us. And it poured! We took shelter at one of the tents, and I caught sight of the Milo truck! Some friends of ours were also participating in the run, and we had arranged to meet at the Milo truck if we do meet up after the run, but I guess the rain had other plans for us.

When the rain decided to let up a little bit, hubby and I made our way to the Milo truck and queued for some awesome malt beverage! :D We queued twice, teehee! Couldn't get to meet up with our friends, so we decided to head home and get a hot shower. My right knee was feeling a little bit of pain, hence I was limping a little for the rest of the day. Good thing we have Perskindol at home!

Thank you NTV7, we had a feel good run and day :D

2011-07-22T21:20:00.000+08:00

Honey Mustard Roast Chicken - A Variation
I've made this roast chicken a few times before, and loving it each time. This time around, we decided to alter the recipe a little, just to experiment. I'm grateful to have such a sporting hubby who is ever willing to be my guinea pig when it comes to cooking :P

The previous honey mustard roast chicken recipe, the main ingredients were honey, Dijon mustard, mustard seed, thyme and olive oil. This time around, I omitted the thyme, and replaced it with lemongrass. Now I know lemongrass, honey and mustard doesn't seem to be compatible ingredients, but we were surprised by the outcome.

Ingredients

Half a chicken (for 2 pax)

1 tbps Dijon mustard

1 tbps mustard seed

1 tbps honey

1tps lemongrass, finely chopped.

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Clean the chicken and pat dry. For the lemongrass, only take the ends of it. Smash it with a knife to release the pungent aroma and finely chop it. In a small bowl, mix the lemongrass, Dijon mustard, mustard seed, honey, and olive oil. Mix it until everything becomes a paste. Slather the paste onto the chicken, coating the skin and flesh and massaging the chicken. Marinate overnight.

When you're ready to roast it, take the meat out of the fridge and let the chicken rest for an hour before roasting. Preheat the oven to 190°C for 20 minutes. You can place the chicken either on a oven proof dish, or in a pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until chicken is fully cook. You can use a knife to poke the meatiest part of the chicken, and if the juices run clear, the chicken is ready.

The combination of honey, mustard and lemongrass was awesome! Something about lemongrass that made the whole roast chicken flavour jump up a notch. I love this variation more than the original version. Nomming good time~~~

2011-07-18T20:37:00.001+08:00

Succulent Garlic & Cheese Baked Ginormous Tiger Prawns - Part 2
If it's one thing I love about Kota Kinabalu, it's the awesome seafood. Last year we went to KK, hubby and I bought a box of prawns back, and in it were 8 pretty big tiger prawns. If it were in KL, those 8 prawns would have cost a bomb, judging by the size. It's not that often you come across prawns that size here in the Klang Valley.

During my sister's recent trip back to KL recently, she and her hubby presented to us a box of tiger prawns. This time, the box only has 4 prawns.

4....!!!!

Each prawn was about the length of my fore arm. From the tip of the head till the tip of the tail. The box was sitting in my freezer for a couple of month, before we decided to devour them over the weekend :P What better way to eat tiger prawns than to bake them with cheese?

Ingredients:
Medium size prawns (or big-ass tiger prawns like we had haha!)
Garlic
Extra virgin olive oil
Herbs of any kind (I would recommend parsley or cilantro/coriander)
Ground black pepper
Cheese (mozzarella is recommended)
Some feta cheese (optional)
Butter (optional)

Ginormous!

See the size of the 4 prawns? Massive right? I placed a normal size fork just for comparison. These buggers are huge. The head alone was almost the length of my palm. Such a pretty colour too~

Oh-la-la~~~!

Clean the prawns respectively. Snip the heads and the sharp end of the tail, the sharp pointy bits can give you a nasty prick. Slit the prawns in the middle to clean the centres, you don't wanna be eating their goos. As you clean, be sure not to squeeze the head too much, else the "har kou" will spill out. Using a satay stick (wash and pat dry it first before using), stick the stick up the prawn's behind, through the body and into the head, to keep the prawn straight while baking. Line the prawn onto a tray with aluminum foil and set aside.

You can see in the picture above, the "har kou" is nicely flowing out from the head. Toxic parts for most Malaysians, liquid cholesterol some might call it hehehehe!

OMG!

Preheat the oven at 190°C for about 20 minutes. Chop a generous amount of garlic, and in a small bowl, mix the garlic with some extra virgin olive oil, ground black pepper and some parsley. For my version, I added some butter and feta cheese to the prawns, just to add some extra flavour. Slather the garlic paste onto the centre of the prawns. After that, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.

Watching the cheese melt...

I baked the prawns for a good 30 minutes, as these were huge suckers and the flesh was rather thick. I'm telling you, the aroma of freshly baked shellfish can drive you wild...! XP

Golden brown goodness.

Just be sure the cheese is a nice golden brown, don't let it burn. The prawns are cooked when the whole body has turned to a nice pinkish/orangy tone. Let the prawns rest a while before serving.

Another angle of the baked tiger prawns. Don't you just love the colour? Man I'm hungry now...

2011-07-13T19:00:00.004+08:00

BERSIH 2.0
Saturday 9th July 2011. The day of reckoning.

It was a usual Saturday morning for us. House chores were waiting. As we cleaned the house, my head couldn't help but think of the planned BERSIH 2.0 rally, soon to take place in downtown Kuala Lumpur. The day before, traffic in some parts of town were at a stand still, no thanks to all the many roadblocks summoned by the top guns in government to curb traffic. Lockdown was the word. The government wanted to barricade the city centre, making it as increasingly difficult as possible for citizens to enter, hoping to discourage people from taking part in the rally.

Didn't really work all that well, did it? As from all the news reports, be in mainstream or the internet, thousands of citizens still managed to find their way into the city centre. They couldn't get the stadium, so they took the whole city instead.

Hubby and I didn't participate in the rally. But we had friends who did. And even though we were not part of the rally, our hearts were with the rally. I chose to wear a yellow top, in support of the movement. Hubby also chose to wear something with the colour yellow on his sleeves (the government said it was illegal to wear yellow attire, like WTF!). We were following Twitter for the rally updates via my iPhone. We had lunch in SS2 mall, and then hopped over to Tropicana Citymall to do our groceries. Spotted some people decked in yellow, got some strange stares from strangers because we wore yellow.

I read some friends' tweets about the FRUs firing tear gas at the crowd. I got worried for them, for their safety and wellbeing. In their tweets, they said their eyes hurt, they were in pain, they were in shock of the sudden brutality of the FRUs and police force, they were being attacked by the very same group who had sworn to protect the nation. All they did was a peaceful walk, no riots, no stampede, no pushing. And they were attacked. My friends, were attacked.

The rally is over. Lives are moving on. But the message was sent, loud and clear. The government is not liking it one bit, and is now coughing up stories to twist the truth. But we all know that the truth will prevail. Malaysians have matured and we stand united more than ever. The rally has proven to every one of us living in this country. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Eurasians, indigenous races, whatever you may be. We are all Malaysians.

Yes we spite and insult and belittle one another sometimes, but when the times comes, everyone in that rally proved to the rest of the nation that we are one and the same. We all want clean and fair electorals. We want less corruption and more wealth to be distributed among the citizens. We want to be heard and be respected. We do not want to fear the government, it is the government who should fear us.

And despite the rumours of the protestor being thugs and disrupting peace, of the many reports I've read about the BERSIH 2.0 rally, be it from independent news portals and blogs, I have yet to come across any new reports which talks about looting and robbery during the rally. Not ONE. That was how peaceful and mature the rally was.

To all those who were at the rally, to all those whose eyes, throat and body were hurt by the tear gas and water cannons, to all those who got arrested for what they stood up for, to the now famous Annie Ooi a.k.a Aunty Bersih/Malaysian Lady of Liberty, to the late Baharuddin Ahmad who died in the rally, to my friends Terence Ooi, Suanie, Colin and Alex Auyong... I salute you for your courage, determination and love for the country.

To all the Malaysians scattered at different parts of the world, thank you for standing up.

To all the politicians out there, fucking stop leveraging on BERSIH for your own agendas. BERISH is for the people, for the rakyat. It is not affiliated with any political party in this country. It is for electoral reforms, for a clean and fair electoral system. It is for the betterment of the whole country, for our country. It is NOT about PAS, not about DAP, not about PKR.

2011-07-06T22:40:00.001+08:00

Preparations
It's important to make preparations for most things. That way, you know what to expect, what to anticipate, and be a little more at ease also.

In the past, I've been through interviews where the potential employer would ask if I knew what their nature of business was. The first few times, I didn't do my research. But over the years I learnt that it's important to read up about your potential employer. At least you get to know what sort of shit you're gonna step into, right? LOL!

These days when I conduct interviews, I would also ask the same question to the candidates. Some are pretty OK, I can tell they at least took some effort to find out what my company is involved in. But there are also some that are applying blindly, and when I throw the question at them, they merely reply "Oh, I think you guys are doing some web stuff?"

Erm... yea... web stuff... Ooookaaayyy...

What are you applying for again?

It's important that you as a potential candidate, spend a bit of time and effort, to just find out more about the company you've applied a job/internship for. Because an employer would ask you this question, to see if you know what you're getting yourself into, and to gauge roughly how much you know and understand about their nature of business. It would be awkward if your reply revealed that you didn't bother to find out about your potential employer (cos the next question would be: Then why are you applying for a job here, if you don't know what we do?).

2011-06-30T22:10:00.000+08:00

More Enzymes!

We've been brewing another 2 bottles of garbage enzyme over the last couple of months :) One bottle was already ready a few weeks back, and another bottle is due in a few more weeks.

I've been diligently adding a few caps of enzyme into the pail each time I mop the floor over the weekend. The floor seems cleaner and smoother. Or it could be my imagination *shrugs*.

One thing for sure, it sure does clean the dishes well. Just by adding a few caps into the washing liquid, somehow the plates and utensils seemed cleaner. And years ago when we moved into the house, daddy long legs would normally nestle at the corners of the walls? Since adding the enzyme into the pail to mop, haven't had to get rid of any spiders from any walls. No lizards too.

As for the ants, they are a rare occurrence (nothing some any powder can't handle, heh!)

My mum has been using the enzyme too, especially to clean the dishes. She lamented how clean her dishes are now, and how much easier it was to get rid of the oil and dirt.

2011-06-27T21:22:00.000+08:00

Kissaten @ JayaOne

I just realised that I have not blogged about Kissaten yet, despite having been there several times. If you're into Japanese fusion food, you should give Kissaten a shot. However, not everything on the menu is good, as there has been some mediocre dishes.

Wafu style burger steak.

This is the Wafu style burger steak, served on a a sizzling plate. As the plate sizzles, you drizzle the salty sauce over the sizzling steak, setting more sizzles and smoke! Too much sizzle for you? Hehe! My first time to Kissaten, I ordered this. The steak was ok, actually it's more like minced pork than an actual steak. The sauce however, was a tad too salty for my liking.

Char siew pizza.

Kissaten's Char Siew pizza, something which I've always heard my colleague rave about. Excuse me? What...? Char siew? BBQ pork? On a pizza dough? Looks appetizing, taste pretty amazing. Something new to my taste buds for sure. Sweet and savoury. The base is a little soggy, probably due to the nature of char siew and the sauce. But the overall pizza experience, a pretty cool combination.

Teriyaki pork burger, FTW!

Now this is the awesomeness of Kissaten, the Teriyaki pork burger! Pork patty, creamy mayo, and a fried egg to top it all off, this is THE burger to go for when at Kissaten. Don't be fooled by the picture, this burger is taller than the largest mouth I know. The guys would like to get their hands dirty, because "That's how you eat a burger!", while the girls (me included) would prefer to have our utensils ready to devour this massive serving. Even then, it's still a messy affair, and that's really the whole fun part of eating it *smacks lips*

I struggle to finish this each time I order it. Call my stomach small, but when I have this for lunch, I usually have a really light dinner, some fruits for dinner. Not kidding.

2011-06-19T17:18:00.003+08:00

The Waterlily Balinese Restaurant @ Mutiara Tropicana
Hubby and I were about to pop by Jaya Grocer to get some succulent beef steaks, when we decided to try out Waterlily for lunch. We've always passed by this place and have seen large crowd from time to time, so we figured this place must be worth giving it a shot.

When hubby said let's go there for lunch, the first thing I said was "I doubt this place will have babi guling..." XP

Babi guling aside, I felt like I was transported back to Bali with all the nice Balinese deco, not to mention the Balinese music. Dammit, now I wanna go back to Bali...!

Honey lemon with passionfruit.

This was the refreshing drink hubby ordered, honey lemon with passionfruit (markisa). Not to sweet, tantalizing and fresh. I had a glass of iced water, and I could taste a light scent of pandan in it :D We worked our way through the menu and was quite surprised to see some Western dishes in there too. Burgers and pasta? OK, we should be going for the more Balinese treats rather than steaks and burgers, right?

Siap bumbu - RM 27.

This was my lunch, Siap Bumbu. It's essentially half a roast chicken, marinated in lemongrass and other spices. Serve with tumeric rice, vegetables, crackers and some interesting Balinese spices on the side. HOLY COW PORTIONS ARE BIG...! And this is just one serving... o.O

Honestly, I couldn't finish it, had to takeaway 1/4 of the chicken, nyek!

Siap megoreng - RM 26.

Hubby had the Siap Megoreng, which is essentially half a chicken, deep fried in spices. This meal also comes with tumeric rice, vegetables, crackers and spices. I have to admit, the spices were really well blended and the flavours were pretty well matched. And half a chicken per pax!

Black pulut dessert with sliced banana (bubur pulut hitam).

We were served a free dessert too, which came as a surprise because we initially the waitress got the order wrong and brought the dessert to the wrong table LOL! She then explained that it was a free dessert, in conjuction with Father's Day. Oh ok, so I guess all male patrons to the restaurant would get this free dessert :D Hubby's not a father yet, but hey, you get a free dessert, who's complaining, right? Hehehehehehehehe!

The dessert was awesome. Texture was just nice, not too sticky, with just the right amount of coconut milk. And the concoction is served with banana slices, who would've thought pulut hitam and banana would go so well?

We will definitely make a return trip back to Waterlily soon. And this time, we're gonna share the main course!

2011-06-14T17:36:00.001+08:00

1Pengguna = 1Penyamun = 1Penipu
The 1Pengguna website is currently embroiled in a controversy, mainly because some hacker can hack into it and retrieve information of its website's subscribers, email addresses and bla~ And our dear government spent RM 1.4 million to churn out this website. WTF right?

Now's here another revelation. Lepak.tv recently exposed to the world that the 1Pengguna website, is using an open-source themed skin from this site, Elgg. So in summary, our dear government paid a whooping RM 1.4 million, for something that is free, and whose database is probably now open for all to take.

Kamilah penyamun di dalam negeri...

Click here to view the video, prepare to LOL!

Oh, now the latest controversial news is... Tourism Malaysia's Facebook page, which reported cost RM 1.8 million to set up. There are altogether 6 Facebook pages, and each Facebook page cost RM 293,072 — Cuti-Cuti 1 Malaysia, Citrawarna 1Malaysia, Karnival Jualan Mega 1 Malaysia, Festival Pelancongan Seni Kontemporari 1 Malaysia, Kempen 1 Malaysia Bersih and Fabulous Food 1 Malaysia.

By the looks of things, I think my organization needs to charge more to set up Facebook pages LOL!

2011-06-13T21:49:00.000+08:00

TEDTalks : Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation

I found this talk pretty interesting. The speaker talked about how sometimes incentives don't exactly give you the type of motivation you would expect(i.e: creative thinking and cognitive function). Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for rewarding people who do their job and do it well. However, the speaker did bring up a very interesting fact that sometimes, it's not so much the incentive that will drive someone to do better, but rather, the acknowledgement of that person's skill sets to be able to make a difference.

Carrots and sticks, carrots and sticks~~~

2011-06-08T17:48:00.001+08:00

Obedient Wives Club (OWC)
There's a new club in town ladies! It's called the Obedient Wives Club, and you're most welcome to be part of it! Entry into this club is fairly simple. You must promise to be obedient, to serve and to entertain your husband. In return, you won't get beaten, abused, raped and sidelined for another woman. Your husband will also be less intent to go shove his dick into another woman's vagina.

Sounds like a good club right? What more can a woman possibly ask for in this cruel world now? The formation of this club must be like a God-send to obedient wives.

According to the club's founder, Dr Rohaya Mohamad, men stray because their wives can't be whores in bed. Hence the husbands go look for whores to satisfy their sexual desires. So, if the wives act like whores in bed, which is perfectly alright because you're married and behind closed doors, chances are, the man won't have the urge to shove his dick elsewhere.

Coincidentally, this Dr Rohaya is also the third wife, and in the Ikhwan Polygamy Club. Being a Muslim, her husband is "allowed" to have up to four wives. So I guess it's ok for her man to bang up to 4 different women, as long as it's capped to 4 women/wives and no other extras.

In fact, this good doctor and her club are now offering sex lessons to obedient wives. Woohoo! Now you can unleash the whore in you!

2011-06-02T19:45:00.001+08:00

Energy Consumption
With the recent announcement that TNB has increased electricity tariff by 7% effective 1st June 2011, majority of Malaysian citizens have plenty to moan about. The silver lining in this announcement is that at least 75% of the population won't be effected by the tariff hike because these 75% currently don't use above 300kW a month, which is about RM 77 per month.

My household falls within the 75% category, hee~

Yes, our monthly electricity bill normally hovers between RM 40 to RM 50. In fact, the most recent electricity bill was the highest ever since we moved into the condo, RM 72. And that's because we had crank up the air-conditioning a lot more than usual due to the recent hot spell.

Some close friends of mine joked that we're probably stealing electricity from the house next door LOL! Well, that's really not the case. There's nothing special in my house that monitors voltage, nor any special equipment installed to lower the electricity consumption. No tricks. No magic.

In any household, there are a few things that would consume electricity the most. The fridge (it is on 24/7) and the air-cons. The more air-cons you turn on, the more electricity it will consume. These 2 big items normally consume the most part of your electricity bill. Some old appliances will also contribute to your growing TNB bill, appliances like an old electric kettle, or a water boiler.

A lot of large electrical appliances these days comes with the inverter technology too, to promote a greener, more environmental living. So you can actually opt for such technology if you're a heavy user. My air-cons don't have that inverter technology, but it does have the ionizer. We have 2 air-cons: One in the living area (2HP) and one in the master bedroom (1HP). Once a while we would turn on the living room air-con, to cool the area down and also just to let the compressor run a bit. As for our room, we sometimes turn it on for a few hours before going to bed, to cool the room down. For the rest of the night, we use the fan.

All my lights at home are energy saving bulbs, even the ring type bulbs on the ceilings. Once a while I would turn on my wall lights, as they consume much less electricity compared to the ceiling lights (it also creates a nice warm ambience to cosy up to your partner while watching a movie).

As for doing the laundry, I have a 14KG washing machine, which allows us to wash our King size comforters. We would normally wash a full load, to save on water as well. I wash the white shirts separately, cos I want to keep them whites looking white longer. I do the laundry at least twice a week.

We have a PC at home as well, and it is turned on in the evenings, and sometimes overnight to download stuff.

I don't have an electric kettle though, nor a water boiler (those type which you leave on 24/7, so you constantly have hot water). Hubby doesn't like using those, preferring to boil water. In case you didn't know, the water boiler actually does consume quite a fair bit of electricity because it's always on stand-by mode. For any electrical appliance which you leave on stand-by, it does consume a bit of electricity in the long run. So if you're not going to use that particular appliance for several hours, best to shut it off completely.

So you see, our lives aren't that different from most couples at home. We have pretty much the same appliances one would have at home. So when some of my couple friends say their TNB bill for a household of two (2) amounts to over RM 150 a month, I honestly don't understand how they can hit such figures. The only logical reason would be is that their air-con consumption must be a lot higher than me, because they say their air-cons are on the whole night, sometimes the whole day.

Oh, my parents will be among the 25% to have to pay a bit more for electricity starting from this month onwards. Their TNB bill is usually above RM 150 because they have 2 fridges (my parents like to buy and cook a lot). And this amount is for a family of 3. OK, 4 if you count the cat.

2011-05-30T22:01:00.001+08:00

Rising Cost Of Living In Malaysia
There's no denying it... Malaysia is an expensive country to live in now.

As much as our politicians like to ignore the fact, it's true. They're not feeling the pinch of course, as they're living off the good rakyat, people like you and me who duly pay our taxes each year. People like you and me who pays the toll concessionaires whenever we use the highways, pay super high prices for cars (even the local ones cost a lot now), pay RM9 per kilo for a medium sized chicken, pay150% - 200% extra for the car we use to get from point A to point B, pay RM300K for a little roof over our heads and slog our daily lives just to find enough moolah to survive and feed our children, put them through school and work until we die, only to have our children take over our debt and burden and slog their lives away, from one generation to another.

Racial polarization is getting worse by the day, no thanks to stupid swines with brains the size of peas stirring racial disharmony. Frankly, these shit stirrers are just full of hot air, looking to create problems among the rakyat. Malaysians are generally a peaceful society, with everyone getting long well and harmoniously. It's just the last 15 to 20 years, that you see and read more and more news about this race stabbing that race, that race asking for more quota and saying other races should be grateful. And now the politicians are asking us, the good rakyat, the live with all the racial insults, because he says "it's normal, deal with it". But when YOU say something that sounds remotely bad about his race or even question the constitution, he wants you arrested under the ISA and wants to tear your limbs out.

And as pricing for consumer goods increases, the good people of Malaysia will once again have to tighten their belts and live with the fact that the Ringgit is shrinking even more. Ubah gaya hidup, as our politicians always tells us. Then let me ask you politicians... Do you Ubah gaya hidup when you tell the rakyat to do so? Fucking morons can't live without their LVs, Guccis and overseas holidays...!

Oh by the way, electricity tariffs are going up effective 1st June 2011, by at least 7%. So yea, be prepared to fork out more for your electricity oh.

Sorry, I was merely ranting for the sake of ranting. Will be exercising my vote when the time comes.

2011-05-27T12:21:00.000+08:00

Keep Running...

Just some of the running events hubby and I have signed up for the year so far. NTV7's Feel Good Run and the annual Shape Night Run @ Putrajaya.

NTV7's run is on 3rd July, while the Shape run is at the end of July 2011, which means we have 2 runs in the same month XP The NTV7 run is actually a charity event, and the fee is a mere RM 25 for the 7KM route with a goodie bag and t-shirt (an extra RM 5 if you sign up online via Hooha.asia). We've also signed up for the Shape/Men's Health run, as we had fun during last year's event so heck! Go for it! Siong aaaahhhh!!!

2011-05-25T21:08:00.001+08:00

Swee Garden @ Nibong Tebal, Penang.

Hubby and I recently made a quick trip back to his hometown, to celebrate his father's birthday with the family. When I mentioned that we'll be making the short trip up North, my parents kept telling us about this famous place in Nibong Tebal, which apparently serves really good deep fried pork trotter. Even my sister's in-laws in Sabah have heard and been there before, and they these guys are serious pork lovers.

The place can't be wrong, right? Armed with the directions my dad gave us (they don't remember the restaurant name at all, but they know how to get there, and that the place has a lot of flies LOL!), we decided to time our journey to try to reach the restaurant in time for lunch.

I was surfing through my my iPhone, trying to see if I could get the address, or at least some clearer directions to get to the restaurant, but alas, all the info I found was "It is located behind Maybank."

-________-" ... So much for getting clearer info.

It was actually really easy to find, provided you keep to the correct lane. Our first attempt, we took the wrong road and ended up in some housing area just off the highway (thanks to my dad for telling me to take the wrong road). The place is relatively easy to find. Just exit Nibong Tebal on the NPE. After you pay the toll, take a left and drive into town. You'll see a huge overhead steel bridge right in front. Go up the bridge and immediately keep left. There's a slip road on the left which acts like a U-turn to get under the bridge and down to the other side. You'll also immediately see Maybank the moment you reach the top of the bridge, so things get easy from there. Once you're under the bridge, just follow the road which will lead you to the Maybank building. You'll see Swee Garden restaurant just behind the bank.

Appetizer: Baby octopus drizzled with garlic oil.

Since it was just the both of us, we opted for 2 dishes, no rice. This is the first dish we ordered. Baby octopus drizzled with garlic oil, which my parents had also highly recommended. Baby takos, I call them :D Portions were generous, and the octopus was really crunchy! You know how if you blanch squid in hot water, chances are the texture might become rubbery and chewy? In this case, the octopus is crunchy and fresh, you can hear yourself biting into it. And because of Nibong Tebal's close proximity to the sea, I hear that seafood is pretty fresh around here.

Main course: Deep friend pork trotter. RM 53.

Next up, the main course. Deep fried pork trotter! The skin was crispy and the meat, succulent. OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM! And it comes with some sweet and sour tangy sauce, though hubby prefers to taste the original flavour. We saw several tables also having the same thing, so this must be right. We also saw several tables ordering other seafood dishes like clams, stingray and fish. Must make a note to try them one day :D

Snort!

And this is what we had for dinner, on the same day.....! Oinkerzzzz!!!!!

2011-05-23T22:15:00.000+08:00

Tortilla Pizza With Mushrooms, Bacon, Spinach and Cheese
One of our simple favourites, using tortilla wraps as a pizza base. It's simple, cheap and best of all easily available from your local supermarket. Truth is, I'm just too lazy to make my own pizza dough, hence buying them wraps off the shelf was the next best thing LOL!

Pizzas are like, the easiest meals to make. All you need is some strips of meat, some vegetables like spinach or basil leaves if you want something more pungent, and cheese as toppings. Pop it into a hot oven and your meal is done.

This pizza is one of our favourites.... tortilla with spinach, bacon and mushrooms, topped with 3 types of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar and feta).

Ingredients:
2 tortilla wraps
4-5 tbps of pasta sauce (if you prefer more sauce, just top up)
A handful of baby spinach, soaked and washed
Strips of bacon (the more the merrier!)
Mushrooms (shiitake, swiss brown or white buttons works well)
Mozzarella cheese
Cheddar cheese
Feta cheese
1 tps butter

In a medium heat pan, sear the bacon until crispy. Once they're done, set them aside. Using the same pan, sear the mushrooms until fragrant. Set side.

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC (top and bottom heat) for 20 minutes. Spread a sheet of aluminum foil and place a piece of tortilla wrap on top. Using a spoon, scoop some pasta sauce and spread it onto the tortilla wrap. Sprinkle some cheese on top and place the 2nd layer of tortilla above the first piece. Repeat the pasta and cheese process again (remember to shred enough cheese for the topping part!).

Spread the spinach generously, followed by the bacon and mushrooms. Top the tortilla with the remaining feta, cheddar and mozzarella. Bake for 20mins at 175ºC, using top and bottom heat for the first 15mins, and then switching to top heat only for the last 5mins, to brown the mozzarella. Depending on your oven, do watch the browning, you don't want the cheese to be too brown and burnt.

Serves 2. Or 1, if you're a big eater.

2011-05-12T15:07:00.000+08:00

Boosting Productivity

This will totally screw up your productivity hours HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

2011-05-08T17:17:00.000+08:00

Milo Sejuk

Nestlé recently introduced a new product to their line of Milo. Called Milo Sejuk, which means "Cold Milo" in English, the good people at Nestlé claimed that this new product is like drinking Milo from their infamous green Milo truck. All you have to do is add cold water.

The famous cold Milo, right here in a little green sachet. You're kidding....! What can possibly compare to the Milo from the Milo truck...?!? Everyone knows the Milo from the Milo truck is chilled, creamy, malty and to-die-for. It's so good, people will queue up for seconds... and thirds...

So hubby and I being a crazy couple, decided to get a box of Milo Sejuk sachets and put it to the taste test.

We bought a box of 15 sachets, but you can buy smaller box of 6 sachets instead from most supermarkets.

The huge blue "SEJUK" word splashed right across the packaging. And all you have to do is add cold water. And because we bought the bigger box, we got a free glass mug too. Now if you were expecting a big-ass glass mug, think again...

This is the actual size of the glass mug. And it in, is about 180ml of water. According to the instructions, to enjoy your glass of Milo Sejuk, pour 180ml of water into a glass, empty the sachet into the glass, stir and enjoy your drink. Well, judging by how much 180ml of water really is, I'm guessing this mug is the "ideal" mug to enjoy your Milo Sejuk from. And if you have caught the Milo Sejuk's TV commercial lately, the lad is enjoying his Milo Sejuk from this exact mug.

My guess is... You can't use too much of water to make the Milo Sejuk, because it will dilute the taste and render the whole "drinking from the Milo truck" experience totally down the drain. So for this taste test, I kept the mug in the fridge to make sure both water and mug are chilled to perfection. Then, I ripped open a sachet, emptied its content into the chilled Milo mug and gave it a stir.

As you can clearly see in the picture above, the powder doesn't totally dissolve. So much for "just add cold water". I guess no matter how they tweak the ingredients, powder is still powder. Maybe next time I'll just add a little bit of hot water to dissolve the powder a little, then add the cold water.

What about the taste? Does it really resemble the Milo from the green truck? Sadly, not even close. It's Milo all right, just not Milo from the Milo truck. Heck, even my mum said she can make this drink herself, no need for instant Milo Sejuk. I have to give it to Nestlé though, for coming up with a very brave claim and product. Good try guys, but yeah, still a long road from really coming up with something as good as your Milo truck.

2011-05-04T21:11:00.000+08:00

Sincerity, Is Short-lived For Some
It's hard to fine sincerity within the society these days. Everyone is thinking for themselves now. Hardly can you come across people who would willingly think of other person without first thinking what they can get out of it. Sad but true.

There's this old man living in my condo who fits this bill. He's retired and has plenty of time in his hands. And with his free time, he seems to have taken a great liking into creating a campaign for himself, rallying his fans to throw their support behind him as a great leader of the community. He owns but one condo unit, yet thinks he owns the entire condo project, and throws his weight around like he built the damn place.

Quite funny if you think about it. Here it is, a retired old man with too much time and wild imagination, walking around bossing people and spreading rumours and lies and even threats. And you know what's even more surprising? That there are people that actually believe in his words (which most of the time, have no facts to back them up) and actually support his cause. Like a bunch of sheep, following a bad leader.

Do you call these people stupid or just plain ignorant? I say it's both.

This old man truly believes he's God's gift to the community, the one and only saviour. He feels he's the only person that can run the JMC and condo to the very best. He enjoys creating wild stories of the committee spending ruthless amounts on wasted projects, and again with no facts to back his words up. And yet his "people" believe in him. He's a good salesman, that I can give him. He's also an opportunist, looking for ways to make a quick buck. Several years ago, when there was a sudden surge of break-ins, this old man started selling locks above the market rate. And people bought from him. Go figure.

I hate to see such people existing, walking and roaming the world with us. Makes the world an ugly place to live. I believe in karma, and I'm sure people like this old man, will meet his match one day. May not be today or tomorrow or even next month, but some day we will all meet our Maker, and have to be accountable for all our actions during our living days.

They say people with evil hearts usually live much longer, while the good die young. Maybe this old man will live a long life, but I don't think it's going to be a very pleasant life, judging by his evil heart and actions.

2011-04-30T20:09:00.002+08:00

Beauty Within Difficult Times

Once a while, when things seem so difficult... When the hurdles seem too tall for you to jump over... When everything you do seem to just not work out... And despite the hard work you've put into it, it still comes back and bites you in the ass... And you feel like giving up...

Why is life sometimes so difficult? Why does life throws you into such deep ends and not offer you a life line? What have you done to deserve such treatment? What did you miss? So many questions, yet so few answers.

This is life. It's full of trials and tribulations. Like it or not, life does suck once a while. As much as we want things to go smoothly each time, one a while life will throw a wrench to our plans and change everything.

We break down when things don't go the way we want them to be. Sometimes we don't even know why we're to blame for whatever that happens. People will always like to point fingers at someone else, some out of sheer ignorance, others to shift the burden from themselves. Why are we so susceptible to such?

Simple. We're humans. And we have emotions. And sometimes we do things to protect those emotions. We divert. We avoid. We hide. We blame.

However, we should also not forget that life is beautiful. And we do not face life alone. We are never alone. We have our family, our friends, ourselves. For every down side to things, there is the upside to it. We must also remember to keep our chins up and our spirits high. For everything that is ugly also has a beautiful side to it.

It may seem impossible to find beauty when times are difficult, but it's there somewhere. We just have to look harder.

2011-04-28T18:58:00.000+08:00

We're Moving!

Not me and hubby, more like my workplace has decided to uproot to a new location in Petaling Jaya.

Seeing that the lease here in Centerpoint BU is up, my bosses have decided to move everyone to a new location. Now we all know moving is a big process. First you have to find a suitable location, taking into consideration the many factors involved, such as accessibility, ease of public transportation, food options, room availability to rent and car park areas.

After you find a new place, you have to sign the agreement, whatever paperworks that come along etc. Oh, all the above, should at least be done a few months prior to the due date of the lease and the actual moving date, just so you have buffer time to plan and make arrangements for whatever that comes along. Don't wait till the last minute, that's just bad planning.

Bosses decided to move into a bungalow house within the vicinity of Section 17. This is meant to be a temporary hideout first, as we're still in need of something with a bit more space really. So yea, the next 2 days will be spent packing and labeling stuff, so that when the movers come, they can just grab, load everything into the truck and transport them over to the new place.

2011-04-22T21:38:00.000+08:00

Durian, The King of Fruits

Image taken from here.

Some say, if you don't eat the durian than you're not a true Malaysian. I find that statement very funny, and can't help agree with it somewhat LOL!

Most Malaysians love durians. I say most because I do know some people who utterly detest the fruit. To durian lovers, the whiff of the fruit is like an aromatic spice lingering in the air, enticing your senses and taste buds. Just the smell of it makes you drool and crave for it. To those that hate the fruit, the smell is like wet socks and rotten cheese rolled into one, irking your nostrils and inducing vomit.

You know it's durian season when you see roadside stall setting up and displaying the fruit in rows. The durian sellers, equipped with a knife and glove in one hand, will go around selecting the durian, sniff it and give it a shake to "hear" the seeds inside to determine the quality. It is said that if you can "hear" the seeds rocking about, it's a good durian.

Hubby and I enjoy eating this fruit. We don't consume much of it because this is a heaty fruit and OD-ing on it is just asking for a sore throat to happen. One time, we were on our way up north, and we made a quick stop at one of the many larger R&R along the North-South highway. We had no cravings for durian then. But the moment the car stopped and I opened my door.... WHOOSH! A strong whiff of durian just hit our faces, and the fruit wasn't even in sight yet!

Yes, the power of the durian. Just the smell is enough to attract you to it...! We ended up buying and eating one from the stall :P

There are many types of durian. D24, D2, D8, Raja Kunyit, Udang Merah and the Musang King are just some of the many types of durian available in Malaysia. Honestly, if you ask me, I wouldn't know how to differentiate them at all. My dad always tells me to go for kampung durians, and to avoid the D24s because this type is usually loaded with pesticides.

One time, hubby and I, together with a few friends, organized a food trip to Penang, and thedurian buffet was one of the highlights of the trip. Boy did we have a good tummy-filling time! Another time, a friend had recommended we buy durians from this particular mobile stall in SS2, he said they only sell the Musang King and the quality is very good. So hubby and I went there one fine day and bought 3 durians from them, possibly the most expensive fruit ever: 3 durians for RM100++ :P

Some interesting durian eating practices you would've heard of before...

1) After eating durians, take one of the empty shell, fill the concave part with drinking water, and drink the water. It is said to curb the heatiness the durian might bring to your body.

2) After eating durian, make a glass of warm salt water and drink, also to curb the heatiness.

3) Having trouble getting rid of the durian smell from your fingers? Place the durian shell under running water, and place your hands underneath the shell to wash your hands. The smell will be gone! Well, most of it anyway.

2011-04-17T17:16:00.001+08:00

Energizer Night Race Malaysia 2011

The recent weekend was abuzz with news about the poorly organized Energizer Night Race, held at Sepang on Saturday, April 16th 2011. I got to know about the news through a friend via Twitter, and boy, talk about a brand being flushed down the drain.

Apparently the race was so badly organized that the participants took their anger to the Energizer Night race Facebook page. Wave after wave of comments poured into the wall, all full of anger and frustration. Energizer really got hit badly in this tsunami, the brand has seriously suffered a major whipping. All thanks to the event company which they had engaged to manage the race. Some of the complains I read from their FB page were about:

1) No clear indications to direct traffic/race route.
2) Having to pay an extra RM 10 for parking.
3) Participants were yelled at, and called hooligans.
4) Goodie bag line was disorganized and resulted in many not getting it.
5) Not enough headlamps for the night run.
6) Not enough water stations were provided.
7) No proper medical support was made available.
8) Many did not receive their finisher medals, certificates etc.
9) Participants had to squeeze through a narrow tunnel (now famousl dubbed the "Tunnel of Death").
10) Comments were being deleted.

What we're witnessing is a the power of social media. Within minutes, the flood gates had opened and a brand is being swept into the grave. I seriously hope the people at Energizer do some form of damage control, because as of now, things seem to only be getting worse. News of deleted comments is spreading like wild fire, and it's only going to rub more people the wrong way.

I don't know if the FB page is managed by Energizer themselves, or by the event company they had engaged to organize the run, but one thing for sure.... Because of this poorly organized event, the brand has suffered a tremendous blow.

The strength of your brand is what your consumers determine it to be. Now with such bad publicity (no thanks to your event company, Expose Media, for screwing up your brand after this event), it's best to think about ways to counter this problem soon. An apology is not going to buy any hearts at the moment I reckon. Energizer should even consider sueing the event company for tarnishing their reputation now.

It's quite sad to see how some event companies are out to scam the public. I've heard about runs that were marred with bad management. Kinda kills the spirit of having fun during a run. Now I'm hoping NTV7's "Feel Good Run" won't suffer the same fate as Energizer. A blessing for hubby and me too, as we had thought of participating in this Energizer run but decided not too cos we both thought the fee was rather high. Otherwise I'll be one of the 10,000 peeps ranting about it!

2011-04-15T12:15:00.001+08:00

Tired Kitteh

Plonk!

2011-04-13T14:58:00.000+08:00

Quest To Find The Pair
For the past month, I'm on a quest to find a new pair of contact lenses brand which would suit my eyeballs.

You see, when I first started wearing contact lenses, I had to try a few brands before finding one that I was comfortable with. I started out with Bausch & Lomb, which was OK. I also tried Freshkon but that pair didn't work out, because the moment I put it on, my eyes disagreed to it immediately. Then my optician gave me Cibavision's Focus Toric, and I was wearing it for a good 4 years+... before they decided to stop manufacturing it.

Bummer. So now I'm back to testing out a few trial lenses my optician gave me.

My first pair of trial lenses were from Biomedic. My optician asked me to try this pair first and see if my eyes were agreeable to it. Cost wise, it was almost the same as my previous Cibavision brand too. My first impression/feeling about Bimoedia lenses wasn't very encouraging, as I could "feel" the edges of the lenses from time to time. There was no pain, just the feeling of the lenses was a little bother. Plus I noticed if I moved my eye balls too fast, my eyes will take a while to refocus. And the worse part is, half way during the 3rd week of wearing Biomedics, one of the lenses tore during rinsing LOL! XP I've never experienced a torn lens before, not even when I was wearing Cibavision.

My second trial pair of contact lenses is from Acuvue Oasys. This product is said to contain HYDRACLEAR® Plus technology that creates a more wettable, ultra smooth contact lens especially for when your eyes need to be up to the challenge. My optician shared with me that this brand is highly recommended and I should give it a try, although the cost is also higher because it's a bi-weekly type of contact lenses. As I'm drafting this blog post, it's Day 1 on Acuvue Oasys, and I must say my eyeballs are feeling quite good :) Although I'm not sure if it's my astigmatism sometimes that's causing the bits of blurness once a while. I'll have to see how the lenses are by the end of its 2-week lifespan before commenting more on it.

I still have one more brand of trial lenses to try, which is from Biofinity. I did some research on it and according to my optician, both Acuvue Oasys and Biofinity is said to be the highest in terms of quality (not the mention cost). And if my eyes don't agree with both these brands, she'll be really lost for words LOL!

Here's hoping my quest to find a new pair of comfortable contact lenses will yield some results :D

2011-04-06T18:45:00.004+08:00

Hiatus
Oli will be away for a few days. Taking some time off to chillax a bit with hubby and a few close friends. Kinda like an annual thing for the both of us :)

We'll be heading to this little hideout for a while~ I'll catch you guys when I get back to the real world. Till then, ta!

2011-04-04T22:40:00.002+08:00

Breakouts

About a month ago, I decided to get myself a brand new foundation, as my previous one was finishing up and I thought of trying out a pretty well known brand in the market: Bodyshop. I don't usually cake my face with a lot of stuff, just a light foundation, a bit of concealer and I'll draw my eyebrows. That's pretty much it.

So I figured, Bodyshop should be ok. My main criteria for a foundation is, the formula must be light and oil free. So I got myself a foundation from Bodyshop one fine day and started using it. Things were pretty okay at first.

Then the breakouts started T.T Small pimples started to pop around my forehead and on my temples.

At first I couldn't exactly pinpoint the cause. Then I figured, my usual regime hasn't changed. The only new introduction was the foundation and new face wash. I decided to stop both and let my skin repair itself. I even made a yogurt and honey mask, and have been applying it everyday to help soothe the skin.

The moment I stopped the new products, there were no more new breakouts. Looks like I've identified the cause T.T Perhaps it's something in the product that's causing my sensitive skin to suffer the recent breakouts. Something which my previous foundation brand, has never given me. I'm sticking to Sothys for now, at least I know it won't give me pimples.

As for my skin, well, it's repairing, and the yogurt honey mask is helping to soothe it. There's still some light blemishes due to the breakouts, it's gonna take some time for it to fade :/

2011-03-28T19:41:00.002+08:00

Face It, Or Run Away?

I bet you've encountered this before, or heard of it from someone. A certain so-and-so is tasked to a certain role and responsibility, and is consulted on what the job would entail. And as with all jobs in this world, there are good clients and there are not-so-good clients.

The good ones make you smile and it's a pleasant experience to work with.

The not-so-good ones tend to make your life difficult, and might even be demeaning to your mental well being. Well, not all of them are like that really, most are just plain stupid and in need of some serious guidance. Only a handful are really fucked up.

Likewise in any job, you're bound to have to deal with a mix of good and bad clients. That's just the way things are. So what do you do? You find ways to deal with it. Build a good rep with the clients. The bad ones would probably take longer, and might even make you feel like shooting someone. But that's just the way the world works. Nothing comes easy.

Dealing with people is always the toughest part of any job. People are alive, they have minds and mouths and emotions and moods. Just because you come across one difficult client, doesn't mean it's the end of the world and you go crying to your mummy and say you can't handle the job. That only makes you look like you give up easily, doesn't it?

We deal with people everyday. Everywhere we go, we deal with people. Get use to it.

I know of a family friend, whose son chose to keep studying. Why? Because he doesn't want to find a job. He says he can't handle the idea of working with people. He would rather just hit the books and live off his parents.

Like... WTF?!

Some of the people I've come across, are pretty pampered too. Pampered in a sense, a little bit of challenge and hardship, could be just too much for them to bear. They would feel that reality is just too hard to cope, and would rather choose the easy way out of things.

I don't mean to generalize, but I have come across quite a few who fall into this category. They will show you this helpless face, like they just don't know what to do and want to break into tears. Oh woe is me~

All the As and certificates in the world don't mean a thing if you can't stand up.

2011-03-24T23:03:00.000+08:00

Honey Mustard Roast Chicken

Most of the time mustard goes well with pork, but this recipe proves that mustard can also go with chicken (maybe not the most perfect combo, but still pretty ok). OK, I know the outcome is not very flattering, but that's because all the honey had caramelized a little during the roasting process. Don't be fooled by the look, it's actually pretty awesome ^.^

Mustard is known to have a pretty strong after taste. However, I noticed that when used for roasting meat, the taste is actually quite mild. You get the taste of it, but it's not overwhelming. Here's my honey mustard roast chicken recipe to share.

Ingredients

Half a chicken (for 2 pax)

1 tbps Dijon mustard

1 tbps mustard seed

1 tbps honey

1tps thyme

Drizzle of olive oil

Clean and pat dry the chicken. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients up into a paste, and slather on the paste all over the chicken. Leave it to marinate overnight, or at least a few hours before roasting. Preheat the oven to 190°C for 20 minutes. You can place the chicken either on a oven proof dish, or in a pan. Roast for 40 minutes, or until chicken is fully cook. You can use a knife to poke the meatiest part of the chicken, and if the juices run clear, the chicken is ready.

2011-03-22T17:44:00.000+08:00

Updates

I've been lagging in blogging off late. Sometimes I have no inspiration to blog. Sometimes I'm just lazy. Often times I'm preoccupied with other stuff to get to drafting a blog post.

So what has Oli been up to lately? Well, my workplace is abuzz with a hive of activities. Conversations of where to have lunch, trash talks, new projects, existing projects, how some clients are pure idiots and should just stay away from the computers, how some clients are really nice people to work with, how to lose weight, what to do during the weekend, where to shop, where to not shop, who's hot and who's not etc etc.

Oh yes, and a group of us has plans to climb Mount Kinabalu next year :) Huzzah!!!

We took advantage of the recent AirAsia sale and got ourselves really cheap flight tickets to Sabah next year. All of us being really gungho (Siong ahhhh!), decided to conquer the highest peak in Malaysia, and hopefully, live to tell the tale (and maybe boast a bit about our conquest to the future generation).

It's a fairly large group this time around, some of whom are going up for the second time (gungho!). We've been giving each other encouragements, and also telling each other to start training for the climb.

I don't know how many have actually started preparing for the physical aspects, but I've been keeping myself in check, and exercising regularly. I need to further build my stamina and endurance for the climb.

Over the weekend I (together with hubby) decided to join my colleagues at Kiara Park for an early morning run/walk. It was an invigorating morning exercise, and my calves are feeling it right now LOL! Running up the slopes wasn't easy at all. I could barely run one full round without stopping to catch my breath. Goes to show I still have a long way to build my stamina and leg strength...! The slopes were steeeeeep! The next 2 round we walked, before heading back downhill to grab some breakfast.

We also dropped by SS 2 mall to catch the cat show. One of my colleague was entering his kitten and we decided to just pop over and show some support. We saw so many pussies there, pun intended XP Some of the cats were just soooo pretty! I might just kidnap one home :P

Rawr... I'm the next Mac OS cat!

Oh, and this big guy you see here? He's a Main Coon, and he's GINORMOUS! I've never seen this breed of cat before, and he's HUGE! I thought he was a mini lion on display! I was telling hubby, if ever Apple runs out of big cats to name their OS, this is the next Mac OS cat!

And he wasn't the biggest Main Coon in the cat show. Over on the other side, we saw another Maine Coon, only 3 years old, and weighs 9 kilos. His name is Prince, and his owner says he hasn't reached his mature age yet, so he's still growing o.O If you can't imagine how heavy 9 kilos is, go carry a 10 kilo bag of rice, that's the closest weight I can think of.

2011-03-20T17:45:00.000+08:00

Pasta Mania!

Sometimes all you want is a simple home cook pasta, no frills, no fuss. And this is what we wold usually whip up at home. A simple beef pasta, or you can replace it with minced chicken or bacon if you don't eat beef.

Ingredients:

Pasta of any kind (enough for two)

Beef cubes (bite size - marinate with some olive oil, salt & pepper for a few hours first before cooking)

A few cloves of garlic, minced.

2 tbps extra virgin olive oil

1 tbps butter

1 cup pasta sauce

Some dry herbs like thyme or dried parsley

Ground black pepper

Some fresh parsley for garnishing

Cook pasta according to the recommended time printed on the packet. When pasta is almost done, heat up another pan using medium heat. Melt the butter together with the olive oil (this is to ensure the butter doesn't burn). Sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, then add the beef and stir fry until beef is almost cooked. Pour the pasta sauce and stir, adding the black pepper and sprinkling the herbs in. Drain the pasta and add it into the sauce and stir until the pasta is all coated nicely in the sauce. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese. Noms~~~

2011-03-16T19:49:00.000+08:00

Namo Amithaba Japan
The recent earthquake and devastating tsunami which struck the northern coast of Japan shock the whole world. The world was just buzzing with nonstop news about the catastrophic event, be it in Facebook, Twitter, your local daily bla bla bla. Bukak mulut aje, the topic is about Japan.

My colleagues and I were watching the live streaming via Al-Jazeera on Friday afternoon, not long after the first tsunami wave struck the coast. Watching the water engulf the lands, pushing cars, trucks and houses like little Lego bricks, leaving a trail of destruction in its path. A rampage. It was freaky just watching the live streaming. Gave me goose bumps to be honest.

As I was watching the stream, I remembered my cousin who is studying in Nagasaki, Japan. She had just completed her course and was on holiday, so she could be anywhere! I normally see her online in MSN, but that fateful day she wasn't online. I quickly text her, since I heard all telecommunication lines were down in Japan, in hopes she can receive my message and reply. Thankfully, she replied me about 20 minutes later, to say she's fine and safe.

And the worst is not over yet. The nuclear reactor's explosions are causing jitters everywhere. I pray for the brave employees at the nuclear power plant, sacrificing their lives and safety to try to contain the radioactive substances from contaminating the rest of the world. And yet we have some sohai FLOM who is saying the catastrophe was due to negligence and the implementations of non eco-friendly projects. Really mensiasuekan rakyat Malaysia, tsk tsk~

Namo amithaba Japan. You are a strong country. May your people overcome this horrific event and grow stronger by the day.

2011-03-07T19:20:00.001+08:00

Darling, Carry My Bag
I'm sure you have come across such a sight:- You're in a shopping mall, and you see some couple walking past you. Nothing unusual really, except that the guy is carrying his girlfriend/wife's handbag, sling across his shoulders.

WTF...?!?

No offense to men out there, but seriously?! Why would you let your man carry your handbag? Why can't you carry your own bag? You have arms, right? You're not crippled, right? So why can't some women carry their own handbags? Why ask your man to carry it for you? And men, why are you carrying them?

Maybe some women find it adoring for their man to carry their handbags. "Oh my darling so nice, carry my handbag for me". Woman, have you any idea what sort of image you're giving to your man? It's not cute at all. You're turning your man into a wuss. A man carrying a Coach/LV/Gucci tote bag, or any other label for that matter, makes a man look wussy. What's worse is seeing a man carrying frilly handbags OMG O.O

It's just me, but I truly find the act of asking your man to carry your bag, a total wussy act of condemnation against the true nature of being a man. Let the man be a man. Carry your own fucking bag lah, you bought the damn thing to hold your purse and lipstick, right? And your arms are working perfectly fine right? If the man wants to carry a bag, ask him to go get a man bag.

Hubby says, these men that carry their womens' bags... they need to be "maninized" LOL. I so agree.

I will never let my hubby carry my handbag, nor does he want to carry it really. Unless I'm in the fitting room or my hands are really full, then maybe I'll ask him to hold it for a sec. But to carry it around while window shopping? I'll shoot myself first. Or maybe he'll shoot me first.

2011-03-01T12:11:00.000+08:00

Only Time Will Heal
They say time will heal all wounds. Sometimes I feel even time alone may not be enough the heal all wounds.

A friend of mine lost her child in the second trimester recently. And it pains me to hear such news. Having gone through two miscarriages myself, I know the mental and emotional anguish one would go through when one is told of such sad news. Heck, it's been a few years since the 2 incidents and I'm still healing from it. Some days I can talk about it with ease, some days I can break down and just cry.

And to be honest, there are days when the news of some friends getting pregnant, or sometimes even the sight of a pregnant woman, can bring back some sad emotions, which I try as much to delete, but no matter how hard I try to forget, it will forever be in my memories. I've stopped asking questions which I know will never bring me any answers, hence that was one big part of my healing process. Although deep down inside, sometimes I do wish science can give me some explanation, to pacify me. Heh!

And you know what's the hardest part? When you hear words which were not meant to reach your ears. How some people would start commenting about your state and think there's something wrong with you, when there really isn't. Their ignorant and naive minds fail them completely, thus resulting in them uttering not-so-pleasant words. Even though they may not mean it, the words were spoken at the wrong time and just came out with a completely different meaning.

So yea, to those who think you know it all, shut the fuck up. You were spared from all that anguish, so consider yourself lucky. A miscarriage can happen at any trimester, at any moment when you least expect it to occur, right down to the the date of delivery and in the labour room. Have a heart, and if you have nothing to say, don't say anything.

To my dear friend, I hope that you are able to find the strength in yourself to weather through this difficult stage. If you need to talk to someone, do give me a call anytime and I'll try my best to comfort you. I may not be the best consultant in the world, but at least I can offer you a shoulder to cry on for a while.

2011-02-25T22:33:00.002+08:00

Paranoid
Got myself a Speck Pixelskin HD casing for my new toy recently (from a vendor in LYN), and I'm happy with it :) Before getting the casing, I felt the phone was so delicate, was afraid to lift it too high for fear my palms might get sweaty and the phone might just slip and fall onto the ground and shatter into a million pieces. Also because I'm not really used to the smooth feel of the phone. I prefer to hold on to something a bit more "solid". I decided on this casing after reading reviews about it, and this was done a few months before I got the phone.

Yes, call me anal, but I like to do some research before making a purchase. Blek!

Image taken from here.

Yes, I am paranoid and I blame my boss for it XP You see, a few months back, his iPhone 4 fell onto the ground, and he did not realise the screen had shattered until later, when he took the phone out to use. The phone was housed inside a leather casing, and it fell in the office, carpeted floors. When it fell, there was no sound. My boss only realised something was wrong when he heard some loose rattling inside the casing. Costed him RM 600 to repair the screen. Ouch!

Since then, everyone is kinda paranoid with their iPhones now, harhar! Some even decided to hold off the idea of switching to the iPhone 4, because of its fragile state. Yes, a shattered iPhone right in front of your eyes does nasty things to your imagination.

Good thing about having the same phone in office is that I don't have to worry if I left my USB cable at home and need to charge my phone, as I can always borrow from my colleagues here, hehe!

2011-02-22T10:45:00.000+08:00

Bangun Pagi, Gosok Gigi...

How many of you still remember this song from your primary school days...?

Bangun pagi, gosok gigi~

Cuci muka, pakai baju~

Makan roti, minum susu~

Pergi sekolah, suka hati~

2011-02-18T21:00:00.000+08:00

iPhone 4

Photo from Apple.com

I've added to the iPhone statistics, got myself a set this week :) After much review reading, waiting, procrastinating, contemplating, thinking, pondering, debating, calculating, researching... and then more waiting... I finally got it.

Maybe it was sheer luck too, as everyone knows the iPhone is such a hot item now, and just about every Tom, Dick and Harry on the streets own one. When I was in Sg Petani during CNY, my BIL, who is in the mobile phone business, told hubby that DiGi's iPhone 4 stock will arrive on February 15th. I tried to check in Lowyat's forum, but no one could really verify if the news was true, so hubby suggested let's just go to the DiGi store and check things out.

So come February 15th morning, which was also a public holiday, we drove to Solaris @ Mon't Kiara and I went in to get a number. I also checked with the customer service counter if the iPhone was available, and they said YES! :D

So I sat there with hubby, and waited for my turn. Dum Dee Dum Dee Dum~~~ Saw a few people before me walking out carrying their new toy, and honestly, my heart was beating with anticipation.

Finally when my number was called, hubby and I walked to the guy and took our seats.

"You're here for the iPhone?", he asked.

"Yes. I'm a prepaid customer with DiGi and would like to get an iPhone package", I replied with much glee.

"Oh I see... You're the last person today the get the iPhone..."

*stunned for a moment*

It turned out, on that day, they only had 16 units up for grabs, and I was getting the very last available set for the day.

WHOOOOOAAAAA...!

Had I walked into the store 5 or 10mins later, I probably would've missed the chance to get the iPhone, and have to wait for the next shipment, which the DiGi representative said, was the day after and on Friday, both days I'm not able to make my way to the store at all. Talk about luck!

After about 2 hours of waiting time + registration + payment, I walked out with a brand new toy in my hands. So fragile, so delicate, so clean and shiny and fingerprint-free. It feels almost... too good to be true...!

Now before you think of me as some crazy iPhone follower, I've been meaning to switch to an iPhone ever since it was launched. I just never got around to getting it because:

1) When the iPhone was first launched (iPhone 3G), only Maxis was offering it. I didn't want to be on Maxis.

2) It was rather costly.

3) My trusty Samsung D820 was still serving me well.

Even when the iPhone 3GS was launched, I contemplated for a while, but put it off again because of other more important commitments. By then, so many of my friends were hopping into the iPhone bandwagon. iPhone sini, iPhone sana, iPhone semua. Even when DiGi started offering the iPhone 3GS, I was tempted, but resisted. I'm not the type to really just get something just because it's a trend. Plus when it comes to mobile phones, if I really see something that I really like, only then will I consider it. And even then, I deliberate A LOT.

Then the iPhone 4 wave came and swept the nation into a frantic queue for the latest Apple product. Again I didn't succumb due to more important commitments. My Samsung was still serving me, albeit the keys getting less sensitive, the battery life dying faster than usual and the power on-and-off tricks it would sometimes play.

Hubby knew how much I had fancied the iPhone, and said he will get me one when the opportunity arises. I was in no rush to get a new phone really, because the iPhone was such a hot commodity now, and stock is virtually non-existent sometimes! So I guess you could say, the eventful day of February 15th has really a lot to do with luck. That I would successfully get the iPhone, and the very last unit available for the day.

Now hubby can play Angry Birds anytime haha!

2011-02-10T17:46:00.005+08:00

Plastic Hazard
Our recent trip back to hubby's hometown for the lunar new year, besides being boring, also reiterated the fact that some of our local hawkers friends are anything but people with good hearts.

Now I'm sure many of you would've come across stories about how some deep fried snacks are actually cooked in boiling hot oil + melted plastic straws and bottles. It is said to be the trick of the trade: Melt some plastic into boiling hot oil, then dump your favourite snack into the oil to cook. The crunchiness is said to last for hours. Some also say that the fried shallots being sold, are actually deep fried raffia strings.

I've never seen this act with my own eyes before, but I've heard many stories about it already. Now we all will cringe when we hear such a dastardly act is being committed right in our own backyard. "OMFG you mean my favourite goreng snack is fried in plastic?!?"... "WTF how can these people be so evil?!?"... would be some of the many cries you would hear.

It seriously makes you wonder how society is these days. People are making people sick. Really sick. They don't care if it makes you sick. As long as their deeds can reap profits, just do it lah. You get sick, your problem lor. Terrible, right?

My BIL had a first hand account in regards to this "plastic in hot oil" act. He witnessed this hawker sliding in a couple of plastic bottles into the hot oil and questioned the dude. The dude replied "Banyak orang makan, takpe jugak."

So there you have it folks. Maybe it's time we stop consuming some of our favourite fried snacks from the hawkers and let them deal with bad karma that would befall their evil hearts. I guess I'll stop eating the famous SS 2 pisang goreng and lekor...

2011-02-08T21:20:00.002+08:00

The Red Packet

Ang Ang Ang...!

It's that time of the year again. When the singles get extra pocket money, and the married have to part with their pocket money. The infamous Chinese New Year red packet, or better known as angpows, are making their annual appearances and bringing much joy and laughter to little children and individuals that have yet to tie the knot.

According the Wikipedia, the angpow is mainly presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or on holidays such as the Lunar New Year. The red colour of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. Of course these days, not all angpows are red in colour. Some are pink, some are bright yellow and some are gold, though majority would still stick to the auspicious red colour.

The amount inside the angpow can vary, and most of the time immediate family members would usually get a more generous amount.

Angpows are also presented during Chinese wedding dinners, as a means to "pay for your share of the meal".

The practise is that if you're married, it's customary to give angpows to those that have yet to tie the knot and also to children. It's more of a tradition thingy, although in some cases, I have seen how some parents actually go all out to make sure their kids get their share of red packet.

I remember during my childhood days, I would collect all my angpows during the entire festive season and at the end of CNY, only open them on the 15th lunar day (the last day of CNY). My mum had cultivated the habit of saving our CNY stash into the bank, hence my sis and I never spent any of the money collected from CNY.

Of course these days, I don't save the CNY money, but instead, distribute my "wealth" now LOL!

2011-02-01T09:00:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2011 + Hiatus

May the Year of the Rabbit be a fruitful, healthy and productive one for all!!! Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone and have a safe journey back to your kampung! I'll catch you guys when I'm back ;)

Ain't I adorable?!?

2011-01-28T09:22:00.001+08:00

Animal Cruelty
Recently the public was shocked by a viral video of a guy beating up a poodle he was training to stand on its hind legs (read about it here). The video was posted on YouTube, and has since been taken down. For the past few days since the video was posted up in Facebook, it has probably garnered way more hits than any political scandal out there.

I didn't watch the complete video, because I couldn't stand the sight of a demented vermin smacking a little dog until it died. I can however, say that there's now a Facebook page and a hunt for the culprit and his girlfriend for filming the entire ugly episode, and bringing them to justice. I even heard some reports about knowing their identity, where they live and where they work, all unconfirmed though. Never the less, with the power of social media and the Internet, hopefully it won't take long before this couple be arrested and punished for their evil deed.

Now what would compel a human being to treat animals in such a cruel manner? What would make them start abusing animals (or another human being) in the first place? If you have watched the sick video, you may realise the tonality from the dude when he spoke to the dog, had a very very deep anger and frustration to it. It sounded as though he had a lot of pent up anger and psychotic emotions waiting to be unleashed or triggered. This could actually be a sign to a more serious underlying issue. Perhaps it could even lead to more heinous crimes like rape and genocide.

Probably what was equally as horrifying was that the girlfriend (who was reported holding the camera and had recording the entire episode), didn't even take any action to stop her beau from abusing the dog. All she did was kept saying "Dear, stop it la...". Perhaps another logical explanation to this was that she feared the guy would react and possibly hit her. Which again could prove a point that this dude could be some crazy mother fucker who several loose nuts in his head.

Sometimes it's quite easy to judge a person's character. If they can ill-treat animals, they can ill-treat humans. So, if a person can smack a pet, you can bet they can smack another person. This is what judgment should be like so such animal abusers. You smacked a dog, you get smacked. You burnt a cat, you get burnt yourself. Whatever damage and torture you did to those animals, you should receive the same kind of torture. And I'll like to see you cry when the torture process is being done on you.

Yes I'm demented that way, MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

2011-01-23T11:32:00.001+08:00

Wong Lai/Ong Lai

Got some really cute CNY ornaments from a nearby hypermarket over the weekend. Pineapples are significant during the CNY festivities, because in Cantonese, it's pronounced as "wong lai" or "ong lai" in Hokkien, which the Chinese relates to as wealth coming to your way. As a typical Chinese person would say... "Fatt Fatt Fatt!"

2011-01-20T20:36:00.002+08:00

Simply Adorable!

Buy me! And me!

Aren't these the cutest slippers you have come across? Makes your feet simply happy and smiley all day long :D :D :D Got them from a stall at the bridge between Ikano and The Curve,

RM 15 per pair, RM 26 for two pairs.

2011-01-16T21:56:00.002+08:00

Simple Meals

A simple dinner of cheesed baked dory, potatoes and bread, accompanied with some good ol' olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A nomming good time on a peaceful Sunday :)

2011-01-11T15:54:00.003+08:00

Soft Baby Back Ribs With Dry Rub

*Super non-halal post.

We were grocery shopping at Carrefour over the weekend and was at the non-halal section when we came across a beautiful slab of baby back ribs in the frozen area. The soft pastel-like pink shade of meat was practically dancing in front of our eyes, enticing us to buy it. We fell head over heels in love with the ribs and immediately bought it. And I had in mind to try a dry rub for this lovely slab of flesh!

*toing-toing-toing*

I Googled for a simple dry rub and found this via Allrecipes.com, plus this site is loaded with a wide variety of other recipes you can try out. I decided to tweak the recipe a bit, as the slab of ribs we got were good for 3 pax, just to test it out :P Here's my version of the dry rub:

Ingredients

Baby back ribs for 3 pax (approx 650 grams)

1 1/2 tbps brown sugar

1 tbps ground paprika

1 tbps garlic salt

1 tbps oregano (powdered version if you have)

1 tbps thyme (powdered version if you have)

3/4 tps ground black pepper

2 tps dijon mustard (to apply on ribs)

Dry rub mixture.

Clean and pat dry the ribs. Since I have dried oregano and dried thyme in my kitchen instead of the powdered version, I simple grind both the herbs until they become fine. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl (except for the mustard) and set aside.

Marinating the ribs.

Rub the mustard onto the ribs, just to give it a bit of moisture and also to help the dry rub stick to the meat better. Mustard always goes well with pork, *oink oink*. After that, simply sprinkle the dry rub onto the ribs and massage the meat. Keep refrigerated overnight, and when you're ready to grill them, pop the ribs into the oven and roast for about 20mins @ 190°C, or until meat is thoroughly cooked. Enjoy!

2011-01-09T22:22:00.001+08:00

42 inch

What's 42 inch, weighs 15.4kg, has a contrast ratio of 100,000 : 1, energy saving, has HDMI and allows you to plug in USB?

2011-01-08T13:33:00.003+08:00

The First Week

Holy cow! Has the first week of January 2011 just whiz by me without a blink of en eye?! OK, 2 eyes if you really want to be that anal. But really, the first week is almost over...!

This year marks a brand new year of responsibilities for the both of us. Be it work wise and investment wise, we're venturing into something new and learning from it continuously. I for one, am embracing it with mush gusto (if I didn't, things will fall apart LOL!).

I'm enjoying every moment of it, really I am. At times everything seems overwhelming, even tiring to a certain extent. However, I know that I'm not treading the path alone, and I have a wonderful hubby and supportive friends by my side. Sure makes things a hell lot easier to stomach :)

On a quiet Saturday like today, it's nice to be sitting on my comfy couch and just think about my life as a whole, be grateful for everything in my life, count my blessings and say a quiet prayer for myself and for my loved ones.

Serenity~~~

2010-12-31T18:55:00.000+08:00

The Year That Was
2010 is coming to an end soon, and before you know it, 2011 is banging on your front door and making its way into your life. How has my year been so far?

Well, to summarize it quite simply, 2010 has been quite a good year for me. There's been a few hiccups here and there, but generally the year has been a good and productive year for me and hubby as well.

Personal life wise, our relationship is stronger than ever :) Lovey-dovey as always, haha! Learning how to love more, tolerance, acceptance etc. All part and parcel of strengthening the relationship :) I love you sweetie *muaks muaks* I'm also looking to further improve on my running, perhaps take part in more running events in the coming year. Hopefully I can actually train myself to run further and longer haha!

Work wise, I've been doing well as well. Got a great team here and everyone is just fantastic and great to be with. 2010 also saw a few unpleasant episodes, that said, there were also many happy occasions. 2011 will also see me playing a more senior role, and being part of management will be quite a ride if I may add. Lots to learn, lots to do, lots to contribute :)

Here's hoping 2011 will bring even more optimism and positive energy to each and everyone on this planet.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

2010-12-28T19:04:00.000+08:00

Christmas Presents 2010

This year probably marks the year where I got the most bags for presents :D 3 bags in total! Woohoo!

First bag was a very cute bag organizer from Sewing Monster a.k.a Sasha. She called me one fine day and asked if I could meet her downstairs where she was sending her young son to Shichida classes, and I dropped by to say hi, and was greeted with a surprise gift. The bag is reversible too, how cool is that!

Second bag was from hubby, and was really spontaneous. I was helping him hunt for his Christmas present for his department's gift exchange (he has to buy for a female colleague), when I chanced upon this really cute tote bag from Living Quarters, 1Utama. I thought that the bag was a much better option, instead of getting the usual soap sets. While browsing through the selections, he decided to get me a tote bag as well, seeing how I found some of the designs really cute :P

Third bag was from our company gift exchange, and I got a really nice, handmade Christmas-y tote bag.

Banyaknya bag tahun ini, kekekekekekeke! *happy happy happy*

2010-12-27T18:54:00.000+08:00

Maru @ Mon't Kiara - 2010 Annual Company Dinner

No reference to the famous Japanese cat, Maru :P This was our venue for the company annual Christmas dinner, a Korean and Japanese restaurant somewhere in the heart of Mon't Kiara. Located inside Angkupuri Condominium, they specialize in Korean and Japanese fusion cuisines.

Maru: Korean and Japanese fusion cuisines.

Alfresco dining @ Maru.

Hubby and I were one of the first few to arrive, just before the rain came. Our reservations were actually alfresco, which would've been pretty nice as there was plenty of room to move around, plus when you're expecting a large noisy crowd like us, it's better to have the event outdoors :P However, the rain had other plans for us and it started to pour like nobody's business. The wind was practically blowing the rain into our faces and was gonna ruin all our makeup, hence the restaurant manager decided to move us indoors, into a private room. Good thinking on their part.

Some starters to begin with, a simple salad.

Once indoors, everyone had arrived by then and we sat cosily in an air-conditioned room. The salads came first.

Pretty cups @ Maru.

Some assortment of kimchi.

There was an assortment of kimchi served as well, good thing they came too as everyone was pretty hungry by then. While waiting for our mains, it was also time to end our Guardian Angel/Mortal game for the year. There was so much of laughter in the room, I think our stomachs were full of air by the time our mains came.

Salmon steak set.

Mains were pre-ordered before our arrival. The sets all came with a bowl of rice and miso soup. I thought my steak was rather oily, although the flavour was there.

Unagi set.

This was hubby's Unagi set, he loves unagi. It came in a pretty interesting box, not your usual bento box set. The unagi was a little on the sweet side and didn't have as much sauce as you would normally find in a typical Japanese restaurant, but it was not bad.

Sashimi Moriawase.

There was also an assortment of sashimi, served in a bamboo boat. 5 boats to be exact. There was salmon, tuna, yellowtail, tako (octopus), mackerel etc. Also some yummy green mussels, good source of zinc!

After all that eating and gobbling, it was time to for the gift exchange to take place. As usual, we had the Dirty Santa routine, which means whatever gift you think you're holding, will usually end up being someone else's gift. This year, the hot pick was a Moleskin gift box, courtesy of my boss. Almost everyone wanted it!

My winnings for the category "Best Dressed in Theme".

There was also an extra activity this year. My bosses had come up with a short list, and we were to vote who should win that particular award (e.g: Best dressed, Least complains etc"). I won the"Best Dressed in Theme" :P Actually it was rather accidental. The theme this year for Christmas was red, white and green. I was already in a green top and white slacks. Then I borrowed a scarf from my colleague to keep warm, which happened to be in red strips. Hence I was decked in full Christmas spirit!

Handmade tote bag.

This is my gift from the gift exchange, a handmade tote bag. Made by our intern's mum, I thought it was a really well made bag and priceless. I initially got a box with chocolates, candy and coffee, but as it's the Dirty Santa game and the person who initially got this bag said he doesn't know how to appreciate it because it's too girly for him, I exchanged my pressie for this bag :) This bag is so awesome, I can use it as my holiday tote bag!

2010-12-25T18:15:00.000+08:00

Secret of Louisiana - Christmas Eve Dinner 2010

Had a nice Christmas Eve dinner with some close friends of ours here recently. Actually, what really happened was when we found out the couple had made reservations here, 4 of us made the decision to join (read: gatecrash) the lovely couple on their romantic evening plan :PpPpP Fortunately they're a very good sport and 6 of us made our way to the restaurant. No need to deal with traffic jams downtown or brave the pack malls!

Exterior of the restaurant (on the left, red & green deco).
In between them is another restaurant.

I've heard of this place before, but have never made my way there. Located by the lakeside, I thought this place had a nice ambiance to it. Plus it was the Christmas season and everything was decked with Christmas decos, making the place rather cosy. The restaurant had 2 outlets, the first and original outlet being a corner lot, while the expansion is 2 doors away. So yea, there's actually another restaurant sandwiched between Secret of Louisiana.

The 2nd outlet just 2 doors away from the original outlet.

I'm not sure if this was the restaurant's usual practise, but our couple friend who made reservations earlier, had to pay a RM50 deposit for reservations. I guess they're afraid you don't show up at the last minute, particularly on a festive occasion and when the crowd is expected. When we arrived, most of the tables were seated already.

We scanned through the menu and we realised not all the items were available. I'm guessing they were trying to control their operations and when you're expecting large crowds on festive occasions, maybe it's a good idea to scale down your menu options and just focus on giving good service and good dinner experience. The prices for all the items available for Christmas Eve were increased as well (by at least 30%!). I guess F&B establishments will use the opportunity to make big bucks from festive occasions lah, if they don't cut your throat now, not much chance left!

6 of us decided to order our mains, and have some appetizers to share. We ordered 2 portions of Seafood Gumbo and half a dozen cheese baked escargot. Didn't take pictures of the appetizers, we were pretty famished and walloped everything when the dishes arrived :P The escargots was very nicely done, love the oozing cheesy garlic herb sauce! And the Seafood Gumbo was a really good starter too. Served with 3 slices of toasted french loaf (with garlic and butter), the Gumbo was loaded with a variety of seafood in a thick creamy sauce, baked with mozzarella. NYAAAAMMMMM!!!! ^.^

Louisiana Famous Shrimps Scampi pasta.

This is hubby's entreé, the Louisiana Famous Shrimps Scampi pasta. The shrimps are sautéed in cajun sauce, tomatoes, garlic and parsley, and the portion was pretty decent too. Hubby thoroughly enjoyed his entreé.

Chargrilled Rosemary Lamb Shoulder.

This is my entreé, the Chargrilled Rosemary Lamb Shoulder. In case you're wondering if it comes with fries, yes it does (see the fries behind the lamb?). The chargrilled flavour of the lamb lingers for a while as you sink your molars into the meat. I love lamb, awesome awesome piece of meat.

There were other entreés as well but I didn't take pictures of those as I was busy tucking into mine, heehee! Overall food was pretty good, nothing much to complain about. Only complain we had was that service was rather slow, and sometimes annoying. It takes a while to get the waitress's attention, and sometimes we wonder if they're just ignoring their customers or acting busy. One of the waitress was a really really blur sotong case, because my friend had placed an order for glass of iced lemon tea with her, but it never arrived. They even calculated our bill wrong, billing us for an extra lamb and extra drink, and forgot to deduct the RM50 deposit from our total bill.

Hubby and I will definitely make another trip to this restaurant, perhaps not during a festive occasion. Was told they also have a lunch set: Eat All You Can spaghetti set.

2010-12-20T13:59:00.002+08:00

Malakoff 12KM 2010

Before I start, holy cow...! Only 2 blog posts for the month of December :/ Epic fail. I've been so busy at work, schedule's been pretty hectic due to deadlines that I haven't got much of a chance to blog much lately, so please forgive my slowpoke-ness. OK, let's talk about our recent run: the Malakoff 2010 Run.

When we first signed up for this run, I was pretty enthusiastic about the whole thing. The adrenalin, the whole feel of it. But as the year came to an end and my work responsibilities took its toll and even made me feel very lethargic at various points (which also affected my training), I had thought of not participating in the run, for fear I wouldn't be able to perform at the level I was expecting myself to. However, after a quick chat with my big supporter, my own sister, I decided die-die also run laaa, paid money oredi summore :P

Come Sunday morning of the run, hubby and I were both at the starting line. The Women's category flagged off at 7am first, followed by the Men's 10 minutes after that. I had already expected the route to be pretty tough, consisting of hills and slopes. We were after all, running somewhere in the middle of Damansara Heights.

Map taken from here.

Here's the map of the running route. We flagged off from Bukit Kiara Equestrian Resort, head towards the National Science Center, all the way uphill, make a right turn and just follow the markers. For the 12KM route, we had to do 2 laps, as illustrated in the map.

I honestly thought the first slope uphill was gonna take a major toll on me. No joke ok, it's uphill from Bukit Kiara up towards the National Science Center wei. And it's a fairly long slope too! But I made it to the top nonstop *happy* and continued my run. I grabbed a quick drink from the first water station (by right you shouldn't stop to drink, just grab a cup and drink and keep running, otherwise you'll cause traffic) and continued my run forward. Saw a few men running (read: flying) pass me too, man they were fast! And then before you know it, I was running somewhere along the main road, passing by a row of shop lots on our left, and Millennium Tower was somewhere on our right.

I kept my pace (slow and steady) and ran passed the Shell station along Jalan Beringin, and came across a lady running with a really huge black retriever :D Also saw a couple of runners running bare footed *salute*. Later I found out they were running in memory of another runner, who died of brain tumour, and this guy ran bare footed.

As I ran pass the Shell station, we started to run uphill. Slope! I kept my pace, slowly easing myself and making sure I controlled my breath along the way too. Runners were given a white ribbon to wrap around our wrist, as an indicator to say we're on our first lap. The slope was gradual, but none the less taxing. Meters after I got my ribbon, I had to stop to walk a little to catch my breathe. Tough wei!

I passed the 2nd water station, grabbed a quick drink and continued running (by then we were passing the 1st split liao *beep beep beep*). The route was fairly ok for a while, until the stretch of the last killer slope came in sight. This was the slope I've heard people talking about in some other blogs I came across previously. Even from a distance, I could see the slope was a major challenge, and people were struggling. Heck, I could only run up halfway before I had to stop to walk XP And this was only LAP 1...!

Come LAP 2, hubby caught up with me and gave me the thumbs up for encouragement, and went on his way. I continued to run as much as I can, and if I get really too tired, I'll stop and walk a bit before continuing. Eventually I came to the last killer stretch before the route went downhill all the way back to the finishing point.

Our finisher medal for the run.

I'm pretty happy to have made that run, and felt really great after completing it. To some runners I was probably as slow as a tortoise hahahahaha! I was pretty happy with myself to have completed the run (I really thought the 1st slope would've knocked me out completely). Now I'm nursing a stiff left knee and am limping a bit LOL!

I hope in the coming next run, I'm able to train myself better and improve my timing more :)

Oh, I also bumped in a girlfriend, Yvonne from Piffles Inc. Actually she found me first harhar! Man, she's such an awesome girl, completing the run in 1:08 mins! She's been training to run for marathons much longer than we have, hence her awesome performance :D Thanks babe, for all the encouragement and running tips! *hugs*

2010-12-15T23:15:00.001+08:00

Silent Thoughts
I still feel a little crappy each time I hear of such news. It's been over 2 years, yet it sometimes feels like only yesterday it occurred. It's not to say I'm still bitter from it, such ill feelings will only break me down further and I don't want that to happen. But I guess despite the time, the scars will sometimes ache a little, and I'm taken back to that very moment for a short while.

However, the feeling will never last long, and will surely pass me by and I'm back to my good self again :) I guess the scars will always be there , just that it's no longer as visible as it once was.

To be honest, my reaction towards this piece of information will differ slightly. My reasoning is not due to what I've been through. Rather, it's what you did that resulted in me having this thought. Your selfish act in the past, which to me, still spells irresponsibility and was done to save yourself from your embarrassment and guilt. How you easily cast away the life that was bestowed to you.

Yes, I may sound cruel. But I'm far less cruel from what you did. You ran from your guilt, and in the process, destroyed it. No amount of religion can change that fact.

I will always feel that people who abandon and dump their babies, and people who abort them, should never be blessed with off-springs. That's because since they can commit such dastardly act on their first chance, they do not deserve a second chance to prove otherwise. This is my personal opinion of course, I'm not in the position to judge.

I rest my case.