".....faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Cor 13:13

Spontaneous Holiday Escapade (11th - 12th July 2009)

2009-07-30T20:20:00.016+08:00

Almost 3 weeks ago, I had this nice relaxing holiday trip to Damai Laut, Perak. The night before the trip and without telling me where to go, Ald asked me to pack my things. He said it's a surprise as he wants me to be pampered. I only get the glimps of the idea that we are going to the beach! I have not had any holiday trip out of town for the past 3 years. So I was feeling a little exited.

We head out early Saturday morning. It was a long trip and we had a hard time finding the place but it worth the effort. We stayed in Swiss-Garden Golf Resort & Spa which is a very private and exclusive resort near Pangkor Island. The place is beautiful and relaxing. I will let the pictures speak for itself.

After checking in and placing our belongings, we head on to Samsara Spa. I booked an appointment for a massage service. This is what my 'dear' meant by pampering me. I had a very relaxing time enjoying the massage session which lasted for 1 whole hour while he goes wondering around alone. Haha.... The Spa owner recommended me the Samsara Touch massage. The service is good. Before leaving the Spa, they served me some Ginger Tea. It's my first time having Ginger Tea. Never knew that I would like it.....

Dinner on our first day, we had BBQ Seafood Buffet by the sea side. I have forgoten what is the name of the restaurant. After a long day journey and sight seeing, we were famished. So, a buffet dinner is our best option. I kept on refilling my plates with all the grilled stuff, not touching any of the fried rice, fried mee/ meehoon, or any of those normal side dishes, except the chili crab. I lost count of how may plates of food I had - must have put on 2 kg of weight. LOL!

On the next morning (our last day), although feeling sleepy and tired, we woked up early and head out for the complementary buffet breakfast. I couldn't eat that much compared to last night's hearty meal. Well, my stomoch needs some resting (obviously). After breakfast, we head on to the beach one last time and then had a game of snooker and carom. Also not to forget, we had another round of cam-whoring before we left.

Look! I am as happy as a kiddy!

Thank you very much for this wonderful trip! I was delightfully happy.....

Back and again......

2009-07-27T21:11:00.004+08:00

I've been absent from blogging for quite sometime..... Not that I could not really find time to do so. Have been having writer's block for the past six months or so.... I read on a blog (someone I knew) whom had someone shared with her this phrase "I could do whatever I wanted and didn't have to push myself if I didn't want to". Such simple yet encouraging phrase that I think it suits me well. I am those people who tend to push ownself harder than they did to others. I can be such a perfectionist! But I tried not to - thanks to my occasional laziness that creep into my life that stop me from being a living hell to those people around me.

Recently, I've heard from my superior who chatted with my subordinate who are living the company. My subordinate said I am different from the rest of the Team Leader he worked with. My superior sums it all saying that I am very discipline or can be considered strict. So my next question to my superior is... did my subordinate complained that I am too strict? My superior said no just that from what he gathers, I can be seen as a very discipline person. Well, discipline is good right? It has to be..... though my superior said it's good. I am aware that initially it might be hard for those working under me who has to perform or at least match up to the high standard that I impose. I have since learn to be not so rigid and learn to measure others by their own capabilities not my own. I believe I am getting there......

At work, I've been constantly living in the past and yet coming back to the present. Still having the blissful memories of those happy times I had when my friend, Judy is still working here with me. During that time, I was never lonely at work. Coming back to the present time, since I rejoin this company without Judy working here, I've been trying to get my own click but the feeling of belonging seems to never last long no matter how hard I tried. It bothers me at the beginning. Then I noticed that it might be due to some jealousy issues. Then I just bury myself in work and stop bothering. And then I just stop trying..... making friends which having advantage of each other, pulling each others leg, having a poker face are not my motive of coming to work everyday. Having said that, I just realized it's not worth it chasing after those things. After all, what are the use of having colleague-friends who be friends with you without having a genuine or sincere friendship in mind? In work place, there's always power-crazy, advantage-taker, back-stabber, selfish-b***hes/b****rds, green-eye-monsters lurking around in the office trying to do their thing hoping that no one notices their true colour. So, beware!

Culture Unplugged Video

2009-04-16T20:35:00.002+08:00

This is a very touching real story. In the mids of our happy or sad moments in live, this happens to some people everyday but without fail, they give thanks to God no matter how little that they have. You must watch this especially ask your children to watch this. I have to held back my tears watching this but in my heart, I am crying for them.

View this movie at cultureunplugged.com

Save Our Humpback Whales!‏

2009-03-26T21:20:00.000+08:00

*** To support my company's move to bring awareness on wild life endangered species and what we can do to help, I am posting this article courtesy from my company's bulletin.

Let’s play our part...
to know our world a little better,
to contribute a little more,
to secure a better tomorrow.

I would like to share news on the animals that we, humans, are threatening to extinction.
Understand them and what threatens them and we could all make a change before its too late.... not only for them... but for us as well.

Scientific Name : Megaptera Novaeangliae
Habitat : Oceanic

Did You Know?...
Each whale has its own unique pattern on the underside of its tail flukes, which can be used like "fingerprints" to identify individual whales.
Humpbacks produce a wide array of sounds but how it create these sounds is still unknown as they do not have functional vocal cords.

Humpbacks are among the most endangered whales as fewer than 10% of their original population remains. Humpbacks are found in all oceans to the edges of polar ice, and follow definite migration paths from their summer feeding grounds to warmer waters in the winter. The climate change (global warming) has forced these migratory whales to swim up to 500km further and for less food. Shrinking sea ice reduces whale foraging areas and the abundance of the Antarctic krill on which the whales feed. As the krill is dependent on sea ice, less sea ice will reduce the abundance of food for whales in the feeding areas.

humpback’s main food source - krill

What Can We Do?...

Support by turning off your lights for one hour
Saturday, 28th March 2009
From 8:30pm to 9:30pm

You may ask “what difference can one make in an hour?”...
Our question to you... “why not participate and find out?!”
Once you’ve seen the impact,
it would encourage you and the people around you
to be more mindful with the On and Off switches in the future.

Join us to say “I did my part” by signing up at www.earthhour.org.my

Lights Out people!

“Your Switch is your vote - Vote Earth!”

Annoying Phone Calls

2009-03-26T20:52:00.003+08:00

I had experienced (a few times) having someone calling my mobile phone informing me that I had won a free holiday and ask me to go to a certain place to claim my air ticket. I never like to entertain these type of telemarketing calls although it was nice to hear that I had won something. But I have not join any kind of contest so how am I to have won? I am not those kind of people who falls easily to marketing schemes with the exception if it is health related. I am very sure they usually trick you into meeting up with them so that they can coax you into buying something where in turn you have the free holiday/ gifts. Receiving these type of calls few times a month is pretty annoying. There is a website WhoCalledMyPhone enable anyone who wants to voice out their frustrations or warn others about those unwanted phone calls they received. The website is also beneficial to people who wants to finds out who or where those phone calls are comming from.

Save Our Polar Bears!

2009-03-20T20:05:00.006+08:00

*** To support my company's move to bring awareness on wild life endangered species and what we can do to help, I am posting this article courtesy from my company's bulletin.

Let’s play our part...
to know our world a little better,
to contribute a little more,
to secure a better tomorrow.

I would like to share news on the animals that we, humans, are threatening to extinction.
Understand them and what threatens them and we could all make a change before its too late.... not only for them... but for us as well.

Scientific Name : Ursus maritimus
Habitat : Arctic (northern hemisphere)

Did You Know?...
Polar bears evolved from brown bears during the time period that spanned from 1.8 million to 11,000 years ago.
Its coat also serves as camouflage where it can sometimes pass as snow drifts and surprisingly, the fur has no white pigment!

Polar bears are studied to better understand what is happening throughout the Arctic. If a polar bear is at risk, it is often a sign that the arctic marine ecosystem is threatened or imbalanced in some way.

The future of these furry creatures are far from certain with the climate change due to global warming where sea ice in the Arctic is melting earlier and forming later each year. Ongoing research (funded by WWF) finds that polar bears are left with less time on the ice during critical periods to hunt for food that builds up their fat stores, and increased time on land or on ice over deep waters where they have decreased feeding opportunities. As their ice habitat shrinks, polar bears face a grave challenge to their survival.

What Can We Do?...
1.) Use less air-conditioning
Keep temperatures moderate at all times;
2 degrees of difference could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

2.) Switch it “OFF”
Turn off:
- electrical items when you leave a room, and use only as much as you need.
- water while brushing your teeth, shampooing, or washing your car, until you need it for rinsing.
3.) Change a light bulb
Use Compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs wherever practical. It lasts 10 times longer then regular bulbs, consumes two-thirds less energy, and releases 70% less heat.

4.) Drive less and drive smart (Less driving = Less emission)
Tires that are properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more than 3%.
Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget, it also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5.) Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Need we say more?!

“Global warming is by far the most serious manifestation of the collision, and Mother Nature is making the evidence ever more obvious” - Al Gore

The Awesome Site Award

2009-02-23T20:23:00.004+08:00

I have not been logging on to my humble blog for quite some time now. Oh wait... it has been almost 2 months! Oh dear! That's already 2 months wasted for not recording some interesting/ boring things happening in my life. I blame it on my hectic working lifestyle and my lack of appreciation on having my own space to do my own things. It has been all about typing on my work laptop keyboard and staring at the laptop screen until late at night since I resume my work after taking a 2 weeks holiday during Christmas time last year. It seems like the 2 weeks off has earned me an additional 2 months of overloaded work. Whereas there are some people happily enjoying yet another holiday - New Year, Chinese New Year, and another few other holidays in between for the past 2 months. Where is the fairness in this?

Ops! Sorry, I have been grumbling and talking crap in this blog entry almost unnoticed that I am actually off topic on this blog title "The Awesome Site Award". I am really happy to have received this award from Jo-N who gave it to me not too long ago. Sorry, for being MIA (missing in action) for quite some time and did not respond to this soonest possible. Thank you for remembering me and presented me with this award. It was really sweet of you and it meant alot to me.

Now I would like to present this award to the following deserving real and blogging friends:
Chenille (FairyFeet)
Dad.Mom.Chat (Tot's mom)
firethorn
First Love (Michelle)
Judy
Lolipoops everywhere
Magical Milestone (Sting)
A Moonlight Rendezvous (U.Lee)
Munmun's Trail
My Memories, As Time Goes By (Martini)
This is my life by Osindak

Memorable Perth Trip

2008-12-30T15:16:00.002+08:00

9th Nov 08 (Sunday)
This is the day where I began my travel journey alone for the very first time of my life for a business trip. And it was my first time to Perth. Woke up around 6am to get ready to the airport. I was exited and nervous at the same time. Having the company of a girl from Guangzhou (who worked for my company as our prefered partner) does helped me eliminate all the worries I had about traveling alone. Her name is Tracy. At 9.40am sharp, our plane departed from the Main Terminal of KLIA and arivied at Perth airport 10 minutes earlier than the stated time of arrival at 4pm Perth time. Perth is an hour a head of Malaysian time due to daylight saving time. The flight experience was a blissful one.

We both took a taxi to our hotel called The Outram, located at 32 Outram Street, West Perth. The taxi driver who is a black man that has this weird English accent which sounds nothing like an Australian English, doesn't really know where our hotel is. But he has a GPS system in his taxi so we trust that he will get us to our hotel quite easily. Apparently, every taxi there has a GPS system.

Above photos taken of the hotel. It's small and cozy place. Didn't know that this is a luxury hotel until we saw what was written on the outside (pic with me in front of the hotel). No wonder it cost AUD345 for a deluxe twin bedded room per night with breakfast included. A single room cost AUD315. The hotel located in the city area about 20 minutes walk to the Perth CBD (Center Business District) area.

Our hotel room. It's smaller than we expected as we are sharing a room together. There's a jacuzzi (yippie!), two wash basin and one shower area in between the two wash basin. Enterance to the shower cum jacuzzi area is without doors to keep our privacy. How exiting is that eh? The toilet with a toilet bowl in it has a door to it though. Although there's no door to our bathing area, we kept our modest and made promises not to peep at each other when either one of us taking our bath. While one is taking bath, the other have to stay put sitting in the middle of the room, on the bed watching TV. Well, there's nothing we can do about it so we just have to trust each other. LOL... I am still laughing thinking back on the expression we had when we first discovered the hotel room having no doors to the bathing area. The jacuzzi is there to use but throughout the 5 nights we spend together, neither one of us uses it because it will force the person to "be naken and be seen..." (but I spent the 6th night alone - read below to know what I did that final night). Hey, we're Asian and we both are not that open minded yet, okay. And the room has all the amenities that we had in our basic stay at home.

After keeping our luggages at the hotel room, we headed down to the Club Lounge to have our complementary dinks. The hotel's complementary drinks is served dalily at 6pm - 7.30pm free of charged. There are selections of liquor, beers, champagnes, wines and very few non-alcoholic dirnks. Those who likes to drink would love having this free drink everyday. After quickly had our drinks, we head out of the hotel to have our first day tour around the area. The sky is still bright and sunny at 7pm or 8pm. We had a bit of a culture shock as the streets and main roads looks deserted. It was a Sunday and so most of the shops and restaurants are not open on Sunday. On weekdays, shops/ restaurants closes between 5pm - 6pm (just like office opening hours). Around the hotel vacinity, there are a lot of private specialist clinics, lawyer services and accounting firm who uses buildings that looks like bungalow houses turns into an office building. And there's a lot of luxury service appartments and high class condominiums too. I think this area is a rich man's shack.

The evening was quite windy, we walked towards the CBD hoping to find a nice restaurant where we can have our dinner and we welcome the cool breeze throughtout the journey. We were not sure of the way but the small little map provided by the hotel is very helpful. We got lost a little but we could easily find our way back because the road structures are very systematically built. We walked all the way on foot. Because it was a Sunday, it was hard to find a car passing by, hence no taxi/ buses around. Hard to find a people walking around too. Anyway, we prefer to walk so we can enjoy the beautiful scenery. There is quite a lot of churches around. Would love to be getting married in one of those beautiful churches (picutres above). We walked and we walked and we walked until the sky turns dark and we were very hungry then. Unfortunately, most of the restaurant not open on that day. The first restaurant we saw operating were Tony Romas. Oh no! We determined not to have that no matter how hungry we were as there's Tony Romas back home. So we walk further up to the CBD and found a whole stretch of fast food joint situated next to each other. They are McDonalds, Hungry Jack's and KFC at William Street. It's already 9pm so we were left with no choice but to have fast food as our first meal in Perth. Among the three fast food joint, we had choosen Hungry Jack's. You bet we were hungry!

We both ordered Grill Chicken value meal (small size cost AUD6.80 only). It was one of the best fast food I had so far. The grill chicken meat is really tasty with the savoury sauce. There are quite a lot of people in there. Three good looking guys sitting next to our table. One of them is really good looking (Ryan Seacrest kind of looks). They had the courtesy to say goodbye when we left. We just smiled and walked away because they look so silly doing that. By the time we went back to our hotel it was already 10pm. I spent a few hours preparing training material that I had not had the time to do before I came to Perth. I wished I don't have to go to work the next day.

10th Nov 08 (Monday)
Woked up early to allow time for breakfast at the Club Lounge in the hotel ground floor. They do not serve buffet breakfast but they have the same breakfast menu everyday. The service is quite slow but maybe I am not used to the laid back Australian lifestyle. However, the breakfast contains very healthty selections and is always very tasty.

We both had Homemade Toasted Grain and Nut Cereal, Mango and Yoghurt Parfait. Don't be fool that it looks like a very small portion. It was actually very filling due to the creamy yoghurt taste. I can still taste this savoury dish as I speak. Too bad we could not slowly enjoy our breakfast as we have to rush to work starts at 9am.

The office located very near where we stayed. Just 2 minutes walk from the hotel. We could even see the office building from our hotel balcony. The first day of work in the Perth office is not as bad as I thought. The staff are all very friendly and helpful. Both me and Tracy were there for different agenda. I was there for observations, meetings and conducting training whereas she was there to attend training (different sub division). We had our lunch at a cafe called IN2GO located just right below the office. I ordered Bacon Fritata with Garden Salad (AUD9.50) and English Breakfast Tea (AUD3.80) for my drinks. The food is really yummy! I was too shy to take a photo of the food because of having office colleagues around. Hehe...

Tracy was sick on our first day of work. She had fever hence she went back early to the hotel for a rest. And I finished off work quite late, left the office around 8pm but the sky were still so bright and sunny so I didn't realize how late it was. People there went home really early and it's very seldom to see them work overtime. Around 4.30pm we can see people leaving the office. If they came in for work early, they can leave the office early too. By 6pm, the whole office seems almost empty and looking out the streets at 6.30pm I felt like I'm all alone and the streets looks deserted again.

Back at the hotel room, Tracy had already ordered Mutton Curry and Green tea from the hotel room service. It was a very large portion, so we both shared a meal. The curry doesn't taste like real curry but I had that anyway. After dinner, I continued on with my work in the hotel room. Went to sleep at the wee hours in the morning, same as the night before. I was very tired but can't leave my work behind.

11th Nov 08 (Tuesday)
We woke up half an hour earlier than the day before so to have more time to had our breakfast before heading off to work. It was a very nice sunny weather same as yesterday. I can see most locals wearing sun glasses. Noticed a lot of good looking Australian guys around too. Was it generally guys there are better looking or was it because of the sun glasses? Darn! I was too overwhelm to be there to notice the difference. Everything looks too nice and clean to me.

For my 2nd day breakfast, I ordered Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs on Toast and Asparagus. The smoke salmon taste is really yummy! Instead of tea, I had mix fruit juice. What a healthy meal to start off the day though I wished they would add in more than one piece of asparagus.

Tracy is still sick so she ordered this Seasonal Fresh Fruit with Ginger and Lemongrass Syrup. I love the deco and the colour combination. It taste as yummy as it looks!

2nd day of work was a pretty busy day for me. Whereas Tracy had quite a relaxing one because her trainer was too busy completing a project that she doesn't have much time for Tracy. We went to a near by chinese restaurant for lunch. The restaurant is small and packed with people. Maybe this restaurant is quite popular to people working around the area. For the rest of the day, I had been very busy and worked overtime again. Left the office around 7pm. As usualy, most of the staff already went home.

Too bad Tracy was still not feeling well and she doesn't want to go out for food hunting. I was "forbidden" to go out alone at night so I am stuck with her in the hotel room odering room service again for our dinner. I had Prawn Risotto. Tracy ordered House Garden Salad which looks like a pile of green leaves pluged from one of the bushes outside (picture above). I didn't expect the Prawn Risotto to taste any better but it taste nice. I finished the whole dish and continue on to do some finishing touch to the training material that I am preparing for the next day. The night is late, but I got to presevere to make a good impression. After all, I am representing my office to conduct the training to the team in Perth.

12th Nov 08 (Wednesday)
It was the 3rd day going to work there. I was amaze at myself for still having the energy to go to work after two tiring days and having three nights lack of sleep. But I was really looking forward to have the breakfast because the breakfast served at the hotel is really tasty and appetizing.

The above picture is Tracy's breakfast. It's called The Outram's Express Breakfast. It contains Homemade Toasted Muesli with Athena Youghurt, Fruit, warm breakfast Tart, and a choice of tea or coffee in a ready to go box.

I ordered this hefty breakfast meal called The Outram. Contains Eggs cooked to my liking with Bacon, Mushrooms and slow cooked Tomatoes on Sour Dough Toast. I ordered this with poached eggs (the white ice-creem looking thing on top of the bread) and Mix Fruit juice for my drinks. This was the best and my favourite beakfast dish there. I decided to have this again on my last day in Perth.

My stomach still feeling full during lunch time after the heavy breakfast. So, I bought some healthy snack bar and fruit juice to eat during the afternoon.

After two days of sickness, Tracy finally had the mood to go out for dinner. We had Thai food at a near by Thai restaurant called Tim Thai Cafe located on Hay Street. I had Spicy Chicken Fried Noodle and Tracy had Sweet and Sour Chicken with a bowl of white rice. The noodle is really spicy and has a really nice flavour. I didn't know that Thai food here in Perth is that spicy. I love the amount of chilies and spicy sauce that goes well with the noodle.

13th Nov 08 (Thursday)
I hate waking up so early in the morning. By now I noticed that the only thing that I am most looking forward to in the morning is having my beautiful breakfast down at the hotel Club Lounge.

I am drooling at this food picture as I recall how good it tasted. This is Poarched Egg Choukchouka Pot with Grill Bread and American Style Bacon. The soup in the pot taste like tomato soup with some carrots and some other ingredients which I can't recall. It taste good and very appetizing. Nice to dip the toast bread in the soup. Having the eggs there make this quite a heavy breakfast. But I love it till it's last bit. Tracy having the same breakfast ordered from the day before, The Outram's Express Breakfast. I guess she has found her favorite too.

After breakfast, off we went to work of course. While enjoying our walk to the office, I saw there's people jogging or cycling along the pathways - things where I can't see here in KL. The air and the environment in Perth are so clean has made it very conducive for people to enjoy outdoors there. I would like to just skip work for the day and sit down at one of the coffee shop, buy myself a cup of local coffee while enjoying a fresh bagles, looking at the morning scenery of local blitz. But of course this is just a wishful dream that can't be made a reality while I am there for business purposes. So, back in the office is as busy as usuals. Due to the heavy breakfast I had in the morning, I had a light lunch for the day - Teriyaki Chicken Salad bought from Take Away Yamato Japanese Cafe located at Hay Street, just a few shops away from the office building. Picture on the left taken durig lunch hour. There's many cars parked at the side of the road and many people walking around - a sight that you can never see along this road after 6pm or during weekends.

For dinner it's at the hotel again because Tracy do not want to go out again. Sigh... I hoped she were more adventurous. She ordered Creamy Prawn, Bacon & Pesto Pasta and I ordered Beef Lasagna. We both got a complementary Custard Pudding for dessert. The food is not very nice because the cook is not working at that time so the staff just reheat whatever the cook had already prepared. No wonder the food served during dinner time is not as good as the food served during breakfast.

14th Nov 08 (Friday)
Friday always feels refreshing to me. Our colleagues in Perth will be treating us for a nice lunch later that day so I have choosen not to have a heavy breakfast.

I had a Savory Breakfast Tart whereas Tracy had Toasted Sour Dough Bread with a Selection of Condiments. The tart is very small in size but it's yummy.

As mentioned earlier, our colleagues there brought us out for a nice luncheon that day. At a TableSeventyEight Restaurant we had oysters, 2 starter dish (I don't know the name of the dish), and each of us ordered our own main course meal. I had Steak Sandwich (very large portion) with my favorite french fries, the best sandwich I ever had so far. I was too busy chatting and savoring to food so I have forgoten take any photos.

Later that night Tracy's friend, Tony, who is working and staying in Perth, brought us out for dinner and a tour around the city at night. Tony introduces us to this popular Korean restaurant, Tookbegi Korean Restaurant located down the east side of Hay Street (Hay street is a very long, commercial and famous street which stretches a few kilometers). We had to wait for about 30 minutes before we had a place to sit. The restaurant is quite small but it's very popular because it is opened by a Korean. So the food taste really original. I had Hot & Spicy Tofu Soup with mix veggie and seafood (the dish with red colour soup is mine). I can't recall the name of the dish which Tracy and Tony had but it taste really nice as well. The seafood omelet or they call it Korean style pizza is very tasty too. The seafood with prawn and squid is really fresh. This is the best dinner I had there. The long wait is really worth it.

Picture of the three of us (looks like we are wearing uniform due to coincidentally wearing almost the same colour outfit). Later that night, Tony sent Tracy to the airport for she had a flight to catch. She went back to Guangzhou via Sydney. So, I were left alone for another night. I do not feel scared at all being alone there as I had quickly acustom to living in Perth. I was feeling ecstatic to be left alone for that short little while in a foreign country.....

After the nice dinner and back to my hotel room alone, I finally get to enjoy my self indulged spa treat. I had enjoyed the jacuzzi and bubble bath using the expensive L'Occitane products provided by the hotel. When I saw the brand of soap, shampoo, conditioners, and body lotion they provide in the hotel room, I was in like.. Wow! I don't even dare to buy myself such expensive product except The Body Shop brand which is not that expensive compare to L'Occitane. No wonder it's called a Luxury Hotel. It was the most relaxing and fun bath time I ever experienced. First time taken over an hour for my bath... haha. After my relaxing bath, I spend time watching TV and only went to sleep at 3.30am because it was my last night in Perth.

15th Nov 08 (Saturday)
I woke up very early in the morning dispite that I do not have to go to work on this day. I had planed to do some sight seeing before I left for the airport. Thank goodness got a later flight back to KL which is at 5.30pm (Perth time). So I have about half a day to enjoy my last day in Perth. Not to waste any time, at 8.30am I quickly had my favorite breakfast in the menu, which is called The Outram (till this day, I had tried almost all of the dishes in the breakfast menu). Checked with the receptionist, they could not extend my check-out time because the room were already booked for the next occupant. I've got to checked out by 11.30am. So, after my breakfast I went to the famous Kings Park & Botanic Gardens which only takes me 10-15mins walk from the hotel. I plan to take some pictures there during the day time as I had went there for a very short while during night time 3 days ago, I did not managed to take that many pictures during the first time I was there. For my sight seeing, I have had everything planed out already.

Below are some of the pictures I took during my trip to Kings Park & Botanic Gardens.

The landscape of Kings Park & Botanic Gardens is very large. I only managed to visit about 20% of the place. I think it probably need at least half a day to fully explore it. There is a tourist bus that you can register when you are there, to take you for the tour. Too bad I did not have enough time to join that tour.

(Night and day scene) Dedicated to the memory of the men and women of the Australian defence forces who served with the British Commonwealth occupation forces in Japan from 1945 to 1952 and to those who died as a result of that service.

There are a lot of monuments and memorial statues being built around the park. I only managed to snap a few pictures of it.

Victoria, Queen and Empress (1837 - 1901). During her reign, Australia was colonized and federated.

Along the main enterance road to Kings Park, there's Trees of Fraser Avenue (read the information on top left picture). There's Conservation Garden and the Western Australian Botanic Garden. Really beautiful trees and garden they planted there. Unfortunately, I do not have enough time to go in to see more of the majestically beautiful garden. So, I only managed to take pictures of the infromation board at the enterance to the gardens.

There's Lotterywest Federation Walkway where you can take a walk in the treetops. Too bad, I really do not have time to take a walk in this walkway. Now I can only read through the internet review about the spectacular views that can be seen along the walkway. I would really love to come back here for a visit again to fully experience it if I had the opportunity in the future.

(Left picture) Aspects of Kings Park, a very small shopping mall where I purchase most of my souvenirs for my love and family. I spent AUD190 on the gift purchased here. Things sold here are quite expensive but it's worth to buy it for all those dearest to me. (Middle picture) Fraser's Restaurant, it's a high class restaurant. (Right picture) A nice garden just outside of Fraser's Restaurant and in between Aspects of Kings Park.

I saw many people taking their dogs out for a walk in the beautiful park. This reminded me how much I miss Jojo (my beloved dog). I am sure she would love having the opportunity to have a walk there and she will sure be very happy and contented about it.

(Left picture) A beautiful mansion along the left side of Kings Park enterance and a nice beautiful house which I would love to own (Right picture).

Just some random shots taken while I was in Kings Park. There's the Swan River in between the settlement (middle picture).

Night and day view of Perth city. I purposely went back to the same spot where I took the picture of the night view 3 days before. Really spectacular view can be seen from Kings Park.

I hurriedly went back to the hotel for check-out and had my luggage taken care by the hotel concierge after visiting Kings Park. Around 11.45am, I head out to another destination which is to the Perth CBD, Murray Street and Hay Street Mall. Every states in Australia has a CBD. It's were the center hub for all public transport is located and so there is where the center commercial and business area lies too. I went there all the way by foot in the hot scorching sun. It was a very long walk, took me around 30 minutes to arrived. Throughout the journey, I had enjoyed looking at the buildings architectures and shops along the way. As I walk towards the city center, I can see more and more people and cars on the roads. As it was a Saturday and it's near Christmas time, there were many people shopping and out for leisure with family and friends. Though the city looks busy as it may be, the place will be quite empty again after 5.30pm on Saturday as most of the shops and restaurant ended their operating hours by then.

Below are some of the pictures I took during my trip to Perth CBD, the well known Murray Street & Hay Street shopping area.

Restaurants, malls, individual shops, all located along both sides of Hay Street Mall and Murray Street Mall intersection with Barrack Street at one corner. There were season sale going on. I was really tempted to go for shopping there but I was running out of time.

This picture of me taken with the statue of Percy Button. He was a local street entertainer and one of Perth's best known faces from the 1920s to the 1950s.

Christmas decorations along the streets all around Perth CBD area.

The Jacaranda trees can be widely seen almost everywhere in Perth. Purple is my favorite colour that's why I love this trees too.

After a walking and sight seeing, I stoped by Dome Cafe to have a break, drinking Chocolate Shakes and eating a dessert which looks like muffins called Sour... something (I forgoten the name) which has some kind of strong spices in it. I did not finish the dessert because I do not like the taste. Actually this was my lunch for the day.

After my light lunch, I headed back to the hotel to wait for my pre-arranged taxi to take me to the airport. The taxi came very punctual at 2.30pm sharp. I took one last look around, trying to capture and remember every details I had experienced, vowing to kept it as a memories not to be forgotten.

Checking in for departure at Perth International Airport.

Waiting for my 5.30pm (Perth time), MAS flight back to KL at Gate 5. Goodbye Perth...

Memorable photo taken with my colleagues in Perth office. (from Left to right) Mark, Jai, Gil, me, Daphnie and Shane. They are all wonderful people.

Bling Bling Jewelry

2008-12-30T14:07:00.002+08:00

Every girl likes wearing fashion jewelry once a while if not everyday. I think shopping online is quite a hit right now. There is more and more online shopping website exist now because many people find online shopping convinient and fun as well. If you are interested to do shopping online but afraid that you will buy a wrong item without the sense of touch and feel, then I think buying jewelry online is a good place to start. Sometimes you may find most products sold online is not available at retail store and prices can be much cheaper too. During festive season and sale period, there is always free shipping services for online purchase too.

Jojo's Birthday

2008-12-29T12:46:00.001+08:00

December 21st is Jojo's birthday. She is 3 years old this year. In the picture above, she is resting cozily in her favorite sleeping place. There's where she sleeps at night too. She chooses that spot since she's a small little puppy and has been sleeping there ever since. She likes to sneak in underneeth the pillow when she's cold. She's good at climbing up and down the bed. Something she already master it by the age of 5 months old. Although she's small and tiny, she got really strong legs to jump around. In the middle of the night, she will jump up and down the bed to go to the toilet or do whatever she want to do without my help. She's such a good and obidient girl.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOJO! Thank you for lighting up our life for these 3 years.... We love you~ MUAKS~!

Busiest Month of 2008

2008-12-29T12:29:00.000+08:00

December month of year 2008 is the busiest month of the year. My year end has always ended with mild and relaxing work schedule but this year is an exception. Due to added job responsibilities and new plans in the company, none of us were spared from being tied down with work to rush out for delivery and meetings/ conference call meeting. It was the first time in the history of my working life that I have to attend to so many meetings in a day, and have at least one meeting almost every single day. Although some meetings is schedule for 1 hour, sometimes it takes longer than that.... I begining to resent meeting now because it usually piles up my work and discrupt other important things which I have to attend to also immediately. It looks like I will still have to deal with this hectic schedule for the first quarter of 2009.

Beauty Jobs

2008-12-29T11:51:00.001+08:00

There is a new web search engine called BeautyJobs cater for job applicants and employers in the United States of America beauty industry. Just like any other job search engines, it provides the functionality that connects job applicants with saloon and spa owners or those who has salon, spa, beauty or cosmetology jobs to fill out, all free of charged. There are so many people obsessed about beauty and physical outlook perfection and beauty industry is always growing over the years, creating a strong work force. There is always a job vacant somewhere for someone looking to venture into beauty lines, so it is good to know where you can find it. Just hit into BeautyJobs search engine and you will be able to find out if there is any beauty jobs that suites you in the vicinity. If not, you can also easily find vacancy in other states before you hit the road. Current popular beauty job searchers are spa job, salon job and beauty job.

2008 Annual Dinner

2008-12-15T21:22:00.012+08:00

I had missed out last year company annual dinner event. Feeling unenthusiastic about it during that time and so I gave myself an excuse for not going. But this year, for the very first time I had willingly submited myself to the hassle of presenting myself to the event. I call it a hassle because I would have to look for a dress, shoes, accessories, or any mumbo-jumbo stuff to suite the annual dinner theme (i.e. need to spend more... duh!). The worst part is if they force you to do silly on-stage performances or play silly games. Those are the part which turns me down the most for joining the event. However, after giving much feedback and opinions to our company social committee who organizes all sorts of company events, there is a big improvements this year. We were not forced to participate in on-stage performances nor were we forced to play the games if we do not want to. The best part about the annual dinner is free food of course! Haha... this year we had International Buffet dinner.

This year annual dinner theme was The Masquerade. Held on the 12th December 2008 at One World Hotel. I think there are quite a few company in KL who was having the same theme too. Actually this is the 2nd time in our company's history of hosting annual dinner having The Masquerade theme. I don't know why it is so popular and so many people voted for it. After all, it's not that easy to get a nice mask for the occasion in our country. I was so busy with work, having no time for lunch hour so at the very last minute, just about 1 week before the event date I searched frantically for my ideal mask. Tried looking for it through Ebay but it was too risky to purchase one online due to the fact that I got only 1 week time to order and wait for delivery. There are just a very few shops in KL selling mask and none of them that I like. I hate it when even though I got so little time left and I am being so stingy about a mask.

Thank goodness I have a friend who recommended me ordering a custom made mask from a girl who posted some of those beautiful mask she made by herself on her blog. Her name is Evon and she's a model with an artistic mind who has a knick of designing and making mask. I like her mask design and instantly fall in love with it. Trying out my luck, I emailed her to enquire about whether she can make me one and the price tag for it. The cost is really pricy. But out of emmergency and I really like her handy work, I decided to buy her service. She provided very fast, eficient and professional service by giving colour suggestions to the little discriptive design I requested. I confirmed my order on Sarturday and I receive the completed mask (photo) she emailed to me for approval on the following Tuesday morning. The next day the mask was hand delivered to me.

My mask (front and side view). I wanted it simple yet elegant and it is actually attached to a wand as I requested. Whether it worth the price I paid or not, I really love it!

Throughout the whole annual dinner event of the night, the highlight is the mask of course. But we had some good time watching some of the performances, chearing those who participated in games, galloping foods taken from the buffet tables, goofing around taking pictures of each other, some drink and get drunk and be merry.

Just arrived. We were a little late but the event has not started yet. Picture with our mask on. Guess where am I in the picture?

Picture without our mask on. Now we know who is who :P (Left to right: Kelly, me, SY, MYeen, YF, Jenny, MYee, ST, & Cora)

It was already almost 8pm. We were waiting for our dinner to start. That explain ST (second from left) sour face and my weak smile.

Another group photo with our mask on. We managed to hide our hungry face with our mask. hehehe....

OMG! I look so fat in this picture. There's another one which I look even fatter (not going to post it here). Well, we meant to took a picture for just the three of us but suddently V came by shouting "I also want to take a pic" and slot into position *uninvited* as none of us actually knows her that well. Oh and the "thorn" in the middle? Well, never mind the thorn though we don't really mind having a thorn in an all girl's picture. (Left to right: Me, LL, Alan, KH, & V)

My favorite photo of the day! Me & KH. Darn! I look fat in this picture too. I had another picture of this taken half length but I thought I should post this with full length view so to remind me not to neglect my eczema spot when it itches and scratch non-stop. Eczema scar is hard to hide when it was left untreated for too long. I probably need a year for the scar is fully disappeared.

Just me. Hmmm... apparently I do not have enough makeup on. This is the result of only putting on makeup for less than 5 times a year. LOL....

Gifts for boys

2008-12-15T19:46:00.002+08:00

Today I would like to talk about gifts for boys. You may think it is a lot easier to buy gifts for girls because of the wide range of toys, clothes, beauty products and accessories fit for every girl available in the market today, this has cloud many people's judgement on how easily to find a gift that fit mostly every boys too. How about wrapping up a baseball set as a gift to your son, or cousin, or nephew, or friend's son, or neighbour's son, or whoever's son for a Birthday/ Christmas gift for a change? Baseball set is a great gift especially from a father to a son because it promotes special bonding of father and son when they could have fun enjoying the game together. A basket ball is a nice thoughful gift for boys too.

Besides sport items, you can think of giving away collectibles and memorabilia too. I know at some point of every boy's age, they are crazy about some collectible cards, or action figures collections, or comic books, or any collectibles item that you can think of. So, it would be great if you know what they obsess about during that time. If you are able to get those collectible items for them as a present on special occasion, they will think you are awsome and remember you for life. It is one of the way to capture a boy's heart.

Another cateogry of gifts for boys that you won't go wrong is video games of course. Who doesn't like playing vidoe games? Even grown ups does. There are many selections of video games in the market now. There are home console type video games, or the handheld systems such as PSP or DS Lite game system. If you are particular about the brands there are Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony and other smaller brands to choose from. Or if they already has the video game system in place, you can buy them the some new and hip vidoe games card for them to add into their own collection of games.

Data solutions

2008-12-15T19:30:00.000+08:00

Managing a large scale of client database can be a very costly to your company's financial resources. There are ways to cut back those cost by finding a cost-saving solutions for your business critical data. You just got to know where to find it. Data solutions company such as Syncsort Incorporated develops, markets, and services high-performance software for data management and data protection. They are celebrating their 40 years of cost-efficient software innovation. This ensure you that they are reliable, provides good services with good reputation which are built over the years. Visit their website www.syncsort.com for more information about data integration software, data protection solutions, disaster recovery software, and their selection of Syncsort software.

I'm back from Perth

2008-11-17T21:30:00.004+08:00

Last week I was on business trip to my company's office located in Perth, Australia. It is a very nice place to work and stay, in my opinion. Although many might say it's a very boring place to live in, I beg to differ. Will tell more in another blog post I will prepare when I have time later. This is my first business trip out of the country and I was feeling pretty exited about it. Given the opportunity to stay and work there for a week is really worth while and a heck of an experience. I have had a very hectic schedule and tons of things to look after on on-going projects in KL office altough I am not around. Was a little dissapointed that the operations of my team in KL office here cannot go on smoothly wihout me being there. Sigh... when will they learn to work thing out without being fully dependent on me.

Well, today was my first day of work after back from Perth late last Saturday night. And I can see all my work piling up to the ceiling. So, not more relaxing and slow moving paste for me for the next 1 month before I go have my 2 weeks well deserving good holiday during Christmas week and the week after. So, wish me luck on getting all my workload clear up on time! When I can steal some time, I will surely post all the nice lovely pictures and tell a long story about what I did in Perth. Stay tune.......

My Fruity Lunch

2008-11-04T20:38:00.000+08:00

Mix Fruits

Once a while I only have fruits for my lunch during working days. This Mix Fruits stacked into a medium size plastic cup from MBG Fruit Shop located at a setup booth stall in The Gardens, Mid Valley, KL is my favourite fruit stall. Although the price tag for all the many selections of fruits there are a little bit expensive than the norm, but this Mix Fruits that I always bought is value for money compare to the cut fruits sold in an individual pack. And all the cut fruits sold there are fresh and clean. Cut fruits sold in individual pack price ranges from RM1.30 - RM4.50. My favourite Mix Fruit choice cost me RM3.50 only. It usually has red apples, green apples, pears, tomatos, grapes, and sometimes with kiwi, watermellons or strawberries. Great to have this for lunch when I am not hungry but want to have something light and healthy.

What blood type are you?

2008-10-30T20:21:00.034+08:00

This is a fun way the author put into explaining the characteristics of a person associated with their blood group.

By the way..... mine is type B. What blood type are you?

Two Less Lonely People

2008-10-23T21:58:00.005+08:00

Is it true that when you fall in love and the person you fall in love with loves you back, there will be two less lonely people in the world? I believe this is true in a sense that a couple in love is no longer lonely because they could always have each other in mind and stays true in each others heart. But the biggest difference between infatuation love and really love someone and getting the love in return is there exist the source of love so pure that no matter how far or distance they are apart, they lost the sense of loneliness that they felt they have never felt before they met the love of their life. This is also true when I found my fist love many years ago. But I was lonely again for a while until I found my current love of my life.

Two Less Lonely People In The World by Air Supply is a very lovely song which my current lover dedicated to me sometime ago. I had wanted to post this sweet moment of sharings for quite sometime now that I find the time, I can never forget how sweet he has been to me although at times he can be very hard to cope with. Well, that's how love is. There is sweet and sour moments but this is what makes it so original and make life colourful in it's own way.

Below video clips of the song Two Less Lonely People In The World by Air Surpply. You can also view them at YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHnYRK27RNE. Hope the rest of the people enjoys it as well as I do.

Lyrics taken from Best Lyrics
Words by Howard Greenfield
Music by Ken Hirsh

I was down my dreams were wearing thin
When you're lost where do you begin
My heart always seemed to drift from day to day
Looking for the love that never came my way
Then you smile and I reached out to you
I could tell you were lonely too
One look then it all began for you and me
The moment that we touched I knew that there would be

CHORUS
Two less lonely people in the world
And it's gonna be fine
Out of all the people in the world
I just can't believe you're mine
In my life where everything was wrong
Something finally went right
Now there's two less lonely people in the world
Tonight

Just to think what I might have missed
Looking back how did I exist
I dreamed still never thought I'd come this far
But miracles come true, I know 'couse here we are

CHORUS
Two less lonely people in the world
And it's gonna be fine
Out of all the people in the world
I just can't believe you're mine
In my life where everything was wrong
Something finally went right
Now there's two less lonely people in the world
Tonight

Tonight I fell in love with you
And all the things I never knew
Seemed to come to me somehow
Baby, love is here and now there's

CHORUS

Movie day out

2008-10-16T20:54:00.005+08:00

On 14th October 2008, just 2 days ago I went for a movie with my sister, David, my dad and two of our church friends at Cathay Cineplex Damansara, beside The Curve. David had 6 exclusive preview screening for Max Payne movie tickets by Cinema Online. Max Payne is not in cinema until today the 16th of October 2008. The best part is... we get to watch it FREE even before the movie opens for official viewing!

Before the movie started at 9.15PM, we had our dinner at Sakae Sushi located at The Curve. I ordered a Sushi Set and a steam egg (forgoten what they called it) as side order. It was yummy and very filling. I was too hungry to remember to take a photo of the dish. Because it was a working day and with traffic jam in a rainny day, we reached there pretty late so we have to quickly have our dinner and walk over to the Cineplex for the movie.

This movie came from a video game called Max Payne. In Malaysia, it is rated 18PL. Having lots of action pack scenes due to the story based on detective investigations with a twist of religious notions such as angels and demons. I have not heard of this video game before this. So, I am clueless as what the movie is about before I watched it. It turns out quite to my liking. I like how the story was twisted, leaving no clue as to who is the actual bad guy is, not until the end. Sometimes when you watch a movie, you can somehow able to guess or pin-point who is the bad guy but in Max Payne story, it's quite unexpected to those who have not encounter this video game before.

The movie ended around 11PM. There was a long queue when paying for our parking tickets. On the way home it started raining very heavily. I reach home around 12AM. Tired but it was a nice ending for the day.

Love Q #23 - Brains Or Brawn

2008-10-16T11:37:00.000+08:00

Previous Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem.

Given a choice, would you rather date a man with brains or brawn?

My answer:

I prefer men with brains. I have always potray myself being with a man who is intelligent, knowledgeable and charismatic. But I don't mind dating a well built man with reasonably nice propotion of muscles ratio on his body. However, if he shows any sign of utter stupidity, then it's a big turn-offs to me. And also man with heaps of muscles and very manly physique scares me. Probably due to watching a few wrestling or Mr. Universe show on TV when I was young, had me irking at the physically built, extra large bulky muscles protruding out underneeth the skins. The idea of having me touching them... EE-YEW!!! Sorry, that's just how I felt about very muscular man. In conclusion, I shall say intellegence good looking man will interest me in going out on a date with him.

Previous Love Q: Partner Resembling Parent

Cartoon: Difference between man & woman

2008-10-01T10:27:00.013+08:00

A friend of mine forwarded to me this funny yet true cartoon illustrations telling us how different we are with the opposite sex. I wonders who created this cartoon. Kudos to you whoever you are. It's brilliant!

Guys, so now you know why we woman hate it when you do not tell us in advanced on the date and time you wanted to bring us out. And don't complain why it takes us so long to get ready because it's our nature to look good. After all, you guys do not like being with a sloopy unkempt woman do you?

Love Q #22 - Partner Resembling Parent

2008-10-01T09:35:00.003+08:00

Last week's Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem.

Does your partner looks like your opposite-sex parent in any way? Which particular part of the face are the features similar, if any?

My answer:

My partner does looks like my father in some way. However, the similarity is nothing physical but it is more towards personality wise. His temper, his strong headedness, his over controlling nature and two of his bad habits is very similar to my father's. Back when I was a teenager I used to read an article talking about woman tends to end up marrying a man resembling her farther and man tends to end up marrying a woman resembling his mother. I was sceptical about what's written on the article until I actually ended up with one (well, soon to be). Sometimes it's pretty scarry thinking of it - having ended up with a live partner similar to my father. Scarry in a sense that when I was remembering having those bad moments with my father during my teenage years, I did made a vow to myself not to find a husband like him. Not that I really meant that. You know, almost everyone of us goes through that stage in life where we kind of hate our parents? So, when I look at a better picture of my life now I can see my father's tiny little image still lingering close to me eventhough we are not living together because those things lives through my partner. Pretty ironic huh?

Previous Love Q: Being Friends With Your Ex

Souvenirs from the East

2008-09-25T22:39:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I receive some "yummy" souvenirs from two of my nice colleagues. They had just got back from their holiday trip.

YF went to Hong Kong again for a holiday. Currently it is typhoon season there. She was lucky that it wasn't bad on that few days she was there. Else her holiday and plane ticket must have been wasted. She bought back some goodies and one of them she shared with me is this delicious sour plum flavor (in Cantonese is called "shuin mui") jelly (pic below). I didn't know it's sour plum flavor because I do not know how to read the chinese words on the packaging until I tasted it. One bite from it I immediately know it's made from sour plum. Right at the last bite, there is the plum seed in it. This is my first time eating sour plum flavor jelly. It's pretty creative that they came up with this idea. The taste is a good mixture of a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of sourness from the plum. Yummy.... I think kids and adults alike will love it!

Sour Plum Jelly from Hong Kong

PL went to Taiwan for a holiday. And bought this yummy cakes (pic below) which she shared some of them with me. Pretty nice of her provided we have only known each other for 3 months. The two cakes although in different shapes and sizes, they taste alike. It's pretty yummy. I can really taste the butter, honey and eggs flavors all blend in well together. And the textures is not oily too. Love it! I think I can have 5 of these when I am hungry.

Delicious cakes from Taiwan

It's really nice to have such colleagues who thought of us who are working like a bull while they were able to go enjoy their holidays.

Love Q #21 - Being Friends With Your Ex

2008-09-25T20:59:00.000+08:00

Okay, this is last week's Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem.

Is it advisable to maintain a great friendship with an ex? Would that friendship be worth it or would it complicates matters?

My answer:

To the first question, my answer is a strong no. Because you have once loved him/her before, and you might still be secretly loving him/her now, or you might fall in love with him/her again which could be a disaster if both already attached to some else. Further to that, if you are already dating or married to someone else chances are your partner or spouse might not like the idea of having their love ones still keeping in touch with their ex. Furthermore, not many people can be so open to accept their partner still seeing or talking to their ex eventhough it is said they are not romantically attached to each other anymore. Therefore, it is not advisable to maintain a great friendship with an ex. Well, unless you plan to stay unmarried for the rest of your life. And I think eventhough people decided to keep the friendship with their ex, I don't think it will be worth it because it definitely will complicates matters. Like I said earlier, if you are in a relationship, your partner might not like it and it might create trouble in the future. No matter how understanding and tollerant your partner is, he is just human. To continue on being friends with your ex will put the sense of trust in jeopardy, don't you think so?

Previous Love Q: First Impression

Dating 101

2008-09-24T23:47:00.004+08:00

Yet another fun tag for me. Thanks to Catherine for passing it down to me.

Players: Ozzy’s Mom l Me,Myself + 2 l Kidd Designs l Fun.Fierce.Fabulous l Me and Mine l Little Peanut l Pea in a Pod l Creative in Me l Notable Bistro l Sugarmagnolias l Around the World l Eds Mommy Life l My Precious Niche l Just Me.. Eds l Pinaywife l Mhar’s Display l Purpled Sky l Newife Blog l Faith Hope Love l YOUR BLOG

1. When was your first kiss and where?
>> 9 years ago in my house.

2. When was your first real relationship and how long did it last?
>> 9 years ago lasted 3 years.

3. What age were you allowed to date?
>> No particular age - when I join the working world but I had it a little early.

4. What’s the craziest thing you did (for love) when you were a teenager?
>> Go home by foot with a boy. The journey is around 15km.

5. How long was your longest relationship and what’s the secret?
>> 6 years. Faith, patience, tollerance, trust, understanding, faithfulness, a desire to have a better life together and love preserver.

6. How long did you date before you decided to settle down?
>> It's quite a long years and I have not settle down yet.

7. How did you know he was the ONE?
>> I did not know at first. God reveal to me when the time is right.

8. Now, at what age will you allow your kids(s) to date?
>> At least when they are 20 years old.

9. When it comes to your kids dating, will you be a cool parent or a strict parent?
>> I will be reasonable and pray that God will guide them to be a good person.

10. What piece of advice can you give to your child when they start dating?
>> Always refer to the source of Love which is God the Holy Trinity.

Now I would like to know yours. Care to share it with me Judy and rin-en ?

I love your blog

2008-09-17T16:51:00.003+08:00

I receive another lovely tag from Osindak. Thank you so much for this award. Really love it to the last bits (okay, I am exasperating..... but really I love it as much as I love her blog too!).

Rules:
1.The winner puts logo on her/his blog.
2.Link the person you received your award from.
3.Nominate 7 other blogs.
4.Put links of those blogs on yours.
5.Leave a message on the blogs of those you’ve chosen.

And I love the following blog:
A Moonlight Rendezvous (U.Lee)
Dad.Mom.Chat (Tot's mom)
Jo-N
Judy
Magical Milestone (Sting)
My Memories, As Time Goes By (Martini)
Nobody tells me (Yling)

Love Q #20 - First Impression

2008-09-17T16:43:00.003+08:00

This question is a fun and easy ones created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem.

What are the things that you tend to focus on when it comes to sizing up a potential mate during that crucial first encounter?

My answer:

Here are the things that I intend to focus on when it comes to sizing up a potential mate during my crusial first encounter (in no particular order)

1.) His eyes must be attractive enough. Not necessary must have big perfectly shaped eyes, it is the way he look at me that capture my heart. I always believe that his eyes is the window to his soul.

2.) His height. I am 159cm tall (not a very tall girl) so, ideally he must be at least 5 inch taller than me. Short guy is a strong turn-offs for me.

3.) Must have a nice personality.

4.) He must look cute and manly enough. I would know whether he is good for cuddling based on his overall outlook.

5.) The way he talk. Must not be rowdy.

6.) They way he dress up himself and the shoes he wear.

7.) His hair. Must not have long hair or look like a girl.

8.) No tattoo or piercing.

9.) Must not be a smoker.

10.) Must not have a wedding ring on his finger (VERY IMPORTANT!!!)

Previous Love Q: Sensitive Topics

Brillante Weblog Premio 2008

2008-09-16T20:36:00.003+08:00

I got this lovely award from Martini. Have not been receiving any award for quite some time now. And it's wonderfully nice having some blogging friends who thought of me.

Here are the rules that come with the award.
The rules are these:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

I am nominating
Chenille
Michelle
rin-en
Osindak
YeeLing
David
God's Little Angel

Love Q #19 - Sensitive Topics

2008-09-16T20:01:00.003+08:00

Another good one from the author of Short Sweet Love Poem.

Do you think avoiding a touchy topic helps or hinders a relationship?

My answer:

Well, I think it depends on whether the touchy topic is important or not. I will usually try to analyze every angle possible for the topic deem as touchy which I feel like bringing it up to my partner. Analyzing whether it will bring positive or negative impact in the relationship is an important point to take note of. I do not want to be like those people who utter blatant remarks which easily hurt people's feelings. Well, at least I try not to. If it's something either one or both of us needs to change such as bad attitude problem for instance, then this touchy topic must not be avoided because it is not healthy to the relationship in the long run. I know many people will keep quite to avoid arguments and for the sake of keeping peace in the relationship. But thinking in a broader perspective, avoiding some touchy topics might hinder a relationship whether we realize it or not. I believe avoidance is the start of something bad where having it done very often will not teach us to be a good responsible person. Because when something uneasy sets in, you avoid and avoid until it has become a spontaneous reaction where at the end when your tolerance level reaches it's peak, everything exploded. And by then, both you and your partner will be there thinking... what's happening here? Because avoidance can very easily makes us forgets the true reason of the problem.

Previous Love Q: When A Woman Wants To Get Married

Love Q #18 - When A Woman Wants To Get Married

2008-09-15T22:00:00.003+08:00

It's been quite a while that I miss doing the weekly Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem. So, here am I catching up on those missed QA.

How do you feel about a woman proposing to a man? For those women out there, would you be comfortable doing so if you truly feel you are ready for marriage?

My answer:

Woman proposing to a man is a modern reflection of todays world. It proves that the acceptance of man and woman are equals is increasingly true. Woman who makes the first step in the subject of her love or either proposing to a man certaintly has a strong character, brave and knows what she wants. However, some man might feel intimidated because generally, man is the one having commitment issues which seems to be such a big problem in the turning point of their life. To simplify, most man just too afraid to grow up and face the responsibilities which awaits them and so now days woman takes the lead instead of man. Some people likes to call it "Girl power". I would say it's evolution of the gender equity. Hey, if the thing has been sitting there for so long with no progress as to where it is going and instead of waiting for things to happen or get rotten, someone has to make the move right? As I can see, these days the world lack of macho, courageous and responsible man, so woman has begin to take the leading role to adjust to the changes around them. Same goes with marriage proposal, I think.

However, no matter how modern I am, I am quite traditional in terms of my view on marriage. I will never put myself in a situation where I would have to be the one proposing to a man. Because to me, a man who does not propose to me is not sincere to have me as his wife or it means that he might have someone else in mind that he wants to marry. If one fine day I truly feel ready for marriage, I won't feel comfortable proposing to him either because I really still prefer man to do their job and I will do mine.

Previous Love Q: Buying Gifts

Healthcare is important

2008-09-12T15:22:00.005+08:00

Girls usually like to skip meals for the sake of dieting and beauty. This has becoming quite rampant in this modern day world. If I am not mistaken, at least 95% of woman has envisioned them to be thinner or wants to be thinner than what they are now. We all love beauty. Who doesn’t is a liar not only to others but also to themselves. I am no promoting beauty here but what I am trying to say is we should not overlook the importance of having a healthy body, mind and soul. We should not endanger our health just for the sake of beauty. It is not worth it because when we gets old, only our health is left for us to be worried about the most in life. Constant dieting and skipping meals can result to minor sickness that can turn into major sickness if we are not careful. The most common form of illness is Gastric and stomach ulcer which occur to some people who constantly have unhealthy eating habits. For those who are not so lucky, they might have Peptic Ulcer Disease.

Sometimes visiting a doctor and you might hear some big medical terms they use to describe your illness or prescriptions. Perhaps you can check through the internet for medical information to help you understand more on what you are having. Below recommendations is very suitable for healthcare practitioners but also to non-healthcare professionals.

Free Online Clinical Solution from Epocrates
Checking for drug interactions with oxycontin? Not sure what lymphogranulomatosis is? A quick visit to Epocrates Online free drug and disease resource could answer these questions and then some for safer prescribing and more confident diagnosis.
Epocrates, Inc., developers of medical software used by over 500,000 healthcare professionals, has introduced a new web-based application. The free Epocrates Online product provides clinicians with rapid access to practical, evidence-based content, including:
• New disease database – condition overview and risk factors, treatment approach, tests to order, national medical society guidelines, and more
• Integrated drug reference guide – critical prescribing information on more than 3,300 drugs, including dosing, interactions and health plan coverage.

Clinicians seeking information online or patients interested in learning more about their health care can visit www.epocrates.com/online for access to this free resource.

**** This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

Had a long busy week.....

2008-09-10T20:02:00.003+08:00

Oh, I am sooo..... glad last week is over. It was a really busy and unwelcome week at work. I did not have time to blog for the past 1 week due to having to work late. The Australian boss a.ka. my direct contact client who supplies me and my team of programmers with projects, came over to our Malaysian office for a 4 days long visit from 2nd - 5th of September. Oh did I mention his a guy? Well, speaking about having an Aussie guy comming over to our office, it made the rest of the girl colleagues go a little crazy. From two weeks before he was schedule to be arriving, my girl colleagues kept on asking me "is he a hansome good looking guy?". I honestly don't know how he looks like because I have never met him before, that's my answer to them. But I can tell, judging from his voice I know he is a young man.

Unlike my other colleagues who had nothing to do with him, they seem pretty excited having know his comming, I am feeling less excited about that because it means I have to work like a cow to plough through my work in organizing things, agenda and preparing my team for his arrival. He did sent through his little agenda on what he want to do/see during his 4 days visit here and I've got only 1 week to prepare them. So, there goes all my free time preparing PowerPoint presentations slides during the Merdeka Day holidays. He wanted to know every little details and every processes we do especially how our QA processes is being done. I feel like his main motive here was to audit our work.

I have been the only one in my office who has constant teleconference meeting and email correspondence with him all this while. Judging from his demeanor over the phone and through emails, he does sound a bit judgemental and kind of stingy in the way he wants everything we send across to be strict to perfection. So, I honestly do not welcome his visit very much but on the first day when I met him, I said "Welcome!". Haha... what a hypocrite I am. Well, I certaintly should not be showing a sour face do I?

Okay, after reading all the boring stuff above you probably wonders at this point, how does he looks like? Well, those who likes Caucasian guys will be dissapointed because he looks very Asian besides his thick Australian English accent. His parents are actually Vietnamese refuge. Apparently there was a war in Vietnam back then and they we given a choices to choose the country they want to live in. So, that is how he and his family came to Australia and became Australian citizen since then. He has been living in Australia since he was 3 years old. He is now in his early 30s. Yep, he's a young man with military like hair cut and he looks kind of good looking - average kind of good looking I mean. He has a Chinese like complexion, people here can easily mistaken him as Malaysian Chinese. He's also single, young and kind of loaded with cash, loves ski-ing and travelling.

Okay, I think I'll stop here before anyone thinks I'm checking him out or promoting him to others single desperate woman. Well, it's just something we chat about during lunch time on all those 4 days while he was here. Oh actually, him comming over here for a visit is not all bad. The best thing is, I got the eat FREE LUNCH everyday! Having steak for lunch on one of those days was the best! Lunch bills are all on the company.

Currently away from blogging.......

2008-09-02T23:32:00.005+08:00

A Bookworm's Tag

2008-08-26T19:50:00.002+08:00

This tag is very suitable for me. I can be considered as a bookworm back when I was a kid through out my teenage years. I usually finished up a book with 300+ pages in 2-3 days. Had done it in 24hrs too. But that was only just for non-fiction books. Too bad, I do not fancy school books or else I could have been a straight A student. Haha.... I sometimes likes to read History, Geography, Biographies & Memories, Science and Mystery of the world books. Used to have a set of Encyclopedia books for kids which I read them all. Thanks to Martini for pass this tag to me.

Do you remember how you developed a love for reading?
Yes, it was when my mom bought me all those fairy-tale stories when I was a small kid. I love looking at the colourful illustrations and reading the stories on it.

What are some books you read as a child?
I remember those are very simple story books on The Three Little Pigs, Repunzzle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, and some others I can't remember now. When I was in primary school, I was exposed to Enid Blyton, Fear Street series by R.L Stine, True Singapore Ghost Stories and books by Christopher Pike.

What is your favourite genre?
Horror, Mystery and Romance.

Do you have a favourite novel?
Oh there are so many of them. When I was a child, I love Fear Street series by R.L Stine and Christopher Pike, obiviously. I still likes them but I do not read them now due to age factor (LOL!!). Now my favourite are those books from Virginia Andrews (V.C Andrews), Danielle Steel, Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King and Nora Roberts.

Where do you usually read?
On the bed or the couch in the living room.

When do you usually read?
During my free time - morning, noon or night.

Do you usually have more than one book you are reading at a time?
No. I like to finish one book before moving on the next one.

Do you read nonfiction in a different way or place than you read fiction?
No.

Do you buy most of the books you read, or borrow them, or check them out of the library?
I bought some but mostly borrow them from friends, family or from "rent-a-book" store.

Do you keep most of the books you buy? If not, what do you do with them?
Definitely keep them. Unless those which I do not like, they somehow lost from my storage which I have no idea where they went.

If you have children, what are some of the favorite books you have shared with them? Were they some of the same ones you read as a child?
I do not have children as I am not married yet.

What are you reading now?
Birthright by Nora Roberts. Been staying at the same page since few months back due to my hectic work life and my blogging interest has taken over what's left of my free time.

Do you keep a TBR (to be read) list?
Used to have that list when I was schooling. But not anymore since I join the working world.

What’s next?
Finish up the book entitle Birthright by Nora Roberts, which I have started months ago.

What books would you like to reread?
Can't name one at the moment.

Who are your favourite authors?
Read above (I have already listed them above).

I would like to pass this tag to Stubborn-Daydreamer and Catherine

Yummy Pudding Jelly Stick

2008-08-21T20:42:00.003+08:00

We had this Pudding Jelly Stick for snack time during our Team Leader training today. At first glance, it does not attract my taste buds at all but after watching my colleagues ate it one after another, I wonder what's so tasty about it. So, I took one and try it for myself. Wow! It was yummy. It taste better than I had expected. I expected it to be very sweet as with many kiddy's snack but it was not. There are two flavor - Lychee and Strawberry. I prefer Lychee. You can really taste the original Lychee flavor. Due to the packaging, there is no way you can open them up without a scissor or knife. Better still, we use our teeth to bite open the plastic wrapper and had the delicious soft pudding jelly oozing out from the tube into our mouth. Yummy! I think I can finish up 50 stick at one go. Hehe....

Love Q #17 - Buying Gifts

2008-08-21T19:54:00.004+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Do you think buying gifts is important in a relationship? And do you expect a gift from your partner now and then?

My answer:

I think buying gift is important in a relationship but it is not the most important thing because money cannot buy long term happiness. During the early days of the relationship or marriage, couples do usually buy gifts for each other, indeed. But after being with each other for a long time, the act of suprising each other with gifts has no longer become important part of the relationship, sometimes not even on special occasion like birthday or aniversary. This happens to my relationship with my boyfriend too. Lets first analyze why new couple buy gifts for each other that often. It could be a show of affection, gratitude, love, act to impress and win over his/her heart to you. If we no longer bother to buy gifts for our love, does that mean that we love each other less? Hmm... I wonder..... Well, I think it has something to do with a natural reaction when after we know that we have already win our "throphy", we no longer need to work so hard to get the other person's attention and affection by buying them gifts isn't it? Never the less, I agree with many people that buying gift for each other once a while is a good thing to boost up the relationship and to spice things up a little bit especially when the relationship is heading to the 'boring zone'. Having said this, I do expect to receive a gift from my partner now and then. It doesn't have to be expensive. It's the toughts that matters.

Last week's Love Q: The Marriage Institution

Startrite School Shoes

2008-08-15T20:22:00.003+08:00

Following the post I wrote yesterday, I still remember vividly on the ideal black school shoes design which I had envisioned but I never had. It should have a sleek, stylish design and comfortable too. Just like the one on the picture at the top left corner of this post. On the picture is a Startrite School Shoes for girls, model - Hot Fuss available in black leather and brown leather. I don't think we have this brand in Malaysia but we can order them through the Internet now. Well, that's my childish tiny little desire which I had during my school days. What's yours?

I would also like to write more on the importance of choosing the right school shoes for your kids. Because their bones has not been fully developed yet until they are in their late teens, it is important to have your children's feet properly measured so that you can buy school shoes that fit them properly. There are a few common children's foot health issues. They are "toe walking", "Pigeon toes", "Toeing-out", "Bow-legged and knock-kneed", and "Sweaty feet". Most of these foot health issues on children goes away naturally as they gets older. To know more, you may visit http://www.startriteshoes.com or consult your doctor.

Health issues, of course is an important factor to look out for when buying school shoes for your children because they are wearing them for more than 8 hours a day during the weekdays. Besides considering the comfort level when selecting a pair of school shoes, we will usually look at the quality, design, and style too. Many a times we found a nice design shoes but it is lacking in comfort or vise versa. Startrite school shoes can accomodate all the criteria of comfort, style, good leather quality and offers many good designs to choose from. There is where you can find a good pair of school shoes for your children.

School shoes with style and comfort

2008-08-14T21:07:00.009+08:00

One thing about schooling during the primary and secondary level, besides having school uniform to comply with we need to follow the school standard of wearing school shoes too. The school where I studied, similarly with the majority public school in Malaysia requires me to wear white school shoes. But I noticed some school especially those private schools who has their own sets of school uniform, had all their students wear black school shoes. I think black is cool. I had complained to my mom on why I have to wear white, not black. Being a young and stuborn child, I tried to accept reluctantly the rules and regulations which the school has set for us that is we have to wear white school shoes.

I am fussy about choosing the right school shoes those days. Not only then, even now I would make a big fuss about buying shoes for any occassion. I would go round and round visiting many stores before I finally decided on buying the pair I like. Sometimes it takes me weeks or months to do the scouting. I look for style and comfort even when it involved buying school shoes those days. To me, style always comes first and comfort, second. Price doesn't matter to me but it matters to my parents because they are the one who pays for them. It's really nice being a kid. You don't have to fork out money to get what you wanted. When I chose my school shoes, I was tempted to try on the black ones although I am only allowed to choose the white ones. I had debated with my mom on why I would want a black school shoes instead of white. I came out with a list of "black vs white" school shoes.

White always looks dirty no matter how often I clean it.
I do not need to clean my school shoes that often if it is black (this shows that I am lazy in witholding my responsibility of cleaning my own shoes those days...)
Black looks more elegant compare to white ones
In primary school, they all likes to play "shoes stepping" and I would not be afraid if others step on my shoes if it is black (back to showing I am lazy to wash my shoes).

Love Q #16 - The Marriage Institution

2008-08-13T21:14:00.008+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Is the idea of marriage outdated?

My answer:

Although divorce is becoming rampant these days and many people do not view marriage as something that could last for a lifetime, generally people still have marriage intention in mind. Our ancestors might never have thought that marriage can be annulled. It's a common idea that marriage is a very wonderful thing in the past. If you are not married but living together with your partner during those olden era, you will be scorned by the society. Howver, the idea of living together wihout having to get married is quite a common thing these days. And many people including our parents has accepted the idea of it. Not to mention, old people also accepted the idea of divorce these days. Having these, is the idea of marriage outdated? My answer is yes and no. There are people who do not think marriage as a life-long commitment if things does not work out well in their marriage, so to them the idea of marriage is consider outdated. But there are also people who still believe in the ever-lasting bonding of marriage and so to them, the idea of marriage is not yet outdated.

Divorce rate sky roketed and more and more couple living together before deciding to get married is very common these days, but I don't think people are giving up the idea of getting married just yet.

Last week's Love Q: Staying For The Sake Of The Kids

2x2 Meme

2008-08-11T20:43:00.002+08:00

Wow! It has been so long since I last receive a tag assignment. This nice and simple tag were past down from my very good friend. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this ya =)

Two names you go by
1. Amilia
2. Dear

Two things you are wearing right now
1. Casual top
2. Khakis long pants

Two things you want very badly at the moment
1. Sleep early
2. A holiday

Two things you did last night just before bed
1. Play with Jojo
2. Watched Red Clift directed by John Woo

Two things you ate today
1. Egg sandwiches
2. Maggie mee

Two people you just spoke with
1. My boyfriend
2. My mom

Two things you are doing tomorrow
1. Work
2. Sleep

Two longest car rides
1. To Singapore
2. To Kelantan

Two favourite beverages
1. Milo
2. Watermelon juice

2+1 persons who are chosen to do this meme:
1. Sting
2. Martini
3. Osindak

Shopping for wedding gifts

2008-08-08T20:20:00.005+08:00

This comming September 2008 is a popular month for getting married especially for Chinese couple. I have a colleague invited me for her wedding early next month but unfortunately I am not able to attend. So, I intend to buy her a wedding gift instead. I seldom shop for wedding gift because when I attend the wedding dinner, I usually gave red packets as the usual Chinese custom. So, I have no idea what to buy as a wedding gift for this colleague of mine.

I had some free time during office hour lunch hour, so I decided to look for some gift ideas on the home section of a departmental store. I also had time to visit one famous wedding gift store located at the mega mall just near by my office. Since my colleague is quite young, I think I should look for a wedding gift for young couple. Bed sheets set, flatware, dinnerware and kitchen tools are among some of the ideas I am thinking of getting them.

I was also thinking of maybe buying a nice sculpture decoration as a wedding gift. I went to a gift store and saw a really nice one. It's a sculpture of an angel praying, size is just nice as I had envisioned it and it is off-white in colour. The gift is beautiful and I almost bought it but I did not because gift as such is not very practical. I prefer to go for something practical when buying gift for someone including wedding gifts. I think I will decide on getting a nice bed sheets set for my colleague's wedding. I think she'll love it. Besides, it is close to the budget that I had in mind. Also, when I have no idea on what to buy as a gift, the internet is full of gift ideas that could guide me along to choose a suitable gifts for my family and friends.

Love Q #15 - Staying For The Sake Of The Kids

2008-08-07T20:00:00.003+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Should couples stay together for the sake of the kids when love is no longer present? Can it work?

My answer:

Hmm... this is a tough answer. It is indeed very sad when couples drifted apart after married. But sometimes problems in relationship is hard to solve. As years gone by, people do change. When a couple has been married for many years, it's either they progress together or they grew apart. It is also hard to control or predict how long the love and passion will last. If a married couple lost the essence being together and they have intention of going for a divorce, it is definitely a very tough decision to make if children is involved. Whether they stay together for the sake of the kids or not, I think it really depends on individual level of tolerance. But in a more rational point of view, if the children are still young they should try to work out their differences and stay together at least until their children is old enough to handle the aftermath of the divorce. Staying together in such condition where love does not present in the marriage might works for some but it might not work for some others.

Last week's Love Q: Couples And Money

Appreciate what you have....

2008-08-05T20:18:00.003+08:00

If we could turn the population of the earth into a small community of 100 people, keeping the same propotion we have today, it would be something like this........

61 Asians.......
12 Europeans........
8 North Americans
5 South Americans and the Carebbean
13 Africans
1 Oceania

50 women
50 men

47 lives in an urban area
9 are disabled

33 are Christians (Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Anglicans, and other Christians)
18 are Muslims
14 are Hindus
16 are non-religious
6 are Buddhist
13 practice other religions

43 live without basic sanitation
18 live without an improved water source

6 PEOPLE own 59% of the entire wealth of the community

13 are hungry or malnourished
14 can't read
only 7 are educated at a secondary level
only 12 have a computer
only 3 have an internet connection

1 adult aged 15 - 49 has HIV / Aids

The village spend more than US$ 1.12 trillion on military expenditures
and only US$ 100 billion on delevopment aid

If you keep your food in a refrigerator
your clothes in a closet
if you have a bed to sleep in
and a roof over your head
you are richer than 75% of the entire world population

If you have a bank account, you are one of the 30 wealthiest people in the world
18 struggle to live on US$ 1.00 dollar per day or less......
53 struggle to live on US$ 2.00 dollar per day or less.

Appreciate what you have
And do your best for a better world.

The above message originated from The Miniature Earth movie which was published on May 29, 1990 with the tittle “State of the Village Report”, and it was written by Donella Meadows, who passed away in February 2000. This message reminds me to be grateful and contented with what I have. There are so many people in this world who have very much less than what I have. I should not be complaining that my bed is too hard, or my food is not nice, or my clothes are too old to wear, or my shoes are not nice, or the money I have are insufficient, or my house are too small. Instead, I should be thankful for God has blessed me with all this luxury compare to 75% of the people in this world.

To watch The Miniature Earth movie, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvTFKpIaQhM or for more infomation about this message, please visit http://www.miniature-earth.com/index.html

Love Q #14 - Couples And Money

2008-07-31T22:59:00.003+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Should you have a joint account with your partner? And should you keep tabs on what he or she may be spending on?

My answer:

I think having join account with your partner is a good thing to ensure savings responsibility and also for emergency usage or provision for children's education funds, etc. Ideally, both has their individual separate saving account and contribute a certain percentage of their monthly salary to the joint account. Having this, the join account would be very useful for the rainy days ahead too. But this only applicable if both are working else there is no point having a join account when only one of them is working and the other is not. Keeping tabs on what he or she may be spending on should be done discreetly. After all, husband and wife has equal rights to monitor the family expenditure if they want to achieve a reasonable state of financial stability in a marriage. Keeping tabs if you must, but do not over do it until it spur up disunity. Having said that, both husband and wife should practise caution in their spending because over indulgence is not a good thing if it happens too often.

Last week's Love Q: Appearance When Dating

Heart Break......

2008-07-28T20:56:00.008+08:00

When I was young, I wasn't a bubbly little girl. I had always imagine I had a dark cloud lingering above my head (imagination influenced by watching cartoons). Don't ask me why. Even now I could not remember what it is that made me having such an unhappy childhood life. My unhappiness drag on through to my teenage years. I began to search and try discovering myself. Throughout those self-reflection times I tried channeling my feelings and thoughts through writing poems. There were times where I was going through live tribulations and heart breaking moments that I had distroyed most if not everything that I have put my heart and soul into writing those poems down. I did not felt regret distroying my work of art back then. Perhaps it is because I was still very young and naïve during that time.

Sometimes when anger and emotions takes control, we feel there's nothing else more important then distroying and forgetting everything that would holds any memories and rememberance to us in that moment of misery, you know what I mean? However, as I was having some quiet moment to myself recently I do feel a pinch of regret for distroying those poems I wrote during my teenage years. It might probably able to help me search and understand myself better as I grows older. After my search and distroy rampage, my flow of thoughts in writing my own poetry has long gone ever since. Anyhow, there's no use crying over spilled milk. As I search through my junkies, I discover that I managed to salvage some of the poems. It looked as though it has gone through many years of neglect and abandonment as the pages soaked with dark yellow/brownish colour. Well, not that I had written many but there are a few..... Here is one among the first batch of poems I wrote in my early teens. If anyone happen to stumble upon my blog and so happen to read this post, please don't laugh. I know this poem sounds so lame.

Title: Heart Break

Such a lovely night,
With thousand blooming stars,
Shining above the sky,
There,
I came walking...... walking......
To meet someone special.

I walk through the garden,
With autumn leaf under my feet,
When we both met at the path,
Suddenly,
I feel disappointed,
I look into his eyes,
He looks worried,
I know there are something amiss,
My eyes began to weep.

When he uttered out a few words,
I feel in such a pain,
My heart began to break,
Which no one could put it back together,
So,
I began to run,
Back through the garden,
I keep on running..... running.......
Back into my house.

My mother asked why,
My father asked why,
I don't care,
I continue running,
Back into my room,
There,
My tears keep on falling,
That no one could stop it,
That's the most miserable day of the rest of my life.

Love Q #13 - Appearance When Dating

2008-07-24T20:32:00.003+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Does appearance matter in a relationship? Should you always try to look your best for your date?

My answer:

Well, I can still remember vividly what I did on my first date. I was very concious on what I should wear, how I should had my hair done, what shoes to wear, what kind of posture I should be in when I was sitting or standing with him, or whether I should look extremely happy or mellow. Yes, I was overly concious about my appearance. I have always try to look my best whenever I go out dating with my boyfriend. Because I do not want him to feel embarrass if I don't look pleasant enough and vise versa. But after so many years of dating, I can see that my boyfriend has been dressing down and he tend to ask me why am I dressing up so nicely when out dating with him. Not that I had been overly dressed up all the time. I usually likes to wear a pair of jeans with a nice sexy top but not too revealing though. I like dressing up nice and simple. I think it's important to look my best for a date but it's not the most important thing to do while dating. Because it shows that I still has that kind of exitement to meet my date and I still have that feeling of freshness in it. Just like when I went out for a date the very first time. Kind of shows that my date is special to me and I am very interested in going out together with him. Looking my best will also boost up my confidence and positive feelings throughout the date too. Besides, it also shows how much I really care about the person.

Last week's Love Q: Cheating On You Partner - Should You Confess?

Bananas for health

2008-07-21T21:07:00.004+08:00

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! Because it will go black. So, if you care about the look of your bananas, then don't put them in the fridge. But if you do put them in the fridge, the banana inside will still looks fresh and lovely.

Well, this is interesting.
After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.

Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at wor k leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"

Busy.. busy...busy

2008-07-16T23:36:00.002+08:00

I have not been blogging that often for the past 2 months and for the past one week, I am totally away from blogging. This is due to two facts:

Been extremely busy with work. Even have to work at home after comming home from the office and during the weekends. Crazy work schedule to be blamed. This started happen after I took up the team leading post and being assign a new role which includes QC and QA part of the work on top of still having my own projects to deal with at the moment. 24hrs a day is definitely not enough! But I am not panicking just yet. Thanks to years of training and experience working there and handling projects by myself.

The reason that I have not been blogging for a week is because I could not use the internet at home. Thought that it's the internet service provider's technical problem with the internet. But it turns out that the modem is spoilt. But that takes us quite some time to figure that out because the ISP personnel had just came to inspect it yesterday. Lucky that we got a spare modem to use.

Sometimes I would really like to have nothing to do and free my mind on thinking about the things that I could blog about. But having a full time job and having a blog is hard to maintain. In this case, my work takes up most of my free time these days. I used to have time to think or draft what I want to blog about at work (sshhh... this shouldn't be known by my bosses). Now I only find time to finish up my work on time so that I got time to blog. Sadly this is always not the case........

Love Q #12 - Cheating On Your Partner - Should You Confess?

2008-07-16T22:32:00.005+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

If you have cheated on your partner, would you confess? But if you are the one being cheated upon, would you prefer your partner to tell or not to tell?

My answer:

First of all, I would not cheat my partner or even thought of cheating my partner. However, if I did at some point cheated my partner, I think I must have been out of my mind. And back to the question, I would confess. I might not confess right a way but I will not wait for too long to confess. Whether my partner want to know or not, I will still confess because he deserved to know the truth. I think it would be even more unfair to him not knowing the truth from me. And to turn it the other way round where I am the one being cheated upon, I would prefer my partner to tell me eventhough the truth really hurts and it's hard to forgive. If God could forgive us of our transgression , why can't I ? I always hold up to the principle "Honesty is the best policy". And this is what we should be teaching our younger generation.

Last week's Love Q: Past Relationship

Egg Yolks Are Good For Health

2008-07-16T22:14:00.003+08:00

This is an article I read quite some time ago, sent to me by a friend and I would like to share it with everyone who reads my blog.

The truth about egg yolks

Many people throw away the egg yolk because they think that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is". This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition.

In a world full of misinformation, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolk. Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids. Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain all of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as all of the essential fatty acids.

And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg..."But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof ." No, this is FALSE!

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out. On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has tons of important functions in the body.

And here's where it gets even more interesting...There are indications that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood
chemistry.

And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT.

You can read the following article about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are...

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/cholesterol-myths.html

So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.

Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don't compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy. Most people don't realize that there's a major difference because they've never bought real eggs from healthy chickens... The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs had deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior, you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

One more thing about eggs... I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Love Q #11 - Past Relationship

2008-07-16T21:44:00.005+08:00

Last week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

How frank should you be with your partner when it comes to your past relationships? How much of the details should you reveal?

My answer:

Hmm.... I think it depends on individual - to whom I dated. For example, for my ex he don't mind listening to everything I talk about even regarding my past relationship. But of course I am not saying that I kept talking about my past relationship with him. We just had that very special bond of understanding and open mindedness with each other. There is nothing that we could think of not telling each other about. That's the thing I had with my ex. Whereas, with my current boyfriend, things were almost completely the opposite. I know I could not tell him anything with regards to my past relationship because it's just so not him to want to listen to all those things in the past. Even if I wish to tell him every details, he would not want to know or listen to it. But that doesn't mean that I always kept secret from him or love him less. It's just that he is the type that look at the present and the future. Besides, it's not good to know and being compared to others isn't it? So, to conclude this, I will firstly consider my partner's feelings and perception before I decide I should reveal anything about my past relationship. If it's important and benefit both me and my partner, then I will also think of spilling the beans!

Last week's Love Q: Sex - When Should You Start?

Sunday night dinner @ Amuleto by Crystal Jade

2008-07-08T19:34:00.006+08:00

I had a short gathering for dinner with my family 2 days ago. My mom wanted to buy us dinner and so my brother suggested this place - Amuleto by Crystal Jade located at Mid Valley. My office is also located at Mid Valley city so I do not feel very exited about the venue but oh crap, it's my family gathering for dinner together and I shouldn't be complaining so much about having to go there on a Sunday. But I am really happy that my date joined me on this family occasion.

This restaurant is the western style of the well known chinese food concept of Crystal Jade chain of restaurant. Unlike its chinese food chain counter part, Amuleto by Crystal Jade does not serve pork or any chinese cuisine. It has a nice interior, classy and cozy ambience. Although it's name and the whole restaurant outlook seems like it's an expensive restaurant, but the food price is actually quite affordable. Food range from RM10-RM40. Their set lunch consist of soup, a main course, fruits as dessert and a drink which only cost RM13.80++

We ordered three spaghetti dishes, one Amuleto specialy fried rice (can't remember what it's called), one rosti, one Chicken Pepperonate and three cheesy baked rice dishes. Generally food taste is average but for the interior restaurant design and ambience, I would give it a rating 7.5 out of 10.

My first time trying Rosti with Mushrooms (picture above). For those who doesn't know what Rosti is, it is grated fried potato dish from Switzerland. I love potatoes! So, any dish with potatoes surely taste good to me.

My date ordered this Amuleto Fried Seafood Spaghetti With Olive Oil dish. It taste pretty good to me but he said it's a bit too salty for his liking.

Love Q #10 - Sex - When Should You Start?

2008-07-02T22:14:00.005+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What stage in a relationship do you think two people should be at before they start sleeping together?

My answer:

Hmm... this is a tough question. If I say they can have it when both reaches a certain level of maturity in the relationship, then it would be against many religious law. I am thinking it's up to individual on when they want to start that chapter of their life. But yet, this freedom is dangerous to the young and naive because it can distroy a person's future as in the case of teenage pregnancy. If both are not young and age past far beyond teenage years, having premarital sex could be quite damaging emotionally if the relationship did not work out in the long run. So, I guess ideally it would be best to safe your virginity for the person you are marrying. But then, it is easier said then done. Where love matters, some things is really hard to control and our heart might rules over our head sometimes, isn't it?

Last week's Love Q: When To Marry

Common Sense

2008-06-30T20:15:00.004+08:00

OBITUARY FOR SOMEONE WE SHOULD ALL REMEMEBER…

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No-one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as
having cultivated such valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals
received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.'

Author Unknown

I notice.... that I have been using this two words "commom sense" quite a lot recently. This happens particularly at work. Telling others and reminding others to apply common sense in all things that they do. Since I become quite of a trainer in my department, I can't help but to have to use the "common sense" words when I teach the new programmers especially the slow ones. Does this mean that I am applying "common sense" in all things that I do? I am not proud of what I did. I too, sometimes succumb to human weakness of not applying "common sense" in some area of my life. And this leads to mistakes and possibly hurts someone else feelings. Why God gives us this "common sense" value in live that we often always neglect? Perhaps we shall always ask ourself, is "common sense" important or not? Then only we'll be able to draw the important values of having "common sense" and put it in our head, put it into good practice and it is not forgotten.

Love Q #9 - When To Marry

2008-06-25T22:17:00.005+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

How young is too young to get married? To put it another way, what is your ideal age to get married and why?

My answer:

When I was in my teens, my ideal age to get married is between 25-26 years old. But after I venture into the adult working world, my desire to get married slowly change. Usually woman become more desperate to find a husband and get married off quickly as they gets older but for myself, I think otherwise. Ya, I know it seem a little strange having the opposite thinking. So, when I was at age 22 or 23, my ideal age to get married was 29 years old. But I kept on changing my mind in this subject. So as for now, my ideal age to get married is.... none?

Last week's Love Q: First Date Turn-Offs

TO ALL FREQUENT TRAVELLERS.......

2008-06-25T21:30:00.002+08:00

I received this e-mail message from a friend and I find it very useful to share it here. Whether you believe it or not, it's up to you. But I think most importantly, believe in the one and only true God whom He is the only one who can protect you from all harm if you truely belive and accept his grace. Having the right faith will safe you from falling into the devil's scheme.

I want to thank the actual person who written this message. Below is how the e-mail message starts:-

Hi friends,

It is the year-end, which is one of the peak traveling periods for many Singaporeans. This is a true account that I would like to share as a cautionary tale. I have changed the names of people involved toprotect their identities. Although it takes place on an overseas vacation, the warning applies equally whether abroad or at home.

Jessie was in her early thirties and like many of us loved to travel and her last trip was to Thailand. While visiting one of the tourist attractions in Thailand located near a temple, she decided to get a souvenir for herself. She walked along the shops with curious eyes. A well-dressed sales man managed to catch her attention. He asked her what year she was born.

She answered politely. He further pursued to ask her the month she was born. 'June,'she replied. As she answered, there was a sparkle in the man's eye. He quickly pulled out an item and put it in Jessie's hand and she looked at it closely. It was a small-sculpted stone, but Jessie could not make out what the Item was. The man, with a serious tone told her that this small ornament was a very powerful item that could grant all her wishes, but she was not to tell anybody, not even her closest friends, boyfriend or parents that she had this ornament in her possession. He informed her to bring this item wherever she went and not to allow anybody to touch it. Jessie was thrilled and thought she had stumbled upon a great deal as the item seemed very precious. She asked for the price and paid for the item.

Vacations like always were too short and she returned to Singapore . On the day that she returned, she felt very exhausted as if the life was draining out of her. She thought that it was due to the traveling and excitement and did not bother too much about it. She went to take a nap and as she rested, she started to feel an ache in her stomach that grew into a continuous sharp pain. By nightfall, the suffering was so intense that she went hysterical.

She crawled to the altar in her home and started to hit her head against the altar. Her parents were shocked with her actions. Her father held her tightly, to prevent her injuring herself while her mother called for an ambulance. Strangely enough, in the midst of all the pain and before she left with the ambulance, Jessie insisted that she had to bring along her handbag before leaving for the hospital. When she was sent to the hospital, it was already dawn and she was sent for different tests and scans to determine the cause of her pain. The sharp pain persisted and even got more intense.

Her Aunt Maggie heard the news that she was hospitalized and came to visit her. While Aunt Maggie was with her, Jessie thought about letting her employers know of her condition and hoped Aunt Maggie could contact them on her behalf. She took out her handbag and pulled out a pen to write the number on a piece of paper. As she pulled out the pen, the small ornament, which Jessie had bought from Thailand , dropped on the floor. Aunt Maggie wanted to pick it up but Jessie stopped her. She said if Aunt Maggie were to touch it, she would have to have it cleansed. While Jessie was not looking, Aunt Maggie quickly picked the ornament up and kept it. When Aunt Maggie was out in the hallway, she scrutinized it. The ornament sent shivers down her spine and she was very uncomfortable with the item so she decided to talk to Jessie's mother.

On the third day, the doctors informed Jessie's parents that they had confirmed that Jessie suffered from stomach cancer that had reached the terminal stage and they had to prepare for the worst. Jessie's parents were not able to understand this sudden diagnosis, as Jessie had not had any symptoms of stomach cancer. When Aunt Maggie went to the hospital and met with Jessie's mother,Jessie's mother broke the news to Aunt Maggie. Aunt Maggie was shocked and also shared her discovery of the ornament with Jessie's mother. Jessie's mother also had an uneasy feeling when she saw the ornament. She felt very lost and desperate about her daughter's situation. Jessie's mother and Aunt Maggie bothknew of a medium; Master Lim and it struck both of them that he might shed some light as to the events..

Aunt Maggie quickly called to arrange to meet Master Lim. When they visited Master Lim, they showed the ornament to Master Lim. At one glance, he told them that Jessie's life had been swapped with that of another girl who was probably suffering from stomach cancer and was dying. The ornament was an object to hold black magic, which would suck the life out of Jessie.. Both Jessie's motherand Aunt Maggie queried whether there was anything that could be done. He replied that it was too late as the black magic cast was very powerful and the ornament had been discovered too late. The black Magic was targeted with certain criteria: The victim had to be a girl who was born in a specific year and month. The black magic would lose its power if other people apart from Jessie touched it. However, in Jessie's case the black magic had already taken full effect and had become uncontrollable. Thus, only direct family members were to be allowed to visit her and even to send her off at her wake. The strange ornament was left at the temple to be handled and disposed of appropriately.

Silently, and with great pain, Jessie left by the seventh day on her return from her vacation.

Things to look out:

1. Usually you would notbe instructed to keep it a secret about buying anything,
unless magic isinvolved.

2. It is untrue that other people apart from the ownercannot touch blessed items. People that you are comfortable with can handle theblessed items. Of course, it is not a good idea to let strangers or anybodywho you are not comfortable with to touch any of your closely held items.

3. It is quite common for people to ask what year you areborn in when You are selecting items to suit your animal sign. If it is only todeal with Chinese animal signs, they do not need to ask for your birth month.If your birth month is requested for, you can always ask which theories theyare following.. For example, when selecting crystals and minerals according toastrology, we will need to know what is the birth month and day.

4. Do not buy closely held items or jewelry fromnon-creditable people, shops or organizations.

5. Many people may have the misconception that black magiccan only be cast on them if their eight characters (birth year, month, day andtime) are known. Eight
characters are not necessary to cast black magic on aSpecific person.

I have shared this true account as a caution to all that it is important to exercise care when buying items, especially closely held items. It is important to know whom you are buying from, where you are buying from and what you are buying. Do not take things too lightly; else there may be much to lose.

Author Unknown

Love Q #8 - First Date Turn-Offs

2008-06-20T23:34:00.004+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What would turn you off when it comes to the first date?

My answer:

It took me quite a long time thinking of the answer to this question because my first date experience seems ages ago. I can't really recall what are the things that has turn me off during my first date experience. Perhaps, I am lucky enough to have no such bad or uncomfortable experience before. Never the less, I think I would be really annoyed if the guy keep talking about his ex on our first date. Because it seems like he has not moved on with his life after breaking off with his ex. For me, there won't be a second date or more with this kind of guy. Another thing that I really don't like is the guy I'm dating keeps looking at other girls even when I'm still there. This is a sign that the guy is a play boy where the word commitment is not in his vocabulary. And also, if the guy ask me to pay my own bill on the first date and did not offer to send me home, I'll get turn-off by this too. This shows that he's not sincere at all and possibly he's a stingy person which I cannot stand.

Last week's Love Q: Is love Enough?

Don't give up

2008-06-17T23:06:00.003+08:00

This message serve as an encouragement to us not to give up no matter what we are going through in life.

As I find my life live in a meaningless way, I decided to quit...I
quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...
I wanted to quit my
life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

I : God,Can you give me one good reason not to quit?

God: Look around. Do you see the fern and the bamboo?

I: Yes.

God: When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. It's brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed. I would not quit. Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant... But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.

Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don't compare yourself to others. The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful.Your time will come, my child. You will rise high.

I: How high should I rise?

God: How high will the bamboo rise?

I: As high as it can?

God: Yes.

Hope these words can help you see that God will never give up on you. Never, Never, Never Give up. For the Prayer is not an option but an opportunity.

Don't tell the Lord how big the problem is, tell the problem how Great the Lord is!
Author unknown

Love Q #7 - Is Love Enough?

2008-06-14T16:40:00.007+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Is love alone enough in a relationship?

My answer:

I would say.... without love, there is no "real relationship". "Real relationship" here means it's a union between two people, man and woman who gets married because they sincerely love each other and want to spend their rest of their life together - to go through ups and downs of life, sharing all happiness and unhappiness together, supports and sustains each other without ulterior motives other than the reason beause they love each other.

If without money, food and shelter you could not sustain a relationship, then it is by far you do not love each other enough in the first place to begin with. But of course material things is important in order to survive in this world because we are all mortal and not self sufficient. If you're poor and your partner is poor, it is by instinct that both of you would work something out to make the life spend together as comfortable as possible. With love that strong, both would feel contented even with that little things that they have.

If you're blessed enough to have a rich comfortable life with your partner, and suddenly disaster strike and taken away all material things, would you still be able to stay and live together after that? If your answer is no, then you're actually loving the money and material things more than the relationship. And that is not a relationship at all. That's call "trading agreement" however, it not necessary two agree on the same thing but as long as the real element of interest that you want to get out of each other is there, then the "togetherness" will still be there. Else, you can kiss each other goodbye.

If a girl marries a man because he's rich and suddenly her husband goes bankcrupt, the marriage would definitely goes sour. The same reason if a man marries a woman because she's beautiful, and when they gets older he might leave his wife for someone younger and even more beautiful than his wife. This is an example of starting a relationship and getting married with a wrong reason. Maybe there exist some element of love but if either one love something else more than what's in the circle of love in that relationship, then the relationship is like rocky volcano mountain waiting for it to erupt and be distroyed. This is because material and physical things in this world does not last forever. Love does.

If you have a lot of money now, can you guarantee that you'll stay rich forever? If you're flawlessly beautiful, can you guarantee that you'll not grow old and ugly one day? But if there is real love, nothing can take that love away. Well, of course there should also be some element of trust, understanding and all such things. Even if those things is not there in the first place, but if there is love both will work towards getting those things work in the relationship. If your partner really love you, they will not want to do anything that hurt you. If they love you, they'll respect you and will try their very best to understand you. If you love your partner, you'll try your very best to understand him/her too. And you'll also try to develop that trust that is needed in the relationship. Because you love him/her, you'll have faith the he/she'll change their bad ways. We are all not perfect. If he really love you in the first place, he will not abuse you. Well, unless he's sick in the head. If there's lack of communications but there's love, you'll both work out to solve the communication barrier together to make the relationship works.

Love alone, is definitely enough in a relationship because it is the basis of it and love builds a strong foundation for a relationship. So, with love the relationship will stay for as long as both shall live. And even when their physical body dies, the love will still be there forever.

Last week's Love Q: Criterias For Choosing A Mate

Story for ungrateful kids

2008-06-09T20:26:00.003+08:00

Mother's day celebration was last month. But we should all celebrate Mother's day everyday because of the immeasurable things she does for us and the sacrifices she has made without complaining. Many of us could not fully understand all the things our mother did or would do for us. Everthing she did, does not have any less drop of love in it. They were all being done with genuine love. But sadly to say, many of us mock our mothers thoughtlessly, thinking our remark is nothing serious which could cause any emotional damage. If we really look at our mothers through our eyes and heart, we'll see how hurt she was when we does that or disobey her. The thing that hurts her the most is when we get hurt many a times, it was due to our own stubbornness. But our mothers never fails to give us comfort, support and encouragements so that we will have that strength and spirit to stand tall again after we fall. Though they shows their love in many different ways, but they never fails to love us no matter how rotten we are as her child. That's the beauty of a mother's love.

Here I have a story that speak of a mother's love to her child. This story is so touching, it put tears to my eyes and it reminds me of the things my mother did and has sacrificed for me. Here the story goes......

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment.
She cooked for students & teachers to support the family.

There was this one day during elementary school where my mom came to say hello to me.

I was so embarrassed.

How could she do this to me? I ignored her, threw her a hateful look and ran out.
The next day at school one of my classmates said, 'EEEE, your mom only has one eye!'

I wanted to bury myself. I also wanted my mom to just disappear.
I confronted her that day and said, ' If you're only goanna make me a laughing stock, why don't you just die?'

My mom did not respond...
I didn't even stop to think for a second about what I had said, because I was full of anger. I was oblivious to her feelings.

I walked out of that house, and have nothing to do with her. So I studied real hard, got a chance to go abroad to study. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own.
I had kids of my own. I was happy with my life, my kids and the comforts, Then one day, my mother came to visit me. She hadn't seen me in years and she didn't even meet her grandchildren.

When she stood by the door, my children laughed at her, and I yelled at her for coming over uninvited. I screamed at her, 'How dare you come to my house and scare my children!' GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!'

And to this, my mother quietly answered, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address,' and she disappeared out of sight. One day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house.

So I lied to my wife that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went to the old shack just out of curiosity.

My neighbors said that she died. I did not shed a single tear. They handed me a letter that she had wanted me to have.

'My dearest son,
I think of you all the time. I'm sorry that I came to your house and scared your children. I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I may not be able to even get out of bed to see you. I'm sorry that I was a constant embarrassment to you when you were growing up.

You see........when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye.
As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with one eye. So I gave you mine. I was so proud of my son who was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye.

With all my love to you,
Your mother.

Pigging out at Saisaki

2008-06-05T22:06:00.014+08:00

*** This post is long over due.....

On the 18th of May (Sunday), we treated mom to a nice Japanese Buffet dinner at Saisaki situated at Jalan Pinang, Wisma UOA II, K.L. for Mother's Day. It was the first time experience for the rest of them but for me it's my second time. We actually planed to go to Shin~Nichi Japanese Buffet restaurant at Komplex Antarabangsa located just right behind Saisaki but Lydia and David who went there early informed me that the place had been closed down. Without wanting to travel far for a different venue, so we decided to go to Saisaki instead. Although the price is somewhat more expensive - RM20 difference from Shin~Nichi, but we had a wonderful time pigging out at Saisaki. If you're living in K.L, I'm sure you've heard of this place besides the more expensive option of Jogoya Japanese Buffet Restaurant at Star Hill Gallery also situated at the heart of K.L.

I was feeling really famish before the dinner. Without further ado, here are all the food pictures taken on what I ate during my pigging out session.

1st round... All the fried food. I took one piece for each type there. Except 3-4 types I didn't took. Taste good.

2nd round.... A little bit of sushi and lots of sashimi. Simply delicious! I was a little full after galloping my 1st helping. That's why I can only take this much during my 2nd helping. But wait... there's more....

3rd round.....Some vegies, Sea Cucumber, mushrooms, lamb shank, and some beef.... yummy.... It still amazes me how my stomoch can fit in so much food at one go.

4th round..... Last but not least, Ice-creams!!! There were around 5 types of ice-creams. I only pick four flavor which is chocolate, corn, mint and green tea ice-creams. Definitely cannot miss the green tea flavor when you have Jappanese buffet ya.

5th round.... Okay, this is the last helping. Really... my stomoche is about to burst after galloping this one. I stuff it with chocolate and green tea flavor ice-creams which I like the most among other flavors.

All in all, we spent around 3 hours in the restaurant. LOL!!! That's why we can eat so much. But still, until now I am still amazed on how I can manage to eat up eventhing I on my plates. My weight must have gone up at least 2kg after that. hahaha... Now... Father's Day is comming up. Duh!

Love Q #6 - Criterias For Choosing A Mate

2008-06-05T19:59:00.004+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What are your top 5 criterias for choosing a mate, in order of priority?

In other words, what is your ideal partner like?

My answer:

1) He must truly love me from the bottom of his heart
2) He is NOT a smoker, drinker, gambler, who speaks foul language all the time or junkies
3) He is a man of God
4) He should have a nice personality and strong characters with compliment of having dreams and passion in life
5) He must know how to take care of me and family

Last week's Love Q: The First Date

88 Ways to know if you're Chinese

2008-05-29T22:03:00.002+08:00

I got this tag from Sting quite some time ago. So sorry that I took a week to do it. Sigh... I blame my recently busy work schedules. Ok, here comes all my answers on this very long list.....

1. You look like you are 18.
Emm... maybe 5 years ago yes, but not now.

2. You like to eat chicken feet.
Yucks! I won't eat that!

3. You suck on fish heads and fish fins.
Ewww... I don't like it.

4. You have a Chinese knick-knack hanging on your rear view mirror.
No, none of those things. I don't like having Chinese knick-knack things in my house or car or anywhere near me.

5. You sing karaoke.
No, I don't like karaoke and I don't like singing.

6. Your house is covered with tile.
Hmmm... it's not. Couldn't afford having so much tiles in my house.

7. Your kitchen is covered by a sticky film of grease.
No. We seldom cook at home.

8. Your stove is covered with aluminum foil.
Not after we changed it to an electric stove.

9. You leave the plastic covers on your remote control.
Huh? Why need a plastic cover on a remote control? I don't understand why people does that.

10. You've never kissed your mom or dad.
I have but only on very rare occasion.

11. You've never hugged your mom or dad.
Same answer as number 10.

12. Your unassisted vision is worse than 20/500.
Oh, I'm not that blind technically...

13. You wear contacts, to avoid wearing your "coke bottle glasses".
I wear both contacts and glasses, but definitely not "coke bottle glasses". What is that anyway?

14. You've worn glasses since you were in fifth grade.
No, my first pair of glasses is when I was 16 years old.

15. Your hair sticks up when you wake up.
Not really. I because I have a very soft limp hair.

16. You'll haggle over something that is not negotiable.
No, I don't haggle and don't like to negotiate especially with strangers.

17. You love to use coupons.
It depends on what kind of coupons and on which shops or items they sell.

18. You drive around looking for the cheapest petrol.
Err... couldn't do that in my country because petrol price here are all not much differences with each other.

19. You drive around for hours looking for the best parking space.
Nope. Couldn't afford to do that living in Kuala Lumpur city because parking spaces are so limited and there are too many cars around.

20. You take showers at night.
Only during working days because by the time I reach home from work, it's already night time.

21. You avoid the non-free snacks in hotel rooms.
Yes, of course! How want to pay double or tripple the price for such unhealthy food in the hotel rooms? Well, unless if I'm supre rich then I don't mind.

22. You don't mind squeezing 20 people into one motel room.
I totally disagree with that. I really do mind a lot.

23. Most girls have more body hair than you, if you are male.
Emm... no I guess.

24. You tap the table when someone pours tea for you.
Reall, why should I do that tapping the table when someone pours tea for me? A simple thank you would be easy and good enough. Sry, if this table tapping thing is a chinese culture, I really have no idea.

25. You say "Aiya!" and "Wah!" frequently.
Oh yes! This I do.

26. You don't want to wear your seatbelt because it is uncomfortable.
No, I've never thought of not wearing seatbelt in the car. Unless I'm the back seat passenger.

27. You love Las Vegas, slot machines, and blackjack.
I hate gambling spot!

28. You unwrap Christmas gifts very carefully, so you can reuse the paper.
No, I just rip it open and throws all the wrappers.

29. You only buy Christmas cards after Christmas, when they are 50% off.
No, I only use e-mails and e-greetings now.

30. You have a vinyl tablecloth on your kitchen table.
Oh definitely no.

31. You spit bones and other food scraps on the table. That's why you need the vinyl tablecloth.
Oh! I didn't know they does that by having the vinyl tablecloth because I've never used it before.

32. You have stuff in the freezer since the beginning of time.
Yes.. haha...

33. You use the dishwasher as a dish rack.
Nope.

34. You have never used your dishwasher.
Doesn't have one.

35. You keep a Thermos of hot water available at all times.
No. I have a water dispenser at home which is connected to the piping, that produce hot and room temperature water at home. So no need to boil any water at all. And it's healthy because it produces reverse osmosis water.

36. You eat all meals in the kitchen.
No, seldome eat at the kitchen dining area at all.

37. You save grocery bags, tin foil, and tin containers.
Only save grovery bags to serve as a rubbish bag later.

38. You have a piano in your living room.
Yes.

39. You pick your teeth at the dinner table (but you cover your mouth).
No. I try to use my tongue. Hehe...

40. You twirl your pen around your fingers.
Nope. I like to watch people does that but I don't do it.

41. You hate to waste food.
Only sometimes....

42. You have Tupperware in your fridge with three bites of rice or one leftover chicken wing.
Sometimes.....

43. You don't own any real Tupperware - only a cupboard full of used but carefully rinsed margarine tubs, takeout containers, and jam jars.
My house has a lot of Tupperwares.

44. You also use the jam jars as drinking glasses.
Huh? Does people really does that? That's so cheapskate.

45. You have a collection of miniature shampoo bottles that you take ever time you stay in a hotel.
No, I don't like to collect those things and jumble up my house.

46. You carry a stash of your own food whenever you travel (travel means any car ride longer than 15 minutes). These snacks are always dried and include dried plums, mango, ginger, and squid.
No. Didn't prepare any food or drinks. If needed just drop by those shops to buy it along the way.

47. You wash your rice at least 2-3 times before cooking it.
Yes, isn't that the standard procedure? Well, unless the rice brand instructions say you don't have to.

48. Your dad thinks he can fix everything himself.
Never heard he say such things. He'll try of course.

49. The dashboard of your Honda is covered by hundreds of small toys.
No such things.

50. You don't use measuring cups.
No. Only when baking and making pastries food.

51. You beat eggs with chopsticks.
No. I use fork.

52. You have a teacup with a cover on it.
I don't own such things.

53. You always look phone numbers up in the! Phone book, since calling information (*69) costs 50 cents.
I don't use Phone book. Just search over the internet or ask others for the calling information.

54. You only make long distance calls after 11pm.
Nope.

55. If you are male, you clap at something funny and if you are female, you giggle whilst placing a hand over your mouth.
Very seldome does that when I laugh or giggle. I just laugh openly.

56. You like Chinese films in their original undubbed versions.
I don't quit fancy Chinese films that much....

57. You love Chinese Martial Arts films.
Oh, those are my least favourite.

58. You've learnt some form of martial arts.
No.

59. Shaolin actually means something to you.
No. I think it's just some kind of sport and religious matter.

60. You like congee with thousand-year-old eggs.
Nope.

61. You prefer your shrimp with the heads and legs still attached.
I prefer it cleaned. No heads and legs on my shrimp please.

62. You never call your parents just to say hi.
I do.

63. If you don't live at home, when your parents call, they ask if you've eaten, even if it's midnight.
No, they don't ask me those things. Especially not during those odd hours.

64. When you're sick, your parents tell you not to eat fried foods or baked goods due to yeet hay. No, only my grandma told us that. Else, I wouldn't know that we should not eat fried foods when I'm sick.

65. You know what yeet hay is.
Oh, of couse!

66. You e-mail your Chinese friends at work, even though you only 10 feet apart.
Only on work realated matter. Else I just use phone call.

67. You use a face cloth.
What is face cloth? Sorry, no idea what is that.

68. You starve yourself before going to all you can eat places.
Only sometimes.

69. You know someone who can get you a good deal on jewelry or electronics.
I don't know anyone on that.

70. You save your old Coke bottle glasses even though you're never going to use them again.
Never thought of saving those old Coke bottle glasses. So, nope.

71. You own your own meat cleaver and sharpen it.
No. doesn't own one.

72. Your toothpaste tubes are all squeezed paper-thin.
Ya! That's what my mom thought me. hehe...

73. You know what moon cakes are.
Yes, but I hate moon cakes.

74. When there is a sale on toilet paper, you buy 100 rolls and store them in your closet or in the bedroom of an adult child who has moved out.
haha... it's funny imagining people does that. No, I don't.

75. Your parents know how to launch nasal projectiles.
Huh? What is that?

76. You iron your own shirts.
Of couse!

77. You play a musical instrument.
Not really. I didn't finish my piano lessons.

78. Even if you're totally full, if someone says they're going to throw away the leftovers on the table, you'll finish them.
No, if I can't finish it, I'm not going to push myself to eat it just not to waste it.

79. You've eaten a red bean popsicle.
Yes. I like those.

80. You bring oranges (or other produce) with you as a gift when you visit people's homes.
Sometimes. Never got chance to do much visiting around.

81. You fight over who pays the dinner bill.
Nope.

82. You majored in something practical like engineering, medicine or law.
Does Computer Science counts?

83. You live with your parents and you are 30 years old (and they prefer it that way). Or if you're married and 30 years old, you live in the apartment next door to your parents, or at least in the same neighborhood.
No, I'm not 30 years old yet.

84. You don't tip more than 10% at a restaurant, and if you do, you tip Chinese delivery guys/waiters more.
Can't tell because I don't really count how much did I tip.

85. You have acquired a taste for bitter melon.
Yuck! I hate it.

86. You eat every last grain of rice in your bowl, but don't eat the last piece of food on the table.
I always don't finish my rice.

87. You know why there are 88 reasons.
Yes, tipical Chinese thinking...

88. You see the truth in this and then send it to all your Chinese friends.
I'm a Chinese but sadly to say.... I generally don't see the truth in this. Well, based on all my answers above, you'll know how so un Chinese like I am. This boils down to upbringings. My parents, my mom especially, is English educated so she also don't follow a lot of those chinese tradition things or culture. Most of the time, we don't even know when is Moon Cake Festival or whatever special chinese callendar occasion. But when is Chinese New Year, of course we know! Hehe...

Now, who wants to do this tag/meme? Be my guest!

Love Q #5 - The First Date

2008-05-29T19:42:00.005+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Do you think a man should pay on the first date and if he doesn’t, what would be
your impression of him?

My answer:

Call me old fashion if you must, but I still thinks that a man should really pay on the first date. Because it shows his gentleman manner and his sincerity towards his date. If he's the one who initiate the date, then it is more appropriate if he is the one paying it. If I so happen to encounter a man who doesn't pay on the first date, I would definitely think he's a stingy, insincere, dishonest man who does not take his love interest seriously. And there's a big possibility that he's a man who doesn't not know how to treat a woman right. However, if it's after numerous dates, then it doesn't matter much if he must always be the one paying. Only that the first impression and the first date is the most important thing in this issue.

You can read what others say on this week's Love Q topic at Annz and Mountaingirl's blog.

Last week's Love Q: To Have Loved And Lost

Six Word Memoir

2008-05-26T19:56:00.002+08:00

This tag pass down to me from my very good friend, has been sitting on my "To Do" list for the past 5 days. It's hard to do because I am a girl with very few moto in life which is the normal "Have good principle in live and stick to it", "Honesty is the best policy", "Do not do unto others what you would not want others do unto you", "Love your enemy as yourself", "Forgive and forget", etc... etc... And to come out with something with just six word in it? Oh dear, it was quite a challenge for me because of having the intention to make it meaningful and at the same time wanted to express the important essence that I want to convey.

So.... here's what I have come up with on this "Six Word Memoir".

Always belive that love conquers everything

Why love could always conqures everything?

Because God love us, he gave us salvation through His one and only son who die on the cross for our sins.

Because of love, Jesus forgives and cleanses our sins so that we do not have to suffer the wages of sin which is death.

Because of love, Jesus conqures death when He resurected on the 3rd day, which now whoever belives in Him, will not perish but have eternal life.

Because of love (even one tiny little bit of it), we do not end up killing one another or stop us from becoming a complete idiot.

Because of love, a parent can conqure their fear of death to protect their children from threatening situation such as earth quake, car accidents, fire, etc.

Because of love, a couple can go through many unimaginable hardship in the relationship and still be together as long as they shall live.

There are still many things that love could do and make a big change in our life. There are too many to list them all here. If we really open our eyes and see with our heart, you may be surprise to learn how every hardships, discomforts, and sufferings in live could be conqured by just a little touch of love to it.

***Rules***
1.) Write your own six word memoir.
2.) Post it on your blog; include a visual illustration if you'd like.
3.) Link to the person that tagged you in your post, and to the original post if possible.
4.) Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5.) Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!

I would like to pass this down to Catherine and Dina.

Visitor from UK

2008-05-22T22:30:00.001+08:00

I have a colleague from UK who came here for a holiday. His name is Ketan and I have been working along side with him when I was previously with the UK team. He has helped me umpteen times in work back then. When I first heard the news that he’ll be visiting Singapore and possibly drop by Malaysia’s office when he has the time, I was delighted. Because after many working related correspondence, I would finally get the chance to meet him in person. He’s my mentor in work because he’s really good in what he does and an expert in programming complex projects.

Two days ago when he messaged me on MSN saying that he’s now in Malaysia and asking for the office address so he could drop by if time permits, I was ecstatic. It was only until today (22nd May 2008), that he came by the office. So we chatted and I brought him around to have a look at our office here. It was a really nice chatting with him about work and all for 30 minutes or so. Would love to chat longer on current work updates and all but oh well, I got to get back to my work and he got to rush off to do something else so we say our goodbyes and well wishes. He is actually here since last Saturday and due to leave tomorrow. Sorry, no photo of him. Should have taken a picture of him as a remembrance. Well, hopefully I would get the chance to meet again in the future.

Love Q #4 - To Have Loved And Lost

2008-05-22T22:17:00.006+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

Is it really better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

My answer:

Any mistakes and failure in life are a stepping stone for us to become a better being. In terms of love, if we haven’t fail and lost it, it means we haven’t gain the learning curve that we could reach only through loosing something very dear to us. For instance, a person who is very domineering might not know that his/her forceful attitude has cost their love ones or people around them some inconsiderable amount of restriction on the right to have personal freedom which in turn leads to arguments, heartbreak and suffocates the relationship. They might never learn or have the will to change to be more considerate, to be a better person if they have not lost the love which they once were too complacent with it. Sometimes it takes a lot of failures for us to realize our own mistakes. And sometimes, it takes a lot of heartbreaks until we succeed in love which after that, we need to learn how to maintain that love. So, my answer is yes, I really think it’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

You can read what others say on this week's Love Q topic at Mae and JM's blog

Last week's Love Q: Men A Woman Should Never Marry

More changes at work

2008-05-19T00:09:00.001+08:00

My year 2008 started off with a big change - career wise. During December 2007, I was told to leave my favorite team with a sister company based in UK to rejoin my current company. So starting 1st January, I'm back here having the need to work with local office staff handling local projects again but with the exception in the specialized field of Healthcare. Well, as I was reading back on my previous post about this transition, I felt that I am truly blessed with my current job because since then, I was being promoted as a Team Leader. I had predicted it otherwise as I was having a great time attached with my previous UK team.

Having said those, my company is having a huge restructuring particularly at my department due to the fact that it is turning Global vise and everything need to be in-line with the company global vision. The main issue of this whole restructuring thing is to increase company's profit of course. And having our Global Director come visiting our office department here quite often now, we always here him saying all these new restructuring things are being set up to produce "On budget", "On time" and "99% Error Free" work. "On budget" I can understand that it's because our country here can be considered cheap labor compare to other countries. A lot of data processing can be off-shored over here therefore we can produce "On time" delivery. But one thing I don't understand is, is it possible to achieve "99% Error free"? I think our big bosses up there are pulling each other's legs on this.

My department initially consist of 10 staff and it has since increase to 60 staff in such a short period of time. They have also spoken of the possibilities of increasing to 90 staff in the near future. Due to this big changes in the company, I have also heard of sad news that some offices in other countries need to retrench people because most of their jobs would be channeling over to our Global center here, which is where I'm at now. Two of the casualties are from my previous UK team because of this restructuring thing, they were being made redundant, so to speak. I am sad that they were being made to leave whereas I am being blessed with still having my job added with a promotion and a nice laptop for work.

My department office area seems very crowded right now with too many new people being hired out of a sudden. We have only just shifted to this current nice office level in Jan. 2007 but there will be another renovation coming soon due to having space issue now. There would also be 3 work shift going on but currently only 2 shift has started for selected teams. If 3 shift is running, meaning my department is operating 24 hours a day.

Few days ago, I was being told about yet another news of my work changes. My manager is considering pulling me out from my current team of two person to create another new team where I would be leading a team of 4-5 person for Australia projects. Having said, the Australian counter part doesn't need us to work in shift (thank God) but just to follow their Australian working hours which they need me and my team to work from 7.30am - 2.30am. Huh? the total hours seems lesser than the normal 9am - 5.30pm that I'm currently in now. Really don't know how they came up with that but I don't bother asking because allowed to go home at 2.30pm sound too appealing to me. But not sure when this would start taking effect as I am still waiting for the official note from my superior.

Casual PC Game – The Lost Cases Of Sherlock Holmes

2008-05-17T17:42:00.003+08:00

I have always loved to spend my leisure time playing computer games. Therefore it’s not surprising that I took my further studies in the field of Computer Science and now working as a Programmer. My favorite computer games are those that either involves strategy, investigations, puzzle solving, and role playing, casual games be it online or PC platform.

Legacy Interactive has most recently announced the release of The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes. It’s a whodunit casual computer game of theft, espionage and murder just like the kind of thing you watch on Sherlock Holmes movies or read on books. In game, the player must use their observations abilities to solve puzzles and identify the culprit. Those who like mysteries and suspense would love this game. Featuring familiar characters including Sherlock Holmes, Watson, Mycroft, Inspector Lestrade and more than 100 historical characters that will keep you occupied in the world of detective investigation. I am going to download this game and try it out.

LEGACY INTERACTIVE'S THE LOST CASES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY GAME NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD at
http://legacygames.com/download_games/394/the_lost_cases_of_sherlock_holmes

Game Features

* Play as part of the venerable team of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
* There are 16 different mystery cases for players to solve.
* Over 100 visual puzzles and mini-games tailored to the subject and period of the game reveal a cohesive storyline as you play.
* A wide variety of mind-bending puzzles including hidden object, find the difference, picture Sudoku and picture memory games.
* Realistic and relevant clues for each case.
* Gamers can easily begin their adventure where they just left off; there is no disruption in game play.
* Players can explore 40 historically accurate locations around Victorian London.
* Officially licensed by the Conan Doyle Estate.

Pricing and Availability

The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes is available for download at http://legacygames.com/download_games/394/the_lost_cases_of_sherlock_holmes
for $19.95 U.S. The title is rated E-10+. The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes is
part of Legacy's MyLife GAMES® series dedicated to smart entertainment for the
busy mainstream game player. Online content syndicate uclick is distributing the
downloadable game through portals and online destinations. Later this month, a
retail version will ship to stores, distributed exclusively by Navarre Corporation. More information on the game and "The Sherlock Holmes Hidden Object Contest" can be found at http://www.blogger.com/www.sherlockgame.com.

Love Q # 3 - Men A Woman Should Never Marry

2008-05-15T18:29:00.006+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

What are the 5 types of men that you
can’t stand and whom you think a woman
should never marry?

My answer:

Apart from the usual gambler, alcoholic, drug addict, womaniser, abuser and smoker, the 5 types of men that I can't stand and whom I think a woman should not marry are...

1.) A dictator
2.) Men who adores themselves more than others
3.) Inconsiderate, selfish men
4.) Stingy men
5.) Men who keep on making promises but never kept even 10% of what they promised.

You can read what others say on this week's Love Q topic at Nurin and Abbey's blog.

Last week's Love Q: Head Or Heart

Why high heels are no good

2008-05-13T21:48:00.006+08:00

Women likes wearing high heels shoes. Simply because it makes our legs looks long and slender. And men likes to see women wearing them because it gives women a more feminine and gentle appearance when they walk. Perhaps to men, it is even more pleasant to the eye seeing women wearing them simply because they look stunning. Have you ever seen a women who wear high heels shoes but walk like a man? That just impossible to do even if you try hard. And that's the beauty of women wearing high heals shoes. We all know wearing those shoes no matter how nice it will look, it is not good for our health. But who to blame? Was it the men's fault because they prefer dating women who wears it? Or was it our own fault of choosing beauty over health? I personally think it's hugely women's own fault for choosing beauty over health, partly fashion's fault and half partly men's fault for encouraging it. I, myself is a victim to my own desire to look good too. And I shamelessly admit that I love high heels and I hate flat shoes.

Here is the health info on the effects of wearing high heels shoes. Source taken from
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2007/05/07/GR2007050700484.html

(Please click image to enlarge)

Mr. Postman, what's wrong?

2008-05-08T22:35:00.003+08:00

I feel annoyed having wrongly sent mails to my house quite frequently for the past three months. It would happen at least once every two weeks and sometimes consecutively two days in a row. If it were my next door neighbor's, I don't mind much walking over to drop it at their mailbox. But if the mail belongs to someone staying in another street, I am regret to say that I would not be that generous to send the mail over to the correct address. I felt really annoyed particularly when it is happening quite frequent these days. I wonder if anyone would feel the same.

So, I wonder what's wrong with the Mr. Postman who kept on making those mistakes of delivering the those mails to the wrong addresses. My house have a large house number plate sticking on the mailbox. Doesn't he look at the mail address properly before he drop it in? Since I have been receive so many wrong mails to my house, I wonder whether my mails has been sent elsewhere too. Yikes! I dreaded that thought. What if it is some important mail and someone has it? The Postman is incompetent, I would say. Probably he's someone new to the job.

I was having some idea on what to do with the wrongly sent mail since I am too lazy to deliver them to the correct address myself. Thought of putting the mails in a transparent plastic bag with a big note saying "Dear Mr. Postman, please deliver these mail to the correct address and try not to be so careless next time. As you see, there are a lot of them wrongly sent to my house address. Thank you very much!" and stick it in front of my mailbox. But this thought has not been put into action yet. Well, receiving wrongly sent mails is very much better than having discover some psycho steal your mail from your mailbox. If that happens, I would have to look through the many mailboxes design for safety purposes.

Tag: Your name in Japanese

2008-05-08T22:07:00.000+08:00

I got this cute, fun tag from Sting. This is a very simple tag and it doesn't takes long to get it done =)

For the instructions, add your name on the list and simply spell out your name using the given Japanese letter- translations below. Tag six of your friends and inform them of the tag. Have fun.

TRANSLATION:

A - ka	G - ji	M - rin	S - ari	Y - fu
B - tu	H - ri	N - to	T - chi	Z - zi
C - mi	I - ki	O - mo	U do
D - te	J - zu	P - no	V - ru
E - ku	K - me	Q - ke	W - mei
F - lu	L - ta	R - shi	X - na

1. OSWALD - moarimeikatate (sounds like america and states. har…. har… har…)
2. CHLOE - Miritamoku — Um…think I still prefer my given name, ha ha
3. GENG – Jikutoji — Actually, I think its cute sounding. Arigato gozaimasu!
4. CONSTANCE - Mimoto arichi katomiku — WOW! Does it sound like an authentic Japanese cuisine? YIKES! I broke it up cos it was quite a mouthful!
5. DORA - Temoshika – Sounds pretty good huh?! Does it mean beautiful woman?
6. Sting - Arichi Kitoji - Sounds like a guy's name but at least it rhymes! LOL!!
7. Amidrin - Karinki Teshikito (I was deciding between Karinki Teshikito or Karinkites Hikito. LOL... still the english name sounds much better.)

Who wants to try this out? How about Lemonjude, Catherine, Osindak and rin-en ?

Love Q #2 - Head Or Heart

2008-05-07T21:44:00.003+08:00

This week Love Q created by the author of Short Sweet Love Poem are as follows:

When it comes to love, is it better to follow your head or your heart?

My answer:

Where love matters, it always comes from our heart. When we feel that little special something about a person, and if love grows from that very first sight, those things comes from our heart. Without feelings, there is no love. But following our heart is not enough for us to make the right choice in love because considering if you love that person but he/she does not love you, that is when you should follow your head on whether to leave or stay on. Staying on in a bad relationship although our heart tells us we still love the person will only makes us suffer more and it will not gives us a happy ending. Therefore, I think we need to follow our head and also our heart when it comes to love. Perhaps, we could say that, at the beginning it is better to follow our heart but later on it is better to follow both of them.

You can read what others say on this week's Love Q topic at Jo-N's blog.

Last week's Love Q: Being Pursued

Can Listerine kill mosquitoes?

2008-05-05T20:08:00.006+08:00

This is a very useful piece of information to all. I read about a DIY mosquito spray tips shared by someone who had seen another man using it. "They were at a deck party and the mosquito were having a ball biting everyone. A man at the party sprayed the lawn and deck floor with Listerine, and the little demons disappeared. A year later the author filled a 4-ounce spray bottle and used it around his seat whenever he saw mosquitoes. And voila! That worked as well. It worked at a picnic where he sprayed the area around the food table, the children's swing area, and the standing water nearby. During the summer, he don't leave home without it."

HIS FRIEND'S COMMENTS: I tried this on my deck and around all of my doors. It works - in fact, it killed them instantly. I bought my bottle from Target and it cost me $1.89. It really doesn't take much, and it is a big bottle, too; so it is not as expensive to use as the can of Bug-spray you buy that doesn't last 30 minutes. So, try this, please. It will last a couple of days. Don't spray directly on a wood door (like your front door), but spray around the frame. Spray around the window frames, and even inside the dog house.

Now, is this tips useful or what? Give it a try. A big bottle of Listerine doesn't cost a lot for it's benefit in combating mosquitoes besides cleaning your teeth. Please pass this on.....

Love Q #1 - Being Pursued

2008-05-01T15:53:00.014+08:00

I got this lovely topic to talk about, created by Short Sweet Poems, a website containing sweet rhyming poems and interesting love questions.

This week's Love Q:

If you are being romantically pursued but you are not interested, what would you do to let the person know? For instance, would you be direct and blunt or would you drop hints?

My answer:

Being a rather shy person with having spent my schooling years in an all girl's school, I would say I am not very good at this BGR (boy-girl-relationship) thing. Especially when it comes to having someone romantically pursuing me but I am not interested in him. At first, I would try dropping hints like being ignorant and rejecting everything he says or ask. Most guys will think I'm being arrogant and they will lose interest by then. But as I grew older and having achieved some level of maturity and braveness, I would be direct in rejecting love advances if I REALLY DO NOT LIKE that guy. I could be very direct and harsh in my explaination of rejection which could hurt that poor guy deeply. But that only just happened once or twice in my life time. The rest of the time when I am being direct in my rejection, I try not to hurt their feelings by being as gentle as I could be. Though sometimes my gentleness even when rejecting a date could be misintepreted as an opportunity which in turns, I need to repeat the rejection process many times until he sees me going out with another guy I like.

You can read what others say on this Love Q topic at Martini and Tammy's blog.

My new music interest - Shayne Ward

2008-04-29T20:20:00.010+08:00

My boyfriend was a huge fan of music/movies and the entertainment industries. But I'm not. If it wasn't for him, I would be totally clueless about what's happening in the entertainment world. Do you know about the singing competition called X Factor? It's the British version of American Idol or Pop Idol we used to call it. Recently my boyfriend introduced to me the X Factor Winner 2005, Shayne Ward. I've been mesmerized by his singing talent ever since. And the bonus reason that I like listening and watching him sing is because he is really cute!!!!! The first time my boyfriend show me his video clips on YouTube, there's only one phrase kept on repeating on my mind... "Wow! He's really handsome and has nice singing voice!" Now, as I think of it, was it his singing that kept me mesmerized or was it his good looks? Haha.... he has charmed me, see if he can charm you too... watch this video clip.

(This video) Shayne Ward-That's My Goal Live at the X-Factor

I think he looks a little bit like a street gangster in this this video clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmnW9oF1InQ) showing him on his first audition and so on. Even without the clean cut looks, he still looks handsome to me (*grin*).

Also, I love all of these songs he sang during the competition:
Right Here Waiting - Shayne Ward
If You're Not The One - Shayne Ward
Summer of 69 - Shayne Ward
You Make Me Feel Brand New - Shayne Ward
Cry Me A River - Shayne Ward
A Million Love Songs - Shayne Ward
Careless Whisper - Shayne Ward
If Tomorrow Never Comes - Shayne Ward
Unchained Melody - Shayne Ward
When A Child Is Born - Shayne Ward
Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Shayne Ward

Last but not least, Breathless (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUCGwiuV1x8) released on November 2007 is a nice song and album.

And I love this song Stand By Me (As shown on this video) .

There are many more great song sung by Shayne Ward. You can check it all out at YouTube. Now, am I obsess with him or what? LOL....

Jojo's new cut

2008-04-26T21:46:00.007+08:00

Took Jojo for a full grooming service last Saturday. This time we went to a pet shop cum grooming studio called Petsmore located at Queen’s Park, Peel Road, KL. I was surprised by the huge range of pet products they sell there. Some items which were always out of stock and unavailable at Pet’s Wonderland which I frequented to most often, were all available at Petsmore. We actually went there early around 11am and there were already a few on queues for the grooming service by appointment. We do not want to leave Jojo there alone for the long hours wait, so we made an available appointment at 4pm on the same day. We went back home and went there again later.

I was also surprised by the professionalism of the pet grooming service at Petsmore because unlike other pet grooming service, they did not put the dog to sleep before they begin grooming it. Furthermore, pet owners can see what’s going on inside the grooming room through the open glass panel. Most pet grooming studio does not allow owners and customers to watch pets being groomed. So, you would not know what has happen to your beloved pet inside there. I have taken Jojo for grooming service a few times. Sometimes she looked traumatized after it’s all done. But this time, she’s not. So, I’ll most probably going to take her back there again when she needs her grooming.

Well, Jojo’s fur was getting a bit too long and hard to maintain having the need to comb it very often so that it will look nice an silky. I admit that I am not very good at preventing tangles and keeping her fur neat when it reaches the hard maintenance length. So, that’s why she needs to go for the grooming service recently. It cost us RM70 for the full grooming package plus RM15 for detangling. I was quite satisfied by the outcome. Does anyone else besides me thinks Jojo looks nice with the new “hair-cut”.

Before

After. “Botak” (Bald) already…… hehe…

*** Picture of Jojo at 2 years old and 4 months.

My new office laptop!

2008-04-23T21:21:00.010+08:00

I was on a short break from work since half day last thursday (clearing my year 2007 annual leave balance). When I came back to work today, viola! I got a new laptop (Latitude D630) to be use for work. This is in exchange for the work desktop PC that I was using that I was singing on my previous post. So, bye-bye to the (*quite new*) high-tech processing speed PC and 17" monitor.... I quite like using that desktop PC because of having the 17" monitor. Hahaha....

Well, now that I got a laptop to be used at work, I can also bring it home for use. I am delighted by the fact that it is portable and I can avoid working late at the office because I can continue working at home. While there is good thing having this laptop, there comes with bad point too. The bad thing is, my boss will not going to expect me to not able to accomplish my projects dateline on time and there are even more excuses that I should start working during the weekends for work unfinished. Anyhow, I am enjoying my new office laptop now. I think I'll get over with missing the 17" office monitor soon.

Link Love

2008-04-20T00:30:00.005+08:00

This lovely "link love" is given to me by my very good friend. It's is now my turn to pass it along to all my nice and lovely blogging friends and real life friends. And also to all my blog readers, please feel free to pass this around and let me know who you are so we can exchange links ya.

I want to also take this opportunity to thank everyone who drop by my blog and gave their support even though I have not been blog hopping as often as I used to. Sorry, I got some difficulties and inconvinience to do my blogging stuff now. I will definately try my best to support everyone and will drop by your blog as often as I could ya. Thanks for all your kind understanding. Cheers!

This is another of those Linky Love game where you only have to tagged 10 person in one post but still there is no actual limit (you can tag more if you want!). Once tagged, you have to copy paste the link in this post, and make them grow!

BennyLiew

RamblinMoo

Mum & Kids In Wonderland

Everyday health and beauty

Memoirs.:*CRoSs mY hEARt*:.

Faith, Hope, Love

Do not delete any of the links and be honest to yourself! =p

Let's pass this love around to others too,

(The Dash) Are your priorities where it should be?

2008-04-15T21:40:00.000+08:00

As we all strive to achieve our personnel agenda, be it a husband who tries his best to earn enough for his family, or a wife who juggles between job and at the same time tries her very best to be a perfect wife and mother, or a boy who unfailingly tries to convince his parents to buy him a new computer, or a girl who tries very hard to lose weight and look as pretty as a models in the magazine, whether our goal is big or small, we will somehow work our way trying to achieve it in whichever way that we can and in the shortest way possible. But have we ever pause even for a moment to think.... whether our priorities is where they should be?

Do spend some time to watch this 3 minute poem movie called The Dash. It has inspire many to reflect on their lives and to ask that all important question, 'Are my priorities where they should be?'
http://www.thedashpoemmovie.com/

A person is valued by what they did throughout their life time and what impact they left on other people's life, not by who they claim they are.

This poem is written by Linda Ellis.

I read of a man who stood to speak
At the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
From the beginning to the end

He noted that first came the date of her birth
And spoke the following date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years

For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth.
And now only those who loved her
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not how much we own;
The cars, the house, the cash,
What matters is how we live and love
And how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard.
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
That can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
To consider what’s true and real
And always try to understand
The way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more
And love the people in our lives
Like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile
Remembering that this special dash
Might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
With your life’s actions to rehash
Would you be proud of the things they say
About how you spent your dash?

*** The Dash poem reference from http://www.lindaslyrics.com/thedashpoem.html

Tag: 35 Things About Me

2008-04-15T20:42:00.000+08:00

Wow! It's great that I got another nice tag. This time the tag is from Osindak. Why I say this tag is nice? Well, it's because people reading my blog will have another opportunity to be busy body about my life minus the need to poke around for it.... hehe. Okay, without further ado, here it is...

1. Rate your life from 1-10 (1 being very miserable)
A: Sigh... I believe it is somewhere around 5

2. Is your hair long or short?
A: It's long. Going to have it cut soon.

3. Do you have many real friends?
A: I would not say I have many but it's not few either. But I do have some real friends.

4. Name friends you last hung out with?
A: Pui See, Siew Yin, Lyn Yen and Gah Ming.

5. Do you love chicken?
A: Yes!!!

6. Last three drinks you had?
A: Milo, plain water and plain water

7. Do you eat fish?
A: Yes, I especially like Salmon.

8. Do people mispronounce or spell your name incorrectly?
A: Yes, they always do!

9. Who was the last person you hugged?
A: Jojo my lovely dog (I treat my dog as a person you know)

10. Last guy you think about?
A: My sweetheart.

11. Any food that made you smile today?
A: Yes, my mango as desert.

12. Name one thing you have in common with your friends?
A: We love chit-chatting

13. Do you trust your friends?
A: Some of them.

14. How old will you be in five years?
A: Emmm... girl's age is a secret you know...

15. Do you believe in love?
A: Yes.

16. Except for family and friends, who are you in love with?
A: My sweetheart.

17. Do you honestly believe you have found the right guy/girl?
A: Need I consider more? If he's not, then I shall be a Nun.

18. Are you someone's best friend?
A: Hmm... I need to ask them to double confirm before answering.

19. Do you love music?
A: Yes.

20. Last song you listened to?
A: Everything by Michael Buble

21. What's the instrument you wish you were able to play?
A: I used to hate my piano lesson but I do wish that I were able to play the piano. Does this make sense to you?

22. Who was the last person you talked to?
A: My sweetheart

23. Who was the last person to call you?
A: My sweetheart

24. Would you consider yourself a worrier?
A: Yes I am and I can't help it.

25. Do you consider yourself as a happy person?
A: I am happier now compare to two over years ago.

26. Do you believe in saving yourself for marriage?
A: Yes, I do.

27. Last person that pissed you off?
A: Someone at work.

28. From whom have you missed the most calls in the last 5 days?
A: None.

29. Who's the first person you call when you're having a bad day?
A: My sweetheart

30. Last person who made you laugh like crazy?
A: ( see my answer on question 9 )

31. Who's your greatest inspiration in life?
A: Jesus Christ.

32. Are you a good guesser?
A: Yes, most of the time.

33. Who was the last person to sing your current favorite song and what song?
A: None.....

34. Who makes you laugh the most?
A: My sweetheart

35. What have you been telling yourself lately?
A: I got to find time to sleep early

I would like to pass this tag to:
Sting
Lemonjude
YeeLing

Company training - Food & more food!

2008-04-11T22:00:00.003+08:00

As promised on my previous post, here is the write up on what actually happen during the training. The training is being held at my office. Other colleagues who are from India, Guangzhou - China, and Bulgaria got the chance to come to Malaysia to attend the training. I partly wished that the training were being held in some other country instead, so that I got the chance to go to other countries as well. From 26th Mar. - 3rd Apr. I attended the training, I had a really fun time learning new things. It was fun because we had a very professional trainer who also tried his very best to help us solve our daily work problem such as providing solutions to help improve our work productivity. I also love the part where I get to know colleagues from other countries. Before I forgets their names, they are Wendy from China (Guangzhou), Malhar from India, Ivan and Lana from Bulgaria. Our trainer, Douglas (likes to be known as Doug) is from a different company based in Australia. All of them are very nice and friendly. Oh! Not to be missed are all the great food we get to enjoy throughout the training.

Every morning, training starts at 9.30am and ends at 5 or 5.30pm in the evening. Endless flow of coffee and tea were being served and we had light refreshments on local delicacies for tea breaks. And here's our "eating schedule" is like:
Around 10.30am - Tea break
12.30pm - lunch
Around 3.30pm - Tea break
6pm - Dinner

We been to many different restaurants to have our lunch and dinner but mainly located in Mid Valley Megamall and The Gardens. Since I know the Admin personnel who organized our eateries well, I had a little influence in suggesting which restaurant we should go too (*evil grin*).

26th Mar. (Wednesday): Lunch at San Francisco Steak House (Mid Valley); Dinner at Gurney Drive (The Gardens) which serve local Penang food but with a price three times higher.

27th Mar. (Thursday): Lunch at Aunty Nat (Boulevard Mid Valley) which serve Nyonya cuisine; Dinner at Tony Roma's (The Gardens)

28th Mar. (Friday): Lunch at Secret Recipe (Mid Valley); Dinner at Stadium Negara Steamboat Restaurant at Jln Kia Peng (near KLCC). After the dinner we bring all of them for sight seeing at KLCC. The night scene are breath taking.

Stadium Negara Steamboat Restaurant: One of the side dishes... Sweet and sour crab. Yummy!

This steamboat restaurant has been on the business for a very long time. They still have the very old style of steamboat being used (as seen on the picture above). You can also have the option of using the modern style ones.

31st Mar. (Monday): Lunch at Picolo Mondo (Mid Valley) which serve nice Itallian food; Dinner at Paddington House of Pancakes.

This restaurant offeres 138 types of pancakes from all over the world. If you don't like pancakes, then this is definately a place you must try! This might be the only place that you begin to learn to love pancakes! I do! Their pancakes are very uniquely served with many combinations of food that comprises of meats and veggies. But of course, they do have the desert type or breakfast type pancakes which you must try too! They all just looks too yummy to be eaten. Take a look at the pictures below.

Such a big potion. Can you finish it? (Sorry, I can't remember the name of this dish.)

One of the banana type pancake dish (Sorry, I can't remember the exact name either.)

One of the strawberry type pancake dish from the desert selection I guess....

This pancake dish has some meat and veggies wraped in it. It taste a little like Lasagna.

Last but not least, this pancake dish is what I had eaten that day. There's 2 slices of fluffy pancakes, 2 slices of ham, 2 cheese sausages, 1 hash brownies and some veggies. The cheese sausages is really nice. When I bite into it, I can feel the cheese ooze out from the saussage meat. It blends nicely in my mouth. I give a rating of max 10 for this dish. Overall, the food taste heavenly. (Sorry, I can't remember the name of this dish either. I just know how to eat! hehe...)

1st Apr. (Tuesday): Lunch at Little Vietnam (Mid Valley); Dinner at Madam Kuan (Mid Valley)

2nd Apr. (Wednesday): Lunch at All Star Sport Cafe (Mid Valley) which was my own selection (*evil grin*); Dinner at Flying Chillies (The Gardens) which serve delicious Thai food.

Curry Chicken rice from All Star Sport Cafe.

And of course I must order my favourite dish from All Star Sport Cafe - Chicken/Beef burger with cheese. The burger meat is freshly made by the chef and it was nicely done. Really yummy. The best burger that I've tasted so far. Oh! And I love the fries.

3rd Apr. (Thursday): Lunch at Sushu Zanmai (The Gardens) which was also my own selection (*more evil grin*); Dinner at Italliannies (The Gardens) which is obiously only serve Itallian food.

At Italliannies we had some salad....

Some Mussels and Spaghetti dishes. There is also an Angle hair dish, a pasta dish and two Pizza dishes (not in the pic).

For dessert, we had Cappuccino Pie which doesn't look like a pie at all. It's more like ice-cream cake and it taste really good.

Bread pudding taste nice but it was a tad too sweet for my liking.

And the king of all desserts, we had Tiramisu to end the day of our trainning.

*** Sorry, some of the pictures are not that clear. And I forgot to take all the pictures of the food we had since day one. Was too hungry and when the food arrived, we all just gallop down everything. Also, I was too shy to be taking all the photos of the food since there are many foreigners colleagues around. Hehehe..... To sum it all, the training was great and the food was superb! I would definately recommend all those restaurant mentioned above to everyone who are looking for good food to eat at Mid Vally and The Gardens, KL, Malaysia.

The past two weeks.......

2008-04-09T13:23:00.002+08:00

Not sure if anyone noticed, I had not been updating my blog that often for the past 2 weeks. So, what had I been up to lately? Well, I was so busy with attending training at the office. I was among the selected few who had the opportunity to attend a special advanced training fully paid by the company I am working in. The training started on 26th March until 3rd April. I got to meet a few colleagues from China, India and Bulgaria. And the trainer is from Australia but he is actually a UK citizen who is kind of migrated over to work in Australia. I wanted to include our group photo here but I do not have it with me now. Will post up later.

The training was fun and very beneficial. I also enjoyed the food we had for morning tea break, lunch, afternoon tea break and dinner. All food and drinks are fully paid by company! So, for the whole training days, I ate at least 5 times a day (including my own breakfast). I don't even dare to check how much is my weight now. LOL! In the next couple of days, I will be posting up the list of places we had our meals during the training and also some pictures that will make you feel tantalizing!

Online shopping - Home Medical Supplies

2008-04-09T12:27:00.000+08:00

Recently I like to browse online shopping website to do some research on the things I want to buy. It is so convenient now a days where I could just search for items by designs, colours, types, functionality, item popularity, etc., and I will get some ideas on what I should look for when I go shopping. Being a fussy person, it takes me quite some time to actually buy something. I would spend endless hour or maybe months just to look all over the places to buy my stuff.

Sometimes, I also like to do my shopping online too. Through friends recommendations, I found some nice online shopping websites for clothes, bags and accessories. I have also tried to search the website for health and medical related information. I am suffering from a skin condition/allergy called Eczema. So, most of the medical information that I search over the internet is related to this. I had tried using the ointment bought from local pharmacy for treating Eczema but it does not work as well as the one the Skin Specialist provided long time ago. It was hard to make appointment to see my Skin Specialist so I resort to seeking medical help through GP and local pharmacy. Perhaps buying my home medical equipment online could be the next best thing. I can also order Exercise Ball for me to start exercising, a Blood Pressure Monitor for my dad, health books for my mom, Hand Exerciser and Stress Ball for my siblings. All these home medical equipment I can purchase online through the website such as AllegroMedical.com

Car alarm remote can safe life

2008-04-08T22:06:00.003+08:00

Another great article to share with everyone. Do you know that your car alarm remote could prevent burglar, or rapist coming into your house? It can even safe your life. How? Read on.....

<---Start quote

Next time you come home for the night and you go to put your keys away, think of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and requires no installation.

Start keeping your car keys next to your bed on the nightstand when you go to bed at night. If you think someone is trying to get into your house, or if you hear a noise outside your house, press the panic alarm on your car key chain. Test it! It will go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in your driveway or garage.

If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break in your house, odds are the burglar, or rapist, won't stick around.....after a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their window to see who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that.

Try yours to make sure it works before you rely on it. Just know that you must press the alarm button again to turn it off.

And remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there.....

This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

Now all you two-level home dwellers have to do is to remember to bring the keys downstairs with you in the morning!

End quote--->