Defining moments

• I've survived sacrificing 14 days of annual leave as study-for-exams days instead. Honestly, thank goodness for Malaysia and its public holidays :)
• A brand new computer with 17" LCD screen (Jan '05)
• MLTR concert in Genting (Jan '05)
• Perth (Feb '05) was a great family trip. Can still remember the good food.
• "You can always do more than you first think you can." The inspirational words by my tutor which got me through my Finance paper (Feb '05)
• Successfully inculcated reading back into my life. Can't sleep without flipping a few pages of fiction every night. Averaged about 3 books a month, and still going strong :)
• The O.C., Lost, Desperate Housewives, The Apprentice - all that kept me entertained throughout the year
• The evil spirit in my car (Mar '05)
• Chinese music is once again in my life, re-introduced by the darling, reinforced because of karaoke sessions
• Growing a beautiful amaryllis, lovingly smuggled in all the way from Netherlands (Apr '05)
• My Olympus Camedia, of which I've just paid up the 8th installment (May '05)
• Single-handedly organized company trip to Sentosa Island, Singapore (May '05)
• Finally submitted the 1st part of my valuer's log book (May '05)
• Nokia Starlight Cinema (June '05)
• Breach of security at home (June '05)
• I've reached the quarter-life mark (Jul '05)
• A beautifully-relaxing fully-paid weekend at The Avillion, Port Dickson (Jul '05)
• Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince (Jul '05)
• Playing host to Enzu and her Korean friend (Jul '05)
• Work trip to Kota Kinabalu - that pretty little capital in Borneo with the cheapest seafood ever (Aug '05)
• Reconnecting with friends on Friendster (Aug '05)
• Re-submitted my valuer's log book for the extension period (Sep '05)
• Mummy purchased a real American BBQ grill (Sep '05)
• Sorted out the remaining curls of my digital perm and came out with a clean, good-girl style (Oct '05)
• Bangkok! (Oct / Nov '05)
• The Girl from Ipoh - the 1st local play I've attended ever since Form 3 (Nov '05)
• Snow Wolf Lake - the 1st Chinese musical that was a total pleasure to listen to (Dec '05)
• Moving into my own cubicle space in preparation for the extra workload expected to come in in Jan '06, which unfortunately has already started piling on my desk one month earlier (Dec' 05)
• Co-purchased a single-storey terraced house in Damansara Indah Resort Homes - my biggest defining moment this year (Dec '05)
• On an unrelated note, moving out of this house where I've lived in for the past 11 years to our new family house in SS3 (Dec '05)

The last say, for now

I will need something much more comfortable than that to relax, after a thoroughly hectic fortnight, with another coming up. I will be back in the new year. Meanwhile, have a happy pre-Christmas week soaking up the YES sale (I haven't found time to do my share yet), have a merry merry Christmas weekend (I'll be moving boxes, clothes, furniture, etc), and have a reflective New Year (I'll reflect too).

Pepsi-cola

I went to the Pepsi factory today. Tramped around every square inch of the entire 10 acres under the rain without an umbrella. Work sucks.

But, as I am always ever-optimistic, there was one good thing. I smelt fresh 7-UP, because they were bottling that on the production line when I was there. It doesn't get any fresher than that. Quite yummy.

And now, I'm exhausted. Good night. I'm retiring to pamper on the iSqueeze and indulge in more of Anne Boleyn, my latest obsession.

Caught up

Of course, I can explain. Been busy. Harry Potter's Goblet of Fire one weekend. Snow Wolf Lake the other weekend. A sudden huge assignment at work. Sudden increase in responsibilities at work (which brings about some unwanted complications). The procrastination of yet another week in submitting my thesis chapter. So many projects left to do, particularly especially uploading photos from Bangkok. And the need to start packing stuff into boxes to move to the new family home. Shopping for new furniture (not that I'm complaining).

So, see, I have been busy. So busy that I've been sleeping earlier every day and still feeling reluctant to get up in the morning. Lethargy from all the busy-ness, if that can happen.

The end of the year is coming up yet again. Another new year will be catching up with us. And what do I have to say for myself the past year? I shall give that some serious thought and share that later, when I'm not too caught up. Or, more like, when I can catch up with time.

Me at the site of Ayutthaya's ruins. Pic courtesy of KF. 

Tales from Bangkok

Humbly, it ain't much yet. However, we're slowly adding to it, bit by bit. Please forgive the messy-ness and disorganize-ness. Maklumlah, we're working people.

But we plan to make it a really nice site, and there are plans to make it more organized, once we get all our thoughts organized i.e. maybe a contents page.

Nonetheless, right now, feel free to browse our thoughts and memories of our recent Bangkok trip. Every few days, we'll add to it. So, when I'm not posting here, you know where I'll be ;)

Krung Thep - City of Angels

The Girl from Ipoh

Wonderful proof that music makes everything come alive! I watched this play last night at KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPac) in Sentul and I was thoroughly absorbed into its story, largely due to the fantastic a cappella performances of the LiT performers.

Like the title says, it's the story of a girl from Ipoh - one who was educated in a Malay school, cannot speak much Chinese, hated anything Chinese and everything loud and rowdy that went with it, wanting very much to leave her Chinese roots in Ipoh, and eventually returning to realise that she cannot leave it all behind.

3 main guys play a role in her life - her typical Chinese father (the one who shouts at her for her uselessness as a Chinese and voices his pride in being Chinese by despising all things English i.e. Christmas presents); her first-love (who makes her realise that to get away from her Chinese roots, she has to leave Ipoh); and the guy she wants to marry (who indirectly eventually forces her to return to where she came from).

The final message of the play is that there's a "girl from Ipoh" in all of us. Particularly apt for those who are often typecast as "PJ girls" or "KL girls" who don't speak Chinese properly and often idolise all things Western. The question : When is a Chinese not Chinese enough? The answer : Never. The Chinese-ness remains, whether in the way you greet the elders at the dining table to eat, the way food remains a big part of our daily conversations, the way that Chinese elements are always all around you no matter where you go.

Plotline aside, the play was made extra memorable by the a cappella singers. They are the little voices and songs in the mind of the girl from Ipoh, Wong Mei Lee. At appropriate moments, they sing to express her thoughts or make her feel better. I particularly loved the opening act where they sang "The Sound of Silence" and the closing act where they incorporated a chant of "Ipoh sar hor fun, ngar choi kai, ..." and got the audience clapping for an encore.

The play is written and directed by Low Ngai Yuen, with the very beautiful Carmen Soo as the title character. A simple script with many underlying messages, undoubtedly brought to life by the strong performances of Carmen Soo, Lee Swee Keong, Season Chee, Tony Eusoff and the LiT performers. All dressed by Melinda Looi (now that is something to drool over - especially the wedding dress Carmen Soo was wearing, gosh). In fact, I never knew Carmen Soo could act - I guess not all models are just looks. And she's really beautiful, and petite.

Anyway, after we exited the hall, my sister and her friends excitedly went around taking pictures with everyone - Ngai Yuen, Carmen, Season Chee, Tony Eusoff. I met a number of friends in the audience, all Amanians. And on the way driving out of the YTL part of Sentul, we passed this huge colonial mansion that looked thoroughly deserted and illuminated by spotlights, making it quite ideal for a haunted movie - or maybe a bridal photo shoot area in the day. I wonder what that building's doing there in the midst of all the construction. A conservation project by YTL?

All in all, good night out. Reminded me of the last time I attended something similar - the KL Young Singers performance at Actors Studio Bangsar, a long time ago. Remind me to support more local theatre because it always seems to blow me away ;)

My first step up

The surreal feeling of two of us being called into the boss' room, informing that both of us will be "given the opportunity" to become Assistant Managers. Of course, a whole lot of talk about more responsibilities, explicitly telling us we shouldn't be clocking out at 5.30pm sharp anymore, having to learn to "manage", allocating us our own cubicles, etc.

It was a surprise. Because I originally thought it would either be me or her. I guess the boss is smart enough to realise that in order to keep us both, he has to give both a promotion. That's why he's the boss.

Am in fact, quite glad. Primarily because I need the extra cash that comes with the promotion. (Does that need mean that I'm getting sucked deeper into the rat race?). Secondarily because it gives me a reason not to have to look for "greener pastures". Know that both reasons don't seem to be characteristically strong ones, but am not going to do anything about it.

Another director from our HQ called us to congratulate us and informed us we deserved it. Now that really felt good, knowing that we had worked for it.

However, another colleague of mine who was overlooked for these promotions, was rather upset. After all, it wasn't just one, but two. Rather awkward. I'd feel the same.

Well, part and parcel of work. Truthfully, this hasn't renewed my vigour for work (quite obvious from my lack of enthusiasm, huh?). But realistically, I shall work harder and more responsibly. The promotion takes effect in the new year. Happy for me? :)

The Travel Book

My latest acquisition! It's filled with facts of 230 countries, accompanied by 1200 vivid images. Each country takes up 2 pages. You would think it's not much, it is after all a coffee table book, possibly Lonely Planet's most descriptive so far. And a super-beautiful one at that. Pick up this heavy book and flip to any page you fancy, you'll find something to awe at wishfully.

"Ever since our first, faltering, upright steps, humankind has travelled. Everywhere is migration, exploration, pursuit ... This book seeks to inspire the right kind of travel in today's world ..."

"... using this book to rediscover your favourite places, plan your next adventure, or dream about the places you may never go ..."

It's retailing at RM129/- in your local bookstore. If you've got a copy of today's The Star, you can cut out a coupon which entitles you to 25% discount at Popular bookstores - of which I did and obtained my copy at less than RM100/-!!

The book is worth it if you are the kind that dreams constantly of getting away. If for no other reason, then get this book if only to obtain your piece of the world.

GOAL

First time I enjoyed football. And, if you're looking for a modern fairytale, this is it - it doesn't get any sweeter than this. No bad guys in this movie, at all. Yes yes, I know most of the guys wouldn't want to watch this movie then, but again, there's football, good-looking guys and even greater-looking girls. Also, I think the director must have been someone with experience in MTV, quite music-video-like this movie.

Catch it while it's still screening. Super-enjoyable. About an immigrant American who chases his dream to England of being a professional football player. See - simple script, I can describe the entire movie in a sentence. Lots of different British accents and models, even a 30-second scene of David Beckham looking like absolute drool-material. Worth every sen of RM4.50, courtesy of a friend's Maxis One Club card.

Bangkok 291005 - 021105

 

Still on vacation

Totally reluctant to take out that daisypath. It looks so nice : "On vacation". Technically, I still am, for another 4 days :)

Will be collating photos from ML's, JC's and KF's cameras. Then will post up a super-detailed blog of the Bangkok trip, complete with photos. Look out for that - coming to a blog near you.

Kiddy

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - my very favourite book of the entire series so far. And, it's coming out with a BIG bang! Due to be out on November 17, not only in normal theatres but also in IMAX theatres - whippee! Finally, a reason to visit the Times Square IMAX theatre. Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in 3D! I plan very much to watch this movie twice.

Zathura - Donald Trump sold me on the movie, because it was one of the marketing tasks for his latest Apprentice episode. It's a sort of Jumanji movie. Involves a board game and an outer space adventure. Opening November 24.

The Brothers Grimm - Only one reason to watch this: Heath Ledger. The other reason would be Matt Damon. Yummy-ness beginning November 24.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - The book was only so-so, probably because I'm not a kid anymore. But, it'll probably make a very good movie involving all kinds of sweeping scenes and magnificent characters (in fact, the book reminded me very much of The Snow Queen). Coming to cinemas December 8.

Almost half-a-hundred ringgit to fulfill my upcoming movie fix. Better save abit.

But right now, it's spending-time in Bangkok. Be back with you all in 5 days. Have a happy Deepavali! :)

Gubra

I stumbled upon something which just made me swoon - from overwhelm-ness (if there's such a word).

The reason why Sepet was good was because it was true. It was a work straight from the heart of the director Yasmin Ahmad. And when something is that honest, you just can't help but feel overwhelmed.

I stumbled upon Yasmin Ahmad's very own blog. And while surfing through it, I realised that she is one person who can really speak of love, from all aspects, in all manners, in her very own manner. I can't get enough of her words, the way she writes. If you pop by there, you'll see that her latest entry featured a yummy picture of Gubra - her sequel to Sepet (which features the super-yummy Alan Yun and really attractive Sharifah Amani!). And if you surf more, you can fulfill your fix for all-things-Sepet-and-Yasmin-Ahmad by clicking on the photos which bring you to her flickr folder.

This is one of the poems from her blog, which I found really nice. I think I shall bookmark her site and slowly savour the archived entries. Her site is definitely a find! :)

3-day achievements

Accomplished this weekend:

• 7 episodes of Lost Season 1
• 2 episodes of The Apprentice Trump Season 4
• 1 episode of The Apprentice Martha
• 2 books from the Chronicles of Narnia
• The entire detailed itinerary of my Bangkok trip (down to the skytrain routes!)
• A 7-hour catch-up session with my girlfriends (which included a very nice dinner in this newly-opened Italian restaurant in SS2 called Buonasera - authentic Italian because it's cooked and served by real cute Italian men, I kid you not)
• A 90-minutes toil-and-sweat session at the Mattel toys warehouse sale to buy presents for my dad's "kai chai" (Barbie dolls going for RM12 and Hot Wheels car wash sets for RM37, it's no wonder the adults were as crazy as the kids)
• And of course, my 3-hour session at the Razor Edge hair saloon in 1Utama :)

Oh, to be a lady of leisure!

New hairstyle!

Can you note the oh-so-subtle differences?  

Bosses on leave for almost 2 weeks - wee!

Friday's a holiday, only for Selangor - wee!

I'm visiting the hairdresser's this weekend, wonder what new tortures shall I subject my hair to this time? Will it be purple highlights or biggie curls?

And oh, I've the entire 1st season of Lost to watch - wee!

Not to mention the entire 7-book collection of Chronicles of Narnia to read - wee!

The darling's only going away for 4 days and I've packed enough things to do to last me a month! :P

Nothing rejuvenates better than really good music.

Listening right now to Sheryl Crow :
Soak up the sun
Everyday's a winding road
A change will do you good (my very favourite!)
My favourite mistake
If it makes you happy

Wideacre

The theme of this book is slightly disturbing. And reading it made me feel like the protagonist was worse than Scarlett O'Hara, in terms of character. The story mostly surrounds incest spurred on by power-plays. It is set in a time of landlords and tenants, old-style farming and capitalist farming, well-bred ladies and independent power-hungry females. This book is the first in a trilogy, and is also the first book by Philippa Gregory. Earlier on, I had read The Queen's Fool and The Other Boleyn Girl - both very brilliant books that catch your attention from the very first page. She has a style of writing that keeps you flipping the pages.

Doesn't that girl on the cover look so Liv Tyler?

Anyway, deduction :
Recommended, most definitely, especially if you can deal with evil women.

Ticking

I have this slight obsession with time.

I hate being late, and would rather be early and wait. But once it's 2 minutes past, I start to fidget and grumble because I've been kept waiting.

I like to do countdowns. And of course, my daisypath announces my most important countdown at the moment - to Bangkok. And while we're at countdowns, it's less than 3 months to the new year. Time really flies. And I don't know at all what I've accomplished.

Which brings me to why my particular-ness with time is not a good thing. If I didn't think so much about time, I wouldn't be sitting here wondering what have I done the entire year. Actually, just so you feel bad along with me, what have you accomplished so far in 2005?

-------------------------

If I could start all over again ...

I would finish my valuer's log book as soon as possible ...
(well, I've passed my first year, another year to go)

I would put in more effort into my Masters ...
(crossing my fingers that I passed my last semester's papers and I promise to come up with a good thesis)

I would learn to control my temper more and lose it a lot less ...
(actually, I've learnt that sometimes you've gotta show that temper, because oddly enough, some people actually only give you that respect you deserve when you raise your voice)

I would remember to be grateful and complain less ...
(to always be gratified - yes, something I'm still learning)

I would remind myself that I'm worth so much more, that I don't need to take crap from others, that I deserve ...
(I've gotta stick this quote up in my room la, because I admit I'm a pushover - and I'm even starting to irritate me)

I would learn to be happy with the things I have within, and learn to live without ...
(now this, is deep - and I can't remember what are the things I have "within" - must think about this)

I would, if I could ... and I can - so I will :)
(what a positive way to end this)

-------------------------

But, I'm running off course. I didn't make any real goals this year to fulfill. But I'm grateful (see, I'm learning) that I've managed to find the discipline to complete my log book's 1st year. And really really grateful that I haven't yet lost sight of my goal to complete my thesis.

I'll still have this very slight obsession with time (I've got at least 3 calendars on my workdesk, excluding the one in the computer), but I'm glad :)

p/s I'm not complaining about my job today because my boss has bought me a new black Dell computer to replace my old crummy computer! My workdesk never looked this good ;)

The Myth

The Myth, starring Jackie Chan, Tony Leung, a very beautiful Korean actress (Kim Hee-Seun) and a very delicious-looking Bollywood actress (Mallika Sherawat). Maybe it's just that we've outgrown Jackie Chan, but I would like to think that if I were a decade-younger, I'd have thought this movie is great! Typical Jackie-stunts, lotsa pretty women, and an exotic setting. Good DVD material :)

1 more month!

Did you see that? My daisypath says "1 month to our vacation" ... yippeee!!

I've practically planned it all out. Grand Palace, Ayutthaya day trip, Snake Temple, Crocodile Farm, Chao Phraya River cruise, Thai food, Thai massage, Thai shopping ... the excitement just mounts with every site I click, every new piece of information I find.

It's good to anticipate :)

Living your life

QUESTION : "Are you living your dream? Or just living your life?"

N : How come life so sian wan?
Me : Yah lor. Work's so boring. We're both not doing what we want to do. And then, it's not to say we're stupid people. We're quite clever people mah. How come we're stuck here ah?
N : Exactly. Life so sian. Wanna change job, but scared la ...
Me : But if you wanna change jobs, find what you like, jump fields, you gotta do it now right? (Look who's talking). I mean, after all, later got kids la and everything, then it'll be really hard for you to do what you want, cos by that time job security is important cos u got family to feed.
N : Yah lor hor. Aiyah.

~ an extract (paraphrased) of a phone conversation with a close girl friend earlier this evening

But it's all just talk, isn't it? One never gets off their butt to do something about their life. Well, I mean me la, actually.

If someone were to ask exactly what I'd like to do right now, I'd be able to answer without hesitation. Really.

But,
because of job security,
because I'm working towards having something to fall back on in the future,
because of this fear of the future,
because of not wanting to disappoint those who provided me with my education,
because I'm not strong or rebellious enough to want what I want,
I am here.

Sad case la.

But, if you look at it from the other perspective, I'd be a wimp to give up now. I'm already halfway towards getting my valuer's license. Halfway. Hmm. The light ain't there yet :P

ANSWER : Definitely, just living my life. Without a doubt.

(Something inside me screams - but I'm only 25! Why do I sound 75?? This discussion shall be continued.)

Pygmalion

... is in town! Well, it's a local production la, but still it'll be interesting to watch this musical that inspired the well-known My Fair Lady.

Maxis One Club is giving a 30% discount, which means the best seats are only RM84 (opened till 30 Sept 2005). Venue KL Performing Arts Centre, Sentul Park, Sentul West.

I cannot imagine Harith Iskandar as Prof Higgins. It'll be a musical comedy :P So, anyone up for Pygmalion?

BBQ King

The wonders of technology - having a BBQ grill without the literal huff-and-puff of starting the charcoal fire. A quick flick of your wrist and voila, fire hot enough to grill your burgers, chicken wings, satay sticks, sausages, you name it.

So, 2 days running of BBQ dinner. Luckily, all the work of having to move tables and chairs and tupperwares of food in and out of the house ensured I didn't eat much and digested everything by the time I flopped into bed way past midnight.

This picture on top shows the IBM Team Blue guys giving our new gas barbeque grill its maiden grill. My sis was host for one of their Friday-night bonding sessions (yah, on the night of the Malaysian Idol finals!).

Now, this picture below shows my friends working the grill with the previous night's leftovers.

And then we settled down to watch the results show for Malaysian Idol 2. So amazing that Daniel won it. Shows the power of the people. But I'm glad he won. He sings out of tune, but he dances well and looks cute on stage - total boy-band material, but boy-bands sell, right?

And so, an interesting weekend is over. Another week of work ahead. It's getting depressing thinking about work. And when you start finding it more and more difficult to get up in the morning, something definitely needs to be addressed. But not now.

Lanterns in the garden

3 months is up!

Been quarter-year since I handed in my valuer's log book for the first year and they told me I needed to do an extension of 3 months before I could proceed to my second year. Boy was I feeling dejected at that time.

But, 3 months is up. And I've finished writing up for the extension period. Shall submit it in again and hopefully this time, get approval to proceed with my second year.

It shall then be another year before I submit it again for the final time in September 2006.

A whole entire year before I can see a salary increase or a promotion. That is demotivating. Definitely one of those moments when you feel like you need your life back.

"Obstacles are those things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." This phrase has been running around my mind for the past few days. The part of the phrase that I think of most - the goal. Do I want to get there?

Looks like I have no choice. But to stick to this low-paying job that no-longer-offers-job-satisfaction-because-work-is-getting-monotonously-boring. Maybe I'm just in a rut. Maybe work is too dull. Maybe because I see no incentive (i.e. payrise, promotion) that keeps me going. Maybe because I don't see myself going anywhere in this company.

I hate being stuck in a rat race that cannot be influenced by my own abilities. No, doesn't mean I want to go into sales. I just don't like to feel unappreciated. Hah! There!

At least now I know why I'm complaining.

It's good to be able to complain somewhere when you can't complain to the boss. But then again, bosses don't like to listen to complaints anyway.

This is the place I plan to visit next - Ayutthaya - listed as one of the World Heritage Sites of UNESCO since 1991 

Wonders of the World

Hands up those who can name all the wonders of the world.

My hands are down. And because I want to be one of those who can start ticking off the wonders I've visited, I decided to research a little bit on it.

The 7 wonders of the Ancient World

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza - a gigantic stone structure near the ancient city of Memphis, serving as a tomb for the Egyption Pharaoh Khufu
2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon - A palace with legendary gardens built on the banks of the Euphrates river by King Nebuchadnezzar II
3. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia - An enormous stone of the Greek father of gods, carved by the great sculptor Pheidias
4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - A beautiful temple in Asia Minor erected in honour of the Greek goddess of hunting and wild nature
5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - A fascinating tomb constructed for King Maussollos, Persian satrap of Caria (I just copied this whole sentence, I don't know what "satrap of Caria" means)
6. The Colossus of Rhodes - A colossus of Helios the sun-god, erected by the Greeks near the harbor of a Mediterranean island
7. The Lighthouse of Alexandria - A lighthouse built by the Ptolemies on the island of Pharos off the coast of their capital city

Of this entire list, only one has survived time. Most people will probably know which one it is, since they would most likely have not heard of the rest. The oldest of the Ancient Wonders - the pyramid of Giza - definitely a place I'd like to visit.

Forgotten Wonders

1. Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
2. Angkor Wat in Cambodia
3. Aztec Temple in Mexico City
4. Banaue Rice Terraces the Philippines
5. Borobudur Temple in Indonesia
6. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa in Alexandria, Egypt
7. Colosseum in Rome, Italy
8. Great Wall of China
9. Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey
10. Inca City of Machu Picchu, Peru
11. Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
12. Mayan Temples of Tikal in Northern Guatemala
13. Moai Statues in Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
14. Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, France
15. Throne Hall of Persepolis in Iran
16. The Parthenon in Athens, Greece
17. Petra, the rock-carved city in Jordan
18. Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, China
19. The Red Fort (Lal Quila) in Delhi, India
20. Shwedagon Pagoda in Myanmar
21. Stonehenge in England (oh yippee, I can tick this off!)
22. Taj Mahal in Agra, India
23. Temple of the Inscriptions in Palenque, Mexico

Modern Wonders

1. The Channel Tunnel (the English Channel between France and England)
2. The Clock Tower (Big Ben) in London, England (another tick!)
3. The CN Tower in Toronto, Canada
4. Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
5. Empire State Building in New York City, USA
6. Gateway Arch in St. Louis, USA
7. Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA
8. High Dam in Aswan, Egypt
9. Hoover Dam in Arizona/Nevada, USA
10. Itaipu Dam in Brazil/Paraguay
11. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, USA
12. North Sea Protection Works in Netherlands
13. The Panama Canal
14. The Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (wow, KL's in this list!)
15. The Statue of Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
16. The Statue of Liberty in New York City, USA
17. The Suez Canal in Egypt
18. The Sydney Opera House in Australia (4th tick!)

Natural Wonders

1. Angel Falls in Venezuela
2. The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, Canada
3. The Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA
4. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia
5. Iguacu Falls in Brazil/Argentina
6. Krakatoa Island in Indonesia
7. Mount Everest in Nepal
8. Mount Fuji in Japan
9. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania
10. Niagara Falls in Ontario (Canada) and New York State (USA)
11. Northern Lights in Antartica
12. Paricutin Volcano in Mexico
13. Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe

Underwater Wonders of the World

1. Palau - a small archipelago in the Pacific Ocean
2. Belize Barrier Reef
3. Galapagos Islands - 600 miles west of Ecuador where 4 major currents meet
4. The Northern Red Sea (Ras Muhammad)
5. Lake Baikal in Russia
6. Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia
7. The Deep Sea Vents

Looks like the world's filled with lotsa things to see! I've particularly found the Galapagos Islands fascinating, and scary. Articles of it usually feature big monitor lizards that look like they belong to the dinosaur-age.

Anyway, while researching on the many Wonders of the World (obviously there's more than seven!), I stumbled upon the UNESCO World Heritage List. So, the next time you're planning a trip somewhere, see if you can tick some places off - if not one of the wonders, at least one of the world heritages.

On days like this, I can't help but be amazed by the world we live in (dramatic-nya!).

Land of the Dead

Oh goodness, where do I start? Well ...

I liked this movie because I didn't get freaked out. That will tell you everything you need to know about it. I mentioned the unhorror-ness of this movie to my colleague this morning and he told me he'd laughed thru-out the entire movie. Ok, so there are parts which are quite gross where the zombies feast on live flesh - but other than that, you'll just zombie-fy yourself out watching these other zombies.

"What's in your head, in your head ... zombie, zombie, zom-bie-bie-bie!"

The Da Vinci Code, Illustrated Edition

I've read this at least twice on paperback. But, boy, is it a totally different experience reading it in this edition. It's, to say the least, beautiful. Slowly rifling through the glossy pages, smelling whiffs of that new-book essence, gazing at all the amazing architecture graphics - this is a real reading experience.

My little sister generously bought me a copy from the Times warehouse sale (it's over already, so don't rush anywhere). She won't let me know how much it cost her (so nice of her), but I think the market sells it for about RM100. And no, don't even think to ask to borrow it - it's the only book that won't leave my house. You're very welcomed to come browse through it at my house though, after you've washed your hands, of course :)

If anyone hasn't read it yet, go grab yourself a paperback - worth every single sen of RM34.90. Even without the pictures, the words are vivid enough for you to use your imagination. With the pictures there - indescribable.

So proud of my new book :) But I think the long nights of holding this heavy hardback has caused me to incur a minor wrist injury - honest. So working with a mouse and typing on a keyboard or writing something or even turning the steering wheel is done rather gently now, fragile right wrist you see. But still, this book is worth every single minute that eats into your bedtime.

Great OC pic! 

Reunion Season 1

Reunion stars another 6 beautiful people and airs on Fox after The O.C. The pilot episode, which I just watched, is of course nothing compared to The O.C. (yes I'm biased). But, it does star one of the O.C. people - Hailey, Kirsten's sister - and she acts like typical her in here (read: sexy slutty teenager).

The plot, however, should be more interesting than The O.C. It starts off with a funeral where one of the six friends has died (but we don't know who). Then it has flashback scenes to 1986, the year they all graduated, the turning point of things to come. The episode ends in the present day with an officer questioning one of the friends, a suspect. The next episode will be on 1987. Each episode is a year in flashback, so it'll work its way until the present day when we finally see who has died and who killed him/her.

American TV is really quite fun. This is coming from someone whose only regular TV program is Malaysian Idol spectaculars and its results show. I surfed a bit and found out that Desperate Housewives Season 2 is starting soon, along with The Apprentice 1 : Martha Stewart, The Apprentice 4 : Donald Trump, Lost Season 2 and Alias Season 5.

It's nice to have my computer up and running again :)

The O.C. Season 3

Brilliant.

The O.C. Season 3's 1st episode is totally utterly brilliant.

I absolutely adore this series.

My Saturdays shall never be the same again :)

Brand new

Finally couldn't take my demented computer anymore and decide to reformat it. Not like I'm typing this from my newly-reformatted computer - I'm too lazy right now to dig out my old boxes to retrieve those driver CDs to install my soundcard, videocard, modem, etc. Then I have to re-download my Winamp, Adobe Reader, Spybot S&D, AdAware, etc. And then, I'll have to re-download all over again Desperate Housewives of which I haven't finished watching (maybe I'll just watch it on normal tv) and all my beloved mp3s which are now gone with the wind :P So for now, my computer is still slowly recuperating from its brainwash. YESsss, virus and spywares and what-nots, begone!

You know that it's very empowering to make the decision to reformat your computer without transferring anything out of it? Well, not like I had a choice, because my computer hadn't allowed me to burn anything out and refused to detect my sister's portable harddisk. So I could do nothing but just erase everything - everything including my pictures, my mp3s, my music videos, all my various torrent downloads.

But, back to what I said, it's empowering. No wonder feng shui masters say it's bad chi to accummulate too much. I feel completely refreshed. You should try it too - not that I'm cursing your computer or anything. But, every once in a while, throw trash out - it's good for the soul.

I came online wanting to just merely update this diary. But then, while going thru my email, I got this bulletin that informed me :

THE O.C. SEASON 3 WILL BEGIN IN 10 DAYS!!!

I can't wait, can't wait.

But ... (there's always a but somewhere) ... I'm typing this from my sister's comp. Because my own computer refuses to get into Windows. Bummer. The relax-and-everything-will-turn-out-ok me says that I should just try and switch on my computer again tomorrow and it should start just fine. Yah right. So, without a computer, how to download O.C. Season 3???

Okay, enough teenage-hormones-raving.

Took a trip with a bunch of friends up to Selesa HillHomes in Bukit Tinggi last Saturday. Over-ate on steamboat, lost miserably in "brainless" drinking games, slept very little and overall, had a good weekend - really :)

It's brilliant to have a holiday tomorrow. Planning to go catch Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. Was warned to go equipped with choccie snacks. Must be an excellent movie.

The countdown to Bangkok has officially begun. Refer to my little daisypath at the top of the page :) Right now, slowly researching which budget hotel to book.

Can't get Adam Brody outta my head. Must go off to surf the O.C. website. Happy Merdeka everyone! :)

End of the month is always a stressful period. Particularly so, this month, because I've yet to meet my monthly quota of reports - due to the fact that I went to KK and then took some days off to study for exams.

And so, today was spent juggling between rushing out reports, picking up numerous calls (as usual), trying to call this lousy Citibank officer about some balance transfer (which they promised will waive my annual fees), trying to call a handful of agents about various PJ properties, calling up a few travel agencies to check on Raya travel packages, constantly pressing the calcie throughout the day - I should have the telephone, handphone, computer and calculator glued to me. Didn't help that the boss and some other bankers and clients were clawing my back clamouring me for figures and reports. Argh.

Only thing to look forward to in times of dire stress is that there's holidays ... somewhere in the horizon.

If I find the time to plan for them.

Depressing-nya.

The Harmony Silk Factory

The writer is a Malaysian with a very un-Malaysian name : Tash Aw, probably a glamourised version of a typical Chinese name. However, the book is very Malaysian (although the author is London-based). And a very good book to read, particularly since our Ministers are all clamouring for us to be more hyped up about Merdeka.

The book is set in the war-years of WWI and the Malayan communist period post-1957. It speaks in 3 voices : Johnny Lim's son, Johnny Lim's wife Snow Soong, and Johnny Lim's best friend Peter Wormwood. All 3 tell the story of Johnny Lim - the protagonist who is at once good and evil.

Part of the intrigue of the book was the way Tash manages to make the reader wonder as to what goes on in Johnny's mind - Johnny is such a real person that he's selfish enough to do whatever it takes to achieve his ambition, but at times you see glimpses of how he tries to be a good father. But just as you think a good father cannot be that bad a person, he goes and does something his son cannot forgive.

It's a beautiful wonderful debut novel by Tash Aw. I like it very much. Would recommend everyone to give it a read. Particularly if you're seated in the hilly Kinta Valley, so mesmerisingly-described in The Harmony Silk Factory.

Haven't seen Willy Wonka's chocoholic-heaven. Haven't done my sale-shopping. Haven't started on my extended log book. Haven't haven't haven't.

But I have managed to have quite a fruitful focused week at work. Have had 4 week nights of coming home without having to think about assignments or exams. Have managed to start on Tash Aw's gem-of-a-book. Oh, and the biggest have is that I managed to find loads of people on Friendster! From primary school crushes (hah!) to long-lost college mates. Lotsa have's.

Listening right now to Fun Factory's I Love You. You know how ancient it is? But still so nice to listen to, like a brand new song.

Brain slightly off-focus because it's really rather draining to concentrate fully on work (hah, talk about contradicting myself). It's an Ipoh weekend this time to attend sister's convocation. Goodie - yummy dim sum, honey chicken, what-nots, ooh :)

You know you're getting older when you listen to the 8 am news on the way to work.

And you know you're getting older when the news actually means something to you
i.e. the government will no longer subsidise the toll concessionaires, therefore everyone is to expect an increase in toll rates.

Oh no.

First, petrol and everything else goes up. Then toll rates and the balance of everything else that hasn't gone up will go up.

The government's really trying to make us learn to be independent huh? Boy does it hurt to be out on our own two feet. Particularly when there was no warning that it'd happen. So even our bosses weren't warned - which results in us becoming poorer :(

Haze has gone - for the moment, after a huge big downpour. This weekend was one of those I appreciated the most. Because, for once, I could admire the blue skies and the bright sun and breathe in air that wouldn't pollute my lungs. Free things that most people take for granted.

Had dinner in Italianni's with a bunch of friends last weekend. Food there was actually great :) It's better if you order and share, like the way Chinese eat. Very nice place.

Anyway, it's back to work as usual trawling the Klang Valley roads. Good to be back at work and coming home in the evening not having to worry about assignments or exams (for the moment). I'm glad glad glad :)

It's literally been a blur ever since my final exams. Blur because of the terrible, horrible, lung-disease-inducing haze. Final because those were my last exams ever! I'd actually planned to grab a good picture of the KLCC on my walk back after exams from British Council. Too bad the idea couldn't pan out because I was trying too hard to walk fast and hold my breath while traversing the KL roads full of "Darth Vaders" and "pretend- surgical doctors".

Work has been, miraculously, quite good. Was sorting out my work notes from KK, so all I've done the past 3 days after exams were to sort, type, and prepare to analyse. I've got more than a dozen cases which require me to do field work. But thankfully, boss hasn't forced us out into the gray gloomy particle-filled zone. Hah.

Got half day off today on MC because I went to see the doctor to get medication, in case the haze got worse over the weekend. Doctor called me smart :P Of course wat, he earns more. Anyway, no fun talking about the smog and carbon monoxide and all the carbon particles we're all breathing in. I read an article that it's snowing in Australia, that true Cindy? And then there was a 10-minute hailstorm in Subang Jaya that day. Hmm. Remember the movie "Day After Tomorrow"?

Now I've got free time on my hands, I suddenly have a lot of things to do. But best of all, books to read. I managed to rent Tash Aw's too-expensive-to-buy book. So I'll settle down to that this weekend.

Boring boring stuff. Ah well, that's me. I'll now be spending more of my free time doing stuff I enjoy, rather than being stuck in the computer room with the only entertainment being Zuma Deluxe or Textwist :P

The friends you have

You know, I never realised before that Friendster is such an amazing tool. If you really click on all the friends you have and search thru their list of friends, it's amazing how many old out-of-touch contacts you can find. I had such a fun time adding friends to my list - you should try it too!

Then there were friends whom I did not want to add. Not because I hate them. But merely because they're now acquaintances, rather than friends. Have nothing in common with them now. Or more like, you don't want them in your life ever again.

So cool that this Friendster thingy lets you re-find your circle of friends (or, actually, reconnect). And that it also lets you sieve through people you don't want to meet again.

Actually, I think there's very few people without a Friendster account. So, I think if I spent more time, I'd be able to find everyone I know in there.

But, I've got no time now :P Just got back couple of hours ago from my CRE paper. Tomorrow it's the Dev't Appraisal paper. And then the next day, back to work - lesser free time to roam the amazing virtual world of friends. But, must earn money mah right? If not how to afford broadband :P

Last minute

My gawd, how in the world did I manage 20-hour study periods when I was a student? Goodness, sitting down for 30 minutes concentrating only on memorizing monotonously-worded sentences really really tries my attention span!

(Reading back what I just typed, I thought I nearly lost my attention at "monotonously-" as well :P)

First paper Corporate Real Estate is at 2.00 pm tomorrow. Next paper Development Appraisal and Funding is at 9.30 am the next day.

I've studied lesser this semester because I did not manage to get enough leave. I usually have about 8 days to study before taking the exams. This time I had 4 days. And then, you know how it is la, you don't really get the hang of studying until you've warmed up for a few days, getting the routine and training your brain to absorb academic stuff. I seriously advise all who are contemplating Masters to take up full-time studies - much more focused, you get more out of the course (and your main aim is not merely to pass), you've got coursemates to share your common experiences and more importantly to share assignments, AND best of all, you get to be a REAL student. Being a student's fun. But being a part-time student is no fun :P

The next and final semester, which begins September, will only be Dissertation. Well, at least I thought it'll only be Dissertation. After all, been through it wat, just have to whip up lots of words and paragraphs from hastily-run surveys, borrow lots of books from the library and paraphrase them - what's so hard about that?

But no. From what my Vietnamese coursemate told me through email after she returned from our annual lectures in London, she says Dissertation is tough. Apparently it's going to eat up much more time than the normal coursework and exams. The lecturer scared her so much that she spent her time in London sitting in the library reading up for thesis ideas, instead of roaming the London streets or more importantly, studying for the current upcoming exams.

Well, right now, I have more pressing matters to attend to. Like my 15-minute read of monotonous sentences. *sigh*

My new daisypath

Referring to that little border countdown thingy at the top of the page. So "girl", right? :P

Anyway, counting down to Oct 29, when I'll be having my 9-day break! It'll be a vacation. But to where, not decided yet. Hong Kong or Sabah or somewhere else below the RM800/- range? Maybe I'll wait for MATTA fair in September to decide. But for now, counting down will do :)

Those ties

Saturday's almost over. It's very trying to not have space for yourself and have to share. Sharing with friends is fine, because you're not obligated. Sharing with family makes you feel restricted. Grr.

I think I know why the KK trip felt good - although I had to work, like, 15 hours everyday. And I know why I love travelling. Very ungrateful for me to say this, but I need the escape - from all things that trouble and bind. That's why I look back on student life with such fondness.

Being obligated ain't no fun. Because I see myself being tied down again when I hit the big three-'0' in 5 years. So freedom, right now, this very moment, is to be very much savoured.

Maybe I'm gutless. Maybe it's my fault for being a pushover. Or maybe, it isn't my fault.

Must count my blessings and not see the murky water.

F.O.C.U.S.

A whole weekend of pure studying. Hope I can stick to it. Lacking self-discipline and sense of urgency as I get older. Exams are 3 days away and I haven't started studying properly. Having post-KK trip blues. Really loved it there. But did you know that if you're not a local, you have to renew your work permit every year if you work there? You stand in line along with all the Indonesians and Philippinos and other nationalities who work there - as though like Sabah is another country.

Ok ok, almost 10 am. Must start on something or I'll never start. FOCUS - key word. Tell you later why my lecturer says it's a rule of thumb when sitting for exams - and no, it's nothing to do with making your butt stay on the chair.

So idyllic, you wouldn't believe this is in town 

View of the coastal road 

Me next to our rental car along Jalan Gaya - one of the busiest roads in KK town. (Doesn't look very busy hor?) 

Jetty near Customs. So pretty right? 

Dinner in Jap fusion restaurant in Damai (the supposed-Bangsar of KK). A dinner set of chicken teriyaki, rice, sushi, miso soup, green tea for RM8.90 only! 

Sotong, buttered prawns, mixed vege and tilapia fish = RM70/- for 3 persons. How affordable is that? :) 

View of South China Sea from the apartment I stayed in - Likas Square Business Suites. 

KK - that pretty town

When you leave the hectic bustling city, you find that the little towns within Malaysia are so pretty. KK is one such town. It looks like Ipoh, except that there's lots more natives around, and it has more shopping complexes (though I never had the chance to step into one).

You can see the South China Sea from any part of town. The apartment I stayed in had this brilliant view of the sea, the nearby islands and the State Mosque in the far distance. It was an unobstructed view in the bright daylight, with night lights and even in a thunderstorm.

The entire town makes you feel like you need to slow down. People there are so polite and well-mannered, driving around town made me feel like a road bully ('cos not knowing where I was going caused me to make illegal U-turns and cut right and left everywhere). And the people there love tourists. Whenever we took out our cameras to snap pictures of the food, the sights, the buildings, the people, the fish, the jetty, they'll look on indulgently. No one we met there was bad-tempered or couldn't-care-less. I just found out that I had gotten so used to the each-to-himself syndrome in KL, that I forgot that people could be so nice!

Seafood - the freshest and cheapest anywhere! (But I heard it's even cheaper in Sandakan). Went to Grand Portview Restaurant and Ocean View Restaurant for seafood. The next time I go I think I'll try Kg Nelayan too.

Yes, planning to go again, next time for travel. Didn't do any tourist-y things this trip because work took up 3 full days until an hour before I left for the airport to return to KL, when I rushed to the market to buy some fish to bring back home (you wouldn't believe how fresh and cheap it is!).

I'd like to go back to go island-hopping, and town-hopping, and maybe do sea-walking or jet-boating. If you fly MAS supersaver, it's only RM490 return per person. Of course, AirAsia can be cheaper - about RM360 I think.

Pictures are right here. But if you don't have a snapfish account and are too lazy to register for one (although it's really not all that complicated), I'll post some up soon.

It can only go up

And it is right now at RM1.62 per litre, an increase of 10 sen. Yes, petrol. Excellent Sunday morning news. Gone up 20 sen the past 9 months, that's 14%. My salary definitely did not increase at that scale, but then again, how many companies can keep up with the cost of living?

Diesel users are more unfortunate. An increase of a grand 50 sen the past 14 months; 20 sen increase of which came into effect midnight. Soon, diesel's gonna cost the same as petrol.

But, it does look like consumers can do nothing at all about it. Well, at least I couldn't. My tank was empty, I had to fill it by hook or by crook.

You know that this makes the disparity between the lower-income earners and the higher-income ones an even bigger one?

If only our dear PM stops being so secretive and do more PR, maybe his citizens can understand what's going on behind the scenes and not blame so much.

Have you flipped thru the papers this week?

It's filled with pages and pages of things to buy! Furniture, clothes (Topshop's on sale!), houses, apartments, and even Guardian's on sale!

To indulge in self-pity once again, I've to be stuck home studying and can't lavish myself in the Mega Sale :(

An odd thing I noticed in the papers and a thought that just flickered by my mind : London's experiencing mini explosions and mini tornados. Eerie how JK Rowling depicted all these into the 1st chapter of Half-Blood Prince.

And now, after all these rubbish thoughts, I've to start on my studying. Ta!

Getting excited about the trip. Going to be staying at my client's place in Likas - The Likas Business Suites. It's out of town, but it's ok, got car rental.

Actually, a bit worried that I won't be able to finish running around the government agencies, planning dept, land dept, property dept, engineer, architect, etc. in 3 days. But, I guess I'll just have to try.

The news and pictures in the papers of floods and trees falling on cars in KK are not helping either. So, I shall pack a raincoat and umbrella.

But, I'm excited. From the photos I've seen of KK town, it looks positively out of the 70's. I'll take lotsa pics back :)

Monday morning 5 a.m. cab picking me up to KLIA - gr...oan...

Heading to Kota K

I've spent the past 2 hours trawling the net for accommodation in Kota Kinabalu. Going there for work assignment next week. Unfortunately, there's very few reviews of hotels in KK! :( Dun really wanna end up in somewhere Geylang-like :P

Quite excited about heading to East M'sia - never been there. So I'm looking forward to the 2-1/2 hours flight. And due to the nature of my work, I've gotta rent a car when I get there. Found out from the car rental agency there that most people there drive manual cars. So, he had to search for half a day before he could get an automatic transmission one for me :P RM100/- per day for a little Kenari.

3 days in Kota K. E-eeearly morning flight next Monday, and arriving back to KLIA on Wednesday late night.

Even more happy news - my MSc exams are 6 days after that. Oh no.

Avillion, Port Dickson

The best resort in PD has to be The Avillion!

We stayed at the Garden Chalet. They've got a 4-poster bed (so romantic), and timber sliding doors that open out into the bathroom. The Water Chalets are sited on stilts overlooking the Malacca Straits and you can wake up to the sound of waves crashing (not for paranoid me). But, we did spend a couple of hours sitting in one of those rest areas on the stilts looking out to sea while reading (or trying to read - I was just looking out at the boats / ships in the distance, ensuring they don't overturn or sink, the first sign of which I'll run straight for shore).

They've got 3 pools - for kids, the normal family one, and best of all, the adults' only one. The adults' only pool is called the Cochin pool - opened 24 hours, very private and with no kids getting in the way of your laps. By far the best pool I've ever been in - maybe because we were the only ones there.

It was truly truly a beautiful weekend :)

The Half-Blood Prince

A very good read. I rate this book the 2nd best in the series after The Goblet of Fire.

Don't worry, no spoilers ahead.

The plot basically sets down the storyline for the final book of the series, due to be out in the next 2 years. There's lots of dialogues and flashbacks - I guess JK Rowling's setting the scene and finalising details for the final installment. But, no, this is not a boring book. The book starts off on a sombre-but-tickled-my-funny-bones conversation between the real world's Prime Minister (presumably Tony Blair) and the Minister of Magic. It then rushes through with many new revelations and plot-twists and characters-that-keep-you-guessing. Nothing will ever beat The Goblet of Fire in terms of action, drama and a well-written plot - but The Half-Blood Prince truly is a satisfying read.

I finished this book last Sunday - yes the day after it was released. And when I'd finished, I looked around frantically for someone to discuss the book with. Thank goodness for JC. But because the person next to me hadn't read it yet, I couldn't fully express and discuss with JC on the phone, or I'd be revealing all the surprises in the book. Yes somebody dies - and I was not informed at all that someone would die, let alone accept the fact of who had died! But, no, enough of that, or I'll be responsible for spoiling it for those who haven't read.

I'll reveal this little fact : the character I found most intriguing was that of Professor Snape. His evil-but-good persona left me wanting more.

How am I going to wait for the 7th book??

2 weeks ago

For the past fortnight I've disappeared because I've been really busy - and for once, not because of work or assignments or errands or something troublesome.

2nd July
Played host to 2 pretty Korean girls. To kill time before dinner, we (Dennis drove, David chaperoned) headed up to Bkt Gasing to give the girls a view of PJ. We got more than that - there were LOTS of monkeys up there, thoroughly amusing the girls and myself. Then, hung out at Bangsar, had dinner at Mdm Kwan's, after-dinner drinks at Bar Flam, then mamak-ed at the Bangsar mamak place before dropping the girls home to their friend's place in Old Klang Rd.

What was interesting was that I hadn't met this Korean friend of mine (Enzu) since year 2000 in Manila. Yeah, an AIESEC friend from oh-so-long-ago. And, still, we clicked right away. Or maybe she's just really friendly and easy to get along with. She clicked with everyone :)

3rd July
Played good big sister and took my 2 sisters to watch War of the Worlds. Good good movie, very worth the money. Tried to get tickets at GSC 1 Utama, but they sold out all tickets by 11 am. Luckily had reservations at TGV. Dakota Fanning is amazing - she can be so grown-up and childish in the same breath. And she's got great lungs.

KF came back from Cameron Highlands today and brought me back a tray of really sweet strawberries. He said he had to bribe the farm-caretakers to get the big red sweet ones for me.

8 July
Night out with Enzu again. She just got back from Redang Island and wanted to have real seafood - apparently Redang food sucks. So we took her to the place at Tropicana - her treat. Then sent her off to KLIA after collecting her luggage from JW Marriott KL. The trouble KF goes to for a pretty girl, you wouldn't guess.

9 July
Early in the morning headed to RedBox The Curve for a 3-hour session. Then went out to view a house (yes, been house-searching for a couple of months dyy), before heading to ML's house for steamboat cum birthday celebration.

10 July
Thought it'd be a leisurely day spring-cleaning my room. Instead, headed to the vet to give my new puppy Bobby a vaccination. Yahh, I got a new cute little puppy and the vet told us he's a spaniel! :) He's black and really small and really cute. After that, had surprise lunch with CS from Singapore, who surprised us with a French guy :)

It's been a pretty international fortnight. Ended it nicely with a family dinner - my treat. Below are pics of how I spent the days leading up to quarter-life :)

Bkt Gasing monkeys 

Enzu, myself and Janie 

Everyone at ML's place 

Of this and that

Y-e-s!!! I've completed my final assignment of all for my MSc! Yippee-doo-dah!

Now, all I have to do is sleep on it for a night (something I do for every assignment, to ensure that there's no new idea that suddenly pops into my head) and then I can send it off tomorrow night - yippie! :)

All that's left is to study for exams in August and then, thesis-writing ...

Oh no. I've just deflated my balloon.

Ah well.

Tomorrow's a whole day of trawling Klang Valley roads - part of the job, but no I'm not a taxi driver :P

This weekend's gonna be filled with wardrobe activities (clearing out old clothes and going out to buy new ones! what activity's better?) and bringing an old Korean friend around town. She's here for a Redang trip, but can you believe I've never been there? :P

Maybe I'll drop by the hairdresser's if I've time (though I doubt it 'cos if I'm in the mood to shop, I s-h-o-p). Haven't shopped ever since CNY, anyway. It's about time for some great weekend-shopping.

But, wait, it's only Monday today right? Aish ...

Otherwise, happy news of the day : The darling pre-ordered the hyped half-blood prince for me! :)

New stuffs!

Noticed anything new??

For the blur-at-heart, or the infrequent-visitor :
1. The new flickr badge - ain't it soo cool?!
2. The new links! - Hope you guys who got linked don't mind. Which brings me to ...
3. Project Petaling Street! - M'sia's fantastic blog-tal for all the egotistical M'sians who wanna publicize their blogs, yes including yours truly (a little publicity's great, especially after the infamous minishorts event).

Yes, I've had an interesting weekend surfing the net - since typing up my assignment is a dead-boring activity. Now, it's back to work :P

The Invitation

The Invitation by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do
for a living.
I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream
of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old
you are.
I want to know if you will risk
looking like a fool
for love
for your dream
for the adventure of being alive.

(as extracted from The Star 25/06/2005)

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy under the stars

... is to bring a towel everywhere you go.

Yes, a weird, tickle-funny-bones-you-never-knew-you-had kind of movie. Very British. And left me wondering "What kind of movie is this??" Actually, it's a good movie - because I've never watched something like this.

But of course, I don't recommend watching this in the cinema. Not much cinematic effects that a DVD won't be able to project comfortably.

Starlight Cinema was fun. As soon as the movie started, we felt little drops of rain. So we rushed to the protection of the VIP tent and grabbed comfy chairs there. And, actually, Citibank Clear card members have this special lounge where they have air-mattresses (check out a picture of it in the Star Metro page 31 today and see who you recognise) and comfy little chairs for you to sit in. Quite a different experience this year - not as authentic as the previous 2 years, but more comfy - indeed, we progress.

Must start by groaning first. My quest for the valuer's license has been postponed by a whole year - argh! Due to a change of management in the Board, the rules have been pulled stricter and *ish* I'm affected. Darnit.

Good news, I'm waiting right now to be picked up for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy at Bukit Kiara - Starlight Cinema! Won invitations, so yippee - KFC picnic :)

And oh, happy birthday Cindy - my dear best friend across the oceans :)

Assignment frenzy starts again. Thankfully, for a topic I quite like : Corporate Real Estate. But, still, final assignment - ever, phew! After this, it'll be exams in August. And then, God willing, I get a brilliant brainstorm on what to do for my thesis - and then, ta-da, my MSc scroll!

Just ... 8 ... more ... months ...

Brody upstages Smiths!

Nope, it's not Jolie's in-your-face lips or Brad's cute butt-in-boxers that made Mr & Mrs Smith. It's the fact that Adam Brody (yes, the Seth Cohen!) was in this movie that made it half interesting to watch. The movie was only glamourising the 2 stars - and yes, memang they oozed sex appeal and definitely had chemistry - but, but, the best part was Adam Brody, definitely.

Actually, Brody was very Cohen-y in the Smiths. I wonder if he's naturally like that or he's just been acting too long in The O.C.

Well, it was nice to see Brody again. Especially since it's been like 3 weeks since the O.C. was shown on tv. It's always replaced by F1 or some nonsense like that :P I'm having O.C. withdrawal, definitely.

Starlight Cinema's here again!

Yes, it's that annual event in Kiara again. Whoever's never been before should really go. It's an experience you don't get anywhere else in M'sia. Movies under the stars, eating KFC, sitting on mats, huge screen, cool breeze, the smell of grass - wonderful experience :)

And this time they've got great movies again. Yippee. 22nd June - 16 July. Dates to be put in your diary.

http://www.starlightcinema.com.my

Up and up, more and more

Noticed the many many developments lately around PJ? Here's a list I plucked from somewhere :

Just completed
- Bayu Puteri Apartments, Tropicana
- Emerald Plaza West Condo, Damansara Perdana
- Perdana View Condo, Damansara Perdana
- EPF Building, Jln. Timur (massively renovated, now has a new facade)
- Kelana Mahkota, Kelana Jaya
- Palm Springs @ Damansara Condo (six towers of varying heights)
- Sri KDU Secondary School Block, Kota Damansara
- The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

Soon to be ready (final touching-up)
- Amcorp Serviced Suites, PJ State
- Assunta Hospital extension (8-storey building with multi-storey carpark)
- Dataran Prima Condo
- Royale Bintang Damansara Hotel, The Curve

Currently under construction
- 32 Square, Sec. 14
- Jaya33, Sec. 14
- Armanee Terrace Condo, Damansara Perdana
- Casa Tropicana Condo
- Centerpoint Phase 2, Bandar Utama (next to McD's)
- Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara
- Li-Villas 2 Condo, Sec. 16
- Low-cost flats at Jln. SS2/72 (in front of Jasmine Towers condo)
- Merchant Square, Tropicana (directly in front of Bayu Puteri apt.)
- Milan Metropolitan Square, Damansara Perdana
- Millennium Place Serviced Apartments and Mall, Sec. 14 (next to Menara Jaya condo)
- Ken Damansara II & III
- Pelangi Damansara II
- Pelangi Astana (next to existing Pelangi Damansara medium-cost flats)
- Office block at Phileo Damansara 1 (6-storey building)
- One Utama Phase 3 (hotel and office tower)
- Some new elevator tower at University Hospital's main block
- Vista Damansara, Kg Kayu Ara (behind Shell petrol station)
- PJeight (fronting the Federal Highway, opposite PJ Hilton)
- 8avenue (behind PJeight, in front of PJ traffice police station)
- Crimson Damansara Commercial Centre
- Opal Damansara, Sunway Damansara (opposite Palm Springs @ Damansara)

Proposed
- Dijaya Mall (next to Damansara Intan)
- PJ@Sterling, Kelana Jaya
- Hotel in Kelana Jaya (next to Giant Mall)
- Huge Glomac project consisting of hotel, office complex and apartments on that big piece of empty land between Kelana Puteri and Kelana Mahkota
- Medical Center, Bandar Utama (next to 1u Phase 2)
- PutraLine LRT Station, Lembah Subang Depot
- Shopping mall and office towers in Damansara Uptown
- Shopping mall in SS2 (on the open car park)
- Bandar Utama Business Park "bu8" (7-storeys, next to McD's drive thru)
- 20-storey office complex on the site of Giant Paramount

ALL this within PJ alone. Some might think "Yay, development!". I'm, like, "Urrm, so much high-density development?" This compiled list is making me wonder what PJ's gonna look like by the time we reach 2010. And, let's not forget all the draft proposals sitting in MPPJ right now awaiting approval that we don't know about.

On the one hand, it's great that we're having so many new stuff around. But, in a tiny corner of my heart, I wonder if we really want that much development that will change the PJ we know.

The delayed Singapore pics ...

... are as below. You know what? The pictures seem to show that I had more fun than I actually did. Hmm ...

I love my Olympus :)

Half-mermaid, half-lion makes the Merlion 

The made-famous-by-Pixar-Pictures Nemo fishes! 

Do you see the seahorses? The Underwater World in Singapore is rather good, actually.