My new baby....

I just got myself a new baby... hehe!! my very own lappie.... still in diapers.... haha!! It's a Toshiba Satellite....

My lappie comes with....

- Core 2 Duo 1.83GHz

- 14.1" screen with 1.3mp camera

- 2GB DDR2

- 160 HDD

- DVD player/burner

- Wifi

- Card Reader

- Bluetooth

- Label Flash

- Microsoft Vista Home Premium

- Dolby Sound

Decent enough specs for my college use... :) I am super happy with it... Vista premium is so cool eventhough a tad heavy.... and the sound is fantastic for a notebook... haha!!

Of course with a new baby it must come with a baby carrier right? must be equally cool and cute.. hehe!! and cause a considerable embarrasment as I walk along the halls of my campus... haha!!

Checkout my green Crumpler!!! aint it nice!!!?

Look inside....

I am official well prep for all my coming activities... hehe!! I shall also officially declare bankruptcy for a few months at least... too much expenditures... Ouch!!! wallet very pain liao... haha!!!

Monster? Alien?

This car has been my neighbour for quite some time now but I have never gotten around to snapping some pics of it til now..... It has been in this condition for more than half a year now I think... there has been changes over changes over changes... each time it looked 'out of this world'... haha!!

It announces it's arrival home with this thundering noise and blinking blue lights from underneath it.... so Ah Beng... haha!!

What do you think? Still recognize what car it is?

Jackie Chan's Cafe

I accidently came across this place while shopping with my mum.... We saw the seats and we were sold... We immediately sat down for a cuppa.... What kinda seats would draw our attention?

These!!!

Arent they cool? They were as big as beds... so basically it is like have a break in bed... they got nice cushy cushions, cool tables which you can move in circular motion to suit your position... What more... great tasting drinks... we didnt have anything to eat but others who had were happily tucking in so I think the food should be quite good...

This is the best kinda place to just chill out, kick back your heels, lean back, read a good book while enjoying your cuppa....

Best place to relax after a full day of shopping... which is evidently what everyone else tot as well since more and more ppl kept coming...

Try it if you are in Lot 10... it's a nice place.... but dun expect too much of the menu... it's kinda limited especially in the food section...

All geared up....

The date of my Mount Kinabalu ascent is looming near... as I get myself prepared I also invested in a few must-have items.. (well maybe not must-have but want-to-have items... )

Check out what new pressies I got for myself... Santa was not around to give me any... :(

First off... my hikings shoes... Must have proper shoes to ensure my feet are well protected and I have sufficient grip.... My shoes got Vibram soles for maximum traction on wet or dry land and Gore-tex material to ensure my feet stay dry.... Design by Timberland... thanks mummy for the voucher contribution!! hehe!!

Next up is my Vaude backpack.... it's actually a outdoor biking bag but it suited my purpose... its a 20 + 5L bag with allocation slot for my hidration pack... has an innovative F.L.A.S.H harness adjust to ensure a perfect fit!! can be adjusted for my size and for someone larger who might be carrying it some parts of the hike... (ahem ahem... hint hint!! hehe!!)... definitely a usefull function!! It has back support which creates space between me and my bag giving me plenty of ventilation....With the backpack, we must not forget my hidration pack right? and what better than a Camelbak to quench my thirst... got a 2L pack... should be sufficient since there will be water stations along the hike... :)

Lastly, I got my Mizuno Dryscience T-shirt... this was not an intended purchase... but I was advise during my backpack purchase that I wear t-shirts with such material so as to not absorb my sweat and leave me cold when the air is cool up on Mount Kinabalu... so taking this advise I just kept a lookout.... lo-behold I saw these t-shirts for 50% off... haha!! just my luck..so i grabbed 2... :)

I am pleased with all my purchases but I am also super broke after it... I have spent way more than I have expected just to climb 1 mountain... haha!! Hope it is worth it!!

I have better be making use of all my purchases... Kenot stop hiking after mount Kinabalu..!!!! Kenot Kenot!! I will rugi!! haha!! So for anyone who is reading this and have hiking plans, feel free to call me... I just might join you... haha!!

Malaysian Artistes For Unity

This is a nice effort for Malaysian Unity... I am all for it...

Tradition - an art almost lost....

I took the opportunity of a long weekend to make "Bak Chang" last Monday... The festival is coming up... actually it is on 7th June 2008 but since this was the best time, I did it early.

Have always thought that "Bak Chang" was one of the chinese traditions which should be kept and practiced so that future generations will also know how to do it.... Many younger generations now are not bothered to learn and always opt for the easy way of out of just buying from the stores... but then again, even the store ones are made by the older generation.. so what happens when they get too old to make it anymore?

So I was on a quest to preserve the art of tying "Bak Chang"... (the cooking part is not too difficult to learn...) So here was my journey... to make my "Ahma Bak Chang" - fusion of hokkien and nyonya "chang"....

The preparations started on Saturday and continued on to Sunday and some of Monday.. of course it wasnt full 3 days la... just that there was lots of things to prepare.. the ingredients needs to be cut to size, the leaf needs to be boiled and washed, the rice needed to be soaked and fried and the fillings needed to be cooked as well.. so come monday morning... we were ready to tie...

the rice...

the filling....

the leaf...

all tied up and ready for the pot....

in the boiling pot.....

after more than 2 hours... they are out of the pot!!one for testing... ;)
looking good....
yummy!!! All efforts not wasted... it was a success...

Now for the final test, mass distribution.... for all those who have eaten it, please feedback for future improvements... :)

Hope you all liked it!!

After all the hard work, I have decided I will do this biannually... haha!! too much work for an annual event...

Operation Bamboo River...

Went paintballing again last Sunday... It was really great... had loads of fun... was extremely intimidated when we first arrived... everyone was fully geared... own marker, camou outfit, multiple pods for top-up, pod belts, silencer and etc... never before have I seen ppl more equipped for paintball... haha!!
Shall not write further as I would never top the post mortem written by Loon... check it out!!! ;)

Shall leave you with a picture of a bruise... this is one of many....but this is the worst...

Latest Update!!

The body is out!!!!

Doesnt the body looks one legged.... hmmm......

News Flash!!

MURDER!!!!

I went downstairs for lunch today and there was so much commotion around this particular restaurant... There was initially a few policemen and a police car with yellow tape blocking the area...

Half an hour later the place was full of policemen, reporters and busybody public personnels... all and sunshine was out witnessing this matter... including myself and the whole of Isuzu Malaysia... we had a bird's eye view on this case since our boardroom has a window directly facing the scene of crime...
It was said to be a brutal murder... the body was found this morning due to the stench... but then again when i walked passed I did not smell anything... hmm... anyway... it is all just speculations....

The whispers heard about were...

1. It was a Myanmar guy..
2. The victim got his throat slit...
3. The head was almost severed totally leaving a small bit attached...
4. The victim was a child...
5. The victim was shot...
and etc...

Wow... it is either Malaysian's imagination is super good or there were multiple murders....

All I know was there definitely is a body since the vehicle to transport the body is parked nearby....

The forensic has also arrived....

Well, the truth will be out tomorrow is the papers I presume... but you might have read about it first in my blog... ;)

Tin Kosong...

I just couldnt resist not telling this story...

After a long hiatus from gym... about 3 months i think.. and an even longer break from Yoga (probably 6 months) I was gungho enough to join an Astanga Yoga class at Jaya 33... When I got into the class, there was only another girl (lets call her TK) and the yoga instructor (YI) in the hall.. so I sat down quietly and this conversation transpired between them:

TK : I came all the way from Subang you know...
YI : Who was your instructor there?
TK : Oh, first it was A, then he left then B, then he left then C and now it is *gesturing that it has went downhill every since*
YI : Oh I see... Do you attend D's class.?
TK : Who?
YI : D
TK : Oh no...I attended A, then B then C and after that *gesturing again that it went downhill since then*
YI : Okay okay...
TK : I only attend Astanga.. I never miss their classes... but now no good Astanga class there..
-another girl(UB) walks in and quietly sits down-
TK : I drove all the way from Subang to here you know...
YI : Okay okay.. I know I know...
- then the class started-

As the class progressed on.. I was regretting my choice of attending an Astanga class after such a long break.. I should have went to Hatha... gosh.. it was straining me in all places.. the poses were so difficult... aiyo... not very la.. actually some of them were normal but some of then were thew tougher extension to the normal (i bet it was becoz TK repeated said he came all the way so YI assumed she must be good)... but it seems that she wasnt as good as she tot too.. haha!! As much as I struggled with all the poses (it was really bad for me... legs shaking, hands shaking) but I endured it quietly.. I am not one to give up... but looking towards TK, she was also not fairing very well... now UB was a different story...she was super fit and strong.. all poses were totally not an issue with her at all... she did everything beautifully....

Towards the end of it all..

YI : Now, lets try the headstand...
-I looked at him with my eyes wide open-
YI : Just try...
Me : Let me see how it is done (and I looked over to UB, YI did not demonstrate. He assumed we all knew how)
YI : You dont know how to do it?
Me : Nope...

So I just stood and stare... UB was so stabil... she just got herself into position, slowly lifted her legs and she was up...

As for TK, she pretended to try but before she could even lift herself up...

TK : Should I do this if my neck hurts?
YI : You have a neck injury?
TK : Erm... No... erm... kinda..
YI : Okay, then dont do it... try this instead (he demonstrated something like a frog stance which required us to lift our bodies onto our hands)

I just gave up... TK tried or pretended to try... couldnt seem to get herself up as well even though she has been going to every Astanga class with out fail...

Now back to UB... she was still in her headstand... the YI told her to do a scissors leg.. which means opening it up while still on a headstand and then putting one leg front and the other back and then repeating it for the opposite leg.. Yikes!! she was good!! The YI told her to try another pose... which was to lay almost flat to the ground, one leg front and one leg back and lift herself off the floor with her hands... which she also did beautifully... *clap clap clap*

Then the class ended with the meditation session and the lights were off.. when the lights came back on UB has left to TK's surprise...

TK : Eh ? Where is she?
YI : Oh she left... This is her second class.. she attended my Hot Yoga before this...
TK : Oh.. I also used to attend to classes at one go...
-YI just smiles... collected our cards and said thank you-

This is a classic example of diam-diam ubi berisi vs the tin kosong....

Lesson to learn is dont try to act smart if you are not.... haha!! I found the class quite amusing... but I doubt i will attend another until I am more fit for it... hehe!! I am well aware of my abilities and inabilities...

Customer Service...

I went to Umai-ya Japanese restaurant at Uptown 37 yesterday for mother's day.... I pre-booked a table so that we need not wait... as we sat down... I asked whether a coupon I had was valid and they said no since they were having a Mother's Day buffet and the coupon was not applicable for buffet... No ala carte would be served...
I was not pleased as I was not pre-informed that they were only going to serve buffet.. had I known I would have chosen an alternative venue... I told the waitress that they should have mentioned this during my reservation for the table... she re-questioned me whether I was sure I was not informed in which I re-confirmed this fact... anyway, the waitress excuse herself to speak to her manager about my complaint...
To be frank, I expected them to come back insisting only the buffet will be served... I just wanted an explanation or at least an apology for the mistake and I would have left for another venue... But surprise surprise.. the waitress not only apologise for their mistake (after confirming again I was not informed at point of reservation) she then continued on to tell us that we could order ala carte and the coupon can be used...
I truly commend their Customer Service as well as their sense of responsibility towards their own mistake and their customers' satisfaction.... I am truly impressed of such services rendered in Malaysia...
As a whole... the meal was good.. food was not too bad except for the fact that there wasnt much meat selections on the menu but all in all it was good... I would recommend anyone to go not only for the food but to support an establishment which is true to their industry which is service... Kudos...

Up Gunung Angsi....

Went hiking up Gunung Angsi last Saturday... since I am feeling a bit more hardworking today.... I shall share my journey up.... there was seven of us hiking this time round... ming, his 2 sisters, his couz, Charlie, CJ and me...

Gunung Angsi is somewhere in Kuala Pilah so we all met up in USJ for an early breakfast before heading down.... reached Bukit Putus area where there was this tiny trail which we were to start from.... As we were getting ourselves ready (wearing shoes, going toilet etc) we saw this family starting their hike with their dog.. either the dog is a real trooper or I just plain pity the dog... haha!!

So up we went...started out hike at about 0830hrs... the path was very wide surprisingly after the initial trail... so it was relatively an easy climb in the beginning.... but somewhere midway, it became strenuous to the legs since it was up, up and more up.... plus it didnt help that my Hakka mee from breakfast was threatening to come out the way it came in... advise to self... do not have a heavy brakfast prior to a climb... luckily I managed to keep it down...

On our way up....

getting some well needed rest...

Along our way up.... almost close to the peak, we were passed by a 40++ uncle... to our shame he looked like he didnt break a sweat climbing up and manuevered his way through surpassing us with just a 500ml bottle of water in hand... as if that was not bad enough, another uncle passed us by this time running his way up... Gosh... we were feeling so unfit... it seems as if to them it was just a walk in the park but for us.. we were sweating like pigs, panting and heaving our way up... how embarrasing... haha!!Well we finally arrived at the peak at around 1045hrs or so...

view at the peak...

After some rest, we were given 2 choices... going back down the same way or going down the other side of the hill which is supposedly more scenic but much further... and of course we chose the longer scenic road (why oh why!!)... the first stretch down was super steep... we were all thanking the stars that we didnt opt to climb up this side... there were some challenging areas which we needed to hang on to ropes to get us down... but after the first hour... the rest were mostly flat land... then we thought it was a good choice to have went up the other side coz it was more of a challenge... along the way, we met 3 groups of ppl climbing up... and we asked each how long more were we to the base... and all of them said 2 hours... what was odd was we met them at least 30 mins apart from each other... either they were duping us, demotivating us or their are really moving at different paces... anyhow we left the peak at 1105 hrs and arrived around 1300hours so it took us a longer time coming down than going up... but this was purely due to distance and not difficulty...

Unfortunately for Ming and Charlie, since we came down the other side, our cars were parked there as well so Ming and Charlie volunteer to go get the cars... little did they know that the 3km uphill walk on the road to the car was the most challenging part of the entire hike!! haha!! but thanks to them, we didnt need to endure it as well... :)

After that we went off to the Seremban wet market and had some famous beef noodles... it was sure tasty... must be a lot of ajinamoto... haha!! With our tummies filled, we headed back to KL to get some much needed rest and sleep.... I did wake up at 0500hrs for this hike.... sleep replenishment is definitely needed... :D

All in all it was a good hike... still wondering whether I am fit enough for Mount Kinabalu yet since my calves are aching now... cant imagine climbing 2 consecutive days.. might be stuck in Laban Rata... haha!! We shall see huh?

*pictures are courtesy of ming....

Happy Mother's Day..

Happy Mother's Day to my dearest mummy..... I may not have been thee best daughter around... but you sure are the best mummy a girl could ever ask for...

Happy Mother's Day to all other mother's out there too!!

Kam... In Your Face

Interesting title huh? Well I had some last nite... haha!!
Now get your mind out of the gutter....
It's a title of a show I watched at Actors Studio...

Just to give you a brief sypnosis... let me quote from the actor's studio website...

"Kam…In Your Face is a musical-comedy-cabaret combining song and dance, stand-up comedy and skits with a generous amount of local wit & humour, a spoonful of intellect a dash of Bollywood, a splice of rock n roll and disco, loads of fun and just enough of risqué to spice up the show. Joanne Kam, who is supported by her stellar cast of actors and dancers, will make you kam…in your face…with laughter!"

Starring: Joanne Kam, Douglas Lim, Susan Lankester, Fang Chyi, Ina Fabregas, Ho Soon Yoon, Malik Taufiq, Ash Nair & Gavin Yap

Directed & Written by Joanne Kam & Gavin YapMusic Producers: John Darren Morelli & Reuben ValentineChoreographer: Jane Victor SoldbergExecutive Producers: Joanne Kam & Angeline Teoh

The show was highly entertaining and Joanne Kam was simply hilarious... She sure lost the weight and some of her tits but her humour was in full force... I was cracking up from the beginning of the show..... No one in the audience safe from her remarks.... Even the Cleo's 50 Most Eligible Bachelors were snubbed...

The biggest surprise for me is that Douglas Lim can sing....!!! I have seen him acting but never singing... and he even rapped very well!! Incidently, he is supposedly my second cousin on my dad's side... our dadss know each other but I dont know him personally...I just know of him but everytime he came on stage... Ming will lean over and say... "your cousin..." hahaha!!

Overall the dancing and singing was good... though not much connection between each other... It was all meant to just make us laugh to our hearts content...

Highly recommended to watch if you have the time and the money... for more information, you can check out Actors Studio

But be warned... DO NOT buy the RM62 tickets... Unless you want the attention from Joanne and her sharp tongue... ;)

Happy Belated Birthday....

I just realized that my blog has passed it's 1 year old birthday a month plus ago...
I have actually managed to sustain this blog for so long!! haha!!
Albeit not having many readers, but it is still an achievement on its own...

Happy Birthday to my bloggy....

I am considering getting you some new clothes... u think? ;)

Here is a short story with a beautiful meaning...

I received this in an email and thought it would be nice to share it...

Little girl and her father were crossing a bridge.

The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter,

'Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river.'

The little girl said, 'No, Dad. You hold my hand.'

'What's the difference?' Asked the puzzled father.

'There's a big difference,' replied the little girl.

'If I hold your hand and something happens to me,

chances are that I may let your hand go.

But if you hold my hand,

I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.'

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond.

So hold the hand of the person who loves you rather than expecting them to hold yours...

My trip to Tesco...

This must be one of the most entertaining and aggravating trips I have had to Tesco in Malacca...

Firstly when I got there... me and my sis needed to wait for my mum and aunt to go to the restroom... so we just hung around and as usual I will hug her and stand... (dun ask me why.. must be out of habit.. she is really nice to hug... cushiony.. haha!!) But soon after I started leaning on her while hugging every person who walked by started staring... some with contempt.... some with disgust.. some took double takes and some even called their frens over to take a look...!! Why? coz they have seen something abnormal? 2 sisters hugging... or 2 lesbians showing their affections? At that point, my sister and I were laughing non stop.. haha!! It was hilarious to see everyone's faces.... I tried snapping a photo of their faces but didnt manage it..but I am sure you can imagine the look on their faces... It was just so funny that I suggested to my sister.. why dont we give each other a kiss and see how they react...?!! haha!! Of course we didnt do it but it tickled us to imagine... Seems like Malaysians or maybe just Malaccans are still not open minded enough to accept such public openness be it between 2 sisters or even a couple... much less a pair of homosexuals.... with that we ended our public display of affections...

So off into Tesco we went to shop for groceries for my grandma and the 2 maids taking care of her... The shopping really got me irked... Why? Have a look for yourselves...

Everything we bought was Tesco brand... I am irked not because of the brand nor am I saying it is of lousy quality.. I wouldnt know since I do not use them.... What got on my nerves was the reason behind the purchases... The target of purchase? "Whichever is the cheapest!!"...

I do not mean to look down nor insult those who do use the Tesco brand.. trust me that is not my intentions... I do understand that it is a matter of affordability.... I am also not trying to air my dirty laundry or my family's dirty laundry at that but I needed an outlet... What I am merely doing is expressing my displeasure that although better brands can be afforded the choice was still for the cheapest... Reason being? Most of the items will be used for the 2 maids instead of my grandma... Need we be so cheap...??!!! (trust me I am not in on this choice of purchase.. I was merely following instructions...) My grandma doesnt have many more years of life to live and should she be spending the last few years using/consuming the cheapest of the cheap product just because most of it will go to the maid... I would think differently... At least she would also use some of the good stuff even if the maid uses more...

It actually came to a point where even the cheapest is not good enough.. I needed to get the jumbo pack to ensure it is cheaper... Gosh!!!!

Yes, she insisted not to move to KL after grandpa's death... and rather live in Malacca... and Yes... everyone has a career in Malacca so they cant move back to Malacca.. so only solution was to hire maids instead... But why so stingy? It is like a punishment of sorts...

All my grandma's kids are probably earning 5 figure salaries... Is it justified that just because the maids uses more thus we should not be wasting money by providing better wuality products for them to use... At the least it need not be high end products but middle range products is sufficient right? Will it really cost that much more? Maybe a couple of hundreds more? I just cannot for the life of me agree to such an arrangement... Already nobody is around often ( dont blame them coz everyone has their own family life to lead) but the least you could do is give the best that you can while you can...

This is my 2 cents worth....

Balik Kampung - Malacca Revisited

Went back to Malacca over the weekend.... Visited my grandma who due to alzheimers has totally forgotten me... :( and everyone else as well.... Didnt do much except sit around and eat around....

Every trip to Malacca must consist of 4 "must go" places to eat.... this trip was no different.... these are not the usual places you think of like Chicken Rice Ball or Satay Celup... no no... those are for tourist who think that is the best food to represent Malacca... Now let me intro you to some things that you might or might not have tried but I guarantee you is the local favourites... ;)

First stop...

Where is this? It's in Tengkera... a bit difficult to spot coz it doesnt have any signage but trust me.. it is definitely worth the search.. It is right opposite the Wesley Church... What do they serve? The best fishball noodle soup (with crunchy prawn fritters) in Malacca... It is only open on weekends and you need to wait a minimum of 30 mins before getting the noodles.. The fritters and fishballs are unlike any you have eaten in KL... and the soup (thought ladden with ajinamoto and some other secret ingredients) is yummy...!!! It ws so good that when my food came I forgot to take a picture and just whallop everything.. haha!! My grandma drank her bowl dry.. that is how good it is.. Be warned... they are only opened til noon...

Second stop....Satay only ma....(you would say)... and would be wrong.. this is the famous Pork Satay of Malacca... yes.. you heard me right.. Pork Satay!! haha!! Is it just off Jonker Street a bit on a discreet little row of shoplots... but it is also worth searching for.. even the kuah is really good... My only complain is how skinny each satay is... You really got to eat a lot to have your fill of it...

What is up next?

That is all that is left when we got there....

What is special here? Not what you think definitely... We always come here to buy their fishballs aand Tau Kua... What?!! you say? well they fish balls are really tiny but it is made of real fish paste not the floury ones you find in KL.... Served just like that with cucumbers and chili sauce.. It is a must have... and Tau Kua is a braised cum smoked toufoo which has a bit of a charcoal-ly taste to it which makes it really special and not available in other states... served with cucumber and pineapple along with some chili sauce again... you can really get addicted to both this snacks... My family has been addicted for as long as I can remember.... where is this.. well it is at the end of Tengkera right next to a Shell station.. you cant really miss it...

What is the final stop? Haiz... unfortunately, we didnt manage to go there due to lack of time... we needed to rush back to KL.. but anyhow I will reveal this final stop.. It is called Wilson Chicken Rice... (this is one that some might beg to differ)... it is a family favourite.. others might think it is normal.. They serve roasted then fried over chicken.. they also have crispy intestine... and the chili sauce is like no other... really good.. everytime I come here I will have a double serving of rice... that speaks for itself huh? This one shouldnt be difficult to find coz it is a chain store in Malacca but my favourite is the one opposite Great Wall Shopping Complex....

Now that we are done eating.. we of course must buy some home right? This is where you go..

It is right next to the satay stall and they sell the best nyoya margerine pineapple tarts in Malacca.. but some days they are over baked... (this the lady is super old now, so forgive her... )... they sell other snack and stuff as well... some are good and some are so so.. but the pineapples tarts are recommended...

With that my trip back to Malacca has ended... time to go back to KL....