Happy 21st Lil Sis

Last Thursday was my Lil Sis, Sher Lynn's 21st birthday. Yup, she's finally legal!

Check out this adorable little bouquet I got for her from Appletree. Don't you just love the color combinations? So sweet!

The Birthday Girl with her bouquet. OK picture is not very clear inside the darkness of Momo. I took this one with my new Nokia N76 (yes, it finally arrived!) which I am still learning to use.

Before and after the cake cutting. Someone dunked her head into one of the cakes.....ha ha ha

I left soon afterwards because I had to work the next day, but heard that after that the party went wild. Sorry I missed that :-(

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIL SIS!

Silence of the Night

Mark blogged about how much he loves the night. I can't help but agree with him. I make sure that the curtains in my bedroom keeps as much of the horrible sunlight out as possible too.

I always find I my energy level, both physically and mentally, is at its peak after the sun sets. I wonder if those years of hard core cramming the night before the exam have anything to do with it.

It is during the dead of night that my creative juices and thought processes flow freely. I write more creatively and work better during these quiet hours while the rest of the world sleeps.

Maybe there is some truth to why people call this time the period of renewal. A friend who went to a feng shui retreat some time back told me that the facilitators would wake the participants during these quiet hours to go for a stroll in their gardens. According to her, it is this during this time that the yin and yang energies changes and to be in the midst of this energy change is beneficial to the chakras.

Me, I just love the quietness and solitude. Sure, I like to spend the nights dancing and partying away. But I also like to stay up and look at this other face of the city when everything is still before going back to the chaos of another day. "When the dawn comes tonight would be a memory too", so goes the song.

I remember this scene from a TV show from my childhood when a character wondered at how innocent the city looks at night. "Sure, all the weirdos are asleep", his companion quipped.

Rain at night? Awesome! The rain smells so much sweeter at night and there is nothing better than to curl up under the blankets with Baby's warm body next to me.

If I never see the sun again, well, I won't complain.

Sick Over a Dildo??!!

Geylang, being the red light district in Singapore has several sex toy shops which are pretty well stocked, compared to their pathetic excuse of counterparts in Penang.

Tai Mai, being the innocent unexposed virgin that she is needed some education. Anyway, I was pretty interested to see her reaction to those items. I didn't count on how hysterical she would get!

The first 2 shops I dragged her to were, well, common. You know, surly kid sitting behind the counter eye balling anyone who walks in, answering customer enquiries with an indifferent attitude.

The third shop we went to had considerably more customers. It's no wonder since the people of the shop actually comes right up to welcome customers who walk in and give personalized attention.

Tai Mai, just like in the last 2 shops we went to, was obviously uncomfortable and displayed it by keeping her head down, hugging herself and hiding behind me.

Jimmy, the guy who attended to us showed us some of the more commonly available items like the kinky G-strings and blow up dolls, all of which drew exclamations of "Eeeehhh" from Tai Mai and made me roll my eyes.

I asked Jimmy to show me the bullet vibrator. He demo to us by running it first on my wrist and then Tai Mai's arm which made her jump and squeak, much to his and my surprise.
The real show was when he brought out this huge dildo. 1/3 of it moved when it is turned on. That's when she freaked out.

I have never seen someone react like that to a dildo, not in this day and age. I know my nieces just laughed and giggled when a pop up ad came out on their father's computer, but that's another story.

Back to Tai Mai, she kept saying she felt sick, she needed to puke and finally she'll wait for me outside while I continue my foray into the world of sex toys inside.

"OK by me," I told her but reminded her that this is Geylang. If someone dragged her off while she is outside, I wouldn't be able to hear her or do anything about it from in here.
So she went to stand (more like cower) behind the door and turned her back when people enter the shop.

It's amazing how someone who was able to carry herself so well while networking just a few hours ago can act like such a mousy prude now.

Anyway, I managed to find some stuff for my 2 fav gal pals. Sure beats the usual key chains or T-shirts most tourists go for as souvenirs. Didn't get the vibrators because they cost a bomb. About SGD 100 and above for 1, if I remember correctly.

I really wanted to see the other attraction in Geylang which Em told us about - the girls in the aquarium thing, but unfortunately the bouncer at one of these clubs wouldn't let me in :-(

After the fiasco over the dildo, I didn't dare take Tai Mai to these places in case of another outburst.

Too Well Dressed for a Hooker?

Second night in Singapore and Tai Mai and I found ourselves exploring Geylang on our own. We asked our cab to drop us off at the heart of the red light district.

You can spot the working girls there almost immediately even though they dressed to blend in with the crowd. Just simple T-shirts and jeans. No sexy, revealing outfits exposing big longkangs here. I think one of the reasons they are so easily spotted is because most of them are China dolls.

So while we were having dinner at one of the coffee shops there, a Caucasian kid, I would guess maybe German judging from his accent, came over to our table and asked me in Mandrin (rolls eyes) "Ni How Ma?"

"It's OK, we don't speak Mandrin either", I said to him and winked.

So he started asking us the usual ice breaker questions. Since I was busy with dinner, I let Tai Mai entertain him, joining in occassionally, changing the subject when I felt that Tai Mai was revealing too much info.

Hey, we're 2 girls in a foreign land here talking to a complete stranger. Better to keep things "general", know what I mean ;-) Anyway, what does this kid want? It's obvious there is something he wanted to ask us, but didn't dare to.

The light came on after he went back to his table nearby and I overheard his conversation with his friend, "Not one of them, too well dressed".

So the kid was looking to get laid!

Wait a minute.....WE WERE TOO WELL DRESSED FOR HOOKERS?

Have to give it to him, the kid has good taste :)))))

Anthony Robbins Rocks!!!!!

Phew! Finally managed to clear the backlog of work since I came back from Singapore. With a seminar to organize after coming back, now I can finally settle down and blog about the trip.

The main purpose of the trip was to attend Anthony Robbins' seminar. There is only one way to describe a seminar conducted by DA MAN - pure ENERGY. It was raw, exciting, pulsating from him to us, his captive audience. It was everything from his enthusiastic opening to his world clap which is the first thing we learned.

His seminar is interactive rather than the usual passive speaker to audience type. The audience was asked to do things like talk to and greet perfect strangers who are no longer strangers after that. Networking was easy peasy later on. With the frequent requests to shout and jump around to the music, the whole thing felt more like a rock concert.

Tony Robbins shared many stories with us including how he got Andre Agassi back in shape during his losing streak, but more on that later on.

I will definitely encourage anyone with the opportunity to attend his seminar to go. It's no wonder that after 30 years in the business he is still the Numero Uno motivator in the world.

Sometimes We Forget.....

I received this through email this morning and it helped me to remember that sometimes we get so caught up with life that we forget there is SOMEONE helping us steer if we will just let Him. Thanks, Uncle Tony!

You say: It's impossible
God says: All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

You say: I'm too tired
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: Nobody really loves me
God says: I love you (John 3:16 & 3:34)

You say: I can't go on
God says: My grace is sufficient (II Corrinthians 12:9 & Psalms 91:15)

You say: I can't figure things out
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: I can't do it
God says: You can do all things (Philippians 4:13)

You say: I'm not able
God says: I am able (II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: It's not worth it
God says: It will be worth it (Roman 8:28)

You say: I can't forgive myself
God says: I Forgive You (I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: I can't manage
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

You say: I'm afraid
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)

You say: I'm always worried and frustrated
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (I Peter 5:7)

You say: I'm not smart enough
God says: I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: I feel all alone
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

I Lurrrrrrve LimeWire ^_^

Downloading music off the internet used to be a bitch.

It involves weeks going through the gazillions websites listed in search engine results trying to find the exact copy of the music I want that is also free.

Take finding my ideal ringing tone for instance - Whitney singing the National Anthem during Superbowl XXV. I fell in love the version the first time I heard it. Nobody ever sang it better after that.

So I finally found a free copy from this patriotic song website set up for the recent 4th of July celebration but there were some interference in the middle.

Later, after being taught by a colleague, I found a clear copy in YouTube which I first had to download as an FLV file then convert to mp3 with the FLV convertor. The copy had some announcements and applause which were not not what I wanted.

Lucky I work in an office with an arsenal of sound and video editing programs :)
Unfortunately, due to our inexperience using these software, the edited version as not as clear as the original.

FRUSTRATING!!!!!!

Froggy introduced me to LimeWire after I asked her to recommend me some websites as she seems to have a whole collection of songs in her laptop.

"Ai yah why go searching for websites? So mah huan," she said.

LimeWire is a free software that can be downloaded to your computer. Songs are downloaded using the software and not off a website. I downloaded 32 songs the first day after installing the software :D including my ringing tone.

On the down side, not all songs can be downloaded. It really depends on their library. Older songs may not be available, but I did manage to get several versions of "Earth Angel".

If only I had found out about it sooner.

Weird Dreams

Had the freakiest dream last night.

Last night for the first time I dreamt of my late Grandmother since she died more than a decade ago.

Grandma and I never got along so it's no wonder that the dream was not pleasant. I remember a violent argument where she strangled me and I kicked her.

Well, that somewhat describes our relationship. It never got physical, but you can say that Grandma was the very traditional controlling matriach of the family. Of course that didn't sit well with me, especially during my rebellious teen years. We'd have the worst arguments and curse each other like sworn life enemies.

I guess Grandma hated me because I embraced the Western way of life and turned my back on her more traditional Asian ways which to me was archaic. I was also not as pliable as my brother (no wonder he was the golden child, gender notwithstanding), the only member of the family who dared defy her, in fact. Well, someone had to stand up to that old witch, I thought at that time.

"Don't try to start a revolution," Dad used to warn me. He was just trying to keep the peace. So I decided that if I can't change her ways, fine. But I will NOT bend to her will.

It was a relief for me of sorts when she died. As sick it may sound, my thoughts when that fateful moment arrived was "The bitch is dead. I'm free!"

Free to embrace Jesus, something I had wanted to do ever since I was a child.

Free to cook some Maggi noodles in the kitchen without a pair of eyes watching my every move like a pair of spy cameras.

Free to add as much extra ingredients to my noodles from the fridge without someone doing a stock take after that.

Free to eat my lunch in peace without someone sitting beside me reciting exactly how much every ingredient in my lunch costs.

Free to basically live my life the way I want without her putting the blame on my parents for what she sees as my shortcomings.

I just hope I don't turn into a bitter old crone like her during my twilight years. It's sad, to be holding so tightly to old beliefs when the world is always changing.

Gone But Not Forgotten

This is my favorite landscape - the Brooklyn Bridge with the World Trade Center in the background. I fancied having it painted on one of my walls should I eventually get my own place.

It took the photographer months to get this picture right as he couldn't obtain the proper permission to enter the building where this picture was taken from.

Of course the landscape has changed. The World Trade Center had been obliterated that fateful day - 11 September 2001 exactly 6 years ago today - thanks to that PIG Ozzie. An eternity in Hell will never be enough punishment for that low life.

2,974 people died that day. More lives were later shed as a result of the ensuing war on terror.

My prayers go out to the families of these innocent victims on this day.

Ground Zero is now a stark reminder of the atrocities human beings are capable of in the name of beliefs and religion totally abandoning any sense of reason.

Love Is...

Some of us might have noticed this cute cartoon occassionally featured in NST as fillers some years ago. I have a whole scrap book collection of them. Because they were not published everyday, I will painstakingly pore through NST everyday to find them. It became a treasure hunt of sorts for me.

Love is indeed a many splendored thing in this cartoon. It can be something so mundane like...

Something so sweet...




Something so naughty...




Something good...

Or bad...

Love is... was first created by Kim Casali as a love note of sorts to her husband to be. They became a hit when syndicated. After her death, her son, Stefano took over.

NST stopped publishing the cartoon somewhere in '97 and I stopped collecting them. A few days ago I came across comicspage.com that features Love Is... everyday (except Sundays). Their archives go back six months, so now I am rediscovering the joy of collecting my favorite cartoon.

Happy Birthday, Baby!

This post is dedicated to the one love of my live, my precious Baby Darling.

31 August is the nation's Merdeka but to me, it's Baby's birthday. I celebrate my Independence Day on the 4th of July anyway :p

This year would have been Baby's 10th birthday if she were still alive.

I can't believe how much I still miss her after all this time. Life was so much more beautiful when she was around. I had a good reason to wake up in the mornings and home was so much more welcoming.

I still leave her side of the bed empty. Sometimes, when I wake up in the middle of the night and see the empty spot, I can't help but feel a sense of loss that she's not going to be sleeping there any more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY DARLING!!!!!

Spooky Stories

Well, it's that time of the year again. Actually I didn't realize it's here again until I saw the leftover joss sticks and candles on the roadside and my mom folding those prayer papers.

Yes people, it's Hungry Ghost Festival again. A time when the gates of Hell open to let out the many, well, hungry ghosts, to feed. Virgins are adviced to stay indoors after the sun sets while Chinese Opera and live concerts pop up in every district.

People will be well adviced to be extra careful in the things they say and do during this time at the risk of annoying the "Good Brothers". Unspeakable things have been known to befall those who pay no heed to this advice, so beware.....

The festival will last for about a month (1 think) but prayer sessions last for 3 days at different times of the month for different districts. Again, I am only guessing :p

During my childhood days the efigy of "Phor Thor Kong", a rather formidable and scary figure is erected at each district, but because it scares the kids (and because it's cheaper), some districts replace the efigy with just the name of the deity written on a red background.

Well, it's only fitting during this time that people share spooky tales, be it their own personal close encounters or some story they heard from a friend of a friend of a friend.

Well, this I heard from an ex colleague.

Auntie K lives in Kulim. There is a cemetery up the road from her house. At the stroke of midnight during the start of every Hungry Ghost Festival you can feel an eerie wind blow from the direction of the cemetery followed by loud cheering and sounds of a big crowd rushing down the road.

If you have worked with me in the factory before, the sound is not unlike the ruckus during lunch break. You know what it's like. With limited time and food, all of us want to make sure that we reach the cafeteria as early as possible.

Looks like hungry ghosts, whether dead or living are everywhere :D
Anyone else has any spooky stories to share?

At Last, Full Custody of my Daughter!

This afternoon I finally got my discharge letter from the bank for my daughter (that's my cute little car, for those not in the know). At last, 1 less financial obligation every month.

Has it really been 5 years? I think my daughter looks older than that (blush). Granted I'm not really good at taking care of her. How many wax and polish sessions has she had so far? I believe that can be counted with the fingers of one hand. Washes per month? Ummm...... only when I can remember, which is usually when the car wash has closed for the day. Most of the time when I pass one that is operating, I'm in a hurry to get somewhere.

It wasn't an easy process, this last leg of paying off my loan. Can't believe they made me go all the way downtown to settle my last payment over the counter. WTF is the convenience of your internet banking for then, pray tell. Fighting traffic, problems finding parking, then I had to go through it all over again the next day because they can't give me the discharge letter on the same day. Grrrrr.....

Hey, wait a minute.......is this the same girl talking from a few months back? I used to insist on finding work downtown because for some insane reason, I love fighting traffic on the way to work. It never fails to get my blood pumping. I've only been working here for like a month and already I'm complaining.

I still go to the gym in the evenings, but the jam is much considerably less compared to the mornings. Sheesh, I'm losing my edge. Too pampered working so close to home :)

Well, now that my daughter is fully mine, I can concentrate on paying off my credit card. Hopefully it won't be long, if I stick to the plan.

Something I Only Flound Out Almost 30 Years Later......

I have been using Pelikan stationery since I started schooling, but never realized that the word is "Pelican" loosely translated into Malay until I saw its trademark - that of a Pelican - on TV recently. Ha ha!

Big Boy - A Story of Happily Ever After

Big Boy - named literally because of his size - he's HUGE!!!!! About the size of a St Bernard, I think.

Big Boy was a stray who hangs around my mom's office. One day he was taken away by the pound. Mom bailed him out and took him to our home. Her plan was to keep him in our apartment during the weekends because that's when the pound people make their rounds then take him back to his old neighborhood during the week days.

OK, sounds good to me, except that mom had him tied up at the fire escape all the time because he sheds too much fur in the apartment. Come on, you can't have a dog in the house and not have fur. It's part and package of having a dog. So she rescued him from being put down but then keep him tied up all the time. What kind of life is that?

If you're having images of a big dog tearing up an apartment ala Beethoven (the St Bernard movie), you'd be surprised at what a good dog Big Boy is. I have never seen a dog his size with such a sweet temperament. Sure he wanted to explore every nook and cranny of his new environment, but did he go tearing into the place? Nope, I would say he more or less "ambled" about the place sniffing here and there. Other than that, he mostly went about his business.

He ignored me most of the time, at first, but once he got to know me, he was so playful. His biggest charm was shaking hands. Oh yeah, those soft brown eyes that looks contentedly back at you when you stroke and pat him will melt any heart ^_^

I snuck him into my room to sleep on Saturday night, or should I say, Sunday morning because I couldn't bear to see him being tied up like that. Of course I did not let him get on the bed. That is still pretty much Baby's territory as far as I'm concerned. Well, he did try to jump up the bed but I was sort of in the way. He landed on my chest and man, I could've sworn my ribs broke. Ouch!

Big Boy spent the whole weekend with us. Come Monday, he got his lucky break. A customer of my mom's company saw Big Boy and was taken to him immediately. Big Boy's "shake hands" trick did it I guess.

Now Big Boy lives in a nice house in a nice neighborhood with a big compound to run about.
Goodbye, Big Boy! I barely knew you, but I'm glad you got your happy ending.

RAID!

It had to happen sometime, right? We don’t expect to go clubbing and not experience it at least once. Last weekend was my first in my decade plus clubbing experience.

We were enjoying ourselves dancing, drinking and just having a blast hanging out with friends when the lights came on, the music stopped and the DJ asked us to calm down. Then this mata-mata introduced himself and asked for the girls to go to one side of the room and the guys the other side. There was a long wait as the club management and the mata-mata stepped outside for a little negotiation.

To make a long story short, they finally let us out. At least, they started to let the guys out first after making a “show” of verifying their IDs. Obviously the term “women and children first” was not the order of the day. It was only later that they let the girls out. Later I learnt that the first batch that were let out went straight up the big car to be transported to the big house to spend the night.

Saw Awie there. Sheesh, the guy sure has deteriorated since his divorce with his long bleached hair tied up in a pony tail ala……what’s the name of that VJ guy on TV? The one with the dreadlocks? Hehehe can’t remember lah. I believe his name starts with a "D" or an "R". While we were waiting outside for the rest of our friends to come out, a second big car came along to transport more “lucky” souls to the big house. Since Awie’s entourage was part of that group, I believe he had to fork out some moolah to secure their release.

A friend of mine had a far less pleasant experience. That time, they didn’t even bother to check for ID on the spot. Just rounded everyone up to the big house where they spent the night. We were lucky the let us walk out the door without much trouble. Sure am glad I didn’t have to start my Sunday peeing in front of 50 other women or get my parents to come bail me out of jail. Still, the whole fiasco felt like a total waste of my time. The stern mata-mata standing guard at the door didn’t even bother to glance at my ID when I waved it in front of him. Come on, why bother conducting a raid when you don’t even do a proper job at it?

Conventional Iron vs Steam Iron

So my mom finally bought one of those steam irons said to be more user friendly.

With a conventional iron

• I spend a little under an hour to iron 1 work shirt
  
• I burn my hand occassionally when I don't look before I pick it up
  
• I burn my shirts occassionally (no holes yet, just unsightly brown spots)
  
• I get aching calves from standing too long over my ironing load (note to self: schedule weekly ironing sessions, even if it's just 1 shirt)
  

With a steam iron

• I spend nearly an hour just to "kau tim" 1 shirt which I eventually had to "kau tim" with a conventional iron because the steam iron just doesn't measure up
  
• I burned my hand and feet too due to the hot water droplets that leaked out from the iron occassionally
  
• I didn't burn my shirt with the steam iron but heck, please refer to the first point above to see why I ditched it before I even finished ironing 1 shirt
  
• I get an aching arm from holding the iron up to my shirt to clear up a wrinkle that never goes away
  

No prizes for guessing which iron I will be using from now on.

Blacksheep's Musings

It's amazing how the rest of my family, relatives included are so "Brady Bunch" clean cut, yet out pops yours truly, totally wild and defiantly adamant about being different.

Amongst Mom's many complaints:

• Look at your brother, already staying in his own place, not parents' place or rental, but his own place. Sheesh! So what?! At least I don't have to contend with all that mortgage payment shit.
  
• Your brother already has a good job with an obscene salary but is now considering employment overseas to earn even more. That's drive for you! Riiiiigggttttt. And every minute he's busting his ass for $$$$ is another minute of his life gone. Is it worth it?
  
• Look at your cousin, fresh graduate and so much younger than you yet already has her life planned. You (rolls eyes), you're still drifting about like floatsam with not a clue about what you want to do with yourself. Actually, I do! I wanna enjoy and LIVE every minute of my life. If it means having less ambition compared to the rest of them slaves, so be it. Carpe Diem!!!!!!

Here's a glimpse of what family gatherings are like for me.

• My mom will be gathered with her sisters talking about their auntie things.
  
• Dad together with my uncles talking their uncle things.
  
• My married female cousins will be grouped together talking about their blissful Boring Tai Tai lives (that means raising kids, cleaning house, changing diapers, more kids stories)
  
• My unmarried female cousins will most probably be grouped together with the above group because they desperately wanna be in the above group. DESPERATE being the operative word here.
  
• My guy cousins will be grouped together talking about, well, the usual. Think this is the only group I can communicate with.
  
• My nieces and nephews will be running and screaming all over the place. OK, I'm not crazy about kids and will probably never be, until they go to college or loose their virginity.
  
• Then there is me, sitting quietly in my dark corner thinking, "Aww crap, I am in hell! PLEASE GOD, deliver me to my salvation!"
  

There is no way I can talk to them about the things I've done without their eyes popping out and mom throwing a fit. If this were the middle ages, I have no doubt my lifestyle wil result in my banishment from the village, or if it were China, being put in a pig cage and thrown into the river.

Thank God I have a wonderful group of friends who can introduce and share these experiences with me. You guys make being the blacksheep something to be proud of :-)

Systems Blockage

Folks, remember when we were kids, if we had a fever Grandma will take out this porcelein spoon and vigorously scrape our backs to release all the "heat"?

I had this similar treatment yesterday which they called "Hot Back Treatment". No, I don't have a fever. I signed up for this spa package from this place in my office building. When they said Hot Back Treatment, I immediately thought about that relaxing therapy I had in Thailand many years ago where they put hot rocks on your back. Little did I know how dead wrong I was.

The massage was very nice, loosened all the muscles on my back. Didn't realize I had so many knots back there. Then came the shocker. Instead of rocks, the masseuse took out this clay thingy that generates heat and started running it up and down my back. The passage wasn't smooth. Even I can feel it. That means there are blockages in the flow of energy. The fact that the skin on my back reddens immediately tells her that I also have a lot of heat in my system.

Was it painful? Definitely! I had gone from being all relaxed to being tensed all over again but when she stopped there was a nice, soothing tingling on my back and I can actually feel the blood flow. Wow!

The verdict? I have plumbing problems. Take care of that and I should have a healthier body.

When I checked out my back in the mirror, it looked like someone had been riding a bicycle over it. Yech! No backless tops for me for a few days.

Watch Out......I'm Naked!

I'm not one to balk about taking my clothes off in front of people, as long as it's the right company ;) Girlfriends who go on holidays with me will find me walking around our hotel room in my unmentionables. And I don't mind sharing a dressing room with friends in shopping malls. It beats waiting in line for an available dressing room, especially if there's a sale.

So it was with some amusement for me to watch my friend squeal and run off when I started to take my top off in our hotel room. That despite the all female company. Earlier she had confessed to us how traumatized she was when she had to take her clothes off at her doctor's office.

I wonder how she would have reacted had she been in my shoes many years back when I had my surgery, having to expose my boobs first to a doctor, then a surgeon, and finally, the surgeon and his team. Granted, I wasn't so cavalier about it back then, but I didn't have a choice.

Anyway, she managed to snap this pic before running off :D

Is Penmanship a Dying Art?

Technology has made a lot of things easier for us these day. This includes writing. In the old days if people need to get something on paper, they pick up a pen and write them down, even if it is a 60 page report.

The dawn of the typewriting age takes the load off some of those things. I really admire the secretaries of those days, using those manual typewriters that require users to strike each key with Herculean strength. Yet these early day typists still manage to achieve the speed of 60 or more WPM. Still, any typo must be corrected by erasing (white off hasn't been invented yet). Over erasing will usually leave holes in the paper which means that the whole page must be typed all over again. I was lucky that when I started my secretarial course, electronic typewriters and computers were already widely available.

Of course with these modern conveniences available, people are writing less. By writing, I mean actually taking up a pen and putting things on paper by hand. Why bother with messy handwriting when documents can be printed neatly?

I am guilty of that. There was a time when I insisted on printing or typing with every opportunity possible. It got so bad that when I went to sit for an exam, I was struggling during the first 1/2 hour or so. Suddenly, holding a pen was something so alien to me that I had to take the time to reacquaint myself. By the end of the exam, my wrist was aching and I found that my handwriting had deteriorated to that of a kindergarten kid.

It's a pity, really. A handwritten letter or note certainly adds a personal touch to it as opposed to something printed or emailed. I'm not talking about those 60 pages reports, of course. Nowadays, it would just be plain nuts to write something that long by hand :)))

Oops, I Did It Again!

I went to restock my concealer supply yesterday when it started calling out to me. "Walk away!", my mind kept telling me, but my feet wouldn't budge. That sultry seductive voice was always my undoing. I imagine, no, fantasize walking around with it's effect on my lips.

Will it be just a natural rosy hue? A sweet pink that makes them look plump and juicy? A sultry siren calling out to be kissed? Or something more dramatic, like a homing beacon that can be seen miles away?

Gingerly, I tested it to my hand, see the color play under the lights. Wonderful how the red and brown tones blend together to create this gorgeous color. "Gorgeous" is its name.

By then there is no question about it. Georgeous is coming home with me ", That despite the fact that my bag is already filled to the breaking point with lipstick.

Oh lipstick, thou art my weakness!

Little Doggy Has Big Heart

Hehe, no this isn't my dog. Wish it were, though. Saw its pics in Yahoo! and couldn't resist sharing them here. The little darling has a heart on its coat.

Coincidence or fake? Doesn't matter, my heart just got stollen.........

New Beginning

Today marks the start of a new chapter of my working life as I embark on a journey with a new company. I’m really excited about this new move as there will be new skills to learn. I will get the opportunity to hone my writing skills – very important if I really want to take up blogging seriously.

For some time now I have wondered how I my one strength, good command of the English language, can be used to further my career. My love for English was fed by my addiction to the TV, I guess. I’ve always felt more at ease expressing myself in English than any other language. As a writer, this will be my chance and I’m really looking forward to it.

My new colleagues and boss are really cool people. There are no restrictive rules and regulations common in big companies. Best of all, my new office is less than 5 minutes drive from my apartment. There is no basement parking, but I’m not complaining, as I save on parking fees :-) I look forward to having my lunch at home and the possibility of a shower. Ha ha……

Tomorrow I plan to have breakfast at one of the cafes facing the seafront with a view of Penang Bridge. Man, life is good!

Stomach Ache - NO TOILETS IN SIGHT - Awww Crap!!!!!!!

I was looking forward to going to the gym yesterday for the new Body Combat launching. Unfortunately, that was not to be. I was halfway there already, in the heart of town, in fact, when this huge earth shattering stomach ache started. You know the kind - growling sound in the stomach, your legs start to feel clammy and cold sweat on your brow.

What do you do in this kind of situation? You're stuck in traffic in the heart of town with no toilet in sight, at least, a toilet acceptable for me to use.

I had 3 options:-

1. Continue my journey to the gym and crap in the toilet there
   
2. Detour to my ex office and use the next door hotel's toilet
   
3. Head back home for a comfortable crapping session
   

Any one of those options will lead to 1 result - a stink so horrible, people within the vicinity will have wear HazMat suits or faint. Of course I chose option no 3.


Good thing it was still early and there was not much traffic. Also a good thing yours truly is an expert at holding it in.

At least I made it to Body Step.

Photograpy Around the Office

There are lots of "professional" photographers in my office. These people are always on hand during occassions like someone's last day, birthdays, get togethers to shoot the memorable moments. They will even teach you how to pose and shoot videos if the situation warrants.

The following were taken during Selina's last day. I was sitting on the Conference Room table when Froggy asked for a pose.

And my personal favorite:

Heh, macam mana? Ada gaya Paris Hilton tak? Bleck!!!!!!!

Independence Day

Today is 4th of July, US Independence Day. My Independence Day too. Today is the first day of a short hiatus I am taking from work. I will start my new job in less than 2 weeks, and am giving myself this time to recuperate and prepare for the new challenges ahead.

So, what did I do today? Well, nothing much, since I'm kinda down with the flu at the moment. Must be due to the haze.

• I had lunch with my newly ex-colleagues and collected my pay check.
  
• Then went for my eyebrow embroidery appointment. Came out with the skin around my eyebrow red and swollen. It wasn't that bad, really. I didn't get all teary eyed like some people, but I guess that depends on the individual. However, the sound of the blade piercing my skin at every stab was something I don't look forward to hearing again. Have to go back in 3 weeks for a touch up
  
• Came home and checked my emails. Surprised to find one from T. He is the last person on earth I expected to hear from.
  
• Had a short nap. Can't do without that :D
  
• Went for belly dance
  

And that's about it. Haven't decided what to do tomorrow yet. Maybe I'll finish reading "The Secret".

Happy Independence Day, America!

Weekend in the Highlands

Nay, tis not the land of kilts and bagpipes. There are no handsome Lairds here or grand castles overlooking beautiful lochs. Just good ol' Uncle Lim's backyard of Genting.

The girls and I decided to head off to Genting last weekend. They wanted to catch Su Rey's concert. Who?! Don't ask me. I've never heard of her until they mentioned it. The only song of hers I've ever heard of is "Ciu Kan Than Boey Boh" (in English - Can Liquer Bottles Be Sold?) which is the theme song for this tear jerker movie from my childhood days. So yeah, we can go to Genting for the weekend, do some stuff together, but count me out for the concert.

The concert was a blast, by the way, according to the girls when they gushed about Su Rey's powerful voice reportedly able to rival that of Mariah or Celene.

We decided to take the early morning bus this time as opposed to the night bus during the last trip which was a nightmare. Here's a tip - unless you have a tour guide who is willing to queue on your behalf to get your room keys, don't book your hotel room together with your bus ticket package.

Here's what happened during the last trip. We took the night bus and arrived at Genting about 5 am in the morning. Went to the hotel to get our queue number so that we can check in only to be told that since we booked our rooms as a package together with our bus ticket, we had to wait until about 11 am and check in at the tour counter which is a separate location. Since it was early, no shops were opened and we ended up roaming aimlessly around.

The only place which was a hive of activity was the casino (duh!) and we had breakfast at their cafeteria. When we finally went to the tour counter, the place was packed. There were easily about a thousand people there and only 4 counters open to cater to them. Of course you can imagine the tempers flaring. I actually had to quarrelled with hotel personnel to get checked in.

So this time, we were smart. We booked the bus ticket but reserved our hotel room online. We arrived at Genting around lunch time and get to check in almost immediately. So easy.

The highlight of this trip for me was climbing "The Wall". They have this mock rock climbing wall which I actually wanted to try out last trip but we didn't have the time. After checking out for the easiest route up, Au Au and I decided we were gonna do it. Halfway up, we ran out of footholds. We were stuck there panicking as the only way to get down was to let go and let the guys holding the rope slowly lower us down. OK, 1, 2, 3, let go!!!! I was a screaming mess. Oh how embarrassing! To add insult to injury, as we were leaving, a kid was actually scaling the wall at the same spot we were at and managed to climb higher than us!

This trip was especially memorable to me as it was also to be my last trip with the girls as colleagues. I will be leaving the company two days after we return. As they took turns to take pictures with me at the lobby before we left, I realized that by far, this is the first company I've been in that everyone is close to each other. The only politics and back stabbing was going on at the top management level. I really made lot's of good friends there.

Thanks, girls! I'm really gonna miss working you all.

Xuan Xin Buffet Steamboat

I had dinner at this steamboat restaurant located in Tanjong Tokong last week. If you are coming from town, just head up Jalan Tanjong Tokong until the traffic lights junction near the Malay Kampung and Tari Cafe (don't know if that place is still around) and make a U-turn. Xuan Xin is just a short distance from there on your left. It is a far cry from the other steamboat restaurant we used to frequent downtown.

• The restaurant is CLEAN and most importantly, AIR CONDITIONED. Yeh, no more makeup meltdown!
  
• Whereas we had to bbq the various meats ourselves in the other place, here, there is a tapenyaki corner where we just choose the food we want to bbq, attach a marker to our plate and hand it over to the chef who will do it for us. No more getting our hands burned with oil splatter and our hair and clothes smelling of smoke.
  
• There are 4 varieties of stock to choose from - clear fish soup, spicy prawn soup (thats Hokkien Mee), Tomyam and porridge. A tip - if you want to make your soup sweeter, add some seaweed into it. There are plenty available in the buffet.
  
• There are other stuff that we can order as sidelines like quail eggs, fresh oyster, scallop, abalone, some kind of spiced minced meat (really yummy). Guess these are the more expensive variety, therefore not included in the buffet.
  
• There is a small section in the buffet with already cooked food like fried rice/koay teow, hashbrowns, chicken wings, chicken feet, fried man tou, in case patrons are too hungry to wait for their food to cook.
  
• Steamboat ingredients are really fresh. The prawns are so sweet! Have to thank Hamster for peeling them for us ;)
  
• Free flow of drinks - orange juice, black currant and green tea.
  
• 3 varieties of dessert - ice cream (3 flavors with crushed nuts for topping), jelly and foo chuk (don't know what they call that in English)
  
• Their compound is quite small but they have car jockey service for us, so parking is not much of a problem.
  
• If like me, you have a MyBonusWin card, you get a 5% discount.
  

So folks, if you want to have a nice, comfortable steamboat dinner, minus the sweat and smelly clothes/hair at the end of it, give this place a try.


The price: RM21.90 ++ per head (I think)

Bak Chang Festival

One disadvantage of not knowing how to read in Chinese is that you miss out on the more fun dates in the Chinese calendar. One of them being the annual "Chang Festival" which is today.

Since chang making is predominantly a cottage industry, you have to know people who know people to be able to order good ones at reasonable prices. Restaurants like the ones featured in Ho Chiak! will probably charge the earth for one chang, but they usually have additional yummilicious goodies as fillings in addition to the basic chestnut (compulsory or I won't eat the chang), salted egg yolk, Chinese mushroom and pork.

Although changs are available all year round, it is during this time that the more creative and delicious varieties make an appearance.

I missed my chance to order my changs this year because my parents are not very big fans and I usually get my heads up on the arrival of the Chang Festival from neighbors and colleagues. Ordering changs by the dozens is a yearly affair for me and I will be on a chang diet breakfast, lunch and dinner for about a week at least. I used to get to order these HUGE changs from my ex-colleague's Grandma, but since I lost touch with her, had to find other sources which are not as good.

I remember one particular year when I ordered about 50 changs and did not inform my family about it. Then my brother brought home about 20 and my aunts each gave some too, so the whole family ended up eating changs for weeks. Ha ha....not that I was complaining.

The Chang Festival originated in China when some scholar, heartbroken about the state of the country committed suicide by throwing himself into the sea. The citizens, who love him very much threw changs into the sea so that the sharks will not eat the scholar.

HAPPY CHANG FESTIVAL, EVERYONE!

Oshima Stool

Lately I have been experiencing an ache on my lower back especially after standing still for long moments. It comes from a lifetime of bad posture, I guess. I tend to arch my back or slouch. Even my comfy position when sleeping is with an arched back. This has taken its toll on my spine and I find it difficult to sit or stand with good posture. Hey, I'm a laid back kinda person ;) Well, either that or I'm getting old (OMG Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!)

Then during a casual conversation with Suzzanne (from my church choir), she introduced the Oshima stool to me saying it had helped strengthen her back and many other benefits.

Basically, the Oshima stool is a wooden contraption with one surface slanted at a 45 degree angle. One is supposed to stand on it, toes pointing upwards, for about 10 minutes a day. I stand for the length of one commercial break ;) After that, do some stretching and forward bending.

Beginners are advised to hold on to something for support. When standing on the Oshima, it is very important to keep the legs and back straight with the butt tucked in. The benefits include slimming, flattened tummy, elimination of excess fat, smoothen stretch marks, improved blood circulation, accelerate cell metabolism, improved imunity, better posture and better spinal alignment.

Suzzanne gave me a flier about the stool and here's a list of all the benefits depending on which group you subscribe to:-

Medical - It is a one of a kind physiotherapy to stretch the muscles and straighten the body posture. Overlapping vertabraes can have a wider space in between and free the attached blood vessels which gradually achieve self healing.

Traditional Chinese Medicine - It can help to improve blood circulation. When Qi is circulating well, it helps to avert many diseases.

Yoga - Stretches muscles and stimulate the sluggish, to improve hormonal secretion and achieve self healing.

Well, I don't know much about the above. All I know is that since I started using the stool, the backache has disappeared! Anyone interested in trying out the Oshima Stool, feel free call me.

CSI Interruptus

NTV7 should do something about its transmission problems (which is not so bad, but definitely more frequent than other channels). Watching CSI last night was like watching a rookie driving a stick shift.

It was still OK for New York. The frequent interruptions started just before Miami and by the time Vegas came in, it was so bad, half the story line was missing. Imagine, you are watching Catherine using technology to recreate the make up of a clown from the picture of his corpse so she can identify him, or Grissom, upon seeing something giving that thoughtful frown that means he's on the brink of breaking a case, and then................BLANK SCREEN!

Aaaarrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!!!!! Not surprisingly, the only time when the transmission was smooth was during the commercial breaks, the only thing on TV that nobody watches. It's like being rudely awaken from a pleasant dream by construction work, or running out of gas when racing down the open road, or your mother dropping by just when you are about to have the biggest orgasm of your life!

Quoting the very popular Malaysian adage - POTONG STIM :(

And Then There Were Three

Our housekeeper introduced me to "Simone", the exotic looking potted fern with the feather like leaves which resemble the tail of some bird with a Chinese name I can't remember :p I chose Simone because she was the baby of the bunch, the one that has not developed a lot of leaves yet and I like to nurture my plants from young so I can see them grow. Also, Lucy was looking quite lonely, especially during the long weekends when Mommy is away from the office and can't give her any TLC. So it is good for her to have another plant for company.

Then the next day, I saw "Missy", a mini version of Lucy. Everything about Missy just scream of cutesieness, don't you think so, from her adorable little leaves to her little pot. OK so I was more attracted to her cute little pot. It's such a cheerful yellow color!

So that's how I ended up with my little garden in the office. My girls are relatively easy to take care of. No pruning, weeding, etc required, just water, lots of love and lively conversations. I think the first rule of thumb when choosing your plant, is to make sure they fit your personality. Like their Mommy, these girls do OK with just the artificial lighting and airconditioning in the office and don't require sun which suits me just fine since I am no sun worshipper myself and insist on the airconditioning turned on at full blast at all times.

I'm Having A BAD DAY!!!!!!

The pitter patter of rain drops on my window pane just as my alarm clock goes off this morning is a sure sign of a bad day to follow. Nothing seems to be going right for me today and I seem to be on the phone a lot f***ing whoever is on the other line.

On days like these I really wish there is a Body Combat class for me to go burn all that rage. Let me tell you how it started.

The rain already soured my mood to get out of bed to face another week at work. Upon getting to the office, guess what? Since it's the school holidays and I park at the hotel car park, of course it's full. After circling a few times I had to dump my daughter (my cute little car lah) in a corner or risk clocking in late.

Sent the company technicians to service our customer's car, since on the day of installation of our products, customer's SIM card was not working. It still isn't working. Checking with Celcom didn't help. The idiots they employ don't even know their own products. Figures - cheap prices for crappy services. The bitch in charge of our company account wouldn't even entertain our request for help! Her predecessor was so much more helpful. Gave her my honest and very graphic opinion on what I thought of her incompetence and her and the boneheads in their customer care center. Told my superior about it and we sent in an official complaint. I very much doubt it will even cause a tiny ripple.

Had to entertain 2 very difficult old geezers after that. Ended up being very sarcastic to one who wouldn't stop complaining the minute he picked up the phone. The corpse actually thought the world revolve around him and was so over dramatic in his whining. The second one was a little easier to handle but no less whiney. By then my mood was already so dark, I ended up having his head for tea too. The old geezers are the one who whine the most.

Sure am glad the day is nearly over now. The only good thing about Mondays is the CSI marathon on TV to look forward to.

Heeeeeere's Lucy!

Meet "Lucy". She is the money plant I adopted when I moved into my cubicle in Customer Services. She used to belong to someone else but that person had left so I took her in.

Normally, I don't take an interest in plants and don't have that so called green thumb. Heck, my cactus died on me! Can you believe it? A cactus! And they are the lowest maintenance plant on God's earth.

Money plants are generally very easy to take care of. Just make sure that they always have water and they will survive. I only change Lucy's water once a week and she has thrived beautifully, giving birth to 2 new stems already with 2 more on the way. Not bad for someone without a green thumb, huh? Don't you just love the different tones on her leaves? They are heart shaped too. Awwwww.....my favorite shape :)

After adopting Lucy, suddenly, I realized that I had changed into one of those crazy people who talk to their plants like they are pets. Well, I'm not really that different from them, considering I talk to my dogs like they were my children :D Heck, I DO perceive Lucy as a pet. I mean, she is a living organism, isn't she? And I've named her. Yeah, she's SO my pet!

It's just such a joy see the new shoots growing. I look forward to the day when the mouth of her jar will be completely hidden by her folliage.

Kellie's Castle

It stands majestically amid oil palms estates, its sprawling grounds well kept, surrounded by a river. Its story had been likened to that of the Taj Mahal, and it truly would have been just as magnificent had it been fully constructed. Now, its colors faded with time, it still presents an imposing sight to all passing by, a reminder of a more glorious time gone by.

Welcome to Kellie's Castle, folks! Or Kellie's Folly depending on which side of the story you listen to.

The ruins of Kellie's Castle is located near Batu Gajah and is about 30 minutes'
drive from Ipoh. The castle remains in ruins because the construction was never
completed by the original owner due to his untimely death.

The property of English rubber tycoon William Kellie Smith, the incomplete 19th century building remains dark and mysterious with much speculation among locals and visitors about hidden rooms and secret tunnels.

Its allure and romance led these ruins to be chosen as one of the set locations for the filming of "Anna and the King" in the mid 1990's.

Source: allmalaysia.info

Entrance to the castle costs RM3.00 for each adult. From the ticketing booth a bridge over the river will take visitors to the foot of a long staircase that leads up to the castle grounds.

This well located in the courtyard behind the castle also doubles as a ventilation shaft for the secret tunnel that supposedly runs underneath the castle grounds. One of the tunnels supposedly leads to an Indian temple nearby. Well, I did search the place for an entrance to the tunnel, but couldn't find it. Either it's not located within the castle or had been sealed off.

This long corridor runs the entire length of the castle. Entrances to the main hall and kitchen area are located along this corridor.

The second floor contains the main family's bedrooms.

This picture was taken in Kellie's daughter, Helen's room on the second floor. It is said that her spirit still walk these walls! There are no uninvited guests in this picture are there? Hehehe.......but wouldn't it be real cool if there are?

Helen's room is connected to her brother, Alexander's room through a secret door in the bathroom.

Third floor - here's where it starts to get interesting. The guest rooms are located here as well as a linen closet which is quite dark.

Here's Jeff fooling around outside the linen closet pretending to have his arm around imaginary figures. Lucky no "additional" figures showed up in the shot.

One of the guest bedrooms. I believe there were three of them.

Sher Lynn is standing on the helipad, at least that's what most historians say this flat, circular structure is for. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think helicoptors exist yet circa early 1900s, do they?

This open-air space on top of the main section of the building can be used to hold parties where guests will get a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape (in this day and age, that means miles and miles of palm oil estate :D). Notice that it is two-tiered.

The bottom tier is narrower and accessible through a staircase. Although the two tiers look very close together, don't think about jumping down there. The height between the two tiers is actually almost as tall as me!

The view from the bottom tier overlooks the Smiths' old home before the construction of the castle. Only the facade remains now.

This balcony overlooks the river and gardens beyond.

These aren't accidental shots. I was exploring the basement which is pitch black and had to use the camera's flash to see if there are any dangerous obstacles in the way. From the first picture you can just makeout the shape of the wine rack in the dark corner. The second picture is of the narrow passageway in front of the wine rack under the staircase. I was hoping to find the entranceway to the tunnels here, but no luck. The next time I get a chance to come back, I will definitely bring a flashlight along.

You will notice that most of the pictures taken here are of Sher Lynn. I was too busy running around the place looking for ghosts to pose for pictures :D There were also secret staircases all over the place and it was so much fun discovering them. These are in hidden corners and are so narrow, there is only enough space for one person at a time. Definitely not for claustophobics, although some of these staircases are already exposed. There is even an elevator shaft.

Both Kellie's Castle and the old house were built with basically Indian designs as William Kellie Smith was facinated with Hinduism and Indian cultures. All building materials and labor for the castle were imported from India. Problems cropped up during the construction when the Spanish Flu hit Asia and claimed many of the laborers' lives. Construction finally halted for good when Smith went for a short trip to Portugal and died there.