My life is not a text book

I Makan Pedas Punya, Okay?

2011-11-06T21:23:00.000+08:00

I write this post intentionally just to make my best friend laugh.

She said that after staying in Penang for sOoOOooo long (since 2008), I can barely take spicy food? Why? Don't blame me, eating spicy food is a rare treat cos my MIL herself can't stand spicy food. Even the so-called curry chicken we have occasionally is super-ultra-non-spicy. Anyway, I've decided to embark on a spicy journey and see how spicy a food I can tahan (tolerate). But not all in one day la...

Level One - Wan Tan Mee with pickled chilly. Yes, the most not spicy chilly that is a MUST for the egg noodle lovers. But usually I go without the chilly IF the noodles is made just perfect - not too salty not too bland. So usually those who dine with me sees me eat Wan Tan Mee with the pickled chilly, it only means one thing - "This Wan Tan Mee not nais (nice)..."

Level Two -Chilly sauce for Dim Sum. Now this is spicier than the pickled chilly but still not considered spicy for many. I didn't break a sweat while eating this Siew Mai. Honestly, I don't quite understand why Dim Sum served in the Klang Valley comes with sweet sauce but not in Penang. Almost every food here is accompanied with chilly...By the way, this one too taste so-so only. So it's not worth recommending.

Level Three -McD's Spicy Chicken McDeluxe. Okay, now THIS one is spicy to me. Probably my besties (probably my brothers too) will be laughing their hearts out when I claim Spicy Chicken McDeluxe IS spicy. See that McCafe Phuket cup on the right side of the burger? Ya... that cup was filled with iced Ribena just to beat out the spiciness!

Level Four -Penang Asam Laksa. A popular noodle dish that made it to some CNN food list. The tourist version of course is not so spicy just like the tourist Tom Yam we had in our past trip to Phuket. This bowl of Asam Laksa is so spicy that even milk cannot help subdue the spiciness. This one really hit me hard. I could barely finish the noodles and dare not drink the soup no matter how fragrant it was. You see, the thing about Laksa is that the bottom of the pot is best. In local Hokkien dialect they say "hor liao tim tey" meaning the best is at the bottom. So if you go to a popular Laksa stall anywhere in Penang, don't go when they just opened stall (unless you bought a tourist with you). Go sometime an hour or two before they close. The broth is so fragrant you'll drool before you can even make your order!

No more?

Yup. Game ends at level four because I "died" (si). In Chinese four sound like the word die, which is why many Chinese people in particular do not like the number 4. The spiciness of the laksa "killed" me.

-GAME OVER-

Reply from Groupon

2011-11-01T21:12:00.000+08:00

This came in my email last week. I only saw it when I checked my email this morning.

If you guys are lazy to click on the image, I've copied out the message and pasted it below for the globe to read.

Hi Wai Leng,

We have read through your review on your dissatisfaction towards your purchase to MON MEILL's jewellery via Groupon Malaysia. Please accept our sincerest apology as our deal did not meet your expectations. I have already forwarded your comments to all involved parties.

We truly apologise that the item(s) did not reach you at the promised dates. Due to a high number of duplicates and a high number of customers redeeming this Groupon, we understand that it took a while for the item(s) to be shipped out. After much discussion with Mon Meill, there were about 90 parcels out of the 3,000 parcels that were sent out by Mon Meill, was returned to sender (Mon Meill in Hong Kong), due to wrong destination address and/or no recipient. No worries, we assure you that for this current deal, we have already improvised in our delivery system with Mon Meill.

Upon the arrival of your package, we are very sorry for the dent. It is beyond our means to compensate you with a new gift box but we can offer you a RM5 token which will be placed into your Groupon account and can be redeemed through your future Groupon purchases worth more than RM10. Rest assured, this will not occur again as for the re-feature, Mon Meill will proceed to bubble wrap all the packages before mailing them out. We are improving for the better so as to prevent such cases from happening again.

On another note, should you still feel otherwise do write in to us at support@groupon.my. We would appreciate it if you could send us a picture of the flawed area to your purchase and we will take the necessary action from there.
As mentioned by Mon Meill on our discussion page (http://www.groupsmore.com/cities/multiple-cities/deals/mon-meill--4/comments), they have clarified that "The material of MON MEILL product (non zirconia part) is made of 925 sterling silver PLATED with 18-karat white gold and the stone is made with SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA. The use of PLATED 18K white gold is to lessen the chance of silver from being oxidized." We hope this helps clarify your doubt.

Also, "The use of a special tag ‘Made with SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA’ is a symbol of identification for the SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA. Each SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA has laser inscribed word engraved on the surface. The new microscopic laser engraving is a special sign of authenticity. This can be viewed under professional microscope."Furthermore, kindly be advised that MON MEILL has already given the cooperation agreement with SWAROVSKI GEMS to Groupon Malaysia. MON MEILL co-operates with SWAROVSKI GEMS in the sense that MON MEILL set its products with SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA.

We sincerely apologize if you felt that our deal offer is misleading or deluding, and we greatly appreciate all of your honest feedback. It is never our intention to cheat any of our customers at all as we love to see our customers enjoying our deals.

Your feedback is very valuable to us as it will definitely assist us in becoming better at what we do. As a young company we are always looking for ways to improve your experience and will do our best to make sure this doesn't happen again. It is our goal to retain you as a satisfied customer and we hope to serve you again in the near future.
We hope our friendly connection will continue as before so please do inform us if there is anything else that we can help.

Kind regards,
Groupon MY

I have yet to reply them as I'm a little busy with something else at the moment. But the next screen shot ... I'll leave it to you guys to interpret.

And I ruffled some feathers...

2011-10-29T21:36:00.000+08:00

In the last couple of days, I've garnered more hits on my blog than all my years of blogging (Xanga, Friendster and Blogger combined). The cause? My review on Mon Meill and Groupon Malaysia.

Being the only one (so far) who wrote a review about online businesses, sort of made me stand out from the crowd like a sore thumb. But I guess I'm used to be the odd one out... been doing that since school days. At times it was cool, yet I usually end up being the target for bullies.What? You guys never realized girls get bullied too?

Anyway, for those people out there still pondering a way to increase your blog traffic, here's a good advice for you "STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD"

Early Exposure

2011-10-22T08:00:00.008+08:00

I was told by elders that children either start talking first or start walking first; rarely both at the same time. Looking at my little Miss Muffin, it's obvious that she'll be a chatter box at a young age because she's already calling me "MAMA". Yup, at 6 months old my darling princess knows who her Mama is and I'm so thrilled. The first time I heard her call wasn't really clear. It sounded more like mumbling so I didn't count that in. The next day was her second Hepatitis B dose and the pain of the injection made her yelled out “MAMA” loud and clear. Even the nurse who administered the shot was stunted. I am happy she could call me Mama, I’m now slowly teaching her to call Papa. Its real cool that my daughter might just be able to mumble a few words coming Chinese New Year HOWEVER, she's not able to crawl yet. Roll around till she knocks herself silly, yes. But crawling? Nada

So since she'll learn to talk before she walks, I had to start hunting for books that are suitable for her. My first priority is to either get her those cloth books or cardboard books - whichever cheaper. My first thought was to buy cloth ones because you can wash them in the event they get dirty or when my daughter decides to drool or maybe “taste” the book. So while we went shopping, I made it a point to drop by the children’s department for such books. The scary part was finding out the price tag! One cloth book cost at least RM40! The cardboard book cost wasn’t any cheaper either. Local publications are cheaper than imports BUT some are riddled with spelling errors I wonder how on Earth can the editor approve such materials in the first place?!

Before Logos Hope opened its doors to the public two months ago in Penang, Borders at Queens Bay Mall was having a book sale. Some of their books were sold at 70% discount. I dived in their discount bins looking for the right book for my little Miss Muffin and came out with some books in hand. It would have been more than what you see in the picture but most of the books were so badly damaged it's just not worth the purchase. In total the 6 books above cost me RM65.05 (round up to the nearest 5 cents). IF I were to pay the full price for all 6 books, it would have cost me a whopping RM138.00!

With these books in hand, I won’t be getting those cloth books for my daughter. This is more than enough to keep her busy. So if anyone is interested in getting children books, keep an eye on those book sales. You'll never know when you hit the jackpot!

Online Shop Review: Mon Meill

2011-10-18T21:10:00.001+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Print Screen of Mon Meill deal in Groupon

Print Screen of Mon Meill website

Shop name: Mon Meill
Company Name: UNKNOWN
URL: http://www.monmeill.com/
Products/Services: Jewelry
First Purchase Made: 5th September 2011
Number of orders made since first purchase: 0
Note: Purchased via Groupon Malaysia. To read my review on Groupon Malaysia, click here.

I made my purchase in Groupon Malaysia for this jewelry set for RM128.00. The images of their jewelry in Groupon Malaysia and their Mon Meill website looked beautiful. I guess it’s all worth their effort to engage a professional photographer. But the that arrived looked totally off...

It took them 23 days to arrive (ordered on September 5th, 2011 and arrived in my office on September 28th 2011). When the parcel arrived, the box was a little dented. They did not use any form of padded packaging (ie bubble wrap) to prevent the jewelry box from being damaged. So those who had purchased this for someone else might be very much disappointed.

When I took out the products, the jewelry was not up to expectation. Their images portray flawless finished but the actual product showed cheap workmanship. According to the description on Groupon Malaysia website, it’s supposed to be made of 925 sterling silver and 18-karat gold plating. HOWEVER there is no mention of 18-karat gold plating on the product tag OR brochure; just the words Silver 925. But I don’t know. From the looks of it, I think the Kenji and Dennii jewelry I bought in 1 Utama looks of better quality. By the way, anyone knows how to check if this jewelry really contains 18-k gold plating??

Anyway, I asked my hubby to help me check if the words SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA engraved on the stone. He used his camera with magnifying glass attached to the macro lens and managed to capture something that looks quite like it. Sorry, shakey hands so the image is a little fuzzy.

Another thing mentioned in Groupon Malaysia website is the "Made with SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA" quality tag. But in the group discussion, Groupon Malaysia says "provide cert of authenticity". As far as I can see, there was no authenticity certificate but a simple tag to say this product is made with SWAROVSKI ZIRCONIA. (I smell a hint of deception here)

So, will I buy from Mon Meill in future? Never. They claimed that this set I purchased originally cost RM520. BUT I doubt that is even worth RM128.00. They also claimed that it has 18-K gold plating. BUT I don’t see those words written anywhere inside their brochure OR product label. In the Groupon Malaysia page, they mentioned it's good as a gift HOWEVER, the box I received was dented because they didn't use any bubble wrap. They too state that I’ll receive my product within two weeks (that’s 14 days) BUT that did NOT happen. Even thou they stated that redemption period starts from September 11th, 14 days later is September 25th. But mind you my order only arrived on the 28th. Still LATE! Looking at it right now, I felt like I’ve just been ripped off!

Maybe I should have taken the hint when I cannot locate the name of the company responsible for Mon Meill brand...

Online Shop Review: Groupon Malaysia

2011-10-14T08:00:00.008+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Shop name: Groupon Malaysia
Company Name: Groupon Sdn. Bhd. (928899-V)
URL: http://www.groupon.my
Products/Services: Group buying
First Purchase Made: 5th September 2011
Number of orders made since first purchase: 0

Basic Information of Groupon from SSM

贪小便宜 (tan xiao pian yi). I think this is the 4 words that best describes me. Literally it is translated as greed(贪) small(小) cheap(便宜) meaning greedy over small cheap things/deals. But cheap can be deceiving right? More often than not, one might just end up being penny wise pound foolish. On the other hand, you'll never know if you may just hit a jackpot.

Print Screen of Mon Meill deal in Groupon

When I saw the advert for a necklace and earring set at 75% discount. I jumped and thought it was a great deal. The pictures in Groupon looked promising so I decided to check out Mon Meill's official site. It took FOREVER to load. The only thing I learned from this site is that it's a Hong Kong company. Any other details were unattainable because their webpages took so long to load! Probably I should have seen it as a hint that things would go wrong. Anyway, I signed up an account with Groupon and made my purchases... (YES I know~! I have a problem with impulse buying!) I thought this would be the same as other online business sites that I've been. Unfortunately it isn't. My previous buys with other online merchants (Best-Buy World, OhJapan, Cotton House Store and QQ Baby Shop) they provide me their bank account numbers and I make the payment via my own bank's official website (in my case its CIMBClicks). Groupon however leads me to a third party site and the so-called link to CIMBClicks doesn’t look like the real deal. So I switched to Paypal instead. The good thing about Paypal is that shall anything go wrong, I have 40 days from the date of purchase to freeze payment.

Mon Meill redemption form via Groupon

Once the payment was made, I was required to fill in the form provided for redemption. The voucher was sent to my email and I'm supposed to key in the voucher code and security number in the redemption form. HOWEVER there wasn't any clear indications of which is which. Again, make a guess. And then the waiting game began. This is where the second part of the problem began. In Groupon, it is stated that delivery is within 2 weeks. But by the 25th of September I was yet to receive my goods so I sent Groupon an email.

Reply from Groupon

A reply came in and the first thing I began asking myself is HOW to track a parcel from Hong Kong to Malaysia? There was no indication in the email on how to track my parcel. All they did was give me the tracking number and I'm back at guessing how to make use of it. I know this may sound dumb, in fact I could just email them again and ask via which website should I do my checking. But before I could email them, Hubby already gave me the answer. It's a good thing is that Hubby had experience with parcels from overseas and the first thing I had to do was go to Hong Kong Post official website and key in the tracking number.

Ah… left Hong Kong for Malaysia on September 22nd. Then the next step was to find out where in Malaysia is the parcel, right? So I clicked to Pos Malaysia and there it was on the way to my office. By the 28th of September, the parcel was in my hand.

The jewelry came in and I was rather disappointed.I've blog about the jewelry in another post - click here to read about Mon Meill review. My focus right now is Groupon.

So will I buy anything via Groupon again? Highly unlikely for the following reasons

I don't like how payments are made via third parties because it opens up opportunities for phishing and or hacking. I would prefer if I can go back to my own choice of bank’s official website and make the payment. Or go to the nearest bank and deposit the money in the ATM.
There was no mention anywhere in their Mon Meill Deal that this product is from Hong Kong. I only found about when clicking on Mon Meill website. I think it should be Groupon's responsibility to inform (potential) customers the source of the product.
In their discussion tab, Groupon repeatedly mentioned that the product will arrive winthin 2 weeks from redemption period (11 Sept 2011). But even at THAT date 14 days after September 11, 2011 is September 25, 2011. I got mine on the 28th. Seriously, this only means they don't hold to their words. I don't care what happened, but as long as they don't honor their part of 2 weeks as stated in their site, it is my duty to write in this review or I consider it as being dishonest to people reading my review.
Again related to their discussion tab, NOT ALL questions posted by users are answered. Even though people ask the same questions over and over again, AND even though some of the question are "silly" I think it's good PR that they answer all questions in the discussion board. Anyway, it's good that they answer my email.

Snippet of the Mon Meill discussion board in Groupon

For those curious folks out there read here and here. A little heads up for you to see what's going on with Groupons around the globe.

Pet Sitting

2011-10-12T08:00:00.002+08:00

A fortnight ago was my best friend's wedding. She asked if I could recommend a pet hotel or boarding for her two dogs as they would be out of town for their honeymoon. Coincidentally sometime after Hari Raya, there was a big hoo haa about Petknode. I was too afraid to recommend ANY pet hotels at all. I mean what if I suggest a particular place and something bad happens to her beloved pets? I don't want to send someone's pet to a doom hotel! So instead of asking around, I volunteered to take care of them.

Before she brought them over, we made a verbal agreement that I can only care for them at the minimum. My daughter is my priority. But I guess I have little to worry about as it turns out my best friend's husband had their dogs Noodles and Starbucks ~~well~~ VERY WELL TRAINED. They use their own "littler box" and they are almost fuss free.

The first two days are obviously stressful for the two girls. Starbucks seems to have separation anxiety or some sort, while Noodles seems to adapt quiet well. The good news is both were eating and drinking and pooping and peeing albeit slow. At first I thought it would best to leave them quarantined for a few days to help them adapt. But that didn't go quite well for Starbucks particularly as she kept whining non-stop. She's like a pocket dynamite! Small dog full of energy. So I let both girls out and gosh! They were running and prancing like little bunnies. They had so much fun I just couldn't resist taking pictures of them. But I guess they were too fast for my camera. Each time the shutter closes they're already out of my picture

A little bit of exercise was all they needed to release the stress. About an hour of chasing each other, both Noodles and Starbucks were already exhausted and flopped to the floor. All I had to do was call one and the other will happily tail behind. So, that was my new routine for the next few days until my best friend's return. A run around the garden twice a day - once in the morning and once in the evening. It's very nice to see those two enjoying themselves - reminds me of my Oddball.

Anyway,time flies and now the to dogs are back with their owners. I kinda miss them...

The Wedding Season

2011-10-08T21:07:00.000+08:00

Wedding seasons is here and it’s another excuse for a family or friend reunion. An opportunity for us all to catch up with those we’ve not met for quite a while (or maybe just last week). But while some of us look forward to such a reunion, at times I dread to attend one. I mean those 三姑六婆 (read san gu liu po) meaning nosy relatives are just so annoying. As if their brains are pre-programmed to function at a weirdly manner in every wedding. Here’s a snippet of their code that I’ve managed to decipher …

If YOU are below the age of 21
            “How old are you this year?”
Else if YOU are single
            “Why don’t you find a boyfriend/girlfriend?”
Else if YOU are in a relationship
            “When is your turn to get married?”
Else if YOU are married but no kids
            “Why you no children yet?”
Else if YOU are married with one child
            “When’s the next child?”
Else if YOU are married with more than one child but less than 3
            “Why so few?”
Else if YOU are married with 4 children or more
            “Why so many??”

Yup, basically EVERYONE (single, in a relationship, married; with kids, no kids, divorced, gays, lesbians… you get the idea) is not spared! My best guess is that these people don’t really know how to strike a conversation with the younger generation – so to them, this IS their pickup line. But of course instead of getting a good feedback, most of us will try steer away. Sad isn’t it?

(NOT really) Enjoying Gardenia Waffles

2011-10-06T08:00:00.006+08:00

Some time back my hubby and I saw the Gardenia waffles advertisment on TV and we wanted to give it a try. Now I'm not so sure is it because we're living in a rual area or what, but we didn't see the waffles in our local shop until last week. Anyway, hubby bought one packet (which contains two pieces of waffles) just to try it out. He also bought Auntie Rosie's Kaya to go with the waffles.

The taste of the waffles wasn't up to my expectations. I've tried freshly made waffles and this is no where near it. The texture of the waffles is just too hard. I like my waffles crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Then spread with a huge serving of chocolate and peanut butter. Hubby likes his in plain kaya. Either way it's YUMMY~!

For the price of RM1.40 I think I'll go for those freshly made ones at Daily Fresh. It's more expensive at Daily Fresh but I wouldn't mind paying the extra. I not only get freshly made waffles but also I am spoil for a huge choice of spreads!

For those who are curious but reluctant to try, it's okay. You can give this a miss. No harm done.

Extra yarns and extra toys

2011-10-04T08:00:00.000+08:00

When you're into knitting, you'll know that on occasions you have extra yarns which you don't quite know what to do with it. So while following some of the bloggers who knit, I learned that you can knit a ball using those excess yarns.

So I took the purple yarn left from my cocoon project and knitted a little ball for my Little Miss Muffin to play. At first she wasn't so thrilled at this new toy I made for her but slowly she grew fond of it and it's currently her favourite.

For those of you who have extra yarns and just don't know what to do with it, go to http://i-like-lemons.blogspot.com for inspirations! It's been a long while since this blogger updated her blog but it still is a hit with many knitting fans as her instructions are straight forward and easy. Enjoy!

Kotex Sanitary Towel Samples

2011-10-02T08:00:00.064+08:00

I made a sample request for Kotex sanitary towels some months back. But didn't quite have the time to blog about it until now. I received two packages actually, both are samples from Kotex. One package carries the panty liners and the other is the sanitary towel. Actually I've been using their products since my school days. I'm not the kind who likes to change brands unless absolute necessary. So why ask for samples when I'm already using them? Well, these are their latest products with additional features. So instead of buying them, why not try them for FREE!

Okay, I admit that I AM becoming into those typical village housewife (Ah Sim) that love free stuffs! And I'm not afraid to ADMIT it. For those of you who are interested in getting free stuffs mailed to your homes also, click on my FREE Samples tab below to read about ALL the free stuffs I got via mail. Alright now back to this free Kotex samples!

They have a wide range of panty liners for different uses. For details of their products click here. And to request for samples, click on this link.

Kotex Luxe is their latest product. Sanitary towels with designs! Personally I find it quite cute to have sanitary towels with doodles on it. But it's not like those fancy bras and kickers where you get to show them off to your husband! I guess the only person who will be seeing those doodles is you yourself, so why the doodle sanitary towels, eh?? Anyway, if you are also interested to try one or just get it for fun, click here to request for your free sample today!

Online Shop Review: QQ Baby Shop

2011-09-30T08:00:00.025+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Print Screen of QQ Baby Shop

Shop name: QQ Baby Shop
Company Name: QQ Baby Shop (001867833-P)
URL: http://qqbabyshop.com/
Products/Services: Babies and Ladies Fashion
First Purchase Made: 3rd April 2011
Number of orders made since first purchase: 0

Basic Information of QQ Baby Shop from SSM

This is by far the online shop that delivers it's goods the fastest. Immediately a day after remitting the money, I got the clothes. I was pretty impressed that they delivered it so fast, but the same cannot be said about the quality of their garments. I bought from this online store together with a friend because by joining our orders, we save on transport fees.When we made our purchases we were well aware that the goods are Made in China. Now I'm not the kind who discriminate Chinese made products as I have seen good quality ones made by them. So for me to make a sweeping statement saying Made in China products are of poor quality is totally bias.

MY Purchases

Among the 5 items purchased, only one was fulfilling my expectation for good Made in China products - the white romper on the lower right corner in the picture above. It is actually made for GAP, hence the quality in sewing and material. The bib and the green pants is okay. But the Japanese theme overalls and sailor romper is disappointing. The sewing stitches are messy. It looked like either it's been made by an amateur OR sewn in a hurry. The stitches does not look so bad from afar, as it's only noticeable upon close inspection. Generally speaking these two garments in particular does not meet the quality I expected. Another problem is the buttons on the sailor romper. Two buttons came off after I washed it. Unfortunately the romper cannot be returned as I've thrown the original tag away.

Close up shot of one of their garments.

Anyway, when I purchased from QQ Baby Shop I had the impression that they sell quality items at cheap price. But that doesn't seem to be the case noting from the two garments with obvious flaws. In fact when I was shopping at FOS (Factory Outlet Store) 1 Utama branch I saw branded rompers (like Calvin Klein) selling at RM30 for 3 pieces. Another down side about QQ Baby Shop is they do not provide an official receipt. So the only way of making sure what you got tally with what you ordered is by checking back your shopping cart at their website OR email.

Online Shop Review: Oh, Japan!

2011-09-28T08:00:00.004+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Shop name: Oh, Japan!
Company Name: Leong Siew Wah (That's the name of the bank account holder which I have to bank the money into. So I'm assuming she's the owner)
URL: http://ohjapan1.blogspot.com
Products/Services: Japanese Kimono and Yukata
First Purchase Made: June/July 2011
Number of orders made since first purchase: 0

Print Screen of Oh, Japan Blog Shop

I got a Yukata a long time ago, but didn't have an obi belt. So I Googled around and found this blog shop and decided to give it a go. I mean, how wrong can it be when the name and bank account number of the blogger is published on their blog right??

So I first browse for the obi belt and juban (inner garment worn under the yukata or kimono) I wanted and sms the number provided on the blog. I received a reply and was told the belt I wanted would have to wait for a week because they've just ran out of stock. Well, I wouldn't blame them at the time because Bon Odori was around the corner and this particular blog was having a promotion - free postage! That means, I get to save AT LEAST RM10 on postage. They also told me that I still will qualify for the free postage if I choose to wait for the belt and I agreed.

My Purchase

About a week later, I got an sms from them stating that the items I wanted are ready for delivery and I can proceed with payment. When payment was done, I notified them via sms and the waiting game begins. About 3 days later, I received the parcel in good condition along with a little bonus - one cute candy and a sample of Loreal cream. I can't remember what cream was it specifically because I've used it and threw the packing away. And as for the candy, eaten! It tasted nice and I smsed them again to ask where I can get that specific candy. But unfortunately there was no reply. I tried smsing again (thinking the sms didn't get to them) and again no reply. I was a little offended that they choose not to reply me regarding the candy. But it's their lost as it could have been another potential business transaction.

Oh, Japan does not provide receipts for my purchases. If you're not the fussy kind is okay. However it does makes me ponder with all the sales and profits she makes, does she declare this business in her income tax? Especially when there's no receipts? Well, that's technically not my problem - it's the Inland Revenue Board's. Anyway, I guess this is going to be a one off purchase from me. I don't see the need for me to make a repeat order from this blog shop. But I'll update this post in future if I ever do...

Online Shop Review: Cotton House Store

2011-09-26T08:00:00.048+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Print Screen of their website

Shop name: Cotton House Store
Company Name: Cotton House Store (AS0333240-P)
URL: http://www.cottonhousestore.com
Products/Services: Cotton Yarn, Knitting and Crochet Supplies
First Purchase Made: 9th July 2011
Number of orders made since first purchase: 1

Basic information from SSM

Ever since my daughter was born, I've been quite addicted to knitting. The only two items I've completed is a purpler colored cocoon made from acrylic yarns and the leftover of the yarns were used to knit a ball; I'll post about those finished projects of mine later.

Anyway, I wanted to use cotton yarns to make garments for my daughter, so I Google and it lead me to Cotton House Store. Surprisingly the price for their cotton yarns are cheaper than a yarn specialty shop at a departmental store here! That specialty store was selling at least 50% more expensive. I bought from that specialty store once and reluctant to go back there again because the price is just too steep for me. It would have been cheaper if I bought my daughter a dress instead of knitting one! Coincidentally when I was browsing at Cotton House Store it was their 1st year anniversary and there was a discount. Of course I took the opportunity to get myself some yarns. But being an armature in knitting and crocheting, I made a small purchase first.

My purchases from Cotton House Store

My first purchase is actually that fuschia colored yarn. I was impressed with the quality and decided to make more purchases, but I wasn't sure which yarns are suitable for my projects. The Cotton House Store owner Miss Farahana, was kind enough to meet my friend and I in person and share with us her products. So we met at Queensbay mall and she shared her experience with us. This time I did spend quite a huge sum on kitting and crocheting supplies, but the only person who will get to enjoy my works will be my Little Miss Muffin!

I really when I make my purchases I get receipts. That way I get to check what I ordered tally. I would most likely buy from Cotton House Store again if the need arises.

Logos Hope - The floating book fair

2011-09-25T11:40:00.001+08:00

I've actually been nagging at hubby to take me on the Logos Hope for quite some time. Finally yesterday night, hubby was free to take me there. Throughout our journey from home to Swettenham Pier we were greeted by the weekend jam. Yup, everyone was out to P-A-R-T-Y.

To me, it was a good thing. That means no one to fight with for parking spaces near the pier, right? Wrong! Star Libra was docked nearby and most of the cars parked near the pier belonged to passengers of that ship.

So we walked pass the customs guard and headed straight for the floating book fair. Take note of the crane in the picture above. We later found out from a crew that it was used to lift their vans in and out of the ship.

At the ticketing counter we were greeted by these two friendly faces. I thought the tickets were souvenirs but another crew member at the entrance collected them back... Come to think of it, I should have taken a picture of the ticket!

So up the stairs we go ...

EMPTY? There was no one except us. We sat on the life boat and listen to the briefing video. All books are priced in units and the conversion rate for 100 units on the Logos Hope is RM8

Cute little oar. Which I was tempted to play with.

Their cute round windows. And after the briefing, we head out to find the books.

And we found people too! There was quite a crowd browsing at all the books, most of them I don't see in book stores be it Popular, MPH or Borders.

A little promotion to encourage some purchases. Unfortunately this promotion is valid from Tuesday to Friday.

Religious books mainly dominate the entire floor. Second most are the children books. While the other categories available are rather limited. Anyway, the main purpose of me going on to this ship is to look for children books specially for my Little Miss Muffin.

After getting what we wanted, we proceed to the check out counter. Our cashier was a sweet looking bloke from JAMAICA~! See all the pink books in his hand? All those are for my little princess.

There was a fun section right before the International Cafe where all the adults could just sit while their kids play captain and crew.

Friends who've been here before me advised me to try their pies. But unfortunately, when we were there, "Tiada satu pun" (there was none)

For those who are interested to know what they served that night, here's their menu all priced in Malaysian Currency.

At one corner we saw this cute donation box. Drop a coin and see it roll... Alas, we only had notes in our pockets :-P

At one corner right after the cafe is a small room. I overheard some guy said it was about HIV awareness and stuffs. But I wasn't so keen on figuring out what was in that room myself.

Right before the exit was the fun part for hubby and I as we spent nearly 15 minutes staring at their banners.

Particularly this one.Try guessing which crew member came from which country... Some of the crew members were easily identified to their country of origin due to their unique names. While most others, you'll just have to make random guesses.

The receptionist near the exit

And on our way out was a rectangular window instead of those cute little round ones.

Their emergency life boat. Do note that the stairway on the right are for crew members only while on the left is for the general public.

The name on the ship at the front hull.

And on our way out of the pier, their van zoomed by.

They had another one parked by the gates. And if you noticed carefully, it's left hand drive!

And we jammed our way back home. No thanks to those party goers.

Yup, and here are the books we bought. Spent a whopping RM 188.00 on all those. But its worth it. The two small books on the right (Princess and the Pea and Aladdin) comes with a CD.

Today is already their last day in Penang.They will then dock at the following places

Port Klang, MALAYSIA (29 September – 23 October 2011) Click here for more information.
Kuching, MALAYSIA (28 October – 14 November 2011) Click here for more information
Kota Kinabalu, MALAYSIA (18 November – 4 December 2011) Click here for more information
SINGAPORE (17-27 December 2011) Click here for more information

Online Shop Review: Best Buy World Malaysia

2011-09-24T08:00:00.009+08:00

Disclaimer: The reviews on the online shop are my personal experience while purchasing products/services. I do not get paid by the reviewed shop. I am not responsible for any loss, damage or loss of profits that may result from reading my review. In particular, I am unable to accept any responsibility or liability in the unlikely event of a dispute between vendor and purchaser. It is your (the reader's) responsibility alone to check the vendor's credibility, quality of merchandise and method of payment.

Shop name: Best Buy World Malaysia
Company Name: Telescan Network Sdn Bhd (572271-X)
URL: http://my.bestbuy-world.com
Products/Services: Cosmetic and Skincare Products
First Purchase Made: 24th April 2010
Number of orders made since first purchase: 3

Since I made my first online shopping at Best Bust World Malaysia, I think it's only fair to make them my first online shop review. Click HERE to read my first online shopping experience.

Basic Information from SSM

One and a half years later, I've made 3 subsequent purchases with my latest purchase made on May 17, 2011.In all my 4 experiences I only had one minor glitch - a bag was damaged probably during delivery. I called them up and the person who picked up the phone asked me to post it back to them and they will send me a new one AND refund my postage fee. In less than a week I got my replacement AND the money for postage! Another thing I like about this online shop is that they give an official receipt along with your arrival of your goods. This way you can check your items quickly instead of referring to your email.

First Purchase from Best Buy World Malaysia

In short, I will still continue purchasing from their site as long as they have what I need and can provide at a cheaper price.

Update October 14, 2011

Print Screen from Companies Registry of Hong Kong

The company named YINLAI TRADING (HK) LIMITED (Company Registry Number 1181316) is a Hong Kong registered business incorporated in 02-Nov-2007. In 06-Oct-2010, the company name is changed to BEST BUY WORLD (HK) LIMITED. Sourced directly from Hong Kong's Companies Registry - http://www.icris.cr.gov.hk/csci/

SURPRISE!

2011-09-22T08:00:00.002+08:00

Last weekend I had this spur of the moment thingy. You know those kind where you just do something because you just want to? I wanted to help blogger Jessying with her blog shop. No, not selling her stuffs, but to redesign her blog. So without thinking twice, I started searching the World Wide Web for inspiration and possible blog templates that could fit her blog shop well.

While working half way, I started to have second thoughts. A sudden surge of negative thoughts start flooding in (I think my horoscope has something to do with this negativity). Thoughts like what if she doesn't like or what if she doesn't want or what if she gets angry? So I emailed her and showed her a preview of what I did and asked if she would like it?

She gave me a resounding YES and I was almost done! Yea, for some unknown reasons, while waiting for her reply I ended up completing 70%. Well, she's already changed to the new design template. So do drop by her blog shop at http://jess4sale.blogspot.com to have a look if you like. Unfortunately I forgot to make a print screen of her blog BEFORE and AFTER!

Anyway Jess, I'm really glad you loved it. Enjoy your new design layout!

Giveaway prize from Hankerie

2011-09-20T23:55:00.003+08:00

Just this evening I received the silicon cupcake mold from Hankerie. The one that I won from her giveaway. I'm just so excited at the moment that I can't sleep and have to blog about this!

I'm still undecided on what to bake at the moment. Even if I were to bake something for my Little Miss Muffin, she can't eat because she can only consume pureed food. Maybe I'll just do some simple custards and let her have a nibble...

Anyway, I have to say thanks to Hanker for allowing such an opportunity.

Hubby got HACKED... and I almost

2011-09-15T08:00:00.002+08:00

Just this evening I was checking my mail and I received an email from my hubby. At first I thought nothing but felt weird why on earth would my husband want to email me when he's no more than 10 feet away? So I opened the email and realized it was a spam mail. I called out to him and asked why did he spam me. He came over to read the email and the first thing that came to mind was to change the passwords.

I then reminded him to send out a second email to his contacts NOT to click on the link. I don't know if anyone did, but lets hope not okay? While we were in our mids of changing password to our account, hubby started pondering on how he got hacked. When he accessed his Paypal account, he received a notification that there were suspicious activity in the pass few days of someone trying to access his account. Immediately he knew it had to do with the last transaction - made by ME.

On the 5th of September, I made an online purchase from a particular Malaysian group discount site. It was a tempting bargain and so I bugged my hubby to allow my purchase. I know this may sound weird to some of you, but I'm the type who loves to ask permission before doing EVERYTHING. Its my way of getting attention. Anyway, hubby gave the green light so I proceeded with the deal. I remembered 3 forms of payment available at that discount site - credit card, bank transfer and paypal. Initially I choose bank transfer. Right before I was about to enter my account name and password, I realized something was extremely wrong. The layout for the bank website was wrong - VERY WRONG. So hubby advised me not to use bank transfer and use PayPal instead.

I then switched to Paypal payment using my hubby's account. After the transaction was done, I thought nothing of it until today (which I remembered I have YET to receive the goods I've purchased). Unfortunately we do not have any hard evidence to prove that this hacking was caused by that particular website. But we have our own suspicions due to the sudden surge in spam mails AND the notification he received from Paypal regarding unauthorized accessed happened right after this transactions.

Anyway, the good thing about Paypal is they have good security. Nothing was lost but I'll for sure be wary of making purchases online in future. As for the things I've bought from that site? I've got a 45 days from the purchase date (5th Sept) to block Paypal from proceeding with payment. If I don't get my stocks before the end of September, I'll just get hubby to tell Paypal to stop payment! (^_^)

Bujang Valley Archeological Museum.

2011-09-13T08:00:00.001+08:00

While on our way to Gunung Jerai, we made an impromptu visit to one of the most mentioned places in Malaysian textbooks – The Pengkalan Bujang Archeological Site and The Lembah Bujang Archeological Museum in Kedah. Two places within a few kilometers of each other but hardly any visitors.

It was not hard to find the archeological site since I had a GPS in hand (God bless those folks who made GPS available to the common man/woman). Just follow the instructions and you’ll find this weirdly fenced up area in the middle of a paddy field. Right next to its main gates is someone’s house! Firstly it wasn’t open to public (hence no proper signboard at the location itself). Secondly there wasn’t anyone around to answer our questions. So we took one random shot and head straight to the museum instead.

We weren’t sure if the museum was opened in the first place or not because it was an impromptu visit. And apart from guiding us to our destination, Miss GPS couldn’t tell us the museum’s operating hours. Upon arrival, we found out that the Lembah Bujang Archeological Museum is closed twice a year – on the first day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and first day of Hari Raya Aidiladha (Haji). Entrance is FREE!

When we walked in, we were greeted by 2 staffs. They asked us to sign the guest book which we happily obliged and proceeded entering the museum unescorted. From what I gather for my observation is there is about 50 archeological sites in Kedah. Unfortunately, there weren’t any details on the site’s location. Well, they did write about which artifacts came from which site number, but they didn’t say where the site was. To add more confusion to the already clueless, both the staff that greeted us had no idea what was the site number for the Pengkalan Bujang Archeological Site that we just visited! So we won’t know what was plucked out from that land behind those fence…

The attempt of having all the artifacts described in bilingual was done half heartedly. Some of the exhibits had both English and Malay but mostly only Malay. If I were to bring my daughter here again in the future, I would personally have to do quite a LOT of homework. Never mind that almost everything is written in Malay, I have no problem understanding the language. It’s just that those who, what, where, when, why and how are mostly left unanswered. NONE of the exhibit has dates on them to show if the artifact was a recent find or not. Take the exhibit of the glass fragments below. They never mentioned where exactly the glass was found or any detailed information to prove that the glass was from 13th Century AD (i.e. carbon dating) and not from someone’s old perfume bottle!

Hubby argued that because the museum depend 100% from the government for financial aid and charge nothing to the general public, I shouldn’t complain so much. Yes, I know we entered that museum without paying a single cent (yes, even parking is free). But there was so little information, my mind felt like those fragment of glasses. Just bits and pieces here and there; how am I to recommend or even bring someone to this museum when I as a local have no clue?

Many exhibits were worn out by the elements, but one stood out beautifully. A granite carving of Lord Ganesha, the most perfect undamaged fine carving. According to the description label, its finding location is unknown. So to speak, this museum holds this fine and detailed carving of Lord Ganesha but don’t know where it was found. Could it really be from somewhere in Bujang Valley or was it plucked from the temples of Borobudur??

Outside the museum are temple ruins which are mostly reconstructed. But with the hot glaring sun, we couldn’t stay long.

Summary
Name: Bujang Valley Archeological Museum (Muzium Arkeologi Lembah Bujang)
Address: Merbok, 08400 Kedah
Telephone: +6044572005
GPS location: N 5°44.237 E 100°24.858
Decimal Degree: Lat 5.737289 Long 100.41430
Entrance Fee: FREE OF CHARGE
Visiting Hours: Everyday 0900-1700 Hrs
closed on 1st day of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and 1st day of Hari Raya Aidiladha

Hotel Review: The Regency Jerai Hills Resort

2011-09-11T08:00:00.001+08:00

I don’t know why the name Jerai Hill is used on Trip Advisor when the word hill in Malay is bukit while mountain is gunung. Locally we call it Gunung Jerai meaning Jerai Mountain. I wrote a review on this resort in Trip Advisor but it was quite a rushed job(read my review in Trip Advisorhere). I didn’t really give much time to myself to collect my thought before typing away. But striking while the iron is hot and the experience is fresh is better, no? Anyway, here is my review of the hotel…

Gunung Jerai is located in the state of Kedah, approximately XXX km north of Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. It is the tallest mountain in the state of Kedah. Before the industrial revolution, this mountain serves as a landmark for those entering the Straits of Melaka.

From the foothills of Gunung Jerai to the Resort is about 12km of winding road. There is a forest museum along the way but on both occasions (when going uphill and downhill) it was closed. The Regency Resort is located 986 meters above sea level. I wanted to confirm its height using my GPS navigator BUT the batteries died out on me minutes before our arrival at the resort. To make things worse, I left my charger at home. Anyway, upon reaching the resort’s entrance you’ll be greeted by the security guard. Personally I find that guy being there like not being there at all. He lets everyone though the gates without actually checking!

When my hubby made bookings with the resort, he requested for the quietest section of the resort. So we were given room 201, about 2-300 meters DOWNHILL from the resort’s restaurant. When we approached the room we saw the cleaning crew walking in and about room 201. We were then informed that there was a leak from the pipe to the toilet tank. They were trying their best to stop the leak or at least try not to flood our room. Since the leak wasn’t very bad, we did not request for a change of room. And they then left soon after.

The first thing you will notice about the toilet that it is BLOODY SMALL! My hubby and I didn’t bother closing the toilet door when in use because it was just NOT possible to even attempt closing the door! Our best guess is that the toilet is only 4 feet wide.

Across the toilet is the shower stall and the size of it is no bigger. Even though there are clothes hook behind the shower door, we didn’t even bother to hang anything (not even towels) because the water pressure from the shower was good enough to wet the entire shower stall!

The resort provided soap, shampoo and shower cap but we didn’t use them because we bought our own.

We were given 2 super single beds. I later found out that rooms 201-212 all have super single beds, no queen size beds. Anyway, at least the bed is comfortable and not too soft nor too hard. The pillow however is too thin for me. I like big fluffy pillows.

The good thing about this resort is the flat screen TV. But you can hardly watch anything as all the channels are fuzzy! So if anyone of you plans to stay here for more than 1 night, I suggest you bring a RMVB player with a thumb drive full of movies.

The room cupboard has a Muslim prayer mat, an ironing board, iron, 2 bath robes and 2 laundry bags. We didn’t bother using the bath robes because it looked like it’s never been washed. And since we are not there for any formal occasion, there was no need to iron our clothes.

There was a mini fridge (or some call it mini-bar) with two bottles of mineral water, complimentary from the hotel. Beside the fridge are a small electric kettle and some instant coffee (forgotten the brand), Lipton tea sachets, sugar and powdered creamer.

While surveying the room, I couldn’t help but noticed how some of the furniture is rather old. And upon closer inspection I saw this intriguing sticker…

Our balcony had quite a nice view of the rice paddy below and the Straits of Melaka. However it wasn’t the room with the best view because it was mostly obstructed by the trees on the virgin jungle just outside the resort’s perimeter.

Night fall and we went to the resort’s restaurant for dinner. We ordered spaghetti and lasagna but the taste was not up to expectations. In short, I felt like we just paid RM50++ for two microwave meals. Anyway, that night we not only fed ourselves full but also a host of mosquitoes. For those pet owners looking for fresh supply of mosquitoes, there’s plenty at the restaurant and they are very easy to catch. Just remember to bring a container and an electric bat to stun them for they can still fly, but slow...

There was another reason why our rooms are the cheapest rooms. It was in a location where the slopes itself will block away most of the winds. So even though it was cooling at night, we didn’t feel any wind. Those more expensive rooms uphill will surely enjoy the night’s cool winds.Another thing worth mentioned is the funny and weird 6 legged creatures that are attracted to lights. So for those bug enthusiast, you'll love it when night falls when all insects come out to 'play'.

Morning breakfast was rather standard. There was nasi lemak available but we were not in a mood to having rice for breakfast. I must add that their omelets are delicious! I had 2 servings and on both occasions only remember to take a picture when I’ve eaten it all…

Warning:

Now, before you make plans to stay in this resort I must let you all know this. Even though we stayed in the quiet most section of the resort, it still wasn’t quiet especially in the mornings and evenings. It’s not the bugs or creatures of the jungle nor the construction of their new wing. It’s the general public. People (non-guests) come to the resort and treat it as a public park! They walk around the gardens (fine with me), take picture (still bearable), and allow their children to run amok screaming at the top of their lungs! To make things worse some of them would bring those little firecrackers or ‘pop pop’ as they called it and throw it all about! The more expensive rooms have garden spaces which are beautiful, but with those non-guests walking and running around, I doubt you’ll have any peace at all!
Summary

Simple Sketch of Room 201The Regency Jerai Hills Resort

Hotel Name: The Regency Jerai Hills Resort
Address: Jalan Kaki Bukit | Lebuhraya Gurun, 08300 Kedah, MALAYSIA
Phone number: +604-4667777
GPS location: N05°47.797' E100°26.127'
Decimal Degree: Lat5.796617 Long100.43545
Type of room stayed: Standard (cheapest room)
Price: RM240.00 (Paid RM278.40 after 10% service tax and 6% government tax)
My verdict: What I love best is that you have FREE Wifi accessible at every nook and corner of the resort property. What I dislike most is the lack of security where every Tom, Dick or Harry is free to roam. I will go there again because it’s not over developed like Cameron Highlands. But I think I’ll bring my own food the next time around…

FREE - MamyPoko Diaper Samples

2011-09-10T22:14:00.002+08:00

Today I had a 'special' package dropped into my mail box. I don't know why but I've got this weird habit of constantly peeking into my mail box for letters. As though hoping someone would send me letters. But the only mail that arrives regularly are my credit card bills and insurance! Anyway, this package was actually my request for Mamypoko diaper samples for my daughter.

My daughter is already using this brand. They have 2 kinds, the regular tape diapers and the pants diaper. So I requested the pants diapers since she's currently using the tape diapers. It took them about a month to arrived at my doorstep. Good thing that it was mentioned in their website that it will take some time for them to process the application and have it delivered. Otherwise people might just accidentally request a size too small! I've let her use one of the diapers. Personally I think I'll stick to using those regular tape diapers. It's quite inconvenient to put on for an infant. Perhaps when she's a toddler, it'll be a lot easier.

Anyway, this is only my opinion. If you're interested to try it our yourself, click here to get your Mamypoko diaper samples delivered to your doorstep*! There is no time limit for this. So as long as the link works, you can request for one.

*For MALAYSIAN RESIDENTS ONLY

One Little, Two Little, Three Little Terabyte...

2011-09-08T23:55:00.000+08:00

Source: http://www.flickr.com

A while ago I was sorting out our personal movie collection. While shuffling through every single file, I started to recount how many movie titles I have with me. Instead of using the age old method of paper and pen, I opted for the more “sophisticated” way of using Microsoft Excel. Well, there’s nothing to brag about Excel since it’s now a common utility in almost every computer. Original or pirated? Well, that’s another topic for another blog post ok?

While documenting our collection I’ve realized how times have changed. Those days you get movies in a form of VCR tapes – it was space consuming! I remembered going to one of my relative’s house and he showed us his VCR collection. Other than staring at super old movies, he complained about hardly ever watching them because the tape more often than not gets caught in the player. What worse when the tape is accidentally left in the player AND Dumb Dork hit the record button! World War Three ensued, but instead of the video tape owner waging war against Dumb Dork, Dumb Dora took the blame instead. Ah…. Classic story of framing people~!

Anyway, when CDs and DVDs were born, pirated movies becomes the most successful illegal business in the world. It practically became the MOST sought after “job” by those who want quick cash. But since Lucy and her other black Labrador pal (forgotten its name) are trained to sniff out polycarbonate, business has never been any easier. But like their VCR counterparts, you still need space to keep those CDs and DVDs. File, box, rack, and drawer… whatever the storage method you’ll run out of space soon.

Then a light bulb moment appears. Hard disks – your ultimate solution to storing as many, many movies it can store. My first thumb drive cost me RM100 for a mere 1G. Yes, it was THAT EXPENSIVE. My hubby (then boyfriend) wasted hours consoling me that it was a good deal because it was already cheaper than the year before. Somewhere between sobs I remembered him telling me he paid twice the amount for only half the storage space… technology! Fast forward pass graduation and our wedding bells, we heard news that price for a 1 terabyte storage space is dropping because 2 terabyte and 4 terabyte is out on the horizon…

By the time we made our purchase on the Western Digital 2TB My Book, I’ve already lost track on what’s the biggest in the market. It didn’t bother me because I thought 2TB is so HUGE, I could store gazillions of movies! Or try squeezing all the movies on IMDB.com into THAT Black Book. Basically, that’s when the actual downloading spree began. Simply said; all those movie titles that once sat on my relative’s shelf collecting dust, is now cramped into this tiny little black colored gadget no bigger than the Oxford Dictionary AND I still have 50% of free space! Some may argue that I should try storing HD movies which is averagely 1GB per movie title… But that’s exactly what I did. I only pick HD movies so I can watch them with my friends and family on a projector, rather than all squeeze together trying to watch from a mini little Lenovo Netbook (I've tried it, it's fun occasionally on cold raining nights. But not when someone starts letting go gas). At this point, I just LOVE those blokes on PirateBay (now blocked courtesy of the Malaysian Government) for the movies available are so much better than those Ah Beng DVD Pirates.

Fast forward another 20 years down the road, today's hit movie has become tomorrow's history. Suddenly everyone is searching for a movie that can hardly be found in stores or online. While everyone searches high and low for it, there you have that particular movie stored nicely in your little Black Book. And a Ka-Ching moment appears...

How to Open an SSPN account

2011-09-05T23:06:00.008+08:00

If you Google SSPN, you'll most likely get results of the official SSPN website http://www.ptptn.gov.my/web/guest/simpanan. Now being one of those folks who rarely used Bahasa Melayu since graduation, you might thought of reading the English version only to find not only a host of errors but also plenty of dead links. So how to go about this SSPN thingy when the information on their website is of little help? I won't say there was no help because I managed to scrutinize some information out of so many redundant tabs and links. So how? a) Ask friends and family who had an SSPN account or b) be the social guinea pig. I choose both a and b. What ever written here is mostly translated from SSPN's website. Any additional information by ME will be written in GREEN color.

WHAT IS SSPN?

Skim Simpanan Pendidikan Nasional (or SSPN) is the National Education Savings Scheme. It is a saving scheme by the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional or PTPTN). It's a savings account for those who wish to save money for their tertiary education. To make it short and simple,

PTPTN = Loan
SSPN = Savings

According to their official website, from 1st January 2012 onwards, all students who wish to apply for PTPTN loans MUST(WAJIB) have an SSPN account with a minimum savings of RM20.00

WHO CAN HAVE AN SSPN ACCOUNT?

SSPN is open to ALL MALAYSIANS. There are generally 3 groups of classifications.
Group 1: Parents or Guardians or other Malaysian citizens to any Malaysian citizen aged 18 and under and can keep the account open up to 28 years of age.
Group 2: Malaysians above the age of 18 having the choice to open their own accounts or by their parents or guardians.
Group 3: Malaysians above the age of 29 must open their own account.

WHAT DIFFERENCE IS SSPN FROM NORMAL BANKS?

Income Tax Relief subject to net savings during that particular year. This only applies to
a) PARENTS or LEGAL GUARDIANS who opens the account for the benefit of their child to the maximum of RM3,000.00.
b) PARENTS with SEPARATE TAXATION that opens SEPARATE ACCOUNTS for the SAME child are given SEPARATE tax relief to the maximum of RM3,000.00 to each parent.
c) PARENTS with JOINED TAXATION that opens SEPARATE ACCOUNTS for the SAME child to the maximum of RM3,000.00
Individuals who open their own SSPN account is NOT ELIGIBLE.
Higher annual dividends. SSPN's annual dividend for year 2009 is 2.5% while banks interest was at a maximum of 1.56%. I don't know where they got their data but lets take their words for it for the time being. I checked with a relative of mine who happens to have an SSPN account and according to him for year 2010 the dividend rate was a mere 0.9%. Yup... not even 1%
Insurance coverage. This applies to depositors between the ages of 18-65 years old, beneficiaries between the ages of 1 day old - 28 years old AND with a minimum balance in the SSPN account of RM1000.00 at any one time.It is however not mentioned if this applies when the beneficiary and depositor is of the same person. The premium will be borne by PTPN. Insurance in a form of Ringgit to Ringgit coverage for beneficiaries who live with their parents / legal guardians and SSPN accounts is opened by their parents / legal guardians and RM100,000.00 whereby the beneficiary is an orphan living in an orphanage and an SSPN account opened by the principals or management representative of the orphanage. Charities (Khairat) or death compensation of RM2,000.00 to depositors and RM500.00 to beneficiary.
Matching Grant. This is a financial incentive depositors (parents or legal guardians) whom family's monthly income (salary) does not exceed RM2,000 per month. Total matching grant (not exceeding RM10,000) will be determined after taking into account the SSPN and savings deposits. Matching Grant rates will be greater if they have a higher savings and a longer saving period.

HOW DO I OPEN AN SSPN ACCOUNT?

You can open an account at the PTPTN service counter at One Stop Center in KL Sentral OR at the following banks :-

Bank Simpanan Nasional,
CIMB Bank,
Agro Bank,
Bank Rakyat,
Bank Islam or
Maybank

You will require the following documents:-

3 copies of Account Opening Application Form (Borang Permohonan Pembukaan Akaun) which can be obtained online (click here to download) OR can be obtained FREE at One Stop Center or Banks listed above.
Duplicate copy of the depositor's MyKad, military ID or Police ID
Duplicate copy of the beneficiary's birth certificate or MyKid or MyKad
Duplicate copy of certificate of adoption (only for legal guardians)

A minimum of RM20.00 is required to open an account. Below is a SAMPLE. DO NOT PRINT THIS as it will NOT be accepted by SSPN. You must either download the form from their official website OR obtained free of charge from the One Stop Center or participating Banks.

SSPN Sample form (front side)

SSPN Sample form (back side)

After you have opened your SSPN account (about a month or so), you will receive a letter from SSPN along with a member card. On the member card will state the depositor's name, beneficiary's name and the account number. This number is important as you will need it to check your statement online,income tax exemption, deposit, withdrawal or closing of account.

HOW DO I DEPOSIT MORE MONEY INTO MY SSPN ACCOUNT?

Go to any of the 6 bank branches listed above and obtain the SSPN deposit slip which looks something like this.

SSPN Deposit Slip (front side)

SSPN Deposit Slip (back side)

This one is obtained from CIMB Bank. Fill out the form and bank it it with the bank teller. For Maybank account holders you have the extra option of Internet banking (Maybank2u.com). Even though SSPN's official website states that CIMBClicks users are able to make online deposits, HOWEVER I have checked with CIMB and they currently do not have such service...

NEED MORE DETAILS!

For further details, you can read from SSPN's website or meet them at their road show in Hall 1 & 2, Mid Valley Exhibition Centre on 17 – 18 December 2011, from 11am-6pm. They have a phone number for you to call during office hours but it takes them forever to pick up the phone. So if I were you, forget the phone and just meet them face to face if you have more questions.

I WON! I WON! I WON!

2011-09-02T15:13:00.000+08:00

Remember this?

Well, I WON!

Yup, the giveaway event in August held by Hanker and I got it. I haven't receive the prize yet, but will sure blog about it when I get my hands on that for sure!

For now, I'm just thinking of what to bake for my Little Miss Muffin...

The Advertisement Tab

2011-08-25T23:48:00.001+08:00

You may or may not have noticed an Advertisement Tab. It's like the Chinese word 矛盾 (mao dun). I don't like too much advertisements flooding my blog YET I need to have advertisements as a little side income. So I've created an advertisement tab for ads that I like (and think it'll be useful). I am not any celebrity blogger so I don't get paid big bucks. But at least getting that extra RM50 or RM100 is still better than nothing right?

Update 1 October 2011

Personally I find the advertisement tab a bit of a hassle. So I removed it for GOOD~!

Playing the Recorder Again

2011-08-24T21:48:00.003+08:00

For some funny reason today I went through my stash of old stuffs and dug out my old recorder. Not that apparatus for recording sound, pictures, or data, but THIS recorder.

Yup, I've kept this THING for the past don't know how many years. The last time I've actually played it was when I was 12. After primary school I was supposed to hand it down to my younger cousins. But some how didn't. I couldn't remember why, but just stashed it along with a few other stuffs and it lies there dormant until today. So this morning I gave it a nice clean bath, wiped dry and began to play a few songs.

Playing this recorder bought back many memories. I remember participating in a school performance with my schoolmates. We played The Red River Valley. It was a simple song for those with music background, but the same cannot be said for those who don't. Another thing that I remember about that particular school performance was someone's recorder was DROOLING! I was playing halfway and nearly burst out laughing at that person's saliva dripping from the end of the recorder. Don't ask me if I remember who it was, I don't even know if it's a guy or girl!

Music in school was one of the lamest lessons of my life. They only teach you to sing children songs, know the names of local musical instruments and a few common ones like piano and violin. There was no guzheng or erhu (I learned that from TVB!) or the Indian Tabla (learned that one from Bollywood movies). Even though we were taught to play the recorder, but the songs we played stretched no more than an octave. In fact, I don't remember the teacher even teaching us how to play the recorder properly. As long as the sound coming out of the recorder was not out of tune, you're good to go. I later discovered that the recorder can play another octave higher (an ah ha moment especially when Internet wasn't easily available in the early 90s for Malaysia). But it doesn't matter how well you play the recorder in school, you're never appreciated. Everyone is only concerned about what they get for UPSR. And after primary school, the only music lessons you'll get is in private schools.

At the moment, my daughter seemed to like listening to me play the recorder. Whether or not she'll be wanting music lessons, will be entirely up to her when she grows older. But for now, I'll just let her cheer when I play Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No.9 "From the New World" 2nd Movement.
MI SO SO- | MI RE DO- | RE MI SO MI RE---
MI SO SO- | MI RE DO- | RE MI RE DO DO---

Calling all baking enthusiast

2011-08-17T08:38:00.003+08:00

Hankerie: {Giveaway} Win 12-Colorful Cupcakes Silicon Molds

4 years after graduating from University Malaya, I still keep tabs at what my former course mates are doing. It doesn’t take a lot of work like the olden days. Just tune to Facebook® and before you know it, you’re stuck there for hours browsing to every photo your friends have uploaded and all those status updates. So without actually calling each and every one, I get to know who has changed jobs, who have migrated and who has gotten married and have kids!

Recently I found out that one of my courses senior is into baking. I love cooking but currently there’s no guinea pig to taste my food so I’ll have to wait till my daughter grows older… shhhhh… don’t let her know I’m turning her into my food guinea pig, okay? Anyway, long story short, my friend Han Ker of Hankerie is giving away (read FREEBIES) silicone cupcake moulds. I mean, who doesn’t like free stuffs right? Now before you people go on clicking to her site, Hankerie’s free giveaway runs from now until 31st August 2011 AND will only give those residing in ASEAN. No, that wasn’t a typing error; I did type ASEAN (means South East Asian Nations Only). So for those staying in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos - click the image below if you want it NOW! Remember, giveaway ends on 31st August 2011

But who is Han Ker of Hankerie, anyway? (Note to Han Ker, do correct me if I’m wrong, ok? My memory is not so good these days) what I know is she’s one of the best students in the Faculty of Computer Science and Technology of University of Malaya. If memory serves me correctly she’s on the Dean’s list. On a personal note, she’s the one who ‘buried’ me with all her books, notes and papers.

Now for most people who bake (including me) don’t put much emphasis on the outlook. As long as it tastes beautifully, it’s good to go. But Han Ker is different. Simple snacks like Swiss rolls or sugar cookies could just look oh, so gorgeous, you won’t even have the heart to lick it! And like all great bakers, this Leo isn’t stingy on her ingredients. In a way, I consider myself lucky for staying rather far away from her or I’ll end up standing in front of her house on a daily basis hoping to sink my jaws into her baked goods. I mean try visiting her blog dead in the night. I’m very sure you’ll hear your own stomach crying and your mouth watering. I know I’m not as good as her in baking. But the very least she inspires me to be creative.

Speaking of being creative, I’ve decided to redesign my blog yet again. So do excuse the current dull look. Hopefully Han Ker’s work will inspire me to create a delicious looking blog. In the mean time, bon appetite and good luck to those joining Hankerie’s FREE CUPCAKE MOULD GIVEAWAY!

How to select a child’s gender before conceiving – the Chinese method

2011-08-06T17:38:00.002+08:00

This post is related to pregnancy and the probabilities of conceiving a child. By continuing to read this blog post, you agree that I (the author) am not responsible for any loss or gain directly or indirectly when you use this chart. You (the reader) are responsible for your own actions. When you use this chart, there is a possibility of not getting the results you expected. This is because this chart may not be 100% accurate. There are probabilities of inaccuracy. If you do not intend to conceive, please use protection.

When I was pregnant with my first born, people who saw my tummy liked guessing the gender of my child. I had quite a fun time keeping them guessing and asking why they think my baby was the gender they claim it was. Honestly, I was wondering if there are individuals with X-Ray visions like Superman or something and can see the gender of my unborn child by just STARING straight at my belly. Some guesses were right, and some were wrong. But weather right or wrong, they all gave the same common answer – the shape of my belly, round for boys and oval for girls … or was it the other way around?

Some time in between, a friend of mine gave me this chart that would let us know how to select a child’s gender or for those already pregnant, identify the gender of the baby before the fourth gestational month ultrasound scan. Anyway, I’ve searched the Internet and found that there are many people who claim that this method works. And if I may add, it was correct for my first born.

How this chart works?

First, you need to know that this calendar is not based on the Gregorian calendar but Chinese Lunar calendar. So the age and months listed in the chart follows the Lunar months. So how do you calculate your age based on the lunar calendar? The answer is quite straight forward – add one year to your current age. The reason is that the day we are born we are considered 1 year olds as the 9 months (or 40 weeks… which is actually 10 months) in gestation is accounted into our age. HOWEVER, (here’s the tricky part) IF your birth date falls in January or early February, you have an extra job of needing to find out when is the lunar new year for your year of birth. If it falls BEFORE the Lunar New Year, you need to add another year (that means add 2 years to your birth year). If it’s AFTER then like everyone else, only add one year to your birth year.(If this still confuses you go to this website - http://www.chinesegenderchart.info/lunar-input.html)

Secondly, 1st month on the chart IS NOT January. It’s actually the first month on the lunar calendar (month of the lunar new year). This year the Lunar New year falls on February 3rd 2011. So the first day of the first month (for year 2011) is February 3rd 2011. For other months, you can try using a Free Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Converter on the Internet.

How to increase my chances of accuracy?

Now out of 5 people I’ve known to use this calendar (6 including myself) only 1 of us was inaccurate. 5 of my friends obtained this chart from various individuals (friends, mother and colleagues) but they are all the same chart. For me, I’ve got my source from one of the 5. According to the one who gave me the chart, she says that to increase the chances of accuracy, make sure that the month before you plan to conceive is the same sex as the month you plan. This is so that in the event you ovulate at the end of the lunar month, the chances of inaccuracy are high when two months shows two different sexes. To make things a little easier to understand, below are 2 examples (in no relation to me or my other 5 friends).

Case One: Mrs. A
Date of birth: January 15th 1983 (Age: 28)
Based on the Lunar month, she’s already 30 years of age (her birthday falls before the lunar new year of 1983). If she plans to have a daughter, she can start anytime from the 2nd lunar month (March 5th 2011) until the 10th lunar month (November 24th 2011 is the last day - 29th day of the 10th month). If she plans for a boy, then she can start anytime from the 11th lunar month until the 2nd lunar month of the following year (November 25th 2011 until February 22nd 2012).

Case Two: Mrs. B
Date of birth: September 24th 1991 (Age: 20)
Based on the lunar month, Mrs. B is 21 years old. Her chances of conceiving a boy this year is very low as the boy month available to her was on the first lunar month this year. If she really wants a boy, she would most likely have to wait until next year when she turns 22 years of age. But if she plans for a girl, anytime from the 2nd lunar month (March 5th 2011) until the end of the 1st lunar month next year (January 23rd 2012) will do.

Like I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this post, if you follow this chart, please be aware that there is a possibility of not getting the results you wished. Of my 5 friends, 4 were accurate and 1 was not. 2 of my 4 accurate friends already have 2 children each. The other two (like me) just had our first born. As for the friend who did not get the results she desired, we could only deduce that the possibility of her inaccurate results was due to her ovulating between two lunar months with both months of different gender.Good Luck!

Updated 16 August 2011

I was at the clinic today for a routine check up and bumped into a senior lady who was waiting for her friend. She said that if a woman tries to CONCEIVE when her LUNAR AGE that ends with an ODD number (19,21,23,25,27...) there is a high chances of getting girl. While EVEN numbered (18, 20, 22, 24, 26...)LUNAR AGE results to boy. She emphasized that it will only be accurate if you know your exact lunar age at the month you try to conceive.Go to http://www.chinesegenderchart.info/lunar-input.html and double check just to be sure. Coincidentally (I guess), I was 28 when I conceive my daughter last year...

Life IS a text book (only in the begining)

2011-07-27T23:06:00.000+08:00

I know it's been many moons since I've last blogged. Interestingly after giving birth, I manged to find some time to squeeze in a blog post. So here I sit in front of my laptop with a cup of cold chocolate drink (the weather is really hot these days) by my side and some small munchies within reach. My little princess is in dreamland right now which makes things a lot more easier for me.

So why is life like a text book? For those first time mothers or mothers-to-be, you'll probably realized that all the pregnancy books are chapter by the months - chapter one is about the first month and all the signs and symptoms of being pregnant. It tells you about the changes in your body and what's happening in the womb. By the time you've reached the last chapter (if all goes well and there's on complications), you'll be home with the newest member of the family!

During my entire pregnancy, I was tempted to visit my gynae on a weekly basis to see how my daughter was behaving inside my womb. In fact I SO wanted to rent an ultrasound machine so I can constantly keep track of my little one! But stopped short when my hubby gave me that "you-must-be-crazy-look". Luckily my pregnancy is was smooth sailing from start to finish. And now four months after the birth of my princess I become a student again - the student of motherhood

May you Rest in Peace

2011-01-08T08:00:00.001+08:00

Oddball (2000-2010)

I know, my bad

2010-11-24T00:55:00.000+08:00

I truly apologize to those who visited my blog in the past couple of months only to find it dormant since June. Well firstly I was thinking of taking a months break following my wedding which subsequently was extended for a few more months when I later found out I was pregnant!

Yes, I'm now on my fifth month and have finally gained some energy to stay awake for 14 hours without requiring any nap times. Honestly, I didn't expect the first couple of months of being pregnant to equate to hibernation. Anyway, I sort out my thoughts on all the things that happened in the past 5 months and post them on my blog soonest possible.

In the mean time, enjoy your week!

Pudu Jail - The mysterious Watermelon

2010-06-22T14:20:00.000+08:00

When I was still a kid, dad used to drive us every Sunday to Sungei Wang. Back then we lived near Cheras area and to reach Sungei Wang, we have to pass by the eastern walls of Pudu jail (along Jalan Pudu or Pudu Road). I can't remember how old I was then, but it used to be a great pass time to play "Spot the Watermelon" along these walls. You see, even in the early 1990s the intersection between Jalan Pudu and Jalan Imbi was already notorious for it's traffic jam especially on Sundays. So to pass time, we'll try to spot a watermelon painted by one of it's convicts (or so I read from the news later on). It was rather peculiar to have a watermelon painted against a backdrop of jungles and beaches! But never the less it was as good as playing "Where's Wally"

Anyway, early this year there was news of the authorities wanting to demolish the jail which is over a 100 years old. So during Chinese New Year, when most city dwellers were out of town, I asked hubby to drive me along this wall in hopes of finding the watermelon one last time. Alas, I couldn't find it. So there's no picture to be taken or at least shown to dear hubby. One part of me felt quite disappointed that I don't get to "preserve" that part of the memory in a solid photographs. I really do hope that there is someone out there who photographed that watermelon.

Sadly on Monday 21st June 2010, they started to process of demolishing the eastern walls - the very wall with the painted watermelon...

McCafe WILL BE OPENING IN MALAYSIA

2010-06-15T15:54:00.002+08:00

Ok. This happened like 10 minutes ago. Had to interrupt my wedding post for another date...

So 10 minutes ago, I got a call from a gentleman. He claimed he is from McDonalds. At first I found it weird that McDonalds would be interested in calling ME (of all Homo Sapiens on Earth). Then the caller mentioned about an email I sent to them regarding McCafe. Technically only one other living person that I KNOW knows about that particular email - hubby. And this email correspondent happened back early June. So I thought maybe it's really from McDonalds.

Anyway, the phone conversation was a very short one - 2 minutes FLAT. Honestly, I forgot his name because what he told me really caught me off guard - There will be a McCafe opening in Malaysia either 4th quarter of 2010 or 1st quater of 2011. Their first McCafe will be in the Klang Valley so those staying in Penang (like myself) would have to wait a little much longer. So the moment I hung up, the first thing I did was actually to Google the number that called me "+603 7843 3388" - just to be sure I think... And guess what's the first result that pop-up? Yup yup. Indeed that number belonged to McD. Since the caller DID say I can inform my friends and family, might as well put it up on my blog and let EVERYBODY know... he didn't say no blogging (^_^)

Update 17 August 2011
Well, time came and gone. Even my daughter is born. But there is no McCafe YET. I don't know what happened and there is no reply to my mails either. Dang, I should have taken down that guy's name!

When "facts" are distorted by fats

2010-06-15T13:16:00.000+08:00

Image sourced from: http://www.sanandres.esc.edu.ar

Way back in primary school we learned about the food pyramid. The most items we must consume is grain, wheat, bread and rice (bottom of the pyramid). Followed by fruits and vegetables. In the midspan of the pyramid is dairy products (usually at par with poultry or one rung below) and the least food group we must consume are those snack and junk foods.
When we proceeded to secondary school, things got more detailed. We learned specific sources of energy for the body and how nutrients effect our bodies - carbohydrates (glucose), proteins (amino acids), vitamins and other minerals. Also this is when we learned how carbohydrates (from rice, bread, potato) are broken down into glucose which is the main source of energy for the body. Access energy are stored as FATS. Correct? That's what we were taught in school and also learned from encyclopedias and text books.

But today I met up with one certain individual over breakfast who shot me down over her crack pot theory that eating meat (especially chicken meat SHE SAYS) makes you fat. It all began when she questioned my decision to not eat rice for dinner. Initially it was only for 6 months when I needed to get into shape for the wedding. But then it sort of become a norm for me which lead to my decision to cut rice out of my dinner menu PERMANENTLY. Unsatisfied with my explanation (by the way I was in biology class in F6, equivalent to A-Levels) she went on with her twisted story of how her own children got fat after eating meat. I know her children personally and none of them are fat. In fact her son have been on a high protein diet lately just to build up some muscle for an upcoming martial arts competition. To make matters worse she even boasted how she taught her friend's child who is on the verge of being categorized as obese, to stop eating meat and only eat rice and vegetables!

Personally I don't care what she says or thinks. But what bothered me most is how she's teaching the wrong things to someone else's child! It is true that if you eat things beyond the recommended amount, is not good for you. But blaming entirely on one particular food source for something that's actually caused by another (or a combination of others) is totally unfair. I may have lost some weight from not eating carbs for dinner but have not become pencil thin because I still consume carbohydrate for breakfast and lunch. Basically my conversation ended the moment she claimed to taught her friend's child some diet regime of hers. For me, it was beyond my ability to reason with the unreasonable...

The Saturday Before

2010-06-14T14:39:00.000+08:00

On 29th May we had a feast for relatives from MY side of the family and also my closest pals. So ladies (and the handsome gentlemen) the two tables of friends you guys met are my closest buddies - so no bitching please (hehehe...).
That day I woke up an hour earlier from my usual schedule - 0700. Dragged myself out of bed while dear hubby is still stuck in slumber land. Jamie (my official photographer) and I envy men who do not need to put on makeup or do their hair while us ladies have to wake up extra early to (as my big brother puts it) - get our faces fixed! Well I got my makeup done by my brother's friend's friend but the hair we decided to leave it alone since curly hair makes me look FAT. I'll blog about the makeup another day including some pictures my hubby took.

Anyway, by the time I was done with my makeup it was almost noon. My family was already there at the restaurant while hubby and I slowly wiggle our way there. From there on it was 4 hours of non stop all you can eat and greet. While I know some of my friends and relatives managed to catch up with one another but being the bride it's hard to sit still. It's either I'm off greeting someone or having a picture taken. By the way, I do wish to take this opportunity to thank all my friends for staying all the way till the end. If I find it exhausting, I know you guys would too. Below is another set of montage of pictures I've taken (hijacked from Jamie's preview pictures). I'll just let the pictures do the talking ... Enjoy (^.^)

The Newly Weds

p.s Tell tale signs of rebelliousness? Wedding dress paired with boots (^_^)

Games on Google?

2010-06-08T00:47:00.010+08:00

Click on the image above to play Pac Man on Google

I got this information from BBC news. It sort of became a hit with many Google users though some may not be aware of it because it was on Google's official page (http://www.google.com) for only a day. The next day they created a permanent link (http://www.google.com/pacman) for those who wished to play the game. Do try if you're interested (^_^)

I DON'T WANT TO GET MARRIED!!!!!

2010-06-02T12:48:00.000+08:00

Please excuse the sudden title. It's not that I don't want to get married, but not THIS WAY. I mean not the way I see it at the moment at least (^_^)

Two years ago when we decided to sign the papers, all was well. In fact that was one of the happiest moment when everything was kept to simplicity - a simple two table dinner consisting of my family and his. Of course there were some set backs and objections from all four corners of the world when I suggested that the registration ceremony to be our wedding itself and forgo all those traditions of banquets, tea servings and what not. You can't blame the elders for wanting to stick to tradition despite young folks like us think of it as a burden more than anything else. My cousin sis K knows best. She's been through this road before, the hordes of objections for keeping things simple was overwhelming. But I really have to thank her for setting up this path. As I followed her footsteps of simplicity there were lesser objections AND the majority truly enjoyed themselves with the freedom of sitting with whom they liked and eating what they want. Anyway, isn't freedom what we all love most?

I'm really really lucky that for the lunch banquet last week, all I had to do was show up! Everything else was prepared by my brothers and parents and not to forget eldest aunt who is the sole person around here to know the family hierarchy at her finger tips. On that day, I could just waltz around the restaurant like a doll knowing that no one would ask me anything when the whole world knew I know nothing! (^_^)

As the days draw near to this Saturday's event, I try not to get too many things into my head. But things doesn't seem to permit me to repeat the previous event. Already I'm being told to do this and that, which I'm currently dragging my feet to it. Not to forget those "small people（小人 xiao ren)" who always have their say in things despite knowing very little while pretending they know the better than all holy books combined! In Chinese small people sometimes take a second meaning referring to individuals who are narrow minded and gets easily offended when their opinion/request/ideas gets rejected - commonly all negative characteristics (ie autocratic,temperamental,uncooperative)are associated with these people. The first meaning refers to midgets.

So for those who are attending this Saturday's dinner, if you can't find me, try looking at the makeshift kitchen behind the school hall...

I'm an ogre!

2010-05-26T16:06:00.002+08:00

In my previous post - Dress Crisis, I mentioned about a little problem with my luncheon dress. Well it turned out that there wasn't any problem with the zipper or the dress as a matter of fact. But me.

Little did I know that there's a technique in wearing this dress. How you pull up the dress and zip up the zippers MATTERS. In short you have to be gentle and kind to the dress and not rough it up like some wrestling event! Anyway, this is what happened...

I went back to the bridal this morning, let them know of the problem and left. They called up later to say there was nothing wrong with the dress. Perhaps the sizing was not right. So I went back there again to have it all ironed out. First they pointed out to me that there is nothing wrong with the zippers or other parts of the dress. Then we proceed to HOW TO WEAR THE DRESS PROPERLY - hook the claps BEFORE you zip.

There's no problem with the dress now and I'm all set for the luncheon. Here goes another week of silence before I bombard my blog with posts and pictures... Happy Weekend Everyone!

Dress crisis!

2010-05-24T23:59:00.000+08:00

Just collected my dress this evening from the bridal studio. Above is what I'll be wearing for the luncheon this weekend. Actually I'm really lucky to have those good ladies at the bridal to let me rent the dress for a week. I mean some friends told me they can only get the dress a day or two before the actual event. And I'm already at a crisis.

It's now midnight and I just found a problem with the dress. The zipper pops open when stressed. This is one big disadvantage when trying the dress with an empty stomach. I for one, didn't know the zipper was THAT weak. When I tried the dress at the studio some 5 hours ago, it was alright. There was even some loose space for my tummy to expand. Mind you I've been on a strict diet since last December and most of the dinner meals only leave me 70-80% filled just to avoid having food tummy after meals. So imagine my horror when I tried on the dress right after dinner only to hear "PIAK"

Somehow I didn't get furious or enraged. I just turned it all into a great humor with dear hubby when each time I exhale there will be an echo of "PIAK(s)" and the zip opens up bigger! Dear hubby doesn't get angry so easily. In fact he found it rather amusing (^_^) Oh well, they are closed tomorrow so that leaves me with Wednesday to get the dress all fixed...

Beetle

2010-05-10T12:04:00.000+08:00

I was out gardening yesterday morning when I spotted this -

Oh wait. It's out of focus... oops (^_^)

There you go. It's a beetle! Let's zoom in and see the beetle up close. Looks a little scary huh?

The beetle in these pictures is actually dead. It went belly up two nights ago and since I did not want to waste a good looking specimen, might as well turn it into my little model. Unfortunately when I took this picture I did not have a macro lens so I cannot take really really up close pictures. The only option is to crop the image. Anyway, the macro lens cost about MYR2,000 (yup, you read it right TWO THOUSAND Malaysian Ringgit) while a cheaper alternative is to stick a magnifying glass in front of the lens which would cost about MYR200 (less one zero from the macro lens).

The Beauty of Pain

2010-05-08T10:30:00.002+08:00

“Many saw a pretty face but only one saw torture and pain” – Me –

Last Saturday we were at Pisa for BriPex 2010. It’s a bridal and camera fair merged into one. Coincidentally we arrived just in time to watch a bikini fashion show. Now I don’t quite know how to put this fashion show into words. The girls are not the most beautiful in town, in fact there are some faces among the crowd of spectators who seemed to fair much better (no, I’m not referring to myself). Anyway, it’s quite predictable on what to expect when you have a stage with girls in skimpy clothing and a throng of photography enthusiast waiting at the edge of the runway!

If you try typing BriPex 2010 Bikini Photoshoot in Google, you’ll get plenty of pictures as result. But of the many pictures that shows the faces and bodies of those pretty girls (which I later found out one of the models is ALMOST 18, I wonder if it it’s illegal??) However, I doubt anyone would bother looking at their feet as most of them (mainly men) would be busy ogling at something else (O.o). I learnt about taking pictures of someone’s feet from another photographer – Pak Din. I don’t know if he reads my lame blog but if he does, and then I’ll say “Terima kasih Pak Din! MakCik dapat banyak gambar kakiiiiiiiiiii”. The translations meaning “Thank you Pak Din! Auntie (apparently he likes calling me MakCik or Auntie, but I’m okay with it) took plenty of feet pictures” He taught me that a person’s feet tell a different form of story compared to faces as there are no expressions on one’s feet. But the impression left behind is a picture that worth a thousand words.

Of the 5 bikini models that day, I saw 2 wore ill fitted shoes. In Chinese, these pictures carry a hidden meaning. The term 抓痛脚 [zhua tong jiao] literally “grab pain (wounded) leg” actually means to catch someone red handed (committing a crime or sin) but instead of handling over to the authorities (or superior of a workplace), you use it to blackmail that person for personal gain. But in these pictures the grab is about grabbing a picture, not the physical grab.

But of all models, Barbie was the best. She stood still the entire day and entirely up to me to decide how to take her picture!

My First online Shopping

2010-05-07T11:59:00.005+08:00

Let's face the facts that shopping via the Internet is nothing new. Some can spurge up to thousands a month by just clicking here and there. But not all Internet purchases are sunny side up. There are stories of individuals being cheated of their money. And with all those horror stories being added up, it kind of freaked me out in wanting to buy anything online.

Anyway, last month I saw an advertisement on another blogger's site. Cheeserland was advertising about this particular online company which sells cosmetic products at discounted prices. The company Best Buy World is registered to a Hong Kong company Yinlai Trading (HK) Limited and the Malaysian branch is a company called Telescan Network Sdn Bhd. Unfortunately, I couldn't get much information from the website so I did an additional Googling. I found out that there is another identical company under the name Best Buy World but one registered in Singapore and another in Indonesia. Then I saw the difference in the URL, the Singapore company is written as http://sg.bestbuy-world.com while the Malaysian company is written as http://my.bestbuy-world.com/ and the Indonesian company as http://id.bestbuy-world.com/. I clicked on the Singaporean website and found the "parent company" is written as Bestbuy World (HK) Limited which is the same as the Indonesian site. A little different from the Malaysian site but never the less, the street address on all three sites are the same. Perhaps all the companies are of the same bosses.

The only reason that made me wanted to buy from this site is because they are selling samples at a reasonable price. Let's do some simple maths here. For example a 100ml bottle of cleanser is sold at MYR100 (retail price) while the samples that are sold is only MYR10 for 15ml. So if I were to buy 7 bottles of 15ml samples from this site, I only pay MYR70 for a total of 105ml. Which means I save MYR30! But this isn't exactly my reasoning of purchasing from them. I actually saw a pallet of lip colors (4 shades) sold at MYR35. Retail stores hardly sell you these pallets in fact these samples are only given if you've spent like hundreds of Ringgit buying their products. And since I need some new lip colors for my wedding I thought maybe I should just get it. It's better than spending MYR50 or so for just ONE color.

So I've decided to put my money to the test. I placed order of the lip color along with a few more items to qualify for free delivery charges (if I spend a total of MYR100 and above I get free delivery via Pos Laju). I made my order two weeks ago but delayed payment until Tuesday when my salary cleared. And today the items are delivered to my office as requested! The sample pack is indeed small but since I'll rarely put on makeup, I bet I'll only be using it ONCE!

Things I bought from them. Shiseido sun block (SPF34) MYR20 for 2 bottles of 7ml each.
Estee Lauder lip color pallet of 4 colors at MYR35 and that green bottle is also from
Estee Lauder, pore minimizing lotion at MYR52 for 15ml.

When I made my payment on Tuesday I was nervous that I might get cheated. The company information was so limited I had doubts that this site is genuine. But when I received the goods in good condition I felt relieved. Even though this "test" turned out to be a success I couldn't help but worry of all the WHAT IFs. Like what if this company closes down suddenly and ran away with my money? Or the website disappeared over night and I have no one to help me claim my money. So would I buy stuffs from online stores in future? MAYBE... just maybe

Update 18 August 2010
I did an extra search via Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (in English is Companies of Commission of Malaysia) or SSM for short. All I can say is Telescan Network Sdn. Bhd. is a company registered in Kuala Lumpur with the registration number 572271-X. If you need extra information you'll have to pay SSM.

Update October 14, 2011
The company named YINLAI TRADING (HK) LIMITED (Company Registry Number 1181316) is a Hong Kong registered business incorporated in 02-Nov-2007. In 06-Oct-2010, the company name is changed to BEST BUY WORLD (HK) LIMITED. Sourced directly from Hong Kong's Companies Registry - http://www.icris.cr.gov.hk/csci/. As of today, the company's status is ACTIVE.

Invasions of Photographers

2010-04-27T14:26:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday we were invited the last minute to join a little get together at Penang's Botanical Gardens to test out Panasonic Lumix series lenses by a friend who is also a sale rep from Panasonic. It turned out that we weren't the only ones having a little gathering there. A Buddhist society have organized a photo shoot session for enthusiast. When Hubby Dan and I arrived, I felt intimidating to see a horde of 50-or-so people loitering near the entrance. All with a camera in their hands. While they chatter away, I joined hubby for a little "warm up" session and snapped on some flowers blooming nearby.

When our friend arrived, we wasted no time in testing out the goodies he brought along. Among them include a macro lens

And fish eye lens or wide angle lens. Which was used to create the big head effect.

But the highlight of the day isn't about us or the lenses actually. It was the fun of watching this group of enthusiast who moved about like paparazzi. The reason? Well, we later found out that the event coordinator had invited 3 beauties to pose as models. Of the 3 one was significantly attractive making everyone to follow her where ever she went. Across the park...

into the jungle...

over the bridge...

until there was no where to go!

Who's Fault is it anyway?

2010-04-27T11:03:00.000+08:00

Last month I began working on the invitation cards. I had 3 invitations to work on. The first one was for my family's event in PJ, the second involves the twin boys here in Nibong Tebal on June 5th and the third invitation is for my sister-in-law's family some 3 weeks later.

I drafted the initial copy and emailed it to my younger brother to proof read and make the necessary changes. He changed a few words here and there, and added an RSVP at the bottom. Sounds normal right? But little did we know that the RSVP my dear brother added has a mistake - he wrote in the wrong phone number. And I "continued" the mistake by blindly copying and pasting the edited version without actually reading the entire content.

The wrong number practically stayed there even when I emailed him 3 times to double check and counter check with my parents. His response was "Good to go" so I gave the green light to the printers and they were off for printing. So when my mom received the package last week, no body knew of the problem until yesterday when she was about to send the card out by post. But instead of finding out where went wrong, I got a verbal lashing over some mistake I didn't create. I may have my fair share of being careless but if that's the case, everyone's at fault too isn't?

So who's fault is it anyway? YOU TELL ME

My First Photography outing - Spice Garden

2010-04-19T14:09:00.000+08:00

Price of Digital SLR cameras has reduced greatly over the years and it's becoming a popular trend among young enthusiast who have a limited budget to fiddle in the world of photography.

When digital camera replaced films, it was a major break through that changed the world. Back then only a small select few would want to take photography as a hobby as the negatives (films) are the main set backs. If you've made a mistake in taking a photo, your film goes to waste. But with digital cameras, you can take the same picture a hundred times yet, you can delete the "rejects" from the memory card directly.

When I was in university (circa 2006), I wanted to take photography as an extra curricular activity. But the lecturer shun those who didn't own an SLR (or at least a DSLR). He said those with dummy cameras or point and shoot can never take good photographs. At that point I really wanted to show him my works with my "dummy" Panasonic TZ1. But what's the point of arguing with an arrogant individual who thinks he's the world's best camera man?

So two Sundays ago, I joined the boys for my first photography outing. I'm still clueless in many aspects of photography but never the lest enjoyed getting pointers from expert photographers who have been in this field for many years.

Our trip is to the Spice Garden in Penang Island - a popular location for pre-wedding photography. Even though I was bogged down with flu from my cactus pollen attack a few days before, at least I managed to get a few interesting shots.

Unfortunately for us, it was not the flowering season so there was very little bloom.

And what more irony when the only spices we saw in the garden are those dried up ones inside their museum!

Apart from my hubby and his brother Danny, we were joined with other photography enthusiast like Pak Din (Uncle Din) who turned my FEET as his model and posted it here!

Cactus Bloom

2010-04-13T15:13:00.000+08:00

The week before QingMing Festival, it began to rain. Many flowering plants were blooming and the 6 foot tall cactus tree bloomed like there was no tomorrow. It attracted quite a lot of attention in our neighborhood. On the first night, my hubby organized a little photography sessions with his friend and brother.

I didn't join them because I had other chores to complete first. They stayed up until 3 o'clock in the morning. The second night, many enthusiast who were my in-law's friends came over. They too stayed on till very late but again, I find my pillow more inviting.

By the third night, there weren't many flowers left. So hubby took this opportunity to give me a little lesson using my new Panasonic GF1. I must say there are so many functions and I got totally lost mid way forgetting which setting corresponds to which effect!

Anyway unlike the earlier two sessions, we finished at about 12am. The reason was I accidentally sniffed the pollen from the cactus and Aaaaaaaa CHHHHOOOOoooooo~!

When I woke up the next morning I was already having a runny nose and mucus was flowing freely from my nose like a leaked pipe!

Clear Bright Day

2010-04-04T10:30:00.009+08:00

This post contains images of tomb stones and prayer offerings which may be offensive to certain individuals. Viewer discretion advised.

Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day is a festival for Chinese to tend the graves of the dearly departed. Held on every 15th day from the Spring Equinox or approximately on April 4th, 5th or 6th every year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern times, people either attend to the graves of the dearly departed either a week earlier or after for one simple reason - traffic jam!

About a month before Qingming festival, the caretakers of the cemetery will burn the entire burial ground – a quick and cheap way to kill all the weeds. Prayer shops will start to sell paper offerings. Apart from common items like hell bank notes and paper made gold bars, objects such as electronic gadgets (like i-pod and laptops) and branded garments are also burnt as an offering to the dearly departed.

Some individuals believe that the more you offer your ancestors, the more prosper you become. But hubby’s grandma doesn’t see it that way. She believes it is the thoughts that count, so she kept it simple. Fruits, noodles, biscuits, were given as food offerings. While paper offerings were kept at a minimum. When offerings tea and wine, the number of cups are always odd numbered with 3 cups of each drink being the most commonly used.

The designs and styles of tomb stones changes with time. From the changes of quality and materials, right up to some individuals who even change the language! I don’t know what year 2603 exactly refers to. But if it’s the Chinese Lunar Calendar (continuously numbered years), then the Gregorian equivalent could be in 1973.

Tomb stones erected are written to describe who is/are the occupant(s). The green colored word is the name of the deceased and the first word below his/her name is the family name. The word 妣(bi) on top of the name indicate the deceased is a wife and the word 考(kao) is for husband. The single tomb below is my husband’s grandfather’s brother’s wife while the triple occupant tomb is my husband’s grandfather’s father and mothers. Yup, great granddad had two wives which back then, is very common for the wealthy people.

Anyway, a little stone with the words 后土 refers to the Earth Deity or the guardians of the tombs which comes with every tomb. It’s sort of like a package, when you build a tomb stone, you must have a spot on the left side of the tomb (in reference the departed tomb is facing you) for the Earth Deity. Don’t ask me why because even grandma is unsure – it’s just like that she says. (^_^)

The younger generations today might not find this gathering much fun when everyone is out to pollute the skies with ash and smoke from their burning offerings. But some of us are all out to make it a fun trip especially with my hubby and his twin, busy clicking away with their cameras and attracting attention. Many people were looking at them because of taboo, they believed that by taking pictures you will disturb the deceased. But then my hubby would argue that the deceased is his ancestors, he bets they wouldn't mind (^_^). While I on the other hand, find it fun reading one tomb stone after another. But, there are some abandoned tomb stones so washed out until the words on the stone are almost gone.

All pictures provided in this post belongs to my Hubby Dan and his twin brother Tank

Vandalism - an expression to seek attention?

2010-04-01T12:15:00.000+08:00

A few Sundays back, I accompanied dear hubby for a stroll in the forest reserve in Bukit Panchor (Panchor Hill) which sits at the boarder between Penang, Perak and Kedah state. My hubby focused his attention on the beauty of the park while trying to avoid the scribbles and carvings on the tree, gazebos and even rubbish bins! I on the other hand couldn't resist NOT reading them.

I don't know if this is only happening to certain countries or is it a global problem. Some treat graffiti as art while others may call it an eyesore. But the problem I see isn't about those who can paint well with spray cans - it's those who write vulgar messages and mobile numbers of individuals who can provide "companionship" or in need of one.

It only shows the mentality of the people who come here - desperate for attention. I have not witness any vandalism in progress but what's left on the gazebo pillars or the tree bark tells of individual who are deprived of love and attention from home, sounds like courting danger. Situations like this often put me at thoughts of how am I going to bring a child into this world when the surroundings look so "dangerous"? How do I love him or her enough to prevent my child ending up as a desperate individual looking for "happiness" outside the house? And what more the dangers of sexual predators who looks like your average Joe but the heart of a demons? Or maybe I'm just having a PMS moment, please excuse me (^_^)

Earth Hour - I didn't participate (techinically)

2010-03-29T13:01:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday was Earth Hour but I don't know if I consider myself participating to this event. Dear hubby and I had an appointment with a friend an hours drive away. So between 8.30-9.30 we were actually on the road. For security reasons, some lights were left on. But we used energy saving light bulbs (^_^)

There wasn't much of a difference to those who stayed in rural areas. Most of them carried on with their lives as if Earth Hour does not exist. Of the many houses near where I stayed, only one family actively participated.

Businesses in the town were running as usual and some late night eateries still at their best trying to out bright their competitors with spot lights and neon signs. Whether there was any participation from any local business is uncertain. But one thing I'm sure is the sky is still bright even though it was already 12am!

Love me when I'm alive, not when cremated

2010-03-27T17:08:00.001+08:00

Image sourced from Hubby Dan

Recently a very close friend of mine broke a "sad" news - her paternal grandmother passed away. I used the word sad with quotes because knowing her for so many years, it's nothing to be sad of. In fact, she was happy her grandmother died and now enjoying a great show of her uncles and aunts fighting over a small plot of land left behind by the old lady.

My friend is a victim of cultural extremism - loving only boys and loathing girls. The reason why she was despised by her paternal grandmother was purely because my friends mother gave birth to 2 girls - no boys. In old fashion families, sons are valued more than gold, diamonds or even petroleum! Unable to carry down the family name, the mother and her two daughters (including my friend) were constantly bullied. It was easy for me to advice her to make a police report, but it was difficult for her to act on because the culprits are her fathers siblings and mother.

She told me that her paternal grandfather once said that if her grandma dies, what's left of the property should be divided equally among children who are still staying there. That's why her aunts did not shift out of the wooden home which was originally designed to fit a family of 5. I advised her to move out because even her own paternal grandmother dislikes her, I doubt she would want her father to obtain a portion of the property. Furthermore, there is no value in the wooden house BUT the land where it sits on have a good market price. For such inheritance, it's not worth the fight.

Two years ago, she finally bought her own apartment unit. A small unit but at least it's comfortable enough for 4 people. So when her grandmother died, she was forced to cancel all good events - weddings, birthdays and parties because old folks believe when there is a death, there must be a 100 days mourning period before any good events can occur. But I don't believe such things so I sent her my wedding invitation.

She was surprised that despite knowing her grandmother passed away, I still invited her. She asked me if I don't mind even though there was a death of a relative? I replied her email in a simple sentence.

Treasure your loved ones only when they are alive, not when they are cremated.
My wedding is once in a lifetime (ironically so is death),
But I rather have you come laugh at my wedding than cry on my coffin when I can't see a thing!

Sales gimmick for the greedy

2010-03-25T10:32:00.037+08:00

Sometime two weeks ago, there was a new company set up in one of the newly completed shop lots.

At the sight of the sign board, it's obviously another company selling health supplements. On their opening day, the entire housing area was jammed pack with peoples and cars! It's a good thing dear hubby and I overslept till late noon - totally avoided the crowd. Later I got word from my mother-in-law that they were giving out free packets of brown rice on that day. A typical gimmick to bait potential customers. In the coming weeks I was told they will continue giving out free gifts on condition you listen to their health seminar. Those who want freebies have to queue up at their store front and they have their seminar time tables listed at their doorstep for those who are interested.

So every morning (for the past two weeks, except on weekends) people will queue outside the store creating this huge crow, thus slowing down traffic to a snail's pace for those curious busy bodies who were eager to know what's going on inside. What goes on in there, I don't know. My MIL didn't want to listen to such things because she knows there's nothing special about this particular company compared to the hundreds of other similar companies selling health supplements.

Anyway, I may be Curious George at times but not greedy. So instead of queuing up like the rest of those housewives and house-husbands, I Googled the company and TA-DA! A dot com selling health supplements. From royal jelly to Spirulina and other what-nots. Since it's available on their site, I've made a little price list of some of their products for you to gawk

Royal Jelly 1 set of six bottles (6 X 60 grams) RM 1620.00 (approx. USD497)
Plant Enzyme 1 bottle (175 g) RM 883.00 (approx. USD266)
Bee Pollen 1 bottle (300 tablets) RM 420.00 (approx. USD126)
Bio Grain (a.k.a mixed grains beverage) 1 bottle (500g) RM 235.00 (approx. USD80)
Longan Nectar (honey) 1 kg RM 98.00 (approx. USD30)
Spirulina tablets 1 set 3 bottles (3* 400's ) RM 796.00 (approx USD240)

Now I don't care if this is their so called "non-member's" price or not - one thing for sure, its blood sucking expensive. Business wise it's definitely profiteering because you literally cut out the middle men. The headquarters imports the products and distributes to their branches - the middle men (in this case the retail stores) are left out giving these companies a bigger slice of the cake. I have friends who worked with similar places previously and the staffs price for most supplements is only 25% of the published rates. That leaves a whooping 75% of profit between the company and the sales agents! So for every 100 dollars spent, only 25 dollars goes to the product while the rest is nothing more but profits. No wonder these companies are mushrooming all over the country, and even rural areas are not spared...

Hershey’s Better Basket Blog Hop

2010-03-24T13:20:00.000+08:00

I'm not a mother YET, so it's very hard for me to understand what mothers went through. Both my hubby Dan and I were born two weeks premature so our moms knew the horrors of leaving their little ones getting artificial sun tan in clear casings with surgical tapes to our eyes. Mom said during her pregnancy she only prayed for one thing - a healthy child. She abide to every known fact AND superstition even though some of the superstition may sound absurd to her.

But not all child is born healthy. For many (like myself and hubby Dan), we can go home within days or weeks. While others have to say much longer. This Easter Hershey Company will donate $10(up to total of $5,000) to each blog post to Children Miracle Network, a non-profit alliance of children’s hospitals dedicated to providing state-of-the-art care, life-saving research and preventative education across North America. So this blog post is my contribution to help the little ones get their day a wee bit better. This donation drive officially begin at 12 AM EST on March 18th and end at 12 PM EST on April 4th, 2010. I got my Easter basket from my dear friend Rosidah of Indonesia who got hers from Susan of Ireland. And now I pass this basket to you, my reader.

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.
Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.
Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.
Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.
Leave your link at http://betterbasket.info/bloghop/ comment section. You can also find the official rules of this #betterbasket blog hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.
Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).
Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

If Chemistry is THIS FUN!

2010-03-18T17:18:00.000+08:00

Chemistry is a very interesting subject. But in school, it was a burden because the teacher was boring and the text book was equally dull. At times my classmates and I wondered which is "duller" - the teacher or the book!

Anyway, I saw someone posted this on Facebook and thought I should share this clip with everyone. This is surely an innovative way to teach children!

What-doku?

2010-03-17T13:43:00.000+08:00

Things that are uncommon or unusual very often becomes the "appetizer" in any conversation. But what is common to you maybe uncommon to others.

In November year my hubby bought me a book of sudoku puzzle. 1250 puzzles in a book the size of Oxford Dictionary. It's been following me where ever I go - the office, at the workshop (a.k.a the car hospital) where dear hubby goes regularly to visit his beloved track car and sometimes at home. What surprises me most is not many people know about sudoku. In the past 6 months or so, out of all those who asked about this book, only two people knew the name of the game. Now let's take the assumption that those who never asked are neutral - half know and half don't. But those who DID ASK about that thick mammoth book either they never read the news papers or are illiterate!

Most of them who asked thought I was studying mathematics - just because they saw me filling those blanks with numbers.Only two out of the many people who asked knew the game and how to play it. The most intriguing part isn't about these two who also knew this game is available daily in all major newspapers but those who didn't know sudoku. The most hilarious question was this particular guy - about 30 plus years old asking me for today's special number. I was baffled there a moment pondering what on Earth sudoku has to do with lottery? Then it struck me in the head! Hard core lottery players each have their own funny way of predicting the jackpot numbers and that particular guy thought my sudoku book was MY method of calculating my lottery number!Good HEAVENS!

I'm neither a gambler nor do I buy lottery because I find it a waste of money. But on the other hand, how can I blame this guy for thinking I was calculating daily lottery numbers when my skin color is notorious for gambling....

Paid to sleep or sleeping on the job?

2010-03-15T11:17:00.000+08:00

When one works for long hours, one tends to opt for 40 winks during break time. Even I would sometimes take a short nap in the office. But how do you take a nap when you work in an F&B outlet and there is no proper rest room or staff room? Do you just flop on the table like a dead fish for the world to see?

I have no objection to these girls taking a nap – IF it is their break time, of course. But shouldn’t they at least wear a jacket or some sort to cover up their uniforms? Wearing a jacket over your uniform is a sign that one is off duty or having a break. But when you are NOT covering your uniform, it shows that you are STILL on the job. It makes me wonder what kind of work culture they have at this particular workplace especially when they are seen in their uniform slopped on the table like an over exhausted walrus! No offense, but when a company’s image is on the line, this is just bad.

But if you think this is bad, I’ve actually seen worse. At another fast food joint, I saw with my own eyes a staff washing her hands from the drink dispenser machine! Imagine how shocked this girl was when I was staring at her from a distance and a camera in my hand! Well, fortunately for her I left the lens cap on so the only picture I took was a blacken image. I guess when one has no sense of pride in one’s work; they’ll definitely do weird stuffs to their whim and fancies…

Knit, Knat, Knot

2010-03-12T15:44:00.000+08:00

When a good friend of mine got into a long distance relationship, it was like dooms day for her. Just the thought of being alone on one island while the other is on another island 4,449km away, was torturing. The only escape was to keep her mind busy especially at nights and during weekends. The solution? Knitting. Once she started knitting, she couldn't stop. On weekend nights she could sometimes knit till dawn. Motivated? I sure was.

Before Youtube era, the only tutorial you get is either from the shops who sells knitting stuffs, knitting starter packs or 2D pencil drawings on websites. Now that you can search Knitting for Beginners on YouTube, and get about 273 videos. So here I have linked videos for 4 most basic steps - casting on, knit, purl and casting off.

Casting on - all knitting begins when you cast yarn onto your knitting sticks.

Knit - The basics of basics

Purl - the reverse action of knitting.

Casting off - finish your knitting by knitting the yarn off the stick.

Knitting patterns are made of knits and purls. When you knit from start to end, you'll get garter stitch which looks something like this.

Image source from: http://www.knitsavvy.com/display.php?id=3

If you alternate one row knit and another row of purl, you'll get stockinette stitches like this

Image Source from: http://www.knitsavvy.com/display.php?id=4

My friend made a scarf for her boyfriend, but it's so hot in Malaysia I doubt hubby will ever need one. So I'll be a bit more practical and knit a BAG. When completed I'll sure upload on my blog. (^_^)

Recipe: Prawn noodles

2010-03-08T11:24:00.000+08:00

Prawn noodles or known as Hokkien noodles by Penangites is a popular dish easily prepared. The only obstacle is the soup which popular stalls will spend many hours to boil. However, there are some short cuts to obtain a good soup without leaving the pot on the stove overnight. I have attempted to cook this dish once for my family and a few friends to enjoy so I'll share this recipe for all.

Ingredients

Noodles - preferably rice noodles
Water (I made the assumption that I need 250ml per serving, but don't worry if you have too much water because when you boil for long periods the water will evaporate a little)
Prawns - (don't throw the head away, you'll need it.)
Pork slices (no-fat) or chicken shreds (pre-cooked)
Hard boiled egg sliced like the one in the picture
Water Spinach or Kangkong (Ipomoea aquatica) (optional - Mung bean sprout)
Onions (use pre-fried onions in oil if you're press for time)
Salt to taste
Anchovies (ikan bilis) stock (cube or loose powder is fine) (your short cut to reduce boiling time)
Oil for frying the onions and prawn heads (palm oil is fine, but try avoid vegetable oil it doesn't go well with frying sea food)
Dried chili powder (optional)

Method

Boil the water in a pot.
Pour the oil on a skillet and fry the onions until brown, remove the onions and reuse the oil to fry the prawn flesh and head to bring out the aroma. Remove the cooked prawn flesh (leave the head). Turn off the fire and let it cool a little before putting the prawn and oil into the water pot. If it's too hot the hot oil will splash out of the boiling pot of water (remember water and oil don't mix) and you might get injured. So be careful.
The original recipe requires one to boil for a few hours to bring out the aroma. As a short cut, add anchovies stock into the soup so you can reduce your boiling time to about an hour. If you are in for spicy soup, add the dried chili powder now.
While you boil the soup, you can start cooking the other ingredients by blanching (in slightly salted water) the noodles, water spinach and chicken or pork meat individually.
Put the noodles, water spinach, meat, prawn and egg in individual bowls. Only pour in the soup when you are about to serve.
Garnish with fried onions before serving
Bon Appetite!

Abortions - an impromptu lesson at school

2010-03-06T13:12:00.000+08:00

For many years now the government has been debating about allowing sex education to be thought it school. Many countries has done it but the number of pre-marital sex has not decrease. To add salt into injury, children born out of wedlock, child abandonment and abortion cases seems to be on the rise.

The biggest concern are the teachers as most of them would feel embarrassed. Only a hand full of brave teachers who would magically hide their blushing faces and attack the subject head on.Of my experience in 4 secondary schools in a span of 7 years (yes we travel allot), I only saw 3 of such teachers.

The most memorable teacher is my biology teacher for Form 4 and 5 (forth and fifth year in secondary school). I can't remember which year was it, but it was one lesson that even the boys had their eyes virtually gorged out because we never saw such anger in her before. That very morning, she walked into class with a papaya in hand. Her face was obviously furious as though she wanted to throw the papaya at us. But since there was no test or exams prior to this lesson, I knew (at least) it wasn't my fault or my classmates. She took out a knife from the preparation room and sliced the papaya horizontally like the image below.

Image source: Raw Living Food Success

Curious, we edged closer to her to find out what she plans to show us. "Now listen" she said. "Imagine this papaya is a woman's womb. And the seeds represents the placenta and embryo." She then took a spatula and started to scrape the seeds out while describing how doctors perform abortion. She later end the subject by reminding us girls that if we do not want to endure such unnecessary pain, it's best we keep our legs closed.

Stunted, baffled, shock and speechless. That was the only respond we could provide her after her 15 minutes presentation. Back then we weren't so hooked to the Internet so we didn't know that THIS procedure was actually an ancient practice performed by doctors during our great-grandmother's era. In modern times they have other alternatives to keep the injury to a minimum, like medicines to induce the woman to menstruate.

After class I approach the teacher to ask why the sudden topic of abortion. According to her one of her students from another class got pregnant and is now in a limbo. For religious reasons she cannot abort the child yet she is unprepared to be a mother. A mistake committed by two people but only one suffers. The only reason why my teacher had to go through this abortion subject with all the students is because she does not want to see another similar problem repeating and end up creating some unhealthy trend.

But that was something that happened almost 10 years ago. Today I still read similar stories in the papers and it doesn't seem to end. With or without such subject being thought in school, it still happens. The only solution I see is how parents bring up their children....

I was ALMOST on TV

2010-03-04T13:27:00.000+08:00

Two days ago, news of local Member of Parliament Tan Tee Beng has quit People's Justice Party or Parti Keadilan Rakyat to become an Independent MP. A local TV station sent out it's reporters to interview some local folks regarding this issue - which turned out to be quite amusing... at least for me, it was.

Three young chap approached the local folks asking some basic questions. Once their random candidate fit their target group, the camera boy(partially hidden) began rolling and the microphone boy(in green striped T-shirt) began asking question. The third chap(with backpack) was holding a handy cam trying the fit the camera boy, mic boy and the interviewee into his little camcorder; for internal use I guess. All three of them looked like interns.

The open air eatery is usually a hangout for elders especially after lunch hours. We were coincidentally there because it was a rest day for our regular lunch place. Anyway, the trio approached us and mic boy asked if we knew about the local MP quitting PKR to be an independent MP. I said I knew about it from online news portal while my hubby pretend to be ignorant (he's camera shy) and said he knew nothing. The mic boy then asked if I was a local which lead me to reply with a glee "Nope, I'm from the capital". He was sure disappointed that he could not nail a young interviewee. But who could blame him where most people my age would either be in school, at work or home because it's 3pm in the afternoon! So mic boy and his two camera buddies had to scroll the entire market asking questions at old folks who looked like they couldn't care less which party the MP belonged to.

On the political side, I'm not interested either. Who belongs to which party doesn't really matter much as long as they do their job in helping the people. However to me, politicians equates to dishonestly, corruption and greed. So I have very little hope towards whoever that sits up there. At most during election time, I'll only think of "giving others a chance"... And since I wasn't involved in voting this man to represent this community, I lost my 30 seconds of "fame" (^_^)

Childhood - Doing what you could not

2010-03-02T14:30:00.008+08:00

Since this is my 100th post, I'm going to make this something a little special. Remember when you were a kid and mom is super strict with whatever you do (or at least wished to do)? Well last Friday was a public holiday and my hubby was out with the boys leaving me home alone. It was my request to be left alone so I can spend some "me" time with the telly. In the end, I actually came up with some "fun" activities doing things my mom would never allow me to do - as a child.

Eating peach straight from the can
As a child, mom never allow any of us to eat anything straight from the can or whatever container the food came in. We have to pour it all into a bowl, divide into equal portion and take only one share. For once today, I had the entire can to myself.
TV meal.
Dad has never approve of TV dinner - for obvious reasons. Mom would cling on to her Chinese TV series like an addict just for "45-minutes of boost".
Super unbalanced meal
When I was a kid, all my meals are like the food group pyramid. Plenty of vegetables, rice, some meat and fruits after each meal. This time I had the luxury of eating the entire can of peach for breakfast, burger for lunch and miso-udon for dinner!
Running around the house in pajamas
Yup. I've committed the age-old crime of wearing my PJs for almost the entire day.

Even though it was fun to break all rules, there was a downside. The unbalance diet gave me an upset stomach. Watching too much telly gave me headaches and lying around the house like a corps didn't make it any better. Did I enjoy it? Well, at first yes but by the end of the day I wished I didn't do it. So will I do it again? Most unlikely...

Seeing Red over Wedding Blues

2010-02-28T12:00:00.001+08:00

As my so-called wedding day draws near, temperature starts to rise – literally. It has not been raining for the past few weeks and according to the national Met-Geo department, it’s going to stay that way until the change of monsoon winds in later months. And I don’t think that will sink in very well with many people because when temperature rises, tempers will flair faster than you can throw a flaming match stick on a pile of kerosene soaked leaves.

Of late there have been many questions about my preparation for my “big day”. The majority who asked was only asking for the sake of asking. And I truly thank them for their kind thoughtful gestures… you know who you are, I don’t have to spell out your name. However, there is a hand full of wizards and witches who tried to cast a spell or two into my wedding broth. At this point, any opinion given will not make a big deal as most of the job is done and decisions decided. YET, there are some who thinks they can use CTRL-Z (Undo) on anything that’s not to their liking.

I don't understand why can't the bridal couple make arrangements for their own wedding and everyone else just comply quietly. Unless the couple makes ridiculous demands and absurd wishes forcing parental intervention which of course is another case all together. Modern children would find most of the traditional ceremonies "outdated" and worse still, over priced. Look at the modern stuffs on the Internet. Anything sold with the word "Wedding" on it gets a price boost of 50% more. Good for supplier, bad for customer. So why compel to outdated procedures when it's nothing more than a waste of money?

Secondly, no body likes to be compared, not even siblings. But I guess this a common practice for desperate housewives who have nothing better to do. From dowry to banquets, everything gets scrutinized and compared who is generous and who is stingy. On a personal note, there is no need to compare because everyone's economic status is different! So no matter how you look at it, an apple can never match an orange. Even twins are not exactly the same.

Thirdly, everyone is different, so their beliefs are not the same, right? If not everyone believes the same thing, why bother convincing the non-believers? I'm not a religious fanatic nor am I superstitious. So why try to convince me that by doing a certain action, I would be guaranteed a happy marriage? Isn't a happy marriage the results of hard work from two people? If one believes that praying to God(s) and deities guarantees a lifetime of happiness, by all means, I will not make any statement regarding your belief and you are free to practice your beliefs. BUT if you think you can persuade me into believing it, I will have no mercy in ~~criticizing~~ questioning your belief. I have no means to insult but when it comes to personal preference, please respect others. However, if your belief includes something solid like "sex is good for marriage" then I'll agree with you whole heartedly.

Whatever it is, I'm currently on ignoring mode. Ignoring comments, suggestions and any statement related to my wedding. It's probably the only way to keep my sanity without unleashing my wrath and put this entire event to an eternal halt...

Toying with Greed : Part 2.

2010-02-26T16:52:00.002+08:00

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed”
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

It's been over 2 months since I've posted about the Coke SMS scam I've received but there is no word from from the Fraser & Neave Holdings (Malaysia). It's anyone's guess why they have not reply.

I checked my Feedjit and was quite surprised to find that many had found my previous post - Toying with Greed via Google. At average, it's one search a week. So there's a constant flow of people actually typing "DT2547" in Google's search engine. Based on the information provided by Feedjit, this search is mainly made by those from Peninsular Malaysia. So I'm guessing that this only involves Malaysians. Has anyone fallen victim? I hope not. Anyway, as long as this SMS is going around in circulation, I won't be surprise if there will be a constant search for these two blog post on Toying with Greed.

In addition to the Coke scam there's another scam I received too. A local health beverage company Power Root was abused by these greedy individuals. The message was sent by a local mobile number +60178951240 with the following message: -

TAHNIAH No.SIM-card anda telah terpilih dlm undian & B'jaya Menangi Hadiah RM10.000.00'dr; Prm. POWER ROOT NO.Siri_f2e57c Utk maklmt Hub; +6012 819 2760 MOHD.ISKANDAR

which translated to English would read as follow: -

CONGRATULATIONS. Your sim card is selected in a vote and you have won MYR10,000.00 prize from Power Root. Serial number f2e57c. For information contact +60128192460 [person name] Mohd Iskandar

I will constantly update this post with phone numbers of these unscrupulous individuals for the world to see.

Scrap Booking with Adobe Photoshop

2010-02-23T17:28:00.002+08:00

Last month I published my digital scrap book on my blog and now here's a simple tutorial to create a single page with Adobe® Photoshop® CS. You will need the following:-

Pictures of you and or loved ones.
Adobe® Photoshop® CS or later higher.
Digital Scrap book materials. You can Google them or follow the links via my earlier blog post.

Firstly create a new page (CTRL-N) with standard dimensions of 600 pixels by 400 pixels. Resolution at 72 pixels per inch is good enough. If you plan to print this project, my suggestion is to change the PRESET option (currently set at CUSTOM) to a common page size (ie, A4 size) and set the resolution at 300 pixels per inch. This is going to be your canvas; your end product is on this white paper.

Now I’ll assume you’ve already downloaded the scrap book materials. For easy work, I’ve merged all my resources together and sort them out by categories – paper, frames, boarders, buttons & brads, tags & labels, ribbons & bow, and finally miscellaneous embellishments. This way, I can find my stuffs easily when I’m looking for something specific to match my project

First, select the background design you want and open that image file in Photoshop. Now, select the entire image (CTRL-A), copy (CTRL-C) and then paste (CTRL-V) on your canvas. Sometimes, you may like a certain pattern or design but you don’t quite like the color or maybe it doesn’t match. If you wish to make it opaque (imagine placing a semi-transparent film over the paper), click the OPACITY section (circled in red) and drag the cursor (default is at 100%) to the left to decrease the opacity. If you wish to change color, go to IMAGE > ADJUSTMENTS > HUE/SATURATION (CTRL-U). Drag the Hue cursor (default is 0) either rightwards or leftwards to get the color you like. For this case, I’ll leave the image alone.

Now, for most scrap book projects you would surely use more than one paper pattern. So you add more by repeating the above. By default scrap book papers are 3600x3600 which is huge enough to be printed on a 12inch x 12inch paper. In this project, 600x400 is only small enough to print 3R. So when you copy and paste the paper onto your project sheet, it’s quite huge actually. To resize, right click and select free transform (CTRL-T). If you can’t see a square line with boxed edges, it’s just probably your paper is larger than your canvas so you’ll have to zoom out by pressing CTRL-(minus “-“button) to zoom back in press CTRL-(plus”+” button). Click on the edge (red circle) and drag the image to fit your canvas. Alternatively, you can be a little more precise by keying in the size in percentage in the green circle section. The blue circle section is the coordinate of the image’s centre point. You’ll need this most when you add on embellishments. The black circle is the degree on how much you wish to tilt your image. So if you have a paper with straight vertical lines, title the paper at 45 degrees and you get slanting lines!

If you wish to crop the image, use the marquee tool (M) from the top left corner of the tool box to make a selection. The marquee tool gives you 4 options, rectangular, elliptical, single row and single column. Right click on the marquee tool to make your choice. Now make a selection on your image and press delete. Oops! It wasn’t the result you wanted! You wanted to retain your selection and remove everything else, to take one step back click EDIT>UNDO (CTRL-Z) or look right on the HISTORY tab and select the previous step you wanted to revert back to. Now make your selection again, right click to select inverse (SHIFT-CTRL-I) and click delete. Below the HISTORY tab, you’ll see the LAYER tab; it’s to show which image is on top of which image. To move a particular image to be on top or below another image, click on the specific layer and drag downwards to send it back or upwards to send it to the front.

Once you are done with the papers, you can continue adding boarders, frames and embellishments. At this stage you’ll be using free transform (CTRL-T) most, followed by color saturation change (CTRL-U), and probably plenty of “edit undo” (CTRL-Z) also. Don't worry if you don't get things right the first time.
Good luck!

Happy Holidays

2010-02-12T12:00:00.000+08:00

For the past week, Internet connection has been very poor. Not only I had problems paying bills, but also problem accessing my blog. I have a few stories I wish to share on my blog but that will just have to wait since the Lunar New Year is this Sunday and I've got a massive shopping list to compile before my shopping spree in KL next week.

I know the new year is a time for family union and stuffs but this year is just different. I'm having a wedding banquet this year (technically I'm already married... so I can't say I'm getting married can I?) and having tonnes of things to buy with so little public holiday left on my calendar, I'll just have to max out the entire week in KL.

Until then, take care. Drive safely. Happy Chinese New Year and to those not celebrating - Happy Holidays!

Chai Leng Park, Penang - Lok Lok Heaven

2010-02-02T11:42:00.000+08:00

For many years Chai Leng Park is well known for their hawker stalks. One particular food that is commonly associated with Chai Leng Park is lok-lok. Lok-lok is like steamboat but the food is skewered onto sticks and the hot pot is actually a communal cooking pot where everyone dips their food in. I wouldn't get too worried about sharing bacteria because this cooking pot is kept boiling and water is refilled every now and then.

Most of the stalls operate by the road side and it isn’t really appealing to customers who set hygiene as a top priority. There is however one particular man who owns two stalls – one by the road side and another in a proper shop lot - Sim Corner Lok Lok. Surprisingly, there is no price difference between his road side stall and the shop lot!

An abundance of choices ranging from vegitables to sea food. The price for each stick is based on the color codes on the stem - colorless at MYR0.50 each, black at MYR1.00, red is MYR1.20 and the most expensive are the yellows and blues at MYR 1.50 each.

At a glance, there isn't anything special with lok-lok. Which is probably why there are over 10 competitors in this small area. But what sets this particular store apart is it's special sauce. 6 different sauce to test your taste buds. Personally, I only go for the sweet sour sauce because it's the only non-spicy sauce - perfect for the little ones too. For those who love spicy you have 5 choices - sambal, peanut (aka satay sauce), pound onions and I forgot the other two sauces. (sorry! gomenasai! minta maaf! 对不起!)

Ever since my hubby got the Panasonic GH1 it has been an eye opening experience for us. The response of restaurant owners towards us are incredible. The owner of Sim Corner Lok-Lok encourage my hubby to walk around their little store and take as many pictures we want. That 60 year old man knows how to promote his store. I'm not the first person to blog about this cheerful man and his 10 year old trade. His grand daughter has shown him some websites and blogs putting a few good words for this family owned business. At the end of the day, it's a win win situation. My hubby gets to take pictures and sharpen his photography skills, I get constant subjects to blog about AND the owner gets free advertising!

And everyone Eats Hapilly Ever After.

When you hire idiots - Another Maxis Rant

2010-02-01T11:52:00.001+08:00

This is going to be one merciless rant.

I've been using Maxis Broadband for over one year and been paying promptly via my Mac Book (all bill payments have been done via my hubby's beautiful Mac. So for the past one week, I've been trying to pay my bills but my Small White a.k.a MacBook cannot find their payment server (When the error "Cannot find Server" shows, it means there's something wrong with THE BLOODY SERVER! Either the server is turned off or it has been overloaded with transactions OR there's a limit in user access thus we have to queue). So I called Maxis to lodge a complaint on their server.

Mana tau, that IDIOT on the other end of the line says there is nothing wrong with their server and it's my MAC's problem! And I should call Mac instead. It's like saying, there's no electricity to my house and I should call the housing developer! When there is no electricity, it means I have to call the electricity supply company and find out what's wrong (in Malaysia it's known as TNB) Why the heck should I call the housing developer?! Gosh! Talk about idiots to the extreme end.(Or maybe he didn't know I'm a computer science graduate so he thought he can try to make a fool of me...tsk!)

I guess this is what happens when most of the smart people have left the country and the majority of those left are the idiots and dumbbells...

P.S I just tried to access via Firefox from my PC... guess what? "Request time out" Meaning there's no response from their server. So don't just jump the gun and say I should try other browsers and OS. Because I JUST DID AND IT DID NOT WORK!

Pre-Wedding Album in Scrap Book Style

2010-01-29T10:30:00.001+08:00

When I was creating some of the pages in our photo book, I had an idea to create a scrap book style album. I learned about scrap booking when my dad was posted to Taiwan in the 1990s and I was there studying in an American school.

Even though my hubby liked the idea of a scrap book style wedding album but somehow he couldn’t agree on an album with scrap book design. I mean he didn’t mind me creating them and post in online for the world to see,it's just that he doesn’t want to look at it everyday – a more professional looking album would be more suitable he says.

Anyway, long story short – I created two albums. One will be printed and shared with friends and families while my second album – this scrap book style album will be here on my blog and shared with the rest of the world - Enjoy

My Scrap Book

Free scrap book resources listed in alphabetical order: -

A Picture Worth a Thousand Words

2010-01-27T12:28:00.000+08:00

Image source: BBC.co.uk

The classic saying of "A Picture worth a thousand words". A good picture would instinctively inspire one to think of a thousand praises to the photographer who captured the picture. Take the one above as an example taken by Uzbek photographer Umida Akhmedova. It is one of her many pictures taken in her home country Uzbekistan. However, her works landed her in hot ~~pot~~ soup when local authorities feel that such image gives the country a bad image. Some of the pictures shown on BBC website does indeed make me think twice because it does carry a double meaning.

But what about the picture above? An image of innocence interpreted as poor? Some of us try very hard to see the good in everything while others can only see black. Well, as they say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".

Original photo article from Negative Pictures of Uzbekistan by BBC News

Just Sharing...

2010-01-25T11:16:00.001+08:00

When I’m out of blogging ideas, I really love to copy York Mei (a.k.a Hayley) and add a little “me” in it. Anyway, from Hayley’s post of head to toe beauty regime, I bring you mine.

The hair

I use 2 kinds of shampoo – anti dandruff and normal shampoo and use them on alternating occasions. The pink tube is a conditioner. I’m not into any specific conditioner as long as it works, I’m fine with it. The skinny transparent bottle on the right is hair serum. It’s the most expensive product of the lot – MYR90 a bottle. However the good thing is I only need to use very little of it. This bottle is my first bottle bought in December 2008.

The Face

I use double cleanser method so first round is Ginvera Marvel Gel on a dry face. If I have makeup on, I’ll be using a milk cleanser first. Now don’t ask me the price for this fat bottle of milk – I snagged it from my mom. Round two is facial foam – I’m currently using Biotherm but occasionally when I’m plain lazy I’ll just use the shower gel! The toner and moisturizer are also from Biotherm – it comes in a package with the cleanser.

The Makeups

Unlike Hayley – this is all I have. Liquid foundation and loose poweder from Shisheido. My mascaras are from Maybeline – the blue tube is the normal black mascara and the fat black bulb tube is waterproof mascara in brown. And finally lip sticks, lip gloss and lip balm also from Shesheido. Now I’m not exactly a fan of Shesheido despite having so many of their products. It’s just that my mom is one and I’m just helping her collecting points. I only have that small pallet of tri color eye shadow sample from Revlon because I rarely use eye shadows.

The pair of falsies in the pink container was bought at MR DIY for only MYR1.50 per pair. However when I went back there in December 2009, they already ran out of stock. So bought this big pack from Magic Boo for MYR39.00 – by the way, it looks like real lashes.

The body

I only use one thing - body lotion. The only reason why I use a body lotion is not just to maintain a soft and smooth skin but to actually ward off mosquitoes. Slab on a thick layer of lotion all over my hands and legs and the mosquito will stay away! In case you forgotten, I live in a jungle with plenty of mosquitoes and I don’t fancy those repellents.

Smell me

I own only one bottle – Burberry Brit Perfume.

Applicators and accessories

Well isn’t this obvious? Because I hardly put on makeup everything is still… almost new. The foundation puff is only MYR0.70 also from MR DIY. The brushes are a free gift when I bought evening primrose oil from Efamol®. If I have the time, I’ll be plucking my brows. Otherwise, I’ll just the brow shaver.

So there you have, my entire collection of beauty products. Very little if you compare to a beauty mogul.

New Year - New Layout

2010-01-23T10:49:00.003+08:00

I guess it's becoming a tradition for me to change my blog layout every year. It's true that over time, I tend to get bored with the layouts and like to change for something new. So any comments or ideas on my new layout is welcomed!

Thank you!

Update: I find the previous layout a little "too much stuffs". So I removed some of the "mess".

When all the smart people have left the country

2010-01-18T13:41:00.006+08:00

Here's a fact on what's happening in Malaysia - those who can afford to seek greener pastures outside the country, they will leave soonest possible. Everyone knows that developed countries are in great need of great minds, so those who think they can make the cut, will definitely try their luck. I don't blame these people for choosing a greener grass. After all at the end of the day, it all boils down to personal survival. If you know your skills and talent will earn you AT LEAST MYR3,500 a month overseas while locally you'll only be paid MYR1,200 MAX - why not go for the bigger pay, right? However, those that are left behind to graze the dull brown grass is what I'm worried about.

Below is a scene my hubby took from a playground in a rest stop along the highway. The "engineer" who designed the playground has some kind of worrying knowledge in the most basic things - the alphabets. Firstly, A and B is missing from the playground. Secondly, the sequence of alphabets is wrong - how can E be after C and before D?!

From left I analyzed. C block had a picture of Crab. E was a picture of an Elephant. The creature for D looked like a mosquito. But after a little extra thinking, I realized it was either a dragon fly or damselfly! H was really hilarious. I can't make a thought of what kind of horned four-legged animal would fit the bill for the letter H. By the looks of it, any adult would automatically think of a rhinoceros... but rhino starts with R not H. My hubby asked if it could mean hippo - but mind you, that image is very far from describing a hippo!

If such idiot can create a playground, I think I am well over qualified to be prime minister!

When Busy is good

2010-01-09T15:37:00.000+08:00

It's the weekends and I'm still busy with many things especially my pre-wedding photo book. I've submitted my photo book draft to the studio for a first round of feedback. It was not completed as I have 6 more blank pages to fill... I know that 6 pages is not a lot. But when the inspiration is all dried up, I can't even think for ONE page! Anyway, they were impressed - something they have not seen before.I had mixes of good and bad feed back. The bad part mostly points out to my weak photoshop skills and bad sense of 3D effect in order to make the primary picture stands out from the background picture.

We were at the studio for almost 3 hours. But more than half the time was spent on small talk and sharing ideas. Below is one montage I've created with the pictures from our photo shoot. But not every single picture is there though... Anyway, I'm back at the drawing board with more inspirations. And this only means I will not be able to update my blog until sometime next week.

Happy Weekend everybody!

Another Year, Another Birthday

2010-01-04T12:00:00.048+08:00

Yes, I share the same birthday with Michael Schumacher. Anyway, this year we celebrated at TGI Friday. Last year was McD. I had steak for dinner while hubby choose with fish and chips.

And after dinner I was in for a surprise. A HUGE complimentary slice of chocolate cake on the house! I think it's American chocolate. Oh well, I'll sign off early for this post and go MIA again for the whole week...

Happy New Year everybody!

Promises

2010-01-03T09:26:00.015+08:00

I was blog hopping when I came across someone writing about promises. It was something about a little boy yelling at his mother in a public area "BUT YOU PROMISED!" The writer poked fun on how she nearly burst out laughing when he reminded the writer about all those promises made to her but never fulfilled. Her writings made me think back for no apparent seasons too.

When I was thinking of those unfulfilled promises, if was like chasing nothing. Things like if I do this, I get that. And after all this is done, I get something big...I mean REAL BIG, BIG. But when the time comes for the one who promises to fulfill those promises, excuses were made or new "Terms and Conditions" were set. Each time I fulfill them, they change again and again. And the changes made was never ending. It just doesn't stop, until at one point I got tired or was so busy I forgotten all about the promised prize. It's quite funny that they kept preaching that TRUST IS EARNED AND NEVER GIVEN, yet I'm expected to trust people who break promises and tell lies?

For a few years I was like a race hound chasing after that mechanical rabbit, thinking it was for real. I mean it looked very real to me! Honestly, before anyone of my age even seen the race track, I was already racing the big guns. They thought (or at least I thought) I was prodigy. I mean, YEAH, I had an advantage because I entered the race tracks before everyone else; extra lessons and training only meant I have a bigger head to start with. So when the race began for my peers, I couldn't race them because I belonged with the veterans. Some envied, some were proud, others came and ask for advice. When those advise seekers got what they wanted, they ignore me all together. But that's another story for another time.

Then all of a sudden, an angel came into my life and showed me what a real rabbit looks like. And what is it like chasing a rabbit for REAL. The excitement when you have the rabbit in your hands. It was soft... furry... cute... equally dumb, or maybe dumber. But it was definitely a million times better than that mechanical rabbit I've been chasing all those years. My angel gave me an inspiration, an idea. Why race when you can build your own tracks? Have others race for you. When my racers win, I get paid. And with that money, I have have as many rabbits I want. The rabbits will come to me instead! "Great idea", I said. So I bought that idea to the race masters. BUT... It didn't go down well at all. They hit the roof! What they wanted over ruled what I needed. Instead of being appreciated, got grounded.

My race masters kept saying that my angel isn't a real angel. He was a devil in Armani suits. But at that point I was so confused I couldn't tell what was real and what was fake. I knew I had to take a break and get my head straight. So I went to my race masters asked about my promised reward. They said "you win this next race and the reward is yours". But this time I was adamant. It was after all, long over due. But they needed time to prepare the reward, so they asked me to win this last one race while they work on my reward. Reluctantly, I agreed.

The last race was rather different. I wasn't on home ground. I had to race on someone's turf. I didn't win, nor did I loose. It's funny that on this turf, second and third places gets a prize too! I was told that this was a new ruling to entice the young guns to race. Anyway, when I got back my promise was delayed yet again. I couldn't remember what was their last excuse nor the last condition they set. I was furious. So I sought out my devil's angel to get me out of there I was tired of being a hound, "chihuahuas sounds like they have a better life", I said. I think you know what happens next right? No need to tell.

Fast forward many years later. My former race masters came to me and asked if I wanted to open a race track. They'll supply the hounds plus fulfill the promise they once made.

I may forgive but never forget,
The promises made but never kept.
Conditions set, but changes like sand,
At the castle alone, shall you defend.

The Last day of 2009

2009-12-31T23:55:00.017+08:00

I was reading Hayley's 2009 recap and I decided to join the fun! So here's my recap (link your blog to my comment box if you would like to have your recap to share) -

January - I moved my blog from Friendster to Blogger.
February - We (hubby and I) shifted to our home on February 14 2009 at 9pm - right after dinner (^_~)
March - Attended a friend's wedding and had a little detour to Segari, Perak.
April - Movie Month! This is one of those rare moments where I get to watch movies at the cinema almost every weekend. And one of them was free!
May - Spring clean my home - From forcing the sparrow out of my home, making pillow cases and getting scared by insects!
June - Preparing for my pre-wedding photo shoot. So there wasn't much blogging activities.
July - MIA from blogsphere - for the same reason as above.
August - photo shoot time!

September - Our second pre-honeymoon to Phuket, Thailand. But I didn't blog about it until in October.
October - Our second photo shoot - out door. Having spend quite some time with those folks at the bridal company, it was fun!
November -Going MIA for the second time this year. Also for the same reasons, but slightly different. I was given the task to create our pre-wedding photo book!
December - We were invited to 6 weddings that month but only attended 4 weddings, 2 had to be "rejected" because of time clash. My 10 minutes tour to Thailand. My family came to visit and they bought me presents! When you share birthday with Michael Shumaker, it's a good excuse for people to merge Christmas and Birthday presents as one! Hahahaha...

Anyway, tonight I'll be spending my count down in mi casa with my dear hubby. Rumor is Penang is not safe tonight - no, not terrorist, but the hooligans and party animals are out. So for our safety, I'll keep the bed warm - good way to usher in the new year, huh? (^_~)

Happy New Year Everybody!

Reading The Last Eunuch of China

2009-12-30T12:58:00.002+08:00

As a child I have been greatly interested in Imperial China, all thanks to Hong Kong’s TVB television soap-opera. The colors and grandeur of the Forbidden City (now know as Palace Museum) and the lavish lifestyle of the royal family within the high walls has created a form of curiosity within me to want to know more. Alas, I’m only good in speaking Chinese but my literacy in Chinese text are no far off different from the illiterate eunuchs that once served in the Palace. So my source of information was very much restricted to English translations (which are directly translated and often confusing). It would be much better if I just got someone to read the entire Chinese text!

Reading the life of Sun Yaoting gave me an insight on what hardship one had to endure during the turbulent times in China. Many “rumors” which I have heard about the Imperial Palace turned out to be open secrets in the book. One of the stories included that Empress Dowager Cixi was responsible for the death of the Precious Consort Zhen (top Concubine rank, just one rank below the Empress) to Emperor Guangxu by ordering her to be drowned in one of the well in the Palace during the invasion of the Eight Nation Alliance. Also the last Empress of China Wanrong who committed adultery and got pregnant by her lover – at a time when it was well known that Emperor Pu Yi was unable to “rise to the occasion” or something like that.

As much as I loved this book, it cannot be fully enjoyed without knowing the actual sequence of events which took place in China from late 1880s right up to the formation of People's Republic of China. To make things a little extra “complicated” I had an earful of names in Hanyu Pinyin which nearly got me drowned as I struggle to get their actual Chinese name (that way it would have been easier for me to know who was who and related to whom). Remembering names and relationships is one thing, how about the ranks and hierarchy within the Imperial palace? Apart from the Emperor, Empress and Empress Dowager, other positions in the palace have its own grades and rankings like the concubines and eunuch what more when each individual is given a promotion, their official names changes according to their ranks! And if that’s not bad enough, most of the proverbs mentioned are loosely translated and its’ meaning are not always explained. Thus I have to rely on my husband to translate it back into Chinese (though we always get lost in translation) and explain it’s meaning to me. Complicated huh?

For those who are interested in reading this book, I would only recommend if you have some knowledge in Chinese history - other wise, skip it.

Christmas - another working day for me.

2009-12-27T13:55:00.000+08:00

Yup. The title says it all. I was working on Christmas day and on Saturday (the day after). Even though my family came to visit and spend the weekend over at my house, everything felt like some fast forwarded movie. By Sunday afternoon they were on their way back to KL while I lazily lay on bed wishing Sunday had 48 hours instead of 24.
I know this sounds selfish of me but I do sometimes envy that monitor lizard whom I've nicknamed "Ciciak" meaning household lizard in Malay. Eating only when hungry and spend the rest of the day basking under the hot sun!

Happy Holidays Everyone.

flymas.mobi – as Easy as 1,2,3

2009-12-23T12:47:00.000+08:00

Do you remember the Self-Service Petrol Station Campaign advertisement first aired 10 years ago? No?? Okay, let me rephrase that – do you remember “Angkat, Tolak, Masuk, Picit??” or in English “Lift, Push, Enter, Squeeze”? Now you do? Subsequently the advertisement dropped the “Push” or “Tolak” because petrol pumps no longer require us to push the lever to activate the pumps. So it was left with “Angkat, Masuk, Picit” or “Lift, Enter Squeeze”. With one step less, it is faster and easier to learn, right?

But what has the self-service petrol has to do with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) mobile website? It’s easy and fast to learn. How so? In 3 simple steps -
1 Angkat - Lift your mobile phone
2 Masuk – Enter the MAS mobile website from your mobile browser – http://flymas.mobi
3 Picit – Click Enter

It’s THAT SIMPLE!

The good news is MAS have taken off one MAJOR step from their web services – removing graphics exclusively for mobile webs users. So there are ZERO pictures - only words. You won’t waste bandwidth in loading graphics especially if you are sharing Internet connection with many people AND with such simple layout it’s like checking my credit balance on my pre-paid mobile phone!

Anyway, you begin the page with 8 links on the main menu – Book Flights, My Bookings, Check In, Flight Status, Timetable, Contacts, Baggage Tracer and Details & Offers. Its mobile functions are exactly the same as browsing from your PC or laptops – but at greater speed because you’ll only be loading text! If your mobile phone does not have access to the Internet, try clicking the link - http://flymas.mobi via your browser and see it load in a blink! Cool Eh?

Winter Solstice Festival - 冬至 (Dōng zhì)

2009-12-22T16:31:00.000+08:00

Glutinous rice balls in sugar water or 汤圆 (tang yuan) in Chinese is a desert must served during Winter Solstice Festival. The glutinous rice balls are usually dyed in various colors using either food dye (like the red colored rice ball) or natural flowers or fruits like green from pandan leaves, blue from bunga telang and the pinkish hue is from dragon fruit. In modern times however there are many other variations like making rice balls with peanut paste or red bean paste fillings.

Happy Winter Solstice! And to all mothers in Indonesia (especially my dear friend Rosidah) Happy Mother Day!

All I want for Christmas WAS you!

2009-12-19T12:00:00.000+08:00

I don't really know what's becoming of me lately. Anything that I wish to get my hands on are just too far to reach for the most pathetic reasons. Last weekend, I had a bad brush with Secret Recipe for Chocolate Banana cake. This week, it's over a board game.
Image sourced from EducationalLearningGames.com

It's called Math Magic. A Malaysian made board game with a format similar to domino. The Malaysian company who owns the game is Magic Game Werks. I actually played this game way back in secondary school and it was a fun method for the teacher to make us good at maths and also a nice opportunity for us interact with our friends.

Fast forward 10 years later, I thought of wanting to play this game again. But after a long search in most of the shopping malls in Malaysia, I couldn't even find one box. My search actually began two years ago when I saw a friend's child showing great interest in maths. I thought it would be a great present for her. Alas, most of the toy store staffs I've asked have NEVER even heard of the game! I really began to wonder if I was educated in the Twilight Zone area with alien teachers, make-belief-friends and played with only-available-in-your-dream games. (O.o)

Then I began my search online to see if there's a seller but all the stores are US based and the price is like USD30 a set! I don't know which is more disappointing - the price tag OR a little red sign next to the picture saying "OUT OF STOCK". So I decided to contact the company directly instead. I called the number on the website and the person in charge (a Jimmy Yeoh) picked up my call. He said he was busy and will call me back the next day. But he never called. Mind you, that was LAST WEEK (the Secret Recipe week)!

During the week of "silence" I wondered to myself if I should give the guy another call. But then, why should I be bugging him when I'm the customer?? I have to admit that this game is an interesting and educational game. But how am I going to support a Malaysian made product when it looks like it's only available OUTSIDE MALAYSIA. Is this person not keen in making money from Malaysians because he's already loaded with foreign customers (and their currencies being bigger)? Honestly speaking compared to Monoploy, this game is about the same price (USD30 is about MYR120). Perhaps if this game gets as popular as Monopoly, there'll be some local "entrepreneur" would automatically create a similar game at a cheaper price. In the case of Monopoly it was Saidina - a Malaysian clone of Monopoly at only 1/3 of the price.

Anyway, yesterday I was shopping for some Christmas deco when I saw Monopoly was sold at discount - MYR99.00 (normal price about MYR120). Yup, so instead of getting that math game board, I've gotten myself Monopoly for Christmas! Now who wants to join me for a game of Monopoly? (^_^)

Baked Chicken and Mashed Potato Casserole

2009-12-13T16:43:00.009+08:00

A few weeks ago when I was channel surfing on Astro at my in-law's home when I bumped into Asian Food Channel and they were showing "Cook like a Chef". The chef on that episode was Georges Laurie and he was fusing fruits into his cooking which was very interesting. The dish that caught my attention was Baked Chicken Casserole/Apple Potato Crust which I later found this recipe from Food Network.

Anyway, I made my own variation because apples are not a native fruit of Malaysia. And I'm not too sure which imported apple should I be using. So here's the recipe for my version fit for 2.

500 grams Chicken fillet cut into cubes
500 grams Potato cut into chunks or wedges for fast cooking (use more potato if you are a potato lover) or you can substitute real potato with instant mashed potato instead.
1 and 1/2 cup of mixed vegetables (corn, carrot and peas)
1 packet of instant brown sauce (I used IKEA's instant meatball sauce because that's what I have left in my kitchen)
25 grams of butter
some oil to saute the chicken or you can use butter
dried basil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper (to season the chicken and some to be added into the mashed potato)
Milk or cream for the mashed potato (optional)

Season the chicken cubes with dried basil, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Keep it in the fridge for an hour OR you can have this done the night before to allow the chicken to absorb the herbs. I did it the night before and the chicken turned out beautifully.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Boil the potato in slightly salted water. You can use the same pot of water to cook the mix vegetables, no harm done. Then drain the potato and mash it with a potato masher or anything to your convenience. Add butter and the herbs into the mashed potato. For a creamer taste, add milk or cream. If you are using instant mashed potato, just cook according to the instructions and add the herbs, butter and cream/milk.

Heat some oil on a frying pan and saute the chicken until cooked.

For the sauce, just cook according to the instructions on the packet.

Now, take a casserole and line it with a little butter. Lay a layer of mashed potato at the base. Then add the cooked chicken, mixed vegetables and gravy. And finally cover the top with another layer of mashed potato.

Place the casserole into the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the top is slightly golden brown.

---

I know the picture may not look tempting. But I got a thumbs up from my dear hubby which means he likes the dish and wouldn't mind me cooking this again in future~! (^_^)

Bon Appetite! Itadakimasu!

Secret Recipe Juru & Bandar Perda branch Sucks~!

2009-12-12T17:12:00.006+08:00

This morning when I was reading the weekend paper, I came across an advertisement from Secret Recipe. Honestly I'm not keen at their Gold Rush thingy or what-ever contest that they were promoting. I was interested in the lower section of the advertisement - MYR12.00 (that's about 3.50 USD) discount for a whole cake.

Now, the only cake I love eating is their chocolate banana. Quite a few years ago, I had their chocolate banana cake as my birthday cake and loved it since. Anyway, since my birthday is only a month away (and the last time I had an entire Chocolate Banana cake to myself was more than 3 years ago. So, might as well take advantage of the promotion and get myself one, right?

My hubby then drove me all the way to Juru Auto City just to look for the cake. Now before this incident I was well informed by friends that the Juru branch has one of the worst services ever. But for the sake of a chocolate cake I had to put on a thick face and plenty of patience. Upon arrival, there were 4 staffs behind the counter but none of them greeted me. They were walking up and down pretending to be busy. Hey, I work in a customer service department, so I also know how to LOOK BUSY~! After waiting for 5 minutes and there's this FAT ARSE bitch who tried to cut queue, I decided to speak up and butt that bitch aside. The staff that responded to my call gave me a blunt cold answer - "TAKDA" meaning "no more" or in better terms finished / no stock / they don't have it. I wasn't surprised at her answer actually - infact I expected her to give me such cold nonchalant reply because I already knew they were notorious for their services.

Not wanting to give up hope so fast, I asked my hubby if he can drive me to Bandar Perda, about 7.6km or 15 minutes drive from Auto City. On Google Map it's from point A to point B. Unfortunately, when we arrive there I only receive 5 minutes of joy. When I asked the waitress if she said they DO HAVE the flavor that I wanted. But right before I paid the bill, the cashier told me it's all sold out. At this point I do not want to seek any explanation from them and just walked away.

Prior to this incident, I knew that Secret Recipe has lousy services. My cousin sister used to complain about the Centre Point Bandar Utama branch, but back then I just thought she was being picky. But all I wanted was A FREAKING CHOCOLATE BANANA CAKE. Is that too hard to ask for?? Come to think of it, way back in 2008, right after the March general election, there was a news article in the local paper regarding a cake factory in Taman Mayang SS25, Petaling Jaya got raided by Immigrations Department. The owner was summoned for hiring illegal immigrants to work at the factory. At first I pity the owner (knowing that it's difficult to hire loyal locals) but after such an experience with two branches in one day, I would say "SERVE YOU RIGHT!"

Toying with Greed

2009-12-07T11:10:00.007+08:00

Since my creative ~~brain~~ reservoir is suffering from drought at the moment, I might as well share something I just did a moment ago - an hour ago to be exact. This morning at exactly 8.22am, I was rudely awaken by an sms. Upon checking this sms, it wasn't your regular spam sms by the mobile company or their advertisers. It was a message from another mobile phone saying that I've "won" some amount of money and I have to call their office which is another mobile number. Please forgive the blurry image. My beloved Lumix TZ-1's censors are beginning to fail. Old age perhaps. But she's been a loyal camera and trying very hard to give her best shot.
The message was sent by +60178623195 reads as follows "TAHNIAH" Simcard anda b'jaya menagi RM30.000.00-No.PIN:DT2547, Dri"COCA-COLA" Sila hub. Office: +60178982779. Terima Kasih" or the English translation "CONGRATULATIONS" Your sim card has won RM30.000.00 - Pin Number: DT2547 From "COCA-COLA" Please call office :+60178982779. Thank you"

At first I wanted to delete the sms and just carry on with my life. It's SO OBVIOUS that it's a scam for the greedy. BUT THEN, my naughty side of the brain kept nudging me a cheeky idea to blog about it (plus contact Fraser & Neave Holdings (Malaysia) - the company who owns distribution rights to Coke just to inform them that their brand has been misused for malicious intent) and see where this thing might lead to. At least I can make use of my "experience as a sleuth" from playing Nancy Drew games in trying to find contacts - which is never difficult, thanks to Google.

So after taking picture of the sms on my mobile phone, I wrapped it up in a nice little email to a contact person from F&N and we'll see what happens. Come to think of it, 30K is a huge amount of money for any average Malaysian - that's like ten thousand worth of 1.5 liters of Coke (assuming each bottle cost MRY3.00). I could use the money to subsidize my wedding next year OR if I get 30K in coke supplies I still can use it to serve all my guest (^_^). But obviously it's never going to happen because I will NOT reply to such hoax.

Anyway, will update you when I get a reply from F&N... or if there is any at all

Loosing Inspiration

2009-12-05T12:35:00.000+08:00

Technically next week would be my self imposed deadline to finish up our photo book. But I’m only 50% done and my brain is already drier than the Sahara desert. Okay, that’s just an exaggeration to the extreme end yet an honest interpretation of how I’m feeling right now.

I really envy people who are creative and can magically whip up beautiful designs and artwork instantly meanwhile drawing twig people with two dimensional backgrounds are my only expertise. I know this post may sound like I’m doing all the work while my hubby does nothing. But truth is, he is doing so much to bring the bacon home I can’t afford to pressure him to do more. I know he is busy with all the major work that needs to be done while I whine about minion's work that I can barely accomplish.

Oh well, I guess this would be another month of little or no postings at all. In the mean time, I’ll figure out some ways to create an oasis in my dried up brain…

See Perlis in 1 day, Thailand for 10 minutes

2009-12-03T12:19:00.007+08:00

Last weekend was the Hari Raya Qurban so we were closed and decided to have a day trip to Perlis and see the morning market at the Thai Boarder. This is my first road trip with my in-laws. Most of the time they go on trips during the weekdays when we are both busy working. Instead of taking the highway and following the signboard, we drove on whatever route was provided by the GPS. We just selected our destination and have the GPS calculate the shortest route for us. Here we made a stop in the middle of nowhere with the road condition being much better than the highway! The only thing I can tell you about this picture is that this is taken not too far from a sugar cane plantation. Where exactly? I don't even know if this is in the Kedah or Perlis state - we were so awed by the scenery I totally forgotten to write down the GPS coordinates. (^_^)

Anyway, we arrived around 9.00am at the remote northern village of Wang Kelian which boarders with Wang Prachan, in the Satun Province of south Thailand. The picture below is "NO MAN'S LAND" The signboard says "PERLIS" and in the background is the Malaysian Customs checkpoint. Behind me (not in picture) is the Thai Boarder.

The Malaysia-Thailand border regulations states that if we travel within 1 kilometer from the boarder for less than 24 hours, we do not need to use our passports. The national identity card is suffice. So we "checked out" of the country using our MyCard and "checked in" some 10 minutes later. The reason? Well firstly, it was a Muslim public holiday. Secondly, we totally forgotten that the southern Thailand is a Muslim majority area. Therefore, the market was closed on BOTH sides! We totally had a good laugh at ourselves for not doing our homework properly. But I must add that it was relaxing going to a border market with tall limestone hills surrounding the area with virgin jungle (to what I know, the Malaysian side is classified as forest reserve therefore there is zero development)

I took the picture above from the landscape garden on the Malaysian side. Alas, this was the only beauty out of the entire unkept garden which has already seemed to blend into the jungles.

After our 10 minute cross-boarder walk, we got into the car and drove south for about 8km to Gua Kelam. Unfortunately, it was closed to public and therefore no pictures were taken. I really wonder HOW serious is the government in promoting Malaysia as a tourist destination? Are the figures provided to news papers an imaginative figure to "wow" us? It's not the first time when I went to a particular tourist spot during a public holiday only to find it closed. If it keeps going on this way, I don't think I'm keen in touring the country anymore. I might as well save a little extra and enjoy myself overseas!

Anyway, since we were in the state, might as well have lunch at the state capital - Kangar before heading home. Like any towns in Malaysia, it's a vast difference between any town and country side. There were hardly any trees in town! Buildings were everywhere - new and old, but without trees it was like in a concrete oven! We quickly had our lunch and head back home, the temperatures were soaring high and it just makes me feel like I want to go home soonest possible. But I guess this is one of the reasons why I won't miss city life so much - living next to the jungle is very cooling...

Blogspot Updates - notifying through email

2009-12-01T11:23:00.003+08:00

Rosidah my dear, this post is specially for you. (^_^)

From your blogger dashboard, click the Settings to your blog. In my case it's "My Life Is Not a Text Book". Under the Settings tab, click the Email & Mobile tab. The first half of the tab, is the Email Notifications settings where you send email notifications to close friends and regular readers your update. In the box, type your friend's email address. For the purpose of this little tutorial, I've typed the words "friends_name@email.com" in the box. If you have more than one friend, separate the emails with a comma (,) and click Save Settings when you are done.

Enjoy!

Temporarity Offline

2009-11-11T21:30:00.003+08:00

Dear all,

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I'll be "offline" for one month (hopefully) . Nothing in particular, it's just that I'm busy with my full focus on producing our beloved photo book with all our pre-wedding shots. 50 pages and over 200 pictures to choose. It's not easy when you like ALL of them (^_^)

Anyway, hopefully when I'm done with the book I will have more time to blog once again.

Until then, take care. And here's the first page I've created - enjoy! (^_^)

Mammoth Addiction

2009-11-02T15:49:00.003+08:00

Yesterday when we were out buying groceries, my hubby took a detour to a computer shop nearby to buy a new hard disk. I wasn't so keen on looking for the latest IT stuffs, so I told my hubby I'll wait for him at the bookstore (next door) and browse for some new reading materials.

About 15 minutes later, he walked in to the book store and was surprise to see me cradling another "dictionary". Upon closer look, he burst out laughing because the "dictionary" he just saw was actually a mammoth book of sudoku! I know I'm getting really really crazy over sudoku. At least it's mind stimulating! If you are really curious how thick this book is, here's a comparison with my cellphone!

Kill yourself if you must - don't smoke others

2009-10-30T12:00:00.001+08:00

Ever since I've started working for my dear hubby, I've made it a clear point to everyone NOT to smoke inside the office. Everyone who is health conscious would know the dangers of smoking (and second hand smoke). But there are just some idiots who doesn't know how to read the no smoking signs. What annoys me are some people who are so blind that they can't see the sign pasted at the door and give stupid excuses like - "I can't read" or "What's wrong smoking - it's my right". One got me so furious there just wasn't any foul words suitable for me to use on him. The standard B word, F word or even S word seems so insignificant to his arrogant reply.

Honestly, I have no objections to people smoking as I have many friends who smokes. But don't they understand that they are not only putting their heath in danger but also the people around them?? Oh, wait! If they actually care about their health in the first place they wouldn't smoke right? Neither would they smoke inside an office, right? And if they have a brain (which I doubt that arrogant idiot has any), they would know how to read the no smoking signs right? So I guess there's 2 classes of smokers - smart smokers and dumb smokers. Smart smokers are those who know where and when to smoke, while dumb smokers are those who don't.

So to those dumb smokers out there (including you arrogant SOB) go kill yourself with all the smoke, tar and nicotine. If you ever step into MY office with a lit bud in your hand, I'll smoke you out with this -

2nd cup of coffee: Random Dozen #9

2009-10-29T17:41:00.001+08:00

I copied this from my dear friend Rosidah who copied from her friend Linda.

1. Tell me something about your favorite teacher.
My favorite teacher was the discipline teacher who later became the school principal. She loves to wear school uniforms instead of standard teacher's dress code. That way when students see her from behind, they will think she's just another regular student. Only to get "shocked" when she turns around - I mean students aren't allowed to wear makeup but this particular "student" IS wearing makeup! Though I was already in 6th form (18 years old then) she still treats my classmates and I like little children. Rewarding us with Vitagen if we do well in exams! It's funny how it motivates us even though we know we were deemed "too old" for all this. And she is so powerful with words she made the school's most notorious student cry by just talking to him. I really have to respect her for that!

2. Tell me about one pivotal moment in your life.
So far I think it's getting married to my hubby. I only learned to appreciate my parents when I'm "out of the house". Probably staying in the "nest" for too long made me took things for granted. And now that I'm on my own, I really learnt to appreciate my old folks. I guess if they knew (which I think they already did) they would probably say "I told you so" with a smile! (^_^)

3. About favorite colors--a lot of people will ask you what it is, but I want to know why it is. What feeling or memory does it evoke?
Blue. It reminds me of water because I love swimming - it's relaxing.

4. What's a sure sign that you're getting older?
My wrist - it hurts when it's raining.

5. Please don't sermonize, but Halloween--is it a yes or no for you?
No. I don't like scary stuffs. I have a very small heart with no guts!

6. What's your favorite musical?
SOUND OF MUSIC~! My all time favorite.
The hills are alive with the sound of music...
How do you solve a problem like Maria? How do you catch a cloud and pin it down....

7. Are you more of a city mouse or country mouse?
I'm a city mouse living in the country. Yet I freak out when I see another mouse or other creations of mother nature.

8. Did you know that it is possible, for a small fee, to name a real star after someone? (It's true! Google it!) If someone were to name a star for you, would you appreciate it for its whimsy and romance, or would you say, "Are you kidding me? For $19.95 we could have gone to the movie and actually bought popcorn."
No thanks. I rather have people remembering me at their own free will then "forcefully" remember me through some history's text books or star map.

9. What's the craziest thing you've ever been doing and texted during it? I only thought of this b/c I was about to try to text during my walking video but I didn't.
Getting my hair cut I guess. I always have long hair (down to my waist) and when I had it cut a few years back, I requested for a short bob. I didn't regret the hair cut cos it grew back quickly within a few months. But it sure shocked my friends who were on the receiving end of my sms!

10. "It's not a party unless _______."
my hubby is with me.

11. When you're stuck in traffic or a waiting room, what do you do to pass the time? PS: There are no magazines available.
Play sudoku from my cellphone! And since my hubby got me a pocket size sudoku book, I don't have to worry if the cellphone battery runs out! Just that I need to remember to keep a pen or pencil with me.

12. If you weren't yourself, would you be friends with you?
If I'm someone else, I meet someone like the now-me? Yup!

Pre-wedding album - Prop Ideas

2009-10-28T12:52:00.007+08:00

If you have stumble upon my blog via search engines, you might want to read the rest of my Wedding Thoughts for more insights on my experience trying to make the most memorable wedding album and some hints when engaging a bridal company.
Props are objects you use (either holding, wearing or just placed at the background) to enhance the beauty of an image. If you think Victorian gowns, the common props are lace umbrella, hand fan and probably pistol for the man - you get the idea right? In my post - Adding a Personal Touch, I mentioned how props are important in making the entire album special. So here's the bottom line, bring your own props so others will not have what you have to make it special. If you depend the bridal company to prepare everything, then be prepared to be disappointed.
Here's a list of common items as a general idea -

Pets (dog, cat, hamsters, iguana, lizard, snakes)
Computer or Laptops (if the both of you are IT geeks)
Kid's Chalkboard (if one of you might want to play the role of teacher / student)
Sport shoes worn under the wedding gown (runaway bride?)
Or pointe shoes (if you are/was a ballerina)
Soap bubbles (do ask if you are allowed to blow bubbles in the studio)
A deck of cards (if both of you enjoy playing poker -you might want to include a poker face)
Zodiac - it can be in a form of stuff animals or key chains or just a symbol drawn in the sand.
Collections - bring out your collection of soft toys and fill the entire studio!

If you are still clueless, here's an image for inspiration. The spectacle frame in the picture below is owned by Kuang Yee Bridal.

Image courtesy of Kuang Yee Digital Photo and Bridal Studio

One Bride's Beauty is another Bride's Eyesore

2009-10-17T12:00:00.002+08:00

Author's note: the link provided on this post links to pictures that may be deemed obscene by certain individuals. Please exercise cautions.

During my months of collecting ideas for our photo book, I've been surfing many sites in search of poses and ideas on creating an art that reflects the both of us. There were certain months where I've even exceeded the bandwidth limit allocated. Most ideas were out of the ordinary and good for us to ~~copy cat~~ use. Others were lets say - not for the faint hearted.

In between, I shared my many ideas with my hubby only to be disappointed when he shook his head in disagreement. It sure didn't feel nice being rejected over and over again. Frustrated, I let him do all the work while I went on "strike" - giving no comments even though it was something really nice. But barely a few seconds of going on "strike" he starts to ~~lecture~~ reason with me. A good picture isn't about how good you look with your flawless complexion, straight white teeth and silky long black hair. It's how you turn your feelings into a picture for the world to see at the same time not being awkward or ridiculous. Some ideas may look lovely on it's own, but when you place it in a book with other pictures you might find it a little(or totally) out of place. Or some pictures are just plain outrageous!

Soon I began to see the logic in his explanation. It probably also explained why some of my pictures didn't quite turn out as expected. At the same time I realized how important it was to understand the principles and concepts of photography in order to achieve what we wanted. But anyway, I'm glad to say that most of the pictures turned out beautifully. At least we did not waste an entire day's effort in creating the "happiness" we were looking for...
Image courtesy of Kuang Yee Digital Photo and Bridal Studio

X-Men Origins - Wolverine DVD

2009-10-15T13:35:00.000+08:00

Image Source: http://www.lostlaowai.com/blog/general/x-men-origins-in-theatres-next-month-on-dvd-in-china-now/

A few months back I blogged about my “free” movie ticket to watch Wolverine. Back then, I mentioned my disappointment in the movie’s quality where the CGI graphics were poor. Recently my hubby got the DVD and we watched it for the second time. To my surprise, the DVD movie looked ultra cool on our 32” LCD TV! The quality wasn’t as bad as what we saw at the cinema.

Now I can’t do much debate or comparison between the cinema movie and the DVD movie we have at home. It’s not like those guys at the cinema will allow us to take pictures or screen shots of the film and compare it with our home theater. But based on my experience, watching Wolverine both in the cinema and at home, I can say that watching THIS show at home is far better than going to the cinema!

Bride Stories – the Staff’s Version

2009-10-13T12:55:00.005+08:00

In my previous posting, I mentioned about how important it is to communicate with the staffs at the bridal studio. The fastest and funniest way to break the ice is to ask them about their experience. In can be anything from tales of funny and weird customers, their addiction to Facebook’s Farmville (and who’s got the most successful farm) to a more intimate questions like “does this dress make my boob look big?” So during my many trips to the bridal studio, I’ve gathered some bridal stories to share.

Case 1: The one week marriage.
There is an old Chinese phrase 夫妻相 (fu qi xiang) literally meaning “spousal look”. It is said that couples that were destined to be together have this yin yang image like the Malay proverb “seperti pinang dibelah dua”. Though the inexperienced usually mistook this spousal look as sibling look-a-like. So this story was told by a staff that is related to the bride. The father of the bride objected their matrimony but the bride was stubborn and insisted on the wedding. As much as it sounded like a romantic movie with the bride having to face such huge obstacle, the story teller cautioned the bride and groom does not have the “spousal look”. So on their banquet night, the father of the bride didn’t attend the dinner as a sign of objection. Sadly, a week later the couple filed for divorce. The story teller wasn’t so sure on the details but it all ended within a week. So much so for “happy ending”
Moral of the story: As much as people like to try to defy all odds, not many can survive it.

Case 2: I don’t know what I’m doing
Now this happened during MY photo shoot. I was with this couple and it sure felt weird. The bride kept giving me this envious look – as if she was wishing to be me or at least it felt that way. Though we never spoke but every time I smiled at her, she would respond with a weak smile – almost like a sad smile. What more intriguing was my ultra short one-line conversation with her husband-to-be! I so happened to be standing near him with some sample dresses. He was supposed to help a staff pick out a dress for his bride, and he said “I don’t know if my girl friend likes it”. I tort back, “hey, you’re getting married… shouldn’t you be addressing her as your wife already?”
His emotionless reply was “I don’t know if she wants me”. Both the staff and I were shocked by his response I quickly walked away leaving him and the staff to go through the dresses. In my heart I was thinking “then what the hell are you doing here?? This ain’t some restaurant! It’s a bridal studio for Pete’s sake!”
So during my photo shoot, I spotted the couple peeking at us enjoying every second in the spotlight. Both with the same solemn face wishing they were us…
Moral of the story: If you are not planning to get married so soon, then why torture yourself with all this? If it’s because of the bun in the oven then you should have consulted Durex before hand! Fate is in your hands.

Case 3: The ultimate bridezilla - the future evil queen
This was another case where I got to witness first hand. The groom was another reluctant bloke. But this one was quite obvious at who’s at fault. The bride was in fact a bridezilla. How she insisted things done her way, which specific staff to serve her and MUST do exactly as she wishes – it sure got onto everyone’s nerves. When I met her, it was their banquet night and the bride required her hair and makeup done. The groom was there to accompany her, but he spent most of his time sleeping on the couch. It may sound rude, but for a guy to sit at a bridal studio for over an hour doing nothing, it’s as much torture as putting a lady in a mechanic garage for the same amount of time! Was she pissed off at his attitude? Obviously yes! So she started nagging him. Nag so much so he locked himself in their Mini Coupe which was parked outside the studio and continued sleeping. She then got SO enraged she called him on the phone and started scolding him mercilessly. I must say those guys and girls at the bridal are one bunch of people with a whole lot of patience. How they kept their cool with such hot headed witch! Oh, one thing noticeable about bridezillas is that she must not see another happy bride or her tempers will flair. (*evil grin*) Yup, that was what exactly I did. Be real lovely-dovely with my hunny-bunny and show it her in her fat-green-face I’m the happiest bride on EARTH! (^_^)
Moral of the story: All men HAVE egos. If you want to throw tantrums, do that at home. If you do that in public, you’ll be the only one embarrassed – not him! And beware of naughty brides who feeds on the anger and jealous auras of bridezillas (mu-a-ha-ha-ha-ha)

Case 4: You killed my family
Now this is one story that really made me laugh so hard, I ended up forgetting how the story came about. This was told to us by our photographer – affectionately called Ah Hui. He had his own fare share of bridezillas and groomonster (groom monster). One particular couple he remembered is how this groom was so reluctant in taking photos, they ended up having a sad-faced groom for their entire album. I don’t remember how or why the groom was upset, but according to Ah Hui, the groom gave him an angry face the whole DAY as if he had killed the entire groom’s family or something close to that.
Moral of the story: Whatever the problem, for goodness sake this is an album you’ll carry for LIFE! A wedding album is supposed to remind you of the happy moments when you get an “upgrade” in life. Not some check point to remind you of your misery and grunge!

Picture courtesy of Kuang Yee Digital Photo and Bridal Studio

Phuket: My McCafe Experience

2009-10-11T12:30:00.000+08:00

In my previous post, I mentioned about my Fast Food Craze to the extent we had 3 meals of pork burger. One other thing we saw not available in Malaysia (at the moment) is a McCafe. To my knowledge there's McCafe in Singapore (as told by my close friend who is also a blogger Victoria), now we see one in Phuket BUT no McCafe in Malaysia. Below is a close up of the menu, just incase if anyone's interested to know the pricing (^_^)

Well, we heard that this McCafe in Jungceylon was opened about a month ago. So they had a little promotion - spend 200Baht (about MYR20) and above on food and/or beverages and get a McCafe-Phuket mug worth 250Baht (about MYR25) free! So like I mentioned about the final prices includes VAT tax, all I had to do is add two items to total the figure! Dan ordered a large Cappuccino for 105Baht and I ordered a small cup of hot chocolate for 95Baht - total exactly 200Baht - Simple eh? Just so unlike here in Malaysia where you have those stupid 9 cents nominations.

SO, before I made the purchase, I confirmed if they still have the mug promotion with the staff there, she said "yes, yes". Imagine her horror when she was supposed to pack the mug only to find there was NONE LEFT?! She ran into the store to check (TWICE) and again under the counter just to be sure. Her colleague who was making the drinks coyly pointed to her the display cup instead!

Yup, the mug in my paper bag is their display mug! The last of free McCafe Phuket Mug is MINE!