Mizz Sharon

Fiction: Of table manners and being Anti Social

2012-01-27T22:39:00.000+10:00

I developed a sudden like towards writing in a mix of fiction and non fiction. Who would've known that it's so amusing to create fictional characters out of the blue. =)

"Why are you being so anti-social?" Mum said, giving me a warning look and in a stern voice.

I reluctantly and sluggishly tore my eyes away from my iphone screen and looked around the table.

It is the new years eve of Chinese New Year, the day where me and my close family members gather together to have our reunion dinner. Like most city folk, who lives in a fast pace environment and never seem to have time and diligence to cook a full course Chinese feast, I had my reunion dinner in a bustling restaurant.

Sitting directly in front of me is my 16 year old cousin. He was frantically tapping away on his new ipad 2 and had this awfully intense look on his face. For someone who is very much caught up in the "Angry Birds fever", I would assume that he's not about to lose his concentration anytime soon. For a moment there, I thought he was about to start punching his ipad screen.

Next to him sat my 40-plus, but still going young, aunty. With her chic red new hair-do, she would've easily passed off as someone who just turned 30. At that point of time, her face was frowning as she was having difficulties navigating through the applications that she downloaded recently on her new andriod. She gave up after numerous tries before turning to my cousin. "Eh, how to log in to facebook ah?", she asked. My aunt seemed to relaxed a little after that.

Two seats away from me sat my grandfather. At that moment, I caught him squinting intently at his mobile phone, obviously trying to make out the very small alphabets on his phone screen. Eye sight does deteriorate with age despite the technology advances in mobile phones. I wouldn't be surprise to see him take out his magnifying glass and eventually aiming it at his phone soon.

One would've never thought that technology advances would take its toll even on a dinner table and on an important occasion like the reunion dinner. But one also would've never thought that a simple device like a phone was able to bridge the gap between the old and the young.

It was a fairly amusing sight to see all 3 of my family members, seated not far apart from each other, so different in age but so quietly engrossed in their gadgets and yet still managed to temporarily step out from virtual reality and consequently blending back to normal table conversations at ease.

I admit that being part of Generation Y, I'm sucked into the realm of technology advances and peer pressure. I am one of those who need to stay connected at all times and suffice to say, a normal phone would not do me good anymore. That said, Generation X and even the baby boomers are following suit, slowly realizing the benefits of technology, although still in the mode of discovery.

While having lunch with my colleagues the other day, I noticed that at one point in time, all 8 of us present at the table were all busily tapping away on our smart phones, to only become conscious of as the chit-chatter abruptly came to a halt thereafter. I am not trying to be anti-social nor was I trying to break a notion of awkward silence, rather I was unconsciously utilizing my "paramount tool of distraction" by taking a break of silence.

I don't see anything wrong with being partially engaged in one's own gadget as long as it doesn't look like there is total withdrawal from table manners altogether. In a casual environment, there is no strict obligation to only eat whilst on the dinner table rather, it relies on preference and company.

Of the Pre-CNY blues

2012-01-22T17:02:00.003+10:00

What have I been doing for the past year? Seriously.

Today is the last day of the Rabbit year before we usher in the year of the Dragon. A year alleged and proclaimed by Zodiac and Feng shui masters as a "Better" year for the Rabbits. For those unfamiliar with the chinese lunar calender, in layman terms, there are 12 cycles divided into zodiac signs with names of animals. Unlike typical Western zodiac, which changes from month-to-month; in the Chinese calendar, each year represents 1 Chinese zodiac. I'm an Aries born in the year of the Rabbit.

Not that I'm overly superticious on Culturism and Chinese sayings and not to mention zodiac signs per se, but like every other biased human being, I only accept and hear good things about what beholds me this year and discard the negative ones.

I don't live in denial; I just want to have a optimistic outlook in life, what's wrong with that?

So, back to my initial statement; Chinese New Year is like a Post-new-year Blues kinda experience for me. Yet again, I go through the cycle where I reminisce a bit about what I've done in the past year and also kind-of ponder upon how my new years resolution has been fairing me thus far.

Enough said, lets not dwell upon the past that much and move on to the much more exciting life ahead.

I have yet to share anything on how I ushered in 2012. I was with my friends at #TheUsual (Gosh, I'm starting to enjoy hashtags). Besides the one time where I actually got to #TheUsual by 9.45pm, this is the second earliest time ever that I arrived, at 10am. Gung Ho much.

I like Blue dresses =)

I also need to blast and announce my new-found Addition. The best drink evah! Gongcha Wintermelon tea with herbal jelly. My addiction is happening almost every single day. Tried to get rid of the craving by buying the next similar alternative, canned wintermelon drink from supermarkets because its cheaper, but heck, it taste different! Really! I think they put drugs in Gongcha or something.

Lovin' my new Nicole Richie inspired necklace.

I truly enjoy the pleasure and joy that food brings me. Had loads of food indulgences throught the beggining of the month. At times I wonder what I can replace my "reward-sessions" with. If food miraculously become a want and no longer a need. Like in year 3000 where human beings rely on supplements and pills to survive. God Bless us all.

Pictures I managed to capture of my food escapades for the past 2 weeks.

KTZ, ss2

Kluang Station, IPC

My all time fav dessert, Macadamia Cheesecake Sundae at Ben's, KLCC

My Steak Sanwich at Tony Romas, e@Curve

& Dim Sum & Lou Sang, Jaya Palace

Seafood Tempura at Taiwan Shilin and Street Snacks, Sunway Pyramid

Of Steaks and ribs at Morganfield, Pavillion

From pictures, It really does looked like I have been doing nothing much with my life rather than eat and drink? Well, truth is, no white collared person really like sharing too many pictures about work due not only to the "its-boring" factor, but also because of "its private and confidential" issue.

Totally unrelated, I'm contemplating on changing my blog header. The same blog header has been sitting up there for 3 years already I reckon. Was thinking of switching to something more Chic perhaps.

Also totally unrelated, my hair roots are growing awfully quick and I'm in dire need of a retouch. Was thinking of doing a DIY this time round. Did my previous Shiseido hair-do at this place called A-Saloon in Farenheit 88. Turned out looking like Ash brown (No I'm not talking about a celebrity), but after just mere weeks, it developed into a orangy-tone,. Hm...Just a brief recap.....

Prior to that, I did a round of DIY session using Bigen Hair color, which was discontinued in the last quarter of 2011. #IAlmostDied. Why? Now, I will never be able to find a color which suits me ever again *Cries and throw remote control on the wall* =.=". Am in the midst of considering Liese, in tones of Ash Brown or Milk Tea Brown. I can always try out like 10 different tones and start balding and end up wearing a wig for the rest of my life or something. But, I seriously don't think I will die. Wtf.

The End.

Thoughs of December

2011-12-27T03:06:00.003+10:00

It has been awhile since I've last wrote. So much has happened in the past two weeks, I do not even know where to start.

*Slots in random picture coz I'm lame like that.

To begin with, there was the incident where I accidentally dropped my Blackberry into the bathtub. It was a "Total loss" kind of situation where my phone was unrepairable and data was irrecoverable. Like most of that from the Generation Y clan, I was socially and technologically deprived of a smart phone for about 10 days before I got my hands on the Iphone 4S on the day it was launched. Yes, I've jumped ship and am a proud Apple user now. =) *hums, apple rox*

Then there was my short trip to Singapore. Just to cut the story short, I went over for the weekend, caught up with some mates, ended up in Zouk Singapore on Friday night, followed by Zoukout at Sentosa Beach on Saturday, had a couple of meals in Orchard throughtout my trip and came back on Sunday night. I must say, even though it was such a short trip, but it was undeniably memorable to some extend.

There was another incident which happened last week that taught me a lesson to further intensify my need to be less clumsy and more careful in the future. I'm the type of person who gets bruises really easily. There is actually a medical term for this kind of condition, can't recall at the moment though. Well, it doesn't even have to be a hard hit, just a light, accidental bump and I will get blue-blacks all over.

This happened at Zouk. I had a few drinks too many, was bumping onto sofas and well, all over the place I guess. Ended up getting pretty bruised up on my legs and hands. I went to see the doctor and was prescribed with antihistamine and a gel-like cream to apply on my legs. I wasn't really concern though, this is not the worst of the worst. Damn you hard edges.

After all it is December. The month of partying. Sadly speaking (Not that sad actually, just my ill choice of words), I still have this thing called "My Job" to deal with from Mondays to Fridays. Without swaying away from my real priorities, my team had a break away session in Shah Alam for 2 days on the deliberation of plans and strategies for the team moving forward. I enjoy staying in hotels, albeit the need to work longer hours. Don't really fancy the idea of putting loads of my team's picture in this blog, so, I will just stick to one for now.=)

Not that I don't want to elaborate and talk much about work, but seriously, work ain't that fun to gabble about, hence, I shall try to stick to my weekend escapades instead.

This leads me to my last self-update. Me and my friends themed up and decided to go All-Red for this year's Christmas party. Had loads of fun and can't wait for the year end parties this week!

2011 is coming to an end.

I'm not much of the type who would plan for what I would do (or not do) a year in advance. Hence, I'm not a firm believer of new year resolutions.

But when I woke up this morning, I took a step back, pondering on what I've achieved thus far this year. I realised that I can actually do better than what I did in 2011. I'm not gonna further dive into stuff like realising my fullest potential or not performing to what my brain capacity brings me. Those are like self though and non-proclamation kind of stuff. What I'm trying to get to is, I shall and will come up with a few items which will hopefully stay stagnant in my To-Do-List and yes, new years resolution for 2012.

In the meantime, I will be closing off my accounts, settling business related year end task, cleaning up closet, donating some preloved items to charity and of course not forgetting, partying till 2011 comes to an end. xoxo.

[REVIEW] EDITED: CRES Wellness, The Gardens

2011-12-05T22:52:00.048+10:00

This is a sponsored post by CRES Wellness, The Gardens.

It was a Sunny Sunday afternoon when I did my Body Regenerist Fruitti Spa at CRES, a relaxing session with body skin regeneration functions. Perfect timing after a strenous Saturday night of hopping around in my high heels.

The Body Regenerist Fruitti Spa is designed specifically for women who clamour for perfection, top to toe, inside out. Formulated using botanical ingrediants such as fruits and flowers, coupled with natural sea salt and yogurt, this exclusive spa session aims to provide both a relaxing and pamparing session with body skin regeneration therapy to boost.

Looked rather lifeless in the morning but managed to squeeze in a smile in anticipation of my spa session.

Conveniently located on the 4th floor of The Gardens (Midvalley), the waiting area was very spacious and this place houses 12 rooms, designed individually for specific Facial, Body and Spa sessions. CRES uses Cellnique as their core product.

CRES Wellness outlet in The Gardens.

I was there 20 minutes early, hence, I took the opportunity to snap some pictures while sipping on tea.

I did not have to wait long before my massage therapist ushered me into the room. Massage therapist was a really nice aunty (In her 40's I reckon). Room had a very cosy feel to it and had heated massage beds.

The Cosy hallway leading to spa paradise.

Inside the Massage room.

Session started of with a 30 minute anti stress back massage followed by another 30 minutes of Fruitti Yogurt Body Masque that is rich in Vitamin C and fruit enzymes. To top that off, I had the Fruitti body scrub made from fruits and flower enriched in natural marine sea salt to remove the dead skin cells on my body. The aromatic fruit extract and flower scents are destressing in nature and nourishes the skin with vitamins and nutrients at the same time.

I was wrapped with plastic and covered with a thermal blanket for about 15 minutes. I started sweating and felt like lifting the hot blanket up after 10 minutes, though impossible as it was heavy as such.

After all that, I was then ushered into another room for my 20 minutes lavish Fruitti bubble bath to unleash all my tense muscles. It has been awhile since I've last had a bubble bath. Loving the relaxing notion of bubbles and enjoyed the attentive service of having the extra tray of lollies, chocolate drink and biscuits to nibble on whilst soaking in the tub. Water was set a bit too warm for my liking though.

Room was designed very much like a sauna room, with wooden floorings with a row of mirrored walls and a bath tub set in the middle.

Inside the Bath-Room.

After cleaning up, I head over to the dressing tables area to touch up and blow my hair after a very unwise decision of not removing my make up before the spa session.

At the end of the session, my skin felt very much smoother and radiant with all my dead skin cells scrubbed off and was left with a sweet lingering fruity scent. Especially on the rough spots like my elbows and knees. There was dry skin/whitish residue leftover on the slightly dryer parts of my body, in this case its my legs and feet. I used the CRES body and hand lotion to moisturize my legs and feet thereafter.

Picture of my ankle.

Before picture of my dirty feet and sole.

After my body scrub session of my feet and sole.

Before picture of my dirty elbow.

After scrubbing my elbow.

The Body Regenerist Fruitti Spa cost rm300 for a 2 hour session.

For Mizzsharon's readers only, purchase the 1st Trial Body Regenerist Fruitti Spa @ RM78 and get 2 Product Voucher worth RM20 for FREE!

Leave a Comment on this post or Click onto CRES's Facebook page to get your 1st Trial Spa Treatment at CRES! A CRES representative will contact you as soon as possible. Limited for the first 50 people only.

[REVIEW] Model Slimz, USJ9 Subang Jaya

2011-12-03T15:21:00.001+10:00

Model Slimz, USJ 9/5T Subang Jaya

Type of Facial: Gatineau 4 Therapy Advanced Personalized Facial Treatment.

Price: 9/10. Original price of Rm358, bought at a Deal price of Rm28 with Deep Cleansing Therapy, Ultrasonic Refreshing Therapy, Oxy-hydro Collagen Therapy, Relaxing Therapy and RM300 Voucher. I honestly have no idea which therapy was applied throughout the facial since there was no explanation given during the facial session.

Ambiance: 8/10. Dark, cosy with soothing music playing at the background at the right volume. Volume and the type of music played plays a vital role throughout the facial session. Also, one of the places with the dimmest lighting used throughout the facial. Thumbs up. I have been to numerous facial parlours where the ceilling lights was too bright. Even with eye-cover ups, I can still sense a stream of light, which is somewhat uncomfortable in my opinion. Downside, it is a shared room. Luckily there wasn't a lot of patrons booked for that day, hence, I have the room all to myself.

Service: 7.5/10

[Pro's and Con's] The facial session started off with the routine Cleansing and Vitamin C scrub, followed by Hot steam, a process which I did not enjoy. It is suppose to be a process to open up my pores, but I think it went on for too long and I do not think people like me with sensitive skin should go for hot steam. I have been told by many beauticians that cold steam should be used for problematic skin. Reason being, heat would inflam the wounds on the skin even more rather then soothe it.

Facial session was followed by extraction, which was yet again, rather painful. I figured many experienced beautician actually practice the "pinching" method, where the skin is lightly pinched at an angle while extractions was being done to balance out the pain. Many beauticians would just press and poke without much ado. A Aqua Gel Mask was then applied on my face and subsequently absorbed using a Ultrasonic Cooling Machine, a process which I throughly enjoyed. This was followed by a face Massage, shoulder Massage and Hand Massage and ended with a 20-30 minute Oxy Hydro Mask.

Beutician practically stayed with me throughout the facial session, except during the 20-30 minute mask-wait. I would say that in the many facial parlours I have been to, a lot of the beauticians conduct overlapping facial sessions. In other words, they service 2 customers at once, with time-off taken normally during the "mask" session. They were also not pushy on signing for further packages towards the end of the session.

Overall Rating: 8/10

About my Addiction, my Henessy-A, my Beauty Pageant....

2011-11-19T04:51:00.001+10:00

I'm certain that most people have a habit which they can't forego by just snapping a few fingers. Be it a bad habit or a good one.

I have a habit (Can't say if its bad or good) in which I practice every single day without fail. At times I try to contain myself, but the urge ultimately prevails nonetheless. So, whats the point of resisting when I think it's not going to do me "much harm"? (I need to redefine my definition of "much harm" sooner or later)

I admit, I have this thing for... Online Shopping. Let me rephrase, I have this thing for... Online window shopping.

Yes I do purchase online, but not at all times. 30% of the time perhaps? I do however spend "heaps" of time online, browsing through blogshops, scouting for clothes, accessories and even food! (I shall provide an estimated timeline on what I meant by "heaps" in this scenario. A minimum of 2 hours a day?)

Totally unrelated..... I went to the Henessy Artistry Event held at The Mines Convention Centre last weekend.

Totally Lovin' my new Fuschia colored dress =) Guess what? Fay Hokulani wore the same dress as Moi on that night as well. When I walked pass her, I was like... "Oh shit"... but I'm pretty sure she went like "shit shit shit shit shit". Anyway....

A couple of snapshots of me and my friends and the night goes on.....

All in All, I enjoyed Yolanda's performance the most with minor appreciation towards the Henessy free flow that was served that night.

Totally unrelated again..... I was at the Miss Oriental World 2011 Finale at Klang Executive Club just few hours back to support JOEY. Damn, I'm getting the hang of a "close-to-live" update of my blog already. Event was held at this, well... 3 star location.

Nothing much to say about the food, door gift and performances either. Rather sub standard and wasn't up to par really. What I enjoyed the most that night, besides being part of the winner's table =) (You will know what I mean by this later) was the really humurous emcee. Don't recall her name, but she was awesome in entertaining the crowd.

So yeah, snapped a couple of pictures with friends along the way.

And snapped more pictures of the pageant.

And guess who won the Miss Oriental World 2011 title? JOEY! *claps*

Okay, enough of random updates. The End.

Of being Random & Lame

2011-11-06T23:01:00.001+10:00

It has been a week since I've got back from Bali. I getaway which I needed badly and not to mention the only overseas vacation I've had planned for this year with Singapore being an exception. Was thinking of heading for a last minute, ad hoc trip to Phuket next month. Will see how things go with my leave application @,@"

Anyways, random snapshots taken everywhere in Bali.

Camwhored in the Hotel room every morning before take off.

There was a bunch of really persuasive banana sellers at Goa Gajah and a dollar was all it takes.

Visited Sky Garden Bali. A 4 storey club with amazing interior decor and locals have to pay to get in! Biased much. Heaps of drunken stories to share.

Had Pork ribs for Tea (@.@) in Naughty Nuri's in Ubud. Lotsa other yummy foods to share laterz.

I love this piccha. Sunset in Tanah Lot.

There is a before-after take of this snapshot. This is the After picture. Will share the before one in the next post.

Taken at a Restaurant up in the Kintamani volcano region.

Paid a visit to Kuta Beach. I have a story to share about my Love-Hate relationship with the Sun.

I went to Bali right, a vacation hotspot infamous for its scorching heat and continuous sunshine. I'm not a big fan of covering up with long sleeved clothings, nor do I like the idea of carrying and umbrella and wearing a hat for that matter. The only thing left in this world to protect me from the hamrful UV rays is Sunscreen. I was reapplying sun screen so very often to the extend that I think my mates got annoyed at me for overdoing it.

Fyi, this has got nothing to do with wanting to be fair and shit. Its just that I have really really sensitive skin which can't seem to develop a camaraderie with the Sun. In fact I love being tan. I look healthier, slimmer and the cellulite on my thighs will be less evident. But, subsequent to that, my skin will start developing red spots, black spots, pigmentation and acne.

This is not a pre-measure where I "think" I will get the above symptoms, it is a post-measure based on my truthful experience when I was under the sun too much Down Under. The 3 years I spend in Aussie under the sun, was like an accumulative of the 20 years I have been under the sun in Malaysia. And the awful skin condition I've had at that time was devastating.

Anyway, of being totally random, Thank you God for creating Sunscreen.

More of Bali in the later post....

Of being totally random and lame once again, the new dress I bought yesterday.

Was contemplating between this mustard green one and the one below. Please tell me I made the right choice? I'm still actively scouting for the perfect red dress.

And off being totally random again, I feel like eating this Chicken Dish at Secret Recipe. Have been craving for it for awhile already. Odd it might seem, since Secret Recipe don't exactly serve the best a la carte dishes around and heck, I can't seem to recall what is the name of the dish, I onlyknow that it's a type of Chicken Dish @,@.

Ok The End.

About Life Goals

2011-11-05T04:13:00.002+10:00

Tonight, I had a pretty thought provoking and insightful chat with a friend of mine.

We touched base on basically... Everything. From career to men, but most importantly on our individual personalities and goals.

Beware, for this might potentially be an extremely boring and ponderous write-up, but I'm tempted to jot this down to remind myself (and to bore everyone else who's reading this to death) to do a reality check.

A fraction of society plans for what they want to achieve in life regardless of short or long term goals. Short term goals of obtaining short term happiness and long term goals of achieveing long term fulfillment. I could party and splurge on make up and clothes to reward myself now, but I would need a sound agenda to lay up big ticket items moving forward.

That said, I have been defaulting on my long term plans and focusing too much on my short term happiness. I have no health concerns, no financial worries, no career misfits; I lead a stable life at the moment. Why should I worry so much about the future?

During my schooling days, I've always had plans to earn my first million, an MBA, a high end vehicle and property with a side business to boost, before reaching the age of 30. Highly motivated and even an overachiever some might say. On the other hand, we've been seeing young, successful and capable entrepeneurs making it big in their 20's.

Over the years, I've gradually begun to sink into my "Comfort zone". I no longer feel the constant need to strive for my planned goals. In other words, I'm just going with the flow; languidly losing ambition hence, not really knowing what I want to achieve in life anymore and unconciously procrastinating and pushing my plans backwards. Yes, I still want to earn big bucks and to be a more wholesome person, but by when and how?

A plan will always remain a plan and perhaps a dream if its all lodged as thoughs without actions. And no, I honestly do not think I'm being harsh on myself, I just need an ocassional wake up call.

Many would say that life's short, live everyday like its the last day of your life. I need to relax and just go with the flow and grow as the years comes by. Agree, but to what extend though? Insurance companies and retirement funds would not exist if that's the case.

The first statement is what I meant by being contented and being stuck in the "Comfort zone". I'm in that zone and I don't want that. I do not want to be immobolized as a typical executive till the age of 30; a manager at the age of 40; and if I get lucky, a senior manager when I retire, just because its a social norm. Let me reiterate this, I do not want to be like that. I might not achieve all the afformentioned goals that I've had planned, but at least I tried. At this point in time, I don't think I'm even trying hard enough.

Having said that, I want to achieve something. Not everyone has the same goals in life or identical dreams. I can't succumb to pressure from society nor do I vie to become the next Steve Jobs, but the least I can do is to challenge myself to be a better person. I can do better than this and so can you.

Reality Check!!!

The Day Trip - The Crab-py Restaurant (Seremban)

2011-10-15T12:37:00.003+10:00

Despite being a day trip, my bunch took a drive to Seremban for dinner after our short crusade in Melaka.

The drive took about 90 minutes, with many wrong turns, several repeated runs on the same road, numerous times of circling around the same building, a handful of phone calls, a close encounter of nearly killing a policeman and subsequently being given a stern warning for that matter, we finally got to our destination, Seremban Seafood Village.

Foreigner: Where are you?
Me: Seremban Seafood Village
Foreigner: Which seafood village in Seremban?
Me: Seremban Seafood Village
Foreigner: WHICH ONE?
Me: Seremban Seafood Village
Foreigner: You better tell me which one if not I'll bloody kill you with my machette. *throws phone on the floor and starts to weep*

Ahh, I'm lame like that.

Despite having a terribly random name, famous for its crabs so to speak, this place was already packed when we arrived at about 7.30ish.

What I'm not to fond off about this restaurant is their waiting system. There is no waiting list, nor is there any proper numbering system. Basically what happens is, you spot a table where its patrons looks like they're about to finish, you then strategically pick the person whom you think will be the last (or first) to leave the table (excluding kids), and immediately sit your bum down onto the chair before other "competitors" do. Alternatively, you get 4 of your friends and place them strategically in 4 corners of the table, easily outnumbering the few but solo competitors standing around. It's like playing an unfair game of musical chair you see, because regardless of how long you've been waiting, the clan with the highest number of friends around, wins.

After waiting close to 10 minutes for them to clean up the table and another 10 minutes for someone to take our order, our first dish came 15 minutes after.

I figured all of it tasted pretty good because I was starving like that. Dishes came in intervals of 5-10 minutes.

Upon cleaning off what we had on our table, we starting analyzing patrons from other tables. Some have this exasperated look on their faces, some just looked plain bored. Those who came with a gang of friends still looked relatively energetic despite having to wait close to well.... an hour.... for the long awaited Crab to be served.

An hour? Really? That's like an hour from the time we finished our dishes, not when we first ordered. Its like asking me to sit in traffic without bunging a single inch for an hour. I was feeling real impatient and so was the rest of my bunch. Everytime we see a waiter carrying a plate of crab, we would start screeching, "That must be ours, its ours. Ahh, no its not. OK."

When it finally came, I breathe a sigh of relief. We ordered a kilo of grilled crab and a kilo of I-don't remember-is-it-butter-or-sweet-sour.

I'm a big fan of eating crabs, but not "picking" crabs. In fact, I think I sucked at it. I've been flagged by my friends, numerous times in the past, to just use 4 fingers, not all 10! I can't help myself though...

I shall eat crab only on special occassions. It's a real tiring process. Serious. I normally wouldn't even think of eating crabs back in PJ. However awesome the grilled crab can be, I personally wouldn't even want to drive pass this place anymore.

The End.

The Day Trip - MELAKA

2011-10-02T13:34:00.002+10:00

It has been awhile since I've gone interstate (Besides the monthly business trip to Kertih that is). I was uber excited when my mates initiated a food-hunting trip to Melaka and Seremban.
The day started of with an hour delay from the initial plan. Good riddance to my friends who've had never ending nights of partying and late mornings. The crew in the car of the convoy of 2. @.@. Ie. We went in 2 cars and the below pics are those in the car I was in. @.@. Why do I make matters so complicated?

Traffic was pretty okay considering the fact that it was the second day of Raya, hence the increase of drivers on the road. What I love about road trips is constant urge for unnecessary talk just to hold the terrible silence at bay and the blasting of music which everyone loves (or hates) in the car. Upon entering Melaka, traffic got worst and my friend's car got scratch by a handicapped motorcycle. It took us about 2.5hours to reach MLK from PJ, if memory serves me right.
I was there! but well, not in the picture, since I was the one who took this snapshot.

Moving on, Everyone was starving upon reaching Jonker Street. We were told that the best Chicken Rice ball restaurant (a must have in Melaka by the way) is located right at the entrance of Jonker's street, Here.

But the Que and the weather was such a bitch, we proceeded to the "next" popular chicken rice shop, Here. @.@

Waited for about 20-30minutes to get a table and happily went on our barbaric spree of eating. My gal friend feeling an uber achievement of making it to the restaurant safely. =.=".

Frankly speaking, food was rather mediocre. Probably due to the fact that I am not a big fan of rice to start off with. Another must try is the Durian Cendol. Shop spotted further down from Jonker. This place sells all sorts of chinese dried food as well.

Spotted more Food along the way.

Also spotted this very inspirational scene of a guy without hands doing chinese caligraphy.

More pictures of the girls =)

After spending close to 5 hours in Melaka, it was time to decided where to for dinner. The initial plan was to head to Port Dickson for a dose of fresh seafood, but we decided with Seremban in the end. The Seafood restaurant that we visited was one of the most unsystematic one I've ever been. I will be sharing my story in the next post. =)

A tinge of Strawberries

2011-09-08T22:41:00.003+10:00

This is a rather rare weeknight where I felt a sudden urge to scribble.

I have not been feeling very well for the past week or so. Probably due to the extremely contagious flu bug going around the office and the terrible haze brought in from Indonesia recently. Hope it doesn't get any worst than the daily flu and panadol dosage I'm currently taking.

Friend went for a trip to the Camerons over the weekend and guess what he bought back for me? Strawberries! So thoughtful. Thanks Bro =)

My boss decided to take a day off work because it's his birthday today. Damn, I should do that every year also. His wife surprised him with a box of Godiva chocolates, sent to the office yesterday as a pre-birthday gift. So much happiness and love in the air.

Was having this "Who's the cutest kid" lame-as competition with one of my colleagues. So, I took a snap shot of a couple of ancient kiddy pictures I managed to dig out from my drawers. *Impressive right?* =p. This random shot taken with my aunt, way back when I was 7 or 8 years old.

xoxo.

About challenging ourselves.

2011-09-03T22:35:00.003+10:00

It has been awhile since I've last wrote about something thought provoking or in my blog's case, worthy of reading.

Sharing a picture of the day after the 3 day Raya-Merdeka break. A boring Friday afternoon with barely 10 people who showed up for work.

The aftermath of my company's photoshooting session. A gruesome 2.5 hour photo shoot where I was required to wear heels and pretend I was about to fall and not fall. Had peeling toes thereafter. Also, found out that hiring a cameraman and make up artist would cost a bomb.

I have always wanted to be in a smooth sailing, chilled learning and medium paced working environment. I have never really believed in the need to be a workaholic nor do I think I will ever end up being like one. Like the Spice Girls hit single from a decade ago, "Too much of something is bad enough".

In contrast, it is a known fact that young and motivated professionals would need to absorb as much knowledge as possible in the early phases of their career either through practical or theoretical experiences. Hence, having a steep learning curve. I must agree that this would be the most beneficial and effective way of learning in the long run.

That said, the above mentioned statement is somewhat contradictory to my principle of work-life balance. Something which I strive upon since stepping into the corporate world. I've experienced both ends of this corporate Siberia; not having any work at all and having an amplitude of datelines all at once.

I've just passed through what my team mates call it, the peak period for this quarter of the financial year. However, I don't feel anywhere near relieved since my personal peak period will be running throughout the month of September. I can honestly say that I'm not looking forward to it but since I do not have a choice and that I have to tolerate it anyway, might as well take charge with an optimistic mindset. Easy said than done nonetheless.

Public speaking. Something which I dread and want no part of for the rest of my life. Contrary to being able to socialize and speak up during round table discussions, I tend to stutter, pause constantly and with a high possibility of my mind going blank if I were to speak in front of an audience. I would very much prefer to have the security of a table or someone's head for that matter, so that people won't have a full view of my face. To top that off, I made a minor blunder during one of my company events where I was coaxed by my bosses, last minute, to be the designated Emcee for the day. After the brief mix up, I was somewhat demotivated and swear not to do public speaking ever again.

At times like these, I feel like I'm pushing away responsibilities and the opportunities to learn. Instead of running away from the root cause, which could ultimately lead to a downfall later on in life, I should be tapping away on improving it instead. Hence, the above mentioned learning curve. Harry Truman once mentioned, "A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."

I'm going for a presentation skills training course in about a weeks time. I know I will be trapped with numerous public speaking exercises and not to mention the hounds of eyes starring at me throughout the presentations. I have been avoiding public speaking since adolescences and have an inclination towards picking courses which does not require presenting my assignment in front of a class during my university years. Some people call it a characteristic of insecurity but some people might just deemed it as an attribute which I'm not simply not good at. I will also be doing a budget presentation to top management thereafter. So, Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew, right?

Oh, by the way, Mooncake festival is coming and I'm excited!

[REVIEW] New York Skin Solutions, The Curve

2011-08-07T20:07:00.001+10:00

New York Skin Solutions, The Curve

Type of Facial: Double Cleanse & Double Hydrating Collagen Complex Facial Therapy

Price: 9.5/10. Original price of Rm300, bought at a Deal price of Rm15 with Deep skin analysis, sample skin care products (cleanser+toner+moisturizer & make up pouch) and a Rm300 extra treatment voucher to add. Facial Session lasted for 2 hours. One of the best deals I've purchased.

Ambiance: 6/10. The so-called rooms was basically something which seemed like temporary cubicles separated by card boards. Throughout the entire facial session, I could hear the sound of water and people talking. Thus, in terms of privacy, it was a rather disappointing.

Service: 9/10

[Pro's] I have mentioned before in previous review blog post that I have really sensitive skin, hence, the aftermath of an inflamed and swelled face, which is basically caused by extractions on my skin. I would be more than happy to wear a mask thereafter rather then show me real face. Anyway, for this Facial session, my skin was surprisingly supple and fresh even after the extraction process was done. Perhaps it was the powerful soothing mask that was used. Like my Mary Chia Facial experience, a double clay mask was used as well. A double clay mask basically involves applying a thin layer of serum/mask followed by a cooling clay mask on top of it, which normally hardens by the end the 30 minute mask session. A skin analysis was performed before and after the Facial session, the beautician I had for that day was very tentative in terms of explaining my skin condition and also products that was applied onto my face. Pictures of before and after analysis was shown as well.

[Con's] The cramped cubicle like rooms was a downside for me. It was so cramped to the extend that whenever she pushes open the door, it would hit onto the side of my feet.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

[REVIEW] Mary Chia, Tropicana City Mall

2011-08-07T19:27:00.000+10:00

Mary Chia, Tropicana City Mall

Type of Facial: Anti Blemish Soothing Face Treatment

Price: Original price at Rm160, bought at a Deal of Rm48 for a 90 minute facial session.

Ambiance: 9.5/10. Spacious and comfortable room, with soothing music at the background to add. After my visit to Timers Beauty, this was the second facial session I went to and subsequently fell sleep.

Service: 9/10
[Pro's] Beautician was very tentative in explaining each product that was used on my skin. As usual, my face was double cleanse, scrub, serum was applied and the ultrasound crystal ball was utilized, something which I am terribly fond off. Extractions was somewhat painless and less inflamed after that session, which is a good thing for people like me who has terribly sensitive skin. One thing I noticed was that, the bed had a rubber-plastic back support thingy, perhaps it was there to ensure that I was lying down in a more comfortable position or to make the massage process for the beautician easier. Finally, a very cooling double clay mask was placed on my face, which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.

[Con's] Besides the slight pushiness which I experience during consultation after the Facial treatment, I really enjoyed my Facial session there.

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

[REVIEW] Smart Beauty @ Sophia, Damansara Utama

2011-08-07T19:02:00.000+10:00

Smart Beauty @ Sophia, Damansara Utama

Type of Facial: Diamond Microdermabrasion Treatment Facial & E Light Under Arm Permanent Hair Removal

Price: 9.5/10. Original price of Rm1220, bought at a Deal of Rm38 for a 80 minute facial session and a 10 minute E light underarm hair removal session.

Ambiance: 5/10. Was told that all rooms were occupied and that I was forced to have the first 20minutes of my facial session in the weighting room, which was somewhat cluttered, before being transferred over to the proper room, which was shared by another customer. I do not think that it is appropriate, privacy wise.

Service: 7/10.

[Pro's] This was my first time going for a diamond microdermabrasion treatment. It basically involves using a diamond tip by gently exfoliating, hence removing the outermost layer of the skin. The beautician exfoliated my neck area as well. I was also told that, this process might make my face a bit dry at first and was advised to slab on more moisturizer for the next couple of days. I have oily skin, so it did not bother me much. Upon consultation after my facial session ended, I was not pestered whatsoever to sign up for any facial package, which was a plus for me as I was simply not interested in signing up at all.

[Con's] Being temporarily stationed at the weighting room and subsequently sharing one room with another customer. Microdermabrasion is a treatment which I don't particularly fancy.

Overall: 7/10

[REVIEW] CN Health & Beauty, Damansara Utama

2011-08-07T17:44:00.000+10:00

CN Health & Beauty, Damansara Utama

Type of Facial: DS Intensive Facial Treatment

Price: 8/10. Original price of Rm180, bought at a deal of Rm29.90 for a 90 minute facial session. From personal experience, although many beauty parlors state a specific type of facial treatment on either a discount website or a 1st trial visit offer, it does not necessarily mean that you need to have problematic skin in order to purchase that offer. The type of facial mentioned above are normally suited for people with acne and pigmented skin. I do not have either. Prior to each facial session, a beautician would normally customized a facial treatment specifically for your skin. For people who does not have highly problematic skin, they would probably offer you a maintenance/basic facial treatment. As such, it does not matter which facial treatment that is on offer online, you can always take up whatever they offer upon your visit.

Ambiance: 7/10. Even after I asked the beautician to turn the temperature of the air condition up, I was still feeling rather chilly throughout the session. Perhaps it was because I was not provided a blanket or a towel.

Service: 5/10

[Pro's] From all the past facial treatments that I've went to, this was the only one which included a hot stone back massage treatment. A 10 minute massage in every 30 minute interval throughout the facial session. It was very enjoyable.

[Con's] I would think that it was the first facial session of beautician I had for that day. One of the most amateur beautician I've had thus far. The hand motion of the basic facial technique was not up to par. The beautician was basically just touching my face, rather then massaging in the necessary creams and products.

Overall Rating: 5/10

[REVIEW] Beauty Century, Tropicana City Mall

2011-08-07T13:40:00.001+10:00

Beauty Century, Tropicana City Mall

Type of Facial: Essential Radiance Facial Treatment

Ambiance: 7.5/10.

Price: 9.5/10. Original price of Rm450, bought at a Deal of Rm18 for a 90 minute facial.

Service: 6/10

[Pro's] Beautician who offered a lot of advice throughout the facial session. Besides the normal double cleanse, scrub, mask routine, there was also a cold steam/ hot steam session. I do not recall if there was a ultrasound crystal ball involved.

[Con's] Another bad experience with extractions. The beautician was trying so hard to locate every single impurity there was on my face, hence, my skin was poked and pressed in every single direction. That said, it still wasn't as painful as the one I had in but not as bad as the one I had in Jean Yip Hub. I was told by my friend who joined me for this particular facial session that extractions was so painful that she decided to call it to a halt halfway through. Her beautician insisted to continue on and it left her with an aftermath of tiny red dots on her face which only faded off in a week or two. My facial session ended with some really pushy and hard selling consultation session.

Overall Rating: 5/10

[REVIEW] Timers Beauty, Jaya One

2011-08-07T13:21:00.004+10:00

Timers Beauty, Jaya One

Type of Facial: Lympatic Facial

Ambiance: 9/10. Atmosphere was dim and comfortable. Room was spacious as well. I do not know if its because of my lack of sleep the night before of the aromatic ambiance of the room itself, but I actually fell asleep during the process. Thumbs up.

Price: 7/10. Original price of Rm199, bought at a Deal of Rm39.90. Opted for the additional Oxygen ampule which cost me another Rm15. Comes to a total of Rm55 for a 2hour session.

Service: 7/10

[Pro's] The Facial massage technique was up to par. She focused on the right pressure points and also did a face slimming massage during the session. A crystal ball was also used in the process. Contrary to my choice of words, this crystal ball is actually connected to a machine. Its cold and is suppose to further enhance the absorption of the layer of products into the skin, which in my case, was used particularly for the absorption of the oxygen ampule.

[Con's] As usual, extractions was painful, but not as bad as the one I had in Jean Yip Hub. Shoulder massage was very brief as well. Although I was half unconscious throughout the process, I felt that my mask was left on for a tad too long. 2 mask was used, each at a 30 minute interval. Pardon my lack of beauty knowledge nonetheless. The facial session dragged on for a bit too long in my personal opinion.

Overall Rating: 7/10

[REVIEW] Oriental Pavillion, Jaya33

2011-08-06T11:59:00.000+10:00

Contrary to mainstream perception, I realized I have been recovering my accumulated sleep debts on weekdays rather than weekdays. There is a tendency to pack as much social activity as possible on weekends, hence, deprived of the usual rest and relax hours I'm entitled to. And its also because I'm anti social and too tired to socialize whatsoever on weekdays.

So, friends, if you are reading this, Please don't call me after 9pm on weekdays because I'm in the process of grooming myself to become the next Princess. Geddit? Like, I need my beauty sleep? *Fml*

Anyway, some pictures of my sleep deprived self, which don't look that bad after all. Was at Oriental Pavillion, Jaya33 for Breakfast, a mere 6 hours after yumcha-till-the-wake-of-dawn session at Murni the night prior.

Got there at about 1pm, most Dim Sum(s) was already sold out by then. Hence, the simple rule that food for breakfast shall always be eaten for breakfast and same for Lunch and Dinner.

The Sleep Deprived bunch.

Overall, food was pretty decent, came up to about Rm25 per head. I would say that the Dim Sum Restaurant in Damansara Jaya is more worthy of visiting.

[REVIEW] Jean Yip Hub, 1 Utama

2011-08-01T22:52:00.003+10:00

Many of my friends have been pestering me to start up a Facial review label knowing that I have the tendency to purchase numerous vouchers from various discount websites [which shall not be name in this matter]. So, ever since the blooming of discount websites as such, I have been accumulating facial deals, hence, my monthly visit to various beauty parlors mostly in the Petaling Jaya vicinity.

Since this is the first post I am writing on Facial Reviews, I shall elaborate a bit about the structure that I'm going to stick to moving forward. I'm going to start off with a brief description of the type of facial that was offered, followed by a simple rating of Ambiance, Original price & Discounted price and finally in terms of Service, where I'm going to do a In-a-nutshell summary of my experience.

Also, I AM NOT GOING TO POST BEFORE-AFTER PICTURES. Sorry.

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Jean Yip Hub, 1 Utama
Type of Facial: R6 Skin Revolution Facial (Cleanse-Extract-Mask-Massage)

Ambiance: 7/10.

Price: 8/10. 1st trail offer of Rm38 including a free sample facial cleanser and Rm50 voucher.

Service: 7/10

[Pro's] Beautician was real friendly with ample experience. The facial routine went on pretty smooth and up to standard. Shoulder and head massage towards the end was really enjoyable as well. The free sample facial cleanser turned out to be pretty good and subtle for sensitive skin. Really effective in removing make up as well.

[Con's] I came directly from work, so I had quite a fair bit of make up on prior to that. One thing I realized about the double cleanse notion is that the beauticians never seem to get all the eyeliner and mascara off, leaving behind trances of eyeliner residue on my lids. Considering the fact that I have sensitive skin and that I have never really gone for a facial session before, the extraction session was extremely unbearable. My face was red and swollen thereafter.Was advised to slab on huge amounts of toner by the beautician.

Overall Rating: 6/10

My LRT Memoirs 4 - The Newspaper

2011-07-30T13:51:00.001+10:00

Felt terribly old after attending my friend's 21st. A sneak peak of the private party.

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There should be a rule restricting passengers on how wide they can open their arms whilst reading the newspaper in the LRT. I have had enough of people's elbows nudging me every minute or so when they've decided that well, its time to flip a page.

That supposed separating line between each passenger's personal space, more commonly known as "Seats", is of no use when it comes to newspaper reading, snoozing off and well, obese people, no pun intended.

I've had incidences whereby half of my body was squashed by a larger size person and that I was practically sitting behind this person, if that nutshell description made any sense. Can I make an exaggerated claim that it was to the extend that I was having difficulties breathing?

Every morning in the KJ LRT Station, a cheerful elderly man stands ground and distributes free copies of Chinese newspaper to people. I was on the morning train, when this man in his 60's sat down next to me, inevitably gripping on to a copy of the aforementioned Chinese newspaper. He was a rather big man, hence, the typical squeeze-in.

He started reading. When the diameter of his elbows started to extend wider and wider, after each flip of the page, I knew this will be the kind of mornings where I won't be able to get my 30 minute half conscious snooze on the train.

His inconsiderate self with his inconsiderate elbow nudged me every time he flipped over a page. I kept on leaning to the other side, wanting to achieve solace of some sort, but his arms just keep on extending its width. I have no qualms that after numerous practices, the wideness would reach a 180 degree standpoint. He would probably need 3 seats to himself then.

The End.

My LRT Memoirs 3 - The "Starer"

2011-07-23T13:34:00.002+10:00

As Jakun as a PJ-ite may be, last week was my first time trying out Pasta Zanmai.

I am not a big fan of Pasta. When you have had taken pasta as your daily meal of survival for the past 3 years, you would want to refrain from consuming anything which is pasta base thereafter, hence, the initial biased though. I had the Chicken mushroom pasta with creamy based sauce. It was way too consuming for my comfort, barely touching half base, I was already ready to put down my fork. The side salad was amazing thought, fml.

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I always had this need to write about my daily life, although fact is, nothing exciting happens and every weekday is like a cycle or routine to me. Ever since I came up with my LRT Memoirs posts, at least I felt that there's a daily story, which might be marginally different from my daily routine. Well, the food I have for lunch might vary daily, but I don't think I want to write about the same restaurant everyday. Yesterday I had Fried chicken and vege, today I had steam chicken and vege? Exciting much?

So, I was on my way back from work 2 days ago, as usual, I took the LRT. It was already 9pm. The train was still filled with people but it wasn't packed, as peak hour was long gone. I chose a quiet seat, more like my usual seat, at one end of the coach and at the corner seat. There was only one other person sitting at the other end of my row and another 2 seated in the row in front of me. I was enjoying my ride back in peacefulness and was already dozing in and out of my dreams from a hell days work.

I was quietly minding my own business when this big guy stomped in. It jolted me awake since he made a really well.... Loud entrance. He sat directly in front of me. I could no longer go back to sleep but continued minding my own business by tapping away on my mobile.

I couldn't help it but felt lingering eyes on me. It wasn't like... a glance. It was more like... Continuous staring. I peered up and there he was, staring straight at me and I could sense that there wasn't even a slight intend to look away. I would've normally stared back and play the "lets see who can not blink the longest game" but decided not to, he wasn't good looking for me to stare back at anyway. *LAME*.

Normally when I think that someone is starring at me, my first thought would be that they are in fact, starring at my bag. My normal reflex would be putting 2 hands over my bag, just in case, they pry one lose, I still have the other to fight for my life. Fml. Well, I have never heard of snatch theft incidences happening in LRTs before, so its just me being discretionary-ly paranoid and well, just taking precautions nonetheless.

Anyway, I continued to pretend that I was busy typing away on my phone when fact is, I was just continuously typing on the same page. After a few stops, I peered up again, he was STILL staring at me. Fine, I started to feel uncomfortable. I should've taken a seat else where but laziness and ignorance prevail. He did not look like he had a gun safety tucked beneath his shirt anyway, so I was not under enormous threat of survival.

It seem like forever when I finally arrived at KJ LRT station. Guess what? He followed me out of the LRT station and all the way to Guardian pharmacy (For those unfamiliar with the KJ LRT station layout, there's a Guardian pharmacy inside the LRT station). He loitered around the corridor for awhile before walking away.

The End.

My LRT Memoirs 2 - The Creepy Person

2011-07-16T02:06:00.005+10:00

Thanks Chia Ling for reminding me of one of the creepiest LRT incident I'd experience a few months back. =)

Do let me share a tad bit on how this story came about. I had dinner with my friends at Koryo Won, KLCC just a few hours back. While I was on my way back home, as usual, via the LRT, this undeniably creepy incident in the LRT came up. Damn, I'm hardworking, barely 2 hours subsequent to my story telling, I had a dire urge to share my story publicly.

Before that, a couple of random pictures we took while having dinner.

This unfortunate incident happened about a few months back while I was on the way back from KL to PJ. Like any other downtown trips, I took the LRT as my usual mode of transportation. Dinner ran on till rather late on that particular weekend, but Thank God I managed to catch the one of the few last LRT back from Dang Wangi.

To top that off, I was forced to take a 2 stop monorail from Imbi to Bukit Nenas station, which disastrously stalled for an hour or so at one of the middle stations before finally moving again thereafter. I have mentioned that I have a never ending love-hate relationship with every mode of cheap transportation available in Malaysia right? Those were one of my Freaking-Hate days. Because of the inconvenience caused in terms of a time delay, I had to walk through a rather quiet pathway, in the dark, from Bukit Nenas Monorail station to the Dang Wangi LRT station, which took an approximate 10 minutes.

I have not even started on my creepy story yet.

Upon reaching the Dang Wangi LRT station, it was already 10pm. I boarded one of the last trains available for that day. It was relatively empty except for a few foreign workers sitting in the next coach. As usual, I was seated at one end of the coach for easy departure towards the stairs upon arrival at KJ LRT station.

That's when I heard this super loud voice coming from the other end of the coach. It was a 4 coach train, spanning at about a 30 meters long. Yes, it was that loud. There was a man in his 50's speaking on the phone in Cantonese about some weird borrowing money and working thing. Heck, I was already dead tired from all the waiting, and there is now a man trying to take away my calm ride home? What happened to public decency and courtesy. Oh right, doesn't exist in this country. *rolls eyes* Can't make out much of what he was stammering about. But hell, I can hear him talking 30 meters away, talk about having super sensitive short-aided hearing ability.

Little did I know that, this man then started making his way towards me. He looked like he needs a shower. He was scruffy and wore clothes stained with paint and holes in it. Before I knew it, he sat down in front of me and eyed me from top to toe. I felt real uncomfortable and wanted to sit somewhere else, but the train was so empty and quiet and I was afraid that if I bunged, he would feel offended and would create a scene and pester me even more. Furthermore, I can't afford to step out of the train, fearing that he could step out with me, and I will then be left stranded in the LRT platform for another 30 minutes or so before the next train arrives, with him. Who knows what would happen then?

I stayed on. He continued blabbering about he losing his job, his friend losing his job, he not having enough money, his friend borrowing his money and various redundant messages along those lines. On second thoughts, I doubt there was even ANYONE at the other end of the phone. He was probably insane or mentally unstable.

I was anxiously waiting for the train to arrive at the KJ LRT station. 3 more stops to go, 2 more, 1 more... While counting down, I was furiously tapping on my phone, trying to distract myself from his weird conversation and stares. That's when my phone starting beeping, and the screen went blank! The only thing left in this world that was accompanying me was dead! I am going to die! And Cry!

Upon reaching KJ LRT Station, I hurriedly exited and went straight to the nearest public phone to call for someone to pick me up ASAP. None of the public phones in the LRT station was in working condition. Never in a million years would I thought I would be using a public phone ever again. The last time I used one was 10 years back. Talk about having public phones on display only. I then went to the ticket booth and asked the ticket guy where was the nearest payphone around. His response was.... DUNNO full stop. Woah, so much for being a gentlemen. From his face, I can see that he has no intention whatsoever to offer me his land line to use. I stomped off in dire need to help but with a tinge of dignity left in me.

I looked around to see if that weird dude was following me, just to be cautious. I scurried across the bridge, yes, I had to walk across a overhead bridge, to look for a bloody payphone. THANK GOD, there was a payphone I have never noticed in my entire life, tucked in the corner, underneath the bridge. And YES, a functioning one too! Else, I would need to wait alone, close to midnight, along the highway, and hail for the next available cab.

At that point of time, I was feeling so jumpy that I had to hug my bag at my chest, fearing that some crazy ass thief would rob me of my valuables. Paranoia would probably sink in if any unexpected events of any sort pops up on me again.

So, I got home safely in one piece at about 11.30pm. The End.

[REVIEW] Ben's @KLCC & Alexis @Bangsar & Amusing Thoughts

2011-07-10T13:57:00.002+10:00

With so much hype and media attention given to Bersih 2.0 rally this time round, its only fair for me to contribute my two cents worth as well.

Albeit being a Saturday, I decided to stay in yesterday. So did most of everyone who lives in Klang Valley I reckon. News updates on the massive jam, countless roadblocks and police check was feeding off my Facebook wall from Friday night onwards all up till this very moment. I can't deny that it was sort of "exciting" to read live updates from websites like Malaysiankini and Malaysian Insider, top with the endless post of very opinionated facebook status updates on mostly anti-Government stance. On the other hand, I was also told that it has been a breeze, whizzing through the "unblocked" KL roads without major traffic headaches.

This rally surpassed my expectations on the capability of Malaysians fighting for the better of humanity. It also undeniably showed the down side of the Government misusing their powers. It is understandable that security controls and measures have to be put in place, but the constraints and curfews was in my opinion, way over the top.

Perhaps what the government was trying to portray was the "Don't mess with us, else you will get it" attitude, but at the same time, we can't totally rely both on live reports on websites nor stories written in the newspaper. In Malaysia, we will never know what's true and what's not unless we see it with our own eyes. Even then, the illusion of a mirage could take over at times.

What really puts me off is the "bullying" of innocent people. The use of tear gas in enclosed areas and Hospitals and not to mention the use of force and arrests of those rallying for a peaceful cause has been overwhelmingly heart wrenching to read. Photographs and stories have been splashed across unbiased news websites throughout the day.

All in all, I would say Bersih 2.0 was a success. I think many would agree that it did bring Malaysians together and further strengthen the 1Malaysia spirit, which I can't help but mention, a rather unsuccessful "branding attempt" made by the Government awhile back. I think the citizens of Malaysia will be anxiously waiting for the elections to arrive. Lets see how the polls fair by then yeah? -Peace-

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Went on a eating spree yesterday night. Hopping from Nandos 1u to Alexis Bangsar and ending in Murni Aman Suria. The 7 hour eating spree was a blast. We got to Alexis at about 11.30pm. Sadly, the popular cake selection of Tiramisu was long gone. We did have a slice of Mix Berries Meringue, one of Alexis's favorites as well as the Chocolate Mousse, which was both equally scrumptious.

Went to Ben's KLCC again for lunch with colleagues. Friday to Sundays are my self declared "expensive food days", where I tend to spend a good chunk of my salary on the blissfulness of good food. The Macadamia Cheesecake Sundae is still my favorite dessert currently.

That's it.....

My LRT Memoirs 1 - The "Smell"

2011-06-28T23:52:00.004+10:00

I have a Love-Hate relationship with this thing called the Light Rail Transit, or more commonly known as the LRT. I love it because it saves me from the hustle and bustle of the crazy KL traffic; I hate it when it breaks down for hours while I get squashed like a sandwich between people with terrible body odor.

Commuting via the LRT has been a daily routine for me ever since I started working in KL. I use the LRT every single day, without fail. Travelling from the first stop of the Kelana Jaya line to KLCC. In fact, I rely so much on the LRT that I can proudly define myself as the worst kind of direction-idiots there is who lives in the KL-PJ precinct.

Of the entire 20+ years I have lived my life, I do not have one bit of direction sense while driving in KL. Rather, I would say that I have never in my life driven alone in the streets of KL. Blame me for being an ignorant PJ-ite. Who wants to get stuck in stupid KL traffic anyway.

With every single ride in the LRT being an experience of its own, I have decided to pen my series of unexpected and unfortunate events down.

"Today, a fat & sweaty & smelly man sat next to me in the LRT. He was digging his teeth like no one's business and making pathetic sounds with his tongue. A series of tsk, tsk, tsk noise with an occasional burp was heard at an approximately 10cm away from my face. It was like he was trying to dig an impossible and undiggable spinach out from his throat. It was torturous for me. He finally got off at KL Central. I can finally breathe and had a moment of relief. Little did I know, 2 Iranian dudes then sat next to me. Knowing that it was close to 40 Celsius outside, it was utterly ridiculous for them to be wearing sweatshirts and such. A stench of unbearable air came floating over to my direction, something like a mix of 10% of sweat and 90% of pure body odour. I wanted to stop breathing. I turned my head to right, trying to look out the window at the back and pretend that I was looking at the beautiful scenery outside just so I can take a deep breath before turning my head back to its original position. To top that off, it seemed to me like that spend all their money on sweatshirts and none of toothbrushes. They couldn't stop talking to each other and the air circulating around them was worst then that of Indah water. I almost died on my way home....."