of royalty

Trip to Singapore - Part 2

2010-11-04T21:28:00.001+08:00

We took a 15mins break (or so it was supposed to be) while me, YM and Mimi shifted our luggage from Nurlin’s room to ours (hers was ready first). The little groupie consisting of 3 girls + Penang and Ipoh boys + Nelson started on the supposedly planned destination: the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple. At the bus stop, I remembered that everyone must be properly attired to enter the temple so Danny was sent back to the hotel to change his pants (oops~ my bad. Sorry! =p) while the rest went to 7-11 to get small change for the bus ride.

Oh! I forgot to mention, Mimi’s friend, Nicholas, joined us. Due to time constraint, we decided to scrap our original plans (so much for printing maps and routes) and headed to where Mimi needed to buy her stuff. Singaporeans were so used to using this ‘similar to TouchN’Go card’ called the EZLink card that the bus driver wasn’t so sure how much we were suppose to pay for our trip to the MRT. Lol So I just chucked in a dollar. xD

Tourists as we are, we got off a bus station earlier than the one we were suppose to get off. xD We walked the rest of the way to the MRT and luckily it wasn’t too far. @@ (Oh!! I saw real peaches sold at the shops along the road. ^^) From Aljunied, we took a train to Paya Lebar where we interchanged and carried on to Promenade...or was it Esplanade?? @@ I think it was Esplanade since I think I remember seeing City Hall later during our walks (this is just a small hint on how far we walked that day).

We got off the train and walked to Suntec City where Mimi wanted to shop for her stuff. I believe that was also where you could actually get tickets for the Duck Ride (waddle waddle... oh no... I need to get that out of my brain. >.< Go youtube “Duck Song” to see what I’m talking about. WARNING: It gets stuck to your head fairly easily if it doesn’t annoy you first). Mimi decided that we should split so we didn’t have to tag along with her and Nicholas to find her stuff (hm...).

Aimless, the rest of us wandered about while trying to decide on a place to go. The boys were all on up-to-you mood, so that left me and YM to decide. = = I thought we had time to go to the temple after all but thinking twice, maybe not. T.T

Since we were so near the Esplanade, we impromptu decided to go have a look since YM wanted to see the Durian structure. Singapore road signs are pretty complete. We managed to wind ourselves through the labyrinth (yes, this expression is right even for someone who is good with maps and roads) of shopping complexes and ended up inside the Esplanade without realising it.

From Suntec City, we actually walked 15minutes all the way to Esplanade but it wasn’t so bad since the whole walk was pretty air-conditioned or simply not boring with things to see all around; expensive looking shops, restaurants, garden looking places, artistic displays, etc. =D The only downside is our aching feet, even Dixon started to request for a foot massage in case we flatten his feet before the tournament the next day. xD

The walk was so long that nearing the end, we were fairly certain that we were lost. Passing a walkway empty of crowd, across a large space where youngsters were hanging around getting ready for something artsy-fartsy, a further dimmed walkway with pictorial displays next to what seems to be a carpark, it really made YM worry and started contemplating about turning back. Actually, the fact was that we were actually inside the Esplanade already. When we saw hints of sunlight on the way up an escalator, YM actually exclaimed, “Civilisation!!” xD

The display at the entrance was creepy, no matter how beautifully artistic it was. >.< It was similar to a bunch of theatre actors (the postures) confused as circus acrobats (the costume colours) with STRINGS ATTACHED. *shock* An ultimate distortion of the mind. *cough* Good reason to go out and take pictures of the building structure more than the odd display. *nod nod*

Outside, the space was very wide, useful for event functions. We could see other city buildings of Singapore, but due to the haze, it was a little fuzzy. We took pictures here and there. Hm...actually, the building looks more like a cempedak than a durian due to its longish shape. Lol Thank goodness the building doesn’t smell like either. @@

We took a “shortcut” back to the nearest mall only to notice we were so near City Hall MRT. = = WN manage to solve his EZLink card matter there I believe. There were SO many people at that MRT station. @@

Anyway, it was still too early to look for Mimi, so we turned ourselves into a food scout party. xD I thought of trying McD IF the menu was different. Unfortunately, it was the same, except for the prices. = =

We walked on and finally found MOS Burgers; a fast food joint where they sell unique burgers in Japanese themes! The majority were normal burgers with teriyaki patties, burgers with its bread replaced by rice and burgers that are wholly vegetables (it looks very green >.o)!

The other fascinating thing was that ¾ employees were elderly people. *shocked speechless* OO
*can’t resist but to take a pic* OO
So nice! ^^
But you need to listen REALLY hard to know what they are saying while asking you for your order. X.x

Most of us had one round of burgers before Mimi arrived alone. Then WN and Nelson had their second round while I shared a rice burger with Danny. Hm...the rice was actually tasteless, so they added some soy sauce to it. I preferred my original burger with teriyaki chicken. >.< Oh, our sets were packaged really nicely; they came in plastic baskets. =D Additionally, as dessert, YM, WN and Mimi each had a frozen strawberry. Was that ice or icing on it?? Oo

There were 7 of us, so we had to split ourselves to 2 tables; boys one side, girls one side. I don’t remember what we were talking about but I think we were spouting nonsense and had really good laughs before we left. ^^

We took the nearest train back. Oh!! We passed an interesting shop that sells paper art and crafting goods. So nice!! =3 But expensive. = = See see enough lor... xD Then, somewhere I remembered I saw this HUGE 7-11. *drools* +.+ YM, I think I was engrossed with 7-11s during my whole SG trip because it was actually something we have back home. >.<’

On our way back, Mimi was on camera frenzy. We had some good random shots at the MRT stations and of course, lots of cat pictures to WN’s delight. The cats were lazing near the bus station and the bus was late...so you get the idea... lol But the cats were really fat and well kept like pedigrees.....on the street!! =O

On the bus ride back, we were looking out for the hotel when we passed this ice cream shop that tempted us all. But...the buffet was already over at that hour. Too bad, Dixon. Lol

When we arrived, the referee senseis just returned from their referee seminar and dinner. That’s surprisingly late. Oo Ishii-sensei and Wong-sensei both looked so tired. Lucky for them, they had an unexpected entourage to accompany them back to the hotel, us! xD The other senseis from different countries all headed another direction. We think they went karaoke. @@ Semangat..

We returned to our respective rooms for a short rest and bath before we headed down to the lobby again for our AKT briefing/meeting. We got our participant number tags, a booklet with schedule and AKT participant details, a luggage tag as souvenir and our own souvenirs to present to our opponents. Chris told us who we were fighting (YM started freaking out by then), what was the arrangement like for the next day, so on, so forth. We mingled a bit after that and Kennie dropped by after work to join us (such a good supporter >.<). We were all quite tired out by our trip out, so we around much and retired to our rooms "early".

YM was still half freaking out while fixing her shinai next to me. But she got over it while I was trying to sleep. In fact she slept faster! @@

That night as like all other first nights on any trip was a horror. I had trouble sleeping and kept getting up to look at the time. 12AM...1AM....2AM...I’m still not asleep? Hear snores, find source, assumed it was YM... YM turned around...eh?! So soft one her snore...so that means the motor-loud one was....Mimi’s?! Two beds away! X.x Cover ears; one side with pillow, the other with jacket. I think I probably slept ‘coz I didn’t see 3AM, but I saw 4AM. 5AM...just about to get comfortable, Mimi’s awake...meaning time to get up soon....and I probably only slept 2-3hours.. *groans*

5.30AM. Good morning Singapore.

Thank goodness Mimi took a bath, the bathroom was warm though with a fogged up mirror. Lol Chris gave a morning call while I was still washing up. We wore our hakama and gis (Kendo uniform), and went down for breakfast.

There were toasts, cereals, porridge, English breakfasts, drinks, etc. The 3 of us sat at a smaller table on our own and later joined by Wong sensei. In the middle of the restaurant was occupied by a joint tables of...either Thailand or Indonesia’s team...I think...can’t recall well.

I was worried about how I’ll perform with the lack of rest I had, even Wong sensei was asking me how am I going to fight. Well...I’ll deal with it when it comes. Just need to get some rest whenever I can.

Trip to Singapore - Part 1

2010-11-01T01:13:00.000+08:00

Due to the looong-winded posts, I had to type when I actually typed out the actual bits so not to confuse on what I was feeling at the moment...at least to me. @@ Sorry for the confusion caused. xD

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[Written 29/10/2010 night]

I seriously shouldn’t be typing this right now knowing that I need to get up really early in the morning tomorrow. What’s more I’d been having this floating/fainting feeling the past few days, all the more I shouldn’t be staying up late. But if I don’t start somewhere, sometime...this post will never be done and up before all my memories are lost. Well...not to say that I’ll totally lose all my brain cells. Just that....well....my memory really doesn’t serve me well (else I wouldn’t have to worry about law paper. >.<).

Just last weekend, I had a trip to Singapore to participate in the 9th ASEAN Kendo Tournament (AKT). The preparations consisted mostly of dreadfully necessary training which resulted in many bruises, light and heavy ones. Careful planning and packing the day before departure and I’m ready to go!

22 OCT 2010 FRIDAY (DAY 1)

[Written 31/10/2010 night]

The bus was supposed to leave at 6AM. But I had to get up about 4+ in the morning since we were required to gather by 5.30AM. = = So I did my last minute checks and stuff. Nelson came over to hitch a ride, and we were off to JCKL.

Almost reaching, I realised we were tailing Mr Yap’s car. xD Abul, Hakim, Boon and Ishii sensei were there already. Apparently they didn’t sleep much but Abul looked energetic enough as always. Haha As we waited for the rest to turn up, Mr Yap gave me work to do.

The bus made its entrance with its reversing alarm sounding like a car alarm that got scared by lightning. So early in the morning!! I pity the neighbours. >.< We packed our luggage into the bus and got on. Everyone was there except....Suan. None of us could get her on her handphone and some of us thought she overslept. Luckily she arrived in a nick of time and we were ready to go.

After Mr Yap told us to be good (xD) and left, we were off to Singapore. Along the trip was a variety of activities which generally included sleeping, Abul talking, Peter working, me reading, some eating, sightseeing, chatting, some singing the Duck song (waddle waddle xD), etc.

An hour away, at our first stop, we had an early breakfast. Groups split to going to washroom, cheap stall food and KFC. Lol I was being fickle whether I should eat since mom packed me lots of goodies to eat. @@ But I ate anyway. Xp

When we were done, we headed back to the bus and along the way, found Mimi entertaining with her yoyo tricks (which soon after caught KS’s bugging attention for more). The driver and conductor still at the stalls left the bus door locked except for the driver’s door! @@ Peter being Peter, climbed up to the driver’s seat (*shock!!*) and opened the passenger door with the automated alarm. (Some commented he could be part-time bus driver already and take us to S’pore. xD)

Before we reached the customs, Aimi put up videos of Japan High School Kendo Tournament matches which I took a glimpse of a few rounds. I was analysing how they fought and compared them to my fighting style. I noticed they just WHACK AJE LA! Well..sort of. xD

To be precise, there were no hesitation in cuts and they reacted very quickly. I took those into consideration to fix my weaknesses. That and a thought of wanting to end my string of losses and draws; to finally win back my matches and take something home. Well...we’ll see to that the next day. (Read on. xp)

At the customs, we did a quick stamp, back to the bus and a little on more....we’re in Singapore!! The customs there was so different; so big and nice, with so many officers checking our passports and bags. Ooooooo~~ My handphone decided to vibrate as messages flooded in notifying of the change in service provider. Wah~~~ So efficient my line. xD It was around noon already.

Sightseeing the new environment, I was kinda disappointed to see that many of the roadside decorative bushes were dying and there were some rubbish around. Maybe my expectations were too high. Then again, there was haze at Singapore. =/

It took us another half an hour or so to reach the hotel, which the bus had trouble entering and resulted in us hopping off at the housing area next to it and “climbed” our way to the lobby.

There was a huge banner indicating the hotel to be the official staying venue for the AKT participants. We littered our luggage at the lobby, making a huge mess as we registered ourselves and waited for our rooms to be ready.

We hanged around the lounge area, Mimi entertained with her yoyo again, some took pictures and oh...Chris came and briefed us a bit. Then he took us to lunch at the row of shops opposite the back of the hotel. In fact, adjoining the hotel behind was a...rather run down building that only comes to life at night with pubs and stuff. Yeah, you get the picture. >.o It even had those one-by-one escalators, so you could see us going up and down in a line like lemmings. xD

Oh!! There are many 7-11s in Singapore!! (Here starts my fascination. xD) There was one on each side of the road and it almost like a bound to be one in between each row of shops. Anyway, we went for Kahtong Laksa + Otak-otak (though I was the odd one out, ordering Nasi Lemak. Picky picky. xp). Some went next door for duck rice. After lunch was free-and-easy, do as we please. Lol

Old stuff: Treasure or Junk?

2010-09-29T18:38:00.000+08:00

Wow...it’s almost 2 months of abandonment. Well, I could have dragged longer since I don’t really have anything to talk about. Reason being, days have been passing by quite quickly; everyday almost a similar routine.

There’s been a bit of change though. If not to I, then it would have been my surroundings. With the passing on of a family member, responsibilities at home are shifted and taken upon. Old things are cleared and rearranged. Well, now I have a mini library. And it really keeps telling me, “YOU STILL HAVE SO MANY BOOKS LEFT UNTOUCHED AND WAITING TO BE READ!!”. >.< Ok ok...I’m getting there.

After all that work, it’s a wonder to know that...it’s probably only 10% of the house that got cleaned up. @@ Still got so much... T.T

Anyway, in the midst of clearing, I found really old things which most I had given away. However, there was one of my poems which I found quite amusing...the things I create during that life phase. I typed it out again...yeah, digitizing anything I can...most of it left as how it was originally written. I only edited certain words and added in the last few paragraphs that I added in...dunno when. ^^’

Hope you enjoy it. =)

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Battle of Fine Men and Barbarians

(Fine Men)

The day has come, for us men

To wield harm in one another’s face.

It would be a day, to know one’s fate.

Be it young, old or dame,

Be there a scratch on their frame,

I swear thou shall be shamed.

Guns shouldered, cannons loaded,

Straight are our men,

Ready to hold our beloved land.

But what do we find

Across the plain, it seems like pain

To know the men we fight, are beast alike.

Be still,

Let ye be thrilled.

Flee, leave and let hearts be free.

~~~~~

(Barbarians)

The day has come, for us men

To wield harm in one another’s face.

It would be a day, to know one’s fate.

Be it child, geezers or women,

Be there a strong form to fight,
They shall honour our kind.

Axes hovered, bows loaded,

Hasty are our kind,

And ready are we to behead some fine.

And here we find

Across the plain, it seems like shame

To know the men we fight, are tins alike.

Be still,

Let ye feel frilled.

Flee, leave and let hearts be hearts.

~~~~~

((Fine))

(Mother)

Look there, my child,

Look where thou lord stands

Ready to bring peace back to the lands.

(Child)

I see, Mother,

I see, My Lord,

As clear as any eagle above the clear blue sea.

(Elder)

Have hope children,

Would there be a wall, keep it still,

Pray and hope this would hold,

Oh how I dread these wars.

Come children,

Be safe; sight and sound,

The pieces would move soon as the drum starts to role.

~~~~~

((Barbarians))

(Mother)

Look there, my child,

Look where the rogues stand

Ready to bring store back to our lands.

(Child)

I see, Mother,

I see where the rogues stand,

And may they be swift,

For me tummy is rolling as fast as their beating drums.

(Elder)

Be strong children,

Be there a will, there is always a way,

Pray and hope our bodies would hold

As long as our fathers would draw breath.

Come now,

Be safe, even a line away,

The war is starting soon as the men gets edgy too.

~~~~~

((Battlefield))

(Fine Soldier)

Come now, come quick,

For my dearest waits behind the door

With her sweet, sweet smile.

Her lips red as the red, red roses in the garden,

As sweet as the wine down below the cellar.

Her arms white, the silk over them as soft as waves,

Her golden locks, priceless to my eyes.

Her cooking, deliciously satisfying,

Her songs, like the birds chirping by the window sill,

Her melodious voice like a harp to my ears.

What say you?

(Barbaric Rogue)

Come now, be swift,

For my wife waits behind a wall

With a hungry child.

Her lips red as the red blood spilled this very day,

As dry as the valley beyond the hill.

Her hands rough, the rags over them as tattered as my own,

Her dark hair, worth only coal.

Her cooking, exaggeratingly grainless,

Her songs, like the old owl hooting in the night,
Her hoarse voice like a drum to my ears.

Though so, she is the only one meant for me,

But hear me now, and hear me well,

If I could turn back time,

I would have traded mine for yours.

(Fine Soldier)

Barbarians,

You know not of love.

You treat your wives as slaves,

Your land as waste.

If my grandmother was here,

She would have fluently said,

“Shame on you, boy.”

(Barbaric Rogue)
Proud,

You know not of culture.

You treat your lady as deco,

Your land as toll.

If my gramps was here,

He would have chattered,

“Bless you, my boy.”

~~~~~

(Fine Captain)

What is wrong with those men?

They quarrel like women

Then fight like men.

What is this world coming to?

They speak of their wives

In the middle of a battlefield.

[added edition]

(Barbaric Leader)

Oh spare me!

My hopes, shattered,

Is there no peace from women on this land?

(Fine Captain)

Stop it, friend or foe,

This war is about to end

Under my command.

(Barbaric Leader)

Hold your tongues

Or ye wife shall be called to be mine

At this very night.

Date: 10 Aug 2004 Time 5:29pm

YES 2 Finale: Red Carpet Party

2010-08-08T02:14:00.000+08:00

If the post structure looks funny to you...blame Blogger. >.< Anyway, this is a long post...seems like I'm adding lenght to my posts as time goes. Hahaha Enjoy~ =p

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Let’s see...I got the invitation to the event last Wednesday which I declined shortly after as I was thinking of taking the time to do my thesis (yes, everything now seems to be about my thesis). I was on a budget; thinking I had to get a cocktail dress (short dress) as compared to all the ankle long dresses I currently have. Last reason...sadly to say, I was contemplating...that I’d already butted out of the challenge earlier, what more is there for me to return and see it. But I also had the thought that...it’s the final, just finish it.

I had already decided until...a good friend messaged me a day or two before the event registration deadline, requesting for me to go. He’d been very supportive all the while and the one that enquired after me the most. His message got me contemplating on going again.

During the time I took to contemplate, other friends started to ask for me as well. So I started to clarify about matters such as the dress code, but it didn’t bother much anymore if I would look like a fool or not. My sole reason on attending now was for my friends.

Friday came and I spent my day preparing...ironing, picking choices, etc. The ensemble looked funny, I rendered. It was a blue long halter dress. Since it bares my shoulder, I decided to wear a long baggy jean jacket over it and stepped out in slippers. It gave my uncle a shock. Hahaha! He looked at me and said, “Yish...you’re not wearing that are you?!” Well, of course not. ^^’ I just didn’t want to get into trouble with the police if there were any on the road, that was all. xp

I picked up Ainul (Ann) and Sher Yee (SY) on the way and headed to the hotel, Grand Dorsett in Subang. The parking was quite empty really. We stepped out of the car next to another that just arrived. 3 guys were standing there getting themselves ready while they watch us get off the car. Well, nothing to see actually since we weren’t looking how we would be later that evening. Hahaha.

I could clearly see that things were being prepared...the carpet half rolled out, Yu Vee (UV) and the others busy preparing the registration and all. I was about to head towards them when Ann zoomed off the other way heading to the lobby looking for the washroom. Me and SY were feeling kinda odd that we both have to walk through the lobby wearing what we were wearing and walking such a long way to look for the washroom. @@

In the washroom, Ann was supposed to help me apply my makeup but before she started, she took out some blue cloth from a common plastic bag. She passed to me and asked me to try it on. I looked at it hard....how to wear?! Fiddle fiddle....uh....what is this?! Ann explained that it’s a dress she borrowed from a friend and told me to try it since days earlier I did ask her for help to get a short dress. But I can see through it! It’s so thin! Ann: Just try it la!

So ok, I changed out and into the thin dress. It fitted nicely although Ann said the design was suppose to be a little different. It was suppose to drop off my shoulders or something like that but due to my broad shoulders, it just WOULDN’T drop. It looked fine anyway.

When I got out, Ann announced...that she lied; she made the dress herself in two days for me but it was a little off as she didn’t have my measurements. She had to base it on a friend who was a little shorter than me. So technically, the dress on me was shorter than it should be and due to the design, it kept coming up my thighs as I walked. It was almost like a mini. @@ Thanks anyway, Ann. =)

Ann got my makeup and SY’s done. Since it took time, I got a look at several guests attending the same function. They looked so natural and pretty no matter what they wore. =) But Ann kinda messed up the place with all the makeup stuff hogging 3 sinks out of 4. @@

When she’s done, me and SY went out to register ourselves at the booth manned by Jolene, Su Zhen and others before mingling around with the other guests. I met back familiar faces like Vincent, Neil, Ji Kin, Andrew, Melvin, Valerie and others. It was really nice seeing them again and talking to them.

One-by-one the finalists arrived in their hired cars, ushered in and welcomed by the emcee, Chia Wei. She looked so gorgeous. =3

First came Nuraini (Aini) from Voila!. Apparently Ivan was on a university assignment trip at Ipoh and it costs him lots of marks, so he had no choice but to skip the function. Aini herself looked gorgeous. =)

Next came Cup Chatter’s (if I got the sequence right) Joshua, Navin, Nicholas and Adeline. Third was Dreamzland. As Raymond was explaining what their business does, SY keeps emphasizing how cute Pooi Mun was (looks like you can’t run =p). Qi Hong was there with them.

Lastly was Greenergy’s couple, Jz and Chee Yee. Hohoho They made this function look more like a wedding. =p Dashing! The final team, SyCO was not around to grace the event for unknown reasons.

After the teams were all in the VIP room, the ballroom doors opened and we went in, looking for nice seats as it was free seating after certain table numbers. We sat together with unfamiliar faces who we later got to know their names but ended there on my part. I went around to the next table to talk more with Vincent who looked a little odd sitting by himself at his table.

Those were valuable minutes shared. Then Melvin and his friend joined the table. The table slowly filled up and me and Vincent had to stand up talking. Haha After I took my leave and headed back to my table, I noticed that on the other table were Ji Kin, Johnson and Sheng Yeong. Also at their table was Chen Chow who was wearing an interesting purple jacket.

Oh yes, Ann was not with us as she was busy dressing up and she called me to get her by the corridor as she had trouble with her loose shoe and also had to return things to the car. On my way, I saw the teams queuing outside waiting nervously to enter the ballroom. We exchanged short rushed gestures as I rushed off.

When I saw Ann, it was an eye opener. She was supposingly wearing corporate wear but it just looked...too nice. xD Besides, I hardly see her like that. She’d changed her wardrobe lately I think.

Later when I and Ann got back from the car, the teams were still there so I manage to stay awhile and talked to them before they got pulled into the ballroom (not literally). =)

After the speeches, DINNER WAS SERVED!! Well...more like we had to go out to grab our own dinner since it was buffet. But it was really good. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to eat much and I especially didn’t manage to touch dessert. >.< I just too busy watching what was being shown on stage to concentrate on eating.

There was a simple mind magic trick that required 8 persons from the floor to hold an envelope each. Then the beautiful assistant, Adeline in this case, would help the magician verify a random number picked from a phone directory. Sheets were pulled out of each envelope to form the number mentioned. Interesting. But I was wondering...if there was anything written behind the envelope or if the magician changed the numbers as he said it so fast beyond our memory to remember the sequence so quickly. ..nevermind that, it was still a nice watch. =)

Somewhere in the middle of the event, Rossnan (Aini’s bf) who just arrived from work and Valerie joined us at the table. =)

Then the award ceremony started with awards given to several categories (not all related to YES, but more to MoneyTree) before each team was introduced with really good videos and descriptions. Finally...time to announce the winner.... “And the winner for YES 2 is...”

CUP CHATTER!!

Congratulations! They got a trophy and RM20 grand which they would put into their business. But many emphasized that the other teams were also winners for accepting the YES challenge itself. =)

Cup Chatter gave their own impromptu thank you speech, then the other teams were called up and each individual given certificates.

That was the end of the function and they opened up the floor for partying which didn’t really happen as everyone was busy taking photos and all. Haha I was busy going around to each YES2 finalists congratulating them and catching up a bit.

Joshua was dancing around with the trophy in hand but he didn’t dare go up to the dance floor. Hahah! Navin brought his whole family and took a huge picture. Wow! I think Adeline was crying with joy for a bit on stage. Nicholas looked calm as he always was. ^^

Took another picture with Raymond, talked to Mike and....watched Jz dance to Wondergirls’ Nobody. xD xD xD Me and Chee Yee couldn’t stop laughing.

Navin invited me to join the gang to continue the party elsewhere but unfortunately I had to go. It was getting late. =) So on my way out, I manage to catch UV. He looked tired but it was job well done. He, Jo-ann and crew. =) Ann insisted that she wanted a photo with him. After that we left to go home. =)

Oh yes, there was a small social entrepreneur booth at a corner with a “Money Tree” where pledges were stuck with money donated to Rumah Nur Salam. I hope they got good response since they were a little hard to notice where they were.

All-in-all, I am very happy I went for the event. No regrets going. The one thing I forgot I gained most important through YES2 journey were the relationships and bonds created as each of us supported each other through hardship. Friends.

Thank you for being part of my life no matter how small a presence you made. =)

My 22nd Birthday

2010-07-18T20:44:00.000+08:00

Ok, I better write this down before I forget and spoil the whole post. >.<

My birthday past 2 weeks back. But celebration was all around the date that I almost couldn’t pinpoint my exact birthdate. xD

Two days before:

I was suppose to start my degree theses. (Degree? Yes, it’s an extended thing from my current course.) So I was planning to meet my mentor in the morning but I postponed it just for San Francisco Coffee’s breakfast. <.<>.> Went with mom. It was a good morning. ^^ xD

One day before:

I went out with mom early in the morning. Went to the temple and fed some fishes. Whee~ xD Then, it was KARAOKE time!! xD But too bad my mom was having a sorethroat so she couldn’t really sing. >.<

Then met up with Owen. Had dinner and watched movie, “Knight and Day”. A simple movie really but nice. The feeling was like...sitting at home on the couch relaxing while watching a movie. ^^ (At home cannot la since no couch in front of the tv. xD Only got dining table and food. Otherwise it’ll be a bed in front of the computer. xD)

ACTUAL DAY:

Hehe I “pre-ordered” home made lunch. xD From Yin Khuan. Her home-cooked-spaghetti. Yums! Went to get June and headed over to lunch. Lotsa hotdogs! Awww~ xD It was rather quiet since there was only 4 of us. Me, June, Yin Khuan and Yin Yi. So after lunch, we had a frenzy over board games. LOADS of them. xD Battleship (love it! =p =p ), Cluedo (watch YY keep accusing herself. And she’s RIGHT about it! xD xD) and Congkak (boring after awhile unless you watch your opponent get pressurized. xD Sorry, YK.). Hey, it’s healthier than Mahjong. xD

For dinner, I had it at Tony Romas with dad. The food ain’t worth the wait. >.< I only ate appetizers for dinner and I couldn’t finish!! X.x Oddly, they were expensive nuggets that tasted like Honey Spare Ribs. Oo

Two days after:

Family took me out for dim sum dinner where the menu had to be checked by ourselves personally (mom and aunt had bad prior experience. xD). Got a few free tong sui from the restaurant’s boss and we acted as food tasters too, if not menu corrector (is there such a word?). xD

More days after:

Well...it’s only happening next week. So I’ll leave it ‘til then. xD

Gifts:

Apart from the CASH~~ Hahaha Below are the few items I got. =)

A costume jewellery from my sister. This picture is large to emphasize her fat bird. xD

(Note: The stuff from Trinxx is really neat. They are all hand-made by my sister's friend. =) )

A nice pair of flower earrings from Owen.

A funny cup from Ainul.

Ah yes..I had a blast of wishes on Facebook too but there were just too many to state who and how many. xD Thanks everyone!! ^^

Memory of the Year (2010) with Special Casts

2010-07-16T00:03:00.001+08:00

I’m definitely not letting this one pass. It’s just a terribly frustrating yet too hilarious an event to not note down albeit it happened 3 weeks back. Haha

The main cast? Me, Owen and Philip. Supporting cast are Edgar and James. xD Poor fellas, but they get that category since impact is not so strong. By the way, they are all Sunway coursemates.

So what exactly happened..?

See before exams ended, me and Owen were slaving day in, day out at the foyer preparing for our dreaded exams. Philip always walks around, so we see him often.

That one particular day, all four of us were sitting together with another coursemate as well, James. Philip is very kind-hearted. He does social work such as providing food to the poor. Of course, he does this under an organization. So he told us about it and asked if we were interested to help out. I for one was very keen. We tentatively set an implied agreement.

Exams are over. Philip approaches us again with a more detailed invitation. So me and Owen decided to join in and have a look. We made plans on how to meet Philip since neither of us were familiar with the area until I googled it out. (Yes! Google Map rules!! >D)

So the original plan was this:

We were to meet Philip at Centrepoint around 7.45pm before he show us the way to Aman Suria. To be honest, it’s quite way off. Up ‘til today, we have totally no idea why he picked Centrepoint. So since I was working that day, me and Owen decided that we individually drive to Centrepoint. From here, this is where the whole story twists. xD

My boss was a little over the top since we finished off some work before deadline; so being “high”, he let us off early. xD I got home at the time I should have left work on an average day, 6pm. Then I found out that Owen doesn’t really know his way to Centrepoint so I suggested he pick me up from my house and we go together; and since we have time, go for dinner as well. This was the reason I didn’t eat anything. (Ok, I had a piece of bread only.)

Here is where Edgar comes in. xD Owen tells me he’s still home since he’s waiting to pick up Edgar, which was really sudden since we had no idea he was coming to begin with. Wait wait wait...then we decided that Owen doesn’t have enough time to get me and go meet Philip in time since the traffic around here is superb. So what should we do next? Call Philip to just meet at Aman Suria of course, since I already figured out the place.

We tried....we seriously tried...but we just couldn’t get to Philip!! *thunder background, in shock* Now....SOLUTION! Owen picks up Edgar and head to Aman Suria straight while I drive out to meet Philip and drag him to the centre we are heading to.

I was driving halfway, stuck in traffic not too far from home when Owen called. He finally got Philip. Philip is feeling very frustrated and guilty now. He thought we didn’t know the place. Well, can’t blame him. We did NOT know earlier. ^^’

So I managed to divert and head straight to Aman Suria BUT before I reach I decided to stay somewhere close to the main road where Owen can spot me when he drove pass, so I can lead him into Aman Suria. I waited....for I dunno how long...in the car singing to myself and watching to cars pass, making sure I don’t block anyone since I illegally parked at the side.

Owen calls. He says he has followed my verbal directions but he doesn’t see me. Landmarks? Totally different. Great..where is he? I drove straight to Aman Suria looking for landmarks similar to his. I couldn’t figure his location, neither can he figure mine. But here was a mistake I made. I wasn’t observant enough on his landmarks or else I could have easily pinpoint where he was already.

Frustrated, he tells me to go to the centre first. I found it and was about to get down the car but I called again to make sure where he was. His new landmark.....AMCORP MALL.

.

.

.

I’ll try my best to describe what I felt but it’s more significant feeling it at that point. Holding the phone, my senses were totally annoyed, irritated, or probably to a boiling point that if he was there I could just have smacked him. I remembered shouting earlier when I was frustrated but at that point, I was just plain speechless for awhile. I wanted to just rage at him yet I wanted to laugh out so bad.

I’d not met someone with such horrible sense of direction....well, maybe I do know a few but they normally don’t do this much harm. Yet, thank goodness for his horrible sense of direction that I get to think back and have a good laugh every now and then. xD Thank you!!

Anyway, let’s get to the conclusion of the story. I never went to the centre; drove to Amcorp to meet the lost men and went for dinner instead (it was close to 10pm by then I think). I think we left Philip disappointed since none of us turned up and he still felt bad. Oh well. Sorry, Philip. ^^’

*reads post again* ... *chuckles*

[Note: I know this post is really long. So here’s a fun fact. xD This post is almost 2 full pages on MSWord. Hope you enjoyed the thrill. xD]

Terminator at Home

2010-06-27T12:30:00.000+08:00

This actually happened yesterday evening. Everyone at home just finished dinner except me. I just started on my porridge, eating very slowly. Had my drink and watermelon waiting for me. Then my grandmother asked for the Ridsect aerosol.

INSTANT REACTION:

My mom and aunt went out to the living room to grab edible stuff in. I covered the food, grabbed my drink and plate into the computer room. Uncle turned on the huge fan. All this happened within instants of my grandmother taking the aerosol and heading out to the living room where the main victim was.

Everyone in the house scurried away faster than the mosquitoe. xD And we weren’t even at the living room where the main target was at. We were all in the dining room, all spreading out to other rooms away from contamination. xD

It was so funny, I just had to type it out. xD xD xD

When my grandmother came back in, she asked where was everyone. xD xD xD All hilang diri.

^^

Oh yes, I missed out something from the previous blog entry. I forgot to mention the results of going for that 8am-2pm trip to the park. If I pull up my sleeves now, I can see a very obvious two tone on my arms. Even my face looks tanned. ^^' Oops... =p

Day Trip to Taman Botani Shah Alam

2010-06-27T00:27:00.000+08:00

It has several other names as well such as Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam, Taman Pertanian Malaysia, Taman Botanic Negara, etc. *shrugs* That’s the way it is...

Anyway, was introduced to this park by a nature-loving-friend (you know who you are ;) ). ^^ Got up at 7am this morning, drove over to his house, hopped into his car and went to the park. There were many people around, mainly on school expeditions, family trips, day trip with friends, etc. Got our entrance tickets (yes, you have to pay. But it’s a very small sum, no worries. =) ) and entered into the unknown~

...

Ok la. It’s not THAT scary...just...take note of the following whenever you set out to a place you’ve either NEVER BEEN TO, DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT or JUST DON’T REMEMBER MUCH:

Pack necessities. For example, food and water, tissue, etc. Sometimes even the most ridiculous stuff can come in handy but don’t over pack either, like bring your whole house. That’s just too much. ^^’
Get yourself a guide/map of the place you’re heading to, and the way to and fro your original departure place to your destination.
Get a contact number of someone who is in charge of the place or friends/family members who is familiar with the area. This is especially so if you’re going ALONE.

There may be more, but these are the few I remember at the moment.

So, what’s so special about the park or more like why did I go so far just to exercise? Because.....my bicycle is gone, my uncle’s bicycle can’t be use and THEY RENT BICYCLES TO PARK VISITORS!!! Woohoo!!!! Long time never ride already. xD

Many people were queuing up to rent their own bicycles. Here’s a note, because they charge rental by hourly usage. They issue you a ticket along with the bicycle of your choice on a condition they hold your something to identify you (normally your IC). I suggest you use your driving license instead. It’s safer.

After we got the bicycle (we only took one since only one of us knew how to ride...thank goodness it was only one anyway, you’ll figure out later why) we followed the crowd up a hill and wherever the road led us to. It was a long way with many uphills and downhills. So it was quite tiring but bearable.

We saw some people doing “flying-fox”s and other adventurous stuff. It looked really cool! But I believe it’s quite expensive. Oo Oh, you get to watch people facing and overcoming acrophobia (fear of heights). ^^’ The encouragements giving to them by their fellow friends are quite funny to listen to as well. xD “Be a man!” xD

So we carried on along the road, went on straight until we hit a dead end, detoured, hit another dead end (see why we need the map now?), back tracked and major detour. This detour....fuuuh....feels so difficult thinking about it. The hill sloped so steep that it was so tiring to even push the bicycle up (that's why I said luckily we only took one bicycle). That whole detour was really exhausting. It was so far, we were hungry, water in low supply and we were desperate to see civilization.

Then finally we saw a group of cyclers. We decided to go check out a dam....but there was nothing there. Another uphill climb and onwards to find more civilisation. (I hope I’m getting my sequence of events right. @@) We went pass some zoo like area and came to a sign that clearly indicates “EXIT”.

Although exhausted, I dragged my friend to continue on with the road to see other stuff. xD Poor fella. Luckily we got a drink at a nearby stall. Amd we also saw a sign that leads us to our other original goal for the day: The 4 Seasons House...or some similar name. Here’s the irony..it’s suppose to be an indoor garden with an actual seasonal weather. In Malaysia, we always have Summer....and we went to visit SUMMER!! X.x Something really wrong with us.... But we went in anyway, no regrets. xD

Inside the 4 Season place - part of it

Nice flowers~

More flowers!

The plants were beautiful and the temperature...although a little dry, it was like “Canada” according to my friend. xD The set back...is when a whole crowd of noisy primary students storm in when space is not plentiful to begin with. Someone go read the sign board outside that says how many people are allowed in PER SESSION before you come in! Grrr...

Anyway, that was our last area we went to in the park. We gave up totally after that and headed back to return the bicycle and go grab some decent lunch...or whatever is seemingly available. Would we go back? Hm...maybe, but not so soon....not after today. x.x

In my opnion, the whole experience was...not too bad. I now know where I can go to for cycling and an interesting 4 season place. Maybe I’ll try the “flying-fox” stuff next time. =p Also, visit the other dam. Hope it's better. ‘Til then...Zzzzz....

Office 'Roach + Chawan Dinner = 2 Separate Things On An Ordinarily Boring Day

2010-06-22T22:57:00.000+08:00

Yes, yes...I'd not been updating frequently enough... Yada yada yada... Zzzzz....

So let's down to business!

Let's start with the cockroach first. =p Get rid of the ickiest thing first right?

Today's my second day of restarting work after a long grueling study break which mainly consisted of a daily routine of 12 hours STARING at a book. So I'm trying to get back my work enthusiasm...I sooooo feel like slacking. = =

I don't remember if I mentioned but office was shifted to my boss's house months back (I'm sure I'd mentioned it before somewhere)....and going to shift again soon. xD It feels oddly uncomfortable at times working in a home-office vibes more Home than Office. It just doesn't really give you the right feeling to get you going. It's almost like bringing work back home. Not fun. Worse, it's NOT YOUR HOME.

Anyway, I went to the washroom. I seriously have to admit, the house is really clean in a way as it doesn't have much furniture (in fact, I'd never sighted a television or couch). So technically, the washroom looks clean and nice too. And it has the most important thing...tissue!

Here..is what went wrong. First, the tissue holder...it's almost like it doesn't want to let go of the tissue for your use. Nevermind that. The tissue holder is almost next to your face. Now you jerk the tissue, next thing you find is a frantic cockroach scurrying out from behind the tissue, across the wall in front of you and down next to your legs before it goes behind the pail next to the sink.

Let me just stop here. Breathe people...breathe! ^^

Second topic is not so bad, ok? xD

I was invited to have dinner with an elderly friend I met during the course of my business challenge. He always reminded me of my mom's friend due to some similarities. In short, a nice and soft-spoken who knows his stuff really well.

Throughout the 1.5hours of dinner-chat (although he did 85% of the talking. Sorry I didn't say much! >.<), I heard good stories about his life and his work. He mentioned that he almost died each time he retired (a total of 3). Makes me wonder if he ever dares to retire again. Haha Probably God's drastic hint of "Get back to work!". ;) Well, everyone is here for a reason.

Then in between talking, a salesman came over trying to sell us perfume! He got us to try it (although I know it's risky). It's suppose to be some natural stuff whereby it smells different on each person. When I smelled it on my hand, I almost burst out laughing! It smelt like "Fung Yau" (ubat urut)!!! xD xD xD But I didn't tell the guy. Later the smell changed anyway. Still... xD xD xD ^^

Back to seriousness, I learnt something today:

"Do not focus on the problem. Focus on the strenghts to solve the problem." ~ Elderly friend (I'll put your name here if it's ok with you. But I'll leave it as it is until you say it's ok to do so. ^^)

There also other stuff that I learnt but that was the main one. My friend, if you're reading this, thank you very much for sharing. =)

Resignation from YES Voila!

2010-05-12T12:55:00.000+08:00

Some of you may know that I was actively involved in a business challenge. Some of you may know that I was in a business challenge but didn't know how involved I was. Some of you may not even know that I was in a business challenge at all until you read this. And many more still do not know at all what's happening at all.

Came Monday, 11 May 2010 11:00pm, the decision was made that I resign from Voila!. There were many factors that contributed to the decision but these I would not present them here. What's done is already done. All I have to do now is just pick myself up and journey on.

But not everything is wasted. I'd learnt many things and gained many friends, to whom I'm very grateful to have. Thank you all for your wonderful support. =) I also wish each and everyone of you all the best and may your businesses flourish.

So where do I go from here? I'm definitely not giving up. In fact, I already started to look back at the ideas I wanted to give my shot at. But at the moment, my exams are of top priority. There are other things along the way as well, such as my freelance work and upcoming Kendo tournament.

There are many things I want to learn, and I'll just keep learning. Cheers!

Flood + Photo Shoot + Japanese Exam

2010-05-06T01:37:00.001+08:00

Fuwah!!!! Currently feeling hyper! Don't even need to drink ribena. xD Need water though... @@ *go gets some before continue typing*

Fuuh! Ok. Let's Lock N' Load! *strikes cool pose first* ;p

Just the other day...or was it yesterday? I think it was yesterday. I was studying my Japanese at home at the living room when it suddenly BOOM!! Heavy rain started pouring, wind blowing and trees swaying~~ Wah. Long time never saw such heavy rain.

The rain was so dense and the thunder was so loud. The electricity went off twice. Then it started to flood. At first it was ok, but then as the rain started to get heavy the second time, me and my mom quickly went out to move away her car and into the porch before the flood got any higher. Lucky we went out in time too. The drain was starting to overflow. Debris came out and we had to slosh through the water. So exciting! I couldn't walk properly either. My slippers would get caught at the current and get bent under my foot but I walked on and stuff like that.

Yeah, it's dirty water but it's still fun! I was wet and cold by the end of the ordeal. Mom shoo'ed me off to bathe but I actually wanted to stay and watch the flood rise. =p Since I took my time bathing, I missed the best parts where the flood raised up until it reach the neighbours house. >.< Though the house I'm staying in is the corner house, the flood would only reach the gate at that time as the porch slants upwards. Protects our cars.~ ^ ^ All in all, it was fun! =D

Today, more fun came along. I had a photo shoot to attend. No, not the modeling type. Hahaha xp It was for my business challenge. Similarly to the last challenge's participants photo shoot, we had to do one as well so we get to showcase ourselves. xD

My time management was a little off. I picked my clothes last minute. Put makeup on last minute (yes, you read that right). And got there last minute. But I wasn't the only one, so it's ok. xp And mom helped me out most of the way, so timing was just nice at the end. xD

At the studio, me being stiff as always (especially when I put on a working scenario to the backdrop...in my head) I had a little difficulty getting into position during the first round of formal business attire shots. My hair being short and blown by that big fan was not helping either. But I got through it with the smile "with teeth" and "no teeth". @@ Haha Susahkan you, Jen Ric (photographer). =p But thanks for being patient!

Then we had the smart casual business wear. Mine looked formal still no matter what I wore. @@ But I looked more guyish with that attire. Mom picked. Haha I just couldn't figure out what to wear anymore at that time. Too few good clothes to play around with.

Anyway, my mood goes with my clothes I think. 'Coz once I changed my clothes, I felt more carefree and fun and just posed easily to shots. ^ ^

So yes, this was one of the fun parts of today.

Right after the photo shoot, mom rushed me to Uptown Damansara. Was going to have my Japanese exam soon and I'd not touched the right chapters. Was studying all the while in the car, at the restaurant and at the language centre before exam. I think I made it so tensioned until my mom got uncomfortable. ^ ^' Sorry.

Well, I didn't manage to finish the chapters so I just went ahead with the exam. Most questions were answered based on memory from what I heard through classes. Then during aural test...I was kinda nervous, so I couldn't really catch hold of the question structure though I knew the meaning. I had to retry my answers few rounds to get the full sentence properly phrased.

We finished everything in a little more than an hour. Then our class teacher took our papers to mark! She was going to hand us the results by the end of the hour. Oh dear...this was the first time we get our marks and certificates immediately after exams. So we waited... The boys were looking around for hints of marks and they announced each classmates' marks if they could get hold of it.

Most of us did well. Oddly enough, most of us scored full marks in aural including me. I was scratching my head. Really odd... but I guess I'll have to learn to accept those wonderful marks with grace. =) Sensei, domo arigatou gozaimasu (Thank you very much, teacher).

A satisfactory day. Just had to go home and deal with removing makeup. Ugh... I'll get over it. xp Cheers!

Ahhh~ and Ugh!

2010-04-18T00:52:00.000+08:00

Hahaha I wonder how much worse can my post titles get. xD We'll see, we'll see. =p

Anyway, I'd been on a spending spree (I won't say shopping spree) lately. >.< Very painful to bear but probably necessary...at least the major expenses are. >.> Here's a list of things I bought the past few days:

Dell Inspiron Mini 10" netbook. Hopefully it'll help me to earn some income on the go.
Netbook bag. The netbook was a heavy investment, so better get something to protect it. >.< Makes it easier to carry too.
External DVD Burner. Well...netbooks don't come with a CD driver. So this sure helps with software installations...to some extend.
Business jacket. Something that would serious come in handy. Now I don't have to keep looking for jackets to borrow. >.< Took me few hours to decide between two jackets. >.>
BOOKS. (Yes, I bought another one!) No matter what...it was these purchases that made me the happiest. <.<>.> ^^

Other than buying stuff, last night I was contemplating whether to study EARLY in the morning or go for Kendo in the evening. Heheheh.... I ended up doing neither. >.> I just spent my whole day at Mid Valley.

The Jobstreet's 9th Malaysia Training and Career Fair was crazy!! So crowded!! There was trouble finding parking too! >.< (But me and mom have our little ways. >p) This was the other place I spent hours at other than shopping. It was great. =) I got to see how the industries were and the people in them.

Ok, apart from horrid long hours of walking in boots. Out of Mid Valley, I found my favourite coffee place! San Francisco Coffee at The Sphere, Bangsar South!! Now I can find my favourite tea and sandwiches at any time. ^^v Oh yeah, The Sphere itself has a fantastic atmosphere and utmost fantastic architectural designs. (I probably haven't dig deep enough. =p)

Tomorrow is time to study and work. >.< Rawr~!

A Short Dose of Happiness

2010-04-16T00:11:00.000+08:00

^^ Ahhh....I feel so refreshed (although I'm actually physically very tired). Why? For very small reasons really. Haha

I settled a very much delayed matter. Whee~
I studied!! *sobs* T.T Now I just need to continue doing it. >.<
I had vegetarian lunch! (After all the weeks of rather meaty or unhealthy goodness. >.<)
..coughIgotaminipayrisefrommybosscough.. *grins*
I had a nice dinner with a friend at Chawan, Bangsar. ^^ (a little unhealthy though... - - But tasty. <.<>.> =p)
I listened to a gentle speaker at Live & Inspire 2. Nice. ^^ Of course, I was there to show support for my friend as well who was facilitating the show too.
I got FREE STUFF!! xD Starbucks mug, Starbucks tea, a dose of really bitter coffee and a free ticket to Ramli Ibrahim's performance. Woot~!
Finally, I BOUGHT A BOOK!!! xD xD xD I'd been itching to buy a book for weeks... = = Now I got it!! Yay!!! xD

Happiness! Happiness! ^^ More happiness to come tomorrow too, I hope. =p Heheheh >)

Sequels Mostly...

2010-04-12T23:56:00.000+08:00

It’s been a while (as it always seems to be anyway). So let’s start with updating with sequels.

Japanese Karaoke Competition Finals @ ParkRoyal Hotel

Chill people. I didn’t get through the auditions. Phew! xD

But I went to support the event anyway. It was interestingly wonderful yet painful to the ears. Fun to watch (especially the performances by the teachers), sing-a-long (to Japanese lyrics) and practise a little foreign half-past-6 conversation with lots of sign languages. Hahaha! It was cool.

YES2 Business Challenge Judging Session @ Taylor’s Lakeside Campus

Correct, we got into Top 12 out of 31 teams from the last Judging Session. Had lots of work and even a presentation to do in between these two sessions. And definitely lots of last minute work on my end. >.>

We were the 3rd last to present and we did quite well I would say. It’s simply defined “Short and Sweet”. I hope we can acheive the same effect next round. You heard me, we got through this round too. So we’re officially the Top 6 Finalists.

Sounds great! More work, here we come...

In a summary, I believe we’ll be having our own little business very soon. Can’t imagine it really, but it’s true.

Oh yes, special thanks to Sam for lending me her wonderful jacket for the presentation. I wish I could keep it. xD =p Thanks anyway. ^^

ACCA Sports Day @ Sunway Uni

Hahaha... Me, Owen, Kheng Mai and James all “semangat” go practise on Monday at 3K Sports Centre. The little tournament was on Sunday. Just the day before it, I hurt my neck at Kendo. The university people wanted participants to reach by 7.30AM for registration!! Crazy!

So I woke...could have went for it, but I decided to pull out last minute for the sake of my neck (excuses...) and much needed rest (had been having early mornings and late nights the whole week). All that only to wake up later to read Owen’s sms that I could have won something due to the lack of female badminton players, so I automatically got into semi-finals. Grrr!! - - Not my luck I guess.

That's all for now. Exams are on the way, so I suppose even less update? xD No guarantees. Cheers!

For The Record!

2010-03-14T21:16:00.001+08:00

Here's a quick update.

Japanese Karaoke Competition @ Plaza Mont' Kiara

My first karaoke session with STRANGERS. I think I sang a weee bit better in front of them instead of the FIVE judges. - -'ll
Everything is enlarged in the audition room, from the dummy box to the sound. x.x
I couldn't sing for nuts since the day before....what more today, under pressure some more. Was out of tune most of the time and definitely using the wrong methods to sing. Maybe I was croaking. Hm....
My hands shook... stage fright. >.<
But I manage to finish the song, got to practise my Japanese and got chocolates! xD
(Had good breakfast at a nice nice place too. ;) )

Conclusion: I doubt I'll get through to the finals and I'll smack them if they let me. xD I won't forgive my horrible tones. But it was good experience and I'll go see the finals anyway. xp

YES Business Challenge Pitching Session @ The Star

Short, pressurized but good. ;)
I love the question given to me. It was figures! xD
I love the way Ivan answered his question too. "Experienced people". xD Fantastic!
Ah yes, Aini is always hiding at corners too. xD

Conclusion: Well...get to relax awhile until results come out tomorrow I suppose. *prays*

Speak English with Confidence Workshop @ Hotel Singgahsana

Thanks to this...I had insufficient sleep but somehow I liked the work. Spreadsheets~ xD

Conclusion: Need sleep....zzzzzzzz

Oh Me Oh My~

2010-03-08T23:12:00.000+08:00

Whatever am I putting myself through?? A Japanese Karaoke contest?! One that would be shown live on Japanese Television Channel if I get to the finals too. Seriously now...what more can I put myself through. Madness...

Stage fright comes so easy. Just turn off the singer's voice and don't sing with me. I'll shut up right there and then, in fear to hear my own croaking tune. (Now how come I don't have that problem while singing English songs... - -) Anyway, no point complaining any more now. Audition is this Sunday. At least I know, I won't be alone? (Got 40 candidates in total. xD)

Here's the song I'll be trying my best at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4deFSfPNso

Wish me luck? >.< But it's a nice song. Have to thank Kar Yee. xD Arigatou gozaimasu! *go practice*

Festive Season~

2010-02-14T19:48:00.000+08:00

Fuuuh.... Finally got a little time and...haha...motivation to update.=p After several weeks of YES challenge, I made some time to start off another project. Check it out: http://anhourwithwho.blogspot.com/

Apart from work, tummy has been working hard too. Due to festive season, it's been undergoing a lot of meals. Haha Can grow horizontal soon. =p By the way...

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY

May you all have a good year ahead. ^^ Cheers~! *drinks tea* xD

Some Memories of Puchong

2010-01-11T00:42:00.000+08:00

When I was young, I remember living in SS2 for a short while and shifted to Bandar Puchong Jaya just before I started any form of formal education (starting with kindergarten). Then I stayed in Puchong until mid-college years. In between those years, I did shift again from one house to another house just nearby within the same community. Reason being...(or excuse)...that me and my sister are both growing in many ways. Hahahahaha

So my family often frequent this little square of shops. Here we'll have our usual night outs for mamak, lunch at the coffee shop just beside it (my mom even pack the chicken rice from it for me every day), and certain dinner nights at another two shops.

Yesterday I had breakfast at the mamak. Remembered eating roti pisang, good tasty naan and tandoori chicken. Then there would be that television for people to watch soccer. Cats would prowl around for food and dad would throw some scraps for them. It was nice.

So mom asked me if I had a chance, would I return to eat at the coffee shop next door? I said yes. I'll like to see if the chicken rice has the same taste (I had so much that I remembered it's taste literally). Just so happens that we were around today as well. So we decided to have lunch there. Hahahahahah What coincidence.

We just walked up the steps and we were already greeted by the drinks guy. Me and my mom were laughing. I wondered if he would get that cup of chinese tea ready at our table for us like he use to. Of course he didn't or else me and my mom would be laughing our heads off. He did look a little rounder. Mom said he's getting older. So I suppose that justifies the rounder belly? Hahahahah

Most of the old workers were all there. Even the old stalls were there and its owners. The only thing different was the chicken rice stall. The owner looked different. You can almost see the sadness within his eyes. We manage to get news from the drinks guy discreetly. It happens that the chicken rice stall owner's wife passed away not too long after we shifted out of Puchong. =( Feel sorry... She was nice. Always remembered how I like my chicken rice. And she was young. Sigh..

But it was nice, to see everything as it was besides the small changes. =) Wonder if it'll still be the same the next time I visit. Whenever that would be...

Oh yes, the chicken rice did taste more or less the same. =)

Depressing Days

2010-01-09T22:45:00.000+08:00

I do believe that it ain't too good to write too much bad stuff on one's blog but hey...here's just one spot for me to get some of these stuff of my chest and not bother who reads it.

Recent events such as church bombings yesterday was a sad sad story. But I believe I'm more depressed to see the reactions of the people in general. Much debate and heated arguments...so much anger in this world. Sigh... Fortunately I manage to share this with an interesting friend during late hours in the night. It was definitely good conversation and worth my efforts for staying up late. Thank you, dear friend. =)

Apart from that, today there were few depressing things too. First, I knocked a flying bird on the car's windscreen. =( I pray it's alright. This makes me rethink my driving really. Then again, I'd been having dilemmas about my driving lately. Since it's a new car, most of my family members (those who drive) tries to make the engine work a lot so it has enough horsepower. But it makes the engine sound odd and sometimes...I feel heartache listening to the engine. Also, since it's a manual car, I need to control my speed as well. Now you see like two conflicting matters here? To decrease speed = less usage of engine power. Less usage of engine power seems to lead to bad maintenance of engine. Gah!! Darn cars!! >O

Right...next. In Kendo, I got stabbed with the shinai (bamboo sword) at my neck thrice. So it left me rather stunned and somehow...fearing for my life a bit there. Makes me rethink of how I play the game and to be grateful of my life.

Hm...what else? Oh..another car issue. Since it was raining, I couldn't see the road well and I probably ran over a pothole. It was really deep and the car bumped into it rather hard. The sound....ugh....really hurts.... Luckily nothing wrong with the tires and manage to go home safely.

Now after all this, I'm really wondering if I'm looking for an excuse to be depressed... Mood swings.... = =

Short Trip to Genting Highlands

2010-01-07T19:15:00.000+08:00

Holidays need not be long, neither should they be too short. It all really depends on the destination you're having your holiday at. Of course, if it's a new and exiting place like a foreign country, go ahead and spend at least a week. That's an average for anyone travelling overseas. Visiting places closer to home however....I'll say a night's stay at least (unless it's truly boring). These durations are all based on my personal opinions.

I'm feeling drained actually after a 2D1N trip to Genting Highlands. Yeah, I know, it's short but you'll know why soon. I'm just glad to be home and slightly refreshed after a long bath. Now, allow me to exercise my critic skills:

Going up to Genting only with signboard guidance. Not too bad. Air pollution wasn't too good for our little breeze enjoyment with the car windows open though.
Arrival at Genting. Hm...all the buildings look like they can do with a good paint job.
Trying to get to the carpark... Now...why is it such a mess and such a long way to the carpark. Oo
First World Hotel lift from carpark to lobby. Ah...this is the tricky part. Since they have too many floors, they have to split the floors to be viewed side-by-side and this confuses MANY people. They end up thinking that example: Lobby floor is at the same level as Parking B7 when in fact, the Lobby floor is way above all the parking levels. So we had to scratch our heads figuring whether we want the lift to go up? Or down? @@
Lunch @ Shanghai1. Similar to Canton-i but that's only the looks. The quality is totally way off. Even the cleanliness. Though oddly...everything at Genting seems to smell and taste similar...and it's not a nice thing.
Enviroment. Being a person who likes bright places, this is a no-can-do. Luckily it manages to fascinate other people. I suppose that's their goal. Hahhaha
Check-in @ Lobby. Seriously...you have to take a number and wait until your turn pops up on the electronic counter. Feels more like a government department but with nicer decorations.
Rooms. Huhuhuhu....Due to certain circumstances, we had to request for a change of rooms. Ah yes...let's not forget...how did we end up with an extra keycard??? That mystery would never be solved.
Outdoor Theme Park. A place where I felt more comfortable practising my kiai at challenging rides than the headaches I get from the simpler rides. Note: Never eat anything in between rides. Ah...there were constant reminders as well from my tripmates that certain rides stink...at least their equipment does. *shrugs*
Watch television in the room during rest time. A source of entertainment thanks to Singaporean channels. Hahahah!
Steamboat dinner. For a price of RM20 per person, there wasn't much variety and was rather unhygenic. Sure killed my appetite. It was torturous too (we keep getting oil spitting at us and our clothes).
Starbucks. One of the best moments. Enjoying a cup of hot chocolate shared with a friend in the middle of a cold fogy night until....2am? xD Nice time chatting. =)
Adjourned from Starbucks due to the decrease in temperature, we continued our little chats in the rooms up to 4am. Everyone started to pop off to sleep one by one until there was only me left. >.<
Sleeping. Troublesome. My very usual trip paranoias always get the better of me on first nights. So ended up sleeping for an hour and a half before getting up wide awake at 5.30am. Had to force myself to sleep again between waking intervals until dawn.
Breakfast. Simple and quality as expected (ok ok lerr...).
Check out was fast. Strolled around a bit longer looking for chocolates and finally left the hotel.
Visit to temple on the way downhill. Tried feeding turtles with vegetables but they just ignored me or scurried off. T.T Another problem was Jackson annoyingly analises everything after passing through the wall decorations and descriptions of hell. = ='lll
Lunch back in KL. Simple and definitely easier on our wallets/purses.
Home Sweet Home. =)

Yeah, that's all about it. On an overall, I believe I keep forgetting my true goal was to enjoy myself. Well, it was better than nothing. =) Just don't think I'll go there again next time. = =

01:2010

2010-01-06T00:20:00.001+08:00

First post for the new year. To all my dear readers and non-readers,

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!

(Yes, I know I'm late with the wishing...but hey, we just started a few days. ;) )

First things first. Yesh...this place looks...a little more tasteful to uplift my mood for tapping on the keyboard. Fresher perhaps. No, don't ask me why it's an autumn picture when it's mostly winter and summer everywhere in the world. xD

Ah yes...that little poll I made MUCH earlier.

Question: Do you iron your T-shirts? (who does the chore is irrelevant)

Results: Yes (1 vote: 20%), No (4 votes: 80%)

Phew...at least I know I'm not odd for not ironing my t-shirts. The question came up when two of my dear friends decided to comment on my rather crumpled white collared shirt in university. Apparently they DO iron which freaked me out. Never mind about that now. xp

Next...the main matter...WHAT HAVE I BEEN UP TO??? *checks when was the last time I blogged* @@

Before 2010 (Memory fragments / summary of December 2009 events):

ACCA Young Professional Camp @ Port Dickson

Met some new people
Overall experience: A real turn off due to the hotel's enviroment and food. Ugh...
Conclusion: I sort of regretted not going for Kakuya Cup at Penang, not because I don't get to go for a Kendo Tournament, more like I miss out all the nice visits to temples and garderns. T.T

Christmas

Asyik makan aje.... (Let's see...Sentul, Seputih, Putra Heights BBQ, etc.)
Overall experience: I get a hard time sleeping due to overeating. x.x
Conclusion: It felt like Chinese New Year Part 1. T.T

Other single events

Kendo year end dinner - I manage to hit some mochi this time round! =D
Temple hopping for Aunty Siew Hoon's birthday - Still can't beat mine la. =p
Foxy and Sis is back from Australia. Whee~!

Approaching 2010

Still had to work. ~.~
But get to go off early. =D

Sleepover at KY's house
Overall experience: Great food....but can't see fireworks la!!! T.T
Conclusion: Caught a glimpse of fireworks through the television the next day. T.T

2010 Begins

Well...I believe I have yet to really plan anything for this year. But I sure planned my rest and enjoyment week well before new semester starts. So yes....I'm enjoying myself finally. ^^ In fact, had done several things within the first few days of the new year. Not too bad I'd say.

Soon, I'll need to finally my goals for the year? Not really a resolution...just something I might want....and it keeps changing. xp Enjoy the new decade everyone! =)

Randomness At Its Peak (Work Stress?)

2009-12-17T22:39:00.000+08:00

[Warning: Do not continue if you have not been going for regular checkups.

Because

1) Your entertainer does not remember when was the last time she went for one. Therefore you get results such as this post. Voila!

2) Her sense of humour can be tad disasterous.

3) Your entertainer for this ___(insert the time of day you're reading this)____ just cares for your mental wellbeing.....she thinks. Hahahaha!]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*cackles* Time for a little amusement. *stirs pot*

Ok, lately I'd been using the witchypoo scenes when I'm...a little off, normally in the head. Hahahah! Looks like this place can definitely do with an update if not more. *looks around* I seriously should do up this little space. *looks at other people's blogs* How do they make it so nice? T.T Me = No blog deco savvy + no patience to do it + no time (for now). But I like that globe...that's the only thing I like currently. Hahahah

Right, this makes me wonder....I'm ranting...or so I think....at least the first paragraph is (no no, you see my finger pointing at the group of words there? Not the one liner). *silent* .... Anyway, what's the point of a blog? (Yes, I'd asked before) I see people ranting (mostly), updating their live stories (the gungho ones), and selling things (the smart ones..that is IF anything does sell). Great....now what?

*pauses* .....

Just in case you are clueless with what I'd been up to (of course you are), I'd been ___(insert ALL of the following given options here)____:

1. To an interesting entreprenuer dinner party. (Yeah, that's why you see some photos of me in a rare get up on facebook)

2. Having exams. (3months slaving to study 2 subjects...time will tell the end. It better be good!)

3. Going back to work. (Just restarted this week and I wish I may resign already. = = I suppose I get bored fairly quickly. Then again I'd been working for my employer on a flexible basis for....2.5years at least? Anything that goes beyond 2.5years means it'll stay. This theory is possibly applicable to anything.)

4. Kendo tournament and normal trainings. (Certain days just makes it....feel healthy no matter how painful it gets. Hahahah Sadist.)

And I will be ____(insert....really now..you just don't have a choice)____:

1. Going for a leadership camp the next 2 days in Port Dickson. (With a bus of strangers. I'm serious.)

2. Returning to full time studies next month. (I wasn't? Hahahaha)

3. Participating in some entrepreneur challenge. (Hm....what more can I get myself into? Hahahah)

*looks back up at title* Ah yes....wondering why did I refer to work stress. Because.....it's accounts people's peak period. See that PEAK and this PEAK? xD Sorry, I just come from a family that loves to play with words. Probably the pros and cons of knowing so many languages:

1. You play with them.

2. You mix 3 languages at least into one sentence and pray the other knows what you're talking about. If they give you the blank look, just try the other 3 languages together.

3. It sounds funny when it means so-and-so in Language A but gives a totally different meaning in Language B. Better still if the meaning makes it silly to process.

*another pause* ......

*does a shudder dance: shudders to the left, shudders to the right* Now you know perfectly why you won't find me in discos or any nightclubs. I dance funeny. xD

*thought of a car going round and round at the roundabout because the passenger just can't tell which way to go* Yeah...something like that happened before. xD

*pause* ....

*yawns, mood dying down* Phew....a load of random rubbish that was. I'm probably lacking lots of sleep. = = *shudders to bed*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Conclusion: Monkey mind.

Of Stilettos...More or Less

2009-11-19T20:35:00.001+08:00

Case 1

Last week, I spent time studying in university until...well...past dinner time mostly. It was a rainy day and one those rare days when I parked inside campus (normally don't since it'll cost me a parking fee).

So I paid the parking fee and was leaving. The guards decided to open up the non-barrier side of the exit. In this case, they would normally walk up and take the paid ticket from anyone leaving. Must have been one of their blue moon days too, they didn't take the ticket from me and just waved me out. Result: I have one paid ticket unused.

I thought...maybe I could reuse it another day and save another RM2...or maybe let someone else have it. Someone even suggested that I sell it for a lower cost. @@ Well, I ended up using it...or tried to. I had only RM2 in my pocket today after lunch. So I decided to try my luck with the paid ticket and keep the RM2 in my pocket...for the rest of the month?! Unfortunately, the machine rejected the ticket and I had to pay up for the unpaid ticket (I took another one on my way into the carpark). There goes my RM2. If only I could forsee the future last week and saved RM2. Nooooooo!!! T.T *grumbles*

Case 2

Time flies. Today I reached university around...no idea, I didn't really notice but definitely before 2pm. I studied a bit until psychology friends finished their class and we went for lunch together. Return to study around...3pm? Studied on and on...I didn't really flip many pages...and it's 5pm already! Time really flies. If anyone can ever see Time, I bet it must be riding a jetplane. = =

Case 3

It's probably 6pm or reaching 7pm.. Some function was about to spark off in the multi-purpose hall of the university on the 4th floor. So you see lots of girls in cocktail dresses and boys in shirts and ties walking pass the foyer towards the lift.

(Note: If ever you were in such positions as those girls and guys, think twice before you judge yourself imperfect or too perfect. I turned my head to look at EVERYONE and not at any particular person. You all look ok. Though if you saw me turning away really fast after looking, then you're probably not worth looking for long. *wince*)

I find it odd...most of the boys were wearing black or dark gray. There was no hint of colours. But they pulled it off well to not make it look like a funeral party.

The girls...took my breath away. Well...not them really, it's their shoes! They look like they can KILL!! x.x They seem so sharp...like stakes! >.o So imagine groups coming one after another. Everytime I turn to look at the girls, I'll get this...fainting feeling. It was definitely distracting me from my studies with the parade going on. (excuse...)

Well, I decided to pop upstairs to see what's going on, but the hall was dimmed of lights so I couldn't see much but I believe they were getting their...so-called buffet. And I enjoyed my way down 5 flights of stairs and journey home~

'Bob'ed

2009-10-25T00:56:00.000+08:00

Hm...I'd been fussing about my hair for a bit. So I decided to go for 'snip snip' this afternoon. Hairdresser asked how I wanted my hair, I gave my opinion...but...the result was not as expected.

I wanted something like what he did for me previously. A very anime'ish look. The *cough* bishie sort. (For non-Japanese comic/animation people, bishie is just our term of a good (if not HOT~) looking guy and his sexual preference is of no matter to us at all. xD) Somewhere between the lines of, 'long front, short back'. But somehow I figured what got in to Hairdresser's head was a totally different idea. I suppose any hairdresser living on Earth at this precise moment would assume what I wanted was a 'bob' cut.

Anyway, I would not mess with the Hairdresser. His moods can effect the way he curves the blade~ Definitely not a good idea to mess with him, and not when my hair is at stake! So today I would deem his mood...good. I think he even had fun with the electronic razor. But...at one point, it felt like he had an 'oops' period although he didn't say anything. Such professionalism...

End product, it's a bob with a steep decline at the back. My front and sides are...untouched, so still long and suppose to cover my ears but it's so hot!! Grr.. Eh...my mom liked it. Everyone at home likes it? (Although my aunt asked why didn't I get rid of the front too) I'll...get use to it. In any case, it'll grow back. xp

Well, the razor cut parts are definitely nice to play with. @@ Some girls in Kendo even played with it after training. Oh yes, Kendo. Here's the thing, I wear this helmet thing with a cloth that covers my head. So the only part of my scalp left to see if actually the razor cut area. A training mate, Aimi, actually thought I was a guy since she couldn't see the rest of my hairstyle with all that getup on. xD Other fellas also commented on how short it was at the back. ^^'

Well...now it feels like all I have to wash and comb is the front. xD Kidding. Of course I wash the whole scalp. = ='ll Unfortunately I have no skill or jelly-arms that allows me to take a picture of the back of my head, so I'd decided to put up a "special picture". (especially for Kendo people)

MKA's beloved Mr Yap and his cute sport shoes~ xD

Sorry if the picture's blurred. I took it with my handphone camera in a hurry. =p Hope you enjoyed it. xD

Not Something I Want To Try Again....Ever

2009-10-21T00:51:00.001+08:00

It seems very much like my blog is crying out to me to post SOMETHING!!! The guilt is there...but laziness overrules. Besides, I hardly have anything in mind to talk about...at least nothing special enough. So today I bring you 'special news @ 11.50pm'. (At least that's what the monitor says the time is. Oo)

After a long while, I'm back at work. So for the first two days of the week...my job scope included 'kuli'. I had tonnes of exercise from shifting documents from one floor to another, to the car and arranging them at my boss's house. By the time I'm done, my brain is already threatening to shut down as if I'm running on emergency reserves. Unfortunately, I had something extra to attend to on both nights.

Last night was a Deepavali dinner. Nothing much. Mainly cookies, main course and television. In fact it was the same for the other Deepavali dinner I went for on Sunday. ^^'

Tonight was a little different. After work I had a so-called seminar to attend organised by ACCA. I took the monorail down and...I didn't really know my way (for once I was not really bothered about memorizing the map before hand). The monorail people didn't help much and their map just coincidentally did not label the building I wish to head to. So I decided to take a walk and ask for directions along the way. I arrived at my destination without much hassle.

I was early and a little worried about my stomach. Me being on a tight budget was being really stingy about spending at any of the nice restaurants within the building. Thank goodness there were refreshments (though lacks quality) and I couldn't care less about helping myself to the free servings, even if it meant exercising my soft skills with the registration lady and getting stares from the people outside.

The "crowd" slowly came and I decided to test my networking skills too. The mingle thing... It wasn't a total failure but neither did it go as well as I hoped it would. Next, seminar was suppose to end at 9.30 though registration lady did mention that it would most likely end earlier. Assumption: around 9pm. Just 30 minutes more, I can wait.

Oh yeah...my handphone battery died very much earlier. So here's the thrill. Seminar ended at 8pm. I wanted to contact my uncle to come get me so I don't have to wait so long. Go out to the counter, asked the guy if there was a public phone around. He says, "No. Go out." Now...it sounded like he was shooing me off. I thought of going back to borrow the registration lady's phone but she was busy.

Ok...since it's only 8pm, maybe I can take the train all the way back to PJ and call my uncle with a public phone when I find one along the way back. As I was walking towards the monorail station, no phones were in sight, the sky was dark and rumbling and I was...pretty much alone (due to my walking speed as well as off working hours). So I started feeling...paranoid. The phones at the station were useless too.

I went on the monorail and I passed Sg Wang...thinking, maybe I should go visit my friend. Maybe she can help. But I hesitated and missed the stop. My paranoia was getting worse. I mentally kicked myself and got off at Times Square. Tried the phones...no work and even ate up my coins!!! Grrrr!!!

Last resort...I went to DiGi and requested that they charge my phone for few minutes. Managed to get my uncle and I waited for his arrival. My phone battery decided to start dying again when he was about to reach. Now...I'm probably just glad to be home and trying to shrug off the remains of the horrid paranoia.

Lesson: Always bring along a charger just in case.