China - Fujian

Hello, hello!! Yup, I'm finally back from China. I was away for ten whole days. The trip was ok as a whole. Not what I had expected (I have been spoilt rotten because we went to China VIP-style for the past 2 trips) but it wasn't too bad. Actually our main purpose to China this time was to support our local basketball players in friendly matches with 3 Chinese universities and 2 other Chinese teams. This trip was organized by the Federation of Hokkien Associations as part of the agenda of its 50th anniversary and to strengthen the bonds between the Chinese government and the descendants of its people overseas. Our tour group consists of 50 people, 10 of which are basketball players, 8 are golfers, about 8 basketball team managers and others who went along to visit their relatives in between matches.

Fujian province is about 5 hours flight away from KLIA. Our flight was at 7 p.m. and we only landed in Xiamen at 1145 p.m. The airport closed at 12 a.m. (this is the first time I see an airport close - I used to think that all international airports operate around the clock).

Anyway, Fujian province is where most of the Malaysian Chinese originate. According to one of the tour members, they had a census once and the number of Hokkien in Malaysia is almost equivalent to the number of Malaysian Indians. That's a lot, I'd say. No wonder a lot of people question the reason for Malaysian Chinese to use more Cantonese instead of Hokkien when there are definitely more Hokkiens than Cantonese in Malaysia. And it's funny too how some heavily Hokkien-accented people insist on speaking in Cantonese (me, for example, although my Hokkien is as lousy).

There's not much to see in the places that we went as our main purpose was to watch basketball matches. Our basketball team consists of 10 men from 16 to 30+. The teenagers were mainly there to gain experience only la. Our tallest player was 6'5'' but he was not even the tallest among the Chinese players!

Our team did very well, winning 4 out of the 5 matches that were organised. The opposing teams were rather rough when they were trailing though. Friendly games, my foot! They were using all sorts of foul tricks - clawing, elbowing, pushing...now I understand why crowds sometimes fight after a game. Hehehe...we had almost wanted to go shout at the biased referees from the VIP seats ourselves. =P

We had the rare opportunity to visit the Chinese universities in this trip (the basketball matches were against Ji Mei University, Hua Qiao University and a few others). Before I went on this trip, I had thought that the Chinese universities will be somewhat like Malaysian universities. How wrong I was!! I can't say much about other Malaysian universities because I have only been to UM and UTM, but the Chinese universities are definitely more presenting than UM. Take a look:



Can really roll on the grass and study here in Jimei University.










The side-view main entrance of Huaqiao University.













One of the walkways towards the gymnasium in Huaqiao University.












View of a pond on our way to the gymnasium.
















Outside the gymnasium.









I didn't get to take many pictures of the other universities because we were driven right to the entrance of the gym where the basketball matches were held. Huaqiao University does not allow many cars to enter. The students are ferried in an electricity-powered buggy-like "bus" - very environmental friendly!

So anyway, the accommodation when I was in China was also quite nice. If you do go to China, don't go to 3-star hotels. They are normally very run down. But then again, these 3 star hotels are normally also smack in the middle of the town so that you can do your shopping around the area too. I rarely get to stay in hotels where its rooms get an individual sauna room, so here I go, snapping away:



Individual sauna room...whoa...



















Since I took a photo of the toilet, might as well take a photo of the room.













The 5 star hotel that we stayed at for the final 4 days. I got a room all to myself. See this room like normal, normal only right? The price starts from RMB 920 (around RM 460) for it. My room is the cheapest in the hotel. My parents got a room which costs RM 1000++ per night. Compliments from the Chinese government.





We had a huge pig out at a buffet dinner on our final night in the 5 star hotel. I took a few photos of it with my phone - didn't want to look like a "sua gu" (orang ulu). High tea at the Palace of Golden Horses? Bah...no where compared to the intricately designed desserts made in the hotel! Photos later...need to ask my sweetheart to transfer it for me. Hehe...

Quite a long post already. More in the next post! Take care!!

Tagged by Willie! Yay!!

Thanks Willie...

April 1 1997

1) How old were you? 13 years + one month plus + a few days

2) Where did you go to school? SMK Seri Garing - 1 Angkasa 3

3) Where did you work? Part time maid at home...

4) Where did you live? Taman Garing, Rawang.

5) Where did you hang out? school, tuition centres, home, KL sometimes

6) Did you wear glasses? Nope. My astigmatism was miraculously cured when I was in Year 4

7) Who was your best friend? William, Patrine, Yoke Thing and Seok Eng.

8) How many tattoos did you have? None.

9) How many piercings did you have? 1 on each ear lobe.

10) What car did you drive? My sister's Iswara...I was responsible for reversing it in the evenings. Almost amputated my mom's leg with her car once. Hahaha

11) Had you been to a real party? Of course...birthday parties, Christmas parties...countless

12) Had your heart broken? Nope...I break people's hearts got laa..

April 1 2002

1) How old were you? 18 years + a month plus and a few days

2) Where did you go to school? I think I was school-less then, or still in KDU...

3) Where did you work? At home...

4) Where did you live? Same as in 1997. Or if I was still in KDU, DJ

5) Where did you hang out? At home mostly

7) Who was your best friend? William, Yoke Thing, Siew Yee and Sara

8) Who was your regular-person crush? Don't remember...

9) How many tattoos did you have? None...

10) How many piercing did you have? Still one on each ear lobe

11) What car did you drive? Didn't drive coz had phobia after being involved in 3 accidents the previous year

12) Had you had your heart broken? Still breaking people's hearts, but mine was (is) still intact

April 1 2007

1) How old are you? 23 years + 1 month plus and a few days

2) Where do you work? At home...best job in the world!

3) Where do you live? Refer above.

4) Do you wear glasses? Yes. Rather bad too...

5) Where do you hang out? Midvalley, OneU, Bangsar

6) Who is (are) your best friend? Brian, William, Woon and Hwa Cheat

8) Do you talk to your old friends? Some...

9) How many piercing do you have? Still those two.

10) How many tattoos? None ler...

11) What kind of car do you drive? Kelisa, sometimes my sister's, mom's or dad's and once, Brian's---> MANUAL you know?? *Proud*

12) Has your heart been broken? Nope. Don't think it's ever going to be... (",)

Who am I going to tag?
Brian
Adrian
Jho Yan
Melwin
And anyone bored who's reading my blog. Let me know if your name is not mentioned here ya!

Barenaked Tummies

Thanks for the idea Hwa Cheat. Hehe...

In case you didn't know, the midriff is the area between the breast and the waist.Fashion these days have made baring your midriffs seem sexy(GIRLS only, ok. Guys don't even think about baring your midriffs!!). True, most girls do look sexy with their midriffs for all to see. But you must remember, NOT all girls look sexy with the look. It's the same with being skinny. Some girls look pretty being skinny but not all girls look pretty when they are skinny (hahaha...me for example, look good being plump! :P Ok, ok back to the midriff topic!)

So, here are a few pictures of people baring their midriffs. What do you think?

Ok la, I think she looks too skinny. I don't think it's sexy. Very anorexic looking.

Don't really fancy Coco Lee, but I think this photo can be considered sexy. I mean, baring her midriff here is all right.

Ok, even though this lady is baring her midriff, it gives a different loo entirely. More of athletic and healthy looking.

This is SCCCCAAAAARRREEEEEE!! Sexy? You pervert! =P

So, as I was saying, not all midriff-baring tops make you look sexy. And baring your midriff needs to suit the occasions. It is a sign of disrespect to yourself, your organisation and your profession if you wear it to work and your job is not a fitness or swimming instructor. So please, people, mind your clothes!

Well, am going off to Summer-time China in less than 6 hours. Going to be there for about a week. And don't worry, I won't bare my blubber. Hhahaha...take care people!

May is a month of celebration...

May is a month to pay tribute to our mothers and teachers. Seriously, I can never remember the exact day or date to celebrate either. Is Mother's Day on the second Saturday of the month, or is it on the first Saturday? Is Teacher's Day on the 14th of May or does it change every year? Although I think the idea of having these special days is great, I also think that it is only a gimmick by those florists and "souvenirists". Hehe...hear me out before you brand me as unfilial or ungrateful.

.

Mother's Day

Yes, I think that it is a good idea to have a day dedicated to Mothers. But why do we only treat her extra nice on this day and on her birthday? I can already think of other "special days" that we can treat our mothers nicer other than those two days. Have you ever thought of including your mother when you are celebrating your birthday? After all, she had to be in hours of labour before you can have your "special day". Or have you thought of just treating your mother extra nice every now and then? Ok, so if you treat her nice every day, she might take your good gesture for granted and complain that you don't treat her especially nice on "special days", but it'd be good too if all of us treat our mothers nice everyday, right? So anyway, as I was saying, treating our mothers especially nice every now and then, including the special days will be much better. I'm sure you would like it too when you get special treatment unexpectedly just because of the way you are. I can never forget the little cards that I got from Patrine and William on a normal day, thanking me for being their friend. And I will always cherish the bouquets of roses I get from Brian every now and then. I think it is the unexpectedness that makes these things more special, rather than the predictable "getting a gift or a treat at some fancy restaurant routine" on Mother's Day/Valentine's Day/ Friendship Day and what nots.

.

.

Teacher's Day

I still do not understand why there is this celebration. I do not think many teachers actually enjoy having to celebrate this day at school either. A holiday for teachers would be nicer compared to the traditional celebration at school. I mean, what's the point? Adding another workload for teachers who are responsible for organizing the celebration, taking another day off from the more beneficial teaching and learning session, forcing teachers to make a fool out of themselves in front of their students etc etc. I wonder why nobody has complained about it? And the litle gifts that students get for their teachers? I think they are wonderful gestures, but I don't think teachers appreciate them also la. So why bother? The best way to show your appreciation towards your teachers is to respect them and a simple heartfelt thanks after you graduate/ no longer attending the teacher's classes. Trust me, unless you get the teacher some really expensive stuff or you engrave his or her name on it, the gift that you give the teacher will be recycled or given away in less than a month!

.

.

Well, whether or not you are celebrating these much-hyped-up days, here's a wish to all of you mothers and teachers or teachers-to-be:

.

.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY and HAPPY TEACHER'S DAY and HAPPY JIAWENIST READER'S DAY

.

.

..

.

And of course, Happy 1st Anniversary to my Sweetheart. =) LOVE YOU!!

Holi-holidays!!

Yay!! The holidays are finally here!! Well, I have actually been enjoying myself for the past 3 days. Ahhh...such a relief that I don't have to go for classes and be bored to death or to sit for examinations that test more than what we've learnt! Well whatever, the holidays are here and I'm planning to make full use of it beginning next week. Hehehe...still have another 3 Harry Potter books to reread. :)

.

My holiday schedule seems to be quite packed. The first thing to do next week is of course, to settle the posting form for next year! Yes, next year. I'm finally graduating next year! *Grins* I'm still in doubt of where to write. Friends have told me that if the state of my choice does not need anymore English teachers, I would be sent to wherever the government wants me to go. Two years ago, I wouldn't mind being sent to anywhere at all, but I've grown wiser now -I realise that it would be better if I stayed near home. You can't imagine the difficulty of being too far away from home! Most of you who live far away from college of university would know what I'm trying to say, right? I've been lucky enough to study in places less than an hour's drive away from home. Of course, I am not saying that staying far from home is a bad thing. We grow up faster that way and we can explore more without being under our parents' armpits. Hehe... So anyway, my most probable state of choice would be Selangor. *Cross my fingers*

.

After settling the posting form (hopefully in one day - the clerks are almost all hopeless), I'll be going to China!! Yay! This time I'll be going to Fujian province, which I've never been to before, with my parents! :) So glad that my course is 6 years. If I had continued my studies in the private tertiary institutions, I'd be working by now and would not have the chance to travel with my parents as often! ;)

.

2 weeks after the trip to China, I'll be going to Australia. Yay! Although the trip is going to cost a bomb, I'm looking forward to struggling to find our way around the place. Haha...But I think the boys got it covered - they are not planning to let me hold the map at all! Hahaha...But you know, I think we'll be able to explore more of the country if I become the guide... *wink*

.

Other than travelling, I would have to move for the fifth time in the past 12 months. I'm getting really tired of moving. From Cheras, I moved my things back to Rawang in May 2006. 2 months after that, I moved my things from Rawang to Millenium Court in PJ. From Block A of Millenium Court, I had to move to Block C last February. I moved my things from Millenium Court back to Rawang last week and in a month's time, I would have to move those things to Cheras again. And in another year's time, I'd get my posting in God-knows-where, and would have to move again! Phew... I don't know how some of my friends can stand moving from one house to another every year!

.

Well, I haven't really decided on what to do for the rest of my holidays. By the time I return from Australia, half of my holidays would have passed. I am thinking of doing something good and meaningful this time around, like probably volunteering at SPCA or World Vision's office besides the usual plans that I have for my holidays. Oh, and I'm going to try hard to try to achieve my first resolution during the holidays too. Did I mention that my second blood test result shows good progress on my cholesterol level? Instead of being extremely high, I'm now at the max of the normal range. Haha...I know, still high but at least in the normal range. So, I'm planning to get it lower so that I can live to at least 40. ;)

.

For the time being, I'm going to bury my nose in my Harry Potter books again! Til my next post, cheerios!

.

.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

Different chromosomes, different species?

Yay! Brian fixed my keyboard for me!! No more cryptic messages! Hehe...for a while, I was using one of his old keyboards whose space bar was very difficult to press. IwasthinkingoftypinganotherpostusingthekeyboardbutIthinkit'dbedifficulttoreadawholepost

withoutspacebar; so, I thought I'd spare you from it. Hehe...

Apparently my keyboard button thingy wasn't touching the sensing thingy properly, so Brian tightened the thingies for me, and voila! a perfectly fine keyboard. Hehehe...One of those things that I don't understand about computer/ guy language. Whatever it was, my keyboard is working now, so I don't have to understand anything anyway!

Speaking of the things that I don't understand about guys, here are some things I've observed in the men around me which don't make sense to me:

1. DoTA / Computer games
- I suppose this only applies to the men of the younger generation. 8 out of 10 guys below the age of 30 that I know are addicted to DoTA, Counter Strike, Need for Speed, Command and Conquer etc. I mean, I know that computer games are addictive. I know of girls (and sometimes myself) who play computer games a lot too. But I noticed that girls know how to control their urges to play computer games. Guys, on the other hand... I know some guys who would rather play games late into the night then get a good night's rest (when they have work or class the next morning!). And to quote a guy friend of mine "If I don't play DoTA, I cannot sleep!". Hmmm....

2. Speeding
- Ok la, so I understand that in Malaysia it is difficult to survive on the road if you are courteous. But why is there a need to "fly" on the road and "cucuk" (follow closely) people? And you know what is the worst part? Guys would drive 140 km/hour and it would be a normal speed; and then they would yell at their girl friend/wife/daughter/sister for driving too fast when she drives at 90 km/hour!

3. Shopping (or their lack of interest in)
- Brian is a rare gem for being a straight guy who wouldn't mind going shopping with his girlfriend. Ok, so he complains a bit when I see the magic S word, or when I have dragged him around the whole shopping mall for more than 3 hours. But at least, he goes shopping with me and lets me buy things to my heart's (or pocket's) content! Hehe... my sister complained that she doesn't like shopping with my brother-in-law because he'd complain non-stop about almost everything. And my father and brother almost never went shopping with their wives. Buying grocery yes; but not buying clothes or just to window shop. Why hah? Shopping is so pleasurable! No need to buy la, sometimes just window shopping and imagining that you owned some of those stuff is fun! And, not to mention, you can burn calories without even breaking a sweat! Hehe...

*Oh, for those of you who are interested, there is a warehouse sale (Guardian, Times Bookstore and some clothes - Abercrombie and Fitch, Camel etc) in Jalan Bersatu, Section 13/4 from today to 2nd of May. There are banners all along the road. It is near UTAR. Some of the Guardian stuff is cheap. Books are also at least RM7 off (for more popular titles like Da Vinci Code etc). Clothes, I don't know. May be ciplak stuff, but affordable la.

There are more things that I don't understand about men but I need to hit the books already. Exams in 2 days' time and haven't even finished reading half!! Wish me luck!!

Exm!!

Ok...tke 1 gue wht key oen't work on my keybor? I unno why it lwy i like thi, it lo hppen to the eybor t home. mybe it' becue we re too rough on it? hh...

nwer revel lter when it work gin


*EDITED:
Ok...nobody seemed to want to guess (or maybe you guys can read what I wrote anyway?). Sigh anyway, the answer is revealed below. Highlight the following and you will see what is written above. Hehe...let you guys have a bit of a suspense ma. :P

The keys that do not work are: a, s, d, and f

What was written:
Ok...take 1 guess what key(s) doesn't (grammartical error, sorry) work on my keyboard? I dunno why it always is like this, it also happens to the keyboards at home. Maybe it's because we are too rough on it? haha...

answer (will be) reveal(ed) later when it works again.


Hehe...have a great day!!

Oops...

Hehe...dear concerned readers, sorry for the outburst in the previous post. Hormonal changes and lack of sleep (for I burnt the midnight oil to complete my assignment) had made my horns and tail grow (AGAIN). Haha...reading back the posy made me laugh (while it scared Adrian! Sorry again, man!). See, I became angry because I asked some double-edged question and Brian didn't know how to reply my question so that none of us would be hurt! Hahaha...I lubbdjuu Grandpa! Sorry for asking you difficult-to-answer questions! :P

So anyway, hormone is back to normal again but stress is building up again with all the terms in the TITAS book (O_o"). Haven't even touched the other two subjects that I have to sit for this week! STRESSSSSSSS!!!

*SIGH* feel so much better now! Better hit the books or Grandpa will win the bet and I will have to wear a yellow polka dot shirt to class!! *shudders* GOOD LUCK EVLIBODY!!!

ANGRY

Damn I'm angry today! Yeah, I was in a great mood in the morning (for a while) but it deteriorated as the hours ticked by. What ticked me off? Well, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Don't you just hate those three words. Ya, I understand how you feel now when I always reply with those three stupid words. I suppose I say a lot of stupid words!

ARGGGHHHHHH!! I can feel my heart pumping boiling blood everywhere! Just feel like taking a dive out of my window right now!

GREY - THERE YOU HAVE IT!!

Sekolahku Rumahku - BS?!

I had a class last Friday and the lecturer mentioned something about the caretakers in school. Administrators, teachers, gardeners, the makcik kantin, the pak guard - these people all play the role of caretakers in the school. And then, all of a sudden, our lecturer stopped and asked, "Hmm...but how much can you trust the caretakers in school?" Good question.

So many things that you would not expect to happen in school happened in school. Students bashing up students to death, teacher fracturing a kid's skull with her high heels, teachers fighting in school. How do you entrust your kids to the school when these things are happening and not much is done to prevent them from happening again?

I mean, students bashing up each other is not something new. When I was in my very notorious secondary school, I often heard of gang fights (which involved the Bangladeshi helper in the canteen, lots of students, outsiders, parangs and much later, the police). What can be done to prevent it? Well, our headmistress got one of the inspectors to come and be a regular guest in our school. But his own son then became a victim of a hit and run, suspected of being caused by a revenge-seeker.

And when you talk about teachers being the caretaker...well, that is another BIG question. Not that I am saying that ALL teachers are lousy, in fact I think most of my coursemates will make great teachers. But great teachers are like a few drops of water in an ocean of sea. Many of us would have encountered lousy teachers, and some even teachers who molest, torture or have a nut loose somewhere in their brains. How many of us can truly say that in our 11 years of compulsory schooling, that we have met 5 great teachers?

I was lucky that I went to a school where the makcik kantin, the gardener and the pak guard were sane and nice people. What can you say about these people these days? When security companies do not investigate the background of their employees and (I do not think) the ministry do not check the cleanliness of food preparation or the environment or the people in the food-making process, anything could happen.

My lecturer related this case of another lecturer who went to pick up her child from school in the evening and noticed a girl was waiting near the guard house alone. I think my lecturer must have sat in the car for a long time because when she finally decided to take her child home, it was already 7+ p.m. And she was so worried about the lone girl that she turned back to the school to see if she was still there.

I suppose most people wil let their guards down when they are in a school or education institution. Would you still hold your handbag in front of you when you are in a school area or in the university? Would you still be so wary of the environment when you are getting into your car in a school compound or in the university? I think many of you would most probably say "No".

Ironically, after that lecture, I was still thinking about the safety of children in school when I was disturbed by some renovation workers in the University. In my faculty. The route which I have taken thousands of time, in broad daylight, in front of the main road, and these barbarians have the nerve to disturb me. I mean, cat-calling is common when these barbarians are around, I suppose. But to the point when this idiot walked towards me so closely?? I ran.

I don't know what his intention was and I thank God that I would never find out, but this is over the limit. I dare say that I am rather alert whenever I am alone. But I had put my guards down when I thought I was in a safe area, i.e. University. This incident had resulted in naggings from various people. And it just made me think: are we not safe anywhere anymore?

Think about it. Can we continue allowing these barbarians to rule the world? I believe that in 10 people, only 1 is bad, 3 are good and the others are indifferent. If you are an indifferent person, I ask you: can you continue being that? Can you continue letting the very foundation of our social structure, crumble? Raise good kids and don't have any if you don't think you are able to - that's my stand. Don't make the world a worse place than it already is. Think about it.

Not housewife material

Would you take up a job offered by one of your loved ones if the job offers you a bed, meals, 10% of whatever earnings of the boss, lots of care but no opportunity of a promotion, no bonuses and no pay raise? Seriously, would you consider it?

Ever wonder how big a sacrifice your mother must have made to stay at home and be a slave to you and your siblings when she could have earned more money, and do so much if she had chosen to work? Well, I suppose I am one of the lucky ones to have a housewife as a mother. Believe me, I did not feel much pride in telling my friends or filling in forms that says my mother is a housewife. I used to be ashamed of the fact that my mother was not some doctor or earning millions. I knew that my mother quit her job and became a full-time mother after many years of working, but I still looked down on her for being a housewife. How naive I was!

You can say that I took my mother (sometimes I still do) for granted. I did not appreciate the fact that she took care to clean the house daily (and our house is the old-fashioned type, so it's quite big), to wash our laundry, to buy grocery, to cook good food for us and do other superwoman stuff just to make our lives easier. I mean, do you stop to think and appreciate the fact that you have a clean house to return to everyday? The house did not become clean on its own, you know?

I took over some of the work that my mother had done for the past 20+ years for 2 days last weekend and those two days have convinced me that i would not want to be a housewife EVER, if I can help it! Cleaning the house, washing the laundry, and buying grocery is not a problem. The problem is that all the hard work that you've done is unappreciated. AND when there is this lacking of appreciation, most people wouldn't think twice to dirty up the place again less than an hour after you've gone down on all fours to clean the darn floor!! Shheeeshhh... And I can't imagine how my mother had taken all that frustration in, besides having a supervisor to comment on which spot she had left out, and which spot should be cleaned again.

The Supervisor!

I mean, if it were me, I would have volunteered myself to be admitted into Hospital Bahagia Tanjung Rambutan in one year's time! It's hard work, it doesn't pay much, it doesn't gain recognition and any form of appreciation, most of the time it only makes you frustrated...and that's only the housework. I have not included the pieces of char siew that you would have given birth to and raised. Man, I had given a pretty bad time to my mother during those times. Haha...

Well, the moral of the story are:
1. Don't quit your job to be a housewife, EVER.
2. If you still want to be a housewife, have only 1 kid or none!
3. Appreciate your housewife mother / wife.
4. Clean up after yourself la... cleaning up after 2 or more people is hard work, you know?
5. When you have started earning money, give some to your mother la.

Happy Mother's Day, Ma!! I Love You!! Thank God, you are back home now!! :P
(Yeap, it's not Mother's Day, but can't we treat every day as a Mother's Day and appreciate her anyhow?)

Celebrating at Chili's

*Burrrrrpppp...*

I just came back from having a pig-out with Brian at one of our favourite eating places. Well, today calls for a celebration as I only have one more assignment to complete and hand in. The days of toiling to complete assignments after assignments, and to prepare for presentations after presentations are almost over! No more moody days! No more late nights! And joy of all joys, no more being a panda-lookalike!!

So anyway, yeah, this post is about food again. Sigh, what to do? Look at our sizes and you would know that food is our pet subject. ;) My motto since young is to live to eat. I mean, munching on food is somehow very therapeutic to me. I feel calmer and can think better when I am chewing. Even though we are no food critiques (we wallop everything that is edible), we enjoy going around looking for good food.

One of the places which serves good food and are REALLY filling is Chili's. I used to be a glutton and was unwilling to share the food that I ordered for fear that I would not be full. One try of sharing our favourite dish was enough to make me realize that it was silly of me to think that I would not be full in Chili's. I mean, the servings are HUGE (and some are bottomless, which means that you can ask for refills).

So, Brian and I always go for the bottomless fountain of drinks. Sometimes, as "appetizers", we'd order the bottomless beef queso. This queso thingy is really yummy. You can dip the nachos in either the beef queso or the salsa sauce. Mm-hmmm...and the best part is that the nachos and salsa sauce are refillable! For the main course, Brian and I like to order the Mushroom Jack Fajitas which was recommended to us by my favourite lecturer. You would have to ask for a refill of the Fajitas at least once to finish piling on the grilled chicken, cheese and what nots on them. Brian and I tried spreading a layer of the beef queso and a layer of nachos before piling on the usual cheese, tomato, grated cheese, grilled chicken, capsicum and onions today. And the taste? It was heavenly. Mm-hmmm...makes my mouth water again just thinking about it (although I am still stuffed now). =P

Hehehe...enough of describing it, drool over the photograph of the food! =P Bon Appetit!

Telawi Street Bistro

Ok, here are some poor-quality photographs which I took with my phone again. This time, it was taken when Brian took me to a pub in Bangsar for the first time! The idea of going to a pub in Bangsar had always given me the impression of hip-ness and happening-ness. Well, what can I say? For a girl who had never been to a pub, and who had grown up thinking that happening kids hang out in Bangsar, drinking their heads silly all the time...Ok la...let's just say that I am an innocent and naive girl la, k? :P

So, anyway, Brian took me to Telawi Street Bistro, which is one of the more popular pubs there, I think. I was very excited before we got there, but after stepping into TSB, I realised that there's nothing to be excited about. It's just like any other restaurants or cafe, except that it is dimmed and has high stools and a bar in the middle. Erm...and it serves a lot of alcoholic drinks with exorbitant prices. Oh...and the sky or fruit juice is even more expensive than the alcoholic drinks! Anything else...erm..nah...

Well, as it was my first time in a pub and I don't know much about liquor except for red wine, champagne and Bailey's, Brian recommended me to have a shooter. I had never heard of a shooter before. Basically, it is a small shot of a combination of liquor. I forget the name of the shooter that I had, but it was a combination of kahlua, Bailey's and some other stuff. So, you are supposed to take the whole thing at one go or something. Whether or not you are supposed to do it that way, I drank the whole shot at a go, and boy did it burn! Blegh...*cough, cough*

I must have been thirsty or something because after that shooter, I had a bit of Brian's beer AND I ordered a cocktail, which tasted quite OK. Besides drinking like a fish, we also ordered fried calamari rings. Anyway, I am not a drinker. My face felt warm minutes after I finished my shooter and the whole place seemed to be floating (probably why Brian insists that I only drink when he or my family members are around). Haha...

So, these are the pictures of the stuff that we ordered:

My Shooter

My Cocktail

I don't remember ordering this, must be Brian's.

Brian's beer which I drank to wash down the shooter! Yeah...kinda dumb of me.

The yummy fried calamari rings.

So, my say on that place? Cool..but a tad expensive. Drinks are also much better than Rum Jungle, which reminds me: GIRLS, RUM JUNGLE IS SO NOT A CLUB! Those who convinced us long, long ago that they were happening because they hung out at clubs such as Rum Jungle are SO lame. We could have told them that we hung out in Secret Recipe and convinced them that we were chic too. Haha...which, of course we are! ;P I'll bring you girls out to a nice place, then we can go and show off, k? Hehe...

Lazy Bug Syndrome

Note: Sorry la...didn't think that it would be difficult to read without paragraphs. Hehe...there you go!


Yes, people...I've been infected with the horror of all horrors, the disease of all diseases: the Lazy Bug Syndrome!! Oh nooooo!!! *B: Cue the psycho music* Hehehe...

*sigh* Ya la...it's almost the end of the semester already, what to do? Let's see how many classes I've missed this week alone, 1, 2, 3! Yay...not that bad also la, right? Considering the fact that I hardly miss any classes, 3 classes in a week is not that bad la! :P

The thing is, the Malaysian tertiary education is really a killer. My ex-room mate who is a Japanese complained that studying in Malaysia is very stressful because of the many weekly tasks, presentations and assignments, and also the tests and examinations! She told me that in Japan, they work hard to get into a University and then it's a breeze for them, as they only have an examination at the end of the term.

My current roomie (a Korean) also said that they only have an assignment per subject and an examination at the end of the term in Korea. In Malaysia? Just count...even in colleges, I think there are plenty of assignments. See, this semester, I am taking 7 subjects. Excluding TITAS and my 2 credit hour elective course, I have 5 subjects which have an average of 2.5 assignments each. And that is excluding the weekly and mini-tasks, and examination at the end of the semester! Crazy right? I don't even know how am I going to survive my final semester where I would have to take 7 subjects again but no light subjects like TITAS or my current 2 credit hour course!

And you wondered why Malaysian students are always doing last minute work? That is because with all the mini-tasks and what-nots, we do not have the time to do our assignments! Many people told me that their University life was the best time of their lives...I wondered if their Uni life was in Malaysia. Like I mentioned in one of my old posts, I could only see my elder brother and eldest sister who studied overseas enjoying their Uni life. My dearest sister who studied in MMU had no life at all and me? well, you can say that I'd rather not think about my Uni of M days after I graduate!

Back to my point of being infected with the very serious disease, I hope it goes away soon because I have 2 more assignments due next week, another due the week after and exams coming soon! Oh NOOOOO... I think I'd better go take a nap to calm myself down now. Ahaks! >.<

Good luck in your coming examinations, Malaysian undergraduates!

Random complaints

The last few weeks have been crazy! I've never been fond of group work, but that seems to be the preferred working method for University lecturers! This one, group work...that one pair work...*sigh*. If we were able to choose our own group members, I wouldn't be so annoyed. I just had one of the worst experiences with group work ever! First, my notorious group mate did not turn up for a class which we might have very well been chosen to present, then my other group mate was late for our presentation! Not only that, my presentation was like $hit because I jumbled up my points mid-way through. *SIGH* Can't wait to graduate and leave all these group work and presentation behind me!
Speaking of which, many of my friends have graduated or would be graduating this year. Looking at their situation now, I can't really say I envy them. Those who are working are earning peanuts (haha...sorry la, but am just writing down what you yourself told me); those who haven't graduated are already worrying that they wouldn't be able to secure a job. Life sux, doesn't it?
Can't wait for the two months' break and for the Australia trip!! Yay....Brian, Willie and I have finally confirmed our trip to Aussie in June! It's burning a hole in my pocket (and I am likely to be singing in the tunnel in KLCC to earn extra income soon!) but it is something that I have always wanted to do before I get bogged down by work. Will update about it later. For the time being, it's back to doing my group assignment! *SIGH*
Later...

Fowl Words

As mentioned in the previous post, simple and non-thinking games are the type of games that I like best. A coursemate of mine mentioned this game as one that can help develop language skills in children. I found it and played for 5 hours. Currently, I can't go past level 12. I'm aiming to pass level 20 and then I'll find another game to play. There are so many free games that are interesting. I just wish that I can sit in front of the computer and play the whole day. Hehehe...
Hmm...don't know why the html cannot be displayed here. So, I'm giving you the link to play the game Fowl Words. Hehe...have fun!

Meme: A to Z of Me

Yay! For the first time, I got Tagged! Haha...pathetic, I know, but I've never been tagged on a blog before! So excited! Hehe...thanks Willie! :P
Anyway, this is the Meme: A to Z of Me


A is for age
I am 23 (my actual age), 30+ (my appearance) and 40+ (my health) hahaha...

B is for booze of choice
Can't drink much coz I get drunk SO very easily. But I love Bailey's!

C is for career
Full time complainer and nagger, part time undergraduate.

D is for your most dreaded
Any one of my pet dying or goes missing...dreading the day when Baby (9+ years) needs to go to Doggie Heaven... =(

E is for essential item you use everyday
a) toothbrush
b) comb
c) handphone
d) spectacles

Hahaha...seriously, aren't they essential for everyone everyday? =P

F is for favorite song at the moment
Gosh...haven't listened to any song lately. All time favourite got a lot la - Selena's Dreaming of You, a lot of Mariah Carey's, a lot of songs from between the years 1940s to 1960s, a lot of songs from 1990s...erm...a lot of songs which I've performed (ceh ceh ceh...)

G is for favorite games
I get addicted very easily. Simple games which do not require thinking are the best! Refer to the next post.

H is for Hometown
Born and bred in Rawang!!

I is for indulgence
FOOD!! Not good for the waistline and health but what the heck!

J is for favorite flavor of juice
Watermelon

K is for kids
Don't really like or want any but might have to have at least 1 in the future

L is for last hug from husband
No husband yet.Boyfriend got laa...last hug from him was probably 2 hours ago...

M is for years of marriage
Not married yet laa...

N is for name of your crush
Oooohhhh...if I'm honest at this, I'm going to be killed by my boy boy. Hahaha! But then he knows who's my love. Hehe...crush is not permanent one ma, right?And most people who know me knows who the fella/crush is (*hint: L?). Hahaha!

O is for overnight hospital
None...thank goodness!

P is for phobias
Not what I'd call a phobia but I dislike crowded areas.

Q is for quote
Hmm...an exchange that will stay forever in my head:
"Let me help you with that..."
"Oh, that's so sweet!"

Grrrrr...

R is for biggest regret
A lot of regrets but don't know which one is the biggest. Anyway, it is in the past, so I will not give much thought to which is the biggest regret.

S is for marital status
Single but not available

T is for time you wake up
Weekdays between 6:15 a.m. to 7 a.m., weekends between 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

U is for underwear
Clean ones! =D

V is for vegetable you love
Kangkung, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, watercress, carrot, tomato, etc. as long as it doesn't have a strong taste e.g. kuchai, leafy part of celery (ewww)

W is for worst habits
Procrastinating, sleeping a lot, eating a lot, love to shop for unnecessary things and being lazy

X is for x-rays you've had
Twice. Both for application for tertiary education: teacher's training college (Institut Perguruan Ilmu Khas) and University of Malaya

Y is for yummy food you make
Maggi mee! Hong Sifu mee! Erm...pan mee's dough! Ok, so I don't cook much. U blow? =P

Z is for zodiac sign
Aquarius: The whole world is wrong. I am right. Hahaha...


So now, I'd like to tag:
1. Brian
2. Melwin
3. Adrian
4. Jho Yan
5. Collin

Come on la you guys! Update!! =P

Viet Passion in Raja Chulan Square

I've had wanted to post these photographs for a long time, but I kept forgetting. Nothing much, just some which I took with my lousy Nokia 6111 cameraphone. Brian and I would sometimes indulge ourselves and have dinner in places which we've not been to before. Sometimes, if I remember, I'd take photographs of the food or drinks which we (or I) have not seen or tried before BEFORE we have dug in. Hehe...here are some interesting food/drink photographs in Viet Passion in Raja Chulan Square. It says Vietnamese Fine Dining. It has a nice ambience and decor but give me the food from the hawker stalls in SS2 anytime:

Sorry for the low quality photograph. You can see the bar at the far end and the emptiness of the restaurant at 7+ p.m. on a weekday.





















The rice dish that was recommended. I don't remember what the dish is called though coz we had it a couple of months ago. But...since I don't recommend the place anyway, so I won't bother with knowing the name of the dish if I were you. :P


















The drink that I had was full of little seeds that look like frog's eggs. Looks nice but taste erm...unique.



















This was the appetizer that we had. Looks good and tasted not too bad either. But I don't know what vegetable they put in the roll of white thing but it tasted bad.











I don't remember which dish this came with, but I think we were supposed to wrap it with one of the appetizers. There were some mint leaves and don't-know-whats. Hehe...Looks nice though, don't you think?









This is all for the time being. Need to ask Brian to help me transfer some more photographs from my phone to the computer. Next set of photographs would probably be posted in a few months' time. For the time being, enjoy the photographs of good-looking but not very good-tasting food!! Hehehe...have fun!

Pulau Ketam

Ok, this post should have been up a long time ago but I didn't have the time:

9 pretty lasses decided to go to Pulau Ketam to have a big meal of seafood last 28th February. We had wanted to go early in the morning so that we would be back in time for a class at 230 p.m. but we were a bit delayed because of the inefficiency of the clerks in a certain world's top 200 University *hint*. So, we only left for Pulau Ketam at about 11 a.m.

The way to Pulau Ketam was slightly torturous because most of us had not have our breakfasts and we were planning and imagining what to order the moment we arrived. Alas! When we arrived at the port, we had to wait for about 20 minutes before the boat started. And it took us about half an hour to reach Pulau Ketam. We asked a couple of people at the port and the boat for recommendation for a good restaurant to eat it and both directed us to the same restaurant.





The child-like scrawl of mine posing as the planned menu for the day.












A bunch of excited pretty girls in the boat at Post Klang.









The chosen restaurant for the day.









Too bad the restaurant did not have a wide variety of cooking styles (probably due to the fact that the cooks were 2 middle-aged women) but the food was still superb. We had 9 dishes and the bill came up to less than RM 240!! Where can you get seafood this cheap on the mainland, I ask you?






Nothing better than having a glass of beer after a big meal of seafood with good friends.
















Mei Ju with her tower of shell crabs. Hehehe...big eater!








So anyway, after the sumptious meal, the 6 of us who had decided to skip class for the day went walking around the small fishing village and camwhore. ;P After an hour and a half, we decided to head home. Those who might be interested in going might want to know that the last boat to leave Pulau Ketam is at 530 p.m. If you miss the boat, you would have to stay the night. The boats leave at a 45 minute interval.

It was a great day. Missed going out and having fun with a bunch of girl friends at the spur of the moment! Next stop, Kuala Selangor, girls? Hehehe...luv ya gals!

The old, old couple =P

Ok, since William and Mae have been declaring their love on their blogs, Brian and I decided that we also want a share of the sweet romantic feeling. Hehehe...so where do I start? Erm...ok, Brian did write about it a long time ago...and I don't know why I haven't done so yet. Hahaha...guess it was because I am a true-blue procrastinator! ;P Anyway....
Sweetheart, this post is dedicated to you: Thank you for your love and patience. I may not be the easiest person to be with, but just remember that

Chinese New Year resolution

Chinese New Year came and went by so quickly. Nothing much to say about it except that I got extra money from my dearest sister for my birthday which fell on the Chinese New Year eve this year! Yay!! Where can you find this kind of sweet sister, I ask you? Hehehe...
So, anyway, like last year, I would post my Chinese New Year Resolution on my blog and hope that I can at least fulfill some of it this year. I couldn't even fulfill even one of my five resolutions last year *sigh*. So here goes:

1. Try to eat right, sleep right and exercise more
Hmmm..ok, so this is 3 resolutions in one, but my ultimate aim is to lead a healthier life. Yup, some of my friends would know that even though I'm only in my early 20s, I have the health of a 40+ year old. Not to mention that I am at risk of getting hereditary diseases...so, to prevent my death before I even hit 30, I'd try to lessen my fast food intake, sleep moderately and exercise more. Oh, and for those of you who eat fast food often, try getting your cholesterol level checked, because you may just find yourself being at risk of having an artery blockage! It is a silent killer and it is actually rather common for young people to have a very high cholesterol level.

2. Lose weight
Related to the above, I am actually 5 kilograms overweight by doctor's standard and at least 10 kilograms overweight by beauty standards. I'm planning to lose only 5 kilos. Skinny people can stop saying that you are fat in front of me, k?

3. Donate blood again
I went to donate blood for the first time in Nov 22, 2006. Even though I nearly fainted, I felt good after that. Just want to ask doctors-to-be: if my cholesterol level is very high (like 160, forget what unit the Malaysian lab use) but am not taking medication (YET), will I be risking the life of the person who receives my blood? Hmmm...

4. Save money
Ok, I didn't save much last year. And my aim was to have at least 5 digits in my account before I am 25. Looks like it's still a very long way to go! Ok, I'll lower my aim for this year: I'll save 10% of my monthly allowance.

5. Stop procrastinating
Hehehe...this year, this is way down the list. I promise that I'll try to start doing my work at least 2 weeks before the die (due) date. Hehehe...

I'm not aiming for much, just these 5 for the Pig year. Can I do it? I'll try to fulfill at least the first one. Dying of heart attack at 40 doesn't sound appealing to me. Haha...
Wish me luck...

Chinese New Year Day 3

It used to be a tradition for a bunch of us to go Ang Pow Hunting come Chinese New Year. I think the tradition started with those of us who went to Mdm Lau's Mandarin tuition class back when we were in Primary 5 or 6. The group grew bigger when we entered secondary school and started to invite friends from other SRKs (national schools). Being the unofficial leader of the group, I never did invite or offer to join the chinese-medium school students in our quest for more ang pows. Hehehe...yeah...I'm biased but I felt more comfortable in my bunch of friends who can switch from cantonese to mandarin to english to malay comfortably. =P
So, anyway, our group would normally start early in the morning in Country Homes where about 3 of our "members" lived (Szet Li, Kim Kun, Han Wee and occasionally Khai Yan). In every house that we visit, we would eat junk food and drink canned drinks for about half an hour and then move to the next place. Sometimes, we would visit other friends who live in the area or show up unannounced. Hehehe...
Since we didn't drive back then, my mother, my sis and my neighbour would have to drive the 13-16 of us to Taman Garing where me and Jun June live. By that time, it would be noon. After our place, we would be chauffeured to Green Park where William, Hooi Wen, Chin Guan and Sophia, Lay Choo and Chee Han live. And by the end of the day, we would be about RM 20 richer and happy but tired. For 2 years I think, we had steamboat in Chee Han's place at the end of the day. Ahh~ those were the days. I do not have the pictures to show because my best friend has not given me the copies yet. (!!)
The last of these group visiting days for me was in Form 5. After that, the group members just went their own ways. Occasionally, my best friend would drag me along to a few people's house and that's it.
This year however, the idea of having another group gathering struck us. Most of our friends took extra off days from Uni and would still be around town. So, my mother offered to (ask the maid to) make lunch and since we all drive now, we do not have to start early in the morning. We started at 130 p.m. (almost 2 p.m.) with about 11 people (1 new face to me, 1 Chindian, 1 Purtuguese/Chinese, and 1 Indian- having non-Chinese is a first in our ang pow hunting group). Of the original 12 ex-SRK pupils-only group, only 4 turned up that day. Others were busy or were not at home.
Even so, it was fun to have that gathering. People whom have not met the other for at least 3 years, gathering at one place, eating, drinking and talking together. There were awkward silences but luckily Collin can talk about anything! Haha..thanks, man! And not forgetting William who is the King of Craps (that's a compliment, ok?) =P. Even my parents who prefer quiet and calm enjoyed the din that my group of friends were causing! Hahaha...
I truly enjoyed myself that day. It was a very nice feeling to be among old friends again. I doubt that there would be more opportunities for these kinds of gathering once we start working. Maybe we should do it again next year. Perhaps then, we can start collecting ang pow from our own friends instead! ;P Chee Han, we're counting on you!

Chinese New Year

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

Well, it has been a Piggish CNY for me so far. Ahhh...the blessed life of a pig! Hehehe...so aside from being a pig at home over the past two weeks, I have been spring cleaning the house. Man, I didn't realise that the things which I have moved back from the condominium in Cheras have been lying in the exact place where I left them since 9 months ago! Since those things are mine, it is only natural that no one dared to move them for fear that I would blame them when I cannot find my things. Hehehe... So, after ploghing through the piles of old notes and magazines for 3 days, I had a valid excuse to rest for the rest of my holidays and to do my assignment slowly. ^O^

This year, for the first time in the 20 over years of my life, my grandmother did not spend the Chinese New Year with us. Well, as to why she didn't spend the New Year's with us: it is a long story involving hunger, depression, cold-war and Oscars. Hehehe..I think I can actually write great playscript with what I observe happening around me! :P All those ingredients can surely make an award-winning piece, don't you think? Hehehe...

So anyway, we had a quiet but happy CNY. Sure, it feels funny not to have Grandma and the family, cousins, second cousins and third cousins coming to visit, but it was rather pleasant. I still remember how I had to find a place to rest after greeting the nth vistor, only to find my room invaded by my aunts and cousins who wanted to rest too. This year however, my family and I had the chance to rest and only start greeting visitors (my uncles and aunts) in the late morning.

True, you may think that this is not the way to celebrate CNY but when you think about it again, what is there to celebrate REALLY? There's no spring in Malaysia and we can no longer scare off the "evil monster which comes every spring" with fire crackers anymore. The whole point of celebrating CNY(that is to welcome spring and to ward off evil for a better year) seem to be no longer "celebrate-able"/applicable here in Malaysia. The only things that mean "CNY is here!" these days are the mandarin oranges, new clothes and for those who are unmarried, the ang paus.

Of course, I am not saying that I do not enjoy receiving ang paus, having the occasional new clothes and eating the mandarin oranges by crates! It's just that, CNY no longer feel like CNY anymore as I grow older. Even gathering with friends no longer sound as attractive as before (but I think this year's gathering was great. Will blog about it later)...I think I am growing OLD. Oh noooooo....

Ok, I'd better go tie two pony tails, wear new clothes and try to enjoy CNY like before!! Haha...yes, I'm still very young! :P

Am I a Pantheist (not Panties!)? ;P

Today's Ethics class has made me think...hard. I have just realised today that many people who claim that they are of a certain religion, actually do not know the basis of the religion or do not question some practices in the religion. I mean, like if you were born into a family of Catholic or Muslim, you would have been trained since young to perform certain rituals, to memorize stories or words from the holy book. But in reality, how many of you would truly know why you perform those rituals and why some of the "questionable rules" are there (which in this case, I was going to talk about using contraceptives for family planning purposes)? Not many, is my guess.

Prior to the discussion in class today, I was actually feeling lost because I do not have a religion. It is not that I am an atheist, I just don't have a religion. I do believe in the existence of a God, mind you. It is just that I have been brought up in such an environment that gave me the opportunity to view religion differently than most of you: My family practises Taoism but goes to Buddhist temples. I used to go to church and attend Sunday school when I was in kindergarten. I tried to read the Quran when I was in secondary school. I tried to read more about Sikhism when I was in college. I show my respect to the Gods in the Hindu temples near where I live everytime I pass by. So, what does that make me? Definitely not an atheist.

The thing is, it is my choice to not want to follow any one religion. Some of my friends say that it is good because it makes me think and not just follow blindly as some of my friends are obviously doing. But most people, I think, would not look at me kindly when Itell them that I do not have a religion. I suppose these people think that it is a sin to not have a religion. Or maybe they think that I am deprived because I do not know what religion to believe in. However, if you think about it, I am not deprived of anything. In fact, my needs in life have been fulfilled to the point that I am now able to think of religion and looking for self-actualization (for those of you who don't know what I am talking about, research Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs).

Well, probably one of the reasons I do not profess any religion is that I think I know enough of the major religions in Malaysia to decide that they all advocate good behaviour and practices. Since they are all equally good, there is no need to commit myself to one religion, right? Besides, I believe that it is human nature to be biased and think that all that is mine is better than what others have. So, it is my belief that if I commit myself to one religion, I would inadvertently be one of those people who insist that my religion is the most superior and the best in the whole wide world (stupidity at its "stupidest" moment). Anyway, if God truly exists, and He/She/It knows that I believe in Him/Her/It, would He/She/It punish me because I do not profess a specific religion?

Back to my classmates, when asked to define and explain more about some practices and beliefs in their religion, it was obvious that some could not do it clearly. I am not criticizing them (who am I to do so since I cannot explain any religious practices at all!), but it makes me wonder if these people truly BELIEVE in what they are practising. I mean, don't you have to strongly believe in something before you make it a part of your life?

Well, I suppose it has been a way of life for too long: parents pass down their religion and beliefs to their children, people profess a certain religion because of peer pressure and brainwashers (this is what I think of those people who try to convert others). It has happened since forever that no one questions anything anymore. Questioning what is written in the holy book is seen as blasphemous.But if you don't question, how are you to understand and believe? And God did not write those holy books. It was humans (men, specifically). It was their interpretation. How can we be sure that that was what God wanted from us?

Hahaha...I have a feeling that not many people would read this whole post because they might be offended or confused by what I am trying to say. Anyway, think about this: no major religion in the world teaches us to do things that are not good, no religion is superior to the other. So what's the need to fight over religion, right? If you want to be a Hindu, great! If you want to be a Muslim, yay! If you want to be a Christian, whoo-ee! If you want to be a Buddhist, yippee! etc. etc. As long as someone believes in doing good and believes that there is a superior power hovering around us, isn't that enough?

Oh, and I know some religions advocate that the followers enlighten those who have not found the path, my say on it is that: make sure you enlighten people who have truly not found the path, and not because the person is not on the same path as you.

Have I found my path? Well, can't you see that I am trying to create my own path by spreading my Jiawenism? Haha...
Have a blessed day, everyone!

Yet another blog for me...

Well, I've started this blog because the Friendster blog is very limited and I cannot change much of the template. I envy my friends' blogs with their very nice templates and colour; so here I am, starting a personal blog on Blogger, in the hopes that my blog will look as nice as theirs some day. Of course, being the narcissist that I am, I also feel sympathetic towards some of my readers of my Friendster blog because they cannot revisit my old posts as there is no archive there. Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh... :P Fret not dear fans, as I will repost some of my better-loved posts here as well.

First things first, I hope there will be readers on this blog. Hehe...

Whatever it is, just want to wish everyone who might have stumbled upon this blog:

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Singapore vs Malaysia

I just came back from a one week visit in Singapore last Monday. My eldest sister had just given birth to her second child, Dylan. Yup, I am now an aunt of four. ^O^ Even though I can't stand children, I cannot deny that all my four nephews and niece are all so very adorable, if just a little spoilt and hyperactive!
So anyway, spending a week in Singapore with all the debate in Malaysia raging, I suddenly got "enlightened": I never did understand why many Malaysians (including myself) just love to hate the Singaporeans - claiming that Singaporeans are snobbish and kiasu. The one week there made me realize that we Malaysians are just plain jealous of them. That is the real reason behind all the criticisms - to make us feel better about ourselves!
Truly, what is there not to envy about the Singaporeans? They are a developed country. They have all the public amenities that Malaysians can only dream of having - consistent and trustworthy bus and taxi services, consistent and well-maintained MRT services, community centres that serve as a gathering place and learning centres for residents near them etc. Their road systems are so much better than that of KL's. Their cost of living is half of what Malaysians are facing. Most Singaporeans are well-versed in English and Mandarin. Their crime rate is so low that the daily newspapers report issues such as a wife being scratched by the husband's mistress.
The list is endless. This is not just an issue about seeing the grass is greener on the other side. Many Malaysians prefer to be a permanent resident in Singapore after just a few months of living there. And you know what is ironic about this whole situation? I think half or more than half of the contributors of the success of Singapore might have been Malaysians.
See, Singapore practices meritocracy. They see the benefit of hiring people with the expertise to do the work rather than hiring people just for the sake of fulfilling a quota. And most of these people with the expertise come from foreign countries e.g. Malaysia. I remember someone told me that in the autobiography of Lee Kuan Yew, he mentioned that he personally went to the kampung of a well-known Malaysian to invite him to design the city of Singapore. Therein lies the secret of the beautiful, green city of Singapore.
Crossing the causeway back to Malaysia, I cannot help but see the differences in these two countries. The landscape in Malaysia is that of a more backward country. Heck, even the Sultan what what complex at the second link sucks. What an embarassment. They don't even have a proper scanning machine at the immigration! My mom said that it may be because they think that the Singapore authorities are very strict so they don't have to worry about the travellers from Singapore. (???) But, interestingly, the two lazy officers checked my luggage (because I was smirking at them, thinking that they are an embarassment) while twenty or more people walked past with huge luggage, without a care for the two officers who were checking me. Hmmm...
I don't know. I'm getting tired of the NATO (No Action Talk Only) attitude of the government. I think many are too. All I know is that we have much to learn from our neighbouring country. We have to stop the brain-leak (and stop exporting the best of our country and keep only the second best - as in food stuff and agricultural products etc) and do something to make the country a better place. Stop all the self-pitying about who doesn't get enough of the country's wealth or who got more, because if the situation continues like this, there will be no wealth to be fought over at all. Like so many columnist have said in these past few weeks "It's time to grow up, Malaysia!".
I find this interesting. Take a look:
A moderate Malay's perspective: What is a Malay?
http://dimpledemon.blogspot.com/2006/11/what-is-malay.html