L-o-n-g-e-r weekends

I wish to have looooongerrrrr weekends -_-

I guess everyone wish for the same. Seriously, I barely have time to rest.

End of my shift Friday night, I reached home about 1 am. Barely seven hours later, I dragged my lazy ass up for a jog (I needed the stamina for the night run). I did some house chores (yes, I do house chores), washed some clothes (and yes, I do wash clothes) and then it's time to go makan makan and jalan jalan and watch movie with someone special. Rushed home near evening to have an hour or two of sleep and then off to Shape Night Run in Putrajaya. My first night run...

It was pretty crowded, pretty stuffy and pretty humid but I think I did pretty good. :P

And the night view from the bridge is beautiful.

Pic 1: Thorn among the roses

It's hard to sleep after the run although I am so tired, physically. So ended up sleeping at 1am again.

So the next morning, woke up early again (is 8 am early?). Washed some clothes (yes, even on Sundays), cleaned my room and then it's time to go out for some therapy - retail therapy. And so, I unleashed the shopaholic within, bought a pair of fairly expensive shoes from URS (and I don't even dare to tell someone special on the price, let alone the two blouses I bought, shhhh).

Pic 2: Pretty?

It's hard to control the temptations. With sales, sales and sales everywhere. Furthermore, I really needed a new pair of flats as the previous pair was beyond repair (and I threw it away in Jakarta). And I really needed working clothes. It's important to invest in your career. Agree? *blink*blink*

Pic 3: My accomplice

I promise myself not to buy anymore shoes/ clothes until...well..until HK trip end of the year...:P

And the beautiful Sunday ended with a dinner with a special group of people (no pun intended).

Pic 4,5,6:look at those happy smiling faces....

So, yeah, I really hope to have a longer weekend.

古巨基 - 友共情

love this song...
and it even has a 'fly kite' scene in it...WTH...
dedicated to all you out there...you know who you are..*wink*wink*

relaxing

There's is nothing more rewarding than having a warm bubble bath after a long work day. Add some bath salt, lots of bubbles, sit back and relax. Followed by some comfort food - chocolate cake (called Opera Slice) and a really delicious Orange Cheese slice while watching Discovery Travel and Living...

This is a pleasure...

If only I have someone to share the moment with...

much ado about jakarta

Well, I am still not used to being called 'bu'...i know it is coutesy(a way to greet a lady) but it makes me feel so errmmm....old??
Anyway, I had a little historical journey through Jakarta today and learnt a lot...will blog about this soon.
I indulged a lot of good food these few days. Breakfast buffet in this hotel is excellent. They even serve sushi. I have 100,000 RP voucher each day for food. So dinner is practically free. I just have to fork out a little amount to enjoy a sumptuos meal. And I had a delicious traditional nasi padang meal for lunch today (full of curry and santan).
I don't want to gain weight before I go back so I FINALLY went to the gym earlier. The gym here is equivalent to any gym centers back home. And the swimming pool is really nice. Gosh, I can get used to this kind of living.
One thing I dislike is the traffic here. You need a LOT of courage to drive on the road. But still it can't beat the traffic in India. Earlier this evening, they were having a march/ campaign near the hotel (at the National Stadium) for this coming Wednesday's election. 'People mountain, people sea' to literally put it. Even little kids joined. The traffic was a chaos. People were holding flags and banners. But this is just a peaceful march. It's an experience as I was stucked in the van in the middle of all these.
I detoured to Senayan City and Plaza Senayan yesterday before heading back to the hotel. These two are one of the most luxurious shopping malls here (and they have a LOT of shopping malls). Senayan City is another version of Pavillion. Posh, luxury, branded goods. One thing I must ackowledge - the people here are actually quite good looking. Pretty girls everywhere and they sure know how to dress up.
More updates and pictures soon. Want to watch TV now. Good night Malaysia.

first timer....

it's my first time ordering a room service...

enjoying my dory fish in the comfort of my room, watching TV and blogging...cool...

i've landed in mid morning, checked in to this 5-star hotel, travelled to Jakarta office immediately and worked my ass off without lunch till now...

so i think i deserve some treats right? *blink blink*

i promise to go gym tomorrow onwards...

Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2009

How can it be?? Why?? How??
My timing seems to be slower and slower when I actually thought I did fairly good during the race. KNS...
Anyway, I always bear in mind that I set to do my best and Run My Own Race. That is why I never gave much thought on my timing after 2 years of running. Yes, two years. Adidas King of The Road this year will mark my 2nd year anniversary.
Someone I met on FB told me, that there is always that invisible wall at first. My timing will always average on the same level. One day, with a bit of determination and practice, I will be able to break through that invisible wall. :P
Today's run is not as satisfying though. I would say it really lacks the atmosphere compared to Singapore. Lacks big time. There is still a lot of room of improvements. From the online registration to the race bib collection to the water stations, the goodie bag, the starting and finishing points, well almost everything. In Singapore, even before starting the race you can actually feel the excitement and throughout the route, there are inspirational supporters. There are cheerleadings and bands to motivate the runners. Sigh, hope next year's event will be better.
Today, suddenly I have this inspiration to do a full marathon. I've done 15, I've done half but yet, I do not have the courage to do a full. I saw a lot of full marathoners finishing today. I guess to be able to run for more than 5 hours is a great achievement. Some came back full of spirit, some in pain due to leg cramps, some with expression that couldn't be described. I salute them because for me, I still find it amazing.
Imagine, 5 hours is the time travel from KL to Penang or Singapore, that will be half day of the normal working hours. Kudos to all marathoners.
Who knows, I might try it once...It's a must achieve task on my list of things to do now...
Well, maybe after KK climb next year...If I am still up to it.

My cup of coffee...

I have an obsession with coffee. Not addiction...no i am not addicted...I can go without coffee for a few days. Why do I say I have an obsession? I love to try out different type of coffee at different places. I can post many photos of cups of coffee that I've ordered. But I'm not going to bored you here...Anyway, this entry is not about coffee...
I have had a few tough weeks. Well, not to say bad but stressful. I am a person who can't work under extreme pressure. I've had some break downs. At times, I feel like giving up. And in these times I will start to rant and throw tantrums and lose focus. And so the other day, my dear just got tired of my rantings. And he sat me down and gave me a long long long long lectured. And deep down, I know what he said are all true.
So how does this relates to havng coffee? It's because I keep having this thought that this is not my cup of coffee (yeah, I prefer coffee than tea so I changed it). That I do not want to do this what I'm doing daily. I wanted to do something meaningful that contributes more to the community. I wanted to do something that I feel satisfied in the end. But yet, how many of us can have the pleasure of drinking the perfect brew? Most times, I am disappointed with how the coffee turned up. Lacks the ommph in the taste, too sweet, too bland, too much milk, etc.
I learnt it the hard way (after making silly mistakes and after going through the long lecture). It's important for me to focus and take it cool. But most important is to change my mind set. I'm having a great job now and I shouldn't be complaining. Some little extra effort might be recognized sooner or later.




ps: i'm going to jakarta for 3 weeks...alone...:(...wish me luck...

Jacob's Walk of Life 2009

This year's event was held at Taman Metropolitan Kepong. I was surprised to find that the place is actually quite big and with some scenic spots for photography.

love the reflection

The crowd was unexpectedly overwhelming (maybe because there's no registration fee needed??). There was chaos during the collection of T-Shirts and even more so during the goodies bag session. Not as fun as last year where we got a lot of Jacob's biscuits and Anlene milk (by a lot means at a dozen). But this year it's special because it is on Father's day. I think my dad enjoyed it. He can easily be the oldest participant there at the age of 79. I feel that there is way to improve the event:

1) Setting up special counters for senior citizen age 55 and above for shirt collection and goodies bag.

2) Goodies bag to be given when people crosses the finishing line instead of the long long queue at the counter.

a little mishap where the starting point archway fell

I am glad to have my family with me and thanks to dear who willingly be chauffer of the day. The event was followed by a heart dim sum meal at Bandar Manjalara's Ful Lai restaurant. Dim sum is quite normal there but the place is very crowded even at 10am. I personally like the Char Siew Bun.

Happy Father's Day, pa...Hope you will stay healthy and happy always.
mi and pa holding hands...

Across the Universe

Nothing beats a lazy Saturday afternoon, in the comfort of my room, with a cup of tea/ coffee and a good movie/ book. Came across this 2007 movie - Across the Universe and it just melts my heart away. A romantic tale with a twist and some pretty weird scenes but it makes the movie unique. I love romance movies and it reminds me of 'The Notebook'. Well, if you are a romance freak like me, give this movie a try.

'At once gritty, whimsical and highly theatrical, Revolution Studios' Across the Universe is an original movie musical springing from the imagination of renowned director Julie Taymor (Frida, Titus, and the Broadway smash hit musical "The Lion King") and writers Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais (The Commitments).A love story set against the backdrop of the 1960s amid the turbulent years of anti-war protest, mind exploration and rock 'n roll, the film moves from the dockyards of Liverpool to the creative psychedelia of Greenwich Village, from the riot-torn streets of Detroit to the killing fields of Vietnam. The star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood), along with a small group of friends and musicians, are swept up into the emerging anti-war and counterculture movements, with "Dr. Robert" (Bono) and "Mr. Kite" (Eddie Izzard) as their guides. Tumultuous forces outside their control ultimately tear the young lovers apart, forcing Jude and Lucy – against all odds – to find their own way back to each other.'

taken from here

Food Review : Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, The Curve

Finally, one item down in my list of food/ restaurant to visit (yes, I do have a list)...Bubba Gump Shrimp Co is inspired by the 1994 movie - Forrest Gump, Did a search on the net and found out that it actually has so many franchises all over the USA and in other countries like HK, PH, JP and of course in M'Sia.
The drink menu is quite impressive. With Lemonades, Cocktails, Mocktails and smoothies. We didn't try the drinks though as we want to save some space in our tummies for a nice dessert later on.
Dishes we ordered (with eye catching names):
Entree - Run Across America sampler which comes with spicy chicken strips, hush pups (shrimp balls stuffed with corn), chilled shrimp, Mama Blue’s fried shrimp and Bubba’s Far Out dip and tortilla chips.
The dip is made of artichokes, spinach, roast red peppers and Monterey jack cheese (and we were all guessing what were the ingredients). Tasted real good with the chips.
Salad - Tossed Cobb Salad - a mix of lettuce, roma tomatoes, gorgonzola cheese, hard-boiled eggs and bits of beef bacon, all tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette and topped with pieces of grilled chicken and fresh avocado slices. I personally like this dish as it has a bit of sweetness plus cheesie taste.
Main dish - Bourbon Street Barramundi-charbroiled Cajun-spiced barramundi (we changed it to chicken instead) with bourbon street sauce (a butter and egg-based béarnaise sauce) and grilled shrimp served with mashed potatoes.

We were full at the end of the 3 dishes.

I highly recommend the restaurant if you're looking at good service, good food and good environment. Will definitely try the drinks and desserts on my next visit.

Total damage with drinks : RM130
www.bubbagump.com/

Detained

KUALA LUMPUR : The 3 convicts that police were looking for were nabbed recently. The trio, who were armed and dangerous, made themselves known as the McD gang. The gang is said to be involved in numerous cases, involving extortions and bullying people, road rage and daylight insults. Police have been looking for the gang for almost a year but they managed to fled from the police each time. It is said there could be another of the gang member still on the loose.
(pic source: keef's photography)

Chinese Medicine

Chinese people are known for their exotic appetite. There is saying I read in a book - Chinese eats anything with four legs except chairs and tables...LOL. What is even more bizarre is the traditional Chinese medicine. Look at the below:Insects and flying reptiles...yummy...

Well, I did consume these the past few weeks...Wuek....

Another sad ending?

WTF...another crappy ending? What is happening to all the happy endings? Well, at least this one will have me waiting impatiently for next season...Will she lives? Will he still be part of the cast?
Can't wait for Season 6...

Life is fragile

As I sat there, listening to the pastor, a few words of his was somehow etched in my mind. He said, "The most certain thing in life is death, and the most uncertain thing is when it will happen to us."
I guess we all knew this. Just that sometimes we are too caught up with our daily lives, too busy with our jobs, to busy chasing dreams, or falling in love, etc..that it slipped our mind. Life is indeed very fragile and we'll not know what is destined for us.
I lost my uncle (my dad's younger brother) on Thursday 04.06.09. He was still well and playing mahjong on Sunday and in a blink of an eye, he is not here with us anymore.
It is still hard to believe for some of us. I do occasionally think about what will I do/ feel if this happens to any of my parents. But I realise there is nothing I can do at that point. What I can do is to shower them with love and respect NOW. Not later, not tomorrow, not next time but NOW.
Hope everyone reading this will do the same to their loved ones.

I'll end this by praying that my uncle RIP. You'll be deeply missed and may you be blessed in eternal life.

Prison break - Finale

OMG...I can't believe it's over and I can't believe they made the ending sssssoooo crappyyyyy.....WTH...

http://www.fox.com/prisonbreak/

Taiping Lake

Once upon a time, monkeys ran wild all over Taiping lake. Adult monkeys and baby monkeys wandered freely. It was such a lovely sight until......the lake was invaded......by
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(all pictures courtesy of Addy Wong WK)

In Memorial of Lucy 1996-2009

Today might me any normal day to anyone. But to me, it's one of the saddest.
At about 1pm, Lucy passed away peacefully. I called home a little after 1pm and my mum told me the heart breaking news. I can't hold back the tears and cried a while in the office gym's toilet. Lucy was having a bloated stomach and refused any food since few days earlier. Yesterday, I didn't manage to sleep well as she was breathing hard just outside my room's window. And she could not even stand up anymore. Wanted to call the vet but my mum objected. She wants Lucy to go naturally and peacefully.
I spent some quiet time with Lucy this morning. Wiping her body and her eyes. Telling her to take care but honestly in my heart, I prayed for a miracle. But somehow I knew that would be the last time I touch her. We all knew it's almost time.
This is the cruel fact of life.
My mum said she doesn't want anymore pet because the hardest part is when it's time to let go. I kind of agree. My eyes are swollen from the crying now. My heart aches when I look out and the familiar figure that has been there for 13 years is not there anymore. No more Lucy to welcome me home everyday, no more Lucy to in the house when there is thunder, no more buying her dog meat and biscuit. I will deeply miss all these. I will deeply miss her.
Love you always Lucy and hope you have had a great life with us. I appreciate your companion and loyalty. And most of all, the joy you brought us.-RIP-

Simple life

There is so much to blog about Siam Reap but it will not be the same if depicted in words.

If there is an opportunity, I would very much like to go there again. Spend more time understanding the rich ancient myths and history, to experience the way of living there and to learn the culture.

A few days there made me realise that I actually took a lot of things for granted. The children seemed so happy even without bare neccessity like clothing and proper education, let alone have the pleasure of toys.

And yet, I still complain and feel that I do not have enough. But then this is the nature of huma beings. We tend crave for more.

I am quite proud of myself lately. I refrained myself from buying things that I do not need. I can still be happy without that extra new skirt or dress. I can still be satisfied without that new notebook or that new handphone I am craving for.

But, two things I can't resist - nice food and facials...Sigh~~~

Well, live a simple life and you'll realise that you'll be happier.

A Place Called Here

'We all get lost once in a while, sometimes by choice, sometimes due to forces beyond our control. When we learn what is it our soul needs to learn, the path presents itself. Sometimes we see the way out but wander further and deeper despite ourselves; the fear, the anger or the sadness preventing us returning. Sometimes we prefer to be lost and wandering, sometimes it's easier. Sometimes we find our own way out. But regardless, always, we are found.'
-A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern-

colours of the rainbow

rain drops + sun ray = beautiful rainbow
we saw 2 pretty rainbows on the way back today. combination of beautiful colours, clearly visible across the sky.
reminds me of the rainbow we saw over komtar in penang, reminds me of one of my fave song by jay ('cai hong'), reminds me on how lucky we are to witness this captivating work of nature.
remember how we used to draw rainbows when we werestill in kindy (well, at least for me la...)?
the Bible relates rainbow as a promise from God that there won't be another flood after Noah's. i remember reading this when I was young.
everytime i see a rainbow i will secretly make a wish that the person beside me will be happy and he/she enjoys it as much as i do. and today i got to make 2 wishes for that same person.
nothing makes me happier to know the one I love feels the same.