Good bye 2013 and hello 2014!

Ello everyone...
Before the clock strikes 12 tonight, it's customary to write a post in this much abandoned blog. Sorry blog...There's so much I wanted to write at times but when I am sitting down in front of the screen, I just don't know how to put my thoughts to words.
2013 kick started without any resolutions. I figured that if I can't fulfill them, why bother making any? But towards end of the year, I feel that I do not have anything to measure the year by. What have I accomplished this year? What milestones have I achieved?
Looking back, there's nothing particularly interesting happened for the year.
It's basically work, work, work and more work.
2013 is more of a year for reflection. I've met some inspiring people that I secretly wish I can be more like them. I always think that I am a simple person who wants a simple life. But am I?
For 2014, my only resolution is to be a better person. Looks simple in words but not at all an easy feat. A better person is very generically termed. I guess I don't have any specific measures but just strive to be better in EVERYTHING I do (yes, work included). I am someone who starts something with very high enthusiasm but will get bored easily. Hence, many things gets done in a haste and not giving it my 100%. I want to change that.
So, happy new year everyone. Hope 2014 will be a better year.

Best book this year

I finished the book within two days...simply the best book this year...well Fifty Shades aside.

"Path are so much clearer when people stop looking at what everyone else is doing and instead concentrate on themselves."

"Each second makes its mark on every single person’s life – comes and then goes, quietly disappearing without fanfare, evaporating into air like steam from a piping hot Christmas pudding. Enough time leaves us warm; when our time is gone, it leaves us cold. Time is more precious than gold, more precious than diamonds, more precious than oil or any valuable treasure. It is time of which we do not have enough; it is time that causes war within our hearts, and so we must spend it wisely. Time cannot be packaged and ribboned and left under trees for Christmas morning. Time can’t be given. But it can be shared."

The Gift - Cecelia Ahern

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE....

Food Review: Toh Yuen, PJ Hilton

Celebrated dad's birthday at Toh Yuen a couple of weeks ago. I've not heard of Toh Yuen before this but according to sis, it has been around for quite a long time. When we reached, we are the only customers but as soon as we are seated, the crown began tricking in.

Soft shell crab with chicken floss

Love the crunchiness and not so oily. The floss is a good combination and can be eaten with rice as well.

Lotus roots with pine nuts

Tasted a bit bland to me but I love pine nuts.
General Tso's chicken

My favourite dish. Well marinated and flavourful.
Deep fried fish with dragon fruit sauce

The only attractive thing about this is the sauce. They could have been more generous though.
Toh Yuen's fried rice

One of their signature dish. I must agree that it is very tasteful and generous with ingredient like scallops and prawns.

Despite the price, highly recommends this place. Do book in advance as it can be quite crowded during the weekends.

To end this....

Now you see me

Now you don't...

December!

This is a backdated post that I didn't get to finish on 1st Dec.

In the blink of an eye, we have come to the last month of the year. December is my favourite month for a few reasons.
1. It's Christmas!
2. It's a month where I get to plan for next year, make up new resolutions...
3. It's the month where you are supposed to clear any remaining annual leave that can't be carried forward to the next year.
4. It's the month when you can relax as projects usually close down towards the last week of the year.
5. It's the month where I get to go shopping.

However, this year, I feel that things are beginning to change. Maybe I am getting older.
1. It's Christmas! but then I feel it's all hyped up.
2. No more resolutions for me.
3. Clearing leave but no where to go.
4. Relax?? What is that??
5. Saving mode...shopping no more. *sobs*

So December is beginning to be like any other month.

Virgin America Safety Video

Super cool....This is the second coolest safety video after the one I've watched on Air NewZealand.

What a rush!

One lesson from the previous weekend, always have a plan B.

The story goes like this.

Saturday morning, I am to go on a day trip and the booking confirmation mail says that I need to be there latest by 8.45am. From the hotel to Central London, the whole travel duration will take about 1 hour. I went out after breakfast at about 650am to catch the 7am train. If it's going as planned, I will reach the bus station for the departure of the tour before 815am.

I have checked the train service and it is working fine. So, I waited and waited, the train was late by 20 minutes. No worries, because I have plenty of time to spare. Happily boarding the train and trying to catch some zzzz...A few stations after, barely half way, it stopped. Service interuption. Well, no worries yet. It might just take a while. It edge slowly into the nearest station. And it is stuck for another 15 minutes.

By that time it was almost 750am. I thought, I can't risk it by sitting here. I got down, exited the station and try to hail a cab. There is none! It is still very early. So I thought I will call the cab service number I have (smart that I have one with me). And *toot*, as luck would have it, they don't provide service to that area.

Ok, so I thought I might just hop back on the train, hoping that it will be on its way very soon. By 815am, I am a bit panicky. Still at the same location. I called the tour and asked to change my travel date but no luck as any changes should be 24 hours before. I was losing hope and thinking I will not be able to make it for the tour anymore. The kind lady told me I can still make it as the bus only leaves at 9am. That gave me renewed hope.

I ran out and asked around a few times and finally (FINALLY!) I found a cab. I was telling the driver in panic mode that I need to make it to the bus station in 15 mins. Drive as fast as he can and I am willing to pay tips. He said he will try, as it takes at least 20-25 minutes. I was just praying (haha, as if i know how to) and keeping my fingers crossed through the whole journey.

The driver was good and he said I am very lucky as the traffic turns green everytime. Wll, if I am lucky, I wouldn't be in this situation. And yeah, I made it 5 minutes before 9am and boarded the bus. Phewww.........

But I don't have time to visit the loo, thus, I have to hold it for an hour. LOL...but one just can't ask too much, can they? I made it anyway!

There it is, my amazing race adventure for the morning.
Will keep the rest of the tour for another day.

7th October a year ago....

7th October 2012 - seems just not long ago.
Blink of an eye, it's been a year now.
I remembered that morning, I woke up with red rashes on my neck. I was like F***! I have not have this before and now, on this particular morning- you must be kidding me!
But luckily the redness subsided after an hour or so...
Back to the topic, yes, it's been a year. Not particularly a smooth year. It has it's up and down. Like they said, marriage is not a bed of roses.
It's not easy to fit in and change some of your habits that you've been doing for the past 30 years. It;s all about tolerance and trust.
Many asked why we are not getting a place of our own. Many reasons actually. But the main one will be, we want to be closer to both parents. I'm settling in now, adjusting to the new environment, adjusting to new lifestyle.
Many also asked, when are we making a little one? That's the question people throw to you after you got married. Before, it will be " When are you getting married?" and after you got your first child, it'll be "When is the next one coming?". LOL...
The first year for us will be strictly honeymoon year, we have so many things to adjust and adapt. Many things to discuss, plan and work it out. So yeah...we're pretty comfortable now. Next step maybe? :)
Anyway, Happy Anniversary dear! I'm sorry I am so far away. Raincheck when I come back.
Thanks for being such a wonderful husband (well, sometimes you made me 'kek sim' also (vice versa)). Hehe...What is the fun without some challenges and some hiccups along the way, right?
We'll have many more happy years to come.

Brandi Carlile - The Story (OST The Lucky One)

Just watched this. Beautiful story but Zac Effon's acting is bleehhh...Love the song...

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am

But these stories don't mean anything

When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true, I was made for you

I climbed across the mountaintops
swam all across the ocean blue
I crossed all the lines and I broke all the rules
But baby I broke them all for you

Oh because even when I was flat broke

You made me feel like a million bucks
You do, I was made for you

You see the smile that's on my mouth
It's hiding the words that don't come out
And all of my friends who think that I'm blessed
They don't know my head is a mess

No they don't know who I really am
And they don't know what I've been through
Like you do, and I was made for you

All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I've been
And how I got to where I am

Oh but these stories don't mean anything
When you've got no one to tell them to
It's true, I was made for you

Oh yeah, well it's true that I was made for you

Frightening experience

There was a time during my travel that I've encountered a frightening experience. No, not "those" kind but one that is quite dangerous and now that I think back, it's really stupid of me to land myself in that situation.

It happened in Houston. As usual, I always liked to explore new places on foot. I get to see more and can be trigger happy throughout the walk. I took the cab to downtown one fine Sunday morning. Little did I know, downtown Houston on a weekend is practically a dead city. It was about 830 or 9 in the morning and I can barely find anyone on the streets.

It's ok if there were no one but the scary part is, a lot of beggars were loitering around. They will approach you for money or food. Made me feel like I'm walking in a deserted town with zombies around. I was advised to ignore them as it might be dangerous to give them any money.
I had planned my walking journey from downtown all the way to the museum area. It's about 10km walk.

The more I walk, the more I feel uneasy. The surrounding got quieter, the neighborhood got dodgier.
I tried to get a  cab but there's none around. So, I had no choice but to continue walking. It was obvious, I was walking into a "black" town. At one point, a guy approach me asking me what time it is. I just ignored but he kept following me. At this point, I had already taken off my watch and ring in order not to attract any attention. I was really scared, I find the nearest store (lucky for me there's a big pharmacy in front) and stayed in there for while.

At another point, I saw this two guys walking on the opposite side of the road. When they saw me, they purposely crossed the road and walk towards me and started talking stuff. I was freaked out and half walk half run as fast as I can.

I can't imagine if anything bad happened. They could have been armed with a knife or a gun.
Stupid me to be ignorant of where I am walking to and stupid me for not being smart enough to turn back when I feel something is not right. Now, wherever I go, I make sure I have a contact for cab service and also a pepper spray with me.

Food Review : Silverspoon, Publika

Family outing to Publika one day and we decided to have Silverspoon for lunch. Initial plan is to Red Bean Bag but the place is crowded, as usual...(what is so hyped up about it anyway??)

Silverspoon did not disappoint.

Great ambiance, good food, good service...

We had:
Wild mushroom soup - creamy and thick, with bits of mushroom...love it.

Braised lamb shank - well braised, tender and meat that melts in your mouth, Served with garlic mash potato and vege. Signature dish.

Grilled crisp skin Norwegian salmon fillet - with squid ink risotto and sauteed spinach. The risotto is surprisingly nice.

Salmon Teriyaki Pizza - with bamboo charcoal pizza infused base with cream cheese sauce, topped with teriyaki salmon, wasabi sauce, onion and rocket salad. Thin, crispy, flavourful.

Linguine Alfredo - Creamy pasta served with turkey, grilled portobello mushroom and poached egg topping. One of the better pasta I have tasted. Loved the poached egg on top.

Flying MAS

Wanted to blog about this on air, during my flight to London, but I was too engrossed in watching movies. Another round of movies marathon..:P
This time round, I flew with MAS because of the timing and it's a direct flight. To be honest, I am not sure why they are awarded "Award Winning Crew". To me, the service is not as good as they say. Well, maybe because I am not some "mat salleh" la...

To start with, some points taken on the lounge:

1. In the lounge, I asked one of the staff walking pass on the location of the washroom, they either didnt understand or it's just plain ignorance.
2. The food buffet is not nice except for the Kapiti icecream (I am a sucker for all things New Zealand) and the nasi lemak.
3. To get your coffee from the bistro, you actually need to line up. Can't they have more staff manning the bar?
4. Small small washrooms, very gym like. The basin area is so small, that when some brushes teeth there, it is an inconvenience to others. Amenities here are so limited. Not even hand lotion provided (ok, so i am comparing this with Emirates lounge in Dubai).
5. The seating area is too compact and there's no privacy.

There you have it. Well, it's all based on personal experience and expectations. To me, if you need to pay RM150 for the lounge usage, don't waste your money.

I will save my experiences on board for another time.

Synthetic Happiness

For the past few days, I've been hearing this word quite a lot.

I'm attending a SAP training but i think the instructor can be a motivational speaker. Interesting personality he got...

So, he kept mention this thing about synthetic happiness. Out of curiosity, I googled it. So what is natural and synthetic happiness?

Meaning: “natural” and “synthetic” happiness – the difference between being happy because you stumbled on exactly what you wanted vs. the happiness you create when you don’t get what you want. This is a theory discovered by Dr Dan Gilbert. Dr Gilbert gives talk and write books on TED.

He mentioned that "we are notoriously bad at predicting what will make us happy, and even worse at predicting how happy we’ll be whether we get what we want or not". Which is quite true I think.

I don't think anyone of us are truly naturally happy. It's more towards synthetic happiness and how our mind makes up of it.

There you go...Happy Wednesday everyone!

oh my...

Oh my...

what a big mouth you have...

Oh my...

what big eyes you have...

Oh my...

what big feet you have...

爱一点

A little teaser for Thursday morning!

This or that?

I am a fickle-minded person. Yes I am.
I can say one thing and do another thing the next moment. I think most girls are like that, right? Blame the hormones.
This gives the hubby headaches sometimes. Example, I said I want to go Pavilion on a Saturday but I can change my mind on Friday night to Mid Valley. I might have said I want to eat Japanese food for lunch but woke up in the morning and feel like eating western instead.
Hmm...but on the other hand, I am someone who likes planning ahead of things to do. How can I be fickle-minded when I have already have a plan? I don't know.
Also, I find myself very indecisive. Always debating myself even over small matters. Maybe that is why the amount of white hair I have doubled over the last year. Or maybe it's because of age. Yes, I admit I am getting old.

Thanks for reading my rant for today.

Too cute not to share

So which one would you choose?

http://www.femalemag.com.my/lifestyle/entertainment/cats-look-male-models

Caught my attention

Do big balls make for bad dads?

Taken from The Star.

"A new study suggests that men with larger testes are more built for a mating effort strategy, and as a consequence, are less built for nurturing children. 

A US study measuring fathering habits and testicle size suggested that bigger may not be better when it comes to the day-to-day raising of small children.

The research involved 70 US men of varying ethnicities – most were Caucasian, five were Asian and 15 were African-American. All were the fathers of children aged one to two.

The larger the volume of their testes, the less the men were involved in daily parenting activities like changing diapers, said the study by researchers at Emory University in Georgia.

In comparison, men with smaller testes showed more nurturing activity in the brain when shown pictures of their children, and also were more involved in their children’s upbringing, according to surveys answered separately by both the fathers and their female partners."

LOL...Do you even need to read more?

Food Review:El Cerdo, Changkat Bukit Bintang

Nose to Tail Eating

All the porky goodness in one place. Yes, almost all the items on their menu has the pork element in it.

There are so many things on the menu that we wanted to try but our stomach can only fir that much. We had:

Oven Roasted Iberico Spare Ribs served with pineapple salsa

No sauce needed for this perfectly marinated ribs. Finger licking good.

Portobello Mushroom stuffed with shrimps and spinach, baked with ham and cheese

Too pricey for this small portion though. But it's good.

Caesar salad with Romaine Lettuce, Ciabatta Croutons and Parmigiano on Lemon Anchovy Dressing

Nothing really special, just a normal Caesar Salad with bacon bits....

Pork Belly Pasta cooked with red wine, smoked bacon served with fettuccini pasta

Yummylicious! Tasty to the last bite.

I highly recommends El Cerdo for good food and fine evening out.

Alicia Keys - Girl on Fire

Cool song!

My candidate....

So I am currently addicted to Vampire Diaries. I thought my craze for it has died but I just can't stop watching Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore. And I still think he should be playing Christian Grey.
Ok, I should stop talking about Fifty Shades.

Perverted!

This is a stocking. A hairy stocking. A very hairy stocking.
Supposed to be "anti-pervert". LMAO.

Do you want one?

Titles in the kitchen

I was watching a documentary not long ago and intrigued by the different ranking of chefs in a kitchen of bigger restaurant And so I turn to Mr Google to learn more about them.

Master Executive Chef - This person is in charge of all things related to the kitchen, which usually includes menu creation, management of kitchen staff, ordering and purchasing of inventory, and plating design.

Chef de cuisine - is the traditional French term from which the English word chef is derived.
Head chef - is often used to designate someone with the same duties as an executive chef, but there is usually someone in charge of them, possibly making the larger executive decisions such as direction of menu, final authority in staff management decisions, etc. This is often the case for chefs with multiple restaurants.

The Sous-Chef de Cuisine (under-chef of the kitchen) - is the second-in-command and direct assistant of the Chef de Cuisine. This person may be responsible for scheduling the kitchen staff, and substituting when the head chef is off-duty; he/she will also fill-in for or assist the Chef de Partie (line cook) when needed. This person is accountable for the kitchen's inventory, cleanliness, organization, and the ongoing training of its entire staff. A sous-chef's duties can also include carrying out the head chef's directives, conducting line checks, and overseeing the timely rotation of all food product. Smaller operations may not have a sous-chef, while larger operations may have more than one.

A chef de partie - also known as a "station chef" or "line cook" is in charge of a particular area of production. In large kitchens, each station chef might have several cooks and/or assistants. In most kitchens, however, the station chef is the only worker in that department. Line cooks are often divided into a hierarchy of their own, starting with "first cook", then "second cook", and so on as needed.

A commis - is a basic chef in larger kitchens who works under a chef de partie to learn the station's responsibilities and operation. This may be a chef who has recently completed formal culinary training or is still undergoing training.

Fifty Shades star revealed!

And I am disappointed. *sad*
I'm expecting someone more macho and with extra charming eyes *one look can kill* to play Christian Grey.
Yeah, secretly, I'm in love with Christian Grey. His dark past aside, he's the perfect fantasy guy.
So, here are the upcoming stars for the characters.

Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey

Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele

31st Aug 2013

Happy Merdeka!!! *though it came 3 days late*
And happy birthday hubby! Merdeka boy...haha

So, we had our free movie in Pavillion - The Conjuring, is our choice. Yeah, watching a horror movie on his birthday is not really ideal. I've been bugging him to watch this based on the good reviews and to support our own Malaysian born director, James Wan. It was indeed a pretty good movie, not too much of *screams in horror* scenes though, well, not like what we've expected.
And we all stood up to sing Negaraku before the movie starts. It's a first for me.

We went for a buffet dinner at Chatz Brasserie, Park Royal. I remembered that this used to be one of the best high tea and buffet I've had. It's either my taste bud changed or there's a drop in their food quality and selections. It's rather disappointing for the price we paid. Selections are very limited and not too good tasting too.

Food aside, we had a great time. Just enjoying the environment and observing (*ahem*bitching***) about other people.

The day I slept the most...

2nd Sept.
The day I slept the most, since the last I can remember.
Food poisoning=fever=muscle ache=tiredness=sleep
Slept for most of the days. Woke to check emails for a while, couldn't stand stand the tiredness and slept again. Woke up to have lite porridge for dinner and then slept again, right till morning.
That's how my 2nd Sept 2013 went.
But the bright side of it, I have my dear sleeping beside me all the time. Yes, he got food poisoning too....Muahahahha *evil*

Joey Scarbury - Believe it or Not

Ignore the cheesy MV but this song can lift up my spirit. Heard it recently at an event and it kept playing in my head.

林健輝-內傷

Love this song!

Crazy about him....

Currently obsessed with...

 no not Wolverine but Hugh Jackman himself...

*melts*...

I think I am going to download and watch all his movies......

One year

One year since...

Happy anniversary dear. Remember how many meals you owe me hor? :P

Sg Lembing weekend

12am.
That's the ungodly hour we started our journey. I have tried to get some shut eyes earlier but just couldn't bring myself to sleep, in fact feeling wide awake at that time.
Saw this poser cat in one of the rest stop...Couldn't resist taking a shot.

Reaching Sg Lembing at 3am plus is way too early for us to hike up Panorama Hill. So, the next best thing to do, sleep...
Began our hike up at 5am. Way too dark to see anything on the journey up. Looked up and saw so many stars. The view on top is amazing eventhough we did not get to see sunrise as it was too cloudy.
I really love the sea of clouds.

Breakfast was at the only market there. Cheap and good food.

Me and CY was feeling restless after checking in to Sg Lembing resthouse while the others dozed off. So we went around and snap silly pictures.

We saw a film crew and the locals even thought that we are part of the crew. LOL...
Around noon, all of us headed to the musuem and Sg Lembing mines. For those who are not aware, Sg Lembing is a very popular mining area back in the 19th century. It has one of the longest tin mine in the world.
RM30 is a rip off, but luckily it was 50% off.

The way mining was done, I can't imagine working underground for a a long period of time. Gives me the chill.

We wanted to venture to Teluk Cempedak, but due to rain, we detour to a mall and had more food instead.

Dinner was prepared by the resthouse. We had fun chatting with the aunties and uncles who BBQ-ed our food. And not to mention, it was delicious.

After dinner, as we were walking around, one of the shop owner recommended us to visit an uncle who roasts pork. So, without much hesitant, we agreed. She brought us to to one of the houses and voila, we had fresh roast pork. The owner is very chatty and his dog is super cute!

We decided to turn in early to rest but in the end, we had the longest UNO game. It lasted for almost an hour for one game!
The next morning turned out bad as our planned trip to rainbow waterfall has to be cancelled due to rain. So, we were up at 5 plus hoping the rain will stop but it never did until mid morning.

So off we went for early breakfast and continued with our game of UNO.

After check out we decided to head to Gua Charas before continuing our way back. It's quite an interesting cave with a statue of sleeping Buddha in it.

I still can't forget the smell of cow dung in the car! And we got Febreezed!

That pretty much sums up the short weekend getaway. It's a bit disappointing that we didn't get to go to the waterfall but it's a n enjoyable trip. I miss the times when we frequently have trips like this. Now, with each of us busy with work and family, it's hard to find the time anymore. *sad*
Oh ya, nearly forgot how we got ripped off at a durian stall in Bentong....So lesson learnt, always ask and bargain first before digging in....