Shawnie's Farewell At Ingolf Kneipe

Yesterday, we headed down to Ingolf Kneipe German restaurant to have a farewell for our dear friend Shawn. He'll be leaving for New Zealand on 7 Jan, so you can still catch him until then.

Zai2 got an advance birthday gift for Shawn. A TENGA EGG XD

Ingolf Kneipe is very well known in Penang for it's great German beer and food with affordable prices. This place is always packed. If you don't have a reservation, you could end up waiting up to an hour for a table. Well, if you had to, you could chill at the bar with beer first.

Luckily for us, we DID have a reservation. We were in a German restaurant, so naturally, lots of meat and sausages!~

Zai2 and I felt really hungry, so we ordered the Caesar salad, which came lightly dressed with duck breast, crispy bacon bits and croutons. I hate a Caesar salad that's sodden with too much creamy dressing, so this was perfect. It also came with a small bread basket consisting of some sliced sourdough bread, sliced baguettes and butter.

We both also shared the Butcher's platter. It was a huge plate for various kinds of sausages and meat so we couldn't finish it. There was a big piece of roasted pork belly, which I'm usually not a fan off. But this was done superbly with the fat under the skin rendered down and absorbed into the meat. This resulted in a really crispy and caramelized skin with soft, buttery, tender pork. The various types of sausages on the platter were a delight as well. Very tasty and oozing with juiciness XD

The platter came accompanied by a thick onion gravy and German mustard. I absolutely LOVED the mustard, soooooooo good.

The pot pie was loaded with soft, fluffy mashed potato fused with oodles of melted cheese. Could use more meat sauce underneath though but no one was complaining.

Dennis had the special of the day which consisted of a duo of pork and chicken. I didn't get to taste it, but doesn't it look so inviting?

The beef roll that Shawn had was really good, according to him and zai2. And Zai2 doesn't even like beef!

Albin, a frequent patron here apparently, had the mixed grill. I wanted the bacon so bad =P

Our feast...can you believe the 6 of us managed to scoff this down our bellies?

Ingolf is definitely one of my fave places to eat. I've never had a bad or mediocre meal there. Everything is usually abundantly-portioned and very pleasant to the taste-buds.

We will DEFINITELY be missing our fave body-jammer in the group. Quite a few of my good friends have made a move elsewhere recently, either to green pastures or just a new change in their lives.

Tis' The Season To Be...Sick

Last weekend was pretty fun. I just joined the new company for a little more than two weeks, and was already invited to join the annual team building for the department. It was a 2D/1N event at Hydro Hotel from Friday to Saturday, and it turned out great. Really sped up the process of breaking the ice and getting to know my new colleagues, most of which I didn't even know existed. The age spectrum of people in my department are on the higher side, but I found them to be very amusing, amicable and loads of fun. Enjoyed every minute of it and they made me feel very comfortable around them. Through the event, I saw how closely knit they were, and they made sure I felt right at home.

Oh, and during lunch on the last day, I got my hands on a nice, big, fat snake!~

Yes, get your head out of the gutter people. Moving on~

Sunday night, I came down with diarrhea...a few times. Tummy felt queasy and uncomfortable, and I know some shit has gone wrong (pun intended). True enough, I woke up at 3am with a fever. Took 2 Panadol Actifast and struggled to fall back to sleep. Pretty difficult since my body couldn't decide whether it was hot or freezing and waged a battle within, switching to and fro and messing up my body's thermostat.

Needless to say, Monday was an off day for me. I woke up with the most uncomfortable feeling in my gut, like an alien baby was festering inside and decided to use my large intestine as a chew toy and my small intestines as it's belt. I struggled to pull myself out of bed. It's amazing how multiple sessions of peeing through your ass and sleepless night due to a sudden brief attack of fever can sap all your energy and make you feel like crap. Thankfully, my fever was gone when I woke up. But I was weak, tired and my body felt like it had gone through a pinball machine. I struggled to get to the clinic for my meds and MC, only to find out probably like half of the people in the neighborhood also decided to pay the doctor a visit that morning.

So, I had to wait...and wait...and wait. I swear, at some points, I don't know if I wanted to faint, puke or kill the other people who were waiting so that I could go first. Nah I'm kidding, I wouldn't even the energy to kill 'em anyways. Subsequently turn finally came, more than an hour later. The diagnose was severe indigestion or food poisoning, as suspected. Must've been the damn Prosperity burger I bought for dinner on Sunday. The sauce was a little too strong and the color didn't look right too. Took my meds and got home as fast as I could. For the entire Monday, I could only manage to eat a piece of bread and an apple, nothing else. Every time I put a morsel into my mouth, my stomach couldn't decide whether it wanted to devour it or expel it. Felt horribly nauseous and dizzy all the time, and my appetite was nowhere to be found. So, I basically just slept through the day. See, that's why I HATE GETTING SICK. I feel so helpless and useless!~

Thankfully by early Tuesday morning, my tummy felt a lot better, the nausea was gone and my appetite wandered back. But, I still had to take the day off coz my body felt like it only had the strength of a starving kitten. As I munched on some bread and had an apple, mum came over to announce that sis just came down with chicken pox.

Yay, what a lovely week to inch towards Xmas!~

(sarcasm intended)

Bad Sleeping Habits

Seriously, I have to get rid of it. I'm sick and tired of it, coz it's literally making me sick and tired. I'm talking about bad habit of SLEEPING LATE. It's OK during the weekends occasionally, but it's a huge damn no-no when the habit begins to intrude into work days. I'm getting really plain fed-up of being heavy-headed and physically tired most of the time on week days. Life just seems a lot harder and considerably bleaker when you're constantly deprived of good quality sleep. It's really difficult to stay positive, upbeat, motivated and energetic when you're groggy and mentally and physically out of tune. Life just feels like a drag, anchored and dull. In the long run, lack of sleep is also harmful for health. Your liver goes haywire, it ages you faster, wrecks havoc on your complexion, your hormones go on a roller-coaster and your bodily functions become irregular.

I know I have no one else to blame but myself. I used to say that I'm a nocturnal creature, being more alive at night. That's still true. I still find myself being more active at night. There's something about staying up late that just appeals to me. Perhaps it's the rebel side of me relishing the late nights, but it's getting out of hand. So I'm putting my head down (on my pillow, that is) so to speak. I used to regulate my sleeping hours religiously, except for weekends. Since I workout quite often, I need good quality sleep daily to recover, so I used to set a rule of no less that 7-8 hours of sleep each day. And I'm going back to that. Time for discipline to step in. No more only 4-6 hours of sleep.

Aside from the perpetual tiredness and health factors, it really messes up my schedule. I find myself napping at intervals during the day, or waking up during weekends in the afternoon, which is essentially half of the day gone. And the sleep debt that accumulate is really horrible. Sometimes, it feels like no matter how much sleep you catch up on during the weekends, it's still not enough. Horribly erratic sleeping patterns can really fuck you up.

Likin' Big...

This is the original song Like A G6 by Far East Movement

And this is the freakin' awesome parody, Likin' Big Dicks.

Holy shit, I think the parody song is waaay better than the original. And it really helps that the MTV is so boner-ifically HAWT! Seriously, they should play it at gay clubs. I would definitely shake (my ass) to that song!~

My Biggest Fear

I had an short but interesting discussion with some of my gal pals when I was in KL last weekend. The subject was on gays getting married and I don't mean the gay kind. One of my biggest fears is that I will end up old and alone, rotting away with no one to take care of me. I really understand why parents keep pushing for their children to get married, and a huge part of it is for this reason alone. Parents hope that their son or daughter will settle down, start their own family and be taken care of in old age. No parent wants their child to be left old and alone. Even if their intention is not to start family, there is still the hope that they would at least get married for companionship, just to have someone to grow old with and look after each other. I know the lot of you might respond that you can take care of yourself. You can certainly say that when you're young. But when old age arrives, illnesses tend to follow. Who will take care of you then if you're all alone? That thought really scares the bejesus out of me.

Even gay people would like children some day, if possible. I know I'd love to have kids some day. I guess at this age, my paternal instinct is just catching up. I love the idea of having a little Pooh running around. Someone with lots of laughs, smiles and hugs (and I'm not talking about the little devil). Someone I can impart my wisdom and values to. Someone I can watch grow up and be proud.

But then, I have no idea if I'm able to do it, and I DON'T mean the sex part. Would me getting married mean that I'm abandoning part of my identity? Would I just be selfish for getting married just to have kids? Would that even be fair to her at all? Would I be able to love her and endure the marriage? Or would I snap one day and just go back to being who I am? How devastating would it be if the marriage landed in shambles because I couldn't stand being in a straight marriage? How would she feel if she knows about me? Do I even tell her? Can I endure not ever telling her? What if I get married and realize it was all a mistake? Do I even want to risk that? What IF I don't risk it and then regret it for the rest of my life?

Some many questions about the future run through my head sometimes, and I don't really know where to go. I REALLY don't want to end up old, alone, sick and neglected. And I don't know if I can handle a marriage, but I'd love to start my own family. One of my gal pals actually suggested that I marry a lesbian. We could at least take care of each other and shut our families up, until they start asking for babies that is.

Sigh, am I just thinking too much?

What would you do?

New Month, New Job

I finally left the company on the last day of Nov, after a little more than 4 years there, and I leave with mixed feelings. Relief that I can finally move on, joy and anticipation that I will break out of this stagnant cycle and try something new, and of course sadness, that I will be leaving a place where I have forged good friendships with my colleagues and others who have made an impact in my life. I'm missing my colleagues and the working environment already ><.

It was a move that I really needed to make. I need more money and I was sick of traveling across the bridge every morning. After 4 days in the new place, I'm REALLY missing two things that my ex-company offered; FLEXIBILITY and the INTERNET. Moving from a US MNC (multi-national company) to a German one really makes a difference. In my ex-company, we were free to go out of office WHENEVER we wanted, provided it didn't interfere with our job or cause problems. Lunch hour, although dictated by HR, was ultimately decided by us. Not much work meant longer lunch hours. I could go to the bank in the afternoon if I needed to. Heck, I used go to the nearby Jusco in the afternoon if I needed to get something. Bottom line, we were free to move about in and out of office as we pleased, as long as we didn't cause any problems.

But, lack of flexibility wasn't the biggest thorn in my shoe. The staff there, except managers or higher level personnel, were NOT ALLOWED to use the internet. Holy cow poop batman! Might as well take away air as well. We are only able to communicate via email. Seriously, I can't survive without internet, and this is what I missed most in my ex-company, where we could use the net for anything, except accessing external email and of course, venturing into 'questionable' websites. The new company has very strict policies of enforcing security within its network, but you can easily block sites that are deemed inappropriate. At least, let me be able to Google something ><.

However, the new company isn't without some merits. The cafeteria food is better and a lot cheaper too. The working environment is much quieter and more serene. I miss being in a cubicle coz we have open table concept here. The biggest perk of course, is the traveling distance. Depending on traffic, I can usually reach work within 10-15 minutes.

I'm gonna give them 6 months to a year to see if it will work for me. Ultimately, I want to move out from engineering and take up something more related to management, like marketing, HR, PR etc, as long as they are willing to provide some basic training. I like dealing with people and don't want to be tied to manufacturing forever. I have been told, even by my ex-manager and feedback from previous team, that I possess good communication, negotiation and influencing skills, which I intend to fully use whenever I can. I'll see where this goes, and won't hesitate to hop to something better, even within next year. I'm at a point in my life where I want to find something that works for me. Don't talk to me about loyalty or shit like that. I want to do something that I'm happy doing, and gives me what I want. Enough with the compromising.

Just The Way You Are

Ever since I watched the Glee version of this song, I fell in love with it more.

Simply love the message of the song. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, inside and out. Collectively, we are each unique yet gorgeous as one.

I know I've been slacking off a little on my blog lately, especially in the last 2 month. Life has just been a handful lately. Will try to blog more ya =)

Just Shake It!

When Shawn showed me this South Park clip from Youtube, I thought it was just something really funny and ridiculous that they made up.

Being the curious bastard that I am, I search on Youtube to see if it was an actual product...AND THIS SHIT IS REAL!

The Shake Weight debuted in July 2009, and due to the perceived sexually suggestive nature of the product, infomercial clips of the exercise device have gone absolutely VIRAL. Since the infomercial first came out, it has been featured on the news, numerous talk shows and went crazy on Youtube. So, I just HAD to share it's awesomeness with you guys XD

Even SNL paid tribute to it!

Then, they came out with a Shake Weight for men, which is BIGGER and LONGER.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.....I loved the feature on Ellen's show the most. I almost died laughing XD

Seriously, I don't care if the Shake Weight works, but is the product and infomercial just plain stupid...OR is it an ingenious way to generate loads of publicity (and sales) due to the suggestive sexual nature of the product? I suspect it's the latter, coz watching all those clips somehow makes me really wanna own one XD

It Gets Better...IS HUGE!

More and more celebs are becoming a part of Trevor's 'It Gets Better' project. You'd be surprised...

Jewel...she's just gorgeous. LOVE her =)

The amazing Adam Lambert. I personally love what he's saying.

Bet you didn't know Suze Orman (go google her if you don't know who she is) was a lesbian =)

Zachary Quinto, I'm sure you know who he is. I love his clip, it's so touching and I can really feel him wanting to reach out.

You know how huge this is when you have the US President rooting for it!

Go OBAMA!

My Dearest Mimi

A fellow blogger Calvin just posted about the loss of his pet dog, and this triggered memories of my own pets. I'm an animal lover. In fact, when first deciding a career, I had wanted to be a vet. Due to circumstances in those days, being a good vet meant overseas education. Money was a huge issue so I had to ditch that dream. As a kid, I'm also constantly fascinated by nature. In those days, National Geographic was the only series available to engross myself in the natural world.

I kept numerous pets as a kid. One of my fondest was my first pet kitten. God, how I adored her, and weirdly enough, mum who didn't like furry creatures about the house didn't seem to mind her either. I can still remember where I found her. In my kindergarten years, I lived in amongst a row of houses situated behind a row of shops and eateries. I would cruise in and out of those shops at my leisure, until the owners practically knew me and didn't mind. I even befriended some of the owner's children. A common sight in those shops were stray cats and kittens lingering about. I decided, after some persuasion from the kids there, to adopt two rather thin-looking kittens. Took both of 'em home, but one decided to leave after a day or two, so we took care of the one remaining and named her Mimi.

Mimi was the life of the house. I would play with her for hours. Grandma, who was still alive at the time, was responsible for feeding and 'disciplining' her. Seriously, she had a magic touch, and also a 'lidi' in her hand at the time. Mimi was so disciplined that she would only poop in the toilet next to the drain hole, or run outside and do her business somewhere in the garden. During meal times, she would never jump to the table or steal food, she brushed herself against our feet under that table, meowing softly until we fed her after dinner. It was so endearing and we didn't mind. Every time mum wanted to clean the floor, she would just hop onto the couch and sit there watching the broom or mop move, never budging or trying to chase the broom/mop. Bath times were fun. Sometimes mum and I would clean her when she was giving me my bath. She was always a clean little kitty, even when we allowed her to roam outside. I even made her a little cat house with a couple of boxes, complete with windows and a porch, which she totally didn't use, being active and all. Whenever I lay of the floor in the afternoon for a nap, Mimi would always climb and fall asleep on my warm belly, much to mum's amusement.

Once, my cousins came visiting and decided to feed her chocolates. They left a trail of tiny bits and Mimi would follow, nibbling each morsel. Big mistake, as the next morning, Mimi left a trail of vomit everywhere she went. And for the rest of the day, she kept coughing, heaving and was weak even a few days after that. Another incident that remain etched in my mind was one of the weekends when our family would go for outings, which I loved. Dad was hurrying us out in the porch and mum was rushing to finish folding the clothes and closed the drawer. I called out to Mimi everywhere, but she couldn't be found. Dad got impatient so we just went out anyway. When we returned 4-5 hours later, Mimi was still nowhere to be found. As I called to her, we suddenly heard a faint scratching sound.

Every time we called her name, the sound would appear, although rather faint. It was baffling but eventually, we traced the sound back to the drawer, pull it open and out she jumped. She looked at us, meowing softly and walked kinda wobbly. Poor little thing must've either been hungry, suffocating or traumatized, being stuck in the tiny drawer for hours in the dark. She must've jumped into the drawer while mum was distracted and didn't notice her among the clothes. Luckily, I brought home some leftover Big Mac that day.

One fateful day when dad drove home from work, I went to open the front gate as Mimi began racing to the front when she heard the car. She was fond of everyone in the family and usually greets everyone when they came home at the gate. Dad shouted for me to grab her and take her inside before he could drive in. Being the kid, I just grabbed her and flung her into the garden. After doing some flips in the air, Mimi landed on the ground perfectly on her feet and sprinted past me towards the car. Dad couldn't stop in time as he pulled into the porch...and ran over her right in front of me. I shouted in horror as dad rushed out of the car.

Immediately, Mimi started having spasms and twitched violently. Being so young at the time, even I knew something was horribly wrong and that Mimi was in severe agony. Blood started trickling out of her mouth and nostrils. And soon, the spasms stopped and she lay perfectly still. I sobbed uncontrollably as I watched. I desperately tried to get her to move and breathe. Both mum and dad tried to pacify me. Mum was in shock too. She hadn't seen me cry so profusely before. She began yelling at dad for being so careless but in the end, there was nothing to be done. My beloved Mimi was gone, right before my eyes. That, was my first brush with death and loss of a loved one.

That evening, dad buried her in the soil across the road. Early the next morning, I rummaged through a pile of construction wood that grandma collected and came out with a long and a short piece of wood. I went and got dad's hammer and some nails as well...and in the backyard, I began hammering the two pieces of wood together to form a cross. As I hammered, I couldn't control myself and started crying uncontrollably again. Mum and dad awoke from the sound and ran to the back, alarmed that I might be doing something dangerous. When they found me, I looked at them and mumbled in a shaken voice amidst the intense sobbing that I wanted Mimi to have a proper grave. I think mum cried when she saw what I was doing and heard what I had said. She told me to come inside to clean up while dad finished the cross for me.

When it was done, the three of us went out to Mimi's grave and dad placed the cross on the grave as we said a word of prayer for her. I still cried for weeks after that, whenever I thought of her. And to this day, I still remember my dearest Mimi, after more than 20 years.

Gosh, writing all this made me tear up again...

The Pooh Is 30!~

Yes, I just turned 30 yesterday. My 20s have gone and a new era has begun. The Pooh has left early adulthood and into his prime...

OMFGWTFBBQ, I'm 30!~

All drama aside, it's not really as bad as I often paint it to be. It's just another number and now that I'm there, I feel more or less happy. I'm a lot wiser and looking forward to the new chapter in my life. No doubt I'll still need to energy to deal with the scandalous little devil, but I think I can handle that.

B'day celebration was a simple one. Dinner @ US Pizza in Nagore road with Shawn, Jamas, Scott, Albin and Dennis. It wasn't a big crowd but I couldn't care less. Any time spent with close friends is always fun and worth it. Zai2 couldn't join coz he had some family issues, so it'll be another celebration by ourselves. Another reason both of us should celebrate is that zai2 finally got the temporary job in HSBC. The pay isn't that much, but at least it'll stop him from saying 'bo lui!' every time I wanna go out with him.

Only 6 of us for dinner, and we ordered 4 large pizzas. We couldn't help it coz there was a promotion of 2 pizzas for the price of 1 every Tuesday. As a result, we felt like hippos after makan. After stuffing our pie holes with the pizza pies, with some leftover to tapau for zai2, came the b'day cake. It was the chocolate mud cake from Secret Recipe and tasted as rich as it looked. We only managed to polish off a quarter of the cake, after Scott and Shawn took compromising pictures of me removing the candles with my mouth.

Too many calories later, we brought the house down with some good-natured bitching and laughs before we called it a night at...10pm. You knowlah, old people can't stay up late d.

Aiks, sudden back pain while posting this, I wonder why ><

Also, I suddenly noticed that I have 30 followers...coincidence?

HAPPY BURPDAY!!!!

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY MARKY!!! 





Love you very much muaakk...

The Reasons Why (Part 1)

I realized that when it comes to expressing myself in words, I tend to be sloppy or even worse, unable to express myself in the way I wanted. Maybe because I don't have a strong vocab, so my choice of words are limited to plain English. Well whatever it is, I failed the first time and I would like to try again :)

Well, here goes...

7 months into relationship with my dear hubby and it is still going strong I might say. Still misses him like hell even though we met often. 2 weeks without him was literally like hell to me. Thankfully, he calls and SMSes me very often which I like very much. We still love to be around with one another and he likes to makes me go "humph" and of course I like to make him go "humph" too :P

Yesterday, a question just came into my mind, "Why do I love this big bear bear so much?" and I found that there are more reasons than one.

Physically speaking, he is not the handsome until like a superstar kind of guy nor he is super fit like how a sportsman is. Just like Jason, I do not expect my other half to be all handsome, cute and perfect. To me, I would only admire and goes all high and neigh (a random rhyme) when I saw those too-perfect-to-be-true guys. I prefer imperfections and that's what makes my Marky perfect :)

Imperfection is perfect

I find him cute and adorable despite what people had said about him. He had been smacked in the face with the word "Ugly" and I would like to smack those people back in the face with a mirror for saying him so. I had never find him ugly or anything alike ever since we first met thanks to Zemien gor gor. All this while, what I expected from my other half was an average looking guy but now, what I get is more than an average looking guy. So, what else can I ask for? He is definitely definitely NOT ugly (yes, I am stressing this) and he's cute in some way. The seriousness of his face just makes me melt at the sight of it even though his pooh pooh brows makes me giggle sometimes lol! I too do not expect my other half to be all buffed up and wow...he is seriously buffed up. Just to make some of you guys jealous, imagine this, you get to be hugged by a hunk and the tenderness of the muscle is just...indescribable! At the same time, you get to hug them back and feel the flesh of it and the best of all, IT HE IS YOURS!!! So, what else could I asks for? I loooooove to be hugged and in truth, I had always been searching for someone to hug me and to really feel the love they put in the hug and this hunky's hug is just purrfect. Those hugs I received from my son of a bitch-es Ex's are full of lusts and nothing more. His is nothing about lust... I loooove knowledge even though I don't really practice all that has been bestowed upon me and Marky has all the knowledge I could've asked for. He's clever, matured and he's not like those people who just do stuff without thinking about the consequences. See, he scored another point in my imaginary "The criteria to be my bf" list. I have had a dumb ex who talks about real dinosaur in this era and godd...I still remember I was arguing with him about it the WHOLE DAMN NIGHT! I do feel that I am more matured thinking now that I am with him and I am really grateful for that. I really love the way he corrects me when I am wrong despite the fact that I would be hard-headed sometimes and refuses to listen to his advice :P Still, all in all, the arguments we had do makes me more matured thinking. I do not rant about the lack of time nor do I have those bad thoughts thinking that he might be cheating on me and so on anymore. Seriously, back then when I was with those son of a bitch-es ex-es, I used to think that they're cheating on me (in which 50% of those cases are true). I have a lot of free time and like what he taught me, "An idle mind is a devil's workshop", I tend to think a lot (of nonsense) until those time time issue happened. Now, I don't think about those stupid unnecessary thoughts anymore. See, that's how much I've changed. He has his career to think about and I had changed from the fact of a sticky-icky kind of person to a do-what-you-want kind of person.

There will be a lot of time ahead of us so, why should I rant about the lack of time? Instead of wasting time ranting the lack of time together, why not I just appreciate and enjoy the time we have when we are together?

Broadway For The Trevor Project

Broadway stars rock out in a celebration of life, in the wake of the string of LGBT suicides. Please SHARE this original song and video to help send a message of hope and support.

God, I'm lovin' this. Don't give up, it gets better.

*hugs*

2 Weeks Apart

Zai2 has been really sick whole of last week. He came down with a shivering, cold fever overnight early last week and waited for 3 days before he actually went to the doctor. By the time he went, according to the doctor, he had already contracted a secondary infection, complete with a swollen and inflamed throat, coughing, gastric attacks, nausea and recurring fever. I told him to see the doctor as soon as he had the initial cold fever, coz by then, no amount of panadol is gonna get rid of it for good. Infection has set in, immunity is down and his body's temperature has already gone haywire. When I asked him why he waited 3 days, he said he didn't wanna waste money ><

Someone please reprimand the stingy, auntie side of him, can? I already did but I'm sure he'd love the attention. Anyhow, up till last weekend, his ailments have subsided but his appetite isn't back yet and he's still tired all the time. But, that didn't stop him from going on a picnic early yesterday morning and get buried in the sand that was shaped like a transexual mermaid!~

We hadn't seen each other for almost 2 weeks, but we're both still pretty busy last weekend, so only managed to spend time for dinner. Anyhow, he's going to get a temp job soon after just completing his IT diploma. It'll be a good idea, since everytime I wanna ask him to go out, all he'd say is 'bo lui' ><

Noroi

Noroi (The Curse) is a 2005 Japanese horror film made in the form of a mockumentary. It describes Masafumi Kobayashi, a paranormal expert who produced a series of books and movies on supernatural activity around Japan. He disappeared in the process of making his greatest and most disturbing film yet, The Curse. This film has not been seen much out of Japan, and is pretty lengthy at 2 hours.

I've just finished watching Noroi on Youtube. Let me warn you, if J-horror movies like Dark Water, Ringu or Ju-On gave you a bad scare, this movie will utterly mind-rape you and is a lot more disturbing. What makes Noroi so engagingly spine-chilling is the fact that the entire film is shot with a hand-held camera, and any shocking footage looks VERY real, hence a lot more disturbing. If you're a fan of watching reality shows or documentaries about the paranormal, Noroi is DEFINITELY for you.

And unlike similar western films, such as The Blair Witch Project, Noroi unabashedly reveals what was lurking in the darkness and any fucked-up imagery that the characters were seeing at the time. Noroi does a great job in creating an eerie atmosphere of fear from both creepy music and voices and strange paranormal phenomenon. In some scenes, you KNOW you're about the see something REALLY fucked-up, but morbid curiosity takes over and you just can't seem to look away.

Like most J-horror films, the plot can be rather scattered and shown in different time intervals. You'll find a hard time linking anything together and the different events don't seem to be related at all, but it won't really matter. Inevitably, everything begins to piece together in the second-half of the film. And the ending...really sums it up and will prove to be very shocking. The story and concept is both unique and outstanding. The cast were really excellent and believable to the point that it makes you wonder if this is really a film, or did it really happen in real life.

While J-horror films have a tendency to have some slow intervals throughout the film, there wasn't a dull moment in Noroi. From beginning till the end, it just grabs you and feeds your hunger to know what the hell is really going on. The only complaint I have is that some of the questions that were left unanswered but that's just a minor flaw to me. The entire movie definitely made up for it. Kudos to the Koji Shiraishi for this creation.

Leave it to the Japs to create really messed up horror. Noroi can give you some seriously disturbing chills and you might have trouble sleeping at night. I just hope the US doesn't suddenly get a hold of this and decide to make a crappy remake to ruin it.

Finally, It's Done

It's time for a move. I just threw the letter on 30 September. I should have done it much earlier, but I needed to get out of my comfort zone. Four years into the job, you're comfortable doing what you do to a certain degree, despite the unfavorable circumstances. No doubt, I'm thankful that I'm able to survive two rounds of VSS and keep earning. However, I can't shake the feeling of being stuck in something that was already at a dead end. In fact, I had already lost any hope of going higher in my third year here. And with that, I felt unappreciated and eventually discouraged.

Ironically, the economic recession decided to reel it's ugly head and employers everywhere reeled in their fishing rods, shutting out any bites until recovery was in place, so I was stuck here into the fourth year. One regret I had was not taking the second VSS which came in December last year. I could seriously use the money and that would have been the perfect spark for me to aggressively pursue a new career. My gut feeling told me to take it, but mum advised against it. Being in the employment field and in a HR dept to boot, of course I took her advice. Much to a slight distaste that is.

But what's done is done, and what matters is now. They offered me the job 2 weeks after the interview in August. Somehow, I knew that I would be getting it, as the interview went swimmmingly. What ensued after the job offer call was a month of relentless negotiation on my new salary. I was disappointed at what they were offering (still am), even though it was little improvement. Long story short, I decided to take up the new job for two obvious reasons; distance, and higher basic pay. I'd be back working in Penang island, after 4 years of driving to the mainland. It would definitely save me some time, effort and money.

However, the small boost of income won't be enough to entice me to stay for long, although it's what they're offering in probation. HR claimed that there would be a salary increase after probation ends but who knows how much it would be. It could just be a insignificant blot of cash, and I'm leaning towards that since negotitations was an epic fail. They couldn't even meet me halfway on my expected. I even turned down the new HR's offer to buy me off from my current company, as that would include a 1 year bind in my contract. No can do, if I don't get a good income boost after the probation, don't expect me to stay behind. It takes two to tango. Why should I give you what you want, when you don't even try to satisfy my needs? I'll give it a year at best. If nothing gets better, this will just be another stepping stone and I can demand more at my next job.

DON'T question me about loyalty. I have bills and other commitments to pay.

It Gets Better

Prompted by the recent suicide of 15-year-old Billy Lucas, who reportedly suffered homophobic harassment at Indiana's Greensburg High School, columnist and author Dan Savage has launched the It Gets Better Project, a campaign on YouTube that's meant to assure young people that no matter what they are experiencing, including family rejection, bullying or harassment, there is a future beyond high school. Savage created the site in conjunction with World Suicide Prevention Day, held earlier this month. Dan Savage is sending a message to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender teens: It will get better, really!

Coverage on Billy Lucas:

Dan and husband Terry.

Even Perez Hilton is apart of this.

A couple of random clips from the project.

I think that this is a tremendous idea. Sometimes we think that there is nothing outside our bad situation, but there is. And the 'It Gets Better' project is exactly the kind of outreach that we need. Having people who've experienced similar hardships to share their life's journey and deliver the hope of a much better future could change lives, or help those in the same situation to hang on until the storm finally passes.

No doubt, it's a lot tougher for the Asian LGBT community, as conservative discrimination, narrow-minded intolerance and ignorance still run rampant. Although the situation here in Malaysia is still largely intolerant towards the LGBT community, viewing the videos gave me hope. That however shitty the situation we're in, it won't be shitty forever.

Go ahead, check out the videos in the channel.

Kumar @ Attica

Kumar at his best. Warning, don't watch at work unless you wanna risk people thinking that you're laughing with tears in our eyes while staring at your 'work'.

ROFL, definitely one of my fave stand-up comedians XD

Self Defense and Safety Tips - Part 2

Part 2 is more about crime prevention and how to save yourself in certain situations.

1. Learned this from a tourist guide. If a robber asks for your wallet or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you! Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

2. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail-lights and stick your arm out the hole & start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

3. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc and just sit there doing their cheque book, or making a list, etc. STOP DOING THIS! The predator may be watching you and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE!

4. Before getting into your car, BE AWARE. Look around you, look into your car,
at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

5. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their female victims by pulling them into their vans while they are attempting to get into their cars.

6. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and on the passenger side. If a man is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall or work place and get a guard or policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

7. If you wake up in the middle of the night to hear all your taps outside running, or what you think is a burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your outside taps full force so that you will go out to investigate and then attack.

8. When you walk along the road, always walk facing the traffic if you can, so that you can see whoever that's coming towards you. This is also a common sense to avoid getting hit by a vehicle from behind.

9. Especially at night, ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.

10. Ladies, if you're waking along the road, wear or hold your hand bag or purse on the side that's not facing the road. And ALWAYS be aware of any suspicious characters lingering around you. Don't just walk mindlessly. (I've seen a woman get her handbag snatched right in front of me coz she was just simply walking and swinging her expensive handbag)

11. LOCK your car AS SOON AS you get in. I know it's the same emphasis as #3 but it can really save your life to be paranoid here. It can take someone a split second to just open the door and enter after you got in, especially if they have been stalking you unnoticed. It will be too late once they get in. That is how a lot of kidnapping or robbery cases via car-jacking happens.

12. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS! If you feel that corridor feels unsafe, someone suspicious is lurking nearby or might be following you, or something bad is about to happen, trust your instincts and take action. Quickly run, go into a public place, locate the nearest security/police area or turn back. Don't risk it because of your ego. It's not worth it.

13. If you are driving and notice that you're being followed or if someone is attempting to stop you, NEVER stop on the road. Always KEEP MOVING so that the predator cannot get to you. Drive to the nearest police station or somewhere public where you can get help.

Be safe =)

Step Up 3D

As explosive as the trailer was, Step Up 3D was the absolute BOMB! Definitely one of the best movies I've seen this year, trumping both of its pre-quels.

Plot was kinda weak and downright predictable with almost zero character development. In fact, the beginning felt kinda rushed into the main plot. I think it took about 15 mins before the movie descended into the main plot. Acting was nothing to shout about, pretty mediocre.

However, Step Up 3D definitely made up for it with really SICK and MIND-BLOWING dance choreography, excellent cinematograhy and some awesome characters. Even from the start of the movie, we have a brief taste of how awesome is was gonna be. Loved the funny twins, loved the dancing kids, loved the freakin' robot man! *spoiler alert*

One of the soundtracks from the movie during the tango scene. Bust Your Windows by Jazmine Sullivan.

Best soundtrack from the movie (IMHO), Club Can't Handle Me by Flo Rida featuring David Guetta. I'm so FUCKING ADDICTED to this song right now.

This movie was definitely worth the wait. Don't expect much from the story acting. Just sit back and be WOW-ed in your seat by the out-of-this-world dance moves and great soundtracks.

Please Drive Safely...

Oh dear God, watching this makes me re-live the nightmare that could've been. One of those drivers could've been me. I was shaking and tearing up as I watched this.

It's just horrific how your life can take a really UGLY twist at any time. The pinned lovers at 2:38 really tears me apart.

Shit can happen on the road at ANY time, even if you weren't driving. But please, always drive safely.

Officially 6 Months

I can't believe it's been 6 months since zai2 got hooked by my hunny XD

So, I think I'll make a post to see what I already know about the little devil!~

1. Zai2 loves anything with lots of cream, mayo and/or cheese. You can see his orgasm face when he's eating it. Don't you just hate people who can't get fat?

2. Zai2 can't stand CHOCOLATE. Not out of allergy, just out of hate for the stuff *blasphemous gasp*. Apparently he doesn't like the gooey, sticky texture of chocolate in his mouth.

3. Zai2 is extremely, and I mean EXTREMELY picky about food. He doesn't eat almost any seafood, nuts, durian or anything normal that he feels weird about. Also, he doesn't eat anything in bones or shells unless it's already been removed for him.

4. Zai2 doesn't think that good food is worth it. He thinks that everything ends up as poop so spending money on good food or being a foodie is a waste *fainting gasp*

Pooh: Ok, #2 to #4 alone should be enough for me to 'divorce' him coz it's simply blasphemous in my books, but I didn't. Ah, the things I do for love =D

5. Zai2 likes surprises, something which I'm not very good at ><

6. Zai2 is very auntie, always complaining about the cost of everything. Good thing is that he's very, VERY conscious about anything that he spends, or whatever that I spend on him. =P

7. Zai2 loves strawberries, but he doesn't like the fresh stuff. Instead, he wants the artificially-flavoured ones from soft drink or strawberry ice-cream. So weird kan? ><

8. Zai2 doesn't need me to spend a lot of him, he just wants my company. Awww~

9. Zai2 has special 'sight' or 'senses'. No, he can't tell what color your undies are, or if you're wearing any (unless he goes and molests you). But he can tell if there is 'someone' standing beside you...

10. Zai2 is paranoid about his family finding out about him. So, don't simply tag him in FACEBOOK!

11. Zai2 doesn't like coffee. Apparently the caffeine gives him headaches.

12. Zai2 can be very curious, enough to kill 2 cats.

13. Zai2 had a wet dream about me, twice XD

14. Zai2 loves Baskin Robbins ice-cream. He thinks Haagen Daaz is for old people. ><

15. Zai2 is very talkative. He can go on chattering like a train.

16. Zai2 only weighs 48 kilos. I can literally carry him around on my back like a backpack.

17. Zai2 cannot sleep still one, even when cuddling. Susah betul wanna tidur with him sometimes =P

18. Zai2 is extremely playful and mischievous. Don't be fooled by his innocent, shy demeanor when you first meet him. Once he's familiar with you, habislah you.

19. Zai2 likes to go commando. Now, I also get infected by this habit.

20. Zai2 loves jellybeans.

21. Zai2 loves me like there's no tomorrow =)



Hmmm...wonder if I missed anything? =P

Fabulous Week

A couple of weekends ago, I had the priviledge of playing host to a fellow CYT (cute young thing) aka chiku blogger from KL, along with zai2 and Tonnchita aka Dennis. Our dear Cookiedonut aka Jason is having a four month vacation *deeply envious* and one of his travel destinations involve the land of abundant delish and affordable food, PENANG! He was supposed to be on a trip with his college mates, but decided to arrive in Penang alone for the weekend before they arrived this evening. Dennis and I had actually met him in KL early this month when we were in Cheras for our leadership seminar, so Jason booked us for this weekend to have fun and food beforehand ^^.

Dennis picked him up from the airport early Saturday afternoon and checked him into Tune hotels smack in the middle of town. Seriously, if you're planning on dropping by Penang on a budget and limited transport or knowledge on how to move around while hungering for Penang food, stay in Tune hotel! You can get A LOT of Penang's best foods within walking distance at any time.

Without delay, Dennis brought Jason to Him Heang (on my recommendation coz he should not miss it) for their oh-so-famous Tau Sar Pneah, or Dao Sar Peng as Jason called it. This was followed by a nom-noming session at New World Park. Char Koay Teow (CKT), fried oyster, ais kacang, curry mee and I forgot what else they had, but they basically stuffed their faces XD. I could only meet up with them at night as I had a private function to attend that afternoon. For a slightly late dinner, I took them to have something 'light' at Esplanade. The food court in Esplanade houses one of the most HEAVENLY fruit rojaks in Penang (one of my ultimate fave rojak haunt is here), and so I ordered a heaping large plate worth RM12. We also have a famous Pasembur stall here so we ordered a pretty big plate too. We had two sausages, two eggs, one large fried prawn fritter, one fried beancurd (I think we call it that ><) and a potato as the main ingredients. All this is topped with lots of shredded turnip and cucumber, poured over with a divine sauce and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts. Both were so delish!~

After dinner, it was time to strip Jason of his BBC (Boom Boom Chambre) virginity. We got there early at about 11pm coz we wanted to secure a place to sit. 30 minutes later, the place was almost fully packed. I also noticed a new club opened right opposite BBC. It is the same mansion building occupied by the late MOMO club, and after being empty for almost a year, a new club called VOODOO has opened. A friend of mine took a few of us in for free to have a look. We even got ourselves stamped so we are recognized as paid patrons =P. VOODOO looks SUPER FABULOUS. Ok, jotting that place down for clubbing next.

Back to BBC, we had a blast there. I haven't been there in about 4 months (or more). The 'hostess' for the evening was Jada, and Brendan was right, she's absolutely hilarious! Laughed our asses off every time she spoke on stage. Freda was the usual 'hostess' and Jada only came to perform occasionally, so we were luckily that night. The dance shows as usual were great and well-choreographed with really jaw-dropping costumes. Loved the dance with the feather fans, so fabulous! For BBC virgins out there, BBC usually has stage shows every Wednesday and Saturday. On Saturday, there would be two shows, both featuring performances by the dance group and 'hostess', at 12am and 1.30am. The music at BBC improved a little from the last time I was there, which felt like a MJ or 80s nite at the time, seriously disappointing for clubbing music. And the DJ was still the same middle-aged fella who would gyrate of music only HE enjoyed, while the rest of the crowd stood still.

Last Saturday wasn't too bad, music was good enough that we could dance and enjoy it, although some of the Lady Gaga remixes were in bad taste. As the night progressed, the music spiraled back to disappointment. I think that's why the crowd usually leaves after the last show. Zai2 and I didn't drink, but Dennis and Jason did. And Jason drinks pretty fast too. Hehe, drunk CYTs can be fun to play with, especially during clubbing. Somemore, my little devil is around, so...habislah Jason, lost like 50% of his 'kesucian' XD. After all that dancing, shaking,
molestingand good laughs, we called it a night at around 2am since I had an Indian wedding to attend on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Dennis again played host during the day. I was too pooped coz I slept at 4am+ and woke up early in the morning for the wedding. Zai2 and I picked them up for dinner and we headed for New Lane hawker food. We had sotong kangkung (heavenly sauce!), chee cheong fun with thick prawn paste, belacan chicken and beancurd, wet popiah, wantan mee and fried prawns(in place of oysters). Mmm...food was really good =P. After that, I suggested we went for lok-lok at Pulau Tikus, which elicited a high-pitch screech of excitement from Jason. That boy really loves lok-lok, or anything in a form of a stick, dunno which XD.

Lok-Lok at Pulau Tikus was average for me, didn't eat much of it. They were out of cockles (si hum!), which was Jason's fave. However, they did have skewered mantis prawn, first time seeing it at a lok-lok place. After that, I wanted to surprise Jason with a really luscious dessert place along Gurney Drive called Crepe Cottage. Turns out Dennis has already brought him there (potong stim), but we still headed there anyway. This is a place NOT to be missed when you're here. It's kinda difficult to detect although it's just by the side of the road since it doesn't stand out.

Crepe Cottage is a very affordable, quaint little gem of a place that serves both savoury and sweet crepes and desserts. It's run by a widow and her family (I think). Since we were rather stuffed, we only ordered two things. The expresso crepe came with a large thin slice of dark coffee-infused crepe, a side of large scoop of fresh almond-vanilla ice-cream and dollops of fresh cream and had a drizzle of caramel sauce throughout the dish. We didn't manage to take a pic coz it landed into our tummies pretty fast.

The HIGHLIGHT was the Mango Cup that came after. All four of us were astounded when it arrived. If the room was dark, we could've lit it up with the light from our eyes. Mango cup came with a thin, crispy crepe shaped like a bowl filled with generous slices of sweet mango, topped with two LARGE scoops of heavenly mango ice-cream and a couple dollops of fresh cream. And there was more cream on the side. A really BIG portion for only RM11, really worth it! Mmm...and it tasted as divine as it looks *DROOL*. Again, thanks a lot to Brendan for recommending this. With dessert, we also brought the house down with our intense laughter, especially Dennis. Laugh until wanna kena sawan babi liddat! Thanks to me of course XD

We went there again last night for Jason's last supper in Penang (his third visit there in a week XD). This time Shawn tagged along. Ordered a few of their savoury items and they did NOT disappoint. Crepe Cottage is very generous with their servings, despite the low price. Jason had the seafood pasta that was loaded with large slices of fish and prawns. Zai2 had the Chicken Cheese Pocket (I think that's what it's called) that was filled with lots of cheese and minced, herb-ed chicken topped with generous lemon cream sauce. One bite and you were in heaven, unless of course if you're lactose intolerant =P. I had the Cheese-crumbled Chicken. A butterflied, deep-fried chicken breast breaded with cheesy bread crumbs topped with a citrus sauce and came with a side of stir-fried vegetables and a crepe. After we finished our dinner, rain began to drizzle but we decided to continue sitting outside and held two umbrellas to shield ourselves, much to the amusement of the staff. We immediately moved inside when we saw a few people leaving and found a table enough for four and got ready to order dessert. Just as we're settling down at the table, THIS came to our table.

And it was on the house! Apparently the lady owner came and told us it was free for us since we stayed outside despite the rain and didn't leave. What a lovely gesture! Of course, we HAD to order the Mango Cup again. Seriously, love Crepe Cottage to bits. Awesome food, very affordable prices (the most expensive item on the menu is only RM20) and really generous with the ingredients. On top of that, NO service charge!

After having all the yummies in our tummies, camwhoring ensued.

Jason boarded a plane back to KL on Friday morning. We'll miss
molestingextending our Penang hospitality to you back here. Also, go back to gym to burn off everything you ate XD

PS: William Ng aka Suneo, bila datang Penang? BBC and food waiting for you!~

Self Defense and Safety Tips - Part 1

You can NEVER be too cautious these days. Crime can and WILL happen at any moment, especially when you least expect it. That is why I'm compelled to share these self-defense tips that I've received over the years. Today's post is going to be about assault and robbery:

1. Your elbow and knees are the strongest points on your body (why do you think Muay Thai fighters use them so much). If you are close enough to use it, don't hesitate!

2. For anyone who can't throw a proper punch, use the base of your palm (the point where your wrist connects to your palm). It is one of the hardest parts of your hand. This tip is especially good for women.

3. If the assailant is in front of you and you have a chance to hit him, hit that bastard where it's gonna hurt...BAD. He's not going to play fair, so why should you? Aim for the groin, throat, ribcage, eyes and nose. Here's what you can do:

a) Knee him in the groin as hard as you can.

b) Elbow him repeatedly into his ribcage or his face.

c) Claw at his eyes (this is good for ladies, especially if you have long nails). Don't hesitate to poke his eyes out.

d) Use the base of your palm and hit him repeatedly at the nose. It's gonna be really painful, especially if you manage to break it.

e) If you're able to land a punch, punch his throat. Aim for his Adam's apple.

4. If you're being held from behind, I've read a few tips on how to free yourself:

a) If there is a wall behind you, shove yourself backwards as hard as you can and hit the assailant against the wall. This will momentarily knock the wind out of him.

b) If you're able to move your arms, try to get a hold on one of his fingers and twist it backwards really hard (it's really painful, try it if you don't believe me). Don't worry about breaking it. In fact, it's better if you do.

c) If you can't move your arms, stomp on his FEET really hard. This may not seem obvious at first but it can really hurt and may temporarily loosen his grip.

5. As cliche as it might seem, you can always bite whatever body part that is close to your face. And bite HARD.

6. For ladies, keeping longer nails finally might have some merit. If you can't get near his eyes, dig your nails into the assailant's exposed flesh and draw blood.

7. If he has a knife and you're not cornered, turn around and RUN! If he has a knife pointed behind you but doesn't have a hold on you, just BOLT as fast as you can. Preferably run into a PUBLIC AREA.

8. If he has a knife and you're cornered, SCREAM as loud as you can. Usually petty robbers are afraid of drawing attention and will flee.

9. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zig -zag pattern. (from a police officer)

I'm by no means a self-defense expert. I received these tips are from various sources (usually from emails) which come mostly from self-defense experts and law enforcers to advise people on how to defend themselves.

If you're being robbed, it would be better to give up the money than risk anything else. If the predator's intention is kidnapping, rape or physical harm, that's when you have to start to defend yourself. These predators usually prey on those they think are weaker than themselves. If you've fallen victim, DON'T BE AN EASY VICTIM. Give them hell! Especially if your life is at stake. Chances are they will leave you alone if you can put up a good fight. Whatever happens, don't be afraid to make A LOT of noise to announce that you're in trouble.

Be safe =)

Can't Get This Outta My Head

Ever since I heard this song on the radio, it's always been playing at the back of my mind and I HAD to look for it.

LOVE the lyrics, LOVE the catchy melody, LOVE the MTV and trying SO HARD not to dance to it!~

Addicted To Aarti!

Aarti Sequeira is an Indian food blogger living with her husband Brendan in LA. She is the winner of the latest Season 6 of The Next Food Network Star. The winner will join the ranks of the biggest Food Network stars such as Giada De Laurentiis, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Alton John etc, and own their own show on the Food Network.

Aarti's culinary point of view is to infuse Indian flavours into American cuisine. Here are a few videos from her own channel on Youtube.

Gosh, isn't she just so pretty and adorable? I can't help but love her bubbly and cheerful personality. And her clips are absolutely cute, hilarious and informative. You can view the rest of her clips in her Youtube channel called aartipaarti. I just can't stop watching her videos.

Here's one of my fave episodes of Aaarti on the Next Food Network Star. She competed in an Iron Chef challenge where she needs to prepare 3 dishes within 1 hour and all her dishes must be inspired by the secret ingredient which is shrimp. Her dishes were then judged by the Iron Chefs themselves, namely Bobby Flay, Michael Symon, Cat Cora and Morimoto. She received the best, most astounding reviews among the final 4.

You can watch all the Season 6 episodes in Youtube channel somebody7100. Seriously, I couldn't stop watching after I started. Pretty awesome show =)

I'm really looking forward to her upcoming show called Aarti Party in the Food Network channel. Congrats Aarti, you really deserve it! =)

All Grown Up

In less than 3 months, I would be leaving my 20s and becoming a full-fledged adult. The kid in me will need to share the space. Although I believe that I should always strive to look as good and never let myself go, I also believe that one should age gracefully. Aging is a part of life, it is inevitable. How you choose to do it is entirely your choice. With age comes experience, wisdom and maturity.

I may be a little dramatic and bitch about turning 30 sometimes, but the truth is, I like being where I am now. After all these years, I'm proud to say that I've changed a lot for the better. I'm so different now from the person I used to be back then. I have much better self-esteem. I noticed how much I've matured mentally and emotionally. In our youth, we usually let our emotions get ahead of us, leaving behind our thoughts of logic and reason, since we're basically ruled mostly by hormones and emotions.

I'm glad to say that I've left most of that behind, and I don't miss it. The maturity and increased stability now are priceless to me. My thoughts and emotions are a lot more sound and in sync. I'm a lot less impulsive. My actions are guided more by my thoughts rather than emotions. I'm not saying that life doesn't have its ups and down. I do feel a little moody, melancholy and slightly depressed sometimes, but I deal with it much better and get over it a lot faster now. Some things are just not worth being depressed about =)

I tend to see the bigger picture these days. I'm constantly thinking about the future. Sometimes I really need to pull myself back to enjoy the present. My views on a lot of things in life have changed. I tend to focus on stuff that really matters. My sense of judgement have improved tremendously. I always believe that continuous self development and improvement is crucial. The more you learn, grow and improve, the better you will perceive and feel about yourself. And a better person you will be ultimately. I've done a lot of learning, growing and improving these few years, and I'm happy to say that I'm more well-rounded and confident person.

Sometimes I wonder how did I get here. I just wished I knew what I know now back then. I guess the adult in me has really sprung into action. I just hope he doesn't put the child in me into detention =)

I Love Bulan Puasa

Yes, I love the fasting month for several reasons.

Ramadhan is the time when you can get the best Malay food out there. And Ramadhan bazaars are indeed the place to be. All the grilled meats, a wide selection of delectable Malay dishes and desserts, and even fusion foods can be found. Usually I'm so spoilt for choice, I don't even know what to get unless I scout the entire bazaar before I can decide. It's like a huge buffet spread that is cheap.

Another reason I love it because the roads are usually clear, especially during weekend afternoons. However, traffic does tend to pick up when evening looms, when our Muslim friends scout for buka puasa food. Heck, I love buka puasa foods too, but I don't puasa lah ><. Even the shopping malls are a lot less congested on weekends, except at night.

I really miss going sahur with my Muslim housemates. I can still remember when I'd be head-shoting people in Counterstrike in a cyber cafe till the wee hours in the morning. Then, going for sahur with my Malay friends to adjacent Malay food shops that would usually open until 5-6 am to cater to the crowd. Ah, great times. Miss them a lot T.T

Lost The Buzz

Sometimes, I just feel empty. As if something is missing in my life. As if something is wrong. Sometimes I don't quite understand, or don't even bother to. Other times, I question myself on why I'm feeling this way. Although it might be a few reasons, but I think one of 'em is because I felt that my social life has taken a dump for a while. The usual group have been scattered or disconnected. Friends have moved off to other places. Friends having problem with other friends and then disconnect themselves from the group.

I miss the fun times a few years ago, when the usual group of friends were still around. When Momo was still around and we'd go clubbing at least twice every month. When we would religiously come out for drinks every weekend. When we would plan events and just enjoy ourselves. I miss going out and meeting new people. Not that I still don't, but that has toned down CONSIDERABLY. I just miss all those fun times with the group.

I'm beginning to envy those who STILL have a social life. I feel as if mine is left for dead. I know it sounds a little whiny, but it's true. I used to be keen on organizing outings, now I prefer others do it. Is my life really that boring now? Have I lost my buzz? What happened to me? I've lost the enthusiasm. I've lost the drive. I know I'm a lot more tired lately. I didn't used to be like this. Is life taking a toll on me? I suspect so, but it's not an excuse for letting my social wither away.

I need my buzz back =/