two food pics to mark close of business hours.

steamed drunken prawns, cooked this for hubby as his "last meal" before he left. ;)

linguine vongole with white wine, fresh italian parsley and pizza quattro stagioni (tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, turkey ham, black olives, spicy beef salami) topped with rocket leavesn from sassorosso. dinner with mandy, just because. one word, in caps no less: HEAVENLY.


diet? what diet?

I wish I was asleep now. But this post isn't going to write itself. Heh. Sifting through the many train of thoughts to see if there are any worthy entries.

... guess not, so let's see what we can have.

Today's been good, EXCEPT for the part when I found out that Switchfoot is coming to KL after all. My only consolation is thay I'll be away that day for a holiday ;) but I feel bad for my friends who've gotten their tix. Need to find a way to milk the trip down south for every cent it's worth. Sigh.

Oh, this is exciting: I bought a tix to watch the musical The Sound of Music! I can't fully be excited tho' cos I spent a fortune on the tix. My conscience is gnawing at my heart.

Can you believe this, I've got two of the most wonderful things I love in two paras and I'm sighing? I'm just thankful for the side income I'm getting from giving tuition (and an invigilation stint this Saturday) -- but there goes the plan to save up. Next paycheck, I promise. Heh.

Mm what else? Why ain't I sleeping yet. Missing the husby, but three weeks should be bearable. :) I'm fairly independent, so please don't frown. I'm just excited for him.

Planning to go on a fast in view of Lent but it's been so long since the last time I did it that I don't know where my willpower has gone hiding. Come out, come out wherever you are. I'd reallt like to spend more time praying. Will soon be drown in worries and heartbreak otherwise.

A random last note (not so random, the last thing i saw on TV before switching it off was his Baby MV): I don't get (Justin) Bieber's detractors. I'm not a fan of his and that's that. Life goes on, right? But many (adults, no less) see it fit to call him hurtful names and deride his work, just because he's not their idea of who/what he's supposed to be. (I'm beginning to sound like I'm gonna do a leave-britney-alone eh? haha) It's just that I find such behaviour malicious and downright inexcusable. Plus he's a kid -- what kind of adults are we?

Good night, earthlings.

#5
Most of you would be able to relate this this: Reading! :)

I used to have a policy whereby I'd finish every book I'd started, but I've long since discarded it since I started reading more than just Jeffrey Archer and Sydney Sheldon.

My preferred genres are mystery/whodunits, investigative journalism, comics and humor, short stories, selected memoirs, and practical Christian living. I veer towards award-winning books too (cos I'm lazy to discover new authors) but that can be a hit-or-miss. Speaking of misses, i don't like self-help, horror, poems and poetic languages, deep thought-provoking stuff, travel and history. But i never say never!

Books were a luxury when I was young so buying books now that i could better afford them makes me like reeeally excited to the point of tummy wrenching joy. Srsly. And while some owners are particular about book care, i think dog ears and scribbled notes add character, but only if I was the one who made them so don't get any ideas. :)

These days I read much less than I'd like :( I am making myself read at least a dozen books a year (a figure which make most bibliophiles shake their heads in dismay) for fear that I'd be barred from listing reading as a hobby.



Friendship takes place when one person says to another, What? You too? I though I was the only one. - C. S. Lewis

sometimes we satisfy ourselves with blurry reflections, crooked lines and distorted images. they can be pretty, sure, but nothing beats the real thing. so, chin up!

lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: who created all these? he who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

isaiah 40:26

it happens to the best of you..

hang on in there, chongy!!! you are not alone!!! there are a bunch of you somewhere out there in the same shoes!!! and yeah, i'm (t)here too.. sometimes!!! :D *HUGS*

A morning drizzle is one of the worst thing that could greet the start of the day when you are not curled up in bed but instead are queueing with half of KL rat racers on the road on the way to work.

But i'm thankful for a job to go to, a hubby who would endure the jam and my nonsensical whine, a car to shield me from the rain, interesting interviews on BFM, a flexi boss who doesn't mind that i go in late, the erratic SMART tunnel... yeah, all that. :)

#4
earrings!!!

you (almost) can't get it wrong if you "need" to buy me a gift. *hint, hint*

studs, loops, chandeliers, shells, cloths, metals, stones... i wear them all. plus with my penchant for basic colour (read: black :) clothes, i have to rely on earrings to brighten up my countenance.

mm time for a new pair.



friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'what! you too? I thought I was the only one.' - c.s. lewis

You saw the world from a view that we'd call limited or even unfortunate, but you were no less precious. And who's to say we know better. Be free.

This is the gorgeous view from my hotel room of a tiny lagoon with the South China Sea beyond it. Usually, I'd find some time to walk this beach at sunset coz it's just one of the most amazing sights ever. And at night, I'd just sit at the balcony and listen to the waves or bring my laptop out and catch some movies. I'd stay til I couldn't stand the humid night.

But this time, this time I hardly the time to even peek out my windows. Was so occupied with work work and more work from even on the flight there til way past midnight til the minute we were to rush for the airport for the flight home. Phewww!

Snapped this in the morning just before I left the room. It was a beautiful day :)

I just came back from a very short business trip to Miri, where my company is based. It's been a while since I was there. My absolute least favorite thing about any trip is the UNPACKING once I got home. URGH. *looks forlornly at my luggage*

fridays are always emotional. i don't know why. i mean, i have my theories, but they are kinda half-baked.. pleading ignorance is the way to go.

remember my i-don't-like-emotions spiel? wah, the days following that posts just vacuum the life out of me. but i've learned that counting my blessings is something that i need to consciously do, to negate the negativity. i appreciate the privilege of friendships. i cannot imagine having gone through life without such lifeline. thank you. for those which i've cut off by my immaturity and ignorance, i'm sorry. mm the day i hit menopause, i'm registering myself into a hermitage. i'll call once the hormones stabilize.

****

someone sent me the MP3 of this song last Friday. i rber i wasn't in a superb mood at that point. i was annoyed at something unimportant. the news of the earthquake in japan just broke. i had a speech to write. and stuff.

this song.. i first heard it here. loved it to bits but i didn't know how to save it (and didn't think of googling for it), so i went the low-tech route: saved the page in my bookmark and visit it to listen to the song. so yeah, getting it in mp3 form was quite a big deal (i think i'm way past the i'm-a-computer-science-graduate-and-i-can't-figure-this-out-i'm-so-embarrassed phase) so thank you. this song.. i think i teared. sigh. just a little. ;)

in Christ alone, my hope is found


He is my light, my strength, my song


this cornerstone, this solid ground


firm through the fiercest drought and storm


what heights of love, what depths of peace


when fears are stilled, when strivings cease


my comforter, my all-in-all


here in the love of Christ I stand

there in the ground His body lay


light of the world by darkness slain


then bursting forth in glorious day


up from the grave He rose again!

and as He stands in victory


sin’s curse has lost its grip on me

for I am His and He is mine


bought with the precious blood of Christ

no guilt in life, no fear in death

this is the power of Christ in me


from life’s first cry to final breath


Jesus commands my destiny


no power of hell, no scheme of man

can ever pluck me from His hand

till He returns or calls me home


here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

owl city :: in Christ alone

#3
profanity makes me squirm. and even if i don't flinch, i'd be momentarily stunned, each time. it's like the word is shaking my shoulders and saying, "look at meeee!"

but much as i don't like it (and it's not for me to condone or prohibit), i don't see the point of masking it. i'll still hear them in my head no matter what. if you say 'eff it' i hear the full word. i see and hear every word when the TV tries to "bleep" them out; and when they change the song to be more radio friendly (e.g. cee lo's forget you),  i'll mentally reinstall the original word; i read them in full even if certain consonants are replaced with asterisks (sh*t or f**k) or if abbreviation is applied (wtf). i HEAR them. don't you? mm guess i don't see the point la.

anyways so yeah please excuse me if i lost my train of thoughts and the rest of your sentence when the bombs are dropped. i wouldn't call myself a prude (would you? haha..), it's just who i am. :)

oh btw, some food for thought.



friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'what! you too? I thought I was the only one.' - c.s. lewis

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken.

If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal.

Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.

But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

:: C. S. Lewis

for some reason, my sidebar info are now at the footer of this blog. i've no idea how to fix it. this is annoying. grrr.. >:(

update @ 16-mar-11 -- it's back! on the side, where it belongs. welcome home, side bar! ;)

#2
while i've no OCD, i like to just "pop by" the washroom to wash my hands. it helps that my cubicle is a paper-toss away from the sink. :)

i like liquid soap with a good lather (the one in my office doesn't smell great tho'), i like thick paper wipes that don't disintegrate easily in contact with water (yeah i kill tree more often that i'd like), i like the clean feel, and i like slathering on lotion to my hands after a good wash. do you? :)

mm but hor.. i only do this in the office, not at home. :D
(on second thought, i think i do. hmm)



friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'what! you too? I thought I was the only one.' - c.s. lewis

Yummy & love in tummy

Had my parents over this evening. Cooked a simple meal [chicken stew, pucuk ubi & egg, baby bayam soup & my very awesome siew yoke (roasted pork) which was totally delish (i've passed the recipe to dad to try out :)] The purple colour rice is of the 10-grain variant.

Parents brought their worker who helped me with the wash up for which I'm super grateful cos my kitchen is always a disaster zone after I cook :) I gave her a small token of appreciation for having to deal with the aftermath.

It's been a nice Sunday evening.. *heart* Am thankful. I only wish I'm more adventurous in my cooking.. :)

Friendship..

.. happens when one person says to another, "what! you too? i thought i was the only one."

-c.s. lewis

you know that "100 things about me" meme that has been around forever? Imma attempt that, so that in revealing random bits abt myself, we wld find ourselves having more in common than previously thought. :) otherwise, treat this as a 'celebrate our differences' post :)

I should only hope you wldn't think that i'm weirder than you thought hehe.. this list is filtered of course. ;)

I'm dedicating one post for each bit of info, so here goes number 1.

#1
I like colours on my plate. that is, i like to have food of different colours.. which is why my fav combo of chap fun dishes is 1 meat (usu reddish/brownish), 1 leafy vege (the greener the better) and 1 eggplant.. of course, a lil white fr the rice and orange from the (not carrot!) plastic plate haha..

I'm not that fussy (what's that violent cough you are having?) -- i'll still eat whatever's tapaoed for me or whatever i cooked :) but if i'd a choice, it'd be this.

iPhone 4 = 3G smartphone

FaceTime = iPhone 4's video call function
FaceTime = doesn't run on 3G, ONLY over wifi, and ONLY iPhone to iPhone
FaceTime = Apple proudly claims that it's "phonecalls like you have never seen before"

mm.

well, obviously they haven't seen my OLD Sony Ericsson which has a similar function (which worked perfectly over 3G, cos wifi-only is what i'd call presumptuous).

urgh.

random moments of annoyance. i have loads of them. why why why.


[via]

bee tee double u, i've gone private on twitter. happened to google myself recently and my tweets are all over the place. for my career's sake, i shall hide the fact that i spew lots of passive-aggressive one-liners from my future employers. get an account and follow me if you like to read angry and vague statements out of context. :)

sometimes i will just open my blogger site and stare at the empty text box, wondering if i stared long enough the words would start typing itself.




...

ok, so they don't. this form of catharsis doesn't come easy, having to actually work at getting it out and over with. even on a sunday evening.


goodbyes are swirling in the air around me. some permanent, others temporary, some necessary, other should not have to be said, some uttered through my lips, others reached my ears. hey i didn't order that! you'd think that by my now 32nd trip around the sun (have i use this phrase before, perhaps a couple of trips ago), i would know how to better manage the mess that's me. what can i say, i'm a late bloomer. what am i doing here? 

i wish the clouds weren't so gloomy today -- i'd loved to have gone for a dip in the pool. oh, i also wish that some people would just grow up.

a mother in mourning. a friend in sorrow.

he's always told me that he never fit in anywhere. in school, his friends were mainly chinese speaking guys so he could never really understand them; in varsity he just drifted quietly from one lecture hall to another; and his first job - how he hated it! but when he came to this job, he actually found a lunch group. a LUNCH GROUP! and he always talked about you, M. the connection he had with you.

...

just the other day he spoke about you again. he said, mom, you know my friend M, he's so savvy. he actually reads company reports in his free time! i wonder what he thinks of me. i have no idea what i want to do with my life, i'm just drifting along..

a loss resonating deeply within me.

every lament is a love song

yesterday, yesterday

I still can't believe you're gone

so long my friend, so long

switchfoot :: yesterdays

your cut was nowhere kind
with a bang you showed up uninvited
not just with the searing heat
your callous way brought much pain
oh the pain! of losing and of losses
and as you said goodbye, my dear, til we meet again
you nonchalantly took what we were not willing to give
but i found hope in what you were not
in what you did not care about
we will bury you.

I'm hanging on here until I'm gone
I'm right where I belong, just hanging on
even though I watched you come and go
how was I to know you'd steal the show

one day I'll have enough to gamble
I'll wait to hear your final call
and bet it all

I'm hanging on here until I'm gone
I'm right where I belong, just hanging on
even though passed this time alone
somewhere so unknown, it heals the soul

you'll ask for walls I'll build them higher
we'll lie in shadows of them all
I'd stand but they're much too tall
and I fall

february stars! floating in the dark!
temporary scars! february stars!

foo fighters :: february stars