Monday, September 29, 2014

awesome weekend is awesome.

Dear Diary

I had a superduperagilisticexpilidixious weekend and I am still smiling thinking about it!

It all started last Friday evening after work. I got home early, before the sunset. Saw my neighbor washing her porch and she remarked, "Awal balik hari ini?" And I was like, "Ya, ya :)" That evening, I had roast chicken from Isetan for dinner and also tackled my mountain of unfolded laundry while watching the remaining 12 episodes of the the 25-episode anime I've been watching, called Steins;Gate (stream here). It's basically about time travel which is one of the toughest topic to tackle in a show or writing, and very few get it right. I am superbly nit-picky about how the concept is applied -- I'd buy any theory put forth by a writer, but it's crucial that it remains consistent throughout -- and hence I'm usually not interested in picking up anything related to TT because most writers fumble through it, or they'd start off right and then conveniently bend the rules they have established to suit the plot, which annoys me because I am simple-minded and easily confused. But this one, it stuck to its rules and while I did get lost here and there, I wouldn't stray too far and was able to get back on track because they are consistent. Actually, I only watched this because many reviews actually highlighted this point, and it paid off. I am glad! ^_^


Although I have not watched that many anime to-date, but if what everyone says is true, this is truly one of the best there is. While it started off slow, when it hits its stride about 10 episodes in, I was kinda blown away.. Looking back, I think the slow build-up was necessary to establish the characters because these were revisited later on. I love the style of the animation, the characters (some minor gripes though), the story line, the colours, the direction.. I felt everything was perfectly held together.

The only problem I had after this is deciding what to watch next. The thing is, this anime is highly rated (so thanks, Quora, for the recommendation) so my expectations are kinda raised. I have bookmarked a few other potentials though, so I might just randomly select one of them. In the meantime, there's always have the long-running Gintama that's good for a few chuckles. Actually, there's this anime called Cowboy Bebop that has appeared on almost all top lists I've came across so far, but I hesitate because the title is like so bleh and the protagonist's hairstyle (yes I just said that) is like so messy. Anyways.

In between watching I texted the husband who is in the most populous nation on earth to see how he was doing. He was going back to the City after a week out in the woods. Okay, not woods, but somewhere remote. He brought some people along for this trip so he had more time to relax. I fell asleep two episodes before I finished the series, but I still had the whole weekend before me.

So, that was Friday evening and it was good and I went to bed wearing the hugest smile.

On Saturday, I woke up early to clean the house. I finished up putting away the laundry I folded the night before and then I swept and mopped the floor before rushing out for my hair appointment with Alex in BU. I was running late because I was moving like a snail but decided to drop by a bakery and get them some cakes from RT in Taman Desa. Traffic was slow heading towards PJ, but the weather was good like my mood. Got there about 10 minutes late but he was okay with it. According to him, I haven't had a hair cut in four months since M's wedding so my hair was kinda long and unruly. Told him to chop off a third of it so right now, it is short and unruly, like I have a bunch of seaweed on my head. I can only hope that it would be okay when it grows out a bit. It's a losing battle that I fight with my crowning glory so for now, I'm just resigned to the fact that this is as good as it gets.

Anyway, after I was done, I went to pick D up from his place and spent the rest of the day with him. We had Nando's for the n-th time because it's his most favorite food ever and he is the most unadventurous eater I know, but I would not tease him anymore after J kindly pointed out that my obsession with fish head is essentially the same thing. Touche. We had a whole bird and were practically stuffed after the meal. And for some reason, he was being particularly obnoxious that day and at one point I was pretty exasperated. Maybe it's a boy thing to be playfully annoying. Still, I thoroughly enjoy his company and look forward to meeting him again. I don't remember what we talked about. I only remember that there were a lot of repetitious nonsense and fluff and me facepalming constantly. Maybe I'd hope that we could talk about more substantial stuff like quantum physics or the Cultural Revolution or comparative theology and yes I'm being facetious. We walked KLCC Park after our late lunch to help with digestion and deeply regretted our decision to go on the swings. The sun was hiding so the weather was nice so we sat on a bench and continued our frivolous banter. It started to drizzle at one point and we coolly walked back into the mall and had gelato. We could have two flavors in a cone so I had cappuccino and lime (weird combo, I don't know why I chose those sigh -- I generally don't perform well under pressure.. but they tasted good separately la, the lime one in particular). In between, he went for prayers and I read my book, and because he has a poor sense of direction he got lost coming back to where I was and I thought that was amusing. Sorry that I had a good chuckle, all my direction-challenged peeps (love you sis). We went shopping for his stuff after that. He got a new pair of work shoes, which according to him, was the first pair of shoes he bought for himself. Achievement unlocked! We were still kinda full from lunch so we had a simple dinner at the food court (I had a drink) and called it a day. We sang in the car otw way back to his place, as we usually do, but mostly it was him singing because he doesn't like my songs -_- (Jv went through my entire CD of 50 songs the other day when I sent him home after dinner, commenting on every single one of them -- too radio friendly, too old, so pretentious, too mellow, so passe, Leehom again?, too Regina Spektor wannabe blah blah). Oi, I tak tanya pun. Srsly, boys. -_- But really, boys! ^_^

So, that was Saturday and it was great and I went to bed (after finishing Steins;Gate) in bliss.

On Sunday morning, I woke up at 6:36AM and got ready just in time for A to pick me up at 7 before we headed to J's and then S's place. It was our forest reserve outing day! Yay! We were all groggy from lack of sleep and the unearthly hours, except for A who was inexplicably perky the whole day, having woken up 5:30AM and being on chauffeur duty the whole day. Maybe we were good company, us three sloths. S made us coffee and J was a happy camper. It didn't do much for me I think. We got to FRIM in Kepong around 8 and chose a spot to park and had brekkie at a resting hut before beginning our grueling... 10-minute hike. Haha! Yeah it was a short hike, before a long descend of about an hour. When we got back on gravel road I decided to run the rest of the way, so that I could sweat more and also because I had a tummy ache hehe. Left the forest reserve at about 11 to Desa ParkCity for Kb, which was a disappointing affair.. save for the brinjal fries and wasabi and garlic sauces which were awesome. The rice burger.. nah. Then we went lying on grass under a tree in the park. The sun was out but the breeze was cooling so we laid there and tried to sleep but couldn't. I loved that lying on the grass bit. Then we went to this other restaurant A, which was a worse outing than Kb. We had terrible pasta and a mushroom pizza that didn't live up to its name and we paid RM25 per pax. I was annoyed. We sat in the restaurant for a couple of hours as we were still lethargic. J browsed through salon.com and was reading from lists like "25 things men do to show that they are interested in you" or "10 things that men look for in the first impression". It was hilarious dissecting these trying-too-hard lists. J then brought up the idea of going for one of those puzzle room places that are quite popular these days and we decided we should just do it. I've always wanted to go and check one out, and although I didn't think we were in the right frame of mind to do it that day, we went ahead and booked ourselves a place at the Es-ca-pe Room in eCurve. Suffice to say, we failed spectacularly. As per the words of the guy who came to get us when our time was up, "You guys are still in this room ah?" Yes we are. Boo hoo. It was fun though, although I don't think it's something I'd excel in. After that, since I was much poorer financially compared to the start of the day, we went to eat at a hawker center where we all had piping hot nasi lemak and grilled chicken wings and lobak and we were completely exhausted but in good spirits. A dropped us home after that. I practically crawled under my blanket and for the first time in a while, slept by 10ish.

So, that was Sunday and it was awesome and I went to bed deliriously happy.

luv, E.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Is it Friday night or Saturday morning? I'd say both. It's been some fairly long couple of weeks being busy with work, which was altogether tiring but good. Work does give us a sense of purpose so I'm not complaining. There were some ups and downs but nothing too major that I'd wanna write about. Racked up some sleep debt and have been trying to pay it off the whole week, except for tonight, because no one does that on a Friday night. Got home from work early today and spent the evening watching this awesome anime on time travel which I hope to write about - just two more episodes to go! Anticipating an awesome weekend ahead, which would be over before I knew it but ah, gonna live in the moment and not think about Monday for now.

Mm random comment, the new Selangor MB has been sworn in. Honestly, I don't like this fella and I don't trust him and srsly, he needs to spend the rest of these few years in office making up for the past three months. I don't know if he'd ever gain my trust, but who am I right? Good night.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014


I hope I won't forget what they mean to me..



「やっとまた会えたね」
懐かしい君の声がする
気付けば僕らは宙に浮かびあがって
時に追いやられ

“We finally meet again”
I hear the familiar sound of your voice
Before I know it, we’re floating in the air
Chasing after time

Galileo Galilei :: Circle Game


Wednesday, September 17, 2014

It's past midnight, and I should be focusing on my work: editing a piece of article on reforestation so that I could go to sleep but me being me......... I spent the last 15 minutes researching and putting together this description of my current craving, one that I developed over the past few days but have yet to satiate:
thin crispy crust base, slightly burnt but soft inside covered with a layer of zesty tomato sauce with hints of basil, oregano and garlic, and topped with mushroom, spicy pepperoni, sizzling Italian sausage & ground beef and a generous amount of rocket leaves, and just oozing with mozarella and parmesan! 

yea, me hankering for a slice of that heaven now. :(

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

there's new band in my world...

In April 2012, I got into Mandopop via Leehom; one and half year later in September 2013, it was hip-hop and Mr Slim Shady himself. Now, twelve months later, ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you my obsession du jour, Japanese indie pop-rock band, Galileo Galilei. Ta-dah!


I first heard them from the Anohana opening song, Blue Bookmark/Aoi Shiori, and when I checked that song out in Youtube, it turned out they also did another song for the anime, called Circle Game. For me, when I chance upon two songs that I take to immediately from a new band or musician, I would check out their other songs (I don't usually do it if I like just one song, so the second song has to somehow come by serendipitously hehe).. and then I clicked on the link to Swan and guess what, I liked it! So with three hits in a row, that was it lah, I have my new favorite band! I was thisclose to buying their album, but alas, it's only available on iTunes Japan. So err, I went the yarrr! polly wants a cracker way. And to uploaders and torrentors of obscure bands' discography -- YOU DA REAL MVP *two thumps on chest + peace sign* ILAPYOUDANKEW.. 

Me reading up on LH and Em
So, the band. Man, these boys are young! The lead singer/songwriter Yuki Ozaki is only 23 this year. There are only three ppl in the band now, including Yuki's brother Kazuki who plays the drums/percussion and bassist Hitoshi Sako -- you could read a bit about how they came to be here from this fan page here. Sadly I don't think they are that popular (judging from their album sale figures), plus this being a Japanese band, so I don't have much scoop on them. But 'sokay.. I'm used to liking lesser known bands and am well acquainted with having a dearth of info/goss on them. Well, it keeps me somewhat sane haha -- I remember when I first got into LH or Em and was presented with opulent buffets of available reading materials on them that made me all wide eyed and ravenous, the way I went digging and consuming details about them was almost a cause for concern! :P

And you know what. Lyrics schmyrics! So much for my insistence that I like songs with meaningful lyrical contents. I don't know what these guys are singing about, but I love the songs! :) I'll get to the words later, but for now, check these out and tell me you love them too:







Saturday, September 13, 2014

I paused and cupped the moment in my hand. I felt its tickling warmth. I scanned the room and took in what I would. The sunlight coming in through the window. The balmy breeze. My books. The smell of the newly changed bed sheet. The clean floor. The thought of you. I am happy. :)

Sunday, September 7, 2014

I'm in that stage of my cold where I'm not incapacitated by what's just a heavy head, running nose, mild cough and itchy throat. It's not bad enough to make me want to start popping pills or chugging cough syrup but it's bad enough that I'm rather irritable and all I want to do is to curl up in bed and watch some new anime I picked up from a Quora thread and doze off. But of course of I have a speech to rewrite and a stack of info to rake through and an email to shoot off, all which I've already put off for one day. But of course I'm procrastinating.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Sometimes I think my life is a continual stream of sadness, a quiet and unremarkable trip downriver that comes with once-in-a-lifetime views on both banks, a journey periodically punctuated by a boulder of happiness or a sheer drop of excitement, followed by meandering bends of curiosities or wild rapids of uncertainties; rinse and repeat and unstoppable until one day when I find myself in the big blue.

Row, row, row you boat
Gently down the stream
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily
Life is but a dream.
This is the most moving piece I've read in a while. Maybe because the subject matter is close to my heart. The very mention of pedophilia would usually send me heaving and panting in rage screaming bloody castration on the perpetrators, so reading this was kinda agonizing, because it humanizes the very group of people I detest with all my soul. Granted, the person in the story hasn't committed any crime, but still.. I felt an incredible sense of sadness and sympathy reading this. I pray for strength and courage for the person, and his fellow "strugglers". I still hate everything to do with this, but I found compassion for them. :(
Okay, I don't know what I did, but now all photos I've uploaded here are gone. All I see is that grey No Entry sign. It must have happened when I  muck up the Settings on Google Photos. Gargh! I don't quite know how to fix this. Bleh, have to trawl forums again. Grr. *annoyed*

***

I love working in the dead of the night. The quietness helps me to focus -- also the fact that if I had to work such hours means that a deadline is breathing down my neck. Alas, my aged body is vehemently against such arrangement. Today I am paying the price for staying up late on Monday night with my runny nose and scratchy throat and a body screaming for sleep. At least I got some work done.
Five months after the show's ended, I still feel a slight pang when I catch a glimpse of them on TV or read about them online. I wonder how affected I really am. Whoever knew I could be so sensitive. Whatever reason do I have to feel so entitled?

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Leehom's new single, Lose Myself 忘我 feat. DJ Avicii is finally out! I loved it immediately, I don't know what it is about yet, but the tune is pretty awesome. C-pop + EDM FTW! :) Can't wait to download it from iTunes and set it to countless repeat! :)

Here's this link to the song, but it is not from his official channel, so I don't know if this is leaked. It's already going around on FB right now. I remember though that the release date was supposed to be today. We'll see. I'll embed the YouTube vid here when his channel posts it up.

Mm the point of this post is two-pronged: to celebrate the release of the song, and also to show the kind of weirdo I am, one who's fixated on what most might consider trivial and has the need to point out typos and stuff by making a comment on the video and then proceed to blog about it at 2:45AM when she should really be trying to finish her work. I am pissed off at myself tonight, and I'm trying to distract myself from dwelling on that I guess, even though doing this is making it worse. Sigh, someone please humour me.

Anyway, I can't help it! I made that comment below for the poster to fix his name, but the entire title bugs me very much. Other than the L in his name, the F in Feat. should be lowercase too. There shouldn't be a space between Myself and the colon (some people like it like that, perhaps for the visual balance, but it's not a generally accepted convention. I don't think the colon is necessary at all here.

The title should go like this: Wang Leehom feat. Avicii - Lose Myself 忘我

So yeah kthnxbai.



Edit 2/9/14 - Woot! They fixed it. ^^



Monday, September 1, 2014

It seems like all I write about these days are so-called reviews of books and TV and movies huh? :) I don't know why I do it because I am a terrible reviewer -- my opinions are usually either "I love it!" or "I hated it!" but to justify them, I need to read other reviews to find the words to properly express my thoughts. So what you read that you thought were my thoughts (when I wasn't literally copy-pasting chunks of those text because I was too lazy to even reword them), were actually my little Frankenstein's monsters -- butchered and sewn together opinions of other people in a form of a somewhat readable prose. Ta-dah. I suppose I do it for the same reason why I wrote the other posts: for my older self to remember what my younger self enjoyed (or not). Okay, this time for a change I'll give you something that's entirely my own take.

So I finally read Yale law professor Amy Chua's (in)famous book that created this massive parenting debate worldwide when it came out three years ago: Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. I remember thinking then, wow all these controversies and uproar.. the book must be selling like hot cakes! Ka-ching! I've read excerpts from the book then and knew of the terror that Chua was, but I also remember being very impressed by her daughters' achievements.

So what did I think of this? The book -- totally enjoyed reading it! I haven't finished a book this fast in a long time. It was easy to read, and I was rather entertained and horrified at the same time. Her daughters -- much respect for what they have done and how well adjusted they appear to be. The mother -- needless to say, is scary beyond all reason (sorry, random cheeky quote from The Emperor's New Groove). She is the epitome of a melancholy choleric, and her ways would totally not stand out among Asian parents, especially immigrants or 2nd-gens. And if I were her daughter, I'm surer than sure that I'd be the black sheep who is only talked about in hushed tones at family dinners and who's forever cowering in my sisters' shadows.

But you know what, maybe it's the Asian in me, coupled with hindsight... I totally get where Chua was coming from and actually wish that I had a Tiger mom.

*cue collective gasps from phantom pro-"Western" style of parenting readers*

Haha! I do! Now, I'm not blaming my very Chinese parents who for some reason never really pushed me for letting me do whatever I'd wanted (that said, I was never a wild, rebellious child - I'd say that I was a goody two shoes *cough cough*).. but knowing me, I am the kind of person who needs discipline and would do well when pushed, even though I'd hate every minute of it with every fiber of my being. Yes, I can't win this! Alas, it's too late for me now, but I really still need to find some other way to kick my own ass, and I need to find it fast.

Btw I don't think there's a one best way of parenting. As illustrated by Chua, what worked with her eldest backfired when applied on the younger daughter. Still, I think it worked out for them in the end, soooo.. good for them! :)

__________
Edit 1/9/14: 
Chua's eldest daughter wrote an open letter in defense of her mother after the controversy broke out, which I thought was a thoughtful piece. Something she said there struck me: "Everybody seems to think art is spontaneous. But Tiger Mom, you taught me that even creativity takes effort." While that's nothing new, that line, seen together with the relentless drills the girls were subjected to their entire lives, serves as a stark reminder as to why I am so errm.. unaccomplished: I haven't poured in much hours into anything I like. 

How does passion work? How is it ignited? How much could or should it be forced before one lets go and lets nature takes it course? I want that - to be over the top crazy about something.. Haha, perhaps something like my LH crazy fangirl phase, but with something more useful. I liked that I did all those translation works on his songs and that speech. I enjoyed working on them tremendously, and I really want something like that again, something more.. lasting this time. What could it be!? Please God don't let me turn 40 without finding whatever it is that I'm looking for.