Here's a rundown of what happened last weekend if I don't get to write about the activities in details (I would love to, but hmm don't know if I have the time).

On Friday, the girls and I went for our US visa interview, and we got it! That's one step closer for us, a major hurdle crossed. Now down to getting the flight tickets and planning the itinerary. Am super excited -- obviously. Spent the late morning celebrating at a cafe in Ampang Hilir, and had a nice chat -- haven't met up like this in a while. I miss it. And guess we won't have the chance to do the same for another year, since S is moving to China to teach. Sigh. Went back to work. Was supposed to roll out a project but it didn't happen. Was miffed. On Fri night, I completed watching Death Note (got that write up out!)

On Saturday, I woke up early cos the hub said we should go hiking. He got lazy. I couldn't sleep after getting an email from my colleague about said project which incensed me. Didn't bother with work thereafter. We went for pork noodle brekkie in OUG and then in the afternoon I started reading Lisa See's Peony in Love. I decided that I should read in a book between my anime, because I should. That evening, I went to watch P Ramlee The Musical with J and M, and it was awesome. The night couldn't have ended on a higher note than when Tiara Jacquelina announced the Puteri Gunung Ledang Reunion Concert next month end. I was delirious.

On Sunday, we went for nasi lemak brunch at Village Park DU, and then spent the rest of the afternoon in Canaanland bookstore. Were poorer by RM400++ but so happy that I got some new books. Since we were not hungry, we spent the next couple of hours at a cafe in TTDI and read some more. More reading when I got home, and then it was the end of the day.

'Twas a quiet but another really awesome weekend. :)

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.

My social calendar was full this week - something that happens like once a year around this time. The fasting month made after office hours traffic predictable so it was easy to slot in appointments. It was really good catching up with new and old friends esp those whom I rarely get to meet.. it's been a tiring but totally amazing week ^_^. Anyway this post isn't about that. It's about how I was saved from a flat tyre =)

So on Wednesday I had dinner w Jv at Avenue K's food court, Taste Enclave (I really like the food there - it has a good variety of yummy food and relatively cheap and I like the ambience too; the hubby and I would even sometimes go down there for lunch on the weekend).. it was his second last day at his then-current job, after which he'll be on a month's break before starting his new job - I'm excited for him! He took a train up to KLCC from B'sar where he worked, and I was to send him back to his car at the LRT station after work. And with me out every night this week, I was so thankful it happened on the night that he was with me! He pointed it out as we were walking towards my car -- I might not even have noticed the flat tyre otherwise bleh. It was his first time but it wasn't very difficult to figure out how to do it - I kinda have the know-how, it was just that I didn't have the strength.. I teased that he should thank me for the experience haha! Anyway, that was how he became my hero for the night -- mucho gracias Jv! ^_^

Just want to put this here cos I love this shot! ^_^ It looks like we're on the deck of a starship cruisin' through space.. heading towards the full moon that looks like a pearl atop the sky bridge.  

The tyre, flat as flat could be. The culprit was a screw - I have no idea when that happened.

Trying to figure out how to use the jack.

Putting the spare tyre in.

Finishing up!

my funny friend and me

So last Sunday I met for the first time someone whom I've been chatting with regularly in the past month. He's a work contact but somewhere along the line we became friends.

This person, on the surface, is very, very different from me; just let me count the ways: he's as scrawny as can be (ok, not really, but I'm pretty his body fat % is probably in the low tens) and the kind of book-smart that I dream of being (I believe there's a Math wiz in there).. to these, there's also his faith, race, academic achievements, family background, age bracket, gender (d'oh), hobbies and interests.. if you were to represent us in those categories with Venn diagrams, most if not all of those circles would never touch. The only thing I knew we had in common when we started out was our love for cats, but I suppose that's a good starting point as any.. because cat is love! =^.^=

So how this happened, I don't know.. because life's like that? :) One thing I appreciate is how he makes me laugh! I don't know how he does it or how I stomach them, but he somehow manages to make his irreverent (and sometimes inappropriate) remarks seem innocuous -- I'm not proud to say that I find them amusing *hangs head in shame.. and chuckles :D* -- but I don't mind wearing a constant silly grin on my face. That said, he's a nice kid with a good heart... and commendable work ethics (it's something I really value, we do work together after all).

Anyway, I'm happy to note that our meet up went okay. In fact, it was more than okay. I really enjoyed his company and the time we spent went by quickly. There were some pockets of silence, but I actually welcomed them. Was naturally apprehensive at first because we both aren't the most graceful of social creatures. When I do one-on-ones, I tend to rely on the other person to talk (yay for such friends =) but I knew I couldn't do it here; I kinda felt the responsibility to carry the conversation so I actually prepared a mental list of questions to move our chat along should it get stuck haha. I was also afraid that our online chemistry would fizzle out in real life, making everything awkward -- I really wouldn't know how to save the situation should it arise. But since we both kinda feared the same things, we made it work and it turned out pretty well I'd say.

Given who we are, this friendship is pretty much uncharted territory for me, so I do wonder if it would be a flash in the pan. I'd very much like for it to last a lil longer because I've taken quite a liking to this fella. In spite of all our superficial differences, we're kinda the same personality-wise, so in some ways he does remind me of myself (mm narcissistic much? =), and I feel like I could really relate to him since there an obvious point of reference (me lol). So yeah, we'll see.. And here's to unconventional and unexpected friendship -- cheers! (　^ω^) ヾ(*´∀｀*)ﾉ

I chose this song for its title, and for llama luvin'.. wrong lever, Kronk!

My Funny Friend and Me
Sting
The Emperor's New Groove OST

In the quiet time of evening, when the stars assume their patterns
And the day has made his journey, and we wondered just what happened
To the life we knew before the world changed
When not a thing I held was true, but you were kind to me
And you reminded me, that the world is not my playground
There are other things that matter, what is simple needs protecting
My illusions all would shatter but you stayed in my corner
The only world I know was upside down
And now the world and me, know you carry me

You see the patterns in the big sky, those constellations look like you and I
Just like the patterns in the big sky, we could be lost we could refuse to try
But we made it through in the dark night
Who would those lucky guys turn out to be?
But that unusual blend of my funny friend and me

I'm not as clever as I thought I was, I'm not the boy I used to be because
You showed me something different, you showed me something pure
I always seemed so certain but I was really never sure
But you stayed and you called my name
When others would have walked out on a lousy game
And look who made it through, but your funny friend and me

You see the patterns in the big sky, those constellations look like you and I
That tiny planet and the bigger guy, I don't know whether I should laugh or cry
Just like the patterns in the big sky, we'll be together 'til the end this time
Don't know the answer or the reason why, we'll stick together 'til the day we die
If I had to do this all a second time, I won't complain or make a fuss
Who would the angels send? But that unlikely blend
Of those two funny friends, that's us

Wholesome Threesome: Penang edition

So we had a blast in Penang (and Alor Setar, where J grew up). S was an excellent guide - I love how adventurous she was on her own, and we reaped so much from that. I don't know how to articulate it, but the trip was.. very balanced. Maybe it's an odd choice of word, but it was. We had a bit of everything, old and new, street to cafe to restaurant food, east and west, quiet moments and loud conversations, man-made architecture and nature's glorious handiwork.. and I left Penang sad, but so enriched, so loved, so accepted. It was a very balanced trip.

Switchfoot - Souvenirs

Here’s to the twilight, here’s to the memories
these are my souvenirs, my mental pictures of everything
Here’s to the late nights, here’s to the firelight
these are my souvenirs, my souvenirs

~

Here’s to your bright eyes, shining like fireflies
these are my souvenirs, the memory of a lifetime
we were wide-eyed with everything
everything around us
we were enlightened by everything
everything

---
I don't know if I should apologise for the brevity of this post. It's not because the trip wasn't great, in fact, it was so overwhelmingly awesome that I struggle for words to describe how I feel. Hence, this post is merely for posterity and date keeping. I think I'll just leave the memories in my heart to keep it warm for all days. :*

Hmm.

In the past two days, I came to hear from different people some not so nice things said about two people I was really close with at different points in my past, but we are now more like acquaintances, strangers even.

And I felt sad, because I don't know why they did what they did, and also because I believe those things are not totally out of their characters. Maybe they have their own views on those matters and reasons for their behaviors, but... I can't say I wasn't disappointed. Sounds judgy right? Sigh.. Were they always like that? Maybe I was more forgiving of their flaws when we were closer, or maybe they have changed, or maybe... It's been a long time. And I remember them from when life wasn't so complicated. When all we had to worry about was finishing school homework or whether we registered in time for a particular course that semester. Not when friendships come to a crashing end due to misunderstanding or drift away as we head different directions in life. I sometimes do miss friends I've lost to time and circumstances, and I wonder if they think about me sometimes -- if they do, hopefully it's with fondness and not with grudge lol. :(

Mm, I wonder what other people are saying about me.. I've definitely done things that warranted a raised eyebrow or two. I would still cringe when I remember some of those deeds where I could have chosen to be the bigger person, a more gracious person, a more humble person, but didn't. *oh god why* I was (and am) naive and proud and oblivious, the three main ingredients to brew the perfect storm. Bleh. To anyone I've unknowingly or intentionally hurt, I'm sorry. I'll say that to you F2F if I could, so this is my err.. rain check.

And speaking of the past, goodness gracious, last night I was happily digging into my favorite fish head noodle at my usual joint by myself, when whose face shall I see from the table next to mine but that of Miss Nomer (evil ex-boss with a name that doesn't suit her personality) O_O I might have stopped breathing for a few seconds there. Thank God she wasn't looking my way, so I quickly looked down to my lap (if ducking under the table was an option, I just might have), grabbed my phone and texted the girls for emotional support. I didn't dare to move for a while as I was sitting in a way that our eyes would definitely meet if I just sat upright.

I actually thought she saw me, so I was hoping she didn't remember me. Last thing I need was her coming over to say Hi. J asked if I was sure that it was her, but I didn't dare to avert my eyes her direction to confirm. I did however curi-curi snapped a blur photo of her. She was sitting with her husband and they were at the end of their meal. When they left, I looked up as she was walking away. The gait was unmistakably hers. I was relieved.. but on the whole 15 minutes drive home, I was reliving the nightmare that was her. It was more emotionally charged than usual, but I calmed down somewhat by the time I got home.

The thing is, I have long stopped hating her, and even recently ceased to hold her accountable for what I don't dare to do career-wise, but seeing her in the flesh for the first time since July 2009, it was truly unnerving. And at my favorite restaurant at that! *takes another deep breath* I had allllways played out the scenarios of what I would say or how I would react should this moment ever happen. I never come to any conclusion because even in my head I was trying to avoid/shun her. Bleh, I don't know la. J suggested I either kick her in the shins, or bless her. Can I opt for (C) God, please don't ever, ever let our paths cross again. EVER. Please? I suck right? Haha!

Anyway, sad and scary stuff aside, I will be going on a road trip with the girls tomorrow, and we are all very, very, very excited about it. J and I are driving up to Penang to meet S who's been there for a couple of months now on some artsy assignment, and she's finishing this weekend. So this is a makan plus homecoming entourage trip. Wholesome Threesome: Penang edition yo! :D

Btw, discovered this song by local singer Ali Aiman via A, and I absolutely love it. It deserves to go big, and I hope it does. Its mood befits mine right now. Happy long weekend for me! :D Xoxo.

cranky.

I've been especially cranky this week. Work, news, people, I was a walking time bomb. It's all the little things, they add up.

And the thing about getting worked up about every other thing that's in your face is that you get tired really fast, and more irritable of course. Vicious cycle.

Maybe it's that time of the month heh.

However, it's not all bleak. There were nice things that brought a huge smile to my face too, notably the Wang Family Barbershop Quartet (basically Leehom and his dad and bros singing an acapella version of Sweet and Lovely) and an awesome dinner at Adrian's with some of my most favorite people in the world.

rhymes with broccoli.

You know one of those one-thing-leads-to-another events? So something like that happened and I ended up at my ex-colleagues long-defunct blog and randomly clicked on one of the posts and came upon this. And this is one of 'em things that articulate how you feel about something but you never thought to put it in words.

ON MELANCHOLY

the collins dictionary let me down today. i don't like it's definition of melancholy. the collins advanced learner's defines melancholy as "an intense sadness". i disagree.

the relationship between melancholy and sadness cannot be one of degrees. if anything, a very intense sadness could possibly be mistaken for depression, but certainly not melancholy.

melancholy, as i've always known it, is a detached variety of sadness. it is a sadness that, when choosing between crying and sighing, will choose sighing. it's a sadness that stands outside of itself and feels the quiet pang of loss rather than the raw pain of it.

i'd almost go as far as to say that melancholy is being sad about sadness itself. it's like looking back on an unfortunate event from a place that doesn't feel the firsthand sadness - the sadness is now secondhand, no longer played out on ground zero but watched from the rooftop, looking down. it moves from being a sadness for to being a sadness about. yes, i think this is melancholy. collins = fallible.

i've been feeling a bit melancholy lately. i don't mind it. it's actually quite nice.

~

In keeping with the somber tone of the post (yay, Friday!)... I was recently thinking about something Jon Foreman said, when I remembered he briefly wrote about singer-songwriter the late Elliot Smith. I'm not familiar with his work and I don't know much about Elliot other than what I read on wiki. One thing of note, I've outlived him. It's a weird feeling. I sometimes think about what if any given day was my last on earth. Would I be sad to leave? Yes. Would I be happy to leave? Yes.




Elliot Smith :: Between The Bars

Drink up baby, stay up all night, with the things you could do
You won't but you might, the potential you'll be
That you'll never see the promises you'll only make
Drink up with me now and forget all about the pressure of days
Do what I say and I'll make you okay and drive them away, the images stuck in your head

People you've been before that you don't want around anymore
That push and shove and won't bend to your will, I'll keep them still
Drink up baby, look at the stars, I'll kiss you again between the bars
Where I'm seeing you there with your hands in the air, waiting to finally be caught

Drink up one more time and I'll make you mine
Keep you apart, deep in my heart, separate from the rest
Where I like you the best and keep the things you forgot
The people you've been before that you don't want around anymore
That push and shove and won't bend to your will, I'll keep them still

stop, look, go!

I got a "traffic light" on my Gtalk chat windows tee hee! sometimes it's the littlest things that makes me smile.. :)

btw for my own reference to better understand the people around me (I'm adding to the list as I discover more):

• J and D and A are ISFJ
• S is INFJ
• L is INFP
• and I am ISFP  
• oh, the husband is INTJ
• sister is ISFP like me
• Dz is also ISFP
• M is ESTJ

Seeing the world from our sepet eyes..

Happpyy burrfffdayyy, Jazzayyy!! Or is that Jas? Jaz? Jazz? Jazzy? Jasmine? Honestly, it bothers me that I am never consistent, but you, my friend, are one and the same. 獨一無二!

And on this special day, let me bedazzle you with this rhetorical piece:

Oh how do I love thee, jazzyching, let me count the ways...

I love thee for daily saying "hellooo" in the morning, "burrps" after lunch, "sleepy.." at tea, and "byeee!" at six and striking up every other chat topic imaginable in between;

I love thee for unabashedly sharing your thoughts and questions and aspirations and doubts and inanities, and for listening to mine;

I love thee for sitting with me when my shyness unsettles me (at church, at merv's bday dinner, and that dinner before we watched the hunger games, and other times that might have slipped my mind);

I love thee for thinking I have decent taste (and got me to go curtain & couch shopping);

I love thee for saying orange even though you think it is yellow (but c'mon, who are we kidding? it's orange! sigh, my mom has told me to stop being so contentious..);

I love thee for extending the generosity of your family [dad (food & show) and bro (bachelor pad & food) and uncle and aunty (more food =D i see a trend here!)];

I love thee for the meals enjoyed with each other and/or other people;

I love thee for your silliness which rivals (but regrettably doesn't top) mine.

Happy 2nd anniversary of your 30th birthday, babe! xoxoxoxo

Friends that stay in denial together will not realize that they have grown old together.
Me
It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hitched.

If there was a friend who I barely speak to and rarely meet, yet I simply adore and appreciate, this is the girl.

Maybe it's because in many ways we were cut from the same piece of cloth, and of course, we shared in the pains inflicted by a ruthless boss *cough*, so there's just something about her and us that I hold dear in my heart.
The girl tied the knot just last week to the boy of her dreams (and about time too!)(they've been together like 7 years?), and I'm just filled with sheer joy for the couple. May their union be a blessing to many, and that it be filled with love and laughter.

my second last evening of 2010 was spent at neway karaoke in cheras, with some of my form six friends. we had been planning to meet up since Feb 2010 (as evident from the FB thread i created way back when), but never did. there were several attempts but they all fell flat. i guess that's what priorities and life do to reunions.

but we finally did, at huishi's dad's wake the Monday after Christmas. it came too sudden, she updated us of her dad's admission to the hospital from stroke just 5 days before Christmas, and receiving her SMS just after the thrill of opening Christmas gifts was quite a sobering moment.

i haven't met some of these guys since the last time one of them were admitted to the hospital from a road accident two years back -- i happened to call the dude (might have been trying to arrange for a reunion), and was told by his mom that he was hit by a car while riding on his bike to his second day of work. so yeah, it has been two years. just like that!

at the wake, we said that we should not come together only when something untoward happen, and before we went on hitting each other with another slew of FB msgs, decided that a karaoke session is in order.

had first decided on RedBox in Pavilion but they charge like 75++, which is roughly the cost of my arm and a pint of my blood. thankfully, hsue suggested neway in good ol' cheras (RM35++, free admission if your bday fell within the month, and we had a december baby among us, plus a 15% discount for each Digi number we hold, so the cost came up to RM40 which is wayyy more reasonable).. of course the ambiance is nothing like pavilion but it was good enough for us la.

it was awesome belting out "OLDIES" from michael learns to rock, westlife, a list of songs from the HK canto rock group Beyond & their king of pop jacky cheung (we sang so many chinese songs that i didn't know i knew! hehe), air supply, bon jovi, green day, oasis -- i feel soooo old and dated, and yet when we sang like the shower singers that we were in unison and in varying pitch, i felt like i was 17 again! :D

and i made sure we sang LEMON TREE by fool's garden cos that song came out when we were in form six.. it was a fun and loud walk down memory lane -- it was all 15 years ago and yet it felt like 5 or less.

some of us have lost/put on weight, are plagued with receding hairlines, changed jobs, bought properties, got married, fell out of love...it's was all very surreal.. but i like how at some level we were still the same (you know what i mean! if you don't, you are too young. ;)


the nonsensical 1-hit-wonder lemon tree by fool's garden -- which was blaring from every speaker in every mall and pasar malam in KL not too long ago :D

i imagine walking and walking one day and poof!, we exit from narnia, back to when we were all be our silly young selves again.

had lunch with a friend whom i've not met for 15 years -- since we left school (urgh i dread every time a point of reference goes beyond a decade). she left for US for her studies way back when, thought she'd come back when she was done but didn't -- ended up working, marrying and having a kid and settling down in seattle. we hardly kept in touch with each other or other friends after form 5 -- back then, keeping in touch meant picking up a phone to call or writing actual letters -- i missed those cumbersome ways sometimes -- but thank you, mark zuckerberg. :) it was good to catch up again after all these years.. the turns that life takes, they are nothing less than surreal in hindsight.

i've often thought that here's where i will be for the rest of my life. but now i hope it would not be. 70 years is too long to have it spent it in one place. and i'm almost crossing the halfway mark.

maybe it's the friday speaking, maybe it's the wanderlust singing, maybe it's the new year calling. but here's to new experiences and strange faces and fresh perspectives.

nothing unusual, nothing strange
close to nothing at all
the same old scenario, the same old rain
and there's no explosions here
then something unusual, something strange
comes from nothing at all
I saw a spaceship fly by your window
did you see it disappear?

damien rice :: amie

i wish i make more $$ than i could ever spend
then i wouldn't have to say NO to

this:

RM38

and this:

RM39 - 10% off
saw this at GladSounds and i held on to it forever before putting it back (bought a book though :) -- maybe next year! i've already downloaded a good number of christmas songs from NoiseTrade.com (it's all legal so do check it out! :) and i want this just because it's Relient K and i'm a loyal fangirl. :D

btw did you know GS has an outlet in the prestigious Starhill Gallery? i wonder how they afford the rent (they've been there for a year) -- i suspect francis yeoh might have generously waived it. :D

anyways
christmas shopping is VERY STRESSFUL and i hate it
it's tough buying one gift
let alone 20
in the short 3 weekends in December
so many factors to take into consideration
preeminently a limited budget

chongy said i should ditch the idea
true that
Christmas is not about pressies
yeah it's NOT

ok
maybe next year
i can convince myself that it's OK not to buy gifts
i'm still caving in to the tradition this year
:)

i would love to make something
i know my framed spongy cutout from three years back was a hit with the recipients :D
i still feel the ripple from the delirium
gift making is awesome
if i have the time and a good idea
and still, buy some


oh btw
that day i was grumbling about my financial situation
my bank account goes from XX to near zero within a week from month end
house bills and car loan and insurance and shoes and stuff
(srsly, how i managed with a RM1,800 starting salary last time escapes me)
(i had to save for a wedding and pay off my car loan plus other expenses then)

(but it's not like i earn tonnes more now pffbt)

so we were at BCM's 50th anniv celeb
so we sang this song
great is Thy faithfulness
and i was reminded
all i have needed He has provided
i think i chuckled and thanked God for the reminder
quite an overwhelming reminder actually


on a chirpier note, i gave in to this

RM24 after tax
i ate the whole thing, for once! *beams*
was xmas shopping at MV last Sat and by the time i settled down at Chilli's i was a tired, grumpy and famished shopper. and for some reason, i had to have a cheeseburger, no thanks to marshall and his quest. hehehe.. i was not let down. plus ww happened to be in MV so i had company to watch me down this huge@$$ artery choker!  ;)

today's post is brought to you be the letter B

B is for blog plugs*.

being an avid blog reader (which is like my main job, although my boss would disagree :P), these two are some of my favs. i'm like wow every time i read their blogs. i hope you'd like them:

1. wendy cooks up a storm or two
• wendy/wanyee and i were housemates back when we were studying in UPM. my impression of her was that she loves cooking and she really knows her way around the kitchen
• once we stayed up to play 'chor dai dee' (a card game) in her room til 5am, the morning i was supposed to sit for a test. i wasn't a very good student, could you tell?
• we kept in touch on and off over the years. she went into teaching and was sent to raub rompin for a few years. she got married a good few years back (some friends and i went to her wedding in sitiawan kampar :P) and is now blessed with two daughters :)
• her blog is very awesome and i shall warn you not to read it on an empty stomach. hehe.. she updates almost every day -- seriously, i don't know where she finds the time to cook and blog DAILY and be a mom.
• her blog is always very informative -- she doesn't just give you the recipe and pictures, she would go into details about some of the uncommon items she uses, such as the proper names, where to get them, cooking tips, web links etc. i've learned so much from just reading. i've also bookmarked the dishes i assume i could make -- but haven't gotten to them. hahaha..  

2. chingz sings and sews (say that now repeatedly & real fast :P)
• ching-ching was my colleague back in cyberjaya, we hardly spoke much less carried a proper conversation. my most memorable impression of her was of her mesmerizing smooth singing when she performed for the annual staff dinner. i'm not a fan of female voices, but hers are one of the few that i do. :)
• can't tell you much about her since we aren't really a friend haha.. but i love her quirky sense of style.. M and i have ooh-ed and ahh-ed in envy at some of her handiwork -- she comes across as a very funny and interesting and creative person. and jazz has called me not-so-nice names for stalking ching2. hahaha..
• she is one mean sewing tenggiling (her word, not mine :) -- she could turn something like this 

to

and make stuff like these (from scratch, or remaking): 

i think i digressed. was thinking more about intro-ing you to her band ATKK (the artists formerly known as Alaling & the Kaya Koks) -- they are giving away for FREE their latest EP which i really really like :)! [ooh, check out the MV for the song Really Hate It too -- it's so cute! :D]

btw i only have a handful of readers so they might not benefit from increased readership this but i really just wanna share the lurve :P



* i might be misusing the word here. probably blog promo is a better word?