Ahoy! Me hearty's birthday! Yo-ho-ho

Last Saturday, we celebrated Stephen's 23rd birthday pirate-style~! It was pretty exciting - almost everyone dressed up for the occassion. I got overly-excited and bought a whole heap of pirate gear - pirate flag, pirate gun, pirate sword, pirate binoculars, pirate eye patch, pirate earings and pirate bandanna.

Btw, 'me hearty' is pirate talk for 'my friend' and 'Yo-ho-ho' is pirate laughter.





Me and me jack (Pirate talk for flag)


I luv Nadia. She crack me up~! We make a great team together. On the way to Steve's place, we tried conjuring up a script and feasible story of our pirating life. Initially, we decided that we would be Malay pirates based in the Straits of Melaka.

"Kami ni lanun dari er...Straits of Melaka. Mari kami rompak rumah Stephen..." (We are pirates from the Straits of Melaka. Lets rob Stephens house)

"Kesimpulannya...kami akan ambil..."

Pheebs stared at us in disgusted and told us that we failed miserably as Malay pirates. "No Malay pirate would speak so formally...'kesimpulannya'." (kesimpulannya means 'in conclusion')

Then we tried to be Chinese pirates from China with our very very broken cantonese.

"Ngo dei hui tao go 'nasi lemak" (Lets steal the nasi lemak)

"Ngo dei cho Robin Hood...tao zao go nasi lemak...ngo dei hui pai nasi lemak pei yan" (We act like Robin Hood. We will steal the nasi lemak and distribute it to others)


Pirate mum and pirate baby


Birthday boy + E-gene with his parrot...I mean, duck. haha. He pinned the duck to his shirt. Its so cute~! The duck goes 'quack quack' when you squeeze it.




Bryan is such a classic.


Pheebs and I.


Love Wil's improvised hook.


Love Sue's sword + belt.




Steve's parents are so game~! =)


Upon Sue and Matt's arrival, everyone shouted, 'hey...no pirate gear~! Youre dead!". Apparently, our faces will get drawn on if youre not dressed up for the event. They quickly scrambled downstairs and came back up again...


Matt, "I'm Sue's parrot"


Shiver me timbers!(an exclamation of surprise, to be shouted most loud)
Stephen's treasure island cake. I didnt even realised that it was a cake till Ivy pointed it out. She baked the cake~!! I thought it was a toy of some sort. It even came equipped with doubloons (pirate talk for pieces of gold)


The woman behind the successful party =) Ann and I told Stephen the other day that he was one lucky man. He cheekily pointed to Ivy's fourth right finger and said, "Why do you think I got her the ring so quickly? I need to secure the deal asap."

Happy 23rd birthday Stephen Lim~! =)

Mt Dandenong

Here's some photos to brighten up my blog =) (Finally pics aside from food~!)

Ann, Ives, Stevie and I headed up to Mt Dandenong today.


First stop - Miss Marples


We had to feast on the scones. Whats a trip up without having THE scones.


Soup of the day - butternut pumpkin soup. A must-try~!


The lovely couple. Oops, the pics are huge~! I was playing around with my camera settings today. I think this is the wide-angle mode.


Miss Marples and I


Okay, a better view of the cozy Miss Marples cottage


We walked around for a bit to digest our food


I never fail to pay this toy shop a visit every time I'm up here.




Us - an old married couple. haha

We didnt make it to 'Pie in the Sky' - the famous pie shop. Rumours had it that the quality of the pies had deteriorated =( Anyone care to clarify this with me? PLus, we were feeling a little full. It was a pretty short trip but was a good getaway from the city.

Cooking 101 - thai-style steamed fish

One of my favourite dishes. Its quite easy to cook but its full in flavour - sweet, sour, salty, spicy, all in one dish. Plus, I love the aroma of the kaffir lime leaves~! They always give an added zest to a dish.

Ingredients:

1 Onion
Lime juice
Kaffir lime leaves (crush it slightly to release the aroma)
Hot small red chillies (chilli padi - remove the seeds, otherwise your tongue will burn in pain~!)
Sugar
Fish sauce
Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

1 small barramundi fish (silver bream is a good alternative)

p/s: Not sure if it's exactly Thai-style but I tried to imitate the Thai restaurants to my best abilities.

Malaysia's ex-Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir started a blog~!

http://www.chedet.com/

First entry received 955 comments~!!!

One-dish recipe

Stir fry chicken, french beans, baby corn, capsicum, cashew nuts, Lebanese eggplant with soy sauce, Japanese soy sauce, fish sauce, vegetable stock, oyster sauce, a little cornstarch plus Chinese rice wine


This is my favourite one-dish recipe that I usually eat with rice. I usually cook this dish when I'm cooking for myself and I want a simple, healthy meal. I love the variety of colours in this dish - it makes me feel happy looking at it and a variety of colours generally mean a variety of nutrients?!?

Gossip

I remember one significant moment when I was 14. One day, this friend of mine told me that she didnt want to be acquainted with me any longer because rumours had it that I was arrogant and flirtatious. I was deeply shocked and hurt because I considered her my close friend. I remember feeeling sad for the next week or two and I asked my dad why were there such mean people in this world that would gossip about me in that manner. He told me that the world was mean and that I had to be not affected by it. Anyway, probably out of forced circumstances (we were in the same class) she was forced to talk to me and we soon grew to be extremely close friends. At the end of the year, she told me that she was eternally grateful for our friendship because it forced her out of her shell, she became more sociable and outspoken, it vastly improved her English which made her attained positions that she would never have gotten if she didnt mix with me.

The point of this is that, I remember telling myself that I would never ever be bothered about what the world thinks about me any longer - as long I held on to my principles.Well, lately I've found it harder to block out such gossips. Because it hurts when people b*itch about me without really knowing me, it suffocates when I don't have the space to tell my story, it suffocates when I can't confront them.

Okay, just to redeem my self-esteem here, here's what I believe:
I'm NOT as selfish as some people paint me
I'm NOT as demanding as some people paint me
I'm NOT as bitchy as some people paint me
I'm NOT flipping out in life

There, I said it. That's enough. And right now, I've decided that I said my piece and I'll revert back to my old mantra - back to when I was 14.

Going Italia

I've been craving Italian food as of late. So I decided to make pizzas - can't get more Italian than that =)



The first batch. I made a caramelised pumpkin, baby spinach and mushroom topping for half of the pizza and a traditional Hawaiian topping for the other half. I was happy with the toppings but not with the pizza base. It was too thick and had a bread-like consistency. My bad. I'm terrible at following recipes.


Because I wasnt happy with the first batch, I decided to make a 2nd batch of pizza. This time with salami, pineapple and mushrooms. Much happier with the thin-crust base =)


This is what I've been eating for the past two days. I had leftover ham and sliced pineapple. So i decided to make fried rice out of it.

Will be cooking pasta marinara tomorrow =)

Selah

The past one week has been absolutely crazy with a rush of assignments, 1 take-home exam, plus 1 class test. Last monday, i had a 25% tax assignment due, followed by a 50% a trademarks take-home exam paper on wed. On thursday, I had to finish up my online hurdle admin law test. On the same day, my admin law assignment was due. On friday, i had an EPM tutorial. There were marks for class participation which means that I had to finish up my tutorial work. To top that off, there was a class test on that day itself. Saying that my week was stressful is an understatement. I finally rested over the weekend. The weekend has been good and refreshing. I slept for 11 hours straight yesterday. Absolutely blissful.

Anyway, i recently spotted a particular piece of art that i really like. It uses a drypoint technique. I was absolutely fascinated.

Extracted from wikipedia
[edit] Drypoint
Main article: Drypoint
A variant of engraving, done with a sharp point, rather than a v-shaped burin. While engraved lines are very smooth and hard-edged, drypoint scratching leaves a rough burr at the edges of each line. This burr gives drypoint prints a characteristically soft, and sometimes blurry, line quality. Because the pressure of printing quickly destroys the burr, drypoint is useful only for very small editions; as few as ten or twenty impressions. To counter this, and allow for longer print runs, electro-plating (here called steelfacing) has been used since the nineteenth century to harden the surface of a plate.
The technique appears to have been invented by the Housebook Master, a south German fifteenth century artist, all of whose prints are in drypoint only. Among the most famous artists of the old master print: Albrecht Dürer produced 3 drypoints before abandoning the technique; Rembrandt used it frequently, but usually in conjunction with etching and engraving.


Here's an example of an artpiece using drypoint technique. Nice??!?

I'm thinking of picking up a brush and start painting using watercolours sometime this week. Im scared...havent painted for ages~!

Solitude

I strutted my way along Swanston St as I headed back home. I like the sound of my thongs against the pavement. It has a consistent rhythm to it. Like the sound of the second hand on the clock in the middle of the night. I like the cool breeze against my cheeks. It reminded me of Japan when the snow flakes melted on my face. Only this time, it wasn't as cold. I took an intentional breathe of air and tried to breathe in the smells of the city. It was a concoction of smells - smells of a city that's about to go to sleep. I smell alcohol. And cigarettes. And car fumes. And food. A few bars were still open. I hear people laughing. I hear music pumping.

I stopped by Starbucks and deliberated whether I should get myself a cup of latte. I haven't had my dosage of caffeine today. So, one cup shouldn't be too harmful. A bloke behind the counter served me. A familiar face. He has been here for at least 6 months now. He winked at me before taking my orders. Pulling off his usual charm on girls. I've seen him done it a few times. That's his way of making his customers feel comfortable I suppose. His colleague, a petite Asian girl, was the cashier tonight. Another familiar face. I still remember her first day at Starbucks. The temperature was rocket high that day. Starbucks were full of patrons - taking advantage of the shade and air-conditioning. She was running around like a flustered chicken, mixing up some orders and being reprimanded by her supervisor. She still has the tense look on her face. I wonder why. Starbucks was pretty empty tonight. My order was ready within 2 minutes. I grabbed my coffee and decided to call it a night.

I guess this is what solitude does to you. I It makes you more aware of your surroundings. It makes you observe. It makes you learn.

p/s: I just finished my latte. I wish Starbucks made more decent coffee. The froth looks like foam that floats on the surface of a bubble bath. Except that its slightly brown. Well at least, its not burnt.

A delayed confession

I admit that I havent been pausing to do a self-check for quite some time. Every morning, as I get ready for the day, I notice a pair of eyes, my nose, lips, skin, eyebrows and perhaps some blemishes staring back at me in the mirror. And that's that. Only my physical features. It's like I've forgotten who I really was inside. I havent really seen my reflection of the real me for quite some time. I was starting to fear that the real me might disappear and be replaced by a creature I didnt quite like. A creature with a harden heart and softer hands and feet. And so, I took a real look at myself today. I took out my journal, pressed out a clean page and began to write.

I'm at a point where I'm uncertain of the ideals I'm holding. When one is uncertain of one's identity, one becomes insecure. Of course, there's a few basic mantras that I constantly recite to myself such as - make sure your actions are not at the expense of others, treat others like you like to be treated, everyone should be given a 2nd chance, forgive because if you don't, the only person you'll hurt is yourself. That being said, I dont like my insecurities bouncing off others - unconsciously it happens. I caught myself red-handed the other day when I found myself casually dismissing someone's ideals. I found myself silently mouthing the words 'seriously...get real'. Though on the balance of probabilities, she'll probably find herself caught in her failed reality, who am I to dismiss her. Where's the hope and the faith. There's a mantra that I recite to myself once in a while- for all those who do not believe that they can, step back and stop holding back those who believe they can. So, for my own sake, I should stop being a hypocrite and start pulling my act together. To love is to hold hope and faith in firstly, yourself and and then, in those around you. That's why its said ' to love your neighbour as you love yourself'. How do one love his neighbour when he cannot first love himself. I now understand.

Jet-setting

Im still contemplating whether I should head back to Asia in July. Cheapest route back would be via Perth. Its like $350 one way from Melbourne to Singapore. I think I might travel Perth by myself for a couple of days since I'm already there. A couple of days in Perth. A couple of days in Singapore. Sounds pretty good actually.

Pork-ed out

I decided to go Jap for dinner tonight. Yesterday, for some strange reason I was craving for pork. I normally never crave for red meat. Perhaps the time of the month is coming and I'm lacking in iron?? Who knows. Anyway, I bought pork cutlets and cooked them for lunch today. I just cooked them with whatever ingredients I had at home. Then, I decided to try cooking it tonkatsu pork cutlet style. Basically, its crumbed pork cutlets with a Japanese flavoured sauce on rice. So, this evening, I went to the supermarket, purchased more pork cutlets, got some bread crumbs and whatever necessary ingredients to prepare my meal.

The first batch of pork cutlets were burnt because the oil was too hot~! I had to scrap off the burnt bits and refry them. The 2nd batch turned out alright - the colour was perfect but it wasnt crispy enough. I made some sauce, (The sauce turned out great, if i may say so myself =) ). added some seaweed, cooked some veges and then finally placed the pork cutlets on rice. My first Jap meal this week. Home-cooked this time.

I'm dissatisfied with the crust of the pork cutlets. I read somewhere that if you refrigerate/freeze them before you fry them, you get a crispy crust. I'm gonna try that next
time. Probably next week. I cant eat anymore pork this week. I'm not a huge red meat fan. So, pork-ing out twice today was really pushing the limit. Speaking of which, I have one more piece of leftover pork cutlet sitting in the fridge right now. Urgh.

p/s: No pics this time. My camera hasnt been fixed yet. Plus, I wasnt 100% satisfied with it. Practice makes perfect. Will try to refine this recipe before giving it out.

pps: I bought a huge tub of choc plus vanila ice cream~! Initially, i grabbed a box of 4 cornetto ice cream cones. But as I walked down the aisle, my eyes were fixated on the boxes of ice cream cones that came in 12~!. Hey, why buy 4 cornetto cones when you can make lots and lots of your own cornetto ice cream. So, i happily traded the boxes and dumped the huge tub of ice cream into the trolley.

I heart google

A friend of mine introduced this awesome google doc tool to me. Its great for self-assessing your own articles/assignments. It essentially tells you how easy it is for a person to read your documents.

Basically, you open your gmail account, click on 'document' at the top left corner of th page, upload your document, open it, click on 'tools' and then 'word count'. That's my results for my tax assignment.

Flesch Reading Ease:

In the Flesch Reading Ease test, higher scores indicate material that is easier to read; lower numbers mark harder-to-read passages.

Scores of 90.0–100.0 are considered easily understandable by an average 11-year old student.[citation needed] 13- to 15-year old students could easily understand passages with a score of 60–70, and passages with results of 0–30 are best understood by college graduates.[citation needed] Reader's Digest magazine has a readability index of about 65, Time magazine scores about 52, and the Harvard Law Review has a general readability score in the low 30s.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level:

An obvious use for readability tests is in the field of education. The "Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level Formula" translates the 0–100 score to a U.S. grade level, making it easier for teachers, parents, librarians, and others to judge the readability level of various books and texts.

The result is a number that corresponds with a grade level. For example, a score of 8.2 would indicate that the text is expected to be understandable by an average student in 8th grade.

Automated Readability Index:

Is a readability test designed to gauge the understandability of a text. This indice relies on relies on a factor of characters per word, instead of the usual syllables per word.

Basically, my tax assignment can be understood by a 9th grader...or if you wanna make it sound more sophisticated, its readibility is comparable to the Time magazine. haha.

.........

On a side-note, I would love to receive this just about now.

Over the past few months, I went for 2 thai massages, 1 vietnamese massage, 1 foot reflexology session, 1 backscrub + massage and 5 chinese traditional massages. So, I'm a little deprived of it right now.

Back in Melbourne

Finally, back after the long long blogging hiatus. I almost forgot my username till i realised that its actually the email of my gmail account. Phew. I actually miss writing in this space...At one point, I contemplated deleted/abandoning this entire blog...but luckily I didnt act on whim (as I usually do). Anyway, I havent been blogging because though, I've been out and about, I havent really been in the mood to reflect or journal memories. Its high time that I come out of that shell and start sharing some of my experiences and some...love. haha

Cheryl suggested that I should just put up snippets of my past few months if I'm not in the mood to put up any fancy collages of pics. I think I might just do that.

So in random order:

What I'm currently doing (as of these few days that is)

Tax assignment. You know what, I actually discovered that I really like this subject. Its interesting. I'm currently writing an assignment about how taxpayers are taking advantage of the tax system by ways of tax avoidance and tax evasion. Ironically, just last year, I bought a book on "how to legally reduce your tax". Seriously, no one is so benevolent to pay more taxes that they legally should if they can help. If one is in a position to avoid tax legally, it is likely that the person will.Anyway, the point is that I'm using this book to help me out in my assignment.

Along with that, I have a take home exam worth 50% for trademarks, a 25% assignment for Admin law and another 12.5% group assignment for EPM. Kill me before they do.

My new toy

I bought this spanking brand new, sleek printer~!!! And it was delivered today. I love it. Seriously, I would recommend this printer to anyone. Why would I recommend it?

- Its silent - Its really suitable to be used in a restaurant/bar/club where you need to print out invoices

-Its fast - It prints up to 16 pages per minute

-Its good looking - that's the main selling point. It has a high gloss finish, its black, sleek, compact with a body thats embedded with Sapphire LED's. And its buttons are touch buttons~!

Check this out~!

Reminds me of the LG Chocolate phone.

Matt and Sue's union

The lovely, radiant bride who didnt even look a tad nervous.



With nini nana



The greedy goose

Or is she the greedy goose? hm...



Warning: Do not place the camera in our hands...we will use it


Again and again....



Didnt manage to fill up my photo-taking quota this time because i dropped my camera~!! Most of my photos are crap and out of focused....argh. Will get it repaired soon. Hopefully.

Btw, FYI, seriously, this is Australia's best kept secret (okay, maybe its not such a secret). This is the best website to buy tech stuff from. Its so cheap~!! http://www.shopbot.com.au/. Thats where I bought my printer from. Check it out and give me feedback =)

Malaysia ...truly Asia

So, Ive been doing a crazy amount of jetsetting...Its only the first quarter of the year and I've been back to Malaysia 3 times. Yes, used up my flying tokens for the meantime. I've been patronising bangsar heaps...for lunches, dinners, shopping, beauty routines including visiting the hair saloon. I recently discovered this newly established hair saloon. Its called Replacement and I highly recommend it. The head hair stylist is Ricko. He is awesome though I must warn you, his services are not cheap~! But, if you want to restyle your hair, its the place to go. I heard that Ricko is good for short hair cuts. Ricco cut my hair whilst Nick did the colouring. He is pretty awesome as well.

The place is a little hard to find because the main signboard is not up yet. Its located at No 5-1, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar. For the shopholics, its next to Cat whiskers. (hm...i think)

Genting

So two weeks ago, I went up to Genting Highlands with a couple of friends. We ate..drank...and gambled...Genting is such a sin city. Seriously. Well, the initial plan was to eat, jump into the outdoor swimming pool, eat somemore, catch a movie/theatre show and then go for a drink or two. And the next day, we will again jump into the heated outdoor pool, head to the theme park and then eat at Gohtong Jaya (the best food served on that hill/mountain) That was the plan anyway. What really happened was this. WE went up with two other people whose main intention was to gamble. We didnt want to forsake them for our own planned activities. So we joined in and put some money on the table. WE lost it all on Casino Wars. So I played Roulette, regained my capital and made a profit of RM50 which i subsequently gave to Wei Chee to recover her loss. Well, I stopped playing then because I try not to play on my capital and only on my profits. COnsidering that I havent made much, I decided to stop playing. We waited around for the two friends for another two hours because when we called, they said "okay...last game". Two hours passed, we called and it was still "last game..." We then headed for a very late dinner, followed by a drink in starbucks plus a proper drink in Olive (its a pretty atas lounge). I couldnt sleep till 5 am that night so the "jump into heated pool" plan was scrapped off. We also scrapped off the theme park plan as it was drizzling. Sigh, so with the lack of activities, we decided to try our luck in the casino again. Wasnt quite a good idea. Never quite liked the casino. But the company was good, so it made the trip worth it.


My obligatory silly shot...before I was told off for taking photos in the casino.

To the Prom and back

A couple of weeks ago, I went up to Wilsons Promontory for some outdoor rockclimbing, bushwalking and swimming/body surfing by the beach. It was pretty awesome. Loved the weather though my body couldnt take it. I broke out in a heat rash for the next week or two. (ask me all about the various anti-histamins now and I'm able to rattle it off to you)

Our tent

Bushwalking


Breathtaking view




THe 40 degree heat was killing us

Till next time...will promise to blog more often =)

Managing expectations

Expect more of yourself and less of others OR

Expect much of others but giving them the grace to fall short of your expectations

Clutter Part II - Post spring cleaning review

Who said spring cleaning is therapeutic? What rubbish! So I cleaned about 12 hours in total - over Thursday night, Friday day and last night. Seriously...the cleaning stressed me out. A mere glance at the pile of rubbish I had to throw out or the layers of dust under the bed gave me a headache. What is therapeutic is the result of spring cleaning! Ah...now we are talking. Okay, so last night was my first night in the comforts of my post spring cleaned bedroom. Well, I dreamt that I was shooting a gun somewhere in Brazil. That being said, I still slept well...woke up at 7.30 am today without the need of an alarm clock~! (Miracles do happen)

So, I conclude that clutter do disturb one's sleeping patterns.

....

Btw, I just got back from Wilson's Prom. I loved it but I'm pretty wounded. Open wounds, blisters, approximately 50 insects bites on me, rashes breakouts...argh....God, make my body more resilient.

Clutter

Enough is enough. Last night, I dreamt I was kidnapped onto a ship. I woke up feeling tense and had to consciously relax my muscles. The other day, I dreamt that my house was robbed and we had to hide in the cupboards. I woke up at 6 ish in cold sweat and tried to calm myself down before going back to sleep, only to find that it was a mere intermission between nightmares. The robbers returned to my house after they were dissatisfied with their loot and our mysterious disappearances. I realised that I tend to get more displeasing dreams whenever I'm back in own bedroom in Melbourne. Perhaps, its because of the clutter in this bedroom. Well, clutter (be it, literal or mental) makes people uneasy/stressed, and therefore...you get more nightmares?? (What do you guys think?)

So,I attempted to do a big spring cleaning session today. I'm basically throwing everything out I do NOT NEED. (discounting personal cards/letters/presents from friends/loved ones of course) I'm like 1/10 done...and it looks like a tornado went through my place. My only consolation is that my study table has absolutely no clutter on it. I divided my clothes into three piles - 1)clothes I currently wear 2)clothes I do not wear but might wear one day 3)clothes I'm going to donate. I'm thinking of just donation pile 2 as well. But...its hard to give/throw away those clothes. Almost every blouse I picked up had some sort of sentimental value - a blouse that reminded me of that shopping spree, that party, that dinner, that outing...I even found my first spaghetti "grown-up" top I ever bought in my life! haha...I'm definitely keeping that one and might even wear it this weekend - if I can still fit into it that is. I went through my old pile of tops and cannot believe I once could fit into those - they look more fitted for an 8 year old. Goodness.

I never liked spring cleaning - its too much work on the brain (trying to remember little details of the past) and its too physical...~!

Cousie

“WHAT?!?” he asks me as he looks at me straight in the eye.

“Nothing,” I stuttered as I quickly turned away. My brother and I exchanged glances that read, ‘what was up with that?’ I haven’t seen him for over 2 years and the vibes he is sending me now isn’t exactly positive. I wondered how he turned out to be such a rude, snobbish kid. He used to be...a normal kid I suppose.

He talks to everyone with a sense of arrogance. And definitely without a sense of respect. Yet, it wasn't my place to tell him off. I was practically a stranger to him as he was to me. I wondered whether it was his upbringing or perhaps, he was of that age when being snobbish is cool...Whatever it is, he baffled me.

He asked for my number as we left. I wasn't sure when will I be seeing him next. Or, whether he will trod down that dark alley. Who knows.

The next day, an sms came through, "Guess who? How are you doing? What are you up to?"

I replied.

And another sms came right after.

And another one.

And another one.

We exchanged about 30 smses over 2 days.

It felt strange initially. Why would he even bother keeping in contact with me. Where was the arrogance. Where was the I'm-too-cool-for-school attitude. Where was that sense of indifference. I replied each sms hesitantly but politely. I asked him questions about himself because really, he shouldn't be a stranger to me. After all, blood is thicker than water.

On the way home one evening, an sms came through, "Sorry for bothering you so often. Thanks for replying my smses. You have really lifted my spirits and given me the courage..."

Suddenly, the pieces all fit together. He wasnt that snobbish kid I pictured him to be. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Perhaps, he was trying to pull it all together and needed someone to tell him that he can do it.

Mind your England

Feb 12, 2008

BANGI, Feb 12 (Bernama) -- Parliament will not be dissolved tomorrow to pave the way for the 12th general election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today.

"No, not tomorrow," he told reporters.

Feb 13, 2008

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 13 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that Parliament has been dissolved, paving the way for the 12th general election.

Here's a tip from my humble self, stop digging your own grave by using definite, strong words such as "NOT tomorrow". That sentence could be rephrased to, "there's a very high probability that the parliament would not be dissolved tomorrow".

That way, no one will accuse you of lying =)

Myth of attraction - Realisation

The thing about us girls is that many of us walk around holding invisible checklists of what we want in a man. Some lists would have criteria such as “sporty, charismatic, intellectual, romantic” while others would have criteria such as “confident, charming, musically inclined etc” I’ve come to realise that what attracts us to a person in the first place maybe the very thing that repulses us. For example, if one likes a girl because she is submissive and of a shy nature, the person might end up being frustrated with her because she seems overly dependent and sticky. In another instance, if one likes a guy because of his confidence, his confidence might then be viewed as arrogance and cockiness. So really, when months and years pass, all that initial attractiveness may die together with the years. Perhaps the most important criteria to be found in a partner is his/her character. His/her integrity, honesty, unconditional love, etc. That will remain constant. You can’t be repulsed by your partner’s honesty. You can’t be repulsed by your partner’s unconditional kindness. You can’t be repulsed by your partner’s integrity. And so, I conclude that, though we choose our partners base on chemistry (which comes very naturally with the whole checklist), most importantly, we should base it on his/her character if you want your relationship to last.

I know its simple truth but, sometimes, simple is hard.

V day pick up lines =D

Heard on the radio yesterday,

Male: You are like my compass. Without you, I am lost.

Okay, here’s another one.

Male: Do you have a raisin?
Female: Em…no
Male: Then, do you have a date?

The best pick-up line I’ve heard recently, came from my 12 year old cousin.

“I’m sorry about my constant smses. But if we had talked more during Chinese New Year celebrations, I wouldn’t have to sms you so often”

He rocks.

Abdullah administration has been running for 4 years. Really, what has changed in the past 4 years? Tell me - cause I'm not too sure myself.

This coming election would prove to be one of the most exciting elections Malaysia has ever witness.

As a side-note, the Sunday Times published an interview with the Electoral Commission Secretary yesterday. On the question of whether there are phantom voters in Malaysia, he answered, "There are no phantom voters!" He even attempts a slapstick joke when a comment was made that in the past elections, there seem to be votes in favour of Barisan National by the dead (the votes have been rigged). He replied, "I don't see any dead zombies walking around..." haha. I vouch that Malaysian politicians and many high-profile figures provide the best entertainment.

Projecting your insecurities

Sometimes it's tough being around people who are very insecure (I guess to a certain extent, we all have our insecurities). Unconsciously, we project our insecurities onto others. For example, I have a friend called A (let’s call her A). Though I more often than not, enjoy her company, I have to admit that I never felt a 100% at ease with her. I remember picking her up once from her place. Immediately, upon ascending into my car, she exclaimed, ‘You have a huge pimple on your forehead,’ before rolling her eyes up and down my body to scrutinise me further. I looked at her and said, ‘yes, I noticed.’ This is in addition to frequent remarks of, ‘hey, you lost weight and you should eat more,’ before she rambles on about her frequent diet regime failures. At one point, I was pretty frustrated and told her that true friends do not treat friends this way. At this point, I contemplated spending less time investing in this friendship because really, it didn’t do good for my self-esteem plus it’s hard to enjoy one’s company when one is constantly scrutinised. Thankfully, she recently realised that she is indeed not fat (the opposite really) and she has finally accepted her body size.

Anyway, the point of this ramble is that I myself have my own insecurities. I realise that sometimes, I do not share someone’s joy as much as I should simply because it’s something I yearn for but do not have. I don’t really want to be a person whom other people do not really feel at ease with. There’s a lot to learn this 2008. Speaking of which, we are already in the second month of 2008. Time really flies. Seize the moment.