Happy Holiday!

Nothing brightens up a working week better than a holiday smack in the middle of it! My company very generously gave us today off to watch the installation of our new King. My expat colleague said we were smart to keep our king and not be like the French who cut off their heads so now they're sans 1 holiday! Heh!

Nevertheless, it's still going to be a busy day for me as I haven't packed nor changed my money! I don't think I've been so ill-prepared for a holiday before but well, come what may! As long as I have money in my wallet and a passport in my hand, things can't really go that badly!

Take care, I'll miss you all and my little fluffy blog. Enjoy the floggers meet tomorrow and Happy Labour Day hols too! :)

Alternative Income

The share market has been on a volatile roller-coaster recently. I can't imagine the heart attacks I'd suffer if I had a huge amount at stake. Watching the shares dip and rise will be enough to make any investor's blood pressure drop and rise as well! Don't we all wish we had all prior information on markets and stock options?!

Well, even if we can't, it pays to be a well-informed investor through options trading software. It's a powerful internet-based provider that helps investors by identifying the highest return trades. You'll be able to sort, filter and analyse all stock options and other options online to decide where best to invest. Best of all, you get to try it out free for 14 days before deciding if you'll like to purchase it.

What a great tool! Maybe this will help me on my way to fulfilling my ambition!

Dad Cooks Dinner

One of the best things about having your parents around is coming home, tired and starving, to a hot and delicious home-cooked dinner. I battled heavy traffic and wet roads yesterday and opened the door to be welcomed by the heavenly smell of sambal. Hurrah! Dad cooked dinner again!

And cook he did! We went marketing during the weekend and bought some prawns and squid. Guess who was bent over the sink cleaning them?! Needless to say my hands stank! How can something that smells so bad raw taste so good when cooked?! Dad cooked sambal prawns and squid! It was full of onions and tasted really delicious with hot, steaming rice. I'll have to learn this!

We had the sambal with one of my favourite vegetables - bitter gourd. Research has recently shown that bitter gourd has lots of medicinal properties. Dad just sauted it till it's soft with some garlic. My late grandma used to cook a mean bitter gourd dish by throwing in an egg just before it cooked to make a nice eggy gravy.

We topped it all off with a fried fish each. This was kerisi or Japanese threadfin bream which is really yummy deep-fried. Just lightly season with some salt and you're good to go! One of my favourites!

A healthy home-cooked dinners like this always makes my night!

Poor Little Dog

As the old man walked the beach at dawn he noticed a youth ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally, catching up with the youth, he asked him why he was doing this. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun. "But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish, "countered the old man. "How can your effort make any difference?"

The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to the safety of the waves. "It will make a difference to this one," he said.

My friend's neighbour keeps a dog, Biby, in his house who's only purpose is to act as a guard dog as he is chained 24 hours to the side of the wall, in the heat and rain. I recently saw Biby and he was in a terribly pitiful state. The dog was painfully thin, so much so that his ribs were protruding and his spinal bones stuck up against his thin skin. Biby's a mongrel, and not a very pretty one, but still it is no excuse for starving the poor dog.

Biby has a bowl of water, one that's hardly changed for weeks and from what we see, he's hardly ever fed. Once the owners went off for several days and not once did they spare a thought for poor Biby's welfare. Instead, my friend ended up feeding him some leftover dog food that he had because he couldn't bear to see the piteous sight. Last weekend, I fed her a stale sandwich and it broke my heart to see the way she leapt at it so eagerly and gobbled it down in 2 seconds without leaving even a crumb.

It's very sad to see her malnourished and neglected state. Biby's probably known no love, affection or warmth in his miserable life. The owner beats him sometimes when he barks too loudly at night. I don't profess to being much of an animal lover but such cruelty makes me very angry and sad. No animal deserves to be treated in such a manner. I've started keeping whatever scraps I have from dinner for my friend to feed her. And maybe the butcher in the market might be willing to spare a bone or two.

If there is a dog heaven, then I guess all dogs should be loved the same way Precious Pea and Pumpkin are treated. Unfortunately, we know this is never the case so although I can't help all ill-treated dogs out there, I hope to at least make a difference to this one. Let Easter which was just over and Wesak Day around the corner, be a reminder to show a little compassion. I hope to update an improvement on her condition soon!

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way its animals are treated."

~Mahatma Gandhi~

To Study or Not?

Things have been in a bit of a rut recently. Time seems to be ticking by too quickly for me to sort out where I'm headed. Part of me wants the fun of going back to school, doing another degree or even a post-graduate course yet the thought of buckling down to study and sleepless nights finishing assignments sends shivers up my spine!

I guess for us here where education is so expensive, doing a distance learning degree is probably one of our best bets. It'll allow us to study part-time while still earning a decent income and get the best of an international education without the additional cost. However, do your research before signing up for any online university degree. Only go with properly accredited ones like Capella University. You don't want to see your hard-earned degree not being recognised and all that time and effort just gone to nothing!

“This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.”

Bid and Win

I'm a professional internet surfer, especially when I'm bored! And in my surfing, I often discover strange and new things to try or read up on. The plethora of information, games and shopping online out there is amazing! My aimless surfing last night turned up this new Sweepstake online auction bid.

Unlike Ebay where the highest bidder wins, this interesting game awards prizes based on the lowest bidder! There's tonnes of free gifts up for grabs including plasma TVs, designer handbags, and the last I checked, a brand new 2007 Scion! One of their offer is a cash prize which I'm sure would come in handy for many of us!

It's a text-based game which is extremely user friendly. Just become a member, check out the prize you're interested in and submit your bid via a text message and if your bid is the lowest when the auction ends, you'll be the lucky winner! Happy playing!

Environment and Me

Did you watch the movie "The Inconvenient Truth"? It was a scary realisation seeing how we're hurting the environment we live in just to make more profits. Luckily, government regulations have made the big multinationals and companies put in the necessary processes for Environmental Health and Safety (EHS).

EDSG is a company which helps businesses meet their compliance through their EHS Compliance Software. They assist in analyzing the business’ requirements, identifying the gaps, designing a suitable Information System and also providing services in the EHS Software Implementation. Their compliance services include areas of risk management planning, air permitting, spill prevention planning, emergency response planning, chemical inventory management, audit program development and waste management.

The waste management services are done through their remediation services which provides speedier site cleanup of contaminants. Hopefully with technology advances and EHS Metrics Software, we can help to leave a cleaner and healthier environment for our next generation.

Dead Pixels Begone!

When we moved, we finally moved with the times and got ourselves a funky new LCD TV. It was a huge upgrade from our pokey little TV that we used to have to toggle the antenna on to get a decent reception! Unfortunately, its quality wasn't up to our expectations and we were starting to wonder if purchasing a large-screen TV was a good investment until the technician we called in recommended PixelProtector.

It's a simple DVD that'll give you optimal images from your LCD, Plasma, DLP or Projection TVs. It removes screen burn, which is caused by a specific image showing for too long in the same place, while recalibrating the pixels in your TV to sharpen your TV image. It really enhanced our picture quality and we've never regretted getting it. Best of all, it was very easy to use so even a small pink fluffy tech idiot like me could use it with great ease.

Recently, I was caught in a horrific jam on Jalan Bukit Bintang where there are several LCD screens displaying advertisements. Watching it, I noticed several dead pixels on their advertisements. Maybe they should start using PixelProtector too!

When it rains, it pours

I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of rain in my room. In a state of sleepy semi-consciousness, it is NOT a good thing to wake up to! Peering blearily up at my aircond, I noticed a steady trickle of water coming down from the unit, hitting my shopping bag of clothes which was strategically placed right under it! Should have heeded mom's words about cleaning up my room! I swear, there's nothing worse than having your weekend lie-in denied by things such as dripping airconds!

The persistent peeing from the aircond stopped after 2 days. But that also meant it was already the start of the working week which meant no more lie-ins! Then this morning after my shower, I walked into my room, switched on the light and *POP* my buggering light blew! All 3 beautiful bulbs! Now I'm hoping very hard that the electricity wasn't affected by the water from the dripping aircond! Maintenance is going to have a very big piece of my mind *shakes fist at contractors*

I need me a Bob the Builder! And a good one at that!

My Healthy Breakfast #2

So far, so good! I'm still on my healthy breakfast fix! Today's breakfast was Post Cereal's Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. I don't eat almonds but this box has been lying around for ages so I figured I better finish it before it expires.

One thing I love about this cereal is the tiny honey bunches of oats! It's tiny clusters of oats held together with honey that burst with a yummy sweetness when you chew on it. Okay, so that sugar part isn't too healthy but I'm sure cereal beats nasi lemak on the health scale!

One more strange thing about me - I only eat soggy cereal. So my cereal has to soak in the cold milk for a while till its mushy and soggy!

Silverho

My aunt recently bought a silver necklace for my cousin's birthday. I was quite surprised as generally gold is preferred over silver. According to my aunt, however, it's now a good time to buy silver as the world demand has started to exceed production which means the price is only set to appreciate in the future. In this uncertain times with the price of precious metals, oil and gas shooting through the roof, I guess she's right.

If you don't want to buy silver jewellery, Monex Deposit Company is another option which allows you to deposit in a safe storage your precious metals at an independent, reliable bank or depository. Through them, you'll be able to sell your investments at the best prices in a convenient market.

In the Mood for Love

I came across this book while browsing in the bookstore with sis and I couldn't help giggling at the title. Are there so many China-doll brides these days that we need a Chinese-English dictionary for lovers?!

Makes things quite easy eh?

You're in the mood for a little loving with your young nubile China-doll bride? Have no fear, the Chinese-English dictionary for lovers is here! Just turn to the right page and all your wishes will be met! *wink*

It's going to be a busy week ahead *boohoo* but thank goodness it'll be a short one with the Labour Day holidays to look forward to! Have a great week everyone!

Online Shopping

I was recently recommended this book called The Secret by a friend. Apparently it's quite a life-changing book so being the book-lover I am, I set out to get it only to find that it can't be found here! Sigh...I hate how books are banned here sometimes for what seems to be absolutely no reason!

Luckily a friend was overseas for travel and so a quick text message solved the book availability problem! He later told me that his colleagues in Australia had absolutely no clue where to get the book from except from online merchants! Such is the power of ecommerce software! Since he was already where online shopping is readily accessible, I got him to load up the online shopping cart with all the great deals they offered! I love their shopping cart software! It gave lots of flexibility to change the purchases and best of all, allowed me to get what I can't get here at great discounts!

Sigh, seeing all the Ozzie stuff makes me miss my student days in Australia!

Perfect Pressie

Birthdays aren't much fun anymore when you grow older. Presents are harder to get and there seems to be fewer people in your life who mean enough to celebrate with. A big cream-covered cake and a silly hat is not quite enough anymore, neither is that big cuddly soft toy all wrapped up in a bow. I've been hunting around for agood gift for the music-loving bf and my "excellent" internet research skills unveilled a perfect pressie - Concert Tickets!

Discounts are always great when you're perpetually on a budget, like me, so an opportunity to buy tickets to sold-out concerts at fantastic prices isn't something I'll pass up! It's got tickets to all the great concerts by all the new and old performers ranging from pop rock, jazz, blues, family...you name it and they have them all!

But shh...I'm trying to keep it a secret till his birthday although I'm bursting with excitement!

It's a Simple Life

Some days after a long crappy and PMS-y day at work, after being yelled at, after battling the rains and horrible traffic jams, all you want to come home to is a simple hot dinner and a nice hot shower.

And so, it was nice to come home to this - Koka instant noodles (no MSG!) with vege, fishballs, fishcake and hard-boiled egg. Don't you think sometimes in this crazy world we live in, the simplest things in life are the best?

Boot Camp - An update

Date : T-7 to Phuket

Fitness level : Zilch

Toned body : Zilch

Exercise done : Nada

I'm in serious trouble! Am 7 days, an counting down, to Phuket and I've accomplished nothing since my last Boot Camp post! I had urges to come home and trash it out in the swimming pool but where the mind is willing, the body is weak! And instead of doing my gruelling 20 laps as I should, I came home instead to dinner and telly!

Worse, our yoga session got cancelled this week so whatever little exercise I get during the week dwindled to nothing! I find it hard actually to fit in exercise on a normal workday. By the time I get home by 8, exhausted, I'm ravenous and all I want is some dinner and a hot shower! As for waking up early to fit in some exercise, alas...my gym bunny days of waking up at 5.30am to make it to the gym by 6 are long over! Looks like I'd better roll out the yoga mat this weekend! *desperately does sun salutations*

Please be nice if you chance upon a little pale beached whale on the beach!

*Note to self: Next time choose a cold holiday destination. Everybody looks gorgeous in a coat!

Take a Picture *click*

I just spent the whole weekend cataloging and organizing all my photos! What an exhausting process! Thank goodness for digital cameras nowadays. I can now take many pictures without worrying about how I look in them and organise my pictures in my computer by folders instead of all the old-fashioned way of developing and organising them into albums.

Recently, while wondering how to display some of my digital photos, I was recommended a new way of displaying photos by a friend who has tried using LCD digital frames. Paying her home a visit, I found it a really novel idea using a digital picture frame to display my digital photos. It allows us to display our digital photos without having to develop them and even allows the pictures to scroll to display different ones at different times! How exciting to have a constantly changing digital photo frame!

Guess my next weekend will be spent sorting out my digital photos to frame up next!

Salmon Steak Cafe

We paid a visit to SS15's Studentville recently. It's been at least a good 10 years since I've last stepped into that place and although icons like Lim Mee Yoke have sadly closed down due to what I suspect was competition from Asia Cafe, it was still interesting to see the little Tuna Twist cafe opposite Taylor's College going strong!

Wondering what to eat, we came across Salmon Steak Cafe and decided to give it a chance. I've passed it at night before and it's usually packed at night with students dining under the stars in its outdoor annexe. But in the daytime, they operate from their little no-frills shop. Inside reminds me of tiny Chinese restaurants I used to frequent overseas, packed wall to wall with studends and offering really cheap food. They had a list of dishes for RM5.00 including a drink of ice lemon tea which we ordered from.

I had the fried rice with fish fillet and was pleasantly surprised to see the size of the fish! The fish was what the local supermarkets sell as dory and it came wrapped in an omelette together with an eggy fried rice which was surprisingly tasty. That black splotch was a black pepper sauce which actually tasted much better than it looked and went well with the rice.

Bro had the beef fillet with the same eggy fried rice. The good-sized fillet came smothered in the same black pepper sauce and was quite tender and nice.

It's rather no-frills (look at their plates!) but for the price and portion size, who can complain?! It's RM5 deals are even available on weekends which makes it a very popular place especially with students. It is worth a try if you don't mind simple no-frills food and hanging out in StudentVille and feeling a little old amongst the 18 year olds!

Secret Poker

We had some free stays in Genting but couldn't make it due to that horrible 4-letter-word commitment - Work! I haven't been to Genting in many many years and was looking forward to checking out their theme park, enjoying whatever cool air is left and "donating" some moolah to Uncle Lim!

Since I was bitten by the poker bug, I thought of organising a home session ala Desperate Housewives and their poker session but the fear of getting caught and having my head shaved was just too scary! I'm not quite prepared to join the nunnery yet! So imagine my glee when I found out I can play poker online! And on my nifty little Mac too!

Mac Poker Online is just a poker game which makes it even better 'cos I don't need to "donate" money to anyone. It gives you links, reviews and ratings to lots of other nifty gambling sites which I had great fun trying out. Plus they even had a forum to chat with other poker-faced people too!

So no prizes for guessing what I'll be doing this weekend if you see me glued to my Mac! See you at Mac Poker Online!

Fun Tool!

I recently got a nifty new little camera and phone that can take funky videos and photos. However, most times my pictures just end up stored in my file hardly viewed or printed. What a waste of some nice shots I have! So while surfing to see how I could maximise my pictures and videos, I discovered Fliptrack!

Fliptrack is a nifty tool that allows you to create your very own music videos! It does that by matching your picture or video to a song within their library catalog, matching your image to the beats and rhythm!

Can't express yourself to that girl you like or want a unique wedding presentation? Create your own funky music video with Fliptrack and let it say what words can't! I just wonder...how many American Idol wannabes will this unleash?! Happy singing and bopping!

Funny Little Boy

I got into the lift this morning on my way down to work. It stopped at another floor and a young mother and her tiny little boy got in and this conversation took place:

Mom (M), Little Boy (LB) - Not our LB!

M: Say good morning to Aunty (AUNTY?! Me?? *splutters* What happened to che-che?!)

LB: *looks around*

M: Say good morning to Aunty! *very firm voice*

LB: *turns around to face the wall* Good morning lift

LB: Good morning wall

M: That's very rude! Say good morning nicely! *very firm*

LB: Good morning button

Me: *stifling a smile*

When they went out, I heard the mom telling the little boy, very firmly, to say good morning to the guard and look at him when he was saying it! She then told him that he was very rude in the lift and she was going to have a talk with him on this! And her little son was all but 3 or 4 years old! Well, at least I'm sure he'll grow up to be a well-mannered young man!

Free Flights...NOT!

500,000 free flights with Air Asia!

Yes, human memories are short and as Paris said, we had all forgotten the long and painful wait we endured in Bangkok. So, the travel agent of the family (aka me) was given the usual task of booking the flights *rolls eyes* My family doesn't think that I do much work!

It was supposed to go on sale at midnight last night so I got ready to stay up, harrassed everyone for their IC and passport details, wrote it all down and felt the kiasu adrenaline coursing through me. On a whim, I decided to double check my email and *pfffttttt* I deflated like a balloon. It was for the wrong travel period we were planning for! So had to tell everyone that sorry, no free tickets for Bangkok! *runs and hides in embarrassment* Luckily I'm not a proper travel agent! I don't think my customers will vote me best agent of the year!

Beautiful Backyards

I was surfing around recently for interior designing ideas and couldn't help admiring some beautiful ideas people had for their backyards and patios. Some of them have huge grand gazebos complete with cushioned chairs and fancy decorations! Others had nice Balinese designs with lots of polished heavy wood and cute ornaments.

I now live in a condo but someday if I do end up living in a landed property, I will definitely want a nice little backyard in my home, decked out with the nicest polished decking materials and a nice little splashing water feature. I can hold nice BBQ parties, deck parties or have a nice dinner out there if the weather is cool and the mosquitoes permit it! Ah, dreams will be dreams!

Russian Roulette

Welcome to the Glass Menagerie at Pantai Seafood! *cues flashing lights and music* Where we play Russian Roulette every night! Presenting the players...

So who's the "lucky" player tonight?

Will it be Turbot at RM278/kg?

Turbot: Don't bug us! At RM278/kg, we're trying to procreate more good investments!

How aboooouuuttt Scotland Clams at RM118/kg?

Scotland Clams: Bleahhh *sticks out tongue*

Maybe it's haruan at RM40/kg?

Haruan: *sinisterly slinks by*

Oysters at a cheap RM7?

Oysters: Oy! What're ya looking at?! Stop crowding us!

Lobsters at RM233/kg, perhaps?

Lobsters: What're oysters complaining about?! We're triple their value and still crowded!

Might be Snow White at RM183/kg?

Snow Crabs: Who's the fairest of them all?

Possibly even the King at RM288/kg!

King Crabs: Shh..maybe if we crouch real low they won't see us!

Or our last player - Mexican Geoduck at RM152/kg?!

Geoducks: Why do they call us obscene-looking?!

Disclaimer: No marine life was harmed in this round of Russian Roulette. Their stakes were much too high!

Pantai Seafood

So much for being in a boot camp, I had a major pig-out weekend! Fail! But I shall not torment you with how guilt-ridden I am so it's on to the good part - the food!

Bro previously sang praises of Pantai Seafood. An attempt to make a reservation on Sunday afternoon was met with the response that they were all full for the aircond section, so we had no choice but to opt for the outside which was luckily quite cool. I'm not sure how to describe where exactly it is except that it's somewhere off the NKVE in Kg. Kayu Ara. We were just starting to enjoy the idyllic view of the kampung roads we were going through when boom! We arrived at a big restaurant filled with rows and rows of cars. Popular and crowded is an understatement!

The food took quite a long time in coming and we took bets in guessing which would come out first. My guess was their signature pork knuckle since it was probably pre-cooked while sis guessed squid but they fooled us with this fried snapper. This was really something different. It was deep-fried snapper swimming in a creamy butter sauce and topped with crisp fried curry leaves and buttery bits.

Taste: Best eaten hot, it was nice and crispy. The mild-tasting sauce added an interesting flavour to it. I'm not a fan of creamy stuff but the rest liked it. We saw another table with a brownish sauce, similar to this texture and figured maybe the crispy bits are meant to be mixed together into the butter sauce.

One thing good is that when your first dish appears, you can be assured that your next few will start appearing in rapid succession! This is another signature item - two style kailan. It's deep-fried shredded kailan leaves over stir-fried stalks.

Taste: I found it a bit oily but I liked the little anchovies generously sprinkled on the top!

This is a must-have and their speciality - deep fried pork knuckle! They bring it to your table to show it off first before removing it to cut it up but if you so desire, you're free to ask them to leave it for you to tear into :)

Taste: Served with a sourish plum sauce, this was one of my favourites! It's crispy on the outside and tenderly soft inside. Delicious!

Kam heong lala was next. This was done with the bigger type of lala but to our disappointment, there wasn't much meat at all in the shells. The few mouths I took were either bits of shell or horrors..sand!

Taste: There wasn't much flavour or taste either and worse, it was cold by the time it came to our table. Thumbs down!

We've been having a hankering for sotong goreng tepung for a while already so we insisted on this despite the staff telling us everything else was deep-fried!

Taste: I was quite disappointed though to see if coming coated with thick batter. I was hoping for the thinly coated crumbly batter that the Malay stalls do so well! An unfulfilled craving leaves an unfulfilled Pinkelle!

The highlight of the night - the crabs! They recommended salt egg crabs which is supposed to be their signature dish. Signature indeed...it made up for some of the not-so-good dishes.

Taste: We had two very meaty crabs which came generously coated with salt egg. Very enjoyable and it was rather reasonable at about RM33/kg!

The bill came up to under RM40 per pax for 5 of us which wasn't too bad at all, considering the amount we ate and took away! As we were finishing, we saw a couple who had just come in. The guy asked his girlfriend to hold an empty table while he went off to place the order. She however, insisted on following him and needless to say, in a popular place like this, their table was gone by the time they came back! Tsk tsk...girls, don't attach yourself to your guy when he needs you to hold the table in a terribly busy restaurant! :p

Boot Camp

I conveniently took a week off my usual yoga lesson and almost died during class today. Couldn't hold my poses and was falling all over the place! The instructor said it was as if I was back to square one! Eeps..2 months of lessons gone down the drain just like that!

I'm horrendously unfit and despite trying to fool myself into thinking that yoga once a week constitutes some form of exercise, I think a sloth runs marathons compared to me! Sigh, why can't exercise mean my fingers flying over the keyboard at work or me walking around in the mall during lunch?!

With less than 2 weeks to go before I head for a sunny beach where some wear less than bikinis, it's Boot Camp, baby! What minimal exercises do you recommend? Preferably those that don't involve me getting on a treadmill :p

Mushroom Bruschetta

We gave mom a break this weekend and cooked up dinner for a change. Bro prepared his mushroom bruschetta as appetiser - Best in USJ, Best in KL and some say Best in London! :)

As usual, we never have ingredients when we start cooking so off it was to Village Grocer in Bangsar V. If you've never been there before, do go in and take a stroll. It's got amazingly fresh veges and herbs from all over the world and gorgeous salad mixes, right down to edible flowers!

A quick nip down to the herb garden didn't turn up any basil so the chef picked up some rosemary instead which he chopped up finely to add into his mushrooms. Saute the sliced mushrooms with garlic and a dash of good ol' salt and pepper, spoon it up on crusty slices of baguette and you have a delicious appetiser that'll leave you wanting for more!

Note: You can lightly toast the baguette slices before spooning on the mixture to give it an extra crunch. We didn't want to fire up the oven for a few slices but if you use fresh bread like how we did, it's really good untoasted too!

Bollywood Parade

Are you a fan of Bollywood movies? I used to be sort of a fan, even though I didn't understand the language! The fighting, singing and dancing scenes used to keep me company on weekends while I was doing my never-ending ironing!

There are some good ones I enjoy, especially those with Shah Rukh Khan but after watching some, I came to the conclusion that there are some essentials that make a Bollywood film - there will always be a scene in a foreign country where they burst into song and dance and the locals don't bat an eyelid; they'll always dance and sing in show-capped mountains with the girl wearing nothing more than a skirt and bra while the guy's decked out in a 3-piece suit; they always have a little entourage that appear mysteriously when it's song and dance time; they all carry guns and have dramatic fights, one hero can take on 100 men with guns and knives and win and finally, the hero never loses his cool nor nice hairdo although he's been fighting for the girl!

Nevertheless, it was still nice to discover Bollywood DVDs on sale! At least it'll provide hours of cheap entertainment while I iron!

Onions make me cry

So it's tough to peel off the layers! But since Soo Yin's always so sweet about doing my tags, here it goes, just the thing to relax a bit with after a rough week!

Part 1: on the outside
Name : I'll answer to Pink Elle! Pink because I like pink and glitter and Elle because I can be a little like Elle Woods in Legally Blonde - fluffy, peeenk with "blonde" moments!
Date of birth : 28 September
Current status : Unmarried
Eye color : Dark Brown
Hair color : Dark brown with hint of leftover highlights
Right or left handed : Righty
Zodiac : The wonky scales - Libra

Part 2: on the inside
My heritage : 100% Hokkien girl who speaks it with a funny accent
My fear : Losing the ones I love
My weakness : Not knowing what I want (blame it on the scales)
My perfect pizza : Thin crust, the thinner the better

Part 3: yesterday, today & tomorrow
Your first thought waking up : I wish it was Saturday
Tomorrow : is Saturday! Yippee!
Your bedtime : 12-ish
Most missed memory : My childhood and Uni years

Part 4: your pick
Pepsi or coke : Don't really drink soft drinks but Vanilla Coke's nice :)
McD or burger king : Burger King. Their burgers feel less commercialised
Single or group dates : Single. I'm an introvert.
Adidas or Nike : Nike..I'm fluffy, I subscribe to the Nike good commercials :p
Lipton tea or nestea : Neither
Chocolate or vanila : Depends
Cappuccino or coffee : Don't drink either

Part 5: do you..
Smoke : Hate it
Curse : Can't bring myself to say the f-word but manage its variations :D

Part 6: in the past month
Drank alcohol : Nope
Gone to the mall? : Work too close to one
Been on stage : Nope, introvert remember?!
Eaten sushi : Yep

Part 7: what were you doing
1 minute ago : Changing the colour of those damn headers :p
1 hour ago : Scrambling like a stressed mad monkey
4 1/2 hours ago : Working through lunch (no lunch!!)
1 month ago : Laughing at this little man
1 year ago : Can't remember so far back :p

Part 8: finish the sentence
I love : Travels and holidays...bring them on!
I feel : The stress slowly seeping out of my bones
I hate : Small-hearted hypocritical imps
I hide : My feelings not very well
I miss : The time when people around me were nicer and less complicated
I need : A maid to clean and iron. Oh and a massage!

Part 9: tag five people
Hmm..this is the hard part. Dunno how many of you have done but hopefully not yet!

Paris
Angie
Ms Fair Face
Tummythoz
Erm..anyone else?

Friday the 13th

It's Friday! Hooray! Happy Friday the 13th and, even if you're not superstitious, do look before you leap! :)

I'm Craving For...

Fried ice-cream! I first tried this wonderful dessert when I was a student in Melbourne. A good friend brought me to Chinatown and promised me the most delicious dessert ever! After a huge fried chicken rice meal (I miss the portion sizes there!) the waiter brought these two little round brown gems. Tasting it for the first time, I never knew what ecstacies I've missed! It's crispy hot from the fryer on the outside and cold creamy on the inside! I don't know what batter they used but it leaves a delicious buttery taste in your mouth which is simply divine with the cold ice-cream!

I thought that first encounter would be my last as I didn't know where they sold it here. I've recently, though, caught tantalising glimpses of it at the SS2 pasar malam though I never tried it. Sometime back, we decided to give a small neighbourhood Hong Kong eatery, Star Hong Kong Cafe, in USJ 9 a try and lo and behold! On their menu was the exact same fried ice-cream! It was like a reunion with a loved one and it was just as heavenly as I remembered it!

Do give it a try if you come across this elusive gem! :)

Off to Find a Kahuna

My little cousin made me watch Lilo & Stitch recently for the hundredth time. This time, instead of watching the little blue alien, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Hawaii looked even in a cartoon. Surfing online, I found it to be an amazing island filled with beautiful beaches, huge surfs, a melting pot of culture, great food and gorgeous kahunas or surfer dudes! ;)

And to make it even more tempting, I found that Hawaiian Beach Rentals handpicks first class service environmentally friendly resorts in Kauai and Hawaii! I was very pleased to know they were encouraging ecotourism as too many resorts today spoil the beauty of the beaches and islands they are built on. This way, the damage to Kauai and Hawaii will be greatly reduced and we can continue to enjoy the beauty for many more years to come!

So who's coming with me? I'm off to find myself a kahuna!

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

Government Agencies

Recently I had to make a trip to a Government agency to sort out some matters. This is what I experienced:

Plus:

• Having a receptionist to find out what you want and press one of the many buttons there to guide you to the right counter.
• Having enough chairs to sit on.
• Having aircond and telly while you wait.
• Polite staff who did greet me with a smile. Looks like the campaign has worked! The days of surly Government staff are dead!

Minus:

• Whatever button the receptionist pressed didn't make much difference to me. The numbers weren't moving in sequence and until I left, I couldn't for my life figure out how the numbers were rotating!
• Screaming children running all over the place and crawling around on the dirty floor.
• At least 20+ counters out of which only half or less were open. They should go out for lunch earlier knowing that most people would come in during lunch to settle their matters.
• And my biggest rant - Having to wait for more than an hour just to submit my form and be thumb-printed for a simple change in personal details! Why can't we just be a little more technology savvy and allow changes to be made through the website?! After all, if people today conduct all sorts of transactions over the Internet, why still stick to the old-fashioned way of thumb-printing just for procedure's sake?!

I heard too that to register for tax e-filing this year means making a trip to the tax office. If I'm going to make a trip there, what's the point in me doing e-filing then?! *shakes head*

My List

*This is not a sponsored post*

When I started learning about Payperpost and others, I found that most blogs that gave tips on monetizing were mainly foreign-owned. So when Paris told me about this new thing launched by a local blogger, it was a very refreshing change indeed.

And recently, Daryl came up with this funky new concept to help all Malaysian bloggers gain links which will help them increase their exposure and rankings! How wonderful especially if you're a struggling blogger like me desperately trying to gain a small foothold in the blogging scene! It's something that'll benefit all Malaysian bloggers, whether new, young, old and not just the famous or celebrity ones. So if you're interested to find out more, moosey over to his page here where he details what you need to do. Hey, if me and my fluffy small brain could understand the instructions, so can you! :)

Presenting...the first batch of My List blogs which have been given the honour of rolling this out:

Earn Money Blogging
PabloPabla's Whatever
Make Money with blogging
Paris Beaverbanks
Free Links Giveaway
Free Blogger Templates
Blogsreview.Net
Making a Living
5xmom
How to be a Better Blogger
My Women Stuff
Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food
Best Recipes
Champagne Tastes on a Beer Budget
Daryl's Discovery Journey
The fluff must go somewhere

Indian Delights

I was tortured yesterday by Lemongrass' delicious Indian lunch that left me with a terrible urge for banana leaf! You see, no one ever wants to take me for banana leaf lunches as they claim I'll be a waste of money since banana leaf rice comes with unlimited helpings of rice and vege! I've been lucky to grow up with a dad who absolutely loves Indian food so after looking at all of Lemongrass' drool-inducing pictures, it was really nice to come home to find that dad had bought Indian food for dinner!

We really like this stall's fried chicken but yesterday, there was only 1 left so dad bought a piece of fish to supplement it. The fried chicken was a bit hard as it was already quite late but it's really delicious when eaten there and a steal at RM2 for a drumstick!

So since they were out of fried chicken, we had this little fried chicken pieces too. I'm not sure what they're called but they looked like they were marinated in tandoori mix before frying as they had that distinctive red hue. I found bits of curry leaf in it too. This is seriously addictive stuff! The chicken are in delicious little bite-sized pieces that's nicely flavoured and dry.

A nice bowl of mutton curry rounded it off. It was a pretty big portion but went down well since it's a firm favourite! This was well-cooked, one of the better mutton curries I've had. The meat was well-cooked and filled with flavour, it didn't take jaws of steel to eat them!

And to combat the heatiness of the meats and soothe our guilty conscience, a big plate of stir-fried vegetables with fresh shitake mushrooms.

Really good but oh...so filling! Not the best thing to have before a couch potato night with Desperate Housewives! :p

BloggerWave Goes Live

Recently, I found that Payperpost has stopped giving opportunities for blogspot bloggers. Since they never wanted to approve my blog, I stopped trying after a while. However, a new site called Bloggerwave caught my attention while I was surfing.

It's the newest thing to join the monetizing bandwagon and unlike some other sites, Bloggerwave welcomes bloggers from all sites, whether free or your own domain. Signing up your blog is easy and I got mine approved within the very same day! They've finally gone live and are actively looking for bloggers who are interested in making some money and participating with them.

So if you've been discouraged by some other sites out there, go give Bloggerwave a try and see how you can start monetizing your blog too!

I'm a Woman...

Hear me RAWR!

Monday didn't start too well. Couldn't find my parking pass, turned the whole house upside down looking for it and got scolded terribly by dad for being forgetful. I swear my brain has deteriorated drastically! I'm becoming such a scatter brained bird.

Anyway, it being a dreary Monday, I dolled up nicely this morning to cheer myself up a little. Wore my nice flair black skirt and my nice little pink jacket, both of which I've never worn before! Spent some time doing up my face which I've neglected for a while and put on my squeeky shoes (heh..haven't gotten round to finding a pair I like yet!)

Came into the office and my colleague beamed and said, "You're looking VERY elegant today!" Woot! :)

I love compliments and this unexpected one definitely made the day a little brighter! *grin* Sue me, but I'm a woman! We were made to be complimented!

Busty Issues

Lots of jokes are made about women's bust sizes and men even have their own rating for them! What they don't realise though is how cumbersome it can be sometimes for a woman who's trying to shop for something nice. A friend is quite well-endowed and here, where everyone seems to be tiny with equally small busts to fit, she always laments how difficult it is to find something nice to fit her. She's not big-sized but because she can't find something that fits well around her bust, she ends up having to buy clothes in larger sizes which ends up hanging on the rest of her slim frame.

However, recently when I met her, she was dressed in a lovely dress that fitted her beautifully in all the right places. Excitedly, she whispered her little secret - Styles for the Busty Woman! It's a new online store with unconventional sizes that caters for average built but busty women. My friend now has a brand-new wardrobe which makes her feel like a million dollars!

LoudLaunch - Compensating bloggers for their unbiased opinions, reviews, and analysis. View the LoudLaunch campaign release this post was based on.

How to take a train...

In Boleh-land during rush hour.

• First get to the station and hope very hard that you haven't missed the nearest train. Otherwise the arrival of the next train will probably be anyone's guess.
• Hope very hard you've picked a vantage point and the doors will open right in front of you. According to Murphy's Law, it will not.
• Do not queue. Nobody does. Shove your way to the door and ignore the poor passengers who are struggling to get out.
• Once in, scramble wildly for seats which again according to Murphy's Law, there will not be any available.
• Grab on to something when the train starts to move but the tightly packed bodies should keep you upright anyway.
• If you're a lady, hope that you're not near a lecherous man who gets a thrill of having some form of bodily contact with you.
• Hope the people around you have showered or at least used some perfume.
• Hope no one around you decides to release some foul-smelling bodily odours!
• Hope again that the train does not shudder to a stop in between stations due to congestion of the train lines.
• Finally, do enjoy your train ride :)

Kamikaze Bugs

My office room's recently been plagued by this slew of little bugs or as my expatriate colleague charmingly puts it - little animals. They're tiny, they're toony and they're a little loony...heh...well, they're indeed tiny but damn irritating!

They fly around my line of vision at lightning speed, darting away before you can smack them. Then they fly around my computer screen, irritating me to no end. The worst is when I leave my drink unattended for a while. When I next pick up my cup, I'll see a tiny bug curiously peeping over the rim, surveying its contents. And sometimes, I get kamikaze bugs, dive-bombing themselves into my cup! It irritates me to no end and the pest control people who come around every month can't seem to do anything either!

They seem to have invaded my home as well! Recently, we forgot to take the garbage out for a couple of days and when we opened the bin, a cloud of these little animals flew out! I believe they're fruit flies who apparently live for only a day or two. No wonder they try to make the most of their short little lives by bugging their giant human hosts!

Clicking Cleaner

I just had my lunch of that horrid fried rice and was enjoying the peace and quiet of an empty office when I heard little clicking sound - just like a camera phone.

Puzzled, I peeped out through the glass walls of my room and, lo and behold! The cleaner whom I let in a while ago was standing at our pantry taking pictures with her camera phone. Bemused, I watched, unnoticed, as she proceeded on to the toilet to take more pictures. As I couldn't see very clearly, I wasn't sure if she was taking pictures of our pantry and toilet or whether she was camwhoring!

It did put a smile on my face though and made me appreciate a little of what our modern office had. There could be some people back from where she came from ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the nice stuff we are lucky to get here. Either that or maybe they'll be laughing at how spartan our office looks in comparison to their cushy one! ;) There are always two possibilities!

Nasi Goreng Kampong

After a busy morning, I was really hungry by lunch but didn't want to go down to the food court to pack lunch. A short minute or two in there leaves you coming out smelling like the food court itself! Luckily a colleague was going down so I got her to pack me some nasi goreng kampong which I've been craving for a while. So much for attempting to be healthy!

She came back with this. When I opened it, my heart sank. Firstly, I hate my food liberally sprinkled with tonnes of fried onions. I don't mind fried onions in small quantities for flavouring but I hate the sweetish commercial types which this was. The fried ikan bilis wasn't fresh and the rice was quite empty except for 2 tiny pieces of chicken that were so small, I mistook them for pieces of garlic at first!

Grrrr...don't you just hate it when your cravings aren't filled?! I sulkily attempted to eat about 1/3 of it before giving up. Not only was it oily, it didn't have any taste sans fried onions.

And that won't be the only reasons why I won't be buying anymore food from that stall. As I was uploading my photos, I discovered something I didn't see on the pack itself!

*pukes* I think, or rather hope, it dropped off after I took the photo and before I started eating! *shakes fist at stall owner*

All My Bags are Packed!

The great deals on Disney World tickets jolted the travel bug in me wide-awake. It's time to plan another vacation!

I'm a real wanderlust. I often try to go for at least a big holiday once a year, with some small ones in between, depending on what good deals I can get. However, the problem I tend to find with holidaying in Europe, Australia or US are the cost of the hotels. In Asia, I get to enjoy fantastic 4-5 star rooms for a price which will get me a tiny pokey hotel room in any of the Western countries.

So while researching Disney World, it was nice to stumble across some Orlando hotels offering great deals and discounts on their hotel rooms and vacation homes! Staying within Orlando would help me save heaps on travel to the theme parks (52 in that area!) and beaches and golf courses which are only 40 minutes away! They not only offer great deals on accommodation but car rental, vacation packages and theme park tickets too!

Time to pack our bags...we're off to Disney World! :)

Pudu Pan-Mee

I recently took you on a little tour of Pudu for delicious soup. Now, to introduce it's neighbouring pan-mee stall! It's right next to the soup stall and I usually end up ordering pan-mee too while having soup. Got to kill two birds with one stone since Pudu isn't that close by!

It's manned by this husband and wife team and they do a brisk business to both their own customers and the soup customers who don't mind something extra soupy! They only have one version - soup but you can have the option of either hand-cut pieces or long noodles. I prefer the hand-cut ones. It tends to leave it with a rough, uneven texture that makes good chewing!

A bowl comes piping hot with lots of vegetables, pan-mee pieces, mushrooms and lean pork slices and topped with a handful of crispy anchovies. The meat and mushrooms have been pre-cooked in a savoury gravy which adds a nice flavour to the soup.

I find that it makes a nice dinner if you're looking for something light. Then again, I am quite the pan-mee fan! Do give it a try if you are ever in that area!

Who's Weird?

Paris B twisted my arm in doing this meme! Paris - how come your meme has 10 things?! The ones I saw were only 5! A friend recently called me weird so okay, I guess it's partly confirmed then! So *scratches head*, here goes 10 things that are different about me:

1. I don't like amusement park rides.
2. I'm guilty of anthromorphism - I talk about my stuffed toys as if they're human with emotions and feelings! ;p
3. Nutrilite daily vitamins make me throw up, so does spirulina in any form.
4. I have to floss every night.
5. I'm partly obsessed about cleaning the kitchen sink after I've washed up.
6. I get sudden cravings for certain foods and will eat it everyday until I get real sick of it.
7. I burn my bridges sometimes.
8. I have the attention span of a goldfish and get bored really easily. My many half-finished little projects are testimony to that!
9. I'm usually quiet and reserved unless you know me really well which leads many to assume that I'm really unfriendly.
10. I can't tell left from right :p

Now who shall I tag next?! Hmm...

Soo Yin - you up for another? I always tag you cos you mentioned you like doing them! Just yell at me if you're tired! :p

Angie - Here you go! :)

Alan - how about another meme? ;)

Dreams Can Come True

I caught clips of Disney World's 15th birthday bash on telly last night. 15 grand years already and poor ol' me still hasn't even stepped a toe, what more a foot in the place where magic comes alive! Blame it on the terribly high cost of getting there, visa issues and the steep tickets.

Doing some research, I found that their tickets cost a whooping US$63 to US$229 for one-day to five-day passes! And that's not even including the food or Disney stuff I know I'll buy - Everyone needs a pair of Mickey Mouse ears! So I was pleased as punch when I found Discount Disney Tickets which promise the lowest prices and the best service for Disney World and all Orlando theme parks and attractions including Universal Studios! That has always been on my must-visit list! And best of all, for foodies like me, it offers great deals on themed dinner shows where I've heard both the food and entertainment is good!

Hurrah! Now, maybe my dreams can come true too!

My Healthy Breakfast

It was one of my New Year's resolutions to eat healthier this year. However, it didn't quite help when I discovered a stall at the food court selling the most delicious fried beehoon for breakfast. The Malays called it Singapore Beehoon and it's beehoon that's fried with fishcake, lots of veges and a very healthy dose of black pepper, giving it a spicy tang that's quite out of this world in the mornings!

After falling off the healthy wagon, I've decided to pick myself up again and give it another go at a healthy breakfast! So, 3 days a week when dear dad's here, we wake up to a bowl of hot, tummy-filling and cholestrol-lowering Quaker Oats. He mixes it with powdered milk before adding hot water so we get our calcium intake in one shot.

This was my bowl this morning. I usually add half a banana (the other half goes to my unwilling bro who apparently hates bananas in his oats!) and for an extra treat today, I topped it off with a handful of raisins to give it some sweetness as we don't add sugar to the oats.

Well, oats definitely last longer in my tum compared to anything else I eat for breakfast so it does help me curb mid-morning snacking and after a while, it doesn't taste that as cardboardy as I thought it would. I'll try a drizzle of honey and maybe some fresh fruit next for some variety. If nothing else, at least I feel psychologically a little healthier!

My Arm's Alive!

Recently, my right arm's been feeling funny. There's this perpetual ticklish and thingling feeling in it that makes me want to stretch it to the max or to reach out and smack someone! :p It feels a little like pins and needles or something that needs a good, long stretch but yet stretching it doesn't help at all! And it gets worse when I'm in certain yoga positions that require me to be curled up.

I've never gotten this feeling before and I don't know why it's only in my right arm. It's been feeling really weird and it's especially bad when I'm at work typing away. It feels like it's raring to go! Maybe it might be useful for people I don't like :p

Help! What should I do?!

A house to have and hold

I knew my childhood years were over when I found myself signing on the dotted lines of a home mortgage. Goodbye innocence, hello cruel adult world! It's ironical how a house can be the most expensive thing you'll ever buy in your lifetime and yet the steps of buying a home is just the beginning. Looking at the various home loan options available in the market was mind-boggling, to say the least but hopefully I ended up with a decent package which has made my dream of being a tai-tai pretty hazy!

Googling loans, I found that our loan market here isn't as sophisticated as the UK. Their loans are termed endowment mortgages where an insurance policy covers the principle of the loan to ensure that you can meet the principle when it falls due. However, some got burnt when their endowments weren't enough to cover the principle amount due to rising interest rates and inflation. So the good British Government stepped in to legislate an endowment policy selling service which allows them to sell their endowment policies for up to 35% more than insurance companies would buy it back for!

While the second part of the deal about not having enough money wasn't very good, I found the insurance concept rather interesting. I believe some insurance companies here have started a similar system except in our case, the policy protects by only kicking in if you have lost your ability to pay the loan due to death or permanent disability.

It's a sobering thought sometimes about how short a time we actually have to earn our money that's supposed to support our dependents and ourselves till we depart. Scary...looks like I'd better keep my nose to the grindstone now instead of blogs!