Monday, December 25, 2006
ANNOUNCEMENT: We're Moving!
So this will be our last post on blogger.com. We wld like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been reading and hope we'll continue to get your support. So head on to the new website for updated info on our journey through life with Max!
Signing off.
Dav, Steph & Max
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Another surprise!!
According to him, he was in a shopping frenzy when it was time to fly home. So he went ard the airport and started looking for stuff to buy. Since I am kinda crazy abt butterfly, he thought it wld be nice to get me another one. He also bought my parents tea leaves and chinese biscuits.
Thanks babe! *muak*
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Jumbo Sushi!
Went out dinner with some friends at Rakuzen, Plaza Damas. One of my friend ordered Jumbo sushi for starters.. check out the size!! The waiter 'warned' us about the size but we thought we could finished it. And thus we each ordered our very own bento set.
Check it out! Its as big as my palm! We couldnt finish everything. Tapau home abt 4 sushi I think. One will make u very very full!
We tried something new for dessert. Instead of the normal green tea / black sesame ice-cream. We had peach ice cream wrapped in rice skin. Very very nice indeed. Not too sweet, with just a hint of peach after taste. 2 thumbs up!
Double blow
Dav cant get tickets to Santiago, Chile.
We're not going to Cameron Highlands for short holidays.
What can be worse than not being able to spent quality time together. Just have to make do with the time we have now.
Black toe nails
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Nigella Lawson
Personally I dont really like her... (maybe cos Dav thinks she's a hottie!). But Dav said all guys thinks that a lady who can cook is sexy. Then I started calling a few guy friends of mine (3 to be exact). The response was:
- Who is Nigella?
- She's ok. Quite sexy
- She's ok. Two thumbs up if she loss abit of weight
Obviously there's some mix response. So, I've decided to do a poll on this. Please vote and see what the majority thinks (see sidebar).
What to do...
Dav has been busy as ever... only got time for me during dinner & wkends. Sigh.. looks like our trip away might not happen after all.
To occupy my time, I've been going to facial, spa, looking for a place to sell old books. It's funny how I cant find a single place who buy second-hand/ old books. Anyone who knows please tell me! I dont want to throw away my books. Dav suggested that donating the books to library. Well, I wanna see if I can sell it for some cash. Donation will be the last resort.
Went to see a doc yesterday morning. Had a 'bump' on my right index finger since I got back from Australia (thats like more than 1 month ago). It was starting to hurt and irritates me! So spent 45 mins waiting for my turn at bloody 830am!!! The doc took 5 mins examining the 'bump'. Then he asked me to go to the next room for further examination. Then he put my finger under a big magnifying glass and started taking out his 'tools'. He didnt even tell me wat the hell he awas gonna do. Next thing I know, he took out a needle, swap some alcohol on the finger and started poking the 'bump'. After a few poke, he showed me the needle, which contain some foreign item. It's actually a splinter!! Imagine I had a splinter in my finger for SOOOO long.. sigh.. anyway, all is good with my finger now.
Since I am so free, after the doc visit, I decided to cook lunch for Dav. Off I went to Giant to do some grocery shopping. The weather was abit funny these few days. It has been grey and rainy. Report came out today that there's been floods in Johor & Malacca (Cat, hope ur family is ok).
Off I went shopping for groceries and snacks for Dav. Before I knew it, I took quite alot of items. I cooked meatball pasta with angel hair spaghetti (my fav!). Fortunately he liked it.
For dinner, it was ham sandwich with french bread, Dav's fav. I added an extra ingredients to his normal sandwich, hard-boil egg. It looks abit messy, but sure is tasty.
I'll let the pictures tell the story now.
Rainy days.
My own masterpiece
Yummy!
A sign that he enjoyed the food! hehehehe
Monday, December 18, 2006
Book Store
How did I spent the one hour? First section was spent looking for a novel. Didnt find any 'attractive' book (I judge the book by its cover-hahaha). Then I saw Cat's fav author - Maeve Binchy. She has two new books! I remember my first Maeve's book was on loan from Cat while we were still housemates in Adelaide. Alrighty, one potential book to get!
Next, cooking section. There seems to THOUSANDS & THOUSANDS of recipe book. Unfortunately Cat, there's only one Nigella's cookbook- the one on dessert. Since i've not even master the art of cooking mains, dont think it's a good idea to go into dessert yet. Fine.. then found lots of Jamie's book. I gave up looking for one after like 10mins. I've decided to resort to the free, easily available internet to look for recipe! Yes, I'm cheapsake! hahahahah
After these two sections, I found myself surrounded by travelling books. Good! Perhaps a book on Chile to prepare myself. So I sat down and read Lonely Planet and another traveller's guide.
Seems like Chile is a must safer place than the rest of the Latin American countries. Virtually no corruption and the MOST interesting fact about this country is that, its current president is a FEMALE!
Wow! what a shocker... especially in a male dominated culture country... it's very interesting indeed. Unfortuatntely all guides seem to point out a fact that there's nothing much to do in the capital Santiago (which is where I'll be stationed for 3 wks). If I wan to have a look at the country, I'll hv to travel out of the capital. hmm.. tempted but no time. I know I shld take time off after the 3 wks to travel ard, but unfortunately I have to head home to process my Japan visa for the CNY family holiday! sigh.. so much choices but limited time. Will just hv to make do with the time I have while i'm there.
So, it's very much just Santiago and around!
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Sammy not coming to town
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Flu bug - Bugging me!
I think I spoke too fast when I told my friends that this year has been a good year to me cos I've not been down with a major flu as frequent as previous year. Then I thought maybe it's due to the flu jab that I took in Jan/Feb. I SPOKE TOO SOON!
I've been sick for 3 weeks liao! I'm soooooo frustrated!
Doctors reader out there.. can you please tell me what to do??? I've tried the following:
- sleep (3 times a day)
- vitamin c (i take redoxon every morning)
I'm trying to avoid taking antihistamine.... thinking the natural way will make me recover faster... but I'm sadly been proven wrong again. I might just head to the pharmacy tmrw to get some medicine....
Exercise
Today, Dav & I finally went for a walk/ hike up Kiara Hill. Yes even though my nose still has water flowing down uncontrollably. Total distance of the walk is abt 4km. I think it took us about 45 mins to complete the walk. Mind you, its just not walking on flat ground. The walk consists of numerous 'hills' (ie uphill & downhill).
I used to frequent Kiara Hills quite abit few years ago, with a buddy of mine. While we were walking up, it occured to me that, I used to be quite active. Whether it was playing badminton, going to Gasing Hills or Kiara Hills. Then out of a sudden, I just became lazy.
And of course with the travelling, its kinda hard to maintain a stable routine. And due to this, I've put on quite abit of weight!! I think it's time to seriously think about getting back in shape!
Friday, December 15, 2006
It's Official!
My holiday starts today!
Been thinkin what I should do for the next 2 weeks. All ideas are welcomed!
Currently have the following in mind:
- SLEEP! this is very important, as i need plenty of sleep to recover from my flu/ sinus
- Organise wkend away with Dav
- Help Dav get his Chile tickets
- Read
- Get new cook book (Cat, will let you know soon on the title. I'll also check out Nigella & Jamie's books if they have it here)
- Help my sis sell her un-wanted books (I might add mine to the pile)
- Work on this blog's template. (It kinda sucks at the moment - DULL!)
- Catch up with friends
- Help my elder sis move house
That's about it I think...
Face Lift
I'm having problems with the side bar. Although the template settings allow me to put in the blog's owners' profile. It doesnt seem to show... anyone knows how to fix this? hahahahah
So, got a new toy. Check out the pics...
The box Apple box. Nicely 'protected'. When dav asked me to closed my eyes and guess by touching, I thought it was a watch! Cos the box very similar to watches box.
Quite a wrong guess!
Check out the size of this ipod shuffle!!! Btw, that's Dav's palm. He's my model for this post. heheheh It takes about 4 hours to fully charge this little bugger. Some info on the specs :
Capacity - 1Gb Holds up to approx 240 songs
Comes with a docking station
Charges through USB (need to buy AC adaptor)
Costs approx RM 300 (converted from HKD)
He shocked me alrite! When asked why a gift? He said he liked it and want to see how it works... so he bought it for me. Also, he said since I travel so much, it's more convenient to carry a smaller player compared to my 'dinasour' ipod.
Very sweet of him!
Look at the remaining photos and tell me if you disagree that its a BLOODY SMALL player! :P
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
New toy, new toy!!!
I've got a new toy! Dav just got back from HK and bought me a new toy! He surprised me with the 'world's smallest digital music player'! It the brand new Ipod Shuffle!
Ok.. haven't got the time to 'play' around with it... will tell more some other day.
Yipee!!!
p/s: Its sooo small, its like a money clip!
Monday, December 11, 2006
Odd
Didnt do much over the wkend. The only highlight is I cleaned my room! This time the cleaning took much less effort, cos I've already (a) cleared by cupboard of old, un-wearable old clothes, (b) organised all my junk, (c) did last cleaning abt 1 month ago, since i'm hardly in, there's less dusts.
There's another highlight... I played mahjong on a sunday nite until 1am !! And loss about RM 40. sigh.. my friends consoled me by telling me to treat it as tuition fees as I do not how to play it well enough compared to my competitors! But we had great fun... :)
ps: Just found out a friend got engaged! Congrats Eric & Minnie...
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Its the weekend
Took my colleagues out to Shangri-la Lemon Garden for dinner yesterday and guess what.. of all the days, I choose the day EY have their AD&D... like the tradition for the past 3 yrs, they have theirs AGAIN this year in Shang. So not only I put myself into the risk of running into my ex-boss(s), ppl might think that I did it purposely.
Anyway, alot of my friends have left EY since last year. So when I drop by to say hi to those who still remains, I found out there's actully ALOT more newbies. That is the natural 3-yr cycle of working in an audit firm and obtained your professinal qualification. If you're wondering, I did not say hi to my ex-boss(s).
On the happier note, dinner was GREAT! My colleagues have been to Lemon Garden before and they told me that there is actually a chocolate fountain in the cafe... so that's when I told them they hv to absoloutely take me there! If you dont know, the cost of the buffet is quite EX! Thus we waited until we have a team dinner so that everyone get to hv good food! hahahahah
Check out the fountain! 5 stories high man... you have a selection of marshmallow, strawberries, grapes, etc to dip into the chocolate fountain. I had a few marshmallows & strawberries... ABSOLUTELY HEAVEN!
We had alot of fun joking with each other... and we cant seem to stop ourselves from using Borat's fav line - 'Wa Wa Wee Wa! It's very nice!' .... we used it at every opportunity we can.. even when we had conference call with our boss! hahahahah This is one of the fun audit to be in. Esp when you hv a russian auditor who can tell a joke with a straight face!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Sammy coming to town!
Anyway, this will not be our first meeting this year. I've seen her twice this year in Spore (from my business trip). But it will be better this time cos I'll be on leave when she's here! That means, no work, no stress, just hang out!
On another note, Dav will be heading to HK on business trip this Sunday for a few days. Both of us have definitely been travelling quite abit this year for work. Not sure whether it's a good thing or not. But definitely it gave us alot of opportunity. I'm sure Dav would agree with me.
Come to think abt it, you would think that from all these travelling for work, I would want to stay at home when I get the opportunity. But no.... finally next year I'll be able to join my family again for the annual Chinese New Year family holiday! This time we'll be heading to Hokkaido, Japan! What initially planned as a whole family trip (that means elder sis, bro-in-law & even Jas who's based in Liverpool now) has now turned into just 5 of us cos my elder sis is expecting. I wonder when will be ever have the opportunity to go on holiday as a WHOLE... perhaps another time.
Although I'm already an adult, I'm always looking forward going on holiday with my parents. Some ppl would think that it's restricting, not fun, boring, etc. To me, its always a fun trip. Dunno why, but I dont feel the restrictions. On top of that, we've been doing this ever since I was 13! I believe I'm not the only one who feels like this, if not Jas wont travel all the way home just to join us. Its perhaps my parents still treat us like little kids... ie buy us wat we want, go where we want. I just cant describe 'that' feeling. hahahahah
I just feel very fortunate that I've got the best parents anyone ever could wish for!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Looking forward to holidays
I'm still sick.... dunno why the fly bug keeps coming back for more.... I'm sick until my own team members have to kicked me out of the office and send me home to rest. I think Ijust need more rest & sleep. That's why cant wait for my 2 wks break after next week. Plus a friend from Spore will be visiting for the wkend!
So last wkend, Dav & I cooked the egg salad and salmon fillet. It didnt turn out as nice as Cat's. Actually it didnt turn out good at all. Althought it was still edible, it's not really up to standard. Well its mainly my fault cos I didnt read the instructions properly. Didnt know I need an oven to cook the salmon (I dont hv oven at home). Then I dont hv a non-stick pan (my salmon skin was all burnt and stuck to the pan). Lastly I didnt hv proper rosemary.. I opted to get those bottled ones.
So the outcome was quite disasterous... Dav would disagree. He actually love the half cooked salmon. My sis didnt like it at all.. it was too 'fishy'. However, the egg was good. Bought bacon strips to serve with the egg salad. So that was an instant hit. You can never go wrong with bacon. :)
That was last week's attempt at cooking. Dav thought that I will never continue on trying.. but I'll prove him wrong! hehehehe
I got good news! I've been sent to Chile to do some work in Jan 2o07. Will be there for abt 3 wks. And wats great abt this trip is that Dav have decided to tag along too! It will be the first time both of us step on South America soil! Cant wait!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Romantic dinner - In the car
Not only did it rain... it became a STORM, together with wind, thunder and lighting!!! So, u can imagine the amout of water pouring down... n we didnt have umbrella in the car. We drove home anyway and sat in the car, hoping it is a passing rain. After 10 mins, we realised it will take a while before the rain subside.
So we're stuck in the car, and HUNGRY. Cant get out.. will be too wet. Not ideal especially I'm trying to recover from my flu & cough. Then Dav came out with a brilliant idea!
He suggested that we make our sandwich in the car and eat. And that's wat we did! Hahahahah Good lighting, nice atmohsphere... good food. So we spent abt 30 mins in the car eating after which the rain was not as heavy anymore.
There's always a first for everything!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
New receipe
1. Return of the egg salad with bacon (pg 35)
2. Pan-roasted salmon with purple sprouting brocolli and anchovy-rosemary sause (pg 212)
Reason for choosing these to cook is because
a. My younger sis loves egg salad and she has requested for the egg salad
b. Dav love to eat fish
So Cat, will be waitin for your review!
Seawind
If you're wondering if BAT Malaysia has one... the answer is NO!
So, BATS has a boat... and they are NOT the only BAT company who owns a boat. BAT Australia also owns a boat!!!!!! So imgaine how excited I was when I was told that the audit team has been invited to take a sunset harbour cruise on the company boat, with dinner served on board! The name of the Aussie boat is 'Seawind'. By now, I'm already SOOOO impressed with the company! hahahahahah
The boat can sit ard 15 - 20 ppl. Its not a very big boat.. but the size is kinda good. Not too small or too big. There's actually a permanent skipper who manage the boat. Whoever books the boat can also request for catering (like us, we had dinner on board) and we get unlimited supply of drinks. The cruise takes about 3 - 4 hrs depending on the weather condition. It rained half way through our cruise, so everyone had to cramp under the shed or in the bunker. Overall it was a fun outing!
See the pics....
Heading out to the harbour, enjoyin the breeze.
Say Cheese!
Inside of the boat.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Germs transformation
Went to see doc this morning, gave me some drowsy medicine, now feels like sleeping. But cant go home cos got work to do!! sigh...
Sunday, November 26, 2006
The Food Critic
This is the end result of the pasta. Didnt take pic of the salad. I had my family ard to test the food. The following are some comments I got:
- Salad is taste great! Pasta is ok.
- Pasta taste 70% like Jamie O.
- Paste abit sour, not salty enough.
I think overall it was a good outcome. Thanks to Dav who helped me cooked the pasta and toss the salad.
We had to modified the recipe abit cos we couldnt get the exact ingredients as prescribed in the cook book. For example we could only get frozen mussels and no Sauvignon Blanc for the pasta. We opted for a cheap French Wine.. which makes the pasta abit too sour... hehehehe
I would say this is a good first attempt. Already my sis n her husband requesting for me to cook in their place, selecting a few dishes from the cook book! Time to browse through the book and decide on the next dish to try.
Cat, I'm thinking egg salad and maybe a fish. Dav love fish!
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Jamie O Cooking Club
I came across Jamie Oliver's latest cook book recently while I was browsing for a new book to read in Angus and Robertson Bookstore in Cairns. I thought the cover of the book looks good (steph's guide to buying new book - look for an attractive cover!) So, I picked it up and have a read. The book is meant to teach the reader how to cook!! And I thought, PERFECT for me! Someone who never really thought much abt cooking.. (ie no passion). So, I was thinking to myself, the book looks good, its ideal for first timer who wished to learn... why not get it! And I did!!
My gf, Cat (my ex-hse mate in uni) who is a superb cook and avid fan of Jamie O have also gotten this book and we have decided to start our very own Jamie O Cooking Club. The idea is to share our experiences while trying out the recipes in the book. Of course I"m not anywhere as good as Cat in the cooking department, but seems like a good idea. Even Dav have offered to help me!! I think it would be a good couple activity!!
So the first recipe Cat has choosen (or rather she has tried) is "Real Quick Mussels Spaghetti in White Wine & Basil Broth". Initially I was excited and said 'Yes! sounds good!'. Then when Dav asked me what's the recipe I have choosen he casually asked me 'where are we gonna get mussels?' .... hmmm good question! We're not exactly stayin in Melbourne/ Sydney where we can hop over to the nearest seafood grocer to buy fresh mussels (unlike Cat!) hahahahah Next thing I think we need is white wine... it aint that cheap over here!!!!!
Ok.. so, we've already stumbled upon 2 obstacles which we have yet to resolved. Nevermind, I told myself I'm gonna try my best to get the ingredients... worse come to worse, just change recipe.. hehehehe
Oh Cat, I'm also planning to add in a tomatoe salad into my meal! Wish me luck!
p/s: me tryin out recipe for tmrw nite's dinner! at least then it gives me more time to shop!
Friday, November 24, 2006
Krispy Kreme
why its so nice? cos the texture is crispy while the inside its soft.
My sis asked me to get her some when I was in London n bring it to Liverpool... but I didnt cos I was carrying way TOO MANY items for her.
So this round when I was heading home from Sydney, I've decided to buy some home. U can actually get it frm the Sydney Airport. And you know how many I bought?? 24 donuts!!!! 12 of the original glaze, 12 of the assorted donuts. Luckily I was sitting in business class, can get them to store it properly.
Sorry ah, Jas! Next time I buy more for u.
p/s: Pictures taken courtesy of Krispy Kreme homepage
Thursday, November 23, 2006
What a feeling
I need more rest & plenty of tender loving care...... ZzzZZzzzZZz
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Feels good to be home
I have definitely enjoyed my Sydney trip. Managed to go to places where i've never been to before and also wine & dine in places which I couldnt afford when I was studying/ on holiday on my own. Let's start off with the food..
Steph's Restaurant/ Bar Guide
1. Wildfire - http://www.wildfiresydney.com
This restaurant is located within the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks, directly opposite Opera House. So you can imagine the view la. I had farewell lunch there, invited by the local Australian Audit Team. We had Churrasco (originate from Brazil), which serves unlimited marinated meats. As for wine, you cant go wrong with New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay (the departing colleague's fav).
2. Cruise Bar & Lounge - http://www.bestrestaurants.com.au/booking/select_rest.asp?id=542
This bar is located in the same building as Wildfire but on the ground floor. This bar is good to go to for a chillout session by the harbour. Imagine u can hv a glass of cocktail overlookin the Opera House. This is what I did with Rowena, while we worked on my draft report on a Friday evening! What a good time we had...
3. Opera Bar - http://www.operabar.com.au
As you have seen the pic from my previous post, this is one bar you shld really try at least once! Highly recommended.. maybe not for the crowd, but for the view!
4. Doyles on the Beach - http://www.doyles.com.au
This is a very famous seafood restaurant in Sydney. There are a few branches in Sydney, but I went to the original branch, in Watsons Bay. It has a fabulous view of the city, day or night.
This picture was taken when I went for a walk at Watsons Bay - The Gap. Apparently alot of ppl comes here to commit suicide. So I just had to come n hv a look for myself. This is the city view I had while dining at Doyles. Although this was taken at day time, u can imagine at nite.. the view is just simply breath-taking!
5. King street wharf - http://www.ksw.com.au
This is a new place, a row of bars & restaurants by the Darling Harbour. Went to this particular restaurant, cant remember its name. It has very nice aussie beer. I think its call James Square. But cant find it in the directory.
This pic was taken outside the restaurant. This is the international auditor I was working with.
6. Yipiyiyo Restaurant - http://www.yipiyiyo.com.au
This restaurant is definitely one of its kind in Sydney. The audit team was brought here by the Marketing management. Everyone was very secretive about the location and the name of the restaurant. All they would say is that its a surprise. We were definitely surprised when we found out. No its not a strip joint! The restaurant is located at the corner of Oxford Street. Its actually a place which has live drag queen cabaret show!!! We were truly entertained especially when one male member from our team was selected to dressed like a drag queen and join the singing group. We had alot of laugh when he came out singing....
7. Fish Market - http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/
If you're a seafood lover like me, this is absolutely a heaven for u! If you get there early enough, you'll be able to enjoy fresh seafood at a reasonable price. You can also bring along a bottle of wine (or some beers) and enjoy ur food at the verandah. But be warned that you must be careful to guard your food against the notorious seagull!!! We were 'attacked' a few times while eating!
Look at the amount of salmon sashimi we had! This portion was shared among 2 ppl! hahahaha
Well that's my restaurant / bar guide for Sydney. Will continue on my adventure in australia some other day.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Too long
Yesterday while I was in shower, it suddenly hit me that I've been in Aus for quite a long time. The indicator is when you run out of
1. shampoo
2. hair leave-in conditioner
3. toothpaste
4. facial wash
5. australian dollar
Cant wait to get home this Friday nite!! Yipee!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Re: New experiences
On a separate note, I'm going into the fourth week of my studies! I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it. It has been intensive but very rewarding. I'm beginning to see a change in me, looking up each and every word that I do not understand and reading up to verify informations.
One of the key item in managing time as I have discovered, as obvious as it is was setting timeline to each tasks. The will to move on when you have reached the end of a timeline is really important to ensure that the rest of the items receive proper attention. My daily tasks has always been a todo list for the day with no timeline, changing my approach has helped improve my time management.
I would love to know how everyone else does it? Anyone?
Monday, November 06, 2006
New experiences
Anyway, been in Sydney for 3 wks already. This place has never been my favourite, even though I studied here before (yonks ago). But I'm starting to enjoy this round of my visit. Why? Alot of reasons.
Firstly, I've got a car. So I have the freedom to go anywhere I wan. The only setback is that the car is too bloody big. But I'm getting used to it. Even drove all the way to Homebush (where the Olympic Park is situated) to go to the Direct Factory Outlet for shopping. Went there by myself and spent about 3 hrs shopping! So u can imagine the amt of money I've spent....
Secondly, I've gotten to know one of my aussie colleague quite well. She's been very kind to take me around to places I've never been before. Quite sad that she's leaving the company, but I'm happy that i've gotten to know her so well.
Thirdly, the company is paying for the team to head to Cairns for the wkend!! Yipee! I've never been to Queensland before, so this trip will add another tick to my 'Places to go' list.
Also, i've managed to catch up with some uni mates. Everyone has grown up now, worrying abt their career, family life, etc. Talking about investments, tax return, cars... everyone is the same but different. Grown ups talk... miss those old days where we talk rubbish... hahahaha
ok some pics to show the 'fun' i have been having...
Sipping champagne at Opera Bar by the Opera House, with the sunset view of the Harbour Bridge. A must to go!
Having marshmallow dipped in chocolate fondue in Hunter Valley.. yummy!
This was taken at a place called 'The Gap'. Its just besides Watson's Bay. This place is where alot of locals come to commit suicide by jumping into the sea!!
Monday, October 23, 2006
Company Car
Pray that I wont have 'incidents' for the next 4 wks.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Crazy about scheduling
Now that I am doing it, I feel that I do not have enough time for anything else. My schedule is packed with work, and studies to a point that I'm neglecting my families and my relationship.
Yes, everyone should have a goal. But to reach it, does it mean that it is ok to neglect other things? How do you find a balance?
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Barrys Farm - Monster Laptop Sleeve
Sydney GOod Food Month
Ok, so me took the opportunity to check out the stalls few nights ago. Thinking that I'll find some interesting food to eat. Dont hv to worry about food. On a whole, it was a disappointment to say the least... why? Cos all you can find is Thai, Jap & Chinese food!! Its fine if the quality of the food was good, but imagine paying at least AUD 8 for westernised asian food. And they dare to advertise that its 'the best in Asian and Asian-inspired food'!!
I got myself a plate of chinese noodle (which was too dry! Can choke on it!). The noodles came with (tasteless) fried squid. Then on top of that I got a fried chicken wing (malay style, bought from a muslim store). To make myself feel better after having low quality asian food (and paying a total of AUD 16) for it, I got myself a scoop of au natural ice-cream...(which was quite nice).
I'll never go there again for sure... although there was this odd store which sells Danish pancakes covered with different types of toppings. Looks tempting... but will see.
Today for some strange reason I decided to head to the gym, was on the treadmill for 25 mins and the walker for 15 mins before cooling down on the balancing ball. Then head to the sauna for another few mins before taking a shower. When I came out my whole body was RED! It was a good exercise. But I think the effort went to waste as I decided to go for the hotel's dessert buffet! (part of the good food month festival). Although it's called a buffet, there wasnt much selection to begin with... but I do want to mention this, the Creme Brulee was EXCEPTIONAL!
Am looking forward to the weekend already.. a colleague (soon to be friend) has graciously offered to bring me to Hunter Valley (famous wine vinyard in NSW). Although I've been told Barossa Valley is much better, no harm going there to have a look since i've never been. We'll be sharing the responsibilities on driving as it's quite a distance up north (abt 2.5 hrs drive one way).
We were looking at going up north to Port Stephens as well. But that will have to be a weekend away trip, with one night stay along the way. Need to do more research on that.. but havent got the time. That's all the update for now.
For all my friends in Sydney... make sure we catch up soon... :)
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Thousand apologies!
In another note, I'd like to add in a few comments about Steph's previous post on the ride in the funfair, Fun Park. Although the ride 'Top Gun' was exhilarating, there's another crazier ride called the Vortex.. can someone please try the ride out and let me know how that feels like?
Monday, October 16, 2006
Did I bring the rain??
Forecast for Tuesday Mild.
Cloudy periods with a shower or two.
Freshening N/NE winds.
Precis: Cloudy. Shower or two. N/NE winds.
City: Min: 15 Max: 22 Parramatta: Min: 13 Max: 23
Terrey Hills: Min: 15 Max: 20 Penrith: Min: 13 Max: 24
Liverpool: Min: 12 Max: 23 Richmond: Min: 12 Max: 23
UV Index: 8 [Very High]
Wednesday Chance afternoon shower/storm.
City: Min: 18 Max: 30 West: Min: 15 Max: 34
Thursday Chance afternoon shower/storm.
City: Min: 19 Max: 27 West: Min: 14 Max: 31
Friday Few showers developing.
City: Min: 18 Max: 28 West: Min: 14 Max: 30
Saturday Few showers.
City: Min: 15 Max: 21 West: Min: 12 Max: 21
Sunday Shower or two.
City: Min: 15 Max: 21 West: Min: 10 Max: 21
Monday Possible shower
City: Min: 15 Max: 22 West: Min: 9 Max: 23
Sunday, October 15, 2006
New home for the next 5 weeks
Hv not been blogging ever since our Cambodian trip because
a) dav busy with bro's wedding which was held yesterday
b) i've been helping out in the wedding :)
Some updates. As I was getting ready for this trip, dav have been busy helping his bro with the wedding preparation and also with moving the hse. Yes, they are moving much further away from PJ. I've also just got my brand new blackberry. Still learning how to use it.
Besides all these excitement, we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Euro Fun Park (ie fun fair) which is currently held just beside 1 Utama. This is definitely a trip worth mentioning in the blog!
We got free/ complimentary free rides for the Fun Park cos 1U was having this promotion where you'll get 5 free rides if you spent above RM50. Since we spent quite abit (clothes for the wedding), we got quite abit of coupons. In which majority of them was given to my younger sis.
So I only had the intention of going on the Ferris Wheel. Dont ask me why, but I always have a 'thing' for the ferris wheel. Plus, this one is HUGE!! Its like the highest ride in the whole park. So that was the first ride we went on. The ride was pretty long.. until Dav was bored. Then he saw the 'more' exciting rides and started making plans to see which one to go on next.
Being an 'older' me, I've already lost the desire to seek thrill and adventure in theme park rides (aka its looking much scarier now!) Therefore, I only wanted to go on less 'adventurous' rides. But somehow, yet again, dav managed to pursued me and we went on this ride called 'Top Gun'. This ride would be much better if it hadnt take like 5 minutes to complete. Imagine being thrown around 360 degree for 5 mins! I even lost the energy and voice to scream after like 3 mins. The whole time I was hoping it would stop soon.
Both of us felt quite sick after that... luckily I didnt eat anything before that. So even when I felt like vomitting, I cant. That kinda save some energy. It was really bad...
Before the ride, Dav told me that he likes these rides because it makes him feel 'ALIVE' .... at that time, it kinda make sense. Most of the time ppl take things for granted. So when you're put in a dangerous situation and live through it, then you'll appreciate life better. But honestly when you're up there ... its not the best feelings in the world!
Shites! The image upload is not working. I have uploaded the pics on Flickr. Have a look there.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Canon Digital Ixus i-zoom camera accesories
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Siem Reap & Phnom Penh photos!
Yet, I see people with genuine smiles, beautiful countryside, and an amazing but gruesome history. I would have thought I'd see people with blank steely eyes and with very little to live for, yet they are so full of life. I can't help but be inspired by all of this.
Be thankful with what you have. No matter how hard life is and how little you get out of it, there are people out there that have been through worst.
Click on the photo below to view the photo album.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
It works!
Dav says it shld be based on our experiences. Good... so here goes.
We booked our Air Asia tickets yonks ago (almost one yr ago), when they were giving out 2 millions free tickets. A friend took the opportunity and book all of us (3 ppl) onto the flight to Siem Reap. Although it's free tickets, we still had to pay about RM 140 each for surcharges. So it wasnt really free was it? DAMN!
Anyway, nothing was done in terms of planning until the nite before we flew ... usual lor... I was away until the weekend before we flew and Dav & the other friend was busy with work. Then suddenly our friend couldnt make it for the trip due to work commitment. So it's down to 2 ppl. As david works towards the late nite (the day before our flight), I have to read the lonely planet and list out the places to see / things to do.
Before we even started on the trip I have a feeling we both may have different 'views' on where to stay, how to go about the places and where to eat. It's down to the $$$ and the compromise. We came out with a 'rough' itinerary which looks like this:
Day 1 - arrive in siem reap (sp), walk ard town, visit local markets
Day 2 - full day tour of angkor kingdom
Day 3 - visit
Day 4 - take
Day 5 - visit royal palace,
Day 6 - visit
Day 7 - take bus back to siem reap
Day 8 - depart back to kl
(Additional places that we went to are captured in red bold fonts and those we didnt go/do is
In siem reap, we mainly move around in tuk-tuk (looks like a trishaw but pulled by a motorbike), while in pp, we mainly walked. you can imagine la.. my skin is quite tan now.. even both my legs got a tan line! (cos me wear quarter length pants).
We walked damn alot (by my standard la...). We covered almost 6km in 2 days in pp. Let me show u:
Those in red is the roads we walked. Those circled in blue are the places of interest we visited. It was a very relaxing trip cos we did wat we wanted and dont hv to follow any strict schedule... most of the days are ended with having a beer in the bar cos its very cheap to drink (average RM 1 per mug).
Ppl are generally quite nice except that we are constantly being 'disturbed' by beggars and tuk-tuk drivers. We have to constantly say 'No thank you' all the time! The worse was when we arrived at pp, a whole bunch of them was already waiting for us even before we get out of the bus. Then we were back in Siem Reap, we were sort of being cheated as well cos normally a ride back to town wld costs USD1. But they were offering 100 riel per ride. Then when we arrived, they asked to become our driver the next day to bring us ard. We were already leaving the next day.. so no chance to become our driver. Then the driver told us to pay USD 1!!! What a scam! Anyway being a tourist we know that they are just looking for money to survive. Already its such a poor country.. no point arguing or debating. Just pay.
In terms of accomodation, it quite funny how we started off stayin in quite a comfortable hotel which costs USD 25 per nite then as we travelled to pp, we decided to stay in guesthouse, which cost USD 10 per nite that is situated on top of a 'dodgy' bar (with no air-cond). By the time we were back in Siem Reap for one nite, we also stayed in guesthouse but this time we have chosen a place which cost only USD 8! I guess by the end of the trip we were tryin to save as must money as possible in view that the food n transportation has already costs us a bomb (everything is in USD)!
Please be patience with the photos. Will announce and post it in Flickr once its done.
Bored.. so I'm blog abt cambodia
Cambodia was great fun
we have been away for 8 days, with no access to internet (except for a 30 minute access which dav had to use to check some important stuff). this was meant to be a budget holiday with all the intention to keep the costs to the lowest minimal amount... ie to a level in which we're not that comfortable anymore!
Let me put some pics up... too lazy to write more at this point.
Note: These pics are taken by dav.. but treated using Photoshop
Angkor Wat
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Off to a holiday with Dav!
We both needed this long break indeed.
Imagine... 7 days trip with only the hotel in siem reap booked for 3 nites.. the rest, we'll take care of it when we get there.
This is the least organised trip I've ever taken. But we're tryin to make it as spontaneious as possible. Just listing out the main place we wan to get to and the rest just let it flow.... Btw, its a budget trip as well... so, everything will have to be cheap cheap... hahahaha
Will update once we get back! BYEBYE
Sunday, September 24, 2006
As promised
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Hang over
had a nite out drinking wth ex-ey ppl.
spilled 3 glasses of wine.
woke up wth headache which is stIll ard.
puke in the Natural History Museum toilet.
now resting in a café waiting to pass time before headin to airport.
gonna feel even shittier in the plane tonite.
F#%K!!!!
sorry.. today not my day. luckily still can check email n surf
Friday, September 22, 2006
Being a messenger
To bring over (of course for my sis):
- Mini rice cooker
- Chinese cough medicine
- 2 long network cable
- a love letter
- a box of moon cake
- ankle guard
To bring home:
- 3 huge bottles of body shampoo (mummy's fav)
- one computer science textbook (for dav)
- DVDs (to be returned to the shop)
- a present
- a belated birthday card for mum
- few boxes of chocolates (mummy's fav too)
- 2 bottle of garnier spot cream (for joyce)
- 3 vanilla flavoured car air freshener
and I thought my bag would be lighter when i leave this city....
NOTE:
Tmrw is my mummy's birthday. A quick shout out to her (cos I wont arrive till Sun)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!
Vanilla Flavoured Car Air Freshener
Anyway, his, is running out and he has asked me to get some for him in London. And so my adventure begun with finding the right store to go to... It all started by going to the local supermarket like Sainsbury.. but they only sell groceries. Even went to the big ones to see if they have car air freshener.. but NO.
Ok, find... I then move on to Boots (famous pharmachy store in UK, like our guardian). Since its a pharmacy, of course they mainly sell drugs and cosmetics product. I asked the assistance in the store and he said I might find it in a bigger Boots store...
Then I asked myself... why issit so hard to find a bloody car air freshener??
Find find... emailed dav, told him that i cant find any... and he gave me some 'advise'. He managed to locate a car shop which sell car air freshener. The shop website was quite impressive. It has a store locator function and even a map. Ok.. looking good. Located the nearest store and printed out the map. I'm ready to go after work... its even in the same tube line as my office tube station. Brilliant!
On my way there.. (it takes about 20 mins tube ride, yes. its that far.. its in zone 2)... in the tube, halfway through the journey suddenly the tube stopped. For a good 30 seconds!!! My god.. normally I have no issue with space ... the fact that we're underground (ie all dark), I started thinking abt the london bombs which happened last year (or was it this yr?) and I started panicking... what is happening?? ok.. maybe abit too dramatic.. but seriously i was thinking abt all the things that could go wrong in the underground tube... save to say, I survived.. hahahaha cos the tube started moving after that... then its all back to normal.
I have to say though I went all the way to some remote town just to get the car air freshener alone. The things I would do for other ppl.... just amazes me... hahahaha (so perasan!)
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
blackberry
however, the downfall to this is i wont be able to use it as a phone... that means i'll hv to carry 2 DEVICES everywhere i go... dont ask why... corporate policy.. need to apply for a company phone then only can get it... long long story.
so anyway, the model my company is using now is 7290 (see pic). I think this is quite an old model. tryin to find out if they are going to upgrade or not. boss has warn not to get one if there is going to be an upgrade.. might as well wait for the new model to be rolled out.
lets wait and see how long will the process takes... maybe wont even get one... since different country got different policy....
Monday, September 18, 2006
back in london town
weather's been great! not too hot and not too cold. surprisingly i was taken to various new places in london for dinner (part of the meeting) and even went on a wine tasting tour in the city by the river thames.
then on friday nite, i took the train up to liverpool and spent the weekend with my younger sis (jas), who's working there now. it just occured to me we have been living apart since I went to oz for studies. That's like 9 yrs ago! Initially I only see her once a year (when I was studying in Oz) and that suddenly it changed when she started coming home twice a year (from UK) and when I joined BAT (this is my third trip to london this yr!).
Jas is living alone in a one bedroom apartment in the city centre (literally, 10 mins walk to town centre) AND she has a car. She seldom uses it cos she walks to work. Her new apartment is very comfy and nice except that it has ALOT of things. Literally ALOT. Even her store room is full! Imagine this:
- there is no space to put my toiletries in the bathroom. Jas has conquer the bathroom with 3 types of shampoo, 2 types of body wash, various face cleanser and various toothbrushes.
- there is no space to keep her own clothes. her wardrobe is tooo small. so she has clothes kept in several boxes which is currently stored in her bedroom AND her living room.
- there is no space to keep her shoes. she has a shoe rack the height of about 2 1/2 ft in the store room which is already fully stored with her shoeS. Thus, some shoes are kept on the floor by the main door.
- half the floor of her bedroom is occupied by soft toys.
The question is, how can one person accumulate so MUCH things? AMAZING.. hahahaha
So I arrived on Friday nite, 9pm and my sis is already TIRED. she has only started work in July. For those who knows my family, can u imagine, Jas being tired on a friday nite at 9pm?!? she complains that her work is very tiring and needs alot of concentration (okla, i agree. she dispenses med to ppl, of course she has to concentrate. i wouldnt want to receive wrong prescribtion!). When she's at home (in Msia), she normally would be out till 4am!!! What a change.. hahahah Anyway, we went to Chinatown (very quiet place) and had 'not-so-nice' porridge and fried udon and called it a day by watching 24 and s2 desperate housewives at home. Yes, she has the whole collection! and yes, I managed to finish watchin desperate housewives by sunday afternoon.. hahaha
Sat morning, woke up and JAS MAKES ME BREAKFAST! I even took pictures to proof it. What's the breakfast?
- Egg
- Bacon
- Sausages
- Beans
- Potato cake
- Orange juice
Ahh... what a nice sister.... i mean come one.. this is the first time I tasted my sis own cooking! hahahaha I was amazed how determined she was at cooking. I didnt even asked her. I assume we would go out get Macca's breakfast (which we always do when she comes to London). I will post the pic once I get my bum ard to attaching the wires from my camera to my laptop. And the best thing was I didnt even have to clean up after.... hahahaa (DOUBLE BONUS). I offered to clean up, but she claims that she likes to clean things up her way... so I hv cleaned up she wont be satisfied with my cleaning... fair enough... Its nice to be treated like a guest eventhough I'm family! hahahaha
So after a HUGE breakfast, we just laze ard the apartment until it was time to drive to manchester to meet up with her friends for lunch. her friends like herself are pharmacists. So conversation topic revolves around work, work and more work. Then after lunch we went apartment hunting by visiting show room. Her friend wanted to buy a place of her own, and of course my sis is thinking about it too... I have to say the apartment size is generally quite small for a hefty price. but apparently its normal according to my sis.
Next destination was Trafford Centre. A huge shopping complex in Manchester, the size of mid valley but with one floor only and much longer in length. only bought a sweater from MNG. then it was back to liverpool where we had take-away macca and i cooked instant noodle. Funny how i crave for instant noodle. and the nite ended with more desperate housewives DVDs...
Sunday morning.. breakfast was egg tart bought from Manchester Chinatown on Sat. Then we got ready to visit Liverpool Museum... which is 'not very good' compare to British Museum in London. But it was still very educational for the kids. Jas & I was quite impressed with the BUGS exhibition as they were very creative in displaying and educating the visitors. You'll have to see it yourself to understand. Then we were off to hv lunch after which it was time to head back to London. The train ride was JAM PACKED. Luckily jas managed to reserve a seat for me, if not I'll hv to stand for 4 1/2 hrs!
All in all, I had a great time (minus the train ride). Was good to see Jas and her new place.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Off and on
anyway took some nice pics and wanted to share...
This is annie.. dav's dog. She's a funny one. Dont like dog food.. prefers human food and she's always tryin to get into the hse and sleep ard at the most inconvenient place! she's quite cute
Sunset outside Dav's hse. We were on our way to Tanjung Harapan for seafood dinner when I took this pic. Quite a nice pic considering I dont know how to twick the camera settings. :)
Grand Hyatt Singapore. The room comes with a LG flat screen tv and dvd player.. Kinda nice settings, but the room does not hv a warm feelings
The BIG shower head in Grand Hyatt. Never seen such a big shower head!!! Quite nice to bath in though... heheheh