MY is the Dancing Little Ray of Sunshine

Forgive and Forget

2007-09-11T16:50:00.000+01:00

After meeting the friend and her bf I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I realise things are not too bad. I enjoyed their company during the dinner sessions we had. Could it be because I don't treat friends with so much importance anymore, therefore I take things easy ?

Sometimes when I think of the times we had during our degree years, I have to admit we had fun at times. Of course, there were times when things were unpleasant and miscommunication occured. Perhaps forgiving and forgetting is the best approach? I like to lead my life by way of mentally erasing unhappy incidents and when I fail to erase them, I push them to the back of my head so I can then continue with life. It has always worked for me and I'll be all bubbly again in no time at all. However, these past 3 years haven't really been smooth for me and sometimes it is hard for me to forgive and forget about things. It doesn't help as well that Boy sometimes complain to me about people. Dah lah I used to be over sensitive last time, plus Boy's comments on people, it makes me pessimistic towards friendship.
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be with you, Boy but you gotta learn not to let people get to you so you won't complain so much.

Malaysia's 50th Merdeka Day

2007-08-31T14:50:00.000+01:00

Today is the 31st of August 2007 and it's Malaysia's National Day. This year, it is more special, as it marks our 50th anniversary of national day celebration; 50 years since the declaration of independence; 50 years since Tunku Abdul Rahman shouted the first "MERDEKA" in our Stadium Merdeka. 50 years may not be a long time but for those who were children or teenagers back in 1957, when our indepence was gained, it must have been 50 eventful years. I hope those 50 years were filled with memories that make you smile whenever they pop up in your head.

merdeka (Malay language) = independence

This year's merdeka theme is "Malaysiaku Gemilang", meaning "My Glorious Malaysia". Unfortunately, I won't be able to celebrate this memorable day in Malaysia. I remember when I was in primary school, I would get up early just to watch the merdeka celebration on TV. Most students would normally still be asleep because it's a public holiday and they would be happy to have a lie in. No need to wake up early and go to school. :D Not me though, coz I would be sitting in front of the TV, holding the pencil/water coloured Malaysian flag I made (thanks to the school teacher who made us do it as part of our art lesson project). I haven't been to an actual merdeka day parade, so I could only have the joy of watching it on TV. Must note down to attend one when I am settled back home next time.

Malaysia's flag, taken from www.virtualmalaysia.com/our_malaysia/

When I grew up and left high school, I stopped waking up early to watch the parade on TV. I became one of those who would prefer to have a lie in. However, I celebrated merdeka day in my own way. I celebrated by way of having barbeque sessions, dinner, clubbing or other forms of gathering with friends. There would be massive traffic jam along the main roads in Penang on the eve of merdeka. Some of the jams would be caused by those on motorbikes, normally carrying huge Malaysian flags. Then, when the clock strikes 12 midnight, the bikes will sound their horns and the cars will follow suit. It's truly a horn-y Malaysian moment.

Maybe you might say "What has bbq or gathering with friends got to do with merdeka? And clubbing, omgoodness, clubbing... it's so-not-Malaysian !" No-lah, it has everything to do with merdeka because those gathering are held in honour of the day. It is to celebrate our independence - us being able to hold celebrations in the open is a mark of our freedom, a result of independence. Yes, we are still restricted in a lot of ways, but hey, aren't we all restricted by laws in almost every country ?

I remember one conversation I had with Kenneth, and I told him I wanna go home and be with my family and friends in Malaysia, how I still plan to go home to Malaysia to settle down and work. He asked me this : "Are you being patriotic or sentimental?" I took a while to ponder upon this. Yes, it's true that Malaysia holds a lot of sentimental values because I was born and grew up there and whilst it is true that I am not patriotic up to the point I'm in the army, I still feel patriotic towards Malaysia. Even when I'm in UK, I will happily tell them I'm Malaysian. I'll tell acquaintances from different countries that I met in UK about Malaysia, explaining to them how our country is multi-racial and we're pretty develop. Some mat sallehs here think we stay in tree houses up in the trees ! They think we do not have highways and we run around barefooted. Wth ! So I do my part in promoting Malaysia. Whether this is patriotism towards Malaysia, it is of subjective perceptions.

I'm proud whenever my Uni-mates or strangers from other countries talk about our ~~Patronus~~ Petronas Twin Towers. Ssometimes conversations will lead to other forms of twin towers. *_0 They will always tell me so-and-so from their family have been to Malaysia to see the twin towers and some of them have been up at the top and how they can see KL from up there etc.

There was also once my Uni-mate, who is also from Malaysia, said an English man asked her where she is from and she said Malaysia. She's Malay and she was with 2 other friends at that time; one Indian girl and one Chinese girl (what a muhibah group :D). The English man asked the Indian girl where she is from and she said Malaysia. He then proceed to ask the Chinese and she said she was from Malaysia as well. He then looked confused and asked my friend "If you are all from Malaysia, why do you all have different skin colours and have different features ?" My friend told him "Malaysia has different races staying together in the same country and there are some other apart from Malay, Indian and Chinese. There are Sikhs, Kadazans, Eurasians and many more from different races and have different cultures." The English man then asked, "And you all can mix and live with one another in the same place ?" My friend said, "Of course, we are all Malaysians" and she admitted to me that she felt so bangga at that time.

bangga (Malay language) = proud

I don't understand why there must be racial discrimination in Malaysia. Eventhough we all have different skin colours, don't we all bleed the same red colour blood ? It's not like some of us are Puteri Gunung Ledang, who can bleed white blood. No matter how we look like, we are all the same deep inside. We are Malaysians.

Eventhough I cannot be there in person to celebrate our 50th Hari Merdeka in Malaysia, my thoughts are on you, Malaysia. May you grow and prosper, and yet be a harmonious multi-racial country. I hope your citizens will stop arguing/fighting over who should own you. MERDEKA !

hari (Malay language) = day

Moving

2007-08-30T19:09:00.000+01:00

I'll be busy moving this weekend, starting tomorrow. I couldn't find a suitable place but thank goodness A offered to let us stay at his place coz he has an extra room. Will sort out the rent with him and his gf when Boy and I move to his place. Gonna rent a car for the weekend. Will be sending back a few boxes of our stuff to Malaysia as well so we don't need to keep so many things here.

A's place has internet but I don't know if I can connect using my laptop, so in case I can't, I won't be blogging for a while. I better blog "kau kau" now.

kau kau (Cantonese) = until satisfied

I can feel myself falling sick since yesterday. It started with a sore throat and now my body is heating up, so I'm gonna have a fever soon. My body chose a 'wonderful' time to break down.
-_-

Chill Out With Beer

2007-08-29T19:46:00.000+01:00

Chilling out at the end of a stressful day with a bottle of beer is always a bliss...

I love beer more than anything other alcoholic drinks. Barley, hop and malt are some of the ingredients in most beers and it's known to be cooling on the body. Western herbal tea, they call it.

Some girls in the club will go "I don't drink beer" and make a fuss about it but I'm cool. Beer's fine with me. Tough, classy chick, Cheryl and JoanneD said.

Cheers !

Users

2007-08-27T13:31:00.000+01:00

This is too much ! Calling Boy's hp at 4am in the morning (twice!) then sending a message saying "oops, forgot it's 4am in the morning... ". Duh... Then later on calling my hp at 8.30am when I have just drifted off to sleep again. I need my rest coz tomorrow is an important day.

Did this person call so many times to wish me luck or ask how I am ? No, not anywhere near that. Not even the usual formality of "hi, how are you?". Straight after I answered the phone, he asked if he can stay at our place early Sept. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE I AM GOING TO STAY IN SEPTEMBER and his gf knows that. I am in the midst of desperately finding a new, suitable place to move to and I'm running out of time coz my tenancy ends end of this month. The most I can do is to try to extend my current summer stay in my accommodation up until the first week of September. Even if I'm allowed to extend my stay here, we still cannot accommodate this ex-classmate of mine coz the rules of the accommodation are pretty strict and there are security guards watching our every moves, 24/7 so we cannot sneak a human being into the place without being caught. Yes, that's how annoying this place is.

Sometimes it never fails to amaze me how thick skin some people can be. You don't hear from them for long time, under normal circumstances - no calls to ask how you are, no text message to say hi, no mails to wish you good luck for your exam, not even an e-mail to wish you on your birthday ! And all of a sudden, when they know they are gonna need you in the near future, they suddenly become your best friends; all sweet and sticky. I know "best friend" cannot be plural coz there can only be one best but in this context, you get what I mean.

I knew this was coming. First, a call from his gf to announce when she's coming and she has been asking for the umpteenth times whether I will be here when she comes, probably hinting something but I can't really understand what. I'm not really good at getting hints because I'm a straightforward type. If you want something, you gotta ask. Heck, so what if I'm here. Like it even matters coz it's not like she doesn't know Newcastle. She has been staying here for 1 year during her final year, so she should know her way around. But no... It's not that she doesn't know her way around. It's because she's one of those dependent ones who are too afraid to do things on her own and eventhough her bf is coming to accompany her for a month, she is afraid she will be left alone after he goes home. I cannot stand people who cannot do things on their own, like go to the supermarket 5-minutes' drive away from their home on their own. As though the supermarket will swallow you up.

I've encountered some even more annoying people who will say "Oh my gosh, he's eating/shopping on his own" and make a big deal out of that. "What is so wrong with eating/shopping on our own ?", I will always ask. More often than not, these people will say it's weird and I'll say "What's so weird. I do that sometimes and I like shopping on my own coz I can take my own sweet time". Finally, these people will say sadly, "I can never do that". Ahhh... so the truth is, they cannot stand being on their own and they feel so afraid and ashamed of the fact that they are by themselves. So it's not weird that someone is seen doing things on his/her own; it's just that these people feel insecure themselves that they need to drag someone with them just to go to the washroom, in case the loo has a shit monster that will swallow them whole if they go in there.

Boyfriends cannot be with you 24/7 even if you want them to. They have their own stuff to do too. Of course, if my bf accompanies me to go do my stuff I would love that but sometimes he has his stuff to do also. When I was in my late teens, I remember going through the phase of being dependent on my bf to follow me do my things but I've learnt to go pass that phase. In a way, I have to thank my bf that time coz sometimes he deliberately not follow me and make me go out and do my own stuff. Initially I wasn't too happy about it but I told myself I gotta learn to grow up and be mature. So I made myself learn and I adapted to going out on my own and doing things myself. Having a car last time makes it so much easier to bring myself around. Thanks, Daddy for giving us a car each (of course, the car is legally owned by him), which we, siblings have the liberty to use without having to share with one another. I've learnt to be independent and I realise it's useful when I'm here on my own in UK.

Anyway, back to this ex-classmate of mine. Notice how I don't refer to him as my friend ? It's because I don't just call anybody my friend coz friends are those I treasure and would like to spend time with. When I was younger and didn't know the meaning of friends, I would call anybody I know a friend. Now, I would call those I don't know well but know who they are, 'acquaintances' or if they were from the same class, 'classmates' or same school, 'schoolmates' etc. I know 'mate' informally means 'friend' but over here in England, even the butcher calls their customers 'mates', so the word is insignificant to me. Friends are those I have fond memories of and people I whom I like and I have a bunch of close friends that I love to bits.

As for his gf, I still refer to her as a friend, though I often wonder if I should. I have heard from some others that she has been talking behind my back, that backstabber. However, when confronted, she said no, she didn't do anything like that and instead, I get labelled as having "inferior complexity" or some shit like that. *rolls eyes* As though la, she will ever admit she said all those bad stuff about me. She has complained about her best friend (imagine that!) to me and saying bad stuff that involves even her best friend's mother. I told her off once for doing that and she sulked. I bet she didn't like me at all for doing that but I couldn't care less coz I don't like friends talking bad about another. She changed and didn't talk about her friend, but only for a week before she went back to her normal self. Sigh... some people can never change.

Why I still call her a friend, then, you ask. You see, I have known her since young and I feel that it's gonna be a waste if I just end our friendship like that. Maybe I should just not bother about her but I can't bring myself to do it. Sometimes I succeed in not bothering but with her persistency in asking me to go out or help her, I just cannot not bother. She's younger than me and I always have this protective nature towards people I know, sometimes even stranger that I feel I have a connection to. Sigh, maybe I'm not tough enough. I've read somewhere in one of the books before about this character describing her friends and there was one childhood friend of hers whom none of her friends like and was always giving her a hell of her life but yet she always stood up for. As the character said, "she's one of those friends you've always known since childhood and can never get rid of, eventhough you know she's not good for you". How true.

I wouldn't mind helping her and her bf but both of them have shown me time and again that regardless of how many times I've helped them in the past, they have shown to be ungrateful idiots. I could see that they are not true friends and cannot be relied on especially during my final year of degree in UK. When they fight, I have to be the counsellor of their relationship, listening and advising. When they need someone to fetch them and even if her best friend bails out, I have to be the driver. When he needs to pay his tuition/accommodation fees and he didn't have enough, I have to be the banker. Yet, when they have fun and go out with their friends, they never bothered to remember me. How sweet.

Funniest thing is, when I go out with other group of friends or acquaintances, they complain that I always hang out with people from other colleges and don't want to mix with them. Hello, I have a life, you know. My life doesn't revolve around you and your bf. As though I'm your servant; sitting obidiently at home, waiting for you to come back and ask me to do more things for you, hoping someday you will ask me to hang out with your friends, crying my eyes out when you don't. You wish.

I don't think I need these people in my life. I have my circle of close friends that I cherish much and they have always been there for me like how I've been there for them. I don't need many friends and my friends need not be superstars or millionaire. Just as long as I've got some trustworthy, true friends, I'm satisfied.

Enough of ranting for now. I need to go do my stuff now. I couldn't be bothered if she ever reads this coz at least, that time, she and her bf will know that I'm not to be taken for granted. I have not expose the existence of this blog to my acquaintances and friends, except for a handful that I trust but still, I will not underestimate the power of the internet and it's pretty easy for people to discover stuff onine. I don't mind strangers reading this blog coz they don't know me but at the moment, I do not fancy the thought of some kaypo acquaintances or uni-mates poking their nose into my life. Maybe one day I shall post up my blogsite on msn, friendster etc like how some people do but not now. I'm still getting used to pouring my thoughts out to public in the form of a blog.

Hotpot and Sashimi Dinner

2007-08-26T10:46:00.000+01:00

My arms still hurt from carrying all the ingredients for the hotpot we had on Friday night. Back home, we call it steamboat or "lok lok" in Cantonese but over here, they like to call it hotpot.

Normally, I like to use tom yam as my soup for the hotpot. However, I feel heaty recently, so I decided to use a packet of pre-packed natural herbal soup ingredients called "Hang Kuo Jun Fei", which is known to have a cooling effect on the body.

We had two types of oriental cuisine that night, namely Chinese and Japanese, because aside from hotpot, we had sashimi first. We usually buy the fresh salmon from Morrisons because they have a department displaying a selection of fishes and seafood. I normally serve the sashimi with lemon juice and soya sauce. Sometimes I sprinkle some chopped dried herbs on to the sliced salmon pieces, like oregano or parsley. Both of us are not big fans of wasabi, so we prefer to eat the sashimi without it.

Oregano
Picture of oregano found in www.marions-kochbuch.de/index/0025.htm

Parsley
Picture of parsley found in www.freshlink.org/Pricing.html

Aside from preparing the sashimi, I also decided to make wantans for the hotpot. This is the first time I'm making edible wantans because previously, I can only make wantan using tissues and snort. Ok, I'm being disgusting.

Anyway, the wantan I made turned out looking fine. The edible ones, that is. Not bad considering this is my first hands on experience and the only time I come close to making wantans are when I sat down and watched my Mum making them when I was younger. At least my memory did not fail me on this. I can be so forgetful when it comes to certain matters. -_-

Blogging on sleep related matters

2007-08-25T12:51:00.000+01:00

When I log online, I like to read blogs when I have the time. When I read one blog after another, I realised that three of the blogs I frequently visit mentioned something about their sleep. Kennysia was talking about his "wet dreams" on diving; kinkybluefairy was talking about her being half asleep and laughing; and Jolene was talking about her dream of hanging out with the cast of Desperate Housewives and meeting a long lost primary schoolmate.
Is this the season to talk about your sleep/dream ? :D

Sleep On A Stomach Not Too Full Nor Empty

2007-08-23T06:31:00.000+01:00

After chatting on msn just now, I felt hungry and had Milo sandwich. Have you tried that before ? It tastes good. It's very easy to make anyway.
(1) Take a slice of bread.
(2) Spread Milo on top, just like how you spread peanut butter on a bread.
(3) Fold the bread into half.
(4) Eat.

After that, I felt sleepy and I was contemplating whether I should sleep or not because I have already slept earlier on. It was 5am at that time. I was also thinking, if I sleep and knowing myself, I might sleep until 12pm, then I cannot cook for Boy because he'll be out before 11am tomorrow. Cannot, Boy has an important day tomorrow, I must cook for him! In the end, I decided I will cook before I go to sleep, so I don't have wake up and rush to cook.

So at 5 in the morning, when the sky was still dark outside and all my flatmates are fast asleep, I quietly crept to the kitchen and started preparing the food. I steamed white rice and cooked tofu with Lee Kum Kee's chilli bean sauce. It's called "toban djan" in Mandarin. It's written on the bottle, anyway. I can't really speak Mandarin. I want to learn.

Besides that, I stir fried green cabbage with tuna.

Picture of green cabbage courtesy of www.thinkvegetables.co.uk/mwmack

When the food was cooking on the stove, it smelled good, especially the fumes produced from the chilli bean sauce. I hope I didn't wake any of my flatmates up. I know Calleigh, whose room is just next to the kitchen, is spared from the noise and smell because she was at Wendy's place. I chat with her in msn before I went to eat.

I was hungry all over again after smelling the food eventhough I just ate before cooking and I decided to eat before I go to sleep. Yes, despite my size, I can eat non-stop. :P

Boy, when you wake up later, the food is on the kitchen table. Don't worry, it's all covered up so no insects can swim in the food.

I'm sure he'll log online when he wakes up, so hopefully he will see this. Don't want to send him a text message coz he probably didn't turn off the sound and I wouldn't want to wake him up like what happened once. Perhaps I should leave post-it just in case...

Now that I'm all full, I can go to sleep. I can't fall asleep on an empty stomach. Patrick finds it weird that I feel sleepy right after a hearty meal. He can't sleep when he's full. I thought it was common for people to fell sleepy when their stomach is full. I read somewhere that says it has something to do with the blood in your brains rushing to your stomach to digest the food, hence resulting in less blood in your brain and you fell sleepy. Any doctors or intelligent people out there who can enlighten me on this ?

I know it's not good to sleep on a full stomach because it can cause heartburn so here I am, blogging while I digest. We should go to sleep on a stomach not too full nor empty. I think I have digested enough. Gonna go sleep now. Adios !

Final Table, Again

2007-08-22T02:10:00.000+01:00

Congratulations for making the final table for your online poker game, again, Boy.
This time, he finished 4th.

Well Done, Boy

2007-08-17T06:16:00.000+01:00

Patrick just won an online poker game.
Congratulations, Boy. You did very well. :)

He was the ultimate chip leader before reaching the final table and he held up his chip lead throughout the final table. At one point, when there were 5 players left at the table, including himself, the combined chip stacks of the other 4 players could not even beat his chip stack.

When it came to the final table, the situation was as below :

I blanked out his name in the screen capture above coz I think it's better to keep his player name a hush. I'm not sure if you can see it properly coz I realised when I uploaded the pic above into Blogger, it is not very clear.

Anyway, when I took a quick glance at the two chip stacks, I thought that both players had the same amount of chips, which was 500K. If you look properly, you will realise that Boy's chip stack(which is on the lower centre of the screen) actually has an extra digit, making it 5 million++. How I wish those were real money instead.
Well done, Boy, well done !

Eventhough the prize pay was just USD$10, which is around £5, and is very little, but the experience was good coz he treats these games as a form of practice for him. So it's like he got paid to practise.
Boy, appreciate that, ya ? Keep up the good work. However, don't lose your mind and spend too much time on poker coz if you have other important things to do, better get ur priorities right first. *Hugz*

Here's wishing my Boy many more poker championships to come. Cheers !

I... Need... To... Fall... Asleep...

2007-08-15T00:31:00.000+01:00

I need to fall asleep but I can't. So damn "pik-chik".

pik-chik (Hokkien) = in a situation where you feel lost and don't know what to do; feeling suffocated

I tried not sleeping at all, staying awake for nearly 24 hours yesterday. Then I was so happy when I felt sleepy at 8pm, thinking I can finally change my sleeping time back to normal. However, the joy didn't last long... coz I woke up at 5 to 12am, meaning 11.55pm. -_-

When I woke up, the room was pitch black coz the curtain was drawn in my room and it is the blackout type. I tried to make out what time it was in the dark but I couldn't. All I could hear were the cars outside and Boy's gentle snores. I was hoping with all my might that it is already next morning but I guess my might wasn't too strong coz it was technically still the same day I slept. Sigh...

Gotta wake up by noon tomorrow coz I have an appointment with the dermatologist, so I gotta find a way to drift off to sleep. Will probably read. Makes my eyes tired and I'll feel sleepy. Sometimes I get carried away though, when I'm too into the book and refuse to put it down or in the case of e-books, refuse to turn off the player. Oh wellz, I'll surf the net then. Haven't done that for some time now. Let's get surfing, baybeh...

The White Light

2007-08-12T04:17:00.000+01:00

I slept at 12 something today. It's not too bad, right ? Not that late, you say.
No, it's very bad coz it's 12 in the afternoon, not midnight.
I woke up at 10pm just now, after Boy called.

I didn't wake up immediately when I heared the phone rang. I actually heard it in my dream and I told myself, "The phone is ringing, it's time to wake up". I even told the people and things in my dream, "Thanks for everything. I had a good time but I have to go now". O_O

Then, I tried to make myself wake up and open my eyes but it was difficult. I could feel myself slowly gathering my subconcious self or soul and I was telling it, "Have to wake up. Boy's calling. Return his call".

The weirdest part was, I saw a white light right right before I woke up. I remember seeing it, then feeling confused and the I felt a bit scared coz it's there. Then I woke up, feeling blur but happy. It was as though I really experienced the dream and I had a good time.

I can't remember everything I dreamed but I do remember being in a place alike to the description of Grimmauld Place in the Harry Potter series, many thanks to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, only that the place in my dream was less grim. I still can't believe it's the final book of the series.

Anyway, back to my dream. My god-sis was in it too. The last thing I remembered in my dream before the phone rang was, I was playing with a brown puppy with curly hair and it was gently nibbling my fingers when I pet it. So darn cute. The puppy had fur the colour of Hugo's.

Hugo, my big brown toy bear

The puppy looked something like this :

I picked up the phone and called Boy back after that. I told him about the white light. The white light reminded me of one of those white lights people describe they see when they are revived after a coma due to a near-death experience. I wouldn't know how it looks like coz I haven't experienced a coma before (thank goodness!) but when I was younger, I have seen a TV documentary on those people who have seen the white light.

Boy told me to see the white light as an enlightenment. I was like, "Har? It can't be coz I wasn't meditating or what".
I don't know what it means but my view on this is that if someone is trying to gain consciousness and like what I was doing when I saw the white light, which was forcing myself to wake up while my mind was subconscious, perhaps they will see a white light. Maybe it is not such a mystery after all, like what the TV documentary I watched was trying to portray the white light to be.
This is just my own personal view, so please don't snort and say it's nonsense. Freedom of speech, as the law dictates.

I need to change my time so that I sleep at night and wake up in the morning not the other way round. I've actually managed to change my time back for a short while since the last post I wrote on sleeping late but it only lasted for around 2 weeks before I went back to sleeping at an odd hour.

I tried sleeping less by waking up early so that I will feel tired and want to sleep earlier but it didn't really work. I don't really fancy taking sleeping pills. Boy said it's not good anyway.
I'm sleeping around 10 hours a day. Gosh ! Kenneth called me a pig on MSN the other day. One thing good is I feel happy whenever I sleep 10 hours or more coz I've gotten used to it, so I don't feel sloth-ish.

It's 5.38am now and the sky is turning bright outside. Gonna go finish the ABC soup I made. Yumz...
See ya la'er !

Old Junk, Anybody ?

2007-08-01T21:08:00.000+01:00

This caught my attention when I was at yahoo.com this morning :
http://potw.news.yahoo.com/s/potw/27257/freecycle

In case the link is not available anymore, it is about an online flea market where people post up an advertisement on what they want or what they do not want. They will give away what they do not want for free in exchange for something someone else doesn't want online.
It's a barter system.

Once in a while, when I'm ranting to Boy about how some people's life revolves around money and how greed has taken over humanity, I always say we should revert back to the olden days when barter system ruled instead of monetary exchange.
Perhaps with barter system, people don't have to think about money 24/7.
Those who are willing to work hard should be rewarded for their effort.

In Marian Keyes' "Shushi for beginners", it was written that in Ireland, if a person hasn't got a place to stay, he cannot get a job. The funny thing is, if he hasn't got a job, how is he gonna get a place to stay? That's because he hasn't got money to pay rent, what more buy a house.
I'm not sure how true is this situation in Ireland but I assume Marian Keyes has done her research before writing that in her chick-lit.

The beggar in Marian Keyes' book was willing to work but no one would give him an interview because he hasn't got an address.
If he were to be living in the olden days, he can always go into farming, where he can plant let's say sweet potatoes and in return, he can exchange his sweet potatoes with a butcher for meat.
He wouldn't have to live rough and beg for money.
This is just a scenario, so don't ask me where is he gonna get seeds and soil etc. in the first place.
Nowadays, with the law and all, we cannot even dig up a patch of soil in the city without being sued. Sigh... how the law tries to restrain our lives.

Anyway, back to the Yahoo article.
I'm glad that someone has came up with the idea of an online barter system and actually got it running (big time) and that man is Deron Beal. He created Freecycle.

His picture, on the right is taken from the Yahoo article.

Below is an excerpt from the article :

"Freecycle is a website that helps connect people in their own neighborhoods with folks who want stuff and folks who want to give stuff away. And that simple concept has had some surprising side effects, like strengthening community relationships while reducing the amount of waste that goes into landfills.

Freecycle began in 2003 when Tucson resident Deron Beal got married and needed to get rid of an extra bed. The former Procter and Gamble executive and self-proclaimed "tree hugger" says Goodwill wouldn't take it. So instead Beal sent emails to 30 other people asking if they or anyone they knew wanted it.

No one did, but then something funny happened.
When those 30 people collectively replied to Beal, they also mentioned they had things they wanted to give away themselves, or things they needed. Everyone cc'd on the note began talking to each other. Givers and receivers began swapping stuff online for free.
That's when Beal realized there was a need much bigger than just his bed. He created a website to help organize the participants and it caught fire. Today FreeCycle has more than 3 million members in 75 countries. "

Not only did he create something which allows people to give away things for free in return for something they need, thus resulting in them not throwing away something which might be useful for others and wasting it, he is also saving the environment. There will be less waste prouced because things are recycled.

"One man's junk is another man's gold"

Is The End Of The World Near ?

2007-07-29T20:47:00.000+01:00

The pictures below were taken around 6.30am on 29 June 2007.

In June, the sun rises in UK between 4am - 5am.
When the pictures above were taken, the sky was already bright but somehow, the top part of the sky was totally dark.
The dark part wasn't dark clouds, like what you normally see when it's about to rain. It was dark like there was a hole or part of the sky was missing.

It was as though someone who was painting a beautiful picture of the sky accidentally dipped their paintbrush into a mixture of black and white, resulting in grey colour and painted the sky from the top with that colour.
It's hard for me to describe but it sure gave me the creeps when I saw that. It was not the normal scene I see when I look out the window early in the morning. It felt as though part of the sky was gone and the end of the world is here.
Perhaps the picture below, taken using Boy's Nokia phone would paint a better picture...

The prime minister of UK (it's Gordon Brown, not Tony Blair anymore, in case you don't know) said UK will be the world leader in tackling the issue of global warming.

Somehow, I feel global warming has been going on for far too long, way before all the huh-hah about the issue global warming started appearing in our newspapers and all the talk about how our weather is changing.
Too long that I feel there is nothing much we can do to stop global warming from happening.

Yes, we can slow down the effect of global warming by travelling by aeroplane less, walking instead of driving etc. but I feel the damage has already been done and there is nothing we can do to stop global warming and save our earth.

In my opinion, we should stop pointing fingers at who or what causes (or caused) global warming. Instead, we should start living and appreciate every moment we are alive and breathing.

We will never know if we're gonna die tomorrow or the day after, so we should live our life happily. No need for war, no need to fight, no need to be jealous of what other people have.
I know I'm promoting idealism but hey, what is the point of having so much money if by tomorrow, we'll all be gone and cannot spend it ?
Why not take a little time off from work to spend that time with your family, friends and of course, loved ones.

After reading this, give your loved ones a hug or if they are not physically near you, send them a text to let them know how special they are. For those of you whose grandparents/parents are still alive, spend some time with them coz you never know how much it means to them. Do it before it's too late. As for other family members and close friends, do not forget about them and cherish them always.

Broadband Is Back

2007-07-27T21:22:00.000+01:00

I haven't updated for more than half a month.
Don't worry, I'm safe and sound. Nothing happened to me in London, though there were a few unfornate incidents.

It was hard for me to update my blogs daily due to my broadband being terminated before it is actually the end of the contract hence resulting in me having no internet connection from home for about 2 months.

Of course, I could go online during those 2 months I was broadband-less but I had to travel to Uni to do that. Very-the-lazy lar.

I can't disclose the facts on what happened but let's just say it involved expensive phone calls, exchange of words, some other parties indirectly linked, solicitors, more calls and negotiation.

I've got my broadband connection running again since yesterday night, although the internet was down (yet again!) after Boy used it for only half an hour. My flatmates' came out of their room to ask if the internet connection in my room was working coz their's wasn't working as well.

I ended up chatting with one of them for a few hours until 3am in the morning and I missed the ending of the Heroes 2nd episode.

I know, you're gonna say so slow right ? Heroes just started showing in UK on BBC2 while it has been showing in Malaysia for some time now.
Boy told me he saw one of the episodes when we went back to Malaysia in February this year.

Anyway, I logged on this evening and here I am, blogging from the comfort of my room. *bliss*
They've kept their part of their word, so let's see if they will keep the other part...

No terrorist attack in London, please

2007-07-10T21:37:00.000+01:00

I'm leaving to Newcastle to London in a few hours' time.

I haven't packed yet. As usual, last minute packing... sigh.
So typical of me. Even if I start packing early, I will somehow end up doing last minute packing, so nowadays, I don't bother starting early and just leave it till the end. That way, I spend less time stressing out and put less stuff in the luggage coz I have less time to think of the "what-if-I-need-this" situations.

Going there for some formal matter related to my studies.

Not gonna stay long coz I've been to London so many times, there's nothing exciting or exciting for me to do there. So I'm gonna travel back tomorrow night.

Aside from attending to that formal matter when I'm in London, I'm gonna look at some legal firms there as well.
Maybe do a little bit of shopping if I happen to walk pass the shops (which I'm 99% sure I'll walk pass some shops, so Boy, I'm going shopping, ok ?) and I'm definitely going to pay a visit to my favourite Malaysian restaurant. I'll probably go to their branch in Bayswater for lunch instead of the one in Soho.

If I'm around the area, I might visit Timothy's favourite restaurant, Four Season for dinner. I remember reading how much he likes their duck rice from his lengmou blog.

Boy's aunt who used to live in London recommended that restaurant to him, when he first visited London and Boy took me there when I made my first visit later on.
I have to say, their duck rice is really good especially the chap.
However, when you don't have much time to spare, the wait can be really long due to the long queue.

chap = sauce (Cantonese)

I might not be able to make to to Four Season. I forsee that my meeting will finish late and to rush from Holborn to Bayswater and then to King's Cross for my train at 9pm might be a real rush, so I might scrape the idea of going there for dinner.

Pray that there will be no terrrorist attack when I'm there. Thanks.

Gotta go now to pack. Till the next entry...

Dog Hound Racing Tonight

2007-07-05T17:45:00.000+01:00

I wanted to edit a few pictures and blog but I gotta rush off now.
Boy's bringing me to the dog hound racing tonight with his boss and colleagues.
Gotta behave myself...

More on this later and I better remember to bring my Handycam.
Bye for now.

The Day A White Man Said 'Magehai' To A Chinese Man

2007-07-04T18:27:00.000+01:00

Last week, I was playing poker with Boy and a few other people when one Hongkie came to the table to take a seat.

Immediately, a white man shouted, "Mr. Chan, magehai magehai".
The guy wasn't angry, instead he was all smiley and excited as though he was happy to see Mr. Chan.
Mr. Chan just replied, "Ah, magehai" calmly as though it was a normal reply to someone who just said that so loudly to him.

It was bizarre, really, because 'magehai' means your mother's private part in Cantonese and to see a white man shouting that loudly, with a happy expression to a Chinese man, who in return, wasn't angry at all and instead replied him calmly with those exact words.

The white man kept saying those words to Mr. Chan every few hands but I didn't wanna say anything until one time when the white man shouted those words really loud when someone lost a pot. I decided to be cheeky so I wagged my forefinger at him (signalling 'no') and told him "No bad words at the table, please".

The white man's eyes widened and he said, "Bad word? I thought magehai is a form of greeting like how are you... or maybe saying it after someone wins a pot means 'good'. Nobody told me it was a bad word. Well, I never asked actually. I heard people saying it, so I followed".

No wonder the white guys kept saying it with such a happy expression.
This probably wasn't the first time this white guy said those words to Mr. Chan, so he probably couldn't be bothered and just calmly replied him.
Can't blame Mr. Chan for not telling the white guy coz he didn't asked in the first place.

Anyway, I told the white guy, "No, magehai is not really a bad bad word. It just means you have a long dick. So you have to say "I am ...... "" and he continued with magehai.
I said, "Yes, that's right".

He knew I was joking, so I was being mean. Geordies are known to have a good sense of humour.

1st of July 2007 - Smokefree England

2007-07-01T08:21:00.000+01:00

The much-talked about 1st of July is finally here. Today, England goes smokefree.

"Smokefree? How?" I hear you ask.
"Does it mean England has produced a mighty product which can absorb all the smoke in the country ?"

No, honey. 1st of July is when the new smoking laws (or rather non-smoking laws) is in force, where no one is allowed to smoke in enclosed public areas and workplaces.
"Enclosed public areas" include shops, bars and clubs.

Now, I understand if they do not allow people to smoke in shops and offices but bars and clubs... I don't know what to say except that it's gonna be hard for most pubbers and clubbers.
From what I notice, majority of the people in bars, pubs and clubs smoke.
With this new piece of legislation, they will have to stop drinking or dancing or both to go outside and light up. Kinda kills the fun, doesn't it ? It's definitely thumbs up from the non-smoking pubbers/clubbers but a big boo from the ciggie-addicted ones.

I had a chat with Cheryl about this topic before and she said it's still not that bad in spring or summer but imagine when it's winter. Are the clubbers gonna stop dancing, get their coat, put it on before standing outside the club to have a tap, then going back in the club after the tap, taking off their coat and expect them to continue dancing?

Most female clubbers will be scantily clad regardless of summer or winter and some will just go out during the winter nights without their coats. Even the guys go out without their winter jackets. They normally get a cab to go clubbing and hail a cab home after clubbing so they only have to endure the cold for a few seconds (from running out of their houses' doorsteps into the cab and running out of the cab to the club's doorsteps and vice versa). Sometimes they have to endure the cold for a longer duration like when they go bar-hopping coz they have to walk to their next destination, which is probably the bar next door or so. Sometimes they have to stand in the queue for a cab, which can run really long especially after the clubs close.

Anyway, what are these people gonna do if they wanna have a tap and they don't have a coat/jacket ? Are they gonna endure a few minutes of S-freezing, chilly winter cold just to have a ciggie or are they gonna forgo smoking so they don't have to stand in the cold ? My bet is they would rather stand in the cold than to miss a few puffs of the cigarette.

The casinos here have been advertising this 1st July thing for some time as well. One of the casinos have allocated a special room for smokers to go into to light up, like in the airport.
I forsee the smoking room is gonna have the "Genting effect". The "Genting effect" is what I call a smoky/hazy place where visibility is limited. This is because our famous Malaysian Genting casino is always so smoky that you can hardly see or breathe.

It will be against the law to smoke in certain places and there will be penalties for those who break the law.
For more information on this, you can take a look at this.

Remember, do not light up if you see a "No Smoking" sign.

As for people like my baby who does not like cigarette smoke, you can rejoice on this long awaited day. :)

Sleeping and Waking Up Late

2007-06-24T10:19:00.000+01:00

I am trying to upload pictures on my blog for the past half and hour but I can't. I could only upload one and that was it. Sigh... gonna do it another time coz I haven't slept yet and it's already 10.20am.

My sleeping patern is totally out nowadays. I normally sleep at 7.30am and wake up between 3.30-6pm.

I have stopped working since the beginning of the month. I took unpaid leave to study for my exams then around 2 weeks ago, I officially stopped working. It feels strange not having to wake up early for work and sometimes I feel bored not having anything to do but at the same time, it's nice not having to wake up/sleep early. Took me some time to get used to not having a strict schedule.

I have been waking up late, showering, getting ready, then going out almost everyday and coming back real late (or early in the morning, depending on how you see it) for the past 2 weeks. Have been eating out a lot lately and not cooking. Blissful, not having to cook for a while. Gotta start cooking and eat healthy again, though. All those outside food = no good.

Have to go to sleep. Nitey nite and good morning to those of you who just woke up.

Quiz It - How Fashionable Are You ?

2007-06-14T22:43:00.000+01:00

	How fashionable are you? Sensible Chick You are aware of the latest trends but aren't religiously keeping up with them. Instead, your personal sense of style prevails. Most of the time you are dressed impeccably but you are more practical than anything else.
The CloveTWO Fashionista Quiz was brought to you by cloveTWO.com, a place where the savvy online woman is free to be herself.

This is true. I do keep myself updated with the latest fashion trends but I don't just follow them blindly. Not all styles for women will suit every female so we should always try the piece of clothing or fashion accesory on, take a look in the mirror or ask a trustworthy friend's opinion (or do both) to see if we can carry the style off.

If it's accessories you're after, look around to see if there are signs saying "Do not try" before you try it on. You can always ask the salesperson if in doubt. Some shops do not allow you to try on their earrings for hygiene reasons. As for handbags, I like to test if I can easily sling the bag on my shoulder and I like to make sure the handbag is suitable for what type of occassion. If it's gonna be for daily use, I must make sure it can fit my bulky O2 XDA Exec, wallet, handy black planner, eyeglass holder and most important of all, a bottle of water. I love drinking water, too much until my Boy calls me hippo. :{

If it is a piece of garment or shoe you are trying on, always walk around, jump and stretch to see if you feel comfortable in them. Some changing rooms provide chairs, so you can try sitting down and see if you feel comfy in the clothes especially.

I know it's weird to be jumping around a shop but hey, I would rather have the comfort of knowing I'm gonna be comfortable in something rather than pretend to be all prissy and then suffer with blisters or popping seams.

I have had my fair share of feeling uncomfortable with heels that bite and pants that run too low (unintentionally) causing me to keep tugging it up for the fear that my butt crack is showing. Gone are the days when I would suffer for the sake of fashion (not like there were many days, anyway). I am much more practical as I grow older and I will not be a fashion victim. I dictate what I wear. You can too. ;)

Happy Birthday, My Dearest God-Sis !

2007-06-06T22:57:00.000+01:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful God-sis !

no Him, no Me

2007-06-04T22:01:00.000+01:00

Not Feeling Well

2007-06-04T21:26:00.000+01:00

I haven't been feeling well since 2 weeks ago. First it was mild, then more and more illness crept up. Sigh... Why at a crucial time like this...

It must be because of me not going to work for the past week. I took unpaid leave for last week and this week. I tend to fall sick if I slow down after a period of being busy (be it studying, working or partying). If I suddenly take a break, my body will want to take a break also. Breakdown, that is.

I'm like Daddy, Mummy said. He likes keeping himself busy and once he stops to rest at home for a day, he will tend to catch a cold. He's a hardworking man. His daily routine includes getting up early, exercising, shower then breakfast, off to work, finish work then gardening, read newspaper, dinner, watch TV and reading his favourite Times magazine or reviewing his work. Sigh, if only I'm half as hardworking and efficient as him...

Kiss - Because I'm Your Girl

2007-06-02T21:17:00.000+01:00

I just cried my eyes out thanks to Timothy.

Take a look at the video below before you read any further, just in case you haven't seen it before coz I don't want to spoil the ending.

When I first saw the video more than 2 years ago, I didn't expect it to end like that. I was initially thinking that the photographer was a jerk for leaving her when she needed him most but surprise, surprise... he never left her at all coz part of him was in her all the while.

I was in my friend's room when she showed me this video during my first year in UK. I wasn't with my current bf at that time and I was recovering from a 4-years-relationship breakup. She told me this video was about eyes and she said I might cry when I see the ending. True enough, I did. She had to hand me loads of tissues and I was so pai-se when I could finally got hold of myself coz I created some 'wantans' in her room.

pai-se (Hokkien) = embarassed; feel bad

Today, I watched the video again and it still makes me cry ! Not because I'm suffering from any heartbreak but plainly because the song sounds nice and the video is so touching. Thank goodness I don't understand Korean language if not I'll be bawling my eyes out.

OH NO !

I just searched for the song in Youtube and I found a version of it with English and Korean subtitles. I have posted it below and I gotta excuse myself now while I cry my eyes out... *sob..sob.. waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh...*

Sis's Birthday

2007-05-23T01:15:00.001+01:00

I wonder if my sister received the birthday card I sent back home last week. No SMS or e-mail from her saying thanks...

And I wonder if she has opened the surprise I left in the drawer under her bed, more than 2 months ago...

*Edit :
Yay, my sis sent an e-mail saying she opened the present under her bed already plus she received the birthday card yesterday. Luckily the card was not lost coz 2 years ago, I sent a really nice card of The Brown Bear and it was lost in the post. The Brown Bear was what Tatty Teddy looked like before he became grey with blue nose. I can't seem to find any of The Brown Bear cards in Newcastle. I gotta go to Clinton's in London coz that was where I bought the last one. *

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-13T14:34:00.000+01:00

It's Mother's Day today in Malaysia. It probably is in other parts of the world as well but not UK because they celebrated their Mother's Day in March.

Here's a song I like a lot and I always listen to. The lyrics are so touching and appropriate especially on a day like this.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MUMMY and also to all the mothers in the world.

My Favourite Supervisor Retired

2007-05-11T21:54:00.000+01:00

2 days ago was my favourite supervisor's retirement. I was sad coz she's leaving the company but I'm happy for her coz she's retiring and gets to enjoy work-free life.
Work-free = stress free = carefree. :)

Got her a card and a little gift.

This is part of what I wrote in the card :

"... Put on your best smile everytime you use this [lipstick], just like the first time I met you. Thank you for everything you have done. I appreciate your kindness, I do. Stay happy and lovely after your retirement. Miss you much... "

She read the card and kept quiet for a while. Her eyes turned red-ish. She was probably fighting back tears. When she finally spoke, she put her hands to her heart and said, "So touching...thank you very much".

She received so many cards and presents coz she's well-liked. "People's person", they called her.

My card and gift is on the lowest right hand corner. It's the one that's opened up. She deliberately placed it that way coz she said she wants people to read what I wrote. She was so excited like a little kid getting sweets whenever anyone walked pass her and told them to read the card I gave her. Awww...

She gave me a hug and right before I went home that day, I gave her another hug.

With tears in her eyes, she told me I've been a star and I've been wonderful. She told me not to let anybody change the way I am. She also wished me all the best with my future undertakings. I nodded and mumbled "you too... thank you". I couldn't say much coz I was fighting back tears. :'(

She has done a lot for me. With me not being used to the British working style coz this is the first time I'm working in a UK company, she has been accommodating and she has helped me a lot. She's one of the kindest person I have met. She's not the least bit proud eventhough she's well off. She's a real lady. I will definitely remember her for the rest of my life.

Easter Weekend's Night Out

2007-04-19T21:45:00.000+01:00

After my makeover at EA, Patrick and I met up with Angelyn for dinner. We went to Treasure, which is a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. We managed to get a table before the restaurant was full. There were more locals than Chinese customers, probably because it was the Easter weekend and the locals wanted to have a nice decent meal.

After dinner, we headed over to Player's Sports bar at The Gates to have a drink.

Here's video I took that night on one of the dances performed. I remember I aerobic-danced to this song during my first year in secondary school. Of course we had more cloth on since school rules were so strict last time making wearing baby-T to school seem like a wrongdoing. If we were to dress like these gals in the video when were we participating in the aerobics-dance competition in high school, I think we could have been banned from ever entering the competition... or we might even have been kicked out from school! O_O
Anyway, enjoy :

Elizabeth Arden Makeover

2007-04-09T20:04:00.000+01:00

I went to the Metro Centre last Saturday for my Elizabeth Arden make over. The Metro Centre is a huge shopping complex situated out of town. It is not within walking distance and you have to take a bus, train or drive there.

I arrived there in the evening and when I reached the main concourse, this caught my eyes :

It's a huge rabbit ! He might not look big in the picture, but he is at least 3 times the size of a normal rabbit. You might be able to see the difference between his size and the size of a normal rabbit below :

On the left, there are two normal sized rabbits feeding and they look so small compared to the biggy on the left. The yellow coloured thing in the middle is supposed to be a shed for the rabbits but I doubt the biggy can even go through the entrance. When I was petting the biggy, I saw a normal sized rabbit peeking out from the shed as though it wants to come out and play but it glanced at the biggy and back-stepped as fast as it could into the shed. I think the other rabbits are terrified of the biggy. I kinda pity the biggy coz the other rabbits do not dare to approach it and the biggy is all by itself. However, I wouldn't know if the situation is such because the biggy is a bully.

He's a huuuuuuge Easter bunny!

There were other barnyard animals on display like this lamb :

Its wool is so soft and it's nice to touch.

Your wool sweater is made out of this

After petting the animals and taking pictures with them, I went for my make over. Here are some pictures taken by Patrick.

Before the make over, after my skin review

That's Jane, the Elizabeth Arden make over personnel, on the right. She's pretty gentle when putting on make up

Putting on some eyeliner

...and some mascara

...plus some lipstick

After the make over. Jane showing me the lippy she used.

Bought a plummish-mauve coloured lipstick from her for her good job

After the make over...

Patrick took a picture of me talking on the phone.

No, I wasn't posing. I was really on the phone :)

Good Friday

2007-04-06T17:14:00.000+01:00

I had a lie in till the afternoon today coz it's Good Friday so there is no work today.

My colleagues said that it's a tradition for them to eat fish today. Catholics are not allowed to have red meat today because Jesus Christ was crucified today. I'm not sure how true this is but the security guard at my place explained that when Jesus was nailed to the crucifix, he bled a lot and red meat is related to bleeding hence they cannot have red meat for the day. I'm gonna join in the tradition and have fish & chips at the local chippy for dinner later. I'm gonna head over to this chippy about 15 minutes walk from my place coz the fish & chips are cooked by an English family and the food is good.

chippy = fish and chip shop

The fish & chips shop here are small and they normally don't have tables and seats for you to have your meal in the shop. They will normally pack your fish & chips in a piece of paper or foam box and then wrap it in another white paper or newspaper. They only provide a takeaway service. Besides fish and chips, they do serve other types of food, like jumbo sausages, pies and burgers to name a few. When I was in York, Patrick and I went to one of the local chippy there and they had tables and seats in the shop. However, if you want to sit at the table, you have to pay an extra charge plus you must order drinks there and pay another amount for your drinks.

Not all the chippy here are owned by an English family. When I first came to UK, a group of us were told by our seniors that a fish & chips shop owned by an Indian family somewhere behind our accommodation served really good fish & chips. A group of us tried it and we felt that the food was way too oily. The fish was deep fried in oil and when it was wrapped in the paper to be taken away, the whole paper was soaking wet in oil. I was told by the same security guard at my place that traditional fish & chips are actually fried in lard rather than oil and they taste better. Nowadays, people hardly cook their food in lard because of the obesity and health issues going on.

I have to get ready to go out for dinner now. Hope you had a Good Friday for those whose Friday has already ended (like my friends in Malaysia) and for those whose Friday night has just begun, have a Gooooood Friday ! :)

Article entitled "Mad Man Ate Pensioner's Thumb"

2007-04-02T17:32:00.000+01:00

Below is an articled entitled "Mad Man Ate Pensioner's Thumb" from UK's newpaper, Metro :

"A ranting joiner ate the tip of a pensioner's thumb during a terrifying attack
after bursting into his victim's home through a window, a court heard today.
Jan Ometak, a 27-year-old Slovakian, made animal noises during the macabre
assault and also sank his teeth into Douglas Morgan's face, hand, arm and
nipple, Hereford Crown Court was told.
The court also heard the sound of the attack was likened by a policeman called to the scene to a fox screaming and a dog gnawing a bone.
... Mr Morgan [aged 75 years old] was convalescing at home after a heart-pass operation when Ometak smashed his way into his property through a lead-paned kitchen window.
Detailing the events, Mr Lockhart told the jury: "At about one in the morning Mr Morgan was awoken by his wife - she could hear the noise downstairs of breaking glass.
... Referring to the window through which Ometak entered the cottage, the prosecutor went on: "It wasn't broken and then opened - it was literally torn to pieces.
"In through that window came Jan Ometak - he was screaming, Mr Morgan describes it as 'like a mad person, like a real mad person'.
... The defendant then began to strike the pyjama-clad homeowner with part of a lamp which he had broken, fusing the lights inside the house.
... "Meanwhile the defendant was making animal-like noises, ranting and yelling at Mr Morgan," Mr Lockhart said.
The barrister added: "It was then that the biting began.
"Mr Morgan tried to push the defendant from him with his right hand but then Ometak grabbed it and put it into his mouth.
"Jan Ometak began to bite down hard - that biting went on for some time and the tip of Mr Morgan's thumb was bitten off."
But although Mr Morgan fought off Ometak, he then began to bite him all over his body.
"He bit his hand, his arm, his face and his nipple," Mr Lockhart said.
The "snarling" Slovakian was finally subdued by CS-spray and Mr Morgan was taken to hospital in Hereford before being transferred to a specialist unit in Bristol to undergo plastic surgery... "

Wah... this is scary. Imagine one day, when you're sleeping soundly in your bedroom, when suddenly you hear your window being smashed, in jumps a mad man screaming like a monkey-who-burned-his-S; he pounces on ur thumb and bites it off. 0_0

A Kind Act

2007-03-27T19:04:00.000+01:00

I was opening the post yesterday when the letter opener slipped and the flap on the envelope slid across the top part of my forefinger and middle finger. I dropped the letter opener in shock... erm, make that in annoyance plus slight shock coz it was less shock and more annoyance. You know the feeling of getting a paper cut. It doesn't hurt that much but the feeling of your skin being sliced open... ergh.

Clarkey asked me what's wrong and I said I got paper cuts. I went to the ladies to run some cold water on to the wound and then slapped some antiseptic cream onto the wound. The cut on both fingers were quite deep for normal paper cuts. When I came out of the ladies, I approached Ron and asked him whether there are any plasters around. He looked and found some in the cupboard. They were the standard sized plasters you normally buy from supermarkets. He took the plasters, looked at them and mumbled, "Aren't there any smaller ones around?" He started rummaging in the cupboard. I was puzzled coz the plasters he found are what people would normally use. He couldn't find any and he said, "Oh well, these will have to do then. I was hoping to find smaller ones coz your hands are so small and I'm not sure if these will be right". So thoughtful of him. :)

I wanted to take the plasters away to put them on myself but he started opening one. He helped me put the plasters on. Aww, so sweet of him ! Normally when I ask for a plaster, people would just give me one and I thank them, then take it away so I can put it on. However, Ron was so caring that he gently put them on for me. When he was wrapping the plaster round my finger, he joked that the plaster will go round my finger six times. When he was done, I thanked him profusely. Eventhough it was just 2 plasters, it was his act and kindness that touched me.

Nowadays in this fast paced world, people hardly bother to be nice and kind to one another. Even if you see each other practically everyday because you work in the same workplace, people tend to be selfish and just bother about their own stuff. Some would even go to the extent of using sly trick just to be top in their team. *shakes head*

When Ron saw me today, he asked how was my fingers. I told him it should be alright. It was really nice of him coz he remember I cut my fingers and it was the first thing he asked me about when he saw me today. :)

Some of you must be thinking that it's typical of a guy to be nice and caring (even if it's pretending) in hope of getting some a-hem. On top of that, this is a westerner and an Asian female is involved here. Coming to UK, I'm surprised to find out that a lot of Western men prefer Asian ladies compared to their own kind. This causes jealousy in the western ladies and sometimes you can see how much they detest Asian ladies getting the attention in the clubs here. No need to be jealous ladies, coz our Asian men like ur big boobies so you all can flock to Asia and get the attention.

Anyway, back to Ron. Ron is not your typical young guy in his 20's, being nice to a woman just to hook up with her. Ron is a nice soft-spoken man, in his 60's, with white moustache, beard and greying hair. He may appear to be a grumpy old man to some but he has always been nice to me. That is because I treat him with respect and understand that old people can be grumpy at times. I like it when you treat someone nice and he/she returns it instead of thinking that you are soft and can be bullied. :)

My impression of Ron when I first met him in the office was he's a grumpy and unfriendly person but I was still polite to him. We have been taught in school to always respect the elderly. As time goes by, Ron and I got along well and we always share a joke or two together. What I like best about Ron is how much he loves and respects his wife. He calls his wife "the Lady" or sometimes "my Lady" with affection. It's the first time I hear someone call his wife that. Men always refer to their wife in a conversation as "my wife", "my missus" or their wives' first names.

He said he brings his wife to every function/dinner he goes. Ron chooses not to go out and have fun without his wife even if he can. His wife wasn't too well during Christmas and when asked whether he will be attending the Christmas dinner, he replied "I'm not too sure. It depends on my lady. If she feels up to it to go, then I will go. If not, I will stay home to take care of her." He's really sweet. :) He treats me like a little girl and I have always seen him as a grandfather. Mary G., Mary J. and Snotty claims that they are my grandmothers in Newcastle. Mary G. said that since my Grandma is so far away, they will be my grandmothers here. Now not only do I have grandmothers away from home, I have a grandfather I never had.

*Edit :

Here's a picture of Ron I took during Teddie's wedding :

He called the green balloon he stuffed in his pocket his "new little friend". He put those colourful strips of paper on the balloon and said that they were "his little friend's" hair. He dropped his little friend at the carpark and another time in the car on the way home. He said his "new little friend" were lost forever after that. I wonder where did he go... *

Clocks Go Forward this Sunday

2007-03-23T17:51:00.000Z

I didn't go to the casino on St. Patrick's night. The wind was too strong. I got dress and got ready to go out, then walked out of my place but the wind was so strong that walked back in. The wind was blowing sand into my eyes. Arggh...

It snowed on Monday and Tuesday this week. It started with sleet, then it turned into snow. I stood by the window and watched the snow fall and being blown around by the strong wind. It was beautifully white and somehow it reminded me of white feather being thrown in front of a fan turned on to the highest setting.

It's past mid-March and it's snowing. Spring started 2 days ago, so it's supposed to be getting warmer now but it's not. It's like hot on 1 day, cold on 2 days; then hot on the next day and cold for another 3 days. The weather is really cuckoo.

Looking at my old post before I left to Malaysia, I am glad that the weather was alright during my journey from Newcastle to London and all the way back to Malaysia. Thank you, God !

The clocks are going forward this Sunday, 25th March 2007. We will be losing one hour, which means at 12.59am on Sunday, instead of turning 1am the next minute, it will be 2am instead.

St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T13:52:00.000Z

Today is the 17th of March and it's St. Patrick's Day, which is also known as St. Paddy's Day or St. Patty's Day

Patrick claims that it's his day.
No Boy, it is not. Eventhough your name is Patrick, you are not St. Patrick. :)

It is said that St. Patrick's Day is all about green, gold, shamrock and luck.
No wonder Patrick likes green colour.

So if it's all about luck, I'm gonna head over to the casino tonight. ;)

Just as I thought I had my time right

2007-03-14T21:47:00.000Z

In my previous post, I said I didn't have to adjust to UK time after coming home from Malaysia but I have to re-phrase my sentence now. I have to get adjusted to the time in UK. -_-

I repaid my sleep debt on Sunday by sleeping at 10.30pm the nite before and waking up at 2pm on Sunday. Due to me sleeping for 13 plus hours, I couldn't sleep until 1.30am that nite (err, by right Monday morning coz it's past midnight). I had to wake up for work the next morning at 8.30am, so I felt really tired. Monday passed and then it was Tuesday. I was still tired and so tired was I that I came home from work and went to sleep at 6.30pm until 1.40am. When I woke up, it was dark outside and I was half-hoping I was back in Malaysia so that my waking up time would be 10.40am instead of 1.40am.

I couldn't sleep anymore so I logged online and chat with my friends in Malaysia, who have just started work about 2 hrs before that. Some of them didn't realise that it was wee hours in the morning in UK until I told them I gotta log off to catch a bit of shut eye before I get up for work. They probably thought I was still in Malaysia. *smile*

I went to sleep at 4.30am and woke up at 8.30am. Came home from work and I felt sleepy again at 6.30pm but I told myself "No, I'm not going to sleep so early if not I'm gonna wake up and suffer". So I went to the kitchen to prepare the soup and food so we can have steamboat for dinner. The soup base was Cheng Po Leong. Very much needed coz I feel a bit heaty with all the spicy and fried food we have been cooking the past week.

So here I am, typing this blog now and the time is 10.20pm. I will go to sleep soon so that I can wake up early (but not too early like 1.40am!) to have a hearty breakfast tomorrow. :)
Nitey nite !

Back in Newcastle

2007-03-12T18:31:00.000Z

I have been back in Newcastle since last Sunday night.

Patrick and I reached Heathrow airport in London at 3.15pm, Sunday. By the time we went through Immigration to check my visa and passport plus the wait to claim our luggages, it was already 4.30pm. Went to the bathroom to freshen up and then headed over to the Underground ticket desk in Heathrow to purchase a ticket to take the Tube to King's Cross Station. Trains from London to Newcastle leaves from King's Cross Station. The time I took to travel by Tube from Heathrow to King's Cross Station was around one and a half hours.

We went to the GNER ticketing office once we reached King's Cross and collected our tickets from a machine. We paid for the tickets online, earlier on when we were in Malaysia. GNER stands for Great North Eastern Railway, which provides train services around UK.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_North_Eastern_Railway

We actually bought train tickets from the Newcastle branch before we left to Malaysia. We bought tickets to travel from London to Newcastle on 28 February 2007 but they went to waste because I couldn't get a seat on the plane to travel on 27 February night from Malaysia, reaching London 28 February. Malaysian Airlines seats were fully booked from 26 February night up to 3rd March 2007. If their business were that good, how come they are still losing money? o_O

We took the 8pm train, which was boarding at Platform 6 in King's Cross. The train was quite full but luckily we got seats. I drifted in and out of sleep throughout the journey home. When we were passing by York, Daddy called to ask if I arrived safely. I didn't call home when I arrived in Heathrow coz by the time I came out of the arrival hall after claiming my luggage, it was already very late in Malaysia and everyone was probably sleeping at home. Daddy was at the airport, about to travel for work. I just left the airport a few hrs before that and then it was Daddy's turn to be at the airport. Hehe... Of course, we are hours apart because Malaysia is 8 hrs ahead of United Kingdom.

The train arrived at Newcastle Central Station (Newcastle's train station) at 11.30pm. Called for a cab and by the time I reached home, it was 12.05pm. Unpacked a little, called home to tell Mummy I arrived home (my 2nd home, that is) safely and got ready my things plus outfit for work tomorrow. By the time I went to bed, it was around 1.30am on Monday. Darn tired coz I only slept about 2 hrs in the plane. Watched 3 movies with Boy and listened to some MP3s during my 13 hrs journey up in the air.

Us, with huge eyebags, in the aeroplane approaching London.

Had to wake up at 8.30am that day to get ready and go to work. I was tired but once I reached the office, I was energized. When my colleagues asked me how I felt to be back in the office, I replied "I'm glad to be back". They were like "Are you sure ? I thought you were so happy to be back in Malaysia with the sun and heat that you didn't want to come back to UK". To that, I replied, "Honestly, I'm glad to be back here, working and all. I dont miss the heat, but I do love the sun". Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my trip to Malaysia. I had a wonderful time back home (my actual home, the place I have been for the past 21 years of my life) but I have also become so comfortable with my life in Newcastle that I missed it during the 2nd week when I was back in Malaysia.

Due to my jetlag in Malaysia, I now wake up around 6-7am and sleep between 9-11pm. It feels good to wake up early; to be able to take time to get ready, make a hearty breakfast to eat and also spend a little time with boy before I leave to work. I try to do things earlier and not rush at the very last minute. Perhaps this is a sign that I have grown mature and hopefully wiser as well.

The Weather

2007-02-10T19:05:00.000Z

I haven't blogged for more than a week now. Have been busy planning the surprise. *wink*

It was snowing beginning of this week. It normally snow shortly past midnight. When I went to work on Thursday, the ground was covered in white snow which hasn't melted except for the part when grid/salt was sprinkled on. Sleet began to fall shortly after I left my place. I stuck out my hand to see them drop on to my gloved palm. It's nice to see white sleet resting on a black leather glove. I didn't have my Handycam with me so I didn't manage to capture how it looks like. Did not bother taking out my O2 XDA to take a picture of it either coz I was busy admiring the sleet on my glove. Something I can't see in Malaysia. It's different from snow on the glove coz sleet is harder and won't melt that fast.

It was raining since yesterday afternoon and today's raindrop seem bigger. It was raining heavily while I was asleep coz the rain and wind kept on waking me up the whole night. I didn't have a good sleep last night. I'm so tired now. -_-

I hope it won't be raining/snowing tomorrow. I hope the weather is good tomorrow coz it's vital for me to carry out the surprise. *fingers crossed*

I might not have the chance to blog for some time after this coz I might not have the chance to log online. Will be busy, busy, busy. ;)

Here's wishing you Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Chinese New Year in advance.
Kong Hei Fatt Choi !

*Edit :
As my friends and family would have already known, the surprise was actually to fly back to Malaysia without telling my family, then to end up in front of my house and ring the doorbell. The surprise went well and I sure had fun ! *

Take a walk along yellow-brick road

2007-01-31T00:01:00.000Z

I went to work today with the new pair of red shoes I bought yesterday. My colleagues made a fuss over them.

Carly was talking to me and all of sudden, she stopped in mid-sentence and said, "Oh my gosh... I love them ! They are beautiful !!" I was like, "What, what? Who, where ??".

She pointed at my shoes and said, "Them ! They are lovely." My other colleagues turned around to look and Snotty came running to see. Typical of Snotty - kay po. Hehe...

kay po (Hokkien) = busybody

My colleagues went "Niiice"... "A-hah, they are lovely"... "I love the flowers, they are cute!"...
Even the guys said they like my shoe. When James passed me, he pointed at my shoes and started tip-toeing, pretending he was walking in them. No, James is not gay. He's getting married this year.

When I passed Cheryl in the streets on my way home, the first thing she said to me was "I like your shoes". She didn't even say hi.
-_-

Snotty said, "So you're gonna take a walk along the yellow-brick road today?"
I said, "Yeap, just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. Gonna click my heels together."
Conrad chanted "Home, home. I want to be home. Home, home. I want to be home..."

I bought the shoes because the heels are not very high and it's easy to walk in them. The original price for this shoe is £50 but it was on sale and I got it for less than half the price. It's really worth it coz the shoe is made of real leather (the flower is made out of tweed).
It may not be everyone's cup of tea but seems like it's a hit so far. Some might think it looks suitable for an old lady or some might say it looks weird but it doesn't matter because at the end of the day, I chose this pair of shoe and I like it a lot. When you wear something with confidence, it will look good on you. Don't be afraid to try. ;)

My new pair of red suede shoeIt's a nice shade of dark red but due to my Handycam, the colour didn't turn out nice here Gotta get a new digicam...

When left meets right

"Home, home. I want to be home..."

Good news !

2007-01-29T23:06:00.000Z

I have good news.

I asked my boss end last week if I can take leave to plan a surprise (which some of you know of *wink*). Initially she didn't look too happy but I told her I have unpaid leave in mind and she flashed a big smile. She said no problem and just to ask my supervisor about it. Told my supervisor and she said ok, then started jotting down the dates I'm not in the office. Yay ! Bless them.

Today, Patrick's passport was sent back by the Home Office and his visa is renewed. Double yay!

You might think I'm being happy just because his visa is renewed but there's something more to it. I can't reveal it now coz of the surprise I'm planning. Will update this post when the surprise is done with.

There was a bit of a problem with the documents Patrick sent in to renew his visa, though. It might not be the fault of Home Office at all and it might be the fault of the Uni's incompetent Student Services. Might write about it another time.

It's past 11.00pm now. Gonna get ready to go to bed. Goodnight to all !

Little ray of sunshine is out to play again

2007-01-29T14:37:00.000Z

I have been unwell for the past few days. Had a fever, so went to see the GP and he gave me a prescription for anti-biotics. I was already taking paracetamol before I went to see him, so I didn't need a prescription for paracetamol. I was taking paracetamol produced in UK, which contains 500mg paracetamol (also known as Acetaminophen). Our favourite paracetamol in Malaysia would be the oh-so-reliable Panadol. Panadol contains 500mg Acetaminophen as well.

I feel much better now coz the fever subsided yesterday. The little ray of sunshine is out to play again ! Still have to take my anti-biotics, though.

Thanks to boy, who has been taking care of me and attending to my needs, though I must say he was a bit grumpy towards the end... prob he's too tired of taking care of me and sitting in front of the comp the whole day.

He boiled chicken and pork soups for me when I was unwell. I like soups a lot coz Mummy makes soup everyday. I haven't been drinking her soup for some time now coz the last time I went home to Penang was in March 2006. So when the fever subsided yesterday, I boiled ching po leong pork soup with noodles for boy. I went to the kitchen and prepared the ingredients, then boiled the soup while boy was still asleep (poor thing, must be sooo tired of taking care of me). Huggy wuggies, boy.

ching po leong (Cantonese) = a type of herbal soup which has a cooling effect on the body

Flying without wings

2007-01-21T12:55:00.000Z

I was almost blown away again by the wind last Saturday. The first time I was almost blown away was 2 weeks ago. I was at the roadside of the 2nd highest point in Newcastle when the wind blew from my left and when I turned to face the direction of the wind, I could only manage 2 steps forward before losing my balance and was blown backwards. I had to hold on to a steel box by the road side, which I presume was an electric box, in order to stand still and gain my balance. It was really scary.

As for last Saturday, I was walking along a path which leads to a spiral stairway going downwards. I was struggling to walk coz the wind was blowing in all directions. Struggling with all my might, I was; hair blown across my face making me look like a siau lang; all the while looking sideways to see if there are any objects I can grab on to in case I get lifted off my feet and also looking upwards in case there are objects blown up by the wind which attempts to fall down on my head. I wouldn't want to end up like the witch in Dorothy of Oz. Urgh...

I could only manage to walk till the end of the path and couldn't go any further. The end of the path is where the walls on either side end and there will be strong gushes of wind coming from either side after that. I tried to take a step forward and was nearly blown away so I quickly stepped backwards. I held on to the red brick wall by my side (or what I can actually hold on to) and didn't dare to move.

Suddenly, there was a strong gush of wind and my heart almost stopped beating. I felt as though I was almost lifted off my feet (sigh, if only I was typing this in a romantic journal, the circumstances would have been different). I feared I was going to be blown away. My grip on the wall wasn't strong coz there wasn't a proper place to wrap my fingers around and hold on tight. Panick aroused, my eyes darted around looking for something to grab on to or somewhere to hide. Should I run forward coz I'm just two steps away from the handrail on the spiral stairway ? What if I manage to grab on to the rail but the wind is so strong that it lifts me off my feet and I get blown away ? There is a road below the stairway, you know, I thought to myself. Walking two steps forward on a normal sunny day is like a piece of cake but at times like this, I realise how fortunate I have been all my life, being able to walk everyday with my own pair of legs. I am thankful for what I have.

I looked around once more to see if there was anything I could hold on tight to and I saw a guy a distance away, struggling to walk because the wind was getting stronger and stronger. He was heading my towards my direction. When he walked past beside me, I decided to ask him for help. "Can you lend me your hand?", I asked. He looked at me quizzically and said "Wha', my hand?" I said, "Yes, I need a hand coz the wind is too strong. Can you lend me your hand to hold on to so that I don't get blown away by the wind". The quizzical look on his face quickly disappeared and he held out his right hand. I wonder what he thought I wanted his hand for...

Anyway, I held on to his hand and he held my left hand tightly. He led me towards the stairs and I used my right hand to grab on to the railing of the spiral stairway. The kind guy didn't let go until I reach the bottom of the stairway. I managed to walk a few steps forward until a strong gush of wind came. The guy automatically held out his hand for me to hold on to. It was so sweet of him ! We held hands until we reached the traffic light, which was like 10 steps away and then we started to feel very awkward. It might because the wind was dying, the panick was subsiding and we suddenly realise we're holding hands like a couple, walking side by side. We quickly let go of each other's hand. I blushed and I could feel he was blushing as well. We waited uncomfortably at the Pelican crossing for the green man to flash so we can cross the road. As soon as we reached the other side of the road, I thanked him sincerely and quickly turned right while he mumbled a welcome and quickly turned left, causing us to almost bump into each other. Both of us jumped a step back, smiled and then hurriedly went on our own ways. It was like a scene from a Hong Kong drama. It was embarassing but now that I'm recalling what happened, I find it funny. :)

I quickly told Patrick what happened when I had the chance to. I said I had to hold another guy's hand in order not to be blown away by the wind. He said he will teman me walk the next time the wind is strong. I told my colleagues what happened and they were laughing their heads off. Snotty was laughing at my story and she said. "Oh, bless that guy". Bless him, indeed for he saved me from being blown away with his oh-so-strong hands. :) No, I'm not being sarcastic.

teman (Malay language) = accompany

Poker

2007-01-19T23:44:00.000Z

I'm playing poker online against Patrick now. No real money involved, just play money. I realise it's not that easy to play against someone I know, especially if it's somebody close to me. The other person can roughly know what's my next move and vice versa. Playing online is not that bad coz the person cannot see your facial expression and your physical movements.

On Thursday, Alan came over for dinner after his badminton tournament. After dinner, we (Patrick, Alan and I) had beer and played poker. Patrick is crazy over poker at the moment. He has a set of poker chips that comes in a briefcase which contains 2 sets of cards and dices. To complete it, he bought a poker table. Poker is his new love... seems like I'm losing my place now.
Hehe... just joking, boy. You know I support you when it comes to poker, right ? *hugs*

Anyway, when Alan was out of the game, leaving me and Patrick to go against each other, I realised it was tricky to go against each other. Both of us are observant and we can read each other well. So I gotta act differently and make sure I don't show any emotions when I have the nut. I cannot bluff that well, so I hardly do it. In order to become a good poker player, you need luck and I realise you have to learn to bluff well enough for your opponent to believe you. Patrick says poker need skills and a little luck.
I'm sure boy knows better than me since u have been playing in tourneys. ;)

I have to go to sleep now. It's already 1.20am and I have to wake up at 7.45am tomorrow.

Goodnight !

Inconsiderate Housemates

2007-01-16T00:08:00.000Z

Last weekend was too busy to blog coz I celebrated Patrick's birthday twice. I took him out for dinner on Friday night and on Saturday (the day after his birthday) I threw a surprise party for him. I was sleeping the whole of Sunday and only woke up at around 6pm ! I'll write more about the celebrations plus post up the pictures next time.

Btw, my 4th housemate moved out today. Ahh... there will be less kitchen-hogging now. :)
He used to bring his friends back and hog the kitchen the whole evening and night along with another housemate. There were times when they occupied the kitchen from lunch time till past dinner time on certain weekends.

Things got pretty ugly at one point in December and we argued with them and their friends. It was early December at that time... They were occupying the kitchen from 5pm until midnight every single day and none of the housemates could cook. Patrick and I ate out, called for takeaway or sometimes Patrick buys food back for me when he's out. They did not clean the kitchen after using it and some of their friends were flicking ciggarette ashes on the floor. Chicken bones and rice were found on the floor as well. The last straw was when one of their friends, which was a fat specky guy with a gay-ish voice that sounds like he has permanent phlegm stuck up his throat, was blocking the way when Patrick was in the kitchen. It was a Sunday and Chelsea was playing against Arsenal. No one was in the kitchen in the evening, so we thought it would be better to cook earlier, in case those housemates come back with their friends again. Patrick was about to be done making his specialty pork soup with ginseng when the fat friend (let's call him sei fei chai) barged in with the housemate and started blocking the cooking area by chopping meat.

sei fei chai (Cantonese) = blardy fat boy

Sei fei chai and the housemate was talking on top of their lungs while Patrick was standing in front of the stove, trying to listen to the commentation on the Chelsea v Arsenal game. Chelsea and Arsenal are Patrick's favourite teams. He likes Chelsea coz of Frank Lampard & Arsenal coz of Thierry Henry and mainly because Arsenal, quoting Patrick, "play free flowing football". I don't know much about football, but I listen to boy when he talks about it. Patrick loves football.

Anyway, back to the story. So the sei fei chai and housemate were talking on top of their lungs, so I turned the volume of the TV higher coz I know it was an important match for Patrick. Then they talked louder, so I turned, higher; they talk even louder, then I turned even higher; they talked even louder, I turn even higher until the volume was maximum. Yet, they can shout even louder than that. Sigh... Imagine how loud they were talking... *shake head*

Then the housemate said I'm too much and I asked "Me? Too much? Do u realise you're too much?" Then she started speaking in Mandarin, which I can only understand a few words and I told her to speak English if she wants to talk to me but she carried on yakking and yakking in Mandarin. I need to learn Mandarin when I get back to Malaysia...

So we exchanged words with Patrick and sei fei chai joining in; she stormed off to her room; sei fei chai followed her; sei fei chai came back out and block the way some more; I told the security; security spoke to them, then spoke to us and said if there are any more troubles, just give them a shout. Basically the war went on for 2 more days, then 1st roommate stepped in. Both parties get on well with the 1st roommate coz she can speak Mandarin and her English is relatively good for a Taiwanese.

She acted as a mediator and listened to both parties' stories. Basically she came to a conclusion that it was all a misunderstanding coz of the language barrier. They thought I deliberately turned on the volume really loud so they couldn't talk and I thought they purposely talked like they were in a disco coz they didn't want us to watch the telly. There were a few more issues which needed to be resolved coz we were unhappy with them since the beginning. With 1st roommate interpreting, we managed to come to an understanding. They didn't know that we were being considerate whenever they brought friends over and occupied the kitchen. They thought that we usually go out and eat but in actual fact, we were just being thoughtful by letting them have their own privacy and not going into the kitchen to shoo them away.

This may be the first year they left home to come to UK and share a place with other people, so they might not know how to be accommodating but it's common sense, really. If you occupy the kitchen the whole night, how can other people use it ? Especially if you have friends in front of the stove, friends sitting on all the chairs, friends standing in front of the fridge... might as well move your friends into the kitchen and turn it into their room. They fail to realise that there are other people staying there as well. Common sense is not so common after all.

Anyway, I have my 1st housemate to thank for being such a sweetie and solving this problem for us. I'm very fine with my housemates now, seriously. They apologized and said they didn't know they were causing so much trouble. When we see each other, we greet each other with a smile. I'm glad coz they are the type who mean their sorries.

At the end of the day, these housemates are better than the one I had 2 yrs back. Arggh... she can leave the pots and pans beside the sink for a whole month and not wash it. Disgusting !

It's late now, I'm going to sleep. Goodnight !

My boy's special day

2007-01-12T03:21:00.000Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PATRICK !

Taken on my birthday in 2006

Probably wondering where is your own cake...

Don't worry, I'm sure you're gonna get yours.

Hope to spend many more birthdays together.

One year older, one year wiser, ok?

Have a very happy birthday as well as a happy year.

Loads of hugs and kisses, my boy !

Christmas Dinner in January

2007-01-10T02:13:00.000Z

I was cheesed off at work earlier this week. I like working at my current workplace but K hasn't been doing a good job with my pay. In fact, she isn't even doing her job. o_o
She messed up my tax, my working hours and I haven't been getting my payslips for a looong time. It's not just me who is having this problem. I have been hearing the same complaints from my colleagues as well. I hope she sorts out my stuff soon.

Talking about my workplace, they held their Christmas Party on 6 January 2007. I was told they normally have their Christmas Party after Christmas because a lot of people will be on holiday during the weeks before Christmas and the week Christmas falls on is a busy week for the company, with a lot of work coming in.

The Christmas Party was held at the SwallowImperial Hotel. Long tables were arranged in rows on either side of the dining hall with a dance floor in the middle. There was a gap in the rows of tables on the left to accommodate the DJ stand, huge speakers and a podium. The tables were decorated with loads of party stuff like Christmas crackers, party hats, balloons etc. There was a bottle of red wine to each table.

Dinner started at 7.30pm. I had tomato and leek soup for starter, served with bread and butter. I choose turkey or the main course instead of pasta served with winter vegetables. They served a few thick slices of turkey with a little gravy on the plate along with halved baby potatoes, carrots, bean sprouts and some stuffing on the side of the plate. The stuffing was pork sausage wrapped in bacon and some greenish stuff (it was yummy), which was probably made out of leek, sage and onion. Then it was time for dessert and we had a choice of Christmas pudding or chocolate delice. I choose the Christmas pudding because I haven't had the chance to taste a Christmas pudding throughout the 3 yrs I stayed in England. The Christmas pudding served with custard cream was absolutely delicious ! I liked it and so did Patrick. MJ. did not want to eat her chocolate delice coz she was having a sore throat, so she gave it to me. I took a few bites and passed it to Patrick coz I was full. The chocolate delice was delicious as well but it was not as good as the Christmas pudding.

After dinner, it was time for the raffle draw. I lost my raffle ticket. :( It was probably stuck under one of the dinner plates because the ticket was on the table before dinner started.

After the draw, it was time to dance. I danced for a short while but left to go to the bar outside of the dinning hall. SweetRene kept asking me to dance but I told her I will be in the hall later coz I wanted to accompany MG. She was knackered and wanted to sit down to have a few taps.I chat with some of my colleagues and their partners at the bar and lounge.

knackered (Geordie) = tired
tap (Geordie) = ciggarette

I went in the dining hall much later on and danced for a while. Then I ordered a round of Drambuie shots for the people at my table. We raised our shot glasses and toasted to the New Year of 2007. After that it was time for the last dance, after the last dance. The last dance was when we were toasting and we missed it, so Mrn requested a song specially for me and Patrick. She asked me what song I like and I told her to choose one that she likes so she can dance with us as well. She chose Amarillo. Everyone else who was left in the room actually joined in and danced as well. We danced in a big circle and later on, we started linking arms to the person opposite and danced in circles in the middle. I'm not sure what these dance moves are called... could it be a type of English folk-dance ?

Anway, we ended the party around 12am and adjourned to the bar for more socializing. I stayed for a while more at the bar and lounge, then left. I enjoyed myself that night and had so much fun ! It was lovely to party with people young (like Chrl, who is only 18) and old (some of my colleagues are grandmothers). I love some of my colleagues and I am really happy to work with them.

I took some pictures and videos on that night. They did not turn out so well because my Sony Handycam does not have in-built flash and when I take pictures in dimly-lit places, I use the Nightshot Plus mode thus resulting in the greenish-ghostly-like pictures. My sister said the colours in the pictures taken by the Handycam are not nice. I tried changing the settings on my Handycam but that did not help with the colours. o_o

Some of my tablemates for dinner that night

Mrn was teaching us how to blow the long ~~sausage~~ balloon

Snotty with her 2 big 'balloons' (seems like my colleagues like balloons a lot, aye?)

Jolly Chrl is always smiling. Pamela said she's voluptuous

MG's hand is touching the wrong place

I don't think she did it on purpose coz I only notice her hand there when I viewed the pic

W and Mra with her beloved balloon
Mra's first balloon deflated before dessert was served and she was unhappy, so
Patrick went around looking for a balloon and blew a longer balloon for her. Awww... so sweet

MJ and Snotty are best friends

Last picture that night in the dining hall with some of my tablemates
The table behind was where we dined that night

SweetRene and I at the bar in the hotel. She's sweet !

Taken at the lounge

Nna (my left), helped me a lot and I appreciate what she has done for me.

I end this blog with a picture of me and Patrick. My colleagues said he is a lovely guy and they like him. :)

Patrick and I in white cowboy hats with fur trims

The beginning

2007-01-08T19:37:00.000Z

Hello and welcome to this first blog of mine !

I'm not too sure what style of writing I'm gonna use for my blogs... should it be funny... or sweet... perhaps rude... or formal... ? I guess it's not going to matter as long as I be myself and blog what is on my mind but of course, I should try not to offend anyone and also try not to touch on sensitive issues.

I remember how I first got to know about the word 'blog' and what it is all about. About 6 years ago, a friend of mine, Gwen, told me she has a blog and asked me if I have one. I told her I don't have a clue what a blog is and she then told me a blog is an online site where you can virtually pen your thoughts down. It is like an online diary, she said. She asked me to create one but I couldn't be bothered to coz :
1.) I'm lazy to maintain a blog
2.) I don't really like the idea of people reading my personal thoughts and nasty comments.

Anywhow, here I am now, creating a blog of my own. I guess it means :
1.) I'm not that lazy anymore? It's much easier to go online/have internet access nowadays with all the attractive broadband deals available.
2.) I have gotten used to expressing myself more openly by telling people how I feel, which includes telling people off. I guess this is a good thing coz I have learned to keep it real.

It's 8.30pm now in UK and today's the 8th of January 2007. Talk about being superstitious and liking the number 8. ;)

Anyway, I'm gonna post this up and then grab something to eat. It's dinner time now.
So here's to my first blog and may there be many more to come in the near future! Tata for now.