Wednesday, December 07, 2005

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL! 8.12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIGEL! 10.12

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SZUPS! 13.12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MELINDA! 14.12
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LISA! 15.12

May you all have the best birthdays ever. This year has been a big one for us - you all know what I'm talking about (Michael - yours is one day into the new year but actually deciding to do it was huge too) and I wish all our subsequent years will only get better and better.

I couldn't have made it through this year without the support of my friends and family who have made me open up more than I ever would have and have 'rescued' me many an occasion.

I will try to make everyone proud by rising above it all like Fawkes - reborn.....

Thank you and I love you.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

I was going to post an open invitation to watch Harry Potter here on my website…..but somebody has kindly agreed to watch it with me so…..perhaps some other time.

I think it’s a great idea isn’t it that I can use my website as an informal message board to get people (of similar interests) together. For example, I would like to watch ‘Rumour Has It’, if there’s anybody out there who is also interested in watching and meeting someone new at the same time, feel free to drop me your contact number so we can perhaps meet up. No guarantees though that we will get together! All depends on whether we can ‘click’ on the phone or not. Hheheheheheeeeee……

Perhaps I should study it properly and see how I can turn it into a reality. Although perhaps I have to pilot it – by trying it out on myself!

And it can run both ways, if there are people out there with similar interests – dance, music, movies, traveling, reading, shopping, riding, ice skating – let me know and we can endeavour to meet up!

Which reminds me, mum told me Patrizio is coming to town! The guy has got such a fantastic voice! Better than Il Divo and a different kind of good from Josh Groban. (I guess you can kinda guess what kind of music I listen to! Add country music and R&B to the list – if I say Britney Spears I would have gone too far right? But hey, I think the lady can really entertain!!!) Anyway, Russell Watson is also coming to town with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra for YTL’s 50th Anniversary – lovely (Check out the 5 day itinerary). Didn’t think he sounded very good the first couple of times I heard him but recently on a trailer, the man’s voice sounded pretty ok!

Ok, the invitation goes out now – I have registered for balloted free tickets to the 5 day extravaganza on www.ytlcommunity.com. Please leave your name and number if you’re interested in attending with me (preferably if you’ve endeavoured to get the tickets too!) and tell me why you wanna go!

Ooooohhh, life has been so busy for me – well at least the past two days. But I realize that now I spend time in the office without feeling like I want to rush off home. Which I guess can be bad in the long run cos there’s definitely more to life than just work. But for the mean time……it works.

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Lee Yoon-Hyung, the Samsung heiress has just committed suicide in New York.

Well! That kinda debunks the general myth that money makes the world go round and money makes you happy. It seems that she was depressed. A pretty girl born with a golden spoon in her mouth with her life beautifully laid out in front of her (she was only 26)…..what else could a person ask for.


It’s sad that I had just written about depression, falling into it and escaping from it and here we see someone who was not able to find the strength to climb out of the rut. If you remember an old cartoon, can’t remember the name of it but once in a while it shows the wife sitting in her ‘Well of Sulkiness/ Petulance/Peevishness/Moodiness…..’; after a while her husband will come and try to get her out of it, sometimes she’d acquiesce, sometimes she’d not and well (pun!) in her bad temper for just a wee bit longer……

It can seem funny in a cartoon strip but when it comes to real life, it is serious business!

Below please find the 9 classic symptoms of depression (from the University of Pennsylvania) and always remember: ‘When a depressed person talks about suicide, it’s NOT a joke!’

1. Depressed mood for the day (sadness or despair or irritable or tense)
2. Disturbed appetite or change in weight
3. Disturbed sleep
4. Psychomotor retardation or agitation (an abnormal slowing of movement that is directly related to brain activity)
5. Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities, inability to enjoy usual hobbies or activities
6. Fatigue or loss of energy
7. Feelings of worthlessness; excessive and/or inappropriate guilt
8. Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly
9. Morbid or suicidal

Please also be aware of masked depression”It is possible for people to suffer from major depression without their friends and loved ones realizing it. Their depression may be masked because they don't talk about their low mood. Instead, they may complain of various physical problems (e.g., indigestion, heartburn, muscle or joint pains, and chronic headaches). Further questioning may reveal that depression is responsible for their symptoms.”

Anyway, no more sad stories - look out for miracles next!

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Taiwan, land of......what?

I honestly cannot say what I really liked, found fascinating about the country I visited for 6 days. It was supposed to be the best time of the year to visit - Autumn......temperature was in its mid 20s (read: hot as hell)! And we went to beautiful places like the Blooming Oasis where some Korean movie shot their scenes......alll 5 patches of blooming and almost blooming little flowers. Then we went to the Master Bear resort where we could try out hot pools.....yeay! It rained and there were gigantic earthworms all writhing on the earth which disguested the heck out of my little bare toes!

Oh yes, we also went to the Ah Mei Store which sold powdered fetus of deer which is
guaranteed to cure asthma, we went to the Taroko Gorge which is allegedly one of the wonders of the earth (!!!!) with its huge long bed of gravel.....I'm told it's a more awesome sight when there are typhoons and the Gorge is filled to its brim - well, unlucky me who wasn't there during a typhoon!

Ummmmmmm, food was always rice and dishes - pretty much the same soup, vegetables, pork and chicken. There was one night of wonderful dining though, at the gorgeous and unique Tree House Restaurant - it's shaped like a tree house on the inside with its furniture looking like it was simply carved out of wood and cutlery and plates and mugs that look like they belong with Fred Flinstone.

The fried oysters and wan than mee were supposed to be good there but oh so bland! The stuff you buy from road side stalls were nothing much to shout about too though the Taiwanese seemed to enjoy 'lor bak pooi'and 'or mee'(Hokkien).....

Visited the 101 Tower of course, KLCC is much better-looking and awe-inspiring. Although I saw (and spoke to!) the most gorgeous looking Chinese man I have ever seen in my entire life! He was tall enough, big enough, beautiful enough and spoke English like a native tongue - what's he doing behind the counter at Bvlgari????

The one thing I can honestly say I enjoyed were the night markets - namely the See Men Tong in Taipei and Shih Lin Night Market which are quite large and sell fantastic shoes, bags and fashion. Knowing me with my penchant for shoes, I came back with six pairs - well actually only 5 and mum gave me a pair she bought.

Knee high suede boots for only 390 New Taiwan Dollars = RM46.40 (of which I have 2 pairs), high heels for the same amount, espadrilles......OOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!! though some silly spoil sports on the tour always wanted to only spend 2 hours at the night markets because, the wimps!, wanted to go back to the hotel and sleep - STAY AT HOME WHY DON'T YOU!!!

So, that was my Taiwan trip - those of you thinking of using CTC (Commonwealth Tours.....or something) from Singapore - DON'T! Those of you who have Joanne as your tour leader.....buyer beware......
OK, second part to my very sloppily written story of Tubby, Beautiful and Singer Dolphin. I do firstly, want to apologise for the atrocious way I wrote the story but it was the best I could do at that point in time.

Nobody's come back to me to say how they'd like for the story to end so here I go, making my own ending up.

Tubby Dolphin sees the real sunlight in spite of the temporary, false light he saw when he met Singer Dolphin and obssessed about her.....not for long though and he misses everything he's ever had the good fortune to build with Beautiful Dolphin. But The Great Sea Whelk says, "Everything will become clear in time, no matter how bad it seems now, no matter how good it seems now, in the end, you will see what was meant for you".

And so, life goes on in the Undersea World of the Dolphins.....Beautiful Dolphin comes out a little ragged around the edges, perhaps more jaded but also thankful that The Great Sea Whelk stepped in to save the future. Tubby has his life to lead and Singer has her own life to lead - neither are important to Beautiful anymore and she can live with that finally.

Sometimes it's hard to see the truth when you're too deeply embroiled in it. But when you do see it, you realise it was right all along. The Great Sea Whelk doesn't lie and is not wrong - only sea mammals make that mistake for love, for greed, for inconsideration.....

I personally believe that Tubby Dolphin did not, does not and perhaps never will realise what he's lost - be it in terms of love or friendship or genuine care and mindfulness for him, but that is something he has to learn for himself.
Hi All,

I realise that it's been almost a month since I last wrote. For those of you who are interested in knowing, things are definitely getting better. I am no longer so emotional, I no longer get bogged down by obessive thoughts, I don't wake up in the morning ANGRY at certain thoughts and I don't go to bed at night still consistently wondering and getting upset.

I was in Singapore recently, prior and after my 'holiday'to Taiwan.....which, sorry to say, was not to my taste. Firstly, I couldn't understand the language that well (which is entirely my fault I know) but also the sights and sounds and food that we were able to partake of and in, I was not impressed with. Gosh, was it worse than Singapore - this question to those of you who know how much I actually dislike Singapore!

That aside for now.....in Singapore, there were all these signs which so caught my attention - they kept asking "Do you feel like staying in all day?", "Do you feel that nobody cares?"......etc (Malaysia has recently started it on radio too but somehow, I feel the Singapore campaign gets to me more because it more accurately describes the feelings of a depressed person. When I saw the campaign, I felt like I should call because even though I DO NOT feel suicidal (not in the least), I wondered about feeling some of the symptoms! (Gosh, can't believe I'm writing this here for everyone to see!)

Another eye opening experience in Singapore, people who are depressed will identify very closely with the protagonist in 'Prozac Nation' - a book I had never read before then and a movie I have not seen in its entirety.....my sister says the girl (I forget her name) is pathetic - yes, she is......and she can't help it. That's probably what people never understand, it can't be helped - at least not for the time being.

I only hope that whatever I experienced, it makes me a better stronger person, more able to help others in need of my experience, my coming out of it, my strength, my maturity. I don't know if I feel hope - it seems to be the right thing to say, but I don't think I feel that.

Abraham Lincoln said "Most people are only as happy as they make up their minds to be" (so accredited the Singapore Her World or Female magazine) and that made my mind up for me. I think time also helped......time does heal.

And also, when someone has hurt/disappointed you so badly time and again, you forget how to feel for that person anymore. It's a defense mechanism your heart and mind adopts because it's a survival instinct, I guess for those who still have the will to survive.

I also learnt that though other people may have undergone what I have undergone, some worse no doubt, my pain is my own and no one, no matter how much they want to help, can help me. Perhaps it's because of the person I am, I have to learn myself and I have to solve my problems myself, I keep it all inside - hence my surprise at me writing this out on the internet (but perhaps it will help someone).....I think it's fine if I am this way, wanting and needing to do it all myself, as long as I never reach the bottom, as long as I never feel worthless, I can always climb out of the well. Those who can't, should reach out for help but sometimes people don't know how to help - which is why we have organisations like Befrienders!

I have a friend who's gone through depression once, didn't help me much so I myself am not sure how writing about this can help anyone else because though the experience may be similar in itself but the pain and the healing process is different for different people. (think I am just rambling now) I feel I have so much to say, most of it may be nonsense but....

I honestly, must say though that the days don't always start and occur and end happily, sometimes I have my down moments but generally, it's better because I don't obssess anymore and by not doing that anymore, I don't allow anyone to hurt me so much anymore.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

Dear All,

Another brush with fame. Just finished a voice over for a parenting programme -not sure if they are actually going to use my voice since they tried a few out but anyways......

If you catch it, well and good cos it will probably be one of my last seeing as I won't have any more contact really with my showbiz contact. If not, well, you can always call me up and listen for yourself how I sound in real life.
By the way, just in case you missed it - there will be no more podcasts from E. My sincerest apologies to regular listeners of the show.

Well, obviously I've done something wrong again......needless to say that the last two posts were almost the same. But they were still different so I shall leave them up for people who have time to kill to read.

Sorry about it though - didn't mean to spread too much disease around - heck we already have dengue and AIDS, we don't need anything else actually!

So, here's a story instead:

Once upon a time, almost too long back to remember, there was a Dolphin called Tubby. He had a normal life, swimming around in the ocean, minding his own business, doing his own thing when suddenly, he met Beautiful Dolphin.

"She is so beautiful! I wonder if she'll be my friend?", he wondered.

Well, it so happened, that Beautiful Dolphin was happy to be Tubby's friend. She was carefree, happy, full of life and joy and Tubby welcomed this with open arms - It was a Nice Change. Although, he was very uncertain of himself all the time he got to know Beautiful - "Am I making her laugh enough?", "Does she enjoy what we're talking about?", "Where shall I take her?", "How can I spend more time with her and yet not seem too obvious and eager?".

It was all a wonderful time. It was crazy and soaring at the time and upon reflection, it still is.

Soon, everything was blossoming along so smoothly between Tubby and Beautiful that they decided to make their relationship concrete. He gave her keys to his underwater house and she gave him hers. He gave her his big thumping heart and she gave him hers. They went on many adventures and shared many a bubbly laugh, many wave crashing kisses (Aside: When Tubby and Beautiful first started kissing, they weren't very sure of each other's style, so a lot of times, it ended up being wet and slobbery ((or was that just due to unrestrained passion??)) but 'wave crashing' emotes better.)

For years it went on like this, there were of course some bad times, like when the ocean got so polluted that it was difficult for Tubby and Beautiful to see where they were going - sometimes, they almost lost each other but then somehow, as if by the Guiding Hand of The Great Sea Whelk, they always found each other again. There was also that time when an ex boyfriend of Beautiful's came back into the picture, Tubby got so mad that the water almost boiled around him on account of his soaring temper-ature. No worries, though because whether through darkness or light of the ocean, Tubby and Beautiful always came out swimmingly.

(Aside: Tubby and Beautiful sometimes feel like they risked it all to be together - one time, they took great deep breaths, sacrificed the ocean for 5 days and on the strength of their love and support for each other, climbed the great heights of the highest mountain around!)

Then one day, The Great Sea Whelk came and said, "Hey dude and dudette. Sorry man but I have to part you guys. It just ain't happening and the time has come. You guys have had your paradise under the sea but now .....adios muchachos!"

And as easy as that, Tubby and Beautiful had to part. It was painful and it was unbelievable. It was as if, the Great Sea Whelk had just taken the rays of the sun from the sea, it was as if the squids and shrimp that they eat had evaporated and torturous though it was, everyone knew that the word of the Great Sea Whelk had to be adhered to.

And so they parted......just like that.

Tubby then decided, "Well, that was that and now it's gone. Let me try to salve my pain. How? Let me find another Dolphin!".

Well, it wasn't long before his wish came through. The sun shone 5 more times and he found her. Her name as Singer Dolphin. He thought to himself, "AHA! She's good! She will be the one."

And so, the courting began. Tubby got her phone number, chatted with her and tried to get to know her as best he could. He didn't want to be too obvious about it though because who knows who may be watching? But "If nobody can see the way I feel about this dolphin, they must all have been in contact with too much chlorin and gone blind!"

Now Singer was often caught in stressful situations, she just couldn't keep herself out of them and there have been times, when Tubby has come to the rescue and saved her from the sharks! He very often wanted to just whisk her away to a secluded underwater cove somewhere and have her to himself - so far that hasn't happened yet. He turned on the charm, Tubby did. He sent her beautiful bouquets of seaweed and sea anemonies. He even sent FAST Sailfish missives to his Faraway Friend to tell her all about the new Singer - all about how she makes his heart beat like its never beaten before, how he feels like he is floating (Aside: yes, dolphins float but you know what I mean!), how he wishes her Boyfriend would die from any of the common viral, bacterial and fungal infections that affect dolphins. Tubby felt so jealous he could burst!

But hey, are we forgetting Beautiful? Well, once in a while, Tubby would feel guilty and swim by to rest with her on the sand, hang out with her and tell her stories to make her feel better. But then off he would go, back to Singer and all her good-ness.

Tubby always hums Katie Melua's 'Closest Thing To Crazy' because he feels since Singer is......well, a singer dolphin; he'd like to dedicate this to her (Aside: it's something that she's familiar with!) The words of the song describes how he feels for her and if only she would see it (Aside: I think I forgot to mention that Singer knows that Tubby likes her but hasn't reciprocated....yet....in any way) Tubby would be on Sea Cloud 9. Tubby now swims around everyday with Starfish around him because whenever he thinks of Singer, it makes his portion of the sea, nay, the entire ocean Brighter!

And that, my friends, is the story of Tubby and Singer and who was the other Dolphin again???? ...............................................Oh yes, Beautiful - stay tuned for the second installment. What would you like to happen next?

Friday, September 30, 2005

Effective Usage of 5Ws and 1H and others….

What, When, Where, Why, Who and How.

What do you do when your world’s been turned upside down?
When can it ever be the same again?
Where can you find the strength to even pretend to be happy and a-okay?
Why does the one you trust the most always end up being the one to betray you?
How do you find the time to forgive and forget in the midst of all the confusion and pain?

What makes a someone special think they have the right to hurt you?
When does the switch happen from one emotion to another, from one person to another?
Where can you begin again when all your beliefs have been challenged and smashed?
Why do the questions never end?
How can you ever trust your instincts again?

What did you do so wrong to deserve this?
When can you be friends again?
Where do all the shared dreams and hopes, break ups and make ups go?
Why did it have to end this way?
How can I still feel the way I feel?



In the absence of any other empathy, is self-pity allowable?
In the absence of a confidante, is the inner mind allowable?
Effective Usage of the 5W and H.

What do you do when you've been betrayed?
Why is it always what you least expect that happens?
When do you find the time to forgive and forget in the midst of all the confusion, tears, sleeplessness and thoughts amok in your head?
Who has the right to do this to any one person - least of all the person they profess to care for?
How do you recover when your world's been turned upside down and inside out?

What is the truth?
Why does the one you trust suddenly lie and cheat?
When can it be beautiful again?
Who decided that friends was not good enough?
How do you summon up the courage, the cheek, the gall, the heart to slander and humiliate the one you love?

What is next?
Why do I still feel this way?
When will it end?
Who can I turn to?
How do I get through this in the end?

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Hi All,

I'm going through a very roller coaster time right now.....so many things are happening and I am definitely not getting enough sleep! Now what can drive a girl to lose precious beauty sleep?

Is it Work?
Is it Money?
Is it Men?

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Merdeka's just passed and I didn't celebrate.....not saying in the least that I am ungrateful for the fact that Tunku Abdul Rahman (to paraphrase a recent Edisi Siasat) 'menitik darah' for our Independence, but I thought I'd stay home and pay tribute and custom to the many TV shows that were being aired about the Kemerdekaan Celebrations......I mean somebody's going to have to watch them right?

Anyways, was catching, while reading, the 8TV Quickie with Rena, Marion and Adam......they were very happy and fun and I must say they are very good hosts in the sense that I never get irritated watching them, I never hear bad grammar or just bad English and I actually sit through their Quickies....which is something I rarely do with Malaysian TV......

Then, whaddayaknow! They have little VoxPops (Voice on The Street) where people say why the Like Living in Malaysia or Why Malaysia is Great or something to that effect....and what do I see on National TV on the Day when Malaysians of all creed, colour and race are celebrating in 'perfect' unity????

There is a musical group - the role models for our leaders of tomorrow.....saying, and I quote, "Malaysia is great because of the way it's spelled! M-A-L-A-Y--S-IA!" No mistakes have been made with the hyphens inserted between the letters - just imagine the spaces to denote timing and rhythmn.....Now, tell me what that means and tell me if I am paranoid.

SELAMAT MENYAMBUT HARI MERDEKA EVERYBODY - ESPECIALLY IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS!

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Well, well, well! Another week, another podcast! Thanks firstly, to all the people who have subscribed and listened and enjoyed and written back re the podcast - we're now at Episode 4, can you believe it and hopefully there'll be many more to come.....

If you haven't tried it out, please come listen and just try it on for size to see if you'll enjoy it, you never know!

Here's the link again:

www.ppsreview.blogspot.com

Don't try, don't know. 'Millions' have tried it and liked it......you may be the next one!

Thanks!!!!

Saturday, August 27, 2005

I have a very simple blog this time. Something so simple that I can't believe it even happened.....

The PAN PACIFIC HOTEL next to KLIA - a 5 star hotel.....needed my 15 sen more than me so they kept it!!!

Too upset to talk about it still. Last Friday, I was trying to catch a plan so went to the hotel to grab some dinner. I stupidly suggested Pan Pacific because I'd never been there. Encountered a stupid maitre'd who said, "Ah" to my question about the buffet that was being offered. Well, nowhere else to eat so ordered my food, had some ok food, asked for the bill.....(during which time I saw the maitre'd ask a mat salleh couple 2 times how their food was - this graciousness ostentatiously missing from the dinner service of locals and some Indonesians......Talk about Colonial hangups which perpetuate in this country and make me fume!!!!

The bill came, was paid with cash........There was supposed to be change but hey.....The Pan Pacific Hotel decided they wouldn't bring the change and receipt back to us. They decided they would just keep the (albeit) 15 sen without so much as a "Keep the Change!" from the Customer, or a simple question of "May we keep your change since we are donating 15 sen from every bill to cancer research?"

Audacious? Well, finally after being asked, they brought back 10 sen......I am very honoured to stand beside D who is brave enough to tell them that, "You're a 5 star hotel......even a mamak shop can afford to give customers back their full change."

There you have it - our very own dregs of the hotel industry - if you're reading this Pan Pacific - you'd better conduct better training and design better policies which show you are more customer driven than self-driven!

Suffice to say that I can eat better food at a lot of other places and definitely get better service anywhere else!

All I can ask is: Was 15 sen really worth all this bad press?

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Alrighty now, the second podcast has been recorded and will be out soon after it's edited. It's quite a bit of fun this thing although it does require some preparation. No I'm not talking about making up scripts and rehearsing our laughs but we do have to do some work you know.

So, what's been happening with life? Of course, the haze. Enough said about that. I was kinda worried about our security guards at the office cos they are stationed outside the building at various different posts. This coupled with the fact that the haze is especially bad where I work - I asked the management whether there were any plans to outfit our guards with masks. I thought I was doing a kind deed but the reply that came back was that, "Thanks but they're already wearing masks!" Now, if that doesn't make me look like an unobservant idiot, I don't know what does.

So, on to other stuff. Have made plans to go home after a long long time. Yippeee!!! It's birthday month for my family now and it'll be great to get back. Which leads me to - my birthday celebration. D took me to Le Francais Restaurant at One Bangsar. It was quite nice - the appetizer that we had (Salmon and Scallops) was not quite as good as we hoped but the mains we had (Lamb and Duck) were good. The Chocolate Terrine dessert was also not as good as expected but the Thyme Creme Brulee I liked - though D didn't enjoy that quite as much as I did.

The Duck was apparently imported from France so it is supposed to be quite gamey/tough. I told the waiter D was game for the duck! HAhahahhahahahahahahahahaa..........

By the way, shopping in Shanghai China is fantastic - I have a friend there now who's been buying stuff for me (fake) and they're great at great prices!

Til next time! Do good deeds.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

Project Petaling Street PODCAST!!!

For the first time ever, I've participated in a Podcast! In case you don't know what a podcast is - it's people recording themselves talking about anything and everything and then making it available to people over the internet. So check my podcast out - I did it with D and it's pretty cool for a first effort!

Here's the link: http://ppsreview.blogspot.com/

So, what we've done is picked some cool blogs out there in the world and then talked about them to try and add some more interesting facets and analysis........but for this one podcast, we're talking about interesting blogs from Project Petaling Street - Project Petaling Street is like this big blog database that showcases Malaysian blogs. However, they're only there for a day and after 24 hours, the blogs are gone foreverrrr!!! So we're here to try and immortalise the most fascinating blogs via online voice.

Have fun!

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Bali Hai!!!!!!!

First and foremost, Bali Travel Tips!

1. Bring enough rupiahs
2. Bargain Bargain Bargain - shopping is king!
3. Bring enough rupiahs....

I went for 2.5 days and it wasn't enough by a stretch! Because shopping is tantamount with me, I had to even Skip My Massage session in order to do a bit of last minute shopping on Sunday morning. Since I had already missed the 'Morning Price'for all previous days, I might as well make use of this one eh?

What is morning price then? Well, just as the Chinese have their customs of definitely making the sale to the first person who walks into your shops - so do the Balinese - or maybe it's just the Ubudians - that's where I was.

Ubud is a lovely chock-a-block town of artisans so you get the most beautiful (and not so nice) paintings, metal art, batik, silver work etc. The moment, you walk into a shop or near one, they call out to you, these friendly lovely (CUT THROAT) people. Especially early in the morning because they believe that once you make the first sale of the day, luck will follow and they WILL have roaring business forever......and a day.

Generally, bargaining is expected so the Ubudians start the process by quoting a price about 200% what they will/can sell the item to you for. So, unless you're Donald Trump (but then you don't get to be Donald Trump by buying stupidly), chop the price suggested in half and lower it a bit more. Then, as they come down, you go up - but you should be getting, in the end, at least a 30% discount!

Some kind hearted consumers might feel, gosh! they're so poor, we can't take away too much of their profit. P-shaw! These are seasoned business people, used to the tourist market and making money! If we ever found out their capital for business, we'd be shocked and appalled at how we've been cheated - albeit willingly!

However, I do hold that mantra in mind when dealing with artists - of the painting kind. I find it a bit distateful to negotiate too low a price because it is actually insulting to the artist in question - especially if he's the one selling you the painting. It seems to mean, you don't think too much of his work and will only part with a measly amount of money for the hard work, sweat, blood and tears he's put down to eke out a living! So, my acquisition in that area was a painting on velvet of the Buddha's face - a bit larger than an A4 size piece of picture for RM40-50. I love the picture and think it is my treasure of the trip!

And of course, me being the earring queen - DIDN'T buy any earrings. Seem to have found them too expensive - what with MegaMall selling 3 pairs for RM10 - I didn't see the need to spend RM20 for one pair of delicate silver work. (You know, they won't sell to you when you walk away and they don't keep calling out lowering prices after you!)

Did buy sequined sandals and slippers though - one other person on the tour bought 8 pairs and I thought I was a shoe freak. But it turns out she had friends to give them to. Anyway, I'm not so much into flattie shoes. Me like the high stilleto heel!

Then of course, we have the fun beachy dresses and I bought a lace kebaya and sarong for RM100....think I got mighty screwed on that one but it was my first buy of the trip and I was a greenhorn........

Got souvenirs as well, some carved coconut monkeys that were quite hard to cart around, a bag that D bought for me for an altogether much too high price, went on a Tanah Lot tour for Rupiah 80,000 (Rupiah 50,000 = RM20). I hear the Kintamani Tour is a must-do to see the Black Volcano - but hey, D doesn't relish being told what to do and we decided to strike out on our own to check out the different tours. The thing about Bali is that no matter what you want, there are always at least 5 different vendors who are offering the same thing - for different prices. So check around!

One final note, about Bali, if you're looking for magnets, buy them at the airport - buy them at this souvenir shop near Gate 4 - the Mas departure gate cos I didn't see a piddly piece of magnet anywhere else in Ubud or Seminyak. (Notice I didn't talk much about Seminyak - that's how much I really liked the place - a lot of high market boutiques if that's what you're into). I got my magnet - a slipper - for Rupiah 3000 I believe it was.

Final final note about Bali - Puri Wulandari Boutique Spa and Resort costs RM800 a night, is set about 20 minutes drive away form Ubud town centre in the middle of padi fields. It's gorgeous and luxurious and the service is impeccable - I was Ibu Tan Sen Luang....hehehehehehe. Anyway, I kept thinking to myself, "THIS is how the Rich live!"

So, from now til my next adventure - Bali Hai ...................................
(What DOES that mean anyway?)

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Here is a video of the room I stayed in while in Bali. Excuse the drunk cameraman look, I was excited. You can also download the video.



Friday, July 01, 2005

Hey, we're here in KLIA playing withn Free Internet, I guess the emphasis is on 'free', since there isn't much Internet to go by. Thank you very much Samsung Digitall connect. My 28.8 modem was better.

Anyway, beggars can't be choosers, and we've spent the last ten minutes trying to post this. And if you don't see it, it means it hasn't.

We're off to Bali and shopping. And temples. And sunsets. And shopping.

Bai Bai

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Has it actually been so long since I last wrote? ( think the preceedeing sentence has become a bit of a traditional precursor for me to any one of my blogs - whenever you don't see this, it must not be me writing! ;) )

By the way, another coool thing that happened while I was in Perhentian was that I was part of the fire show - what? you beg to ask. Well, let me tell you - it's cool having friends in high places. What happened was, there was 'Lady Boy' who was one of the waiters at Bubu Resort - and some of you may know how I have this 'thing' for lady boys, hehehehehehee. Anyway, he was very nice with orange hair; didn't like Mr Black though - arrogant son of a slug - he got his though! Alright, let's get back to happier news. Lady Boy was one of the performers in the nightly fire show....he'd had two chains dangling from each hand, both of which have a ball of fire hanging at one end. These balls are lighted up and guess what, there you go - fire balls for a fire show. He'd swing them balls every which way and create these beautiful patterns in the night scene.

To make everything even more exciting and personal for the audience, of course some of us in the crowd were invited to go on sand (no stage) and try swinging for our lives......Lady Boy picked me, I went, all game and excited and did my turn entertaining my big group of friends. So much fodder for the cameras. No camera of my own but anyway, Liz got a beautiful clear-on pic of me which I shall try to put on the moment I get my hands on it.

Here I am looking for life experiences - there you go, there's one!

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Sun, Surf and ...

Woohoo!!! Two weekends in a row by the beautiful beach! Or next to seawater of some description, anyway.

First weekend was a mini-break at Perhentian. I cunningly decided to take a break from mundane work with my office mates by taking a holiday at Pulau Perhentian with my office mates. I know. Go figure.

But if it wasn't for them, I'd probably not go snorkelling. You know, I'm pretty keen on this stuff, apart from the fact that I can't swim. It's okay. I was never motivated enough. And that's what pelampung are for anyway.

I went snorkelling at Kota Kinabalu and everything was cool. Except maybe for those wormsie things.

Anyway, I know now that when you snorkel you sometimes see these striped worms, but they're not really worms, they're jellyfish. I know this now. Don't need to freak out so much. Forewarned is forearmed.

And the great thing is, there aren't that many stripey jellyfish at Perhentian. Snorkelling is so cool, a whole new world opens up before your eyes. For example, there are fish, big ones. Coral, beautiful, colourful coral. And then there were the Sea slugs.

You know, when you say "slug", you think "black thing that crawls in the garden, looks like a snail without a shell"? Well, the sea slugs I saw were like that, except that they're bigger. Like "length of my arm" bigger. Okay, so my arms are on the short side, but, hey, they were big enough for me to go "OHMIGODOHMIGODOHMIGOD!" when I saw them.

And if that doesn't sound too freaky, try saying that underwater the next time.

Of course, this guy who shall remain nameless, picked one up and tried to drape it on me.

You know how I said I couldn't swim? Amazing how fast you learn with enough motivation.

Saturday, May 21, 2005

Life sucks! Friday was a good beginning to some much needed rest period before the days really heats up next week. But, I mut have done something wrong in my past life cos it definitely ain't that easy!

Can't go into details but rest assured, it's days like these, on top of everything else, that makes you wanna throw in the towel. It'll come in time, it ain't always easy, you'll learn is what they all say but you know what, at this precise moment, it sure as heck seems like they're lying.

End of the year - I'll wait until end of the year and then that'll be it because if I don't go, my soul will.

Thursday, May 05, 2005


Old Me.


New Me!
A couple of things have happened peeps (- for those of you not in the know, 'peeps' means 'people'!)

Firstly - Errolyn's cut her hair (!!!)
Secondly - Errolyn spent RM120 at the Times Warehouse Sale (!)

So, which do you want to hear about first?

Well, obviously I've put up some pics of myself with long hair and my new hairstyle which actually looked so good on the first day that I hugged my professional hairstylist - Annita Hisham of Curlers & Trimmers in Desa Sri Hartamas - and thanked her very very profusely. I was almost teary-eyed cos I wanted to do it but had the usual suspects - concern, excitement, reservation, eagerness and of course, my faithful friends - urge, desire and let's-do-this-now!!!!!!

For those of you who don't know me from childhood, I've had 'beautiful' long hair since I was yea high, not least because the two or three times I have experimented with short hairstyles, mum has commented that I look like an Indonesian maid! I also had another nickname - 'Butterball'. Funny how you remember these things huh?

Anyways, I didn't think I looked sooooooo bad for those 'different' hairstyles but obviously short hair doesn't get you as many looks as long hair does. Frequently enough, people say long hair is sexy and guess what, I think it is definitely TRUE! No offense to all the short-furred people out there but you know what, we can't deny that the length of one's hair almost always does influence the looker whether he/she realises it or not! Gosh, am I rambling? Do you just want me to get to the point?

So - I cut my hair. Mum said no, D said hmmmmm, sis said yeah, friends said try it slow. You see, originally, I had wanted the Anita Sarawak haircut. Hairstylist said no. :)

Secondly, there was a Times warehouse sale in PJ - in that building where people hold a lot of warehouse sales? Behind Colgate-Palmolive is how they describe it. Anyway, if you go around that vicinity, you'll be able to see a white sign on the ground that says 'Free Parking for Times warehouse sale'. The guard will then hand you a yellow parking ticket and very diligently tell you to collect the parking voucher from Times.

How do I know he diligently does this? Cos I went twice!

First time I went and bought quite a few books totalling RM120 with 2 books worth RM1 each. This was their gimmick you see - 'cheaper thatn newspaper'!!!! And a lot of other novels (Mum and I love Greg Iles) worth RM8. Can you imagine! The normal RRP (Recommended Retail Price) is somewhere around RM30-40 and here we can get it for RM8. Some hard-cover books were RM15 and of course there were the more expensive ones too like James Patterson (whom I love - can't read his books fast enough!) for RM24. Bought the Volume 1-4 of Stephen King's Dark Tower set for RM30, one Orson SCott Card's SongMaster for RM 8 (I loved Ender! - as I have said in my review of Ender here on my website - if you haven't, you need to, no matter what the genre you prefer!)

Then I went a second time, and bought one contemporary 'Chick Lit' - well, the bookstores call it 'Chic Lit' but somehow I think they mean the former! :)
Couldn't bring myself to buy it the first time around cos it didn't seem right to spend money on frivolous Chick Lit. I know, I know, the other novels are all fiction too but they seem to require more thought and planning and effort since the books I like to read usually involve a lot of twists in medical/legal/espionage/horror thrillers. But anyway, only RM 8 right? And let's see, bought another RM 1 novel since they change the novels, everyday I think. There was another Iles book for RM 1 but sadly I had already bought it for RM 8 the other day - DAMN!

So, when you buy RM100 and above (accumulated receipts of one day only), you get a complimentary RM5 voucher to use at Times, valid until 31st July. And if you buy RM300 and above (again accumulated receipts of one day only), you get a very nice Times bag. So, with D buying RM200 and above and me RM100 and above, we got a nice Times bag - which you may see me carrying around now!

So that was my eventful!!!!! weekend. And this weekend I am going home - which promises to be even more fun, love and comfort. I miss home. I want to go home. I miss everything it represents to me - family, comfort, luxury, familiarity, closeness.

Too-de-loo!

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Post of 25th April 2005
(With pictures)
An Intimate Evening with Lea Salonga - Broadway Pleasures.

Lea Salonga sang only one Miss Saigon song, one Les Miz and a lot of other songs I didn't really like. Her voice is as pure as ever and I enjoyed it to no end but I definitely wouldn't have minded more songs that I liked.

Mrs Rob has been married for 'a little over a year now' (as she kept reminding us) and still very much in love. In fact, the theme for the night was Love. It affected some and didn't affect some.

There was her Broadway album for sale at half-time (which I have already got courtesy of D's visit to the Filipino MP3 market....hehehehehe....The 'Voice of God' announced that it would be on sale after the concert but actually sales started, and ended, at half time intermission!!! Quite a few people missed out on it. Demand definitely sky-rocketed when 'God' promised that Lea herself would come out and autograph your copy of her album.

Lea came out in her 'ugliest costume of the year' a blue suit first and then changed into a shiny red off-the-shoulder chiffon thingy with pants. She looked really bigger on stage - as in more substantial from my vantage point to the left of the stage, one tier up and beautifully right in front of the stage! Circle 1 - A3-6!

But boy! When she came out to sign her album, I couldn't recognise her! On stage she looked bigger and older and not so captivating but in person, she came back to normal size, looked 22 and lived up to all beauty expectations. LA SALONGA IS SO BEAUTIFUL AND THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO ALREADY THOUGHT SHE WAS RAVISHING. SHE EXCEEDED EXPECTATION STILL!

Overall, repertoire could have been improved, I thought her voice sounded a bit nyaring but stil mesmerising. As someone very aptly put it, she acts her songs! It isn't just singing - another gem like her is Celine Dion. That's why I can't understand when people say Carrie Underwood and Jaclyn Victor sing well. Yeah they have the voice but they don't emote, they don't bring the song to life, they don't send shivers up your spine and make you want to cry. When Lea sings, I believe.

Well, there is my adventure with Lea - I have been within the closest proximity ever with her and now go home sated. The train ride again - very romantic - all the old world charm and rocking soothing motions - except the AutoDoor won't open for me!

Lovely.
Post of 23rd April 2005

It's my fourth/fifth/sixth trip to Sinsapore and I've definitely run out of things to do, places to see and malls to visit. People always say shopping is fabulous in Singapore....I beg to disagree. Whoever said that must have said it a decade ago before shopping exploded in Malaysia what with the advent of MidValley Megamall; my personal all-time favourite, although I must say Sunway Pyramid comes a close second.

What do people actually do in Singapore? God knows during my second trip itself, I had already exhausted all the 'pleasures' of Singapore - night safari, sentosa island, orchard road.

On my wonderful train trip down here to Singapore on KTM Berhad's Senandung Malam (the train with the sleeping berths), when we crossed the straits between Malaysian soil and Singaporean....lo and behold, the FINE city didn't seem to fine! Malaysian waters were clean but Singaporean waters.....were....(piss!) not! How odd!

Anyway, why am I in Singapore again you may ask? Is it some perverse sado masochistic desire within me, coming back again? A resounding No! I just had to come cos this is the only location and the only night that Lea Salonga - Queen of the Musicals is performing.

Back in Malaysia, it is DAD'S Birthday but according to Lilian Too, I must not travel long distance this month, so I wasn't planning to go home to Penang. But what is a girl to do when Lea Salonga comes to a town near you????? Brave the odds and pray hard as hell! I do feel terrible about daddy's birthday though and wish I could tear myself into two and be everywhere I wished to be all at the same time - preferably with the Lea Salonga concert in Malaysia - but......

Anyway, there was one good development from my visit to Singapore. Edward Kee apartments - BEE-OO-TEE-FULL! I wish I lived here is all I can say!

Anyway, will write more tomorrow about the non-diva diva! Too de loo and til
tomorrow - We Must Love Her!

Sunday, April 03, 2005

It sure is hard planning a holiday! If any of you out there know of a tour agency or travel agent who hosts tours to China with an ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDE, please let me know! I am desperate. You would think there would be quite a few tours out there with guides who speak adequate English - but it doesn't seem to be the case.

I don't know why I agreed to do the logistics for this trip. Damn! We're looking to go to Australia or China. Australia because we've never been there and perhaps, it's time we did since people seem to rave about it alot although I've never been particularly entranced by it.

China because it was cheaper than Australia but the more I research about it, the more attractive it gets! The Great Wall, the beautiful lakes and rivers and gorges - I heard that the 3 Gorges is flooded up already and the people have been relocated! A natural beauty gone forever! It is sacrilegous that the Chinese government has allowed such an atrocity but.....I guess it is also embarrassing that I have only now found out about it.

I'm definitely looking forward to any input anyone out there can give me with regards to touring Australia or China. I'm not afraid to say I don't know much about either country and get really nauseous looking at the computer too long. Our Malaysians websites also don't seem to provide much information when it comes to their possible itineraries and I've sent some enquiries to their email addresses only to have emails come back to me saying the 'inbox is full' (!!!!) or that delivery is impossible due to some technical glitch or another. Do our tour operators rely solely on walk in business then??????? In this day and age!

I for one, do not have the time to walk into each and every tour agency out there under our hot hot sun to ask you questions and remember all that you have told me! So, TOUR OPERATORS/TRAVEL AGENCIES OUT THERE TAKE NOTE! I would like to contact you online and have you give me substantial information that is HELPFUL - preferably online too so I can file away your answer and contact you if you're good enough!

Reliance so far looks to be the best one out there with a nice website and down-loadable itineraries and price! (most important!) I'm definitely looking forward to even more good service from them.

So anyway, back to the focus - let me know if there are any particularly good travel agencies out there that do Aust/China. THANKS!

Saturday, March 12, 2005

Hi Auntie,

You were very clever to have suggested this method of communication, because I indeed can't get through to Canada! I tried a couple of times and the email has been sent back both times. Please write me again when it's all fixed.

Looking forward to it!
Love,
Me ;)
Hi All!

Think my pounds have almost all come back since I partook in this quite quite exquisite dinner at Lobsterman, SS2! If you're reading this JH, thanks for dinner and I shan't forget the ice-cream raincheck!

Anyways, after dinner tonight, I realised that I have not written about a couple of milestones in my life.....namely my brushes with fame. Am I not fame hungry then? I always thought I liked attention, though am not a 'lets-pretend-to-be-crazy-so-we-can-get-attention' kinda person! Well, I must say I can't figure out how I missed it but here goes....better late than never eh!

(Here I go with my exclamation marks again - do I speak like this too?????)

Brush With Fame #1

Globetrekker - Search for the Next Host
It was a bright and sunny morning. Errolyn was talked into attending the Astro Globetrekker auditions being held on Saturday morning right after working the whole night through. Errolyn looked tired and probably didn't look very interested in the position considering Errolyn's very practical 'I won't get it' mindset.

Anyhoo, we went along and filled up all the application forms, met a bitchy gay guy who actually turned out to be quite nice who worked for the event management company with Globetrekker. Waited our turn very patiently cracking jokes and planning our topics.

I chose to talk about my momentous climb up Mount Kinabalu of course. Had this whole drama planned out but then I realised that 1 minute isn't very long and sometimes, (probably oftentimes), the judges stopped you after they had seen enough.

So, I cut my story short and got to the juicy part, talking about being on top of the mountain and how awe-inspiring it was. My piece was definitely not very factual nor was it very serious. I set myself free and being very comfortable in front of cameras, worked whatever I had to work!

Lo and behold, that very afternoon, they called me and told me I was short-listed, or shall I say, Top 20! for Sunday's Big Do in front of a public crowd.....

Gosh, was I nervous. My sister of course was very excited for me since she auditioned in Singapore too but unfortunately, the judges were not feeling very well that day and missed her razzle dazzle personality......

The day dawned, I had agonised over what to wear and how to go out there in front of a public to present myself. Had gimmicks planned of course but in the end, the physical real result lacked sorely from what I saw in my mind.

There weren't a LOT a LOT of people there but there was a fair number. We were given topics to come out and talk about for 1 minute. Work the crowd and Errolyn Tan was shortlisted again to TOP 10!!!!

It was getting on in the day and I was beginning to feel tired. That coupled with the fact that I wasn't all thatttttttttt keen on it in the first place, I drew lots for my final topic and got 'Tiffin Carrier', prepared a spiel about it lasting 3 minutes - went out, didn't do too well I guess and never got called back as the Top 3 Winners!!!!!!!!

Boo Hoo! First there was Top 15 for 3R. Now Top 10, when will i ever be TOP? Wasn't upset about losing the opportunity to star in my own episode - haven't seen anything of the winners so far until now actually - but the agony and humiliation of not being one of the placers......I resolved to never get involved in any competition like that again......We'll see.

Brush With Fame #2

Voice Over for TV Infomercial


Got a call one afternoon in the office whilst I was rushing into a meeting - that's so much work! Meetings!

Anyway, was asked to do a voice-over for this infomercial that pushed a French skincare range. The girl with the agency told me all about arrangements for coming into the studio, emailing me the script and directions to the studio - spent a good 10 minutes talking about that before telling me I would actually be paid for the job.

Well, after I heard that, I was sold! I would have done it anyway, just for the experience of it as well as for my friend - who was the director.

And then guess what, the client called me a little later in the evening, wanting to hear my voice. I read from the calendar on my desk - it had a little para describing its wares, trying to sound 'commercially' and husky.....as someone talking about skincare would sound basically.

Well, God was on my side and I 'got the job'. Spent 4 hours over 2 days in the studio, got it all wrapped up and there you have it, the infomercial is now on TV!

I'm famous! Haven't caught it yet but I sure hope people aren't storming the TV station in droves complaining about it's terrible terrible voice talent!

*******************************************

So, there you go, my infamous self in the past 6 months.

Monday, March 07, 2005

Blogger is looking really weird for me now and I think it is because they have updated their look again. I shall have to wait for D to fix it I guess.....

It's been a really hectic new year. So much to do and see. I am thinking perhaps I should write a column for a newspaper or magazine. Wouldn't it be cool if I had a job writing columns like Sex in the City? Or another dream job of mine would be food/vacation spots critic!!!!

So many new things to set up at the office, some exciting, some tedious, some routine and some downright fun....like practising dancing - damn I wish I had more of that.

Don't know if I can say that I am learning alot; as I should be, what with being in a new position which requires more responsibility and more horizons and all that.....but....

anyway, I must say at the moment, there's lots going on but I've explained it, talked about it so much now that I don't wanna say anything more about work!

D's in ulu Bradford, UK. Wishing I was there of course!