Hey guys, I'm back with lots of pictures this time. Had been really occupied recently. Looking back at this few days, all I can say is that I'm truly thankful that I'm blessed with beautiful people around me. These people of course are my family including my Aunt Linda and my BFF's. Sometimes I feel like I take you guys for granted especially my mum and dad, love you both gargantuously. Haha... if only I have the guts to say it to them. Weird... As for my BFF's, you guys probably know me a little bit more than my family for "some reasons". Thanks for being there for me and for baring the years of hissy fits that I threw at you guys lol... Enough emoness. Moving on to my birthday celebration which had taken place more than a week ago. So this is kind of an overdue post haha.. Anyway, my mum decided to take me to Cameron Highlands on my birthday, right after I came back from KL so I was taking short snoozes throughout my journey there. However, I do know how to get there by car now*hint*hint* roadtrip*coughs* Overall, Cameron is a superb place for those who are looking for peace of mind. Imagine a place where cool breeze gently brushes on your face while you are comfortably wrap up in your jacket and the sun's ray does not scorch but instead provides you with warmth. You can fall asleep just about anywhere there, preferably lying on the oceans of greenery under a bluish canopy vandalized only by fluffy white clouds.






The above are from Bharat Plantation

Cameron was a lot different when I last left. It has so many things to offer now, most importantly good food. My mum, knowing what I like most, took me on a food marathon. I'll let the pictures do the talking.


First up, Oldies and Goodies Restaurant. We were having second thoughts whether or not to enter as it was stated there "Roasted Restaurant" Was afraid we might come out "cooked". Glad we took the risk as the food was delicious. Maybe because it was the cold weather haha...


Clockwise from top; Roasted duck and pork, Deep Fried Fish coated with Sweet Sauce served in Sizzling Plate, Old Cucumber Soup, Three Layered Pork Meat Braised in Fermented Bean Curd Paste Sauce, Stir Fried Long Beans With Braised Mushrooms and Stir Fried Watercress with Light Oyster Sauce.


During the second day, we went there again but I only manage to snap the first dish because there was a Singaporean couple joining our table... have to behave myself lol... Anyway the dish was Claypot Seafood Curry.

Next, we went to the Bharat Plantation and I had a slice of Strawberry Cheese Cake...


Looks nice but at the end, I wasn't craving for seconds.

Then we headed for The Big Strawberry Farm. The name itself would give you the impression that the place is filled with strawberries but I searched high and low for straberries to no avail. Instead I found these...


The Hanging Gardens of Tomatoes...

...and my past obsessions, cactus.

As I climb further up, I saw signboards leading to heaven...


Now for the real thing...


Strawberry Sundae & Strawberry with Yoghurt and Honey


English Scone & Tea

I could barely walk after all those goodies so I did what I do best, sleep! Went back for a short nap and woke up just in time for dinner...


Steamboat!

The restaurant that we went to wasn't exactly nice but the fact that the night was chilly, anything with a bowl of hot soup would have tasted great. Anyhow, we initially wanted to go to one of the restaurants in Brinchang to experience the traditional way of using steamboats but sadly it was fully booked.


Took this pic from the web. The charcoals are placed at the bottom and the long spout is where the volcanic effect takes place.

After dinner, we went for a short walk in one of the night markets...


Bought myself a strawberry fondue. The lady actually told us she was camera shy, like it would stop us... snap! snap!


Then I saw this cute lil' pop-up christmas card and decided to purchase it. Bargained for the price of RM5 and was proud that I succeeded until I found out that Gurney was selling it for RM4.90 nett. Anyway, dedicating this card to Yong Ming and Jim who is not here with us. Merry Christmas! Ah... so economical.


As if dinner was ever enough, we went for desserts which doubles as my b'day cake. Can't believe it takes so long to be 10...


...and my all time favorite fruit, Durians!

Well, that was how I spent my birthday with my family but wait! There's more lol... please don't die of boredom... yet. I celebrated my b'day with some of my BFF a little later but nevertheless it was no less special. Where did they take me? Tag along to find out.


Located at Belisa Row, Jurin


Kel's dish...


...Alan's dish


Ansel going on a diet...




...Nick going on an eating frenzy.


Evil! While they enjoy their food I was left with nothing to eat. Just kidding, I wonder where did the pictures of my dish went to? Food was scrumptious. Would recommend this place if you are willing to foot in a little more cash. As usual, we went for seconds at FACES after our first phase of dinner. There's where the cake was cut and the present was opened...


My Birthday cake, French Cuppachino.


Want a piece of me?


Beautifully wrapped up


Doesn't this remind you of some toy?


Glitter lamp!

Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate what you guys did for me and what a thoughtful present. Promise I'll take it to my new place. So, that's it. Come to think of it, I still haven't receive a key from dad or mum. Does this mean I'm still grounded by my parents? Oh well, Merry Christmas...

Two more hours before I head for Cameron Highlands. Kel picked me up from the bus terminal earlier and we went for a heavy supper which started with "Wan Than Mee" and ended with "Bak Kut Teh". Then we crash at Alan's for a chat. At last I managed to settle everything including my part for accommodation. Just hoping that the agent doesn't run away with our money, knock on wood. Yesterday was hectic as I have to rush to get everything done before I officially checked out from the hostel. Thanks to my housemate for lending me his room space to store my growing collections of junk. Poor him, paying for the same amount for a room half the original size lol... Took some pictures for memory sake that I'll post on my future entry. As I was leaving the hostel, I felt a slight drizzle. It was as if the hostel itself was grieving my departure. Okay fine, was just crapping. It has been raining consistently these few days actually. My point is, moving out was harder than I thought. Oh, before I left, there was this air spray freshener that I bought and it was still half full. So instead of wasting it, I decided to freshen the entire unit. Well, the outcome wasn't really what I expected as I ended up running out of the unit gasping for "fresher" air. After that, went to Ikea to meet up with the agent to pay for the booking fees for my accommodation then headed straight for KL to get tickets to Penang. However, tickets from "reliable" companies were all sold out so I decided to try my luck on the not so "reliable" company. That, my dear readers, was a MAJOR MISTAKE! I was charged RM35. With that amount, you would expect at least a 2-1 seater coach but instead I ended up in a 2-2 seater coach. Worst still, I fell asleep at the beginning of the trip and when I woke up it was already dark. Then when we were already four hours plus on our journey, I assumed we were somewhere near Penang until I saw an oh so familiar scene ahead. It was the tunnel near Ipoh, which meant there was another 2 hours plus until my destination. To channel out my negative thoughts and emotions at that time, I decided to relax and enjoy what ever view I could see in the dark. To my horror, I saw a reflection on the window with the word HELL almost completely spelled. Took a second look then noticed it was the digital clock on the bus. The time was 11.34. Twenty six minutes after that, I turned 21...

Peeps... I'm back sooner than expected. Would've been in Penang by now but due to "foreseen" circumstances, I'm stuck here. Today's appointment with the property agent didn't went as well as I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I managed to secure a unit, which means half of my worries gone. As for the other unit, I'll have to wait for news from the agent who assured me that she would be able to find a suitable place by tomorrow. Oh well, I guess all I can do for now is wait and see. Two more days and I'll be officially out from this dreaded place. Well, to be honest, after spending one and a half years here I was starting to get attach to this place. Neighbours with disco lights and loud music throughout the nights, slower than dial-up connection and jail-like bars for "protection". However, it was these few days that helped me realized that no matter where a person may be, it is the people around him that makes all the difference. With my close mates all off for the holidays, the atmosphere just isn't the same. Nights are much more bearable when you know that there is someone going through it with you. Lucky for me, I managed to get my mates to move in to my new place. So there, a better place with my best mates over here. Isn't that a happy ending? Speaking of happy ending, there's this movie that I watched two weeks ago which has gotten me hooked to it's soundtrack. This light hearted movie is a must watch, predictable but nevertheless a great way to kick off the holiday season. It is none other than Enchanted with it's addictive arrangement of songs. Then there's The Golden Compass which was not bad. Love... Nicole. She's such a versatile actress. Enough about movies, Kel came back last week from Newcastle but before heading straight to Penang, he stopped by KL and stayed over at Ansel's with Nick tagging along. I met them on the second day for a shopping spree. Opps... I meant window shopping spree followed up by a family bonding session during the night. It was so much fun. It was what I needed after those stressful days. Oh, did I mentioned that Kel brought along chocolates and most importantly he brought along my new precious...

My whites...

Familiar? Now that I've got a new phone I'll be posting with more pictures so that you guys out there don't fall asleep halfway through. Talking about those of you out there, I'm missing the rest my BFF's that I haven't seen for a long time. I've a confession to make. I'm lousy and just couldn't be bothered when it comes to using MSN partly due to the sucky connection and mostly my inability to chat for a long time to a box. So for those of you who are overseas, you guys know who you are, just want you to know that you guys are always on my thoughts. Okay, maybe not when I'm horny :P It's getting late right now, or should I say early? Guess it's time to end this random post. Say this time we end it with a happy news, shall we? *Drums rolling* Here goes... I manage to obtain straight A's for this semester! Hmm... wondering what I should ask for Christmas...

Definitely not or I wouldn't be back with a new post. However, I might as well be. Why so? First of all I've had my most stressful semester so far, which explains my long absence, but I'm glad I made it through albeit lots of last minutes with a total of 8 individual assignments and 8 group assignments. Then when I thought the worst is over, I got threatened with the fact that I might be sleeping at the streets if I can't find myself a decent place to stay by the end of the year, which explains why I'm still stuck here in my hostel instead of being back with my family and friends. I guess we won't be neighbours, Ivan, as much as I want to because the house just wasn't meant to be mine. On top of all that, given the fact that the fate of 8 people including me is in my hands(a little dramatic but true :P ) just doesn't make things any more easier. I need to find a place ASAP! Oh, did I mention I lost my mobile? Thanks to Kel for solving my woes on that matter. All that and my partial greediness has also led to WEIGHT GAIN! Arghhhh... Pardon my negativity but before I could relax I need to settle everything. Damn, I need a fitness instructor. Oh, forget fitness instructor, I need a life coach. Sigh... To end this pathetic post, I'm going to let you in on my current thought; 9 subjects next semester! One word, dead...

PS: HAPPY 21st Al. Sorry that I couldn't put you in a happier post lol...

Finally, after a long hiatus I'm back with a new post. So happy now YM? Life has been a cycle of work and fatigue this couple of months. When I do get the free time, I'd rather spend it with my friends. So there, the reason for my absence. To be honest, I wouldn't have bothered to start blogging again until my mid term break if it wasn't for another of my friends departure towards a new life in Newcastle. Feeling honoured? Another blog dedicated to you, lucky sl*t. I'm stuck here with tons of assignments while you are there feasting your eyes on an all you can eat buffet. Sigh, I guess the grass is always greener at the other side of the fence. So, as a customary ritual I shall recap about what we have done in the past as if I was giving a speech at a funeral. Touch wood.

Lately I've been plague by memories from our bygone eras, yes we are slowly entering the OHP (old hag phase), so it's inevitable that I'll blog about that. Okay fine, I'll spare you the boredom of reading repeated tales so I think I'm going to scrap that idea. Fast forward to recent times, when "childhood" dreams of us going to the same university and staying at the same house seems more and more far-fetched. Each of us growing up with different point of views and interest, career wise, yet the homogeneous factors that we all share as a person never fail to bind our friendships. I miss the old times when life was mellow, who doesn't, but at the same time I'm psyched about what the future has install for us. Ah, the oodles of possibilities... career, power or maybe love? As for now, I shall temporarily mourn for I have one less person I can rely on physically, rain or shine. Those memories we all had together I shall leave for you to interpret. May it keep you warm during the cold winter days, just in case you fail to get your new crush under your blankets by Christmas. Lastly, for all that we've been through together, I can safely say that it has been a privilege to have known you as a friend, a confidant and a horny b*tch. I hereby declare us all BFF, best family forever. Yours truly...

PS: Do FedEx me one of those delicious items at the buffet counter will ya?

Yesterday was filled with happiness and also sadness, a mixed of joy and sorrow, events that are of contrast in terms of feelings. First of all, I woke up to a flu and as if that wasn't enough, I missed my bus by a few seconds. Then when I do get on the bus, there was a traffic jam. I reached school about an hour late thinking whether I should enter class or not and that's when I saw three of my friends sitting at the guard house, one of them crying. Apparently, she was robbed or rather another victim of snatch theft. I felt so bad for her. Sometimes I just don't understand why those brainless people can't earn themselves an honest living. Oh, I forgot, they are brainless. Anyway, we decided to accompany her to lodge a police report and that's when we saw the down side of our country's authority figure. Upon reaching the police station, the first thing we notice was the leaking roof. What's it with government buildings that seems to face endless cases of leaking roof? Sigh... Anyways, it was quite a relieve when we saw that they were actually using computer generated reports instead of the hand written ones. That was until their computer "froze" in the middle of the report. So we ended up making a 30 minutes report with tons of grammatical mistake. Worst still, one of them don't seem to even understand a word of English and when we told her that she forgot to state that there was a witness to the event in the report, she hesitated and chose to ignore it saying that it's okay. Speechless! How can she choose to omit the most important part of the incident? Let me just quote a fraction of her masterpiece "penjahat mendangtankan kepada mangsa dan tolak dia jatuh tanah lalu ambil bag dia". After having to endure a traumatic experience reading her "karangan", she asked us if there was anything wrong? I was wondering if that was a trick question.


The policeman that took our report before being taken over by a lady officer...

So, when everything had been said and done, you would have thought that the victim can now go back and have a good rest but instead she has to make another appointment in another police station just to tell the sergeant the same old story once again. Hello... haven't you guys heard of an invention called PHONE?


The sergeant using a phone! So they do know what is a phone...

At last we were back to college after dropping my friend back to her place. Pity that she has to go though this ordeal but lucky she she was unharmed. Nowadays, snatch thieves doubles up as murderers so better let it be your belongings than your life when it comes to being robbed. At least the day was not entirely a bad day as it was also a special day. I have two friends that are July 18th babies and they are none other than Alan and introducing Wan Kan...


Tadaa...


Ah... I'm melting...


Red eggs or melted birthday cake? I'll go for the eggs...


Prize giving ceremony. Lol...


Nice... but what's underneath it...


G-Strings!


21 SX

It was a small party but it was sure one of those that will leave an impact on your mind. I mean how could you forget that image lol... We were laughing our lungs out. Finally, the most important thing I have to say is, HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY ALAN!!! Indeed it was a day of bittersweet memories...

Today marks the end of the first week of my new semester. I've so far received 5 group assignments out of my 8 subjects and will be expecting a few more to come by on the second week. Last few days has been stressful but I think I'll manage to pull through. Well, the grouping problems are not as bad as it seems now that I'm beginning to get use to my working environment. I guess I've been lazing around too much during my holidays lol... Needed that kick to wake me up from my slumber. Looking on the bright side, this semester's assignments are a lot more interesting as it requires a lot of out door activities which happens to be what I love most.

Class ended earlier than as expected because my lecturer for Marketing took a day off and how nice of him for not informing us. We were practically waiting for 4 hours thinking that he was late because of his Friday prayers. Our bad. We should have known better, he wasn't that "holy" to begin with. Lucky for me, that 4 hours was not entirely wasted as I attended a meeting for a cocktail mixing competiton. Oh, did I mention I was one of the participant? Lol... Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed so that I won't make a fool out of myself during "The Day". With only five classes left, I'll be competing with experienced people from the industry. Thank god there will not be any flaring or I'll end up with broken glasses on my head. Initially, I intended to take up table setting but after reading the contract that requires me to bring my own tables and chair, I pass the idea. I mean, can you imagine me with tables and chairs in the LRT? Not to mention with my service uniform! Assuming if it happens, most likely the scenario would be me standing next to the door asking, coffee, tea or me? This offer only applies to "you know who".

Back to reality. Since I got back to my hostel early, I decided to have dinner with Aaron in SS2 but not before buying some Durians for dessert. The journey took us 50 minutes but it was worth it as I get to savor the dish that I was longing to order for so long. Spaghetti Meatballs! The best thing was, it only cost RM10 and you really get your money's worth. Share it with another person if you're not a big eater. I had an ice blended drink called Lily to accompany this dish.


Spaghetti with cheesy meatballs!


Lily; combibation of ice blended lychee, mango and some funky green stuff that replaced ribena. Served with chunks of watermelons and longans with nata de coco.

After meal, we decided to have a walk around the area before we head for the bus stop so that my stomach could digest all those junk I've swallowed. We were about to reach the bus stop when something related to this day happened, something unfortunated. Not to us but some other people so hold your drama. It was an accident involving 2 cars and a bike. I manage to caught a few shots but most of it turns out distorted when I view the pics the second time at my hostel. Creepy! Fortunately, on an unfortunate day, my skin grew a little thicker and I manage to capture bits of the after effect in short clips. At one point I was even shooed by someone.


The victim's bike...


The victim...



Help arrives...


The treatment...


Victim in agony...


Me getting shooed... that a$$h0l3!

Our bus came as soon as the victim was transferred into the ambulance. Reached home just in time for dessert as my dinner was halfway through my digestive system.




All hail the king...

I wasn't expecting much since it just cost me about RM10 for 2 durians but it turns out to be good. I guess today it's not a day like I've imagined, a series of unfortunate event, at least for me it wasn't...

What am I doing here? I'm suppose to be sleeping by now. In fact, I'm really tired and my brain neurons are probably half dead so pardon me if I happen to crap a lot in this post. I know... you guys are probably thinking, " Go ahead and sleep then!" I wish I could but there are a few things that has bothering me lately and I need to express this out before I continue college tomorrow or I'll risk suffering from emotional breakdown... just kidding! Okay, will talk about it later. Anyways, I've been wanting to post a lot of stuff but I just couldn't find enough time to do so. I really don't want this blog to be in another of my "temporary interest" category so I'm really trying hard to maintain it especially with my new schedule which requires me to enter class at 8 a.m. from Mondays to Fridays and finish at about 5 and sometimes 6p.m. Sigh, so much for having a life. I mean after those classes, I'd be so tired that I might possibly end up skipping dinner just so I could jump straight to bed. Hmm... to think of it, that's not entirely a bad thing since I'll be on my "dream diet", literally.

Moving on to the less crappy stuff, I'm so excited about the outcome of the latest 7 wonders of the world(Please visit Kel's blog for the pictures). Yes, I know it's yesterday's news but I couldn't resist blogging about it. To make it short and sweet, I'm so glad that The Great Wall made it to the list. Not that I was worried it wouldn't get a spot in the finals because if it doesn't, it would've been a scandal. The question is, with the newly announced 7 wonders in addition of the Pyramids of Giza which was given the sole right to maintain it's status without participating in the vote, wouldn't the whole thing be known as the 8 wonders of the world right now? Speaking of pyramids, Egypt later announced that the new 7 wonders has no value and the pyramids will be the only true wonder. WTF! Hello... don't they know that the ancient wonders are basically compiled by a bunch of Greek geeks that probably just travelled around the Mediterranean rim giving their one sided views on what's the wonders of the world? At least the new wonders are from a general point of view by people around the world. Having said that, I still agree that the pyramids are indeed a marvelous creation, withstanding the test of time therefore worthy of the title, wonders of the world.

Now that I've had my say, it's time to talk about "the thing" that has been bothering me. Lets put it this way, in my class there are people with different capabilities. Some are good in everything, some are weaker than others and some are generally good with a certain weakness. I fall in the third category. Now the problem arises when group assignments are handed out. Notice the word group? It's not like I can't work with people, just that it's a little bit different this semester. There are a lot of new people who are merging with our class for certain subjects and basically it adds in to the competition hence the high stress level. Since our assignments are given to us on our first day of class and our grouping was to be finalized on the next, it's expected that everyone would choose to group with people they know because we don't even get the chance to socialize yet. Our class decided to draw lots among ourselves with five to a group and I was quite happy with the outcome. Sadly, my joy was short lived because it was unfair that some groups were having a majority of people who are weaker so we decided to switch to make a balance. I guess you get the picture by now. During my last semester I had grouped with "hard to deal with" people before but I was okay with it because it was just my class and I knew what standards I need to achieve to get good grades but now with the addition of new people, I'm a little bit worried because I don't know where to set my standard therefore I can't afford any screw ups for this semester. Since this is mostly about my business class where presentation holds a greater deal of marks because proposals are important in the business world, I'm even more distress. I know what I'm thinking is a bit self centered because I actually know how the weaker people feels. It's as if they've been viewed as a burden even though they've tried their best, for some. I know this because I've been the weak one before. I'm in such a confusing stage right now, stuck between principle or achievement. On one hand, I felt that the right thing to do is to help others but on the other, my father pays his ass out for my education and the least I could do is not to let the past repeat itself. Advice? Anyone...

In just a blink of an eye my holidays are over. I can't believe how time has pass us by. Today is one of those days where I sit down and think about the yesteryears. It amazed me in a way that although so many events had took place, sometimes it feels like we went through it just now. There was a theory I've heard before, that every event is actually happening at once but the only thing that puts them in order is time. Maybe there's some truth in it.

What have I done during my holidays? Let's see... I had basically eat, eat, eat and eat! So, to make sure that this post remains fat free I'm not going to elaborate about my eating escapades. Then again, there is no such thing as fat free in my dictionary so lets just make it a "low cholesterol" post okay? Deal. Of all the days, I would say that my last day in Penang was a day well spent. It was as close as it could get to feeling the thrill of yesteryears given that many are not in Penang anymore. Those days, we would have easily filled up two cars and sometimes more. Damn, when will we get the chance to do that again? With another friend going off soon, the line of possibilties seems to grow thinner. On a brighter note, lets talk about what I did on my last day in Penang before I left for Selangor. As I mentioned earlier, it was a day well spent because we finally get to go on our so called "round island" tour. Okay... it wasn't exactly round island but what do you expect? It's dangerous out there you know... we might get lost somewhere in the jungle and get kidnapped by unknown man eating tribes or worst still, terrorirst that will send videos of us getting beheaded to our family members and to think of that cheap video quality that will not make it pass the acadamy awards, it's definately not worth our lives! I know... highly dramatized. Blame it on my obsession of getting an oscar. Continue on we first headed to Balik Pulau, the land of delicious Laksa. Since I've been eating Asam Laksa for like about... all my life, I decided to go for the Laksa Lemak which was simply yummilicious!


The Laksa stall...




Laksa unite!

That's for breakfast. Next, we headed off for lunch. On the way we decided to use the "jungle path" as described by Al and Kel. Sigh, some people are just too modernized I guess. It's not a jungle for heaven sake! There was even a trafic light! Lol... The view, breath taking. I meant literally, the air was full of haze so if you wind down and take a deep breath it could cut your oxygen supply for real! Okay, not that serious but still at an unhealthy level. After driving aimlessly heading to town, we stop by for "Economic Rice", every Penangnite's staple diet, well at least for me it is. There's something about Georgetown that never cease to captivate my imagination. Perhaps its those pre-war buildings that manage to capture the essence of the old world charm.



Majestic pre-war buildings...




Hidden treasures...




Avanza models???

As if lunch is ever enough, we headed to Swatow Lane for dessert...




My goodies, not your goodies!

After we filled our belly with food we decided to go for a walk in Chew Thean Yeang, one of Penang biggest aquarium shop. Ironically, I was more attracted to the dogs than the fishes over there. At last, our trip come to an end because Kel has to go for classes so we dropped Al, yes Al, even when his house was like few meters away lol... Then, we bid farewell to Jus next. I was not ready to say my goodbyes yet but my turn came soon. Just like that I was back home chillin out in my balcony while listening to songs...


Partial view from my balcony...

Then, I lived happily ever after... until the phone rang. God was gracious to me. He knew that I couldn't posibbly leave Penang before having my dinner so he sent Nicholas...


Oops... that's Saint Nicholas.


Yes, this is the correct one...

We went to a coffee shop in Bayan Lepas that serves fresh seafood with noodles or porridge as their specialty.


Featuring model Kelvin: Shirt; Tesco brand-RM5 the most; Accessories; Barley Ice-RM1.20, Seafood Porridge-RM8


My RM11 seafood noodles sigh... Nevertheless it was deli-cious

Before heading back, we stopped by at Starbucks, E-Gate, for a short chat. Ordered their new beverage, Azuki Frappuccino which comes in milk or coffee based. I chose the milk based and it was "shiok" to the very last sip. Now that's a happy ending. I wish. I went back and I started packing my stuff to get ready for my trip back to study. Sigh, when I'm all alone at night sometimes I start to think about the future, so I took a stool and sat at my balcony once again listening to songs as my mind wonders about what the future holds. If the theory that I mentioned earlier is true, then there's a possibility that men can actually foresee their future. Well that's just me, thinking out loud...