Rough guide to surviving MOnday

1. Sleep early the night before. Do not, I repeat do not assume you can get by with less than 8 hours sleep. You're not a teeny bopper teenager any more. Live with it

2. Chant to yourself ( softly if you're taking public transport, as loud as you want if like me you drive alone) the mantra is " Don't think, just do". This is the time, when the depressive thoughts start popping in and out of your mind. Fight it!!!

3. Smile, even though you feel like death itself. It makes a difference. Your dark mood would have moved up a notch or two by the 5 th smile you bestow. ( Do not smile at your enemies, this will make you come across as a flaky individual, do however, maintain a slightly less aloof manner when in contact.)

4. Think happy thoughts. If that means thinking of your best enemy's toes rotting. So be it.

5. Set a target to head home on time and even if you have the usual euphoric drive from having survived Monday, please head home to get your rest. It is after all, the start of the working week.

I had a very productive and good Monday. ( Today wasn't so good )

Picture from theresa thomson's photostream

Now reading...Donna Hay

This is the second Donna Hay book I'm reading. First of all, Lola is a silly name. I sympathise with anyone who's had the unfortunate luck of being saddled with this name. The cousin went out with a"Lola" before and that's the closes I've gotten to knowing a real-life Lola. Whoops, isn't Madonna's daughter named Lola? Well there you go then. Ms Hays ' pace is exactly what I like. Allegretto. The previous book by AP was painful and rather pointless. I'm glad I finished it. It will be relegated to the back of the bookshelf.

( picture of Ms Hays' book and my breakfast this morning)

WHat about this one?

Shoes that get you in shape.Wear this for 30 minutes every day and you get fantastic legs ( yay), toned bum and stronger core.

style spy

Crocs in Parma, originally uploaded by Zé Eduardo....

Some misinformed individual ( nameless of course) said she heard a rumour that crocs was closing down. I immediatedly promised self I would finally go out and buy one of them infamous ugly clog-like rubber thingies with holes all around. It is hard to look good in them. Light, casual and functional they are. Sleek and chic it is NOT. Three days back, I visited the local CROCs shop in KL and tried just about every colour possible. ( I stayed away from the newer designs to keep things simple). The most beautiful of the lot was a soft (dark) violet number. Watch this space:)

I'm with the band:)

Blood is thicker than water yes? It'd better be .On Oct 12th, I shall stand (or perhaps sit ) in front of a crowd of potentially critical audience and play two humble songs in celebration of a wedding of a very very dear cousin. ( Who may choose to disown me directly after the recital.) Pride and ego, is the driving force for furious virtuoso moments of practise. Please keep your fingers, toes, braids and anything else cross for me. May there not be tears:)

A thief amongst us?

Somebody stole my lunch yesterday. And that somebody obviously is illiterate. Otherwise, the name written on the top of the box would have been sufficient to say "HANDS OFF ". It was bought and left at the pantry....and left unattended for *count*count* 2.45 hours. I shall not wish  the culprit ill health ( in the shape of torrential diarrhoea) I shall instead wish, that you needed it more than me. 

Read this....

Ms Moriarty writes in a fluid manner with minimal pauses. She manages to keep her readers wanting more as we read on and on. I finished " Keeping it in the family" two days back. I'm not good at writing reviews  so I won't . At random, I'll just list the things I like about this book. The irish names Niamh, Nuala, Siobhan....the Danny Boy doorbell, speaking gaelic despite not being understood , the Ceili....! It's every father's worst nightmare; your child announces she's going out with a black older agnostic.  Moriarty is as sharp as can be in the workings of the human heart.  Current book is Agatha Christie's Mary Westmacott novel entitled " Unfinished potrait". Am at page 175. This is a different book from her usual whodunnit fare. A serious novel with nobody dying ( nobody being killed I mean ). The pace is decidedly adante and the mood one of sombreness.  I'm liking it so far. What is next? "French Kissing" by Catherine Sanderson. You may remember, Ms Sanderson allowed me to believe that nice things happen unexpectedly, when she ( BRILLIANT kind soul ) sent me an autographed copy of her first book "Petitie Anglaise" in the post. It's so amazing I have to tell just about anyone who is kind enough to want to listen to be jabbering on. Gosh I wish I could write half as well as these folks...it's a gift.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri 2009

I ate a lot today:) You know how sometimes you yearn for something....and you wish really hard you'ld get it...and you're prepared for disappointment and yet...there's a little glimmer of hope? Well I got my wish...there was roti jala today:) And I ate A LOT OF IT:) Thank you WNN for having me over....

Nail art..on my very own toes

A month of fasting

There are few things more indicative of One Malaysia than seeing Malaysians celebrating Hari Raya Puasa. That's what I shall be doing tomorrow. And that's what most everybody else regardless of race or religion will be doing tomorrow. It marks the end of Ramadhan, the end of a month-long fast and sacrifice. Food features a great deal in any Malaysian festival. I would like to eat; rendang, ketupat, roti jala, Satay and kerepek bawang. May I perhaps, take this opportunity, to wish my friends Selamat Hari Raya Puasa. 

Glorious long weekend

Malaysia must have one of the most number of public holidays. This is not evidence based. It's a personal opinion. We get two extra days this weekend. I'm all smiles this morning. The weekly laundry has been done. The dreaded hoovering too. And in addition ( because I felt extra chirpy) I even arranged the books on top of the piano. ( Which has been haphazardly sitting one on top of the another for at least 3.4 months now. As a reward, I found my missing note-book.  What's left is a lie-in this afternoon. Hope it rains later, I love the wet season.

Spot the mac

Strictly no photographs. ( Read that sign two minutes after taking my shots..okay that's a lie...read that 3 seconds after my first shot..and 10 seconds before my second and third shots). But I'm not posting the designs up. So surely I shan't be sued for not adhering to request. Plus, I do no cup-caking so it'll be a cold day in hell before I steal any designs and profit off it. Stare in between the bars, and you'll see an IMAC on the desk. Woooohooo! THAT excited me more more than the cupcakes. Oh I forgot to mention, this is the super-expensive cup-cake shop at the Gardens. We were there for dinner and left late. The shop looks much better with the lights on. Although the folks there seem a tad snooty. *roll eyes* 

nailart

nailart, originally uploaded by Christel Weixelman.

I had lovely flowers drawn on my big toe...on both feet this afternoon. A first for me. And a good experience. Am in awe of the lady who did it. I'll blog a picture of the nails after a shower. In the meantime, I've borrowed a picture from the net.

NO 58

If you're a rice -person ( ie one of THOSE who simply must have rice as a meal) then the next time you're at the GARDENS, pop by the restaurant named ( weirdly ) "the flying chillies". Look at the menu and pick number 58: THAI BELACAN FRIED RICE W SUNNY SIDE UP. There's no little heart symbol beside this. Which goes to show, a non-favourite for them...could very well be a fave for us customers. Happy Eating.

I need mittens

cutie, originally uploaded by nathan waterhouse.

I felt a sharp distinct pain when I washed my face this morning. It took me one and a half minutes to identify the exact source. Two scratches on my face. These certainly were not present the night before. So it means, I cheerfully did it during sleep. On closer inspection, I have 4 scratches. And will have to head to work tomorrow, looking pretty silly I think. Oh dear oh dear

How I spent my Saturday

The series of lectures ranged from basic facts on H1N1 , targeted I suspect to the General Practitioners in the audience...and this was repeated in slides from different speakers. This reflects ( what I think) the MOH's decision to make the public aware that GPs are being updated in a big way. What was odd was there was not a single respiratory physician represented in the panel of speakers. 90% of the H1N1 infections lead to respiratory related symptoms. Not that we're complaining of the lack of attention. Horrors NO! The GPs voiced their observation that they weren't represented. ( the resp physicians in the audience were too busy updating self with more personal gossip) 

Friday afternoon....the start of a glorious weekend.

Confession! I sneaked off work a whole 45 minutes earlier having been incredibly productive the earlier part of the working day. As a reward to self, I decided ( after an internal discussion with self..) that theoretically the act of leaving earlier was well within my rights. ( I have a twisted sense of reasoning.) This is the view as I beeped self out of the department. LOVELY sunny evening. WOOOO!!

Mooncake

It's the mooncake festival...and I received TWO mooncakes yesterday afternoon.Good manners dictates you cut the mooncake into smaller servings but there wasn't a knife in the room, and nobody else was eating it so I chomped my way thru. Note to self: it is IMPOSSIBLE to finish the entire mooncake in one sitting....even if you think you are famished. I gave a little squeak when I saw this...it's not MOULD I hope:)

Hand delivered this afternoon

It would appear, that the wedding season is here. I will have not one, not two but THREE weddings to attend before the year ends. And each in a different country:) Aaaah, reasons to travel. This will be the first of the three...and the nearest. I shall take this opportunity to congratulate the three couples; a colleague, a cousin, and an OLD-friend and their respective spouses.

Bad temper

Bad temper ATC, originally uploaded by glenda tkalac.

It's been a combination of inadequate sleep ( my fault entirely), a sense of impending doom ( haven't found the reason) and the lack of shopping plus the lack of patience which has led to a general bad tempered-ness this week. I hope the weekend cures this. It's not fashionable and certainly does not endear me at ALL

My Desk....oh I wish :)

My Desk, originally uploaded by DeclanTM.

THIS IS NOT MY DESK!!! But just look at the beaut gadgets on the desk. And ( what's more annoying )the desk is free of clutter! Mine has 3 laptops ( one has not been switched on for a year now) one *wink* Imac a couple of battery chargers some of which are for gadgets no longer alive.....some books, more books. and WIRES criss-crossing at the edge of the table. Hmmm I am ..now motivated to clear it up..and take a picture.

Addicted to Hatclings

Thai Dessert - Jello in a shell!, originally uploaded by Orli Yakuel.

I am a diseased individual. This morning, despite waking up at 6:30am, I spent the morning egg-hunting on facebook hatchlings application before leaving for work. That's right. You read correctly. And then, the obsession was to get over a 1000 eggs before getting up from the chair. Just as I said " ENOUGH"...I found a special egg. And the temptation was too great to leave. So I arrived at work a whole hour later than targeted. Oh dear oh dear

Coliseum

Coliseum Cafe & Hotel
98 - 100, Jalan Tuanku Abd Rahman 50100, Kuala Lumpur

Colisuem Cafe and Hotel was established in 1921, making it *count*count* EIGHTY-EIGHT years old. The picture was taken from across the road en route back from a photo-taking try-out session at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman's Ramadhan Bazaar. I can't remember the year, but yes I've eaten there ONCE. Probably had the crab filled something. And somebody else had the steak. For some odd reason ( I know I should remember more really) I can't describe for the life of me, the lay-out, the furniture nor the taste of the food. But I will say this, I reeked of streak way pass dinner time. And the waiters were pretty ancient and moved at a sedate pace. It didn't strike me then, only now, that this is pretty much like Agatha Christie's description of "Bertram's Hotel". Akin to being caught in a time-zone forever whilst its surroundings move on 

When its weird...it may just work

Hands up those of you who may have thought of this before it became  the norm, soya bean and cincau!! I've seen it on other folks' tables, and so just two weeks back, I took the plunge and ordered. Tasty but note to restaurant owner, the diameter of the straw needs to be just that bit bigger. Otherwise it makes for a fragmented slurp. Most annoying!

Ever been stuck in a dress before?

On Sunday, mum and I did a spot of window-shopping which started off with us trying on various different outfits motivated by the huge discounted prices on the tags. Take the outfit above, Priced at 70% off it suddenly stopped looking so drabby and started ( in my minds at least) looking pretty darn good. The story isn't about this outfit, but another. 

Japanese cotton....soft as silk but with a warme feeling to it. This was the cloth the baju kurung was made from. Totally different outfit from the one above, and indeed a different story altogether. I chose ( pompously ) size "S" and hopped into the fitting room. Therein started the struggle to get into the size S. For some odd bizzare twisted reason, I suddenly got it into my head that if I could only get it over my head and shoulders...the rest would just slide through and fir snugly.  Well it didn't happen that way. When it passed the shoulders and I dragged it down ....it felt like a bloody corset. All very uncomfortable. Then the real struggle began. I found myself literally STUCK in the baju kurung top. Not a comfortably feeling. I had to contort the body a bit. After possibly 5 minutes, I re-appeared from the fitting room with hair liked I had been dragged through the bushes. I could have died of suffocation in that fitting room...with the top cutting me off from any oxygen. Things learnt: never go into a fitting room alone with dodgy-sized clothes. Be accompanied at all times. Save all the worry

A change of fabric..that's all

At Plaza Damas, there are 3 places to have coffee, there's Starbucks  which is quite popular because it faces the outdoors and is places strategically at the entrance. ( One of the two entrances). Then there's coffee bean which is comparatively new.It opened just this year. I don't like where its placed which is to the right where you enter. The feng shui must be slightly off. I never feel totally at ease sitting there.
And then there's this place. Placed akwardly to the right of the escalator as you come up from the ground floor. Just a month back, they wrapped their seats up, and sold only minimal cakes as the renovation got on. Today, I saw the finish product and went WOW!!! Certainly a place worth having coffee and cakes. See you there!

My trip to the second-hand-bookstore

My friend Hamdi tagged me

Hamdi has been lying low for a while now. The exams looming ahead is a good reason to stay away from facebook and indeed any other potentially addictive hobbies. So it was a lovely surpise when he emerged from hiding and tagged me. 






1.What time did you get up this morning?
6:30am ( with a full bladder and a creaky neck)

2. How do you like your steak?
Well DONE please. I dun fancy oozing blood being masked as sauce.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I can't remember the TITLE!!! ( AAah got it...Kingdom of Heaven)

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Frasier:)

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
KL ( but I want a helicopter to take me places)

6. What did you have for breakfast?
Cafe 21 instant coffee, ham sandwich and a curry puff

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
At the moment, Korean. BIBAMBAP....here I come

8. What foods do you dislike?
Curry which isn't spicy

9.Where is your favorite place to eat?
That mamak stall in Plaza Damas. BEST MAGGI GORENG IN TOWN!

10. Favorite dressing?
I don't have one.

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?
Currently am driving a borrowed car

12. What are your favorite clothes?
spaghetti strap tops teamed with a light-weight cardigan. And 3/4 jeans

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Korea so I can visit all the places I've seen on the korean drama serials. And eat genuine bibimbap

14. Cup half-empty or half-full?
Hall full:)

15. Where would you want to retire?
Possibly in a different country.

16. Favorite time of day?
The mornings...especially when the sun is just about to rise. The promise of a brand new day. 

17. Where were you born?
Seremban

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
Gymnastics...expecially the balance beam act. Amazing how they can not only balance but do impossible stuff on it.

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
Err..I'm not going to tag anyone:)

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
Doesn't apply so I'll skip this question shall I

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
NA

22. Bird watcher?
NO way

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning. Altho I read somewhere the night folks are the more intelligent ones.

24. Do you have any pets?
No.

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I am attempting the vibrato on the violin. And now officially sound like a dying constipated cat

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
An author:) I even wrote a story once. IN a notebook I made myself ( okay with my mother's help).

27. What is your best childhood memory?
The sound of waves as I sleep.
( We used to live by the beach...)

28. Are you a cat or dog person?


DOG!!! Cats car hypocrites

29. Are you married?
No.

30. Always wear your seat belt?
In the car YES!!!


31. Been in a car accident?
Yes my week-old Jazz and I hit a guy on a motocycle....the car crumpled at the front. And the windscreen shattered. But I now know for a fact the airbags are blue and pink:)

32. Any pet peeves?
People who add "s" at the end of words which dun need them.
example: I eats with you today. *puke*puke*

33. Favorite pizza toppings?
Mushrooms

34. Favorite flower?
Roses...pink ones

35. Favorite ice cream?
Magnum WHITE

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
A+W for the corney dog 

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
I PASSED first GO

38. From whom did you get your last email?
Someone at work....giving more work:(

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
MACHINES ( they sell ipods)

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
I spontaneously lied my way thru the preview SOGO sale to get to Jalan TAR this morning

41. Like your job?
You BET!

42. Broccoli?
Only with loads of garlic..

43. What was your favorite vacation?
The time At Mt Buller...

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
WNN

45. What are you listening to right now?
The sound of traffic....

46. What is your favorite colour?
WHITE

47. How many tattoos do you have?
NOne( but I have loads of scars..)

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
ZERO

49. What time did you finish this quiz?
1815

50. Do you drink coffee?
Yes...one mug every morning.

POsh

This is a nice picture. Even if I have to say so myself:) Taken at Laura Ashley Store in One Utama. I love the furniture especially the ottomans.The one in the shop had a lovely fabric on it. Sadly, the clothes are dodgy. First, they're so obviously European sized, which means nothing fits. The skirts trail the floor and the dresses have their waist sitting at my hips. We found a selection of cardigans which were nice and fitted well. At 60% off, just about affordable. 

iphone...iwant

Some of you may have noticed my recent on-going obsession with anything mac-related. This is an expensive and dangerous obsession which is threatening to burn a hole in the bank!So it appears, I am struggling to maintain some semblance of balance. That's not necessarily worrying in itself, except that my twisted self can rationalize most purchases in a split second, and the struggle ends.

It's Friday, and once again, I'm late for work:) Have a good Friday...I cannot wait for the weekend. It's going to be brilliant.

NO fuss vietnamese

There are no fat people in Vietnam. At least not in Ho Chin Minh City. I would like to think it's due to their healthy less-oil diet. The above, was a bowl of noodles, teamed with strips of fat-free beef and carrot strips..and a fried spring roll laid tastefully to one side. Can't remember the name now. But it's not PHO. It comes with a bowl of sauce to be poured into this bowl, after which you job is to stir the contents evenly before eating. The after effects of this meal is NOT post prandial drowsiness, but a delightful non-drowsy-full-feeling satisfaction. Sambal not required