Lena's Scribbles

Tribute to my ancestry

2011-03-31T10:16:00.004+08:00

The great thing about staying in homeland is to binge on affordable, good-tasting food at anytime, anywhere. Working in KL allows me to take lunches/dinners around and about the city (although time is awasting with the horrible congestion but what the heck..) and I love loveeee my Hainanese cuisine :)

Last week, some of us went to Yut Kee down at Jalan Dang Wangi. We were lucky to arrive in time and had the fresh-from-oven pork roast....the pork was warm and had that delicious, melt-in-your-mouth sensation. I had my roti babi and the essential iced coffee. Really beat those franchised places anytime, I tell you!

Anyway, thinking to start baking and hopefully bloom to a new found hobby? My parents and twin kinda influence me with their pictures and recipes so heck, I'm gotta try. Moreover, it's kinda in my blood to find and produce good food. Seems simple enough and ingredients aren't hard to come by. Gonna wipe that dust off the hand-me-down, mini oven this weekend...and hope good stuff turn out :)

another bite the dust...

2011-01-19T21:29:00.002+08:00

A new year, a new beginning.

So sad to find a good friend/ colleague moving on to a better opportunity..... wishing him and his family all the best!

Oh well, a great reason to visit him in that future city!

Thaipusam

2011-01-19T09:18:00.003+08:00

I was on my way to work today and found myself stuck at this procession...

Thaipusam is on tomorrow :) and best part....it's a holiday!

Too bad I didn't spot any anyone with poked/pierced works on his body. That would be a sight...

note to self..

2011-01-10T20:17:00.003+08:00

..be no one's doormate. Care less. Take no bullshit. Ignore gossip!

Urgh

2011-01-07T21:50:00.003+08:00

What would you do if someone had forced you into a situation and you had no other option but to do it? Even though you know you don't want to do it but you had accepted the condition and the others in that similar situation are trying to ease your condition?

Will you choose to make those who are trying to ease you to suffer too - just because you're suffering? Or will you try to make the best of the situation and learn as much as you can?

Will you want people to pity on your situation or will you just at least try to help those who are helping you?

If you choose to make others to suffer, then don't expect people to take pity on you. You should just voice out, say no and take the brute of the alternate.

So now the question, what happen if you are in the others' shoe?

anecdotes from childhood

2011-01-05T20:10:00.002+08:00

when you were young, did you ever think of running away? ...well, a friend was sharing his stories of his childhood. He was whipped often by his late dad for being extremely playful..so one day, he couldn't take it anymore, he sped off on his bike and rode away for the whole day. When evening came, he got hungry and thought what and where to eat. Just like that, he said..ok, i better go home. And he actually cycled all the way back again!! Another story, he fought with brother in the house and next thing they knew, they broke their brand new tv! LoL. And then he went on telling another story of withdrawing money from his bank account. Being young and fickled, he signed a form and only to find out his signature didn't match his original one at his account! Tried a few versions and finally, the teller gave a clue on how his signature looked! Omg..funny! He even told us one of his creative signatures had his name curved with 2 'rat tails' below! He then proceed to draw on a board, explained where the tails were and got my whole project team laughing like crazy! Hahaha...good fun :)

Love your God, love yourself as to your neighbors and enemies

2011-01-03T01:01:00.000+08:00

Romans 12:12 ... Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer

Canon's new ambassador

2010-12-27T10:47:00.002+08:00

Did you see the Canon's latest ad with their new ambassador? I think it's a great fit! Who else who could relive his memories through images other than Ian Wright? And he's one funny guy :)

This Christmas..

2010-12-20T21:21:00.003+08:00

..I remember why the Lord loves me so. I look to Him for my future, to have His light to guide my path. I look to Him for my source of strength, His angels to protect me and all dear to my heart. I pray that my mind and heart know my wants are not necessary the best for me, and that I will continuously acknowledge that His plans for me are far greater and magnificent. I pray that what I have is used to glorify Him and Him alone. May I stay away from pride and complaint, that hope and graciousness are seen within me. Thank you Jesus.

Know your numbers ;)

2010-12-08T17:49:00.005+08:00

ala Mexican

2010-11-30T23:21:00.004+08:00

Chicken that was heavily peppered and marinated with dark sauce...accompanied by stir-fried onion and bell peppers....with side of french beans...

I like to think tonight's meal was Mexican inspired.

LOL.

Not bad eh?

Bazinga!

2010-11-27T12:14:00.003+08:00

I first saw Big Bang Theory in our hostel in Amsterdam, after a long day of sightseeing. Little did I know, that episode was one of the best lines given by Dr Sheldon Cooper (yes, the one with Spock, lizard, paper, scissor and rock).

I was lucky to have all 4 seasons to watch at my own pace and to keep me occupied at nights, especially since I'm away from home.

Not doubt it's going to be one of the best TV series in my lifetime. Enjoy this clip!

Paragliding - checked (:

2010-11-23T00:00:00.005+08:00

I had the weekend to escape chaotic Mumbai and ended up at Kamshet, a mountainous village by a large dam/lake. We spent the night at a villa, dined on lovely tandoori chicken, cheese+ garlic naan in the night's cool breeze.

Next day, we got on a jeep into the rambled Tower Hill and hiked another 20mins to the take-off point.

We had to wait for the wind (hot air preferably, to give us that boost of height) and so we waited....waited....and yeah ~ it was time to gear up !

And off I flew!!! Seriously exhilarating when my feet got off the ground!

I recommend everyone to try at least once (:

Pure joy!

Oh sweet joy!

2010-11-10T11:04:00.001+08:00

Great adventures are in sight!!

Paragliding!

DIVING!

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet !!!!

images from Google Image

@#$&^

2010-11-09T17:51:00.001+08:00

celaka betul...ingat boleh belajar skill baru. tanya i buat report formatting? suei. tak suka langsung, buang masa!

lain kali buat bodoh. lol.

Vacation '10 - Amsterdam

2010-11-03T17:03:00.011+08:00

My first impression on Amsterdam?

INTERESTING.

Freakishly so.

We flew from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, took a train to the Central Station and reach the city by dusk. We stayed at Red Light District, where the heart of the city’s nightlife is. All that the city is known for – coffee shops, displayed girls, live shows and canals – can be seen here. Since our time in Amsterdam was short (I was ill-advised to spend less time here and came to realize my mistake after that…sigh), we started exploring as much as we can on foot and tram.

Amsterdam is a large city, well-developed with veins of canals fringed by pretty, stepped-gable houses, large trees and bicycle racks. Although at night, the city looks and feels sleazy, but in daylight, everything looks orderly and gorgeous. Colorful autumn trees, colorful buildings, lovely dressed people, efficient trams, people on bicycles, fancy shops and all sorts of goods everywhere.

Also known for popular artists like Rembrandt and my fav – Van Gogh (Impressionism rules!), we did the must do's - hopped into the museums. The weather served us well hence we spent wonderful time both indoors and outdoors. We visited…

markets but unfortunately not the season of its famous bud-flowers (just tulip seeds)
indulged in sweet and savory pancakes, beautiful scones and jams
glazed at various edible items laced with weed
smelled the oddly-sweet scent of smoke wafted from nearby coffeeshops
checked out menus of psychedelic mushrooms
got amazed with one dangerous alcohol that sold illegally elsewhere but here - Absinthe! Eeks...

*click on collages for larger view!!

Viva la Vida

2010-11-02T11:14:00.002+08:00

Coldplay's Viva la Vida been playing in my head and stereo :)

I like the idea of its album's cover too - of Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People...

Plus, I saw the real painting in Lourve!!

10mins healthy dinner!

2010-10-26T19:51:00.004+08:00

One bundle of baby spinach, half a garlic & one onion, one teaspoon of anchovies seasoning powder, handful of crisp-fried anchovies, 3 glasses of water, tad bit of oil and salt... voila ~~ a bowl of nice soup!

Just diced the buds, fried them, add in the water with the seasoning and crisp-fried anchovies and dump in the green vegs. Prep + cook time = 10 minutes! Gobble time = 10 minutes too (gotta eat it while it's hottttt)

*pat on back*

Vacation '10 - Scotland

2010-10-26T15:03:00.010+08:00

I been wanting to write a blog on my recent vacation but it is not easy. Two drafts have been edited, rewritten and scrapped to no avail. Plus work and life schedule had been hectic that I’ve no good time to muse over.

I would like to think that the pictures posted online are enough to tell our journey, in hope that these speak a thousand words better than my long-winded and occasionally (you can beg to differ) bad-grammar blogs. Yet I find words will still carry a stronger sense of meaning and recollection, and I do like to revisit my blogs to reminisce the good old days of absolute bliss and adventure :)

Our adventure at Western Europe

This time around, there were 3 of us – Bulu, Buntut and same, old me. Our long-haul flight was from Singapore to London, where we bummed a couple of night with Soon Lock and Chia Yee. They were really generous…too generous that in fact, we found out that they just moved to a new place and had to rush to get keys in time for our stayover. Talk about going the extra mile! Absolutely nice people.

We spent two days in the city, blessed with sunny weather which was atypical in London. We did the touristy walk around Thames River, St Paul’s Cathedral (where Bulu almost lost his BB at the top of the dome), museums, parks, malls and markets. We had really nice coffee at Monmouth near Barough Market, ate a really greasy roasted duck at a Chinese restaurant and a Mexican dinner with another Seremban friend, Rachel. We even went to a pub to catch a football game, where the guys were happy that MU trashed Liverpool 3-2...

We then flew to Edinburgh and rented a Vauxhall car to drive across the Scottish Highlands. I was looking forward to it as many vouched the beauty and ruggedness of this place. Agreeably, it was fantastic. I love the crystal clear blue lochs that stretch miles and miles everywhere! It was indeed a great drive, thank goodness for the beautiful sunny and chilly weather – really refreshing and unique for city slickers like us. Plus we got a car with a glass top…neat drive, I say :)

Someone asked me which mountain range I preferred – the Swiss or Scottish? Truthfully, I couldn’t place my preference since both have its own offerings. However, the lochs did remind me of the Adirondacks’ many lakes which I visited with my twin during the summer of ’08.

Among the things we did during our journey in Scotland:

visited monuments dedicated to Robert the Bruce and William Wallace – where we hiked up Wallace monument to view the whole of Stirling and battle of bridge

drove past Stirling castle
admired the largest surface loch - Loch Lomond and other lochs on the way
stayed at Glencoe best B&B, visited the monument of MacDonalds massacre and had Haggis (eww)

took a cable car up Ben Nevis range, hiked its peak and enjoyed the spectacular view (

visited Urquhart castle ruins near Loch Ness and looked out for the monster – which of course, none seen…

drove speedily to Glenfiddich Distillery, saw the whisky making process, tasted the end product (the owner actually bought acres of nearby lands and waterways!) and found a 50-yo bottle that costs 10,000 pounds!

headed back to Edinburgh and dropped the Vauxhall

visited the medieval Edinburgh castle, Royal Mile and walked endlessly in both Old and New Towns

spotted Bobby Greyfriars monument (in remembrance of a faithful, local dog)

did a witchery tour at night, listening to local legends and folklore of the many Closes in Old Town – we even entered the underground vaults and heard more spooky stories!

A place I will like to revisit again...but for now, Scotland – checked!

one thing i ask in this lifetime...

2010-10-18T16:23:00.002+08:00

...is that i have clear, porcelain skin. no acne, no scars, no oily skin.

story of my life :(

Antics of a 17-month old baby

2010-10-15T17:33:00.007+08:00

Baby A is growing bigger each day and is one seriously funny girl (ah, nice oxymoron, eh?).

Just last weekend, we had a great time playing and chatting with her. She picks up skills really fast and understands simple words and questions posed to her. It's amazing to watch her interact with us (especially with her mommy), and how she responds in her own baby language.

One funny incident she did was to unzip my handbag, searc through my things and happily display her "found treasures" of bracelets. She took them out, paused to figure what these were for...and next thing we knew, she was wearing one on each arm :)

Then she went to her baby keyboard and tried to play some keys (she used to slam both palms on the keys when she was younger but these days, she daintily touched each key!). Cause the bracelets started to slide down her arm and restricted her play - she then took the bracelets off and dropped them to the ground.

Haha. So funny. Can't wait to spend time with her this weekend again :)

If you are allergic to tomatoes...

2010-09-15T20:01:00.001+08:00

.....gosh, you definitely will miss the pleasure of Italian food!

Bruschetta, pizza, pasta, soups, salad. Oh dear.

Sweet Deals!

2010-09-15T16:42:00.006+08:00

So here at my client's corporate park, there is an ample of space where you can buy all sort of stuff from different stores and stalls. In fact if you enter here, it doesn't feel like the rest of the country....so much land, clean and lack of massive crowd!

The stuff here vary from books to DVDs, toys to fruits, electronics and even an auto shop. What missing is clothes though (dammit) and I do wish there's a Cotton World (a local franchise which sell nice, trendy casual cotton and linen apparel).

Cafeteria food is mostly vegetarian but it's pretty decent with substituted "meat" like paneer (local cheese). You can get away with lunch and fresh fruit juice for under 5 ringgit. And I just had yummy pasta for under 4 ringgit! Way cheaper than the city's fancy italian place that we visited yesterday....like 5 times less!?!

Some other sweet deals are cappucino for 3 ringgit and a 4G SD card for under USD 10! Got myself 2 pieces....haha! But because all sort of things you can purchase here, the corporation enforced regulations that these shops only open at lunch hour and after hours.

Man...I could get used to this place. EeKs O_o

Oh dear!

2010-09-14T01:17:00.005+08:00

I used to think that I risk my life everyday driving to work in KL.

Till I came to Mumbai.

Dear Lord...it's a heart-jerking experience in every single ride! You'll be at a junction when an oncoming bus keep on coming. Eeks! And imagine if your side faces it. Goodness. I really have to close my eyes all the time.

And the horn blaring. They just never stop. You will be driving on a clear road, people honk. When there's congestion, people honk. When there's red light ahead, they honk too! Aduh! Even the trucks and buses painted their backs with "Honk please".

*sweat*

As foreigners, we are not allowed to drive. Hence we have designated local drivers. Any car with a yellow car plate means its a rented vehicle. The only measure of safety is not to distract your driver and just let him go, swerve, squeeze and of course, honk. Eeks, your life is unfortunately in their hands :(

I really have a hard time promoting people to visit "Incredible" India. I mean, no pun intended but India can be found on your local Indian streets. The sights, people and smells are exactly the same.

Just that in Mumbai, you have a tough time adjusting to the poverty (cliche but real), massive crowd and crumbling buildings. Even the magnificent colonial buildings are unkempt and dirty. Tourists will forever get pestered to buy stuff off street kids and just become you look different, you get stares. It takes a strong will not to get offended with the caste system, discrimination and double meaning of words.

But to be fair, I have met a good share of generous, warm-spirited people that genuinely go all the way to make our lives better in their world. To them, Salute.

eeeurgh!

2010-09-10T00:48:00.002+08:00

Dammit. I need to learn to do things last minute.

Especially when exchanging currencies.

Just found out Ringgit got stronger over these few weeks. And the bloody, annoying thing is that I had bought a large sum of a certain currency last month! ARGH.

Now I just realized I rugi with rupees. Exchanged at a higher rate last week. Just cross-checked against my recent spendings on a credit card - and the difference is significant :(

That leads me to this idea for upcoming vacation - should I just spend more with my credit cards and tuck away the cash?

Hmm. Tempting.

...................

2010-08-15T00:08:00.002+08:00

I CANNOT WAIT FOR SEPTEMBER TO ARRIVE.

COME NOW.

QUICKLY.

THEN SLOW DOWN IN SEPT, K?

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Childish acts

2010-07-26T11:32:00.005+08:00

One of the curveballs in life is to deal with people that you can't stand and wish not to be. Some of the worst ever types are the confrontational, argumentative, b*tchy, anal or just plain mean ones - mostly stemming from being childish and wanting your own way.

Trying to stay neutral and distant from these people won't work, trust me. They will just bulldoze everyone in their paths. Even you try not to take heart of their acts against yourself, you can only experience/watch their destructive forces and wonder, heck....how can these people stand themselves?

I wish this certain person all the best in the future. Even you choose to think you are right and not to seek the real truth, I will have to forgive in order to forget the misery you caused.

Writing this post will liberate myself from our connection - which could have continued to be a non awkward acquintance. But since you choose to stay disconnected, then I let it be how it is.

OK - Move on :)

Hmm...

2010-06-21T11:32:00.003+08:00

They say it takes 3 weeks to form a new habit, in which I did after spending a month away in a backwater city. Despite being home with family right now, I kind of missing Miri with the liberties given (hoho) and the people I befriended with.

Oh, the food. Nothing great to shout about but there were a few nice dishes. But be warned, the service and general quality of food are horrendous.

It wasn’t as boring as I expected. In fact, found myself in 3 birthday occasions and 1 farewell party.

Oh, and the loads of stories, gossips and catch-ups!

Also missing the sea breeze and blistering, hot sun by the beach. There’s something about eating a meal next to the beach…won’t you agree it does improve our palate?

So with these lil charms, I won’t be entirely happy to return to any metropolitan. But at least I get to watch the latest blockbusters in comfortable cinemas!

Oh - do you like my collages? Used my free time to play around with Picasa Editor. Really easy to use!

Miri reef

2010-06-12T18:43:00.009+08:00

Ah finally, my long-awaited diving trip had arrived and went surprisingly smooth. The day started off really nice - sunny and calm waters. My gear was in top-notch condition and was easy to assembly (thanks to the refresher course ^.^)

I joined a family of 3 - a couple and their 14yo daughter. If was a tad disappointing as the girl couldn't fit her new mask properly to her face, hence we had to wait few minutes after descent for the family. Eventually the girl missed both dives where her mom had to stay back with her at the first dive. Poor things.

In comparison, the Miri reef isn't as visible and clear as the Perhentian island's. It was tinted green and pretty brownish at the bottom. We didn't go to the best, deeper reefs of Miri as we were rusty divers, so we visited about 12m depth sites.

Anyway, that dive took about 50mins and when I came back to the boat, a headache caught up and I was feeling really bad. Ate a muffin, drank water and 100+ as we suspected I was dehydrated.

Got better and after an hour break, we went to another site. Again - the girl couldn't descend and we were way 5 meters down! My diving instructor/buddy asked us all to ascend and when I went up, suddenly I hurled and puked not once, nor twice...but freaking 6-7 times! There went my eaten muffin as fish food. LOL. Kinda blamed the frizzly drink too (not really seasick) cause the bubbles grew as I ascended. It actually reminds me of a blowout ;)

So since I was sick and the mom wanted to descend too, we rested another 10mins before the 2nd dive. The second dive was better - slightly better visibility and the best part - a huge green turtle swam next to me!! Seriously exciting man! I should have spend more time looking at it rather than alerting the rest........

After this 48mins dive, we came up and called it a day. To be frank, it was really tiring. And we got back to the shore just in time before the dark clouds rolled in and poured crazily.

Quite sad to hear that Miri reef doesn't have much underwater creatures as many are caught and sold in local markets, from small/babyish sharks to caged turtles. Plus the oil and gas business kinda harm the scenic atmosphere...

The diving instructor recommends Labuan and Sipadan if I ama ever back at Borneo. Of course, nothing beats Sipadan which carries a world heritage status but I'm surprised Labuan is a good spot too!

What a day indeed. Happy happy!

Update: Heck. Found out another Miri diving group saw manta rays! Eiya!!! :(

Monkey see, monkey do

2010-06-10T16:19:00.004+08:00

Feeling lethargic after an hour of scuba dive "refresher" course. Got myself a fairly good deal to explore the waters in Miri this Saturday. 2 boat dives within half a day.

Steve, my diving instructor - went through all the basic steps with me. From setting up the gear and tank, to the buddy check (buoyancy, release, weight, air, others) and safety precautions (mask clearance, retrieve regulator, usage of the octopus/buddy regulator). We even did the hover and pivot positions underwater, which one needs to play around with the in/deflater.

Quite worried as I totally forgotten everything and didn't help that my diving manual is back at home. Hence the refresher course was a great relief and good thing my actual dive just 2 days away!

Hope the weather cooperates and that I will enjoy my dive. I just need to remember to breathe through my mouth, keep my buoyancy steady and not to panic.....plus absorb the blue view ;)

Update from Google: Today marks Jacques Cousteau's 100th birthday, who coincidently created aqualung, the open-circuit free-swimming breathing set (basically the portable cylinder)...which made scuba diving possible to the public ^__^

Simply good in Miri

2010-05-31T13:15:00.002+08:00

Awesome man. I'm into my second week of a month's hitch in Miri, and found out that the client's office is closed for the whole week due to the Gawai festival. Lovely :)

Plus, I got a spare car (Vios) to drive around instead of relying on the taxi service. An expat colleague -being a typical Aussie - prefers to cycle to work, hence I'll be taking over his car till my hitch is done....woot ~___~

Downside is that most friends have returned home to West Malaysia, but I get to hang out with 1-2 local pals here. Having a car is really a huge bonus as mobility increases and so is my freedom! Hopefully I get to hook up with others and try some watersports or hiking/climbing.

As long there's no trouble at work, I have the fullest peace of mind. Hallelujah!

Eastern Europe, anyone?

2010-05-12T11:11:00.002+08:00

Potential vacation destination? Maybe :)

Finding humour in the workplace

2010-05-10T16:47:00.005+08:00

In my line of work @engineering, we refer to a lot of schematics instead of looong written reports. Just last week, my colleague showed me one schematic and *gasp* - a shocker that got me really laughing.

See what I mean...

Finally!

2010-05-06T14:25:00.004+08:00

It took weeks for my new baby to arrive, and when it did - oh man, did it come with loads of style!

Welcome EliteBook!

Stylish silver with blue LEDs, more plug-ons, built-in gadgets and high-end specs... Hubba!

*disclaimer: does not come with watch ;)

yay, built-in camera and bright lil' lamp! (glam pic behind!)

lol - cheap thrill man. OK, back to work!

MacRitchie Treetop trail

2010-04-19T12:04:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday morning, we woke dreadfully early to trek up MacRitchie Treetop trail, a suspension bridge among trees near the MacRitchie reservoir and at one of the largest Singapore's natural reserve parks.

It was a cool morning to start but once we puff and sweat - man, we could feel ourselves drenched in this humidity. We took about a 4 km slow trek up to the treetop bridge, and erm...let just say I wasn't jumping in glee. It was quite a short bridge...and not much view to see except trees and a faraway sight of the reservoir. I was expecting at least some birds and butterflies gracing the sky or even a river flowing below...but sigh. Nothing. Oh well...at least I can say I've tried the Singapore treetop trail :)

With Sandra at the one-way entrance treetop trail

Faraway reservoir

Crossing the short suspension bridge

Harry and Sandra

The only wow-sight....bulbous mushroom

Aha, so that's what I'll call him!

2010-04-15T10:10:00.003+08:00

OK, so I like to go on and on about strange things people do/wear/say and so happened, yesterday - someone wore the same look I always find disturbing on a male. This fashion sense is either obviously gay or they are proud to display their developed "part of muscles". I remember a friend wore it and in a size smaller (gasp!), I was really embarassed to join him for dinner!

Now I know the right word to call him............

Douchebag!

LOL. Darn bad man.

Homemade popiah

2010-04-13T16:25:00.003+08:00

Ah finally, I got to try Harry's uncle's infamous popiah. All sorts of good stuff packed at your own liking and as many helpings as you want. Lap cheong, tofu, braised sengkuang, fresh veg toppings (cucumber, salad, taugeh/ bean sprouts, long beans) and dash of sauces - yummy!

Made a pretty, colorful picture too ;)

Cute Gmail theme

2010-04-07T16:56:00.004+08:00

Gmail theme "bus stop" is meant to be updated with the local weather forecast, but unfortunately - it's not working as designed. Oh well, still cute though :)

On a wet, rainy day...

On a sunny, oops - cloudy - happy day!

My childhood's anecdote

2010-04-01T09:23:00.006+08:00

I was on FB when Ken, a buddy of mine, got announced for joining his latest group. When I saw its name, I just broke out laughing like mad...

The group has over 10,000 members (and counting!) and namely known as My Chinese parents used to beat me with a feather duster. LOL.

Growing up was quite timid for me and my eldest sisters, as my mom was the disciplinarian of the house. Now even though my dad was in the army, he wasn't as scary as my mom. I don't remember her shouting much at us but she was very strict with her long list of rules and had expected full obedience from us. And when the rotan appeared, it was when we really asked for trouble. Anyway, I never did get caned at school because if this ever happened, I knew I will have a second round, and worse, back home! :P

And yes - feather duster was one of her many tools. It bloody hurt yo! >_____<

It was awesome to find that many people went through similar experiences. On this particular FB group, the walls and discussion boards were packed with hilarious recalls (I bet we didn't find them hilarious back then), painful memories and crazy antics that kids did to hide these equipments of torture. There was this discussion that asked of the other type of tools used by parents, and boy, how universal these were! From cloth hangers to wooden rulers, spoons, slippers, etc. :D

I couldn't stop laughing and had to tell my parents that instant. My dad found it really funny but my mom...bless her heart, didn't! HAHAHA. Oh well - maybe she didn't get it.

I doubt that Chinese parents are the only ones that used the feather duster other than its dusting ability, and I do know that most Asian parents practiced this too. Do I think this is abusive? NO way! But caning should be moderate and purposefully right, else kids won't get sound teachings and live life the real, hard way (it's a dog-eat-dog world anyway).

Like we always say and so the Bible says (Proverbs 23:13): spare the rod, spoil the child.

Boycott

2010-03-26T09:35:00.002+08:00

I have to admit, I get annoyed when one is really rude or insensitive. Hence this is why I'm writing this blog.

I went with Vic to buy some local coffee at a popular shop in a nearby market. Now the proprietor is a loud Chinese man who seems to look mad all the time. Vic wanted to order in Cantonese but before she could say anything, he aggressively asked, what do you want? twice. In shock and intimidation, Vic gave her order and he rudely scolded her that this wasn't how the drinks were called, before yelling his orders to his busy staff. The nearby customers were silently smiling at this whole incident.

I was fumingly annoyed. Hence I told Vic that we should not bother to wait for drinks, else this is the last time we return to this shop.

Man, what arrogance. Not worth a good cup of coffee.

power read!

2010-03-14T22:35:00.000+08:00

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8)

Numb and sore

2010-03-04T00:27:00.004+08:00

Dear old doctor said vaccination is good for you. Hey, I'm all for it but goodness gracious, 3 jabs at the same time??

What is wrong with you!?!

Actually I already drew blood earlier, hence it will be 4 jabs in a day. Doctor said at least you aren't going to any African nation, else you need 7 jabs in total. Heck.

Fine. Doctor didn't even give me a chance to catch a breath in between. First vaccination jab was ok. Second was seriously a b****! Had to plead with doctor for that break but he went on and stuck in the last needle. OUCH OUCH

All ended and he had the good grace/courtesy to ask if I was alright. I guess I paled alot and he freaked out too.

Now 13 hours later, still feeling slight numbness and soreness at left arm. Well, at least get to battle against Hepatitis A&B, Influenza and Thyphoid for another day!

yay!

2010-02-24T23:56:00.001+08:00

i get to blog alot like in the past!
i must not be bullied!
freedom!
Glory and all thanks to God!

Wasted

2010-02-22T12:23:00.001+08:00

Clearing my cupboards and found bottles. Too bad I can't stomach booze, else I'll be enjoying myself...lolz.

Just thinking...

2010-02-14T23:37:00.003+08:00

If I find some places on Earth are breathtakingly beautiful....then how would Heaven be?

Hmmprh.

2009-12-31T15:43:00.002+08:00

It is funny to find how some people take full advantage of other people's goodwill for their own benefits. Even doing it outrightly obvious.

Oh well, whatever.

In a Ranger's cage...

2009-12-11T15:18:00.004+08:00

Ferarri red. Sub woofers below seats. Caged for race.

This is one heck of a wild ride!

ooo, look what I found from my handphone :D

2009-12-09T09:58:00.001+08:00

+1 to my age blink

2009-12-02T22:56:00.006+08:00

Hapy birthday to me!
Happy birthday to my twin! LOL...
Had birthday lunch with 9 colleagues at a Thai place, pretty good :P
Got a special 8-slices cake....pretty nice too!
Took pictures and realized someone took a video of me too....*hahahaha*

In case you're wondering what I was mumblin' about (video quality was low 'cos from an iphone)... someone asked what was my wish. I said I wanted a vacation.

But boohoo - she said it's rubbish (cos I originally said I wanted a luxurious sport car...Porshe)!

*blink* whatever lah, hahahahaha!

Gimme strength...

2009-11-29T22:11:00.001+08:00

Two more months. That is all I can give. In hope that 2010 is a better year.

I got my eyes glued to...

2009-11-15T22:59:00.004+08:00

Meet The Natives!

This is an entertaining yet culturally-informative TV programme by National Geographic. It tells the journey and thoughts of 5 natives from the Tanna island, South Pacific, who visited big cities of USA and UK.

Now bear in mind, these natives are really NATIVES. Buck naked, jungled diet and simple lifestyle. To embark on this amazing feat, they had to dress like the city folks, travel like the city folks and eat/do everything new+strange like the city folks.

So why would they ever want to leave their peaceful land? Well, they wish to reunite with "Tom Navy" - a WW2 soldier who lived with them decades ago and had spread news of peace from America. Hence this time around, these 5 natives will be the peace ambassadors, and spread peace to the many different people they meet during this trip. Plus, one of them spoke English since school, so it wasn't hard for them to communicate :)

This show just started in Malaysia (Sundays 23:00), and their first city was Montana where they met cowboys and lived on a cow ranch. This second episode, they were in NYC and lived in Soho apartment! The previews showed alot of funny antics and surprises of the everyday things that they came across. Really cute! Do catch it if you come across!

Vomit blood

2009-11-13T22:21:00.001+08:00

Argh. I cannot stand documentation. It pains.

SIGH. Terribly sad.

Stranger that grabbed my arm...

2009-11-11T22:01:00.004+08:00

Today's lunch, 4 of us dashed across a busy intersection to dine on some yummy Indian food. On the way back, the others managed to cross this intersection quickly, but somehow I took time to glance both right/left for traffic.

Then I heard an old woman behind me asking, "Dik, ada lintas jalan?" to a passing girl, who shook her head. I stood awhile, returned the old lady's glance and said, "Saya ada. Nak ikut?" She gave a big smile, came nearer and grabbed my right arm. We then really took our time crossing the street and she kept saying, "Takut...takut...nanti...". Finally, we reached the opposite side of the road and reunited with my colleagues.

The makcik gave my arm a squeeze and said, "Terima kasih. Mudah berkat...". All I could say was thanks, blushed and wished her well.

Hmm, it's nice to help people once a while...kinda remind me that a lil' gesture goes a long way for others :)

Not being...

2009-11-01T16:07:00.002+08:00

...bitter.

remorsed.

Focus is really a balancing act - knowing the bigger picture, observing the finer details...Sigh...Gotta just stay and act right before Him, 'coz that counts end of the day.

One month has passed...

2009-10-28T23:37:00.003+08:00

That slow? I feel like it is forever. My mornings are my favourites, then dread the end of days....can I please go home earlier??!

How different my life is right now! Gone were the days wear I donned jeans and different shoe patterns. Gone were the days where I leave for lunch at a fixed time. Gone were the days I reached home by 6pm, prepared my dinner and watched Oprah. Gone were the days I read fictions and blogged often.

Oh well. Gotta suck it up and do what's expected of me. SIGH.

Wonderful verse of the day

2009-10-10T20:53:00.002+08:00

“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:20-21)

It's not easy...

2009-09-29T22:08:00.003+08:00

I had the best chance of remaining in a comfortable and well-travelled position and continue to meet with some of the friendliest, smartest people around.

Yet I choose to move. Why?

Because of job satisfaction. I lost my passion of moving about in the same cities, delivering the same deliverables and facing the same old problems over and over again.

No challenge. No difference.

So I changed my direction.

And I had my foundation rocked. Hard. I came across the most difficult period of my life - whether I shall balk and turn back, or face my fears and start afresh. The craziest thing was doubt, and I actually felt my palms sweat and my heartbeat accelerated.

But I believe that God made me calm. He sent the best support group ever - my sweetheart, family and friends. He sent new and helpful people in my life. All of them believed in me. But it is me who cannot believe in myself. Everything looks foreign. Greek, literally.

But I will persevere. And lose no hope. If I fall, I will get up and brush away the bad. I will need to change my mindset to the broader perspective.

I lift up my eyes to the hills-

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip -

He who watches over you will not slumber;

Indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD watches over you

The LORD is your shade at your right hand;

The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

The LORD will keep you from all harm -

He will watch over your life;

The LORD will watch over your coming and going

Both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

My past and present collide...

2009-09-26T13:11:00.002+08:00

No wonder the oldies knew of my past's industry-specific role....hmm. Interesting.

KL roads got the better of me...

2009-09-26T00:17:00.003+08:00

Argh. I admit in defeat - the KL roads are superduper difficult and I can't seem to master the freakin' routes...no thanks to the crappy roadsigns, inconsiderate drivers and ill-planned urban grounds! I really need a gps system. A really updated map too.

Argh. You know what! I'll just settle with the LRT train even it's an uncomfortable, crampy ride.....bugger. I need a sweeter lifestyle >:(

Price of beauty

2009-09-23T14:08:00.004+08:00

Five minutes seating with an artist and I got a new polished face. Concealer, powder, silicone base, brushes...*eeks* half a thousand ringgit gone.

Oh well, money earned money spent. At least the 20% discount was a comfort :D

Been awhile I did this...

2009-09-21T13:51:00.002+08:00

Weeding!

My parents are away and the carpet grass garden had fat weeds. So I got to my knees and pulled them out for over an hour...Yikes. But happy to make the garden look good again :D

Cook that!

2009-09-18T23:32:00.003+08:00

Had some lean meat and decided to stir fry. Added steak spice, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce and mmm, how about that celebrated oil that tv chefs seem to love.... yup, it's the...

Sesame oil.

GOodnesS! It was a savory smell that totally rocked my palate! Can't really explained its distinct flavour so just get yourself a bottle and a waft of its fragrant. Must try this the next time you prep stir fry dishes....

Yums!

I'm not a sotong.....sometimes :P

2009-09-17T15:08:00.004+08:00

I was working on my laptop and an additional monitor for a wider perspective when I came to realize that I've a dimmer laptop screen. Peeved, I clicked into display options but found no brightness control there. hmm. Then control panel. hmm! Finally I asked my neighbour..."HOW CAN I GET A BRIGHTER SCREEN. URGH!"

He frowned then made hand gestures....oh crap! Suddenly it dawns...it's on my laptop keyboard!

>____________________<``

The unexpected curveballs

2009-09-16T15:02:00.006+08:00

Ask me a year ago where I will be...and I will say still with the red-cowboy...travelling, meeting and forging some new friendships.

Ask me a year ago if I will make a major change, I will be "dei...are you nuts? I'm so comfortable here that everything runs on a clockwork motion!!"

Then came the many curveballs. First, the change. Second, the opinions. Third, the doubts. And the reluctance, mundaneness, dissatisfaction. Well, life moves on, regrets emerged and things/people/certain parts of life will be inevitably shuffled around.

In an elevator after a celebrity's wedding...

Ngammmm..!

First few mentors...

Some of the Y's...

Some of the X's...

The one who introduced bizarre food in HCMC...

The one who left our home...

The two who made the dull city...fun

No doubt, memories (of both good and bad) will linger, but hey, making new ones will be great too :D

Why must watch Josh Groban live...

2009-09-14T15:03:00.002+08:00

Here and here. So good that good goosebumps and shivers run down your spine!

Attempt Haiku I

2009-09-11T16:40:00.002+08:00

New dawn
Foreign discovery
Sniff and Scurry
Them I'll be

Shall I be worried?
Will change come doubts?
No, cast these away
Courage persists on

Loyal friends will stay
New acquintance I greet
Be thankful to God
Life's a joyous journey...

A photographer with a keen eye on Lego minifigs

2009-09-10T23:23:00.004+08:00

Just the other day, I found a great picture of a Star War's stormtrooper splashing in the rain. This was an ingenious snapshot of Mike Stimpson, an American photographer who has an affinity for Lego mini figurines (minifigs). He likes to associate his minifigs (especially stormtroopers, he labelled them "cool") to everyday's moments - caught in the rain, fishing, playing, among flowers - just to display the other side of a trooper's life. I LOVE it! What a cool idea! Also, Stimpson rephotographs classic photographs with his minifigs, such as the Afgan girl, Churchill, Marlboro cowboy, naked guy ran onto a football field, etc.

Do check out his hundreds of Lego creations.....absolutely fun for a boring day! Plus you can learn how to take close shots from his many tips n tricks :)

ALL PICTURES ARE TAKEN FROM HERE AND HERE. IN APPRECIATION OF STIMPSON'S WORKS!

ps: found him on fb. said hey and gave credits to his works, he replied with a big thanks! :)

Pompeii - the city of dead

2009-09-10T10:10:00.001+08:00

Pompeii was an unfortunate city that was engulfed by the Vesuvius volcano fury. After a vast excavation work done in the late 18th century, this UNESCO heritage is again today, bustling with tourists.

The place reminds me of a fading city with its past glory of temples, forums, merchants and a large marketplace. Occasionally I felt that I was in a city of the dead when I saw the fugitives while other times, I felt it was a dusty construction site with stones, bricks and mortar. Hey, you may think it's another Ancient Roman city, but in reality, Pompeii has its own aura and depth that it is not even close to those found in Rome itself...

Whatever the feeling was, I was deeply impressed with the hefty excavation and maintenance works done by the Italians. They did an admirable job in preserving their history, educating the people and instilling a sense of pride among themselves. In fact, one of my colleagues saw Pompeii on TV and was super amazed too!

Looking like archaeological students at ruined Basilica...

Roman Forum

Merchants and eateries since 2000 years ago

Temple of Jupiter (Capitoline Triad) with Mt Vesuvius at the background

Apollo, the archer

Diana, the archer

The large Apollo temple

A cosy Roman bath and its well-preserved frescoes

Modern chef in an ancient kitchen :)

Inside an old eatery

Yikes! Skeletons at the meat market

Broken amphitheatre

Another temple

Larger stones for preventing wet feet when washing paved streets with water

Garden of Fugitives - pitiful sights of those who tried to escape from the volcanic fury

Tomb of the Dead - those died before the fury

House of Faun - most prestigious house in Pompeii

Battle of Alexander, depicted on the grounds...faded and cracked with age...

Have a great 09.09.09!

2009-09-09T09:09:00.000+08:00

Yay!

Controversial tennis player

2009-09-08T09:05:00.003+08:00

I caught the game between Nikolay Davydenko vs Robin Soderling of the US Open yesterday. Davydenko was playing really solid tennis, moving really nice on the court and I was rooting for him to win. Then at 3rd set, where Davydenko was down 2 sets, he suddenly retired due to injury. Everyone was shocked...even Soderling!

It really bugs me since Davydenko has been involved in a few controversies related to match fixings and millions-of-dollars bettings. Quite disappointing to see him retiring to unseen physical problems and this wasn't the first but of many in the past years!

If he was really guilty of these claims, then his name and the game will be forever tarnished, sadly, as he is a talented player and an exciting one to watch for...

Pulling out all your guns or not?

2009-09-06T16:37:00.002+08:00

Out for after-work drinks when a guy pal asked me whether a guy should pull out all guns on his first date or not.

What I meant by pulling out all guns (or you can say strings) is that he does his very best to impress the girl, spending as much money and effort in creating the most romantic, desirable, dreamy dinner date..ever.

2 other guys said YES. One guy and myself said NO. The enquirer said NO too.

My argument would be that a girl prefers the guy to be himself as much as possible, and having a dinner date within his means would be okay. In fact, once a mutual interest happens between these two, then any nice dinner setting is good enough. By impressing the girl with all his guns means setting high expectations, which leads the girl to believe that this guy can afford to spend a lot throughout their relationship. Ok -lah, don't take a filthy rich guy - let's just assume it's an average-earning dude. In the end, who will suffer? The guy for being too generous, then the girl's hopes for having expectations.

The other guys said pulling out all guns will guarantee a successful outcome. Spend as much as they can for first few dates, then once establish relationship, manage their expectations. Great girls deserve to be the center of their attention and normally have a large number of admirers thus, must show their best guns and let the best man win....

I probably will stick to my reasoning....but one pet peeve is that, at least the guy pays for the dinner lah. Don't lah so kedekut... :P

Rome IV

2009-09-04T19:55:00.013+08:00

Now another important symbol of Rome is the Colosseum. Yes, the mighty ruins that once hosted gladiators and chariot competitions. If one mention Ancient Rome, then the name of Colosseum will emerge.

Colesseum is a part of the Roman Forum, the largest amphitheatre ever built by the Vespasian Empire (70s AD). The history of Colesseum and Roman Forum is really interesting, that is if you're a history buff...where you get to learn the leaders and the architecture behind these buildings. I'm not going to dive deep into the history, its will take AGES, hahaha, hence enjoy some fantastic shots during our whole day trip at Roman Forum...

First few here are the interior:

My ever present water bottle

The wooden floor fell apart and now revealed the underground "hypogeum"

Upclose with the hypogeum

Caught some kids posing on the pillars

The Colesseum experienced massive damage on its south walls when an earthquake hit in 443.

Hence the famous side became a postal image. So nice that we came back at night for a snapshot :)

Absorbing the ancient world here requires a whole day, best start early while the sun is not scorching hot. Roman Forum covers a large ground and you need lots of walking power and advisably, a hat or umbrella with lots of sun lotion. After visiting Colesseum for a couple of hours, we went to the nearby Arch of Constantine. There were a few arches across this forum, which each depicts that particular emperor's era.

At Roman Forum, you get a fair share of ancient temples, an old basilica, a temple and its back reconstructed with a working church, fields, houses, market and a large complex with Vestal virgin statues.

Roman Forum at foreground, Victor Emmanuel Monument at the back

Look closer...the Vespian virgins are gleaming white in a row

Temples where the only remains left were pillars...

The church is right behind these ancient pillars

Quite disturbing to find new, modern structures amidst the ancients :(

The actual forum...

The ancient basilica with its rock-steady ceilings...

Behind the basilica...

After exploring the Roman Forum, we went out to the street towards Trajan's Market...

Found a Caesar statue

The large ancient Trajan's market

OK - out of the ancient world, we visited Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio where he designed the lines on the ground.

And I found the legendary symbol of Rome's founders: Capitoline Wolf suckles the infant twins Romulus and Remus...

Isn't Rome a great melting pot of culture, people and history?? Man, our country can't come close to this richness!

Rome III

2009-09-04T10:09:00.006+08:00

Some other highlights of our trip to Rome were Pantheon, Victor Emmanuel Monument, Spanish Steps and Ancient Rome (which will be in another blog).

I like the Pantheon. It's another iconic image of Rome that stood for almost 2 centuries, initially a temple for ancient Roman gods and to honor the dead, but today, it's dedicated to the Catholic Church.

Going to the Pantheon was really unexpected. It is surrounded by modern buildings and when we made a turn, wamp ~ we were greeted by the beautiful sight of Pantheon!

Pantheon

Although the Pantheon doesn't carry much art, there were some significant items in its interior. There were a huge tomb in memory of Victor Emmanuel II, the modern king of Italy. Also, the tomb of Raphael, a favorable artist who got his request to be buried here, sadly, I couldn't take a picture of it. Taking pictures in here was quite difficult as the only light source was from the main entrance and there were too many tourists. Sigh. But the dome was super impressive - sunken panels that gave strong support and a unique look.

The tomb of Victor Emmanuel II

Interior Dome

We came back here at night to grab a beautiful, memorable picture of the Pantheon..

Nice?

We went to the Spanish Steps at Piazza di Spagna, notably built and funded the Bourbon Spanish Embassy in the 18th century. The 138 steep steps lead to the Trinita dei Monti, a French church.

The ever present crowd of tourists at Spanish Steps

Opposite of Piazza di Spagna is via Condotti where designer shops flocked on both its side...

Near the Ancient Rome stood the Trajan's column, in honor of this 1st century Roman emperor. Stories of his reign were depicted along its 38.4m length, which was hard to see from the ground. Apparently the column is hollow and there's a spiral staircase which ends at a viewing platform. It was closed when we were there.

Trajan's Column next to Basilica Ulpia...a pretty pic

We visited Victor Emmanuel Monument, a large, white marble building in the middle of Rome. A massive statue of this king on his horse captured our attention as we ascended the stairs. At its bottom, the tomb of unknown soldier was laid. The inside was a museum that offered the 19th century history of Italy. I prefer its exterior as there were many intricate cravings, statues, bronze chariots at its towers and two bronze quadrigae, winged with Victory.

The monument

Victor Emmanuel II

Tomb of unknown soldier

The many white pillars and cravings

Two bronze quadrigae

Ah Rome...alright, last Rome blog coming soon!

Brand E Birthday Bash

2009-09-02T09:25:00.005+08:00

You know someone is a workaholic when she/ he starts to relate everyday occurrence to their work. It started with an email of our friend, Vic's birthday at Down Under. The organizer, Iin, is our very own funny geologist and wrote "Brand E (a software) is used to restore horizon to its original state before faulted".

Puzzling, right? Especially to see this sentence with a "birthday bash" title. Then we saw the attached pictures...

Vic and her lopsided cake!

LOL. Iin meant that the original state: glob, faulted: beautiful cake. Brand E: sliced up the cake into mini globs...

Iin & Vic

Crazy but funny! Apparently the cake was really fresh and soft, made of cow's milk rather than cream, hence it shook alot when they were walking.

OMG. Anyway, Happy birthday Vic! Old lio!

Another big news: French Spidey managed to climb Petronas Tower with his bare hands, in 2.5 hours! Argh, I was there but didn't see it :(

Rome II - my top 5's

2009-09-01T13:44:00.025+08:00

Alright, back to my recent vacation at Rome. Now to come to Rome, one must expect to visit a handful of churches, galleries and sculptured fountains. There are hundreds of these in Rome itself, so you really need to narrow down to your own interests...like the location of your favourite artists' works, popular sights (especially seen in movies before), timing (ahead of the crowds), accessibility, historical value, etc...

The following are my two-cents' worth "Top Five lists". Let's start with churches...

Lena's Top 5 Churches in Rome

1. St Peter's Basilica

First, it's undeniably the largest Catholic basilica with rich interior and famous artists' artworks. Second, the founding history and scavi. Third, it's iconic and synonym to Rome/ Vatican City's landscapes.

2. Capuchin Church of the Immaculate Conception

Must not be missed! Spooky 6-rooms crypt where the walls, altars, ceilings and even lamps were made of 4000 monks' bones! Eww! No photography was allowed inside but visit the given link...you'll see what I mean.

3. Santa Maria del Popolo

Solely because I'm a fan of Caravaggio. His paintings on the Crucifixion of St Peter and the Conversion (of Saul) on the Way to Damascus were so real that these looked like top-notch quality photos. Vibrant colours, dramatic scenes - what not to love?

4. Sant'Ignazio di Loyola

With an absolutely gorgeous ceiling fresco that gave depth effects on a flat surface. Done by Jesuit priest/ artist Andrea Pozzo. So much details that you can admire for a long time.

The whole ceiling fresco

Upclose and beautiful

5. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

One of the 4 major basilicas dated since 4th century. Some mosaic walls, 5th century nave and a huge baptistry.

Baptistry

Lena's Top 5 Foods in Rome

1. Pasta

Get a travel guide for reviews. There wasn't a particular restaurant that was memorable so instead of naming them, I'll name the dishes you should try. Go for classic bolognese, lasagna, aglio e olio, carbonaraa or their local/ chef's sauces.

2. Pizza

Again, travel guide for reviews. Try classic bolognese, Neapolitan, margherita, Arabic, etc. I like mine with lots of mushrooms and spicy sausages.

3. Gelati

Ah, the perfect confection for a hot, summer day. Look for the term Produzione Propria, which means own production or homemade. We found one near Piazza Navona called Frigidarium - not much variety but very tasty!

4. Chocolate Tartufo

Also near Piazza Navona, this rich, chocolatey cake with icecream filling tempts you into taking a tea break or forgo your diet plan. Best paired with a cup of coffee and eaten at the bar. Sitting at the table with cost you Euro 5, crazy!

5. Nutella

It's famous across the globe. In Italy (not just Rome), everyone has Nutella for breakfast. Spread its hazelnut-chocolatey goo on any pastry and you get yummy delights! Good way to start your day, yo!

Lena's Top 5 Sculptured Fountains
1. Trevi Fountain

A massive, beautiful but congested fountain in Rome. Bernini made Greek gods and animals in white marble that looked eeriely real. Must do a night visit for its well-lighted atmosphere. (Bernini's other Triton fountain at Piazza Barberini was unfortunately, not really impressive)

Nightview of Trevi fountain

2. Piazza Navona

Bernini's three fountains at a lively square, definitely worth a visit. There're the 4 Rivers fountain, Neptune fountain and Moro fountain. The 4 Rivers is the largest and comes with an obelisk. The sculptures seem to glance away in horror from the opposite building - a funny anecdote that claimed both architects disliked each other. Also, tourists get entertained by the many street vendors and performers.

sidenote: At Piazza Barberini, this Triton fountain was also made by Bernini.

3. St Peter's Square

Just because of its location :)

4. Piazza del Popolo with Egyptian Lion Fountain

Spitting lions and an obelisk.

5. Quattro Fontana Fountain
Four fountains at each intersection of a crossroad.

Lena's Top 2 Art Galleries in Rome

1. Vatican Museums

Read my previous blog.

2. Villa Borghese

Plenty of Bernini's sculptures, paintings and frescoes by other artists. Some of my personal likings - Raphael, Caravaggio and of course, Bernini. His sculptures were awesome, so real with human veins and full of emotion! Too bad photography wasn't allowed.

See? I told you Rome was a handful....plus incredible too :)

Reminiscing...

2009-08-27T16:08:00.006+08:00

Just when I was to frame my next blog on Rome, a sense of dejavu evoked in me. About mid last year, I made two "great escapes" with my twin sister, Joanne, to four lovely countries. I thoroughly enjoyed myself albeit some personal hiccups. I have to admit, I am not an easy person to work/ live with, therefore we twins had our shares of squabbles and misunderstanding.

In a way, going through these vacations helped me a lot in dealing with patience and gratitude. Yes - these were happy days but there were a lot of gives and takes...which I've improved a lot over this year...and I'm glad to say I wasn't this horrible during my recent trip.

So Joanne - hats off, thumbs up to you for taking care of me as well as planning our Canada/ East USA. Sorry for being a hardheaded Bxxxx and I hope this doesn't stop us from making more trips together.

OK enough of this emotional outpouring. Some pictures I love reminiscing on... :P

Gorgeous lake @Adirondacks, USA

Looking like drown rats @Niagara Falls, Canada

One of my favourite cities, Quebec City, Canada...and we were lucky to visit during their 400th anniversary!

Joanne assembling her sandwich @ Kleine Sceidegg, Switzerland

Seremban twins @ St Paul's Cathedral, London UK

ps: I miss my shoulder-length hair...hehehe...

Roma I

2009-08-25T16:08:00.001+08:00

This long-awaited post was supposed to be written a couple of weeks back, thanks to some pressing matters (job, family,etc) but hey, I finally got to pen down more of my vacation :D

Going to Italy meaning a go to Rome! I truly enjoyed the city for its many appealing places, food and loooong history. Rome is a totally different landscape from Barcelona as the past caught up and merged well into today's Rome. It's like: Wanna see the Ancient Rome? Check! Wanna see the Renaissance era? Check! Wanna learn about the early years of Christianity? Check!!

There is so much to tell about the city...too much that I've to split my stay in Rome into a few entries. And of course, the first entry must address this site, which is not to be missed...

St Peter's Square and Vatican City!!

Basically the smallest sovereign country - Vatican City - is located next to St Peter's Basilica and enclosed in a high wall around the city. Now you can spend a full day over here. It was pretty amazing when we arrived at this spectacular place. My eyes were drawn first to the large basilica, claimed to build above the apostle Peter's grave of the ancient Necropolis. There were statues at its facade while the large white dome gleamed beautifully against the summer blue sky.

Now the square is lined with a circle of stone pillars while statues of saints decorated the top. There was an obelisk (the only one that stood since ancient times) right smack in the middle and two fountains on the sides. The square was huge and just imagine when thousands of Catholic pilgrims come here to receive the pope's blessings... definitely crowded!

We girls found a Vatican post office on the left of the basilica and decided to post home some postcards...

So we did the Vatican Museums in the afternoon - to escape the summer heat - with our purchased in advance tickets. Taking photos were allowed, hence we snapped pictures of statues, frescos, paintings and sculptures done by artists since 500 years ago.

Museums' grounds

An example of the museums' corridors, donned with frescos on walls and ceilings and many tourists!

I've too many wonderful pictures here so I'm going to highlight my favourites. First, Raphael's Rooms. I think he was one extremely talented painter! He did frescos and tapestries which many were located in these museums.

His masterpiece is the School of Athens, where acknowledged scholars, philosophers and artists of his time and before, were created. Even himself!

Next was the Sistine Chapel. Here was noted to be Michelangelo's great masterpiece (but other artists such as Raphael and Bernini painted too), where the ceiling was embodied with biblical stories, absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring. We were not allowed to take any photos here...but... :X

It was truly memorable having to admire the very best of Renaissance art!

Another significant structure in the museum was this double-helix staircase. There were two entry points and both do not meet each other, as seen below (note that there's only 1 way being used?)

The slanting, thick walls that enclaved Vatican City from Rome

Somewhere nearby, a ponte (bridge) graced with angels spanned across the River Tiber which flows next to the Castel Sant'Angelo (built since 200 AD).

On another morning, we visited St Peter's Basilica and climbed up to the Dome, really early to beat the crowd. We were given access to enter the basilica near the internal frescoed ceiling, where saints were painted with small angels.

Then we went higher, moving along a narrow, curvy path to go to the top of the Dome...

....and greeted by this awesome view ~~ Rome and St Peter's Square!

Don't you think the square looks like a turnkey? Apparently this was to honour apostle Peter who was given keys to the Kingdom by Jesus Christ (sidenote: you can identify sculptures of Peter by looking for keys held in his hand. The other 3 popular evangelists to scout for: Mark with a lion, Matthew with a winged-angel and John with an eagle)

We can even see Vatican Museums...

The other parts of the 44-hectar Vatican City...

The administrative building of Vatican City, shadowed by the St Peter's Basilica's dome...

The Dome and two mini others...

The statues that stood at the basilica's facade...

We got down to enter the basilica. Boy oh boy, was this huge! The architect was none other than Michelangelo himself. The front altar was overwhelmed by Bernini's baldacchino and below, was the entrance to Vatican Scavi, where the tomb of Peter, ancient Necropolis and the old basilica were excavated.

Too bad we couldn't get passes to the Scavi since one must pre-book months ahead...oh also, I remember someone mentioned, "That's where the monk torched himself!" (recalling Angels and Demons' movie, hahaha).

Check out the internal grandeur...

Another mini dome at the side...

Another one...

And finally, Michelangelo's other masterpiece - Pieta (Mary holding crucified Christ). Not bad, we got to see Michelangelo's works as a sculptor, painter and architect! Neat, huh?

btw, Pieta was all glass-up because back in 1972, a crazy geologist ran amok and whacked this art. Luckily the damage was minimal, restored and forever behind closed compartment.

Oh yeah, another cool part about Vatican City was that the multi-coloured guards were seen everywhere. Another iconic symbol, won't you say?

Ah, I don't mind going back to this place...

omg.omg.crap.

2009-08-25T15:21:00.000+08:00

pic taken from here

Lightenin' up...

2009-08-24T15:56:00.002+08:00

OK, I sound really emo in my previous post. No worries - I'm actually neutral - no enemies to "kenakan" me - just felt like blogging about it.

Found a very interesting list: The 50 Greatest Comic Characters. I'm not familiar with more than half the mentioned...but you still get a share of the super-famous ones. aka Superman. :) Happy reading!

Fine line

2009-08-24T09:44:00.005+08:00

There's a fine line between doing your job and being intolerable. Yes, you can do the right thing and claim it's your responbility but if you do it to put others down or to humilate them, then that's intolerable.

It makes a difference if you could be more understanding else, everyone treats you as an outcast. Plus if you wish to test the limits, then be prepared to go against the inevitable.

It doesn't help if you are conceited, unreliable or plain mean. If you can stand being such person, then be ready to have no friends...

Pondering...

2009-08-23T18:20:00.003+08:00

I just completed a book by Emily Griffin, titled Love the One You're With. Her books (I've read all :D) are easy to read and known for its complex characters and unique relationships, which are not of the typical romance genre. Her first book named Something Borrowed, is the one that caught my attention, was narrated by one who had a relationship and fell in love her best friend's fiance. Crazy, huh?

Anyway, LTOYW was something that I would not dream to be in (same goes for SB). It's about a woman who had the best husband and a great career but haunted by her ex whom she had intense relationship with. Griffin wrote the book in such a way that you can relate or be annoyed with the first-person, main character. I got annoyed. Hence this blog. I mean - it's a simple decision and everyone around this character, who are her best friends and family, had advised her of the best one to pick.

But as you continue on, you get to understand the jumble thoughts and emotions that she experienced. If you have to decide between two loves, would you take the safest relationship or the strongest passion? Would you continue to ponder on what-if's or forgo the past? Would you give yourself a second chance or live the unknown?

Disturbing as it seems but it could happen to any of us... Two loves, both give you different happiness, both wreck the other life.

Hmm. Thank goodness I don't need to face this issue. It was a good read and something that pleasantly filled my time :)

I hate..

2009-08-17T20:38:00.002+08:00

1. Paying bills.
2. Not having more than 5 digits in my bank account.
3. Interviews.
4. No holidays :(
5. No decent food in the house when I'm lazy to go out.

Blah!

Barcelona - loveliest city, by far

2009-08-05T11:41:00.024+08:00

It was indeed the vacation where I was truly awed by the cities’ history and true human ingenuity.

Harry and I started our trip at Barcelona, the most popular tourist destination in Spain. Met with Su May and Eugene, our other tour couple, and stayed near La Ramblas, where tree canopies shaded the walkways and streetshops. This was a bustling, energetic street filled with tourists and street performers that goes on till late in the night.

Palau Real, somewhere in La Ramblas

Now Barcelona city is divided into three parts where each is uniquely interesting. We started at:

Eixample – the Gaudi’s little empire
Anthoni Gaudi, the outstanding architect who designed strange looking buildings yet highly artistic (reminds me of Tim Burton’s colourful movies) and inspired by nature. Some example: Sagrada Familia, Casa Milla, Palau Guell.

Barric Gotic – Old, gothic streets
The old cathedral stood gloomily, dark and massive in the midst of the city. Unfortunately, it was heavily renovated when we were there. But we got upclose with the Sant maria sculpture which supposedly stood at the church’s peak! It came down due to renovation. We even went up the tower to see the city...but all we saw was rooftops, lol...

Montjuic – defending grounds and ports
Castle and fortress remains are still on this hill, while the harbour and ports can be seen down below. Excellent view of the sea.

Now out of all the cities I visited, Barcelona rated the hightest in my list. Every nook offers something to linger at, the alleys are small and lovingly sheltered from the sun. Skip El Beuno, a shady place which freaked me out.

The variety of food appeals to my tastebuds. Everyone should try a glass of sangria. A sweet alcohol to toast with every summer.

Paella is a must from here (beware of saltiness, it gets to you).

Tapas bars are found everywhere but only a handful made wonderful ones. Some of our favourites: Spanish sausages, open-faced sandwiches, deep fried green peppers, Spanish omelettes, cheeses (skip the goat cheese @feta, I had to puke my piece out). Grab churros (like our Chinese yar char kuey) dip in hot chocolate. Beers are cheap but still not for the cheap drunks. Iced Fanta Limon is a must-have.

Barcelona is a shopping haven. Zara, Mango, Lacoste, Benetton, Pull & Bear and many other brands are everywhere in the country...plus summer sales go as low as 70%! Must note: all shops close on Sundays, including the super-cheap fresh produces of market Mercat de St Josep, La Ramblas.

Grab some gelati, avoid coffee as it’s aromatic-less (unless it’s an espresso) and drink free water from the multiple fountains across the city (look for signs that say it's potable/ drinkable).

Spend a night at the Plaza Espana (below Montjuic hill) and watch the magical musical fountain. Starts 20:00 until midnight, go early to get a nice spot near the Palau Nacional.

Travel on the Barcelona T-10 pass, a combined tickets of the metro and bus. Entrance fees to the city’s highlights ranges from Euro 3 – 13, plus go early or book online for tickets.

Above all these, remember to absorb the festive mood of Barcelona!

5 days to go!!!!!!!

2009-07-06T15:05:00.005+08:00

omg.omg.omg. the final week has arrived! Bliss!

Ooo...I like to show you a cool feature that greatly help me in visualizing the places that I'm about to explore. It has been around for awhile and you may have seen it before, but I figure Malaysians seldom use this as it is not applicable in our country. I knew of it when my Perth colleague proudly showed his house location with it! Anyway, enjoy it here..

It is called the Google Street View (Map), a virtual street-level finder that provide images at both 360deg horizontal and 270deg vertical views. To use this, you definitely need a fast processing PC, reliable internet connection and a mouse (laptop pad is too sensitive).

So you start with adding your point A to destination (B)...

Now note the yellow "pegman" on the navigation pane? That tells us whether Street View is enabled. If you see it grey, then too bad - that area hasn't been explored with the SV team, such like in Malaysia (you can visit the link above for the list of countries available with SV).

Now drag pegman to your location. When you are dragging it, you see blue roads highlighted, those means that SV virtual images are available within 10-20 m visibility.

Drop pegman and the image appears!* Now you can either manipulate pegman's arrowhead to pinpoint a particular spot (360 deg coverage!) or drag the image itself to go around and above/bottom. A blue-colored line appears to indicate your driving/walking path.
* Sagrada Familia towers, Barcelona

See? I dragged the image to show the bottom and you can also see the arrows along the street. Double click on the arrow brings you 10-20 m of another 360 virtual image. You can also zoom in/out of the image but of course, you can't change the content of the picture :)

Man, Google is the company I really fancy! What an innovative idea, don't you think so?

wth. not my type.

2009-06-30T14:41:00.002+08:00

Of all sorts of movie genre out there, I refrain myself from watching horror. First, I don't like the after effects that mess with my head ie. dark corners that seems harmless before and now creepy, or that reflection in mirrors that may not be yours or yours alone. Second, the CGI effects are normally ridiculous with the expected ugly Lord-of-the-ring-monsters or green/ red syrupy splatters everywhere. Third, goosebumpy music or screeches. Not necessary!

Give me shallow, juvenile shows anytime. Please!

That googly-eyed monster and friends

2009-06-29T08:26:00.003+08:00

I was out and about with Harry and Cindy...when we came across these!

Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar and Elmo!!

(OK, so it's not in order but I like CM above the rest :P :P)

Come in lil tissue packets, we got them in the car, took them a ride to KL :)

And they come in big boxes too! Yipee!

LOL.

Feast your eyes on This!

2009-06-17T19:37:00.004+08:00

You know, some people say that the most delicious food is the simplest to make...and I agree! I did my best version of ABC soup just minutes ago!

Braised 200g of pork ribs seasoned with steak spice for a few minutes and then dumped them into a pot of boiling water (amount ~ 2 big bowls). Chopped up 3 big onions, 1 large potato, 1 carrot and some garlic - dunk them along with a bay leaf, a dash of oregano, 2 star anise and 1 cinnamon stick...let everything simmer in 30mins. Wahla! I have a dish of healthy, amazingly sweet soup!

Yummy! Yummy!

The spices really produce a wonderful fragrance, the vegetables naturally sweeten and thicken the soup....oh mama! Nice!!!

Sleepless nights - thanks to farming....

2009-06-16T21:31:00.003+08:00

I never spent so much time online ever since been introduced to Facebook's games!

It started with Scramble, then Sudoku, followed by Bejeweled (I remembered playing it over and over again in India...never satisfied with the previous 1-minute record, haha) and just two weekends ago, I got really addicted to Farm Town!

Imagine you are given a plot of land, your own character (you can design all features except your farm clothes, haha), seeds to plant, animals to keep and people to interact with...well, these are crazy things that kept me glued to my laptop! Within hours or days, you can harvest or get your friends to harvest your crops, 'backbreaking' plow your land again or sell your stuff to a marketplace. You meet other gamers (not necessary your own FB friends) and beg them to give you a job. LOL. All for the sake of $$ but hey~ you get to purchase goodies and even expand your land!

One of the coolest part is to beautify your own farm. You can select different seeds for different colours, such as what Harry did at his farm:

Nice leh? I wasn't that creative...started with a random look, haha. Then I made this design:

Urm, spot the no 1? Or the "YO!"? Next to small house and trees :P

Then my crops got harvested at the bottom (see the brown area?), I expanded my land and added strips of rice.

Today, my farm spotting 2 different designs:

Can you guess?

Breaking news - First Celebrity Swine Flu Fatality

2009-06-15T16:41:00.002+08:00

And we all know who gave it to him!

Scroll down if you do not know who…..

Baby back home

2009-06-15T10:46:00.006+08:00

Check out the apple of my parents' eye...lol...just 4 months and he is almost a giant! Bigger than a typical dog *yikes*

But he's one heck of a handsome creature :D :D

ps: we had to chain him as it was raining, else he falls sick...

Thunder Rice

2009-06-12T17:53:00.004+08:00

Back in university days, I often visited a Hakka stall that served the most 'delish' and healthy lunch, called Lei Cha Fan, or in English, Thunder Rice. Considered a vegetarian dish, it consists of a variety of greens on plain/brown rice and green, minty soup. Some, like me, enjoyed crunching anchovies together. The tingling fresh mint will always leave a satisfying end to my meal.

Once I started working in KL, I couldn't find any place that serves Thunder Rice near my office. Little did I know - this dish was nearby! Every Friday, the temple on Jalan Ampang prepares this dish at an affordable price, where profits go to help the needy.

To really enjoy this dish, the soup is the key source that makes or breaks the experience. Just the scent of the soup can tell how tasty it will be. My dinner later will be this, yay!

It may seem ghastly but that green (murky) paste and added water will form the soup. Some like it mix into the rice and veg's, but I prefer my soup separated.

Finely chopped peanuts, beans, french beans & other greens

The paste!

Can't wait to try them. I found a recipe too :P

The itchy moment

2009-06-11T11:07:00.005+08:00

Few days ago, I had the unfortunate case of skin rash. It started at the day before my long weekend, after paying a visit at my niece, a nyonya dinner and a special kopi (2-layer of fresh milk and coffee). It was close to midnight when red splotches appeared at my joints especially at my shoulders, inner elbows, behind my knees and within hours, I was scratching myself EVERYWHERE. Even my eyelids swelled and the corners spotting red rash. Hmm, but my mouth was okay..no swelled lips.

The crazy thing was I never had allergies, not from food nor environment. I suspect either the special kopi or something from dinner (which I never had any problem). I couldn't sleep at all that night and by morning, I got an antihistamine jab on my butt which basically knocked me off the whole day. Bummer, wasted a good day off. Later that evening, felt better and gotta wake up to be a 'drebar' for my S'pore sister. Good thing that the itch had drastically reduced after the jab but had a 10-day med supply to finish. Today is the 5th day after my incident and gotta say, I'm alright now.

Still can't figure out the culprit. Bugger.

Frustrated with myself

2009-06-09T13:37:00.002+08:00

Feeling down today. Frustrated. Really Miserable.

Did a costly mistake, can't believe how silly I was.

But thank goodness for understanding friends. Someone just told me, it's better that I can afford the mistake. True. And it is not end of the world.

Oh well, I gotta suck it up and move forward. Bummer about my loss :(

Wattago Federer!!

2009-06-08T09:07:00.003+08:00

I knew he could pull through and win this tournament! After Nadal's loss and records to be broken (maiden win in Roland Garros & top records holder), his burning desire can be seen in his aggresive, perfect shots and gave a real trashing on his opponent :D

Congrats!

Busy, busy...in a good way though :D

2009-06-07T15:58:00.006+08:00

Weeeee..!! It's down to 4 weeks before my vacation begins! Destination...?

Tadaa - ITALY and SPAIN!!!!!!

OK, seriously - this trip involves alot of planning, from itinerary to logistics, discussion to modifications, budget to splurges. Getting travel guidebooks helped aplenty and DK Eyewitness Travel Publisher is the Read to refer! This offers handy tips, pictures and easy-to-use "manuals" to follow. Browsing through websites such as tripadvisor.com, skyscanner.net and venere.com also cover a wide range of people's reviews on lodgings, getting there, daytrips, maps and fooooood~~!

I took the liberty to Post-It the guidebooks 'coz blurMe sometimes forget the pages and dislike flipping to index :P

Harry's parents went to Italy few months back and his dad brought home maps and books that further stacked our readings...(haha, not that I'm complaining) and I totally like this book by ArcheoLibri on Pompeii. It first displayed illustration of ancient site...then when flip to the following page...you see the current state of that site!

Illustration...

...and as-it-is today!

Again...ancient picture...

...today's remains!

Too bad we only have one book of this....Anyways, wish us luck in our preparations...there will be 4 of us travelling this summer and pray that nothing bad happens to us. Ciao!

Oolala...what a stack....

Cookie Killer

2009-06-01T09:49:00.001+08:00

Nadal is OUT

2009-06-01T00:04:00.003+08:00

Oh WOW! Robin Soderling, the Swedish - has just beaten Rafael Nadal at the French Open 2009! What a crushing blow for the #1 seed and defending champion (4 times in a row)!

It was truly a thrilling match, Soderling was almost perfect in the first set, Nadal battled aggressively in the second with a tiebreak, however immediately won by the himself. Third set was executed superbly by both players but Soderling turned the table to his flavor, won that set and led by 2-1.

Fourth set was again head-to-head but Soderling controlled most of the shots. Tiebreak came again and unbelievably, he played so well and won 7-2! Nadal is confirmed out of the tournament!

I know there's two more rounds to the finals but Yay, now it's an absolutely great oppurtunity for Federer to win this Grand Slam! By doing this, it will be his maiden win on this court and equals his Slam collections to Pete Sampras at 14! Fantastic!

Go Go Federer!

More of Audrey's videos :)

2009-05-29T22:23:00.001+08:00

Blah...

2009-05-29T14:57:00.001+08:00

I realized I dislike Taiwanese cuisine alot. Bland, soupy and milk tea...ew.

Audrey Chow

2009-05-28T21:43:00.005+08:00

This is a celebratory blog dedicated to Audrey Chow, the first niece and granddaughter in our family! She came to our world safely on 27th May morning and welcomed by her lovely mom and dad (and doctor, nurses too).

We were glad to see a pretty, pink in health baby, crying loudly, breastfed and sleeping comfortably in her crib by her parents. Enjoy the pictures and a video below (more photos here)...