Travel to the future

I don't want to miss out on the annual list-making but I have absolutely no clue of what I'm looking forward to achieve next year... although I really do have to work harder on controlling my bad temper. I tried looking back at what I've achieved so far in 2010, but too much of it was a blur so I'm not going to strain my brain to think hard about it.

However, I do know clearly that someday I would like to travel to a few amazing places. It doesn't have to be within 2011, it's not as if I'm rich enough to travel frequently anyways, but it will have to be within my lifetime.

I would love to spend time visiting Tokyo and Hokkaido. It might sound really silly that I'm nowhere near to visiting Japan at this point but I'm already stuck between having to choose which place to go first. I'd like get lost in the exciting pace of Tokyo before chilling out maximum in Hokkaido, stuffing myself with some of the best quality seafood in the world. One problem, it's going to be hard lugging all the shopping haul from Tokyo to Hokkaido but at the same time, I don't want to chill out in Hokkaido first and then jump into a frenzy in Tokyo. The voice of reason in me is yelling out that I'll have to let that one pass and decide when I actually get to go to Japan.





























Working in an international school with many different nationalities around me does have its side effects. I'm intrigued to go visit some of the the places where all these people come from and one of it is New Zealand. My boss is from New Zealand and recently one of my best friends has travelled to New Zealand for a working trip. There are a couple of old friends who were married off to New Zealand and I would like to pay a visit someday.














Greece was just another rich man's playground to me until I watched Mamma Mia the movie. It may still be a rich man's playground but I'd like to disguise into that crowd and bask in the beautiful country and culture :D
















I blame Mamma Mia for making me lust for the beaches of Greece and now I point my finger at MTV's now-cancelled show, TRL for making me feel like I should be a part of the fast and furious crowd in New York City. A small part of the blame goes to Deb and Alicia Keys too. I'll have to wait till I have friends who live in the US before I jet off. The thing is, so many people are so eager to travel to the US for innocent reasons but the US government is making it so damn difficult. I don't see myself welcomed as a Malaysian passport holder so I'll have to think really hard about travelling to the US. Not to mention NYC is infested with bed bugs. This will have to wait for a while.

Winter up my nostrils

I always look at pictures of places covered in snow and think it's really pretty during winter. I guess I'll hang on to looking at winter through pictures and not experiencing it for many years to come. I was attacked by a flu bug two days ago and it's gotten worse. It's slowly morphing into a full blast of fever and I can't help but think that I'll probably be on my deathbed if I were in a winter wonderland. It's raining everyday here in Kuala Lumpur and it's already killing me. Thank goodness I don't celebrate Christmas. It's pathetic to fall sick on Christmas eve. But I won't let the bugs stop me from wishing everyone who's kind enough to read my blog, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here are my two new favourite Christmas songs. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Happy holidays :)




A Wishful Valley

A close friend of mine has just introduced me to her latest venture, an online shop which is more than just an average blogshop. She built the website on a foundation of love for design and fashion, creating a hub for design lovers, fashionistas, trendsetters and creative minds. She is a very talented Art Director and it's not surprising that the items she brought in are very extremely chic and unique. Her website is www.wishvalley.blogspot.com.

Since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd make it convenient for those who have yet to shop for their loved ones and themselves by making this list from the items that I've been drooling over from www.wishvalley.blogspot.com.

'Tis the season to pamper yourself


















Capture attention at any Christmas party with a shiny statement necklace.




































Gorgeous Christmas party dress with a classy amount of sparkles. Check out the sexy back!














What a gorgeous clutch to keep all your belongings while you mingle around during a Christmas party!














I personally am in love with the zebra-print clutch. I heard from my friend that she has this in severely limited quantity. Oh snap! Better hurry to get me hands on them before it's too late.














This ring will bring some Christmas cheer to my dainty fingers



















Bring some bling to accessorise your hair, which you might spend hours on before you head out to a Christmas party.


Spoil your loved ones













So iPhone4 is all the rage right now. If you know someone who owns an iPhone4, why not get them this Christmas-appropriate casing?



















This glow-in-the-dark lightbulb looks so amazing. I personally have not seen it glow in the dark before, so why don't you find out and let me know?































The animal sharperner and hand towels are perfect gifts for young ones and even those who are young at heart. How cute do they look?? There are few other animal options available for both.

























I don't wear prescriptions so I don't need these lens cases. But I think they're super adorable as gifts.


Random but worthy to mention













Every 'it' couple should be parading around town carrying these cute bags. I think they're perfect for Valentine's Day though... which actually is not too far away.














This cute skirt has to be my favourite item of the bunch. Don't worry about flashing your lady bits. There's a nude layer underneath :)

I had so much fun browsing through www.wishvalley.blogspot.com. Go check it out and join their Facebook page. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Gulity pleasures

There are a few songs that I have severe difficulty to like in a public space, but once I'm alone behind the wheel, I go into karaoke-crazy mode when those songs are played on the radio. I call them my guilty pleasure tunes. I hope you like them too :D







E haere rā, Danny

A good friend of mine will be travelling 8,730 kilometres to Christchurch, New Zealand in two days. By the time I'm done typing this entry, it'll be just one day left. He's going carrying one of those holiday-working visas, leaving Bolehland for at least six months. But if fate has its way, he might be going further away and not come back for good. At least that's what I think he'll do... judging from his keen interest in backpacking across Europe.

Abby and I had dinner with Danny last night to bid him farewell and to be honest, I wish him all the best but with a slightly heavy heart. It's just the not-so-nice feeling of knowing someone really close to you is leaving to a place far away and is no longer reachable by an hour's drive or something like that. I know some people who are in NZ or travelling across other continents but they're not close friends so I don't get nostalgic about them. It's not like I knew before they left anyway. Poor dude's travelling all the way (with connecting flight) alone and I would be sobbing like mad if I had to travel that far all alone. But I guess if he's already made the choice then I as a friend might as well wish him all the luck in the world. Let's just hope immigration doesn't kick his skinny ass back to the KL airport *fingers crossed*

We chatted during dinner and it just hit us there and then that the three of us have known each other for seven years. Danny and I spent a short period of that time being housemates and that's the major reason to why he's one of my closest and dearest friends. He can call me a bitch but I still love him to bits. So this post is dedicated to you, my dear friend. Don't be a stranger when you are not near. Keep in touch xoxo















We were 20 and clueless about style. Walkin' around thinkin' we were the hottest bitches in town















Our pseuso karaoke pose



















This was during one of our group assignments and we kicked all the other groups' behinds















Getting ready to have our graduation photo taken















Messing around backstage before we walked out on stage for our convocation















On a tuk-tuk in Bangkok where we both fell in love... with a hot male stripper. Well, at least in awe















Fast forward seven years to last night. Thank god our hair look good now















I'll miss you heaps, darling. Take care

Truly Asian

I noticed a number of my friends on Facebook have been pretty vocal about their dislike towards the recently announced Malaysian budget. I've received some invitations to support a group against the construction of the dunno-how-many-storey tower but I've declined them all. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I like the idea. It's just that I realistically know that there is nothing we can do about the injustice portrayed in the budget and a Facebook group definitely will not do anything to stop the tower project. It might have worked for Betty White, but it definitely wouldn't work here. I'm more concerned about the nuclear power plant but as I said, what can we do? Or rather, what would really make Malaysians jump out of their couches and start marching down the streets for real to fight for their rights? We only sit around and complain about the racial injustice and bla bla bla but there isn't really much fighting done. Yes, I'm a typical Malaysian and I'm proud to be one.

The French have been prominent in recent news for their riots against their President's retirement plans. They might be putting their travel industry in jeopardy for a few months but I feel it's the right price to pay in fighting for what they think is best for them. The French would say, so what if Lady Gaga can't tour in France for a few weeks? Godamnit, we've got to save our souls before donning our ripped fishnet stockings, blond wig and disco bra.

So I'll continue reading local newspapers only because I work in the Marketing Communications department, only care about where I can find the best asamlaksacharkueyteownasilemak and sit around complaining about the injustice I face simply because I'm a typical Malaysian.

Pink Princess Party

I may have recently just turned 25 years old but I guess I'll never grow to be mature enough on the inside. I just stumbled across this fantastic blog and I totally fell in love with this Pink Princess Party. It's very sweet and girly, but not tacky in any way. Just the right amount of pink-ness. I wonder if anyone is generous enough to throw me a party of this degree?

The Meat Dress

The lady has done it again. I wonder how she keeps upstaging her own antics. How is she going to top this? The Internet is exploding with images of the raw meat dress that Lady Gaga wore to the recent MTV Music Awards, and then again to a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. As gruesome as it looks, I actually think there is a high level of workmanship being put into the meat dress. Well, except the ass part. I guess it doesn't really matter since Lady Gaga doesn't fancy covering up her bits anyways. Feast your eyes on the pictures and you be the one to judge (pun intended).

































Feeling dejected

Maybe Abby was right. Maybe I am meant to wear authentic goods and should not subject myself to buying 'inspired' stuff. Do you think I make good excuses to make myself feel better since the shoes I ordered are no more in stock? *sigh* Vanity Fair isn't doing much to help lift my spirits up. I'm talking to you UK office people!! The September issue isn't available in the bookstores till today. Don't bother asking me about the US edition. It's been sold out since August. pfft.













Image source: tumblr.com

My decor live savers

I've posted a new blog roll on the bottom right column. I found these links to some gorgeous home decor sites via because im addicted. The beautiful colours and furnitures make me very happy - at least until I need to fork out the moolah to buy them. These will be very useful for ideas and inspirations when our new home is ready. I might have enough time to save up some funds if I start now.

monotone

How does it feel, when you inhale the white mist into your breath? Does blood rush through your veins and hit your brain like a storm? Do you feel alive only when that happens?

I'm no different than you. My weakness is anger. Some may say I'm addicted to it. Too many times I have allowed my instincts to take over and leave me bruised. Time does not allow itself to be reversed because of people like me. Time wants me to learn how to be more patient. I've sadly come to realise the world does not exist in black and white. Being grey is good for survival and I need to start blending in.

The rainbow said hello

I can't quite put into words how my feelings are right now. I feel as if there is no other outlet to channel my mixed emotions than to type this out, since I've chosen not to let my tears spill earlier. It has been an extremely difficult sight to face, seeing tubes of various sizes sticking in and out of his body like that. I'm just thankful he made it out of the operation room alive.

These are times when my thoughts and emotions are severely challenged. I've never been a daddy's girl; we were never too close. Heck, he was somewhat distant from his family for most of his life. He wasn't the perfect role model on how to be a father, but he's still mine. I have no doubt he would be there for whatever he could for me, so I was there today, seeing him into the surgery room and waited till he came out. I felt like that was the least I could do. I think I would've cried if I had to go in for any operation. He was surprisingly calm. I'm thankful I could call in to the office for some time off right now. He's still being put unconcious but the operation was somewhat successful. We need to wait till the bleeding stops before we're certain he's stable. There will be more concerns later on but I think I can only deal with so much at this stage.

What's now etched on my mind was the final moments before he was wheeled in. His weak laugh at the nurses' attempts to put him at ease. For that I'm grateful. I was worried at first that it might be the last that I'll see of him but at least he pulled through the operation. We barely made it before he was wheeled in. Totally my fault. Had a tough time falling asleep last night and when I did fall asleep, I had a tough time waking up. Mom was driving fast and furious at me for being late but when we drove out to the highway, I had a feeling it's gonna be alright. A bright rainbow greeted us and the rest of the working traffic, giving me a ray of hope. Call me crazy but I do believe that someonesomethingsomewhereoutthere was trying to assure me that it'll be fine.

While we were in the waiting room today, I realised there were other people who are faced with equally heartbreaking situations, if not more. That wasn't something that I saw everyday and it kept me silenced about the way I usually viewed my life. I saw a mother dashing into the ICU to see her baby after the doctors summoned her, a wife who was making calls to prepare to bury her dying husband, a daughter breaking news to her relatives that her mother might not awake from her slumber and I'm sure there are plenty other stories from the different people walking in and out of that room. So you think you had a rough day at the office today? Think again.

How to retain your creative juices

Regular folks like us would normally abstain from sex due to a number of regular reasons. For example, some of you might be too ugly to get laid or you have a fear of contracting STDs or afraid of being a babydaddy/baby momma after nine months or you might have mysophobia like Emma Pillsbury or you might suffer from even more regular excuses such as stress, lack of time or simply lacking interest in sex.

Lady Gaga has famously announced about her celibacy and now we all finally know why, thanks to Vanity Fair:

“I have this weird thing that if I sleep with someone they’re going to take my creativity from me through my vagina. I’m perpetually lonely. I’m lonely when I’m in relationships. It’s my condition as an artist. I’m drawn to bad romances. And my song [Bad Romance] is about whether I go after those [sort of relationships] or if they find me. I’m quite celibate now; I don’t really get time to meet anyone.”

Source: Perez Hilton

You know normalcy ain't Gaga's cup of tea. I'll pray for her that hopefully some day, she'll meet a man who is creatively juicier than her so that he may pump more creative juices into her brain. I guess that would be the only way she'll ever be comfortable of having sex again.

Why I'm no food blogger

I do follow a couple of food blogs and I've always admired their skills and patience for photographing such great pictures of the food. I can't say I didn't try but I don't find myself salivating over my own food shots. I still do take pictures of my food sometimes but it's mainly to chronicle my food adventures in a different country, or to just share with some close friends. Recently a couple of close friends have just started their own food blog, but mainly concentrating in the Northern region as they reside in Penang. I must say, I salute their patience because I would've wolfed down the food as soon as they are placed on the table.

I'm not the only one who shows a lack of enthusiasm for blogging about food. Anthony Bourdain has always been vocal about his dislike for food bloggers (and vegans) and I can't help but chuckle in agreement after I watched this episode of No Reservations some time back. Btw, I have a stronger dislike for vegans compared to food bloggers. I've blogged about that before.



I think most of the food bloggers aren't as extreme as the ones which Bourdain has interviewed. Most are just sharing their experience and want to make it known to the rest of the population. For me, I prefer to savour the moment - while the food is fresh and hot from the kitchen. I may have good pictures after spending a good few minutes working with a DSLR, but the dish would've turned cold and I wouldn't have preferred that. I think my meal companions wouldn't be too pleased about waiting for me to finish taking photographs either.

Yesterday I tried flexing my food photography skills...














Like I said, I prefer to have my food hot and fresh from the kitchen.

Sweet dreams are made of these

I started out late catching up with fashion and trends, plus I have never lived for designer items and don't think I ever will. But there are two things that would make me an extremely happy girl if I could call them my own. Yes, they're expensive but they can probably last long enough for my daughter to pass on to hers. That would make the perfect excuse to go out now and grab 'em, no? Now if only I could chew off the leash Bun puts on me whenever I talk about shopping. Meh.














































Classic Chanel 2.55 Bag in Black

























Miu Miu Suede Chunky Heel Platform Sandals in Black

101 memories in Taipei

The boyfriend and I just came home last night from our virgin trip to Taiwan. Since we only had a week to travel, we decided to just stay in Taipei city to get to know the place better. We spent the sixth and final night in Jiufen (about an hour's drive away from Taipei city) and then realised when it was too late that we needed more than one night to really discover the beauty of that place. The first six days in Taipei city was extremely hot. Growing up as a Malaysian, I always thought that we had 365 days of summer but Taipei decided to show me what summer truly meant. I didn't remember summer was this hot when I visited Hong Kong a few years back. Being in Jiufen was a nice break from the wicked city pace. The air was fresh and the mountains were beyond magnificent. Not to mention we stayed at a really nice and cosy bed & breakfast. Now that we're home and as I look through the pictures from our trip, I'm missing a whole lot of delicious food that we absolutely cannot find here. The best thing about Taiwanese and their food is the price ain't skyhigh and the portions are impressive. You'll definitely get what you paid for and leave as a satisfied customer. It's not like in KL where you pay RM15 for a seafood broth and have to dive into the ocean to find your seafood bits.

This was the first trip that I invested more effort into my style compared to my previous ones. My hair was beginning to look funky in a not-so-nice way so I hauled my butt to my stylist in KLCC about a week before leaving to Taipei. I don't think I could live with having to keep pictures of me in Taiwan with bad hair. I even took time to plan my outfits so I'd have nicer pictures to keep. What I've done in the past was just count how many outfits I'd need for a trip and chuck them all into the luggage the night before departure. At first I thought we didn't take capture enough pictures to preserve all the memories but we ended up with over a thousand shots. Not too shabby, I guess.

We spent our first night in a 4-bed room because the room we booked wasn't available yet. The hostel's owner, Magos met us at the Taipei Main Station and led us to the hostel. She did apologise and was very helpful with questions about where to go and eat. The place is very small and basic - everything you'd expect when you're travelling on a budget but also very convenient and clean. We had a clean room, comfy bed, clean shower, hot water, free Internet access, free filtered water, free use of washing machine, access to the MRT right across the street - all the simple works but good enough when all we needed was a place to sleep for a few hours after roaming around Taipei city for a whole day. Check out www.taiwanmex.com if you are considering to travel to Taipei city.




































Day 1 wearing: Black & white striped top with shoulder accents, black short shorts, black flats, sling bag in tan
































This handsome little guy actually posed when I was trying to take its picture. It returned to its normal people watching pose when I stopped pointing my camera towards it.


















Day 2 wearing: Gaga tank top, black skinny jeans, black flats, sling bag in tan, vintage camera chain, Miu Miu inspired headband



















Day 3 wearing: Girl with tiger head tee, black bubble skirt, studded gladiator flats, sling bag in tan, vintage camera chain



















Day 4 wearing: Leopard zipper dress, black flats, sling bag in tan, vintage camera chain



















Day 5 wearing: Blue cardigan, baby blue striped tank top, khaki short shorts, sling bag in tan, vintage camera chain, sneakers



















Day 6 (Day) wearing: White ruffled dress, weaved leather belt, sling bag in tan, cutout sandals, white leather and chain bracelets



















Day 6 (Night) wearing: White silk shirt, black tank top, black short shorts, sling bag in tan, sneakers















Day 7 wearing: Deck cards tee, long strechy pants in black with pink waistband, sneakers


My airport outfit going home wasn't too exciting. I recycled my first day outfit and only wore flip flops because I desperately needed comfort over style after days of long distance walking. We had to go for feet massages on the fourth night simply because our feet couldn't bear with us anymore. The blind massage centres at the MRT stations have miracle workers. I had this sharp pain on my heels as soon as my feet touched the ground and they took it all away. On my next trip to Taiwan, I'll try not to walk so much. Need to leave the computer now or else Bun will either die from starvation, eat without me or strangle me to death. You can choose one.

typhoon can't beat the bug

I'm typing out this entry with a throbbing head and an aching heart. Taipei managed to dodge Typhoon Consoon and I have a strong feeling that we wouldn't have to cancel our flight to Taipei on Wednesday. But I caught a cold this morning and I'm feeling a little chilled to the bones. I've managed to survive the cool winds of Cameron Highlands for three days but one blast of air-conditioning in the office knocked me to fall flat on my face. This sucks sooooo bad. Mister or miss flu bug, can you please go away now and leave me to be on holiday in peace? If you want me so bad, you may come back next week. Just not now. I've been too excited for this to happen. Did'ya know I even planned my outfits for this trip? I've never planned my outfits for any trip in my life!! Please just go away. TQVM.

Queer dedication

I dedicate this quote to my not-so-many queer friends who may or may not be living at large with their sexuality. You know I love you [heart]
"If homosexuality is a disease, let's all call in queer to work: Hello. Can't work today, still queer"
Robin Tyler

She ain't Linda Lovelace

My friend, Chindiana (recently more known as Diana Chin) blogged about the quirkiest Top 5 names of GROs that he had met before and I couldn't help but think of a similar situation that happened to me on Friday. No, I didn't meet a GRO but instead I met someone with a really wacky name.

My shoulders and back were in knots so I decided to head to my favourite massage joint, Thai Odyssey. Felt obligated to mention the name of the place so that no one is going to think that I frequent some dodgy massage parlour. My usual masseuse, Naan was back home in Thailand so I had to settle for another person. As new masseuse was working on my back, I felt that she wasn't beyond spectacular compared to Naan so I figured I might as well stick to Naan when she comes back because she could speak a little bit of Mandarin. New masseuse had me practically dead set on not wanting to use her anymore as she pulled the towel away from my chest when it came to that part of the session. Naan usually keeps the towel where it belongs. But who knew that towards the end, I changed my mind. New masseuse had this spectacular move which she used on my neck and it led me to heaven. My stiff neck had never felt so relieved before. So there, new masseuse won my heart with the smooth neck trick and I decided to switch from my next visit onwards.

So after the session ended I went to the counter to find out her name. The receptionist gave me my receipt and wrote it next to new masseuse's staff number. It spelled 'P-O-R-N'. My eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets when I saw her name. That was kinda like my private LOL moment. I'm positive her name is pronounced as 'porhnnnnn' in her home country and is no where near 'porn' and what that means. We need to get our twisted little heads to start thinking straight.

Like bees buzzing in my head

... cannot wait for my holiday in Taiwan.
... want the cents and dollars stuff about the house to be over and done with.
... need a body massage.
... need a drink with Debs.
... am happy for Peggy and How Chen.
... cannot wait to be living in sin, with parental approval.
... will collapse if I don't go to bed right now.

Good night!

Pink as nails

I've been reading a lot about Spring in the fashion blogosphere and lately I'm obsessed with painting my nails pink. I tried a deep, dark red polish two weekends ago but I ended up taking the colour off after just one day. My nails have been bright pink for the past week and the colour's chipping off but I can't bear to remove it. Omg my nails are so fugly now. I'm hoping to switch to a lighter shade of pink tonight but let's hope I won't be as lazy as last night. I went slightly crazy and bought three different shades of pink when I passed by the Elianto counter the other day. My current colour is the one in the middle. It will soon be the one on the right. I don't know if this is related but the colour obsession has influenced my palate for the past couple of days. I've been eating a mixture of berries for breakfast. I thought I was adding to my vitamin intake with the berries but I still end up with a cold. My poor colleagues will have to bear with my nose orchestra today. Excuse me while I go down my vitamin C soluble mix.