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.

An Evening with Khalil Fong

Last night the boyfriend and I were at Genting to catch Khalil Fong's show. Several friends were surprised that I was even aware of his existence, judging from my preference for English songs. There's no need to be surprised really. He's an ABC and does pretty good covers of some classic English songs. But that's not the main reason why I love Khalil. His songs are really good and the show last night was absolutely fantastic! He did not run out of tune nor run out of breath after singing for 2 hours straight. That's how a true good singer should perform live. I only wished he got his bum off the stage and got closer to his fans.

I was imagining myself as the girl Khalil was singing about in his 'Black and White' song and hence, the dress. I wanted to post a link to the video but it has been removed from Youtube. Go find the video if you want to know what I'm talking about. Btw he looks really cute in that video.

Camwhoring with Khalil's poster outside the arena.



















Met Mrs. B who got her concert cherry popped by Khalil. Mr. B bought the show's tickets. LOL!



















With the man responsible for introducing me to Khalil's music :)

Khalil Fan Club members getting overly enthusiastic in front of the TV crew's cameras as the show is about to start. To the two guys who were trying to copy Khalil's style: Cut it out. You are nowhere near as good looking as Khalil. Just stick to loving his music. TQVM.

Opening act: I'm sorry to his fans, but I really have no idea who this is. Yes, that is how supportive I am towards the local entertainment industry. Mrs. B tells me his name is Andrew Tan.

The Soulboy finally gets on stage. Shame on those concertgoers who didn't come in on time. Don't you guys realise the show can't be started if you don't come in and find your seats on time? Bloody hell.

Khalil sat down to perform 'Georgia on My Mind'. He told this lame joke which he uses in possibly every country on this tour. I totally expected him to recycle it last night, and he did not disappoint. Click here to watch the video which shows him telling the joke a few days before landing in Malaysia. Now, click here to watch my video of him telling the exact same joke. It's cute, but it would've worked had I not seen the first video before the show. Smelly nerd and chubby gf who sat beside the bf and I were sooooo thrilled when they managed to decipher the joke. Btw the "zhe daooooooo" you hear in the second video is my voice.

Khalil flashing a cheeky grin before running off stage. I love you baby!!!!!!!! Come back soon.

I've uploaded some videos on Youtube. Click on the songs to view some of the highlights from his concert. My favourite was 'Wonderful Tonight'. That's most probably because it was the only song I could sing along to all the lyrics. Watching the videos and listening to his songs after the show just makes my heart grow fonder for Khalil *sigh*

> Red Bean
> Superstition
> Wonderful Tonight
> You are the Sunshine of My Life

Cats and dogs

Being stranded in a cafe with WiFi and a borrowed Macbook isn't such a bad idea. It would be nice if I had a companion to help look after the laptop while I head to the washroom without having to worry about the laptop being carted away by a scumbag stranger. It's funny how I've been sitting here for the past three hours and have not accomplished the main task that drove me out here in the first place. Well, at least I've checked my emails and done 2% of what I wanted to finish today. I believe it's important to have achieved something than to attempt nothing at all. The rain is pouring and it's getting dark in here. I wished they had proper fluorescent lights on so I don't have to risk going blind after sitting here and staring into the screen for another few more hours.

I just emailed a friend in New Zealand updating her about my abandoned plans due to the recent life-changing decision that Bun and I made. Sometimes I feel like I make too many promises to myself which I'll never fulfill. One of it is New Zealand. New York is another promise which lives in a little corner in my head. I suppose I can plan for a short visit someday. Right now all I can do is dream.

Colours on the horizon

Last weekend was sorta life-changing for Bun and I. We finally signed the papers to our possible first home (I'm saying possible at this point 'cause I don't wanna jinx anything). The house fits most of our requirements but it isn't located in a very central place. That don't really matter 'cause it's central to our work places. I guess it's all for the better since I'll be far away from the evil shopping temptations (sigh!)

The house won't be ready until 2012 and I'm pretty scared about the whole waiting process. You know, all those horror stories by other new house owners about projects being abandoned. I'll try to not fret about things that I cannot control and start looking out for stuff that we need for a new house. There are a million things that we need to buy and it's good to start looking around to know what's the best deal we can get. Now we're moving on to the fun stuff! Imma need to start an inspiration board!! Curse the man who banned me from using pink as the main colour of the house. I won't cook for him once we move in. That'll show him.

We were greeted by a huge rainbow while on the way out after signing the papers. I'm not trying to sound superstitious or universal or whatever, but I do believe this could be a good sign for our new beginning.

We are hunters on the prowl

Bun and I have officially moved a step further in our relationship - We've gone onto the stage where we decided to cohabitate live together and have started a house-hunting rampage. It's definitely not an easy breezy experience and I hope we don't end up tearing each other's face apart anytime soon.

Buying a house is one of the biggest decision in one's life (it goes along with deciding who you want to live with) and should never be a rushed process. There is a whole load of stuff to mull over, including feng shui, cost, location, bla bla bla and I cannot get anymore stressed about this purchase. We have yet to find one place that fits into the 'everything' that we are looking for and I'm slowly dying from stress while searching.

WHY CAN'T WE SKIP TO THE FUN PART WHERE WE SHOP FOR FURNITURE AND DECORATE??????

We probably need a couple of months (or maybe even longer) before we find the right place. I feel so choked up with stress I can barf out right at this minute. I'm trying to de-stress by looking at pretty pictures and dream about how I can decorate our place once we're ready. Keeping my fingers (and toes!) crossed to find a perfect little place soon. Wish us luck.

First we grow up, then we grow old

I sort of chronicled my journey into adulthood on this blog as I started it while in uni and moved on to the working world with my blog in hand. Did not link up to any previous post 'cause I can't stand reading my old rants. Sounds so premature. Bleh! This post obviously adds itself into said rant category 'cause I prolly cannot bear reading through it as time goes. But I can't help myself from typing out my thoughts and then click the 'publish' button.

I guess writing helps get rid of the massive sleepiness I'm having right now. My eyelids are closing as I'm typing. We just moved to a new house over the past weekend and it's been one hell of an experience. I'm tired, sleepy and my body aches all over. There is no way anyone can get me to move ever again. Not with all the furniture and every piece of belonging.

We'll prolly stay here at this new place for just a year. A short remark from my mom got me thinking real hard. It's time for me to get my own place. But the only way for me to move out is to buy an apartment with Mr. Bun. I have no qualms about jumping into the pool with Mr. Bun. Don't get it twisted. It's just the fact that I'm not a big fan of living in apartments. But it doesn't seem like I have much choices since I have not much money.

This year, starting from today, will be my and Mr. Bun's personal journey into familyhood after surviving adulthood for a good couple of years now. We will be taking baby steps, venturing into new horizons that we've never known before, but we know we'll be fine as we have people around us who have made it. Wish us luck! You'll know where we're headed once we have things in black and white.

Spam is bad

I've got spam all around me, and they're not the edible type!! They're the typical spam comments that I bet a lot of blogs get. I'm so sick of getting them here at Hotaspink and I've started to moderate my comments to shield you from them. (You're welcome). I think you guys go through enough torture trying to read all about my whinings and such, so I've concluded that you shouldn't be conned to click on these deceitful 'comments'. Although I have a mild suspicion that Diana Chin might be more than happy to click on those links and chance upon them damn sites with full blown pictures of half-clothed Japanese chicks. You'll never know...