Stripes and Dots

Folks at work had a barbeque session during lunch today and it was a good opportunity for some relaxation and fun. Perfect time for me to squeeze in some camwhoring shots!

It's a no brainer that good food is always involved, especially here in Malaysia. My only complaint is we didn't have enough satay to go around :)

Now I'm sitting in front of my iMac trying hard to not fall asleep. It rained heavily midway through the barbeque and now the weather is perfect for an afternoon nap. Can't wait to get home to my bed.

Brunch at Hin Kee HK Dim Sum

Mr Bun and I made our way to SS2 this morning for my spine treatment and we had planned to have brunch at his favourite mixed rice stall at Wai Sek Kai, alas, it was not open. So we had to look for an alternative, and I spotted a new dim sum place right opposite. We weren't armed with high expectations as most dim sum places serve substandard frozen dim sum, but we were proven wrong as each of our orders came to the table. The food was absolutely fresh and made in good sizes as well. Price wasn't too steep and I felt it was worth every penny. To make it simple for you to know how good the dim sum here are, I'd say I might marry the chef if I was single and available, and if he lost some weight. I'd definitely be coming back. The restaurant is open every day from 8.30am till 12am, and is located at the same row as Kei Tak Sik.

My home today

I ventured out of home today for a baking class, obviously ignoring the fact that there is a scheduled demonstration in the city. It's not as if I was oblivious to it till the last minute, but we decided to go ahead anyhow. I managed to escape a massive roadblock, had to take a huge turn around to get to the road I was headed towards and got safely to our destination. We had a great time cranking out delicious apple pie and pound cake from the oven. In between the baking, we managed to squeeze in some very interesting comments about the state that we are currently in - 3 Malaysian girls with a German lady who has lived in this country longer than any one of us have. But sadly she is leaving the country very soon.

I was hesitant about reaching home safely but I managed to get my way. I guess being a typical Malaysian driver gave me a lot of training for days like this. Plenty of skillful and creative driving in order to reach my destination.

Catching up on news surrounding the whole BERSIH episode is absolutely amazing in this day and age. How could we have seen all the on-ground videos in just a couple of years ago? I appreciate the guts of those who have no fear and willingly march down the streets to share a piece of their thoughts. It's saddening to see how the government is overreacting to a rally, causing so much pain and inconvenience. Look at how the foreign governments are treating Malaysians living abroad who have also participated in the rally from afar. This just shows the difference in the level of maturity. It also pains me to see how some people are so gullible, agreeing that the rally supporters were the root cause of the inconvenience. Honestly I wouldn't ask for a chaotic country as much as any peace-loving Malaysian. I just want to see us living in a cleaner and fairer state.

I am anxious to see how Malaysia can grow out of this state and would love to see my children (and their children) grow up in a better Malaysia.

In case you were curious enough about my baking adventure today, here's the end result of our community effort. A delish apple pie and raisin pound cake. The cake didn't cool down in time for me to try a slice but I heard it tasted more than alright.

Had an apple today

Look what came in the mail for me today!!














Looking back the past week, I have to give it to Maxis for making up for the terrible customer service by their dealer. So far Maxis has been timely with their promised delivery dates and it would've been a smooth sailing journey if it wasn't for the rude a*hole. But hey, life isn't perfect and it hasn't been too bad this week.

Let's hope I don't turn into one of those people who hang on to their devices for dear lives. I also have this need to clarify that I still don't agree with the term 'smart phone'. I feel it makes some idiots suddenly feel like they've become smart asses after they buy one of these (note: show-offs). I'll probably be infatuated and busy with this baby for a couple of weeks and then the fever will eventually die down.

Excuse me while I go check with my friend, Mr Google on how to make it an even more awesome device.

tweet tweet

I signed up for a Twitter account today - because I was told it would work very well to make a complaint to Maxis via Twitter. So far I'm happy that the staff responded to my complaint from both Twitter and customer helpline desks. Now I just have to wait until my digital apple arrives. Follow me at @ashleylsc if you're interested to see if I have any updates over there. I should be slow often, but it might change when I have a less dumb phone. I can't wait to ditch this ancient Nokia phone. It has no camera and my contacts are messed up but on the plus side, it has a flashlight. If only Steve Jobs' engineers could pull off a flashlight on their iPhones...

How fragile life is

伯母，谢谢你欢迎我加入你的家庭。我会永远记得我们第一次见面的时候，你是很热情欢迎我。

您的逝世是非常突然。我非常难以接受。但我会为你的儿子坚强，我答应你好好照顾他。你安心吧。

我们会永远怀念您。

Gambate Japan

The social media network has allowed everyone who has an account to give a piece of their mind whenever something major happens. I mean, major like the 9.0 scale earthquake in Japan and not a punk abusing his pet dog. I've not made any comments about any of these trending topics on the blogosphere, Facebook and such because contrary to popular belief, I don't have something to say about everything. I feel compelled to say something about Japan now because there is a live broadcast of a charity concert in Hong Kong right now and I cannot bring myself to hear stories about the victims and survivors. It's too heartbreaking. It also scares me to no end, thinking what if the same situation happened here in Malaysia. We are nowhere close to having the discipline, kindness and patience as the Japanese. Even if I was a survivor of a 9.0 scale earthquake here in Malaysia, I will be attacked in the aftermath of the disaster by ruthless beings. That I am sure. In these past few weeks since the disaster in Japan, I only have one thing in mind. How could this happen to such a beautiful country? Of course I'm aware there is no one to blame, even if a certain well-knowned Malaysian lady thinks otherwise. There is one thing that I realise, along with many other people, is that the patience displayed by the Japanese during trying times are extremely respectable. Some haters may say this is the result of the Japanese nation being too disciplined since young, but all of these can easily go right out of the window after such crisis. Very few nations can be truly united during such times and it is indeed a graceful thing to come out of a natural disaster. I may not be visitng Japan anytime soon but I wish everyone good luck and may you be strong enough to move on forward.

If this is what people say are one of those 'signs' of the world ending soon, I wouldn't be surprised and as scared as I was a couple of months back when we first read about mysterious massive deaths of birds and fishes. I've decided that the most important thing is to have my mom and Mr. Bun next to me when the final moment arrives. But if that doesn't happen then there's nothing I can do about it because everyone is dying anyway. I've come to terms that our civilization might end in this century and it's perfectly normal. It's not like we're the first and only human civilization that is wiped out from the face of Earth by a massive flood. We've got plenty of artefacts to show us that many other civilizations before us have also been through this before. It just makes it scarier for us as we are now able to see very clearly and sort of predict when 'the end' is coming. I know, it's not lovely knowing how and when you might die. But if it's going to happen then it will happen. It's just a cycle of life. A few thousand years from now, some highly evolved human beings might find artefacts of our civilization and start researching about us, as how we are researching the cavemen. I hope they find my blog and love it.

He put a ring on it

Today marks the fourth anniversary since we started dating. Tonight he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I've already said yes before but tonight I'll say it again. Out loud. Because it feels so good to be filled with so much love.

We celebrated our anniversary with a sumptuous dinner at Xenri Japanese Restaurant earlier tonight. Gotta love those giant grilled scallops that we had. We drove home and realised that out of the tens of thousands of houses in this godforsaken place, it was only our little cluster that had a blackout. I got so pissed off I had to pass on some of that anger to the not-at-all helpful bitch from TNB who answered my call. Then I had to go upstairs to help the man look for candles. I bet he was silently cursing at TNB more than I was. Maybe more nervous than angry, because he had a sweet little surprise waiting for me in my room...

I walked in to find roses and my absolute favourite Korean in the world, waiting for me. Poor man had to shine a light from his mobile phone so that I could see them. Not to mention he had to shine a light on the ring as well. Then the moment came. He got down on one knee and popped the question. There was no other answer than "yes". Truth be told, I would never dream of any other answer to that question from him.

It takes a real man to love me so selflessly and only ask for my love in return. It takes more than a man to have the courage to open his mouth and ask a woman to marry him. Tonight my lovely boyfriend got upgraded to be my fiancé. I'm very lucky he chose me to be his fiancée. I love you, dear.

In today's materialistic world, I know some of you might be curious of how my engagement ring looks like. Don't fret. I'll oblige soon enough. My finger's not as dainty as my fiancé imagined it would be, so we'll have to go back to get it adjusted.

We're so filled with love that we're floating on cloud 9 right now. Fate brought us together as a couple and we promised each other that we'll always cherish this bond. It's not easy finding your other half in this complicated world but when you do, there's absolutely nothing that can come close to it. I love my love.

Shibuhara Girls

MTV has just launched a new "reality show" that is based in Japan, and it's called 'Shibuhara Girls'. People are saying this is the Japanese version of 'The Hills' and I sorta agree, although I never watched 'The Hills' (but I do know what the show was about). I watched the premiere episode and found out what Shibuhara meant. I'm not that great about Japanese culture but I've always found it intriguing. I have a feeling that I'll be watching all 12 episodes just to get a dose of the Japanese culture. I will visit Japan someday (fingers crossed!), so these might come in handy :D Oh, in case you're a nut like me, Shibuhara = Shibuya + Harajuku. The show revolves around the lives of four leading girls; Sun Wei, Marie, Kozue and Shion.


















Here are some facts I found on the Internet:

Kozue Akimoto
Kozue Akimoto is a fashion model who has already achieved a great deal of success since stepping onto the scene back in 2009. Of course, she’s also known for another reason, as the daughter of Chiyonofuji, who is perhaps one of the most successful sumo wrestlers of modern times. She faces the pressure of stepping out from under her father’s shadow.

Marie Ishikawa
Marie is a 22 year old native of Tokyo who is on the verge of breaking into the pop scene. She’s released a few songs but has big hopes riding on the debut album she’s currently putting together.

Shion Miyawaki
Shion Miyawaki is probably best known for her single BOY, but since her early success she’s seen her stardom fall. Originally from Nagasaki, she’s lived in Tokyo since her teenage years and currently faces the pressures of choosing between her declining career and her boyfriend.

Sun Wei
Sun Wei was born in China, but raised in Japan. She’s a successful model for the magazine Pop Sister, which has already exposed her to a giant audience. She’s also an internet hit with a very popular blog and over 8,000 followers on her Twitter account. However, despite her legion of growing fans, Sun Wei is still single and looking.

Although I don't understand Japanese, I can easily watch the show because of the subtitles. What keeps my eyes glued to the TV screen is the fact that the girls are super stylish and pretty. My favourites are the models, Sun Wei and Kozue. It's too early to tell who is THE favourite but I have a feeling it's going to be Sun Wei. Because she's Chinese and I thought it was really interesting to watch a Chinese who is so Japanese. You know, given the history between two countries.

It's also interesting to watch the possible rivalry between Marie and Shion, who are both managed by the same company. Record labels in Japan operate in a very distinct manner and it would be great to get a better look into how artistes are managed through this show. But it seems Marie is leading the race as the show's title song is sung by her. Poor Shion just can't catch a break.

Here's a teaser and hopefully you will be piqued to watch the show too.



p/s: Dammit if I get addicted and the show ends after just 12 episodes, what am I going to do? Will MTV launch Season 2 for the show? Ughhh

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?