Just Plain Musings

we dunnit!

2009-12-16T16:39:00.006+08:00

While in Phuket the other day, a receipt fell out of the Open Water Diver Course manual which we had brought along.

It was a receipt for the registration fees which we paid to enrol for the OWDC with Lynette.

See the date?

And two years later...

... we completed our Instructor Examination on 13 December 2009.

In the weeks leading up to the IE, I have tossed in bed at night asking myself, "What have you gotten yourself into?"

I knew I wasn't alone.

Next to me, he probably was thinking the same. But in the dark, neither voiced our stress because we had gone to bed angry at each other after having fought over some Physics or Physiology question in our attempt to study together as two civilized adults.

On good days however, we supported each other well. When he needed help on his theory, I did my best to explain. When I doubted my in-water skills and demonstrations, he walked me through the steps and assured me I was fine.

With it all over now, I can safely say that the Instructor Development Course (IDC), which culminated at the Instructor Examination in Phuket last week, was one of the craziest things I've done, one that is so freaking stressful, yet has brought about an amazing sense of fulfilment.

It has been three days since we returned from Phuket, and I am still reveling in the high of the experience. Not just the exams in Phuket, but everything... right from the day we took our first breath underwater, the trips we made, the courses we studied for, the internships we did, the day we went for our IDC Orientation with our Course Director, and eventually, our last evening in Phuket where we were absolutely exhausted, but so darn pleased and happy.

The course and the exam may be over, but the adventure is just about to begin.

Who knows what the days ahead will be like?

Who knows what kind of an instructor I'll be?

But if my mentors are anything to go by, I think we'll be great! :)

Thank you Richard! Thank you Lynette!

And oh, thank you to my ex-boss and current boss for letting me take so many off days to go on trips.

Heh.

unexplained

2009-09-30T17:48:00.002+08:00

I live in Puchong.

I left the house at 9am this morning, wanting to get to Damansara Utama by 10am.

Not a big fan of the LDP because it's a 2-lane highway, I opted for the Jalan Kelang Lama route, which will eventually lead me to Federal Highway, and then onto the Kerinchi Link.

Come 9:30, I was making no progress and would never get to DU by 10, made a U-turn and headed for the LDP.

Once I turned onto the LDP, I teared at the sight of what was proably a million cars queueing up to pay RM1.60. There was no way to get out of it. Finally it was my turn. I paid, took the U-turn and went straight home.

I wasted an hour of my life going nowhere.

I've been asking everyone, 'What is the cause of this morning's congestion?"

"Raining lah!" they all tell me.

spoon gripe

2009-09-24T14:24:00.000+08:00

I have a problem with them plastic, disposable spoons.

When used to eat noodles, the spoon can only hold 6 strands of meehoon and a tiny, tiny sip of soup.

They give me these spoons when I buy mixed rice too. And for rice, the spoon holds about 10 grains of rice and my piece of sweet and sour pork rolls off when I try to bring it to my mouth.

Then, there was this once when I ordered Xiao Long Bao from Asia Cafe, and they gave me these spoons as well. The diameter of the dumpling, of course exceeded that of the spoon. But skillfully and gingerly, I managed to cajole the piece of dumpling to balance on the spoon and en route to my mouth, the bugger rolled off and landed splat onto the floor. RM 1 per dumpling OK! *sobs*

Sigh. I just want a proper spoon to eat with lah!

quickie #386

2009-09-01T22:02:00.003+08:00

Wet and cold today. In the subzero room, my fingers froze over the keyboard. A new place will tell new stories.

My wet hair is wrapped in a bundle of towel that is sitting atop my head. The shower was lovely, thank you very much :) My feet is propped up on the glass table. The Starbucks paper cup, emptied just moments ago.

It's moments like these that I indulge in during such hectic days.

exercise & fats

2009-08-25T11:08:00.001+08:00

Oh yay!

Exercise makes you fat!

Now all I need is to go have my fats re-programmed.

Thank god I haven't started the gym membership yet.

teachers

2009-08-18T17:44:00.003+08:00

Best news this week!

"Are you free tonight?" asked my Course Director when he called.

"Tonight cannot lah. Tomorrow also cannot. But we're OK for Thursday and Friday," I said to him.

"Cannot, Thursday to the weekend I'm not free, then I leave to Tioman on Sunday," he said.

My heart suddenly felt so light, and I smiled to myself.

"Oh lucky you, get to go to Tioman!"

He mumbled something about nobody wanting to go; therefore he has to do it.

"Then I'll see you all next week lah!" he said.

I smiled to myself and went 'YAY!!!!!' under my breath.

"OK lorr...." I told him, trying to sound disappointed.

"Promise me you all will study ah!"

"Yes Richard, we promise to study".

--------------------------------

I've only had one teacher who scared me so much.

My tuition teacher from my primary school days, she was so fierce she made my mom look like a kitten.

And now, after all these years, the second one is in the form of my Course Director.

glimpses

2009-08-14T11:25:00.003+08:00

Glimpses of this and that.

Of immense satisfaction when a newly certified diver asks me questions about equipment, upcoming trips, and the Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

Of hurt and heartache when a friend hurled at me words of injustice.

Of glee when the said diver told me, "During our last dive, I finally got buoyancy figured out lah! Felt so comfortable underwater!"

Of disappointment at self because I wanted everyone to have a memorable and kickass Open Water trip, like the one I had.

Of happiness of being in the water every single time. Visibility may suck, sun may not be up, but daaaaamn, it's so good being underwater.

Of anger because some people refuse to understand that when it comes to diving, fun and safety go hand in hand.

Of determination because I am not giving up.

photo log

2009-08-11T15:20:00.001+08:00

For lack of proper update, here is a (narcissistic) photo-log of the recent SWV trip.

Full compilation of pictures here.

RIB 7K

2009-08-04T12:14:00.009+08:00

During our recent trip, we dived at Si Amil and Denawan islands.

Both these islands are nearby each other, but a 45 minutes boat ride from Mabul, where we were staying at.

The beautiful Denawan

Like Sipadan, these islands have a "security post" at the jetty, where the Tentara Laut DiRaja Malaysia are based to protect us, and our waters from alien invasion.
While doing our surface interval at Denawan, a military boat docked.

We soon found ourselves on it! Of course we asked Mr. Army Men for permission first lah!

It was hillarious! I mean, it's not everyday you find yourself riding on a military boat, no?

The seats, we had to straddle as though horseback riding. And there are even stirrups where we can slide our foot into!

Some people even went to try out the "driver's seat".

Alas, that wasn't allowed.

And he was gunned down.

Question - what does RIB 7K stand for?

We thought it might mean Rubber Inflatable Boat.

to laugh or cry?

2009-07-30T12:40:00.004+08:00

Something happened recently.

I thought about it long and hard - should I post an entry about what happened? And have such a traumatic experience etched in my mind (and this space!) for a looooong, looooong time?

Well, I guess I'm here now.

So I got home from work as usual one evening. We were going to head out for dinner at the mall, so I thought I'll quickly use the toilet. I took off my pants, and also my panties, and left it on the floor in the bedroom. Bathroom floor was wet you see.

After I finished my business, I slid the bathroom door open and SCREAMED so loud the neighbours probably thought I was being murdered.

Standing in front of me, was the man's brother.

Remember how I had my pants and undies on the bedroom floor? Yes, I only was only dressed in my top.

I slammed the bathroom door shut and turned beetroot red.

So the man went to interrogate his brother. I refused to come out of the room.

"I wanted to let you know mom's on the phone, and thought it was you inside the bathroom!" said brother to man.

"Hello? My pants and pink panties were on the floor outside the bathroom!" I told the man.

"But your bedroom door was opened!" said brother to man.

"I definitely closed the bedroom door! I was going to take my clothes off you fool! Maybe it didn't close properly and inched open!" I whined to the man.

The man thought it a funny incident.

Funny - yes lah! But MY GOD. I've never been so embarassed and humiliated. I had no panties on OK? *cries*

This is FAR WORSE than having my bikini top come undone without my realization and then me surfacing from the pool or sea, baring my titties to the whole world.

"OMG, he saw your kueh?" asked my best friend when I texted her almost immediately after that.

"Yes lah! I had nothing on, except my top!"

"OMG, did he see your hair?" she asked then.

"Thank god no hair! Shaved a few days ago!"

Coral Planting

2009-07-28T12:10:00.002+08:00

The moment I stepped off the boat and onto the arrival jetty at the Sipadan Water Village Resort, I felt that magical giddy high of euphoria again. I remember how and why I fell in love with this place six months ago.

We were lucky to be able to have a chalet facing the open sea again, from where we were treated to pretty cool sunrises in the mornings.

In conjunction with the 12th Mabul Marine Day and 3rd Mabul Marine Week, which was held from the 18 - 25 July 2009, one of the highlights of our trip was the coral planting activity.

Broken coral pieces were collected for the purpose of the transplanting. Each participant was given a piece of coral, tagged with our name.

I was Dooren Loo. I've had many variations of my name being mis-spelled; Dorren, Dorin, Dorine... but Dooren sure beats it all.

With our coral piece identified, we were all given a data sheet to fill in with our particulars, and the details of our coral.

I had a piece of staghorn coral (scientific name Acropora), a branching coral with cylindrical branches protruding out and up. The staghorn is one of the fastest growing corals, with branches increasing in length by 10-20 centimetres a year.

After we have completed the data sheet, it was time for the actual planting at the Old House Reef II on Mabul.

Our guide, Bobby, began by helping us prepare a cement mixture of sorts which we will use as a base. This mixture will then harden over time, providing a sturdy base for the coral.

The new corals are to be transplated on surfaces which is solid and firm, like a rock.

And this is me with my staghorn.

No other corals were hurt or killed in the process of planting this one.

This is Lynette's coral after it's firmly secured.

And a compulsory group shot with Bobby after we surfaced from the dive - Top Row L-R: Colin, Bee Yong, Albert, Lynette, Matthew, Duke and unknown Caucasian, Bottom Row L-R: Shen, Doreen, Bobby

frown

2009-07-27T12:37:00.004+08:00

On 22 July, I frowned because I had to put on a life-jacket for the boat ride from Semporna to Mabul.

On 27 July, I frown because I'm back here in KL.

But you already expected that from me, kan?

Let me sort the pics out, then will blog.

babies christened

2009-07-21T15:44:00.008+08:00

Two weekends ago, we christened our new babies at the training pool.

When we got home, like good parents parents, diligently we rinsed everything in fresh water and put them out to dry.

It was like watching our babies on graduation day - that proud feeling, you know?

My baby, the Tusa Passage BCD.

He ain't heavy, he's my Zeagle.

Forgive us, I think our tanglungs are going to be hanging there until the next Chinese New Year.

Now, the only thing which we haven't christened...

And we're going to get to give it a good and proper christening tomorrow!

Off to Sipadan Water Village for the Mabul Marine Week, back on Sunday.

Updates when I'm back.

another one

2009-07-17T11:28:00.004+08:00

Why do you all keep dying on me?

One by one you appear in the news.

So painful for me to even look at your dead carcass in print.

If I were there at the scene, I will definitely end up crying.

I'm upset because I haven't seen any of you before.

I'm upset because despite being the largest living fish, you are playful and pose no harm to us.

I'm upset because... you didn't do anything to deserve this.

(Story and picture from TheStar.com.my)

Dead Shark Caught In Net

BUTTERWORTH: Four fishermen on a deepsea fishing trip found a dead whale shark measuring 5.36m in their net 50 nautical miles off the coast.

The fishermen, from Kuala Muda near here, made the discovery at 1am yesterday.

Salleh Hussin, 48, said they tried to release the one-tonne creature back into the sea after realising that it was dead but failed to do so as it was too heavy.

He said they then towed the shark back to the Kuala Muda jetty and informed the Penang Fisheries Department at 7.15am.

Department deputy director Khairul Anwar Mohamad, who went to the scene with three staff members, said the department would use the whale shark carcass for research as it was a protected species.

“Our initial investigation found that the fishermen did not catch the fish intentionally,” he said, adding that a decision would be made after the investigation was completed.

It was the second whale shark found in a fishing net in Penang in seven months.

On Jan 2, several fishermen found a 7m-long whale shark in their net 10 nautical miles off Teluk Bahang.

One of them said they found the dead fish when they tried to pull up their net and decided to tow it back to shore as they feared that the carcass if dumped at sea would pollute the waters.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is a filter-feeding shark and is the largest living fish. The slow-moving creature is known for its playful character and poses no harm to humans.

i'm missing...

2009-07-15T15:10:00.002+08:00

It's been crazy around here.

I know- not an excuse for the lack of updates right?

For the past 4 weeks (and counting!), it's been a 7-day week for us.

As much as I am enjoying what I do, there are some things which I've been missing...

steamed fish on Jalan Tiga, Off Jalan Sungai Besi which we usually have on Saturdays.
long afternoon naps during the weekend (best if induced by a rice and curry fest at Kanna).
the CSI marathon on Sunday afternoons.
a complete "shut down" of the brain for a couple of hours when fully awake.
waking up on a Saturday / Sunday morning and taking it slow.

On a brighter note, at this exact time and day next week, we will be getting ready to do our checkout dive at the house reef of Sipadan Water Village!

Let the countdown begin!

how it started

2009-07-01T12:30:00.001+08:00

I met an ex-colleague over the weekend.

"So how did you get into this diving thing?" he asked.

It got me thinking about how it all started.

It was the MIDE (Malaysia International Dive Expo) weekend back in July 2007 and we decided to drive down to PWTC to check it out. We hadn't started diving then, but went just because.

We walked along the aisles, booths on our left and right. We drooled at the picture displays that were put up by exhibitors. We marveled at the dive equipments which were on sale. We asked questions and were given answers. We also collected name cards and brochures.

As we were about to make our way out, we saw this lady manning the booth on her own. She had a friendly and approachable face, unlike the guy whom we had just spoken to (I still remember the name of his Dive Centre to this very day!)

We had a quick chat and took her name card away with us.

It was end of 2007 when we finally went for our first theory class, and we've never looked back since.

Yes, her friendly and approachable face made a difference to us in the sea (no pun intended) of other dive centres at MIDE that afternoon.

But that was only the beginning.

It's been 15 months since we got our PADI Open Water Diver certification.

We could have gone for that one trip and then not dive again for another year. We could have gone for that one trip and then decided that diving isn't that great afterall. Worse - we could have gone for that one trip and then realized that diving is bullshit and regret forking out money to be certified.

But of course, nothing of that sort happened.

We are now in the midst of our PADI Divemaster course, the first step towards making scuba diving a career. From hereon, we will be moving on to do our Instructor Development Course to lead up to the Instructor Exam (IE). And if all goes well, we'll be PADI Open Water Scuba Instructors before the year ends!

Très exciting, non?

And for this, we've got Lynette to thank.

Thank you for making us book all those trips we booked. Thank you for sharing with us - your passion, your enthusiasm, your knowledge. Thank you for leading the way in showing us that we can make a career out of this, just like you did. Thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for believing in us.

Having said that, it's not all a fun ride. In the months leading up to the IE, there is much to be done! So much to read, so much to learn, and so much to remember. Meeting our PADI Course Director over the weekend was a wee bit daunting, but it further drove home the point that this is serious work, but one which will yield serious fun upon completion.

Well, we started our story with MIDE back in 2007. And now, MIDE 2009 is here this weekend, 3-5 July at the PWTC!

See you there?

So I told my ex-colleague, "I guess I fell in and got hooked. Don't know how to come out of it now."

(Not that I want to!)

baby hauz

2009-06-26T15:04:00.006+08:00

If you knew me say... some 8 years ago, you would know that I hate children.

I hated how they needed so much attention. I hated how they cry all the time. I hated how they cost so much money. I hated how they (would) make me all fat and flabby.

Then. OMG, you know what they say about us women having this maternal thing in you surface?

Horrors!!!

I caught myself ooohing and aaahing at babies. I don't remember when it started... must be when I was in my mid 20s. Yes lah, I'm in my late 20s now OK? No need to count.

So as I was saying, I started admiring these little things. When I see parents walking around the mall with a baby in the stroller, I'll peek and coo to myself. When I go out for dinners, sometimes a family would be seated nearby and I'll be making faces at their toddler and stick my tongue out! (sometimes they imitate - so cute I tell you!)

When Little Jeremy came about, and when I first saw him at the hospital, I almost melted cos he was so tiny and cute!

Having said that, NO- I AM NOT READY TO BE A MOTHER YET. I still want to be able to fit into my wetsuit and dive. And of course, I don't have the money to feed another person.

Sure, babies are cute. Darn cute I tell ya. But as long as I don't have to bring them home and fuss about feeding and changing, I am more than happy to play with them for a while.

Guess my maternal thingie is still under-developed huh?

But when I do have children, I'd want my first-born to be a girl. So I can lavish her with pretty dresses and she can prance around town in them like her momma!
HAHAHA!

In the mean time, I'm quite happy looking at pretty little things at Baby Hauz!

Do check it out, and give Stefi your support ya!

how like that?

2009-06-25T09:48:00.003+08:00

As if yesterday's discovery of the RM125 nett KL-Manado-KL ticket for October isn't enough.

Now I find out that it only costs RM15 for a KL-Kota Bahru-KL ticket for March next year. Always wanted to spend my birthday by the beach.

Tickets are DIRT cheap, but that only gets you to your destination (and back).

How ah?

---------------------------------

What Liquor Are You?

You are sweet, friendly and sociable. Like the Carribean where you come from, you have a laid back vibe. You are best enjoyed in a relaxed state of mind.

--------------------------------

Re: the above, tell me something I don't already know! :P

the weekends

2009-06-23T10:10:00.003+08:00

I sat in bed last night, admiring my very tanned legs. While applying moisturizer, I wondered if my legs will appear thinner if they were to go even darker. I mean, I definitely look skinnier in a black dress, so does the same rule apply to my legs too?

We have been spending our weekends by the pool.

And by that, I don't mean lazing by the pool with a book in hand, face behind an oversized pair of sunnies.

I mean the kind where we, as the lowest in the industry's food chain (LOL!), the divemasters in training, assist the Instructors who are doing confined water training for Open Water divers. In the midst of assisting (and getting hands-on experience!), we are also required to learn and master demonstration skills for the PADI Open Water course.

And so I've been devoting my Saturdays and Sundays to sitting for theory exams, organizing equipment for students or setting up for Discover Scuba participants, and learning from Lynette and Aaron.

By the time we leave the pool, it would be about 4 or 5pm in the afternoon. Exhausted, we set off for home. Maybe it's fatigue, maybe it's the sun, but we end up rather quiet during the drive home.

Then, he'd catch me in the act.

"Why are you smiling to yourself again?"

Same reason you smile to yourself, babe!

Kuntum

2009-06-18T14:26:00.003+08:00

I have a sudden urge to read Kuntum.

Manado: Part 5

2009-06-16T15:00:00.005+08:00

I first heard Deep by Binocular from the DVD we got for the Mataking trip. The guy who made the video used the song as one of the background tracks.

And I've loved it since.

Get this widget

Track details

eSnips Social DNA

Deep brings me to the blue. The intro (first 10-12 seconds) reminds me of bubbles. No matter where I am, or what I'm doing, when this song comes on - I can imagine myself being underwater, the blue surrounding me.

The lyrics are simple...

So this is what you mean
And this is how you feel
So this is how you see
And this is how you breathe

** Sometimes
I know
Sometimes
I go down deep
Oh...

So this is what you mean
And this is how you feel
So this is how you see
And this is how you breathe

Chorus**

Beneath the deep blue sea
Touching every breath
All a slight off hand
For everything you left

Chorus**

It's been almost 2 weeks since we returned from Manado, and things are slowly resuming normalcy. Until the next trip comes along that is!

The overall experience in Lembeh was a blast!

The wisps of clouds, like lace draped over a volcano

The many dive sites in Lembeh (click for larger view)
Half of the group with Dive Masters Michael, Mendy and Ratno.

The other half of the group with Agus and Ramli.

Dive boat

Surface interval in Indonesia

Departure day is always a sad affair. So I put on my happy dress and smiled.

Another (incomplete) group pic before we left Bastianos- from L-R (Top Row: Jesh, Darren, Joan / Middle Row: Albert, Doreen, Alan / Bottom Row: Ramli, Lynette, Bee Yong, Grace)
And because blogging about dive trips can be quite an emotional affair for me... here are two more departure shots which is just oh-so-emo.

Manado: Part 4

2009-06-11T14:00:00.014+08:00

I am going to tell you a story.

This is a true story, a tragic (albeit funny!) one about our dear friends, Darren and Joan.

After a 3 hour 40 minutes flight, AK 432 touched down at Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado City. There were 15 of us in the group, but 2 didn't board the plane at LCCT because of immigration issues (story for another day).

After retrieving our luggage from the conveyor belt, we proceeded to exit the terminal. Many were nicotine-deprived. Some even started with cans of Bintang beer while waiting for everyone to gather.

Then, news broke that Darren and Joan were still inside because they were missing one piece of luggage. Their dive gears (2 bags) arrived, but the third, containing clothes never showed up.

A report was subsequently lodged at the AirAsia counter. They took forever, and while we waited, more cigarettes and beers were consumed.

After almost an hour of us waiting, Darren and Joan came by to tell us that Air Asia's system had hung. Oh, we weren't surprised at all. That's when we decided that the 11 of us will make our way to Bitung first, and then head off into the resort. Another representative from the resort will arrange for their transport after they have resolved the matter with AirAsia.

We finally got into Bastianos Lembeh close to 11pm that night. Darren and Joan arrived almost an hour and a half later, sans the third piece of luggage. The rep from the resort had also brought them to some shops for them to buy cheap T-shirts, shorts and grandma underwear before they boarded the boat for the resort.

The silver lining: No clothes, but at least got dive gear!

Going to sleep that night, we were all hoping that the dives tomorrow would make everything OK.

Joan lost all the bikinis she had packed for the trip (girl brought along 10 pairs! no joke!), so I loaned her one of mine since I brought 3 pairs along. If no bikini, she'd have to go bare under her BARE wetsuit!

On the first day, they dived (private joke: Dove!) without their camera, it being their first dive with brand new BCD, reg and dive computer. The dives on the first day was mind-blowing, and everyone ended the day in high spirits.

On the second day, Darren brought along an empty Fantasea housing for the dive, and left the Nikon camera back in their room.

Eager as they were to capture all the amazing stuff we saw underwater, Darren said, "Test first. See leaking or not, since we already had bad luck with our luggage!"

"Ya ya, let's just dive with empty housing and tissue paper inside first," concurred Joan.

After that first morning dive of our second day, Darren surfaced to say that he'd lost his housing during the dive.

"It was bobbing and floating in front of my face, damn annoying lah! So I just clipped it onto my BCD lah!" he said.

That was the last he saw of his housing.

The silver lining: No more housing, but at least camera is safe!

By then, we were already warning them that bad things happen in threes, and that they should be extra careful!

Some saving grace came that day itself, Monday afternoon, when a staff of the resort informed them that their missing luggage had arrived at Sam Ratulangi airport, and that it will be delivered to the resort by the end of the day.

That evening after dinner, we sat at the balcony of our room (since it faced the port) and listened out for any boats coming to the resort. Every boat engine we heard, we strained our necks and eyes to see if it was approaching the resort.

It finally did.

See the happiness on Darren's face?

So, the winds FELT like it had changed. We were all looking forward to good things to come.

The next day, after our first dive and during our surface interval, we spotted... DOLPHINS!!!!

One of the Dive Masters on our boat spotted them first, off in the distance, and we sped towards it. Another Bastianos boat was nearby, so there were two boats circling and chasing after them dolphins! Everyone was ecstatic and we acted like a bunch of sakais, cheering and screaming our heads off.

At one point, them dolphins were sooooo close! Unfortunately, they were too fast, jumping in and out of the water, and the best shot I got was this...

My first dolphin sighting! Apparently you can see them between Sipadan and Mabul too!

After the hour-long surface interval on the boat, we arrived at Nudi's Retreat for the second dive of the day. We were going to see the electric clam!

We were all busy putting on our weight belts and rinsing our masks when Darren asked no one in particular, "Eh, you saw my mask ah?"

HAHAHAHA!

Silver lining: We did see the electric clam, and at only 3 metres! It was gorgeous. Zap Zap!

So you think the story ends there right?

Wrong.

Darren and Joan forgot their passports which were left in the room after we had checked out. Housekeeping went through all the rooms, and managed to catch us while we were waiting for the boat to take us back to the mainland.

Close. Very close.

When AK 433 took off for KL at 20:05 hours, most of us were tired and slept throughout the flight.

And you'd think the drama ends has to end here right?

Wrong again.

Upon reaching home, Joan realized she lost her mobile phone.

"I think it fell out of the laptop bag lah!"

*slaps forehead*

So ladies and gentlemen, everytime you are going through a bad day, do take a moment and think about my dear friends, Darren and Joan!

Manado: Part 3

2009-06-11T12:35:00.007+08:00

Driving out to dinner two evenings ago, we lamented about the week was passing by so slowly.

"It's only Tuesday!" I told him.

"Last Tuesday we were so happy in Manado!" he said.

It's pure torture when you think about it, going away for a dive trip and then coming back to endure the withdrawals. Why is coming back from a dive trip so painful? Why do we do this to ourselves?

I recently stumbled upon this quote from an anonymous which I can so relate to - "I dive, because to not dive is just too hard to imagine".

So I wonder, what was it like before I discovered diving?

It wasn't so long ago you know... but what was life like then?

What did I get high on?

(Yes, you have my permission to ignore the last question).

...

......

..........

So, diving in Lembeh was K.I.C.K.A.S.S.

I'm not a big fan of macro, but was looking forward to diving in Lembeh after reading up on the dive sites including the types of unique marine life which we will be seeing.

And since I was so semangat about checking out critters and macro life, two hours before we were due to leave for the airport, went out to Popular bookstore to buy me self a magnifying glass to bring along!

So, my wishlist was nice and short -

(1) Mimic octopus
(2) Flamboyant cuttlefish
(3) Hairy frogfish
(4) Banggai cardinalfish

* NOTE: All pictures featured in this entry are courtesy of Lynette, and you can check out the full set of album at her blog!

The mimic octopus was high on my wishlist, and we saw it on our first dive at Lembeh!

With a mimic sighting on the first dive, and with 10 more to go for the next couple of days, you can imagine how excited I was!

The flamboyant cuttlefish, which we saw on our second dive, is very impressive.

The changing of colours - very elegant and almost as though there is an aura of sort surrounding the cuttlefish when the bright red and yellow appears. We saw many throughout the many dives we did after that. Always fascinating!

From pictures I found online of the hairy frogfish, they look so darn cute. Like a little monster in in need of a haircut. However, the one that we saw had really short hair, but cute factor still quite high - Look at him!

We also had the opportunity to witness another species of frogfish feeding - live - before our very eyes! Dive Master Michael caught a tiny fish with his bare hands, held the tiny thing by its tail, and wagged it teasingly in front of the anxious diner. And within moments, out came the tongue (yes, like a frog!) to zap (I call it zap, but I'm sure there's a better word for this) the prey into its mouth.

After the 'show' was over, we even clapped underwater, an ovation to the DM who gave us such a treat.

And the last on my wishlist, the Banggai cardinalfish...

Aren't they just so pretty? On a few dives, we spotted the juveniles being baby-sitted by clownfish! No other adult banggais around, just one tiny banggai cardinalfish fleeting amidst the anemone, surrounded by a group of clown. Interesting.

Then of course, came a whole lot of other stuff which I've never heard of, let alone seen!

The sea moth which is - IMHO - so weird! It has these wing-like fins, and it kinda walks on the sea floor.

The coconut octopus! We saw two of them, one in a shell, and the other in a glass jar called home.

I think I have a new-found love for octopuses. We saw them soooo close, and you can really see all their features - their big bulbous eyes, the white suckers sticking onto the glass surface like a gooey, sticky piece of chewing gum!

And we also saw the peculiar looking ambon scorpionfish.

Dude, I'm sorry, but you sure do look like an alien!

Nudibranches and pygmy seahorses (7 of them on 1 sea fan in Magic Rock!!!!) a plenty. All of us believe that the nudibranch in Lembeh are injected with steroids cos they were H-U-G-E! My favourite was an orange one - the moment I saw it's plump body, it made me think of a huge piece of citrus-flavoured gummi!

Angel's Window was a notable dive site for me. We descended to about 20ish metres, and there was a little tunnel which we had to swim through. The first tunnel was narrow - but so inviting - that I swam right in after the Dive Master, leaving my buddy outside. It was a short swim-thru, but my first going through an enclosure like that. After the first little tunnel, we had to go through another shorter one, which was also much wider, and exiting that second swim-through, we were already at 29 metres.

Looking upwards from the bottom... a towering pinnacle of life and colours.. GLORIOUS!

So happy OK! Like this...

Oh, my magnifying glass?

Well, I used it a lot. I was swimming soooo close to the bottom and inspecting every darn grain of sand that moved!

Manado: Part 2

2009-06-08T13:01:00.014+08:00

Now, I am going to say this and get it over with - it is not easy writing about other dive resorts. As much as I don't want to, I end up comparing them all to Sipadan Water Village in Mabul.

So, that's now out of my system....

For our 6D/5N in Manado, we stayed at the Bastianos Lembeh.

There are primarily two dive areas in Manado - Bunaken and Lembeh Straits. Getting from Bitung port to our resort is a mere 10-15 minutes boat ride away.

At Lembeh, don't expect white sandy beaches and blue turquoise waters. Volcanic substrate causes sand (on land and underwater) to be dark brown, almost black. It takes some getting used to, cos black sand just looks damn dirty and walking about barefoot felt icky at first.

There aren't many rooms at the Bastianos Lembeh, which makes it a small and cosy place. Majority of the rooms are along the single stretch of walkway which takes you to and from the rooms to the restaurant.

The rooms at Bastianos Lembeh were clean and comfortable.

The rooms are airconditioned (a must have unless at SWV) and there is a four-poster bed with drapes (a romanticized word for mosquito nets).

The bathrooms, I love! Plenty of natural sunlight coming through, and see that ladder? You can hang your towel there when you shower!

Here's a shot of the balcony from Lynette. I forgot to take pictures of my own balcony, but it overlooks a different view - less trees, more sea.

Because we arrived at the resort in the dark of the night, I went to sleep at 2am not knowing what the view from our balcony was like. Most of us were up by about 5:30am because the sun had already risen. I jumped out of bed and was greeted with a view like this...

The dining area (pics from Lynette) is airy and overlooks the Straits.

Food here is definitely acceptable. Buffet meals are served, and in the course of our stay, with the exception of breakfast, no dishes were repeated. Though they really need to figure out how to cook fish properly.

The end of the dining area leads to the pool.

'Twas a pity that I only got to laze by the pool on our last morning there. The pool overlooks the shore outside the Bastianos Dive Centre.

The Dive Centre at the Bastianos Lembeh is well-organized in their own ways and is of course much better than other resorts in Tioman or Perhentian. But I would like to have a 'hang out' area where we can have coffee and gather around to look at pictures after a dive. (Yes, like the SWV dive centre set-up!)

Overall, a very chilled resort to be at.

Manado: Part 1

2009-06-06T16:45:00.003+08:00

Our euphoria of arriving at Sam Ratulangi airport was short-lived when Darren and Joan's third piece of luggage failed to appear on the conveyor belt.

"Thank god it's your clothes bag and not the dive gear!" was the general and unanimous sentiment.

It was past 10pm when we arrived at the port in Bitung.

Despite the late hour, the port was a hive of activity. Local Indonesian boys gathered near a dimly lited warung strumming on their guitars and clouds of smoke billowed above their heads; the unmistakable smell of green herbs. Older men were hanging around, lazily dragging on their kreteks.

A crew of young men starting unloading our luggage from the van and onto the boat. Some of the guys in our group had hopped over to the nearby shop to purchase some bottles of Bintang. We boarded the wooden boat, settling down on the uncovered front deck. Someone offered a swig of beer, I gladly accepted.

(No pictures were taken on the night of arrival at Bitung Port because I was too bloody tired! These were taken on the day of departure.)

1 more!

2009-05-28T17:42:00.003+08:00

It's almost 6pm on a Thursday.

Which means ONE more day at work for the week... Then Manado, here I come!

chart throb

2009-05-22T16:49:00.003+08:00

I'm glad American Idol (err... Season 8 is it?) is over.

It can be a tad annoying when people ask me who my favourite singer is, or who is going to win the showdown between Adam and Kris.

American Idol Season 1, I watched it - religiously. When Season 2 came, sometimes I watched it, sometimes I don't. Come Season 3, I remembered watching it towards the end. Then I just stopped. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 came and went.

Randy is weird. Dog this and that. Paula is a motherly-drunkard. Simon is a twat, but only because it is scripted that way. Gotta have a balance, right?

At the start of this recent season, I stumbled upon one of the audition days while channel surfing and devoted some minutes for a good laugh. But I never caught any of the following episodes.

Sure, I know about Lambert, Gokey and Allen - they were all over the news, and people couldn't stop talking about them.

I even stumbled upon blog entries about people caught between the whole Lambert-Allen warfare. I'm sure you've seen it on FaceBook too. Insane!

I never really analyzed why I stopped watching American Idol. But I guess it got boring after all the other look-a-likes started appearing - One In a Million, Akademi Fantasia.

But look here, if you're an American Idol fan, I do hope you can spare some time to read Ben Elton's Chart Throb. Or if you're not a fan, read it too. It will make you realize why you don't watch the show.

I've got the book, and would gladly let you have a go at it.

snippets

2009-05-19T10:41:00.005+08:00

Hello Ministry of Health and Malaysia Airlines, one of the passengers onboard the Newark-KLIA flight resides in Ampang and refuses to report herself.

This old Chinese auntie is a neighbour of a friend.

"Dont want to go lah, so scary! I have no symptoms also!"

For fuck's sake. There is a 7-day incubation period, and she'd rather sit at home not knowing, than to be certified free from the virus?

---------------------------------------------

As I grow older, I find that my multi-tasking capability has dwindled.

Recently, I answered the phone at the office with "Hello, AirAsia!"

Yesterday evening, I was pondering over some Serious Matter while driving home from work.

After enduring the 30-minute Kerinchi crawl (heading towards MidValley/Kuala Lumpur), I was eagerly looking forward to take the Jalan Kelang Lama exit to get home.

But of course, in my preoccupied state of mind, I took the first exit which says Bangsar / MidValley City. Thing is, I saw the signboard, and still drove on. My brain seemed unable to process that bit of information and to make the connection of a wrong turn... until it was too late of course.

You'd think that after using this route for so many times, it' be a close-eye-also-can-get-home thing.

--------------------------------------------

I'm dreaming about the Ayam Betutu (Roasted Chicken with Lemongrass Marinate) which we had over the weekend at Ole-Ole Bali.

Don't have a picture, but here is a shot of the chicken dish from here.

Looks DAMN good rite?

Well, IT IS!

PDFs

2009-05-14T13:15:00.005+08:00

I have a folder labelled Holidays! on my Desktop.

Staring at the contents of this folder gives me great joy. No, the contents are not pictures from recent holidays or anything like that.

(click on image for larger view)

I love my PDFs!

a year on

2009-05-12T16:15:00.001+08:00

I got my PADI Open Water Diver in Tioman last April... so being there a year later brought back nice memories. When I think about the very first time we entered the water from the shore of Swiss House Reef, I still shudder with excitement.

A year on after the Open Water trip, we were back there to do the PADI Rescue Diver open water over the last weekend.

My Rescue stint was a case of the rescuer also needing rescue when I collapsed onto the shore while pulling my victim out because I almost died of exhaustion. Tak larat sial!

I was given a chance to re-do it. But it bugged the hell out of me because in an actual rescue situation, there won't be a second chance.

So there, if you ever need me to rescue you in future (touch wood!) please bear in mind that I am reciting this in my head - The rescuer's safety takes priority.

:P

On this trip also, we assisted Lynette and Aaron who were there with 7 new open water students. As (soon-to-be) Dive Masters in training, for me, it was an experience like no other because this time round, it's not just about me and my buddy anymore. We had to learn how to look out for the others and to be able to quickly identify issues or problems when and if it arises.

It's not easy (and Lynette might add that it's not hard either!), but practice will make perfect, and only God knows how determined am I to perfect it.

Rescue Diver theory paper this weekend, so here's to doing it only once!

Din at Perhentian

2009-04-28T15:14:00.003+08:00

On a trip to Perhentian once, it was raining upon our arrival. The rain was not heavy, but it sure killed whatever we had planned for the afternoon. With nothing else to do, I sat at the restaurant nursing a cold drink.

Overlooking the shore, another speedboat pulled up. A lone passenger; a Malay chap with long jeans, white sneakers, and he had with him two pieces of luggage; a duffel and a backpack.

I watched in amusement as he tried to exit the boat, and wondered if he was attempting this without getting his shoes or jeans wet. The resort staff came out with a plastic chair, placed this next to the boat for him to step onto. When he got onto the chair and was preparing to jump straight onto the beach... he lost his balance!

From where I was seated, it was sure one helluva funny sight! Splash into the water he went, soaking from head to toe. Whatever he carried in his bag, they were probably all wet. I thought about him having to dry his clothes in this horrid weather.

During dinner, seated by himself, he was busy dismantling his mobile phone. He removed the SIM card, re-inserted it, and was probably saying a silent prayer for the deceased.

I said hello and joined him at his table. We exchanged pleasantries (let's call him Din), and I asked about his phone. Din volunteered information about how he fell into the water upon arrival earlier this afternoon. I nodded and cooed words of sympathy, without acknowledging that I actually witnessed his grand fall.

Upon chatting further, I found out that Din is a Pegawai Penyelidik (Research Officer) with the Lembaga Penggalakan Pelancongan Malaysia (Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board), under the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia.

"Research?" I asked him.

"About tourist arrivals and trends," said Din. "The Ministry of Tourism wants to find out how effective the Zoom campaign has been in attracting both local and international tourists, so they send research officers to various holiday destinations around Malaysia".

Wow, I thought. I'd like a job like that!

So I confirmed with him further. "You mean, you just lepak here for 10 days, going from resort to resort chatting up tourists and getting them to fill up a form? And meals and accommodation are all provided for by your employer?"

Affirmative he says.

One night, I was having a beer at the restaurant, and Din joined me.

"Tried to sleep, cannot lah!" he said.

I offered to buy him a beer but he declined and ordered a Coke instead. It was our second night there. Din told me that he was bored, and that he hated the fact that there was no TV at this resort.

"Boring lahhh!" he whined again.

I'm thinking - who needs TV when at the beach? Who says there's nothing to do? Snorkelling! Swimming! Sun bathing! Go get yourself an Open Water Diver certification since you're gonna be here for 10 days!

Din says he doesn't mind doing it for a night or two, but definitely not 10 days by himself.

During the course of my stay at the resort, I saw plenty of Din. Sometimes he'd take a boat out to Perhentian Besar. Other times he'd be trekking along Kecil, going from resort to resort. I even completed one of his forms as a domestic tourist. Straightforward form it was, one sheet, front and back.

On my last night there (the fourth), we were again chatting at the restaurant after dinner. He told me he cannot take it anymore, and that he was going out of his mind. He felt trapped on the island. Mind you, it was not because he didn't have his mobile phone. One of the staff at the resort had loaned him a phone.

I couldn't sympathize. Cos I cannot relate.

Oh, there really isn't a point of this story. I just felt like narrating it, since it is afterall tax season.

Why can't the Ministry print those forms, leave it at the resort and have operators get their guests to complete it upon checking out?

facts

2009-04-24T13:01:00.002+08:00

The arrival of a Friday is the BEST thing which has happened since we ushered in Monday.

See what a drab of a week I had?

I found this while randomly googling my date of birth.

(OMG, I do live a sad life don't I?)

Born on 20 March 1981?

Here are some interesting facts about your life:

Your lucky days are Friday (Conceivement date, Your parents decided to not to have an abortion, You were born) and Saturday (Your first cell is built, Your mother suspects she is pregnant, Your heart beat for the first time).
You are 28 years 5 weeks 6 days 23 hours 56 minutes 56 seconds old.
You will receive your next birthday gift in 47 weeks 23 hours 3 minutes 4 seconds later
If your hair were never cut since 20 March 1981, it would be 4.095 m. today.
If your nails were never cut since 20 March 1981, they would be 1.016 m today.
An apple tree seeded on 20 March 1981, bore 2,495.212 kg. apple till today. Its contribution to economy is $9,955.9 and it fed 4,187 people. We hope that in your life you, as a human being, achieved more than that poor apple tree.

(Interesting facts courtesy of pokemybirthday.com)

----------------------------

Oh, how I miss the sea!

(That's my kneecaps roasting in the sun, by the way)

air asia heard me

2009-04-16T09:08:00.006+08:00

'fess up people.

Which one of you directed Air Asia's Pre-Flight Support Team to my previous entry?

..........

So I was at work. The phone lines were ringing non-stop. In between answering calls with "Hello, (insertcompanyname)!", I was also trying to send an SMS.

I had just typed - "Someone from Air Asia..." before I had to answer the land line again.

I went, "Hello, Air Asia!"

The person on the other line said, "WHERE?"

..........

30 minutes ago.

I had received a call from Kulen, who identified himself to be from Air Asia. He called to inform me that my previous entry had caught the attention of his supervisor, Sri. And Air Asia wanted to address my rantings.

Well, OK, he didn't exactly use the word 'rantings'.

Kulen apologized, explained and apologized again. I felt it sincere, honest and friendly. He gave me his personal email address too, and assured me replies if I were to write in.

Fine and dandy. I was pleased at being heard.

..........

10 minutes later.

Sri called too! I managed to ask him how he came to notice this one post in my green, humble abode on the world wide web. Someone had pointed it out to him apparently. (To someone, thank you!)

He too, apologized and tried to explain to me that I was not yet notified because the flight cancellation had only taken effect about a week ago. We both even had a laugh about the all-important front-liners who represent the company. Sri also managed to inform me of a slight change in time for my Tawau-KL flight in July.

...........

5 minutes later.

I received the revised July flight itinerary and a short note from Sri, from his personal email address.

...........

SMS from Lynette - "So funny you, answer the phone with Air Asia!! LOL!"

I replied - "See how much of my memory space they take up?"

...........

I'm happy to say that all's well ends well, and thank god the resort is able to accomodate all 15 of us coming in a day earlier. Yay!

And again, here's a big thank you to Sri and Kulen, who took the effort to call me.

I still love Air Asia OK!

Got free flights to give me ah Sri? :P

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

END

best LCC; airasia

2009-04-14T12:25:00.003+08:00

Dear AirAsia team,

I thank god for AirAsia because you have allowed us to travel without spending extravagantly on flight travels.

Over the years, you have ferried us all back and forth our home and travel destinations and yes, there were happy times, but there were also days when we just suffered.

Did you know that a lot of us have resigned to the fact that when “you pay peanuts, you get monkeys”. I too, have on many occasions, told friends and family, “Don’t complain so much lah! Next time, fly MH or SQ if you want to complain so much!”

But you know what? In all the years that I’ve been traveling on AirAsia, I have loved you guys. Delayed flights? Luggage battered upon arrival? Poor service from ground crew and flight attendants? Yes, I have experienced it all. But hey, I get to travel for a fraction of the price, I guess I can still live with this.

But let me ask you this dear Tony – Are you happy that this is the perception of the public – that since we are paying you peanuts to travel, you can therefore be like monkeys?

AirAsia’s vision and mission says otherwise. Your values too. One of it clearly states that you want to provide guests with the choice of customizing services without comprising on quality and services.

Pardon my French, but what services? You have non-existent Customer Service, emails to Guest Support are NEVER answered. In fact, I know of many people who have sent you emails, but NOT ONE had their emails replied. How’s that for your values on ‘not compromising on quality and services’?

Now here’s my real problem. I had made a booking some months back for a trip to Manado, Indonesia.

Departure: KL-Manado for Sunday, 31 May
Return: Manado-KL for Friday, 5 June

Then, one morning in April, a little bird informed me that there have been changes for flight schedules to and from Manado. I went into your website to check on my booking, and much to my horror, found out that my itinerary now reads - 31 May (KL - Manado), and 6 June (Manado - KL)

The drama of course, doesn’t end there. You must screw us even more! Turns out, the flight from KL to Manado for 31 May has also been cancelled!

Don’t get me wrong – I’m sure you have your reasons for canceling flights. This is not the reason I’m writing.

I have a list of questions here, and God only knows that AirAsia does not practice Customer Service, therefore, I doubt I will be receiving a reply from anyone.

1) Why do I have to find out about my change in itinerary in this manner, i.e. by accident?

2) Why didn’t AirAsia inform their passengers about such changes? I have given 3 contacts – home telephone number, mobile number and email address.

3) When I called AirAsia to verify this fact, your Call Centre personnel said that I did not get the notification because my phone number is invalid – it read (on his system) +6016-35 XXXX instead of +6016-35X XXXX like on the itinerary which I had received after making my booking. One digit less he said. Why the discrepancy and lies?

4) The cancellation of the flights meant a CHANGE OF DATES altogether, not just delays by a few hours. When do you plan to inform your passengers about this cancellation, since it will affect their accommodation bookings and transfers? 72 hours before flight departure?

5) I got a call back from your Guest Support team (woah, am I the first in history?) who apologized and then said that we have not been informed of the cancellations because AirAsia is only right now informing passengers regarding April changes and cancellations. May’s flights’ are still being ‘queued’ in the system. Then see Point 3. WTF is going on?

6) Guest Support informed me that I am allowed to change BOTH flights at no charge. “Call our Booking line, quote your confirmation number, and you will be able to change both flights,” she said.

7) Why is your booking system, the system of an airline which recently won the Best Low Cost Carrier award, so backwards? Your Call Centre employees (between our group, 15 passengers, we must have EASILY spoken to more than 10 different call centre staff) were completely ignorant about the 31 May cancellation despite Guest Support confirming with me that we can change it easily. We had to insist for them to probe deeper as they kept saying that a change of flight will incur a RM75 charge. Needless to say, we were right.

8) You mean to say your passengers now have to inform you Call Centre staff about flight cancellations?

9) Do we look like monkeys to you?

Dear Dato' Tony Fernandes, I don't know much about the business world. Global economies, or what's happening on KLSE or Wall Street? Nope, not interested, don't want to know.

But I do know one thing, that I truly respect you as an entrepreneur. You had my respect leaving your job at Warner and then embarking in the commercial aviation business and brought AirAsia up from zero to what it is today. I've said it earlier, and I'll say it again - I love AirAsia. And I love what you are doing for us.

But please, I'm requesting, nay - BEGGING YOU - please, please don't let a bunch of moronic front-liners ruin what you have built. And oh, you gotta do something about that system of yours dude.

facebook, again?

2009-04-13T12:41:00.004+08:00

My sister, Daphne, sent me this SMS one evening -

Quote from a local mag: "The whole world is on Facebook! I seriously don't know anyone who isn't on it. Starving children in Uganda are on it. It's how they tell each other where the nearest food source is!" LOL. So apt for you.

I told her she should tell the author of that quote that I'm not on Facebook.

Daphne says I should get one, it's how contacts are made these days. Not only for social purposes she said.

I told her I'll get one when I become a dive instructor.

So there! Stop bugging me, people!

emails from mom

2009-04-09T17:47:00.003+08:00

When I started diving, mom wasn't exactly thrilled.

How deep do you go? Are you sure it's safe? Do you go with qualified dive guides or instructors? How much is a dive trip? How can you spend so much money just to go see fish?

Then she slowly warmed up to the whole idea of diving.

How did I find out?

Well, she forwards me beach/dive related news which she reads online. Eveytime I receive such email forwards from her, I smile.

Towards the end of last year, she sent me a news article about mola-molas in Bali. Recently, she sent me another article from The Star about the beaches and diving in Perhentian.

Yesterday, I received another email forward from her. Thinking it was another dive-related news article, I opened the email and found this.

MOM! What were you thinking?

my hostility

2009-04-08T13:20:00.002+08:00

One. I'm not made out for Customer Service.

Two. I have no patience for dumb people.

And I really don't know which of these statements are true.

My colleague who is in Customer Service is away on maternity leave (thank god she's coming back soon!) and so the rest of us in the office have to help out in that department.

I'm generally a nice person (you guys, please tell me this is true!), and my parents taught me manners. I say please and thank you.

So I called this Northern Bitch (I like this nickname, she's from Penang you see) to inform her of her eligibility to receive the gift from one of our sponsors and that collection can be made from our office until so-and-so date.

She started whining, wanting us to send it out to her since she lives in Penang.

I gave her my usual, "I'm sorry ma'am, we don't send out the prizes. Winners have to collect it from our office. It is stated in the Terms & Conditions"

Her reply? "Oh, but I didn't read that part!"

My Dumb-People-Radar was already beeping loud and clear by then.

Then, I offered her solutions - "Do you have friends/family in KL who can help you collect your prize?"

"Got, but so troublesome lah, you send it to me laaaaah!" she whined.

I repeated what I had said earlier about the T&Cs, and because she doesn't know what else to say, in a very pissed off tone, she said "You all put fine print, how am I supposed to see? You running some fake marketing gimmick to con the public is it?"

So I said to her, "No ma'am. In fact, the terms and conditions of this promotion is printed in the same font size as the points under the 'How To Participate' section".

My boss thinks I should be less hostile.

I agree lah!

It's just, GRRRRRR!!!!

You know what I mean?

male pms

2009-04-03T12:57:00.005+08:00

He was in the living room, watching TV. Sports Center as usual.

I had just finished my shower and was getting dressed in the bedroom. The door opened, and he poked his head in to say, "Hurry up!"

Before I could answer him, my phone rang. I pressed to answer the call, and nodded at him.

He gave me the irritated look.

Pissy mood encounter #1.

I quickly dismissed it and had a quick chat with mom, and then we left the house soon after. Dinner was to be at a nearby Chinese restaurant. I was craving for sweet and sour pork with rice.

We placed our orders and began chatting about our day.

Halfway through one of my narrations, he stopped me mid-sentence and said, "You did whaaaatt?!?"

Hello? Let me finish my story can?

As expected, he jumped to conclusions.

Pissy mood encounter #2.

"Depressing isn't it? Pink-sausage-lips is going to be PM tomorrow..." said I.

"Have you edited the post where you referred to policemen as dogs?" he asked.

"Which one?"

"You wrote and you don't remember?"

Pissy mood encounter #3.

For women, you call it PMS. So what is it for men?

handover

2009-04-02T15:40:00.001+08:00

Am I the only one worried about where we will go from here once tomorrow comes?

fun people

2009-03-30T17:15:00.003+08:00

In the last coupla years, my 'paint-the-town-red' outings have decreased dramatically.

No more going out just because. No more 3 or 4 times a week alcoholic binge. No more can't-stay-home feeling. No more I-must-go-out-cos-it's-Friday-nite too!

These days, only a few things will get me out of the house. The list of course excludes the must-dos like going to work Monday-Friday, meal times and all chores like servicing the car and stuff.

Anything dive related, so that includes going for classes, dive trips, and therefore this also includes (yay!) going out with the persons involved!
Movies at GSC.
Weekend gallivanting at the mall where I pick up groceries, toiletries, and the odd shoe/bag/dress.
Late at night Starbucks indulgence
And good friends.

On 'good friends', and my desire to document this...

A good night's out with awesome company should result in this:

An aching stomach from laughing too hard, too loud, too often
A dry throat (from talking and laughing too much)
An all-round warm and cosy feeling
A slightly woozy feeling from having one too many drinks (heh!)

And yes, Brana, we missed you!

sea vs jungle

2009-03-21T12:07:00.010+08:00

I never really knew when my love for large masses of water kicked in.

At home, I'd find all these photos of little me in my swimming gear and floaties on both my arms, waddling about in baby pools of hotels and resorts we visited. A lot of the picures had dad playing in the water with us too.

There are also quite a number of photos depicting us sisters in our inflatable pool on the verandah of our house in Cibinong, a small town in West Java.

My swimming teacher, Ricky gave me swimming lessons in a public pool in Johor Bahru when I was 7. Horrid man, that Ricky. He used to lift me up in the air and then throw me into the water at the deep end of the pool. My short arms and legs would began moving frantically, swimming either the freestyle or breast-stroke. I prefer the latter, as freestyle makes water go into my ear when I tilted it out of the water sideways.

Growing up, we had the occassional family trips to Ferringhi and even a family holiday to the States where we visited Hawaii.

Cottesloe beach in Perth was a favourite haunt of mine during the warmer months. I loved how the public toilet and bath facilities at Cottesloe were clean and well maintained.

Then, when I started working, I was taking all these holidays to Tioman and Perhentian to be by the sea. Of course, it eventually led me to discovering scuba diving.

Or perhaps, being a Piscean might have something to do with my love for water.

On a trip to Perhentian once, I went jungle trekking. No need for you to know why I did it. The guide said that it was an uphill terrain, but I was not to worry because it is an 'easy trail'. I nodded, but a tight knot was forming in the deep of my stomach. I changed out of my rashguard into a dry t-shirt, my boardshorts almost dry now, slapped on sunscreen and slipped on my pair of Crocs... and thus the journey began.

We walked past the other resorts and then came to the foot of a hill. Trees towered above, and leaves and roots were all about. In front of me, a tiny 'path' visible. I tried to think positive, and the guide led the way in. He was nimble and so sure-footed as he made his way into the bush and trees, and I kept up well. We went up, up, up... and at this point, I could already feel the build up of lactic acid in the muscles of my thighs and calves.

Then, after what seemed like 15 minutes, the terrain started going downwards. Going downhill was tougher because I had to hold on to trees and rocks as I stepped onto muddy soil to avoid me slipping and thus rolling down. Another 15 minutes passed and we arrive at a beach. I was drenched in sweat, and panting like a hog.

Wow! I made it!

"Itu tak kira, trekking kita start dari sana," (That wasn't it, our trek starts there) said he while pointing to the foot of yet another hill a few hundred metres of where we stood.

Whaddya mean that wasn't it?

I looked at the jungle which we had just emerged from, and there was no way I was going to turn back alone. Dejected and beaten, I followed on, but without first gulping huge mouthfuls of water.

"Don't drink so much, you'll get cramps!" said someone.

"Oh screw you!" I said under my breath.

Oh yes, the trek was an uphill terrain alright. I had to take big steps, holding onto to roots and trees to hoist my fat bum upwards. At the same time, whenever my hands were available, I used them to swat away mosquitos which were EVERYWHERE.

"Ini pokok.. blah blah blah...." (This is blah blah blah tree...), but I was busy panting and swatting.

I felt the trees closing in, and a big fat cobra will spring out to attack poor old me. Or worse, to have a spider crawl up the nape of my neck. I hated it. I almost cried. My teal-coloured Crocs were soiled in yellow mud. We stopped to rest at the peak of the hill but that didn't last for very long because standing motionless made us very sexy to mosquitos, and so we continued downhill.

After an eternity (translate: 1.5 hours) we arrived at the intended destination. A pretty strip of beach at Flora Bay. The blue sea spread out before me and there were some boats by the shore. I toyed with the idea of leaving them to hike back, while I paid a couple of ringgit to take a water taxi back to our resort.

Alas, that was not to be. After a short rest of 15 minutes, the guide declared that we were to now trek back. "What? Now? Can't we rest a while more?"

I tried motivating (conning) myself. "C'mon Doreen, you made it here, you're gonna make it back! You can do this!"

And so off we went.

The task of hoisting my fat bum upwars became even tougher as my body was now physically tired. And when we took a step downwards, I felt like my knees would crack under that pressure.

"Hah... dengar tak bunyi tu? Itu bunyi blah blah blah..." (Can you hear that? It's the sound of blah blah blah), the guide said.

I could only hear the sounds of waves crashing in the distance, and how I would give anything to jump off this hill and to swim back to where we came from.

After a total of 3 hours of trekking, I made it out of the jungle alive to tell you this story. 'Twas my first ever jungle trek. And if I had a choice, my last.

Gimme the water anytime, I'll swim round the island if you ask me to!

I cannot do jungles.

I is 28

2009-03-20T11:46:00.001+08:00

I am a year... wiser.

For today, I turn 28.

When my parents called me earlier this morning, and after wishing me a happy birthday, they said to me, "Not young anymore ah!"

I giggled. I didn't know what to say, nor do I know what emotions should I be exhibiting.

Am I really that old?

My parents had me when they were 30 and 31 respectively, and now they are both nearing 60. I must have aged with them.

A couple of days ago, a 13-year old boy and I were chatting. After some minutes, he told me, "You don't speak like an adult. You're like a teenager!"

I reveled in his statement. I gave him a pat on his head and thanked him for his very nice compliment.

Hah! I am not that old!

At my age, some already have their plans laid out. If they don't, they are already starting to look into the future and to plan for it. And yet, I am still unsure of mine.

Where do I go from here? Do I continue being a corporate slave? Do I get married and have kids? Do I continue driving my beaten old Kenari or buy a new car? Do I start investing? Do I put money aside for rainy days?

Honestly, these things don't thrill me at all, and thinking about it scares me. So I don't.

You can say I'm running away from 'growing up'. Maybe. But hey, I am happy. Are you?

Yes, despite all the 'grown up issues' that accompany me as I age, and the uncertainties that loom above before me, I am as happy as the bright sunshine that makes the sea glisten and warms the sand between your toes.

Having said that, there are some measures I take to help me preserve my youth.

I laugh out loud very often.

I adore myself and the way I look, think, sound, and feel. (Yes, despite complaining now and then about how fat my bum is!)

I love.

I get healthy doses of vitamins for the soul, sunshine and fresh air when I run off to the beach and go underwater.

And I use anti-ageing products.

:)

Happy Birthday to me.

chinaman

2009-03-13T18:01:00.002+08:00

Ever seen a chinaman drink red wine?

I have.

The waiter removed the cork and delicately poured a splash of red wine into Chairman Sun’s glass. His frog face twitched with suspicion as he smelled the wine, tasted it and – after another breathless moment – nodded his approval.

The waiter half-filled Chairman Sun’s glass with Burgundy. Then the Chairman topped it up with the can of Sprite in front of him, took a long slurp and exhaled with pleasure.

(Excerpt from My Favourite Wife by Tony Parsons)

pilot's car

2009-03-10T09:36:00.003+08:00

What happens when a pilot thinks he's flying a plane when he's actually on the road?

middle

2009-03-06T11:44:00.005+08:00

On roads which are meant for one-lane flow of cars on each side, a lot of you assholes out there are rushing to get incarnated and thus form a second lane of your own.

Further up the road, this second lane end up having to merge back with the first lane of cars.

I get pissed off at those drivers who formed that 'illegal' second lane.

So what do you do?

A. You join the illegal second lane so you can get reincarnated faster.

B. You stay put and wait patiently in your original first lane.

C. You do what I do.

fruits

2009-02-25T17:12:00.004+08:00

From an article in The Star.

The level of erection hardness is measured in a scale of one to four using the Erection Hardness Score (EHS) developed by the European Association of Urology.

“Level one is like tofu where the male organ is large but not hard, level two is similar to a peeled banana where it’s not hard enough for penetration, level three is like an unpeeled banana where it’s hard
enough for penetration but not completely, and level four is similar to a cucumber where it’s completely hard and fully rigid,” explained Dr King.

So, men - are you a tofu, peeled banana, unpeeled banana or a cucumber?

A cucumber you say?

DON'T LIE!

The article also said that 40% of Malaysian men experienced erection below grade four.

*guffaws*

baby's out!

2009-02-21T10:48:00.006+08:00

I had meant to sleep in this morning.

But I got up a little before half past eight, and after a drink of water and breakfast, I went back into bed with The Three Daughters of Madame Liang.

As pages were devoured, I kept track of time.

At 9:42am, the message said "Gao tim jor. Everything's good. Pics later!" (Gao tim jor [Cantonese]: Done already!)

That was Stefi's hubby.

The little bugger is out!

Visiting them at the hospital later.

Little Jeremy (I sure hope they've locked the name down this time!) arrives into the world!

-------------------------------------------

(updated)

Jeremy Long arrived into the world at 9:04am on 21 February 2009!

He came weighing in at 3.65kg and measures 51cm.

Both mom and baby are doing great!

tissue

2009-02-18T15:56:00.002+08:00

I always see car owners placing a box of tissue behind the backseat passenger's head.

Damn far right?

How is the driver going to reach for a tissue when he wants to blow his nose while driving?

the 16

2009-02-17T12:40:00.000+08:00

Because she has been such an angel, and because I've not been writing, here's a tag...

The 16 Things You Are Forced To Know About Me

I'm going to Manado in May, and Sipadan (again!) in July!

After all the year-end festivities, I seriously need to shed some kgs. (Fast and effective tips welcomed, and no, don't tell me to not eat or state the obvious, like exercise, or cut down on ice cream!)

According to my mom, I loooooved papayas when I was young, and I'd eat it with everything, including white rice. But I absolutely cannot stand them now. When you eat papayas, you smell them in your poop the next morning. That's not very nice is it?

I was trained in classical piano all the way up to Grade 5, and then I quit.

Ever since I started diving, I've not been able to think straight. After each trip, I come back yearning for more. When at my work desk, my mind (sometimes) wanders off into the deep blue. When surfing through channels on the tele, I stop at channels where underwater images/divers/marine life are being shown. At the bookstore, I regularly check in for the arrival of dive-related titles. And I still harbour the dream of owning and running a small set-up by the beach with some rooms, a bar and now - dive facilities.

I admit that I'm not a very good friend cos I'm awful at keeping in touch. Oh, but I do try! There are 2 situations though - (1) I really like you and I really enjoy your company, but I'm really sorry cos we never seem to be able to find time to catch up or (2) You know, I really don't fancy your company all that much, and not calling is my way of easing you out of my 'friends list' politely.

My best friend is having her first baby this Saturday! OMG, I'm so excited!

I just finished staring at my toes and realized how disgusting they look. My red nail polish has been on for 4 weeks now. Maybe tonight I'll just touch up on the white bits since I'm too lazy to re-do them.

I have a lot of writing pads / notepads of all sizes and they are all written in. I end up losing track of what I wrote, where.

You probably already know this, but yes, I am anti-Facebook. Many have attempted to stay away, but eventually got sucked in. I still stand tall and proud.

You know, when I'm caught in a traffic jam and if there happens to be a van / pick-up truck / lorry right next to my car (drivers of these vehicles are usually icky men); 7 out of 10 times, they try and engage me in some harmless flirting by winking / waving / yelling their silly heads off from their vehicle eventhough my window is not down, I rarely hesitate to give them the finger.

My dad is retiring in less than a month's time. I'm trying to help him gather ideas to keep him occupied at home. Diving is not an option because he and mom aren't too fond of water. Let me know if you have brilliant ideas.

My car's auto window isn't working. It comes down, but has problems coming back up. This is my third motor replacement. Perodua!

Work rant - As part of my job, I interview local celebrities who are pregnant or just had a baby for the publication I work for. We got in touch with a particular local TV actress who confirmed her participation and asks us to shortlist a few dates. We did and tried to get back in touch with her. After 10 days of not answering or replying to our calls, emails and SMSes, we almost gave up. On the eleventh day, she finally did and had the nerve to ask, "Siapa nih?" She apologized, we accepted. We thought that maybe she went into hiding since she had been going through some bad press because her husband was caught shagging another actress. We then told her we'll come back with a few more dates for her, and she said OK. Tried contacting her the next day, and she doesn't answer calls, AGAIN! Eventually, we got someone younger and definitely a lot cuter than that old makcik.

Did I tell you that the I loved the mojitos at La Bodega @ Telawi? Well, I'm not going to be raving about them no more because the mojitos tasted like crap on my last few visits.

Eh, my birthday is in a month! Lavish me with presents please? *blink blink*

SWV: Part 4

2009-01-29T10:54:00.009+08:00

In less than a year after being certified an Open Water Diver, we got 'massaged' into taking our Advanced.

The rationale?

"Since you are already there doing the dives, might as well lah!"

Our first skill was Underwater Navigation. Unlike navigation for Open Water, where we went a straight line and U-turn back with a compass, this time round, we had to navigate in a square.

We had a go at it on land, and subtracting or adding 90 degrees didn't seem so hard. But when underwater, and after 20 kick cycles or so, I cannot see the point where I started from, coupled with a little current pushing me off course... I, uh... didn't end up where I started.

As a result, we had to repeat our navigation skill in another dive, and we cleared that thereafter. Oddly, the second time we did our navigation, the sun was setting and it was dark, but we probably were much more confident.

Deep Dive was another skill we had to complete. We did this skill at The Drop Off / Turtle Cavern @ Sipadan, and we were at a depth of 24.7 metres. To see how depth (and pressure) affects our judgement and alertness, we had to do a Math equation underwater: 1 ÷ 1 x 1 + 1

I proudly and confidently raised one index finger to indicate my answer =_=

Peak Performance Bouyancy had us repeat a skill we did during Open Water, and we were asked to hover. We giggled at Futaba's antics cos that girl is so damn light and the tank weighed more than her, and so she kept tumbling backwards.

I was looking forward to doing my very first Night Dive. On this dive, we also had to do night navigation. Because it was only a straight line and back, I confidently swam away. After reaching the required number of kick cycles, I stopped, and wanted to do my U-turn.

Jeng jeng jeng!

I got disoriented in the dark and didn't know which way was which. Panic sial. But my first night dive, despite it being quite intimidating, turned out pretty cool. Shrimps' eyes light up like rubies in the dark!

Our last skill, we had to choose from a list... and we went for something straighforward - a Boat Dive, just to get all 5 skills completed. Er, we back-rolled from theboat, and voila- boat dive done! *grins*

And my card arrived in the mail yesterday!

Whale shark, ftw! :)

90s teenager

2009-01-22T15:04:00.009+08:00

So I bought this little black dress last week, and ohmigod, I love it! I cannot wait to wear it out, but so far, have not gotten a chance to (read: no where to wear it to).

It's not meant for the New Year, since I already bought a not-so-morbid-coloured dress for the first day.

I put the dress on again when I got home from the mall, twirled around in it, sashayed around the house and all. Should have taken some photos!

Realized something - in terms of fashion, I've made a 180° change! I gave it a thought, cringed at what I remembered and came up with 5 simple questions about the past. I sent it off to a few people.

1. What did I use to wear?
2. What about accessories? Did I wear any?
3. My hair - what was it like? Or how did I wear it?
4. What was the one thing you never saw me in?
5. How would you describe my fashion sense?

Daphne (sister, 2 years younger)

Baggy jeans, t-shirts, sneakers!
Rocker accessories, like stuff with skulls on it. Black jelly bracelets!
Your hair was short, and you wore it floppy. Like Nick Carter's!
You never wore pink.
Dorky! HAHAHAHAH!

Stefi (knew her since I was 17, post-highschool)

Baggy and torn jeans, t-shirts, red BUM sneakers and different coloured socks on each foot.
A watch, small earrings, and a silver ring.
Hair always shoulder length, and always wash it late at night and sit there waiting for it to dry before going to bed.
Sweet princess dresses, or anything that looks sweet.
Rock; don't mess with me.

Dora (highschool classmate)

Jeans and t-shirts. Specifically, t-shirts tucked into the jeans. Hahaha.. and white sneakers!
Not really.
Straight bob above the shoulders
Big earrings?
Typical 90s teenager... hehehe!

Jaclyn (also highschool classmate) sends an email saying "I agree with Dora totally about what you used to wear!"

Shreya (another highschool classmate) added this, "I remember most of us (if not all) had checkered shirts we'd wear. Doreen, I think u did wear a bracelet sometimes and those friendship band things that all of us used to wear!!"

Tee-shirt tucked into my jeans? WTF? I really did that? Then I remembered how Kelly and Brenda from 90210 had their shirts tucked into the waistband of their jeans too!

Phew.

funnies

2009-01-21T18:39:00.003+08:00

(Source)

square

2009-01-19T16:06:00.002+08:00

We were discussing web banner sizes.

"So what size did we have before?"

"125 x 125"

"Oh, so that's like a square!"

......

Do pretty dresses make one dumb?

mom's pick

2009-01-16T17:55:00.004+08:00

My mom has awesome taste.

She got me this dress from a little shop in Bali... and I love it!

Brana posed me a challenge - to wear something without a plunging neckline; like a turtleneck, for once.

Honey, you're gonna lose me like that.

V-necks make me, me.

Even my momma knows that.

And in case you're reading this - yes boss, I camwhored in the office toilet.

sympathique

2009-01-13T16:52:00.004+08:00

In high school, I took French classes.

Bad move.

It was tough, and I hated it. Missed some 90% of the classes. And when I did attend, I spent my time using white correction fluid doodling on the wooden tables.

Miss Marie Pascal, je suis désolé.

To make up for skipping so many of Ms. Marie's classes, I am currently trying to learn how to sing a French song.

I've even downloaded the lyrics!

Sympathique by Pink Martini (1997)

Excuse-moi. J'ai besoin de chanter. (Translate: Excuse me, I need to sing)

I google translated it, you dweeb!

SWV: Part 3

2009-01-09T17:30:00.003+08:00

As a new diver, I've got much to learn and see. As a new diver also, if you were to ask me what's my favourite marine life, I wouldn't be able to give you a definite answer.

I know I enjoy looking at big fish, the pelagics. First of all, it takes no effort (read: crowding around a particular coral, magnifying glass in hand) in spotting them. Secondly, big things are always good. Look at the Petronas Twin Towers, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Wall - they are all BIG.

Sipadan was H-A-V-O-C.

Barracuda Point rocks! Upon descent, we were treated to a wondrous sight - a school of jacks and a school of bumpheads.

Crusing alongside the bumpheads is one of the most awesome feeling ever.

They make look nasty with those huge teeth of theirs, but I think they're special like that, and I love them!

Barracuda Point wouldn't make sense if we didn't see no barracudas. And that actually was the case for our very first dive there. The 2 subsequent dives - finally - a wall of barracuda - literally thousands of them!

Words cannot describe how I felt the first time we saw them. Two different schools of barracudas, then eventually merging into one huge wall. The second sighting, we had to swim, and swim and swim and swim to catch sight of them after the dive master spotted their shadows in the distant.

For both sightings, we only saw them towards the end of our dive. Thank God kan? But no, them barracudas weren't in their tornado formation. Just a wall of them.

Amazing.

Sharks were everywhere, and you don't even have to look for them.

Don't get me wrong - I like small things too. Diamonds are small, but who's ever complained of receiving them right? *grins* A nudibranch is always pretty to look at. And you don't have to swim or chase after them. They just sit there. The orang utan crab is hairy and cute!

The small stuff which made it into my highlights of the trip...

My first pygmy seahorse! These buggers are so small, but so darn cute! I now have a pygmy seahorse car sticker on my window! I love them so!

A pair of ornate ghost pipefish! Aren't they so cool? We saw them at Paradise 1, Mabul, chilling about a rope.

A nudibranch hovering above its eggs!

All the dives we did, were awesome in their own ways.

And we is happy.

------------------------------------

(Thank you to Lynette and Bee Yong for the underwater images!)

SWV: Part 2

2009-01-06T13:30:00.001+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting to you...

... the awesome SWV Resort on Mabul island.

Merely saying that this is one kick-ass resort and that I had one helluva holiday does not seem to do much justice to it... but I really, really love this place!

To people who head to SWV many times in a year, you can ignore this post.

The Reception / Lounge area has a bar and a sofa area. There is also a TV and a computer (surfing from your own laptop is free, but is chargeable if you use this terminal).

When I got into the room, I actually went, "Shit, they have no aircon", then realized how stupid I must have sound.

Really, who needs aircon in a room like this? You open the doors to the verandah, you see the sea and feel the breeze. You open the windows, you see the sea too. Or your neighbour lah - depending on which window.

Do you know what it feels like going to bed every night in a room like this?

You don't fall asleep to the sounds from your stereo/mp3 player. You don't fall asleep counting sheep. You don't fall asleep to the sounds of traffic. You don't fall asleep to the rhythmic tick of your clock. You don't fall asleep the sounds of your neighbour's TV.

You are lulled to sleep by the sounds of water swishing right under your chalet, and the breeze sweeps through the room from the windows and doors left open.

I've never been to heaven, but this must be what it's like!

The entire resort itself exudes such a magical feel.

There is a watch tower, which so happens to be right outside our room...

From atop the tower, you can feel the entire structure moving (!!!) when the wind blows. The view is glorious though, as you see the sea and chalets spread out below you.

Oh, and there's a helipad too!

And then of course there's the Dive Centre.

The Dive Centre is well run, spacious and very organized.

Nothing beats 5-star service when diving- i.e. when people do everything for you and you just have to remember to take your own mask, fins and weight belt onto the boat! Me likey.

I love the sun deck at the dive centre. Watching the sun set from here is glorious.

I made myself a cup of coffee, opened my log book, and the sea spread out before me... Gosh, I wanna do this everyday.

2009!

2009-01-02T15:17:00.003+08:00

PETALING JAYA - 12-year old caused a ruckus at Hanazen @ Jaya One on New Year's eve when she ejected bits of edamame beans through her nasal orifice. The beans had been ingested orally a few minutes earlier, but after a series of laughter, "she blew them into a piece of tissue paper while clearing her nose!" shared a witness.

Dinner with Lynette, Mel, Shen and Albert was an enjoyable affair. We ate, we shared, we laughed.

Toffee nut lattes make good dessert.

What were you doing on the stroke of midnight as 2009 ticked in?

Me? I was changing the bed sheets.

Earlier in the afternoon, I sent my car for a wash too. No, don't laugh. It's no small matter - I have not washed my car in, uhmm... 6 months? So yes, a clean car to usher in the new year.

No. The bed sheets did not endure a 6-month no-wash.

How was your 2008?

In January, I made my first solo-leisure-travel to Bangkok. I realized I never blogged about the trip. Pictures here though. I started a new job, doing sales, and I can now proudly say that I've been there, done that, no more thank you.

In February, I was on my way to being a PADI Open Water Diver, and was then doing my confined water sessions.

I celebrated my birthday in March - how I don't remember. No entry on this either. Turning 27 isn't exactly sweet you know?

In April, we got certified in Tioman! It was definitely my highlight of the year.

May was a busy month, rehearsals for How I Learned To Drive were in full swing. I was tired.

In June, my best friend got married and I never made it to attend because we were in the middle of the production at The Actor's Studio in Bangsar Shopping Centre. I was stressing out about my sales job. To change or not to change?

July saw us heading to Mataking in Sabah. It was fantastic I tell ya!

In August, I was torn because I saw something I wanted, but could not have. But I started employment at a new company.

Tough times descended upon us in September, and it worsened by October. Kar Wai left us too, after years of battling with brain cancer.

November was stressful, but she kept me sane.

December was delightful. Seven Deadly Scenes opened at KLPAC. Work was madness, but each day of madness drew us closer to the much awaited trip.

New Year resolutions you ask?

None.

Oh, except maybe to wash my car more often.

last of 08

2008-12-31T12:26:00.004+08:00

Just to document the last day of the year.

The rash on my arm - all gone. Hooray!

Shedding of old skin from sun burn - completed. New skin, new year. Skin is smooth and golden, just like how my 2009 will be *snorts*

Day at the office - half! Yay.

Am off now.

Mojitos for lunch.

Oh yum.

Happy New Year guys.

Be safe.

SWV: part 1

2008-12-26T17:48:00.010+08:00

I love the sun. I think a tanned golden complexion is way hotter than a pale end result of being Olay-ed. Mocha over vanilla I say.

But after years of worshipping the sun and sea, I have come to one deadly realization:

I think I'm allergic to the sun.

Uh huh.

After 5 days of frolicking under the sun and in the sea, I come home with some serious burns and rash. Yes, RASH. On both my arms.

They suck. And itch like a bitch. (oh hey, it rhymes!)

Not just this time round. Most, if not all, of my beach/island trips would have me coming home itching and scratching away.

Sunset viewed from Sipadan Water Village Dive Centre, 20 Dec @ 5:28pm

Sunset viewed from Sipadan Water Village Dive Centre, 20 Dec @ 5:30pm

Sunset viewed from Sipadan Water Village Dive Centre, 20 Dec @ 5:44pm

Sunset viewed from Sipadan Water Village Dive Centre, 20 Dec @ 5:56pm

It's worth it, don't you think?

Joy!

2008-12-24T15:46:00.000+08:00

all i want...

2008-12-22T16:33:00.007+08:00

All I want for Christmas is...

... you,

and you....

and you!

Oh dearie me.

It sucks to be back.

finally!

2008-12-16T09:32:00.004+08:00

I'm off!

Updates when I'm back.

Ohmigod. I can taste the salt in the air already!

one more

2008-12-15T18:30:00.001+08:00

Oh my god.

The wait has been l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g.

But one more day!

seven

2008-12-11T19:26:00.002+08:00

(Click on respective images to view)

I wrote a piece on Envy. It is a bad, bad sin.

Will be there on opening night, 16 December.

Come lah!

chatter

2008-12-10T13:47:00.000+08:00

Sleep has been interrupted of late.

I get jolted awake by the pins-and-needles-sensation piercing through my right hand.

What do you think are the reasons?

A. You so fat, you sleep on your hand, of course become numb lah!
B. My hand is falling off, and this is an early tell-tale sign.
C. I need to drink more water to provide lubrication for my system.
D. None of the above. You tell me why.

----------------------------------

The new kid on the block wants to throw a party!

Me is sucker for parties.

Lagi best if no need cover charge.

Yesh, I'm cheap like that.

sea and freedom

2008-12-05T17:30:00.000+08:00

There's this quiz that has been around for yonks, and I'm sure you've done it too.

One of the question had me rating animals - cow, tiger, sheep, horse and pig - in order of preference.

Mine came out something like this -

1. Horse
2. Tiger
3. Sheep
4. Cow
5. Pig

The results...

1. Horse = Family
2. Tiger = Pride
3. Sheep = Love
4. Cow = Career
5. Pig = Money

It cannot be more true.

Another question went somewhere along the lines of having me write the first word that comes to mind for each of these...

Dog. I wrote loyal.

Cat. I wrote evil.

Rat. I wrote sneaky.

Coffee. I wrote orgasmic.

Sea. I wrote freedom.

Turns out...

Dog = my own personality

Cat = my partner's personality

Rat = my enemy's personality

Coffee = my sex life

Sea = my life

I like the sea part. Mabul and Sipadan in 12 days, baby!

stripey affair

2008-12-04T12:16:00.013+08:00

I have never, ever bought outfits which are horizontally striped. Vertical stripes, yes. They make me look taller and slimmer. But that too is limited to work shirts and pinstriped jackets only.

I stayed away from horizontal stripes because I thought they made me look w-i-d-e-r. As I am already blessed with a sizeable pelvis and posterior, I should work at making them look smaller instead.

Till I found this piece that made me smile.

I mean, look at the glorious colours!

Despite my reservations about horizontal stripes, I pulled this off the rack, made my way to the dressing room, and slipped it over my head.

Daaaaamn.

It didn't make me look w-i-d-e. I stepped out of the changing room and walked around the boutique for a bit, whilst catching an eye of myself in every mirror I walked passed. I loved it! It's such a fun, happy dress! And it clung on to the right places and hell, I am a sucker for anything V-neck - so I bought it.

All the pictures are taken in the car, because I was stuck in a crawl that looked like this...

And because I still have the zit on you know where, here's a picture of me wrinkling my nose instead.

(But if you look really, really close - you can actually still see it. Sigh.)

Anyways, the point of this entry - horizontal stripes don't necessarily make me look wide! Hooray!

rudolph

2008-12-02T18:24:00.003+08:00

It's not even Christmas yet, and Rudolph's gotten into town.

I am not going out, until the monster zit has gone away.

In the mean time, I'll be home with Oxy.

monday gripe

2008-12-01T10:59:00.009+08:00

Visit the KWSP website to download the form from 1 December onwards, right?

So predictable.

shit happens

2008-11-25T21:21:00.002+08:00

The last week has been tough, and that is me painting you a nice picture. Heck, it's as nice a picture as seeing a school of mantas gliding above a diver.

The last week has been trying. The last week has been mighty stressful. The last week has been, to put it simply, fucked up.

The episode, though far from over, has made me realize things about myself which I never knew of, and taught me important lessons.

I'm not quite the tough-and-in-control eldest child or da jie (big sister) that I thought I was.

When I heard my baby's sister voice's over the phone, punctuated with heavy sobs, I mustered strength I never knew I had, to keep my voice from breaking despite my own tears.

Family, to me, will always and only be of the nuclear kind. The rest may share the same last name, but they don't always fit the definition.

Can I be so bold and say that blood is not (always) thicker than water?

A good man raised me.

A strong woman gave me her all.

In times of conflict, I play defense. I can't score goals for nuts.

Despite being geographically apart from one another, a family (the nuclear kind) will come together in heart and mind. In fact, during such trying times, we tend to feel so much closer, more united than ever. Funny innit?

If you know my dad, you would know that he is a very, very, traditional and conservative Chinese man. I would think that it would take a lot for men in his generation to admit their fears. He did. And I'm so proud like that.

Mom, she's a fighter that one. She fights not for herself, but for us.

Bad things do happen to good people.

Money isn't everything, but it is a lot of things.

irritating

2008-11-20T09:58:00.003+08:00

Came across this on Juria's.

The top ten most irritating phrases: (Article HERE. Hah, Gerrard!)

1 - At the end of the day

2 - Fairly unique

3 - I personally

4 - At this moment in time

5 - With all due respect

6 - Absolutely

7 - It's a nightmare

8 - Shouldn't of

9 - 24/7

10 - It's not rocket science

----

I'm guilty of #1, #3 and #6.

That makes me somewhat irritating dontcha think? Like uhm, 30% irritating?

How irritating are YOU?

bff: part 4

2008-11-18T14:35:00.003+08:00

Stefi: Eh, I ask you lah...

Doreen: What?

Stefi: You know people eat ngau lan (literal translation: cow's penis) right? How come no one eat cow's vagina?

-------

Would anyone like to attempt?

HAHAHAH!

stupidity

2008-11-13T09:49:00.001+08:00

Driving home late one night, we ended up fighting and screaming in the car. It must have been close to midnight, if not later.

“Let me out of the fucking car!” I screamed and proceeded to yank the car door open.

He pulled my arm to stop me from being stupid.

I exploded and at the top of my lungs, instructed him to pull over now, else I’ll jump out of the moving car.

Panic set it, and he pulled over. I pushed the car door open, jumped out and begin my walk away from the car. We were on one of the slip roads off Jalan Syed Putra, and I walked towards the main road leading to the roundabout.

I never looked back.

After 30 metres or so, a white Waja pulled up next to me.

Then it hit me.

Girl. Alone. Walking on the street. Dodgy neighbourhood like Brickfields just round the corner.

“Ah moi, nak gi mana?” the cop asked me. (Literal translation: Chinese girl, where are you going)

“Err… nak balik rumah”. (Err… going home)

They questioned me further, and I told them the boyfriend and I had an argument and pointed to the Proton Satria parked at the side of the road, some 30 metres behind me.

They asked me to go back into the car.

I nodded, and dejectedly traced my steps back.

----- End of Story -----

It happened a looooong time ago *sheepish grin*

This incident came to mind while tuning in to MixFM this morning, where a man shared a similar story of his girlfriend wanting to jump out of the car during an argument.

I felt the need to document this stupidity of mine.

my monster

2008-11-12T15:50:00.003+08:00

Dear Monster,

I met you in 1997... Do you remember how we first met? I don't actually. Taylor's College, mutual friends, but no other details. Heh, you know how fried my brain cells are.

I feel like we've gone on a wild, wild ride. No roller-coaster in the world is gonna beat the ride that we've been on. It makes me dizzy. It makes my stomach turn. It makes me put my hands up in the air and scream with happiness. It makes me wanna ride on it over and over again.

Happy Birthday, Monster.

Love ya!

Obamaphoria

2008-11-10T16:38:00.003+08:00

Thanks to Dora, I now spend an insane amount of time browsing here.

So here we are, still indulging in Obamaphoria.

HAHAHAHAHAH!

Damn 'effin funny right?

BFF: Part 3

2008-11-05T10:49:00.002+08:00

Me: Oh my god, they're gonna decide on the new American President soon! Obama should win!

Stefi: What does it have to do with you? Can you please mind your own business?

getting old

2008-11-03T14:30:00.006+08:00

November has set in. Less than 2 months before we call it a wrap for 2008.

Oh don't be silly. I'm not dying or anything like that.

It's just... why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

Hah. Says who I procrastinate, eh?

This year has been, fair to say, quite wild a ride.

In January, I took my first ever solo trip to Bangkok. It was awesome travelling on my own. OK fine, all I did was scurry in and out of fashion markets and wholesale malls. Still!

Earlier this year too, I left the comforts of the events industry and jumped into *gasp* sales! Fine, so it was still within the realms of advertising, but at the end of the day, sales is sales. Either you perform and get rewarded. Or you don't, and get warning letters.

Yes, I had my ups and downs, and lasted 6 months before I said 'thank you, but goodbye'. I would have loved to use the F word, but I shall refrain, just this once.

Of course, getting my PADI certification is still the highlight of 2008.

I told myself that I'm going to be diving at all the East Coast islands first, before venturing out to East Malaysia, and maybe later, onto neighbouring waters like Indonesia and Thailand. But thanks to her, I ventured out to East Malaysia three months after being certified, and SWV will be up next in December.

That's TWO East Malaysian trips in under one year of being certified. Oh woman, what have you done to us?

In 2008 too, I have grown a lot as a person.

Don't know if it's a good thing, but at 27, I have pretty much resigned to the fact that as individuals in society, there is a pre-defined system that we have to adhere to -- school - uni - graduate - work - get married - have babies - raise them - work some more - grow old - retire - die.

Sure, I knew this system existed before... But naive as I was, I thought I had the power to change my own route. I guess not. The slightest indication of deviating from this system on my part would result in frowns and disapproval.

They told me balance is they key. I guess I'll have to live with that.

Can't blame me for being cynical then.

They say that I want the cake and to eat it too. I mean, seriously - why have the cake if you ain't gonna eat it, non?

Some mistakes haunt you for a long, long, looooong time.

Sigh.

If you are still trying to figure out the above, don't worry - I'm just ranting lah.

Dammit, I'm growing old.

In less than 6 months, I'll be 28.

WHY, OH WHY DO WE HAVE TO GROW UP (OLD)?

backseat

2008-10-29T19:32:00.006+08:00

Due to the fact that I've got my own set of wheels, I am hardly a passenger in someone else's car. I know of some people (girls usually) who love to get people to pick them up, eventhough they've got their own car, but I'm not most girls. *beams*

Environmentalists, of course I know that car-pooling is good. I was talking about those out-of-the-way-kind-of-will-you-give-me-a-lift.

Anyways.

So yes, because I am hardly ever a passenger, therefore I never really noticed my passenger-habits.

Turns out that I am somewhat of a backseat driver.

I say somewhat because Wikipedia states that, a back seat driver is a passenger in vehicle who is not in control of the vehicle and appears to be uncomfortable with the skills of the current driver and/or feels the need to tutor said driver. I don't exercise the 'need to tutor the said driver' part, but I definitely exhibit the first half.

During office hours, The Boss and I would go for meetings together and he'd be the one driving. Every time he changes lane, exits a junction, enters a roundabout, you get the drift; I always look into the left side-mirror. Yes, always.
He laughs everytime I do that.

I must clarify though - I do this not because I don't trust his skills. An extra pair of eyes is always a bonus right? And besides, a girl is not supposed to doubt a man's capabilities when it comes to the operation of a motor vehicle. So nooo, of course I trust him.

He whacked his left side-mirror some days ago. We went for a meeting today.

I miss the mirror.

80km/h

2008-10-24T12:41:00.002+08:00

You know that stretch of road leading to Mont Kiara or Desa Sri Hartamas where you pass the Science Centre and the Securities Commission and all that?

Well, I hate it.

It's a straight road with a speed limit of 80km/h.

And keeping at 80km/h is VERY difficult, even in my under-powered Kenari.

Our dear coppers love setting up road blocks along that stretch, as they can all make quick bucks from speed monsters.

wrong day

2008-10-21T18:46:00.005+08:00

You know those days when things don't go your way?

Well, today was one of those.

Upon arrival at a client's place for a meeting, we found out that he's on leave.

Prick.

Since the second meeting was about 2 hours later within the same area, we sat down to grab a drink and bite.

They didn't have the pie I wanted. And second choice came out charred at the sides.

Idiots.

Then second appointment texted to say that she needs to postpone the meeting.

Bugger.

When the afternoon rain subsided, we ran some errands on the way back to the office.

Decided to stop for durian pancakes. Nuh uh, durian pancakes not ready. Would you like to come back tonight?

Do I look like a durian monster?

He did though.

Sensing our misery, the nice lady said she'll replace the pandan with durian in some sesame seed ball thingamajig.

Didn't cut it.

Durian pancakes would have been nice.

On another note.

Here's a new dress.

OK fine. Not new, new; since it's the second wear in a span of 8 days.

It looked OK at first.

Then it started to look like... those batik/floral housecoats that fat aunties wear to the market... sans the V-neck of course.

Does it?

pleasures

2008-10-17T11:55:00.004+08:00

Drawing inspiration from Lynette's entry on simple pleasures, I thought I'd break the trend of 'low' entries (after the sprained ankle and a funeral), with a warm, fuzzy one.

I love stepping out of the bathroom in the morning, and after drying myself, jump back into bed under the covers for another few minutes. I love that few moments of stolen pleasure before I embrace the day.

Coming into the office before everyone else does, I pop a CD into the player and believe that Michael (Buble) is crooning to no one else but me!

As I apply my make up (uh huh, I no longer do this in the car), I draw immense satisfaction from my hand perfectly guiding the eye-liner pencil the way I want it drawn. And I smile into the mirror and think, "Doreen, you so hot!".

I take in deeply the smell of a mug of hot peppermint tea, and the comfort it offers as it trickles down my inflamed throat. (Side note: Damn sore throat that's been around for more than 5 days now!)

An Oreo's cookie (or two) in the afternoon always works like magic. Actually, any other chocolate products for that matter.

Going back to bed after a massive lunch of banana leaf rice on a Sunday afternoon... now that is da bomb. Bonus pleasure points if it rains just as I'm about to doze off.

The mere thought of the need to shop for a new pair of bikini for the upcoming Sipadan trip in December on a Friday afternoon... and while I'm at that, making a mental count of the days before we fly off...

That comforting feeling of waking up in the middle of the night and upon looking at the time, realize that it's a few more hours before the alarm is due to go off.

When daddy calls me his girl during MSN chats, I feel so small and loved.

It's no secret that I love a drink (or drinks!), but that first sip of beer after a long, hot day... now I can't even begin to describe that feeling.

The smell of clean bed sheets.. and rolling about in them under the covers with the aircon on full blast.

A day to myself with no appointments, no one to meet, no deadlines to adhere to.. where I take it slow, eat lots of junk food, have some wine and read a good book.

Life doesn't always suck.

(Though when it does, it can be quite crappy!)

a departure

2008-10-16T17:23:00.006+08:00

“Should we visit him during the Raya holidays?” I asked.

“Will it be jam on the highway heading up north?”

“Oh yeah… I bet everyone’s travelling! But what if we make it a day-trip, say on the second or third day of Raya?” I reasoned.

“We’ll see… I think there will be high volumes of people travelling throughout that entire weekend”.

And so we never went to visit him at the hospital.

We didn’t go the week after as well.

Then another friend called. He’s not able to orally ingest food anymore.

And so we decided on a trip to visit him the coming weekend, on 18 October.

That never materialized too.

We got a call at about 6pm on 14 October, saying that he had just passed away.

The funeral was held yesterday, at his home in Batu Gajah, Perak.

As I looked at him for the very last time yesterday, I silently reprimanded myself for not making it to visit him earlier.

I should have. That is really all I can say. We should fucking have.

Kar Wai has been fighting a cancer in his brain for almost three years. This dude, he’s a fighter. Most people last a year or two, at most. But him, he never gave up.

Guess he was really tired in the end.

Dear, dear Kar Wai… you’re on your own now. We’ll miss you. Rest in peace, bro.

Forever Remembered…

Chew Kar Wai

20 July '79 – 14 October '08

no ice cream

2008-10-10T18:10:00.002+08:00

It's a Friday evening at the office.

The winds have started howling a good half an hour ago, and the growling from the skies are becoming more frequent.

I look out the window. The clouds are dark and thick. The parking lot is slowly becoming empty as people drive off into their weekend.

A cheery voice greeted me as I dialed the 1300 number. I placed my order.

"Do you still have the Mudpie Oreo McFlurry?"

"No we don't".

"OK, just the regular Oreo McFlurry then?"

"I'm sorry Miss Doreen, we don't have desserts today".

"You WHAT?!"

"That's right, we don't have any desserts today. Just the apple or banane pie".

HOW CAN YOU NOT HAVE ICE CREAM AVAILABLE ON A FRIDAY EVENING?

WHO WANTS TO EAT PIE ON A FRIDAY EVENING?

I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION!!

No.

I didn't say that to him.

I should get back to that blank page.

I've got 1.5 hours to go.

Sigh.

Kelvin is going to murder me.

in and out

2008-10-08T13:37:00.000+08:00

Awfully quiet around here innit?

So the Raya break came.

And I had some wine.

Then I jumped.

And crashed.

Well, it's no longer bandaged.

But the bruise is still evident.

I look like I have dirty feet.

Am currently reading a bizarre book.

Familiar title.

RPK is 58

2008-09-27T11:09:00.003+08:00

From Susan Loone -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RPK!!!

We have a birthday gift for RPK, as he celebrates his 58th birthday today. No doubt he is in solitary confinement in Kamunting, thousands of us are in there with him as well!

The birthday gift goes like this …

A really good soul named Allan has designed a WEBSITE with an online protest for RPK and the other ISA detainees in Kamunting.

This OPEN LETTER was drafted by the Abolish ISA Movement or GMI (Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA), and is a good open letter, where the message to release RPK and abolish ISA is damn clear.

All you have to do is type your name and select the name of the idiot politician you want to send your letter to, and then click on SEND (Now!). There is an option for RPK as well.

The letter is sent directly to their email boxes. And what’s more, the program calculates how many letters are sent out. So we can monitor the progress of the online protest.

This is a very peaceful protest and the plan is to flood the emails of the relevant idiots who had a hand in RPK’s arrest and subsequent delivery to Kamunting Detention camp.

Their names are on the website.

These are the guys who have ‘blood’ on their hands, as many others are in the camp, too, while we are yet to know whether they are guilty or not of the reasons why they are put in there in the first place.

Please advertise this action as much as you can. I have sent letters to all of them, how about you?

happy

2008-09-24T13:07:00.000+08:00

Happy isn't so happy these days.

dear serene

2008-09-19T14:22:00.011+08:00

Dearest Serene,

You turn 21 today... Happy Birthday!!!

Eventhough it has been 11 years since I left home, and thereby missing out on a huge part of you growing up, but out of all my 3 younger sisters, I remember your toddler and childhood years most vividly. I guess this is because I was already 6 when you came along.

I'm sure you know by now that you were a very, very dirty kid.

During family meal times, mom would have you sit on that blue high chair where you would eat with us. She never believed in feeding us spoonful by spoonful or coercing us to swallow, and so all of us acquired self-feeding at an early age.

At every meal, you'd run your oily fingers through your hair, touch your face and just overall become a very oily girl. Your bath time was never delayed - it always happened AFTER a meal.

Your glutton habits were also exhibited since a young age. Mom would cut oranges and apples for us after dinner, and you would hog the entire plate by dabbing some saliva on every single piece of fruit. Your three elder sisters were utterly and constantly grossed out, and so you kept winning by having all the fruits to yourself.

If girls were meant to be clean and always smelling of fairies and roses, I'd say you were a boy all through growing up. When kindergarten hours ended, you would come home with your hair, damp and stuck close to your scalp. You didn't smell very good either.

You started elementary school when we moved to Jakarta, and I have fond memories of those days. Your round tummy under that white shirt, tucked into the blue skirt was a sight to behold. Remember that tiny blue elastic tie? And your hair was always up in two ponytails by the side of your head. Yes, you were cute like that.

Well, you are 21 today. And if I have not said it to you yet - Serene, I am damn, damn, damn fucking proud of you! :)

Yes, mom and dad always say that we share plenty of similarities - our looks, right down to our likes and dislikes. We even pursued the same field of academia for our tertiary education!

I am proud of who you are, and what you have become. But another side of this pride stems from the fact that you are so like me, and you and I both know how vain and narcissistic I am. Tee hee hee.

As I'm writing this, you're already at home pretty-fying yourself, and getting ready for a night out in town. You already know what I'm gonna say, but I'll still say it anyway - go out, have fun, party hard - but BE SAFE!

Happy 21st, babe!

Love,

Your Hot Eldest Sister

jersey

2008-09-17T13:56:00.001+08:00

He pulled the jersey over me and said...

"I now pronounce you, a Liverpool fan!"

For the record - I took it off soon after :)

6 years

2008-09-12T18:05:00.002+08:00

Today marks exactly 6 years of me being in the workforce.

Damn.

I'm old aren't I?

:(

read

2008-09-11T12:59:00.004+08:00

I cried last night.

I don't understand how good people can be punished.

She didn't want her tombstone to read 'Dead at 30, buried at 60'.

Yin Ling just wanted happiness.

It is a story about choosing between the east or west, about following your head or your heart.

Loose ends were tied up, albeit tragically.

Like all Catherine Lim works which I adore, Following the Wrong God Home is highly recommended.

meow haters

2008-09-05T16:58:00.003+08:00

I told Dora I hate Hello Kitty.

She does too!

So now we have this plan where we will decapitate Hello Kitties, dip the heads in pig's blood and hang it up at Disneyland.

We have plans to make it an international coalition of sorts.

She will head the Hong Kong operations, and me the KL side of things.

We are actively seeking participation from the international community.

Woof!

malaysia

2008-09-02T17:18:00.004+08:00

(meant for posting on 31 August, obviously delayed)

....

"Do you want to raise your children in Malaysia?" mom asked me.

I kept mum.

"What happened to your plans about going back to Australia?"

"Well, I did visit the migration agent.." said I.

"Is it money? We can help you with that," she interjected.

"We'll see," I told her.

"How long do you want to wait? Till the country collapses in the hands of people who run the show?"

....

Dad, who is in Indonesia, sent me a text message on the morning of the 31st.

"MERDEKA! Even for someone my age, Merdeka is no longer special. I wonder what is it like for people your generation. Have a good weekend!"

....

I'm still here, in KL, in Malaysia, at home.

And dad, I stand corrected. We may not have been there in 1957, but 31 August reminds me that Malaysia is still a young nation. We, young Malaysians, I, still hope that race and colour will not stand in our way of progressing as a nation.

31 August is still special because it shows that there is hope for a better tomorrow.

Happy 51st, Malaysia.

BFF: Part 2

2008-08-27T17:03:00.005+08:00

The one where we served beers.

I don't remember why or how we decided to take on part-time employment during our KDU days, but we did. And so we landed ourselves as waitresses at the same pub at the Promenande in 1 Utama. At RM5 per hour, it was lucrative. Back then, normal cafes were only paying RM3.50 an hour.

Our bosses - Max and Rubyann - in case you forgot.

But the real hottie was Chris, the pub manager. Sadly, our second day at work was his last day. It was also my 18th birthday and Chris bought me my first flaming lamborghini.

Remember how customers used to ask us if we were sisters?

Remember Mat the bartender with long hair? And Atuk the other Malay chap?

Of course, after Chris left, we had Mary the bitch with her menthol ciggies.

1 Utama was different back then, no such thing as the new wing. But we had tonnes of fun there didn't we?

After a coupla months at the wine bar, you left for Spike, another bar/club just round the corner of the same floor. While I was still wearing the beige t-shirt or the green Heineken t-shirt, you were wearing red, like all Spike staff. But we still ran around and had ciggie breaks with each other.

Remember Skin? Remember Patrick? Remember Spike and wife? Remember Radha? And Naresh? Remember Daryl?

Well, me being the damn alcoholic that I was, loved the pub days! I enjoyed it so much that I thought I was born to waitress and/or bartend.

But you - you and alcohol never did click!

A few sips of bourbon and coke would get you high. And red.

I remember once, we went out for an IRC gathering of some sort at Spoon @ Centrepoint (damn old school!), maybe halfway through a glass of drink, you were so drunk you crawled under the table and cried. Emo sial you!

But of course, you know your limits - a glass (or less! hehe!), but I never knew mine and would more often than not end up sloshed.

I lost count.

You must have too :)

-----------------------------------

I've come to realize that we don't have THAT many pictures together. Maybe we had more of the ones we took in Australia... but I don't have them now. Oh well.

Here's one which I stole from you - taken easily 5 or 6 years back - but definitely after our return from Australia cos I bought that skirt in Perth. Your shirt is a GAP if not mistaken. I'm still running around KL in that skirt. The ends are all frayed now.

lesson

2008-08-26T18:22:00.000+08:00

Dealing With Fickle Clients 101

The boss signed a new client as an advertiser in the magazine. Huge company this one, they produce a range of FMCGs and are very much a part of your household purchases. Let's refer to them as Client.

On the operations level, we deal with a particular product manager, let's call him Ah Pek.

Did some research and came up with the article for the Client and emailed it to Ah Pek. The content of course, is very much relevant to the product they will be advertising on the accompanying page.

Ah Pek told us that this is not the angle they are employing for their campaign this year, and provided us with a new direction.

Cool.

Got cracking, and out came the second article. Proudly sent it off to Ah Pek, thinking that it will be a job closed.

Waited....

Ah, finally a reply.

"Blah blah blah, could you write an article on this topic?"

Cool.

Actually, not so cool anymore. But hey, new client = don't piss them off no?

Went to work on the third article and was actually quite happy with it upon completion. Emailed the article to Ah Pek, with mention of the time constraints we're operating under and for him to revert by a certain time.

Obviously it didn't happen. But three hours later, Ah Pek sent me an email.

"blah blah blah (insert pseudo-courtesy lines) blah blah blah, we will follow back the first version".

FUCK ME.

So I locked up the office, went down to the boutique and got me self a happy dress.

Damn. Too dark kan?

Another shot.

Happy sunshine-y dress!

It's amazing how a pretty thing for only RM59.90 can bring so much happiness.

Ah Pek who?

BFF: Part I

2008-08-25T14:57:00.002+08:00

I asked her, "What shall I blog about today?"

After some suggestions which I dismissed, she said, "Blog about me!"

And so I shall.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Stefi.

Ain't she da bomb?

It was 1998, I was 17 and she, 19. (Side note: OMFG, was it that long ago?) We were both first year freshies of the Mass Communications degree programme at KDU College. During one of the orientation sessions (I think!) we found ourselves seated next to each other. She touched me on my arm and asked if I was cold and according to her, I gave her 'the stare'.

I mean seriously - tak kenal, tiba-tiba she meraba my arm. What did she expect? A large coke and fries?

So there, in a blink of an eye, we've reached the 10-year mark of our friendship. It's a whole damn decade, and a lot of shit can happen in this time. Trying to remember it all would be insane. Plus it doesn't help that I subject myself to substances *cough* that mess with my brain cells.

Stefi has been there for me for pretty much everything.

Back then, IRC was the in-thing and I tell you - we were so damn addicted to it. We'd go to cyber-cafes late at night or early in the morning just to get online. When she eventually had a internet connection at home, we took turns sleeping, and the monitor eventually kapoot-ed. We'd meet up with friends we'd make online. And I even shook her up one morning when a particular PaperBoy ajak-ed us to go for bak kut teh at 5am in the morning.

We were fearless.

I used to rent a room in SS2, just right behind the fire station. And she was staying 10 steps away from KDU. Back then, they did not build the partition separating the 2 sides of the LDP, and I would run across the highway to get to her place. Eventually, they built a fence of sort, but we still found our way to crawl under it to get to the other side. Towards our last days at KDU, there was no way we could crawl or jump over it. I had to (finally) use the overhead bridge.

We'd walk along the LDP, from KDU to Dharoos mamak (in Damansara Utama) in the middle of the night just to eat their nasi lemak kambing. We frequented Dharoos so much that one of the fellas there enquired on our disappearance after I visited once upon returning from Australia.

Sometimes we went for classes, sometimes we didn't. When we did, we'd take ciggie breaks under the big tree at the entrance of KDU. Some familiar faces under the tree include Ken, Barry, Kelvin and our lecturer Gary.

Stefi never knew Gary was gay until we were about to leave KDU, and till this day, I wonder where she was. Heh, yes, she can be quite blur and clueless!

After 2 years in KDU, we both left for Perth. That first night at the Student Village (Flat 21) where we shared a twin-room, Ken came over and we drank vodka. You turned beetroot-red, as always, and then started giggling non-stop.

Thank god my mom had the sense to pack for me a bedsheet + comforter set, else we would have both froze on our first night in Perth. OK maybe not, since we had vodka in our tummies.

Dammit woman - I have so much to write about you that it will take a few entries!

braces

2008-08-18T17:38:00.003+08:00

Source: Post Secret

Really ah?

That's sad.

mumbling

2008-08-14T12:04:00.007+08:00

Sometimes, you can't always have what you want.

So pretty kan? Both lah. The girl and the dress!

-------------------------------

I was gonna apply my make-up in the car, while on the way to work.

Inside the pouch, much to my horror, I saw a bloody tampon nestled amidst the other stuff. Yes I have a few spare tampons in there, but a used bloody one?

Blood looks freshly red too, innit?

Turns out, lipstick cap came off, and tampon got intimate with it.

-------------------------------

Stupid Latio! I curse you to a horrible death, squashed under a 10-wheel truck or something!

dive $

2008-08-08T16:53:00.002+08:00

You know it when people know that you've caught the dive bug.

"Wanna freelance for an event I'm managing?"

"Sure - when? Where? And how much are you paying me?"

"Evening of 28 October at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. Payment is 4 boat dives at Tioman."

"Is that price inclusive of full gears?"

"Hmm, can - full gears then!"

bz

2008-08-05T18:22:00.000+08:00

Busy.

New job.

Talk soon.

OK?