AN ITCH TO BLOG

Le Midi

2011-11-06T18:33:00.003+08:00

Wanted to try someplace new, so we made reservations for Le Midi in BSC, Bangsar. The food was wonderfully delicious. I'm just surprised i've never heard of it earlier!

Squid ink tagliolini with scallop, cherry tomato, parsley bread crumbs, carrot orange sauce, topped with bottarga
Tagliolini with Boston lobster, cherry tomato and fresh thymeDuck confit flambed with brandy, accompanied with potato gratin, ratatouilleIlly coffee affagato
Definitely a must try. Make reservations for the window table with the magnificent view of KLCC. (+603 2094 1318)

^8 Cee

from the "Culture and the Universe"

2011-11-05T12:46:00.006+08:00

"It's not humankind after all

nor is it culture
that limits us.
It is the vastness
we do no enter.
It is the stars
we do not let own us."

-Simon J. Ortiz

^8 Cee

The more we work the poorer we become

2011-10-24T22:48:00.007+08:00

"The worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces, the more his power increases in power and range. The worker becomes an even cheaper commodity the more commodities he creates. With the increasing value of the world of things proceeds in direct proportion to the devaluation of men. Labour produces not only commodities; it produces itself and the worker as the commodity -- and does so in the proportion in which it produces commodities generally."

-Marx, Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts (1844)

So true isnt it. We're all in one way or another buying each other's labour, each other's time. Our 9am-5pm goes to the highest bidder, and in this day and age, it is our life that goes to the highest bidder.

^8 Cee

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie

2011-10-16T21:18:00.006+08:00

Cuisine Gourmet by Nathalie was quite empty when we were there during lunch - maybe because it was a weekday. The food and service was good and it is a quiet getaway and really a nice treat once in a while. We ordered a set menu each just to taste a bit of everything. I think the menu changes every month so be sure to check the website to see if it interests you.

Welcoming set dish

Nathalie's selection of three finger foods - not so good at remembering what each dish was called, but there was soup, pistachios, maguro, wasabi and cream.
Presentation was good but these finger foods did not match the 'oomph' of the presentation.

Appetizer 1

Foie Gras and Marinated Tuna in Layers
not overpowering, just yum :)
Mizuna sorbet
Herb Salad

Appetizer 2
Celeriac and Truffle Puree
Salmon Tataki
Salmon Roe
Tomato Oil
good combo!

Main 1
Tomato and Rosemary emulsion
Goat Cheese Ravioles
Roasted Lamb Loin
Eggplant Puree
love the powerful goat cheese combo with lamb loin
Main 2
Risotto like a paella
Paella Espuma
King prawn
One of the best paella's i've ever had!
Dessert 1
Caramel ice cream
Apple Tatin tart
Loved the crisp waffles
Dessert 2
Rum baba revised
Apricot Sorbet
Orange Espuma
Refreshing dessert
Finished with Nathalie's signature macaroons :)

Located in the city in Menara Taipan, off Jalan P Ramlee.
03-2072 4452

^8 Cee

Melbourne: Things to Do

2011-10-09T12:42:00.010+08:00

1) Watch a footy game
The footy culture in Australia is amazing. Its Australia's family bonding time and you'll see herds of Australian families squeezing into the train headed towards the Etihad stadium dressed in their team's colour. Its so easy to get there, all you have to do is take a train to Southern Cross Station and the stadium is walkable from there (public transport in Melb is so organised and easy). For AUD25 per match, you'll get pretty decent seats - close enough to enjoy the game *cough*muscles*cough*. Its also a good excuse to pig out on fries and wedges :p 2) Throw a BBQ party
We got thrown a BBQ party and it was so gooooood. Meat in Australia is just fat and juicy! My cousin, the head chef, topped it off by throwing the party on his huge ass balcony that has an AMAZING 270 degrees view of the city. What would be perfect is a little fire-camp with burnt marshmallows and blankies.3) Join a Winery tour
I never knew this, but Australia falls under the ideal Southern Hemisphere latitude for wines (similar to Chile). We paid $110 each and that includes pick up from the city centre, a super yummmmm lunch and winery tour in 4 wineries around the Yarra Valley - Yerring Station, Rochford, Yerring Farm and Chandon. Fresh air and greenery views were just added bonus. Super value :) You can also buy good bottles for cheap, ranging from $10-$25. Check it out!4) Immerse yourself in the coffee culture
Other countries might serve you good coffee but nowhere else is there such an awesome coffee culture like Melbourne. My favourite coffee joint is Babba Brother Budan for its Mocha, but really any alleyways would serve you good coffee. Thats the beauty, its the alleyways packed with chairs and people sipping coffee that gives the awesome melting pot for tourist and locals alike. If not, head over to the country where the produce are fresh and coffee even better. One place in mind is Daylesford for its coffee and scones (too bad i didnt have the time this time around)5) Victoria Market
Fresh nuts, fresh fruits and fresh seafood. Opened since 1878, I frequent here for their ridiculously cheap oysters. Buy a dozen for $10 and pack away the cholesterols for cheap. Prawns and fishes are so fresh that it makes me look like a ridiculously awesome masterchef. Lookout for the churros stand at the end of the market.
^8 Cee

Melbourne: Places to Eat

2011-09-24T03:42:00.006+08:00

Blogging about this makes me hungry and I miss Melbourne's food.

(In alphabetical orders)

1) Atlantic, Crown

Atlantic, as the name suggests, is know for its seafood. I had the baked cod and it was yum but probably not worth the price tag. BUT I would recommend the whole flounder. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious and the texture was firm and not fishy at all - worth every $$ that you cough out at the end of dinner :)) Ooohh yummm....convert me to a fish eater anyday with this kind of fish.

Baked cod fish

2) Cafe Andiamo, Degraves Street
Degraves St is located somewhere between Flinders Land and Flinders St in the Melbourne CBD. Degraves St is definitely a touristy check-out for it is famous with Melbourne's little cafes in the alleyways. Its ALWAYS bustling and vibrant and is frequented by Melbourne's artsy crowd. I don't think you can go wrong with any of the cafes on Degraves but I would personally recommend Cafe Andiamo on Degraves. They serve awesome coffee and melt-in-your-mouth salmon fettucine. There are also many little clothes boutiques along the alleyways and oohhhh not forgetting the Belgian waffle store at the end of the street;)3) Cafe Era, Melbourne Central
Cafe Era is located closer to the Elizabeth St end of Melbourne Central. It is so convenient to meet and eat in Melbourne Central as it is easily accessible via train and tram. Food is good for the price you pay, and your waiters/waitresses are typically your chatty foreign backpackers who are more than happy to delight you on their travel tales. The mushroom duck risotto and the creamy salmon fettuccine (haha yes creamy salmon fettuccine again!) is a must try!

Mushrooms+cheese+duck = butterflies in the tummy

Salmon+Salmon roe+Capers

4) Chandon, Yarra Valley

We dined at the Greenpoint Brasserie in Chandon. The setting and ambiance of the restaurant was perfect as it openly overlooks the yarra valley. We had the mussels in saffron sauce and it was so sooo sedap! The menu is changed seasonally to suit the weather. The restaurant is open from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm daily.
5) Melbourne Central Lions Hotel, Melbourne Central

Located next to Grill'd in Melbourne Central, this place is famed for its Monday and Wednesday AUD 9 Sizzling Steak Special. You get 300grams of steak with chips and a side salad for NINE frgn dollars!! The answer to a good meal on a tight budget. SUPER VALUE.6) Pho Dzung City Noodle Shop, Russell Street

I've had a craving for Mekong Vietnamese noodles but so many people kept recommending this place instead that I just had to try it. This is definitely a contender with the Mekong I remembered and the portion is sizeable! The restaurant operates till 10pm daily and there is nothing like hot Vietnamese broth for supper to go with the chilly weather in Melbourne.7) Rochford, Yarra Valley
Where do I begin, every meal at Rochford was Amazing that its worth the 1 hour drive from the CBD (lunch here was part of our winery tour package). All I can say is its a MUST MUST MUST eat. Restaurant opens from 12-3pm daily. Watch out for their yearly concert event on the greens with talents like Norah Jones, Lionel Ritchie and Rod Stewart having chilled and performed here.

Tomato based salmon on pasta bed

Perfectly slow cooked veal shank

8) Roule Gallette, Flinders Lane

Located just outside of Sushi Ten (refer below) is Roule Galette, an unassuming intimate little French eatery. It is a super cute store with French music playing in the background. Guys, I would recommend to bring your lovely lady date here to casually show off your romantic alternative side. I would recommend the Yeti! Watch out for the live music performance on the alleyway every first Friday of the month.

The Yeti (AUD 7)-banana split on crepes, ingenius!

9) Squires Loft, Albert Park
I have no idea how to get here, coz Kimster and J was nice enough to pick us up and drive us there. The chargrilled lamb loin chop was juicy and good and it came with mint JELLY sauce at the side - how cute! Their Rib Eye on the bone was yummmm as well :)10) Sushi Ten, Flinders St
This place serves the BEST sashimi dons!! Its got chunky-cut sashimis, creamy avocados, and an abundance of tobiko - I like! The dons typically range at AUD15 per meal - thats SUPER value and I guarantee you its worth every cents. Its a relatively small family run business and is quite the hidden gem. Sushi Ten is located in Port Phillips Arcade, which is in between Flinders St and Flinders Lane. It is opened from 12pm-4pm daily on weekdays.
^8 Cee

Melbourne: Places to Chill

2011-09-24T03:36:00.014+08:00

I was in between jobs and decided to spend my time in Melbourne. Its the first time I've been back since I left in Jan 2009 and it feels good to be back :)

Instead of blogging about what i did, i think the best way to capture the short 9 days experience is by listing/ recommending place to visit (based on places I managed to visit)! So I'm starting the list with 'Places to Chill in Melbourne'.

(In alphabetical order)

1) Cookie Bar and Rooftop Bar, Swanston Street
I would not recommend dining in Cookie, it is overpriced for the food and service that you get. But I would recommend to visit Cookie for a drink or two. My all time favourite is the Traditional Champagne Cocktail - the one with the sugar cube inside :) its yummy and potent!A couple of floors up is the Rooftop bar. I am still so in love with this place. Its quite a hike up (you have no choice but to climb 7 flights of stairs!!) but its well worth it. This place has fake grass for carpets, fresh air, bean bags and slushiesssss (with rummmm-favorite drink at Rooftop)..!!! and best of all, a rooftop cinema for FOC. They were screening Clueless the night that we went.2) Brother Baba Budan by Seven Seeds, Little Bourke Street
I never knew the existence of this place till I went there this time around. It must have opened in my absence ;p The coffee is soo sooo good, that i dare say its the best in Melbourne! Best mocha for sure! Its a small shop with a big common table for seating. Most people order the coffee to go, but if you're a tourist like us, you would stay and enjoy every sip. If you have trouble finding the store, just look out for the coffee shop with the hanging chairs on Lil Bourke! Apparently they also just opened up a block away from Melb Uni's Commerce Centre. 3) KoKo Black, Lygon Street
Nowhere else can you find a perfect cinnamon and chilli hot chocolate blend - Its not on the menu, but if you ask nicely enough, they will conjure it up for you :) Weird to some, but a comforting taste to accompany me throughout winter. This hot choc is exactly the kind of exotic drink i'd imagined in Juliette Binoche's and Johnny Depp's movie Chocolat.4) Josie Bones, Fitzroy
I am no beer connoisseur, but if you are, head over to Josie Bones. Its been awarded Australia's Best Specialty Beer Venue for 2011 and its no surprise with its 250+ local and international craft beer. Its got a simple decor and a weird picture piece (as can be seen in the picture below) and a very meaty smell to the place, the guys may like it, but i'm no big fan.5) Passionflower, Bourke St
Great for pictures, but not so great to eat. Lol, would only recommend it it you feel the urge of taking some nice dessert pics.6) The Local Taphouse, St Kilda
This place has got an urban, almost homey feel to it - a pretty cool rooftop bar with a chillout lounge at the bottom. The waiters are friendly and they serve microbrew beers. They were featuring beers from a Belgium brewhouse on taps when we were there and you can try out a sample of 5 through their interesting platter concept. I personally prefer this to Josie Bones.^8 Cee

This Apple nerd has raised the bar...

2010-11-20T08:00:00.002+08:00

When 26 year old Vy told her boyfriend and musician Chad that it'd be really sweet if he wrote a song about her, he took and ran it like only an Apple nerd would.

This video right here was played in the local cinema where the couple had their first movie date.

Awwwwwwwwwww...Enjoy!! :)

The Gods envy us...

2010-11-17T20:46:00.003+08:00

They envy us because we are mortals.
Because any moment might be our last.
Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed.
You will never be lovelier than you are now.
We will never be here again.

-Troy

Do you recognise them?

2010-11-07T21:06:00.004+08:00

It is the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. More famously known as King Edward and Wallis Simpson. Wallis Simpson was a married American woman and Edward was prince-next-in-line-to-be-King. After his father's death, Edward ascended the throne to be King Edward, but the British monarch, conservative as it was, would not accept a once-married-seen-to-be-promiscuous woman to be their Queen. After 11 months as King of England, he abdicated his throne to be with the woman he loved and later married. Their love affair lasted their lifetime and they celebrated it with lavish jewelries from the likes of Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels.

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Excerpt from his abdication speech way back in 1936:

"I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King, as I would wish to do, without the help and support of the woman I love."

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It is no wonder they've been touted as the love saga of the century. Who does that?

^8 Cee

Niat

2010-10-30T23:28:00.008+08:00

Developing on from in-vacuo's and AVP's comments on the previous post.

They drew my attention to niat ie intention.

In Islam, the most basic teaching teaches you that everything starts with niat. Niat that everything you do and everything that you are is because of God. I'm not so good at following that part simply because. But I do agree with the practice of niat. I generally believe that I should live life doing good or at the very least to not harm others. Those are, I guess, my general intentions in life. But what if I push it further?

It made me recollect back on my primary-school-agama-classes-days plus all those extracurricular-tuition-imposed-agama-classes where I had to memorise many many doa (prayer) outlining my niat for all things imaginable. It was crazy. There is a doa for when you wake up, before you shower, when you put on clothes, before you eat, before you step out of the house, when you study, at housewarmings and many many more. I resented it! Memory is not exactly the best gift I possess and what more in a foreign language and in meanings that I hardly cherish. Example 1: Doa when you wake up translates to something along the line of 'Thank you God for reawakening me back from my temporary slumber. And to You shall I return.' Geezz, talk about gibberish for a primary school kid right?

But after a degree or so, and a slight tweaking to suit me, it could easily translate to 'I am grateful to be alive today. I may not be tmrw' translation: Carpe Diem my friends ;p

But in all seriousness, I guess what I've discovered and am trying to highlight is that you should continuously be aware of and determine your intentions, in whatever way relevant to you, before setting out on doing something. Intention before action! Imagine what it could mean if I woke up every morning being grateful to be alive and wanting to live the day to the fullest. There will be no Monday-blues or any days blue. I wont get bogged down by the calamities of life and learn to appreciate and be grateful for each day as it comes. I will get things, well the important thing anyway, done much quicker too.

And that is just with practicing 1 intention in the morning. Imagine if I expand further. Leaving the house and embracing the traffic in the morning with the determination to learn more, to achieve more; being grateful for the wonderful food that I intend to enjoy before I eat; a simple housewarming doa with the intention of building a home and not just a house (think of it as wedding vows but for the family); Theres 10,001 niat for 10,001 actions!

You'd think its crazy that so much focus goes into intention and that it'll shave time off action right? Not necessarily so. I think its just a way of re-wiring oneself, to living life and every moment of it with well intentions and to living life purposefully. It will take time to adjust but it is a technique that can be mastered. Haha how would I know. I'll let you know someday soon hopefully. I'm gonna think of 1 simple intention to master first ;) Baby steps :)

^8 Cee

Superiority

2010-10-24T21:27:00.003+08:00

In one form or another, most of us, if not all, are striving or are at the very least subject to projections of superiority.

Types of superiority ranges from religion (thinking that one religion is better than the other), to wealth (associating oneself to a similar elite class), to education (studying hard to prove oneself smarter and capable than others or as a platform to bring oneself further than others) to etiquette (behavior and well manners are closely linked to upbringing) and a whole lot more.

Striving to superiority is, in one's eyes and society's eyes, a determination to be better and to achieve more. This is all good and stuff but at the same time, striving to be better divides people as it inidrectly/directly belittles them. Whether you realise it or not, by telling yourself that you want to be better, you are saying that you are, and many people who are at your similar stage 0, not good enough. And once you've progressed to stage 1, you think that you are better off now than before and others who are at stage 0, are lacking behind.

As you progress more and more in life, the gap may keep on increasing up to a stage where everyone who is not with you becomes part of 'them' and it becomes a separation between 'us' and 'them'. Of course one way of narrowing it is to help others progress. But it is fatal to assume that others view/desire progress the way you do.

I guess my question is, how do you progress without a projection of superiority?How do you not divide it into an Us vs Them thing? And if need be, how do you reduce superiority but at the same time remain relevant?

Respect for all is an answer. Respect will make life a lot more peaceful but it is not the answer to bring us closer. Or am I missing the point? Is division natural and inevitable after all?

^8 Cee

Newton's Law

2010-10-21T22:17:00.005+08:00

I had lunch with an ex-mathematician-physicist turned banker today.

And it went something along the lines of....
'So you know the famous Newton's Law right?'

'Err...yea?'
Crap its basic Physics. Please don't embarrass myself.
'Something along the lines of nothing new gets created nor is destroyed?'

Clearly unconvinced. He iterated all 3 laws.
(i) Object in a state of stillness stays that way unless force acts upon it. Similarly, something in motion remains in motion unless a force acts upon it. If an object is moving, one reason that it slows is because friction is acting upon it. Friction is force in this case.
(ii) Force can be defined as F=ma; where m is mass and a is acceleration.
(iii) For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Ah-ha! I think I got point 3 right! right?! Errr....
Anyway, the whole point is that Force, in totality, always remains constant.

So I ate and pondered and a whole slow 5 mins of thinking later, I was like, 'so what you're saying is force always remains the same in the universe? but if thats the case then the universe cannot be destroyed right and would continuously exist indefinitely since the force cannot be destroyed or lost?'

And as if he saw that question coming, he answered with no hesitation and not even to pause to think, 'True, total force remains constant, but mass and acceleration could change. There are many possible speculated ending to the universe - eg the universe continues to expand at an accelerating rate and lose mass or that it could contract and increase mass and lose out on acceleration. See, that way, force is not loss. It may be the end of us and the universe that we know, but not the destruction per say of the universe.'

Interesting.

It makes you think that you know, we, the physical and non-physical self will exist in one form or another for an indefinite period of time. Its like saying that our body is the mass and our thoughts and actions the force or acceleration. If you believe in freewill then perhaps your thoughts and actions are equivalent to the 'individual force' causing change to your static self and to the static things around you. But see, theoretically, every inch of us from the tangible to the intangible are all just part of 1 entity, the total force.

^8 Cee

Steve Jobs

2010-08-28T11:18:00.006+08:00

A very inspiring video discovered through Sha's kick-ass 'Marketing Madness' blog!

Some key points:
"You can't connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even if it leads you off the well worn path."

"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose."

^8 Cee

Water Love

2010-08-22T10:28:00.002+08:00

Not my pictures. Click on image to be redirected to owner's page.
I wanna be as brilliant a photographer/editor...

^8 Cee

Bikini or headscarf: Which offers more freedom

2010-08-16T20:40:00.003+08:00

A beautifully written article.
From CNN, By Krista Bremer
-----@
Nine years ago, I danced my newborn daughter around my North Carolina living room to the music of "Free to Be...You and Me", the '70s children's classic whose every lyric about tolerance and gender equality I had memorized as a girl growing up in California.

My Libyan-born husband, Ismail, sat with her for hours on our screened porch, swaying back and forth on a creaky metal rocker and singing old Arabic folk songs, and took her to a Muslim sheikh who chanted a prayer for long life into her tiny, velvety ear.

She had espresso eyes and lush black lashes like her father's, and her milky-brown skin darkened quickly in the summer sun. We named her Aliya, which means "exalted" in Arabic, and agreed we would raise her to choose what she identified with most from our dramatically different backgrounds.

I secretly felt smug about this agreement -- confident that she would favor my comfortable American lifestyle over his modest Muslim upbringing. Ismail's parents live in a squat stone house down a winding dirt alley outside Tripoli. Its walls are bare except for passages from the Quran engraved onto wood, its floors empty but for thin cushions that double as bedding at night.

My parents live in a sprawling home in Santa Fe with a three-car garage, hundreds of channels on the flat-screen TV, organic food in the refrigerator, and a closetful of toys for the grandchildren.

I imagined Aliya embracing shopping trips to Whole Foods and the stack of presents under the Christmas tree, while still fully appreciating the melodic sound of Arabic, the honey-soaked baklava Ismail makes from scratch, the intricate henna tattoos her aunt drew on her feet when we visited Libya. Not once did I imagine her falling for the head covering worn by Muslim girls as an expression of modesty.

Last summer we were celebrating the end of Ramadan with our Muslim community at a festival in the parking lot behind our local mosque. Children bounced in inflatable fun houses while their parents sat beneath a plastic tarp nearby, shooing flies from plates of curried chicken, golden rice, and baklava.

Aliya and I wandered past rows of vendors selling prayer mats, henna tattoos, and Muslim clothing. When we reached a table displaying head coverings, Aliya turned to me and pleaded, "Please, Mom -- can I have one?"

She riffled through neatly folded stacks of headscarves while the vendor, an African-American woman shrouded in black, beamed at her. I had recently seen Aliya cast admiring glances at Muslim girls her age.

I quietly pitied them, covered in floor-length skirts and long sleeves on even the hottest summer days, as my best childhood memories were of my skin laid bare to the sun: feeling the grass between my toes as I ran through the sprinkler on my front lawn; wading into an icy river in Idaho, my shorts hitched up my thighs, to catch my first rainbow trout; surfing a rolling emerald wave off the coast of Hawaii. But Aliya envied these girls and had asked me to buy her clothes like theirs. And now a headscarf.

In the past, my excuse was that they were hard to find at our local mall, but here she was, offering to spend ten dollars from her own allowance to buy the forest green rayon one she clutched in her hand. I started to shake my head emphatically "no," but caught myself, remembering my commitment to Ismail. So I gritted my teeth and bought it, assuming it would soon be forgotten.

That afternoon, as I was leaving for the grocery store, Aliya called out from her room that she wanted to come.

A moment later she appeared at the top of the stairs -- or more accurately, half of her did. From the waist down, she was my daughter: sneakers, bright socks, jeans a little threadbare at the knees. But from the waist up, this girl was a stranger. Her bright, round face was suspended in a tent of dark cloth like a moon in a starless sky.

"Are you going to wear that?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said slowly, in that tone she had recently begun to use with me when I state the obvious.

On the way to the store, I stole glances at her in my rearview mirror. She stared out the window in silence, appearing as aloof and unconcerned as a Muslim dignitary visiting our small Southern town -- I, merely her chauffeur.

I bit my lip. I wanted to ask her to remove her head covering before she got out of the car, but I couldn't think of a single logical reason why, except that the sight of it made my blood pressure rise. I'd always encouraged her to express her individuality and to resist peer pressure, but now I felt as self-conscious and claustrophobic as if I were wearing that headscarf myself.

In the Food Lion parking lot, the heavy summer air smothered my skin. I gathered the damp hair on my neck into a ponytail, but Aliya seemed unfazed by the heat. We must have looked like an odd pair: a tall blonde woman in a tank top and jeans cupping the hand of a four-foot-tall Muslim. I drew my daughter closer and the skin on my bare arms prickled -- as much from protective instinct as from the blast of refrigerated air that hit me as I entered the store.

As we maneuvered our cart down the aisles, shoppers glanced at us like we were a riddle they couldn't quite solve, quickly dropping their gaze when I caught their eye.

In the produce aisle, a woman reaching for an apple fixed me with an overly bright, solicitous smile that said "I embrace diversity and I am perfectly fine with your child." She looked so earnest, so painfully eager to put me at ease, that I suddenly understood how it must feel to have a child with an obvious disability, and all the curiosity or unwelcome sympathies from strangers it evokes.

At the checkout line, an elderly Southern woman clasped her bony hands together and bent slowly down toward Aliya. "My, my," she drawled, wobbling her head in disbelief. "Don't you look absolutely precious!" My daughter smiled politely, then turned to ask me for a pack of gum.

In the following days, Aliya wore her headscarf to the breakfast table over her pajamas, to a Muslim gathering where she was showered with compliments, and to the park, where the moms with whom I chatted on the bench studiously avoided mentioning it altogether.

Later that week, at our local pool, I watched a girl only a few years older than Aliya play Ping-Pong with a boy her age. She was caught in that awkward territory between childhood and adolescence -- narrow hips, skinny legs, the slightest swelling of new breasts -- and she wore a string bikini.

Her opponent wore an oversize T-shirt and baggy trunks that fell below his knees, and when he slammed the ball at her, she lunged for it while trying with one hand to keep the slippery strips of spandex in place. I wanted to offer her a towel to wrap around her hips, so she could lose herself in the contest and feel the exhilaration of making a perfect shot.

It was easy to see why she was getting demolished at this game: Her near-naked body was consuming her focus. And in her pained expression I recognized the familiar mix of shame and excitement I felt when I first wore a bikini.

At 14, I skittered down the halls of high school like a squirrel in traffic: hugging the walls, changing direction in midstream, darting for cover. Then I went to Los Angeles to visit my aunt Mary during winter break. Mary collected mermaids, kept a black-and-white photo of her long-haired Indian guru on her dresser, and shopped at a tiny health food store that smelled of patchouli and peanut butter. She took me to Venice Beach, where I bought a cheap bikini from a street vendor.

Dizzy with the promise of an impossibly bright afternoon, I thought I could be someone else -- glistening and proud like the greased-up bodybuilders on the lawn, relaxed and unself-conscious as the hippies who lounged on the pavement with lit incense tucked behind their ears. In a beachside bathroom with gritty cement floors, I changed into my new two-piece suit.

Goose bumps spread across my chubby white tummy and the downy white hairs on my thighs stood on end -- I felt as raw and exposed as a turtle stripped of its shell. And when I left the bathroom, the stares of men seemed to pin me in one spot even as I walked by.

In spite of a strange and mounting sense of shame, I was riveted by their smirking faces; in their suggestive expressions I thought I glimpsed some vital clue to the mystery of myself. What did these men see in me -- what was this strange power surging between us, this rapidly shifting current that one moment made me feel powerful and the next unspeakably vulnerable?

I imagined Aliya in a string bikini in a few years. Then I imagined her draped in Muslim attire. It was hard to say which image was more unsettling. I thought then of something a Sufi Muslim friend had told me: that Sufis believe our essence radiates beyond our physical bodies -- that we have a sort of energetic second skin, which is extremely sensitive and permeable to everyone we encounter. Muslim men and women wear modest clothing, she said, to protect this charged space between them and the world.

Growing up in the '70s in Southern California, I had learned that freedom for women meant, among other things, fewer clothes, and that women could be anything -- and still look good in a bikini. Exploring my physical freedom had been an important part of my process of self-discovery, but the exposure had come at a price.

Since that day in Venice Beach, I'd spent years learning to swim in the turbulent currents of attraction -- wanting to be desired, resisting others' unwelcome advances, plumbing the mysterious depths of my own longing.

I'd spent countless hours studying my reflection in the mirror -- admiring it, hating it, wondering what others thought of it -- and it sometimes seemed to me that if I had applied the same relentless scrutiny to another subject I could have become enlightened, written a novel, or at least figured out how to grow an organic vegetable garden.

On a recent Saturday morning, in the crowded dressing room of a large department store, I tried on designer jeans alongside college girls in stiletto heels, young mothers with babies fussing in their strollers, and middle-aged women with glossed lips pursed into frowns. One by one we filed into changing rooms, then lined up to take our turn on a brightly lit pedestal surrounded by mirrors, cocking our hips and sucking in our tummies and craning our necks to stare at our rear ends.

When it was my turn, my heart felt as tight in my chest as my legs did in the jeans. My face looked drawn under the fluorescent lights, and suddenly I was exhausted by all the years I'd spent doggedly chasing the carrot of self-improvement, while dragging behind me a heavy cart of self-criticism.

At this stage in her life, Aliya is captivated by the world around her -- not by what she sees in the mirror. Last summer she stood at the edge of the Blue Ridge Parkway, stared at the blue-black outline of the mountains in the distance, their tips swaddled by cottony clouds, and gasped. "This is the most beautiful thing I ever saw," she whispered. Her wide-open eyes were a mirror of all that beauty, and she stood so still that she blended into the lush landscape, until finally we broke her reverie by tugging at her arm and pulling her back to the car.

At school it's different. In her fourth-grade class, girls already draw a connection between clothing and popularity. A few weeks ago, her voice rose in anger as she told me about a classmate who had ranked all the girls in class according to how stylish they were.

I understood then that while physical exposure had liberated me in some ways, Aliya could discover an entirely different type of freedom by choosing to cover herself.

I have no idea how long Aliya's interest in Muslim clothing will last. If she chooses to embrace Islam, I trust the faith will bring her tolerance, humility, and a sense of justice -- the way it has done for her father. And because I have a strong desire to protect her, I will also worry that her choice could make life in her own country difficult. She has recently memorized the fatiha, the opening verse of the Quran, and she is pressing her father to teach her Arabic. She's also becoming an agile mountain biker who rides with me on wooded trails, mud spraying her calves as she navigates the swollen creek.

The other day, when I dropped her off at school, instead of driving away from the curb in a rush as I usually do, I watched her walk into a crowd of kids, bent forward under the weight of her backpack as if she were bracing against a storm. She moved purposefully, in such a solitary way -- so different from the way I was at her age, and I realized once again how mysterious she is to me.

It's not just her head covering that makes her so: It's her lack of concern for what others think about her. It's finding her stash of Halloween candy untouched in her drawer, while I was a child obsessed with sweets. It's the fact that she would rather dive into a book than into the ocean -- that she gets so consumed with her reading that she can't hear me calling her from the next room.

I watched her kneel at the entryway to her school and pull a neatly folded cloth from the front of her pack, where other kids stash bubble gum or lip gloss. Then she slipped it over her head, and her shoulders disappeared beneath it like the cape her younger brother wears when he pretends to be a superhero.

As I pulled away from the curb, I imagined that headscarf having magical powers to protect her boundless imagination, her keen perception, and her unself-conscious goodness. I imagined it shielding her as she journeys through that house of mirrors where so many young women get trapped in adolescence, buffering her from the dissatisfaction that clings in spite of the growing number of choices at our fingertips, providing safe cover as she takes flight into a future I can only imagine.

-----@

To me whats beautiful, is the openness of the heart and mind of the mum.

Salt

2010-08-07T21:33:00.006+08:00

Watched Salt! Jolie kicks-ass and I am pretty sure no other female actress tops her in the action department. Storyline is surprisingly not bad either!
Blockbuster aside, underlying the movie is a propaganda against Russia. Actually to think about it, the whole of Hollywood has sort of been running propaganda against Russia. Weird huh to think that there has never been a positive angle on Russia filmed in Hollywood (well, none that I can recall of anyway).

Smells like conspiracy to me...

^8 Cee

London: Day 8

2010-07-17T13:16:00.006+08:00

Last day in London.

1) Walked through Oxford St to do some last minute shopping. The highlight was Primark. Its cheap!! Its crazy. Its cheap like Sg Wang cheap...err likeee flea market cheap.

2) Brunch at Patisserie Valerie. So yummmm :) :) Should try all things salmon there. And the scones....oooohhh

Aaaand thats it! I cant say that I fell in love with London immediately. Its hustle and bustle and cold shoulders and cold weathers were a big turn off. But I did eventually fall in love as I met some friendly ppl along the way, found plenty of things to do, immersed in the history of the past and adjusted to the present cosmo....and as it got sunnier day by day! Cant wait for my next travel but its back to reality for me.

^8 Cee

England: Day 7

2010-07-17T11:03:00.009+08:00

London

1) We took the bus to Buckingham Palace and walked through the Buckingham Palace garden. I like parks. It was a lucky coincidence that we went there at the time of change of the palace guards. Its an elaborate event that happens every other day around noon. Touristy, I like ;)
2) Walked all the way from Buckingham Palace to Knightsbridge to pay Harrods a visit. Its hugeeee, like twice the size of Selfridges. Its motto is Omnia, Omnibus Ubique-All things for all people, Everywhere. Yeah right. Its $$$. I didnt really mind coz they had a frgn opera singer on the balcony overlooking the escalators. Kinda crazy, kinda awesome.

Had tea at cafe Laduree

3) I left my family to head towards Grace Kelly's exhibition. The exhibition was in Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) which is in Kensington, a couple of blocks away. V&A is free but exhibitions are not. Bought night-time tickets to the exhibition as all the day tickets were sold-out.

4) Spent the next couple of hours wandering the V&A. V&A is unlike any museums I've visited. V&A is the excessiveness, elaborateness and the beauty of the world's countries amplified. A world of wanders and aesthetics. By far, my favorite museum!

5) Met up with Lalink. We got lost looking for Snogs...well she said she was showing me around Kensington -_-"

6) Headed back to the V&A, this time, for Grace Kelly's exhibition as it was a must-do-together-visit. Lol, I told her so in my first email when I told her I was visiting London.My first love for GK was when I chanced upon a Hitchock film some 4 years ago. I remember watching Dial M for Murder and was intrigued by the actress. Then I chanced upon Rear Window and it was the same actress, strikingly classy. They dont make those kind of films anymore.

7) We dined in Fifteen. We confidently walked in without any reservations and got it! Lol it turns out that it wasnt the Fifteen of Jamie Oliver's. But it was good time spent :)
^8 Cee

England: Day 6

2010-07-11T10:20:00.007+08:00

1) What else do people do in Manchester....visit Manchester United stadium!! A dream come true for my dad and bros. Wished I was a die-hard fan myself.

The Manchester United TrinityHeading towards the old Trafford stadium...wheee!!In the player's changing roomWatching the match from the player's seat! O.M.G.

2) We dropped by my cousin's university, Manchester University to take pictures!3) And took away lunch and ate in the car coz we had 3 hours to drive and a play to catch.

4) Watched the Lion King musical at Lyceum Theatre. It was good :) :) Except the Simba actor had a rather feminine voice. If not, everything else was fantastic!5) Celebrated my parent's anniversary dinner at Covent Garden. 27 years of marriage is no joke and I've learnt that its not always picture perfect... but whats important is the determination to stick together as a family. Ps I loveee Covent Garden! Its a place I would definitely visit again or maybe stay at when I come visit London again.
^8 Cee

England: Day 5

2010-07-03T15:44:00.006+08:00

1. So I woke up for breakfast and next thing I know was that we were going for a roadtrip. Well the plan was to pick my sister's luggage at her HSBC training centre which was in
Bricketwood..who knows where.
2. We rented a car, got ourselves a Tom Tom and off we went to Bricketwood. Its sooo beautiful! More like a vacation place if you ask. Hehe my company should take note!
3. Had lunch in a lovely little town in St. Albans.

4. We were told that Bicester Village is a must visit. So off we went to the designer outlet place. Time was very limited. We only had an hour to shop. Hahah good news for my wallet. I got myself my first Karen Millen dress :)
5. And then guess where we headed to next. Clue: my dad and bros are Manchester lovers.

Yepppp we drove another 3 hours to end up in Manchester!! Red bricks all over!
My sister and I decided to explore the city in the middle of the night, thanks to our cousin who became out body/tourguide (he's studying there)...We bought some shakes and drinks from a convenient store and just hung out on the streets in the city. I like Manchester. It feels like dear ol' Melbourne...It feels like home :)

We hung out by the 'Manchester Eye'

6. Our travel route!^8 Cee

England: Day 4

2010-07-01T22:00:00.008+08:00

London

1. Don't really recall what we did today except for the British Museum. Its hugeee. Visited the mummies, the Mesopotamia, the ancient Greece, China prints, Indian sculptures etc. Its impressive....and its freeeee..I like! :) :)

Check out the larger than life sculptures!

2. After the museum we headed to Piccadilly Circus. It was buzzing with video displays and neon signs. That, I like. But the crowded places, not so. Well anyway, no pictures from there as it was raining. Thought I could just come by the next day to take some pictures..it is rather nice.

^8 Cee

England: Day 3

2010-06-29T21:59:00.007+08:00

London

Its meet my aunties day! Havent seen them in ages. One of em since like 17 yrs ago.

1) Anyway, we went to Maroush on Argyle. Best Moroccon food! The meat was super tender. But no picture of the food coz I keep forgetting to take pictures.
Lalink, who is already like my mum's other daughter, was at lunch too! :) havent got to spend as much time as this with her for a very very long long time.

2) In between meeting the two aunts. We managed to visit the 4-storeys Topshop, H&M and the likes....But it was so crowded (Monday was a public holiday - ie Bank day). It was suffocating. But we managed to find ourselves a set of awesome dress to camwhore in the dressing room.

Ta-daaah

But seriously, even with the depreciation of the pounds, I still think Topshop is overpriced for its clothes.

3) Anyway just wanted to end this post with these pictures here.

Resemblance, no?

^8 Cee

England: Day 2

2010-06-27T23:06:00.012+08:00

London

We took the weekly pass for London's tube and buses. All in about GBP25. Its a fair price to pay considering Hop-on Hop off buses 1-day tour goes for about the same price.

We covered most of the touristy stuff today...

1) We saw big 151 yr ol Ben

2) Westminster Abbey
no pictures coz it was Sunday mass

2) Houses of Parliaments
Its actually a lot more massive than the picture
4) London Eye
5) Thames River Cruise
with a bunch of orange heads6) London BridgeSo not what I imagined it to be...
I guess London Bridge IS Falling Down
You gotta check out the full version of the song...here!

7) Tower Bridge
A lot fancier than London Bridge
8) Tower of London
The tower of London was a royal residence as well as a military stronghold in the Middle Ages. Plenty of things to do (we spent half the day there)...There were reenactment of wars, people walking around in costumes, armories exhibition, the crown jewels, etc etc. Definitely a recommended tour for the family.

9) Lobster Noodles
I really dont remember which restaurant!! But it was Chinese food
10) Met up with Tashie...Good to finally see her in London too :)

^8 Cee

England: Day 1

2010-06-26T08:30:00.006+08:00

London

1) It has been ages since I've stepped foot in England and hence just as an early warning to those seasoned Londoners, my posts would be rather touristy.

2) We arrived early morning in Heathrow Airport and took the cab to Leonard Apartments. The cab driver was a nice chap from Afghanistan who purposely drove us through some famous areas like through the Hyde Park etc even though his services were a fixed rate. Leonard Apartments is on Seymour Street, which is walkable to the busy Oxford shopping street. As expected, the interiors are classic and cozy.3) We spent the day walking along Oxford Street. The weather was crap..Ie raining and not...so we were walking in and out. And well of course we came across the famed Selfridges..its got interesting window display..seriously bold art! Walked into Selfridges and my god, I dont think I've seen designer bags displayed so cheaply. Selfridges looks like any other departmental store except that its all $$$$$. Oh and its 101 years old this year! Apparently it was perhaps Mr Selfridge (founder) who coined the term the 'Customer is Always Right'. 4) Met up with my cousin....
and had yummy waffles at Pure Waffles
5) Did grocery shopping at Marks&Spencer for dinner!

6) Met Mira lalink! She dropped by for dinner in the apartment and we girls caught up after sooo long, painting nails (hehe matching red nails!!) and planning the touristy stuff to do for the rest of the week!

7) Amy arrived later that night having just arrived from Paris. Actually the whole reason us family were in London was because of her. Amy works for HSBC and after a year of their management trainee programme, they'll get sent to Bricketwood, UK for a month of training. So actually the rest of us just took this opportunity to 'visit' her after her programme :p

^8 Cee

Insane Street Soccer

2010-06-08T23:13:00.002+08:00

In line with the upcoming soccer fever, check this insane video on mad soccer skills.

^8 Cee

Just for Fun

2010-05-18T23:04:00.001+08:00

To be together,
you need TO-GET-HER

;)

^Cee

Jakarta expat

2010-05-11T22:01:00.009+08:00

At the risk of boring my blog with plenty of posts with no pictures , I've decided to compile a bunch of stuff to do in Jakarta into 1 post. (fyi none of the pictures below are mine)

Shopping
1) ITC, Kuningan.
Theres plenty of low price shopping to be done as its the equivalent to Sg Wang in KL. But i basically go here for the cheap ass DVDs. Should cost you Rp 5k-Rp7 k per dvd. Mangga Dua is not that much different from ITC. I'd stick with ITC and give Mangga Dua a pass.

2) Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indo.
Best place to window shop! Oh the bright windows :) :) You'd find runway brands that are not in KL.

3) Senayan City.
More toned down then Plaza Indo and Grand Indo but still a nice comfortable place to shop

Food

Soak in the hustle and bustle of the city at Social House

Enjoy your nanny's, cousins', aunties' dishes at Nanny's pavillion

1) Wan Toe Restaurant, Ambassador mall, Kuningan.
Its got the best fish soup. Ever. And I generally dont even like fish.

2) Social House, Grand Indo
Good food. Good ambiance. Be sure to make reservations if its over the weekend.

3) Daeng Tata, Street somewhere
Good luck finding this place. Its got a few outlets by the street somewhere. Haha but its so worth it if you find. Real good iga (ribs) bakar.

4) Segarra, Anchol, Jakarta Utara
A seaside chilled out place serving gourmet food at relatively affordable prices. Its a quick 45 mins escape out of bustling Jakarta. Head over to Segarra at about 5pm when its relatively cooler and enjoy the wind by the beach as the sun sets (sunset in Jkt is around 6ish).

5) Open Kitchen, Pacific Place, Sudirman
Prices are steep for a foodcourt but you've got to experience it. Its got those cool swipe cards and waiters will actually serve you. Food is so-so. But hey I'm a sucker for nice chandeliers in foodcourts.

6) Kitchenette, Plaza Indo
This place has kick ass chai latte! I like!! Double Like!! Anyway, its perfect for Sunday brunch. You ought to try their nachos. Its yummy. and they have so many coming soon in their menus that I cant wait. Tho it sucks how they tease you.

7) Nanny's Pavillion, City Walk
See waitresses dresses as french maids and waiters as Pinnochio. This place is CHEAP. They serve waffles and pancakes for brunch and Steak, Pasta and Baked rice later on. You ought to try my cousin's european breakfast. Its got sausages, potato pancakes, red bean, has browns and egg. Complete! and its like RM 10!

8) Pepper Lunch, Plaza Indo
I know this is a franchise. But heh I was so jakun! Basically you order your meat raw and they'll serve it raw on a hot plate. You can watch it as it cooks right in front of you. Its super yummy and super fast!

9) Pondok Sunda, Senayan City
Good local food! I like tempe! and iga bakar!

10) PepeNero, in btwn Energi Building and Graha Niaga
Pizza Brsseria is awesome and so is the Ice Cappucino ^ ^ They'll serve you Bruschettaa and breadsticks..F.O.C. I like!

11) Seaside Suki
All you can eat steamboat by the river....the tom yum base is pretty good. Stay indoors.

12) Pancious
Another great place for brunch. I would rate it 3rd after Kitchenette and Nanny's pavillion. But still definitely yummy!

Places to chill and hang out

Be a good girl/boy and go chill at the library

Party at the top at SHY rooftop

1) Social house, Grand Indo
Grab dessert and drink whilst overlooking one of the busiest road in Jakarta. Tiramisu cocktail is sooo yummy. Best I've ever had. Ladies night is Wednesday!

2) Potatohead, Pacific Place
Worth a visit for their deco. Chill out on sofas outside of the malls in a green'd up environment

3) Brewhouse, Senayan City
Its got yummy yummy flavored drinks! Sort of like Radlr and Russn equivalent. The place feels underground with a very ol school feeling.

4) Segarra, Anchol, Jakarta Utara
I was there 3 weekends in a row. Thats how much I love it.

5) Dragonfly, Graha BIP
They say its a club. But its not. The place is more like a lounge with loud music.

6) Tabac, Kemang (update)
Tabac in French means Tobacco. And hell yeah this place stinks with it. Anyway its definitely worth a check. When you chance upon it, its a quite little up front with two bouncers. You enter into a dim litted cafe and its up to you to find the secret entrance.
Con: smells of tobacco, filled with plenty of expats, requires reservation for large crowds
Pro: ask for russian roulette! and who doesnt love the thrill of a secret entrance? ;)

7) SHY rooftop, Kemang (update)
If you wonder where you can spot for the rich and the good lookings, shy rooftop is not a bad place to start. So expect a price to match it too.
Oh and its such a plus point that its located above Biyan bride! (Biyan bride is GORGEOUS<-that is an understatement)

8) Bibliotheque, Sampoerna Strategic (update)
Every tourist in Jakarta who passes by this office building will definitely take notice. Its beautiful and its deliberately designed with element of feng shui in it. Bibliotheque (aka the library) is situated within the vicinity of the building. I'd recommend the place for its high shelved bookshelves but the food is rather expensive for its size and quality.

I'll update more as and when I remember.

^8 Cee

Blitz Velvet

2010-04-18T14:17:00.007+08:00

Go to Pacific Place and Go watch a movie!
Enjoy luxurious sofa bed with fluffy pillows and warm comfy blanket.
Blitz Cinema Velvet class:

(Priced at Rp250,000 a bed)

^8 Cee

Krabi

2010-03-26T23:41:00.009+08:00

I got to go to -> Krabi!

:)

^8 Cee

Agora

2010-03-15T20:18:00.008+08:00

The stupidity of men is a bad joke.

To kill in the name of religion is disrespectful.

To follow blindly in the name or religion is insulting.

It happened then, and we tell ourselves,

Those men knew no better and that history shan’t repeat.

But it is happening now and the clown is us.

We're so caught up with 'life' that we do not realise,

that we are no different from those men of the past.

Funny isn’t it,

We pride mankind with advancement and evolution,

But really, what evolution is there, if the mind does not evolve?

And to question it simply,

Do you think it possible for our mind to ever evolve?

Or is our state of being fated to remain stagnant throughout human history?

Why can’t we dream of a better future, a better present,

when it is as simple as understanding the need to respect another?

(Quite angry)

But movie was good.

^8 Cee

Weekend 2: Jakarta

2010-03-15T00:35:00.009+08:00

Friday:

Went to Minus 2 after work in FX mall.
We planned to chill.
So much for that...DJ Milana paid a visit.
aaaand she stripped...and spinned topless....

right down to her g's!
and she's flexible :o
Hah Jakarta baby!!
but to give credits, she's from Ukraine.

Saturday:

Brightspot.
"Brightspot Market is a unique retail concept that is held several times per year in different locations. The goal of Brightspot is to gather local and international designers, artists and retailers to showcase a range of unique products. We want to support those who are innovative and original by providing them with a chance to present their work to a larger audience."

Oh eMM Geee!
I'm broke :( :( :(
But its worth checking the young Indo designers
They're pretty and fashionable.
Discovered Petite Cupcakes
Eeee super sweet I like!

Tip: Hey if you're into this sort of artsy fartsy stuff and pretty awesome markets you should definitely plan your trip to coincide with this event. Worth a check.

X2,Senayan Mall
Its a spacious club with 4 rooms of music.
Sorta like what 'Seven' was to me in Melbourne.

Sunday:

Did nothing coz I am so broke :( :( :(
But I bought DVDs!!!
For all my nights in from now on.
Tip: DVDs from Ambassador mall is apparently cheapest.
Rp 7,000 per dvd or Rp 70,000 for 11 DVDs.
roughly USD0.70 or about RM2.5
and good quality too!

^8 Cee

Puncak

2010-03-09T00:23:00.011+08:00

First touristy post from Jakarta!

Went to Puncak (ie Bogor)
Its 1.5 hours away from Jakarta w/out jam
We went there for the safari,
and guess what we found in the middle of the jungle.....
:)

P.s. Must watch the wild wild west show and the Globe of Death
*two thumbs up*

^8 Cee

Jakarta posting

2010-02-27T12:00:00.004+08:00

Hey guys,

You guys know how I love being away in a new country...

Well I'm off to Jakarta for 3 months for work!

Leaving tmrw.
Quite excited.

So maybe I'll blog then about some touristy stuff :p
Or let me know of places YOU recommend!

Anyway, wish me luck!

^8 Cee

Chatroulette

2010-02-21T09:08:00.006+08:00

What do you get when you mix speed dating and russian roulette?

=Chatroulette

I just got introduced to it last night by my cousin and brother who are still in high school....Man, kids these days....(haha go to the site and you'd get my point!)

Its created by a 17 year old Russian guy.
And its a pretty huge thing now.
In any case, I'm sure you procastinators will procastinate more.
Its kinda addictive.
Its your usual chatting room but more like a freak show.
Pretty random pretty interesting

A snapshot of whats out thereAnd my very own encounter
Because of course I, as a blogger, have a duty to test it out for you :p
(excuse the hat, you never know who will screen shot you)Based on experience (1 night's worth),
1) if you dont show face your partner will disconnect immediately, a lil bit of face with a cap faces 70% rejection rate, and face time (my sis as test subject) 10% rejection rate.
2) if you're a boy you face 90% rejection rate (since this site is predominantly boys), and if you're a girl and come across another girl you face immediate rejection.
3) Me? I wasnt calculative, I was here for the experiment. I'd chat even with the fattest guys and biggest geek and would face rejection after refusing to take off my cap
pfft....go figure the cyber society. so much for those days of anonymity

But hey its not all gloom and doom....there are others out there who sticks to the traditional ways of anonymity and would give a decent chat. but RARE occasions!!
I'd recommend the experience :)

^8 Cee

Live Green

2010-02-20T09:28:00.015+08:00

We've moved past the stage of traditional solar/wind farm at some far away land to create renewable energy. The way to go is to integrate ways of "Living Green" in our everyday life to reduce energy use and carbon emission. We have a bunch of innovative inventors to thank, to enable us to one day make the switch more convenient and feasible.

Inventions/ plans that integrates Living Green:

1. Efficient planning
E.g. Openheim's Beach Tower - an oasis: solar, wind, beach and plenty of greens
E.g. Green Geothermal District in Beijing2. Solar power in your everyday life
E.g. Solar Powered iPod and iPhone-no need for chargers
E.g. Solar Powered Camel Clinics Carrying Medicine Across Dessert
And the one I'm Most Interested in is:
3. Creating energy from our own self
E.g. Crowd Farming

"The Crowd Farm works by turning mechanical energy into electricity. In this proposal, the weight of a person is translated to tiled blocks which be slightly pressed down as people walk past them. A generator embedded inside them would take that small vertical movement and translate it into energy. To prove that their concept works, they created a small stool which when sat on, would power four small LED lights inside it."

Imagine this:
"How many people does it take to launch the space shuttle? The answer is 84,162,203, all of them taking a single step in a Crowd farming system"

"The band takes center stage, the fans surge forward and the sheer power of the crowd’s excitement amplifies the sound of their favorite songs — providing enough energy, in fact, to move a train."

So imagine if this system is one day feasible and implemented at high traffic areas like a subway, stadium, mall, etc...Imagine the power that it'll generate...the power that WE will generate and all this simply by carrying on with our everyday lives. I think its pretty damn amazing how we can be self-sustainable.

Click! and click! for articles

Other use of our kinetic energy:
E.g. Kinetic OLED Cell Phone - the more you use your phone the more energy it creates (complete opposite to what we have now)
E.g. Power your music with your running pants - what a future: create energy, burn fats
E.g. The human powered floating gym

Instead of overloading you with more links, why dont you visit inhabitat.com for more of these awesome creations.

^8 Cee

Giverny

2010-02-19T08:50:00.014+08:00

Destination: Giverny, Vernon, North West of France

I want a garden as romantic as the paintings of Monet

But I guess being there will suffice too :)

Everyone discusses my art and pretend to understand,

as if it were necessary to understand,

when it is simply necessary to love

-Claude Monet

^8 Cee

Itch to Travel

2010-02-17T23:39:00.009+08:00

Travel pictures
Travel stories
I hate em all

So many places to see
So many experiences to live
And I'm stuck dreaming

But hey its not all bad
Its good to know of the beautiful world that I live in
And the endless possibilities to look forward to

:)

Nish nish

2010-02-16T11:11:00.007+08:00

Who would have thought that the girl I met in her oversized shirt in the common room first day of boarding house would have been a good friend of mine 6 yrs down the road. Boarding house days and uni days wouldnt have been the same without you. Pfft if it wasnt for you we wouldnt have been crazy enough to do Time Series Analysis and Forecasting with a bunch of Masters students (yep i'm never letting you of that!) But it turned out aaaight like all the other subjects in uni which we crazily debated and panicked about just before exams.... Coffee in uni talking about the randomest ideas and philosophy is always interesting and you'll always debate about it passionately! hehe like a real chilli padi. And not forgetting a real cili padi that will randomly kick my ass in uni for no apparent reason and will get unbelievably high on sugar e.g coke!!! Nish Nish...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! :)))

^8 14 Feb

Natchen,

2010-02-16T10:19:00.013+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Acquaintances in 08 -> random Cho Gao night out -> pretty random sofa talk after swims and pancakes that sets the beginning of all trips-> random backpackers travelling together in Feb 09++random travel stories -> impromptu trip to catch a DJ and exhibition in Singapore in May 09 -> ++ more random night outs/ day tripping++more random stories.....dudeeeee you're my random friend and its special like that!!! :))

First birthday i celebrated with you was with a bunch of old naked saggy ladies in Budapest's bathhouse and second time around its been an epic getaway at Sekeping Serendah, a retreat in the jungle with outdoor showers, hammock days, bbq-ings and poker faces. Sooo, here is a post to to toast that you'd do something out of the ordinary every birthday coz you're awesome like that ;)

Happy Birthday Natalie Rose!

^8 14 Feb

This will UNDOUBTEDLY REVOLUTIONIZE your world

2010-01-30T07:53:00.009+08:00

SIXTH SENSE is the innovative project of PRANAV MISTRY,
an MIT student from India.
Sixth Sense has been awarded 2009 Invention Award.
Pranav also won Young Innovator Award TR35 by Technology Review.
Mistry has been called "one of the two or three, best inventors in the world right now".

IT Savvy or not, you HAVE to check him out!
Its 15 mins long but YOU MUST CHECK IT OUT!!!
Not only crazily innovative, I think he is so well-grounded

Let me know what you think!

^8 Cee

Escapism

2010-01-23T08:54:00.010+08:00

Back in high school,
Back when I was far away from home,
I used to follow style.com so closely.
Fashion, like a world of fantasy, filled up any void I had.

I watched every runway show and stalked every models.
I had folderS in my computer of all my favorite clothes.
So much so that whenever a new Vogue issue came out,
I'd be able to tell you where the clothes were from and name most of the models.

That time has long passed.
I progressively had less time for fashion shows and models,
and thought it senseless since I wouldn't spend a fortune on it anyway.
But I shouldn't have undermine its power so soon.

When reality is bad and tough,
It is fashion and it is its lifestyle, that brings back escapism.
It is the fairytale of an ordinary life seen through extraordinary eyes.
And all this, discovered in Alix

Alix is us.
An ordinary girl with passion for fashion, photography and life.
To me, she is what I'd imagine of a Parisian girl.
If anything, she embodies the romance in Paris.

^8 Cee

To all you cat lovers...

2010-01-16T23:19:00.003+08:00

I should appear on National Geographic
(I'm awesome thank you very much ;p)

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 12

2010-01-06T22:55:00.009+08:00

ISTANBUL
The journey ends here =(((((((((

A special shoutout to the people that made it happen!
(L) Emil: Our very organised Malaysian counterpart tourguide. He is a mummy to the whole tour group- ensuring on smooth hotel check-ins, passports, luggages, dietary requirements, etc etc...and adds a bit of Malaysian taste to the tour (literally)

(L) Tamer: Our tourguide who was funny and ever knowledgeable on so many levels and layers. He has a degree from the University in Ankara in linguistic, history and philosophy. Apart from his native tongue, Tamer also has good command of English and also conducts tours in Italian.

(R) Zul: Our awesome bus driver who braves the frequent 8 hours bus journeys. He is always smiling and the bus is always comfortable and in tip top condition. Apart from English and Turkish, Zul speaks fluent Japanese.

And last but not least...My darling cousin who organised and liaised with all parties with regards to the planning and preparation of the tour. It was a huge burden to carry!

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 11

2010-01-03T16:02:00.009+08:00

ISTANBUL
Gunaiden! (Oh yes forgot to teach you that thats Good Morning in Turkish)...Hehe sounds like goodnight

1. We rented out a boat to cruise along the Bosphorus Straits.

Usually they serve tea as a gesture to welcome. But this conniving ass served us tea (in fact pushed it towards us) and after charge us all double of what it usually costs.

This is Dolmabahce (remember 1st day) from Bosphorus' view

my 2 lovelies

The yacht to match the 20million houses along the Straits.
Pffft *Cough* only 20mil

One of the 2 bridges connecting Eastern & Western Turkey

2. Next was the Spice Bazaar. Relatively small compared to the Grand Bazaar but its less packed which is yaaay!

A typical spice standYea sure...

Ppl here must really like their viagras (see Day 8)

3. Hagia Sophia.
Was a church (In fact the largest for about 1000 yrs till about the 16th century) -> mosque -> museum. Beautiful.

As you see, the plaque Allah (god) and Muhammad (prophet), coexist with the image of Mother Mary with Baby Jesus in the middle

Christian mosaics dated from the 12th century

Interior

Exterior

Turkiye: Day 10

2010-01-03T13:12:00.007+08:00

ISTANBUL
Wooo hoo back in Istanbul. Definitely one of my fav cities :)
1. Blue Mosque. We get to go in this time. Its actually officially the Sultan Ahmed Mosque but was nicknamed Blue because of the blue tiles and painting on the domes and etc. Beautiful.

Inside. The wires leading to the original oil lamps (replaced by electric now of course)Outside

2. McDonalds for lunch. We were so happy not to be served lentil soups and bland kebabs for once. Oh and everything in Turkey is halal. Bliss.
3. When it rains, it pours! The winds were so strong.

4. The Grand Bazaar (Turkish: Kapalıçarşı, meaning Covered Bazaar) is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, with more than 58 covered streets and over 1,200 shops which attract between 250,000 and 400,000 visitors daily. Opened in 1461, it is well known for its jewelry, pottery, spice, and carpet shops. (I wiki'ed). But its like a maze in here. And you can only imagine how hectic and chaotic with merchants it was 500 yrs ago. But its pretty much a tourist place nowdays...prices are damn marked-up that bargaining 50% off is not enough. But still very much worth a check out!

In one of the shops that sells lamps and lights. After this picture was taken, the whole grand bazaar blackout-ed for hours...and boy it was an experience navigating and haggling through the maze...but FUN!

5. Kervansaray. Dinner night show. More folk dance and belly dance. Very entertaining :)

One of the stints. A guy threw knife on the board here from a distance from his mouth blindfolded! Oh and you see the Malaysia flag? Every table had a national flag and one of the entertainer sang each of our home country's song. Malaysia's was Rasa Sayang.

I got called up again to join their folk dance. Do I look like I have a 'pull me up' sign on my forehead or something? Should have called my sister, she's the more sporty one when it comes to dancing in front of a crowdThere were 4 belly dancers each with their own individual skills. But by far Asena (picture) is the belle of em all! Dude it was like an earthquake watching her move. Asena is the best anywhere around the world I've seen so far....aaand I just found out that she is Turkey's #1 bellydancer. No surprise there. Ok more googling have led me to this: She has performed at Mig Jagger's concert,Tina Turner's birthday, Queen Elizabeth's palace and special performance for Bill Clinton. No wonder laaa. But if you're into belly dancing, also google Didem (turkey's latest craze)..both taught by the same master sema (asena's mum).

Turkiye: Day 9

2010-01-03T12:34:00.006+08:00

ANKARA
1. Ankara Citadel
2. Anitkabir
Ataturk really is a big deal in Ankara...I mean his picture was all over Ankara. He was the modern founder of Turkey and is as good as him giving life to the turks. Anitkabir is the mausoleum for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk...Its very impressive how they also lay out the history of Modern Turkey underground-lots of paintings, battle simulation, quotes & messages, statues and biography etc etc. There was also a peace park surrounding the mausoleum and it contains around 50,000 decorative trees, flowers and shrubs in 104 varieties, donated from around 25 countries...Ok i'm so not into plants but I think its pretty fresh how countries gives trees and flowers for planting as a symbol of friendship and sign of peace. Ataturk's famous expression, "Peace at home, peace in the country"

The Anitkabir
ATA is the army boys that just graduated that day "It is the basic principle to recognise the national forces as the only power, and to rely on the unquestionable superiority of the national will"
-The Sivas and Erzurum Congresses

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 8

2010-01-03T11:14:00.008+08:00

CAPPADOCIA
1. Kaymakli Underground City

It was used as a shelter and was believed to be there since the Hitite period which is probably thousands of years before christ (ie caveman area-ish i guess??). It is called a city because it was so huge. It could fit 60,000 ppl. This underground city is 40m under and about 8 levels down. Tourist were allowed through the first four levels. Its always 17degrees throughout all the seasons in the year and it gets hotter the deeper you go (towards centre of the Earth). There were bedrooms, storage areas, kitchen, wineries, communal centres etc etc...

Stone door to keep the enemies away. Easy to push from the inside but not from the outside.

2. Somewhere around Cappadocia...3. Have you seen what happens when Popeye eats Spinach...click to enlarge
ANKARA

Ankara is the capital of Turkey... not Istanbul not since Ataturk made the sultans leave within 24/48 hours. Thats coz the Sultans were sellouts to The Allies since the defeat of the Ottoman empire in World War I. Location wise, its pretty central in terms of it being crossroads for trade in Turkey. When we arrived in Turkey the bus drove through streets of shopping. Wheee!! After weeks in suburbia... and all the signs had a big fat discount sign on it. We reached our hotel, checked in, ate and left and the shops were closeeeee :(((( So we ended up just walking about their equivalent of petaling st...well more like a pasar malam (night market)

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 7

2010-01-03T02:54:00.008+08:00

CAPPADOCIA
1. Cappadocia Carpet

Silk worm and its fine threadOnly in Turkey are the carpet double knotted

The carpet that was 12 years in the making. Of course the kids just had to jump on it. Anyway, these carpets are said to last for 3 generations. My cousin bought some and told my niece that she can tell her daughter one day that grandma bought it (thought that was pretty cool)

2. Goreme Open Air Museum.

There used to be civilisation up in these rocks here. Actually the holes you see in the pictures used to be hidden. But erosion (first caused by cracks->snowed on top->melted and goes deeper into crack->freezes again and become ice, causing the crack to expand->etc etc) caused parts of the rocks to fall off and eventually exposing the civilisation inside.

Group shot :)Chapels inside one of the rocks. Chapels in Goreme were said to be built in the 300 A.D. 1300 years ago and see how wonderful the paints still are. Below is the original paint made up of red clay from the river nearby.Later on when they had more money they plastered above the original and did frescoes. If you notice the eyes are chipped off. Some believed that the eye acted as some form of amulet and either carried around with them or mixed it to drink

3. Backstage pottery making.

Pottery making knowledge is traditionally handed down to the men in the family. In this town, if a man did not know how to pottery make he couldnt marry because he would be considered of no profession and unable to support a family. Place we went to visit was in a cave as it has been since 7 generations ago!

The 'intricate-ness' of pottery designI had a go at it too!!

Some display of the works produced

4. Went downtown, 15 minutes walk from our hotel (7 mins drive from Goreme). The town is really something special at night. Dont quite know how to describe it and perhaps closest to it is to imagine living in the Flinstones era!!

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 6

2010-01-02T01:15:00.011+08:00

KONYA
They use coal to keep warm. A very polluted city.

But we were there because it was town of Rumi, the most famous Sufi poet, mystic and theologian.

Sufism is the mystical side to Islam. It is in which Muslims seek to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. Sufis seclude themselves for months and meditate to ends to open up a different way of thinking and reach a different level of devotion and Love for God. Self-discipline and concentration on God leads to the belief that by quelling the self and through loving ardour for God it was possible to maintain a union with the divine in which the human self melted away (ie: state of non-existence). Rumi believed passionately in the use of dance, poetry and music as a path for reaching God. The whirling dervishes, a mystical journey, became a ritual in Sufism because of him.

He not only appealed to the Eastern world but also the Western as he was the "most popular poet in America" in 2007 (800 yrs after his death). Yay! I got hold of his book :) His poetry is an observation of nature around him and Love only for God. My cousin debated that if you were to follow Rumi's teaching then there is no room to love another. True, perhaps. But I want to be in love with another! There must be a way and to which what I discovered gave me goosebumps and a sudden jolt of humility. I reasoned that Rumi believed that God is within everyone and every being. And this justifies one to love another :)

But to follow it in the strictest sense, to love everything and everyone around you and to see God in everything and will to them as you will to God brings you to humility as everything around you is far more divine and strips you of your ego self.

I know I shall be filled with love of life if this is what I breathe but (i) I do not exclusively belief in a higher order/power and (ii) even if I do...even if I do have a leap of faith, this is too much for me to comprehend, too big of a change of how I see life and imaginably too crazy of a life...how do I even start by seeing God in us.

CAPPADOCIA
1. Reached Cappadocia in the evening. Some parts were used in the Star Wars movie! DUH coz its so out of this world!

2. At night, we went out to Yasar Baba to be entertained by some folk dance and traditions and ceremonies

Fire dance outside. So full of energy.Belly dancing. My cousin got pulled up to dance with her and lets just say he was more than eager to go *grins*

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 5

2010-01-01T18:16:00.006+08:00

PAMUKKALE
1. Retreated to Pamukkale (aka cotton castle in Turkish).
It is NOT Snow! It is a build up of calcium. The city of Hierapolis was built on top.
^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 4

2010-01-01T14:34:00.011+08:00

KUSADASI
1. Woke up to an amazing view of the ocean
2. Stopped by Elegant-deri leatherhouse. They hosted a fashion show for us. Towards the end I got pulled backstage to 'model' a jacket... Well more like one of the model made me dance with him.
3. Visited Efes (Ephesus).
It was an ancient Greek city on the west coast of Anatolia, near present day Izmir (where Homer, and coincidentally our tour guide is from), Turkey. Efes was for many years the second largest city of the Roman empire, ranking behind Rome, the empire's capital. Efes had a population of > 250,000 in the 1st century BC, which also made it the second largest city in the world. Only an estimated 15% has been excavated and what we saw already gave an idea of how splendid civilisation was!

On the left and right were shopping lots. A whole stretch of shopping right till the library at the end!

Temple of Hadrian

Library of Celsus with the ladies of the family :)

up close...2 stories high! (felt like 5 stories)
*gasp* frkn hugeeeee LIBRARY!!!!!Amphiteatre...also where gladiators fought
Seated 24,000 + Stands 1,000What used to be a harbor before it was slowly silted up by the Cayster River. (Also a reason for it losing its commercial importance)

^8 Cee

Turkiye: Day 3

2010-01-01T12:33:00.016+08:00

CANNAKALE - KUSADASI
1. Spent first half of the day in Troia (aka Troy)

First of all, I never knew Troy was in Turkey. It was a half an hour trip from our hotel in Cannakale.

The legend of the Trojan War was apparently not really a fight between mortals but a fight amongst the God.

It started with a beauty pageant between Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. The Trojan prince Paris was asked to judge which of the three Olympian goddesses was the most beautiful. Hera and Athena had tried to bribe him with power and victory in battle. Aphrodite offered the love of the most beautiful woman in the world - Helen of Sparta. Paris chose Aphrodite.
Kingdoms allied to Greece had taken an oath to protect the marriage of Menelaus and Helen and when she was abducted, war started btwn Greece and its allies against Troy with Hera and Athena siding the Greeks and Aphrodite siding the Trojans. The war went on for 10 years.
It was upon the 10th year that the Greeks faked retreat and tricked the Trojans with the infamous Trojan Horse which could fit 40 of its strongest warriors. The Trojans broke their walls down to bring the huge horse in thinking that it could please Athena, the goddess of war.
At nightfall, the hidden warriors attacked the city from the inside and that was the downfall of Troy.

Whether the mythical war took place is debatable as the earliest record of it was by Homer (also from Turkey and not Greece!) some 400 years after the war supposedly took place. But the city did exist and it could have been destroyed by earthquakes.

The tiny horse...

...NOT! This horse was built in the 19th century and acts as a symbol for the place.

Against the remaining walls of Troy

Was once part of Athena's temple

The wells where they used to sacrifice animals

2. Visited Acropolis after lunch.
Clearly not the Acropolis of Athens. There are many acropolis in the world. Acropolis means "up town" or "highest city". As you can imagine, the view was amazing!

Our tourguide, Tamer (2nd from right) pointing out the city belowAll 21 of us!The amphiteatre. Sunset :)

Turkiye: Day 2

2010-01-01T03:13:00.008+08:00

ISTANBUL
1. I got 11 hours of sleep after a week of so little sleep :)

So fresh!

2. Visited Dolmabahce palace.

It was built in the 19th century with elements of Baroque, Rococo and Neoclassical styles. Apparently built because Topkapi (see previous day) was too simple and lacking in grandeur. Well trust me, this palace is very impressive. Even better than the one I saw in Vienna. No pictures allowed and I cant even begin to describe how regal and grand it was. The rich colours, the crystals, the intricate laces, the well preserved marbles, the high ceilings, the view outside to the Bosphorus straits...*sigh* Even the crystal staircase was enough for me to think of Beauty and the Beast. Hmmm but the library was disappointing tho...ooooh but there was a book with a carving the size of a bottle in between the pages ;)
(Pictures below dont do justice as they dont capture the inside of the palace. All I can say is that I really recommend a tour here)

ISTANBUL - CANNAKALE
1. 6 hours on the bus! Played poker and winner had to eat a piece of Turkish delight since we had no poker chips. It was yummy but we had a tad too much.
2. Buffet at hotel and they served Turkey. Hehe of course I just had to have it soooo that I can say I ate Turkey in Turkey!! I realise I am lame thank you very much.

^8

Turkiye: Day 1

2009-12-31T17:09:00.017+08:00

I'm back!!!
Was on vacation in Turkey with my family. 21 of us :)
I loveee Turkey!!! Will definitely recommend it and I will definitely visit Istanbul again if I can.
So here is a super brief day by day recap sorta like a travel journal! Hope that it can somewhat act as a guide if you do plan to visit Turkey (or maybe inspire you to go :)

Day 1: ISTANBUL
Historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinapole.
Istanbul has a population of 15 million.
Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world that is situated on 2 continents - Asia (Anatolia) and Europe.

1. 'Fresh' from the plane at 7am, we went sightseeing...
2. But first we stopped by for breakfast at Saray cafe situated in front of the New Mosque. Had cheese bread and meat bread (The kids attacked the dishes so I never had chance for pictures). Had my first taste of Turkish coffee...small but strong!
3. Visited Topkapi palace.
It was built in the 15th century with Asian influence architecture and design and has so many lovely courtyards. The palace was transformed into a museum at the end of the Ottoman empire. It displays many treasuries and relics of the Ottoman empire and Islamic collections including swords of the caliphs and prophet Muhammad. Some of the swords were hugeeeee. Hehe you can only imagine how strong they were ;)

At one of the lovely courtyards

View from the palace

5. It was extremely cold and we took 'refuge' in hot corns and chestnuts sold by the roadside. Oooh also tried fresh pomegranate juice. Yummmy (Plus point: Taste nutritious)6. Attempted to visit the Blue Mosque nearby. It was prayer time so visitors had no access. Below is the wudhu' place just underneath the mosque (Wudhu' is the cleansing ritual of oneself before prayers)7. Checked in at about 3pm and retired to a nice warm bubble bath...what a life :)

8. Walked about the main shopping street on the new side of Istanbul...very crowded with ppl (but then again it was Saturday evening). People in Istanbul are on average good looking - guys and girls!
9. Tried Turkish wine just before dinner. Quite yummy (too bad didnt remember the name of the bottle as we suffered from some bad wines later on).
10. Later on in the night we had seafood by the fish market and had our first taste of Turkish ice-cream....was as chewy as the 'rabbit' candy!^8 Cee

December, month of festivities

2009-12-13T12:00:00.009+08:00

It has finally dawned upon me that:

1) End of year is finally here,

2) I am taking days off work for the first time,

and what seriously occurred to me two minutes ago was that I am very excited....

3) 6 days countdown before I am in this land right here.Please click image. You have to see it enlarged!

Cee gets to travel again!

Love
^8 Cee

Hey RS

2009-12-08T23:28:00.011+08:00

Introducing another smart, young capable lady....AND ALSO another super good friend of mine, *Rozzle Dozzle*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We've been friends back from our boarding school days where things were all dazed, crazy, young and sweet -> to uni days where she's been there to chill out, live it up and party up!! -> to travelling days (Gold Coast and Europe :)) to experience and became a definite add-on to the adventures! From nature walk tours to bungee jumps and sooo much more ;)
Babes, I'm so thankful for you...for someone to count on and enjoy with :)

xxx

Its Shu Bear

2009-12-03T22:12:00.009+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a smart, young capable lady.

But best of all Happy Birthday to a lovely *Shu Bear*.
The super good friend who has lovely morning walks, chit chatty coffee breaks in winter, extended study sessions in the libraries, shopping sprees, random pillow talks...and not forgetting checking out the eye candy at Castro's ;)
plus many more simple LOL moments. hehe.

And as much as I wont admit it, I do miss Melbourne with you and how we used to be an sms away :(

xxxLion

In health and sickness

2009-11-29T21:50:00.004+08:00

When I was a kid, I used to watch my parents sleep. I used to watch their chest go up and down. I remember how I used to wait for it to move and how slow time passes by. I did all this because someone once told me that people die in their sleep.

But I dont do that anymore.

Do I not have time anymore. Am I too busy with life to worry of death. Or do I simply take things forgranted.

It took sickness to make me remember...To remind me that my parents are humans and that they can be weak. Its frightening and unnerving to see them weak but I guess its life reminding us of the important things we take forgranted. And for that, perhaps sickness is just as important as health.

^8 Cee

Better World

2009-11-27T18:51:00.011+08:00

A friend of mine believes that not only does the world around us shape us, but that we too shape the world. So if you've ever dreamed and envisioned for a better world, why not start to shape it into a better world!

You can make a difference. You dont have to be rich or it doesnt have to take up most of your time. Start small, make it sustainable!

My friend is starting with a conscious kind-act-a-day. Follow it at his blog here!
Its a simple concept. He starts it with himself - do a kind act a day to another. And lets say another 2 friends joins him on this idea, then you've got 3 people contributing a kind act each. And if these 2 new friends get another 2 new friends each, then you've got 7 people contributing a kind act each everyday...and it goes on and on and on....and hopefully it becomes a movement. Globally, you've got a whole new generation of people consciously choosing to do a kind act each day. Imagine that!

I stress on the word conscious because I believe that a better world should start with a change in mentality. By consciously choosing to do a kind act a day, you consciously realise the need for change and the importance of kindness and human relation. So why not start now?

Do a-kind-act-a-day and change the world to a better place. TRY IT! And at the very least support him, support the guy that is willing to change if you're not. Support him by reading his blog and encouraging and spreading the news (hehe like me!). But best of all, support him by joining in with his idea... Start a blog to keep a kindness diary for yourself and for others - you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping the entire world.

You start small and you dream big!
A small act of kindness collectively CAN change the world.

Credits to my 13 y.o. brother who co-wrote this post
P.s.: a short conversation btwn my bro and I
Me: You wanna say your age or not?
Him: Yea.
Me: How old?
Him: 13......single"
Me: -_-" (Ignoring him)
Him: Write single.
Me: -_-" -_-" -_-"
----and just when you think its over----
Him: Put exclamation mark. Single!

^8 Cee

I heard just about the smartest thing on hospitality today...

2009-11-24T21:10:00.012+08:00

On my way to work, I listen to BFM 89.9
BFM is great coz it plays random songs that you dont hear elsewhere.
And from 8-8.20am its the breakfast grill!
Its where they interview key ppl on their respective industries.
(Perfect for people like me who are just clueless about industry insights)

Anyway back to the subject matter, the smartest quote on hospitality introduced by a speaker from a PR background is that.....
Pubs dont sell beer.
Hehe well that definitely caught my attention.

You know why???

Its because.........
lets say there is a row of pubs, the row of pubs all serve the same beer at roughly the same price. But you dont just walk into any 1st, 2nd, or 3rd pub. Instead, you choose to walk a little bit more and walk into the 4th one. Why?
If all the beers are the same, why the 4th and not the 1st, 2nd, 3rd?

You walk that extra distance and choose the pub based on their service and the experience you get from it. Essentially, whats being sold is not beer but service.

2 months of hols

2009-11-24T01:13:00.001+08:00

Yaaaaayyyyyy.
School holiday is here.

Ho Ho Ho. I'm no school kid.
I'm just someone who appreciates the less jammed up road in the morning.

Hello Beauty Sleep ;)

^8 Cee

Lalink

2009-11-24T01:11:00.001+08:00

I spoke to my bestie.
And she laughed at my blog -_-"

Hehe I know you love me.
I love you too :)

^8 Cee

Freaky Coincidence

2009-11-21T17:47:00.004+08:00

True story.

My granduncle passed away at the age of 67 at about 1.30pm due to heart attack. May his soul rest in peace.
The very next day, at 1.30 pm, the driver that drove my granduncle's body to the graveyard, who is coincidentally 67 years old, also passed away because of heart attack.

Freaky Coincidence? YEP.

Life oh life...

^8

A death has happened

2009-11-20T00:41:00.006+08:00

The burial took place at night.
Everything went smoothly. It felt so peaceful and it was rather *beautiful* having a gathering of people around the graveyard under a clear nightsky to bid farewell and celebrate another person's life.

But imagine, 67 years of living and all it takes is hours to return back to soil...and only moments of celebrating the end. But hey, maybe I'm missing the point. Maybe life is a lifelong celebration and/or 'the end' is not necessarily the end after all ;)

Whatever it is, lets remember to live and remember that all things material eventually disappears (and perhaps all things non material for that matter).

Lastly,
Don't fear death just because you fear the unknown

^8 Cee

Sweet Child O' Mine

2009-11-17T23:37:00.010+08:00

Sometimes that one song can transport you back to time regardless of where you are and what you're doing. That one song can stop you on your tracks and memories and emotions simply rush through. And its that feeling where you're just THERE...i dont know where...but just THERE >>> lost in time and space

And no matter what you're going through, you simply smile

:)

^8 Cee

Moscow

2009-11-08T23:15:00.005+08:00

I may be biased because I *love* Vodianova

But I MUST MUST MUST go to Moscow

I wanna gooooooo :(

ps: check out the Metro station :)
ps: check out part 2 as well on Youtube.

^8 Cee

#21: Zorbing

2009-10-24T23:56:00.008+08:00

Yay I can cross #21 off my list of things to do!

Zorbing
What is it: The activity of rolling down the hill in a bubble ball
Location: Tasik Titiwangsa.
Occasion: Birthday treat from AP. Thank you!!

Step 1: Choose. You can opt for the
1) dry roll, or
2) wet roll.
We opted for #2

Step 2: Get strapped in the bubble ball

Step 3: Roll down the hill.
Its like being in a washing machine!!!!!

FUNNNNN!!!

Whats next?

I dont know what I want

2009-10-23T21:05:00.013+08:00

I don't know what I want.

Actually, no.
I am convinced that I want what society wants out of me.
Or maybe I am a coward for not daring to want otherwise.

Maybe I am not a coward. Maybe I am just being practical.
I have always been practical...except when I act on impulse.
Or on the rare occasions where I jump and go against my own reasoning. Because sometimes things don't make sense logically but you just know that they somehow do.

I guess you just live. And live with no regrets.
Ignorance may be bliss but living consciously is pretty awesome too coz you cant possibly regret when you consciously choose.

Greaaaat...A monologue.
Ok go distract myself.

^8 Cee

Or maaaybe....

2009-10-23T20:38:00.006+08:00

Or maybe I want to travel.
Yep, do plenty of it. Become a world resident.
Or do something else. Anything! Take the path less traveled.

But I cant. I NEED to have a stable forward looking job.
For now, I am a slave to money.

Actually, no. To be more truthful, I am a slave to society.
I am a sucker for society's blessings.

Don't get me wrong. I am not miserable.
On the contrary... I am happy, I am grateful and I am positive about life.
But why am I conditioned to happiness in such a way?

^8

M.A.D.

2009-10-23T20:13:00.005+08:00

Make . a . difference

I want to make a difference.
But I don't know how.
Or maybe I don't actually care enough.
Or maybe I dont believe that I'll make any difference.
Whichever...

I want to make a difference.
To go M.A.D.

^8

Courage

2009-10-03T08:14:00.007+08:00

Inspirational!!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are all powerful beyond our measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God, your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are meant to shine as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us, its in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson

How many times have we doubted ourselves - that we're not smart enough, interesting enough, good enough. How many times have we decided not to stand out - To keep quiet when you know the answer, to dress down to blend in, to do nothing when presented with opportunities. Why do we do it. Why not take the courage to do something outstanding, to shine, to fulfill our destiny.

^8 Cee

Perak

2009-09-26T23:05:00.007+08:00

I was browsing through the newspaper this morning and I am now convinced that I MUST find a way to Perak's Kinta Valley and Gunung Rapat.

As if you wont feel and think the same after looking at these pictures. Its like a land and time forgotten.

Pictures are credited to source page. Click the pictures to be redirected to source page.

^8 Cee

Latest Raya Accessories:

2009-09-20T22:04:00.011+08:00

Babies!!

We were co-hosting...so at one stage my mum, my sister and I babysat so that the mothers could relax and enjoy the yummy raya dishes. Picture this:

This could very well be reality for my family a couple years down the road.Scary?! Yes!!! :s (even my grandma's confused!) But so exciting!

^8 Cee

Updates from my end

2009-09-19T10:15:00.012+08:00

Time for an update coz 2 weeks of no-blogging is a looooong time. Update is gonna be mostly work related coz honestly thats all I've been up to. Some of your sms-es during the week made me smile. Good to know that I still have friends even without the time :) So *cough* *cough* sms me moreeee.

Ok. Updates from my end:

Update 1: Puasa and Raya
Fasting month is over. Hardly felt like it was fasting month. Hardly had any proper buka puasa as I was mostly in the office. Sahur was probably the only quality family time I had.
Raya will be here and I look like shit. Plenty of eyebags. But cant wait for it anyhow :) Since I'm a working girl this yr, I'll be giving out duit raya. Hehe dunno why but that'll be quite exciting too. Its like another phase of life

Update 2: Exams
4 down.
1 fail as you know but have since passed the other 3. Yaaay!
If only you guys knew how feverish I felt for my Treasury exams.
One final exam coming up after Raya.

Update 3: Corporate Finance week just ended.
We had to do sales pitch, debates and host EGMs.
Loved, as in LOVEEEEEEEED the week.
We learnt and did case studies on IPO, secondary offerings, and mergers and acquisition (M&A).
To me, M&A is the best bit of em all. Its the best sort of arts and science I've seen. The workings to a marriage that statistic shows to be 10% successful.Lol.
We camped overnight at work for two nights (my darling parents even sent me pillows and change of clothes at 4am in the morning), spent our lunches stocking up on sleep and used the work gym to shower in the mornings. Lol. Plenty of invaluable memories with my batchmates.
Oh well the week is over. Relieved to have my sleep back but am actually quite sad its over. Withdrawal symptom!

All in all, its been quite a crazy week. I'm not complaining coz I have really enjoyed it.

Selamat Hari Raya to all and Maaf Zahir Batin

Sincerely yours, Cee

500 days of summer

2009-09-06T07:38:00.005+08:00

Cant wait to watch this :) :)

DONT BE LAZY! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS TRAILER

----------updated 23rd Oct 2009
Identified with it.
Loved it <3.

^8

Lady Rouge

2009-09-06T07:31:00.006+08:00

Hi.
Love her.
Love Dior.
Love this ad.

Kick that habit

2009-08-30T05:50:00.009+08:00

Took my bros out to buka puasa (break fast) and do some shoe shopping for myself.

In the car on the way back they saw a guy flicking his cigarette out the window onto the road.

My bros rolled down their windows and started saying some stuff to that guy in the car parallel to us....Oh My God I was like damn SHOCKED!!!!
And then the car went behind us and I was like "Eh!!! What if they're samsengs (bullies)???!!"

to which my bros replied, "We'll throw your heels at them!!"

Hahahahahahaaha ok imagine heels flying across the road. lol.

But seriously please...if you do smoke, dont flick em out of the window.
Even 13 and 14 year olds know its wrong!

^8

Sunset

2009-08-24T20:35:00.006+08:00

Sunset was perfectly surreal today.
Wish I had a camera to capture it and forever keep with me.
Suddenly its like anything and everything in life made sense.
I didnt want it to leave me. I didnt want to live a day without it. I didnt want to forget.

Thats so typical us isnt it?
Why cant we love freely without owning?

^8