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How to discover our destiny

2011-11-23T04:16:00.001-08:00

How to discover our destiny

How to discover our destiny
Bootcamp Challenge : Pushing the limits
Football Everyday : 23rd November 2011
Hidden Cities returns on HISTORY
Introducing Quick Takes – Photoblogging With My Samsung Galaxy S II
The Pouring Rain
Doltish Adulation
Invisalign
Best episode of Hawaii Five-0, so far...
Get Merry with Ferry Corsten
wordless wednesday #10 - siriusly?
I am not dead & you must [like] this page!
Market Commentatry
BERSIH Saksi: Gas pemedih ditembak ke hospital!
Rosevelt's '17:35' Album Launch
Malaysia has an asshole Umno-led BN government!
Starbucks 2012 planner
Fuah! Spritzer Water Dispenser!
Najib the pseudo reformist, far from best democracy
Kabocha Pumpkin Pie

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 02:54 AM PST

After completing the SPM examinations in 2003, I wanted to pursue my childhood ambition of studying Psychology. But my parents and I were living from hand to mouth at that time. My mom earned RM500.00 a month while income from renting out additional rooms in the house to nearby college students brought in another RM700.00 which was barely enough to pay off utility bills, let alone put enough food on the table. One of my mother's sisters offered to sponsor my college tuition but she would not pay for a degree in Psychology because Psychologists need post-graduate qualifications, considering my family situation at that time, my aunt wanted me to study something that would guarantee immediate financial return upon graduation.

But I am not a person who does things only for money. If I have to do something, it must be an end in itself. So I looked at my other interests, my artistic interests and decided to study for a diploma in interior design at a nearby college. During the foundation year, I took leisure at taking classes in photography using my dad's Nikon Single-Lens Reflect, in charcoal drawing and Watercolor painting from an established local artist, in geometric and plan drafting, and in cardboard model building. But I soon realized that my eyesight needed to be sharper because drafting in interior architecture design requires precision. This was depressing to me so I quickly accepted this fact and moved on just so I did not continue to feel miserable. Up till then, I had also been taking an additional class from the music faculty – choir – so I spoke to the choir master who was also the music department's head and figured that I could switch my major.

And that was what I did. If my eyes were not strong enough for me to pursue my interest in visual arts, then I could further my musical talents. I had previous trainings in piano, violin and vocal music so pursuing a full cert music diploma was not a difficult decision for me to make. I decided to major in vocal music with a minor in piano music. In secondary school, I sang a lot of Broadway musicals under the tutelage of Susanna Saw San San and now, in college, I took lessons from Cecilia Yap, an MPO opera singer who previously received her training in a music conservatoir in Rome. I'd stay back in college until it closes around 10pm to practice my piano because I could never afford a piano at home. I dreamt of becoming an outstanding vocalist like my predecessors.

In September that year, I had to take leave from music lessons to remove a brain tumor in L.A. For reasons unknown to me at that time, my Soprano vocal range became limited after surgery. I could no longer sing beyond half an octave.

Upon my return from L.A., further MRI revealed another brain tumor threatening to make my other ear deaf. This means total deafness was imminent. With a heavy heart, I quit music classes and searched for something else to do. Somehow, I was led to consider teaching pre-school. Although I could not pursue my Psychology ambition, I still wanted to do something relevant and child psychology interests me. I came across an ad placed by a newly opened kindergarten in the neighborhood and went for an interview. They offered me RM600 a month to teach English. I happily accepted the offer and did not think anything further about the salary amount because the opportunity was priceless to me.

My time at the kindergarten turned out to be a challenging feat. Teaching young children was much harder than I had anticipated. But I did it as best as I could until my residual hearing reached to the point that it was no longer useful two months later. During those two short months, I had the opportunity to observe the relationship dynamic between different toddlers and their parents. I took special note of the difference between children who have one parent working outside the home and those who have both parents working outside the home. I also observed how their parents' personalities shape the child's social adaptability.

When my residual hearing was no longer useful two months later, I quit my position at the Kindergarten in February 2005 but continued to raise awareness about Neurofibromatosis through the internet. Less than a month later, a lady by the named of Cordelia Lee came across my blog, was touched by my zest and suggested me to write a book which I worked on in the next couple of months. I wrote the book with the intention of raising awareness about Neurofibromatosis and helping others facing different challenges in life. My author's journey became public knowledge when I appeared in The Star newspaper for the first time in August that year. Someone nominated me for the Asian Youth Ambassadors' Most Outstanding Youth of the Year award which I eventually won in November 2005.

Among other things, this award came with a full scholarship by a local institution named Life College. They didn't teach Psychology, but I seized the opportunity to further my studies nevertheless and selected a course that interests me – Mass Communication, because I liked journalism. Since my first appearance in The Star newspaper in August 2005, I have been asked to write contributions for different newspapers and magazines. A new talent developed in me and I decided to make good use of it by studying mass communications until I had to go for another brain surgery yet again ten months later. In those ten months, I enjoyed studying literature in English class, public relations from Pinky Khoo, and journalism from a retired reporter of the Star Newspaper. I also enjoyed picking up feature writing and proper composition skills. This was my first time being a student in total deafness.

By October 2006, I managed to raise enough funds to remove the other brain tumor that had taken my residual hearing.Before I left Malaysia for surgery in L.A. I was contacted by the public relation liaison of SEGi College offering me to study with them under scholarship. I was already pursuing a Diploma in Mass Communications at Life College at that time, but I decided to have a look at what they had to offer anyway.

To my delight, they taught Psychology! Needless to say, I accepted the offer and was finally pursuing my childhood ambition at the age of 21, three years after SPM. Although I allowed my dream of studying Psychology to take a back seat and did what was practical in the past three years, but I never abandoned my childhood dream. When the opportunity presented itself, I recognized it and seized it immediately.

It did not occur to me that I will one day be able to study Psychology. In those days after my SPM, I either get myself a place in a public university and hope that they will let me study my degree choice, or pay RM300,000.00 to study abroad. Psychology was beyond everybody's reach back then.

Having little choice, I was willing to pursue my other interests for a career. But while most would go into business school, medicine, engineering or some other high paying professions, I stood my ground and refused to study with money as an end. Instead, I studied what I enjoyed. Never mind if my Psychology dream never came to be. I was prepared to do interior design, music or journalism till the end if nothing else intervenes.

On hindsight, I think God unwittingly taught me to live in the present, not the future. We may live FOR the future, but we must live in the present. Living in the present involves being practical and choose to do what is within our means. It involves focusing on what is in front of us rather than a distant, non-existent dream. If we focus on an un-materialized dream, it will always seem unattainable and so far away. We will constantly feel discouraged. But if we focus on living in the present, make practical decisions and small achievements day by day, we will soon find our destiny at our doorstep.

Sometimes, we may not know what is our destiny. In my case, I was not even sure if studying Psychology was mine to partake. So I just focused on doing whatever was in front of me, enjoy my studies and learn to be content with doing what I set my hands on. By having this focus of our mind and heart in the present, only can we be guided by God to follow our intuition and be able to recognize when the opportunity to attain our dream appears. Otherwise, we would be so absorbed in dreaming about a non-existent future, that we neglect to develop ourselves as individuals and will fail to recognize opportunities.

I had becoma a much more suitable candidate to study Psychology with the life experience I gained by the age of 21 than I was as an 18-year-old secondary school graduate.

P/S: I am 25 and in my third year of a BSc in Psychologym studying directly with Upper Iowa University through it's extended university programs at the time of writing this.

Bootcamp Challenge : Pushing the limits

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:19 AM PST

	Bootcamp Challenge : Pushing the limits In the second episode, Aaron Raj pushes his limits burning fats in the bootcamp challenge.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 0 ratings
	Time: 03:40	More in News & Politics

Football Everyday : 23rd November 2011

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:17 AM PST

	Football Everyday : 23rd November 2011 Football Everyday is back this week as host Nelsen Ng speaks to Ben Ibrahim and Brian Martin about the weekend's results and preview Liverpool vs. Manchester City.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 0 ratings
	Time: 13:00	More in News & Politics

Hidden Cities returns on HISTORY

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:27 AM PST

	Hidden Cities returns on HISTORY After a successful first season, Hidden Cities - HISTORY's flagship original production - returns for a second stint with a bigger budget and double the episodes. We caught up with host Anthony Morse to find out what we can expect from the show.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 0 ratings
	Time: 07:16	More in News & Politics

Introducing Quick Takes – Photoblogging With My Samsung Galaxy S II

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 01:12 AM PST

Looks like I have been going through a spell of drought where blogging is concerned. By blogging, I meant writing. September was the worst month as I only churned out one post. On the other hand, I have been actively updating my second photoblog that I christened Quick Takes. It features images taken and uploaded with the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Although the camera phone allows very limited control as compared to a conventional digital camera, I enjoy capturing images and post them up on the go. The lack of updates was also due to the fact that I have been spending the past couple of weeks setting up the photoblog and updating the other blogs as well. There was an issue of the image captions not being parsed in the RSS feed that took almost a week of wading through Google and WordPress forums to resolve.

The Digital Awakening's homepage has been redesigned to include links to the latest posts in my other blogs and Wuan's photoblog. Some of these have not been updated for a couple of years. I noticed the same trend among bloggers active in Facebook and Twitter who have not been updating their blogs as frequently as they used to. These two microblogging medias have dampened our enthusiasm somewhat for writing longer posts. I guess I need to manage my time better between Facebook, Twitter and my blogs to break this affliction.

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The Pouring Rain

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 11:13 PM PST

It's raining heavily now, the layers of grey clouds said hai..
The heavy monsoon showers are back for quite a while.
Goodbye sunny weather..
Welcome rain train..we've been waiting.

Moisture-laden dark clouds pouring God's gift of love..
The thunder the lightning the roaring winds and sweet 'tears',
The rain gap stopper has only a short snuff.

So let our smiling vibes out and enjoy the precious life..
With those whom we love and care so deeply for.
Trust them, support and believe in them,
quickly show how much our love overflows,
like the lovely lakes of fresh, cold non-stop downpour.

My mind is pirouetting with Mother-Nature's music outside..
Like a still graceful old swan,
I ballet my indescripable emotional love for those on my ILYVM list
and..
HIM.

HE who makes me feel courageous when I'm scared..
HE who I turn to when I'm spiritually lost..
HE who I pray to seek help..
HE who is always there when I'm all alone..
HE who listens to every beat of my heart.

HE who understands me HE who encourages me..

HE who deeply pities me..
HE who will punish me if I don't start to seriously buck up!

Ya Allah Ya Tuhan ku Yang Maha Pengasih Lagi Penyayang
I beg for your forgiveness every second..
For my sins and those of my loved ones..
And for those who may need my help to pray for theirs.

Make us Muslims who are prepared for heavens before you call us back for judgement..
Bestow upon us great health and longevity surrounded with abundance of love..
Equip us with high intelligence and constant wisdom..
to continuously achieve loads of happiness & success.

Guide us diligently through life religiously and prosperously..
Grant us always to be immensely happy for both this beautiful, temporary R & R world..
and our eternal Hereafter place of stay.
Ameen.

p.s.
Spicy nasi goreng and hot coffee anybody?

Fateen?? Where are your snow photos in Oregon?
Email to Hakim please..my email refuse to open..snoozzzing.
Love you loads!
Thanks!

Doltish Adulation

Posted: 23 Nov 2011 12:52 AM PST

Yet another sneak peek into the lucrative business of the political (and politically-linked) elites.

I hope The Malaysian Insider had paraphrased PAC chairman Azmi Khalid correctly that "money had been given to NFC management in 2008/2009 through a special account, when the agreement deal for the project was only inked last year."

Talk about money on a silver ( gold would go for those billion Ringgit projects) platter, eh?

One after another the project is riddled with supposed shenanigans.

I remember reading an FB posting that the project went through a Cabinet Committee only instead of the full Cabinet. Can't really verify this one, but PKR has been yammering for the Papers to be made public.

Yeah, for sure this one will happen. When the cows go home (pun fully intended) la!.

This community of ours – though not of late – is perhaps much too steeped in feudalistic adoration that questioning the conducts of these so-called elites are usually done behind the scenes and at Kopitiams etc, as mentioned by Marina Mahathir in her (as always) hard hitting commentary today.

We are forever kissing the hands that supposedly feeds us, mere peanuts notwithstanding.

Not all, but enough to make the money siphoning – Columnist Subky Latif coin this as "Bakhsis" aka commission - circus continue in its national and international tour and circuit.

Marina very pertinently asked: "So how long will we put up with imbeciles leading us? How long will we tolerate unbridled greed and hate?"

I do protest the use of the word "imbeciles" in this case, as these are not mentally retarded dolts but highly clever, conniving, calculative, fiendish and utterly feudalistic-inclined people who feels and sees no wrong, no shame, in what they are doing.

Be it the pillaging and plundering of the national coffer, playing one's race, religion and group against another, manipulating community's civil expectations or even the public relationship-ning of a much revered Rukun Islam!

Na'uzubillah...

In fact, it may well be WE who are the dolts.

Invisalign

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 08:15 AM PST

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook you would have known that i have started my Invisalign procedure awhile ago from Orchard Scotts Dental (Orchard Road, Singapore).

If you would bear with me, this is quite a long story.

I did my braces when i was 14 years old. That's more than 10 years ago. (I would love to post a pic of me wearing braces lol but all my old albums are back in Seremban. Maybe in my next invisalign update ok!)

Anyway, i extracted 4 teeth, and had metal in my mouth for 2 years (luckily that time haven't pak tor so no #thatawardmoment during make out), and my dentist asked me to wear retainers until i was 19.

BIG, FREAKING, LIE.

I wore retainers until i was 21.

Xiaxue has this theory about dentist conspiracy, and say they never tell you you have to wear retainer FOR LIFE, so that they earn more money when you go back and fix it wtf.

So when my wisdom teeth grew out a year or two later, they pushed all my other teeth until they became all messed up again, especially the bottom row.

So nao all my braces effort wasted and i was very pissed off about it, but i thought, oh well, there's always Photoshop and it's not that obvious anyway (my upper teeth are quite perfect).

UNTIL I STARTED DOING VLOGS.

Wa sibeh cannot tahan when i look at my bottom teeth i want to break them all off wtf! I didn't realize that the perfect smile is SO SO SO important and it bothered me very much until i feel super self conscious whenever i have to do a video. But there's NO WAY i would go back to wearing braces again after that two years of looking like Kathy Beth Terry.

When i heard about invisalign, i was so happy and was super determined to do it. So i went to a local dentist and after the consultation, the orthodontist told me that invisalign cannot achieve the effect i want (i wanted to push my front teeth back a little cuz i have a slight overbite), and they encourage me to do the more aesthetically acceptable braces, which is white color, but still you have metal stuck in your teeth or whatever. I said that's OUT OF THE QUESTION. So in the end he quoted me for my invisalign, guess how much?

22k onwards.

Summore he said cannot promise the result i want lo, wtf right.

I was very sad and succumbed to my fate to have bad teeth for life until one day i went to SG, and teman Xiaxue to her dentist in Orchard Road to get her new invisalign aligners and while feeling stupendously envious, i just asked if there's a chance they could sponsor a Malaysian blogger as well *thick face* and she said she'll help me ask.

And after a consultation with her F4 orthodontist Dr Ronnie Yap, he said he'd check my condition and let me know. Two weeks later i flew all the way back to SG and was extremely nervous about the result and he said…

YES.

It felt as if just got myself a marriage.

I'm getting sponsored invisalign by Orchard Scotts Dental!

Man i'm forever indebted to Xiaxue for my future straight teeth. Maybe i should engrave her name there wtf.

The funny thing is, when i visited my Malaysian friend Annie who married to Singapore, we had the same appointment on the same day at Orchard Scotts because she is also considering doing her invisalign in at there because she said that's the best in SG, and they are also the Platinum Elite Providers of Invisalign. That alone sounds more than promising already.

So after doing my mould and waiting a few weeks of waiting for my aligners to be customized, I finally got them!!

Here's the simulation video of how much teeth will look, BEFORE and AFTER.

More video on upper teeth, lower teeth and side view on my Youtube Channel.

Amazing isn't it!!! I'm so so so excited about it!

These are used aligners. I will get a total of 20 sets, and i'm on my 4th now!

Even though that means i will have to travel to Singapore at least once every 6-8 weeks to do a regular progress check-up and also get my new aligners, it is totally worth it.

Dr Ronnie Yap is the BEST DENTIST i've ever had. (Ok orthodontist but i'v only had two so. whatever! He's the best!!!) He has the smile of a bright sun, hair of F4 (according to Xiaxue lol) and super super patient with all my questions, and also Malaysian <3

And do you know that people do invisalign not only for aesthetical purpose? Dr Ronnie spent like half an hour explain to me why our jaw is so important that it directly contributes to many health related issues!!! He's now wearing invisalign too despite having perfect teeth because he has back pain (!?!??!)

Apparently if you have back problem, neck pain (like i do!!) etc it could very well be related to the reason as simple as the way you breathe and jaw misalignment etc. And Some of those problems can be corrected by invisalign! Ok i might not quote everything 100% correct here because it's very technical stuff so go consult a orthodontist!

ANYWAY after saying so much finally some pictures!!!

This is me WEARING my invisalign.

It is TOTALLY transparent and really invisible (hence the name) and throughout the duration since i wore it a month ago, nobody noticed anything except when i took them off during meals and my friends went INGLIP.jpg "what did you just do?!?!!?"

Only when you get really REALLY close up only you can see a transparent layer over your teeth. But nobody will ever get so close to my mouth except my future boyfriend so yea.

This is again, me wearing my aligners, just to show you how awesome it is.

And that's the beauty of Invisalign.

I can't wait to have straight perfect teeth.

Get an appointment with Orchard Scotts Dental nao!

Location: 501 Orchard Road, Wheelock Place #05-08, Singapore 238880
Phone: +65 67329939 ; +65 7326889 (fax)
Website http://www.orchardscottsdental.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OrchardScottsDental

Best episode of Hawaii Five-0, so far...

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 11:21 PM PST

This week's episode of the second season of the new Hawaii Five-0 certainly ranks as one of the best that I've watched so far. It was not so much as a stand-alone weekly police procedural show to find out who-killed-who in Oahu, Hawai'i, but rather, a foray by the Five-0 team plus extra help into the deep jungles of North Korea on a rescue to extract their gung-ho Fearless Leader Steve McGarrett who had fallen into a trap by his sworn enemy, Wo Fat, using Jenna Kaye as the bait. Never mind that the story was incredulously thin but the action throughout the show was enough to keep me watching this episode a second time and a third time today. Phew! My best moment in the show? When The James Gang's Funk 49 began playing from the cartridge player as the helicopter took off. Thanks for the memory!

ca-pub-5430283382112812

Get Merry with Ferry Corsten

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:11 AM PST

Many have referenced him as the DJ's DJ, as he emerges to spread the word on trance and dance tunes worldwide. Him who? Ferry Corsten. Currently, aside from his awe-inspiring resume, he has tattooed the DJ territory by swapping the titles of Best Producer of the Year by the Ericsson Music Awards and Best Trance DJ by the Ibiza DJ Awards.

As far as Ferry tackles the various genres in the market, his record collection goes way back since the age of nine. He is best known for his unparallel up-tempo, big-room trance and house sound. His "Once Upon a Night" compilation that made his tours possible, as he sparkles the mainstream music and introduces breakthrough talents. The compilation project was released on time as his tour flourished him with prevailing music genres from various geographical grounds he stopped by in 2010.

If you are a party-goer who has a fetish for contemporary experimental dance beats, come on down to Malaysia's favourite club and experience, what seems to be on the surface, a Zouk Out session with Netherland's DJ Ferry Corsten.

Get Merry with Ferry Corsten
Date: 23rd December 2011 (Friday)
Venue: Zouk KL
Entrance Fee: RM68 Ladies / RM78 Men (inc 1 drink)
Website: www.ferrycorsten.com

wordless wednesday #10 - siriusly?

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 11:41 PM PST

[Source]

I am not dead & you must [like] this page!

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 10:37 PM PST

Remember I am still blogging on facebook! This blog is not dead! It channels you to a new one not dictated by google! (But another Jew call Mark Suckerbird!)

Market Commentatry

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 10:22 PM PST

You may have noticed that I have been writing a lot about individual stocks lately. That's a preparation to wait for opportunity to show up. I find that the market participants are still a little too optimistic. They have not gone more bearish. I ran a list of FBMKLCI 30 and found that 20/30 stocks are below 200-day MA and another 10 stocks are abover 200-day MA.

Stocks below 200 MA
1. Tenaga
2. Genting
3. KLK
4. MISC
5. IOI Corp
6. MHB
7. YTL
8. YTL Power
9. HLB
10. CIMB
11. PCHEM
12. PBBANK
13. PPB
14. UMW
15. SIME
16. Gamuda
17. RHB Cap
18. Maybank
19. MMCCorp
20. AMMB

Stocks above 200 MA
1. HLFG
2. GenM
3. PETGAS
4. Maxis
5. Digi
6. Axiata
7. BAT
8. PLUS
9. PETDAG
10. TM

Upon closer examination, I found a lot of people still believe that they can find some kind of safe heaven. I would like to see these holders to be really be shaken. Then only, I think there is enough fear in the market that qualifies as blood on the street.

A lot of people are making references or anchoring 2008/2009 crisis. I do not believe S & P will make 666 or KLCI goes down to 800+ points. But I do believe S & P 500 ought to go down to about 950 +/- 50 points or KLCI to be around 1,250 +/- 50 points in another 3 - 6 months time.

2008/2009 was about credit crisis. It was about the whole world went into Matrix frozen moment. Can you imagine real business cannot get credit? Ships were grounded because nobody can get a Letter of Credit(LC)??? That was because the world did not how deep the derivatives hole was. European hole is known but they are just playing chess with one another - calling each other bluff. They may go to the extend of "manufacture crisis". I believe if they continue to play that game, the market participants will ask them to fly k***(wanted to use stronger words but points already got through, no dramatic words needed!).

This time is about a slow down or a low grade recession. We just have to shake off a little bit of optimism and bulls ought to charge!

P.S. Got a nice day off today. Had a nice morning hike and I felt extremely good. I need get back in shape -- and I have a plan to get up to Mount Kinabalu. Will make public announcement once I feel I'm fit enough. Have a good day everyone.

BERSIH Saksi: Gas pemedih ditembak ke hospital!

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 10:05 PM PST

Yap Jee Kit (left), a witness testifying at the Suhakam public inquiry on the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally asserted today that police fired teargas into the Chinese Maternity Hospital, in addition to using water cannon at the entrance to the Tung Shin Hospital.

Yap who works as an aide to Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong, also said he was physically assaulted and verbally abused by the police when he was arrested.

Yap had walked from Brickfields to Menara Maybank about noon on July 9, wearing the yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirt when he also saw PKR's Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah being arrested, as Sivarasa was negotiating on behalf of the more than 5,000 people making up the crowd so they could move past the police blockade.

Yap said, "There were many policemen there that day, with Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) members. We were just gathering there shouting slogans when police gave warnings and fired teargas and water cannons along Jalan Pudu. Sivarasa and several other politicians tried to negotiate with the police to allow the crowd to move, but he was arrested."

Rosevelt's '17:35' Album Launch

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 08:08 PM PST

Fans of local rock band, Rosevelt, you are all in for a super treat! The 4th December marks a very important date because, after two and a half years of being in the Malaysian music scene, the band is set to launch their much anticipated debut album, '17.35'!

Recorded at Studio 21.05 with acclaimed producer, engineer and guitarist of Pop Shuvit, JD, the album was completed within a span of six months. This album is a document of the band's journey since their humble beginnings to what they are today.

'17:35' comprises of seven song titles and they are a mixture of alternative rock, modern rock and hard rock. Rosevelt draws influences from artists such as Incubus, Anberlin, Blink 182, 30 Seconds To Mars, Estranged, They Will Kill Us All and more.

The album launch event will also feature supporting acts, including Kyoto Protocol, Oh Chentaku as well as a surprise DJ act that will be announced very soon. So, be sure to join in the fun, for an evening filled with music, music and more music!

Rosevelt's Album Launch will be happening:
Date: 4th December
Time: 3pm-6pm
Venue: Club Neverland, Jalan Kia Peg
Entry Fee: Free

For more information, please log on to Rosevelt's official website here.

Malaysia has an asshole Umno-led BN government!

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 10:06 PM PST

HAHAHAHAHA

Really had a good laugh reading Raja Petra's latest posting, 'Making sense of nonsense'.

So, YB, are you going to now issue a statement saying that you made an error and that only anal and oral sex are crimes whereas gay relationships are not a crime according to Malaysian law? And if people live together as gay couples and only kiss, hug, touch, rub against each other, masturbate each other, but as long as there is no anal or oral sex, then the government can't do anything about it?

Starbucks 2012 planner

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:00 PM PST

I have been eyeing on the Starbucks 2012 planner since they launched it... It cost RM88 to purchase this planner or purchased 15 drinks to get this planner. So which one you choose?

As for me someone gave it to me as the present for this year :p so i neither purchased drinks nor paid RM88 for this planner.

Something come with a nice box...

the Planner

Close view of Starbucks logo

When i flipped through the inner part of the planner... The whole planner is very nice with lots of lively wording...

the inner part of the planner with bookmarks

Some knowledge and history about Starbie

Interesting instruction on some of the days...
I will look at each of the vending machine on Feb 01 2012

Anyway, next years planner was more colorful then this year... but i think they should have just get us to reuse our this year's planner and provide the refill for the inner part of the planner... 2011. It will be more environmental friendly then... this is my suggestion :p

Fuah! Spritzer Water Dispenser!

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:25 PM PST

THIRSTY! THIRSTY! *runs into the pantry*

AAhhh… nothing beats clean refreshing water to quench thirst no matter what time of day it is.

Did you know that I consume bottles after bottles of water every day? Haha yes I'm forever thirsty
like that.. And it's quite inconvenient for people like me to keep carrying the water bottle into my
room or my work cubicle cos it finishes very quickly…. I NEED A SOLUTION!.. And boy I found one.

It's the amazing Spritzer Water Dispenser!!!!! See the little green one in the middle? That's mine!
It's mini.. Hence it's very easy to change water when.. U know.. I finish all of it and need to replenish.

The Spritzer water dispenser is not like what you normally see ok? It's premium water, light weight
and easy for moving. It's a new patented design which is suitable for home, office or outdoor
activities. Mini Dispenser makes changing water so easy. That's why I have it in my room. Lol.

I think the size is just right to be put in bedrooms. Slim and tall.

Do note that it's highly recommended to use Spritzer 6L & 9.5L with non-spill cap function.
Now you might ask… "how to change the water ah?"

This is how:

1. Easy-tear handle for mobility
2. Non-spill cap which solved all spilling issues on replacing the empty bottle
3. Light-weight for ladies for loading onto dispenser
4. Assurance of highest quality water
5. Independent source of water – Relieved of worrying about any water malfunction or a water
supply shortage, lack of water pressure or any other trouble.

That's it! So easy.. go grab your own Spritzer Water Dispenser now! I'm gonna go get my gulp
now.

Najib the pseudo reformist, far from best democracy

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 05:03 PM PST

New assembly law undermines Constitution, says Ambiga

By Debra Chong

November 22, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 – Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan slammed today the proposed new law on peaceful assembly for giving greater powers to the home minister and the police to curb dissent and undermine the Federal Constitution.
In a statement today, the prominent lawyer accused the government of failing to keep up with international standards and creating instead the illusion that Malaysians now have greater freedom as provided by the country's supreme law.
"This Bill restricts our rights as much as possible. It gives unfettered powers to the minister and the police to further restrict the freedom to assemble. It impinges on free speech. In short, it will stymie legitimate dissent in ourcountry," Ambiga (picture) charged.
"Furthermore freedom of assembly includes peaceful street protests. By excluding this as a right altogether the Federal Constitution is once again undermined," she said.
Ambiga moved to punch holes in the Peaceful Assembly Bill tabled this morning, saying it was worse than the existing and unconstitutional section 27 of the Police Act 1967 it was to replace.
"This right is one of the most basic and indispensable of the fundamental freedoms necessary for the functioning of a democratic society and is provided for in the Federal Constitution," she said and cited from a 2004 Royal Commission on the Police led by former Chief Justice Tun Mohammed Dzaiddin Abdullah to prove her point.
The vocal human rights activist urged the government to immediately withdraw the proposed law if it was sincere to prove correct Datuk Seri Najib Razak's reformist stand on making Malaysia the "best democracy".
The prime minister promised a raft of reforms in his Malaysia Day address on September 15, including the repeal of the controversial Internal Security Act (ISA) and doing away with annual permits for the print media, saying he wanted to give Malaysians more freedom.
The former Malaysian Bar president cautioned that voters will be watching the MPs to see who supported the proposed law in the run-up to the 13th general election, widely expected to be called early next year.
But the Bar Council's current constitutional law committee chief, Syahredzan Johan, took a slightly different stance.
The younger lawyer told The Malaysian Insider that while he had grave misgivings about the government's prohibition of "street protests" and its definition, he regarded the new law as a "step up" compared to section 27 of the Police Act.
"Section 27 is very oppressive. Anything that loses that is a step forward, with caveats," he said.
"To me it's still a step forward because you don't need a permit from the police anymore. Now they can't stop you from assembling but we should push forward for the weaknesses to be rectified," he added.
Pakatan Rakyat MPs in Parliament today castigated the government for presenting a more "repressive" law despite being globally panned after it resorted to tough police measures to clamp down on dissent.
In a city lockdown last July 9 during the Bersih 2.0 rally, police had shot chemical-laced water cannons and tear gas into thousands of street demonstrators demanding for cleaner elections.
The organisers estimated 50,000 people turned out for the rally, but official figures put the figures closer to 6,000 with nearly 1,600 arrested.

Kabocha Pumpkin Pie

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:33 PM PST

Updates here & there…

2011-11-22T04:25:00.001-08:00

Updates here & there…

Updates here & there…
Port Wine Cellars in Porto
Syahidah Ishak and her Acoustic Neuroma surgery at HEI
Personal Data Act next year
Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty
Eat to live or live to eat?
Imagined Stupor
Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty
Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty
Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty
The Story Behind The Story of Lovers and Strangers Revisited: “Teh-O in K.L.”
Uncivil Behaviour
hear the roar?
Glasses
Sugar Glider : Video Masa Outstation.
Indulgently Gold with DJ Jesse Marco
Win iPad 2 With Discover U @ KLMU
Tekan Minyak Laju-Laju !
Cuti SPM Takde.
Life Can Begin at 50/60 or 70/80

Updates here & there…

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:03 AM PST

While I was visiting Nasya at her home last Friday, a call came in from a number not registered in my handphone. From the number, I figured it could be from one of the government agencies. True enough, the call from an officer of the Welfare Department.

He asked me to confirm if Buddies would be sending anyone for the welfare grant cheque presentation in Batu Gajah the next day. Huh? He thought I would have at least heard about it. I had no clue whatsoever since we didn't get any letter. Anyway, he asked if we could send 2 reps, but since it was such short notice I could only confirm that I'd be representing Buddies.

And so yes, on Saturday I went over for the function officiated by the deputy minister for Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga & Masyarakat; and alhamdulillah additional funds for Buddies. The year 2011 had definitely been a good year for Buddies in terms of fundings.

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

On Sunday, a text message came in from an unfamiliar number -

"Salam. Anak saya dpt 5A. Klu dpt masuk asrama penuh camne?"

No names mentioned in the message and I didn't have a clue who it was from. I wasn't about to answer the question without even knowing who I was responding to, and so I had to ask first who that person was. Apparently the message was from Maya but the number was not listed in my handphone because she was using her husband's phone. Remember Maya? The lady who, after her iddah was over, married her late husband's younger brother, knowing pretty well she was HIV positive. Her late husband's family thought it was their responsibility to take care of Maya's well being since it was their family member who infected Maya with HIV. And since the younger brother was single and willing, he agreed to marry Maya.

Good to know that her daughter did well for her UPSR. Maya was worried that if the daughter gets offered to go to a residential school, they may not be able to fork out the expenses involved. The girl is under our sponsorship programme, so I told Maya not to worry about it. I personally really love to help out in cases involving children's education, especially when I see the children themselves showing an interest in their education.

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

On Monday morning, after my usual gardening routine, I realised there was another text message on my handphone, from another unfamiliar number. It started off with "Buat kehadapan mama fizah yg diingati…"

Huh?? Mama Fizah?? Couldn't recall anyone ever calling me mama! I read on and finally I figured out that the sender of the message was Anita. As far as I could recall she used to call me Kak. It was the lady at the temporary shelter home that she called mama. Of course, age-wise she's young enough to be my daughter but she never did call me mama before.

Anita now stays with her sister. Am not sure if she has already managed to get an identity card for herself or a birth cert for her son. We tried to help her before but she always came out with all sorts of excuses when we asked her to get her sisters to help get some supporting documents. She's back with her own sisters now, I do hope they will do something (if they haven't already) about her IC and her son's birth cert.

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

Last night Mrs K sent a text message asking if her children will be getting any help for next year's schooling. I told her that we still help out when it comes to children education. As always, Mrs K would always come up with even more questions – will they get bus fares, can she send the 2nd daughter for this, can she send the youngest daughter for that. This time I didn't bother to reply. If I replied, she'd probably think of something else to ask and may even ask for additional help which has nothing to do with her children's education. I will get to her when her turn comes.

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

Tomorrow I will be on clinic duty again. This time I won't be alone. A new trainee volunteer, a PLHIV himself, has agreed to join me for tomorrow's clinic…

Port Wine Cellars in Porto

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:54 AM PST

or called Oporto.

Unsurprisingly the second largest city in the country, inspite of the size of the country with an even humbler population (~ 10 mil).

With a averagely pleasant weather throughout the year, Portugal never exceed 35 degree celcius in the summer nor drop below 0 degree celcius during the coldest winter, usually averaging at 10-15 degree celcius; after visits to the much colder counterparts in the region, Portugal climate was a delight.

Syahidah Ishak and her Acoustic Neuroma surgery at HEI

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 02:00 AM PST

Syahidah has been back in Malaysia since two Mondays ago and resting.

Read her latest update.

I am glad that Syahidah finally had her life-saving surgery at HEI with excellent outcome. Syahidah's experience speak for itself. Those of us who spent time with her before the HEI surgery could see the difference in her physical condition then and now.

Although I often talked and wrote about the good quality of care at HEI and SVMC, I think most could only hear and read but not exactly imagine it possible. During Syahidah's fundraising, an ENT surgeon asked me where she was going for her suegery and said that Malaysia has excellent Acoustic Neuroma surgery.

I was tired of this delusion and fantasy of some of our medical practitioners, so I simply told her Syahidah's surgery outcome at HUKM as it was. To my relief, the ENT surgeon then conceded that it was very sad indeed.

Personal Data Act next year

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:00 AM PST

	Personal Data Act next year The long awaited Personal Data Protection Act 2010 will be enforced next year, says Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 0 ratings
	Time: 03:55	More in News & Politics

Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:52 AM PST

**YAY! There's huge giveaway in this post!

Never take your beauty for granted.
Sheer luck's temporary…

Everyone used to make a big hoo haa out of a single pimple appearing on my crystal clear face.
Yes, that exaggerating, it's almost like an alien encounter.
Throughout my 22 years of life, there wasn't a time I had to fear for skin problems.

With genetically gifted good skin, comes complacency.
I could slap on those harmful makeup, go for work in the morning,
last through a long clubbing night and even fall asleep with it- all still intact.
That went on, countless of times.

All and all, until I woke up one day with an outbreak that doesn't go away…

Honestly, I was at a total loss of what to do.
Never had I expected myself to be handling this painful loss of my flawless skin.

I was delusional for quite awhile, hoping that it would go away.
But with my skin condition deteriorating everyday,
I finally came to my senses and decided to step out of my comfort zone to source for help…

The friendly consultant at Beyond Beauty briefed me about my facial procedure:

Micro-dermabrasion (Crystal/Diamond Peel)

MAYA-Peel employs a new yet natural, non-aggressive, non-invasive technique
that is both secure and reliable to rejuvenates the skin by creating fresh, shiny well-oxygenated tissue.
It re-establishes the skin's original elasticity and splendour.

Changed into the comfortable silk robe, as I got ready for my treatment…

1st step: Cleansing of my face

And this is the most essential step!

Apparently, my negligence of my skin and improper removal of makeup have caused terrible clogging of my pores!
This has resulted in my pimples resurfacing again and again after squeezing them.

Exfoliation and treating my clogged pores
• Stimulates cell regeneration from the germinative layer of the epidermal tissue
• Treats problematic skin conditions

3rd step: Soothing my skin from the treatment

4th step: Massaging
Loosening my muscles and conditioning the skin just beneath my face.

And the final step:

This facial mask firms & tones the skin tissue to produce an instant lift!
It also increases the skin's elasticity and collagen, resulting in more youthful looking skin.

After it dries, the beautician peels it off…

AND VOILA!!!

No photoshop at all, I assure you.

The treatment actually lightens my acne scars instantly!
I really didn't expect to see such a tremendous result on the first time.

Still amazed at the results:

My most generous GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to Beyond Beauty,
I'll be giving away 100 spa/facial vouchers worth $150 to $180 each.
Absolutely FREE, just to reward my loyal readers.

Super easy to win!

TO WIN, follow these 3 simple steps:

1) Make sure that you're a follower on my facebook or twitter!

2) Post this on your facebook or twitter
" @Thydowager is giving away 100 free spa/facial vouchers, check out
her Beyond Beauty post on http://thy-dowager.blogspot.com now! #Thydowagergiveaway "

3) Leave a comment on this entry with your facebook email address & answer 2 simple questions:
What was Peggy's choice of treatment in this post?
How long have you been reading Peggy's blog and why do you like it?

**Note: Voucher is only applicable for 21 and above, but you can win it for your friend or family!

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Hoping is not enough, we must do."

Thanks to Beyond Beauty @ Orchard Central for the solution to my skin problem.
Take your first step today and participate in this giveaway for your first experience with them! ♥

There will be more giveaways coming up! Stay tuned to my blog~
Click here to follow my site now!

♥

Eat to live or live to eat?

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:28 AM PST

This entry is dedicated to kampong boys and girls.

My blog don't talk a lot about foods because I'm kind of a guy who eats to live and not lives to eat. Given a choice, between going to a hawker center or a fine dining restaurant, I'll choose hawker center anytime. It's not about money or class but it's about personal preference and a place that I can feel at ease — to be myself. It's a place that nobody will give you satu macam kind of stares when you're screaming while making a bullish or bearish arguments, jeers or cheers for friends.

At times, I'm required to be completely civilized, a complete gentleman. I can't really remember when my first time of doing fine dining was. All I remembered was my b**** shrunk by half. It was much more complicated than solving this equation

If 1/2x +1/2(1/2x + 1/2(1/2x +1/2(1/2x + ... = y,
then x = ?

No, perhaps it's more difficult to solve a problem like how to prevent an European debts contagion. Or do I bet whether ECB will print infinite amount of money to bailout all the guys? Just kidding. :)

Back to the topic, I kept staring at the silverware. SOB, a fork is a fork, a spoon is a spoon, a glass is a glass but why so many????

Boy, I tell yea --- that dinner made me felt like trapped in an eternal hell.

I hope some of my young "friends" who read this blog may find this survivor tips handy in the future.

The general sequence is starter, main course and end with dessert.

That makes perfect sense, you will have to use your tools from farthest first for starter, slowly coming to inside for main course and end with desert. Hope this picture helps you.

Red wine or white wine? A wine is a wine but why ask me red or white. Most Asians will only care or heard so much about drinking red wine will help you to cut down their heart attack risks. Damn it, if we sit on our fat asses, red wine or coffee will not be able to save us.

I later found out it's rather intuitive actually. Red meats like steak or lamb are heavier should match better with red wine which tastes heavier. As an Asian, I find that the smell of beef or lamb is stronger and red wine helps me during the meal. If I pair red wine with "lighter" food like seafood, cheese, fruits and etc…..it will overpower the food and just kill the taste. That's why white wine works better.

Read more here if you want to know more about "civilized dining". Good luck.

http://www.etiquettescholar.com/index.html

Imagined Stupor

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:29 AM PST

Should I care
That the moon shuns a cloudless night sky
Should the sun cools a breezy afternoon
When a river trickles through a land parched
If the wind skips a sail held limp

Do I dare
Mouth words written silently in my mind
Capture images floating in a imagined album
Deny a memoir sketch from memory
Cast gloom on a dreamy fantasy

Don't we fear
When children are adults too fast
Where rulers and peasants crowd the market selling
(Who's buying we say as we turn away)
Of trusts treated like a private cask
Since liars masquerade as heralds born

Are we to enjoy
A hearty laughter from a stomach empty
At salesmen selling imagination for a fee
The measured trusts of dueling racial rapiers
When piled the land's riches on barges
(Traversing the sea to destinations unknown)

My frame slouches
As the mind doubts
Of feigned interests
And caring, hyped

So we leave things be
Figuring somebody else
Will carry the burden of ascendency
A life in a stupor of faked serenity…

Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 03:45 AM PST

**YAY! There's huge giveaway in this post!

3rd step: Soothing my skin from the treatment

4th step: Massaging
Loosening my muscles and conditioning the skin just beneath my face.

And the final step:

This facial mask firms & tones the skin tissue to produce an instant lift!
It also increases the skin's elasticity and collagen, resulting in more youthful looking skin.

After it dries, the beautician peels it off…

AND VOILA!!!

No photoshop at all, I assure you.

The treatment actually lightens my acne scars instantly!
I really didn't expect to see such a tremendous result on the first time.

Still amazed at the results:

My most generous GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to Beyond Beauty,
I'll be giving away 100 spa/facial vouchers worth $150 to $180 each.
Absolutely FREE, just to reward my loyal readers.

Super easy to win!

TO WIN, follow these 3 simple steps:

1) Make sure that you're a follower on my facebook or twitter!

2) Post this on your facebook or twitter
" @Thydowager is giving away 100 free spa/facial vouchers, check out
her Beyond Beauty post on http://thy-dowager.blogspot.com now! #Thydowagergiveaway "

3) Leave a comment on this entry with your facebook email address & answer 2 simple questions:
What was Peggy's choice of treatment in this post?
How long have you been reading Peggy's blog and why do you like it?
(Click to leave a comment)

**Note: Voucher is only applicable for 21 and above, but you can win it for your friend or family!

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Hoping is not enough, we must do."

Thanks to Beyond Beauty @ Orchard Central for the solution to my skin problem.
Take your first step today and participate in this giveaway for your first experience with them! ♥

There will be more giveaways coming up! Stay tuned to my blog~
Click here to follow my site now!

♥

Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:03 AM PST

**YAY! There's huge giveaway in this post!

3rd step: Soothing my skin from the treatment

4th step: Massaging
Loosening my muscles and conditioning the skin just beneath my face.

And the final step:

This facial mask firms & tones the skin tissue to produce an instant lift!
It also increases the skin's elasticity and collagen, resulting in more youthful looking skin.

After it dries, the beautician peels it off…

AND VOILA!!!

No photoshop at all, I assure you.

The treatment actually lightens my acne scars instantly!
I really didn't expect to see such a tremendous result on the first time.

Still amazed at the results:

My most generous GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to Beyond Beauty,
I'll be giving away 100 spa/facial vouchers worth $150 to $180 each.
Absolutely FREE, just to reward my loyal readers.

Super easy to win!

TO WIN, follow these 3 simple steps:

1) Make sure that you're a follower on my facebook or twitter!

2) Post this on your facebook or twitter
" @Thydowager is giving away 100 free spa/facial vouchers, check out
her Beyond Beauty post on http://thy-dowager.blogspot.com now! #Thydowagergiveaway "

3) Leave a comment on this entry with your email address & answer 2 simple questions:
What was Peggy's choice of treatment in this post?
How long have you been reading Peggy's blog and why do you like it?

**Note: Voucher is only applicable for 21 and above, but you can win it for your friend or family!

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Hoping is not enough, we must do."

Thanks to Beyond Beauty @ Orchard Central for the solution to my skin problem.
Take your first step today and participate in this giveaway for your first experience with them! ♥

♥

Beyond Beauty, the science behind beauty

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 12:45 AM PST

**YAY! There's huge giveaway in this post!

3rd step: Soothing my skin from the treatment

4th step: Massaging
Loosening my muscles and conditioning the skin just beneath my face.

And the final step:

This facial mask firms & tones the skin tissue to produce an instant lift!
It also increases the skin's elasticity and collagen, resulting in more youthful looking skin.

After it dries, the beautician peels it off…

AND VOILA!!!

No photoshop at all, I assure you.

The treatment actually lightens my acne scars instantly!
I really didn't expect to see such a tremendous result on the first time.

Still amazed at the results:

My most generous GIVEAWAY:

Thanks to Beyond Beauty,
I'll be giving away 100 spa/facial vouchers worth $150 to $180 each.
Absolutely FREE, just to reward my loyal readers.

Super easy to win!

TO WIN, follow these 3 simple steps:

1) Make sure that you're a follower on my facebook or twitter!

2) Post this on your facebook or twitter
" http://thy-dowager.blogspot.com is giving away 100 free spa/facial vouchers,
go check out her Beyond Beauty post now! @Thydowager #Thydowagergiveaway "

3) Leave a comment on this entry with your email address & answer 2 simple questions:
What was Peggy's choice of treatment in this post?
How long have you been reading Peggy's blog and why do you like it?

**Note: Voucher is only applicable for 21 and above, but you can win it for your friend or family!

"Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Hoping is not enough, we must do."

Thanks to Beyond Beauty @ Orchard Central for the solution to my skin problem.
Take your first step today and participate in this giveaway for your first experience with them! ♥

♥

The Story Behind The Story of Lovers and Strangers Revisited: “Teh-O in K.L.”

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 11:57 PM PST

"Teh-O in K.L." was my first piece of writing (to my knowledge) that had an impact on someone's life when it first came out in Her World (Oct 1992), six months before the publication of the original Lovers and Strangers. The British woman who had read the story, unaware that I was a writer since we had just met, told me that she insisted that her Malay husband read it, too, so he would understand what she had been going through as a Western woman married to a Malaysian living in Malaysia. Then she told me what the story was about, and I had this strong feeling of déjà vu.

"I wrote that," I said, and she gave me this look: No-way!

The teh-o in the title is tea without condensed milk and K.L., of course, is Kuala Lumpur. The story, which is more of a vignette, is based on a true incident. I was trying to capture what I had been feeling as a Westerner in Malaysia, this fish-out-of-water experience, whereby opposites do attract, yet there is this sense of longing, a yearning, as an expat, to be with someone from your own culture. Too often we try to deny this, or even go out of our way to avoid other expats, especially those of us married to Malaysians, who (rightly or wrongly) see ourselves outside the typical expat community.

I wrote this story in the present tense, one of three in the original collection, and chose to use Jeya's actual name (with her permission, I believe). Either way, she was quite thrilled! At the time that I met her, she was in an unhappy marriage to a much-older Indian national, whom she later divorced and then married a Brit named Robert and moved to the UK where she now happily lives with four children.

"Do you miss being around whites?" This was Jeya's real-life blunt question about race that prompted me to think that there's a story here, especially after the entrance of two Western women, backpackers, "wearing sleeveless loose tops, short shorts and no bras" that suddenly attracted every male's attention, including my own. Jeya quickly noted this, thus catching me in a white lie about my missing being around "whites", or white women in particular.

Despite "Teh-O in K.L." being published six times in five countries and translated into Japanese, the editor for Silverfish didn't think I should include it. Then I remembered that encounter with the Brit and other expats, particularly women, who often cited this story as one of their favorites. It was even published in The Expat (Feb. 2004), so I argued for its inclusion. I also agreed to do another overhaul of the story (while on vacation in the US), whereby I flushed out more of the details and heightened some of the contrasts that I was going after. For the MPH version I toned down some of the excesses since they had been written in a rush.

An editor in the US, who had read an early version of the story, mentioned that they all really liked the line "…stir the thick white milk into her dark tea until the opposing colors become one." From the beginning this was story of opposites, and that was reflected in the opening paragraph, which didn't change other than deleting one needless fragment.

"Call it a black and white thing, though Jeya isn't black. Not African black. She's Ceylonese, but born in Malaysia. Yet her skin in blacker than the night."

What did change the most was the ending. The original version focused on Jeya and me, on our new friendship, and on our respective spouses. This seemed to drag out over several paragraphs and away from the story itself. When I revisited the story in 2005, I opted to focus on the two women who had just left, on the race issue, on this sense of longing, and on the tea itself, all compacted into one paragraph.

"As I look down at my tea, I'm wishing they're still here, so I'm not the only white person left. Jeya is saying something, but I'm no longer listening. For a long moment, I'm wishing I were back in my own country with someone from my own race. But then the moment passes, and I finish my tea."

Last week, Annie, a French expat living in Sarawak, emailed me and said that "Teh-O in KL" was one of her favorite stories "because it touches me personally and because it tells me that we both feel the same beyond the gender 'thing'."

So I'm glad I left the story in the collection.

For more information about Lovers and Strangers Revisited, please go to: http://www.mph.com.my/search/nsearch.cfm?do=detail&pcode=9833698816 If you wish to read the full reviews: http://www.borneoexpatwriter.com/media.php

***Here the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and for Trois autres Malaisie.

Uncivil Behaviour

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 11:46 PM PST

The following article by KJ John is from Malaysiakini HERE. I always enjoy the views of a few of their columnists, including KJ John, Dean John, Mariam Mokhtar and Josh Hong.

Uncivil Behaviour by Dean John

Three incidents last week caught my attention. One was the clear, definite and unruly behaviour of our neighbours against our teams at the SEA Games. Second was the "behaviour of the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department" in relation to the beauty contestants in Sarawak. The third is the capture of Saif Gadaffi and the potential trial process in Libya.

Allow me to comment on each of them and give an opinion.

In my field of Organisation Behaviour and Development studies, we have been seriously influenced by two fields of science; one is the study of rats and dogs by Professors BF Skinner and Ivan Pavlov.

The other is the field of humanities, which arose from a fundamental and radical review of the history of the philosophy of science, especially in terms of modern science. My teacher of this field of knowledge is SH Nasr and his "Knowledge and the Sacred" thesis delivered at the Gifford lectures at the University of Edinburgh in 1980-81; the framework for 100 years of lectures on natural theology.

All these findings and extrapolations wherefrom form much of the literature of the field of behavioural science, or what was called in my school as "human systems." The field of human systems has now transcended the traditional field of "behavioural science" in that it has recognised and acknowledged the nature of human nature or the theory of man and made this a problematic issue or concern.

Such a fundamental and radical review arose since the establishment of the Heisenberg principle, that the very act of measurement distorts the measure under observation and thereby established the uncertainty principle.

Since then, the so-called "objective science worldview of "behavioural science" was discarded for a more nuanced and value-laden view of all human system studies from the original field of material science worldview, with some circumspection. All scientific observations are today viewed as an extension of worldviews and belief systems of the beholder!

Therefore, today in human systems, we take worldviews and values that influence researchers and scientists as part and parcel of their "framing logic' and only needs to be acknowledged as such, instead of suffering to live and breathe the so-called fact-value dichotomy.

My teacher Nasr was intellectual saviour for my definition of a "dignity in the workplace thesis." At an American social science academy where I studied, so-called "values" and "facts" could not be mixed or intertwined! I almost became a victim of such a worldview and hypothesis development. Nasr helped me graduate when he joined my doctoral committee.

Can I therefore apply the human dignity in the workplace thesis for a new, different and more developmental worldview to understand civility of good behaviour of human beings in the world place?

Jeering and abusing unacceptable in sports

The Indonesian fans' behaviour of jeering and abusing Malaysian teams is clearly unacceptable by any normal standards of sportsmanship worldwide. Therefore the SEA Games organisers must "severely reprimand" their Indonesian counterparts and state clearly that no more sports tournaments will be held in Indonesia if such unruly behaviour continues. The complainant must be the sports fraternity of Malaysia.

The second incident and behaviour of both the team of contestants and their religious body is not as clear an issue though. I have always asked the rhetorical question about Malaysia as a nation-state: Is the air we breathe in the federation green in colour?

This question is designed to review and reconsider some false assumptions some people make that the air we breathe is "only Islamic air!" Therefore, their conclusion is that we must not breathe "non-Islamic air" of any sort, especially for the Muslims. The beauty queen contestants were victims of this false thesis or hypothesis!

For a fact, the New Straits Times carried the severe words, "In DEFIANCE" on its front page headline on the Sunday issue. Really, but, to whom, or to what, were they defiant to or of?

At the age range of 20 to 25 years, who are these younger citizens responsible to and for? If not their parents and community, I cannot think of anyone else, other than their own conscience. Surely they are not directly responsible to the self-appointed Islamic religious body!

Therefore, to me, it was even wrong of the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department to call them up. If it were my children, I would sue the Sarawak Islamic Affairs Department for trespassing into my family jurisdiction!

Obviously the parents and the immediate community of these contestants and citizens had no qualms and worries about the nature of these contests and were sure they would not sow sin and evil behaviour into their children!

The third incident is equally important for this worldview hypothesis. When the Libyan freedom fighters captured the late Col Muammar Gaddafi, they murdered him on sight with a bullet in his head! But, fortunately, this group of NTC soldiers were more humane and allowed him "minimum personal regard" or recognised his human dignity that he is innocent until proven guilty!

Give basic respect to all human beings

In any civilised society, all human beings must be accorded minimum personal regard. This principle was established at the Nuremberg trials when Gen Adolf Eichmann, Hitler's right hand man, was tried for the murder of millions of Jews during the Holocaust. His only claim in self-defence was "he was ONLY following orders!" The jury ruled that he was guilty of manslaughter because "killing innocent civilians under any condition is still second degree murder!"

The consequential debate is "whether the Libyans are objective and professional enough to give Saif al Islam Gaddafi a fair trial? These are valid and real questions, especially for me as an organisational theorist who looks at group and individual behaviours in differing contexts to make sense of them.

To me, the core issue is whether Libyans under the NTC worldview that "Gaddafi did no right" can differentiate his personal behaviour from his institutional behaviour! When this is extrapolated to his son, can we then simply hold him guilty for all actions of his father? Moreover, how many sons or children can, with full audacity, say that their own father is wrong in certain things or actions taken?

The answer to these issues, from my field of study, is that we have to distinguish "intentional action" from "instinctive behaviour." Human behaviour is observable actions but only when one can question and understand the actor's reasoning and real reasons for the particular action. All actions are defined by intentions of the actor; never by the motives assigned by the observer of that behaviour.

Our civil courts system, therefore always gives the reasonable opportunity for explanation to the actors and never only to imputed motives of the observers; whether they are called Indonesians, or Jakim, or the national transitional council.

In all cases, the actors are innocent of any presumed crimes until you can prove that they are personally responsible for their intended actions!

May God bless the world!

KJ JOHN was in public service for 29 years. The views expressed here are his personal views and not those of any institution he is involved with.

hear the roar?

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 11:11 PM PST

Tigers pounce. Unsuspectingly.

I bet last night hundreds, maybe even thousands, young Malaysian across the country are aspired to be a footballer. Just like Baddrol Bakhtiar. Just like Khairul Fahmi Che Mat. Or Mohd Muslim Ahmad. Or Gurusamy Kandasamy. These are the Malaysian heroes. The heroes that silenced Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. The heroes that, despite all the taunts, insults, threats and boos came out triumphant in front of the people who preferred to call all Malaysians as "Maling".

Well, seems like us malings stole the medal right under your nose. People may or may not remember the amount of medals you took (either fairly or otherwise), but people, especially us malings will always, always remember the day our Harimau pounced on Garuda.

Congratulations to the Harimau Muda squad. And thank you for silencing the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. You guys made them weep, yo! Priceless.

And Mr. F put it ever so aptly at the end of the match.

"Ambik upah tak hormat lagu kebangsaan orang."

Glasses

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 09:27 PM PST

As part of the monthly Weekend Japanese Film Show series, The Japan Foundation presents you another film screening, come this December. Directed by Naoko Ogigami, the film "Glasses" speaks about how a busy urbanite does not necessarily have to leave the country to learn how to appreciate the simple life.

"Glasses" is slow in pace; therefore, it allows your mind to journey into a 100-minute getaway to a Japanese island, setting you into relaxation mode. A modern fable with one simple message - 'slow down and enjoy life once in a while'. Ogigami manages to convey the message effectively through her slow approach to storytelling, as well as the brilliant and charming characters, breathtakingly beautiful locations and top-notch production values.

A perfect movie for a Saturday afternoon. 'Glasses' will be shown with English subtitles.

Date: 3rd December
Time: 3.00pm
Venue: Pawagam Mini P. Ramlee, FINAS (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia)
Entry Fee: Free

For more information, please log on to the Japan Foundation, Kuala Lumpur's official website here.

Sugar Glider : Video Masa Outstation.

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 09:48 PM PST

Salam,

Hehehe...dah lama tak kongsi video sugar glider kan ? Sesungguhnya diorang ni sangat mencuit hati...dan menyakitkan badan..(sebab kuku diorang tajam giler okayh)...Enjoy this video yah ! Babai !

Shemie dengan ninja aktif dalam bilik air hotel. Memanjat badan dengan penuh rakus....Huhuhu =)

Love you !

pengsan sekejap !

Jumpa lagi !

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Indulgently Gold with DJ Jesse Marco

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 01:12 AM PST

A New York born, Jesse Marco, has proven that age really, does not matter. He has established himself as a globally recognized DJ that has obtained a status as one of America's finest deejays at by age of 22 years old.

Hailing from Manhattan, celebrity DJ Jesse Marco has been blowing audiences away with his encyclopedic knowledge of music. His remarkable skills have taken him worldwide, spinning at private parties for the stars including Heidi Klum, Russell Simmons, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington. As a favorite of both fashion and arts, Jesse has played at high-profile events for Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood, Donna Karan, Diesel, GQ, and KAWS, and has spun at the best nightclubs to date.

On the 17th of December 2011, Johnnie Walker® Gold Label Reserve™ will be collaborating with Zouk KL to present Indulgently Gold with DJ Jesse Marco at Velvet Underground. Exclusively invited guests will be treated to a lavish VIP experience complemented by the extravagant flavour of Johnnie Walker® Gold Label Reserve™ served to celebrate the occasion in style.

As an emerging producer, Jesse has recently remixed tracks for Kings of Leon, Brandon Flowers, and Peter Bjorn and John. Don't miss this opportunity to catch Jesse Marco in Malaysia and experience a Gold Label Reserve™ celebration of indulgence. For a chance to receive exclusive VIP invites to this not-to-be-missed party, log on to: facebook.com/JohnnieWalkerMalaysia.

Indulgently Gold with Jesse Marco GOLD
Date: 17th of December 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 8pm - 11pm
Venue: Zouk, KL
Website: facebook.com/JohnnieWalkerMalaysia

Win iPad 2 With Discover U @ KLMU

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:42 PM PST

Just graduated or about to graduate but don't know which university to go to? Well I used to have problems like this when I graduated from high school last time. It was really tough as I didn't know what course suits me and what I want to do in the future.
If you are currently planning your tertiary education, then I'd recommend you to try a personality test. It's right inside KLMU's Discover U website.

http://discoveru.com.my/ is a great website to help you understand youself more and also helps you discover what courses and topics suits your interest needs.

Now check out the personality test in the site.

Take the quiz and you might win an iPad 2!

Now apart from the quiz, http://discoveru.com.my also has some great contents like some fun videos for you to watch while exposing you to more varieties in education and life.

Articles in the "Discover U" Checklist Series include:
- 10 Things To Do When Preparing For College
- 10 Tips On Choosing The Right Course
- 10 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your College Education
- 10 Things You Should Know About Industrial Attachment
- Career Prospects For 10 Hot Courses

Additionally, KLMU is encouraging students to register early so they can secure their places in the courses they are interested in. The 1st 500 students to sign up
will be entitled to a generous scholarship worth RM1000, registration fee waiver plus an additional chance to win an iPad2!

For more information, visit www.discoveru.com.my or SMS: KLMU DBG NAME STATE to 36600.

Tekan Minyak Laju-Laju !

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:22 PM PST

Salam,

Sesekali dapat tekan minyak macam ni sedap gak ek...selama ni saya bawak 60-80km/jam jer...sejak akhir akhir ni kegilaan membawa kereta di highway membuat kan saya rasa macam nak melenjan kereta viva ku ini...dari 80...ke 90...dari 90...ke 100...dari 100 ke 105...kemudian terus 120km/jam....

Tak ku sangka kesedapan dan kegembiraan menekan minyak sebegini rupa...dalam kepala otak, kalau mati ni sia sia hidup. Al maklumlah, kereta viva ni ringan...melayang layang je rasa bila bawa laju....Huhuhu...kalau eksiden kebabom ade orang nak kisah tak ? ade ke ? huhuhu...

aummmmmmmmmmmmmm

aummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

sayangnye meter kereta viva ni tak sampai 320km/jam....

kalau tak bleh try test...bawak atas langit ~ hehehe..

what ever ~ sesuka hati saya la saya nak g mana kan ? saya nak g jalan jalan atas pelangi...sapa nak ikut ?

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Cuti SPM Takde.

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:20 PM PST

Salam...

Holiday yang tak terasa macam holiday beb...hari ini SPM ditangguhkan sebab esok ada paper hardcore punya.Additional Maths tu esok...All the best la budak budak SPM yang bakal menghadapi paper add math esok yer...hari ni SPM takde, jadi kita cuti !!! Yahoooo...

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Life Can Begin at 50/60 or 70/80

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST

Thanks to reader SKT who sent me the following post which came at the right time, just when I feel quite blue about life, especially with the recent demise of my 28 year old niece, my friend Elizabeth's father and also my friend who is now undergoing chemotherapy treatment for Stage 4B cancer that has spread to the pancreas, intestines, liver, bile duct and lymph nodes. :-( Life is so short, dear readers. Let's seize the day and live each day to the fullest!

_____________________________

Many people feel unhappy, health-wise and security-wise, after 50/60 70/80 years of age owing to the diminishing importance given to them and their opinions. But, it need not be so, if only we understand the basic principles of life and follow them scrupulously.

Here are ten mantras to age gracefully, make life after retirement pleasant, enjoy and treasure the elder years of wisdom and intelligence at its best.

1. Never say 'I am aged':

There are three ages, chronological, biological, and psychological. The first is calculated based on our date of birth; the second is determined by the health conditions and the third is how old you feel you are. While we don't have control over the first, we can take care of our health with good diet, exercise and a cheerful attitude. A positive attitude and optimistic thinking can reverse the third age.

2. Health is wealth:

If you really love your kids and kin, taking care of yourself and your health should be your priority. Thus, you will not be a burden to them. Have an annual health check-up and take the prescribed medicines regularly. Take out a health care insurance coverage.

3. Money is important:

Money is essential for meeting the basic necessities of life, keeping good health and earning family respect and security. Don't spend beyond your means even for your children. You have lived for them throughout and it is time you enjoyed a harmonious life with your spouse. If your children are grateful they should take care of you. But never take it for granted.

4. Relaxation and recreation:

The most relaxing and recreating forces are healthy and religious attitudes, good sleep, music and laughter. Have faith in God, to sleep well, love learn good music, and see the fun side of life.

5. Time is precious:

It is almost like holding a horse's reins. When they are in your hands, you can control them. Imagine that every day you are born again. Yesterday is a paid cheque. Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is ready cash; use it wisely. Live this moment.

6. Change is the only permanent thing:

We should accept change; it is inevitable. The only way to make sense out of change is to join the dance. Change has brought about many pleasant things. We should be happy that our children are blessed.

7. Enlightened selfishness:

Human beings are basically selfish. Whatever they do, they expect something in return. We should definitely be grateful to those who stood by us. But, our focus should be on the internal satisfaction and happiness we derive by doing good to others, without expecting anything in return.

8. Forget and forgive:

Don't be bothered too much about others' mistakes. We are not spiritual enough to show our other cheek when we are slapped on one cheek. But, for the sake of our own health and happiness, let us forgive and forget them. Otherwise, we will only be increasing our blood pressure.

9. Everything has a reason; a purpose:

Take life as it comes. Accept yourself as you are and also accept others for what they are. Everybody is unique and right in their own ways.

10. Overcome the fear of death:

We all know that one day we have to leave this world. Still we are afraid of death. We think that our spouse and children will be unable to withstand our loss. But, the truth is that no one is going to die for you; they may be depressed for some time. Time heals everything and they will carry on.

NOBODY GETS OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE!

Regardless How Far The Journey Is OR How Capable We Are, We Do Our Best To Reach Our Goal. This Is Perseverance At Its Best!

-Author Unknown-

murder on the dance floor

2011-11-21T03:34:00.001-08:00

murder on the dance floor

murder on the dance floor
It's who you know, not what you know
The Search for Converse Ambassadors
I cooked: Chicken a l'Orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions
Rise of Unelected Ministers
English: It's the exception, not the rule, that matters
Klue, Doh!
Balloon Man, Butoh Dance & More Urbanscapes!
PGHK #329 Tua Tiao (大条)
21st
Happy 28th Birthday KIm :))
The Harley-Davidson Facts
Inch's Garden - 'Washinboutei'
It's Porto!
Crumbs, Pavilion – Yummy frozen yogurt and scones!
Cheesie X Leftblock Junk Sale!
The M Trilogy
Shahrizat To Help Clear Her Name
New BN slogan launched
Najib launches social media group to intensify BN's cyber campaign

murder on the dance floor

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:00 AM PST

She glanced at the clock on the right side at bottom of her white Dell laptop. 5:47 PM. She won't be able to make it today, she thought to herself. She drummed her fingers on the desk, her foot tapping impatiently to some unheard music. She could feel the bile rising in her throat. She bit her lower lips hard as she went through her Facebook's news feed. Same old, same old. She switched to Twitter. The timeline was filled with tiger avatars in various forms, even in the form of the popular Tiger Balm. She smiled. Had to. The spirits were high, obviously.

She took another glance at the person across. Her patience limit at an all-time high. She turned the ring on her right ring finger around and around. Even the tiger avatars could not cheer her up anymore. 5:54 PM. She reached for her mobile.

"Mama balik dulu." she typed and pressed the 'Send' button. Her heart cried at the thought of having to bear with the ever-so-efficient KTM Komuter. She sighed, resigned to her fate as she listened to the chatter of that person across. She typed in the pig's icon in the open Yahoo! Messenger's window.

"Oh, it's very easy. I can do it by myself actually," after what it seemed like an eternity, the person across her desk said nonchalantly. Her fingers tensed. 6:02 PM.

She saw red. Only red. She got up. Rage boiled in her. Slowly she walked towards the desk across.

"Tahu tak hari ni final match Harimau Malaya lawan Indonesia? Tahu tak!? Tadi kau yang beria suruh aku tunggu sebab nak edit dokumen? Punya setia aku dok menunggu macam tunggul, siap mesej mak aku suruh dia balik dulu sebab tunggu kau. In the end kau cakap kau boleh buat sendiri! Ambik ni! Ambik! Ambik!" she grabbed the black netbook and beat that man senselessly on the head. After 15 minutes of rage, witnessed by the young lady from a foreign country, the man slumped unconsciously on the desk. His head a bloody mess.

A smile curled up her lips. Satisfied, she put the netbook back on the desk and walked back to her place. She took a deep breath. And laughed maniacally. Oh, so much fun! She thought.

Yeah, right. In my head. All in my head. 6:52 PM. All alone in the office typing this shit. Blegh.

It's who you know, not what you know

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 02:22 AM PST

Guys, gals – it's story telling time because the markets offer no good news. Please donate a dollar to your favorite charitable organization if you like my story. If you don't like it, buy yourself half can of coca-cola to relax yourself. Half? Yeah, no kidding – inflation-mah.

I can't recall exactly how I got into stock market. It was described to me as a very mystified place -- a place that makes a man richer in a very mysterious way, if you have got some gold. In my time, those men driving 280 can shout the loudest. All men will listen to them attentively. Just hang on to every words of these prosperous gods have to say. They all said, it's all about who you know and not what you know. Who you know will make you richer. A word from who you know will make you 10 times richer. Stock price don't fly. They rocket. It was that fast, no exaggerations. What you know will only make you rich spiritually but poor materially. Choose carefully, my son, happiness or one-pack stomach filled? So forget about being a book worm, go and rub shoulders.

Poor man cannot "play" in a stock market. All they can afford was playing imaginary numbers game, taking mental notes, counting "paper" gains. Father will tell his son, if I have bought this stock and that stock, we are already living in a bungalow, driving 280 and "rinse" our mouths with shark fins.

They can only dream that one day they can bump into someone who will invite them to their exclusive club. In my time, all we know was price. Newspaper was only stock quote that we can get. It's hard to even see a stock price trend unless we plot it on a piece of graph paper. I never heard of such thing called research paper. I thought it was probably a piece of 41/2 x 3" pink paper of ampat-ekor betting paper from illegal operators that my grand parents or parents asked me to buy. Every stock is pretty much like that, somebody will pay you money when your number strikes.

Such was my faint memories about stock market many years ago. Come to think of it, it's still pretty much the same today but only in slightly different forms.

The Search for Converse Ambassadors

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 09:36 PM PST

Never in fashion, never out of fashion, as many have labeled Converse. Their products have been much sought after by people of all genders and ages for decades now and will not cease to have brighter days to come. This holiday season, you have a chance to be a part of Converse, as they are now seeking out for 25 creative young minds to be their ambassadors. Converse is targeting personalities who possess the spirit of Converse and chosen contestants will be the face of their upcoming event, Converse Jamboree 2011.

At Converse Jamboree 2011, ambassadors will be Converse's priority and will be preoccupied with an agenda filled with activities. It will be a great opportunity for the 25 chosen ones to embrace their talents and exercise their right to be useful. Moreover, great rewards await Converse Ambassadors!

The event is not only catered to Converse's lucky winners, it will be an overnight affair that will feature a plethora of live music performances, exhibitions, film screenings and numerous creative workshops. Audiences will be pampered with a music showcase that covers several genres by They Will Kill Us All, Deepset, Tenderfist, and Like Silver. Supporting the headlines are Azmyl Yunor, Liyana Fizi, S.C.A.M, Flica and Rainf.

That's just a taste of what to anticipate at Converse Jamboree 2011. For the full experience, Converse is pleased to invite interested creative people to join them at the Converse Jamboree 2011. Though the event is open to the public, it is limited to 200 participants. To register for the event or to sign up to be a Converse Ambassador, head to the Converse Malaysia Facebook page at www.facebook.com/conversemy before 4th December, 2011.

Converse Ambassadors Search
Date: 17th - 18th December 2011
Time: 9am
Venue: Hutan Simpan Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve
Website: www.facebook.com/conversemy

I cooked: Chicken a l'Orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 12:08 AM PST

So, if you remember, during the run-up to Blogger MasterChef, I spent a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen. I've never eaten chicken a l'Orange before, but I have had duck a l'orange (which I like). Was browsing through Delia Smith's cookbook and found a recipe for orange sauce so decided to it with chicken.

For this dish, if you know how to make sauces, the rest is pretty simple. For this dish, I decided to pan fry the chicken (simple!) and serve it with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions. I was quite happy with the result, but if you prefer your chicken to be more moist, do swap for chicken thigh. Do be liberal with the sauce, the more the better I think. :)

Chicken a l'Orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 chicken breast, butterflied cut or sliced thinly

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp paprika

Freshly ground salt and pepper

2-3 tbsp plain flour

Parsley, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

For the sauteed potatoes

5-6 potatoes (I used Russet), peeled and sliced thinly abt 8mm width

Freshly ground salt and pepper

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

Butter

For the caramelised onions

1 large onion, sliced thinly

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp butter

For the sauce

2 medium sized orange

1 tbsp plain flour

275ml chicken stock

3 tsp brown sugar

Freshly ground salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Start by caramelising the onions first, since this takes the longest time. In a frying pan, melt the butter and then add the onions and honey, cooking and stirring continuously for 30-35 minutes.

2. Marinate the chicken with oyster sauce, parsley and 1 tbsp of olive oil for about 15-20 minutes.

3. While waiting, parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water. This will take about 8-10 minutes. Drain in colander and let them dry out for a crisper texture when frying them later.

4. In a non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil. Place plain flour and paprika on a flat plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the beaten egg, followed by the flour mixture and place in the heated pan. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat for all pieces of chicken.

5. For the sauteed potatoes, add 2 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on medium high heat and then add the crushed garlic. Add the potatoes and cook them until golden brown (this will take about 10-15 minutes) and then season with salt and pepper. Towards the end of cooking, add a knob of butter for crispier skin.

6. Finally, for the sauce, remove the rind from the oranges and cut them up into thin shreds and blanch them for 5 minutes in boiling water. Cut 4 slices of oranges and keep aside for garnish. Squeeze the juices out of the remaining oranges. Using the same pan used to cook the chicken (don't wash), sprinkle flour and stir to form a paste. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes to brown slightly, then add stock gradually to make a smooth sauce, then add the sugar. Cook for another minute before adding the orange juice and rind and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

7. To serve, place sauteed potatoes on a plate and then top it with the pan fried chicken. Drizzle with lots of orange sauce. Place a small portion of caramelised onion at the side and garnish with 2 slices of orange.

A sweet and savoury dish

Chicken a l'orange with sauteed potatoes and caramelised onions

Full set of photos available to view here.

Rise of Unelected Ministers

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 11:05 PM PST

The following article by Mariam Mokhtar is from Malaysiakini.

Rise of Unelected Ministers by Mariam Mokhtar

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's impressive performance in a "popularity poll" conducted by the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), has nothing to do with his leadership qualities or his ability to charm the voters.

His apparent rise in popularity is in proportion to his absence from the country. In short, the electorate is glad he is absent from Malaysia.

The IIUM lecturer who devised the poll may have his own reasons for attributing Najib's enhanced popularity to "his relentless efforts to touch base with the people and steer the country to a promising future".

The PM is besotted with his image as an international statesman and swells with pride when he shakes the hands of the big players like Hu Jintao and Barack Obama. But pride comes before a fall.

NONENajib (left) has taken several overseas trips since he became PM and it is difficult to keep track of him. Last month, he was in Indonesia, China, Australia, and twice in Saudi Arabia.

One thing is clear. He emulates former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad by being 'out-of-town' during national crises.

Mahathir allegedly 'disappeared' during the nationwide clampdown of Operation Lalang in October 1987. It possibly been pre-arranged that Hanif Omar, the IGP at the time, would take the rap and try to leave Mahathir smelling of roses.

In the last fortnight, our unelected PM was in Hawaii for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) followed by a Bali visit to attend the East Asia summit. He should have stayed at home, to deal with the multi-million ringgit misuse of public funds by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).

The unelected Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, is embroiled in the NFC crisis.

Token official visit

The office of Prime Minister of Malaysia is cheapened by revelations that Najib had arranged a token official visit, during his personal holiday, as an excuse to get the taxpayer to fund, in full, his travelling expenses for him and his extensive entourage.

Last July, after visits to Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom and the Vatican, the PM was forced to cut short his holiday to Italy and return home. He had to respond to mounting condemnation of the violent assault against the rakyat during the Bersih 2.0 rally, and try to salvage his reputation. He also had to deal with an Umno plot to oust him from power, allegedly led by his deputy, Muhyiddin Yassin.

NONEMore of Najib's insecurities were revealed in the deportation order placed on William Bourdon who was in Malaysia in relation to the Scorpene case.

Najib was also perturbed that the veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (right) was launching Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) to revive the Tunku's true spirit of Merdeka.

Najib, the career politician, only knows life in the political fast lane. He has not struggled like most people to find funds for education or with applying for a job. He has even admitted that his trip on a luxury bus in Perak, was his first bus journey.

Even the most hardened and cynical politicians will balk at using someone else's misfortune to boost their image. Not Najib. He cut short another holiday, in Australia to return home, ostensibly saddened by the death of a journalist in war-torn Somalia.

Instead of leaving the family to grieve in private, Najib managed to turn it into a publicity circus by showing his mock compassion.

Disturbing questions

The NFC scandal raises very disturbing questions about our version of democracy. Who benefits from our democratic process?

Why are the unelected ministers given a major say in the running of our country? Why are the chosen few from Umno's political elite manipulating the role of government? Why are the controls to check such impropriety not in place? Where is the enforcement?

Why are the members of royalty who choose to be vocal in some matters, silent when it comes to large-scale corruption and allegations of fraud on a grand scale?

Najib's handling of Umno is rooted in cronyism. How can he speak out against Shahrizat when he has so many skeletons in his own closet?

That is why the Umno businesses and those of their cronies are run like a family-business empire. It is like the mafia, with different sections of the business managed by different branches of the family. No one betrays the other. Anyone who tries is silenced or risks having his livelihood threatened.

Muhyiddin, who has been tasked to deal with the NFC scandal gives the impression of being out of his depth, really he is just covering up a crime, for one of his cronies.

NONEHe claims that Shahrizat (left) had nothing to do with the NFC, which is managed by her husband and her children. He did not think Shahrizat had cause to resign. Then he left it for the people to decide.

He is right. The rakyat thinks that Shahrizat should be suspended without any pay whilst investigations are carried out quickly. If found guilty, she should be made to repay every sen, and spend time in jail.

That goes for him (Muhyiddin) too for misleading the public. The project was approved when he was agriculture minister. He was reticent and sparse with information, only giving out the bare minimum when forced. MPs are accountable to Parliament, and Parliament is accountable to the rakyat.

Tighten belts

Interestingly, it was another unelected minister, Idris Jala who flip-flopped between saying that Malaysia was going bankrupt and doing all right economically.

Last year he said we would have to tighten our belts but a few weeks ago, he said we would manage.

Can he be so confident when ministers abuse public funds and treat them as their own bank account?

NONEThe IIUM popularity survey concluded that PKR's Anwar Ibrahim, Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Abdul Aziz and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (left) declined in popularity, unlike Najib and Mahathir.

The poll asked 1,500 Malay, Chinese and Indian registered voters, how satisfied they were with the leadership qualities of the five.

In October 2008, 35% Malay, 33% Chinese and 41% Indian respondents expressed satisfaction with Najib. In July 2011, their approval increased to 59%, 45% and 62%, respectively.

This survey has left many members of the rakyat wondering if a representative cross section of the public was sampled. They also wondered if these 1,500 registered voters were "real voters" or "phantom voters".

As the poll suggests that Najib is so popular now, he might want to call the elections soon, despite the scandals, accusations of electoral fraud and revelations of expensive purchases which are surfacing almost every week.

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In 'real-speak', this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

English: It's the exception, not the rule, that matters

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 09:22 PM PST

I don't know where this originates, and, it's probably not new to you. But it landed in my inbox a while back, and today was the day it found its way here.

If you've ever had to explain something about English to anyone, you'd so get what this is all about.

We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice,
Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.

If the plural of man is always called men,
Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of my foot and show you my feet,
And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?

Then one may be that, and there would be those,
Yet hat in the plural would never be hose,
And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.
We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
But though we say mother, we never say methren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim!

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.
There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger;
Neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins weren't invented in England.

We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes,
We find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square,
And a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing,
Grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend?
If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them,
What do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?
If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English
Should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane.
In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

We ship by truck but send cargo by ship...
We have noses that run and feet that smell.
We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway.
And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,
While a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language
In which your house can burn up as it burns down,
In which you fill in a form by filling it out,
And in which an alarm goes off by going on.
And in closing...

If Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop???!

Klue, Doh!

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 03:53 AM PST

One Murder. Two Perspectives. Three Weapons. An original production that covers lust, betrayal and deceit, much like a theater-version of CSI with its one of its kind twist of Asian setting and touches.

Being Australian and Malaysian made, Klue, Doh! intends to experiment with the art of voyeurism within the confinement of the domestic space, where it takes you out of your comfort zone, and threshed right into a rollercoaster ride that baffles at every turn. Up staging this artistry are our very own Anne James, Davina Goh, Nabihan Yaacob, JD Menon, Terence Conrad and Jon Chew.

The mastermind of Klue, Doh! is Terry and The Cuz. Formed in 2004 with the intention of providing artistic solutions for the performing arts, they have established itself as a company with a truly global appeal. In August 2010 Terry and The Cuz wrote, designed and produced 'My Lingam Speaks', the company's maiden production in Kuala Lumpur. Working with a core group of creative minds from Australia, on a very Malaysian subject matter, the production resonated with local audiences and has spurred them to resume creating work in Malaysia. Their current production is entitled, Klue, Doh!' which is set to premiere this coming December 2011.

Klue, Doh!
Dates: 3-4, 6-11, 13-17 December 2011
Time: 8.30 pm
Venue: Black Box @ MAP, Solaris Dutamas
Entrance Fee: RM 68 Adult / RM 38 Concession
Website: www.terryandthecuz.com

Balloon Man, Butoh Dance & More Urbanscapes!

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 05:53 PM PST

More photos from Urbanscapes yo!

Forgot to show u guys the entrance in the previous post loll

Bumped in to Hanie there.. waddup!

Some artsy flowers.

Butoh Dance performance.

Balloon man.

OK THATS IT!

PGHK #329 Tua Tiao (大条)

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 05:43 PM PST

[audio:http://penanghokkien.com/media/PgHkn-2011-11-21.mp3]

Guests: Ang Mo· Tan, Lau Kau Kiaⁿ, Siau Kiaⁿ, & Ang Mo· Chiau

We discussed the future and current options of broadband in Malaysia. Of course we have to give it Hokkien name, and we came up with Tua Tiau! Enjoy!

(((DOWNLOAD AUDIO FILE)))

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

21st

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 05:45 PM PST

Wishlist.

Happy 28th Birthday KIm :))

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 08:44 PM PST

Assalammu'alaikum Mohd Alimin Hakim..
Thank you for being a wonderful son, a loving brother, and a nephew whom I'm sure the uncles and aunties are quite proud of..Alhamdulillah.

As for being a darling husband, I'm so glad that you have given Azra so much treasured love and tender emotions..Alhamdulillah syukur.
May your intense love and respect for each other remain forever evergreen.
Ameen..InsyaAllah.

Mama hopes you'll have a very nice and meaningful birthday celebration today.
Though it may be a cheap and humble one, I know you'll have a lovely, sweet time..InsyaAllah.

May Allah SWT bless you with a long life of superb health, endless loads of happiness, mountains of success, an empire of wealth, oceans of love and make all your dreams come true..Ameen.

Most importantly, may you always strive hard to become a great Muslim both on earth and Hereafter..Ameen..InsyaAllah..Subhanallah.

Selamat Hari Jadi Kim..
Selamat bahagia dunia dan akhirat..Ameen.
We all love you so very much.
Mama mintak maaf zahir batin too.
Thank you again, dearest son.
Wassalam.

Birthday wishes are free and easy.

We do not have to fork out any money.

The birthday person will rejoice and be very happy.

A Birthday greeting is extemely delightful and ever so cheerie..

** ^_^ :-)) :D :-0) **

The Harley-Davidson Facts

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST

The inventor of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle, Arthur Davidson, died and went to heaven.

At the gates, St. Peter told Arthur. 'Since you've been such a good man and your motorcycles have changed the world, your reward is, you can hang out with anyone you want to in heaven.'

Arthur thought about it for a minute and then said, ' I want to hang out with God.'

St. Peter took Arthur to the Throne Room, and introduced him to God.

God recognized Arthur and commented, 'Okay, so you were the one who invented the Harley-Davidson motorcycle? 'Arthur said, 'Yeah, that's me...'

God commented: 'Well, what's the big deal in inventing something that's pretty unstable, makes noise and pollution and can't run without a road?'

Arthur was a bit embarrassed, but finally spoke, 'Excuse me, but aren't you the inventor of woman?'

God said, 'Ah, yes.'

'Well,' said Arthur , professional to professional, you have some major design flaws in your invention !

1. There's too much inconsistency in the front-end suspension

2. It chatters constantly at high speeds

3. Most rear ends are too soft and wobble about too much

4. The intake is placed way too close to the exhaust

5. The maintenance costs are outrageous!!!!

'Hmmmmm, you may have some good points there,' replied God, 'hold on.'

God went to his Celestial supercomputer, typed in a few words and waited for the results.

The computer printed out a slip of paper and God read it.

'Well, it may be true that my invention is flawed,' God said to Arthur, 'but according to these numbers, more men are riding my invention than yours'.

-Author Unknown-

Posted for laughs with no intention to offend anyone. Thanks to reader SKT who sent me this joke. Have a nice day!

Inch's Garden - 'Washinboutei'

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 11:18 AM PST

	Inch's Garden - 'Washinboutei' Renowned Malaysian landscape designer, Inch Lim wants to send messages of faith and peace through his 'Washinboutei' garden. His 'Washinboutei' garden took three major awards at the Gardening World Cup in Nagasaki, Japan recently.	From: thestaronline Views: 31 0 ratings
	Time: 10:31	More in News & Politics

It's Porto!

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 09:16 PM PST

Some of you guessed it! Answer to the previous post: Porto, Portugal!

Oh god Portugal is amazingly beautiful, and Porto even more so.

It was the last thing I was expecting when I stepped foot on the land.

But Portugal took my heart on the first day till the very last. It's the perfect country to run away for a year's of relaxation and rejuvenation, learn a language and sip wine.

If you're wondering if Porto sounds somewhat familiar, that's because it's where Ports were born.

Tawny sweet peasant-wine port. Yummilicious port.

But we'll get to that soon.

First I had to get my mouth on one of Portugal's most famously known for.

In Asian countries, we refer them to portugese egg tart, in Portugal, they're just egg custard.

Jumbo version.

This was my dinner on my first night there.

I took a stroll around town on my first day in Porto and was pleasantly lost in some very-wonderland part of the city.

I started at one of the national monument in the centre and climbed up to see the city from the top.

I have seen so many city and town views from atop a tall building so many times and I've lost thoughts and opinions to most of those views I've seen. So I'll leave you with the comments here.

As I left the monument building, I found myself walking through some neighbourhood, the type that you find laundry hanging on the third floor and eatery nearby on the ground floor by the street, where on the front hung a nostalgic medieval-style sign.

And then I found myself in a museum, of Porto!

the map of portugal?

olden days transportation in Porto; where they used to carry barrels of Ports on these boats down the river Douro.

You probably can't see it in this photo but the figure of that outfit was TINY!

Men in those days were really short! They couldn't be taller 5 feet.

antique reading glass

odd art

"Yes, please, just a tiny glass. This port had just the right kick. *hick*"

As I moved up and down the hill, gliding through the historical sites, residential neighbourhood, some commercial area, I found myself finally coming down to the river level and face to face to the blazing noon sun.

I love how the road was built just by/on the river side

And then I started climbing some stone stairs, passing some houses beneath me I went up, and up, and up.

Until I found myself surrounded by odd roads, with odd tunnels, odd uphills and downhills, and odd houses.

'twas was the entrance to a house, such a tiny entrance to a front garden?

I didn't know where I was, or what the place was. An abandoned area? No, some of the houses were resided, but then again, some were not; and I did not spot a single soul during my journey there.

Was I in some kind of realm?

I moved along wherever my instinct was telling me to.

On some parts, I saw the outer world of Porto that was hustling and bustling, and that felt like it was in another world, seperated by a space of vacuum, it was not related to me. Porto and its river were just a pretty picture from where I was standing.

I could see the evidence of human presence, drawn graffiti on stone wall, an abandon doll on an empty cliff; but still I heard and saw no sights of human.

There was this red door, locked, but it has a broken wood panel where the lock should be. I peered inside, and saw a story waiting to be told.

Who was here before? Was there a house? What happened to the house? What happend to the kids whose those toys belonged to? Where did the family move, or if something has happened to them? Garbage and beer bottles that indicated it was newly abandoned, but bricks and grown grass shown long-term ignorance.

What's more important, it has such a beautiful location, on a cliff to a view many would pay premium for.

I wondered to myself how much this place would cost, and then allowed my imagination to wander to the possibility of moving here, to this beautiful country.

I moved along.

On and on I went. Till I finally decided to whip out my guide book to locate myself.

15 minutes of walking, I was out of the wonderland and came to a closed restaurant with a untrimmed garden.

Sighing to myself at the regret of missing an opportunity to dine at a place like this, I directed myself out and away from the far end of the town and back into the neighbourhood I came by earlier that day, fueled by hunger.

I picked the first restaurant that took my liking and entered, without acknowledging the genre of their food.

No one spoke English, I could speak no Portugese.

So I sat, smiled at the waiter, who gestured the supervisor over to help but failed. So I strummed my finger along the menu, and made a sign language, with mild amusement, that I would take anything delicious.

They laughed, among themselves, scratching their heads if they understood what I meant. They did.

They brought food.

some odd fried bun appertiser, which I didn't like but ate a few anyway

three packs of butter and one odd looking one to go with my bread

my main course, steak. Yummy.

I was a happy woman.

Crumbs, Pavilion – Yummy frozen yogurt and scones!

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 11:15 AM PST

I'm a lover of froyo and I have tried almost all the froyo chains in KL. From the usual suspects of Tutti Frutti, Snogurt, MooCow and Spoon, MooCow remained my firm favourite til today. Prices are reasonable, portions are good and though they only have 2-3 flavours at one time, I love MooCow for its taste and texture; which is to me, perfect as it is not too icy nor creamy.

So here in Pavilion KL, a new-comer to the block is Crumbs, taking over the now shifted-over-to -KLCC Durian Durian (of which I'm pretty fond of as well since the durian ice cream rocks!).

Crumbs which originated from Hongkong has successful build up to 8 branches in Hong Kong within 2 years from the time they started in 2009. Malaysia is the second country to hold the franchisee and Crumbs primary offerings are pure frozen yogurt and freshly baked in-store scones.

Thanks to http://www.ilovediscounts.my, who is running a current promo with Crumbs (check it out HERE –> http://www.ilovediscounts.my/kuala-lumpur/crumbs/crumbs-frozen-yogurt-scones/ ) I got the opportunity to sample some myself today.

Here in Crumbs Pavillion, they offer 24 choices of toppings that are freshly prepared daily. The toppings includes fruits like strawberries, mango, peach, blueberries, lychees (which were my top choices as these are healthier and natural) and fun toppings like mini meringue, marshmallows, digestive biscuits, M & M, nata de coco as well their signature house crumbs.

Crumbs frozen yogurt is made with no added water as well as no added ice. Their scones were surprisingly good too, produced with the type of quality that one would expect from a home-baked enterprise rather than a commercial outfit like Crumbs. I guess premium ingredients is the key factor here; as Crumbs uses USA plump raisins, imported chocolate beans, and Australian Parmesan cheese in the making of their scones.

My preferred scone is the Chocolate one; (surprise surprise, since I do not fancy chocolate in the first place), followed by the cheese and lastly the original – raisin.

Each scone was impressively moist but not overly greasy and struck the perfect balance in both sweetness level and flavour. *Thumbs up*!

While I'll still stick to MooCow for my froyo fix, Crumbs comes a close second. I certainly won't mind a Crumbs yogurt if I'm in Pavilion, especially one that is LOW in FAT & comes topped with FRESH strawberries, mangoes and blueberries!

We did sample a few choices of combination of the frozen yogurt during our session….

……………but at the end, I stuck to my healthier choice of berries and some green tea mochi.

*Burps* One LARGE one like this filled me up for about 3 hours. Not bad eh?

CRUMBS MALAYSIA

P1.11.04, Level 1, Pavilion KL (near the Pavillion Food Republic)
Tel: 603-21416020
Tel: 012-2051970 (CEO: Jaymie)

SCONES:

Price: RM2.90 each
Flavours: Raisin, Cheese and Chocolate.

FROZEN YOGURT:

Price:
RM 11.00 (Regular with 1 topping)
RM 12.90 (Large with 2 toppings)
RM 1.50 (Each additional toppings)

Cheesie X Leftblock Junk Sale!

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 09:07 AM PST

Thanks to you all, i made enough $$$ to buy more new clothes to vie for Best Fashion Blogger title!!!! *trollface.jpg

It was my first ever attempt to hold an actual on ground fashion sales, all thanks to Leftblock! <333 This is the fastest way to get rid of clothes you won't wear anymore, albeit very heavy heartedly T_T

Here are some pictures (mixed with instagram pix because no time to take pictures at all T_T)

A pic of me before leaving my haos. Hair nicely tied up and all with nicely curled fringe at a perfect angle but after all the moving around and sweating and panicking i was just in a fuck hair style mood.

Setting up my corner at Ecoba!

Before and after!

I loaded and unloaded at least 60389KG worth of junk four times… wait, only 3 because the unsold stuff still sits quietly inside my car now cuz too lazy to unpack T_____T

Seriously how do boutique owners do it every weekend?!??! Although potentially good money, this is way too exhausting!!!

Ok i take that back.

I used to help my aunty and late uncle at a veggie stall in the morning market back in Seremban. I saw them wake up at 5AM and start up the stall EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I take everything back. THIS IS NOTHING. *emo

ANYWAY.

At 12noon the crowd started to become too overwhelming for me to handle, i guess because i asked all of you to come earlier to grab the nice stuff! AND YOU ALL SO GUAI ONE LISTENED TO ME!!! <3

I think almost 80% of the sales was made before 1PM.

Thank Cheesus for Erica who helped me out that day!

Erica who is so inhumaely white she made me look like this could be a "if you see it you will shit bricks" picture FML.

Wider view of Ecoba. Many fashion bloggers and blogshop owners that day!!

I was so lucky that my corner was indoor :X

#10

This is my "Premium Rack"!! Most of the stuff here are gone within an hour. Early birds get the cheese etc etc! The unsold ones maybe i'll sell it online or something later. If i actually bother to T_T

#11

Eh i quite proud of my set up k!!! Even my haos not as neat haha!

#12

This is taken later when the crowd faded. Looks like proud boutique owner anot HAHA. #inmydream T_T

You can see my iMac box behind i used it to transport my clothes lolol

#13

#likeaboss HAHAHHAHA ACT ONLY

#14

I tweeted this and a reader replied "sorry that's my BF photobombing you" HAHAHAHHA so cute one!!!

#15

#16

Also a small corner on my table selling reaaaaally cute accessories by LOLOLOOK.com, go visit!

Then picture with my customers haha

#17

First customer!! (i think)

#18

Celine! I think she's 14 or 16 she is sooooooo shy but sooooooo cute, who came with her fashionable mom, who kept insisting that her daughter reads my blog everyday, which made me feel very paiseh (zomg must blog parent-friendly!!!) and they bought 3 apparels and a bag from me <3

#19

All my customer damn pretty!

#20

Finally time for a break and lunch.

#21

Amanda from NineteenNintySeven (Yes she is 14 WTF) who gave me free macarons!

AND GUESS WHAT—– SHE NAMED HER MACARONS AFTER ME

#22

Nah here's proof.

SEE ANOT!!! #iMadeIt

Then she also asked for my autograph for herself and her friend lolol so cute!!! #superstar

#23

Joyce, without whom i wouldn't even have a spot at this event. BIG LOVE!!!!

#24

Chelsia bought a RM10 hair bow from me lolol looks so cute on her!!!

#25

GUESS WHO CAME ALL THE WAY TO VISIT ME!!!!!! <33333 #addiction

#26

#instaLOVE

Ok la that's all!

Anyway i still receive lotsa emails asking if certain items are sold out. Actually a lot of the items are sponsored by minimaos and you can get brand new ones there!! Like the Dazzlin Fur Coat, Lipsy Grecian Dress and most of the Liz Lisa stuff. They also have new updates!!!

SO! AM I HARDWORKING OR WHAT!! Except yesterday, which was a much needed rest day for me, i am blogging everyday!!! I'm trying to keep my blog everyday promise, so

VOTE FOR ME UNDER BEST FASHION BLOG

ever two hours la!

*goes off to think of other legitimate bribes*

The M Trilogy

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 08:18 AM PST

Tonight, Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa grabbed the Best Film award, amongst a bunch of other gongs at the 24th Malaysian Film Festival. I think the movie won close to 10 or something. I wasn't counting.

This is the second year running that KRU movie projects won big. Last year, Magika won Best Film and MySpy won Best Comedy, amongst other accolades.

Meanwhile, earlier this month - or was it last month? - Magika won, beating Merong, at the Anugerah Skrin.

I played my part in these projects - I wrote the scripts - and I am very happy that the overall strength of the team, the team's work and the teamwork managed to carry the story and cover most of my own shortcomings as a newcomer in the industry.

When Norman KRU asked me to write MySpy - my first and still favourite movie - I thought, "Okay. This will be an adventure."

I did not know that it would be a few years of being nervous and scared to death on most nights. The wins in the past two years were just a good ending to the M trilogy of films - MySpy, Magika and Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa.

There are a couple more films yet to be released by KRU, and I hope to - in the future - get my own stories released.

I did not do these things to win awards (except the Academy Award, which remains an elusive dream) - and truth be told, have never won one personally - rather to see and experience what it would take to write movies. The fact that the films won numerous awards I think is just a bonus to the team. I am just happy to be there for the ride. Thanks to all who helped. Cast, crew and KRU. I'm happy for everyone.

Well, the highlight of the night is done. Time for me to finish some work and go to sleep. I sleep early these days, as my job requires me to come in the morning.

I am still buzzing and can now close this chapter of my life with a smile. The M trilogy is complete, and I believe the stories are done. Cheers!

UPDATE: Magika won seven awards last year. Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa won eight.

Shahrizat To Help Clear Her Name

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PST

Sunday Star November 20, 2011Shahrizat to help in investigations into NFC issue, says IGPBy AUSTIN CAMOENS
austin@thestar.com.my
PETALING JAYA: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil may be called up to help in the investigations into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) issue.

This follows the move by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to

New BN slogan launched

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 07:08 AM PST

	New BN slogan launched Umno Youth and Puteri Umno members are all out to win the support of the younger generation of voters for the Barisan Nasional in the coming general election.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 0 ratings
	Time: 02:53	More in News & Politics

Najib launches social media group to intensify BN's cyber campaign

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 02:53 AM PST

	Najib launches social media group to intensify BN's cyber campaign Barisan Nasional is stepping up its cyber campaign with the launch of 1Malaysia Social Media Volunteers a loose group of social media practitioners who will voluntarily explain the Government's policies and defend them online.	From: thestaronline Views: 0 2 ratings
	Time: 01:49	More in News & Politics

曾经被白猫当白老鼠之心声

2011-11-20T04:10:00.001-08:00

曾经被白猫当白老鼠之心声

曾经被白猫当白老鼠之心声
与牛共舞
Dutch Lady
Lee Sinje In Penang Tourism TVC (Television Commercial)
Hari Akhir Persekolahan 2011 !
Sugar Glider : Mummy Neon, Shemie & Ninja !
Letter one hundred and nine - Day four hundred and seventeen of your vacation
Coconut oil reverses Alzheimer's Disease in 37 days
Kementerian pertahanan KORUP, tentera sengsara!
Introduction and Excerpts for Trois autres Malaisie
Belgian chocolate and Croatian love meet in sweets shop
Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-11-20
No More Shooting Of Crows In Petaling Jaya
Marathon stragglers
The dumberer
Old colonial headmasters
Sugar Glider : Welcome To Jin & Notty !!
The Dog and its Master
Universal Studio’s spanking new ride!
Moderate to Low Budget Transparency?

曾经被白猫当白老鼠之心声

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 03:02 AM PST

黑猫白猫，都是偷吃不抹嘴的动物。。。白猫说节俭、反贪。。。我们比黑猫白啦。。。。。看来主人只有自己学习选猫。。。。。听人民的猫吧。。。。。(白老鼠)

与牛共舞

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 02:55 AM PST

当公司变成动物园了，我们是来做工还是来观赏动物呢？(动物园工作者)
Am I come to work? Or watch Animal Show? (Zoo Keeper)

How to tell Doctor...I am sick of animals.....tikus....ular...lalat.....lipas.....

Doctor told me,"Animals should be release to Jungle.....Why people keep them in the Zoo....."ooo....It is my fault to keep them....

Dutch Lady

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 12:43 AM PST

Until today, it remains as an unsolved mystery to me – why have I not bought this stock? I can keep piling justification upon justification until my reasoning breaks down. Enough of I know, I know, I should, I should….. Procrastination is a great thief of time.

I thought my conservatism worked against me. I thought I was worried that Dutch Lady's sales growth will eventually slow down. I thought I was worried that PE was too high, etc. Upon reviewing my own writings, I found that I was my worst enemy, I was playing double standards, etc….. why was I sitting on dead money on Parkson for example – I was hanging on to the stock while earnings did not catch up fast enough with valuation. I finally told myself, enough is enough, if the industry dynamics is long term favorable and earning has caught up with valuation, just lock down the target and shoot!

One more point, I think I want to tweak my style a bit. I want to make it like writing letters to "friends" or write the way I've written in my diary rather than thinking of myself as an analyst or a preacher.

When I was looking at the stock way back in 2007 ~ 2008, the stock sold for 12 to 16 times PE. The stock was selling for 20 times PE in 2009 and 2010. It was clearly expensive in 2009 and 2010 and many other stocks were cheap. I did allocate some money in many other beaten down stocks. I was churning stocks during that period with around 60-70% return but Dutch Lady probably returned close to 100%. Ouch……why was I going the hard way? Why was I climbing the coconut trees top to pluck the fruits while I can sit back and relax -- let the monkeys to do the job??

The following is the EPS/PER history

2007/0.74/13X
2008/0.67/16X
2009/.944/19X
2010/.998/20X
2011/1.6(E)/14X

The earning jumped by 34% but the stock jumped by 135%, from 2007 to 2010. The last 2 year PE expansion has built in a lot of growth expectation. It was a no brainer to buy in 2007, still ok in 2008 but it was getting really expensive in 2009 and 2010. What about now?

The YTD EPS is RM 1.24, let's add another .36(latest Q3 '11 result) to Q4 '11 and 2011 EPS will be roughly RM $ 1.6. The earning has caught up so much that the stock valuation is getting cheap again.

Given Malaysian lifestyle, I feel that the society will adopt more western style living as we get richer. Milk consumption is likely to go up in the future. Tell that your little boy/girl that he/she can get taller by drinking milk…..he/she will drink in barrels. Our per capita milk consumption is still low, the data is a bit outdated but it's the best I can find(2006). It's direction that I'm looking for.

I think the industry is not that fragmented. Since it's a concentrated industry, the revenue will likely to go up if the overall industry is favorable. My daughter and I went around doing a bit of Sherlock Holmes's work and we found that Nestle and Dutch Lady are pretty strong. If we buy Dutch Lay and Nestle, we are in a business to supply to almost to the whole country.

Supermarket and hypermarket operators play an important to nurture this industry. We can see Tesco, Carrefour, Jaya Jusco, Giant, the Store, etc are mushrooming. It has reached a tipping point for many Malaysia to expose to modern shopping and this will reach more and more people – beyond the city dwellers.

One of the things that worried me is the milk powder cost, it's cyclical in nature. The cost has been going up after it bottomed out in 2009 and now is appearing to have peaked. We have been lucky that Ringgit was strong to offset some of the rising cost. However, if it goes the wrong way – weak ringgit, slow economy, rising milk powder cost – it can be negative catalysts sell off.

One of the more recent moves by new Dutch Lady's management was to rationalize their product mix. They have been focusing on higher margin products and dropping the lower margin products. They did not give much details but I hope their higher margin products are not sensitive to economic conditions. That's the reason why their 2011 financial results elevated to higher ground, both revenue and gross margin are expanding. I hope they can hang on, despite of a potential negative consumer sentiments ahead.

Disclosure: none

Lee Sinje In Penang Tourism TVC (Television Commercial)

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 11:21 PM PST

Lee Sinje In Penang Tourism TVC (Television Commercial) – Do you know that the famous Malaysian actress who starred in various Chinese film e.g. The Eyes, Ice Kacang Puppy Love is now the tourism ambassador of Penang?

There' a 30second TVC on Penang tourism featuring her and just released on YouTube lately. I have no idea where the TVC will be air but it's just feel so cool and proud of being a Penangite. One more thing, Penang is the only state in Malaysia that has its own tourism promo video. Good job to the Penang State Tourism Development and Culture unit.

[Video uploaded on YouTube by rachellwkoay]

Hari Akhir Persekolahan 2011 !

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 08:22 PM PST

Salam...

Jom kita cuci mata tengok gambar hari akhir persekolahan 2011, di SJKC Sam Yoke ni..School sweet school ! Cikgu neon dah lama tak datang bertugas di sekolah...rasa macam janggal je bila pergi sekolah masa tu...hehehe...maklumlah, sebelum ni sebuk outstation seminggu...minggu seterusnya disambng pula edngan jaga budak budak SPM...Busy ! Bisnes pun lari =)

Oklah, goodbye to all students ! Yang mana yang masuk sekolah menengah next year, babai babai ! Yang mana tahun depan kene ngadap lagi muka korang tu, jumpa lagi tahun depan dengan perangai yang lebih elok ya...ooh anak-anak murid ku ! Alhamdulillah, sempat jugak cikgu neon bagi haadiah mainan kat anak -anak murid yang datang....cikgu neoon bagi gift tu, rugi sape tak dapat tau !! =)

lee and nurul !

kehijauan cikgu nurul dan cikgu ecahhhh

hari terakhir shemie dan ninja berada di sekolah ~ weehuuuu

tak dapat jumpa semua anak-anak murd sebab diorang dah banyaknyaa dicutikan..uuuuu ~

kakak ayu ! mumumuuu...windu winduuu

jumpa lagi tahun depan ya

dengan cikgu fatin =)

see you again next year...=)

babai !!

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Sugar Glider : Mummy Neon, Shemie & Ninja !

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 08:01 PM PST

Salam...

Dah lama saya tak update gambar terbaru baby kesayangan saya ni...kamu tahu tak..saya tak boleh hidup tanpa mereka berdua ni...diorang ni nyawa saya =) Walau busy macam mana pun saya , hati tetap ingat kat baby baby ni...

Hehehe...tapi kan, shemie dengan ninja dah jadi semakin nakal la,, semakin aktif, semakin menggeget, semakinn mucuk, dan semakin besar ! Bukan mudah nak handle sugar glider bila diorang ni dah matang kan..perangai pun dah tak macam baby...dah tak suka dikongkong oleh mummy dia. Nak buat perangai pun suka suka hati diorang je...uhhhh....

my kesayangan...forever and always !! =)

smile baby ! smilee huhu

anak anak sila dengar cakap mummy okay !

shemie sedang menikmati suasana kampung

huhuhu...jangan panjat atas pokok dah laaa ~

anak anak, beratur elok elok...kita nak tangkap gambar ni !!

ninja belah kiri...shemie si botak belah kanan tuu =)

nak terjun ke huhuhu

harghhhhh siapaa nak kene geget dengan sayya, meh sini hulur tangan ! hahaha...

ni shemie, dia sekarang suka geget orang !!

okay jpe lagi semuaaa =)

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Letter one hundred and nine - Day four hundred and seventeen of your vacation

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 07:57 PM PST

Dearest J,

I think I am doing something right about some of my fears, one of the most pressing one is to face my fear of music theory.

It reminds me of how it's like for me in swimming. I have a fear for not being to touch the ground beneath my feet in water. I can swim badly, but I cannot float. The fear for drowning looms over my head whenever am anywhere near deep water.

As I left the keyboard you bought for me the other day, another miserable failed attempt to play the melody line on a lead sheet - I told myself there was more than just incompetence in that attempt, there was also an emotional fear/phobia lying in there. 50% of the time I tried recognizing the notes on the sheets, 30% of the time (without realizing it at first) I spent telling myself this music is hard, 20% or more was sheer frustration...ok, I think I should credit myself that I sat there for more than 15 minutes, trying.

For the first time I asked myself, if I could understand how this fear and phobia works - maybe I can take it away more efficiently? There have been enough number of reliable sources telling me that it isn't rocket science, and that many people did learn how to play and read after just weeks of learning. Well, Saidah even told me that she witness someone learned it after three lessons with Michael Veerapan.

But anyway, maybe I will find a few minutes later today to read up on phobia and such...after I have lunch at your house with Mama.

I have made appointment with Cher Siang for a class tomorrow at 3pm. He will teach me how to practice, he will teach me all I need to know to remove myself from my illiteracy in music, provided that I co-operate and work hard.

Thought you might like to know that I am doing something about it. I never forget that you had wanted me to be able to read music, and play some piano.

I miss you very much, not all the time, just when the thought of you comes round...whenever.

Lots of love,

B

Coconut oil reverses Alzheimer's Disease in 37 days

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 07:43 PM PST

How a Doctor Reversed Her Husband's Alzheimer's Disease in 37 Days

New breakthrough improves memory… restores lost brain function … and even revives dying cells!

by Frank Shallenberger, MD
http://securepubs.com/offer/20111006_RC_RCAK11.html#open

If you've ever known anyone with Alzheimer's disease, you know how heart-breaking it can be. Not only does it destroy a person's mental abilities and dignity … but it wipes out the person's very personality, leaving behind a mere shell of a human being. The body is there for you to see, but the person you know and love no longer exists.

That's exactly what happened to my colleague Dr. Mary Newport and her husband Steve. As Mary describes it, "I was watching my husband of 36 years fade away."

Things didn't start out that way, of course. For most of Steve's life, he was known for his quick wit and sharp mind. He could do complicated math in his head … take apart computers and repair them … fix practically anything else without instruction. If he didn't have a tool to do something he would "invent" one and make a usable prototype. He was also a voracious reader. And he loved kayaking, cooking, landscaping, and caring for his two daughters.

Indeed, on the day the couples' first daughter was born, Steve left his corporate job as an accountant so he could work from home. He took over as manager of Mary's medical practice, handing all the accounting and administrative tasks. The practice grew by leaps and bounds.

Tragedy Strikes

But then Steve's memory started failing him. At first, it was little things, like misplacing his keys and forgetting appointments. But then the lapses became more serious. He started making errors with the accounting and payroll. Forgetting whether had had made the bank deposits. Missing tax deadlines.

A psychiatrist diagnosed him as having depression, and put him on antidepressant drugs and psychological counseling. But of course, that didn't help. Steve's memory continued to get worse. He started getting lost while trying to drive home. He couldn't even remember how to turn on the car's windshield wiper.

By now it was clear that Steve had dementia. Mary wrote in her journal: "It has been a nightmare to watch his decline. Every night, we hold each other before we go to sleep and I wonder how many more times we will get to do this."

Mary took Steve to a neurologist, who put him on the drugs Aricept, Namenda, and Exelon. But still, Steve continued to worsen. He'd spend his days walking around the house confused, wearing only one shoe. He couldn't remember how to use a spoon or how to get water out of the refrigerator. At a family reunion, he no longer recognized close relatives. He even forgot that he had fathered his oldest daughter.

Mary did everything she could for Steve. She cooked for him, gave him his medications, helped him get dressed.

She also tried to enroll him in studies on new experimental drugs. But Steve scored so low on the mental exam that he didn't qualify for the studies.
When Steve took the Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSR), he scored a 14 out of 30, which indicates severe dementia. And when he took a test where he was asked to draw a clock from memory, this is what he drew:

And that's not all. When Steve took a genetic test for Alzheimer's, he tested positive for the leading Alzheimer's gene. And when he had an MRI of his brain, the MRI found a shrinking of the hippocampus and damage to his frontal and parietal lobes.

Still, there were brief moments when the old Steve would make a brief appearance. Sometimes he'd be able to hold a coherent conversation. Sometimes, he would even say something clever or crack a joke. One day, Mary asked if a certain phone call came and he said "no." Two days later, he remembered the call and what the caller said.

In Mary's words, it was "Strange to have no short-term memory and yet the information was filed somewhere in his brain. I knew he was locked up in there somewhere, if only there was a key to open up the areas of his brain that he didn't have access to."

Little did Mary know that she would soon find that very key.

One day, Mary came across research on an experimental drug called Ketasyn. She learned that in a study of Alzheimer's patients, this drug brought about improvement in half the people who took it.

Mary was astonished by these findings. As she put it, "Most drugs talk about slowing the progression of the disease, but you never hear the word 'improvement.' Right then I knew I had to find out more."

Mary did research on the internet and came across a patent application for the drug. The application included a description of how the drug works and a list of the drug's ingredients. Much to Mary's surprise, the main ingredient of the drug was medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), derived from coconuts.

Could the solution to Alzheimer's be as simple as taking MCT oils? Mary decided she had nothing to lose. She went to the health food store and bought some coconut oil. The next morning, she mixed it in Steve's oatmeal and fed it to him. She then drove him to an appointment where he was scheduled to re-take the MMSR exam.

As soon as they got to the appointment, Steve was whisked away to the exam room. When he came back, Steve told Mary that he was unhappy with his performance. So Mary pulled aside the research coordinator and asked how Steve did. The coordinator looked at Mary and said "Didn't he tell you? He scored an 18!"

The last time Steve had taken the test, he'd scored a 14 out of 30. Yet here he was scoring an 18. That's an improvement of 28%.

But that's not all. Within a few days, Steve told Mary that he felt the "light switch came back on" and the "fog lifted." Could this dramatic improvement be due to the coconut oil?
Amazingly , the answer is "yes." And here's why …

How It Works

Coconut oil and other MCTs increase your body's production of compounds called ketones. You may have heard of ketones if you've ever been on the Atkins diet. Quite simply, ketones are compounds that are created when body fat is broken down for energy.
When your body is starved of carbs, it starts burning your fat stores to create energy. That's why people on low-carb diets lose weight. It's also why people on low-carb diets produce more ketones.

Why is this important? Well, it turns out that ketones are a powerful fuel for the brain. Especially when the brain is injured or impaired.

For example, scientists have known for years that one of the best ways to stop seizures is to put a patient on a low-carb, high-fat diet. Normally, brain cells prefer to get their fuel from glucose. But impaired brain cells, such as cells that are causing seizures, cannot metabolize glucose well. They need another source of fuel. And that source is ketones.
Mary didn't know this at the time, but there are over 20 different studies on the effect of ketones on the brain. These studies are published in obscure journals that most doctors don't read. Nonetheless, the findings of the studies are important:

• One study found that when the brain uses ketones, it produces 25% more energy than when it uses glucose.

• Another study found that a ketone-producing diet results in a 39% increase in blood flow to the brain.

• And still another study found that mice put on a ketone-producing diet had fewer brain plaques than mice fed a standard diet.

I've been researching ketones for years, and I've been using them in my own medical practice. Whenever I put my Alzhiemer's patients on a ketone-producing diet, they always improve. However, the improvement is usually modest.

It wasn't until I spoke to Mary that I realized I could get a much stronger effect by giving my patients MCT oils. You see, it turns out that when you add MCT oils to a low-carb diet, the body is absolutely flooded with ketones. This results in an amazing improvement in brain function.

Back to our story ...

Mary continued to feed Steve coconut oil, and he continued to improve. Two weeks after Steve began taking coconut oil, Mary asked him to draw another clock. This is what he drew:

And about three weeks after that (on Day 37), she asked him to draw a clock again. He drew this:

But that's not all. Just two months after Steve began taking coconut oil, Mary wrote the following:

"It has been 60 days since he started taking coconut oil. He walks into the kitchen every morning alert and happy, talkative, making jokes. His gait (his ability to walk with coordination) is still a little weird. His tremor is no longer very noticeable. He is able to concentrate on things that he wants to do around the house and in the yard and stay on task, whereas before coconut oil he was easily distracted and rarely accomplished anything unless I supervised him directly."

I spoke to Dr. Mary Newport just recently. Not only is Steve's gait totally back to normal, but he now jogs daily! His tremor is completely gone. And he has also gone back to being an avid reader. He recently relayed the details of two articles he read in Scientific American.

His memory is also dramatically improved. He often brings up events that happened days or weeks earlier.

He recognizes his relatives again and has conversations with them. He is back to doing the yard work at the house. And he has started doing volunteer work at the local hospital.

Mary and I are convinced that these changes are due to the coconut oil. Why? Because any time Steve misses a dose, his Alzheimer's symptoms immediately start to return.

According to Mary, Steve missed getting his morning oil on two occasions: once because he had a fasting blood test and the other time because he was travelling. In both instances, he became dazed and confused, with full-blown tremors. And in both instances, he got back to normal after taking the coconut oil.

Can coconut oil work for you or a loved one? The odds are good that it can. Not everyone will benefit to the same degree that Steve did. But I will tell you this: In my experience there will always be some degree of improvement.

That's why I want to send you a new special report I wrote. The report is called How to Reverse Alzheimer's Disease. And it gives you complete instructions on how to use MCT oils to treat Alzheimer's Disease and other brain illnesses.

You'll find out what types of oil work best, how much to take, and in what combination. You'll find out how to monitor your ketone levels using a simple do-it yourself test you can do at home. And you'll learn about how MCT oils can be used to treat Parkinson's, Huntington's, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease, and more.

The information in this report is priceless. But you can get a copy of the report absolutely free. How? By trying a no-risk trial subscription to my new health advisory, REAL CURES.

Kementerian pertahanan KORUP, tentera sengsara!

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 07:20 PM PST

Several former military personnel, who claimed to have spent decades in the force, today shared stories of how corruption within the Defence Ministry had left soldiers hanging out to dry.

According to one man who spoke to Malaysiakini on the sidelines of a forum of corruption in the defence industry, irregular practices had left soldiers with amputated legs, with many now "suffering in silence".

The man who refused to be named for fear of retribution, also said that civilian personnel had thrown their military recommendations aside to purchase sub-par equipment which put lives at stake.

Referring to an unnamed operation, he said, "We bought the AK 33 machine gun which jammed up after three rounds, so much so that soldiers were throwing their weapons to the ground and charging with parangs."

In another instance in the 1970s, he said, soldiers suffered infections which led to amputations when their boots - which were supposed to protect their feet from spikes in booby traps in jungle warfare as they trudged through the rainforest - failed to do so as they rusted and became "a block of rust".

The boots rusted because zinc plating was used instead of aluminium.

"In another instance, ponchos were of such bad quality that they left soldiers soaking. I was in the jungle crying in the cold because someone had made money somewhere," he said at the Transparency International event in Subang.

The man alleged that bad quality food was supplied to the personnel and officers who rejected the food for their staff would be posted elsewhere as punishment.

"They don't care. I believe it still continues. It is the soldiers who suffer," the man said.

Introduction and Excerpts for Trois autres Malaisie

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 10:28 PM PST

Trois autres Malaisie is printed and now available! Editions GOPE has just provided me the introduction to Trois autres Malaisie, written by the translator, Jerome Bouchaud, as well as the excerpts to four of the stories.

Orders for Trois autres Malaisie, the French translation of Lovers and Strangers Revisited, a collection of short stories set in Malaysia and winner of 2009 Popular-The Star Reader's Choice Award, can now be made at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H99NTFBMDJGN4

Editions GOPE is offering free shipping to anywhere in the world and 5% discount.

Again, please inform others who speak French, even as a second or third language (or are learning French), and who has an interest in Malaysia or would like to know more about it. Think of your family and friends back home or those living overseas, even those who might have been here years ago or are thinking about visiting someday. Or send them a copy of Trois autres Malaisie as a present! Thank you!

228 pages, 13x19 cm, ouvrage illustré.

17.90 € au lieu de 18.85 € (-5%)

Livraison gratuite

La Malaisie vue de l'intérieur avec 14 nouvelles de Robert Raymer.

Vous pouvez réserver votre exemplaire dès maintenant en suivant ce lien : https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H99NTFBMDJGN4 (paiement sécurisé en ligne par PayPal ou CB, frais de port offerts, remise de 5%).

Here's an update to the French blog about Trois autres Malaisie.

***Here's the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and to Trois autres Malaisie.

Belgian chocolate and Croatian love meet in sweets shop

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 05:34 PM PST

Christine Scholtes Covic shows box full of fresh made truffle and plum taste pralines in her tiny production facility in small town of Rakovica, south of Zagreb. — AFP pic

RACOVIKA, Croatia, Nov 20 — Christine Scholtes Covic went to Croatia's Lika region drawn by its stunning scenery and ended up with a husband and a new career combining Belgian chocolate with nature's bounty.

"Chocolate is the food of gods, something really noble," said the Belgian native at her tiny production facility in a village nestled among the green hills and valleys of central Croatia.

The 37-year-old had found a new home in the Lika region, famous for its well-preserved forests, mountains and crystal clear rivers and lakes, and there turned her passions for nature and chocolate into a business making truffles and bonbons.

"I always loved to cook but pastries were my speciality. As a six-year-old I was making my own birthday cakes. "My grandmother had a restaurant so I'm like an Obelix who fell into the magic potion," she said with a grin, referring to the character from the French comic book series Asterix as she explained her "chocolate addiction".

Years later she obtained a diploma in France in bakery and pastry from the Institut National de la Boulangerie et Patisserie, and opened a small pastry shop back in Belgium.

But after discovering the beauty of Lika and its Plitvice Lake national park with 16 cascading lakes and spectacular waterfalls, she fell in love with the place and a local man and moved to Croatia in 2009.

"I was looking for a house and got a husband with it," said the short-hair brunette, smiling warmly.

When the chocolate 'addict' first spoke of setting up a luxury chocolate shop in the Lika area, picturesque but hard-hit by Croatia's 1990s independence war and with over 20 per cent unemployment, the locals were surprised, even sceptical.

But she eventually won over the people in the town of Rakovica.

"It was a great idea but it was something completely new for me," said Ankica Baric, a local woman who helps out in the shop.

"When Christine asked me what I know about chocolate I replied that I only knew how to eat it," she added, bursting into laughter.

After struggling with a slow and often confusing amount of red tape and bureaucracy, the shop Lika Chocolate finally started with the production of truffles and chocolates in October 2010.

"It really combines the best of both worlds — finest Belgian chocolate enriched with excellent Croatian ingredients — butter, cream — and local flavours such as honey, nuts, lavender, or local wines," Scholtes Covic said.

Her shop worker Baric gushed that the truffles with locally produced plum brandy were an "absolute hit".

Visitors are greeted by the seductive warm smell of chocolate and spices when they enter the small production facility, located on the ground-floor of a building in the centre of Rakovica.

At the entrance small packages of sweets are laid out while the main part serves as a kitchen dominated by a giant granite table and a fridge — Scholtes Covic's 'treasure chest' — filled with handmade truffles and chocolate.

She produces some 20 varieties of chocolate and truffles — around 150 kilos monthly.

For the time being her products can be ordered through the Internet at www.lika-chocolat.com, but Scholes Covic wants to expand to the capital Zagreb where truffles would be sold in delicatessen shops.

Sales at the shop in Rakovica are brisk during the summer when people stop on a road connecting Zagreb and the Adriatic coast, as the reputation of Lika Chocolate has been spreading by word of mouth.

Chocolates cost some €2 (RM9.60) a piece and truffles around €33 for a kilo.

"I like the idea and the chocolate is really excellent," said Nikola, a man in his 50s, who stopped at the shop while driving to the capital.

He learned about Lika Chocolate in a television reportage. "This should be available in Zagreb," he added after tasting and buying a box of plum truffles. — AFP-Relaxnews

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-11-20

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PST

Another wedding! (@ Oversea Restaurant [??????] w/ 2 others) http://t.co/7mu3pryX #
Budak sleeping on a makeshift bed… http://t.co/D1oITbhU #
Back from Reno Expo… Put a deposit on the kitchen cabinets and bought our hood, hob, oven set. #
It's much longer: ????????, and very serious lol. @chrisleong @imokman @xmocha in reply to chrisleong #
I'm at Jade Hills Club http://t.co/LAwzFAJz #
Getting keys to our first property today! Stressful yeh! #
Hmmm… Any interior designers out there who would like to offer 'plc' consultancy? #
.@hueijean plc means 'Peng Leng Cheng' i.e cheap, beautiful and wonderful haha! in reply to hueijean #
Lunch. (@ Srineela's Banana Leaf Restaurant) http://t.co/a32Z8cFW #
View outside my doorstep. Love the trees, hopefully they grow quickly so the place will cool down. Think Paul wil http://t.co/EZngFsN7 #
Next pitstop, get visa application cleared. (@ Enesty Travel & Tours) http://t.co/CNElXQDr #
Second last stop of the day… Picking up hubby's IC. (@ JPN Seputeh) http://t.co/tzhnxNqu #
I'm at Alamanda Shopping Centre (Jalan Alamanda, Precinct 1, Putrajaya) w/ 7 others http://t.co/jdh8W9Wt #
An apple a day keeps the sniffles away! #project365 http://t.co/sjPhl8yr #

No More Shooting Of Crows In Petaling Jaya

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 05:30 PM PST

DATELINE PETPOSITIVE THERAPY CENTRE, PETALING JAYA:

ANIMAL LOVERS in Petaling Jaya will be able to heave a great sigh of relief at last when crow-shooting in the city will be a thing of the past after this weekend.

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) will no longer be adopting measures to shoot birds as a means to cull them for public health.

Instead, MBPJ will be engaging itself on

Marathon stragglers

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:41 PM PST

Nuts. I woke up too late this morning to go into the Penang Bridge live webcam website.

I had hoped to be able to catch some glimpses of this year's Penang marathon. Instead, it's already 6.38am when all the main action's long been over. All I could see were the almost completely empty bridge and one or two stragglers who were still gamely ~~running~~ ~~jogging~~ walking.

ca-pub-5430283382112812

The dumberer

Posted: 18 Nov 2011 02:53 PM PST

The blithering idiot who doesn't appreciate the value of money and can still smile as if nothing has happened even though he has lost STG197 million.

ca-pub-5430283382112812

Old colonial headmasters

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 03:19 PM PST

The Penang Free School and the Hutchings School, both among the oldest schools on the island, shared some common interesting aspects. It is a shame though that I'm unable to uncover more information of the Hutchings School apart from the facts that the school was named after the Revd Robert Sparke Hutchings who founded the Penang Free School in 1816 and that the Hutchings School took over the old premises of the Penang Free School in Farquhar Street after the latter had moved to bigger premises in Green Lane in 1928. i did hear that the Hutchings School occupied this building until the start of the Japanese Occupation in 1941. The Japanese destroyed half the building during one of their air raids on the island.

The names of the personalities common to both schools were that of LW Arnold, PF Howitt and HR Cheeseman, after which the sports houses in Hutchings School were named, but I'm sure there could be more.

Harold Cheeseman founded the Scouts movement in Penang at the Penang Free School in 1915, while both Arnold (1928-1929 and 1934-1946) and Howitt (1950-1951) were the headmasters of Penang Free School. Despite not being a headmaster at the Penang Free School, Cheeseman was such a respected character that the school had also named a sports house after him.

Interestingly, Arnold was Hutchings School's headmaster in 1931-1934 before his transfer to the Penang Free School. He was also a headmaster of the Malacca High School in 1931 while Howitt was a headmaster of the Victoria School in Singapore in 1941 and again 1946-1948. There was also D Roper who was a headmaster of both the Penang Free School (1947-1950) and Victoria School (1941). I'm sure in time, more people would unearth more information on the connecting histories of the old schools in Malaysia and Singapore.

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Sugar Glider : Welcome To Jin & Notty !!

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:31 PM PST

Salam...

Welcome to the world cute little babies ! Namanya rasmi diorang ni ialah jin & notty ! Kenapa gelar nama sugar glider ni camtu ? Ada sebabnye...hehehehehe...yang sekor memang sangat nakal (notty), yang sekor lagi suka menjilat dan suka bertenggek atas badan kawan dia (jin) = )

Sugar Glider ni bukan kepunyaan saya ya...ini kampung boy yang punya..happy betul dia bila dah beli sugar glider sendiri...semuanya terpengaruh bila tengok entri-entri sugar glider dlaam blog saya ni...= P

bagi diorang minum japs...nak sangat air laici ! promote bonding pouch yang saya jual tu =)

slurrpppe !

mummy neon dah ade babies baru ? hhehehe...

jin dan notty !

alololo mucuk mucuk dia tuhhh

minum airrr

dua dua comel

very small !

teringat masa bela ninja dengan shemie waktu diorang keck dulu dulu...hehehe...

alaaa mamai pulak !

ok babai everybody ! =) see you again !

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The Dog and its Master

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 02:30 PM PST

A couple was going out for the evening.

They'd got ready, all dolled up, but just needed to put the dog out when the taxi arrives.

However as the couple walked out of the house, the dog shoots back in the house.

They don't want the dog shut in the house, so the wife goes out to the taxi while the husband goes upstairs to chase the dog out.

The wife, not wanting it known that the house will be empty, explains to the taxi driver: 'He's just going upstairs to say good-night to my mother.'

A few minutes later, the husband gets into the cab.

'Sorry I took so long' he says. 'Stupid b***h was hiding under the bed and I had to poke her with a coat hanger to get her to come out! Then I had to wrap her in a blanket to keep her from scratching and biting me as I hauled her downstairs and tossed her in the back yard!

She better not s**t in the vegetable garden again!'

The silence in the cab was deafening.

-Author Unknown-

*Posted for laughs with no intention to offend anyone.

Universal Studio’s spanking new ride!

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 11:25 AM PST

Thank god I saw this just before my next trip to Universal Studios!

SINGAPORE: After more than two months of non-stop tests, Universal Studios Singapore is finally ready to unveil its multi-million dollar Transformers 3D ride on December 3.
Planning for the Transformers 3D ride took over four years, even before Universal Studios Singapore was built.
Among its firsts is a new Autobot called EVAC, specially created for the ride.

What makes the ride unique is that it not only is the first Transformers ride in the world, the technology it employs far surpasses what has previously been done on simulator rides, combining HD-quality images, realistic special effects and a roving motion simulator.

John Hallenbeck, vice president of park operations at Universal Studios Singapore, said: "We're looking to definitely have people walk in the door, and when they get off the attraction, to be blown away. I've been in this business for a long time and this by far is one of the best attractions we've ever developed."
The ride has just received its licence and Universal Studios Singapore will open it to the public for a few hours each day in the run-up to its official opening.

I'm definitely postponing my theme park adventure till after December 3rd!
This ride's so making my every penny worthwhile; same cost, different experience~
'Cause baby, this multi-million dollar worth ride's the first transformers ride in the world, here in SINGAPORE.
Yes, my country. Though a small but with a HUGE RIDE. CAN'T WAIT!

♥

Moderate to Low Budget Transparency?

Posted: 19 Nov 2011 09:12 AM PST

I was not at all surprised when I read the following report by Adila Razak from Malaysiakini.

Defence budget transparency rated 'moderate to low'

Malaysia's defence budget was found by an international index in 2010 to have 'moderate to low' transparency.

According to the Transparency of Defence Budgets Report by Transparency International launched in Subang today, Malaysia scored 4.5 points with 12 being the most transparent.

This places Malaysia alongside countries like Afghanistan, Thailand, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Malaysia is among others behind Indonesia, Bangladesh and Papua New Guinea, who had 'moderately' transparent defence budgets.

According to TI representative Mark Pyman (right), the report was based on results of the Open Budget Index 2010 plus additional answers to a TI questionnaire.

The Open Budget Index measures the level of transparency in national budgets.

Pyman said that among reasons for Malaysia's ranking was the "high level of aggregation" in the defence budget.

"It is legitimate that there be secrets (in defence spending) but if this is the case we expect Parliament to be able to debate the secrets.

"Parliament should be able to scrutinise the secret items," he said, calling for a parliamentary select committee on defence.

Pyman said at present, the defence budget is not revealed at a detailed enough level that it can be scrutinised.

"Malaysia ranked far below other countries (for this), where the budget lacked details and no audits were undertaken of the secret programmes," he said.

He, however, admitted that the report does not look at the spending of Singapore, which spends the most on defence among South-East Asian countries.

Neither does it look at military heavyweight Israel, said Pyman, as these two countries were not included in the Open Budget Index 2010 for unclear reasons.

95% of Colombia's defence budget open

Earlier, he highlighted a best-case practice in Colombia, resulting in 95 percent of its defence budget being made public.

He said that the ministry procedures required that the secretary-general sign off on all procurements which need to be classified as secret.

"(Bureaucrats) will say 'There's no way I'm going to take my boots tender to the secretary-general to make it secret'," he said.

Colombia's defence acquisition budget is larger than Malaysia's, he said.

Pyman added that generally 95 percent of all defence budgets are not sensitive information - like purchase of boots or yoghurt - but are deemed confidential due to "bad habits".

"It just makes life easier (for the bureaucrats and ministers) if everything is secret," he said.

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