On the last day of the year

While everybody is out to celebrate New Year Eve, what is Mindy and the hubby doing?

Something....

Happy New Year! May 2010 bring better things and less white hair to all. :)

Little new touches here and there

The hubby and I have very little in common. If I have to list what we have in common, I can only think of three right now. We love to eat. We love our dogs. And we love our home.

These past few day, free from the stress of work, we have been giving our little home a few new touches here and there. :)

 

 

 

 

More to come. :)

You-know-what

The little island I'm on has been invaded by outsiders. Traffic is so bad that there was a crawl all the way up to Batu Ferringhi. And were so many people during the weekend that I couldn't get my bowl of Penang road Laksa because there wasn't anymore space to sit. :(

Anyway, I blogged about you-know-what over here [click]. You can find the password on my Facebook profile or Twitter which I recently updated. Favourite something. You should be able to guess which it is.

Gotta go back to work tomorrow. Sob! Which also could be a good thing because a girl who doesn't go to work, goes shopping instead. And shopping a lot she does. Not looking forward to the coming credit card bill.

Holidays are here. Woohoo.

It had been on of those "If I get through this shit, I can get through anything (until the next bigger shit comes by)" months and I feel like a kid who has just finished her exam and the holidays have started.

Took the week off to chill and to give my poor gray cells a little rest. And half of the last week of December. Why didn't I just take the whole of the last week off? Because

1) Being together with the hubby for 24 hours, 14 days will drive me up the wall.
2) I'll end up just logging into work from home 
3) I'm kiamsiap with my leave even though I've accumulated over 30 days.

I've got so many things I wanna do during the holidays. All the things I always say I would do if I was a housewife who had the luxury of being home the whole day. I always have this wonderful list of things I want to do, like trying out new recipes, sewing teddy bears, go swimming, reading books, sort out my photos etc. But then when the holidays do come I often find myself with the remote control in one hand and my lazy ass on the sofa the whole day in front of the TV.

Unfortunately I'm sick. And the hubby is sick. I was boasting that I didn't fall sick at all this whole year, and as if to punish me, I had to fall sick now. I've got the sexy-sick-voice now and I'm worried that my block nose would cause me to lose to sense of taste later. Which would mean I won't be able to enjoyed the yummy food at you-know-where! Sob!

Btw, if you know what I'll be up to later, don't comment about it here because of you-know-what reason. Not that it's a secret because everybody knows, but you-know-who doesn't like me to tell the whole world so I can't talk about you-know-what here.

Have a good holiday and Merry Christmas. :)

Marriage to me is this

Feeling totally in love with him, sometimes hating him

Feeling like you cannot possibly live without him, sometimes wondering how you can live with him for the rest of your life at the next moment

Laughing your heart out, sometimes crying your eyes out

Snuggling happily up to him in bed, sometimes cursing him for stealing your blanket

Seeing him as somebody who will look after you, sometimes having to look after him as a kid

He brings out the best in you, sometimes the worst in you

Having to sacrifice
Having to always think for two and not just yourself
Having to tolerate him just as he tolerates you

Marriage is feeling the two extremes, the good and the bad. To get the good, you'll have to experience the bad as well.

Today 10 years ago, I asked this question

During the last year of school one question we liked to ask ourselves was, "Where would you be 10 years from now?" There was something just so exhilarating about that question to a 17-year-old whose future was wide opened bursting with endless possibilities. I used to stare out of my bedroom window while doing my homework, daydreaming of what the future would be.

Well, as of today, exactly 10 years have passed since the the very last time I wore a secondary school uniform. The day was 11 December 1999, the last paper of SPM. One of the happiest days of my life. :)

10 years later, 11 December 2009, all of us were supposed to meet in McDonalds at Midlands. Needless to say, that won't be happening today. Being young at the time, we were naive enough to think that our friendship would be able to withstand the time of 10 years.

I can say that the 10 years have changed all of us in different ways. Some chose to grow apart and have nothing to do with the rest. But some of us decided to make that extra effort to keep each other in our lives no matter how busy or how far from each other we were.

To those few who are still in my life, I appreciate each and everyone of you. You have been there from the very start, my pre-Yin How years... the years where all us would argue who would be the first to have a boyfriend and get married. (we all know the answer by now... it wasn't me...).

I appreciate the fact that we grew up and faced every stage of life so far together... oh like how we had to keep up with somebody's latest boyfriends... or somebody's ever changing hairstyles or somebody's never-ending shocking announcements (you think you know a person from inside out after 15 years of friendship and yet she still has something to tell you which will shock you completely into silence). And there's something so nostalgic about seeing the girl you used to play with when you're young, grow up into a fine woman and witnessing the day she decides to tie the knot with her life long partner.

10 years can do a lot to a person. And it has done a lot to me (I hope not so much physically though). Looking back, I realized I always had a plan and stuck to that plan almost obsessively. First get a degree, then the first job, then the first car, then the first home, then the first husband (better add "and only"), then the wedding reception, then the very much delayed honeymoon. I planned exactly what I wanted by what age I wanted it (except for the honeymoon which I kept conveniently delaying).

But I realized that nothing always go according to plan. I went through good times and bad times.. my own as well as the girls who grew up with me. I learned to walk away then it hurts too much because not everything has a solution. I learned to let go of a lot of my naive thoughts that everything would be perfect as long as I had a perfect plan. And I've learned that sometimes it's not necessary to always have a plan. That now and then it's okay to just go with the flow and fill it with little surprises on the way.

After 10 years, would I have made the 17-year-old Mindy proud? I believe so. I hope so.

Today I get to answer the question the 17-year-old-me asked 10 years ago. I guess that now that I'm here, the next question would be, "Where would I be 10 years from now?" (Hopefully still alive... seriously).

***
In a way, a few of us did meet up for lunch today at Dragon-i. It's not McDonald's but hey, after 10 years, I think we can upgrade our taste buds for something better ;)
How was the pau?

You know you’re a Penangnite (or in Penang)...

When you absolutely know for a fact that there’s no where else in the world that serves better food than Penang (I know Ipoh folks will strongly disagree)

When you’re addicted to Penang Road Laksa and Chendol and Gurney Drive’s Char Keow Teow

Where the dirtier the place, the better the food tastes

When you can eat at table by the drain of a main road, be horrified when you see the bowls and chopsticks thrown near the drain and yet continue happily eating your bowl of curry mee in denial of what you just saw.

When you have a tummy made out of steel to survive the fact mention above. If not, the tummyache is still worth that bowl of curry mee. Eat first, think later. Why? Because it's oh so worth it.

When your main activity during the weekend is eating… and eating…

When you don’t need beautiful girls posing in the PC Fair to attract your attention. Show us your cheapest price and we’ll come rushing in. Money first, looks second.

When finding a legal car parking space by the road along Gurney Drive on a weekend night makes you so happy you’ll want to cry

Whenever there’s a new shopping mall opened, you’ll see half of Penang’s population there. 1 month later, it will be empty.

When in a shopping mall during the weekends, you’ll have to bump into at least one colleague, friend or relative.

When in a shopping mall during the weekends, you’ll have to fight your way through an army of people chasing you trying to sell you credit cards, investment schemes, slimming products, telco promos, balding hair solutions, etc. (does this happen in KL malls as well? I don’t seem to remember such experiences when I’m at KLCC, Midvalley, etc…)

When you wear shorts and slippers anywhere and everywhere (I had to throw a tantrum to convince the hubby to wear jeans instead of shorts to a fine dining restaurant)

When you can be driving in your car surrounded front, back, left, right by a crowd of motorcyclists and not feel intimidated

When you have the ability to turn a 2 lane road into a 4 lane road

When you are able to weave in and out of traffic like one of those old gameboy racing games.

When you know at least one person working in Intel or Dell

When any place can be considered a parking space, including roundabouts and road junctions. Parking summons don’t matter compared to that bowl of laksa or rojak or char keow teow you’re desperately craving for.

When you enter a shop, a lethargic skinny looking teenage salesgirl will follow you round and round. You take one step forward, she’ll take one step forward. You take one step backwards, she’ll take one step backwards like you’re both in a dance routine or something. Front two, cha cha cha. Back two, cha cha cha.

Where prices of landed properties within prime locations on the island are ridiculously high and you think the people who are willing to pay that price are all insane (though you wish you had that kind of money to be just as insane)

When you insist you're not kiamsiap. You just want everything Cheap and Good. What's so wrong about that? :)

What else?


****Updating with more facts left in the comments***

From Anonymous

When you bump into your friend, instead of saying "hello", you say: "Jiak Pah Ah Boi?" or "Un Chuah? Hoh Bo?"

When you had a lousy food, you say: "walau, cannot go (beh khi)!!"

When you always ask for discount, regardless it's promotion item or fixed price item

When you are traped in traffic jam during weekends and/or school holiday, you ask: "why tourist like Penang so much?"

My latest favourite thing

I have a new favourite word. When Yin How says, "Liverpool?", my eyes light up.

Recently found this place, Nasi Lemak Liverpool Cafe. They serve

Nasi Lemak Liverpool
Tom Yam Liverpool
Laksa Liverpool
Burger Liverpool
dan lain lain

I'm just a nasi lemak addict who's happy to find a nasi lemak cafe and is now a Liverpool supporter. :)

bleeding love

Love this. :)

Remember that feeling?

Remember that feeling when you were a young student and after studying for months, you have just finished your very last paper knowing that all the hard work has finally paid off. The feeling of a thousand tonne weight lifted from you as the examination invigilator starts collecting your answer sheet for the last time and you can't help but grin like a maniac to all your friends around you. The feeling that you can go home burn all your study books because you don't to look at them again. The feeling of absolute freedom knowing that as of that one moment, there's nothing in the world you can be worried about.

As you emerge from the examination hall, you feel so light you could fly off into the blue sky.

I miss that feeling of freedom.

How do you know whether the one is the one?

1. if he is able to make you laugh like an idiot even after being together almost everyday for the past 10 years
2. if he still look sexy to you even when he's wearing his spongebob boxer shorts 
3. if he is the first person you  
   

FYI

If you are a Sakae Sushi addict like me, you would have notice that the Spicy Salmon has been "temporary" out of stock since a few months back...

TIPU wan.... The menu says it's out of stock, but I asked the waiter and he brought me some.

Next time, don't trust the menu.

(Hubby watching District 9 right now. Another one of those Fuck Fuck Fuck Cluck Cluck Cluck Hollywood movies. How did they manage to sensor it all out in every other sentence when the movie was shown in the cinemas here?)

It's gonna be a beautiful day

The sky is bluer than blue.

The grass is greener than green.

The birds are chirping and the sun is shining.

Why?

There can only be one reason why...

Because tomorrow is a holiday!~~

Yay yay!

*doing the happy holiday dance*

Have a good weekend!

:)

P.S - thank you Soo Huey for the wonderful wonderful smoked salmon sandwich. I should lend you more books to get more free sandwiches.

P.P.S - I cannot understand what's with all the hoo-haa over Robert Pattinson. Maybe I should try watching Twilight and see whether the inner idol worshiping love-struck teenager is still within me.

P.P.P.S - I need to find a way to get of my shoe shopping phase. 6 new pairs and I still find myself still obsessively thinking about the black pair of heels I saw in Vincci.

After 10 years

Dearest 17-year-old Mindy,

10 years has passed since the last day of SPM. I remember how you were at that time, so young, so excited, so eager to see what the world had to offer.

So many things have changed after 10 years. You have lost friends whom you thought would be there forever. They decided to slip away and never be heard from again. Sad to say that the 10 year reunion you planned at Midlands McDonalds will never happen.

However the ones who are still around are very like to continue to stick with you until you are all old and wrinkly. And with them, you'll go through the really good and really bad of life together.

You have a husband who is your source of your daily entertainment. You have learned how to cook! You have learned how to settle down and be a wife. You have two dogs who make you laugh and cry in frustration. You have a wonderful home and a dirty little Kelisa and a even dirtier cubicle at work. And you have the job which you used to imagine yourself in when you were young. 

So yes, in 10 years time you have everything you ever wanted. Looking back in time, I realized you always had a plan and knew exactly what you wanted next. Get the degree, get the job, get the new home, get the new hubby, get the next promotion.

The question now is, what's your plan for the next 10 years?

Time to slow down and think for a while.



You may value a friendship, but it doesn't mean that the other person does. True friends can stay apart but not grow apart. True friends take that little extra step to always be around no matter the distance. You will lose friends whom you once thought be around forever, but you will still have those precious few who will grow old and wrinkly with you.

You can't avoid change. You can only control how change affects you.

Sometimes, some situations cannot be solved. Instead on hanging on to all the pain, it's better to walk away hoping that the situation will solve itself. If it doesn't, then walk away forever.

Have fun. It's okay. You don't always have to work so hard to deserve it.

It's okay when plans don't work out the way you want it. And not everything needs to have a plan.

Eat more vegetables. Use screenscreen and moisturizer.

Don't be afraid of the unknown. Sometimes it can be exciting instead of scary.

Appreciate Yin How more. Don't yell at him too much. And don't overuse the "crying for sympathy" technique. It doesn't work anymore.

Today my body has decided to tell me, "Mindy, you are SLEEPING WAY TOO MUCH" and gave me a horrible headache in the morning to make its point.

Since I came from the U.S. I've been sleeping around 8 or 9pm almost every night. I like to do some reading before I sleep. But somehow once I sit on the bed, everything goes black (and sometimes goes back being blurry when Yin How comes into the room and yells, "YOU ARE SLEEPING AGAIN???")

It's my birthday today... Woo Hoo?

Normally birthdays are a big thing to me. Since I was a kid, birthdays meant a lot of me. Maybe it's because it's a day I receive presents and a birthday cake. Or maybe it's because it's the day I feel like the most special person in the world. Or maybe it was because it was the day I felt my parents loved me a little more.

And all this while, I always looked forward to my birthday. One or two months before my birthday, I'll start bugging Yin How, "Watcha gonna buy for me?", giving him my best puppy look eyes.

It's different this year. I'm starting to feel like I'm running out of time to do the things that I want to do. It's an reminder that I've been stuck in one place for too long. It's an indication that I'm restless to move on to the next stage of my life.

I didn't even remember that my birthday was coming until somebody wished me Happy Birthday on Facebook two days in advance. And for the first time, I chose to come to work instead of taking a day off.

So anyway... when I woke up thinking that if I almost forgot about my own birthday, the whole world, except my bank and insurance company, would forget as well.. Heard my handphone ringing with messages early in the morning and was happy to find it was a friend instead.

Came to work there was a pretty handmade birthday card waiting for me. And it was made in brown knowing that brown is my favourite color. Received birthday calls/messages from friends (one all the way from China) and my sister. Even more on Facebook. And a slice of yummy cake from colleagues.

Feeling a bit more happier.... but WAIT.....

Has the hubby wished me happy birthday yet???? *dramatic background music*



I woke up in the morning looking for a birthday card (no matter whether it's rainy or sunny or whether the whole earth is coming to an end, it's compulsory for the hubby to get me a birthday card). Not only was there no birthday card, but there was no hubby sleeping next to me. *Gasp*. He was sleeping on the sofa outside and didn't wake up when I left for work

Somewhere in the background I heard someone yelling.... STRIKE ONE!

At work, I called him to ask him whether he was feeling well (also secretly hoping he'll remember my birthday), since he looked a little sick on the sofa. He said he was feeling a little unwell in the morning but was okay now. I waited a while giving him a chance to wish me happy birthday.... but he didn't.


STRIKE TWO!

He called back again. I was thinking... he finally remembered. He went on talking about his colleague's birthday this Friday. His tenant at his other house. And some other stuff at work. Still no happy birthday.

STRIKE THREE!

Even an optical shop where I purchased a pair of glass 4 years ago and never went back remembered to send me an birthday sms... Geez, what is wrong with the HUBBY??


Rule number 1. Never forget a woman's birthday. She may forget about it herself, but it's no excuse for the man.
Rule number 2. A woman has an excellent memory when it comes to tracking of how strikes a man made.


The time is 2:15pm. Let's see how many strikes he is gonna get by the end of the day. 

(BTW, I secretly thinks that he remembers my birthday but is purposely acting like he forgot to annoy me. But if he really has forgotten, it's not a big deal... I think... however with the excellent memory a woman has been blessed with, it's certain that this will be brought up again and again for many years to come)

;)


*****Update*****

After 5pm with no Happy Birthday wishes from the hubby, I received a call from him, "Black or White shoe?"

"Huh?"

"Black or White shoe??" sounding more embarrassed now...

Apparently the hubby confidently went into Vincci wanting to buy me the pair of shoes which I mentioned I liked last weekend. But of course, nothing in life can be that simple. So of course the shoe which I said I liked had sold out. And suddenly the hubby was standing in Vincci surrounded by hundreds of shoes of different types and colors to choose from.

He ended up calling me numerous times, and sending me photos of different shoes before he chose one to buy for me. So much for a surprise huh.

But picturing him helpless and alone in a woman's shoe shop trying to buy me a pair of shoes is already the present itself. I was touched. :)

Capturing moments like these...

Makes buying a DSLR worth the money. :)

Also because it makes you want to capture every moment to fully utilize it just to make you feel less guilty about spending so much on a camera.

At least that's what I try to do whenever I suddenly remember that it's starting to collect a little dust.

Which is good because otherwise, precious moments like these may just slip away and be forgotten in time.

And yes, I'm a sentimental squishy squashy person.
:)

Yin How's pride and joy

Some time earlier this year, there was a flower festival thingy at Botanical Gardens. At that time, I had just bought my DSLR and owning a DSLR for the first time makes you to crazy things like standing in the ridiculously hot sun crowding with a bunch of other people just to take a photo of a flower.

Yin How was excited. Especially when he spotted plants for sale. He was particularly interested in getting an ambra tree which caught his eye.

And then he started his bargaining process of squeezing every cent he could from the young Malay boy.

 Of course, with he managed to win the bargain and posed for a victorious smile to the camera.

He took around 15 more minutes to choose the perfect ambra plant among many while I was cursing how hot the weather was.

I was just glad to get out the heat. I happily walked back to the car and dumped the plant at the back passenger seat. Yin How insisted that the plant sit in front, so fine..... I got out and moved the plant to the front seat with me.

At home, a very excited Yin How began digging a dead plant from our huge pot so that his precious new plant could move in.

 

He carried the pot outside to make sure that his plant would get enough loving tender care from the sun.

 

And there it stood... Yin How's pride and joy. His bonsai ambra plant (if you just call it the ambra plant, he'll correct you and say it's a bonsai ambra plant). He was soon talking about how he would make ambra juice after the plant starts producing fruits.

Any guest who comes over would be introduced to the plant.

After more than half a year of watering, fertilizing and caring for his precious plant.....

Ta-da!!~~~

 

;)

In the strange land

Imagine that you have traveled to a far away land. You are alone and the land and everything with it is strange to you. You know no one there, you have nobody to talk to and you do everything alone.

Then later you start to meet people. And the people are so friendly and make you feel at home. They take you out for lunch, for dinner, for shopping, for sight-seeing. And you end up being so appreciative that because of them this strange land no longer seems so strange anymore.

Then you realize that just being a little friendly makes a whole lot of difference to someone foreign to your land. For you it may just be an hour or two of your time. Or even just a minute to drop by and say Hi. But for them, it made the whole trip so much more enjoyable.

You are thankful. And so you change.
Hopefully, you change for good.

:)

The time is 6.40am. I have been up since 5am. Apparently I have not fully recovered from the jetlag yet. Ai...
The hubby is still sleeping and the doggies are too sleepy to care about me.

Today is Monday not Sunday, Monday not Sunday

I ate Nasi Lemak for dinner yesterday. And I woke up early to have Nasi Lemak for breakfast today. No words can describe the satisfaction.

The satisfaction is even better than you-know-what. ;)

And the journey begins

Warning, boring post ahead. You can skip reading this. I don't care. I need to write something down while waiting to board the plane. When there's nobody to talk to, talk to the bloggy.

I'm so so so sleepy. My yawns are getting louder and louder and I'm pretty sure the people beside me are starting to hear it. How am I going to survive a 15 hour flight to HK? Ai....

I actually enjoy travelling alone. When tired, I just want to shut up and yawn my eyes out.

Sigh... another 45 minutes to go.

**Update**
In HK airport now. The Macro Polo lounge is nice. And I had two rounds of dimsum and moi and 3 cups of tauchui. Oh how I miss Chinese food. :)

I keep forgetting I'm in the same time zone as Penang now. Keep trying to calculate the time zone difference to see whether Yin How is awake.

Oh, and I watched the Traveller's Wife on the plane. Why did they have to change the ending? I felt the ending in the book completed the story so well, but they had to change it in the movie. Don't watch the movie. Not very good.

**Update**
Had to transit in KL at the under-utilized KLIA. And I'm finally home. Can't believe I once thought that a 4 1/2 hours bus ride to KL is long. Try traveling for 24 hours.

Currently desperately trying to stay awake. Don't want to sleep too early and end up waking at 4 in the morning.

Must be strong... must be strong...

I don't think i can do it. I'm falling asleep even while typing this.

Nite nite.

Last few updates

Hubby seems to be more excited about seeing his Adidas shoes then seeing me. I don't know how many times he asked me to show him the shoes through the webcam. Cis.

People here are just soooooo nice. It's because of them, I enjoyed this trip to the fullest. I'm so looking forward for them to visit Penang.

I tried In & Out. Not nice leh... what was the big hoo haa about it? I prefer McD's bacon burger!~~

I've got tonnes of packing to do. It's gonna be a late night for me. I wonder how I'm gonna carry everything. @.@

Not looking forward to the long journey back.... and the jet lag. Urgh...

Last, but not least....
 LAKSA LAKSA LAKSA oh LAKSA, wait for me... I'm coming home soon!~~~

Useless ramblings

I think I put on weight la..... Lots of greasy burgers... ice-cream for dinner... lots of sweet stuff... and no dance aerobics...

McD burger here is huge... double the size of the burgers at home. Their medium size set is our large size at home. Can't imagine what their large size here is then.

I wonder why Americans need to eat so much.

I did my laundry yesterday and my already tiny pajami shorts have become even tinier... and my socks look like baby socks now.

Can't decide whether I'm happy or sad to be going home this Friday. I miss hubby at night, it's boring not having anybody to talk to so I end up addicted to the internet until late at night. But I don't miss him at all during the day though. The day is just too pretty. :)

I'm definitely more comfortable driving here now... comfortable enough to start speeding on the freeway. ;)

It's so dry here I've started getting wrinkles.

I know what I'm writing here is terribly boring, but Penang is working at this moment and too busy to talk to me and I'm so bored not have anybody to talk to, so I talk to my bloggy.

Oh, and bloggy is 1 years old today!!!! Can you believe it? I've been blogging about crap for 1 year. Oh how time flies... :)

Bored... going off to watch advertisements on TV now.

Oh how I love it here

After getting adjusted to the weather and driving here, I love it so much here.

1. I love how branded stuff here is so much cheaper. I bought 3 pairs of shoes and 5 pairs of jeans/pants. Adidas, Levis, Dockers, DKNY, all so much cheaper here.
2. I love the weather here. I know I complained that it was too cold and dry initially. But my nose has stop bleeding and I'm adjusting to to the weather here.
3. I love San Francisco.
4. I love the buildings here. All so pretty.
5. I love the perfect cloudless blue sky
6. I absolutely absolutely absolutely love that people bring their dogs out everywhere. It's so dog friendly here. I saw so many different kind of dogs here.
7. I love the flow of traffic here. Much less stressful compared to traffic at home
8. I love the piers here... soooo pretty...
9. I love the hill that Kamal brought me up to. Absolutely breath-taking. If I had the weather like this at home, I would be hiking every weekend or so.
10. I love how you can go biking and have picnics and go for walks at anytime of the day because of the wonderful weather.
11. I love the fact that the main language here is English. People don't give me weird looks when I open my mouth and speak English.
12. I love TV here. I still find it addictive. :)
13. I love how people here are so much friendlier than back home.
14. I love the endless possibility here. So much to do, so much to see, so much can happen.

However, no matter how many things there are to love over here, there's one main thing it lacks.

When someone placed his arm around me to pose for a photo today, I suddenly realized for the first time since I've been here how much I missed Yin How cuddling me. I miss cuddling him in the morning before I go to work. I miss cuddling him at night before i go to sleep. I miss whining to him about my Milo addiction at night (now that I don't get Milo at work) and feeling happy when I find a cup of Milo waiting for me on the dining table.

I miss my hubby.

So even though I initially thought of extending my stay here, I'm happy I'll be going back home soon.

And I'm looking forward to that bowl of laksa. :)

:)

After having the most delicious meals ever since I got here, I've got back my appetite. I had....... Asam Laksa cintan instant noodles and a cup of hot thick Milo, all thanks to Ellie from Packaging. You have no idea how happy my tummy was after that.... until I ate my left over burger in the fridge and tummy is back to feeling unhappy again.

When I touchdown in Penang next week, I'm gonna ask Yin How to fetch me straight to a hawker centre. I wanna eat laksa!!!!!

The thing is miss the most... is Penang FOOD!!!!! I don't even miss the hubby as much as I miss the FOOD. And the hubby is cruel enough to send me emails with photos of laksa and char keow teow.

Ugly Betty is no longer so ugly anymore. She's getting prettier.

I'm still addicted to the advertisements here. The Mac vs. Windows 7 advertisement is hillarious. There are lots of versions but I think this version the most.

Halloween in the SJ office

I wish we had stuff like this here. :)

A little more updates

1. Somebody from Penang arrived in SJ. I have a dinner buddy now. Yay!~ :)
2. I was very careful to mosturize my face so that my skin wouldn't dry out. But i forgot about my legs and arms and I have lizard skin now.
3. My nose has started bleeding. It's just so dry here.
4. Met a lot of people in SJ. Some are really friendly. Some are not so. Some are cute. ;)
5. It's interesting to be on the other side of the phone line during a meeting. People here can debate for an hour over one point in one presentation slide.
6. I went back from office at 9pm yesterday and panic when I found all the exit gates were closed and I couldn't find anybody around. Drove round and round and round and finally found something in the gym. Knocked on the door like a maniac until the guy got off his treadmill and put on his glasses to look at the crazy girl outside. :)
7. My GPS unit didn't say "Recalculating" today.
8. It's cold here. I prefer the weather back at home. I won't complain about it anymore.
9. I seem to have lost my appetite here. I can skip lunch with no problem and still can't finish my dinner later on.
10. Dogs have taken over my place at home. They now own the sofa and my side of the bed, thanks to Yin How.
11. I talked to the dogs through skype. They were terribly confused to hear me but not see me.

In point form

1. I can understand why a lot of Americans are overweight. If I live here, I might be overweight. The food portions are huge, so I buy a meal for lunch and leave half for dinner.
2. I can understand why a lot of Americans have credit card debts. If I live here, I might have credit card debts. There are so many things to buy here. Of course that's if I'm earning my salary in USD which I'm not so every thing I see, I'm mentally calculating the conversion rate and thinking, "What? RM6.60 for a can of Coke?" But other things are so much cheaper here.
3. The sales assistants in the shops here are so nice. They say, "Hi" and go about with their work instead of following you around like a stalker eyeing everything you touch and cleaning up after you as if you're making such a terrible mess.
4. I'm absolutely amazed by the fact that people here are soooooo courteous on the road.
1. When I'm a pedestrian standing on the road wanting to cross, cars will actually stop! @.@
2. When I'm in the car at the junction wanting to cross, cars will actually give way! @.@
3. I've only been honked at on the road 3 times which is very little considering I'm driving either too slow, or right in the middle of two lanes cos I'm confused where I was suppose to go or waiting for the light to turn red when I can actually move. If I were back home, you know what will happen la...
5. I'm useless at following the directions given by the GPS device. I either turn too early or turn too late. My GPS device's favourite word now is, "Recalculating".
6. I wanted to go to Gilroy today, but went to the Great Mall to have lunch first and got stuck in the Levi's store for too long. By the time I came out it was 3pm and Gilroy which is a 40 minutes drive away closes at 6pm and I would get lost probably 12 times on the way so I went to Wal-mart instead and got lost 4 times.
7. I still can't get use to driving on the right side, having the brake on the right side and the seat beat and signal on the left. Takes some concious brain processing.
8. USD notes and coins are not user friendly. There are no numbers on the coins, only words. And the notes are all of the same size and color. Why do they have to put "Quarter Dollar" instead of 25 cents?
9. I find it weird that there are only trolleys in Wal-mart but no shopping baskets.
10. I also find it weird that there are no pedestrian pavements by the roadside. 
11. HD TV is so cool!!!!! And I can get hook onto the TV watching commercials. I'm facisnated by the way they advertise.

I manage to arrive in one piece

And I'm so darn tired.

Yin How's little garden - updates

The one and only tomato has turn red. It's a tiny tomato, but still... I'm so proud of it. :)

Lady finger plant has finally grown one flower. Can't wait to see lady fingers growing.

Chilly plant has totally died. So sad.

There's just something about watching plants grow everyday and getting over-excited over every tiny change (as if I've never seen a tomato before). The simple joys of life. :)

JD - job description

I couldn't resist writing this in response to SH's blog entry about her job. At least people still will understand what her job is.

Mine goes like this.

What do you work as?

Mindy: An engineer

Ohhh... Intel ah?

Mindy: No, Altera (cheh, as if Intel is the only company of engineers on the earth)

*blank face* Factory ah?

Mindy: (thinking whether I should correct them to say it's a R&D company and not a factory but decides it would take too much effort to explain so....) Yes.


*happy to have guess that it's a factory correctly so continues asking* So what do you do there?

Mindy: Altera produces FPGA's which are programmable chips and I work on the software that programs those chips.

*Person trying to nod politely to mask the fact that he/she has no idea what I'm talking about sees that this is going to lead to a very boring topic and turns to Yin How*

So where do you work?

Yin How: Dell

*Expression suddenly changes as if the person has heard the most interesting thing in the world* Wah... Dell ah? I want to buy a Dell laptop, what do you recommend?. Do you get employee purchase prices? Is this Dell laptop model still good? I have an old laptop with the keyboard spoiled, can I still get a replacement? That day I called Dell customer service and ....etc, etc etc

Conservation about Dell goes on and on sometimes lasting over an hour. And Yin How suddenly becomes a Dell laptop guru, giving his expert advice on all things Dell. My friends and relatives who need anything from Dell? They call their new best friend for help, Yin How.

And at the end of the conversation, the only thing about people can remember about my job is .... that I work in a factory.

;)

The hike

I'm not a hiking-loving girl, I try to avoid it as much as possible but Yin How went on and on about how much he enjoyed hiking at Pantai Kerachut so I decided to follow him today.

When I got there I was whining non-stop about how muddy and slippery the jungle trail was, taking my own sweet time to avoid as much mud as possible. There was a was fallen tree trunk blocking the path and as I bent down to walk underneath it I heard Yin How say, "Snake, snake!". I was thinking, "Huh? Snake? Stupid guy trying to scare me, as if I'll fall for that.... OMG, SNAKE... THERE'S A SNAKE UNDERNEATH MY FEET!!"

I only saw the snake when I had one feet over it (I'm so glad I didn't step on it) and suddenly I forgot about how slippery and muddy the jungle floor was and ran under the tree trunk like a headless chicken screaming, "SNAKE, SNAKE!!" And there we were, Yin How on one side of the fallen tree trunk, me on the other side and the snake in the middle, staring at Yin How, daring him to cross over. The 3 of us stood there not moving for around 5 minutes until the snake got bored and went up a tree.

(I know this snake is not poisonous (I think) but it's not like I could google about it in the middle of the jungle)

I stopped taking my own sweet time after that. I just wanted to get to the beach as fast and I could.

I've been hiking with friends and colleagues but never with Yin How and I have to say that I really enjoyed the hike, the pretty beach and the boat ride back.

 

 

Hiking is not as bad as I remember. :)

Dearest Milo-making machine

Dearest Milo-making machine,

You were always there for me every morning for the past 5 years. You always made me that perfect cup of Milo, not too hot, not too sweet and with just the right amount of foam on the top. No matter how bad or how good my days were, you were always there to warm me up. And those days late at work, you always made my hungry tummy feel a little better. Oh how proud I was to have you, you are one of the few things here which I could proudly boast to others “Your pantry got free Milo-making machine or not? Don’t have ah… my pantry got ah”.

Oh how I miss you. After going off for a one week holiday, I was shocked to see you gone. They were smart, they were sneaky, choosing a long break when nobody was around, to take you away. How could they?? I didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye to you.

And now there’s that replacement? How could anything replace you? I tried working things out with the replacement. I tried to give him a chance to make me that perfect cup of warm chocolate drink like how you used to do it for me every morning. But unfortunately, Ricco, is not as perfect as you.

There’s a silent protest here. We all want you back. We don’t want any replacement. We don’t want Ricco. WE WANT MILO.

Despite my love for you, I kinda pity the replacement. Today in an act of protest, someone stuck a piece of paper over the replacement saying, “Bad Coffee, tastes like chlorine” and a few others stuck more papers in agreement. Imagine how the replacement was feeling, humiliated on his first week on the job. I’m guessing your replacement is feeling the stress of trying to fill in your shoes that he broke down from the pressure.

Oh well, I guess I’ll guess have to learn to live without you. It’s sad…. But I shall be to be strong. And maybe one day I'll learn to love the replacement as how I love you?

Missing you every morning,
Mindy

A few days ago, I was telling Yin How about all the crushes I had since I was a kid. I think my first crush was when I was in Standard 2. I had this crush on my class mate. 2nd crush was on a childhood friend. 3rd crush was when I was in Form 3 on a guy in tuition classes. 4th crush was in Form 4 on a guy from church.

I stopped there. Yin How looked at me waiting and said, “Then?”. I replied, “Then what? Oh…… no, I never had a crush on you.”

Hehehehehe…

Yin How was my first and only boyfriend. He chased me so I never had an initially crush on him. At that time, at 18 years old, it was really literally, "I like you, be my wife". So simple right? At that time, excited about having my first boyfriend, I thought, “Aiyah… just try try only la, there’s nothing to lose what”…

And because he was there since day one, he was always a part in whatever plans I had. We grew up together, graduated from college together, found our first jobs together, put our salaries into one account, bought our first car together, bought our first home together. And then 7 years later I did marry him. And even now, I’m amaze how much I can love a person for so long. I love him even more now than then.

But as simple as things can be, the actual fact is that it's amazing that two people who are biologically so different can live together for the rest of their lives. Men and women were just made to function and think differently. So it does really takes a lot of work and effort in a relationship. But of course, if you both love each other, no amount of work is too hard. And the amount of happiness you’ll gain make is all so worth it.

I have friends who are looking for the love of their live. I have friends with complicated relationships. I have friends who are nervous about getting married.

It all can very simple. He loves you. You love him. He can’t live without you. You can’t live without him. If you have a problem with your partner, compare that problem with the thought of a life without him. Then see which is worst.

I been telling my friend about this book. I strongly recommend it.

2 books and a green tomato

Book 1: The Memory Keeper's Daughter

A story about a couple during the 60's. Husband was a doctor, wife was a typical wife of the 60's. Wife was in labour with twins and when husband saw that his baby daughter had Down Syndrome, he asked the nurse to take the baby away and lied to his wife that the daughter died. The story goes on from there.

I enjoyed the book, though I was kinda expecting a more dramatic ending.



Book 2: A Thousand Splendid Suns

I loved this book. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I know I'm loving a book when I read it until late into the night, then wake up the next morning and continue reading it before even getting out of bed. The last time I loved a book so much was Marley and Me.

The Kite Runner revolved around the relationship between 2 Afghanistan boys and this time the author wanted a story about 2 Afghanistan women. The story resolves around two women with very different backgrounds who found themselves in a unlikely beautiful relationship due to the twist of circumstances. The book gives a picture of the sufferings of Afghanistan women living under the terrible Taliban era. Their pain, their desperation, their fight to cling on and survive.

All I can say, I'm glad I'm a woman here and not there. Read the book and you'll start counting your blessings as well.

And not forgetting of my precious growing green tomato. If the doggies want to live long lives, THEY BETTER NOT TOUCH MY TOMATO.

Ian came into my cube yesterday, bent down and stared and me. Then later after work, Looi came over to my cube, bent down and stared at me. Both seem equally fascinated my hair.

I went to the saloon last weekend to cut my hair shorter. And when Yin How came to pick me up after my haircut, his first reaction was, "You look like you didn't cut your hair" making me geram that I spent RM44 for Yin How to say that, then spending the next hour trying to convince him why it looks different.

Feeling geram that my new hairstyle didn't look new, my itchy fingers found a scissors and started snipping. And pretty soon, I had short fringe. I learned a few lessons here.

1. Don't cut your own fringe
2. Don't cut your own fringe at night
3. Don't cut your own fringe at night under a soft yellow light.

Yin How says I look like Ah Wong. I don't care. My fringe is just misunderstood and needs some getting use to. And I like my new hairstyle and I don't care whether Yin How thinks I look like a China doll.

In the cube again

I disappeared from the cyberworld for 2 weeks. 1st week was because I was too busy at work. 2nd week was because I was too busy enjoying my holiday.

How fast can a week pass. And here I am, stunned that the holiday has already passed and I'm back here in my gray cube. It's almost like I'm that guy in the movie Groundhog day, where no matter what he does to change his day, he always finds himself waking up to the same morning to the same repeating day over and over again.

Still in shock, I try to remember what I did during the 9 days of holiday. I remember being very happy. Meeting up with old friends. A trip I made just to prove to myself that I could. A new haircut. A lot of reading. A sick hubby and an overly worried mother-in-law. A salted chicken from Ipoh. A growing green tomato. Too many donuts. Sudoku. Two doggies who haven't had a bath in two weeks.

And that's about it. I honestly can't remember anything else.

Will blog more about 2 books and a green tomato later.

Much nicer than Gurney Drive

 

 

I love my hubby

I love my hubby.

I love waking up next to him on Saturday mornings.
I love hugging him from behind.
I love placing my head on his chest listening to his heartbeat.
I love staring at him sleep, memorizing every mole on his face.
I love how peaceful he looks when he sleeps.
I love doing all these things because I know all these are not permenant and there maybe one day when I wake up and he's no longer there anymore.

BUT.... when the hubby purposely sets his alarm clock to 7.30am on a SATURDAY morning because he doesn't want to waste his Saturday sleeping, and when that annoying alarm of his rings and wakes me up from my precious Saturday morning sleep. And when he switches off his alarm and goes to sleep until 11am while I'm now awake since 7.30am with a headache unable to go back to sleep while he refuses to wake up...... I'M NO LONGER IN THAT LOVABLE MOOD ANYMORE.

How many times has he done this already.

Cis.

The race is long, and in the end, it’s only with yourself

I'm sure everybody has heard of the Sunscreen Song. But if you haven't heard it for a while and are going through a difficult time, go back and listen to it. Makes you feel a little stronger after that.

Also, you may not realize that simple gestures you do for other people can mean so much. To you it may be just a simple everyday thing like patting somebody's back, or just listening, or just smiling, or just waving to say hi (or just buying a bag of candies), but to the person who's going through a difficult time, it's these little gestures that say, hey, someone still cares. So thanks a lot. :)

Anyway, enjoy the song below. :)

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of ’99


If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be
it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by
scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable
than my own meandering
experience…I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not
understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you’ll look back at photos of yourself and
recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before
you and how fabulous you really looked….

You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as
effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind; the kind that blindside you at 4pm
on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, don’t put up with
people who are reckless with yours.

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes
you’re behind…the race is long, and in the end, it’s only with
yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults; if you
succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your
life…the most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they
wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t, maybe you’ll have children,maybe
you won’t, maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky
chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…what ever you do, don’t
congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either – your
choices are half chance, so are everybody else’s.


Enjoy your body,
use it every way you can…don’t be afraid of it, or what other people
think of it, it’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever
own..

Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they’ll be gone for
good.

Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you
should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and
lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you
knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard; live
in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will
philander, you too will get old, and when you do you’ll fantasize
that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were
noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund,
maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one
might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will
look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who
supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of
fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the
ugly parts and recycling it for more than
it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen…

Life lessons from Morrie

I'm currently reading Tuesdays with Morrie again. The first time I read it was when I was just out of college, a fresh graduate too busy chasing so many things at that time and I only read the book halfway and tossed it aside where it got lost under my bed.

6 years after graduation, 2 jobs, a wedding and a new home later, I'm finding time to read again. And I found this little book hidden among the books in my bookshelf.

I wish I could see the world as how Morrie sees it. I realize that all he says is true, yet I still to continue to hang on to things which are not important. I only hope that as I grow older, I'm be able to let go of certain things and cherish the things which are really important in life.

These are some of my favourite quotes from Morrie.

“Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it.” (p. 18)

“So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.” (p. 43)

“I don’t allow myself any more self-pity than that. A little each morning, a few tears, and that’s all . . . . It’s horrible to watch my body slowly wilt away to nothing. But it’s also wonderful because of all the time I get to say goodbye.” (p. 57)



“The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.” (p. 52)

“What if today were my last day on earth?” (p. 64)

“Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” (p. 82)

There is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn’t the family. (p. 91)

“Don’t cling to things, because everything is impermanent.” (p. 103)

“ . . . If you’ve found meaning in your life you don’t want to go back. You want to go forward. You want to see more, do more. You can’t wait until sixty-five.” (p. 118)

“Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness.” (p. 125)

“ . . . love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.” (p. 133)

“ . . . the big things—how we think, what we value—those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone--or any society—determine those for you.” (p. 155)


Be compassionate. And take responsibility for each other. If we only learned those lessons, this world would be so much better a place.” (p. 163)

Rasa sayng sayang eh

Ahh... the famous Rasa Sayang buffet.

Is it good as what all the blogs say? Well, it's good when it's buy 1 free 1. Otherwise, paying the full price isn't worth it leh. After hearing so much about it, I was kinda expecting more. The only really special thing about this buffet is the desert section. Otherwise, the buffet I had at Parkroyal is comparable.

But what makes is special is all the wonderful touches here and there. Like the spices displayed on each table

And I must say that Rasa Sayang is absolutely beautiful.

Just walking around the hotel makes me feel like I'm on a holiday far far away from work.

So relaxing that I was tricked into believing that it was already the weekend..

 

I made the mistake of wearing my RM23.70 halter neck dress to the dinner (yes, I'm always extremely proud of myself whenever I find a pretty dress on sale and I have no shame bragging about it). After one hour of stuffing myself, I felt that the slim fit halter neck dress was stranggling me. I had to losen the string around my neck in order to breath.

The the worst was my goldfish tummy was clearly bloated and and proudly showing off.

Overall, I think it's worth the RM60 per person to dine in such a beautiful place. I had a wonderful time.

Until I remembered that it wasn't the weekend yet, and there's work tomorrow. Aiii...