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. :)