summer days where all you need is a gelato in hand //

•

Part 3 : Shenzhen to Hong Kong

3:35 PM

Part 3 : Shenzhen to Hong Kong

Went through immigration to cross into Hong Kong.

Oh, and I forgot something about immigration while crossing from Macau to Shenzhen. The immigration officers were really scrutinizing the passport pictures and comparing it to your face and they took really long especially when the person concerned was a 'quai loh'. This caused a major hold-up in the queues where poor people like me were stuck behind them.

I mean, what are they so scared about?

Some hard-core dangerous minded capitalists trying to sneak capitalism undercover into your communist China ah? Hehe.

Aiyo, 21st century already and capitalism has been in China like for forever and it only had a setback in the past 70 years but its flourishing anew again right now. Just because you're an immigration officer and you have the power to detain someone doesn't mean you should simply exercise your powers.

Though I suppose its better than having lackadaisical attitudes and not looking at the pictures but merely stamping their visa so that the queue will move faster and your work will be over faster.

See, I am of such contradictory thoughts. =p

Took the train to Tsim Sha Tsui to reach Holiday Inn. I'm overwhelmed by the amount of people travelling on the Shenzhen-Hong Kong MTR. From old folks with newspapers to thirty-somethings in power suits and teenagers clad in their version of fashion with mP3's in their ears and young school children in uniforms which are quite cute. Well, some of them are lah. The pullovers with school ties and blazers matched with white socks and black shoes. Rather Western public school-ish. I suppose those blazers are awfully handy when the icy wind blows.

Oh, and I saw this tall and good-looking guy in the whole school uniform suit in black. Yummy! I wouldn't mind going to Hong Kong schools if they were all populated with guys like that. =p

Anyway, as we were about to enter the train, its was a bit of 'every man for yourself' concept. You'd darn well better push yourself into the train because the next train is 45 mins away. =(

It was a relieve to reach our station. And I had to lug my huge roller bag up this super long flight of steps as there were no lifts at our station exit.

What the heck?! *groans and starts building arm muscles*

Holiday Inn turned out to be 3 minutes away from the station. And because land is a precious commodity, it is in high demand, therefore rent is sky high. The entrance fronting Nathan Street was so small that my mum didn't notice it and just walked on.

We decided beforehand that we weren't going to Disneyland because its kinda small and expensive. Its probably overcrowded with tourists too. So I'd rather go to the one in Florida, USA. *hints hopefully to parents though I doubt they'll be reading this*

Checked in and roamed the streets for food. As usual, our first meal in a new city sucks because we're usually hungry so we just walk into the nearest half-decent looking restaurant.

I misread 'rice and fried egg and ham' for 'fried rice with egg and ham'. I got a plate of plain rice and a fried egg and 2 pieces of ham for RM13. What a con! Okay, maybe its my fault for not reading the menu properly, but still, RM13 for that?!

The bill came up to HKD183 which is RM91.50.
1 ringgit = 2 Hong Kong dollars (HKD).

And the food kinda sucked. In Malaysia I can probably have lunch in Italiannies for that price.

Walked along the streets and all those branded label shops. Giordano, Esprit, Ferragamo, Boss, Guess...you name it, you got it. And there were a whole lot of other boutiques as well. What you see in Humen and Shenzhen, you see in Hong Kong for double/triple the price. Which is why we went shopping in China first. =p

The row of shops with dangling lights. Kinda reminds me of Orchard Road. I wonder if Orchard Road borrowed their layout from them. I assure you, the real thing looks better than my pic.

My mum and I got bored of shopping temporarily (I know it sounds impossible, but its true!) so we decided to go to Kowloon park and gave my brother a break from walking from shop to shop. My dad decided to continue shopping. Nothing much to shout about the park but the greenery was a change from all those shops. =pPink flamingoes and cute ducks that resemble Mandarin love ducks.
I was hoping to get more ducks in the picture but I got more brother than ducks.
Some high-rise condominium near the park.
My brother's new found friend whom he met playing in the park.

Met up with my dad later as he bought McD's nuggets and we stood outside Miramar shopping complex eating them. I felt a bit like a homeless vagrant eating my food outside a lovely shopping complex with very nicely dressed people walking in and out...

Went back to McD's to buy Sunday cones.
Now I know how eating ice-cream in winter feels like.

And no, whatever myth you might have heard about how eating ice-cream in winter keeps you warm is just a myth! And I must say that Hong Kong's McD's Sunday cones are more milky than in Malaysia.

Headed to the Avenue of Stars to see the laser and lights show which was kinda disappointing to me. I expected something much better. But it was a good effort by the tourism dept as I'm sure it wasn't easy convincing those buildings to put up those lights and all the co-ordination. My brother who insisted on this picture because he says he's never seen such a big red fire hydrant before. Alamak, jacoonnya...At the beginning of the show...The laser lights and sound show from Kowloon sideA nightime view of Hong Kong island in its glory with lights ablazing

Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong is something likeHollywoods Walk of Fame. It was built in the past couple of years and they have handprints of famous people like Andy Lau, Jackie Chan and the like. And the whole place was swarming with tourists from China and Taiwan sticking their hands into those handprints and grinning away while a camera snapped their picture. Well, they say if you can't beat them, then join them!

So I did the tourist thing and snapped this.Andy Lau's handprints

My dad brought us to this supposedly famous Chinese restaurent in Lan Kwai Fong called 'Yung Kee Restaurant'. When we got to the restataurant, the waitress immediately said to take a number and sit down and wait. Estimated waiting time was about 45 minutes so we decided to walk around. The restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong

If you've seen those TVB series, you'd probably have a preconceived notion of what it looks like due to those shows. For example, part of my preconceived notion was from 'Healing Hands' where the doctors all go to drink at this regular pub, which I assumed was set in Lan Kwai Fong. The real Lan Kwai Fong is quite different and quite unsimilar to what was depicted in the show and what my brain assumed. Hehe.
The signboard speaks for itselfRoaming Lan Kwai Fong with hungry tummies
If you look carefully upwards, you can see scantily-clad mannequins hanging in the air

For one thing, pubs are usually pretty small as rental is expensive. They usually have 4 or 5 small tables and a bar. Heck, some of the pubs looked like they were the same size as my bedroom or even smaller!

Though that pub in 'Healing Hands' could have been set in SoHo which I've not visited so far during my 2 trips to Hong Kong due to time constraints and also because my mum wouldn't be very keen on me dragging her all the way to SoHo just to see what it looks like. Hehe.

Anyway, the restaurant's food was quite good, but not fantastic. I can't remember exactly what we ate, but I know we had mini egg tarts for dessert and they were delicious. Though the one in Perth's Chinatown still beats it in terms of taste and size.

The price was a whopper at HKD 1370!

But it still fell short of HKD 30 to meet my most expensive meal in Hong Kong which was in Morton's at the Sheraton where every other table except ours were celebrating birthdays. So shy, everyone at that restaurant was in nice evening clothes and we walked in with jeans and sneakers. What to do, we weren't planning on going there to eat beforehand...

Food in Hong Kong is expensive.
Even their McD's are slightly more expensive too.

There was a family of 4 opposite my table and there were 2 guys there but they were not cute, so no eye candy. =(

There was also this old fart at the table behind us accompanied by this young and pretty lady which looked Caucasion-ish but spoke fluent Cantonese without an accent. The relationship didn't seem quite platonic, 3 guesses on who she is to him. =p

Dinner ended pretty late aound 10pm so we decided to catch the MTR back to Tsim Sha Tsui. Oh, and train tickets there cost a bomb too. Just 3 stations away and one train-line switch and it costs RM4.50. For that price, you can probably catch the train to KLCC.

Fortunately, this time I noticed that concessionary fees included the children, students and senior citizens category so I bought concessionary tickets for myself and my brother. Although technically I'm no Honkie student. But, if the train lady says to buy a concessionary ticket for my bro and he's no Honkie kid, therefore as a non-Honkie student I should also be eligible for the concessionary ticket. Hehe.

I don't really care if I'm eligible or not. I'm just going to buy it and see if the security guard stops me. =p

In certain MTR stations, they actually have computers with free internet for your usage. I tried to log into MSN but somehow I couldn't get it to function. The lady next to me seemed to have no problem with it though. Nevermind, it doesn't matter if I can't get on the Net, I must try not to be so dependant on the Internet...

Who am I kidding?! Haha.

Dinner ended so late that we forgot to check out the 'Santa's City' display near the Central MTR station. Oops...

Nevermind, there'll always be another time. *wishful thinking*

Woke up late the next morning. We've been getting up comparatively late on this holiday almost everyday, compared to the normal tour package 6am wake-up call. Haha.

Anyway, we decided to eat 'dim sum' for breakfast. I went to ask the bellboy to recommend a good place for 'dim sum', and I knew he would recommend their hotel restaurant, which he did. But, I can't blame him as he's just doing his job of promoting the hotel. Hehe.

He recommended the restaurant 'Serenade' near the HK Cultural Centre. And like most Hong Kong restaurants, the first thing they tell you when you walk in is to take a number and sit and wait. But this restaurant was more high-tech. Instead of the waitress paging over the PA system for your number, you get to wait in this lovely sitting area with a flat-screen tv that shows the current number being paged.

As we were waiting, there was this 2 men who evidently didn't know each other but somehow struck up a conversation in Cantonese. I think they were talking about the waiting time. After a few minutes, their volume turned way up and I got annoyed. What the heck is your problem? Can't you two morons just get off your bums from the opposite corners of the waiting area and sit next to each other and converse in a softer tone?!

After giving them a dirty look, I tell myself, "Be nice, this is after all their country. Be a good guest." And I mentally try to block their voices out.

The 'dim sum' was nice, but not really value for money at that sort of price but the ambience was lovely. Their 'wu kok' (that deep-fried yam with meat filling) was totally cacat. Even Megah's 'dim sum' shop serves better 'wu kok'. As for their egg tarts, well, they weren't as good as last night's egg tarts. But they were a little bit bigger. =p

I wanted to go to the Ladies Market so off we went to Mong Kok MTR station.

The Ladies Market which was simply teeming with a boiling cauldron of homosapiens

I finally bought my white skirt and my white belt which I've been hunting for ages at cheaper prices than back home. But my mum says that Ladies Market is no longer the shopping place it used to be due to the places like Shenzhen and Humen. Its now more touristy which means you tend to get slaughtered there. I saw the pair of Chinese embroidered slippers that I bought for 58yuan in Shenzhen selling for HKD150+. I'm so thankful that I bought mine in Shenzhen. =p

Looked around for 'chao tao fu' (smelly tofu) but couldn't find any. =(

I've been to Hong Kong twice but never managed to try that so I can't complain how bad it is or say how yummy it is. Hehe.

But I managed to buy 'chan chu nai cha' (pearl milk tea) which is flavoured tea with little 'pearls' inside which are made of flour. I think this drink originated from Hong Kong. Or was it Taiwan? Anyway, what I do know is that the best 'chan chu nai cha' I've ever drank was in Thailand during the jamboree in 2002. Funny place to drink that, huh?

My shopping desires satiated, we were so craving for Tony Roma's (okay, it was actually more of I was so craving for it. But my dad was eager to eat it too...) that we went all the way to the Times Square at Causeway Bay.

I was super awed by the amount of people walking around the area and bowled over by the sheer number of people flowing in and out of the MTR Station during peak hours of the evening. I think it beats KL trains peak hour. While there was some pushing and jostling to get on the train, it was a bit more civilised than what we have in Malaysia. My brother was the worst-off because he was shorter than us so he got very squashed and he was very uncomfortable.

At Mong Kok station, Ladies Market exit

And as there are a few train lines in Hong Kong, we had to make some train switches along the way. It was pretty funny to see everyone rush out of the train to run across the the other side of the underground platform to switch lines to another train which was already there. It was like watching a whole army of ants swarm across the space separating them and this 10 feet block of sugar.

In Hong Kong, its practically impossible to get lost even if you can't speak Mandarin or Cantonese. For one thing, their public transport system is so efficient and wonderful, though expensive. They put up signs at the different exits telling you where which exit leads to. As a tourist, I find it quite easy to access most of the popular places and within a short span of time due to their wonderful public transport. They even have flashing lights that show you which is the next station and it also shows you which side of the train to exit.

If only we had such a marvellous and joy-bringing public transport system (but hopefully cheaper) like that in Malaysia. Sigh. Fat hope. =(

During my first trip to Hong Kong I was at the Times Square before I left and on the flight back home, I was watching Lara Croft Tomb Raider : Cradle of Life when I realised that the settings looked incredible familiar to me. A few seconds later, it hit me that a part of the movie was filmed in Times Square and I was just there yesterday. No wonder I could have sworn I knew that row of shops and the surroundings. Haha.

Outside Times Square with the glittery Christmas decorations

I really liked the hanging Christmas trees in Times Square. They look like they're floating in the air.

The restaurant was surprisingly empty. It was a pleasure not to have the waitress tell you to take a number and sit and wait.

Had my potato skins with melted cheese and chopped bacon and baby-backed ribs and Blue Ridge Smokies ribs and baked potato with sour cream and grated cheese. Mmmm...my mouth is watering again even as I type this. Malaysia's Tony Roma's doesn't even come to 10% of this yummylicious fantasticlightfully food. I was complaining about how this was going to be my last Tony Roma's for at least the next 9 months or even more if UK doesn't have them. =(

My parents insisted that I finish the last potato skin and blue molasses ribs to last me for at least the next 9 non-Tony Roma months. Hehe. =)

Since I only get to eat Tony Roma's when I'm out of the country, I always end up eating them in December when I go for holidays. Last year it was for dinner in Bangkok after SPM along with this super huge chocolate fudge brownie with ice-cream for dessert and the year before it was lunch in Singapore with my family and Huay Shan before I went to Bali and XPDC.

Rushed all the way back to the hotel to catch a hydrofoil to Macau where we were supposed to stay for the night.

Overall, didn't do that much in Hong Kong as I'd already been there before and done all the tourist sight-seeing stuff.

Written on Saturday, December 30, 2006; 3:35 PM

6 comments

•

Part 2 : Humen to Shenzhen

6:06 PM

Part 2 : Humen to Shenzhen

Arrived in Shenzhen and we shopped. Prices were higher than in Humen so we ended up mentally comparing prices.

Something about shopping in China is, their stores are really small so they don't have changing rooms. They go by S, M, L or by measurements in inches. So its pretty tough to decide sometimes whether to buy or not to buy. The garment might fit in size, but the cutting might not suit you. And you won't know this till you try it on. Which is why I didn't manage to buy a single pair of pants back home.

My mum and I bought 6 pairs of shoes/sandals at a shop. The price was neither cheap nor expensive, but as I normally tend to be quite picky about footwear, I was elated to find that I liked so many pairs. We decided to shop smart and buy those that we both liked and could wear that size.

This is why it is good to have the same shoe size as your mum. You can convince her to buy something by saying, "We share the shoe, ok." When you know that you'll be wearing it most of the time. Hehe.

I'm not so wicked lah!

Glanced at some boots but didn't find the right design, material and colour. The price was pretty okay, compared to what you'd have to pay if you bought them here or in UK. My dad was trying to get me to buy boots here so that I won't have to buy them in UK and pay through the nose and burn a hole in his pocket.

There were very pretty evening dresses and gowns and cheongsams and plenty of tailor shops, but we didn't bother going in there.

Oh, and I was tempted to convince my dad to buy me this pair of Ipod portable speakers which cost only RM90. I tested them with my Ipod and the sound quality was ok, incomparable to the original one (of course its fake la. For RM90, you can't even buy an original leather case for your Ipod, what more speakers!) but for that price, what are you complaining about?

But as my mum didn't seem too happy about it and that I didn't really need it, I decided not to press the issue. Moreover, the speakers I was eyeing was only a few months on the market and the faults about the product hadn't been discovered. But everytime I passed that shop, the lady would try and persuade my dad and I to buy them. Talk about persistent salesmanship!

Earlier on, I compiled a mental list of what DVD's to buy but I discovered that I didn't need the list at all. The shop owner had pictures of all the DVD covers he was selling in his laptop and he had all his potential customers browse through the pictures and choose from there. Then, he sent his assistant to some other place to take the DVD's we chose. Is that smart or what? Even if the police come and raid his shop, all they'll see is a laptop with those pics inside. Its not illegal to have pictures of the movies in your laptop after all....

I can foresee in future that those DVD sellers in the pasar malam and SS2 will become more high-tech and carry their laptops with them and the actual loot stashed away in some van or vehicle...

We walked out of that shop with 25 DVD's out of which 2 can't play on my Pioneer DVD player and I have yet to test them all. =(

But my dad says he'll bring it back to the shop if he goes back to Shenzhen on one of his China trips. =)

And if you think that's a lot, this 'quai loh' was already holding a 6-inch stack of DVD's and his companions were still choosing more. Wow!

Oh, and I bought the Desperate Housewives Season 3. Too lazy to wait for 8TV to air them lah. =p

Opposite the shop I was in, there was a shop which kept on pulling down its metal shutters which made a lot of noise. And just before the shutters hit the floor, I'd see 'quai loh' customers sitting in front of a laptop. We suspected they were selling porn DVD's because they kept pulling down the shutters and all the customers that were in there when they pulled the shutters down were 'quai loh's'!

My feet were starting to ache slightly from all that shopping and walking. My parents feet were in even worse condition. We decided to go for a foot reflexology session which was pretty cheap. RM15 for 1 hour. You'll never get that kind of price in Malaysia!

All this while, I was pretty scared about going for a foot reflexology as my mum told me that the one that she did was very painful, but effective. So I wasn't quite keen on paying someone to torture and brutalize my foot. I didn't want to end up kicking the poor fella in pain for doing his job. =p

I decided to play safe by opting for a half-feet half-body massage. So even if the feet massage really hurts, I only have to endure it for 30 minutes.

The guy who was doing my foot reflexology could tell that I was a newbie by my facial expressions and by the way my foot flinched and tensed when he pressed on the pressure points.

Even with massages, I tend to ask the masseur to go lightly as I'm scared of the pain. Or they naturally go lightly when they feel me tense up and flinch. Haha. And it can be ticklish in some parts too. So I guess those masseurs should be pretty happy because they have to expend less energy for the same price.

Anyway, the foot massage revitalized my feet and it prepared my feet for Hong Kong.

I realise that I have been eating Chinese food every meal for the past 3 days with the exception of a pretty good breakfast buffet in Humen and KFC interspersed between mealtimes as snacks.

Oh, and I have to write about the breakfast buffet in Humen. You see, on my last trip to China, the buffet breakfast that the hotel gave us was so full of crap that the only things edible there were the toasted bread which I toasted myself.

This buffet, was decently good by China standards. Cheese, ham, sausages, bread, the whole works. Even apple juice. And I really like apple juice. I'll take it any other day over mango or orange. Except that their omelettes taste kinda funny. But I'm pretty sure that will improve over time. =)

Shenzhen is a bit notorious for just grabbing children off the streets and selling them off. I'm not kidding you here. The last time I was in Shenzhen 3 years back, the tour guide warned my family to make sure that one of us was holding on to my lil brother. Needless to say, we hung unto him the whole time we were there. And we were relieved to get out of Shenzhen.

This time, we tried to scare my brother shitless by telling him that if he didn't stay still and if he wandered off, bad people would catch him and sell him away and chop off his arms and legs to become a beggar and he would never see mummy or daddy again. *horrified look*

His response, "Don't worry, if bad people come and catch me, I will take my sword and cut them and punch them." If it wasn't so serious, it would be pretty funny. And to his credit, we all enjoyed a good laugh before trying to explain to him the seriousness of the matter.

Aiyo, how lah to impress onto him the seriousness of not wandering off by himself?!

In Humen, my dad and I bought 2 roller luggage bags and he bought a laptop backpack at jolly good prices. But I don't know how long the bag will remain in 1 piece. What to do, China products marr...

Anyway, we came with 3 bags and we now have 4 bags. I'm betting that we'll come home with 5 bags by the time we're done in Hong Kong and Macau.

Trundled to the train station with our luggage and went through the immigration to cross over into Hong Kong. Oh, and in China its not uncommon to see people walking the streets carrying luggage bags. So we didn't feel like we were the odd ones out.

And this is where I leave off for the next part to be continued, Hong Kong. Also known as 'Fragrant Land' in Mandarin, I think.

Edited : Zhan Sheng says its 'port' not 'land'

So I'm off to 'Fragrant Port'.

Yeah, its fragrant all right.
Fragrant with its own special smell.
The smell of money/ka-ching/dough/moolah/whatever you call it.

p/s : No pics while in Shenzhen because I was too busy shopping or eating. Hehe.

Written on Wednesday, December 27, 2006; 6:06 PM

2 comments

•

Boxing Day

5:21 AM

Boxing Day

I'm back from Malacca.
Its Boxing Day.

And my presents are still unopened as I'm waiting for my dad and bro to come back from Malacca. *resisting the urge to rip open the wrapping paper*

Had to get a lift from my uncle last night immediately after my aunt's b'day dinner because I have something on today.

Christmas in Malacca wasn't that bad. Less pigging out than normal, but I still ate my beloved cendol and laksa at Jongker's Street. The laksa there beats 'The Rice Bowl' in terms of price and taste. Although the standard has gone down due to increase of customers, its still better than what you get in PJ.

I also met my Singapore relatives whom I haven't seen for almost 2 years. My cousin, Nicky, who is 14 this year is damn good-looking. He meets the criteria for tall, dark and handsome. But I must say he was cuter when I last saw him. In 2 years time from now, I bet he'll have all those Singapore girls falling at his feet. His sister, Audrey, who is my age didn't come up from Singapore with them as she had to finish a project. That girl loves anime and she is damn talented in drawing those anime and manga stuff. And I met my four year-old cousin, Carmen who is darned cute, cuddly and adorable plus she has a good vocab for her age. No pics yet as I didn't bring my camera along. I'll have to wait for my aunt to send me some.

Went for Christmas mass in St. Francis Xavier. The church is really old and I think its built in 1845. The church is so pretty with all its stained-glass windows and statues and those wall carvings. Though its a bit small compared to the church I go to in PJ.

The choir there was nice and they did a couple of songs specially for this mass which I think are from 'Sister Act 1 and 2'. Its a church where everybody knows everybody and the congregation tends to overflow during Chinese New Year, Christmas and those holidays where the out-of-towners like my family balik kampung to Malacca.

Whenever you come to St. Francis Xavier church, if you're an 'old boy' meaning you studied in St. Francis Institute like my dad, you can probably pick out ex-teachers and students. Even in the other old church, St. Peter's church, you're bound to bump into familiar faces because there are very few Catholic churches in Malacca so you're bound to know someone in the community.

Anyway, we were a little late for mass so we got ushered right to the front pews where we were under the priest's eagle eye. So that meant paying attention to the sermon and no squirming around and definitely no nodding off! There was an altar girl there too. I was quite surprised to see a girl serving alongside because normally only guys are allowed to do so, I think.

I normally go to St. Peter's Church in Malacca because its a bit nearer to my grandma's place. The former priest there was a 'quai loh', an old relic from those missionary days, I suppose and he was strict but his sermons were interesting. Once, when I was a little girl and I was talking during mass, my dad told me that the priest was staring at me. I immediately kept quiet and didn't open my mouth for the rest of the service. That was how much in awe I was of the priest. =p

The new priest is equally as good. There was once where he actually stopped talking and personally ushered all the latecomers including yours truly who were standing at the back to come and fill up the front seats. It was quite embarassing having the whole congregation watching you walk up to the front. And to ensure that no one walked out of church before he gave the final blessing, he ordered the doors to be shut tightly so that anyone trying to walk out of church before he did would have to open the big doors and everyone else in the building would know. You can be sure on that day not a single soul headed for the door before he left the building.

Lesson learned, don't be late for mass in Malacca and don't talk in mass, especially if you're near the front. Unless you want the priest staring at you.

Anyway, the point of this post was to let you all know that I added pictures to my previous post. I guess I really rambled on and on.

I'm hungry and my maid is still in Malacca so there's nobody around to make toasted bread for me. I guess I'll have to wait for my mum to come back home so that I can go out for lunch.

Written on ; 5:21 AM

0 comments

•

Part 1 : Macau to Humen

3:48 PM

Part 1 : Macau to Humen

Woke up at 3.45 am to catch the 6.15am flight to Macau. I nearly yanked the blanket over my head and ignored my mum's wake-up call. Only the thoughts of shopping got me stumbling blearily out of bed.

Arrived at Macau airport and headed off in a taxi to Dongguan which is near Humen which is near Guangzhou. And in China, its a left-hand drive so it takes a bit of time to get used to it.

Anyway, the roads there can kill you. It can get bumpy at times, and the taxi driver went so fast till I didn't want to look at the speedometer anymore. The last time I checked, it was reaching 140 km/h and the driver showed no signs of slowing down. Nevermind, I told myself that ignorance is bliss and I shut my eyes and went back to dreamland.

Checked in at the Royal Palace Hotel in Dongguan and headed off to the wholesalers in Humen. This hotel is rated a 4-star, but the place and the service is nearly as good as a 5-star. And its rates are quite reasonable too. Probably because they're quite new and looking for business. Hehe. So its a win-win situation.

My dad stayed at that hotel for some exhibition thing earlier on that's why he booked the same hotel again. Also, he says when he goes group golfing in China, the fella in charge of accommodation will always look for new hotels because they're looking for business so the rates are good and everything is new. So if you're going to China, look for new hotels!

Worn-out after the journey and the shopping so we headed back to the hotel and ate in their Chinese restaurent. This is the huge lamp they had in the place. It kinda reminds me of Swensen's ice-cream parlour lights. I wouldn't mind a whole tub of sticky chewy chocolate from Swensen's right now...

In the Chinese restaurent where we ate...very golden and brown themed

This is what the hotel lobby looks like, all gleaming and shining

I rather thought the staircase here looks like the one on the hotel on the current 9.30 show on wah lai toi. What do you think?

I don't quite know what this is, except that its ornamental (I think). But it looked so nice that I couldn't resist snapping a picture of it.

My brother happily posing in the lobby with his newly-bought sword and my dad in the background. Incase you're wondering what's in his other hand, its a half-eaten apple.

At almost every city we went to, we bought a toy to keep him quiet and content while he followed us all around. His behaviour was pretty good, considering he had to walk around the whole day following us and stopping and waiting when we wanted to see something in the shop. How many kids, especially boys would be that good? Even grown-up guys aren't that patient and well-behaved!

While we were in the shop, he brandished his sword around fighting imaginary pirates and baddies. A shop assistant upon hearing him said he ought to be a director or scriptwriter cause he's so imaginative. Haha.

Went off to this wholesaler outlet in Humen. And its got 9 freaking floors, ok. The first 4 floors all sell clothes, and the rest of the floors are designers officers, tailors, boutiques and a restaurent that takes up the whole of the top floor. Its as big or even bigger than Sungai Wang in terms of size and the price there is pretty good, that's if you're at a wholesalers and not at a boutique.

Inside the complex. I must say that Christmas in China is pretty commercialized. They have Christmas deco's all around, and Christmas offers and sales and bargains and whatnot.

Just outside the complex we were in, while waiting for the cabbie

Still waiting for the cabbie to come. Or maybe he was there but we didn't recognize his car and we forgot to check what was his number plate. Haha.

Oh, and I made a super-duper goof-up. The point of my family and I going off to China was to shop. And 2 weeks before the trip, it suddenly struck my mind that it is winter now in China so they're gonna sell winter clothes which means I probably can't buy anything much!

What the heck?! *groans and smacks forehead*

Lucky thing the temperature there is only 13-19 degrees Celcius. So I still managed to buy some things. Anyway, seeing that they're selling winter apparel, I might as well start shopping for next year when I go to UK. Scratch that, if I go to UK.

The weather here is bearable in the shopping complex, but when you're outside and the wind blows, its pretty cold. Especially if you're only wearing a top and a jacket. 2 miserable layers.
I thought that 13-19 degrees wouldn't be a problem so I decided to be a heroine and wear just a jacket. My mum was smarter and wore a woollen sweater under her jacket.

As I stepped out of the hotel, a blast of icy-cold wind hit me smack in the face.
Uh-oh. I'm so gonna freeze. =(

Quickly ran back into the lobby to hide.

In China, a zebra crossing doesn't give you the right to cross the road without looking eventhough its a red light and its technically your right to cross. After all, dead is dead, with or without a zebra crossing. The cars and buses or zoom fantastically about and they use the horn all the time. Right of way seems to be uncommon here. Right of might or right of speed would be a better term.

And unlike Malaysia, China is a left-hand drive which means you have to be careful about looking left before crossing. And crossing roads here is super scary. To be safe, cross only when the locals cross. Heck, if you see them running halfway across the road, then run along with them for your life. For extra precaution, make sure there are locals on your right and left before crossing. Hehe.

When shopping in China, bargain your way down or you're going to get conned like nobody's business. If they offer you 100yuan/renminbi(rmb), slash it down ridiculously low like 15/20 yuan so that they have to give you a counter-offer. And always remember to go super-super low, because prices can always go up but once you've stated a price, you CANNOT go lower than that. And when you walk away from a shop, do it slowly and gracefully so that the shopkeeper has ample price to call you back and accept your offer. And believe me, a lot of the times, they call back and accept your price. So stand your ground and don't get intimidated. Unless you're offering some damned stupidly low price.

Something else to keep in mind, if you really want that item, don't let it show on your face because they can read you like a book and will squeeze every yuan they can get out of you. And if you desperately want it, be prepared to pay the best price that you can offer because if you stalk off without buying it, to go back to that shop to buy that item will be such a tremendous loss of face and embarassment.

Oh, and 1 yuan is our Malaysian 50 cents. So just divide the prices by half when you shop in China.

Bargaining can be quite fun if you know how to do it correctly. Here in China, I discovered that they don't scold you if you dont buy the item after bargaining. So gather up your courage and start bargaining. Practice makes perfect and all that.

I'll tell you more sales stories later, ok.

Was supposed to leave for Shenzhen the next morning but seeing that we hadn't managed to cover that complex, we decided to finish up and leave for Shenzhen in the evening.

So we walked around more and shopped. And hurried back to our hotel to catch a cab at 6pm to Shenzhen which was about and hour and a half away.

The cab driver didn't quite know where the hotel was so we went round and round the streets looking for it and we ended up this hotel which was deserted for renovation.

Oops...wrong hotel.

The original cab driver from our Dongguan hotel gave up and transferred us to a local cabbie and we had to pay the new cabbie. And that's China service for you.

Checked into the hotel and dropped dead tired into bed.

The thing about China is, its full of conmen and baddies. So you have to be careful about hiring cabbies. Which is why its safer to pay a bit more and take a cab from the hotel than catch a cab on the street and risk getting kidnapped or driven to some faraway place and get robbed. And I'm serious about the last sentence. Its been known to happen in China. Which is why we try to take reputable cabs to move around the city.

Will blog about the other parts when I'm back. I've to go to Malacca tomorrow and spend Christmas there away from my computer and my presents under the tree. =(

Hopefully with nothing else better to do, I'll get some studying done.

I have to go and pack for Malacca.
Toodles-do.

And there's no need to give me a big welcome-back reception by spamming my c-box again. =p

Goodbye my beloved computer. I've just been reunited with you for 2 days and we must part again so swiftly. How cruel time is. *tear rolls down cheek*

Okay, I shall cut the melodramatics and say goodnight.

And, MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all because I won't be able to blog on Christmas unless I get my hands on an online computer.

Written on Sunday, December 24, 2006; 3:48 PM

4 comments

•

Home sweet home

5:30 AM

Home sweet home

I'm back.
Did you all miss me?
From the "lovely" reception and surprise I had in my c-box, I bet you all did. =p

You can stop spamming my c-box now.

Anyway, I spent the past 6 days living out of a suitcase and hopping around Humen, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macau. While its nice to go around holidaying and shopping, its even better to be back at my home sweet home.

I just realised that I have 19 days to my first paper and I haven't started any serious studying. Man oh man...I'm so dead. Minus 5 days for celebrating Christmas and New Year and that leaves me with the grand total of *gasps* 14 days.

This terms exams is a definite slaughter.
Blood will be gushing out of the exam hall as though its an abattoir.

I'll blog about my trip later in separate parts.

I'm off to find some lunch to eat.

Written on ; 5:30 AM

0 comments

•

Goodies

3:53 PM

Goodies

When I was younger, carolling season meant lots of sweets and chocolates. After the singing was done at each house, there were always refreshments of cold drinks and goodies for the kids.

So assuming 2 sweets/chocs per house, on an average of 10 houses, that would be...

2 x 10 = 20 sweets/chocs by the end of the night.

And that was excluding those that we'd get from Santa Claus in between walking to the next house. And at the last house, there would be supper which normally had nuggets and hotdogs and yummy food and even more goodies.

And we normally carolled for 3 nights consecutively. So that would be

20+ x 3 = 60+ goodies

No wonder we always had sore throats and cough after carolling!

So, this year, my total haul of goodies come up to the grand sum of *drumroll* a big fat zero!!!

I pretty much cut down on collecting goodies as I grew older. For one thing, its no fun having to make your way through the scramble of little kids with a guitar in hand. And you can't put your guitar down because you don't want someone fooling around with your guitar and end up seeing your guitar crash to the floor from the sofa or from the wall where you propped it up against.

Plus, if you're like me, you're busy wearing your slippers and exiting the warm and mosquito-infested house before the crowd rushes through the door. The only exception to this is when the house is air-conditioned than you can sit in comfort for a while and let everyone go first. But that will mean playing catch-up to be at the head of the group when they're about to enter the next house because if you are like me and can only play the guitar sitting down, you need to pick out a good place to plop your butt down.

Sounds like a tough job isn't it?

The plus point is, everyone makes way for you as a guitarist and you can nicely tell that brat who's sitting down on the sofa to let you sit down. And he/she will apologize profusely and get up because the children are not supposed to sit down at all before we start singing. Hehe.
Okay, maybe I am stretching the truth an itsy-bitsy too far. Carolling isn't that horrendrous or dramatic. Its pretty much fun.

Anyway, this is what my mum prepared for those kids that came around to our house to carol

Don't you wish you were just a lil kid again?

I was hoping that the kids would leave the Hershey's alone, but nah...there were only 3 left after they were done raiding the goodies bowl.

I shall be pleasantly occupied for the next 6 days or so and I therefore decide to give my dear computer some well-deserved rest. So don't expect any more updates for now.

Worry not, I will be back.

I'm not so merciless as to leave you readers drooling for more, am I? ;)

Written on Saturday, December 16, 2006; 3:53 PM

0 comments

•

Carolling and dancing

3:56 PM

Carolling and dancing

Let me start off by saying...

Happy 20th birthday, sis!!!

See, for you its in pink eventhough its a bit of a bimbotic colour. =p

You're no longer a teen, so you can't use the, "I'm a teenager, what do you expect?" excuse anymore each time when you land in the boiling hot soup.

So come up with some new and better ones, ok.
And don't you dare steal mine. ;)

We're probably the only sisters who fight everyday and despite the fact that I always win, we still talk to each other.

Okay, I couldn't resist putting that in. =p

But ever since you left, the house is so much quieter, and I don't have anyone to fight with. Daniel's a bit too young to understand the subtle nuances of everything I say. Not that you always do, but it gives me some satisfaction of just saying it anyway to you.

But, blood is still thicker than water and you're still my big sister (though some others say otherwise) and at the end of the day kita kan still family.

So here's a big birthday hug for you.
Love ya.

Good luck for your logic exams and have fun celebrating this Friday.

This is the 3rd birthday running that I'm not there to sing you a birthday song and eat your birthday cake. =(

So birthday wishes aside, I've just came back from carolling. I've don't think I've ever donated so much blood to nature while carolling at night. I thought that the night weather would be much cooler due to the rain, but all that rain just seemed to have bred more mozzies. But, I must say that seeing 30+ people dressed in black and white walking the streets and cramming into your house singing Christmas carols gives you a very pleasant and nice warm feeling. This will probably be the last time I'm doing it here, at least for the next 3 years I anticipate. My left fingertips really hurt and I'm so thankful that I'm a right-hander, if not I'd be in agony by now. But, its a small price to pay. And a part of me is glad that I decided to join the carollers again this year.

Earlier on, I was in college watching the annual A-Levels production. This year it was 3 short plays. When the 1st play was over after about 10 minutes, I was like, "Huh? So short only?" Oh well, the last play more than made up for it in length.

In the first play, the interepreter was really funny.
Well = a hole in the ground. Haha.

In the second play, well, I really liked the subtext part.

As for the third play I kinda expected something to happen as there were tell-tale signs, but I wasn't sure what would happen and I didn't quite expect it to happen like that.

I'm being a little vague here as I don't want to spoil the play for those who haven't seen it and are planning to see it. And I'm also lazy to blog in detail about it.

Anyway, the subtext part in the second play really struck a chord in me. And it got me wondering again, how many of us actually say something when we actually mean another?

And how do we know if the person we're speaking to actually has a subtext? And if so, why?

Sometimes it seems like everything is just hunky-dory perfectly pat down fine, but in our minds, there are those little speech bubbles with the subtext and undercurrents flowing within.

But we really don't know, do we?

Sometimes, we just can't say the things we mean, for certain reasons. And there are times where we can't really speak the truth because we know its not what the other person wants us to say.

Its a bit like a ritual dance, where you hold my waist and I put my hand on your shoulder. You take 2 steps front, I take 2 steps back. You turn right, and I follow. You lift my hand to spin me around and I twirl. And we both slowly come to a stop. You bow and I curtsey. We both know the steps of this dance and we both follow it. Rarely, do we deviate and break the mould of this age old dance. Perhaps, we don't want to hurt the other person, or perhaps we ourselves evade from seeking the truth which we can't and don't want to face.

And we go along dancing this dance when we both want to say and do something else different. Instead of saying adieu, you could have asked me for another dance and I smile at you and say yes. And we float along gracefully, opening up a myriad of possibilities, each leading up to something that could be so beautiful, or maybe even so ugly that it would have been better if we left it at just one dance.

Maybe, maybe not.
But we'll never know now, will we?

Had that happened, it could have, would have and should have been something else. Instead it was not, did not and I think, will not happen. Its just not fair. Dead end. Where do we go from here?

Life's never fair. If you want something, you have to reach out for it and break the mould. Or you can just gamble everything on a chance, on a whim of fate. Because, that's what it really is. A slight smile, a hand held longer than it should have been, a word, anyone of these could have triggered off something which could have lead on to another thing which could bring forth something else. But, it didn't.

So, we go on dancing in circles.
At least, I do.
And I don't think that I'm wrong in saying that some part of you still does that too.

In fact, we all do that.

At times, all these dancing around tires me out. But I know that I can't stop. Its just been too long that its become an integral part of me, like an invisble and intangible shield that you never put down because letting it drop would mean lowering your barriers. And I find myself unconsciously dancing, at times powerless to stop and at times, unwilling to stop.

Can you tell when I'm dancing?
Sometimes, even I can't.
Or maybe, I don't even want to.
But, I can tell sometimes when you're dancing, I think.

Maybe, just maybe someday we'll be brave enough to be able to stop this dancing and subtexting and come to the crux of the matter, when it might seem that it doesn't matter anymore. Maybe not to you, but it does matter to me. Knowing that I can finally turn the page and consider it case closed. Until then it will linger in my mind, more infrequently as times passes by, like a fleeting breath of wind, but it will still be there.

Till then, let us dance the very best that we can.
With grace, truth and as much courage that we can muster.

Written on Thursday, December 14, 2006; 3:56 PM

0 comments

•

Its a pizza day!

3:53 PM

Its a pizza day!

Had lunchie with Clareen, Wai Ee, Sook and Nyat.
Rare is the day that I get to eat lunch with my friends who are not my classmates, so must appreciate sikit la.

Anyway, Wai Ee wanted to eat pizza so off we trooped to Pizza Hut.

And when girls get together what do they do?
They talk la. *doink*

And oh boy, do we talk!

We are capable of talking about such diverse and profound and whimsical things, all at one go. Unlike guys, who tend to have one-track minds that only focus on one thing. =p

Guys, this is so not your cue to come and bash me up.
Besides, you ain't allowed to beat up a helpless innocent girl, right? *flutters eyelashes with a sweet smile*

Anyway, my dad was in the mood for supper.
So guess what we had?

The answer's kinda obvious actually...

Pizza lah! What else somemore? *rolls eyes and smacks forehead*

1 Domino's large thin-crust pizza half beef pepperoni and half aloha chicken to be exact.

Came up to a whopping RM31.20.
Where the heck are those Domino's coupons with the 1 regular and 1 large pizza for only RM29.90 when you want them?

Between me and my dad at supper 20 minutes ago

Me : Mmm..this is so ruining my waistline. (Munching the pizza)
Dad : What waistline?

In my mind I was thinking, "Aiya, kena insulted from my dad!"

So I had pizza for lunch and supper. I shall lay off pizza for a fortnight or so, or till my dad's in the mood for pizza suppers again. Which I hope will not be too soon, or it will seriously kill my waistline.

Written on Tuesday, December 12, 2006; 3:53 PM

2 comments

•

Sonnet 116

2:57 PM

Sonnet 116

SONNET 116

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come:
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

Don't you just love William Shakespeare?

He is the best thing that has ever happened to the English language. Without him, English would not be where it now is. Oh wait, there was no English language till there was William Shakespeare. =p

Written on Monday, December 11, 2006; 2:57 PM

0 comments

•

Busy, busy day

2:48 AM

Busy, busy day

Today was second day of the ping-pong tournament. Felt a little bad about being unable to attend the first day, so I decided to come and help out today as an umpire and general helper. My first time umpiring ping-pong wei!

8.15 : Drag my body out of bed
8.50 : Send my bro for basketball class
9.15 : Find where is 12, SS1/38
9.45 : Arrive in college
1.30 : Reach home and gobble down lunch
2.25 : Pick up a friend and go for Scouters Council meeting
5.25 : Rush home and head for church
7.20 : Pop by dad's office so that he can pick up some papers
8.45 : Finally reach home for dinner

And now I'm so tired that all I wanna do is to be with you and have you hold me in your arms and keep me warm and safe, not saying a word but still be in complete harmony with you.

How's that for romanticsm and sappyism? Hehe.

Not bad leh, considering I'm still single and not topsy-turvy and head-over-heels lost in the rosy and misty world of what we call love. =)

But I really am tired out.

Anyway I think I'm a lousy umpire because I keep forgetting who's suppose to serve. Sorry Wai Ee, I think the game that I umpired for you was the worst cause I was kinda distracted and kept forgetting whose serve it was.

Today was a day for a lot of first's. =p

Written on Sunday, December 10, 2006; 2:48 AM

3 comments

•

Shaken not stirred

3:57 PM

Shaken not stirred

Got up early to make my new MyKad. I was at the MyKad centre at 8 and I realised that it wasn't gonna be so bad after all. At least the queue wasn't overflowing out of the doorway like the last time I was there. And I came all prepared with a book, my Ipod and something to munch on.

Was out of there by 9am.
Amazing isn't it?

You only need 60 minutes to make your new MyKad. An almost impossible feat, I'd say before this. Malaysia's government servants finally doing something fairly efficient and fast (by Malaysian standard lah!) instead of taking forever to do a simple task.

So for all of you who have turned 18 and have not made a new MyKad, go and get it done. Before they set a deadline and start imposing fines. Than you'll really have to suffer through super-long queues and boredom.

Went to 1 Utama again to watch the James Bond movie 'Casino Royale'. Daniel Craig is not the most drop-dead gorgeous Bond as I think Pierce Brosnan is the hottest James Bond for now, but Daniel Craig certainly has a fantalicious body. =p

Okay, spoiler coming up. For those who haven't seen the show and want to remain in the dark, scroll down to the next post.

In this show, he definitely does more shooting, fighting and running than the previous movies. I suppose as this is his first Bond movie, he has to 'tunjuk kebolehan sikit' to establish himself la. But seriously, how the heck can anyone run like that? He should be in the Olympics or something. And the jumping stunts by the bombmaker he was hunting down was pretty good. If they were real stunts, that is. Or it could have been done by the handy computer. But whichever it was, it was definitely unbelievably unrealistic, but nice to see.

Oops, I just found out that it wasn't CGI, but that jump stunt thingy is actually a style of free-running/movement called Parkour.

And at least the baddies weren't some maniac wanting to rule the world or some turncoat with deeply-hidden desire for treason and revenge against good ole' Britain probably due to the fact that he or his parents/ancestors suffered from something that the British did a long time ago.

This time, 'Casino Royale' was all about the stuff that makes the world go round. Money, dough, ka-ching, cash, whatever you call it. Baccarat used to be the name of the game, but this show should start off a poker craze. Texas Hold 'Em Poker. =p

Not much of the fancy gadgetry. No invisible car with missiles and machine guns, no use of the Omega watch, none of those nifty lil gizmos. And no Q as well. I rather liked the old Q, though. There was an Aston Martin and a Ford car, but what I liked was the Sony VAIO laptops they were using. And their SonyEricson phones. Good advertising for them, I must say.

As for Vesper Lynd, if you really thought about it, its a probable thought that she has to die. I mean, especially when Bond says that he'll resign from being a 007 and spend his life with her blah blah blah.

C'mon wei, if he resigns, where got show to see summore?!

Every time he seriously falls in love, that poor lady is bound to get killed. I remember an old Bond movie where they showed he actually got married and his bride got killed practically after the ceremony by an enemy. How sad. =(

But still, life must go on and Bond must do his duty for 'Queen and country' and we all get to see him and his vodka martini's and hot babes. *guys, stick your eyes back into their sockets*

Daniel Craig definitely brings a grittier and darker edge to the Bond series. He is like a street brawler with a cold heart who explodes into action, with no frills and very down to business. A bit like a diamond in the rough, he is hard and unpolished. If you're expecting more of the suave and sophisticated Bond that Pierce Brosnan has been portraying, than brace yourselves for the rougher and tougher Bond that Daniel Craig portrays.

Not much finesse when delivering those witty one-liners and double-entendres that James Bond is famous for, but I find that this show is more action and less wit. Perhaps a good thing, as some of those one-liners in previous shows have become cornier over time.

Classic line :
James Bond : One vodka martini, shaken not stirred.
Bartender : Yes sir.

New line :
James Bond : One vodka martini.
Bartender : Shaken or stirred, sir?
JB : Do I look like I give a damn?

Definitely no suaveness in that one. =p

But for all his apparent roughness, he did portray his grief pretty well when Vesper Lynd died. I was actually a bit surprised by his acting skills. That's probably why he is said to be one of the upcoming British actors along with Clive Owens and the like.

Daniel Craig has definitely changed the tone for the James Bond franchise. I used to think that the movie wasn't gonna be good, but after watching it, I think he has done a pretty good job for a first movie. Whether he can sustain his skills and talent in the next movie, well, that remains to be seen. But I wished they'd chosen a dark-haired chap instead of a blonde. Somehow, James Bond with blonde hair looks a lil weird to me. =p

Anyway, went to Italiannies again to eat and saw Huey-In there. And guess what, I saw An Yi again in 1Utama. I mean, what is the probability of seeing someone again in the same place in 24 hours? Not impossible, but not too possible either.

I just realised that I've been to 1U in 3 out of 4 days.
And eaten Italiannies in 2 out of 3 days.
No more Italiannies for the rest of the month.
All that cheese...

Darn, I just remembered that I haven't started my 3 hours for today and I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow. I guess I'll have to make it up by hitting the books on Sunday than.

Good luck to the participants in tomorrow's ping-pong tournament!

Toodles, people.

Written on Saturday, December 09, 2006; 3:57 PM

0 comments

•

Happy Feet

3:56 PM

Happy Feet

Watched 'Happy Feet'. *tap-tappitty-tap*

Cute little penguins that didn't look as cute grown-up as they did when they first hatched. Its quite a musical-ish animation.

I wonder now if kids will be interested in taking tap-dancing classes. When there was 'The Sound of Music', I bet all those eager mummies sent their precious darlings for music classes to see if there was a budding 'Maria' lurking in their child. And there's been a whole spate of cheerleading movies like 'Bring it On' which kickstarted the whole cheerleading thing. Not to mention there are a lot of dance movies like 'Honey', 'Take the Lead', 'Shall We Dance', 'Step Up'. which had the same basic overused storyline but oh, such gorgeous and sexy dancers. Dance centres probably had their profits soaring after those shows were released unto the unsuspecting public.

So lets see, they've done talking animals, dancing penguins, what's next I wonder?

'The Barnyard'. A bunch of partying animals who are much more intelligent than what their owners give them credit for. To think about it, in every animal-based animated show, the humans always end up giving less credit than due to the animal intelligence level.

How cliched. Its getting a teeny-weeny bit boring seeing the animals have their own world while we humans are so oblivious to it. And the jokes are getting a little stale.

Oh well, I wouldn't mind watching talking animals, but please please inject some fresher punchlines and not use the same storyline/plot for every show. I know that its an animated show and you gotta have a happy ending so that kiddies will watch it and love it and make their mummies and daddies buy them the merchandise that brings in so much profit, but the least they can do for all that profit they are raking in is to not be so cliched and overused.

All said and done, this animated shows really draws the kiddies in and it kinda gives you a feel-good feeling. *grinning away like a lil kiddy*

Went to Italiannies for lunch. And I'm ashamed to say that for once, I failed to finish the food. *utter humiliation*. My clean record for finishing yummy food at restaurants has been blemished by that darn lasagna. But the servings were humoungous, ok. And I had mashed potatoes and some meatballs earlier on.

Still had space for chocolate and chocolate hazelnut ice-cream later on though. =p

Met An Yi and Jun King in 1 Utama and they were rushing back for classes. Hehe. Saw a few people I knew, but that is to be expected, seeing that this is 1 Utama and practically everyone comes here.

Sadly, I only bought 'The Economist' and nothing else. =(

Not too productive in terms of items bought, but in all other aspects, today was rather fun.

Written on Friday, December 08, 2006; 3:56 PM

0 comments

Flip My Past:

Today

Dissertation

Pictures post Barcelona

A sad but true possibility

Changes

The dream that you wish will come true

October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 January 2008 March 2008 April 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 October 2010 January 2011 February 2011 April 2011 July 2011 August 2011 September 2011

Profile; The Blogger

Siew Yen
22
London

Comments/Enquiries
Cbox, Flashbox, Haloscan, Chatterbox.

Friends
An Yi the baby genius
Bernice the doctor-in-making
Clareen adores rain
emanazrin the photographer
Kah Yang the economist & Wai Ee the accountant
Kinz loves his kicks
William the ambulance driver
Zhan Sheng the professor

Credits Inspirations: DelusiveFantasies
Image: deviant!
Designer/ Base: jtt.justin
x o
(C) Jtt '08.