Happy Joyce Hour At Atrium Tonight

I came out of a meeting and went back to my desk. An orange MSN Messenger tab stared back at me. A message from Kinky Blue Fairy, currently known as Kinky Violet Fairy:

*KinkyVioletFairy* says:

fuck i can't believe i forgot to call you, most alco queen of all, are you free tonight?

*KinkyVioletFairy* says:
pls come to atrium from 8 onwards... there's booze and Happy Joyce Hours and every 5 girls that come, another bottle is thrown in.

What do u mean I’m the most alco queen of all? YOU’RE the most alco queen of all, Fairy! Who else has 2 bars name cocktails after her? And have a club host a free party for her just cos u r happening?

I’m the retired clubber. Really! I know that it sounds really strange and not everyone is used to hearing those words come out from my mouth so they ask me to repeat myself. And they still stare at me with the most perplexed look on their face when I say the words for the third time.

I guess mere words cannot easily erase 15 years of clubbing history. Even if it’s coming from the horse’s mouth.

I now go into a club and complain “why are there so many young chikus here?”. That, among many other reasons, is a sure fire sign to push one towards clubbing retirement before the young chikus say “Eh, what are those old farts doing in a club?”

However, I am glad that you are continuing the passion of clubbing and blazing the way for others. Keep it up party girl!

I’ll be at Wabisabi tonight. Maybe I’ll see u at Atrium later.

I’ve retired from clubbing! Really!

Happy Mid Autum Festival 2008

Happy Mid Autumn Festival everyone!

Looks like the older we get, the less people want to walk around with lanterns.

I remember just last year I made Andrew and Razzie walk with me around Taman Tun carrying lanterns.

But lucky for Fruitcake and I, we now have Isabelle to bring out and do the lantern walk with! She seems to be a willing party!

That’s exactly what we did last Saturday when Plaza Mont Kiara organized a lantern festival complete with moon cake sampling and acrobatic performance.

While walking back home, who called be but Razzie! He was having coffee at Coffee Bean. Happy Mid Autumn Fest Razzie Boy!

Why is it when we are adults, we loose the magic of childhood?

Why do we stop questioning why the world works the way it does?

Why do we stop running in the rain?

Why do we stop doing finger painting?

Why do we stop dressing up for Halloween?

Why do we stop talking to animals?

Why do we stop watching cartoons?

Why do we stop playing with lanterns?

Other adults may look at us oddly but so what? It’s them who have lost the magic and missing out on simple, unadulterated, magical fun. And why? Just because they are shy? Or adults should not engage in kids activities?

It’s not that I haven’t grown up. I’m 30 going on 31. I have a stable job and am climbing the corporate ladder. I accumulate credit card debt which I pay in full every month. I have a house and a car. And loans for both.

So don’t look at me funny when I bring out my crayons and colouring book.

The dragon and fish lantern from last year. Yes it survived, though after flattening them for easy storage and expanding them again this year, they may not see the light of Autumn Festival 2008.

Belle is showing interest in either the lantern, the fish, or the colours. Good! She’s going out with us again next year when she can walk and carry her own lantern.

According to Fruitcake, Belle is always eating. I’ve no clue what’s in her hand in the pic cos whatever she gets her hands on, goes into her mouth.

My pretty dragon lantern all lit up.

A really big moon cake my mum bought containing 7 salted egg yolks in lotus paste. Check out the size in proportion to the chop sticks.

3 Pairs of Designer Shoes

I am not a shopper. I don’t like shopping and I hate crowds. And women can be extremely scary when they see the words S-A-L-E or “50%” off. They become savage, blood thirsty creatures when those words are flashed in front of their eyes. So I usually avoid sales and malls when I can.

But when a friend who owns a small boutique in Plaza Mont Kiara told me he’s having a sale, I brought a few colleagues with me at lunch time today.

It’s a darling little shop with an antique phone (that’s still working) on the wall and chandeliers and other funky lights on the ceiling.

Even their indication for the discounts is in shapes rather than colours!

I love this boutique because it has limited pieces of each item and they are priced below what’s in the boutiques.

And they are currently on sale till end of the month!

My friend flies around the world and brings back limited items of dresses, shirts, tops, bags, shoes and accessories.

The brands he carries ranges from Calvin Klien to Marc Jacobs to Dior to Kate Spade to Lacoste to Polo.

Here's a hat from Coach.

Here's a hat from Coach on Shell. Doesn't she look Jap?

As we entered the boutique, the women instincitively headed to the shoe section.

I didn’t intend to buy anything but I tried on a few pairs while waiting for the rest.

Then the inevitable happened ……. I fell in love with not one but 3 pairs of shoes.

I’m not one to spend more than RM80 on a pair of heels because why pay so much money for something you step in rain water, mud and dirt with? I much rather a RM50 pair of Vincci which I can buy, wear and throw as soon as something breaks.

But wait till u get a look at these 3 shoes I picked out.

From left to right: Marc Jacobs, Nine West and Charles Calvin.

Lovely right?

And they had the heart sticker on it so they were 50% off.

So in the end, I bought 3 pairs of designer shoes for RM466!

I can’t believe I bought 3 pairs of designer shoes at a go. But honestly, the price was too good to be true.

I brought all 3 pairs back to the office and there was a frenzy as everyone wanted to have a look. Women love shoes and I don’t think that’s something that will change in the next century.

Cherry pretending to be a super model and Sin trying to see if she’s taller even if she doesn’t wear shoes.

Lola tethering and trying not to fall the 5 inch heels.

On Hitz Morning Crew this morning put strapped a girl into a polygraphy test and asked her if she loved her shoes more than her boyfriend. I think she said ‘no’ but the test showed that she was lying. Hahaha!

I now can’t wait to finish writing this so I can go home, get changed and wear one of the pairs out for dinner.

I’m not supposed to reveal where it is as my friend wants to keep his boutique a secret. Which is odd but fine with me cos I get more choice items and less people buying the same item.

But if u r a close friend, buzz me and I’ll tell u.

I'll end with this darling pair of mouse shoes my Marc Jacobs. I so wanted this pair too but it didn't fit.

Moving From The 7th Floor To The 7th Floor

I've moved twice since being in this agency. Once from one floor to the other. And now from one side of the office to the other. So that's one move for each year I've been here. Agencies tend to like to move. I moved once in my previous agency and I was there only for less than a year. Well guess I should be thankful we're moving within the same building this time.

The office is in a total mess! To quote people who walk into the area for the first time, “Looked like a tsunami has hit". We moved from one side of the office to another and there was not enough storage space in the new area. So our belongings, files and work stuff was piled up on every non occupied table and eventually the stuff spilled over onto the floor.

Look at the pics. I can’t say I disagree.

But at least I have a window seat now!

But the arrangement of the new work station is in such a haphazard fashion.

Oh! Taking about fashion …. I gotta tell u about my new shoes! Wait lemme post the the pics up!

Carlsberg Gathering at The Market Place

Last night, I was invited by Han Jie, my ex AE who is now in the mobile content business, to a place called Market Place for a Carlsberg Gathering.

Being a PJ girl (even tho technically I live in KL), I have no idea where’s Market Place and had to get directions. As it was off Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, close to the Zouk entrance, it’s not that hard to find.

Paul drove and we were pleasantly surprised when we pulled up at the entrance of Market Place.

The signage at the front was glowing bright red. As you enter, there’s a shallow pool on your left. Walking in, everything was dark and cosy.

Seating on one of the sofas and looking up, one can see a view of KLCC. Han Jie ordered a round of Carlsberg Extra Cold and we chatted and soaked in the atmosphere.

The only thing jarring the mood was a girl who was on the other table but sharing the long sofa seat with me. Every time she laughed, her body would fold backwards from a seating position and ended with a ‘PAP’ as her back and head smacked into the sofa just inches from my butt. She would then shake and laugh hysterically. I have no clue how much Calrsberg she had before I arrived.

After the drink, we explored the rest of the building. The stairs leading up to the balcony had a big crystal ball and a powerful spotlight shining on it. And up on the balcony, there were tables and chairs and a bright view of the Twin Towers. It’s a perfect area for total privacy and quiet chit chat.

I kept a look out for others who were part of this Carlsberg Gathering but did not find many people. From what I gather, it’s similar to Dunhill’s 101 East dinners. The difference seems to be they don’t talk about the product nor educate customers about the brand. It’s more like a get-together among friends, sponsored by Carsberg. And the only visible branding was the Carlsberg tap at the bar.

From a branding point of view, it feels like a waste of time and money. In events like these, they should take the opportunity to give their customers and potential customers a total brand experience.

I was however, told that this is a small gathering and was invited back for a bigger event the following Wednesday. Let’s see what happens then.

The 184 Girls

As we grow up and grow older, our lifestyle, needs, wants, expectations, attitude and mind set changes.

The group of friends which we were once close with very often grow apart after a few years. Be it school, university, a club, a hobby or whatever the fabric which holds the group together, things and people change over time. It could be that we are busy chasing out career now which requires us to put in long hours and have less time to meet up. It could be that we moved cities or countries. It could be because we got married and have kids and that takes up most of our time.

Despite all the changes we’ve gone through and the different places we are in our lives now, I’m thankful for the 184 Girls.

Why 184, right?

When we were studying in Taylor’s College back in 1995 studying A Levels or Southern Australian Matriculation or Canadian Pre University, we stayed in Apartment number 184, My Place Apartments, Subang Jaya. It was conveniently located in front of our college. And the closer you are, usually the later you are.

I remember one day when we were really late for classes, Wendy and I quickly washed up, changed and ran to college. As we were running up the stairs did we realize that Wendy was in the pink fluffy bedroom slippers.

We also used to eat a lot and once ordered so many Kenny Rogers chicken and side orders that the guys had to come and deliver it in a car.

When the apartment was too dirty even for our standards, we’ll pile all our belongings on top of our study desks and throw buckets of water on the marble floor and slide from one end of the room to the other on our butts to clean the floors.

When we were feeling communal, we’ll drag our mattresses into the hall and line the mattresses up side by side so we could talk into the night and fall asleep together.

We left college in 1996 and every year since then, we’ve been meeting up every 18^th April (184) usually for a meal or a short stay and get together.

For our 10^th 184 anniversary last year, we managed to make a trip to Tioman Island. All 6 of us made it, including Choon Yeen who now resides in London.

This is pour 11^th year and it is the first time we have not met up. They say that once you stop meeting up, it’s hard to keep the traditional alive.

I believe that that’s true especially since Choon Yeen is still in London, Charlotte is based in JB, Wendy & Zoe are married, Hosanna is a career women ready to take over the company and I’m at a place which is heading towards marriage and career advancement.

Nevertheless, meeting up 10 years in a row consistently on 18^th April year after year is no easy feat.

While we didn’t meet up on 18^th April this year, we still try and meet up when we can.

Like when Charlotte was in town on Monday night. While everyone was busy, it was good to catch up over dinner.

I appreciate of their friendship. May these be many more years of friendship to come despite the years and number of kids.

A few years ago when everyone was single, we commented that if we kept on meeting up, very soon everyone would be bringing their kids with them.

Well, Zoe and Wendy, it’s all up to you now to make the prophesy come through.

To all the 184 Girls. Thanks for 12 years of friendship.

L to R: Charlotte, Wendy, Zoe, Bubs, Hosanna

A Meal at Kura, One World Hotel

Seems like I can eat Jap food almost everyday.

On Friday, Paul and I went to explore the new One World Hotel since we were at 1U.

Kura, the Jap restaurant looked interesting and the prices of our favourite Jap fare stated on the menu were very reasonable. On second thoughts, they were more than reasonable for a hotel. So we stepped in and entered a cavernous area which was made of stone, was dark and has cubby holes. We walked up some stairs then down more stairs and squeezed into a cosy little ‘room’ with a very long table but only seats 2 in a corner.

The presentation was really nice and I kept thinking how cheap it is for a hotel. Here’s some of the costs to give you an idea on pricing:

Edamame – RM8

7pcs salmon sashimi – RM25

Soft Shell Crab Temaki – RM9

150g Wagyu sirloin steak – RM150

Unagi kabayaiki – RM32

Udon – RM22 – RM25

And after the meal, I knew that the cheap prices were justified. The quality sucked! The sashimi was not as fresh as it should be and did not melt in your mouth. I was however interested to find that they have puffer fish. That’s the fish, if not sliced properly, could kill the diner. I asked the waiter if the chef sliced it correctly. He answered yes and that each chef handling puffer fish need to have a license to do so. With that, I popped a piece in my mouth. And then another after dipping it in salt and bits of seaweed. It was like any other small piece of fried fish but yummy nonetheless.

I’m still here so the chef must have been qualified after all.

Kura’s great for ambiance but unfortunately not for their food.

My Friend's Baby Brother

“You’re so cute. And so tall too. So tall. So cute. Did I mention tall?” as I looked up at Andy. In my drunken state, I still managed to remember that conversation I had with a tall, toned, chiseled faced dude at a party some time ago.

I’ve blogged about it when it happened but shan’t put the link here less I draw too much attention to the poor boy.

Yes Andy is a boy. I heard he just turned 24 very recently.

Today, I was on Facebook (yes, again!) when I clicked on a friend and viewed his list of friends. I thought I recognized one of the pics. The name above the pic stated Andy. The name sounded familiar too. Sounded like the tall dude. Named Andy.

Then ………

Oh …. My ….. God ……!!

He’s a friend’s baby brother!

We met about 7 years ago at a party at my friend’s house. And obviously on that more recent night, we didn’t recognize each other.

It’s no issue that he’s younger. It’s just that it’s my friend’s baby brother. That’s so wrong!

We all know KL is small and everyone knows everyone right? I’m not longer shocked. In fact, for every new person I meet, I now expect them to know at least 2 of my friends. Being connected as friends is fine but this incident with Andy is a tad too close for comfort.

Now I’m just wondering now many guys I’ve kissed which were actually related to each other. That’s probably not a rare occurrence, seeing that the party and social community in KL is so small.

I’ve counted 2 pairs of brothers so far. As far as I know anyway.

Maybe it’s happened to you but maybe you just didn’t know they were related. Hehehe!

I’m so glad I’m now happily attached and will no longer be susceptible to situations like that anymore.

Sin Cyn asked if I’m embarrassed. Since I’ve been in much more embarrassing situations than this before, this is rather funny!

I think I’ll call my friend now and tell him.

200th Posting on Corrupt, Convent & Conquer

Wow. This is my 200^th post!

With the current work load, moving office, my mum being back in town, looking at buying new property and trying not to get too stressed out in the process, I didn’t realized that my blog is more than 1 year old!

It started with My First Ever Blog and Bare Black.

I’ve come a long way from that.

I’m no longer hesitant with my words (though I don’t post up anything if the words are not flowing right).

I now know a lot more about blogging though I’m no expert.

I no longer club. That’s true! My first post said I was gonna blog about clubbing and here I am now a year later as a non blogger.

Wendy is now married and I see even less of her.

Fruitcake aka Loony now has a 9 month old daughter and I’m the god mother.

Logan is now in a relationship which doesn’t allow him to meet some of his friends as much as he’d like.

Shan aka Marsupial and I still don’t see each other often. More so recently since we both can’t seem to hold our liquor as well as before and we've both retired from clubbing.

Looqy is now is Boston and I miss her!

Fairy now has flaming red hair.

What a difference one year makes.

2 Izakayas

Curious about why there are 2 Jap restaurants called Izakaya located in front of each other in Plaza Damas, I approached the manager of the Izakaya which I frequent most which is Izakaya Tomako. They explained that ‘Izakaya’ means restaurant or tea hour in Japanese! Duh! Didn’t manage to put two and two together since Jap restaurants here hardly contain ‘izakaya’ in their names. Well, we learn something new everyday. And I’m not a big fan of all things Japanese except for their food and technology.

9 Months (No I'm not talking about a baby)

Yesterday marks 9 months of Paul and I being together. Times flies. Soon it will be one year. And when the time and $ is right, the deal will also be sealed and officiated.

We celebrated by having dinner at a new Jap restaurant called Ichiban Izakaya in Plaza Damas. It’s 2 months old and as far as I can tell, the price and ambiance is below Rakuzen but below Izakaya Tamako located opposite of it. Don’t know if the same name of the restaurants mean that it’s owned by the same people.

While I do like Rakuzen, one can hardly get a table without prior reservation. And I don’t think their food and ambience is good enough for me to plan ahead to eat there.

Anyway (the original) Izakaya quality of food is better and more authentic though Rakuzen wins on asthetics and presentation.

So at this new Izakaya, we had the following:

Fried shitake mushroom. A tiny morsel of a mushroom which was cold and thus didn't taaste as good.

Yummy creamy cheddar cheese wrapped in popiah skin which is crispy to the bite and chewy after.

Fried oysters. Not one of my fav but Paul likes it.

Wakatori Karrage. One of the best Japanese fried chicken I've tasted.

Deep fried soft shell crab. Yummier than any other I've tasted. I just feel bad for the little fella.

Gyoza. Not one of the best dishes I sampled that night.

Mini Onigiri Mentaiko. The description said 'salmon ball' but it came as a salmon triangle! The waitress explained that it only comes in ball shaped when it appears in comics. They should call it salmon ball in comics and salmon triangle on the menu.

Normay Temaki. Salmon sashimi and salmon roe. One of the better hand rolls as the salmon extends all the way to the bottom of the roll so that you're not left with plain rice on your last bite.

Katsu Don. Paul's favourite and must order at every Jap meal.

Yup we really like our food and always order for four.

Amway Almost Ruined a Friendship

Jake (not his real name), a good friend, called me up recently saying that he has a fantastic business plan and would like his friend to tell me about it. He passed the phone over and his guy who started by introducing himself as Mike (not his real name). He then asked me is I have heard of Robert Kiyosaki. I replied “Who hasn’t read Rick Dad Poor Dad?”. Then he asked if I knew what passive income was. To which I replied yes and that I already had my money working for me.

Mike then proceeded to invite me to a talk on Wednesday because he wanted to share a business plan with me, a way to make passive income. I probed him with several questions to which he answered none but informed that all would be revealed at the talk.

Dodgy, no? I sure think so. If you’re proposing a way for me to make passive income or a business plan which you say works, you better be able to answer each and every question I ask. It is after all a business and I will not be duped.

I was extremely skeptical and my brain was already sending me warning signals. But this was a friend of Jake, a dear friend whom I really trusted. So if Jake believes in this, I’ll go because he’s a friend and he invited me, even though he can’t tell me anything about the talk.

After sleeping on it, I felt even more uneasy the following day. I then called Jake and also chatted with him on Yahoo messenger. After talking to him for another 15 minutes, I was no better off information-wise and I was getting frustrated. So I outright asked him if it was related to Amway / Cosway / Shaklee. And he didn’t answer the question! Then it became so obvious.

Anyway after probing and probing, he finally admitted that it was Amway, but not exactly. He’s with Network 21 which I found out is an education and training company supplying Professional Development Programs to Independent Business Owners working with the Amway network marketing business opportunities.

So why wasn’t he straight with me and tell me the truth?

He explains it’s because many people turn a deaf ear as soon as they hear Amway.

And can u blame them after all the scandals and law suits which has taken place?

Their intense motivational programmes is another thing which scare me. Some say that it is hard to distinguish it from cult propaganda. I’ve not attended one but the people who have come out so unnaturally zealous, it worries me what information they have been fed. And when all of them speak in the same way and say the same things, that’s another cause of worry.

I rather a straight and honest answer rather than beating around the bush which makes me even more suspicious. If Jake had outright told me that he wanted to invite me to a meeting to share with me a business plan he really believes in and even if it is Amway, I would have gone anyway because a good friend invited me. He believes in it and I believe in him.

After the confrontation and admission, Jake feels bad that he did not handle my question adequately. He feels that it is because he is new. In that way, I do not fault him because that was the same approach his up-line Mike took with me. If that is what the seniors in there do, do you expect new recruits to act much differently? Especially since Jake is spewing what I instantly recognized as a sales pitch and referring me to his up-line when he’s unable to answer my questions. Everything is just so structured.

If I believed in this, I would be so successful in it! Unfortunately I don’t and how they go about handling the business has eroded what little confidence I had in the brand.

My other gripe is why can’t Amway admit that they are a multi level marketing company? Yes MLM has a stigma to it but that is what they are! I feel sorry for the new recruits who are told that what they are joining is not MLM. But it is. There are products involved, you need to recruit people and you have up-lines. So many people from MLMs have approached me so please don’t bull shit me.

Imagine if I had blindly accepted the invitation with no questions asked and cancelled my dinner and made time to go for the talk. I go there and find out that it’s Amway despite all my questions beforehand. I would have been damn pissed off particularly with Jake for conning me into it. And with Nike, his up-line for the approach they chose to take with me. And with Amway. I feel that they can only blame themselves if their name is tainted because they handle recruitment so unprofessionally.

So instead of a new recruit, they have pissed another person off.

Jake said that with this approach, he managed to get 10 appointments. Maybe other people have not been scammed before or they don’t ask enough questions at the start. I don’t believe in blind faint except when it comes to God. When it has to do with man and money especially, I’m not going to relent till I know the full story.

Amway nearly ruined my friendship with Jake. But he believes in this and if he thinks it benefits him then good for him.

To be fair, Jake was told by his up-lines that this business could put a strain on his friendships. Sounds like insurance to me. And that is another form of MLM. Hahaha!

I do believe that the Amway way of life works for some people. Just don’t lie to me.