Remember Mimaland?

If you were born in the 70’s and lived in Klang Valley, you’ll surely remember Mimaland. I was looking through some old photographs of when I was a kid and chanced upon one of me standing in front of the Mimaland sign. While I don’t remember much about the place, I do know that I had a lot of fun there.

Thus I went to hunt for more info on the net. Even Wikipedia only had a one liner on Mimaland.

One other site wasn’t that much more helpful but did provide a contact number and entrance fees. The RM2 entrance fee per person and the 7 digit contact number should have roused my suspicion but I was still hopeful.

After a few more searches, I stumbled upon another blog where people were asking the same question as me. So Mimaland hasn’t been forgotten!

I excitedly read thru the 23 posts where everyone was asking the same questions and some offered a smattering of info. They were talking about 3 storey high slides which cascades into a natural spring swimming pool. And dinosaurs which you can climb. And a maze constructed out trimmed hedges. I vaguely remember what seems like the icons of Mimaland. I need to dig through my old albums and see if I can find anymore taken there.

Then one person posted that Mimaland has been closed since 1994 due to a landslide. My other research attributed the closure due to fatal accident. Perhaps it was a landslide which caused a fatal accident.

Unfortunately Mimaland has not been re-opened since. And what’s worst, a new housing development has been built on Mimaland’s land!

So it’s not the same if I take a drive to Gombak and try to reminisce about Mimaland while having a picnic in someone’s garden.

Hmmmm. That could look like suspicious activity. Should the owner of the house come out to investigate, I should yell at him “You’re house is on Mimaland!!!”.

Sigh. That’s another childhood memory that will remain a memory.

Taiko - An Upcoming Malaysian Made Movie

Throughout my career in advertising, I’ve been involved in producing many TV commercials and even one reality show – Olay Aspirasiku. We ran 2 seasons on TV3 in 2005 and 2006.

The cost of TVC production 10 years ago ran into the millions of Ringgit. These days, some clients only give an average budget of RM100,000. That’s about 10% of what we used to have. Of course some rare clients give us about RM300,000 to work with. But then there are those who expect a brilliantly shot TVC for under RM100,000! For those not from the ad industry, the typical commercial you see on TV takes about 3 months to produce. That’s a lot of time and work for something which lasts just 30 seconds.

Nevertheless, we have many talented directors and producers here in Malaysia who make miracles from tiny budgets. I’ve seen what they can do and it astounds me every time.

I have not been involved in producing a movie but have always been a supporter of Malaysian made movies, specifically the ones with good storylines. I ensure I either watch it in the cinema or buy a certified original copy of the DVD. It’s hard work, budgets are low and so are profit margins. They deserve to generate some sales for their hard work.

A producer I work with when shooting a Rejoice TVC and Olay TVC with Siti Nurhaliza last year, is now involved in shooting a new movie. Daniel Wee of Montecom Films is in the midst of pre production of Tai Ko, a movie about 2 childhood friends who grow up to be on the opposite sides of the law. It stars M Nasir, Eman Manan, Jalaludin Hassan and Chermaine Poo just to name a few of the cast. It's schedule to hit the cinemas in March 2008.

I’ve been following his blog and it made me realize just how tough movie production in Malaysia is. We don’t have the multi million dollar budgets like in Hollywood. We're no where close to Bollywood or Hong Kong. Yet everyone strives to produce the best quality possibly from the limited budget by the ingenuity and resources of the cast and crew.

Daniel, I’m hoping and praying that everything goes well for you and the movie. I hope that talks with sponsors go well so that you and the crew can breathe a little easier and be able to concentrate more on the actual production rather than worrying there’s not enough money.

Crossing fingers, toes and eyes!

Nurturing a Child Today

The world is filled with screwed up people and more often than not, it stems from one’s upbringing, attributed to one’s parents within one’s own home.

I felt for Dave Pelzer in his biography – A Child Called It, A Lost Boy and A Man Named Dave. And following that, his brother’s biography called a Brother’s Journey. I can’t, for the life of me, understand how a mother can empty a bottle of Tabasco sauce down her son’s throat and laugh when he cries and choke. Or put bleach and other chemicals into a bucket and lock her son in the bathroom for an entire day to breathe in those toxin fumes. Or not feed him some for days while the rest of the family members feast at the dinner table. And when the child is desperate enough to steal food to eat, she forces him to puke it all out again.

These are truly horror stories which many children out there endure. Some of them, not knowing any better, feel that this is life.

Many of these children with abused childhood will perpetuate the circle and do those exact things to their own children. And these children will do it to their children. It’s not right but it’s a vicious circle which is a reality.

Yet some of these very children who have abusive childhoods grow up to be loving, responsibly, caring adults. That to me is truly amazing. How do you love again after living out a horror story for so many years of your developing life? What more by people who are supposed to love and protect you.

I have heard stories from friends which I wouldn’t term as abusive per se but it would be close to the start of emotional abuse.

A friend, when she was much younger, had to deal with a mother who was depressed. Of course she was too young to know about that disease then. And 20 years ago, depression wasn’t even recognized as an illness. It’s not like it is prominent now here in Malaysia but at least there is more awareness, info from other countries and more people are not afraid to go to a shrink. Yes, there are shrinks in Malaysia and if you need one, contact me and I’ll refer you to a really good one. I’ve seen her do wonders. Her mother was suicidal and once told her that if she (the mum) died, she (the mum) would bring her with her to the other world. Won’t you be scared if you were a young child and your mother said that to you? Of course my friend was scared but she was close to her mum so she told her mum “Okay, I’ll go with you”. What would have happened if her mum did actually take her own life and my friend’s too?

These are stories which we read in the papers and it’s not that uncommon.

Then I have another friend who’s in his 20s. I find him to be a good, caring, attentive person who has much more filial piety than me. Yet his dad told him that he will never amount to be a good man, a good husband and a good father. What of fucked up thing to say to your own son! Your role as a parent is to discipline your child. And when your child becomes his own man, you need to guide, advice and encourage him. But all the decisions he makes from then on are his own. Don’t chide him for not doing what you want him to do. He may be your son but it’s not your life he’s living.

Maybe I’m not a parent and am should not judge the parent’s of these friends. However, as an outsider from a neutral point of view, I feel that it is just so wrong! If it was a stranger, you can just walk away and choose to ignore their words even though they may sting for a while. But the wound goes 10 times as deep when it’s from a parent.

Being a parent is way too easy. It’s being a good parent that’s tough. There should be classes and exams for potential parent’s before they are allowed to bring a child into this world. The exam should be based on intelligence, love, compassion, patience and competency. And that’s just for Lesson Number 1.

I’m sure there are many reasons why a person would want to become a parent. I have not found mine yet but I know that before I make that decision, I need to be sure and believe that I can be the best parent I can possibly be. There is no guarantee of this of course, but I need to believe and see it happening before I get there.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m struggling with the idea of being a parent. It can take just one word for your mouth or a single action to screw up a child for life. But it takes many to nurture a child who grows up to be an adult who will become an example to society, a good friend and the son or daughter you wanted to be for your parents. It’s not an experiment and there are no restart buttons. Can I bring up a responsible, caring, righteous, kind, loving human being into this world?

Cody the Surfing Penguin Toy

Good copy writing can make any product sell.

Mc D’s current Happy Meal toy is from Surf’s Up The Movie. On the website, there is a write up about the toy which says:

“Removable figure in action pose. Attach Cody to any of the pegs on the surf board and push across a smooth surface for surfing action. Surfboard separates into two pieces and houses a two sided, full colour surfboard shape insert. Choose a side to show and snap the surfboard back together.”

A few of us were in the office yesterday afternoon and feeling hungry so we ordered Happy Meals from Mc D Delivery. We all got the same toy – Cody, with our meal.

Basically, you put the plastic sheet in between the plastic pieces. Then place the plastic Cody on it and push the board across a table.

He slides for about 6 inches, wobbles, and then tips over on his beak.

Maybe it’s the act of trying to balance the plastic penguin on the board then upon success, seeing him slide and then falling over that’s amusing. Then you try to push him further without making him fall. I’m not quite sure. I’m still trying to figure out if the toy can do more. In doing that, I’ve already spent about half and hour playing with it.

Dammit. Okay. Back to work.

The Garage Sale

*Prodigy’s “Voodoo People” blaring*

*vibrations on the bed*

RING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The alarm clock on my phone rings at 7am. So does the clock at my bed side. I open my eyes and jumped out of bed. Then I shoke Paul to wake him and I ran around the house getting ready. I’m surprisingly alert and cheery and the sun isn’t even fully up.

We loaded the boxes into the car and headed to Centrepoint by 8.15am. Thank goodness for Sin Cyn who helped me segregate, price and pack then items the day before. In fact, I made my first sale off her – cat and dog clay fridge magnets and a black Tian Po toiletry bag.

The garage sales starts at 8.30am. Michelle Shell was already there with her books. As I placed the boxes of stuff to be sold on the floor to display them on the table, throngs of people came to take stuff directly out of the boxes and started haggling. By 9am, 40% of the stuff were sold! It was 45 minutes of pure madness. And it was even a little scary. I truly did not expect the selling process to be so intensive n constant. Good thing I had Michelle Shell and Paul to help out.

My objectives of the sale were to:

1. Get rid of junk in the house and create more space
2. Make a little bit of money
3. To have fun

And I managed to achieve them all. It will take about 5 years worth of garage sales to get rid of the junk in my house though. But at least I make some money and have some fun while doing it.

Lessons to be learn when managing a garage sale, not to be confused with selling new items like in the Mont Kiara Art / Bric-aBrac / Crafts (ABC) Market or night market at The Curve:

1. Bargain hunters come early so start earlier than the official start time in order to be able to set up without people pulling the items out of the boxes themselves. You can close after lunch as there won’t be much sales after that.
2. Price items higher as people will bargain it down. Or price it so low so that they don’t need to bargain.
3. It’s easier to segregate items according to price and placing them in specific boxes than having individually priced items. The bargain hunters will then surely haggle and it’s harder to calculate when you have 2 people simultaneously talking to you and jangling your on wares in your face. However, they will also pick one item from one box, look at it and dump it into another box. At the end of the day, its easiest to have one price for everything. And if they want a discount, get them to buy 5 to get one free.
4. Some professional bargain hunters (usually old housewives) will continue talking to you loudly while placing stuff into bags as they tell you the price they want for the items, hand you the money for which they want to pay for the entire contents of the bag and walk away. When this happens and you’re standing there dumb founded and unable to get a word in, let you boyfriend handle her.
5. Bring a fan. It can get hot. Or use a hand held battery operated fan. Bargain hunters will see it and wanna buy it off you.
6. Don’t go to other people’s stall and buy their junk. This will only accumulate more junk which you’ll need to sell eventually not to mention eat into your profits. But I couldn’t help it! A stall was selling Patti the Platypus by Ty for only RM5. And he was almost brand new. Well at least it provided us with entertainment while waiting for customers to come.

Thank you Annie Boo, Boey and Steph who came by the stall to lend support. And to Teoh who contributed to sales!

I’m gathering more stuff to be sold at the next garage sale in August. Yes, you can pass me your stuff to sell but I get a commission!

One Woman's Junk is Another's Treasure

Once, Fruitcake and I worked past midnight 2 days in a row organizing the items in my house. You see, my mum is a shopaholic. The joy lies in the act of shopping rather than in enjoying the actual product. It seems like many women are afflicted with this.

And it results with the house being filled from floor to ceiling and wall to wall with stuff.

It’s rather hard to define what these ‘stuff’ are because it ranges from pots and pans to electrical kitchen equipment (my mum doesn’t cook). And 3 copies of La Prestige, The Peak and Malaysian Tatler from each month, for the past few years. And also bits and bobs and one off pieces like hair dryers, candles, photo frames, glasses, tin boxes, coin purses, sewing stuff, nail manicure sets, back massagers, hair brushes, hand creams of every brand, all sorts of bags, hats, note books, teapots, toys, clocks, mirrors, mugs, porcelain figurines, plastic flowers, glass flowers, clothes hangers, papers bags, tissue paper, ang paus, lever arch files, clear plastic folders, accessories, decorative baskets, laundry baskets, chopsticks, wires, raffia string, multi purpose plugs, candle sticks, calculators, note books, coasters, oil burner, lighters, pens, umbrellas ……. The list goes on.

There are usually a minimum of half a dozen of each of the items.

If you play Katamari on PS2, my house would be the perfect playground.

While it’s pretty amusing having a treasure hunt in your own home and not needing to buy anything because it can be found in the house if you just have time to look for it, it can get a little over crowded.

After talking about this for a year and cleaning out my house and putting all the unwanted items neatly into sealable plastic boxes, I’m finally going to sell them off! This will create more space in the house and generate some cash (assuming you come to support and buy something)! And it’s going to be a fun day out with friends too! Michelle will be selling some books. So come hang out and dance but please buy something too. We'll give you a discount!

Clause 6 of the agreement of the rental of the stall says something about not making too much noise or being a nuisance to the other stall handlers or the public. But we already told the Bandar Utama management that we're gonna screw that clause. We're gonna bring music and dance there if we want to. The guy merely laughed out loud so we’re gonna take it that we’ll be allowed to breach the contract.

My mum won’t know that I’m selling the items off cos there’s so much of them ….. unless she reads this post on the blog. Hmmm……

Anyway, come to Centrepoint in Bandar Utama this Sunday, 24^th June. 8.30am – 3.30pm.

Please bring an ice latter grande or a large Slurpee (Starbuck and 7-Eleven located at ground floor of Centrepoint) for us.

Thank you! See u there!

Guinness Black Party 2007

My body aches and my ankles hurt. But I had a great time! Have not drank that much or danced that long in a very long time. This all happened at the Guinness Black Party in conjunction with the Guinness 9 Ball Tour in Genting over the weekend. The night started off with DJ Nesh warming the crowd. Then DJ Gabriel took over accompanied by Camelia who was performing hits from her new MystiCam album. The Guinness Draught was flowing and bodies were moving. It was a great night. Better than any other Black Party I’ve attended before. Here’s a snapshot of the night.

My ankles really hurt! I’m not sure if it’s because I’m Aquarian (fabled to have weak ankles) or because I’ve not done real clubbing and dancing for 3 hours non stop in high heels …… in over 6 months. This is from the person who did Mambo and Ghetto every week. Then hit Heritage Row on Fridays and Saturdays. Every single week! Looks like Bubbles Non Clubbing Version 3.0 is here to stay.

Lumpy the Heffalump

Okay I admit it. I have a weakness for toiletries. While I don’t enjoy shopping much in the conventional sense for women which is for clothes and accessories, I can’t resist toiletries. It must be something about having a sensational bath or shower every single day.

I love Boots and while in London, would shop in Boots every weekend. Since I’m not in London and there are no Boots in Malaysia (actually, why aren’t there any??!!), while I was in Thailand earlier this year, I bought shampoos, conditioners, lotions, face washes, moisturisers and more, totally to roughly 15 litres.

So here in Malaysia, I have to content myself with Guardian and Watson. I don’t go to Caring as it’s too much of a pharmacy pharmacy and don’t have the fun stuff the other 2 carries.

Guardian is currently having a Winnie the Pooh collection Redemption. Every RM25 gets you a sticker. And you need 25 stickers to collect one of the Winnie-the-Pooh toys.

Yes I do realize that one toy costs RM625 and that’s a ridiculous amount for a small soft toy. But my rationale is that I’m gonna but stuff from the pharmacy anyway so I might as well buy ahead of time to stock up and collect the stickers. After all, most of the items have a long shelf life. I know, I know, what a sucker. But at least I’m a knowing sucker.

I need just 7 more stickers! So those who shop in Guardian but are not collecting the sticker, please pass them to me before 4^th July 2007!

I was looking at the characters and I realized that there was a purple elephant called Lumpy! Sorry, he’s actually a heffalump. The classis Pooh stories did not have any Lumpy character in it but it did feature a nameless heffalump. Lumpy even has a movie called "Pooh's Heffalump Movie" released in 2005! And that was the first time Lumpy was introduced to the world. I found out that Lumpy was first discovered by Roo. Lumpy is friendly and playful, has a fun giggle, and speaks with a British accent!

Remember! Please pass me the stickers and help me get Lumpy! Meanwhile, I’ll go hunt for the movie.

Tracker at Doggy Day at Central Park

Paul and I brought Tracker out to the Doggy Day 2 weekends ago. Yes that’s how long I’ve not blogged. There’s been so much going on at work which takes up so much of my time and thoughts. Believe things are better now but will still need a bit of time to work itself out. Also, we’re being kept in the dark on certain things. That’s management’s prerogative I guess.

Anyway back to Tracker. At least that was a happy day for all of us.

We arrived at the park about lunch time and many of the dogs and owners have left. Tracker didn’t get to frolic with the other dogs as much as he did during his last visit to the Doggy Day. Still, he had a superb time and made a few friends.

We left and went to 1U for lunch before bringing the little fella home as he really needed a bath. And he hates baths. Just look at his pitiful face.

In the Dark

Could be another late night at work. The beer team is swamped with work. There’s also been a lot of tension in the office. Stuff happening that’s scaring me but I’m not sure what’s going on. Have been told that I need to be kept in the dark on certain things. Not a fun position to be in when the future looks hazy and I’m unable to see past the blur. Feeling extremely overwhelmed. Thought that certain things were not as bad as I imagined but in reality, it’s much worst. I’ve been told to expect a lot more work soon. And that expectation of me has been raised even higher. The next week is going to be an interesting and stressful one. For now I just want to make it to the weekend.

Bubbles Doesn’t Have A Hobby

Well, not that I don’t have a hobby but I realized that my hobbies are not really hobbies!

Back in school, when we’re asked what are out hobbies, kids would often reply: reading, watching TV, cycling, swimming, playing badminton, collecting stickers. And that was acceptable.

And when we’re older, many people say their hobbies are watching TV, shopping, playing video games and sleeping.

And according to dictionary.com, a hobby is defined as:

hob·by1

–noun, plural -bies.

1.	an activity or interest pursued for pleasure or relaxation and not as a main occupation: Her hobbies include stamp-collecting and woodcarving.

Besides that definition, hobbies tend to be stuff like collecting stuff or creating things. Like collecting stamps, collecting Coke paraphernalia, collecting comics, making toy car models, painting and photography.

It’s not done for profit so collecting comic books and selling them at a later date doesn’t count.

And it’s also done on a fairly consistent basis. I used to collect stickers when I was in primary school and while I still like stickers and buy some now and then, and I still have some of my old collection, I can’t claim that collecting stickers is my hobby (or due to the high chances that adults would laugh at me but then again if you know me well enough, you’ll know I wouldn’t care, as long as I’m having fun).

If that’s the case then out of the list from school, collecting stickers is the only hobby. What about the other activities? If they are not hobbies then what are they? Interests? Dictionary.com defines interest as:

in·ter·est

–noun

1.	the feeling of a person whose attention, concern, or curiosity is particularly engaged by something: She has a great interest in the poetry of Donne

So an interest is not a hobby but is something you do that you’re interested in and are concerned and curious about. So some examples would be reading poetry, doing charity work, restoring vintage cars, traveling and learning a new language.

And a past time is defined as:

An agreeable activity like knitting with which you pass the time.

That means a past time is not a hobby nor an interest but is something you do to while away time? I would say watching TV is a past time but to some people who make time from their busy schedules just to watch a show, it’s not just a past time. So that makes it an interest. And reading can be a past time too, like when one reads while on the train on the way to work but not at any other time.

And what about diving? Hobby, interest or past time? Paul, Sin Cyn and Kokonut Soldier says that diving is a recreational activity because it’s something fun, we don’t do it often, it doesn’t work the muscles much (even though you’re freakin tired after each dive) so it doesn’t even fall into the ‘sports’ category’.

My conclusion is that the stuff we do when we’re not working, running errands, doing chores or sleeping (I don’t consider this a hobby, interest, past time (okay maybe it’s a past time for some who really have nothing better to do ) nor a recreational activity), it’s usually one of the 4 items.

However, the same activity can fall into different categories, depending on the person.

So for me,

My hobby is errrrrrr.... not collecting stickers …... How about collecting Ty Beanie Babies? I didn’t consciously make this my hobby but I do have quite a few of them. And I do sometimes find out who’s retired and who are the latest releases. Okay so I have 1 hobby.

How about colouring? It’s not as skillful as painting, drawing or sketching but it is an art form of sorts.

Oh! Oh! And making stuff out of plastercine, like the birthday cake I made for Patrick. It is just like sculpturing! Just a lost smaller.

So my hobbies are collecting Ty Beanie Babies, colouring and plastercine mounding. Yay!

And my interest is reading, charity work for animals, watching movies and certain TV series, traveling, learning a new language whenever I travel to a foreign country of which language I think sounds good.

Past time is watching TV, charity work for animals and reading magazines & books.

And recreational activity is diving.

What about blogging? For me, it’s a hobby (I do it fairly often and I’m creating something), interest (I read other people’s blogs to learn how I can better mine in terms of writing style and the actual look and feel) and a past time (sometimes I do it when I’m really bored and happen to be online).

So there you go. My research on definition and examples of hobbies, interests, past times and recreational activities.

How Do You Find a Lost Mobile Phone on Silent Mode?

I have 2 mobile phones – one for work and one for play.

My last memory of my work phone was when I received a call on it after work on Friday. This was after Paul and I parked the car and were walking back to his place.

On Saturday, I realized that I didn’t have it with me. But I figured that it’s the work phone anyway and I don’t carry it around on weekends.

So come Monday, I was looking for it to bring to work but I couldn’t find it! So I went back home during lunch to find it. Maybe I brought it back home after dinner at Paul’s. But it wasn’t there. So I went back to work without it.

At night, I told Paul and we went back to my place to search but to no avail. We then searched his house. Then my car. And his car and then back to my house. And then back to his car.

What do u do when u can’t find your phone? Call it and trace the location of the ringing right?

We tried calling it and it did ring but we could not hear it ring so I figured that it was on silent mode. We tried calling again (in his house, my house, has car and my car) while keeping totally quiet in hopes of hearing it vibrate instead.

But no vibrating sound!

Could it be that I dropped the phone and someone else picked it up and has claimed ownership? I called DiGi to check if there were any calls made from Saturday onwards. There were none. So I must still have the phone some where. But where?!

We repeated the search process (in his house, my house, has car and my car). Till my darling suggested checking his mum’s car. We were in it for a short time on Saturday morning sending his parents off to the bus station so that location didn’t cross my mind. We’d exhausted all other possible locations so that was the last place we were going to look. By then, I was resigned to going to DiGi on Wednesday to get a new SIM card and use one of Paul’s spare phone.

We walked to his mum’s car and there it was on the floor of the front passenger seat. Just staring innocently up at me.

Thank goodness my darling suggested his mum’s car! So smart! That saves me time, hassle and RM 50 or RM100 for a new SIM card. So yes I’m contactable via my work phone again now.

Working Past Midnight

I'm no where near done with work. I have my creative team here with me revising an artwork for the client. He better not be sleeping and he better be available to approve it as soon as we're ready. I don't know where he lives but I can find out and slap the living day lights out of him. Even though it's past midnight now.

This will teach us to pick up on another agency's slack. But then again it is our brand and do or die, we gotta help salvage this job and get the ad to the press on time. Even though it wasn't our responsibility in the first place!

Sigh.... that's the life of an agency person. Guess it has it perks:
- free flow of Coke and beer in the fridge at any time of the day
- waltz to the office at 10am
- wear shorts and t shirt to work
- take long lunches when we're free
- get to go for events, get freebies and meet lotsa ppl
- have a fun, noisy working environment where ppl throw stuff at each other, hide each other's vehicles and print life size pics of colleagues with funny captions and stick them outside the office building for all on the highway to see when they drive past.

But we also gotta work till late!

I'm so tired. I can feel my body shutting down. I've not had dinner. Unless a pack of Cheezels is considered dinner. When i stand up, I feel myself swaying. I can't focus. I wanna sleep. I hate my client. Grrrrrrr!!!

Bubbles Cut Her Hair Again

After 30 years, I finally chopped of my locks. It was up to my waist and curly. That was 4 months ago. And just yesterday, I went for a trim. Looks like I'm getting used to being in short hair and liking it. I'm even thinking of going even shorter and getting a spunky style after this. Funny how it took me many years of contemplation and dozens of visits to my stylist before I plucked up the courage to go short and now I want to go even shorter. It's just like the many things in life. The thought of a drastic change is scary. But once you take the plunge, you may find that you like it and even ask, "what took me so long"?

Bubbles Wants to Be In the Sun

After being away on (almost 3 weeks with gaps in between) of holidays in the Middle East and in Redang, it ain’t no fun being back at work. Especially when I don’t have a tan to show for the time I spent in the dessert and on the beach!

Thank goodness it’s Friday and I have the weekend to chill. Prob go to the pool and pretend I’m still on holiday far far away.

What may also help is to spritz myself with Escada Sunset Heat. After Paul and I landed at KLIA after Redang, we went shopping in the duty free shops. After spraying, smelling, rubbing and touching various products, Paul finally settled on Biotherm face wash & moisturizer and 2 colognes. And THREE perfumes for me which included Escada Sunset Heat, Bvlgari’s latest Omnia Amethyste and a perfume he’s been hunting down for ages but is on the verge of being discontinued around the world – Bvlgary Petits Et Mamans. How interesting! It’s a perfume for mothers and babies! Hmmm …. Guess will store that in a cool, dark place till it’s time for me to use it. Kekeke!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Bubbles Is Now A Certified Diver

Redang was great. The beaches are beautiful and the waters are clear. But it wasn’t so much a holiday as it was a grueling course in diving.

Paul did well but for someone like me with hydrophobia, I would say that it was the toughest and scariest thing I’ve made myself do to date. I may be scared of some things but I can run away from those. This is different, can I willingly made myself go through it.

The course started off easy by watching a 3 hour video on the theories on diving. Then we suited up and went into the water. I like the water but I panic the moment I’m totally submerged in water. I HATE water in my nose. So it was all good and well when I was all suited up in the water cos I could breathe thru the regulator and my eyes and nose were protected with the mask.

Then we had to do mask clearing. This is when the mask is removed completely, placed back on the face and have the water cleared out. This is in case your mask gets knocked off or if the mask gets fogged up. I was panicing and hyperventilating! I was so scared!! I thought I was about to pass out there n then. I kept signaling to my instructor to wait n that I’m scared! And I thought that I’ll never be ready to do something like this! And to get me out of there! But he just looked at me calmly and signaled for me to do it before he fell asleep. All the while holding only my BCD so that the current doesn’t pull me away.

All this is much funnier when dome in sign language under the water.

After spurting, breathing in some sea water, having my eyes stung by the salty water, flailed around with my fins (or as fast as they can move in zero gravity under the water), I managed to do it.

THEN we had to remove the mask completely, swim 30 metres or so and then repeat the process! I repeated my spurting, breathing water and flailing. But finally did it. Again.

The rest of the exercises like regulator recovery, CESA, sharing air with buddy etc were fine. But then I had to do mask clearing again at 18 metres under water! This time I was still scared shitless but at 18 metres, I knew I didn’t have the option on freaking out and abandoning the exercise and swim back to the surface easily. So I took 3 deep breaths. Okay it was more like 10 deep breaths with both hands on the mask attempting very hard to pry the mask from my face. All the while my mind is thinking “Just do it! Fuck it! Just do it!!!” And my body was going “Are you fucking insane? Do you WANT to breathe in sea water? Do you want to drown?? Are you freaking insane?! What’s wrong with you??!!!

My mind and body fought the battle but I bit hard into the regulator (in case it floats away), fucked it and did it anyway.

Which tag line was it which said ‘Feel the fear but do it anyway’? I certainly put that into practice during this open water dive course. ‘Open Water’ is such a befitting name- there’s water every where! In your mouth, nose, eyes, nose and all other crevices a human possess.

So yes after the 4 days of drama, I’m a certified diver! Paul is so gung-ho that he wants to do his Advanced Diver course. I’m just glad that my diving buddy will have more experience than me and can help calm me down if I ever freak out underwater.

We spent our 5^th day on the island sleeping, eating and chilling out at the beach. Since we were diving most of the days and wearing a full wet suit, I didn’t get that much of a tan.

Also, since we were constantly in the water, I don’t have that many pics or pics of me in a wet suit. So here are some pics for now. Waiting for pics from the rest.

With all that said and done, I am looking forward to my next diving trip. Seems like its Perhentian then Sipadan at the end of the year.

The group of divers and sun tannersThis way to the dive centre!Paul and I before we suited up

Paul's gargoyle

Finally able to relax at the beach after getting certified!

Back from the Middle East

I’m back from the Middle East!

I left on Thurs, 19^th April on Etihad Airways which replaces Emirates as the official airline of the UAE. Was a good flight cos it was less than half full so I could stretch out on all 3 seats and watch 3 movies in succession comfortably.

As we were landing in Abu Dhabi, I looked out the window and I saw a light brown landscape with patches of bright green and I realized that it was the dessert. Well I knew I was going to the dessert but I’ve not seen so much sand before in my life! Sounds a big strange here but you gotta be there to gettit.

Growth

Dubai is growing at such an exponential rate. Hundreds of sky scrapers are being built right now, around the clock. While the architecture is beautiful, I can’t help but be reminded of Singapore which is a shopping and financial hub but not much soul to the city.

And the city sure is rich. Everyone knows that they have an indoor ski slope. I went to have a look but since I don’t ski, I didn’t think it was worth going it for a short toboggan ride.

Now they are building the tallest building in the world (I lost track. Who’s the tallest now? Taipei?) and also an Artic type done which will house Artic animals like polar bears and penguins (tho they are from the Antartic)!

Abu Dhabi is quieter compared to Dubai but it is the capital of the UAE. The plan is to let Dubai boom, then build up Abu Dhabi at a slower but steady rate.

Shopping

Shopping there is great. They have most of the brands we have here in Malaysia but so much more like BHS, Claire’s, Splash. But I’m not a shopper so I only went to the shops in the malls I happen to be in for other activities.

One of the things I did buy though, are bikini thongs! Those are so hard to find and I manage to find it in a ‘conservative’ country.

Temperature

It’s 46C over there! But it was nice warm weather. It’s hotter here in Malaysia at 30C compared to 46C in the dessert!

Food

Like any cosmopolitan city, one can find an array of food from around the world. I had hi tea at the Burj al Arab Hotel Dubai, Coffee at Emirates Palace Abu Dhabi and The One & Only Mirage, German at the Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi, Chinese at China at the Novotel Abu Dhabi, Indian at The Grill Muscat, Char Kway Teow (which cost RM80 before tax!) at the Chedi, Muscat.

Notice I didn’t list any Arabic food. That’s cos I didn’t have any! My mum brought me to all the nicest hotel and other prominent buildings. Which was great, but on my last night, I just had to have Arabic food so we stopped by to a shop on the way to the airport to have kebabs and shawarmas. 3 of us dined for RM40 and it was absolutely yummy!

There was so much I wanted to blog about while on holiday. But now that I’m back, I’m just too lazy to put everything down. A picture tells a thousand words right? So let the pics tell the story.

And u know how after a nice long holiday, u need another holiday to get over that one? Well that’s exactly what I’m doing! I’m leaving for Redang tomorrow on a dive trip along with Paul, Michelle Shell, Sin Cyn, Pete and other ppl.

Enjoy the pics! Will try n blog more and post pics after Redang.

View from the road leading to the Shangri-La Hotel in Muscat, Oman. It's the most beautiful hotel I've stayed in. It's in a valley of rocky mountains and the space for the hotel is almost carved out of the rocks. And the view is spectacular.

Pic with an Omani man with a traditional weapon. Taken at The Chedi.

The camels are so cute. But some of them bite and have to be muzzled. Poor camels.
The beach at the Rotal Beach Hotel in Fujairah. I sat in the sun for more than an hour and only got a slight tan. And u'd think u'll burn in the desert.

The famous Burj al-Arab Hotel at night. Went there for hi tea at RM250 per person. But all the sandwiches, scones and pastries u can eat and all the tea or coffee u can drink. That coupled with the view, was a good experience.

In the sand dunes. It wasn't too hot and there was a nice wind blowing. Just be careful not to get the sand in your eyes. There were no catuses around. Maybe that's just in the American deserts. That's where Snoopy's uncle lives.

Sunset in the dessert after san bashing and before belly dancing. It's not too hot but the sun sure is bright. Even my Oakleys can't keep me from squinting.

Me in an abayah. It only buttoned up to the waist. How liberal!

Friday the 13th

Friday the 13^th, usually associated with bad luck and horror stories.

But 13 is a fantastic number to me because I met the love of my life on 13^th January 2007. We’ve been together for 4 months and it’s been the best 4 months of my life.

By now I feel less of the spinning, dizzy, floaty feeling. I no longer feel like I’m floating in heaven. Because I’ve found a piece of heaven right here on earth.

Our love has grown so much in the last 4 months. I can’t wait for the next 4 years. And the 40 after that.

My darling, happy 4^th month anniversary.

Snatch Thefts

Yesterday, while lunching with Michelle Shell at Decanter 3 in Section 17, I witnessed yet another snatch theft. We were sitting among the 3 tables placed outside the restaurant. A yellow Hyundai Getz was parked 10 feet from us. A middle aged man was sitting at the back of a car when a bike stopped next to the car, the rider or pillion rider opened the front door, took a handbag belonging to his grand daughter who was in the shop and rode off. There was no drama or anything. It was over in 3 seconds and everyone hardly noticed that it even happened until the man came out of the car and told us. The thieves were so cool about it. They probably ride around and do this several times a day.

A few months ago, I was dining with Andrew at Ka Soh in Damansara Heights. I wanted to sit outside but he suggested we sit inside instead. Which was a very good idea. After ordering our food, we heard a piercing scream from the table outside the restaurant. A couple was sitting outside when I guy ran past and took her bag.

And the third incident happened to be about 10 years ago. I was walking out of my house in Taman Megah to catch a bus to college. A bike zoomed past behind me and made a grab at my bag. But he missed and rode off. I was shocked and I stood rooted to the ground. Then he stopped his bike about 50 metres from me and looked back. I thought if he were to turn around, I’m screwed. It’s too far to run back to my house and who would heard me if I screamed since the houses faced a very noisy highway. Should I try running anyway? Or should I wait for him to come and then push him off his bike? Or should I toss him the bag as he comes towards him? Thank god I didn’t have to make a decisions as he decided to ride off. And honestly, I was in such a state of shock that I can’t remember what I did after that – ran back home or continued walking to get a bus.

Things are getting worst. And the world we live in is more dangerous than ever. I’m not even talking about acts of terrorism but about over everyday lives. In the last 2 months, I heard of 2 incidences from friends where bikers threw stones at their car window or tried to smash the window with helmets with passengers in the car. Even if they don’t succeed in the theft or even hurt you, can you imagine the emotional trauma of being attacked like that.

We can no longer feel safe and when out of the house, I’m constantly looking over my shoulder and my heart beats faster every time I hear a bike near me. I remember a time when I was young, even at pre school age. I used to live in SS2 and could play in the play ground with my friends unsupervised and only return home after dark.

My kids will no longer have that kind of freedom. Even if they were to play in the park, they will have to be watched like a hawk as there are so many evil doers out there.

Which causes me to think. Is it even right to bring a child into such a harsh and cruel world where things get worst with each passing year. And if I choose to have the kid, would I be an over protective mother? I don’t ever want to be. But how can one help in with danger lurking in every corner?

An Eventful Weekend

It was an interesting weekend.

It started out with dinner at the Old Town Bak Kut Teh on Friday night after work. Paul, Michelle Shell, Sin Cyn and I. After which we went home. Paul and I played PS2 but Marsupial wanted to drink so we trooped down to Somo to meet Marsupial and Michelle Shell.

Somehow Marsupial got it into his head that the 3 of us were already drinking somewhere even though our SMSes all said we were chilling at home. Thus he was very disappointed when we met up and he was the only non sober one. He kept on saying ‘Come to my level’, a phrase we use on each other when one is not as high as the other.

So, being the good friends that we were, we drank with him. Out came the tequila shots, Guinness pints and sake in a wooden box.

I specifically wanted the sake in the wooden box but Amrit, the manager there said it was called a ‘katsu’ or something like that. So I said “Fine it’s called a katsu in Japanese. And when you translate it to English, it’s called ‘wooden box’, right?”. Hehehe. I won that argument.

Anyway, after those drinks and Marsupial saying he was bored, we were too sober and him wanting to move on to another party – Paul bought a bottle of Macallans. So there we were drinking it on the rocks. Somo started closing up so we checked in the bottle. There was about ¾ left. After a few minutes, we decided we wanted another drink. So out came the bottle for one more round and we checked it in again. After that round, we still wanted more so we brought the bottle out again (wonder if we annoyed the waiters) but Somo was almost closed. So Amrit and the waiters moved us over to the Coffee Bean which was long closed by then but the tables were left out at night. We must have been very high by then cos before I realized it, we had finished the bottle and the waiters were chilling out next to us. Then we knew it was time to go home.

That seems to be the pattern during my last few drinking sessions at Somo. It may not be a club but when I’m with my friends, we turn it into a club and we hardly know when it’s closing till the bottles run out and we turn around to order some more only to realize that the place has completely closed (as in lights off and chairs stacked up) and the waiters are standing around waiting for us to leave. Looks like we're doing what almost retired clubbing folks are doing - moving from clubbing to pubbing cos the older you get, the less tolerence you have for crowds and bad service.

On Saturday night, 3 cars convoyed to Coconut Flower in Telok Gong for seafood. We ordered the works- from crabs to crayfish to clams. And of course we have to have todhi. Whats seafood in Klang without todhi. We started mixing it with the standard Guinness stout. Then we tried it with white wine (I didn’t like it bit the boys did) and Coke (tastes like whiskey coke!). If the alcohol wasn’t entertainment enough, I brought out a lighter which was stuck in a plastic dog’s body. Marsupial and Wijay Penguin Friend took turns yanking it out. That provided hilarious entertainment for about 20 minutes.

Then we left Klang and poor Sharky blew her back right tyre! We didn’t have the right tools to change it so we called Wijay who turned around but by that time, the Kesas highway guys spotted us and helped changed it to the spare tire. A 2 inch nail was the culprit. Wijay named the nail Poky Poky. So strange for someone who wants to kidnap Popo the Penguin and Cedric the Frog from me and give them freedom cos he thinks it’s strange for someone to talk to animals. Poky Poky indeed!

After Easter Sunday service, Paul went to replace the blown tyre. The shop didn’t have any stock left of his existing tyres which were the Good Year F1s. So he changed them all to Michelin Somethings. The changing of tyres, balancing, alignment and testing took a few hours. Paul and I sat there and waited and while away time by just talking. I love it that we can just talk and talk and not have any need for any external form of entertainment. We just enjoy each other’s company so much and have so much to talk about. I do hope it will stay like this for always. It will make growing old together very sweet.

Baby Rabbits Are Not Called Bunnies?

I’m very upset! I asked Shan (for fun) what’s a baby rabbit called. He guessed ‘bunny’. Then he had to go research it and told me that it’s not. He even quoted that www.dictionary.com says that:

1.	Informal. a rabbit, esp. a small or young one.

2.	Slang: Sometimes Disparaging and Offensive. a pretty, appealing, or alluring young woman, often one ostensibly engaged in a sport or similar activity: beach bunny; ski bunny.

3.	Chiefly British. a squirrel.

4.	Australian and New Zealand Slang. a person imposed upon or made a fool of; victim.

–adjective

5. Designed for or used by beginners in skiing: a bunny slope.

I don’t care! Even if it’s informal, that’s what people call baby rabbits. So let’s call them bunnies till it becomes formal. Isn’t that how certain words end up in the dictionary?

Rabbit's Don't Drink Carrot Juice

I’m still obsessed with the Raving Rabbid’s game! They are so cute that I just want to squish and plunger and drown them in carrot juice.

I’ve fed Sin Cyn’s rabbits (we now know that a baby rabbit is called a bunny) carrots before and they enjoyed it.

She invited Paul and I over for dinner a few days ago. Paul asked if he can bring a plunger to plunger the rabbits. She said no. So we brought carrot juice instead!

She tried feeding them but they had a sniff, made a face and flounced away! Ungrateful rabbits!! And we went hunting for Pokka Pure Carrot Juice some more! Not those local or cheap carrot juices mixed with other fruit juices.

I’ve been asking people if rabbits drink carrot juice. Now I know they don’t. I’m still upset with them tho!

A Baby Rabbit is a Bunny

Sin Cyn and I just had a debate over what baby rabbits were called. Though we call rabbits bunnies (cos it sounds cuter), a baby rabbit is really called a bunny! I’ve cross checked this on several websites. At first my copy writer said that it’s called a babbit. But then he was joking and it really is a bunny! Hehe!

And a male rabbit is called a buck and a female rabbit is called a doe. And a group of rabbits can be called a nest, warren, drove, trace, down, husk, trip, leash, colony or bury.

A bury of rabbits and bunnies! So cute!

I Would Rather Sit On A Pumpkin

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.

- Henry David Thoreau

I came across this line while watching CSI last night. CSI has thought me a lot…… besides how to get away with murder.

And this line about the pumpkin really got me. I like quirky quotes. But I also thought that there was more to the quote.

So I searched the net on Henry David Thoreau. I found out he was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. He was born to John Thoreau and Cynthia Dunbar Thoreau. He contracted tuberculosis around 1835 and died in Concord, Massachusetts on May 6, 1862. He was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetary.

Henry David Thoreau was not highly appreciated during his lifetime, but he is now considered one of the foremost American writers of the 19th century. Works like "Walden" and "Civil Disobedience" are often studied in classrooms.

Other than his biography, I could not find out that much more about the pumpkin line or in which context it was quoted it. Anyone got a copy of Walden? I usually like buying my books but I doubt I’ll be reading this one from cover to cover. I just wanna know more about the pumpkin.

As for how I interpret that line and how it affects me in modern life (the line was quoted about 150 years ago), I literally would like to sit on a pumpkin, if only I could find one that big here in Malaysia. Even if we can find some during Halloween, they’re usually quite small, dented and deformed.

As for metaphorically, in recent times, I find that I would rather do something cosy and personal like having a nice dinner with my darling or a small group of friends over going to a club where I get pushed and shoved , have no space to dance and have to wait too long for drinks. And this is in the VIP area! I have no clue how I managed it before….. 4 times a week.

Thus in a nutshell, I’d rather sit on a pumpkin with Paul than to fight the crowds in a club.

Why Do Trolls Live Under Bridges?

Why do trolls live under bridges?

Because they are ugly and dirty and no one wants to be friends with them. They do need water and shelter from the weather thought. And they are too cumbersome to climb trees to build a tree house. Thus, under a bridge makes a suitable place for his home.

Why is Bluetooth called Bluetooth?

The Viking King Harald Bluetooth united Norway and Denmark. He was renowned as a great communicator, skilled at bringing people together to talk to each other – but he would never have guessed that a thousand years later a powerful technology would be named after him!

I ask random questions. Whatever that pops into my head at any point in time. I’ll think about it for a while and if I don’t know the answer or want a second opinion, I’ll ask the person nearest to me.

The 2 questions above are examples of my questions. They can sometimes be factual or have real answers. And sometimes there can be no real concrete answer but I’d appreciate the person attempting it anyway.

Both those answers were provided by Paul. He’s a fountain of information and when the fountain runs dry, he pulls rabbits out of hats to constantly keep me entertained.

He really gets me.