Pieces of Me

Aidiladha 2011

2011-11-06T16:51:00.001+08:00

Salam Aidiladha. Spent the afternoon at Uncle Ghani’s (friend of my Aunt Pat and Uncle Das). He cooked the delicious meal you see in the picture above. Had a can of Waitrose fiery ginger beer and banana walnut cupcakes after. We probably finished eating at around 2:30PM but I’m still feeling stuffed. Have a good Eid. And for those of you who aren’t celebrating, have a great Sunday.

+Wondermilk cupcakes and coffee

2011-11-05T19:53:00.000+08:00

Had a lovely afternoon with Fahmi at +Wondermilk @ publika. Had a couple of cupcakes, one red velvet and one tiramisu, and shared an iced coffee.
Sent from my Sony Ericsson mobile phone

Polyvore Set #1: Navy Love

2010-03-29T00:16:00.001+08:00

Navy <3 by msfaaria featuring Giuseppe Zanotti shoes

I’ve just discovered the magic of polyvore. This is my first set. Had tons of fun making this. So many pretty items to choose from. It’s almost better than window shopping at the mall. Almost… because at the mall you can actually try on the clothes. Haha. Anyway, this is a nice creative outlet for me when the technicality of my school work starts to drive me crazy.

So what do you guys think of my first attempt? I know that I can improve by adding backgrounds and models… but for now I'd like to keep things simple. Please leave a comment. I’d love to hear what you have to say.

More polyvore sets to come in the future. I’m sure of it!

New theme for a fresh start!

2010-03-24T16:09:00.001+08:00

I decided to change the theme for my blog to get myself excited about blogging again. I’ll try to update more often. I’ve been woefully neglecting my blog for months. Not anymore!

What do you think of the new theme? I’d love to read your comments. :)

Time flies…

2010-03-10T00:57:00.001+08:00

Life’s been zipping by at such a frantic pace, I haven’t had time to spare on my poor blog. I’ve considered shutting it down.. but Fahmi insists that I should just let it be coz of “sentimental value”. I really wanna continue, but I don’t know what to write about anymore. Life as a grad student really isn’t that interesting. Heh. The obvious solution would be to write about something other than my life. But what? Hmm…

Sweets from my sweet

2010-02-14T21:43:00.002+08:00

Look at what Fahmi got me for V-day. Isn't he a sweetie? ^_^

Oh yeah… I have a blog.

2010-02-03T15:57:00.001+08:00

Why haven’t I updated my blog since last September? I don’t know either. There’s simply no good reason for it. It’s not like I haven’t had anything to write about. Since my last post, I’ve been to Perth, Australia (where I celebrated Eid) and gained 5kg! I’ve also been helping Mum out at the restaurant during the semester break (which is now over).

I’m now back in UTP. No classes this semester, just a design project which I haven’t a clue where to start. Haven’t been making much progress ‘cause for the past week the internet connection in my room has been pretty much non-existent. I’ve been forced to hunt for wi-fi hotspots in Tronoh all the way up to Ipoh. The problem has since been resolved (without any help from the IT dept.).

Last weekend Fahmi and I went to Penang with a few of his friends. We went to Gurney Dr. and Queensbay. Didn’t take too many photos, which was a shame. I really should have a camera (like the Sony TX-1, hint hint…)

Chinese New Year is coming up… and it coincides with Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be the anniversary of my first date with Fahmi. I am expecting something special, so you better start planning, dear. ^_^

Sungkei

2009-09-03T17:00:00.000+08:00

I always enjoy Ramadan because every dish tastes so much better after a whole day of fasting. This year, my routine is to go to the bazaar with Fahmi (and friends) and “sungkei” at one of the various cafeterias in UTP. The bazaar here is not as good as the one in UTM, but like I said, everything tastes better after some deprivation. So at the end of the day, I’m just grateful to have something to eat.

Last night, my friends and I tried the Ramadan Buffet at Syuen Hotel, Ipoh. It cost us RM20 per head, which is cheap for a hotel buffet. I liked the mutton curry and the grilled dory, but other than that the food wasn’t all that great. But I still had a great time. We took lots of pictures, most of which have been uploaded to Facebook by Bastian (the budding photographer) and my roommate, Siti Nor.

Today, my friends are planning to try out the Simpang Tiga restaurant in Ipoh, which has only been opened about a month and was officiated by the Sultan of Perak himself! The place is huge – apparently it can accommodate up to 300 people at any given time. Its specialty is said to be authentic nasi padang from Medan, Indonesia. Sounds good, doesn’t it? I haven’t made up my mind about joining them this evening, but I really want to. If I do end up going, you’ll probably read about it here. =)

*Sungkei = breaking fast

Mediocre start for my Fantasy Football team

2009-08-17T17:07:00.000+08:00

I’m still new to the world of Fantasy Football so I obviously have lots to learn. I have two fantasy teams this season – one in Facebook and the other in Stadium Astro. My Stadium Astro team, Vittoria, didn’t do so well in gameweek1 and I doubt they’ll do well in gameweek2 either coz not all of my players will be playing (I didn’t have the foresight to check which teams are playing twice this week – I’m such a noob!). The points for the Facebook league have not been posted yet. I have no idea what is causing the delay but I’m impatient to see where I rank among my friends.

Anyway, this week I learnt that:

I must always check the fixtures for the next gameweek (especially when the number of transfers is limited)
I should always go with my initial gut instinct and not second guess my decisions too much – turns out a number of my first drafts did better than my subsequent drafts. e.g. Fabregas scored a whopping 19 points. BIG mistake swapping him for Arshavin!

There’s still a long way to go and I’ll try to improve my managing skills along the way. This is my first time after all.

P/s – My real football team, Arsenal, had a great start! Check out the scoreboard in the sidebar. Go Gunners! =D

Back in school

2009-08-09T21:06:00.000+08:00

Arrived safely in UTP with Fahmi at around 4:30PM. Had to undergo a health screening test as soon as we arrived. Security took our temperatures (I was a healty 36.7 C) and gave as a health screening card which we’re supposed to have with us at all times (kinda like a 2nd student ID).

The trip back to UTP was quick and uneventful. At least it felt quick coz I was reading my new book most of the time. Twenties Girl is a really, really good book. I’m sure you’ll love it, Mum. The book is just one of the many freebies I brought back from KL. Aunty Pat gave me cakes and maruku to snack on in my dorm. Also got a free KL Bird Park bag and a RedTone spiral notebook. They were extras from a charity event held at the Bird Park yesterday.

This trip to KL was quite fun, even though I stayed home a lot. Fahmi and I discovered a few new ‘hot spots’ to hang out at besides the usual places like KLCC, Pavilion and 1Utama. We’re broadening our horizons! There’s still so much for us to explore together… and we have all the time in the world, don’t we, dear?

My senses have been “Pierced”

2009-08-05T21:18:00.000+08:00

Friends, allow me to introduce the latest band to dominate my iTunes playlist with their mind-blowing music… The Pierces!

Dynamic Duo: Catherine (left) and Allison Pierce

I think its cool that they’re sisters. Wish I could form a band with my sister. But that’ll never happen…

The album: Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge
Two of their songs were featured in Gossip Girl: Secret & Three Wishes

I don’t have all of their songs…yet. But I’m liking what I’ve heard so far. My favourite tracks (so far) are: Secret, Boring, Turn on Billie, Three Wishes and Lies. Go ahead and give these girls a listen. You won’t be disappointed. Sure, they’re not exactly mainstream… but I think their music will appeal to a broad audience.

Visit their myspace profile: http://www.myspace.com/thepierces

What I did yesterday

2009-08-03T19:34:00.000+08:00

Checked out the Pikom PC Fair at the KL Convention Centre with Fahmi and his brother, Firdaus. Fell in love with the Credo mobile note maker. Write/draw on regular paper, with regular ink fill and have them converted to digital text/jpeg files. Really handy for people who really hate typing or are just really bad at it. LOL. Cool, right? But it’s rather expensive (about RM399 I think). If it weren’t, I’d own one right now. Also liked some of the laptop bags on sale – the designs were cool. Took a lot of will power for me not to buy one. Had to keep on telling myself that I didn’t need a new bag. I did make ONE purchase at the PC Fair, though – a hand sanitizer for RM5. It smells nice. =)

After that, Fahmi and I had lunch at Burger King @ KLCC. I couldn’t resist! Had a BBQ Cheese Burger with onion rings and Sprite. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water. Think I’ll check out what’s for dinner after I’m done with this post. =p

After lunch, we browsed through Kinokuniya. I was looking for the Twenties Girl book to see whether there were any special offers/discounts for it. There was – 20% off with a purchase of any item at full price. But I didn’t get it then because there’s an even better deal online @ the MPH webstore – 30% off, no other purchase necessary. Besides, I still can’t afford it after the discount. I’ll have to wait patiently for the paperback version to come out, or for my Mum/Dad to give me money to buy it.

Then we sent Firdaus home and then headed to Sunway Pyramid, which neither of us had been to in a long time. It looked the same on the outside, but inside… Well, totally different from what I remember! It was a nice surprise to see lots of new shops – including my favourites, Esprit & Forever 21 – and a chic new interior. Even better were the Sales! Again, it took a lot of will power to refrain from shopping. What I did was do some imaginary shopping. Yup, basically pretended that I had actually bought everything that I liked. It worked, too. I didn’t buy anything – not even the totally gorgeous scarves at Forever 21 (RM49 each), or the cute white Birkenstock-like sandals (RM69.90). By pretending that I had bought them, I actually enjoyed not buying stuff. Like Fahmi said, “Best window shopping experience ever!”

While we were at the Pyramid, we stopped by the Maxis Centre. That was when I had my pre-paid line converted to a post-paid supplementary line to Fahmi’s main line. That cost me RM30, but it was worth it because of the FREE calls and SMS.

And that’s what I did yesterday. THE END.

Free video calls are awesome! =D

2009-08-03T19:18:00.001+08:00

This snapshot was taken during my video call with Fahmi this afternoon. I get to call (yes, this includes video calls) and text him for FREE now (Yay!), since we registered my number as a supplementary line under his postpaid account. So, my line is now also a postpaid line, with much better rates than pre-paid lines. However, I'll have to be mindful of my phone usage now because I don't want to end up using more than I can afford to pay. =/

UTP: Closed

2009-07-31T23:13:00.000+08:00

After much speculation, it’s finally been confirmed. UTP will be closed until August 6th, 3:00pm. We’ve been given until noon tomorrow to evacuate. Took the authorities long enough to give the order – more than a hundred students had been quarantined by the time the announcement was made!

So, first thing tomorrow morning, Fahmi and I are going back to KL. I’ve already packed my clothes. My laptop and toiletries will have to wait til tomorrow morning. Even though I hadn’t planned on going to KL this weekend, its actually a good time to be in KL coz there’s a lot happening there this weekend. For instance, the Pikom PC Fair is on and there’s the Flat Land Marcado “Treat Your Needs” flea market. And to top it off, Lenka is doing a showcase @ OU on Sunday (I think). I can’t say that I’ll be at all of these events. But the PC Fair is a must! Even just a teenie weenie little peek will do…

Dinner by the lake

2009-07-30T22:07:00.001+08:00

Just had dinner by the lake. This time I helped a little with the cooking. Yan & I made omellettes. Naf, Has & Siti Nor cooked the rest. In the photo is the view of the UTP mosque at night. Lovely, isn't it?

Die, Pimples, Die!

2009-07-26T23:40:00.000+08:00

One of the things which I wish would disappear forever… Pimples! I’ve been at war with acne since my teens. I thought that as I got older, my skin would magically clear up. Boy, was I wrong! I’m glad to announce that I have discovered a list of not-so-secret recipes to get rid of pimples using ingredients you can find at home (or at your local drugstore). Check it out!

WEAPONS OF PIMPLE DESTRUCTION:

1. Mix one-half cup of warm water with one-half teaspoon of salt. Apply to blemish with a cotton ball. Maintain pressure for a couple of minutes. Dab honey on the blemish and allow to dry. Rinse off.

2. For back breakouts, wet a washcloth with benzoyl peroxide and wash your back. Smooth on an anti-fungal cream.

3. If you've broken out in an acne rash and are running out the door, calm the redness down with a dab of aloe vera gel. Other ways to reduce redness include: using an eye redness reliever, hydrocortisone, hemorrhoid cream or calamine lotion.

4. Mix one tablespoon of lemon juice and one tablespoon of cornstarch. Pat the paste on the blemish and let dry.

5. If the bump seems really red or swollen, apply an ice cube to reduce signs of inflammation.

Lunch by the lake

2009-07-26T16:28:00.001+08:00

Had lunch wif my friends by the lake. The food was prepared by Naf, Shu and Yan. Unfortunately I wasnt much help as I have zero cooking skills. Naf cooked 'ayam asam pedas' which was delicious. We had a nice view of the beautiful UTP mosque too (in photo).

Sweets with my sweet

2009-07-25T17:21:00.001+08:00

Had doughnuts @ Big Apple, Kinta City. I had a 'chococino', Fahmi had a 'chocoholic'.

ManUtd fan… but only for a day! LOL

2009-07-16T21:08:00.000+08:00

Won these from a contest by AirAsia.com on twitter. All I had to do was send a recruit message like this: @Somebody Let me win tix to see Man Utd in M’sia with @AirAsiaDotCom. Be a follower and win. to as many people as I can. I thought I’d give it a try – my boyfriend is a die-hard fan! So I spammed a whole lot of people to win these for him. Unfortch, he’s still away @ some summer camp, so he can’t attend the training session and the dinner. I’ll go in his place. My friend Mayon got a training pass too, so I won’t be alone. Yay! I hope I’m allowed to bring someone with me to the dinner, too. It’s no fun when there’s no one to share the experience with.

Brooke Shields at MJ’s memorial

2009-07-08T12:21:00.000+08:00

My favourite speech from MJ’s memorial -- given by Brooke Shields. Very touching but also funny at times. Just thought I’d share with those of you who may have missed it. It was past 1 a.m. here in Malaysia after all.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My new ‘do

2009-07-04T16:08:00.001+08:00

Just wanted to show you my new hair. I decided to CURL it instead of CUT it. My hairdresser, Ben Lim (Rigi Hair Salon), did a good job of making the curls look natural. He assured me that this style is low maintenance and I don’t have to blow-dry it for it to look good. He knows I won’t bother… LOL.

The wedding plan!

2009-06-24T16:43:00.000+08:00

Tagged by a friend on facebook… Just bear with me. Hehe…

1. How old are you? 24 years old

2. Are you single? NO

3. At what age do you think you’ll get married? 24 (Rahil’s answer) 28 (My answer)

4. Do you think you’ll marrying the person you are with now? YES!!!!!!!!!

5. If not, who do you want to marry? Rafael Nadal ^_^

6. Who will be your bridesmaid & bestman? Rahil and Azizul…??

7. Do you want a garden/beach or traditional wedding? Garden/beach

8. Where do you plan to go on honeymoon? Europe (maybe Mallorca, Spain…? hehe…)

9. How many guests do you think you’ll invite? Ermm… 20 of my closest friends…. plus my family… who knows?

10.Will that include your exes? Maybe… but probably YES. We’re all cool, rite?

11.How many layers of cake do you want? 3 is a good number

12.When do you want to get married, morning or evening? Morning

13Name the song/tune you’d like to play at your wedding. “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. =p

14.Do you prefer fine dining or just normal spoon & fork/knife? How ‘bout a barbeque with lots of finger food… hehe

15.Champagne or red wine? Ginger beer and air sirap. LOL

16.Honeymoon right after the wedding or days after the wedding? Right after

17.Money or household items? Both

18.How many kids would you like to have? At least 3

19.Will you record your honeymoon in DVD/CD? Yup! Except for… you-know-what… hehehe…

20. Whose wedding plan would you like to know next? Rahil’s & Arina’s

‘Aino’ what I want for …(insert occasion here)…

2009-06-24T01:32:00.000+08:00

I’m just dying to get one of these…

Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Sony Ericsson Aino – the new apple of my eye. It’s expected to be released ‘within 6 months’ according to the SonyE website. So, someone might consider getting it as a Christmas present for me… even though I don’t celebrate Christmas. LOL. Or make it my next birthday present. That would be a dream come true~!

Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the features that make this beauty so irresistible to me. In addition to its stunning good looks and all the standard features available in all the latest SonyE phones, this baby comes with…

A complete style package – matching bluetooth headset and desk stand charger.
A 3” screen with Touch UI (a.k.a. touchscreen).
The ability to transfer media files wirelessly and automatically via MediaGo and WiFi.
Remote Play, which allows you to control your Playstation 3 (if you have one) with your phone. How cool is that? It’s simple, too. Just connect to the internet (either via 3G or WiFi) and then you can enjoy all the media stored in your PS3 from your phone… wherever in the world you may find yourself at any given time.
aGPS – I’m really bad at finding my away around, so this is a HUGE plus for me! LOL
An 8.1MP camera, which you can control by touching the screen.
Motion gaming… although I’m not sure whether the phone will be pre-loaded with any games with this feature. Anyway, it’s good to know that this phone can support that.
Sony audio technology – which I'm sure most of you would agree is the best in the mobile phone category. And combined with a premium headset = outstanding sound quality! Also has shake control… which I think is cool, even though I don’t think I’ll use it a lot.
DLNA sharing – connect to other devices wirelessly, via WiFi.

Are you in love yet?! Hehe… Unfortunately, I expect that this nifty gadget will come at a super-duper premium price… which I probably won’t be able to afford. But a girl can dream, right? Perhaps my fairy-god-mother will grant me this wish. I’d like the BLACK one, please. Thanks!

Mukah = seafood

2009-06-19T23:40:00.000+08:00

I’m in Mukah, visiting my mum. Arrived on Wednesday morning. The first two days here were scorching hot! Thankfully, it rained a little yesterday and tonight. There really isn’t much to do here…so what have I been up to? Well, my mum runs Riverside Seafood restaurant here (I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it). I’ve been helping her out for the past three nights (including tonight) – manning the cashier and occasionally taking orders and sending them out. It gets boring, so I bring my laptop with me sometimes. I’ve also been helping my mum out with her new facebook account. She’s really into facebook now. LOL. She even created a page for her restaurant. Check it out here.

Happy? birthday!

2009-06-01T15:26:00.001+08:00

Not so happy birthday for me this year. I’m pretty sure this is the only time I’m away from my family on my birthday. My past birthdays have always been during school/semester breaks. This year… I have my final exams on my birthday week! So celebrations will have to wait. To make things worse, I am not feeling a 100% well right now. But its nothing any of you should worry about. I’m OK.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for the lovely birthday wishes! They really made my day. ^_^

Webcam Mania!

2009-05-08T14:49:00.000+08:00

Just fixed my webcam problems last night (my computer had problems detecting it). Turns out all I had to do was update my Windows Vista to Service Pack 1. LOL. Anyway, since it’s been fixed, I’ve been playing around with it like crazy…and I seem to want to have video calls with everyone! Here are some of the photos I took this afternoon, after lunch:

I just love the warping effects… so fun to play around with! hehehe…

Gold Rush

2009-04-29T19:19:00.000+08:00

The prize-giving ceremony for the UTP Sports Carnival was held this evening...look what I got! haha... OK, not just me, but the entire ChemE tennis team. Our department won gold in 4 events altogether but unfortunately that wasn't enough to be overall champs (that honor went to the MechE department). I'm pretty sure we came in second though. Anyway, I'm proud to have contributed to one of the 4 golds! We'll definitely do better next time, won't we, guys? Yeah!

The ChemE tennis team with our medals and trophy.
From left: Amir, Fahmi, Me, Halisa, Tiara and Lukman.

Quickie

2009-04-28T18:00:00.001+08:00

Just a short note before I go off to play tennis. Haven't been blogging in a while and suddenly felt like posting something here, even though I don't really have much to say. Heh...

Firstly, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a very special friend of mine (you know who you are). I haven't seen him in AGES but I heard he's doing fine where he is. ^_^

Also... here are a couple of things I'm looking forward to this week:

ARSENAL vs MAN UTD in the Champions League semis. Bring it on! My boys will give it their best and hopefully we'll come out on top.
Spending the weekend in KL (maybe). Hope to meet Tim and Alin and anyone else who's available.

That's all for now. More updates when I'm free. Have been swamped with assignments and projects. Not to mention, finals coming up soon! Ciao~!

Mark Your Calenders!

2009-04-07T16:22:00.000+08:00

Come on, guys and gals! It's by far the most exciting event held in my beloved Kuching. Ticket prices have gone up again (this year its RM90 for a day pass, RM250 for a 3-day pass)...but trust me, it's worth it. It really is a unique cultural experience not to be missed. I've been a few times myself.. and it gets better and better every year!

So...what's all the fuss? Well, the event brings together renowned world musicians from all continents and indigenous musicians from the interiors of Borneo. There are afternoon workshops, ethno-musical lectures, jamming sessions and mini-concerts, followed by evening performances on the main stage (this is the best part!). For all you arts and crafts junkies, the Rainforest World Crafts Bazaar will be held alongside the Rainforest World Music Festival.

So basically if you love music (who doesn't?!) and dancing and having a blast with your friends... you'll love it! Good times guaranteed... so what are you waiting for? Book your flights + hotel + tickets NOW! ^_^

Check out the official website for more info.

Perfume and Clay

2009-04-07T14:00:00.000+08:00

Rafa is the face of the new Lanvin L'homme Sport perfume! I wonder if it smells like Rafa... LOL. Must look out for this perfume at the stores. Who knows? I might make my boyfriend wear it. Haha! Just kidding, dear... you smell nice just the way you are. =p

Speaking of Rafa... the clay court season officially begins next Monday (Apr 13th) @ the Monte Carlo Masters Series. Yay!!! My favourite time of year for tennis because... well, you know. Vamos Rafa! Show the world why they call you the King of Clay. I may not be able to watch you play, but my best wishes are always with you! =)

Rafa, Rafa... how lovely you are

2009-04-02T15:15:00.000+08:00

Found the following article in the archives of the Times Online website: The Big Interview: Rafael Nadal - Times Online

It was written way back in 2006, when Nadal was only 19 years old. Read it to see why Rafa will always be my favourite tennis player. Some things may have changed since the time the article was written -- Rafa's now #1 in the world and is getting more and more endorsements -- but the most important thing remains the same. He's just as humble and just as sweet as he was back then.

Getting to know me

2009-03-20T22:53:00.000+08:00

Quiz time! Heheh... this time its one called "Get to know yourself better". Its quite interesting really. You can check it out here. And now, the results...

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties. <-- Wah, hebat! Hehe...

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true. <-- Anything and everything, huh? Maybe...

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you meet that person. <-- Yup! There's gotta be chemistry right from the beginning. If not... BYE BYE!

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love. <-- Now, who could that be? Heheh.. you know who you are!

Your views on education

You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job. <-- Got the 'not like to study' part right!

The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life. <-- Boringnye... huhu...

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous. <-- OMG! This one is so true!

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear. <-- Hmmm... not sure bout this one.

Who is your true self:

You are full of energy and confidence. You are unpredictable, with moods changing as quickly as an ocean. You might occasionally be calm and still, but never for long. <-- Unpredictable, yea... Confident? Only sometimes.

UTP Tennis Open

2009-03-15T14:24:00.000+08:00

My first venture into the wonderful world of competitive tennis. I reckon I did okay, considering my lack of experience and edgy nerves! Made it to the quarter finals.. hehe.. Well, there were only 11 ladies in the draw, so all I had to do was win one match to make it that far. Opening match..played against an army woman! Was intimidated at first, but it turned out that my fears were unfounded. She'd only begun to learn the game so I defeated her easily (8-1). Next match (QF!) was tougher...played against a nice young lady from UiTM Shah Alam. I lost to her 4-8 in the end.. but I reckon I could've done much better - maybe even won - if I'd been more focused. The heat was really getting to me and all I could think of was getting out of the sun! Overall, a good effort, if I do say so myself. Hehe... I'm not exactly disappointed that I lost. It's all part of the learning curve. If you never lose, you never learn! Today, I learnt that focus is important and that I shouldn't be too intimidated by my opponents - we're all only human. I'm not sure if I'll ever compete again, but I'll keep on practicing to improve my game. ^_^

Where is my Michael Moscovitz?

2009-02-24T16:58:00.000+08:00

Michael Moscovitz is the ultimate dream-boy fictional character! Romeo, Mr. Darcy and Edward Cullen have got NOTHING on him! It's hard to describe what it is exactly that makes him so special. I'm sure other Princess Diaries readers will know what I'm talking about. I'm SO GLAD he and Mia got back together in the end. They're so perfect for each other (despite or perhaps even because of being total genetic opposites). I know that it's totally RIDICULOUSLY GIRLY AND SILLY of me to hope for my very own Michael Moscovitz. But I just CAN'T HELP IT! How can I NOT wish and hope with all my heart to fall passionately in love (and be loved back!) by a TALL, DARK AND HANDSOME MUSICAL AND SCIENTIFIC GENIUS (who can be so sweet at times, even though he's not very romantic). Of course, that will probably NEVER happen in the REAL WORLD. So, I'll settle for just someone who will love me back as passionately as I love him (who needs a gorgeous musical and scientific genius, anyway?). Of course, I'd actually have to fall passionately in love with someone in the first place... which I'm pretty sure hasn't happened yet. Or has it, only I haven't noticed? Hmmm...

*Photo: Michael Moscovitz (played by Robert Schwartzman) in the Princess Diaries movie.

I am awesome! =p

2009-02-23T16:06:00.000+08:00

Just another personality test (I LOVE PERSONALITY TESTS!!!). This time from match.com <-- I actually signed up just for the test. LOL. Couldn't care less about the Daily5 matches (everyday the site will deliver 5 matches chosen specifically for me -- LAME!). I'd rather find my perfect match the old fashion way, thank you very much! Now that I have the results of my personality test, I'm deleting my account. ^_^

You are a NEGOTIATOR / explorer

You are a big thinker. You easily take the large, long view of almost any topic. You are comfortable juggling myriad facts. You tend to synthesize material easily and to think in webs of factors, not straight lines. You are imaginative and enjoy theorizing.

You are also socially savvy. You are good at both talking and listening. And you generally read people's faces, body postures and tone of voice accurately, so you tend to intuitively understand what people want and need.

You are also highly compassionate. You care deeply about others. So you sometimes make personal sacrifices to be a supportive friend or colleague. And you like to work to improve the world.

You enjoy new ideas and novel experiences. You are flexible, affable and open to adventure. And you admire impulsive, spontaneous people, despite your tendency to plan ahead.

You dislike conflict. You seek "win-win" solutions. And with your skill as a negotiator, you adeptly bring peace to the chaotic world around you. You are a warm, insightful and often exciting companion.

Your Major and Minor Personality Types

Your major personality type = Negotiator

Your minor personality type = Explorer

So... that's me in a nutshell. Pretty accurate, I think. But looking at the pie-chart, it seems that I'm a little bit of everything. Here's a break down of each personality type.

How your personality breaks out

Characteristics of all four personality types can be found within each of us, but there is almost always one personality type that is dominant. We call this the major personality type.

The Personality Profile also identifies your minor or secondary personality type. You exhibit some aspects of this personality type, though not to the same degree as with your major type.

Builder, 25%: Usually very popular. Deep attachment to home and family. Calm demeanour and low anxiety. Often consistent, loyal and protective.

Explorer, 26%: Known for high energy, high creativity and spontaneity. Seeks novelty, risk and pleasure. Intellectually curious and not easily swayed by opinion.

Negotiator, 29%: Excels at seeing the big picture, long-term planning and consensus building. An intuitive thinker who is flexible, verbal and socially skilled. Imaginative, empathetic and nurturing.

Director, 19%: Daring, original, direct and inventive. A non-conformist. Skilled at abstract thinking and short-term planning. Often assertive and quite competitive. Tough-minded and efficient.

Notice that the difference between the Builder and Explorer types is only 1%. I do agree that I'm more of an explorer than a builder, though -- coz builders have calm demeanours and low anxiety (which is clearly not the case with me!). However, like a builder, I'm deeply attached to my home and family. I also agree that I'm not much of a Director -- I'm definitely not assertive and competitive. Not very tough-minded either. LOL.

Papercut

2009-02-20T22:45:00.000+08:00

I HATE PAPERCUTS!!! Got one this morning, just as I was leaving for class. It still stings. I don't know what else to say. The day was not bad, but it was not good either. The weather this evening was playing havoc on my emotions -- pouring raindrops on my head the moment I pulled my tennis racket out of its cover and then taunting me with bright sunshine after I'd called it a day and took a shower. Ended up watching "TheRocker", which was surprisingly good. Teddy Geiger is CUTE, in a dark and broody kind of way. I definitely have a thing for dark-haired pretty boys. Blondes = errrrr... NO THANKS! Big eyebrows are adorable too -- the bigger the better! Hehe... Oh my, I'm getting way out of topic. But who cares, right? Not me. It's MY BLOG and I'll babble as much nonsense as I like....hmmph!

I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HATE PAPERCUTS!

Randomness

2009-02-17T23:47:00.000+08:00

Borrowed a couple of books from the IRC (that's the library) the other day. Haven't gotten around to actually reading them, but it's early days still. We'll see how useful they are. Had to check the books out manually coz the barcode on my matric card is faulty. =(

Engineering Optimization (Ravindran et. al.) AND Building and Solving Mathematical Programming Models in Engineering and Science (Castillo et. al.)

Long lunch break today. Checked out the Art Syndrome booth at the CRAFT carnival (I think that's what it's called) @ Pocket D. That's where my friend, Ajim, is helping his buddy sell T-shirts and some other stuff. Anyway, he charmed me into buying a T-shirt form him. Nah! I really liked it and just had to have it. I actually wore it to dinner just now. Hehe...

Classes finished early today. Stopped by the Shutterbug photography exhibition on the way back to my room. Bumped into Ezrann there (no surprise!) -- he was taking a photo of me when I spotted him... the rascal! Please note: I do not like having my photo taken when I'm not aware of it. Huhu... Anyway, he made it up to me by posing for me in front of his photos.

Hahaha... I told him I'd put this in my blog!
Note that most of his photos are of cars (expensive ones too).

The end of a long holiday...

2009-02-16T23:41:00.000+08:00

Finally! After almost NINE MONTHS of idleness, I'll be doing something productive with my time. First day of class tomorrow... hehehe.. you all know how excited/terrified I am! I hope classes won't drag on all day, though. I'd still like to have some time to play tennis in the evenings. I don't fancy playing night tennis because I really, really don't like taking cold showers late at night. That's all I wanted to share for now. It's late. Time for bed! Goodnight...

Just a short note b4 bed

2009-02-16T01:38:00.001+08:00

Got back from Cameron Highlands at around 12:30 a.m. Am exhausted! Currently downloading my new schedule... apparently there are more changes. Internet here is soooooo slow... really annoying! Anyway, thought I'd write a short note while waiting for the document to finish downloading. I had a great weekend, which I'll talk about more when I'm not half asleep. Guess that's all for now. Ciao!

Nervous but excited

2009-02-13T13:42:00.000+08:00

School starts next week! I'm looking forward to finally continuing my never-ending quest for knowledge. Attended a short briefing with Dr. Murni this morning and received my full-time programme package.

This package includes:

The programme schedule. <-- there have been some minor changes.
The syllabus for each module.
CDs containing distance learning module software (one CD per module).
One CD containing the pdf versions of the learning modules.
One CD containing the Process Integration Software Package.
Hard copies of the lecture materials for the management modules (Strategic Management & Operations Management).

All distance learning module software and the Process Integration Software Package courtesy of the University of Manchester, UK. So, basically, I'm getting a UK education right here in Tronoh, Perak. LOL.

Met my classmates today, too. They're all working professionals and are way more mature than me. Kinda feel out of place, to be honest. There are only three of us doing the programme full-time, so classes are gonna feel more like private lessons rather than lectures. Which is a good thing, I guess. Anyway, my first module will be Optimization and classes start on Tuesday, February 17th @ 9 a.m. That leaves me with three more days of total freedom. Now that I have my course material, I'll probably study a bit before my first class. I don't wanna look like a dunce on my first day!

WISH ME LUCK!!!

Video Girl

2009-02-07T21:25:00.000+08:00

1. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.

3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

4. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from. << For Facebook!

Okay, here goes!!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
Hana's Eyes - Maksim

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Takin' Over the World - Pussycat Dolls (Hmm...)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Fifteen - Taylor Swift (I feel like this everyday...LOL)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Circle of Fear - HIM (I wouldn't be where I am now if this were true... heh)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Mestikah Ada Yang Lain - Faizal Tahir (No way!)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
The Unforgiven - Metallica (I certainly hope not...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Haunted - Evanescence (OMG! Of course not...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Izzo/In The End - Jay-Z/Linkin Park

WHAT IS 2+2?
Womanizer - Britney Spears (LOL)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Tears Don't Fall - Bullet for my Valentine (I hate seeing my best friend cry...)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Cinta Ini Membunuhku - D'Masiv (Hmmm... my love life I guess...)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Love Comes - The Posies (Yes, yes... I want love to come to me)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
From the Inside - Linkin Park (Obviously NOT! I don't have any trust issues...)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU
What I've Done - Linkin Park (Another LP song? Hehe...)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
All You Want - Dido (In the lyrics, the man cheats on the woman...not appropriate at all... huhu)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Pain - Three Days Grace (Giler rock my funeral! Haha...)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Shattered Glass - Britney Spears

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Time After Time - Ashley Tisdale (If you're lost, you can look and you will find me... time after time...)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Magic - Pussycat Dolls (How can this be bad???)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Slide - Dido

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Polly - Nirvana

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Shelf - Jonas Brothers

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Dance of the Baroness - Maksim (The beauty of his piano playing skills could make me cry, I guess...)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
A Place for My Head - Linkin Park (Sounds like I'm better off alone... huhu)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Jigga What/Faint - Big Jaz/Jay-Z/Linkin Park

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Out the Back - Fort Minor feat. Mr. Hahn (Would that be a NO?!)

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Wherever I May Roam - Metallica

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
We Use the Pain - Linkin Park

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Video Girl - Jonas Brothers ^_^

Rafa wins his first Australian Open!

2009-02-02T11:23:00.001+08:00

1st of February

Rafa Nadal became the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open title after another epic five-set battle with Roger Federer that lasted 4 hours and 23 minutes and that finished with a 7-5 3-6 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-2 score-line.

After this win, Rafa has now won titles on all three surfaces following his repeated success at the French Open and his triumph against Federer in their thrilling encounter at Wimbledon last year. In winning in Melbourne, Rafa also became the first man to enjoy success on clay, grass and hardcourt since Andre Agassi.

It is amazing to even begin to fathom how a human being can go 5 hours and 14 minutes of high-octane tennis, to the point of tears, only to then turn around and do it again in less than 48 hours later, with a 4 hour and 23 minute match.

It is truly unbelievable how much heart and determination Rafael Nadal has, as he once again ripped Roger Federer’s heart right out of his chest, stopping him from tying tennis’ all-time mark of 14 major championships.

In a ceremony that will not soon be forgotten by tennis fans all over the world, Rafa humbly apologized to Federer, as the Swiss champion couldn’t hold back a sea of tears. “I understand exactly how you feel,” Nadal told Federer. “You are a great champion and one of the best... you will improve the 14 (majors) of Pete Sampras.” The compassion and class Rafa displayed towards his rival, is a true testament of two great rivals and champions, respecting, admiring, and looking up to one another.

Rafa showed the occasional sign of fatigue from that five-setter, having his right thigh massaged after the seventh and ninth games of the third set. But with the adrenaline pumping and Federer tightening up in the fifth-set decider, Rafa dug deep to record his famous win. Both players fought tooth and nail from the first ball, forcing each other to find that extra shot time and time again.

THE MATCH

The match started with both exchanging early breaks of service until Rafa pulled ahead with a further break to claim the advantage.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with an early exchange of breaks, but this time it was the Swiss ace who edged it as Rafa netted to lose a marathon eighth game.

Federer looked to be getting on top and had no less than six break points on Rafa's service in the third set, the Spaniard coming back from 0-40 down in a pivotal service game.

In the tiebreak it was Rafa who pulled ahead again, reaching set point with a rare volleyed winner and sealing it as Federer double faulted.

Federer showed his fighting qualities to force a decider, but once again it was his nemesis Rafa who proved the stronger despite spending nearly 10 hours on court in his final two matches.

I'm over the moon about this! Rafa proves that he is the true king of tennis. LOL. Too bad I couldn't watch the match because there's no TV in my dorm. Anyway, CONGRATULATIONS RAFA!

You can read Rafa's full post-match interview here>>>

Jalan-jalan Cari Makan

2009-02-01T15:53:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, my housemates -- plus 2 of their friends -- and I went to Kuala Kangsar and Taiping in search of the yummiest laksa and mi udang (prawn noodles) in Perak. It was a totally spontaneous decision... I'm not sure where the idea originated from. Anyway, we left UTP at around 2:30 p.m. It took only an hour to reach Kuala Kangsar, where we had laksa and cendol pulut at the Medan Laksa & Cendol at the waterfront. The cendol was nice, but a little bit too sweet. The laksa was delicious! After that, we walked around the waterfront and took lots of pictures (Ezran, Anis's friend brought his new Canon EOS 40D). I'll post some of the pictures here as soon as I get them. =)

In Taiping, we had mi udang at a place called Salleh Stall. When we arrived, the place was full of customers. We were actually fortunate that a group of high school students had booked a couple of tables that night coz the place usually closes at 7 p.m. and we arrived at 9 p.m. Apparently, this is where you can get the best mi udang in Malaysia. According to the owner, it was even featured in Astro. I thought the mi udang was OK. Nothing special, really. I gave some of my prawns to the others coz I can't have too much due to my sensitive skin.

After dinner, we went to the Night Safari at the Taiping Zoo. That was fun, although not part of the original plan. It was exciting coz we got to see the animals up close, though some of them were asleep. My favourite part was the "African Savannah". It was a weekend, so the tickets cost us RM16 each, but it was worth it.

PICTURES COMING SOON!!!

1st Semester Tentative

2009-01-29T15:03:00.000+08:00

Got a draft of the first semester schedule for the MSc Process Integration program from Dr. Murni (the Program Manager). The semester will begin on the 16th of February, about two weeks from now. There will be six modules to complete and then final exams at the end of the semester. Here's a rough sketch of what I'll be doing this semester:

Week	Date	Course/Module
1	16/02 - 22/02	Heat Integration
2	22/02 - 01/03
3	02/03 - 08/03	Process Safety
4	09/03 - 15/03
5	16/03 - 22/03	Modelling
6	23/03 - 29/03
7	30/03 - 05/04
8	06/04 - 12/04	Operations Management
9	13/04 - 19/04
10	20/04 - 26/04	Optimization
11	27/04 - 03/05
12	04/05 - 10/05	Strategic Management
13	11/05 - 17/05
14	18/05 - 24/05
15	25/05 - 31/05
16	01/06 - 07/06	FINAL EXAMS

Note: This is just a draft!

As you can see, I will be sitting for my final exams during my birthday week! Bummer... I guess I'll have to delay my birthday celebration until the following week. On the bright side, I'll get to celebrate with my family coz I'm definitely flying home after exams are over.

back in UTP

2009-01-28T13:04:00.001+08:00

I just got back yesterday afternoon. Haven't been posting because there's no internet in Normah's house. I've finally met my roommate, Shu. She's a nice girl, very friendly. Anyway, my program still has not started yet so I'm free to do whatever I want. I accompanied Shu to the Chemical Engineering faculty this morning. She had a meeting with her supervisor. I don't have a supervisor because I'm not doing research. Hehe. Going to do my Matric Card after the lunch break, maybe around 2:30 p.m. I'm also thinking of checking out the sports facilities (read: tennis courts) this evening. I wanted to do it yesterday, but it was raining.

Weekend Plans

2009-01-23T13:06:00.000+08:00

I'm going down to KL this evening to spend the long weekend with my friends, as planned. I'll be going by bus from the Seri Iskandar Bus Terminal to Pudu. I haven't packed anything yet, but the bus leaves at 5:30 p.m., so there's still plenty of time for that.

I'm excited about his trip because I'll be meeting up with some friends from UTM whom I haven't seen in ages. There are so many people I wanna meet... I hope I have enough time to see all of them. Tasha will be in KL too. I'm sure she'll have something fun planned. Besides that, a bunch of my friends are planning a day trip to Melaka on Sunday. I'm not too sure about joining them... I mean, I've been traveling a lot these past few days. I don't know whether I'll have the energy to go with them. They're planning to leave KL at 8 a.m. Who wakes up before 8 a.m. on a Sunday?!

These are the people I'm dying to meet this CNY weekend: Amir, Tasha, Azlin, Yantie, Tim, Fahmi, Kallis

I'm also looking forward to seeing my cousin Normah's house now that renovations are complete. She mentioned having an Open House on the 31st, but I won't be in KL then.

Ahh... but what about shopping? No, not this trip. Though, I may get something if it were on SALE... and I mean REALLY on sale, like 50-70%, not 10-20%. Hehe. Anyway, my main priority for this weekend is just being with my friends. If not for them, I might not even bother making the trip. I could just as well spend this weekend exploring my new campus.

Registration Day

2009-01-22T12:44:00.000+08:00

Registration was this morning, 10 a.m. at the Multipurpose Hall (MPH). On the map, it looked like a long walk from my dorm. But it really isn't that far. Took me about 15 minutes to get there. Had plenty of time to spare, so I had a simple breakfast Kafe Paprika, not far from the hall. I met three other ex-UTM students during registration. One of them, Ruszanna, was my team mate (and leader) for my final year design project. It was a pleasant surprise to see a familiar face among a group of strangers. Everyone here is so friendly though. It won't be difficult to adjust. Right now I'm resting in my room. I'll be heading back to the MPH later for a briefing session with the Postgraduate Office. I'm gonna try a different route this time, see which is more convenient.

My new room

2009-01-21T18:38:00.001+08:00

I arrived in UTP this afternoon at about 2:45 p.m. The journey was uneventful, though the GPS brought us (me, Abg. Fuad, Anas, Nik and Ed) through the scenic route instead of the most direct one. We passed by a few kampungs and even went up and down a hill. Anas referred to it as "Jalan Ghetto". LOL. Anyway, the important thing is that we made it here safe and sound.

Upon arrival I checked into one of the residential villages, as they're called here. I was given a room in Village 3. The room is nice, quite cute. The colour scheme is mainly teal, with a little bit of pale yellow and grey. All the rooms are twin-shared, so I have a roommate, although I haven't met her yet. I do know that her name is Syuhada. She's away to attend her convocation, according to my new neighbour, Anis. Syu and Anis went to the same university before this. Anyway, back to the room. It's furnished with 2 sets of beds, desks, chairs, cupboards and shelves. The size is pretty decent. Not large, but I don't feel cramped. That may be because I don't have much stuff yet though. Hehe. The floor is tiled, which is nice coz it's easy to keep clean. There's also a common bathroom and a pantry with a fridge and stove. That means I can cook if I want to. Yea, right! Everything seems to be in good condition, except for my chair, which has a wobbly seat. Overall, much nicer than my previous room in UTM.

Goodbye Kuching

2009-01-20T19:55:00.000+08:00

I'm writing this post from my aunt's apartment in Kuala Lumpur. I arrived at her door step safe and sound at around 4:30 p.m. I'd expected to get here much sooner but the roads were jammed... typical! Hehe.. just kidding. Anyway, my aunt was kind enough to lend me her driver for the trip to UTP tomorrow. That's not all... when I said I needed to buy new bed sheets and pillow cases, she offered to lend me those too! So, things are going much better than I expected. I plan to leave at 9 or 10 a.m. tomorrow morning (depends on what time I wake up. LOL.). I hope UTP is not too hard to find. The driver has never been there either. Well, that's all for now. More to come after I arrive in UTP.

Packing

2009-01-16T17:29:00.000+08:00

I only have a few days left before I leave home to continue my studies at Universiti Tekonologi PETRONAS (UTP). I'm flying to KL on the 20th (Tuesday) and will take a bus to Bandar Sri Iskandar the next day. I've already made arrangements with a friend to have her pick me up when I arrive there. I have yet to pack anything. I do know what I want to bring with me, though. My tennis gear is a must! I hope I'm able to find a tennis partner soon. I haven't been able to play tennis at all this week due to the rainy weather. I'm also hoping to get a new pair of jeans before I leave. I guess I should start sorting my stuff out so it'll be easier to pack. Mum will be back from Mukah tomorrow! She'll help me pack, I'm sure.

Rainy days

2009-01-11T17:00:00.004+08:00

It rained a lot the past few days. Because of that, I haven't really been in the mood to go out and do anything. Sure, I did go to UNIMAS with my dad yesterday, but that was only because we were going to check out the Postgraduate Fair. There wasn't much to see at the fair, but we ended up having a pretty good time -- had tea at the Sarawak Club Golf Resort (next to UNIMAS) and played a couple of games at the UNIMAS bowling alley. Yep, there's a bowling alley in the building where my dad works. How cool is that? Heh. I didn't play very well, but it was fun.

Anyway, that was yesterday. Stayed home all day today, watching Naruto Shippuuden online @ Your Anime Now! Some parts of the surrounding housing area were flooded this morning, but the water has receded a bit since it stopped raining at approximately 3 p.m. There have been a couple of isolated showers since then, and I think it will probably rain some more until Chinese New Year. Hopefully, we won't experience any serious flooding!

If it doesn't rain tonight, I might want to meet up with my friends. I was notified by e-mail a couple of days ago that I've been accepted into UTP. Registration is on the 22nd of January, so I don't have much time left to spend with them before I leave. I'm still waiting for the official offer letter to arrive in the mail. I hope it arrives within the next couple of days because I need it to apply for the Yayasan Sarawak student loan. I would like to have everything settled by this week if possible.

New year... but nothing new yet

2009-01-07T15:31:00.004+08:00

It's the 7th day of the new year and not much has happened that is worth writing about. I did have a smashing new year's eve cleberation with Tash and the gang, but other than that... nothing interesting. There won't be any tennis lessons this month, which makes my life a little bit more boring. In addition to that, I'm not feeling too well at the moment. There's a nasty flu bug going around... One day I was perfectly fit (played tennis morning and evening) and the next day I wake up with a nasty sore throat, flu and fever. The fever has passed, but there's still a lot of mucus in my body so I'm coughing now. As a result, my voice is rather husky, some might even say sexy. LOL. I hate coughs more than colds coz they last much, much longer.

I hope I get well soon! What else do I hope for this year? Here's a list:

An interesting job
Cool new friends
Exciting adventures with my cool new friends
Major improvement in my tennis (especially my backhand!)
And finally... lots of romance!

2008: The Highs and Lows

2008-12-28T23:27:00.002+08:00

Ah, how time flies. 2008 is coming to a close. But before we say hello to 2009, I'd just like to take a moment to share the ups and downs of my year with you, my faithful readers (if indeed there are any).

2008 was a pretty good year for me. Here's why:

I got a new boyfriend.
He's really cute and is very good to me, although we do have our differences. I'm not really sure what he sees in me, but I'm glad we're together now.
I completed my degree on time.
There were times, especially during the midnight oil burning sessions, that I thought the day could not come soon enough. Oddly, now that it has come to pass, I find myself missing the student life. Yea, it can be stressful... and boring at times. But I met a lot of cool people and had no responsibilities other than to keep my grades up. I got a monthly allowance, too.
Went on a family vacation to Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia.
This was just a few weeks after I finished my degree. At first, it was supposed to be just my parents, but us kids begged to come along. Jakarta was really busy and densely populated. I got a shock when we arrived -- there were so many people! The shopping was really good, though. We even made a day trip to Bandung and shopped at a few factory outlet stores. Bali was simply amazing. I would love to go back with my friends or on my honeymoon.
Rafael Nadal is #1.
You all know I adore him. So, naturally, a great year for him would be a great year for me. And it's not just because he bumped Roger Federer off the #1 spot. If you follow tennis, you would know that he was sizzling hot this season -- won the French Open for the fourth consecutive year, Wimbledon for the first time (def. five time champ Roger Federer) and even an Olympic gold medal for the men's singles. I hope he stays in top form for the coming year. I would love to see him win either the Australian or the US Open in 2009.
Free tennis lessons.
Yes, I've been having my tennis lessons totally free of charge! Not only have I improved my tennis, I've made some new friends, too. I hope to be more actively involved in the club activities next year.

And here's why it could have been better:

My boyfriend and I are separated by the South China Sea.
We parted ways after graduation. I went back to Kuching while he stayed in West Malaysia. It's tough being away from him, but he calls/texts me every other day/night, so we're good for now. I do hope I can see him again soon.
I can't seem to get a job.
My self-esteem taken a huge hit from a series of unsuccessful job applications. I've lost much of my confidence and am beginning to question my choice of career.

That's pretty much all I can come up with for now. Will update if anything else comes to mind. So, as I said earlier, it was a pretty good year. If only I had a job and a boyfriend in the same city it would be just perfect.

Cousins

2008-12-24T21:00:00.000+08:00

My beloved cousins, The Chais, are back from New Zealand. I've been hanging out at their place for the past 3 days. Yesterday, we watched Twilight at the cinema coz none of them have watched it yet. I didn't mind watching it again. Jacob and Jasper are so cute. LOL. Today, we stayed in. Nana has a huge collection of movies on her portable disk. I watched Moulin Rouge for the first time this afternoon. It was really cool. The music was great and Nicole Kidmann was awesome in the movie. I can't believe I hadn't watched it before! I transferred some movies and seasons 1-4 of Entourage into my portable disk to watch at home when I get bored.

Anyway, tomorow's Christmas already. That means dinner at The Chais. I hear their serving lamb, which is my favourite. Looking forward to tomorrow night. It's an opportunity to dress up and party. Yay!

jalan2 cari makan

2008-12-20T20:59:00.000+08:00

I was in the mood, so I checked out a couple of new cafés today.

The first one I went to was 5 Loaves Café @ Jalan Keretapi. I had planned to go with Tash and Wawa, but neither of them answered my calls so I went alone. The menu consists mostly of local favourites with some western dishes added for variety. It was lunch time, so I ordered a rice dish -- Buttered Chicken with Rice, to be exact (shown in picture). I have tasted some really yummy buttered chicken before (at Tandoori Palace in NZ) so this one didn't quite reach my expectations. The rice was a bit dry, and the egg yolk was runny. Presentation was OK though, and the service was top notch. The waitress who served me was very polite and smiled a lot, which is always nice. She also put a box of tissues on my table when I was almost done with my food. I didn't even ask for tissue, but it was really thoughtful of her to do so. The atmosphere was very casual and relaxed -- just nice for lazy Sundays and tea-time chats with my girl friends. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that there's WiFi too. I guess most places do these days. My mum's restaurant has it too now.

The other place was Tao Lifestyle Café @ Padungan. OK, so the place isn't new, but I've never been there before. Anyway, I wasn't alone this time. Wawa was the one who introduced me to this place. Can you believe that I had never heard of it before? It's very similar to Bing! Coffee so I assume that it must be popular. The picture on the right shows the view from our table. I chose this table because of the waterfall. I ordered an Ice-blended Chocolate Mint and Wawa had an Iced Caramel Macchiato. We could have gotten free French Fries if both of us had ordered ice-blended drinks, but Wawa prefers just plain iced, so no fries. LOL. The place had a nice feel to it -- very comfortable and private. The drinks are a bit pricey though (like at Starbucks and Bing!), so it's not the kind of place I would want to go to frequently.

what's in a birthday?

2008-12-19T12:16:00.000+08:00

You know I love personality tests and the like. Here's one based on my birthday. June 1st -- mark it on your calendars! LOL.

What does my birthday mean?

You are very curious and dedicated. When you are interested in something, everything else has to wait. This is your quality. But if you learn to be more patient and complete what you have started, you will be successful in life. Your Love, You believe in love at first sight. You won't wait to learn more about the person. Vise versa, people who fail to impress you will hardly get a chance to be your friend. Your emotion is on the extreme. You can only love or hate, nothing in between and this often shows in your expression. Try not to end a relationship in a quarrel.

My strengths: Seasoned and original. (err.. seasoned? sounds old and boring...huhu)

My weaknesses: Rash, impatient and self-rigorous. (I don't think I'm too impatient)

The best jobs for me: Journalist (Yes!), actor, lawyer (really?) and teacher.

I think it's pretty accurate. About 85% correct. Tell me what you think. You know the drill. That's all for now. Tata!

The MV Doulos & Starbucks 10th anniversary

2008-12-17T22:36:00.000+08:00

The famous MV Doulos is now in Kuching! Went there with Tash and Joanna this afternoon, after having tea at Kaya & Toast. We got a little lost on the way coz none of us were familiar with the port area. Anyway, after going round in circles a couple of times, we finally got it right and arrived safely. It rained all afternoon, so there weren't too many visitors. Climbing up the stairs in the rain was a challenge! All of us were wearing heels, which really aren't practical for boarding a ship, especially in such horrendous weather. Luckily, we didn't fall flat on our bums. That would have been embarrassing! We spent more than an hour browsing through the books and items that were on sale. I spent most of it browsing through fitness books coz my brother and I are trying to improve our fitness. I didn't actually buy any though. I was just looking for tips and simple workouts. Besides, I get plenty of tips from the eDiets GI & Smart Carbs newsletter I'm subscribed to. LOL. Tash bought a book about puppies and a couple of CDs. I'm not sure whether Joanna bought anything.

We spent the rest of the evening at Starbucks @ The Spring. Were it any other day, we would have went straight home. But today is special. Why? Because, today and today only, you can get a limited edition Starbucks Coffee Malaysia 10th Anniversary 16oz tumbler for RM10 with every purchase of any grande sized drink. That is a really good deal, coz the tumblers usually cost between RM40-RM60 (I think). Besides that, until the 31st of December, you also have the option of getting a limited edition Starbucks Coffee 2009 leather planner for RM18, also with every purchase of any grande sized drink. I ordered a grande Toffee Nut Latte and bought the tumbler. Tasha had a venti Dark Cherry Mocha Frappucino and bought the leather planner. I wanted a planner too (it's gorgeous!), but they only allow ONE promo item per beverage. Oh well, I can always get it the next time I go (before the promotion ends, of course).

Shila joined us at Starbucks. She couldn't join us earlier coz she was busy planning someone's wedding. Joanna brought a pack of half cards (a full set of playing cards cut in half right down the middle) and we played Black Jack and Big Two. That was fun, although the half cards are a bit hard to handle. Not very practical at all... but cute. By the time we were done, it was already past 8 p.m. We didn't even feel the time pass... we were having too much fun! I hope we can do it again some time. I told Tash that we should organize "poker nights" -- although technically, it would have to be called "Big Two night" coz we don't play poker. LOL.

These past two days have been a blast! I've been so used to staying home most of the time that I had forgotten what fun it is to go out and do stuff with my girl friends. I'm definitely going out more often from now on. ;-)

Last night's activities

2008-12-17T11:18:00.004+08:00

Played futsal with Tash, Shila and their friends (all guys) last night. Tash booked the turf court at Sports Planet for an hour (9-10 p.m.). I haven't played in long time, so I was pretty winded after just 5 minutes! LOL. I tried not to run around too much, but sometimes that's just not feasible. Especially when there are only 3 or 4 players on each side. I scored a few, and am feeling pretty good about that.

After futsal, we went for drinks somewhere near Tash's house. We had lots of laughs. Shila brought her macbook and was showing me pictures of cute guys from different rock bands and pictures from Raya.

I followed Tash home after that coz I left my car at her place. When we got there though, my car was blocked. So Tash invited me in and I watched half of Wild Child (the movie) with her and her sister. I only went home after the movie ended, at about 12:30 a.m.! Needless to say, I was exhausted by then.

I've made plans to meet Tash later today (no specific time yet). We're going to hang out at Starbucks. ^_^

forever21 : my new favourite store

2008-12-15T22:41:00.000+08:00

We don't have this brand in Kuching... sure wish we did! The clothes are just my style. Check them out:

I love the uber cute graphic tees...

...and the totally chic dresses/tunics.

The shoes are absolutely gorgeous, too!

They also sell really cool coats/jackets, bottoms (jeans/pants/leggings), hats, bags and accessories. And the best part is... their stuff is really affordable. If you can shop at stores like Padini and Giordano, you can shop at forever21.

Visit the online store to see the whole range of products: http://www.forever21.com

In pictures: Starbucks x-mas cheer party stuff

2008-12-13T13:27:00.000+08:00

Plenty of food and drink for everyone.

The Christmas yule log cake.

Goodie bag: the inside viewed from above.

Contents of the goodie bag + the mug I won from the word scramble game.

x-mas cheer party @ starbucks

2008-12-13T00:13:00.002+08:00

I was watching The Nanny on Astro when Tasha called to invite me to a party at Starbucks. I had nothing better to do, so I went. The Spring was crowded with people doing their holiday shopping and spending quality time with their families. Fortunately, I managed to get a parking spot in the basement lot. Some people had to park at the road sides or in front of other people's homes. It was that crowded.

Anyway, let me tell you about the party...

It turned out to be a Christmas Cheer party. It was a new experience for me -- I had never been to a x-mas party at a place other than my Aunt's home. And it's been a long time since I've been to one of those. LOL. I spotted Tasha and co. (Joanna and her boyfriend) as soon as I arrived. They were seated near the entrance. I arrived in time to enjoy free samples of the Starbucks x-mas specialty drinks -- Dark Cherry Mocha (hot & ice-blended) and Toffee Nut Latte (hot & ice-blended). I preferred the Toffee Nut Latte. It's creamier. I love cream! There were some pastries and x-mas blend coffee left over from the previous round too, but I didn't touch those coz I'd just had my dinner and I don't drink black coffee.

Next, we played a game... the Word Scramble! We were split into five groups and then given a sheet of paper containing information about the x-mas blend coffee and a cardboard with the following labels: description, processing and complimentary flavours. Each group member then took turns to scramble for the key-words for each label, printed on white pieces of paper and buried in a pool of shredded newspaper. The rules were that each person only got 15 seconds to scramble and was only allowed to take ONE piece of paper. It was tricky finding the printed pieces of paper with the correct key-words. But it was a lot of fun, too. There was a lot of screaming and little bits of newspaper were flying in all directions -- getting into people's hair and getting stuck on their clothes. It was hilarious to watch.

After the game, everyone got goodie bags filled with: ONE bearista bear collection magnet, ONE packet of Kettle Brand chips (2 oz), ONE small packet of Starbucks Christmas Blend and TWO lollipops. Then the winner of the Word Scramble was announced... and it was our team! How great is that? We each got a prize. I got a mug! Tasha got a CD. Joanna's boyfriend got a note book. The other two (Joanna and Prisclla) got mugs too, I think.

Shortly after that, the party came to an end. We took group pictures outside Starbucks, which may or may not end up in the press. Hehe. What a night! And I thought it was going to be another boring night in front of the TV/computer. I'd just like to thank Tasha for inviting me to the party. I had an incredible time.

I had planned to post pictures from the party tonight, but it's late and I have to wake up early for tennis lessons. I'll try to post them tomorrow. Until then... Ciao!

New layout, as promised

2008-12-12T16:42:00.010+08:00

Hi! I've changed my blog layout, as I said I would. It was modified from a skin I downloaded from BlogSkins.com called Like a Knife. I learnt a little bit of CSS and spent most of the day making minor changes -- colors and content -- to suit my needs. It still looks a lot like the original one so I can't say I made it myself. Hehe...

I'm quite happy with the way it turned out coz it's much neater now, don't you think? I would appreciate any ideas on how to improve my blog, so do drop a me line at the tagboard.

New layout coming soon ^_^

2008-12-11T21:44:00.004+08:00

I'm getting bored with the current layout, so I'm trying out different layouts to replace it with. I have a few to choose from -- all awesome, so it's gonna be a tough choice! I'll try to make my mind up by tomorrow night.

Selamat Hari Raya

2008-12-08T16:55:00.000+08:00

I'd just like to wish all my Muslim friends Happy Aildiladha. Its the biggest Muslim celebration, but this year it doesn't really feel like it. When I got up today, it just felt like any other day. I did go visiting with my dad and bro though. We stuffed ourselves with ketupat, lemang, rendang, curry etc. (typical Hari Raya menu). The food was great but the atmosphere wasn't very festive. Maybe it's just me. I'm not exactly in a festive mood today.

Just finished reading...

2008-12-07T21:03:00.000+08:00

LOVE IT! I started reading it yesterday and only stopped reading to sleep and have my meals.

It's a touching story about Rosie Dunne and Alex Stewart who have been best friends for as long as they can remember. Both of them are secretly in love with each other, although neither seem to realize it at first. However, fate seems to have other plans for them -- just as it seems they might have a chance to be together, something comes up and the opportunity is missed. But the special bond that they have is strong and their relationship survives the test of time. If you want to know whether they ever do end up as more than just best friends, you'll just have to read the book!

It's an easy book to read because it's basically a compilation of notes, e-mails, IM's, cards and letters that the characters in the story write to each other. I especially love reading Rosie's rants to her friend Ruby and her sister Stephanie. She's so funny! The notes she and Alex passed to each other in class were cute too. Alex is a really nice guy... I can see why Rosie likes him so much. I could totally see myself being with someone like Alex. He's tall, intelligent, funny, caring, and a real gentleman.

I'd say that this is one of the best books I've read... and I've read a lot of books! I'm definitely recommending this one to Mum. Must remember to bring with me on my next trip to Mukah.

Miss you guys already!

2008-12-07T10:42:00.000+08:00

Rahil and Azizul have left for Mukah. They're probably already at Mum's place by now. The house is so quiet with them gone.

Rahil is moving to Mukah

2008-12-05T18:04:00.000+08:00

My sister, Rahil, will be moving to Mukah to stay with my mum. She leaves this Sunday, with Azizul (my brother). I'm gonna miss her... she's so cute and cuddly. LOL.

Azizul will be in Mukah until his SPM results come out. At least, that's the plan. He'll be helping Mum out at the restaurant. My Aunty Pat even offered him a generous salary. It'll be a good experience for him. He spends way too much time in front of the computer. So does Rahil, come to think of it. Yep, Mukah will do them both a lot of good.

I might join them later this month (not confirmed). It would be nice to see Mum again... and have yummy restaurant food every day. ^_^

My new passion

2008-12-01T20:45:00.000+08:00

I started this blog just for fun. At the time, it seemed like a cool thing to do, even though I had no idea what I would write about. I kept at it anyway, and after a while I found that I really enjoy writing in my blog. I get excited every time I write a new post... and when I have nothing to write, I'm frustrated! Who knew that I'd love it so much? Not me!

I've been thinking about my new found passion a lot lately and I've decided that I want to polish my writing skills so that I can make money doing what I love someday. I know that there's a lot I need to improve on -- vocabulary, grammar and punctuation... writing style!

Yea, I've got a lot of work to do if I ever wanna be a writer/journalist. There is a correspondence course on freelance journalism by The Writers Bureau College of Jornalism (in the UK) that I'm interested in... but it costs £249 (approx. RM1,385) which I just don't have right now. That'll have to wait until I have a job. I could ask for the money from my parents, but I'd rather raise my own funds. Hmm... I'll have to come up with a fund-raising plan. Any ideas?

In the mean time, I'll keep on practicing my writing in my spare time. I've just bought a note book to jot down my ideas and do some free writing exercises. I suppose writing in this blog will help too. I'll have to take it more seriously from now on (but not so much that it takes all the fun out of it!).

Rafa is clean again

2008-11-30T18:58:00.000+08:00

You know what? Boredom is the best cure for laziness. I was so bored this evening that I finally got my butt of the couch and washed my car. Rafa is now squeaky clean and super shiny. I've put off vacuuming the interior until tomorrow morning -- it was pretty late by the time I finished.

My lazy day

2008-11-30T16:15:00.003+08:00

I'm just feeling really lazy today... I'm bored too, but too lazy to do anything about it. Heh.

I missed tennis lessons this morning -- couldn't get myself out of bed. Woke up at around 9 a.m. then went down for breakfast... had bread & butter and a cup of nescafe, nothing fancy.

After brekkie, went back to my room and watched Smallville on my laptop. I finally finished season 7 this morning. Am now downloading the first two episodes of season 8. The plot is so bogus, but I love it!

I wish I had more to write about, but I don't. So, until next post... Ciao!

Twilight the movie

2008-11-27T22:58:00.001+08:00

Watched Twilight with Rahil this afternoon -- first show on Opening Day. Didn't plan to.. totally spur of the moment! Hehehe... It was pretty good. The beginning was just okay, but it got interesting towards the end -- I thought the same thing about the book.

What I liked most was probably all the attractive people in the movie, although I don't find Edward attractive (I guess its coz I had higher expectations, considering how he was described in the book). Jacob on the other hand... SO HOT! LOL. Can't believe he's the same kid from Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (and is only about 16 years old). My favourites from the Cullen family are Alice, Jasper and Carlisle. Alice is adorable, as is Jasper. Carlisle is just really cool -- nuff said.

There were some funny parts too. Like when Edward first caught a whiff of Bella's scent... he looked like he wanted to puke! You wouldn't have guessed that he actually thought she smelt good. LOL.

Anyway... here's a collage I made of the main characters (using Picasa3):

Naruto Shippuden on YouTube

2008-11-26T23:01:00.001+08:00

I've only just discovered that I can watch Naruto Shippuden on YouTube... which is great coz then I don't have to download it. Heheh.

I'm only up to episode 3. LOL. I've been meaning to watch it for ages, but was just too lazy to download. Heh. Well, now I won't have to. And the best part is, I'm so far behind that I won't be running out of episodes to watch any time soon! ^_^

The AccoLade

2008-11-25T13:50:00.003+08:00

Saudi Arabia's first all-girl rock band. I think it's cool that their pursuing their passion even with the obstacles they have to face. They're not allowed to perform live and pose for album covers. But with the magic of the internet, they're getting their music out there for all the world to listen. They were even featured in the New York Times yesterday and have acquired a new fan base in the USA. Not bad, huh. Check them out here.

There are some bad people out there

2008-11-24T21:43:00.001+08:00

Look what they did to my mum's car registration plate...

TOTALLY GONE!!!

They only took the rear one. I wonder what they need it for. Nothing illegal, I hope. It happened while my mum was getting her hair done at 3rd Mile. She didn't notice it was gone until she got home coz it was raining and she just ran into the car and drove off. The odd thing is, it was in broad day light and at a commercial centre. How could they have gotten away with this without anyone noticing?

Revenge of the Emo

2008-11-24T13:29:00.000+08:00

I've embedded a the video for "Waking the Demon" by Bullet for my Valentine (one of my favourite bands). It's on the iPod touch screen (bottom right).

The video is really cool. It's about this 'emo' boy who's always bullied at school. Everyday the bully makes his life at school a living hell, but the boy never once fights back. He patiently crosses out each passing day in a calender he keeps in his locker. He's waiting... Finally the day comes -- the full moon. You can guess what happens next. He waits for the bully in the darkness and transforms into a werewolf. Of course, he eats the person who's made his life miserable. Ah, but it's not over yet. You see, werewolf boy is a bully magnet -- he gets rid of one, but there's always another who'd love to make his life miserable. And so the cycle begins all over again.

Points to ponder:

Is the emo werewolf the real victim here?
Is this all a ploy so he can feast on humans and not feel guilty about it?
That girl who smiles at him in the end... is she in on it too?
Are all emo people actually werewolves?

Of course, I don't believe in werewolves. But whether or not that emo person you love to make fun of is a werewolf, it's not nice to be mean to him/her. It could even be hazardous! One doesn't need supernatural powers to have revenge -- just a really strong motive.

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. SO, BE NICE.

Btw, do let me know what you think about the video.

Happy Birthday, Aju!

2008-11-24T10:50:00.005+08:00

Azizul,

Happy 17th Birthday!

Just so you know... You are my favourite 17 year old in the whole wide world. LOL. Love you loads and wish you all the best things in life. I know you'll make us all proud one day.

Love,
Wawa.

New skin

2008-11-23T19:51:00.001+08:00

As you can see, my blog has a totally new look. I got the layout from BlogSkins. There are tons of cool skins there -- totally free! Most (if not all) of the skins are designed for the "classic" blogger, so if you wanna use 'em for your own blog, you have to "revert to classic template".

Anyway, feel free to explore my new and improved blog. Navigate by clicking on one of the coloured tabs on the right. There's a tagboard (that's where my CBox is now), a gallery (still empty), my blog archives and finally links to other blogs/sites and of course credits to the designer of this awesome template.

Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think...

Sushi for dinner

2008-11-22T18:40:00.005+08:00

Just finished having dinner with my family @ Sushi King (The Spring). We were celebrating Azizul's 17th birthday in advance -- his actual birthday is on monday.

Christmas Wish List

2008-11-22T14:36:00.003+08:00

I don't celebrate Xmas... but if I did, here's what I wish I would find under the Xmas tree:

A bottle of Clinique Happy -- my favourite perfume of all time.

A Sony Ericsson C905 -- 8.1 MP camera, HSDPA, Wi-fi, Video/Picture blogging, a-GPS and much more! What more could a girl ask for?

Nike Sports Apparel to wear to tennis.

Crushed

2008-11-20T22:44:00.000+08:00

Well, Ida & Tania DID NOT win TARA3...but that's not why I'm frustrated. What's really KILLING ME now is the fact that the winners were Vince & Sam!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

That's not all!

Analeigh was my favourite to win cycle 11 of America's Next Top Model. But no-o-o... Tyra and the gang had to eliminate her from the Top 3. So, the final two contestants were McKey and Sam (Yuck!). Considering that, I'm so glad McKey won -- anyone but Sam!!!

All these disappointments have drained me of all my positive energy. But on the bright side, I can now go to bed and wake up to a brand new day. (So corny! LOL) Plus... it's a Friday tomorrow! You know what that means... TENNIS!!! Yay!

Looking forward to...

2008-11-20T18:42:00.001+08:00

TARA 3 finale tonight!

Can't wait to watch. Hope Ida & Tania win!!!

Also, my House Bunny download is almost complete. Will watch that right after TARA 3, if I'm not too sleepy at that time.

I can't cook

2008-11-18T21:00:00.001+08:00

It's about time I learn how to cook!

I'm 23 years old, and yet still sorely lacking any cooking skills. Sure, I can cook rice (the rice cooker does all the work), eggs and instant noodles (yay, me!). But then, so can a 12 year old. You'd think that since I love eating good food, I'd enjoy cooking good food too. LOL.

I've never had any interest in cooking... until now. I guess it's coz I've been thinking about my future a lot lately, and a future living on a diet of eggs, rice and instant noodles is not appealing to me.

Mum once told me that I should start by learning to make dishes I like to eat. After all, I'll be cooking for myself. So, I've made a list of dishes I like to eat which should be simple enough (I think) for me to start with:

Any kind of pasta
Sushi (does this count as cooking?!)
Lamb stew
Lamb chops
Grilled fish
Fish and chips
Aubergines with anchovies or sambal
Baby carrots glazed with butter

Well, that should do for now. Some of the items on the list might even be a little too ambitious for a noob like myself. LOL.

Best romantic comedy of the year

2008-11-14T22:18:00.000+08:00

This movie will make you laugh out loud, then cry buckets of tears and then laugh some more. Its a story about love and destiny with a twist. I enjoyed it from the very beginning right through to the end. I'm not very good at writing synopses, so I'm not gonna bother. If you wanna know more, just watch it... Seriously, it's good!

Looking towards the future

2008-11-13T20:36:00.000+08:00

Spent the morning drafting a cover letter for my resume to send to Sarawak Energy. I think its pretty good the way it is but I might make a few changes. I updated my resume too. I hope I get a job soon. It'd be nice to start earning some money. Not long ago I attended a walk-in interview for Press Metal. I think I did well. But I'm not optimistic about getting a job there. At least not in operations -- the guy who interviewed me said that the metal extrusion industry is a male dominated one. They might end up offering me a position in administration, which is so not what I wanna do. But I might consider, if the offer is good. Hehe...

I do have a back-up plan, in case I don't get a job by the end of the year. Last month I submitted an application to UTP to pursue my master degree. If I get in, I'll start in January. Then its another year (minimum) of study for me. I don't really mind. Work can get pretty stressful (so I've heard), and the student life is pretty cool. The downside would be the lack of financial independence, of course.

Well, whatever happens next, I'm looking forward to it. I know I have a bright future ahead of me. It just hasn't arrived yet. ^_^

Rainy days = dirty Rafa

2008-11-12T14:08:00.003+08:00

I haven't been able to wash Rafa (my car, not the tennis player...duh!) because its been raining every afternoon. Needless to say, its filthy. Well, at least on the outside it is. I try to keep the interior clean at all times. Looks like it will rain again this afternoon. Argh! I don't particularly enjoy washing my car, but I like seeing the exterior all clean and shiny. I feel all warm with pride at how gorgeous it looks after a good wash. Hehehe...

Main court, PTBS*

2008-11-09T10:33:00.004+08:00

This is where I have my tennis lessons. I go 3x a week. I'm in the beginner class, so I train with a bunch of kids. Its fun. The kids are adorable. ^_^

*PTBS = Persatuan Tenis Bumiputera Sarawak

Happy, happy ^_^

2008-11-08T11:43:00.003+08:00

I'm having a pretty good day so far. Went for tennis lessons this morning. The weather was lovely--cloudy, not too hot. I've improved a lot, especially my backhand. I feel really good about that. During our break, I had nasi lemak and nescafe ais--my fave food and drink. Then, when I got home, my brother had just finished setting up the wifi in our house. Its like a dream come true! Now I can surf the internet from anywhere in my house. Yippee!

I hope the rest of day will be as perfect as this morning was... ^_^

Jojo's Fashion Show 2 is so addictive...

2008-11-05T20:18:00.004+08:00

I downloaded Jojo's Fashion Show 2 this morning and Rahil and I have been taking turns playing the game most of the day. I'm taking a break from it now, but will continue later. I hope to finish it before The Celebrity Apprentice airs on StarWorld (11 pm). Its a really fun game, suitable for all ages. Very addictive, too! You've been warned.

You can download the FULL version of the game at:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1584481

Obama elected President of the USA

2008-11-05T13:33:00.009+08:00

I witnessed history in the making today, as Barack Obama won the USA presidential election. He's just finished his victory speech minutes ago. I watched it LIVE on CNN. Well, I'm off to continue watching... Have a nice day, everyone!

Links to related articles @ guardian.co.uk:

Help! There's something wrong with my Firefox =(

2008-11-05T09:38:00.000+08:00

Last night, my Mozilla Firefox program started acting up. Every time I open the program, an extra window pops up, displaying the Google Malaysia page (which isn't even my homepage). After a while, another one pops up... and another one... and another one... etc. I tried uninstalling and then re-installing it but the problem persists. I wish I knew how to fix it. Its so frustrating! Right now I'm using Wyzo, which is similar to Firefox, but I still prefer using Firefox.

75% Gorgeous is not bad...

2008-11-02T12:39:00.003+08:00

I so didn't expect to score that high in the "gorgeous" department -- I'm merely pretty, not really gorgeous. But I won't argue with the result! Hey, it's not everyday I hear that I'm drop-dead gorgeous! ^_^

Your result for Are You Sexy, Gorgeous, or Glamorous?...

Drop-Dead Gorgeous

You're so outstandingly beautiful and perfect that it hurts to look at you. Anyone who sees you is caught between wanting you and wanting to be you--you just look so damn good! It's like rainbows and sunshine pop up wherever you go and looking at you makes the world slow down. I could roll you around in mud, make you wear a ripped up welcome mat, stick you under the worst possible lighting in the world and you'd still look good. Damn it!

Take Are You Sexy, Gorgeous, or Glamorous? at HelloQuizzy

I'm into "Buff Bad Boys"... SO TRUE!

2008-11-02T11:52:00.003+08:00

Your result for The What type of MAN turns you on Test...

Buff bad boy

You scored 45% masculine, 65% athletic, 45% exotic, and 44% refined!

You like your men with a boyish or feminine face but a manly body. You like him to posess bad boy looks while still maintaining some innocence. He looks like the all-American kind of hunk and I bet you love someone like.......Travis Fimmel. But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys.

Take The What type of MAN turns you on Test at HelloQuizzy

DIY skin whitening/lightening recipes

2008-10-31T16:00:00.005+08:00

Most of my friends would probably think I'm being really vain to be searching for homemade skin whitening recipes coz I'm not dark... at least I wasn't until I started tennis lessons. Now I'm at least three shades darker than I was back in uni. It would be nice to have fair skin again, although I can live with the slight tan that I have now. I just don't wanna get any darker!

Anyway, I googled "homemade whitening" and found just what I was looking for in a beauty blog called Beauty Secrets Revealed!!! Get Gorgeous Naturally. Click here to view the homemade whitening recipes, if you're interested lah.

Rahil!!! I know you want to try them with me... =p

Cool presents for a cool mum

2008-10-31T15:19:00.003+08:00

Dad flew to Mukah this morning, bearing cool gifts for Mum. Well...it is her birthday month. Besides, she's been working so hard at the restaurant. Wanna know what she got? Okay, I'll tell you. She got ONE Calvin Klein Eternity Summer perfume (100ml), TWO gorgeous looking bags (brown, didn't check the brand) and ONE Compaq Presario Notebook (CQ40-125AX). Wow, Mum! It sure is good to be you now! ^_^

Mum, if you're reading this...can I have the smaller bag? haha.. Just kidding!

MISS YOU LOADS, MUM! LOVE YOU SO MUCH...

#1 teen readers' bestseller!

2008-10-29T17:30:00.005+08:00

The Twilight Saga, written by Stephenie Meyer, consists of four books -- Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Its a romantic story of a vamp & an ordinary girl who fall in love... I haven't read the books but I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO! I've been searching MPH @ The Spring for these books but they must've been SOLD OUT. There's a box set coming soon but its gonna cost RM319.90 (MPH Online). Yikes! Comes with a poster, but still! That's just crazy. But if you're a HUGE fan, I guess its worth it.

Twilight has been made into a movie, too, which will be released starting from Nov 21st 2008. Not sure whether we'll get it here in Malaysia though. I hope we do!

Check out the official movie site for TWILIGHT - http://www.twilightthemovie.com

Cool web gadgets

2008-10-29T15:10:00.003+08:00

I've just discovered a really cool "widget" site called LabPixies (http://www.labpixies.com/). I got three widgets for my iGoogle page -- Hangman, the calorie calculator and the to-do list. The widgets are super cute and functional, too. Probably the best widget site I've come across so far.

Newest addition to my shoe collection

2008-10-28T18:47:00.001+08:00

Bought these cuties at Bata (The Spring) this afternoon.
Buying shoes makes me happy! ^_^

Marie Claire 591-6884 (Size 6)

My cool gadget wish list.... Ooh la la!

2008-10-27T15:13:00.011+08:00

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (coming soon)

Apple Macbook Air

Nintendo Wii

Sony Playstation 3

Sony Cybershot DSC-T2 (in green)

Rafa swaps tennis rackets for golf clubs

2008-10-26T22:17:00.005+08:00

Here are some nice photos of Rafa playing golf. He was competing in the pro-am of the Castello Masters Costa Azahar at the Club de Campo del Mediterraneo in Spain.

HSM 3 was cool

2008-10-24T20:40:00.005+08:00

Went to the cinema to watch...

LOL... kinda promised my sister a while back that I'd take her to watch that movie. I didn't really mind. Was kinda looking forward to it actually coz the previews were pretty cool. I'll say this... its much better than the previous 2 movies. The songs were really cool & catchy and the choreography was just awesome. My favourite songs were "Now or never", "The boys are back", "Scream" and "Can I have this dance". And last but not least... Zac Efron and Corbin Bleu all grown up and looking totally HOT! ^_^