Another Side To The Story

A Little Too Late

2011-11-25T16:22:00.000+08:00

She sits in the bus stop. A lone figure hunched up and trembling. The wind starts to build up and catches her curls as it blows pass. The skies are rumbling and the promise of rain lingers in the fresh smells of nature. But he doesn't appear. All the other kids have gone back to their warm toasty homes. But she still waits. Maybe this time he will remember her. Maybe this time...

The rain drops. So do her tears. A salty mixture of disappointment and hurt. This time was no different than the rest. He had done it once again. Broken a promise. She thought that by now the hurt would have lessen, that she would have gotten used to it. But it hurt just as badly as all the other times.

She got up from the bench. It was useless waiting any longer for someone who would not show up. Who would never show up. What was a little rain? Her heart was already feeling so cold and numb. The rain could not do no further harm.

And so she walked home. The rain washed off the tears that continued to fall. Between that and the rain that was now pouring down in sheets, she could not see where she was going. It happened so fast...the truck, the horn, the collision. There was no pain. There was no time for it.

The funeral was a sombre one as all funerals are. Many could not understand how God allowed such a beautiful child to be taken away. Tears and emotions flowed freely. Many found solace in the knowledge that she is now in a better place.

He finally came. But it was too late. He would never see her smile or hear her laughter again. He wished that he had not forgotten about his princess. He wished many things that day but none of them would be granted to him. Not even one.

Sushi: The Making Off

2011-10-27T12:49:00.014+08:00

Deepavali was a good day. A long day. It was filled with food. A lot of it...yummy Indian food. For dinner however, sushi rolls were on the menu. Homemade. This was my first attempt and boy was I glad that Ann was around. Cooking genius that woman is. Me on the other hand, I found out that my common sense (the leeeetle that I have) ventures not into the kitchen. The things I do, which makes so much sense to me, often defy the exact science of cooking. So unlike other cooking blogs, I will blog about what NOT to do (often from a wealth of mistakes experienced) rather than what to do...which one can very easily google about.

Munkee see, munkee do. Though extensive YouTube research (watched two videos), I found out that sushi rice is not really sushi rice until some rice vinegar is added and combed into the rice evenly. Just enough to give it a slightly sourish tinge. Good to have measuring cups in the house. Mentally adding into my shopping list the ones found in IKEA...cause they match my kitchen's colour theme. For real. Anything can basically be chucked (neatly arranged in other words) into the roll. That yellow stuff is some kind of pickled vegetable. My next sushi making session will involve salmon sashimi and the slightest trickle of roasted sesame seed dressing. A good tip for blubbering idiots in the kitchen, rice is sticky. But rice on wet hands is not sticky.
We also had grilled shishamo...except that it was over cooked and the eggs exploded as a result. Note to self, sprinkle more salt and some oil to speed up the browning process. Went in blind on this dish.
And lastly, this has nothing to do with sushi. Just felt like throwing in a picture of my 'guilty shelf'. It has been empty for so long till three days ago when I threw caution into the wind and procured Mr Lay and Mr Ruffles. Let's see how long they survive in the Oinkery.

It's September Again

2011-09-05T00:21:00.000+08:00

A time to remember. A time to appreciate.

Loved ones. Lost ones.

A moment of silence.

Tugs the heart.

And memories bring you back to me.

Goodbye...

2011-02-27T22:38:00.003+08:00

I just found out that a friend I had lost touch with passed away this morning. Cervical cancer. She was a year younger. Of all the words I could choose from...I will choose two: THAT SUCKS. It does. Another light snuffed out. At such a young age. It just doesn't seem right.

There has to be a lesson to be learnt. As I sit in Starbucks rehabilitating my injured pointer finger (another story for another post), I look around. This place is filled with young people (aside from the two older aunties sitting in front of me who look like they are best friends catching up on life) surfing, chatting, caffeinating...and there are these two guys watching Glee together (ahem). So much 'life' happening at this place that I feel like an outcast. I am thinking of death. Of lost. And there has to be a lesson somewhere here.

I don't know. Perhaps the lesson is in acknowledging that these losses hurt...they take a piece of us with them and we are never the same again. In acknowledging this, we perhaps have a greater appreciation of people around us. Perhaps this is the lesson.

But whatever it may be, goodbye my dear friend. May you be at peace finally.

Road Rage Is Not Dead, Courtesy Is.

2010-10-12T18:44:00.002+08:00

Question: Why is there so much road rage on the road?
Answer: Because there is an equivalent amount of idiots on the road too!

My Wish List...SSF Bandar Sri Damansara

2010-07-27T11:52:00.008+08:00

So many pretty things. So many pretty EXPENSIVE things. My minimalistic perception of my apartment is threatened constantly. Everytime I step into a home decor centre, my shopping spree sprite (never knew I had one) awakens and jumps up with full gusto ready to burn some serious plastic. I suddenly have visions of bunnies huddling in a corner and candle stands in corners I know I will never dust.

Well, a girl can always dream...or wish...so here, in this poor blog so irregularly updated, my sprite will post up pictures of what could have been (and who knows, will be with the next pay cheque). Pretty things...mostly useless except to serve as eye candy and a place for dust to settle on.

A lovely iron tea light candle holder (RM498). Wow, this one some how blew me away and when I took a peek at the tag...well, suffice to say, a little bit of my enthusiasm died.

This flower and tall vase arrangement caught my eye. Lovely, but not enough to make me bend down to look for the price tag.

Clay wabbits! Pretty pretty! I can imagine it on the floor at a corner. The bigger ones are RM50/rabbit and RM30/rabbit for the smaller ones.
.
A rustic miniature grandfather clock. RM201.60 after being slashed down from RM288.
.

Another candle holder. Don't know why I like these non-practical potentially fire causing items. Sigh. This was a whim so did not take note of the price.

I came out of that five (or maybe four) storey building empty handed. Saw a couple of curtain fabrics that I liked, but was not ready to part with RM2000 for two sets of curtains (living room and master bedroom). They have been shelved into my KIV folder.

Black Pears In My Fridge

2010-03-15T20:17:00.003+08:00

I have never EVER admitted that 'domestic goddess' was or will be associated with likes of me. The black pears in my fridge is a testament of that. Having my own pad now has opened a whole new world containing the following phrases: "You mean I can't do that? B-b-but it makes so much sense", "Damn you dust! Damn you!" and "Ooops, I did it again".

I think that some people are born with it and some (yours truly) are not.

Example. I bought fragrant pears one day. Said pears were very waxy even after a thorough scrubbing and soaking. So yours truly sat down and tapped head to quicken the thinking process ala Pooh Bear style. "Think Lish, think." The answer came to me and promptly I boiled a kettle of water and poured it into a bowl. After 3 seconds of being dipped into the hot water, the pears felt much cleaner and my innards were thanking me for my brilliance. Brilliance indeed. The next day when I opened my fridge, the pears had turned BLACK...entirely black...a gross hue of black. I was shocked. I closed the fridge door. Took a deep breath and opened the door again. The pears were still black, black, black.

The lesson I learned: you apparently can't soak fruits in hot water to get rid of the wax. "You mean I can't do that? But it sounded like such a good idea!"

As for the black pears, they are still in my fridge. Maybe I can bring them to the pasar malam and market them as some exotic sweet pears from Timbuktu (let's hope no one who goes to the pasar malam reads this post). Or, I have some friends coming over this Wed. Bwa ha ha ha! "Care for some pears, my lovelies?"

Life like the Arc de Triomphe

2009-11-09T19:00:00.002+08:00

One of the things I remember from my short stint in Paris is driving towards the Arc de Triomphe during rush hour. My driver turned to me and said,"When entering the roundabout of the Arch, you must quickly look for your opening and go for it! If you keep hesitating, you will not reach your destination." He then turned back towards the road, saw his opening and zoomed into the oncoming traffic. My heart stopped. I had a taste of the crazy Parisian traffic. It was truly an experience.

But his words have stuck with me since. There are moments to be patient and even moments to hesitate before jumping in with both feet. But there are also moments where a decision has to be made...today...not tomorrow or day after. Sometimes the decision has to be made NOW and for an impulsive person like me, that just adds to the excitement and challenge of it all. "Let's go!" and "What are we waiting for?" are normally the things that would burst forth from my mouth (that clearly reacts way fast than my thought processes) at stupid and brilliant suggestions. I have obviously landed myself in lots of trouble this way. But nevertheless, the massive memories and laughter almost always make up for the embarassment that almost always have a way of showing up.

But now as I grow older and gained more responsibilities, I find it a challenge to allow the Little Miss Spontaneity in me to surface. I do still say yes without hesitation (old habits die hard)...but more often than not, I will double take and reconsider what I have gotten myself into. Weighing the pros (the Leech's life motto: Will try almost everything once!) and cons (boring things like work, leave, meetings to attend...dum be dum dum and more), I will then make my decision. But then again, the words of that Parisian driver rings in my head and reminds me that sometimes...just sometimes when you see that opening, go for it because what you want may not always be in front of you. You may be late in reaching your destination and whoever was waiting may no longer be there.

Have You Seen Google Today?

2009-11-05T23:13:00.003+08:00

Sesame Street turns 40 today! I just love Google's picture today. Brilliantly cute. It brought back so many nostalgic memories of my childhood and even as I write this, I am smiling. I am brought back to a certain small town where a single story house nest in the middle of a large compound filled with fruit trees and chicken and a particular maroon Mini-Minor that zooms us wee lads around. Now the Mini is yellow and the lot of us can no longer fit into the backseat...much less climb into it. I remember the swing out front where the six of us would squeaze into (three on the seat and three on the back rest) and swing away pretending the wind in our hair blew from the wild stormy seas where we reigned as pirates (ahoy there me matey!) in search of treasure islands and eager to plunder any wealthy looking ships that dared cross out path. Until one day we got too big for the swing and went toppling over...swing and six ex-pirates. Then Ghost Busters came about and the dark book-filled library slash store became a hunting ground for us and our vacuum cleaner. Digging for worms and fishing in the drains surrounding the house. Running through a dragonfly filled field and watching the swarm of red and green and blue fly away from us. Kingfishers alighting on the electrical wires in front of the house. Rambutan trees fruiting...oh my, the sweet red bunches of juiciness. Ciku, nangka, mangosteen, jambu! Watching IT with the rest and being scared to death of clowns and going to the toilet alone. Sweets and snacks my Kong-Kong would buy us after cycling back from town. The different cats my aunt had...all cute and thoroughly terrorised by us. The Beano and Dandy comics we grew up with. And Reader's Digest dating back to the 60s. And the list goes on.

But I am reminded. It has been a long time since ichi-babi and it's owner made a trip up north to all that rich memories. I am ashamed to not have made more of an effort to do so while I still can. There will be a day when I want to and the house may no longer welcome me the way I want it to. Alrighty then! Time for a road trip!

Bipolaroid...

2009-10-30T19:23:00.002+08:00

Everything Changes

2009-10-12T01:10:00.004+08:00

I was holding on to something I thought I had. But it turned out to be an illusion. I had it for a long time. Or so I thought I did. But when realisation set in, the harsh truth took my breathe away. They say that it takes two to tango. What they don't tell you is that the two people are most probably dancing a dance they believe to be tango but in reality is the 'joget' and when the dance ends, they find themselves in a dingy basement instead of a glittering ballroom. Illusions. Dangerous things. So today I am letting go of that illusion, my friend. I will still be there in that dingy basement if you need me to be, but I'll know that it is not a glittering ballroom.

Light Headed & Hungry!

2009-09-18T18:43:00.002+08:00

I had 450mL of blood drained out of me today. And probably a little extra for good measure. I felt fine right after. But now (about 5 hrs on) I feel...strangely light headed. It feels like I am high on drugs or alcohol. Floating. And I thought that it would be interesting to blog in this condition. Maybe some interesting images will float around in my head. Maybe some numbers. Hhhmmm...

But nothing. Nothing comes to mind. No pictures. No words. Did the people in the white coats suck out more than just my blood? Did I pass out while I was donating blood? Did they manage to perform the world's fastest brain surgery on me...successfully removing parts of my brain capable of generating interesting thoughts and witty remarks? Because it sure feels that way! Something has changed. I have not blogged since June. And reading the caption of that blog (Federer Rocks!)...hurts...it cuts like a knife. He still rocks...no doubt...but still...sigh...let's not go there. My head is already throbbing. Don't want my heart to follow suit.

Where was I? Oh yes. Life. Someone remarked that I have been living life large from all my FB posts. Can someone really tell by reading FB posts?!!! What have I been writing in my status updates? As far as I can remember, a lot of it has been about food *smirks*. Hhhhmmm, if only he knew. This past year has been both challenging and frustrating on all levels.

Argh!

I am restless. I need to do something! Anything! I need to unplug the earphones out of my ears right now and make my way to a certain house somewhere across the Motorola bridge. And for what seems like the hundreth time...I left something at home that I am suppose to bring with me. Somethings...just never change. And somethings change way too fast. I am rambling. I am hypoglycaemic. And still very much light headed. And devoid of any floating psychedelic images or tinkling voices. No fun. And now to add to the mix of light headedness, restlessness...I am feeling wreckless and slightly mischievious. Oh no. Oh nooo. I shall stop here. No good can come out of this. Ha ha. Going now.

Federer ROCKS!

2009-06-10T17:52:00.003+08:00

I enjoyed last Sunday tremendously. The day started with church and then went on in the following manner: sorting though second hand clothes for charity, a relaxing facial, a frustration parking experience in One Utama (where they deviated us to the One World parking without notice and no proper signage and help to get to the mall), Terminator Salvation, Formula One (no comments...I think that my passion for F1 has changed with the constant changing of rules) and then the highlight of the day: Roland Garros Men's Final. A showdown between my sweetheart, Roger Federer and Robin Soderling. The day that many a Federer fans have been waiting for. The question going through our minds, "Will this be the day that he wins the elusive French Open AND matches Sampras' all time record of 14 grand slam titles?"

Well...HE DID IT!!!

The match was a delight to watch and when at last Fed fell on his kness in victory...WOW! I was amazed at the how happy I was for him. And I still am. His achievements have been phenomenal. I think that I have been a huge fan since the start of his ATP career and I just love watching him play. It was not easy seeing him lose his number one position to Nadal but once a Federer fan, always a Federer fan. I think that I am still high from his win!

Time To Offski

2009-06-05T19:11:00.003+08:00

It's a Friday evening and it is time to close all applications and turn off the computer. It is my 'holy' night and later on, Federer is going up against Del Porto...fighting for a spot in the finals of the French Open. I hope with all that I can hope with...that my darling hero thrashes Del Porto and advances with full confidence.

This week has been a rather stressful one...but I survived it with all limbs attached and I am thankful. Now for two days of working on the condo and spending more money! I am broke but contented. Tim Hughes is singing, "We must go" and go I will. Before I offski, I leave you with two photos I took off Fiona's (talented, beautiful and easy to work with) website. Lauren's tea ceremony. Note the bunch of brides maids having a go at catching the bouquet.

Am gonna try my bestest to finish off my Neil Gaiman this weekend on top of everything else already planned. Where do I find the time? Well, they say that sleep is for the weak. Mua ha ha...have you not read Twilight, we blood suckers have no need for sleep! Hhhmmm and if you have not read it...I know someone who is trying to sell a whole set! Call me! And now, like the Wee Free Men...it really is time to OFFSKI!!!!

Tough Time Recycling

2009-05-16T15:48:00.002+08:00

It was frustrating. Good intentions were clearly insufficient. But let me start with what STARTED the frustration. Last Sunday, I was out with Amelia getting stuff done for our respective kitchens. It was a hot day. We stopped by a 7-Eleven for can drinks and proceeded to head back into PJ. Soon, the cans were empty and I left them in the car to be recycled once I saw a recycling bin. Monday passed and the cans were still in my car. Wednesday, Thursday and then Friday came and I realised that the places I went to did not have recycling bins located nearby. In fact, the only places I knew had recycling bins are Bangsar Village and IKEA.

My point? It is not easy recycling effectively in Malaysia. You seperate the plastics from the paper and glass. And then, you have to go out there and search for a recycling center. I do it because I believe in recycling. But I can just imagine that those who do not take a really strong stand for it will also not really bother to go out and search for the nearest recycling post. That just irks me. Make recycling more simple and accessible! Then maybe more people will do it. Then maybe the blinking weather will go back to normal and I won't feel like melting every single moment of the day! The hot Leech over and out.

What The Leech Ate In Germany

2009-05-14T01:31:00.011+08:00

Touched down, checked in and really to rumble.

(PS: Being too lazy to post up pics of the places I saw, I am just posting the yummy calories I had)

First shop I spotted walking out from the Marienplatz City Center underground. A bakery filled with really mouth watering breads and desserts.

No, I unfortunately did not have any dessert. Yes, boo hoo hoo...

Instead I had a toasted bread (can't remember what kind) topped with a generous helping of melted cheese, pineapples and bacon. It was SO GOOD.

I was truly in cheese heaven. This was one of the cheese stalls at the Viktualien Markt...a sort of food market in Munich filled with stalls selling fruits (so colourful and neatly arranged), flowers, trinkets, twig animals (each one with individualised names,,,SO CUTE!), sweets and many many other interesting items.

My first beer of the trip. Augustiner's beer hall.

That complimented the recommended pork loin and kraut. Kraut! Oh, that's a whole story of it's own. But it's a story for another blog.

Fresh pretzel filled with cream cheese and chives. I wish I could find this here in Malaysia. I just love their pretzels!

Beer number...erm...oh well, who is keeping count anyway.

Appetizer. You know what the white stuff on the breads is? LARD! Suffice to say, I decided that some calories were not worth the intake. Ha ha...the Leech counting her calories, huh?

After days of oinky loin, oinky knuckles, oinky ribs, oinky sausages, oinky snitzel and oinky strips...I decided to order a sirloin steak topped with fried onions. The combination was really good.

Overall, the food was good...worthy of the LEECH'S SEAL OF APPROVAL. But kraut is to the Germans what kimchi is to the Koreans and what capsicum is to the Leech. Those of you who know me will get what I mean.

Believe

2009-05-13T18:07:00.002+08:00

These past few weeks have been trying ones. They have been filled with challenges, both in and out of the office. There have been times I have lost my way at the crossroad of choices that are appearing more frequently of late. Many times where I have taken the wrong road. Many times that I started to doubt myself and my sanity and whether I was doing the right thing and making the right decisions. Doubts...they never really stop. Instead, they have a really sneaky way of multiplying till you are a jittery, quivery and uncertain mess.

BUT.

Before I got too lost...the Hand that holds me jerked me to a stop. I think that some cold water was splashed as well. It woke me up. WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I DOING??? HELLO?!!! This jittery, quivery and uncertain mess was NOT me. It stops here. I have my directions. I have a map. I have a plan. What exactly was I unsure of? The more I thought of it...the more I reasoned...my doubts slithered away...just as sneakily as they appeared.

Moral of the story. We need to stop and listen and assess before continuing. Those moments of rest are the ones that wake us up. They allow us to hear the alarms that may be blaring before we get too lost. As the saying goes...stop and smell the coffee...ooops...roses.

The Theory Of Intelligence

2009-04-30T15:09:00.002+08:00

I don't know about you, but the conversation below makes A LOT of sense to me. I just had to post it. Anyway, a quick update for the month of April...taxes done...got the keys...went through several cabinet people and growing weary and tired and basically really frustrated (and this is before any work has started!!!)...work is equally as crazy...Ferrari's start has been apalling...so has Federer (but I am still supporting them)...also a very rainy start to the Formula One season (Sepang's race had to be stopped prematurely)...mum's birthday...swine flu (a week before I fly off)...a cancelled beach get-a-way...Sassorosso (which was just so so...ha ha ha...I just kill myself at times)...Yaki-Yaki (does NOT get the Leech's seal of approval)...Tenji (would probably not go back)...more futsal. Life has been good. Thank God for that!

"Well you see, Norm, it's like this. A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells.. Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that, Norm, is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."

Good Friday

2009-04-10T15:50:00.004+08:00

Why don't they understand,

Why can't they see,

Why are they crying in silence,

Why do they all have hearts broken,

It's not meant to be like this,

Why aren't they ALIVE,

Why have they not choosen love and hope and peace,

They could be running, flying, soaring with me,

But instead they have choosen to be chained,

They have choosen to endure the pain,

Pain that I can heal,

Pain that I can take away,

Just like I have taken all of it away,

Why can't they see...

There is another way,

And that way is ME,

I wait with open arms,

Saying pick me, choose me, love me

For I have picked you,

I have choosen you,

And I love you,

For all eternity.

Give Up? Never!

2009-04-08T08:50:00.002+08:00

Some people use words too blatantly and obviously without thinking. And they do this under the misguided guise of, "I am only saying it for your own good." As if!

One of the things that I particularly dislike are these three words: JUST GIVE UP. I have one word in retalliation: NEVER. I believe in trying my darnest best if it is something that I am committed to...something I believe in. In the event that it does not work out and turns out not to be the best course of action, then I will graciously LET IT GO. But I will never give up. If there is a will, there IS a way. The way may be a longer one...a more twisty one...but merely giving up is never the key. So people may tell you to give up but don't you EVER do so without a fight!

Finally It's Here

2009-04-02T15:55:00.002+08:00

Has there ever been ONE thing that you have waited FOREVER to have? The one thing that seemed like it would never materialised. You wait and wait and then one fine day, a call comes, "It is here!" The world stops spinning and you forget to breath. The hustle and bustle surrounding you dims into silence and the only audible sound is the beating of your heart.

Yup, I had a moment like that two days ago. It was a beautiful moment. It was a thankful moment. I thought that the day would never come. I sometimes felt weary...lost...and faith was all my hope could cling on to. Now I sigh with relief while frowning at the same time. One chapter has closed and another challenging one is opening. But I am not afraid. I take Your hand and step unto the freshly turned page. You take that first step with confidence and though my legs are a little shakey, I follow suit. I smile and shout, "BRING IT ON!"

Why Employers Should Provide Free Coffee

2009-03-24T18:50:00.003+08:00

It makes sense. It makes A LOT of sense. 3-in-1 just doesn't do it for us anymore. We are talking premium coffee beans and have you seen the prices of premium coffee beans these days? Expensive is an understatement for the amount and frequency we consume. So yes, Wally has hit the nail on it's head in a very precise manner. What else are you waiting for...start up a petition and hand it over to your HR fellas.

100 Greatest Books

2009-03-23T14:26:00.004+08:00

The BBC came up with this list of 100 books.Apparently the average number of books from this list that people have read is 6.

Instructions:

1) Look at the list and put an 'X' after those you have read.

2) Add a '+' to the ones you LOVE.

3) Tally your total at the bottom.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X+
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X+
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X++
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X+
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
The Bible (Erm...have definitely read through the whole NT...may have missed out some from the OT...so I won't claim this book to be thoroughly read)
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (started)
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X+
Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Complete Works of Shakespeare (just a few...and simplified versions at that!)
Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (on Waiting List To Be Read)
The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchel
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (on Waiting List To Be Read)
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll X
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame X
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
Emma - Jane Austen X
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hussein
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X+
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne X
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (on Waiting List To Be Read)
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X+
Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel X
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon X
Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding X
Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Herman Melville X
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X++ (one of my all time fav books ~ am so glad it is on this list)
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson (just started)
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Color Purple - Alice Walker
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom X
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X++
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton X
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X+
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (ironically ~ I love the musical but have not read the books)

That's 28 books read in full.

Smoked Bluecheese Burger @ William's

2009-03-23T01:27:00.003+08:00

The Leech's Question & Answer Session:

Q: Is it as yummy as it looks?

A: YES! Oh yes it is!

Q: Is it as big as it looks?

A: YES! Oh yes it is!

Q: What else did the burger come with?

A: Yummy mash tatters, coleslaw and two equally yummy sauces.

Q: Will you order it again?

A: Yes definitely...but knowing William and his ever growing menu...there might not be an oppurtunity to.

Q: What drink would The Great Leech pair this burger with?

A: Hhhmmm, tough one but I will go for the Lemon Iced Tea...kurang manis!

Weekend

2009-03-23T01:02:00.004+08:00

My weekend started out with swimming 30 laps around the pool with Choobs on Saturday morning and ended just now at a funeral wake of an uncle whom we occasionally saw during Chinese New Year. The middle bits mainly involved church and more church (yes, it was a rather holy sort of weekend). It has also been a VERY hot weekend...the heatwaves have returned and I was left tossing and turning the whole of last night. Even now as I sit in the living room, I wish I had a pool outside that I could jump into. I wonder how Fei Fei the cat survives the hot days with all that fur. Maybe he has taught himself to turn on the tap in the garden for a quick fix. Maybe he sneaks into the neighbours air-conditoned house.

And also, after a truly unsatisfying lunch today, we (my usual Sunday afternoon makan gang) have decided to permanently slash Kavitha's Curry House (the one off Jalan Gasing ~ in some housing area) off our List of Acceptable Eateries. The service has always sucked due to insufficient staffing. But now, the curries sucked BIG TIME too. The salt fish curry that I used to be crazy about is now a disappointing watered down concoction that deserves no thumbs up. The normal fish curry too was lacking flavour. It was a huge waste of calories! Gah! Never again.

I am gonna have another cold shower now before hitting the sack. It's gonna be another long week starting tomorrow. I can just tell. Nights!

Wait A Minute...What Was I Saying?

2009-03-20T18:02:00.002+08:00

I am having one of those overwhelming days. I know I am having one of those days because I hear myself uttering the following:

"Huh?"

"What was that again?"

"Erm, where were we?"

"What was I saying"

"No we can't do that...(pause for 2 seconds)...what were we talking about?"

You will also probably see me walking in a confused daze...unsure of where I am supposed to go. My hair will be tied back in a messy ponytail. My eyes glazed. Yes, it's a really sorry sight and it's an indication that I should call it a day. Yes, my table is still filled with papers calling for my attention but I am gonna say, "Sorry dudes. My brains are fried. You are gonna have to wait till tomorrow cause this chick is going out for a cold one NOW." In my mind I am now slamming the office door and yelling, "HASTA LA VISTA BABY!" to no one in particular and jump into my red Ferari and drive off into the sunset. In reality, I am going to publish this post, shut down the lap top, lock up, get into Ichi Babi and drive off to 222 where my pals are awaiting.

What Melts The Leech's Heart

2009-03-19T17:13:00.002+08:00

I found the quote below while surfing the net one fine day. I read. I melted. I copied. I pasted. I re-read it and melted all over again. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic with a low melting point.

“Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat, or will stay awake just to watch you sleep... wait for the boy who kisses your forehead, who wants to show you off to the world when you are in sweats, who holds your hand in front of his friends, who thinks you're just as pretty without makeup on. One who is constantly reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have you.... The one who turns to his friends and says, 'that's her.'”

Fears Verbalised

2009-03-19T08:56:00.006+08:00

I think that every team leader's fear when it comes to hiring the team is very succintly worded by Scott Adam that "EVERY PROJECT HAS AT LEAST ONE IRREDEEMABLE IMBECILE". That one person that seemed perfect (yes, first impressions can be very deceiving) at the interview but will later on prove to be the bane of your existence. There has to be a way of detecting these people because working with idiots can really be hazardous to health.

Dear One

2009-03-18T18:22:00.003+08:00

Sometimes relationships can be so frustrating and I feel so tempted to yell out the first thing on my mind...but I hold my breath...I bite my tongue because I have a policy of not speaking when I am angry. Words are something that I never want to have regrets over. But if I were to fume, it would probably go something like this:

"Sometimes it is just so frustrating when you lie to me or when you don't tell me the whole truth. If I did not care about you, it would not hurt at all, but since I do...it does. I want to know you. I want to know your deepest thoughts. What scares you, what intrigues you...I want to know YOU. Why are the walls still up? Why does it feel like there is an expanse that I try to close but widens with time. You claim to be there, you claim to care...but I see us growing apart and hurts because you mean something to me."

Sometimes (I think) relationships can be saved if only we were brave or secure enough to say what's on our minds...to say what needs to be said...to a friend, a lover or a family member. But so many times we choose to remain silent rather than to 'hurt' the other or to 'create a scene'. I say, what's wrong in creating a scene? I would rather go through life riddled with such scenes than one filled with repressed silence where everyone tip toes around landmines of secrecy and hurt. Well I tried, and with that done, there's nothing more to say but...goodnight you Princes of Maine, you Kings of New England.

Blogging Out Of Guilt!

2009-03-17T19:03:00.003+08:00

I am put to shame by Haris' daily blog entries. And he doesn't just blog but HE BLOGS...a polite way of saying that he can REALLY describe things at length...as oppose to my lazy rambly sporadic (twice a month?) posts. So this is truly blogging out of guilt. But nevertheless...I present to you a cryptic update poem that will neither rhyme or be in the running for the Poem Of The Year Award:

Marriage

Suits you well

You glow and I am thrilled

But let him know

Just a hair out of line

Four consequences will befall

Without warning

The elusive key

Proves to remain elusive

So I wait

And wonder

How things will be

Prying eyes and nosey parkers

My oh my

What goes around does come around

Your efforts are in vain

And you shall remain

Not knowing

A ghastly defeat

My head hangs in sorrow

The Kop has won

And I am left thankful

That the tv died so appropriately

And to a lesser cryptic degree, I have some what redeemed myself from my shame in the shape of two thick bookeths of mindless vampire romance. I did this by pushing the shame to Jenna...ha ha ha ha ha! We were at the MPH warehouse sale last Saturday and lo and behold...the whole set of the Twilight series going at a discounted price (was cursing and ahem...cursing more...over the FULL PRICE buy just one week earlier). I refused to look at it (okay...maybe I peeked a little) and deliberately turned the cheek towards the direction of Gaiman, Bryson and Hayden. But I guess that Jenna REALLY wanted to know the ending that she ended up buying the last two books of the series. Such a sweetheart for carrying The Shame with me.

I ended up leaving with a Neil Gaiman, two Bill Brysons and one Torey Hayden. Time to read them? Ah well...with my talent of reading three different books at a go...

Twilight...The Biggest Booketh Mistake Ever!

2009-03-10T13:14:00.007+08:00

Last Sunday found me in Borders...browsing...where I made the biggest selection mistake ever. Twilight...is (in my humble opinion) the WORST BOOK EVER WRITTEN that has received so many accolades of praise. And that is me in a very generous mood. Please don't ask me why I purchased it. We all have our weak moments. I do not have many regrets in life...but thanks to this buy, the list just grew by two points (yes I confess, I also bought the sequel New Moon). Argh!!! Please don't judge me...or my library of books...I feel rotten enough as it is.

But on the bright side (and wanting to move away and forget Twilight ever happened), I also acquired a book that I have been searching for awhile now. American Gods (author's prefered text) by Neil Gaiman and it was much cheaper than the copy I saw in Brisbane (so I am glad that I waited). Yes, I also feel bad because Gaiman and Twilight should never be mentioned in the same article and neither should Gaiman ever be in the same book bag as Twilight. Suffice to say, I have learned my lesson. My shame is great but I shall raise my head and continue my browsing (far far away from books with the titles Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn).

25 Random Things About The Leech

2009-02-12T14:05:00.001+08:00

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, just copy and paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.

Thanks a bunch Jess! Yes, I know that you are not pointing a gun to my head but you know how compliant I am to these sort of lists…so here goes:

1. When I was younger, I used to get nightmares that my mum would have another kid and I would be the unwanted and unloved middle child.
2. I don’t drink sugarcane water (EVER!) since that day where my dad stopped at the road side and my whole family (but not yours truly because yours truly did not like the murky green juice that the machine squirted out) had many sips of the said juice. The next day, all of them had really bad diarrhoea.
3. The only two edible things that I do not eat are bitter gourd and pepper (green, yellow, red…whatever colours it comes in, those are the colours that I don’t eat). Everything else is fair game.
4. My morning routine as I enter the office. Mumble, mumble (my attempts at wishing the co-workers good morning)…tries to fit key into room door and succeeds after the fourth try…dumps bags on chair…turns lap top on…heads to the pantry…pats darling coffee machine and presses the appropriate buttons (apparently, I know more about the coffee machine than the others who have worked here for the longest time ever)…takes a great big sniff and settles into chair…then gulp, gulp, gulp and ten minutes later, the cobwebs have magically been remove and work beckons.
5. I have no desire to get a big ass car because I am now making a little bit more money than I used to. My next car (in the far future…can’t bear to part with ichi ban buta just yet) will be a cute hybrid car…or an EV car! I do not need to go from 0 to 80 km/h in 2 seconds. I already drive like a maniac as it is.
6. I was 8 years old (or so) and walking back from dancing class with a friend when a creepy stranger guy tried to grab us. My friend was scared shit but I got angry (yes, kids do have a natural sense of what violation is) and started kicking and punching the guy in a blind frenzy that he had to let us go. I grabbed my friend and we ran all the way home. I shudder to think what would have happened had we not gotten away. Thank God we did!
7. I know that I will never finish this list if I don’t keep it short!
8. I love tom yam. That’s the only thing I crave for whenever I am overseas. For one week last year, I had tom yam every single day and was still in love with it.
9. I think that ordering Indomie goreng at the mamak is a waste of money (mamak = RM3.50/plate vs 1 packet off the supermarket shelf = RM 0.50) but I still order it anyway.
10. I am a sucker for guys with luscious lips.
11. I will always love Roger Federer no matter what ranking he is at.
12. I have this innate ability to fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow so I am not fun at sleep overs once the lights have gone off.
13. I like my space. I need my space.
14. I love wasabi covered macadamia nuts. It’s sad that I can’t get any in Malaysia.
15. I told my mum how much I love her right before she died. I am glad I did.
16. I once ate 36 oysters in one sitting. I have yet to repeat that feat.
17. I love (LOVE!) Japanese food.
18. I don’t like crowds. They make me feel claustrophobic. The only crowds I like and want to be a part of are those in any Linkin Park concert.
19. For the past two years, I attempted to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. As a result, I have two unfinished novels in my hard drive. The second try churned out a feeble one page; half of which were lyrics of Beyonce’s “If I Were A Boy.”
20. I secretly want a little penguin from Philip Island as a pet.
21. Almost everything piggy I own are given by friends. The only piggy thing I bought for myself is the headrest in Ichi Ban Buta. Everything else are gifts.
22. I hate having to choose between having a mango or a berrylicious fruit drink.
23. I can’t understand why Manju and Ratha don’t eat durians!
24. Barney scares me. I don’t like the colour purple because it reminds me of Barney!
25. There is a cupboard in my dead grandmother’s room that scares me because it is the perfect size to fit her body in. After her funeral, I was supposed to sleep in her room. I think I stared apprehensively at the cupboard a good while before dozing off. No, I did not dare open it and I don’t think I have ever opened it since.

Jan Nearly Went Without A Post

2009-01-27T23:26:00.002+08:00

Sitting in front of the telly, watching a replay of the Australian Open match between Roddick and Djokovich. My heart goes out to Djokovich for not being able to complete the match. It's not easy...the conditions in Melbourne. It is HOT and dry. I know. My skin is still peeling leaving me looking like a skin disease victim. I was out with me cuzzies at a shopping mall today and I was wondering what was up with all the weird stares at my chest!!! It was when I went to the toilet that enlightenment came upon me with a glance in the mirror. I was flaking and peeling so badly that it looked really...well...gross. The new skin is shades lighter than the burnt bits around it. You can just imagine. No low necks for now.

It is back to the grinding board tomorrow. Sigh. Am gonna miss the day matches...and think that Federer darling will be playing during the day session on Thursday.

Reading: A Hat Full of Sky (Terry Pratchett)

Just finished: The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)

Looking forward to: Best friend's wedding

Last laps in pool: 8 (with much 'encouragement' from Munchkin)

This Is Me Trying To Get Started On Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T09:50:00.003+08:00

Christmas carols are playing on my lap top and there's a feeling of calm and peace in the air. As I type this post, preparations are under way for the barbeque tonight...and I am salivating as thoughts of perfectly marinated grill lamb float in out of my pre-caffeinated brains. My car smells like baguettes...not complaining though...it's a nice smell...a yummy smell. And how can Ichi Ban Buta not smell like baguettes? That was A LOT of baguettes in my trolley last night (ha ha...totally emptied Tesco's shelves)...people actually stopped to stare. I felt like telling them, "I like my baguettes, okay?!!! You got a problem with that?!!!" Then I would give them a troll like sneer and walk away. Ha ha ha! The baguettes are for the grilled garlic bread tonight, in case anyone is wondering. I think I will skip my lunch today.

Okay, before I go, this is a list of 'me' that I penned down in Sept, 2004 in case I developed amnesia and needed to get to know myself all over again. Say what?!! Don't ask. I don't know why I think of these things. Amnesia indeed! Anyway, it was amusing going down the list because I realised that I have not changed much. Hhhhmmm, I don't know whether that's good or bad...more bad I reckon. But here it is anyway...with my comments in red (comments from my 2008 self that is):

.
I don't smoke. (Still don't)
I drink somewhat. (Ha ha...yes, still somewhat!)
I hate capsicum and milk. (With a passion)
I have the gift of sleeping. (Thank God still do...as soon as my head hits the pillow)
I love traveling.
But only with the right sort of people.
I hate hypocrites.
But sometimes am one myself.
I like most alternative music. (And now indie groups too...and melancholic song writers)
I also like Simon & Garfunkle and the Carpenters. (So sue me!)
I love my mum dearly.
I am funny. (Damn perasan even back then)
I am also serious.
I love reading and buying books.
My diet is not very healthy. (You don't say)
I have three best friends since kindergarten.
I love cheese and caviar.
I collect pigs. (Not live ones)
I love driving. (Still do)
I love my dad and bro too. (No choice...ha ha ha)
I was a good student in school. (Again...damn perasan...why did I put this in?)
I can be very outspoken and loud. (Me...the shy one? Must have gotten this wrong)
I am a big fan of the Formula One Grand Prix.
I do things obsessively. (I draw a blank on this one)
I have an improving sense of direction. (Still improving...Ju and Div...no commenting here!)
I am a jeans and shirt gal.
I value memories...sad and happy.
I love to throw things away.
I love to cook when I have the chance.
I love to do art work.
But hardly have the time.
I like my eggs sunny side up.
I prefer noodles over rice.
I could drink tom-yam every day. (And I did...for an entire week)
I value my true friends deeply.
I am a thinker and a brooder.
I love curling up in bed with a good book.
I also love hanging out with my buds.
I like brainless romantic films.
If they're British all the better.
But I prefer dramas.
I like guys with lucious lips.
I don't like people taking advantage of other people.
I hate violence and any senseless lost of life.
.

How I amuse myself. Yes I do. But it's time to go. Finished The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) last night. Wonderful. Loved it and was oh-so sad when it ended. Made me think of The Jungle Book...somehow. Okay. Really going. Need to drink my coffee. Need to wake up. Need to get my tum tums ready for the barbeque tonight...that's motivation enough to drag my ass (pardon the language) to the shower.

An Entry For December

2008-12-21T14:08:00.004+08:00

I have started this post so many times. I have started. I have paused and then I have deleted...again and again. I don't know why. Perhaps I am not ready to summarise this year...yet. Like the years of the past, this one is fleeting and I am grasping at its tail, asking it to slow down. But like any constant, it doesn't, it continues. So, that doesn't leave me much of a choice. I either blog now or December will be left post-less...a sad sad affair seeing how my determination to blog at a more frequent pace has twindled down, down, down towards the end of the year.

But I can feel myself digressing.

In a nutshell, 2008 has been a year filled with many bitter and many a sweet memories and many a firsts. After many years of not being around for the Chinese New Year celebrations, Jess and myself flew up to Penang to be with our Tai Yee...after stuffing our faces silly with steamboat the night before. Our first flight with Fire Fly. You don't want to be without your hand sanitiser in one of them planes. Maybe things have changed now. I hope. My first time voting (and the rakyat spoke up and was heard!). First interview for a promotion (yes, in all of my nine years in the hospital) and then waiting for what seemed like an eternity...and eternity of assumptions. And yes, my first promotion...the sweet yet humbling taste of victory. My first resignation letter (thank you Christie fot the Malay translation). My first hunting for a place of my own. My first time driving on the WRONG side of the road. My first time in Vegas. My first time in KK as a tourist...and not just doing the airport-swanky hotel-airport route. A lot of firsts...many that I can't recall just right now (hey, I turned 30 this year...I SHOULD be allowed to forget things)...but it has all been good...even when it was bad...it always ended up good (this may not make much sense but bear with me).

I have learned much this year...seen much. Had my heart broken to a kazillion pieces. Had it put together again. Experienced first hand how some people can be rats...evil to the core. A harder lesson learnt is that these people sometimes disguise themselves as friends. I found out that back stabbing is such an easy feat that many have black belts in this discipline. People lie and snitch to get what they want and to get out of difficult situations...some of these people call themselves my superior. I guess that I have always known this...but experiencing it is something different altogether.

But yet, I am ending this year on a positive note. Though this year has been a year of changes and has brought about many difficult and life changing decisions to make, I am thankful...for the Hand that has and always will continue to engulf mine. I am thankful for those I call my true friends...my loved ones. I have been blessed with a terrific care group filled with terrific (and crazy...I guess that you could call them terrifically crazy) people. I am thankful for His provision...it has been sufficient and MORE. I have been blessed with faith...in being sure of what I hope for and certain of what I cannot see.

Dear Lord, I end this year with You. Next year is also Yours. And the one after that...and the one after. I don't know what it holds...but I know that You know...and that's enough for me.

Merry Christmas and a great year ahead!

Goodbye

2008-11-24T00:57:00.003+08:00

Be warned. This entry is definitely going to be rambly and melancholic. This is your truly and her thoughts at 1:51am. The twitching hour has passed and I am left with a sense of...

Who would have thought that in the nine years I have been in this institution, the roots that have sprouted...have grown so deep. Happy days, sad days...mediocre days. Happy people, sad people...mediocre people. So many of these have come and gone. And like these things...these people...so have I...came and now...gone.

And how do I feel?

Sad among other things. Sad to leave some really good colleagues that I have the priviledge to now call my friends. Sad to leave the things that I love doing. Sad to not be walking down the halls that hold so many memories.

But at the same time, I am glad to leave certain things and rodents behind. No no...this is not me being vindictive and evil. There's enough of that in the world already. I realise that no matter where I am, there is bound to be other rats around. So those of you who say that I am not a realist...I am...it's just that I choose to be an optimistic realist. And I bear no grudges. I bear no hard feelings. As I leave...I leave with a clear consciense and good will and I thank God that I am able to do that.

So this is a chapter closing in my life and a new one starting soon. As the page turns, I am learning to let go and move on. But I am glad that some characters from the previous chapters are following me into this new one...at least not everything will be new...and scary. But I am excited and looking forward to it. Come what may...I have a Friend that is holding my hand and I am comforted.

So I bid thee good night. It wasn't such a rambly post after all.

The Good Old Days...

2008-10-14T20:54:00.005+08:00

Can you spot yours truly in the picture above? I mean...common on...it's not difficult is it? There are only two Chinese girls in that class and I was not wearing glasses YET at the time. The year was 1998...kelas 4 Chempaka...

An old school posted a couple of our primary school pictures up on Face Book. Some made me smile and others made me cringe. Before long, I was rolling on the floor with laughter...which I take as a good sign...at least I have a childhood filled with stupid memories. Like for instance...

There was this one guy in our class (he is in the picture above but so not saying which one) whom Manju and myself (and I am sure others as well) used to bully...well...maybe bully is too strong a word...tease then. And he would always retaliate by saying stuff like, "I ask my mother to pour hot water on you!". Talk about an easy target. Yes...yes, kids are sometimes unkind...but in our defence...we just could not help ourselves. One day, when he could no longer 'tahan' us, he with much gusto stood up and yelled, "STOP PROSTITUTING ME!". I took one look at Manju and we burst out laughing. We think that the poor fella meant to ask us to stop 'prosecuting' him.

Alas...

No More Food Please!!!

2008-10-12T23:05:00.005+08:00

Oh! Pig, pig, pig!!! That's what I've been. My birthday has come and gone but the 'festivities' have not. On Wednesday (my birthday proper), D, M and J and yours truly partied away at 21. The food there is really good and so was the bottle of wine we pick...white...not too dry with slight fruity hints. See, I should remember the good wines I drink but...do I? No! As a result, it's always eeni meeni minee mo...which bottle is to go? Anyway, got a bril pressie from D. Anyone wanna play with me?

Yesterday was a Japanese feast with my hometown posse. And no...I did not beat my record of 36 oysters. I only managed 17 this time around.

And tonight, another round of seafood with my ex-dg members at Telok Gong. Marmite and salted egg crabs, assam* fish, bamboo lala, too fu, butter mantis prawns, la la mee hoon and of course a dish of veggie (obligatory dish on most Malaysians dining table). Dawn...the little temptress...ordered a small bottle of toddy (todi?). Summary: STUFFED TO THE BRINK.

There are no pictures of food at Genji @ PJ Hilton or at the Coconut Restaurant for a very simple reason. We were too busy eating to think about taking pictures. Alas...our memories will have to be out faithful reminder of these 'gluttony' days.

Anyway dear friends...thank you for making this milestone a memorable and fun one. Thank you especially for all the free food and drinks. Ha ha. Yes, we may occasionally fight and have difference of opinions...but I trust that our friendship is strong enough to overcome all that and more. So I raise my glass to all of you...salute!

Assam = spicy sourish sauce

I Feel The Lurve

2008-10-05T22:39:00.005+08:00

It has started. The countdown to my big THREE-O. I feel it my bones. I need to start taking calcium tablets...at a more regular frequency (not the once a month dosing that I am currently practising...yes, I know...none compliant pharmacist) because according to Abbott pharmaceuticals, "Bone lost starts at 30". But hey...age is just a number I am told.

I am not going to tone down...talk less...lose my hearty laughter...but instead I have every intention to LIVE MORE and make every second count. Who is with me?!!!

Yeah!

Tonight...was...let me think...fun! Yes definitely. True, I was very disappointed that the rain spoilt our paintball session. But hey, we can't always get what we want. So, true to our Chinese nature (yes...Div...don't deny that 'makan' gene in you), we went straight for dinner. Dinner was good...assam steam fish, salted egg crabs, Mantis prawns, yam basket, butter prawns and lots of veggie.

The food was gone in the flash. Really. I am not exagerating. Then, came the birthday cake. Then came the series of unfortunate events that lead to yours truly having her face shoved into the cake in front of the entire restaurant. She was then allowed to clean up...first walking the walk of shame through the restaurant to the toilet. Then came the second wave. I should have seen it coming. I really should have...but I did not. Shame on me...must be getting soft with old age. Flour...water...sigh. Poor Bee had to drive a drippy Leech back home.

We learn something new each day. The lesson of the day is this: it is really difficult getting flour out of one's hair...and clothes. The picture up up up there is of my hair...still with bits of flour (by this time it had become dough) in it even after a vigorous wash. My shirt too still has bits of flour all over it. I have given up scrubbing it. I will wait till it is dry to pick out the dry bits.

Another lesson: friendship...is a really beautiful thing. Before you guys, The Rat had me thinking that my colleagues could never be my friends. Thanks for proving her wrong. So this blog is dedicated to you guys...in alphabetical order...Adwin, Amelia, Bee, Divya, Jing Yong, Poh Wan, Wen Chieh...cause you all ROCK!

Blur...

2008-10-03T10:01:00.000+08:00

This Hari Raya…though not as strenous as last year’s white water rafting, abseiling and caving expedition…proved to be equally as entertaining though not entirely as healthy. After two days of intoxicating social dos that started on Friday afternoon, it was REALLY difficult waking up this morning to get to work. Granted, the roads were crystal clear (just gotta lurve the holidays!)…but I could not say the same about my head.

But I digress…or not. Over the last two days (that really felt like a weekend) I played some ping pong, managed a 6 minute change of clothes*, ‘socialised’ at tsb, watched many episodes of Shark, attended a close friend’s daughter’s Sangeet a.k.a Punjabi style celebration with lots of singing and dancing and juicy ribs, did a Kimi Raikkonen to Subang for waffles, shot a cross bow and pretended to be Legolas with a bow and arrow, ventured around the town of Kundang in search of lunch, walked the whole of Summit, pigged out on just too much food and ended the festivities with Mama Mia.

Mama Mia was entertaining but I just could not stomach the Pierce Brosnan singing romantic/angst love songs. It was just too weird for me. In my head, he will always be, “Bond, James Bond.”

Right then, that’s all the update for now because dear blog, a certain silver Honda City awaits to sweep us out for lunch.

* Kiasu attempt to avoid paying parking fees but later on found out that the exit bar was up anyway cause no one was around. Gah!!!

I Picture It In Black And White

2008-09-11T00:57:00.005+08:00

While I was going through my stuff today, I found old pictures dating back to my university days in Glasgow, my college days in Sunway and my secondary school days in Kuala Terengganu. Old memories flooded my thoughts and nostalgia tugged at my heart. Friends, ex-boyfriends, family...acquiantances I cannot remember names off...they were all there.

There was that picture of the four musketeers (Lauren, Manju, Ratha and yours truly) standing on my gate in my old house in KT. We must have just finished a tuition session in my house...probably accounting. We were so young and carefree.

Then there was that whole album of the five of us modelling for Bahar (who is now a bonafide photographer traveling the world in search of that one perfect shot) in the basement of Vero's house. That brought a sheepish smile of...erm...embarassment..."What were we thinking off?!!". No one must EVER see those pictures. Cringe cringe! To think that we even had wardrobe changes and drabes as backdrops. Why? Why? Why?!!! Oh, the follies of youth...

There were many pictures of the many Chinese New Year dinners the entire extended family had together...Teluk Intan, Kuala Terengganu, Penang and Bentong. The food! Oh the food! My mum and aunts would conspire weeks preceeding the event of what would be on the menu and who would prepare what...sheer geniouses at work. The younger generation knew better than to get it their way. Oh no! One cardinal rule: NEVER go into the kitchen while the aunts were at work. We knew our role by heart...eat up and pretend to help out with the dishes later.

There was that one picture of Adrian and myself covered with chocolate sauce and flour...somewhere in the back streets of Glasgow. My birthday 'gift' to him. Of course my plans backfired on me. I was supposed to remain clean...but alas...the best laid plans...

I could go on and on but I won't (yes, I can hear you sighing in relief). It is sometimes nice to remember the past...to laugh over the ridiculous and silly things we did (and trust me, I have PLENTY of 'stupid things done in the past' to laugh...and cringe about). It helps me take stock of my current situation and see how far I've come from those days and how much I have changed AND whether those changes were for the better or the worse. It gently reminds me of the invincibility of my youth and if I could do it then...I can certainly do it now!!! Lastly, it reminds me that I have been blessed with family and friends and a life rich with colourful experiences.

So yes...take time to travel through the roads of years gone past. You never know what you might re-find. Enjoy the memories...this Leech is heading off to bed. Sweet dreams!

Just Another Manic Monday

2008-09-08T12:19:00.002+08:00

A question one should always ask one's inner 'clutter' self: Can I possibly pack my whole life's belongings in one weekend to be moved to another location if ever the Mob decides to come after me?

If the answer is no...then you have too many wordly things that I can bet you haven't even touched in the past year...no no...in the past FIVE years. Am I right or am I right! I never knew that I was a clutter freak until I this weekend where I had to have a major spring cleaning exercise...reasons of which I am unable to disclose. Anyhow, the amount of junk I threw out, recycled and donated were phenomenal. Okay, so most of the things were my dad's stuff but still, I had like clothes from fifteen years ago and stuff from all the conferences I have ever attended. Boy, did I have a good time of throwing things away.

In case I have never said this before...I LOVE THROWING THINGS AWAY. The problem is that I don't set nearly enough 'throwing away' time as I would like and hence the 'collection' of clutter grows. So, my new take in life...SIMPLICITY! We actually don't use a whole lot of things in our day to day life...at least I don't. We DON'T need really need a lot of things to survive and be able to help others and have a good time.

Ooops, got to go. The mania begins once more...one day I may explain this elusive entry but for the time being BUY LESS AND GIVE MORE!

A Myth...

2008-08-30T14:16:00.002+08:00

And so...I have given up cold drinks, spicy food, fried food and all forms of alcohol. A promise I made to Amelia as I started my journey towards clear lungs and a fluff free throat. You (and I) really have no idea how difficult and also abnormal it is for me to order warm/hot drinks..."Satu limau...errrmmm panas kurang manis"...amidst the weird looks from my peeps. You see, I am the one who is always complaining that 'it is freaking hot in here...down the tempt man!' and constantly running to the cafeteria for ice.

It has been 3 days now and I think that this whole...cannot drink cold water and eat spicy food is a myth BECAUSE THE FLUFF BALL IS STILL THERE and my lungs are getting chestier (ha ha...I nearly typed bustier). Okay...it is time to resort to medication. My plan is:

Ambroxol 30mg TDS

Actifed i ON

Vitamin C 1000mg OD

Benadryl 15mL ON

And if that doesn't work...then Tommy, I hope that you are ready for me. HA HA HA!!!

Long Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

2008-08-29T17:15:00.008+08:00

My resistance towards medication and desire in remaining antibiotic naive is wearing thin. I have been coughing my lungs out for the past couple of weeks. Actually, I have been 'trying' to cough out this the really irritating evil fluff ball that has taken residence in my throat. It (the no gooder fluff ball) is really good at NOT being evicted. I have tried apple cider vinegar (thanks Wen Wei...my perp...not my brother...yes...seriously!) which burnt a pathway from my throat right down to my stomach. It worked for a while but the fluff ball returned. I have tried Fluimucil and Mucosolvan...but alas...the fluff ball and phlegm remained. I feel bad for all my peeps around me. I try and TRY not to cough but this damn thing is just too good at its job of being...well...fluffy. Gah!

This week is finally over and I am sitting in my cubicle (my extremely neat and well organised five by five by five cube!) feeling worn out and OLD!!! The amount of reports and paper work that is on my table has piled up over the last three weeks. I am so glad that my boy is coming back (miss bullying him...ha ha...and ganging up to bully our perps)...I really just need to sit in front of my pc and not be disturbed by phone calls and patients and annoying colleagues. Okay, back to work...I am determined to clear my table this weekend...DETERMINED I tell ya! Besides...the time is coming soon (sorry for being cryptic...but those of you who know...tahu tahu lah!) and now is as good a time as ever.

Anyway, a few photos of my last trip to make me feel less worn out and aged. Ha ha...happy Merdeka ya all!

Sunset at Redondo Beach. Gorgeous...chilly...just the way I like it.

If my grafiti was that good...there would be more grafiti on the walls in my hospital...YEAH!

A room with a view...if my bedroom looked out at THAT...I would probably not need to roll around so much before psyching myself to get out of bed.

I love the beach...the smells...the sounds.

I miss my long wavy hair! It is short now...a victim (the hair) of the hot Malaysian weather and a little too many oysters...a story that can only be told face to face, I am afraid. Anyway, that (the glass) was a giganto iced margarita...pekat enough...just the way I like it!!!

Dinner followed suit.

Yes my fellow 'Live To Eat' club members...fried lobsters and crab legs and yes...it was THAT good.

Down In The Dumps

2008-08-19T11:09:00.002+08:00

Sometimes I feel so stripped down. All my defenses have disappeared over night and I feel raw and exposed. And it certainly doesn’t help that I am listening to very melancholic music right now (The Pierces: Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge). I suppose that the lyrics are actually rather ironically funny, but in my current mood of gloom and sensitivity, it sounds dead depressing. Life is really a matter of interpretation, isn’t it?

It’s just this time of the year that brings me down and I try not to let it, but starting from mid August I just start getting really gloomy (I know, I am going to use this word a fair bit here, my sincere apologies) without knowing why. It just hits me all of a sudden. Blam! And I am left wanting to crawl into a hole and just hide…hibernate.

Then I realise, oh, this were the couple of really difficult weeks leading up to my mum’s death. Okay. This fact sinks in and suddenly I feel less gloomy…because it helps to understand where the gloom (hey, this is only the fourth time!) is coming from. Then at least I can start working on it.

So I guess that for the time being, I am going to stay away from people who grate my exposed nerves and remember to breath deeply (like a hundred times) before I say something biting in response to imbecilic remarks. For those of you dear to my heart (you know who you are), please bear with me if you catch me in one of my moods. I really don’t mean to bring anyone down. Those who can’t bear with me, then I guess that you are not dear to my heart and I seriously am not in the least bothered about what you think.

And P/S: Don’t dish out advice that you yourself do not or cannot follow because it just seems really silly coming out from your hypocritical mouth.

There, I have said it. I have said it and I am going to leave it.

Eating Alone...

2008-08-10T20:04:00.002+08:00

Okay, so most of us associate eating as social events...get togethers...catch ups. You pick up the phone and go, "Ho loi mo kin...oi yum cha mo?" (directly translated as "Long time no see...want to drink tea a.k.a makan*-lah*?"). You get the point.

But there ARE times when one becomes hungry at odd hours and one does not have one's boyfriend or girlfriend or normal friends for that matter to lunch or dine with and one is forced to venture out into the cruel world in search of nutrition (especially when that one is too lazy to cook).

That happened to me this afternoon. It was a terrible call (and still is...oh ICU...why do you plague my on call days with your inefficiencies!!!) and I finished rather late in the afternoon. Having eaten neither breakfast nor drunk any coffee, I was famished. The kind of famished that leaves one yearning for her favourite dishes (tom yam, durians, steamboat, crabs, sashimi, raw oyters...). It was coming to 4 pm and so I decide to head to this Chilli Pan Mee shop near my house. I entered the shop and sat down at a table meant for two. It was clearly just me and my handbag. The douchebag of a waiter took a while to take my order because he thought that I was waiting for someone else. Sacrilege!!! She could not possibly be eating alone. Sound the sirens. We have a social outcast on our hands!!!

I had to wave him over to take my order...a bowl of spicy pan mee and a herbal tea. All through my order he kept asking, "Only for one? Only for one?". Yes dude, I am eating alone. What's wrong with you? Have you not seen anyone eating alone before? Are you afraid of eating alone? Hello? Which freaking universe are you from! Now scramble along and bring me my order for ONE...yes you heard it right...ONE ONE ONE ONE ONE!!!

Oh boy, what is the world coming to when a lone person is unable to sit by himself or herself and eat in peace. Two nights ago, I finished clinics at 10 and again was famished. In a restaurant somewhere in Taman Tun, I saw a lone guy sitting with his claypot and a story book. He looked like he was enjoying his solidarity..serenely reading his book and eating his 'loh she fun'. Way to go dude!

*makan = eat

*lah = a totally useless post-fix added on by Malaysians (yes, the Singaporeans stole this as well) in casual conversations

Beijing's Olympic Mascots

2008-08-10T11:37:00.009+08:00

Why am I so fascinated with the mascots? Well, a couple of months ago, a friend took a trip to Beijing and as a result...souvenirs! She gave me a set of keychains...five in all...one for each of the mascots. They (the keychains) are really cute but when I tried asking my chinese speaking friend (or rather my chinese reading friends) what the names meant...well...not many of them knew and I was still left curious as to the identity of those little critters. So what more can a girl do than to GOOGLE!!!
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In China's traditional culture and art, the fish and water designs are symbols of prosperity and harvest. And so Beibei carries the blessing of prosperity. A fish is also a symbol of surplus in Chinese culture, another measure of a good year and a good life.
The ornamental lines of the water-wave designs are taken from well-known Chinese paintings of the past. Among Fuwa, Beibei is known to be gentle and pure. Strong in water sports, she reflects the blue Olympic ring.

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Jingjing makes children smile -- and that's why he brings the blessing of happiness wherever he goes. You can see his joy in the charming naivety of his dancing pose and the lovely wave of his black and white fur. As a national treasure and a protected species, pandas are adored by people everywhere. The lotus designs in Jingjing's headdress, which are inspired by the porcelain paintings of the Song Dynasty (A.D.960-1234), symbolize the lush forest and the harmonious relationship between man and nature. Jingjing was chosen to represent our desire to protect nature's gifts -- and to preserve the beauty of nature for all generations. Jingjing is charmingly naïve and optimistic. He is an athlete noted for strength who represents the black Olympic ring.
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In the intimate circle of Fuwa, Huanhuan is the big brother. He is a child of fire, symbolizing the Olympic Flame and the passion of sport -- and passion is the blessing he bestows. Huanhuan stands in the center of Fuwa as the core embodiment of the Olympic spirit. And while he inspires all with the passion to run faster, jump higher and be stronger, he is also open and inviting. Wherever the light of Huanhuan shines, the inviting warmth of Beijing 2008 -- and the wishful blessings of the Chinese people -- can be felt. The fiery designs of his head ornament are drawn from the famed Dunhuang murals -- with just a touch of China's traditional lucky designs. Huanhuan is outgoing and enthusiastic. He excels at all the ball games and represents the red Olympic ring.
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Like all antelopes, Yingying is fast and agile and can swiftly cover great stretches of land as he races across the earth. A symbol of the vastness of China's landscape, the antelope carries the blessing of health, the strength of body that comes from harmony with nature. Yingying's flying pose captures the essence of a species unique to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, one of the first animals put under protection in China. The selection of the Tibetan Antelope reflects Beijing's commitment to a Green Olympics. His head ornament incorporates several decorative styles from the Qinghai-Tibet and Sinkiang cultures and the ethnic design traditions of Western China. Strong in track and field events, Yingying is a quick-witted and agile boy who represents the yellow Olympic ring.
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Every spring and summer, the children of Beijing have flown beautiful kites on the currents of wind that blow through the capital. Among the kite designs, the golden-winged swallow is traditionally one of the most popular. Nini's figure is drawn from this grand tradition of flying designs. Her golden wings symbolize the infinite sky and spread good-luck as a blessing wherever she flies. Swallow is also pronounced "yan" in Chinese, and Yanjing is what Beijing was called as an ancient capital city. Among Fuwa, Nini is as innocent and joyful as a swallow. She is strong in gymnastics and represents the green Olympic ring.
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And the cool part of it is when you put their names together -- Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni -- they say "Welcome to Beijing".

08.08.08

2008-08-08T20:08:00.004+08:00

I have been such a lazy blogger of late. I have spurts of semangat-ness* to blog about certain things but when I actually park my butt in front of the computer, I suddenly want to do a hundred and one other things. If only I could publish my thoughts telepathically...from my brain right into the website.

But this being a special day where it is:

Bernard's birthday
Sister Tee's mum's birthday
The start of the Beijing Olympics (I am one of the mascotts...the cute green one!)
The date...did you not notice the date?
Friday!!! (Always a good reason to celebrate)

We are celebrating Uncle Swee Ming and Aunty Kok Moi's birthdays at DG today. So that basically means one thing: MAKAN*!!! A good thing that Amelia and myself decided (or more like I psycho-ed her) to start our dieting today. Ha ha. Let's see how long that lasts. Sigh, have been over indulging in a little tooooooo many durians. I just can't help myself. I LOVE DURIANS!!!

Alrighty then. Time to hit the road. Subang here I come...are you ready for the Great Leech?

*semangat-ness = enthusiasm
*makan = eating a.k.a a feast

If You Want The Rainbow, You Must First Put Up With The Rain

2008-07-13T10:49:00.002+08:00

Last Friday, Randy made us reflect retrospectively on our lives. That was not a problem. The problem was he wanted us to go back THREE YEARS and pen down God's footprints on paper. Yours truly could only go back two years and this was not because God was not good...but I just could not remember the specifics any further back. Seriously! But that was not bad. I had DG members who penned down what happened in the last three MONTHS...same case...failing memories.

But I digress. The point of this blog is not about excellent memories (or the lack of). I remembered so many painful memories. Memories I wished I could blot out forever. But as I thought more about it...maybe not. With those painful memories came happy ones...grateful ones...building of character...testing of faith. With the pain came glorious healing and endless showers of love, assurance and peace. If God allowed all of it to happen...then I will cherish those memories and hope that I am a better person for it.

Now back to failing memories. Ha ha. Maybe someone should boil 'fu chuk yee mai' (plus extra EXTRA gingko) every Friday. Hey, it's my turn for warmth next week right? I know what I am gonna con* someone to cook for me: tom yam fu chuk yee mai!

*Unfortunately have to con because me and the kitchen...hhhmmm...you know how the story goes.

It's Still Blur...But This Is What I Think It Is

2008-07-05T11:07:00.004+08:00

In the 9 years that I have spent in this institution, I have learned some lessons...the sort that only life and living it can teach. I can attest that most of these 'lessons' are bitter in nature...painful...some so much so that it becomes hilariously ridiculous (in retrospect!).

The past three weeks have been a lesson of sorts as well. While being away on a much needed break, I got news that I have been promoted to a higher position in the hospital. I must confess that the news came as quite a shock. I was at a friend's place bunking over and my phone starts to go crazy (with the baby laughter) in the middle of the night. That's when I got the news.

Well, I thank God for the impossible. I thank God for showing me that indeed...vengeance is not mine and that He rewards those who do not repay evil with evil. I must say that it was hard having to keep turning the other cheek...but I am glad I did.

And no, I am neither happy nor glad that the other person did not get the promotion. I am sure that she must be devastated and I feel for her...even though I reckon my sympathy is lost on her. But let's put it this way. At news of my promotion and the controversy surrounding it, someone asked whether I thought the promotion was fair. Without hesitation I said yes. Then he said, "Forget about everything else." I could have kissed him for that statement. Made me feel...at peace...with the whole thing instantly. The sun shone and all was well again.

Gossipy Gossips

2008-06-11T20:38:00.003+08:00

A quote by Eleanor Roosevelt (I love her quotes by the way):

Great minds discuss ideas

Average minds discuss events

Small minds discuss people

It seems that I have been plagued with people who fall into the latter category. I just don't understand them...really...I don't. These are those who ABSOLUTELY need to know what's going on in other peoples lives. Those who have nothing better to do than to poke and pry and when they can't get anything on you...they make things up.

I have been a victim of such mindless and often times baseless gossips. When it reaches my ears, I am left dumbfounded and speechless (very rare attributes of the Great Leech)..."What the **^$&^!". It used to hurt. But now it is just hilarious...to think that there are people who actually bother talking about me. Soon, I might even love the attention!

But it bothers me when those same people start to gossips about other people in my vicinity. The conversation can become very mean and malicious and it leaves one feeling icky and dirty...tainted...dark...you get the idea! Sigh...why? Why? WHY?

Questions...with no answers. So a quote of my own: "Can't join them? Leave the room."

Disappointments

2008-06-03T21:36:00.002+08:00

I have a friend whose dad only speaks to her when he needs something. It's normally cash or occasionally her car. At other times...silence...sometimes lies. I think that she has been disappointed with him her whole life...wanting him to be her hero (as all dads should be to their little princesses) but always falling short of that dream. I see the hurt, the emptiness..the brokenness...and I tell her...

It's okay. You have a Heavenly Father who is perfect in every imaginable way. He will never disappoint you...never forsake you...and He loves you so much...more than you can ever know. He is there...has always been there. He will fill the gap...the hole that your earthly father cannot fill. He will make you whole...you will never be in need...emotionally, physically and spiritually. He will take care of you.

If you are reading this...be comforted...you are not alone.

The Man That Bitched!

2008-06-01T11:25:00.003+08:00

I was standing in line one day to purchase tickets for Narnia (Prince Caspian) and it must have been my lucky day! Standing directly behind me was a malay couple. The girl was relatively quiet and when she did talk, she spoke in a well mannered tone. The guy was...well...yeah, he was The Man That Bitched!

The line was long (it being a weekend) and so I had an earful of the fella. It went on and on and on and on. "Why you never call ahead and book (to the poor girlfriend who must be wishing she was somewhere else)...look at the express counter...it's so empty," to "What's the problem with all this people. Can't they make up their minds about what movie they want to watch. Reach the counter only only want decide. Then waste all our time," to "Why you want to watch 'What Happen In Vegas'? So stupid movie (as though he had watched it before). Okaylah...whatever you wantlah. If bad don't blame me."

OMG!!!!

I felt like punching him. I felt like throwing him on the ground and slam dunking him. I felt like telling the girlfriend, "Dump him!". I felt a million things......but I held my tongue, counted to ten and thought, "Why in the world am I letting someone like him spoil my day?". I had friends waiting for me at the Bhavarian Beer House and after that couple seats for Narnia. Bygones...

Still Indecisive

2008-05-31T12:25:00.004+08:00

Well, since I still can't make up my mind whether to remain with Blogger or make the move to Xanga (ha ha...just struck me how ironically similar this 'problem' it with what's going on in my life), I am blogging in both places. Whatever...some of you may call me a blogging whore...I say...sticks and stones!

The nose is somewhat behaving a little bit better this morning...it still is running but not as fast as yesterday. At the very least, my balance has returned and I am not bumping into furniture or breakables anymore. Having the cold and getting piss drunk (not that I have had any experience...ahem!) produces similar symptoms I reckon:

Everything seems fuzzy and tend to move around in circles
Your brains say straight but transmission of this information to the lower limbs seem impaired thus rendering the legs life of their own
Loud noises hurt...LIKE CRAZY!!!
All you want to do is find a level spot, lie down and SLEEP

I'll be fully recovered when I start to crave for tom yam once again. Right now, I think of food and I come up with a blank...something very very VERY rare for me.

So, updates on the life of one bored (at this moment) Leech ~ since my last real blogging session:

The Congress is over and done with!!! Such a relief. It went pretty well I must say. Kudos to the whole team and my partners in crime in the secretariat team. We definitely had our sparring moments but we come out of it still friends and that's all that matters at the end of the day. Oh, and also very much enjoyed our side trip to a certain joint...he he he. Must do it again peeps.
I am not going to pursue my masters in UKM. Their enrolment sucks big time and they are not helpful at all with enquiries. Ini dipanggil Malaysia Boleh? Whatever!
My eldest aunt has been diagnose with breast cancer. Yes, a bummer indeed. But she is so strong and so cheerful through it all...reminds me so much of my mum and how she was. Well, WE are all behind her 100%.
My cuzzie Jenna has scored tremendously well in her STPM. To say that we are proud of her is an understatement. I just hope she realises that no matter what she scored, we will always be proud of her.

And that's it for now. Adious amigos...

A.W.O.L

2008-05-29T21:28:00.002+08:00

Yeah, I have been away for a long while...away from blogging that is. Been trying out another site...if that proves to be easier to post my blogs than Blogger...I will make a move. In the mean time check this site out of even more sporadic posts:

http://www.xanga.com/Lisha_Ng

Thoughts On Friends & Being One

2008-05-29T13:03:00.000+08:00

I will be the first to admit that I am very fortunate to be surrounded by good friends. People who I know will be there for me when things get rough and when I am at my worse. People who have and will continue to put up with my nonsense and my moods...people who have laughed and cried with me. People who have seen me 'slightly' tipsy and people who have sat with me in silence. Yes, I am blessed.

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No man is an island. Well...I don't really agree. I believe that man can live on his own. Instead, the saying should read "No sane man is an island." I know that I can get pretty insane if left alone to my own devices and company for too long.

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I have recently...welll, not exactly recently...but recent enough (forgive the rambling...my stuffy nose...lack of oxygen...brain malfunction) been through a rough patch with a friend. A very good friend. That rough patch has left me doubting the truthfulness of her statements. And the problem with that is I am a very gullible and trusting when it comes to friends. Rats are a different ballgame altogether. I simply hate having doubt creep in our relationship. I don't like the double guessing...the suspicion. It is not good. I have made a decision (no, this is not the big decision that I have to make) to give her the benefit of the doubt. If she stills feels like she has to lie to me or can't quite get the truth out...well...I can't do anything about it I guess. Just as I expect my friends to accept me as I am, then I should accept her as she is.

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Relationships. A complicated ballgame. Sometimes the ball is in my court and sometimes it is in yours. But I guess that the trick is to keep the ball going and not to keep track of the times it gets hit out of the lines...or whose fault it is.

The Rakyat Has Spoken

2008-03-11T21:22:00.002+08:00

Though the 12th Malaysian elections are over, talk of it has yet to die down. Why? Well, the results I suppose are just too phenomenal. But while I have certain opinions about the whole matter, I have decided not to blog about it as certain rat finks lurking out there in the murky swamps may just report this website to certain authorities who may not be overtly fond of free speech and I don't take too kindly to rotting in jail. So enough said. But this was a first for me...voting that is...and I was rather excited about the whole she-bang. Unfortunately, the whole she-bang was rather short lived. It took Jess (yeah, we ended up voting at the same centre) and myself all of 5 minutes to complete the whole process of checking our identity cards, climbing up 3 floors, waiting (somewhat embarassingly) while one guy shouted out our identity card numbers and full name (with much emphasis on my chinese name) to the whole world, crossing our choice of candidate and then walking proudly out of the classroom. I felt proud because I had the priviledge off changing the history of my country and was a part of something important...democracy at play.

Just Another On Call Week

2008-02-25T00:12:00.003+08:00

This on call week has been very bearable. It was the other things that proved to be a challenge to my patience; inefficiencies, incomplete handing over of information, patients who think we are complete idiots , my impending abstract, viruses, spss, one particular doctor who learned the hard way not to raise his voice at me and the list goes on. But despite it all, I am thankful that I am not alone in this journey...that I have a Higher Power to lean on and who is more than able to infuse high doses of joy into my day when my cup runneth dry. This will have to be a short blog. I have been staring at the computer since 9 o'clock (in the morning that is) and I can't feel my brains anymore...the numbness has set in and I am not even halfway through my data. Off to the showers now then before burning the midnight candles (notice that it is not a singular candle...sigh). Good night folks, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

Dr. Phil's Personality Test

2008-02-23T11:18:00.002+08:00

I scored 53 on Dr. Phil's personality test and this is what the score says:

Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, one who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

This is my interpretation:

Others see you as an exciting (ahem...no arguments here), highly volatile (don't mess with me...seriously...you people at SISTIC...count your lucky stars that you were not dealing with ME!), rather impulsive personality (how to be exciting without a little impulsitivity...yes...I love to make up new words too); a natural leader (in the absence of other natural leaders...must give other people chance mah!), one who's quick to make decisions (especially if the decision is to eat or not to eat), though not always the right ones (yes...hence all those MCs because of food poisoning, diarrhoea and vomiting). They see you as bold and adventuresome (white water rafting...come on...call me...I am checking out flights to Bali) , someone who will try anything once (oh definitely...especially when it comes to exotic foods); someone who takes chances (which makes me a very bad gambler...which is just as well that I don't gamble...except that one time in Adwin's house...and yes, I lost RM2...let that be a lesson) and enjoys an adventure (bring it on!). They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate (aaahhh well...what can I say?...blush...blush).

Then again, these things have been known to be wrong.

Virus Attack

2008-02-22T18:40:00.003+08:00

In my world, viruses cause death, cancer and a whole lot of money. Today, I experienced first hand how much heart ache they (the evil virus ...as evil as rat finks) can inflicte on poor innocent souls such as myself. While attempting to download SPSS into my lap top, one sinister folder eating virus got in and totally screwed (please don't mind the language...besides the virus attack, I have had many annoying patients in my clinic tonight) most of the folders in my lap top. Sigh, sigh and triple sigh. Going for DG now...hopefull there's a bowl of bak kut teh with my name on it there. Yummers! Feeling better already.

Back To Work

2008-02-14T21:18:00.005+08:00

It actually was not all that bad this morning...I managed to haul my sorry ass outta bed without much ado and got to work well ahead of time. The traffic was still good, Wen Chieh picked us up for lunch (such an angel!) and I have a great PRP that just joined my section...yup...as Justin puts it "I'm Lovin It!". Also, two of my 'hatching eggs gift' on my facebook have hatched and look at the cutie pies that emerged:

Had a couple of Valentine's Day wishes and one "single awareness day" salutation...harrrumph...so presumptious! It is also batik day today...yup...wore my stripey batik underwear...too bad no one could see it...tee hee!

Not a bad day at all. I give it a 7/10. A perfect 10 it would have been had I not gotten lost in my own hospital in search of Paeds 6...the renovations are driving me nuts...thank you for setting me straight Haris...yes yes...t'was embarassing. AND...found out that the new private building has internet connection! Joy! So I end here...happy Valentine's Day ya' all...may the loving never stop. Muacks!

Fire Fly~ed Back From Penang

2008-02-13T13:48:00.003+08:00

Firefly...Fokker 50...hhhmmm...not the most hygienic plane in the world but it got us there and back on time...and for that, I wil not take anymore jibes at this airline...but I can tell you lor...their slogan is not a very fitting one.

The past six days have been sooo relaxing and that makes it that much harder to go back to work tomorrow. But a girl has got to do what a girl has got to do...and a girl has got to earn a living...hence the work...so I am trying my 'bestest' to maintain a REALLY positive outlook on everything...work and otherwise. There is just so much nonsence that I think we put up with in life. I am just feeling a little blue today that's all. My aunt was admitted in today for her chemotherapy but ended up not getting it because they could not trace her x-rays...it had gotten lost 'somewhere'. Frustrating...yes...but if feeling frustrated could get this sorted...then I am all for going down that frustrated angst road...but unfortunately, no matter how frustrated we get, no one seems to be able to give a straight and assuring answer to the questions we had. Is this what OUR health care system is turning into? It's scary. But enough pondering for one day...my brains just can't take it...after all, it is still on holiday. Good night.

Leech's Favourite Chinese New Year Dish of 2008

2008-02-08T14:30:00.000+08:00

Introducing the Muscovy duck. Origin: Brazil. Wild muscovies are coloured black and white but domestication has produced many different colours. They are unique because of the bright red crest around their eyes and above the beak. What does this have to do with my favourite CNY dish you ask with a puzzled and inpatient frown? Look below:

Muscovy duck ala The Leows. Apparently a family secret recipe...a CNY dish that my aunts have been eating for yonks during their childhood...which begs the question...why is it only now that we (the younger generation) are hearing off it? All those wasted years where I could have been stuffing my face silly!

I am not a duck person but this dish has definitely changed that and my second aunt makes it REALLY well. When I say REALLY well...I am REALLY REALLY REALLY well! The sauce, a combination of hoi sin sauce, some red bean paste, some kind of red wine and other stuff that went in one ear and out the other (I guess that it will still remain a secret after all), compliments the tender meat. And this is one lean bird...not much fat under all that skin...one major plus point. The other dishes on the table were totally fantastic as well...don't get me wrong...we have been pigging out since we touched down in Penang yesterday...but the duck...yes indeed...the duck...oh my...I am salivating...a pool of drool (hey, it rhymes) is forming on the table...better go and wipe it up before the lap top short circuits. Drip, drip and out!

Status: Stuffed!

2008-01-22T14:03:00.000+08:00

So…after the BBQ steamboat dinner at the Telephone Restaurant last night and resolving (once again) to go on a starvation diet for the next week or so…I managed to prove to myself (once again) that resolutions are made to be broken. As Aunty Poi once so wryly remarked, “Who are we kidding?!” Words of wisdom indeed.

The clinic tonight was a back breaking event. It was also unfortunately a perfect opportunity of building one’s appetite up. By the time the last prescription was dispensed and everything locked up, my stomach started its usual whining which soon turned into fierce growls. Time for Williams.

Introducing William.

It is because of this one jolly fella that my blog is christened ‘bluecheesenaan’…except I thought that most peeps would spell naan as ‘nan’…and hence the intentional typo. Don’t bother asking for a menu. I don’t believe that there is one lying around…and even if there was…it would not be as interesting as hearing him (William) describe his latest inventions with such relish that you could literally see the dish in your mind. This is also one place where it is NOT rude to stare at another table’s orders and then ask around for the name of that particular dish that has caught your fancy. In fact, it is rather flattering when someone points to your plate and asks William about it. It basically means that whatever you are eating is interesting enough to warrant attention and that you have made the right choice…bangga I tell you!

Enough of gushing and down to the nitty gritty of what I ate tonight. As usual, I went there with a predetermined order in my mind; Portobello mushrooms with risotto and baked pasta topping. But alas…as always…William describes another dish of his choice and being the easily swayed people that we are (especially when it comes to food), we agreed without putting up much of a fight. Tonight’s specials were smoked salmon pasta in a creamy white sauce with a light splattering of tuna flakes and beef pesto pasta lightly tossed with pine nuts. Both receive the LEECHES SEAL OF APPROVAL but the smoked salmon pasta wins the prize…though I thought that by adding blue cheese into the sauce, perfection would be achieved. But that’s just me…a blue cheese lover.

The really yummy smoke salmon pasta

The second prize winner; pesto pasta

And then, when we thought that the night was over, he comes over and plonks another dish on our table. Yummy…complimentary bruschetta topped with smoked salmon and blue cheese and another topped with a sun dried tomato paste. Yummy just doesn’t do justice to how wonderfully scrumptious each bruschetta tasted. It’s really good la…REALLY BLINKINGLY SUPERBLY FANTASTIC! But that’s just me…a blue cheese lover.

And the drinks that he concocts! My favourite is the jumbo pint of ribena laichee. Others that I occasionally order would be the mango special, ice lemon tea and the sea coconut laichee (can be substituted with longan if you are hot too thrilled about laichees like I am). One drink that I most probably NEVER order but have tasted before is the banana strawberry blend that Amelia seems to fancy…but then again…being the M-unkee that she is…it’s no wonder really.

So yes indeed…once again…I ended up waddling to my car. My stomach made not a sound…it was after all satisfied as satisfied can be. Good night.

The Leech Rambling While Testing Font Colours

2008-01-20T12:03:00.000+08:00

Black. New template...new font colour. Realise how much there sort of things bother me. Font size, colour, alignment. Meticulous? Not...just painstakingly obsessive I suppose.

Red. Chinese New Year. This will be the first year after so long that I am not flying off for mission work. Actually, it's the first year after my mum passed away that I have been around. It's just hard...putting on a smile and having to fake niceties when what I really want to do is curl up in bed and read a really good book. But this year...just as well...LQ and myself will be flying up to Penang for a week. Tai Yee is there...recuperating from her mastectomy. Also haven't seen the folks up there for a long while. And the assam laksa and prawn noodles and rojak...yummers!

Orange. Vitamin C? Prevents scurvi. Good stuff. The Leech recommends really high doses (around the region of 1000mg - 1500mg/day) and plenty of water when you feel the flu coming on. Most of it doesn't get absorbed anyway but I just love chewing the stuff...or drinking the effervescent tabs.

Green. Ahhh...always associate this colour with my enviromental engineer munkee buddee...who is probably right at this very moment gushing over her winter clothing in anticipation of her trip to Japan. Am happy for you woman! Only wish that I am boarding that plane with you. Sigh...maybe Air Asia will fly to Japan and give MAS a run for their money. I seriously tried looking for other cheaper flights but RM3700++ for tickets? Daylight robbery I tell ya. Anyway have fun and if offered any raw horse tongues for dinner...for goodness sakes EAT IT and then come back and tell me all about it. Man...if you really do that I will pay for your champagne dinner when you return. Ha ha. Must have proof (preferrably video with the audio set to high) of you munching AND swallowing the stuff.

Purple. A colour that you will not see in my closet. I don't even have any purple underwear. That's how much I don't like the colour. Hhhmmm, maybe this has something to do with Barney and how he freaks me out.

Then there is this pinkish sort of hue.

And yellow. Very hard to see when blogging because of the white background of the text box. Rumah Mahkota rulez! My old sports house back in high school. Yellow was Mahkota where all the cool and non-kiasu kids hung out. Red was Laksamana...ha ha...I have so much to say about this house but I will not. You know who you are. Blue was Paduka; a lepak and easy going house and then came the green house (Indera); where all the self proclaimed brainiacs gathered to plot strategies for world domination. PS: This paragraph used to be yellow until I got 'gatal' and changed the background of my template...again.

RibLee's

2008-01-20T10:27:00.000+08:00

The Girl, The Boy and The Sane Drug Pusher's next animal protein culinary adventure: RibLee's at Desa Sri Hartamas. The website http://www.riblees.com/ is still under construction...so pictures only, no information and we know that though pictures may speak a kazillion words... they can also prove to be utterly deceiving. But I am game for anything new...well...almost anything new...there are certain lines that I will not cross. I will not drink blood. I will not eat...hhhmmm...drawing a complete blank here. Anyway, RibLee's serve baby back ribs and that's one of the many dishes that we will be ordering. And knowing the bottomless pits that The Girl and The Boy are...we will also be trying out desserts. Can't wait...if one of you dares to fly kite on that particular day (you had better have a REALLY good reason) then drinks are on you the next time...and I am not talking about 'limau ais kurang manis'. See you guys there!

Exams...Essay...In Malay...Gaspsssss

2008-01-19T10:38:00.000+08:00

Imagine this. Eight essay questions...which I am required (the rebel in me hates the word required) to answer in malay. Okay...all of you who are going, "You bukan orang Malaysia ka?"...give chance lah. I can speak the language relatively well...plus I can also somewhat put on a Trengganu accent to humour my malay staff and the Trengganu/Kelantan folks I encounter in the hospital...but the written language is proving to be more of a challenge. Given time (and much request/pestering for help from the unfortunate others around), the words do flow out when I need to type out a letter or a report in malay...but this exam...two papers...one general and one pharmacy related...which means technical terms and what nots. My education post SPM (Sijil Pengajian Malaysia...not sure what it's called now) has been in English so you can just imagine poor old me in the exam hall...thinking in english and then having to translate everything to malay. The amount of inverted comas that I am forced to imposed on the examiner...

So the exam is really near...and of course...yours truly has not studied for it yet. It's just so tedious and boring! Let me give you a flavour of what I have to read for my general paper:

Peraturan dan process urusan pelantikan, kenaikan pangkat dan penamatan perkhidmatan mengikut Peraturan-Peraturan Pegawai Awam (Lantikan, Kenaikan Pangkat dan Penamatan Perkhidmatan) 2005 P.U (A) 176/2005
Pekeliling/Perintah Am Bab B, C, E, F dan G
MS ISO 9001:2000
Protokol dan Etiket dalam Majlis Rasmi
Arahan Perbendaharaan
Akta Prosedur Kewangan 1957 (Akta 61)
Tatacara Kewangan dan Perakaunan PPUM DS-0534
Nilai dan Etika dalam Perkhidmatan Awam
Motivasi
Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti 1971
Dasar Pembangunan Negara
dan lain-lain...

Bored? Yeah, it was pretty painful for me to type all of that out. And I can assure you that it will be even more painful studying it. But this is our test of competency. Seriously. And with that I suddenly have no other comments to make...but I will of course be letting you know how competent I am after the results are out.

My House Has Been...

2008-01-16T23:45:00.000+08:00

like a hotel for this pass week and will be for the next couple of days. I get out of the house at 7am and check back in after midnight. Haven't been to the kitchen...haven't even sat down on the living room couch...much less touched the remote control. Some late nights have been work related and the others...well...let's say that oysters, scallops and wine were involved...and the occasional catching up 'yum cha' with friends. Hey, remember Jack...the all work and no play guy? Well...social frivolities often come with the sacrifice of sleep.

But soon...and I fear that it has already started...Jack will be my best bud. The congress is fast approaching and being in a part of 'THE SECRETARIAT' sucks...big time. Who is in charge of doing this? Answer: THE SECRETARIAT. Who is in charge of doing that? Answer: (all together now) THE SECRETARIAT. Woo hoo! Bring it on. Why not? What is life without a few challenges.

So besides being in THE SECRETARIAT, there's also the "Booketh Project" that needs to be done...SOON...and that "Neutropenic Project" that is testing my patience and needs to get a move on...SOON...if not just to preserve my sanity. It is no joke rushing off to medical records after work to collect data (nothing more boring than a pile of folders in a stuffy room). Actually, I suspect that I will miss the data collection bit once the keying in part starts. SPSS. Arghhh! But let's not get ahead of ourselves here...breathe...breathe!!! And the PTK exams coming up soon...which by the way Lisha...you have not started to study for. Oh boy...it's not good a good sign when I start to talk about myself in the third person...or when I feel that my grammar is about to take a leap off a building. Time to go. The sleep bank is demanding a deposit. I need to take a shower and wash my hair...and partially dry it...and rub in some vitamin E serum...and then dry it some more...because I have been told many (many many many) times that 'It's bad to sleep when your hair is wet...sure will wake up with a headache...and when you get older...you watch out la...your neck sure gone one'. And since I am getting older (ha ha ha, not before you though, Lauren and Ratha, mua ha ha!!!) I suppose I had better pay heed to that piece of advice. There must be some truth in it though I have survive all these years of not drying my hair before I sleep. You see...I don't believe in hair dryers...the evil electricity suckers that they are. Oh boy...I am rambling. I had better go...to the bathroom then...off I go...yes sirree...yawn...YAWN...hair...oily...needs washing...eyes...tired...needs sleep...wash hair...sleep...wash hair...sleep. Logging out.

This Morning...

2008-01-10T13:53:00.000+08:00

proved to be rather exasperating. Was late for work by no fault of mine. The automatic gate went on a strike (probably got that idea from the writer's guild) and as such, I was held a prisoner in my own house. The emergency key (never tried out before as the gate proved thus far to be a faithful worker...springing open at the touch of a button) did not work and I was at my wits end. Dad must have been the lucky last to cross the line before the strike was declared. So what was I to do but to wait for me dad to turn back to save his daughter from that sole picketer of a gate.

Meanwhile, my PRP calls to inform an exasperated your truly that the awaiting methadone patients were getting restless. I told her that they will have to wait until my gate decides to set me free. I don't know whether she believed me.

And so while I waited for me dad in my car...was too lazy to unlock the front door...I started thinking about this exasperating patient I had at the private clinic the other day. She walked into my room holding an empty antihypertensive drug box and the following conversation ensued:

Her: I want to buy this drug!
Me: Do you have a valid prescription with you? (as polite as always)
Her: Buy medicine also need a prescription one ah? (which left me wondering what in the world precriptions were for)
Me: Yes according to our country's Pharmacy laws.
Her: But this private right?!!
Me: Yes.
Her: But outside private pharmacy I can just walk in and buy. No need prescription also one.
Me: That's not how we practice medicine here.
Her: But this also private mah! (this lady clearly had a one track mind)
Me: Yes but we still uphold the law here.

And the law was sufficient to shut her up. She left my room in search of a doctor and a prescription.

This apparently happens at the Kedai (what I call the pharmacy shop in the hospital) as well...not just with the patients BUT (get this!) the doctors as well. Thank goodness none of them were my doctors...aku sekeh kang! This leaves me rather puzzled. Really. I understand patients expecting to buy drugs without a script. I will be the first to admit that they are many in my profession in the retail industry that sell prescription drugs over the counter. It is not right and it is even worse when they start a patient on prescription items without a doctor's consult or planned follow up.

But doctors asking why they need a prescription to buy drugs (and I am not talking about Panadol here)? Come one...

Anyhow...dad arrived. After much ado...we managed to trash out acceptable terms that the gate was pleased with. I was set free and did a Kimi Raikkonen all the way to the hospital. As such, I would like to take this appurtunity and space to apologise to all the...well most of...(the rest were really idiots with cars)...the undeserving drivers on the receiving end of my honks and flashes. Sorry!

Ratbert!

2008-01-08T23:17:00.000+08:00

I love reading Dilbert. Comic strips and books. Hilarious! But this cartoon strip has a special place in my heart. Aaaaawwwww...Ratbert...you wouldn't...you mean you would! You rat fink!!!

Renovations!

2008-01-08T18:37:00.000+08:00

The whole hospital feels like it is under renovation. The incessant sound of drilling and the intoxicating smell of paint is carried and magnified (or is it my imagination?) through the labyrinth of fungal infested ventilation that snakes through the whole place. Each day at ward rounds, we discuss our patients case to the background of uneven beats of hammering and that drilling...that drilling that continues is our heads even after the actual ones stop. My only respite was pharmacy where the little midgets in my brains (after a while the hammering and drilling felt like it was coming from within) take a rest. But now that the renovations in the clean room has started...yes, right next door to my station...there really is no rest for the weary. Whoever came up with that proverb should be shot!

So life is as usual...exciting. Oh, and I forgot to mention that I finally got my Starbucks 2008 planner. Ha ha...I did not even have to drink six cups of coffee or eat a pastry (read previous post). Of course it helps that I have loyal friends who put up with my nonsense (Lauren and Ratha...I love you guys!)...seriously...all my nonsense...unquestioningly. Knowing that I have friends like them...well, I am very fortunate...no...EXTREMELY fortunate. Hey Ju, that includes you too...I know that you were just too stuffed for anything else...not even green tea (gasp!). Oh it also helped that the barista gave me two stickers for each drink that we had. Either he had a directive to do so or I must have looked pretty desperate. Anyhow...mission accomplished.

And mission accomplished here in the ward. Was waiting for a staff nurse to come back from her break to interview her about some precipitation problem I am having with one of my drugs. Got all my facts and it is now time to write a report. Joy!

What Feels New?

2008-01-05T16:01:00.000+08:00

This is a very 'rambly' sort of post. Not for the faint hearted or impatient readers.

So, 2008 is in. What feels new? I really don't know. In spite of the fireworks and cheers, as the clock flipped from 11:59 pm to 12:00 am, I did not feel a rush of wind or jolts of electricity...something to indicate that the old has gone and the new is here. Nothing. Zilch. So what's the hype about celebrating and partying and singing Auld Lang Syne? I guess that people just like the idea that they can start anew, to wipe the slate clean and change the direction of their paths. But little do they know that they can actually do that on a daily basis. Maybe it's the need to just celebrate at any given opportunity because their everyday life is just so mundane and rut-like. Perhaps we need to take a really good look at our lives...each day should be a celebration...each day a blessing. But I think that we allow the little things in life to take over...little by little until we lost sight of out priorities...and one day, those priorities will cease to be of any importance and we wonder why we placed them so highly?

Why am I in this mood?

Ah, more food for thought. I was just thinking that's all...and yes I CAN think. What feels new? Nothing really. Maybe that's not the question to ponder about. What should be new? That's more like it. I think that in 2008 my resolution is to be more aware of the bigger picture. Of course I still want world peace and to be a better person and to be kinder to rats...but unless I 'get' the bigger picture, I reckon it's kind of hard to achieve all that...or that it would be meaningless. I still have lots of other things that I want to change about myself but like Rome...yeah...time...and the belief that resolutions can be made at any time...not just at the start of a new year.

Happy New Year...may this year be filled with what's really important...LOVE, JOY and PEACE!

Nearly The End

2007-12-30T23:13:00.000+08:00

I have been a pig…again. These pass couple of days…sigh…let’s say that the festivities are getting the better of me and my waist line. Lunch was supposed to be oysters, oysters and then more at Genji, PJ Hilton. But that plan was blown to smitterins when we learned how popular that lunch buffet was and that it is always best to make reservations! Plan B took a while to conceive…it never struck us that we would be denied a place…but we decided that since we had Japanese on our minds, then the next place to head to was Sri Hartamas…Sugimoto. Alas, it was not meant to be…Japanese food that is. Sugimoto’s was closed for lunch and we ended up eating burgers at Jarrod & Rawlins. Not a bad place for food at all…but was no match for Jappie food.

PJ Hilton. Really cool train railway set with little towns realistically arranged around it.

Dutch Village

Errmm, can't quite make this one out.

I was totally knackered by the time I dropped Manju off at her mechanics that I just managed to get myself home before collapsing on the living room couch. When I woke up, it was dark outside and I had barely enough time to have a shower before picking Ratha and heading towards our dinner destination. Damansara Village Restaurant (or something like that la…wasn’t really paying attention). It is a fresh seafood steamboat joint. Talk about fresh…the prawns were still alive when served to us and it was really eerie seeing them splash about in the steamboat before…well…you get the idea. The soup was okay…not that excellent (they unfortunately did not have tom yam soup…a major minus with me)…but I liked it because (as they claimed) there was no added MSG. Another cool thing about the place was the minute menagerie maintained in the restaurant itself. I nearly got the shock of my life on the way to the toilet as I came face to face with two gigantic iguanas (please remember my fear of lizards and these were BIG ASS ones!!!). I just had to get Lauren (Ratha refused to budge from the table...ha ha) and my camera. As I was taking pictures of the iguanas, one of the workers approached me and asked whether I wanted to hold one of the iguanas while he took a picture of me and said iguana. Yeah right, like that was ever going to happen! I would eat the iguana but I would NEVER hold one…even if it was dead. Eeeeek! Anyway, I politely smiled and said no. He left. Phew…because the next cage contained a black snake. There is also a giant tortoise, bunnies, birds, a pair of turkey (they managed to survive the Christmas season) and something in a hollow coconut shell that we could not clearly identify.

Loved the fishballs.

Lauren and the iguanas. I think that she would have been game enough to hold those huge critters. I think...

Met a member of the Alleycats at Starbucks...a Chinese one at that too!

After all that (and mind you, we were STUFFED…akin to really fat teddy bears), it was time for coffee. Starbucks. Ratha left her Starbucks sticker card in her car (which was at that very moment in the basement of her condominium…so too bad) and so I decided to start my very own collection. 18 stickers and a Starbucks Planner was mine to own. And what luck! Amelia walks in to meet a bunch of her university mates and she managed to score more stickers for my card. Yay! So now, I have 6 more beverage stickers and 1 pastry one to go…and that planner is a done deal. Oh…I, of course had my Java Chip Frappe…yummy…the counter fella managed to ‘persuade’ me to get a Venti with his, ‘Just add one more dollar…can get a bigger cup’ sales pitch. By the way, it always works with me. More coffee…more happiness. All in all, it was a good day of catching up and yakking….and also of course of eating. Like I said, I have been such a pig!
.

My Starbucks card

White Water Rafting: Selangor River, Kuala Kubu Bahru

2007-12-29T22:06:00.000+08:00

I am bitten by the river bug. The thrill of the rapids, the beauty of the surrounding trees, colourful and wonderfully patterned butterflies fluttering, dragonflies buzzing in groups, waterfalls in the least expected places. The best of all…the silence of nature as one float lazily down the river. Bliss…to be able to get away from the city…the fumes…and the noise of man made machines.

That morning saw me getting up early to play cabbie. After picking up Manju, Jenna and B, I handed the driving to Christie who drove us to Lionel’s house and our adventure started….immediately…with us losing sight of Lionel’s car (within 2 minutes of the start of the journey…Christie was apparently following the wrong car right from the start). It was good for us that B knew the way.

Bai (our head guide) was already at the Kuala Kubu Baru Post Office by the time we got there. We were the last to arrive (rather embarrassing since I am the organizer). The others were already chomping away on their breakfast in the near by coffee shops. So, after this and that and a char siew pau (my coffee had to be ta-pau-ed), we were off to the river.

After an extensive briefing from Bai (who turned out to be a pretty funny fella) and splitting ourselves up into four groups, we donned our safety equipment (which smelt really, really bad...and which Chew Cheong Tat...once again...wore his helmet backwards) and climbed into the rafts. Lionel, B, Manju, Su Yin and myself ended up with Bai as our guide.

No turning back...literally...because since we are not salmons, we lack to ability and the drive to swim upstream to lay our eggs. Please don't ask me where that analogy came from...I am hungry...and as usual...craving for salmon sashimi. If I had an oyster analogy...that would have been in here.

Bai~our head guide...whom I suspect (judging by this photo) has a secret desire to be a super model.
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My raft members.
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More action. It's really addictive. The anticipation and wanting more of that 'feeling' that you get as the raft prepares to lunge downwards.

Us once again. Look at the smiles on our faces. All natural...no posing.

A brief stop at a waterfall (it's really cold and really strong...heavy...whatever...you get the idea).

That's me...swimming...away from a shark (Andrew Poi).

At the calm parts of the river, our guides allowed us to float carelessly while the current carried us towards the end.

Nature. No descriptions needed.

Overall, it was really good fun though I was a little disappointed that the rapids were not as ‘exciting’ as I expected them to be. The setback of having expectations. I found out that we did not really know our left from our right (ha ha ha…took us a few seconds to think before we could obey Bai’s commands). A few rapids threatened to throw us off (Chew Cheong Tat got flung off a couple of times) but it was not until the very last one that Manju, Su Yin and myself succumbed to the river. I remember it in slow motion…the raft going down a series of rather steep rocks…our side of the raft plunging downwards, Lionel and B sliding towards us…their side of the raft rising up, screaming…and then…silence. I knew I had plunged into the river and so did Manju and Su Yin, but I did not know where they were. Because of my contact lenses, I could not open my eyes. I remember kicking towards the surface…upwards…where the oxygen is. But instead of open air, my hands met the rubbery bottom of the raft. Drat! The raft was right above me. I don’t know how I managed to maintain my presence of mind but I did…and thankfully my claustrophobic demons stayed at bay. I scrambled towards the end of the raft and managed to find my way up. Air had never tasted as sweet as I gulped down breath after breath.

Have I had enough of white water rafting? Definitely not! I am already itching for the next trip. Padas river anyone? Okay…so Sabah is a little far to go to. How about Slim River then, folks? Give me a call. It can be arranged. This is your team leader…it’s been a pleasure…over and out.

2007..Sob...Sob...Bye...Bye

2007-12-23T12:10:00.000+08:00

As the year draws to an end...I find myself falling into what I call my 'contemplative' moods where I retrospectively glance at the excerpts of my life in 2007. The memories then gets me very melancholic...but it's not a sad depressive melancholy...rather a wistful 'oh I can't believe how the year has swept pass me' that leaves me staring blankly into space for a moment. So if you see me around with glazed eyes...that's me in deep thought...BUT if it's really early in the morning...then it's probably me pre-caffeinated which means: LEAVE ME ALONE!

I am attempting to compile my list of: 2007 ~ The Leech's List of Irksome-ness & Absolute Delights. I do this every year and distribute to some very close friends...but have never posted it up in a blog before. Hmmmm, must be careful to censore some things...rats and all...unfortunately. Sigh. Anyhow...my target of course is by the end of the year. Ha ha. I will prevail! Or rather...my procrastinative nature will NOT prevail.

This year, instead of hand making my Christmas cards (in previous years, I used to draw and colour my cards using colour pencils...each card unique a.k.a no repetitions) because it is just too time consuming (and a lot of hard work!) I am printing them out with personal messages in each one. This year...my favourite Christmas quote comes (surprisingly) from Dr Seuss:

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.
~ Dr. Seuss

I think that I like things that rhyme. Anyway, it's post call (or nearly...half a day more to go). It has been a pleasant week so far...I have a good houseman tagged to me...always a good thing. The makan in Bibas went well...though I did not top my personal best of 36 oysters...I stopped at 23...actually, they ran out of oysters (can you believe that!!!) and so I was forced to stop. Pictures will be posted up...soon. And oh...apologies to all those I enticed to Bibas with my decription of the grilled cod fish that melts in your mouth...the cod fish was no where to be seen. In it's place was another sort of fish that...yes agreed...was not half as good. Anyway, I hope that you guys had a good time there.

And as I end this particular blog, I wish one and all a MERRY CHRISTMAS. May His light shine upon you all the days of your lives.

"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

My DG's Christmas Lunch Slash Gift Exchange

2007-12-16T18:16:00.000+08:00

Our DG had a Christmas lunch at Marco's Pizza after church today. The following pictures...you will notice...are not of food...rather, they are of people who ate all the food...hence no pictures of food. No, I am not stating the obvious. The food was served in slow spurts and as each pizza was set on the table, the hoard of hungry post church goers attacked with such gusto that by the time this humble photographer whipped out her SONY digital camera all she had to snap were sad empty plates with remnants of tomato sauce and thin strands of discarded cheese.

Our DG took up about half the restaurant. We started by 'singing' grace and then proceeded to fellowship a.k.a bellowing at each other at the top of our voices. It was like a Hakka community.

Uncle Swee Ming...NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! The food is on the way...really!

Uncle Swee Ming strikes again. Boy, he must be pretty hungry. I'll miss ya Ah Suan.

The 'kiddy' table.

"Hhhmmm, I wonder whether that black wringling thing in my ice lemon tea is edible?"

Eating Out: Prince Hotel Kuala Lumpur

2007-12-15T23:46:00.000+08:00

One fine Saturday...an appointment for a pigging out session. I have to confess...I nearly cancelled out on the Pois and Ah Chew. It was two days before the Aseptic Dispensing Course (which went quite by the way)...and well, I was a little stressed out. But was could be more scintilating than an evening of good (well...yet to be determined at that point) food and stimulating conversation with really good friends. So to #^*+* with work...makan here I come! But before I go into the nitty and gritty, my verdict for this particular buffet: it somewhat gets the LEECHES SEAL OF APPROVAL.

The oysters...the oysters...I started with the oysters! Actually, I kind of start with oysters at every buffet that I go to. I just love them. Okay you guys...stop with the disgusted faces. I really lurve them. Sometimes, I get really bad cravings for raw oysters. That cold texture...the mix of lemon and Tabasco sauce. Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...the cravings are starting again. BUT...the reason why the buffet just got a 'somewhat' out of me was that I wasn't too happy at how the oysters were served. They were not layed out on a bed of ice and so was warm and did not taste all that fresh.

Next, I attacked the sashimi bar...or what Andrew calls, "Value For Money Section." Hhhmmm, yum yum. I could live on raw oysters and sashimi and tom yam...but I reckon that my already not too great cholesterol level would put up some sort of resistance to that diet...so alas...maybe once a month.

More sashimi. Triple yummers. Sashimi and lots of wasabi.

Then came time for the cheeses and what better cheese to start with than the blue veined cheese. Oooohhh...the smell...the taste...

The cheesy pyramids. Look at its golden sheer. Slurp.

There was a chocolate fountain there too. Now, some of you would know that I would not normally go near local chocolates because...well...they are just not chocola-tey enough. But this chocolate fondue...oh...yummers...I surprised myself by liking it. It is not too sweet and had sufficient amounts of chocolate in it. Me like.

Cheers mate! This is how we drink our cuppa in jolly ole England.

A slice of cheesecake, a chocolate cookie and a marshmallow covered with chocolate. In other words: DESSERT!

After all that food, we had to take a short walk-a-bout. Right in the centre of the foyer was this christmas tree with weird lights on top. It looked like an UFO christmas tree.

After all that food, I was amazed that Chew Cheong Tat could still stomach more. Tsk tsk...the decorations did not excape his 'wrath'.

Some of the decorations that managed to evade Chew.

This is how Chew looks while attempting to take photos for his blog. Penuh konsentrasi wei!

And my last picture...more decor at the hotel. Reminds me of the decorations in the Korean hotel I went to two years ago...or was it three years? Hhhmmm....

Anyhooo...the next pigging out session...BIBAS @ Mandarin Oriental. Watch out for more pictures (I suspect will be of more oysters and sashimi). So till then...I gotta get back to the Simpsons...I realise that I can't blog and watch tv at the same time.

I Am Legend

2007-12-15T02:15:00.000+08:00

After a dinner of crabs, Jess and myself headed over to One Utama for a movie. Our cuz Chris had purchased tickets earlier. I Am Legend...staring Will Smith. Being such a busy bee...and also having to evasively manouvre around a certain back stabbing rodent...I did not time to read through the latest movie reviews. Boy, if only I had...I would definitely NOT have agreed to watch the movie.

Okay...so the movie started with the discovery of a man made virus that had could completely cure all cancers...a 100% cure rate...complete remission...no recurrence. Sounds pretty happy so far huh? Yeah...whatever. Fast forward three years...an empty New York...overgrown trees...abandoned cars and homes. The plot slowly unfolds. The virus had gotten out of hand. It mutated the 'cured' cancer victims and transformed them into Darkseekers...some sort of nocturnal mutants that fed on the remaining healthy humans who had natural immunity against the virus. It all went downhill for me after the first 30 minutes. I was underneath my jacket for about 30% of the movie...petrified. The darkseekers looked like Voldermort (think Harry Potter). I seriously don't know how this movie got a U rating.

Anyway, the movie ends with Dr Robert Neville (Smith) finding the antibody against the virus and then heroically (the word exist in my library, okay?!) sacrificing himself by way of blowing himself (and the kazillion freaky mutants) up. THE END.

Okay...so...I admit...I am the biggest chicken when it comes to scary movies. This heart just can't take it anymore. From now on, it's dramas, mysteries, romantic comedies and all 'feel good' movies for yours truly.

Part Two: The Rat Strikes (Yet Again!) & More Stories...

2007-12-13T18:55:00.000+08:00

Sigh. There are so many things that I want to blog about...so many instances when something idiotic, funny or just plain exasperating happens and my mind starts to think in my 'blogging' mode which goes something like this: "Dear blog...the road this morning was exceptionally clear. I just LOVE the school holidays. Seriously...not a car in sight. But as I got on to the LDP, things started to become suspiciously suspicious. For starters, the bright orange cones that are normally arranged on the fly over in front of One Utama were missing. They normally don't place the cones up on weekends...or public holidays. Then it struck me. Sultan of Selangor's birthday and I started cursing (nothing foul...don't worry). Oh...I wasn't cursing the Sultan...it was more the fact that I had to get up early to work while the rest of Selangor slumbers away. An injustice that stings us folks working in a plot of land that sits on the border of PJ and KL (the hospital building is sooo definitely IN PJ) and unfortunately have a KL address." But many a time I don't get to a computer fast enough and the thought floats into the land of 'I Mean To Do It Later But In Reality Will Most Probably Not'.

Anyway...I have still yet to blog about Linkin Park and Crown Prince because I have yet to post the pictures up. And oh do I have some brilliant pictures!

And The Rat! The Rat! Remember The Rat I blogged about? The disgusting filthy rat with mean beady pasty eyes and sharp jagged claws with an unhealthy habit of grabbing things to stuff into its forever chewing jaws. Well in this episode...it rears ist ugly and fat head again. Stab stab stab. Snitch snitch snitch. The Colony suffers because of this one really bad apple. But let's go back in time. A time that finds a proud expecting couple waiting so patiently for the arrival of what was to be the latest addition to their small family of three. They had such grand plans...such big hopes. Unfortunately for them, what came was a howling mean looking ugly shrivelly thing. The Parents got a shock of their lives. Why? What have we done wrong? Why?!!! But like most things in life...we just don't know.

The Rat grew and grew and grew into a disgustingly obese bully. So it was no wonder that The Rat had very little friends in school. You'd think that there must be some good in The Rat for these 'friends' to stick around. Maybe there is...but The Rat's behaviour made it literally impossible to know for sure. The Parents tried to instill good values...morals...but to no avail. But like all good parents...they did not stop trying...though it was soon apparent that their effort, tears and heartache were all in vain. The Rat did not change.

Back to present time. As each day passed by, The Rat was filled with more envy...envy at the successes and even happiness of the others in the Colony. It never occurred to The Rat to be happy for the Colony. It certainly never occurred to The Rat that it could be happy too. Old habits die hard. So instead of building up the Colony, it took upon itself the task of tearing it down. In order to glorify itself, The Rat had to destroy everything around it. If it could not be happy, then the Colony MUST NOT be either.

********************

PS: Part three will be written and posted when you (and I for that matter) least expect it...but judging by the way things are heating up in The Colony...it may be sooner than you and I think.

What A Relief!

2007-12-09T16:18:00.000+08:00

The course is over! IT IS OVER!!! And now, I can sleep. I can close my eyes and not have this part at the back of head continuously processing whether everything is on time, planned and executed. I can watch tv again...and that's exactly what I am doing now...right now. Grey's Anatomy...the latest season that isn't even on Astro yet...one of the few tv series that I still follow...now that House sucks and Gilmore Girls is over.

(2 hours later)

Still watching Grey's. I am up from episode 4 to 8 and that's all I have for now. Boo hoo. Will have to wait for the rest to be %&^*$...he...he...if you get my drift. Just arrived (welll...not just...about 5 episodes ago) from Kuala Lipis. Needed to get away after last week. Drove up yesterday in the wee hours of the morning. I can't concentrate. Episode eight is proving to be a little too exciting for multi tasking.

Tomorrow...the rat race begins...once again.

6th Aseptic Dispensing Course

2007-12-02T12:51:00.000+08:00

Oh me...oh my...I have been such a pig and am paying for it now. Last night...Prince Hotel...buffet dinner...oysterssssssss and sashimi (yum...my inner self has to be Japanese...I am sure of it)...and the chocolate fountain. Bliss. Yes, it was bliss at first...then came the suffering. Have not had sooo much in a long time. You could have rolled me all the way back home (or down 5 floors of the Prince hotel car park...it just kept going round and round and round and then more...had to step on me brakes a fair bit...what with Chew adding to the momentum...E=mc2...increased mass (Chew Cheong Tat)=increased momentum!). Even now...I am not in the least bit hungry...my stomach still feels full.

But enough of that. Will blog more when I have transfered my pictures from the camera. Have not been blogging much because of the above course that I am organising. Boy...it's a lot of work. Hence me being at the hospital today. The caterers and the photostate people are coming in at 3pm. And so...I bid thee adieu for the time being. I still have to 'beautify' my talks. And type out the workshop notes. And arrange the workshop materials. And check my calculation notes. And....

No Time To Even Take A Leak

2007-11-26T22:20:00.000+08:00

ALL of my housemen were down the road this morning taking their forensic exam. That left JY and myself...actually...that left me alone to attend sort out the morning's chemotherapy as JY was kidnapped by the methadone sprites. Things were very exciting:

We had our names (our names being 'CYTO!!!' and 'METHADONE!!!') constantly called out.
I got a new housemen (hhhmmm...wonder why she did not go for the exams) who I did not have time to brief, so I got to her to read all the SOPs.
The phone rang every three minutes.
Patients were lining up to see me in front of the counter.
Regimen after regimen landed in front of me. I think that my clerks enjoyed the bewilded look on my face as they place the protocols on my table one after another. My hair reflected the condition my cyto table was in: messy and wild.
A whole stack of my ward's prescriptions landed in front of me...each one had either Tazocin or Tienam in it. As I was on leave for one whole week and missed rounds that morning, I had no idea of what was going on with the patients upstairs.
A request for paclitaxel test dose came in. I had never done a test dose for paclitaxel before and so I had to squeeze in a literature search in between all of the above.

There was no time for coffee, eating or peeing and we worked through lunch till the said housemen returned at 2 pm. By that time, I was so caffeine deprived that my mouth was spewing sentences that did not seem to originate from my upper regions. I was calling people by the wrong name and had taken to walking into tables and door frames. A classic example of a major system shutdown.

Thank God for the wasabi covered macadamia nuts on my table!

TVXQ/DBSK/THSK

2007-11-25T13:36:00.000+08:00

That's the name of the Korean (yes finally established their nationality) boy band we went for last night. The show lasted TWO AND A HALF HOURS...compared to Linkin Park...it was really long. Okay...I know...you guys...I know that I am not going live this down (more like you guys will NOT let me live it down)...but I am going to say this: IT WAS NOT ALL THAT BAD. Really. I had fun with the twins. Their screams are soooo cute. And, I was not the oldest person there (yay!). There were a number of 'aunties'...and they were so not accompanying their young ones.

I would give them points for showmanship. That and stamina. And length. And for the fireworks and in particular this 'fish tank' scene where they really did manage to pull of the illusion of swimming downwards...was pretty impressed with that. And the cute mechanical airplanes that appeared at the very end.

How many points would I give to their songs? Hhhmmm...am not overtly a fan of ballads and plus...did not understand a word...obviously...so their slow songs were somewhat lost on me. But have to say that I liked their faster songs...nice beats...the punk rocker in me tapped and swayed accordingly.

The weather was good...sporadic breezes blew the humidity away. So overall, one enjoyable experience. But one foreign concert was enough for this weekend. When Christie asked whethe I would to go for the Live & Loud concert (chinese singers only) in Sri Hartamas...I cringed inwardly and then politely said no, thank you. And also, no more boy bands for me. It's alternative, punk, rock, jazz and classical from now onwards.

In Response To Chew Cheong Tat's Blog Entry

2007-11-24T15:52:00.000+08:00

Finished my clinics at around 3pm...was tired (had nightmares last night where my face broke out with numerous vicious red spots...hhhmmm...is there an outbreak of varicella zoster* in the hospital?) and cold and most of all HUNGRY. Figured that I had some time to blog (hadn't done so in a long time) before heading over to the Lokes to to erm...hhm...'supervise' (for lack of a better word), their twins at a concert tonight. I don't know the band. Ah Suan's decription of them (the band not the twins) was this: "Some Korean/Jappanese boy band. The twins are crazy about them. They are not Linkin Park but I am sure that you'll like them." The first thing that went through my mind: "OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!! What have I gotten myself into? Korean slash Jappie (and by the way Ah Suan...Korea and Japan...two different countries you know...) boy band?!!!" I suddenly felt old. I could just imagine myself (the oldest person in Stadium Merdeka) standing in a crowd of young psychedelically dressed teens (mostly girls I presume...though these days...you just never know) screaming and crying hysterically while I yawn and check my nails for cracks.

But I digress.

So there I was...in a state of hunger...hypoglycaemia (if you guys forget the definition of this...I ain't teaching you anymore medical terms) and I decide to read Chew Cheong Tat's blog...and lo and behold as the page load unto my computer:

http://ctchew.blogspot.com/2007/11/ode-for-pearl.html

Good grief! My salivary glands went into overtime and my poor stomach growled so loudly (thank goodness no one was around) that I nearly popped another gastric pill (had one in the morning) into my mouth. But being the responsible drug pusher (certified!) that I am...did not do so. But being a woman, I could not let him have the last word and thus my reply to his post:

Is that Lionel Loke's pig? Mua ha ha! You did say 'his' bed...unless of course you can't differentiate between the male and female gender.

Last minute invitation. Do not be deceived to think that the Lokes like you so much. It was more like at the last possible minute Lay Suan had a thought,"Oh dear! So much food. Afterwards if not finished...have to put in the fridge...and then don't know whether my kids will it all or not. How can I make sure that all the food tonight is finished? Hmmm, I wonder...."

And by the way...uncle and aunty Poi was invited along because you obviously could not be trusted to behave in a civilised manner when in the presence of all that food. Only Koko Nut is big enough to physically restrain you. And when uncle and aunty Poi emailed me to tell me about the festivities that I missed...they were kind enough to leave out the details unlike some people I know.

And yes...darn it! The spaghetti looks really good!!!

You'll have to read his post to understand all that. Okay...gotta to go. Cute (and very young) Korean boys are all set to serenade me to sleep...or to a really bad headache. Will keep you informed. Peace out!

*Chicken pox

Wasabi Covered Macadamias

2007-11-24T15:09:00.000+08:00

My current favourite thing (food category) in the world!!! I can't explain it but I just can't control myself when it comes to wasabi covered macadamia nuts!!! Put a packet...a tin...in front of me and it has less chance of surviving than a snowball in a preheated (to 200 degrees) oven. Like Pringle's slogan "Once you pop, you just can't stop', I just can't stop!!!

The packet above is courtesy of Davey Boy who managed to find it (bless your soul!) somewhere in the Perth airport. Sigh, unfortunately, one can only find wasabi covered macadamia nuts in Australia (and I am sure in other countries as well...just not in Malaysia) and thus my cravings are only satisfied a few times a year...at the mercy of kind souls who take pity on me and my ridiculous requests.

If only I have not layed eyes on you that very first time in Queen Victoria Market. And that time in Perth. Sigh...you had me at hello (yes...it was calling out to me!!!).

Back From Teluk Intan

2007-11-23T15:24:00.000+08:00

I am back!!! My goodness. One week without the internet. Felt rather strange. Aunt is recovering well. Will explain in another entry. Rushed back for the clinics tonight. Could not get anyone to take that slot. Anyway, the way out to Bidor was slow...my Formula One instincts hampered by numerous trucks and lorries that woke up (the drivers that is) this morning and decided to leave TA at the same exact time as us. The North-South Highway was not any better. Contruction works narrowed the two lane highway down to a sad sad single lane status. Safe to say...the 'Kimi' in me stayed dormant. Okay...gotta have a really quick shower and battle my way to the hospital.

Will update the blog later with some pics I took in TA...of food (of course) and a dog with a tongue long enough to lick his entire nose. Such exciting stuff...ha!

Day One in Teluk Intan (Diamond Bay!)

2007-11-18T15:48:00.000+08:00

3:40 pm, Grandfather’s Old Room

Events of the past week has left me with a gastric problem that in turn has left me in a rather ‘windy’ situation…if you know what I mean. If you don’t…well, you are probably better off that way. The long stretches of not eating and then pigging out on really spicy food has put a toll on my poor tummy. The problem is compounded by my ‘forgetfulness’ to pop a tab of pantoprazole (a proton pump inhibitor that aids in reducing gastric acid secretion) when my stomach starts growling.

I am the most non-compliant person when it comes to taking pills. The bottle of multivitamins (60 tabs) that I bought half a year ago is still sitting on my table (staring me in the face every time I sit down to work on the computer). The ferrous (iron) and vitamin b complex tablets from my last blood donation stint two weeks ago is also still somewhere on my table. When I remember…I double up the dose (disclaimer: these ‘stunts’ are performed by trained and certified drug pushers…do not under any circumstances practice them at home…EVER…seriously!). Which reminds me that my calcium lactate tablets are also also still somewhere on my table…and that makes me feel guilty because as Abbott never fails to reminds us ‘Bone Loss Starts at 30’…and I am the perfect candidate for osteoporosis because:

I don’t drink milk. The only time I do (touch the stuff) is when adding the minute-ness of amounts into my coffee. Unfortunately, caffeine is not good for the bones and thus whatever good the little milk I consume is totally cancelled out by all the coffee I drink.
I will be hitting the big THREE-ZERO at my next birthday and damn Abbott for making that advertisement that is pasted up outside the Kedai PharmUMMC. Not only is it pasted up for the world to see…it is pasted up in such a strategic window…a window I pass by each day on the way to Happy Corner for my cup of mojo. Isn’t it ironic…don’t you think…it’s like rain on your wedding day…a free ride when you’ve already paid…
I can’t remember to take my calcium tablets (I can hear you guys going…in unison…”That good for nothing pharmacist!”) and I don’t see that improving as age catches on.

But I digress.

Teluk Intan…my kampung (hometown). Grew up here y’all. The first four years of my life and pretty much every other school break. The cousins (Andrew, Jess, Meng, Wen Wei, occasionally Yuen and Kit and then finally Jenna when she came along very much later) and myself have plenty of ‘growing up’ memories in this house. Our parents would dump us together during the said school breaks and we managed to entertain ourselves without the need of an internet connection or cable tv or a computer. Yup...the house is full of memories. I think that it's our get away...now...from the craziness of KL. No jams. Everything is five minutes away. Chee cheong fan. Hakka mee. Cheap bananas. RM 2.50 bowls of noodles. Shall I go on?

Going Out Of My Mind

2007-11-12T18:25:00.000+08:00

Life has been a blur. Talk about sporadic blogging. Deepavali...gone. Had a bout of cough (irritating wet cough...stuffed nose...woolly head) that became worse last Friday ...that had me waking up that morning to a spinning room (no...no alcohol was consumed the night before). Contemplated crawling to the bathroom to get ready for work (mind was harping on the amount of UMSC protocols to be done, Voriconazole, Zometa, ward patients...etc...etc)...but the legs just refused to co-operate. Conked right out as head hit the pillow and only woke up at eleven plus to the ringing of the phone (my doctors...).

The weekend of course flew by. The bits that I remember...Kanna Curry House...Georgia Rule...Hair Spray. And then before I knew it...MONDAY!!! Oh Garfield...you are so so right to hate Mondays. Have been on an adrenaline high since 8 am (caffeine probably had a role here). SO MUCH FREAKING WORK TO DO BEFORE I GO ON LEAVE TOMORROW! That's why I am taking a moment here to blog...release some stress before continuing the madness that is pilling high on my desk.

Anyway...am trying to psych myself up about Linkin Park...which is set for tomorrow. I know that the excitement will set in once I get all of this out of the way. The plans are all laid out. We will catch an early bus tomorrow morning which will take us all the way to Novena Square. Get the tickets and keys to Hamish's place. Freshen up. Make our way to the indoor stadium. One hour (hopefully more) of screaming. Winding down for the night. An early taxi to Senai Airport. An early flight back home. Then heading back to the hospital for some data collection (the pile in medical records is still...a high...high pile)...clinics at night. And I am very certain that by the end of Wednesday...I will be so tired that I will opt to wash my hair the next morning (which we know will probably never happen) and just collapse into my comfy queen sized bed with all that pillows (some courtesy of MAS...ha ha ha ha ha) and pigs.

Okay...enough of this procrastination. Back to the drawing block...sigh...and no...to those of you who think I am blogging during office hours...this is AFTER office hours and therefore am doing this work pro bono...basically the only time I get to sort out a lot of things in peace.

Linkin Park...HERE I COME!!!!

A Moment of Silence

2007-11-05T22:20:00.000+08:00

I just received news today that someone I know in the medical field passed away yesterday after a battle with ovarian cancer. I first knew her while working together in a society I belong to. She has been in the government service for quite some time now and has somehow managed to maintain her upbeat and cheery demeanor. She is very well respected and has contributed A LOT in her specialised field.

She received chemotherapy in my hospital and you could see that everyone was rooting for her...willing her to get better. When she saw me in the corridors, she would stop and thank me for preparing her chemotherapy so well. I was always very embarass to receive such gratitude when all I could do was so minute a deed.

But as is with life...being the fragile and unpredictable thing that it is...she relapsed. The wake was tonight, but I was working and so could not make it...but I can imagine the multitudes that would make it to her house to pay their final respects.

My heart goes out to her family. I know how hard it is to lost a wife...a mother. Her son was very close to her. I pray that he will learn how to cope...to let go...and to move on.

You will be missed.

Linkin Park Fever

2007-11-02T20:15:00.000+08:00

Last night...Starbucks. Slow internet connection. Attempts to book tickets online. Bickering. "No, we should collect the tickets one hour before...no, we should get them sent to someone in Singapore...no..." Discoveries...ecobutterfly. Ecobutterfly??? For real Jules(name changed to protect the person's indentity)??? Ha ha. But finally...THE TICKETS ARE PURCHASED!!! Woo hoo! Time to rock and roll. But that's a different story that has to be told at a different time...I am late for care group!!!

Still Recovering...

2007-10-31T21:55:00.000+08:00

After writing that last post about my on call week...thinking that nothing else untoward could possibly occur...it did! Big time too might I add. But I am not at liberty to blog about it...because...well...I'll sum it up in one word: consequences. What can I say? There are some things that unfortunately have to be censored. But I will say this about the incident; unfortunate...should never have happened...it's never a good idea to lie to the pharmacist. Sigh, am still rather mad with the 'people' who made this mistake...still very much incredulous...

Well...I have learned something from this 'lesson'. When your senses pick up something that does not seem altogether correct...then it probably isn't. Assume that everyone are idiots...provide 'idiot proof' instructions at all times. It's better to offend people than to ever allow 'avoidable' mistakes from happening.

These life lessons...very difficult to swallow...but they teach you plenty.

And yes...I got another call at around 1:25am that night. So yes...still recovering from the week's events. God save us all...grant us wisdom to do no harm...and discernment when we are about to. Amen.

Just Another On Call Week?

2007-10-28T13:03:00.000+08:00

I dread my on call weekends. You either get it easy or you get it really really bad. The in between sort is few if not rare. This week's call has been exceptionally...not good. Let's see...

Got a call after midnight (it's never before midnight...trust me on this...just wouldn't be challenging enough) from a doctor...PICU...a request for prostaglandin. The drug is actually in the in-patient pharmacy...stupid woman broke protocol and woke me up for nothing. Anyway, contacted my pharmacy assitant to arrange for supply. Then she (the doctor) called again 15 minutes later...asking for the drug again...when I had just managed to fall back to sleep.
A defective medibag tubing. The metal detector was missing from the tubing and hence...the portable pump was unable to detect the rotating mechanism...the rotating thingie could not rotate...drug could not be administered to the patient. Summary = had to go into the oncology day care centre to fix the problem. This has never happened before. It had to happen on my watch. I am sure that one day I will look back and laugh in disbelief. Right now...it's just disbelief.
And then there is that ever exciting problem of us having a no stock or low in stock situation. I just want to point something out here...and this is especially directed to you doctors reading this post...IT IS NOT ALWAYS PHARMACY'S FAULT. There are many reasons why this happens (buy me coffee and I'll elaborate...but not Besta's or DeliFrance's coffee...I have certain standards I adhere to...strictly) and the most common one really is this; the pharma company is unable to cope with our demands. So back to basic economics...in a situation where the demand (whether from judicial use or not is a different debate altogether) exceeds the supply...use alternatives! So anyway, I think that we are out of Pip-Tazo, Meropenem, Cefepime and soon to be octreotide. Wow!
A six year old surgical patient who was sent back with two month's supply of cefuroxime syrup. Oh joy! Had to break into the store for this one.
A DVT (deep vein thrombosis) patient that needed TED stockings. Surprise, surprise! My dispensary had all the sizes except for the one she needed. More breaking in took place.

There were some other incidences that have escaped my short term memory...so I will end here. Need more doses of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice...which I will have to thank Christie for...he he...feel all better now. Going to have the Segambut seafood tom yam noodles for lunch. Wow...the salivary glands are fully activated now...better go...

Resident Evil Rat

2007-10-25T21:46:00.000+08:00

I have not been blogging in a while. I have been a busy, busy bee. And in that time that I have been buzzing away, many an interesting things have taken place. Some happy events (sun, sand, sea) and then there was THAT nasty encounter of a rodent kind. I have discovered a vile and foul RAT lurking the halls of my pharmacy. It is really the MOST disgusting thing that I have ever seen in my whole entire life. Mangy stringy gray hair. Mean beady piercing eyes. A sharp yet crooked nose always sniffing, sniffing, sniffing the air for its next prey. It (Resident Evil Rat) wields a sharp tool used to probably hunt its meals and to stab the other rats in the back. It pokes its nose into every corner there is and leaves a horrible stench in its wake. Why has nobody caught it yet? I don’t know.

I used to really hate this rat. But the act of ‘hating’ is not only a waste of energy (I have now come to realize) but also rather tiring. I now pity this rat. It must be a rather friendless existence being the unbearable and despicable rodent that it is. So the rest of us aware of its subsistence are wise to avoid it altogether…to have nothing to do with it. Life suddenly looks up again. There might be a resident evil rat running around…uninhibited…but I believe in a greater good…a Higher Being. I believe in doing no harm, in spreading joy…love…peace. If I can’t do that…then at the very least…I refuse to spread hate around.

Some of you might be puzzled by this post. It’s okay. Buy me coffee in exchange for this tale. It will be the best RM13.50 ++ you will ever spend. Well…not really…but those who know me will know that I’ll say anything for a free cuppa. (NB: RM13.50 ~ the price of a tall Java Chip Frappucino).

By the way, today was a three cups of coffee sort of day. I would have drunk more (I certainly needed more)…but was not in the mood. Can you believe that? No in the mood for coffee. Gah!

It Was EXCELLENT!!!

2007-10-16T18:04:00.000+08:00

I am back! All of my limbs are intact and I am proud to say that I survived Gua Tempurung...all of the 5 hours it took us to truly get a 'taste' of it's beauty. This has got to be one of the best trips I have ever been to and I have to thank Lionel for organising it so well.

All the three things (abseiling, white water rafting and caving) we did was fantastic!!! I just can't decide which I liked best. I really can't. I thought that I would like caving the least but the ammonia from all that bat guano I inhaled (five hours...you can just imagine) must have done something to my brains. I am now a changed person. Caves aren't all that bad. I know that I am gushing...but it the trip was THAT enjoyable an experience..which was made even GREATER by the other 26 colourful characters that will be mentioned later.
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As time is running short...now...have a dinner to get to...I end this post with some of the pictures I managed to capture...with whatever battery I had left. Brilliant me left the camera charger in the office. Sigh...will have to 'beg' for pictures from Lionel (who had a water resistant camera) and Chew (who brought along his kiasu camera fully charged)...'beg' cause I know that it won't come easy. But Richard and Hok Lee...bless you guys...should be able to get their pics without being tortured and made to perform idiotic stunts. Ha ha!

Like everything else, the trip started with 'makan' time. Bidor. Pun Chun restaurant. Wan tan noodles with a punch. The punch being the KL price that was charged. Yeah yeah...I know...the prawny wan tan and all that but still...the food here was much better fifteen years ago before commercialism took over. Eh, I know all this because me was brought up in Teluk Intan and most trips when 'balik-ing kampung' included a stop at this restaurant.

You can tell that the trip was bound to have some exciting moments when our cars got stuck right at the beginning of the trip and the passengers had be unloaded to enable a clear passage through. Especially Lionel's car bearing Chew Cheong Tat...ha ha ha...I am so going to pay for this...but I just couldn't resist.

The end of the 7km or so river that provided a thrilling (at parts) and peaceful (at the other parts) 2 hour ride through the rapids. Go team alpha! Ok...so, I couldn't think up of a better name. Anyway, team alpha consisted of Chew Cheong Tat (Icing...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!), Christie Cheam, Andrew Loke (cupcake), Alyssa Loke (munchkin), Alexandra Loke (Hobittses) and yours truly.

Well...we started with food...and so...the circle ended with...yes you guess it...more food! We went to this famous place that served the chicken wrapped in really soft yummy-licious bread. We had the two varieties...yuk choy and curry. Oh wow...we attacked it with so much gusto that some husbands even forgot to serve their wives first. Tsk tsk...yes Lionel...I know...Lay Suan is very capable.

I am already planning a trip to Padas River in Sabah...reported to be a grade III to IV river. The websites look fantastic. Any takers?

It's My Birthday & I'll Pig Out If I Want To

2007-10-09T22:18:00.000+08:00

Thai at Atria
The eating started on Saturday with Choobs and Su-Ai. Thai food at Atria. The tom-yam was hot enough...Su-Ai's lips were swollen...Choobs was struggling to finish her bowl of mee hoon that seemed like a never ending story. The 'som tham' was really good. Sour enough and the ikan bilis crunchy enough. So yummy that we even ordered a second bowl.

Italian at La Risata

The destination was still a mystery when Amelia picked me up on Sunday evening. But she had somehow let the cat out of the bag earlier that it was 'somewhere' behind Victoria Station. The gang was already there when we arrived. Mei actually got her mum to fry the rest of the 'keropok lekor' she had bought from her trip to Terengganu (how long ago was that?) and so we sat there chomping on it (perfectly bite size...not as hard as her first experience) with the really sedap original chilli sauce. The food was good...not GOOD...but passable...the company however was EXCELLENT and that made all the difference.

We had two sorts of pizzas...funghi (which is mushrooms...okay...not the stuff we were growing in the complex!) and smoke salmon. I still maintain that nothing beats the smoke salmon pizza at Souled Out. Trust me. Not even the one in Italiennes. If you are a smoke salmon lover (and I definitely am...that and salmon sashimi...I think that my inner soul is Japanese), then you just have have have to try the Souled Out version. You will not be disappointed.

The mains were a salmon ravioli covered with creamy salmon sauce dish, lamb chops (needed meat for Mei's sake) and spaghetti carbonara. The only dish that receives the LEECHES SEAL OF APPROVAL is the salmon ravioli. The sauce covering the lamb chops was salty...and when that comes from me...you know that it is REALLY salty. The spinach that adorned the plate was even saltier. The carbonara was just not carbonara-ish enough; watery sauce and sorely lacking in the garlic category...and of course it being a halal place...yeah, something missing there. To date, the best carbonara I have ever tasted was at La Bodega (Bangsar branch).

Of course life would not be as exciting without a few 'accidents'. Don't worry Mei...we were not in the least bit embarassed...really! Yeah...do you notice Adwin edging AWAY from Mei? That's an evasive manouvre...smart boy!

Then there was my first ever tiramisu cake. Yummy. It was a good thing we booked it first. Fast thinking there Wen Chieh.

Margaritas at Chillis

Monday. Girls night out. Minus girl currently in London who is forgiven because of earlier wishes sent through sms. Happy hour. Presidente Margaritas. Nachos. Salsa sauce. Big happy smiles all around.

(Sang to the tune of the Elephant Show theme song)

Two munkee buds came out to play

In a real cool bar one sunny day

They had such tremendous fun

That they called for another one to come

Spanish at La Bodega
Din din was a stone's throw away where we ordered tapas' and seafood paella (I am sure I got the spelling wrong)...and...and...a pitcher of sangria. The food was GOOD good. But don't get the fried shrimp tapas. A little disppointing there. But the mushroom and eggplant and fried squid...LEECH APPROVED! The seafood paella...OMG! Fantastic! The sang-ria...good...but liked the one we had in Italiennes better. But the pitcher was cute, wasn't it (yeah I know...a comment that only a girl can make).

The weather was nice and cool because of the rain that continued throughout our dinner. A+ for the ambience there...and plus...they gave us the happy hour price for the sang ria though it had passed that twitching hour. Birthday girl rights. Woo hoo!

This pic was taken by the macha at 2 o'clock.

My attempts to take a pic of the spaced out white fella at 12 o'clock. Alas!

That's how in love we were with the pitcher.

Thanks Pals!

2007-10-04T22:18:00.000+08:00

I am oh-so touched! Emotionally that is (tsk...tsk...tsk!). My friends have heard my pleas for decent food and have responded in kind. Calls have been coming in with offers to take yours truly out for lunch and as such, I am not in such a foul (initially spelt it as 'fowl'...read it and laughed myself silly) hypo-glycaemic mood post 1 o'clock.

Plus, Mei Mei (bless her soul) have been supplying Amelia and myself with coffee (a chinese brand that is written in chinese which the banana in me is screaming 'Foreign!! Unable to decipher alien symbols!!'). We have demolished most of it...only one packet left...which we will have to share tomorrow...so sad...don't think that it will be enough caffeine for the both of us. On that note, I have a confession. I dropped by Tesco last night after UMSC clinic...had to get some contact lense solution after using up the very last drop that morning...and yes...I FORGOT TO BUY COFFEE! How could I have forgotten you ask? Well...it was after 10 o'clock and the dori-ness in me was starting to play up.

Anyway, back to my main purpose of this blog...so easily distracted. Christie was one of the kind souls who turned up on Tuesday to ferry me away to a 'nasi padang' restaurant somewhere in Sri Hartamas (very near Saffron). The food was good...then again...anything is fantastic when compared to my cafeteria food. After lunch, as she was about to drop me off at the green lane, I suggested donating blood...since she was already there and she agreed. I don't know whether she regrets it now (but I somehow don't think so)...but it was NOT an easy donation. First, the nurse had to adjust/manouver/slide in and out/tap the needle about a couple of times to gain access to her deep veins (ahem...tak buat kerja rumah ke?). Secondly, her flow rate was quite slow...so it took some time to fill that 450 mL bag. But I applaud her for being so patient through the whole ordeal. You mah regular hero sis!

The Beers I Drank In Belgium

2007-09-29T18:14:00.000+08:00

Belgian beer comprises the most varied and numerous collection of beers in the world (per capita) and varies from the popular pale lager to the esoteric appeal of lambic beer and Flemish red. And okay...a few beers that I am posting up here are not all made in Belgium...so I cheated...but hey...I drank them in Belgium...and hence the tile of this post.

I am not a beer drinker. I hate the beer brewed in Malaysia. The best beers I have ever drank were the ones I had in Germany (a lifetime ago), a particular brewery in Perth and now Belgium (though I have to say that I quite enjoyed the Kingfisher in India). Also, I never knew how ignorant I was about the ways of the beer maker. All my entire life...I thought that beer was classified in two groups: dark and white. Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy was I wrong. Terms like blonde, double blonde, lunch beer (a really low alcohol percentage beer), spiced, chocolate were thrown at me and I was rather taken a back.

But I enjoyed the different beers that I had in my stint in Ghent and Brussels. Especially the pear cider and the strawberry (at least it tasted like strawberries) flavoured Hoegaarden one which of course, owing to my spectacular memory, I can't recall the name of. But it's a light one that was made especially for the ladies.

Hhhhmmm, work aside (and there was a lot of it), I would say go to Belgium because the place is beautifully old and cultured. The waffles rock and the beers are just a delight. The roman-ish slash gothic architecture gives one the feeling of stepping into a magical world of romance and charm.

So here ends my 'alcoholic' chronicle. Ha ha. I can see all of you shaking your heads and muttering certain somethings to yourself. You are lucky I can't hear you. Also, as a disclaimer, I do not advocate drunkenness. Not at all and especially not at wedding dinners. Sigh...sorry, that was a cheap shot...but never-the-less...

Blood Suckers

2007-09-29T17:32:00.000+08:00

Wonder what these critters are? Well...if the title of this post was not a dead give away, then the next picture should help. Buggeroo! Can't seem to get blogger to upload my pics...so no other pictures, I'm afraid...for now that is.

Anyhow, you all know that I was recently in Belgium visiting the University Hospital Ghent. Well, yours truly found out about their lovely little 'pets' and just had had had to pay them (the leeches) a visit before leaving the place. I find leeches so fascinating though am rather afraid of them at the same time. For instance...did you guys know that you would hardly notice a leech 'leeching' on to your skin...unless of course you are so damn perasan that you just have to gaze at single inch of you once every ten minutes. Their saliva contains substances that anaesthetise (numb) the wound area, dilate the blood vessels to increase blood flow and prevent the blood from clotting.

How does this translate to a medical benefit?

During operations, micro surgeons usually have little trouble attaching the two ends of the arteries, because arteries are thick-walled and relatively easy to suture. Veins, however, are thin-walled and especially difficult to suture, particularly if the tissue is badly damaged. All too often the surgeon can get blood to flow in the reattached arteries but not veins. With the venous circulation severely compromised, the blood going to the reattached finger (or any other limb) becomes congested, or stagnant; the reattached portion turns blue and lifeless and is at serious risk of being lost. It is in these cases that leeches are summoned to do all that cool stuff I mentioned above.

And this has been an educational service provided by the great Leech herself.

Clueless In UH

2007-09-26T18:14:00.000+08:00

For fear of the authorities reading this and the repercusions that may occur please read between the lines. The reason why I was sent to Sweden & Belgium and the reason why I am attending WEEKLY meetings for a particular project that I will not mention here relates greatly to this Dilbert cartoon. The phrase 'prevention is better than cure' apparently is...well...not such a popular idea around this parts of the world.

When I was younger and much much greener, I would normally be found in a secluded corner of pharmacy yanking at my hair and asking, "WHY?!!!". This happens at least b.d (that's twice daily for you non-medical folks). I have since given up asking questions that quite clearly has answers that no one will openly utter.

Being now wiser (don't know by how much though...ha ha...such humility) and plus the secluded corners that I used to patronage have since started to leak, I now carefully pick my battles. Things that use to bother me are now like 'water over the proverbial duck's back'. Hey, really...if you can't beat 'em...join 'em. The clueless wonders. Ha ha...my hair is growing back...finally.

Just Another Entry

2007-09-24T18:00:00.000+08:00

Wow…last week was an extremely crazy week. Worked 14 hour shifts FOUR days in a row…due to a mixture of exchanging night duties with those who are fasting and helping out a sick colleague. Note to self: Lisha…never again…no matter how kind (or invincible) your heart feels at that moment…DO NOT agree to work more than two nights in a row. But the bright side of it is that I will not have many nights once the puasa month is over. Plus, I still have ELEVEN days of hazard leave which if not cleared by the end of the year will sprout wings and fly off to a place I cannot follow.

And also…I don’t believe that Chew Cheong Tat is using my blog entry (refer to the 18th of September) as an EXCUSE to cop out of the trip. Tsk…tsk. Scared say la scared!

Okay…more work to do though have officially timed off. It’s never ending I tell ya. And plus…I have no desires to join the ‘buka puasa’ rush. I will blog more when my head doesn’t feel like bursting and there’s more sugar coursing through my veins. Lunch today was appalling. On normal days…the pickings are already slim. Now with puasa in the air…well…you can just imagine…I am rather desperate. So of you dear friends out there…if you are on leave or in the neighbourhood…come pick me up for lunch. There’s good Indian food all around…and the Ipoh chicken rice down the road. I would drive…but getting a car space in my car park after lunch is really like looking for a bar of chocolate on Chew Cheong Tat’s table…nearly impossible.