Slumdog Millionaire In My Room

11.37pm..... half eyes on tv...hands partly on laptop... multi tasking between a movie and a post in the blog...
I know I m outdated, backdated.... when everything exciting has died down andnow here I am, watching Slumdog Millionaire in my own room with my two kids....

Now Jamal and Salim who are in their teensnow are in the Taj Mahal...

ok, ok... i better concentrate on the show..i dont understand why my hands are on the keyboard...

hehe..i love this part...
with pinched nose, he jumped into the SHIT hole

and immediately, I smelled something in my room ...
chey...one of my kids doing his "business" in my toilet.....Yucks!

The Anger In Me

AN IRRITATED DAY...

Woke up 5.30am.. and started our journey to his college which was 2 1/2 hours drive away from IPOH....

Lined up to pay the registration fees... Waited more than half hour to come to my turn...
Sorry for telling this... when my turn came, I knew why the delay and the "slowness"...
A very elderly lady staff was just learning to key in the enrollment particulars of the students...
She typed so slowly, never mind, another young lady staff was at her side teaching her what to type in (the codes and so on, I guess...)....

aaaaahhhhhhh..... why of all today, just learning how to key in????
This is not her fault...the college's adminstration was at fault...
Very well they know today the crowd would be there to pay and register....
Why do they allow an elderly old lady to key in the data and collecting the money?
Why don't they just allow someone more efficient to the computer to do the tasks today?

I was fuming inside when I saw the poor old lady "tic tic tic" at the keyboard, I have to resist from saying "Please, can u learn the computer another day?"

Okay, after paying, we went off to the hostel, a few minutes drive from the college.
Lined up again...
When my turn came, she looked at my receipt and asked me "Why the hostel fees only 740rm and not 1040rm?"
I got irritated again..... Taking a deep breath, I told her that the college adminstration did the receipt this way, they already collected all my money, how and what they typed on the receipt, how would I suppose to know?
Then she said "oh, cannot... you must go back to the college and clarify with them... hostel is 1040 and not 740."

aaaahhhhhh... I wanted to scream!!!
Fuming again, I drove back to the college and looked for the old lady again...
I was told she went out for lunch and would be back at 2pm....THAT DID IT!
The bomb in me exploded...
With an angry voice, I told the girl the problem, the hostel admin wouldn't allow me to take the keys without the proper payment written there....u know or not, I have to run up and down, what is this?? I already paid for the full amount u all wanted and now bec of the codes or whatever, I am being penalized???

She quickly called up the hostel admin and I heard her talking quite loudly to that lady over there, she also sounded angry...
After hanging up, she apologised saying that the hostel admin should not asked me to come back to the college and clarify....she said she had settled it with them and asked me to return to the hostel...

While driving back to the hostel, my son told me to simmer down, don't be angry with them, he said he will be staying there for 4 1/2 years... so don't make him so outstanding...

Okay, I told him to go in and settle himself... I would enter later.... but from the door, when she saw us, she apologised already... I also softened.. "its alright... may I know whether there r dobi services over here...bla bla bla............"

The end of my BOMB for today....

(I admit I am also getting old...
if not, why am I so long winded in this story?)

Smiling Faces

We were in Jaya Jusco when we saw this cute smiling mascot dancing to the beat of the hot music looming above us.... Kids were crowding around him , I quickly snapped a few of him but only two turned out fine..the rest were blocked by parents and kids...

if my kids were still young
they would line up and shake hands too

but at this age?? no way la... right?

Smile... an everlasting Smile...
A smile can bring you near to me....

The Last Moments....

I stared at the orange and it "stared" back at me.... ok, might as well, eat u up...
Stripped the "fella's skin" off and put 2 and 3 slices to my mouth one shot... (want to finish it fast ma)
Then the choking came... cough ...cough...ahem....ahem... ouch!! cough cough some more... skin got stuck somewhere inside... gulped down some water... cough, cough...and tried to do more ahem(s)....

At that moment, vivid of memories flashed through my mind.... how one die of choking?? no air going into our lungs and the brain feels like it is exploding?

I thought of my beloved.... how did he feel.... all I could remember .... he was fighting for air that last moment and I did not know what to do... I tried doing the mouth to mouth thing but I know I didn't get it right.....

It sets me thinking... I only had something small stuck in my throat and it has caused so much discomfort... how about someone who was gasping for air and his heart was paining?? That was the most crucial moment..... it was either LIFE OR LIFELESS...

(please don't mind me..... just bec of one orange, my ramblings and mumblings came alive.... reliving back the past....)

Oh My Goodness, Wawasan Day!

Today is Wawasan day, the day when the government offers some millions of bonds to the public to invest as a Fixed Deposit kind of thingy, only difference is that the bonds are giving a 6-7% dividen yearly which is very much better than the banks which gives around 2-3% per annum.

So as expected, early early morning, even before the banks were to open, the public were already crowding at the entrance of these certain banks which are agents for the govt... (something like that la...)

I went to "survey" two banks, firstly the one just next to my office, the line was so long that the door has to be opened.... I gave up... thought it would be better to go to another bank near my house........ but.....

Worse! People were ramming near the counters in this bank, so much so, one bank officer had to come out to pacify the crowd and asking them to go home and come back after lunch cos they have issued out 200 numbers, meaning 200 people were in waiting to open the bonds accounts..

200 people, man! I noticed mostly elderly people, retirees, women more than men, I guess must be "Si-Lai-s"..... they have the time to queue and wait... hahahaha...

As for me and my son, after opening a normal savings account for him, we went home... peacefully...

No High Dividens... not for us, son.... some other time, perhaps....

A Pea And The Cock

A woman like me has never come across a peacock (its a pea-cock, right?) "opening" its tail... Tail?? oh dear, correct me ... what is that called...

Anyway, whatever it is called, for the first time, I managed to see her/him opening the fan-like thing and parading itself right and left in front of all of us tourists... My friend told me that it has been trained to do so.... I don't believe her...she was pulling my leg, right?

two steps to the right...

two steps to the left...
and
turn around...tap, tap, tap...

and bow....

(chey, sounds like folk dancing...
anyway, this p-cock was very beautiful
and smart too!)

Farewell Lunch In Rainbow Restaurant

A farewell lunch for our May Tan aka Liangu who has taken an optional retirement and "plunged" herself to become one of those successful "silai businesswoman" in the market.
Actually this was a very belated farewell lunch, she has retired in March and due to her busyness, she could only make it yesterday.... (must make one month in advance appointment)

Oh, this time no food pictures for a change... (but honestly speaking, I forgotten all about taking the food pics cos we were too engrossed with the food..elderly ladies like us can walloped fast one, u know..)

come on, lets drink up.....

a bottle of wine to boost up...

All of us had a good time, drinking to happiness and good health.... most of our faces were red in colour.... "hey, make sure go back office, don't simply scold the boss ah... immediately can get 24 hours transfer out, u know???"

Before we left, we pledged that we will have a "ONCE-A-MONTH-LUNCH TOGETHER" and "YAM SING" again!

HengDian - ChinaWood (As In Hollywood)

Among all the places in this Shanghai trip, I like HengDian best of all... maybe it was because the movies/ancient chinese series were filmed in this place that made it attractive to me. Sort of a Universal Studio, sort of la, of course nothing compared to Hollywood....this is a small Chinawood...

THE ENTRANCE...

THE HENGDIAN TOUR GUIDE

THE MOVIES THAT WERE FILMED HERE...

THE 99 STEPS...

FROM THE VIEW ON TOP

I REMEMBER THIS PLACE IN ONE OF THE MOVIES...

OH-OH, SOMETHING WRONG OVER HERE..
HOW COME THIS LADY IS NOT IN ANCIENT CLOTHINGS?
hai....SHE IS ONE OF THOSE K-LE-FEHss...(Extras)

Something Light In Jelapang Town

Something Light for Lunch, we all agreed... "How about going to Jelapang then?" one of us suggested... then off we went... Going to Jelapang from our office takes around 10 minutes, it is a small village after First Garden and Silibin Garden.....

This something-light place is a road-side stall.... no air con... zinc roof and open aired..but it is famous for its rojak and tongsui (desserts)

THE ROJAK
consists of cucumber, pineapple, etc etc...

THE SAUCE
to go with the rojak....
each bowl to one individual...

and...of course must order THE ICE KACANG

so how about having that something light for lunch?

A Creepy Night In Nanjing

Friends asked me about the accomodation while I was touring in Shanghai. I told them for the seven nights we were there, we slept in seven different hotels. Of all the hotels we slept in, only the Nanjing one was a bit "uneasy".... (yam yam cham cham)...

Maybe it was due to my own imagination cos during the day tour in Nanjing, we were taken to the place where the Massacre took place in the World War Two and many thousands of chinese were killed in that place where we visited earlier. When we entered the hall, it was quite dim, some of the skeleons (real ones) were numbered and the details were shown on the exhibits, the gender and the cause of death. And the environment inside the hall was very "sad and quite eerie", perhaps with the sad music looming around the hall added to the eeriness....

Okay, coming back to my hotel room, I sensed some discomfort upon entering, on one side near the dressing table, the light was whitish and quite dim, not like our florescent type of lamp. Above our single beds, there were another 2 sets of warm light,(yellowish), very dim too... so imagine white and yellow lights, they didnt blend very well and made the room even creepier...

Well, that night I didn't tell my room mate for fear of scaring her too... hahaha.. but when she chose the bed next to the wall nearer to the toilet, I know she felt something too... Anyway, to cut the story short, there were 2 big arm chairs facing my bed and I felt like there were someone "big" sitting there and looking at me throughout the night.....(sei mei) .. That was my imagination during that time.. I don't know why I felt that way... before I slept, I turned the other way...

Next day, upon checking out, both of us "checked" our notes and our feelings about the room with my other 2 friends.. Well, they were smarter, so it seems.. my fren hung her "panty" on the door... she said can shun "unwanted visitors" off... hehehehe....

Well, as for the other nights, the hotels were "okay".... once or was it twice, I cannot remember, we left one bed vacant... both of us squeezed into the single bed.... it was more comforting than sleeping alone in the single bed in an alien hotel...

iBuyPhones Contest For Everyone!

Want to do something for our Mother Earth this year? For your information, Earth Day is celebrated on the April 22nd annually to create an awareness and appreciation about our global environment. The least we can do to help our mother earth to improve the environment is to let word out to everyone who wishes to enter this contest. As we all know, iBuyPhones recycles used cell phones and they are launching this simple contest for us. All you have to do is come up with your own creativity to write a 200 words essay on how you would use the $422 dollar prize to improve the environment. Simple? Well, not only that, it comes with an attractive prize and furthermore, we are doing our part to make a difference in our environment!

To enter Earth Day contest , here are the guidelines:

1. Create a brilliant idea that will improve the environment
2. Register at http://www.ibuyphones.com/members
3. Upon registering, you'll receive a verification email in your box
4. Click on the verification link in your inbox
5. Login with with your registered name and password
6. Once logged in, click on "Add New" and submit your creativity.
7. Click "PUBLISH" when you are done writing!

Oh, before I forget, the contest closes on April 22 2009. Not much time to be wasted now, do be quick and get it done now. Remember, You are going to make a difference!

Refugee Boat?

This is Wuxi... another place which was quite unique in its own way.... When we entered this sort of "kingdom" we were taken on a ride round the lake on the "train" and by boat on the lake...

the entrance to the "kingdom"

the choo choo train....

the lake...

at first I tot this was a refugee boat..

no...it was a tourist boat...
scary or not.. so crowded?

but I was not on this boat...

I was on another different one..
not so over crowded one :)

Which Hurts More?

Two sad cases in two different kinds of situations and yet something in common...

Which is more painful?

To have a husband whose heart is torn between two people, his wife and girlfriend...

OR

Not to have a husband because he is not in this world anymore....

Last night I was asked ... "How long did you grieve for your husband?"

In fact, this was not the first time I was asked... and each time I try to call... I cannot find the answer to this...

Frankly, grieving or mourning for someone does not stop abruptly, it can go on years and years, the thing that matters more is how to overcome the grief and stop wallowing in self-pitiness. The initial stage or the beginning is always the most painful to bear because of the big change in my life as it is something unexpected. If you ask me now how it was then, I really cannot describe.. there is really no stop to grieving, the feelings of missing that person arises anytime of the day...

Now I feel really sad for someone who is on the verge of having a marriage breakdown... she asked me this question, how long did I grieve... I did not answer her because I know deep down, she is having this hurt inside her and I cannot tell her it might take forever to overcome the pain... someone whom she loves and trusts... has suddenly rob her of her happiness and family.

Which is more painful? My situation of being a wife who will not see her husband anymore in this earthly world or her situation who can still see her husband but his heart belongs to someone's else too.....

Candid Pictures

While walking along a park in WuXi, this mother and son caught my attention. Don't call me 8, I could not resist not taking their pictures ...

The boy looked no more than five years of age... at first, his mother (i think she is the mom) took a pic of him sitting on the rock and he gave such a cute smile and "V" sign to his mom...

after that, it was his mum's turn to be the chee kok...
I heard some instructions and scoldings from the mum
or perhaps it was her normal tone
of speaking to the boy ..(i dont know)

... and....after a few takes and some reprimands,
he finally got it right!!

My Morning Brunch

After coming back from my holiday, I have a sudden craze for curry noodles...something spicy and hot. Since today is a holiday for Perakians, my girl and I went to town to have our brunch ... (always brunch bec we are late wakers...is there such a word?)

This shop sells a lot of desserts, tongsui and a small stall at the side selling nasi lemak and curry noodles. I had not tried curry here before so this morning, I pandai-pandai ordered one bowl. Wow..when it came, it was so big and since my girl does not take spicy food, I had to finish it all by myself... I think it can last me through dinner....

meehoon stashed with chicken meat, long beans
pig skin (choo pei) and beancurd (taufoo pok)
only RM3.50 (quite accepable)

From my heart...

Sorry my dear bloggers... I know I have been doing a lot of paid posts lately and did not pay much attention to my fellow friends over here. From the deepest of my heart, I really do want to go visiting as many as I can and reading your posts but due to the busyness of my own personal stuff and limited time, I have slacked on my rounds since I came back from Shanghai.

Please forgive me ... as u all know, I love blogging, I love sharing what I have experienced .. most of all, I love having to friends regardless where they are.... and of course... I love making money too!

So.... I hope all of you will go on being my regular readers and vice versa... this is the only way we can connect to one another and to give each other support....

Terima kasih, sae sae, arigatok and A BIG THANK YOU!!

At Night In Nanjing

Along the brightly lit up streets in Nanjing at night... we were given an hour to stroll along the shops, some complained one hour was too long... as for me, one hour is like 15 minutes... where got enough time to browse man... so eventually, I ended up not buying anything... (sorry, Eugene, no souveniors from Nanjing for u la... blame my handsome tour guide)

But... I ended up tasting some steamed corns and some spicy squids.... oh, forgotten to take those pics...

Anyway, here are a few pictures I snapped as I walked along the streets....

Mcdonald in chinesey style leh...

blur a bit la..
maybe my hands were shaking that time...
cold ma...

this was unique...
a wishing tree... it was very brightly lit..
very nice... but I wonder what their wishes were...
all written on red stripes of paper...

Suzhou Fashion Show

While we were at the silk factory in Suzhou, we were treated to a fashion show .... they displayed their silk clothings on sale and I believe the "models" were the employees working there... Anyway, it was just a short ten minutes modelling and for the first time in history, we were the audience sitting ON THE FRONT ROW...