0 For my home, Malaysia

It pains me to see our beloved country being ruined by radicals. That doesn't mean that I love it any less. I'm just not loving the extremists! I put up the flag not for them but for the love of my country and the good men in it.

So cheers to our forefathers who fought for this country. Without them, there would be no Malaysia.

Cheers to democracy for we have elected new governments in several states and made a stand that the People of Malaysia will not bow down to political shenanigans and corrupt leaders.

Cheers to families who still practice "open house" during festivals, to welcome fellow Malaysians from all walks of life into their homes .

Cheers to the peace-loving.

Cheers to sportsmen and sportswomen who have displayed good sportsmanship and maintained high standards on the world stage.

Cheers to those who believe 1Malaysia is about EVERYONE, not ONE.

At RM6.40, this didn't bust a hole in my pocket

Securing the flag

Tadaaa..!!

0 Put your HEART in it

Malaysia's National Day is round the corner..and there's something for every mood. Where, oh where will my heart take me?

Would I like to delve into a deeper meaning, in quiet solitude: 

Galeria Sri Perdana
Nationalism & Patriotism Exhibition – Aliya & Farouk Khan Collection - Ends 30 Sep 2010

Muzium Negara
Pameran Wira Tak Dicanang (Unsung Heroes) -  Ends 19 Sep 2010

Do I wish to join my fellow patriots to reenact the days of yore with chants of "Merdeka! Merdeka!"

Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil
National day parade and marchpast - 31 Aug 10, 7am to 9.30am

Attend a Merdeka Eve Party?

Uncle Chilli's PJ
DJ, dance show and RM35 - 30 Aug 10, 9pm

Sunway Lagoon
Ministry of Sound Euphoria Merdeka Eve Lockdown Party and RM80 - 30 Aug 10, 9.30pm

In dine and song:

Palate Palette
Live performances and yummy buka puasa BBQ - 31 Aug 10, 7.00PM

Or spend the day at home .... cooking up my very own Merdeka themed dish!

Well, whatever you and I are doing, let's put our hearts into it .....into loving our fellow countrymen, of course. That's why this day is so important, isn't it?

0 New Zealand Natural Ice Cream - As uplifting as it gets

Nothing thrills me more than ice-cream, I kid you not. It's perfect for high temperatures, perfect with waffles, biscuits and bread, perfect as shake and the perfect cure for any bad day.

I finally utilised the voucher I received from New Zealand Natural for my participation in their Father's Day contest on facebook.  The voucher was for 1 take-home pack of NZ Natural ice cream. It was memorable to me because I got to talk about my Dad, whom I adore. He's often inspired me to take the straight and narrow path.

New Zealand Natural outlets are nil in existence where I hail from and the long distance made it impossible for Dad and I to get-together to share the ice-cream. Dad wasn't as fussy as I was about the unfairness of it all. He was just, typically, an understanding dad.

The voucher of temptation

What's in the pack?

Butterscotch (Left) / Cookies n Cream (Right)

Not to be savoured alone

New Zealand Natural

We asked everyone to pick a New Zealand Natural ice cream flavour and tell us how it best represents their father.

Answer : Rum and Raisin aptly depicts my father who has touched the lives of many people with wise words and a fair assessment of things. I’m often told of my father’s humility and helpfulness. My father believed in standing up for what’s right even if the going was tough.

I remember the days when he used to run a video shop. Il...legal copying was rampant and unchecked. My father was ‘encouraged’ to follow suit for profit sake and to change with the times. Rather than compromise his principles, he closed the shop and moved on to greater things. He didn’t blame anyone, nor was he bitter. He showed me and many people that there were “still a few good men”. Life wasn’t about being a success superficially.

This flavour reminds me of his bold stand in life, and how he has sweetened it for many.

True story - A tribute to Dad.

PS: Of course, I sent him something else for Father's Day ;)

0 Jen's Big Day...the Birthday

The move into middle age...we embrace it with much gusto. Sadly, so does our middle.

One for the album

Cute gift box from Daiso, The Curve (RM5 for a set of 2)

Good conversations are meant to tickle

Earrings from Diva

It was Sunday and we had no plans. Jen's Birthday was looming, so an impromptu decision was made to celebrate her Birthday. You never know what might crop up as the date draws near - work deadlines, family commitments, company trips..better early than late, I say.

We landed ourselves in Canton-i, 1 Utama because of the ambience and our preference for Oriental fare. Although cramped for space, it was bright and airy which makes for a cheerful atmosphere ..suitable for small quiet Birthday-dos.

0 Repo Men

The Repo-Man gets repo-ed. Storyline's pretty interesting. An organisation called The Union sells artificial body parts (liver, heart, eyes etc) on instalment plans. Those who are overdue in payments get their bodies ripped apart by Repo-Men working for The Union. This is how they repossess their goods. 

To cut it short, Repo-Man Remy (Jude Law) gets an artificial heart after an accident and what goes round comes round. He goes on the run.

Spoiler alert:  The climax is a pretty gory affair, with Remy cutting into his own flesh, then digging into his body with a scanner to scan his artificial heart. The idea is that if the item is scanned and recorded as retrieved, the names of the hunted will be removed from the system and they will hence seize to be on the "wanted" list. It looks like Remy was successful .. wasn't he?

There's a familiar twist at the end which will remind you of "Inception". Won't elaborate on this.

Tickets courtesy of UIP Malaysia (^_^)

United International Pictures Malaysia
Alrightey Folks, Heres a chance for you to win yourself a pair of screening passes to the Premiere of "Repo Men". To win, answer this question as creative as possible. =)

If you were working for the Union, Which job would you choose to take up and why?

Answer: The Janitor, if I had no choice but to work there - It's the furthest role I would play in hurting people, not the the salesperson who sells something which can be taken back brutally, not the employee in the manufacturing line who mass produce this stuff for profit, nor the CEO of a corporation with such principles, not even HR who pays Repo Men to do this. I'd rather mop the floor.

0 The Last Airbender

A case of so-so acting and cheesy lines - That's all I have to say about the movie :)

While the movie itself did not make a lasting impression on me, the free pair of passes I got, did. On it was printed, "FREE SEATING". In this country, that's never a good sign. Trust me.

It started off well with a queue outside the cinema halls, but once they released the ribbon to let us in, the chaos began. We had people racing up the stairs with kids and all. Two sweet old ladies shoved us aside and made a run for it.

You'd think there was a gold rush or something. The more decent ones continued their walk in, graciously.

We stepped into the screening hall cautiously, quickly noticing that many good seats were already "booked" by these shameless people. We were the lucky ones, blessed with a comfortable spot without resorting to bad manners.

Some left disappointed. One poor girl mustered her courage and plonked herself on one of these "booked" seats which was still empty. 

No sooner had five minutes passed, she was confronted by the late-to-arrive seat bookers. They claimed that the spot was theirs (Seems that their friend, who was sitting beside quietly, was too shy to tell the girl that the seat was taken). It should be meant for those who were here first. Bullies, they were.

Tickets courtesy of The Star

0 A Simple Solution

"Red alert!" It was the only two words that registered in my mind when I heard that MIL was coming down to KL for a holiday - We were the hosts. 

Where I once felt that home was safe with a little dust hidden behind the furniture and deep corners, I now had the urge and the urgency to reach for the unreachable. I scoured my cabinet. The weapons of choice - a vacuum cleaner, a mop, scouring pad, broom, floor cleaner and VIM ... loads!

Months of serious inactivity led to muscle aches as I scrubbed and cleaned every nook and cranny, and moved the furniture. The results were spectacular and I was pleased to see the awe in my partner's face when he walked through the door.

I soon got carried away though. It started with a bit of redecorating and then it turned into a full blown spring cleaning affair.

At the very last hour, I took to panicking over the menial issue of having new hand towels in the bathroom.  The problem was, I didn't have any, but I felt I needed it to impress MIL. So I searched the cabinets anyway, hoping for a miracle. Perhaps a mislaid Christmas gift..

"It would make my bathroom look a whole lot fresher", I thought sadly.

"Eureka! But I do have new face towels which I could use", I thought rather gleefully. 

It just didn't come with a loop for me to hang up and there was no time to start sewing! I ransacked my brain and the room...hair clips? safety pins? ....earrings?..hoop earrings!!

It spruced up my bathroom nicely.

I look back now and wonder of course, why I concluded then, that this was a VERY important thing for me to get done. It wasn't as though the old hand towels couldn't do.

The appreciative response from MIL put me on a high, and later that night, I entered this tip+photo into a contest organised by Simple Skincare. I didn't win of course, not amongst the amazingly creative entries, which were truly more deserving :)

0 Orianthi - The Concert

Orianthi - You should kick yourself if you missed her live performance at KL Life Centre recently, 4th August to be exact. 

An accomplished Guitarist with a string of famous names (Michael Jackson, Santana, Prince, Carrie Underwood and more) to her profile, she shows us she's earned success with good ol hard work and unmistakeable talent. Wiki says so.

She owned the stage with great vocals and easily passed the "down-to-earth" test with good crowd interaction. I was blown away by her guitar play - one hand? She's hotter than my sambal for sure.

Here's a short clip of her performance that night (Song: Shut Up & Kiss Me):



Sorry it's shaky! I found it hard-pressed to stay still, with such an infectious crowd jumping to the music :)

And photos:

Singing with passion

I can play the guitar y'all

KL Life Centre - The queue in

0 Durian for Dinner

Mao Shan King Durians @ Musang King recently made the news when Macau Tycoon, Stanley Ho, sent his jet to pick up no less than 88 durians from Singapore. Impressive.

I had no jet, so I sent my lil car to Hartamas to get these delectable durians myself.

It cost me..

Was it worth it? Tender, CREAMY, meaty...I lick my fingers, satisfied!

0 Tickets to Orianthi, Kuala Lumpur

Here I was, wayYyy past the commonly acceptable age to go ga-ga over young singers, rushing to collect a pair of tickets to Orianthi's concert.

Carmen (From Universal Music) desperately tried to reach me by phone since Friday. I was in the shower both times! I returned her call of course, but the voicemail wouldn't let me through. It was a trivial pursuit I could do without. Patience paid off Monday morning :)