The Chronic Chronicles

Two Types

2011-12-03T17:02:00.000+08:00

Away from the hassles of work and home, it feels good to rejuvenate! KL is treating me good. I get fantastic ideas when I'm out walking.

In KL, you become either one of two extremes of people. The first is a self sufficient hermit-like type: You live out of your apartment, doing everything and anything there. You spend a majority of your non-work time at home, cleaning or cooking or chilling. You don't see or hear much about them, except perhaps online.

The other end of the spectrum are the never-at-home types. They spend most of their time either at work, somewhere having dinner, watching movies, karaoke, bars or dancing in the wee hours of the day, treating their homes like tourises: For sleep, showers and storage. Nomadic in spirit, these people are flexible in what they do and how they spend.

Most of my friends tend to become the latter. It suits us better.

Which one are you?

2011-09-28T21:25:00.000+08:00

Oh, I am stressed. I am, I am. What with work, and two people constantly out of the office for the past week, there's a lot to do and not enough time to do anything! It doesn't help that now's the peak time for assignments and events - there's always something big happening.

Thank God for things like Sims Social and 9gag for stress busting!

On another note, its the series season again! Desperate Housewives, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, Big Bang Theory. Am watching this new series, 2 Broke Girls. So far so good, quite funny. I like American sitcoms that makes use of a laughing soundtrack. It seems legitimately funny that way.

Being A Journalist

2011-09-25T21:52:00.000+08:00

I am one of those guys who can do anything with life. Throw me a job, I'll do it well. I blame this TV series I watched on-and-off called the Pretender.

After finishing Form 5, I was seriously stuck with no idea what to do. I mean, I love my parents to bits for bringing me up, but they never inspired me to reflect on my skills and to push me to do what I love to do. As a result, I grew up thinking life was all about getting the highest grades, or getting on the teacher's good side. Either or, I was pretty much not very determined to settle down with something.

Form 6 came and I enrolled. I kinda took it too seriously. It was supposed to be a short transitional period for me as I looked for university choices but one disappointment led to another and then Biology and Chemistry classes took full swing. Those were time consuming! No regrets though. Best two years of my life.
Meeting more friends in Prefects or club activities, studying last minute because I spent more time doing co-curricular activities. From then, I spent more time building up on my core skills like talking, getting to know people, knowing who's who and who to avoid.

That chapter closed in 2005, with not-so-good results. So, thanks to the encouragement from my mom, I went and enrolled for Accounting in Swinburne. It was pretty much a last-choice decision. I wasn't really into doing anything else.

Those few years were good too though. I met many friends, and got closer to old ones (like Choulyin, Lilian, Kyra, Wei Khee, Shariman.) But academia-wise, I flailed. And I didn't have that fiery passion most course-mates had. It was pretty much a-wake-up-get-up-survive-get-back-to-bed attitude I adopted. So my grades weren't good either.

But oh boy, did I have passion for events organising! Taking part in Debaters Club for the management part (and not so much on debating!), joining CPA (those were the BEST!), late night excursions with guy and gal pals. I did a lot of soul searching then.

So, finishing up a degree, what was I to do? I applied for an accountant's job but that has always been a safety net option. Then, there was an opening at Borneo Post. I went, I did okay for the interview. I started April 1, 2010 and I'm still here. That makes it -- 17 months 25 days. Wow! Who knew?

Its fun here. Writing was a great choice for me. Cultivating other skills in the past really helped.

I seriously don't know how I got here and ended up staying. But I'm happy and I really appreciate the chances I get to change myself for the future. Articles with strong angles get you attention. It garners respect from industry players. So, I strive to challenge myself now. If not now, then when?

Of course, I have higher expectations for myself. Places I want to go. Corporate ladder to climb. But that will come. That time will come.

Moral of the story? I don't really think I have one. Maybe life doesn't always turn out the way we want them to. (Like that old couple in the movie Up.) Its not about where you reach, its about how you get there.

Keep on taking each step. On and on.

Creationism? Is there such a word?

2011-09-08T21:18:00.000+08:00

I realise the reason why I enjoy my job and my hobby is based on my liking for creationism (if such a word exists, but you get the picture.)

Lets face it: We've all, at some point, created something. Whether its a playdoh dog when we were five or a PC from scratch when we were fifteen, creating something out of bits and pieces is fun. To an extend.

In my line of work, I get to create stories from words. I get to express my concerns on key issues in industries. I get to inject my admiration for a company's hard work. My crafting hobby lets me play with colours and recycle old stuff into newer, nice-ish things which I can gift people.

There aren't many jobs that allow you to be so free-flowing with creativity. Cooking, thats one. Fashion designers, accessorisers. Hairstylists, artists. They all work with different medium but the concept stays the same: Creating something.

Life is pretty short to be switching things up now and then to complete that small missing holes in your heart. In the end, sticking to doing what you know best in life is probably the best decision you'd make for yourself.

I think I'd probably stick with this line of work for the long run.

Doing It With Love

2011-08-03T12:47:00.000+08:00

Its's been a while, blog! The last time I blogged, I was bald. Today, my hair is back and all spiked up (after two trips to the salon.) its good to be in style again!

I've been crafting more often lately. Just not posting them up online at the moment. Still figuring out my systems -- craft, take pix, upload, post -- timing and all that. Its a secondary priority.

Work, again, is what my life is all about nowadays. I guess the second you enter the work force, there's no turning back. Everyone's in the rat race to build up their own personal wealth and portfolio.

I've also decided to create a "brand" for my crafts. Doing It With Love. Catchy?

More good news: Joey has taken an interest to crafting! We've reached a point where we spend an hour each night to work on some sort of craft with a theme (e.g. cupcakes) and we compete to see who can come up with the nicer-looking craft, using any material we have lying around. (With me, thats a lot of resource available!)

I feel more attuned to Valentine's Day and Christmas cards.

Anyway, I've got two more babies to feed now! Joey got me two hamsters for July 31, and they're currently sleeping in my kitchen. I love how small they are! These two (dwarf hamsters) seem like less of a hassle to care for compared to Syrian hams, that's good :)

Carpet grass

2011-05-21T19:11:00.000+08:00

So I went bald last weekend for the Go Bald 2011.

I raised RM2,315 from about 25 people.

1 week later, my hair is growing back. Very quickly, I might add.

Sup?

Anyway, hoping for a few things to fall through next week. Then when Gawai hits, wishing for some off time to relax!

Why is it that I'm always looking forward to my next off or break? It seems like a neverending vicious cycle. Work, rest, chores, back to work again.

Philippines and KK

2011-05-21T19:09:00.001+08:00

Kept putting off photo uploading from my trip to Philippines, so I'm dumping them in one big post!

Mindless ramblings like I was back in Form 6

2011-05-17T23:50:00.000+08:00

There are so many things I wanna say, but I just cant find the right words or risk saying it wrongly// out of context.

Sometimes, I wish I can automatically blog just by thinking. That way, the right words forming in my head can express itself just like that. Then I can remember it afterwards.

Putting on the pressure on myself to work harder and also smarter. Can it be done? When is the boiling point? When is too much considered too much? Is there a pause button I can hit when it gets too much to handle?

Construction in Progress

2011-05-03T13:52:00.001+08:00

Construction in progress. Hang onto your seats!

Past catches up with the Present

2011-02-15T19:23:00.000+08:00

I have to thank Agatha Christie for bestowing upon me the skill of story writing.

Before I proceed, I have to bring you back to yesteryear when St Joseph Primary school was my domain and Sugarbun was my playground. Dayak Plaza was under construction (WAIT! – Still is.) And reading was the least bit of my problems.

I remember this one incident in Primary 3. We were having English lessons, and our teacher, Ms Josephine (I find all Josephines to be very loving teachers, don’t you agree?) was showing us pictures and we had to guess names. We got most of them correct, until one fine picture which got everyone in class stumbled for the right word.

You see, it was a picture of a water plant with a big green frond and a pink blossom opening in the middle. Many of us guessed “Water lily”, which was wrong. I admit, I was one of them too. Ms Jo egged us to keep trying and guessing.

I even recall ridiculous answers like “cat” or “bear” being called out out of desperation!

But eventually, I just sat and thought it out (because I remember my mom teaching me before) and I got the answer. It was a lotus.

Ms Josephine was so happy when I answered correctly – it was as though I had solved the world’s most obvious mystery. And that, I think, was when it all started in my head – my passion for finding things out and solving mysteries, especially when it involves the play of English.

Then came the Sugarbun library. Many are not aware of the small library on the second floor of Sugarbun outside of St Joe’s – and no wonder, the books are of limited choices. However, they had the most complete collection of Agatha Christie stories (it was the most adult-ish book choice there) so I came back often to borrow out books to be read – and although the library was for children up to 12 years max, I was borrowing books until Form 3!

But that’s beyond the point.

Reading those books encaptivated me to the point when my imagination grew wilder than Kuching or Sarawak – I was transported to England, or St Mary Mead. In my spare time, my eyes took me to Baghdad, to the Nile, on the Orient Express in ways that I never imagined before. (Mind you, this was even before handphones were created!)

So it was then that I learnt of fine English which got me going on well in classes. I dare say, it formed the quintessential point of my work life today with point structuring, careful selection of words and its flexibility of use, angles of interest to go on, how to end a story, and how to spice it up on between.

So, what's the story behind your current career?

The end of Jan

2011-01-30T16:54:00.000+08:00

Whewh! In a blink of an eye, January is coming to an end. What have you done this month?

Me, I celebrated my birthday with some good friends. Had mad fun on a secret project which I know will work. Handled my finances this month, though with less discipline than I'd imagine. And planned for a trip to Manila in March, which is mad exciting because I'm planning everything myself!!

I've also been sorting out my room. I realise that I have a cluttering problem -- but not in a way that you think.

Mostly, I've been hoarding items like boxes, paper bags, boxes - basically any reusable stuff. Looking back, I did this because I wanted to give these things a second chance, to be used as something else. To wrap Christmas presents maybe, or re-purpose into pencil holders, or re-craft into new cards.

But time has a mean, mean way of depriving you of essential moments to sit down and work on those things. SO it ended up becoming a habit to hoard stuff but for no absolute reason.

Therefore, I have decided to "clean" everything away that I cannot find a purpose for. Tossing things out is painful, admittedly! But its better and healthier.

Plans in February? Maybe another family dinner. Go to Damai with the family during CNY. (We're not celebrating since its less than a year since my father passed away.) I still have some books and papers to sort out before fully declaring the spring cleaning over. And what's life without some movies and fun now and then? :)

2011-01-02T17:32:00.000+08:00

All my life I've been good but now ~ What the hell? : )

Resolution Confrontation

2010-12-28T19:14:00.000+08:00

Christmas is usually a sign to start the countdown. It marks the first day of the last week of the year -- the end of a chapter, and the beginning of a new one.

This week is all about reflection, about what's happened and what I want next. So, I went and thought of ten things I didn't think i'd do this year.

Eight Things I Didn't Think I'd Do in 2010

1. Work as a journalist for the Borneo Post, Business Desk.

I started the year an undergraduate with no aims, no dreams. I end 2010 with a comfortable job and a timely promotion. I guess i was inadvertently hard at work because I knew I wanted to be good at what I do. Of course, that does not mean that I'm settling for anything other than what I have now. I still have other dreams to chase -- write my books, organise events as a living -- but for now I just want to get really good at my job to see where I can go with this career path.

2. See my dad suffer and pass away from liver cancer.

He deserved a better life than living in incurable pain with cancer. It was tough, getting though June and July. But at least he's at a better place now. At least, thats the way I'd like to think it.

3. Meet the love of my life.

:) :) :) :) :)

Mahal kita sobra, biee!

4. Go for a Mitsubishi car test drive in Langkawi

This trip was a pleasant welcome! My first working trip to somewhere other than within Sarawak and KL. Langkawi is unexpectedly pleasant in a laid-back, underdeveloped kind of way -- where life passes by you slowly and you can take a step back for a breather. I really needed that at that point in time.

And my first car test drive!!

5. Travel back and forth throughout Malaysia for work.

Playing with the ever-rambunctious C.A.T. at Jason's place in KL.

It can be overwhelming and tiring at times, but in general work trips are sorta like Cadbury's chocolate bits -- some of them are nice to chew on but you won't know how you'd like it til you've tried it.

6. Graduate.

Seriously!! I never thought I'd graduate. Ever. I'm not gonna deny it, accounting ain't easy especially when it got down to the core subjects. I'm so glad I don't have to face that shit over and over again!

7. Keep in touch with the gang of best friends who know you like the back of their hands.

I don't need to say it. You guys know it. :D

8. Repaint my room.

I liked my original red colour but then decided that I loved Mango more. It was a tedious task, getting the "treasures" out of my room and shifting furniture to accommodate the painting process! But I like the way my room turned out and I don't think I'll be renovating it anymore soon.

Looking forward, I want to....

1. Manage my finances. Having an income changed the way I look at money. I used to spend blatantly on unnecessary things like jackets, shoes, this and that. Now I'll trim the budget to better save up cash.

2. Keep more "treasures". I love crafting and recycling, but I do have a certain level whereby I'd keep my room as organised as possible to keep it manageable.

3. Travel more. (Not work travel!) I've blocked March 19 to 25 for Manila, and December's Singapore.

4. Go swimming and hiking more. My two passions left unattended!

5. Take more risks. Without em, ain't got no rewards yo.

So lets see how far things go before the passion sizzles out.

Minute Spa Moments

2010-12-22T18:54:00.002+08:00

*NOT AN ADVERTORIAL*

Changing from the more-carefree atmosphere of student life to working life is tough. If this is your virgin move, you'd definitely feel a slight pinch of culture shock -- perhaps in terms of freedom, or dependency, or a degree of need for affirmation.

You can't keep at your work 110% without some form of reward or relaxation. So, what do we (me and my colleagues. In this post, Mr Eric models!) do for destressing moments?

Go for massage!!!

This Gintell Rest 'N' Go Station at Crown Square is among many more of such stations established nation-wide at major shopping malls. They are strategically placed to ease the aching muscles of shoppers, and in this case, hard-at-work employees. (Self proclaimed! No shame in that.)

The chairs only accept notes, and it gives you an option of choosing the duration of the massage. RM1 pays for 3 minutes, RM5 for 15 and RM10 for half an hour.

The massage is thorough - it rotates, vibrates and goes up and down your back, neck, head and legs too. (Not hands though.)

When I was in KL, I even saw some KLites sitting in those chairs for long periods of time during lunch break on a normal working day! Perhaps a good market for pampering employees yet untapped?

One thing's for sure, I'm gonna have one of those chairs forever reserved under my name!!

Fuh

2010-12-19T15:03:00.000+08:00

I know, I know - is been FOREVER since I last posted on this blog. My bad! Between the last post and now, events came streaming in.. With an intermittent family holiday in between.

I guess that's the con of being a journalist - you get erratic schedules, unforeseen circumstances and blantant blurness brought about from lack of sleep and over-gaming (Fallout New Vegas!!!!).

Nevertheless, I am loving the experience and opportunities to go about and learn new stuff.

2010 is coming to a close. How did this year treat you so far?

I've had a whale of a year. Finished my degree, got my first job. Dad got sick and passed away. I graduated. And here I am.

What does 2011 have in store for us? Pre-apocalyptic perhaps. Maybe I should return to Fallout to learn a few tricks before we all blow up.

Mitsubishi Assignment at Langkawi: Day 1

2010-11-03T19:33:00.000+08:00

I went to Langkawi last Thursday for an assignment - test drive the new Mitsubishi ASX!

Mitsubishi wasn't gonna unveil the car's official launch until November 2, but we (the media) were given the chance to try the car out.. Maybe so that we can produce articles in a timely fashion I suppose. Either way, Thursday morning saw me, Edmund from See Hua Daily News, Adib from Utusan Borneo and Azizul from New Sarawak Tribune meeting up with Silas Evenstarr on our way to the blessed island.

As you can see, Silas was very.... excited!

We took an early flight to KL and waited for our next flight to Langkawi in the evening. We arrived on the island a little before 7pm, and it was still bright. (In Kuching, the sun sets around 6.30 to 6.45pm-ish.)

WE'VE ARRIVED!

Trying to find the exit.

Silas' enthusiasm is fun to watch la!

The hotel ride sent us to Putumayo, a restaurant located in the vicinity of Pantai Cenang where we met up with the Mitsubishi team and other journalists from Peninsular Malaysia.

Later, they brought all of us to shop in the area. Naturally, we didn't buy much because it was our first day and we wanted to see what was in store for us before we bought anything... But we ended up with bags of chocolate anyway cuz it was damn cheap!

Guilty as charged.

We then proceeded to check in at the hotel. Mitsubishi put us up at Andaman Hotel.. We had no idea how posh it was! The hotel is part of The Luxury Collection hotels worldwide and I found out one room per night costs about RM900++.... Imagine about 22 journalists getting 22 rooms for 3 days 2 nights?!

We crashed for the night after reaching our rooms at around 11pm or so.

Hmm?

2010-10-23T18:56:00.000+08:00

I've always been a person of ambition.

Back when I was still a yound lad, I was a shy kid. When my parents had friends or co-workers over, I'd bashfully hide away behind my parents or keep myself away in my room until the coast was clear. In school, my mother encouraged me to be among the Top 3 in class, and I was - until I passed the PTS exam and got found myself skipping one year ahead in studies and thereby landing among the bottom 3 instead.

Those years were harder - struggling against a batch of people who were smarter, bigger, stronger and sneakier. Believe me, it was better to remain invisible than to be picked on or bullied.

Then everything changed when Form 4 came along and I started getting involved with co-curricular activities. This, I have to thank Jason G for pushing me to do something unchartered but was best for my growth. Holding a post in St John's Ambulance as a secretary made me realise my qualities - organisation skills, paperwork player and minute taker - that is helping me til this very day.

Then Form 6 came, and Interact quickly became my forte when they made me president of the club. Mind you, I didnt think I owuld make it through the year what with all the drama of people planning to take over the post and having 23 committee members (yes, I still remember who!) to keep track of. So it helped very much. AND! Prefectorial Board was the BEST! From that period I met many amazing friends who I keep in touch with til today and I never forget that. :)

University life was a bit more difficult due to the fact that I was doing something different and unusual for me - accounting. It was all Greek and stupors of blurness from 2006 to 2009. But with the aid of CPA ASC, Debate club and other flings with co-curricular activities, I found my niche. I love organising events and crafting.

Now that I'm in the working world, I am in a bigger sea with many smaller ponds to venture into. How? What? Where? Journalism is fantastic! It gives you keys to so many doors that the information overload, the possibilities are astounding. And along the way, you get to savour moments in life.

So, what of it then?

Sunday Morning Breakfasts

2010-10-03T15:37:00.000+08:00

Its nice to spend Sunday mornings with the family over breakfast before doing chores like grocery shopping or driving around.

I strongly recommend this kueh chap at Bormill Food Court, just round the corner beyond Tarot Cafe in the mornings. The soup is fantastic - spicy but not overbearing - along with delicious bits and pieces.

I Like That

2010-10-02T21:35:00.000+08:00

In an effort to update some of this blog's readers (or what's left of you guys anyway), I'm popping back to throw in some pictures to show you what's going on in life, post-traumatic event.

I'm not gonna lie. It was difficult getting through the loss of my dad. Nobody likes to be faced with mortality especially when cancer comes along with it, but life throws you rocks. Just gotta bear it and grow thicker skin.

So, I had my room repainted last week. Or was it two weeks ago?

Anyway, my mom decided it was time (finally!) to re-furbish all three bedrooms with new curtains and wall colours. Wei Khee introduced me to this hardware store called Yung Kong on the u-turn back from Boulevard to Kuching, and I brought my mom there to get some paint.

At first, we were quite disappointed with the somewhat-limited choices of colour available on the racks, but we were pleasantly surprised when the sales assistant told us that we could mix our own colours on the spot using Dulux technology.

Now, THAT's the way to go!

The machines that make you go 'whee!' looking at wall colours being juiced and mixed.

So many choices to choose from!!!

Guess what colour I chose? Ten bucks to the correct answer!

Teh friendly assistant digressing with his co-worker while I sat and stare.

The process was relatively simple - pick your colour (each comes with a specific code), then decide on how many litres you want (they come in 1L and 5L if not mistaken), then they'll punch in the codes. Using white colour as base, you can see the machine dispensing several colours in different volumes to get the hue you asked for.

Then, the lid is replaced and the tin is transferred to another machine which will shake the can up and down with so much vigour, any HJ-giver would be proud.

And, tadaa! My colour is complete!

Imlovingit!

Moved furniture around, prepped the walls, painted and let the room dry for a couple of hours before getting everything back together! (God I sould like Im writing a 'How To Paint Your Room' article.)

And its done!

Colour's more prominent in the above picture.

My brother got a slightly-lighter version of my room (I call it yellow) and my mom maintained her room pink. We painted my grandma's room blue before she moves back.

Oh, she just moved back in!! (I just updated this post.) I miss her so much. Previously she moved in with my aunts when my dad first got sick cuz it was hard for us to take care of her along with my dad, but now she's back with us and I miss her terribly. Its nice to have her around because the house doesn't feel as lonely as before.

Things are slowly looking better. Apart from work, I like my life now.

I'm giving focus to myself rather than to my life, which is good. All this while, I've been living day by day, taking each assignment or task at hand but not feeling fulfilled with life which is probably why I've never felt like I've really accomplished something in life.

So I'm gonna be a bit more selfish and do things that I can and I like - not because I want to but because I enjoy doing it. Makes sense?

Incidentally, this project gave me the chance to throw out many, many things. It hurts to let go but once you do, the burden lifted feels so... liberating.

Life is passing my by so blurringly

2010-08-22T14:31:00.000+08:00

Its almost been a month since my dad passed away.

Life goes on. Mom and Jon seems to be doing okay. Me, I’m still feeling nausea of seeing the hospital everytime I drive past SGH. Its not easy to think of the pain and suffering that my late dad went through in his final days.

But as they say it, keep moving forward. Eventually, the pain gets less. And you’ll find a reason to smile again. Well actually, I’m very blessed to find several reasons to smile again in the form of Choulyin, Lilian and Calista J J

So, am still sorting stuff out lar.. Not much crafting also. No mojo. Hopefully I’ll find it soon.

2010-07-18T11:34:00.001+08:00

Shit's happening. Gonna pause in the bloggersphere for a mo.

Project #8: Piano Card

2010-06-15T09:49:00.007+08:00

For piano players who are hard to please. ( Hint: Ivor! XD )

First things first: Black stock paper, white/grey strips with black strips with the same width of about 2cm. White strips are about 6.5 cm long, black strips shorter by 2 cm thereabouts.

Step 1: I halved a thick A4 black card paper, then cut out the strips of grey. Then from one end to the other, slowly stick them down as neatly as possible with about 2mm gaps in between. Then, do the same with the black strips, following some examples you google from the net:

Basically you've got the whole piano concept laid down at this point, so time for some fine tuning!

Step 2: I wanted to add a birthday message that was subtle and not so obvious, so I made this flap, kinda like a piano's hold for music sheets:

Flap!

Step 3: Then I came across this most decorative music sheet online and I HAd to use it! Photoshopped it, and then printed it out, and it hit me that I can make it like a real music sheet pull-out with a simple slit above the 'keyboard' like so:

Music sheet!
Message!
Nice or not Ivor? XD

I taped down the back with cellotape before cutting the slit to give it enough backing.

This is how it looks like inside.

Step 4: To cover up, I am using this birthday music score I found online... again... XD :

I photoshopped it to say Rovi XD! Then, added my message and some pictures and ta-daa: Good to go.

Final looks:

Any comments? Good or bad, its all appreciated!

Shopaholics Unite!

2010-06-13T21:52:00.003+08:00

Yo yo!

The past few days saw me running around like a headless chicken searching for things. In particular, Ivor’s birthday is coming up! Made a card for him, really did a lot of brainstorming and thinking and came up with a concept that I think he will really love.

As I said on Facebook, you can tell how much you love someone based on how much effort you put in to your crafts for them. XD

Can’t show the details of the card yet cuz I wanna keep things under wrap til I give him the card and his present on his birthday on June 18th.. So, for now just gonna show picts of the stuff I got today when I had too much chance at buying what I want and not need =.= :

MP3 modulator!!!! I have a love-hate relationship with this gadget category: one lost in Swinburne during my earlier semesters, one rosak, another I can't figure out how to work or probably went haywire.. But I still love singing my heart out while on the road XD RM22

Was at Tun Jugah on chores and I came across an opened box of these scissors.. Picked one up to try, and it was DAMN sharp! I bought them on the spot, 8 different designs for RM25. Another one for the collection!

I fell in love with this bag the moment I opened it at Parkson. All those compartments! RM143.20

New sport shoes from Bata's wholesale at the Jalan Keretapi outlet. Searched for a while sorting through piles to get some in my size and nice designs, tried a few before deciding on this pair. RM30

Maybe I should give Rovi his card just so that I can post the making process here now? XD Very impatient to show it off!!!

3R: Redecorating, Reorganising, Rejuvenating

2010-06-05T22:53:00.004+08:00

Its been another long session of nonexistential silence from me, I apologise. Getting caught up in life is a pretty darn thing when you have a job. Beyond that, everything changes you – from having less time with family and friends to having no time for your own self!

Stressed because I have not been crafting lately, and have not been doing so because every thing in my room is a big mess! Don’t get me wrong, I have loads of space for it all. Its just that I hadn’t had the time to sort it all and put them where they belong – its been day after day of coming home, dumping everything in a pile and letting that pile accumulate in one corner until it becomes unbearable.

Spent the past few days shopping for furniture to make more room, admittedly I just wanted an excuse to get out and live a shopaholic life, even if its for furniture!

Got this kitchen rack thing from Mudah. RM35 for two of these racks, using one here for my printer, cds and such. Funny story, person selling this lived next door to Wilfred and Daniel and Amy in Stampin!

The next two purchases come from Boulevard Kuching – a piece of doorless cabinet for RM18.90 and some exercise stuff which caught my eye.

Btw, Thanks to Wk for the belated birthday gift on top ;) Loving it!

I always dreamt of building my own home gym and I am reaching that dream... but don’t see myself in that picture. XD

Gonna get myself back in the mood for crafting soon, very inspired by this blog I came across. Miyyah@Kertas truly inspires with her unlimited creativity with squalled art, its so out of the box!

So, look out for crafty posts soon! That, or nothingness for the next few weeks. XD You were warned!

Shin Yang Trip

2010-05-23T08:55:00.010+08:00

Last weekend saw me and a few other journalists heading down to Miri for a media trip around Shin Yang Shipping Corporation's shipyard.

Stayed at Imperial Hotel. Toastmasters were there too, and I met Eleanor and Aileen on the same plane down to Miri! Another accounting event going on there lol. It was the place to be that weekend i guess!

We got to see how they make ships and repair them besides getting to hitch a ride on a boat!

Pictures from the trip:

Guys are messy, don't bother

Stefani!

Bernama was there filming for the company as well.

The weather was perfect on Friday.. But Saturday's...:

... At least it stopped when my flight was due. :)

It's been a month...

2010-05-22T20:49:00.002+08:00

OMG! its been more than a month since I last blogged!

Just got back from my first business trip to Miri. It was exciting! Visiting a shipyard and seeing how things go inside.

Had my own room to stay in. Not used to it since I always squeeze into one standard double bed room with my four-peopled family, but I like the extra space.

Met some pretty cool people as well, but it still feels good to be back :D

Gotta rush, Ivor's coming over in a bit after dinner and I gotta unpack and clean up. Oh and toss the beer into the freezer too. Warm bear makes for a bad night, thats what they always say!

Project #7: Cherry Blossom Gold Buttons Cards

2010-04-18T10:19:00.004+08:00

You didn't think I'd leave crafting behind me did ya? :D

Work has been taxing in a good way. Loads of write-ups, events to cover. Questions to ask, angles to decide on, photos to shoot. Its fun being a journalist!

But at the end of the day one goes home and destresses. For me I do it with crafts!

And this time around I'm going for Mother's Day cards.

I came across this technique on Martha Stewart's site. It hit me that this would make for a nice centerpiece deco on a card! With the right shades of pink one can bring out the pattern nicely for these flowers.

Here are the steps to make the petals. You'll need to start off with a square piece:

This step is a bit tricky, because there are no exact measurements for it. Need to get the step done through experience.

And cut out a petal-lish shape:
Here are my designs!:

I repeated the steps 3 times with different pinks and cut out the petals at different lengths and shapes to give it contrasting dimensions.

Also added some leftover gold buttons in the middle. Its just the right size!

Painstakingly sewn on. =.=

I gotta note that there aren't many origami flower designs that are popularised out there.. so coming across this was a blessing!

What do you think?

Sewing Paper

2010-04-18T09:27:00.001+08:00

Ooh, my creative side went to sleep.

But its making a comeback soon.

Like Glee.

Just you wait!

2010-04-13T19:37:00.000+08:00

I am so blessed with a good job, an excellent boss and flexible hours.

If only I had my business cards.

=.=

Free Stuff & New Designs

2010-04-05T20:56:00.000+08:00

It's been a very interesting week!

A Pink Affair

2010-04-05T01:05:00.000+08:00

Pink is the new black!

*sorry, busy with life! need to take some time out to organise my notes, work stuff and disc space in the comp. Brb!*

Let the pictures do the talking. :)

Sarawak Bloggers!

2010-03-31T10:34:00.005+08:00

Sorry it took so long for a non-craft related post!

Have been gearing up and getting myself ready for work. I attended a meeting yesterday with the Borneo Post business team together with some representatives from ABB who talked about Sarawak and renewable energy.

My boss, Anna, felt it necessary for me to attend as it might be knowledgeable for our course of work, so that accounts for one morning. The rest of the time I was out buying work clothes, going around doing errands for my passport, playing Fallout 3 (addictive =.=”) and crafting. I’m really excited with some projects that I have lined up!!

Anyway, the point of this post is to talk about Sarawak Bloggers.

Its naturally part of our system to determine what will be our course of action upon a first time impression. Correct?

For example, if you come across a dirty, smelly and messed-up man while walking along a street, your first reaction will either be to avoid him completely or throw stuff at him. Its only after the initial impression do you start thinking things like, what happened to him actually? Who was he in a former life? What caused a chain of reaction to make him end up in such a situation?

The same thing happened when I first came across the Sarawak bloggers group on Facebook.

At first I was skeptical – I thought that it was another one of those groups people form to keep in touch when they really want to network and build bridges, somewhat like a marketing ploy. So, my initial reaction was to ignore the invitation and write it off as "another one of those things".

After a while I was approached by Cyril online, a buddy I met through a blogger event a while back. He explained to me what SB really meant to him, (SB is his brainchild) and I now understand how different it was from my initial perception of it.

Its our common platform. We are all united by many similar ideologies, just by staying in the same state. How many of you have googled up eatery places like Planet Amore, Sharing Planet and Friendz n Family just to check out some bloggers’ review about the food and location before heading there? I know of a friend who used blog searches to find badminton court numbers to make a booking.

It’s through this unity that we all are connected. And we cannot deny the benefits we reap from this.

Sure, it may be one giant marketing ploy by all of us bloggers in one go. I’m sure many of you readers will come to that conclusion; I sure did the first time. But after chilling out with pals and gals from the bloggersphere, I see the bigger picture.

It’s not all smoke and screen. These are friends with like-mind understanding, the knowing of certain importance of speaking one’s mind online.

So I applaud Cyril and Sarawak Bloggers for taking a step in the forward direction. Perhaps we still have a chance after all, to move forward.

Sarawak Bloggers Main Page and Facebook Profile

Project #6: Letter Embellishments

2010-03-28T01:02:00.001+08:00

Slow posts because I'm doing many postings at one go!

But here are the facts.

Embellishments are what makes a card.. stand out. Its the center of attention, that fits with the theme you're doing and the additional decoration.

So, I've been sttracted to these small letter and heart designs shown in these cards:

Bought these a while back. Thought of using them, but hard to find nowadays so I'm hanging on to them.

And I copied!

Its waaay cheaper to make my own. =.=

Break for some Candy-Wrapping

2010-03-28T00:53:00.006+08:00

I am a candy-wrapping factory.

Mom's transferring to another work place so am making 80 packs of chocolates and candies for her soon-to-be ex-colleagues.

My creativity is diverted! LoL

The days pass by so quickly..

2010-03-27T22:11:00.002+08:00

Monday = Passports.

Tuesday = Haircut.

Wednesday = Beach?

Thursday, Friday, , Sunday ... Work.

!!!

GO-Kart Racing @ Hills Kuching

2010-03-21T21:11:00.007+08:00

Went to Hills, Kuching yesterday when my big bro told me about this go-kart event holding a preview there.

They closed part of the road in front of Piccadilly's, the road beside Segi and in front of the Hills to make a mini-route for them to show their karts off. Damn were they fast!

Many people came to check it out.

Somehow managed to catch them with my phone camera haha.

Dunno if this video can load or not, first time!

Project #5: Birthday Button Cards

2010-03-17T23:34:00.006+08:00

I am currently working on some birthday cards.

Many of my close friends are celebrating their birthdays in the earlier half of the year and I thought it wise to be prepared! As I was on a card-making kick, what better way to channel the creativity? :)

I was very inspired when I visited this crafts shop along Jalan Cina, tipped off by Gette. One fine Monday afternoon saw me and Elaine hitting the shop. We were going MAD just discovering everything - cross-stitch strings, thick satin ribbons, miniature ribbon roses, glimmering beads, colourful felt and gazillions of buttons! Oringially we wanted to just scour for felt squares... but this discovery was amazing. Like some Tomb Raider find. LoL

Sidetracked!

Anyway, saw these buttons and I though they'd suit perfectly for my Black Label Birthday Card Series, like the ones you see in my album in Facebook (but I haven't blogged about it yet.) Picked a few, placed some back, arranged them out, and finally decided on these few choices:

12 colours

After coming home, I realised that it would be great to use these buttons to send the message instead of just being the main decorations! SO the buttons will spell out HAPPY BIRTHDAY but I was lacking 1 colour, so dug out some gold ones to make up 13.

Arranged them on the card, after seeing a style that I'm satisfied with, UHU glue them down!

Instead of gluing them one by one, its easier and faster to pinch out one dollop of glue onto a scrap piece of paper and then celup-ing the buttons on the glue, and then sticking them on the cards.

But be warned, UHU dries very quickly. I had to squeeze out several small dollops to stick 13 buttons. (But its still faster than 13 mini dollops right? :P)

Arrange

Stick

And press for maximum adhesive-ness!

Then, using a permanent marker, I wrote teh alphabets out:

One trick: the good thing about permanent markers is that IF you made a mistake, or want to change the writings, as long as it was done on a shiny surface, you can remove it with some tissue and alcohol or nail polish remover. Like such:

Not so permanent now are we?

Touch-up carefully and let the marker dry.

I added a silver ribbon to the top because it looked too bare. Nicer ka?

Did some 'sewing' pattern on the top but I think it cacated the card. argh

For fun, just to show you some of the designs I nearly used:

Not bad also right?

Gunung-ganang. Reminds me of arts class!

This brings memories of graphs from Physics and Add Maths class! NOO!!

Too tight. No air LOL

Like this project? :) Any suggestions for improvement?

Sequin Sakura Flowers and Card Choices

2010-03-13T20:28:00.009+08:00

Food experimentation continues!

Another American breakfast variation. Buttered toast, cheese on toast, boiled sausages. Am following Calista's lead and boiling my sausages. Healthier options!

One fine day I was hungry at 3pm and wanted to cook a late lunch of fried rice for myself when I thought, why not be a lil hardworking and cook dinner for everybody? So there I was, cubing luncheon meat, dicing long beans, fluffing white rice and cooking in the egg and corn to make me version of fried rice:

Ta-Daa!

Wei Khee, you're missing out I tell you :D

Also have been visiting the aquariums alot lately. Beautiful tanks with a myriad of fishes = soothing to the eyes! Planning to set one up soon in my room with my first paycheck.

Calendar in my room. One colour for every month. I keep track of days easier this way rather than using an organiser. Just wake up, look up and note the plan for the day.

Re-organised my Valentine's Craft Box. In here lies various shades of pink paper, punched out hearts, ready made cards, future project ideas and all items related to the Big Love Day.

Saw some cute card ideas while out shopping with Elaine the other day. I plan to copy these and Ronnie-ise them!

Punched out items go very very well with sequins Take these sakura flowers for example:

Or they go well by themselves on contrasting background:

Still, not really getting much ideas for these sakura flowers just yet.

Went to St Joe the other day to accompany Ren to get his SPM results. Congrats on the straight A's!

And now, if you don't mind, its time for a braek. :D

Fallout 3!!!!!!!!!

Project #4: Sequin Hearts

2010-03-05T00:14:00.005+08:00

So! After buying so many sequins the other day, it was time to settle down and decide on an arts project to fill my free time.

I decided to keep this one simple but professional looking, so am just sticking with one design which is the heart, and layering it with different coloured sequin borders to give it that professional edge.

First, I made a heart template out of recycled hard paper. After shaping the heart to the shape you want, cut out the template.

You can save this template for further future use.

Next, trace the shape on the card stock. Here I am going for the blue colour theme. I also coloured the inner heart with black marker to jazz things up.

TO apply the sequins I used white glue, squeezing a decent amount on the card along the preferred border.

Sometimes I use a bamboo chopstick to get the glue in place and tweezers to put the sequins in place.

Dum dee dum.

The 3 colours in use: silver, aquamarine blue and navy blue.

After that I added the words "Happy Valentine's Day" and also an aquamarine butterfly which I came across in the crafts shop at Kenyalang Park. My favourite store!!! Gazillions of craft stuff there.

Cantik ke?

I continued to mass-produce this card in purple, pink and orange. Limited edition!

This project really takes a lot of patience so if you ain't got none you'll find this to be a really testy project to follow. Otherwise, give it a try! Sequins cost RM1 per big pack as following my older post, from the corner shop opposite Open Air selling all sorts of craft items.

ANy suggestions for improvement? What else do you think I can do with these sequins?

Project #3: Origami Hearts

2010-02-27T17:33:00.008+08:00

Been awhile! Fast updates:

Second interview tomorrow morning at EY at 10am. A lil scared but am not gonna let that throw me!

Started experimenting with food.. Onion rings, the like. American breakfasts are easy to make cuz everything is pretty much heated up or fried.

But enough with food!

So, to continue with the V-day projects (might as well since I'm on a roll) take a look at this:

Came across this googling up heart crafts. The instructions are clear and simple, so I proceeded with this project dividing an A4 sized paper into 3 equal parts to create the 3 hearts you see above.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Simple-decorative-origami-heart-book-mark/

What's cool about these hearts is that they can be used as bookmarks! The bottom 'mouth' flips open to be used to 'bite' your page, in a manner of speaking.

Decided to glue down the end bits so that they don't unfold.

Heart-making factory!

One of the crafts I concocted. This heart was pretty hard to make because it's a miniature version of the real thing. Used sharpened bamboo chopsticks to achieve the curves and small folds..

Also, welcoming a new addition to the craft kits:

New pill boxes to keep...

SEQUINS!

The variety I got allows me to mix and match for different occasions. Am thinking bout what I can do with these sequins. (Possibilites are endless!)

Did a lil DIY craft box beautification.

;)

Oh, and here's an example of a card I made using the origami heart above:

Nice? I used the curly fern leaf design as a template on the background, traced it with black marker, and THEN outlined everything with gold glitter glue. Perhaps it may look a bit too busy..? Am thinking of adding a few red or pink sequins as 'flowers' on the cards.

What do you think?

Tergendalaa

2010-02-21T16:12:00.004+08:00

Sangat busy!

Valentines day project tergendala due to CNY prep. haha

Stuck half-way here

TO move on to these:

Cookies!

Turned out fine.

PIneapple cookies, choc chip, sugar and butter ones. oh and cornflake raisin cookies mum's secret recipe.

Also had fun doing:

Mahjonggg

blackjack! *Ivor in the background lol*

and visiting. 5 days of visiting is killing my feet.

oddly, no weight gain tho.

and eventhough V-0Day over, I still wanna do projects!

so stay tuned!

Project 2: Curled Hearts

2010-01-28T00:48:00.020+08:00

How do you turn a pile of scrap paper like such....

...Into curled hearts?

Its time for another project!

Just two nights ago after hanging out with Elaine I was googling online for heart card ideas. YOu know, what with 14th February coming up! Also, The First Day of Chinese New Year coincidentally is on the same day! So better get started early with these gifts!

I have a list of people who I wanna give gifts to, as a token of my love and friendship. What better chance than now?

So I came across this quilling technique on Martha Stewart's website and it immediately caught my eye:

Gosh! First thought: simple yet stunning.

Various techniques can me used to achieve different styles for different occasions.

So I spend an hour or two that night fooling around with Lady Gaga playing in the background and my trusty penknife slashing away at the break of dawn... okay that sounded creepy!

Step 1:

You will need some colour paper or leftover wrapping paper - anything works for this project because the pattern won't really show at the sides. Only the main colour will pop out.

Here I am recycling some old clues we used for a CPA event - the Treasure Hunt. This was the one whereby participants had to scour the whole multistory car park to collect 10 flags of their group's colour.

Cutting board; check.

Penknife; check.

Long ruler; check.

Here's my twist: in order to curl the strips, you will need something cylindrical and small. I was trying to dig up my old compass - you know, the one we use to draw circles for Maths? But I couldn't locate them so - I'm breaking out little paper umbrellas!

Step 2:

Cut out strips of the colour paper. The longer the strip; the bigger your marquee heart will be. And curlier. I'm starting out with small hearts first.

Using 0.5cm as my width. I'm just following the lines on the cutting board actually lol

To specifically make the heart, fold it in half...

Then, taking one end of the strip, curl it using the toothpick all the way to the middle.

Like so.

Repeat on the other end of the strip, and we have a curled heart!

Sometimes I get wonky when curling and the heart isn't linear, so I press them to make it flatter.

Getting them all pressed down.

Tadaa!

Wanted to test whether these hearts can stick on paper and stay in shape, so I dug out an old unfinished V-Day card:

Plain old thing

Pour some glue out and make a flat surface to 'celup' your hearts later.

Proses pencelupan!

Then stick them on your card; positioning them to suit your style.

Done!

I am using ordinary clear glue for this project and I find that it sticks really well! The hearts, once dry, are immovable.

One final press while the glue's drying so that it will look 'rata'... Gosh I keep forgetting the right English words to use!

Thought the card looked a lil to plain so added glitter glue as a frame, allowed to dry overnight and once done, it looks pretty neat! I like it!

Dries faster in front of a fan.

Straight from the recycling bin!

What do you think of this project?

Catching Up, Good Times

2010-01-27T13:23:00.006+08:00

Last night I went out with my good friend Elaine. We've known each other for a loong time now! The bunch of girls from St Teresa as I remember: Calista, Choulyin, Yogi, Jessica, Elaine, Tracy, Audrey Teo, Annabel, Angeline, etc! Some I met through tuitions, some through Bible study. Others are aunties of friends, but lets keep that to ourselves aye? ;)

First things first: I wanted to get some things from 100 Yen Store for my room. I figured that I should get some tools for some heavy duty crafting, such as a cutting board to protect my desktop. (I think the previous post exposed my badly treated desk.. all those holes and cuts in them!) And some preparation items for V-Day!

After that we hit Green Gallery to check it out just because it was there. Gosh, we were shamelessly taking pictures all around the place! Put two crazy people together and you get madness I tell you!

Do you feel the CNY mood yet?

We do!

Eh, nice ler the oil paintings. Even got 3D effect summore.

Poser!

The first sunset painting is RM680 or 780. I fell in love with it a long time ago.

So creative! A picture that makes for a miniature cupboard.

Another poser haha

Trademark photo!

Elaine's earrings all clumped up to make a lantern LOL

Boat cabinets! Now THAT'S cool recycling.

Flowers galore - but all fake.

* Wedding bells~*

I like orchids. They're my fav type of flowers!

Bride without her groom yet!

Blowing dandelions away~

OMG what were we thinking?!?!

After that we hit Premier 101 for dinner. Had char kueh and watermelon juice, and talked and talked the night away.

British looking lamp posts?

Then we moved on to Bing! where we had our own cake-tasting sessions and commenting on them like we were professional chefs! Incidentally we realised that we were both Asian Food Channel addicts! Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Bob Blumer, Curtis Stone, Michael Smith, Anna Olson. God, we went mad talking about food while having em!

Tiramisu~

If you go to Bing and pass on the brownie, you my friend are ignorantly denying yourself a guilty pleasure!

It felt like the good old days again when we were back in high school, without a care in the world. Talking about anything and everything, updating each other with the latest gossips and trading opinions on the way things should be done. Its really good to get back in touch with good friends like Elaine. We should go out more often ok!

Now to show off the things I got. Not much to show lar, but since I took pictures I might as well anyway:

Boxes to tidy up my many things.

My cutting board! To be featured prominently from now on. It really CANNOT be cut, and there are measurements on the surface for easy measuring. Talk about efficient!

Randi\om junk that caught my eye LOL

All this pink is me getting ready for Valentine's Day. I have 7 girls in mind to whom I wanna send a Valentine's to, and yes my mom is No.1 on the list.

I tend to buy wrapping paper by the bulk whenever I see a nice design. Somewhere, somehow, every piece will be fully utilized for something. I don't know when; I don't know how; but I know it is all going to make someone happy. For now, that someone is ME.

Project Notebook

2010-01-27T11:32:00.006+08:00

I had always had the impression that my passion for things like arts and crafts made me a sissy. Only girls did things like making cards, decorating, etc. So it was no surprise that I stopped and gave up on my crafts, though I kept on buying things that caught my eye.

But deep down, I still can't stop feeling that little explosion of fun whenever I come across a webpage teaching me how to make notebooks or marquee.

After much thought and self-reflection, I realize that my passion for creativity is not a curse but a gift. Why should I stop doing something that I am good at, that makes me happy especially when to see people feeling good to open the card and admire my handiwork?

So to answer your question, I have been spending my holidays rearranging my room. To dedicate one corner of it for craftmaking. And so far, it's been a LOT of work. Must of the junk I keep can be recycled or transformed, giving an old body new life. Why not? Especially in a society where everyone's environmentally conscious. (It's about time as well.)

So, here's Project No.1: Notebooks. Yes, this was inspired by Georgette who blogged about her project here. She's an amazingly creative person with way more experience at craftsmanship than I do, so I thought I'd give this a try and see if I can make this work!

Step 1:

First, grab all your one-sided waste A4 papers that you have lying around the place. Come on, you know you have em! Redundant work papers, incorrectly printed, or notes no longer useful to you. As long as one side is clean, its recyclable!

Break out the penknife and slash away to the size you desire.

For me, I'm going for something chequebook-ish, so I cut my A4 into 4 slips, horizontally as pictured:

Step 2:

Deco-time! For the cover and backing, I decided to use leftover scrap paper from a previous project. Cut it out along the lines to make them even, and arrange everything in place.

Am recycling an old birthday invitation from Parkson that looks colourful.

Saw this and knew I had to use it LoL!

Step 3:

Now that everything is arranged neatly, use some cloth pegs to hold it in its place. Then, apply a generous amount of glue to the top bit. I stress on generous cuz once it's dry and its not enough, it'll fall apart.

Oh, and its common sense to keep the notebooks standing while the glue dries so that it seeps in between pages and binds all of it together.

In the mean time i made mini-bookmarks from the scraps of this project. Yes, recycle la! What for waste?

Okay fine, I know its very Scrooge. But thats the way I roll.

And done.

To perfect the notebooks, May I suggest using cello tape to close the glue end down? Its entirely up to you, I used duct tape lol.

This is my chequebook holder. Since I have no chequebook...

It'll serve nicely as a notepad holder!

Enjoy!

Turning 23

2010-01-25T17:18:00.018+08:00

I had a great birthday this year. Unlike the other years, when I was so determined not to celebrate my Bday, this year I went and shamelessly celebrated it with many peeps! I am going to spend the next few minutes telling you all about it.

Friday Night, 15th January 2010

That night, I went out with my friends from CPA ASC. Its amazing how closely we all became friends; especially after going through so much experience hosting events and laughing together. We went to Sharing Planet for some food and we got lost on the way there! LoL! Blame Chlo-Chlo for getting us lost! :P

With Jacob, Jia Jin, Yuyun, Victor, Chloe, Shariman and Keith there, we sat down and had some chit chat sessions while waiting for our food to arrive. I had a mixed grill there to try out all of their meat cuts. Not bad, but its not exceptionally delicious either. I do like the ambiance of the place though!

After dinner we all went to Senso for drinks. I had to pop by home to change my pants and footwear. There we had some beer and someone had a blowjob lol!

And by midnight things started to happen.

The performers on stage started calling out my name and singing "Happy Birthday" to me!! They came down and dragged me up on stage, and someone else was there too - apparently it was her birthday as well lol. There was dancing and singing and candle-blowing - it was all a blur for me cuz I can't believe what was happening! After that, cake was slapped into my face and all hell broke loose when we had a food fight among ourselves in Senso.

I don't think we're welcomed back there!

Attack!!

The actual cake lol~ my favourite colour!

Got scratched lar during the food fight. Wk said I look like that Spartan guy from 300. XD

Day 2 Lunch 16th January 2010

Lunch saw me having pizza with Chiong Ping and Wei Khee at Pizza Hut at Boulevard. It was good hanging out with the guys again, enjoying each other's company and talking shit over pizza and coke.

I feel its important that guys have some time-out sessions from their girls to hang with other guys of their same thinking in order to re-align their machoness. You know, like after hanging out too long with girls you pick up some weird habits and need to 'defragment' in order to stay the strong man you are? LOL im talking crap here!

Day 2 Dinner 16 January 2010

Tze Ren booked me for dinner on my birthday waaaaaay before anybody else offered to bring me out. And of course I agreed, he IS my brother! Its weird, we only know each other for less than a year but we have so much in common that we click just like that. And where we differ, we respect each other enough not to argue.

We went to Carvery. I tell you, if you want me to disappear for hours and still be happy, send me to Carvery! The food! The buffet! OMGWTF I dream about it for days.

Did not take much pictures from the night, so here are some pictures from Carvery's website: WARNING! ALL FOOD are DELICIOUS and MAY INDUCE HUNGER!

There were 14 types of meat served in their buffet, and they come one by one to the table served in a size of your choice. After that, if you want to call back something you like, you may do so at no extra charge!

Then, there’s the set buffet at the side of the room where you can top up on veggies and pasta.

I LOVE this place. The food was 10/10!! Its great for celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, etc but not for first dates lah, maybe that's a bit too much.

Went to Bing's near my place for some brownies. In a way this is Cake no 2!

More info taken from their website regarding the food selection they have:

 Lamb Shoulder

 Smoked Beef

 Chicken Chop

 Lamb Chop

 Smoked Chicken

 Sirloin Steak

 Chicken Wings

 Beef Sausage

 Rump Steak

 Beef Rib

 Chicken Sausage

 Fish Fillet

 Mussel

 Chicken Wrapped with Turkey Ham

Carving Gravy – Black Pepper Gravy & Mushroom Gravy

And Soup of the Day & Hot/Cold Salad

SALAD

DRESSING

CONDIMENT

COLD CUT

 Red Coral Lettuce

 Thousand Island

 Gerkin

 Chicken Roll

 Green Coral Lettuce

 Balsamic Vinagrette

 Capers

 Beef Salami

 Romaine Lettuce

 Italian

 Pickle Ginger

 Mushroom Lyoner

 Ice Burg Lettuce

 Wasabe Mayonaise

 Pickle Chilli

 Tomato Salad

 Caesar

 Green Olive

 Potato Salad

 Black Olive

 Seafood Salad

 Coleslaw

 Pasta Tuna Salad

 Sengkuang Salad

 Carrot Salad

 Tanghoon Beef Salad

 Pickle Tomato Salad

 Corn Salad with Kidney Bean

HOT ITEMS

 Fried Rice

 Roast Potato

 Pasta With Gravy

 Cauliflower

 Brocolli

 Baby Corn / Kernel Corn

 Brinjal With Gravy

 Baby Carrot

 Brussel Sprout

 Mixed Vegetable

 French Bean / Baby Kaila

Seems like I'm getting paid to write all these or smth! LoL but seriously it was the best dinner I ever had. Mmm!

Sunday Lunch 17^th January 2010

Went to Kenny Rogers for lunch with Mom and Jon. We love our chicken! In KL we’d hit Nando’s and back here it’s Kenny Rogers for celebratory purposes. (In Kl we’d hit that just because we could. Haha!)

Sunday Dinner 17^th January 2010

Hit the steamboat table with Wei Khee, Sze, Roro, Mui Yen, and Pen Ching. Kris and Fabian came later. There’s something fun about cooking your own food – getting splattered with fat, having bits of oil floating in your drink! Haha. But honestly, I really love eat-all-you-can styles like these, unhealthy as it may be. Pork balls, lamb cutlets.

And another cake!

I had a really fantastic night counting down to my birthday guys! Love you all and thanks for all the treat ^^

The Greatest View, Silverchair

2010-01-23T02:04:00.003+08:00

Its been awhile!!!

I know I have not been blogging much. Reason being because i have not been doing much worth blogging about; just hanging out at home and enjoying myself watching movies, scrunching up lunch and trying not to THINK about 22nd Jan.

but it came and woosah! Good news for many of us. Another semester came and went; for some another approaches, for the few of us this is the end of one chapter. Time for the next section to begin.

Thing is, I am worried. What if I cannot find a job? What if I manage to find one but suck at it? What if I hate my future job?? So many things to think about.

Going through my certificates and events list made me realise something. I was pretty active in uni but I have no work experience. Will it be helpful in the future? I won't know. But I can pretty darn say I build a good network from my activities and have plenty of sources if I need help, so I hope that will be useful to me eventually.

Another thing I worry about is being lonely. I don't have a girlfriend - its not that I am not looking or trying, its because I refuse to be in a relationship now because I feel that I shouldn't be in one now. Like, I feel I have to be ready, be someone when I find that special someone. The picture in my mind now: me working, earning my own cash inflow. With a better car and gadgets than what I have now, and a life that's figuratively way better than what I am in now.

December 2009

2010-01-05T00:18:00.003+08:00

Okay! Okay. Things are more settled; there is more time. I am back!

December was one damn hectic month! My last paper was exactly 1 month ago on the 4th of December 2009, and I remember walking out of the MPH (not the bookstore, mind you) with mixed feelings. Then I met up with Cals, went straight to Spring for lunch and a good long karaoke session.

That was the beginning of my holidays.

It was followed by a very tiring and muscle straining but fun camp organized by the new batch of CPA ASC committees. I can say, watching them all putting themselves through hell to produce a memorable experience for us makes me really cherish our friendship even more. Who knew a bunch of strangers could become family?

After hitting Damai for 3 days I went straight to Genting and KL with my real family.- My second trip to Genting in 6 months. It was cramped! There were four of us cramped in one First World Hotel room. ONE! Mind you, all First World hotel rooms (there are 6,118 rooms there btw, current world record for most rooms in a hotel. a fact my buddy Wk can’t seem to stop repeating) are small, but I think it made us enjoy the trip more. A challenge to squeeze and deal with each other!

Then we moved down to Cititel for a further 5 days. We had fun shopping here and there, especially buying exotic ready-to-eat fruits daily from the food court down at Gardens –pomegranates, jackfruits, mangoes (normal la, but still nice to eat.) And bringing the PS2 along this trip really made a difference – at least when we got bored my bro and I can plug and play away!

Coming back from KL, went out for more Karaoke sessions, CPA meet-ups, and then Christmas came along. Jason came back and we hung out for a while. Had an impromptu visit to Bau and Serikin with CP and Wk one fien day as well… New Years Eve was memorable! Spent it at Silhouette’s Gold Room for VIP that Kyra managed to secure, had champagne and Heineken and it was also the countdown to Kyra’s birthday too! We had cake.

The next day the CPA gang drove up to Lundu and Sematan! It was damn fun. Sure the drive was tedious – we spent most of the trip driving. But when we got there the weather was perfect and the company was great.

And then today came.

Lets see:

Will be going back to Genting AND KL again! 6th to 12th, Heading up to Genting first for a day then heading back to the City of Sin for more clubbing with Cals and Jason~ Can’t wait!
Then, going to start looking for a place to stay and work there. I really do hope something turns up for me; life is eagerly calling out for me. I can just feel it!
Chinese New Year. How great is that? A celebration that involves receiving free money, eating good food, catching up with friends and playing with fireworks WITHOUT the government all up your ass. For THREE days. Its gonna be a blast.

Beyond that, I don’t know what my future will be. I can only keep my fingers crossed so that I can move on with my life to the next chapter that awaits the first beginning.

Back!

2009-12-29T00:42:00.001+08:00

I'm back!

Was on a LONG hiatus since before exams. So much to update on; I guess I should aye?

Just lemme take a breather first.

Assignments

2009-11-13T22:14:00.002+08:00

So I was done with CRM assignment this morning. Sent everything to lecturer, hard copy done!

Met up with Rovi for lunch and back to my place for some movie-time.

Then went out with Wk for dinner and a lil bit of retail shopping to cure the stress

And its back to hitting the comp for IBL assignment due Sunday!

Haven't gotten into the mood to study for finals la

Freaking assignments too close to finals :(

Oh oh, I found this golden oldie la! Thanks to John ;)

How to Save on Stationery

2009-11-10T00:09:00.000+08:00

Stationery: Every student's must-have. Without which, one cannot claim to have done their best in school/college/uni.

Stationery is like a computer: Sure, you could have written your assignment without a laptop, but with it you can enhance your quality and make studying a whole lot better!

Make full use of what you like, what you can get. But do so at a low cost! How do you know when?

Generally, stationery stores in Kuching/Malaysia do not usually have sales.. But wait, let me explain the system in this country first.

We have (from the bottom):

stationery warehouses who sells stationery in bundles - this is where you can buy your many items such as a4 paper, pen supplies, notebooks, staples, mechanical pencil refills and so on at a low cost!

them old chinese shops - usually best to get your colour markers, staplers, highlighters individually as the prices are generally cheaper here, unless you plan to buy more, then I'd suggest you hit the warehouses as mentioned above. Sweet Memory! And Sin Kui Seng at Kenyalang, tho he keeps old stock so ya might wanna test his products first.

Official businesses - Think in Motion is a definite thumbs up from me! Although being a corporate business, I find the items generally cehaper than anywhere else! I love coming here to stock up on all sorts of tape - double tape, cellotape, maskin tape. They're much cheaper here!v And the colour paper - 50 pieces for RM2.90 is very good in my books. Much reccommended.

Although now that we are on this topic, I would generally ask y'all to stay away from other coglomerates such as Popular and MPH. Their stationery are waaay too expensive with a mark-up that is grossly overrated.

CPA Open Day, 5 Loaves Lunch with Committees

2009-11-10T00:05:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday saw us CPA committees at the CPA's Head office here in Kuching to meet and talk to Audrey, the Director of CPA from their head office in KL. There are 5 of us committees who are going to graduate soon. We were there asking about intake sessions, pricing of the courses, the Mentor program, etc etc. It was a very informative session for us.

While we were there, I looked through a copy of the Berita CPA and lo and behold! What did I see?

LoL! Us during CPA Kuching Branch Head Office Opening.

We then headed on to 5 Loaves Cafe for a spot of lunch.

I like their menu! It incorporates their 'loaves' concepts with pictures. Hehe

Laksa

Manichai Beehoon which I oddly like~

Forgot to ask what this was lol

Chicken Katsu Style

Chicken Thai Style

Lemony Chicken - Really lemony!

Buttery Chicken - they use Anchor butter. We asked.

Cheesy Chips! Ordinary chips sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Not bad!

Camwhoring session!:

Tharnagan and Victor

Kwee and Jacob

Jacob and Edina posing LoL

Me and Shaman

Jia Jin, Yuyun and Gracie

Kaith and me. OMG why do I look so weird?!

Edina and Ms Photographer of the Day Nacy!

Too bad Azie, Lil, Chloe and Joseph couldn't make it.. Would have been more fun with them around.

I am very happy with this batch of committees. Having been in the board of CPA from 2007, I have been in 4 different boards and I can honestly say I had the best time with these ppl! They're super efficient, creative, exciting and every time we hang out it's just great fun to be with them. I can see a very bright future for next year's term.

Ok ok, no more pictures! Must do assignment!

Monday Travels

2009-11-06T11:18:00.007+08:00

So so so... Exactly one week ago was Edina's birthday!

Can't believe one week passed by so quickly ~ Last Monday was spent searching for schools! Me and Edina formed one team, Adrien and Kasun formed another. We divided 13 schools between ourselves to deliver the certs, booklets and documentations from WSDC back awhile. Edina and me took the long route, but lesser schools - Gapur, Batu Kawa, Muara Tuang, Kota Samarahan! We drove like 30++ km around Kuching that day but only took about 3 hours since it was only a drive and drop mission.

After that was done, Edina, me, Adrien, Kasun, Kevin Tan, Rafiee and Ayu went to grab some lunch at Tom's:

Then I went back to continue with assignments and along the way to reduce stress:

... Judging from the tiles I get, I think I got more stress from playing!!

Tuesday saw me hitting Spring for some lunch and a movie. Madam Tang's laksa never fail to satisfy.

Then decided to catch Law Abiding Citizen by Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx.

I think this is like the 3rd movie I saw this year featuring him. Not bad! And this movie was fantastic! I love mastermind movies like these. And the other chinese movie, Accident featuring Louis Koo and Richie Jen but have yet to catch that one.

Wednesday was pretty quiet for me - lecture, then lunch at All Joy at Saberkas and back to uni for meetings. Yes, we still do have meetings for CPA eventhough it's Week 13. I am that mean.

Midnight snacking - Maggi with reduced soup so its extra spicy, milk to take the heat away and half a watermelon commando style to cool things off! Hehe.

So, back to assignments! CRM and IBL due Friday. So its time to buck up!! I have all the answers written down, just a matter of typing it out, referencing and tidying up.

2009-11-06T01:29:00.001+08:00

cannot sleep cannot sleep

i blame nescafe!

studied at the library today from 430 pm to 930 pm

and i slept from 4am to 9am today

so tired but NOT SLEEPY!

arghghghghghghh

Ridiculous!

2009-10-30T22:25:00.002+08:00

• In the Semenanjung – “Jika salah seorang ibu atau bapa calon adalah seorang Melayu yang beragama Islam/Orang Asli seperti mana yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 160(2) Perlembagaan Persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If either parent of a candidate is a Malay who is a Muslim/Orang Asli as defined in Article 160 (2) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.)

• In Sabah – “Jika bapa calon adalah seorang Melayu yang beragama Islam/Peribumi Sabah seperti yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 161A(6)(a) Perlembagaan Persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If the father of the candidate is a Malay who is a Muslim/native of Sabah as defined by Article 161A(6)(a) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.)

• In Sarawak – “Jika bapa dan ibu adalah seorang Peribumi Sarawak seperti mana yang ditakrifkan dalam Perkara 161A(6)(b) Perlembagaan persekutuan; maka anaknya adalah dianggap seorang Bumiputera.” (If the father and mother is a native of Sarawak as defined under Article 161A(6)(b) of the Federal Constitution, the child is considered a Bumiputera.

-Taken from Borneo Post-

Oh come on! I may not be politically aware, but stuff like this that infringes on the rights of the people is just freaking annoying and stupid! Why in Sabah must it be so different from Sarawak? And, why are some people being discriminated while others walk free?

Malaysia, Malaysia.

COlourful Week

2009-10-28T16:40:00.005+08:00

So we've been having a very hectic week, running aruond Swinburne and practicing our CPA Day event. Basically what we have in store includes alot of sweat!

Have not been eating proper lately. Missing lunch or dinner, or eating a bun now and then while studying through dinnertime, or busy emailing people for club stuff, or doing assignments. I am really taking my assignments seriously as I don't wanna be failing my final semester, so even though it's due one month away I'm almost done with it.

One of the deelicious victims of my snackings - almond crusted chocolate donuts. I love Gingerbread House! So convenient - when hungry, just walk out and buy and nom nom nom away.

Spent today doing CPA meeting for 4 more events and one hamper packing session with Lil and Grace for CPA Day. Any session with the both of them is always fun!!

Swish! And it was slashed off.

Arranging them properly to make it suitably filled.

Blair Waldorfs!

OMG we just got married!!

Pretending to be hardworking here when the job is done dy. XD

Peace! ^^

Final work.

Conclusion: Organising a treasure hunt is a LOT of hard work!! I still have the clues to figure out tonight but I have my system all set out in my head. So.. Tonight will see me reading up on IBL while sorting colour paper.

Notes:

a. Heroes is just getting ridiculous!

b. Desperate Housewives, taking a dark turn.

c. Gossip Girl, as always.

d. House, booring. I quit house awhile back.

e. How I Met Your Mother, FUN!

f. Southpark, pure evil.

g. Grey's and Private Practice, heart-stopping as usual.

h. And I am currently addicted to playing Scrabble on FB. Care to join?