Christmas 2009

0


A belated Merry Christmas to everyone here :)

Our Christmas eve started with a very simple yet luxurious steamboat buffet at Coca, Subang Parade.


Actually we planned to have our Christmas dinner at TGIF but was fully booked :(


The steamboat buffet wasn't what we expected initially. YUEN STEAMBOAT located somewhere in Sunway is so much better than COCA. LOL.


After dinner, we went to this Little Bally Cafe in SS15 Subang Jaya. A nice and comfy place with live band. Although it was only 2 of us but we had quite an eventful Christmas eve celebration. We talked, we shared, we laughed, we kissed.......It was just like having the whole world by ourselves. What a perfect feeling :)

After an hour of 'two people world', we joined his friends in Royal Oak located at Jaya One, PJ. Another drinking and chit chatting session.

Merry Christmas, dear! Thanks for the wonderful Christmas dinner :) I wrote a letter to Santa telling him that you are what I want for every Christmas and I hope he can make my wish come true :)

Muacks!

Read More

Hong Kong - Day 1

0


As we mentioned in the previous entry, we embarked on a 6D/5N trip to Hong Kong together with my mum and sis. It was a hastily arranged trip as we made a pretty last minute decision to visit HK just 3 weeks before. But it turned out to be a brilliant decision eventually as the trip turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable one and we practically shopped till we dropped - and broke!

Throughout the entire length of the journey, we snapped about 600 photos so you will have to expect that these 4-part entries are gonna be filled with lots of pictures. :)



We arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday night. It was regarded as one of the best airports in the world but honestly, it failed to live up to my expectations or perhaps, I expected too much instead.



The first thing that struck me about Hong Kong was the sightings of tall, multi-storey apartments and condos everywhere. It gave the impression of Hong Kong as the City of Lights as the sky was well-lit by the assortment of neons and light bulbs emitted from the skyscrapers and tall apartments. However, the abundance of tall buildings in a small country can only mean one thing - a very densely populated country! Lest I digress, I'll dwelve into the subject later on.



This was the hotel that we stayed in for the duration of the trip. It was located in North Point - an area which was located next to Causeway Bay. The hotel made an error in recording our bookings prior to our arrival, but luckily they still have rooms available for that day. Otherwise, we might have to sleep on cardboards under the bridge just like those homeless men often depicted in TVB dramas.



This was the street view at night just outside our hotel. Several rows of shoplots, blocks of apartments and endless streams of red cabs and double decker buses.



In the morning, the city came to life. Still, there was the usual endless stream of red cabs and buses filling up the streets everywhere. It is not surprising really, considering the exorbitant petrol price for vehicles which was around HK$10 per litre (approx. RM5 per litre).

We were lucky as Vian's friend, Percy was a Hongkonger and she was free to bring us around. In this densely populated city with a fast moving lifestyle, you can easily get lost amid the sea of people without someone to guide you around.


The next morning, Percy brought us to this restaurant which served some delicious dim sums for breakfast.


We had a hard time deciding what to order as there was a vast variety of dim sums to choose from.


We eventually settled for siu long baos, har gao, fu chuk rolls, phoenix claws (chicken feet) and some more. Dim sum is like to Hongkongers what Nasi Lemak is like to us Malaysians. That was the preferred way to kick start the morning here - enjoying dim sums over Chinese tea while chit-chatting with your family and friends.



After breakfast, we then headed to Tsim Sha Tsui - a well known luxury shopping district for the locals. As with most of the locals here, we travelled by foot and MTR.

The MTR stations were often packed and crowded with people from all walks of life and one have to walk closely together in order not to get lost.



This was the Octopus Card - somewhat akin to our Touch 'N Go and Perth's Smart Rider card.


Females always have time to pose for a shot - even while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. The 3 ladies shown above were a good example.

The Gateway Shopping Mall - home to luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada, Marc Jacobs, etc.

One thing about the luxury brands in Hong Kong - they were more like Jusco supermarket on J-card Day Sale rather than the usually quiet and elegant malls in Starhill.



Look at throngs of people lining up to get a hand on their luxurious must-have handbags or wallets. From the experience of staying in HK for 5 days, I can safely say that 9 out of 10 people that you meet in the street will have at least a LV or a Gucci with them and the odd one out that doesn't have any of the luxury item is almost certainly a foreigner.



Just half day gone and we're already carrying so many shopping bags with us. Good for the ladies, but pity the guy who have to carry those bags though. :P
The city was packed with droves of people walking from all directions. It kept me thinking whether in the future HK will suffer from the problem of oxygen inadequacy.



There was this little candy shop located outside the the shopping mall that sells various types of candies, chocolates and snacks. You can choose any type of combination of the candies or chocolates available and they will be charged according to the price per 100 gram. My mum couldn't resist the temptation and succumbed to it by buying 3 packets full of candies, cookies and mini dried meats.



Christmas celebration in HK was sort of like Christmas in Singapore, if not on a grander scale. Streets and high rise buildings were adorned and decorated with colorful neon lights and signboards ushering the impending Christmas celebration. It was a far cry from the normally mundane and more subdued Christmas celebration in Kuala Lumpur.

That night, we travelled to Sha Tin by MTR to enjoy the famous chicken porridge. However, there was an incident which almost disrupted the whole plan altogether.

In the eagerness to savour the chicken porridge in Sha Tin, Vian had accidentally entered the MTR and then the door closed, leaving all 3 of us stranded behind. There was a moment of panic as she was unfamiliar with the stations, and Percy and I were showing her hand signals to indicate that we will meet her at the next station.

However, she was nowhere to be found when we got off at the next station. And we were keeping our fingers crossed that hopefully she will be waiting for us at Sha Tin station which was 2 stops away. Unfortunately, we caught no sight of her when we arrived at Sha Tin station.

Percy decided to go back to the first station while the 3 of us were searching for her at Sha Tin. It was during then that I felt a sudden sense of impulse to look out for her near the elevator.

Perhaps it was pure coincidence or maybe it was pure destiny, there she was - about to descend onto the elevator when I spotted her. It was a huge relief to all of us, and she was visibly shaken from the ordeal. I comforted her and she barely eaten throughout the dinner too because she was having a bad migrain and stomachache at the same time.

That was an eventful first day for us at HK. Not exactly the way we imagined we will have spent the first day in the City of Lights but we were certainly looking forward to the remaining 4 days of our trip here.....

To be continued...Part 2

Read More

Off to Hong Kong

0

Hey guys..


I am back. Just landed yesterday :)

Will be flying off to Hong Kong tomorrow afternoon.

Will update you guys as soon as possible.

Stay Tune :)
Read More

Mozilla Firefox

0

Was playing with my Mozilla Firefox this morning. I discovered that we can actually download themes and apply it to the browser. Awesome!



LOL...I know that I acted like some 'sua ku'..just came out from don't know which jungle..But it is damn cool. After so many years of using Mozilla firefox, now only I know that it can be so cool with those colourful themes. It brightens up your day whenever you turn on your browser :) Give a try!


Here are a few websites where you can get those custom-made themes :

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:2
http://customize.org/firefox


Try google "Mozilla Firefox Themes Download" for more :)

Read More

The Race Against Time

0


This is the reason why I'm currently on 'self-imprisonment' mode for at least a week.

I sprained my ankle while playing futsal last Saturday. I was retreating back to my goalpost for defence when I inadvertently twisted my right foot and landed on my ankle in an awkward position. I heard a loud 'craackkkkkk' and I knew I was damned.

The immediate pain was atrocious and I could barely muster the energy the speak, even as my friends was surrounding me and trying to make jokes to trigger some response from me. I laid flat on the turf for a good 10 minutes - grimacing in pain - before the pain eventually dwindled.

A quick check with the doctor revealed that I've sprained my ankle badly and there was a minor fracture on my ankle bone. The advice was to stop all vigorous activities and to rehabilitate at home for at least a week or two.

As though being confined indoor for a couple of weeks isn't bad enough, I now have to race against the time to get myself in tip-top condition (or at least in walkable condition) before the looming trip to Hong Kong on the 12th next month.

Now all I can do is to continue taking the medication, stay indoor as much as possible, watch TV to pass the time (or Facebook-ing), keep the fingers crossed, and wait for Vian to come back and be my driver. :)

Read More

Cottesloe Beach

0


- Went Cottesloe Beach last Sunday with babes. The weather was okay but a bit too windy.

- Heard the name Cottesloe since the 1st day I arrived at Perth but never have the time to go. After 1 and a half year here finally I have the chance to explore this super awesome beach :)


- It is around 30 minutes drive from Kardinya (the place I am staying right now). Guess what? I drove a Kia Carnival there. It is a huge car to actually fit only 3 of us in but no choice la. That's the only car we have right at the moment.

- For those who had knew me very well, you guys should knew that I can't really read a map :( We got lost on the way. Can't find Jarrad Street but anyhow we still managed to get our way there. We were like jumping up and down when we saw Cottesloe beach. LOL. Took almost an hour to reach there.


It was soooooo WINDY until we can't hardly open our mouth. The wind was very strong and the sand keep on 'attacking' us. LOL.


Although the weather was very hot but the water was very very cold. The only word appeared in my mind at that moment was SHARK! LOL. My dad told me that we will get to see sharks swimming around in Australia's beaches because the water is cold. Damn dangerous lo :(

Babes in bikinis :)


- Had Fish and Chips for lunch. Can you guys actually spot the fish? Yea, this is the Australian version of Fish and Chips. Chips more than fish..LOL


It is so good to go to the beach once in a while. I personally prefer beaches more than high mountains. High mountains make me sick :( and I know Ryan prefers mountains than beaches because he cannot swim. Haha..

Dear, come with me at least once when we get back from our holidays, ok? It will not be perfect when you are not here sharing the joy :)



We leave the beach at around 4pm. Crystal clear water and smooth sand. Definitely a nice beach to visit.


Read More

Freedom tastessss so SWEET !

0

Hi everyone

I am done with my exams.

Holidays started last Thursday. But I have too many things to do until I don't really have the time to blog =)

- Watched 2012 with Fangyu on Friday. The movie was awesome - telling us to do something to protect our mother nature from being destroyed. It is always not too late if we are willing to put the effort in :)

After the movie, went straight to the city for our dinner. Christmas is coming very soon. Christmas decorations are up and lighten up the whole city. It is so beautiful....

Nice Christmas tree

Australia is a bit different from other countries. No snow, no white christmas but a perfect hot weather where everyone come out with their bikinis. Christmas in Australia fall on the summer. It is extreamly hot. Around 40 to 45 degree celcius. Luckily I will be back for the whole summer holiday. Cant imgaine myself staying here........



- Went Harbour town on Saturday. It has been a very long time since I stepped into it. Almost 2 months I guess. Was busy writting my 6k words essays. Nothing much although I have not step in for 2 months. Anyhow, I still managed to get myself a nice batik-style dress =) Memang a shopaholic....Die die also must go home with something.

with the neighbours

Almost all of my close friends are Asians. Singaporeans or Malaysians. Some of my friends wondering why I don't really mix with Australians - i mean the ang mohs. I find it hard to actually get a really close ang moh friend. We meet and talk to each other during our tutorials only..other than that we don't really mix around. Maybe this is because ang moh cant really remember and recognise us. Asians are all look the same to them. Same skin colour with the not so sharp face features..LOL...

Took this while waiting for Percy to try on her bikini :)

-Went to Cottlesloe Beach yesterday with babes. Enjoyed the sun and the beach but it was a bit too windy.

Will update soon =)

The beautiful beach


p/s If you guys are wondering why Ryan is not with me in all those pics...He is back in Malaysia for holidays and busy eating the delicious food all by himself :(

Dear, see you soon :) 10 more days to go. I Love You.
Read More

The Missing Piece of My Jigsaw Puzzle

0


As I came home tonight, my adrenaline thoroughly drained.

As I stepped into the shower, my mind began to wander about the day's happenings.

I had a pretty eventful day today. I went to karaoke, watched a movie afterwards, had a scrumptious dinner thereafter, and went drinking with my closest friends when the moon arose, reflecting upon the dark grey sky.




But why did I felt something's amiss in my life? Something is missing. Something isn't right.

As I let the droplets of water came gushing down on my body, I began searching for the elusive answer.

I tried to view at the jigsaw puzzle of my life - time and again - from different perspectives.
No matter how I chose to view it, it seemed to be an elegantly beautiful piece of puzzle. Yet, there's is one glaring gap in the almost-perfect puzzle.

And that's when I realized, I've found the answer.



No matter how strikingly beautiful and complete the puzzle is, the missing piece is painfully obvious. Perhaps the eye can't see, but the heart can certainly feel it.

A part of you has grown in me. And so you see, it's you and me together forever.

We'll never be apart, perhaps in distance, but never in heart.


Love,
~Ryan~
Read More

Happy Birthday, Mummy :)

0


HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUMMY :)

Happy Birthday to my absolutely fabulous mummy. Truly love you more than anything.

You have done so much for us and not to mention puts up with so much for us as well. LOL

Mummy is the most special, outgoing, outrageous, kind and loving woman that I've ever known.

Thanks for everything and have the best day..You deserve it...

xoxo..

Read More

Geek Mode: ON

2


Exams coming real soon ~

First paper will be on the 19th of November, next Thursday.

Have done some revision and hope that everything will be on the right track :)

I feel kinda excited because after exam I will be going back to my home sweet home but at the same time I feel butterflies in my stomach....

No matter how, will always try my very best~
Wish me luck :)

I will be back for holidays on the 10th of Dec.
Dear friends, prepare yourself for our meet up/mamak/gossiping sessions :)

Read More

Leederville : A place full of nice cafes

0

Hi, I am back :)


Few weeks ago, went to this place called Leederville with the neighbours.

Leederville, a few kilometers of Perth CBD. According to people around us, it is a place full of nice cafes.

Went to this cafe name Greens & Co. It was recommended by the neighbour's friend.


A very unique cafe decorated with many many round lanterns hanging around. Posters all over as their 'wallpaper'. Now I began to realize that round lanterns and posters actually form very nice background.


One thing weird about this cafe was they don't have a menu. You have to go to the counter personally to ask for price and so on......

I don't like coffee..I don't eat cakes. It is simply because I don't eat any kind of pastry. No matter how delicious they are, I will always say NO to bread, cakes, muffins, cookies, pie or whatever that made up using flour as an ingredient.

Everyone sort of ordered a piece of cake and a cup of coffee. According to them, the cakes and coffees were good. Please don't ask me how good is it, I have no idea at all. For me coffee and cake sucks :((((((((

Tiramisu :)

I guess the cake was not bad. You know why............From the picture below you will know what I mean.....

From her face, we can tell that the Tiramisu was not bad :)

Fangyu, please don't kill me if you see this....haha

The Neighbours: Jules, Percy and Fangyu


The cafe was a nice place to relax. A nice place to have a few friends around chatting over the weekends. Nowadays people are actually lazy or too busy to meet friends for coffee and so on. Facebook, msn or email are the ways we communicate. How sad ~~


People should spend more time talking to each other. What I mean is face to face conversation.
Sitting in front of a computer reading what each other typing is rather meaningless.


The feeling is not the same compared to a real face to face conversation. At least you get to see from the face how happy or sad the person is ~

Loves this photo very much....
Told ya, lanterns and posters can form a nice background :)
Read More

The Quarter Milestone of Life - 25th Birthday

0



20th October marked the silver jubilee of my life.

Throughout our lives, every birthday represents an opportunity to look back into the nostalgic journey that we've passed especially in the past few years and to gauge how far we've come to become the persons that we are today.

Looking back, I considered myself lucky and blessed in a way that I'm constantly being surrounded by the people that I love and care - my family, my friends and Vian. Being apart from those closest to you during your birthday isn't a wonderful feeling (trust me on that), but having Vian here with me, it sort of provide a soothing consolation for me - not that she's in any way less important than my family and friends, NO. But you get the idea.




One of the perks of having your own blog is the ability to immortalized the ups and downs of your life in the virtual diary. It gave you the impetus to go back and read your own archive to see what has happened in your life, and how you've changed!

Well, I don't know if it's just me but birthday is getting less and less special with each passing year. I remember when I was young, I will keenly anticipate my Big Day and will eagerly await the expected showers of presents and wishes from family and friends. As time dragged on, it has became just another 'special occasion' where I'll celebrate with a scrumptious dinner with my family and perhaps a drink or two with friends.




I soon realized that it is not because birthday isn't so 'special' anymore. But rather it's the process of growing up that made us realized life does not turn to be the carefree fairy tale that we're so optimistic about when we were younger. I realized that the annual gifts and presents that I received isn't going to make me a better-equipped person to face the challenges of life. On the contrary, with each birthday the burden of responsibility grew ever heavier on my shoulders.

Long-winded philosophy aside, this year's 25th birthday was the second time that I celebrated my Big Day on the Aussie shore. Vian and I had a very satisfying, delicious, mouth-watering BBQ steamboat in the comfort of our home.






However, the 'Star of the Day' goes to the personalized photo album that she made for me. In the weeks leading up to my birthday, she has been acting rather stealthily; secretly embarking on this little project of her own.




I just want to say 'Thank you dear. For the wonderful gift and for always being there for me."



And Happy Birthday to me~

Read More