Detachment...

Had hoped to be able to work in a 'detached from life' attitude today and tried not to let depressing orphan song affect work - until a customer's phone rang, with A Kiss To Build A Dream On (first song to begin our downhill depressing slide) as the ringtone!

Immediately slumped as if I had no backbone. Right. Needed to perk self up again:

This time it's Coffee Bean for our cave time. Earl Gray (minus the regular honey stick), Banana Cake slice, Book-of-the-Moment and iPod.

Result? Back to detachment.

Or overdetachment. Had surge of inane thinking that normally makes sense after many many bottles of thirst-quenching drinks or a few puffs of some illegal herbage.

All people have music in their lives!

All carry different genres. Some have more, some have less. Some people let out this music by song - they are composers and musicians and singers. Some let the music out in art - they are artists. Some let it out in words - they are authors and writers. Some let it out in stone - they are sculpters. Some people have music like that of a scratched CD - they are the chaotic misfits.

The music tells your character. So people with the same music resonates better? Those that don't cancel each other out? So that makes us all walking iPods?

Nah. *Smacks self at silly thinking*

Many faces of ay-cee

ay-cee's mood is: Despairing

And the song that won depressing song for the night: 'Nobody's Child':

I'm nobody's child
I'm nobody's child
Just like the flowers
I am growing wild
I've got no mammy's kisses
I've got no, no daddy's smile
Nobody wants me
I'm nobody's child

Christmas 2005

It's a tad scary when something like this happens:

"Eh, so what did you do last Christmas?"
"Err..."
*blank look as brain digs through clustered history*
"Dinner with family, I guess."

So I guess better blog about it rather than let it fade...

Sis came back on the 23rd, marking the start of our Movie Marathon. Unfortunately I've been having regular movie meetups that there were few shows that I haven't (nor wanted) to watch. Sis, however, haven't watched anything since HP4 and had that 'die-die must watch something!' attitude that I had to keep telling meself, "Surely the (other) shows can't be that bad..."

Movie line-up: King Kong, Narnia and whatever else they were showing. Ended up we only did 2 shows: A Chinese Tall Story and King Kong. Surprisingly the shows were watchable!

Christmas day had lunch at Coliseum! Andrew and Lieh Men introduced moi to the Sizzling Chateaubriand (their Christmas set had this item called Mushroom Cappucino Soup but no one tried it). From Wikipedia:

Chateaubriand steak - a large tenderloin steak usually grilled or broiled and
served with a sauce (as béarnaise), named after French author and diplomat
François-René de Chateaubriand.

Coliseum Cafe (est 1921) looks very much like a Wild West Bar and Dine. Moreover, they seem to do with only a bare minimum in decor. That didn't seem to deter the clientele as the place was full. I guess since the place has survived this long due to it's name and food, because the waiters we had were weird. Asides from the slightly deaf and old (est 1921?) Captain Ho, we had an Indian blunt one that enlightened us on working courtesies and a Chinese one that shrugged his shoulders at us when we flagged for the bill.

Imagine lah something like this:
Everyone you know died suddenly and left you to fend on your own in the wild world.
You're lost and unsure of what to do or how to go on.
You ask a passerby, "What am I to do?"
The passerby, sympathetic but unable to help, gives you a pitying look and shrugs.
That was the kind of look and shrug that the waiter gave us!!!

Bye bye Coliseum Cafe.

After lunch we made our way to Sogo to see the waterfall and wonder at the current conditions of their arcades. Amazingly I never realised that Sogo was actually rather small. Probably a better word may be narrow. Probably it's because the last time I ever went there was...was...over 10 years ago? I dunno lah, at least they made up for it by being 8 floors high. First thing we did was stop by the waterfall and throw coins at fishes.


Then we went to bang machines. Bang drum machine. Bang Bishi Bashi machine. But one machine beat me no matter how I banged...

Don't play Dance Dance with leather shoes.

To make the day even better we'd then detoured to the Lake Gardens! Waaaaa....the only Chinese we saw were the joggers. We even found dinosaurs at the Lake Gardens Dinosaur Park.

This herbivore was embarrassingly made from artificial leaves.


The ducks at the Lake Gardens put me in mind of those at The Isle of Wight's Bird Park, but those were train to corner and harrass tourists with small identifiable bags of bird food. If only I had some leftover Chateaubriand sandwich!


The excursion ended with a short trip to A&W's for rootbeer floats, watching horizontal rain and waterfalls from drains.

Christmas night itself was a trip to Uncle Jo's place for dinner! The last time he made dinner he had all the ladies asking him his cooking methods (unorthodox but delicious!). Uncle Jo and been getting a turkey every year from me mum and so me and Sis were expecting something good.

Steamboat. We had steamboat. And I thought 1 Utama's Hallmark selling Chinese New Year cards was already considered a tad fast.

And thus ended the Christmas fun. Must keep track of the days of our lives.

Lifeblog mimicry 2...

Wouldn't it be nice if:

• Malaysia had four seasons.
• Cars were like those in Dragon Ball, where they can be 'capsuled' and kept away when not in use.
• There were no such thing as traffic or tolls.
• You'd get grateful comments from customers everyday, or feel job satisfaction everytime.
• Nokia could make just the perfect phone.
• The days/nights were longer but not the work hours.
• One could get a job posing in Ikea's showrooms? Just to laze around, getting comfy and all doing what one could do at home but with different furniture settings every now and then? And be paid for it?
• You had your own getaway spot whenever you need some timeout or to escape?
• You knew how your life'll all turn out in the future?
• People like us can change?
• We could enjoy life before we're old.
• I could stop missing having a pet to spoil.
• Klang wasn't so far.
• England wasn't on the other end of the world.
• Your life turns out like some love story/rom-com/happily-ever-after fairytale?
• Those important to you knows and can give what you want/need at that particular time?
• I knew what I want out of life?

Wouldn't it be nice if I wasn't a depressive.

Have yourself a very Blessed Christmas...

Lifeblog mimicry 1...

I've been bringing my Nok7650 back to life these past few days, as it's camera is rather much more simpler and quicker for light moments. Good for those antisocialistic times that need recording.


Who doesn't love Ikea? You don't feel like you're in Malaysia, but in your future home...

Meals at Ikea are a sort of escape. Their setting reminds me of Belgium roadside restaurants with people eating mussels, very continental and laid-back. Does not feel like an Asian food court at all. Plus unlimited refills of drinks!


My most regular dish: kung pow chicken, 'refreshing tea ice', and hong kong kailan with either garlic or oyster sauce.

My dinners are mostly at Restaurant OK ever since I've started working at Guardian. It's nearby, meals are good, and am experimenting with different dishes every time I eat there (which would be some twice a week or more). An easier option than eating late at home.


My Book-Of-The-Moment, my Hazelnut Latte (if there's no seasonal drink) and my music (plugged into AC already).

Nothing beats destressing with a cuppa Hazelnut Latte in a comfy couch away from it all. Aided by a light book (a Pratchett) but made a mistake of listening to depressing songs the whole day. Am now gravely depressed in addition to being angry. ladthelad, how in the world can you listen to so many depressing songs!?

Christmas e-card rant

It's already nearly the end of the year. Whoa. Time to send out the e-cards again. Logging on to my regular e-card website (Care2) and I find that I'm sending the same card as last year again (carolling reindeers, singing a lurvely rendition of Canon in D that suddenly takes on a more sinister Green Day note). However, could not think of a decent write-up greeting to include and so decided on cliche greeting.

This is then followed up by the addition of recipients. Must have overloaded it or something: as my address book in particular e-card account is not updated, I manually typed in the email adds of all recipients. Completing the list in half an hour, I send it out only to be told there was an error in sending the e-card.

Oh My Folly Golly What The Fluke Bar Be Que!

Normally my Christmas e-cards end up BELATED! This is the first time I'm sending it early! Aargh am just gonna leave it for another day then. Prolly till after Christmas once more.

Pictionary Pic of the Day!

Pictionary with njapf, her friend and ladthelad at The Curve last night yielded this Pic of the Day!

Your clues: it's ALL PLAY.

By the way, the answer to the last Pic of the Day was Hercules!

Memoirs of a bren-ded boi

Once upon a time, in the faraway land of Arasnamad, there was a palace of wonders called the First Prime. This palace, unlike many others, were totally opened to the public to enter and leave as they like for half a day. Thus, First Prime was always full of merchants and traders, tourists and locals, princes and paupers, entertainers and philosophers, even thieves and pickpockets, all mingling together, all engaged in their private business and errands.

However, hidden in a high minaret in a corner of the palace a dark, dirty business took place. Disguised as a beauty consultant no one realised the evil truth about the shop's actual motive. Only one poor victim managed to escape, scarred but alive. This is his tale.

All the nooks and crannies of First Prime have I explored, most of the regular patrons and merchants are familiar to me. There is no corridor, no balcony, no walkway or garden unknown to me. Until one day I happen to chance upon this corner of the palace. The crowd here is smaller, and oddly enough the atmosphere here felt...quieter. I could see no palace staff as well, no guards, no courtiers, no servants.

People here were suspicious-looking. While all were finely garbed, with elegant cuts in the latest fashion, there was a sense of secrecy amonst them and a furtive look in their eyes. All of them looked young. My curiousity was piqued. I ventured into the minaret where these people were either heading to or from.

What matter of business is being run here that makes people so secretive? Even Mr Argaiv's customer's aren't all that embarassed when doing business with him:

I headed up the minaret.

It was a beauty parlour.

Sassafras' Beauty Consultation. Funny, nothing to be necessary secretive about it. And since I am already here it would be a waste not to have a consultation. Ms Sassafras' scrutinizing made me slightly uncomfortable, as a child would scrutinize an insect before deciding if he would hammer it. I was then told that my hair was unnaturally healthy!

"Your hair, it is not right! Hair must be vibrant! Your hair, it shows your character, your beauty, your vim! Yours does not! It's naturalness must be restored!"

Her forcefulness, I admit, cowed me. I meekly gave in to her suggestions for colouring, a trim and hair treatment.

I was surprised. Her equipment was far unnatural to restore naturalness.The heavy air of unguents and perfume made me heavy. Was lulled into a semi-dazed state before I realised the reason for my feeling slow.


My bren was bein cookd!

Don't Forget To Feed Your Car

Must remember this number: 386. Forgetting this number will result in a black star haunting your day. This is the magic number for our 1st-gen Kembara. After this number, if it's not fed, it'll sulk on you and not move. No amount of coaxing will budge it if you don't feed it before this magic number is reached. Sigh. Here's how we found out about it.

Left for work with time to spare, and the warning lights for 'low petrol' had yet to start blinking. Last thought we had was, "Last time manage to go all the way to 400km before we'd to refuel, should be able to pump up on our way home from work la." Our psychic car must have intercepted that thought because it immediately started *coughing* and dying.

We went, "Gah! No! Please! Just a little bit more!" Despite our coaxing, our Kembara was feeling too thirsty to continue dragging itself to the nearby Shell station. It stranded us nicely first in line at the Leong Yew Koh crossroad traffic lights with the magic number 386.

Oh dear. Found out that we left our phone at home. Anyways, no matter. We know the problem. Thirsty Kembara will not move until fed and watered. Grr. Packed our bags, left the hazard lights a-running, and made the journey to look for Kembara food.

Was lucky enough to get some fella driving a TM truck to drop us off at Lim Tayar. Walked to Shell next door to beg for a bottle so we could feed our Kembara. Once feeding bottle and car food procured, had to walk all the way back to crossroads where car was sulking.

As was going to feed the car, it resolutely kept its mouth shut and didn't want to suckle. Gah. Hunted nearby trees for a long stick and found one! Jammed Kembara's mouth open and force-fed it yummy car juice. After much dribbling Kembara was fed enough to get it moving all the way to Shell, hooray!

Like that was not enough. Went to work about near four-ish, and me calculated that we shouldn't need to take a quick break to move our car to avoid paying an extra 2 bucks for parking. Mana tahu when we went to pay for parking near the end of the day, I still ended up paying RM3! Parking ticket clock-in: 15:43, clock-out: 21:45. Na-beh. Then back in the pharmacy our lab coat snagged the door catch and popped a button. Basket.

So remember: Feed your car or be visited by a black star!

GameCon1 and Boardgames galore!

Hmm. We were here Fri nite for AeonFlux, and went to dine at the 'Blue Drink' fastfood joint aka McD's. Both 'Drew and I had the chicken, his being Spicy and mine original. Take a look:

Spicy is top, original is bottom. Picture quality doesn't shine here but with both varieties side-by-side the original looks like it's sick and have seen better days. Still tastes good tho'.

Look!

Saturday noon and here we are at Midvalley Convention Centre for the GameCon1! Our purpose there: to playtest board games aplenty! 2 Klangite friends were going to buy some board games later on and we were going to continue the board games session at night in Klang. Now, why the hype over board games? Because we aren't talking Monopoly or Pictionary here. We're talking:

World of Warcraft: The Board Game. Weighs some 5kg. Miniatures galore.

Lawks. To be young again. Imagine if you had those 2 weeks' post-exam holidays to actually spend days playing these kinda games and do nothing else. Asides from the front half of Convention Room 1 filled with tablefulls of board games on display, we had (to be expected) Magic: The Gathering and Warhammer 40k.

"Take three." "Bounce." "Sac." "Done." And lots more as Magic players buzz in a world of their own.

Orks RoXoRS!!! W3 l33t 0RkS go1n 2 p@wns you N00Bs! I guess they don't talk like that but hey.

Of the games we'd tried my personal favourite was Carcassonne.

Left the place about 7pm with a splitting headache! Better yet, the day wasn't done. Got home, had dinner and a quick shower and we were down to Klang for more! From 10pm onwards we'd played Puerto Rico and Betrayal at House on the Hill before stopping for mamak at Modern, then went back for Ticket to Ride: Europe. By the time we'd finished that it was 6am and I just had to leave to get back home (and privately regretting not taking Sunday off) while the others continued on for one more game of Puerto Rico (and probably went for bah kut teh before sleeping). Gah! Next time the Klangites are gonna have a board game nite, have to find out if anyone is gonna bunk over at the host's house. If so then I'm definitely gonna make sure I'm not working the day after as well.

Bliss...

Hmm. Ever since we've (re)started working at 1Utama again we're relatively happy about working (well, we guess we mean comparing to the other branches). Why? Because it's 1U? Yes, we suppose. Our second home. This means we don't feel demoralized about working, and kept ourselves working nonstop for an entire week before our batteries flatted out on Thursday the 1st.

Was sniffling like a leaky red-coloured tap, and no amount of antihistamines did jack. Thankfully Fitness First had their annual dinner on said day so we didn't had to drag ourselves to Bodyjam. So, we decide to settle for one of our favourite vices for some quality cave time:

Joy to the world.

Mum mentioned that she wasn't cooking dinner, there wasn't any social obligations planned and so there was no rush to leave our haven. And there we were, snuggled nicely in the comfortable couch's embrace and alternating between massaging our face to relief ourselves of our allergies to playing the Nintendo DS (we've gotten Mario & Luigi 2!) to savouring our Rocky Road (melted to perfection as shown in pic above).

Next thing we knew, once we'd finished our Rocky Road, we were dead to the world. We haven't even touched our Hazelnut Latte yet.

By the time we woke up, one of our foremost thoughts were:

Shyte!!! Past 6 hours or not!

Thankfully in time. But we wouldn't have minded paying extra this time as that time spent in Starbucks powering down was plain worth it.

Note to self: there was a notice at the counter about the opening of 2 more branches: one at Centrepoint (next to visit) and one more at Borders The Curve. Borders? The Curve?