Happy Chinese 牛 (niu) Year!

Mooooooo00

reunion dinner '09 menu

Here comes another year! Reunion dinner was not quite complete this year as one of my brother and his wife is in the US for their honeymoon. Well, they don't know what they are missing back home!

This year's celebration gonna be a quiet affair as the family is leaving for the annual holiday trip on the first day of CNY, as oppose to the usual 2nd/3rd day. No open house, no guests, little angpaus. Feels weird to me!

Much Awaited.

After 1 bottle of red and 3 bottles of white...

3 years and 2 outlets later, Departure Lounge finally celebrated its 2nd annual dinner at a chinese restaurant in Damansara after much request from its helpful and supportive cabin crews. It was a night filled with food, wines, jokes, karaoke and of course, ang pau from the tips we received from our customers. Sikit-sikit, lama-lama menjadi bukit. Please tip if you like us our service. Hahahaha

Happy Chinese New Year to all!

Confused.

Canon EOS 1000D

As you can see, Canon won the battle. Nikon was equally good but it's all about my budget. Being new at DSLR, I don't think it makes any difference to me whether it was Canon or Nikon. Either way, I still need eons to figure out the functions...

Counting Down.

About 4 days left till I fly off to Winter Wonderland for our annual CNY family trip. Can't believe it's already a year since we went to Egypt! Oh how can I ever forget the sand, the dust, all the janggut men and the crazy camel I rode with my cousin. She was supposed to join us on this trip too but her maid ran away (what's new. Her maid always run away) a month ago. Oh, it means there's no one to help her feed the dogs, therefore she can't go. Sigh.

Anyway, I had just packed my bags, in anticipation for the snow. Dug out my entire collection of winter clothings (let's not talk about the geeky, gaudy ones) and tried them on, layers and layers of them. 5 tops and 2 pants - I hope it will keep me warm as I almost suffered heat stroke in my air-conditioned room!

Mooo...

It's hard to concentrate on work when you know holiday is just 1 week from today. Chinese New Year is approaching really fast and its about time to say goodbye to the year of the Rat, and to welcome the Ox.

Particularly excited because I'll be meeting up with both the KBA members soon! Separately and at different countries but its still gonna be lotsa fun. And drinking involved ;) Miss you guys, can't wait to catch up soon!

Decisions, decisions.

Its nice when you earn your own money. It means that you can buy anything and no one can tell you otherwise. Last year, I spent a huge chunk of my savings on 2 apple products, which I simply adore and not regret (yet) getting.

My Canon Ixus digital camera is only 1 and a couple months old but I am already eyeing on an upgrade. I know I don't desperately need the upgrade, but I want to. It's my money, so it's my call. It's a battle between the 2 giants, Canon and Nikon.

Canon EOS 1000D is priced at RM1999 and Nikon D60 is RM2288

Mistake!

Vanessa Hudgens in Twilight sequel, New Moon? NO WAY! Although the character in dispute - Leah Clearwater - has little appearence in Book 2 but more in Book 4, I simply cannot imagine her taking up the role of a werewolf.

More on Twilight characters here. Don't say I didn't warn you about spoilers...

Warmth.

Received a very nice new year card from Japan today. Thank you very much to the both of you! I hate the fact that I managed to receive both the cards you sent whereas the one and only card I sent got lost in transit!!

So annoyed.

Finale.

The saga will not be complete without my thoughts on the last book. I reckon Stephenie Meyer ended the story nicely. At the very least, it has given me a satisfied end to the anticipation and expectations.

The story picked up from where it ended in Eclipse and was nicely and intensely developed throughout. A major leap between Bella and Edward's relationship and the anticipated issue occurred with an additional bonus. I am trying not to spoil the story for those who intend to read it in the future but you'll somehow get the hint along the way when you read the book.

All in all, I did not regret spending my time reading the saga as well as lugging this 750 pages book all the way to Hong Kong so that I could finish the last 100-odd pages!

Mamma Mia!

songs from the musical are stuck in my head

Tickets were fully booked and sold out almost immediately after news was out that Mamma Mia was coming to KL. I had my fair share of disappointment until my brother offered me 2 free tickets with really good seats! Thanks to the production's extended performance, I had the privilege to bob my head along with the addictive songs ;)

New Year, New Tag.

It seems like I have a sharp decline in blog posts. So to make it up for it, here's another post to sum up my 2008. Its pretty hard to recall the whole year considering that I can't even remember what I did just yesterday!!

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?
Entered an Egyptian pyramid in Cairo and became claustrophobic just a few steps later. The opening was only 1.2metre high!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I wrote that I made some last year but this year I didn't make any. Go with the flow

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Aizuddin's wife, Zetty

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No

5. What countries did you visit?
Here's the tricky one. Egypt for CNY, New Zealand for NZKBA reunion, Bangkok for Chatuchak, Japan for "The Seventh Day experience" and Hong Kong/Macau for CNY stock intake

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
A relationship. Period.

7. What dates from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Last year I had Mount Kinabalu. This year I have me laughing at my family members' (except my mom) unsuccessful bid to conquer it! Underestimated my advice, padan muka! ;)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Enrolled to (and eventually quit) culinary arts course and read more books than the previous year. It could be the fact that a few of the books are as thick as the phonebook....

9. What was your biggest failure?
Communication and interaction

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
The usual '4 brothers', bunion and subsequently knee problems, sprains, bruises

11. What was the best thing you bought?
THE Macbook and THE funnest iPod ever

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Everyone around me had been a little boring... hehehe

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
All in all, it was a "peaceful" year

14. Where did most of your money go?
Same 'ol, food and traveling expenses. Oh, and some new gadgets

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Revisiting New Zealand

16. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Nothing that significant

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a) Happier
b) I am proud to say, I remained the same!
c) Poorer! I have 2 new Apple products, what can you expect??

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Sleep and time for myself

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Work!

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Oh Crap. I can't even remember Decorate cacat-ed gingerbread cookies at Jun's and shoe shopping for brother's wedding

21. Did you fall in love in 2008?
Still wishing

22. What was your favorite TV program?
I actually didn't watch that many TV last year

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
My boss :p

24. What was the best book you read?
Twilight saga - saw that coming, didn't you?

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I am a musical-idiot

26. What did you want and get?
I suppose quite abit of stuffs that I can't remember already

27. What did you want and not get?
A new car?

28. What was your favorite film this year?
I watch even lesser film than TV!

29. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
Work, dinner with family and still early twenties

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A new car

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
A wee bit more adventurous

32. What kept you sane?
Food, friends, culinary, internet, travels

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Edward Cullen! Sigh. Does such thing person exist?

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
Positively, Obama. Negatively, well, the day my birth date changed Malaysia

35. Who did you miss?
KBA fellas

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Who? Who?

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
Time sped up. Run for your life!

I shall now pass the ball rolling to:
1) Jun
2) Yi Fan

Crap! Another Year Already?

Looking back, I wouldn't say I've achieved anything spectacular but I've definitely learned more and had my fair share of 'stand up if you fall' moments. Never a person to honour resolutions (opps..), I hope that I'll live through this year and possibly achieve something I have not. Happy New Year, everyone!

I ushered New Year at the chilly harbour of Kowloon, anticipated a somewhat disappointing firework display. Crowd was, however, never a disappointment in Hong Kong...

some of the party revellers leaving East Tsim Tsa Tsui

The new year quickly turned out to be a blast the moment I touchdown in KL for I was so damn looking forward to the wedding of a pair of high school sweethearts.

congratulations to emma and edd!

Since we were the dulang girls for the akad nikah ceremony, we got ourselves decked in baju kurung and kebaya AND selendang because it was held at the mosque.

we're feeling so blueeeee~

So there you go, a handful of lost non-Malays dressed in traditional costumes and headscarfs. The length we would go for a friend's wedding....