Storm over pulled tea

Met up with Csu at about 11pm last night. Decided to forgo the usual Starbucks/McD hang-out and headed to the mamak stall near my house instead. It's been a while since we 'lepak' there, enjoying malaysian style of al fresco dining while inhaling toxic fumes from the cars zooming by, sipping our teh tarik and chomping down roti canai. We even had satay! Yummmmmmmm......

We talked up a storm about so many things - from work to travel to movies to culture to everything else under the moon. Kept ordering cups upon cups of tea as we yakked nonstop. The calories consumed can probably generate enough energy to light up the whole street. :P

Staggered home at about 2am and went into coma till the alarm blared in my ear this morning. Life is great.............

You know what i did last...week

I'M BACK!!!! Had a thoroughly unproductive (by my standards) 10 days in Penang. If i'm not plonked in front of the TV hugging a huge tin of crisps/cookies, i'll be shuffling about in my flip-flops sans make-up and hair sticking out in peaks & horns. Everything seem to move at a slower pace back there. I had to slow down my walking pace so much that i swear i saw a snail over-take me. 8)

Visited most my relatives and collected a generous sum of ang pows while deftly dodging the "haiya...why you still single?" questions. Hahahaha... Didn't really make efforts to call my old friends. Wanted to keep a low profile this time. Met up with Csu when she came up for a day and had a quick 'precious hour' catch-up with Vix. Other than that, it was a 'me-time' holiday. ;)

Hawker delight

Some of the food i had.... don't have many shots as i would be too busy stuffing my face with it before remembering i did not take a pix first. :P Sheer gluttony....

Mmmm.. went with 1st Uncle for Dim Sum breakfast. Needless to say, the table wasn't big enough to hold all the food we ordered.
Another favourite - Koay Teow T'ng. Rice noodles cooked in meat broth. Usually served
with meat balls, fish balls, fish cakes and veg.

A trip home will be incomplete without Char Koay Teow, one of the many hawker dishes which Penang is famous for. Flat rice noodles stir-fried with beansprouts, prawns, cockles, egg & chili.

Raising 'good luck'

Yee Sang - a must for every CNY. Traditionally eaten only on the 7th Day of CNY, now it's available throughout the 15 days of CNY celebration and some people even have it a few times. Talk about being extra 'prosperous'. ;)



Yummmm... Quail marinated with soy sauce, 5-spice powder and honey. Then fried to perfection. Not your usual CNY dish but i enjoyed this nonetheless.

Come along for this ride

Took a ride along the coastal road near my place. Weather was humid and dusty so photos didn't turn out as well as i'd hope.




The shadowy island in the distance is Pulau Jerejak.







One of the many sleepy parts of Penang.








The look-out point half-way along my journey. Wished it was a clearer day though.





The final stop of my mini-ride: Ayer Itam Dam.
Was feeling hungry already so took the road back through town and went for lunch. ;)

in excess

Woohoo... i have 1 week off from work for CNY. Will be driving up to Penang (my hometown) tomorrow morning and won't be back till next Sunday, 25 February. Not too sure if i'll be able to blog as often since Mum already told me the comp has gone cuckoo. Fingers, eyes & toes crossed that i'll still be able to go online.

Nothing much planned for the whole week except the usual movie marathons, shopping marathons, eating marathons. :D Probably try to catch up with some long-lost friends too.

Have a prosperous CNY to those celebrating! Collect loads of ang pows ya?!?!
To the rest, EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY... for tomorrow, ye can still diet.....Hahahaha...

High

I never really thought much about going up to the 71st floor of the Petronas Twin Towers. Sure, i stare out the windows when i'm waiting for the client but after going there often, i guess i didn't bother with the view anymore.

Since it's a corporate office, not everyone's allowed to go there unless you're a staff. If you want to see someone there, you have to get someone to come down to sign you in, take a Pass, swipe pass the turnstiles, put your bags throught the x-ray machine (ala airport checkpoints) then take the lift to the 41st floor, change lifts to the Upper floors. *groan* NOW, you understand why i sometimes dread going up there?

It wasn't till someone pointed out how privileged i am to be able to go up the Towers that i realized the things i took for granted. Visitors queue to go up to the Sky bridge on 41st floor and here i am, just wanting to finish and rush back to office. Talk about not seeing what is before me.

So yesterday evening, after my meeting, i took a couple of shots out my client's window. It wasn't a very good day for photos since it was getting dark and sky was hazy. Maybe i'll try again when the sky is clearer.

Choose what's right, consider what's left

Last night i had to make a difficult decision. It was one of those things which you wished you didn't have to choose coz knowing that either way, you will have to disappoint someone.

One would think that after 20 years, it'll get easier. Weekdays with Dad, weekends with Mum. Then there's the occasional debate of who to spend my birthday/public holiday/award celebration/graduation with. But it's times like Christmas and Chinese New Year when there's big family gatherings that things get dicey. Eventually, it worked into Christmas with Dad, CNY with Mum. Not that it was best but agreeable to a certain extent.

This year, i was ready to let routine take its course but Dad called last night to say that Cilla's dad (his cousin) has booked us for Reunion Dinner. Usually it's just a few families getting together for dinner and then meet up with other families a few days later for another dinner. But this year, they decided that ALL should come together. It's going to be massive with about 40 of us - immediate family, siblings, cousins, extended family, in-laws, out-laws.. you name it, they'll be there.

I reminded Dad that i usually have dinner at Mum's and he said he was just conveying the message. My place at the dinner has been set so the decision is mine to make. Gahhhhhhhh....
After deliberating for what felt like eternity, i called Mum to ask if i can have Reunion Lunch with her instead. It'll still be on the eve of CNY. Again, the answer was "the decision is yours".

Ugh.... why does it have to be so hard? Both options placed in my hands and weighing equally as heavy. If only i can duplicate myself to be at 2 places at the same time, then i wouldn't have to choose.

PS: Happy Valentine's Day dear ones. I hope you're not faced with these kind of decisions. *hugs*

One Art

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster,

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three beloved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.

-- Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) a disaster.

~Elizabeth Bishop~

Resting in peace

What is it with people and the common cold? Or any common ailments for that matter?
The moment you start sniffling or clearing your throat a little more than usual, instantly everyone seem to turn into Dr Quack and fawn over you. Don't do this, don't eat that...etc etc. Then there's always the question of "Why aren't you taking medication?" or "Why didn't you see the doctor?".

Heck, i'll see the doctor IF he's cute and available. In fact, i'll take medication any day of the week if it means he'll be giving me personal consultation. HAHAHA!!! But that's besides the point.

Honestly, before anyone thinks i have no respect for doctors, i do. I conferred with someone (who's qualified in the medical line, mind you) about taking medication for flu. The answer... when you have flu:
If you take medication, it'll take you 7 days to recover.
If you let nature run its course, it'll take you 1 week to recover.

Durr... 8)

Someone even asked me this "Why are you slumped in front of the TV? Aren't you supposed to be sick?". To which i replied "I'm just sick, not DEAD".

Ok... so maybe that wasn't too nice of me. I appreciate all the concern but really, all i need is plenty of fluids and my rest...undisturbed. :P

Celestial body

My body system has gone haywired again. Had a bout of food poisoning over the last week. Add that to lack of rest and working approximately 15 hours yesterday, i'm already floating. My eyes have glazed over. I have a sore throat which is slowly turning into a persistent cough.

Was supposed to have dinner with Siryn last night but after picking her up, we ended back at my office and she had to sit there while i continued work. Sigh.. sorry about that. She said i looked a bit green. *groan*

I feel as if i've joined NASA because everything seems to be orbiting around me and i'm totally spaced out. 8\ Now i'll just turn into a chartreuse alien with glassy eyes and a red nose.

Having some fund!

Today i took a 15-minute walk to do a 10-second transaction. But it was well worth it BECAUSE now i can do all my banking online. YAY!!! I've managed to organize and link my different accounts together. I don't have to worry about having to go to the different financial institutions and drive round in circles for hours looking for a parking lot to pay my bills (which probably takes only 2 minutes to settle) every month. OH JOY!!!! No more rushing during banking hours. No more queues. No more late payments.

So maybe everyone else has been banking online for yonks already... But let me enjoy this moment ok?! At least now i get to organize my funds and monitor them instead of keeping bits & pieces of payment slips here and there. Maybe now i can be more disciplined in saving for my own place. :D

Siryn suggested that i should rally a "Give Dragonfly A Home (GDAH) Fund" or maybe a "Get Dragonfly Out Of Destitution (GDOOD) Fund". Hahahahaha.... very funny!! But then again, not too bad an idea too. Hmmm.... 8)

Anyway.... my friend G will be running the Tokyo Marathon in about 10 days time and is looking for sponsors. All proceeds will go to the British Heart Foundation (something very close to his heart. No pun intended). :) So if you're feeling charitable, click HERE to make a contribution. Encourage him ya?

Heck, if you're feeling generous, GDAH & GDOOD will be glad for any contributions too. ;P No running done here but it'll keep the recipient off the street and provide a roof over her head.

How's that for "a good cause"??? ;P

Diesel

This is Diesel, my 4th Aunt's dog. He's in dire need of a haircut now but i think he's the smartest & most obedient dog i've ever met. Isn't he the cutest?!?!?!

the lion sleeps tonight

Spent the last 4 days in Singapore. It was good to go away for a while.. though right now, i feel as if i didn't have a break at all. :P

Thurs: Arrived at HarbourFront, took the MRT to City Hall to meet Mum, 4th Aunt & friends. Then to Orchard Road to see 2nd Aunt (where her boutique is). Dinner at Chinese restaurant then back to 2nd Aunt's place in Toa Payoh.

Fri: Breakfast at McD's - Hotcakes & sausages. Mmmm... not available in Malaysia so i look forward to it. Then MRT to Tanjong Pagar to meet Mandy and into a taxi to Queensway Mall to shop for sportswear. After that, MRT to Orchard again where we had (late) lunch in Takashimaya. Mum's friend picked us up for dinner in Tiong Bahru, then we took MRT back to Toa Payoh.

Hans came by at about 11pm with his wife Hui and since most places were closed, we went to the 24-hour McD nearby. Had a brief but good catch up session with them. Just realized Hans and i have been friends for almost 20 years. Sheesh.. didn't realize we're THAT old. Hahahahaha... Staggered home slightly past midnight.

Sat: 4th Aunt came to take us to her place in Bedok. The view from her duplex overlooks a lake and is fantastic. Was good to see my 3rd Grandaunt looking well. Haven't seen her in the last 2 years. Lunch was at some chinese restaurant in Serangoon, i think. Aunt told her eldest daughter to accompany me while she drops Mum to a seminar elsewhere. So Daph and i walked to Mustaffa, this gigantic double-block-quadruple-floors hypermarket in Little India just to have a look around.

Then took the MRT from Farrer Park to Somerset. Browsed in John Little, then in Robinsons, then headed towards Orchard, stopping here and there to have a look at the stores along the way. The number of pedestrians on the road is scary. As far as the eye can see, heads of various shapes & sizes seem to be bobbing along the shopping strip. Was captivated by this 7-year-old boy busking by the sidewalk. Daph said he's been doing this for a number of years already. WOW!! His drumwork is good.

Dinner was with 2nd Aunt's family at a place called Old Traditional Hokkien Restaurant or something. Then back to Toa Payoh. Took the opportunity to walk around the night market downstairs from my aunt's apartment before calling it a day.

Left early this morn from Spore and arrived home about 3pm. Still feel as if i didn't have a holiday. :P Maybe next time, i shouldn't tell anyone where i'm going and disappear to some exotic island. Hahahaha...

Oh well... am sure my dear ones would be dying to know by now IF i've done any shopping at all. What do you think!?!? OF COURSE!!! This girl will squeeze in shopping anywhere she goes. So, my goods to declare for this trip:

• 1 pair of heels (thanks Layce, for telling me about this gorgeous pair), 1 pair of wedges and 1 handbag from Charles & Keith .
• 1 pair of shoes and 1 sports top from Nike.
• 1 skirt from a small shop near 2nd Aunt's boutique.
• 1 polo T from Hang Ten.

Hmm... think that's all. This glamour puss has behaved herself. ;)