kwazy berry muses on...

...two hundred and twenty three days into twenty ten.

2010-08-11T21:33:00.005+08:00

Maintain current weight (if possible, shed a little bit more). - Failed!
Exercise at least twice a week, preferably thrice. - Failed!
Finish assignments early. Don't procrastinate. - So far only completed 1 out of 8 but heck, it's still on track.
Don't overspend each month. - Good girl.
Don't be late for church service. - Almost there...
Learn something new. - Half the year gone and still yet to be identified.
Write 1 blog entry per week. - Failed!

:-(

There are 142 days remaining until the end of the year.

...testing, assignments... argh!

2010-03-29T08:53:00.001+08:00

why am i even doing this??
why am i stuck in a small room while the sun shines outside?
why am i looking at the laptop when i can be seeing new things?

the time...
the struggles...
the pounding head...
the sleeplessness...

they will be worth it.
yes, they will.

...her unspoken eulogy to Uncle Brian.

2010-01-25T18:01:00.002+08:00

Uncle Brian passed away peacefully on Friday night.

Who was Uncle Brian?

Uncle Brian was husband to Aunt Maureen, who is my mother's older sister.
He was a British man who had lived in Malaysia for a longer time than I have.
He was there ever since the beginning of me.

We called Uncle Brian a grumpy old man.
Why grumpy?
Because he grumbled about many things.
He grumbled about the mindlessness of wars.
He grumbled about the injustice and unfairness in life.
He grumbled about the wickedness of politicians.
He grumbled about lazy people.
He grumbled about stupidity in a person.
Of course he grumbled about minor matters as well.
But he had valid points to grumble about.

Uncle Brian should had been named Frank.
He was frank with his opinions.
He was direct in his words, no flowery phrases to make what he wanted to say nicer.
He spoke his mind.
If he disliked something, he would tell you.
That's why praises from him are pleasurable because you know he meant them.

When I was young, I think I was a little bit afraid of Uncle Brian.
I only got to know him better when I was older.
Or rather, I believe he allowed me into his sphere only when he thought I was mature enough to engage him in an interesting conversation.

Unlce Brian was a great conversationalist.
He was witty.
He held his own opinions.
He had that infamous British humour.
He was very well read, i.e. intellectual.
He was open to debates although he still would end up disagreeing with you.
I will miss those conversations.
I had already missed them for a couple of years.

Uncle Brian did not like children.
He thought it a great injustice to bring a child into a suffering world just for your own gratification or need.
He advised me not to have children if I ever got married.
He was mortified when I told him I would like to have six children.
He was horrified when I said, "Four of my own and two adopted"!
Well, that was in my early 20s.
I had since changed my plans. :-p

Uncle Brian also gave me advice on who to marry.
Or rather, what kind of man I should not marry.
I would have wanted my future husband to pass his stamp of approval.

Uncle Brian said he did not believe in God.
He constantly challenged me to prove that God is real.
He believed that religion is just an institution, a desire for mankind to believe in something that would help justify unexplanable things.
I rejoice that he had reconciled with God.
I do hope to see him in heaven one day.

I never thought Uncle Brian would go away so soon.
The doctors gave him two months, it had only been one month, I thought he would last at least three months. After all, he was a stubborn man.
But I'm glad that he's now free from suffering as he had been plagued with several illnesses the past few years.

Don't worry Uncle Brian.
All of us here will take care of Aunt Maureen for you.

Goodbye Uncle Brian.
You will definitely be missed.

...fourteen days into twenty ten.

2010-01-14T23:17:00.007+08:00

- Maintain current weight (if possible, shed a little bit more). - Checked.
- Exercise at least twice a week, preferably thrice. - Checked.
- Finish assignments early. Don't procrastinate. - Checked.
- Don't overspend each month. - On track. Not end of the month yet.
- Don't be late for church service. - Oops! Failed miserably the past two Sundays.
- Learn something new. - Hmm... still yet to be identified.
- Write 1 blog entry per week. - Checked.
:-)

...her many faces in two-o-o-nine.

2010-01-04T23:29:00.007+08:00

Actually, I'm just playing around with montage/collage software.
Here are the results... click image to see the actual size.

...the apple of my eye.

2009-09-09T13:36:00.004+08:00

Well, my darling niece definitely takes centrestage... all the time.

In 2007, she babbled non-stop.
In 2008, she breakdanced.
In 2009, she performed another dance.

Click on the links to view the videos my dad captured. All such precious moments.

...when it rains, it pours.

2009-08-27T23:39:00.003+08:00

The weather has been weird lately. It rained and rained and rained. Stopped. And rained and rained again. Drizzle, showers, thunderstorm, cats and dogs, just name it all. Everyday for the past two weeks.

Am I complaining? Not really. Perfect weather to sleep at night. So cool that I did not even switch the fan on. Such great weather to sleep in the morning until I hate to drag myself off the bed to get to work. Terrible weather to get drenched in especially when I had to park out in the open. Wet feet in a cold office ain't what I like. Darn it, I can't dry my clothes. Oooh, with a nice cup of hot tea, snuggling into my blanket to read or watch a show.

Life is like that, isn't it?

When something happens, it swamped down on you a mighty lot at one go. When you are busy with work, you are also busy with studies, caught up with meeting friends, attending events and functions, and the list goes on. When you are free, you have absolutely nothing to do and no one to do nothing with. You get what I mean?

Am I complaining? Not really. It's great to be kept busy until you can't find time to do everything and anything. It's also great to have so much time that you do not know what to do with it.

Life is weird, in a nice way.

...flower moon, thou art beautiful.

2009-06-08T00:36:00.003+08:00

I love a full moon in the dark sky.

Do you know that there is a traditional name for each month's full moon? In June, she is known as Flower Moon.

Flower Moon is smiling very brightly outside my lanai tonight. Don't you agree that she's so beautiful? Sweet, unassuming, peaceful... Her light is not overpowering but illuminating.

A full moon evokes romance. What's romantic to me is gazing at the moon with my darling. With just a soft breeze as witness to the comfortable silence of love.

Fly me to the moon
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
In other words, hold my hand
In other words, baby, kiss me.

Fill my heart with song
And let me sing forevermore
You are all I long for
All I worship and adore
In other words, please be true
In other words, I love you.

Goodnight bright and beautiful moon!

...where did she disappear to?

2009-06-07T11:23:00.003+08:00

Yummylicious Food

Edo Warp Station

Elsewhere in Ibaraki and Narita

Big Island

Volcano National Park

Honolulu

Pearl Harbor

...declaring April a "SSM" month.

2009-03-31T22:32:00.003+08:00

It is ironic that SSM* month will be the same month I'm declaring my tax. Let's hope I get a tax refund but I doubt it, knowing that I am going to encounter the same old hassle and emotional stress of proving that tax has been deducted from my salary but not remitted by ex, ex company. Argh! But that's another story and I don't want to resort to profanity here (I don't and I won't).

So why the SSM month?

I've over-spent or almost over-spent my hard earned money for the last 4 months. No doubt December, January and February have the excuse of being festive months, but not March. Unless March is defined as March my Money away festival. Due to the generosity of a few friends (God works in wonderful ways - without declaring I'm broke, a few of my last meals of the month were "sponsored"), I was able to avoid a deficit. Yep, I managed to save RM3.90. Pathetic.

Therefore, the idea of SSM month is hatched.

Please join me in celebrating SSM month with no cost. Literally. Ok, that's impossible. Let's revise. With low cost. Minimal expenses. Freeloading??

Now let's see what's on my agenda for April.
- Watch Shopaholic movie.
- Get new running shoes.
- Attend salsa workshop.

Hmm... all involve money. Let's see what we can do in the spirit of SSM.
- Watch Shopaholic movie on Wednesdays or before 6pm for cheaper rate. (Better still, borrow the DVD from someone. Anyone?)
- Get new running shoes when there's a sale of more than 20% discount or only when my big toe is peeping out of my current shoes. (Don't buy branded overpriced ones, no matter how good people say they are)
- Attend only 1 salsa workshop. (Perhaps no salsa night out for April?)

Oh boy, this is tough. How am I gonna have fun without spending too much money? How am I going to survive April? Is it really that difficult to live in this world without money? Answer: Yes.

I really do feel for those who are hard hit by the current economy turmoil. I'm not well off but at least I'm not suffering in poverty. I thank God for his providence.

So, I now hereby officially declare April 2009 a SSM month.

Footnote:
SSM = Save Sue's Money

...what on earth is on her head?

2009-03-27T23:18:00.000+08:00

Seriously.

What happened to you?

Were you going through some sort of phase in life that warrantied a drastic change?

Did you know what you were getting into?
Bet not.

No, seriously.

How could you even have thought about it?
Think about it now.
You, whom many had applauded when you finally took the step to neaten up your hair.
So that your hair is not a messy thingy on your head.
It worked fine.
It worked great.
Why change something that was good?

Vanity?

Disillusionment?

Seriously, seriously, seriously.

WERE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???

Now you have to bear with the consequences.
No crying over spilt milk.
I don't wanna hear it.
Zip.
Live with it. At least for the time being.
Get use to it, woman.

My advice: Don't look at the mirror.

...pom pom pets.... err... what?

2009-02-10T23:55:00.006+08:00

Six creatures decided to dwell in my humble abode for a week before they are whisked away to new homes. Hopefully their new owners will cherish them.

...25 random things.

2009-02-03T19:17:00.003+08:00

Since I posted this in Facebook, I might as well post it here for the benefit of my non-fb readers. So, here goes the 25 random things about me that pop to mind.

I enjoy singlehood a lot but I also want to be married. So how?
I am on a mission to achieve the weight I was 10 years ago. Support my mission!!
My greatest fear is becoming blind.
Why can't I not rub my eyes?
I like it when a guy acts like a gentleman.
I love to immerse myself in the world of books (translate: I love to read).
My feet wants to wander all over the world.
I collect postcards from different countries. Please send me one when you travel.
I wish I know how to speak Mandarin and read Chinese without learning.
I talk too loud when I get excited. My pitch goes up as well.
I love watching fireworks display in the night sky.
I dislike horror movies and bloodshed scenes.
I can't stand cigarette smoke.
I extremely hate cockroaches!!!
I have to remind myself to put on the virtue of patience.
I prefer face-to-face conversation rather than talking on the phone.
I am naturally shy (believe me!)
I'm bad at facial recognition.
I'm good with directions.
I can be quite unobservant.
When I can't count money well, it's because I'm physically unwell.
kwazyberry.blogspot.com belongs to me. (Duh!)
I have a bit of OCD trait. Well, maybe slightly more than a bit. Ok, quite a big bit.
I wish I can sleep anywhere anytime. Makes it easy to travel.
God loves me just as I am. :-)

...new craft ideas for the new year.

2009-01-15T16:01:00.005+08:00

I haven't been dabbling with craft work for some time now. Mind you, it's not witch craft. A next door girl like me can only be associated with wholesome activities that foster creativity. (wink!)

Recently, I've been toying with the idea of using felt, pom-poms and pipe cleaners. For the clueless non-arty people out there, these three items are craft materials. I've thought of making finger puppets but it's been a long time since I've held a needle for sewing. Need to practice my blanket stitches. I've bought a few key chain rings, so maybe the outcome will be a key chain thingy? What about making stuffed mini creatures? I use the term "creatures" less the end products do not resemble any animal or cutie toy. The past few days, I've also been removing the labels off a few empty jars. Time to bring out my glass paints again before they dry up.

So, what should I dabble with? Any ideas?

Here are a few shots of my previous masterpieces. I realised I never did take a lot of pictures of my work before. Hmm... maybe I was embarrassed about their quality...

...first attempt at cooking fish solo.

2009-01-03T21:30:00.002+08:00

You know how I hate fishy stuff and smell. Plus I never like to cook.

But I thought I should try to steam fish for dinner. A more healthy diet. Need to loose weight. DIY to save money.

Since I was already at QBM, I decided to buy cod fish (it was between cod or salmon) from Jusco supermarket.

As I was gonna start preparing, I decided to call mom for advice.

"Put spring onion," mom said.
"I don't like spring onion. Anyway tak ada. "
"Add ginger to take away the fishy-ness."
"Err... no ginger-lah."

I don't seem to have anything in my kitchen.

"Can I marinate with salt? I have black pepper and chilli powder as well."

Well, that's just what I did.

And my fish turned out all right. Well at least to my taste. :-)

And this is my dinner for the fateful day I steamed fish on my own.

What do you think of my feeble attempt?

...an interview with Me.

2008-12-01T15:34:00.014+08:00

Today, kwazy berry had an opportunity to interview me.

Kb: Hi, I heard that you finally swagger into a gym last week.
Me: Yes, after many days, weeks and months of just thinking, mulling, nay-ing, and mentally self brainwashing, I finally did it.

Kb: That's great! So, was it a positive outcome?
Me: Definitely positive for the gym. They are profiting from me. Can you believe the cost of a gym membership???

Kb: Heart-breaking for your wallet. May I ask what was the final push?
Me: Well, I sort of gained 1kg two months ago and could not lose it.

Kb: Did you actually make the effort to shed the extra kilo?
Me: Hahaha... of course not. I was just hoping it would disappear by itself.

Kb: No such luck, huh? I can testify to that as well. I thought that your idea of exercising is only through dancing.
Me: Well, yes. I was only interested in learning a few kind of dance forms. The problem was salsa class has been temporarily paused. Good news is class may resume soon.

Kb: Aren't you going for samba classes now as well?
Me: Yes, I am. It's great and fun. You will love it too.

Kb: I bet so too. So... you signed up for gym... you are attending samba class... and you will be continuing your salsa class. Way to go, girl!
Me: Am I crazy or what?

Kb: I look forward to a new you.
Me: Gee... more like the old me of 10 years ago.

Kb: You have my full support.
Me: Thanks! I'll give you a treat once I reach my goal.

Kb: I look forward to that. Thank you for your time.
Me: See ya!

...remember my name, FAME.

2008-10-25T15:49:00.007+08:00

In just this week, I got to know that 2 of my friends got a shot at fame (without the fortune unfortunately).

I have to mention them in my blog. If not, how else can I be associated with the "famous"? I do know of schoolmates and others who achieved national stardom but I wasn't really close to them. These two recent starlets are friends who I do chat, dine and well, occasionally do something else together with.

I'll give you a short personal introduction here. To read about their moment of fame, please visit their sites. Promise?

Ok... here we go...

Give a round of applause to... Chan Kok Fai.
Kok Fai is an old friend whom I got to know since ??? I really do not remember. He went through difficult times this year but still manage to remain cheerful. Must be all the coffee messing with his system. I'm happy that his passion for coffee becomes fruitful (an appropriate term since they are berries, not beans, right?) Read about him being cyberspotted here. After reading the article, I actually googled "coffee malaysia" and ta-da!

Now join me in standing ovation for... Sharon Tan Li Li.
Sharon and I met in university. We were coursemates as well as hostel mates. At one point we were even office mates. I'm proud that she has achieved so much in her love for photography. She shoots great photos (at least it's great in my unprofessional eyes). She even had a public exhibition of her photos this year (truly regret that I couldn't see that). This time round, she gets 2 seconds of fame appearing in a MTV. Watch it here.

I know I do have a number of friends who appeared in the media before, especially on newspaper. Hey, even my dad's face appeared in the Star Metro for winning a karaoke competition. I had my share of "fame" too. All in the past...

...falling in love with the queen's english.

2008-10-20T18:42:00.002+08:00

I can fall in love over and over again...

...not with a guy... not with a girl either... not loving an animal nor an object...

... ... ... but with the english language. Mind you, not just any english language (not manglish, not singlish and not american english). It has to be the queen's english with all its rules, propriety and accent. Some call it the british english, some say it's oxford english, but whatever term it is called, I just love it.

I can't explain why I love it. Just like you can't explain what love is. I just do. I can sit and hear a person talk and talk in that english pronunciation and tone for hours. This recent spate of love affair rejuvenated when I had to talk to 2 English people over the phone for work purpose. One was a girl, and the other a guy. When they spoke, I felt myself going all dreamy eyed. I didn't want the conversation to stop. I didn't want to speak for fear of my voice disenchanting the illusion that I created myself. Sigh... it caused me to reflect on all those BBC shows that I watched. Remember dashing Mr. Darcy? (note to self: I must get hold of that Pride and Prejudice BBC series)

Then last week, I had to horribly bring myself back to the decadent language of pop culture. Yep, the american english. No offence, ok? I couldn't readily accept the fact that there are so many exceptions to the english language. Everything seem to be acceptable now. Double negatives. Redundant words. Short forms. I'm no whiz in the english language but I certainly pride myself in my ability to form good sentences and spell decently.

A few weeks back, my mom asked, "What's the short form for birthday?"
"Huh?", I replied in a confused way.
"I want to send a sms to wish my friend happy birthday."
"Mom, you can spell birthday as it is. Why is there a need to put it in short form?"
"Well, it's what people do nowadays, isn't it?"

I was utterly upset. The bee must have been retrenched in this current state of economy.

...being trapped by the rain.

2008-09-06T23:59:00.000+08:00

Lovely Saturday morning

"Hey, what a perfect time to laze on my bed."

The light rain outside alternated with drizzles of water.

An hour later...

"It's so cozy, me bundled inside my blanket. Hmm... but I'm not tired nor sleepy anymore. "

Saturday morning, cool sheets, warm blanket, light rain outside, a book... perfect!

Two hours later...

"Grr... rumble... grumble..."

Ham, cheese, wholemeal bread, ketchup... no more salad, no more tomatoes, no more mustard. Sandwich + hot chocolate + grapes.

"It's raining now. Seem like it will be pouring heavily soon. I guess I will stay at home for now."

Three hours later...

3 episodes of Pushing Daisies.

It's still raining. It's raining heavily. It's pouring.

Gloomy Saturday afternoon

"I can't go out in this weather."

Four hours later...

Sunday School lesson... Checked.
4 more episodes of Pushing Daisies... Checked.
Billions of big drops of rain... Checked.
Saturday night out... Crossed.
Dinner alone... Checked.

"What's in my fridge?"

Two hours later...

Finished all 9 episodes of Pushing Daisies.

It stopped raining. Nope, the rain has just let up a bit. Oh, it's raining again. Hey, it's drizzling now. No, not pouring again! Yeah, light rain only. Whopee, it stopped raining!!

"Where can I go now at 10pm?"

Lonely Saturday night

Out of Apartment message:
Gone out grocery shopping. Be back one hour later. ;-)

...the one month gap.

2008-07-28T13:37:00.004+08:00

Pictures tell a thousand words?

Well, see and say for yourself what's been going on in kwazy berry's life for the past one month.

Click on the montage to view a larger version.

...dee-dee dee-dee-dee.

2008-06-23T15:17:00.010+08:00

Dedicated to all who understand...

Dee-dee dee-dee-dee
Data Driven Department
Positive, Negative, Positive, Negative
Depends on how you look

Dee-dee dee-dee-dee
Data Driven Department
Numbers and figures, percentages and charts
Excel is what I use

Dee-dee dee-dee-dee
Data Driven Department
Expenses go up, salary the same
Need D3 to survive

* Sung to the tune of 'Row, Row, Row your Boat'

Many thanks to...
...Fair Eek Zza for her inspiration after reading a wicked poem.
...Sookie for introducing kwazy berry the book of funny poems.

...allergic reactions that irritate her.

2008-06-19T23:03:00.005+08:00

For the past one year, my allergic reactions have increased. Dare I blame in on Penang polluted air? The frequency can be like once in every two months. If I ran out of eye drops or pills, the symptoms can drag on for one to two weeks till I finally go visit the doctor for supplies.

Well, the point is whenever I get these "attacks", I am not in my top form. I will be feeling miserable. Sick but not sick enough. I can't see properly yet I need to use my eyes so much. My nose will be twitching uncontrollably. A-choo! I need to have tissue papers at my beck and call. Can't live without them. I also can't sleep well, can't breathe well and can't concentrate well. Well, I am (not) in the well.

Recently, I also succumbed to another variation of allergy. It's what I term as "can't stand it when people don't get it going". In other words, it's the NATO syndrome. No Action Talk Only. The symptoms? I am also not my usual self. I get irritated with the people involved. This will magnify through my tone of voice, my choice of words, and my constant non-verbal cues. I don't like myself when I am in this condition. I am me, yet not me.

I need a cure, not prescription. For both.

...how oldies define how old you are.

2008-06-13T20:43:00.001+08:00

"What music would you like to listen to?"

Being a hospitable host, I naturally offered my guest her pick of songs.

"Oldies."

I wasn't that keen to listen to oldies for lunch. But then, I gotta please my guest, right?

So in my head, I went through a mental list of oldies that I have in my collection. My hand was in the verge of reaching out to a CD when suddenly the back of my mind screamed...

"Chotto matte!"

I slowly turned to her, debating whether to ask or not to ask... and I asked:

"When you said oldies, what era did you mean?"

"Songs from the 80s-lah."

Gulp!

I was actually gonna take out the CD with songs from the 60s.
I was even prepared to hear her answering the 70s.
But 80s??

That's pushing it. That made me feel... old.

...Flagstaff, Sedona and Grand Canyon.

2008-05-27T12:39:00.002+08:00

For captions, visit kwazy berry's Windows Live Spaces

...being obsessed with k-dramas.

2008-04-11T13:52:00.003+08:00

Obsession is bad. Real bad. Very very bad indeed.

It all started on one Saturday afternoon in the second month of this year. After cleaning the apartment, kwazy berry decided to relax with a glass of cold juice in front of the teevee before having her shower. What appeared on the not so flat screen was the k-drama, My Girl. It had already started when kwazy berry tuned in to the show. After about fifteen minutes, kwazy berry came to a conclusion that this may be an interesting watch but she didn't like the mandarin voice overs (who can stand the irritating squeaky voices??), the malay subtitles (as usual, lousy translations), and the fuzzy zig zag lines of that particular channel (that's why kwazy berry doesn't like to watch local teevee channels in the island of pearl). And so kwazy berry switched off the teevee and went to take her shower.

It would have been all good if the story ended there.

Later (don't remember how much later), kwazy berry log on to another box-y screen and connected to the worldwideweb. Kwazy berry stumbled upon a great site to watch that k-drama online (i.e. original korean audio with english subtitles). She proceeded to download episode after episode and finished the drama in a couple of weeks. Well, it was only sixteen episodes. Sixteen hours. Perhaps two to three hours per day.

It would still have been good if the story ended with the first show.

The website that kwazy berry found was kinda cool. It listed many of the current k-dramas and movies, j-dramas and movies and even taiwanese dramas (t-drama??). At first, kwazy berry chose a few good korean movies to watch. that's because movies take lesser time to complete compared to serial dramas. By the way, she recommends The King and the Clown. Then after hearing about the Coffee Prince popularity, kwazy berry plunged into the mania as well (in the excuse that she needed to keep up with the latest happenings). For your record, kwazy berry finished this series at a much faster rate than the earlier one. Well, it helped that the second drama was much better than the first.

Warning bells have rung but the ears are deaf to its tune.

And that's how the obsession went into full swing. Years ago when the k-drama craze began with Winter Sonata, kwazy berry was not even tempted to take a peek into the show. Now she has done that. Adding to the list is The Princess Hours on dvds. What's next?

...being obsessed with your job title.

2008-02-18T14:15:00.006+08:00

Are you particular with what is written as your job designation?

I know some people who like to have the word "Senior" added to whatever their job title is. Senior Administrator, Senior Executive, Senior Multimedia Programmer, Senior Manager. Get my drift? Now I wonder what the word "Senior" has to do with your work? Isn't it just emphasising that you are old? I mean, you are either an Administrator or you are not. Would adding "Senior" indicate that you are more experienced? That you hold more power? That you have additional tasks? That everyone should respect you because of the "higher" position? I presume maybe that's how most people will see it. In my opinion, those who like to give or receive superlatives as part of the job title are themselves feeling threaten or inadequate (or plain silly) that they need words to boost their spirit and ego. Or else, why is there a need to show off who you are? To prove my point, have you ever encountered someone who is a Senior Doctor or a Senior Lawyer?

Don't even make me start on those job titles that have the word "cum" or "and" to it. For example, what do you think of this title, Senior Graphic Artist and Multimedia Specialist? Isn't it a mouthful?

I dislike having the word "Senior" added to my title. I have it once before as it was "awarded" to me by the company that I worked for. Isn't my job title lengthy enough? I remember an ex-colleague once remarking that this particular person's job title is too long to fit into the namecard template. Furthermore, it will look weird especially so if you have a short name.

Well, I must admit though that I'm quite particular with my job designation. Another ex-colleague told me that she's obsessed with the title Instructional Designer. I agree. In my previous company, I wrote Instructional Designer in my namecard eventhough I was hired as Senior Content Developer. Somehow I felt that the former described my role better and that's what I want to be known for anyway. It didn't help that a lot of people think that a Content Developer's job is related to programmming. I still have no clue as to how they are related ???

...a good job as a tourist guide.

2008-01-22T14:10:00.004+08:00

Kwazy berry is applauding herself. A quick pat on her shoulder. Two thumbs up.

It's always a joy to see people enjoying their holiday very much. Double joy when you know you were the one who contributed to it.

My good friend, Sookie, came to Penang over the weekend. Here was our itinerary...

Saturday
- Airport pick up
- Check in: Springfield Condo
- Breakfast: Chee Cheong Fun (yummy!), Pasembur (not recommended) @ Island Glades coffeeshop
- Walkabout: Khoo Kongsi (interesting!), Yap temple, etc @ Lebuh Armenian
- Drive around Georgetown: Clock Tower, Fort Cornwallis, Esplanade, City Hall, Town Hall, Convent Light Street school, High Court, etc.
- Lunch: Assam Laksa (yummy!) @ Penang Road
- Walkabout: Chowraastar Market
- Snack: Chendol (yummy!) @ Penang Road
- Shopping: Him Heang @ Burmah Road
- Dinner: Seafood (yummy!) @ Teluk Kumbar
- Visitation: Allanaq’s apt @ Sunrise Condo

For captions, visit kwazy berry's Windows Live Spaces

Sunday
- Church: SAGH
- Breakfast: Glutinous rice @ Church
- Lunch: Char Koay Teow, Hokkien Mee (not recommended) @ Ayer Itam
- Walkabout: Penang Hill
- Hi Tea: Apple Pie, Ice Lemon Tea @ David Brown’s Cottage, Strawberry Hill (pricey but fantastic garden and comfy place to chit chat!)
- Dinner: Passions of Kerala (yummy!) @ New World Park

For captions, visit kwazy berry's Windows Live Spaces

Monday
Lunch: Curry Fish Head (yummy!) @ Batu Maung
Jalan-jalan: Queensbay Mall (while kwazy berry is at work)
Depart to airport to check in
Dinner: Nasi Goreng Daging Merah (yummy!) @ Tom Yam restaurant, Sg Ara

Interesting? Interested?

It was a slightly different itinerary from the one I had with my doctor gal pal and her good friend when they came to Penang. They were my first visitors. :-)

So do come over to Penang. Kwazy berry will customize the itinerary to suit your needs and wants. Accommodation and transportation in the island are provided. Fun guaranteed. What are you waiting for?

...a fairytale life.

2008-01-07T00:08:00.002+08:00

I love happily ever afters. *kwazy berry sighing dreamily*

I've just watched Enchanted. And I love it. Coz I simply like to live in a make believe world. Come on, who doesn't?

Life in fairy tales are so simple. Things are black or white, no shades of grey. It's right or wrong, no middle point. You're either the hero (heroine) or the villain... err or their sidekicks. Good always triumph over evil.

You can burst out in a song anytime... la, la, la, la, la.... just to express your feelings. No one is gonna look at you weirdly. In fact, everyone will join in. They know the words to your song, able to sing in harmony, and dance in perfect choreography. Animals can talk to you. You can talk to animals. Best of all, animals help you clean your house. What can beat that?

Last but not least, the princess waits for the prince charming to save her. They'll marry in a beautiful wedding, with sunshine and rainbows, and live happily ever after. The end.

Fullstop.

No what happens after that. Nothing about the work you need to do to survive. Zilch about how you need to work in a relationship to sustain the marriage. Coz everything will be perfect from then on.

I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss
And a prince, I'm hoping, comes with this
That's what brings ever-aftering so happy
That's the reason we need lips so much
For lips are the only things that touch
So to spend a life of endless bliss
Just find who you love through true love's kiss

...the first day of two-o-o-eight.

2008-01-01T22:45:00.003+08:00

Being at Penang Hill at the stroke of midnight, I could see fireworks below all over the island and as far across the mainland. However, the fireworks were just tiny little sparkles when viewed from high above. It was indeed a different perspective. I must say I still prefer to be at the thick of the smoke, noise and colours of the fireworks, craning my neck just to enjoy the beauty of the display.

I guess a different perspective is timely. Perhaps a reminder for me to look at the bigger picture. To see what my life is from afar and above. To plan for my future?

Here's a toast to you... for the next 366 days of this year.

...to use or not to use.

2007-12-26T10:54:00.002+08:00

That's the question.

Whenever I receive gifts that I like, I have a tendency not to use them. I like the item so much that I won't use it for fear of spoiling it, dirtying it, etc. After a few years of stowing it in one of my many boxes, I would discover it again. If it's lucky, it would still retain its brand new condition. In unfortunate cases, the item would be faded, outdated, or disintegrating (gasp!) Sigh... such a waste.

So I'm making a new resolution for this coming new year. Use them! It doesn't matter if it wears out with much use. At least, it would have lived a full life. It would have fulfilled its destiny, what it was designed and created for.

Now this is the question.

Are you maximising the use of your life? Or are you stowing yourself away - for future use? For fear of getting older or incurring more bruises physcially and emotionally?

I love my gift of life, graciously given by God. I will use this precious gift.

So now I have 2 new year's resolution :)

...Chandler and LA from kwazy berry's eyes.

2007-12-16T23:46:00.003+08:00

For captions, visit kwazy berry's Windows Live Spaces

...fireworks from my balcony.

2007-11-08T22:54:00.002+08:00

This proves it! Penang has a lot of rich people. Why do I say so? Coz I have seen and heard numerous fireworks ever since I came to stay here.

I've enjoyed several beautiful fireworks displays from the comfort of my balcony. The scene was just a few streets away. At one point, on the eve of Deepavali, there were 3 displays at the same time. One was towards my right, in front of this new regal apartment. The other was just in front of me, beyond the rooftop of another block in my apartment. And the last one was somewhere behind, which I couldn't see except for the flashes of light reflection. It was magnificent! The only thing missing was a champagne flute on my hand and a handsome guy with his arms around me. ;-)

The best fireworks memory in Penang was the one I saw last Sunday night. I was on the bus heading back to Penang, crossing the bridge, when I saw the colourful display of lights from afar. I presume that it was somewhere near the jetty area. The display lasted for almost the whole journey across the bridge. I was fortunate to sit at the right side of the bus. It was a wonderful experience.

As per my resolution a couple of blogs before this, I've invited Conan to share my joy. He only managed to take a few shots due to lack of energy. So, this grainy video is the first Penang audio visual stuff that I'm sharing with you. Err... try to enjoy-lah.

...more favourite quotes from the two books.

2007-11-07T23:43:00.002+08:00

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
- Duh... obviously so, Mr. King in Alice in Wonderland.

If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?
- I do see what you mean, Alice. Don't you realise that this world is already so full of nonsense? Coz people are just so ridiculous.

It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.
- My point exactly, Alice. But you contradict yourself.

Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.
- Thus said the Doorknob

...happy unbirthday to me.

2007-11-06T23:31:00.001+08:00

An Unbirthday is described as an event that is typically celebrated on any of the 364 or 365 days in which it is not the person's birthday.

I think Lewis Carroll is a genius with wordplay. I had so much fun reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. I have always thought that they were just storybooks for kids. I remember snatches of stories, when I was young, about the mad hatter and the horrible queen of hearts. But at that time, I didn't realise the meanings in the words. Well, that was probably because I was reading a simplified children's version then.

Do you know what the funny thing was? It was some desktop wallpapers with quotations from Alice in Wonderland that pique my interest to finally lift the book off my shelf and start thumbing through its pages. I have no regrets.

Well, "unbirthday" is one of my favourite. I bet you love the meaning too, right? So this is my unbirthday present to you... an excerpt...

'I mean, what is an un-birthday present?'
'A present given when it isn't your birthday, of course.'
Alice considered a little. 'I like birthday presents best,' she said at last.
'You don't know what you're talking about!' cried Humpty Dumpty. 'How many days are there in a year?'
'Three hundred and sixty-five,' said Alice.
'And how many birthdays have you?'
'One.'
'And if you take one from three hundred and sixty-five, what remains?'
'Three hundred and sixty-four, of course.'
... ... ...
'...and that shows that there are three hundred and sixty-four days when you might get un-birthday presents - '
'Certainly,' said Alice.
'And only one for birthday presents, you know. There's glory for you!'

Now, who wants to give me an unbirthday present today?

Photo

2007-11-06T00:02:00.002+08:00

...Conan, my faithful Canon Camera.

2007-11-05T23:08:00.002+08:00

Yep, I named my camera.

I have decided to do so because I felt guilty for neglecting him. Ever since I came to Penang, I have not brought him around. I've seen new places. I've made new friends. I've tasted the various different foods and experienced new stuff. But not once have I took Conan along with me. I've pushed him aside. I'm sorry, Conan.

Conan loves and cherishes memories. He is the one who always remind me of my past... the fantastic places, unforgettable experiences, good friends, and loving family. How can I now shut him out of my life? Please forgive me, Conan.

I know you are the perfect one to help me keep in touch with others. It's petty of me to sometimes complain that you are burdensome. I apologise for the times I've coveted some of the better looking ones among your species. I apologise for not taking better care of you.

I hereby avow to share joyful occasions with you. I promise to let you capture the poignant moments in your own way. I will hone the artistic potential in you.

From this day forth, I will try my best to remember to bring you wherever I go. Amen!

...yan's baby talk.

2007-10-10T13:29:00.001+08:00

So cute! I miss her so much!!

This was taken on 2 October 2007. She is 19 months old. And I have no idea what she is telling me (when you see her looking to her right, she was looking at me).

...creepy crawlies vs kwazy berry.

2007-10-08T22:20:00.002+08:00

This is the match that no one has been waiting for.

The cacophony of high decible sounds cheering on the leader who mocked at me by exhibiting his vocal chord loudly in my absence. My euphony of shrieks will only silent him for a mere moment. How dare he challenge me, in my territory!

I make an effort to gather up my broken pieces of courage. Could false bravado delude him? Nope, I am only deceiving myself.

Why should I fear him? I have the advantage. It's my arena. I am numerous times his size. I can most probably smash him with one whack.

Yet I am afraid. I no longer have my faithful source of help. I am not equipped with my weapon: the spray of death. I am all alone. Alone to fight my enemy.

The fiend! I do not even know him. I cannot even see him. He is the coward, not me. He is the one who is hiding. I CAN DEFEAT HIM!

And I did!

I kicked the bin. I closed the cover and then pushed it off. I grabbed the ends of the plastic bag, tied them together. I dropped the bag into the shute.

In triumph, I celebrated my victory over the unknown insect hiding in my room's dustbin.

This round goes to kwazy berry.

Kwazy berry: 1
Creepy crawlies: 0

...staying at the same place as the Simpsons.

2007-09-04T18:19:00.001+08:00

You don’t know the Simpsons? They are so popular. They even have their own movie!! Yes, I’m referring to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson. The 5 yellow humans staying in a town named Springfield.

Here I am, also commonly categorized as yellow skin, also staying in a place called Springfield, but not related to the Simpsons and certainly not located in the USA.

My new home sweet home is in Springfield Condo. It’s a walk-up apartment unit, i.e. without lift/elevator. I need to climb 3 flights of stairs to reach my humble abode. My desire to loose weight may become a reality. But no effect yet-lah.

In terms of its location, I’m not very happy that it’s further from everywhere. Now what do I mean by everywhere? Places I deem important. For you Klang Valley folks, basically, I’m like living in Subang. Town centre is 45 minutes away. Nearest nice shopping mall is equivalent to Sunway Pyramid. Of course, there’s also a smaller and nearer shopping place, as what Subang Parade is. And there’s Giant supermarket. Enough analogy?

My dwelling place is still quite bare. The basic furnishings are there, such as kitchen cabinet, fridge, washing machine, sofa, dining table and chairs, beds and cupboards, water heaters in both bathrooms, ceiling fans, and air-conds, which I don’t think I will use often. So, I welcome any donations from my dear friends. Old but still-can-use stuff, brand new ones, tiny useful things, come, come and attach to a new owner (ME!).

So when are you coming up here for a holiday?

P/S: I think I should name my apartment unit. Any suggestions?

...her first hokkien language boo-boo.

2007-08-06T22:09:00.001+08:00

I managed to survive 2 weeks in Penang without getting any crossed signals. I thought I finally could sort of blend in. But Penang wanna fool with me. Lure me into a false sense of security and then wham!

The past 2 weeks, I managed to order food by pointing, nodding my head, holding out my finger to indicate quantity, or speaking in Cantonese or English (yes, some of the Chinese stall owners are that language savvy).

Then the boo-boo came.

In a nutshell... I ordered something but the food came to be something else. It's ok if the error stops there. But no! I ordered 1 pack to "tapau" and she gave me 2 packs!! How am I gonna finish 2 big packs of fried rice with big chunks of pork?? But it was no use arguing. She was really busy (I had to wait 30 minutes and there were a lot of people waiting too) and she kept pushing the plastic bag to me. Being unable to converse with her verbally or in sign language, I had no choice but to shelve out money to pay for the 2 packs.

Anyways, I won't be going back there even though the food was good. Unless someone who can speak Hokkien is volunteering to be my dinner date. ;-p

...the clumsy berry.

2007-08-04T14:11:00.001+08:00

i am suspecting that something is wrong with my motor skills or my neurons. OR things are not just going my way. sigh...

lately, i have been quite clumsy, accident prone, and having butter fingers. here are the cases that happened in the last 2 weeks:

i scraped 2 of my right toes on the underside of a table's legs coz i slipped on the slippery floor in a coffeeshop. plaster required.
i slipped when i was trying to bend down to pick up money that flew out of my hand coz i didn't have a good grasp of it coz i was also trying to prevent money from flying off the table
i have a few scratches on my legs from plastic bags after buying groceries
i dropped the same thing twice in the supermarket and the same thing again when i was in the process of putting it away in the cupboard
i broke one of my favourite earrings (sob! sob!) while combing my hair
the strap on one of my handbags snapped when i was in the supermarket
while having lunch, a piece of chicken flew and dropped onto my lap while i was trying to cut it. needless to say, it stained my freshly washed skirt.
while having lunch on another day, i dipped the lower part of my cardigan onto a tray of curry while trying to reach for another sauce

in addition to the above, i also broke my fingernails and toenails a few times and found a few bruises caused by i dont know what.

so what's wrong with me??

...how to feel isolated in an office.

2007-07-27T23:44:00.001+08:00

Place the entrance of the office very far away. You will need to walk pass many offices and go down to the lowest floor (not up, as most buildings are).
Be known not by your name but by your staff ID number.
Have high cubicles. When you stand up, you still can't see the person in the next cubicle.
Ensure that all cubicles are exactly the same, in terms of size, colour and layout.
Arrange the cubicles in such a way that they resemble a maze. This can be turned into a game of finding your way out of a maze when you get bored.
Take up the whole office floor with only 25% occupancy rate.
Accidentally walk into one of the cubicles. 90% of the time, it's an empty one.
Walk into your cubicle only to realise it's not yours. You either overshot or still one cubicle away.
Your cubicle has an address.
Make sure that the only sounds you can hear are the tapping of your keyboard, footsteps from beyond your cubicle, the whirring of the printer as it prints, and your stomach rumbling.
Your desk phone doesn't ring.
When your mobile phone rings or beeps, it sounded so loud coz the office is as quiet as in a library.
Be one of the odd ones because you wore office attire rather than casual smart.
Be the new person in the block.

Good points: Privacy, ability to concentrate without much disturbances, good exercise, systematic, able to make excuses that you are new.

Well, you will get use to it and in the process, like it. I guess. I hope. Oh, dear.

...a new chapter in her life.

2007-07-21T00:02:00.001+08:00

It's the day. In a few hours, kwazy berry will be moving away, literally. After many years of living and frolicking in KL, kwazy berry is now gonna splash her way up north.

Excited? Yes
Reluctant to leave KL? Yes
Fearful of the unkown future? Yes

But it's a new chapter in life. Many reasons why she has chosen this path. She got to walk it just to know it. There's no wrong path, maybe just a detour or a winding trek to the destination. After all, it's the experience that counts and shape her as she is.

Now kwazy berry understands some of the things her friends has gone through. Especially, those who left to go elsewhere to work. It's times like these that kwazy berry sometimes feel that she has not been a good enough buddy to her friends as they have been to her. Kwazy berry has really been touched by the love and care showered upon her in these past few weeks. The lunches and dinners, the questions of concern, the phone calls, sms and instant messages, the gifts that truly fill in the needs, the time and labour given, and so many more. It's really heart warming to know that she'll be missed.

To all of kwazy berry's friends (and family) who has contributed in trying to make her move a smooth one, thank you from the very bottom of her juicy heart.

...words and sentences that make no sense.

2007-07-03T18:29:00.001+08:00

i dislike translation work.

now i really do appreciate professional translators. they need to be good in... sorry slash that out... they need to have excellent command of at least two languages. they need to be able to reword, rephrase and restructure sentences without frowning, scratching their head or pulling their hair off.

did i tell you i hate translation work?

i think it's really easier to write something from scratch than to correct other people's work. so i really do appreciate editors too. i know i don't have the skill nor the characteristic and personality to be a translator or editor.

oh yeah, i also prefer not to do editing work.

well, at least one of the perks of editing translations is to laugh at the weird way it's done. hey, i'm not being cruel, ok? i need my sanity, so i need to laugh it off.

so what do i like?

i like blogging coz i can write however i like in whatever manner and it doesn't have to make sense. can anyone pay me to do just that?

...the panicky feeling.

2007-07-02T10:29:00.002+08:00

It's now July.

Anxiety hits me with a big wham. Feelings of panic slam right at my face. Nervous and tense at the same time.

It's July.

A lot on my mind.

Work... boy, I don't think I can finish all my work before I leave. There's just so much to do and to look into. Still so much to worry about. Even though I know it's not gonna be my concern anymore, I still feel bad about it. How come my last days are never relax?

A place to stay... geez, how can I not have worried about this last month? I have been taking it quite lightly, being cool about it. With me being quite picky and having budget constraint, will I be able to get a place that I want... somewhere I can call home...?

People I wanna meet... it's like saying a formal goodbye even though I know it's not final. Not that I'm actually going so far away. Not that I'm not coming back to KL often either. Somehow I just wanna see my friends and cherish that they have always been around in KL. I know that the people, my family and friends, will be one of the stuff I'll miss the most. Thanks for allocating time for me these past few days and in the coming few days.

Things I wanna do... so many yet not enough time. I just gotta skip some.

It's already July.

Counting down 18 days.

...what's so fun about computer games?

2007-06-25T10:16:00.001+08:00

i really tried. yes, i honestly did. try what? try to understand the pull of computer games on the male species. ok, i know there is a small percentage of the female species who also enjoy pc games. but the majority of addiction is no doubt the males, from little boys to the never-grow-up men.

i really tried. i tried playing a game. i tried watching the guys play the games. i tried reading up about games review in intech. i tried listening in on discussions about the games. and the verdict? i'm still so clueless. and i'm like, huh? what's so interesting about staring at the pc, clicking on the mouse and destroying others?

maybe it's the violence in the games that attracts the xy chromosomes. i always suspect that the male species like destruction. building legos in order to destroy them. having toy car races that end with crashes. and now, games that annihilate the enemies.

i really did try. and i still don't understand.

so i guess those from venus will just let those from mars be.

...coffeeshops with tvs.

2007-06-15T14:07:00.001+08:00

i had an interesting observation over lunch today. a people observation.

if the coffeeshop has a tv (or many tvs), you will notice that 90% of the people will take a seat facing the tv. it doesn't matter if they are actually watching the show or that they come in a group. their eyes will automatically wander to the tv. even when they are talking with their friends, time to time, their eyes will flicker towards the tv.

i doubt that many are really enjoying what's on the screen. i guess having the tv there gives them a sense of focus. for those who came alone, it is a form of distraction while waiting for the food or a pleasant entertainment to while away the time. for those who came in a group, it can become a topic of conversation or better still, save them from having to make a conversation.

lately, i have been thinking a lot of how it is to be living life on my own (since i will have to in one month's time). will i be one of those who will choose a coffeeshop that has a tv? will i take a seat facing the tv so that i look occupied, especially when i have to wait for the food? will i spend my time watching the idiot box there just to pass time? and courtesy of mr. kok's revelation, will people, when they look at me, think i'm the sticky kind of gal because i'm eating alone?

...letting the cat live minus a few lives.

2007-06-12T18:46:00.001+08:00

i relish taking a few lives out of each curious kitty out there. it was so much fun. ;-)

it was not intentional. i wanted to tell out the news. but i just couldn't coz nothing was finalised yet at that time. on the other hand, i didn't really wanna tell out coz the surety of the happening seems to be still so far off. at least to me. more than 5 weeks to go.

the gutsy me says:
this is so exciting! i finally can explore many new possibilities.

the negative me says:
oh no, what if i can't adjust to the new lifestyle? what if loneliness sinks in deep?

oh, the civil war inside me is still raging.

people are giving me advices that i will give to others who are in this situation. i can't be logical to my own self. i try to. but emotions and logic don't seem to communicate well. it's happening a lot lately. the heart and the head belongs to one me but they are so different personality wise.

i need words of encouragement. i shall rephrase that. i am begging for words of assurance. can you give me some, kitty cats?

...breakfast in KL, lunch in Ipoh, dinner in Penang.

2007-06-04T18:15:00.001+08:00

how i wish i get to experience the kind of high-flying life that jets me around the world in a single day. but the real me only gets to taste the eenie teeny weeny version of car-moving life around malaysia in a single day. something that no doubt countless people have done too. however, to my surprise, there are actually people who have not travelled around malaysia. stating a good example is my driver for the day. he actually had not been north of kl before this particular trip. not that he has been to many places down south or eastward either. so there are people who are not compelled to go around. of course, being me, i can't imagine not exploring places that i have not been. and being visit malaysia year 2007, heck, i encourage myself and all you malaysians out there to go wandering our very own shores.

specially to ebbs and ev, no guessing to why me having breakfast in kl. lunch in ipoh was to celebrate my friend's wedding in the form of a luncheon. dinner in penang, now that is something for you to ponder and loose one life. (evil laugh)

...gonna happen, something new.

2007-06-01T17:12:00.001+08:00

wow, kwazy berry cannot believe that she already has 100 entries in this blog. kwazy berry has had 100 things to muse about. this is the 101 entry. this calls for a celebration! come on, bring out the champagne!!

and yes, kwazy berry gonna have something new happening in her life soon. kwazy berry is so berry excited!! berry berry nervous at the same time also. a new future ahead. this also calls for a celebration! come on, tune up the music!

kwazy berry do not want to reveal much now. until she is berry berry certain.

in the meantime, come live life to the fullest with kwazy berry.

...the 1 that jumps over the 3 while kicking 0 away.

2007-05-18T23:21:00.001+08:00

yep, it's the anniversary of living again.

this time, i gotta admit that age runs fast. surprising to me. coz i thot that with time, age would slow down. but no-no. ever climbing. i tried many times to obliterate my association with age, but failed. trust me, disowning age didn't work either. hiding my relationship with age just gets me into deeper mire.

unwillingly, i've been dragged, while resisting and denying with all my might, to confess that i've been pushed over the cliff. i guess i am no longer accepted once the twenties bid me adieu. and since i didn't leave gracefully last year, they gotta kick me off with stark reality.

ok... wishing with my eyes closed before the day loses its charm. can i make more than one wish? please, please, please...

...being bold when away from familiar ground.

2007-05-16T18:29:00.001+08:00

it's natural.
to be more daring when one is far from the eyes of people we know.

how come?
because there's no one to judge us. at least, no one whose opinions we care for. they do not know our past history. they would not be there to remind us of what we did while away. they would not remember our face.

the freedom.
yes, that gives us the liberty to do whatever we want. i know i've done stuff that i would not normally do if i'm in kl. mind you, they are not naughty stuff, ok.

such as?
ah... that, i shall not reveal to everyone. not yet. coz it can be quite embarassing. well, embarassing at that point of time. maybe later, when with age, comes boldness to reminisce younger days.

no regrets.
for daring to go beyond my comfort zone. or rather to break the self imposed rules on my life. fond memories they have become.

i challenge u.
go all out. explore the unfamiliar. sometimes, we do not need to think so much. and we do not need the approval of others. just get the go ahead sign from yourself. as long as your conscience is clear, there's nothing to fear.

...times that are NOT for jokes.

2007-05-13T20:31:00.001+08:00

There is a time for everything...
...and a time NOT.

Read: Sexist remarks becoming the norm?

An insulting sexist "joke" is NOT for parliamentary meetings. Full stop. In fact, jokes of all kind should be banned during parliament sessions. After all, aren't they, the "leaders" of the country, supposed to be discussing serious issues that will affect the nation? Or is Malaysia just a joke? the butt of a joke? The people, a laughing stock?

It irks us women out there that men can be so stupid. Downright insensitive jerks. These men in our political parties should not be called MPs but MCPs (male chauvinist pigs). These kind of sexist remarks had already occured so many times. There must be something wrong with our system if these things can go on without the wrongdoers getting punished, giving the same repeated offenders the "dare"ness to continue in their ways for there is no fear of retribution of any kind. Instead, they are even applauded, supported, reelected. Unbelievable.

I have nothing else to say. Memang Malaysia Boleh. Cakap apa pun boleh.

...the definition of honeymoon walk.

2007-05-12T14:42:00.001+08:00

Nope, kwazy berry didn't get married and gone for a honeymoon.

Kwazy berry and sleepy wabbit proudly coined a new phrase "honeymoon walk". It has yet to be listed in dictionaries. Hopefully, it will be circulated widely soon.

honeymoon walk
noun, verb
an extremely slow stroll to minimise the use of energy, usually used to disguise the lack of fitness while walking (or hiking)

Example:
It was a steep hike up Mount Sibayak. Kwazy berry said to sleepy wabbit in a breathless rasp, "Let's honeymoon walk." They then slowed down their pace to a honeymoon walk that quadrupled the time it normally took to cover that particular stretch of trek.

Confession of an unfit berry...
Yes, kwazy berry admits that she is getting old. Her last mountain hike was exactly 10 years ago up Mount Kinabalu (if minus small hills now and then). Kwazy berry have succumbed to the popular disease known as lackofexercise. Though she's aware that the disease is spread by laziness and unhealthy diet, she has not done anything to prevent it nor took any redemptive actions to minimise the impact. Symptoms include breathlessness after a 5-minute hike up a (very, very, very) steep incline, non-stop whining and complaining, feelings of regret for not staying in good shape with regular exercise, multiple rest stops in the guise of enjoying the beauty of nature but in actual fact it's due to the need to recuperate, and pain in the legs that will last a few days.

Dissatisfaction of a disgruntled berry...
After all our hard work of huffing and puffing, we didn't even get to see the volcano crater. Reason: It was too dangerous to cross because of the strong winds. But then, kwazy berry will never attempt to climb again! It was a burst berry that went away, disappointed and dejected.

...a dramatic unforgettable experience.

2007-05-08T18:28:00.001+08:00

i took a seat at the round table. it was a muslim restaurant. he was hungry. i presumed that he had not taken his breakfast. that's a story for another time.

i was not hungry. i was worried. something was not right. i felt uneasy about the whole thing.

i glanced up and saw the clock on the wall above me. 2.45pm. i was shocked. i didn't expect time to have passed by so quickly. i began to panic. what if we could not make it in time? the possibility was there. the possibility was real.

i questioned him. are you sure we can make it? how long does it take to reach medan? when will the bus arrive?

don't worry, he said. plenty of time.

plenty of time? that didn't seem to click with the knowledge that i had. my mind whirled into calculation. i needed four to five hours.

2.45 + 5 = 7.45

my heart started beating faster. this was not good. not good at all. we have to go now, my head screamed. the words ran through my head like a mantra.

i looked at my friend. i couldn't read her expression. but i felt her fear. for it was like mines.

i reminded him again of our need to make a move. pronto. he was eating. he was eating like there were no worries. easy for him. it wasn't him who had anything to lose. my anger grew. i raised my voice slightly, said each word slowly. what in my words do you not understand? we have to go! we have a plane to catch!!

calming myself down, i again explained to him that boarding a plane is not like boarding a bus. we have to be there early. it's not going to wait until it's full before taking off. we have to be there one hour before the departure time at 8.10pm. preferably by 7.00pm. and it's already 3.00pm now. where do we take the bus? when will it arrive?

he tried to defend himself. buses here are different. he shrugged.

i glared at him. my head screamed in silence. i paid you to be my guide. you should know. you should have taken into consideration all the factors. we already told you what time we had to be at polonia. we reminded you again and again and again. last night. this morning. before we left lake toba. while on the ferry.

something must have registered in his brain. he quickly ushered us out to the waiting point. 3.10pm. but not before he cleverly tried to split the bill unevenly. but i didn't care anymore. take the money. it was nothing compared to the cost that we may have to incur if we miss our flight.

3.15pm. we waited.

3.20pm. a bus came and gone. there were no places left.

3.25pm. several mini buses came and gone. no empty seats.

my friend and i pooled our resources together. i asked him. what other alternatives are there? what other options can we consider?

he looked at me in a daze. i don't even know if he understood me. he clearly could hear what i said. to me, he had a brain the size of a dot. no further explanation needed.

3.30pm.

3.35pm.

finally, thanks to another guy, a minibus agreed to take us in even though it was already jam packed like sardines in a can. we got in. we were beyond caring. the only thought in our mind was to get there as soon as we can.

we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight. we chanted the mantra every minute.

4.30pm. we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight.

we prayed.

5.30pm. we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight. we cannot miss our flight.

we prayed harder.

6.30pm. move it! we can't stop here! keep going! overtake the slow lorry! go! go! go! make it quick!

we prayed even harder.

7.00pm. please let us not miss the flight. please. please. please.

let's hope the plane is delayed.

7.30pm. oh, please let us board the plane. please. please. please.

we can make it. we have to make it. i do not even want to think of the posssibility of what if we could not. i prepared by holding our passports and ticket info. the amount for the airport tax snugly in my pocket.

7.45pm. finally, the bus station. jumped out of the bus. ran across the street. where's the taxi when we need it? we need a taxi to get to the airport.

7.50pm. in between cars. why did it seem that everyone is out about town today?

7.55pm. why is the car in front driving so slowly? move it. we are in a hurry.

7.56pm. is that the airport?

7.57pm. yes, it is. i can see it,

7.58pm. we are almost there.

heart beating faster. please let us board the plane.

7.59pm. go, go, go.

8.00pm. finally, the international departure entrance. practically threw the money at the guide. jumped out of the taxi. flew over the few steps. ran in. dumped our bags onto the scanner machine. grabbed our bags.

where's air asia counter? the security guard pointed.

with a sinking heart, though already expected, it was closed. there was not a single soul there.

sudah tutup, said an airport official.

my flight is at 8.10pm. we can still make it. we can run. we have no baggage.

i pleaded to the guys who showed up around us. they told us to go to air asia's ticketing office located outside. i remembered seeing it. running faster than i ever had, not even caring about the pain in my legs, i zoomed out of the departure hall to the tiny office window.

my flight is at 8.10pm. we can make it. we can run. we have no baggage. please let us board the plane. please, please, please.

no. cannot.

such cruel words. my heart sank. but i won't give up. i cannot give up at this point.

please, please, please. we can make it. we can run. we have no baggage. please let us board the plane.

no. cannot.

please, please, please.

voices over the walkie talkie.

in desperation, i pleaded, i begged.

ok. go.

i need no other words. no further prompts. we ran in again. threw our bags to be scanned. raced to the counter. this time, an air asia staff was there. the airport officials quickly set things into motion. took our passports. fill in the forms for us. took our money and paid the airport tax on our behalf.

all i could do was to say, thank you, thank you, thank you very much.

they showed us the way. with gratitude, i bid farewell and loads of thank yous to them.

passed thru the immigration.

ran up the elevator.

ran to the departure gate.

ran down the escalator.

ran onto the tarmac.

ran up the steps.

walk into the plane.

welcome. glad that you could make it.

thank God that we could make it.

i walked into the aisle. everyone else was already seated. some were looking at us. i didn't care. i was overjoyed and thankful that i was on the plane. and will soon be on my way back home. i can hardly believe it.

we turned to each other. took a deep breath. sighed a big relief. thank God and our lucky stars.

we made it.

p/s: i sincerely wish to thank the minibus driver, the other passengers in the minibus, the taxi driver, the 3 airport officials and the 2 air asia staff for going all out to help us make the flight home on may 5th. they were wonderful people who demonstrated kindness, understanding and support to strangers like us in indonesia. may they be blessed for their good deeds.

...the life of city folks.

2007-05-06T12:39:00.001+08:00

Everyone looks forward to holidays. Especially working people. It's a day where we don't have to work and yet get paid for it.

But when the holiday arrives, we realise that the anticipation is greater than the actual. Many city folks just do not know what to do. The usual stuff is to sleep, watch movies either on DVDs or at the cinema, shop, makan-makan, lepak at malls, etc.

Is that all to it?

I guess it boils down to having friends and family to hang out and do stuff with. I may be a typical city gal. I am a typical city gal. The plan for karaoke may be scrapped. The plan to picnic by the river may seem illogical coz of the rain lately. But I've no regrets hanging out at my friend's place, eating her homemade chicken pie (yummy!), chit chatting non-stop and playing Boggle with 2 of my good friends.

That was a great afternoon on a holiday.

Never mind the fact that I had to suffer the whole night with last minute stuff to complete, e-mails to send out, getting only a few hours of sleep... coz the next day, I'm on my way to another travel destination. Yipee!

...the horrendous traffic in the city.

2007-04-28T10:32:00.001+08:00

sometimes i wonder why i even bother. to drive. it's giving me stress. it's making me impatient. it's making my blood boil hot red.

lately the traffic has been terrible. last night, i was crawling to my destination. it wasn't even raining at that time. no visible accidents. just cars. lots and lots of them on the road. it took me more than one hour. to reach my friend's place. i was expecting only a half hour journey. based on past experience. on a friday night.

there i was. drumming my fingers on the steering wheel. in tune with the pounding of my head. fortunately i had a bite earlier. or my stomach will join in the symphony.

i tried to relax. i made a point to be nice. a courteous driver. i guess i was ok. coz this time, i didn't have to rush there. no pressure to be on time. just be there. that made the difference.

i missed the times when i was driven around. i missed having friends to pick me up. to send me home. to chat with while stuck in the traffic. i missed being dependent on others.

that's the price of getting a car of my own.

...fluffy pink pen for the feminine me.

2007-04-26T23:40:00.001+08:00

Watch out for the fluffy pink butterfly pen I bought. I'm gonna post the picture up.

Can you imagine kwazy berry holding that pen, scribbling her thoughts in a pinky cutey notebook (iMAC??) ala Legally Blonde style.

Hmm... means I gotta get me a toy dog soon, do my nails, practice bending to pick up stuff...?

Ok guys, don't get heart attack imagining kwazy berry turning oh-so-ladylike.

...changing the 'C's to colour up my life.

2007-04-25T17:58:00.001+08:00

No, it's not about improving my grades. I'm not under that kind of pressure anymore. Not that I ever was. But I do feel sorry for those of you who are studying in this era.

So what are the 3 'C's that I need to change? It was kind of an epiphany revealed to me by my sis.

Change Church
Change Clothes
Change Career

A lot of people "advise" me about no. 1 but I shall not, in this posting, talk about that.

I shall reserve no. 3 for later when I feel like dwelling further into it.

The most interesting of this lot is no. 2. One of girl's hot topics. My sis said (supported by my bro-in-law) that I dress like an old lady. Hmm... okie... maybe that was not exactly what she said but that's the point she is trying to make. You know... that my clothes make me look like an aunty. Exclude the fact that I AM an aunt.

So, what I did was to make her pinpoint which of my clothes, did she think, made me look older. Well, we were halfway through that when I got interrupted, so our discussion has yet to be continued.

Anyways, I sort of do agree with her that I need to revamp my wardrobe. Too many blacks and browns. Too many plain mono colour designs. Too many baggy loose stuff. I do have reasons why I chose those (comfort being the main reason) and not others. Sometimes, I think I do dress a bit too conservatively.

So, now I'm accepting fashion advice from any fashion gurus out there. Tell me, what must I have in my wardrobe? How should I dress to maximise the "me" in me? What kind of outer look should I portray (does it also reflect the inner me)?

In the meantime, I will go shop shop (to actually buy is a totally different story), then I go chop chop (away with clothes that I don't wear anymore but still keep in the wardrobe), and finally hop hop around town with the hopefully new look?

...the goodness of public holidays.

2007-04-24T19:32:00.001+08:00

a few weeks back, i read that an opposition member had commented that we, malaysians, have too many public holidays. this arose because labour's day and wesak day both fall on the same day. therefore, the government has decided to declare may second a holiday as well. inside me, i was thinking, hey mister, you are not going to win votes with a comment like that.

later, it was announced that april twenty six will be the installation day of the new agung. it will be a public holiday for all government offices, public sector, schools and banks. the human resource minister encouraged the private sector to also declare the day off. the key word here is encourage, not compulsory.

i thought nothing much of it until... slowly, one by one, my friends told me that their company has announced the day off. that made me increasingly jealous of the generosity of their company. so i keep hoping and wishing, hoping and wishing, yet trying not to keep my hopes up too high lest i be disappointed.

suddenly, came the good news. my company has declared the day off. i was so elated, in high spirits that i could not stop smiling. the happiness the news brought forth just made my day. in cheerful mood, i work with renewed zest. i did my work with joy and in earnestness to finish as soon as possible because i have something to look forward to. a rest day.

that's the goodness of public holidays.

...any volunteers to interpret my dream.

2007-04-23T18:21:00.001+08:00

i remember blogging about the topic of dreams before. and here i am again doing so. i guess it's kind of fun to find out how people will interpret my dream and what meaning they will glean from it. well, i'm not a good interepreter and my dream is not logical, as usual. somehow what each one of us will perceive from it depends on our current emotional situation and the circumstances at that particular time. ok, let's not waste more time. here it is, in summarised form and as far as my memory goes...

last night, i dreamt i needed to cross country borders. what separated both countries is a river. actually, the country i wanted to cross over seem more of an island. i needed to take a boat across. at first i couldn't see the pathway to the jetty. so i slid down to the river bank to check it out. at the river bank, there was some kind of instrument (resembling an inverted cone, something like one would see along the road, just turn it upside down). i wondered what it was but something else distracted me. i saw an official looking guy, whom i presumed would be the person i can ask information from. so i proceeded to walk back upwards, away from the river bank. after a few steps, suddenly a crocodile pop out of the river. i was so shocked. it seemed to want to take a bite off my leg. incredulously, i felt its expression of regret that it surfaced a bit too late and missed its juicy meal out of me. it then dipped itself back into the river. i was rooted to the spot out of shock and i was thankful that i had moved away just in time. then, i saw another official looking guy (different from the first guy but same kind of uniform) pushing the inverted cone into place. and i could suddenly read the words written on it, beware of crocodiles. quickly, i scrambled up the river bank. while on the way up, i spotted the pathway leading to the jetty. i felt a huge relief that i found the way and it didn't involve going back to the river bank.

that's not the end of my dream. but that was the most interesting part. eeriely, this morning, when i so happen to have time to flip through the newspapers before going to work, i read a news item about a child eaten by a crocodile at a holiday resort in china. no relation but it prompted me to think about my dream.

so, what do you see, oh intepreter of dreams?

...changing colours and stripes again.

2007-04-22T23:13:00.001+08:00

routine is b.o.r.i.n.g.

kwazy berry has never like routine. the monotonous dull existence of living day-to-day and week-to-week in exactly the same way. ugh!

ok, routine has its good points. it is orderly. it is structured. you get to improve. you know what to expect. it's safe.

it's b.o.r.i.n.g. yawn!

kwazy berry knows she need a change when she starts to feel bored over something. coz when she does, instead of being more productive, she becomes less. she becomes edgier and crazier. and she sighs a lot. sigh!

kwazy berry knows she gets bored easily. that's not a good thing. but that's how she ticks.

so, time to change her colours and stripes again.
a new look, a new view, a new plan, a new life.

...high toity nose-in-the-air i-know-it-all people.

2007-04-21T22:27:00.001+08:00

i was reading in the papers about how snobbery occurs among the rich societe. i'm glad that i'm not part of them. coz the pressure is too much to just "belong" and be part of the in-crowd or so called popular group. i don't think i can take it. i would crack and break down, well not so much of break down but more of going nuts and screaming in a lunatic way. i guess i wouldn't trade what i am now or what i have (or not have) now for that kind of life. though i wouldn't mind if life boost me up a bit in the rich part.

as i read about how people would go, "this is the latest designer bag, you know..." or "oh, this is so last season..." or even "this costs me only..." where only is equivalent to my salary amount, suddenly it occurs to me that these lines seem a bit too familiar and too close. the sentences will go something like... "this is the newest technology, you don't know meh?" or "aiyah, i already know about it, like few months back, now only you know ar?" or even "so easy what, i also can do, that person no skill-lah".

yes, welcome to the snobbery of the IT world. it's really hard to keep up with the Joneses in this world too. suddenly, everyone becomes the expert. everyone knows it all. if you are clueless and not updated, you are left at the fringe of the "in-crowd" circle. like the snobs in the rich world, what can most people do but fake their way in too. pretending that they know what's happening, showing off and saving face.

well, it's an animal world out there. all the best to you.

...disliking one's self.

2007-04-20T14:25:00.001+08:00

sometimes i dislike myself.

these are the times. when i...

...become disrespectful to a person by raising my tone of voice.
...am late even though i promised to be punctual (especially if the reason for being late is because i dilly dally in bed, refusing to get up).
...loose my temper over teeny weeny stuff just because things didn't fall neatly into place to suit me.

it's hard to be a nice person. (though i feel that it's also hard work to be mean.) but thanks to Jesus, i know i can change and He will change me if i let him.

...me marrying a rich guy.

2007-04-19T11:23:00.002+08:00

a colleague said...

if you managed to snare a rich husband, i will become a monk.

i don't know whether to treat this statement as a personal insult or just laugh it off coz sadly enough, it has a ring of truth in it.

first, let me indulge by being indignant about it. what man... you're saying i don't have the ability to attract a rich guy?

then, i shall let reality set in. well, it's true. not because i don't have the looks or the intelligence (or "bimbo"ness) to match a rich guy. but the fact is, if you are not rich, you would not be mixing with a crowd that is rich. therefore, you will not meet any eligible rich man. which means, higher probability that you will not marry a rich man. simple logic. of course, there's always the 1% who breaks the magic circle. that'll be the fairy tale romance of happily ever after.

so because i am of a working class (sordid fact of life), i will meet people who are of likewise. and therefore, i have lower, practically nil, zilch, zero, nada chances of marrying a rich man.

well, at least give me the liberty to dream.

...the second half of year two-zero-zero-seven.

2007-04-18T20:11:00.001+08:00

i have never left my calendar year so blank before. like what my friend once said, single people will always find activities to fill up their weekends and public holidays.

well, i am leaving july to december of this year free at the moment. (oh, except blocking two weekends for my cousin's wedding.) all other plans i have stop at june 30th. that date is of course the date of one of my "bestest" friend's wedding. and it's the marker for me.

why am i doing this? coz i just don't know what i want to do with my life right now. i know i want a change but i don't know of what kind. i know i want to move on but i don't know to what. i don't want to make decisions that tie me up because i want to be able to, you know, drop and go. get what i mean?

countdown twelve days to my next marker. yep, i set markers. too much of listening to the videos. ok, i know you are clueless of what i mean by this. but cryptic is all i can give right now. coz heck, i don't even know myself now. talk about what woman want. complicated-lah.

p/s: i think kwazy berry has gone bonkers.

...the year of yes.

2007-04-17T18:42:00.001+08:00

when i read one of my past entries, i realised that i have actually made a new year resolution out of it. yes, the title of this entry.

quoting kwazy berry on Friday, November 03, 2006:

it is kind of a cool concept - the part about saying yes to anyone who ask you out on a first date

well, i modified it a bit actually. it's more of a "saying yes to anyone who ask me out". it came about when i realised that i have less and less single unmarried and unattached friends. so i'm not gonna mope around at home for lack of a social life. pro-active is the word? or it just sounds plain desperate? u tell me.

...suffering in silence.

2006-11-15T17:14:00.001+08:00

it's a terrible thing not able to talk. now i know i can't live in silence. i need to talk, say something, sing, or just speak out.

i have a terrible ulcer on my tongue. my biggest ever. it's so inconvenient. can't talk properly. can't eat well. can't drink smoothly.

a combination of stress and "heatiness". that explains the popping pimples too.

conincidently, they started to play this radio ad about mouth cancer awareness over mix fm. one of the symptoms is ulcer that does not heal. phew! glad to say mines is healing. i can feel it. :-)

...three first times over the weekend.

2006-11-13T22:08:00.001+08:00

This past weekend has been filled with new stuff for kwazy berry.

New experience no.1:
First time attending an Indian wedding

Well, I can't wait anymore for allanaq to get married. Fortunately, K invited me to his wedding. It was a lovely affair, combining religion and tradition. The wedding itself is so picturesque. Of course, the bride and groom look splendid in their wedding attire on the wedding dais. And the food is superb. I must confess I have a weakness for Indian food, even if it's just vegetarian. Can't wait for missey to share her photos.

New experinece no.2:
First time doing hair rebonding

Yep, it's the vain me speaking here. Cast aside mom's objection of me destroying my hair. I'm actually quite pleased with the result. I was afraid that this hairstyle would look awful on me. I guess it's worth the rush and the wait and the money. I hope the maintenance of the hair will be easy. I already feel that it's a bit of a hassle not able to wash/wet my hair for 3 days, nor tie or clip my hair for 2 weeks. All in the name of vanity.

New experience no.3:
First time eating abalone

I just don't understand what is so yummy about this delicacy. It's really not that nice. It's tough and taste like err... I don't even know how to describe it. Susan and Jeff say it tastes a bit like escargot. Well, I don't even like escargot. Nothing appealing in having snails in my stomach. So, I guess I will definitely save money by not going for abalone. Aside from that, the rest of the meal was superb. Thanks mom! May you strike again with my car number. ;-)

...why men say women deserve it.

2006-11-12T22:32:00.001+08:00

There goes another outrageous remark again. I do wonder whether these guys are saying it just to get publicity and attention, albeit notoriously.

Plainly speaking, women do NOT want to be raped, molested or sexually harassed.

Full stop.

When something goes wrong, the first thing men will blame is the women. It doesn't matter if the act itself is wrong. It doesn't matter that social ills have become rampant. It doesn't matter if the bigger issue is not focused on. I think it's all about "jaga muka" for the men. The big three letter word, EGO.

If a decent short skirt below the knee is deemed sexy, what else constitute sexiness? Aiyoh, her shapely legs is traced when she wear jeans. Oops, her ankle is showing beneath her long skirt. Naughty, you revealed your wrist to men. Oh no, the nape of your neck makes men swoon. Maybe the law should define sexiness in women and make all citizens (and visitors) memorise the statutes regarding it.

...shame on you, mister, for plagiarism.

2006-11-04T01:28:00.003+08:00

Mimicry or plagiarism? The debate is out there.
I wouldn't want to be him. I will be ashamed if I were him.

Blogs on the Brendan-Pereira Mitch-Albom issue:
Screnshots (read the comments also)
Rocky's Bru (read October 31 posts onwards)

...dance, good looking, and dates.

2006-11-03T23:40:00.001+08:00

3 things from the lifestyle section of the papers caught the berry's attention today.

the first goes to...

...the feature article, which was about movies that centre on dance. as i read through the list, i realised i watched almost every single one and most of them are my favourites. admittedly, i can watch them over and over again. mainly because of their dance sequence. come on, who hasn't heard of saturday night fever with john travolta's slick disco moves? who didn't remember the snapping fingers and dance moves from west side story? who didn't feel like going to the school of fame? who didn't identify with what a feeling from flashdance? who weren't rooting for kevin bacon's character in footloose? who didn't wish they were dirty dancing with patrick swayze? who weren't impressed with the beat of strictly ballroom? who didnt straight away want to enroll for hip hop class after watching honey dance?

well, i may not be a great dancer but i definitely know i was not born with two left feet. i know i can dance decently. after reading the article, i suddenly missed my tap classes. i missed hearing the tappety tap my feet can produce though limited the steps may be. it was not my fault that they had to close down my class and i couldn't make it for the sunday classes. i know i should take more effort to locate classes in other studios. yes, i should do that. and also, to learn new dance styles. i did think of hip hop but hahahaha, i may not have enough energy and stamina to go through each class. maybe i should go for latin ballroom - jive my way around or tango my way through. Salsa, samba, rumba and er-1-2-cha-cha-cha...

next was about...

...companies still tend to hire people who are better looking. yes, that's the reality. first impressions do count. and this kind of first impression is something that we don't have the ability to change - natural good looks. personally, i did observed that children gravitate more towards teachers who are beautiful. customers will be nicer to pleasant faces. of course, beauty is just the first pull, other characteristics such as personality and skills are important as well. but there's no denying that we are more lenient with pretty people. and beauty does help in a lot of areas. we are not talking about drop dead gorgeous men and women. as long as one is relatively good looking and can be categorise as pretty or handsome in a sense. i do feel sad for those who are really unfortunately born with ugly face. sorry to be frank about this. i may not be beautiful but i must thank God for not making me ugly.

and finally...

...the year of yes. that's the title of a book that was reviewed. in a nutshell, the story centres on a 20 year old girl, who after going through many failed loves, wrong mr rights and dateless valentines, decided that for one whole year, she will say yes to anyone who ask her out for a date, as long as he is not violent, drunk, or drugged. there are a couple of stuff that seem wrong with this story. first of all, she is only 20 years old. she didn't even go through enough years yet to search for her other half. secondly, no ordinary person would be asked out on dates by so many guys in a year, and such a variety of them to the boot. and lastly, didn't her mother warn her not to say yes to strangers? tsk.. tsk.. dangerous.

what have chic lits become? totally fantasy stories. they don't write stories like bridget jones diary anymore. i am definitely not gonna waste my money and time on that book. however, it is kind of a cool concept - the part about saying yes to anyone who ask you out on a first date. maybe i should make it my coming new year's resolution. hahahaha... as if i dare do it. but i have enough of people reminding me that i'm getting old and it's time for me to get married and blah blah blah... don't wait for the perfect guy because there is none, don't be choosy, go out and meet more people, and the list of advice goes on. so, what can a gal do but nod her head and just say yes.

...how life is making her sigh out loud.

2006-10-30T19:10:00.001+08:00

Life isn’t as easy as it is made out to be
Every breath is a conscious decision to live on
The mind always plays tricks on us
But the heart beats to prove that we still feel

Nothing falls naturally in place like in the fairy tales
Complications arise from simple things
How do we decide what is to be
When there are no certainties in life itself

...english tea and english me.

2006-10-29T23:03:00.001+08:00

kwazy was treated to a delicious english tea at carcosa seri negara today by mummy dearest. wow! my mouth still waters remembering the scone and fruitcake and ooh... yummy strawberry tartlet. heavenly...

i'm like wanting to go all english-sy but heck, i'm a typical malaysian berry who enjoys her "-lah"s and "-lor"s and "-mah"s. mum used to admonish me for all those un-natural way of speaking. key word is "used to" coz she gave up.

someone (actually, a few people) did remark that i'm the most 'english' person they know for a local. i'm like... huh? what do you mean? i've never even been to england. nor have i studied under any british education system. i was in a malay government school, ok.

seriously, i wonder why i give them that impression. i don't speak the queen's english (though i love to listen to people who do). the way i speak english still has a little chinese accent to it. i know many malaysians whose english is so much better than mines - verbally, grammatically and in writing. up till today, i still hesitate to give myself a 10/10 for english.

language aside... i don't look english. i don't dress english (personally i think the english doesn't have a good fashion sense). i don't fall into any english habits. i don't follow english customs. hey, christianity originate from middle east, not europe.

oh, but i love english tea.

so what is it in me that people like to label me as such?

maybe coz of the antithesis... coz i'm not chinese enough.

i'm a chinese. but i don't speak chinese well. in fact, i think i can honestly say my chinese language sucks, totally horrible. i, of course, can't read in chinese. i don't know much about chinese culture (interesting but confusing to me). i don't follow chinese customs religiously but i do enjoy some of them. my sister even calls me a banana, though, i prefer to be known as strawberry ;p.

oh, but i love chinese tea as well.

so let's leave it as that...

...it turning 3.

2006-10-23T17:40:00.001+08:00

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to kwazy berry muses on...
Happy birthday to you!

Yes, I have officially blogged for three years. Not 3 solid years though. Nevertheless, I'm proud of your achievements.

Make a wish. Blow out the candle. Cut the cake. Bring out the champagne.
This is an excuse to celebrate. La-dee-da!

...two poems of old.

2006-10-18T23:06:00.001+08:00

i don't know why... but at work today... suddenly two poems i read while still in my teens... sneak into my consciousness... these two poems were by dear old robert frost... i shall refrain from making any comments... just want you to share in my fond memories of them... and soak in their meanings...

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

ok... it's difficult to hold back and not spill out my thoughts... after all, the above poem is always close to my heart... i think i know what made me think about this poem... i'm again at a forked road... many forkroads in fact... i hate making decisions... and i hate having to choose... knowing that the choice not chosen will be one i would never ever know the outcome... no matter how far i try to see ahead... i can never actually determine what's beyond my sight... the hardest part is... there is no clear cut answer... both paths are well trodden... yet i gotta choose... and i realise there's no point in regrets... yeah, a few sighs now and then... memories they will be... but because i have chosen... that's the way i am... and that will shape what i am in the future...

oh... and this brings to my mind... a song that i love... which i heard yesterday over the radio on my way home... with exactly the same sentiments... here's over to bon jovi...

It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive (It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

so... what made me think about this second poem today... the same last two lines... obligations and responsibilities... i wish i can stop... the woods is paradoxical... it holds danger and the unknown... yet it's seductive... restful, lovely... but dark and deep... i wanna go there but i know i should not venture in... trust my instinct and intuition... sometimes things are not what they seem... a step in may not bring me back to the path... especially when i can't find my way in the fresh snow fall...

...fertile women dress to impress.

2006-10-12T19:55:00.001+08:00

Hmm... ponder i did on this piece of news.

Here's excerpts:
Women dress to impress when they are at their most fertile, U.S. researchers said in a study they say shows that signs of human ovulation may not be as mysterious as some scientists believe... ..."They tend to put on skirts instead of pants, show more skin and generally dress more fashionably," said Martie Haselton, a communication studies and psychology expert at the University of California Los Angeles who led the study... ...The fertile women did not necessarily dress more provocatively, Haselton noted. "We did see a little bit more skin. It was my impression that the women were just dressing a little bit more fashionably but not sexier."

Now i gotta check myself whether i subconsciously do so.

However, one has to look at it from the other side of the coin. When we, women, are closer to our menstrual period, we tend to be moody, bloated, plagued with aches, and extra tired. So, in that kind of situation, who got the energy and effort to dress up and be pretty??

...sale, sale, sale, sale and sale.

2006-09-29T00:12:00.001+08:00

i've just recovered from a bout of shopping spree last month. i can't believe my eyes when i saw major departmental stores having sales again.

i never thought i would turn into a shopaholic. but i will, if i dont watch out. the feeling is really nice, to be able to spend money and buy things that i like. especially at a bargain price. it is such a pleasure to be able to pamper myself. i guess i was quite a tight fisted person last time. counting ringgit and cents. maximising usage to its worth. well, admit it, i still am to a certain extent. but i am gradually learning how to depart from my money. after all, when i die, it would be of no use to me. but what if i haven't die and have not enough? not enough is always associated with greed. and money is the root of all evil.

so back to the topic of sales. what shall i buy this time round? since i didn't purchase anything from the recent travel fair (guess really no holiday for me this year), i should have an excuse and unspent money to trifle away.

hmm... shopholic goes local...

...d.a.d. in the p.a.p.e.r.s.

2006-09-22T23:33:00.001+08:00

hahaha... somebody gonna be proud that his face appeared in the newspapers today. needless to specify who that vain person is. well, it's time for him to get a shot in fame. never too late. never too old. at least not for notorious reasons. anyway, i can always disassociate myself. hahahaha...

...not being left out.

2006-09-06T23:13:00.001+08:00

47% of people in China don't know how to speak Mandarin.

hey, i didn't make this up. it was reported in the star newspaper today. o.k., to be more exact, it said, "...only 53% of the public can speak the version of Mandarin known as putonghua, or 'the common language".

boy, it did make me feel better... a bit.

i'll be the first to admit that i'm a banana. can't speak mandarin. can't speak cantonese properly either. but i must broadcast that some friends said my cantonese has improved.

it is a handicap not knowing one of the more widely spoken language in the world, especially when it is a language associated with my skin colour and that of my forefathers. after all, how then can i go bargain in a land where shopping is cheap and fun!!

yet, there are times recently when i felt blessed for not knowing the language. coz it basically meant less work for me and i would not be responsible for certain things in the office. hehehe...

well, here's to language or the lack of it... cheers!

...a note to self.

2006-09-05T19:13:00.001+08:00

dO nOt wAnT tO wOrK lAtE aNyMoRe!

...why she wanted to stay away from eve celebrations.

2006-08-31T02:00:00.001+08:00

Why stay away?
1. traffic jam to the place of celebration
2. traffic jam in the car park of celebration
3. traffic jam going home after celebration

Why go?
1. fun
2. friends
3. fireworks

...being shot down with bullets of work.

2006-08-29T23:39:00.001+08:00

rat-tat-tat-tat...
the machine gun spewed its bullets

one by one
they shot over the air
pushed through defenses
hit their target

rat-tat-tat-tat...
artillery fired away

i, collapsed
from sheer exhaustion
as reason died in the hands of work

i, surrendered
waved the white flag
foresaw the lost of september

fare thee well
my social life
draw your last breath
on the eve of freedom

...the nonsense some people can utter.

2006-08-27T23:44:00.001+08:00

After living without reading the newspapers for five days, I finally had a chance to glance through a few news late at night.

And I laughed out loud over a ridiculous comment made by a certain person.

Quote...
"...since the state does not have discos or nightclubs, how can vice exist?"

By vice, he is referring to prostitution, which was the main headline of a daily English paper.

Oh my goodness, how shallow can a person's thinking be? Vice or prositution does not need discos or nightclubs to exist. This vice will be where immorality is. Immorality is found in the hearts of people who do not fear God and who shun chastity.

This particular fella went on to say that the people there are "cultured and did not subscribe to such pursuits".

I still do not get how being cultured is related to such pursuits. I mean, the lords and ladies of 18th and 19th century England were deemed to be cultured, and yet they pursued sexual immorality rampantly.

To make sure that I did not go astray in my thinking, I decided to check the dictionary for the meaning of being "cultured".

culture
refined understanding or the arts and other intellectual achievement

I rest my case.

I, then, read the next article on the same page.

Two gigolo wannabes come clean with story - that was the headline.

These two guys were duped of their cash. I coudn't help it. I laughed out loud again. But with fond memories, I recalled how I couldn't even recognise a gigolo right in front of me, offering me his services. Now, that was funny.

…praying while you are still young.

2006-08-26T14:52:00.002+08:00

nicole: do you remember one of our teachers telling us that it's not too early to pray for your future husband?

kwazy berry: yeah, i do recall something like that. but i never did do so at that time. did you?

nicole: yes, i did.

guess what? she's now attached to a boyfriend that she knows she wants to marry. and most probably she will soon.

two other friends, who told me that they prayed about their future husband while they were still in their teens, are now happily married.

what can i say? i never ever did take that advice seriously. i never did pray about it when i was young. nor later.

God, i guess i thought i could find one neat guy on my own, without your help.

obviously, it's not happening.

well, i better start praying now... while i'm still "young".

...not being choosy.

2006-08-24T18:00:00.002+08:00

Ephesians 5: 33
However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Lots of people say I'm being choosy. Yes, I admit I am. But how can I not be choosy? After all, he's gonna be my life partner. Someone whom I'm gonna live with for the rest of my life. (Or some may say, cannot live without for the remainder of your life.) Of course, I gotta be choosy. I rather not married than marry a guy who I get irritated with after awhile.

O.k. I also admit that I do have a list of criterias. Hah! I know there's no such thing as a perfect man (and no perfect woman either - me being the least perfect!!) I just wanted someone whom I can relate to, share thoughts and principles, lah dee da, lah dee dee, and so on.

So after reading this bible verse today, I've decided to revamp my list. Now, it has only 3 items.

He must be a born again Christian who loves God.
He must love me.
He must be someone whom I will respect.

Am I asking too much? Nope, don't think so.

kwazy berry signing off, still dreaming of her knight in shining armour on a white steed...

Thud!

kwazy berry smacked into the iron metal of reality masquerading as an armour and dropped mushed to the harsh muddy ground.

...the married berry.

2006-08-22T11:31:00.001+08:00

Who? Who got married? Who had a baby?

I heard kwazy berry got married and had a baby! Is that true?

kwazy berry: No, it's not true!

Rumours had been going around that kwazy berry has a baby girl.

kwazy berry: What? Hey, I’m still single and available!!

O.k. stop laughing. I know it sounds funny to you. It completely ruined my reputation. How am I’m gonna attract guys if they think I’m off the shelf?

What brought this on? Yep, it’s that lovely picture of kwazy berry holding her little baby niece.

Key word: Niece, i.e. sister’s daughter

Several people did message me to ask the question and clarify. But I never thought that some people had presumed without asking for the truth.

I know. It's so natural to assume so coz I'm pass the marriageable age and I put on weight and people my age are having babies.

Here's showing what happens when we see or hear things but not verify the facts. That's how rumours start. This is the danger of just knowing little bits and believing them blindly. So I say, don't believe everything you read or hear. Judge for yourself. Ask the direct source. Assume but not presume. Give the benefit of doubt. Sometimes, what you think is a trusted source may not be all that right too.

Well, to save my reputation and put myself back on game, I've changed the picture. And that too, people will comment. They are just jealous because they can't find a cuter picture of themselves. Hah!

...technology and us.

2006-08-21T20:54:00.001+08:00

i had a wonderful trip in the highlands...

...and an interesting journey up and down the highlands.

interesting because we discussed about technology in the future. here i was, a half past six gal with enough knowledge of i.t. to get by and earn money with, seated next to a guy who is passionate about the infinite possibilities of i.t. and what he likes to do with it. insightful indeed. on one hand, i also see what he sees. on the other hand, i felt like the party pooper. you know the one who pops the bubble of enthusiasm and replaces it with negativity. my biggest issue is morality. secondly, the uniqueness of being me, the person i am.

i shall not elaborate about all that we talked about. let me just give you the gist of it... the virtual me and the virtual you (lots of them, in fact) updating the real me and the real you... gps, gprs, bluetooth, internet, database... knowing where everyone is and what's going on anywhere and everywhere... advertisements that read your needs... "personalised" information through recognition of the person... technology adapting to you and your needs... integration of technology... knowledge management (i.e. know what you know when you need it)... the immortal "you" who will never die eventhough you die physically... get my drift?

two movies came to my mind. the matrix and minority report. if you haven't watch those shows, watch them.

something else came out... the mark of the beast.

being in the world but not of the world. i am excited to want to live in that kind of world we talked about. but yet, i fear, for i do not want technology to end up controlling me. i do see it happening now. our lives are totally depended on technological stuff. we can't live without technology.

maybe... i just say maybe... in order to survive and be free in the future, you gotta know how to live without technology. back to basics.

i just want to be me.

...her first holiday of the year.

2006-08-18T23:45:00.001+08:00

i can't believe it! this is so pathetic! so unlike me!

yes, i am now only going for my first trip of the year. and a local one at that. and for only two days one night. seriously, how have i lost my wandering feet? at this time last year, i was preparing myself to go down under. albeit for work purpose, but pleasure was in the itinerary.

i have lost my reputation. right from the beginning of the year, people had already questioned me about my next journey. and all i can do is smile and say "don't know". yet, the year has not ended. there's still hope. that i may cross the seas to another land. but where should i go?

my fren's father-in-law had travelled to forty countries. and so i counted mines. what? barely even ten? if it was not for china claiming back hk, it would have been ten. and so my resolution is to hit that number this year. but where may i go?

been there...

singapore
indonesia - medan, bali
thailand - bangkok, sukothai, chiangmai/chiangrai, kachanaburi, hat yai, koh samui
cambodia - siem reap (angkor wat), phnom penh
vietnam - hanoi, halong bay, hue, hoi an, danang, ho chi minh city (saigon)
china - hong kong, shenzhen
south korea - seoul, icheon, jeonju
india - mumbai, goa
australia - melbourne, great ocean road
???

looks like i have never ventured beyond asia pacific. but i trot where the budget leads me. so where can i go?

save me. give me ideas. show me the way, literally.

for the meantime, i will dream of my highlands. two highlands actually. camerons tomorrow. and gentings on wednesday. a very much deserved break, i must add.

at least i know, or i think i will be doing something similar to last year at this time. that is... pigging out on strawberries. ooh, such lovely thought. sigh!

...BBW.

2006-08-17T19:20:00.001+08:00

Banned Books Week

i didn't even know such a week existed. thanks to lucy.in.d.sky who enlightened me.

after scanning the list of the 100 most frequently challenged book of 1990-2000, it dawned on me that i am a good girl. a-hem! hear me, i didnt say perfect angel, just a good girl coz i read less than 10 of the so-called banned books. 75% of them i have never even heard of.

but i beg to disagree on the list. well, it's a matter of opinion. i can understand why some titles are banned. i totally support banning of books with explicit languages and violence. i won't go so far as being a book burner coz i'm a carnal lover of books. yet, how my heart bled to see roald dahl's james and the giant peach on that list. know that i have wept for the catcher in the rye by j.d. salinger. why oh why have they included harper lee's to kill a mockingbird?

bless my books. keep them safe in the sanctuary of my home. protect them from their enemies of dust, decay and silverfish.

i, kwazy berry, also solemnly swear that i shall choose one of these challenged books, hunt it down, and read it.

Banned Books Week 2006 is September 23–30

...the re-emergence of the long lost blogger.

2006-08-16T22:49:00.001+08:00

ok... kwazy berry has not been away that long... she has just gone into hibernation for almost a year... coz she was entrapped in an alternate dimension known as w.e.r.k which she barely escaped... and she needs to find her LIFE back... before she is sucked back into that seamless world...

and why does work play such a big role in our life? is it the i-can-never-get-enough-of money? is it the adrenaline rush of a great career? is it the status that goes with the designation? is it an expectation in life that all must go through?

how kwazy berry wish to be able to let it go... and she can if she wants to... and she can if she dares to... and she can if she just "can" it...

see how the dragon puffs away her fiery breath... watch the bull wastes away her horns... no wonder she names herself after a fruit... and a crazy one at that... running out of juices... turning sour when once she was ever so sweet...

weep not over the hey days of beauty... my mr. keats say...

She dwells with Beauty - Beauty that must die;
And Joy, whose hand is ever at his lips
Bidding adieu, and aching Pleasure nigh,
Turning to poison while the bee-mouth sips:
Ay, in the very temple of Delight
Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine,
Though seen of none save him whose strenuous tongue
Can burst Joy's grape against his palate fine;
His soul shall taste the sadness of her might,
And be among her cloudy trophies hung.

...being almost famous.

2005-08-26T21:29:00.001+08:00

Kwazy is on the roll... heywa... another opportunity for glamour...

Check out one of the photos in this article that appeared in the Star's Metro on 25th August. Can you spot the glamour girl?

Well, actually that's not the first time kwazy's face appeared in public newspapers. Funnily enough, she never kept any of those newspaper articles.
Appearance no.1 - 10 or 11 years old? was interviewed as a participant on a colouring contest held at KL Plaza, can't remember whether it was a solo picture or with her sis
Appearance no.2 - 17/18/19 years old? class photo for an article focussing on choral speaking
Appearance no.3 - 17 years old? was interviewed by a malay newspaper about my thoughts on the then "dangerous" minibuses
Appearance no.4 - unannouncable age, yesterday, with other tappers performing a tap dance at PJ Civic Centre

Ok... back to earth...

...Reader's S*hack.

2005-08-09T22:39:00.000+08:00

Malaysia's first online book rental website. Saw an article about it in In.Tech today. Personally, I found the books priced a bit too high. The rental price is ok though I think less than RM5 is more desirable. Still I must laud them for their entrepreneurship. Better still is to introduce Bookcrossing to everyone. ;-)

...pink, flourescent and short.

2005-08-08T22:26:00.000+08:00

Who would ever thought that kwazy berry would be crazy enough to wear a very very short flourescent pink skirt? Something pink - still can do. Something flourescent - can get used to it. Something very very short - no way! But who knows, you may see a bright berry on the roll. First, more yoga and tap tap, plus add extra jogging and other loose weight exercise scheme. Huh, what did you say Miss Lazy Bones? That it's not worth it? Sshh... kwazy might just agree with you.

...disappointments on a Sunday.

2005-08-07T22:30:00.000+08:00

#1 - could not find what i wanted to buy
i was so very tired. yet dutifully i went my rounds to search for suitable attire for my costume. needless to say my original assemble was rejected. however i was not rewarded for my efforts of going to several outlets. i did not even see anything that i could pass off as ok. on the bright side, as consolation, i bought myself three cds for ringgit ninety nine and cents ninety only.

#2 - flying cockroach
it really did fly. fly like a dragonfly flies. with its wings spread. it wasn't just my imagination. i had witnesses. all these while i thought they only could hover a few inches above ground or float downwards. but this one i saw went sailing from the hair of a person to several metres away and upwards. now my fear of them have increase. but i am proud that i did not scream as much as my sis.

#3 - goodbye to another of my favourite
i must be losing my sense of hearing. those i thought did not sing that well are still in the competition.

...do dreams come true?

2005-08-03T21:49:00.001+08:00

No, I'm not talking about the dreams as in wishes or hopes or ambitions. Just plain REM. You know those stuff that flutters in your brain while you sleep. I, of course, still have my non-sensical weird dreams. Fortunately not nightmares. But apparently some people's dreams do really come true. Could it be physchic? Or are they blessed with a gift to see into the future? Or some sinister evil at work in the subconscious? This is in fact really interesting. No wonder that many people study about dreams and their interpretations. Anyway, here's something I got from the web.

Why should you bother remembering your dreams?

Your dreaming mind has access to information that is not readily available to you when you are awake. Your dreams may reveal your secret desires and subconscious feelings.
In remembering your dreams, you will have an increased knowledge about yourself, bring about self-awareness and self-healing. Dreams are an extension of how you perceive yourself. They can be a source of inspiration, wisdom, and joy.
Learning to recall your dreams may help you become a more assertive person. In remembering your dreams, you are expressing and confronting your feelings.
Remembering your dreams can help you come to terms with stressful aspects of your lives.

P/S: kwazy berry should make an effort to record her dreams coz they would be hilarious stories to blog about

...the definition of idol.

2005-07-31T22:53:00.000+08:00

Idol (noun)
- someone who is adored blindly and excessively

I was disappointed. Two of my favourites were voted out at the first spectacular. I knew that they would not win but they had good voices and therefore deserved to stay longer in competition. Futhermore, there were others who performed really badly that Friday night. But as the show's title goes, it is Malaysian Idol. Not a singing competition. Not for showcasing talent. The one who will eventually win is the one who could capture the hearts of the Malaysian crowd. Or more specifically, the hearts of Malaysians who bother to vote. I confess that I'm one of those who don't vote. I just watch and comment. I must say it is a good topic for conversation though.

...cockroaches ain't my cup of milo.

2005-07-28T23:16:00.001+08:00

Meeting two cockroaches within 24 hours. Such luck... or unluck?

Last night, after coming home from having a good time with friends, Mr. Big C decided he wanted to end my day on a high note. And indeed high pitched was the sound of my scream. I was ready to have a nice shower. Wrapped snugly in my towel, I entered the bathroom and promptly discarded my only piece of attire. When I turned around, there was Mr. Big C staring at me. Imagine my horror of seeing peeping Tom. Naturally, in my natural state of beauty, I flung open the door and ran out in my birthday suit while screaming. Fortunately no one was around except my mom. Mr. Big C was real cool. He stood his ground. But he ain't that big of a hotshot. He scuttled away like a coward when my mom sprayed him with a quarter can of shieldtox. I was happy that he died. Nope, not an ounce of remorse in me. I didn't even pay my respects. I didn't step into that bathroom again until the next morning.

I think Mr. Big C had some telepathic powers. This morning, of all days, isme_ben decided to share a bit of his life to me - the bit that involves one of Mr. Big C's family members. Apparently one of his siblings decided to pay an unannounced visit to isme_ben's home on top of his head. Hey, this was without me mentioning Mr. Big C's naughty adventure yesterday.

Also, this morning, I wanted to make myself a cup of milo in the office. But the big tin was empty. Derived of my morning milo, I then ordered milo kosong panas to go with my lunch. As I was happily stirring my milo and lifting the teaspoon up and down (thank God I never listen to my mom advice of not playing with my food, err.. drink, in this context), I spied a spy. A dead spy. It's Mr. Small C. His camouflaging was real good. I couldn't recognise him at first. Totally same colour as my milo. Only with confirmation from my fellow colleagues could I verify that he was a young relative of Mr. Big C. Ugh... I could still feel the bile rising up. (OK, stop thinking about it!)

This brought me back to last year's situation at office P. That was a horrible time for me. It took me a number of weeks to gain back my sense of peace working there.

Any suggestions on how I can overcome my fear of cockroaches? Eww... even typing the word out gives me goosebumps.

...comments about the new HP.

2005-07-25T20:06:00.001+08:00

These comments from readers who had read the latest Harry Potter book made me feel good... that I made the right decision in not buying the book yet this time round... but I will still read it in the future.

"i wonder if anyone was let down by the new book? it was long and windy. it didnt live up to the hype :( its sooooooooooooo BLAH especially the ending although it was beautiful at the same time" - Sassa
"THE BOOK is DEFINITELY NOT worth paying RM99.90 for." - MCSC
"I was somewhat disappointed with Book 6 too, something was lost in the editing. But it's not all that bad." - B*B

...the Harry Potter hype.

2005-07-18T18:58:00.000+08:00

I'm proud of myself. I didn't give in to the tempation of buying a RM99.90 work of fiction. Though I must admit I was at the brink of getting it because of the book voucher they offered over the weekend. I do enjoy reading the series. I must say she has a way with storytelling. But I guess at the end, the question is whether a piece of fiction is really worth that much to me. And the answer is no. Not even for a hardcover copy. I shall just wait for next year's book sale to purchase it. Or maybe wait further still for the paperback to arrive. Hey, maybe I can find it at PayLessBooks. I'm a firm believer of buying second hand books (for the "cheapness" rather than the novelty).

Well, still tons of unread books on the table...