...remember my name, FAME.

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...

...a good job as a tourist guide.

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 new chapter in her life.

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.

...the panicky feeling.

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.

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

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)

...the definition of honeymoon walk.

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.

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.

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!

...me marrying a rich guy.

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.

...three first times over the weekend.

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. ;-)

...a romantic proposal.

(Note: Story best read while listening to Pachelbel's Canon in D Major)

The breeze softly played with her hair while humming a beautiful tune. Indeed, the place was aptly named - Orioles Singing in the Willows. Dangling willows are swaying graciously in harmony with the wind.

She smiled and sneaked a peek at the man who is strolling along beside her. He was staring ahead deep in thought. It was one of those times when words need not be spoken.

They stopped and sat on a bench overlooking the wide west lake. Both gave a sigh... she out of contentment and he...?

Suddenly, he took hold of her hands. Looking into her eyes, he said poetically, "There comes a time when a man will take a chance and take a wife. The time has come... will you take the chance and marry me?"

For a moment, time stood still. There were tears in her eyes. Was it tears of joy?

Wait a minute... she is laughing hysterically!!

"The 'poem' is funny," she thought to herself, "how sweet of him to have taken the effort to do this." And then she blurted out the wish that every woman dream of, "Just like that...? No ring kar?"

Before she can bat an eyelash, he whipped out a thick black book from his huge knapsack. 'The Complete History - Poems - Shakespeare' appeared before her very eyes.

Taking the book, she opened it to find all the pages glued together except for the page it fell open to. In the centre was a not-so-neatly cut hole, made out of the glued pages. Inside the hole was a small scarlet satin cloth. Inside the cloth were tiny little shells. Buried in the midst of the shells was a sparkling diamond ring.

It was the ring. The ring she had been waiting for all this while. The ring and the man beamed and stared at her, waiting for her to make a move. Overwhelmed by what is happening to her, she could only stay still, not daring to stir lest the moment fade away in a dream.

Finally, he took the ring and put in on her finger. The act symbolised the beginning of a promise to love and cherish her for the rest of his life.

In a whisper, she asked him to repeat his 'poem'.

"There comes a time when a man will take a chance and take a wife. The time has come... will you take the chance and marry me?"

"Yes, I will."

...margaritas, lingeries and weddings.

It's the year where people your age are getting married. You tend to view your friends from school differently now. Finally all grown up and taking the next step in life's journey. Somehow, we have changed but yet also the same.

To Yen,
...for the 3 margaritas and 1 tequila sunrise...
...and the lingerie minus one...
My happiness for your future!

And to all my other friends who are tying the knot this year - more margaritas and lingeries to come. ;-D