Kate's Snippets of Life

Touristy areas in London

2010-05-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

During my few weeks in London, I spent 1 day of every weekend as a day to go capture some shots.

Tower Bridge. I purposely went there at night to capture some night shots. I dont have my tripod with me.. else I think I should be able to capture a better one.

Trafalgar Square. I walked aimlessly from the Buckingham palace and reached this famous place. ( All the touristy spots in London are actually closeby to one another. So you can actually walk to all these places by foot and cover it in a day. :))
The tower clock @ Big Ben. This is another famous place which tourist shouldn't miss.

I'm BACK with my new journey into Photography

2010-05-06T14:03:00.001-07:00

I just got myself a DSLR camera early last month. It was sort of a gift to myself. For what purpose? Hmm.. Say.. for being worked so hard for the past 5.5 years in my ex company? Haha.. a lame excuse I know. :D

Anyways....so here goes my journey into the photography world.. :)

I do travel quite a bit and was thinking that it's quite a waste not to capture nice pictures. That doesnt mean compact cameras do not do the job but it just doesnt give the result which I've wanted...

So, here I am at London. Will be here for 4 weeks and that means 4 weekends for me to go around and take some pictures. Kinda good way to spend time and not use money eh? Else I'll be crazy over SHOPPING only... haha

It's spring time now in London.. so you can see lotsa flowers. Enjoy the tulips below. :)

Temporarily suspended

2009-12-16T07:26:00.000-08:00

My blog will be dead for the time being due to some other project.

Check it out at...

http://ourdreamhomejourney.blogspot.com/

Mount Buller

2009-08-20T01:04:00.000-07:00

Everyone worked hard for July's month end closing. We worked even on a Saturday. The Finance Manager promised to take us to Mount Buller if we were able to 'close July' without any issues and WE DID!

It was a long drive from Melbourne. Finally, after 3 hours of driving, we reached Mount Buller. We rented a ski jacket and a toboggan. I regretted not renting boots. It was freezing cold and my shoes & socks got all wet.

It was raining and windy. We had no choice but to take the chairlift up to the peak instead of the gondola due to the bad weather.
Midway up, we saw people skiing down the slope. Nice! How I wish I can ski just like them. :D

It was all white up at the peak. Too bad it wasn't snowing. Stayed outdoor for a while, took some pictures before heading in to the cafeteria to 'defrost' and enjoy a cup of Hot Chocolate!

Some photo session :-

After that, we headed to another area to play the toboggan ride. It was fun!

Melbourne - City of lights

2009-08-19T23:47:00.000-07:00

I was in Melbourne for 1.5 weeks but only managed to visit the city only once at night. So if you ask me to describe Melbourne, I'll say it's a City of lights.

I parked near the Crown casino and we walked along the Southbank to the Federation square and back.

Desc : The crown casino building

Took many pictures along the way as it was a beautiful night. Enjoy the pictures below! :)

Desc : The view along southbank heading towards Federation Square

Desc : The view opposite southbank. On the other side of the riverbank.

There were many street performers that night. It was very different as compared to Sydney. The mood, the feel.. It gives me a feeling that the city is aliveee even after 7pm....... :)

Desc : A lady Juggling fire torches

Desc : These 2 guys are good and cute too. *ehem* They should join Australian Idol.

Desc : Romanticc..... The Australian version of "Kenny G" :)

Desc : The Australian version of Eiffel tower. I think it's the arts centre below it.

Desc : The bridge to Federation Square

Desc : Lurvee this pic. My masterpiece. :) Picture taken from the Bridge. Southgate is on the left side.

Desc : Welcome to Federation Square!

A new life

2009-08-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

I've not blogged for a few months now.. Did not know where to start... So ended up not writing anything.

In hope to boost up the mood of writing again, I've decided to give my blog a new life. :D

2009 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX - 5 April 2009

2009-04-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

The F1 season is back and Malaysia was the 2nd race in the season. My friend was going to Sepang to watch the Grand Prix and he'd asked me along. Why not! :)

It was a cloudy day. It was forecasted that it will rain in the evening and that was the time of the race. It would be an interesting race to watch if it rains. The crowd was massive. You can see many people dressed in red and some were carrying red flags. Why red? Ferrarri is red. That showed us how many Malaysian Ferrari supporters out there.

There was an autograph session going on when we reached. Can't remember who the driver was though.

My friend rented a 'Kangaroo' Tv. It's actually a small mini tv which delivers live video, audio and data to spectators over a F1 race. I would say it's a MUST-HAVE if you intend to watch the race live. It feeds you with so much information regarding the race.

The driver's parade before the start of the race.

More pictures.

In the midst of the race, it started to pour heavily. It was getting exciting.. I screamed every time I saw a car skidded. (We were sitting in front of the last cornering of the race. That was the sharpest cornering in the track) So afraid other cars would knock onto them. The race had to stop half way due to the bad weather. :( Not enough of it though..

Anyway, I enjoyed the race alot. I was never before a fan of F1. Thanks to my friend who introduced me to this, I guess I've to change my statement. I'm starting to like it now. :) I'll catch the next race which is in China on TV. hehe :)

Sydney - One day sightseeing (Part 2)

2009-03-16T03:49:00.000-07:00

Queen Victoria Building

Some history of the QVB Building

The Queen Victoria Building, now affectionately known as the QVB, was designed by George McRae and completed in 1898, replacing the original Sydney markets on the site. Built as a monument to the long reigning monarch, construction took place in dire times, as Sydney was in a severe recession. The elaborate Romanesque architecture was specially planned for the grand building so the Government could employ many out-of-work craftsmen – stonemasons, plasterers, and stained window artists - in a worthwhile project. Originally, a concert hall, coffee shops, offices, showrooms, warehouses and a wide variety of tradespeople, such as tailors, mercers, hairdressers and florists, were accommodated.

Over many decades, change saw the concert hall become the city library, offices proliferate and more tenants move in, including piano tuners, palmists and clairvoyants. Drastic 'remodelling' occurred during the austere 1930s and the main occupant was the Sydney City Council. As recently as 1959 the Queen Victoria Building was threatened with demolition. As it stands now, in all its glory, it is testimony to the original vision for the building and the superb craftsmanship of the artisans who put it all back together again

Impressive dome at the center of the building (above). Inside the mall (Below).

Darling Harbour

After visiting the QVB, I just walked like 10 minutes to Darling Harbour. It's a nice place to take pictures, relax and chill out. There are many cafes and restaurants nearby. Many kids will be playing with water at the area below. From the picture, you can see Sydney tower at the far end too.

Sydney - One day sightseeing (Part 1)

2009-03-14T23:13:00.000-07:00

I'm at Sydney now. It's only 5:30pm on Sunday and I have no idea what to do.. Guess it's the best time to update my blog. I have lots of entries to catch up but I'll just leave those later. I'll talk about Sydney first.

This is my 2nd trip to Sydney. I came here before when I was 13. That was along time ago huh.. So I think I'll have to do the sightseeing once again. My initial plan was to cover the city in 2 days but I managed to do all of that just in 1 day.

Harbour Bridge

This is one of the iconic place in sydney. Many people just take pictures of the bridge from afar. What you should do is to actually walk across the bridge. I did not drive down to the city but took the train instead. I got out at Milson Point's station and walk across this bridge towards the Opera house following the walking path called ' Cahill Walk'.

Along the walk, you'll be able to see the bridge up-close and of course the opera house from afar. It's good to take this walk in the evening. I did this in the afternoon at about 12. It's so hot and the sun is burning.. Can get dark easily..

The Rocks @ Weekend market

After completing the bridge walk, you'll reach The Rocks. It's in between the bridge and the Opera house. During weekends, you'll find a weekend market there. Lotsa interesting items for sale. Got some souvenirs here.

Sydney Opera House

After walking around the market, next stop. The opera house. Along the way to the opera house, you will pass by Circular Quay. The interchange station for buses, trains & ferries.

From Circular Quay, you'll be able to catch a good view of the harbour bridge. So time for some camwhoring.

Present

2009-02-15T07:59:00.000-08:00

I should have posted this in December but since it's a 3 in 1 gift, it's not too late to post it today. hehe

My birthday, Xmas + Vday present (3 in 1) from Paul.

Indonesian Project Gone LIVE!

2009-02-11T19:20:00.001-08:00

I'm finally done with this project after working on it for 7 months. I no longer have to go back to Indonesia. :) Hope it doesn't come back to haunt me. Phew!

Why it was a nightmare??

-It's the one who caused me not to update my blog as frequent as I used to.

-It's the one who caused me to have emotional & mental breakdown at some point.

-It's the one who made some of my weekends miserable

-It's the one who made me worked extra long hoursss

-It's the one who made me "swim" all alone in the deep blue ocean -> I survived.. :)

Cameron Highlands (2)

2009-01-30T04:56:00.000-08:00

Apart from snacks, one musn't miss the steamboat. Plenty of fresh vegetables for you to choose from and the weather to go with steamboat is excellent.

Another MUST-GO site is the tea plantation. There are several tea plantation that you can choose to visit at Camerons. The most famous plantation is the BOH tea plantation opposite Equatorial hotel. I gave it a miss this trip. I went to Cameronion tea plantation instead.

After that, we went strawberry hunting. One of my friend was desperate to get strawberries for his girlfriend. In the midst of the mission, we saw a signboard which leads us to another BOH tea plantation. I did not know there're 2 BOH tea plantaion at Camerons. So we checked it out. Recommend to go to this plantation too if you would like to get a good view of Camerons. There's a spot whereby you'll get a very good view of Camerons.

Cameron Highlands (1)

2009-01-02T06:56:00.000-08:00

I needed a break.. and managed to fit in a 2 days 1 night trip to Cameron. That's a very good place to relax. No hectic activities.. Enjoy the cooling weather, enjoy tea, and the best of all.. eat, eat and eat :D

There are many gardens/farms to visit at Cameron. The cactus garden, the vegetable farm, etc. Since Rose Valley was the nearest to where we stayed, we chose to go there first.

After that, it's the beginning of the Eating trip.. Lots of delicious food which I couldnt resist.. SweetCorn on one hand and another fried mushroom on the other.. (How can I not get fat :0)

The we had fried sweet potatoes too.. Yummy..

Then the steam ones.. Sweet...

After that, dessert time.. Strawberry ice cream

It's Christmas!

2008-12-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

I did not go "partying" this year but instead gathered at my friend's place for a drinking & gift exchange session.

The presentsss for the gift exchange. :) The box in red is from me. Do you think I'll be able to get back my own gift? Coz I would like to have it.. haha

Paul received a gift during his Xmas party at the office and he gives it to me as a Xmas present. (How nice of him huh...) It's a box of chocolate anyway... So I opened it up and shared the chocs with everyone.

The time has come to unwrap all our presents.. I got an inspritation book titled 'Believe'. Wow.. How does Santa know I need that? You Believe you can.. means YOU CAN! :D hehe

Anyway.. Have a wonderful Xmas!!

Bdayyyyy

2008-12-17T08:01:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to myself! I'm officially 26 today :D

My second home

2008-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

The below room has been my second home for this year. I "shift homes" pretty often these days.. hehe Let me show you a glimpse of my second home.. :)

My King size bed with 3 pillows always positioned that way every night..

and my sleeping companion... My beanie dog.. (I decided not to bring my beanie bear anymore.. The hotel staff is torturing him. hehe ) Look how adorable by dog is..

If I go to the balcony, I'll have a good view of the swimming pool. It's really noisy every morning.. Kids laughing.. shouting.. etc.. A good alarm to wake you up.

Lastly.. the television... That's the only thing I can do in the room.. Online & watch tv.

I'm BACK!!!!!

2008-12-09T06:42:00.000-08:00

I've been MIA for a few months but now I'm back.. :)

I'll start to write again because I miss it.. I miss blogging and I think it's one of the best medicine to de-stress as well. ( I've been really stressed lately with my job. I've been working for 6 years .. and I can say that this time is the worst.... :( )

Anyway, look what I got for myself at the airport today while waiting for my flight back to Surabaya.

....

......

........ TADA

SMARTIES!! with cinderella :)

Teddy - Part 2

2008-07-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Everyday after work at Surabaya, I looked forward to go back to my hotel room to check out 'Teddy'. Why? Because I have a cheeky cleaner who puts 'Teddy' at different places with funny positions.

On Monday evening, I found by 'Teddy' doing some Yoga pose..

On Wednesday, 'Teddy' is too tired.. So he just lie flat in the middle of the bed.

On Thursday evening, 'Teddy' was sleeping at the corner of the bed.. waiting for me to be back. :D

Teddy relaxing

2008-07-13T08:12:00.000-07:00

When I got back from a day's shopping at Surabaya, I saw Teddy lying on my hotel bed in that position. :)

So relaxed... on a Sunday :) Crossing his legs and also with his hands behind his head resting.

Stressed... Busyyyy

2008-07-05T08:49:00.000-07:00

I've been really stressed and busy lately until I have no time to blog.. Will try to find time and write again as I've got so many entries to share..

Day 3 - Seoul, "Dai Cheong Gam" movie set & Nami island

2008-05-16T00:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of us have watched this famous korean series 'Da Cheong Gam'. I visited the place where they filmed it. The place is a bit run down because it has been there for many years. I heard that they are going to tear down the place soon.

My handsome... hahahah

Shooshhh... I'm busy preparing meals for the king.. ;)

After that, we went to another famous place called 'Nami Island'. This island was made popular by another famous korean series 'Winter Sonata'. I haven't watched this series before though. :P

Not sure why is there a mermaid in front of the entrance of the island.

I think this is the main actor & Actress of Winter Sonata. aww.. so deeply in love eh..

The weather was freaking cold when I was there.. Shiverring most of the time but the scenery is good. Check out the pictures I took below. You can come here 4 times a year. Reason for that is because the scenery is different in every season. When I was there, it was Spring. So all the leaves are all Green. If you go few months later, the leaves will turn red. Then during autumn, everything will be brown. Not too sure how it looks like during winter. I think you'll just see branches without leaves? :)

Day 2 : Jeju-do

2008-05-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

On the 2nd day in Jeju-do, we visited "Yongduam" or known as the Dragon Head Rock.

This rock is a Basalt formation. Why is it called the Dragon Head Rock? It is said that a dragon that lived in the Dragon King's Palace beneath the sea and in its desire to reach heaven, was turned into stone. Do you believe this legend? ;) Who knows ya... From geography point of view, this oddly shaped structure is the result of solidification of flowing lava during a volcanic eruption many years ago.

After that, we went to the cliff. It's something like the Uluwatu cliff in Bali which I went to in March. :)

In Jeju-do, you'll be able to see many yellow flowers field. Nice place to take pictures. We managed to stop by one of the fields to have some snapshots.

We went to a waterfall too. Cant remember the name of the waterfall though. Nothing spectacular about this waterfall. So many Korean students there.. Can't really have a good shot. I stayed there not more than 5 minutes. :P

Great Grandfather of Jeju

2008-05-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

In Jeju island, you'll be able to find plenty of "Tolharubang" or the great grandfather statue. This big statue is actually a black lava rock and it is regarded as guardian deities of Jeju island.

Day 1 : Seoul / Jeju-do

2008-04-29T06:02:00.000-07:00

"AnnYoung" means Hello in Korean. I just got back from Korea few days back. :) I was there for 6 nights with my mum, dad and uncle.

We reached Incheon International Airport at 8am in the morning. We were supposed to take a flight to Jeju-do at 2pm in the afternoon. In between this time, we went to the famous 'Ladies street' for shopping. There were plenty of clothes and shoes for sale. Didn't buy anything though. It's only my first day in Korea. :D

For lunch, we had the famous Ginseng Chicken.
We boarded a fokker plane to Jeju island. This is a small aircraft with only 4 seats a row. Cute uh.. :)

In Jeju-do, we visited 'Tamla Mok Sok Won' which is a rock garden. There's a huge collection of of natural rock and wood sculptures. All sculptures on display are natural lava rocks and basalt stone.

Luna Bar

2008-04-18T01:54:00.000-07:00

If you want to go to a nice & relaxing place for some drinks, Luna Bar will be the right pick. They have 2 sections. One is at the pool area which is without air conditioned and another area is with air conditioned.

I went there last week and they were having some renovation works at the pool area. So the only place I can go to is the air-conditioned section. The ambience here is gorgeous.

I was sitting at a place where I had a good view of the KL tower. :)

The seats were comfortable. You can just lie down, chit chat & enjoy your glass of wine. :)

Banana chocolate cake

2008-04-06T23:34:00.000-07:00

If you're a chocolate cake lover, you must try the Banana chocolate cake at Zang Toi's cafe. This cafe is in KL(Sg Wang) for years already. I've been patronising this place since the college days. :) They've just opened an outlet at Parkson, Pavillion.

Do try out their unique drinks.. like the one I ordered. Mango Sprite with ice cream.

The yummy Banana chocolate cake with ice cream! :D

Tanah Lot, Bali

2008-04-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

Another famous place in Bali which is a must see is Tanah Lot which means "Land in the Middle of the Sea".

Why is it called Land in the middle of the sea? It's actually a temple built on an off-shore rock. During high tide, the rock area is flooded with water and when it's low tide, you'll be able to walk around that area freely.

I was there in the evening and it was low-tide. So I get to roam around that area freely without getting soaked in water.

The picture above is taken from the stairs at the big rock leading to the temple.

In my attempt of taking the above pics, I got all wet due to the strong waves. :D

Uluwatu, Bali

2008-04-01T07:26:00.000-07:00

Uluwatu cliff is one of the highlights of my trip in Bali. The best time to go there is in the evening so that you'll be able to catch the sunset. When I was there, it was quite cloudy and I only managed to catch the cloudy sunset. :P

You have to wear long skirt/long pants(proper dressing) in order to enter the cliff area because there's a temple on top of one of the cliffs. If you dont, you will then have to wrap yourself with a 'Sarong' which they provide you for free. You've gotta return it before you leave of course. :)

Isn't the view in the above picture superb? You get to walk till that end and below is the view I get from there.

There's nothing much you can do at the cliff obviously apart from taking pictures, more pictures and moreee pictures and of course enjoying the view as well. :)

Bali - Kuta Accomodation

2008-03-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

I've done quite a bit of research on Bali. One of it is accomodation of course. After reading many forums & reviews, I've decided to stay 2 nights at Kuta & another 2 nights at Ubud.

Kuta

At Kuta, I stayed at Bali Sorgawi Hotel which I think is rated 2 star. I don't really care about the star rating. What is important is the cleanliness and the location. The location of this hotel is pretty good because it's located along Jalan Legian and it's within walking distance to all the pubs and restaurants. There are different types of rooms to choose from. I booked the standard room which is at USD25 / RP240,000 per night which includes breakfast.

The hotel provides free pick-up from the airport as well which is great. I'll then save on taxi fare. :D

Below is a picture of the standard room. The room is average considering the price that I've paid. Don't expect to get comfy beds yeah.. :P

The bathroom with basic amenities

The swimming pool.. Nice rite?

The gym..

For breakfast, I get to choose from a few selections. Can't really remember what they have in the menu apart from fried noodles and fried rice.

I like the fried noodles. Taste quite good.

I did not try the fried rice though. I find it a bit too filling to have that for breakfast. :)

Recharged....

2008-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

I've been really really busy with work lately... :( and for all the hard work done, I shall reward myself with a trip to ....

Cool huh... :D

I was in Bali for 5 days from 21st till 25th March...

I needed a break to rejunevate myself and I think Bali is the best place to do so (which is also within my budget) :)

Stay tuned for more updates on my Bali trip... :)

Hugeeee orange

2008-02-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

Guess how big is the first orange?

~~~~~~~

~~~

It's bigger than my fist!

This orange was from my mum's friend's orchard in Cameron. Malaysia boleh too :) ehehe

Gong XI Fa CAI!

2008-02-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

Gong hei gong hei!

My first Angpow for this year was from my parents. Xie xie!

My favourite dish during CNY , "Yee Sang "

2008-02-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

I crave for Yee Sang once in a while but only get to eat it during Chinese New Year. I still remember few years back, I was in UK during CNY and I asked my mum to keep some Yee Sang for me till I'm back :) I thought this is a famous dish for all chinese. Apparently it's not. It's only famous here in Malaysia & Singapore.

This is the Yee Sang... my favourite :) nyum nyum!

My mum decorated the house with many oranges...

I used the greeting cards and made these.. :) Nice??

Happy Chinese New Year!!! Gong Hei Fatt Choy!!

2008-02-05T16:24:00.000-08:00

It's the Year of the Rat and I would like to wish everyone....Gong Xi Fa Cai!!! It's the CNY season again where everyone sends greeting cards to one another. Do you still send greeting cards?? Or are you using a cheaper version of it.. the virtual card.. or just a sms greeting..??

My dad received many greeting cards and some of the cards are really unique.

Card No 1. - This is a 2 in 1 card.. A greeting card + a calendar.

When you fold it, you'll get a standing calendar. Cool rite?

Card No 2. - This is also a 2 in 1 card.. A greeting card + a bookmark calendar

At the back of the card, there's a mini calendar which you can tear it off to become a bookmark. Very creative. :)

Card No 3. - Another 2 in 1 card.. A greeting card + a bookmark
What is so special about this card?A bookmark.. I can remove the round metal and use it as a bookmark. Nice nice!

Card no 4. Another card which has the same concept as card No 3.

"PhoToshoooot" @ Taiping Lake Garden

2008-01-27T19:10:00.000-08:00

My new Ixus 860 camera has many functions. One of it is Foliage. You will have to set your camera to Foliage mode if you were to take lots of greens... Being very excited with my new camera, I set out on a photoshoot outing to the Lake Garden @ Taiping. That's the best place I can think of to test out my camera's Foliage function.

Can you tell the difference btw the below pictures taken with the Foliage mode and the auto mode?

The more greenish pic is the one with the Foliage mode. :)

Some pictures taken around the lake.

Camwhore a bit of course....

See Kate in action....

When we were about to leave, a group of monkeys came.. There were about 20-30 of them.. Scary man...

At the end of the day, I'm pretty satisfied with the pictures taken with this camera. You can't compare it with other SLR or SemiPro cameras of course. Cannot fight with those la.. haha :)

Happy New Year 2008!!!!!

2008-01-02T06:38:00.000-08:00

Wishing all my friends a fabulous year ahead!!

I was at Tao lounge @ Auto city, Butterworth for the new year countdown.

Goodbye kiss to the 2007 snowman..

Fireworks to welcome 2008!!!! Whoohoooo!!!!

My first Berrrrberry shirt for Xmas!

2007-12-30T06:30:00.000-08:00

Sentosa @ Singapore

2007-12-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

I was at Singapore for Christmas.. and the main reason for going there was to see the christmas decorations and lightings.... Apart from that is shopping shopping and shopping.. of course :D

I managed to squeeze in half a day to visit Sentosa. Mum, Aunt and I went to the island by cable car from the Jewel Box. The ride from the hilltop to the island took us about 15 minutes.

Before reaching..I camwhored a bit in the cable car :)

Sentosa's cable car station The ever famous, Merlion.. We visited the underwater world too. Not many fishes there anymore compared to many years ago.

Trying to catch some fishes in the aquarium

Do you know all the parts of the crab?

Are you afraid of sharks? They are scary...

Thank you....

2007-12-19T06:49:00.000-08:00

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to all my dear friends..Thank you for the wishes, presents, meals, drinks... :)

My thanks go to Lisan, Faye, Sabrina, Paullie, Jaze and Michelle for the brilliant idea of getting me cash vouchers to shop at Parkson. :)

Thanks to Rachel, Yokiee & Denise for the Anna Sui perfume

Thanks to 'someone who's far far away' ;) for the lovely bouquet of roses.. Red roses my favourite....

Thanks to Wendy for the cute piggie..

Thanks to 'Onion Pie' for the sparkly pendant & necklace

Thanks to 'Dr' for the Berrrrrberry belt ;)

Thanks to mummy and daddy... for my new camera -> Ixus 860 :D

Whoa.. so many thanks...like i'm receiving an Oscar or something.. haha

Happy Birthday to myself!

2007-12-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

Seafood in Port Village Restaurant

2007-12-13T22:24:00.000-08:00

I've been working in Klang for the past 4 months and this is the first time I'm trying out Klang seafood at North port klang. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the port area from where I'm working.

There are many restaurants overlooking the sea but we went to this restaurant called Port Village.

This restaurant is built on stilts and when we were there, it's low tide. We can see mangrove (Bakau) trees .. This reminds me of geography.. haha.. I learnt that during my school days.

We could see many crabs and mudskippers too...

Part of my project team members.. :)

Below are some pictures taken from where I'm seating.

Mid Valley and The Gardens

2007-12-12T12:06:00.000-08:00

If you notice my two previous posts, you will find that the entries were all about malls.. I plan to visit every mall in KL during this Xmas season (If I manage to) and try to do a comparison among them. So for this entry, it's none other than Mid Valley and The Gardens.

Mid Valley

Mid Valley uses leaves as their theme for this year. I cant confirm whether it's maple leaf they are using or it's some other type of leaf. Can anyone confirm? Here is the picture of the leaf...

I'm in the wild with beautiful butterflies and some wild plants..

Look at what I've found in the wild.. A dancing lady...

The Gardens

The Gardens has a few Christmas trees at the concourse area and the ornaments tied to the trees are fruits. :)

Yummy yummy green apple! Take a bite.. and I'll be sleeping beauty.. hehe

Pavillion

2007-12-09T07:16:00.000-08:00

My mum and I went to Pavillion to check out their xmas deco. Their decoration was simple and nice. I'm not too sure what is their theme but I guess 'Celebration' suits them..

They have a gigantic "Human Xmas tree" at the concourse area whereby at certain time, the choir will perform christmas carols..

Meanwhile at the entrance of the mall, there's a different activity going on.. I think there were about 20 of them.. all dressed up in different costumes..

Ms peacock and Rudolf the red nose reindeer?? But her nose isn't red...

No idea what's this... A man in GOld mask.. haha

Blue genie... with black tights.. ahha

Masquerades... Don't they look like one them in Phantom of the opera??

1U & Thank you girls

2007-12-08T08:55:00.000-08:00

Had a date with the girls.. (Denise, Rachel and Yokiee) at 1U for lunch & Xmas shopping.. I brought along my camera to take pictures because I knew that 1U will be nicely decorated during the Xmas month.

The theme for 1U this month is 'Toy Soldier'.

From left : Yokiee, Rachel, myself & Denise

Just next to the stage, we found two real life toy soldiers. Dont they look like the Royal Guard London? Guys, go take a pic with them.. You don't have to go all the way to london to get this picture taken.. hehe :D

Went round the mall.. Take some pictures...before starting our shopping business... I like this pic below....caressing the Toy Soldier..

After half an hour of "snap snap, click click", we proceeded to Parkson..

Rachel told us that she wanted to get a perfume for herself and asked my opinion which perfume is nice. I told her I'm using Addict from CD. Denise suggested Issey Miyake.

Anyway, when we passed by Anna Sui's counter, the perfume bottles attracted us. So we went there and tried few of their fragrances. The smell was pretty good. Floral and has a touch of sweet scent.. She sprayed it on her and smelled it again. She said that she liked it.. and went to search for a gift set with the perfume in it and decided to get it.

So off we went to the counter to pay. After paying it, she passed the bag to me and said that it was a Birthday cum Xmas gift for me from the three of them.... OOohhhh Mmmmyyyy... I wasn't expecting this.. I was so surprised...

Thank you so much GIRLS!!!! Muacks muacks!

My lovely Gift set of from Anna Sui.. Contains a bottle of perfume, a tube of shower gel and a bag. It's my first Birthday Pressie as well.... :D

Mini Christmas Tree

2007-12-06T23:13:00.001-08:00

Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la, la la la la. Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la, la la la la. Christmas is just round the corner but why can't I feel it?????

So... I've decided to get myself a mini Xmas tree... and... Tada! Tada!

I managed to find a small spot on my table and place it next to my laptop. :)

I'm sure this cutie lil Christmas tree will brighten up my day! :D Oh wait.. I think something else is missing from the tree.... why don't I have Christmas presents underneath the tree? ehehe

My thoughts..

2007-12-04T20:01:00.001-08:00

I'm not in the mood of writing these days.. There's so much things to tell but I just couldn't put it in words and write it out... The end of the year is approaching and it's a good time to sit down, clear your mind and think of what you've done so far.

It's a bit scary to think about it. The clock is ticking and I'm getting older and...... not many things get accomplised yet..... sighz...

All these made me feel miserable lately... Where's the Happy Kate? Need to find my soul back...

Shopaholic

2007-12-03T06:56:00.000-08:00

Help me!!! I've gotten myself into impulsive buying... :( For the past few months, I've been buying clothes non-stop.. mostly every week. If it's not at the mall, then it's through online shopping.. Arggss.. this is killing me...

Look at this wardrobe. It's not my wardrobe at home. This is just a temporary wardrobe to store all my working attires at my aunts place in Kemuning Utama. (I'm staying at her place temporarily while I'm based at a client's place in Klang). I still have two more wardrobes back at my own place and it's as full as this.. *bleh*
Sales started during the weekend.. and???? More Shopping of course.. haha.. Another bag full of clothes.

Not forgetting, I ordered 5 pieces of clothes from Taiwan last month and it's arriving next week... Whoaa... I think I need another wardrobe??

Tagged by.....

2007-11-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Survon

Name one person who made you laugh last night?
Someone whom I chatted with before I went to bed - "The doctor"

What were you doing at 0800?
Is this referring to this morning? Ermm.. should be taking a shower...

What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Doing some configuration documentation....

What happened to you in 2006?
What happened to me? Wow... I cant be writing everything that happened to me in 2006.. can I? Let me see......

-Jan 2006 to March 2006 :-
In Msia... Met someone.. haha..

-April 2006 to May 2006 :-
Was at Scotland.. and then Surrey.. for work... went to Wales for holiday

-June 2006 to Oct 2006
Home sweet home.. work work work...

- Nov 2006
Went to HK for 2 weeks with my mum for holiday..

-Dec 2006
Welcoming the new year of course. :)

What was the last thing you said out loud?
Err.... "With who again? Tonight?"

How many beverages did you have today?
Apple Vinegar, H20, "Long Jing" tea, Barley ice

What color is your hairbrush?
Brown.. it's a wooden hairbrush which I bought from China a few years ago..

What was the last thing you paid for?
My lunch just now.. Had "char keow teow"

Where were you last night?
Home watching series..

What color is your front door?
Brown.. Wooden door

Where do you keep your change?
In my purse

What's the weather like today?
Ermm.. Hot.. then cloudy.. then hot again..

What's the best ice-cream flavour?
Rum & raisin.. nyum nyum!

What excites you?
many things wor... surprises?

Do you want to cut your hair?
Nope.. just had one last month?

Are you over the age of 25?
Not really.

Do you talk a lot?
Yeah.. when I'm in a good mood.. No.. when i'm moody or angry..

Do you watch the O.C.?
What is OC?

Do you know anyone named Steven?
Yes.

Do you make up your own words?
Don't think so.

Are you a jealous person?
I am..

Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'A'.
Amy

Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'K'.
Kelly

Who's the first person on your received call list?
Paul

What does the last text message you received say?
A message which reads, " Ok dear"

Do you chew on your straw?
Depends.. sometimes yes sometimes no.. haha

Do you have curly hair?
Nope

Where's the next place you’re going to?
Singapore for X'mas.

Who's the rudest person in your life?
Ermm.. dunno wor..

What was the last thing you ate?
Raisins

Will you get married in the future?
Of course! Dont want to be a spinster.. (Hopefully!)

What's the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks?
Stardust

Is there anyone you like right now?
Yes..

When was the last time you did the dishes?
Ermm.. when I was in US.. which was like in April?

Are you currently depressed?
Yeah.. a lil..

Did you cry today?
Ermm.. tears filled by eyes a lil...

Why did you answer and post this?
Because... it's easier to answer questions than to think of what to post in my blog.. :D

Velvet @ Deepavali Eve

2007-11-09T07:07:00.000-08:00

From left : Yokiee, Ivory & myself.. Partayyyy PaRtay pArTAYyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!

It was Deepavali eve and my colleague asked me to join her gang of friends for a night out at Velvet, Zouk. Since it's a holiday the next day, I agreed.

I reached there at about 11:30pm and was shocked when I saw the crowd. We joined the crazy crowd queuing up just to gain entry.

After about half an hour in the queue, we finally got in to velvet. Luckily my colleague's friend managed to reserve a table for us. Else, we'll just have to stand by the bar. Anyway, while we were in the queue, there's this hunk queuing behind us and so happen, he had a table reserved as well and it's just next to ours..

Whoaa... All the girls went ga-ga and guess what we did. My colleague and her friends tried to pose next to the bloke, and me aka the photographer, was supposed to get a shot of the hunk instead of them.

My first attempt..

FAILED! Cannot see him clearly.. Zoom ZOOM ZOOOOMM!!!

haha... I know i know.. cannot see him clearly.. but can see he has nice features rite? :D

The New Kate

2007-10-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit bored with my hairstyle and I've been contemplating on whether to cut it short or long.

And the result of my decision is :----

Tada!

And The colour of my hair has changed to MAHAGONY which has a slight touch of red! haha..

Updates to my Top 3 Wish List

2007-10-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

I've gotten myself a Nintendo DS Lite. Woohooo!! So now, my wish list has gone down to 2. :)

My Top 3 2 Wish list:-

1) An OMEGA watch!!! I've been wanting this since years ago. Just that I kept on postponing this coz it's just too expensive. Can I get this this year? Or do I have to postpone it to next year again?

2) ~~A Nintendo DS lite... This is not too much to ask rite? I dont know why I suddenly feel like a kid again and I want to play games and computer games again..~~

3) A puppy.. I miss my dogs... :( I miss owning a dog.. So i have an urge to have a dog again..

Food in Penang

2007-10-14T23:29:00.000-07:00

What's the first thing that comes into your mind when you mention the word PENANG? For me, it's non other than FOOD.

Although I go to Penang quite often, whenever I'm here, I will definitely go for all my favourite food.

The prawn mee @ Pulau Tikus

Loh Mee @ Pulau Tikus

Otak otak @ Pulau Tikus

Pai Ti @ Pulau Tikus

Cendol @ Penang road

Laksa @ Penang road

Annual Dinner

2007-10-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

My company's first Annual dinner was last Friday. Why was it the first? There's never an annual dinner in my company before. Normally is just some meeting and then followed by a dinner session. This year is different. We had a pretty good annual dinner. There's something else end of this month too. A team building company trip. Looking forward to that as well.

The theme for this dinner is 'Celebrating people' and there'll be a look-alike celebrity or superheroes competition. I want to be Marilyn Monroe... :) but then.. costume is too big.. Can't fit me.. What's next? I want to be Playboy's bunny.. haha.. Can't fit me as well.. :P The only option I can choose.. -> PIRATE!! and it fits me perfectly. :)

AHOY!! AHOY!!

We had many super heroes that night. Everyone had fun. I enjoyed myself too. The below picture is my favourite taken with spiderman.

A bunch of superheroes all going crazy... haha

Showing off all our weapons.. Which is the best? haha

More pictures can be found HERE

Window Grills and Lightings

2007-09-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

I've been really busy for the past few weeks. Weekends are no longer days where you can bum at home and relax.. It's the only time where you can really run your errands, or go do some "serious" stuffs.. and that's for my Humble Home.

I've finally made the last payment to the developer and got the keys to my house. :) My house is ready and what's next? Quickly install lights and grills so that I'm able to advertise it and rent it out.

I know that I will not be able to fetch a good rental yield over at my area because it's a new housing area and there are plenty of houses there. If I dont rent it out, what can I do with it? Just leave it empty? Hmm.. We'll see about it. I'll worry about this later. Now is to focus on the lights and the grills.

It's not an easy decision to decide on what grills to use. Iron bars or the normal metal grills? I can't simply install grills just because I know I want to rent it out. I wanna find something that I like. Who knows I might stay there one day? I had to go around the neighbourhood in Kota Kemuning to see what other people have done and pick one which I find it's classic and nice and affordable too. :) - PLC (Peng, Leng, Cheng, ~> Cheap, Nice, Good)

Finally, I've drawn the below design. I've asked the grill man to follow this.

Can you see the design? Most of my friends can't make out whether to see the black part or the white part. :) haha.. Optical Illusion.. The black part is my window pane. The white one is the grills ;)

Then come the lights. What type of lightings I wanna use in my house. I can't be spending alot on this if i want to rent it out. It's just not worth it spending so much when your main purpose is to rent it out. Hmm.. but I want my house to look good. So i've decided to use nice lightings for the porch, and the living room. :)

I'll be installing the lights and the grills this weekend. Will show you all the outcome of it next week. Stay tuned.. :)

There goes my 50 grand...

2007-09-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

The Mix FM Challenge is over and someone has walked away with the 50k. Congratulations to him. He deserved to win. :)

Talking about this challenge, the reason I didn't blog much about it is because I have already chickened out on the 3rd day. The last place i went with ISP is The Royal London Circus in Puchong. :)

Why .. oh why did I chicken out? First of all, the cardboard is just too heavy for me to carry around. Secondly, I cannot spend much time bringing the board around to places. Thirdly, I'm not as brave as the other participants... haha.. There's a limit to it.

Anyway, the main reason I participated in this challenge is just to have fun. I find that the idea is pretty interesting and I challenge myself to carry this board around shamelessly. I did it. I feel pretty silly actually.

There's a couple of blogs which were written by some of the participants and it's amazing to see what they have done. They really went all out for it.

Kudos to all the Participants! :D

Birthday & Christmas Wishlist for 2007

2007-09-14T01:43:00.000-07:00

About the same time last year, I posted a Birthday Wishlist too and I got what I wanted a month before my birthday. I'm going to do the same this year and HOPE that I will get one of the items below. I'm a bit greedy this year though. There's just so many things that I want.. Arggsss!!!!

Mr Santa, I promise I'll be a very very good girl kay.. So please materialise my wishlist yah! :D

My Top 3 Wish list:-

1) An OMEGA watch!!! I've been wanting this since years ago. Just that I kept on postponing this coz it's just too expensive. Can I get this this year? Or do I have to postpone it to next year again?

2) A Nintendo DS lite... This is not too much to ask rite? I dont know why I suddenly feel like a kid again and I want to play games and computer games again..

3) A puppy.. I miss my dogs... :( I miss owning a dog.. So i have an urge to have a dog again..

Floria @ Putrajaya

2007-09-03T02:42:00.000-07:00

I went to the Floria Festival held at Putrajaya last Sunday and it was unbelievable beautiful. The normal green empty field has been converted into a beautiful garden full of flowers.

I'm sure the government had spent a lot of money for this and the good thing about this is that it's FREE. You hardly get these FOC stuffs nowadays. Too bad there's not much publicity on this. Not many people know about this event. What they know is just the Fireworks Competition held at Putrajaya.

I do hope that they will have such event at least once or twice a year. It's a good way to attract more tourist to our country.

There's an orchid competition and also a bazaar selling orchids. You can find an assortment of orchids there.

Some pictures of the theme they have in the event. I can't remember what is the name of each theme though.. hehe :)

Some under the sea theme. Can you spot the fish?

Hanging Garden theme?

Konichiwa!

A bed of chrysanthemums?

31st of August - Malaysia's Independence Day

2007-09-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Malaysia!! Malaysia is now 50 years old :) Whoo hooo!

I went to The Curve for the countdown. They had a free concert and also a street party from 12am onwards. I didn't stay up for the party.. Left the place shortly after the countdown. The crowd was crazy... Many people turned up for the occasion and imediately after the 10 minutes fireworks display, the traffic starts to turn bad when everyone starts to leave the place.

My friends and I were not caught in the jam though because we parked near the exit. It took us half an hour to get out from the parking lot. That was considered very good. Imagine if you're parking somewhere nearer to the event. I think you'll be stuck there for hours.

I didn't have a good view of the fireworks. It's ok.. I'm going to watch another better fireworks display in Putrajaya this Sunday :) After the fireworks, I thought they'll play the national anthem.. instead.. they played the famous Merdeka Song "Tanggal 31". I sang along.. and felt so patriotic.. Gosh! I love my Country! :D

Guess who was one of the guest artist performing that night?

It's non other than Fish Leong. :)

I spotted this little kid. Isn't he cute?

Are you shy?

2007-08-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

If you're a shy person, you cannot take part in this Mix Fm Challenge. It really takes a lot of determination and bravery to do this. All eyes are on you and you have to carry this big board around. It'll be fun if you're with a group of friends and do this together.

I was out with my colleagues for lunch yesterday and I've to bring ISP together. I have no idea where is the best place to go for lunch in Klang. The only place I can think of is to Jaya Jusco, Klang. So JJ, here I come...

Mix FM Challenge

2007-08-26T18:27:00.000-07:00

On my previous post, about me being a shopaholic, I'm desperate of getting more money to clear my plastic cards.. So... this is what I found and I'm going to participate to win the MOney!!! Whoohooo...!!!

The Mix FM Living with Ika, Serena C and Pietro challenge and I'll be living with their cardboard cut-out for the next 3 weeks to win RM50,000!!!! Since I'm going to write alot about the cardboard cut-out, I'm gonna give it a name. The ISP. :)

How does this contest work?

I'll have to take photos of myself and the cut-out in the most prominent places. This means I'll be taking this wherever I go for the next 3 weeks. Eat, Sleep, Work, Dream.. also will be with me.. hehe

The launch of the event was in OneU yesterday. That's where all 300 participants went there to collect their cardboard cut out.. Signing the T&C of the contest

This is who they are.. from left, Ika, Serena & Pietro..

My dream... Can I get that cheque? I wish I wish!!!!

Here comes the cardboard cut out.. Isn't it HUGE? It's taller than me.. Bo Hoooh Hoooh.. :( How am I going to carry this? How am I going to fit this in the car without folding it? That's the challenge!! *Phew*

I managed to persuade Sabrina to join in the fun! :)

This is how I carried the cardboard around the mall. Looking a bit foolish.. haha

I went for lunch with my friends and of course, not forgetting ISP. :)

Are you a shopaholic?

2007-08-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

Oh man.. it's so obvious that the answer to this question is a YES! I am a Big Spender :( Hate those plastic cards. Made me spend and spend and spend without knowing the limit and when the statement arrives at the end of the month, "BANG" there goes the bomb!

I hate weekends especially weekends with no plans. That's when I'll head to the mall for window shopping. You sure you're just gonna see and not buy? Beats me! Now with the new invention of Online Shopping, that kills me more.. *double BANG* I'll log on to my favourite forum/websites to see what's on sale or to see what is the latest fashion and if it's nice, I'll buy it. Oh gosh.. Is there a way to stop me from this? *Sighz...*

I still do not believe I'm a shopaholic. I need something to prove it. That's when I just google for some quizzes and found this. Check it out -> Are you a Shopaholic?

My fingers are getting flimsy when I'm in the midst of the quiz. Most of the answers to the questions are Yes , Yes.. and another Yes.. The result : I AM A....

Vote for my colleague

2007-08-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

I was in the living room when my cousins were watching Animax channel a few days ago and suddenly I saw someone who's very familiar on TV who looks like one of my colleague.

What I saw was true. It's really him, Alvin Lim. :) He is one of the Finalist for the Animax 2007 Award. *Applause!*

I get to know that they have an online poll as well. Let's vote for him. His story is "Guardian:Invader". Click here to vote

He's the only finalist in this region. Support him and tell the world that Malaysia Boleh!!!

Visited Countries as of August 2007

2007-08-14T01:58:00.000-07:00

If you refer to my post last year Visited countries as of 2006 and compare it against the map this year, you will notice that there are some new countries that I've added to the map.

Still alot more to cover. Phew!

Some special draw

2007-08-12T18:55:00.000-07:00

I saw this banner when I was passing by Petaling Street on Saturday.

No wonder it's called "Cabutan Khas (Special draw)".. because this draw will never happen at all..

In Klang

2007-08-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'll be based in Klang for the next 8 months until March 2008. We'll be implementing a system for a paint factory.

During the factory tour. Don't we look like some air crew staffs? hehe..

Dun play play... This is the Project Manager.. hehe

Picture taken during the Project Kick Off

Get together..

2007-07-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

Are you married? Do you have kids? Where are you working now? These are some common questions that we asked whenever we meet up with some schoolmates or college mates of ours if we happen to meet up or bump into each other.. I know sometimes we do run out of topic to ask but then again.. It’s nice to still keep in touch and just have fun together.

We had organized a gathering for all my MGSians schoolmate last Saturday. I really do hope that I can meet up with more of them whom I have not seen since we left school. I have not much luck though as many of them couldn’t make it for the event. Nevertheless, it was a nice outing. Thanks to those who attended.

The leng luis.. Don't we look like we're posing for some Ms Malaysia photoshoot?... haha

After dinner, we went to this club called "The bed". What did we do there apart from dancing? Taking pictures.. hehe.. :)

Say OooOOooo....

Somewhere... over the rainbow..

2007-07-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

This was what I saw on my way to work this morning... Nice! What a good start for a Monday Morning. :)

Dooms day...

2007-07-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

My heart broke into pieces when I found out something drastic happened to my baby....

What can I do?

....

I can't cry..... I can't scold...

...

I can just keep quiet.... and send her to the 'beauty parlour'

...

Please mourn for her...

Some pictures of her..

Good old days...

2007-07-19T18:57:00.000-07:00

Met up with YK and SW last Saturday in Ipoh.. The same old gang during high school. All of us were there except one.. Faye.. She “FFK” the last minute.. hehe…
It was a good session. Hope to do that again.. Miss you guys so much! Muax muax!!

Siem Reap – Day 2

2007-07-13T00:50:00.000-07:00

The whole day was dedicated to visiting temples and that’s also the main purpose why we were there. To be honest, after visiting all the temples, I find that all temples looked quite the same and I can’t really tell which is which. The reason there were so many different temples was because it was built by different kings at different era. The walls of the temples were all drawn with pictures depicting the life they have at that time. Most of the temples were being built in the city called the Angkor City.

The entrance to the Angkor city…

The first temple we visited was Bayon temple.

Some interesting spots in this temple are as below:-

Am I in a maze? So many pillars..

The smiling face with thick lips.. Meant to being good fortune..

Kissing my forehead?

And then The Elephant’s Terrace…

After lunch, we headed to the temple made famous by Tomb Raider ->

Ta Prom Temple.

I like this temple the most compared to the rest. It’s because it’s still in its original state.. Most of the other temples were all restored except for this temple. What is so special about this temple are the trees and roots all grown from the rock and creeps against the wall.

Look at the tree behind. It’s grown from the rock of the temple.

Look at some of the ruins of the temple..

This is the roots of the tree seen earlier in the above picture…

Kate @ Tomb raider

What can you see from this shot?

What am I doing now?
Shoving his ass… hahaha..

One interesting picture in this temple is this picture on the wall of A dinosaur.. That means it really does exist in the olden days.. else.. how will they know there’s such an animal and drew it there?

Last but not least, we went to Angkor Wat.. the most famous temple of all..

Climbing to heaven.. there are 36 steep steps to reach the top part for prayers for the king and they called it the heaven..

To be continued.....

Check this out!

2007-07-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

A break from my Siem Reap Trip details.. Practising for my dancing exam next Saturday.. Will be taking the Cha cha dance and the Samba..

A sneak preview on my Cha cha practising session....

How's it? Good? I'm just a beginner k.. :)

Siem Reap - Day 1

2007-07-12T00:23:00.000-07:00

Upon arrival at Siem Reap airport, we were greeted by a representative from the hotel which I’ve booked. He then fetched us to the hotel to check-in.

I’ve read from forums saying that the air is very dusty in SR. Therefore, I’ve prepared mask for us to use there. Here comes the Ninjas from Malaysia. Yeehahh!!

Below are some of the snapshots taken along the way to our hotel.

After checking in, the tuk-tuk driver fetched us for lunch. We'd requested the driver to fetch us to someplace where we can eat cambodian food at a cheap price. He suggested his cousin's place. So we had Khmer food for lunch.

Khmer Curry @ $4

Angkor Beer @ $2.50

After lunch, he fetched us to the old market to do a bit of shopping because there's no where else to go. We did not go to Tonle Sap because of the weather. It was very very hot. So we just walked around the market.

After an hour walking aimlessly, we decided to go somewhere where there's air condition and to relax a bit. Guess what will that be? Massage of course! :) We went to try their traditional massage - Khmer Massage @ $6 per hour. Not too bad.

The massage was superb... After the massage, we went to meet up with our driver again and then off we went to purchase tickets to visit the temples the next day. The entrance fee is $20 per person for 1 day. With these tickets, we were able to catch the sunset at one of the temples for free. So off we went to our first temple in this trip. I can't really remember the name of this temple but it's situated on a hill top and we had to walk up for about 20 minutes.

We didn't manage to catch the sun set because the sun was blocked by the clouds.. So we just sat there for a while and take pictures. :)

After that, we went for dinner. We went to have fried rice at a very cheap price near the pub street. One plate was $0.6 and the place is clean. The food was quite tasty too. What's next then? Drinking again. There's not much to do besides hanging out at the pub street and get a few beers.

There goes my first day at Siem Reap. To be continued......

2007-07-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Cambodia yesterday. I went to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Siem Reap is famous for all its ancient temples and it’s made famous by the movie Tomb Raider staring Angelina Jolie. Ever since that movie, the place expanded from a very small village to a very touristy area. Tourism is their main source of income in this small town.

In the next few entries, it will be focused on the places I’d visited. I did some research on the internet and made all the hotel bookings and arranged the driver by myself through e-mail. You can find different types of hotel accommodation depending on your budget from USD5 to USD 150. I chose a medium range budget hotel at USD17 per night as I know I will not spend much time there. The place I stayed at Siam Reap is the “Golden Temple Villa” and it is rated as one of the best budget hotels by the Lonely Planet.

As recommended by the forumers at Tripadvisor, I booked Kim Soryar as my tuk tuk driver and he recommended one of his friends as the tour guide. I had no regrets and was lucky that I had booked them. They are really nice people and I managed to make friends with some of their friends as well.

My Humble little house

2007-07-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

A snapshot :)

Sweet Red Rose

2007-07-02T23:01:00.000-07:00

I was browsing Friendster and came across one of my colleague’s blog. All her entries are about her adventures in the UK. And this suddenly brings me back to memory lane and I miss UK.. (*sob sob*)

Something suddenly hit on me… Did I choose the correct path? If I didn’t choose this new path, I will still be in UK, exploring & working. Earn some money to make my bank account healthier. Or another option I can do is to do contracting. I can choose to do contracting and travel as well if I did not choose the new path.

I should stop thinking that way.. Be optimistic rite.. Hmm.. This new path that I’ve chosen… ermm… I’m not learning much at the moment.. maybe it’s the timing. I need to wait for the opportunity to come and learn. I’m not saying that this new path that I’ve chosen is not good.. It has a very bright future ahead but I just need to wait and learn more so that I can stand alone. Just imagine that I’m now only a bud. I need time, sunlight, lots of water and fertilizer in order to bloom to become a very beautiful flower.

Feed me some water… Feed me some “vitamins” so that I’ll grow into a lovely red ROSE like this!

The King Of Fruit

2007-06-27T02:12:00.000-07:00

DURIANS!!!

Some likes it.. Some hates it.. Some lurvesss it alot...

As for myself, I do eat it.. haha :) but not really a great fan. I do crave for it at times because we only get to eat it once a year. The type that I like most are those with yellowish skin..

I went to have durians at the orchard in Penang. Ate so many different types of Durian.. all with funny funny names.

I do agree that some of the durians have very strong smell. Although I eat durian, I can't stand the strong smell either.

One of my friend told me that she saw one series of "FEAR FACTOR" and the challenge is to eat durians. None of the contestants are able to pass that challenge. Is that so bad? :)

Brain DEAD

2007-06-24T23:01:00.001-07:00

My brain has been dead for quite a while now.. I can feel that molds are forming in phases..

I can feel it forming since May. So if you were to open up my brain, you’ll find this..

Few weeks after that, it becomes this…..

And NOW ....

If I still don’t have much work to do, I’ll get brain damage and it’ll be like THIS!! Haha!

Genting Restaurant, Penang

2007-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

I went back to Penang during the weekend and went to a very nice restaurant at the peak of the hill for lunch. This place is called the 'Genting Restaurant' and they serve Thai food. It's a very nice place overlooking the sea in Balik Pulau.

The ambience is excellent and the weather makes it even better. It was breezy. I'm sure you'll like the place as well if you're there.

There are a few options to choose where you want to have your meal. If it's a group of people, you can have it at your own private "hut". If not, you can have it at the deck with greens surrounding you and overlooking the sea.

Have dinner at your own private area.

Well maintained garden.

The most romantic place... Imagine having your wedding reception here.. Just lovely :D

It's been a while...

2007-06-13T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I last blogged... No motivation to write actually. Becoming a bum.. haha..
I'm back in KL now.. Home sweet home.. :)

Life is back to normal for me.. Work.. then gym.. then home.. then sleep.. then start the same routine all over again.. oh yeah, forgotten to add in the gossiping sessions after work before I head to gym.

Father's day is this weekend. Not sure what to get for dad. Guess I'll just pay for the lunch we're going to this Saturday. Dad has to attend a function on Sat night.. so we opt to go for lunch instead.

Will update more when I do have more things to write.. :)

What's the hottest sports in the United States?

2007-05-11T20:59:00.001-07:00

BASEBALL!!

I went to catch a baseball game at Philadelphia. It's Phillies vs Cubs (Chicago). I'm not a great fan of baseball and dont really know much about the game but at least I've played softball in school before. So does it count? ;)

My company is sponsoring everyone in the US office for this game. A whole bunch of us went. It's a good experience and I enjoyed myself. :)

The name of the stadium that we went to is called the 'Citizens Bank Park'. This stadium is pretty big and it can hold up to 35 000 people.

There were many games and activities for family members and friends before the game started. There were many food stalls and also beverage stalls as well. Most people enjoy going to the game because they can get to drink and have fun at the same time. It's nice to go especially with a bunch of people. The more, the merrier.

The game starts. Look at all the Philly supporters. :) We're in Philadelphia.. of course we are supporting the Phillies.. Go philly GO!

Halfway through the game, we suddenly saw this on the score board.. It's so romantic.. Will you say No if this happens to you? hehe...

Guess who won in the end? Of course the PHILLIES!!!! YEEHAH!! :)

Six Flags, New Jersey

2007-05-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

I don't have a chance to visit Disneyland this trip but I managed to go to Six Flags. Six Flags is a theme park for roller coaster lovers. Kids will love that place too because they get to meet their favourite warner bros' characters.

Say Hi to Bugs Bunny and Duffy Duck. I hope I get their names right.

Look at Batman and Robin. Their body aint that good rite? haha

They have this unique roller coaster ride called the Batman and Robin. It goes at a really high speed to the top and then stops there for a while and goes backward. It's really thrilling and exciting.

I rode on Batman and Superman too. I like superman. It's really something different where your head actually dives down first. Throughout the ride, I'm imagining that I'm flying.. like superman :)

New York City

2007-04-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

When someone tells you about New York, what will come into your mind first thing? For me, it's none other than the Statue of Liberty.

I visited the Statue of Liberty on Sunday and got a chance to actually get inside the structure. I had to pay to go to the island but the tickets to visit the structure is free and it's limited.
It's pretty interesting to know some history on the monument.. How they came about it and how they got into the design..and building the structure.. My first impression on seeing the monument was....How come it's not as big as in the movies? Look at the pictures below. It can roughly tell you how big is the actual size of the statue.

I had to climb 156 steps to get up to observation level. Good exercise uh... Imagine if I had to climb up to the very top which is the crown.. but I was lucky..They do not allow going up anymore after September 11 due to security reasons. :)

It was pretty funny going up to the observation deck but couldnt see the statue.. only the bottom of it.. Luckily I managed to take some pictures of it from the boat. :)

I get to view the city of New York though.. The view looks very familiar.. it always appears in shows.. No wonder :)

Trip to Washington, DC

2007-04-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's my first weekend here and the first place that I'll be visiting is non other than WASHINGTON, DC.

The reason we chose to go there first was because that's the last week of the Cherry Blossom festival. This festival marks the 95th celebration of the original gift of the 3000 cherry trees from the city of Tokyo to the people of Washington, DC in 1912.

The whole city is planted with these trees and you only get to see the cherry blossom flowers once a year and that is early Spring. We were lucky to be able to see some trees where there are still flowers on it.

Jefferson Memorial White House

What is there besides the flowers? There's plenty of monuments and museums and not forgetting the most famous place of all, The WHITE HOUSE.

More pictures at Washington DC Pictures

Did my cooking improve?

2007-04-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

When was the last time I cooked? It's exactly a year ago when I was in UK. Previous Entry - Chef Kate in action It's not because I don't want to cook back in Malaysia but I just dont have the opportunity to do so. That's why I always take the opportunity to cook when I'm out from home.

My colleague who is my housemate can't cook either. So I told her not to worry as she's lucky to have Kate @ The Chef! *ehem* I brought along many ready-made spices and it's really easy. I just follow the instruction behind the packs and it's only 3 easy steps.

1st step, pour in warm water and mix the spices together. Boil it. 2nd step, add in the chicken and cook it for about 25 minutes. 3rd step, stir it from time to time until the gravy has thicken.

There you go - my Rendang chicken rice for dinner with herbal soup.

Residence Inn Philadelphia Valley Forge

2007-04-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

This is the place that I'll be staying throughout my stay here. It's a 2 bedroom apartment. It's not that big but good enough for two people. How nice if there's something like this back home. It's small but cosy.

The living room The kitchen

My bedroom.. Nice :) This is the best!!!!

Pennsylvania, United States

2007-04-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

Exactly a week ago, I was told that there's work opportunity in the US office and a week later, here I am in Pennsylvania, US.

The flight journey from Singapore to Newark Airport in NY takes about 19 hours and gosh.. it's damn tiring.. I'm still very tired now due to the 12 hours difference.. When it's time to go to bed in Msia, it's time to get to work.. I really tried very hard to stay awake...

The weather here is still very cold.. and it doesn't look like spring at all. Some parts of US is still snowing. I like it when it's cold but not up to the point where you dont feel like walking out of the building. It's just too cold.. below 10 degree celcious and it's raining.. urghh.. Hope weather gets better during the weekend :)

The entrance to my office building in Berwyn, Penny.

There's this beautiful tree in front of the entrance. If i'm not mistaken, it's the cherry blossom tree.

Diamond is a girl's bestfriend!

2007-04-07T06:48:00.000-07:00

Qing Ming Festival

2007-04-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

I'm quite curious on what Qing Ming is called in English. Googled.. and found out that it's called "Tomb Sweeping Day".

What does one actually do during this day? For the chinese, it's a day to remember and honour one's ancestors. All family members will get together during this day to go pray before the ancestors.

They will sweep the tomb, clean it up and offer food, tea, wine, and burning paper accessories.

If I'm free, I'll try to make it for this festival because this is time where all the family members will present and it's another family gathering other than the Chinese New Year

Back to work

2007-03-20T00:35:00.000-07:00

It’s not easy getting back to work after a really long study break (6 weeks). I have to adjust back some brain cells from studying to working. Everything in the office (the environment) is still the same but not the people. There are many more unfamiliar faces.. There are many new joiners in the company.

Next is to find a workspace for myself. My immediate boss has allocated a workspace for me but then I found something else at some other place.

I was supposed to sit there at first. I’m not sure who did this. It’s very creative and lovely. Thanks. I didn’t really do much today.. Updating on what’s going on in the company and also sorting out my mails. A good way to start my engine again.. :)

YooHOoooo!!!!! I PASSED!!!

2007-03-17T04:59:00.000-07:00

"My heartbeat is beating very fast.. The timer on the monitor screen is displaying 0:02 minutes.. 1 more minute to go and the marks of the FICO exam I'm taking will be displayed on the screen. Bub..bub.. 0:01.. My hands are cold and I can hardly move. Suddenly, a grey screen appears and the word "Congratulations is written there. Next to it is a score of 78%" Hooray! I've passed!!!!

That was how I felt yesterday morning... :) I'm really glad that everything is over. 5 weeks of full time studying is not an easy job.

So now, I'm a certified FICO consultant. :D This is only the beginning.. It's still a long way to go though...

Below is a picture of all my classmates throughout the course together with my trainer who is sitting in the middle. All of us passed the exam as well. :)

My Fav Easter Egg

2007-03-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of Easter. This is the Creme egg by Cadbury. I find it pretty unique because it does resembles an egg. The egg has a thick milk chocolate (shell), with a white and yellow fondant filling designed to resemble the yolk and albumen of an egg. Pretty cool rite?

Thanks again Chi for the lovely chocolates! :) I couldn't find this in Malaysia and it really helps me to de-stress a little.

Chap Goh Mei

2007-03-07T07:20:00.000-08:00

I went to a temple in Jenjarum, Banting on Chap Goh Mei. The temple was decorated with colourful lanterns and lightings. The decoration does resembles some places in China. It gives you a feeling as though you're in China.

There's a beautiful garden "Lumbini Garden" in the compound. You can see a variety of flowers and landscaping there.

There's also a pagoda where there's a lift inside it which you can ride on to go to the top floor to have a birds eye view of the temple area.

I can say that it's the most beautiful temple in Malaysia so far.

Welcome Piggie!!!

2007-03-02T06:58:00.000-08:00

Say goodbye to the Year of Dog and let's welcome the YEAR OF PIG!

Chinese New Year wasn't that fun this year. Is that a sign that I'm no longer "young"? I always look forward to the CNY holidays because that's that time where I can go on a shopping spree, get lots of ang pows, and eat eat eat.

It's a bit different this year. I don't get that "Hey, it's CNY" feeling anymore. I didn't go on a shopping madness this year. I didn't find any clothes which I like. The CNY collection for this year is pretty bad. Is that due to the economy? No idea... Just got myself two simple shirts.. :)

I'm being very lazy too.. I didn;t have the mood and energy to move around this year partly because I was sick during the holidays.. Pity me.. I was supposed to do my revision.. I didn't do that as well. Had no time for that..Can't remember what I did.. Just bumming around i think..

As for ang pows.. it's getting lesser and lesser.. haha.. Cannot cover up what I've given out.. I should do more visiting next year.. follow my parents around to collect more.. haha..

Gong Xi Gong Xi

2007-02-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since my last entry. I'm pretty tied up with work at the beginning and now, studying. I'm attending a 5 weeks Finance course and there's plenty to study. A switch from working life back to studying life is not easy. The mind is pretty tired. Attend classes in the morning till evening. Then at night, had to do some revision.

The stress is there because there will be an examination at the end of the course which is in mid march. The exam questions are so darn difficult and the passing mark for the exam is 70%. That's crazy.... What if I fail? :( Luckily there's a one week break next week. I'll try to study as much as I can during the break and will only decide whether to defer the exam to a later date.. if I'm still not prepared...

Anyway, Chinese New Year is just round the corner.. I'm really looking forward to the celebration. Can get my mind to rest a little bit.. and lots of catching up with friends and family.

Would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone

GONG XI FA CAI!!!!

Happy New Year! Welcome 2007!

2007-01-11T01:08:00.000-08:00

It's the 11th day since the new year and nothing much has changed compared to 2006. It's too early to tell of course.. I'm looking forward to this challenging year though. I'm going to be in my mid-twenties this year (I know my bday was just a few weeks back) but it’s pretty scary to think back, that at this age, I haven’t really achieved what I want.

I think at this point of time, I really have to think of my future. I can’t play a fool or make any mistakes as I’m not young anymore to turn a new leaf and start all over again. This is the time that I have to set my career path properly and think of the future so that I will have a better and more comfortable life before I hit my thirties…

Females are getting fiercer

2006-12-28T19:01:00.000-08:00

You must be wondering why I've chosen the above topic. Although I'm a female myself, I do think that a number of them, falls into the above category. Why do I say that? I've encountered several incidents to prove my point.

Incident 1:-
Paul was driving me to Penang and it was a massive jam at the Penang bridge. Many cars were queing up at the Touch & Go lane. Suddenly, a car drove past us and cut the queue. It was a lady driver. She was driving a few other girl friends in the car. Paul was pretty angry with the driver and sounded the horn.
Guess what happened next? When she wound down the window to scan the card, she raised her hand and showed us the middle finger. Both of us were stoned by her actions... Paul got offended by that and got even angrier... I told him to calm down.. just leave them alone.. What can we do? Walked down the car and beat them up? haha.. What's the point..

Incident 2:-
Paul and I were at OneU to catch a movie. We went to the new wing shopping mall to park our car. When we were queing at the gate to take our parking ticket, this car infront of us were taking a very long time. It's a lady driver again. There's a problem with the Touch & Go scanning but she still insisted on using it. She can choose to take the parking ticket instead. Paul was very impatient and sounded the horn. She's causing a bad jam. Many cars were behind. At last, she had no choice but to take the parking ticket and.. the same thing happened again.. Wound down the window, showed the middle finger,
and took the parking ticket.. .. I know Paul was wrong this time by sounding the horn.. but she
doesn't need to show her middle finger rite?

The above incidents really made me wonder.. Why are they so brave? I'm sure I'm not the only one who've encountered the above incidents.. Arent the girls afraid that they will be beaten up? Why are they so so so soooo....rude to the extent of showing the middle finger?

*Ponder ponder*@!!!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

I would like to wish everyone a Joyous Christmas!

Thank you....

2006-12-22T00:13:00.000-08:00

When I received this virtual card from Ivan, it reminded me of something.. Something which I find it pretty familiar.. I like the effect of my name.. and the two stones... like I've seen it somewhere..

After telling him that the card looks pretty familiar, he told me where he got the picture. It's actually from my Wales online photo album.

I drew my name on the sand together with the stones beside it. He found it nice and used it to create this card.

How creative and I like it.

Thanks Ivan! :D

I would also like to thank Chi for the lovely flowers..

and Neil for the cute lil doggie..

Thanks to all my buddies who sms & call me too!!!

Partying at Poppy

2006-12-20T21:23:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a while since I last went to club to drink and go crazy.... It's the end of Year 2006 and I'm getting older.. So.. why not go all out and have fun? Agree?

I haven't tried this Flaming Cocktail drink before and thought why not give it a try.. It's pretty scary when putting the straw into the glass at the bottom to sip the drinks up..

The taste : Sweet & nice.. and not bad. :D

See the flame at the outer layer of the bottle? Cool rite?

More pictures can be viewed at my photo album 2.

My Bday Dinner

2006-12-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

Many people would have guessed that I had a romantic candle light dinner for my birthday. They are not totally wrong... Just minus out the candle light will do coz I had my dinner under fluorescent light. ;)

I had the most delicious meal ever... (with my hands slighly near my chest, hehe) - Lamb Chop!

This nicely decorated meal is prepared by non other than Chef Paul Konchivsy..

Upon arrival, I went straight into the kitchen to check out his cooking progress.. Look at all the things that he had prepared.. all very organized.. not bad not bad.. Cooked like a pro too!

Thanks for the dinner. Really appreciate the effort! *Muacks*