A memorable birthday dinner

Date: 20th December 2008

Venue: Passage Through India, Jalan Tun Razak

Event: Raj's 21st birthday dinner

It's a real special day for my friend Raj. It's his 21st birthday which means from now onwards he'll have his personal freedom and will be responsible for it. I've never been to the venue before, so I've got to survey the available route with Raymond in his car in the morning. After a few turns and near misses (including a weirdly shaped roundabout), both of us managed to find our destination. It's not really a grand place for a birthday party. But the restaurant was nominated for one of the best restaurant in Malaysia. Talk about looks can be deceiving.

After locating the venue, we went to pick up colborn to watch a very cool action movie at Sunway Pyramid - Ip Man. It's a biography movie based on the life of the late Bruce Lee's master starring Donnie Yen as the titled character. it's a really nice movie to watch.

We had a short lunch and met up with Priscilla and Xing Yi who're coming along to the birthday party too. Well, to summarise the whole event, the food is nice (not forgetting spicy too) and we got to see a really meaningful present giving ceremony and a few entertaining presentation and performances (^^). There's also special speeches given from friends and relatives to those who're at the event and the birthday boy. It was a really happy occasion for everyone.

The entrance to the restaurant


The outlook of the venue


Here's another one


Aren't the birdies cute?

The room is decorated with *gulp* balloons (yeah go ahead and laugh at me)

Back Row (L-R): Colborn, Raymond, Wui-Kit and me

Front Row (L-R): Raj, Pei Ru, Xing Yi and Priscilla

Us again from another angle

Raj and his family with the birthday cake

Cute mini cupcakes (^^)

Though it's too small, it's actually the scroll from one of the cupcakes

"Raj, Sing! Raj, Sing! Raj, Sing!" (>.<)

Here comes Vijay to save the day with his handphone

They both make a nice duet...lol

Raj's present from us. What is it? Ask him instead (=P)

Raj with Pei Ru and Xing Yi

Another poison to my addiction

Recently, well, it's just only on friday actually. I got to try a new computer game for the first time. The game is Dynasty Warriors 6. I know for those who've played the previous versions, you might've gotten bored with the series. But it's my first time playing it and I love the game since the previous versions were only released for Playstation and I don't have a PS. The game is based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The battle scenes and movie clips are enjoyable to watch. The aim is simple, just make your characters run around killing enemies while trying to survive. You can also complete the missions available along the way.

Of course it's the same addiction level as Highstreet 5. I'll never leave my happy "family" just because I have a new game. So don't worry *smiles happily*. We'll still get to meet up around the night time. Although I had to leave early due to some personal unavoidable reasons.

A Garlic-ish Invention...?

Well, the title says it all. This topic has a little bit to do with garlic, and it just started innocently (^^).

I was thinking of trying out a new dish. Scrambled egg with garlic sandwich. The ingredients I used are as follows:

1 Egg
A bit of butter
4 cloves of garlic - finely diced
2 pieces of bread - spread with margarine

The method of preparation:
1) Stir fry the garlic until it's fragrant, then drain the oil
2) Add in the butter and egg and stir slowly over low heat. Scrape the sides and bottom often to avoid sticking.
3) When done, spread over the bread and it's ready to eat (^^)

The result:
I think 4 cloves of garlic is a bit too much already. The taste kind of overpowered the egg. The garlic was so strong that I can taste it when I burped (sorry for the rudeness ^^). I'll try with 2 cloves next time instead of 4. But overall, it was a good dish (^^).

Animal fun (0.0)?

Yeah, I'm sure you'll be confused with my title. But I'll try to be as detailed as possible. For those who knew me, you know how I react when it comes to pet shops. I'll just stare and adore the animals there (except for creepy crawlies and reptiles). Dogs, cats, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, ferrets, bunnies, chinchillas, hedgehogs, fishes...the list is kind of exhaustive depending on the animals available for sale.

One of my best friends from secondary school once said that my house is like a zoo. Well, during that time, I had fishes, a turtle, hamsters and stray cats (Yes, I do buy Friskies for the cats). Now, I only have 2 aquariums and a few stray cats (^^). But if you bring me to a pet shop, you'll see most probably a very embarassing side of my personality (^^). Only just a few weeks back, I went to a pet shop with one of my best friends from college (Again yes, I have best friends in school, college and others to come ^^ ). The pet shop is located at the top floor of the Ikano Power Center located at Mutiara Damansara. We went there because I needed to buy some water plants for both of my aquariums.

We looked around at the other pets and saw a particularly interesting dog. It's a male Mini Schnauzer that's sleeping. He's sleeping with the belly side up, you'll think it's very rude. I actually told my friend that if I was the owner of the Mini Schnauzer, I would've called him Rufus. Lol. There's also a cute Pomeranian with white fur. Yes, it's pure white. Normally I've seen Pom-Poms (I liked the nickname ^^ ) in brownish colour but not white. There's also a few very cool looking Siberian Huskies and one of them is also white. Too bad no pictures are allowed. Or else I would've posted here as well.

That's enough about pet shops, you might be thinking how the heck did I tame the stray cats behind my house? Well, it started with a particular batch of stray kittens. At first, I would buy cat food and also play with them. That's how they got used to me and my family (only myself, my sisters and my aunt who often visits during the weekends. When they hear my mom approach, they'll disappear at the speed of light. Lol). In fact, they got too friendly until they became quite naughty already (Guess we were too lineant on them ^^ ). The females would give birth behind my house, maybe because it's the safest place for them. Especially now there's even big monitor lizards crawling around sometimes (so big that the fighting male cats have to stop and watch out when one appears). But the kittens are so cute and cuddly, sometimes I manage to tame one or two from the whole litter to get used to us. Lol

Ecstasy Level Increased (0.0)!!

Well, for those who read my previous blog (Like ecstasy...). You know I'm already addicted to the game HighStreet5 (which is not healthy at all, sitting glued on the chair staring at the PC). Normally, I would've got tired of online gaming after a while like Ragnarok Online, O2Jam, Maple Story and others (No, I'm not a fan of DOTA and Counter Strike type of games). Due to rude players mostly. Well, there is a reason to why I'm addicted to it and can't stop playing it.

The reason is simple. The people I met there. (^^) I can't believe I joined a guild where mostly everyone are brothers and sisters (Of course not real siblings, just more like pet siblings). Of course there're also players that scold vulgar words but only when they're really in a bad mood. Other than that, we just hang out and enjoy while playing the game and chatting. Among the guild members, there's one other player who got my attention. She's calm whenever there's problem arises in the guild (mostly love problem from a particular pair who're also my pet siblings ^^ ). Well, usually it's up to the both of us to try calm things down (but she's better at this kind of things than I am ^^ ) Usually we chat among the four of us together, hence I don't dance often (unless my typing speed is so fast I can do both - - Talk about multitasking. Lol ).

All in all, I'm really happy to have joined this guild and I don't want to leave it. Especially after meeting so many new friends and siblings. I'll try to brainwash some of my friends to install the game and join the guild in the future. *evil laughters*

Love can withstand all...?

After what happened early this morning, I'm starting to doubt the phrase. In movies, fairytales and novels, the guy and girl always get back together again in the end. But in reality, how many couples are there that share the same ending?

Whether online gaming or in real life, when a person falls in love, they put their whole heart into it. But when it comes to breaking up, it sometimes can become brutal. Sure it's easy to say for a couple to break up, but doing it is a whole different matter. Once done, what's left is sadness, anger, frustration and regret.

If they knew things would turn out this way, why did they fall in love in the first place? What made them become attracted to each other in the beginning? Does their sweet memories worth anything at all to keep the relationship? And do they know how badly the break up affects those who care for them? Why is it so hard to find the one for you? And even harder to maintain the relationship? But to break up is just so easy in a matter of minutes? What does it take to keep the relationship from falling apart?

Definitely, I don't have the answers to those questions for I've never really fallen in love before. I guess happily ever after does belong only in the world of fiction and fantasy. Even from a bystander's point of view, seeing your friends end their relationship in such a way, not being able to talk them out of it or do anything to help at all. Sometimes makes you feel useless, especially when they're made for each other. That's how I felt and it's horrible.

To those who knows who I'm talking about, the damage has already been done, and there's little chance of even turning back. But know this, no matter what happens, I'll always be your friend.

Like Ecstasy...?

I have to confess. Recently I've started playing an online game and got addicted to it. The name, Highstreet 5. It's actually a casual game that requires your eye-finger coordination and response. It's fairly simple, all you need are the directional keys, space bar, numerical kes and sometimes the F keys.

The method? You just have to make sure your character do not miss a step while dancing to a particular song. The F keys allows you to use items that you have assigned while the numerical keys allows your character to perform stunts which uses a certain amount of vitality (which can be replenished while dancing). To get a better idea on how to play the game, it's advisable to go to the official website www.highstreet5.com to learn the gameplay method. Sadly, the game is only open to Malaysia, Singapore and Phillipines. But, I still had much fun playing it everyday. (^^)

My stay in the highlands

Date: 12th and 13th July 2008

Event: 2D1N Club Assembly at Cameron Highlands


The First Day...

The members who took part in the event were Calvin, Jacqueline, Kevit, Amanda, Dinesh, Jamie (though retired from Rotaract but you'll always be a part of us ^^ ) and myself. We met up at the Sungai Buloh rest stop as we're travelling in 2 cars to Cameron Highlands in the morning to have a short breakfast. After that, we started on our way to the destination.

Well, it obviously took quite a while to Cameron Highlands. But we've finally reached our accomodation which is the Carnation Apartment at Tanah Rata. My opinion, it's an ok place to stay. There's a tv, 2 shower rooms, 3 bedrooms, electricity and water. But there's no appliances and fridge in the kitchen. So we've got to bring a toaster and a big loaf of bread for breakfast and supper with tuna and garlic butter spreads. We've definitely enjoyed our stay there (^^).

Before reaching our destination, we had lunch at a chinese shop before Tanah Rata. It's located opposite the Cactus Valley. For dessert, we went to a nearby cafe named Strawberry Moment. Everything on sale inside has something to do with strawberries. I've got to admit. The food there is sweet like heaven (^^). I'd love to go there again if I have the chance.

Once we've settled down in our rented accomodation, we set off to a newly established branch of the BOH tea plantation site located at Sungai Palas. We had our choice of teas available there and pizzas. Since I'm not a tea type person, I had hot chocolate instead. The weather in Cameron Highlands is cool and the atmosphere is calming. When we're at the tea plantation, we went into photo-crazy mode. Even I don't know how much photos we took there. While we're there, Kevit, Jacqueline, Calvin, Amanda and myself took a short trip to see how the tea leaves were processed (of course none of the machinery was functioning). Be warned that the road leading in and out of the tea plantation is very narrow (You're practically at the side of the hill). So better press your car horn at every bend and listen for any car horn sounds from the other direction.

After that, we planned to stop by the The Old Smoke House as Calvin said that the scones there were nice. But by the time we reached there, we've missed the tea time and they're already serving dinner. To tell the truth, none of us liked the place. I personally don't like it for 2 reasons, the food is quite pricey and the attitude problem (if you're not loaded with cash, they wouldn't entertain you at all. So might as well turn around from there).

We went back to the apartment to have our club assembly to discuss the future direction of the club. As for dinner, we had steamboat (^^) near Brinchang. Surprisingly, there's a lot of steamboat restaurants (You'll find one at every corner). We were all wearing our sweaters to keep warm in the cool night air. But I was the only one who took mine off during our steamboat session as obviously I felt warm.

After that, we went back to the apartment to have a bit of fun with UNO, Happy Family and Snap. Of course it got a bit of adrenaline running for some of the games we've improvised from the cards available (it's called Heart Attack). We also had a bit of a mix of orange juice and a certain alcoholic drink (mom's gonna kill me once she reads this). I definitely don't dare to take much due to personal reasons. As for supper we had toasted bread with tuna and garlic butter spread. Some of us actually stayed up till 3 or 4am playing cards. I had to sleep by 2.30am as I can't stand to keep myself awake any longer.

The Second Day...

For one who slept so late, I actually woke up around 8am to freshen up myself and prepared my own breakfast. We packed up and left around 11am whereas Jamie and Dinesh left earlier. We did a bit of shopping at the day market located in Brinchang before heading back. We had lunch at the same chinese shop again. Then went to the Cactus Valley (after some coercing and bugging from our side so that Calvin agreed to go). When we're at the Cactus Valley, we went into photo-crazy mode again. Taking pictures at every chance that we can get (^^"). Of course we didn't keep count on the number of pictures taken but we've enjoyed it anyway.

After that, we had to drop Amanda off as she's meeting up with her family at Cameron Highlands ans then continued our way downhill. Sadly, yours truly here can't handle with the twisting and turning road leading downhill. I have to practically force myself to fall asleep so I won't end up barfing in Calvin's car. Until we're halfway down near Whisper Falls, Calvin stopped for a while for Kevit to buy a necklace from the local natives there. That's when I finally can't hold it anymore and emptied the contents into a plastic bag. And disposed it on the roadside so that nobody would get uncomfortable about it. After that, I actually felt relieved and fell asleep till we're back on the highway home again (^^). Well, it definitely was a fun trip for me although it didn't end in a happy note for me (^^").

Jacqueline and me making a funny face...lol

Strawberry Ice Baby, am I really that innocent?



I would let you have a taste, but...






I was initially pointing at the strawberry mousse cake (the one shaped like a heart)




The parents and their "happy sunflower" children




We look like the ambassador for Strawberry Moment (^^)





Need I say more?

Why is there a gap? (--")

Posing with Mother Nature at the background

We're supposed to look like the "lepak" gang

The "V" formation pose

Posing by the railings

Even tree stumps are not spared from pictures

Enjoying tea, hot chocolate and pizzas in BOH tea plantaion

A group photo

Posing with the tea plantation as background

Errm...No comments

You don't mess with this family

I'm armed (with an umbrella) and dangerous. So don't mess with me

Posing again (^^)

Steamboat for dinner (Is Calvin dissapointed with the mushrooms?)

In the apartment that we've rented (Jamie and Dinesh left early)

Don't let this picture fool you. I had more than 1/4 plate of fried rice.

The president and his board members

The drapes of Mother Nature

Looks like from a Bollywood movie

Posing with the beautiful hydrangea flowers

Posing again with the birds of paradise flowers

The flowers above was the main reason we were posing there (^^)

I don't think they're really edible

A fun and tiring day (--")

Date: 8th November 2008

Event: RAC (Rotaract Club) Bandar Sunway's Charity Movie Drive

If I were to summarise the whole event, it was a good one. Of course every event will have a bit of kinks to straigthen out but I really enjoyed the movie still.

My friends and I had a bit of breakfast before that, and reached around 10am for the event. Kevit was also present, making the total number of people attending the event from RAC Gombak 2 persons (4 if including both of my friends as guests of the club). Of course before the event, there's always speeches followed by a mock cheque presentation. This is actually a joint project between RAC Bandar Sunway and the Interact Club of SMK Seafield which both are under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Bandar Sunway. The reason that this event was held was to raise funds for the National Cancer Society to acquire better equipments and facilities for cancer prevention and cure.

When we first entered the reception area, there were "James Bonds" everywhere. This is because the guys were dressed up like Bond and the ladies of course as the lovely Bond girls. As for the crowd that attended for the event, it's mainly families and friends of the Interactors. Each guest are entitled to one drink and a medium sized popcorn but I got 2 as one of my friends can't eat a lot (^^). The movie that we watched was James Bond: Quantum of Solace. Overall, the movie was good as there's action every few minutes. In short the story is about Bond searching the truth behind his lover's killer (it is advisable to watch Casino Royale first to understand this movie better).

After the movie, we had a bit of eating for lunch. This is then followed by a 2 hour badminton session at USJ1 with more friends. For once, I had to admit that I didn't played badminton so hard for so long and it was really tiring. I can even squeeze the sweat from the T-shirt I was wearing. After badminton, we hung out at Wui-Kit's house before leaving again as his house is the nearest. I was then dropped off to go back as the others resume their plan for dinner.

In the end, I would like to congratulate RAC Bandar Sunway and the Interact Club of SMK Seafield for successfully carrying out this fun and meaningful project. (^^)


The movie we watched this morning


The young MCs for the event from SMK Seafield


The OC, Rotaractor Shaun Liew (where's my popcorn and drink? You didn't give me at all...LOL)


From left: OC from Rotaract, Chairperson of the National Cancer Society, OC from Interact and President of Rotary Club of Bandar Sunway


Khairi and... (the face behind the popcorn will remain a mystery that needs to be solved...LOL)


A little souvenir from the event (^^)


Everybody say "cheese" for the cameras