Life As I See It

Happy New Year everyone!

While everyone has probably lined up their resolutions, I’m still trying to get used to writing "2008" on office papers! I messed up a form earlier today because of this!

SO, Anyway,what’s new..?

A friend I met online last week asked why I’ve stopped blogging? I told her "well, nothing new has been happening" and later confessed that I’ve actually been too lazy to write. Come to think of it, I just really didn’t have any bloody time! SOOO many things have been happening and half of them weren’t anything to be snappy about.

Last December was a ‘draining’ month.This was true for all these aspects ( in sequential order) ; financial, emotional and physical.

So here’s my story; 2 weeks before Christmas, I nearly thought I would have died from a car accident. Serious. You know when people say that your whole life just flashes in slow motion when you’re facing a life and death situation? As cliche’ as it sounds, It is VERY TRUE. The fateful morning when I decided to rush home during my noon break to get something, I wasn’t feeling very good emotionally. My spirit was down, and I was feeling sad about a lot of things that day. I was particularly sad because of an ugly argument I had with my fiance’ earlier that week. So all this sad, angry, negative emotions were being bundled up in my chest and eventually, I think led to the fateful accident. I was miraculously left unscathed, no serious damage to the car though clearly shaken by the thought of getting killed that very day. It became even rough for me when the man whose van I collided with thought it wasn’t anything serious,saying " alaaaa…teda apa apa maaa, kau pigi polis pun tela guna maa" .But, what made me even angrier at him and myself was that, I decided not to lodge a police report after a sargeant at Karamunsing Office said he would "help" me scare the bugger off by ringing him up and make him pay for the damages. I thought he was a heaven-sent, although I sensed some machoism show-off there. To make a long story short, this bugger gave me a hard time chasing him up and now, IMPOSSIBLE to get him to pay for my poor little Kelisa!

Why?

I lost this criminal’s number when my phone got stolen on Christmas Day!!

So you see how miserable poor me was?

I really treasured that Nokia N72. It was the first phone that I’ve actually bought brand new myself i.e without subsidies, hand-me-downs, phone exchange or trade in. And the saddest bit about it is that I’ve lost ALL 500 phone contacts.Sob!

However,having said that, there’s a LOOOONG list of things I should be thankful for and feel blessed for…and I refuse to tread on these sad stories this year!

So, in 2008..I am thankful for my family, my loved ones,Bianca my puppy and ..oh! Big Apple Donuts that’s finally here for every girl that needs a pick me up!

Bianca and I on the beautiful New year morning.

Big Apple Donuts for a new year breakfast. Perfect!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Yep, the fever has arrived.

It actually didn’t hit me until last week, until I was out with my best friend and attended too many dinners and night outs, that Christmas is here!

Christmas has always been very dear to me. Growing up, the month of December meant ‘cuti panjang’, trips, meeting cousins, visiting friends, playing all day and of course Christmas! I have always loved December. In fact, it’s my favorite month cause most people, friends or families are back balik kampung, have parties or gets married. Nowadays, it also translates too ; Makan ( which of course is the mother of weight gain!) and burning a hole in your pocket!

Anyways, my beautiful best friend Elmy who just got back from Australia last week, rang me up a few days after she arrived for a must have tete-a-tete sessions. I was really excited as we always have interesting topics to dig from each other and we never get tired.Ever.

Though exhausted and broke from a recent night out with friends, 2 chinese wedding receptions and a staff dinner, I just had to go out with her at all cost.   

Before we left together in her car, we called up J.anne, another dear friend of ours to check if she wanted to come.The poor thing was sick but we promised to go out again with her.

Anyways, look at this superstar, even while on the phone she is always camera-ready.

Us together. I haven’t perfected cam-whoring technique yet. My face always ends up stangah saja.

It was about 4pm and I haven’t had any lunch so we went straight to Warisan Square for food. I was also in a jolly mood because after hugs and cheek kisses she said, "Macam ko ada slim down sikit sudah darling" . God, you just don’t know how good that feels. =P

It really makes you feel somewhere foreign in Warisan Square. And the Christmas decor was done very tastefully too, I must say. Elmy wasn’t really sure where to eat and I suggested my recent favorite restaurant ; Fish & Co.

oOohh..I’m drooling now! This is what we had ; Wrasse Picatta and New York’s Fish and Chips. The best fish and chips ever! It’s worth every cent of your RM 16.70.

We cleared our plates, and walked off the guilt afterwards.

Almost every store was on SALES. But having been already broke, I tried not to be lured by any of Esprit and Padini that was on 50% sales!!. Elmy could have bought some stuffs if she stopped her hallucination of being ‘fat’ .Sheesh.

We admired this cute lil notebook bag.

and these tiny (pricey!) lil Japanese/Korean souvenirs.

I took this in Tong Hing. Isn’t it purdy?

We meant to catch the Carols by CandleLight at Sutera that evening but it was showering and thought that we’d probably get wet and have difficulty parking anyway. We ditched that idea and carried on window shopping much to my feets’ expense.

We stretched the day longer and decided to go to City Mall for more window shopping but as we set foot there, we were just to exhausted and  walked straight to Starbucks.Our list of topics to talk about just went on and on and on over delicious ( and sinful!) Frappucinno. I realise that this kind of lifestyle will be seriously damaging in the long run!! But the conversations were really good. We felt so grown and womanly when we touched issues like Money, Love, Relationship and the future. 14 years ago, we were two innocent girls who talked mainly about crushes, hairclips and scrunchies =P 

Grown and sexy.

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately.

I catch myself flipping through old photo albums from the yester years and smiling every now and then whenever some fond memories flashes across my mind.

"Those were the days…" I sighed.

This particular photo I found just filled me up with immense joy the moment I saw it. It reminds me of the many friends I made back in college and all the fun that was had with them.

This was Mary Ellen’s birthday. We tried to celebrate everyone who was a Sabahan on their birthday and I recalled one of the ‘organising girl’ going around, collecting money and always secretly passing around cards to be signed. The organiser would be from the room the birthday girl was in. The monies collected (usuall would often be for cakes and keropoks, and the host room would serve some hot drinks. In this photo, we had teh - o. As if  a tradition, we’d set the cake and food, waited for everyone to turn up and surprise the birthday girl ( sometimes they pretended they were =P ), pose for a few clicks of the camera and had cake. There would be occassional chats thereafter, with some lingering on longer than the ‘rajin’ ones who usually excuses themselves to finish assignments. Sometimes we even had silly tickling, and mini gusti sessions!! I’m often one of the ‘lingerer’. =) Thinking back, everything was so simple, naive, child-like but yet, gratifying. This was our way of  curbing homesickness.

The VERY vivid memory of an outrageous birthday bash was of Suzanne’s. I can’t remember who else planned the evil idea but I remember being one of the follower.    We had the cake and it’s trimmings for the usual thing, but at the same time, we had saved a few buckets of the cafeteria’s stinky,slimy and gross food scraps with help from the ‘abang kafe’s’ , in the bathroom. SO, after the party, everyone in the pack went into the washroom, with Suzanne who was unsuspecting of ANYTHING, pretending to wash and clean utensils.

THEN, HELL BROKE!! =P we started spilling buckets and buckets of the grossy things on her and for a moment, the bathroom was a playground of 5-6 nineteen year old girls, screaming, laughing, bullying the poor girl and just being silly. It was crazy!

Suzanne bathed and washed her hair 3 times that day.

But the stench only came off after 2 days, according to her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Fast forward to now, 7 years later..so much new things have hapened.

Some are married , engaged, just had a baby, soon to be married , having succesful careers and some, just didn’t cross paths with me.

My dear friends, wherever you may be.. I’d just like you to know how much more interesting, fun and wonderful you’ve made my life. And wherever you are, whatever life brings you..may you always find happiness.

My kids at school were so psyched today. I’ve never seen them that excited.

I’ve planned this cooking session with them over the past weeks to show them what else we can do with fruits. This was my BM topic for the week ; Buah - buahan Tropika. Initially I wanted to make some kuih cempedak but the thought of peeling and dissecting the gooey cempedak turned me off.

Plus, they love pisang. They squealed with joy when I announced "We are making kuih pisang".

Most of them couldn’t take the idea of a jackfruit fritter. Strange.

Anyway, here was our fun lesson!

I laid out everything on the table first, all with labels.

Then,

I assigned each on eof them a job ; some cutting the pisang, some mashing it up.

As you can see, they were sooo excited.

"Ms. Lisa!! I want to have a go at mashing the pisang..pleeaaassee"

Look at me garangly instructing the kid to bin the banana peels.

I used Pisang Raja, which isn’t the best for kuih. But that was the only thing available at CKS.

Then,

sprinkle gula, garam, soda bikarbonat and a little vanilla essence…

and then.. "adunkan kesemua bahan - bahan tadi sehingga sebati.."

and we’re ready to Goreng it!

Lastly, wait till it turns brown and pray that it tastes good!

After this point, it was all frenzy in that room. The kids grabbed their cekodok pisang and gobbled it down.

‘Ms. Lisa..it’s reaaallly good! You really can cook.Can I have more pleeeaaassee"

Best day of my life. =)

To all my friends who touched my heart

I came across an article that read ;

The friends you make in college, would probably be the ones you keep forever.

I couldn’t agree more.

The article said that there are two phases of friendship or relationship. There’s the interest phase where something about a person has peaked your interest. Then there’s the bonding phase.

For me, I felt that my matrix college and uni years were where true bonding happened. Back in Malacca, seven years ago, friends were made quickly in the interest phase as everything was new, exciting and of course everyone needed somebody to relate to. It wasn’t something that any of us did consciously. We simply shared our lives together for those two years. We shared food, challenges, disagreements, disappointments, betrayals yet when all was said and done, we were still holding on to one another. Maybe it was because we needed a family unit since we were all hundreds of miles from home. I made many friends in that phase, even developed best friends that shared my everyday ramblings, secrets, fears and what not. Through all the above, some of us bonded, or to put quite simply, ‘clicked’.

During my four years of Uni, I made even more friends while still trying to keep in touch with the matrix buddies that went to various colleges and Unis. Some of them just simply vanished from sight and never crossed my path again. I’m still wondering where you all are? The real mature friendship probably started in Uni, where deeper sharing, disagreements and soul-searching developed. Through this time I found out what real friends, fake friends, friend in need, friend indeed were and made different categories of friends; friends in lab, friends that walks with you to the lecture hall, friends you have lunch with or friends you borrow lecture notes from.

 
      D-2-1 Kurnia Perdana 2000 - 2002. Donna should’ve been here

My Uni housemates were really something and my matrix friends are awesome. I wouldn’t trade anything to replace the memories we shared. With them I’ve passed the interest phase and can be truly myself. And though it’s been engagements, marriages, children, new job, relocation, new boyfriends, break - ups and a lifetime of experiences in-between, there is that knowing, that trusting, that safe place that my heart rests in.

Lieyza,she taught me how to cook terung sambal,ayam kunyitand Kuih Batik. A mummy-to-be!

It’s just strange when months pass on without seeing or talking to them, and when w e did, it all felt the same, just like how it was before. We laughed, goofed around, talked about our college and Uni nuisances, gossips, crushes and caught up with what was new  with each other. It was truly liberating and made me all warm and fuzzy inside.
I might not have millions of friends now, but am happy to know that I have bonded with a few that I will hopefully, keep forever.

Okay. Okay.

So I’m sure everyone knows about the first Malaysian astronaut who’s probably on his way to the milky way now.So no need introduction or bios on him.

I am very proud of the Malaysian government for their first-class taste in their selection. Hats off to that!!

Really, they couldn’t have done a better job. Find me another astronaut IN THE WORLD that could be as good looking, clean-shaven, smart,handsome, cute, good looking, handsome, good looking and cute (did I say good looking already?) as Dr Sheikh Muszaphar! And an all-rounder who’s an orthopedic surgeon cum med-lecturer cum part-time model! It took me just a heartbeat to memorise how his name is spelt.

Darn, I should’ve taken my dad’s advise to study harder and do medicine.

My South African colleague and I were ogling and drooling all over him, as he was on the front page of every newspaper in Malaysia ( he was literally on every other page with different pictures everytime!) .

Aaaahh look at that heart-melting smile..

and Ooooh…that zip-up suit..

I never understood the ‘men-in-suit fetish’ until yesterday. 

"He’s single, right?" said another friend.

Finally, there’s hope for women everywhere!!

( Lets just hope he doesn’t bump into Mila Jovovich in space)

"IS he!?" I cried.

"Yes, but Lisa, you’re engaged, remember?"

………………………………………………

Yes, I am very much..and Darling, you’re still the hottest guy! ;P

Girls, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar is all yours!

I like to think that I have a good life.
Not great, not fantastic, but good.
At least in my own terms.

And often times, I like to indulge in what little I have ,
and take every minute to savor the small things I call Luxurious.

It might not be luxurious to…saaay…,**thinking**     Andrea Fonseka
( who looks darn hot nowadays, with a hefty Marie France contract under her belt, as well as being probably 20 pounds lighter that complements her legs that goes on forever. Did I ever say I love looking at beautiful women?) who earns a salary 50 times bigger than I do.
But to me, they are what I call Luxurious Indulgence.

It’s just delish!

RM 6 kaliau Ngau- Chap at Hilltop. The best- ever!

Un-putdownable frappuccino and the glorious muffin.**Drool**

This is probably the best mee laksa in the entire universe. Very thick gravy and tender meat! We’ll drive all the way to Sunny Graden for this.

I’m so lucky to be able to savor all this, and I count my blessings.

This song just came to mind as I was typing.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream coloured ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleighbells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are few of my favorite things
When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things and then I don’t feel so bad

Geez.

I didn’t realize they were all food! Honestly, the title should be changed to “ Why I’m still fat” or "Why Andrea Fonseka is darn hot but not me". Sigh!

Yes, I did make a big fuss about the Ahbeng hairdresser.

And I was pissed alright.

But I thought, If you stay pissed and look ugly, it won’t do you any good.

So I took it all in a stride, and executed the hair damage control.

There wasn’t much to do with it since I didn’t want neither a shorter hair cut nor a curly hair. The most imaginable hairstyle I thought I could handle was a full straight fringe, with half of my hair at the rear. Before deciding what to really do with it, I decided to have some fun.

I browsed the net and found this site where you can upload pictures of yourself and virtually change your hairstyle. The best part was, It even gave the correct style for your facial shape and features. So here are some of it!

So which one did I settle for? None of them..Just had fun with the application.=P

I decided to go for that thick, straight fringe ‘do.. with much self-doubt.

You see, I have never been a fringe- person. My whole student life, the only hairstyle I wore was fringeless straight hair which was usually pulled back. The length varied from nape, to shoulder, to chest but one thing always remained- I never had a fringe. I didn’t like any hair getting in my face.

So this thick , straight style was a really hard decision to make. But I braced myself to my hairdresser. And after much consultation and them assuring me I’d pull it off, I obliged. So, (holding my breath) here it is!

Errmm..Ok kah?

She didn’t deserve to die in that inhumane manner.
Nor did she deserve to be the object of a brutal, sadistic, perverted – psycho rapist’s satisfaction.
   
No one does.

My heart cried when I read more news on this little girls’ brutal murder.

A lump is growing in my throat as I type.

In a flash, it all seemed like those gruesome true stories
from other countries that I read in magazines or those
I’ve watched in crime documentaries.
All unreal and far-fetched.
It wasn’t something I thought could happen in our own land.

My heart bled even more when I read that on that fateful day, she was out to buy her favorite hairclip.
And how her best friend in Primary 2 adores her black shiny hair and knows her for her fondness of pretty scrunchies.
She just wanted to get one more adornment for her beautiful hair that day.
Probably one more scrunchy.

Witnesses saw her being dragged into a van, screaming.
These questions darted in my mind ; Did anyone try to run after the van,
or maybe get the van’s plate number,
or was brave enough to chase after her in their car?
I wish someone did. I really do.

Her story made me ponder, wiped some smiles from my face and saw myself counting my blessings.
And I’m thankful that growing up,
life was so carefree that I could run to the shop at any hour of the day to buy a packet of keropok or get santan for mummy.                                                            That I could play at the playground blocks away from home without fearing any harm.                               That I could walk home with my friends across the lifeless graveyard after school clubs, and arrive safely.
That my preteen sister at that time, could go to town with me in tow, on a bus, and eat ABC at the dark night market without any anxiety.

Right this moment, I fear for my two nieces.What would the world be like to them?
Leandra, Hazel and Ryan. May the angels guard your lives.

Nurin Jazlin, may your soul rest in peace.
I know you’re in heaven, laying in God’s hand,
and your shiny black hair looking pretty in those colorful scrunchies.

What was supposed to be a relaxing, stress – free day turned out as a mildly furor- inflicting scene this Monday morning. That day, as if to honour the Agung’s birthday, Sam and I decided to go to his hairdresser down in Beverly and get ourselves a good trim. I rarely go to a salon that’s foreign to me, especially for a haircut. And Sam knows that too well. But since it was just a small trim for my fringe, I didn’t mind and wanted to be a good sport about it . Plus, we just had a gratifying serving of Tom Yam meehoon and I was in a belly-jolly mood.

First, when we arrived, the tiny boxed-up salon was full. Secondly, it wasn’t the same over-bleached haired ladies working there anymore. It was an Ahbeng hairdresser cum proprieter who occasionally flipped his green comb in the air, an obvious show off.
After our turn came 45 minutes later ( mind you,  I never have to sit around and wait that long, ever) , I found myself being served by a sad, blank- faced, amateurish girl who didn’t show any indication that she is into fashion or hair whatsoever. You know, hairdressers or even shampoo girls usually dress to the max and wears jaw-dropping hairstyles.

I should have guessed.

“Mau gunting macamana?” was all she said. I gave a lengthy picture of how I wanted a soft, side-swept, falling- just- under -my- eyes fringe and I was really specific about it being the in Japanese- style.  She just nodded and quickly snipped away.

In retrospect, I should have showed her this picture.

She never even stopped to ask whether it was okay, or if it was what I wanted. By the time I realized, it was already too short! And it wasn’t cute at all.

I tried to be as composed as possible and pointed out to her, “Ini telampau pendek. Ini bukan apa yang saya minta” while deciding whether I should throw a tantrum or not. She insisted it IS Japanese style and I shot back a firm “NO”. She started to quiver when I repeatedly say it’s not what I wanted. By this time, the Ahbeng boss intervened, and being the expert he is, he agreed it WASN’T the cute, soft swept Japanese style I wanted.

“Oh sorry aa..dia tidak tau bah”
( SORRY? Tida tau kenapa nda Tanya!?). I must have had this green face by this time cause Sam looked at me with a please-don’t-blow-up look.

“Sorry aa..nanti panjang ko balik sini, saya yang gunting..free punya”

I scoffed a ( SAVE IT) look. And walked out.

Sam stayed to get his trim done and I got angrier when came in the car, trying to defend the salon saying, “No other salons would apologize and not charge tau..You shouldn’t be that mad..he asked you to come back next time”.

I blurted out “SORRYLAH”.

And the day just went downhill from there.

Here’s the damage.

Girls, I’m sure you understand my anger.