Makan!

On Tuesday night for dinner me, WZ n Sarah wanted to makan besar so we planned to go to our regular Chinese Restaurant in Kajang. We didn't know that they close on Tuesdays =( So WZ brought us to another place to eat (still in Kajang). It's near NASA (no, I don't think they have anything to do with space programs), a mamak shop.

Spicy Pork Meat!

Curry Spare Pork Ribs, absolutely heavenly!

Ate these 2 dishes with white rice and plain water (save money =P) It was quite windy when we arrived at the restaurant, and after a while it started to rain heavily! By that time we were almost done eating, but I wanted to finish off the curry so the other 2 had to wait for me...while we all got wet! And then our driver, WZ, had this theory where we can't go back because its raining =_=""". And since it was the year end and Baskin Robbins has their 31% off offer, we went and ate a pint there! (@ Alamanda Putrajaya...it wasn't raining there!)

Thankfully it wasn't raining anymore when we reached uni so we COULD go back to the apartment!

Total spent on that evening's excursion: RM16

Not bad at all! Next time must go there n eat again =D (minus the ice cream)

Christmas Gifts!

It's so fun to get Christmas presents! =D Here's what I got this year

L-R: Magnetic soft toy from Edwin (couldn't believe that Edwin actually got us gifts!), Wall-E from Agnes n Sarah (it was wrapped in a printed scarf!), Bookmark from Mr. Mike =O

Sponge name plaque (?) from Janice

It's amazing how people still give me soft toys even though I'm old and ganas =p At the moment Wall-E is on my table looking at me with its head on one side. Everytime I look at it I have to bend my head to the left and go "awwww..." Hahaha syok sendiri! When I get my car back Wall-E will be sitting in the car! =D

This year poor d so I resorted to handmade Christmas cards. (If just give card without present its sad so a handmade one is less sad, right? And I think it's more meaningful...) This was the project I was talking about earlier...hehe..that's why I printed the pictures. Anyway only some had pictures because it's so difficult to find decent pictures! Limited edition k!
(c) Phicak Publications

I'm still listening to Christmas songs...especially those jazzy ones ;)

Need for speed!

No, this post is not about the video game =P We had Thanksgiving dinner (Every year after Christmas Night) at Mr. Mike's place on Monday night and because I was still in Ipoh at 4pm, I decided I had to drive fast...again! It was jammed up everywhere in Ipoh! Even though I left my house at 3.15pm, it was already 4.15pm by the time I went on the highway and so I was driving fast! Unfortunately some parts had really heavy rain where I slowed down a little (but not too slow!) And whenever possible I sped up to make up for lost time. Some parts were jammed up. Why? Because people simply slow down! Either because somebody wanted to overtake and then slowed everyone down, or because they slowed down to see an accident. At one part there was a van with a busted tyre by the side of the road and people slowed down to see. ALL 3 LANES!! Sampat betul Malaysians!! Oh ya forgot to mention that I drove the Wira back because my car was in the workshop =( Finally reached uni at 6.30pm and then went to get the catered food and then went to Mr. Mike's place. There were only a few people, those who went early to set up the barbecue n stuff. The food was awesome, there was barbequed chicken wings, potatoes, fish, lamb, fried rice, mihun, nuggets, curry (rendang?) chicken and lemonade! I didn't eat that much tho, just one round...should have eaten more =P But anyway we were forced to bring back leftover food so I guess it evens out =P After eating it was sharing time, and everyone shared about Christmas Night n stuff. Must get the videos from Mr. Mike. Every year he records the sharing session and then keeps it somewhere in his archive (?) Hahaha...So must remember to get all the videos from the past 5 years (It has been 5 years?? So fast??)

Barbecued chicken wings!


Here's the credits video that I made but we didn't play (hopefully it loads):


Next year I will be returning as part of the audience! =D Can lepak =P

Back home for Christmas!

Yup I came back for Christmas! Left uni at 4.30pm Wednesday evening and reached Simpang Pulai by 6.30pm! I was flying on the highway! =D So far no summons yet, not that I want one, but...I'm beginning to wonder about our country's highway systems... Or maybe I wasn't going that fast...or they thought that my awesome car can't go that fast....either way I'm glad we got back safe! After dropping off all 3 passengers safely at their stop/house, I reached back at almost 8pm! I could have reached earlier if I didn't sampat see the houses belonging to rich people OR went and sesat in Ipoh old town area =P I wasn't worried about gettng lost, I knew that eventually I'll reach home, just that it will take a longer time, not to mention waste petrol.

Speaking of petrol, I wonder if anyone still bothers about looking for alternative fuel, or drive less and take the public transport more often, because you might still remember the fuss everyone made when petrol was RM2.70/liter and now its only RM1.80/liter. Don't hear anyone complaining anymore, but I'm pretty sure the environment is still complaining!

After service on Christmas morning, went to Ipoh Parade to kill some time before going for lunch. Took a pic of their Christmas Decorations:


Lunch at mom's ex-colleague's house (mom retired last month):
Drooling yet? =P

Since I was free I decided to sort out my pics, as well as print out some of the pictures i have on soft copy. (Better to have hard copies!) Almost went bankrupt to print the photos! Also printed because I had a little project to do =P
Tip: Photos saved from Facebook will look blur in 4R, but will look decent in 3R.

Been eating alot...all the weight I managed to lose while preparing for Christmas Night will be back on in no time I guess....sigh...I think it's in every Chindian's blood to eat almost everything on earth...non-stop!!

It's over!

Christmas Night 2008 is over! And it was awesome!! =D Everyone enjoyed the play thoroughly and we're so thrilled! Everyone also said that it was better than last year's one, and I think in a few years time we'll be able to reach West End/Broadway standards! =P

This time somehow I ended up as one of the props crew! Aledi sibuk jadi advisor then they didn't have enough people so I got drafted in also...haha! It was crazy and fun as always, the kekecohan, waiting for our cues, bumping into one another, getting hit by the props (I kena hit by the bed), trying not to be seen by the audience, hoping that the cast won't ruin the fragile props, running in the dark on stage with heavy props and much more! I wasn't stressed at all, considering we completed the props earlier than usual, compared to previous years where the paint was still drying on the props when the play was going on =P Our advisor who graciously lets us store our props in the PPH store kept saying to me "So many props! Must reduce! Where are we gonna keep it??" wahaha! Or something to that effect la...basically every year we keep building more and more stuff, but we also dismantle some stuff to make new stuff so that kind of evens it out. And also with all the drama surrounding the making of this drama, it felt normal, like it would be weird if there was no drama! I guess after 4 years you just get used to it! Time really flies and this was my 5th Christmas Night! Next year coming back as alumni d! wahahaha! Overall I think everything went on smoothly. All glory to God! Hopefully later I wont be too lazy to upload pics =) Must go curi ppl's pictures since I didn't take any because I don't have a camera. *hint hint* Ooh Ooh the Stepping Stones kids were really awesome too!! They were so good that after they performed more people went to the charity booth to donate! Awesome!! Some of the kids asked me "Akka, you designed the crew t-shirt ah?" And i was like..."err...sorta" because I curi the pic off the net =P The kids who performed got the crew t-shirt, and they love it! =D =D The t-shirts have their own drama story to tell, but that's another issue =P I plan to wear the t-shirt everyday until New Year or when someone asks me "wah how long never shower d??", whichever comes first =P

My parents came down for the play this year and they really enjoyed it! =D Since it's my final year la...hehe...I think I forgot to tell them that I was gonna be moving props. They didn't even realize us moving props in the dark. The props crew are efficient! wahhaha!

Fuiyoo crew tag (of course I had a tag with my name and post as publicity director =P)

After this its back to studying! Studying isn't that bad...it's the FYP that's killing me...=S

Going back at 4pm tomorrow...have a Blessed Christmas!! =D

I heart raisin scones!

Basically I heart anything with raisins, eg: raisin bun, raisin bran, walnut bread that contains raisins, raisin stick or just raisins on their own! Anyway the other day I bought raisin scones from Cold Storage (which I also heart!) and put loads of marmalade jam on it and then ate it for supper (din have time to eat dinner cause busy with props) My housemate WZ noticed that I put a lot of jam, and she had that "dahsyat betul budak ni" look. And then I explained to her one of life's principles:

If you must put jam, put ALOT of jam!

True right? =D

Don't have a picture because I was super hungry and I finished the scones (2) before I could take a pic =P

Busy busy busy!

Wah...I've so busy these few weeks helping out with props (I sampatly volunteered to help and elected myself props advisor :P), decor and dunnolah what else. I wonder if there's enough publicity...I think enough la...with the posters and banners....if someone comes up to me and says "but I din know about the event also..." I am so gonna smack them. Means the fella din pay attention to the environment la so din bother looking at the posters. Or never went for class. Anyway we're also having a Charity Booth to raise funds for Stepping Stones Living Center. Visit our booth if you can! =)

Flyer:


Still haven't done my Christmas shopping...sigh...must finish shopping by this week!! What's worse is I have no gift ideas for my beloved housemates!! It's gonna be our last Christmas as housemates here! Anyone got any ideas?

Even the planets are smiling...

I wonder how many of you saw the planets Venus & Jupiter + the Moon smiling at us on the 1st of December. It was simply amazing. After French class at COIT (yes, I'm learning French =D) I was walking towards my car when 2 classmates were taking pictures (or rather, trying to) of the 'smile'. Stood there for a while admiring the view and then went on with my life. A week later I surf the net and find out that its a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing! If my classmates did not try to take some pictures I might not have noticed it! You can read more here and here.

Lesson of the day: Look up towards the sky more often, you never know what you'll see (let's also hope that bird poop doesn't land on you)

Secret Santa

Article from Heartlight.org



Don't Just Wish It!, by Ron Rose


Preparation

There IS a "Secret Santa." Perhaps you've heard of him. I got an email from him last year after I shared the following story.

This real guy walked into the local thrift store and stepped in front of a fella who tried his best to move out of the way. "I'm Secret Santa and I want you to have this," the stranger said as he handed his victim 2 hundred-dollar bills. "Merry Christmas!"

This anonymous Santa is a businessman from Kansas City. His plan is to cross the country, going into dozens of thrift stores, laundromats and bus stations, and walk up to hundreds of strangers who seem like they could use a Franklin or two and light up their lives.

By Christmas this stranger will have given out $75,000. "Is this for real?" the victim asked. "It's for real, buddy," Santa said. "And I can keep it?" "It's yours and you can keep it." "God bless you. I was down to my last 20 cents."

The current Secret Santa made a promise to Mr. Stewart, the original Secret Santa, that he would keep the Santa thing alive. Mr. Stewart had invested the last 25 years of his life giving away more than a million dollars -- one Franklin at a time.

I think there really is a secret Santa in each of us -- it's just a matter of letting him out. God put the spirit of giving in us long before anyone heard of Santa.

Inspiration

Larry had been out of work for months, and in early October his home went into foreclosure. He withdrew $300 from an ATM to use as a deposit on a rent house and put the ATM receipt in his shirt pocket.

With everything happening around him, he forgot the withdrawal. A couple weeks later the bank sent a letter reporting over $1000 in bounced checks along with the NSF fees charged by the bank.

Embarrassed by it all, Larry and his wife kept it to themselves. Both took on part-time jobs. And with Christmas just around the corner, they decided this year would be something small for the girls and nothing for each other. They felt alone and powerless.

It was their secret.

Then in mid December Larry found a $400 check in his church mailbox with a note, "From Your Friends. Merry Christmas."

"To this day, we don't know ..."

A couple weeks later, on Christmas Eve, the family was watching TV when the doorbell rang. Outside on the porch they found sacks of groceries, a complete Christmas dinner, dresses for the girls, and a shirt and tie for Larry. "To this day," Larry says, "we don't know who made 3 dresses, and gave us so much at Christmas. It was a defining moment when God reminded us that HE provides."

Motivation

You don't have to have a million dollars to be a blessing to others. But it would be a great secret calling. There are people all around us who need a bite to eat, a cup of coffee, a smile, a conversation, a kind word, a blessing, a prayer, a gentle lift. Do you see them? You've still got time.

You have something very valuable inside you ... a treasure ... the calling to make a difference in someone this week. God has put it on you ... to give to someone in secret.

Don't waste your time wishing for Santa to come to your house, make a secret trip to a house that needs what you have. Ask God to put you in the path of just the right person this week, the one who needs a visit from secret Santa and then discover the joy of the secret.

Don't just wish it, do it.

====================================================

Have a blessed Christmas! =)

Transform Us

Here's the design for this year's Techflow T-shirt (08/09) It's very late, I know. It should be less than RM20. Anyone interested to order please comment here or email me your name & size & contact number k =)




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Bonjour!

Good morning! Oh my, it's been quite a while since I've updated!

Was so tired after CPR (Committee Planning Retreat) at somewhere near Kuala Selangor (or rather somewhere near Kapar Power Station) and so slept early last night (around 10pm?) and then woke up early today (8.40am?) even though the weather is cold and nice and I really should have slept in till it becomes hot. Probably cause I got used to lack of sleep and getting up early. =( We took longer than usual to get there, because we didn't know the way! Should have asked WZ la..she always passes that way when she balik kampung...haha wasted lah!

Anyway CPR was fun, all 13 of us + our advisor went in 4 cars (one had to go back early). I drove my awesome Citroen ZX! We had discussions and planned on how to conduct some of the activities. On Friday night, we had a sharing by our advisor and then we reflected on activities we did last semester. Everyone was tired and we finished quite late. Unsurprisingly, most were very awake after discussions ended, and some even went to the 'beach' for a while! All 13 of us squeezed in one 3 bedroom apartment! It was quite decent, and at a reasonable price =) Unfortunately the place has not been spared from people who do not know how to park properly, as shown in this picture I took from our 7th floor apt (see if you can spot my car):





On Saturday for lunch, we cooked our own meal. We had spaghetti, mashed potatoes, watermelon and mango. Thankfully it was not a disaster, and everyone finished everything (I think its because they were starving...i dunno if it was actually good!) It's also very pressuring to cook in front of 13 starving people! haha! In the afternoon, we went to see fireflies (kelip-kelip) at Kampung Kuantan. They're so pretty!! It was like looking at Christmas trees! =D 5 of us went in our advisor's new Toyota Rush (fuiyoooo!) and kecoh-ed! (4 girls sitting at the back and syok sendiri..taking pictures and laughing...loudly! Luckily we were not thrown out of the car!) We also had an interesting discussion but what happened in the car stays in the car so...there's nothing to report here other than it was fun and we learned some parenting tips and more =P

On Sunday morning we went to Klang to attend church, which was Sheela's (my fellow Chindian who's been hiding from us) church. After church we had Bak Kut Teh (wahhhh!) We sat in 2 tables, one the seniors (with Sheela & Josh Kong) and one the juniors. And then I found out....Sheela has been stalking me thru my blog!! And I thot I knew who my readers are! Haha! So now I'm stalking her blog!

Kapar is kinda dusty and now car is super dirty. Anyone wanna wash for me? If I was at home it would be so easy to wash...but here...no long rubber hose! And no car shampoo...hmmm...also must go check the exhaust part...before it drops off somewhere! Poor ZX!

Here's a cute cat pic for the day =):

more animals

Christmas is coming soon! =D So is Christmas Night! If you haven't RSVP-ed for the event on Facebook, please do so here. =D (It's not compulsory, just cooler to RSVP =P)

Hope you're enjoying the public holiday!

Nope it wasnt finalized...this one is!

So it turns out after getting approval from HEP we have to add UNITEN's logo to the poster and banner...kacau daun saja...anyway had extra photoshop-ing to do so here are the results. Not bad eh, clicked here n there, tried this n that and then it worked! wahaha...photoshop is fun! (I know some of you are thinking "duh!!")

Poster:



Banner:


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Big

Ain't it pretty?? Not bad for someone who has zero knowledge of photoshop eh..Haha...but the more I look at it the weirder it looks...

Hopefully finalized...

Hopefully this is the final poster...and here's the banner:

Pain!

Played badminton for almost 2 hours with William yesterday morning, and today my whole body is aching. Reminder to self: next time warm up properly and don't try to play like a pro. It was fun and it was a really good workout! I didn't know I had that much muscle until now...when they're all aching! Can't even walk properly! hahaha...good thing im on holiday =)

This morning washed my car, it was so dirty! The last time I washed the car was more than a month ago! Sorry ZX! And then I washed the City also, cause it was parked next to my car...haha...washing the car when your whole body is aching is not a very good idea, but i'm crazy like that! hahaha!

So my dad got a new toy, a DSLR camera. He got the Nikon D60. Chunted lah! its so cool when it makes that sound when taking a picture! I am such a geek! Will see if I get any nice shots and then post it here =)

More photos!

Had to edit the poster and banner so here's the final designs:





Whaddaya think?

Anyway I am very angry because some people just don't pay attention! When I say "please check all the info etc and let me know if there's any mistakes" please please please check properly lah ok! Shouldn't have taken up this post la. So unsuitable for the job. Anyway it will be over soon...