I'm back! ALIVE!

Wow..I've not been blogging for at least 2 years!

The blog has been left abandoned. If it is not because I need to submit a blog as my assignment for my MBA, I guess I will be abandoning it for another year. Haih~

There's an old saying - "Life is short". Seriously, I am 100% agreeing to the sentence. As you grow older, time seems to be cut shorter and there's when people struggle to earn more time (as if you can buy time?? hahaha~).

Growing old, I tend to meet with a lot of people. Some are quite weird though. A few acquaintances that I've encountered recently reminds me that we, people are not perfect. Some are smart. Some are funny too. Some are interesting.

Scenario 1:

Man: I don't understand why a bag that cost RM1400 is considered cheap. It has no value and yet people still spend that amount money on it.

Me: (Thinking deeply - Of course, you don't. RM1400 for a luxury brand of bag is definitely cheap)

Scenario 2:

A woman trying to cut queue in the toilet by walking up head and pretending that other people do not know. I was irritated and I looked at her.

Woman: Is the toilet broken? Why the queue is so long?

Me: I think not. Everyone else is queuing (I am indirectly hinting to her to queue!)

Woman: If it is not broken, then why the toilet door is closed?

Me: Because there is someone inside!

What is happening nowadays? Where are their common senses? Am I expecting to much?

Perhaps I've been meeting with a number of them recently, some bimbo(s) and himbo(s). I've start to lose my patient attending to them.

Well now, I've found the best way to handle them.

If they are bimbo(s), I should act like one too.

Hehehehehe~

Counting down to year 2010

I wondered if I should write this post depressingly or should I just be tremendously happy to welcome the year of 2010.

In a few more days to come, I'll turn 28. An age that I've never expected myself to be whom I am now! Just ridiculously WTF!

When I was a naive 18 yrs old girl, these was how I thought I will be in 10yrs time:

• Old and mature, with a career of course!
• Just got married, starting a new family, of course with the guy I was with. (Well, I did really plan to marry him. He's a BF + Husband material. Too bad, he's not mine anymore and he's already taken.)

Blah! Too much disclosure.

And I am just the total opposite of what I've been thinking of, while many are getting marry or have been already married. Some are with children too! Wow..this is the age where I should have been called an "AUNTY"! Gosh, keep me out of this!

Thinking of all the things that I've done for the year 2009, let me list down a few accomplishments (though there are some negative ones. sigh~) :

• I'm still attached to Sony. Still in the same department, working on embedded programming. Bravo to me! Ending this week, it'll mark 1yr 10mths.

• Gain some weight. That's about 3kg of weight. My last weight recorded a surprisingly 48kg. I remembered there was once I almost hit 50kg. Sigh. I shall make a new year resolution to lose the extra weight that I've gained. Needless to say, I shall skip all supper, oily food, and do more exercise!

• I run more than I've done all this while! Challenged the Standard Chartered 10km marathon, and I'd clocked about 1hr 42mins. For some time, I've been diligently slow jogging for at least 30mins, 3 times a week (It was 1 hr practice before the marathon). However, being hardworking makes no good for my thighs and calves. They are growing bigger.

Shookie's completion medal plus certificate. *Proud*

• Lost my handbag and phone. Karen was the unlucky one too! We kept our belongings in the car while touring around Titiwangsa Lake, and it was just the right time for our stuffs to be stolen! Our damages: 2 Coach wallets, 1 Nokia handphone, few hundreds MYR, and about 500 HKD! Curse on the thieves!!

• A few attacks of sprained wrist on the right hand. I was very worried that it will be the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS), though the doctor said that it was not! However, Mum is the unlucky one. She'll be having the CTS surgery on the 6th of Jan 2010. Pray for the success of her surgery (though it's a minor surgery) and good health in 2010.

Heavily on bandaged. And I acted as if I'm ULTRAMAN.

• Submitted my Master application. Pray hard that I'll be selected! (Mali-mali-mali-hom..come to me!!)

• Keeping my hair short. Yeah, it's a year with hair shorter than my shoulder length.

• Biggest lost of the year - a relationship, a love that is not able to grow beyond 3 yrs. Not to worry about me, I'm healing.

• Lastly, Baby Cheng and I decided to start our blog. And this is the blog that you are reading right now!

I'm not a person who will make new year resolutions every year. NOT EXACTLY INTO IT. Because I'll never stick to it, and I bet most of the people don't too!

However, for the coming year, I'll make myself a motto:

LIVE LIFE ABUNDANTLY!

Life is short. So, live life as if there's no tomorrow. Be better tomorrow than today.

Happy New Year!

-Shookie-

Confession of X'mas!

Merry X'mas!!!!

I've been abandoning the blog for quiet some time. Gosh, I feel real bad. And since X'mas is just around the corner, this is the opportunity for me to redeem myself. *big grin*

** Baby Cheng is still busy, with study & exams. Poor her!

I'm superbly glad that I'll be having a long holiday, starting tomorrow, marking the date of 25th December 2009 till 4th of January 1010. It'll be a stay-at-home, relax time out from just anything. I've been crazily stressed at work over the past few months. It was just scary.

Work --> Work --> Work. The never ending work. My brain is seldom at rest. And I just couldn't believe myself that I've been an evil working machine at work. Some of them are little achievements that I should be quite proud of. Haha~

Here's a list of my crazy happening events in office (or just anything related/caused by my office buddies):

• Staying overnight in office. Clock out only at 5am!
• Lots of supper. Thanks to late office leaving, most of the time, it's around 9-10pm.
• Crazily catch up on the Digital TV knowledge and C++. Just before I have time to learn what OOP is about, I'm already started coding. Thanks Muz for always chasing stuffs!
• Shouted at Casley Blast for irritating me. It was just an emotional breakdown. I felt guilty now. Sorry! (If you do happen to read this)
• Some WEIRD/CRAZY people keep reading my monitor. (or shall i say watching me from behind?)
• Being put on an outing that I do not have any idea.
• Knowing a fanatic people (SohBeng) that declare himself from an "awesome" planet.
• Scandals of me, rumouring around. Needless to say.
  

I think I just need a small space or just a short moment for me to burst out loud. So here it goes. Kinda stupid, I know.

Just a small post on the X'mas eve. Have fun everyone! I'll gonna have a blast, and hope everybody will have the same.

Lots of hugs and love you, office buddies! Tschus!

-Shookie-

An Unfruitful SS501 Autograph Session

3rd Sept 2009. I made a silly outing which I predict not many people at my age will do. It was extremely silly because there was nothing that Baby Cheng and me had benefited from it.

Gosh~

We went to the Korean Boy Band, SS501 Autograph Session!

At first, we thought that it was a "Meet The Fans" session, where they will be having a short performance plus the autograph session, hence we make our way there. To our disappointment, only autograph session was held. Sigh~

Arriving late, around 6.15pm, we do not hope for anything good. Baby Cheng was late, due to massive jam at MRR2, despite the fact that she tried to leave college around 3.30pm. I was driving like a mad fella, overtaking cars and speeding wherever I can.

On the way up to Jasmine/Orchid Ballroom in One World Hotel, we noticed this inside the elevator.

Guide to the venue.

And this was how the crowd looks like when we arrived.

The queue of fans until the car park area!

Unbelievably crowded. I could not believe it with my eyes! Never had it come to my mind that SS501 already has so many fans in Malaysia, what more when the announcement of the fans meeting session was only confirmed the day before!

We tried to make our ways to the queue, only to find out that the security was very tight.

Personnel guarded outside the ballroom, at all accessible areas.

Outside the glass door, we found out that SS501 members were inside the ballroom area. Fans were lead into the ballroom, in a small numbers. Once, the door were opened, all the fans were screaming! HAVOC! Total havoc, I mean! They were pushing among themselves too!

For us, we had no chance to meet SS501 at all! All the CDs were sold out. No performance. And they were seated inside the ballroom! No point queuing anymore. We were disappointed.

10 minutes later, some fans exiting the ballroom in a very calm, peaceful manner. Once outside, they started to scream happily! The joy of meeting SS501 and getting their signature!

Fans happily sharing their experiences.

Some are frustrated too! WHY? Due to the overwhelming response from the fans, they are only allowed to get one member's signature, to provide opportunities for all the fans to meet SS501. To make thing worse, they are not allowed to choose which member's they were like to have signature on their CDs. It was decided by the management so that SS501 will be able to catch their flight which was scheduled later at night.

We took some photos of the albums that SS501 had signed. Thanks to the fans for letting us to do so! You know who you are! Thanks!!

Kim Kyu Jong's autograph

Top: Heo Young Saeng's autograph
Bottom: Kim Hyun Joong's autograph

Our disappointed faces!! Baby Cheng even want to bang her head on the wall!! Lolz!

We left soon after, for our dinner. Having difficulty to decide our dinner, we bump into O'Briens in 1U. Healthy food, so why not?

O'Briens banner outside the shop.

A variety of ingredients for their sandwiches

Plenty of choices.

These are what we had ordered.

Top: Chicken, Chicken Crisp & Cheddar Hot Shambo
Bottom: Chicken Cranberry Wrappo. We had the wheat wrappo as healthier choice.

Baby Cheng is a happy person altogether! Of course with my favourite minestrone soup!

Pen off now. Disappointingly sienz.

-Shookie-

Unbeatable scores!

DAMM IT! Baby Cheng had frustrated me! A LOT! I really mean A LOT!! She had beaten my high scores for the Minesweeper "Expert" with 99 bombs!

She was extremely excited with her result that she called me up at work, telling me of her achievement.

Arrggghhhh!!!

Minesweeper's High Scorers

I am sure that there are still many other better players that can beat this score, but wow..at least, this is something that we can be proud of, despite me always having my wrist twisted. Not bad huh?

-Shookie-

Crustacean Dinner at Restaurant Vong Fatt for Merdeka Day!

Crab-bies. Yeah! Sounded happy? Still, I am not the number one fans of the crab-bies. Baby Cheng is.

Baby Cheng is a food fanatic whom really love eating to the max! Me? Second. Lolz. She doesn't seem to be able to reject good food. Haha..

She wanted to have the crustacean on the Merdeka Day. Her day was rather unpleasant because she was spending her whole day being at home, on a very important project, i.e. studying for final. I wonder if she really did study well with full concentration since the whole family was on an outing to Mid Valley without her. Bet NOT!!

So, the story goes on with us having dinner at a seafood restaurant in Seri Kembangan. I've forgotten to get the name card, so no details this time. But..but..but..the restaurant is located very near to Chan Yew Kee (previously know as Starlight), in Pusat Perdagangan Seri Kembangan.

The restaurant that we went to is - Restoran Vong Fatt. It started its business since quite awhile ago, and was recommended by my dad's friend.

Restoran Vong Fatt located near to Chan Yew Kee

Inside the restaurant, we saw their menu was stick on the wall.

Plenty of choices to choose from!

And, some publishing about the restaurant. Perhaps it was recommended in the newspaper. And well, one in Japanese (I wondered if it was recommended in the Japanese newspaper? Internet maybe?).

Ads sticking on the side wall of the restaurant

Here are the dishes that we had ordered:

• Sweet and Sour Crab with fried Mantou
  
• Kangkung Belacan
• Sweet and Sour Pork a.k.a. "Gu Lou Yoke"
• Dragon And Tiger Reunion a.k.a. "Lung Fu Wui" (This is their special dish which I bet you will not be able to try that at any other places!)

Sweet and Sour Crab (with Mantou)

Top: Kangkung Belacan
Bottom: Sweet and Sour Pork

And here comes the main dish of the day!

Dragon And Tiger Reunion

I bet I do not need to say more about the other norm dishes, because, well, they do taste normal. Nothing spectacular, except that the Sweet and Sour Pork was a little soft (not crunchy at all). I will only give an average rating to those dishes.

So, for the Dragon and Tiger Reunion (this was directly translated from Cantonese "Lung Fu Wui", lolz..), I've to say that this dish is very special. It was spicy and moderately milky, with some seafood taste. I can find crab, prawns, squid, "Lala", "Tin Kai", and some Chinese herbs.

The whole pot was served on a portable burner, to heat up the pot and to keep warm.

The first few sips was a little strange though the taste was acceptable. Soon after, you will taste the sweetness of the seafood. I will definitely recommend this!

However, during our visit, we had an encounter with the not-so-fresh prawns. But the shop is kind enough to replace all our prawns with fresh fish slice. Not bad hor? And the service is quite good. They keep apologizing for the non-fresh prawns, which made us felt a little "pai seh" for the complaint. And a little drawback for this dish is that it is quite pricey, at RM48 per pot.

All the dishes were quite small in portion. Nevertheless, give it a try! It is worth to try something new.

Till the next post, tschus~

-Shookie-

A New Experiment with Ettusais

Ettusais, it shall be read/pronouns as "et-tu-seh". Ettusais is well known for their medicated acne skin care, target mainly on adult acne!

A little curious on the reason of this new exploration into a totally brand new skin care? Well, my skin is getting bad lately, as well as Baby Cheng. Hers is at a much more worsen condition than mine, probably due to stress from exams and lack of sleep.

The newly repacked balancing Artistry essentials were too oily for my preference. Oil control does not work very well on my skin. Pimples keep resurfacing even though I do apply plenty of Artistry Blemish Gel. I preferred the old balancing Artistry essentials, sadly, it's not in production anymore. Yet, I've to admit that some Artistry products are awesome! I'm into their Blemish Gel and Time Defiance Skin Refinishing Lotion.

So, to start off, I google-d around for details. Some netizens said that Ettusais is a Japanese brand name under the name of Shiseido. It might be true. Reading from the packaging, it was written in Japanese.

Plenty of positive feedback from bloggers on Ettusais products. Hence, I decided to give it a try. By the way, this is the link to their website: http://www.ettusais.sg. They have a wide range of anti-acne products. Note that the price in S$ is higher (after conversion to RM).

Here are my damages:

• A 3-step skin care consists of Acne Gentle Wash, Skin Version Up Extra (serum with collagen), and Aqua Shooter Extra (toner). First, rub the soap until foamy, gather the foam and apply it to the face. Wash as usual (gently, of course!). 2nd step, immediately apply the Skin Version Up Extra. This will enhance the skin to absorp better. Lastly, apply the Aqua Shooter Extra. The combination of this 3 steps shall give a moist skin. If not, apply the moisturizer.

A 3-step skin care.

• Pore minimizer set. Zero Pore Coat for day use (can be used as a base), and Zero Pore Mask for night (A few drops on the face will do. No need to wash.).

Pore Minimizer Set

• Acne Nighttime Defense. Apply this at night as the last step. It helps to regulate the oil production hence the skin will be less oily.

As a token for purchasing these stuff, the kind product assistant gave me some samples. She was not stingy though. She gave me plenty of samples on the products that I did not purchase. Love it till the max!

Medicated Acne Gentle Make Off (make-up remover), and Medicated Acne Daytime Defense (powdery foundation)

Medicated Acne Real Fit Concealer (concealer), Medicated Acne Clear Spots Superior (acne gel),

Medicated Acne Whitening Essence (scars lightener) and Medicated Acne Whittening UV EX (oil block, can be used as pre make-up base)

My real damages:

Huge damages!

• Acne Gentle Wash - RM39
• Skin Version Up Extra - RM72
• Aqua Shooter Extra - RM88

Good news was that I managed to get these at a promotional price - RM139!

• Zero Pore Coat - RM57
• Zero Pore Mask - RM76

Another promotional package at - RM89!

However the Acne Nighttime Defense wasn't in the promotional item list. It is retailing at RM90. My total damage, RM319!

This time I really need to stay grounded. No money shall be spent anymore!

-Shookie-