Monday, June 30, 2008

Income Tax Due Date - Pay Up Time!

Today is also Income Tax due date for "Taksiran 2007" for Form B Malaysian Citizens. This is the first time I fall under this category, which means first time my Income Tax due date is in end of June (instead of the usual end of April due date).

Darlin' calculated my tax payment for me as usual - but I took the trouble to learn how it is being done as well. We paid more tax compared to last year. It is very sad to see a bunch of RM50 notes being banked into the government pocket..but I guess it must be done. Even so, I support Malaysia tax system of Progressive Tax payment - you pay more as you earn more. I think this is the fairest to all citizens!

Kesimpulannya, just smile and pay up! You need to pay even if you cry, so why not smile?

Haagen-Dazs

I received my Haagen-Dazs Super Premium Club card 2 mths ago and just had the chance to use the complimentary "buy one free one" vouchers that was sent together with the card. So of course I took my family out for this treat. Actually it was supposed to be a Father's Day present - guess we are a few weeks late! :D

Chocolate & Strawberry Mango Tango

We ordered 2 Creations - Chocolate & Strawberry & Mango Tango! Did it taste good? Well, it was smooth and creamy as usual....but 2 creations were definitely not enough for 6 ice-cream lovers! Anyway, we realized that not only the menu has been changed but the price printed in the menu has been changed as well. The famous fondue now costs a freaking RM63.90 if I am not mistaken! Wow...I guess no more Haagen-Dazs treats for some time being....I will stick to Baskin-Robbins 31% discount ice-creams :)

Hui Lin's B'day @ Ang Hoay Loh


We celebrated Ang Hui Lin's birthday @ Ang Hoay Loh - the original one at Hock Chuan Heong shop. Ang Hui Lin = Ang Hoay Loh...wow...both actually have the same initials, what a coincident! :)

Anyway, 8 of us devoured the famous Ang Hoay Loh's oyster mee, fried tang hoon (glass noodle), bak kee (pork coated with flour in soup), fried oyster, tau kua & prawn fritters - all big & generous portions. My personal favourites are the delicious fried tang hoon & prawn fritters which is crispy on the outside and juicy inside. We drowned the food down our throats with tea. All for RM121 which I feel is reasonably priced.

For the birthday occasion, of course there was a cake - coffee cheese cake by Sok Im!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUI LIN!

Happy Feet Fish Spa @ New World Park


This is my 2nd time to a Fish Spa - this time is in Penang itself at Happy Feet @ New World Park. I booked 4 pax for the earliest appointment and took mum, ah yee & Min there. It is also one of mum's b'day present. The exterior looks new and good. But I find the interior a bit small but rather cozy. The moment I reach, the girl at the cashier asked me to pay before I even try the service. Anyway, I paid obligingly. Promotion price of RM18/pax for 30 minutes.

We were led to the leg-washing area. There were flower pots right at the place to wash your legs which I think should not be there. The washing area was not big and the flower pots are making the place looks cramped. We were then given a small towel to wipe the chlorinated water off our feet.

Mum, ah yee & Min was excited and could not wait to dip their feet into the distilled water. The moment their feet reached the water, Min started to scream...hahaha. It was too ticklish for her. Mum was feeling the same thing too. She could not relax and kept her toes curled up to minimize exposure area for the Doctor Fish. Ah yee was amazing. It only took her less than 1 minute and she was already relaxing. Several minutes later, she took out a novel from her bag and started reading....see how relaxed she was! However, mum & Min started to relax after a while and they too were enjoying the nibling-sensation.



The staff were friendly and came to talk to us. After 30 minutes, one of them told us our time is up and gave us another towel to dry our feet!
We left the place with silky-smooth feet and happy faces :D

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Happy Birthday Dearest Mummy

My mum is a very special lady - fiesty yet gentle! Mind you, she can scream the house down when she is in the mood!
Anyway, all of us tried our best to make her feel special this b'day, so we prepared 3 presents for her. Pre (part 1) , Present (part 2) & Post (part 3)!

Pre - Part 1 *** Home-made Chilled Cheese Cake (by Min & me..ahem)


Present - Part 2 *** A Lovely Porcelain Photo Frame with our Family Tree (drawn by Min the "artist" of DEE)


Post - Part 3 *** Happy Feet Fish Spa relaxation treatment


I wish mummy best of health and happiness!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I love you!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup @ Perak Lane

The Fish Head Bee Hoon Soup @ Perak Lane is the best I've tasted. Usually I don't like this dish (basically i dont favour whitish-soupy dish) but this is a must-try!

The coffee shop without any sign board name is situated at the end of Perak Lane. It is being cooked bowl by bowl with the ingredients chosen. You can choose between beehoon or porridge. My favourite is beehoon "bak leow" (pork ingredients) - which comes with minced pork, pork liver, pork kidney, pork intestines and pork brain. If you don't want any of those (i declined the pork brain!), pls ensure you let them know!

Darlin's dad, darlin' and I went there for dinner on Thursday for dinner. We reached there quite early so the place was not yet packed. The place gets packed from 7-8.30pm. Peter's dad & I ordered the beehoon bak leow and darlin' took the "bak cho" (minced pork) with fried fish.

The Coffee Shop without any Sign Board Name
Bak Leow
Bak Leow with Fried Fish

The Making of Chilled Cheese Cake

Shu-Min and I decided to make Chilled Cheese Cake for mum's bday. It was Min's first time making a cake, and my 2nd cake-making (my first cake was baking butter cake). I got the recipe from GN and thought it should be a breeze making this cake.

Mana tau...only the shopping part already drove Min & I crazy. Island Plaza & Gurney Plaza Cold Storage do not sell gelatine. We had a hard time searching for this important ingredient. At last, Ritz Cake House sold us 50g of gelatine for rm3. We were so thankful! Next, we also could not find the Philadelphia Cream Cheese that GN told me about. We ended up buying Tatura brand cream cheese.

Now for the actual making of the Chilled Cheese Cake. Let below pictures tell the story:

Ingredients Pounding of Marie Biscuits Mixing Butter and Crushed Biscuits
Pressed until Padat Beat Cream Cheese with Condensed Milk Add in GelatinePouring Mixture onto the Tray Smooth 2nd Layer Adding Coctail To Make the Top LayerChilled Cheese Cake

Looks delicious, right? It tastes delicious too :)

Thursday, June 26, 2008

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

A few people asked me for review on the Chuck & Larry movie which I mentioned I watched the DVD on my 'Lazy Sunday - June 22, 2008'.

So here is a synopsis and my review on "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry"

***Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and Larry Valentine (Kevin James) are the pride of their fire station: two guy's guys always side-by-side and willing to do anything for each other. Grateful Chuck owes Larry for saving his life in a fire, and Larry calls in that favor big time when civic red tape prevents him from naming his own two kids as his life insurance beneficiaries. But when an overzealous, spot-checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious, the new couple's arrangement becomes a citywide issue and goes from confidential to front-page news. Forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds, Chuck and Larry must now fumble through a hilarious charade of domestic bliss under one roof. After surviving their mandatory honeymoon and dodging the threat of exposure, the well-intentioned con men discover that sticking together in your time of need is what truly makes a family***

My review: I find the movie very typical Adam Sandler-ish - full of laughter and enjoyment. Actually comedy is not my type (I prefer mind-provoking heart-warming movies) but I must admit I had a good time watching this show together with darlin'. It is an entertaining movie with lots of good quote and jokes, altough the storyline is rather predictable.
7.0/10 rating from me!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Feeling sad

Argument means "an oral disagreement; verbal opposition; contention; altercation; a discussion involving differing points of view" according to dictionary.com.
It sounded so formal and less destructive, but why are we not in talking terms?

Although it was only half an hour ago since we last talked, or should I say argue, I felt like hours. You know I can't stand it when we are on silent wars. I hate silent treatment. How do you expect me to sleep in this situation. It is already past 11pm and yet we are in different rooms, avoiding each other. Me in the living room using the laptop, and you in the study room rummaging through papers. When was the last time you stayed in the study room btw?

Argghh......

//edited on 26 June 2008 at 3.22pm

We have made up. Darlin' came over suddenly to kiss my cheek and then went back to the study room...continued to rummage through papers :)

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

2 Mths Anniversay (life after leaving IDT)

My last day in IDT was on 24th April 2008. Today is 24th June 2008. Although I'd already posted about this on 17 June, I can't help it but to write something today to signify the 2 mths anniversary since I left IDT.

Things I MISS in/about IDT:

  • Great people - super nice superior and great colleagues
  • Superb canteen food, thanks to Ah Leng
  • Almost non-existence office politics (not in my group at least!)


Things I DON'T MISS in/about IDT:

  • Monthly Forecasting - the never-ending manual changes needed
  • The super-small cubicle space for each employee (4 in a cube)
  • The space-blocking 4 waste paperbaskets in a cube (surprisingly they never include cost-cutting in this - 1 employee 1 waste paperbasket)
  • Hideous gigantic computer monitors - bulge out too front/too near to my eyes and makes me feel dizzy for the 1st few months (not all get to enjoy the luxury of flat screen monitors)
Although the DON'T MISS list is longer than the MISS list, I still happened to love my time when I was in IDT because of the 1st item i listed down "Great people - super nice superior and great colleagues".
It is important to have friends and nice people to work with - if there are, chances are you will stay longer in the company.

Thank you IDT for the 3 wonderful years there! :)

Monday, June 23, 2008

Thank you Peen!

I was talking to one of my close fren 'thru MSN yesterday 'til 1.30am. I felt good after talking to her. We had some heart-to-heart talk. She made me realize not to take things for granted. To appreciate all things you have.

I realized everybody has their own troubles. It is whether do they speak their heart out aloud. I have mine and others have theirs. I ended up telling her things I did not plan to tell her initially.

I talked about my insecurities while she told me a 'lil about hers. I told her how I used not to understand her, to think her as being cold & unfriendly. Now I appreciate her more and more - i find her matured and one who speaks her mind.

We both agreed that as long as we try our best to understand others - we will continue to be good friends. The key word here is "to understand". I know it is difficult to always be understanding. But no harm trying, right?

I think I am quite an understanding person overall. I am patient. And I think I am kind. But I do not speak my mind sometimes - afraid that someone else will get hurt at my words. I used to think this is better - to refrain saying out stuff that I am afraid someone else may get hurt. Now I see it in another perspective. By not speaking my mind, I am not trying to understand a situation, therefore leading to misunderstanding at times.

Now I try to always speak my mind. But I will try my best to carefully choose my words before it comes out from my mouth - try to understand the other person's feelings.

Thank you Peen...for accompanying me 'til 1.30am last night!

Jamie & Dylan back to Singapore!

Peter & I are feeling a little gloomy now. We just sent Peter's favourite niece & nephew to the airport this morning. They flew Air Asia back to Johore, and then to Singapore to be with their mummy & daddy.

The house seems so quiet and peaceful now without them. They were 'lil devils when they were around - making you scream and making your hairs stand! But at times they could be angelic too....battling their eyelashes at you and rubbing their heads on your shoulders.

Jamie is very, very clever in talking. She talks non-stop and can ask you questions which you cannot answer. She will drag me to play with her "London Bridge is Falling Down" until my back aches from leaning too much. Haha. But I know she had a great time.

Dylan still cannot speak yet except for "Ah Ma"...hehe. But he can understands everything perfectly. He can show you all antics including showing you how the "dog barks".

Now Peter & I finds the house a little too quiet and peaceful for our liking. Not even 12 hours yet and we are starting to miss them.

(once again pls pardon my "blur-ish" pics courtesy of Nokia 6300)

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Lazy Sunday

I woke up at 10am this morning...it has been such a long time since I slept 'til so late. I felt so good. No irritating alarm to wake me up. No appointments to rush to in the morning.

I cooked breakfast for darlin' and I - consists of my signature omelette with crabstick & herbs, black pepper sausages with Gardenia bread. Peter loves my omelette. I drank a glass of Dutch Lady full cream milk and darlin' refused to kiss me after that - complaining that I smell of milk which he dislikes. Haha.

Peter's appointment at noon was postponed. So both of us lazed around the house watching "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" starring Adam Sandler. It was a hilarious comedy. We enjoyed ourselves. Peter lured me to take an afternoon nap. I didn't want to sleep at 1st but when I saw him sleeping so peacefully, I also hopped onto bed and to my horror, I slept for almost 3 hrs. Aiks aiks aiks. Sure I am gonna have trouble sleeping tonight.

I got hungry at 4pm and I cooked Har Mee instant noodles - with eggs & sausages. Cooked for Peter's friend Poay Sim as well who came over our place to ask Peter's help to complete his income tax. Justin & SS came over for awhile for a chat. They are registering (ROM) next week...so they will be pronounced husband & wife in the name of the law.

My dinner appointment with Pat, MY, Peen & Paik Lin was postponed 'til further notice. So I can't pass them Mindy's wedding invitation card yet. Hey girls...if you are reading this, pls REMIND me to pass it to you, ok? If not, I will forget!

It is now almost 7pm as I am typing this. We will be going over to mum's place for dinner. Poay Sim is still here. Darlin' & I will be going up to Batu Feringghi later at night to buy some DVD tv series - namely Smallville Season 6, Prison Break season 3, etc.

The day seems so long - it is nice to just laze around the house with no definite plans once in a while.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Dragon-i @ QB Mall

Dragon-i menu Shu-Min & I
My youngest sis Shu-Min tricked me into treating her a good meal again! This time is at Dragon-i @ Queensbay Mall.

It was Min's first time ever in dragon-i. She was awed by the deco as well as the ambience and decor seems posh and unique as there are some pseudo terracotta warriors scattered around. It was also her first time tasting Shanghainese Dumpling aka "xiao long pao". It was pretty expensive RM9 for 4 pieces. It was served in a steamer. However, the taste was marvelous. You can taste the freshness of the meat and although it burned our tongue as we bit into it and the soup oozes out, it is still one of the best I've ever tasted. To me, they are nicer than the ones I've tried in Shanghai which was supposed to be famous as well.

Besides the Shanghainese Dumpling, we ate the famous la mien and also the steamed rice with chinese sausages, mushrooms & chickens which are delicious as well.

Xiao Long Pao La Mien Steamed Rice

(pls excuse my "blur-ish" pics as they were taken using Nokia 6300 :P)

Happy Birthday Ai-Leen. May all your dreams fulfilled!

Happy Birthday Kah Mun. May you have a blissful marriage life and lots of love!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The last time I watched movie with my parents was 11 years ago in 1997 when I used my part-time job salary to treat my parents to watch Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio & Kate Winslet. I still remembered my dad fell asleep during the beginning part of movie and woke up when Titanic sank. That was the "action" part which he likes. The "lovey-dovey" part he does not enjoy. Hahaha.

We watched the Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on last Wednesday - which is a movie day. RM6/ticket - 40% cheaper than normal price. Mum, dad, ah-yee, Min, Peter & I watched the 9.30pm show. Too bad Wen is in KL - if not, it will be a family event! Surprisingly, dad did not fall asleep this time although the movie ends at 11.45pm. Good work, dad!

OK now..let's get to the show review. It was a disappointment to me. Maybe because I had high expectations of it. Before i watched it, I already heard reviews from friends saying the show is just "ok ok nya", but I refused to believe in it because I love the previous Indiana Jones movies. I love the Temple of Doom, Raiders of the Lost Ark & Last Crusade.
However, when I watched Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, i find the pace a bit "slow" and less exciting. I find less action in the movie and also the storyline not that good.

Harrison Ford still looks gaya but a 'lil old of coz. All in all, it was below my expectations. I think I can give it only 5.5/10 marks....considering it is a Steven Spielberg film starring Harrison Ford.

Anyway, if you are still a fan of Indiana Jones (like me!), there is an official Indiana Jones website which is quite an interesting to explore.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Outing with CPTarians

Yesterday night, I went out with Ai-Leen, Elly, Siean Huei & Chin Peng. I was so proud to be the one who initiated the outing. And all of them sportingly said "yes" straightaway.

I was actually having a 'lil headache before that but it got well as yesterday's weather was a 'lil cooler and it actually soothed my headache. We met @ Subaidah, Tg. Tokong.

It was a long time since I last saw some of them. I haven't seen Elly and Ai-Leen for more than 6 mths. We talked non-stop and Elly was really into an MLM product called Barley Green. She said it helps her grow stronger and healthier every day. We talked about everything - topics ranging from health food to work life to dooms day. Hahaha.

We left Subaidah nearly midnight and promised to meet up again soon.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Friends, Friends and Friends

"Friends are kisses blown to us by angels" - This is one quote which I find very meaningful.

Since young, we are surrounded by friends. Friends were so important to me during my school days that my mood of the day depended on them. I was trying hard searching for a Best Friend at that time - wanted to belong and wanted someone to share my days. Little did I know that the more I wanted a Best Friend, the more I couldn't get one. I've cried pails and pails of tears for friends. I learnt the meaning of 'anger', 'happiness', 'betrayal', 'laughter' and 'agony' through friends.

As time goes by, I learn to differentiate between Friends and Acquaintances. I have many people whom I call Friends. But deep inside me, only a few handful are my real friends.

Now, I truly, truly understood the word Friends. A friend is someone who sticks with you through thick and thin. Someone who understands. Someone who don't throw stupid tamtrums. Somone to cry and laugh with.

There are 2 person whom I want the world to know that he and she is special to me - in every way. His name is Peter and her name is Bee Shin.

Peter & I Peter is my life partner. He may not be the most handsome guy, nor is he the most richest guy, but in my heart i know he truly loves me. He is not someone without flaws. He has done things which hurt me. He has made me cry. And yet all I remember are the little things he does every day to make me smile. I plan to spend the rest of my life with him.

Although I only see Bee Shin once a year averagely, she is mBee Shin & Iy very best friend. Everytime she comes back to Penang, we tried to get together as often as we could. We can talk and talk and talk for hours - on anything on earth. We update each other on our lives and we reveal our deepest fear and secrets, knowing that our secret will always be safe with each other. As far as I remember, we never quarrelled before. This is because we do not argue on small stuff. Besides Peter, she is the one I think of when I am down...everytime hoping that she is just next to me. I miss her. She is my friend whom I will treasure my whole life.

I have another handful of good friends - mainly my school friends. Imagine me spending from std 1 to form 5 with them - my life is so full of memories of them.

Once out into this adult world, we have colleagues and some of them are my good friends. We meet other people along the way - all in turn doing their part paving my life.

I cannot imagine a world without friends. Friends play a very important role in my life. Without them - life is not so colourful. Live your life at the very fullest. Treasure those people around you.

Happy Birthday Patsy Yap! May all your dreams come true!
Happy Birthday Chin Peng! May you have much happiness in life!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

IDT vs Now

It is almost 2 months since I left IDT. So, do I miss IDT?

To tell the truth, sometimes I still miss my job of doing "lots launching" and planning the line, and calling the subcons to solve problems. There are also work scope I don't miss, such as doing "monthly forecast" and reports. These stuff, I was glad to hand over to my fellow ex-colleagues.
Most of all, however, I miss my friends in IDT.
Some say 3 years in IDT is not long. But to me, I have made many good friends in IDT.

GN LeeI've found someone who gives me matured and sound advice. She is like a 2nd mother-figure to me. She is strict, yet kind. She looks stern, yet her laughter is contagious. I was pretty scared of her the 1st day I walked into IDT, knowing she is my superior. Her name is GN Lee.

I've found someone whom I can talk almost anything to. She is one of my best friends. Don't be deceived by her quietness. She can talk Carol Lima lot when she wants to. We have our differences but we have many similiarities. She is the only person I know who don't eat vege, yet she has flawless complexion. So envious. Both of us easily shed tears while watching movies. Both of us strive to fit into this society - understanding "money is not everything, but money helps in a lot of things". Both of us plan our marriage and buying of a home when were in IDT. She is my "partner" in IDT. I miss Carol a lot.

3 more friends in Assembly Planning group - Hui Lin, CK Lim & PS Liew.

Hui Lin CK Lim PS Liew
Hui Lin shares her knowledge and experience in IDT unselfishly. She is a very hardworking employee. We call her the "IDT walking dictionary". In IDT, I don't know what I'll do without her.
CK Lim is someone whom I admire. He is someone who doesn't talk nonsense. His general knowledge is vast, be it in social issues, financial field, etc. He is the one whom I will ask for road directions everytime I do not know how to get somewhere. He will draw you a map which shows every single traffic lights and lanes.
PS Liew is the newest member of our group. However, she is a very responsible and independent lady. She always "lectures" us to eat healthily and do things independently. She is also the one whom I talk Mandarin to. Nowadays without her around, my Mandarin language deteriorates.

Besides the Assembly Planning group, I have many good friends in other department. CT Lok in CDB, who treats me as his 'lil sis is my good fren. Shimah, my friend who is always humble and kind. Qher Yen in the IT department who helped me alot especially during weekends to ensure autowip is running smoothly all the time.

CT Lok Shimah Qher Yen

Other groups such as the Product Planning group, Engineering and the Assembly group friends whom I also miss. Not forgetting my boss TC Ang and HL Ang whom I must declare are good bosses ;D

Product Planning group Engineering group Assembly group

Now that I am now working for my husband, i cannot deny that I am enjoying my freedom. I don't have to be stuck in IDT from 8-5pm. I can spend quality time doing things I like. Most of all, I like the fact that I am now NOT exchanging my time for money.

The downside of resigning from IDT and being self-employed is that my income is not stable. However, we believe if we work hard and work smart enough, we will have enough.

All in all, I would like to thank darlin' Peter for encouraging me to resign and be my own boss - determining my own future and have lots of quality time for myself. I like taking control of my life!

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