Friday, November 19, 2004

A quiet day

Just having a nice relaxing time at home today. Sent my poor laptop to the hospital this morning. Hope I get it back on Monday.

I went for a facial yesterday!! Boy that was really relaxing... I always love the massage parts the best. And I love when the mask is peeled off your face. It's so... liberating.

The Phantom of the Opera

The charity premiere is on December 10!! I've so gotta get tickets for this event!! Yippee!! I hope it's exactly like the onstage musical. The pictures seem to look like it. YAHOO!!

Thursday, November 18, 2004

Lotsa pictures and stories

Lots of pictures today!! A real feast for everyone!

Also I wanted to let my readers know that I'll be sending my laptop off for servicing either today or tomorrow. But don't fret, I still have other means to write in my blog! Just wanted to share the good news!

Lots of things happened these past few days, on Saturday night, went out for dinner with Sharry Berry, Gary Giggs and Nobita to Little Havana (I think it's called) opposite Le Bouchon in Bukit Bintang.



Gagging at the horrendous food. Or was it the pricing?

Giggs and Nobita before they got the bill.


Umm... can't remember exactly where this was taken but it was near the resto.
Havana - all the whites supporting Arsenal while Giggs mumbles curses under his breath every time they cheer.

Considered dropping by here after dinner to listen to some music. In the end, we just walked by... they lost some rowdy customers that night.

Nice lanterns. Very Asian. Malaysia. Truly Asia.

Me and Sharry Berry doin the nice gal pose. Not that we aren't nice.

Can't remember this place either, but I liked the lighting. Very cosy and intimate. Boy, I'm not doing very good advertising, am I?

I don't know how traditional it can get if the prices are so high. Boy, you can get traditional Malay food for 1/4 of the prices here, I bet. Oh right, we're paying for the AMBIENCE (pronounced om-bee-yonce)


Sharry Berry pretending to be interested in the football match. She's actually biting her fingernails.
Giggs is just not ready to give up the limelight. He and the oyster are trying to get into the picture. Tsk tsk.

Um... this place looks better in real life. I think.

Right... me and my mom at lunch at a hotel on first day of Raya. Hi Mummy!!
Well, then, time for me to bid adieu to my trusty laptop. See you guys soon!

Monday, November 15, 2004

Excerpts from my trip

Since this is a sort of diary, I really should record my trip to Europe in August this year. And it'd be nice for you guys to see some pictures again, wouldn't it? Hehe...

10th August Grandpa G came down to London to visit and we went to several places, like the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. Saw Kensington Gardens and Palace too.


Statue of the man himself, Queen Victoria's consort, Prince Albert. Impressive, eh?

Very grand and commanding posture, eh? This is at one corner of the memorial statue.

Royal Albert Hall just opposite the memorial.

Grandpa G studying the map to see where to go next. Very studious, isn't he?

The Diana and Dodi memorial at Harrods. So difficult to get a picture!! People's heads sticking here there and everywhere trying to get a good shot too. Luckily I'm tall. HAHA.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

Travel

So are many of you guys travelling this holiday?

If you're planning to go overseas and money's a problem (especially with our exchange rate nowadays!) try visiting airline pages and see if they have a 'special offers' page. Those are really good, but they don't wait for you to decide! They keep changing, sometimes daily, sometimes even by an hour! Make sure you've decided thorougly and usually dates can't be changed with special offers like these.

Another problem with our declining currency is spending money overseas. When I went to Paris I ended up spending triple the amount I thought I would because, not only is the exchange rate high, their stuff are so wackily priced! I mean, you can buy a Dior perfume for the same price as dinner!

So my recommendation is to find online websites that give discounts on visiting touristy places. When planning my trip to London, I found this site http://www.londontown.com which gives great discounts and offers. Also there are other things you can do like country walks etc and you can usually find these at www.visitbritain.com which also has a great route planner if you're planning to drive around. Some other great ways to save money on travelling is by using the actual railway network website, like http://www.escapebytrain.co.uk which gives discounts on its services.

These are some ideas to help you save money on travelling in these economically and financially challenged times for our country. Unless, of course, you're loaded and drive around in a limo. In that case, you can leave me a name and number in the Comments section.

Working Holidaymaker

I have a question to ask, hopefully someone who knows these things comes across my site. Does anyone know how long it takes to get a working holiday visa approved for the UK?

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Salesgirls @ Sungei Wang

You walk into a shop and start looking at clothes.

Salesgirl Type A : Ignores you from the moment you walk in and even if you glance at her to greet her or ask her for help, she looks away. Usually ugly and grumpy looking.
Verdict : A little irritating.

Salesgirl Type B : Looks at you and sometimes acknowledges your presence. However, you KNOW she knows you're there because she starts tripping over your heels no matter how many zig zags you take up and down the aisles (sometimes blocking your way). Never says a word. Usually young, blur and not so good-looking.
Verdict : Pretty darn irritating.

Salesgirl Type C : Greets you when you walk in with a big smile, asks you to try on all her clothes. Usually well-dressed (in the Sungei Wang style) and takes out every single skirt and shirt for you to try. Asks you how it fits once you enter the changing room. Asks you how it fits once you come out. When you say it's not suitable, she suddenly doesn't seem to know you're there. Has a grumpy face when you leave. Usually an older woman.
Verdict : Most irritating. Hello? Manners? Two-faced *toot*!

Salesgirl Type D : Perfect, unobtrusive, speaks when she needs to, helps when she needs to. Basically 0.01% of salesgirls in Sungei Wang. But I did meet one at Kojiki Fashion House at the rooftop. She also speaks both Cantonese and English very well. A definite plus sign in my book.
Verdict : Wish all salesgirls were like that.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Everybody shout...1...2...3...FREEDOM!!

Yahoo!! Finally I can relax!!

"If you can't dazzle them with your brilliance, baffle them with bullshit."

It makes sense, doesn't it? Always sound like you know what you're talking about, even if you don't. That way, everyone will eventually think you're the genius you really are.

So what's up with the world nowadays? I'm so happy everything's done and over with. Tonight's CSI and I'm NOT gonna miss it like I always do. Best show in the world. Way to go CSI people!!

Some news from poor Grandpa G who's not feeling at all well today. Poor Grandpa's puking! :( Hope he gets better soon so Binks will have a healthy and hearty competitor in paintball! Thinkin' of ya, Grandpa! Hope you get better soon.

Ms Chevrolet owner wants to go party'n this week since we're all free. Let's! But no smoky, poorly ventilated areas! Any ideas, just leave it on the comments or the flooble. That thing seems to be temporarily down now.

Beach Babe has decided that she wants to defect from this country. She says the loony bin in Australia is so much better than the one we were at. Where's the loyalty, I'm asking you? Harrumph! (Yes, horses make that sound) Anyway, that girl is so ungrateful! I took so much trouble to get her out of that hospital and destroyed her records and she just wants to go back to another one. Oh wait, she's reminding me that that's the only way she can go to Australia. Oh well... the measures one will have to go through to reach one's dreams.

The Woman is celebrating her birthday today. Yippee! I think she's giving out free limo rides to anyone who reaches her house and wishes her Happy Birthday in 20 minutes. In that case, I'm off for my free ride! WAHAHAHOOHOO!!

Friday, November 05, 2004

Holidays are approaching...nearer...nearer...nearer.......

It'll be so good just to kick back and sit on the couch watching DVDs the whole day... SIGH...

Yesterday was exciting!

Mom called in the morning and said I can't go out because there's "a snake in the garden"!! Yes!! A snake! Our third one, I believe. Oh gosh... anyway, it was rather exciting to have DBKL come over and get the snake. They kept kicking and kicking the snake and it was so reared up to bite them. It did cross my mind to get a video or some pictures of it, but it was just so exciting. Anyway I guess the snake got tired and his head was still up, and that's when one of the guys grabbed his head with his hand and subdued it. BOYS AND GIRLS, PLEASE DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

Don't think I live in a snake-infested area okay! These things happen...

Anyway, thanks K for your help with my PC problems... I did try Shareaza but I can't find what I want there. I guess after I send my laptop for its long-awaited overhaul I'll install Kazaa Lite.

And Pocky Man!! Thanks for gloating about your PC!! Actually, I do have one other custom-made PC at home, but that's pretty sucky as well. I have Ad-Aware on that, so no popups, but there must be something disturbing it because sometimes it gets really really slow and even though my laptop has more memory, it runs games faster! WEIRD.

Maybe you're wondering why there're so few pictures nowadays, but I just feel lazy to upload my pics to Geocities. I'll do it when I have more time. Right now I'm still rushing on my final assignments and feeling a little stressed.

You know what? One of my group members quit! SIGH... means extra work for us. Even last semester we had one member quit. Remember, Bea?? What's this, a pattern or something?

SHOPPING!

Yes! I went shopping! (And, yes, I know I don't have time, but my mom invited me out after all...hmm hehehe).

Grandpa G went paintballing yesterday. Tsk tsk... he shouldn't be doing such rough activities at his age.

Oh if [Chia Chia] Binks is reading this, he might want to plan a paintball outing for end of November. Let me know!

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

The perfect PC

Why can't there EVER be a single PC that works properly? Or maybe I should ask why there are some people out there, so MEAN to make popups that live in your PC? I'm so SICK AND TIRED of closing extra windows, also FED UP of my PC crashing all the time, especially now that all my final assignments are due. It's such a waste of time having my laptop restart over and over again. CAN'T ANYONE MAKE DECENT PCS? OR SHOULD WE ALL SWITCH TO MACS??!

I'm so so so pissed. As in angry. Not drunk.

I don't know what's wrong with my IE now, but when I want to go to a website sometimes it just gives me that 'page cannot be found' error and some funny address in the url place, like res://shoc blablabla... i dunno. It's just irritating. And when I try to click on certain links, it doesn't go to the link! I can't read any of my comments... does anyone know how to fix this?

And you know, if I use Ad-Aware, my Kazaa will then not work at all. What a dilemma. I'm sending my laptop in for a complete overhaul after all my assignments are in. So I might be missing for a bit next week.

Useful facts

Here are some useful facts for you people out there. Fellow mates in Henry's class will have read about this already, but this is so important that I really have to put this here for the benefit of the others.

You may think you know this already, but trust me, it's more serious than you thought. TRUST ME. Read on.

What is Secondhand Smoke?

  • Mainstream smoke : smoke emitted at the mouthpiece and exhaled from the lungs of smokers
  • Sidestream smoke : burning ends of a cigarette, pipe, cigar etc
  • Sidestream smoke has even more carcinogens (cancer causing).
  • Only 15% of smoke is inhaled by the smoker. The other 85% goes directly into the air to be inhaled by nonvoluntary nonsmokers.
  • The general public’s exposure to secondhand smoke is much higher than most people realize.

How SHS affects people

  • Tobacco smoke directly damages the lining of the lining of the arteries.
  • It reduces the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen to the tissues.
  • It increases the stickiness of the blood
  • The best part is that the same thing is happening to the bodies of people who inhale second-hand smoke.

Unborn babies

  • Cancer-causing chemicals in cigarette smoke pass from mother to unborn baby through the bloodstream, whether the mother smokes or not.
  • Babies of smokers have much higher levels of the chemicals
  • The compounds can cause genetic damage and may be a prelude to childhood leukemia and other cancers
    - lung and skin cancer
    - bladder cancer
    - liver cancer
  • All three substances attach themselves to hemoglobin, the Oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. The carcinogens continue to circulate through the babies' blood for the life of the red cells -- about four months.

The Dangers of Second Hand Smoke!

  • direct health threat to people who already have heart and lung diseases.
  • Increases the risk of serious lung disease during the first two years of a child's life.

Did You Know?

  • Nonsmokers who live with smokers are more likely to develop lung cancer than other nonsmoking adults.
  • If you have asthma, secondhand smoke can make your breathing problems worse.
  • Young children are especially sensitive to secondhand smoke.
  • A baby who lives in a home where one or both parents smoke is more likely to have lung disease serious enough to need treatment in a hospital during the first two years of life.
  • Children exposed to secondhand smoke in the home are more likely to cough and wheeze and to have middle ear problems.

Diseases

  • increased risk of lung infections, such as asthma, bronchitis, and allergies and ear infections
  • ear infections, sinus problems, heart disease, strokes, nose, eye and throat irritation, nausea, dizziness and headache.
  • If you live with a smoker, you have a 30% increased chance of getting lung cancer or having a heart attack.

Smoking and Impotence

  • Impotence, or penile erectile dysfuntion, is the repeated inability to have or maintain an erection.
  • Smoking is related to an abnormal decline of blood pressure in the penis.
  • Smoking leads to artery damage where plaques form on their inner lining, slowing the flow of blood to the penis.
  • Nicotine causes the constriction of blood vessels. This means that blood supply to the penis will be further compromised in a man who smokes
  • Full or partial recovery of erectile function is possible by quitting smoking. Men who lose their erections before orgasm have completely reversed this situation by quitting smoking.

Smoking and Male Fertility

  • Reduces sperm density and motility compared with that of non-smokers, increasing the risk of infertility.
  • May also result in more couples having baby girls than boys, suggesting that sperm cells carrying the Y chromosome are more vulnerable to cigarette smoke toxins.

So guys please check out some health websites for symptoms if you do live in a smoking environment. I'd like to do my bit to help people protect themselves.

The information above was gathered and summarised from a variety of great sources :