meal times at genting

what is one to do besides watching concerts and sleeping in genting highlands? although the lure of the theme park is there...and i can get 50% discount on the ticket, it is the food that is more appetising here.
the initial plan was to have lunch on saturday with chinching and rachel at the olive (the award winning restaurant at genting hotel) but one phone call from dad, changed our plans. i ended up having lunch with dad while rachel and chinching had theirs at good friend.
dad had to drive a group of students for the day, so he called me up for lunch. i think he had been planning to go to ming ren restaurant (lamb specialty cuisine) for a long time and he just couldn't get someone to go with him. so i was lucky lah...dad bought me lunch. hehehe...the bill was about rm155. food was yummy...and u really have to try their roasted lamb.


roasted ribs on the left...the picture did no justice to the dish. and there is the little saucer of vinegar to go with the lamb. must have the vinegar. my mouth still waters now thinking of this dish. i am not a big fan of lamb...but now give me the ribs anytime.
braised 'long tan' fish. yummy as well. dad who is a fish lover gives his approval for this dish.
dad's dessert. almond and pisstachio ice-cream. the plate is sooo much bigger than the cream in the middle. it is xinjiang's specialty...so that means it smelt of goat's milk...err...not my dessert. but it is good i guess for those who like creamy stuff.
my aloe vera and ginseng jelly. very ginsengish hahhaha...full!

then we started planning for dinner time at the olive...still didn't wanna give up since we had good experience there last year. and coincidently they had a michelin star chef there that weekend (anton mosimonn) so of course we din wanna waste this opportunity. but.....sigh....to our disappointment (very disappointed), they only served THIS:-
Dinner:-
Chicken Liver Parfait Flavoured with Truffles or Lobster Salad with Soy, Black Bean and Coriander- Risotto Ai Funghi- Poached Scallops, Saffron, Tomato and Herbs Sauce - Roast Saddle Of Scottish Lamb Filled with Shitake Mushrooms- Anton's Chocolate Delice- Coffee Petits Fours
Price: RM 488.00++ without Wine RM 588.00++ with Wine Pairing
no ala carte at all for the night....or is it because we were soooo dressed down in our jeans and shirt??? we wouldn't mind ordering one set of that right....but 3?? get out!

so in the end, we went to indian spice (is it?) or spice of india for our indian meal. hahaha....roti and tika masala and tandoori....dun get the specific names from me. we ordered according to what is described on the menu and some photos. the food was a bit salty, but still all right.
eating is always fun when u are cold...so i am glad that they have so many restaurants for us to choose from. dad wants to go to olive for their steak too....so i guess i will plan it one day during the holidays to go up the hill for lunch with him. it will be my treat then. i can't wait to have my choc desert there again...slurp!

a weekend with mi again

i have recovered from my sleep deprived and energy sapping weekend in genting highlands. so it is time to update this blog.

what a weekend it was. friday was the beginning. i have booked myself into genting resort hotel for one night (rm255) and i reached at 3p.m. to check in. i shared the room with chinching and rachel (from singapore) so when u divided the rate it was quite reasonable. the 'joined' beds had more than enuf space for the three of us. so it was rather comfortable...and quite cold too. the quilt was quite thick...if you switch off the fan, it would be hot, switch on, cold. so we just had to wear more to cover ourselves.

this is the view from our room. so if you do not close the windows at night, the first thing u will hear is the blaring of raya music from the speakers down there. that was kinda like the wake up call. i slept after i closed the windows. :)
this is the room.
and guess what...i dunno that our dear friend yoonming paints....waahahahaha....this is hanging in my room!
ok now to show time...most of the photos were taken on friday's show. i couldn't be bothered to take more on saturday since she did not have any costume change. yes...i bought the most expensive tickets for both nights....what is new? and i enjoyed myself thoroughly. it was slightly longer than last year's show mi i think. the show took about 2 hours and 30 mins. there were some changes in the run down though. one dancing part was cut from this 'show mi again' but she added a part where she sang a few memorable songs from her movies and the encore was longer by singing other singers's song (faye wong, miriam yong, stephanie sun and gigi leong).


i sat on the 6th row both nights...somewhere behind those red chairs. the fans were really high...as if on drugs or something. they were all stimulated from the moment the music started and the guards really had a hard time controlling the crowd. sammi's power medley part was the craziest! everyone ran out of their seats, stood up and some even stood on chairs (i belonged to this category). the guards were simply helpless here as sammi shouted 'stand up! stand up!'. thank god she shouted in english or the guards would be pushy and rude. there was one guard who was really adamant in getting one of the guys behind my row to sit (the guy was standing...heck...everyone was standing as well!). the guard used his torchlight and shone it straight into the fan's eyes...only at his while the other fans around him stood up dancing and singing. the guard did this for more than 5 mins...but the guy just ignored him. i was so worried that the fan would lose his temper and a fight would break out. phew! it did not happen...
the opening outfit. she had a fedora hat before that.
well, she does not look as plump as in this photo. it is always the lighting and the make-up. her double chin will definitely emerge in photos somehow. trust me, she is very thin...skin and bone...and very fair. and she has lots more smiles and sparkles in her eyes nowadays too. wave! wave!
second outfit. this is the part where she sang songs from her movie. concert-goers had the privilege to hear her sing her new song from the yet-to-be-released movie 'mama cop, papa crook' (staring eason chan too) entitled hide and seek. we also heard her sing the song from the movie 'everlasting regret' for the first time live. she din sing it last year. her first night singing of sentimental songs was better than the second night's.


sammi got a lot more gifts this time around. non-stop receiving them when the opportunity came. here she was reading an 'award' presented with the inscription : the best entertainer and idol award.
her guest star...wilfred lau ho long...from the same music company. i dunno who he is but his voice ain't that bad. a bit raspy like eason's. smirk if you want at his 'drape' shirt. dunno what to call it. but at least their red matches.

here comes the power medley. this was really great! the second night's singing was better here. the first night she was really out of breath. everyone was really worked out. heck, even datok michael chong (MCA Public Service and Complaints Department head) stood up. his wife, daughter and he were in front of my row on the second night. but he got really pissed off when the fans all did not go back to their seats after this segment was over. he even recorded sammi's performance on his handphone.

i had to be on datok chong's side here. the fans were really a bit rowdy this time around. i am not trying to be wet blanket here. it is ok to be standing at your seat and screaming your head off. but when a big big group rushed to the aisle and kept banging on ppl who were sitting there, that was too much. i pity the guards at that time. they were just trying to do their job but the fans were really uncontrollable. i was only standing at my seat ok. those are really fanatics (def=unbalanced or obsessive behaviour). so irritating.

this is the encore already. those shoes...she was navigating her way down the steps. it was really funny here. she told the band, 'no music yet...let me get down first. my shoes are high and the steps are high.' haha. how can she even jump on them?! (yes she did jump)
she sang 4 other singers' songs and then it was shake hands time. all hell broke loose. CONG AH! i din get to shake her hands although i was in front of the barriers. it does not matter anyway. she couldn't even see whose hands she was shaking or touching. she was concentrating on making her way through all the shooting and out-stretched hands. i just din know where all the hands came from. when she was in front of me, whoooshh...suddenly about ten hands shot out. scary. but at least that made fans happy. i wonder if other singers have this segment in their concerts in genting.

then it was lucky fans who got invited to sing with her on stage and sammi gave them presents from celine this time. awww...how lucky! i am also a big fan, but can't get the chance to go on stage everytime!!! so unfair! it is a sin to be thin in her concert! she only chooses those chubby and fat ones. the first night: a chubby specky guy (who was invited last year too! the SAME fellow!). but this guy was happening lah...he sang sammi's finale (sat fo) and he totally rocked it man! he danced, he shook, he spun. he was one energizer bunny.

the second night: she invited two...first a male and then a female. and this female fan....AAAHHH!!! she was also invited on stage in singapore last year! chubby as well! she came from singapore for this concert. waaaa.....i told the others....next time i have to make a special fat suit to be invited to sing on stage with sammi. INVITE ME!!!

so all in all it was a good concert for both die-hard fans and her fans. most ppl in the arena of stars stood up (yup...those sitting at the back too) and really worked the power medley segment. but then again....these ppl might be her die-hard fans as well who chose to buy cheaper tickets this time around since it is 'show mi again'. i know some who did that. there won't be a show mi again and again...i am sure. she said in her interview that it might not be so soon the next time around since she made it 2 years in a row to malaysia. what a relief actually. ha haha...i will be spared of all the adrenalin and rush and exhaustion of making my presence felt.

i am tired now...but not from show mi again. time to call it a nite. but my tale of the weekend in genting highland is not over yet. till the next one.

i had a mi weekend

i have come back from my 'mi' weekend and i am as tired as ever. i only had about 2 hours of sleep this morning and the night before was only slightly better.

you would wonder why i want to put myself to this kind of torture just to see an entertainer? i can't answer you this question either. just call me a fanatic. i am and i know.

this is the only video i get. not the type who will record things. photos i have...but all still in the camera. very tired ah to do all the sortings. wait till i get my rest lah. thank god for this one week raya break. waahahahahahahaha....

guilty truant

why is it soo easy for some ppl just to get a fake medical certificate or a medical leave??
the thoughts came to mind yesterday just to play truant from today's meeting....but i just could not do it...the conscience just could not bear the 'lie'.

some colleagues have been rather 'unhealthy' with lots and lots of sick leaves. do they have doctor friends who can distribute those certs free of charge? or they actually go in for consultation and fake sickness?

the days when i get sick leaves are the days when i am really sick or slightly sick and then i take the opportunity to ask for the white slip lah. hahahaha....can't do it when i know i am all hale and hearty.

anyway, keep my fingers crossed that the meeting today is going to end EARLY....i want to escape!!!

no internet..lost

the internet connection at work has konked out. the modem is kaput.
it is sooo inconvenient. i do wonder about the mails that get in and plus...i have something to look forward to this weekend...
so i am anticipating this week with a lot of excitement and anxieties.
have to keep a low profile at work so my disappearance will not be noticed...hahhaaah

just wait and see what is coming up.

p/s: this is done at a colleague's house with internet connection

man...i can't even download any new software and install in this guest profile. everything also needs password! i can't play the movie i have downloaded...so now i am entertainmentless.

wei...when are you coming back?? dell gave the operating system backup cd so i guess that is the cd i need to format the pc right??

empty nest

so much yet so few to share them with. granma has eaten. granpa has eaten. mom has eaten. only left me and dad. dad is not at home at the moment, so i guess he will on have his share when he gets back later at midnight. there are about 6 to 7 pieces there on the plate although it looks less than that.

i wonder if i am the only one feeling the empty nest syndrome at home.

and i have three beds to choose from every night. in fact, i can alternate the beds if i want to every weekend. first, i have my own bed. then there is ah jet's and finally wei's double decker. it all depends on my mood and the weather. this week, it is ah wei's bed. too lazy to move my blanket back to my room since i was on jet's bed last week when atticus they all occupied my room.

however, the store room downstairs tells a different story. all the things there are so cluttered and in a mess that i dun even know where to start if i want to clear some of the mess. there is the table with my stuff and jet's. then those clothes...all siblings. i just feel like throwing everything that is not going to be used. and oohh...i do feel better everytime after clearing things. i just dun understand how grandma and aunt like to hoard things and just want to store them. i really can't wait to get my hands on those stuff and chuck them out. the mind is clearer once there is less things to clutter the place i think.

i have to pick up that will to do the store room clearing come this raya holidays i guess. it will be a good opportunity. i have been wanting to do that. so jet...you better tell me what to do with your clothes...shall i sort them out and see what we can give dad???

chronicle of an aneboda builder

my new wardrobe from ikea...yeah!! my own personal wardrobe...my first own personal wardrobe. how sad...only have one called my own at this age. at home it has always been sharing here and there....just find one compartment you can fill, then put all your clothes there, that's it.



the trip to ikea happened on the day i was supposed to be sick. decided to drop by ikea because i had to meet jiaen and help mom's friend to buy something there. so since the one i had was getting weighed down by the amount of clothes i have, i better get a wardrobe...and make it an affordable one while i was there. this is called aneboda...rm199...in australia they are selling for A$129. i can't find a picture of this wardobe in ikea malaysia website...lousy one...the australia's site is much better and complete with all furniture.

the darkgreen cloth covered wardrobe was the old one...haha...slanted to one side already because of the weight. i got it from wei actually. second hand. see...i know how to save money too.
after toiling for one night and another day, i finally got it done. so proud of myself ah....and of course with the help of some handy tools (and ah queen's too). i was banging those 30 nails for the back of the wardrobe at 10p.m. on monday night...just couldn't wait to start. hahahhaa.


luckily wednesday was a holiday (nuzul al-quran) so i moved everything and dismantled the old wardrobe using my own sweet time in the morning. then it was mopping and sweeping and mopping again. felt so satisfied. love my new white wardroble.

hopeless with the computer

The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded.

i feel less enthusiastic to log on to the computer at home for the past few weeks already. the cause?...check the message above in red. whenever i try to log on to the administrator profile...this is the message that pops up. and all my things are in this profile, all on the desktop folders; photos, movies, songs. no more movies to watch and no songs to listen too. all jet's efforts are gone. try as i might to rectify the problem, a message keep coming up asking for the password. wei has actually disabled that password before this problem occurs. and when i tried the old password, it just won't accept.

i am now just using a guest profile.

i dunno what i have done lah. called microsoft careline and according to their mail reply, i might have deleted the user profile manually....WHAT DID I PRESS WRONGLY??
then i tried following their step by step guide to delete the user...an error message came up when i reached the last step. yalah...how can a guest profile user delete an admin profile??

i guess there is nothing much to be done now...except to format the computer and start all over again?? but i dun think i will do it so soon lah...wait until wei gets back...u might not know what kind of blunder i can get into with this machine.

i have come to accept the fact that i will not be able to retrieve whatever that is there in the previous profile. i am just waiting for this truth to sink in and i can start all over with a new profile user. rest in peace.

p/s:...u can even delete the recyle bin from the guest profile desktop....and i thought it is one of the things which will stay there on all desktops! see...i can even do that. what a mess i am getting into with the computer. luckily i manage to get the bin back to its place. phew!

weekend at a glance

this is lllooong overdue. been busy at work and the internet connection was not that good. so keep my fingers crossed that this will go up.

atticus and his wrestler pose? he is crazy for WWE now.

posing at klcc. so raya sprit.
aunt ginny brought this back. dark choc with chilli extract. it does taste spicy and bitter at the same time. so i guess the guilt is not there because there is not as much sugar.

he looks handsome here eh?
ok..i hate this...his teeth...eeuuuhh.
look at him.....this is what he does in the evening when it is all quiet. observing the happenings in the playground opposite. so subdued and solitary.

brain freeze

sick blogger

oh gosh..i haven't been blogging for one whole week. two reasons: lack of time and nothing to blog about.
how dull life was this week.

it was really hectic at work. i hardly had time to sit at my desk for long although there were days when i was supposed to be free. plus, i haven't been sleeping well for the whole week. i dunno the reason though. not lack of exercise. i do go for my brisk walk and cycling trips in the evening since i can't jog. and on wednesday morning i had a shock when i woke up. went to blow my nose after i got up and a gob of blood came out from my nostril. it was jellyish red. luckily there was no more fresh blood after a few more drops. i told myself, if it was going to happen the next day, i better raised the alarm and seek doctor's opinion. thank god i dun have to. it was just that morning. i quickly swallowed grandma's green pills and drank more water.

and tomorrow, i am going to take my first medical leave for the year. i need a break. i have been blowing my nose non-stop today too. yes, i have been working hard marking stuff at work and i really pushed myself to finish them all so i can return them and then give more work and get more to mark again. this is the last league before their exam so i can't lag.

hence, uncle, ginny and atticus have my service to drive them to the airport tomorrow morning. their flight to LA via Taiwan has been postponed to tomorrow noon (from today 3p.m.) because of the typhoon. atticus thinks this is absolute shit...anyway he is enjoying himself here in tm as well. they are only back for 5 days this time. a short stopover before their 5 days hols in america! aAAAA!! bring me with you!!! first stop: LA, then to rocky mountains, vancouver, to boston and finally to new york! big apple!!! i can only dream about it.

time for a bath before that trip to the clinic. some videos and photos later.

more food and car

ok, let's go to answer your curiosities about the car. this is what it looks like when it was brought home at about 11.m. today. only the surface work now. no paint yet. paint will only be put on during raya's holiday. the workshop is busy with many cars at the moment. workshop ppl tot someone banged it but when they knew the driver was her own culprit....they asked, 'auntie...how u do it wor?' so i guess mom wil be driving with a slightly battered car these few weeks and she will have explanations to do when ppl ask her about it. so cham...she has to relate her own blunder to ppl.

now to food..hehe....it is now count down to mid-autumn or mooncake festival and i get to savour my once a year omochi. yummy. and also mooncake...not exactly crazy for it lah but it is a chance to have agar-agar mooncake too. these two were given by a 13-year-old boy in tm. the 'fillings' were red bean and chocolate.
and these...are the only mooncakes i eat. cheap cheap one. rm2 each. but this box here is meant for a mooncake celebration at the workplace this friday night. they are going to mix them with the expensive range. haha...aunt said you can't really differentiate a 12.50 red bean mooncake from a 2 ringgit one. i agree. after all red bean paste is not expensive filling. the only differences are, the expensive ones come individually packed and they last longer, but that is not actually good too right? and lastly, can't help taking this photo. mouth-watering bowl of prawn vermicelli-noodles for sunday lunch. slurp! and i got 7 small prawns! i wonder whether it was a mistake or intentional. anyway, no extra charge.

mom's 2nd blunder on blog this week

what happened to the gate??? the one on the left is the previous gate which we left to cover the drain when we got the new set. but something happened yesterday and it involves mom.
oohh....that is wei's car in the porch.

this is the second half...all mangled and torn out from its hinges. ganasnya!!!!

the story is this. mom opened the gates and pushed this one inwards when she wanted to park her unser into the house. she did not put the latch down to hold the gate. when she got into the car and started moving, the wind blew the gate towards the moving car. in a moment of panic, instead of stepping on the brake pedal, she stepped on the accelerator. she said it was as if some external force was controlling her and made her panic. some ghost out there in my house.

now, the unser is in the work shop as its paint was scraped...a new coat of paint is coming. and the new gate will be fixed on monday.

and i showed mom my blue shirt...she said, my loss is her gain. and she even remembered adding water to iron the sleeves as the creases were very stubborn! i faint!

and this was my dinner yesterday with 4 of my colleagues in tapah. coincidently, all the dishes we ordered were of the same colour. another dish of stif fried vege (not there) was the only one in white (cauliflower) and green (celery).

to feel ugly

i have never felt as ugly as yesterday. eeww.w....the moment i slipped my feet into my pair of trainers, the feelings just came.
demure pastel baju kurung and silver trainers are really no match made in heaven. yuck. i felt giddy the whole morning.
and i thought i could still dress normally with the pair of trainers. so baju kurung is totally out of the list for the moment.
some who dared to voice out told me i really looked weird. others just kept quiet and gave me their looks.
a colleague said, changed to pants lah. i wish i have that many pairs to circulate around and change into. unlike man, you won't even notice if they wear the same pair of pants twice in a week. i won't limit myself to that. dressing is soo much fun. look above the knees, i do look nice in the baju kurung...compliments from malay colleagues.
luckily warrior of light came that morning and reading it helped to lift the gloomy spirit:
Why should you worry about clothing? See how the wild flowers grow. They do not toil or spin, and yet I tell you, Solomon in all his splendor was never dressed like one of them. But if God so beautifully dresses the wild grass, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not so much more surely clothe you, you who have so little faith? (Matthew, 6: 26-30)

today...i feel like in the movie grease. grey A-line ironed pleats over the knee skirt and a white top....and of course my pair of trainers. the only thing missing is the bow in wavy shoulder length hair. then i can start twirling around and break into a song. hahaha.
here's to a great day on a pair of light trainers. hop hop hop

once a shirt

dearly beloved,
today i have gathered all my words here to mourn for the demise of my once crinkled and crumpled striped blue and white shirt. sob! sob!
it had served me for a few years and will no longer do so. it has run out of shape and structure thus not fitting me anymore. the shirt is all limp without any attitude, what a poor end.
i have always loved this shirt because i dun have to iron it. the colours and fitting are good too.
the tragedy was only discovered yesterday when i took it out and planned to wear it today at work. i could have screamed the house down if not for my grieve that was more overwhelming than anger.
MOM!!! yes, she is the culprit. oh, what kind of daughter will call her mom a culprit? she loves ironing all clothes too much that she did not realise this shirt was meant to be crumpled and crinkled. ooh ooh ooh....
i guess the only thing to do now is to pass the shirt on to mom and let her wear it and feel guilty while doing so. hik hik hik.
amen.

hello! anyone sees me? what is that on the table?? woof!!! woof!!!