Sexy Bitchy Fabulous

2011-08-06T02:11:00.003+08:00

Everyone should know how important photos are to me by now.

Lost my camera 2 weeks ago and that nearly broke my heart.

But I got a new one today. Yay!

Taken with the new camera, obviously.

Hamburger

2011-08-03T20:54:00.002+08:00

Went to Ravenswood for lunch today.

Nice big place by the river. Unfortunately it was too windy and cold to eat outside.

Challenge of the week. Lol. I actually looked at the menu, looked for the "snack" portion of it and ordered a hamburger, thinking it'd be just nice for lunch and I wouldn't walk away feeling stuffed. And THAT's what they served me. Only managed to gobble down a third of it. The rest of it is sitting in the fridge now.

Mum's appropriately portioned meal.

Not enough?

2011-08-01T15:26:00.004+08:00

I love you both and accept you both for whatever it is that has happened since the divorce. I don't make you feel bad for not taking care of me. I don't make you feel bad for not being there emotionally, financially or physically. I don't make you feel bad for finding new partners and moving on with life. In fact, I let you know that I accept your new partners and I'm happy that you're happy.

But I will not make an extra effort to be nice to your new partners because it is not my choice that they are in your lives.

Dad, you can't expect me to sit at a mother's day dinner with your girlfriend when you ban me from visiting mum coz you aren't okay with her husband. And mum, you cannot be okay with me telling you that I don't like being around dad's girlfriend and then expect me to go out of my way and have conversations with your husband. I am normal around them, and I respond if I am talked to. But that's all. It is NOT fair for either of you to expect anything more from me when it comes to that.

I get that you think maybe I should put in an effort. But why the hell should I when you both stopped putting in an effort a long time ago?

I don't have parents to talk to anymore. Dad, you hate me coz you think I took mum's side when you guys got divorced. And mum, you left the country because you needed to move on with life. What does that leave me with? A father who's physically around but doesn't actually care about me and a mother who cares, but isn't ever physically around. Thank you very much. That's how I always imagined my life would turn out to be. That's my big fairy tale ending at the end of the story.

I still tell the both of you that I love you, all the time. That I understand that the divorce had to happen. And I know life's just not fair that way sometimes. Why then can't you both just be content with that and stop expecting for more? I'm already adapting to it as best as I can.

In the normal world, you guys would have to deal with who I date/marry. Every parent has to. It's not supposed to be the other way around. I'M DOING MY BEST HERE! I don't know how to put in more effort into making your spouse/partner feel like I accept them. Coz honestly, I don't want to care about them. I barely have it in me to care about the people in my own life right now.

But I care about the both of you. I always have. I'll only ever have one mother and one father. No matter what happens, or how crappy our family has turned out to be, I still love you. Isn't that enough right now?

Shots!

2011-07-29T04:59:00.003+08:00

Just because I can!

My Personality

2011-07-26T20:52:00.004+08:00

Yellow/Red - The Doing Socializer

I like to choose when I want to be with other people, and I must have people around me, most of the time. I like to achieve results by getting other people involved at each milestone achieved. I like to coach and mentor. People tend to follow me and I like to help and influence people.

I like to get projects started and will get bored quickly if left to work out the details. I will however, stay with something all the way through, if I think it benefits peoples' well being. I like to see people happy.

I am more interested in people than specific goals and objectives. I would rather focus on human performance than hardware.

My tendencies include:

I am tenacious and will stand up for myself and others
I seek to get things done, always including other people
I tend to downplay my mistakes and weaknesses while focusing on my strengths and achievements
I will cut corners to reach my goals more efficiently and quickly
I will work hard to prove a theory or idea

My Potential Limiters:

With tasks: I am often impatient when dealing with complex situations and long term projects. When under pressure, there is a tendency to force fit solutions. I need to be aware of details and always look for methods of showing other color combinations a view that they can relate to and understand.

With people: I have a fast lifestyle and am driven to achieve. I need to relax and take time out to reflect. This will help to fulfill me as well as re-energize my batteries and improve the quality of my life and the life of those around me.

I need to take the time to ask others about their expectations, concerns and efforts
I should sort tasks into critical and less critical categories
I need to be a better listener and give people time to say what is on their mind without interrupting

To find out what you are, click HERE. Scroll all the way down and click on English.

The test consists of 35 questions. It's not like those lame facebook quizzes you've probably taken. In fact, it's actually pretty accurate. Only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and i'm sure you have the time! Once you're done with it, send me a message on facebook so I know what your E-Colours are. It'd help me understand you more, and maybe make our friendship a little better.

I guess she should have gone to rehab.

2011-07-24T22:58:00.002+08:00

Not to make fun of the situation, but really. Who didn't see this coming?

R.I.P Amy Winehouse.

I loved the music you made.

All the UPs

2011-07-22T21:13:00.005+08:00

Holiday in a holiday.

Headed to Busselton for a couple of days. That's a little further south from Mandurah.

Busselton Jetty.

Nannup.

Mythic Maze, Barrabup.

Canal rocks, Yallingup. The most beautiful view EVER!

Smith beach.

And as you can read. The Margaret River Chocolate factory.

Sunburned

2011-07-17T23:03:00.004+08:00

No, that's not a Sims neighbourhood. That's home til the end of August. Hard to believe how beautiful it is here sometimes. Barely any high-rise buildings, fresh air, clear blue skies. The only downside is that I'm here in winter and it's a little too cold for comfort.

Went to watch my first footy match earlier today.

Footy being the Australian version of football. I think. Seems to be a full on contact sport. Rough tackling. Many players. And.....that's as far as my knowledge goes when it comes to sports.

I normally hate the sun. So much so that I'm almost never out in the daytime back home. Too hot and humid! It's confusing over here though. Shivering as the breeze hits me and feeling my skin burning at the same time.

Sitting in the shade would have been too cold. So the only solution was to use a whole lot of sunblock lotion and bask in the sun.

Me, confused.

Diagon Ally

2011-07-13T18:33:00.006+08:00

Black -Blonde - Purple

That's how often I mess with my hair. It's a miracle it hasn't all fallen out yet.

Took a train to Perth Underground. I'd say that's the heart of the city, but I wouldn't know for sure coz I'm a foreigner. Hehe.

Turns out, it's just another ordinary city. What a surprise. Lol. High rise buildings, busy people rushing places. To be honest, not really my cup of tea. I barely head to KL city when i'm back home. Certainly don't want to be spending my time here feeling like I'm at home.

There was London Court though.

Quite a pretty sight. Kinda like those secret alleys in Harry Potter. Which reminds me, the Deathly Hallows part 2 should be out any time soon, right? Finally, after 10 years of waiting. Hard to believe, but I was 12 when the first one came out. I practically grew up with Harry & the gang. I know the last book's pretty messed up and the movie isn't going to be as epic as many would have wanted it to be, but I'm still a fan. And I can't wait to see it. Maybe I'll have a marathon right before I watch it.

Bersih 2.0

2011-07-09T22:53:00.003+08:00

Zumba

2011-07-07T20:54:00.003+08:00

Went for my first Zumba class today.

Zumba's a Latin inspired dance fitness program. Instructor's on the far right The dude does the step classes, which I'll probably be going for next. Don't have photos of the class going on, for obvious reasons.

Day 4. Feels like I've been here so much longer.

Out in the Sun

2011-07-06T20:40:00.003+08:00

Headed to the foreshore today for a picnic.

Like I said, absolute L.O.V.E.

Stepsisters

2011-07-05T18:31:00.006+08:00

I finally met my stepsisters in real life today. Been waiting for this day for years.

And what was it like?

They're wonderful. Bubbly, fun, amazing. I got the best two first hugs in my life.

And then about a million more over the next few hours.

I'm totally my mother's daughter.

Then it was time for our first group photo. And what do they do?

Completely caught me off guard.

But still, absolute L.O.V.E !!

Off, Off and AWAY!

2011-07-04T22:19:00.007+08:00

Headed to KL on Saturday. Then decided to join Won and go out the night before my flight. Night flight, so I knew I'd be up on time, no matter what.

TimeOut @ Scott Garden.

Then we went to look for a club in Bangsar. Biggest mistake ever, thinking we could go to Absolute Chem or something. Took us 5 seconds to realize that we had to look for some other place. Headed to Mist, then to Changkat. Ended up in Never Mine. I don't know if it's new or not, but I swear I've never seen that place there before.

Slept like a baby. But I still got up in time to go say some goodbyes.

Or well, see-you-when-i'm-backs'.

Got lost for a while in and around MidValley. I've never actually driven there and parked there on my own before. Although I didn't realise it til I was actually driving around MV wondering which parking zone was closer to where I needed to get to. Didn't matter anyways. Ended up on the opposite end of the mall and spent probably about half an hour walking around.

Headed to the airport early. Picking up on the whole better-safe-than-sorry thing. Wanted to have one last good Malaysian meal before heading off, but the airport doesn't really have that. For some reason, they think that people want their first and last meals in the country to be McDonalds/Starbucks/MaryBrown/Old Town.

Gave my last see-you-when-i'm-back hug and headed straight for the boarding gate. Eventhough I know I'm gonna be missing the people in Malaysia quite a bit, I know I'm gonna have a wonderful two months here.

5 in the morning. 3°C.

Tick Tock

2011-07-01T13:37:00.004+08:00

My grandparents are getting old. And it scares the crap outta me.

The thing about my grandparents is that they've been a constant part of my life from the day I was born. They've always stayed with us. Since my parents got divorced, I've spent less time around my dad because I don't stay with him when I'm back. And my mum moved away 4 years ago. But my grandparents were always around every time I came back home to Penang. In fact, my grandmother's about the only reason I make sure I visit often enough. My grandfather doesn't really communicate much. He's more of a quiet person. He's even been jokingly referred to as "that stranger in your house" because sometimes you really don't even notice he's sitting in his chair.

Years have gone by and they're both quite sick now. I know it's a normal old people thing, but I feel horrible thinking about them being alone at home. Silly uncle lives about an hour away from here and doesn't even know how to visit his own parents. I sometimes wish I didn't need to live my own life so I could be at home all the time. But I know that I purposely detach myself from them because if I don't do that now, I don't think I'd be able to deal with it when that day comes.

Every time I leave the house and say goodbye to my grandmother, I worry if it'll be the last. When I head to KL for weeks, I feel even worse. What if something happens and I can't get back home on time. Now the thought of being away for 2 months almost brings tears to my eyes.

Alright, I lied. It totally brought tears to my eyes.

Losing them is one thing. But what if I don't even get to say goodbye? Blogging about this or even having such thoughts is a scary thing. I've actually been holding on to a piece of wood since just now. Yes, I believe in that whole "touch wood" superstition.

Someday, I'm gonna look at my phone and not see missed calls from my grandmother. No one's going to check on me to see if I've had breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper. No one's going to ask when I'm going to be visiting home next. Or what time I'm going to be back.

Yes, I'm completely crying my eyes out now. That's enough for awhile. I'll think of "someday", some other day.

Til then, I'm allowed to believe that my grandparents are immortal, no? I've never ever had to deal with the loss of someone I'm close to. Death just isn't something that's real to me. It's like, it doesn't register in my head at all. Maybe that's why it scares me so much more.

I love you ah ma ♥

Looking Back

2011-06-28T18:06:00.005+08:00

Fergalicious would have played every time I received a message on my red Sony Ericsson W550i phone which I loved so much. Akon was at the top of his game. Songs like Smack That and I Wanna Fuck You were playing in clubs everywhere. Justin Timberlake's lyrics from What Goes Around was stuck in my head and we would soon discover that it would stay that way for sometime.

I had just watched Mandy Moore in Because I Said So. A movie you wouldn't hear of for a long time because for some reason the shop I bought my DVD's from was way more updated than yours. Kal Penn was as sexy as ever in Epic Movie. And Dream Girls was creating a buzz that I would never understand. Turned out to be a big disappointment and a waste of time to watch for me.

Tori Spelling, Mel B, Jaime Presley and Marcia Cross were in their third trimester of pregnancies. I wondered how long it'd be before the baby boom began to hit celebrities we grew up with. You know, those barely talented tween girls that Disney once made famous - Hillary Duff, Alyson Michalka, Raven Symone, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Hudgens etc.

Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton were only a couple of months away from beginning their journey through getting arrested, being sent to rehab and going to jail. Anna Nicole Smith had just died of an overdose. News of it was all over the internet and Astro channels, although it took me a while to even figure out who she was. Not that I cared anyways after that.

It would have been a momentous month for many different people all around the world. It was even the month that Barack Obama made his life changing presidential announcement. But for some reason, all I can think about is the fact that it was the month that marked the beginning of a journey. One that would affect the rest of my life in ways I wouldn't even have been able to imagine then.

Many years have passed but yet these feelings don't seem to disappear. Sometimes I wonder what life would be now if I could go back and re-do just those couple of days. Maybe it would have allowed me to be a different person right now. Someone I actually really enjoyed looking at in the mirror.

moving Forward

2011-06-19T12:00:00.002+08:00

Like everyone should know by now, I spent the last 2 weeks back home with a lot of spare time on my hands. That's allowed me to some thinking about stuff. Life and all that nonsense. It should also explain my recent flood of emotional crap. I'm not generally the kind of person to talk about real feelings in detail. I've got a collection of half vague posts on my blog to prove that. I decided to do something different my last trip home, and I hope that's helped everyone "get to know me" a little better.

I know I have hurt some feelings and spoke of some things that other people might have preferred to keep on the down low. I do not want to apologize because what I shared was the truth, and I'm allowed to be honest once in a while, no? But I would also like to state here that there are always two sides to a story and what you read here would have been my feelings about my experience and how it affected me.

I will be busy travelling over the next 2 and a half months, if everything goes as planned. And knowing me, you will probably not be getting real updates for a while. I will try my best to keep everyone up to date with where I am/what I'm doing.

If anyone wants to contact me, the best way to do it would be to send me a message on facebook. Really. I check it more often than I do my cellphone/email.

Two

2011-06-15T16:55:00.002+08:00

Random post. Came across this and I thought it was too cute.

Ever wonder why God gives us two?

A right hand to show the left what to do.

One ear to listen and one to hear

the problems of others,

their laughter and fears.

One eye to watch and one to behold

the beautiful treasure

that life has to hold.

One foot to travel and one to stand tall.

Two feet to land on if we should fall.

One man to stand by a woman's side;

One woman to cherish being his bride.

The love between partners comes shining through

and that is the reason Goad has made two.

hello Charissa

2011-06-10T02:34:00.011+08:00

I know you've been doing a lot of thinking lately and here's what you've realized.

You're a small town girl.

You don't really enjoy going out to the clubs anymore. You don't love getting drunk (never have really), you don't feel the need to party like crazy all the time. Don't get me wrong. I know you wouldn't say no to friends who ask you out, but it's not because you really want to see some artist perform, or go for some event. It's because you want to spend that time with them (goes back to your "feeling like a part of the group" issue). You're never the most wasted one at the end of the night. In fact you think you actually like the feeling of being sober enough to take care of other people.

You don't need to buy the trendiest shoes or clothes or go shopping all the time, the only times you go to malls nowadays is when you need to get something important (toiletries/groceries/fixing your laptop). You wouldn't kill to have the latest gadgets or the coolest things. You don't even have dreams of having more money than you could spend or living in a huge ass house like most people would.

You watch cooking programs on tv instead of 90210. You can't be bothered to download gossip girl episodes anymore. Don't even know what season they're in now. Coz, what's the freaking point, right?

You've been torn between KL and Penang for the past 4 and a half years. Back and forth, back and forth. Trying to live in both places without making a solid choice. The problem's never been about "missing out on fun KL events" or "Penang being too boring". The problem is that in all those years of not sitting down and thinking about what you were doing, you ended up making a significant amount of friends in KL, and losing touch with some you had in Penang. I'm aware that that's the reason you never stayed in either place for too long. Live in KL, miss your friends and family in Penang. Live in Penang, miss your friends in KL. Your life is balanced in the worst way possible. How do you choose where to settle down when you feel like you have no home and 2 homes at the same time?

I believe that what you want, or have always wanted, is to have love. And a family. You someday want to stay at home and watch your children grow up. You grew up watching your mum and grandmother do that. They were and still are homebodies. You went through stubborn teenage years and reacted to your parent's separation by running, when you shouldn't have.

You're so happy being home now and having your own time to do your own things. Housework, cooking, going for a swim in the afternoons, randomly hanging out with people. You never really enjoyed the hectic KL lifestyle. You hate traffic jams. You hate how the cost of living is ridiculously higher in comparison to Penang. You hate how everyone's always busy and how eventually they all give in and take part in that rat race to career or social "perfection".

At some point, you were aware of the fact that you enjoy simplicity. But ever so predictably, you allowed yourself to get distracted and stopped thinking about what really mattered in your life. You've been trying to look for your happily ever after in a place where people have completely different mentalities, lifestyles and habits.

Ideally, you would like to settle down in a not-so-hectic place, wouldn't you? Get involved with a social welfare organization. Orphanages, old folks homes. Volunteer whenever you can. Do charity work. Travel a little once in a while. Have a real home to go back to and not have to worry about being split down the middle.

You're now aware that the one thing holding you back is the way you miss people too damn much, too damn fast. Your head knows it likes the relaxed Penang lifestyle more. But your heart's stuck in KL/PJ with the people you have grown to love. Unfortunately in this case, your heart's the one that does the aching. In order to stay in Penang, you would have to forcefully let go of everyone and everything in KL/PJ then rebuild your life and friendships solely in Penang. I know you doubt the former is something you can do. I honestly doubt it too.

So looks like it's back to square one again eh? I wish you the best of luck.

xoxo, Charissa.

What I would like to say to Sity Maznah

2011-06-06T16:00:00.003+08:00

I knew I would write a response to this the moment I read it. But I told myself to calm down and maybe wait a day or two, to avoid excessive cursing (or any cursing at all really). So how do I say this without breaking that rule?

I think the article was complete poo! Poo's not a curse word, is it?

I'm gonna go ahead and address the issues separately, because really, there's so much rubbish it in it makes my head spin.

“Domestic abuse happens because wives don't obey their husband's orders. A man must be responsible for his wife's wellbeing but she must listen to her husband,” said Siti Maznah in an interview on Friday.

When asked whether it was the wife's fault for being abused, she said: “Yes, most probably because she didn't listen to her husband.”

First of all. I am totally, completely, a ~~hundred~~ thousand percent against abuse of any sort. Especially that of the physical nature. I do not see how any human being could support the idea of abuse as a punishment. We don't live in the 15th century, and even then I don't think it would have been the right thing to do. People were just less educated and didn't know any better. We should be smarter by now. Maybe schools should spend less time shoving useless information into kids' heads and dedicate an hour or two a day to just teaching them about life. Teaching boys and girls that abuse isn't right. You don't get to raise your hand at a person for anything. Ever.

She said women had the duty of making themselves attractive and dressing up beautifully at home.

“Wives should welcome them with sexy clothes and alluring smiles when in the privacy of their homes,” she said, adding that she herself did the same as everyone in the club practised what they preached.

I actually agree with the part about women having the duty of making themselves attractive and dressing up beautifully. And yes, women should welcome men with sexy clothes (or whatever tickles his fancy). But I think the same should apply to men as well. Us women don't want to be be greeted by abusive husbands. Or ones who can't take care of their own grooming. Or even those who are moody and pissy.

Siti Maznah, 48, also stressed that husbands would not stray and turn to prostitutes if wives supplied them with a satisfying sex life.

And HAHAHAHA. This is the biggest joke of all. Siti Maznah, a member of club to be launched by an organization which is founded by an Islamic group does not think that prostitution is against her/their religion? Isn't any sort of pre-marital sex against their religion? And in Malaysia, isn't it also illegal for Muslims to even have sex outside of marriage? You could get arrested for it. I don't even need to attach proof for that because anyone who lives in Malaysia already knows it's true.

Ridiculous. This coming from a woman whose religion's stand on sex education is mainly focused on abstinence. What a joke. Why did no one address her on that issue? I would have loved to have heard her explanation to that.

I don't know for sure, because all I ever did was go for Moral education (non-Muslim student) classes in school. But do muslim girls get thought that they should accept adultery and abuse as suitable punishments for disobedience towards their future husbands?

For god's sake. Open your eyes already! What on earth is going on in our country?!

So according to this Siti Maznah lady. There's only one way a marriage will work. Really. Think about it.

Man & woman get married. ~~Man is a slob, doesn't give woman any reason to be happy. Woman gets angry. Man abuses woman to teach her a lesson. Woman learns her lesson.~~ Woman bows down to man for the rest of his life.

Man & woman get married. ~~Man is a slob, doesn't give woman any reason to be happy. Woman gets angry. Man sleeps around because he's not happy. Woman learns her lesson.~~ Woman bows down to man for the rest of his life.

Man & woman get married. ~~Man decides to be a cheating imbecile for no reason. Woman gets angry. Man abuses woman to shut her up. Woman learns her lesson.~~ Woman bows down to man for the rest of his life.

Man & woman get married. ~~Man decides to beat her up because he has issues. Woman gets emotional. Man is not happy with his home life anymore and sleeps around a little. Woman learns her lesson.~~ Woman bows down to man for the rest of his life.

Man & woman get married. ~~Woman does everything to make man happy. Man is just a retard on his own and has abuse/cheating issues. Woman keeps doing everything to try and make man happy. Man doesn't change.~~ Woman bows down to man for the rest of his life.

I'm sorry, but if that's the direction in which our country's heading, I would like to pack my bags and move away NOW. I think someone needs to teach them that there are other ways of making a marriage work. For example :-

Man & woman get married. They treat each other as equals and respect each other. Man loves woman. Woman loves man. No one cheats. No one beats each other up. Man & woman have babies who grow up to be just like them and they have babies that grow up to be just like them and they have babies who grow up to be just like them and they have babies who grow up to be just like them and you get the picture.

p/s : I said (in anger) on facebook last night "If I weren't so against abuse, i'd wish for her husband to beat the shit outta her someday for no reason at all, just to teach her a lesson for saying such ridiculous things". But now that I've had time to think about it. I found the perfect solution.

Did you know that the Sharia law in one state is not applicable in another? A divorced man can avoid paying child support by moving. So these men who have "four to 26" (per polygamous household) children could just pick up and go someday. I hope that happens to her instead.

p/p/s :

Say NO to domestic abuse!!

02062011

2011-06-03T02:20:00.005+08:00

Laptop crashed on me earlier today. After awhile of panicking, I decided to just get up and go get it fixed. Got a ride to the mall and went around looking for a computer shop. It's the first time I've had to repair my laptop in Butterworth and only the 2nd time ever since I bought it almost 4 years ago. Yes, I don't throw gadgets out til they're literally falling apart. I was loyal to my last phone even after I couldn't even use it to talk.

So it needed reformatting, which freaked me out because I don't have a back up of my files anywhere. I don't know why actually, when I've been carrying a hard disk around for ages. The guy in the first shop said they couldn't back up the files. Luckilly I wasn't in a lazy mood and managed to find a shop that would back up my files. The thought of loosing all my photos makes me wanna cry.

Went to watch Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides to kill time. Not really a fan of Penelope Cruz, as hot as she is. But I will never fall out of love with Johnny Depp. With a movie list that includes Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Blow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland, anyone would be crazy to not love him! This movie was no different. Brilliant. And I would probably watch it over and over again. I'm big on the whole fantasy world thing.

Then I went to collect my laptop and wait for my ride back.

Photo credit : Google

Oh, did I mention that I left my handphone behind? Yes, I had it in my hand before leaving the house. But as always, I manage to be forgetful in the stupidest way possible. I forgot how hard it is to find a public phone booth nowadays. Or maybe I didn't forget. I just never realized it. I didn't mind the walk, coz I had time to kill. But I walked around the entire mall just to find out that all the public phone booths that used to be there had either been taken out or were out of use. Everyone has a handphone nowadays. Even little kids.

When's the last time you used a public phone booth?

Letting go

2011-05-31T02:07:00.005+08:00

Today you decided to walk away from someone who has been very important to you. You know what you did wrong. And you know what to do from here. You hope she knows that you love her. But you also hope that she knows that she did something horrible. You did not deal with the situation well, but neither did she. Old you would have probably brushed it off and not given a damn then waited for a while and then pretend to be fine with it until you actually felt okay with it. But you have gone through enough over the past few years to know that sometimes, no matter how much you love a person, it's not gonna be enough.

You hate knowing that you're going to be giving up on something you worked hard on for months. But not having that person in your life is more bearable than having to deal with constant drama. You're trying to move on with life and leave all that behind. Less fighting. Less drama. Remember?

You want to love unconditionally, but really.

Not loving is better than trying so hard to love the wrong person.

And no, don't ask who. Or what happened. Or why it happened.

This is just me talking to myself.

-*jumps

2011-05-29T20:24:00.006+08:00

SO.

I believe we're gonna do the whole Pineapple-Mango bloghack again after a year or so of not doing that. Yes, what used to be the norm became the foreign, and what do you know.. it became the norm, again.

Woman wrote in my blog about my being an integral part of her life and her growth and how much she doesn't want to disappoint me above others :) This blogger of yours is now a different person as compared to when she was who she was in 2008.

When I first got to know her around late 2008 - the month that was November (and we decided to put the 5th as the date of our anniversary! see, who puts a date to remember their friendship? WE DO! :D); I NEVER thought that we'd have an almost-immediate connection. It was initially a DNA thing - we dubbed those names from Charlie's Angels and I decided to avoid plagiarism by naming us DNA (childishness but hey you can't NOT admit it's cute! :p). And then the N in the DNA gave us quirky (and I mean, QUIRKY) last names to evade the plagiarism too; namely Bitchirina, Assyslia (which changed to Assylia to make it sound more classy AHEM :p), and then there's...

...*drumroll*

Sohailia.

Those who know me will know that I'd give them my trademark look upon hearing that name. Woman would probably go all HAHAHAHAHAHA by now, because there're just too many stories to tell about this - like the classic high from shisha hence the knocking on a flower pot, the inport chaibo story..

Eh. :p

ANYWAY.

So the connection was made and eventually the N in the DNA decided to step out - reasons of which we don't need to reiterate; so the DNA became D&A. And it remained that way eversince till that woman decided to add another name to us; Pineapple&Mango. I have NO idea why but I think it's her orientation with colours, 'cos she hates eating fruits AND vege. She's gonna come in defense with naming her favourite fruits (definitely some pineapples and mangos included) but .. yeah, she generally hates anything healthy.

D&A in 2008 was, though strong; unstable.

Woman was unstable - stubborn, a little judgemental (with her ways of stating RELIGIOUS/VIRGIN right there at my blog, oh yeah that's her 2008 wording :p), and she loved the high-and-mighty lifestyle. Sleep, eat, party, do whatever when you want, how you want it.

She's also pretty unreasonable. We can just argue at any moment (not seriously) and then she'd go "YAH! I'M RANDOM WHAT! NO MEH?"...

..which leaves me silent, really. 'Cos there's just NO answer to it.

then in '09, D&A went through a major guy drama. Or should I say, guys? And there was a particular drama that happened which made us go our separate ways. For a year or so - the strong-willed me cried a Charissa-cry (a la cry me a river), thinking that it was really goodbye for us then, because it hurt, just so much.

I just didn't know how to go about the whole fallout, because it was just something so foreign to the both of us - it's so weird because we never thought about it. And when it happened, neither of us knew how to handle it. I decided to keep quiet, while she spills it all over here, and I was the bad person.

And God reunited us once again in late '10; giving this friendship a 2nd chance.

Talking to her again now, in 2011; woman is now a grown-up.

I see how she sees things, how she perceives people, takes in information, handles her issues..

..yeah, she's more grown up now. :)

and proud of her doesn't even describe one bit of how I feel about her this moment.

much love,

A :)

Football?

2011-05-29T16:47:00.002+08:00

First football match I actually head out to watch in what...years? and Manchester United loses. I used to watch football at home with my family. Dad's been an MU fan all his life and in 2002, my mum caught the fever as well. In fact, I think we still have DVD documentaries and a collection of MU magazines. Although I can't remember what it's called anymore.

Football's just not the same anymore nowadays. I remember once going to sleep and waking up to screaming. I panicked and rushed downstairs only to find out that MU had scored a winning goal and my parents were celebrating.

No celebration for last night. Maybe that's why it didn't feel the same.

Oh well. Next time then.

tattoo #8

2011-05-25T14:02:00.003+08:00

Yes, I got inked. This time at Black Cat Tattoo, Sunway Pyramid.

Never judge people for what they are at present.

this too shall pass

2011-05-25T00:47:00.005+08:00

She had managed to not let it affect her too much by keeping herself distracted but as she sat in the car knowing she was on the way home again, she began to panic. So much had changed since her last visit. She had spent the past month readjusting to new people being in her life and getting used to the idea of saying goodbye to others. It hadn't been easy. She was fond of having a routine. But after a while of struggling, she was beginning to get accustomed to the way things were. She wondered what her days would be like the coming few weeks without the same people being around. She worried that she hadn't been around long enough to make her mark, and that she would be forgotten and erased. Friends drift apart, and that's something she was unfortunately aware of. But the moment she entered her room, she knew she was home and all her anxiety disappeared. She was calm. Happy. She knew that no matter what else happened in her life, she had a place to call home, and people who loved her. The rest of the world could come and go. And it probably would. But home was always going to be there.

-HAH!

2011-05-18T19:49:00.002+08:00

This is one woman that never fails to make my day seeing her.

The last time we met was ... a VERY impromptu kidnapping-me-plan, mid-2010.

by the word kidnapping, you'd probably realize it's not the blogger herself blogging.

Then last Wednesday, lo and behold we met again after quite a long hiatus. Y'all got to know that the hiatuses weren't normal back in those days; but I guess we're not exempted from the usual friendship norm : closer than ever and then life has its ways to part us - in this I mean the lifestyle, the timing, circumstances, etc; but what's miraculous is that we can be out of touch for months or years on end, but meeting up again still meant sighing at the same time, laughing and stopping at the same time, saying the same words at the same time, looking at each other and we get it at the same time.. :p

And not forgetting STAH-GEE and SPAH-DEE.

So hello, reappearing again after so long, I bid a hacker's welcome to MYSELF a.k.a the woman or whom she fruit-fectionally call as pineapple. I have no idea why she started the whole pineapple thing.. I'm not- okay, I AM yellow... 'cos I'm Chinese, but I'm not.. acidic. Or sour. Or.. pokey.

Or..

Well you get my point. Even I don't get her sometimes, so if you don't, don't fret :p

Bah woman youknowIloveyou.

I am the not-so-avid blogger that holds this site as my fort for my daily (or monthly or suddenly) musings, inspirations, updates, younameit. It used to be another site, and then we used to hack each others' blogs a lot (don't believe me? go check the pineapple/guestblogged label out. Oh, and this just shows you're a little new to this side of your awesome blogger :)), then some drama happened, I went to Spain (not because of the drama), drama ended, I came back (not because of the drama), and here I am again!

So after so many testdrives/trials, this friendship still remains.

Or should I say, soulmateship? Sounds a little corny but that's just what it is, oui woman?

And I'm welcoming my own return with a nice, long ~~hacking~~-guestblogging this post, I mean .. I should say it properly since I'm the "proper" person (inside joke) of the two of us.

Not much updates/whatnot since we met just last week. Quoting your blogger, I hope it won't be long till our next time. I don't have our recent photos, and I'm just butt lazy to go and steal from facebook (she'd understand knowing me too well), but I'm glad those moments were back.

3 years ago, she'd go all excited and jump and gimme that innocent smile BECAUSE she wants something. 3 years later, still the same thing happened at JUSCO TOILET of all places :p

3 years ago, she'd be all excited looking at nail polish colours and not know which to pick. 3 years later, ... need I say more?

3 years ago, she'd say something so ridiculous, I'll stare at her and she gets it. 3 years later, ...

I think we established the whole familiarity thingamajig.

Anyway woman, this November, we'd be 3 years :)

From what was to what is, and what is to come.

Here's to us, and I'm SO proud of you, how your strength developed through those years, how you become who you are right now, and how you deal with your stuff. And like how you constantly remind me, there's no need to hold the fort yourself for too long. You have ME. :) and every other person who loves you around you.

Much love (I was so tempted to end it with XOXO :p),

la alma gemela. ;)

Breaking Up

2011-05-12T10:42:00.000+08:00

I've been single for about a month now (yes, that's the first time I'm actually stating it here) and it's been such a weird experience. For the most part, I got used to the routine of a life I was living. Wake up, go over to boyfriend's place, go out with boyfriend and friends, head over to best friend's house, hang out with best friend and friends, go back and sleep. And then I wake up to the same thing again.

So what happens when all of a sudden the boyfriend part is removed? Everything stops functioning the same way and I'm left trying to piece the pieces together again. Friendships change and I don't get to hang out with quite a lot of people I would have been hanging out with. His friends go back to being his friends, and I'm forgotten. And what about my friends? Honestly, when you move because of a relationship, you kinda leave your friends behind. Along with everything else that feels like home. It's not the smartest thing to do. But life's about making choices.

As much as many people would like to point out how stupid I was to do what I did, it was either stay home and drop the relationship. Or hold on to the relationship and move here. And sadly, I am relationship orientated. It is something I have known for the longest time. I don't judge you for your choices. You shouldn't be judging me for mine. At the end of the day I'm the one left dealing with the consequences anyways.

I apologize for the emo rant (or lack of sense in this post). I've tried so hard to not show how affected I am by this break up. Coz really, it wasn't a horrible one. In some ways, it's been the best break up I've been through. We talked about things and agreed on it. And now we're slowly working our way towards being just friends again. Those 3years of friendship isn't worth throwing away over anything. And I'm not depressed or suicidal.

But I do feel lost. And I want normal back so badly. The problem is, things have changed so many times in my life that I don't know what normal is anymore. I'm trying my best to just be alright with everything that's going on. Dealing with the days as they go by. Not really trying to plan anything out. But how do I know what's right or wrong right now? How am I supposed to instantly know how to deal with new people when I haven't even figured out how I want to deal with myself? Do I listen to myself and do what I'm comfortable doing? Or listen to what other people are telling me and risk losing myself trying to please them?

I'm trying really hard right now. But there's only so much I can take before I'm gonna feel like breaking.

Where have all my real friends gone? Seems like everyone's so caught up in their own drama that no one's stopped to ask me how I've been dealing with things. I'm not distancing myself away from anyone on purpose. Maybe I just need y'all to do the reaching out for once.

the Weekend

2011-05-10T11:30:00.004+08:00

Just had the longest weekend of my life. Only stopped partying yesterday and now my body hurts like mad. Gonna be recovering the next few days. Note to self : No more chemicals.

But before I disappear again, here are a few photos from Deadmau5. The rest of em would be on facebook.

As Shannya so brilliantly put it, Best. Fucking. Picture.

too much Partying

2011-05-03T14:12:00.004+08:00

I realize it's been forever since I've updated my blog. Utterly disappointed in myself. Okay, well, not really. I haven't actually had my laptop with me the past week. And I've been busy partying.

And now, I'm stuck in the partying mood. Deadmau5 this weekend, and I wanna make the best out of the next few days.

Then it's time to detox. I'm guessing i'll be back to the online world after that. Don't miss me too much til then :p Love love.

the Deadmau5 story

2011-04-21T21:54:00.004+08:00

I'm assuming everyone already knows what the flyer's about. And I'm assuming everyone also knows who Deadmau5 is. Right? If you don't, "Deadmau5 or Joel Thomas Zimmerman, is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto, Ontario. He is known for often performing in a titular costume head which he originally created while learning to use a 3D program, which resembles a mouse head." More Deadmau5 information on his Wikipedia page. But really, all you need to know is that he's awesome! In epic proportions!

So anyways, here's an email I opened yesterday.

They had their "If you're a DJ, what would your stage name be and why?" contest, and here's what I submitted - DJStrobe, because lights have always fascinated me. It's also the title of one of Deadmau5's top songs. Coincidence? I think not. My initial plan was to send in a million and one emails, but I sent that one and decided, hey, if i'm meant to get it, I will. And hey! What do you know?!

I wanna thank Juice here. Coz I thought it'd be too jakun of me to go "thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you!" in an email reply. They're also gonna give away more tickets, as I highlighted above. Lol. So, go send in an entry and come party with me!

I've never considered myself one of those lucky contest winners, coz my luck's pretty ridiculous most of the time. But yay! Finally! And I'm so excited!

April 20th

2011-04-20T04:20:00.005+08:00

The term was allegedly coined by a group of teenagers, most notably Parker Haney, in San Rafael, California in 1971. Calling themselves the waldos, because "their chosen hang-out spot was a wall outside the school," the group first used the term in connection to a fall 1972 plan to search for an abandoned cannabis crop that they had learned about. The Waldos designated the Louis Pasteur statue on the grounds of San Rafael High School as their meeting place, and 4:20 p.m. as their meeting time. The Waldos referred to this plan with the phrase "4:20 Louis". Multiple failed attempts to find the crop eventually shortened their phrase to simply "4:20", which ultimately evolved into a codeword the teens used to mean pot-smoking in general.

- Wikipedia

So, Happy 420 fellow green babies! Time to toke up.

Coz I'm just Freaky like that!

2011-04-16T08:44:00.001+08:00

More photos. In celebration of my blog turning 3!

And also because I love my readers :)

I want to experiment with photography now. While I still have a DSLR to use. Although these photos were taken by my run of the mill Sony cybershot something. I don't know how to time DSLRs. Can they be timed in the first place? And if they can, how do you get them sitting nicely sideways. You know, if you don't have a tripod. Or do you camwhore using a remote?

Anyhooooo. I've always enjoyed taking photos, but I need a hobby now so I'm looking for voluntary "models" around the KL/PJ area :) Drop a line by here or on FB if you've got some free time on your hands. I promise awesome shots for your portfolio! Or if you don't care about that, I promise we'd have a really fun shoot. I think I'm fun.....no?

Bootcamp!

2011-04-15T01:02:00.010+08:00

No, it isn't some empty diet pill promise. It is...

Chief's Original Bootcamp. Or Original Bootcamp's Malaysia Corps Training. A military inspired, outdoor group personal training program that utilises discipline based motivational techniques.

I don't know about you, but I've been wasting my time away, not doing anything physically productive. I normally go through what I would call an "annual workout phase". A month or two of exercising like crazy mad and dropping back down to my ideal weight. It fluctuates like nobody's business! I was 65kg at my heaviest, and 47 at my lightest. Now I'm closing in to 60 again and freaking out! It's because I slacked a whole lot last year, exercise wise, and didn't even do the usual month of workout.

I've heard of these bootcamp type things, and I've had friends go for it, but it never really occurred to me to go and register myself. It can be pretty pricey to some people. RM300 per month. That's a whole lot more than most gym's would ask for. So yeah, you can see why I haven't really bothered. Until I saw this.

That's right people! 30 friggin bucks for a month's worth of training sessions! All you do is go to the MilkADeal page HERE. Follow instructions on the website. And once you're done go to Chief's Original Bootcamp's website and look for

It's been scientifically designed to achieve serious results, seriously fast, no matter what you current fitness level is, so don't worry about not being able to handle it. Or if you're unsure, go to the recruitment page and enroll yourself for a Free Trial! Don't have any excuses now, do you?

The trial is next week. And the MilkADeal ends in 5 days. I've already registered myself and a friend for it. So what are you waiting for????? Go ahead and

Facebook Chat Etiquette

2011-04-13T08:35:00.001+08:00

There's no shortage of ways to irritate friends over Facebook nowadays. Over-poking, updating your status every 5 minutes, updating your status with yawn-worthy things, tYpInG LiKe ThIs aLL tHe dAmNeD TiMe.
Heck I'm sure even I have annoyed my facebook friends on occasions as well, what, with my constant page suggestions and shit. But fanpage / event invites go out all the time, and it doesn't really bug me. Yes, I'm pretty tolerant towards most things other people might find annoying.

Most, but not all. Because somewhere in that huge-ass sea of functions that facebook offers, there is this thing called Facebook Chat. And for some reason, people have forgotten how to behave with properly. Or maybe they just stopped caring.

With the exception of an hour here and there, I have had my facebook chat set to offline from the moment they introduced it. And here is why. I can't go 10 minutes without someone wasting my time on something completely pointless.

You : how r u

Me : awesome! how bout u?

You : good

Me : sorry, but have we spoken before? or are we silent facebook friends? hehe.

You : no

If you're choosing to talk to someone new over facebook chat, you should put some thought into it before dropping a line by. Don't start a conversation if you have no intentions of following through with it. I wouldn't mind getting to know you, but if you're being so ridiculous, I'd rather not try.

You : what you doing

Me : just stoning. and watching youtube videos.

You : ok

Me : what are u up to there? :)

You : nothing

Dude. Like, talk. Talk about yourself, ask me about myself, bring up some random thought that's crossed your mind. Point out that the sky is bright, or that the night is dark. Anything's better than nothing. Coz nothing is boring.

You : hi

Me : hey :)

You : can i fuck you?

Do I even need to explain that one? Deleted and blocked thankyouverymuch.

I'm perfectly fine chatting with real friends, no matter how chaotic it gets sometimes. And once in a while I have a really good conversation with a stranger. I know some of you may find it weird, but I think it's kinda fun. I spend too much time hanging around the same people and being antisocial. Sometimes I feel like making a change. But then I get on facebook chat, and I get nonsense like that. So I guess this goes out to anyone and everyone who has thought about chatting with me. Please, please sort your shit out first.

I'm trying to give this facebook chat thing a chance. I miss talking to some friends and I'd like to be able to reconnect with them at random. Will you boring/stupid/dirty fucks leave me alone? If you feel offended, or my bitchiness has turned you off, go ahead and take yourself off my facebook account. It'd save us both some time. Yes, I know I can be pretty pissy at times. But if you're trying real hard and I don't reply to something you say, it's probably me, not you. I could be either away, really busy doing something else, or in an antisocial mood. You can take your pick and try again later if you want to.

You : hi

You : busy?

You : are you there?

You : sorry dc

You : hi

You : still busy?

Okay. Sometimes it is you. And maybe, just maybe, you could take a hint and understand that I'm not bloody interested in having a conversation with you because we've gone down that road before and I think you fit into one of those categories above. If it makes anyone feel better, you could ignore me too if I try to start talking to you someday. I'm perfectly fine with the occasional rejection.

When it RAINs, it pours!

2011-04-11T17:13:00.009+08:00

F1 weekend @ Sepang. 8-10 April 2011

My journalist :) ♥

Winners (L-R) Jenson Button (2nd), Sebastian Vettel (1st) and Nick Heidfeld (3rd)

And then it was time for Rain! (Okay, I'm not a huge fan, but why not?)

Joe Flizzow

Sona-One. Or Mika, to us.

The superstar!

The only awesome thing was that we had media passes. So we were literally 5 feet from the stage. In front of the barricade. If only it was someone I really wanted to see perform live.

For those crazy Rain fans, the full set of photos are viewable HERE.

Blog Award

2011-04-08T12:16:00.005+08:00

Sorry I've been gone for so long. I know it seems like I've abandoned my blog, but I really haven't. So many things have been happening over the past 2 weeks. And I'm re-learning how to deal with some stuff. Don't worry, I will be filling y'all in on it sometime soon.

Alright, enough rambling. might get sidetracked again and completely forget what I wanted to post.

From Miera

From Danielle

I know that there are so many of these blog "awards" floating around, but I figured I might as well post it anyways. Spread some love and let my fellow bloggers know how much I enjoy reading their blogs. Who doesn't like to know that they're appreciated, right? The instructions are simple, and pretty much the same.

i) Link the person who gave it to you.

ii) Pick a few blogs (number may vary), link them and let them know they've been given the award.

Listen To My Rants Will Ya

A Michelicious Story

Risk Of Rain

Shrink Wrapped Scream

Spread The Love/Share The Funny

Now it's your turn to spread the love!

Strange

2011-03-30T21:55:00.003+08:00

I don't know why I haven't been updating much with real stuff lately. I click on blogger when I feel like posting an update of what I've done or where I've been instead of how I've been feeling about everything. Strange, seeing as how the past month or so has been anything but dull.

I would call this a period of self-discovery. Been doing a lot of thinking and experimenting with my artsy side. I'm completely in love with making miniatures now. Clay, acrylic paint and all that. Will take a picture and post that up :) I'm also working on a real post, so check back soon!

MGMT !!!

2011-03-26T17:34:00.006+08:00

MGMT (an American psychedelic rock band) performed live on Friday at the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Indoor Arena. Guess who was there?!

Went with Shannya. Who squeezed us a way to the front.

And the boyfriend :)

So here's a little tip. Do not get less than 4 hours of sleep in a day, then get stoned outta your mind. Then go for an MGMT concert. Not even joking. My body died on me yesterday and my mind was just doing it's own thing.

But OHMYGOD. It was still the best concert ever!

Han Chiang College Autocross Competition

2011-03-21T15:47:00.008+08:00

It would be ridiculous for me to be writing anything about cars. Or the competition. Coz well, it's cars. Although I did enjoy my long hot day under the sun, I don't think it's something I will be doing again anytime soon. I'll just stick with the indoor and preferably air-conditioned events for now.

Complete set of photos can be viewed at -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60851375@N07/sets/72157626188921157/

The Sing-Off

2011-03-19T15:25:00.004+08:00

The Sing-Off. Showcasing acapella performances at it's best. Mad love. I'm hoping they'll show the next season here. But even if they don't. There's always gonna be YouTube.

The Whiffenpoofs - Grace Kelly

Street Corner Symphony - Beatles Medley

Nota - Jackson 5 Medley

The Beelzebubs (voices behind The Warblers on Glee) - The Who Medley

Battle : Los Angeles

2011-03-16T00:47:00.003+08:00

Another premiere thanks to Nuffnang.

The players

Director : Jonathan Liebesman

Actors : Aaron Eckheart ( Ssgt Michael Nantz), Ramon Rodriguez (2nd Lt William Martinez), Bridget Moynahan (Michele), Ne-yo (Cpl Kevin Harris) & Michelle Rodriguez (TSgt Elena Santos)

Synopsis

Battle: Los Angeles revolves around a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon's battle against an alien invasion on the streets of Los Angeles. The movies is presented as an intense real-time war movie from the perspective of the Marines. It has been described by some as "Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day". It will be a live-action drama, showcasing the United States Marines attempting to defeat an alien invasion of planet Earth.

My review

Just like most other alien invasion movies, I was both fascinated and bored by this one. For a movie that's meant to be from the perspective of Marines, there wasn't much build on the characters and we weren't given a chance to connect with them. Characters were dying left and right, but I honestly couldn't remember any of their names and I barely even felt their absence after that. It's not all bad though. The movie kicked ass special effects wise. Scenes of Los Angeles in destruction and alien war ships were convincing enough. Although we never really get a good enough look at the aliens.

Overall, Battle: Los Angeles doesn't fare too bad against other movies in it's genre. Keep in mind that all invasion movies are ridiculously stupid at some level. But if fast paced action is all it takes to get your juices flowing, then this would be a movie for you.

Technology makes us

2011-03-14T13:23:00.003+08:00

Have any of you wondered how technology has changed us? Well I was curious enough to try and google it, just like I google everything else. And here's what came up.

8 out of the first 10 suggestions are not signs of evolution at its best. In fact, those are qualities you would think we would want to steer clear of. Who wants to be lazy, stupid or less social?

A couple of days ago, my laptop died on me and I couldn't get it on again. Turns out that it was only the charger that blew. Good thing, coz replacing that was much cheaper than having to send my laptop in for repair. I would have died if I lost all my files and photos. Then I realised how dependent I am on my laptop. At 2 minutes I was bored out of my mind and by the time 2 hours had gone by, I almost literally felt like pulling my hair out.

Thankfully I wasn't sitting alone in a room. I had friends who at some point decided to close their laptops so we could be more social. They tried paying attention without putting their laptops off at first, but eyes kept darting back to screens. It took a while, but after going through what I would call withdrawal, we went on to have a couple of really interesting conversations.

Here's what I came away with. I can barely remember life without such technology, but it actually wasn't that long ago, was it? I didn't have my own handphone til I was 16. Blackberrys and iPhones hadn't been created yet. Heck, I grew up to Streamyx, where my internet usage time was kept track of because they charged by the hour. No mobile internet, no broadband, no laptop. I only got that when I was 19.

At some point in life, I did not need such technologies. At some point, things were simpler. I had time to read tons of books and work on my art projects. I would spend hours playing with my pets and taking them for walks. I had time to learn to do the laundry, cook good meals, and help out with chores.

Every change that takes place had it's pros and cons. I would not want to live in a world where I could not keep in touch with people I love that aren't living here anymore. But I have friends living half an hour away that I hardly ever see because we feel like we get updates on each other's lives often enough through facebook. Friendship meant so much more 10 years ago when we had to work hard on maintaining it.

I have over 2000 "friends" on facebook. I could probably count on my fingers and toes how many of them I have seen over the past few weeks. I don't really bother seeing half of them because some people are their facebook profiles and there aren't any stories left to be shared in person. But life is so much more than updating your facebook status. Life is about experiences and feelings. Experimenting and choosing to go through something instead of reading about it over a social networking site.

Our generation has almost everything we could possibly need to survive. We live in a world where we are not looking for necessities anymore. We are on a never-ending search of ultimate luxury. When will we draw a line and say we have enough? Where is the sky? Where's the limit? Robots taking over the world is a viable idea for movie-makers because we make it possible. Technology to create such things and the risk of losing control over it already exists. What happens from now is in our own hands. And don't we always say prevention's better than cure?

Treinta : The End

2011-03-12T15:00:00.000+08:00

I decided to wait a little to do the last day of this challenge. Partly because I wanted to wait for a really pretty picture. Partly so that I had time to think about what I wanted to say. So, here's Day 30 of the...

Day 30: A picture of yourself this day and 3 good things that happened since you started the challenge.

Time really does fly and I honestly didn't realise how fast 30 days would go by. In some ways, everything's just stayed the same. I am still me, I still feel the way I felt about most of the things in life. So what has changed?

- I'm so much more excited about the idea of travelling. I've always loved exploring new places and meeting interesting people. So over the past month, I got my passport finally renewed and managed to make plans to go to Kuching, Singapore, Bangkok, Pattaya and Perth for holidays this year. And we're planning for more trips.

- I've found an awesome group of friends and our friendship's grown much closer over the past month. Also new, an actual travelling buddy. One that loves travelling and exploring probably as much as I do. Not just someone who says, "Hey, let's go somewhere on a holiday" then never gets to planning anything.

- I have also learnt more about myself than I have in the past. But that's been going on since almost exactly the new year. I've actually felt a change in my personality and beliefs that it's sometimes scary. But that's evolution or something, and everyone goes through many phases in their lives where they feel a huge change, don't they?

I feel like I've been closer to the top of the world over the past few months compared to any other point in my past. That's gotta be a good thing, or at least an indication that I'm heading in the right path right? So, look out world. Coz here I come!

THE END

You can have a look at the LIST or read the rest of my challenge related posts HERE.

Mars Needs Moms

2011-03-10T10:47:00.005+08:00

Thanks to Nuffnang.

The players

Director : Simon Wells

Actors : Seth Green (Milo), Dan Fogler (Gribble), Joan Cusack (Mom), Elisabeth Harnois (Ki)

Synopsis

Nine-year-old Milo finds out just how much he needs his mom when she's nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble and a rebel Martian girl called Ki, Milo just might find his way back to his mom - in more ways than one.

My Review

The movie was comical and entertaining and included some heart warming scenes. Characters were easy to relate to and connect with. The plot line was simple and predictable to a certain extent, but not corny/cheesy/annoying. Overall, a really good family movie to watch.

Language

2011-03-06T12:49:00.004+08:00

And this is where I think language came from. It came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. And it had to be way when it was just simple survival, like water, we came up with a sound for that.

But when we use that same system of symbols to communicate all the abstract and intangible things that we're experiencing. When I say love, the sound comes out of my mouth and it hits the other person's ear, travels through this Byzantine conduit in their brain, through their memories of love, or lack of love, and they register what I'm saying and they say, Yes they understand, but how do I know they understand? Because words are inert, they're just symbols, they're dead. And so much of our experience is intangible. So much of what we perceive cannot be expressed, it's unspeakable. And yet, when we communicate with one another, and we feel that we have connected, and we think we are understood, I think we have a feeling of almost spiritual communion. And that feeling might be transient, but I think that's what we live for.

Waking Life

2011-03-05T19:44:00.000+08:00

Last night, I had yet another weird dream. I knew throughout the entire dream that I was in fact dreaming and in some way, I felt like I had control over my actions. It made me more confused because I am so used to being a spectator, instead of a participant. Unless that feeling itself was just a part of my dream. I know, confusing.

Dreams have fascinated people for thousands of years. Chances are that you have probably found yourself puzzling over the mysterious contents of your own dream, or perhaps you've wondered why you dream at all.

Why do we dream? What purpose do dreams have? And do they affect us in any way? Of all the research that has been done on the many things that are a part of our lives, the fact that we do not yet understand the purpose of dreams seems a little peculiar.

Do you think that maybe someday, someone would be able to figure it all out? Or that technology would allow us to have control over our dreams and it would then be as real as our waking life right now?

Favourite Waking Life quotes. If you haven't watched it, you should.

"They say that dreams are only real as long as they last. Couldn't you say the same thing about life?"

"The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything."

"Did you ever have a job that you hated and worked real hard at? A long, hard day of work. Finally you get to go home, get in bed, close your eyes and immediately you wake up and realize that the whole day at work had been a dream. It's bad enough that you sell your waking life for minimum wage, but now they get your dreams for free."

A writer

2011-03-01T16:20:00.005+08:00

I never used to call myself a writer. I mean, why would I? I was and still am, just an average person you would see walking down the road next to you. I breathe like you, I eat, sleep, walk and talk like you.

The only thing I do different is that I jot down the insanity that goes on in my head instead of allowing it to pass. When something affects me so much and I want to do something about it, I choose to let out what I think. I am just writing, if you ask me. I am not a writer.

Writing. It is an opportunity that every child gets when they learn to understand their thoughts and imagination, and then hold on tightly to their pencil as they learn to trace alphabets and words from the images they have learnt and then put in onto paper. Maybe it is magic, maybe it is a "gift". But regardless of which, I think we're all given the chance to be a writer.

So why are we so scared of that term then? Scared to make that statement and let everyone know what we think we are? I think it boils down to our fear of being labeled. Because along with it comes expectations. It sort of commits us, and maybe some of us don't want that pressure. But stop and think about it, why are we so scared when all it forces us to do is what we already have been doing?

Well, I finally learnt to not be scared of that. I am what I am. And I want to be a writer. I realised that I want this for no other reason but one. Writers change people. Every word they write, every sentence they put together, they touch someone somewhere. I want to effect change.

I am a writer. It's not what I do, it is who I am. In some way, I think we all are. We are people with ideas with a voice that refuses to be silenced. So we write. We write because there is honestly no better feeling in or out of this world than writing and knowing that someone half way across the world gets it. It is priceless.

The Oscars!

2011-02-28T16:00:00.006+08:00

It's been the awards season, and what better show to watch than the Annual Academy Awards, also knowns as the Oscars. And which girl does not love looking at stars going down the red carpet? Here's my "review" on some of this year's red carpet looks.

Gwyneth Paltrow ✔ Nicole Kidman X

Glee completely changed the way I see Gwyneth Paltrow. I think she's smokin hot!

Halle Berry X Mandy Moore X

I'm not completely hating these, I'm just not a fan of fishtail inspired dresses.

Penelope Cruz X Jennifer Hudson ✔

I always have an issue with fat people after they've lost weight. It somehow gives them a weird alien-ish look. Kudos to Jennifer Hudson for sticking to her Weight Watchers diet and losing all those pounds (dieting/exercising aren't the easiest things to do), but I kinda think her mouth looks a little too big for her face now. And am I the only one that thinks her boobs look off? Call me crazy, but I preferred her "curvy".

Sandra Bullock ✔ Anne Hathaway ✔

Don't like the flowers on Anne Hathaway's dress, but I like red. Especially on fairer skin. And paired with bold, red lipstick, these are almost my favourite red carpet looks.

Mila Kunis ✔ Amy Adams X

Don't really mind the dress Amy Adams has on, but the neckline seems a little uncomfortable. And can I say, Black Swan did nothing but emphasize on how hot Mila Kunis is. She could honestly be wearing a tablecloth and I'd probably be like "WOW".

Scarlett Johannson X Natalie Portman ✔

Speaking of tablecloths, lol. Scarlett Johannson is too young to be wearing something with so much lace on it. And Natalie Portman showed up in another stunning preggers friendly dress.

Natalie Portman in Black Swan. Anyone who hasn't watched this movie, should watch it.

Be careful though. Certain scenes may turn you on. A whole lot!

Drive Angry!

2011-02-27T19:08:00.007+08:00

Went for the movie screening thanks to Zerotohundred.com and Nuffnang.

Once in KLCC (23-02-2011)

And then again in 1st Avenue Mall (26-02-2011)

Getting to watch a free movie is never a bad thing. But this is one movie that's really not worth showing up for. Yes Amber Heard is kinda hot. And it's not horribly bad, but it completely lacks a proper storyline. And Nicholas Cage really needs to start choosing different kind of roles. This was so close to Ghostrider that one might get confused at parts. I even slept through the movie the second time we went to watch it.

Sorry, no good review this time. I loved the cars that convoyed up and stuff. But the movie, not something I'd watch again. Free or not.

Veintinueve : Wishes?

2011-02-27T15:00:00.000+08:00

Day 29: 3 Wishes.

Honestly, I don't really believe in making wishes. Not when I blow out the candle on my birthday cake. Not when I see a shooting star. And we all know that genies in bottles/lamps don't even exist. So does listing it down here really matter when I know that there's probably no possibility of it actually happening? Well, not because I wished it to happen anyways.

What I do believe in, is hard work, a strong will and perseverance. Setting a goal and working towards it. Nothing good comes easy. And easy things are never actually worth it.

So, no wishes. But my list of goals are here.

Veintiocho : Stress

2011-02-26T15:00:00.001+08:00

Day 28: Something that stresses you out.

I am somewhat a very OCD person when it comes to certain things. Making plans is one of those things. I am more often then person calling everyone else to confirm details then the other way around. Making these plans, stress me out. Having plans cancelled last minute stresses me out too. I think it's just the planning thing in general. FriendA calls me and tells me what he/she wants to do, then I call FriendB to confirm. Then FriendB wants to do something else and I have to let FriendA know, and then re-plan things, and then call FriendB to let him/her know. Imagine a situation involving more than just a few people. It can get really stressful. I guess that's why I'm trying not to make any major plans right now. Try to just go with the flow for a while.

But somehow I doubt how affective that would be. Chilling too much stresses me out too -_-"

Veintisiete : Penang

2011-02-25T14:04:00.005+08:00

Day 27: Original Photo of the city you live in.

Photo credit : Google.com

No, those aren't shots that I took.

But yes, that is beautiful, wonderful Penang.

It is for the majority of time, the city I live in.

Veintiseis : The Dream

2011-02-24T12:28:00.003+08:00

Day 26: Your Dream Wedding.

Haha. I'm thinking the majority of girls have this question figured out by the time they hit 16. Having worked in the wedding planning field before, I have a rough idea of what perfect would be to me.

Gazebo by the beach. Silk organza dress dyed pink on the bottom.

Bouquet of pink and white flowers. And a 4 tier cake.

Other dress options. Depending on who I marry? Lol.

I could make this entry go on for pages if I wanted to. Bridesmaid dresses. Wedding rings. Theme for the reception. Food I want. People I'd love to have there. The kind of music I'd like to have. The first song we dance to. But I'll just keep that for next time. You know, an entry of me getting married. When I actually get married.

Veinticinco

2011-02-23T15:00:00.003+08:00

Day 25: Something you crave a lot.

I think the one thing I crave the most on a constant basis is food.

I'm a complete food lover. But I don't blog about food and stuff because I don't really feel like talking about the food I eat most of the time. I don't think thoughts like "OMG that was delicious" make for a very interesting read. I never go through other blog posts on food, so I wouldn't even know where to start.

I say "crave" now because I no longer get to eat as much as I would like to. My body does not magically transform everything I eat into nothing now. And I have been gaining weight. Well actually I've been gaining and losing weight in the extreme over the past 4 years. I don't want to have to starve myself and exercise like mad again for a while. So I guess I'm cutting down on the food I take.

Right now, I want the PJ OldTown chicken rice. Or Kayu's nasi goreng ayam. Or ss2's nasi lemak ayam. I guess I'm in the mood for rice.

-_________-"

And then some Gulab Jamun. Coz everyone that knows me knows that I have such a sweet tooth!

Veinticuatro : Life is Too Short

2011-02-22T15:00:00.000+08:00

Day 24: Something you've learned.

Life is too short to wake up in the mornings with regrets. Love the ones who treat you right, forget the ones who don't. Remember that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, then let it be. No one said it would be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.

Yes. Life is indeed too short. So break the rules,

forgive quickly, love truly,

laugh uncontrollably,

and never regret anything that ever made you smile.

Sexy Sunday

2011-02-21T20:42:00.007+08:00

So here's what we did.

Went to Hard Rock to watch Battle of the Bands.

We were actually there as groupies of Cats In Love. One of the bands that performed there.

Cats In Love. Their Facebook page is HERE.

Fun fact. Cats In Love (an unlikely name for an unlikely bunch of musicians) got it's name when then bass player, Rizal, kept hearing the chorus to it's song Can't See Love as Cats In Love.

Shannya and I. Reuben, the drummer, is her cousin.

Outside Hard Rock, obviously.

This picture is probably one I would keep forever and pull out to show my kids in the future. And then they'd go "Ohmygod. Ya'll look so young and funny" the same way I say that to my parents when I see their hippy-ish photos from the 80s.

Then we took the LRT to Bukit Bintang to watch some Capoeira in front of Maybank.

Well actually, Bonnie's pretty into Capoeira and participated in it. So we followed her and stood there watching in complete awe.

We walked to Kayu right after that for the most ridiculously priced dinner ever. Don't eat there.

And then took the LRT back to Hard Rock to get to the cars.

We went to Shivz Grill in Bangsar after that for their Salsa Social night. No pictures because we were too busy dancing. Hahahaha alright, we didn't dance. But we learnt to. And now I want to go take Capoeira and Salsa lessons. It's pretty awesome. Good dancers, nice ambiance. So if you're looking for a place to Salsa, or just a place to go dancing on a Sunday night, go ahead and check the place out. It's along the row of shops right by the mainroad, so it would be pretty hard to miss.

To quote Shannya here, "The most unattractive person suddenly becomes the most attractive in the room when they suddenly start to salsa". So completely true!

Veintitres : Perfect Date

2011-02-21T16:16:00.005+08:00

Day 23: Your idea of a perfect first date.

It doesn't have to be a romantic dinner for two by the beach.

He doesn't have to show up with flowers in hand

...and pick me up with a stretch limo.

Or look like this.

(although I really wouldn't mind)

Honestly, all that matters is that we connect, wherever it is we are, whatever it is we're doing.

Just me and him, lost in a sea of other people that don't matter in that moment.

That alone would be pretty damn amazing.

Veintidós

2011-02-20T15:00:00.001+08:00

Day 22: What's in your purse?

I already answered this question in this post.

Let's see if anything's changed. Will be digging through my handbag, now.

Compact powder ✓ mirror ✓ dunhill reds ✓ camera ✓ eyeliners ✓ a shaver ✓ a tampon ✓ panadol (used up a couple of days ago), a pair of earings ✓bangles, mints, lighter, rolling paper, handphone, contact lense.

Sometimes even I question how I find things in my handbag.

And as for what's in my purse, it's the basics. Like the basic 5 items. Go figure that out by yourself.

We feel worthless, because we actually are worth less.

2011-02-19T18:30:00.004+08:00

There's one advantage to having mostly online friends, and it's one that nobody ever talks about. They demand less from you.

Sure, you emotionally support them, comfort them after a breakup, maybe even talk them out of a suicide. But knowing someone in meatspace adds a whole long list of annoying demands. Wasting your whole afternoon helping them fix their computer. Going to funerals with them. Toting them around in your car every day after theirs gets repossessed by the bank. Having them show up unannounced when you were just settling in to watch the Dirty Jobs marathon on the Discovery channel, then mentioning how hungry they are until you finally give them half your sandwich.

You have so much more control in Instant Messenger, or on a forum, or in World of Warcraft. The problem is you are hard-wired by evolution to need to do things for people. Everybody for the last five thousand years seemed to realize this and then we suddenly forgot it in the last few decades. We get suicidal teens and scramble to teach them self-esteem. Well, unfortunately, self-esteem and the ability to like yourself only come after you've done something that makes you likable.

You can't bullshit yourself. If I think Todd over here is worthless for sitting in his room all day, drinking Pabst and playing video games one-handed because he's masturbating with the other one, what will I think of myself if I do the same thing?

You want to break out of that black tar pit of self hatred? Brush the black hair out of your eyes, step away from the computer and buy a nice gift for someone you loathe. Send a card to your worst enemy. Make dinner for your mum or dad. Or just do something simple, with a tangible result. Go clean the leaves out of the gutter. Grow a damn plant.

It ain't rocket science; you are a social animal and thus you are born with little happiness hormones that are released into your bloodstream when you see a physical benefit to your actions. Think about all those teenagers in their dark rooms, glued to their PC's, turning every life problem into ridiculous melodrama. Why do they make those cuts on their arms? It's because making the pain-and subsequent healing-tangible releases endorphins they don't get otherwise. It's pain, but at least it's real.

That form of stress relief via mild discomfort used to be part of our daily lives, viz our routine of hunting gazelles and gathering berries and climbing rocks and fighting bears. No more. This is why office jobs make so many of us miserable; we don't get any physical, tangible result from our work. But do construction out in the hot sun for two months, and for the rest of your life you can drive past a certain house and say, "Holy shit, I built that." Maybe that's why mass shootings are more common in offices than construction sites.

It's the kind of physical, dirt-under-your-nails satisfaction that you can only get by turning off the computer, going outdoors and re-connecting wiht the real world. That feeling, that "I built that" or "I grew that" or "I fed that guy" or "I made these pants" feeling, can't be matched by anything the internet has to offer.

Except, you know, this website.

Article taken from Cracked. I love that site.

Veintiuno

2011-02-19T15:00:00.002+08:00

Day 21: Favorite Picture of yourself ALL TIME Why?

Yes, this is my favourite picture of myself. I guess it's coz it was taken at a point in my life where I felt the most attractive. And it also brings back good memories. I will always remember the day I took the picture. Where I was, where I came from, when I bought those accessories. So it might not be the prettiest picture out there, but pictures are memories to me. And I doubt I've been truly happier than I was at that point.

Viente : NicknaMEs

2011-02-18T15:00:00.000+08:00

Day 20: Nicknames.

Let's see. I am now Charissa Adeline on my facebook profile. But I have also been Carrie Lynn, Alexis Lynn, Scarlett Ecstacy and Sierra MaryJane. It is safe to say that I am fickle minded, and more or less fine with nicknames. I don't even really tell people what to call me most of the time. It just kinda depends on which point in life I get to know someone. Or what they feel like calling me.

There is however one nickname that for some reason I've never been too fond of. "Rissa". And of course, for some reason, that is the most used one. I guess it's because it's a part of my actual name. And it's easy to pronounce, and remember. But I think it's boring. And plain.

I doubt that'll stop people from calling me Rissa though. Oh well. Can't have everything my way now, can I?

Diecinueve

2011-02-17T18:00:00.003+08:00

Day 19: Something you miss.

This one's simple. And doesn't need a long explanation.

I miss my brother, and growing up together.

Getting older can be crappy at times, no?

Dieciocho : FOOD

2011-02-16T18:00:00.001+08:00

Day 18: Favorite Place to Eat.

Penang!!!

Well, to be more specific, my favourite place to get food in Penang would be at the end of Gurney Drive. The hawker centre.

My grandparents used to have a stall there, selling sugarcane (actually I think they sold other drinks too. I just have a clear memory of the sugarcane machine, so to me it was a sugarcane stall). I spent the first few years of my life hanging around Gurney Drive. And I still love going back there now.

In continuation of my little tradition, here are my Top 4.

O'chien / Fried Oyster Omelette. Possibly my favourite food of all time. I can't seem to get the Penang style o'chien anywhere else. The ones around KL are flat out crap.

Char Koay Teow with duck eggs. It tastes good with normal eggs, but I like duck eggs so much more. It's a personal choice though, so if you're not a fan, stick to the usual.

Muar Chee. Sticky rice balls coated with sugar and ground roasted peanuts. Sesame seeds optional. I personally hate sesame seeds.

Curry mee. Only worth eating if it's filled with pigs blood (those maroonish blocks seen left in the picture). I swear, it's so much tastier than it sounds.

Diecisiete : Travelling

2011-02-15T15:37:00.005+08:00

Day 17: Something you're looking forward to.

I have always enjoyed travelling. Near or far, doesn't really matter too much. I just enjoy the feeling of being somewhere else besides home. So this year is going to be a good one.

I have Bangkok & Pattaya to look forward to in June.

Probably Perth after that.

And England at the end of the year.

Dieciséis - The Dream

2011-02-14T15:00:00.002+08:00

Day 16: Dream house.

I've never really thought about my exact dream house. So here's a collection of pictures that I like. I think I kinda like plain and simple with a little bit of bold colours here and there.

That's all.

Quince : Love

2011-02-13T11:00:00.000+08:00

Day 15: Bible verse.

This post is timed. Because I am busy helping out and preparing for "Aunty Kiew's Animal Shelter Donation Drive". I have timed it to go up at 11a.m. so that anyone who has forgotten about it/didn't know about it would still have time to click HERE and come show your support as well.

So, as many of you all know, I am not a very religious person. My connection to God is about as strong as a wooden stick, and not even a thick one. It does not in any way mean I worship the devil, or think that people that put their lives in God's hands are stupid. I just don't live my life that way because it wasn't really the way I was brought up. I grew up being told that I could believe, or not believe. And even religion itself was a free thing. Christianity, Buddhism, Muslim, Hinduism. It was my choice to make later on in life when I was more mature and capable of thinking about it. Not my parent's duty to force in onto me.

Still, I have done reading on my own, and there's this verse. Or a few verses from the Bible that I've always really loved. 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 Verses 4-7 (1 Cor 13:4-7)

Love. What does it mean to YOU?

I am spending the day before Valentine's cleaning up an animal shelter and taking care of abandoned and stray dogs. Then, I am spending Valentine's day itself with my friends. Stepping "out of the box" this year. When I begun this challenge, I looked at number 15 and thought to myself, what on earth? I had no idea writing this post would make me feel such happiness on so many different levels.

Catorce : The Old Me

2011-02-12T14:00:00.002+08:00

Day 14: A picture of you last year - how have you changed?

Early 2010. Before and after I cut my hair.

Which one do you like better?

I think I have stated so many times in my more recent posts that I have felt myself change over the past year. Especially the few months. Like, a significant change, not just that I got a new hairstyle.

I went through a couple of really rough patches between Oct 09 - June 10. And boy did that do some damage! But there's nothing that time can't heal right? In August, my life changed again. I met a group of really lovely friends. And I also got into a new relationship with an old friend (also something I never tried before). I know some may judge me, and want to tell me that getting into relationships don't solve anything, but I will explain why I feel the need to be in one, almost all the time, some other day. Save the judging for then will you? :)

New people in my life, for once thought me a really important lesson. It's not like we don't do anything silly or wrong once in a while. In fact, there's actually quite a long list of things. But having them in my life was like a kick in the butt to get myself sorted out. Because if I didn't fix me, I wouldn't be able to do anything about our friendships if something bad ever happened.

I really don't know if it makes any sense to anyone else out there. But it's like, I've met so many idiots in my life and had a couple of friends that I knew really weren't worth keeping around, so I didn't have to care that much. Now that I have really amazing people in my life, I don't want to keep making mistakes and end up chasing them away, or feeling like I want to run.

So that's the biggest difference I feel has happened over the past year. 21 year old me would be proud of 22 year old me because 22 year old me is very proud of herself.

But seriously, long hair? Or short hair?

Would appreciate the opinions because i'm thinking of cutting my hair again.

Trece : Goals

2011-02-11T14:00:00.001+08:00

Day 13: Goals.

I have had all kinds of interests in all kinds of fields. And I've moved and changed "lifestyles" so many times as well. All of that has thought me to go with the flow of things. It's also made setting goals a little hard to do. Because I don't know what will change over the next 10 years.

I do however have a Things-I-Want-To-Do list. So i'll share that with you all instead.

More of less in order of which should come first, here it is.

Buy a really awesome DSLR.
Start up my own little business.
Shop, til I actually, literally drop.
Organize a large scale charity drive.
Get a cool car.
Go backpacking (Australia, Europe & South America)
Spend some time being a social worker.
Get married & start a family.

Other things have made it to the list, and been taken off. But those are the few that remain. I would probably be able to die happy once I have done 6 out of those 8. Will not settle for any less! :)

Doce : A Tampon Too!

2011-02-10T18:00:00.000+08:00

Day 12: Something you don't leave the house without.

Haha. Can I say "clothes" and just leave it at that? Coz I'm pretty sure that's the one thing I'd never ever leave the house without. I don't have the confidence to walk out naked. Also, I'm not crazy.

Okay. Lets see. Up til the age of 18, I never carried a handbag. I put my purse in the back left pocket. My phone in the right front pocket. And that's all I had to carry around. But then I started adding things to that list. Compact powder & mirror, cigarettes, camera. So I guess those are the things I don't leave the house without. I don't really bother checking my bag before leaving, but I know those things hardly ever leave my bag. I also have an eyeliner, a shaver, a spare tampon, panadol and a pair of earings, always in my bag. You never know when you may need one of those things.

No judging on the shaver, panadol and tampon part. They have actually come in handy. For myself and the people around me. Those are stories I shall save for another day ;)

Sometimes, Money = Happiness

2011-02-10T09:00:00.001+08:00

Went post-Chinese-New-Year shopping today. Yay!

So here's some of the stuff I bought.

(left) A couple of t-shirts. From random shops.

(right) Tube top that I already have in brown, which happens to be my fav one over the past year. And this hippy jumper thing. My favourite buy of the day. From Bead Zone.

(top) Super high heels with snake skin design, which Dinesh didn't really like but I loved, so I got it.

(bottom) Really comfortable pretty flats. Both from Maldo.

(left) Funky top which also kinda passes as a dress.

(right) Formal-ish short dress. Really pretty. Both from the same shop. Can't remember the name anymore.

And all this shopping was done in Prangin Mall. Yes. I know it's not exactly the place you'd chose to hang out at. Now with Gurney, Queensbay and Straits Quay. But I still like shopping there. It's kinda fun. And not too pricey as well.

Once : Another Top 4

2011-02-09T18:00:00.002+08:00

Day 11 : Favourite TV Shows

I don't really watch TV anymore now. I don't have StarWorld at home here (the channel that probably counts the most). But I watch tv shows all the time. How? That's something I should not state here. Lol. So once again, here are my Top 4.

Desperate Housewives

How I Met Your Mother

Gossip Girl

Glee

What about you?

Which tv shows do you like watching there?

Diez : Are You Afraid of The Dark?

2011-02-08T18:00:00.002+08:00

Day 10: Something you're afraid of.

This one was a little hard. Coz I'm not exactly afraid of anything in particular.

No Gymnophobia (nudity), Ailurophobia (cats), Algophobia (pain), Cataptrophobia (mirrors), Dipsophobia (drinking), Pteromerhanophobia (flying). None at all. I'm not the type of girl who screams when she sees a cockroach or rat. Sure it might make me jump, and if I could have it my way, I would not want to come across one like, ever. But if I do, it's not going to make me cry or ruin my day.

I guess the biggest fear I have would be of the dark. Not like being-in-my-room-with-the-lights-off kinda dark. But like, being in the middle of sea, alone at night. Scares the shit out of me. Pools at night too. I can be in the shallow end, or like by the sea side, but I CAN NOT be in the water not knowing what's under my treading feet. I get this weird feeling of someone or some creature swimming around under me and that it's going to come up and grab me by my feet. Each and every time. Used to be a problem because my mum used to take us to the club house to teach us to swim after her work and that was usually about 7pm, just when the sun was setting. Thank god I wasn't alone then, but still, you can't imagine the happiness I felt when I finished learning how to swim and didn't have to spend so much time there anymore!

So yeah. Now that everyone knows the thing I fear the most, please do not ask me to jump in a pool or go to the sea for a swim at night. Thank you :)

Nueve : My Bestfriend ♥

2011-02-07T18:00:00.004+08:00

Day 9: A favorite picture of your best friend.

Hehehehe. Yes, that's the picture I'm choosing. With my hair that colour and all. New Year's Eve of 2008. That means the 31st of Dec 2007. It's my favourite picture of my best friend because that picture was taken before we became best friends. It's like looking so far back into the past, back to something I can't even really remember anymore. Coz I don't remember what it was like, not being friends then.

And yes, that is also my now boyfriend. It's the only time I've gotten into a relationship with someone I've known for years. It's awesome in some ways, but really scary too. Coz I don't wanna ever lose a best friend that way.

And like I said in my thank you note.

"I don't want to write this just because we're in a relationship right now and I love you as a girlfriend. I want to thank you as a friend, for the 3 years of friendship you've given me, and for the many years to come. I don't know what the future holds for us, no one does. But nothing will change the fact that you always have, and will forever be an important part of my life."

A relationship doesn't take away the friendship. It just makes it more special.

So yes, that is my favourite picture of a then stranger who became my best friend, then my boyfriend, and forever will be someone I love with all my heart.

And yes, he doesn't really like people taking pictures of him.

Voodoo 04022011

2011-02-06T22:49:00.004+08:00

Just a short little picture post. From the second day of CNY. We spent it at voodoo.

Told you it'd be short! :)

Ocho : the Ferris-wheel

2011-02-06T18:00:00.000+08:00

Day 8: A place you've traveled to.

Blackpool, UK.

About the clearest memory that I have of our entire euro trip. We walked up and down the pier. Had loads of food. Went to the amusement park. Rode on the teacup ride, the carousel. Then took a double decker train thing. I have no idea what it's called. I would have posted pictures up here, but I can't seem to find the scanned copies of em right now. So I guess pictures off the www will have to do.

The ferris wheel we rode on. I know I have a recording of that somewhere. Also, I can remember the exact song that played while we were on the ferris wheel. Mel C's - Never Be The Same Again. Awesome memory or not?

Siete : Top 4

2011-02-05T15:00:00.002+08:00

Day 7: Favorite movies.

I'm a big movie fanatic. Mostly I think it's because I have a lot of free time on my hands and watching a movie is the easiest way to kill the boredom. I could think of so many favourites. But I'm not going to list down a hundred and one movies here. So here are my all time top 4 instead.

Chicago (2002)

Jazz, showbiz, glamour. Not to mention the many unique musical numbers it in. Who would not be a fan of this one? It makes you feel like you're right there in the movie itself sometimes. I'd totally "play dress up" if I had other girlfriends who were into that. I don't like Renee Zellweger, but absolutely love Catherine Zeta Jones in it. And Taye Diggs has a part in the movie as well.

Rent (2005)

This one touches on controversial issues. There's a girl on drugs, homeless people, a transvestite and his gay lover and a lesbian couple in it. Makes for a weird and interesting movie though. Taye Diggs is in this one too. Okay, I think I like Taye Diggs. I strangely have a thing for african american bald guys with really cute smiles.

Grease (1978)

I know all the songs in this one. By heart. They were just too catchy to not sing a long to. And does anyone else remember bad boy Danny Zuko falling madly in love with Sandy? Who didn't want to be in her place? To be honest, I didn't like Olivia Newton John's princessy character in the movie, and I still don't really like her. But that doesn't stop it from being my second favourite movie ever. Only to be topped by...

Sound of Music (1965)

I grew up watching this movie over and over and over again. I used to have it on tape. Yes, those huge black rectangular-ish things that are impossible to find nowadays. And then I had it on vcd. And then on dvd. And now I have it in my laptop. I will never get bored of watching it. Probably ever. And yes, I can sing along to their songs too. Will probably have a tiny Sound of Music chip (depending on technology) in the future to play it for my children. Who would probably call me ancient and all that nonsense. But who cares. I think this movie's timeless! So what if I'm a little lame.

Anyone else notice that my top 4 favourite movies ever, are all musicals? Come to think of it, all my favourite movies from then, and now, are music related. No wonder I'm such a huge fan of Glee.

I'm also thinking that Burlesque is gonna make it to the top 5, once I watch it.

Seis : Pretty Colours

2011-02-04T15:00:00.003+08:00

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy.

I've always been a fan of bright colours. Just looks so pretty.

This picture makes me feel all colourful inside.

I also love baking. That was, when I had an oven to use anyways. I've made pink themed cupcakes and cookies. And there was once we made blue and green cookies as well. Which were completely edible, but looked like play dough. We never finished eating em.

I guess in some ways I wanna be that typical housewife you see in classic tv shows. Having a hot batch of cookies on the dining table every Sunday morning. Packing school lunches for the kids. Cooking dinner every night. And no, I don't really know why myself. So no point asking. Hehe.

But come on, is there anything prettier than a rainbow coloured cake?

p/s : Pictures courtesy of www.omnomicon.com. I've linked it to the recipe page for those of you who would like to experiment around a little and feel really colourful too. Enjoy!

Cinco : David Knight

2011-02-03T18:00:00.007+08:00

Day 5: A song to match your mood.

One might assume that since it is Chinese New Year here, I'm going to be putting up a Chinese New Year related song. But errrr, with the exception of one or two typical songs I hear being played over astro as my grandmother watches her shows, I don't actually listen to chinese songs. Mainly because I would not understand what is being said.

So here's a non CNY related one that I've been listening to, that seems to make me feel so at peace. It's beautiful. I feel connected to it in some weird way. It's so weird that I can't even begin to describe the feeling.

David Knight. A singer-songwriter, composer and music producer from San Jose, California who is currently traveling and making music in Asia. Was introduced to his music by a good friend and I am now in love with it.

Here's a site where you can listen to more of his songs. Mandala - David Knight. Completely worth your time.

Gong Xi Fa Cai !

2011-02-02T23:59:00.002+08:00

Officially,

Happy Chinese New Year to all my Chinese and non-Chinese readers out there. The celebration should be enjoyed by all!

Here's to another happy and prosperous year. And may your wallets/purses and tummies grow so much bigger over the next few days.

I see fireworks outside now. Do you? :)

Cuatro : Mis Padres

2011-02-02T15:00:00.000+08:00

Day 4: Your parents.

These are my parents.

They met in Batu Gajah in the 80s. I can't be sure what year. Got married in 1987. And had me in 1988. My mum was 25 at that time. My dad 31. I was born in Taiping, and stayed there for I think the first year of my life before we moved to Gurney Drive. In 1991, they had my brother, and that was my family.

I don't have that many memories from before the age of 15. Really. I think it's because nothing really big happened back then. I remember every Sunday, we would be up early, my dad would have his breakfast and then start doing his crossword puzzle. Me and my brother would wait for him to fall asleep in the middle of completing his crossword puzzle, and then we'd put on the tv to watch cartoons.

I remember my mum taking us swimming in the evenings, and buying us burgers after that for dinner. We didn't eat out a lot back then, so burgers after swimming were fun. And every Sunday she would take us out and buy us an ice cream each as a treat. Such simple days. Where having ice-cream was the highlight of my day.

In mid 2006 when I was 17, my parents decided to get a divorce. My mum moved out and I stayed at home with my dad and brother. A couple of months after that, my dad moved to Thailand for a while to work there, so that left me and my brother taking care of each other. After that my dad moved back, and I went to stay with my mum. In mid 2007, my mum moved to Perth and got remarried. My dad got a girlfriend and in 2009 he moved away too. I remained in Butterworth (the times when I was not in KL).

Today, this is what my family looks like. Together but apart. I love both my mum and my dad. I have always loved them, no matter what. And I take it that they love us too. I see my dad once every couple of months. More often if we're both free. And my mum comes back for a couple of weeks a year. I spend that time with her.

I don't think any child of a divorce would feel like they ever did anything in life to deserve being put through such an ordeal. I don't think it's ever the child's fault. But sometimes that's just how things are. Life can be unfair. It is up to us to decide how to deal with it.

Sometimes I wish my family was the way it used to be. So that I would have a home to come back to and be able to experience the things many of you take for granted. Sitting down for dinner together. Being able to have a parent to run to and share things with. Having them around to take care of me when I feel like I can't take care of myself. Sometimes I wish they had thought more about my brother and I, then about themselves.

But for the most part, I am happy for them. I am happy that they have their own lives, and they have found happiness for themselves again. They're allowed to live their lives however they want to. In return, they allow me to do what I want in my life as well. I'm growing up anyways. I've got to be okay with the idea of not having them around to run to.

It will probably take me getting married to get them to agree to being in the same room again. But no matter how hard it is sometimes, at least they're both healthy and happy, and still in some way a part of my life.

Tres : my First Love

2011-02-01T18:00:00.002+08:00

Day 3: Your first love.

I fell in love very early in life. At the time that it happened, I was too young to fully understand the situation and the severity of the love I felt. I did not know that it would take me on a long and wonderful journey. And sure it was stressful at times, but what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger right?

This love I speak about was probably love in it's purest form. An innocent mind discovering new wonders. And I can honestly say that I will never be able to feel that kind of love for anything or anyone else in my life.

I shall not mention names here. I cannot mention names here.

Because there isn't actually a name that needs to be mentioned. My first love was music. What did you think I was talking about?

Left picture's of me, aged 5, at my first solo piano/organ recital. Right picture is of me, aged 8, proudly standing in the middle because it was the day I got to play my first solo violin piece. It was Lenggang Kangkung (a Malaysian-ized version of an Indonesian song) I think.

I have loved music ever since the day my parents forced me to go for my first piano lesson when I was 2years and 11months old. I love playing music, listening to music, singing along to music and probably doing any other music related activity you could think of. Although my parent's would insist on telling you that they suffered a whole lot to get me to the place I am at now. I did after all put up such huge fights because I hated having to go for classes and sitting for my Theory Examinations back then. But come on. Who likes taking exams?

And I chose to share this story because I found music way before I discovered boys. And I don't really see a point in sharing my first-boyfriend-love story. It was ages ago, and I can't even be sure if my first love was real love in the first place.

But if you want to ask me anything about my first boyfriend, feel free to go ahead and ask :p

That Brown Toy Poodle

2011-02-01T14:23:00.011+08:00

Apparently there has been a FB page "Andrew and Michelle's Save The Poodle Mission".

You know, Sushi, the brown toy poodle.

And for a while the page or rather Andrew and team were asking for the public to donate, to raise funds to for them to hire a private investigator. Funds of between RM 20k-30k. There was some drama over whether the page was a hoax or not, but I will not bother touching on that.

What I want to say in this post is, why are people so willing to donate to Andrew and team so that they are able to hire a P.I? When the money would be put to better use if it were donated directly to an animal shelter or a charity organization.

Sure the case of the Brown Toy Poodle has been heartbreaking for many people. And it was definitely not a video I would ask anyone to watch. Or an act anyone should be doing. But Sushi the Brown Toy Poodle is not the only animal out there being abused. Are people not aware of the hundreds, probably thousands of homeless animals that are not getting treated properly as well? Animals getting put to sleep every day because they do not manage to get adopted soon enough and shelters do not have enough money to continue taking care of the growing amount of animals that get sent to them.

If everyone is so willing to donate for one little poodle, why not get up and go donate to charity organizations that are working on a daily basis to keep hundreds and thousands of animals alive? Or better yet, go adopt a pet yourself. How many of you that have pets of good breed, stop to worry about how they came to be? Adopt a pet because when you buy one, demands go up for puppies, and as long as there is a demand, there will be dog farms. Yes, dog farms, where animals are abused, mistreated and held captive for the sole purpose of breeding, so that people can be fussy about the breeds they buy.

So instead of just sitting in front of your computer screen, complaining about one poodle being abused, go out today and adopt an animal, regardless of breed or age or condition, give it a proper home, and save it from the pain of having to live without a family, food, love, and possibly even save it from abuse. I've had many mongrel (paria) pets through my life. And I would personally say, it was a lovely experience.

You people sit there talking about how Sushi's owners were cruel. Very true. But in all honesty, if you saw a sickly dog or cat in pain by the side of the road, would you go pick it up, and take it to a place where it could get some proper treatment then nurture it back to health on your own?

Kudos to those who would. I salute the people who have put in real effort. The world is a better place because of you. But to those who know deep down that they would not, you might as well stop complaining about it, because you know how that saying goes. You're either part of the solution, or you're part of the problem.

Get up today and go pay a visit to a local animal shelter. These are just a few of the many results I pulled off a Google search. If you try hard enough, I bet you could find one very near you.

Think about it. If 10 thousand of you who who were sitting online commenting on "Save Sushi" pages went out and adopted 10 thousand animals, 10 thousand animals would now have a home.

Malaysia Dog Club

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better

Dos : Behind the Name

2011-01-31T18:00:00.008+08:00

Day 2: Meaning behind your blog name.

Why Sexy Bitchy Fabulous? To be honest, it took me a while to figure out why I chose that name myself. But I sat down, and went through a few old posts, and taddaaaa! Here's a little history on my blog.

I used to be - The Girl : Inside Out

Started my blog back in April 2008, after one of the worst breakups I've gone through in my life. I felt like I had to put on a mask for almost everyone around me and needed a way to just let things out whenever I wanted to. Which explains the name. It was my way of saying, this is me. Not the me you see, but the me I am on the inside.

It was my third attempt at starting a blog. The first two, through the then-popular Friendster. Obviously, those two didn't have very long life spans. At the time I started this blog, Even I had no idea if it would last or not. Who would have known eh?

Then in 2009, I went through a few months of ups and downs with the boy that caused the heartache which got me to start the blog in the first place. (Read old posts if you're confused) Anyways, after such a rocky few months, I turned 21 and decided I needed what felt like a fresh start. So I moved...

HERE! :) My post on me shifting blog.

Many people seem to assume that SexyBitchyFabulous comes from my belief that I am All That. And that's why sometimes when people want to leave comments to bitch about me, they tell me I should have picked a different blog name, because I am neither sexy nor fabulous.

But the truth is, I felt really shitty after turning 21. And disappointed in everything that I had put myself through. I was not in a good place in my life. I picked the name not because I felt I was special at that time. I chose the name to remind myself, that I could be. It was the little push I needed to give myself. That boost of confidence.

So you may read : SexyBitchyFabulous. But to me, it has been and always will be : You can do it Charissa. You are an amazing person. Don't let anything anyone else says or does to you, bring you down. You are strong. And you never have to feel like you can't conquer the world (if you want to) again.

Who knows? Someday when I feel like I have already conquered the world, or my world at least, I may move my blog again. But for now, I'm happy with the name. No matter what people choose to say about it :)

Uno : Fun Facts

2011-01-30T18:00:00.007+08:00

Day 1: Introduce, recent picture of yourself, 15 interesting facts.

I like taking pictures. More than I like my pictures being taken. But I still want pictures of myself.

I sleep at the oddest hours. Most of the time I'm heading to bed when everyone's waking up.

I do not really enjoy shopping. I love buying new things, and once in a while I feel like going on a spree, but more likely than not, I would be the person complaining about having to walk around a mall for hours. I prefer to grab and go.

I sometimes spend hours doing my hair/make up/picking something to wear. But just when you think I'm the girliest girl you could find, you turn around and see me again, this time in a baggy t-shirt with my hair up in a bun.

I'm a complete geek in some ways. I wear glasses. I know my html coding. I play lame online games. Yeah.

But I think I'm pretty damn cool too. Really, I can be fun at times! :p

I have 7 tattoos and 28 piercings. Used to be 30, but I got so fat that my belly piercing fell out.

I'm not actually SO fat. I'm just chubby. Hehehehe.

I feel like I sometimes leave my friends feeling neglected because I'm not around to hang out with them often enough. (If you're one of my friends that feels this way, I hope you KNOW that I LOVE YOU!)

I LIVE ONLINE. I know some people say I should get a life. Or that the internet is not everything. But if you move around like I do, and have people you love, all over the world, you should understand that the internet is the closest thing to being a part of their lives. Or letting them be a part of mine. So yes, I have no plans of getting off the internet.

I love strawberry flavoured things. (Ice cream, sweets, drinks) But I hate actual strawberries. When I have them with whipped cream, I always end up only finishing the whipped cream.

I am random. I believe it is because my mind is overflowing with thoughts and ideas and I can't really focus on just one thing at a time, so I may say the weirdest things at the weirdest times. Really.

I am very forgetful. I try to put everything I pick up back in the place it came from or else I'd never find it again. And even then, I still "misplace" all kinds of things, regularly.

I have really long nails. Nails that sound like they're attacking the keyboard when I type. It actually physically hurt to type for a while when I first decided to keep really long nails, but then I got used to it.

I ramble, a lot. That's also probably why my fingers got used to the pain it felt while typing. Coz sometimes I can write a two page long post without even realising it. And then I have to go re-read again and cut it down so that normal human beings might actually be able to finish reading it.

Whores Next Door

2011-01-29T20:44:00.020+08:00

**Ugh. Edit. Because some people may think this is coming out of jealousy. And then may want to start a bitchfight on it. And really, I don't wanna bother.

I want to state here FIRST, before you read on. I am not conservative nor am I a saint. And I do have a desire to be known someday. I just do not wish to put the two together and get famous for such degrading reasons. Thank you very much :)

Also, chill a little, won'tcha? Why take my post so seriously? It's only MY opinion on things. Below is the original post I put up. Now go ahead and read! :D**

FHM Malaysia's Girl Next Door contestants. Or more appropriately, Whores Next Door.

Popularity has it's perks. Not having to put in as much effort into things you do once you're famous just because we live in a world in which people are fascinated by celebrities. And I shall not deny the fact that even I would love to achieve stardom someday. I've never wanted to be a nobody.

But I would never want my claim to fame to come from nationally whoring myself out.

3 out of the 12 Whore Next Door contestants. Photos taken for FHM Malaysia spread.

And these girls are happy about their pictures being posted up on FHM's wall, where horny man, probably in the middle of wanking, leave comments like "Girl Next Door that I'd really love to skodeng", "My lil bro went uppp high" and "I dream of (insert name)..and she's not wearing a dress". And then these girls thank the people for their wonderful comments -_____-" Have they no respect for themselves?

Right picture, enhanced, photoshopped and airbrushed to perfection. If you can't tell, stare at her right boob (does it not look weird to you?) That's not the way it looks in real life. If you don't believe me, go look for more of her photos. I do not want my post to be about tits. Not this one anyways.

Left picture's more natural, but ugly as fuck for a model-wannabe. And strangely, that's your winner.

Now, there's been some debate on why the heck she won in the first place. But really, none of it makes a difference. Some say she's ugly and shouldn't win (admitting flat out that the contest is about just looking good), and then other people retort by saying that it's about who the person is, not how they look.

Also bloody rubbish! Because if FHM GND's contest wasn't about looks and the fantasies these girls give you, they wouldn't get asked things like "which vegetable satisfies you the most". Yes, an actual question posed to the GND girls of 2009 by Red FM's DJ Han. If it was really about personality, we would see ordinary not so good looking girls, not rubbing their boobs in your face in the FHM spread. Oh wait. The first part's already happened.

What does standing in bikinis have to do with excellent personality? And as for the role-model side of the girls that join this contest. FHM Malaysia GND contest is sponsored by Carlsberg. Coz life's pointless if you haven't got a beer in your hand, right?

My point of this post is not to criticize the girls for looking bad. That was just for fun. Looks have never stopped me from loving my friends or making new ones. My point here is that I don't see why the hell girls are subjecting themselves to that kind of treatment? Go join Miss Malaysia where at least you're treated with some respect.

Getting asked what kind of vegetable makes for the best dildo! wtfuck people?!

p/s : My apologies to probably that ONE contestant who has never slept with anyone to get to where she is now and didn't know what was headed her way when she joined :)

whaaaattttt???

2011-01-29T02:03:00.004+08:00

After almost 10 hours of sitting in front of my laptop, minus the breaks I had to pee, I have finally finished renovation on my blog !!! Yay !!! Those of you who have been here before would know it used to look like this.

I know, I know. Such a pretty sight. But what to do? I did all that work on the super old Blogger template thing. And it was getting more and more troublesome to add widgets and functions. So yes, had to upgrade. So long, old blog.

As you can see, the new layout has a different header and background. I think that's what took up most of my time. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to certain things. Curse that fact! Added in pages, so the main page doesn't look as cluttered as it used to. Does it? And social networking buttons. Which you all could and SHOULD click on =D

Link Within widget. Which is still being a little wonky. Keeps showing the same posts. I'm not sure why, but I'm in the process of figuring that one out. And COMMENTS! Can I get a hell yeah?! Now everyone can stop telling me that I should have a comments box so it's easier for them. Hehe.

Also fixed is my side feed, for Google followers. But you have to un-follow first, the re-follow again. Thank you!

Will put up a proper update tomorrow. I shall go have breakfast now! Lol.

So, what you waiting for? Start commenting! :)

Guidelines for Celebrating Festivals

2011-01-26T13:50:00.007+08:00

I came across what I find an interesting read. Link was on a friend's wall. Now since this is a personal blog, and not one that has limits and whatnot. I don't think it's too controversial for me to blog about religion and stuff. And with Chinese New Year happening next week, I thought I'd share.

Guidelines For Muslims Celebrating Religious Festivals Of Non-Muslims.

"The 68th muzakarah of the National Fatwa Committee for Islamic Religious Affairs on April 12, 2005 discussed the Guidelines For Muslims Celebrating Religious Festivals Of Non-Muslims. The muzakarah has decided that:

In determining the non-Muslim celebrations that can be attended by Muslims, several main criteria should serve as guidelines so as not to contradict the teachings of Islam. The criteria are as follows:

The event is not accompanied by ceremonies that are against the Islamic faith (aqidah).

The meaning of “against the Islamic faith (aqidah)” is a thing, act, word or situation which if conducted will lead to tarnishing the faith (aqidah) of Muslims.

For example:

to include religious symbols such as the cross, installing lights, candles, Christmas tree and so forth;
to sing religious songs;
to put any religious markings on the forehead, or other markings onto parts of the body;
to deliver speech or gestures in the form of a praise to the non-Muslim religion;
to bow or conduct acts of honour to the religious ceremony of non-Muslims.

The event is not accompanied by acts against the Islamic law.

The meaning of “against the Islamic law” is a thing, act, word or situation which if conducted will contradict the Islamic teachings practised by the Muslim community.

For example:

Wearing red costumes like Santa Claus or other garments that reflect religion;
Serving intoxicating food or beverages and the likes;
Having sounds or ornaments like church bells, Christmas tree, temple or breaking of coconuts;
Having ceremonies with elements of gaming, worship, cult, superstitions and the likes.

The event is not accompanied by “acts that contradict with moral and cultural development of Muslim society” in this country.

The meaning of “acts that contradict with moral and cultural development of Muslim society”is a thing, act, word or situation which if conducted will contradict the values and norms of the Muslim society of this country which adheres to the Islamic teachings based on Ahlus Sunnah Wal-Jamaah.

For example:

Mixing freely without any limit or manners;
Wearing conspicuous clothing;
Singing songs that contain lyrics of obscenity and worship;
Organising programmes such as beauty pageants, cock fighting and such.

The event is not accompanied by acts that can “stir the sensitivity of Muslim community”.

The meaning of “stir the sensitivity of Muslim community” is a thing, act, word or situation which if conducted will offend the feelings of Muslims about their beliefs and practices.

For Example:

Speeches or songs in the form of non-Muslim religious propaganda;
Speeches that insult the Muslims;
Speeches that insult Islam;
Presentations with the aim to ridicule the religious belief of Muslims.

The organisers and the public are asked to get the views of religious authorities before organising or attending celebrations of non-Muslims."

I have not edited one word of it. Original piece can be viewed on by clicking on THIS link.

I don't want to go into SO much detail of what I feel about the article, but am I the only one that thought OMGosh. Isn't that as good as saying "You're not allowed to celebrate any Non-Muslim festivals?"

What happened to the concept of OneMalaysia? Living in this country, isn't everyone forced to hear the Azan every morning when they play it SO loud from the mosques? I don't know how lucky you are, but I live near enough to one and it's like an annoying 6am alarm. But non-muslims don't get a say in it. We don't get to complain that it upsets our Gods that we're listening to prayers of some other religion. Is it me, or is this OneMalaysia concept really not working? How can the government expect the people to play along with it, when they aren't starting by setting a good example.

I long to live in a world where people do more than just preach equality. But then again, I think that's hoping for a little too much.

the "Running Man"

2011-01-25T16:16:00.006+08:00

So here I am, back from what seemed like a long weekend holiday. Will post up other pictures later on, but first. KLpac's Open Day.

Didn't manage to get there bright and early at 10am. None of us got up on time. We need to start learning to set our alarms. Lol. But we still managed to see quite a lot of performances.

KLpac's Got Talent. We went in just on time to see the Drumline performance. My boyfriend looked at me the second they came out, pinched me and went "What colour? What colour? What colour?" For those of you who don't know, it's sort of a thing you do when you see a Punjabi guy walk by. And to answer, you say the colour of the turban they're wearing. In this case, it was White. It's not racist. It's just erm, culture! Yeah.

Hip Hop dance class by Caprice Fong. Violin recital at the foyer and Standup Comedy in the lobby. Quite an interesting artsy-fartsy day. Good crowd turnout as well. I guess it's cause everyone had something to go do/watch.

Best part of the day, without a doubt. Drumclix, Afro Sahara & Drum Simfoni out on the boardwalk/deck.

Dude in the green top was entertaining as hell. Didn't know he wasn't part of the performance at first. I'd have never figured someone like that was just another spectator. If you were there, you'd understand why.

Here is a video of their KLpac performance I found on Youtube. Was trying to google to find out more about those groups. I'm so tempted to head out and buy myself a bongo or something and join a group. How fun would that be? Just sitting around playing beats. Why not, right? Anyone wanna join me?

*update*

OMGosh. I totally found the dude in the green top that I mentioned on Facebook!!

KLpac open day

2011-01-22T06:32:00.003+08:00

Been staring at the screen blankly for a few minutes now. Sometimes even the most awesome people get writer's block, no? But I refuse to leave my blog abandoned for longer than 3 days now, and I won't be updating tomorrow because I'm heading to KL in a couple of hours specifically to go for the KLpac open day on Sunday with a few friends.

Didn't find out til thursday. I wouldn't normally make a last minute trip to KL, but those of you who know me, know how much I love performing arts. Dance, theatre, music and all that nonsense. LOL. If you haven't, here's the most recent post of my drama related memories.

Haven't done anything I'd consider much of a performing arts related accomplishment in the past 2 years because there isn't much I can do while I'm in Penang. And everytime an opportunity for an audition comes up in KLpac, I'm always not ready to commit to a few months of being permanently in KL. Sometimes I choose not to go for an audition because if I do get it, one of two things would happen. I'll hate myself for deciding to stay in Penang and not be a part of something so special. Or I hate myself for just moving to KL for it, without thinking about it carefully first. So tell me, what would you do?

And okay, I lie. I actually make last minute trips down to KL all the time for no reason at all.

Anyways, here's the schedule for KLpac's open day. Seems like a lot to take in. But when you're like me, you kinda know exactly what you'd like to go for. Highlighted the workshops/performances I'll be planning on heading to. Click to enlarge.

If anyone else is heading there too, and decides to go for the same things as I am, holla when you see me aite! :p

Will be sleeping on my journey there. Coz I haven't slept all night, as usual, and I'm leaving the house in 4 hours. I don't know how I do it either sometimes.

For more information on the location/date/time/activities, click on their FB event page here. Will put up photos from the day once I get back.