My World in a Nut-shell

Day 7 to Day 19

2008-08-12T10:10:00.003+02:00

So, i have not been good with updating the Blog and on one VERY good but common excuse- been busy if not, tired! Anyway, enjoy the video below- its a quick compilation of photos from the past 12 days that i have not blogged.

Highlights of the past 12 days include:

Serving the President of the Swiss Confederation
Having an awesome night serving drinks for August 1st (Swiss Confederation day)
Went Clubbing in "Kai",was AWESOME..lots of "things" happened with a select few ;)
Whilst the department shuffle amongst the team, I am now still in the Public Restaurant
Visited the Summer Palace, the Olympic Green and went shopping in the silk market
"excuse-ah-me-ah, you want buy Pradah?", "No, thanks- I dont use Prada", "ha-ha-ha, the PradaHHH ish not fo you-ah, ha-ha-ha but-ah, buy for you girlfrens is good-ah"..
Watched Hungary vs Netherlands Women's Volleyball- was rather boring but the dancing mascots were cute!
We were evacuated Sunday night at 11pm due to heavy rainfall- we went partying and had to walk in a river to get to our cab
Ute and I watched Friends..that was funny

Day 5 and 6

2008-07-29T18:52:00.005+02:00

Day 5

Kitchen was not as bad as I thought since I had Sumi, Ute and Steffi’s company most of the time with minimal contact with the head chefs. So, in chronological order, here is what I did: Pick 3 medium gastro’s full of herbs, carried some 50+ litres of juices up the stairs to the dry room (including few kilos of tomato paste and some other boxes of things), made some salmon cylinders, sliced scallops, picked more herbs and peas, made dumplings, made more dumplings, and left around 7.30pm. Got home, had ice cream with Steffi (we had 2 magnums each!) over the family guy movie. The guys came home and we had a long session of gossip right till midnight. What did I learn today? Well, I learnt that trainees are extremely useful when it comes to boring tough work in kitchens, I can very well tell the difference between parsley and coriander, salmon dries up into an orange-pink version of the thing(s) that comes out of your nose on a dry day, language and use of tones (and I mean in English!) is vital as you may portray a very bad image of yourself, chefs do have feelings behind all that “show” and that some people just cant keep things to themselves- worse, they twist what they hear. The biggest lesson I re-learnt today is that criticism is good and that it helps a great deal to improve. It’s a pity that some people don’t read my blog- they could use the “black and white” criticism since words in English doesn’t seem to go across clearly. Today is the triumph fashion show event rehearsals, and the guys are excited as some big names are expected to attend. I for one can’t be bothered since the fashion industry (to me at least) is as boring as football (as many of you know how I feel about the sport of kicking inflated rubber between two poles)- okay, fashion is not as bad as football since I do occasionally watch America’s Next Top Model. Anyhow, today’s Trivia Roll:

Salmon is very sticky
Dumplings never seem to be the right size no matter how much you try
“She is DEFINITELY coming according to so-and-so”
I got my B-permit back today
Those who look like turtles might actually work as fast as one
Those who look like dodos might actually be one
Poor Fluffy(s), we have 5 of them in the freezer now according to Paul- big dinner coming up
There are many ways to keep someone out of an apartment (despite not doing anything, the person never came back in the morning!) whoops
I have 4 open wounds on my hand, bought some plasters and it looks REAL gay!

The Injuries- at least they make me more of a MAN!

Making dumplings- You dont see the tears i cry..behind those hazel eyes.. Picture by Mr Konrad

Day 6

The Triumph day! So, we started preparing glasses, polishing, Mis-en-place-ing AND had lunch whilst watching the models (and the flooring) rehearse. At noon, we were briefed of our duties again and we manned our positions. As I believe in Murphy’s law, I need to point out that what can go wrong, WILL go wrong. Originally, we were supposed to only serve everywhere BUT the stage area and to keep out of the bar. The contrary occurred. Serving the stage are was difficult as there was little space, huge crowds and demanding guests. Filippa then came and pulled me aside and told me to do the most unexpected thing (brag brag!), SERVE the Jury’s of the competition. The jury included (source:OTS) : “The Dutch design duo Viktor & Rolf (Viktor Horsting & Rolf Snoeren), Danish Top model Helena Christensen, German Fashion photographer icon Ellen von Unwerth and colettes´chief purchaser and creative director Sarah from colette will join Triumph's Jan Rosenberg in deciding who has presented the most inspired and inspiring lingerie design”.
Now, how awesome is that!? The sad thing is, they are the TOTAL opposite of the stereotype people have about VIPs. They were nice, polite, low maintenance and generally looked satisfied. Then again, they were also busy watching the show. After the whole show (which ended close to 5pm), we cleared up and had dinner before clearing up even more. Those who stayed on later to clear up everything else were rewarded TsingTao beers and since I don’t generally drink alcohol, I was given a bottle of Rivella by Sonja! (big thanks!). Oh, and Heidi Klum (contrary to rumours or “fact” according to some) was no where to be found BUT the singer looked awfully familiar and was real nice as well. The winning lingerie was by a design student from Japan whose lingerie features LIPS over the ladies “down there” and a bra that looked like a pair of glittery eyes over the “up there”. She won the 15,000 Euros and stood a chance for her piece to go commercial. Anyhow, an eventful day, had lots of fun and I suppose I did a great job and grew closer to many colleagues. Oh, and as we cleared up the back stage, an army of Chinese workers got into the HoS and started tearing down everything Triumph. The speed is fast and the noise too much, the air smelt of an orchestra of odours with dust and the amount of crap that went out was just so much. Tomorrow, the fun begins. Swiss national day and oh boy will it be packed! 50 guests at noon and 450 at night. Fingers crossed once again!

Today’s trivia roll:

Heidi Klum was missing
The flooring was a great view
Malaysia lost L the competition, but it was obvious the lingerie was very “malay” as it had lots of light colours and glitter.
Singapore’s lingerie looked as though it was inspired by the national service- it was slightly army themed
Fabian is ungrateful for all my “presents”, all he gave back to me was an empty beer box!
To you people who do not work in the hospitality industry, USE YOUR BRAINS! Do not give us your dirty glasses/ rubbish/ lychee peelings/ tissues on a CLEAN tray of drinks.
The only thing you SHOULD put there are tips or business cards!
RIVELLA ROX!
Filippa wore DKNY’s Be Delicious. My favourite!
I will miss the flooring.
The HoS had a guest celebrity chef in the kitchen today! Mr Konrad!
On the way home at night, Steffi was carrying a bin bag full of linen, she reminded me of a garbage collector- mwhahaha

Rivella!

Garbage woman on the left

2-3 days to build..15 hours to clear

Guest chef- Chef Konrad and Hakon

Day 4 in Beijing, the work begins

2008-07-29T18:52:00.004+02:00

Day 4

Up at 8am, at work at 10am, started moving water tanks at 10.30am. We didn’t to much today, just the odd polishing for about 4 hours of which, at the end of the 4 hours, we found out that we had to delay everything till later at night since the glasses were never washed before. So we were sent home and came back to work after dinner, polishing for around 3 hours. Quite uneventful today but had lots of fun whilst polishing with the team- until I was chosen to work in the kitchen tomorrow. My argument here is that the kitchen is a depressing place since everyone has to be an efficient perfectionist and almost never satisfied. Kitchens are renowned to be high pressured, fast paced, stressful, loud and incredibly unfriendly. However, Sebastian suggests that I could learn something from there and I suppose he is right, then again, I ponder if the lessons learnt there outweighs the necessary stress of working in the kitchen. I guess time will tell. Right now, I am trying to take it head on with a positive attitude in hopes that what can go wrong, would NOT go wrong. I just hope I end up working with happy and polite people. So till tomorrow’s blog, fingers crossed!

Today’s Trivia Roll:

We banged it, stuck our hands in, dried the moist, and put the long things back into the holes. Sounds gross, but we are referring to polishing glasses and drying the racks.
Planning. It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to save time and effort
The FLOORING (reference to some person) had nice shoes and was really good looking according to some
Steffi has a new guy in her life- Helmut the fish, and I am sorry about the “whip”
I think Steffi wants Love Beads!
I accidentally danced to Sebastian’s crappy music, which Ching was singing to
Ivan has his banana on the outside- awesome pants!
The Japanese speaks Malay!
Ute and I are great and marching and sometimes, we have itchy noses
Thanks to the collective sweat of many persons, Steffi, Ute and I inhaled dangerous odours and gasses that made us high (by accident! We swear)
The air today is REALLY clear! I think that’s why I have better internet strength.
Supposedly because it rained last night
No one can seem to agree if it was a thunderstorm or rockets exploding in the skies last night (to make it rain)
Chinese speaking Europeans is an experience on its own!

After several hundred glasses, and still going strong

Day 3, and left overs of Day 2

2008-07-28T17:03:00.000+02:00

Day 3

Highlight for today- Stool sample! Getting the cup filled up wasn’t fun nor a sight, but it had to be done. Anyhow, Verena, Ute, Steffi and I took a cab to the “Beijing Centre for Disease Prevention and Control” Headquarters, which was actually a block or two from where everyone else was doing the health examinations. So, after a good 20-30 minute wait for everyone else to arrive, we approached the guard house to ask for directions and a nice dude walked us to the examination hall where we had our (on sequence): 1. Photo taken, 2. X-ray, 3. Stool Check (they stuck sticks up for some of us), 4. Heart, Lung and “feeling around” check, and lastly 5. Blood testing. After all that, we went to the HoS for the general briefing (after collecting our uniforms!). Filippa briefed us on upcoming events, the general rules and she set the boundaries for the new work culture. We had a short tour and followed by lunch. Around 13pm, we had our briefings in our respective departments. Sebastian, Ute and I are all in the Public Restaurant (THE restaurant) where it seems we would be running the busiest and most complex part of the gastronomic department. However, the team seems to be a great mix and we seem to get along already! Later, the three of us were called to help out in the kitchen, where I remembered why I never want to be in the kitchen- the work culture doesn’t suit me. After a full late noon making chocolate sweets, mis-en-place, and cleaning up other people’s mess, I sneaked out with Sebastian to get some Pizza hut for dinner over some Hotel Babylon. And half way through dinner, Steff came to our apartment to steal my Pizza Hut box to use as a plate, our aloe vera plant AND to announce that she has bought her apartment a new pet- a FISH! Awesomeness! I bet it’s a Siamese Fighting fish from the supermarket near by! Anyhow, off to bed- long day tomorrow. Expecting to work from 10am till late.

Trivia Roll:

The haze is still bad
You have to request for the doctor to change to new gloves
Can the locals STOP assuming I am Chinese?
Our Converse shoes have no “Switzerland” on it, but at least they’re original
Our Shirts are tailor made in Hong Kong
Staff food in the HoS is great
Apparently I get charged for receiving calls
Sebastian is now addicted to Hotel Babylon (Manuel soon)
Hakon knows what KK is!
I found 2 other Malaysians in the HoS!
Pizza Hut is DAMN expensive
Luka and Mike seem like a lot of fun!
Love the service concept and service outline
Filling up the pill box was NOT fun nor was it easy
Apparently it will rain next week (Chinese government will make it rain)
Sebastian and I met Kitty and her friend Elena last night in Yoshinoya
Kitty promised to get us into the Pangu Plaza
Steffi thinks the moon has a face
WE SAW A CLOUD! (yesterday at the Forbidden City)
Kitty is Chinese now, and I am suppose to pass her “present” to Magnus (don’t ask)

Till then for now, IC

The Center for...

Collecting our Uniforms

Our REAL Converse All Star Shoes

The Girls Doing a little more than trying

The Briefing

Day 2 Photos (delayed)

Can't escape marketing! the Forbidden City is made possible by AMEX?

4 Star Toilet

This picture some how scares me. What is she doing with the gun?

Day 1 and 2 in Beijing

2008-07-27T17:25:00.003+02:00

Day 1

Arrived in Terminal 2 of the Beijing Capital Airport- and already, not impressed. Due to the ground staff inefficiency, we could only disembark after a 15min wait, luggage took almost an hour after disembarking to reach the belts! Taxi driver tried cheating me of 10yuan by giving less change and not giving me the receipts and toll coupon.

On a more reportage note, supermarket goods cost about the same as in Malaysia.
Today was easy, where i caught up with sleep (some kid kept staring at me on the plane- very disturbing). After Sebastian arrived, we went to check out the HoS in the 798 Beijing Art Zone (awesome place).

At night, the Cesar Ritz team along with some from IMI and Gamma had dinner in a (duh) Chinese restaurant. Service was relatively good and prices are quite high comparing with Malaysian prices :S

Everyone except myself were in bed before midnight as i stayed up to blog day 1. Tomorrow we have a day off, and the plan is to shop and visit the city's downtown attractions :)

My Bedroom

The Public Area (still working on it)

They're building the catwalk for the Triumph Swimwear Fashion Show

The Bar/ Lounge

The Exterior of the HoS (also still working on it)

As part of this Blog, since i am too lazy to type things in chronological order, i'm going to have a random roll of things that occured which i will call the "trivia roll". so here is goes:

I already bought ~7litres of liquids including 4.5l of water for drinking and brushing my teeth

Sebastian has got class- he bought 6litres of Evian water (I got the cheapest Chinese Mineral Spring water)

Dinner last nite at a 5 star-ish restaurant cost me RM60

The Shower drainage is poor

The washing machine is awesome! it dries too and takes forever to figure out

Sebastian is Jet-lagged

Julian bought his new dish washing pants- its Ralph Lauren from some street market

Everyone seems excited about filling up a little capsule (filling it up with our self-made chocolate for health check)

For some reason, we are really looking forward to the Triumph Swim Wear fashion show

Its Humid, Hazy and warm

The Kitchen is our apartment's smoking lounge

My Room is so far, the only room with internet

The nearest supermarket is 2 minutes walk from the apartment and they sell Durians! (fresh seafood and well, its alot of noise)

We live on the 21st Floor in the Chaoyang District

Dad, it's 220volts

There is a KFC, Mc Donalds and a Pizza hut 4 minutes away

Keith, my ulcer is healing :)

Better start eating lots of healthy stuff if i want to make "smooth Chocolate" for the health check!

ps. My Chinese number is +86 13141314853 I can receive SMS but i cant send. So, do send me messages and i will reply via email or something. Take care all! Ps/ps. Be sure to check Mr Konrad’s Blog! There are photos and the usual fun Mr K authorship! :D

Day 2
Due to the uncertainty of food cleanliness, my breakfast today consists of a Snickers bar and a cup of chilled processed kiwi juice. So, at 10am I met the girls (Ute, Verena and Steffi) to take them to the place I got my mobile number from, where, they decided not to buy anyway. We met up with C bass and went to Touch café, and they charged us non-drinkers 12yuan (~RM6) for just being there and drinking their lemonaded water. We took two cabs to Tian’anmen Square after that (39 yuan) and it was AWESOME! Seeing Mao’s Mausoleum first hand and the Forbidden city was amazing, though the halls were becoming repetitively boring. The end finished off when we found an air conditioned bathroom which had a LOUNGE outside! We took a long walk and found the shopping street, where only Cbass bought a t-shirt. It was 17pm and we decided to head for the temple of heaven, of which, at 17.15pm, we found out they close at 1730pm. So we headed home. Tonight, the plan is to have an early night, and pizza hut. Yes, we are still a bit cautious about local street food, seeing that we cant even brush our teeth with tap water.

Today’s Trivia Roll:

Verena, Ute, Steffi and Sebastian are tourist attractions to the locals (no one is interested in the Malaysian..sob..)

We bought a toilet mat for 139yuan

Entrance fee to the Forbidden City is 60yuan, WORTH IT!

Taxi’s only carry 4 passengers and are relatively cheap

I love our washing machine, it dries too!

Some new guy checked into our apartment today. He is Chinese, does not speak English, but speaks German

Tourist maps are not to scale!

Beijing air is dirty, smogy and I am already sick of it- I hope it rains soon

I still love my flatmates

Met Kitty and her friend Elena today- they visited our apartment (Kitty is practically a Beijing-er now)

Did I mention I love the washing machine? Oh, and our smelly fridge records vice messages too!

Anyhow, that’s all for now!

Ps. Temporarily, I am unable to upload photos on the blog, so visit my FACEBOOK ALBUM to view day 1 photos. Enjoy!

Homeward Bound Adventures & COUNTDOWN TO BEIJING

2008-07-21T10:29:00.007+02:00

Hey folks! So quick update- after the last term in Brig, i headed to the UK (Bristol and Exeter) to meet up with a good friend, Griffin...Had a great time just chillin in Britain..i then flew to Berlin where m Chef de Service and SMDU president hosted and showed me around (Thanks C-Bass and Nadin)..My last night in Berlin was an unforgettable one. Partying in a VERY chic club (Cookies? and the sausage man- remember that C-bass?ahaha). the night started around 23pm and lasted till about 0330am when we grabbed kebabs before headin to the airport for my flight to Milan at 0600am..In Milan i met up with Mia (Thank goodness Veronica introduced me to her- i had a great guide and window shopping companion) for a couple of hours before catching my flight to Dubai (transitting in Sri Lanka too) onward to Singapore. As always, its always great to be with my relatives in Singapore, and this time, with Danielle ad Andreas Bergfeld (who promised to visit me in Sabah in Sept!).

Then back to KK..well, for 18 nights straight, Mich and I with several special appearances by Steph, Raph, Kat, Shirley, Keat/Keith and the occasional tourist, went partying! and on the 19th day i rested with a movie and was back to going out! haha.. The usual hunting/haunting spots: BLUE NOTE! BED, the Shamrock, BB cafe, Starbucks Waterfront, Rumba and @mosphere (for my B'day eve! -again..) and a one time trip to Nexus Karambunai's Sunset bar..

Anyhow, things are going great..for those of you who especially know me well, the breaking of news went really well!

I leave for Beijing this Friday and yes, am getting really excited! Do come back and check out my blog as i post updates on the adventures that happen in the House of Switzerland. Alternatively, check out the following links:

House of Switzerland Official Website

HoS Cesar Ritz Blog

HoS Cesar Ritz Photo Page

and to my fellow HoS mates, I am SOOOO looking forward to starting in Beijing (and yes, with the girl i married 6 or 7 times- Inside joke!)

So, be sure to check for updates! Ciao!

Andreas and I at Clark Quay

Mia and I at Duomo Metro

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

Nadin looking lost as always :P

Cbass and the famous Berliner Kindl- they made me more of a lobster

the Duomo

Heel Spinning on the Bulls Balls is supposed to be good luck

Will miss u :(
Griffin

Exeter Station- UK stations are not as nice as the Swiss ones :P

My Berlin Tour Guides and hosts...Not forgettig Ampalman

The tower-that-is-not-as-tall-as-the-ones-in-Malaysia-but-it-strangely-looks-like-the-tower-in-Shanghai-but-again-whatever

Update and the Addictive NationStates

2008-05-10T19:05:00.002+02:00

Well, whats new? Exams are over- assignments begin...

Getting more excited about the House of Switzerland project in Beijing..

Got my tickets! Now trying to get the Visa sorted out- which i cant really do until the Swiss Embassy gives me the letter...

Huge to-do list to complete..

Looking forward to the UN field trip, dance performance in Brig, Eta Sigma Delta bowling night, more hikes and the school theatre show next week!

AND, thanks to Daniel, I am addicted to NationStates, a game where you run a country by mainly passing different kinds of laws. Click here for the link ---> Nation States

Look up my nation= Slapasstopia and endorse me!

the game is incredibly slow but the suspense builds the addiction..

otherwise, nothing else is new..cheers!

Test Survey

2008-04-30T08:44:00.008+02:00

The survey was a mere test on the data collection freeware and it's reliability.

Just out of curiousity; here are some of the results, click on the thumbnails to enlarge (some questions are left out because they are open ended and/or confidential):

Thank you to the 21 Participants who helped out!

Ringkuhkampf im Raron

2008-04-13T15:46:00.004+02:00

Saturday was an awesome day- lovely weather in the afternoon, though it got colder later. Perfect day for COW FIGHTING! Here are some pictures and videos from the Cow Fight that Jasmine (and two of her friends + her dad), Magnus, Ilias and I went to. More pictures when i get them! Basically, the Cows are all thrown into the arena and they are provoked to fight one another. They go through an elimination until the "last cow is standing". The locals are soooo into it but apparently do not gamble. Instead, the value of the winning cows (which are crowned queens- they represent the region apparently) go up and are either sold or kept as a hobby. Heidi (or Jasmine) was a great inside into the sport, of course, as a translator for her dad who got us a round of beer as well. The winning cow of the day- cow 35, or Ilias' winning cow at least.

AmsterDAMN and BRUSHels

2008-04-05T12:33:00.008+02:00

Over the one week Easter Break, Marina and I went to Amsterdam and Brussels.. The result: Im in love with a new city! AMSTERDAM rocks!

So, DAY ONE started when we arrived in Amsterdam (tired as hell, no thanks to the time change and my automatic DST setting alarm) early in the morning on Sunday (30 Mar 2008)..We went to our hostel's sister hostel to leave our stuff before going around tourin the city.. What did we visit?

The Anne Frank House Museum (VERY moving, i bought the book too! its so far a good read)
The Sex Museum- very interesting, a must visit!
The Bulldog CoffeeShop (where we met Scott and Woody as agreed- I DID NOT SMOKE)
The very amusing Red Light District
Noordwijk, where our Hostel is- 50 mins from Amsterdam
The Flying Pig Beach Hostel is fine, just a little shabby and is in need of a major facelift.. People were friendly but not as much as those in the other hostels- the wine tasted off as well

We bumped into Jaime as well!

DAY TWO started early as well.. We got up, had breakfast and toured the small town, of course i HAD to see the beach and taste the salt water..its so refreshing since Switzerland is just mountains with no sea.. We then decided to take local transport (bus and train) to Liedsplain and then to Amsterdam where we checked in the Flyig Pig Uptown (A MUST STAY!). I also had my FIRST KFC in Europe! (tastes better in Malaysia)... We also met two US exchange students from Cyprus..Monique and Veronica- awesome fun! Oh, and some guy named Bruno from Portugal.. the Four of us went to the Red light district AGAIN (this time at night) and it was an experience i wont forget. SO MANY UGLIES! the hot ones werent that hot either, just really really "showy"...a must visit too are the MANY sex shops- theyre amazingly stocked with all things you can possibly relate to sex.. Veronica, Monique (who left early) and I went clubbing andi was great fun- the locals cant party so we took the centre stage! Oh, forgot to mention, we snacked at an indonesian restaurant called "aneka rasa", very poor service- no smiles, crude language and the food did not even taste authentic. Not to mention, seriously overpriced! BUT i managed to grab a photo of their toilet (which is pretty much the same elsewhere), and its weird because the flush flows forward! check the pic- weird huh? It isnt my piss btw..!

DAY THREE started with the Canal Cruise which was really insightful..I didnt know sooo many bicycles (and cars) are actually in the canals! the rest of the day was spent walking around the streets, SHOPPING...the fashion is amazing and alot cheaper than in Switzerland! Jacket prices start at Euro 12, ties at Euro 7, Scarfs at Euro 4 and these are BRANDED! We also passed the flower market which have more seeds for sell than flowers! at Night, we went back early to start packing for our trip to Brussels. I had a FEBO burger today! Its an awesome concept, its something like a vending machine for warm fast food which they have everywhere. A good meal with a burger and milkshake costs Euro 4!

DAY FOUR started REALLY early as we had to catch a train to Belgium. The train ride was nice as we passed (and i could see quite alot from the train itself) Antwerp! In Brussels, we checked in the 2GO4 quality hostel- real nice and modern, clean but not as fun as the flying pigs. We mt Marina's best friend and toured various spots:

Grand Place

The Royal Palace

The Manneken Pis

Cinquantere (spelling)

A beautiful Baroque style church (dunno the name)

Had a Belgian Waffle with Chocolate and bananas

Had Moules et Frites (mussels and belgian fries)

Had a Jupiler Beer- VERY Belgian apparently

DAY FIVE or the last day was spent in Waterloo, the site of the battles of waterloo between Wellington and Napolean in 1815- the war that changed the face of europe. we visited the several monuments and a tip for all- if u do plan to visit it, its really worthwhile, you learn alot. You can get a pass for 10 Euros, and it gives you a entrances to The Wellington Museum (must visit), the Butte Lion (the lion monument- which apparently faces France to "scare off" any potential French invaders- was also built on the site here Prince William of Orange was injured in battle), the wax museum and the Panorama. After all that, it was back to the hostel to grab our stuff and off back to Switzerland :)

Travelling tips:

For Amsterdam

Go with someone- not alone. Its good if u intend to try smoke weed (which i can PROUDLY say i did not try)
Apparently, a new law will be passed in July banning weed..That was wrong, a Dutch friend told me they are banning CIGGIES, NOT weed..
Flying Pig Uptown seems much more fun than the downtown and beach- but its a good 30minute walk from the city centre
GOOD SEASONED SHOES! i was fortunate to have my handy travelling shoes for all the walking
Have a water bottle
FEBO is awesome- food is not bad but unhealthy (cheap tho, burgers are Euro 2)
Bicycles is probably fun but seems dangerous. When on foot, keep an eye out for passing Trams, Bicycles, Cars, Running Pedastrians, Drug Addicts, Beggars (though not as many as in Brussels), "free help" by broke addicts and pickpockets! Avoid the shopping streets too, especially if you enjoy retail therapy!
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION is not important, its nice to walk in Amsterdam!
Orientation: three landmarks are vital- the Dam Square, Amsterdam Centraal station and Damrak Street. Everything else falls into place!
Chinese Take aways are great- about Euro 5 for noodles or rice, and you pay extra Euro 0.50- 2.00 for other toppings and a free sauce of choice. I recommend Wok to Walk
Buy an umbrella there, you can get a nice umbrella souvenir for Euro 4, and its quite wet in Amsterdam!
Trams are only worth it if you have ALOT to carry
You pay by "per trip" on the city transport, about Euro 1.60- or get the Stripenkaart which is a strip the conductor stamps at entry
Asian food isnt really as authentic as claimed! Instead, eat the Pizzas, Take Aways, Febo food or just buy off the supermarket- cheap, tasty and fills you up!

For Brussels

DO NOT visit after visiting a great city like Amterdam. Primacy-Recency effect takes its toll on your Belgian Trip.
Beware of the many gypsies and beggars
TRY all things Belgian: Chocolate, mussels, Fries, Waffles, Beer, Glace Dame-Blanches
There are three stations for orientation, Gare du Midi, Gare Central et Gare du Nord. They check for tickets strictly- so HAVE A TICKET! Other orientating landmarks include the Grand Place and the junction before Boulevard Emille Jacqmain
Eat at the Tourist trap street. You can tell because there are lots of fancy restaurants with waiters trying to reel in tourists. Go late afternoon around 5pm to eat dinner, Prices change with the times, no obvious to the tourists
There isnt much to see, so dont spend too long in Brussels. I suggest planning/research and lots of it!

HAPPY TRAVELLING!

Dracula's Bride is Malaysian, so is His Child!

2008-03-14T15:23:00.004+01:00

First up, the feature ghost, the PONTIANAK.. (or Kuntianak in Indonesia)... The Pontianak is a female vampire, normally clad in white, with long black hair and white iris'. Some versions say that she has hooks on her back to hang from trees as well! The pontianak is often known to be a hitchhiking ghost, she either somehow becomes a back seat passenger in a car, or is a lady asking to be picked up from the side of the road. The Pontianak comes about when a lady dies of childbirth and refuses to pass on to the next world. And she sucks blood, like vampire does, and leaves no victim alive- thus no one lives to tell the tale of such an experience. It is said that in order to prevent a pontianak from being created, you could put glass beads or marbles into the corpses' mouth, put eggs under her armpits or long carpenter nails in her palms. It is also believed that if you stab a Pontianak with a long carpenter nail down her neck (towards her spine), she turns into a beautiful mortal lady- usually becoming a servant or spouse of the stabber (until the nail is pulled out again). Apparently, she is a long distant cousin of the Irish Banshees- since they all whail! Probably, she should hook up with Dracula?

Ghost Number 2 is the TOYOL. How is it made? The toyol is made when the corpse of the first baby of a pair of parents where both parents are both the eldest sibling in their own families. A bomoh (or witchdoctor) usually chants over the corpse and performs a ritual to summon the toyol. It is used to conduct mischief where the master can get it to steal from other people or cause small harm. The toyol is fed with its master's blood and has to be pleased with child-like things such as toys. When not in use, it is normally kept in a bottle which is opened when it needs to be used. The downside- once you get one, it has to be passed down or given to a bomoh (witchdoctor) to be disposed of, which is not an easy or convenient thing. Not sure why.. It is also apparently really stupid and is easily distracted by toys or small animals. Its also believed that it is visible like the pontianak- they dont usually just appear to certain people, they like an audience. I call the Toyol Dracula's baby..

The last and final Malaysian ghost I would share is the Jin, or Genie. The Jin is one of the more powerful ghosts whose purpose is similar to the toyol but could cause greater harm, of course it also demands more from it's master (ie, more blood, more gifts, more sacrifices- perhaps a bigger bottle too). They have no shape or form, and cannot be seen. The only visual evidence are sightings of hanging corpses bound in the traditional funeral wrap. The works of a Jin can be reduced by the help of a Bomoh.

This is actually by popular demand from a fan! So here are 3 Malaysian ghosts I know of among others:

Hantu Air (water ghost)- causes harm and drowns victims. Present in seas, lakes and ponds.
Hantu Jepun (Japanese Ghost)- ghosts of japanese world war 2 soldiers just lingering around.
Hantu Orb (orb ghosts)- basically white orbs that frequent haunted places..
Jin Pokok Pisang (Banana Tree Genie)- A Jin that lives in a banana tree, apparently not very harmful
some others that arent at the tip of my mind..

So, hope u can catch some sleep now! cos i doubt i would.. :S

Fellow Malaysians, if I got it wrong, whooops, but leave a comment!

Pictures taken from Google Images. and 400 hits in 2.5 months! WOhooooo!! thank you fans!

Is Laughter REALLY the Best Medicine?

2008-02-20T16:05:00.007+01:00

Many people have responded well to my MSN request : "please recommend a good comedian on youtube".

Just to clear the air, I am NOT depressed or moody. I just am in the mood to explore the world of good stand up comedy. The saying goes that (as the title suggests) laughter is the best medicine, but is it? Here is a little road of laughs for you. Watch the videos I have attached, and vote on the right hand corner of this screen. Tell me if it lifted your mood, and of course, which comedian did you like the most. Cheers and enjoy!

Ed Byrne (Nominated by Ida & Hannah)

Pablo Francisco (Nominated by Vincent)

Russell Peters (Nominated by Many!)

Pete Firman (Nominated by Me)

Pam Ann (Nominated by Mike)

Frankie Boyle (Nominated by Me)

Russell Howards (Nominated by Ross, myself)

Papa CJ (Nominated by Me) = I cant stand his accent tho..

For my fellow Malaysians/Singaporeans, PHUA CHU KANG!

Some Funny Malaysian Advert. (You cant Vote for this)

PS. If you have a COMEDIAN you would like to Nominate, leave a comment!

Dear Economists, Something Else is also free..

2008-02-09T17:41:00.001+01:00

The world today is war torn and plagued with hatred. Nuke bombs costs fortunes, lives and love lost.. The human race has become more selfish and price/image sensitive, to the extent that many would agree that Economists are right- only AIR is for free.

However, A very good friend of mine (you know who you are, my angel), once sent me a video that really spoke to me. Something else is for free, something more powerful than military, politicl and monetary strength. It has the power to feel warmth, a sense of belonging, a feeling of being wanted and cared for, a feeling of security. It binds us all in an emotional relationship, and is able to heal hatred and build emotional shields. What is it (unless you already guessed)?

H U G S !

I give credit to Juanman for his efforts in the Free Hugs Campaign (wikipedia it), and below is the video that got the campaign on its feet (even onto Oprah Winfrey's show) and has brought much warmth to the world. So, FREE HUGS TO ALL!

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2008-02-06T08:06:00.001+01:00

GONG XI FA CAI

(Ang Pow Na Lai!)

Yeah! Happy Chinese New Year (CNY) to one and all! To those friends turning 12, 24, 36 ( i doubt i have friends any older than that, unless you are an aunty or uncle who reads off the internet- doubt that..), its YOUR YEAR, Year of the Rat! Anyhow, I am blogging this to inform you that i wong be receiving any red packets this year, since I am so far away in cold snowy Europe. So please, if you intend to give ang pows, please mail them to me! haha! Well, many people don't seem to know the do's and dont's of CNY..So here are a few at the top of my head that I practice on CNY...

1. Avoid Swearing, cursing and using negative words (eg. Die, kill, hang)

2. Avoid using knives, scissors...sharp objects

3. Avoid cleaning the house, ESPECIALLY sweeping!

4. Keep windows (& doors) open, and keep toilet seats and sink plugs shut

5. Take a shower with water boiled with Pamelo Leaves on New Year's eve

6. At least greet every family member

7. Receive ang pows (little red packets with money in it)

8. GAMBLE!!!

9. Perform the Yee Sang.. (tossing condiments for luck)

10. Avoid wearing dark colours or all white, if you HAVE TO, balance it out with Red (the colour you should be wearing)

11. Stay Positive, remember, what you do on CNY will carry through the entire year

12. Avoid Spending Money

13. Consume more sweet foods and candy

14. Eat Noodles

15. Have Fun!

So, if you feel that i am behaving weird on CNY, just remember I have these traditions (and more!) to practice..

To one and all Have a Healthy and Prosperous Lunar New Year!

(Pictures Stolen from off Google Images. They arent mine!)

Malaysia Truly Asia (brrr...)

2008-01-30T10:41:00.000+01:00

Okay, in Marketing we learn of Jingles that either reinforces a brand either positively or punitively. That ANNOYING "Malaysia Truly Asia..." jingle you hear on CNN all the time has gotten very annoying to me. Its a punishing reinforcement. On several occasions, when asked about my origins, I would normally say I am from Malaysia, and the response i get is either one of the following:

OH, Malaysia Truly Asia
Twin Towers!
Where is that? (Normally, I explain its the land mass between Thailand and Singapore, plus Borneo)
Malaysia Truly Asiaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Oh, I want to go there (...not!)

Now, Malaysia is truly Asia, yes. The arguement being that you find most of the Asian cultures in One country. Yes, we also have Twin Towers, which i personally think is not a great significant branding image (perhaps our headhunters would be cool?). Malaysia needs to include maps (pointing out where Singapore and Thailand is as well) in the advertisements since people dont know where it is...The Jingle is annoying. Finally, since many people claim they want to visit (but i have a feeling less than half mean it), i feel some national responsibility to promote Malaysia more positively. SO....

Click HERE if you are Malaysian (or if you arent, but curious)...

Click HERE then HERE then HERE then HERE maybe HERE and finally, HERE if you are a foreigner (or if you are Malaysian, but curious)...

Click HERE to see a youtube video of where I am from. I think its a good representation, though the ending is SOOO cocky..and check out the scene at 1:36 minutes in! yep, thats dinghy sailing

Just for interest, click HERE . There is a scene where this Asian couple are embracing each other, looking out to the sea. I saw the recording of that sometime ago in Sutera Harbour.

And by now, you should be SICK of listening to "Malaysia Truly Asia", if not, its already drilled well into your head..

So Folks! Let me know what you think about the ads, my point of view or if you feel like visiting or not! Leave a comment!

Term Break woes (again)

2008-01-24T01:21:00.000+01:00

Term break isnt far away, and I need to travel somewhere new. SO! here are my options:

SWITZERLAND-PRAGUE-VIENNA-INSSBRUCK-SWITZERLAND

So this is self explainatory...The plan is to grab EasyJet to Prague, a train ride to Vienna and Inssbruck. And of course back to Switzerland.
And if Berlin is not too far away, why not stop by to say hi to Sebastian :D

SWITZERLAND-DUBLIN- XxXxX - SWITZERLAND

This itinerary is to go to Dublin (and maybe say hi to Stephen and Griffin) with either Easyjet or some other flight, and stop by either London or Amsterdam for a night or two before returning to Switzerland.

Of course, if you are interested to partake in such a journey with me, let me know!
So guys (and gals) please, leave a comment or advice on what I should do!?

A Feeling for a Concert

2008-01-19T01:58:00.000+01:00

Okay, I feel that I need to be in a concert of some artist coming to Switzerland. Anyone interested? I gathered this info:

David Guetta: Playing in Le Mad Club (Lausanne) on the 21.02.2008 and apparently, its CHF30

Rhythm of the Dance (Irish Dancing): Playing in Lausanne on the 08.03.2008, and is about CHF63 for cat-3 seats, CHF93 for cat-1 seats

James Blunt: Playing in Geneva on the 03.04.2008 and tickets are about CHF60 for a cat-3 seat

Kodo (Japanese Drum Percussion): Drumming away on the 23.03.2008 in Luzern. Cat-5 tickets are CHF35 ; cat-4 is CHF60 and cat-1 are CHF140

Tokio Hotel: My least Favourite...But anyway, they are playing in Geneva on the 21.03.2008 and ticket prices are not available yet :S

I personally would love to go to (in order of preference):

1. Guetta
2. Rhythm of the Dance
3. James Blunt
4. Kodo
5. Tokio Hotel

So if ANYONE is interested, leave a comment or contact me! Or if you hear of any other gigs, let me know! Stand up Comedies a big pull :) Ciao for now!

New Years Till Now..FORGET the passport incident..PLEASE!

2008-01-14T17:00:00.000+01:00

Okay..so from the last time, here is an update of other things i did back home..

Basically going out almost every night with Michele, Steph Lok and Kat (later on- her Boyfriend Andrew- but just for a day)..and on two nights, met some Swedes..things happen... *SLURP SLURP SQUISH SQUISH* to a particular someone..

Went to visit my old high school..VERY few teachers recognized me, i went with an old school friend (Wong- also one of my best friends) and they recognized him more :S Also had LOTS OF ADVICE from teachers that, lets just say, cared too much for me...hahaha

Spent time at the beach..on New Years Day, went sailing with Dad in the Ships Bell regatta, and won third place :D

Had 2 Lok Yuk Reuinions (my former high school)...once with a poor turn out, the second, MUCH better..

Went to Pulau Tiga (its an Island to you foreigners) with my family..Had a really good mud bath, it was gross but fun- i could not sink! Also went snorkling and attempted to get a tan (but didnt seem to work)...

Went to Singapore before i left for Europe..did some last minute shopping...Spent time with my Aunty Judy (who is a year younger i must say)...

Pictures are here! Thats all for now!

Some statue thingy from the Survivor show on Pulau Tiga

Pulau Tiga

Wind in Dana's (my sister) hair

Kuala Penyu, where we took the boat to Pulau Tiga

The Yacht Club at the beach :D

Steph at that place outside Cocoon

High school canteen

My Aunt Judy

The very impressive Terminal 3 at Changi International Airport

Terminal 3 again..

Yacht Club :D
Lok Yuk Gathering

Mich and errr...Mikhail i think..

Steph and the guy whose name we never got..

Randomness

Back in COLD, Snowy, Boring, Wet (MOIST) but fun-because-i-get-to-see-my-friends-again Switzerland....

To The Passport Curious...

2008-01-13T17:37:00.000+01:00

Quick story of how i came back to switzerland (to use "exhaustion" as a sub-excuse)...

from Kota Kinabalu- Singapore (overnight)
Singapore-Dubai, via Colombo (9hrs55m)
-transit in Dubai for 2hrs-
Dubai-Milan Malpensa, via Rome (8hrs45m)
Malpensa-Milano Centrale-Malpensa (about 5hrs30m)
Malpensa-Domodossolla-Brig (about 2hrs20m)
Brig-Alpina (3m)

Okay..so lots of people are curious with the whole passport thing...so here is a step by step guide to how my passport was misplaced...

Step 1: I was supposed to catch a bus to Domodossolla (to catch a train to Brig) at 14:45pm BUT as my flight was delayed, i missed the bus.

Step 2: So, I decided to go to the Internet corner to check for trains that i can catch, the only ones being from Milano Centrale Station (MCS)

Step 3: As you only pay at the end of usage, you give them the passport as a "deposit", so to say.

Step 4: After using the net, I wanted to pay by cash, but the dude had no change, so I paid by credit card. When he returned my card, i assumed that was it, and left- forgetting the passport.

Step 5: Got on the bus, took an hour ride to MCS

Step 6: Arrived 3 mins before the train I wanted was due to leave (fortunately it was delayed), got my ticket and got on the train. After a while, realized my passport was missing (train was further delayed)

Step 7: Called Magnus/Mr Gutzwiller to ask if I can use my B-permit to cross the border (of which, as a Malaysian, I do not even require one)

Step 8: Realized I left it with the internet dude, SO, got off the train and took the same one hour bus ride BACK to Malpensa airport

Step 9: The Bus i originally intended to take was there, so i hopped on and finally got on the right train at Domodossolla to Brig, arriving around 10pm...

Step 10: Realized that too many people were asking.. (Hi Ian, good to see you are here, and DID YOU FIND YOUR PASSPORT?) grr...lots or repetition, so i decided to blog it so it makes my life easier

There you go..my 10 Steps of how-to-lose-your-passport-and-find-it-again-and-realize-blogging-makes-it-easier-to-explain-it-to-many-people :)

Oh, and while in Singapore, spending time with my Aunty (who is a year younger than i am...due to the different generation levels), I had the sluttiest looking picture of myself taken- ever!

Look at the damn eyes! and yeah, the seatbelt ruined it all...

The World's Laziest blogger

2007-12-31T06:24:00.000+01:00

That's right..its official- i am the world's laziest blogger...I guess I blog when I feel like it, and this feeling doesnt come on a regular basis. Here is a quick recap of the last Fall Term 2007 in UCCR, Brig...heck, in Switzerland for that matter..

The term started off with plenty to worry about, even after a great tour of Denmark and Sweden... I have 2 not very easy subjects (Leadership and Law), on top of that, i was involved in the school Theatre, I have an event to plan with a random team for the F&B Management class AND I had an IMC to plan (I chose the Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort btw..and scored an A)...

So, Week 1, was the average, going out, meeting people, shopping, some drinking (non-alcoholic!) and ice breaking week. It was collecting books etc etc.. OH! and i moved in with Jens into a really big room in Alpina. We havent come up with a name for it yet, but temporarily, its the "Gas Chamber"...I'll let your imagination figure out why..

Then came Week 2, Syllabus covered, started formal studying etc. The same went with Week 3.

Week 4. MID TERMS for some subjects, Candidates was to be played soon, so there was plenty to do, and of course, the dreaded weekend where we had to camp in school to construct the set! Our work meals comprised of LOTS of diet coke, Mc Donalds and apples. YES, Apples..in fact, i recall someone asking the bartenders to go BUY "red apples" to satisfy the need :P (speaking of needs, i wonder h0w many times did Maslow pop up in the classes this term...? 4 or 5?)

Week 5, Candidates was on stage! It was an experience, put it that way. I feel that some people could use a dose of positive organisational behaviour and a more cheerful attitude instead of the demeaning, sadistic and malicious character..it doesnt really help if you want to get people to do things for you (for free, i might add)...nevertheless, the peeps were the paracentamol to that pain...The show concluded well, and in the end, went quite smoothly...I even witnessed the unthinkable, that extinct waterfalls started drizzling water (basically, what I am trying to say is, I saw someone who is supposedly "tough", actually tearing)..

Now painful Week 6.. so, theatre ended on saturday, and i had Sunday to rest...Our Greek thanksgiving, (which i witfully called "My Big Fat Greek Thanksgiving") was on Tuesday...The event went VERY well, with the exception of the quick depletion of wine and a shuffle in the night's schedule...

Week 7-9 was basically the weeks where we did the assignments, parties and stuff...

Week 10...I got to break this down to bits:

Tuesday- IMC presentation and hardcopy due... went very well!

Wednesday- F&B Menu Analysis Presentation....I think it was the most spontaneous presentation i ever did

Thursday- Law Tutorial...i think i did fine :S

Friday- F&B Mgmt Exam....Let's just say that it was alright...pending results..

Saturday- Finally some room to breath!

Sunday- Law EXAM!!!!!!! I answered fine..to those of you familiar with the questions, i answered the questions on ADR and on the Carbollic Smoke Ball case.. and came up with the links between Neglective conduct and Contract, towards the end of the 3 hrs..

Monday- Leadership Exam...it was, so-so..

- that was it for the exams-

Tuesday- I went skiing with Bad-Ass C-Bass in Riederalp and Bettmeralp...It was fantastic, the weather was beautiful, i was with good company, there was a nice Rosti lunch and i saw the Matterhorn! BUT, my ski bindings came loose and i had to stop after 3 or 4 hours of skiing...so i had to settle down for a cup of hot chocolate...I would never forget the embarassing trip back down ALONE on the ski lifts...people on the way up staring at me..brrr...Jens suggested I return it and ask for a refund, but I had such a good day, i thought it was wiser to let it be and avoid getting into a series of verbal exchanges with the ski rent shop..oh, and Lise didnt come, which was quite sad :(

Wednesday- I did absolutely NOTHING...just recovering from all the aches and pains of skiing the day before...

Thursday- GRADUATION! Yes, my favourite blue shirt and pink tie, my Eta Sigma Delta tassles and pin...no gown or mortar for the Higher Diploma students :( sniff Party at night was great and it was nice to see some familar faces again (and a new one too), Mila, Jannicke and Jesse's Brother- Scott...

Friday- 5am, was up and ready to go to Geneve Aeroport with Anin and Anne Jeanette...they were flying off, and i was picking up a friend who came to visit (Griffin)... We got to GVA at around 8.30am, checked Anin right through (her flight was cancelled, so she got an earlier one- woohoo) and Anne left at 10.10am, which was around the time Griffin came out of the arrival halls.. Griffin and I went to Lausanne where we had really good Kebab with Marina and walked around a little..We headed to Brig and met up with Jesse and showed Griffin the town...Of course, trying to be a fake Swiss hilly billy- Ian cooked up some Rosti and sausages for dinner..

Saturday- Met with Magnus to say good bye, and Griffin and I headed for Bern, where we basically just roamed around...We ended up in the Cathedral and listened to a choir warm up for the night :D it was amazing.. I woke up a little sick, and I think I had a stomach virus, which Griffin caught a bit later as well..We went to Zurich where we stayed at the ETAP :)

Sunday- Up around 9am and headed for the airport...Griffins flight was 10 mins after mine, although he ended up being delayed for 4 hours..Mine was about 45 mins delayed..mostly because of the fog and the plane needed to de-ice..

Anyhow, i got to Dubai, then KL, then KK on the 24th Dec, 2100pm! Up to now, in KK, i have been going out every night...been spending lots of time with friends and family, and finishing some errands as quick as i can before i head back to la suisse...i guess thats all for now!

Happy New Year!!!

Here are some picture in random order :)

Former Lok Yuk 5S4 (and some other people) reunion

My Bruise (or the Third Nipple) from Paintballing

Magnus, when i was visiting Malmo (turning Torso in distance)

Denmark, Nyhavn to be exact..I LOVE THIS PLACE

Stage AFTER construction

The Stage BEFORE construction

Sebastian and I after Skiing, waiting in Morel Station (the next station is BITSCH) hehe

Griffin in Bern

My Kiwi Cousins

Angie and I in "The Gas Chamber" room party

I think its Ilias and I in some party in Scala

Anne Jeanette and I in Scala

Set Construction

The Stage Managers- Ian and Alice

Update!

2007-10-12T19:49:00.000+02:00

Hey folks,
Okay, to anyone who does read this, I am sorry I have not updated my Blog in a VERY VERY VERY long time..but i have been very busy and couldnt be bothered to sit down and blog. Here is a quick catchup with what has happened since my last blog till now.

1. Newsletter with Ms Budlong was a killer
2. Exams were fine
3. Check out the photos on Facebook to see what i have done :P
4. Went to Sweden and Denmark
5. In the new term
6. In the theatre company- ASSistant stage manger
7. My GPA has gone up..0.02 under my target... ANNOYING!
8. I am ever grateful to Magnus for housing me in Sweden
9. I moved in with (so far) the best room mate (Jens) in a really nice room in Alpina
10. Marina and I won a bottle of wine when dancing the merengue at the Spanish Pool Party- which was a blast
11. Looking forward to Mr Cocker's Law class, F&B Mgmt and Leadership
12. Ice Breaker party was awesome..It's been a while since alcohol and I met up

Thats all for now..I suppose i will post up things when i feel like it. Ciao for now

Tutorials, KK in Brig and other meaningless stuff...

2007-08-09T16:53:00.000+02:00

Okay..its assignments and exam week. Lets review the following (Monday and Tuesday applies to me):

Monday - CV and A-Z due

Tuesday- Mr Cocker's Organizational Behaviour Tutorials AND Intermeddiate Accounting Exam

Wednesday- FnB meeting

Thursday- Global Tourism exam

Neat huh? imagine having to prepare for tutorials AND accounts the same day. its not the worse thing on earth, but that explains why i have been busy.

Well, the weather has been shitty..I mean, look at this:

Bad right? Cloudy, rainy, wet and cold.

But not everything is gloomy in Brig...

Last Sunday was a blessing. In the midst of studying for accounts in the library, Dora comes up and snatches my CV to take a read. Next to her was this girl who also peeped at my CV. The next thing was just frightening. The other girl asks, "you are from KK"?...

I sat there, stared at her for a while and said yes. I then quickly asked her how did she know about KK? NOBODY KNOWS KK! maybe KL, but many people still cant even say Kuala Lumpur..what more KK!? and she just started laughing! In the midst of her laugh, (you guessed it), she said she is from KK!!!!!!

So all this time, of thinking that there is no other Malaysian, i find a Malaysian from KK! Reka (not sure if i spelt it right) is her name. Her cousin was even my Add Math and Chemistry teacher in high school and she studied in the vocational school just behind my school! how freaky is that? Anyways..its awesome..now i can finally create the Malaysian Mafia! Next stop, MERDEKA DAY!

Merdeka Ads - deep stuff

2007-07-27T11:10:00.000+02:00

Have you ever come accross some cheeeeeeeesy advertisement on television that was really lame? And you start thinking things like :

"I can do such much better than that ad" or
"Buy Malaysian? haha, as if" or
"Save our rivers, save water? I think i'm going to go water my car"
and so on so forth?

Well, being so far away from home, i scroll through the New Straits Times and Daily Express online to see whats up back home. And in NST, they have this small corner on the right, patroned by Petronas, showcasing some really really good Malaysian clips. All of them have one theme- the 50th Merdeka Celebrations (Independance day to you non-Malaysians).

Here's the link: Petronas Ads

Take a look at it youself. I think they are of superb quality and it really makes me wonder about this whole Merdeka thing. They may require some translation for you my dear non-Malaysians, so ask me if you want it translated. My personal favourite is the one with the small boy being taken to the Padang Merdeka. Deep stuff.. Let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

The Detachable Phantom Limb

2007-07-24T13:12:00.000+02:00

I read somewhere once about phantom limbs. It's a medical symptom that many amputees face. Its when they chop of a part of your body, and after healing, you still feel (but dont see it)the limb is there and it apparently has a great deal of pain when these sensations occur. Well, apply this to everyday life - my life for instance. This is not the first time i got "amputated" (touch wood) since coming to Brig.

Imagine standing in a circle with the other limbs, and the appendix decides to invite all the organs to an organism conference - but it leaves you out. And the appendix keeps doing this until a certain amount of pain grows. It even ignores you when you say "hello" or "goodbye". And it only talks to you when it has no one else to talk to or when it wants to talk to someone you are talking to (where are it's manners? Never interupt a conversation!). You are basically left out. As important as you are and as close as you are to the other organs, you are just thin air - you go on unnoticed until you decide to suffocate someone. I discussed this with a fellow limb, and i have concluded to his belief - what goes around comes around (special thank you to my good friend - the ears). So to the dear appendix, watch out. Remember - the appendix has NO KNOWN function but to cause problems to the organism (appendicitis seems to be your only function). It's only a matter of time before you are surgically removed by the great being outside this body. To make things worse, I still see far more good in this limb until it outweighs the sin(s).

The whole reason of posting this is not to get at this person (in fact, i forgive you- being tucked away within the intestines blinds you from everything else), but to remind you, the reader, to be aware of people around you who MIGHT feel amputated from your circle. It's not a nice feeling at all to be left out accidentally or on purpose.

By the way, photos of Brig coming soon!

Stress Management (Chapter 10)

2007-07-24T10:52:00.000+02:00

Okay, i have this class - Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management. OB is short. And part of OB in week 1 was to read 4 chapters - a total of some 150 pages (give or take 10 pages). Words are not that big, and not THAT many pictures. To make things worse, its such a boring book. The author seems very knowledgable but he seems to speak with that "boring-one-toned-lecturer-who-could-use-some-sugar-to-talk-a-little-more-vibrant" voice.
This brings me back to the title of this post - stress management. This book has done a lot of damage to my stress levels, and one page, you can use points to value an activity (stressor) and accumalate points to see the level at which will affect your health. The death of a spouse is valued at 100 points (the highest in print), and a vacation is 13 points (this causes loss of time etc, so you are stressed to catch up etc.). I value this book at 80 points...if i reach a 150 within this year, i have a 50% chance of coronary heart diseases.

Than comes the second point - handling stress. You can tackle stress by overcoming the problem, avoiding it, escaping and reducing. I decide to reduce this 80 points by VENTING it on this blog and escaping by going out for drinks tonight. Anyone interested in helping me reduce this 80 points further? i call this Scala-therapy

Road Fork in September

2007-07-23T10:56:00.000+02:00

This for some odd reason, reminds me of the poem we did in high school- "the road not taken" by Robert Frost. Google it and you will get what i mean. But in short, its - A decision to make on this particular path, at a junction, in autmn. Anyways, i need YOU guys to give in suggestions. I am shifting between 3 countries to visit. Bearing in mind COSTS..

a) Austria
b) Croatia
c) Germany

Pro's
Austria because it would be easy to make my way around ( i speak enough German to survive).
Croatia because Antonija is there! And i would like to visit the former Yugoslav countries as well.
Germany because its near and i speak a little German too, just makes life easier. Easy to reach.

Con's
Austria has quite a lot to see in one week.. Salzburg, Vienna, Innsbruck, Graz, Linz...etc
Croatia is a bit hard to reach at a reasonable price
Germany has ALOT to cover as well, plus Anna and Anna wont be there in September :(

Any other suggestions though?

Inaugaration

2007-07-22T13:11:00.000+02:00

Okay, i know i have been blogging before. And those didnt turn out well. But thanks to Steph-tehe, i am now blogging here. Just for references, my two previous blogs are:

MSN SPACE (LOADS of pictures..)

and

FRIENDSTER BLOG (LOADS of reading)

feel free to look at those for all the posts i have put up before.. i will post a few pictures in this one..but a majority of them will still go up on my MSN SPACE...its really convenient..
Hope to get more hits this time, i do this for the pleasure of others to read as well as for myself to vent when i have to...So any support would be appreciated! Leave comments and suggestions!

Ciao for now