Ipoh Strikes Again

HaPpy YeAr of The DoGgiE!!!
new year in ipoh was.... HOT!
my goodness me, the temperatures reached 40 degrees AND my grandma's air cond kept tripping. I sympathise with the Melb people who have no air conds...
Anyway, it was a lot of family and food (as always) and i thought i'd share the highlights of the trip.

Disappearing Suckling Pig

Now you see it.... (note the HORRIBLE cutting.. this is before we ate it.. eeee...)













and now you don't! Voila! well, not much of it left anyway.

Perfect Palatable Presentation

This is how they serve shark's fin in Ipoh (when there's too many bookings and too little cutlery. On a serving plate. *roll eyes*

Engaging Cousinly Communication

What is a family dinner without portable gaming devices and mobile phones? Aaahh.. the glories of technology.

Amazing Amphibian Ambrosia*

*means delicacy. I didn't know it either.. but i needed an A word to make my headline sound cool.. la la la.

Oh yeah, that night, we also ate this chinese delicacy called suet kap. It translates into snowball and has this lovely jelly like texture.. Oh, how wonderful. So you thought eating birds saliva ala bird's nest was icky, think about feasting on some boiled frog's genitals.. Mmmmmm... look, a whole bowl of it.Each blob of "snowball" is like.. not exactly the erm.. balls of the frog, but rather the sperm duct (or something like that) and if not cleaned properly, you can still see the little black veins. Oh, delightful. I absolutely hate the stuff myself cos i hate the thought of swallowing ANY nether regions, but for some absurd reason it's good for your health and i have had to force 2 bowls of it down my throat in the last week. Times when ignorance is bliss. By the way, i think at least 100 frogs died for that bowl.







One more close up for the road.











And that, really, is all i bring back from ipoh. other things are just too embarrassing, or i forgot to snap a picture of it, or i want to keep the fun of telling in person.
oh, and stay away from gambling kids.. it's a losing sport. *sniffle*

Eeee.. Medical Type stuff

We can never learn too much.
As Murphy's law would have it, the worse mouth ulcer in my life happens during Chinese New Year. You know, the biggest eating fest i'll have before i fly back to Melbourne for a year!
Anywayz.. crucial questions that need to be answered:

What is a Mouth Ulcer?
According to Dr. Martin Tooke

A mouth ulcer is a breach or break in the mucous membrane which lines the inside of the mouth. It usually looks like a depression in the mucous membrane and usually has a yellow or white colour. The size may vary from a millimetre or less in diameter to several centimetres. It is often painful.

Basically, a very painful hole in your mouth. OOOWWWWW!!!

How do you get a Mouth Ulcer?
Well, there are two types of mouth ulcers,

The first type is caused by stabbing yourself somehow.. maybe with a sharp tooth or a fish bone.

The second type, aphthous ulcers are caused by 101 conditions. But here are the ones i cared to list

• body's own immune system attacking the mucosal lining of the mouth.
• after minor injury to the inside of the mouth
• stress
• after eating certain foods
• hormones - common round about the time of a menstrual period. less likely if pregnant
  
• coeliac disease (what the heck is that?)
• viral disease
• mouth cancer
• herpes
  

HhhMm... this sounds good. i'm not pregnant. But i could have a STD or cancer.

other than that... the article says it will normally heal in 1 to 2 weeks. sometimes a month
1 to 2 weeks!!! a month?!?!?

So.. Remedies

1. Gargle salt and water
2. Use Bonjela
3. Use Bonjela
4. Use Bonjela.

Guess what? i'm gonna use bonjela. and drink lots of water. and all that jazz..
We hope Jeannie gets better even after all that CNY eating ok?
P.s: photo of ulcers not included in order not to gross me and everyone else out.

GoNg Hei FaTt ChOy to all! i'll be in ipoh over the weekend so have a good year of the dog and erm... bear with me quiet for the few days..

Artsy Fartsy = Smartsy (i wish)

So i was looking through the papers and the rotary club of ampang is looking for volunteers to teach art to underpriviliged kids every weekend. and i told my mum and said i'm qualified! and she was like.. huh? i did form 5 art ok? in england!
i also said i'd end up teaching those kids how to research surrealism and pointilism and cubism. yeah, run away you little kids.. i WORKED for my A in art!
no seriously, i did.
think about our art in secondary school... warna primer, sekunder, tertier. yellow+red = orange. A!
haha.. it was only a matter of time til we realised that the questions in our final exam were taken straight from the workbook. you know, that one with the answers printed at the back.
Sup sup sui (translates to wet wet water meaning no problem. probably cos it's easy to make water wet..???) lah this art business. have to catch up in uk ah? can lah.. take easy subject. Art!
Honestly, art was the most challenging subject i took in my time there. you can paint the kerbau and the paddy field then good for you. Somemore you must know about the cubist, the surrealist, the impressionist, the renaissance period. ETC. yeah, and must know what style monet use, degas use, dali use. know how to do it for yourself also. wahlau. Pening.
but here's the thing.. you can get by without ever really knowing how to draw. just need to know how to copy. haha.. serious! i envy people who can draw whatever is in their head. mine will end up deformed. i can picture how to in my head, but never can come out wan. so..
anyway, i was looking through my old art books, and in a sad bid to make myself look good.. see lah all my beautiful artwork. i take picture for you also.

Presenting...

Jeannie's Wonderful Amazing Bestest Ever Artwork!

This is my fave fave fave of all time picture. Wah.. how amazing to be able to draw a leopard. i mean.. copy a leopard. anywayz.. quite impressive wat for someone whose last art exam (then) was a logo for kelab memancing (dun snigger, you've been thru it too)

And this is like.. one of the first things i ever did when i moved there. I also dunno how i drew this. haha.. never touch charcoal before. oh well.. let's just admire and not stare at the flaws.

somemore got my random piece of choy. actually not that great lah, but the colours are so funky, so i must also show off.

And this strange piece is my attempt at surrealism. La La La. surrealism is like, a big random canvas where you can paint whatever the hell you like. Mmmm... we had to snip bits out of magazine and stick together and make something like that. so erm.. yeah. random!

Art- maybe need a bit of skill to make stuff look nice lah, but all the research stuff, haha it's a lot of bullshit. sort of like essays, especially in english lit. You find some random thing i.e : the car in the novel or painting was black. Then, elaborate endlessly on it with anything that pops in your mind. Observe

To my belief, the car in the novel/painting was black as the artist/writer was trying to convey that the object was one of depression and darkness. There are undertones of death, as the traditional hearse carrying the coffin of the deceased, as well as funeral attire are all coloured black. As the character in the book/figure in the painting is approaching the vehicle, perhaps it is a sign that there is impending death in his future. The car could have been sent as an omen, by, perhaps, a foe of the character. Or, this could be a forewarning of the future that the writer/artist wanted to include. Therefore, this story/painting is an illustration of the adversity that one must overcome even though faced with an obstacle as great as death.

Haha. And people wonder why i'm taking a bachelor in arts. Gosh, if only bullshit was a profitable career.

Year of the Dog mah... so get dog for feng shui lah!

Today i made the mistake of walking into Pets Wonderland.
What happened? I was smitten.
I saw all the beautiful little puppies there, and there was this border collie pup that was on the top cage so he was eye level to me. He was a bit older than this here pup, but i can swear to you, he did the puppy dog look.oh my gosh.. talk about melting! and to top if off, after putting his head on his paw and looking right at me, he stretched and lay on his side, all the while still looking at me...
MuMmYyyYY.... i want a dog! it's been such a loooooong time. i really miss having to take care of something else. haha.. okay, so maybe that's why i mother my friends. nag nag nag eh?
But seriously, that puppy was soooooo adorable. MuMMmYyyy,... cannot keep dog in our house? i wanna work in pets wonderland.....

Fairy stories with *muaks* all round!

Two little fairies sat in a teacup.
There's some tea in that teapot
one of them whispered.
Perhaps we should have a spot
the other one said.
So he leaned over to the edge of the cup and
*muaks* got a peck on the cheek.
Lovely, the little fairy said,
Lovely spot of tea.

A frog sat on a lilypad.
Oh, what is the use of being a prince? he sighed No one will love a froggy prince!
Just at that moment a fairy princess came fluttering by.
She was singing and happy til she heard a sigh.
And down below, there glittered a crown
Sitting regally on a slimy green head
Oh poor poor froggy, he is so sad
So she flitted down and said Cheer Up
and *muaks* gave him a peck on the cheek.

The little fairy prince was out one day
Looking at his beautiful kingdom
The flowers and butterflies and sunshine
Made him warm in every way
So he looked around
And soaked up the day
And *muaks*
the day gave him a peck on the cheek.

Hello the violet fairy said
When did you pop up here?
Oh, just recently, when the sun came up
I do that, you know, pop up with the sun
Oh, so do i, she replied, But sometimes i like
to sit by myself in the moonlight.
Won't you by lonely? he asked
Oh, no, not now that you are here.
and *muaks* she gave him a peck on the cheek.

*Gurgle* *babble* and *muaks* the little baby fairy popped out of the flower!

What news from ipoh?

Well, when one has returned from Ipoh, one must regale tales of all the delicious food. Well, basically that's all that i ever do there - EAT!
So, here are some photos...


Haha.. i'm getting hungry looking at it again. so MAYBE it doesn't look so good in the photo, but i promise you, if you've eaten it... you understand. it's the lure of ipoh sar hor fun...




i kinda forgot to take photos til after i'd devoured most of my chee cheong fun.. but still. mmm.. with the tim cheong that's sweet sauce.. yum yum yum. apparently the hor fun and the tauge in ipoh is the best cos they have water that's been through limestone caves. something like that.. whatever.. it's so good!





And this is most definitely one of the best dishes.. EVER! haha.. bias lah me. anywayz, hakka mee in ipoh.. the beauty of it? a single bowl still costs rm 1.50. but it's OH-So-YuMmY. plus, i'm hakka, so i was born to love it.






Well, i also ate two roughly-8-course dinners (wahlau.. fullness) and managed to observe the strange mengerie that is my uncle's fish tank. imagine looking at pleasant goldfish, and then suddenly seeing right through one! no kidding...
seee.. apparently he's an alboino eye fish.. but it's true, when you stare at it head on, you can see transparent globes of its eyes. anyway, imagine being completely engrossed in that fish, and then mum suddenly screaming and running, and then you looking up to stare directly at...
OH MY GAWD. dead fish the week before chinese new year.. bad omen or what? but noo.. the little fellas still alive. apparently he likes resting upside down. freaky fish.. i had enough and left soon after.

But yeah, ipoh. great food.. everything else. kinda weird. oh, and really really bad drivers.

Man Who Read This Blog Must Be Bored...

Confucius is one of the great philosophers of our time. Spreading his wisdom on such matters as filial piety, virtueos living and family values, he was indeed one of the great icons of Chinese culture. But what do we care? Following Murphy's Law, we have to poke fun at him too, with these not so correct sayings from the sage - or not. This time, on Things you don't learn from textbooks...

Confucius Says...

• Man who stand on toilet high on pot
• Man who jump off cliff, jump to conclusion
• Man who run behind car get exhausted
• Virgin just like balloon... one prick, all gone
• Man who eat crackers in bed wake up feeling crummy
• Man who sleep in bed of nails is holy
• Man with hand in pocket feeling cocky all day
• Man who excels at putting worm on hook is Master Baiter
• Man who loses key to lady's apartment get no new-key
• Man who go to bed with itchy backside, wake up with smelly finger
• War not determine who right, determine who left
• Man who walk through airport turnstile sideways going to Bangkok
• Schoolboy who play with schoolgirl during wrong period, get caught red-handed
• Man who sit on tack get point
• Girl who sit on judge's lap get honourable discharge
• Girl who go camping must be aware of evil intent
• He who farts in church sits in own pew
• He who sneezes without a handkerchief takes matters into own hands
• Man who go to bed with hard problem wake up with solution in hand
• If you want pretty nurse, you got to be patient
• Man who stand on street corner with hands in pockets, not feeling crazy, feeling nuts.
• Woman who go to bachelor apartment for snack get tit-bit.
• No difference between man and mouse - both end in pussy.

okay okay, a lot of these are naughty.. but so am i! entertain yourself with sayings of Confucius during my absence. I'll be thrown into the depths of Ah Bengness accompanying my parents to ipoh.. JoY!

oh alright, i'll throw in some actual Confucius quotes, to neutralise the naughtiness of the above.. and make this seem a bit more educational.

Confucius REALLY Say...

• To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short.
• I hear, I know. I see, I remember. I do, I understand.
• It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
• Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.
• Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
• In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.
• Real knowledge is to know the extent of ones ignorance.
• Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
• It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness.

There, don't we all feel that much more enlightened? For more Confucius quotes, click here.

Jeannie say ... if you start talking like Confucius, it's time to go to bed.

The ALTERNATIVE Murphy's Law

So, it turns out that Mr. Murphy had more to say than just general facts of life. Here's his take on *hushed whisper* sex.... oh, and some bits on love too
Disclaimer: i never told you to read this if you're not over 18... and i don't think there's anything that explicit anyway

1. Sex is like snow; you never know how many inches you are going to get or how long it is going to last.
2. It is always the wrong time of month.
3. Sex is hereditary. If your parents never had it, chances are you won't either.
4. Sex discriminates against the shy and the ugly.
5. It was not the apple on the tree but the pair on the ground that caused the trouble in the garden.
6. Before you find your handsome prince, you've got to kiss a lot of frogs.
7. Availability is a function of time. The minute you get interested is the minute they find someone else.
8. Sex takes up the least amount of time and causes the most amount of trouble.
9. Love is a matter of chemistry, sex is a matter of physics.
10. You cannot produce a baby in one month by impregnating nine women. (???)
11. Thou shalt not commit adultery.....unless in the mood.
12. Abstain from wine, women, and song; mostly song.
13. A woman never forgets the men she could have had; a man, the women he couldn't.
14. What matters is not the length of the wand, but the magic in the stick.
15. A man can be happy with any woman as long as he doesn't love her.
16. Beauty is skin deep; ugly goes right to the bone.
17. Love comes in spurts. (for kenny!)
18. Sex is one of the nine reasons for reincarnation; the other eight are unimportant.
19. Don't do it if you can't keep it up.
20. "This won't hurt, I promise."

So, Mr. Murphy.. SaLuTe! (guys, that's NOT what i meant. oh gosh).
Quotes courtesy of Wikiquote

If you write something interesting, it is inevitable that noone will read it....

Another instalment of Things they don't teach you in Textbooks
Forget Newton's Law, Ohm's Law and all those other scientific laws which you forget once you're out of high school (unless you're an engineer.. haha.. or a scientist.. or a physicist.. oh well, i guess only arts students forget). Today's lesson kids is...

Murphy's Law

In a nutshell, Murphy's Law is the Eeyore of worldly insight. Think pessimist then multiply by 200. Murphy was the perfect advocate of those days when everything just WON'T go your way, not that i've had one of those in a while (have i?) but maybe you'll find these familiar. Murphy's Laws: (courtesy of Wikipedia)

1. The chance of the bread falling with the buttered side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet. (Law of Selective Gravitation)
2. Buses take ages to arrive, but when they do they always arrive in sets of three. (for kee win)
   
3. When graphing, the graph paper is always one square too small for the perfect scale. (for eng friends)
   
4. When caught in a traffic jam, the lane that you are in will always be the slowest to move. (for KL drivers)
   
5. Nothing is as easy as it looks.
6. Everything takes longer than you think. Or, everything takes twice as long as it should; excepting that which appears easy, taking three times as long.
7. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time.
8. If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
9. If something simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
10. If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
11. Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
12. If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
13. An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.
14. It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
15. Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
16. Every solution breeds new problems.
17. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
18. When there is a very long road upon which there is a one-way bridge placed at random, and there are only two cars on that road, it follows that the two cars are going in opposite directions, and they will always meet at the bridge.
19. Junk will grow to fill the available cupboard space. (for kee win and his clothes)
    
20. All small objects of value will disappear when set down.
21. Magellan's Allegory: If you stop and ask someone for directions, and they tell you "You can't miss it"...then be assured that you will. (for me finding izy's house... again!)
    
22. Things get worse under pressure.
23. No matter how long or how hard you shop for an item, after you've bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper. (for pat and 5 hours of shopping)
    
24. Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening. (for anyone who loves ice cream)
    
25. Murphy's golden rule: whoever has the gold makes the rules.
26. Anything dropped in the bathroom will fall in the toilet. (for anyone who's lost a contact lens down the sink)
    
27. The distance to your departure gate is directly proportional to the weight of your carry on luggage and inversely proportional to the time remaining before your flight. (for eddie)
    
28. Your best golf shots always occur when playing alone. (for my bowling)
    
29. The worst golf shots always occur when playing with someone you are trying to impress. (for my bowling too)
    
30. Great ideas are never remembered and dumb statements are never forgotten. (for this blog)
    

So what spurred the bout of Muphy-ism? I found a new law, through my own personal experience just moments ago.

Jeannie's take on Murphy's Law

31. If there is a power cut in your house, it is inevitable that it will happen just as you are shampooing you hair.

Finally, it is only fitting that we hear from the most lovable and probably famous practitioner of Murphy's Law:

'It will rain soon, you see if it doesn't,'

~Eeyore~

Ka La La La La Laaaaa.... Ok. [Stop!]

I was in the presence of a superstar. At a chinese restaurant with my family and we happened to be "crashing" (or rather sitting at the sidelines) of the annual dinner of some random company.

Apart from the mandatory running screaming kids in these dinners, not to mention ah beng-ish clothing ala tight singlet, optical illusion shirts and tacky skirts, there is another feature that really cannot be omitted...

~drumroll please~

The Uncle Karaoke Singer!!

There were many hilarious things, the Numa Numa song playing just before the speaking (to announce beginning of karaoke session), the dodgy karaoke video - with han yi pin yin! (yes it was in mandarin, yes han yi pin yin is the pronunciation key for bananas like you and me)
So, once the first guy sang in his rather la ying, that's pin yin for effeminate, voice, the guy comes up and announces -

~cue CrazyFrog intro music~
a famous Malaysian pop star from the 80s - who once hit top 10 in the charts!

Haha.. karaoke music will always make me laugh. Especially when this uncle wasn't looking at the screen and the tvs all around the restaurant were showing him - Live!
Dad reckons he'd be lucky if he was in the top 10 .... thousand.

So, think twice before going to a company annual dinner, or wedding dinner, or anything held in a tacky Chinese restaurant!

sample of uncle's optical illusion shirt... well, similar lah.

So, I had a facial today....

Bursting forth, they surrender their seeds to unforgiving hands. The clinical white zapping away what was before. They mow a path, taking down any in their way.
And pour the hot molten liquid, the landing strip ripping out well-embedded roots. What little remains in the pale ghost of a shadow, finished off by merciles picking. It burns, the ravaged turf, screaming murder, scarred with craters.
My face is a battlefield, and cosmetic beauty has won again.

~going through my head as I lay suffering the squeezing, tweezing and waxing. Ow.

You know you're a big girl when...

1. Your parents don't call til it's midnight and they don't lecture/shout into the phone.
2. You can drink at family dinners.
3. You go for your own dinners at chinese restaurants with friends.
   
4. You can come back around 2 and dad asks if you had a good time out.
5. You get your own house key. (aha!)
6. Your friends are all creeping into the 20 zone.
7. You have high school friends for more than half a decade.
8. You worry about money and cost of living.
   
9. You start thinking that your parents must feel old now their children are "leaving the nest" or venturing out from it, at any rate.
   
10. You have friends who are about to start work.
11. People you know are interning rather than enjoying their holiday (oh.. me too for 2 weeks!)
    
12. You become more childish than you were 3 years ago.
13. You start writing about how you can tell you're a big girl.

More unalterable facts --->






the best food is in places where the drinks are served like this...














and the cutlery is like this......


















and the food is like this!

And the best friends... well, i don't know, they all seem good to me.

This post is dedicated to 7 years of friendship, i STILL love you guys. :)

yes yes, and you guys too. :)

You've GOT to be kidding

So, my day was good- met up with old high school friends, and got 2/3 upcoming birthday presents, and the drive home was nice and jam free!
Here's the kicker.. i scratched my brand new car! Not any fancy swerving from anything, but while i was reverse parking IN MY HOUSE. Oh my gawd.. the humiliation. The heartache from seeing the whitish scratches on my poor car.
So i come in the house slightly dejected, i mean, ouch.. heart ache!
For the first time in at least 6 months, i look and see mail for me. in KL. wow, people still know i live here? Well, it has the uni Melb emblem so i figure it's the bill for this year's fees, so i open it cos i'm curious, and this is what i found inside....

You have GOT to be kidding. No, i'm not trying to show off. if you know me, you will know i absolutely HATED philosophy. i just told someone last night that i regretted taking that subject. What a joke! So, after all my screaming in disbelief, the car didn't seem to be such a bad incident anymore. What about being offered Honours in a subject you have no interest in pursuing, and not hearing any word from the subjects you want to actually major in? (Plus the fact i scored higher in those too) *sigh* Life, and uni, is cruel.

oooh.. if i am away for a bit, i intend to send my baby in for servicing tomorrow..

goodness knows how i'll survive.

p.s: i have a feeling they send this to everyone cos noone really likes to take philosophy.

Pimpin?

So.. pimpin shall be my word of the moment.
Here is how pimpin' relates to my life.

1. A certain family member of mine is inducing a girl to be unfaithful to her boyfriend. He goes out with her at crazy hours in the morning.. haha kudos to him i say! you're only 26 once. (oops.. the age sort of gives his identity away)
   
2. I have 2 best guy friends who are obviously nothing more than 2 very very good friends. that's ALL i'm saying. (they read this blog, i'm risking everything here!)
3. Last night when we were at Asia cafe, Kai had 4 girls (his fanclub) circling him and waiting for him to finish playing so he could foos with them. And after that he went to yumcha with them too. 1 guy, 4 girls. think about it.
   
4. My parents and i went to see the tenants in a condo we rent out and they looked like 2 prostitutes from china. Then one of them called their "brother" to come and sort out the contract. i think he was their pimp daddy.

You will never know how disgusting it is to think that one of your properties is being used as a whore house. They complained that the beds are too small. i can only think of 1 reason why. *shudder*
i've decided i don't want to/am not capable of being an estate agent. you have to be kinda scary and stern.









this is what comes up when you search pimpin on google images.. wheee!

Post Bowl Ache

Instalment 2 of things they don't teach you in textbooks:

Fundamentals of Bowling

First of all, if you need to know how to bowl, you shouldn't ask me.
This is a short one. Bear in mind, this is only what applies to me, not every other normal human being.
1. When bowling, if you aim straight, the ball will always curl.
2. If you aim to curl, the ball will curl too much.
3. If using a ball that is too light (say an 8), the ball is likely to curl into the longkang.
4. If using a heavier ball, you will not have enough strength to curl it right into the longkang.
5. Technique -schmechnique, if it rolls in the general direction of the middle pin, you're set.
6. Start by bowling a really lousy first game - it can only get better from there.
7. It IS possible to triple your score in 2 games (refer to number 6)
8. Screaming does not direct your ball in the right direction, but it sure as hell feels better than keeping quiet,
9. If you are bowling with people who are used to 130 averages, it helps to accept that you are out of their league from the start.
10. If you are unfit, you will ache everywhere the next day. Even on your left arm...
11. The computer system for the Midvalley bowling alley is 11 years old.










This is your aim. It's rather elusive.

Sushi anyone?

enough said, really.

All About Paper

i don't really know why, but as i was seated on the couch watching tv, i suppose my mind must have wandered to kee win showing me his academic transcripts and various other job-hunting qualifications.
i also remember, on the day of his graduation, he sms-ed me from melbourne and it was, quite a simple sms, meant in jest. But think about it:
i spent 3 years in uni and all i got was a lousy piece of paper
Oh my dear lord. He's right.
And then, i thought about well, pretty much everything we strive for.
Money - paper.
Certificate - paper.
Deed - paper.
Cheque - paper.
News - paper. And another thing. As mum and dad were perusing the papers as per their daily ritual, it struck me that, we strive to know every single thing that happens in the world. it's like this desperate struggle to know each little detail. Why?

i am thinking much to much. i'll get wrinkles beyond my age, i just know it. oh well, just because this one's all about paper.A bird. A castle. A basket of flowers.

Moonshine - Acoustic Time

Another great day! And spent with parents too. Yippee!
So the day itself was rather uneventful, but at night, i managed to persuade my parents (*gasp* even my brother was shocked) to come out with me. By chance i was browsing the KLue website and they listed an acoustic gig at No Black Tie tonight. I said "Oooh.. it's the 5th! Tonight! We should go!" and mum goes, "Yeah"
And that, is how we ended up going. Had dinner at Selangor Club first, which was nice. And then, with my shaky driving, we found our way to No Black Tie, hidden in Jalan Mesui rather near Jalan Alor. Kind of dodgy looking area, but I think there are a lot of nice little places to hang!
What with U-turning to get around one way streets and with backside parallel parking, Jeannie's driving exp has just gone up 50 points! Woohoo! Somemore became the designated driver as mum and dad decided to have a bottle of wine...
So anyway, we settle down, and pay the rm 20 entrance, and order the rm 120 bottle of wine, get erm.. alright seats and the place starts slowly filling with people who are.. around their 20s. Mum and dad start feeling old, and i start feeling young, and suddenly wonder if bringing them here was such a great idea. While waiting for the place to fill (which it does, i'd really advise booking first) I took a few piccies... The place has a really nice feel to it. Kinda small (i think it was an old house) with a black cloth backdrop and completely wooden panelling. The floors, the walls, what brilliant acoustics! The positioning of some of the tables in the top half are erm.. inconvenient for actually watching the stage, but i guess if you're there for drinks then it's cool.

First up was Aminah. Erm, she's half Irish. She warms up the show excellently with her husky voice and really beaufiful self-written tunes. Her brother is in the pic on the right backing her up on the reggae like track. Well, she convinces me that the music is enough to keep mum and dad --- and me here.

Then Reza, the organiser who was already playing the guitar before that comes on. I didn't expect him to have such a smooth voice *swoon*. Especially loved the last song, For Her, unfortunately, he hasn't recorded yet and therefore i could not get his album. *pout* (oops.. no individual piccy) i'll throw in the other dudes:





This is a new double act, Plush Velvet. People were extremely noisy throughout their act, so i couldn't quite get into it. Their last song was very nice though, and the girl's voice is beautiful.





The other acts weren't that spectacular to me, except for Az Samad, who didn't sing, but wrote and played his only guitar tunes. That ReALLy impressed me.. With his celtic-inspired tunes, and quirky dodging on stage, he played the guitar just like a classical instrument. Like a violinist, who dips and raises his head while absorbed in his music, or moves the violin to get the resonant sound- that was exactly what Az did. And as strange as he looks performing, he is talented. Even dad, who is rather critical, thought that he was excellent.

i have only one gripe. Okay, come to think of it, two.
One: 95% of the place was smoking. There was an average of 2 ciggie packs a table, which made me, mum and dad a very tiny minority indeed. This is not so bad, if the smell doesn't get to you, but right now i still reek of the smoke. Also, there were also poser smokers. This group of fairly young girls seated right next to us were smoking ciggy after ciggy. Here's the thing - they were just taking half breaths and blowing it upwards like a chimney. (which means it drifts our way) But seriously, if you were really inhaling, you couldn't smoke that much. I think it was more for holding the cigarette than anything else. Jeannie thinks: it's stupid. you're wasting more money on ciggies AND no, it doesn't make you look cool. Heck, call me single minded but smoking is stupid anyway.
Second gripe: Malaysia is full of excellent raw musical talent. It's even got a brilliant place to host these music gigs (ala No Black Tie). What we DON'T have, is a respectful crowd. I got extremely annoyed at the crowd in the back that were constantly talking throughout the performance. I could barely get into the music listening to that high pitched voice of the girl behind me. Not to mention that fat aunty with her angmo friend laughing loudly. That's fine. You wanna laugh and drink, do it in a pub. You paid for a performance. People are performing for you, be decent enough to listen. Shut up and appreciate it. Or leave. (also so the rest of us can enjoy it)

Right, enough of gripes. I like No Black Tie. I need to get a bunch of artsy fartsy friends so we can go hang out in jazzy places like that. Arts student indeed. Oh well, I guess i always have my parents too. :)

Happy, Ethnic Hippy

this is what i would've written last night if my internet was working =P

Petaling Street – still the love of my life.
I’ve felt the hippiest that I’ve been for ages, it’s so refreshing! I’m talkative and bubbly, and I’ve regained my enthusiasm for ethnic/unique/quirky/colourful jewellery, clothes and accessories again!

I just couldn’t help but share all my new buys, which I’m extremely happy with! Well, they just seem very Jeannie.

Oh, and I absolutely love the atmosphere in Petaling Street. They’ve sort of cleaned up the place, there was a huge group of policemen patrolling the area which prompted the running VCD sellers, walkie talkie in hand to alert the others. But everything seems organised and they even have Malay music streamed in from speakers attached to the pillars. I’m afraid though, that soon enough the character of the place will die when they commercialise it even more.

However, it was good to see the familiar faces of the Ghurkhas in my favourite Nepalese stones store. Surprisingly (or unsurprisingly?) a few of the fellas recognised me – which encouraged me to buy these bracelets! The guy even threw in a free jade rabbit, just ‘cos he hadn’t seen me in a while.

And then I bought a string of beads, in the hope I’ll do something with them. They look kinda nifty as a necklace too though!

And then there are the fish – which hopefully I’ll turn into (a) necklace(s) too..

And my really funky beaded bracelet! So Indian! haha.. maybe this’ll match my Punjabi suit.

And, I nearly forgot.. my new hippy like bag! My my, I didn’t realise just HOW into the whole hippy thing I was.

Ooo.. and after about 3 hours of non-stop walking, and after a cup of soya cincau and air mata kucing [an aside: I shall never forget Braeden asking in his unsure, deep Canadian voice, “Is there meant to be stuff inside this

? And, when assured that air mata kucing DID have weird things inside, “Oh, it’s good then!”], we were just about to leave. Suddenly, at the entrance to the street, there appeared a very hippy shop indeed! I say appeared because, it was suddenly there, when it wasn’t there before! The skirts caught my eye first, and then the bags, and ooohhh.. everything was so NICE! hahaha.. I ended up buying wrap around skirts. But, not just any wrap around skirt, magical things from magical shops!
It’s pink and blue and purple (magic #1)
and it can work both as a skirt AND a top (magic#2)
and it cost just above 10 AUD (magic #3). Things just sound so much cheaper when you convert the currency. (This works both ways, when is Australia, DO NOT convert currency). Anyway, look at the magic below!

this is the top.....

this is the skirt....

Voila! Happiness is finding your little niche. haha. Mine’s Petaling Street.

What a nice feel good day. Spent with family, it was awesome! Not even the terrible kl drivers and the pouring rain could put me off. Oh, or the terrible meal I had. First AND last meal ever in the Ship. With a reputation like that you’d expect better, but I must say I was terribly disappointed with the stale bread, terrible wine used for cooking and the rather fishy crab. No hard feelings though, my stomach is still alright, so I shall just part ways with the (sinking) ship and wish that they find more suckers, erm, I mean customers to enjoy their … food.

Best day in ages. Rounded it off enjoying the movie The Promise with my parents. If nothing else, it was entertaining, and left us with something to laugh about.

I’m tempted to end using the old diamond in the rough analogy about Petaling Street. A little rough on the edges, a little worn for wear, but inside, still a gem. =)

Where to go and what to do

I'm at the end of first year. Or rather, with the start of 2006, i'm at the beginning of my second year. I'm 1/3 done with my course. (Hopefully with Honours that'll be 1/4 done).
Kee Win's graduated. I've worked for 2 weeks and become highly disillusioned with life after study. The illusion? That one existed. The truth? There's absolutely nothing to look forward to after uni.
It's time to stop and ponder. How do i maximise my student life and what do i do afterwards?
Jeannie's pretty certain she's not going to sit behind a desk for the rest of her life. Jeannie thinks when she starts talking about herself in thrid person, she must be serious.
So, Seriously, i think i have to start deciding what i wanna do with my life. The dream of marrying a rich man -- is still there, but haha.. maybe i should have a plan to fend for myself.
I've talked quite a bit to my parents lately. About how i would NEVER be content working as hard as my oldest brother, especially not at a desk job with numbers.
And my second bro? Hits a little closer to home, being in the creative industry, but his life is, not completely what i'd like. Maybe he doesn't look high enough. In all fairness though, the world's intimidating.
So, where does Jeannie fit in with her siblings? One accountant in a big firm, one graphic designer who's in advertising.
My latest whim? I want to become a travel writer. Bold words for someone who just got her lowest marks in uni in Creative Writing, but writing for assessment's a bitch anyway.
But hey, I don't plan to hold any one job for very long anyway, so that can go along with my list of children writer, copywriter, researcher, humanitarian aid worker, tour guide (?!?!? thanks izy), even animal caretaker. Well, nothing conventional of course.
So maybe while i think of jobs, i should remember my hippy self. A job's just a job. I still wanna live. I still wanna see the world, and meet people, and try new things. haha. If life were so simple. Job satisfaction should be derived from self satisfaction.
Self satisfaction should be derived from knowing that money can't buy happiness, but it sure helps.
This rant - it's about finding your goals. And planning for them. I think i wanna work in Australia for a few years after I graduate, and i'm trying to find out how to go about that. The world may want an Arts student after all.
Oh, i started with the thought of whether i would ever leave Malaysia. It wasn't an option back when i was in England. But you know, i kind of like Melbourne a lot. So, maybe i'll consider staying. Or travelling a lot. Who knows where life will take you?

Family Values

They say Blood is thicker than water. What they failed to say is that blood clots.
My first day of the new year was spent in Ipoh, the land of sar hor fun and good food in general, and home to practically every other member of my family. Which comes to the topic of family.
Lots of things are genetic, health disorders, hair colour, eye colour, skin colour, heck, even the size of your hips and your height *grumble*. But the whole debate about nature and nurture, well, i guess it's hard to draw that line when nature and nurture are all a big bundle in a family. But here's the thing. My family on my dad's side has this tendency to argue A LOT. When i was small and lived in Sabah, we only came back once a year. I used to think that it was some sort of tradition that the kids and wives got sent up to sit out the family feud that was inevitable after the large family dinner. Family issues, alcohol and hot tempers = Loud shouting.
So that was/is my family. Hot headed and temperamental.
My mum's side is kinda different, they get along really well and i've never seen them raise their voice. Very level-headed and tak ape attitude, which suits me just fine.
So now you put the 2 together. And you get, well, the 3 of us.
I like to think we were brought up in a predominantly happy household ( i believe that most, if not all behaviour can be pinpointed to a happy/unhappy childhood) Strangely enough, my brothers cannot stand each other and i believe that i'm the only one in the family who can talk to everyone else with ease. That's the trouble with competitive boys: one is a provoker and another has an inferiority complex (what i like to term second child syndrome. think about it - faramir in lord of the rings? he had 2nd child syndrome!)
What i was trying to get at really, is whether it's really about upbringing, or something you can't avoid? I can really foresee that I will have to work at keeping our family together, in the hey-let's-meet-up-for-a-meal kind of way. I really would hate to have the cousins (well, that would be nephews and nieces on my part) estranged from each other cos of stupid tussles between the fathers.
Okay, the fact I am thinking of my brothers kids ALREADY is scaring me. Must be 'cos i'm gonna be an aunt soon! My cousin's wife is expecting! Wheee! Exciting!
The moral of the story is, kids, you're stuck with your family for life. And life isn't that long. It's not worth picking a fight, so, make it pleasant! They're just people after all.
Do you notice that you're a different person when you're with family and when you're with friends? I've tried acting pretty much the same to both, and it can SORT of be achieved. i've always thought this to be true:
Friends are the family you choose. (Jeannie)
So if you would treat your friends as family, then why not treat your family as friends?
The only BIG dad's side family picture i have. And that's not everyone.This is my small family that I have to look after next time. And my cousin popped in the side too.. gggrrr...
I chose these guys...
and these too... (believe it or not. haha!)