You & I

The jazz feeling has suddenly attach to me. I've been repeating Michael Buble' & Norah Jones on my playlist all morning. It does create a happy vibe in me, something I've not felt for awhile now.
After all the tacky problems I've faced, this is one thing to be happy about, at least I did overcome it.

Lets see.

Sunday afternoon was spent with Kar May & Khei Sze. Totally missed Chiaw Yee's presence. Poor girl is caught up with exams coming up. *hope you don't stress out too much,dearie!
Monday was spent at home, and off to meet the small bunch at William's.

Tuesday was the Beadie outing :) Had tons and tons of fun. We basically covered the whole of OU and boy, was she a happy shopper .Hee. Manage to get a top on sale from PA. No luck in finding jeans & a denim skirt. Had absolutely late lunch @ Sushi Zanmai. Mmm, sobaaaa.
It was a very good catch up, wasn't it? :)

Wednesday was spent at home.

Yesterday, Dad took us for a nice dinner @ Sakae Sushi. More Japanese. Its been awhile since we had a good family dinner. After all, we were pretty busy with the wedding & parents having work. On the way there, I kept being weird , and my sister did entertain me.

Sighs, effects of the very long holidays.

I had cold soba noodles & chawanmushi, of which I got lectured for. It was a good family time together. We went walking around for a little while. Cheh had cheesecake cravings, which brought us to Secret Recipe.

I totally forgot about the free half dozen Big Apple doughnuts yesterday! :(
I'm hoping that there is at least one more in the fridge.

And I have an eye on that MNG jeans which could burn a hole in my pocket. But it was lovelyyy.
Went home after that and bummed around with Friends.


Did you know that there's this new tab in the Yahoo Services called Shine? Gosh, I can safely say I spent the whole morning just browsing through that site, while playing Super Text Twist :)

Its specially for the ladies, do check it out.

I can't wait for tomorrow :) LIL! I'm crossing my fingers real hard for you kay!

*

Tagged by Rinnnny .

*Btw, CONGRATS TO YOU MY DEAR. :) Proud of you. *love


The rules are:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves

3. At the end of the post the player than tags 5 people and posts their names, than goes to their blogs and leave a comment, letting them know they got tagged and ask them to play and read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago (1998)?

1) Playing Barbie Dolls

2) Playing dress-up in Mum's clothes

3) Going over to Ah Kong's house to play

4) Growing

5) Wearing dresses everyday ?

5 things on my to-do list today

1) Teevee

2) Sims2

3) Research (HEE :D )

4) Pack for tomorrow :)

5) Nigella Lawson @ 8pm

5 Snacks I enjoy

1) Yoghurt + Fruit Smoothies.

2) Dark Chocolate

3) Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

4) Apple Crumble

5) Starbucks!

5 Things I would do if I were a billionaire

1) Spend it on a very good holiday.

2) Divide among my family.

3) Of course, you always have to give back to society.

4) Save it.

5)Probably faint?

5 of my bad habits

1) Biting my fingernails. (Disgusting as it may seem, its worse when I'm nervous)

2) Think too much.
3) Messing up my bed after making it up.

4) Never following my to-do list / shopping list

5) Driving on the wrong side of the road.

5 places I have lived

1) Malaysia

2) and

3) that

4) is

5) it.

I tag :

Haha. Feel free. :)

muchlove.

Wish I Could

Backtrack.

23rd May : Tan Family Dinner.

Its the final day of being a bachelor for my uncle YH. But, to my utter surprise, he wasn't sad at all. His smile was plastered on is face the whole night, he must be simply excited to be married.

Dad didn't join us since he had work piling up, so Grams,Cheh,Mum & I carpooled with my granduncle to his place. He donned his car in lovely shades of purple ribbons, I just wished he would keep it there on the car.

While waiting for the rest to come, Cheh and I went jakunning around the house, snapping pictures (It was Cheh's first time). Needless to say, we ADORED the house, especially with the wall colours & the walkin wardrobe. We even took a nice stroll around the neighbourhood.

Damn, do these people have a lot of cha-ching.

One house with a Lotus Elise & a Porcshe 911?

O.M.G.

So, everyone started arriving and the feast begun. Its just like a CNY reunion dinner, but we were all hyped up for the big event the next day. We left at about 11.

FOOD.

Our Sexy Ah Kong, always shirtless.
And always calling us "Bodohbodoh".

He missed my brother alot.

Man of the hour.
See that smile?

The.Whole.Night.Long.

My favourite room in the house, the music room.
With Norah Jones playing in the background.:)

Cousinnn Derrick & I.:)

24th May : Wedding Bells.

Dad woke us up at a very dark 6.30am and with half eyes closed literally, I dragged myself up to bathe. Cheh woke up after I was done. I spent an hour fiddling around with my hair. Finally, Mum decided to use the flower on on me. There was a perfectly good reason for it.

See, alot of people haven't seen us in a while. So they end up confusing me with Cheh, meaning, ME BEING OLDER. So, the flower seems like "innocence", perfect to show that I'm the youngest. And, my hair was too thick & I didn't want to be fiddling with my hair during the entire ceremony.

So, the uncles gathered at our place and we left with Dad being the road leader. Three cars eventually lost their way when we were already in Kajang, so Dad and Uncle YT decided to search for them.

Ahh, memories of the Holy Family Church in Kajang. :) just so you know, this was the church I went to when I was in NS on Sundays. At the very last week of the programme, they treated us to a scrumptious meal. Mmhmm.

Anyhoo, everyone was at church and the groom's entourage with the bride's were present.
We had to sit at the front row because Mum + Dad were the witnesses to the marriage.
I loved the ceremony, short and sweet. And my uncle gave a her a small peck & a BIG hug when he lifted up the veil.

He thought that the Kissing-the-Bride moment were only in movies.
Seriously.

Anyway, finally, Ah Ma's youngest son is married legally. :D
It was snapsnapsnap time. The professional photographer,Jon, was seriously running all around gathering families & friends to be in the picture. Aunt Winnie looked soo gorgeous! Normally, she's very laid back so this was a big change when she wore her lovely dress and killer heels.

His Bestman came all the way from Shanghai .

The Family Picture, minus KorKor :(

Dad suggested to take a family portrait in the studio when he comes back.
:)

Exchange of rings.

Ecstatic newlyweds. Lovelay.

After that, the groom's entourage + the bride went back to my uncle's house for some "house-entering" tradition (she has to enter the house right after 1pm ) while AhKong + us proceeded to the hotel. Since Cheh & I had to help out later, we got to eat first.

Honestly, the spread was very small for hi-tea and not very good either. Wouldn't recommend it.

Anyhoo, after eating and resting, the both of us had to be at the registration booth. Aunt Winnie's sister, also the wedding planner, had these lil heart shape papers for people to write messages for the newlyweds and hung them on a lil cherry blossom tree. Adorable!

We saw relatives we haven't seen in a long while, and of course, the family bonds.
The whole afternoon was simple, but definitely wonderful because of the company and the families from both sides simply bonding together. Perfect :)

Cheh & I at the booth.
I'm beginning to love her dress.

Small fraction of the Extended side of the Tans.

My cutesie lil Devil, Ryannnn! :D
He's only shy for 5 minutes.

His self procllaimed girlfriend.

Effects of waking up at 6.30 am.

One thing about the Louis sisters - VAIN.

After cleaning up a lil, the groom's side of the family proceeded to the house for the tea ceremony. Being the youngest, he had to serve tea to so many family members. Hee, funnay I tell you. He never imagined doing it, honestly.

HAHA. Dad and the tea ceremony. ;)
His first time.

There are way too many pictures, and I dont want to upload all of them. I'm waiting for the studio shots and the professional's pictures. But all in all, the wedding was just perfect.
And of course, my thoughts of well wishes & a blessed journey ahead goes to my favourite uncle + aunt. :)

muchlove.

No Easy Way Down

Gosh, alot of running around these last two days.

Finally, Uncle Yeow Heng + Aunty Winnie are joined in matrimony.
Had tons of fun for the entire event. Updates soon. :)

Now, I just wannna soak my feet in some hot water and watch DVDs!

*

To the kind souls,


For every sweet message,
For every honest opinion made,
For all of your concerns,
For not forejudging me,

I thank you, sincerely.
I don't know how to express it enough, but I hope it conveys. Your support has mended my tortured soul greatly.

Its tough, but I'm getting through with it. Sweet loves to all of you. :)

*

Lil, I owe you big time. Thank you, ever so much. Tuesday, yes? :)
Loveyoumuchos!

muchlove.

The Voice Within

I must express, that I pray that you will not judge me after reading this post because I'm dealing with this problem slowly.
After hiding myself under the shell ever since I came back, I thought I should vent out my long-kept thoughts & feelings about the one true issue I've been dealing with for a long time.
Please bare with me.

For the record, I do not seek self pity or any form of attention . And this isn't any intention of bragging because it wasn't anything that made me happy but hey, a lesson is learnt.
Big time. But, if you choose to comment, please let it be an honest one. :) Thank you.

So typical. Every other girl I know would kill to find any solution to rid one of girl's most hated enemy : flabs. You would be thinking, " God, this girl is mad posting up about the weight loss and making such a comprehensive big deal out of all of this". I'm sorry but I've kept this bottled up for too long and knowing I have this to look back at, I knew I would be doing this eventually.

Yes, I admit the fact I'm making a big deal out of all of this. But I never knew that there would be consequences that destroy you mentally. Okay, destroy was abit exaggerated. Maybe influence, affect or brainwash? Either one.

Honestly, I didn't give a nut when it came to this issue. It was easy : moderation. That was two years ago. Last year, maybe due to the ongoing stress or growth/puberty, I managed to lose some . That made me all the happier. But something still hung in there.

I did lose some weight at camp.So, since I was entirely free after that, I could do something about the weight. I was already in healthy mode when I got back . When some people did comment , I would shyly put myself in denial and tell you that I didn't lose any weight.

Because, through my already deranged mind, I could raise my intentions to lose more.

For the entire first month, I layed off, as in almost completely wiped out bread or anything complex from my meal. The only thing I feasted on were fruits,veges, and meat. Even ice-cream/chocolate/sweet temptations cannot befall on my platter because that would just mean my plans are ruined. Then, the strainous body sit-ups & leg ups went on close to 3 digits a day, plus jogging whenever I can when my dad was around.

I even took up the time to surf the net for good healthy diets that would suit me, even switching to low'calorie/low'carb/low everything to boost up the plan.

Soon, it was April, and I got used to the fact that anything other than the three solely named "healthy & non guilty" foods would be my enemy. I could only chomp on them once a week and that would be my reward. The exercises went on. My parents never noticed anything amiss, until I became obsessed with the weighing machine.

I admit to silently crying when I felt helpless on why I just couldn't do anything anymore.

And whenever there were these hi-teas/big dinners/ whatever not, I pushed myself even harder for exercises and laying off anything heavy or light the next day so that my body will consume energy stored the day before. I even did that with my Saigon trip,to be honest. I thought I was plainfully right all this while.

Finally, this month, my obsession was still holding on and I continued the routine. I made my body compromise with the new deed I'm doing before my parents let out a huge lecture about my sick doings & how my sister poked my stomach day-to-day for the past week.

"Ever since you gave up on food,something ate your jovial self. You never smile anymore"

"Ma, Bie has absolutely no stomach"

"You don't love food anymore, do you?"

I heard them everyday for the past week. Even my DAD questioned me,

"When are you going to stop?"


Rest assure, I didn't want to stop. Its like a hoarseful voice telling me I should keep going. But just last night, I knew something was bothering me, and I'm glad I knew what it was.


Here it is.

I am already brainwashed by the fact that everything to me would make me fatter the next day and that the flabs would increase day by day. I distanced myself from others just so that I won't be tempted. I start to worry & sweat when I see the bulge right after eating a meal, thinking this shouldn't be happening. I look at my reflection every second of the day to see my tummy and resented & got angry at myself .


And what my Mum said was true.

I dont see myself in a happier place, because I'm caught up in this dark room where all that exists are the only words to continue losing all I can. I lost my happier self, my jovial mood and everything between.


Sometimes, my thoughts are just so messed up, I begin to search for other ways to make me happier but it just wouldnt work. Whenever I stood up, my head would be swinging from side to side and I could have easily passed out once.

I made myself think that if I did put on the kilos back, I won't be the same. When clearly enough, I'm not the same right at this moment. I can easily say the last two months weren't anything happy for me because I had to dispatch almost everything I love just so that I won't have this running guilt up against me. Even when my dearie came for our catchup sessions and said she was doing a paper on eating disorder, she could even tell me that I showed some of the signs,

and I foolishly put it on deaf ear.

And even my uncle, who can be sarcastic at times, had the nudge to tell me to put on the weight back because I looked "scrawny". I know it was exaggerated, I'm not in any of that form.

At this very moment, I'm completely retaliated and defenseless for what has caused me to do all of this these last two months. I ate my own body up. I always felt lethargic, weak, moodless, thus the emotional parts at the end of my posts. My mind is completely turned 360 degrees to what I've been doing, thinking it was right when it was downright wrong all this while.

I messed up big time because not only costed me my self-esteem, but my fear of eating suddenly became attached together.

Tell me, does yoghurt cheesecake sound good to you? I answered yes.
Does chocolate strawberry cake sound good to you? I answered not sure.

Hell, I'm a chocolate lover and that answer stunned my sister more than anything else.

I may not have been rail thin, but being at this stage doesnt require you to be in that condition, thats why "nervosa" is added to aneroxia. And no, I wasn't aneroxic. I won't comply with that reality, (well I amost did, maybe). Its the mind that boggles up everything to thinking you're doing something right when you're not.

Yes, you may be practicing the diet above and hey, it works well for you and I am the only person making such a big fuss about how nonsensical this paragraph is. But, not all diets work for anyone, and hell maybe weight loss isn't for everyone too.

Realising this made me understand how much time it takes for someone to kick themselves out of the bad habits they've been keeping. Somehow, at this age, everyone would be happily jollying the fact that they are still teens & still growing up and how the terms "Enjoying Life " & "Living Life to the Fullest" should be our motto because life is indeed good.

I admit I made the worst decision of all, taking a toll on myself.

Hence, I will get myself out of this dark room & see the greener grass on the other side.
What made me realise all of this, was definitely God's words through my parents and
I truly believe that He made me who I am, and thus my image would reflect His image onto me.


And I cannot erase that, never.

love,

Sabrina

Low

Saturday.

My youngest uncle ( referred as Ku Ku, in Hokkien meaning the youngest) and his wife-to-be, Aunt Winnie, got engaged in traditional Hokkien procedures. My uncle had to buy roasted pork & hand over his dowry to the bride's father as a sign of respect & sort of a permission to marry his daughter.

Mum & I were eager to spectate this because this tradition is fast depleting and since he was hosting one, we decided to follow. After the handing over of the dowry, they pay respects to the bride's deceased family members, asking them to bless their union & to feast with them at the table.

Honestly I'm no fan of the traditional food so I ate really little. But we did get some Hokkien sweets which are rarely found and costed Aunt Winnie's dad a bomb to have it made. We proceeded to Cheras to send the engagement gifts over to close relaives before going home.

Oh, and the camera died on us, mainly my fault because it fell onto the floor and now, it could be said to be in critical condition (camera's term : repair).

:(

In the evening, I took a ride to OU to have the camera checked. Could cost us the price of a new camera if we were to repair it, but we decided to give it a shot and decide on keeping it later.

Went home for a short rest, then Dad & Mum headed over to the neighbour's palce for some potluck while I stayed in because Wind Chill was showing.

What an utter disappointment though! I thought I would be seeing more scares & hair raising encounters but for the full hour of the movie, it was about Emily Blunt + The leading male actor sarcastically yelling at each other because of the route taken and how he's not from Delaware & who should stay in the car & what to do next.

I gave up in the middle and decided to join my parents.

Apparently, this potluck thing is the third time this year!

I got this Desperate Housewives-sort-of-vibe when I was there. Its all about the secrets about our neighbourhood, and some very interesting & locally famous people living right opposite the row of houses from mine. Seriously, I had no idea! The whole potluck was at such, that the ladies were gossiping in the dining hall, while the men were at the living hall with the liquor. Of course, Dad didn't touch a single drop of it. I wouldn't mind joining in the next one :)

Sunday

Church on a very gloomy Sunday morning. What's more, the drivers on the road are really inconsiderate, trying to play a fool with me since I'm on P. And there was an exceptionally large crowd at today's service. Breakfast was at Taman Tun before returning home.

Got my sister up, and us ladies had our girls session today. First, Cheh had her haircut, which really changed her look. Instead of the flattened straight hair, she has the puffed up smooth look. And knowing my sister who is EXTREMELY picky about her hair, she just went on and on about how good it looked while we were shopping at OU.

I got myself a pair of skinny jeans which didn't cost me alot :D ahhh,extremely satisfied that my mission was accomplished. Sister had no luck finding her dress for the wedding, while Mum had a good deal of tops today. She's always lucky on our trips. Dinner was pretty late at Canton-i.

Bloated, thats all I feel.

A very good Sunday indeeed :) bt I shall not shop anymore. :)

*

Korkorrrr. :(

whyohwhy can't you come home next week?I've missed your seriously nutty crankiness.
please come homeeee, then I can drive you around and show you my better-than-your-driving skills and let you watch my own version of cooking shows and show you how bored I've been for the past two months.

muchlove*.

One Last Kiss

Liliaaannnnn! :)

*

Cheh and I are currently watching Jeff Dunham on Ares, simply because there's nothing interesting on the tele.


I have been making a mess in the kitchen over the last few days. I tried lemon souffle, meringues, molten cakes & crepes. The only successful experiment was the meringue. Crepes are hard to deal with, molten cakes weren't sweet enough and the souffle tasted weird!



Ah, now the next step would be lemon meringue pie. :)



Dad went for his medical check-up and came back with a new instrument- a syringe!



Apparently, Dad's sugar level isn't decreasing and his doctor says its probably due to insulin conditions. So, he has to take some injections around his belly. Its pretty scary though. And he has to make the effort to lose weight.



And we (Cheh,Kor & I) have to watch our sugar intake since we're most likely bound to have diabetes as it is hereditary.

*

Had a good talk over coffee with my landdownunder boy. He's put on some muscle weight and down right still cannot get over his music fetish. I even had a chance to pen down a few lines for his guitar gig :) will post it up when I get it. We had small talks, alot of music preferences and alot of our ongoings.


He mixed the salt in his coffee instead of sugar.
No idea how that could ever happen, really.



Take care , retardo :)

*

What my sis & I do whenever he's not looking.

Lipstick for men;

Quote, Joey Tribianni.

muchlove.

Last night was simply great :)

It has been a very long while indeed, and I'm truly thankful for our friendship after all these years. I'd kill to go back to the old times. And after so long, we still have a nick for spooky stories as well as Sims! Hee :)

I'll miss you dearly when you leave for your scholarship. But, we'll definitely do the Bangsar trip and hopefully I could drive you there this time. And I hope you liked the little gift.

Thanks a heap for last night! muchlove.

*

Is it me, or is the whole world you know suddenly disappearing?

My dearies, where are you? :(

Summer just didn't become my summer anymore,
when you stole the sunshine
and gave me rain instead.

Grey Room

For the one I call Mum.




Thank you for not giving up on me when I do the utmost silliest mistakes, and being patient with me. Thank you for always sharing your thoughts, and being my shopping partner in crime whenever I needed a fix. And thank you, for always believing in me [and not my driving ;) ]



Happy Mother's Day, SuperMama :D

All my love!

*

Sorry for the lack of updates.

There's really nothing to update about, honestly.



Life's pretty much a routine, and it only involves the computer and TV most of the time.



Yesterday was just like last week, market in the morning. Except for the change of vehicle :)

I drove Mum's Persona since Cheh had class.Mum says my handling for both cars vary, and she doesn't know why.



Had my eyebrow appointment, then lunch at home. Dad took us to Bangsar as it was our very first time. No joke. We only went to BSC and not Telawi :( I was hoping to get a glimpse of it.

Went for a very expensive grocery shopping. Seriously, the prices are marked up around here. But they had a whole lot of imported stuff around.



Went back to take a rest, and everyone except Dad went to Pantai Seafood for Uncle's gathering to meet his soon-to-be bride's family. Didn't eat much since I can't take much seafood. But I did get a whole series of lectures from the uncle & grandma for my own good to this condition I'm having right now.



This morning.

I drove to church, with the HANDBREAK UP.

yikes.



Hmm, I hope Mum & Cheh have plans to go out later. :)

*

I'm lethargic & a lil moodless right now.

Shall update with the movie post next.

Oh, and Damien Rice sings repeatedly on my ipod. :)

Well I've been here before

Sat on a floor in a grey grey mood

Where I stay up all night

And all that I write is a grey grey tune

D.R ; greyroom.

muchlove*.

Take a bow.

Walked on the pavement.

Taking step by step with the slippers beneath the sole.

The road was clear.

It was safe to go.

Suddenly,

My knees hit the ground, on the road.

The slippers strap broke.

Barefooted while walking back to my car.

Met scary people.

Drop all my stuff on the way back.

What a way to start the day.

The camry cut into the lane, hit the brakes on time.

was at a safe distance.

The destination requires me to keep left.

Steered the wheel to face left.

The camry stopped.

I kept moving.

So close.

hit the brakes just right at that moment.

swear if my car moved another inch it'll be kissing the camry's ass.

The white car sped and was still speeding towards the junction.

Thought it was going to dash out.

Swerved to the right.

A long fierce honk was heard.

Realised there was a car on the right.

The car brake on time to avoid.

Was so close.

So close to getting hurt.

Sat there.

Silence speak louder than words.

Walked.

Silence was all there was.

Search.

It was broken.

Asked.

Dissapoint.

Furious.

Boiling.

Coldplay

Happy Legal 18th, Sher Rin!

(3rd May)

:)

hugs&kisses.

*

A good weekend I'd say :)

Saturday was mainly at home because I was down with a very bad flu and my sister had faringitis. The weirdest thing was, she was astonished by the diagnosis and it was her favourite word yesterday.

And I had the best nap since foreverrr. Flu really takes it outta you I guess.

Today.

Dad & I went to church as usual. Mum was completely wiped out and exhausted from her midnight shift she had to cover. I was undecided for breakfast, and since there can't be last minute decisions when I'm driving, I drove home and ate leftovers from dinner.

Manage to catch Happy Feet ( I know, SLOW. ) Ahh, so flippity-floppity-do. They're so adorable, but penguins are rather fragile, no? I can't believe the message could be passed on so quickly, just by their dance in front of humans? Then again, its a movie :)

Played a lil Sims 2 while Mum prepared dinner. After that, we went to OU just for a walk.

At least it was a satisfying trip. Had a share of Mum's apple pie and coffee at Dome. Good choice I'd say. Came home before dinner and now, I'm about to catch Dr Seuss's Horton Hears a Who?.

Btw,

Anybody interested in buying

The Sims 2 Kitchen & Bath Interior Design?

I'm selling the DVD game for RM 10, down from RM 15.

Leave your message if you do want it :)

FCFS basis.

On a random note, I miss food very much and I can't take it anymore.

I feel unsatisfied, yet I'm being eaten up inside.

Only a handful will know why.

And, I miss you Kor! :(

*

And the tears come streaming down your face

When you lose something you can't replace

When you love someone, but it goes to waste

Could it be worse?

muchlove*.

Still

Happy Birthday, Paps! :)

Thanks for everything, and I mean everything.
:)

Love,hugs&kisses ,Bie.

.

Dinner was at The Ship yesterday for an early celebration. Food was just as good, though Mum said it was much better before. Service was excellent, though.

My brother looks Japanese here.freaky.

*

I got a good phone call a few days ago. After a year of missing in action, it was a very good catch up indeed. Everything will work out fine, doh. It'll fall into place in time.

That call made me begin to reminisce yesteryear and hell, I miss it too much.

Cause back then, we would see each other everyday for 5 days and the story never changes.

Its always fixed, our early morning crack ups to make sure we stay awake for class.

How we'd sneak food back into class, our Hello Panda munchies, pancakes,BARNYARD!, all the very eye-soring/gay moments we have to put up , how we used to annoy our teachers because we were noisy birds, our ongoing concerns & stress over absolutely everything, the emotional moments where we just sleep it off and not talk about it till someone begs the crap outta you, our singing of sentimental songs (the scientist, timeless)which never end, our sneaky ways to get out of class and abusing our authority (Hah, Weng Hoe!) and how I dropped Physics and stoned in the lab with them entertaining me.

And I remembered vividly, Wei Kit called me up to ask about Physics Peka and how I explained everything I heard from Pn.S to him, with him ending the conversation

"Ohmygod, I forgot, you don't take Physics!"

HAHA.

Oh, of course, our Friday hangouts at Atria! Gosh, we never got sick of that place, and how we hopped over to Victoria Music Station (?) to check out the latest CDs from a particular band.

Btw, do you still love them, Chiaw Yee?

And I still remember our super long Biology Peka procedures for the damn potometer which we never fail to memorise (24 steps) for every.single.exam.

I still miss it, and laugh about it whenever it comes across my mind. Those were the high school days, and it just feels like it still is. :)

*

Two movies down.

Hmm, I did enjoy it a lil, but it was like
any other romantic comedy, similar to 27 Dresses.

But, not too bad.

I preferred this much more :)
Really dramatic, and I think NatalieP & ScarlettJ
do appear much as sisters in appearance.

Mind you, this is a very true story. But, very good adaptation I'd say.

By the way, I think its between The Slit-Mouthed Woman or Ouija.

Have you seen SMW? *click! scared the wits outta me.

muchlove!

The Scientist

Vietnam.

Day One.

We touched down at Tan Son Nhat Airport,Ho Chih Minh City, at about 7.00pm, local time. I was bloated from the air travel & full from the yummy chicken ham sandwich. We (Mum,Aunt Kaye,Aunt Nuri & I ) took a shuttle to our hotel, Thanh Long Tan , in the heart of the city.

Please let me stress, the minute you're in HCM City, the first thing you'll see is,

Motorcycles.

And LOTS, I mean LOADS of 'em.

You see, cars are terribly expensive in Vietnam. Even if its a family of five or six, the cheaper, or more reasonable mode of transportation is the bike. And four to five lanes will be taken up by 100 motorcycles each time. Its wild madness, I tell you. Makes me appreciate the roads and our national cars here back home.

Our hotel is a two-star low budget, which you can find abundantly around the city. They are much cheaper , less than US$ 50 per night. Normally, these hotels would be sandwiched between blocks of offices or buildings.

So, we unloaded our bags, and went down to see the night market. HCM City is a shopping haven, but I'd say Bangkok/Phuket is much better. Alot of imitations and handicrafts. The currency used is 'Dong' or VND. For our local currency, RM 1 is 5,000 Dong. So, much of the things needed to be bargained, and these people definitely don't give in easily.

Streets of Vietnam at night.

We were so beat, had a good long bath in the tub and slept off.
Well, sorta.

Day Two

Breakfast was at the hotel, bread & eggs. They don't have the usual breakfast buffets, mind you its a two star hotel. Since Vietnam used to be under the French, they serve baguettes :) Tasted absolutely good.

First stop -Ben Thanh Market, the shopping district. The stuff they sell is repetitive, as in one long roa of stalls, selling the same things. Difference is, whether you can get your bargain. It was pretty early in the morning, and they believe in morning luck, which means, if we're the first customers and we buy alot of stuff, it also means luck to them for good sales throughout the day.

So, with that, these traders (mostly women) do all they can to get you to their shop.

Including pulling and dragging your hand to their shop, slapping your butt and even offering kisses?

We were utterly uncomfortable with their antics, seriously. Aunt Kaye is from NZ and she's a plus size, so these people don't really know how to address her with hospitality, and kept on calling her Biglady.

I felt so abd for her. How can these people be so unwelcoming. In return, Aunt Kaye never visited their shops. Good for her! :)

After walking a few rounds, we headed out for coffee. Mmm, Vietnamese coffee is undoubtly popular and theirs is usually flavoured. Mum and I bought the ready made packs to bring home, Hazelnut & Irish Cream. Have yet to try them.

We were wiped out a lil, so we went back to the hotel to rest.

After lunch, we went to Dong Khoi street, mainly flooded with art galleries & lacquer shops. These two things are found widely in Vietnam only, so of course, you have to get a good bargain.

Art galleries usually have paintings of Vietnamese cultures, their epitome of what makes a true Vietnamese. Straw hats, ladies in their gorgeous au dais (their traditional wear), walking with their bicycles in the paddy fields. Lacquer shops sell jewellery boxes with intricate designs, table settings, handcrafted chopsticks & bowls.

We walked and walked to every single shop, until we got a view of the monument of Ho Chih Minh himself, whose name became the replacement of Saigon. It was in front of the Opera House, enar the Revolutionary Musuem. I was abit eager to see the musuem, but hopes were crushed as it was just shopping the entire day. Mum was a lil upset as well, but we couldn't do much.

Towards mid afternoon, Mum and I went for our much awaited authentic Vietnamese food while the two ladies went for a massage. I made a mental note to taste their Spring Rolls & Pho' Bo (Beef noodles). I was very satisfied indeed. Their broth is made with no Ajinomoto, purely beef broth with tons of meat in. We were at the French part of the city, so there were lil bakeries there. We tried thei madeleines which tasted just as good. Happy tummys indeed :)

At night, we went bar-hunting. We went to a hotel which had all the ingredients for a cocktail, but no skill or knowledge on how to make them. We walked out, and went for ice-cream. Soon after, we found a French Coffee Cafe which serves beer & wine, so we settled there instead.

Came back, had a super long bath and konked out.
Well, sorta.

Why?

MyGod, motorcycles & taxis are still moving and onking even pas midnight. But by 3 am, its quiet, and at 5 am, the noise comes back, and its daylight already by 5.30am!
Needless to say, we didn't get good sleep while we're there.

Ben Thanh Market.

The Opera House.
Ho Chih Minh's monument behind.

Where Mum & I had our much anticipated meal.

Day three.

Our last day. Mum & I went to the market again to buy purchases for the family. Got some workshirts for Dad (which became his birthday present), sunnies for Cheh, and some lil magnets for myself & loved ones. Mum couldn't stand the thought of not buying anything authentic from Vietnam, so she bought the lacquer trays after a good half-an-hour bargain. I was so tempted to buy their handicrafts, ones I've been eyeing on for so long! But, come to think of it, I would never make use of 'em, so I decided not to.

We went walking again in search of the MAS headquarters to see the manager (Mum's friend). It was simply too hard to find it, and after a good hour of walking up and down due to mixed directions , we finally hauled a cab. Mum found the address of a restaurant she was dying to see.

Be Ban Restaurant.

Specialty : Breaking Rice pots.

One waiter breaks the claypots, and flings the rice to the next waiter while he catches it with the plate.

We went all the way there for that, could you believe it?
We checked out at 4pm and took a night flight back home.

The many churches you see, built during
the French Colony.
I'd thought I'll see more temples.

But Vietnam is still considered a communist country.
Certainly didn't know that until I came home.

Spot the Flying Rice ;)

I'd say, it was an adventure just crossing the roads here. I mean, talk about 100 bikes that do not follow traffic rules, its simply crazy. But, I wouldn't miss the traders at the market with their cheeky antics. I would miss the mouth watering food, and the crazy taxi rides on the road.

But, Vietnam was something different I guess :) I did enjoy it.

muchlove