Not Far from Heart.

Recently I find myself grinning or laughing alone when I read posts on Facebook written in the very localised Malay slang. I know slangs are bad for any types of languages and as much as acronyms are bad as well! I have a few very close Malay friends and so I could "decipher" the special language that most people; even Malaysians couldn't. I've been trying my best to infect a friend with the slang for this two months. I know most people were not familiar with the slang because they didn't grow up listening or speaking it.

I find it amusing because firstly, it is widely spoken and written. Though not contained in the ever-expanding Kamus Dewan (most of you would've owned one, but not me); the slang is widely used and developed its own acronyms no thanks to the creation of SMS. Secondly, the seemingly rude words became tame with the slang. Shockingly true. Lastly, speaking these words make me feel multi-cultured. Most people expect me to pick up British slang once I study in the UK but no. You may develop a new slang over time and choose to stick with it; but I prefer to speak American English and continue to develop my local slang.

Being abroad now, I feel homely whenever I came across these slangs. I reminisce the times when me and my good friends would converse in Bahasa and English depending on the situation. Sometimes you have to switch to the correct type of language to add the drama to your gossips. How I miss them... and I'm glad one of them is going to join me in the UK this September.

That's the End.

I don't understand how some people can just be so unpredictable. One second there they'll be agreeing to everything I've said then another, the freaking time bomb in their mind just goes off and soon they're condemning my words. I couldn't get an explanation out of this phenomenon. I know it's hard to digest what I'm saying right now but the fact is some people just HATE the fact that someone else is happy.

It's because I'm close with you that why I share my stories but I don't know what kind of mentality was it that cause the backlash. Jealousy, maybe? I admit I'm not perfect but instead of listening to my stories then lashing out you could've just advised me to have less fun and be serious in the first place. Don't agree then disagree. It's annoying and the truth is, I grow to know you as a stranger now so thank you very much.

Dreaming.

I'm still filled with excitement since yesterday's conversation with some friends. First, my old high school mate made me so jubilant because of the little details that she spotted in the videos that I showed her. I was talking to her about the old telenovelas that we watched on television during high school especially the ones by Gabriela Spanic with twin roles evil sister-innocent sister acts. My friend spotted that the same third party aka. husband-stealer for both telenovelas was the same WOMAN. Oh the stereotypes they played in soap operas. Great spot there, and your ability to hum through the song nonchalantly made me laughed my head off!

Then my client came online and told me about her good news. Just read her blog and saw it posted there... basically all I could think at that moment of time was asking her to make the trip to UK this winter. Excitement built up and I got lost in the conversations forgetting my role as her manager. Dear me, wake up!

I got a little too excited, so I went to bed early. But I forgot to eat proper dinner thus waking up at weird hours eating and chatting again. Stalked Facebook for awhile and saw my friend praising 24Herbs' music and she commented that she never thought HK produces this kind of music. Was happy for awhile until I read some other comments on YouTube comparing 24Herbs to FAR EAST MOVEMENT. What the heck? Oh those ignorant comments and nobody cared to shut them up. 24Herbs is a group of artists with calibre and previous success. It's just that Conroy with his crazy ideas decided to start producing music with Mr. Ghoststyle and other rappers. Anyways, thank goodness for this following video which made me laugh because of that silly Conroy again.

Looking for the Sun.

It's June already and it's still quite cold here. I remember how the heatwave and crazy pollen-filled atmosphere ruined my perfect spring/summer. I hope the sun will really come out and shine!!! Feel like having a trip down to Alton Towers and experience the theme park adventures; only when the sun is out though. Get so tired and sick of the rainy weather... poor red Converse of mine always get victimized by the weather because those are my to-go-for shoes in bad weather. My Lady's All Star is still sparkling white tucked away safely in the corner.

I had a rather interesting conversation with my friend the other day during her visit to Manchester to save a very miserable me. Almost 12 hours together, just lots of food and tea down our throats. We hung out in the dim sum restaurant for like 3 hours!!! We just have so much to talk about because of our common interests. Then, we talked about how some are easily embroiled in scandals while others (like us) managed to elude themselves from the trouble. She came out with the "putting yourself out there in the market" theory just like when there's a bait, fish are likely to take the bait. I created a better term for it: "open for business or closed for business". She shrieked in disgust... it sounded like some brothel business.

So when she went to the toilet (drank too much cha during tea time); I snatched her Blackberry from the other end of the table and fraped (Facebook-raped) her. I'm unsure if her friends who liked the status actually understood what the status meant, but it was surely funny. And the best part; she didn't realized that she had been fraped for 3 times until after-dinner. I'm really glad to have a friend for support when the bad times come and always there to answer my distressed calls. As I'm always there to answer hers.





On another note, maybe I should really put the the closed for business sign up clear.

I really appreciate the smiley face and the discounts/free food all but there is no easy way of saying this.

Out of Touch with Reality.

I haven't been keeping up with radio music and I've just learned about this group called Far East Movement lately. The name itself sounds very Asian and upon checking, wow they're a quartet of Japanese, Korean and Chinese guys. And I finally get the thing about "fly like a G6" that people have been saying to me... it's their song.

The music they make is not really my cup of tea. I get quite sick with all the electro-auto tune type of music that will.i.am popularized. Now I get what's going on with the fad and obsession with Korean culture in the US. Even the new MTV reality show is called K-Town:

My goodness is this a new culture or am I just being to overtly judgemental and conservative?

Just Because.

Browsing through the news sites today at wee hours in the morning after a long marathon of online gaming; top news sprouted out from the sites are all in concern with the devastation in Missouri after the series of tornadoes. The tornadoes ripped the city apart; people are still missing, homes and properties are gone but in those pictures I don't see people crying neither do they show any signs of giving up. They went into their homes, picked up the pieces, go around meeting people and see how others are doing. I am amazed by their spirit. When New Orleans was struck with Hurricane Katrina 6 years ago, the city once famous for party scenes (I learned that from the Tony Hawk game) became a total wreck. It is still slowly recuperating from the disaster but the New Orleans people are tough and they still live on with their lives instead of waiting around for aid. I mean, most of these people are used to the carefree, slacker lifestyle and for them to pick up from the rubbles... simply unbelievable.

Life is fragile isn't it? You can never know when disaster will strike, down with sickness, accidents to happen... the list goes on. Everytime these things happen, my parents will be reminding how lucky I am and how I need to be grateful for living a relatively comfortable life so I shouldn't really complain so much or ask for more luxury in life. Truth be told, I could only be grateful for like one day or more then I'll revert to the greed I have in my heart. I tried to make sense out of this seemingly paradoxical feeling but in the end I just give up knowing I'll give in to what my heart suggests.

Recently, I gave a long hard thought to the reasons why I do the things I do despite knowing better. Oh, it's simply because I'm in a position to do so. It's like some people will say: "Oh she's rich what... buy branded stuff only." It's not because the person should save up money like others but because he/she is in a position to do so; the question is why not? Similarly, people are all studying hard for exams, some would not do so but still they do very well in exam. They can afford not to study simply... they're in a position to do so. They're smart and they don't have to stuff knowledge into their heads just because most people do that. I know it is hard to group these things together; I mean, money vs studies, right? But then what I meant to exemplify from these situations is that given certain situations, people will do what they want to do no matter it is something bad or good; just because they're in the position to do so.

Where One's Heart Belongs.

Everyday when I wake up from bed I think of home. I miss everything in Malaysia and my mum always got me wondering would it be better if I go through the year in Malaysia instead of UK. Truth be told, as much as I miss home I knew deep down in my heart that I have better opportunities in the UK. I wouldn't have the same bravery to try and live on my own when I'm in Malaysia. Heck, I don't even drive out past 9pm. In the UK, I can walk back home alone from the train station at 11pm in the night. Manchester is not the safest place in UK, but at least I know the chances of bad things happening to me is lower than in Malaysia (what a relief). Oh counting down the days till I get home. Less than 2 months now. And this funny conversation in the Facebook made my day:


My mum is in KL now and hanging out with a bunch of Facebook stalkers... she got to see what's going on with my brother especially during his exam period. And... he got caught spamming and fooling around.

Boxes of Fun.

So someone gave me an idea to blog about the number of checkered shirts that I own. Cross-referenced with Stephysiology's Flannel X Plaid: Men’s Clothes Defined. Well I have to say it doesn't just apply to MEN; ladies have their fair share of awesome plaid clothings as well. I have a total of 9 plaids. Not that many.


And here are two of the aliens in my collection of alienated clothings... one very high school prefect-like blue shirt which I got at a very low price at GAP in Cheshire Oak. The baby blue shirt was only £8 from H&M sales.


It's a good thing to own these if you live in country with cold climate like the UK. I usually wear them with a sweater during winter and during spring/summer I can just roll up the sleeves or wear them unbuttoned with plain singlet on the inside. I don't suppose I have to justify myself in the vertical relationship of CMSCE.

You Jump, I Jump. We All Jump Together.

Gone were the days when we just want the time to go faster and we can fast forward through school days. Now, most of us wish that the clock can tick slower and let us take a breather in the very last days of youth. Yes, I'm not that young anymore. Look at this picture. 3 out of the 4 PTS girls. When we took this picture, it was our 10th year after taking a leap year together. Now, it's been 12 years. See, I still don the short hairdo then.

So the next time we're going to take a picture would be the 20th year reunion? I hope not.

Be-ing.

I've started drinking coffee on a regular basis lately. Well, it's because I finally ran out of condensed milk and I was lazy to go shopping. I know the supermarket is just 3 minutes walk from my flat but spending less on unhealthy food is a blessing-in-disguise for my sheer laziness. Coffee has very little effect on me and I do drink strong, dark coffee. Without milk, I drank them black with sugar. Wow, my tastebuds is reintroduced to the watery taste of coffee.

I make them in the morning, keeping the coffee bag for a half-cup by evening. Oh the morning cup of coffee is like some kind of elixir for the enhancement of concentration. I can read and do my work without fail for several hours! Then I'll make brunch and dinner, chat with friends and family online; gaming for an hour or so before taking my half cup of coffee and read again. I hope this lasts... I need it.

So me and my client were chatting away as usual her early bird hours meet my late nights. We have bumped into each other a few times online which was quite spooky the first few times... kind of used to it now. But when we chatted just now we could even think of the same things. Sunday morning and Maroon 5... then:


19 times EPL champions. Sheer luck.

No Direction.

I put Metric's "Fantasies" album on a loop this evening while gaming away. The first song of the album is "Help I'm Alive". Couldn't help but to ponder upon the lyrics. The lead singer of the band actually wrote the song after some soul searching journey in Argentina; kind of related what I was telling a friend. Soul searching and you should go ohm... ohmm... ohmmm...

##If you're still alive my regrets are few
If my life is mine what shouldn't I do?
I get wherever I'm going, I get whatever I need
While my blood's still flowing and my heart's still
Beating like a hammer, beating like a hammer##

Her lyrics are like some kind of modern poem. Strange phenomenons start happening again. Cicadas swarm reappeared and terrorized Southern US after hibernating for 13 years. Southern America was met with tornadoes and serious floods before this. Then strong earthquakes happened in Murcia, Spain. The fragile and helpless me can just watch all these disasters happen one by one; baffled by inexplicable phenomenons and remind myself of 2012.

Help, I'm alive.

The Ringing Bliss.

Oh it's Mother's Day already in Malaysia! Of course in the UK we celebrate two separate dates for Mother's Day. While Hallmark Cards rule the US; in the UK it's Clinton Cards so I have a theory that it is all but a scam to sell more cards. Of course, I meant that as a joke. Mother's Day is always the day I'll shower my mummy dearest with a gift and treat her to a meal outside. Interesting enough, I only start celebrating Mother's Day for real after high school. That's when I really appreciated her effort and what she had sacrificed for her children.

Being the eldest, priority is put on me. I remember my mum making sure that she could fetch me from school and so my brother had to switch to afternoon class; taking the bus to school. Then the tuition timings and everything, my mum will definitely be there 10 minutes before the class started and 10 minutes before class end. Then she had always objected us eating from outside and always cook for us even though it's very hard to cook for a party of 3. When I said I want to go to any restaurant in town to eat she'd object to the idea and scold me. She wouldn't let me join any friends to hang out in the town and though I was not for one who likes loitering around... she was really strict to me.

The amount of strictness went on and on... no magazines (smuggled for 3 years), no VCD/DVDs (till I bought them with my own money), no internet till Form 4, no late night TV (except for Thursday night) and definitely no truancy. Naturally, I rebelled against her commands but not in the extreme manner. Just enough to make her get angry with me daily.

As I grew past the high school years, I realized what she did was for my own good but at the same time I learned although some of her methods were wrong (tyranny); I must learn to appreciate and forgive for she is my only mother. I begin to learn not to argue with her so much as to communicate and explain to her my predicaments in certain issues.



This year is one of the most challenging year yet for me... she was always there to support my decisions and everything I do. I miss talking to her daily and let her nag on. One more week till she goes home and I hope all is good for them there in Indonesia now.

Smell Fish.

My new obsession: Jeremy Wade (the best angler in the world).

I started learning more about fish as I arrived in the UK; for the sake of cooking. Amazingly, it was the "Fishing" action in The Sims 2 that really made me learn more names. I have always wondered how am I going to survive grocery shopping in Malaysia's markets. I cannot even relate the names to their looks! Not just fish but also vegetable! That's the fallacy of supermarkets... buying after you read the labels.

I haven't fished properly in my life even though I grew up frequenting the jungle my dad worked in. Most of his friends there are anglers and hunters. Never thought of joining them though. Anyways, fishing is still not something I'd want to pursue. Especially after watching Jeremy Wade's show... I can imagine myself getting pulled into the water by the fish instead of me pulling them out of water.

This guy's show managed to make me feel eerie. Starting with the number of jumbo catfish he caught then the piranhas... but shockingly he revealed to the world that there are actually fresh water stingray! Not just in the secluded part of the world but in ASIA! They are so huge and actually killed humans *gasp*. Anyways, this week he shocked the audience again by hooking up his first SAWFISH.

Quite a tame fish and this sawfish actually survived both shark and crocodile attacks (living in fresh water).

Not so bad, this week's episode was a total eye-opener and I didn't feel sick to my stomach. Naturally I moved on to another great show, Iron Chef America. Guess what, it was battle fish. Heck, they introduced me to another creepy sea creature; WRECKFISH. My jaw dropped.

Yes, Iron Chef Morimoto was using a chain cutter to deal with the fish!!! The fish was SO HUGE and scary!!! Seeing its white flesh though, made me hungry.

Coming Clean.

Check the calendar. Oh it's been a week plus since I've gotten back from Wales. A week plus since the misery has begun for me. Not so much of misery as I thought it'd be. It's just one week without random coleslaw takeaways from the Domino's pizza located 5 minutes from my flat; no random online shopping sprees and more importantly, surviving the whole ordeal taught me new things.

I can really survive with less than £50 a month (on food). I find my bills a little too excessive? Why do I need two handphones... why do I need higher bandwidth internet... why do I need mobile broadband... Although I put all of them to good (and often, full use), but it's not a reason for me to waste away my hard earned money.

Just to list out the amount of *extreme* loots I've gotten since my PSW visa:

A micro four thirds camera; Panasonic G2.

DKNY's Town and Country handbag (scarf fever)

The one and only Converse All Star Lady edition.

*Another?* pair of Ray Bans; special edition wayfarers.
(bidded it cheap from eBay)

Personalized NikeID futsal shoes.

The watch of my dreams... DKNY ceramic chronograph.

Latest loot before downfall; Panasonic mega zoom camera
(bidded it cheap from eBay)

I was thinking of selling one of these, should my financial problems loom but I knew deep down in my heart I wouldn't; by any chance! I was quite fortunate to have spent like 40% of my salary on non-necessities because if not I'd have more savings in my current account leading to greater downfall! Reason being my bank account is current only; not savings and thus the bastards got to empty my bank account! Wonder when I'll get all my stolen funds back? 3 months? Or more? As long as I get them back I can wait.

Before any of you readers start worrying about me, my parents decided to send me my allowance for September earlier... but no matter how early it would be in mid-May. I have £40 left for 2 more weeks. Can't believe I'm actually going to make it.

Contemplating What and What Not.

I had an interesting conversation with a friend just now... what would you like to know about your future-self if you can see into the future? Being a funny man, he suggested whether he's hitched or not. I was saying he's desperate.

I have thought this through before (I'm a daydreamer) and my answer would be the day that I will die. Knowing the time of your death is my ultimate aim if I can see into the future. That will be THE reason for me to change my lifestyle and lead a meaningful life till the day I meet my end. Being a funny man he was again, my friend said that I will be desperate to live my life to the fullest thus categorizing myself into the desperados genre. Lame statement; indeed, and he agreed so.

I don't necessarily mean living my life to the fullest but to lead a meaningful life. It might come from making a change to the world, having a profound effect on others' lives or even achieving my goals in life. Whatever it might be...

We're all just saying because there is no way anyone can see into the future let alone predicting what's going to happen tomorrow. Till then, you just have to be grateful for having a life to live and try to make the best out of it.

Sooner or Later?

Being a food aficionado, I can't help but to think of creating tasty food without having to splurge at restaurants. Of course it is always a struggle to recreate dishes when you're living alone with no one to cook and try dishes with. Oh how I miss my fellow gluttonous housemate back in Leeds!

I had a wonderful dessert at one of the most overrated pub-restaurant in the UK; The Wetherspoons. Belgian waffle with vanilla ice-cream and maple syrup. This cost me £2.30!!!


I have to admit the real joy of tasting the dessert was the MAPLE SYRUP. When I saw it on the menu I knew right on; that'd be my dessert choice.


One of the best products out of Canada... I really feel like buying a bottle now but I have no real use for it. I don't make pancakes often and the syrup reminds me of waffles.

So...
Should I get a waffle maker as well? For a reason I know when I have a house of my own and a kitchen of my own... this will be on the kitchen counter. If the price is low before I head back to Malaysia next year... I might just get one...

The Bad Times Roll.

The gap year is coming to its most challenging time yet. Yes, monetary problems have finally struck. Not that I overspent... but I fell victim to debit card fraud. Most likely to be the card skimming fraud according to the bank. Although I'm not liable for any of the losses but I'm doomed for this month. My account has been emptied (darn you bastards) and have been effectively suspended pending investigation. I have no methods of obtaining cash at all! All I have with me is £60; just enough for food and bills. Thank goodness for PayPal; I can still pay some bills online.

How do I tell my parents about this? They're going to be worried sick. Both of them must be enjoying each others' company now since my mum will be in Indonesia for almost a month till mid-May. Oh yes, a check on my credit card... valid until May!

See, it's my mum's fault for saying stuff like: "Dear, the credit card is going to expire in May. Any emergencies remember to use it before May okay?"

I was like, mum, how can I spend before emergencies occur? Now I know how...

Well I had only told like 3 friends about this and only one of the three is a friend in UK. I guess there is no point telling others and make them fret about my personal issues when the exam clock is ticking down. So, what should I do when I get past this hurdle? (I know for sure I can live with £30 a month; rent and bills non-inclusive)

The Lost Taste.

A hungry me at midnight is now nothing unusual. Often too common and being the usual good old food enthusiast, I talk about them with my friends. In the recent 2 nights; friends actually went to get supper and leave me facing the laptop screen with the thought of them gobbling down food down their stomach. I haven't been the type to take supper ever since I came to UK. I think I actually took supper for less than 3 times since I came back to Manchester! Rare feat.

So I've been lamenting about not having dim sum and my favorite Japanese cuisine for a month long. It is pretty rare considering the fact that I live 15 minutes away from these restaurants and I haven't been there. The reason? No companionship. In order to enjoy these food, I need good company because the amount I usually order is humongous.

Today is one happy day for me. A friend from Nottingham came over and I finally satisfied my cravings. I ordered so much dim sum today! We had porridge, egg tarts, radish cake, glutinous rice, siew mai, prawn dumplings, fried wantons, char siew paus and prawn cheung fan. Wow 10 dishes and two of us finished them up! Awesome guy!

Then we walked around the city checked out some stores and we actually walked into Manchester City store. Chelsea and Arsenal fans actually went into the store; if caught, I cannot imagine the consequences. Then I was checking out the 16th April Wembley semi-final jersey, a fan actually walked up to us and told us that the date is his birthday. I had to react to it while the fact being my hand held the jersey to check it's quality. Umbro made some pretty shabby jerseys.

A drop at my favorite coffee shop and we talked about some silly A-Level stuff and the cafe started playing Kylie Minogue's concert album. My friend mentioned about the sexy, scandalous video I posted on my client's wall. Oppsss, and I thought not many people saw it. Heck, guys love that kind of stuff, how could I have forgotten?

Lastly, my favorite restaurant... Tokyo Season! Quickly dropped order for my favorite fried oysters, sashimi platter and pork katsudon. Oh the moment of joy as I finally taste the succulent tuna sashimi and how it melted in my mouth... pure satisfaction. Having a person to share the huge platter and also knowing how to enjoy raw Japanese food is really what I need in Manchester. So I have been urging my friend from Sunderland to get a job in Manchester Science Park so she could be the person... oh good things don't come easy. Indeed.

Progressive Loving.

TUESDAY (correction), the final night of Kylie Minogue's concert tour in Manchester. Guess who'll be attending? Of course, YOURS TRULY -again! This time, I'll be in the Splash Zone!

Kylie, what a dance pop icon. Always true to her music and style. I have been listening to her music since young. I can still remember the first song I heard; "Before the Devil You Know" and the music video with upbeat aerobic routines (trademark dance music videos of that era). Then she made me hooked to the music video channel for this wonderfully directed music video of "On A Night Like This":

Her 2011 tour is aptly titled the Aphrodite Les Folies Tour meaning the progression of love tour. It's her love for the music and entertaining the fans that kept her performing over the years. Gosh it's already been 6 years since she battled cancer. Many speculated that this might be her last tour (taking a hiatus afterwards) as the theme for her concert ground is Ancient Greek. The direction of the concert mimicked the last days of a great empire. I hope not.

Guess how much you have to pay to be in the "Splash Zone"?
Freaking £250!!!

I will be sitting right at the back of the standing area; seated. As a big supporter of hers over the years, I cannot believe that I am reaching my 10th concert milestone with hers on Monday. Truly unbelievable. I shall upload the pictures of the concert once I return from it!

Going Gourmet.

I've became a Food Network junkie lately. Haute cuisine is definitely something that I cannot afford but watching the chefs cook have been a total satisfaction. I even idolized a few chefs! Of course, it's not like I'll try cooking the dishes and try to become Randy in South Park!

My favorite chef No. 1: Nate Appleman

When he appeared in Iron Chef America he was rather plump but he was an exceptional chef. So focused and creative... for his age! He has some qualification from the Italian Pizza society or something and he's a true butcher. The way he handled the suckling pig in Iron Chef was crazy incredible! I was watching Chopped: All Stars yesterday and he competed against two other top chefs; Beau MacMillan and Anita Lo. Basically the all stars chefs battled for the top prize of $50000 for the charity of their choice. Everybody was heartbroken when he explained his choice; his son suffered from Kawasaki disease a year ago and so he wanted to donate to the Kawasaki Disease foundation.

Nate sharing Japanese soba with his son.

My favorite chef No. 2: Anne Burrell

Fiery and she can really talk smack, no joking when it comes to cooking. She was trained in classical Italian dishes and could really scare all her opponents. She was Mario Batali's sous chef in Iron Chef America but has also hosted Worst Cooks in America for 2 seasons now. Her group won in both the seasons! All the guy chefs are definitely scared of her as seen in Chopped: All Stars.


I have a bunch of other chefs that I like... say, Jamie Oliver, Giada de Laurentiis and Jose Garces. But there are two chefs you can really pick up recipes from; JAMIE OLIVER and RACHAEL RAY. Both of them have shows for 30 minute meals and the recipes are amazing. However, one thing in common... 30 minutes meals but 1 hour of cleaning up to do.

Creeping Up from Behind.

Time is real sneaky. It slowly creeps up to you and before I know it; April is a few days away! Spring kicks in and then it's time for travelling again! Heck, I'm already booked myself a trip to Leeds on this Wednesday.

Reason to be jolly; The Sims Medieval is out today!

I cannot wait to start playing this! Oh yes, on another note... totally random but interrelated with the medieval tone; there is this new movie called Your Highness.

This film stars James Franco as a Prince in a quest to save his virgin bride (Zooey Deschanel) from the evil wizard played by Justin Theroux. Joining the quest are the Prince's lazy brother acted by Danny McBride and Natalie Portman plays a warrior who accompanies them for the quest. One interesting thing about this movie is that the film is made without a proper script. Everything was improvised and ergo; all the random modern swearing were incorporated into the movie. The movie was filmed in the Scottish Highlands back in summer last year and the scenery are simply breathtaking!

As You Poison Me.

I had just realized that the colour on my blog is quite soothing. Must be the excessive football matches that I have watched today caused severe after-effects to my vision. Hence, no gaming tonight!

I am currently hooked on the KCRW YouTube page... they have really good clips of musicians performing on air for the radio station. One of my favorite:

Jenny & Johnny - My Pet Snakes



Oh the cute couple and their great chemistry when performing together.
As usual the shy bassist remained unseen!

Life has been not good lately. I am deeply affected by the chaos in Libya and the sad natural disasters which struck Japan. I'm glad that my friends in Japan are okay! What a stark contrast of sufferings seen in these 2 countries; one caused by human and another caused by the nature. Haven't we been blessed enough? And the suffering never ends.

CMSCE: Sorry Note.

Guess what? Converse Lady All Star *gasp*

Now someone will have a good excuse to get herself a pair of Converse. CMSCE: Think Alike.

How to Deal?

Oh the big question mark in my head please give me a break. My mum is still overjoyed by the fact that I'm "supposedly" going to head home in 21st June but I'd actually extended my stay until 6th of July... all because of Death Cab for Cutie. She's going to be so disappointed in me but I cannot just give up on my indie mission!

Then, another prolonged secret trip that I have not revealed to her... second trip to Hong Kong one week after our family trip to Macau-Hong Kong. HOW TO DEAL SERIOUSLY?!

One too many times I almost slipped the facts out but I held my words back... still lying. But I've always been such a bad liar and if only she could see the expression on my face she'd knew I was lying.

The truth must come out... okay, by this weekend. (dragging on)

Indie Mission.

I've always had a dream of meeting the my favorite musicians. I have my batch of rockstars-dreamy-husbands namely Our Lady Peace and Three Days Grace. I've always joked that Raine Maida and Adam Gontier are my husbands (even though they're married)... That is how crazy I am. However, it is next to impossible for me to meet both of them because Canadian bands rarely tour UK and Europe... and I don't know why!

So never mind that, I have my own set of favorite indie musicians. Death Cab for Cutie; a band I first start listening to back in 2002. Ben Gibbard is simply a genius and their music influenced the whole US indie rock music scene. Their music are heavily featured in TV series likewise of their band of friends. Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley collaborated with him on his side project, The Postal Service. Jenny's boyfriend, Johnathan Rice was featured as a frequent collaborator for Ben's concert tours. Ben's own wife, Zooey Deschanel is part of the indie folk revival in the US and one-half of She & Him.

When I first came UK... She & Him had one performance in London for their second album. It was my first concert and I had to go alone. I didn't even know I was that brave!!! I travelled to London by noon and returned to Leeds past midnight. It was such an unforgettable experience. Zooey Deschanel and Matt Ward are two amazing musicians!!! And of course, most people who saw my pictures (and know their music) were angry and very jealous at the same time.

I didn't have high hopes of meeting Jenny Lewis -EVER. Rilo Kiley took a hiatus in 2005 and she went solo. She had two very awesome albums but none came out in 2009. Moreover I was already on a high after meeting Tegan & Sara in London... I am so satisfied, I cannot ask for more. I never expected that I would meet the Queen of Indie (in my heart) and front row within 2 metres from her -and her boyfriend, Johnathan Rice of course. It was snowing so heavily in Manchester that night but I braved the storm of snow to attend the gig. I could barely hold my breath after the gig; she's such a rocker! She's such an inspirational person and I really hope to see Rilo Kiley reunite for a new album!

So, I posted this photo on Facebook. My Indie Mission... meeting this bunch of great indie musicians that I have adored over the years. I found out that Death Cab for Cutie is producing a new album due this year but I've never thought that they'd tour with Foo Fighters and thus... COMING TO MANCHESTER!!!

From left: Zooey Deschanel, Jenny Lewis, Matthew Caws, Ben Gibbard and Johnathan Rice.

Death Cab for Cutie: Nick, Ben, Jason and Chris.

Chris Walla is probably the most prominent member of the group besides Ben. He's a producer, music engineer and mixer... not forgetting his role as the lead guitarist in DCFC. He had produced two successful albums for Tegan & Sara; namely The Con and Sainthood. He is also a frequent collaborator with Nada Surf and The Decemberists. All the bands I listen to!!! Isn't it so incredible how they know each other so well and create beautiful music together???

Oh Death Cab for Cutie; I've changed my flight ticket back to Malaysia just for you... I really cannot wait for 4th of July!!!

Plummeting.

My managerial career is going downhill. I bought flight tickets to go on a second trip to Hong Kong with my client because she was going alone. The thing is, I'm going Hong Kong mid-July itself with my parents and the after a week going to the same place again with my client. Of course, the experience would be different and I really look forward to both trips. Then, I'll go on another island trip with my client in August... PHUKET!

The thing is if our Hong Kong trip doesn't work out, she's going to ask me to go by myself on the Phuket Island trip. She's that mean I tell you!

Okay, another reason why my managerial career is getting worse because my clients' behavioural problems start to influence me as well! I'd just splurged on a Panasonic Lumix G2 out of frustration with the Lifehouse's postponed concert!!!

I named him Ceana due to her Scottish roots. Isn't she just so gorgeous?

Okay, so I splurged. And I'm going to do so again in March for something very controversial. You'll know soon.

Post-CNY.

Oh Sara Bareilles, Maroon 5 and Lifehouse next week!!! I'm so excited! I will do a dedications post for both Sara and Lifehouse but only a short one for Maroon 5. My love for the band kind of died after Ryan left the band. And sorry I didn't mean to cause more heartache for you dear CMSC Client #1 who's currently in Bangkok. A spam album will be up soon to welcome you back into Malaysia's soil.

I've been contemplating on returning to Malaysia earlier than July because of the cheaper flight ticket in June. Which means, work harder and accept more article assignments for a promising summer holiday! However, I've been working all week just so I can take the next week off. I'm quite the irregular employee but heck, freelancers are supposed to be carefree and work at your own pace right? My friend from Bristol will be visiting next week and oh heck rumor mills will start working overtime again. I don't know how many times I have to insist this but he is really just a friend; my papa!

Oh yes, before I forget, Happy Birthday to you Client #2 aka. Miss Zookeeper.

Out of the Cold.

I've finally recuperated from the tiring weekend. All the travelling and binge eating wherever I went!!! The amount of junk food I had was crazy; 2 rounds of KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald's and even Subway! My papa in Bristol is truly a lousy papa; kept feeding me with junk!

I had a great time despite the rainy days and oh yes, I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. I spent the day researching for work and talking on the phone with friends. I spent my Tuesday going around the same routine as well. I need to create some new routines now. Been ogling the Tae Kwon Do flyer I received yesterday. Should I or should I not? I mean it's been a long time since I last practiced and my uniforms are at home! Seeing my performance no one would believe that I'm a black belt anymore I'm sure of that!

Anyways, I'm terribly anxious about the Champions League match today between Arsenal and Barcelona. I hope a miracle can happen!!! Just pray for my Gunners okay?

Cross-Referenced: The Mike Fever.

In reference to my Client's blog post: Big Boy X Little Lover: Suddenly Mike Fever; I have created a post purposely to highlight the missing captions in her post.

For those of you who feel lost while reading this post, Mike is actually a character from the Ann Hui directed lesbian/bisexual Hong Kong movie called All About Love. Mike is played by William Chan from the now-defunct boyband New Boy'z. So here are the extras to the dedicated-post by Stephysiology:


Started stalking the cougar of his dream and purposely showed her the box with heart shapes on his shoulder.


Anita, the cougar; clearly rebuffed by his gestures while he kept his boyish smile on.


After hearing Anita's story about Macy, he went blur for a second...
and said: "But Macy's a female name..."

To which Anita replied with: "When did I say Macy's a guy?" and thus the expression above.


The stalking continued with him working as a waiter/chef at a sandwich stall; to the extent of preparing heart-shaped sandwiches for her while her other cougar co-workers looked on.


Trying to act smart by guessing (correctly) that Eleanor's a lesbian
with Anita looking on cynically because the bomb has yet to be dropped...


He thought of chasing after Anita and Macy on the overheard bridge but stopped when Eleanor offered to treat him a drink... SEX ON THE BEACH cocktail.


I wouldn't say that this is a really good movie but the issues discussed in the movie are worth pondering upon especially in the typically conservative Asian culture. Moreover, there are a lot of surprising cameos and the script is really engaging. If these factors still fail to attract you... well there is William Chan (for the ladies) and Vivian Chow (for the guys)...

The Second from Abroad.

Oh my room feels so empty now after my friends from Aberystwyth had left. The last weekend was absolutely amazing. I had met a bunch of wonderful people and what a great time despite the crazy weather. It rained for the whole day in Manchester; typhoon-strong wind in Leeds but we were rewarded with the nice sun in Chester. The worst was the wind in Leeds... we were almost blown away and had to hang on to a post! Then there were people taking pictures of us from inside of their car... how embarrassing!

I had cultural revival this Chinese New Year thanks to the influence of my new friends. Learned many new things from them and I was amazed by their reunion dinner.


They created fancy Chinese New Year themed names for their dishes!!! Really amazing!

I was not excluded from trying to be festive as well... I had themed nails! Take note of my advice... never EVER paint your nails under the incandescent light. The colours looked different! I mistook the pink for orange and to my horror; the supposed mandarin orange looked anything but orange. Comments include:

• Caterpillar?
• Strawberries?
• Devilish oranges?

As my friend said: "AHAHAH FAIL CARLY FAILLLLL"

No Haste.

I had quite a bad sleep last night despite the fact that I dozed off very early; at 11pm. Highly unusual and I bet those of you who know me well would agree to that. My right arm was aching badly and I finally "cracked" it back in place at 6am in the morning.

I experience this strange phenomenon; whenever I wake up and I go back into sleep; my brain doesn't rest and dreams haunt me. I will either sleep through the alarm clock or wake up even more tired! So, I had a great dream (sort of) this morning. A great idea for my short story. A little shocking that I had this dream from a third person's view but heck, I will need to check my facts before start writing! I suppose it is also quite controversial but let me just do the draft first and the see how the story fares.

Oh yes, let me introduce you to my new collection:


I hail Virginia Woolf as the Queen of Short Stories. I remember reading Mrs. Dalloway in high school but now, I can stop reading the ebook and flip the pages of her works for real. Too bad they didn't include The Voyage Out in this collection of works. This book is a little too thick to travel with but I am quite sure that I wouldn't need to bring it around. Bet I'll be finished with this before I travel to Bristol. I've had this for like 4 days? And I'm already halfway through A Room of One's Own.

Kick the Winter Blues with February.

February is a very exciting month for me. First, most job applications will be replied this month. Secondly, I had many plans materializing. Thirdly, my chance to see Sara Bareilles, Maroon 5 and Lifehouse! Still pondering on The Go! Team gig but I think I will leave that out. Oh I can't wait for the weekend to begin it's going to be so much fun!

Plan 1: Chinese New Year Weekend in Manchester
Activities will be held in the Chinatown Manchester and these include dragon dance along the main street (quite a stretch), lion dance, traditional dances and martial arts performances! Not forgetting, meeting up with some friends from Aberystwyth and DIM SUM... 1 month worth of wait!

Plan 2: Leeds & Chester
Going to bring a Vietnamese friend to visit Leeds. Hopefully can see my junior recuperate from her tragic fall injury. Going to Hyde Park and Clarence Dock with another friend to Lomo... Barburitos and Mexican Restaurant calling for my name! Then Chester on the following day... kind of a gorgeous medieval Roman town with their famous parks and the Chester Row. Hope we get enough time for a boat ride.






Plan 3: Bristol and Bath & Stonehenge
Kind of long overdue but yes, I will finally go Bristol for a short stay. And finally, going to visit the famous Roman Bath and Stonehenge. Lomo at Stonehenge baby!






Plan 4: CONCERTS!
Going to see Sara Bareilles opening for Maroon 5... Maroon 5's final tour in UK before disbanding! And not forgetting, my childhood all-time favorite LIFEHOUSE on the next day itself! I am really anticipating the Lifehouse concert. They've been such a big influence in my life!

Plan 5: Hull
This place has been eluding me for a long time but hopefully the plan falls into place once my friend confirmed his status with me. Going there for a day trip, visit some old friends and juniors. Some typical sightseeing and Lomo-ing.


Guess February is like a great start to spring for me. And I definitely enjoy the company of my baby Melia...

Should be Untitled.

It is great to be called a hypocrite because then you can act like a total hypocrite. I have engaged myself in a love-hate relationship with the word hypocrite because I do care what others say of me and I know how I can be too assertive sometimes. I prefer the word hate rather than dislike or disdain. Kind of a strong signal and hard to retract most of the times. However, looking at this again, I realized it's not a good thing because then, people will not trust my judgment calls! Oh what a dilemma. Best bet, really think thrice before speaking.

So, when I voice my opinions; sometimes without thinking twice... it is really hard to swallow my pride and go in the opposite direction. Another good reason to be misunderstood as a bigoted hypocrite. I can now take back my words and act like nothing happened. Truth is, sometimes I really don't care how others view me. It's like a social nirvana to me as I seriously cannot give a damn about what people think about me. The key is, tend not to think too much and overlook menial things in life. This is how misunderstandings grow deeper and I can only pray that they will be resolved over time. If not, oh well... it's just not meant to be.

What I'm trying to say is, try to place weight on the things that matter in your life and what should worry you more. People love you for who you are and if they don't, why bother changing for them when it only cause you to suffer? I hope less drama arises in life because I love my life in solitude.

Rollin' the Ball into 2011.

Maybe I was a little too passive about 2011. God has His own ways of making me open my eyes and be more open-minded. I really don't expect much from this year but now I have reasons to welcome it.


This is the first surprise of the year. Three UK although bashed and crudely remarked by many; I found it highly reliable and they offer very competitive pricing. Best of all, their customer service is so helpful. Unlike Vodafone which even charge customers for calling customer service and thanks to their major screw up I paid £4 for the last phone call!!!

So, Three offered me a new Samsung netbook for being a loyal customer and hoped that I'll continue their mobile broadband service for a year. What a steal! This is a really powerful netbook; the Samsung N145 Plus. The battery life awed me... 7 freaking hours!

My January paycheck was spent on this. The Diana F+ with Edelweiß lens. I named it Melia; something German to commemorate the limited edition lens. My last analog camera was like 11 years ago? During the big flood in estate on my BIRTHDAY. Will try to dig up the pictures when I get home.

I have always been fascinated with Lomography but I simply had no time to indulge in it. Now, at a very fair price I got my baby Melia to chronicle my year. You have to start loving and stop hating now, Carly Yap. Embrace the world.





Peace out.

The Debacle Continues...

I told myself not to divulge too much in political topics. They are simply too stressful and the debate goes on and on... so I made a conclusion 2 years ago; politics is simply too dirty and I'm not going near it. That to say, many court cases are politicized back in Malaysia and the recent one includes the coroner's decision in Teoh Beng Hock's accidental death inquest. Everyone kept echoing the words:

OPEN VERDICT

It means that the court could not decide what caused the deceased death and left the case open as it once was; like 2 years ago. Legally, blame could not be placed on either party and left it inconclusive. As many would know, public interest plays a key part in legal proceedings. The power of the public could even influence the Parliament decisions in making legislation. This is called democracy as well.

So the decision is a controversial one you see; the public interest in this case is simply too vast. Global news have been reporting on this case and once OPEN VERDICT was given; public outcry ensued and the video of Teoh's sister sobbing uncontrollably outside the court accompanied by Gobind Singh quickly circulated the internet. This led to even bigger exposure of the case and our Prime Minister to react to the decision personally. A Royal Commission of Inquiry is set to take place.

It has always been a problem with Malaysia to politicize everything. Teoh was a political figure; MACC is a government body and the rest is left for you to ponder. But, if you think about this case, it's not Teoh's unexplained death that only matter; what about the misconduct of the MACC officers in Teoh's wrongful questioning?

MACC could've created a code of conduct or fire those officers in question but they don't because these actions would place the "blame" on them in regards to Teoh's death. But come on, seriously, we're all living in a civilized world... as if we cannot think better?



EDIT: As new information surfaced regarding to our Prime Minister's reply that the Royal Commission is going to look into whether Teoh Beng Hock's basic human rights have been infringed by MACC. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE. Wait for the public outrage. Just wait.