how true

hmmm, we all know too well about the long, endless and frequent meetings ... so someone remarked today, that when we have meetings, MINUTES are taken, but HOURS are lost..... how true.... how true.....

Global leadership summit 2008

I was extremely privileged to be apart of the recent Global leadership summit, which ran from 27th –28th Oct, 2008. It was an astounding and successful summit, which has drawn many people – new and old members alike to this yearly event.

The Global leadership discuss about the current leadership challenges, attributes to adopt and important lessons to learn as leaders. It spurs us on in our commitment to leadership development and growing the spirit of servant hood.

Many exciting experiences and valuable lessons were learnt from these wonderful speakers:
1) Bill Hybels (Pastor of Willow Creek Communte Church) – taught lessons on being passionate about empowering leaders to transform communities.
2) Gary Haugen (Founder and President of International Justice Mission - a human rights agency that rescues victims of violence, sexual exploitation, slavery & oppression) – he taught lessons on being brave and courageous in the face of challenges and how God is in perspective and in Him we shall not worry but shoulder on!
3) Brad Anderson (CEO for “Best Buy”) – from him, we learnt a great deal about treating subordinates as family, respecting and valuing each one of them which in return will generate growth to the business.
4) Efrem Smith (Senior Pastor of The Sanctuary Covenant) – he taught much about leading in a rich cultural environment which transcends race and socioeconomic divides.
5) Craig Groeschel (Senior pastor of LifeChurch.tv ) – who inspire us to create and keep the illusive “IT” (“IT” made me wonder…. So I bought the book to discover some more...)
6) Bill George (Professor at Harvard Business School and founder of Medtronics)
- who defines the new 21st Century Leadership styles (Align, Empower, Serve and Collaborate), instilling the traits of successful leaders and keys to developing authentic leaders.
7) Catherine Rohr (CEO and founder of Prison Entrepreneurship Program) – who sacrifices her time and finances to restore hope in the life’s of the inmates by building a program that will make them self-sufficient upon their release. Her’s was a model story about sacrifical giving..... just like our Lord Jesus Christ.

Truly blessed with these sharing.
Personally, I thought it was a great reminder for leaders today on what a privilege it is to be called by God and to be used by Him to impact lives. The sessions stretched our minds, broaden our horizons and pushed us just a little bit more to excel in our given ministries.
Looking forward to the event again next year.

fancy bike

Caught this when I was in Seremban earlier today....a real fancy bike (bordering weirdness actually) .... couldn't believe it at first, those are actual decorations fixed on the bike....
it's amazing how some would compromise safety for a fashion statement....

a beautiful sight

I saw this up in the sky today... a very beautiful rainbow. It's a big & colourful rainbow, smiling over the blue skies. It has been a long time since I have seen one and I thought it's such a treat...

On the road

Whoah....almost got into an accident on my way back from work last Fri! A car just swerved into my lane without the signal lights on at all! Wah… really irritated by these inconsiderate people on the road.... anyway, I really don’t understand :
* how some of these people enjoy cutting lanes – toll lanes some more ! Is there a certain thrill of deliberately switching lanes at the very last minute? Wanna see real examples? LDP toll every morning without fail…sigh …
(Worst still, some went to a SMART TAG lane and realized that they only have cash!)
* Turning without signaling – my friends, there are reasons for those sticks to be installed !!!
* Taxi drivers stopping suddenly to pick up passengers …. Mind you they stop everywhere, but the taxi stands….I could not count the times I had my near misses with them.
* And if we do let anyone pass us first, please have the courtesy to acknowledge our kind gesture, perhaps lifting your hands or flash a smile…. Don’t act as if you have the right to go first and others have to give way to you….
* Switch on the car lights when it’s dark or when it’s raining! ….it's really dangerous for us all if you don't, coz you will be "invisible".
* But, please don’t on the hazard lights when it's raining!! Hazard lights are meant for stationery cars ….
* Please don’t throw your rubbish out of the car windows …. The extent of damage to the car behind you will depend on the speed of your car and the size of the rubbish you threw out!
* Double parking !!! It’s a BIG BIG sin. Park where you are supposed to and don’t hoard the road…
* Rolling down your windows, driving at a tortoise’s pace while smoking a cigarette.....and the whole world waits behind you in a long queue. Please...you don't own the road, get a move on.
* Speeding !! The road is not a race track – 2 words: Speed Kills.

Govt efforts are futile. Couple of years back they were penalizing errant drivers with demerit points... Whatever happened to that now? Is anyone keeping track of our points?
Let’s learn to respect each other on the road, hopefully we can become more courteous drivers then.

aisey man......

I am writing this at 1.20 on a Thursday morning, while waiting for my office emails to replicate to the server. this is one of those nights that i was plain stupid, answering a call after office hours and got myself stuck with this..... aisey man.... got to think positive... think positive... think positive....

El Sanctuary

There's a place called El Sanctuary in Alor Gajah, Malacca where I've had the privilege to visit last month. You'll need to really know where to turn off from the main road cause you might miss it if you are not paying attention to the road signs. The place was famously situated on top of Holy Ghost Hill, or they call it in Malay, "Bukit Hantu".

This place was wonderfully built to give you a sense of back-to-the-nature-feel.
The wooden chalets are built on strong, tall stilts, like the "kampung houses" and hidden among the thick, green trees. At night, it is super cooling and if you are a light sleeper, you will probably be awaken in the middle of the night with the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind.....


The hospitality was overwhelming. Friendly hosts prepared awesome home-cooked meals for us (see pics above and you'll know what I mean). Even the dogs (i counted about 5 of them) will roam freely and follow you around, sort of like guardians, overseeing us during our stay... so we dont loose our way, trip and fall, etc.

I was pleasantly surprised too, at how the place was decorated. They have the most creative and ingenius way of decorating the place. For instance, using huge flower pots as water basins. You've got to see it to believe it..... They have very nice ambience in the dining hall too, with lovely lightings and jazzy smooth music played throughout our meals.

It was a wonderful thing that the church introduced this place to us for our retreat where we reflect upon our lives , brainstorm ideas and bond together as a family. It's also great for young people who are adventurous and want to experience a little bit of nature. Also perfect for church camps, youth camps, etc. El sanctuary has got all the hall facilities ready.

If anyone wants to get there, let me know. Think one of my friends have loaded the coordinates in the GPS, so should not have any trouble finding the place anymore. El Sanctuary, anyone?

Getting back on track

I missed my LIFE! I miss my gym, my shopping sprees, my books, my quality time with my loved ones, my friends (some claim I’ve gone AWOL for the last 6 months) , oh, and my blog & facebook … whatever happened to me during the last 6 months?

WORK ! WORK ! WORK and MORE WORK! New job has taken its toll on me. So tied up with work, that I lost my radar for a bit there. It crept in subtlety. Began innocently with checking emails at home at night and weekends, then you see some urgent emails (by now, believe me when I say, all emails are always urgent!) and had no choice but to reply them. Which leads, of course, to completing quotations and proposals in the late night and over the weekends. Before I know it, my nights and weekends are gone and I had merely the energy to crawl into bed, have a quick shuteye before starting the merciless cycle again the next day. It didn’t help at all, that I had tenders almost every month to complete, which inadvertently means late night proposals, countless long hours in front of the laptop, rushing around to compile proposals, necessary docs, attending last minute clarification sessions…– what madness! Exhilaratingly challenging, but what do I get in return? A new coffee-drinking habit and dark circles under my already-puffy eyes, …. what a way to go, gal….

I need to get back on track, take control once again of my life and steer myself out from this abyss of work stress. I picked up these STRESS BUSTERS and hope they’ll help me to overcome the pressure and stress and lead me to a healthier lifestyle:

1) Plan my time well
I’ve got to learn to say NO to work after 8pm and over the weekends and especially during my off days and Public Holidays. There's more to life than just work.

2) Show my emotions
Got to learn to express my thoughts and emotions, ie if I am overburdened and overloaded with work, should talk to my bosses about it. Of course, EQ very important here cause I wouldnt want my bosses to think I am being creative at asking for a sack.

3) Exercise regularly
Head back to gym again and trade in this overworked self for a healthier self.

4) Rest & Relax
Take a breather, chill out, watch some Stephen Chow comedy.
Maybe even plan a holiday or two in the next couple of months.

5) Sleep well
Is the bible rule at least 8 hours of sleep a day? That’s good.. really good…. Will naps take into account? Hmmn…have to work on this luxury…

6) A Stress Free Diet
This supposedly increases my body defence system against stress! So I have to start eating lots of nutrients like fruits, vegetables and fibres. Er, is the famous cheese fibre cake by Secret Recipe considered nutritious fibre-rich food? Wouldn't mind having that for every meal....

7) Vitamins and supplements
Ah, cod liver oil is the answer…..

Well, with these pointers, hopefully I get to see the new me in the next couple of months… and my friends get to see more of me too! Wish me success.

Penang = Food

I was in Penang just last week for meetings with my customers. The city was as vibrant as usual and abuzz with the recent hype about GeorgeTown! With its recent inscription as UNESCO’s World Heritage site, the city has alas, gained recognition in the face of the world as one rich in cultural and historical legacy. So, naturally all the Penangites were basking in their new found glory!

Penang, to me is essentially about FOOD. I caught up with an old friend of mine there, and together we feasted on the ikan panggang (grilled fish), char-kuey teow and some ais kacang. Ah, delicious! Though kinda disappointed with the ais kacang…..very small atapcee, very hard red beans, no groundnuts …The ingredients were not as generous as the one found at my fave stall in Kepong old Parkson lane...... Then, there was the crispy pancake (I think it’s called apam balik in Malay) with groundnut and corn fillings. Surprise! Surprise! Besides corn and groundnuts, they have a variety of fillings to choose from - chocolate, strawberry, cheese and even chicken floss filling! Ooh, yummy! Also, it’s common that the curry mee in Penang is served to the brim in coconut milk, and the curry paste is given separately to you….. hmmn, very interesting.... but tasted really good!

Although it’s common nowadays to have Penang food in KL, but admittedly, not even anywhere close to the price in Penang. We could still find char siew wantan mee (sweetened pork noodle) at MYR2.50 only! Don’t think we can still find that in KL anymore…..

Hope to explore more Penang food in my next trip….. anyone, got any recommendations on what to try next? {Besides the Penang Prawn mee, Asam laksa and Mamak Mee rebus}

Yey, happy days!

One of the best things about weddings is the reunion among friends. Ah, those things we talked about, they’re just the nicest things of all!! Just recently, I caught up with my old school mates and reminisce about the good old days. One that always brings back much laughter and fondness was the growing up with my badminton kaki- group! We were in form 2 and being crazy about badminton, we wanted so much to play “real” badminton. By “real” means, having a court, a net, real “feathered” shuttlecocks and a super light racquet (not those wooden racquets)!
But, back in the early 90s , the badminton courts were scarce, and being students, we don’t have the means to rent the courts. So, we played at an alley between 2 houses just right opposite my house. That, became our faithful court for the next 4 years.

We played throughout our SRP and SPM years. Shared much jokes and tales along the way. We met boys, who wanted to join us, simply because they were curious about how we four gals were so darned committed to get together every Saturday for a good game. Sometimes the group got so big - almost up to 10 people, and we all had to take turns playing doubles. But, still at times when others failed to show up, we faithful four, always managed to get together come rain or shine!!!

Looking back, it was awesome how a simple court could bind us so much. Thank God for those treasured memories. To Grace (my loyal doubles partner), Joyce and my sis, thank you for these wonderful times of laughter, lessons about commitment and about living passionately! (and of course, honing of my badminton skills, too!) . Long live the badminton kaki’s !!!

Get your dream job…

I've always wondered about the irony of this tagline …… is there really such a thing called a “dream” job? The tagline has been used everywhere by colleges, promising the “dream” job that you want if you enroll in certain courses, or even by seminars or conferences that promises to equip you with skills to garner your “dream”job. Some even went further to advice you to leave the conventional 9-5 jobs and pursue bigger dreams….

Yeah, everyone knows that when somebody claims they’ve landed their “dream” job, that plainly means, they get an incredibly good pay and perks, a credible status in the company and a BIG car to drive around! But, does it always equate to material rewards?
Some interesting people I know disagree, saying that their dream job will be to do something that they’ve always wanted to do regardless of the monetary reward and social status. Their dream job is something creative, something out-of the box that they’ll probably not do if they choose to be confined within the four walls of society. Example, a certified accountant becoming a fashion buyer. Or a chemical engineer turned tap dancer and voice-over freelancer! Most acknowledged that pursuing their dream jobs could mean forfeiting their education background, certification and financial security.

Some, on the other hand, claimed that their dream job is to have flexible hours.

So, I guess it goes down to what motivates you? What inspires you? What is rewarding to you? See if you’ll be lead by passion or by the pressures of society. I really don’t know…. like everyone else, I am still on my quest to find my dream job.

The "BAD-dest" teacher

I believed I have caused a permanent damage to my popularity among the children during Sunday School. No child will love a teacher who disciplines, who tells them what they can or cannot do….. sigh… and that was precisely what I did last Sunday.

The children were misbehaving. During our song session, some were sitting in a corner sulking, some were lying and even rolling on the floor and some were, well, plain busy poking their friends and making silly faces. I know I shan’t be too hard on them, lest I take the joy out of singing from them. After all, they are still children. But, that Sunday, I thought that it’s high time they are reminded about worship and learn a little respect for the house of God.

So, instead of the usual medal giving ceremony after the song session, I told them that there are no medals this week because most of them were misbehaving. I reminded them the importance of paying attention, and why we are singing the songs. Then, I opened up a container filled with sweets and told them that if they think they deserved a sweet - which means they were well behaved- they can come forward and take some sweets for themselves. All were silent. They all stared at me wide-eyed. A few turned sad. The boys rolled their eyes! The older children looked a bit sheepish. But, not one dared to come forward to claim their sweets. Then, one girl started sniffling and got all teary eyed! Oh, my! It was then, I officially became the “bad-dest” teacher of all. ….

A new dilemma dawns…. Should I be nice next week? Or still be strict to instill some discipline? Ah, a tough choice……

I missed this.....

Speaking of children’s books, I’ve missed a very outstanding one. It's “Winnie-The-Pooh”! I have to admit, I was ignorant to this lovable yellow bear all these years and only just recently discovered that Winnie-The-Pooh is a “He” ! Yikes…. !

Hmmn, I wonder what other children’s books have I missed out?

"Boy" & "Going Solo"

I found an interesting “treasure” during my last trip to Gold Coast. It’s not something shiny nor pretty, but something that brings back good childhood memories. Ta da! I found 3 of Roald Dahl’s book in a market! Yeah, sis! What a find! I found “Boy”, “Going Solo” and “Matilda” !! Hooray!! What’s the fuss about these books, you’ll ask? Well, a sure treat to some fans like me (and my sis), but an utter nonsense to those who are living in oblivion to who this great man was.

Roald Dahl was a wonderful writer. Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he tells of his colourful life. In “Boy” we’ll catch glimpses of his childhood and in “Going Solo”, an eighteen year old Roald had his bizarre adventures in Africa while attached to Shell for assignments and later on in the army. His other much better known books are “ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach”. But “Boy” and “Going Solo” remain as my all time favourite.

I enjoyed Roald Dahl’s adventures when he was young as described in “BOY”. He has the most out-of-the-world experiences! Mischievous and brave, he was kind of an alter ego that I wished I could be. He invented goat tobacco, put dead rats in candy jars, almost had his nose cut off in a car accident, had his gallant yet defiant years in a boarding school and of course, his infamous encounters with discipline. You’ll love his vivid description of the caning emitted by his headmaster - you can literally feel yourself getting caned too! :)

Some well-meaning souls have asked if I was going through my second childhood by reading these books? Heck, if there are evergreen songs, then these are evergreen books! I simply loved reading them. Besides, it’s a great way to de-stress. Hmmn…who knows? Maybe after this, I’ll search for these gems for a re-read…..Anne of Green Gables, the entire collection of The Adventures of Tin Tin.........

Pricey! Pricey! Pricey!

Ah, the cost of living has skyrocketed! Now, with my humble 1.3 Iswara, a full tank cost about RM100+ instead of the usual RM70+. A monthly petrol expenses now will go up to RM400-500 easily! Not only fuel prices has gone up, food, electricity will be following suit, too…. adding on to our very burdened world already….

Ironically, the govt is trying to be nice to us in all these. They’re off to set excellent examples. Ministers have been warned to cut costs for their entertainment expenses, some state MPs got their allowances reduced, etc. Well, for us, the citizens, after the fuel price increase, there came along a quick succession of rebate claims for Road Tax. Then, promises of reviewing the toll rates…. where is the logic in all these? A 5 year old kid will tell you it is a superficial gesture and a futile attempt to comfort us.

Maybe most of the apologetic citizens here will think that “Hey, not bad, the govt is trying their best to ease the increase.” “Giving the rebates is a wonderful gesture by the govt!” Oh, dear! Lest you know how the govt got us (faithful tax payers) into this mess in the first place, may be, we will be less obligated to thank the govt.

Yes, fuel price is increasing everywhere around the world. Yes, it’ll be increasing again, probably even in the next 2 months. The Govt has reduced its fuel subsidies and passed the buck back to us – which results in a 41% increase of OUR expenses! Now, ever wondered how the govt “spent our precious money without so much of an economical justification?

Silly but true (“Pelik tapi benar”) instances will be the RM500 mio Sports Complex in UK ! Another RM17 mio for the right to host a World Youth soccer tournament, and a RM50 mio to send a tourist into space. It’ll break our hearts to go on further…..
Truth is, govt could have, in it’s wise and prudent manner, spend necessarily and on productive projects only and save that amount to subsidize us on our essentials.

The poor will enjoy a relief with the rebates, the rich hardly feels the pinch, and the working class for people like me? Well, all I can say is, these are vicious times… as Sam Hui, very acutely wrote, act and sang a song about the working class ..… “ngo tei ee pang ta kong jai...” .

The Big Mouth Group

“Super fun time!”

That’s how I’ll describe the Talent Time night last Sunday.
All the church campers had a rolling good time with our group’s lively performance.
Our husbands danced sportingly on the stage. Hey, they deserved every praise here, for sacrificing their ego to expose their not-so-in-shape bellies! When the music ended, they took down their “hats” and were greeted by a wildly cheering crowd! How satisfying it was, to know that the crowd enjoyed the show tremendously! Yeah, man! We’ve brought the house down!!

We all put in a lot of effort and hard work in the preparation of the costume. We searched for carton boxes, bought coloured papers for decoration purposes, bought mops to make hairs, and all the nitty-gritty stuffs. The wives helped with lots of cutting, gluing, preparing the wind breakers, gloves, makeup… so much work to do in such little time, but we were all doing it with such a spirit of unity, that the preparation went smoothly and speedily. Even, practice took place just the night before our camp! So, it was truly, the good understanding that we have for each other, that made it as good as it was.

From the wives of these courageous belly-exposing men, “We Love You!!! You are our Heroes!!!”

And, Oh, by the way, we won the first prize for the Talent Time Competition!! Hip hip hooray!!!

Ill over the weekend

It was most unfortunate that I was ill the entire camp weekend. As a camp committee, I was so anxious, upset and worried that I may not be able to carry out my responsibilities well when I am ill, especially for the big night – the Talent Time night on Sunday.

I caught a fever on Friday, which, after much coconut water, “yong sum so” drink and panadols, managed to strengthen my body for the traveling to PD on Sat morning. But my body still felt feverish, my throat was burning, my voice was breaking, and the blocked nose made it harder to breathe easily. Though I was actively walking around, helping with the checking in, I was still feverish and come night time, I was totally knocked out!

What touches me most is the concern of the church campers on my health. My pastor asked me how I was every time she saw me. Many of them showed concern and offered Strepsils, Lozenges, Vitamin Cs and most importantly prayers for me! This bit of tender loving care coupled with prayers strengthened my body. By Sunday, miraculously, the fever subsided. I felt better and physically stronger to look into the running of the Talent Time. However, I had to contend with the throat problem. My voice grew shaky during the night and by the end of our Talent Time, I lost my voice completely!

All the way back home, my body was wrecked with fever again. I had to stay home ill from work on Monday.

At least, the camp ran fine. O, how good it is to know that when I need the strength, God will provide it for me. And, God will also send helpers when He knows I need help. Marge stood in for me for the announcements when I lost my voice. Serene took care of the emceeing part , especially with last minute changes in announcements, without grumbling. Vincent O, LiPeng, Daryl & Ivan readily stood by to help distribute the gifts during Question & Answer session. Vincent L and Ricky were always nearby ready to help.

And, my poor hubby who lovingly stood by me and care for me when I was cranky and impatient. Thank God for him.

I am glad for this experience. It taught me just how far I can go with my own strength and how much more farther I can go, stretched by God’s grace. What an awesome God I serve!

Talents and giftings

I was quite nervous about this morning’s Sunday school lesson. After all, it’s not easy to do a sharing session about talents and giftings to a group of children between 10 –12 years old. What will they know about talents and giftings? Will they seriously search their hearts before sharing? Heck, they may not even want to share at all in class. Often, sharing times are met with replies of “I don’t know”, a shrugged of shoulder and a shake of head. Well, the next hour can be quite a challenge if they all choose to remain silent …..

I started gently with them on the paper craft lesson to show that they are all unique – made by God in a very special way and given special talents and giftings by God. And, as I challenged them to think about each of their gifts and talents, I was silently praying that God would reveal them to the children.

And, the children were amazing! When it was their turn, they shared unabashedly their talents and strengths. Some recognized their talents in singing, playing musical instruments, teaching, hospitality and strengths to discipline the younger children. Each of them chipped in on the giftings that they see in their friends, too. What a joy to see the happy looks and the big smiles around the room as the children began to realize and share about their talents and giftings! Their confidence grew. They talked excitedly about how to use their talents. Most importantly, they realized too, that they have a purpose in life, which is to expand and nurture their talents and to find ways to serve others.

Every child has talents and giftings given by God for a purpose.
I count it a privilege to help them discover each of their talents and giftings and putting them into good use.
What a wonderful hope we have in these children who are ready to be groomed to serve the Lord with their talents and giftings.
The world can take great comfort in this hope, too.

Thursday's night out

Last Thursday was a mad rush to the cinema after work. We beat the heavy traffic and crowd to catch Indy in his latest adventure. Arriving with mere minutes to spend, we only managed a combo meal from Auntie Anne’s as dinner, promising ourselves a sinful indulgence into rich caramel popcorn later during the movie.

The movie stayed true to its original style. Indy’s on-screen appearance, his infamous hat and whip, his wit, silly grin and at times, goofy antics - everything breeds familiarity! It didn’t seem like there was an absence of 19 years from the last movie at all!

The story unraveled well with lots of action from the word go. They stuck to the old fashioned way of travelogue – showing the plane flying across the map. How classic can that be? I enjoyed the movie very much, except towards the end of the show. The spoiler? Well, dear Steven Spielberg had to bring in ET into the show! Oh, no!!! Why??

It was kinda hard to swallow that bit of alien part…..but to think of Cate Blanchett in that outrageously funny hair style….. Maybe the aliens were not so strange after all!

Pretty good movie overall. And, who knows? We may see an Indy 5 in the near future with the talented Shia Labeouf.

Heading Home : “That’s not all folks!”

Seated in a 4-seater row in the plane, I have 2 more empty seats beside me. I was thinking how nice it’ll be when the crew dim the lights, then I can stretch myself out on the 2 seats and sleep! But, before I could do that, another lady came by to the seat and to my horror, took off her shoes, lifted her feet and plopped her feet next to me! Eeeuuwww! That smell! I wanted to puke! I tried hinting to her subtlely to get her feet off the seat, but she wouldn’t budge. In the end, after an hour’s struggle with the smell, I had to wake her up and tell her frankly that I needed her feet off the seat! There, I felt much better after that. Despite some flight turbulences, we finally touched down again in Malaysian soil at 4.15 am.


The trip was fun and especially priceless since I made it together with my dear hubby. We learnt much about ourselves and about one another. It also opened our eyes to see the different cultures and lifestyles. We just love traveling together and can’t wait to plan for our next trip again.

Day 4 : “Shopping! Shopping!And, more shopping!”

The final day was all about shopping! We headed together with another 2 couple to the Carrara markets. The taxi ride costed us AUD 9 per couple. The Carrara markets had all local goods for sale. One interesting stall that I particularly like was selling all kinds of buttons and laces. I have never seen so many different kinds of buttons, laces, ribbons and even different types of iron on stickers, in one single place in my whole entire life. The stall, ran by an elderly couple, occupied a space as big as a badminton court. They had so many goods with them, all so pretty and nice. Other stalls were also selling goods at bargained prices. Very good place to shop for things.


Later, we took a bus ride to the Pacific Fair. The bus ride costed us AUD1 per person. Pacific Fair was like any other shopping mall, so we spent about an hour only before we decided to head back to Harbour Town to do more shopping!

From Pacific Fair , we took a bus no. 738 , which costed us another AUD6.40 for 2 persons. Well, unknowingly to us, Harbour Town is the last stop for this bus, so we spent 1 hour of traveling in the bus :( Maybe we could have hopped on a different bus next time ….
Once in Harbour Town, it was more shopping!!

When we finally exhaust ourselves physically and financially, we took a bus no. 709 back to our hotel in Surfers. It costed us another AUD 6.40 for 2 persons. We reached the hotel just half an hour earlier before the coach came to transfer us to the airport. Ah, what a day!

Day 3 : “Scooby Dooby Doo oooo !!!!”

Warner Bro’s Movie World! I was soooooo looking forward to this! My heart was racing like a child’s when I stepped into this Wonderland! Everything here was enchanting! The shops (Harry Potter's shop, Shrek's shop, The Daily Planet, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, etc), the characters from my favourite cartoon shows (Looney Tunes, Scooby Doo, Shrek, Batman etc), the ice cream parlour, the Wild Wild West…I was the wide-eyed child again, roaming with careless abandonment.

We started off by watching a 4D Shrek adventure show. It was extremely entertaining… and if you are going to catch it soon, beware of the effects. They’re so real. Be warned of the creepy spiders cause it sure did feel like they were crawling up your feet!! Eeee!

At the giant Panasonic screen up in the main street, many live performances were scheduled every hour. We watched The Looney Tunes Fab Four (Bugs, Daffy, Slyvester & Taz) paying their tribute to the sounds of The Beatles. We also caught the Batman and Scooby Doo show. Here, also, the All Star Parade took place, where all the stars will walk down the main street and back and adjourned for photo sessions.

Of course, there were the famed roller coaster rides in this park, namely the Lethal Weapon, Superman and Batman rides. Believe me, they’re definitely not for the faint hearted. They were so scary, that even watching them from the ground made my knees go weak. The Lethal Weapon ride, for instance, is where you seat with your feet dangling in the air, while the coaster takes you on 2 - 3 rounds of 360 degrees turns. The Superman rides are equally terrifying with a high speed coaster making an almost 90 degrees turn while descending at a break neck speed from the top! The Batman ride gives you an exhilarating vertical ride. It speeds up vertically, falls down equally fast and goes up again. You’ll feel like a human yo-yo….. so, we quickly concluded that we’ll give all these 3 rides a miss. Not to be taunted as too cowardly to try any roller coaster rides in a theme park, we settled for something less intimidating - the Scooby Doo ride! “Oh, boy! Oh, boy!” What a mistake! The ride was not as harmless as it sounds. It moves at a breakneck speed, doing 90 degrees turns and a REVERSE as well !! I dare anyone who thinks this is just a child’s ride to take it!!

The Wild Wild West area provided some good old cowboy feel. There was a a short performance and some game stalls. I tried 2 games but did not manage to win anything. Hubby, played 2 games and won both games! The prize? A cute small lion soft toy and a much coveted 2 ½ feet tall Bugs! My hero!

Finally, after a whole day in Movie World, we returned to the Hotel. In the evenings, we strolled along Surfers and found a place called Hog’s Breath Café where they served 100% Aussie meat. Really nice ambience and hugely popular among locals. We had to wait for 15 minutes before getting a place. But the food was worth the wait.

Day 2: “Old Mac Donald had a Farm, ee yai, ee yai O!”

It’s time for a little farm adventure on the second day! We stopped by the Paradise Country Farm for what the locals call, to “experience real Australia”. We watched the sheep shearing, horse displays, stock round up, kangaroo enclosure and enjoyed some Billy Tea (delicious tea grown in native Australia) and BBQ lunch.

While I wanted so much to feed the kangaroos, looking at their very big feet, I felt a little intimidated. Oh, dear, what if they suddenly kicked me? I remembered Elmer in the looney tunes cartoon. He was boxed and kicked by a seemingly harmless kangaroo. I wouldn’t want that to happen to me. Anyway, the kangaroos turned out to be timid creatures and I do enjoy feeding them immensely.

We also had a picture taken with a koala bear. It cost us AUD14 for only 1 pic. Right after we handed the koala back to the trainer, it pooh'ed! Woah, great timing, mate!!

In the baby animal nursery, hubby experienced cradling a lamb, and I experienced feeding a calf with a jumbo milk bottle. The calf finished the entire bottle in less than 5 minutes!
There too, I had an encounter with a strangely intelligent dog who wants to play fetch with me. She dropped a stick near my feet and waited for me to throw the stick and she’ll then fetched it back for me. It was later, in the “sheep roundup” show that I got to know that this dog , named Ginnie, was a sheep dog, trained to muster sheeps.

We also tried some Australian tea called Billy Tea and some home made damper served at the farm. The bread tasted a little sweet as it was baked together with some raisins.

As lunch was served, we were also entertained with some Aussie music. This man went from table to table to sing and when he reached ours, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of him ! Also, you can see the kind of food we’re taking for lunch… very filling! And the singing? First class!

After lunch, we headed for the Mount Tamborine winery and craft shops. After sampling about 8 different types of wine, we finally bought a bottle of Daisy Chardonnay. This wine is very special. It is sweetened with honey and it tasted heavenly! After visiting the entire Gallery Walk filled with art and craft shops, we headed to another popular destination : Harbour Town, for some shopping.

With less than 2 hours to spend, (they close at 5pm), there were just so much to see and buy. In Harbour Town, the quality brands like Espirit, Nike, Adidas, Levis, Calvin Klein Jeans, Tommy Hilfiger, and many more, all sell direct for as low as 60% discount everyday. The talk of the day was the Nike outlet, whereby, they had a “happy-hour” everyday. For 1 hour during the “happy hour” everyday, everything goes for almost 70% less! Even after conversion to MYR, it’s still cheaper buying from Harbour Town.
Accordingly, here in Harbour Town, too, we can find the cheapest Duty Free shop in the whole of Gold Coast. It’s called Souvenirs Direct. We were helping ourselves with the many choices from toys, key chains, macadamia nuts, towels, T-shirts, leather goods, and so much more!

At night when everyone else has retired to their rooms, hubby and I ventured out again to the night markets along Surfers Paradise. Held every Wednesdays and Fridays only, from 5.30pm to 11pm, the night markets are filled with a lot of stalls displaying crafts, woodworks and paintings. The main difference between the night market here as compared to our Malaysian night markets is : there were no food stalls here in Surfers Paradise night market! Nevertheless, you get a bevy of ideas for creative crafts from coloured sand arts in decorative bottles, mind boggling puzzles made of steel (hubby bought 7 puzzles, we can show them to you later), toy dogs made from sponge, shell and opal accessories, paintings, gifts made of crocodile skin and shark tooth, shirts and leashes for pet dogs among other fascinating crafts. They are usually handmade things, produced out of the owners’ creative juices. I would loved to see our Malaysian night market showcasing more of these, instead of just food and commercial made-in-China products…

Day 1: “Oh, fishy, where art thou?”

All my tiredness disappeared when we landed safely in Coolaganta airport at about 10 plus in the morning (Aussie time). Our first stop is to the Sea World. Now, I have been told that there isn’t much to do in the Sea World except looking at the fishes swimming non-chalantly in the aquariums and catching some performances by the sea lions and dolphins. So, I didn’t have much of an expectation. But, it turned out pretty alright. We enjoyed the Dugongs, Polar Bears, Sharks and Penguins. We also touched excitedly for the first time, the different kinds of starfish and sea cucumber. The dolphins also did some great stunts like catching the ball while swimming on their backs.

And, I had a surprise treat! I got to see the new Sesame Street Beach Show. I was as excited as a little girl when I get to see my Elmo, Cookie Monster, Ernie, Big Bird and friends dancing and singing there. I tried recording some of it, but being an amateur, the audio was missing. So, here's a pic of it.

Hubby then took me for a “romantic” tour around the park on a bright red choo-choo-train right before we left the place…how sweet :)

After a tiring day at the Sea World, we checked into our hotel : Mantra Legends located in the heart of Surfers Paradise.

We walked 2 blocks away from the hotel and settled for some Brazillian Dinner. The food was pretty good, and price quite reasonable. I tried a Brazilian drink called “acerola”, tasted a bit like avocado drink though….. delicious and apparently, high in Vitamin C, too ……

Away from home….

I am just home from a trip with my hubby to Gold Coast. It was an amazing, wonderful and fun experience! The autumn weather there suited us just fine- sunny but breezy. We walked around much in the Theme parks and along Surfer’s Paradise, but we also pigged it out with the fabulous food there. Alas, much fun and weight gained after 4 days in Gold Coast.

The departure from the Malaysian soil itself was a memorable one. We were grounded for 3 solid hours before take off!! (You know, I would have reached Ipoh in 3 hours!) You would never imagine what was the cause of delay! Right before take off, the ground vehicles were all leaving the aircraft after some last minute checking. Apparently, one “smart” driver decided to do a reverse and went straight into the tyres of the plane! So, the engineers spent 3 hours changing the 2 tyres. It was so frustrating as we were all in the plane, just waiting in our cramped seats with nothing much to do. The crew , meanwhile, made the best of the time by starting off with sales of drinks and snacks. Classic. Fortunately after 3 hours, the plane finally took off at 0030. The crew tried to make it up to us by giving us an additional bottle of mineral water and ‘sambal ikan bilis” (curry paste anchovies) bun. All I needed was some sleep and prayed that there are no more untoward incident during the remainder of the flight.

a strange sight

I just got back from a meeting in Genting today with my boss and colleague and had to share what we saw in the car park area. The car behind ours, was a strange (but, funny) sight. The front tyre was chained to a dustbin! Hmmn, I wonder why did the owner do that? What purpose does it serve? Or, did someone pulled a prank on him?

The photos were not so clear as it was taken from my phone, but if you look closely, you will see the chains around the tyre. Anyway, we all had a good laugh!!

A lil pink-haired gal

Learnt a quick children's craft recently using totally the simple things found everyday in our homes. This would be perfect for the children! They will be able to make this in just half an hour by following these few easy steps. This might be a bit tough for the younger children though, so it is recommended for children between 7 to 12 years old.

All u need is a fly swatter (yup, u read it right) small round eyes (available as stickers from stationery shops), colourful wool threads aka knitting wools (the more vibrant the colours, the better), some papers, glue & scissors.

Just cut the papers to shape the eyes, mouth, cheeks and paste them on one side of the fly swatter. Then cut the knitting wool to the desired length and tie them on the top of the fly swatter to shape the hair. You can make a pony tail, piggy tails or braid the hair and VOILA! Your puppet is ready….. !! Of course, you need to cut shorter threads as the hair for the boys.... And, if you are creative, you can decorate them with spectacles, or a toothy grin, or big red cheeks ....

Try it out, it’s as easy as it sounds….

Hmmn, come to think of it, this lil pink haired girl is not too bad at all .... I think I will bring her along for story telling on Sunday then!

do u remember?

Came across some interesting quizzes last night while watching "I am not smarter than a 5th grader" ....Hmmn, how much do we remember from school, anyway?

1) what's the heaviest land animal?
2) what ocean covers the north pole?
3) earth is over 50 mio miles from the sun. True or false.
4) In square inches, what's 1/2 of the area of a square with 12-inch sides?
5) what is a rombus in mathematics?

Anyone?

Indy is back!

Hello! Hello! Something GREAT is coming to our shores this May 22nd and I wouldn’t want to miss it for the world! Yup, it’s Indy! He’s back after almost 19 years, since the Last Crusade. My, oh, my… can’t wait to see him in action again!

Back in 1981, when I was just a teen, I knew that I've found my all time hero in Dr. Jones. He's not your conventional archeologists and adventurer, but a man who possessed EVERY skill you could ever imagine. Resourceful, funny, charming and with his dashing good looks, oh and that hat and whip we know so well, ...sigh...who could think of him anything less than a hero?

The Raiders of the Lost Ark came and went in 1981. Then, the Temple of Doom stole our hearts, with the gorgeous Kate Capshaw and cute Jonathan Ke Quan (who played Short Round). Though the least popular among the 3, my sis and I loved Temple of Doom. We particularly remembered so well, the adorable Short Round. He was too short to drive a taxi, so he had to wear red-toilet-clogs - heavily extended - to enable him to reach the pedals! What a sight! Short Round gallantly driving Indy away from the thugs in his taxi, wearing those red-clogs!

Then, the phenomenal Sir Sean Connery joined the 3rd installment of Indiana Jones as Indy's dad, Prof. Henry Jones Snr. What an excellent chemistry! Need not say more. Love it. Love it. Love it.

I hope that this round, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, with another lead, Cate Blanchett will not disappoint. We'll see if Steven Spielberg & George Lucas still has that magic to weave us an entertaining 4th story.

Looking forward to May 22nd...
“If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones!!”

Patience is a virtue

The funny thing about life is that, it always catches you off -guard and throws you off your feet. Like today. I was in the office, as usual, in my cheery mood, happily counting my days here in my present job. I was looking forward to a fabulous and peaceful day. But alas, it was not to be! It was spoilt by an utterly annoying colleague who refused to be cooperative during a work session today.


Of course I am frustrated!! Did I do all the work just to pass the time away??? No. I am doing the best that I can to ensure a smooth transition. That includes having spent an enormous time doing up a new database, scheduling meetings to explain in detail the how-to's and why-do's , supervising her work, checking and reviewing her work meticulously for the gazillionth time. Yet, she acted plain blur and blamed her incompetency on me!! Argh!! So frustrating!!


Incredibly, the moment I wanted to give her a piece of my mind, I held back my anger and did not shoot her down with my words.
"Be patient!"
Huh? How can I? I've gotta say something back. I'll look dumb in front of my boss if I don't...
"Just be patient".

Alright, alright, I won't argue. Let go and let God.

It makes me wonder then, too... Why is it that people now think they are smarter than others when they are only a couple of weeks into the new role? Why is it they can't ask or discuss whenever in doubt? Perhaps we lack the respect and humility needed to cultivate a harmonious working environment with our colleagues?
Or, are these the prevailing work culture " It's all about ME! ME! ME!" and "I dont care about other people!" Hey, what happened to team work? You, know , T: Together, E: Everyone, A: Achieves , M: More...! I remembered the good old days when we are enthusiastic about learning, eager to ask whenever in doubt and work along side our mentors.......


Gotta go chill out now. Too much emotions in the morning. Will continue to persevere. Patience is after all, a virtue. And, undeniably, a difficult one to attain!

An encounter with the "ah-long"kind

We had an encounter with the “ah long” kind (loan sharks) last weekend.
Now, before you get any ideas, it was not our fault at all… we were simply the innocent bystanders. We woke up one morning to find our porch and beloved car painted partially in red!

Looking back we should have suspected something. The neighbor was gone (in a hurry & without a word) for almost a week. People came looking for them, yet , we did not suspect anything amiss…we were quite "blur", thinking it was perhaps just a domestic feud , or some unsettled business with friends. Then it got worse. Two days earlier, they threw a flower pot into the porch. Then, they chained the gates. And, finally the following morning, the infamous red paint! Only then did it hit us that these people were the “ah-longs” out to claim their money from our neighbour!

But the aftermath of it!!! Who could have imagined that it was so darn tough to remove the red paint (hmm, wonder what kind of paint they used?? )… sort of like a sticky, gummy paint and it took us one whole day to scrap it off, and yet the job’s not 100% completed yet. Still the walls and floors of the porch are stained with red paint. Let me tell you, it was not a pleasing experience at all, squatting on the floor in the hot afternoon and scrubbing the floors with your hands soaked in thinner and kerosene…..phew!

We don’t know what’s gonna happen now. We have done and are doing the necessary – lodged a police report , exercise more caution, be more on the lookout on who's around our neighbourhood, and pray for God's covering on our home and our lives. Of course, we hope that our neighbours can come home quickly to solve the problem,too. Please think about us, your neighbours. When things like this happen, we are very much affected as you are- our daily lives, materials, home and loved ones are precious to us and we dont want them falling in harm's way.

So, we learnt:
- Be cautious. Once a neighbour is away for more than 3 days without telling anyone their whereabouts, be on the look out. Be prepared to call the police and report any disturbances.

- Be a busy body - in a good way. Make it a point to know what's going on with your neighbours.

- Pray and trust God for His protection and providence. We can only do so much, but God can do much more.

And, to the ah longs, please, please, puhleez..... aim properly before throwing the red paint!