How Sour Of You

I fell in love with this in Australia and boy, am i glad to know that Boost (the awesome-est juice bar ever!) is now available in Malaysia! They even have the same buy-10-free-1-stamp card that i had back in Aussie too! So the next time you are at KLCC, Mid Valley, Subang Parade or Bangsar, pop over to Boost and give it a shot.

And if you, like me, love sour drinks, then you have to try lemon crush. It's a combination of sorbet, ice, lemon juice and orange juice. But i strongly recommend you try it my way - ask the staff to do away with the orange juice. More power. So power that every time i tell them to only use lemon juice, they say the same thing each time: "Huh? Very sour you know." Awesome.

Lady Luck Went On A Holiday

If you cursed me yesterday, then good on ya because it worked...

I had a phone interview at Mid Valley at 5pm, which meant that i would be able to get home earlier than expected. Since i hardly get the opportunity to dine with my parents on weekdays, i thought i'd seize the free time and do so. I even gave up an opportunity to attend a makeup-brand's focus group and snag goodies!

So while on my way home, i called Mom, who was working late at the office. Nobody answered. Thirty calls later and still the same. Thinking that she might have gone home, i dialed home only to hear Dad telling me that Mom's still not back.

I arrived at the train station and tried reaching Mom again. Nothing. She was supposed to pick me up. I contacted Dad who then told me to catch a cab to Mom's office. He said, "Maybe something happened to her phone cord". I couldn't help but think, "Maybe she passed out and nobody knew. Maybe she locked herself in the toilet".

There i was at her office area. Almost all the offices were already closed for the day and the worst part, since all the offices looked the same closed, i had no idea which was mom's office! I saw one with a partially opened grill and started banging on the door. No one. Then i called Dad to ask which was Mom's office. Halfway through, my phone died. Great.

I tried standing by the road, looking up at the offices and shouting for Mom. No response. Tried looking for a public phone but of course, the darn area didn't have a public phone in sight! Ended up having to borrow a stranger's phone! I think i must have scared Dad a bit because he was like, "Wait there. I'll come". So poor Dad walked all the way from my place to Mom's office (which was not really all that near).

While waiting for Dad in that quiet area (it was getting dark too!), i saw a lady and asked her if she knew where ABC office was. Turned out, the woman could only speak Mandarin and i had no idea how to explain in that language. Then i started walking to the other end of the row and what do you know, i saw the door to my Mom's office. It was open. I just didn't notice it earlier. Plus, plastered on the door was the name of my Mom's office, in massive fonts too mind you. What the heck lah.

So i knocked really loudly on the door and there was Mom. Finally. Turned out, the phone cord somehow got loose, which explained why Mom didn't pick up my calls - the phone didn't even ring! Then after a while, Dad finally reached. Poor Dad. I made him walk all the way for nothing.

And the worst part of the day was, it was really nobody's mistake. The whole drama started because the stupid phone cord got loose, so i didn't have an outlet to unleash my irritation on. Ergh.

So much for wanting to get home early and enjoy a stressless dinner. Should have just went with the darn makeup thing.

It's Complicated

Most articles by men, about women, often center on the latter being complicated. First, they want you to be honest to them. Then the moment you admit and say yes, you look fatter today, they get all emo at you.

Poor men. I'm a woman and i admit, my kind (most of us at least) is complicated. We're just born with a complex mind.

I honestly wish that we could be as straight-thinking as men. It would make life so much easier.

Just today, i texted a guy i like. He replied a few minutes later and although my heart was jumping in excitement and my fingers were keen to type a reply, my mind says, "No. You cannot show how excited you are. Wait for another few minutes (or even better, a day!) before sending your reply". So i did. I saved my answer as draft and let a few minutes pass before hitting the send button. Then when he replied, the cycle repeated itself.

So stupid.

Hello! How Was Your Day?

Today i realised that when you put grey and sky blue together, you get a pretty combo!

Rocking my awesome flats from Cotton On (a shoe in my size at only RM29? get out of here!), Forever 21 leggings in a colour that Karen would describe as 'so you', and a grey top that mom bought from the market long ago - i think it kinda makes me look like i'm wearing a table cloth though.

And while we're in the topic of clothes, i can't wait to wear my maxi to the charity dinner this Friday! The maxi is finally coming out of the closet after being stuck in it for more than two friggin years!

Ipoh, Kami Mali Lah!

Since the death of my Ma Ma and Yeh Yeh, Chinese New Year has been slightly different. Back then, we used to gather at their flat for steamboat on the eve of the new year. I would stay for the night and the joyous celebration would continue when everyone returned again the next day.

But now that we cannot gather at their place, we decide to take it a few kilometers further to Ipoh instead. And when in Ipoh, eat tau fu fa from Funny Mountain and enjoy fresh lotus seeds! Seriously, lotus seeds are the awesome-est Cina snacks ever. Lotus seeds = the new kuaci.

Wanting to try something different, we gave our usual hotel a miss and opted for something slightly more expensive this time around. And this new place, surprisingly, comes with, apart from the customary soap and shampoo, other items like toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shaver, lotion and even slippers. The cheapskate in me is super happy!

"I wouldn't give up my family for anything. Not for all the chocolate in the world." - Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." - Joyce Brothers

"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." - Desmond Tutu

"We cannot destroy kindred: our chains stretch a little sometimes, but they never break." - Marquise de Sévigné

While hanging out at the lobby, Kimberly wanted to play with my camera. When the five-year-old returned it, i noticed that it came back with a photo...

...of a dustbin. It is a pity that we are not blessed with the privilege to remember our first encounters with the objects of our world. The world, as seen through the eyes of children, definitely is a whole lot more exciting.

The Circle Of Life

I was supposed to visit a second-uncle (my Ma Ma's nephew-in-law) at the hospital today. But instead, i went for his wake.

Everything happened so fast. On Wednesday/Thursday, we were told that he was admitted into the ICU. On Friday, his condition worsened. Today, he passed away.

Everything happened so fast. He was diagnosed with pancreas cancer around Chinese New Year but didn't tell us about it. The doctors suggested an operation that would cost RM50k. Being the great husband and dad that he was, he decided to skip it and save the money for his family instead.

He was told that he only had about six months to live. Between that time and his death, he even went to work despite his condition for another day at work meant another day of salary for his family. Also, he took his two children (both still in high school) to a Buddhist temple for a talk about the circle of life. He was preparing his kids for his death.

So a few days ago, his health took a shocking dive, which resulted in a death that surprised everyone in the family. It was only two months into his six-month-period left in this life. He was only 49.

Life is so fragile. One minute you're okay, the next you could be lying six feet underground.

Uncle, although i only saw you at most five times a year but out of these few visits, i can tell that you're a great man. So i really do hope that you rest in peace and enjoy the new chapter in life. Don't worry about Auntie and the kids. I saw them today and your kids may be young but they are holding up and I believe they will take good care of Auntie. Until the next time, RIP.