Stressful Dining

I'm not a fine-dining type of girl. I'm used to eating in noisy, sweaty hawker centres. Most of my favourite food are not served in small portions on an oversized, decorated, white plate.

However, there have been instances where i was blessed to sample food that my bank account cannot usually afford. Then there have also been times where i was given the opportunity to expand my 'food network' to incorporate medium-done beef (not as yucky as i thought), macaroons (so sweet can die), monk fish liver (not my thing) and truffle (now i finally know why rich people rave about it).

During my first and so far, only, fine-dining experience last year courtesy of a food channel, i became a nervous wreck when they seated me at my table. As if being under-dressed in a crowd of expensive suits and dresses wasn't intimidating enough, i sat down to see three different forks and three different knives staring at me. My first thought, "Fuck. Which one to use for which course?".

Not wanting to stare at people while they eat, i decided to wing it. I went with the nearest set of cutleries. Of course, i was wrong--you do it from the furthest to the nearest. Then, i repeated the same mistake at another recent lunch event and somehow, i have a feeling that there is going to be a third time.

Oh well, what can you expect from a girl who uses one set of cutlery for everything--soup, main course, dessert--in her everyday life? Heck, sometimes i don't even use cutleries!

Lights, Camera, Pose

When it comes to taking pictures, i really don't have many poses to offer. It's either my usual smile with one hand on the waist, an over exaggerated pout, fish lips or a couple of other funny faces. So learning that i had to take pictures for the magazine was nerve wrecking!



We got our makeup done (such a tiring and uncomfortable process, i don't know how the models do it), hair styled and by the end of the transformation, i was dumbfounded at the reflection that stared back at me through the mirror. I can never get used to seeing myself with thick makeup. Plus, after all the years of wearing spectacles, going without them somehow made me feel vulnerable and my eyebags more prominent. During the first few minutes of the shoot, i found myself constantly adjusting my spectacles that weren't there!



Then of course, when you put women and camera (with a professional photographer, no less) into the same equation, you end up with silly and vain shots as well. After the 'official' pictures were taken, we got around to jumping up and down in front of the camera and even proceeded to talk our photog into giving each of us an individual photoshoot for keeping. This will probably be the closest i will ever get to being a model.

Notes From Work

Crazy deadlines and additional responsibilities aside, here is a collection of the little doses of happiness that my job has brought me thus far:



It was a mini carnival at the headquarters. Clothes from past productions were going for RM5 a piece! I'm guessing the past productions included wacky game shows, concerts and 80s-themed series. There were neon coloured leotards, super sparkly jackets and clothes that looked like they jumped out of my Mom's very, very, very old closet. I'm sure there were gems hidden somewhere amongst those racks. I just don't have the patience to uncover them.



I love cartoon events. Popcorn, whoopie cushion, stickers and yours truly won a Toys"R"Us voucher! This one was held at a kids' gym and because of that, the chairs came in mini-size too. Those of us who entered the screening room first headed straight for the only two 'normal-sized' couches available. As cute and colourful as the tiny chairs were, the thought of me potentially breaking a chair's leg and landing on my behind in full view of the media is not cute.



A hotel celebrated its 5th anniversary and sent an invitation in a cute 555 booklet (very creative move). There were oysters stuffed into test tubes and to be taken with a shot of cocktail. There were vodka shots with caviar. Then there was an awesome cone-shaped tree where strawberries, candies, chocolate bars and pastries were glued on with melted chocolate. You simply plucked whatever you wanted off the 'tree' and indulge. GENIUS!

More indulgence followed when Polly and i were invited to a casual lunch with Hidden Cities' (on HISTORY, Ch555) star Anthony Morse. I expected a large setting filled with media, where the best one could get was a five-minute chat with Morse. Instead, all there was was a table for 15. There was no air of arrogance about that man and it doesn't hurt that he's a looker too! Pictures, honestly, do him no justice. At one point, Polly was so fascinated by his biceps that she went up to him, asked "May I?" and lightly felt his biceps!



Say hello to Ballsy (on the left) and his no-name neighbour! A colleague went to New Zealand recently and returned with fridge magnets for each of us. So now, i have a dark brown, cute, fluffy kiwi chilling on my desktop's CPU, alongside a mini wooden surfboard, Amazing Race magnets, a calendar, a name tag and a fridge magnet of a generic Vietnamese girl that i initially thought was a figurine of a freaky cult idol.



Had some time to kill while waiting for the office's awesome driver, who volunteered to drop Ee Laine and I off at the stadium for the Chelsea vs. Malaysia friendly match. Except for a slight colour difference of the face and body, i'd say it looks pretty real! When showed to a friend, she really thought it was me chopping vegetables...though she did wonder why my arms were leaning towards the manly side.

Vain Pot

When i received an invitation to a work event earlier this month, i knew i wanted to look nice for it. I planned what to wear a week before the day. I engaged in a Whatsapp discussion with Neerah to make sure that my outfit choice was okay. I rushed to the mall a day before the event to buy a blazer that would go with my dress. And on top of the usual make-up, i decided to put in an extra effort by wearing heels (i rarely wear heels to work events).

When i told all the above to Ee Laine on the morning of the event, she laughed at me and teasingly said, "You should bring a bottle of perfume too, so you can look AND smell nice". I opened my bag and whipped out a sample-sized bottle of perfume and said, "Don't play play. I've planned that too".

Ain't nothing is going to stop a girl when she wants to look good!

We Live On The Second Floor

Meet my workday-family version 2011!



I love that we have a massive poster of Happy Tree Friends on the office wall with each of our birth dates on it. I love how we take time to buy and write on a card for whoever it is whose birthday is near. I love how we often throw potlucks at the office and end up spending half the day eating and talking. I love how we share gossips about mutual enemies.

Most importantly, I love how we really are like a teeny weeny family despite our differences.

I Love Clothes

A while back, I received an invitation to a media appreciation night done 'Broadway' style. Unwilling to spend money on a costume that I would only wear once, I played around with what I already have. One work top from Mum, a pair of socks from Daddy, and my flare skirt later, I became Rachel from Glee. Wearing the outfit to work that day, I felt so out of my element. Calf-high socks have never been my 'thing' and the odd stares I was getting certainly didn't help. And just when I thought my effort would finally pay off, I turned up at the event only to realise that I was the only one who came dressed according to the theme. Bah.

In another story, while raving to my parents about the gorgeous toga-esque dress I had on, and bought for a discount of 50 per cent, my Dad replied, "Did you say the dress was 50 per cent off? No wonder 50 per cent of the sleeve is missing." Ha ha. Very funny Pa.

Something Good

So apparently, it rains EVERY Good Friday. Long story short, Mabel lost a bet and had to stomach a family-made concoction made of tom yum soup, a few drops of Coke, rice, a dumpling, yam ice cream, a mashed osyter, and coconut shavings. It smelt like food that has been kept at the back of a fridge for a long, long time. The interesting part of the story? She did not fall sick the next day.

The woman who has an obsession with John Travolta came back for a holiday...and continued to live up to the silly image i know her for. She brought a packet of Macadamia nuts home for me, kept it in the bag throughout our entire outing, and left with it. Fail.

Current fashion obsessions: maxi skirts and sheer tops. Super excited on finding a comfy skirt that doesn't make me look like i spent my whole week indulging in buffets.

Funny thing happened prior to my chat with Archie of The Good Wife. That morning, i took the effort to put on my jeans, find a decent blouse to wear, and slip into my wedges for the interview. And what did my PR friend, Berenice, say after checking out my outfit? "Wah, so casual no need to go to work today ah?".

Spent a weekend night in with friends and what did i take away from the night? Karen spends way too much time on her Michael Jackson wii game. Joyce's idea of the perfect salad is anything served with sesame salad dressing. Weng uses way too many 'dey' in his conversations. Victor needs something else besides checkered shirts. TK will be the first person to introduce a 'joint venture' option in Monopoly Deal. I have the useless ability to remember all the families in Happy Family.

Think Happy Thoughts

"Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we're here, we should dance"

A recap at the little things that made my life beautiful in the past few months:



The launch of Disney Junior is possible the cutest channel launch I've been to so far. There were colour pencils, crayons and drawings for us to colour. Not surprisingly, i was the only adult in the room who did any colouring! Then there was the performance by toddlers, including one who was more interested in the TV stand than the audiences. Cuteness maximus.

Received a deer necklace from Karen on a day when i was, coincidentally, wearing my fave deer tee. And the day i decided to wear the necklace, was the day one of the antlers broke. So now i have a disabled deer hanging from my neck.

Discovered the beauty that is F&F from Tesco. Them tights are tight! If i have enough of boots and tights, I would rock the look everyday no matter how many times i've had people come up to me and say, "Wear boots not hot ah?".

Pa managed to find me fresh, raw lotus seeds! Beneath the ugly exterior, layers of skin that need to be peeled, and a bitter bud that should be removed are lotus seeds that can take over kuaci's place as the perfect fat-free TV snack.

Do The Yan Can

Long before i knew how to boil Maggi noodles and fry sausages and egg, one man believed in my skills in the kitchen, reminding me week after week that i can cook. A month ago, i finally met the man... and he cooked for me too!

As much as Martin Yan is a chef, he is also a great showman, keeping his guests entertained with witty jokes and a chicken-deboning demo that only took 18 seconds. Plus, out of the few chefs i've had the privilege to meet, he is the only one who thanked me for coming and made me believe that he sincerely meant it because heaven knows how many celebrities say thank you merely out of courtesy.

As i was leaving, i stumbled upon him and after a funny chat about Malaysia and girls who dress sexily, he turned back and said, "Oh yes, honestly, thank you so much for coming to today's event. I really appreciate it." To which my friend replied, "We should be thanking you for coming all the way from San Francisco. You're the one making the long journey here!" I couldn't have agreed better. What a humble man.

When You Give, You Will Be Given

If there's one thing i love about working where i work now, it's the amazing CSR opportunities i get. There's just something about giving back to society that makes one's day.

And to the Indian auntie and Carl, who head the feeding centre at St. John's church, i take my hats off to you. Doing what you do is not easy and certainly not a profitable job, but yet you do it anyway. You are a glimmer of hope in a world where almost everyone is all about making money. Thank you.

Boredom Is My New Best Friend

I am bored. In Malay, that would mean, "Saya bosan" and in Cantonese, "Ngo ho sien". Yup, i think you get the point.

Today, i came into the office and found out that the IT geeks have decided to block Twitter. Great. Now that i no longer can stalk random Twitter accounts, what the hell am i supposed to do to kill time and to take a break from writing articles? Thank heavens i can still do some online window-shopping. So i clicked into one of the blogshops i visit daily and was greeted with this:

"This website has been blocked. The reason that you have been block is 'Porn' category is not allowed in your policy."

Yeah, dresses, tops and leggings are totally porn-ish. When people see them, all they think about is ripping the clothes off and having sex. Fools. And it only gets worse from there.

They've blocked Tumblr because it's a 'Social Networking' site and i just found out that they've blocked AXN Asia's official website because it's in the 'streaming media' category (just because the site allows users to stream full episodes of TARA doesn't make it a streaming media site, you dimwits!). Mind you, my job involves writing about AXN Asia's programs!

One of my last hope for entertainment was to look for a certain guy on GTalk whom i layan when I have writer's block and have nothing to do. Surprise, surprise...GTalk's blocked too!

So, besides the awesome emails from friends, today has been an absolute bore. So much so that i went to check out a bunch of cook books and instead of photocopying, decided to type out all the recipes i'm keen on trying.

Whoever who suddenly decided to block these sites, i don't want to friend you.

Ah Neh, Nandre Banana Leaf!

Look who had an awesome Saturday!

Three of my fellow gorgeous Spykermans and I got together to try something different apart from the usual movie-dinner-shopping outing. Accepting Crime & Investigation channel's invitation for a fitness class (a promo for Steven Seagal's new series on the channel), the four of us headed to Celebrity Fitness for an hour of Body Combat, followed by steam baths and sauna.

Initially, i thought i wasn't going to survive it because my previous Body Combat class was a nightmare. I don't know how Karen does it! But on the second try, it was slightly better (or maybe it was because the trainer saw how unfit we were and went easy on us!) though my poor unfit body paid the price the next couple of days. Sore like gila!

Anyhoo, after gym, we did something that if our Body Combat instructor saw us do, he would have flipped.

We ate. A lot.

The banana leaf rice picture is only a teeny weeny portion of our mega lunder (lunch & dinner). We had fried chickens, fried squid, chicken varuval, rassam and four drinks. In the midst of eating, a waiter came by and asked if we wanted more food. Before we could answer, he looked at our table and said, "Oh, there's no more space to fit anything. Your table's full!"

Definitely one of the fun-est weekends i've had. And an accomplished one too because Mabel and I managed to rope in another person to our side - the sour side. Everyone, say hello to new Lea's-style-Boost-Lemon-Crush addict, Esaline! Edaline, when's your turn?

Lend A Hand If You Can

What do you do when you are given free flight tickets, free accommodation, free meals and an opportunity to do charity at the same time? You take it.

Along with a group of strangers from my workplace, we flew to Sabah. Our mission was to help build a school canteen at a remote village school in Semporna. And when i say remote, i mean you-live-in-wooden-shacks-in-the-middle-of-a-friggin-jungle remote. Every morning of our 4D3N stay, we had to wake up at wee hours of the morning for an over one-hour long journey from our hotel overlooking the sea to Kampung Sungai Tuhok.





Initially, i had doubts about going because i knew no one amongst those who got selected to participate in this voluntary project, but i'm so glad i did it. The experience was eye-opening!

Most of the school is made of wood. It's only one-storey and they have a few different blocks, including a tiny little make-do canteen (it used to be a store where they keep sports equipment) that is probably the size of my living and dining room put together. It really does make you realise how blessed we are in the city to have big schools with good amenities.

While the men were assigned to build a shaded pathway from the classrooms to the new canteen, the women received painting duties. And interestingly, the locals bought pink paint (i can hear the boys boo-ing already) for us. I swear, we the ladies, had nothing to do with their colour choice. It was a funny coincidence.

I am so glad to have been a part of this. To know that i'm contributing a teeny bit to make their lives better feels good. And best of all, i befriended a bunch of kids who i adore. My fellow volunteers kept laughing at me because i had a crew of school girls and a trio of school boys following me around!

Even though i struggled to understand their language, we still had a ball. We learnt how to give flying kisses, we learnt how to say thank you in Mandarin, we learnt how to make silly faces while taking pictures, and we learnt that rain makes the field really muddy.

Awesome holiday? Check. Befriended new colleagues? Check. Discovered new culture (at the Kampung, they serve curry puffs with fried mee hoon stuffed in em!)? Check. Charity work? Check. Put smiles on the little ones' faces? Double check.

Oh, Look Who We Have Here

Over the past few weeks, i was granted the opportunity to speak to and meet a couple of TV's popular faces...



Out of all the hosts i've met, leave it to Ian Wright to make the craziest entrance ever. No, appearing casually out of nowhere onto the stage is simply not his thing. This avid travel junkie has to take it a notch higher by doing a sexy shadow dance then crash through a paper wall and onto the floor. It was insane!

The man makes a great story teller too. I would be happy to just sit and listen to his stories the whole day. Here's one.

According to him, Damascus, Syria is the best place for souvenir shopping because they've got the craziest lingeries in town, despite being a religious center. Hey, holy people need some crazy sex once in a while too. There are knickers that play tunes - from Happy Birthday to Love Story - and more recently, Ian discovered that they've got a one-of-a-kind bra. Both the cups are made of feather and with one clap, all the feathers will drop, revealing the boobs of the wearer. How insanely kinky!

Then there's my French affair with one very tall and pretty Laura Calder. On that day, in a restaurant at the Berjaya School of Hospitality and Tourism, she took away my French food virginity.







Now, i wonder if i'll ever get to meet Rocco Dispirito and Jamie Oliver? Discovery Travel & Living and Asian Food Channel, hook me up please!

These Shoes Are Not Made For Walking

On 90% of my work days, i go to work wearing sandals (ah, the joy of a non-formal dress code). 9.9% is spent with my feet wrapped up in ballet flats and the remaining 0.1% days will see me in high heels. For a girl who loves pretty stilettos, i should be wearing em' more often but the thought of walking about in them (i do not drive) gives me shivers.

Then last Friday, vanity took over me and i decided to wear heels to the launch of E! News Asia.

Usually, i am against wearing heels to work events because there will be plenty of walking and standing involved but i guess i wanted to look nice for any mat sallehs that may be at the launch.

So i picked my second-least pain inflicting heels. Bad idea.

I didn't notice how worn out the shoes have become. The padded area where the balls of my feet go are no longer as comfy as they used to be. By the time i got to work in the morning, my feet were already hurting, and i've got two blisters at the back of my ankles. But still i braved the pain. The venue required guests to climb a flight of stairs to get to the entrance. Great. By that time, i was really feeling it. And the two blisters i had? They burst.

I wanted to enjoy my interview with the hosts (i still reckon E! should have gone with unfamilliar faces)...

...but i was too occupied thinking if it was possible for me to head back to the office and then home without passing out because of pain. No drama here. It was that terrible. When i got back to the office, the sole of my left shoe came off and i had to take an otherwise unnecessary walk to the nearby cobbler.

Back at the office, i removed my shoes and walked about barefooted and noticed a friggin blister on the sole of my foot. One that's the size of a five-cent coin! But yeah, i made it home safely albeit shaking slightly because of the torturous ordeal.

My dear awesome heels, we've had some good times together but it's really time for you to go. I want to give you another shot but i don't fancy risking experiencing another pain like Friday so goodbye. Enjoy shoe-heaven!

That Heartless Dude With A Lot Of Heart

Please allow me to gloat. I've been going to concerts since i was 12 and many of the times, i always look enviously at the reporters and photographers who get to attend press conferences, parade around town with their media tag and watch the concert upclose in a section closed off to the public. So imagine the happiness when i got a call from my editor telling me to not only attend the concert and press conference, but also to interview Kris Allen. I finally get my own media tag!



If you go hunting for Kris Allen press conference details on the Internet, i'm pretty sure you'll notice many of those who attended the conference will write about Kris and the Malaysian souvenir that he received: a keris. Kris' keris, get it?



Then came my time to interview the Idol himself. Ohmigosh. This is the friggin man i was watching on TV last year. The man i thought, like all other Idol winners, i would never get to see live. What you see on air is really what you get. While he's not the best celeb in terms of giving interesting interviews, he is funny and i think he doesn't even realise this. He's insanely humble and really lives up to his boy-next-door image.



Okay, this has got to be the most drama-free concert i've been to. Having a media tag does make a lot of difference! At first, we were ushered into a room with two televisions. My first thought: "Oh shit. Are they going to make us watch the concert from here?" Thank God, it was just a waiting area. And this waiting area is nothing like the long queues i am so used to waiting in. We were served food, champagne and wine. And when the time came, another door opened and we simply sashayed into the ballroom while the public is still kept waiting outside.

We had a section to ourselves at the front of the stage. A few selected lucky winners got to join us there too. Though i was so thankful for the front view, i know how it feels like to be a fan and forced to stand behind a bunch of media people who probably don't even care. But boy, was i happy that night. This is what i've been dreaming of on many occassions! Being in front also mean awesome-r pictures and video...









And Kris Allen has a cute band! This guitarist/keyboardist of his (the name's Cale - i did my research) is super hot. Kinda reminds me of Sylar from Heroes. And this time, even Ee Laine has to admit that my taste is good! See? I can spot a good thing when i see one!



Please let more opportunities like this come! STAR World, organise more concerts and invite me! Sigh, let's hope that my office comes up with an entertainment magazine soon so i can start writing about things that i really give a hoot about.