Ohne Titel

this is how i get over it.

2011-10-24T22:52:00.004+02:00

This is how i like my relationship with Him:

We were walking really fast to our car, i needed to go home and packed because i'm flying out of Hamburg in 3 hours.

Him: you alright?

Me: No!

Him: Why? What's wrong?

Me: You knew i have to go home and packed, and yet you just keep talking and talking(we bumped into his colleague), eventhough i've given you signals(keep looking at my watch)

Him: I'm really sorry, we can still make it...

Me: That's not it!! I feel left out because you keep talking about work bla bla and never include me in the conversation!!(it go on and on and on)

Him: I'm really sorry, come on, i apologise....

Me: (not talking and walking really fast)

2 mins later

Him: look, im really sorry......

Me: you cannot expect me to get over it so quickly!!

5-8 mins later

Him: (poking me) just checking, friend friend??(our code of forgiving each other)

Me: (start laughing)

And, we got over it.

I don't need to have candle lit dinners, or expensive gifts, but to know that we can get over whatever that happens so quickly, is romantic. (and i do appreciate your patience with me)

short story 1

2011-07-24T23:05:00.004+02:00

Sometime back in June:

This old lady was lining in front of me at McDonalds in the train station, she was trying to explained to the cashier/waitress what she wants to have, and this cashier/waitress looked really irritated and impatience because she was slow, and she didn't really know the proper terms (like Filet o Fish or mc Chicken), bless her.

I find it really sad to see how cruel people can be. She could've been more friendly, or at least helpful but instead, she put on this really annoyed face to this poor old lady.

She bought 2 cheese burgers, i didn't know if it was because she can't find a seat, or she prefered to stand, she stood there, slowly unwrapping her burger(i didn't want to stare) and start talking to herself(kind of), and then she took out a small bottle of sparkling wine(looks like) and shoveled down her throat like drinking water.

I didn't really know what i felt back there, but the image was kind of imprinted on my mind, and i can't seem to forget it.

Sadness? Maybe.

more flowers.

2011-07-19T23:37:00.005+02:00

I'm still obsessed with flowers, well, at least for the next few months until winter comes, and this is my humble little garden.

These are just the flowers i picked from the field....

when was the last time?

2011-07-19T23:09:00.008+02:00

I've got myself a bike back in March from a local flea market for 38 euros. The reason i didn't want to spend too much money because i was afraid that i will be heartbroken if someone nicked mine, but it is one of the best 38 euros i've ever spent.

Living in a 4 seasons country for 7 years definitely teach me how to appreciate the sun more. Nothing beats chilling in the park with good magazines and sun shining down on your face.

We sometimes seem to forget how to appreciate the simplest thing in life after living in a city for too long. There is no need for fancy dinner nor fancy party, no extravagance, but, Just. Enjoy. Life.

When was the last time you stop whatever you are doing, and appreciated the smell of rain? or flowers?

When was the last time you enjoy a good book?

When was the last time you went for a run?

When was the last time you pick flowers from a field?

When was the last time you sit in a park and do nothing but to watch people walk by?

When was the last time you have a good laugh?

Life can be so wonderful if you just learn how to appreciate the simplest thing in life.

food, oh food.

2011-07-18T21:55:00.007+02:00

Just a collection of food that i made over the months....

Jamie's chargrilled tuna with oregano oil, beans and peas.
No i'm not obsessed with Jamie, but i bought one of his many cook book years ago, and i thought i should start to 'use' it, instead of letting it rot on my bookshelf. Again, this is what i like about Jamie Oliver because everything is so easy to make, and quick, but you have to make sure you have fresh tuna, and don't let it over cooked, or make sure the fish monger cut the right size, and most importantly not too thick.

Summer tagliarini with pine nuts, lemon, pecorino and parmesan cheese
One of Jamie's too. I'm a fan of pine nuts, and thought this might be a good alternative to my home made pesto, but i was rather dissapointed with it, mainly due to i don't like Pecorino cheese, but i do like the chopped parshley and the lemony flavour and thought it was quite refreshing, i'm thinking to make a version with only Parmesan and not Pecorino, will keep you posted about the result.

Recipe from Mum with my own improvisation
I was walking in town one day, and suddenly have this cravings for prawns, so i walked into my expensive local fish monger and bought 450g of prawns(only 10 to be specified), and paid 20 euros for them. Very expensive.....and kind of regret when i walked out of the shop, but decided is worth it once in a while.
So, easy and quick: chopped up some garlic(2-3 cloves for 5 of my BIG/ENORMOUS prawns), and slice up ginger and sauteed together until fragrant, add light and dark soy sauce, wine and sugar last. Done, and i garnish with some coriander....(if you have chilli is even better, cut it really small and add it together with ginger and garlic.

Birthday plan.

2011-07-13T23:50:00.003+02:00

We have a plan. We(me and a good friend) are going for a massage in the morning, then follow by a nice lunch, and then maybe mani/pedicure... Yes, you are right, i'm not going to work, and i'm going to enjoy My day, get spoiled and pampered which i wasn't able to for the last few years.

i'm 5 mins shy of 27. Is it going to be a good year? well, i'm going to make it a good year.

just something to share:

2011-06-19T15:10:00.003+02:00

something i picked up from an Dunhill ad:

-i just knew i wanted to see more of life. I'd never felt particularly British, but the funny thing about spending a long time abroad is that makes you feel more British. Overseas, people know the english accent if you sound like David Niven, but if you don't sound like that, as far as they're concerned you could be Australian. So you spend a lot of your time talking about where you come from, you've almost giving yourself a crash course in who you are. You get more of a sense of yourself, somehow, than you had when were back home surrounded by people who are similar to you. (Harland Miller, artist and author)

-It's so simple: if you have a talent, you have a duty to use it to the full. (Sir David Frost)

Inspiration

2011-05-31T01:25:00.007+02:00

I was in London for a couple of days last week, and am so glad that i had a bit of time to pop into V&A on Sunday afternoon. I haven't been for a long long time(when you are going with someone who is not interested at all, i would rather skip it), but this time, i'm determined to go as i know they are doing a special exhibition on Yohji Yamamoto.
I wasn't that impressed about the Yohji's exhibition(i gotta be honest), but the clothes they featured was quite good and that makes me very happy.(btw, it cost 7 pounds) I also managed to pop into the South Asia and Islamic Art section for a quick browse(i'm insanely obsessed with tiles), that makes me even happier.....but i had to leave after 2 and a half hours because i need to catch my flight on the same day.
It was a shame that i didn't have more time to explore, i promise myself i will allocate a day on my next trip to london for V&A only.
I forgot what's like to be inspired, now that i remember, i realised how much i've been missing it. I like my job(well-to a certain extent)but it is nothing like this-Nothing at all, and now, i want to do everything i can to hold on to that feeling, to have that buzz in my head with all these images, ideas, so much so, that i thought i was going crazy.
It was a great feeling, i assure you.

A double life.

2011-05-31T00:53:00.002+02:00

2 cities, 2 different life. Like it? or not?

full bloom

2011-04-10T22:23:00.006+02:00

I got these few weeks ago-look what happen now!

I know i might sound stupid to be so excited, but i've always wanted to have plants in my flat, and this is the first time that it actually work.....(even cactus can died on me, you know how this must make me feel.....) :)

food+food

2011-04-10T21:59:00.006+02:00

Lemon Drizzle cake from Jamie Oliver's
-i wasn't too pleased with the cake-first of all, i didn't have a cocktail stick to poke evenly on the cake before i pour on my lemon syrup, but used a chopstick instead, thus somebits have more lemon syrup and somebits less. I thought the recipe has too much ground almond(i'm not a big almond fan), but still got good feedbacks from colleagues, so i will still recommend it, but make sure you use a cocktail stick!!
Instead of putting real icing sugar on top, i just used powder sugar before serving as im not a 'too' sweet person either.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/my-nan-s-lemon-drizzle-cake

Pan roasted Salmon with anchovy rosemary sauce and Broccoli from Jamie too
I was speechless when i put that piece of salmon in my mouth, it was just unbelievably delicious, and super easy to make(less than 20 mins). Love that.
Real herbs really make a big difference, get some fresh rosemary and good quality anchovies.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/pan-roasted-salmon-with-purple-sprouting

Adele's Power Breakfast
Ah, yes, my 'own' kind of recipe.
-Fresh apple juice
-Mushroom, onion omelette cooked with olive oil
-Rocket salad
-Warm Ciabata bread with Olive oil(+salt and pepper) dipping
+sun on my balcony
=perfect

cherry blossom

2011-04-10T21:37:00.005+02:00

These are what i picked from Franconian Switzerland on Saturday, it was a perfect day for outing, and it was just what we needed-nature, sun, and a scenic drive.
If you are interested in scenic drive in the region, i would strongly suggest to drive from Forcheim to Wiesenttal via B470, small winding roads with cute villages, it was certainly worth it. It was a shame that they didn't offer more parking area along the route, or else it would've been perfect. Nevertheless, we manage to stop somewhere, and there were some benches where you can sit and enjoy the breathtaking view, and i was very naugthy to pick some cherry blossom(honestly i don't know if it is allowed) but i just couldn't help it, and there was nobody around.....and it really suit my flat!

What? Baking?

2011-03-19T19:03:00.004+01:00

It is very common for Caucasian to know how to bake, but not Asian. Most of my cooking knowledge comes from my mum, as she doesn't know how to bake, it is very natural that i didn't know as well.
I've always been impressed by people who know how to bake, and one of my friend once said that to me: Anyone can bake, you are just following the recipe! is not difficult at all and that is preciously what i did.
Learning new things is one of my resolution this year, i started with the easy curry puff that my friend taught me, then moving on to banana cake(i was craving for Malaysian style banana cake which you don't get here), then to madeira cake, and this week, i'm trying Jamie's lemon drizzle cake.
For those of you who like Madeira cake, check out Nigella Lawson's recipe, it was easy to make and super delicious, well, at least this is what my colleagues said, but i would take it easy on the butter and sugar.

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/my-mother-in-laws-madeira-cake-103

I'll tell you more about the lemon drizzle cake later.

Spring!! and i went a little crazy on saturday.

2011-03-06T19:03:00.007+01:00

valentines day

2011-02-21T18:40:00.003+01:00

No candle light dinner, no flowers, no chocolate, no present, but we do have in flight meal with a starter, main course, dessert and a bread with the choice of soft drinks, coffee, tea or wine and beer, is not that bad, is it?

Not to mention we almost wanted to kill each other less than 8 hours ago, there we were, happily paid an extra 130 euros, just to be able to sit next to each other in economy comfort(as KLM calls it) during a 13 hours flight. Just before boarding, He said: this is what valentines day is all about- No matter how mad we are with each other, we always get over it, and find a way to be happy wherever we are as long as we are together.

That-to me, was a very good Valentines day. How was yours?

(for those of you who wants to know if the economy comfort is worth 130 euros single way? Not to me, you only get more leg room-in length, i rather have 130 euros in my bank account)

lights decor.

2011-01-23T17:32:00.005+01:00

Was dismantling my christmas decoration, and felt the lights might look good on my wall, does it?

Bangladesh

2011-01-23T16:54:00.012+01:00

I was in Dhaka, Bangladesh about a week ago for work.

It was a very short 3 days trip, and Yes, everyone’s reaction of Bangladesh is-how poor they are, and how dirty it is, how chaotic the traffic is, how rule-less the whole place is, but surprisingly I find myself admiring the colours in Dhaka even more than in India. The lorries(all painted), the rickshaw, the street, the people, the clothes, bamboo forest, I didn’t know what to expect before I came, but I have to say I wish I can stay a bit longer to see more, it was quite an experience, i certainly enjoyed it.

I even came across this(most random and bizarre) party in the Dutch club in Dhaka. I don’t exactly know what it is, but as far as I understood, it is a place for Expats to socialize and hang out(there are also American club, German club, etc), and once in a while they organize some parties, I was extremely lucky to get an invitation thanks to a friend’s friend. To be honest, it looks more like a private party at someone’s house, or more like a teen’s party with some tacky decorations, but I find myself enjoying it because of the randomness. Beautiful and interesting people, from 50s down to some 16 year old kids, so RANDOM, but it was good fun, and I definitely drank too much.

What a trip.

More food.

2011-01-02T22:09:00.012+01:00

I have never cook so much during my holiday.

Nasi Lemak(coconut rice with fried anchovies, fried chicken, peanuts, boiled eggs and sambal ikan bilis)

Banana Cake
:i've been wanting to bake for quite some time, found this recipe online, it was super easy to make, and super delicious. http://en.christinesrecipes.com/2009/11/banana-cake-recipe.html

Curry Puff
:i have never been a big fan of curry puff until i met Catherine. This is her version of Curry puff with puff pastry instead of the original(a more thicker and heavier dough). I thank her for sharing the recipe with me. Those i made are vegetarian with potatoes, onions, carrots and eggplant.

Chinese steam fish

Everything is illuminated

2010-12-26T00:52:00.003+01:00

A friend recommend this quite some time ago, didn't get around to watch it until few days ago. I have to say what a brilliant film it is, and Liev Schreiber is both a good actor and director, i wish there are more to come.
Heard the book is even better, going to hunt it down, people, dont't miss it.

Christmas?? Is all about food!

2010-12-25T23:44:00.009+01:00

Merry Christmas everyone.

It started snowing on christmas eve, and it snowed the whole day today, first proper white christmas, cold(It is -6 out there) you would wonder what have we done for the last 2 days.

EAT. That is precisely what we did, cook, eat, dvd, cook, eat, dvd.......

We had enough food in the fridge to last us for...... let's just put it this way, if there is a snowstorm lasting for a week, i think we have a big chance of surviving it. To be honest with you, i have never seen so much food in my kitchen.

So, what have we been eating? Christmas eve, i wanted to do a proper roast, but since it was only 2 of us, i figured turkey is too much, and HE is not a big fan of turkey, so we settled with Chicken, roast potatoes for main. He wanted some bread, so i made some Bruchetta as starter, and i love creme brulee, so we had that as desert.

I found the roast chicken recipe from Jamie Oliver's website, it was very straight forward, easy to make and it taste fantastic!! check out www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/roast-chicken-with-lemon-and-rosemary-ro

here's picture of before and after

I love bruchetta, though it was a bit funny to have this italian bread as starter with the roastie, but He loves it. I don't really remember where i got the recipe, but this is my own improvisation:
I just used normal Ciabatta bread, put it on the grill to toast it a little, at the same time, i mix some cut tomatoes, rocket leaves, salt, black pepper, and olive oil(i didn't mix all the rockets leaves, i left some for garnishing on top later), then i cut a clove of garlic, when the bread is nicely toasted, i just rub it with the garlic, then put the mixture on top, and garnish with a little bit of thick balsamic vinegar, done.

Creme Brulee, who doesn't love creme brulee? Again, super easy to make, found it on BBC website. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/originalcremebrulee_81524
Unfortunately, it was that tasty that i didn't get to take a picture. I was also lucky to get the blow torch ontime, and you reallly need one to make this work. It is a good investment.

There it is, my Christmas dinner.

Brunch on Christmas day? I've got some left overs from the roast chicken, and since we've had european breakfast for the last couple of days, i thought why not make something from HOME? So, i made Malaysian Curry BeeHoon(rice vermicelli/noodles, however you call it). I've got some really good Curry paste from Malaysia, coconut milk, button mushrooms, potatoes, beans, chicken leftovers, fishballs, coriander. Ta-da

Nothing beats this-a cold winter morning with a spicy curry noodle soup, a taste from Home, couldn't be better.

My so called 'christmas tree'

2010-12-06T23:08:00.006+01:00

So, it is that time of the year again-Christmas market, Gluhwein(mulled wine), Bratwurst(grilled sausages), crepes, waffles, gold, red, green..... For the last 4 years, we've been celebrating Christmas with His family, and this year, we've decided to have a Christmas with just the two of us. Romantic? wait till you read the rest.....We were supposed to go to London for Christmas and New Year, after getting a mild heart attack when we checked out the flight, and with so much money spent on our last trip to South of France, we decided to stay here in Germany for our 2 weeks long holiday, to chill.
Christmas won't be Christmas without a tree, and i've always wanted one and never- had one(for the last 26 years to be exact), but the problem came- i have a tiny flat, to put a real christmas tree(i don't like artificial tree) would mean i have to leave it in my balcony(which would've been nice), but costly too, as you need to buy all those lights and decorations etc etc to 'fill' it up! So, I've decided to go for a Cheap version. I know, i know, i'm all about budget right now:
Ta Da!
Yes, branches, don't think i just pick them in a park or something, i had to buy them from the florist in town and it cost me 4 euros!
It is still work in progress, but i'm quite happy with what i've got so far! Here's another picture:Lighting still need to re-adjust...
(i know im quite pathetic to have a fake fireplace, but i live in a post-war building, and there is no fireplace in these buildings anymore, so we will have to wait till i move into a period building, and live with this for now)

Bath in baden-baden

2010-10-15T23:58:00.006+02:00

This is a super backdated post. I was bored sitting in the living room, sorting out my folders, and came across this few pictures that I've saved to remind myself to blog about it, so here we are, 5 months late, but better than never.

I went on a 3 days trip with Nono in the early spring in May, and our first stop was Baden-Baden. I was there once with a friend, but we didn't have a chance to try out the Bath, and this time, we were determined-we checked in, packed some stuffs, went straight to the Spa-there are 2 bath/spa in Baden-Baden, we went to Friedrichbad, which is a traditional roman Irish bath, one of the best decision i made this year!! Convinced that we should pampered ourselves(this is what a girl's trip supposed to be) we started the evening by a full body massage. I don't really want to go into details...all i can say is, it wasn't good, so don't bother to try it and be ready to be nude and have man masseur. I was ready to be nude, but having NOTHING to cover my body with(i mean full frontal), and a man masseur is not what i expected.

So, after the 50 mins expensive and 'not so worth it' massage, we hit the Bath. You started by having a warm shower, and going straight to the traditional roman sauna(heated from the floor), then to another warmer sauna, then the pool with certain temperatures....in total-17 steps including a nap. Yes, I'm not joking, a nap at the end of it. The whole process takes around 2 and a half hours if you follow the instruction, of course you are allowed to stay longer at certain rooms or pools if you like it. Bare in mind that you have to be nude and there are days when they don't seperate the gender, so be sure to check it before you go. My favourite room is the pool with the Dome, it looks absolutely fantastic(check out the website) but even though it was the 'seperate gender' day, you still have to share that room with the opposite gender. Luckily for us, it wasn't a busy night, sitting in the pool, looking at the dome, i assure you, you don't want to miss that. Dome is my favourite room, no.2 is a wet sauna room with traditional water heating system, because the water comes from the hot spring, it has a very distinctive smell which i like, i kept going back to that room. No.3 -is the soap and brush massage(you need to pay a little extra), quite rough massage, but it got rid of all my dead skin!!

Please, if you go by Baden-baden, don't miss it, highly recommended, i'm planning to go back again since a friend now lives there....hoorah!

check it out: http://www.carasana.de/Tourviewer_Caracalla_Friedrichsbad.html

flower picking

2010-10-11T22:44:00.008+02:00

I went flower picking with Him-that doesn't sound quite right, is a bit cheesy, but i assure you it was actually quite fun, and nice. We were driving, with no destination, just enjoying each other's company and the Sunny weather, drove past this little sign board-self pick flower field(There are many of these fields in Southern Germany-as far as i know, where you pick whatever you like yourself, and put the money into a little box they provided, sometimes there are prices listed, sometimes not, you just pay whatever amount you think it's worth). I have never done it before, but i find myself enjoying it, a lot. And Him? not so much, but he was......helpful, just carrying whatever i gave him and he paid. He said he hasn't seen me getting so excited for a really long time, so i guess i should do it more often.

It wasn't a good saturday

2010-10-10T21:22:00.003+02:00

It was an ordinary saturday. We were walking in town, had a big lunch, my phone rang when we were queuing for Ice Cream, it was my mum. I thought it was our ordinary chat of the week, and then she broke it to me: the little brother of my sis in law passed away in the morning before. I was in shock. My nephew went into his room to wake him up, he wasn't responding, that's it-he was already gone. A nice young guy, and healthy, no heart problem, i just don't understand!
My sis in law is devastated, so is my family. Who would have thought? I felt sick, i let him dragged me home, i say dragged because i wasn't feeling anything, i didn't know where i was going.
People, life is short. You never know what's going to happen, live life to the fullest, and to my extended family-take care and may You rest in peace.

more than 24 hours journey home

2010-08-16T13:38:00.010+02:00

i knew it will be a tough journey when i booked my ticket. I arrived at Hong Kong airport almost 2 hours ago, and i have another 4 hours to go before i board the plane to Frankfurt. Then i have to wait for another 2 hours to go back to Nurnberg. God. Im preparing myself right now.
I better go look for some kind of massages right now. continue later.
ok, now waiting infront of my gate, got a surprise comment from Sandra that she is here! in Hong Kong Airport, don't know if she is still here though, waiting for her next message. Another 2 hours to go. argh..... got a super comfy pillow from MUJI just now and i hope i can at least sleep for a couple of hours. After spending 2 weeks away from my home in Germany, i'm kind of desperate to go back, especially now. I was sharing a room with a colleague of mine when i was in here in Hong Kong for work, then i was sharing a room with my sister when i was at home in Malaysia. I'm so used to having my own 'space' and privacy back in Germany, even though i like my colleague and my sister very much, but i do need to 'breath', and be myself. My mum used to say i'm a loner, i think to certain degree i am. I don't mind to go out by myself, i enjoy sitting at a cafe alone watching people walks by, i like shopping alone, i enjoy living by myself, i find it easier sometimes to work in the late evening or early in the morning when nobody is around,....the more i think about it, the more i believe what my mum said is right. Nevertheless, i still enjoy friend's company.(am i confusing?) anyway, the place is getting crowded here at the boarding gate.
So, another 90 mins to go.......

Inception

2010-08-01T01:51:00.000+02:00

Incredible and brilliant!!! love it.

Design camp

2010-07-29T22:19:00.000+02:00

For those of you who have no idea what the design camp is for: Puma organise a design camp every year, inviting designers(my colleagues) from different offices around the globe to attend a 3 days workshop. It is intense, but is always good to see everybody and be able to talk and find out what everyone is doing, at the same time we do some brain storming session to define the direction for the next season.
Hussein Chalayan is our creative director since 2008, and for those of you who don't know, i'm a fan of his work. I missed the opportunity to talk to him last year, and i complaint about it for the next three months(according to someone), so i decided i have to do it this year no matter what. I walked up to him after the presentation, introduce myself, told him how much i admire his work and what an great inspiration he is to me. I'm glad i didn't chicken out, and that-made my day.
(PS-he was super nice and super humble)

happy anniversary

2010-07-25T23:28:00.000+02:00

This is a backdated post.
We celebrated our 8th anniversary this June in Bodensee. I was amazed at myself how i manage to 'stick' with this Man for the past 8 years.
Why? because we have very little in common, he likes modern architecture, i like period buildings. He likes rock and roll band, i like....everything, he will flip if i turn on for example french oldies, or classical music. He likes to eat burger and sandwiches, i hate both of them, can't stand them. He supports McLaren and Liverpool, i support Ferrari and Man.Utd. He likes Coffee, i like tea. He hates to travel, i love to travel just anywhere. I like rice, he prefers bread. I like dogs, he is afraid of dogs. I prefer wine to his beer. I don't like to go into electrical shop, but it is his happy land. I love reading books, he prefers TV. I like to clean up on a Sunday, and he likes to go to car showroom. I hate his impatience, he thinks i'm undecisive.
See what i mean?
Nevertheless, we did stay with each other through ups and downs for the past 8 years. Although i sometimes feel like i want to twist his head, or kick his balls, (i'm pretty sure he feels the same, he did mentioned he would like to kick my ovari), i do love him more than anything. After all, there is no perfect relationship, no perfect couple. We are both grateful that we are able to share our life experience together, and we manage not to kill each other during the last 8 years, and hopefully not in the future too, this is quite an achievement, don't you think?

You are loving, supportive, thoughtful, kind, considerate, tolerate,.......although i have never told you that. You said on the phone today that i'm not your girlfriend anymore, because im more than that, well, that. was very sweet. I hope we do have many more anniversaries to come, and You, You just make me so happy(at times), and i hope you feel the same.

Happy Anniversary

(PS-No, we are not getting married, pls stop asking) :)

My Birthday Present

2010-07-25T22:02:00.000+02:00

I wasn't very happy at the beginning of July. This was exactly the same as last year, i suddenly have this huge workload that i find it hard to cope, i told myself last year that i want to have a different birthday this year, to pampered myself on my birthday-massages, having my nails done, spa, whatever, just not working, but of course it didn't happen, or else i wouldn't be here complaining. Disappointed, but I'm still hopeful for next year.

So, i spent my Tuesday evening(13/7) catching up with a old friend who now lives and work in India, then i spent my first hour of my birthday reading crap magazines-HEAT. It is crap, but i enjoyed it very much! Dad was the first to call, it was way too early, but it means a lot to me.

Anyway, getting back to my present.

What did i get from colleagues?
Yea, money, cash. It was a very sweet idea. They knew I'm fanatic when it comes to flea market, they even have a flyer which has all the dates and address for all the flea markets in Nuremberg. How sweet, it couldn't be better. Isn't it cute?

HE was nice enough to take 2 days off work and flew down here on my birthday, this is what i got from HIM. It is much better than IKEA voucher(what i got last year), and no I'm not complaining about the vouchers, there were practical like him, but yea, voucher.HE said: i don't want you to give up your dreams, this is to remind you.

That was sweet of HIM.

happy birthday.

2010-07-13T23:59:00.001+02:00

the bell is ringing from afar....is 12 oclock. I'm officially a year older. er no, is wiser.
Happy birthday.

treat yourself with good and healthy food

2010-05-12T00:03:00.000+02:00

Is strange how your body changes when you grow older, you get tired more easily, you are getting very picky about food, 'things' or 'stuffs' starting to build around your waist, you noticed that wrinkle on your forehead, you can't catch your breath when you walk up the hill.......
Is not like i've been neglecting my health, I've always been careful about what i eat since i have a very sensitive stomach, but still i can't help but noticed that i'm getting....just older. Convinced that if i don't take any action now, i will look even more horrible when i reach my 26th birthday in July, considering all of that, i've decided to run(excercise) and eat more healthily. The food part, does come with a price though, i've been spending money on good fish, good bread, good olive oil, fresh vege, fresh herbs....it uh...hurt a little bit at the check out, but i convinced myself it is worth it.
This is what i cooked 2 weeks ago, quite a treat for myself on a saturday night: pan fried sea bass, rocket salad with cherry tomato and Parmesan, a glass of good wine. That was heaven.

I guess one of the most important thing you learn when you get older: is to love yourself!

What happen in Istanbul

2010-04-27T23:00:00.000+02:00

Came back from Istanbul almost 2 weeks ago, didn't have a chance yet to upload pictures or to share anything, been pretty busy lately.
Just remember an interesting night at Starbucks(i didn't choose the place, would rather go for something local) in a huge shopping mall. Me, Sorah(work colleague in Herzo) and Yusuf(work colleague who based in Istanbul) sat down after a long day,taking a break, and have some famous turkish cakes but it turned into a rather interesting conversation.
We all come from very different background, Me(Malaysia born Chinese), Sorah(half Afghan and half German), Yusuf(Macedonia born Turkish), bizarre really to end up at the same place, well not really, but we are all working for the same company at least.
From food to parents, to grandparents, to ancestors, to heritage, to history, to culture, to war, to survival.....we shared our experiences, we talked about religion(big part of the discussion), it was inspiring and bloody fantastic! I never felt.more.alive! I've been travelling quite frequently for the last 4 months: London, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Nurnberg, Dusseldorf, London, London, Hamburg, Istanbul-even went to London twice in March, but Istanbul was by far the most interesting one, it was a very tiring trip, but i love it so much that I'm already planning when to go back again.

how do you ask for pay rise and less work at the same time?

2010-03-28T23:40:00.000+02:00

Tricky. Tomorrow is my yearly appraisal, and i've tried to come out with a plan. A plan which i can get what i want- a pay rise and reducing my current workload. I cannot think of how i can justify why i get more money but not taking on more work. Hm.....

well, it does hurt. leaving tomorrow

2010-02-23T15:15:00.000+01:00

I didn't think it would hurt so much to leave family and friends, is tearing me apart right now. When i told my nephew who is not yet 4 that i'm going back to a country far far away, he said 'don't stay too long'. I didn't really know how to reply.

I have to admit, i do miss my life in Europe, the weather is unbearable here, safety is another issue, freedom....but now i feel terrible of leaving. I ask myself: what do i want-honestly, i don't know.

Alexander McQueen died

2010-02-12T11:22:00.000+01:00

Rest in peace. You will be remembered.

I'm too upset to write anything

New Year. 2010

2010-02-10T17:42:00.000+01:00

New year started off with a busy schedule again, work for 2 weeks, went to Berlin for Bread and Butter show, then work for another week, i packed my bags and flew to Hong Kong before coming back to Malaysia.

I had a good time in Hong Kong and Macau, met up with some friends and finally i came home. I have to say, is a strange feeling to be coming back here, is strange yet familiar.

ps: is so hot that i cant write anymore.

Quite an unusual christmas day

2010-01-02T02:22:00.001+01:00

It was Christmas Day, everything was close. We were sitting at home(in London), had nothing to do, feeling bored and hungry, and feeling the urge to escape families, we thought it might be a good idea to go out. Convinced that we are in London, not in Germany, we can get food easily at anytime and anywhere, we set out to our little adventure, looking for Food, or more specific-fast food-KFC.
We started on Fulham high street, to our surprise, nothing was open(except chicken cottage), feeling disappointed, we drove on and believe any of the services on motorway would be open. We drove towards Heathrow direction, and saw one services coming up soon, not feeling too excited because we would have to settle for Burger King(most of the motorway services in UK has Burger King), and i don't like burger king, only to found out minutes later it was close! Completely! Not even the Gas station was open! Disappointed again! we decided to head to the last resort-Airport. Parked our car at Heathrow Terminal.5, saw the Costa coffee wasn't open in the arrival hall, my heart sinked. He didn't care and dragged me to the departure hall.
He.was.RIGHT. we were lucky that almost everything was open. We settle at a Italian restaurant, relieved that we were not going to starve to death. We had a good meal, even got magazines for the evening, still it was kind of strange to spend Christmas day at the airport when you are not flying.

I have to thank him for his determination and stubbornness, or else i would have been starved to death(ok, I'm exaggerating) I have to say sometimes I'm not that spontaneous like him, i wish i am but I'm not. It reminds me of what my friend said once-Maybe life with a very different partner is not that bad after all because you experience more and it brings you jump out of the box sometimes just to please the other half, of course, you are not going to enjoy it all the time, but this Christmas day, i find it extremely fun and i thoroughly enjoy it.

Another horrible drive

2009-12-21T14:50:00.000+01:00

It took me almost 5 hours to drive from Mannheim to Dusseldorf. What a day??

I was so exhausted. Again, more snow on the road, traffic....i love snows, but please, i don't want to drive in this condition anymore.

He lives on the ground floor with communal garden, i woke up this 'afternoon', and the garden is covered in more than 10cm snow.....for a moment, it feels like im staying in a ski resort. Is actually quite nice staying indoor, and is nice and white outside. :)

Strasbourg-disaster

2009-12-19T23:59:00.000+01:00

After work on Friday, i drove to Mannheim and stayed at a friend's place.
The drive from Nürnberg to Mannheim was horrible. I've never driven in this kind of condition. It was snowing very heavily, it was super cold, at least -8 degree Celsius, my wiper didn't work because everything was frozen, i couldn't see anything from my window because even my window was frozen(both on the inside and outside) i had to scrap off the ice while i was driving. The road was full of snow, i couldn't see which lane i was driving..............but i did arrive at Mannheim after 3 and a half hours(it usually take 2 and a half hours), which was fine.
Today, we did something even more outrageous. It was -10 this morning, we somehow convinced ourselves that Strasbourg will be warmer and WE, we can stand the cold. What the hell was i thinking??
Obviously, that was a mistake. I've never felt so cold in my LIFE. I remember when i was in Vienna 2 years ago, it was -17, but i didn't find it as cold as today. At the end of the 3 hours walk, i couldn't feel my toes anymore. I'm serious, i really couldn't feel it. I wonder if the locals can stand it too. In that 3 hours, we walked through some nice Christmas markets, had hot orange juice, went into the Dom and a biscuit shop, took less than 10 pics(because it was that cold, that nobody bother to take any), had crepes. I couldn't be more happy to leave. It was way too cold.
I was so looking forward to this trip, but it ended in disaster, mind you, I'm still cold now.
I still have to drive to Düsseldorf tomorrow, fingers crossed.

I'm done for the year

2009-12-19T23:37:00.000+01:00

I'm officially on holiday. Finally. Until 7th of January. No more staying late at work. I'm so happy. What more can i say?
I'm done. done for the year.
There are several things which worth mention and celebrate:
-Shusien dropped by few weeks ago when she was travelling in Europe, we've had great fun together, and it was super nice to see her, and hang out, thanks for coming. I wish i can take some time off work to travel with you, but i couldn't, i hope you've enjoyed your trip here.
-Sewing machine is here. I did spend a good hour with it on that day, but not since then. I was so busy with work, all i did at home was eat, shower, TV for a while, and sleep. Sorry, i will definitely spend more time with you in January. And 'YOU' are a fantastic little thing.
-My flight to Hong Kong is booked. I'm flying to hong kong for work, and then flying home for CNY, am going to booked my flight tomorrow(to KL), so excited.
-found a cool 2nd hand furniture shop in Nürnberg, so cool.
-spending Christmas in London and probably flying off to Ireland for a couple of days.
-HE agreed to go skiing with me. Hahahaha

ShuSien was here....

2009-12-06T22:18:00.000+01:00

I'm so glad that she came, although she only gave me like- a day notice, still it was so nice to see her. I miss the good old days, us hanging out at cafes, talked for hours, our chinese new year gambling session....it was a good 10 days, i would love to take some time off work to travel with her, unfortunately my workload was crazy at that time...she was so easy to please, and fun to hang out with...i had a fabulous time.....pls come again!

It is still coming...

2009-12-06T22:16:00.000+01:00

Sewing machine is delayed, due to several reasons....argh!!!!
New status update tells me that it has left left country of origin....fingers crossed.

sewing machine is coming...

2009-11-29T16:22:00.000+01:00

When i got my paycheck on friday, the first thing i did was to order my sewing machine..is coming....is coming...TUESDAY!!!

what are you looking for in a relationship?

2009-11-01T23:33:00.000+01:00

A friend told me on friday night that i'm not going to marry Him, ever. It didn't bother me that much, but i was curious why she thinks so. She said He is not inspiring me, i get too comfortable around him, but isn't it what you are looking for? Daily life is already full of dramas, isn't comfort enough? Isn't it nice that you know you can fall back on something? Is it not enough?

The curious case of Benjamin Button

2009-10-07T00:09:00.000+02:00

I know the movie was out a year ago, bare with me, i just got the DVD.
I absolutely love it, what a fantastic movie! didn't really expect it to be that good. Highly recommended.

Second wave of the economy crisis

2009-10-06T23:58:00.000+02:00

When news reported Germany is out of Recession some weeks ago, i was relieved, so relieved like you wouldn't believe it. Then i thought, actually the economy crisis wasn't so bad, ok, the bankers lost their jobs, the GDP was down, but it didn't really hit home- until now. BA is cutting 1500 jobs, NIKE cut 15% of their global workforce, people are being layoff as we speak, so is my company. Restructuring and restructuring, and restructuring. I cannot stand that word anymore, seriously, not anymore. It was bankers, car industry, real estate, airlines, then it will gradually filtered down to us, be ready.

X Factor

2009-09-25T00:20:00.000+02:00

I'm generally not a big fan of reality show, but i can't help myself of getting hooked on X-factor. I know a lot of people who think it is a crap show, tra lalala....i hate to admit but i do love it.

It makes me feel so hopeful/positive to see talented people get a chance in their life to show the world how good they are. It takes a lot of guts and courage to be able to walk on that stage, and hey, at least they are not sitting in front of the TV moaning and whinging about absolutely everything. They take charge of their own life, they are willing to take that risk and do something about it! That------is an inspiration to me.

My new motto? stop moaning, get my lazy ass off the sofa and do something about it!!

Can you buy happiness?

2009-09-25T00:19:00.001+02:00

if yes, how much would you pay for it?

Sketching

2009-09-23T23:44:00.000+02:00

Im glad that i start sketching again.....so glad.

sewing machine

2009-09-14T23:11:00.000+02:00

the one i want is almost 900 euros. what the &*()#$%%^&*!
kill me. kill me.

Damn it, summer is over.

2009-09-10T23:23:00.001+02:00

I spent my whole summer working. Not exactly the thing I've hoped for, nor planned, but is just the reality. I'm gutted i didn't take a summer break or go to the beach or something, instead I'm sitting here late night moaning about missing summer. I cannot believe it.
Everybody's been away, enjoying the sunshine, enjoying life! That should be what I'm doing as well! not sitting in the office, working all day long. I thought my time in Esprit was over, that my life will be less stressful and i will have more time to....basically think. I was so wrong. It started quite well, but now it is just nightmares, and nightmares. I'm sick of it. I'm serious. I can't work like this anymore, I'm literally 'empty', nothing left, i work like a robot, like a fucking maniac. Where is the light in the tunnel? now that summer is over, i might as well just stay in the tunnel till next summer. I'm so sorry that i moaned about work all the time, but i need to get it out, and get it over with. THIS IS SAD.
I'm going to take a week off in Oct, going to Italy, looking forward to it. NOTHING CAN STOP ME, AND I MEAN IT, NOTHING!!

Sacrifice?

2009-08-15T01:30:00.000+02:00

We have to admit, there is no Perfect couple, no Perfect partner, nothing is perfect. I don't really believe there is another person who is made just for you, and you two will match perfectly together. Let's face it, even if there is, would it be so easy for you to find him/her out of 6.777 billion population in the world? No.
We are all individuals, we have things we want to achieve in our life, and things that will make us happy. What if your path is not the same as your partner's path, the things that make you happy might not do the same for him/her? what do you do? Is not like you don't like that person anymore, it has nothing to do with love whatsoever but is just the path never seems to come together. Do you sacrifice? Is that what we have to do? Who should sacrifice then? Is it fair to do so?

Schumacher not running again

2009-08-15T01:22:00.000+02:00

I was devastated when i heard the news that he is not racing again, well, to be more specify, he can't race with a F-1 car anymore. He sustained injury from his Feb bike accident. Just heard from colleagues that we(as in PUMA) already prepared his cap and his shoes for racing.(PUMA sponsors Scuderia Ferrari team-from clothing to shoes) How sad.....
Another more devastating news: i was thinking since i missed this year's Grand Prix, i will have to make it next year-just to find out that our free tickets was given from BMW every year, and since they pull out from Formula one next year, means no more free tickets and trips to the Pit Stops. Argh......I'm not joking, i couldn't eat afterwards...

Berlin 2.

2009-08-15T00:51:00.000+02:00

Here are the highlights to do:

Hackesche Hofe:

take a stroll around the Art Nouveau courtyard, nice flat, nice environment, nice little boutiques. Alte Schonhauserstr., Munzstr., Mulackstr., Torstr. all worth exploring, lots of shops. There is a very popular Chinese restaurant called Monsieur Vuong. Extremely popular, but i didn't have a chance to try it, the queue was too long, but i'm definitely going to try it next time. There are Major high street brands as well as little designer boutique around which makes it a nice to walk around, plenty to explore.

Friedrichstr.

supposed to be good too, but i didn't really explored this area, but there is a good Italian restaurant called twelve apostles. unbelievably tasty food....huge restaurant, reasonably priced, big potion, friendly staffs, highly recommended.

Flea Market at Tiergarten
lots of antiques, quite enjoyable

Tacheles art house
i missed it, it is a former departmental store which they transform it into a gallery(sort of), have to see

I would say it is quite inspiring to walk around in the city. I also have to say Berliner has a very different aesthetic, and the way they dressed is quite interesting. For instance, there is a glove which is very 'Berlin', glove which looks like a sock. Unfortunately i didn't take a picture, and i can't find it in the Internet either.... They tend to wear a lot of midi length skirts, deconstruction pieces, etc....

I stayed in Meininger City Hostel-very clean, in a alternative area, very friendly staffs, good vibe, can have seperate rooms(not traditional dorm), i can imagine to stay there again.

What are you waiting for? go now and enjoy.
PS: don't go in the winter, too cold to walk around

Berlin

2009-07-29T21:54:00.000+02:00

Ich liebe Berlin(i like Berlin). If i can get a job in Berlin, i would move immediately, seriously, i didn't really want to leave.

I still cannot believe it took me almost 3 years to come to Berlin. I always wanted to come, but the train ticket was so expensive, and i got lucky this time because i was there for work. I extended my stay together with 2 of my colleagues, and explored the city in the weekend. To be honest, we were shopping all the time, didn't do any sight seeing at all, and i think it will be interesting to do it with Him instead. What do you expect anyway, we were all women, nothing could have stopped us!!

So yea, it took us 5 hours to drive to Berlin from Nurnberg, it wasn't bad at all because we were driving a fast car-a BMW KOMBI from work, and without speed limit on German Autobahn(highway), it was actually bloody fantastic.

I like the Vibe in Berlin, people are more open minded, they speak English, you can still get dinner at 12.30 midnight, you can randomly bump into a gallery at 12 and they talk to you, and explaining everything, it is not something i expected really. People are so chill(maybe because 20% of them are unemployed), is just so nice to be there.

For pics, see facebook, i will udpate some highlights to do in Berlin in my next post.

Book your ticket now, don't hesitate. Youth hostel is a great choice, i stayed in one, and it was great.

Massa and Schumacher

2009-07-29T21:24:00.000+02:00

My tears was running down my face when i saw the incident, i couldn't help it. I wasn't there when Senna was killed, i didn't feel anything, but seeing Massa crashed to the wall at 125mph, unbearable.
He is not my favourite driver, but he is a good driver and i like him. I do hope he can get well very soon, but i'm also glad to see Schumacher back in Action. It will be a very interesting weekend in Valencia. Bring it on!

Birthday.

2009-07-13T22:58:00.001+02:00

Is 10:58pm, im counting down. alone.
I'm not excited. at all.
Work's been crazy, i didn't even have time to think what i want to do for my birthday.
Do i want to do something for my birthday?
I actually don't know.
I sure know that i dont have any energy left to think about it.
25. It doesn't mean anything to me-strangely.
Just got a call from God mother, she's the first, although I did get my present from HIM on Saturday.
Is kind of sad, isn't it?
He said to me-you are all grown up, you should be happy. I don't feel happy.
I feel kind of pathetic writing this blog, at this time.

udpate

2009-07-05T22:18:00.000+02:00

Just came back from Berlin's bread and butter show, extremely exhausted, but berlin is fantastic!!! will update you all with pics and stuffs soon, but it will take a while. Im extremely busy at work, and i just hope things will get a bit easy soon.

Kit house-Hof Haus

2009-06-13T23:15:00.000+02:00

Hooked up with UK tv AGAIN-the reason i say AGAIN, is because it kind of comes and goes. I wouldn't go into detail-long story short- my landlord won't allow me to put up the satellite on the wall, so is on a stand plus it is 2 years old, not stable anymore, whenever the wind blows, i have to pray.....

Glad to be connected to the real world again, i find myself watching my all time favourite-Grand Design with Kevin McCloud(check it out in youtube) They talked about brilliant home architecture, obviously, not each one of them is my favourite, but i have to admit, im completely blown over by this week's feature-Hof Haus.

You have to admire the efficiency and the cleverness of the Germans. It was just unbelievable to watch. Check out the concept behind the company(http://www.huf-haus.com/). The distinctive feature of the Hof Haus is its post and beams architecture with huge glass, it has signature Bauhaus characteristic-'focus on the essential, where everything has its purpose and nothing is wasted', with smart engineering and careful planning, they 'deliver' the house in pieces (think ikea) to the building site, and put it up in a week-with water and electricity, no delays. Isn't it amazing? Absolutely blown me away. check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIBcLQDLaPo

It feels so great to be inspired.

Frankisches Freiland Musuem

2009-06-13T14:18:00.000+02:00

It wasn't a good thursday, the weather was really bad, windy, sunny, rainy, sunny, cloudy, just not a good day for outing, nevertheless i thought it would be better than to stay home and not doing anything, since Simon(my work colleague) highly recommended it, i thought 'why not' and went.

This is a Franconian(this area) open air museum about the cultural heritage of this area, showing the architecture, housing and working life of the rural population in former times. They even moved these farmhouses from other areas, relocate here in Bad Weindsheim, it is indeed very interesting. Not far from where i live, around 60km, but it took me an hour to get there because there wasn't any highway, but small roads, i drove past some little villages, and it was a enjoyable drive.

I actually keyed in the city centre on my TOMTOM(navigation system), i thought since this is quite popular they must have sign post on the way...i was wrong. First, there were some road works, i needed to take a detour, then i was in the city centre, but no sign post telling me how to get to the museum. Luckily i had the address of the tourist info center with me, and i keyed in TOMTOM, but it leads me to an industrial area............?WTF? then i turned back, and started to look for signboards, i knew it must there somewhere, and found this small little signpost where it says you can walk to the museum, cars are not allowed on the small lane. There wasn't any parking space around and i thought, this should be it, and i parked my car in the residential area, and walked.

I have to say it was quite scary-it was like in the middle of nowhere, and it was windy, the trees were making funny noises...i thought 'right, look where you have end up', but i sticked to my guts, and walked for another 10 mins, then i saw a car park, then tourist buses. i knew i will find it! and i did. Here's a pic of the narrow lanes where i thought was scary.

Nevertheless i found it, bought the ticket, got an english guide(i thought there won't be any) and realised there were a lot of old peoples, and a few small young families, and me the only Asian. Anyway, that's not important-i started my trip-the receptionist told me i can spend some good hours there, i walked, and walked and walked. It was really windy, look at my hair.....

They do keep the houses in good condition, and even furnished it and keep the livestock in the buildings! Most of them are timber houses, and covering 6 centuries and exhibited over an area of 100acres, the fields between complexes are farmed, and it was just beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I felt like i was living in the 17th century(incase some of you are not aware, im hooked on historical novels by Philippa Gregory), and it was like putting images into my head-how the people live in former times, surprising enough, it goes well with what i was imagining the whole time. More pics.

I even sat on top of the hill for a brief moment, enjoyed the breeze, saw this old lady walked by, she gave me a smile, i gave her mine, perhaps to acknowledge we were both alone, who knows. There, i didn't know if you can see the bench, i sat there, overlooking the vast landscape.

It was a nice day out, i enjoyed it-worth going. If you want to see more pics see facebook.

Memories

2009-06-07T23:03:00.001+02:00

Memories are what we were, what we have done, what we have seen and what we have learnt. Memories are feelings and emotions that were attached to one particular event in life that in time has passed. Memories are the base of perception in which we use to form the present and future window of our very own world.

Ever felt anger, sadness, happiness, depression, hope or love when something that has happen in the past triggers the current emotion that you are feeling? Memories are much more in our lives than we ever hope for. Although time has moved on, there are lessons, events, or experiences that we will never forget, and will forever lies in our minds to the very last day we live. Some choose to hide it, some choose to ignore it, or some choose to express the memories that we once felt.

I remember all my memories; i hope them tight and constantly portray them in my imaginary world, and think of what could have been, and all the 'ifs' in my mind. These constant and random flashes of images of memories make my mind twist and turn as i try to find my path in my ordinary world.......

travel blogging

2009-06-03T22:42:00.000+02:00

I used to blog about my travels, sharing my tips with other, but i don't know why i stop doing it. Maybe is time to start again.......

Time is running out??

2009-06-02T23:30:00.000+02:00

Once you grow older, there are more and more things on your list which you have to accomplished before reaching certain age. Going to college then University, Getting a reasonanle job, Getting your first car, Moving out, Relatioship, Getting a better job with better pay, Buying a flat or house, Getting married, Having children, Saving money for the next generation, Taking care of the elder, Taking care of your partner, Buying a family car, ......etc and etc.

I sometimes feel my time is running out, im under pressured to deliver-both in my job and life.

I've been seeing someone for almost 7 years, what happen now? I don't want to get married but we are just going nowhere, i cannot see where we are heading. Is time running out, should i settle down?

To stay or to go home? I've been working for a few years now away from home, and i left home almost 5 years, is it time to go home? do i want to go home? how long can i stay? How long do i want to keep doing this job? I want to do my own stuffs eventually, and is it the right time now? If i start later, there will be more things to juggle in my life compare to now. Is time running out?

I want to travel travel and travel, but i can't seem to find the time and money, im afraid if i leave here eventually, is not going to be easy to come back again. Is time running out?

Once you grow older, you are feeling more attached to certain place, and finding it hard to adjust to new environment, finding it hard to change your bad habit. Should i move to somewhere else sooner and start all over again? is time running out?

I don't know, i guess even it runs out, i will not regret for the decision i have made so far.

I'm writing a business proposal.

2009-05-28T22:33:00.001+02:00

and i want to make it work.

Where's the passion?

2009-05-27T22:44:00.001+02:00

I didn't even realised is gone until now.
How can i get it back?

how do you know?

2009-05-15T22:43:00.001+02:00

How do you know you two belong together?

To accept

2009-05-11T20:29:00.000+02:00

Was talking to my German teacher Frau Ernst the other day, i have to mention- Frau Ernst, she has energy of a 12 year old girl although she is 73, and insist on teaching even though her husband doesn't agree. Her passion is inspiring but she likes to talk...A LOT, but that i can understand, after all what do you expect from a 73 year old lady?

As always, she likes to talk about 'absolutely anything' during our lessons, and at that particular day, she told us a secret. A secret of happy marriage. How she remain happy for the last 45 years.

'You have to accept the other person completely and never try to change him/her. that's the secret of happy marriage'

In some way, i do agree with her, but can it be done? i doubt.

i didn't know missing someone is exhausting.

2009-04-29T23:40:00.000+02:00

ya.

I want to travel and have long holidays

2009-04-23T22:50:00.000+02:00

It does seem like i travel a lot. Well, i do, i just came back from london, and i travel to Dusseldorf once a month to see someone. My london trip was not wholly for pleasure, i worked for 2 days, then met up with my 15 relatives from Malaysia and my parents, i was the tour guide, showing them around, it was not really a relaxing trip, but i do enjoy their company, and i had nice chinese food, i can't complain. I was travelling very often, but not enjoying and not.............TRAVELLING.
The last holiday i had was......see i can't even remember. I spent my Christmas last year with my parents and my sister, it was the gap between my last job and this one. It was extremely hectic with me moving down here, starting a new job and everything. Then i went to London for CNY, again not for my pleasure but something else. I went home for a week in Feb for my bro's wedding, not really a holiday, though i had good time seeing everyone. March, didn't really travel. April, i was in Mannheim to see some friends, it was great fun! then went to Dusseldorf and Koln for work again, and spent Easter in Dusseldorf. Didn't go anywhere or see anything. Was supposed to go to Holland to see tulips, in the end, too poor and can't afford the fuel. Straight after that, to London, and now back to Nurnberg.
I felt exhausted, even my boss could see that, i'm not satisfied. I want to travel! to see new things! to experience something new! i need new inspiration! i need a long holiday for myself, only myself, with no one to please, nothing to worry, no one to see, no dinner to go to, but with money to spend! I'm getting so dull......so dull. god.

Happy ever after

2009-04-23T22:26:00.000+02:00

Is it possible?
I saw 'becoming Jane' yesterday, and i watched 'northanger abbey' today, to know what Jane Austen went through and to read what she has written, is very sad. Coming back to the novels she has written, something strikes me, it is always with a happy ending(the couple is happily married) always-happy ever after, what happens to after the marriage? what about that? They stay true and faithful to each other? They hold each other till the end of the day like the vows they've taken?
I do wonder if happy ever after does exist, after all, we are human, love fades and love dies.

lovely dinner.

2009-03-30T20:49:00.000+02:00

I was very busy at work today, nevertheless i managed to get out at 7pm, catching the lovely sunset(just adjusted the clock on Sunday, thus it is still light at 7), went to the supermarket, got a bottle of white vine, because i already know what i want to cook tonight.

I've cooked a creamy pasta before but unsuccessful, so this time, i decided to give it another go, and it turn out to be fantastic!! I think i got the right cream this time, I've checked with colleagues beforehand, just to make sure i don't get it wrong.

This is it. I've already eaten mine, i was too hungry. This is the portion for my lunch tomorrow(I'm starting a new scheme, in order to save money, I'm cooking my dinner and lunch for next day together). Spaghetti with salmon and mushroom. I know this is a strange combination, but it is very very tasty.... plus garlic bread(to save time, i bought a ready-made one)

And of course, a bottle of white wine.....

The combination was just so right, and i can't wait to do it again. So happy and satisfied.

Misses him here.

2009-03-29T22:52:00.000+02:00

He took a week off and spent it here in Nurnberg with me. I was of course working, and he was at home, cooking, cleaning up the dishes afterwards, cleaning the flat, going grocery shopping...... i say this is a good decision, Monday was the second time he cooked for me after almost 7 years, i know it sounds a little bit unbelievable, but it is true!!! It was extremely kind of him to use up his holidays here, while i was working.
He took off today, and my heart went with him. The flat is quiet again, and there won't be hot meal ready when i come home after work.

Spring

2009-03-18T20:29:00.000+01:00

A sunny day today, many people got off work early to enjoy it, so did i.

This is the coldest and longest winter since i'm here, and i can't wait to wear my flip flops again. Took some snap shot on my way home-clear blue sky, i even open the window to enjoy the breeze and bird's chirping.

While i was driving, couldn't make up my mind where to go. In the end, i've decided to walk a little in the park behind my flat, believe it or not, this is the first time, but i've already been living here for almost 3 months!

It was quiet, and nice, and spring indeed, is just around the corner.

Settling down

2009-03-15T19:21:00.000+01:00

Finally, i have a weekend for my own, cleaning my flat and move all the unnecessary boxes to the cellar. With the kitchen installed on Tuesday, this finally feels more like home.
Work's been alright, i'm starting to be busy with few collections to do. It is actually quite interesting, i'm designing a sailing collection for the States, then another winter collection for Retail worldwide. I have never design a sailing collection before, and i'm happy to have a chance to learn how to do it. These are the thing i can never experience if i stay in Esprit, and i have to say i kind of like it, but i'm still struggling with the different way of working in Puma. Well, nothing is perfect, you gain something and you lose something at the same time.
Everything seems going to the right direction, except the worrying economy crisis. Retail sector is been hitting hard, and i really don't know how long i can stay in this job, moreover the probation period is 6 MONTHS!! Well, we'll see.

Ikea. my kitchen

2009-03-02T20:53:00.001+01:00

I was very excited yesterday, knowing i will be getting my kitchen tomorrow, after 5 weeks of waiting, but i received a call early this morning, and ikea informed me that they can't deliver the kitchen tomorrow because one of the employee has a funeral to go to. !@#$%^&**
I have never heard of such an excuse. Don't get me wrong, i do feel for the employee but i just don't understand it was only 1 employee, why can't they look for someone else to replace him? So what's going to happen next week, the wife has a baby? the car broke down? Am i that unlucky??

Short trip home.

2009-03-01T12:30:00.001+01:00

If it is not Thong's wedding(my eldest bro), i would not go back. A week is too short, and to spend a thousand euros on airticket, i would expect to stay at least 2 weeks. Anyway, i've spent a lovely week in Kl, and suprisingly i managed to see 'almost' everyone, so i'm happy.

It was sad to leave in such a hurry, but at the same time, im also glad that i'm back on my own. i know that sounds crazy, but imagine you have 9 people living under the same roof, it gets a bit 'crowded'. you know what i mean?

Glad to be back, and i finally have the feeling-im living here, im not on a long business trip.

i finally understood

2009-02-11T22:03:00.000+01:00

This is the most normal evening of my life, sitting on the sofa, tired, not a very happy day, then i browse through my dvd collection, pick one and make myself comfortable.
Just when i finish that episode, it suddenly hit me. I wasn't thinking about my day, i wasn't thinking about my problems, i wasn't thinking about anything, but just the movie itself. I finally understood the importance of it, it not only gives you pleasure of spending your free time, to distract you, or to educate you, to inspire you, but it gives you a chance to hope, to imagine, to dream the life 'could be'. That's why they call it the DREAMWORKS (or DREAMSWORK?) don't know. Anyway, my point is, i finally got it, and i can't believe how slow i am, god forgive me.
Hollywood, i salute you......(i meant the movie industry). Please do not stop making good movies, i really really need it now.

stay or leave?

2009-02-10T23:07:00.001+01:00

The Australian wild fires moved me to tears. Almost 200 have died, few thousand homeless, and most of the casualties were believed to have stayed and fight the fire. What would you do? do you stay and fight? or fled and live?

Busy

2009-02-10T22:29:00.000+01:00

Finally i have time to sit down and relax a little bit, this past 2 months was hectic, with my family's trip, moving out and moving in, getting a car, starting a new job, spending Chinese new year in London, travelling back and forth to Dusseldorf, getting a kitchen, .......I'm happy to say many of the boxes are ticked, though this flat is a ongoing project, but at least is more like a home now.
Home is partly settled, so what's next? my job.
I have to say i admire those people who are constantly job hopping. I find it quite hard to adjust myself and to adapt to new environment. Puma has a very different structure than Esprit, after 5 weeks i still feel like i just started the job the day before, in addition to that, i have a very different role in Puma which makes it even more complicated. But with the worsen economy situation, I'm glad that i have a job, a flat, no mortgage and no loans, just a small debt to my parents because i have to buy a car and I'm not willing to pay the 9% interest rate(what's better than 0% interest?), i do feel lucky, indeed.
After my flat project, I'm going to save some money and get myself a nice sewing machine. I miss making clothes, i miss everything of it! The satisfaction it gives me, designing without limitation and no one to please but myself. I hate to see my creativity becomes blunt!
I will update with more photos of my flat soon.

work in progress

2009-02-08T20:41:00.001+01:00

Just want to show you all a glimpse of my flat-work in progress, i have to wait 5 weeks for my kitchen, and nothing is quite complete, but i'm looking forward to it.

Kitchen and Ikea

2009-02-04T23:31:00.001+01:00

one of the worst day of my life.

internet

2009-01-29T20:58:00.000+01:00

Finally, internet is hooked up and this.............. means a lot to me.

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-25T01:21:00.000+01:00

Spending another Chinese new year away from home, it didn't really hit me until i called my mum, and heard all those new year song, it really got to me. Although I'm coming home for my brother's wedding in three weeks time, but is not the same. I miss the atmosphere, i miss the people, i miss 'it'.
I wish everyone of you have a fantastic new year, and may Ox year brings you lots of prosperity and happiness.

short update

2009-01-17T11:06:00.000+01:00

Started my new job, moved into my new flat (is a mess right now, no kitchen, no sink, boxes everywhere), got a car(used), living 440km from HIM, new city, zillion of things to do....... this seems like endless. If i tell you I'm happy, then is obvious that I'm lying. I know, i know, it takes time, i fucking know that.
Last minute decided to visit Him this weekend, is kind of weird coming back here to Dusseldorf, i felt like 'coming home', which i think is bizarre. I guess it is because i know the place, i know where to get good Chinese food, i know where the shops are, and i don't have anything to worry about. I wonder how long it takes to make me feel like that in Nurnberg. Let's see

50 words statement

2008-11-23T01:52:00.000+01:00

Was looking through some of the works i did in Uni, and saw this- a 50 words statement that I've written for one of the assignment. Is kind of strange to look through the images and works I've done, and i wonder, wonder when and where that passion has gone.

"I see fashion as creativity, talent, dynamic, and conceptual. As my inspirations come from movies, nature, and cultures, I am aspired to achieve success in the fashion industry through doing what I want and feel good in the process."

First snow fall in Dusseldorf

2008-11-22T00:21:00.000+01:00

I knew there will be snow today because i check the weather forecast everyday-you have to be prepare for the unexpected. I know is Winter, but sometimes the temperature can vary from day to day, and the difference can be 5-8 degrees, so is always good to be prepared.

Took this pic on our way home-it was just a short 10-15 mins, but i was very excited.

James Bond.

2008-11-09T17:24:00.000+01:00

Casino Royale-bitched about it before even watching it-thought they found the wrong actor for Bond, but was surprised(in a good way), very satisfying-great script, great actor+actress, fantastic

Quantum of Solace-great expectation leads to disappointment. Great actor, but poor script. DISAPPOINTED.

Obama

2008-11-05T23:33:00.000+01:00

I didn't know why i got so excited about the US election. First of all, I'm not an American, secondly, I'm not a black, thirdly, I'm miles away from US, and why do i care? why?
You know the first thing i thought about when i switched on my TV this morning to see if Obama was elected as the next President? -'am i going to see a Malaysian born Chinese elected as the prime minister?' That was my first thought.
I like Obama, despite everyone criticise him for lack of experiences, bla bla, i like him. I like what he represents, his vision, his ideology. This is a historical moment for everyone, nothing is impossible, if American can elect a African American to become a President, why can't Malaysian elect a Malaysia born Chinese, Indian, or Natives to be Prime Minister?

Lewis Hamilton is the new world champion.

2008-11-02T22:33:00.000+01:00

What an emotional 2 hours. It was the most dramatic formula one race I've ever seen after 11 years, nothing is impossible, anything can happen in a race, even is down to the last 50 yards.
I'm glad that Lewis has won the world championship, after all, he truly deserves it.
For Massa, he has done a great job, the title just slit at the tip of his finger but i think next year, he will come back and be stronger than ever. As for my favourite-Raikkonen, this is not a good year for him, i really do hope he will bounce back next year. Is going to be different next year without David Coulthard, i do feel for him, this is his last race, and he was retired merely after the first corner, tragic.
So, Formula-1 season is officially over, and it means i have nothing to look forward to on Sunday for 5 long months, but this has been a good year, and i don't know why but I'm really fond of Sebastian Vettel, i think he can be very very good, at least something to look forward to next year.

Prank phone calls

2008-11-02T22:12:00.000+01:00

The Russel Brand and Jonathan Ross prank phone call 'incident' drove Brits to mad. Some say it was a brilliant act, but most of all, i think people were offended as i am, and that's the reason why both of them were suspended by BBC.
Another more exciting news came today as i was watching sky news, Sarah Palin (vice president candidate for the republican) got pranked by a Canadian radio station( i wonder where they got the idea-i would leave the credit to Ross and Brand, although i do not like them personally) It was actually quite funny to hear-check out Youtube, and it proved to the world that she is inexperience, she is dumb, she is not the right candidate to lead the country!! Think about it, McCain is old, and if anything happens to him(if he is going to be elected as President of United States, which i personally think is unlikely), she will take over the job, and can you imagine such a dumb woman to lead the world? sorry, i don't think so. The DJ tried to call it off by telling her some stupid things, but she fall for it, i cannot believe it. She. Fall. For. It.
Well, what can i say? Well done Montreal radio station....well done.

Winter blues.

2008-10-29T23:31:00.001+01:00

The clock was adjusted last Sunday, it is official, we are now going into Winter. Is getting dark earlier, is getting very very cold, I'm getting tired very easily(who can resist the urge to hide under a comfy duvet), and i can't stop snacking. I truly believe I've developed Seasonal Affective Disorder. Winter blues....

On the move.

2008-10-21T19:51:00.001+02:00

I cannot believe how happy and relieved i am after my resignation, it is unbelievable. I'm now looking forward to my new job, new city and new home. I know getting through the first three months would be difficult, but surprisingly, I'm not worried at all, instead I'm very excited, very very excited. I start looking for flat, trying to get a German driving license, i guess i really needed this change.

driving in Germany.

2008-10-18T00:33:00.001+02:00

I have to take driving lessons here in Germany because my Malaysian license is not valid here in Europe, i guess everybody knows why.

To obtain a driving license in Germany requires a hell lot of work. First, you have to take a first aid course which lasted 8 hours, then you need to do a eye test, to make sure your eyesight is perfect for driving, then only you are allow to take theory lessons. As i am a foreigner, and the classes are conducted in German, i was spared, but i need to study/learn on my own, and it is not easy. There are 30 questions, each questions was allocated with different points-depends on the importance of the questions, you cannot loss more than 10 points or more or less 3 questions. It is extremely difficult, but still, it is nothing compare to the practical lesson.

I had my first lesson on 4 weeks ago, i was quite nervous although i have driven for 8 years. There are so many rules to follow, so many things to look out for, i cannot concentrate! I got a really bad headache after the lesson, i couldn't cope with the stress and driving on the other side. First of all, there are many signs on the road which you have to absolutely look out for, whenever you indicate, you have to first look at the rear mirror, then the side mirror, then indicate, before you change lanes or turning a corner, you have to literally turn your head to show the instructor that you are looking out for the blind spot, pedestrian or bicycles. I was always too quick in the city(only allowed 50km/h), and too slow for the Autobahn(highway). My instructor was always shouting 'more speed, more speed, too slow, you need at least 100km/h when you are entering the Autobahn, more speed!!

4 weeks on, spent hundreds of Euros-it is very expensive to obtain a license here in Germany, i will have my test next Thursday. I seriously don't know what to expect. Of course i hope i can pass, but at the same time, i don't want myself to be too confident, because i will be devastated if i fail. Wish me luck, it is the only thing i want NOW.

Oh Rome-2

2008-10-06T22:28:00.000+02:00

Yes, back to Rome.

The second day started off quite OK, we had breakfast and headed to Colosseum again, then to Vatican.

I always thought Vatican is very heavy guarded and bla bla, i guess I've watched too many movies, it didn't really live up to my expectation. St.Peter was great, it is still by far the most beautiful Cathedral I've ever seen. Actually i can't find the word to describe how i felt, it was like a dream come true, there were a few things i want to do before i die, and this is one of it- to see Michelangelo's Dome, which truly mark the Renaissance Era. Unbelievable. There is also a Dungeon or i would say an underground tomb where they keep all the tombs of Pope, and of course the Late Pope John. It was quite an experience really, i was standing there, in front of his tomb for almost 10 mins, and i just couldn't imagine he's lying peacefully there, in front of me. I've seen him on the TV, in fact i saw the Funeral from TV myself, i felt sad, although i'm not a Catholic, but i did wish i can pray for him, and he is with the Almighty himself-another unforgettable experience.

We then move on to the Museum, although He hates it, but i dragged him-i mean how often do you think you will be in Vatican anyway, and since we are there why not just have a quick look? It was indeed a very 'quick' browse. He was constantly on the move, we ran through all the galleries, but suprisingly He was quite fond to see the Sistine chapel. I was practically speechless when i saw the drawings at the ceiling by Michelangelo, it was just---------------. If you are in Rome, never miss it. I'm serious. The illusion he created will actually mess up your brain-this is how good it is.

After Vatican, we were both exhausted, but knowing it was the last day we had in Rome, we wanted to make the most of it, so we decided to go back to the city to see the Palatine and Piazza Navona. Suprise!!!!

This is for you -YeeMun
The two of us(me and Him) were just exhausted and tried to figured out how to get to Palatine from there, and someone touched me-there-YeeMun!!! What a Suprise. I couldn't believe it-i mean i work in Germany, she is in KL, how the hell we managed to bump into each other in Rome?? well, what can i say, if i'm alone, and you are a man-i will marry you!!(we are destined to be with each other-as in a movie)

That evening went on quickly. We thought we should find somewhere nice to have a nice Italian dinner, we found this cozy Italian restaurant, and it look quite nice, so we thought we've made the right decision.
-Another tip from me: always ask if the Pizza is freshly made.
We sat down, ordered, and heard this American couple next to our table asking the Waitress if the pizza is freshly made, and she said "No! Frozen!" we frozed. It was awful!! They left immediately, but me and Him was too tired to change. What a night-as expected, the Pizza was horrible, even Pizza Hut is better, i've learned another lesson. damn it! !@#$%^&*()
The night was over, our Rome trip was over. Do i like it? hm.. is not too bad. As Yuan said, Vatican is overrated-i agree, but i still think Rome is charming and i still believe we haven't seen everything nor tasted the real Italian food. Where i will go next? Florence.

oh, Rome!!!

2008-10-03T18:24:00.001+02:00

Rome, the land of la dolce vita. It was a birthday present from Him, glad that he finally got it right after 6 years.

Another tip from me, never trust BBC weather forecast, it sucks, really. I have had numerous experience... needless to say more, i thought it was going to be cold, since it was freezing cold in Germany, but suprisingly, it was quite warm when we arrived. Very excited to be there, and went straight to the Hotel, though the hotel was quite nice-with a balcony(it felt like we were in a villa at the beach) but it was quite far away from the centre. After changing into T-shirt, went to the Metro, and went to our first stop-Colosseum.

We were starving, and just when we went out of the Metro station, the Colosseum proudly stood infront of us, it was just amazing. I have seen countless images of the Colosseum from books, magazines, but still- it blew me away. We went around, and realised is better to get something to eat before our long journey, and so we went to a cafe nearby. Had a terrible disgusting pasta, not very satisfy, but expected something like this, after all, a touristic area.

Was queing to get into the Colosseum, but being told that we have to wait for at least 30 mins, there were too many people, so decided to go back the day after early in the morning. I groaned. Decided to walk a little, to the city centre, found out entrance is free to all attractions and Musuems on Sat and Sun as it was World tourism day. Fantastic!!

Rome is really nice to walk around, the small lanes, you might just bump into a historical building randomly. Walked past the ruins of ancient Rome, the Temple, the Forum, i'm glad that we can still see the traces of 2000 years ago. Is amazing, isn't it?

Went to the famous Fountain Trevi, and amazed to see so many tourists, and to be honest, it did put me off a little. You see them trying to squeeze themselves in front of each other, is pathetic. You can see how many of them in the pic.

I guess this is one of the most photographed monument in Italy.

Anyway, decided to move on, and one of my colleague told me that there's a famous Gelati shop around the Fountain, but we didn't find it, quite dissapointed.

The weather was getting chilly, but we decided to go on, because Spanish Steps is just round the corner. Still feeling dissapointed we didn't find the Gelati shop, i was determined to get one, so i randomly picked one, but it turned out ok, not too bad. They were too many people around, and so we sat down at the Steps to enjoy my little precious gelati!!

And so you see, overlooking the famous street-i forgot the name, with all the high end fashion houses. I did see lots of people coming out of the shops with huge bags-you name it: Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent, Tods, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton...... while the Media was spreading the news that we are going into Recession-I'm Amused.

It was getting colder and colder, and we realised we have made a terrible mistake for not wearing at least a warm cardigan. It was too hard to bare and we decided to head back to the hotel and have dinner there.

Just when we thought we were lucky to get a Taxi, The taxi driver didn't know the hotel, and we forgot the street either, but we knew the way, because it is very close to the Metro station and so we told him the Metro station-Marconi and he started to shout at us: ''Marconi? Marconi? it is very..big!! very big!! street!! street!!'' and we said again,' pls go to the Metro station in Marconi', and he repeated the same thing "very big! street!", i didn't know what to say to him, i mean he is a taxi driver, he should know the Metro station, or else ask somebody, you don't expect the tourist to know their way round, if they do, he will be out of business. Finally, he poped up a street name, and we both recognize it.'Thank God' i thought. After 15 mins, we were almost there, but caught in a traffic jam, and he said to us: '' you get off here, hotel there, you can...walk. traffic jam, ok?" we were so pissed, but didn't want to argue with him. It was 17.70 euros, He pay him with 20, and the f***ing taxi driver didn't want to give us any change!!!! Can you imagine how rude they are? Ridiculous. We have to walk 15 mins in the dark, starved and pissed to the Hotel. He f***ing spoiled my evening.

To be continue....

I've done it!! I've resigned.

2008-10-03T01:29:00.000+02:00

What a relief.
It was actually harder than i thought it would be, seriously. I was actually quite sad to leave all my lovely colleagues behind, but poeple have to move on, I have to move on, and decision has to be made.
Glad that it is over, and it is official, i will start my new job next year. I do not know what it will bring me or where it will lead me, but i guess i have to try or i would never know.
Wish me luck.

Exhausted

2008-09-07T12:12:00.000+02:00

I'm very very exhausted. To be honest, i didn't have time to sit down and enjoy for the last 4-5 weeks. It is really killing me.
First, came back from Malaysia, i was off for almost 2 weeks, lots to catch up, that was fine. Then, meeting after meeting, disaster after another, i was staying late almost everyday, to finish all the work, and doing all the artworks which i'm not supposed to be doing-(is the graphic designer's job), i was so exhausted, my weekend was spent recovering from the week, and the stress in organizing year end trip for my parents, has to move out because the landlord increase our rent, problems after another...i nearly snapped.
Last week was also hard on me. I didn't think my job description including being insulted, they are really getting on my nerves. I can't sleep well, i can't think straight, i'm always thinking about work!
This is the reality, when you are doing a great job, they don't give you any compliments, instead they push you to the edge and make sure you will deliver the same thing, this is cruelty. A little compliment will do me good, and do them no harm.
Today, i have a million things on my list, clean up the house, work, prepare my portfolio, prepare for my trip to Jakarta, .......i wish i have a peaceful and relaxing weekend.

My birthday at Cherating Club Med

2008-07-14T17:24:00.001+02:00

You know i almost forgot my birthday yesterday, was talking to HIM on the phone, it was eleven at night, and he said he will call me back just minutes before 12/00:00, i just realised ' is my birthday tomorrow', i couldn't believe it, i didn't remember my birthday.

So, today, i decided to do something special to 'reward' myself, since the bag i want(from all saints) sold out(which supposed to be the birthday present I'm buying for myself), i went to the Spa and make the next available appointment at 12. It was only 10 and i had another 2 hours to spare and alone(both bro and sis in law are busy with their children, so are my parents, and my sis joined the teenage club), i packed my bag with books, went to the beach and find the nicest spot underneath a coconut tree. Listening to the waves, the birds, lying under the Sun, the strong wind blow, the smell of fresh grass(rained the night before) i stayed for 2 hours, alone, reading and was having a good time by myself-brilliant.

Went straight to the Spa afterwards, chose the essential oil that i like, and walked to the Balinese cottages. I was lucky i got the one facing the beach, so, needless to say-fantastic. It was 50 Min's of absolute heavenly experience, and guess what, i got addicted to it, i couldn't wait for another one. Spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach again, read, and swim. I never thought i could be so relax on my birthday, i don't have to worry about a single thing, i guess that was the best thing i can get for myself this year. Went for another manicure and pedicure session afterwards(i was addicted), and met up with all my family members later to have dinner.

I realised my Mum was away for quite some time, and this chef walked towards us and was asking us how was the food and bla bla bla, and then he turned to me, looked me in the eyes and said "hm...you are 24 years old", i already knew what was going to happen, i begged him not to do it. Soon later, a bunch of people walked in, with a cake!! and sang the birthday song in front of everyone in the restaurant!!! all i can do was hide my face with my hands, i really thought it was embarrassing, and make an awkward smile. I don't know why i hate it so much and i could not believe, all i could think of right there was how my mum's going to embarrassed me in front of everyone in the restaurant, but i didn't think she was just trying to make me happy-i was such an asshole.

The rest of the evening went by quickly, i went back for a shower, met up with everyone again, had a drink, laughed at my 2 nephews, and now sitting in the hotel room, with my sis asleep next to me-that's it-my 24th birthday.

(remarks: i wrote this on my birthday in the hotel room, i can only find the time to post it now)

Happy Birthday to me.

2008-07-13T18:10:00.000+02:00

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me!!
24 Years old. I count down on my own at Cherating Club Med, in my hotel room G2104, with my younger sister asleep next to me, Him on the phone, lap top on my lap.
This is Me.

Euro Cup 2008

2008-06-30T22:56:00.001+02:00

I have to say I've spent quite a lot of money on Europa Meister(Euro Cup) 2008. Went out with colleagues, have drinks, dinner, it is not cheap to support a team!! Since England is out of the race, i figured i have to support another team, who else can it be?? of course is Germany!! The fever was everywhere, in the office, on the street, everybody was so excited and..........optimistic. To be honest, I don't think German team is as strong as for example: Spain, Portugal, France or Italy,(OK, FRANCE was knocked out quite early from the tournament) but somehow i feel that the-----fighting spirit, the bond between the players is so great that it can overcome the skill! If i compare player by player, English players are far more better than German players in terms of skill, but somehow when you put all English players together, they just can't make it work(see Lampard and Gerrard), hopefully Capello is going to sort it out.

Back to Euro Cup, i have to say it was quite an experience to watch the game here in Germany when the team is playing in the Final. The game started at 8:45 pm, but we were already sitting there, drinking at 4:30, or else you would never get a seat(is FINAL), it was fun! with German Music-some say horrible, and everybody chatting, cheering- is like holiday in Mallorca, there is no other place i would rather be! And just before the game, everyone started singing the national anthem, (you know the usual procedure before the match) everybody was standing, holding each other's arm(with strangers), singing really loud-it was very emotional, you can see the pride, the passion, and the spirit in their eyes, Unbelievable. Everyone was so supportive, like they said-'Die Hoffnung stirbt zu letzt'- the hope that never dies. Trully.

It was a great night, not a great match, but i trully enjoyed it. This is one of the night that i will never forget in my life.