Kind soul in the city

Thursday night, I was at WIP in Bangsar Shopping Centre to catch up with some ex-colleagues from Microsoft. After few hours my eyes were drooping like an old dwarf… don’t get me wrong it was actually a very happening place! Tons of working professionals and foreign expats there as if to justify the long weekend has only just begun. We also bumped into more ex-colleagues at Bar21 later… just that my poor body couldn’t take it especially after a strenuous 75 mins of pilate workout earlier. :(

 

So I called it a night after one pint of Guinness Stout and proceed to the ticket machine. Good Lord, I realised the machine only accepts 10 dollar notes and below and my purse was all 50 dollar notes no less!  The management office is already closed as it was already approaching 1am.

Then this big, dark and tall Indian man in a white security uniform walked towards me… I was a little skeptical but anyhow I explained to him about the situation. He asked me how much is my parking and then he said, “Okay no problem, follow me.” We went back to the machine, he took out his wallet and then… you wouldn’t believe it. He actually paid for my parking fee!

I was astonished. I mean, in a cynical city like KL, we are always wary of bad people but never in my mind would expect something like this to happen...

He refused to let me pay him back the money after I thanked him… he just smiled, greeted me and then walked away. I couldn't locate him after that even though I tried going back there to look for him in the past few days...

Pietro (yes, the DJ celeb!) and Yvonne

We definitely need more of this kind of people to make this cynical world a little warmer for us cold hearts to live in, don’t we? I mean, when was the last time you made someone’s day? A stranger in particular?

.

Pressroom

weekend treat

:)

Posted via email from Einnahpets

I miss London

It’s been almost three years since my last visit to London already. Local friends who visited London often come back despising the city bec of its miserable weather… haha which I can’t blame them at all. Recently, HongYeen went to London and I piggy backed her luggage to pass a parcel to grumpy but she refused to leave her hotel. I told her, ‘babe if you don’t get out of here now you never will coz this rain is a constant in London!’ LoL  

I took these shots myself outside Buckingham Palace back in 2007! Arty right?

So what is it that I miss about London? Well mainly for nostalgic reason. This is the city I grew up in partly, which wasn’t really that long (about 8 years) but significant enough to have shaped me become the person I am today… in a good way of course.

Call me mad but I really miss the gloomy weather when it’s wet and cold (really! =P); the stiff upper lip Brits who are actually warm at heart; the packed tubes during peak hour; the notorious list goes on.

I miss the best hot chocolate in the world only at Bar Italia, Soho

(not to mention their tiramisu too)

I miss the yummilicious cakes and bakery at Patisserie Valerie… and PAUL, and Maison Bertaux (the latter is my uber favourite!)

I miss St. Katherine Dock… The place where I used to go after school (and sometimes skive from it) to watch yachts docking and undocking. Ahh... I so miss my Vietnamese friend Khanh, my partner in crime back then.

I miss watching these musicals and plays. I can never get enough of them

Okay. Here’s what I would do if I were to go back to London again.

• Get lost in West End.
• Walk from Oxford Street to Regent Street to Carnaby Street to Picadilly Circus to Leicester Square to Covent Garden (ALL IN ONE DAY) and see if it’s really that fun and untiring as it used to for me.
• Go for old books hunting in Tottenham Court Road.
• Revisit British Museum for the 6th time (or is it 7th) and this time really pay attention to the gems and not the ceilings or the visitors.
• Relearn to appreciate the odd rock sitting in the middle of the empty room at Tate Modern Gallery and go for their expensive lunch which I have missed out during the last two visits.
• Drag someone to Portobello Market and Camden Market with me
• Read a book on the grass field of Hyde Park when there’s no rain. Or Regent’s Park. Or Green’s Park. Or any park I don’t really care as long as there’s a lake with ducks and swans.
• Check out that cafe at The Waterloo and see if it still exists.
• Stroll along Southbank and Embankment.
• Watch The Lion King and Chicago musicals.
• And if I still have tons of extra cash to splurge, let’s go crazy at Bond Street.  yours truly at Pizza Express in 07

I almost forgot to mention eat and drink too! But I’m such a lousy foodie coz I can’t remember all my favourite restaurants now. Well, battered cod fish & fatty chips for sure! And Belgo for the mussels of course!

I wish to go back in 2011.

The Begin of Roaring Tiger Year

Chinese New Year this year is a quiet affair for my family because two siblings’ family couldn’t make it back to Malaysia so we had a few rounds of video conferences instead.

Nevertheless, I still think it’s a good holiday and despite this terrible flu, I have definitely gained a few extra pounds over the two weeks of watchless ice-cream, cookies, beer and yummy food overload! But that’s what life is all about isn’t it? You indulge, okay you over indulge a little bit more than you should, and then you work hard to shed off the calories after that. That’s why I love holidays!! ( Hence diet starts tomorrow! )

 

It’s not a complete Chinese New Year without the customary 捞生lou sang in Malaysia. (wiki explanation here)Yee Sang is a traditional aspicious dish that symbolises the ushering of good luck, good health, wealth and longevity for the lunar new year. Lou Sang is merely the act of mixing together the Yee Sang dishes, which consists of the usual assortment of vegetables, sweet sauce along with slices of raw fish (usually salmon).

We also went to a Guan Yin temple for prayer and giving blessings to the homeless. It’s very little we are giving but it makes us think harder about gratifications and how we sometimes take things for granted without realising it.

Feasting out at grandma’s place on the 2nd day of CNY.

 

Goofying around with niece and nephews

Back in KL, we had an open house where my sister and BIL had invited some friends over.

Today relatives (cousin and family from Taipei) came for a visit

Family aside, happy that I managed to catch up with Claire(before CNY) and Cynthia(after CNY) separately despite our busy schedule. Had dinner with Cyn at Bangkok Jazz last night, their food is not bad at all. But I wasn’t feeling very well still so called it a night right after dinner and no piccies.

And now, holiday is officially over! Will be back to the grind tomorrow. Have a good week ahead ya’ all!

What if my nose gets blown off?

  :(

to all you lover birds out there

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Putrajaya Night Marathon

I survived the run yay! The run was alright but I'm currently down with fever urgh better not fall sick with CNY coming! Positive chi… Anyway, these pictures were taken with my Samsung i780… I miss my Blackberry which is still in the workshop. :(

Putrajaya at night

Check out the mosque in the background… looks like a space craft  from a distance

Beng Loon and I before the race

It wasn’t the best run I’ve had, I have to admit. For those who followed my tweet probably know I wanted to give up at the 4th km. I was so dehydrated and has lost the motivation to continue. The last 3km was a struggle… by the time I finished I was so thirsty I almost robbed a box of mineral water!

Lessons learnt:

1. long distance without training is totally not recommended unless you have strong stamina (I haven’t trained for 5 weeks!)
2. mind focus is very important
3. running in the morning is better than at night because your body is preparing to shutdown during this time instead of picking up something strenuous
4. will strength is more powerful than physical
5. must check and reorganize playlist before the run
6. must learn how to say no next time when you are not fit and well enough to run