BC on LIFE

Chance Meeting

2009-10-22T23:23:00.004+08:00

How strange life is sometimes... It's the peculiar events that sometimes bring excitement to life.

I had the opportunity to meet two new friends last weekend. They were introduced by another friend whom I met through a good friend. The strange (and wonderful) thing is we all just clicked after meeting one another.

These two new friends are on their vacation and stopped by Penang and TH had asked SS to ask me if I could maybe bring them out for some local tastes. It's just coincidence that they came on a Deepavali weekend and I had some free time to show them some sights of Penang.

We had a grand time going to some places even I haven't been before. The Thai temple at Pulau Tikus with the grand looking gold Buddha image and very nicely done archway. The Spice Garden - I had stopped by many times but had never went in and walked around. The newly open Hard Rock Hotel - well, it's new.

And they loved the Chicken Rice Shop! For the weekend, we went there two times!

It was just a chance meeting... But what great chance it was!

You like him, He likes you

2009-10-15T23:35:00.002+08:00

But why did nothing happened?

Sometimes people are strange. We reacted when we didn't need to and didn't when we needed to. We talked when we have nothing to say and kept silent when we should have talked.

Sometimes just a few words could change our whole lives. And yet, the words did not come.

Why do we complicate our lives?

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2009-10-11T21:13:00.003+08:00

Surprisingly, I'm enjoying the movie. Hawaii is looking real good. I have always wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was a little kid watching Fantasy Island on tv. The sights are just so so beautiful.

My favorite part from the movie was when they just jumped off the cliff into the ocean - in a very spontaneous manner. What a thrill!

The thing I love most about movies like these is that the ending is always good. Downtrodden people will always find their strengths and opportunities, and turned out the better for having gone through a bad patch. Totally feel-good! And the world could always use a feel-good moment anytime...

Split Second Change

2009-09-23T21:06:00.003+08:00

We may be in a status quo for a while or even for a long while, but, in a split second, the situation of our lives may change - for the better or for the worse, forever. Just like accidents, they happened so suddenly, when we least expected. Or even, good fortune. Like those people in the casinos who just hit the jackpot. In a blink of an eye, their lives are forever different.

Actions that we performed in one second could dictate the way our lives might turned out.

This could be scary, or, reassuring... depending on where you're coming from.

Hmmm...

View from my window

2009-09-22T21:25:00.001+08:00

It's sometimes nice to just sit back, enjoy a cup of tea and look out the window...

Snake Temple, Bayan Lepas, Penang

2009-09-21T23:22:00.000+08:00

I suddenly found myself at a lost when was required to think of a place to bring some visiting uncles to. My dad out-of-the-blue thought of the Snake Temple. One of my uncles who used to stay in Penang some 50-odd years ago could still remember the last time he visitted there (almost 60 years ago), so, it turned out to be quite a nostalgic trip for him.

I haven't been there for many years myself. I was surprised at the number of snakes that were there - there were more than I expected! And the crowd was bigger than I expected.

There were some signs of commercialization - as expected - pictures with snakes for a sum of money and a whole area with exotic looking snake which require a small token entrance-fee.

The Kuan Yin Shrine behind the main temple was a nice place to just walk around. There were a few trees in a protected area which has a small crowd of people hanging around. My dad later told me that they were snake-watching. There were actually snakes in the trees!

Hmm... sometimes it is interesting to re-visit places that have been kinda forgotten...

Caught up in life....

2009-09-01T00:16:00.004+08:00

It's one of those things that if one is not careful of, one would be totally caught unaware. And by the time one is aware of its trickeries, time has passed us by and life would be as it seem for naught.

That is life and that is work. I have been afraid that I have been too busy with work to live life. And the past month or so of work had given some cause to my fear. I have been so caught up in work that there has been none for much of anything else.

That is a danger.

Time to think of more...

MJ, life and gone...

2009-07-08T23:57:00.006+08:00

Surprisingly, his passing affects people from all walks of life. of all ages.

Looking at pictures from his youth, when he was just starting out, he was really a cute kid.

how could a person who started out with such strong religious background, with such brightness, with such support, turned out at a low and bowed out leaning on past glories?

I would like to think that he was really that innocent, decent and pure mind. Who was just misunderstood. Rest in peace...

Charming Guys Who Lie

2009-07-06T23:15:00.003+08:00

Oprah's show today touched on lives of women who were for a short while touched by violence and torture in the hands of a person they loved and trusted, their own husbands. We looked at their stories and wondered why these women even started a relationship and loved these men and why they stayed married to them.

It's difficult for a person on the outside to understand. Even these women who appeared in the show, for them, it's difficult for them to see who they were in the past.

When asked, the women just said that the guys were so charming and nice in the beginning. The bad side sneaked in gradually after the wedding, often years after. And on why they stayed on, the women said that when they uttered their wedding vows, they really meant it and so didn't think that the husbands did anything wrong.

The good thing is that they managed to get out of the abyss and that they are all in good situations now.

I wonder if I were in this situation if I would ever have the strength to step up and out.

CSI without Grissom

2009-05-25T22:08:00.004+08:00

Grissom is CSI. How could there be one CSI without Grissom? When I found out about the imminent change, I thought I would give it a chance, although I really couldn't imagine how it would be.

After watching a few episodes, it seems the feeling (from watching an episode of CSI) is gone. The excitement is gone. The mystery is gone.

Somehow Grissom's character brought something to the show that is missing even with the new guy who is not any light weight came on. It seems strange to replace a character with Grissom's caliber with a newbie! I was excited to see Laurence Fishburne sign on but his character is not doing anything for me. In other words, the character is boring and flat. And the new girl is not convincing either. The character tried too hard.

This is sad.

Just chillin'...

2009-05-22T01:12:00.002+08:00

I just want to chill. Live a life that is meaningful to me. Go on a pace that does not have me rushing through the motion. Surround myself with people that feel good about themselves and thes, allow me to feel good about myself. Feel confidence with my faith, virtues and decisions. Feel beautiful and good in my own skin.

Adam is still my Idol... regardless...

2009-05-21T22:19:00.000+08:00

I was quite devastated when I found out that Kris is officially the American Idol. I guess I had a thought that this could happen. Afterall, he was the dark horse. He was good in the finale but somehow, Adam was marvelously amazing! Well, good people have lost aplenty historically.

I'm sure Adam will go far, regardless of whether he is the idol or not. The world is at his feet right now. He just has to choose his preferred path...

O yay! Adam & Kris made it!

2009-05-14T23:28:00.003+08:00

I came back home too late to catch the results show for the American Idol but managed to catch the news... Danny is out. Adam and Kris are on to the finals next week!

Contrary to news that stated that Danny was the favorite, he was never my favorite. i thought he paled in comparison to Adam. And even Kris with his impressive performances this week was better than him. I think Danny is a nice and good guy but in terms of 'idol', he seems to be a bit short of something. If Adam was voted out this week, I'm not sure if I'll have the mood for the Americon Idol Party that I'm hosting next week!

So YAY!

Last Three

2009-05-13T20:30:00.002+08:00

Last three on the American Idol this season. It seems that this season went by so quickly. Now, it's down to the last three already. Adam, Danny and Kris.

Personally, my favorite is Adam. Kris is still a dark horse which I've grown to adore. Danny, I'm sorry to say I don't fancy that much. Yes, he's talented but I thought he's kinda boring. He's a humble guy, and for that I don't quite like myself that much for not liking him.

Maybe we should have an Idol party during the finals... That would be a fun get-together!

Love memories

2009-05-08T12:34:00.002+08:00

A friend compiled a photo recollections stretching back to a decade or so ago and include the song 'Perhaps Love' to serenade the presentation.

The song ended with 'My memories of love will be of you'. In the length of our lives, I'm sure we have experienced many different kinds of love. To me, the strongest bond of all is the familial love we have for our parents, siblings, children. It is unconditional. Then, there's the other love for which people search all their lives for and many willing to do many things for.

I have a good family whom I know loves me and they gave me strength, faith and confidence to be what I am.

Then, I have one memory of love which is of one person. And they are just that, a memory. We know a memory for what it is. It is just that, a figment of thoughts in our mind. Something that happened in the past. It was real then. It is not real anymore. Time to cease sadness and let happiness soars again.

But it's not sadness I feel. Not anymore. Not for a long time. Yet, the memory remains.

Balance in Life

2009-05-05T20:58:00.002+08:00

This year has been a busy year, at work, for me. I've always been able to control my time and leave work at a reasonable time and do things that I like. But this year has been difficult. In the first five months, I have logged on the same number of jobs that took the whole of last year for me to complete.

I'm still thinking and considering how to balance and adapt. Afterall, a life of just work is not healthy at all...

A.I.D.S

2009-05-04T22:03:00.003+08:00

Over the weekend, a teacher taught us that we need to have A.I.D.S in life. Not the disease, but aids = assistance, help. Life is hard enough, who doesn't need aids to make life easier.

A = adaptativeness. Being able to adapt to whatever comes in life. I have been thinking of this a lot lately. For now, it seems as if my life is all work. Which I don't like. The job I love, it's just the some times long-hours that I kinda don't like. I have been thinking of how to balance up things. I understand why some jobs are urgent, I'm sure there's a way to make things easier but at this point, I have no solutions yet.

I = initiative. The initiative to think up new ideas and to think big. I have no problem with thinking up things to do. It's just the thinking big that I'm hesitant of.

D = dynamics. To transform the initiative into action. To manifest the ideas. To put words into action. To be more energetic. To be more effort-full. To overcome sloth and torpor.

S = service. A life spent to be of service to humanity must be the utmost worth living. Not everyone has the luxury to do that. But I guess we should all strive towards that. My personal conflict is between service to others and being and doing things for my own family. Which I still need to reconcile and adapt.

A lot more of reflection for me...

Deluded

2009-04-18T17:14:00.003+08:00

By chance i caught the show called 'Helter Skelter'. It's about the gruesome acts of a man who managed to collect a group of people who somehow thought that he was God and all of them lived in a commune in a ranch, sharing everything. They would go into a person's home and brutally murder everyone in the house. Including a pregnant lady and an elderly couple. And they thought they did not do anything wrong.

That's their reality.

Reality could be so warped sometimes.

My time in Bali (I)

2009-04-08T23:11:00.000+08:00

It was the most amazing time, the six days spent in Bali.

The weeks leading to it were hard. Between work and coordinating the itinerary between three other companions were tough. Considering that all of us were situated in different locales.

The morning we were flying off, I was a bit apprehensive abt the connecting flights. Would we make it catch the flight to Bali? I would then console myself by saying that we would be catching the early morning flight out of Penang and early morning flights are typically on time, if not early. And we already have ample time between flights.

Anyway, all the flights were smooth, other than a little delay of the Bali flight.

We got into Bali and met our guide, Ketut, & driver. And checked into our first hotel. The Pura Dewata at Seminyak. Ketut turned out to be a fun and flexible guide. He took us for a spin around Seminyak. Stopped at the memorial area at Legian where we had a little time to shop a bit and took some photos. Then proceed to Jimbaran Bay for sunset and BBQ dinner by the beach. The sunset was typical but the dinner was good. The mussels were to die for. After the food arrived, we kinda forgot about the sunset! It was a good, good start for a first day.

Second day started with a blast. We had breakfast at the hotel and met Mr Chee,Katherine & LeeMin! In Bali of all places! I was supposed to join Mr Chee and the gang for dinner just a few days before but I couldn't make it due to work... And I met him in Bali! Anyway, we proceed to Sukarwati and Ubud area for shopping, and onwards to Mount Batur.

Sukarwati was fabulous. This is indeed the place to go to for shopping and the time to go is early morning to get all the best deals! Tegalalang is a good place to shop for carvings! And the paddy terraces were nice too! ALthough if you have been to Vietnam, this is a mini terrace. But the concept of proper dining by the terraces is indeed interesting. I doubt the hygiene though.

We had the babi guling at the famous place in Ubud, Oka Kartini... It wasn't that good.

The rain came down heavily at Tegalalang shortenned our shopping spree. Actually, it was terminated before we managed to buy anything.

The road to the mountaineous area has tremendously amazing sights. The hotel, Hotel Segara, turned out to be rather nice. and cosy. The dinner at the hotel happened to be one of the best meals we had in the whole trip. The fried maggi was incredible.

The end of the 2nd day... All still good (other than the heavy rain in the afternoon).

Amazing and Blessed

2009-03-22T10:50:00.002+08:00

Saturday was a good day for me. It was good reconnecting with some friends. It was good being a spiritual day. It was good being in the presence of really sincere and wholesome people. It was good being in the presence of people who only wants the best to happen. It was good to be the catalyst that put the factors together to get all those people to get together. It was good to have family and friends who helped get the event in shape.

The house dana turned out amazing. I had worries aplenty before the event. Would there be enough food? enough plates? enough utensils? enough cups? enough room? Would I get the events to go smoothly? Would everyone come? Would they be on time? Would they have a place to park their cars? Find my place? All in all, everything went smoothly. The number of people who turned out was just nice to fill my house but not too many that it was crowded and uncomfortable. The kids tended to get rowdy but I thought it was not too bad. At the very least, they were entertaining.

I think everyone got a dose of spirituality and hopefully left, after the talk, with a sense of what would be good to do to make their lives happier. I am very glad that Bhante agreed to grace this event and gave a thought-provoking talk. The responses he gave to the questions raised were really impressive. They really gave some points to ponder without being patronizing. I felt that he has really progressed exponentially since I last attended lessons with him. He really has a way of presenting his views in a way that is subtle but halfway through hit us with the realization that 'omg! that's it! that's so true! that might just be the way!'.

What a day!

Meeting old friends

2009-03-15T21:03:00.002+08:00

Met an old friend who has gone on to live a really good life. A friend who had been a part of my growing up stage. Who had gone through uni together. Who had gone through some life changing courses together. Who had been and I'm sure still is a very giving, and wise person.

But now that his status has changed, I find that I felt awkward. The status as in, I'm a layperson, he is a venerated person. I'm happy that he is liberated, atleast from the more worldly stuff. I'm happy that he has gone beyond the typical paradigm of life. Just that, I now can't call him by his name. And I felt that I have to be more mindful of my speech. I can't just blurt out anything.

Anyway, it's all me. My issues. I just need to work them out. And working them out will only do me a whole world of good.

Blessings

2009-03-14T18:12:00.002+08:00

I have been going through things that I have in life and seeing all the blessings I have. Wondering if I appreciated them enough, or I was taking them for granted, unconsciously. Wondering if in trying to keep my appreciation, I was happy doing those things. It's such a tough balance trying to keep things in perspective. Keeping people who matters in my life happy and keeping myself happy in the process.

Then, to me a simple life should be happy, but it's an effort to keep life simple. We had a whole life of conditioning of acquiring things and possessing things and this and that, that keeping a minimalistic style is an effort.

Just work...

2009-03-06T21:06:00.002+08:00

My life has been work for the past couple of weeks. Hence, no blogging. To compound all things, my notebook crashed last weekend. Or rather, it was before that even.

Balance and Fairness of this Girl-Boy (Woman-Man) Thing

2009-02-21T11:12:00.004+08:00

This is my analysis (I can't help it, analyzing things is what I do) on this whole dating and relationship stuff.

It seems the balance of relationship is always not on the side of the person who feels more (more often than not, it's the women). At first, it had been whirling in my mind for a while that the man always seems to have the upper hand. Then, when I looked around, I do have man-friends who are as equally as powerless in this thing we called 'relationship'. So, I guess in my previous relationships, I had been the one who had more vested (atleast emotionally) in the whole thing. But I believe in the beginning, it had been more on the side of the guys since they had to do the chasing, ehm, the courting, or whatever ppl wants to label it, and what a chase it was. So much energy and time and resources were invested by the guys to convince the gals that this is what they wanted. It was fun, I'm assuming on both parties had fun, else it wouldn't have ran its course to a full bloom relationship.

Then, came the 'talk'. It could be difficult or as easy as, 'I'm feeling really good about this, are you ok with me?'. Haha! Ofcourse, the easiness or difficulty of it all was all in my mind, since, I'm the one who put the label. It's only difficult if I had to be the one to bring the topic up.

As the relationship progressed, somehow the balance of power changed sides. Sigh!

That's my two-cents for now.

A downer

2009-02-16T21:49:00.003+08:00

After really good days, it's about time, the cycle is back to a downer day. The day started out fine and well. Everything was smooth and good. Then, someone said something. At that time, since I was preoccupied with something else I didn't feel anything. But as the day progressed to the end, when I had time at hand, it came back to me and I felt angry and sad.

Angry that people have stereotypes and perceptions and misconceptions. And that they voiced them out loud with probably not an evil intention, just insensitivity. Which myself, have been guilty of time and time again. Sad, that I still let these things affect me.

'She has time because she's not married!'. That's a totally unfair and unfounded statement ever. Unmarried people have things to do. As a matter of fact, we might have more stuff to do. 'Aren't you lonely staying alone?'. Why state the obvious? And I have to answer in a way that doesn't make the asker feel bad.

I know she didn't mean to be hurtful but that doesn't mean that it doesn't.

Another good day...

2009-02-13T23:10:00.000+08:00

What would I call a good day, hmmm.... Not necessary a free day. As a matter of fact, today was one of the busiest day for me at work. Not necessary a day filled with life changing conclusions. As a matter of fact, I didn't manage to finish any reports, oh, except for one early in the morning from results I received late yesterday. But somehow, the hours the just past so quickly. I did get a lot of things done but just not all to its completion yet. For that I need more time. But for today, I felt I have used up my time well. To cap off the day, a great dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant with good friends. More like a treat for my birthday yesterday.

What more could a gal ask for?

Birthday Day...

2009-02-12T11:32:00.000+08:00

I have been quite irregular with the blogging lately. Life sometimes has a way of just flow by itself and sweeping me along. There's been work and scrabbling and family and friends, all taking up time. It had been fun and tiring and exciting in the same time.

Everything it seems culminated to today. I had expected another normal workday, just busier than normal with new stuff I've taken up. But I had dressed accordingly in my new favorite orange top and my new pair of dark jeans. My new pair of casual adidas completed my attire for the day. All, just a personal feel-good thingy. I'm at the stage where I think I could afford to indulge myself.

I was greeted with a chorus of wishes when I walked into my cubicle. My cube-mates had without fail made the day special for me. Although I have a lot going on today, they had made me remember that this is a special day. We had lunch at SunShine and then the meeting I was supposed to have after lunch got kinda shuffled a bit and foiled the surprise that they had wanted to arrange. I went back to the cube unexpectedly and saw my cake, gift and card! They proceeded to gather a few of our closer friends and we had our impromptu bday celebration. Songs, candle and all.

And I absolutely love the apron that I got! I had told them that I was looking for an apron that I won't mind wearing. And they got me exactly what I wanted!! What bulls-eyes! Amazing!

Am I sick?

2009-01-30T17:37:00.000+08:00

Aw shucks! My head and eyelids feel heavy. My throat is starting to feel irritated. Feel like coughing. What a time to start feeling horrible! The weekend is here! And I have ideas in mind of what I would like to do.

BLR

2009-01-29T16:21:00.001+08:00

BLR= base lending rate. Only people with housing (or other types) loans are concerned with this. When I saw that the interest rates are going down, I was quite happy. The first time it happened, end of last year, my banker told me that that action shaved off three years of repayment! Less that half a year ago, our rate is 6.75% per annum. Then it dropped to 6.5%. A 0.25% drop is equivalent to 3years of repayment! That is amazing.

CIMB and Maybank over the course of the last few days announced that they would cut the rate further to 5.95%, effective 3 February. Imagine that! But I'm still waiting for good news from OCBC. So far, silence. Calling out to OCBC! Please adopt this ASAP! Talking about banks, specifically OCBC, they should do something about their internet banking system. It should also allow loan customers to track the loan status and payment online.

Then, there is the bad news that the fixed deposit interest rates are also down. 2.5% for 1 month deposits! Seems like pointless (unless one person has a humongous amount). This will impact mostly the pensioners and the older generation, some of whom lived on interests earned from FDs. That is sad.

We couldn't have the good without the bad.

PS, 30 Jan 09, OCBC announced that they will be reducing their BLR to 5.95% effective Feb 3rd. Yay!

Mall incentive

2009-01-27T16:04:00.001+08:00

Today would go down in history as d day that my nephew, S, progressed one more step in the pool. He could kick and move!

After many tries of just pushing the board around the pool and enjoying the water slide, he finally dared to pushed his legs up to the surface and started kicking! Boy! He could move! And what dared him? The thoughts of going to the mall!

Fitness Plan (2)

2009-01-25T16:08:00.000+08:00

Fitness plan for 2nd week failed miserably. Enough said. Must get myself motivated.

Anyway, the thursday squash did not materialize since we had the new year cum birthday dinner at the new steamboat place. Since I'm on this subject, let me say that that new place at Krystal Point sucks big time. We were charged RM75 just for the soup (we should be told of that before)! Talk abt fleecing! We have since implemented a total ban on that shop!

Happy (I)

2009-01-25T13:45:00.000+08:00

What image conveys the meaning of happy to my mind? When I saw those people on American Idol, after coming out from the judgement room with the yellow piece of paper that meant that they were going to Hollywood for the next stage of AI. Jumping and screaming or shrieking. With joy in their eyes. Wholehearted happiness. I could jump and scream too, happy being infectious.

That is a moment of happiness...

The right thing to do...

2009-01-21T18:23:00.001+08:00

Is the one that feels right. The problem is, what if at a later time, that right feeling turned bad?

Who would know that the right thing is the right thing. Everything is subjective. Nothing is carved in stone. Even carved in stone, over time, erosion could erase everything.

This will remain a vague blog entry... I rest my case.

Inaugural Speech

2009-01-20T21:06:00.000+08:00

We are one! That's what the inaugural celebration was called. How apt! I think that should be the direction all of us are heading. After all our histories, have they not show us that all of us bleed red blood? What happened to one community would affect other communities. We are inter-linked.

The inaugural speech blew me away. Gave me hope and made me believe in a better tomorrow.

Hoorah!

Why do I have a blog?

2009-01-19T14:11:00.003+08:00

A friend once told me that I kept a lot of things to myself, especially how I feel and think. It makes getting to know me and getting really friendly with me, difficult. I think in some aspects, I've come a long way, in others, maybe not so much. This blog is one of my effort to open up a bit, express more of myself, and at the same time allow me to practice my writing. Who knows? I might get published (for real) one day.

Life is continuous improvement...

Fitness Plan

2009-01-18T22:45:00.002+08:00

I have successfully played squash for two times last week. I was still short of one session of work-out since I was targetting for three-times a week. I wanted to swim on Saturday to make up the number but was too tired after the late-night on Friday and ended up sleeping late.

I will try harder this week.

A Good Friday...

2009-01-17T22:48:00.000+08:00

Things went quite close to plan last Friday. Left work about 5.30 pm to rush home to change and got myself to the squash courts by 6 pm, although the in-campus traffic was quite bad.

When I got there, Clement was playing with Mr Lim. Megat was jogging. I had a few strokes with Mr Lim before playing a game or maybe two with Clement. Then a game with Megat. What a surprise that KengLong appeared with CheeHoe! But then, they seemed to be busy together - talking and playing - and not much time for others. Weird!

Anyhow, I left and tried to get hold of PS and Pauline to confirm the plans for the later part of the night, but failed. Seemed like everybody had their phones off (or rather their batts were dead). Pauline, called me back later to firm up the plans and off we went to hang out... with Wai...

It was a good night of ribbing and laughing...

Perchlorates

2009-01-16T16:11:00.000+08:00

A friend asked me about perchlorate detection today. Wow, what a topic!

Perchlorates, in the form of ammonium perchlorate and the other perchlorate salts are used in a wide range of applications, including pyrotechnics and fireworks, blasting agents, matches, lubricating oils, textile dye fixing, nuclear reactors, electronic tubes, tanning and finishing leather, rubber manufacturing, electroplating, aluminum refinishing, automobile air bag inflators, paint and enamel production, and pharmaceuticals (1).

Perchlorate is of concern for the following reasons (2):
(a)it has potential human health effects at low concentrations - another source mentioned that it inhibits the thyroid function;
(b)it may be widespread in the environment;
(c)removing it from water and soil may be costly; and
(d)it may have deleterious effects on ecosystems.

And aside from that, in the industry, it may have corrossive properties. That is the one that bothers us most here, since the environmental bit is hopefully taken cared of by the powers that be.

Off my head, would ionic chromatograph (IC) work for this? Afterall, they are talking about anions. And true enough, googling 'perchlorate analysis' gave me a list of hits which uses IC. And surprisingly, ESI-MS, which was a darling topic of mine during grad school. Which was one of the factors that pushed me into the field that I am in now, TOF-SIMS. Apparently, using the EPA 314.0 method for IC, there would be some interfering anions (e.g. chlorides, sulfates and carbonates) which would give false readings since the IC detection is via retention time identification. Other methods were made to overcome this, mainly, IC/MS/MS, LC/MS/MS and ESI-MS. I wonder if there were work done with other ionization methods e.g., FAB and MALDI.

This has been interesting.

(1). A Systematic Approach to In Situ Bioremediation in Groundwater
Interstate Technology Regulatory Council, 2002. www.itrcweb.org/Documentation/ISB-8.pdf

(2). http://www.clu-in.org/contaminantfocus/default.focus/sec/perchlorate/cat/Overview/

The Outlander

2009-01-16T12:47:00.000+08:00

James Caviezel - I called him as the man with the sad face. Almost all his movies involved him in some kind of sad, down-trodden situation, most likely with tears. Maybe I am wrong.

This movie is so cliche. But ofcourse with a title like that I should have expected that the end of the movie would favor the outlander or the outsider. I bet the guy, can't remember his name, the king-in-waiting was also thinking the same thing as me. "What is this guy doing, just dropped out from no where and trying to exert his will and wisdom on his community, and also usurped the king's affection, and the king's daughter affection."

But then, this outsider or outlander as he was known to the Vikings, was the hero of the show. It's his right to shine. So, he did. He could do no wrong. And most importantly, he could not die. Atleast not in the movie. The girl would not die too. Because the hero had to get a pretty girl.

The show is ok, except for the butchering and people got eaten alive. That's just vile.

Lucky

2009-01-15T22:56:00.003+08:00

On the way to work yesterday, I heard this song on the radio and was immediately captivated. I had at first thought that the singer was Michael Buble. It turned out to be a duet. The singers turned out to be Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. And the song turned out to be Lucky.

The harmony was just great and lovely. The lyrics dreamy. Overall, it's just a really nice and happy song.

I should be so lucky.

Where friends come together...

2009-01-10T11:28:00.000+08:00

Friday night saw me hosting a get-together-cum-house-warming for a dear group of old friends. Fridays are typically not a my favorite day or rather night for a lot of things after work, as, fridays usually would turned out to be a rather busy day for me. Work to finish before the week ends, etc. etc. (the king n i?)

There were ChongSing & HwaSiew & their 2 sons, Angie & CK & their 2 daughters, Kenny (with his arm sling) & MuiKeok, Jonathan and WeiNien. This was easiest the biggest group I have ever hosted, other than the gathering of aunts, uncles & cousins during the school hols. Being such a big group, we ended up sitting and chitchat-ing on the floor.

OK, I was a bit apprehensive about hosting the event due to the size, but it turned out alright. I had fun catching up, and I think everybody had fun just fooling around. I'm not sure about MuiKeok, though. She seemed kind of quiet. Anyhow, hope she wasn't too bored.

We had the birthday cake for ChongSing, CK and Kenny to blow candles but it turned out that Kenny lied about his birth date!!!

And they got me an IRON! Exactly what I needed....

Should I?

2009-01-09T18:35:00.005+08:00

I have a friend who lately was saying No to all my invites. Am I being dumb for inviting him for more? After so many years of living on this earth, after reading so many books, after interacting with so many different types of people, after all my life experiences, I still am not sure how people think sometimes.

I guess I may not have encountered too many 'No's in my life, atleast not where it mattered. I don't like rejection (who does?). And as a matter of practice, after a few nos, I would have stopped calling. But after a decade and more of friendship, things are harder. And not so clear cut. I dislike situations where people don't tell me what they feel and I, not knowing if I did wrong or they just prefer things differently, don't know how to act. I feel so clueless, and helpless.

And when I don't understand things, my brain goes high powered. Damn! Was that a curse? From Me? I rest my case. For now.

Post-Holidays Blues

2009-01-07T17:53:00.003+08:00

All good things come to an end. That's sad, but that's the way life goes. C'est la vie.

Life could not be just the fun. It had to come with hardships, heartbreaks and hardwork. That's why it's samsara. Some people call it the school of hardknocks. Guess what's the lesson life teaches us?

After the awesome week of xmas-new year, where could I go but back down to earth? That were moments when I totally forgot all my troubles and worries and was just completely in the moment.

My family being around was the greatest joy. Everybody feeling as if they were away on vacation was fun. Watching the kids play and make fun was priceless. I'm glad I bought my place.

When everyone left after christmas, I suddenly didn't know what I wanted to do. I was lost. Then the New Year plans started and I was buoyed upwards again. The plans made and more got executed, and now it's back to daily life.

Sigh!

Full Schedule

2009-01-07T17:27:00.002+08:00

I've not had the opportunity to sit and finish any blogs for the past few days. I've been busy, what can I say?

There were just no breaks at work. It's one deadline after another. Being chased by one person after another. And then, there were talks (rumors) of pay-cuts. That sucks and quite disheartening. Not that I work solely because of money, but that's an important factor. Work satisfaction is all important but if there were no compensation, who could afford to work?

On to a lighter note, other than work, it had been fun, fun, fun! I guess fun could be tiring too. Too much of a good thing, you know... I've been meeting up with friends, going shopping (I'm still standing) and catching up. Catching up with friends and catching up on my shopping...

I don't think I've shopped like this for ages. It's shopping everytime I went out (Other than the New Year BBQ), starting 24 Dec. And we had to go shopping for the BBQ too! This was a reminiscence of my US xmas-new year shopping 06/07! Ofcourse nothing could beat that. A whole boot-load of goodies belonging to 2 ladies and a gentleman! What a DAY! What a TIME! What an EXPERIENCE!

Break-Ups Are Painful: My 2-cents

2009-01-06T14:13:00.004+08:00

That's why they are called break-ups. If a person did not feel pain or hurt or sad, that person is not normal.

Things begin and things end. That's the fact of life. Phases of life begin and old phases end. And on and on. That said, being a woman, especially if we didn't want the break-up, we'll have a thousand and one questions.

I'm writing this not because I just broke up. I'm writing this because I wanted to bring things out to the open. Talk it over in words and let the negativity flows away. So that we'll be filled with positivity and light and happiness. I see the therapeutic values in talking and writing.

Back to us having many, many questions. I'm going to write this as me going through the horrid ordeal.

Question 1: Why couldn't we work things out? If he loves me (as I love him), things could be worked out.

Point: He doesn't love me anymore.
If he loved me, he wouldn't have broken up with me. No matter how intensely I insisted that he loved me (still, a bit), that was just me. And my will that he would act as how I wanted him to act. Pressing the point with him will only backfire upon me.

Question 2: What happened? What changed? When did that happened? He promised he'll love me forever.

Point: Nobody knows for sure. But it happened.
Questioning him again and again would not work. He has no answer. But prolonged pestering would break him down, and he would give an answer that he hoped would satisfy me but most likely not the truth.

Question 3: Why couldn't he love me?

Point: He did.
But not anymore. Not everyone could persevere.

New Year 2009 BBQ

2009-01-04T22:23:00.002+08:00

Yay! BBQ at Goy's. For year 2009. Surprisingly, I had fun. The food was good. The few good friends were there. Since there were there, I was sure the night would be good.

The night started off drizzling. Everybody were kind of worried about the rain. Soon and Goy had to re-assure many ppl who called that the event was still a GO. We were early and hung out at Goy's place. While we were there, he aired Mamma Mia, high def, on his big big Plasma TV. It was incredibly cool. The songs were still very nice and exciting.

Note to all: The food was still too much!

Shopaholic in me out and about

2009-01-04T20:16:00.002+08:00

O ya, my shopping adventures continued on this weekend. It's kinda scary but I haven't felt this good for a while. For one year after coming back from the US, I -had been on a 'shopping-ban'. And then, after the leash was cut, I found that I was used to not going to shop for fun and couldn't get my rhythm, and had really dismal shopping outings. then, felt bad afterwards. That's horrible! Shopping is ONE of my favorite past-times.

I think started from a few months back, having to shop for my home kinda changed the whole thing. Since I needed to fill my house, I had to make time to shop and had ample reasons to spend money! Still, that was mostly on household items, furnitures and electrical stuff. But still, a good start!

Then, the Christmas holidays, with so many days off and so many sales and so many ppl around, it was shopping, shopping and shopping! I have shoes, shorts, jeans, tops, swimming stuff and hols decoration! It has been incredible! Awesome! Amazing!

Shopaholic me is back!

New Year 2009

2009-01-01T01:58:00.001+08:00

New Year's eve ended early by a few minutes when I witnessed the fireworks at the mainland of Penang which started about 10 mins before midnight. Or my clocks were slow. It was a long show which I enjoyed from the comfort of my balcony. Towards the end of the show, fireworks at other locations were started. This I know because of the noise.

This year, although, I was alone, surprisingly I didn't feel melancholy or sad. The fireworks really cheered me up. And dinner with close friends earlier had also bouyed me up for the countdown. And I had close friends online with whom I could count down with.

Last year (2008) had been a good year for me (although there were some low moments). I have broken out of some shells and chains that held me back from some of my personal goals. Thrown away some heavy baggage that was weighing me down. And brushed off things that were not meant for me. Taken a bold step and purchased my first home. Saying NO to more things. Doing things that make me happier. And spread my wings to Europe, which has been a long time dream of mine. So 2008 had been a liberating year for me.

Although I have gone some distance in 2008, there are still some areas to work on and new things that I would like to explore in 2009. I look forward to the year with gusto!

There's a bigger world

2008-12-31T14:22:00.003+08:00

The past week I've lived in a small world made up of family and friends, and it was a happy time filled with simple but meaningful activities.

I was browsing the headlines in the world updates today when I saw the articles on the massacre of a family in California by none other than a 'santa', who so happened was someone known to the family. A man, reportedly a nice church-going guy, dressed up as a Santa, showed up at his ex-wife's place and just randomly opened fire at people who were attending a christmas party there. He killed his ex-wife, her parents, her brothers and their wives, and a nephew, while injured a few others including a little girl who opened the door for him because she was excited to see Santa.

That is sad. I was shocked. I have problems but now they looked small, even tiny, when compared to what happened there and many other places. I have difficulties but what are bills compared to violence and death.

first christmas eve

2008-12-28T21:41:00.002+08:00

This year promised to be a different year. It's my first christmas at my new place and I decided to do an at-home christmas. My family came, including my parents, SIL and my two cute nephews. Brothers were still working on xmas eve. By the time they reached my place, it was almost time for lunch. But before that, they were so excited to see the tree and gifts, we had to do the gift-stuff first. We had lunch by the cafe at my place, then, proceed to Queensbay mall. Games for the kids and shopping for the adults. I had to get a gift for the get-together with PS and PL on the 26th. I decided to go with a photo frame. And a nice one too!

The kids were ofcourse excited about going into the pool. After a few rounds of games, we went back and all of us quickly changed into our suits and jumped into the water.

By night-time, I was so tired I slept soundly that night and even slept through the very loud fireworks at midnight.

Simon Baker, I heart u

2008-12-23T19:08:00.002+08:00

I'm revisiting my adolescent... I would like to shout from the highest peak, Simon Baker (or rather the character he plays in The Guardian, Channel 701, 7pm, daily), I lurve you! He is really gorgeous. and he is nice (in the TV show). and cool.

That's all... Haha...

Last minute luck

2008-12-23T11:04:00.000+08:00

I have not had much luck playing scrable with Alvin. Although I could be leading in terms of scores throughout the game, he would usually (100% so far) come up with a Bingo almost towards the end of the game. And it would be too late for me to try to catch up. I hated that. Ofcourse I did that plenty of times to other people. But I've not managed to do any of it during games with Alvin!

Yeah, that's so last-minute luck! I guess he is just good, also.

Alone, in darkness

2008-12-22T16:25:00.001+08:00

Well, the situation was not as morbid as the title suggests. It's just that the darkness was due to the power being cut which was due to the work being performed on the transformer. And alone was because the day was not a working day for almost everybody else but me. But ofcourse, I had asked to come to work because I just have too many on my desk. Call me dedicated, or whatever.

I had to remind myself that it was day time and it was bright outside. Actually only rooms along my corridor were affected. If I were to stand at the corridor, I would see light at the end. And it was not exactly pitch black. Some rooms had lights. My room had no light but the power to my equipments were all there. That's why I was there anyways.

When the power was first shut off, I found out that I couldn't open my door and was locked in! It was one of those kind of door with an automated security lock. That gave me a few minutes of panic. Then, I calmed down. The phone was still working. All I had to do was call the chargeman. They would know what to do. True enough, they were working on the temporary power supply. And a few minutes after my call, the facilities guys came and with a screwdriver, did something to the door so that it could be opened. How useful a screwdriver is! Hoorah!

With the being-trapped feeling gone, I kinda like the quiet...

He's just not that into you

2008-12-21T22:09:00.001+08:00

Hmmm... by a stroke of fate, the book landed in my hands. Actually, I was to act as a messenger carrying this book from a friend for another friend. I've been curious about this book for some time now, although had not been motivated enough to actually purchase the book. As the critics said, I don't need a book to tell me when a guy doesn't like me THAT much.

However, since it was in my possession, and it wasn't that thick, I started reading it and was 3 quarters way through it by the time another friend came to pick us up for lunch.

My two-cent on this issue:
1. Even if a guy is into you now, he can get not-into-you some time in the future. There's just NO CERTAINTY.
2. Universally, I think humans want the same thing, but do they go about getting them the same way? I think not. The book is SO 'New York-ish'. We need a book on 'Penang-ish'. (How I know it's New York? Come on, SATC was set in New York! And these guys were the writers!)

However, one thing is true, if the guy is not into you, you would not be happy in the relationship... and vice versa, if you are not into the guy, you would not be happy in the relationship...

p/s: Not too sure about the 'not-asking-the-guy-out-until-he-asks-you', although I actually do practice that - not that it's doing me any good. That smack a lot of male supremacy and power to the man. But then again, some men are just into that. It must be the remnance of the cave-men instinct. BUT are ALL men that way?

Mamma Mia! The musical.

2008-12-20T01:32:00.001+08:00

I was excited, really excited for this since I bought the tickets. Maybe all the excitement drove up my expectation way high. I loved the movie so so much. It had been a long time since a movie excited me so.

The first solo of the musical started low. The movie one was better. But as the show went on, Sophie redeemed herself. It's not fair that the 'mom' would be compared to Meryl Streep since Meryl Streep's performance is a tough act to top. Although I have not been a Meryl Streep fan, I loved her in Mamma Mia, the movie.

The set impressed me at first, but then it started to bore me after the first hour.

Other than Sophie and the Mom, the voices of others didn't really impress me. Tanya at the beach was really sad!

After watching the musical and the movie, I thought the movie was cleverly adapted and done. Bravo to the screenwriter(s)!

ALthough all that, the ending encore performances of the stage show were super!! I enjoyed that the most (haha) and the song "our last summer". I still love that song, although the setting in the movie is nicer.

p/s (23/12/08): apparently another reviewer agreed with me on some points regarding the stage show. He also raised the points on the stage setting and Tanya's singing...
http://www.rochester-citynews.com/entertainment/stage/2008/12/THEATER-REVIEW-RBTLs-Mamma-Mia

The day YP came to town...

2008-12-19T01:11:00.000+08:00

I haven't seen friend YP for a while. Say a few years, except for facebook. It looked like he had a ball of a life travelling all over. And he has a new job too! For the past 2 months. And a new car too, for the past 2 years. All this I found out on Friday night.

Friday evening, after dinner with LP and CW, I went home looking forward to pack for my whirlwind trip on Saturday and Sunday. As I was locking up my doors, my phone rang. It was a surprise to see CA calling (caller ID). He hasn't called me for like, ages. And yes, the news was that YP was coming to town! [A bit like Santa coz he did bring a big melon for me from Cameron. Although I still expect a house warming gift that he still owes me...] And that, he would like to meet us for supper. My answer was OK, since if I didn't see him that night, I wouldn't be seeing him for another few years at the very least (based on our track record).

After a couple of hours, YP finally reached the island and then, he said that he would like to visit my house and check out my xmas tree... So no supper for me!

YP came and he looked the same as he did many years ago. Still as loopy as ever. (Although he is a m.a.n.a.g.e.r now). He commented that although my house looks nice, it doesn't seem like 'me'. Hmmm... and it looks like a bar. [BC's response:??] And that my furniture does not match my walls. [BC's response: haha] Funny guy!

It used to bother me quite a bit that people think they know my taste or 'me' better than 'moi', or that they have some unpleasant comments about my place. My immediate mental reaction would be that those commentss or statements are reflections of myself. After settling in for more than two months now, I'm able to look at it more impersonally, take it less personally, and now, those comments bothered me less.

I don't know why people would make statements that make other people uncomfortable for no particularly beneficial purpose. And since it is not beneficial, I am able to just let it slide...

This is when the lessons from the Abhayarajakumara Sutta come in handy... and for the record, I enjoyed YP's visit tremendously. It's fun to catch up and crack up over silly stuff from yesteryears...

Putting up My First Christmas Tree

2008-12-16T18:06:00.000+08:00

O Yay! I have a tree! Not a live one, but it blinks and sparkles.

December the 15th is D Day for putting up a Christmas Tree. It was still in pieces inside the box. LP came to help me with the tree and to share the joy with me. Ofcourse she came for a swim too, but the weather put paid to that idea. It rained. Heavily. So, we had to do something indoor. Which is good because the second part of the plan for the night IS the tree.

After assembling and bending the branches to places that we think they should go, we thought it would be difficult to get the lights on. But we were wrong. It was relatively easy, although I still need an extension cord to make it work better!

So, we had the lights and then the decors went up. I especially love the position of the two angels!

In the end, the tree is still a bit bare, but it's my first year! I'll improve...

Sales! Sales!

2008-12-15T17:49:00.004+08:00

Last Thursday, I decided that I haven't been shopping with my parents for some time now. I haven't serviced my car for some time now. I haven't been home to my parents' place for some time also. And enough of procrastination! I would do all that on Saturday. And it is the season of sales!

Saturday morning, we started the day early by going to the breakfast place that we used to go every weekend. The fried bee hoon aunty had commented to my mom just the week before that we've been absent for some time. It's still as yummy as ever, even though she has left the fish balls out these days. After breakfast, I made my way to the workshop to get my car serviced. And then, my little nephew came to the house to visit - o how I missed him. We had lunch at home then, my parents, my uncle (who's visiting from KL) and I were off to Jusco at BM for a shopping day! Yay!

It was a superb and good day at the mall. My mom got something. My dad got something. My uncle got something. I got lots. I bought another comforter set, two table fans and one of those floating device for swimming! O yeah!

The comforter was silk (on one side) and it's only RM139. I got the 16" dark red Elba fan for RM79 each. I think they are good prices!

What a day!

The season of joyful tidings is upon us

2008-12-12T16:45:00.001+08:00

I think this is the year that I will re-gain the joy of christmas. It is a good time (as good as any) to start. A good time to be happy. I went through the first of december without fun-fare. It was uneventful. It was a Monday, need I say more.

The first thought that came to me (as an effort to create a happy and festive time) is that I need a tree. I have had good responses to a posting on this on my facebook. Friends have given good suggestions and support. Next, I looked around for a tree. My cousin, who herself, has a 6-ft tree gave me some ideas on what I should be looking for. As of yesterday, I was still dragging my feet and couldn't decide which tree to get and a bit worried that I might be too late!

I had dinner with my best friend last night. A belated birthday treat for him, having missed his birthday because I was in Europe at the time. While trying to catch up on all the things that have been going on in our lives since the last time we met, I just mentioned that I thought of getting a christmas tree! And boom, we paid the bill, got out of the restaurant (luckily we were done eating by then) and went to the department store. He was as excited as me. I chose a 5-ft tree which is reasonably priced (to me) and got the lights and decorations! The sales person there was so helpful I may have bought more that I planned. I'm on my way to have lights and colors in my living room!!

Next, putting up the tree...

The road less travelled, the high road...

2008-12-10T20:08:00.003+08:00

I remember one occassion when I was a kid, still in primary school, still attending piano classes, it was that time of the year to choose a piece for the exams. My piano teacher played the two pieces that we got to choose from every year. Both didn't sound all that good to me. One slow and full of expression. Another one, full of twists. After she finished playing, she turned to me and asked if I wanted to choose the easier one or the tougher one. Duh! She obviously did not know me. Ofcourse I would choose the tougher one. Not that I'm all that good at playing. I just love a challenge. I just love the more difficult things in life... But ofcourse I love things that come easily to me. But if I was asked, I would more often than not choose the difficult ones...

Sigh!

And given a choice again, I would do them all over, without doubt.

Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series #4)

2008-12-09T23:29:00.003+08:00

I was kind of sad that I finished the book because I just found out that this is the last book for this series. I had all the while thought that there would be five books.

The ending was a happily-ever-after so the book is good for me. But there may be a book on Jacob and Nessie. That's certainly how it looked like to me.

The Heart Calls

2008-12-08T11:09:00.001+08:00

There is a story in the newspaper today of a woman who gave away RM100,000 to a man who claimed that he is the living Buddha. The reason she gave away the money was her son who were claimed by the 'living Buddha' as having a medical condition. Out of her very strong maternal love, she did whatever was asked by the guy to save her son.

The call of the heart is strong. Strong enough that it could overwhelm logic and reason.

Would a true living Buddha who has overcome greed, hatred and delusion, who is the embodiment of wisdom and compassion, ever ask for money if there were anything that he could do to alleviate the suffering of another?

Sometimes in life, after exhausting all effort, physical or otherwise, there is just nothing that we could do to make things right, to fix things up. Then, it is time for the hard practice of equanimity & acceptance.

Wonderful Saturday

2008-12-07T16:53:00.000+08:00

What a great day Saturday was! The day started with a very down to earth breakfast of Hokkien Mee for me with two other great gal-pals. After which, we proceed to my place for our planned swim. When we reached SV, the aunts n uncle were already there. And I got my first xmas gift for the year - ehem, which could be the only xmas gift for this year. I was excited that it was a very fancy, red high heel door stopper! I had wanted to get fancy door stopper but could not find any in Penang, so far. And ofcourse, there were gifts from their Langkawi trip. It was fun. After all that, my pals and I went down to the pool and had a really productive session. One of the outcome I hope is to motivate our other friend to want to learn how to swim...

Mom had brought with her lots of stuff and she, along with the aunts proceed to prepare lunch for the whole bunch.

TS had set her heart on eating at Japin, so, after the swim we went off to QB for lunch and shopping! Actually it was Sunday that we discovered we've been calling the cafe by the wrong name. We called it Jopin!

The shopping was incredible althought it started real slow and disappointing as we did not find the sales to be any better than normal. Thankfully, it ended as the greatest day at the mall. I've forgotten how fun 'real' shopping could be.

Half way through Breaking Dawn

2008-12-05T14:49:00.000+08:00

Breaking Dawn is the 4th book in the Twilight series. And it is the thickest one that I've encountered so far. At 500+ pages, it is equivalent to the thickness of 2 of the previous books. There are 3 books in this one book called Breaking Dawn. Book 1 is centered on Bella. Book 2 is on Jacob. And book 3 is back to Bella.

I've gone up to Book 2 and a few pages into Book 3.

More of the book later...

Fit as a Fiddle

2008-12-02T21:40:00.000+08:00

So not. I came back from a squash session totally deflated. And after playing dismally for 3 games, only. Not even a match. I told my squash mates, that I felt depressed after each game. I couldn't swing properly, and the swings just didn't go smoothly. Leg movements were lethargic! And slow. Frustrating.

This kinda motivate me to keep Tuesdays and Fridays in mind for squash. I should atleast go back to the position where I enjoy playing squash. Sigh!

1 December 2008

2008-12-02T10:30:00.000+08:00

The first day of the month started on a low. I'm feeling ill at ease, not comfortable, not composed, depressed and down. Just sad. I'm feeling like the tears could start at any time.

Sad things do that to me. Sad movies do that to me. Sad books do that to me. People doing bad things to other people or themselves do that to me. Or bad things happening to people I know do that to me.

Ofcourse I never advertised this but I cried watching sad movies, every time. And the part that I always say out loud is that I only watch 'happy' movies. That's why.

Equanimity is such a priceless state. I failed miserably to achieve it, today.

Since today is a low. I hope the month will only get better...

Eclipse (Twilight Series #3)

2008-12-02T07:34:00.000+08:00

Oh yes, I have finished Eclipse. I couldn't wait. I couldn't put it down. Although it took me longer that I normally do for a book of that thickness. I had to do a host of other stuff in between.

Yes, we're back on track. This is a much more enjoyable book that the 2nd one. I'm feeling buoyant again. No spoilers. I know there are still a lot of people out there who have not read this. The flow and smoothness of the plot really got to me. I like that SM tried to reconcile the myths and the reality in the book.

This is a really good teen-lit. Coz I constantly forgot that they are not even 19. Ofcourse Edward is forever 17. Those old-fashion values of his is really adorable.

Looking forward to #4.

What a feeling?

2008-12-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

Chuck (for those of you who doesn't know, it's a TV series) was in Stanford Uni last weekend. As the camera panned across the campus, I felt nostalgic. Although I didn't go to school there, I was there for a very short campus tour.

Everytime I see a place that I've been to on TV or in a movie, something in me moves. Recently, a few shows shot in Rome, Florence, Venice & Vienna were shown, and watching them, I felt something, although I couldn't explain what it is I felt exactly. I especially like shows/books based in San Francisco.

Ha ha, silly me and my sentimentality...

New Moon

2008-12-01T11:14:00.001+08:00

After finishing Twilight, I became very obsessed with what would come next for Bella and Edward. It seems that the book ended on a high note (the way that I like).

New Moon, however, was three-quarter a disappointment. I'm not going to spoil too much for those who haven't read the book, I hope. But heart-break for more than half a book, is no good for the reader. It plunged me into an abyss that I didn't want to remember. I almost didn't finish. But after re-reading the synopsis, I persevered.

This book is no good for those who just broke up. It might give you hope that the person who left you would return. In real life, they rarely do. Just go on with live... Next phase.

Ps: Again, Italy is the location chosen for a scene in the story....

Twilight

2008-12-01T10:57:00.000+08:00

The movie, was so-so. I left the theatre wondering why it did so well in the box office chart. The first half of the movie was weird. The acting was stilted. The relationship development was not well presented. The second half of the movie was better, after the relationship started.

After the movie, I decided not to get the book.

The book, was amazing. After reading the book, I understood why the movie did so well. Since I'm a die-hard romantic (on the inside), I loved the book. The details that were missing from the movie were finally explained - why she acted the way she did and he acted the way he did. And why Dr Cullen and his wife were so young looking yet has 5 grown up children, although adopted. The character development of all the Cullens' kids was well done.

Ofcourse a lot of things in the book were adapted. A lot of things were changed. Somehow, Bella didn't seem that wimpy in the movie.

On to New Moon... I couldn't stop. I wanted to know.

Risky Laundry

2008-11-30T23:49:00.000+08:00

It's a good thing that I don't have that much laundry to do around here, since I gave away the dryer and there's not much space to hang up the laundry.

Yup, the dryer is gone. Saved me a few hundred ringgit of repair.

I've lived quite happily in this situation until today. As usual, I would wash the bed linen in the morning, so that it would dry and I could reuse it before nightime. This afternoon, after a whole time of good weather and wind, I went to collect the linens which I'd hang out at the balcony.

The pillow cases which were thicker, dried. Good news! The bedsheet was also dried. But as I were pulling it towards me, I saw the brown spot (and not invisible!). Yucks!

Re-wash is in order... Sigh! And I didn't have a bedsheet for one night.

Down to earth

2008-11-28T17:04:00.000+08:00

Weekend is here again. After the excitement of last weekend, I decided to have a mundane, down to earth, slow weekend. All that will be translated as 'house chores'. Laundry and more laundry. That seems to be an endless task. Sweep the floor, mop the floor, wash the toilets and the tubs and basins. Wipe the exposed surfaces. And more unpacking! Putting things away. How fun! All that and some scrabble and some astro factored in... and some R&R. Ideal...

Goody! Goody!

2008-11-27T18:21:00.000+08:00

Where to go, if you just want a quick, short getaway with no hassle and worry? The place must also be suitable for all ages! You must think this is difficult... but the answer turned out to be 'Genting Highlands' for my family last weekend.

It's school holidays! And a weekend! We wanted to do something different and fun, for the kids and for the grandparents... and for ourselves - being my brother, wifey & I. After a few rounds of subtle brainstorming, Genting Highlands was chosen.

I wasn't sure what we were going to do to fill the time for being there for 2 nights. But it turned out to be fun. On Saturday, the kids and I had fun in the indoor theme park. The grandparents were along to be the watchful eyes and to take pictures! On Sunday, the kids and parents went to the outdoor theme park, while my parents and I went to the Chin Swee Temple. The shuttle bus is now FREE! It used to be RM5 per way a few months back.

The temple is indeed beautiful. and lovely. and meaningful. After a lovely morning walking around, breathing the fresh, crisp and slightly moist air (it drizzled a bit), we went back for a late lunch and a short walkabout the shops before going back to the hotel room for a short rest (afterall, this is supposed to be a relaxing weekend away). Later, we met up with the other group for dinner and more shopping. It was a bit disappointing that there were not many sales!!! But I did manage to get myself a bag, a sweater, and a pair of sunglasses! YAY!

The last day, we enjoyed a slow breakfast, just fooled around and then it's time to check out already!

All-in-all a fine weekend. For the record, I still have not made my way into the outdoor themepark! I need to go with someone who is into those stuff!

Oh dear!

2008-11-27T17:39:00.000+08:00

'Let's be together'. 'Let's not be together'. How could one person say this and that in the same life time to the same person?

I came from the old school of thought. Going through thick and thin, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live. Toughing it out and companionship. That's my concept of being a couple (other than love & passion). But not to all...

Having experienced breaking-up a couple of times, I know it's tough. Although it's a good thing that the situation unravelled before we signed the contract, I wouldn't wish it on another person.

Anyway, this relationship thing has been going round and round in my head lately. Partly because a friend told me that she started dating again, but the guy is far from ideal (I wish her all the best and really hope that things work out - she's really a great gal). And a friend whom I used to do things together had stopped doing things with me - does it mean we broke up? (I'm just sad because friends don't do that to a friend, or do they? or are we more than just friends?). And another friend is going through a rough patch as well.

I hope friends in rocky situations would stay strong. Life is a challenge sometimes and there is no situation where we are not strong enough to wade through.

We just need to remember, rough patches will pass... thankfully.

Birthday at Bravo

2008-11-27T17:09:00.000+08:00

For the nicest and kindest person in our office, this year, we decided to celebrate at a new restaurant called Bravo at IAvenue. An Italian one and a not bad one at that! The Italian feel was really there in the restaurant. There were maps on the table - which I made full use of to illustrate to my friends where exactly I went during my 1+ week sojourn in Italy/Austria.

The aglio olio that I had was superb. I wished I could do it myself. All the meals by the rest of the gang got good reviews. The spanish cake (dessert) was also superb. My hot chocolate was however a disappointment. It came with coffee mate!! That made me miss the hot chocolates in Italy/Vienna A LOT! I guess it tasted better also because of the nice memories...

Astro Installed

2008-11-26T23:32:00.000+08:00

Finally have the Astro - Cable TV, installed. It was apparently an easy job since the previous tenant did not remove the cables. And also because there was no need to install the dish that is the outdoor unit, since the building already has a central one...

Quantum of Solace

2008-11-20T16:29:00.000+08:00

I think Daniel Craig is abSOlutely gorgeous. Need I say more. The show is good.

Anyway, let's concentrate on the strength of the show. The title itself connotes that something sad had happened. And after the deed, some kind of consolation or comfort were required. The title is just so relevant to the show and to how Bond would be feeling after the 'Vesper' episode. Although being a manly man, he has to deny it to all.

I was a bit lost when the movie started with references to Vesper & her boyfriend, but thankfully, caught on not too far along. The gadgets part was totally missing from this Bond. Where is Q? And Moneypenny. Were all that somehow explained earlier on and I missed it?

It was kind of a twist towards the end. The fight had all been for water when all parties were going along and thinking that they would be getting oil. Ha ha! But ofcourse, ultimately, it's all about the money.

Somehow, is there some kind of ties between Bond and Italy? There were quite a number of scenes in Casino Royale which were based in Italy. The finale being in Venice... and I did recognize some of the locations. And Quantum of Solace opened in Sienna. The first few scenes into the movie, the carabinieri appeared and I was brought back to Florence, where I captured the photo with the carabinieri cars... O wow! Europe changed me a bit, I think.

All in all, I was thoroughly entertained. and enjoyed the movie so. Daniel Craig, oo la la! More! More!

Refund for fuel surcharge

2008-11-20T14:57:00.000+08:00

I was really happy when I read that AirAsia is scrapping off fuel surcharge for their flights. This is good news for travel bugs. It means we could go more places with the same amount of $$. And hopefully, other air lines would follow.

And this morning I read in the newspaper that someone has shouted out to AirAsia to consider refunding the fuel surcharge for tickets bought. I fully support this as I had bought tickets for trips next year which included fuel surcharge!

Other than the fuel surcharge refund, my wishlist includes:
1. More destinations from Penang to be included. Currently, we have to fly to KL first.
2. Cleaner flights.
3. On time flights.
4. More destinations, eg to New Zealand, Europe, Japan.
5. More zero fare flights, with less advance purchase.

B.O. - maybe they are ignorant...

2008-11-20T13:38:00.000+08:00

Today, I decided that I'm going to do a few of my friends a favor and write on this irritating and annoying, but could be a taboo topic of BO. Or otherwise known as body odour.

I was happily walking through a long corridor on my way back to my office when one of the door opened and out came a waft of air. And along with it, an unpleasant smell. The distinct type that was easily identified as BO. Ew! shucks!

Haven't these people heard of such a thing called deodorant?

I remember in my previous company, two of my close friends, AL and LO had the misfortune to be sitting next to an immaculately dressed (and nice) man who has/had (he may have discovered this and rectified it) a BO issue. And although I stayed away from having to visit them, I had to endure stories of this over lunch and breakfast for nearly two years. yucks! Ofcourse there were stories to tell because AL happened to be pregnant and had morning sickness which were not helped at all by the BO.

BO is universally unpleasant. But why didn't people who are suffering from this do anything to overcome this? Could it be that they are unaware? Hmmm.... it makes me wonder...

Would I want to go through life being smelly? Would you? In this situation is ignorance blissful?

Of working life...

2008-11-19T11:35:00.000+08:00

The past few days and the week before were the epitome of exactly how I do not want my life to be. Worked late, and too tired after work to be social, hence stayed in (although I did enjoyed playing scrabble over facebook), and the cycle started all over again the next day.

Ofcourse, having a position where I'm a lone contributor gives tremendous job security. Which I do appreciate. And I appreciate having a challenging job. But it's never good when there are too much to do.

However, the plus points here are:
1. I have good+fun colleagues.
2. I have a good boss.
3. I have a certain amount of flexibility in arranging my work. (when there is no emergency)
4. I still like what I do. Lots of things/areas still to explore and learn.

Two grouches:
1. I still need to learn a lot of stuff! Some stuff I don't even know I don't know. No time and probably no budget.
2. Ofcourse, I could use more dough... who doesn't?

Shopping Mania!

2008-11-10T19:18:00.000+08:00

OMG! Thanksgiving is coming. OK, not that I celebrate the event... Anyway, it's a good thing I'm NO LONGER in the US. I opened my mailbox today and there was an email from the outlets announcing the BIG thanksgiving sales end of the month. And I swear I could feel my blood flowed faster through my veins and the excitement started my heart palpitating a bit faster and I feel energized. OMG! OMG! How I missed the shopping there! How I missed the outlets.

P/s: I really really miss the shopping!

Change...

2008-11-06T14:33:00.000+08:00

Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry. Such a mouthful! I've been doing this for the past two years! O ya, it's two years already. Time certainly did fly.

It was a momentous and monumental move for me two years ago, jumping from the academic world to the industrial world. Many people asked me why I did it. I've given many facets of the answer depending on the situation. The only truthful answer is, like so many occassions in my life, I just felt like it's the time to do it. In my mind, the pros outweighed the cons. And I always love a challenge.

Just do it.

I Googled Me

2008-11-05T17:21:00.000+08:00

Now and then I entertained myself by google-search myself. This time around I was pleasantly surprised to find that I am acknowledged in a book called From Silicon Valley to Singapore by David McKendrick, Richard F. Doner and Stephan Haggard. Apparently Stephan Haggard had collaborated with the Anna, a consultant, and Ms. Lim, the boss at the firm DCT Consultancy Services where I had worked as a research officer back in '97-98 (my field was environmental conservation). Anyway, both me and another RO, Wei Seong (I think he mainly did socio-economic work) were acknowledged to have provided research assistance! That was fun.

Another surprising element is that the book touches on the hard disk drive industry and US's leadership and concentration of manufacturing in South East Asia. Atleast that was what I gleaned from reading the acknowledgement pages. Sorry to say, I have not read the book. Anyway, at that time, I didn't even know what a hard disk is. That was still the floppy disk era.

And now, I'm working in this industry! It's as if it was pre-ordained! Strange how the universe works...

Roma, Italia - The voyage...

2008-11-04T18:31:00.000+08:00

After reading Dan Brown's Da Vinci's Code, I really, really wanted to go to Rome. There may be a Da Vinci's Code tour, which if I had known, I would definitely join. But since I did not know of any, I joined the Italy tour instead.

The flight there from Penang was awesome (so not!). Our agent had arranged for us to fly Qatar Airways. An airline that I have not been on before. Which turned out to be ok since they had also arranged a short city tour during the transit in Doha. This is my first foray into the land of the Middle East and left on my own devices, I may not ever be here.

We reached Rome at about 6+pm and proceeded to a chinese restaurant for dinner. It was dinner and nothing to shout about since we all hail from the haven of food. After which we were so ready for bed. It had been a long, long voyage.

Coming next, the tour begins...

Flying on a budget - not very pleasant sometimes

2008-11-03T16:49:00.000+08:00

I've been a staunch supporter of Air Asia for a few years now. I believe in its good and sincere efforts to enable everyone to fly. So, for my previous European trip flying out of KL, I took the AirAsia's Penang to KL and back flight instead of MAS. To my surprise, the Penang-KL flight was early! Goody! But a couple of shocks greeted me in the plane. I had to untangle the seat belts which were all tangled up and after having done that and buckled myself in, there was a pink colored chewed chewing gum on the seat belt! Yucks! And then, looking at the magazine on the pocket of the seat, guess what I found? A used-up vomit bag! Double yucks! What is this?

On the way back from KL to Penang, after a long and tiring journey back, the flight was re-timed from 7.35 pm to 9.15 pm without any notice to us. Apparently it was a last minute thing. But to tired-old-me, a text message to us immediately after they have re-timed the flight would have been nice. Instead we had to rush over to the LCCT at 5 pm only to see on the board that the flight has been re-timed! I had to spend the remaining of the evening hearing the whines and dissatisfaction of my companion. And that's not how I envisioned the end of an incredibly lovely week!

To add to that, after boarding the plane and seated. I noticed that there was a whitish stain on the side of my seat! Urgh! Not to mention the wet seat infront of me that I managed to avoid because that could be clearly seen.

I know that they are working with a packed schedule, but hygiene, I think is not something that can be sacrificed. At the very least, before landing, the flight attendants should make an announcement and go around with rubbish bags to collect the wastes.

Anyway, I've emailed AirAsia's call center (on the hygiene) and hopefully they will not let the situation deteriorate any further...

My dreamy week...

2008-11-02T01:36:00.000+08:00

That's the only way I could describe my week in Europe. It's a fulfilment of a dream. Throughout the trip, I had the occassional lapses of disbelief that I was there, breathing the cool crisp air. My favorite kind. And marvelling in the achievements of men from decades/centuries ago. Hoping that we've learnt from them and march onwards to better days...

The image is of The Pieta by Michelangelo in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, which is a country by itself. My photo is not the best, if you were in its presence, it is really breathtaking and magnificent!

Scrabbles at Facebook

2008-10-14T16:48:00.000+08:00

Hoorah! I just found out about the Scrabbles application on Facebook. Thanks to June, whom I met from playing so much Scrabulous. I was really, really sad when Scrabulous was scrapped from facebook. Nothing could be as fun as making-words on a board and trying to get the best and longest word. I tried Word Challenge but after a while, the same words that I had to key in kinda bored me. But I would still carry on with that now and then to better my score and to catch up with my brainy pal who scored in the excess of 150K.

O ya, please find me at scrabbles on facebook if you couldn't find me anywhere else.

O Mamma Mia!

2008-10-13T16:09:00.000+08:00

Made my way to the cinema to catch the movie Mamma Mia and boy, was I happy I did that! The cinema guys didn't exactly make it easy for us, want-to-watch-ppl. The show wasn't screened at Queensbay Mall but only at Prangin Mall or Gurney Plaza.

I love Abba-songs. I grew up listening to them. So I know the songs pretty well. Although it's awkward and unnatural that ppl could break into songs and dances at any time, it's a musical! Musicals are supposed to be that way.

The casts were well chosen. There were some big names - Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth. I don't know the rest of the casts but that doesn't mean they are not famous or not talented. I don't know everybody! And everyone who watched the show would agree that the ensemble of the casts worked well.

The number of songs that was included in the duration of the movie was incredible. I really felt I had my money's worth. I love all the songs and the dance moves.

The gals sang beautifully! I refrained from commenting on the guys' singing. I have to credit Colin Firth on his, but somehow, I already knew he could sing. I couldn't remember the title of the song he sang on the boat to Sophie but it was something about the summer with Donna.

For some unfathomable reason, I was alternating between laughing out loud and crying my heart out (during some scenes) throughout the duration of the movie. It could be nostalgia or my new acne meds acting out. I wonder what happened to my Abba cassette or CD.

The first thing after the movie that I did was text my friend asking him to get me the DVD for the show which is not released yet. I wanted the DVD because I wanted to be able to sing to my heart's content and dance all out. In the privacy of my living room. Ha! Ha!

P/s: The author has sinced grabbed the very pricey tickets for the Mamma Mia show in Istana Budaya end of this year. She had to call the hotline 1.5 days before getting through to the sales person. Phew! It's hot!

The Fridge - how to live without?

2008-10-11T23:55:00.000+08:00

My Toshiba. Fridge. Which I almost couldn't live without these days. Lovin' it.

I could come back to cold juice. Have left overs. Keep the creamer for my early morning cuppa tea. Keep some vege. Green vege to boost my calcium intake. and other nutrients as well. And frozen prawns and chickens for when I have time to try my cooking skills - those are supplied by my mom.

And a place to place all my fridge magnets! Finally!

My Kitchen

2008-10-11T23:45:00.001+08:00

Here's a shot of my kitchen. What chinese kitchen is without the requisite wok? So, I had to have one. And the rest are typical stuff: my cute rice cooker, kettle and thermos flask. And ofcourse, the hob and cooker hood.

Still no toaster and oven.

In Love

2008-10-11T16:24:00.000+08:00

I'm in love! With my condo. Chez moi is really mine (and the bank). It comes with the whole shebang and, in the words of Carrie Bradshaw (who is she?, SATC, season 5, I think), zsa zsa zsu. I guess in layperson's term, the novelty is still there. Butterflies in my stomach. Eager to be home. Cleaning here and there. Spend money. Giving gifts. It's tiring work. But worth it.

It's not exactly the most perfect of places but it fits me, I think.

French Toast Chez Moi

2008-10-09T22:09:00.000+08:00

This was one day last week, after a week of hankering for french toasts, I finally decided to make my own.

So to prove that I did made some, here's my honeyed french toast. Two eggs, a dollop of honey, five slices of bread and dollops of butter (yummy!) for the pan.

Yay!

Eagle Eye

2008-10-09T16:41:00.000+08:00

I'm super glad I went for this movie last night. The show was impressive. The premises of the show was impressive. The eagle eye concept and ability were impressive, getting messages off from vibrations etc. Except for the gold balls? I guess, it's possible. The interaction between the two leads was good, except the end there. Did the guy always have to kiss the gal? I sensed that that would happened at the end. Afterall, it is Hollywood. I just didn't feel it right between the two of them. Anyway, I was too happy that Jerry didn't die that that small moment was overshadowed by his award ceremony and that finally, his father could see him as he really was. Thankfully.

Poor Service

2008-10-09T16:26:00.000+08:00

I've not been blogging much the past week, I think. Partly is due to the poor streamyx stability at nights. For example last night, after about ten minutes of fine connection, then, the rest of night, no connection at all, nada! The night before, could not connect at all!

Talking about service, yesterday while having lunch at Sunshine Square I stopped by the electrical store mentioned by the previous home owner, G, to ask about the replacement or spare for the charcoal filter for the cooker hood.

This man, could be friendlier but he was not. The way he talked was just so patronizing and as if he tried to put me off buying. He kept repeating that the filters are very expensive (c.a. RM100) and that I have to pay the full amount upfront before he would order the items. But first, he has to check the availability of the items. Hmmm...

Was I supposed to get the hint that he didn't actually wanted to do my business but was kinda forced to since I walked into his shop? That's why he behaved the way he did? Or was it a bad day/moment for him?

I'm still undecided. I'm supposed to get back to him with the model no. but I'm hesitant. He could run off with 'lots' of my money (about RM200+, since I need two filters).

Older or wiser?

2008-10-04T14:26:00.000+08:00

I was watching another episode of SATC tonight. This time a season III. This episode asked the question, are we growing older or wiser?

The real question is, am I growing older or wiser? I would like to think that I'm doing both, since I definitely am doing the former. Atleast with the latter, it would seem like I'm doing something right. But what if things that I learnt are not real? How do we ever know if the things we learnt in life are real or not?

Even if it's written in an age-old book by some writer known to people as sagely, human or otherwise, how do we ever know for sure that they are right? Afterall, in a lot of situations, being right is subjective. It's personal. It's conditional.

I have gone through stages of life where I believed in different things. Experienced different things. I inevitably came to one conclusion, I didn't ever want to go back to my twenties. I was a late bloomer, twenties for me was still a period of awkwardness. I was uncertain about some stuff and didn't know my place in the world. I had fun, that I couldn't deny. Then, I did my grad work, found myself and came out from my shell.

But deep inside, I doubt if I changed. I just hoped I'm wiser.

Cool Raya

2008-10-02T20:32:00.001+08:00

It has been a cool and memorable Raya for me this time around. Although I've not been to any Raya open house, I've been entertained by sparkling shows on the night sky for the past two nights. The guys staying not too far away have been pretty generous with the fireworks. I have the perfect view when I lay on my bed looking out of my windows. And a pretty view from my living room sofa too. As a matter of fact, the entertainment was on a few minutes ago. Pretty slow moving sparkles that went up in an arc. Wow!

Swimming...

2008-10-02T20:14:00.000+08:00

I heard of some plans to come over to my place for swimming during this public hols but the plan didn't panned out. Not too sure why. Could be due to me being away from my cubicle Monday and Tuesday, and that kinda hampered the planning efficiency.

However, I did managed to get two swimming sessions yesterday and today. I started with ten laps yesterday and upped it to twenty laps today. There were only a few other people in the 'adult' pool, hence, I had a good time swimming without bumping into anybody. (I was swimming at 11 am). The water was not too cold and not warm. Thankfully no floating objects. It was clear. My new goggles worked find. I re-discovered the joy of swimming laps. Still not anywhere near how much I used to swim but this was a start.

Since the rediscovery, I've been trying to read up (google) swimming for fitness. One of the advice given is to alternate different strokes to work out different muscles. This one is impossible for me. Sigh! Sigh! Not sure if I want to add this to my list of to-do-things...

Elba built-in hob

2008-10-02T20:10:00.000+08:00

It seems that there is something not very right with the hob that I have. Either that, or I've been using it wrongly and still don't know better.

The fire would suddenly go off and when I (or anybody who was doing the cooking) tried to re-ignite, nothing happened. That and a red light would be on. After a while the light went off and ignition would work and all would be fine.

Tried to google but it's pretty difficult since I do not know the model for the hob. And it's not written anywhere visible. Sigh! Looks like another call to the service center... (nobody picked up when I called today, it is a public holiday!).

Jane Austen's Book Club

2008-09-24T23:51:00.000+08:00

I was feeling extremely bored and felt like watching tv but unfortunately, there was nothing good on tv. I was kinda regretting my decision to delay cable tv. Then I recalled I have this DVD that I was not particularly keen to watch because a few years back I had read the book and had to really force myself to finish it because I had this policy of not leaving a book left unfinished.

Anyway, ofcourse the way it went was, I put the DVD on and was totally pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the movie. Totally! The casts were stellar. The script was good. The presentation was even better. The result: Totally! I couldn't say I remember all the Jane Austen's books (which I read like a decade ago), but truly, what ppl want then (even when Jane Austen wrote those books) and what ppl want now, stays pretty much the same.

There's the couple who has been together for 20 odd years on the verge of divorce due to the man cheating. His story was that 20 odd years is a long time of marriage and the relationship between the two of them is stale and unexciting. He's been seeing a woman at work for the past 6 months and he's not giving her up, that's non-negotiable.

Then, there's the gay daughter who was into extreme sports. And fell in love easily. Too easily according to the mom. She was in a relationship with a gal who always wanted her to tell her life's secrets and stories. One day, she discovered that the gal has been using her stories as material for her writings (the gal was trying to get published).

The next character is the good friend, who was single and was the one that introduced the couple way back in high school.

Then there's the cute guy (didn't harm that he's rich and smart too), who just bumped into the good friend and was so captivated he joined the book club reading Jane Austen's books so that he would have occassion to meet her.

Next, is the french teacher who had never been to France. Who happened to be married but found herself attracted to one of her students.

We also have the quirky, eccentric friend who had gone through a few marriages and looking for another one.

That was a good approx. 1.5 hrs.

Domestic Dangers

2008-09-23T11:27:00.000+08:00

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and cleaning and more to come. In my efforts to get everything spic and span, I've been using different kinds of chemical. Being a person who is into chemistry, I've been worried of adverse effects, short and long term. I typically do this in the beginning of all my projects, work or non-work. Gathering info and trying to absorb all that in.

Anyway, check out this link which I find useful, both for work and non-work:

Guide for Handling Household Chemicals (EnvironmentalChemistry.com) - Things you can do to make your home safer.