Rainforest World Music Festival…

Woohoo…just another 36 hours and I’ll be off to Kuching for this…

Five days (well, three for the festival!) of music, food and some good ol’ fun. :) Can’t wait! Anyone else going for this, gimme a holler when you get there k? The more the merrier!

Most Unique Way To Get a Job…

For everyone who has ever come across hilarious resumes, this one would have to take the cake (especially for the men!)

Employer’s Response:

Dear Lotty,

It’s OK honey, we’ve got spell check.

Can you start on Monday?


And the ‘pikture’ Lotty sent?

*LMAOROFLOL*

Random Update #2...

Looks like I'm being reduced to random updates hor? LOL...the past month has been pretty hectic to say the least, but it’s definitely been interesting.

One of the main highlights (apart from actually seeing David Archuleta perform live) were these events in particular…

Paddock Access to this year’s F1…LOL…

One of my clients is a sponsor of one of the F1 teams, and I ended up having to take media there on a tour. I was supposed to be ‘babysitting’ them, but hey, as a perk I got to go on the garage tour too…LOL…couldn’t take any pictures inside, but hey, I’ll settle for the outside…hahaha…

Want to take a guess whose garage this is? :D

After that perk, it was all about buckling down for my church’s Easter cantata. It was hard work, but not too bad after it was over. But at least it was all worth it. And special thanks go out to Kahani, Paris, Pinkelle and J for coming to support! :)

The entire cast – not as big as the Christmas cantata, but still pretty decent all the same.


My absolute love…flowers! LOL…I don’t get them as often as I would like to, but they’re gorgeous when I do…heh…

Only bummer about the past month is that the vertigo I had previously came back…with a vengeance. This was promptly followed by a high fever, which took quite a while to recover from. I only wish I could figure out what the heck was triggering these vertigo episodes…arrghh…the doc said it was viral, but viral what??

But on to happier things…this little baby is just coming to a week old – meet my new car!

I haven’t taken any decent photos of the car itself yet, so you’ll have to make do with this stock photo taken off the website. The colour’s called Medallion Grey, but it works out as more of a “powder grey with a tint of blue”. It drives like a DREAM I tell you, not to mention I foresee a drop in my petrol expenses, since I can run it on RON92 petrol instead of the RON97 I was running my previous car on for the same mileage, if not better. :D

Oh, and the reason I got it? Was because the license plate number and letters I wanted finally came out! Hehe…It is quite simply, the initials of my Chinese name together with my birthdate…about as close to a “personalized license plate” as you can get in Malaysia.

That’s the past month in a nutshell…but there will be some big changes coming up soon, so stay tuned…and it won’t be another month before my next update, I promise! :D

David Archuleta Live in Malaysia…

Haha…ok, this post is almost a month overdue, but things have just been a bit crazy lately…guess who caught David Archuleta live last month, and with a VIP pass to boot? LOL…

To be honest, I hadn’t really paid much attention to David Archuleta prior to this, other than thinking he had a decent voice and probably didn’t win American Idol because he was seriously YOUNG (he was what, 17 at the time of the finals?)

Anyway, thanks to a client, a colleague and myself found ourselves making our way to Sunway Lagoon’s amphitheatre on a cloudy Saturday afternoon. You would not imagine the agonizing crowds that were there. So many of them were just pushing and shoving their way, desperate to get into the entrance, to the point that even the media that were there to cover the event couldn’t get in.

Better yet, once we had gotten in, somewhere along the last 50 metres to the amphitheatre, it started raining – cats, dogs, elephants…you get the idea. Not that inside the amphitheatre was any better – just check out the crowd! (times like this I was seriously thankful for the VIP section tickets!)

One of the hosts – JJ from HitzFM

There were three opening acts before David came on, and the crowd just seemed to get more and more agitated after each one…honestly, I had only heard of the last one, which was Daniel of Malaysian Idol. Even then, their performances were…meh.

The emcees were doing their best to keep the crowd controlled and passing the time by playing games – check it out, she’s David Archuleta’s “biggest” fan (don’t play play, she can sing his songs…and in tune too!)

But hey, good things come to those who wait…

I must say, his stage presence and performance are really quite remarkable for someone so young. Okay, so maybe the 12,000-strong crowd shrieking and screaming behind had something to do with it, but compared to the earlier opening acts, he was MILES better.

Trademark quote of the day from the colleague: “God, he makes me feel positively paedophilic!” (mind you, we weren’t big fans when we first walked in!)

If I wasn’t already a fan by this time, I can tell you – I totally fell hook, line and sinker when he started playing the keyboard…and he’s GOOD at it! Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” and Robbie Williams’ “Angels” never sounded so nice acoustic. Bummer that he only performed 5 songs in total though.

How not to take a picture here for memory’s sake? :D

You know the real funny thing about the weather that day? The rain was coming down in DROVES, but stopped throughout David’s show…only to return with a vengeance immediately after his showcase ended. Golden voice you reckon? A lot of kids were stuck outside the amphitheatre waiting for transport and such after the show, but there were also a large number of kids which were ferried home from the parking lot immediately outside the amphitheatre by their parents and drivers in expensive cars…sheesh.

The ones that I really could not stand were these brats at the bus stop. The show ended at about 5pm, and with the massive traffic jams and rain, we had been waiting for the bus / taxi (whatever could get us back to Pyramid) for quite a while. These kids behind us just kept on whining and whinging the entire time with sentences like “Where the HELL is my mother? I told her to be here at 5.15pm!” “Oh my God…how can my parents be this late – they said they would be here after the show!” and texting away on their mobile phones.

Apparently the boys families all knew each other, because about 6pm, a car drove past and dropped off two ladies – presumably two of the mothers of the boys. And if I had already been irritated by their whining earlier, this was even more incredulous. This was the conversation that ensued between the boy and mother:

Boy: WHY are you late?!?
Mom: Sorry, the traffic was bad, we had to wait in traffic…
Boy: (cuts mother off) I TOLD you the show was over at 5pm!
Mom: You should have told me earlier, when you called me it was already 5.15pm.
Boy: So? You left me here to wait for 45 minutes!
Mom: Sorry…


WTF?? By the way, it’s not as if we were intentionally eavesdropping – the boy really was THAT loud. What on earth is worse…the boy scolding his mother, or the mother actually APOLOGIZING to the son? Hello, the queue of cars was seriously LONG, not to mention made worse by the rain, and this boy is whining about waiting 45 minutes? He must be thinking the car will just magically fly and be waiting for His Royal (Pain in the ASS) Highness whenever he snaps his fingers. If that wasn’t worse, he was sitting down not even bothering to look at his mother while he was scolding her, all the time fiddling with his mobile phone.

If anything, I felt a bit sorry for the mother but I found it hard to sympathize with her. After all, if she had nipped his behaviour in the bud when it first started developing and whipped his butt for being so insolent, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But she didn’t, and now he’s a demanding, pushy, whiny brat.

Can you imagine, he was complaining loudly about how it was such a “waste of time” and “not worth it” for the showcase because David Archuleta only performed FIVE songs and they had to stand. Gee, it’s not as if they paid for the tickets in the first place! The tickets were given out free to those who had either purchased a DiGi pack or David’s CD. Free also want to complain? If I could, I would have just slapped that boy hard (or walk past and just conveniently run my knee into his side)…geez, these kids really need a lesson in manners!

Maybe they should take a page out of David Archuleta’s book – he was SO well-mannered throughout his three-day stay in Malaysia. All ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, and not a hint of diva-ness even though he’s hot property. Still need to ask for more reasons to like David Archuleta? :)

So this is why I hate bad grammar...

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Grandmas...you gotta love them!

My maternal grandma has just returned to Johor after about a month or so in KL, and my paternal grandma is now staying with us (ie. in my room!) for the next two weeks. I’d been meaning to do this post for the longest time, but never got around to it...now’s a good a time as any! :D

They both look very unassuming hor? Don’t play play...these two ladies are very no-nonsense k! Haha...my paternal grandma (left) is 89 this year, while my maternal grandma (right) is 86 – and both are still going strong! They never fail to drive me into peals of laughter thanks to their antics...some classic memories / examples that will forever stand out:

Memory #1 – In the car with PG (paternal grandma) on family holiday
Mom: (pointing to lady walking past) Eh, that woman wearing black bra under a white top.
PG: What’s the problem? Very ‘hip’ what...
Me: Ahh? Serious or not wan? Don’t tell me if end up wearing black bra under wedding dress also ‘hip’ ah?
PG: WHY NOT? Sure can!
Me: (whispers to Tine) If this ever happens ya, we say MAMA say can ah...

Memory #2 – With MG (maternal grandma) while trying to take her across the road
Me: Grandma, you can’t just walk in front of cars!
MG: Aiyah, they can see me what...long ji oo sia ma (hit got sound what)...
Me: ......

Memory #3 – In the middle of the night (I have to share my bed with my PG, so this happens QUITE often!)
PG: Eh, you awake ah?
Me: (mumbles) mmmpgh...huh?
PG: You sleeping ah?
Me: err...I was...
PG: Ha, since you’re not sleeping ah, I wanted to ask you ah...your cousin hor, she said (goes into long story)
Me: (mumbles appropriate responses until sleep takes over) uhuh....mmhmm...*snore*

Memory #4 – With MG (usually happens at mealtimes)
MG: Eh, you eat this la, I cannot finish.
Me: Grandma ah, I very full lah, give (insert brother or dad here)
MG: No lah, you like this, you have it.
Me: Err...okay...
(after about 5 minutes)
MG: You know hor, you really should look at losing some weight...
Me: Ahh?

Memory #5 – With PG and younger brother (also happens very often since my PG speaks Cantonese and my brother is about as “banana” as they come)
PG: Brian! Lei kum neen yow hei ou zhao mou? (this year are you going to Australia or not?)
Bro: Huh? err...Che!! (calling me) What did she say ah?
Me: She asked if you’re going to Australia or not this year.
Bro: (to PG) err...ahh...not kum neen ah (not this year)...next...next...(gesticulates with hands)...err...Che ah!! (calls me) How you say next year only I’m going ah?
Me: meng neen sin jee hei ou zhao
Bro: ahh...(to PG) oh, ming nian ngor sin je hei Australia (mixture of Mandarin, Cantonese and English!)
(similar conversation continues with back and forth translation)

On rare occasions, both my grandmothers end up staying in KL at the same time...and boy, that’s when the real fun starts! You see, my MG speaks English and Hokkien, while my PG speaks Cantonese – but when the two of them get together, they speak MANDARIN. You figure that out!

Better yet, it’s like a chicken and a duck talking at each other...and yeah, you read that right – talking AT each other, not with each other. You see, their hearing systems aren’t exactly what they used to be, so they end up answering to what they THINK they heard (which is usually not quite accurate unless we speak rather loudly) with some hilarious results in between.

This would not be an uncommon exchange between the two matriarchs on an average day:
MG: Today the sky is very dark hor...you think it’s going to rain?
PG: Pain? Ya lor...this cousin of mine cannot walk because his back pain is so bad...
MG: Such a sad thing too...now we have to eat indoors.
PG: He has to eat medicine to reduce the pain...

I tell you, you can’t make stuff like this up! :D They’re just so quirky, I cannot help but shake my head and wonder what they'll come up with next. And my PG is going to be here for the next two weeks! Can’t wait, but God save my fish (what’s left of them after her last visit anyway!)...hahahaha...

If men wrote advice columns…

Realistically? If a man had actually written this…

………

………

………

………

………HE’D BE DEAD! LOL…

Random update…

It’s been the longest time since I’ve updated this site aei? Sigh…I’m suffering a case of writer’s block, and what I DO want to write about I can’t really put up on my blog either…ARRGHH!!

Anyway, here’s on to the random updates…

1. My Playground has been restocked – after the longest time. Since my grandma’s last visit in January (pre-CNY!), there were a sad three Serpae tetras milling around the tank. But not anymore!

There are now quite happy inhabitants in The Playground – all cheap fish, mind you…I’m not going through the heartache of flushing an expensive tank-filler thank you very much…these are all expected to be super HARDY fish. Then again, given the way they’ve been treated, it’s no surprise that two have floated belly-up since this picture was taken, but I can live with that…sorta…

2. Was in Singapore recently to settle some matters, as well as attend a wedding of two of my friends from Perth. The wedding dinner was at the Fullerton Hotel – very fancy indeed…

When I think about it, it’s been almost 5 years since I left Perth…OMG…and for some insane reason, everyone I meet from then still asks me whether I’m Singaporean…why?? Do I look Singaporean? What?

Who would’ve thought? One couple in this pic got married (WQ and Miin) and have a year-old baby boy already, another couple here is getting married in August (Beef and Auds), three are dating (other people, not each other!) and two others are single…a lot can happen in 5 years hor? Back then the split was pretty different for sure!

And what would the post be without a picture of the happy couple? I love the fact they included their dogs in the wedding album…although I’m still in shock over the fact they flew Louis Pang all the way to Perth to take their album shots…

Oh, and remember I said the Fullerton was fancy? Check this out – the gift (or bombonniere as it’s known in some circles I think) was a music box…the kind you wind by hand to play the tune. It plays the tune from the “Enchanteur” ads…can’t remember what it’s called now – help! (some French tune?)


And there you have it – just a couple of highlights from the past month or so…there are more, but some aren’t appropriate to put up, or there are just too many pictures that my head is reeling to pick just a few…hehe…all in due time.