Do Not Resuscitate

Ways To Avoid Work

2012-01-12T15:22:00.000+08:00

It's almost Chinese New Year again and time for the annual spring-cleaning! Just two days ago, my mother broke off her thumbnail whilst scrubbing close to the bathroom outlet. She felt the pain, but figured it wasn't anything because there was no blood. Yup, she has a high threshold for pain. Fact is, she does everything in haste, and that tends to lead to injuries. Don't know what her rush is, but that's always been the way she does things. I was thinking to myself, "I would never get such injuries because:

I do things slowly
I don't do things if I can help it"

So today, she gave me the task of wiping/cleaning the windows and the grills. Lots of house gecko droppings and dust/grime. It's a lot to do. Want to know how I managed to take 1.5 hours and make her then say, "Continue another day"? Actually, I'll be adding more points (which I didn't need to do) for your benefit.

When tasked to do the chore, don't complain. Do it 'willingly' without excuses.
Make sure you are seen doing the task in public - if it's cleaning the windows, remove the window/pane and wash it in view of others. Ensure that the person who told you to do the work sees this and feels remorse.
After some time, start grunting and making 'working hard' sounds that would put any porn star to shame.
Go OCD and treat the stain/grime like an enemy. Concentrate on one spot for as long as you can.
Instead of wiping, use a toothbrush for those hard-to-reach places.
Yowl in pain/discomfort when bits of soap powder gets flicked into your eye thanks to the toothbrush.
Insist on going to the doctor for proper medical attention or you will go blind.
Failing that, wear goggles/mask after washing eyes.
Take as much time as possible to do the task. When not being watched, take your time changing the water in the pail. Look at flowers, check out the praying mantis on the chilli leaf.
Stop for breaks. After lunch, go back to doing the chore.
What might take other people to finish in an hour, plan to finish in three days.
Bribe neighbour/person who can see you doing the work in public to say, "Wow, I never knew I'd see another Cinderella in my life! Cleaning with a toothbrush!" to the task-giver.
Hurt yourself - nothing major, just enough for blood loss. Do NOT try to break bones, though it will certainly help in avoiding the chores for awhile.
If you have to clean dishes, look for stubborn stains that require industrial strength detergent/cleaner and a lot of elbow grease.
Never, ever complain or break things. Make it the task-giver's choice to stop you while you still want to do it.

While this worked for me, it might backfire if you do such a good job that they start expecting the best from you every time. Don't underestimate the intelligence of the task-giver who may see through your ploy.

Good luck avoiding the work, and Happy New Year!

Update 16th Jan 2012: After two days (consisting of 1.5 hour sessions), the task giver did the remainder of the work while I was watching the Golden Globes. ;-)

The Big Bad Wolf Sale

2011-06-07T15:29:00.000+08:00

There was a crazy booksale last November 2010. It was called the Big Bad Wolf sale and it was quite by accident that I came across it online. As it happened, I was in Kajang and the organisers held it at South City Plaza in Seri Kembangan. Of course, I grabbed the chance! I met up with a friend at the Serdang station and we took a taxi to the venue. There was a loooooong queue waiting and my friend went off to have breakfast while I waited in line.

The Big Bad Wolf

How cheap were the books? Any cheaper and they would have been free! Most went for RM8.00, some were between RM10.00 and RM25.00. They provided plenty of payment counters, and as expected the credit card counters were the busiest. I bought novels and it came to around RM35.00. After a few hours there, my friend treated me to lunch at Chili's KLCC and from there, we went on the train to Bandar Tasik Selatan where we parted ways.

My friend, pleased with his purchases

I went on to Putrajaya to meet another friend after her work and we went again to the book sale. By this time, the free bookmarks had run out. There weren't as many books left and they weren't as orderly as compared to that morning. My friend bought a few books herself and we went back happy.

When I arrived at my sister's, I raved about the cheap books (and the variety!) and so we went on the second last day with my youngest nephew. Sis bought her management and cookery books, I finally spotted the Scrabble-related books for a friend of mine who was a Scrabble fanatic and my nephew bought all the Bionicle books he could find.

The damage

I would say that the sale is well worth it if the cost of books these days is simply too exorbitant for your tastes. I went to MPH the other day and spotted the same Scrabble dictionary selling for RM59.90! I saved RM51.90. Isn't that just mind-boggling?

I wonder where the sale will be this year, and I hope it'll be close enough for me to attend again. =)

Update

2011-05-18T17:59:00.000+08:00

Hi all,

My friend who came to visit has come and gone. It was such a joy to have company for a month. We did have our differences, but it was nothing to lose sleep over. It was unbearable for him the first 2-3 weeks as it was unusually rainy for March. We couldn't go out and he couldn't walk as much as he wanted. However, he made do by walking to the public pool with Mum. And when it cleared up, I'd walk to the pool later so we could meet up and walk on the beach or have an A&W Root beer Float. Strange, why did I never bring my A&W VIP card? Oh well, always a next time. Yup, he plans on coming back to visit next March/April. Seems promising, yeah? I hope I don't mess it up.

In other news, I was at BookXcess at AmCorp Mall and I got A Lion Called Christian for only RM17.90. It was such a good read, I finished it in under a day. I also bought Pearls Sells Out, haven't finished reading that yet, and won't until I go home. That day is yet undetermined.

The nephews have two rabbits and one of them was sick. We first brought it to the State Vet Services and the assistant gave her a jab and told us to give it something for the fever. Two weeks later, with no improvement (and taking a turn for the worse within 24 hours), we took it to a private vet. That vet was really pissed off at the first vet because the former did everything wrong. Rabbits can't be jabbed like that and aren't supposed to be given fever meds. Poor Bandit's kidney and liver were compromised due to that. It's been 13 days now and Bandit is very much better. No more slobbering. =)

Been awhile, eh?

2010-11-23T21:52:00.000+08:00

Hi there, I don't even know if anyone actually checks in to this blog anymore. So many things have happened since I last checked in. (When did I last check in, anyway? *grin*)

I was in a non-relationship for awhile and going nowhere. I finally decided that enough was enough and proceeded to purge him out of my system. I removed him from my contact list on FB (we never communicated there anyway), as well as on YM. In the meantime, I started checking out OKCupid again. I really wasn't expecting any results. I usually say hi and the communication tends to peter out eventually. You can tell from the initial messages how it's going to go anyway. I recall checking out someone's profile, and not impressed by what I read. So I happened to catch a glimpse of similar users listed on the right hand side of the rejected profile. One guy caught my eye. I clicked over to read his profile. He had some nice smiling photos, a very detailed profile not unlike mine and I could tell he was smart. One could be almost intimidated by it. I didn't send him a message then. I decided to write a testimonial instead, applauding him for an interesting profile. He approved it and that was when we started sending messages to each other. I must admit that had he not mentioned an obscure writer, I might not have initiated any contact. Yes, I realize how close I was to not knowing him.

Skip to two months later (all the while we had been communicating on FB and playing daily Scrabble games) and he decided to visit me. Had I not spent all that time chatting and writing to him plus getting a phone call, that decision of his would have scared me. Normally, I would try convincing anyone to rethink their decision. But he seemed sincere. He even wrote a fairly long message to my parents, asking for permission to visit me (as I live with them and he would naturally be staying under their roof). Just reading his letter to them, in all his honesty, made my walls crumble a little.

When he went back home to Italy and couldn't spend time getting online, he would make short recordings for me to listen. He'd describe how he had escaped a storm as he cycled the mountains with that cute accent of his. I mean, he rode a bicycle, not his cute accent. Oh, you know what I mean! =P Nobody has ever made the effort as he has in communicating and sharing part of his life with me. No one has ever called me long distance multiple times just to hear my voice! And that quiver in his voice when I attempted to speak in Italian. I doubt that can be faked. He's as genuine as Lingam's Chilli Sauce.

Just when I think that my feelings for him can't get any more intense, he says something more endearing. Since the very beginning, I have been forthcoming with him. He knows my feelings, my hopes, my dreams. He knows 90% of everything there is to know about me. And he's still here after almost 6 months! He's more than I could ever wish for in a man. He goes swimming every day, cycles, walks, does yoga. He goes for regular health checkups. He's not afraid of going to the doctor at the first sign of trouble. Yes, he seems too good to be true. Yet, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Being cynical all the time is just too tiring and it does prevent one from enjoying what's left in life to enjoy. I'm giving in to my feelings for now. I'm ready to accept the consequences. The ride has been smooth so far and however it ends, I am so glad he is in my life!

105 days until we finally meet! And I will get to spend a whole month with him. =)

Ti voglio bene, S!

Found a site offering cheap electronic alternatives

2010-07-28T11:02:00.000+08:00

Hi all!

Been busy working at the bakery. 6 days a week, so that one day off, you'll find me in bed or taking pix. Blogging has been put on the backburner. Oh yes, you will also find me on Facebook, playing lots and lots of Scrabble.

Anyways, wanted to add that there's this site I found that offers cheap electronic alternatives. They have a page on FB and a running contest where fans who post products from their site could win US$200 to use at their site.

I've posted the links on Twitter, FB, Google Buzz, Yahoo pulse, Friendster and now here. Wish me luck!

If I won the US$200, I'd use part of it to buy this:

http://www.cheap-electronic-store.com/prodDetail.asp?MercID=48&ProdID=713&page=5

I could do some ghostbusting since I live so near the cemetery. But am I brave enough?

Check out KLM - Fill a Plane - Promote your plane

2008-12-12T13:24:00.001+08:00

Hi,

I want you to take a look at : KLM - Fill a Plane - Promote your plane

If we get to fill the plane, we ALL go to Amsterdam. Return airtickets, FREE! Imagine, your friends will be with you too! Please, please click on the link to join this contest.

Thank you all!

You stay on your side

2008-10-18T18:09:00.001+08:00

You stay on your side, originally uploaded by Sharlini.

I took this photo almost two years ago. Wanted to post it to the blog just in case it gets lost in the pile at Flickr.

Taken with my first 'real' digicam, the Kodak LS755. I have no doubt that it was picasafied - sharpened, saturated, cropped. Need to remember this shot, because I think it'll make a good greeting card one day. Just need a good caption for it.

And that's all for this post.

Free Handbag?

2008-10-06T22:06:00.002+08:00

Just a little update here.

Handbag Planet will be celebrating the launch of their site on October the 15th. They are offering a free bag each hour on the day of the launch. This means 24 bags to be won in a span of a day! I've read the Contest Rules and they don't state that it's only open to those residing in the US and Canada, so I have taken the chance to enter this contest.

Since I am not the kind of person to 'spam' friends about contests, I thought I'd promote the contest on this blog.

I've tried adding them to my Facebook Friends List, but I've just looked through 203 profiles and could not find Handbag Planet among them. Hmmm. And I will NOT join MySpace just to earn more entries to this contest.

So go ahead and join, the good people at Handbag Planet have assured on their website that the e-mails gathered will not be used/stored/saved for evil.

What is Handbag Planet? From what I've managed to read on the Google Search Results, it's a site offering 'designer-inspired' bags for a fraction of the cost. However, there is no purchase necessary to enter this contest.

Good luck!

RIP, Encik Rosman

2007-08-06T01:10:00.000+08:00

The very first day I started working at that hypermarket, I met a former hotel colleague who informed me that Encik Rosman (he was the assistant manager during my three-year stint at the hotel - he was the Front Office Manager before his death) was terminally ill with liver cancer. I was truly shocked to hear the news because he was one of the nicest people I knew.

Ever since I knew about his worsening health, I had wanted to visit him. But I was unsure when was the best time to visit. For one thing, my day off was on Friday and I wasn't sure if visiting him would disrupt his Friday prayers. And then there was the fact that I didn't know what would be appropriate to bring as a gift.

In the end, I decided to call my friend and former receptionist colleague to ask her opinion. She was surprised to hear the news about Encik Rosman's illness, and we then decided to visit him together on my revised day off (the hypermarket restricts days off on Fridays and Saturdays - the busiest days of the week), which was on Wednesday.

It was a good thing I went with her, because I did not know Encik Rosman's parents (they were taking care of him while his wife was working) and she did most of the talking. To be honest, I couldn't really hear what she was saying because most of the time, she was whispering while Encik Rosman was having his shower. Add to the fact that she was speaking in a Kelantanese dialect.

I saw him when he was done with his shower and he looked so different. He was deathly thin, except for his swollen stomach and legs. His cheeks were hollow and his eyes had a yellow tinge to them. He said that he still had a healthy appetite and on hearing that, I had some confidence that he would hang in there for some time yet. He first knew about his condition in February 2007. He had stomach pains and rushed to the emergency room at the general hospital. The doctor there diagnosed him with 'work stress' and sent him home. When he returned the next day complaining of the same symptoms, the same doctor was there and prescribed pain-killers! He finally found out after visiting a private clinic/hospital.

During this visit to see Encik Rosman, I also learnt that Asmadi (he was a bellman during my time there) had passed away after being diagnosed with bone cancer last year. He managed to get six chemotherapy sessions before the cancer killed him four months after his diagnosis. He was around 27 or 28, and he was married. According to my friend, his wife has now remarried.

So just after lunch on Sunday, my friend called me and I was shocked to hear that Encik Rosman had passed away on Friday night. He slipped into a coma on Friday morning and never regained consciousness. I am so glad that I managed to visit him before his passed on. He had apologized for any wrong-doings that he may have done to me in the past and I apologized as well. I am still trying to get to grips with the fact that I saw him alive on Wednesday morning and now, he's no longer with us.

I don't know how I would have felt if I allowed myself to get closer to people who smoked. I have always maintained that I could never be a good friend to a smoker because good friends would never allow their friends to kill themselves like that. I could never stand by and let someone I care for go down that path to suffering and agonizing death. While Encik Rosman did quit smoking three years prior to his death (he had to stop when he had his tonsils taken out), it was too little too late. Asmadi was a heavy smoker too.

It's 2am, time for bed.

I got tagged!

2007-07-23T09:34:00.000+08:00

Tsk, trust me to find out a few months later that I've been tagged by Feisal.

'7 Reasons Why You Blog'

1. Because I had the time.
2. Because I started getting too lazy writing e-mail to people.
3. Because I didn't want to repeat myself when talking about the same thing (but I haven't really updated, have I?).
4. Because I had this idea that my brain was full of interesting thoughts and ideas.
5. Because there was that 'I am a blogger, I am cool and great' label attached to bloggers AT THE TIME. I wanted to dispel that. =D
6. Because I thought 'Do Not Resuscitate' was a great title.
7. Because I could?

Hehehe, thank you Feisal. ;-)

In other news, working is good, barely three weeks into my stint over there. Handle lots of returns. Word of warning to the people who buy stuff because they're cheap (the item and/or the person being cheap), there is a risk that your item (electrical in all cases) is a fire hazard. I've seen rice cookers with melted heating elements! Just imagine if someone had left it unattended and gone out. There would be nothing but burnt embers when they came home. If it's not the fire risk, then there's the risk of the thing not working at all. Rice uncooked or burnt, water unboiled, channels not changing with the remote control.

The brands to look out for: Aspp0r0, Mapp0r0 (the zeroes need to be replaced with 'o's), Ph1lux (replace '1' with 'i').

Sometimes, the branded items are better and you don't have to worry about them breaking down as often as the cheap brands. You can't buy cheap items from a communist country and expect Japanese technology, right?

I received something in the mail yesterday. I came home around 11:20pm and saw it on my table. At first I thought I won a contest, and then I saw that Simon's gift had arrived. Man, opening that package was like giving birth to a baby (I did not use a pair of scissors)! So much cellophane tape. If tape was made out of trees, the world would look like Easter Island. But at least my present did arrive in one piece.

When I got the present out of the shiny red wrapping paper (it was still covered in bubble wrap), I saw a photo frame. I already knew what it was from the Customs declaration form. My first thought was, "Awww, great! A photo frame. I don't even have photos to put in it!" Since getting my digital camera, I don't print the photos I take. They're either in my hdd or on Flickr and Photobucket. As I tore off the bubble wrap, I suddenly noticed the photos in the divided areas of the frame. Simon had printed out some of the photos I had on Flickr. Awww...

By the way, while I was opening my present, Dad was standing by to see what I got. Because I took my time, he complained, "Can't you open it any quicker? I'm waiting!"

So let this be a forewarning to anyone who wants to send me stuff via mail. Don't send me anything you wouldn't want my father to see. I have no privacy. And yes, I'll be 33 this year. Hmmm, maybe a risque item IS what I need to get some privacy around here. Hehehehe...

I think it's one of the nicest things anybody's ever done for me. Thank you again, Simon. =) See, I don't need battery-operated items. =Þ

Time to get out of bed. Bye and thank you for reading, all.

First Day At Work

2007-07-08T00:01:00.000+08:00

I could cut and paste, but I'd rather leave you the link. =D

Barely Alive

2007-07-02T12:28:00.000+08:00

Hi all! I was supposed to have started work yesterday (1st July 2007), but I woke up to a scratchy throat and a hoarse voice. I haven't been this sick in over two years!! Of all the days to be sick, it had to be yesterday. Boo! Thank goodness, I got them to postpone my first day of work to the 7th (07.07.07!). Incidentally, I first started work at the hotel on the 7th of July 1994. It's been thirteen years! Man, I feel old.

Apart from my flu, things are going okay for me. I mean, I no longer have to endure the occasional parental sighs about my lack of a job. Salary-wise, it's not much. I am definitely over-qualified for this Customer Service job (even if they doubled my pay, I wouldn't qualify for a credit card!). Not that I want a credit card, but it would be oh so convenient to buy Air Asia tickets online.

Have reconnected with a friend and it's been really nice to be able to chat with him again. Can't help but enjoy the conversation. I'll leave it at that. No expectations, no pressure, no worries. Just enjoy the ride. Read too much into it the first time. I won't make the same mistake again.

Oh, I won Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" CD from Mix.fm on Saturday (30th June)! I heard the courier guy give a shrill whistle before we realized he was there. We are in need of a doorbell. So far, I like the slower paced songs like "4 In The Morning". And of course, there's 'The Sweet Escape', which I first heard on 'American Idol'. And I thought I had been blacklisted from all the Astro radio stations for winning so many contests in the past. I guess my dry spell helped a lot.

Will be going to the bank after lunch today to open a new bank account with Allianz Bank. The problem with starting work is that we need to open accounts with specific banks. Had to open a Maybank account when I worked at the hotel, then one at BBMB (now CIMB) for my practical training at KLAS. So this means I have currently four bank accounts under my name. BSN, CIMB, Maybank (currently inactive) and Allianz. Too bad none have a healthy balance right now. Oh well, good things come to those who wait. *hopes for a cheque from ASW2020*

I'll leave you with a photo taken of my dog, Tiny. He's seen bullying his younger sibling. Scanned from film. Please excuse the dust.

Fungi

2007-05-14T17:07:00.000+08:00

I quit!

2007-03-25T19:48:00.000+08:00

Hi again all! I am still alive (you'd have known if you checked the other blog).

After getting a letter to attend an interview for the T3rengganu Graduates' Attachment 5cheme and subsequently passed the 30-second screening process, I quit the Phot0nics and Fiber Opt1cs course. I just couldn't handle the daily walk and climbing of stairs in addition to wracking my brain over calculations. Sure, NOW I know how to convert dBm to milliwatts and vice versa, but would it actually matter? Apparently, the place for women in this industry is in the lab.

The only thing I liked was splicing the two fiber optic cables together and getting 0.00dB fiber loss.

I'll be attending the 3-day orientation at TE5DEC starting on the 27th. If all goes well, there will be an employer who will take me in for six months by the end of the orientation. If all goes better, my job application to a university here will be accepted and I can start working again.

On an even better note, I won a Ghost Rider key-chain worth RM120! Yaay for me! I had just decided to check the previous Sunday papers (in the stack under my Dad's table) and was not deterred to see that my Mum had already tied them all up. Usually, I'd figure that it wasn't worth untying and leave it at that, but something spurred me on. I carefully untied the knot using my handy fingernails and went through the papers. The first copy didn't have anything, so I went through the second copy, dated the 18th of March. Lo and behold, my name (albeit misspelt) was first among three set aside to receive the Ghost Rider key-chain! I'm pretty pleased with myself! I don't need the Timex watch worth RM509 (I'm VERY sure it'll be too big for my skinny wrist) and I don't need the t-shirt worth RM200 (it'll probably be too big for my skinny frame and t-shirts DO get dated, especially T-shirts commemorating movies. I don't need a silver notebook, Collar Pin, bandana nor poster. So I couldn't have won a better prize. =)

It sucked that I didn't win the iPod in that Valentine's Day contest. I'll just keep waiting before I actually buy one. Perhaps the price will go down for the older models and I'll be able to get one for under RM100. Yes, I am willing to wait 20 years. Hmmm...I wonder if I'll still have my hearing after being bombarded by loud music by the time I'm 53. hehehe...don't mind me.

Take care all!

Off into the unknown

2007-01-22T00:52:00.000+08:00

I will be leaving on a 6-month course on Photonics and Fiber Optics tomorrow (Jan 22nd). My course is scheduled to end on the 26th of July 2007, one day after my birthday. :)

I don't think I'll be doing any blogging til then, so you might want to check out my other blog while you are waiting: http://sharlini.today.com/

Do take care and wish me the best of luck! I'll need it for 'Mathematics for Engineers'. XD

Happy New Year 2007!

2007-01-01T03:11:00.000+08:00

It's past midnight, it's officially 2007 here. So, happy new year! To Duncan and Marie, we received your lovely calendar in the mail. Thank you so much, those photos always make me wish I had money to travel to your beautiful country.

I received a letter on the 30th informing me of an interview for a course in Photonics and Fiber Optics on the 9th. Please keep fingers crossed that I'll get through the interview. I'm not sure how up to date the information on the TESDEC site is, but if it's current, then the course could be for four months. The latter stated that the course is free and that an allowance would be given.

According to a company site (I noticed that the letter was CC-ed to the manager of this company, asking him to give a briefing), they had successfully trained 15 trainees during one stint and 13 of these trainees found jobs at the companies they had undergone their practical training with.

So, fingers crossed! I looked at the course outline and there's absolutely NO PROGRAMMING! One 'Mathematics for Engineers' module though. Won't worry about that until I actually am told that I succeeded in the interview. Here's hoping for the best in 2007!

"In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, but never in want." ~ Irish Toast

Merry Christmas!

2006-12-28T04:41:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness Christmas isn't just on one day. I still have time to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Since I'm here, Happy New Year 2007, too!

I must apologize for my lack of updates. I have to beta-test another blog provider and it can be tedious when one doesn't have anything interesting to write about.

No thanks to my extended trip to KL, I was behind in my posting, as well as behind in my depositing my check. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to try harder.

Not much rain here, as opposed to the southern parts of Peninsular Malaysia. It is rather weird to be reading about floods and there is no mention of Terengganu.

Nothing new on the job front. Still jobless.

That's it for now. Bye!

Psst!

2006-11-20T00:26:00.000+08:00

Yes, yes...I am still alive. Been busy administrating at Challenge You as well as going out into the garden to take photos. Doesn't matter if it's raining, or hot, or teeming with ravenous mosquitoes.

So, is it just me or does this top view of a mushroom in the garden remind you of a certain body part owned by both men and women alike? Oh don't mind me. My mind works in mysterious ways. I used my sister's Nikon L4 (or was it L3? Well...the cheaper one) to take this shot.

In terms of Macro quality, I still prefer my Kodak EasyShare LS755. But I really envy the fact that the Nikon has that Panoramic function and is also able to detect faces for portrait shots! Eeee....never mind, I must endeavour to seek that vivid yellow object to snap and enter that NGC Asia/Nikon Photography contest! I'm not going to share the link. The hint is already there. *eg*

In other news, I was also busy with butterfly chrysalides the past month. I discovered the caterpillars in the lime bush during their various instars and realized how dangerous it can be for them, despite looking like bird crap and having malodorous liquid emanating from their osmeteriums. Once, there were 17 caterpillars...and that dwindled to ONE in a span of four days! Eaten by birds and killed by Kerengga ants...what a way to go.

I did manage to save three that had begun pupating. Alas, only the first one that I had taken succeeded in becoming a beautiful butterfly.

Beginning to pupate >> A few hours before emerging >> Beautiful Butterfly!!

I am still so proud that I managed it! The good part about it was that I didn't have to feed it, or clean after it...just occasional sprinkles of water (which made it twitch). The butterfly crawled onto my hand on its way out of the container and it did not feel at all delicate. It had started moving about around 4:35am. I awoke sometime after 6am and there was a horizontal tear along the side. I thought I would aid in its exit by sprinkling water and then it stopped moving. I thought I had drowned it! XD Well, I was too sleepy to care by then, so I went to sleep. Without the aid of an alarm clock, I woke up again at 7:20am. The butterfly had emerged! I feared that if it remained in that juice container, its wings wouldn't fully extend, so I hurriedly took it back to the lime plant.

It spent a few hours sunning itself on that branch, and soon the clouds covered the sun. It flew away before the first drops of rain fell.

And that will be all for now. Take care, all!

And the unofficial results are...

2006-09-24T03:35:00.000+08:00

With just ninety vacancies and 1318 shortlisted applicants, it was to be expected that I didn't get the job. I'm fine with it, it's my parents who are driving me batty. I know they want and are hoping for the best for me, but it's not doing me any good to be sighing and saying, "You didn't get the job, tsk..." Hello? I was the one who checked. I KNOW I didn't get the job, no need to remind me.

I have this belief that in the long run, everything that happens will eventually be to my benefit/happiness. May not seem like that now, but who knows? Maybe I'll win the lottery some time in the future - because I didn't get the job. Hehe, wishful thinking. It's the only thing keeping me sane. =)

I'm not the kind of person to wallow in self-pity. I like to stay calm and mellow (and other people would think that I don't have a care in the world and I should be trying harder to get a job). I've been through enough disappointments to know that it'll all work out in the end. Of course, the ultimate end always ends in death, doesn't it? And by then, who needs to worry?

End of very short rant. Have a backup plan B and C. Hopefully, I'll go with plan B (take Unemployed Graduates' Training Scheme course) and not plan C (apply for that HSBC Global something-or-other where you try sounding like you're British or American and receiving calls from those areas).

Hmm, wonder when my ASW2020 dividend is going to arrive.

That's it from me. Take care, dear reader.

And the result of the interview is...

2006-09-20T19:34:00.000+08:00

*drumroll* ... postponed til next week! And if I hadn't asked an ex-coursemate (who had also applied for the job), I would have been checking every day at every hour until my eyes popped out. It pays to scan through the 12,000+ names that were on the list of those shortlisted for the interview (not just for the job I applied for). I know that at least four of my ex-coursemates also applied for the same job.

Still alive

2006-09-08T00:48:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am! I've just been busy helping out as admin in a Flickr Group called 'Challenge You'. It's fun. I'll only use my photos when a challenge is close to expiring or I just want a challenge to begin. *grin* Anyways, I wanted to recap something that happened months ago.

Just before going to that Habib Jewels store for the prize-giving ceremony, I spent time at another jewellery store at Ampang Point. Hmmm, I can't quite remember what it was called. Was it Lazio? Whatever...I went there to waste some time and this young salesman attended to me. I did explain to him that I was just browsing because I was going off to Habib Jewels later. So I looked at all the chains, pendants, rings, earrings...and then I came to a display that had cartoon characters, such as Sylvester the Cat, Hello Kitty, etc. "We also have Twisties!" said the enthusiastic salesman. I thought, "Eh? Twisties? Isn't that the snack?" I saw what he meant. But I'll only reveal to you what he was referring to after I tell you that I went to the Kuala Lumpur International Motorshow 2006.

As my aunt decided to wait outside, my uncle and I rushed through the exhibits. But not such in a rush that I spotted 'Twisties'. Hehehe...

End of my mini post. At least it's something, yeah? Oh, and I won't know the results of my interview until Sept 19th. *fingers crossed*

Time Waits For No Man

2006-08-07T17:32:00.000+08:00

And it's not waiting for me either. In 13 hours, I will be up to have breakfast and prepare for the inevitable. My interview with the Malaysia Public Services Commission. In Malay, that would be the Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia (SPAM) - but it's commonly known as SPA.

After days of memorizing names of ministers (please don't ask me which Ministry Datuk Dr. Peter Chin Fah Kui is from!) and thinking, maybe they won't ask me this...maybe I should read something else, the time has come. I don't remember more than half the things I learnt in uni and right now, I don't really care. I either get it or I don't. If I don't get it, I'll take that Graduate's Training Course (Web Publishing and Web Application Development) for 5.5 months at Cosmopoint Kuala Terengganu and I'll be guaranteed a job after that. If I do get the job, well...I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. besides, I have my parents to worry about that. *g*

Ugh, I'll have to be aware of what's in the papers tomorrow. Keep abreast with developments. Guess they won't ask me about the Terengganu lad from Marang who won 'Akademi Fantasia' last Saturday. Would they ask about the Prime Minister's son-in-law, Khairy and his problems in his party? Did he really take Maya Karin as his second wife? What about Siti Norhaliza and her impending wedding on the 21st to Datuk K (Datuk Khaled Mohamed Jiwa)? What about the Middle-east conflict? What about Tiger Woods' victory? What about Mel Gibson's drunken anti-Semitic rant?

If and when I survive my ordeal tomorrow, I might spill the beans about it in a post. I have read that some people have been attending SPA interviews more than 4 times (interviews are conducted once a year, I think) and they keep trying each year. Maybe I'll just attend this one to see what it's all like and be prepared for the next one if I am so inclined to subject myself to the same experience.

Went to my uni yesterday and got my graduation gown. Purple with a silver stripe. Not going for those overpriced 'studio' packages with the frame and waxed over details. I'm going to go crazy with my digital camera. I have blue walls, purple walls, white walls, and a shelf of Encyclopedia Britannica to choose from. I just hope I don't stumble on my way to the Chancellor to get that scroll. That would be something interesting to frame. So, on the 11th is the rehearsal and briefing, and the 12th is my graduation proper. Apparently, I'll be the only one in the family with the mortarboard photo.

Below is a pic of a lizard that roams our garden. Go to a pet shop in KL and this would probably cost a few hundred ringgit, and you'd have to purchase a cage, food, appropriate foliage to boot. This lizard comes free and it can take care of itself. Who could ask for a better arrangement?

Here Be Dragons!

Take care all! Have a good week ahead! Wish me luck and think good thoughts for me (because I really am a nice person!). ;)

Sorry...

2006-07-23T17:41:00.000+08:00

...for the lack of updates. I got a little lazy and the heat wasn't helping matters either. And if it wasn't hot, then there'd be thunderstorms.

Two Saturdays ago, I received a call for interview letter from the Public Services Commision (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam). I had applied online at their site (www.spa.gov.my) in April and after the Deputy Prime Minister's call to have the government departments update their vacancies and offer jobs to 30,000 jobless graduates, received word from them. My interview will be on the 08th of August (08/08) and I have to be there by 8am. 08/08 @ 0800. That's got to be auspicious. But I'm not keeping my hopes up. I have googled for information and the details scare me to death. Why do the interviewers want to see me under pressure? I can tell them I don't handle pressure well without them resorting to bombarding me with questions about the Constitution and the Government. Eek!

And here's another scary fact.
Number of applicants:
10,748
Passed initial screening:
1,318
Number of vacancies:
90 (yes, NINETY!)

Oh dear me! It's bad enough it's at 8am. My brain doesn't fully wake up until well after noon. And after lunch, it goes back into a dreamy state. *yawn*

Maybe if I assume that I don't get the job, my confidence levels will soar. Must think: I arrived without a job, I'll leave without a job...so, what have I got to lose? Hehehe...yeah, crazy logic. What's the post I applied for? They gave 10 choices, but all that was completely relevant to my degree was Information Systems Officer (Pegawai Sistem Maklumat). Let's see if I remember the job description (translated from Malay): Responsible for ascertaining the suitability of the existing computer system(s) and further developing, analyzing, designing, installing/executing, maintaining and reevaluating the data and information processing system to meet with the Dept's needs.

Some people commented about their interview experiences in forums and some said that they were NOT asked questions pertaining to their job. Some were.

I don't know if I should be the first to go into the interview room or wait til the end, when the interviewers are anxious to get home (and not so eager to pressure the candidate). But the thought of spending all morning there and seeing the other candidates end their suffering after 30 minutes...that might just do me in. And by the time it's my turn, I'll be a blubbering idiot. best to go in there unprepared. "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." I think it was Jonathan Swift who said something along those lines.

Okay, other than the fact that there's a pension plan after the age of 55, what are the benefits of working with the (Malaysian) government? Dad mentioned healthcare and subsidized housing.

I received the two albums I won during the Hitz.tv Album of The Week contest yesterday. Shakira's Oral Fixation Vol 2 and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Stadium Arcadium. The packaging for the RHCP album is first class! One side for Jupiter, another for Mars (it's a two-disc set) and the folded end is where the booklet goes. I guess I have to listen to the albums costantly before I like anything other than Dani California and Hips Don't Lie. Nothing beats Imogen Heap's Speak For Yourself album though. All her tracks are great!

Today, I got Simon's present. Two days before my birthday. He toyed with my mind, saying it was another one of his battery operated gifts. The two previous gifts are known as Sparky and Horace. Sparky is a flipping dog that barks. Horace is a hamster in a ball. I suppose with my regular questions about Cauli Cheese and Shepherd's Pie and other English dishes, he got the idea to get me the "Porters English Cookery Bible (Ancient and Modern)" by Richard, Earl of Bradford and Carol Wilson. Gee, nobody's ever bought ME a cookery book before. I usually buy them for my mother.

Okay, that's it for now. Take care all!

BTW, I WILL eventually continue about my trip details. But this time, I will just append to the previous post. If you subscribe, you'll find out when I have done so.

Automotive

2006-06-17T02:31:00.000+08:00

The Volvo C70 at the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS) '06. Submission to the PhotoFriday Challenge.

Day 2: Prize-Giving Ceremony

2006-06-12T02:11:00.000+08:00

I had set my phone alarm to 7am, but the voice and knock of my uncle on my cousin's door next to the room I slept in woke me up around 6:45am. I lazed in bed until the alarm was set off. The plan was for me to accompany my cousin to work, but I had to leave early because he had a meeting with a client around 9:30am. I was dressed by 8:30am.

I waited. My aunt stepped down from the stairs just before 9am. Offered to make me breakfast, and I accepted a cup of Milo. Not much of a breakfast person. Still no sign of my cousin by 9.10am. My aunt knocks on his door to wake him up. Cousin appears at 9:25am. He said the client called him and he rescheduled the meeting to 10am. He dropped me off at MidValley.

Let's see...where did I go first? When I got my bearings, I went right up to Pets Wonderland. I looked at the baby ferrets (imported from Holland) playing. I noted their big pile of poo in the corner of the cage (when they pick a corner, they REALLY pick a corner and stick to it). I saw the many Russian dwarf (little people?) hamsters squished beyond recognition (still alive, bless their little flexible bodies) in the gaps between enclosure and door. Sure, they look cute, but I couldn't get a hamster knowing that its ticker was set to stop after two years.

I went to the other side of the entrance, where the lizards were. There was a huge iguana, basking under the heat of the light. It was shedding its skin. And I noted how iguana poo looked. I can't recall now, though. Then, when the staff had opened the store, I went up to see the guinea pigs. The dogs were not in their cages at the time. I love looking at guinea pigs, admiring their various colours (white, red, black) and appearance. I saw hedgehogs too...and then I came to the Giant White Mice cage. In the corner closest to the front of the glass partition, I saw two pink, hairless baby mice suckling close to their mother. Then, as my eyes wandered deeper into the glass enclosure, I noticed a mouse's head. It was attached to a dried up body. Hairless. Don't think it was cannibalism, as the body was intact. No signs of blood around the body. I informed a female staff member and she went, "Oh!" and then disappeared. I didn't see her again and I wasn't going to wait. I only had about 30 mins remaining.

Next stop was Why Pay More? to check out on the shoes. The Reeboks in the style that I had bought in the past were all gone. More size selections this time though. But I wasn't planning on buying a pair of shoes, so I didn't.

I went to IT World to check on the Mouse prices (what I needed) and saw a Logitech mouse with cool tiger stripes. But I didn't get it because I knew I was headed for Ampang Point and wanted to compare prices first.

Then it was down to Watson's. Spotted a promotion where the St. Ives ® Medicated Apricot Scrub came along with a free St. Ives® Apricot Radiance™ Blemish-Fighting Cream Cleanser and it only cost RM18.90. The promoter was saying that the promotion had ended, but they were getting rid of their stock. I asked if there would be any in my town, and she said that she couldn't be sure. But the fact was, they wouldn't be offering this once stocks were sold out. I just had to get it. I've been using it for exactly two weeks now (wow, how quickly time flies!) and the effects have been good. I look better (no more dull skin) and my skin doesn't get dry nor oily. Just after paying for my purchase, my cousin calls and says that he'll be there in 5 mins. I hurry off to the entrance where he had dropped me off earlier.

*updated*

He was already parked out in the front and I didn't see him until a minute later (when he came out of the car). Took quite awhile to get to Ampang Point from there. It definitely was a long way away and I was glad that my cousin worked at Ampang Point (what were the chances it would be there?) and I didn't have to inconvenience anyone to get there.

My cousin parked his car in the underground parking and arranged for his car to be washed. By the time we were out of there, we decided to have an early lunch, as it was already past noon. I had a plate of Chicken Rice and I think that cost RM4.20 (no soup for that price!). They even charged RM0.30 for iced water! My cousin picked up the tab, eventhough I had wanted to pay for my lunch. Bless him.

I walked back with him to the shopping centre and loitered around, looking at pointing devices (mouses/mice). There weren't many computer stores there. Only two, if I recall correctly. I loitered some more, and then it was 2:20pm. I went off to the restroom to brush my teeth and look presentable. They only had two sinks there and I don't know what the other woman must have been thinking (toothbrush? toothpaste? homeless?). When I was done, I decided to walk to Habib Jewels at 2:30pm. I went through the side entrance and there were the usual glass displays and attentive sales personnel. I smiled at someone and mentioned that I was there for the prize presentation. She went off to ask someone else and that person told me that I could take the lift to the third floor. I did that and there was nobody there. Just chairs and the backdrop (just like the photo at the bottom - minus the people). I found an open door and walked through that. And saw a cleaning woman scrubbing a little fountain-pool thingy. Made small talk and then somebody approached me and said that they weren't ready and that the floor needed sweeping. Errr, okay. So off I went down to the ground floor and sat on a chair in the lobby area.

The security guard was yakking away with the receptionist. And the seconds ticked by slowly. Around 2:50pm, an elderly Indian woman, two women and two little boys came into the lobby. I wasnt planning on being perky, friendly, so I just looked out of the glass windows. And boy was I glad. I saw a smart fortwo driving past. The first time I saw it on the road. The elderly Indian woman asks me if I was there for the prize-giving ceremony and I replied in the affirmative. I said that I was a consolation prize winner and she replied that she was the first prize winner. I think I congratulated her.

Then a Chinese couple enters and the woman sits on the chair near me. I divulged that I was from KT and they were surprised that I would travel all the way just to accept the prize. I talked with the Chinese couple and the man replied that he was representing his brother (Teoh), who was in KT too. The brother had won the second prize. He asked me if I knew his brother, and I didn't recognize the name. And then..."You mean the man who always wins contests?" I asked. It was him indeed. The reason he didn't attend the ceremony was that he had just returned from Liverpool - the grand prize of a football-themed contest, and he wasn't up to travelling to KL. Had I known him, perhaps I could have been his representative too. And then absconded with the RM5,000 earring and pendant set. Naah, I'm just kidding. My conscience doesn't allow me to do that. Besides, they had photos of me at the ceremony, and all my details from the contest. I'd be a fool.

The boys were very boisterous. One had a Finding Nemo backpack, the other didn't. Together, they made a ruckus. Even during the event, one of them dropped their toy car loudly onto the wooden floor.

Before the event started, this was the scene. The photographer is the one on the far left, then the reporter and two Habib Jewels staff. My prize was in one of the smaller paperbags.

An Indian man (Kumar) arrived just before the event was to commence and he was the other consolation prize winner. There were supposed to be three consolation prize winners, but the doctor couldn't make it. The third prize winner was caught in traffic and only arrived while we were having refreshments.

Anyway, there was a little speech by the manager, and the PR woman. And then the winners went out to the front to receive their prizes. We had to read our winning slogans, and then we all posed for photographs. We were instructed to admire the first prize winner's bracelet, and to talk amongst ourselves. I think I remember saying, "Ooh, what a nice bracelet" twice. How idiotic.

We had refreshments and sat around tables that seated four. I sat with Kumar and the Teohs. We were talking about contests and it seemed that we were regular compers. Kumar said that he had won a prize a year or two earlier. And Mr Teoh said that his brother owned a club and had the opportunity to collect bottle caps for entries. He also knocked on his neighbours' doors to ask for entry forms in their copies of the newspaper. In fact, he was the only one who submitted EIGHT entries while the rest of us submitted only one each.

Just before leaving, I had mentioned that I was staying with my relatives in Puchong Jaya, and Mr Teoh said that they lived in the same area! I could get a lift back with them, they offered. Well, I tried to text my cousin, but there was no response, and I had to decline their offer. Small world indeed! I walked back to my cousin's shop and it was pretty busy.

My cousin's shop during a lull in business. He was busy preparing details of the Maxis roadshow. We finally got back around 6pm, I think. The night before, the plan was to catch a movie, 'The da Vinci Code', so after dinner, we went off to the IOI Mall. I watched the movie, but my relatives dozed off during several scenes. I felt bad about that, even more so when my uncle hadn't freshened up after arriving back from work.

*to be updated later*

Two-petalled Crown of Thorns flower chosen

2006-06-11T03:28:00.000+08:00

I hadn't checked my site stats in awhile and so when I noticed how many hits I had this week, I had to widen my eyes. A third photo was chosen at Interfacelift.com (June 6th). Nice to know that they do look through past submissions.

The reason I'm dragging my feet to update is because I have a lot to write about and the days are just too hot and humid. And if there's rain, there'll be thunder too (and I have to shutdown). I learnt yesterday, at the Frappr Sidekick Members chat page, that certain ISPs in the US replace fried modems (due to thunderstorms) free of charge! No fair.

I'll try to update later today. While I can still remember some details. Note to self: mention dead giant white mouse at Pets Wonderland.

Take care, all! By the way, I can't seem to chose font styles or see any of the usual functions on Blogger using Opera. Hmmm...

The Bus trip to KL

2006-06-05T20:59:00.000+08:00

My bus ticket stated 11am, Tuesday morning. As usual, Dad drove me there by 10.20am. Before I could walk to the counter, Dad suggested I ask the bus driver. I handed him the ticket and he said it was the right bus. I was on seat 7C, and there was a girl sitting by the window on 7D. The bus was old and had tattered headrests. There were many empty seats, which were to be filled by passengers from the other towns along the route.

As the bus started on its journey, I started talking to the girl sitting next to me. She was on her way to KL for her uni project. She was studying in UM to be a town planner. Shazliana (I think that was her name) told me I could call her by her nickname, 'Baby' -- err, I don't think so. That wasn't the worst part. The worst part was hearing her say that she needed to talk to people on the bus or she would get motion sickness. I couldn't tell her that just by looking at her to speak, made me feel nauseous. So I tried looking out the window while speaking to her. It helped a little, but I prefer pretending to sleep.

Further along our conversation, I found out that I was on the 10:35am bus - I suppose they did that "Let's mock the time on the tickets" routine again. You'd think that would have made me arrive earlier to my destination. Alas! That was not to be. At the first rest stop (as usual, had sandwiches from home - I never buy any food from these stops), the bus took around 15 passengers from another Transnasional bus that had broken down nearby. I overheard the bus driver saying that he would drop them at the Kuantan bus terminal. Kuantan was out of the way and Shazliana started to fret that it would waste a lot of time. Kuantan was out of the way and was not part of the route. The bus arrived in Kuantan around 2pm. The stranded passengers had disembarked from the bus and were taking their things from the luggage compartment. Twenty minutes later, some of these passengers got on the bus again, bound for Kuala Lumpur! Why couldn't the few stranded passengers who were not headed for Kuala Lumpur be left at the rest stop for the next bus, while our bus continued our journey? Why couldn't Transnasional send in a replacement bus for the stranded passengers? Grrr!!

We made it to Kuala Lumpur in one piece by 6:40pm. My uncle was already waiting for me at the bus terminal, and I suggested that I buy my bus ticket back then and there after asking him when would be the most convenient time for him to send me to the terminal. He did want to think about it first, but I told him that it would be more convenient to buy it while I was at the terminal. We went to the counter and enquired about the tickets available for the 1st (as suggested by my father, a quick trip without hassling anyone for too long). The woman at the counter rattled off some times, starting with 9am. My uncle happily told her I would get on the 9am bus.

*** To Be Continued In ~~Next~~ Another Post ***

Was awakened at 8:30am

2006-06-05T01:04:00.000+08:00

...by my mother who brought the newspaper in to show me the picture and accompanying article about the Habib Jewels contest results.

You may access the article here. Please be warned that I don't look that great in the photo, but I do look better than some people in there. *evil grin* I DO have a fringe, it's just not apparent in the pic. And I WAS wearing some make-up.

Sorry for the delay in updating. Was hounded by nephews all day, being pestered to let them use my laptop to play games.

I'm back...

2006-06-04T01:57:00.000+08:00

after an arduous nine-hour bus journey from KL. Apparently, the public holiday (the Agong's birthday) is the cue for everybody to drive to the hills and jam up the highways. One extra hour for my butt to go numb.

I don't think I'll condense the six days' worth of 'happenings' in one post. I'll start at the beginning (if I can remember the details). When I have been well-rested enough to post, without being pestered by nephews who want to use my laptop as an expensive tool to play online games. They already have their Gameboy Advance and Cartoon Network/Disney Channel/Nickelodeon to keep them company.

It's off to bed for me. Will update later. With photos. Oh, must transfer them first.

No more caterpillars! :(

2006-05-26T19:23:00.000+08:00

It's been three days since I last saw any caterpillars on the lime leaves. I'm afraid that they (from the smallest of the small until the medium-sized green caterpillar) have all fallen victim to either birds, wasps/hornets or other caterpillar-eating/killing creatures.

Oh well. It's like revenge of the plants. The periwinkle would have been killed if the juicy caterpillars kept up their eating rampage. It's biological warfare (I mean, control) to the rescue! And here I thought I would finally witness a butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. I suppose there will be plenty more caterpillars where they came from.

I wrote an e-mail to Habib Jewels and they replied today. They clarified that I won a pair of diamond earrings set in 18k white-gold. I am certainly happy, but I had visions of loose diamonds in a suitcase, or pouch (just like in the movies!). Well, sorry bro. I don't think I can chip away a little piece to replace your wayward ... chip of a diamond. *evil grin* You know I love ya, right? No, don't answer that! Hehehehe...

I might be in KL for a few days to attend the prize-giving ceremony. Not visiting anyone as the only destinations I'm concentrating on are my uncle's house, Ampang Point and the bus station. I may get an xD Picture card to replace the busted one I have now. :( The one major downside to winning the LS755 - freakingly expensive external memory. If I had a choice in it, I'd have opted for something that uses SD cards. *sigh* RM180 gone for a measley 128MB. Oh, and I also intend to buy myself a Samsung optical mouse, which I am told is around RM20. That's all I intend to get during my trip to KL. Nothing more, nothing less.

Still no news from those A4grabs people. I really hope I haven't been scammed. GRRR! I have half a mind to torch their business (after getting the hamper that I so rightly deserve, of course).

That's all from me. Take care, all!

High on a Happy Vibe

2006-05-24T15:16:00.000+08:00

I got a call at 1pm from the mystery shopping people. They need more people in KT who have internet access, proficient in English and have time to spare. I really couldn't give them any leads, as all the friends I know (...eh...DS!) are out of state. Have no colleagues either. If there's anybody in KT reading this who meets the above criteria, please leave a comment either in the tagboard (if it's working) or at the end of this post.

At 2pm, I got a call from a representative of Habib Jewels. She said I won a consolation prize in their contest! She told me the details of the prize-giving ceremony and that if I was unable to attend it, then I would have to appoint a representative.

Happy and all, but now I have a dilemma. Sis will be here and I won't have a place to stay. My best friend will be recovering from a long flight back from LA and I seriosuly do not want to impose on her and her family. I can't really appoint a representative because these are diamonds we're talking about.

Yesterday, my mum and I attended the official opening of her friend's bakery. We had samples of her buns and tarts. After an hour, we were approached by an employee of the pet shop where we had parked the car. (We had asked for permission first before parking in front of the pet shop). While waiting for the lorry/truck to move out of the way (our car was blocking their loading area), I poked my fingers into the bunny cage. They were panting in the heat of the afternoon sun. Their fur was soooo soft. Only RM15 for a cute bunny rabbit. *sigh*

It's time for American Idol. I'm off.

Hailstorm aftermath

2006-05-21T18:19:00.000+08:00

I noticed the other day, as I looked up from under the Papaya tree, that the leaves bore proof of the hailstorm. So I snapped some. There was one leaf that was hanging for dear life.

Not much damage in our garden. I read that in some areas, houses collapsed and roofs were blown off.

The fat, green caterpillar on the soursop leaf is GONE! Where could it be? Why do I spot caterpillars one day before they go missing? Are the birds checking my blog to see where they are? *grin*

Can't think of anything else to write about. And some people have complained about the length of my entries. Yes, you, Beastie!! =Þ

That's all from me, take care all!

More caterpillars

2006-05-21T02:21:00.000+08:00

One day after discovering those three fat caterpillars eating the periwinkle leaves, they disappeared. I'd like to think that they burrowed into the ground before becoming butterflies/moths, and were not bird/wasp food. I also couldn't find the two bigger-sized brown bird-poo-like caterpillars on the lime leaves. I think they got taken by the winged ones. Imagine, they're being eaten alive!

Anyways, after watching and clicking away at these two caterpillars, I focused on these small flowers in the grass, halfway between the lime plant and the chain-link fence. Suddenly...I heard a skritch skritch skritch sound. I turned to look at the soursop plant near the fence and spotted...

Another caterpillar! It was happily munching away at the fresh leaves. I watched it for a few seconds and then I did the inevitable. I blew at it. It raised its head menacingly (just look at those horns! Very Darth Maul-like, minus the red and black face paint and yellow eyes). I blew at it some more, and then...

BAM! Those things that stick out appeared from the front of its head. Not red like the other caterpillar's. (I blew at the young green caterpillar in the first pic above later in the afternoon and it finally stuck out its red thingies - antennas?? I think not!) Anyways, I bugged it a few times and it made a U-turn. Mum called out from the kitchen, saying that it was hot outside. Well, it WAS almost 1pm. As I left the soursop plant, I reminded myself to avoid brushing against leaves and plants in the garden. I don't want little green/brown visitors on any part of my person, and I do not want to get an itchy rash/reaction as a result of accidentally touching them. But on the whole, I am glad I spotted another type of caterpillar in the garden. This will be the third kind spotted in the garden in the past two weeks.

At around 3pm, Mum decided to clear some of the books from the book shelves to make room for more of my brother's books. Yes, Big Bro o' Mine...we don't have any more space. You and sis better be bringing some of your stuff back, now that you're married and live elsewhere. =Þ Had to sacrifice most of the National Geographic magazines (oh, those lovely pix!), as Dad didn't want to part with his Western books. There should be a rule...once you've married, you have to take your stuff with you. While setting aside the good books, Mum found a book on butterflies. It has information on keeping caterpillars too. Hmmm...too bad I can't just uproot the lime plant and place it in a cage. I had been thinking of cutting off part of the lime plant where the pupa will be, but I read in that book that one "has to be careful not to put green material in as this goes mouldy and could kill the pupae in the box." Hmmm, what to do? Dad had earlier laughed at me when he pointed out that I had missed seeing the first butterfly emerging from its chrysalis because that had happened so early in the morning. *pout*

I hope I don't get a reputation as The Caterpillar Lady of my neighbourhood. I never realized I was going to turn out this way. Oh right, it's a preventive measure against possible discovery by certain members of the family who have caterpillar phobias. *grin* Big, fat caterpillars...there should be at least one pic in every post.

There's this diamond contest and I don't know when the results will be out. I'm anxious to know the outcome. I'd like to think that I wrote a good enough slogan (I rhymed!!!). And I wasn't kidding when I told my brother that I would chip off a piece of the winnings and donate it to him since he dropped his ring and the 0.06carat diamond fell out of its base. *evil grin* Well, if I gave him a whole diamond, it wouldn't be fair to his wife, would it? *evil grin* I am so not winning this contest. I am too evil.

That's it from me then. Take care all! Oh yes, I'll leave with a nice flower pic...to show that I don't always take caterpillar pix.

Juicy

2006-05-17T23:52:00.000+08:00

As I was walking out of the wet kitchen towards the lime bush after lunch, I noticed the tell-tale signs of another caterpillar - little round droppings. I looked closely at the periwinkle plant and true enough, there was one fat, juicy caterpillar. And then I noticed two more caterpillars munching away happily at the periwinkle leaves. Can you spot all three caterpillars in the first pic on the left? I thanked my lucky stars that I never brushed against the plant on the way to the lime plant. Ewww...

Second pic on the right shows a caterpillar in the process of discarding its waste. It's a lovely shade of green and resembles a six-petaled flower. I was at the right place at the right time to shoot such a shot. I had noticed another caterpillar pooping and looked at the one closest to me. As luck would have it, it had made a U-turn and was heading down the stem. I stared at its behind with eagle eyes. And suddenly, it's butt-lips parted and produced the poop in the pic. It can crawl and poop simultaneously! The ultimate in caterpillar coolness. (Yes, in a way I think that these caterpillar pix are my way of deterring my sister from checking this blog if she finds it *evil grin*)

Actually, the third pic on the left preceeded the poop pic. It had reached the end of the plant and was reaching out for the next non-existent branch to crawl on. After several seconds of stretching, it made a U-turn. I took a shot which ended up blurry (it was on the lower part of the branch and I couldn't get into position).

Fourth and final pic, I blew at caterpillar #2 and it curled its upper portion to reveal two false eyelets. I have to say that it looks kinda cute curled up like that. I can almost hear it say, "I'm shy!" I also bugged caterpillar #3 by using a dead leaf and poking its side. The immediate area I touched with the leaf flinched/winced, and so I poked it again, but in its lower regions. And that part flinched too. It seems that caterpillars are ticklish. Or maybe they hate being poked in the imaginary ribs (like I do when my real ones are poked).

Well, that's it for today. Maybe more caterpillar pix tomorrow! =)

Take care, all!

On the glass door of a bank

2006-05-17T01:05:00.000+08:00

Went to three banks on Monday. The first was to accompany my bro. The second was to withdraw some money from the ATM, and the third was to bank in money into the A4Grabs account for the delivery charges.

There was limited seating at the third bank and my bro opted to stand. When there was less of a crowd and the seat next to me was free, my bro sat there. When Dad arrived after parking the car, my bro stood up to offer his seat, but Dad hesitated...and somebody else decided to sit there instead. Hehehe...he who hesitates misses out on a seat. On the door of this particular bank, are the words, "Authorized Personal Only". I was tempted to tell the teller about this, but when my number was called, some woman (her number was 1*27 while mine was 1*29) was standing in front of me. And the teller guy was all chatty with her *fume*. I figured that I'd let the mistake live on to entertain those who are more observant and aware.

Tuesday. The day was hot and humid...and then the skies turned dark and gray.

I was eagerly awaiting the rain. I could hear the thunder in the distance. Shot a pic of two magpie robins on the electric wires.

It started raining with a vengeance. Wind blowing like it was celebrating its 100th birthday (a lot of candles to blow out). Lightning flashed overhead, like the lightbulb in a photographer's studio. As the rain grew heavier, I decided to open the front door to admire the torrent or raindrops. And then SUDDENLY...

I noticed white bits bouncing off the paved driveway. IT WAS HAILING! In warm, sunny Kuala Terengganu! I couldn't believe my eyes! I started yelling out like I won the lottery, "HailSTONES! HailSTONES!" all the way to the kitchen, where everybody else was. It was around 5:10pm. We could see hail falling on the grass. And then my bro goes off to pick a few, getting hit in the process. It was ice, of course. But we held on to it like it was a remnant of the Gospel of Judas (yeah, yeah...buzzword of the century). *grin* The hailstones ranged in size from pebble-sized to the size of a five-sen coin (premie baby golf ball?). While all this thunder and lightning and hailing was going on, Mum gets this bright idea for me to call the Star (a local newspaper) office to report this weather anomaly. Errr, there's lightning flashing overhead, and I saw that episode of Mythbusters where they tried to recreate lightning to see what happens when you're on the phone and it strikes. Not a pretty sight, let me tell you. Think flames, think burning curtains, think a dead you with a smoldering ear next to the receiver.

And when the rain died down...

I went back to the garden to assess the situation. The bougainvillea bush had fallen over (I hope my cacti haven't been crushed), and a dead durian branch hung precariously on a lower branch. I just HAD to pull it off. Went to the back to check on the caterpillars. Only found two of them.

The bigger of the two seemed fine. The smaller caterpillar seemed like it wasn't having a good day. It was soaked and in a puddle. It must have caught a chill by now. Anyways, apparently the hailstorm was mentioned in the news tonight, but we missed it because we had to send my brother and sister-in-law to the bus station. There'd better be a mention in tomorrow's news.

My bro asked for the url of this blog and he's seen some of the entries. *g* Well, as long as my sister doesn't know about this blog, I should be fine *looks at bro* *grin*

That's all for now. Take care, all!

Happy Mother's Day!

2006-05-14T15:41:00.000+08:00

My brother and sis-in-law arrived at 7am this morning from JB. I was asleep, but was semi-awakened around 8 when my bro came into my room to get something.

Hmm, I was 'busy' the past week. Had a quick meet up with Daftsavant at the Japanese cemetery (was told later that it was not a good idea to do that, hmmph). We felt more at ease communicating via YM. Can you imagine, we said, "I'll chat with you online later." after the usual awkward greetings and hurried home.

Then I was contacted via Skype by Andrew, a Malaysian studying in Singapore. He had bought tickets to Tanah Merah with a friend and decided to hunt down someone from KT to find information two days before his departure. The moral at the beginning of this story is, don't trust maps given out by KTMB. From that map, it appeared that Dabong and Kuala Krai in Kelantan was a short distance away from Kuala Terengganu. As the crow flies, perhaps. But if one to consult a road map, one could see that the only way to Kuala Terengganu would be via Kota Bharu. Andrew and Darren somehow walked to the cemetery just to see me (and give the two bottles of Florida's Natural) and even that was a comedy of errors, which I will not divulge. Let's just say that due to a communication breakdown between my mother and I, she went to get them from the cemetery, and I went to cycle (using a different route) to look for them. At 2-baking hot-p.m. Needless to say, I couldn't find them and decided to return home after 5 minutes of baking, as I had a feeling that mum had brought them home. I was right. And trust mum to not notice the bicycle gone.

When I entered the house, the first thing I said was, "If I get two shades darker, I blame you guys!" And that's when I noticed Andrew wearing a green sarong. He wasn't pulling my leg when he mentioned it over the phone after all. Sorry I couldn't join you guys for dinner, maybe next time. And maybe next time, you'll get bus tickets. Hehehehe.

The results are out at the A4grabs site. I won the Fasio hamper (worth RM500) and a haircut voucher (valid at some hairstylist's in KL). I haven't banked in the delivery charges yet.

I also won a baby-t and keychain in the Channel [V] The Ticket Failure To Launch contest. I usually don't hold much confidence in winning these e-mail contests because of the sheer volume of entries (I assume). I'm winning again. Yaay!

I am extremely hooked on Imogen Heap ever since I heard her on Pandora. If you went to her MySpace page, you can hear four of her songs. My favourite is 'Goodnight and Go'. It's very stalker-like.

Yesterday, I officially became one of three SuperMods (Super Moderator, not Super Model - unfortunately) at the Chip forum. I now have Supa Powers, which include banning people's behinds.

The days are just sweltering. I could just dig up a hole in the garden and make my own pool - if only digging didn't cause me to break into such a sweat. *g*

That's it from me for now. Take care, all!

I survived!

2006-05-06T15:01:00.000+08:00

I woke up at 6:01am, to the raspy singing of Bryan Adams. I set it that way. *yawn* By the time I was done with my daily routine in the loo, it was 6:10am. Heated up Mum's yam cake and tried to ignore the fact that I was using the 3-in-1 Ovaltine that had expired Nov 2005. My parents keep telling me that expiration dates aren't to be taken seriously. (If you suddenly see a news article about me donating my organs, you'll know what I ate as my last meal - something that had expired). Barely two mouthfuls of yam cake and a cautious sip of the Ovaltine, Mum was hovering at the kitchen door. "We're going at 6:30," she reminded me. I looked at the time. It was 6:20am.

Fine. I put the plate of yam cake back into the meatsafe, threw away the Ovaltine - found something grey floating in it and it DID taste a little off. *yawn* One good thing about having my laptop on my bed...I can have a nice 20sec lie-down on my feather pillows whenever I feel like it. *yawn* And by the time I was out of the door, it was 6:40am.
We used the shortcut, passing the hospital quarters and crowing roosters. I don't know why Mum didn't want to use the zebra crossing in front of the hospital, so we jaywalked to get to the beach. I opted to walk to the beach instead of the jogging track. I hoped to get a nice shot of the sunrise. Of course, with my luck, there will ALWAYS be a huge cloud in the way. It's ALWAYS like that! Grrr. *yawn* (these are real-time yawns). In the distance, I could see heavy rain (none of which arrived here). *yawn* Met a couple and made small talk in front of the A&W. Digi had something on and there were many little white- and yellow-roofed tents. Alas, the event was to begin at 10am. There was an inflatable climbing thingy (with ropes), and an inflatable jousting platform...it would have been fun, but the event ended at 1pm, so I couldn't go.

We walked around the jogging track that encircled the former MSAM2006 site, and then headed for the other jogging track. I said, "HUH? I thought we walked enough! We only start walking HERE?" Ugh...I am not a morning person, especially with two mouthfuls of yam cake and two small sips of poisoned Ovaltine.

So Mum banished me to one of the empty benches. I watched other people exercising. And then I looked up. No, I didn't see a UFO. I saw a cloud that looked like a face in profile. Bushy eyebrows, jutting nose, maybe a moustache, and a small chin. Maybe I just have an active imagination. =)

Speaking of UFOs, I was thinking that if a UFO has been identified as a UFO, would it then be an identified flying object? Yeah, that was the Ovaltine talking. *yawn* The idea came to me after the newspaper report in the New Straits Times yesterday of an alleged UFO caught on camera by a tourist in Penang. Report here. I don't know how long the item will be there, so best check it out now. On one hand, I don't think a tourist (who declined to be identified) would have time to procure a copy of PhotoShop to UFO-ize the photo. On the other hand...is it a coincidence that the hotel Public Relations officer's surname is 'Scully'? Where's Mulder? *eg* So yeah, my taking that sunrise-hidden-by-clouds pix was also an attempt at capturing some UFO of my own. But I guess the aliens are just day-trippers. A quick whizz by Penang and Malaysia is crossed out of the list of countries to visit. Maybe the aliens should have taken the time to answer the Tour-sm Malaysia survey.

Noticed a group of senior citizens yakking away in some Chinese dialect. Mum identified them as the 'swinging' group. No, it's not what you think. They swing their arms (I think) to exercise. Or I could be wrong and they swing that way too. *evil grin*

Saw Mum walking several rounds with another woman. Waited...felt tummy starting to growl (my inner Tiger). Waited some more. Felt sleepy. I've had gastric problems in the past, and I wasn't going to wait until I had unbearable stomach pains before looking for her. I walked towards her and her friend and said that I was getting hungry. The 'auntie' commented that I was thin and didn't have to exercise (yaay! Some logic at last! I know, she's one of those people with the incorrect assumption that if you're skinny, you don't need to exercise - but I LIKE her). So we started walking back. We crossed the road in front of the Istana Nur Nadhirah and I found some lovely flowers to snap at.

We arrived home at 8:50am. I ate the rest of the yam cake and drank some cold water and I was in bed by 9:20am. I was awakened for lunch at 12:50pm. Had lunch, transferred my photos and here I am now.

*yawn* What should I do now? Hmmm...Zzzz...I don't think I will be invited back for early morning exercises any time soon. *evil grin* *yawn* Excuse me for my incessant yawning. I didn't sleep much last night. Tossing and turning was the main activity between 1am and 6:01am (hmm, I suppose that is already a form of exercise!). I should have just stayed awake until 6am.

That's it from me. Take care all!

The Tourism Malaysia Survey

2006-05-05T15:37:00.000+08:00

Two nights ago, I discovered this link at the Tour-sm Malaysia site. It's tough to ignore something that says, 'Win an Apple iPod!'. Anyways, to my disappointment, I found that Malaysians or those who haven't travelled in over five years are not eligible. Or maybe I just picked the wrong occupation to have.

So what did I do? I voluntarily 'assisted' an online friend to answer this survey. Some of the survey questions are listed below. Sometimes I wonder what Tour-sm Malaysia are doing. Are they trying to sell the fact that Malaysia is not popular with the tourists?

Which of these destinations do you think is a great place to go shopping? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

And which do you think has great beaches? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

And which do you think is a great destination for diving and other water sports? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

And which do you think has friendly people? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

And which do you think has very good cuisine? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

And which do you think has great night time entertainment? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

(the one that takes the cake)
And which do you think isn't overrun with a lot of other tourists? Please select all the destinations you think this statement applies to.
Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, None.

Hmmm, server seems to be down now. No matter, when it's up again, I'll share some of the other questions and one of my best answers yet. *eg*

So, is it just me who gets the wrong impression from the last question? One would have to think hard about it, as we all know how overrun with tourists the other countries are. Why couldn't they just say, "Which country do you think still remains undiscovered by tourists?" Then again, with those Malaysia, Truly Asia ads on CNN...the real answer should be 'None'. *eg*

Update: It was my streamyx acting up. Let's continue with the survey!

Note: If you say you're from 'Kuwait', Malaysia is top of the list. If you're from Australia, it's Singapore, and if you're from the US, it's the Philippines taking the top honour.

Thinking about Malaysia, what should Malaysia do to make it a more appealing leisure vacation destination?
Find Bigfoot (and yes, that was my answer on behalf of my friend. Bye-bye iPod!)

Imagine that you were the head of tourism promotion in Malaysia. From what you know about Malaysia and other destinations in South East Asia, how would you best promote Malaysia compared to those destinations?
(gee, maybe if you paid me, I'd tell).

The rest of the questions after that were more personal (marital status, salary). That's it from me. Take care all!

p/s: I hope I don't get busted for doing this. *grin* Maybe I should misspell Tour-sm M'sia. Hehehe.

The day of immense inner rage

2006-05-04T18:11:00.000+08:00

Maybe my mum took a placebo instead of her usual HRT tablet. Maybe something else set her off yesterday. Why the 'Maybe's? Well, I earned an earful just because I left the sandwich maker out the previous night. When I was just done with it, it was really hot. So I left it open to cool down and switched it off. When I was done eating my bread-butter-kaya, I promptly washed the plate and cup and put them aside where they usually go. Now, the sandwich maker is behind me. My line of sight is, sink, wall, door out of the kitchen. It's not that difficult to overlook it. And to put it away is really just three steps and push it between the microwave oven and the convection oven. No ladders, ropes or pulleys were needed in this operation. Mum lamented that it was the SECOND time I did such a crime. For one thing, she never mentioned my first offense. Had she done so, I would have been extra sure that I wouldn't do it again. And by the way, I've used this sandwich maker more than eight times. I told her that I tend to be a little forgetful and she accused me of not being thoughtful. And I shot back, saying that yes, I really enjoyed her nagging me and do this for my pleasure. That kept her quiet.

And Dad...wasn't really any concern of his, and I don't know why I tried to explain. What did I get from him? "Enough! I don't want to hear any of your excuses!" That REALLY got my inner Tiger-Leo steaming. So fine, I stopped talking and ate my lunch (I had it away from the table, in front of the TV). Mid-way through my lunch, I'd leave to go get a tissue in my parents' room. That's when the rash thoughts came to mind.

"Don't want to hear any excuses, eh? I'll show them! I'll...I'll cut my tongue!" And then I thought of possible cutting implements. Razor? A pair of scissors?

And then I thought some more. All that blood in my mouth seemed like a bad idea. And not being able to enjoy food for awhile (if a mouth ulcer is bad...imagine a cut tongue! Ouch!), well...that was torture in itself.

What if I made myself deaf by putting on my music at full volume? I wouldn't have to hear any nagging again. And then I thought about my CD collection, and my buying that MP3 player at the PC Fair. I wouldn't be able to listen to music! Or even watch Prison Break! Horrors!

Well, it looks like I won't be doing any harm to myself (or my organs). Best to inflict harm on others. Just kidding...I'm not like one of those crazy Japanese kids who got nuts and bludgeon their parents/grandparents to death as a result of excessive nagging. No offense to any Japanese who might stray here via PhotoFriday or Interfacelift.

I found a few interesting sites/blogs while googling for my street. One is devnullnikita and the other is Kecek-kecek. I like the bits in Kecek-Kecek where the blogger reminisces about the old Kuala Terengganu, when roads didn't have names of Sultans.

It occurred to me that if I left my url while leaving comments, I'd better have something interesting to write. *grin*

The Star Mother's Day contest is over. Will I not win again, as I did last year? Only time will tell. I'd be happy just getting the RM500 consolation prize (to be given to Mum in her quest to buy a good mattress after 30 years). It's not really a mattress anymore, more like a lump. *grin*

That it from me for now. Take care all!

The butterfly has flown

2006-05-02T22:31:00.000+08:00

I checked the pupa just before lunchtime and as I looked down, I saw that it had changed in colour. I squatted down to realize that the butterfly had left its chrysalis. Awww...I bet that if I had checked on it at 6am, I would have found it with crumpled wings.

It wasn't until I detached the two silky strands and tugged at the bottom of the chrysalis that I realized there was a brown liquid oozing out. I left it and had lunch.

After lunch, I referred to the big butterfly book we have. It stated that during this pupal stage, it doesn't drink or eat and due to the outer layer, it can't get rid of its bodily wastes. Yup, I'm sure that butterfly had a nice time expelling its waste as it got out of its chrysalis. Ewww. I think that butterfly was the first one to ever make it to adulthood. I've never seen a single chrysalis before this one. And the next time I see one, I'm going to isolate the chrysalis. Or just wake up early. It took nine days for it to change from pupa to adult. I'll be ready next time. The book also stated that a butterfly lives between 25 and 30 days. If it doesn't get eaten by a bird or a gecko first.

Okay, quiz time.

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image.
On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex.
You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time.
Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

This is SO true! Hehehehe...and so is this next one.

What Your Sleeping Position Says

You are calm and rational.
You are also giving and kind - a great friend.
You are easy going and trusting.
However, you are too sensible to fall for mind games.

What Does Your Sleeping Position Say About You?

Hmmm, more mild that wild? Maybe I need a name change from Tigrrr to Tig-Zzzz. Hehehe. But hey...at least I'm still attractive. Teeheehee.

You Are More Mild Than Wild

You're confident, and you really aren't concerned with how "hot" you are.
Other people's ideas of what's sexy don't concern you. And this is exactly what makes you attractive.

Are You Hot?

You Are Not a Cook

You know cooking isn't for you, and you wouldn't even consider trying to make a homecooked meal.
And this is a very good thing. You've saved all your friends and family from unintentional food poisoning!

Are You A Good Cook?

So, so true. Unfortunately. Well, if I had utensils of my own and didn't have somebody to remind me that I was doing everything wrong...I would have turned out differently. *grin* That's my story and I'm sticking to it! :Þ

That's it for now. Take care all!

Famous

2006-05-02T19:46:00.000+08:00

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. This burberry plaid pattern is from a cheap cd holder. I only chose this pattern because the other patterns and colours were ghastly. I've submitted this for the PhotoFriday challenge. The theme this week is 'Famous' and who doesnt know the Burberry plaid? I remember years ago, before Burberry was known in Malaysia, seeing this ubiquitous pattern in the American mazagine ads at the library. I kept thinking, "Why is this pattern haunting me? It's everywhere!" Because it's famous, that's why! :)

Brief recap

2006-05-02T03:02:00.000+08:00

The days just whizz by, especially when they're swelteringly hot. Let's see what happened.

I touched the pupa, it wasn't soft. It didn't wriggle either, but I wasn't intent on examining it in detail. It's still there, attached to the stem of the lime plant. I think it's getting darker now. I wonder how long the metamorphosis takes.

The 'Minggu Saham Amanah Malaysia 2006' ended and according to the news reports, the response was overwhelming. They predicted 200,000 visitors and they registered over 250,000 visitors (that's counting me and mum going three times), but I didn't register the last time. Mum handed me her id card and I thought it was mine (not thinking straight). No wonder the girl looked at me funny when I handed that card to her. Yet she said nothing. Imagine if people didn't register...there could be more visitors. To emphasize the scale of this response, I looked up the population of Kuala Terengganu online (2005 figures: 262,340 people), so imagine almost the whole of Kuala Terengganu converging at Pantai Batu Buruk. Imagine trampled grasses, chaotic traffic and parking.

And I got a blender to show for it. =) I looked online, at the Pensonic site. It's a nightmare. The links don't work on the page after the entry page. Here's the blender page. My blender is the only one with the dual jugs. (PB-325 DJ).

I got my Donor card in the mail the other day. Wasn't laminated or embossed. Just a plain printed card where I had to fill in my full name, date, signature and mark what I intended to donate. The card is similar to those free printed calendars meant for wallets, as thin and flimsy. I'll scan/take a pic one of these days.

In other news, the games at all4grabs (Season 6) have ended. It all depends on the management what prize they want to offer me. What a letdown. The only game I ever played was Puzzler. I was only tops in the other two games because of the referral points. I couldn't care less about those (2-month gym membership and RM60 haircut), second for the Xtion Paintball UFO shootout (voucher for three people).

I guess we shall have to wait and see. I don't intend to play anymore because I'm supposed to give a chance to the other players, and I don't like the fact that there are cheaters. And it's not fair if the prize I really want isn't given to me because I won other games. Why give me something I can't use? I will happily pass those other prizes to the other players. Grrr.

That's enough ranting from me for now. Oh, and I updated the post about the Online Chat With Ian Wright as well. Don't forget to check that and follow the link to the full chat transcript.

Take care, all! *Hmmm, was this a brief recap?

I was half-asleep...

2006-04-28T16:48:00.000+08:00

and lying in my bed, on this really hot and humid afternoon when my phone suddenly rang. I still had my wits about me and remembered that the phone was in my handbag.

A nice-sounding woman asked for me and said that I had won in their e-Contest (in conjuction with the Malaysia Unit Trust Scheme Week 2006)! I do believe that it was for the contest held yesterday. I was to come to their Enquiry booth with my identity card before 9:30pm tonight. She didn't tell me what I won. It could be a blender, or a stand fan, or a motorcycle or (dare I hope?) a hp Desktop PC. And the funniest part of this is, I remember being very realistic/pessimistic about our chances of winning anything. I kept telling my Mum, "There's no way we're going to win anything, our slogans (in Malay, mind!) are just too horrible and there are so many more people who could write better." FYI, I had to write my mother's slogan too. In fact, I have to fill everything for Mum because she says her handwriting is terrible (the way she refuses to fill in forms, you'd think she was illiterate). Or maybe she's just lazy?

Anyway, 'Yaay' to me for finally ending that losing streak. Ten months is way too long. I don't care if I end up with a rubberband, I still won something. *grin*

The past two days that we went to the fair, Mum made friends with the people at the Heveafil booth. (Wow, they're the world's largest manufacturer of quality extruded latex threads, I didn't know that!). I was the one who walked into their booth, seeing the four boxes of sample latex threads. Mum asked for some (hoping to sew some to the edge of bedsheets to make them fitted bedsheets) and that first night, she realized how valuable these threads were. You can't just buy them at the store (they're meant for industries like the textile, food and sports industries). And they can extend up to 7 times without breaking. Go check out their website, but be careful of the typos.

Yesterday, while waiting for my Dad to finish his MIC conference and fetch us, I took some photos of the flagpoles and a ship at sea. The time was around 6pm.

I waited for the wind to blow, but the 'Jalur Gemilang' (Vibrant Stripes) just wouldn't flutter 'majestically'. It was flying half-heartedly (if that is possible). But I just love that blue sky! It was so hot, there was not a cloud in the sky. The three flags above, from the top, are the flags of Pahang (top half of flag is white, bottom half is black), Johor and Selangor.

I tried to take the first pic without being seen, but apparently, I was. Just how do those photographers take pix of people unawares? Oh yes, powerful zoom lens! Second pic is of a father and his daughter walking away. This was the first in a series of three pix.

This is of a ship at sea. I used the two columns holding the flagpoles up as part of the frame. Looks quite nice, if I may say so myself. Ahem. *grin* If I had stood back a little more, I would have fallen into this 'fountain' (a hole with water).

That's it for now. Take care, all!

Update @10:39pm: I won a blender! Two blender jugs and a grinder, and a free little addressbook with a picture of a local deejay.

Quiz time

2006-04-24T01:39:00.000+08:00

While looking for some blank cards, I came across a letter from someone who was a guest at the hotel I used to work at. We met when (the now-defunct) Mobikom had a roadshow and he was part of the team involved. They stayed for a few days and we just got to talking. I'm a friendly person, always up for a chat when the opportunity crops up. He was friendly and had that educated air about him. Even after he checked out, he called the hotel once or twice to chat with me. I was certainly flattered. It's funny, I don't recall replying to his first letter. I feel bad, eventhough when I was working shifts at the hotel, my energy was just too sapped to sit down and write a nice, long letter.

Some years ago, I read about his father. They had a surname that was uncommon, so that how I knew the man in the papers ('The Longest serving government servant in Malaysia') was his father. I still didn't write (after so many years, I'd feel insulted that someone only got back to me because a family member was in the papers myself). A few years after that, his father passed away. In the obits, I read that he had married.

In the letter, he wrote that I was a unique person...blah blah blah. Well, if he meant all he said and I actually replied...that could have been my name in the obits as well. I could have been married!

Hang on, what if I DID reply and he saw that my uniqueness bordered on semi-insanity and HE was the one who didn't write back? Hmmm... It's times like these that I wish I had a more reliable memory. *grin*

I read at Dina Zaman's blog that they are looking for Malaysian writers to contribute funny/humorous anecdotes to be published in a book. I've been wracking my brain for something funny. Alas! what seems to be funny to me isn't to someone else. One good thing is they want a maximum of two pages. I have one embarrassing yet funny moment, but I can't express in words how funny it was. And do I really want people to read what happened to me and a friend? It was an honest mistake, I suppose.

Did a sleeping position quiz, here are the results:

Find your own pose!

Since I am sleeping single, I don't think I'll need to worry about being the toboggan. It doesn't look at all comfortable.

I'm going to my uni in the morning. My request for an extension before repayment of my student loan was not accepted due to my uni not giving the right information in their letter, eventhough I clearly pointed out what was required. All they said was, "But this is the ONLY letter that we issue" and promptly shows me a letter of verification ("This letter is to verify that the aforementioned student is currently in her sixth semester", etc). Grrr!

Time for CSI. Bye and take care all!

Life of a caterpillar

2006-04-23T18:23:00.000+08:00

A few days ago...

...the caterpillar hid behind a leaf. But why?

Cue hornet/wasp. I saw it flying from leaf to leaf, like a SWAT team going from room to room looking for terrorists/criminals. This hornet/wasp flew off to other plants and still returned to this lime bush, looking for food. Now I know why I don't see the other caterpillars anymore.

The next day, after looking for the caterpillar for several minutes under the baking sun, I spotted it hiding almost the the base of the lime plant. And I thought it had been taken away by a hornet/wasp.

Yesterday...

...the caterpillar had attached itself to the stem of the lime plant. No more eating now. I blew at it and it moved a little.

Today...

Amazing how the caterpillar changed so drastically. No more eyes, no more legs or markings. I should have checked in on it last night, but we had guests for dinner and I didn't want to be seen as a crazy person intent on feeding mosquitoes at 10pm. I regret it now. And all this in less than 24 hours. I'm tempted to cut the branch this pupa is attached to and watch its progress. Unfortunately, cutting this branch would mean destroying two spiderwebs. I removed a leaf that was in the way to get a better shot, and then I realized the consequences of my actions. The pupa was in plain sight. So I just picked up the leaf I had pulled off and stuck it to a thorn.

I might post later. Til then, take care, all!

Golden

2006-04-23T00:07:00.000+08:00

Submission to PhotoFriday's 'Golden' theme. This is a shot of the prosperity symbol (on a Chinese New Year card). It's usually upside down so that prosperity will shower down onto the owner. When I first hung this over my room door, I got an 8-month lucky streak, winning at least one contest a month. And then I think the radio station websites 'banned' me (you can't win for 3 months). *grin*

Online chat with Ian Wright

2006-04-19T22:10:00.000+08:00

Earlier this evening, from 6:30pm until 8pm local time, I had the opportunity to participate in an online chat with Ian Wright, that GlobeTrekking traveller whom everybody loves. The chat was heavily moderated, but I managed to ask a few questions which he readily answered.

Tigrrr: Ian, have you or your crew ever been in a dangerous situation?
ianwright: Yeah sometimes. We nearly got beat up in Japan by some rockabillies for filming them.
ianwright: Which is a weird place to have trouble - it's probably the safest place I know.
ianwright: Then got hit by lava in Varanasu from a volcano which was erupting at the time.

Tigrrr: Ian, have you had encounters with over-enthusiastic fans on your travels before? With stalker-like behaviour?
ianwright: oh yeah ...
ianwright: I've had fans come up to me when we're filming who think they can talk to me while we're filming.
ianwright: My fave fan letter: Dear Ian, I'm a big fan. I don't care if you have a wife or girlfriend.
ianwright: Let's meet at Derbyshire station. See you there, Dimples.
ianwright: This woman sent me a picture, she looked like a fruitcake. I sold the letter to me mate for a tenner.
ianwright: I haven't seen him since.

Tigrrr: Do you watch your health, Ian? Do you eat vitamins and health supplements?
ianwright: I watch my health from afar.
ianwright: With a pint and cigarette in hand.
ianwright: I try and keep trim, I play football and cycle.
ianwright: If I started getting a big gut I'd start to worry.

Tigrrr: Ian, what's the most important lesson you've learnt during your travels?
ianwright: If you can travel then you're in the most unbelievably privileged position there is. Don't forget that!

*Update: Added the missing parts as the transcript is now available here. I edited his typos. *grin*
Hmmm, looks like I didn't save the other two questions (and I thought Ctrl+A selected all?). No matter, the chat transcript will be out soon enough. The two other questions from me were whether he and his crew got into dangerous situations (Yes, they almost got into trouble with some Japanese people for filming them and another time when they got hit by lava) and if he had encountered overenthusiastic fans, with stalker-like behaviour ("Oh yeah...", his favourite fan mail goes: "Dear Ian, I don't care if you have a wife or girlfriend, meet me at ..." Once, some girl sent him a letter and she was a fruitcake. He sold the letter to his friend for a "tenner" and he hasn't seen his friend since!).

Some interesting facts learnt during this chat:

He's been married for 10 years
He has children
His youngest loves to travel
He's writing a book
He doesn't meet or hang out with the other GlobeTrekkers because he's in the UK and they are in the US.

It was an enlightening encounter and with 60+ (edit: 80) chatters in there (most of whom had to leave in disappointment when they realized that they couldn't just chat freely and questions/declarations of love were rejected) Ian was constantly busy answering questions. Well, I'm glad I had four questions answered. Well, that's it from me.

Take care, all!

Some photos from days past

2006-04-19T02:07:00.000+08:00

Yes, I know it's been awhile. These two roses were from a floral arrangement (one of three) made by Mum for the church's Easter decorations. The lighting was terrible, which was why I decided to blur the pic above (except for the spot in the middle).

Here's another rose from the same arrangement. I sprayed water on it, but no thanks to the lighting and my lack of expertise, it just doesn't work. And I can't use Photoshop to save my life. *grin*

It rained heavily the other day, and before it stopped, I took my camera and an umbrella to see if I could find anything interesting. Most of the flowers had drowned under the deluge, and the only thing remotely interesting were a pair of snails. Since the smaller snail was crawling towards a pile of cat droppings, I decided not to snap the scene. I took this pic instead.

Moving on, I decided to look for the caterpillar. And I found it soon enough. It was on a wet leaf, looking all plump and juicy. Dad mentioned that it was a Bluebottle...and I'm sure he didn't mean a fly. I should bring out that Butterfly book and have a look. I blew at it and its red (I know they're not feelers) pointy things shot out once again. I took several pix of that (and surprisingly, they're not on this page. Oh well...they look exactly the same as in the other post).

I've been busy the past two days, trying to find those 'tube' images at www.mix.fm/05 (waah, so clever...a few seconds after I typed that out, it became a link!). They didn't say how many tubes were out there, but I managed to find more than 60. The first entry I submitted yesterday had 72 tubes in total. The second (and final) entry had more. The grand prize is an iPod mini and a hamper worth RM300. (Since it's 2am...I'll consider this still the 17th). So anyways, as I was double checking the links, my mobile phone rings next to me.

"Hello, I would like to talk to the person whose handle is 'Tigrrr' - T I G R R --"
"Yes, that's me."
"Congratulations! You won the (mind not paying attention) CD Of The Week (mind not paying attention) ... "You're Beautiful" (something something). May I have your name and contact details?"

Just then, my phone beeped once. I ignored it. I stated my name...then beep beep "...My battery --"

I hurriedly went out to where my Dad has the charger on the ready and plugged it in. Then I realized that it was off. I turned it on and I got a message waiting for me. I had a missed call.

I tried calling back and the Astro operator was none too pleased when I said, "I won a CD of The Week, but before I could give my details my battery died!"

"Ma'am, from which (something) is it from?"

How was I supposed to know? The guy didn't even introduce himself! I thought at the time that it was Mix.fm and so I said, "Mix.fm" and she put me through. There was no answer and I didn't leave a message. And then when I really thought about it...if I had won something from the site, they wouldn't call me for details and they sure wouldn't use my handle. That's when it hit me. I had answered a few SMS questions about a week or two before and the only thing they had was my number and handle. As the hours ticked by, I was sure I was going to kiss my prize goodbye. Then I remembered! I could go to Channel 16 (hitz.tv) and use their chat function to get back to those people. I sent in my query ("I just got a call saying I won a CD of the Week, but before I could give my details, my battery died. How? Did I lose my chance? Tq") and the person responding as Hitz replied that he/she would let them know and that they would make sure I got my prize. My phone's all charged up now. I'll make sure it's with me the whole time! I'll heave a sigh of relief when I get my prize. I think I entered three or four of those SMS contests. All I had to do was unscramble and text back the answer. I do recall one of the answers being 'George Michael'.

On a low note, I've been having trouble the past two days trying to log into my Yahoo account. This means that I can't access the Yahoo groups, Flickr, the 360 blog, Yahoo! Games and YM! Arrghhhh!!! I wonder why? Surely it's got nothing to do with the fact that I've installed Blue Frog, right? I'll keep my fingers crossed.

As for the Puzzler game and the other games at www.all4grabs.com, well, (I think it's because I asked the son of a family friend to sign up using my handle as referrer and he gave my handle to his fellow gamers at the site he usually plays at), I am currently #1 for Puzzler, Be Control and Indirection. He got 26 people to sign up with me! Whoa...

At first, I was puzzled (heh) when I saw the long list of 'friends'. Could it have been a conspiracy among the other players to bring me down (by signing up under me and using fake details so that I would be caught 'cheating')? Well, I did the first thing that came to mind. I reported it! I didn't want them to think I was cheating after my numerous (pesky) reports about the cheaters. And then when I realized that it could be Kevin's friends...I wrote another message to them. Thank goodness, they haven't done anything drastic. Phew. If all things stay the way they do until the 1st of May, then I will have won a RM500 Fasio hamper, a month's supply of Smoothies (RM268.50) and a month on the Detox programme (RM80) from Juice Works, a RM60 haircut from SA International Image Styling Creative Center, a two-month Home membership at Fitness First, and a starter pack for Xtion Paintball worth RM60 (for 2). If only I knew whether the vouchers were transferrable. I asked the all4grabs people and they didn't seem very sure. I asked the Fitness First people and they said that if the voucher was under my name, then it couldn't be transferred. Note to self: transferrable, transferable, transferrer, transferal, transferral, transferred, transferring - all acceptable.

Well, that's it from me. Take care, all!

Organ donation

2006-04-15T05:13:00.000+08:00

Ever since I read about the country's need for organ donors some years back, I wondered how I could get involved. Before, I couldn't find anything online. It wasn't until a few days ago that I read an article in the papers and they gave several links. I didn't take note of any of them, but I still found a site here. Just fill in the details, print the form, post it to the National Transplant Resource Centre and wait for your donor card. Easy! I chose for them to take everything. I'm sure some of my organs aren't suitable (three years of second-hand smoke exposure during my stint as a hotel receptionist), but I'll let them do all the worrying about that. I figure, why not give them all: kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, eyes, skin, and bones. It's not like I'll be needing them when I'm dead. Of course, I hope to go in such a way that the harvesting of my organs is possible. If I go via smoke inhalation/toxic fumes, I doubt that my organs would be useful.

Speaking of which, those suicidal Japanese really should find a better way to end it all. They are wasting all those organs. If they thought that they were worthless in life, they could have at least made a difference in death. What do they do? Burn charcoal in sealed minivans and cars.

Sorry for the morbid post. Well, it is close to Easter (not that I celebrate it). All that bit about death and stuff. *smiles* I am so religiously ignorant.

That's it for now. Take care, all!

p/s: The days are extremely hot and humid, and the thought of writing a post then is just unbearable! Ugh...

Update: Pearls Before Swine strip (22nd April 2006)

Return of the caterpillar

2006-04-12T18:19:00.000+08:00

I knew the caterpillar had to be around eventhough I hadn't seen it in weeks. Okay, perhaps this is another caterpillar that managed to evade the kerengga ants. It was happily minding its own business until I decided to blow at it. I thought it would crawl away, but...

WHOOSH! Well, maybe not whoosh, nor zing BUT suddenly, these two red feelers came out of nowhere (actually, it came out from the top of its head). Wow. Yesterday, I blew at it and there was some clear liquid secretion from the ends. Don't know what it does and I'm not prepared to find out.
I blew at it some more and it reared its ugly head up. (Darn, I wish I could show this to my elder sis, she's got a caterpillar phobia *evil grin*). It looks so big and juicy, doesn't it? I'm almost tempted to break off one of the thorns from the lime plant and poke at it. But the thought of touching it makes me all squeamish *gets all squeamy*.

When I stopped harassing it, the feelers went back into its head. I wish I knew what it'll turn out to be. One of those sissy little butterflies or a big moth? I bviously don't know enough about these things. We do have a big Butterfly encyclopedia, but they only displayed the butterflies, not the caterpillars. That reminds me. Last year, my sis prepared the hantaran for my brother's wedding and she decided to try making butterflies. Mum saw them and said that the wings were dodgy and they didn't look like real butterflies. And then she added, "I know what butterflies look like, I got a big butterfly book at home." Hehehehehe... Yup, you're not a certified butterfly expert unless you have an encyclopedia. *grin*

I have more pix from the past few days (not caterpillars). I'll update some time. It's just so hot and humid here and having the fan on in my room at full swing isn't helping much either. And for some strange reason, I don't like having cold showers. I'm sure most people from colder climes would stare in amazement at the shower heaters we have here. Why would we need hot showers in a hot country? Because cold showers are cold! *grin* Okay, I'll stop my rambling now. Dina, if you're reading this...I told you so! Me blogging about caterpillars...and I'm not even a ... *thinks* etymologist? *looks it up on Google* Oops, not right. Entomologist! An etymologist is "a linguist who focuses primarily on the origins of words". Whoopsie.

Take care, all!

By Jove, I think I've got it!

2006-04-09T00:51:00.000+08:00

I sent in three photos to Interfacelift yesterday evening and one of them was chosen. It was a very quick selection. Since the normal photos that I take are nothing to shout about (the keyboard, for example), I've come to realize that the only way to get my photo selected is to make sure that the subject is not available in the West. They chose my Papaya Leaves, and now they have chosen my Passionfruit flower pic! =)

I've been looking all over my garden for inspiration. I don't think they're into orchids much. And I'm not too sure what they'll think of a soursop fruit. I haven't submitted the soursop leaves (the one with the bright blue sky as the backdrop) because it might be perceived as a copycat shot of the oak leaf. Anyways, yaay for me. All that sacrificing my blood to the bloodthirsty mosquitoes was worth it. And my dad told me off for going there, where the mosquitoes are most concentrated.

That's it from me. To the browsers from Interfacelift, welcome. To the people from photofriday who might be curious enough to venture away from the submitted link, welcome. To my semi-regular readers, a bigger welcome for being so patient after several days of silence. =) Take care, all!

The Puzzler saga continues

2006-04-08T18:08:00.000+08:00

I'm still number 1 in the game after they removed that cheater's name from the list. Alas, they didn't ban him/her. Found the name back in the list at #8. There was a new player just 99,000 points behind. I'm sure this new player is related to the cheater. And my suspicious were confirmed when 'bixxy' shot up from #9 to #2 with the accumulation of almost 1million points. Considering that each game is 2 mins long, this player would have needed at least 33 hours to get to that level.

You bet that I promptly sent a message to those people maintaining the site. Why do they not have people to monitor suspicious activity? The only concern players should have is getting enough points to get a prize, not eeeping tabs on players who cheat. GRRR. If they want to make it quick and simple, they should just ban those cheaters' behinds. Why let them play when there's still a big possibility that they will keep cheating?

I will be keeping awake tonight to monitor their progress. I think the former leader is testing the waters with bixxy to see if their dubious activity is still being monitored.

Oh Thursday, I went to the new Employee Provident Fund (EPF/KWSP) building at Jalan Kemajuan (next to the Terengganu Trade Center) to get the PIN number to my i-akaun. It was a big, impressive building. We looked at the directory and I was a little confused as to which floor I was supposed to go to. I reread the e-mail printout and confirmed that it was at the main lobby at the ground floor. I approached the smiling woman at the counter and explained that I was there to get my PIN number, and she promptly pressed button B to give me my Queue ticket. We walked several paces to the other side and sat down. I looked at the queue number on display, then I looked at my ticket. I glanced at the "Now attending to: 2038" and then to my number (2039). I looked up and saw that my number was on the display. My dad said, "It's your turn." I looked at counter #4 and the woman there was smiling at me. Wow, that was really quick. Barely had time to warm my seat. I walked to the counter and she bade me a good afternoon. Now this is what I call SERVICE! I greeted in kind and told her that I was there to get my PIN. She left and returned with a big file. She crossed out my name and I signed a form to confirm that I had received it and I gave my right thumbprint as well. She gave me the ink and I did the thumbprinting myself. It was an impressive thumbprint, if I may say so myself. Very clear, no smudges.

In less than 5 minutes, I was out of the building! Now I wish I had more business to do at the KWSP office. *grin* There was no wait at all. There were so many counters open, around eight people waiting (it's possible that some of those people were just tagging along). I hope the building and the service doesn't deteriorate with time.

That's it from me. Take care all!

p/s: I signed up with Flickr. I'm considering using the Flickr page as the link to the weekly PhotoFriday challenges.

Organized

2006-04-08T04:35:00.000+08:00

Keyboard in the Evening 5
Originally uploaded by Tigrrr.

PhotoFriday entry for this week. Shot of the MS Natural Multimedia keyboard I won a few years back.

Boredom + power outage + magnifying glass = kerengga carnage!

2006-04-03T22:43:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the weird layout today. I'm not that bothered to correct it because I tried twice and that's enough. If it didn't take so darn long to upload the pic (my fault for not resizing), I would have righted it. Anyways, The power went out at 9:50am. I had time to shower and return to bed (only had 10 mins of lie-in time). Had breakfast and then took my camera out. On the way to the door, I got a hold of the old magnifying glass. Yes, I didn't have good intentions with that.

I walked to the mango tree that was to my left and noticed several kerengga ants crawling along with not a care in the world (well, one care - to gather food). I saw some patches of sunlight and started to focus the sun's rays on one hapless kerengga. It didn't know what hit it. Then another kerengga came to the rescue. It received the same treatment. At the end of it, I think I mortally wounded/critically injured up to 16 kerengga. Couldn't do more because it either got cloudy or the sun shifted enough for its rays to land on the leaves of the mango tree. So I moved to the wall and tried my luck killing the kerengga there. They moved too fast and there wasn't a constant supply of sunshine (blame the durian tree). So I started burning the letter 'S' on the dried durian trees.

My eyes were temporary 'blinded' by a yellow spot after all that. Had lunch just before 1pm and was supposed to accompany Mum to the library. One thing about this library is that they won't let you in without a library card. We used to be members, but since the shift from town to the outskirts, we let the membership expire. It got hot and I wasn't looking forward to getting dressed to go to the library. There are no new books (since the late 80s/early 90s) and I already read 'The Star' newspaper online. I would probably die of boredom there. I told Mum about changing my mind and she said that it wouldn't be worth the petrol if she went alone. So we all stayed in.

I lay down in my parents' bedroom floor because she had left the a/c on and the floor was very cool. I just let my back touch the floor and put my legs on the sheepskin rug. Too cold for the back of my legs. I think I might have slept. And then I went to sleep on the bed because Mum said it was cold there. Not true. Slept on a different area of the floor. Then it was 4pm and I decided that I had had enough of the cold, hard floor. I went to my room and lay on my bed. An hour later, the fan started to move. Yaay! I turned on my trusty laptop and went online.

About the two pix. Took the first several days ago and the second pic today. I love how the sky is so vividly blue in the first one. I had to kneel to get that photo and my hands were shaky.

I am still second in that game. I hope they do something about all that cheating happening. I shouldn't be the one monitoring the other players. I should be playing and enjoying myself. Grrr!

That's enough of my 'boring' day for you. Take care, all!

The Carrier Man Can...

2006-04-02T21:40:00.000+08:00

I remember hearing that tagline on the radio way back in the 80s. This is a shot of the back of the a/c unit. Don't know if this would have been a better shot for the 'Metallic' challenge at PhotoFriday. Oh well, I participate for the fun of it. I hope to be more 'adventurous' next time, leaving no stone unturned.

Another day of no electricity scheduled for tomorrow. Arrgh!! I think I'll try spending time on the floor of my bathroom. It's clean and dry (Mum says it's dusty, but I told her that dust is not a problem for me). So, the sweat starts from 9:30am and hopefully ends at 6pm (half-an-hour earlier than scheduled).

Played more Puzzler the other day and noticed that the names of the two players that had the fishy scores had been taken off the list of top scorers. That would have been #1 and #4. Last night, I was playing again and noticed the leader playing as well. After one 2-minute game (scores are supposed to increase by 500 or 1,000 points), I noticed that the leader gained 19,000 points! Well, you can bet that I contacted the all4grabs people. Don't know if they are going to take any action against this player. In my message to them, I said that I didn't like winning this way (by getting them banned) but it was unfair that they cheated while I played day and night like a crazy person. How do these people cheat? Well, someone told me that they get their friends to play under their account. That means there could be five or more people playing under one account and accumulating a crazy amount of points in no time at all. No, nobody is allowed to cheat while I'm playing. And don't think they can get by me. I REMEMBER scores. I remember that 'sengkok' has 423900 points and hasn't played for days/a week. *double-checks list* Yes, more proof that I can remember trivial things such as these. I really do need to get a boyfriend! *grin*

I got e-mail from the Mystery Shopping people yesterday and they reviewed my evaluation. They said it was a 'Very Good observation and evaluation'. Ahem. Alas, I don't think there are many assignments for a small town like mine. And there will be instances were I can't evaluate a site due to the fact that friends will be working there. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Take care all and here's a little pic I took today.

It's April Fool's Day

2006-04-01T16:48:00.000+08:00

And I haven't played any pranks (yet). Dad's still having his nap. I could barge in and say that one of his orchids fell down and broke. *evil chuckle* Should I?

Anyways, Simon says that I should have cleaned my doorknob. As we all know, whatever Simon says, we have to do. If Simon says hop, we hop. If we're playing that game anyway. And my game is, 'Simon wants a gf, but I'll find him one AFTER I get myself a bf'.

So, if any of you women who stray by this site see this, and you meet the requirements:
1) Preferably female (*evil chortle*)
2) Aged (...between 26 and 32 - hehehe)
3) Preferably living in the UK (close enough to Nottingham)
4) Doesn't mind his wandering eyes (by that I mean Nystigmus - the same condition that actor in Identity has)
5) Drives (as he can't due to his condition)
6) Not big-bosomed (Anna Nicole Smith/Tara Reid need not apply)
7) Smart and intelligent

If Simon reads this, I'll plead the APD (April Fools' Day) clause. Hey, at least I'm being proactive, am I not? Oh, I'm supposed to find a bf for myself first. Errm, well, if any interested women have elder brothers who are single and semi-good-looking, please leave your contact details in the comments section. *grin*

I was thinking that if anyone is interested in using my photos (as wallpaper, for instance) but don't like the annoying watermark on some of them, just let me know and I'll give you the photo/link to my Photobucket albums.

Well, I went to evaluate the bank in town on Thursday. And I thank my lucky stars that I wrote down the checklist in my notebook (printed questionnaire can't be taken along to the location), because when my Dad and I entered the bank (at a supposedly peak period between noon and 2pm), there were no queue ticketing machines and only two customers waiting in line. So while I waited, I got my Dad to check the premises. Arrived at 12:50pm, and we left at 1:15pm - after meeting with the assistant marketing officer. Pretended to be interested in their unit trust funds. Dad experienced a furniture malfunction just before we ended the meeting. His seat dropped in 'altitude' very rapidly, and as I saw him in the corner of my eye, I was wondering why he suddenly looked so short. Hehehehe...oh, speaking of Dad, he's woken up. Darn.

That's it from me. Take care, all! By the way, before I could submit this to Interfacelift, somebody sent in something similar. Grrr...

Metallic

2006-03-31T15:00:00.000+08:00

Second submission to PhotoFriday. My first intentionally b&w photo. Too lazy to venture any further than my room door, so I took a pic of the doorknob! =) Still looks shiny and metallic-y. Hope no one has taken any doorknob pix yet. Then again, if they did, they've probably have done a better job. The other three pix were blurry. Happy photosurfing, PhotoFriday-ers!

We now continue with regular programming...

First day of the power outage

2006-03-29T22:28:00.000+08:00

First off, this was one of the rejected submissions to Interfacelift. Due to the fact that:

a) I don't really know how to use Photoshop and
b) had a lousy background that showed a dim coffeetable (with lacy tablecloth),
I made it all black and I forget what that function in PS was. Was it 'Find Edges'?

Anyways, as I mentioned before, the power outage was scheduled today. The alarm woke me up at 9:01am (must have been sleeping through a minute of Annie Lennox's "No More I Love You's") but I lingered until 9:20am. I remembered that the last time they said 9:30am, they did it at 11am. But I still dragged myself out of bed to shower (with the heater on - yes, hot humid country and I'm using the heater?? Well, a cold shower is just too cold. I suffered when I was staying at the hostel) and had I woken up a minute earlier, I wouldn't have washed my face with cold water. Well, at least it was just my face. =)

Well, from 9:35am - 5pm, it was just hell. I took some photos in the garden, fed some mosquitoes. Oh yes! I checked out the lime plant and the aphids are GONE! Saw many ladybird larvae making their rounds. If the lime plant was a town in a Western, the ladybird larvae are the Cavalry! Blue uniforms and hats, riding on horses kicking up a dust storm.

Lay on the floor after lunch, but the floor was too hard. Decided to try knitting again. Got confused with all the different kinds of casting on. Found one I could do. I am still halfway through the first row. Hehehe...

At 5pm, followed Mum to town. Checked out the bank I am to visit tomorrow. Mum parked in the parking lot of the wrong bank (the intended location was just across the street). Snooped around the outside. People were using the ATM, so I couldn't check to see if the screen was dusty, etc. Went to two stores after that and returned home at 6:40pm. Figured we'd watch the American Idol repeat at 8pm. Dad said the electricity came back on by 6pm.

Before leaving the house, spotted a big spider on the wall. Took out my trusty Kodak and snapped.

To Alex who left comments. They don't show 'The Sopranos' here. And the only shows I try to get recent episodes of are 'Ghost Whisperer' and 'Lost'. Hence my missing the reference to the show.

To the many people from PhotoFriday (though I doubt they go any further than the Smooth link), thank you for checking the pic out. I hope it wasn't a waste of your visit.

To the visitors from Interfacelift, thank you for checking out this site. Two people have left positive comments about my submission, so Yaay! And I was telling myself, "Better no comments than negative comments!" I have to remind myself that most people to Interfacelift don't have Papaya plants/trees growing in their gardens. The Papaya's leaf structure is unusual for them. Hmmm...what other things would be unusual for Interfacelift?

Wish me luck tomorrow at the bank! I hope I don't mess things up and forget what I'm supposed to do. Note to self: Must check drains in front of premises. *g*

Take care, all!

They chose my Papaya Leaves!

2006-03-28T13:54:00.000+08:00

Well, I was checking my sitemeter stats and noticed a referral from Interfacelift.com. I thought, "Yeah, like someone would look through the profiles of all those who joined - unless..." Yes! They finally chose one of my 10-plus submissions! I didn't change the lighting or anything. I sent four submissions in the past few days and the papaya leaf pic was sent in last night. I was getting disheartened by the day. I thought that because preference was being given to those who also submitted the 1680 x 1050 resolution, I'd never be picked.

I was also slightly ticked off when other people sent in images that just had something drawn smack dab in the middle of the picture and they were chosen. Well, my faith has been restored. I just need to find some really good pix in my collection of blurry, overexposed, underexposed, ill-composed shots. Yaay anyway. Donating my blood to the mosquitoes (and squishing a rotten wax apple underfoot while taking this pic) was well worth it.

I bet if I told my parents about this, they'd ask if I'll get paid. Tsk...it's the recognition, the feeling of accomplishment, that I'm actually doing something right. Heh...yeah, I'll stop now before this all goes into my head. Might just be a fluke (slow night at Interfacelift).

Take care, y'all!

p/s: If you want this Papaya Leaves shot as your wallpaper, please go to the interfacelift site. You can choose the best resolution and also give a rating kot (perhaps). :)

Update: Just told my Mum, and she asked if I'd get any money for it. I know them too well.

Heh

2006-03-28T01:04:00.000+08:00

I took this pic on the 24th. I took a lot of shots, mostly blurry but that was because there were so many mosquitoes back there. It's near the septic tanks and I'm sure it's mosquito city in there. Anyways, after clicking away at the two love birds I told Dad what I had done and showed him the pix. First thing he said was, "Ladybird porn!" Hehehe...

Must be the season for ladybirds. I saw many in the chilli bush and I had hoped that some would turn up on the lime bush because I saw many aphids wiggling their little behinds as they sucked on the new shoots. But instead of attacking the aphids, these two had other things in mind. Hmmm... Or perhaps, on seeing the ample food supply, they decided to make babies so that their little offspring could have a feast after they hatched.

Am over 200 games behind. Oh well. I'm just making her work for first place. *evil grin*

Whoa...

2006-03-27T21:03:00.000+08:00

Seventeen hits from PhotoFriday! Maybe I should have cropped that pic. It doesn't look as nice when it's small like that.

Currently #2 in the game with almost 200 games between me and #1. I'm not that obsessed anymore. The best thing about being #2 is that I have a target to aim for. Being #1, you just don't know how many times you have to play to stay on top. And another thing - two more days of power outages scheduled for this week. No use building a lead to find it crumbled by the time I get online again.

Here's a little quiz I did today.

Your lucky charm is a Scarab!

What's Your Lucky Charm?

Brought to you by Tickle

I took quite a few pix today as there was a thunderstorm last night and the leaves were still laden with raindrops.

Ugh, I have to memorize a questionnaire for my first assignment as a 'Mystery Shopper'. Why did it have to be a bank? I mean, one that I've never been to?

My phobia is entering the premises at a supposedly peak time (12noon to 2pm) and seeing no other customer there. Taking a queue ticket would look tons suspicious, if you ask me. And how would I be able to find the time (and be inconspicuous) to check out the brochures and cleanliness, etc? Wish I could take pix of the premises and I wouldn't have to memorize those parts of the questionnaire. Unfortunately, taking pix is not allowed (well, they might think I was planning a heist). Then again, that bank has got to be the most unpopular bank in town. It's nowhere near where all the major banks are and on the roof is a swiftlet hotel. They play swiftlet calls 24/7 to entice the birds to nest there and then collect the nests to sell for profit. Think birds' nest soup. Quite yummy, really. Yes, I am aware that it's nothing but feathers and bird spit. *grin*

Take care, all.

Update: The countries I've visited (stepping down at the airport during transit counts too, right? *grin*).

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

Smooth

2006-03-27T17:27:00.000+08:00

First submission to Photofriday.com.

Current status

2006-03-26T22:22:00.000+08:00

Position as at 10:22pm: #1. Leading by 50,000 points (50 good games, 100 not so good games). Aching back: check. painful elbows: check. (As Laptop is on bed, I either lay on my stomach and prop on my elbows to play, or hunch down and prop elbows on thighs).

It'll only take between 100 and 200 minutes before #2 catches up to me. Been playing constantly, and now the game board doesn't look skewed, it's totally different now. It sure is alarming how my mind plays tricks on me. Anyways, I think I'll play until 3am, and then let #2 play all night while I sleep. I can always catch up in the daytime.

Ugh, why does this game have to end only on the 1st of May? Oh yes, I didn't win the Nokia 6111. The darn notice on the site said that the winners would be announced on the 21st, but didn't update until the 24th!! Boo!

In case I missed anybody...

http://www.all4grabs.com/preview/join-member.php

Register at all4grabs.com and put 'Tigrrr' as your referrer. :) Malaysians only.

Take care, all. I'm off to widen the gap between #1 and #2.

Thank you

2006-03-22T05:12:00.000+08:00

I don't know if the person who put me as their referrer yesterday came from this site, the forum, or the bulletin on Friendster. Either way, I'd like to show my gratitude by saying a HUGE thank you. In fact, I have half a mind to send something over to the person involved. I might be second, but every little bit counts.

As soon as my score increased, it prompted the leader to play a lot more. *evil grin* Perhaps I shouldn't play at all. A pretense at 'giving up'. But I do fret that it will give the leader more time to increase her lead.

And in other news, because I get referral points for the other games as well (eventhough I don't play them at all), I might be in the running for a 3-day membership at Fitness First (which I doubt has an outlet in my small town). I know I'm not going to travel all the way to KL for a three-day fitness programme. Anyways, my first friend to sign up has claimed first dibs on that if I get it. Thank you, Hidayah for signing up without hesitation.

There's also one game where they're giving away RM60 haircuts to the top 20 players. Again, I'd have to travel to have that done. The three sample photos show hair dyed blonde....hmmm, that's a tad too extreme for my tastes. Well, no worries, as most of these games end on the 1st of May. A lot could happen. I could get 45 people to sign up and totally demolish the current leader. Hmmm...

That's it for now. Need to get up early to have my shower before the power goes out, though my waking up at 9:20am this morning saw the power going out only at 11am! Tsk! At least the power went back up at 6pm, 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. If it's the same tomorrow, I'd be able to watch American Idol live. *grin*

No power

2006-03-21T01:39:00.000+08:00

Yes, I accidentally deleted all my text and pix when I highlighted all and tried to justify. Arrghh! Too bad, I'm not going to post what I erased, as I can't remember everything (post-Puzzler numbness). Took these two pix some days ago. I was thinking of sending the pic of the Periwinkle to Interfacelift, but on second thought, I don't think it can cut it as wallpaper. Ugh...I take pix and they don't turn out as well as I'd hoped. I guess I'll have to keep clicking away. There should be a gem one day.

About the 'No Power' heading. I finally read the piece of paper that had been laying on the coffeetable for days. It was a notice from the power company (Tenaga Nasional Berhad - TNB), stating that there would be a power outage from the 21st to the 22nd of March 2006 between 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Perhaps it was good that I decided to stop obsessing about Puzzler, or I would be bouncing off the walls out of frustration. Perhaps if I'm lucky, the leader's PC will fizzle out and die an agonising death and they wouldn't be able to fix it until after the game ends. *evil grin* And that's not even the worst that I can think of - think fatal bout of bird flu! *evil grin coupled with maniacal laugh*

That's what playing Puzzler 24/7 will do to you.

Ugh, how will I find out if I won the phone? Wonder if they'll publish the results before 9:30am.

Bye all, and keep your fingers and toes crossed for me (if you can't register at all4grabs.com).

Ugh

2006-03-20T20:20:00.000+08:00

You know you've played way too much Puzzler (in the hopes of getting/staying #1) when:
1) The game "board" doesn't look square anymore, but skewed.
2) You forget what you're supposed to do to earn points (6 a.m. is the time of confusion).
3) You count the gap between #1 and #2 by the number of games (110 good games, or 220 bad games) needed to catch up.
4) You start wondering if your opponent has a life, if they can keep playing.

I know I don't have a life, but after a week of constant playing day, night and morning...I think I'm having a Puzzler overload. Perhaps being #2 is a better spot because I have a target to achieve. When you're #1, you don't know when to stop.

Perhaps my opponent thinks that he's hit my psychological barrier where seeing his lead will make me not try as hard. I do want to, but I need a little break from all that clicking. I wish I had a substitute to take my place and when they are done, I can play again.

It's too bad I don't have many supportive friends. I need about 100 more friends to get well ahead of the competition. Darn, why did this game have to last until the 1st of May? Dare I hope that my opponent will somehow get a life (school/work/college/kindergarten) before then and I will be able to rise once again?

I really miss those times when he was leading and he stopped playing. And he was 20,000 points ahead. That's 20 good games, or 4 referral points.

If you're Malaysian with an I/C number, could you please be a dear and sign up here: http://www.all4grabs.com/preview/join-member.php , then put 'Tigrrr' as your referrer. Thank you, your help will greatly help my tired mind, which is desperate for a good night's sleep. Today is the first time in a week that I haven't put my laptop out and played while sitting in a chair (I get a terrible backache doing that).

I chatted with Ty two mornings ago. I think it was for an hour before I had to surrender to the Gods of Slumber. When I commented that he didn't send me e-mails anymore, he said that he thought I wouldn't appreciate getting them from him any more. Hmmm, am I supposed to react that way? What did he really do that he thinks that I should? Anyway, it brought back memories when I looked out the window and it was dawn.

That's all from me. Take care, all!

If I win a Nokia 6111 tomorrow, I'll stop playing Puzzler. I seem to have forgotten that the prize is an RM500 Fasio hamper. *does a google for Fasio* Ohh...it's cosmetics from Kose. Hmmm...

Grrrr

2006-03-18T01:45:00.000+08:00

I had posted this earlier and after noticing that my spider post was the only one up...grrr!

I am currently #1 in the Puzzler game (the thing that has been keeping me away and obsessed for the past five days). I turned down an invite to someone's birthday get-together (a family friend and my parents went without me) just so I could stay to play and attempt to overtake the leader. I have no regrets, as I managed to get a 21 (good) game lead ahead of the former leader by the time he showed up last night. He played eight good games to earn 1,079,000 total points while I had 1,101,000+ points before the site went down due to the server exceeding its bandwidth limit. Don't know when it'll be back up. To my advantage, I'm available in the daytime to check and play if it's okay. It's too bad that the whole site is down, I could have made some referrals and earned 5,000 points for each new signup.

Well, since it was down, I decided to go feed the mosquitoes. Pic #1 is of an anthurium. I don't like it much because it looks waxy/plasticky/fake, and that protrusion is not only rude but pointy. You could poke an eye out with that! *grin*

Pic #3 is of our durian trees. There's a smaller/skinnier tree behind the main tree. If you looked properly, you can see a thin strip to the right of the big tree. The second tree was planted too closely, so there are no branches near the bigger tree. For years, the tree has produced flowers. And for years, the pesky birds would peck at the flowers and cause them to fall to the ground. No flowers = no durians. :(

Pic #4 is of our mango tree at the side of the house. The scene of the spiky caterpillar massacre some weeks ago. Mum wraps the developing mangoes with newspaper to prevent the fruitflies and other nasty insects from depositing their eggs in them.

A cluster of Hoya flowers. The big leaf next to it belongs to the anthurium. I couldn't focus properly because I was using a finger to lift a Hoya leaf that was partly obscuring the flowers.

Had time to go to the back of the house and check up on the stink bug. The little critters have hatched! They were scurrying along like little ants. So cute! Wish I knew where they went to after that. Usually, they disperse after hatching.

That's it from me. Take care, all! Have a great weekend!

The two spiders

2006-03-18T01:33:00.000+08:00

Aren't they beauties? I wouldn't touch the bigger spider (I've not sure if it bites, but it acts pretty panicky when approached - on second thought, it was well behaved when I took the series of shots), but the jumping spider is harmless (except to small insects).

still playing that game

2006-03-14T18:43:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am still alive. But barely. However, I am now #2 in the rankings and my scheme to pad my score just enough to deter #3 from thinking of catching up (so far) has succeeded. She'd have to play 300 games to get to my level. Or she could just sign 10 people up. I hope she doesn't have a busload of volunteers who would be happy to sign up. Still can't help wonder if it's dogged determination or plain ol' "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" that's keeping me awake, playing this game til my eyes stopped focusing.

Did a cute little quiz (I was hoping I'd be a polar bear cub).

You Are A: Duckling!

The cutest of the cute, these baby ducks are often spotted in the spring following closely behind their mother. As a duckling you will grow up quickly, becoming one of the adult ducks seen commonly in ponds and streams. Playful and timid, charming and vulnerable, ducklings are nature's very definition of innocence.

You were almost a: Frog or a Duck
You are least like a: Groundhog or a Monkey What Cute Animal Are You?

That's all for now. I'll let you know in May (when the game expires) if I won anything. Please be patient with the updates. Take care all.

Clues to my personality

2006-03-11T16:50:00.000+08:00

Encouraging Builder

My Personal Dna Report

I cycled for the first time yesterday since leaving campus in May 2005. I had a mission. To find out about a new residential area near my neighbourhood. I took my camera, it's easier than writing it all down. If anyone's interested...

Oh, it's in Malay. The heading says, "Alamanda Garden/Park III", second line: "(Cemetery Street, adjacent to the Islam Foundation Kindergarten). In green: "Under Construction". Highlighted in red: "Now Open For Reservations". Two telephone numbers in blue: 09 6222214 & 09 6227399. Splotch of red: "Phase 2". After taking two pix of the banner, I turned to my left and took a shot of the completed houses (Phase 1). This was around 6:45pm. Sun was setting.

I rediscovered a local games site yesterday and I'm now hooked on Puzzler. I hit the top 20 with 74300 points (18th) yesterday and I am now currently 6th. Only a few games to go before I hit 5th. Unfortunately the leader has 822000 points and he/she is still playing the game to add those points. The second player has 454700 points. I don't see why the leader has to keep on submitting his scores. Arrghhh. I'm sure he's referred many people which explains the high position he/she has. I don't think I'll be taking a lot of pix while I'm trying to win myself RM500 worth of cosmetic products. *grin* Well, it's off to play Puzzler again.

Bye and take care!

Found a hilarious website

2006-03-09T15:35:00.000+08:00

It's called BBspot and it was a link left in a forum thread about Vista's six versions. Click here to check it out.

Found a link to some quizzes as well. As you can see it's quite IT-laden.

Which File Extension are You?

Which Nigerian spammer are You?

Which OS are You?

Well, it's only 4pm...I'm feeling a little sleepy. I think I'll try a little snooze, before 'American Idol' starts at 6pm. =) My favourite is Kellie Pickler.

Wednesday is TV day

2006-03-09T02:05:00.000+08:00

I took these shots on Tuesday. I used the setting sun again. I also tried the flash too in some of the pix. Used Picasa to darken the shadows as you could see part of the furniture in the background. Didn't go around the garden much.

Anyway, Wednesday was TV day. Watched 'American Idol' at 6pm, followed by the news, then dinner and at 9pm was 'The Amazing Race 9'. That was followed by 'CSI'. Turned off TV after that.

Heard Dad give a "Boo!" and Mum screaming soon after. Dad just relishes doing that. Yet, when I try that on him, he says I'm scheming to kill him. Ha.

That's all from me today. Take care, all! =)

More orchids

2006-03-06T23:40:00.000+08:00

This was taken before I broke the stem by accident. I was carrying the pot containing the orchid all over the garden, trying to get a good shot of the flower and the sky. The sky was a lovely shade of blue and no thanks to the pot and the lack of a proper surface to place the aforementioned pot, I couldn't take that shot. The places where I could hang the pot always seemed to have a piece of sky that also had telephone wires, the tops of trees, roofs, metal poles, fingers, etc. It was darn frustrating! (I used the magic of Photoshop to remove the tops of trees, and the wire holder of the pot for the shot above.) As I was walking around, I dangled my trusty camera on my right arm, while carrying the pot with the wire holder (this means that the pot was low to the ground and my camera was at about the same height as the orchid). As I was hanging the pot, I noticed that the stem bearing the orchid wasn't in its usual position. I panicked! What to do?

Well, there was nothing I COULD do, since it was already broken. So I hung the pot back among the other hanging pots and held the flower with one hand and camera in the other. Problem solved. *grin* Unfortunately, the stem was too short and I risked having part of my finger in the shot. I clicked away at every possible angle (well, not really), right arm outstretched, head looking up. I have to say that after that clicking session, my head felt slightly woozy.

Note: The caterpillar that I took a photo of last Sunday (March 5th) is NOT the same caterpillar as the one taken on Wednesday (March 1st). I went out in the morning and spotted three caterpillars in various sizes. Unfortunately, Mum cut down the banana plant and the kerengga travelled to the lime bush from there, seeking food. The caterpillars were fine in the morning, but by evening, I spotted one caterpillar being pulled by the kerengga. I tried helping the caterpillar by blowing at the ants, but only two ants lost their grip. The remaining ant still had the hapless caterpillar in its jaws. The other smaller caterpillar was safe on another leaf. I could not spot the bigger caterpillar anywhere. It could have been hiding amongst the banana leaves that covered part of the lime bush.

Thank goodness!

2006-03-06T19:16:00.000+08:00

Thank goodness, I've found a way to post multiple photos! Rejoice! Anyways, I was frustrated today because I couldn't position the flowers the way I wanted them. And I couldn't get a good shot of the sky as the backdrop.

I was trying my best to hide the wall in the background. Oh yes, you can see part of my finger bending the stem of the flower.

If I brightened this up a little, would it look good enough to be wallpaper? Or is the background too *yawn* distracting? Excuse my yawn. I woke up at 7:20am. And did I go see the person I was supposed to see? No.

Which one?

2006-03-06T19:09:00.000+08:00

I was so snap happy today, I took 75 shots! As you can see, most of it was of the same thing. I have more. Which one looks the best? I want to submit one to that interfacelift site. Which looks best as wallpaper?

Just after one day...

2006-03-05T23:37:00.000+08:00

...of constant eating, the caterpillar has grown in size. I doubt if the stink bug kiddies could tackle this caterpillar now.

A steady hand

2006-03-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

Decided to suspend the pot with my left hand, and snap with my right hand, carefully positioning the camera so that some dead leaves wouldn't be in the frame. I'd say this was my best shot for today.

Bicycle tyres

2006-03-05T23:21:00.000+08:00

As I said before, flower is lovely, the background just ruins the pic. Why did I not call my Dad to hold it for me? I'll try tomorrow. Wait for the setting sun's golden glow before I venture out and feed the mosquitoes. No, I don't know why the leaves have been cut like that. It's possible that an insect did that.

Using the rays of the setting sun

2006-03-05T19:49:00.000+08:00

Yesterday was a state public holiday, so I'll be seeing that manager tomorrow morning (hopefully it's after lunch because I want to watch the Oscars!). Anyways, I decided to feed some mosquitoes today. I was clicking away at the phalaenopses, but the lighting wasn't great. Too dark. Then, I spotted this lovely maroon orchid. Don't know the name, but it sure has a lovely shade of maroon. I had to suspend the pot using the branches of the anona plant just so I could use the setting sun to my benefit. Unfortunately, the background leaves much to be desired. I have more shots, but they too were marred by the background - bicycle tyres, the rear wheel of Dad's car, etc.

No updates til Sunday

2006-03-03T02:47:00.000+08:00

Sorry for the inconvenience. I have to get my certs, resume, etc in order by Sunday. It's been awhile since I wrote a 'real' one (as opposed to the one I had to write for an English assignment).

Didn't take any photos today because the sky was cloudy. I did go around the garden, visiting the usual spots. The little stink bugs have disappeared, leaving just the empty eggs. The other two adult stink bugs are still guarding their eggs.

Oh yes, I redeemed points from this loyalty program (I had less than 600 points expiring within the next four months) and ordered a sandwich maker last week. It arrived this morning. Mum burst into my room around 10am and told me to sign my name, write my name and id number down on two pieces of paper and I was, "Huh? Wha..?" As soon as I was done, she disappeared and reappeared five minutes later with the package. My Cornell Sandwich Maker. I had discussed with Mum about getting it and she said that it was a better choice, compared to the other items available. It cost 4900 points. Yes, they are clever. Don't offer anything nice for less than 2000 points. Who needs a pen? Who wants to wait for ages to redeem a RM10 shopping voucher? I went through that once, not going to do it again. Perhaps I happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I gave the voucher to my Sis for her to use, since she was the one who accumulated the points for me. There's not many establishments involved in this program in my town, which is why my card is with her. Anyway, I haven't seasoned the sandwich maker yet. I understand that I have to preheat it first before seasoning (brushing vegetable oil to the non-stick surfaces). I can't wait to use it. =) The enclosed pamphlet gave some wonderful recipes to try, and I'm happy to say that the English used was excellent. None of that "Water touch is very danger. Be with it care."

That's it from me tonight. Take care and stay well. =)

Something interesting

2006-03-02T04:27:00.000+08:00

I was over at Karen's site and found an interesting link: Interactive Johari Window. I do realize that 99% of the people who reach this page don't know me personally, so I am not expecting people to participate or get it right. Or maybe you can just choose some nice characteristics to get in my good books. Tee hee hee.

I'm off to sleep now. Take care, all! =)

That orchid again

2006-03-01T23:29:00.000+08:00

The other earlier flowers had wilted and these were the last two to bloom. You can see one fruitfly on the front of the petal and the silhouette of another two (or is there a third fruitfly on back of the lower petal as well?) at the back. There's another plant located under one of the durian trees in the garden.

That's it from me today. Take care, all! =)

Orchid shot 1 for today

2006-03-01T22:37:00.000+08:00

I really should start moving the flowers into the sun instead of snapping pix of them where they are (in the shade). I'll do it tomorrow. And if I get up early enough, it won't be as hot as the noon-day sun.

Last shot from yesterday

2006-03-01T18:00:00.000+08:00

In the papers today was an article about how bugs taste. And according to sources, the flesh and entrails of the grasshopper taste like prawn. Ewww, I don't like prawns. Anyways, my Mum said today that it would be interesting to try to fry one. I told her about the grasshopper I found yesterday, hiding amond the Pandanus leaves. Hmmm, if it eats pandanus leaves, it should taste slightly better, wouldn't you think? The grasshopper has made the biggest mistake of its life!

How serious was my Mum? I have no idea. Hehehe...anyway, they say that smaller fried grasshoppers taste like fried anchovies. :D

Butterfly pea flower, with pea pod

2006-03-01T17:53:00.000+08:00

I totally didn't notice the pea pod on the right when I took this shot. I'm glad I got it in its entirety. Not cut off...it even looks like the inclusion was intentional. Hehehe..

Butterfly

2006-03-01T17:48:00.000+08:00

Butterfly with tattered wings. I cropped out the parts that were hanging by a thread. The only butterfly yesterday that wasn't hyper and actually stopped to land on a leaf/flower.

Orchid shot 5

2006-03-01T17:46:00.000+08:00

Orchid shot 4

2006-03-01T17:43:00.000+08:00

Orchid shot 3

2006-03-01T17:41:00.000+08:00

Orchid shot 2

2006-03-01T17:36:00.000+08:00

Orchid shot 1

2006-03-01T17:33:00.000+08:00

New shoots from an old stump

2006-03-01T17:16:00.000+08:00

Taken the same day that as the caterpillar shots. I'll post the rest today as well as the ones I took today.

An offer too good to resist!

2006-03-01T04:02:00.000+08:00

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[It has come to our attention that several products claiming to be from BirdPoo Inc. have surfaced in the market. Please be aware that only BirdPoo Inc. products bearing the BirdPoo Inc. quality hologram are authentic and safe for use/consumption.]

ORDER CATERPILLARSTENICS®© TODAY TO RECEIVE A BONUS DVD OF LOST SEASON 1!

BirdPoo Inc. is happy to share with you today, five free steps from the 200-step program now available worldwide. Potential customers who are interested to try these steps are under NO obligation to order the full 200-step CATERPILLARSTENICS®© program. However, do note that the efficacy of the CATERPILLARSTENICS®© program relies on having all 200-steps done in proper sequence.

*terms and conditions apply. Refund and additional 15% payable only to next of kin who speak only Gaelic, and not Welsh or English.

Only $250.

Step 1

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Arch back to 90° angle. Be sure to bend at the point where the darker part of the body meets the lighter part. As you reach the position, look down at shrinking shadow. Make silly animal shapes with head. Imagine butterfly wings flapping on both sides of body.

Step 2

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Wait for the wind to blow the banana leaf overhead for some shade. Too much sun causes wrinkles and makes skin leathery. Contemplate cleaning leaf of fecal matter, as a clean leaf denotes a clean body and mind.

Step 3

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When you can't bend any further, start counting to 108. Think how yummylicious Sawyer's body is as compared to Hurley's. We do not want to have Hurley's body. Feel the burn! Do this exercise at noon for best results.

Step 4

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When your caterpillar back can no longer hold the upright position, slowly bring upper body down towards leaf. You may slowly exhale at this point.

Step 5

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Commence crawling on leaf and pretending to be bird doo-doo.

Along came a beetle

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I spotted this beetle in the grass in the hot noon sun. It was struggling with the tall, spiky grass, not really getting anywhere. I would have stayed to see its progress, but the sun was getting too hot.

The photo that I had wanted to take

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Just for the record, I had first planned to wake up at 6am. But I checked Yahoo Weather to see what time was the sunrise and it wasn't going to be until 7:20am. So I reset the two alarms. Funnily enough, my brain decided to tell my eyes to open at 6am SHARP. I scare myself sometimes with my abilities. If only I knew how to harness my brain power, imagine the things I could accomplish!! *grin*

I went back to sleep until 7:10am. I looked out my window and saw that it was cloudy. It was back to bed for me. =) By the time I went out into the garden at 11:30am, the little fern was under the shade of the durian tree. I need to use the powers of Photoshop to enhance this pic.