What's news?

Try this!

2010-11-25T02:16:00.000-08:00

I was bored and started browsing through my sister's blog, when i found this!
http://kevan.org/jh/alycia+lim

it's pretty interesting, so do click on it and see which words you associate me with. :D

My earrings are online!

2010-07-20T08:53:00.001-07:00

They're finally up! check them out at http://wardrobespices.blogspot.com.

What's a rubbish bin?

2010-07-13T10:30:00.001-07:00

I was driving home after having a good night out with my friends, when I stopped at a traffic light. Not long after that, another car stopped next to me, and when I turned to look, I felt strange, as the driver and his girlfriend gave me a look as if something was wrong. I thought it was my car headlights, so I checked. They were on.
Before I knew it, the driver in the next car opened his car door, and conveniently dropped a string of prayer flowers (taken from around his rearview mirror) on the road.
Furious, I honked at the driver, and when the two of them looked up at me, I pointed at the flower, indicating they were littering (if they didn't already know) and told them to pick it up.
They did nothing but stare at me, with the cheek to look annoyed, as if I was in the wrong.
Alas, the lights turned green, and we took off. The string of flowers were left on the road either for the cleaners to pick up, or more likely, for the next car to roll over it and smear the flower bits onto the road.
Shocking as it may sound, such incidences are not uncommon. I've seen rojak plastic bags being dumped from the car in the middle of daylight with twenty other cars surrounding it, and garbage bags left inside parking lots.
This guy was in his mid twenties.
The next generation of people who will spearhead the country, the generation of supposed "intellectuals" who complain about the government, and the same generation whose children will suffer the consequences of their actions.
Indeed, whether they admit it or not, many Malaysians still live with the mentality of a third world country.
The guy could do it in front of his girlfriend, who not only allowed for it to happen, but was even on his side when he was confronted. What then, would they teach their children?
The irony of it all, it wasn't really rubbish he was littering. It was religious flowers used for prayer. Surely, his god wouldn't know.

Newfound love

2010-07-13T04:12:00.000-07:00

If you liked fairytales as a child, this is one series you should not miss out on.

Puppy love entwined with the magical world, Laurel is forced to choose between two worlds. To make things more exciting, a movie on Wings will be coming out soon! So grab hold of these books and don't forget to share. Pass it round, as it will be a good read for any teenager and anyone past that stage.

Happy Birthday Deric ko!

2010-07-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Thanks for coming all the way to my office to have lunch together! Had a great time despite the weird pumpkin soup. :P

Just an optical Illusion

2010-07-07T00:40:00.000-07:00

Apparently the editor of The Economist has decided to give in to aesthetic priorities. Or was it really that simple?

http://pdnedu.blogs.com/pdn_pulse/2010/07/the-economist-alters-news-photo-for-cover-layout.html

Gone were the days where journalism ethics are kept in place. Working magic in images with only a few clicks of a mouse, a picture sure speaks a thousand words. The question is, are the words genuine? If The Economist can get away with something like that, it's scary to think what other publications are doing.

mobile blogging

2010-07-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

so i was thinking.. im always too lazy to turn on my laptop at the end of the day just to put in a blog entry.. then a lightbulb moment came. i can actually do it from my phone! so here we go. im finally taking mobile internet to the next level. hah. I just know someone is going to say "Ive been doing it for the past 3 years." Save it. I dont care.

My new pets!

2010-07-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

It's been a year and a half ago since my last blog entry.

Anyway, today I went to my cousin Michelle's school for a fair, and I won these two fishies!

Have been wanting some pet fishes for a while now, today was a good 'excuse' to get them.. after all, I won them. ;)

the birthday princess

2009-01-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

Today I attended a friend's daughter's first birthday party. She wore this really pretty tiara! what a magical night for her!

Owh so pretty!

2009-01-16T06:56:00.001-08:00

The past two weeks have been pretty hectic for me, bouncing up and down, here and there getting random chores done... nevertheless, I guess I should be glad for the fact that I still get my breaks and have time to enjoy the little things in life that brings joy such as lovely cute thingies like the above! Cheers!

ps: If you want to know where I got those from, please ask me. :)

Wow...

2009-01-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

so it really has been a month since my last post. I'm such a slacker... haha
anyway, since everyone's making "Happy 2009!" postings, I figured I should have one too. After all, it's always nice to look back through the archives at the end of this year, and see what ran through my mind earlier in the year.

It was my first time ushering in the new year at church, and I must say, it was a very humbling experience. Countdown wasn't as hyped up as it would have been at clubs, or pubs, or any party of whatever kind... instead of booze and dancing, we had a sermon just before the countdown that made us reflect upon the year, and more importantly, look forward towards the upcoming 2009. While that may sound boring, let me assure otherwise.

Even if you look at the more 'practical' side of it all, attending watchnight was great because we didn't have to get stuck and sandwiched between sticky sweating people, none of that nonsense where people make hooligan noises, shouting or saying stupid things because they've had too much to drink, or having to face troublemakers with spray cans to mess up the roads, and cause discomfort to others. Rather, we were all comfortably seated (or standing, if you like) in an air-conditioned auditorium. - you can decide which is better.

Anyway, celebrations aside, I would say that while I don't have any grand plans this year, I hope the year will be as exciting as the others in the past. I have been truly blessed by loving parents and siblings, and the people around me have been ever so kind and understanding. I thank God for the workplace I am in, and for all the good things that has happened.

May 2009 be a year of excitement and another year of personal growth and discovery.

i need food.

2008-12-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

why did the skeleton cross the road?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
because it wanted to get to the Body Shop!

Hahahahahhaaha! :D

'eeling festive

2008-11-27T22:35:00.000-08:00

yay! it's the end of the month, and I'm going home for Christmas! (totally unrelated, but both are making me excited because December means holiday, holiday means I get to go home and eat lots of home cooked food and see my sis and bro, and take time to chill at home, play wii, ahh just so many things to do! It's good to be home. :) )

anyway, so I've just handed in my assignment for the day and I'm free to uhm.... do "research" for the rest of the day.

Will be watching Madagascar 2 tonight, so that should be fun. I'm so in the holiday mood already. la la la~

Shien! u better come back. i miss u!!!!!!!

cravings...

2008-11-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

for HELLO PANDA!

It's 12.45am, I've brushed my teeth but for some reason the thought of that Hello Panda box of biscuits sitting in my cupboard is giving me insomnia.
I get up from bed, walk into the kitchen, grab a glass of milk, and my hands are eager as I reach for the box of Hello Panda biscuits. Before I knew it, I'm eating and blogging away in my room.

it's just one of those days, or should I say, nights.

and milk never tasted so good. YummmM!

Cherished Moments

2008-11-22T07:52:00.001-08:00

Den and I used to go on so many "planned" outings, but as of late that just hasn't been happening because we're both so busy with work, and since we see each other so often anyway, either for a quick lunch or dinner, we hardly make big plans to go out on a 'date'.
So on Friday, I asked him if he wanted to go to this place in Ara Damansara, a new sort of 'hip' place where the young people hang out - the concept of the place is similar to the heereen in Singapore, except it's outdoors with a roof.
We had dinner there, and just walked around browsing in the little shops that sold all kinds of useless but owh-so-cute things, and I browsed through some boutiques, with clothes and accessories similar to those in Bangsar.
They were also having a Disney exhibit, but we didn't go in since we had to pay an entrance fee and there were so many children with their parents waiting for their turn to take photos. It just wasn't worth it. So what we did instead, was take photos outside the exhibit, with Eeyore and Pooh. :)

We also took some pictures together since the lights were so pretty!
(notice the element of festivity? Yup, it's that time of the year again! Christmas is coming!)

I had such a great time just chilling out, now I'm thinking of our next destination. :P any ideas?

the tricks and trades of the game

2008-10-23T07:53:00.000-07:00

A group of middle-aged women sitting around the table, talking about middle-aged people topics. I'm sitting there trying to be polite, smile, and offer a word or two every five minutes to seem engaged. It's an awkward situation, yet such a common encounter for me.

Whenever I go on an assignment, I meet new people. And most of the time, people I meet have been working in the industry for years, as compared to myself, a fresh graduate trying to get a grip of what she's doing two months after graduation in a completely new environment. Besides having to put up with the agony of apologizing every time I ask for a name card and don't give out any in exchange, I also have to learn middle-aged women talk.

Usually, the best time to network is during lunchtime, where the tables are always arranged in circles, and you're sitting with ten other people you've never met. The next best thing to do after finishing the small talk and meal, is to exchange name cards.

Then when the conversation moves from cosmetics to picking on fresh grads who have little or no experience in the job, I am supposed to continue looking professional and knowledgeable in front of them and smile, nodding my head when clearly, I belong to the same category as the people they are referring to. At this moment of the conversation, I usually start avoiding eye contact, because the next question that will come flying towards me is "how long have you been with bla bla bla company?" and at that moment, the truth reveals, and I'm officially an outcast.

So you see, having to deal with people on a professional level is one thing, but it's a skill to know how to act accordingly and avoid running into dead-end questions thrown at you - which will often give you less credibility.

I'm still learning.

my reason.

2008-10-17T06:00:00.001-07:00

You know why I don't blog that often? Because I just can't seem to blog about what I've been doing or where I've been going online. It's dangerous. Anyone could be reading my blog, and if I type common words like "the Curve" or "1 Utama" (both popular shopping malls in PJ) it would be detected in searches, and random people will discover my blog. With this place being such a dangerous place and anything being possible (stalkers especially) I just don't feel safe sharing my whereabouts and putting a million pictures and writing about them here. So if you know me and want to know more about my personal life, please make the effort to at least send me a message on facebook. That way, we can keep in touch and I'll update you.

Oh, and if you think I'm paranoid, that's your problem not mine.

KL driving isn't really just about driving.

2008-10-06T05:24:00.000-07:00

Knowing how to drive is one thing. Actually getting to the destination is another.
After about a month living back in Malaysia, I've sort of absorbed the culture here. But one thing that's just going to need more time are the roads.
In KL, you've gotta learn how to use flyovers. There are flyovers on every highway - not one but multiple, with four different lanes to take depending on where you want to end up. And the best bit is the fact that sign boards only exist at the exit point, when it's too late to change your mind. So you have to know where you're going, or you're pretty much doomed.
I've gotten lost a few times, taken the wrong turn and panicked. Thanks to Bluetooth and my phone, and of course the person on the other end of the line directing me like a GPS navigator, I managed to get home safely all of those times. Admittedly, I've had to pay toll twice, but it's a learning experience.
Maps are useful but only to a certain extent. It gives you a rough idea of where places are, but you can't rely on it fully to get there because while the roads may be there, they don't necessarily take you to your desired destination because well, on the map, you can't draw a flyover. This is where the saying "so close yet so far" truly comes to life.
So a lesson learnt: ALWAYS ask for familiar landmarks and better still, ask which lane to keep to at certain points.
I seriously wonder whether these flyovers are doing us any good. Maybe if they improved the signboards it would. After all, we are internationally recognized for our good road planning, and our massive flyovers have made an impression to foreign countries.

Happy Birthday!

2008-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a recap of what happened...

On Saturday, Dennis was playing for church so I insisted he came over for dinner after. Since I was working that weekend, I didn't have much time to plan so I had to cook whatever little bit of food I had left at home (which was a tiny bit of salmon, and some pasta without sauce. I didn't even have vegetables to cook so we had cucumber).
Anyway, from the office, I braved myself to drive to SS2 and bought two slices of cake from Secret Recipe. Traffic was quite bad since it was close to dinner time, but thankfully, I managed to get a parking spot right in front of the shop, and got the cake without any problems. *phew* Not bad considering it was my first time going there alone.

Anyway, it was all going well until I suddenly got a message from Den asking whether his best friend could come over for dinner, and that got me quite worried! I didn't have enough food, remember? So, I told him. But feeling bad, I decided to message that friend instead and double checked if he wanted to come. I was waiting for the reply in front of Secret Recipe and trying hard to figure out what I could get to add to dinner, since time was running short and I hadn't even arrived home to start cooking! Well good for me, his friend said he'd pass.

So i went home, quickly rushed to cook dinner, went downstairs to the sundry shop to look for broccoli which i didn't manage to get, and because of all the running up and down, I didn't finish cooking dinner before Den's arrival. But that was ok because he didn't suspect anything sinceit was quite normal. :)

As we were having dinner, Dennis said he wanted to go grocery shopping. I was thinking "why does this guy have so many ideas today? of all days?" The cakes were in the fridge, and I planned to surprise him later but since he seemed in a hurry to go grocery shopping, I had to fast forward my plans. Good for me, he went to my computer and started looking at my phone bill on the table, so that was distraction. I jumped onto that opportunity, ran to the kitchen and started lighting the candles. Then my housemate and I turned off the lights, and brought the cake in!

I guess the good thing was that he didn't suspect anything, so *yay!* success on that part.

Here are a few photos to share the moment:

Surprise Surprise!Birthday present! :)

Then, there was another dinner the day after with the rest of his family and close friends. We had another Secret Recipe cake (actually, it was a brownie) and Organic food which was very interesting. The rojak came served in fusion style: vegetables and fruits together, with some seaweed on top and black sesame seeds sprinkled all over. My food was good, though. I had pasta! Yum!
So that concludes the big birthday for big Den! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR!! *hugs*

stuck in office.

2008-09-22T04:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's my only reason to blog. I've done everything I possibly can - or want - so I'm down to my last possible activity - blogging.
Okay sis, u've made a point. stop counting the days since my last blog! I write so much everyday I just cant be bothered to blog anymore. bah.
anyway, I'm stuck in the office right now because I'm still waiting for my colleague to send me home. Car got into an accident (this guy drove straight into my car when it was stationery at the traffic light) so you can imagine the trauma I went through. It was in the middle of a highway, and in the middle of peak hour = traffic jam. Yup, but I'm so glad I have good friends who are willing to send me to and fro from work! No complains.
Enough about the accident, oh, and I'm fine by the way. Just incase you were wondering. I'm stranded in my office, not paralysed in some hospital bed. THANK GOD.
Apart from that, work has been good, and I'm learning heaps. Already made a mistake which was printed and circulated all around the country, but lets just hope it doesn't happen again. Thankfully it was a minor mistake, not a major one. (I shall decline to mention what the mistake was but let me assure you again, it was minor.) I have a very very nice Editor, which helps a lot in my mental wellbeing.
Oh goodness, I've managed to blog quite a bit. I thought I'd get like 2 sentences down and end it there, but once I start typing it just doesnt stop. I feel like I'm blabbering nonstop...
Anyway, since I was so bored I decided to open facebook, which has been sitting dormant for quite a while (when you start working, you just don't find the time to open these social sites anymore for some reason..) and while looking through some pictures, I realised how much I'm missing Melbourne! Actually, I just miss the life.
alright, friend is here. Byeeee! going home!!!

Your wish is my command

2008-09-14T06:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, to those of you who were complaining about me not blogging, the Genie shall now grant your wish.

My first entry of a new start!

Lets see... I've been in KL for just under a month now, and have just survived my first week of work as a journalist. :)

I also got a new car to start my new life with me,

Ta Dah!!!

and well, I'm just too tired now to write anything.

But yes, that's better than no updates at all, right? okies, hopefully I will blog again sometime soon. Me should not be lazy.

cheers!