ss_blog_claim=8f73a53f7d749a5dfdd5c0a0c0f20d4d ss_blog_claim=8f73a53f7d749a5dfdd5c0a0c0f20d4d

Archive for » 2009 «

It’s The New Year, People

31 Dec 2009 by Legendria

Here it is again, the last day of yet another year when people around the world gather to countdown the hours, minutes, seconds to a new year. This is also the time when people start to make resolutions and plans for the upcoming year, when people think back to the events, occasions and incidents of the past 12 months and moan or rejoice at their individual happenings. It is a sad yet joyous time; sad because another year has gone and joyous because a whole new chapter is starting.

What was 2009 for me? Hmmm, well, at the top of my head, I can only pull out one thought; this year saw the longest time I’ve ever been single ever since I started dating. Hahahah, yes, I know that’s a weird thing to say but I finally got a whole lot of time just for myself, without worrying about a boyfriend and the problems that are attached to having one. And my conclusion? I’m enjoying it very much and frankly, I am much happier being single than when I was in a relationship. It just goes to prove that I am independent and able to stand on my own two feet without a man. Wink

Anyway, 2009 was pretty much quite calm for me personally, aside from a break-up, a public love confession on my Facebook from a salesman and some minor drama here and there, but it was somewhat of a hell for some of the people close to me. Two of my best girls have had their hearts broken, one fortunately has resolved the matter while one is still being tortured almost on a daily basis by a stupid guy. I hope that the new year will be much better in terms of relationship for her. Kissing

But it wasn’t all bad for love in 2009. Many of my friends got married and another one of my best girls was proposed underwater, sooooo romantic!! Heart

Although some people may think of me as wasting my time and life this past year, I really do think that I am much happier and calmer than I’ve been in a long time and to me, that’s all that matters. My family has my back and if my mom, dad and brother are not complaining about what I’m doing then other people’s opinions do not matter with me. And besides, I’m not borrowing any money from people to live (I have my own) so why should they care? Talk to the Hand

But I think my biggest break-through for this year was the whole change of appearance. Gone is the long hair that has been hounding me since I started school, hello to a new short, and my cousins said sexy, haircut. Ever since I cut my hair, it’s like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m more carefree, happy and light. Big Smile Also I noticed I have more energy since I maintained my jogging routine and even managed to increase the number of rounds that I jog. I feel better these past few months and hope to maintain it in the next year.

Of course, with every year, there are windows of opportunities opening and also opportunities missed. My brother and I almost bought over a business, and although it was sad to let the chance go willingly, I guess after thinking about it intensely, that opportunity just wasn’t for us.

What’s in store for 2010? Well, looking at my calendar now, there are alot of weddings to attend as my best girls are getting married!!! Party And I foresee pregnancies and babies next year too Wink. For me, I’ll be traveling alot, one agenda on my list is the climb up Mt. Kinabalu. I don’t care how long it takes, I’m going to climb all the way to the top!! Shout Also, hopefully, the planned trip to Redang is on because I miss the island so much. Other than that, we’ll see how the year goes. I’m back to my ‘go with the flow’ motto. Giggle

So, with the new year, there’s usually a New Year’s resolution, right? Well, the past two years, my resolution was to take as many pictures as possible, which I have done, but this new year, I need to better myself in some way so I figured out what bugged me the most this year, which was doing favours for unappreciative people. So my New Year’s resolution for 2010 is to try and stop doing favours for people who don’t appreciate them or appreciate me. Trust me, there have been alot of it going on in 2009 and I’ve got to nip it in the butt. Really Pissed

I hope everyone will have a safe and happy New Year celebration. Do not look back to the past but focus on the future that is coming your way. We all have alot more living to do so let’s get to it!! Victory

Happy New Year!!!

Category: Life  Leave a Comment

As I Sit Here…9

23 Dec 2009 by Legendria

As I sit here, reading Sally Anne Morris’s ‘Trick or Treat’, I find myself noticing the last sentence in this paragraph; “Lucy nodded back self-consciously, aware of her puffy eyes and swollen nose. She was not a good-looking crier.” weep

I have come across that particular or similar line a few times in my fiction-reading history and it makes me wonder, (1) Should we be crying nicely? (2) Can we cry and maintain our immaculate face and make-up?

I mean, you cry when you’re sad, right? (Well, most of the time, I don’t count the times you cry from laughing so hard). So when you’re sad and you’re crying, won’t tears flow down your eyes? And don’t your nose and cheeks start to turn pink? Also, don’t your face kind of scrunch up from all that sorrow, anguish, pain, whatnot? When all that is happening, can you actually maintain that perfect facial expression? Struggle

I’ve seen myself cry before and trust me, it’s not a pretty sight, hahaha! Why on Earth would I want to cry prettily anyway? Maybe it would look good on my resume, “Can cry prettily.” I should get hired pretty fast, huh? Wink

Category: Life, Ramblings, Something to Think About  Tags:  Leave a Comment

The Ugly Girl-ling

14 Dec 2009 by Legendria

It’s hard not to feel like the ugly duckling of the bunch when you’re constantly surrounded by smoking hot chicas all the time. I mean, yeah, people might tell you that “Oh, you’re pretty” or “Don’t be silly, you’re attractive too” but these are what people say to you, who, let’s face facts, are usually your friends and family. But how about what you yourself see when you go out?

Case in point. The girls that I usually hang out with are all lovely (let’s focus on physical beauty for the meantime, alrite, but that’s not to say they’re not lovely inside too. Don’t put words in my mouth Drunken Razz ). Anyway, whenever I’m out with them, it’s hard not to notice the stares and looks they get from the opposite sex. And it’s not those leery ‘I-wanna-get-in-your-pants’ stares, it’s those ‘Wow, what an attractive woman. I would like to get to know her’ looks In Love.

And sometimes it doesn’t stop at the stares, they even get guys coming up to talk to them Hypnotized. A foreigner actually went up to one of my girl friends right on the streets and said, “You’re beautiful.” Yeah, yeah, you might be thinking the guy just wants to test his luck but the point is, that totally random comment from a random guy made her feel so much more beautiful and appreciated as a woman. If I actually take the time to relate every single approach my girl friends and cousins have had from guys, I would have to make an entirely new blog.Eek!

When I look at each and every one of the girls I usually go out with, I kind of understand why guys are so attracted to them. Like with my friends L and M, L is the Chinese beauty with a beautiful singing voice and a really addictive laughter while M is this tall and thin dark beauty who looks really good in skirts and has beautiful eyes. My best friend E has this cute round face which lights up whenever she smiles or laughs and has really long silky hair (she managed to turn the heads of the male employees at One Utama’s Live It Up! recently).

As for my cousins, we have A who has this captivating wavy hair, lovely body figure and a face that simply attracts attention and wolf-whistles. Then there’s S, the diva of the group, who is always immaculate in her dressing and her make-up, looking all hot and sizzling no matter where she goes. Let’s not forget I, whom I am always thankful she’s wearing a tudung (head scarf) for she’ll just knock out every man in her sight with her no-mercy combo of long fairytale wavy brown hair, fair skin, petite body and very expressive face. And last but not least is Z, who is the quiet one of the bunch, but it is that quiet wisdom and silent sense of humour that emits from her adorable face that is so attractive (she has a very cute laugh too).

Okie, for the sake of argument (because I know I’ll have some family members protesting), here’s how I am; I am one of two types, depending on my mood, which are either the gangster jeans-and-jacket girl or the gothic nothing-but-black girl, which apparently some guys find totally scary and unapproachable. Confused

I’m not saying I’m jealous or envious of them (truthfully I’m not, my family and God knows that very well) Angel. I’m actually really proud of them, even more so with their individual attitudes and personalities. But sometimes no matter how hard your family (or you yourself) tries to make you see that you’re beautiful in your own way, it’s just hard to feel good about yourself when time after time, the attention is on them and hardly ever on you Wilt, not that I’m the attention-seeker type, mind you. Just feeling kind of down after recent events.

So, to the family who tries so hard to make me believe in myself, I do once in a while but this post is written so that you can actually see why I think the way I think. And yeah, this is how I think most of the time. Grin And please don’t go into the whole ‘Girl, you know you are each special in your own way’ lecture because I’ve heard it so many times, I know it by heart. Laugh This is just my way of letting loose of some emotional stress, that’s all, nothing more. Victory

Category: Ramblings  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment

The Dealt Hand

01 Dec 2009 by Legendria

Sometimes life deals you a hand where you have no idea which action to take. Should you fold and live to gamble another day or should you take the risk and play the round, hoping that you won’t lose much or at all?

There are times when the hand you are dealt with looks good but not good enough for you to know for sure that you’re going to win. You can decide to play it out and hope to chance, luck, God, whoever, whichever, that you would win the round. But if your confidence is kind of shaky, then maybe it’s better for you to fold and hold out until you are dealt with a hand that you are much more comfortable with.

Then again, some people would say that it’s not the dealt hand that determines the win or lose, it’s the person holding the hand. Even though it’s a losing hand, someone who knows how to handle it would make the most of whatever was given, or even better, someone who is clever would be able to turn the losing hand into a winning one.

So which one am I?

In my younger years, I usually play with whatever hand I was dealt with. No matter how bad or good it looked, my motto was always, “Go with the flow.” I mean, there’s got to be a reason why God dealt me this hand, right? Why not just play the round on the off chance that something good might come out of it. True, I didn’t come out all clean and scrape-free from some of the dealt hands but hey, I survived, didn’t I?

But now, as I approach my older years, I find myself cautious to the point of being suspicious. The hand that I am dealt with looks good, but then again, does it look good because I want it to look good? Is it good enough? Can I play this hand and come off unscathed if it were to betray me in the end? Or is my expertise too low to be able to handle it properly?

It is at that point of thinking that I start to back off because it is safer to not play than to play and risk my soul, my heart, my mind, my money, whatever, whichever. True, I might miss out on the winning of a lifetime or something semi-good, but perhaps I find myself too old to gamble anymore. When I was young, it didn’t seem that I would lose much should I choose to gamble; the healing process was quite quick for me to get back on my feet and play again in no time at all. But with time and death knocking on my door, constantly reminding me of their presence, I find it hard to just go with the flow anymore.

C.S. Lewis was quoted, “You play the hand you’re dealt. I think the game’s worthwhile.” Here’s my thinking: I don’t think I can afford to play games, in life, in relationships, anymore.

Category: Life, Something to Think About  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment

As I Sit Here…8

23 Nov 2009 by Legendria

As I sit here, reading the newspaper (a very rare occurrence), I noticed something slightly disturbing. I have started to take note of the names of accident victims.

I don’t think anyone, including me, would ever like to find out that someone you know has died in an accident (or worse, murdered!) in the papers. I still remember the few times I’ve seen names I recognized in the papers and trust me, it’s not a good feeling. Chills crept up from my toes to my head as I realized exactly what I was reading and I had to keep the fact that “No, it’s not a story” constantly through my mind.

Perhaps that is among one of the many reasons why I don’t really like reading the newspapers. Everyday, without fail, there is always rape, murder, killings, corruption, etc. slotted in with all the happy news of weddings, births, election winnings, etc. It’s like having my emotions put through the wringer, going “Awwww!!” at the latest pet story or smiling at a new scientific discovery only to flip to the next page and frown in disbelief at the new drugs hitting the younger generation or swearing angrily at some injustice done to someone. Sigh, it’s only 10am in the morning and I’m already emotionally tired. Big Frown

Yeah, yeah, this is reality. This is the real world, get with it, girl, but still…..don’t you wish there was one day, just one single day, when nobody is being hurt or abused in any way? Just a thought.

Category: Life, Something to Think About  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment

Stranded 2

18 Jul 2009 by Legendria

Writing about my mom forgetting me in the first Stranded post reminded me of another incident when she left me behind…..in a foreign country. Wilt

On a group tour in Thailand one year, the bus brought us to this gigantic mall-like place where they sell local spices and ingredients. The whole busload came down so there were alot of us here and there in the shop. Being a young teenager, I stuck with my mom the entire time and eventually got bored. Standing a few feet away from her as she bargained and chitchatted with the counter lady, I turned around to watch the other counters.

It was a few minutes later when I turned back to my mom, only to find her missing. I shrugged inwardly, thinking she must be just a few counters away. So I walked around slowly and started to notice that the group I was touring with were getting less and less. Thinking that some of them have gotten bored and went back on the bus, I continued my search for my shopaholic mom. Going completely around the entire shop, my worry grew steadily as my mom stayed missing.

I peered through the glass front door and saw that the bus was still there so I didn’t start to panic yet. Walking a few feet away from the door, I heard running footsteps and saw my mom bursting through the door.

Apparently, after buying her stuff, she looked at her watch and hurried to the bus. Sitting in her seat, she started to put her purchases away and heard the tour guide asking if everyone was on board. My mom nodded and said ‘yes’ along with the group as she finally leaned comfortably into her seat. She glanced at the seat next to her and only then did she realize that she had left her daughter behind. She yelled at the tour guide to wait as she flew down the bus steps to get me.

I still can’t believe to this day how my mom can actually not realize she had left her daughter behind. Suffice to say, I was not happy with her for that entire day. Smug

Category: Stories  Tags: , ,  2 Comments

Food Review: Ikan Bakar Fend

17 Jul 2009 by Legendria

Every town usually have their own famous favourite eatery. Like for TTDI, it’s Muhibbah. For SS2, it’s SS2 Murni. For the previous Lim Kok Weng area, it’s Wiliams. Well, for the Kelana Jaya area of SS6, it’s this corner lot Malay restaurant that’s gaining increasing popularity and customers day by day. Let’s get smoking with Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend.

Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend

Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend

Located at the corner shop of E-G-01, Jalan SS6/20A, Dataran Glomac, Pusat Bandar Kelana Jaya, my Kelana Jaya friend told me that Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend used to operate out of a white van just outside the nearby mosque and was always packed with customers, regardless whether it’s lunchtime or not. I guess they made more than enough money to actually open a real shop in mid-2008, much to the happiness of their customers, both old and new.

Employee roasting fishes

Employee roasting fishes

Now what’s so special about this place? The food, and only the food, which is how a real eatery should be.  Big Smile  The main focus here is the ‘ikan bakar’ (roasted fish), which is the first thing you will smell and see as you approach the restaurant. A lone man can be seen right at the front, fanning smoke as he flips and roasts tons of fishes on his gigantic grill. True, the smoke can be irritating to some but it’s all part and parcel of eating ‘ikan bakar’.

With my friends encouraging me to try the ‘ikan bakar’, we went inside to queue and choose our fish. Yep, this is not a sit-down-wait-for-waiter restaurant. You have to line up and pick the fish you want (my favourite is the ‘ikan pari’ (stingray) and you can even pick which part of the fish you want), and then pay before you can sit and enjoy your meal. Don’t worry about drinks, once you sit down then someone will come and take your drink orders.

Choosing your fish

Choosing your fish

Choice of chickens

Choice of chickens

Ikan Bakar with rice and sauces

Ikan Pari Bakar with rice and sauces

The ‘ikan bakar’ comes with rice, tom yam soup and chilli, costing you around RM7+ inclusive of one drink. I have tasted better tom yam soup before but Fend’s soup isn’t too bad but the chilli is damn spicy so for those of you with a weak stomach, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Aside from fish, there’s also chicken available but I haven’t ordered that before, though some online reviews said it was quite good. There’s also a small stall selling ’sup tulang’ (a meaty soup) and mee hoon soup, but the appeal of coming to Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend is the ‘ikan bakar’ so give that a try before you taste anything else.

Chi Kong Mangga

Chi Kong Mangga

There’s also quite a few tasty desserts and drinks to try aside from the heavy meals. My friend ordered something called Chi Kong Mangga (about RM3), which is some sort of jelly with mango and a few other fruits. It’s really delicious and cooling on a hot day, especially after eating all that spicy food.

If you want something more familiar, try their ABC. I’ve seen some of the other customers ordering it and I’m definitely going to try it the next time I’m there.

Ice Bandung

Ice Bandung

My favourite drink there is this tall pink drink I saw someone ordered, which I immediately asked the waiter to bring  me one. Apparently, it’s an Ice-blended Bandung with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, costing about RM2 if I remember correctly. This drink is simply lovely in my opinion.

The restaurant may not be super clean and it may not look much, and the service is not spectacular but the food is the reason to try the place at least once in your life.

Judging by the amount of customers Restoran Ikan Bakar Fend keeps getting, I have no doubt that it will be there for many years to come. Enjoy!!

Category: Food & Drinks  Tags: ,  Leave a Comment

As I Sit Here…7

17 Jul 2009 by Legendria

*This was written in advance on Thurs 16/7/2009 at 2.52pm in anticipation of my no-Streamyx weekend in Ipoh.

As I sit here, at One Utama’s Starbucks, waiting for my car to be all clean and fresh from the carwash, I can’t help but think that Malaysians are a bunch of free-loaders. Yes, this post is going to hurt your feelings, especially to those who attempt to get something by giving nothing.

I sit at this Starbucks regularly. I have to because I have to wait for my nephew to finish his classes and it’s a pain to go back and forth when I can just sit somewhere for a few hours to do my writing. Now because I sit here for hours and days, I have seen many types of people, and today, I see free-loaders…lots of them.

I have sat here for about 55 minutes now. At this very moment, there are three occupied tables around me on the raised platform and all three tables are people who are using Starbucks facilities without purchasing anything.

One table directly in front of me is a woman who has been charging her phone with Starbucks’s power socket since even before I came. She did not purchase any drink or food. At the table right beside me, there are two girls who came and dropped their bags and started doing their homework, also without purchasing anything. The table diagonally from me is a man who is using his laptop (charged by Starbucks’s power socket) and probably accessing Starbucks’s internet connection. He too did not purchase anything.

Let’s say that maybe Starbucks doesn’t mind people coming in and using their electricity and Internet and occupying tables that paying customers should have a right to (the Starbucks employee came by to check our tables twice without saying a word to the freeloaders), but don’t you think it’s at least a little bit courteous of you to purchase something? I would never sit in a cafe and use their facilities without at least buying a cup of coffee. In a way, it’s like paying for the convenience they provided us. But nooooo, these people just sit there, unashamed that they are actually free-loading off of other people’s money.

True, Starbucks make a lot of money. True, Starbucks might overcharge their food and drinks. True, Starbucks might be owned by the powerful Berjaya Group. But that still doesn’t give the public a right to think that they can leech off of them. If they can do it at Starbucks, don’t think they won’t do the same to other, less wealthy, less popular cafes and eateries that need every cent they can get to survive (I just lost one of my favourite cafes at the Curve that provides free Wi-Fi a few months ago).

Wake up, free-loaders, unless you want karma to come and whack you in the face by placing free-loaders in your path, leeching off your goodwill, money and property.

You know what’s the funny thing I noticed? With the exception of me, every ‘customer’ on the raised platform are all free-loaders while every single table on the floor all have at least one cup of drink on their tables. I am ashamed to be sitting up here with them. Really Pissed

Category: Life, Ramblings  Tags:  2 Comments

As I Sit Here…6

16 Jul 2009 by Legendria

As I sit here, at Mutiara Damansara’s Burger King Drive-Thru, I had a sudden thought run through my head. If we can have a drive-thru for burgers and a drive-thru for ATM (at TTDI apparently), why can’t we have a drive-thru for our groceries?

I can just imagine it now (and I actually did have a short vision right at the drive-thru). I’d pull up to the window, wait for the counter-person to stick his/her head out of the window and asks me for my order.

“Hi, can I have one Gardenia loaf, a dozen eggs and a Dorina butter please?”

“We only have Nutriplus eggs. Will that be alright?”

“Yeah, that’ll be fine. Oh, could you also put in a small packet of Milo please?”

“Ok, that will be RMXX.XX. Please wait a moment while I bag your items.”

Yeah, yeah, I know, kind of a long daydream for someone waiting for her burger, but think about it, I think it will be a damn convenient way to buy groceries. I mean, most of the people who goes to the supermarket already know what they need to buy, they even make a list to bring with them. Can’t we just hand the list over to a drive-thru grocery and not waste all the time of searching for items and ending up buying stuff that you don’t need or want? Someone should check into this possibility.

I wonder if there are other industries that can have a drive-thru. Hmmmm… Question

Category: Something to Think About  Tags: , ,  Leave a Comment

Stranded

08 Jul 2009 by Legendria

Have you ever been stranded somewhere, either by yourself or by other people? I have gone through some really humourous (well, it’s funny now but it wasn’t back then) times of being stranded. Here’s one my cousin recently reminded me. She said she’ll never forget this as long as she lives.

Back when I was younger, I kept hanging out at my cousin’s house in Shah Alam (about 25 minutes drive from my house). Either my dad or mom would send me there and pick me up after they were done with their chores and work. So one day, my mom sent another cousin and I over to play.

As usual, just before evening, my mom came to pick us up, and here I have to relate my cousin’s side of this experience.

My cousin was already settled in the back seat with all her stuff while I was still standing outside the car with my door ajar. Suddenly, my mom put her car into gear and started to slowly drive the car away. With my door still ajar, I sarcastically said, “Bye, mom” but still she drove on and the movement of the car caused the door to close lightly.

My cousin, who was in the car, could only look at my Shah Alam cousin and I through the rear window as we slowly became small specks in her view. She turned quickly to the front and said to my mom, “Auntie, isn’t your daughter following us back?” To which my mom did not reply.

My poor cousin thought my mom was angry and so she kept quiet, not daring to say anything more. Just as they were reaching the highway toll, which was about 5 minutes from my Shah Alam cousin’s house, my mom asked me, “Is my book there at the backseat?” When there was no answer from me, she repeated her question. That’s when my cousin burst out in a panic, “She’s not here!!”

It took my mom 5 minutes before she realized that her daughter was not in the car with her. When she first drove away, my Shah Alam cousin and I thought she was joking or will notice my absence just before she turned off the road. We could only stand there and stare after the car, my cousin in puzzled wonderment and me in a somewhat nonchalant anger with my hands folded across my chest. Apparently, we were still standing in the driveway when my mom sped back down the road to the house. Sweat

Category: Stories  Tags: , ,  2 Comments
« Previous Entries