Girrraffyyy~~~

Penny Tots

2007-12-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

came across this... which is kinda interesting... (well, i never tot of it dat way hahaa)

as the world population starts aging at an increasing pace (human geograghy), the pharmaceutical contaminants in sewage and effluents will start rising at a pace which technology in sewage treatment will need to keep up

which is really true isn't it... as we age and become increasing exposed to pollutants (as my mummy will say - fReE RaDiCalsSS), we start consuming more and more medications...
Just compare the panadol usage of our generation with that of our parents'!!!

where previously we have tolerated certain amount of organic contaminant
(because it is of insignificant amounts) in water... we might not be able to do that in the near future...
... we can never finis upgrading a sewage treatment plant...

Back to Melb!

2007-11-16T15:05:00.000-08:00

Woohoo~~~

Back to Melbourne!!! And even though it's just barely ONE free day re-visiting sweet uni memories, it was kewl~~~ especially with someone who's always there to carry me bag! hehee

Lygon Street was bustling as it has always been since the few years back. Pizza and Pasta is a must along that street. And if you ever walk along that street, take a while to brethe in the fresh aroma of coffee every few steps, and remember to stop every once in a while to give a pat to the patient dogs waiting outside the cafes.

Durian gelato will come as a surprise to many who has not ventured into this Italian street. When cabbage boy took his first lick of the durian gelato, I should have captured it. Hahaa... Yummy!!!

Bless the sunny weather, which is so unlike of Melbourne. Even the old and dull gothic buildings are looking ever so friendly... and 'arty farty' that day!!!

Meeting up with a couple of old frens from uni times somehow shows us that we have grown and .. have not grown much in fact.
It was a beautiful day! Short and sweet, just like the pancakes we have at Pancake Parlour the very next morning!
Woohoo~~~~

The Hill has stars

2007-09-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

The lights change very few seconds and we decided that the yellow stars were the most flattering. I thought it would have been better without that Isetan paper bag over there, and so we tried to capture another with the yellow stars, but one of them ended up smack on an eye. Seeing that we are in the middle of a rather ‘busy’ walkway, and being shy…we scuttled away.

It’s great to walkabout Starhill once in a while. Beautiful settings with artistic water features.

We went exploring every level. Each level is basically a small circle; hence we reached the top in a fairly short time. Now, we never realized that the top level is filled with arty bits and pieces!

Minus the ‘model’, this is a compilation of art pieces by a local artist Fauzul Yusri, titled “From Minor to Major”. His quote: My work is a reflection of my mind.

Another one that caught our eyes was this red piece (or rather three pieces combined). “Dream of a Dragon” by a Malay artist Mohd Raduan Man.

“The dragons drift in and out of the artwork to suggest the past, present and future of my dream in achieving my goals.”

We stand aloft yet en masse in a single canvas, thinking of our dreams and goals.
We set a goal just a while back.
In the present, as we look at the ‘big picture’, we have reached it.
Quoting God (Morgan Freeman) in Evan Almighty, “When you wish for something, God does not give it to you. Instead, he gives you opportunities to reach for what you wish for.”

Future? We'll see~~~

A state of mind

2007-09-12T18:17:00.001-07:00

*Ooommm~~~*

Round-a-bout Malacca

2007-09-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

Weekend getaway at Malacca, a heritage state filled with one-way streets and roads. We went round and round, with a not-so-trustworthy map in hand. Well, one hand on the wheel, and the other holding the map. I was a useless navigator, not so much of a companion in the car as well, as I was practically sleeping most of the time in Mowhak. You have gotta pardon me on that. What could you expect when it’s a round-and-round drive, and most importantly, I was well fed. Very well fed indeed!!!

First stop: Baba House

Beautiful place. I love the smell of ‘oldness’, provided I do not detect the ‘cockroach’ smell. Just makes you dreamyyy~~~ Blessed with great and sunny weather, we started our own little exploration. Of course, I donned myself with SPF 35 sunblock!

Lunch time!!!

Passed by a chendol stall with a small crowd, and stopped for an appetizer.

Got ourselves some Nyonya snacks along the way such as onde onde, crispy curry puff etc. Yum~~~

Main course: the infamous chicken rice ball.
I suppose we burnt off all those carbs by climbing up the fort.

It’s amazing how so many people climb all the way up those steep stairs (definitely not constructed under any standards!) under the blazing sun just to take pictures of some walls.

I suppose it’s the same during my Macau trip, where me and the girls practically took pictures on every other stairs to get different views and shots of the remaining lonesome wall of Macau.

Now, come to think of it, where are those pictures now?

Poonie was eager to visit the Marine Museum, where I think the last time (and only time) I saw the ship was when my mummy could carry me. Pity though. Tutup!
Thank god we have a Coretto drumstick to lick for the walk to A’Famosa. Wow! What a crowd greeted us!

A Holland experience in Malacca! (Pity the Holland donuts and coffee were consumed too quickly for pictures to be taken)

Great vibrant colours. For a bubbly band!

Just look at their ‘shoes’. Cant imagine how painful if you are stepped on!

A couple of Dutch ladies were telling us how their uniforms came about. The wind is really strong in Holland, hence the copper wire stringed around their white lacy ‘hat’, reinforced with pins. Makes me wonder. If it is such a trouble pinning those hats down, why do they need to wear them in the first place? Dutch lady also mentioned that, to go out even across the street without those white lacy hats is considered rude. What’s more, you can tell how rich the family is from the accessories that the lady has on the copper wire, round her white lacy hat!

And guys! Hands off if the Dutch lady has an orange strip skirt. That means the lady aint single and available.

There was a ‘Knowledge Sharing’ session on Sungai Melaka recently and so we had to visit it!

Hungry again. All those walking. I need fuel…
However, since it was still rather early for dinner, we went to Jonker Walk where people are setting up their stalls. And, what’s a walk without nibbling on roadside tidbits? Hence, appetizers consisted of Chinese pig intestine satays and lobak (the sticky kind).

Round-and-round, and more round-and-round… we finally found a ‘lok lok’ restaurant. There are two next to each other, and naturally we cramped ourselves into the crowd.

50c per stick. Yum~~~

Next stop: Portuguese settlement.
Needless to say, round-and-round, and more round-and-round. Even though we stopped by a fish ball restaurant to ask for directions, and bless that guy! He went to get a paper and drew the directions for us!

Finally, we reached! Knowing that there are not going to be any ‘decent’ toilets at the Portuguese hawker stalls, we went to the nearby hotel. Bah!

“Sorry for the inconvenience. These toilets are meant for our hotel guests. Please use the public toilets at the Portuguese Square.”

Oh well. No toilet.

It’s amazing how they try and lure and snatch customers, or rather anyone within sight.

Being foreign over there, we just let ourselves be led by Stall 88, and ordered the signature ikan bakar. There was this other stall that grilled all sorts of shell creatures that I have never seen before, but since I wasn’t going to order anything there, I wasn’t going to risk the wrath of the three burly curly and hairy guys behind the stall, who light up their cigarettes with the red hot charcoal!

Back to Jonker Walk, where it is bustling with lights, people and live music.

Well, what’s a walk without nibbling on tidbits?

Malacca coffee, and a yummy iced chocolate (Jaffa-style), and more lobak! We needed the fuel for the next day.
Yes! The zoo! Where we were pleasantly surprised by the wide range of animals (especially lemurs) that they have, as well as the chance to get ‘close-and-personal’ with some of the smaller animals. Although we did not really entertain the thought of having birds (many birds) flying across our heads.

And I was holding onto my camera and sunnies pretty tightly near monkeys! Just in case.
One of the highlights: we saw a giraffe shitting! Can you see? Can you see?

Yes, he was facing us; hence we were able to see the entire process. No squatting, just standing as per normal, and the shit totally resemble ‘po chi yan’ (the Chinese medication for stomach discomfort). Totally!

I like giraffes. Such nice creatures!

And isn’t this cute? So inviting for a hug!

Considering how close Taman Buaya is to the Malacca Zoo, they definitely have some crocodiles and alligators. I am rather puzzled as to the name of this species though. ‘False Gharial’. I wonder how they feel about it. Being called ‘False’. Hmm…

A Kancil is really small. Just look at its size as compared to the banana skin! Totally cant imagine how it manage to kick off those dogs in the legend.

A Hornbill is pretty big. Its size really doesn’t justify the space that it has. For a few moments, it (can’t tell if it’s male or female) was flying back and forth in its cell. Awaiting feeding time I suppose.

And yes, I was holding onto my camera and sunnies tightly when we were looking at each other.

Ahh~~~And wouldn't anyone love a bear hug from this fluff ball...minus those claws though!

Well, after looking at all their feeding times, it was definitely past ours. What’s a trip to Malacca without Nyonya Baba Peranakan cuisine?

Yes. More round-and-round. Until we found Manis Sayang!

And I absolutely love the sambal eggplant. Totally out-of-this-world! I am definitely going to try adding LOTS of lemongrass while stir frying vegetables in future… when I have a kitchen, when I have a kitchen with the necessary ingredients.

It’s teatime. I need my caffeine fix! Can’t resist it. We have to go back to the café we went to last night.
Sigh of contentment. La la la la la la… la la la la laa~~~ (humming to Smurf song)

Teow Chew Meng

2007-09-10T01:20:00.000-07:00

It’s Fridayyy~~~

Beautiful Fridayyy~~~
No more work except for the ‘!’ anticipation of a string of emails from boss greeting me ‘Good Morning’ on the coming Monday.

But for now…

Dinner with the somewhat usual gang.
At Teow Chew Meng (after a couple of days of deciding where to dine, and a couple of miscommunication).

Conditions:
Close enough to Puchong
Not required to cross the dreaded jammed up Puchong LDP toll.
Economical. Some of us are feeling ‘pk’ (pok kai) ie broke.

Hence, Teow Chew Meng! A Chinese restaurant situated in Subang!
We had all the signature dishes, not that they have many to select from. Being hungry, the ‘mee sua’, mango salad, three-taste oysters, octopus (I had a pretty raw one) and fried prawns (Kah Woon did not see the picture of ‘sweet-n-sour prawns’, hence the order of fried prawns) were licked off the plates and big bowl (for the ‘mee sua’).

I was told by the petite lady of the restaurant that pictures of food are not allowed to be taken, hence no pictures less for this special one.
Sean! Sean! Where are you? Look at the ‘special’ meal we painstakingly (the other guys had to keep convincing one another not to touch those portions) left for you.

We gotta have another dinner real soon, as Sean has missed out on this one. He’s the cool one. No matter which restaurant we are, regardless lunch or dinner, when the bill is called, the ladies carrying the little mental tray with the bill swarm to him. ^_^

I like dinner with the ‘somewhat usual gang’. Always a joyous chirpy occasion.

Bibiwok with Popz

2007-09-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Pa, Ma and Sanyi went for their once-per-annum routine. It has been a routine ever since I can remember. It used to include three cars! One for the Neo family, one for the Liew family and one for the Tay family. It was like the 'get-together' of our three families! I remember one particular year (must have been more than 10 years ago), we (Lynn, Phine and me) went with Ma to Pelangi Pasar Malam (Night Market) and Ma bought three 'Tweety Bird' pyjamas for us to wear and 'show off' during our trip there.

No joke. We still wear them occasionally

And then slowly, but surely... the bunch shrank. From three cars, what's left is now three person.

This trip is special to me! They will be stopping by for dinner before shooting back South (Pa did not really entertain the idea of me climbing up the hill to meet them). It's always a treat to have your parents visit you from outstation, as how often will they be doing that? There are so many yummy delicious places I wanna bring them! Here we are leading their car to our destination! Hehee~~~

Well... my first choice was the 'Soya Pan Mee' at Bandar Baru Puchong. Sadly, they were not opened at 5:30pm. Hence, we ended up at Bibiwork - Thai and Nyonya food, where we spent 'some' time in the ladies (converted to temporary fitting room) there. Sanyi and Ma have sacrificed some time off pressing the buttons to go shopping for me. Yes, I am a lucky and lazy bummer, especially when it comes to buying bottoms. Simply too lazy to take off and put on repeatedly! Thanks Mummy! And HAH! The pants fit purrfectly!!!

Dinner was great. Spending time with family is ever greaterrr~~~

good

2007-09-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

*i miss home**

Shout it Out!!!

2007-09-04T00:05:00.000-07:00

I simply have to jot this down...

Help is there! All you gotta do is "Shout it Out!!!"...

I was pretty lost... well actually very lost... in a sea of geotechnical, geology and hydrology terminology and such. Remembering my chance learning with Mr Marine, I decided to embark on the same route. *wink*

Mr Teletubby put aside his work for a short while, dug up a stale yellow book, and searched for information that might be of use to me. He also showed me a relevant website http://www.cedd.gov.hk/index_static.htm (thought I might as well keep the web address here..hehe), and said that he welcomes the questioning, as it refreshes his memory! Cool Dude!!!

Beneath that cool and stern exterior lies a really sweet and patient guy! WinWin!!! He took QUITE some time to explain to me the 'this' and 'that' and various other 'simpletons' questions. Yup. I would have strangled myself for the "1+1=2 questions" that I was blindly shooting at him. But haa~~~ I left his station grinning to myself

*GRIN*

Into the pantry for my afternoon caffeine fix. Lighted up.
Left the pantry. Brightly lit!
Mr Marine said,"Feel free to 'kacau' anytime."

OooOOOoooo~~~~

Yup. Yup. Yup.

Just Shout Out and Help is ArOuNd!!!

Thanks!

Happy bulu-bulu jAgUnG dAy!!!

2007-09-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

Yup! It's jAgUnG dAy!!!

It dawned onto me just the other day. Why do people celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, Mummy's Day, Father's Day etc? Why do people actually follow various traditions such as the tea ceremony on wedding days? Is it blind superstition? Is it basically "going with the flow" and sending that customary greeting or gift on that 'day'?

I know I have always been the birthday and important date alerts to my sisters and dearest mum. But I have never thought any further than that. Till that little thought flew across.

It makes me appreciate birthdays, anniversaries, special dates, special 'procedures' somwhat more. I suppose the sole purpose of these is simply to bring 'you-and-me' closer.

Daddy's bday is coming real soon! Phiney, Lynn and me... NOTED! Together, we think of a present that daddy will like. Together, we discuss, and decide, and plan which weekend we shall all go back home.

(Home, to me, is where 'family' is... the rented room I have now is 'the' rented room... Haa~~~).

A simple dinner, a simple weekend. We all know that's the standard procedure. But it's the simple effortless act that goes the miles, bringing smiles and warmth to us all...

Lynn once said when I told her I was sad... "Go Home! Go Home!!! I love goin home...that's when we get lots of LOVE and FOOD!!!"

Yup! It's jAGuNg DaY!!!

~Jagung Day~

on ThAt day we went for our first yumcha

he gave me jagungs

fresh from Cameron Highlands!!!

on ThAt day...

in our little book...

Once upon a time started...

~Haa~~~

BR Madness

2007-09-02T00:14:00.000-07:00

Yup! It's the 31st of the month again... and without fail, we joined in the *BR Madness*

Madness ... cos we knowingly join in the rush and the crowd

Madness ... cos our usual double scoop junior aint gonna get the 31% discount treatment

Madness ... cos trying to wave the attention of the BR counter girls and guys is a hassle

Madness ... cos trying to pay that RM 9.87 for the double scoop is a challenge...

And~~~

Madness ... cos by the time we reached the cashier, all I can show is my empty cup!

Nevertheless... hehehee ....

~~~YUM ~~~

Fuzzy Orange

2007-08-27T01:08:00.000-07:00

Brilliant

Saw some adverts on a Fireworks Display Competition and decided to check that out. It was a 10pm event but being cautioned by a friend, we set off at 6:30pm, thinking “Well, alright.. we will just hang around Putrajaya till 10 then”.

I did not think we will have any problem finding the place as I am rather familiar with Precinct 1 but boy!

PICC is a REAL long dark stretch deeper into Putrajaya. And even at two hours earlier, just look at the people and the cars. Roads were all at least triple-parked.

Naturally the ONE major road leading to PICC is closed. And hence,

How often can you stand in the middle of a highway anyway? Haha..

I reckon we managed to burn off one piece of Ampang Yong Tau Fu with all the walking. Fortunately it was a really beautiful night. Some even brought their newspaper (She was looking at StarJobs!) and comics to read under the blanket of stars and… lamp post.

While waiting for the sky to light up, we managed to entertain ourselves pretty well I suppose.
Well, I do not have a natural flair in photography but the fireworks display was… pretty brilliant.

Not-so-Brilliant

Yes, traffic was a killer. A real killer. Remember the long dark stretch I was mentioning? It became an even bigger car park than the famous Federal Highway. And that was not the end of it. It carried on till we reached the toll. I nearly kissed my touch-n-go. Without that, our supper will be much further than we can bear.

It amazed me though, that in a place like Putrajaya, there appeared to be NO traffic control. Ironic. But nonetheless, typical?

BAH!

Ramly burger cures it all. *snigger*

Happy Hour Dinner

2007-08-26T19:24:00.000-07:00

Bumper to bumper-ing along Federal to work on Friday, Hitz FM was drowning in the background with “Where in Malaysia can you find the BEST SATAY?” Not much attention paid on that as we don’t consider ourselves to be avid fans of SATAY till our happy hour dinner at South Pacific Seafood Restaurant.

Now, this is a restaurant very near MPPJ and they have HAPPY HOURS before 6pm and after 11pm. Cheaper crabs! Cheaper prawns! Cheaper.. I don’t know.. They have the whole list of that.

Happy Hour Dinner. Our No.1 lady managed to obtain permission for our entire department to start our weekend officially at 4:30pm. Woohoo!

Happy Hour Dinner. All the best Owen! All the best Alvin! Just look at him munching away at that sauceless satay that has well.. came from that. Yum? I can’t really say much about the food but just check out the Cheshire cat grins on our ladies!

Priceless!

Even our long lost kaki turned up, clearly enjoying keeping his fingers (all of them) in touch with Happy Hour Crabs. And that’s our B1 and B2. The prim and proper version. Maybe B2 did not get his “NesBuck” that morning.

(“Nesbuck” = Nescafe + Starbucks, which for a few mornings, Nescafe and Starbucks were distributing them.. yes.. for free) They gave us a really huge ‘hammer’ for the crabs, big enough for crabs to see from their tanks the hammering actions on their *gulp* mates. Leaving that in the hands of Alvin can only lead to this.
Happy Hour Dinner ended. The night is still young. *wink*

Another aspiration of My Cabbage Boy

2007-08-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

!!!
Is it a rag?
Is it a mini dress?

Nooo~~~

It’s cabbage boy’s shorts!!!
With side pockets waving ‘Hi’ at me
And everyone to see…

puny

2007-08-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Why is it that a trigger is indispensable for bosses to take action?
Why does management somehow give the punies in a company a dodgy stranded imprint?
Is that… what ‘management’ is all about?

My entries have circled around work, work and more work. I do suppose I have a life outside work, but of late, ‘work’ has been the focus. Like every other graduates, I do envisage having a rewarding career, one where I am able to pick up technical skills, and one where I feel… accomplished.

Leaving behind pressure vessels, I had five offers at hand.

No complaints. I am a lucky puny.

Water was the last offer, and... the least. I took it.

The interview was positive.
Promising.
Hopeful.
Very promising indeed.

A certain amount of increment promised after confirmation never came.
Gaining technical experience I am still waiting. No longer hopeful though.
Emails of ‘good news’ are bountiful. Flags of ‘hopes’ waving high.
Healthy.

No feedback after weeks of waiting.
Not healthy.

Graduate Engineer Program.
No program.
We are on our own.
The punies are rising up.
Slowly but surely.
One way or another.

My good brudderrr is leaving. Here comes his farewell email to us all. All the very best to Owen & BeeL & little-baby-in-tummy. I can’t resist posting this photo. It’s really pretty!

This puny is going to miss you… as a brudder always on a look out, and as a ever ever-helpful senior.

*cheers*

Aspiration of My Cabbage Boy

2007-08-21T00:23:00.001-07:00

Standing motionlessly

Gazing at... i aint too sure...

Just dazing

No blinks

~~~Sshhh~~~

s-i-l-e-n-c-e

~~~Moments sliding by~~~

A cabbage boy's attempt

on still art

or maybe... not so still

mundane dramaz

2007-08-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

A picture paints a thousand words?

A drive to subang's icon!!! The world's tallest pencil! (Picture taken under guard's curious stares)

A scrumptous meal at a warehouse...

A home-cooked dinner...

And a night out at pops!

Thank you Mr Marine

2007-08-17T01:14:00.000-07:00

Have you occasionally wondered what a manager really means? According to F. John Red who is one of the many MANY authors of management and human resources books and bibles (please excuse the plagarism),

"A Manager is the person responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary.
Managers may direct workers directly or they may direct several supervisors (maybe through a team leader?) who direct the workers. The manager must be familiar with the work of all the groups he/she supervises, but does not need to be the best in any or all of the areas. It is more important for the manager to know how to manage the workers than to know how to do their work well."

Check out the following statement, which may be applicable to some of us.

"The Manager of Design Engineering supervises engineers and support staff engaged in design of a product or service."

I suppose it's reasonable to assume that everyone of us finish studying somehow and somehow or rather, landed ourselves into our very first job. It can potentially be an interesting topic --> "My First Few Years". So how have you managed to squirm or ular or fleet past those baby years?

I remember my first year as a design engineer, under direct supervision from a senior design engineer (Mr Mouse) and occasional supervision from a design manager (Mr MIA). Thank god for Mr Technical Director, who is there to answer my queries, however stupid they may seem at times. Hence, even though I was groping in the dark, I could still feel the breeze brushing across my cheeks, that is to say, I guess I was heading in the 'right direction'.

That was the past.

No breeze for some time now. Either I am in a confined area, or this is a tragically long tunnel, randomly dotted with occasionally spotlights (hope!) that turns out to be mirages.

Until yesterday.
Emails filled with lengthy details, geotechnical investigation data and reports. Aim (at least there is one): Check for aquifier.

Help.

Armed with a pencil in my skirt pocket, I blinked, shot out my antenna for SOS, and went in search to the other end for a 'guru' in that aspect.

Thank you Mr Marine. For your time. As that was the first time in a long while I felt... guided.

Momentary, very short lived but thank you nevertheless.

Copy and Paste

2007-08-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today's msn tagline is "copy and paste adventure"...which is an activity that I have been engaged in pretty frequently... copy and paste power point... copy and paste ms words... copy and paste ms excel etc...

Yes... indeed.. I am heading in the right direction (slowly but surely)... in becoming a copy and paste expert!

Test

2007-08-06T07:48:00.001-07:00

testing