My Very First Blog

Hi everyone! By the time you read this, I would already be in China with blogger Jam and his friend.

Yes, finally! My long awaited trip of the year is here! I am sorry I did not have time to visit all your blogs and reply to the comments in my last post. I was too busy packing for the trip!

I will be in China for 10 days and I will make sure that I re-connect with nature and stay far, far away from computers and the Internet. For the first time, I will be offline for such a long time, and I don't know if my withdrawal symptoms will start kicking in!

But that is not stopping me from coming out with new posts and ..... contests! So if you want to win some souvenirs from China, make sure you come back to read my blog and participate in the contests!

I think most of you are not very fond of guessing games, so this time around, I will not have a "Guess this song" kind of contest. Instead I will just reward the top 3 commenters with souvenirs from China!

That's right! No need to do any guessing, just comment to your heart's content!

Of course, as in any contests, there are rules. But before I brief you on the rules, did you read in the paper yesterday that Malaysia is the world's 8th highest user of sugar? Wow! Looks like we love sweet stuffs, don't we?

According to a 2005 survey, we Malaysians consume an average of 26 teaspoons of sugar daily. That was pretty high considering that we only consumed about 17 teaspoons of sugar daily back in the 70's. And just so you know, the world's average consumption of sugar is a mere 11 teaspoons daily.

The International Diabetes Institute also recorded that Malaysia has the 4th highest number of diabetics in Asia with about 800,000 cases in 2007 and projected to reach a whopping 1.3 million in 2010! This looks frighteningly like an epidemic!

I have to admit I love sweet food and desserts. I have sweet tooth so I can never run away from desserts at any buffet spread unless they are downright lousy!

Do you know there are many food that have high sugar content and you are probably eating them everyday without a second thought?

Guess how many teaspoons of sugar these popular food contain....

Mc Donald's sundae ice cream (180ml)
A&W Root Beer (325ml)
Coca Cola (325ml)
Ribena (500ml)
Kellogg's Corn Frosties (275g)
Uncle Tobys Muesli Bars (125g)
100 Plus (100ml)
Chipsmore Cookies (180g)

OK, the first person who can guess the answers correctly will get to win a souvenir too!

I know, I know! I just mentioned earlier that there won't be any "guessing" contest, yet here I am, offering this "Guess The Correct Number Of Teaspoons Of Sugar" Contest! Can't help it! Haha!

In any case, do you have sweet tooth? Can you resist sweet desserts? What is your favourite "sweet" food? And more importantly, are you doing anything to stop yourself from eating all these sugary stuffs?

Ok, now we come to the rules for this "Top 3 Commenters" Contest. Read carefully....

1. Any comment that is less than 12 words will not be counted.

2. You can only have a maximum of 8 consecutive comments. Any consecutive comments above 8 will not be counted. (Hint: Come back to comment again after someone else commented)

3. Each comment must be a complete sentence or sentences. You cannot cut off a sentence mid way and continue the sentence in the next comment just because you have reached 12 words in order to maximise the number of comments. In such a case, both these comments will not be counted.

4. Comments must be related to this post or in response to comments left by others. All other comments will not be counted.

5. This contest is open to anyone in the world.

6. This contest ends at exactly 11.59pm Malaysian time on 7th August 2009. Comments that come in after that date and time will not be counted.

Example of comments that are acceptable.
"Hi, enjoy yourself in China and make sure you take lots of photos for us to see!"

"Wow! I love contests! I am going to try to win this!"

"I have sweet tooth and I will eat anything that is sweet!"

Example of comments that are not acceptable.
"Please drop by my blog to vote for me. Thanks! Really appreciate it!" (Reason - Not related to post)

"Have a great trip! " (Reason - less than 12 words)

"Contests? This is cool! I am going to stalk your blog and ..." (Reason - sentence cut halfway to continue in next comment to take advantage of the 12 words minimum requirement and maximise the number of comments)

That's all there is to the rules! I hope it is not too confusing for you. Anyway, please don't misunderstand. I do accept all comments whether they are short comments or long ones. And I appreciate all your comments. But since this is a contest, I have to set the rules so that it is fair to all contestants!

So have fun leaving comments here! Remember, you can continue to visit my blog daily and top up your comments! I think I will just let you guys fight it out! Haha!

Hmm, I wonder who will end up as my Top 3 Commenters for this post? Now that's something to look forward to once I return from my China trip! : )

Oh no! I've been tagged by ladyviral. And it's a long tag with 37 questions to answer!

And I have to tag 21 people! Now all you 21 people on my list, you've been tagged! haha!

Now I know this is not exactly a good way to start the week, but come on, let's have some fun!

Of course it's entirely up to you if you want to do this tag or not, but I hope you do. All the names are placed in this list at random.

1. lina
2. neo
3. JL
4. monica
5. pikey
6. nick phillips
7. mariuca
8. SK
9. merryn
10. blue dreamer
11. brian kinney
12. bengbeng
13. levian
14. jam
15. iamthewitch
16. tekkaus
17. lisalicious
18. borneo falcon
19. che-cheh
20. mei teng
21. annant

1. How did you meet 7 ?
I have yet to meet her!

2. What would you do if you and 15 had never met?
We'll just remain the best of friends on blogosphere. But we're meeting up, right? ; )

3. What would you do if 20 and 1 dated?
Yikes! Impossible cos both are ladies and one is already married with a kid!

4. Have you seen 17 cried?
Honestly, no.

5. Would 4 and 16 make a good couple?
I really have no idea! Maybe in another life?

6. Do you think 11 is attractive?
I think he's attractive in many ways ; )

7. What is 2's favourite colour?
I don't know anything about his favourite colour but I do know he has many favourite hot chicks! : )

8. When was the last time you talked to 9?
Never talked to her before. I only visit her blog.

9. What language does 8 speaks?
I guess it's English, Mandarin, Malay ... and Tamil?

10. Who is 13 going out with?
No idea!

11. Would you ever date 17 ?
Why not?

12. Where does 18 live?
I know, I know! It's Sibu!

13. What is the best thing about 4?
She can eat a lot and still stay slim! And she's a night owl just like me, although she's a super night owl!

14. What would you like to tell 10 right now?
I treasure our friendship! And thanks for inviting me to join Blog Idol!

15. What is the best thing about 20?
Without doubt her photography skills!

16. Have you ever kiss 2?
Gosh, no! Wouldn't dream of it! He would kill me if I do that unless I am a hot chick! : )

17. What is the best memory you have of 5?
Not much memory since we have yet to meet up!

18. When's the next time you're going to see 1?
I haven't met her before, but I'm sure we will meet up one of these days! Right, Lina?

19. How is 7 different from 6 ?
Not sure about the differences, but I know one similarity - they are both crazy Entrecard droppers!

20. Is 2 pretty?
Do you mean handsome? Cos he's a guy!

21. What was your 1st impression of 15?
How to have 1st impression when we have not met before? But the impression I get from reading her blog is she loves to eat!

22. How did you meet 3?
Met him when he came to KL.

23. Is 5 your best friend?
No, but we are good friends on blogosphere.

24. Do you hate 12?
I don't hate anyone!

25. Have you seen 18 in the last month?
No, he's too far away!

26. When was the last time you saw 16?
Never seen him before. Hopefully we'll meet up one day!

27. Have you been to 5's house?
No, maybe he'll invite me one of these days?

28. When's the next time you'll see 10?
Maybe when I visit Philippines, although I don't know when that would be!

29. Are you close to 11?
Not really, but we do visit each other's blogs often!

30. Have you been to the movies with 4?
No, although I would love to!

31. Have you gotten in trouble with 8?
I rarely get into trouble with people I have yet to meet.

32. Would you give 19 a hug?
Sure! I don't mind giving a hug to everyone on this list!

33. When have you lied to 3?
Don't recall lying to him.

34. Is 1 good at socializing?
Not sure about socializing, but she's good at criticizing! Haha!

35. Do you know a secret about 8?
If I do, it wouldn't be a secret any longer, would it?

36. Describe the relationship between 12 and 18?
Blogger friends? All I know is that they are both bloggers from Sibu!

37. What's the best thing about your friendship with 9?
I can have a good laugh reading about her cutie 2 year old son!

After my last Japanese buffet at Tenji, I was craving for more Japanese food. Tenji was a mixture of Japanese, Chinese and Western food restaurant.

I was more interested in authentic Japanese restaurants which serve mainly Japanese fare, so when my friend told me about this buffet promotion at Sagano Japanese Restaurant at Renaissance Hotel in KL, I jumped at it.

I think July is a promotional month for all dining outlets in Renaissance Hotel, so you may want to check them out before it ends.

Here's what we ate.



My plate of fresh sashimi! Can you recognise the types of raw fish I ate?

But it's nothing compared to what my friend ate!



The raw fishes were taken from here.



My plate of yummy oysters. They were so fresh and smooth!



My friend's plate of edamame beans, squids and seaweed. Not my favourite except for the edamame beans!



Since I was complaining about the non existence of unagi at Tenji, I made sure I eat lots and lots of unagi here. Below is my plate of unagi, tofu, chickens and fish.



I went back for a few plates of unagi! Really had my fill of it! Absolutely satisfying!

This was where I took all the unagi from. See the empty plate (second plate from left)? It's empty because I took all the unagi from that plate! Haha!



Can you also see the cups of chawanmushi on the left corner? I am not of fan of chawanmushi so I did not take those. Rather save my stomach for even more unagi. Haha!

My friend went for the soft shell crab tempura, which was very delicious! I just noticed there's a prawn tempura on her plate!



So I went for a full plate of tempuras! I wonder why the Japanese like to dip these fried food in the tempura sauce? I thought fried food should be eaten crispy! The crispier the better, no? Once you dip them into the sauce, they become soggy, but then again, it is nice in a way, so I'm fine with it. LOL!



I did not eat any sushi since I am not a fan of sushi, but I just took this photo of the sushi on display. They were placed on a nice boat-like structure.



This is the sukiyaki station. I took the photo of someone cooking the beef slice.



And here's my bowl of sukiyaki. It's almost finished eaten as I forgot to take photo of it earlier. The beef and the soup were delicious!



There were many other food I did not bother to eat like soba noodles and salads, as I was more interested in the desserts! Here's the dessert station.



I love the mochis! They were excellent, unlike those mochis I ate at Sushi King or Sakae Sushi.



The cheesecake on the left was quite nice and the chocolate cake with strawberry on top was not bad. But the mochis with generous lotus fillings were on another level! I could not eat enough of them and went back for more.

Finally, it was time for ice cream. If you remember, I was complaining how Tenji did not have green tea ice cream. Well, I had my fill of green tea ice cream over here, thank goodness!



After finishing this cup of delicious green tea ice cream, I went for another round. But this time, I added in red beans. Really nice to have the sweet red beans accompany the slightly bitter green tea. Perfect combination!



Oh, this picture does not look so appetizing, does it? That's because I did not scoop the red beans and place them nicely on top of the green tea ice cream. It looks kind of ugly and unappetizing, right? Well, don't judge a book by its cover. Or rather, don't judge a green tea ice cream with red beans by its appearance!

By the way, do you like to eat your ice cream totally frozen or slightly melted? I like mine slightly melted but not to the stage where it turned into a milk shake!

This was a really satisfying Japanese meal! I have no complaints whatsoever with the food here. And at RM55.00++, it was worth it! (Normal price is RM89.00++) I will definitely come back again if they have another promotion. This promotion is on until end of July, so if you are a fan of Japanese food, don't miss it!

What do Jordin Sparks, Aretha Franklin, Jennifer Hudson and our very own Adibah Noor have in common apart from being well known singers?

Can't think of the answer?

Well, they are all plus size, full figured ladies!

You would have thought that with their plump figures, they would never be famous. But I guess they have proven us wrong!

And it seems that a few singers are going to join in the bandwagon. Singers like Britney Spears and Kelly Clarkson and gasp....even my idol Mariah Carey!

Did you see Mariah performed at the Michael Jackson memorial? She did appear to be more plump than usual, didn't she? I guess she must be having a good married life! Just a few months ago, she was slim and toned and looked better than her younger days. I hoped that with her new album coming out in August, she would get back with her personal trainer and start working out and burning off those fats!

Actually, does it really matter if these ladies have big waistlines? What's more important is their big voices right? Well, I'll just let you all debate on that! All I know is that being fat is not good for health, so it's not just about appearance.

Anyway, I would like to share with you another Malay song today. Sung by a plus size lady who is none other than Adibah Noor. I first came to know about her when she acted as the midwife in the famous Singaporean musical, Chang and Eng. And of course, her popular and funny ads with Ho Yuhang that really tickled my funny bones!

If you rarely listen to Malay songs, here's one that you must simply listen to! It is called "Terlalu Istimewa" which translates to "Too Special".

According to Adibah Noor, the song was transpired from a 10 year old girl who was brutally raped and murdered in Johor, Malaysia. However, it is also dedicated to all children who never had the chance to grow up, for whatever reason.

Listening to this song really pulled at my heartstrings, and it remains one of my top 10 Malay songs of all time! Enjoy the video!



Lyrics (Malay)
Ku tatap gambar wajahmu
Sinar mata itu
Lirik senyumanmu
Pesona yang membelai
Wajahmu bercahaya
Memberi bahagia
Tiap yang memandang
Hati jadi salju

Chorus
Kau terlalu istimewa
Kasih dan sayangmu terpancar
Seikhlas
Tiada batasan terus membara
Terkilan rasa jiwa
Inginku lihatmu dewasa
Apa daya
Tuhan lebih menyayangimu

Ku pasti kau berbahagia
Duduk di sampingnya
Mendengar cerita
Segala rahsia

Repeat Chorus

Bridge
Tak tertanggung rindu
Mendengar suaramu
Tawa mengusik jiwa...

Repeat Chorus

English translation (by Geminianeyes)
Looking at your photo
Those shining eyes
The warmth of your smiles
That caring persona
Your happy face
Brings joy
To all who see
Melting cold hearts

Chorus
You’re too special
Your love shines
Sincerely
With no barriers stopping
It pains my heart
Wanting to see you mature
But what can I do
God loves you more

I’m sure you’re happy
Being by His side
Listening to all stories
All the secrets

Repeat Chorus

Bridge
Can’t stop missing you
Hearing your voice
Your laughter in memory…

Repeat Chorus

Are you ready for the longest total solar eclipse of this century? Yes, it's happening on the 22nd July 2009!

The total eclipse will last up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, making it the longest solar eclipse this century! We will have to wait until the year 2132 to have an eclipse longer than this one!

Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?) for Malaysians, we would not be able to experience the total eclipse, although we would be able to witness a partial eclipse.

The path of the Moon's umbral shadow will begin in India and crosses through Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and China. After leaving mainland Asia, the eclipse will cross into Japan's Ryukyu Islands and curve southeast through the Pacific Ocean.



Do you know why it will be a long eclipse? Well, this is because at this time of the year, the Sun is farthest away from Earth, thus is smallest in size. Whereas the Moon is nearest to Earth, therefore it appears bigger in size. With a big Moon blocking a small Sun, what do you get? A longer eclipse, that's what!


Diagram of solar eclipse courtesy of wikimedia.org

So are you excited? Can't wait to catch the eclipse? But wait! Not so fast!

The reason why I said earlier that we in Malaysia are probably fortunate not to catch the total solar eclipse is because solar eclipse is never a good sign.

According to Joey Yap, Malaysia's famous feng shui expert, this solar eclipse will bring us bad luck especially if we are exposed to it. One minute exposure will attract one year of bad luck, two minutes will attract two years of bad luck, so imagine being exposed for a total of 20 minutes or longer! Read my post on what Joey Yap said.

T. Selva, the practitioner of Vasthu Sastra (also known as Indian feng shui), mentioned in The Star newspaper last week that this solar eclipse will create negative energies that would affect everyone. Read the article online.

According to him, any eclipse signals a time to be wary and this is especially true when it involves the Sun as all living beings are dependent on the Sun. The impact of the negative energies when the Sun is obscured causes a lack of courage, fatigue and low self-esteem. People are advised not to carry out their usual activities, not to travel and stay indoors.

Those who were born during the eclipse should take even more care than others. During this unfavourable period, every individual will experience some sort of disruption at work, home, business and travel. He advised everyone to offer prayers and clean their homes to remove all harmful energies after the eclipse.

For those staying in KL, the eclipse will start at 8.29am and end at 9.48am. The peak of the eclipse when the Moon covers the Sun the most (which to us, only covers 8% of the Sun disk since we are not in the totality path) will happen at 9.07am.

If you want to test out whether this eclipse really brings bad luck, go ahead, get out there and watch the eclipse. But remember, never watch with the naked eye for you can go blind! Take note that sunglasses, exposed film, X-ray film and polaroid filters cannot be counted on to protect your eyes. Only use filters and glasses that are specifically made for viewing the Sun.

For me, I think I will stay indoors as a precautionary measure. What about you?

We Malaysians just love to shop, don't we? It's as if shopping is our favourite pastimes.

I have an Australian friend who tells me he does not understand why Malaysians love to head to the shopping malls every weekend and during public holidays. Don't they have anywhere else to go?

To him, a weekend is best spent going to the parks or hiking in the forests, or go fishing by the lake, or even climb a mountain. Surely anything is better than a trip to the shopping mall!

Come to think of it, I quite agree with him. And yet, there are times I spend a whole day at the shopping mall! Am I cursed like all Malaysians, cursed to spend our time in shopping malls?

But really, what is there not to like about shopping malls? I mean, take 1Utama for example.


Photo of 1Utama courtesy of backpackingmalaysia.com

If you want to know, this is how my itinerary for a typical whole day during the weekend at 1Utama looks like.

9.50am - Park my car. Of course must be kiasu a bit and arrive before 10am to get the best spot! Try arriving after 11am, and you'll be lucky to get a parking space, don't talk about choosing the best spot!

10 am - First things first. Go collect the cinema tickets which I booked online the day before at GSC cinema. Don't want to lose the tickets just because I did not manage to collect the tickets 45 minutes before the show starts!

10.30am - Have a nice relaxing breakfast at Delifrance.

11.30am - Watch movie at GSC cinema. Oh, before that, buy some popcorn first! I know, I know, we just had breakfast, but what is a movie without popcorns?

2 pm - Have lunch at Delicious by Ms Read. Or should we go Canton-I? Or maybe Vietnam Kitchen? Or Sushi Zanmai? Nah, too long queue! Decisions! Decisions! During lunch, chit chat about the movie we just watched, plus any other things that are worth chatting about.

For the ladies, it's usually gossips and more gossips. For the men, it's hot chicks and the latest gadgets and online opportunities and maybe football. For gays, it's about cute guys and sex. But I usually go out with a mixture of males, females, straight and crooked. So we chat about all the above!

4 pm - Must stop our chatting otherwise we would chat till dinner! Time for shopping now! It is after all the Malaysian Mega Sale Carnival right? Why miss all the good bargains? Actually, really got good bargains or not? Sometimes I cannot help feeling it's all a trick to make us spend our hard earned money!



6 pm - So hungry after all those shopping, so just drop by Theobroma Chocolate Lounge for some chocolate drinks and desserts! Yummy! But feel like eating those gui ling gao at Koong Woh Tong. Maybe should go Waffle World for their ice cream waffles! Choices! Choices! Is life difficult or what! Haha!

7 pm - More shopping! And I must drop by MPH to get some books! Or should I go to Action City to shop for gifts? Maybe should go Best Denki to check out the latest plasma TV. Time is just so short! And I have so much to do!!

8.30 pm - Have buffet dinner and karaoke at Neway Karaoke. Don't know whether to eat or sing, damn it!

12 am - Time to leave 1Utama. I am game for a midnight movie, but I don't think anyone else is in the mood for that! Looks like they are larks and I'm the only night owl! Must gather more night owls on my next outing! LOL!

So what do you think? Is it fun to spend the whole day in a shopping mall or not?

And I haven't even mentioned other interesting things you can do like bowling, rock climbing, visit the Secret Garden at the rooftop etcetera, etcetera.

Of course the damage to my wallet is HUGE! Even the parking ticket is enough to pay for 4 lunches at my usual chap fan (aka economy rice) stalls!

No matter how fun it is, I don't think I can do this every weekend. Not that I would go bankrupt or anything like that, but I would prefer more variety during my weekends, like going to the park, hiking in the forests and maybe climbing a mountain! Sometimes doing absolutely nothing but just lazing around at home is great too!

What about you? What do you do during weekends? And can you spend a whole day at shopping malls? Like this weekend?

I am a Chinese but I listen to Malay songs. Some of my Chinese friends think I'm weird, but I don't see anything wrong with that!

Music is music! Whether it is Chinese, Malay or Indian music, they are music all the same! To me, music transcends all languages!

I wonder how come my Chinese friends listen to English songs then? Should I say they are weird then?

I think we do have a lot of nice Malay songs and we only need to expose ourselves to these songs to appreciate them. To me, the more I listen to a song, the more I like it. But of course, after some time, I will get bored and that's when I switch to another song! Haha!

I even sing Malay songs in karaoke much to the amazement (or disbelief?) of my Chinese friends. Well, they sing mostly Mandarin songs, which I love too, but Malay songs are really not that bad!

I also like songs sung by Indonesian artistes like Kris Dayanti, Samsons and Peterpan. These Indonesians singers are really a talented lot!

But since I'm a Malaysian, I'll talk about Malaysian singers today. There's one Malaysian singer whom I really admire and she is none other than the famous Siti Nurhaliza! She has a great voice and good looks but what I find amazing is that she is able to maintain her popularity for such a long time!

Although I do not fancy all her songs, this is her one song that I really, really like! It's called "Bukan Cinta Biasa" which translates to "Not An Ordinary Love".

Enjoy the video and have a great week, everyone! : )



Lyrics
Begitu banyak cerita
Atas sebab ada duka
Cinta yang ingin ku tulis
Bukanlah cinta biasa

Dua keyakinan beza
Masalah pun takkan sama
Ku tak ingin dia ragu
Mengapa mereka selalu bertanya

Cintaku bukan di atas kertas
Cintaku getaran yang sama
Tak perlu di paksa
Tak perlu di cari
Kerna ku yakin ada jawabnya...ohhh

Andai ku bisa merubah semua
Hingga tiada orang terluka
Tapi tak mungkin,
Ku tak berdaya
Hanya yakin menunggu
Jawabnya

Janji terikat setia
Masa mengupas segala
Mungkin dia kan berlalu
Ku tak mahu mereka tertawa

Diriku hanya insan biasa
Miliki naluri yang sama
Tak ingin berpaling
Tak ingin berganti
Jiwa ku sering saja berkata..ohh

Andai ku mampu mengulang semula
Ku pasti tiada yang curiga
Kasih kan hadir
Tiada terduga
Hanya yakin menunggu
Jawapan...

Cintaku bukan di atas kertas
Cintaku getaran yang sama
Tak perlu di paksa
Tak perlu di cari
Kerna ku yakin ada jawabnya...ohhh

Andai ku bisa merubah semua
Hingga tiada orang terluka
Tapi tak mungkin
Ku tak berdaya
Hanya yakin menunggu
Jawabnya...ohhh

Diriku hanya insan biasa
Miliki naluri yang sama
Tak ingin berpaling
Tak ingin berganti
Jiwa ku sering saja berkata..ohh

Andai ku mampu pulang semula
Ku pasti tiada yang curiga
Kasih kan hadir
Tiada terduka
Hanya yakin menunggu
Jawapan...

Do you like to read? I assume you do otherwise you won't be reading my blog, right? But then, maybe you just like to look at pictures. Haha!

I have a friend who said that she seldom read books because she will go to sleep after a few paragraphs. So her pastimes are spent watching DVDs on her computer. How sad!

I think people who don't read are missing a big part of life! There are so many things you can learn from books and blogs!

I love to read. Unfortunately, I just cannot find the time to read as much as I wanted to. I still remember when I was a small kid, I had all the time to read! Oh, those were the days!

During my early primary school days, I read mainly Enid Blyton's books. They were my source of joy and entertainment! Although I could not remember most of the stories, names like Big Noddy, Mr Pink Whistle, Mr Twiddle and Mister Meddle do strike a chord in me.

Enid Blyton was such a wonderful story teller! I had so much fun reading her books and all those wonderfully weird characters she created. Besides writing funny and interesting stories, she was also good at mysteries. Who could ever forget her popular Adventurous Four, or The Famous Five or even The Secret Seven?


Image courtesy of worldpeacepoll.com

The Famous Five was a big hit with me. Do you remember that tomboy George who was really Georgina and she had this adorable dog by the name of Timmy? And then of course there were Julian, Dick and Anne that make up the rest of the team!

It was The Secret Seven books that introduced me to the word "password". The Secret Seven were really a group of 7 children who loved to hold secret meetings at secret places. All the members must say the password in order for them to be allowed in for their meetings.

Guess what? I was so fond of the Secret Seven when I was small I actually played what I now call "The Secret Seven Game" with my siblings. Yes, we had secret meetings under the staircase of my house. That's right, under the staircase! haha! Well, that time, we were all tiny enough to gather together in such a small space. I vividly remember my sister actually calling out the wrong password and I did not want to let her in! It was just so fun at that time!

When I was a little older, I lost interest in Enid Blyton's books and got myself immersed in Alfred Hitchcock and The Three Investigators. That was my first introduction to famous movie director Alfred Hitchcock, although I never ever knew who the author of the books is to this day! Well, I just checked Wikipedia and found that this detective series was created by a person named Robert Arthur Jr.


Image courtesy of threeinvestigatorsbooks.com

Do you still remember the names of the Three Investigators? They were Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the smart one who always lead the way in solving all the mysteries. Pete is the athletic one, while Bob is studious and wear glasses.

The Three Investigators even inspired me to come up my own riddles! I still remember a game I had when I was small. I would hide an object somewhere in the house, and then wrote a riddle for my siblings to solve in order to locate that object! What fun I had!

Thinking back of my childhood days just brings back a flood of memories. The good and the bad, the funny and the embarrassing ones. Perhaps I would share more of my childhood days with you readers in my future posts.

I hate traffic jams! I know I have complained about traffic jams before in a previous post, but that is not going to stop me from complaining again.

If you live or work in KL, you will understand what KLites need to go through everyday. It's more torturous than a day spent in Abu Ghraib prison. Ok, maybe not, but it's torture all the same.

Fortunately for me, I don't really live or work in KL. But sometimes when I need to go KL and happen to pick the wrong time to go, you can bet your last dollar that I always end up in a humongous traffic jam. How I wish my car could fly then!

Imagine if one day, we don't need to drive. Oh, I know some of you don't drive and some of you sit the train or LRT. Still, what if I could just say "Beam me up, Scotty!" and the very next instant, I would be beamed up and within seconds, land at my destination? Wouldn't that be great?


Image courtesy of jimis-cyberstore

Just imagine if we have this Star Trek technology, we would never have to endure traffic jams ever again! There would be no need for cars. No need for roads and expensive highways. And yes, no need to pay tolls too! Hooray!!

With no cars on the road, our air would be so clean. Isn't it nice to breathe in fresh air every single day? Car companies would cease to exist. Petroleum companies would need to close down. No more BMW, Mercedes Benz, Toyota or Honda. No more Petronas or Shell. Which is quite a shame, isn't it? Wonder how will Malaysia survive then?

And of course we would not be hearing the so often heard tagline "Now everyone can fly!" anymore. Why would we? There is no need to fly anymore. Planes would simply cease to exist. AirAsia is history. KLIA would just be a deserted, white elephant.


Talking about Star Trek, have you seen the new Star Trek movie?

With the touch of a button, Scotty would beam us to any country in the world. We would arrive at our destination within seconds! No more long, tiring journeys and jetlags.

There is no need for manual checking of passports. Which means no queues. Hassle free travel is the order of the day. We will only be beamed up after the automatic system checks our details and gives its approval. That can be done within seconds.

But if you think you can travel for free, think again. You still need to pay, of course. There's no free lunch in this world even with such an advanced technology! If you choose not to pay, the system would just reject you! Or if you are a criminal and think you can escape to another country to avoid being arrested, the system would ban you from traveling once your name is blacklisted by the Government or the authorities.

Now no matter how advanced a technology is, there will still be some imperfections. Some flaws, if you will. Although this "beam me up" technology is considered the safest way to travel, there will still be a 0.001 percent chance that you would not arrive safely at the destination of your choice.

What I mean is, you just never get to reach your destination. Because in the process of being beamed up, you are accidently burnt. Or to put it less mildly, cooked. That's the risk you would have to take, but it's such a small risk, your chances of striking the lottery or being hit by lightning is probably higher.

OK, if you have been reading up to here, you must be thinking what the heck am I crapping about, so I guess it's time for me to wake up. And come back to reality.

Beam me up, Scotty? I must be nuts! Have a good weekend, everyone! : )

Which is more important to you - your TV, your mobile phone or the Internet?

If you are forced to give up one, which would you give up first?

According to the latest Reader's Digest global survey, 11 out of 15 countries say they would turn off the TV before they would silence their mobile phone or log off the internet.



Surprisingly, China leads the pack with the most respondents saying they rather turn off the TV than their mobile phone or computer. Possibly the Chinese people are more into online TV nowadays? Singapore takes second place, while Italy is third.



Interestingly, Brazil is the only country that choose to give up the Internet and by a huge margin too. Brazil has some of the lowest rates of Internet users in the world with just 35 users per 100 people compared to USA which has 72. This could be due to the high cost of hooking up to the Internet in Brazil which is about $26 a month compared with just $7.40 in Germany.



As for giving up the mobile phone, Canada tops the list as Canadians pay some of the highest rates for their mobile phone plans. Germany comes in second, followed closely by UK in third place.

As for me, I think it will be a very tough decision to make. The fact is, I cannot survive without all three!

I have to say that my mobile phone is an essential item to me. I would feel lost if I don't have my mobile phone with me when I am away from home. If I ever leave my house and forget to take my mobile phone, I would drive all the way back home to get it. So yes, I cannot live without my mobile phone!

That leaves me with either the TV or the Internet. Well, as you all know I love to blog! Blogging is my passion. And there are so many other things I can do online like chatting, watching YouTube videos, surfing the net and playing games (though I seldom play games) I just don't think I am ready to give all these up!

So I guess it will have to be the TV. Besides, I don't have much time for TV. And some of the TV shows can be watched online anyway. Oh, I would miss my favourite Hong Kong TVB series, but I can easily rent or buy the DVDs and play them on my computer.

So, yes! If I am forced to choose, I will definitely give up TV!

What about you?

So Lillian Too was right! The famous feng shui expert and author correctly predicted the H1N1 pandemic early this year.

Well, she did not exactly name it as swine flu or H1N1 but she did warn us about the danger of sickness and epidemic. Read my report here.

What is happening currently is actually worse than an epidemic. It's already termed a pandemic by WHO. In case you don't know the difference between epidemic and pandemic, read here.

In Malaysia, the number of H1N1 cases continue to rise. Fortunately, this flu is not deadly otherwise we would be in a state of panic. However, elderly people and those with poor immune system must be extra cautious during these times.

I hate getting the flu - any types of flu. And I hate getting colds too. Don't know the difference between cold and flu? Check that out here.

The reason I hate the colds and the flu is I will almost always end up with fever, headaches, stomach upsets, sore throats, cough, breathlessness, nose blocks, and to top it all, anxiety. I don't know how some people can have colds or flu and still go about their daily job as if they are not sick. I can't do that! I have to be in bed and simply cannot function properly.

That is why I do everything possible to avoid getting the flu and cold virus! So if you happen to hate the flu and colds as much as me, then let me introduce you my personal top 10 ways to beat those pesky bugs! (Warning : Some of my methods are pretty extreme!)

1. Wash your hands
Contrary to popular belief, the flu and cold virus spread easier through touch than by air. So all this practice of wearing masks to prevent getting the H1N1 may not be truly effective.

Do you know a flu virus can survive outside the human body for up to 48 hours? So when a flu infected person touches the door knob with his hands and you happen to touch that same door knob within 48 hours, and then touch your eyes or nose with your hand, you will very likely get infected!

The viruses normally enters your body via your eyes and nose, so if you think you have touched an infected object, wash your hands as soon as possible! If you do not have access to water for some reason, avoid rubbing your eyes and touching your nose with your hands and you will prevent the virus from entering your body.

Now you can see why the H1N1 virus can spread so easily? Everything you touch is a risk! Whether it's the book at the bookshop, the buttons inside the lift, the computer keyboard at the internet cafe, the equipments in the gym, the hand railings in the bus and LRT, or those banknotes or cash you just received! In fact, your wallet or purse may be the most virus laden object you have in your possession!

So, make washing hands a habit. Don't know the right way to wash hands? No problem, read here.


Image courtesy of E.Excel

2. Carry a hand sanitizer
Just in case you do not have access to soap and water for some reason, a hand sanitizer will save the day! Most hand sanitizers contain alcohol in them to kill germs, so it's a good idea to have one with you by your side at all times!

I have one in my car and another one at the place I work. I don't keep one in my house though, as I can normally get to wash my hands with water at home.

3. Use knuckles or wrist to rub your eyes and nose
What happens if your eyes and nose are really itchy and you are dying to rub them, but you think you have just shook hands with a person who had flu? And there is no washroom anywhere near you to wash your hands?

Well, let me teach you this tip. Instead of using your fingers to rub your eyes or nose, use your knuckles or your wrist instead! Your knuckles and wrist are less likely to be contaminated with virus than your fingertips!

The average person rubs his or her eyes and nose at least 20 times a day, so this tip can come in very handy!


Image courtesy of USANA

4. Double the intake of your supplements
At the first sign of cold or flu, double the intake of your health supplements. Any good quality and safe supplements that are beneficial in strengthening the immune system are helpful in fighting your cold and flu. This means, do not follow the recommended dosage on your supplements but exceed them!

Do not be afraid to overload your body with these health supplements as you are doing this only for a few days and not over a prolonged period of time. When you are sick, the rate your body uses up the vitamins and minerals are much faster, hence you would need to double your intake of these supplements.

From my own experience, pumping my body with these health supplements have stopped the cold or flu from progressing most of the time. Coupled this with lots of sleep and rest, and your cold and flu will not even have the chance to develop! In any case, taking health supplements are much better than taking drugs to suppress the cold and flu.

5. Stop breathing for a minute
When someone with cold or flu sneezes and you happen to be in the same room with him or her, what do you do? Of course wearing a mask helps, but what if you are not wearing one? Are you going to run out of the room? Well, that depends how fast you run because the flu viruses can travel up to 90 miles per hour from a sneeze! Of course, it also matters whether you are running towards or away from the viruses, that is, if you can see them. Haha!

My best strategy when faced with situation like this is to just stop breathing. That's right! Stop breathing for a minute and let the viruses disperse. Maybe during that one minute, you can try walking slowly out of the room so that you don't look like you are running away like a mad person.

The next best strategy is to place a stand fan directly in front of you facing the offender so that the wind will blow away all the viruses that comes your way! Haha!


Image courtesy of eHow

6. Exercise moderately
People who exercise have better immune system and are therefore, less likely to get the flu and cold. A minimum 3 times weekly for about 30 minutes each time is recommended. Exercise also helps to take away stress, which suppress the immune system.

However, be careful not to over exercise as doing this also lowers your immune system. I have to admit I sometimes fall sick after straining myself too much in the gym. So take it easy and don't be like me!

Of course, if you are sick with flu or cold, avoid the gym altogether. Your body's immune system is already working hard to fight the flu viruses and you don't need to weaken it any further with a strenuous workout at the gym! Besides, be considerate and not spread your germs around to others!

7. Use paper towels in public toilets
Normally, after using the public toilet, you need to open the door to walk out, right? Now some people do not wash their hands after using the toilet and guess what? Every one of them touches the door handle on their way out!

So what do I normally do in such a case? Well, I will take the paper towel or tissue provided and wrap it round the door knob or handle to open the door. The paper towel or tissue act as a barrier between my hand and the handle. Just make sure you throw away the paper towel afterwards!

Of course a better way is to choose a toilet with no doors or with doors that are left open all the time.


Image courtesy of worktop4u

8. Do not touch the tap
When you wash your hands, you need to turn the tap for the water to flow out right? Since most people touch that tap to wash their dirty hands, you can be sure it is full of germs! It's OK to turn the tap before washing your hands, but after washing and your hands are clean, you don't want to be touching that tap again to turn it off. So what do you do?

Well, for me, I will gather some water in my left hand first, then after turning off the tap with my right hand, I will use the water I gathered in my left hand to rinse my right hand!

But an even better solution is simply choose a washroom which uses automatic "no touch" taps. Like the ones you find in the washrooms at The Gardens Mall (which by the way is my favourite public washroom in a shopping mall) where you just need to place your hands close to the water outlet and the automatic sensor will activate the water to flow out to your hands.

9. Take probiotics instead of antibiotics
Many people who are down with flu and sore throat always pressure their doctors for antibiotics. However, this is a wrong move as colds and flu are caused by viruses. Antibiotics only kill bacterias, not viruses. And even worse, antibiotics kill off the friendly bacteria that is part of our healthy immune system.

Instead of antibiotics, take probiotics. Probiotics help promote growth of friendly bacteria which in turn help to strengthen our immune system to fight the cold and flu.

10. Massage your neck and hands
At the first sign of cold or flu, massage the back of your neck by placing both hands against the bony part just behind your ears and rub your palms back and forth about 30 times. This is an acupressure technique that can help avert a cold or flu!


Image courtesy of rhizome.net

Another acupressure technique you can use is apply pressure to the fleshy web between the thumb and index finger of your hand. Press towards the bone at the base of your index finger for several seconds until it aches. Repeat on each hand several times. (Caution : Do not do this acupressure exercise if you are pregnant)

So there you are! My personal top 10 ways to beat the cold and flu. Now, maybe some of you may think that my tips border on the extreme, but with the H1N1 virus spreading around like nobody's business, an extreme situation like this definitely calls for extreme measures!

After watching and listening to that wonderful piano and cello performance of Love Story Meets Viva La Vida, I was inspired. I spent some time playing my piano again last night.

But guess what? I heard my niece played this nice little jazz piece and I thought, well, maybe I should try and play that! So here it is, a short jazzy piece called "Jay Walk" composed by Pam Wedgewood. Hope you like it, and please excuse my wrong notes! Only managed to practise it twice before I recorded it.


jay walk.wav -

If for some reason, you are unable to listen to the song on this post, click here.

Since I recorded a few songs last night, I thought it's time again for my contest "Guess This Song And Win!" except now I'm inviting you to guess 2 songs. Guess one song correct and you win a RM10 Jusco voucher. Guess two songs correct and you win RM20 Jusco voucher.

So here's the first song. Name the title of this song and the original performer. I have played in a slightly different way from the original piece just for fun.


Guess This Song 3.wav -

Oh! I just realised Imeem edited my song! Why did they do that? It's not like I'm posting the original song here. It's my own performance! : (

From my over 4 minutes performance, they shortened it to....30 seconds?! To hear the full song, go here.

This is the second song. For this song, I didn't need Imeem to edit for me. I didn't finish playing this song as I have sort of forgotten how the chorus (middle part) sounds like and the chords that go along with it. Heck! I think even some parts of the melody are wrong. But I will try to listen to the original song again and figure it out, and maybe record a complete version next time.

Let's see if you know this song even though it's only half finished! Just name the song and the original artiste who sang it.


Guess This Song 4.wav -

Contest Rules
1. This contest is open to Malaysians and non Malaysians.
2. Non Malaysians who win the contest will be given Entrecard credits instead of Jusco vouchers. (You have to be an Entrecard member to receive EC credits)
3. The first person to correctly guess the name of the first song and the performer will win a RM10 Jusco voucher (or 100 EC credits).
4. The first person to correctly guess the name of the second song and the performer will win a RM10 Jusco voucher (or 100 EC credits).
5. You can give as many answers as you like, but only the final answer will be accepted.

Note: I just realised you can click on the 'Play Full Song Here' to listen to the full song! Silly me! Sorry Imeem!

Clues
For 1st song - This is a song composed and performed by a famous Korean pianist.
For 2nd song - The singer of this song released a No.1 hit in 2005 called "Bad Day" which was featured in American Idol show.