Quaint Melody » days of my life

Morning delight

cc — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:59:09 +0000

click photo to enlarge.

It was the perfect way to start the day. I woke up to a knock on my front door.
A box of delights was sent from afar, by an angel who’s close to my heart.
It is little delight like this that makes life beautiful.

What was the delight that made your day?

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Invito

cc — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:20:27 +0000

Mr K had Scotch Fillet, served medium-rare on a bed of baked potatoes with red wine, cracked pepper and peppercorn sauce, while I opted for my fish of the day, grilled with lemon, served with cauliflowers and potatoes.

We went to this little Italian restaurant called Invito which is located at the Chancery in Auckland CBD last weekend. The restaurant provides both indoor and outdoor dining. Lovely place to relax and enjoy fine dining on a lazy spring afternoon. We were there late afternoon and opted for the open-air area as it was quite a sunny day, the ambiance was quiet and nice. The food was exceptional with great service. I especially love their tiramisu, it’s probably one of the best I’ve had in a while, very rich yet not too sweet. This place is definitely one of my favourite hang-out places, absolutely divine! Drool away people!

It’s happy Friday again! Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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5:52pm

cc — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:33:21 +0000

Sunset over Civic Theatre click photo to enlarge.

5:52pm . Sunday . Queen Street
People hurrying away home, preparing for the week’s start.
A stray of orange clouds appear in the sky, over the heritage Civic Theatre.
I stroll along the street, observing the beauty that is the city.
Sunset came and went away, so beautiful, yet so quickly.
Like many things, it’s gone before we even realised it’s there.

Carpe diem! Seize the day!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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A lazy Sunday afternoon

cc — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 23:58:19 +0000

The day started with drizzles as I decided to go for a walk in the city.
I am always bedazzled by skies reflected on the many buildings. They seem so surreal.

Strolling down the busy street, I found a corner in a café and sat down leisurely watching the day goes by. It was fascinating to watch people passing by. They all seemed to have a story to tell. There’s the little girlie with her lollipop, the teenager with a frown, that middle age man with an emotionless face, and an old lady with an amiable smile. Time and again, I found myself deep in my thoughts, wondering about their life stories.

A sip of latte. A taste of the mellow cheesecake. My fair share of loot from winter sale.
Life, as of this moment, is great.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Raindrops of yesteryear

cc — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:30:06 +0000

Rain falling down in stream, forming a river running deep into my heart;
Di Da Di Da, the melody plays on, of the psychedelic sound of yesteryear.

It’s been raining on and off the whole day, gloomy clouds and blue skies alternate in the space up above. Sitting by the window, the droplets of rain caught my eyes. Every single one of them seemed to be the same yet so different, forming dots that dazzled under the rays of the occasional sunshine.

As I was mesmerized by the psychedelic dots, a song started to loop in my mind. It’s not particularly special, yet seemed so fitting on such a day. The melody brought me back to those innocent years of youth, when everything was much simpler and free of worries. For a minute I lost track of time and space, I seemed to be back in those days, feeling the droplets of rain falling on me once more, round and round I twirled in the rain like I used to, into that golden year that seemed so faraway.

coming soon:

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Good things come in small ways

cc — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:33:29 +0000

click photo to enlarge.

It was not a particularly eventful day, just one of those days when there was so much on my mind. I just wanted to get away. So off I went for a walk around the neighborhood, randomly snapping away. Along the way, I saw a familiar red van parked by the roadside. A postie was clearing the mails. I contemplated whether to approach him. It was then our eyes met and a smile greeted me. We struck a conversation and he kindly let me take some pictures. A few clicks later, I thanked him and we parted ways. As I saw the van disappear into the horizon, a smile blossomed on my face. It’s amazing how a kind gesture from a stranger can affect us. The brief encounter certainly brighten my day.

Fresh air, friendly souls. It’s wonderful how little it takes to put things back in perspective. On the way back, I saw the most breathtaking scene. Thus the story behind my previous pictorial post ‘Shadows in the sun‘. It was also the very same day I took the picture in the post ‘Window of innocence‘.

Let’s slow down our steps to do a second take, to admire the things around us. For good things come in small ways.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Shadows in the sun

cc — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 16:06:01 +0000

A hauntingly beautiful view of the park in the afternoon. click photo to enlarge

The sun finally came out Monday afternoon, winds blew away the gloomy clouds.
Rays shining through tall trees towering from a distance, casting long shadows on the emerald field.
Walking along the familiar path, relaxing myself in the lush atmosphere,
I detected a mist of sweetness in the air.
The storm didn’t come, it’s a good day after all.

Share with me, my friends, your relaxing moments of the day.

當我獨自漫步，聽風的歌，看影子舞動。生活也就如此，悠然。

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Let’s talk about weather

cc — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:04:32 +0000

View outside my bedroom window. click photo to enlarge

It’s been a very wet and gloomy winter down under, raining more than usual. The weather pattern surely has changed dramatically in the past few years. Auckland weather can be very unpredictable. With the sun shining one minute, and gloomy clouds roaming the next. Climate over here is direct opposite to those in the northern hemisphere, with summer starting from December to February, autumn March to May, winter June to Aug and spring September to November. While the weather here is generally temperate, mainly maritime, summery sun can be quite unbearable. Though the general temperature seldom hits the 30 Celsius mark, the UV levels are very high due to its closer proximity to the sun at that time of the year. It is really not advisable to expose oneself under the hot sun for a prolonged period of time, even if sunscreens are applied.

Coming from the tropics, the thing I enjoy the most about living in the temperate climate is the many colours that comes with it. While summer is too harsh, winter too gloomy and spring too garish, autumn yields the perfect season for me. It is then when everything turns colourful and breezy. The whole town seems to turn into a big dazzling picture, with coolness in the air and leaves swaying on trees in shades/hues of reds and yellows. Even the most unromantic people will feel the poetic moments in the air. A walk in the park is most pleasurably at this time of the year. I always feel a little surreal emerging amongst the breezy air and splendid colours of the season. It never fails to amaze me.

On another note, forecast said another storm is heading our way. This gloomy winter weather is killing all my fun to get out of the house for some decent photo shoots. Somehow the sun only comes out occasionally during the weekdays and rains all day long in the weekends! The sky pretty much looks like the above picture lately, albeit a little less dramatic (what to do, I’m all about drama!), but still, gloom! I’m just going to roll into bed and hibernate.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Addiction

cc — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 03:06:43 +0000

Someone has developed an addiction lately. It’s not sweet, animated nor flashy. However, it does make you jump up and down and at times lasts till night; only to emerge with a look to die for the next morning.

Yes, we finally succumbed to the temptation and now have unlimited access to discover and gain historical knowledge or learn to be dramatic. Evil has one word, SKYtv. Now I’ve fallen down into the dark hole of addiction. Will be back as soon as I watch my favourite show on Discovery channel over and over and over again.

Took some photos again during the weekend. Check back soon!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Insomniac

cc — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:58:16 +0000

Insomnia strikes again! Having thousands of thoughts crossing your mind while you’re trying to sleep is really not that fun. The situation intensifies if you have a spouse who plugs right into deep sleep as soon as his head touches the pillow. It also doesn’t help if he’s making melodious sounds while doing so.

If you recalled, I have a CPU that refuses to be shut off from time to time. What’s the best thing to do when you wake up in the middle of the night, tossing and turning but unable to go back to sleep? For the crazy here, I got up, frustrated and decided to tidy up the office. If you think that’s weird, think again! It’s not the first time I’ve done it! Tidying really soothes me. A messy house really makes me restless. After hours of sorting mails, re-filing documents, returning things to orders, it’s time for breakfast! The only thing that wasn’t done was vacuuming. It did cross my mind, but having an angry neighbour knocking down the door cursing in the wee hours is probably not a good idea! I sure hope this is not a preview of what’s to come. On a brighter note, I did get a spanking clean office over it .

Post from: Quaint Melody

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How’s life in NZ?

cc — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:28:12 +0000

I constantly have people back home asking me questions about my life in NZ. How’s the living standard? What season is it now? Weather cold or not? Kiwis friendly or not? What time zone are you in? What is daylight saving? Do you see sheep everywhere? And the most asked question lately, ‘Did the petrol prices go up?’ Here’s my attempt to write about some of these little facts of life over here in NZ, from a Malaysian point of view.

First of all, let me establish some background info, for those who don’t know me. I’m a Malaysian Chinese from Johor. I first stepped foot on New Zealand soil in February 2000. That makes this my 9th year here. Obtained permanent resident status in 2004. Currently living in Auckland with my husband a.k.a. Mr K (who is also a Malaysian Chinese).

Traffic jam in New Zealand. (photo by Phillip Capper)

Now, for the no. 1 most-asked question. Do you see sheep everywhere? The answer is, no they are no wandering around everywhere. Though this is a country where the woolly creatures tip the scales over humans, they are mostly munching the grass in rural farms. You can spot these candy-flossy creatures along the highway while traveling into the greater region. You do find some scatter around the Cornwall park in Auckland city sometimes. They are not wild, if you are so tempted to take one home, their owner will hunt you down!

That’s how we get ‘em.

How about the Kiwi bird? Do they roam around town often? I believe I was once asked whether they taste nice! Contrary to popular belief, Kiwi birds are extremely fragile creatures and have been classified as a national treasure that is facing extinction. They are being highly protected and only can be seen in zoos or certain kiwi-theme parks, in quiet, dark rooms. They are night creatures, a flightless bird with long down-curve bill. They are stumpy and cute to look at in the dark, and no, you don’t get to hug and and take photos with them like you’d do with the koala. Heh.

A hot summer day at Mt Victoria, Devonport.

What’s the weather like? The seasons over here are the opposite of the northern region like the USA. Climate in Auckland is generally warmer and wetter in compared to other states. With temperatures of about 22-29 Celsius during summer, and about 5-16 Celsius during winter. So far, the hottest summer I’ve experienced in Auckland was 30 Celsius. It might seem nothing compare to Malaysia, but due to the positioning of the globe that time of the year, the solar radiation index (UVI) is often very high in most places and can be extreme in northern New Zealand. You’ll feel your skin burning if exposed directly under the sun for a long period of time. Auckland, being the City of Sails, is very windy. You can find out more about Auckland weather patterns here.

When kiwi meets wallaby…

Is NZ life similar to Australia? Though some said NZ shares a lot of similarities as its neighbor Australia, say that to the kiwis and see their faces turn red. I reckon the relationship between Kiwis and Aussies are similar to one that Malaysians and Singaporeans share. Their life and culture are similar but both think they are better off!

What about time zone? Why change the time twice a year? NZ time zone is UTC+12 and UTC+13 during daylight saving time. That’s 4/5 hours ahead of Malaysia accordingly. Over here, daylight saving commences on the last Sunday in September, where clocks go forward one hour at 2am; and ends on the first Sunday in April the following year, where clocks are put back one hour at 3am. Its purpose is for people to enjoy an extra hour of sunlight during summer months. It is especially of value for the farmers and those who need to seize the sunlight. The practice of daylight saving also makes summer months the best time to travel.

How about food? Can you get Asian food easily? If you have ever come down to downtown Auckland, you’d be surprised at the volume of Asian people around town. Over the years, as more and more Asian immigrants set up roots over here, good Asian cuisines also appear like mushrooms. Kiwis seem to embrace the many choices of food too! Of course, like in any other countries, there bound to be good and bad ones. A simple rule of thumbs for us is to observe the customers who patronize the eateries. If they are mostly Chinese people, meaning authentic food are being served. Otherwise, the restaurant is most likely there to cater for the western taste buds. There are also many Chinese grocers around town where you can find authentic Malaysian food like Aik Cheong 3 in 1 White Coffee Tarik, curry powder, Ayam brand chicken stock, kangkong, and even durian (albeit frozen lah) etc in stock. Of course, the choices are not as vast as back home, but it’s pretty good. Still, nothing beat the good old makan-makan back home, that’s what responsible for my weight gain every trip home! Well-worth it though. Haha.

I’ll write about the read hot topic of food crisis and petrol hikes another day. It’s just too painful for weekend reading. Have a great weekend y’all!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Long time no see

cc — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:09:56 +0000

It’s been awhile, I know.
What have I done, you asked. Well, let me count the days.

(Please click on the thumbnails to read the descriptions)

Holidays spent.

We went around Auckland suburbs to look at houses that participated in the annual Christmas Lights Spectacular contest in December 2007. There are some amazing displays every year! These people spent months and months planning for the competition to keep the Christmas spirit up! The lightings are usually up for over a month and you’d see people queuing outside with kids getting candies from the host. Very festive indeed!

Family rejoiced.

Both my parents and in-laws visited from November 2007 through to January 2008. We had a delightful time enjoying the company of our parents. What magical times!

Places revisited.

We took a trip to the beautiful garden city Christchurch again in November 2007. The serenity of the Cathedral never seizes to amaze me. Since we’re already in the area, someone proposed to go to the nearby small town of Kaikoura, which is famous for whale watching. Did we see any whales you ask. Well, let’s just say at the end of the day, there were 4 very seasick people and leave it at that. Heh.

Dream concert realised.

On 9 Jan 2008, Auckland witnessed the powerhouse of the Asian superstar, Jacky Cheung. After a logistical delay, we finally got to enjoy what could only be described as the sound of an angel. It was a dream come true for me as I’ve always wanted to go to his concert after having grown up listening to his songs. It was totally mind-boggling and heart-warming. We were simply overwhelmed. A great night to remember.

Places visited.

Mr K and I visited Taiwan for the first time in February 2008 and spent 11 days in Tainan, Hualian and Taipei. We celebrated Chinese New Year there with my parents for the first time in about 7 years. It was a great trip filled with little surprises. I’ll write about the trip in a separate post.

Festival celebrated.

Friends cherished.

In March 2008, a dear friend from Malaysia visited and brought along such warm and fond memories. Love you SY! Looking forward to your next visit!

Seasons changed. Blog kaki missed.

Time goes by so quickly, almost half of 2008 has gone by before you could say ‘boo’. I’ve been doing great. Well, at least I try to. How have you been? My dear friends. Yes, I am back and ready to share snippets of my life with you again.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Enthusiastic cut short

cc — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:10:04 +0000

I was going to write a reasonably long post, so quickly ran to the kitchen to make myself a nice and warm lemon drink(summer is coming, have to cool down first ma), rushed upstairs to the office, adjusted the seat(some tall giant was sitting on it before me shorty ler) and sat down comfortably. Eh, why the speed slow like turtle one? Dammit, someone went overenthusiastic in downloading ~~movie~~ data and used up all the bandwidth for today. My stupid package only allows me 2 G per day, exceeds that, and get promptly reduced to 64k for a day, like stone age like dat! So no show for my gazillion photos now, it takes eternity to just log onto my photobucket account. Come back later for nice nice photos ok?!

here’s a tiny preview

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Warning: yellow creatures roaming town

cc — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 14:25:31 +0000

I sure have a habit of starting something and wondering away. There are a lot of unfinished posts in my folder. Anyway, here comes the much awaited post continued from the snippet posted a month ago. So much for the ‘coming soon’. Haha.

That’s right, laughters come in forms of little yellow fellows this season. As my previous snippet suggested, who could that be, other than the great and legendary characters, THE SIMPSONS! Yes, our yellow friends finally made it to the big screen. After months and months of agonizing anticipation, (not to mention the many repeated viewing of the previews) The Simpsons Movie is finally here, and I must say, the wait was most definitely worth it. It is the funniest movie! I highly recommend this hilarious movie, of course it is most rewarding to the Simpsons fans, but you’ll enjoy it even if you’re not an avid fan. Bottom line, this is the must-see movie of the year! Go watch it if you haven’t done so.

We went to watch the movie the weekend it opened, in the all new Hoyts cinema at Sylvia Park shopping centre, which claims to have the biggest silver screen in the world. I’m sure that record will soon be beaten by the next big cinema somewhere around the world, but for now, we have the biggest here. OK then, as long we’re clear about that one. LOL. I don’t really care about the screen, but the seats sure are a lot more comfortable, with more leg spaces too! (not that my short stumps need that, but yeah for MR K!)

OK, enough of the useless details, I know most of you just jump straight to the pictures anyway. ;P

There’s a booth set up for photo session with the Simpsons family! (it’s been taken down now.) Some people kept going up to press the remote in homer’s hand. LOL.

Of course, the movie experience wouldn’t be complete without the special Simpsons combo, a huge tub of popcorn and a big cup of soda with a donut top! Woohoo! (May I add that a certain 31 year-old boy(!!) was giggling from ear to ear the moment he saw that).

After the movie, we stepped out only to be greeted by Bart and Homer! What a great surprise!
Of course a certain kiasu woman had to rush up to take a photo with them, though some annoying kids insisted to be in my photos. LOL.

For some reason, people kept walking up to Homer and poke his eyes. Haha.

We saw this Bart toaster in K-mart the other day. Some sucker almost wanted to bring it home. According to the said person, eating toasted bread from the special Bart toaster will make your day happy. ;P

Various merchandises in K-mart.

We did bring a piece of duff home, a duff beer bottle opener. Hehe.

FOOTNOTE: Watched Saw on DVD over the weekend. We bought the DVD long time ago but somehow manage to wait so long before watching it. Brilliant movie, one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve seen! Can’t wait to watch the 2 sequels.
By the way, should I be concern that of all the gory and psychotic scenes, all I could think about was how I wouldn’t want to be caught dead in that disgustingly scummy bathroom?!

Technorati tags: The Simpsons Movie

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Back from incommunicado

cc — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 06:32:17 +0000

Where have I been? Is this blog dead? Getting so sick of looking at the same post every damn time you came here didn’t you?! Well, I’m very sorry for disappearing into thin air during the past weeks. For some inexplicable reasons, I needed to have some alone time with myself. The most I can say is, life throws us a curve ball out of nowhere every now and then, we just need to deal with it our own way. Well, I’m back now, that’s what counts right?! So, prepare yourself people, here comes my endless bla again!

I would like to thank those of you who sent emails, messages and comments to me during my absense. Sorry for being non-responsive, but rest assure that I read every single one of them. Your kind gestures really touched my heart.

Life is a never ending journey, I go on one step at a time, dealing the hands that’s been dealt to me.
Still in the thick of winter weather, but spring is nigh.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Dark place

cc — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 10:03:00 +0000

It’s one of those day. Everything seem to be gloomy and sorrowful. In a dark place, where tears are constantly flowing. Dark clouds are gathering around me. I’m afraid I can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

Keep telling myself to stay on the bright side, I do. I am hang in there, I really am. Just give me some time. I’ll be ok. I promise.

thoughts darkness

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Social withdrawal syndrome

cc — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 21:07:00 +0000

As you can see, I haven’t been posting regularly as usual. I am going through moments of mental shut-down recently. Not feeling like going out or interacting with anyone, basically rejecting any form of social interaction. Just want to shut off of everything and live in my own shut down world. I think I’m going through a heavy case of social withdrawal syndrome right now. Normal self will be up and running in a few days.

Please pardon my craziness, I’ll go and stare at the walls for a little while.

social withdrawal syndrome

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Blog-hopping

cc — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 23:00:00 +0000

I have over hundred of blogs on my RSS feed reader list. I used to read through these blogs almost daily, but I’ve been so busy lately that there is not much chance to blog-hop and leave a comment or two as often as I’d like. I love reading through the blogs for interesting articles and get a peek of what other people has been up to. It is my relaxing moment of the day, reading through, leaving comments and checking for any replies for my comments. I really hope to get back to the regular blog hopping routine soon. So, if you have not been seeing my name on your comment list, wait for me ya, that doesn’t mean I’ve gone MIA, I am just late.

blog-hop

Post from: Quaint Melody

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A child’s innocence

cc — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 02:42:00 +0000

I love to look into a child’s eyes, they tell wonderful stories, a story of innocence, when things are simpler and pure. Here, I leave you with a photo I took a long time ago, with my trusty old Nikon D50 SLR film camera. Happy Weekend!

p/s: Between busy schedules and sleep deprivation, I am officially burned out. Will spend the whole weekend resting. Thanks for those who has tagged me, will do them in a bit. Sorry for the delay ya! Normal posting will resume on Monday. Stay tuned!

photography child

Post from: Quaint Melody

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If we don’t look good, nothing looks good

cc — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 07:21:00 +0000

Mr K and I were going through some photos today and a conversation between us went like this.

Me: Aiyo, these are not good photos at all.
MR K: What?! These are great photos, look at the back drop! It’s perfect!
Me: Are you kidding me? Look at me, I looked so fat! My face is not bright, and I…
MR K: But it’s beautiful!
Me: Ok, let me educate you something about women. When we look at a photo with us in it, we go straight to ourselves. If we don’t look good in it, it’s a bad photo, even if the backdrop is mount everest.
Mr K: That is ridiculous, have to look at it as a whole!
Me: That’s right, as a whole, if we don’t look good, nothing looks right.
Mr K: Woman can be so vain.
Me: Again, right.
MR K: ……

My fellow sista, agree or not?

funny conversation

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Grumpy at work

cc — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 04:06:00 +0000

I did not sleep well last night. The nice people over at CCTV inspections decided to do their pipe cleaning and inspections at 10pm. The loud noise continued to well after midnight at around 2am and started again at 5am! Are you freaking kidding me?! To create such loud noises at these hours in a residential area, on a week night no less! And guess what? It will continue to 12th of June. Yeah!

I am already sleep deprived! So I woke up this morning, lack of sleep, grumpy and frustrated. Let’s just say there’s a weird sight of huge panda walking around the metro area today.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Random morning scribbles

cc — Mon, 28 May 2007 16:52:00 +0000

It is 6am now and it’s 5 degree Celsius. I am freaking freezing! It’s not even winter yet.

I have been up since 3am. After turning and tossing in bed for a good half an hour, I knew I wasn’t going to fall asleep and decided to do some blog-hopping online instead. I use a RSS reader to keep track of all my blogs of interest. It has over a hundred blogs on the list. Have been quite busy and haven’t been able to read through all of them. So forgive me if I haven’t been coming to your blog and leave my two cents worth ya!

I love leaving comments and I love receiving them even more! Every time I get a notification email telling me I have a new comment, I’d be smiling with joy, with my adrenaline pumped up. I always make sure I reply all the comments that are left in my blog, as they are the results of someone taking their time to left their thoughts on things I wrote and I really appreciate that. So, thank you for all of you that have been commenting and keep them coming! You are making me very happy.

OK, I am freaking cold now and cannot think straight, have to go and sit next to my heater.

random scribbles

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Spanking new bin

cc — Fri, 25 May 2007 14:17:00 +0000

Yes, that’s our brand spanking new recycle bin. As you know, I wrote in my previous post that our recycle bin got stolen for the SECOND time. So there I was calling the city council telling them I needed another bin because my replacement got stolen again. The guy who answered the phone laughed out loud and said the new one would be delivered to me in 5-10 days. Judging by his laughter, I guess it happens a lot. There are a lot of ridiculous bin thieves out there. Bah! Somewhere out there, there’s a house fulled of new bins. Maybe the thief is trying to use the bins to build a big fort to set a Guinness world record. Ha.

Anyway, as you can see I have written our house number on both sides of the bin THICKLY with an extra-black marker. Hopefully this one won’t suffer the same fate with its peers.

recycle bin thief

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Colours of autumn.

cc — Sun, 20 May 2007 12:20:00 +0000

Autumn is my favourite season of the year. Everything just seem to be more beautiful in this lovely time of the year. I love the luscious colours the season brings, the colder air, and the beautiful scenery. To me, autumn seems to bring along a more vivid world and enriches my imaginations. Went to the city today and captured some photos of the season’s grace. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Want to stay in this neighborhood? Houses here only going from NZ$700,000!

Technorati tags: autumn Auckland

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Ridiculous bin thief.

cc — Sat, 19 May 2007 05:39:00 +0000

Something ridiculous happened today, or should I say happened again.

Here in NZ, we are given a wheelie bin (a big lidded rubbish bin with wheels) and green bin for the recyclable items. The city council allocated a collection day for each suburb and we have to put both the wheelie and green recycling bins before 7am on that day. The rubbish collection day for my area is Friday. As we live in an enclosed community housing area, we need to take the recycling bin out to the road side. Not the big wheelie bin though as the mechanical rubbish collector truck will come in for that. So, normally what most people do is to bring the bin out on Thursday evening, and collect it during the following evening after we are back from work. Sounds pretty simple right?

Except our recycle bin got stolen, for the SECOND time! Can you believe it? STOLEN, RECYCLE BIN! Now, not that I’d condone it, but I could at least see the point if we needed to pay for the bin. BUT the bin is FREE! It’s freaking free, people! All the bins are provided by the city council for free. If yours get lost or damaged, just make a call and they’ll deliver a spanking new one to your doorstep. So there’s really no need to steal here. I could force myself to understand when it went missing the first time around, as the marking on the bin was almost gone so someone might have mistakenly took it. But this time, we clearly marked our house number on the bin with a thick, black waterproof marker. STILL, someone had the nerve to steal it! Of course, being the human nature that is, we occasionally let someone put their recyclables in our bin. I don’t mind that as our bin is never full, but steal it?! For the the light of me, I can’t figure out why?! Do they run out of storage boxes in their home or something? I am just lost for words. It never seizes to amaze me what people do these days.

Now, where’s the damn phone number to call for the replacement bin, again.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Random photo of a summer afternoon.

cc — Fri, 18 May 2007 03:00:00 +0000

I was going through my folders and found this photo which was taken back in February along a tree-lined Vincent Street in Auckland city. It depicts my feeling of summer perfectly. A crisp, airly and warm summer afternoon.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Free rubbish disposal service?!

cc — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:25:00 +0000

MR K brought home some yummy goodies from work yesterday. Or so it seemed. That usually has me jumping up and down in joy (being the glutton that I am). He brings home biscuits, chocolates and the likes from time to time. These goodies normally come from clients of the company he works for.

Now, who doesn’t like freebies, you tell me. But beware, as the saying goes, good things come with a price tag and free things are usually not good. This is no exception. The boxes of so called “Gourmet Sticks” are all well passed their expiration date last year!!! To think of the generosity the client has! Apparently they had sent cartons of these goodies to my husband’s office. Oh, I am enraged! Hello?! Do we have the words ‘rubbish disposer’ engraved on our foreheads?! Do they take K’s office as a huge rubbish bin to dispose of their expired goods?! I mean come on, don’t try to act like you’re generous by showering others with some expired products, that only show what a cheapskate you are! Shocking, I tell you.

Technorati tags: my life

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Water in the lung.

cc — Sat, 12 May 2007 03:50:00 +0000

Have you ever splashed water on your face and took a deep breath at the same time ? No? Just me? OK then.
Dummy here just did that half an hour ago. Yes, I am aware that the water could probably choke me to death. But my brain cells didn’t want to co-operate and I did it anyway. Clever huh?!

Well, come to think of it, I’ve actually done some pretty idiotic things back in my days. All subconsciously. On the top of my mind, here are some examples:

Touched the knife edge with my fingers. Just like a reflex, I used my fingers to touch the sharp end of the knife. For what? I’m not sure.
Bare-handedly hung on to a falling sharp object, be it a knife, blade or scissors.
Banged the nail with my fist, knowing full well that it will bleed. (Mind you it’s not out of anger, just wanted the nail to go in! Yes, I thought it’d work.)
Walked right into a glass door. (multiple times)

Make one wonders what type of person I am. ;P There must be a lot of air in my subconscious.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Goodbye is hard to do.

cc — Fri, 04 May 2007 06:53:00 +0000

As you all know I am leaving tomorrow night. As the hour draws closer, my heart becomes heavier. I can’t possibly put my feelings into words, but I’ll try. It has been a really long time since I’ve stayed at home for an extended period of time. Ever since I finished high school actually. I went to college in Kuala Lumpur and after that, in New Zealand. I almost can’t believe it’s been 9 years! (Yea yea, that kinda gives away my age, but who cares?! ) 9 long years I’ve been away from home. It’s so good to be home finally and be able to spend some uninterrupted time with my parents, although it is under these circumstances, but still, good times.

After almost 3 months of spending time with my family, it’s so hard to say goodbye once again. Harder than I’d imagined. As the date of departure draws closer, I find myself getting reluctant to part. I can feel the sadness in the air. Every corner I turn, there’s something that reminds me of the good times I’ve had. The familiar scent, the old photos, every turn and corner, even the dying plants in front of the house could trigger a sense of nostalgia.

After so many goodbyes over the years, I have still not gotten used to it. I don’t think there’s any getting use to when it comes to parting with loved ones. There’s a Chinese saying, the toughest thing in life has got to be parting, alive or death. I know I am having a really hard time to part this time, the hardest yet. Please don’t ask me why we choose to be so far away and be apart from our loved ones. Things just work out to be this way, at least for now. We certainly hope to be re-united with our family and never to be parted again in the near future. Wish us luck! For now, I just have to hold back my tears and walk to that departure gate strong and brave.

So goodbye my homeland, my families and my friends, till we see again…

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Post from: Quaint Melody

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Packing again.

cc — Wed, 02 May 2007 04:35:00 +0000

Went to KL on last Friday and came back on Sunday. Finally the time has come for me to leave for Auckland. My flight is on Saturday night. Have been packing and packing my arse off these few days. If there is a way to shrink all my things into tiny pieces please let me know, I need help! Mind you, I didn’t really buy a lot of things, but somehow the content of my luggage just mysteriously increased and overblew. *scratches head furiously*
Let’s hope it won’t exceed the 20kg limit. (FAT hope!) I think I might just have to wear as many layers of clothing as possible to lighten the weight. ;P

p/s: Yea yea, I know there hasn’t been much photos ever since I came back in Malaysia. Just that the laptop is too painstakingly slow. Will upload all the photos when I get back to Auckland. Promise!

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Post from: Quaint Melody

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Patient-visiting etiquette 101.

cc — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 03:57:00 +0000

I have been contemplating on whether to write about this or not because the culprits themselves might come across it but WTH, I am enraged. Take this as an etiquette 101.

When the news spread that my dad was to undergo heart surgery, many people called and voiced their concerns. Now, we really appreciated all the kind gestures but there are a few who over-did it and are in borderline of being rude.

The opportunist.
The type who seemed to care a great deal but actually wanted to take the opportunity to pursue their private agenda. He/she had made many calls prior to the op and came to visit first thing after the surgery. In the beginning, we were touched by his/her kind gesture and thought it was out of pure concern. I think not. Well, maybe part of it was, but it was mostly to create an opportunity/excuse to sell his/her products.

Right after my father was transferred out of intensive care, he/she came without any prior notice. Armed with plenty of pamphlets, he/she started on a rambling sales pitch. There was total disregard of the weak patient who had just undergone a major surgery and could hardly speak. My mum and I kept hinting him/her to stop but what did he/she do? He/she lent a deaf ear and continued with the seemingly endless long speech of how great the product is.

Now, I have nothing against direct-sales people, but there’s a time and place for everything. Trying to do a sales pitch in that situation is definitely NOT it. You don’t see me selling baby products on your wedding day, do you?!

As if that’s not enough, he/she made what seemed like a gazillions calls during the following weeks, wanting to come again. My mum actually was being quite frank and told him/her it’s not convenient for him/her to visit as we were all quite tired and some of us were coming down with flu. But still, he/she asked where we were staying and insisted on coming. I don’t know about you, but this is totally inconsiderate and highly unacceptable in my book. That wasn’t the end of it either. After we were back home, he/she called my mum once again, trying to pitch a sale. This time, he/she accused my mum of not wanting to listen when my mum told him/her that she would be in contact if she was interested. Aiyo, you said la, where got people like that one?!

An advise for you, when you keep blabbing on your sale pitch and people only answer with ‘erm, ahuh, ic…etc’, take it as a cue to stop and run with the wind! They are simply not interested. Don’t keep coming back for the shoot-down. It will only make people agitated and have a bad impression of you and your hard-selling tactics. I simply have zero tolerance for a behaviour like that. BAH!

The me-me-me type.
The this the type who gets angry if we don’t follow what they want. They only cared about their own needs and whether they were the first ones who knew about any news. They got angry when the patient told them he was too tired for visitors and had kindly rejected their visits. A phone conversation between me and the said culprit went as followed:

Me: Hello Aunt-so-and-so, I am calling to tell you that the surgery is a success and my father is doing very well now.

MMM: Oh, have you called other people about this? Who else knows about this?
You know I called your dad weeks before the surgery and wanted to visit him, but he rejected my request, said that he would like to rest and would not at home at that time. Why like that one? Why didn’t he want to let me visit?

Me: Well, we went away because he needed to rest and didn’t want anyone to disturb him lo.
MMM(still didn’t get the hint and continued to blame us for not letting her visit): AIyo, I wanted to come and discuss about it with him ma. Why like that one?!

Me: …..

Finally, a kind reminder:

Always call before visiting someone, this goes without saying. It is quite rude to go and visit someone without giving them notice. This is a considered an invasion of privacy. People may have had prior engagements or may be too busy to entertain you. Be a little considerate. Plus it saves you the trouble of going all the way to people’s home and finding out that they are not in. So it really plays out well for everyone.

The other thing is, when you are visiting, always bear in mind that the patient needs his rest, and his lunch! Don’t over-stay your welcome or come during lunch hour! I can’t keep count on how many people who chose to visit during meal times and sit until the cows came home. The patient has been starved in many occasions. ;(

p/s: If you are offended by this post, then you probably is the culprit. Yes you! It’s time to do a self-revision of your manners!. GRRRR…

Post from: Quaint Melody

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A hell of a roller-coaster ride.

cc — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:08:00 +0000

Now that we are back at home with everything settling down, I finally have time to look back on what happened in the past two months. It’s been such a roller-coaster ride and it’s been pretty much like a dream.

I flew back to Singapore from NZ via SIA just before CNY. We had decided to spend the first few days of Chinese New Year in Singapore quietly so that my dad could rest well and avoid all the hustle and bustle back home. After that, we spent another week at home before we sent my dad to the hospital in KL.

I cannot start to describe how I felt throughout this whole ordeal. It must have been the most taxing and agonising period in my life. I was almost in a daze most of the time and could not really comprehend what was happening, though I may not have shown it. My mum and I knew what was to happen, but it was not until the briefing the day before the surgery that reality really sunk in� my dad was going to undergo a major heart surgery.

The surgery was scheduled on 1st of March in the morning. Dad did not really say anything but I could see he was worried sick. We tried to fill the air with lame jokes and empty conversations. Finally the moment came and we accompanied the nurse to wheel my dad to the operating theatre. It was a dreadful journey. Nothing but silence filled the air. As we approached the operating theater, I feared deep in my heart that it would be my last moments with my dad. But I tried hard not to cry as I didn’t want my dad to see that. Once my dad had entered the OT, we waited outside in the waiting area. We had been told it would be a 4-5 hour surgery, which turned out not to be the case. It would have been an agonising wait had it not been for my friends who dropped by and kept me and my mum company, thus lifting our morale.

After roughly two and a half hours, a nurse came to the waiting area and told us the doctor would like to have a word with us. Now, if you are an avid TV series fan, you would think that this would be bad news; doctor wanting to speak to the family of patient half-way through the surgery. Well, we thought so too and walked towards the door with our hearts almost falling out of our chests. Well, DON’T believe everything you see on TV (like a fool we did), this was not the case. There, we saw the doctor and with a big smile on his face, he told us everything went very well and the surgery was a success. PHEW~ we felt a big big weight being lifted from our shoulders right then and there. (They should really teach the nurse not to scare people like that!! We almost had a heart attack right there!

Then we were directed to go into the ICU area to briefly see my dad, who at that stage still hadn’t woken up yet. No words can describe how I felt at that moment. It was the strangest feeling looking at my dad, lying on the bed, all weak and powerless. The reality really hit home at that very moment.

Dad was transferred out of ICU and into normal ward the following afternoon. I was pretty much in a daze for the following few days. Sleep deprived and being on an emotional roller-coaster is definitely not a good combination. Luckily we pulled through, the hardest part is behind us now and we just need to concentrate on making sure my dad takes one thing at a time and let his body heal (and believe me, it is the toughest part yet). That’s right, no hurry dad! You hear that?!

Special thanks.

A very special thanks to all my friends who have been incredibly supportive and went out of their ways to help us. I am deeply touched and no words can express how glad I am to have kind souls like you in my life. Well, you know who you are. It is people like you who helped us through the difficult times. And for that, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who have sent prayers, texts, emails, messages our way. Thank you very much for your support and encouraging words. We really appreciate all the kind thoughts. Thank you!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Queue and a fool.

cc — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 21:20:00 +0000

I have to blog this before I forget about it. But I highly doubt I would as it is just too funny. Anyway here goes.

I was at Jusco few weeks ago and queuing up at the cashier. There was a man in front of me paying and a middle aged woman behind me. After a short while, I realised I was queuing in the wrong direction and quickly walked over to the other side. Now, what I did not expect was that the middle age ah so(aunty) who was standing behind me went ahead and cut my queue. I most definitely cannot stand people like that. I firmly but politely told her ‘please queue up’. What was to happen next is beyond comprehension. She had childishly threw the only one thing she was intending to buy, and rudely barked ‘Then you take the whole queue la’ before stomping away!

It actually took me some time to register what she had just said. Even the cashier was in awe of what had happened. Aiyo, aunty, didn’t you learn this at school? Even kids at kindergarten could behave better than she did. I wonder if she has any kids, and how she would have taught them. The thing is, since she had only a single purchase, I would have let her pay first if she had asked politely. Well, that’s life eh?! It’s always fun to see some silly people making a fool out of themselves once in a while.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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A cold blooded murder.

cc — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 01:08:00 +0000

Time: 8:30pm
Location: A small small town in Johor.
People: Crazy mother and daughter termination team.

It was a humid evening, most people have already finished dinner and gathered in the living room ~~chit-chatting~~ and watching TV. Suddenly, a scream that’s two-note-too-high pierced through the night. Somewhere in the small town, a mother and daughter termination group was in motion. Holding a single slipper in hand, they slowly approached it. It sensed its death nearing and quickly moved to the edge of door, but too late… WAM! The deadly ~~slipper~~ weapon was thrown right at it and ended its miserable life on the spot.

Fast-forward to 10 minutes later, idiotic laughter coming from the other end of phone. The husband was laughing uncontrollably at the crazy termination of an innocent life and tried to educate the cold blooded murderer of the importance of its place in the food-chain. WTH?!!(as in what the heck, this blog is censored to protect the innocent) Something that ugly and slimy deserved to die. DIE DIE DIE! *inhale and exhale profusely*

That’s right, a baby lizard was smashed into million pieces. May it rest in peace. Amen.

*the end*

Forgive my lame attempt to entertain ~~myself~~, which fail miserably. I am ~~crazy~~ bored.

P/S: One innocent baby lizard is terminated in this mission. If you are a cicak lover and is offended by this action, then you should get yourself checked because you are clearly crazy.

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Broadband…finally.

cc — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 06:29:00 +0000

YEAH! After a long wait, the broadband is finally fixed and running smoothly. Say goodbye to ‘wait-till-you-drop’ lightening speed of the legendary 56k.

After much delay, will edit and upload some photos very soon. Stay tune!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Home.

cc — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 05:04:00 +0000

I am at home in Johor at the moment, and I have become the official cook and have been experiencing the life of a suburban housewife. Haha. My daily routines now include waking up at 7:30am, sweeping and mopping the floor, tidying up the house, marketing, cooking and more cooking. Hardly have time to blog nowadays.

And did I mention I’m stuck with the ultralightening speed of a 56k dialup connection at home? Apparently, Telekom Malaysia is too busy to fix up broadband here. Have been waiting for the line to be fixed for, well, two weeks and counting; and still nothing. So till then, no photos. And guess what, the CNY photos are still staying nicely in my camera, but I will upload them once I have the time and patience. Haha. Till then my friend, just use your imagination.I guess that’s not so exciting since we see photos like that everywhere.

For those of you who would like to know, my dad is recovering speedily under his lovely daughter’s care.

Ok now, back to more cleaning and cooking.

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Update from Malaysia.

cc — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 02:51:00 +0000

Hello! Finally able to log on with broadband and post an update. I am glad to inform you all that my dad is doing great now. The surgery is a big success and he is well on the way to recovery under his daughter’s great care. Haha…

Thank you so much for all your well wishes and prayers.

Anyway, just a short post as I still don’t have broadband at home and am now using my friend’s laptop to post this. I’m afraid the update will be less frequent till I get back home.

Stay well!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Headless chicken on the run.

cc — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:31:00 +0000

The headless chicken syndrome struck again. I’m set to go back on Friday, there are so many things around the house that need to be done before I leave. House to clean, laundry to do, clothes to iron, garden to tidy up, paper works to finish, ~~luggage to pack~~. Also need to prepare and freeze some food so that K doesn’t starve to death. Come to think of it, actually it might be a good chance for him to loose that extra spare tyre or two. Hehe.

All of the above needed to be done before I leave but what did I choose to do? Sitting in front of this evil evil machine and browsing away. Aren’t we all ~~a little~~ addicted in one way or another? I cannot keep counting how many times I tell myself to just hop on and check mail for a few minutes. But next thing just a few minutes turned into hours and nothing was done (well, not nothing, at least I was entertained). I am now hopelessly and severely sucked into this addiction. I’m not going to write a long essay about how I’m going to find ways to stop etc though, because I enjoy it, so I’m not going to stop. Why fight the losing battle when you can join it, right?

Anyway, as I said before, I am going back on Friday. Yay! It’s been a long time since I was together with my family to celebrate CNY. We will be spending a few days in Singapore, away from all the buzz and chaos at home. This way my dad gets a total rest without having to entertain everyone who comes knocking down our door. The only down side is that K won’t be there with us as he can’t't take such a long leave. So poor K have to spend CNY alone at home. Luckily he has relatives to visit and work to keep him busy. Still,it would be very hard for us as this is the first time we are going to be away from each other ever since we got married. I am going to miss him terribly. I fore-see a huge phone bill coming our way. Telecom is going to suck my blood.

Many of you wondered how I manage to take such long leave to go back to Malaysia. Well, family is my life, my father is my blood. I need to be there for my dad. Plus I have an understanding boss. So unpaid leave it is. No questions asked.

For those of you who’re still reading up to here, please pardon my aimless rambling. I find it a great way to calm my mind. Quite overwhelmed right now.

OK I know I know, now back to cleaning, tidying, cooking, ironing… or am I?!
must. resist. urge. to. surf.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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A prayer.

cc — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 12:45:00 +0000

This blog will go into a hiatus for a little while. My father went through a body check and found out that one of his heart arteries is block. He needs to receive surgery soon as the situation is quite serious. I am trying to get back to be by his side as soon as possible.

Please keep a prayer for him. I appreciate your kindness whole-heartily.

Update: After a day of running around like a headless chicken, I could finally calm down and think things through clearly. Thank you for all your well wishes and prayers. My dad is ok for now and the date of surgery has yet to be set. The doctor recommended it to be down within a month. I’m told not to go back for now. Decided to continue blogging as it helps to keep me sane and not worry so much. Once again, thank you for all the messages, sms and calls. Me and my family will get through this difficult time.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Snippets of 2006.

cc — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:29:00 +0000

Just when you thought you’ve read every possible blog writing about this…
Here I am blogging about snippets of my life in 2006, a month into 2007. HA!

2006 was the year…

(1) I started getting used to be called Mrs. instead of Miss.
On the wedding dinner, I looked at the table placement card, saw the name Mrs xxx. My first reaction was, hey, that’s not my name! I actually said it out loud to my mother in law, ha!
After the buzz of the wedding and banquet at the end of 2005, K and I finally get to slow down and started our life as husband and wife. I am very thankful to finally be able to address K as my husband. Though in this age and year, many might say a piece of certificate is not necessary. But for us, it is symbolic of our commitment for each other. It is so nice to know that no matter what happens, someone will always be at home waiting for me.

(2) Registered for our own business.
After serious considerations, K and I decided to set up our own company. Hopefully everything go well and we’ll be able to work on it full-time in the near future. We understand there’s hard time ahead, but with our sheer determination, we are confident to get pass the difficulties and achieve our dreams. As my favourite quote says:

Nothing in this world that’s worth having comes easy.

(3) Moved again for the fourth time.
We moved again, to a bigger house so that we have an extra room for our parents when they visit. Haha…I’m a packing expert now. Hopefully, this will be the last time we move before we buy our own place.

(4) Grandma passed away.
After being bed-ridden for 9 long years, grandma passed away in August 2006. It came as quite a shock to us. Even though she had been bed-ridden after 2 strokes, she was in generally good health. But we all felt relieved for her. For she’s in heaven with my great-grandma now, rid of the illness and suffering. I am thankful that I could make it back home in time to say my final goodbye. She will always be in my heart.

(5) Started blogging on the very last day of 2006.
After spending quite a long time browsing through various blogs reading about other peoples’ lives, I finally decided to start a blog of my own. This is quite a big decision for me, as it allows others to share parts of my life. So far, some familiar names appeared, and to my surprise, other more experienced bloggers stopped by too. I am really touched by these kind souls, whom I’m slowly getting to know. It is such a pleasant surprise that I get to meet people from all walks of life via blogging. Thank you, every one of you, for your words of encouragement.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Cliché

cc — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 23:04:00 +0000

站在喧囂的城市中，感覺寂寞。忽然想起這首歌。

寂寞城市

寂寞城市今晚的夜色很美
美得讓人想遲一點睡
若是夜空少了星星的點綴
月亮會不會纍
這夜色凄凄的美
沒有愛的人容易憔悴
就像霓虹般亮麗的周圍
只是一種寂寞頹廢
城市裡所有寂寞的人類
有幾個和我一樣偷偷的流淚
若是將它一滴一滴積纍
會不會流成一條冰冷的河水
城市裡所有寂寞的人類
有幾個像我一樣厭倦了疲憊
若是真心一顆一顆的摧毀
會不會全世界和我傷悲
整座城市陷入漆黑
孤獨人在尋找自己的定位
偽裝變成了一種防備
防備怕被人看穿心碎

LONELY TOWN

High and lonesome blows the wind
In Lonely Town
Well I can see you come from Lonely Town
by the angle of your eye
As you cast an anxious glance around
for a way to say goodbye
You’re wary of a lovin’ heart
that could rope or tie you down
Cause lovin’ hearts go homeless
on the streets of lonely town

CHORUS:
Where the tears fall on fields of broken dreams
And a love call is never what it seems
And when you’re torn down by a heart that can’t be found
You might be allowed to hang around
Lonely Town
Lonely Town

Well you sparkle like a teardrop
though I’ve never seen you cry
And you break a heart so casually
you never seem to try
Then you lead your walking wounded
on the pathway sloping down
Through the maze of good intentions
to the gates of Lonely Town

REPEAT CHORUS

Where the victors and their victims
lead their symbiotic lives
And jealousy and treachery
parade as man and wife
Where the misbegotten children
stone the hapless circus clown
Who takes their jeers for laughter
on the streets of Lonely Town

Well they scorn you when you get there
and they mock you when you leave
Cause there ain’t no room in Lonely Town
for a soul that still believes
That a heart can feel redemption
that a true love can be found
Lovin’ hearts alone can
break the spell of Lonely Town

REPEAT CHORUS

High and lonesome blows the wind In Lonely Town

Post from: Quaint Melody

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What have I been doing?

cc — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 09:37:00 +0000

Ate, read, Slept, watched TV. Well, that pretty much sums up my days for the past 3 weeks. Ha. Finally had chance to lie on the comfy sofa to read some books I had bought before. Spent A LOT of time in front of the TV, happily being a couch potato. Slept as much as I could and woke up as I wish, not by the alarm clock. Time well spent I say!

A little side track. Actually growing up, I didn’t have much chance to watch TV at all. Time spent in front of the TV was strictly set at minimum. My mum was so strict before I went to secondary school, she gave up her TV time for me to be fair. Having said that, I still get to watch the educational programs and the occasional TV series, it was just kept to the very minimum. Of course being the young girl that I was, I argued and threw tantrum to fight for it. Especially when my friends were taking about what they were watching the previous night and I couldn’t join in because I didn’t get to watch. All to no avail at all(I’m telling you, that woman is one tough lady!) But looking back now, I don’t think I missed anything at all. Well, as mum used to say:

What do you have to loose? You can watch all you want when you grow up!

While that’s not exactly true (I’ve grown up now, but still don’t get to ‘watch all I can’ because I’m now busy earning $$$), the time I spent not watching TV, I spent it in activities, reading and games. All these things actually helped with my imaginations and helped me develop into the crazy woman that I am today (yes that’s a GOOD thing). Though I’ve just spent 1/3 of my holidays watching TV, I am not addicted. It is not a must have for me. The first 2 years of my time here, I don’t have a TV at home and didn’t think to get one at all! It is computer that I can’t live without. Ha! OK, I digressed.

In-laws visited last week, they planned to stay for 3 weeks but had to go back after 6 days due to unforeseen circumstances. K and I was really hoping to spend some time with them. Well, such is life, always have to expect the unexpected.

Went ahead and cut my hair shorter (note the key word here is shortER) and coloured it back to what it suppose to be. No more highlight. Had the LONG hair for a long time, still don’t have the courage to cut it short but it is 1/3 shorter now. Feeling a lot lighter. Loving my hair now! (hehe… I know this sounds vain but I am very attached to my hair, ask my friend!)

Back to work today and started counting down to the year-end holiday all over again!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Eat eat and eat…

cc — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 06:47:00 +0000

Families visiting, don’t have time to update the blog. Went out all day today, had delicious dim sum for brunch. Some dummy forgot to bring the camera(me!), so couldn’t take any photo. Just imagine the most delicious dim sum. Best I’ve ever tasted. Knowing us, we’ll probably go there again while our guests are still here. So will take photos next time.
Have been going out for lunch and dinner recently. Chinese, Thai…etc. Yummy… what diet?!

Be back later.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Obsessions.

cc — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 03:44:00 +0000

Have been cleaning around the house all day. That’s right, I do my spring cleansing during summer. Talk about cleaning, I am totally obsessed with cleaning products. I have different products for different purposes you could ever think of. K is totally afraid to go to supermarket with me. He has to literally drag me away from the cleaning products aisle every time. hehe… My philosophy is, you can’t have enough cleaning products! haha… Every time there’s a new product in the market, I have to control my urge to go get it and try it out. As soon as I see the TV commercial, I am sold! It is THAT easy! K always say I am every advertising and marketing department’s dream customer. So basically If I ever try to market a cleaning product, I would be the ideal target market. Haha, talk about irony. I am a total sucker when come to packaging too! If I can’t decide on 2 identical products, I’ll just pick the one with nicer packaging. Ha.

Talk about supermarket, I like to go to supermarket. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the big, bright and clean space in there. Aisle and aisle of tidily displayed products, endless shopping possibilities. I just love to go wonder around in the supermarket and have a look at all the different products. I can actually spend hours in there. That’s why in our household, K is the one doing the grocery shopping. The thought of going there with me is too scary for him. Ha. If I tag along with him, we always end up going home with things that’s not on the list. I get incredible adrenaline rush when I see another item on my cleaning shelf. I know, I’m a freak.

The end result? A clean house because I like using them so much.

Mmm… think about it, the other day I saw that commercial about the new bathroom cleaner. Must…

It was a perfectly clear summer day yesterday.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Movie night.

cc — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:23:00 +0000

Finally got out of the house and went to watch Confession of Pain (Seung Sing ??) last night. Starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro. The movie is made by the duo who created Infernal Affairs Trilogy, Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak. Though not as brilliant as the Infernal Affairs, I would still rate it an above average movie that worth watching. Tony Leung especially play the role brilliantly as usual.
It was quite an enjoyable night at the cinema if not for the lady sitting beside me eating potato chips half of the time. I really hate people who bring bags of potato chips into the cinemas. It should be banned! She just kept making this noise from digging her hand into the packaging. It was highly annoying! Please ban potato chips (or anything that uses the same type of packaging for that matter) from the cinema!

Anyway, today was quite a beautiful partly cloudy summer day. The summer everyone has been waiting for might just be here afterall. Bring on the BBQ!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Potato-couching and letter writing.

cc — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 11:58:00 +0000

I’m still enjoying my 3 weeks break from work. For a change of pace, I’ve been spending a lot more time in front of TV. It’s pretty safe to say that I am now a couch potato. Given enough time, I might just turn into a potato all together.

Received a letter from one of my dear friend back in Malaysia. It’s always a pleasant surprise to receive letters back from home. This bring back the memories when writing letters was still quite a big part of my life. I used to like writing letters to friends and family, especially the first year I left home and came to NZ. There’re hundreds of letters I received just from the first 2 years. But then someway in between then and now, we slowly stopped writing to each others. I guess we became lazier or grew sick of each others. Ha. There’re lots of times I started writing but got interrupted. Very often I can find my half written letters around, dated back to 2003. I keep them and told myself I will finish writing them and send it out one day, but things got in the way(well, laziness) and they all ended up at the bottom of the drawers.

Nowadays most of us just email each other, but it somehow lacks the personal feelings that comes with letters. I have just been so darn lazy and forgotten the little pleasures it brought to me. For this, I thank my friends who have been writing letters to me even though most of the time they didn’t get a reply. Thank you my friends. I promise I will pick up the slack and start writing again. And this is a promise I’m going to keep.

Post from: Quaint Melody

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Oh, THE new year resolutions.

cc — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 02:40:00 +0000

Yup, it’s THAT time of the year again, here we are talking about our new year resolutions. That’s what we usually do isn’t it, sit around talking about our new resolutions(or could it be the old ones we didn’t achieve last year?!). And it is what it is, NATO. No action, talk only. Hehe…

So I decided since I usually can’t get out of the vicious cycle of NOT keeping to my resolutions, I should make it simple. Here’s my one and only small(well, not so small) resolution: keep fit and exercise more regularly.

Happy new year you all! May all your new year resolutions be fulfilled!

Post from: Quaint Melody

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