Losing touch.

August, September, October, November. What the hell happened in those months? Like on a speeding train, going through life, remarkable things happened along the way but I find it difficult to recall those things as they are all a blur.

It’s been almost 3 months (+/-) now since the day I bawled my eyes out in plain view of all my peers when that small slip of paper told me that all the hard work, anticipation and suspense has paid off – I am going to LSE this fall. Since then, everything happened at dizzying pace. So dizzy that I don’t even have time to check with myself on my emotional state – yes, I’ve turned into a soulless, passionless robot. The person that I was in KL has gradually been vanishing right in front of under my nose; the one who is bitchy as fuck, don’t give a fuck about what others think of him, the one who loves food more than anything, the one who is ultimately free of most social inhibitions. Now, I’ve been reduced to a routine, mundane schedule of waking up 3 hours before any class (yes, i wake up at 7am 2 days of the week), get the FT, go to class, read the FT during break or lunch, or read the FT after I am sick of doing work during break or lunch, come back to the broom closet of a room, more work, dinner, more work/readings, sleep. And like an annoying song that goes on loop, repeat 6 times per week. By the end of the week, I am nothing but a mush of what academia regurgitated.

One would think that I would at least feel satisfied and accomplished. The only thing i feel satisfied about is nothing and the only thing I presumably feel accomplished about is that I survived another torturous week of school. Presumably, because I have lost all senses and feelings by then.

More than ever, I think people are lying to me about uni life on how awesome it is, bla bla bla, just because those liars are sadistic people who like to see young hopefuls brought up to unbearable levels of optimism only to be betrayed by the lies and get squashed like a bug, along with brain juice and all things positive and what not.

Noticed that I haven’t mentioned anything about food during my time here in London. Apocalyptic now.

Hanging on a thread,

SWAL

p.s. negative thoughts are floating everywhere, hence the unstructured post. would love to rant further but it won’t help. so, positivity, please flow in my direction.

Penang roadtrip – route to food coma.

Well, while i am marinating in self-pity , anger and the torturous process of a intestinal bacterial infection which has rendered me useless and bedridden for the past 5 days and likely to be prolonged purely by the fact that I am one of of those lucky ones that is plagued by IBS – yes, you may say “fuck your life, man” – why don’t I spend my time talking about my gastropade to Penang.

Being the most impulsive and undiva that I’ve ever been in my adolescent life, I took to the idea that I should have a roadtrip up to the Pearl of the Orient – yes, that’s driving 3.5 hours on Malaysian roads with Malaysian drivers – since, you know, it could be less than 2 months before I leave the tropics and the glorious food that this country has to offer. So why not binge on local food?

Day 1

We checked into the quaint, recently-opened, heritage hotel, Hotel Penaga. It wasn’t difficult to find with the help of  a GPS and it’s located in Georgetown. If you’re looking for something different from your conventional Batu Ferringhi and Gurney Drive hotels, this is a great choice. Our room is quite charming. It is a split level room where you have your bathroom, living area and the balcony on the lower floor and the bedroom on the top floor. Interesting in concept but rather impractical if you’re those who pees at night, which means you must risk rolling down the stairs……and possibly wet yourself on the way.

This is quite a design-led hotel where they have (replica?) designer furnitures such as the Eames chair and if I am not mistaken one of the Le Corbusier chair, so brownie points for Penaga.

And that’s me being a retard on the mezzanine floor bedroom. Sizeable twin beds indeed.

The generous living area with flat screen TV.

Since we’re on the topic of boutique heritage hotels in Penang, here is a list of hotels that we considered:

Clove Hall

Muntri Mews 

Yeng Keng Hotel

So, after checking-in we were already famished having only little to eat for breakfast and it was around 1.45pm by the time we’re done with everything. And thus begins the devouring. First off, the Jit Seng Hong Kong Roast Duck Rice.

We ordered duck and char siew. Tip: only order the duck. The lovely thing they do is that they serve the rice with a generous helping of piping hot duck sauce, so that’s a plus. It was overall fragrant, not much fault to find and…..yeah, that’s about it. Nothing seriously compelling about it. I wouldn’t mind going back for it if I am in the neighborhood but not purposely go there for it. Indifferent. But the chillie gives it a nice kick.

OK, next up, penang char kuey teow. As you know, many people have tried to leverage their sales/popularity by incorporating the word “Penang” into their names. Many people have tried, and many have failed, because there’s just something about Penang CKT that is different from elsewhere. Is it the wok hei? The fresh ingredients, i.e. prawns they use? Or the wetness of the dish? I don’t know, it could be a combination of all of them.

The following dish was a damper to our first day. It was totally different since the last time I went which was about a year or two ago. Sisters CKT on Macalister Road a great let down and honestly an insult to all CKTs in Penang. It was originally run by 2 sisters but when we were there, it was cooked by an uncle, presumably one of the sister’s husband or something. It was B.A.D. We has 2 bites each and we just left. It was THAT horrible.

Firstly, it wasn’t hot enough, i.e. no wok hei. It was bland, you can even tell it from the colour. It was super disappointing. And I don’t think so you can expect much from it with advertisement of quasi-prostitution stuck on the table. It might as well have been called Sisters and an uncle’s CKT.

After that disappointing meal, we went back to the hotel to rest and nap before we went out for dinner. Yes, we are pigs. At around 6 ish we went to the infamous Line Clear Nasi Kandar which was a 5 mins walk from the hotel. At first sight, it looks rather disgusting since it’s, you know, in a lane between 2 buildings. But upon closer inspection, it is actually clean.

Mmmmm….look at that pile of arteries-clogging food. The prawns are HUGE. The chickens are HUGE. The fish is HUGE. Everyflippingthing is HUGE! Caution: Only for huge eaters that doesn’t care a bit about their health or weight and money. 2 plates like these including 2 drinks set up back around RM50+. Honestly, it was good but I didn’t find anything that stood out, I don’t know, I may not be in the position to say anything ’cause that was my first nasi kandar ever.

At night, we went to this fairly new mall – Straits Quay, Seri Tanjung Penang. Looking for places to chill we stumbled upon Aseana Cafe (yes, there’s one in KL but it was either that or Delicious). The ambience at their outdoors area is nice as it’s looking over the marina and in the horizon, Gurney Drive. The dessert wasn’t half bad either.

A trio of mini cakes platter – carrot cake, chocolate brownie and cheesecake. A tip: eat a bite of cheesecake then drink green tea, you’ll love the combination.

A twist on pisang goreng. I think it was caramelized bananas with coconut shavings and, if i am not mistaken, solid gula melaka. It was a delicious treat.

Well, that concludes the first night. You think that’s bad? Wait till you see what we ate the next day.

SWAL

Disclaimer: All opinions expressed about the foods are purely the writer’s own and does not represent anyone. Also, for more comprehensive reviews on the food places, I’ve linked it to www.vkeong.com to which I have used religiously as a guide to all my food outings. Thanks!

A Singaporean Break – L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

OK. So I may or may not have neglected this blog over the past month. Chief reason: exam period. Real chief reason: lazy. BUT, here is one that is sure to make you salivate uncontrollably.

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At a whim, I went down to Singapore on the 4th of June for a day just to take my mind off exams; trust me, I really needed that since it has been extremely monotonous and tbh boring to study the 2 remaining papers, otherwise there’s a slight chance that I might go crazy. Anyway, itinerary of the day:

• Try out dim sum at Yan Ting, St. Regis Singapore
• Do some shopping.
• Try out L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

So I am just going to concentrate on the 3rd one because the first 2 was a fail. The dim sum was skeptically mediocre. There’s nothing much to praise about, except one dim sum that stood out – char siew so. But it is hardly a compelling enough reason to visit the place. Li Yen, Ritz-Carlton KL still the best dim sum place around! In my humble opinion of course. An shopping just didn’t happen because we took too long to eat at St. Regis. =.=”

L’Atelier is located at Resorts World Sentosa, a venue that would’ve been fitting for Joel himself except that when I drove through the property, it’s resemblance towards the Genting Malaysia was uncanny – garish colours, fun-fair-ish atmosphere, etc. It was, in my opinion, not a match with the Robuchon brand. But that didn’t set the tone for the rest of the night, or rather, it was forgotten about after that gastronomic experience.

Opened just 4 weeks ago, it’s been running smoothly like it’s been there for years; the service, the speed of the food, everything! We chose L’Atelier as opposed to the Joel Rocbuchon because we thought it’d be refreshing to move fine dining into a more interactive setting; there’s a central open kitchen where guests can see how their meals are meticulously prepared, with professional speed of course. Think along the lines of Shook! at Starhill.

We took seat at the bar surrounding the kitchen, at first, I thought it’s rather uncomfortable, but it was well worth it! You can see everything upclose and perhaps even get an olfactory preview of the creations you just ordered! Highly recommended! Let’s cut the crap and get down to the dining experience.

The L’Amuse Bouche – foie gras custard with port wine reduction foam. I dont know how they did it but it was heavenly, especially for foie gras suckers like me, a sign of gastronomic orgasm that is yet to come. It is rather rich in flavours (because of the liver) for a amuse bouche that even the lightness of the foam can quell. Then again, it’s french.

First course: a small portion appetizer – Le Navet – Daikon veloute flavoured with citrus oil. Sounds fancy right? Well, it’s french. Trivia: it looks creamy, it tastes creamy, it feels creamy but there isn’t any milk or cream involved and yet it has the same consistency. This is Robuchon’s signature dish for the past 20 years, available in all his restaurants.

This is not what you’d usually expect from a soup. It’s has this tingly spiciness to it but without tasting like an asian dish, with the acidity of the citrus oil and hints of yuzu, all swimming in the creamy soup. Besides being delicious, what got me finishing every last bit of the soup was it’s peculiarity, this undying curiosity to let your taste buds discern what just attacked it.

Second course: Les Spaghettis. This is something that would throw you off balance because it’s an Italian dish served in a very french restaurant. Robuchon didn’t so much as reinvented the traditional spaghetti with tomato sauce but rather did it in the french way of cooking, i.e. very refined. Everything on the plate was made in house; the pasta, the sauce, etc.

Basil leaf flown in  every week. Olives flown in daily from France. And fans of cheese can indulge themselves because it was grated all over the pasta, slowly allowing the heat to carry its scent to the next seat. Although it said it is an appetizer, the size was actually almost main course like. I don’t know, maybe I am asian. But this isn’t my favourite dish as it was too acidic (sour) for my liking, maybe they should stay french. But you gotta appreciate the ingredients and the preparation.

Third course: the main course, the mother load, the sex! Le Caille – foie gras stuffed free range quail with mashed potatoes. This is honestly the defining dish of the night! It may look paltry with 4 pieces of tiny quail meat but it was enough! Perfectly prepared, the paper-thin crispy skin envelopes the juicy meat, but wait, there’s more! Once you cut into the meat, foie gras just oozes out almost puree like. It was like my mouth has multiple orgasms!

Moving on to the white blob on the plate, originally I thought it was some cream or mascarpone thing because it was just soooo smooth and fine. It was the mash potatoes. And it was UH-mazing! Trivia: hand made in house with no machines used. Imagine hand-whisking potatoes for 45 mins. That is what I call love. It’s so popular that they usually serve this dish with an extra side of the potatoes because customers just can’t get enough of it!

The fresh herbs salad serves the purpose of balancing out the richness of the quail and foie gras but as our gracious and friendly host, Steven said “I wouldn’t even have to touch it.” It’s just that good! But word of caution though, it may not be a good idea to eat too much before this dish, otherwise the richness may be too much.

A. MUST. TRY.

Fourth Course: dessert! La Mangue – Mango with exotic fruit and coconut sorbet. Well after such a rich few courses, I opted for something refreshing. The mango was turned into this silky cream and underneath was chunks of mango and pineapple. On top of it rests the coconut sorbet. The ingredients balances each other – the tangy and the creamy mildness of the coconut element.

Not a particularly outstanding dish but well prepared nonetheless.

By this time, I was on the verge of slipping into a gourmet food coma. It was just so intense and gratifying! The service deserves an honourable mention because it was TOP NOTCH! Even before we stepped into the restaurant! OK, so we were trying to find the place and we stopped a staff of the hotel to ask for directions and it turns out he was one of the personnels from the other Robuchon restaurant and he went out of the way and escorted us all the way to the restaurant!

Once there the hostesses, dressed in modernised cheongsams took our belongings and put it into the cloak room. How posh. A cloak room. In the tropics. Once seated, we were designated with our server (that’s behind the counter). Oh Steven, what a great chap. Explaining to us the menu with such professionalism that would put the fine dining scene in KL to shame. He shared stories with us, as if we’ve been friends for years. He answered my questions as if he already prerecorded the answers. He is Steven from KL with an American/Australian accent who studied in Hawaii.

And lastly, Chef Lorenz Hoja, head chef of L’Atelier. A funny, personable man. He isnt those kind of chef who’s too uppity to interact with guests, joke and sometimes poke fun at them. He’s a happy fat man, who was greatly honoured to hear that we went down just to have dinner at his restaurant. And right before we were about to pass out from the experience, he gave us this (that was not even on the menu):

Another dessert! It looks like a pingpong ball with cranberries surrounding it. Now you see it…..

Now you almost don’t! Once they doused hot cranberry sauce over it, the pingpong ball actually melted! The ball is made of white chocolate and in it more cranberries with a light sorbet. I don’t know how they did it, but this is french culinary for you. Even if you’re not a fan of sour-y desserts, the pure theatricality of it would definitely win you over!

And that concludes, my gastronomic experience at the L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon! Happy to live another day to having the pleasure to enjoy such mastery and level of quality in this region of the world! I see stars for you! Michelin Stars!

The interior is sultry and sexy with a red and black colour scheme and almost mysterious, voyeuristic lighting. The bar tables.The view from the bar table to the open kitchen.

Burp,

SWAL

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

Level 1, Hotel Michael,

Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore

Self-Worth.

Prada New Release Bag: RM 7,200.

Louis Vuitton Hightops: RM 2,800.

Bose Noise Canceling Headphones: RM 1,500

These are just items that are available on the market for consumers to go gaga on. The prices are there. The products are there to make you crave for it or even scrutinize it. Heck, you can even try it on and parade in front of the mirror to get that momentary satisfaction that you momentarily posses it.

But when it boils down to decision time, the only question on most people’s mind is “Is it worth it?”

This question extends to most facets of life, be it for a pair of shoes or for human relationships. Human relationships are the most complicated and messy ones if they’re negative, it comes with the territory of being the most advance living thing on Earth. Is it worth it for me to put up with your unreasonable tantrums? Is it worth it for me to suffer from cramps because of your capricious nature? Is it worth it for me to have literally wasted years of my life hopelessly thinking that I can actually make a difference?

Those are one of the many questions you may ask yourself if you’re in my shoes. But, here’s the thing, I am done talking about other people’s worth. I am my own man. I have my self-worth! I work hard for what I want. I have been a good son, a good friend, a good student. I have been good. And I have never realised that until someone showed me that I am, albeit in the worst possible way. There is nothing you can do anymore to bring me down. I am done dealing with you. I am going to be happy and do what I love and hopefully succeed in the process with or without you.

It was foolish of me to let you question my self-worth but I have to thank you that you made me reinforce it ever so much. It’s a shame things have to end up this way. You have been good to me, and I miss that dearly. I wish you well.

SWAL

Do you remember?

There’s something about michael bubblesssss that seriously tickles my fancy. Nothing much beats chilling out on a Friday night in the comfort of your own room, where mood lighting is on, the temperature is just right and having bubbless accompany me on a parentless weekend……mmmmm…….

The simple pleasures of life; go on! strip away all the branded goods, the thought of work or exam and just live in the moment. Soak in your surrounding. Remember life was much easier when we were kids? I was at my old neighborhood’s market last week because I was craving this chinese-made nasi lemak – simple, simple stuff, no dim sum at the ritz – and it was as if time stood still in Taman Midah.

A pang of nostalgia hit me, one that I have been yearning to get reacquainted with. The nasi lemak guy, was of course there; the egg lady was still sitting at her stall with her obviously worn out straw hat; the soya and cincau guy grew a beard; and the ever loud fruit sellers even expanded their stall to the other lane.

All of these simple yet animated characters all played a part in my childhood. I would follow the father or mother to buy stuff from every one of them every other weekend. That’s how I started most of my Saturdays/Sundays. Now, it’s all so routined. Yeah sure, it was the same thing every weekend the last time, but it didn’t feel remotely like a routine at all! It was filled with optimistic anticipation and innocent curiosity like “hmm, what am I going to find in the market today?” Now, it’s like “uhh, you wanna eat there?” said in the most drawn out manner.

Is it because we grew up and the world just doesn’t seem as pretty as it did because reality perverted our perception of it? Or those years of undying curiosity really did kill the cat in us?

Let’s be simple; take off that make-up; put on your comfy clothes; light some scented-candles if you want; stop whatever you’re doing and breathe. Take in your surrounding and be grateful for what you have and give some thought and prayers to those who are suffering – the Japanese, NZealanders, Libyans, etc.

Yours in a zen mood,

SWAL

Holy matrimony?

“Marriage.” What does it mean to you? Is it a statement of your love to someone? Is it because in certain cultures, it just had to be done? Or going down the devious path – tax evasion or immigration fraud perhaps?

For me, it’s a contract. But a contract that 2 person in love enter willingly and whole-heartedly, without any ulterior motives whatsoever.

Which brings me to the issue of the current day “hip” crowd taking it ever so lightly. Is it because of the influence of what happens in Hollywood? As I am witnessing a marriage/ wedding ceremony coming together, the actions or rather, inactions of the bride-to-be prompts the question of whether she is genuinely happy with the wedding or is it the stress of handling one or she is generally incompetent of handling anything more than acting busy?

It’s not that I want to paint her in that dreadful, unambitious light, but she doesn’t give me any other options to do otherwise! It is saddening, infuriating and frankly, appalling to watch it unfold in front of you. It’s like a bad movie gone wrong then the producers tried to reinvent it but failed even worse, and all of this in slow motion. Excruciating.

Anyway, enough about other people. To me marriage is something not to be taken lightly as it is a contract between, not only 2 people, but also 2 families and of course, God. It’s as simple as that. Having said that, I am not canceling the possibility of a divorce is things doesn’t work out in the end. Hey, if it’s for the better, divorce is the only option! BUT look at the fine prints: only when you’ve exhausted all resources to try to make it work. And how much is that? Only your conscience will know. But DON’T EVER ENTER INTO A MARRIAGE WHEN YOU KNOW IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK OUT!

Just a piece of my mind on this,

SWAL

Blah at you too.

“I like astronomy – you know, the planets and all. It makes all my problems seem so small” – Sam from Glee

Who said TV is rubbish? It makes total sense.

KL is my home. It’s familiar but too familiar; as they say, familiarity breeds contempt. KL is my home but it is also home to my problems. There are just too many petty arguments, unnecessary worries and that sickening feeling when you know you have to face them, all at the same time.

Today another petty fight ensued. It’s a combination of my hormone imbalance and her character. Together, we don’t make sense. We fight over stuff that doesn’t matter or materialistic crap. Looking back, I was like “WTF? I am better than that!”

See why I like to travel? Apart from the obvious, it’s to escape these stupid things. There’s nothing to worry when you’re on holiday except fanciful worries like timing or how much to spend or where is the un-touristy places; not bullshits like why shopping every weekend or which cars to buy.

Ugh. Being angry is so unnecessary. Therefore, waters under the bridge. Music can make it go away.

SWAL

Life after A-levels: Part 1

wow. wow. It HAS been a long time. So be prepared for a REALLY long post. First of all….

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

….even though it’s the 3rd day of it now. Better late than never eh?

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FINALLY, I’ ve finished my exams! It was all good for the first 3 papers until the last one, which was a bit crappy. =( but no point crying over spilt milk. what’s done is done. i need to listen to my own advice. Hopefully, I won’t be seeing you again in June Econs 3.

Anyway, it was such a relief to finish off A levels. I thought it would never end! The day after the last paper I went to S’pore to do major last minute CNY shopping and thank the lord that I managed to get something (5 tops, 4 jeans). Also, made a mental note to NEVER book early morning flights the day after your exam.

Knowing me, I don’t like to follow the crowd and buy anything that’s…..mass market. Jeans for example, 7forallmankind, Evisu or Rock&Republic are so publicised by the media on celebrities and stuff that makes the Asian crowds go crazy over them. And at the end of the day, you’d see brand-concious dimwits (most people you see on Orchard) sporting the same thing. Now wouldn’t that be awkward?

AND knowing me, I usually don’t like sharing my discoveries or shopping haunts but I will make an exception this time. My jeans are from The Denim Store by Queen’s Couture where they carry Nudie jeans, Cheap Monday, April 77, etc. They are not your Bread & Butter kinda store which capitalise on pre-fabricated trends in the West. They carry, I would say “alternative” brands just like how music has the “alternative” genre.

So I was there hunting for Cheap Monday which is one of my favorite jeans brands. It’s from Sweden btw. But one of the staffs there recommended me April 77 (French) as CheapMondays are low on stock. Hello hello. I then discovered my other favorite jeans brand. It’s comfortable and it has a cool variety of colours and textures. I bought 4 pairs.

Attention: Skinny people like me can definitely shop there as the sizes are from 25inches and they are unisex. Go wild, anorexics!

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Uhhh….I am going to come clean and reveal that I indulged myself and stayed at the St. Regis Singapore. =D It was my second time there and it was….opulent. Let’s get down to specifics:

Ratings are from a scale of 1-10

• Service: 8

St. Regis prides itself as one of the finest hotels in the world and no doubt about that, even Four Seasons or Ritz-Carlton may not be at the same level as it (queue: gasp) but I think its Singapore branch could definitely improve especially staffs at the front door. You know, the bell boys and usherers. I don’t know, it’s just their mannerism that doesn’t fit into the whole St. Regis picture.

I may also suggest, as much as St. Regis is in a class of its own where service is top-notch, prim and proper and professional, I don’t expect them to have warm, laid-back welcomes but I would like them to infuse some Asian hospitality in their service to balance out the stiffness of it all. After all, these places do get kinda “stuffy”.

• In-room dining: 5

Wow, this was especially disappointing. I mean c’mon! You’re St. Regis and you serve me below-expectation food?! Presentation only goes so far; shaping the rice in cube forms doesn’t make it nicer, having 3 types of sauces in fancy bone china doesn’t hide the fact that I can do it better, and the chicken! Putting more slices of chicken into the dish doesn’t make it less chewy and tasteless.

I should have failed them in this section but given that it’s St.-flipping- Regis, I have to give some face.

• Bed: 9

I don’t even know how many thread counts they are! It feels like a second skin! So…..seductive. Yes, it may be weird that I am slightly turned on by bed sheets, but you’d have to sleep in them before you come to this disturbing assumption. I looked at it closely and seriously, I can’t find a hole. It’s just THAT fine!

Alas, it’s not the best bed I’ve slept on. The best bed I’ve slept on is in its less-classy-but-still-a-5-star-Marriott Singapore. Those beds can knock me out like I just drank 7 shots of tequila (flashback: skybar) But the sheets made up for it!

• Bathroom: 9

I think my mother would sleep in here. Oh wait, no, that was me when I first stayed here. Long story short: Father snored way too loud and I left my earplugs at home hence I slept in the bathtub. But honestly, it’s the best bathroom I’ve seen so far. It has a stand-alone bath tub in the middle of the room with a TV mounted in front so you can have some bubbly while in bubbles watching your favorite channels; a sound system that would be over the top for a bathroom; a shower with 3 options: rain shower, 3 body jets, hand-held shower head with multiple options. To achieve orgasm: use all 3 together.

• Electronics: 8

Bose sound systems: makes you feel like you’re royalty in your own private cinema. Electronically-controlled-everything: 5 modes (reading, welcome, cozy, movie, master-off for lighting) and day & night curtains movement all with the touch of a button. Talk about keeping up with the times.

Although, Steve Jobs would be disappointed as he would expect the now-necessary-ipod-dock and there was none to be found. =(

• Breakfast: 7.5

Since the in-room dining has set the expectations of the food here in general. I was quite pleased with the selections here. They have the staple continental stuff like cheese platter, pastries, egg stations, fruits and cereals, you know, pretty standard stuff. And of course since it’s in Asia, there’s also an Asian spread: 2 dim sums, curry, fried rice, fried noodles, miso soup. Yes, it’s all very jumbled up but it was quite decent. Nothing much to complain about since it is expected.

• Overall: 8.5

Attention to details: as it was raining buses and cars for 3 days straight, they prepared umbrellas for all its guests at the door and are never short of it. Which is a huge plus since most hotels I’ve stayed at only stocks limited amounts of it which is an inconvenience when the sky decides to pee on you for 3 days and you are on a mission to mall-hop.

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This is only 1st half of the post. beware.

SWAL

Promises to myself.

So let’s get to the point. It’s that time of the year again (although I am a week or 2 late) that we set out resolutions for the rest of the year. This year, it’s going to be a big one because 2011 marks a new chapter of my life – university. But, having missed a few resolutions in 2009 and was too busy to think about them in 2010, I am going to set resolutions AND goals.

Difference? One’s more serious than the other. OR I am making excuses for myself. Either here they are:

• Learn cooking

Home cooked meals. Overseas. Independent. No Maid. Those are the words that pops up when talking about university. Being super particular about food myself, I really need to learn cooking ESPECIALLY chinese food, well cooking in general since the only things I know how to cook are maggie mee, fried egg and fried rice.

http://www.bayanindah.com/

http://www.nathaliegourmetstudio.com (mmmm….macaroons)

• Learn Italian

Buon giorno. Ok, it’s buona sera now. Seeing that I go to Milan every year for business, why not take up Italian as a….4th language? It’s way easier than French and I can insult people who doesn’t speak in Italian. What fun. Hopefully I can travel to other parts of Italy like Tuscany, Naples and Bologna (where Pinocchio was born – true story) to hone my Italian.

Anyone know about Italian courses in KL?

• Travel more

Uhhhh…..I think this will definitely be accomplished since I have to go to visit the unis (if anyone offers me). Plus, if I don’t take the advantage of the gap between A levels and Uni to travel, when will I be able to?

• Actively invest

Something I’ve been meaning to do since last year but 2010 was way too busy. Need to earn my own money yo!

• Be a nicer person =)

Uh. Work-in-progress.

• Bulk up myself!

Gosh! This has been put off for the longest time! I am stick skinny and have no discipline to go to the gym religiously. If I don’t put on weight before I go to uni, it’d be intimidating I tell you. Plus I need to gain weight, on top of health reasons, for vanity – can’t get clothes and bottoms to fit me perfectly. So 6 months to gain 10kg? *fingers crossed*

Goals:

• To get a diving license
• To take up beginner’s sailing

Ok. Too lazy to elaborate and make this post nicely written. Here it is. To 2011, may you suck less than 2010!

SWAL

Phew// Oh great, another roller coaster ride.

So, 2010′s gone and here’s 2011. 2010 passed by so fast that I didn’t even get to evaluate it. Most part of it, it was stressful, lots of tears, lots of arguments but also lots of joy. Let’s walk down memory lane, shall we?

• Biggest achievement of the year – M.A.D. Charity Show 2010

Not because it turned out amazing and raised a bunch of moo-lah (RM38,000) for Make-A-Wish Malaysia, it’s more of a personal achievement, of course it wouldn’t happen without the partners in crime – Cassey & Fiona and also the whole UN team and especially Michael & Hafiz from Celebrity Fitness! I started slaving over books for A-levels, SAT and preparing for MAD since April and it has been a non-stop ride ever since. Right after exams is crunch time for MAD; the seemingly endless nights, dealing with horrible people, motivating teams to sell tix, the disagreements with Cassey, the tiresome roadshows.

One of the many medias that featured our event: Hot Magazine and NST.

It was all crazy, but we pulled it off spectacularly. What’s more, I’ve learnt so much about the working world and building up serious work ethics (hint hint, Goldman Sachs & other investment banks =)). It was in a word – fulfilling.

• I’ve met amazing friends (you know who you are).
• US Apps – I swear it IS a life changing process. You just learn so much about yourself. I didn’t believe it the first time but after I’ve been through it, it’s definitely true. If you’re crazy and ambitious enough to apply there, that itself is a merit of its own.

Honestly, there are a lot of things that went on in 2010 but everything just went by so fast that it’s all a blur but I am sure it has shaped me to who I am today somehow. I regretted nothing. =)

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31st Dec 2010. All plans of having a fun night at Pavilion went down the toilet in a flush. They wanted to go to Tmn Tun to get smashed silly. You know I am not that kind of person who drinks to get drunk. Heck, I can’t even drink without having that gag reflex after that fateful night at SkyBar, Traders Hotel. (OH! one of the spectacular things of 2010!)

I am the “old fart” of my friends – I like small intimate gatherings, good company, sumptuous food, lovely music, ok maybe some alcohol and just embrace the new year with everyone, sober of course, THEN maybe we go club till dawn breaks. =)

With that said, it didn’t bother me much that the plan fell through ’cause I am OK with it falling through, not like 2 years ago, where I would go berzerk. That’s another story. So I just went with the flow, and little did I know that it was one of the more enjoyable NYE s ever.

We had MelTh’ng and adorable family up to the unit and also some relatives. It was just something simple. Dinner. Chill. Clean the balcony (mother. don’t ask.). Eat free chocolate cake. Chat. Bonded. It was all I wanted.

Then when midnight struck, we had 6 fireworks going on simultaneously with panorama effect. We hugged each other and wished each other Happy New Year and that was it. A perfect ending to a tiring year.

But being idiots that we are, Mel and I went to the balcony and started screaming at the monkeys down on the street clogging everything up. “SUCK IT BITCHEESSSSSS!!!!!”

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!