leaving soon ...

Few months ago, we were talking about the famous Mamak in town and how much we miss those spiciness back in Malaysia. NOW, time is ticking away. I suppose many of us are doing last minute shopping for Chinese New Year and CANBERRA. Winnie tempted me with those beautiful plates and bowls. For 1 minute, I hesitated, thinking should I buy them ? I mean you can't get those in Australia. Then again, I realize we had plenty back in Australia except that it's without those pattern.

Winnie, Valentine's coming, I don mind 2nd hand gift =) LOL .. I kid

I was browsing through ANU's website. I was surprise with my time table as compared to last year's hectic workload.


Once again, being free doesn't mean I can spend more time shopping and wasting my time. This year's resolution " Never give up " . Action speaks louder than words. It requires a lot of determination and of course support from my dear friends and beloved ones =) . It's like you strive for the moon, if you fall, you fall upon the stars.

11 more days to go and we'll ( My beau and me ) be leaving for Canby. Can't wait to go happys. I miss you ... I miss you so so much ... my .. my ............................. BANANA CHICKEN ! ( drooling away )

Till here then =) I miss you guys so so so much !

P/S : Got kinda bored and drew this for that special someone

girls day out ( fantastic day )

Well basically I have nothing interesting to blog about but since everyone had been bugging me to blog again so I have decided to blog about "girls day out" organized by Winnie.

According to Winnie - " I believe hanging out with a bunch of girls come with a whole lot of f.r.e.e.d.o.m. To speak whatever, and NOT be too obsessed with being proper."
Yes it's true, one of the reason we went hyper and was dancing away in the room( karaoke session). Thank god, it was dark from the inside and the glass was tinted.

Q & A
Q: What do you think of girls day out ?
A : Fantastic.. We do what girls usually do like Gossip/camwhore/shopping/window shopping ...

Q: How many are there and who are they ?
A: There were 5 of us. Mich/Mel/ Kim/ Winnie and me.

Q: What did you buy ?
A: 3 pairs of socks for Gene and 1 pair of wedges that cost me RM 47 after 20% DISCOUNT !

Q: How do you feel ?
A: It was fun but if only I did not drink 3 glasses of coffee that I end up having MASSIVE HEADACHE through out the day.

Q: What did you have for lunch ?
A: I had black pepper noodle pork fillet and 1 glass of CAFFEINE and 2 more during karaoke session.

Q: Any pictures you would like to share ?
A: YEAP

My black pepper noodle pork fillet @ Wong kok char chan teng.

Pretty Kim & Winnie

My camwhore buddy

Kim and me

From left : Mich,Winnie,ME,Kim
WInnie u look sexy..

US

Superstar...

lol ... BFF

me and mel

happy moments*

NEWAY @ 1u ( out of 10 I would say 5/10) .
Why? because there's no RIHANNA
lol....more of updated chinese songs than english song.

Well, I guess a picture worth a million words. Overall, I had a blast with my girl friends today. Hope to have more hang out with you girls. Cheers** have to head back to bed otherwise I'll be a zombie the next morning. Getting up at 530am. Snooze for another 15 minutes and hopefully i won't go back to sleep again. Initial plan is to get up bathe and leave house at 615am then zoom to JLN IPOH's DIm Sum then meet up with Eddie and Mich for breakfirst. Hopefully to reach home beofre 7.45am just to wake my dad up in time to fetch us to Bangsar LRT. Bus at 9am.
Guess what ? It's 2.21am now... Gene is so going to kill me. I can't help it when I felt restless after drinking 3 glasses of coffee. Toodless...

perfomance @ 1u ( F1 opening ceremony ) + my friends....

Here's one of my performance that I would love to share with my fellow friends.





I'd love to thank my wonderful friends who have made my life so colorful and cheerful. Especially when I was down, you guys are always there for me. It was a boring Sunday, and so I've decided to create our memory in a video =)

Note: For those who is not in my video, you're still my friend/s . That is because I don't have your pictures . =)

Sit back and enjoy...



3 more weeks to go till we meet each other in Aussie land again. Amanda misses her friends and BF a lot. Especially Unilodgens and BRAND DEPOT!!!!!!

Note: My deepest condolence to My long lost friend, Marwick chin who recently just pass away due to his heart problem ( age 21 this year ). May you rest in peace and we'll always miss you as much. You used to be very close to us and now that you have departed, your name will be forever carve inside us. I felt terrible when I came across about you, as I haven't got the time to bid Good Bye and to say my very last apology for what I've done before that may hurt you indirectly. I remember you've always wanted to meet me in person but I refuse all the way as I did not have the time or perhaps delaying your request each time. Now that there's no more next time and I'm really sorry for that. Probably the next time we meet again is when I'm standing in front of your tombstone. I somehow regret but there's no turning back again. We used to be so closed in form 3 that you would tell me stuff about Lee Wah. There were times where the 3(Mich,you and me) of us used to play and talk a lot back then. This morning I was scrolling through my phone list, I saw you and your dad's no. in my phone. Now that I remember back in high school, you used to sms me till you ran out of credit and then you'd use your dad's phone to reply me again. You used to tell me that you've got a very weak heart but I chose not to believe because you look very healthy back then. Sigh... I can't really remember how we met up, considering you were from a boy school ( la salle school in PJ) but I do appreciate the times we(mich,you and me) had together back then. Memories will be kept inside us forever. Good bye my dear friend =)

unfaithful - Rihanna (Amanda)

This is what happens when an ordinary girl like me stay awake in the middle of the night. Tried sleeping but somehow my eyes just couldn't shut. All of a sudden, BLOGGING seems to be the best option to kill my boredom.

Like many other girls, I adore Rihanna best. I unintentionally got one of her songs stuck in my head so i suggest it'll be a great idea if I do the same to you. Lol, I kid.

introducing.... Rihanna ~~~~

Rihanna was born on February 20, 1988, in a county called Barbados,St. Michael. She lived the life of a normal island girl going to Combermere, a top sixth form school, similar to grammar schools in the UK. Rihanna won a beauty pageant and performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" in a school talent show. Her life changed forever when one of her friends introduced her to Evan Rodgers, a producer from New York who was in Barbados for vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He heard her sing and knew she was going to be big and for more than just one song. She was 16 when she was signed to Def Jam. Rihnanna's debut album is out now. It's called "Music of the Sun".

Rihanna Lyrics
Unfaithful Lyrics

last but not least ......



Amanda was born on 3rd October, 1987, in a country called Malaysia,Kuala Lumpur. She lived the life of a normal city girl going to Australia National university, an economics degree student.. Amanda never won a beauty pageant before and performed Mariah Carey's "Hero" in a karaoke call Red box. Her life changed forever when one of her friend, Michelle did not introduce her to a producer from New York who was in Malaysia for vacation with his wife, who is a native. Rodgers did not arranged for her to go to New York to meet Jay-Z, CEO of Def Jam Records. He did not hear her sing and never knew she was going to be big and for more than just one song. She was 13 when she first met Michelle.

Coming Up.. Malacca: Home sweet home

Warning. Delayed posts are due to our busy-ness.

Amanda and I have been too busy for the past 2 days to even try to blog. So, just a little pre-note if you guys do wonder what we are up to.

We are down in Malacca (my hometown) happily eating away and visiting places (especially places that Amanda never been before).

There will be a few posts about our trip here, featuring places to makan-makan, shop and to take nice pictures.

Alright, got to go. I am about to bake some cookies with Amanda. (another post regarding my cookies, with the recipe up and pictures to view if you like.

Signing off!

Canberra, Australia. Where our paths crossed.

D-I-Y Facial Treatment.

Nothing beats facial treatment, especially on a warm day in Malacca. What's best is when you do it yourself and feeling much refreshed and rejuvenated after the treatment.

Here are the basic steps which you can use to pamper yourself and fill your time when you are at home. Facial is not only for girls but for guys as well

Guys, never think you are too macho for a facial treatment. You deserve the treatment sometimes. Get your girlfriend or your mum to do it.

I really do admit I can be quite vain sometimes (even more than Amanda, considering I am a GUY)

1. Relax yourself and make yourself at home.

A relaxing snack prepared by Mum.

Start of your facial treatment with a cool and refreshing drink. As for myself, I had a cup of "honey lemon lime" drink with some grapes. This is to make you feel more pleased at yourself and more relaxed.

2. A refreshing wash and scrub

Proper cleansing is always the first and crucial step of a good facial treatment. Facial scrubs are useful in opening up those clogged pores as well as removing dead skin cells and impurities.

Tea Tree Facial Scrub from Bioglo. Minty afterwash feeling.

Cream Cleanser from St. Ives. Suitable for dry skin.

Wash your face with luke-warm water. Luke-warm water helps to open up clogged pores thus making it easier to cleanse your face properly

Do NOT use WARM water as it may irritate your skin

3. Mask your face. Sometimes you will be prettier that way.

Yes folks, one of the two vainest persons you ever seen, huh?

Indeed. I use the "Neem Face Pack" by Himalaya Herbals as it is suitable for oily and pimple-prone skin. It contains neem and turmeric which are anti-bacterial in nature.

Neem Face Pack. It gives a cooling sensation after washing it off.

For those with normal skin, get a mask that contains minerals, vitamins and fruit extracts. This is to provide nutrition to the skin of your face.

4. Get rid of nasty blackheads (if you have them)

I am one of the unfortunate race of people that has slightly large pores and an oily T-zone, thus I have blackheads.

Kao Pore Pack

The blackheads extracted by the Pore Pack

Kao Pore Pack is quite effective in removing blackheads. However, do it in a well air-conditioned or a cool room as pespiration will reduce its effectiveness.

The white mud nose pack from the Face Shop

White mud nose pack in action

The White Mud Nose Pack from the Face Shop is equally as effective, but keep in mind that you need to make sure there are no open pores left uncovered by the white mud.

5. A balanced ending is a good ending.

Wash your face once more with a mild cleanser. You may use cool water to rinse your face this time as it helps to close your pores.

Biotherm is the range of facial product that I use. It is quite effective for oily and acne prone skin. They have a cleanser, toner, day cream and night cream.

Use a good toner which is a lotion designed to cleanse the skin and to shrink pores. You may apply it with a clean cotton or wool pad.

Cleansing removes oil from your skin thus a good moisturizer would be vital. (Your skin is hungry for moisture after every washing!) This is to prevent your skin from drying and cracking.

That is all folks. If there are any facial tips you want to share, you are most certainly welcomed to post a comment.

Today's Feature: Are you an "Emo"?

Yes, we know that "emo-es" are another type of people

When you are sad and you complain about how wrong things are around you, people around you may call you an "emo".

To those who does not know the real term, it is not the abbreviation of "emotional".

E = mo squared. An overworked Einstein resorts to be an "emo"

There are reasons why "emo" does not mean like how it sounds and why people who behave as as described above are branded "emo".

"Emo" is a style of rock music which describes several independent variations of music with certain similar styles. The below is the timeline of how the term "emo" came about:

1. 1980s - the term emo described a sub genre of hardcore punk
2. 1990s - the term emo began to refer to the indie scene
   

An Indian Summer live gig

In the early 90s, a hardcore genre that came to be know as "Emotive Hardcore" which was pioneered by Rites of Spring.

"Emo" was a term for the crowd who loved Rites of Spring, Indian Summer and the new wave of "Emotive" Hardcore bands.

The word "emo" probably came into modern terms as what we know, perhaps due to journalists, producers or magazines who do not really know what "emo" is, hence labelling most things they hear as "emo".

It is probably because it sounds nicer (the X-factor) rather than labelling bands as "bubblegum pop punk".

Emo: Punk music on estrogen and a reason for boys to act like girls

Hence, it is rather untrue that "emo" meant "emotional". Most of the current bands (especially boy bands) make music to certain mushy and sugar-coated emotion which create a feeling of "emotion". (E.g. Backstreet Boys, 98 degrees are sometimes known for their "emo" music.

I would not really explain the historical and politically correct usage of "emo", but what rather interests me is the fashion and stereotypes of people branded as "emo-es".

The word "emo" is associated with males and females who:

• Wears tight jeans (preferably dark)

• Have long fringes brushed to one side of the face or over one or both eyes

Emo hairstyles for guys. Never fails to attract "emo" chicks

• Dyed black and straight hair

Emo hairstyles for girls. Into it?

• T-shirts which often bear the names of rock bands

A couple of "emo" styled T-shirts. Comes with all sizes

• Studded belts and big belt buckles
  
  
  
  

Studded belts and assorted belt buckles are a must to be a qualified "emo"

Canvas sneakers or skate shoes (often old and worn out)

• Thick, black horn-rimmed glasses

Yes sir! Black = Emo

In the recent year, "emo" according to the eyes of the media, has been associated with a stereotype that includes being emotional, sensitive, shy and introverted.

They are even sometimes compared with mental anxieties and disorders such as depression, self-injury and suicide.

Emos hate themselves

Goths hate everyone

Emos want to kill themselves

Goths want to kill everyone

Quoted by Chelsea Lewis

"Emo-es" are know for being sad all the time

*Dude, I'm sad, I feel like cutting myself*

I hope that I have at least cleared up the meaning of "emo". It is a popular trend nowadays, which may be detrimental to the society (due to the mental disorders and anxieties).

However, if you just want to dress as one I really do hope that the above pictures and examples could be useful. Signing off!

Note: This post is dedicated to my friend Kevin Kim, as I always mistaken him as an "emo". Sorry dude, as you were always being "emotional" and "sensitive". Lols. I kid.

Polite Malaysians or Rude Malaysians?

Type "World's Rudest Country" and you will see articles indicating Kuala Lumpur is the 3rd rudest city in the world. FORTUNATELY, Budapest is the world's number 2 while Bucharest is the worst.

Is it something to be proud of, being known as the world's 3rd rudest country? It may be an old article, but the fact that rude Malaysians are out there has been around longer than you can ever imagine.

Time and time again local newspapers were filled with reassuring quotes from Malaysians and foreigners saying how polite and courteous we all are. Yes, we are surprised with this surprise. "How can we be so rude?" you may ask.

There are signs everywhere to clearly show that Malaysians can be rude in the wider sense of the word. We are not only rude in the sense that we would get shouted at or reprimanded but in the sense that people may assume that we as Malaysians are uncivilised or uneducated.

Recognise the quote "1st world country with 3rd world mentality"? It describes us well sometimes.

The following actions below are some of the actions that probably contribute to that very shameful ranking:

1. Littering. Ah yessss! Remember those lessons taught by our teachers during Moral Education period, that we must throw our litters into the dust bin? Alas, that exist in theory. Although we would be fined if we were caught littering, law enforcement is poorly executed. (I have seen policemen throwing "Mamee" wrappers on the streets before)



2. M & M theory of driving. There are "Maniacs" who treat highways like a F1 race track, speeding at almost 200 km/h, endangering lives of people on the road and in the speeding car. There are also "Morons" that hog the road, driving slowly and making turns without switching on their signal lamps.



3. The 3 Ks'. Kiasu, Kiasi, Kialang. (Afraid to lose, afraid to die and intimidating - like a monster) We Malaysians often state that our friendly neighbour, the Singaporeans are perfect characters of the 3 Ks' but fail to see that we are masters in them.



• We are "kiasu" during any Mega Sales. Have you ever seen people pushing and elbow each other in the shopping mall just to reach the clothes they want? What about people who cuts into any queue that you are in?



• We are "kiasi" to the point where we do not want to admit our faults. I was at this certain buffet dinner where I saw a male with "kiasu" characteristics - He has his plate filled with the things served till the point where some of his meatballs rolled off. Sometime later, the host came across the meatballs and asked around who caused the unwanted mess. Mr. K announced "Eh? How did that happen arh? I think I saw some kid drop his meatball-lah!"



• We are "kialang" when we are behind the wheels. The potion that Dr Jekyll drank turns him into Mr. Hyde, while our cars and motors are instant recipes of road rage and destruction. We hold the world's 30th rank in the most road fatalities. If you were to anger anyone on the road, they will drive ahead of you and give you a nasty "what the @$#%@ is wrong with you" glance.



4. Staring. Malaysians LOOOOVVEEE staring. They love looking at you as though as you are an object without any remorse. I always observe males around when I do my shopping or just hanging out with Amanda (Yes, I do admit I tend to be protective around her)



• Guys love looking or more specifically, LEERING at girls. They tend to stare from the heads down and stop somewhere in the middle (If you are a guy, you know and if you are a girl, you know this better).



• Come on! Firstly, it is rude to stare and secondly, you are being an ass for not noticing that OTHER people knows that you are staring.

These are just a few traits of the rude and ugly side of Malaysia. I want to add that not all Malaysians are like this, some of them are really nice and good people to be with where they are willing and ready to lend a helping hand in whatever ails you have.

WAKE UP! We are very well into our 50th birthday as a country but if we do not change our attitude and manners, we will not go very far. Imagine potential investors who are interested in our country but eventually got turn off with our ill mannered ways

Malacca Trip

Many of my friends (especially Michelle and Winnie) had been asking "how's my trip to Malacca?". It's indescribable as I had too much fun and I didn't know where to start.

Here are some photos taken in Malacca :

They must be really rich to afford this Santa.

I'm a shortie beside Santa.

I'm shorter than Winnie.

I'm a shortie beside Michelle.

I'm really short beside Eu Gene.

I'm as tall as Eu Gene's Mum.

Overall, I am SHORT !

(Therefore taking a full length picture with someone beside me is not advisable not UNLESS if they are as short as me)

Gene and I visited the Portuguese Settlement which is a Kristang community in Ujong Pasir. (The Kristang people are better known as "Serani")

The Kristang are a Malaysian ethnic group with mixed Portuguese and Malay or Indian ancestry, which arose during the Portuguese colnial period.

Although they have Portuguese ancestry, most of them were quite tanned. English is their main language but they can converse in Malay fluently as well.

In December, their main attraction is during the Christmas holiday, as they decorated their houses with beautiful neon lights and festive decorations.

The "famous" A'Farmosa. It feels like I was teleported back into the past. It is among the oldest surviving European architectural remains in Asia.

This tiny gate (called the Porta de Santiago) is all that is left of a mighty fortress. This is why I tend to pose around more at the entrance of the building. =P

Unfortunately,did not manage to snap more pictures. There were some "unwanted" attention of some "people" were staring and giving unpleasant gestures and looks.

Luckily Eu Gene was there with me or else they would have followed me even more.

St. John's Hill, Eu Gene's favourite jogging spot.

The view of the sea from the Settlement. The old bridge you see used to be intact when Gene was still a fat chubby kid.

Klebang Beach in Malacca. One of my first few times at a real beach.

Rm10 for a ride ? Michelle, that horse looks like you ! (poor horse looks like it was crying or am I too heavy?)

Gene brought me over to a Crocodile Farm as well. It only costs RM5 per entry. It was really amazing to see real live crocodiles lying around. There were baby crocodiles (a pen's length) and as well as more matured ones.

The place was quite poorly managed, with no proper walking paths. The glass display cages where they kept the snakes were dirty. The water in the pools of the crocodiles were either yellow or brownish-green.

A dead croc and a live girl

Overall, the place was an interesting place for me. We even visited a "haunted house" in the Farm but we had to pay RM2 to enter.

It was so dark that Gene walk straight into the wall three to four times. It was a total RIPOFF.

Amazed to see a buffalo ( I don't mean to snap from it's back )

Last but not least, Me and Gene.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Special thanks to: Gene, Auntie ( Gene's mom ), Uncle ( Gene's dad ) and Cat Yee

Thank you for taking care of me and I really do enjoy my trip a lot.

Lots of love,

Amanda

P.S : Wanted to take some pictures with auntie, uncle and cat yee but do not have the guts to ask them.

Note from Eu Gene: I have edited some contents in this blog. Enjoy reading =). I may post some new contents about the fort and the pictures of places you see here.