Freaking Good Holiday

I GOT A PSP! It's 'felicia blue' and his name is Mull. This has been my only target purchase in Singapore. I have been saving my money for this thing and finally on the last day, I got it!! This is Mull with his family. I got the pouch and earpiece in KL though. It was a pretty darn expensive earphones too. Karol convinced me branded ones are well worth the price so since I plan to play Mull on the plane ride home I decided to get one. You can also see the extra battery in the background. That battery lasts for up to 10 hours++ (I think). And a lucky thing I got that in Singapore. The longest battery life I could find in KL was 7 hours. And even then it was crap. The salesman 'warned' me that I won't be able to cover the battery lid back if I insert a battery of any bigger size. But honestly I don't care. It's not like you see the battery at the back anyway. Consider the extra battery as a cooler pad for your laptop. Your lappy will work just fine without them, but with it, it's 'supposed' to last longer.

And of course, an original first game! It would be accurate to say that I bought a PSP just to play this game. The salesman, whose name is Ash, or Ashley tried to convince me to get a 4 GB memory card and he'll add 10 free games inside for me. Including FFT. But you know, I refused the offer because I just wanted FFT and nothing else? Some would call it stupid, but I honestly do not plan to clog my memory stick with games. My PSP is modified, but I decided to buy the games that I really want. Tthere's a pride to be had when owning an original game XD.

Singapore was shopping haven. I mostly visited stores of the brands I normally go in KL because their Singapore selections are different. All the while, we are flagged by Japanese students in almost every mall, especially DFS Galleria, a big mall just for duty free goods and souvenirs. It's not enough that they conquer the whole of our hotel floor, they have to be EVERYWHERE too! In the hotel floor we stayed, except for our two rooms, all the others are occupied by Jap students and their teachers.

A few are fine, but when you get overwhelmed by them in the lifts it does get kinda intimidating.

Anyway, we returned last Friday and tomorrow I'll be going home - FINALLY! Am getting a little bored of shopping malls now, but for some reason, I can't stop spending! XD I still need to get a strap for Mull.

When I get home I shall celebrate christmas with chocolates, DVDs, and games. Ha~ I can't wait!

Ta'ra!

p/s yesterday I saw the Power Rangers fighting against some evil villains in Sungei Wang. It was pretty cool how they went in formation hahaha!

Power Rangers @ Sungei Wang

Hi! I returned from Singapore last night and now I'm enjoying my moment of peace before I leave again tomorrow. I shall talk a bit about my trip later, but first - POWER RANGERS SIGHTED AT SUNGEI WANG!

I was relieved off my tour guide/tour leader duty today. Some sucker decided it's about time she takes over. I mean, you know how Malaysians are. "Woo! Blonds! Whitie! I'm gonna score BIG to be seen with them!"

True, you score big, but the attention can be annoying. The only sort of attention I liked was the one that made the shopkeeper appear nicer to you. The one that actually made them smile as you leave the store without buying anything. HAH!

Anyway, since I finally got me to myself, I decided to go browsing around and have Japanese food. Sungei Wang is in a real festive mood. They had a big christmasy stage in the center court. Today the celebration was Power Rangers. Since Bandai is holding a booth to sell Power Ranger toys, they thought it would be a cool idea to have the Power Rangers themselves appear to sell the toys!

I was quite impressed at the number of people queuing up for the photoshoot. The ticket for one photoshoot is 10 ringgit. The announcer said it in three languages; Chinese, Malay and English. So I caught all three. And if you ask me, those Power Rangers just look like regular cosplayers. Though cosplayers would take more care than them. I thought the pink and yellow rangers were supposed to be women, but why are they flat-chested there?!

It just felt a little wrong for guys to be in that pink and yellow costume...

But in spite of myself I quite enjoyed watching those kids and the rangers on stage. 'Course, all they did was pose for the photos, but it was fun getting all the attention. I'm a proud person you see, so I thrive on attention. Enough about me. Anyway, it must be tiring for those rangers to be posing for three hours straight. They went for breaks every hour I think. So even saviors of the world need rests eh?

Overall it was a rather relaxing and interesting day.

So, my Singapore trip. It was a seven and a half hour trip on train to Singapore. I went half of the way on reverse because my seat was facing the opposite way. Next time I'll know; on the go trip, pick seats numbers 8 and above. On the back trip, pick seats numbers 7 and below. I said on reverse because we sat at a different place after the train took off and had to return to our original seats when the rightful owners came hehehe.

I spent most of the journey reading a book. I finished it about a couple of hours to arrival so I had no other choice but to take out Sasarai for abuse.

I don't like eating while I'm reading because I don't want to smudge the pages, so after I was done with reading, I reluctantly took out my Rocky. We bought a set of five each the night before. Karol and Nad apparently finished theirs last night so I was the only one munching on it that day. At the same time, I also sat at someone else's place. I was supposed to sit in front of the duo, but I sat behind because there was someone in my seat. So I got the place all to myself. I even talked the guy who's seat I'm in to trade places with me! XD

Nadja bought a sketch book at KL Central. By the time we reached Singapore she had sketched almost half of that book! ...she's also darn good at it!

It was well into 10 pm when we reached our hotel. Karoline said she had got our hotel covered but I didn't get scrutinize the hotel voucher so I didn't realize it until the receptionist told us that our reservation was for 7th-9th December!!! And we arrived at the 6th!! I gave Karol a certain kind of look and she went on to say how it was impossible her friend Jessie who booked it online for them to get it wrong since they discussed the dates a lot. Honestly, about that time I've had it with 'Jessie'. She kept feeding them wrong information about this trip and now she screwed up our hotel reservation.

But no, Karol and Nad, being the good people they are, defended Jessie saying she was nice enough to help them and tried three times to book them the hotel and it was late at night and she was tired and bla bla bla. But that's not going to help our current predicament is it? Since Nad was hinting we'd better not be on the streets tonight.

I was keen on dissing Jessie more for being careless but I swallowed it ((If you can't do things properly then don't offer to help damnit!!!)). There will be other times. So since the check in time is 3 pm, there's no way for us to wait that long. Looking at our dire situation, my two companions were too numb with shock to react. So I asked the receptionist what our options are. He said we could stay one extra night. Tonight. Since it was only $75 a night, I took him on the offer. We got a small twin room and everyone was happy.

I wanted to diss Jessie some more, but I already expected what reply I'd get so I stashed it. A good thing Jessie's in Kuching and they won't see each other for a long while.

Anyway.

The three of us put the twin beds together for the night. Not exactly cramped, but the second night was cramper because it was a queen bed and we almost literally piled on top of each other x. Not very nice because my legs kept rubbing against someone's legs whos hair had just re-grown.

...I can still feel the sensation on my legs...*shudder*

But the days are fun. We actually have only one full day to explore Singapore so I took them to the only place I know best; Orchard Road. It has a dazzling array of shopping malls. My only spoils were a shower gel, the Chronicles of Narnia book (for the train ride home) and snacks (also for the train ride home). Oh and a DVD. But Karol got a lot of hats and pants and other things. Not bad for someone who said clothes shopping was boring :P.

There were a lot of Japanese youths roaming around Orchard Road that day, especially at Far East Plaza where we're at. Those people can't speak English and they spoke Japanese to the shopkeepers.Were they expecting the people to understand?? When a bunch of them came to this cramped little shop where Karol had an extended stay trying on hats, I told the shopkeeper what the Jap boys wanted when they looked so clueless. After that the shopkeeper thought I was fluent in Japanese. I had to make it clear to him I understood them but I don't speak much Japanese. I mean, how hard is it to say '30 Singapore dollars' anyway?

Singapore apparently is a popular spot for Japanese students on school trips. Everytime I go to Singapore I always find at least one group of them either in the malls or at the airport. Maybe it's due to the direct flight thing. JAL goes direct from Singapore to Japan's major airports.

Even when JAL goes to KL it will make a detour to Singapore first before going to Japan.

It should go without saying that Karol gets popular wherever she goes. I don't mind the attention, so long as it's the good kind, like the ones I said earlier. But when people get too friendly I have the tendency to just slip away for a while. Sometimes people say weird things to them that just makes me go "uh..." (coz of course they look at me, asking for an 'interpretation'!) like how an old guy on the train said Nadja has strong shoulders.

Oh oh Nadja has a fan! During one of the stops on the way back to KL, a man strolled about the side of the train and stopped beside Nad's window and peered in as she was sketching! It was funny. Some of the train conductors also stopped by to see her sketch. The attention is fine, but it does kind of make you wonder if you did something wrong at first. sighs.

The next day our train leaves at 1300 so we have to check out early and bring our bags along as we head out for breakfast and roaming around.

Throughout the trip to and back, I got asked a few times if I study overseas. I wonder what their reaction would be when I said I actually study at a dump of a university at Puchong? Another thing that happened often is how people asked me who they are in front of them! I find it a little rude. Why don't you just go and ask them directly? I mean, the moment I mention 'They are from Norway', they understood anyway.

sighs.

I'm glad this sucker volunteered to take them out today. Not that I want to be rid of them, I liked to imagine her babbling away with her bad English with them. I was on the phone with her once when Karol and Nad moved in their condo and man, she spoke like a true KLite! Broken English and 'cutesy' act all in one!

Well yeah okay, I already disliked her before I even spoke to her because she was the one who told Karol that Puchong was not safe and that Old Klang was a good place because it's in-between KL and Cyberjaya. Local or not, the latter alone is just stupid.

Yeah the apartment was okay, but she forgot to mention that there is no public transportation available except for the train which is about 10 minutes away on foot and you can't go there alone. And the fact that the location is convenient if you have a car (like a local)!!!

Pissed me off. If we met we would not become friends. She, though, might claim we're friends, but unless she really impresses me (and I am hard to impress) then I doubt we'll ever go further than 'some friends of Karol's'. People only become my friends when I let them. I hardly become friends with people 'by chance'. As you can obviously see, not everyone can get along with me. I take firts impressions very seriously. So whatever first impressions I make, it is a reflection of how I will appear to a particular person for a long time to come. Unless, of course, they impress me in some ways and make me change my opinions of them.

I apologize :P. It's just the way I am.

Man I was so relieved to be going back to an empty house today after I went out. Funny isn't it?

Ta'ra!

p/s Is it just me or does that guy in Ashley Tisdale's video looks a lot like Oli Pettigrew from Technomax?

Going Online For Nonsense

I hate going online for useless nonsense. Printing tickets, for example. But this is the first time I'm taking the train to Singapore so I'm allowing myself some lobaness. Anyway, yeah I'm going on my first of two Singapore trips tomorrow afternoon.

Karol and Nad arrived from Kuching today and tomorrow we go Singapore together coz they have to renew their tourist visa. Quite mafan, so might as well go sightsee while we're there. Their condo at Klang Lama is nice, but transportation is HEN MAFAN! I called all three cab companies and they all turned me down! In the end we had to walk under the drizzling rain to the nearest KTM station and took the train to Mid Valley. While boarding the train I accidentally stepped into the gap between the train and the platform. On my way down I grabbed onto a small woman in front of me. The poor thing.

Anyway, those two were so culture-shocked that I was shocked! I've told them there are a lot of people in KL but they weren't expecting it to be such a melting pot of people and cultures. I would have stayed over at their condo tonight but I didn't want to get smack in the way of their cleaning XD. Besides, I have my own chores to do at home. I pressed daddyo's shirts, for one. Tomorrow I still have to sweep the house before I leave.

I want to arrive early to the train station so I could spend some time eating before we leave. I used to spend 5 hours on the train from London to Edinburgh and all the food they had were snacks and sandwiches. Not that I'm complaining much, but you can't really expect a hot meal on the train can you?

My blog is seriously lacking pictures. Not my fault Sasarai sucks at taking pictures. I'm thinking of replacing him. That transvestite! If I get a new phone I'm going to name that one Sasarai too and pretend this one never existed.

To prepare for my 7 hour journey, I uploaded some songs from my Maroon 5, Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears CDs into Marimo the Third (that's my ipod by the way). Yes you read right. I still listen to BSB and Britney. 'NSync too in fact. I love them classics. I also bought snacks from the supermarket when we went shopping. I had some trouble getting a suitable bag for my trip, but I finally decided to get this pulley laptop backpack that my mom bought for us to stuff groceries XD. Hehe...only my mom would buy a bag designed for heavy laptops especially to lug heavy groceries home.

Right, so, I need sleep. And my shoe strings are not in place yet! Ta'ra!

Too Independent Too Soon?

Going shopping with daddyo is very profitable. I would always start with nothing, and by the end of it I get my stuff plus the change from the purchase of my stuff. Makes good economic sense doesn't it?

But why are people in such a hurry to be independent from their parents?!

I even had a friend who has no background in business, has no experience or any related knowledge, is diving head on into a business! I've told this same friend what she should know about and what she should work on, and she admitted she wa sunprepared so the business idea was tossed aside. But then came the holidays and she considered herself been 'sleeping' too long. So she thought starting a business was the best way to 'wake' her up! She came to me asking for some financial support. I questioned her some basic things not related to the business but on how she was going to be able to pay me by January when she couldn't even find money now? She replied she 'believed there are many ways' so I asked her why not use those 'many ways' to get the money now? Then she concluded I wasn't able to help her so she went away.

I mean, get real. Would you lend your money to someone who's indecisive and unconfident like that? I really hate it when people want to borrow money from me but act as if it's no big deal if I don't give it to them. I would have helped if they really wanted it. Sometimes it can be for something as stupid as wanting to buy clothes urgently so long as they really need it and can assure me payback can be made in reasonable time. I am a yes or no person. If you want it, say yes I want it. Not 'well, if you could lend me it would really be helpful though you don't neccesarily have to'. To me that's a no.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's encountered people like this.

Look, it's not that I want to dampen her spirit in doing a business, but doing a business, even if it's just some crappy MLM (maybe especially so), should not be taken lightly. Is it wrong to start small like selling nasi lemak or keropok lekor by the road side? Trust me. If you do it diligently it will pay off nicely. I know this because I have a friend who's actually doing this and she stuck to basic rules of business. Good value, good customer service and plain hardwork will get customers coming back and money rolling in. Is it so hard?

So that's someone who wants to branch off on their own as soon as they can. Another is people who just refuse to accept money from parents. Isn't it weird that people would turn down free money? I asked them why and they said they don't want the strings attached to it. They would rather work for their own things than asking for money from their parents. A nobel thought, of course. But when your parents are giving you free money with no strings attached, why do you still refuse it?!?

Doesn't this remind you of the term 'kais pagi makan pagi, kais petang makan petang?' Roughly translated it has about the same meaning as living 'from hand to mouth'. It's like working hard to pay the advance payment for your car. Once you get the car you still have to pay the monthly payments, so doesn't this actually add to your expenses even though you're not making anymore than you did before you got that car?

So doesn't that leave you with less money?

This is a typical middle-class mentality. They believe in working hard, saving money and living off that money their whole life. They are suspicious of investments. They take pride in being able to fend for themselves without any parental intervension.

Like I said, a noble thought, but not very practical. We humans have to accept that we need help from time to time, whether we like it or not. And when you're with parents, they have certain responsibilities over you including giving you your pocket money. To refuse your right is stupid. Sure, go ahead and make yourself independent, but don't stop parents from being parents. We are at an age where we are slowly breaking free from our parents. But we are not quite there yet. So is it so wrong to just stay quietly and take things as they come? I mean, in five years or so nobody would be around to make dinner for you anymore once you're married.

Maybe I'm saying this because I am comfortable living in my parents' house. I know this is not the case for everyone but it apllies to most people. Remember how people kept reminiscing how good life was in high school? and when you enter the working life you reminiscent how much better life was during college?

All I'm trying to say is: forward thinking is good. But never forget to live in the moment. The saddest thing is to let life pass you by without you even realizing it.

There, I gave you my Dua Kupang Worth. Now have a life. Ta'ra!