Dinner Leftovers.

As promised, I'm going to jumble all the left behind posts of yesteryear into one whole big post.


Be warned. Extreme word counts' arise...and I thought I hated word counts after all my bloody assignments.


First up, MY 20th Birthday!


It was a really very, very busy month and as procrastination would have it, I delayed and delayed this post till, well, now... I must say, I'm not one to fret about aging. Its a natural process. Yet, thank god we have so many anti-aging miracles in the market these days...so much so that people might still mistake me for a 30 year old when I'm 40. -__- Its an ongoing joke. I swear, with each birthday, I seem to look more childish.


Egad. Sexy 20 year old I am not.


To quote Chen: "Qing, you will always be the sweetest!"


Okay...So I'm stuck to the 'sweet, cute, cuddly' tags for the rest of my life. Tell me please, should I feel traumatized? Or absolutely bushed that somehow, my aging hormones haven't kicked into action yet? Let's look at this in a positive way- at least I can still get away with wearing kiddy clothes! Errrmmm, not that I actually own kiddy clothes...

Its time I actually posted a picture of him.
AERON WONG WAI LEONG!
Can you believe it?
After 4 whole semesters together,
there ain't one picture of you in my blog?
You, who cheated me on my birthday!
You owe me loads of movies, my friend!

Basically, all I felt on my birthday,
was a gratifying sense of being loved.
From the closest family members and friends to friendly acquaintances,
it seemed that everyone was there on that special day!
Thank you!

Erm, sadly, it wasn't any sexy lingerie in that La Senza bag.
Again, I emphasize sadly. Hahahah!

:-:-:-:


Moving on...Part 2 of my Brisbane Trip! For a refresher course: Here's Part 1.

Brisbane City has so many alleys that one needs a whole 2 days of relentless walking to cover the whole city! Hmm... maybe 2 days isn't even enough, especially if you really want to take in the whole city 'feel'.


I only spent a day in the City since we were short on time. It was amazing! Like I said in the earlier post, Brisbane's City reminds me of Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam because of all the alleyways that lead to wonderful surprises. HCM's whole city is much alike Bris in the sense that all the shop houses are sandwiched together but there will always be little crooks and alleys that lead to a whole new section that you wouldn't have known existed unless you'd walked trough the narrow little road!


Little loves I discovered along the way:

Dreamy Donuts.
Hands down, the best tasting donuts to me!
This yummy fella beats Krispy Kreme, which is a little too sweet for my liking!
Plus factor: Dreamy uses Lindt chocolate for their coating and fillings.
Lindt, people. It doesn't get better than that!

The picture above is from my aunt's suburb. In Australia, a suburb is a housing estate. Equivalent to Pujut in Miri or Bandar Utama in KL. There's this little town square in the middle of her suburb where people do shopping or just gather around for a drink. The gem in this town square is this whole row of artists' warehouse! The snapshot above is a cute little window from one of the display warehouses! Basically, one can find painting/ pottery making/ any type of creative classes in that whole row! There are even knitting classes for the interested.


I was wont to take picture of these people attending classes because it seemed like I was intruding upon some great creative scheme that was ongoing. Seriously, it felt as if they were pouring their heart and their soul into their paintings...


Flowers that we (my aunt, my Mama and I) picked up while grocery shopping:

Fresh Lavender from the garden!

My beautiful Mama and the flowers!
These bougainvilleas have quite a story:
Its a known fact that Australia is very strict with any food items
you want to bring into their country. Plants are a no-no.
But my aunt managed to smuggle in these bougainvilleas,
(don't ask me how-I really don't want to know!)
taken from my Mama's garden in Miri!

I LoveLove my aunt's patio. Her whole house exudes a modern-ish cum country style feel.
Her patio really plays up the wonderful slope behind her house that leads to the local river.
You can sit there in the morning and take in the breeze
and it gifts you with breath-taking sunsets in the evenings.
The little joys of life.

The other side of her patio.
When my whole family visited in 2004, we used to love breakfasting there.
But in winter-time, I am glad for central heating!
Brrr!

Taking advantage of the one sunny day we had in one whole week,
to sunbath on the patio.

The back view of my aunt's place. These are the first steps that lead down to the riverside.
Its a really interesting climb/ walk from the top to the bottom,
then from the bottom back up to the top.
It gives you a workout and you get to see so many wild turkeys/ other wildlife around you.
Seriously, those turkeys are like chickens.
They wake you up in the morning.
-_-

Arrows to guide you along the path!
This shot was taken from the Patio.
See how amazing a view it gives you?
You can see if there are any thieves coming to get you!

A wider view.
Its a pity that its was winter when I was there,
because all the flowers weren't in bloom.
In spring and summer, instead of only green,
you see a rainbow of colors!



The Bird of Paradise.
Along with the bougainvilleas, these were the other flowers in bloom.
I think due to the fact that both are tropical flowers,
they don't follow the 4 season routine!



I have no idea what these tree is called-
I just like patterns along its trunk!



Majestic Gum Trees dotting the sidelines of my aunt's home.
These giants are actually a pest, according to my aunt,
because when they start to die/ rot,
they die from the inside.
So you don't know which are the danger spots...
even worse, you can't tell when they are going to fall...
So my aunt had tree-lobbers come and chop them down.
Luckily, I managed to snap this picture before they got to them!



Cobwebs dotting the sky.
The beginnings of a beautiful sunset.



Lovely Mama says 'Till next time!'

To sniff, delicately.

Many many moons ago, Bestie Jiun suddenly (she gets a lot of weird sudden urges) wanted to find her 'scent'. Wait. That sounded very wrong. By her 'scent', I meant she wanted to find a perfume that would truly fit her personality and engrave her upon the minds of others...something that would...represent her..."Oh, this smells familiar! Wait! I know! It's what Jiun always wears" type of representation.


As usual, I would be baffled but would good-naturedly followed her on her quest for 'the one'.

Now, bear in mind that we both live in Miri, which has an abundance of many things- oil, kelapa sawit, sea water and makanan-makanan yang sedap but sadly, a good selection of perfumes it lacks. So Bestie Jiun seemed to summarize her search for the one into THIS. (Click)


I have no idea if she has found the one yet as there are countless types of perfumes that exist worldwide. To sniff all of them would be equivalent to undergoing some kind of mission- e.g. Round the World in 365 days. If she were to ever go on such a personal quest, I would suggest she apply for some sort of record in the Guinness Book of Records.


However, for such an objective-less search, two fruitful things happened:

1. Jiun has more than 3 types of perfumes now and is currently still searching for the one.

2. Me, who has never really shown any interest in how good I smell/ or how I smell, for that matter, suddenly piqued into 'OMG. HOW DO I SMELL?'


To me, perfumes have never been more of an accessory, to be used only during special occasions. (Right. So I was too lazy to spritz on something that smells heavenly before I walked out of my door) Anyway, the two perfumes that I am in possession of, have never been used more than 20 times before Jiun began her 'smell quest'. Perfumes seemed to be linked to women like my mom, who always took out her 'secret potion' which smelt special and so delicious, when she was getting ready for a special night out. Or (cough cough) to this teacher in high school who seemed not to know when enough was enough. I still wonder how many bottles he goes through in a month.


So, fast forward to a more perfume-enlightened Me. I now know the who's who of the perfume brands. I can tell you a floral fragrance from a fruity one (although I am sure that your 4 year old brother can differentiate that for you too). I can also tell you how to let a fragrance grow-i.e. wear it on your wrist and see how it blooms into different variances of its original smell.


While I have now come to realize that perfumes are much, much more than just making you smell divine, I have yet to grasp the concept of how perfumes influence your mood. See, I've always been more of a happy-go-lucky person. My sad days are (thankfully) numbered and few. I do buy perfumes that reflect my mood, actually, all my perfumes smell HAPPY. However, I have yet to sniff a sad-smelling concoction or a melancholy-smelling one. Maybe others interpret this connection with their perfumes as: 'Right. I'm going to a party tonight and I want to feel sexy. Let's spritz on something sensual.'


GAH. I really can't see people slapping on something that smells sad...Or the perfumers actually making something that evokes less than desirable feelings. Or maybe, my days of perfume sniffing are still labeled as juvenile-amateur. Or, just maybe, perfumes are like chocolates, they are supposed to be the joys of the world that only stir up positive mood-altering hormones.


Ah well, one man's meet another man's poison.


Ho ho ho, while Christmas has already passed, I see no harm in constructing a new wishlist. Ah, all this perfume sniffing would have had to produce a few favorites, no? Boiling down to that and the thought of perfumes being a 開心果...I've realized that I'm more partial to sweet-smelling concoctions in lieu of darker, woodsy, more spicy flavors.

My ultimate favorite:
Jeanne Lanvin.

Utterly divine and simple,
with an underlying touch of playfulness.
Its like getting to know your new best friend more and more each day,
with little surprises and a feeling of much more to come!

Le Jasmin by Annick Goutal.
While I do enjoy more fruity punches than floral bouquets,
I like the scent of jasmine flowers...jasmine tea...jasmine cookies.

There are tons of other perfumes with jasmine notes floating around
but in my opinion, this wins hands down.
Its not too strong and arrogant
(which sometimes happens when there is one prominent ingredient)
but has the correct aptitude of a fine lady, on a carefree day,
taking a stroll through the park and just...enjoying herself.
Bear in mind, though, that this is a French perfume,
so it may come off a bit stronger than the designer perfumes,
but once you spritz it on,
if you love Jasmine as much as me,
you'll be on Cloud Nine...

Chloe by Chloe.
Ah. Chloe.
One of my most admired fashion houses.
Some have criticized Chloe for such a 'normal-smelling' fragrance coming out of a grand house.
I thinks its pleasant, something that I can put on everyday.
My everyday perfume...
Hahhahah!
Somehow, in one of those unexplainable moments,
I caught a whiff of this and I simply fell in love.





Jasmin Noir by Bvlgari
The only heavier fragrance among all the light, airy ones.
This is up because of its faint jasmine notes.
I was rather disappointed that the jasmine was more of an underlying feel...
while the other ingredients played more of a top note.
However, this bloomed into a very interesting scent as the day wore on
and it has amazing lasting power.

So, while it doesn't really convey jasmine,
its still great for a night out!

As one can see, I think I relate more to wearable perfumes rather than perfumes for the sake of perfumes. Anyway, here are some great tips that me and Jiun have picked up in the course of our perfume-scouring:


- Always try on the perfume that you are planning to buy: never rely on those paper slips to determine the scent. Perfumes are like...orange cheese cake. You get to taste the orange first, then the cheese then the mixture of both orange and cheese in your mouth. A perfume changes too. When you first apply it, you might smell the top notes, then...as time goes on, the middle notes come out and finally, if the perfume has long-lasting power or if its a good EDP, it will end with bottom notes. For airy perfumes, there may be more top notes but more heavier, stronger perfumes use more bottom notes.


- Eau De Parfum (EDP) are always more worthwhile than Eau De Toilette (EDT). Since you're spending $, invest it in a lasting investment.


- Weather plays a part in how fragrances smell. For tropical and warm-weather friends (i.e. Malaysia) its best to have airy, floral or fruit based perfumes because our air is more moist than cooler-climate countries. I'm not saying that heavier scents are bad options, just make sure you're in an air-conditioned place most of the time when you choose to wear them or the fragrances might shift due to the humidity in the air.


- Lastly, for easy to understand perfume guides, try out : Now Smell This and HauteParfum. Others can be rather mind-boggling.


Signing off with a tres delightful commercial showing just how 'addictive' perfumes can be!

Still holding out my nose for:
Jo Malone
Creed
Chantecaille
Comme des Garcons
Caron
Guerlain
Miller Harris

Credits:
Pictures from Google Image Search!

Starts with a 'C'

CHEN!

Hope you're having great hols! See ya next year babe!

Here's your tag- one month too late! Ooops!

1. What’s your ambition?
Seriously, although this sounds real shallow:
I WANT TO OWN A CHANEL 2.55!


2. Who is more important to you? Friends or boy/girlfriend?
-_- Family.
Or whoever is willing to jump into a raging ocean to save me If I ever fall over a boat.


3. How often do you think of committing suicide?
I have had blank periods and depressing periods,
but never once have I contemplated suicide.
I love life too much,
and the dear people in my life.


4. Do you think you have enough confidence?
Hm... Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, no.


5. How many babies you want?
2. The hell I am going to churn out more after two.
2 is the optimal level.


6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Ermm...well, it does happen-
so therefore this question is void.


7. What is your goal for this year?
2008?
I'm not one to look back upon the past,
I think I've achieved quite a lot this year,
including all my outlined goals!
(Smile)


8. Do you believe in eternity love?
...
U mean eternal love, huh?
Let me tell you-
Romeo and Juliet?
That was one hell of a sad story because people simply forget about Paris and Rosaline-
the spurned lovers of Juliet and Romeo respectively.
Eternal love?
All I ask for is to survive the 1st year of marriage,
If I ever get married!


9. What's a perfect girlfriend/boyfriend like to u? (List 10)
Seriously, there is no perfection in the world.
Perfection is but an idealistic option.
Whoever strives for perfection doesn't exist in reality.

Someone who can accept me for who I am,
that's all I ask-
but superb cooking skills are a nice bonus treat!


10. What are you really afraid of?
Lizards. Eurgh.


11. What are your bad habits?
(shifty eyes)
Over-perfectionist habits when it comes to organizing my room?


12. Is there anything you wanna tell the people who hate you?
Seriously?
I have no idea.


13. State a random fact about yourself
I like to take long, hot showers.


14. What does flying means to you?
Freedom.


15. What do you crave for the most currently?
Green tea from Ocha-cha.
I miss thee!


16. Most unexpected gift you received so far and when?
A birthday CD! It was a great, thoughtful gift.
First time anyone actually sang me Happy Birthday on a guitar!


17. Describe the person who tagged you in 7 words.
Loud!
Soulful.
Caring.
Kind-hearted.
Good-looking.
Fashionable.
Opinionated.


18. What have you done to yourself make yourself happy?
Bought and ate a Pavlova.
Yummy.


19. What will u become in another 10 years to come?
One step at a time, people.
I wonder as well.


20. What are you going to do after this?
Watch a movie with my family.
Little Brother 1 went on a crazy DVD buying spree.
We be happy to benefit from it!



;)

Backlogged!

First off, let me wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! May all of you have a great day filled with joy and laughter and cheer! May you spend the holiday with your loved ones since Christmas is a time for cherishing those close to you!


I've had a great December, spent mainly in KL with my mom's side of the family (eating,shopping,eating) with a stopover in Vietnam, and came back to Miri to see loads of family friends and close relatives. What more could a gal want? Loads of love to go round. So, with just a few days of 2008 left, methinks this is a great time to end all my dog-eared posts that I've always promised to update but never got around to actually doing (tsk.procrastination.tsk.) so I'll be trying to do one post per day all the way until 1st January 2009. No excess baggage into the new year, peeps.


But TODAY is all about wishing one of my dearest besties a HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!


He always complains that woe betide December babies. All close to them are away on holiday and none are available for birthday surprises. Believe me, in order for people to NOT forget about his birthday, he takes the trouble to actually remind them months in advance! He even highlighted my whole December column in my diary to ensure that I did not forget. =____= Apalah. You think I sik da hati is it?


So, to the very special December baby, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
(I did wish you on the actual day, just that this pre-requisite birthday post is a bit 'late') Hehehe.


Here are 21 special notes to you, in celebration of you having lived to reach your adulthood! Right, in light of advanced medical facilities and the like, what more adequate nourishment, you had a very high, good chance of reaching 21 years of age, but ah well, its the actual accomplishment of being 21 that counts! Heheheh!


21 wishes/notes/ramblings for the birthday boy!




1. Sometimes, its really hard to understand what's going on in your mind. You can be a really private person when you want to be but I'm glad that you've included me into your life! So far, there have been many jen-like mannerisms that are now second nature to me. The most important one might be that he dislikes being woken up. Only he can rise by himself. One shall not and must not awaken him from his beauty sleep. Beware because its really not advisable to step on his tail. Its a very short tail linking to a very short fuse. Hehe.

My 1st wish for you: Continue to be who you uniquely are while still, gradually, opening up yourself for your closest ones to see. He is one of the most loyal, steadfast friends I have met and I wish him the same, may you always have the hearts of your friends.




2. Good Luck for all your future assignments and course-related work so that you graduate without further ado! Still, sometimes, it might be better to let time take its course and enjoy university life while you're able to- cherish the things in front of you because people tend to look but not see and hear but not listen.


3. He has a weird fetish with all things YELLOW. I can't comprehend why but I do understand. After all, there are weirder fetishes around the world. Then, just for fun, I googled yellow and found this:


For your future reference!


4. The world is your oyster & I do know that you enjoy traveling! So may you have the privilege to see new places and take more captivating photos in the years to come! Eh, but remember yeah, if strike lottery and you become rich, must bring me and Jiun to Dubai/ Paris, whichever, we are not very choosy. Cannot wait for Jason, we may be old ladies by the time he actually can fulfills his promise. Muahahah.


5. This is a man who eats to live, not lives to eat. =__= He and Uncle Richard are in agreement with this life philosophy of theirs. They will not eat crabs/ prawns or bananas. Why? Because you have to peel the skin off. They like meals which just require them to put the food into their mouths without any additional work involved. So, in light of your 'relationship' with food, I sincerely hope you find a wife who specializes in French cuisine or is so in love with you that she de-bones everything before she cooks it. Or I sincerely wish you prosperity so that you can be rich enough to hire a chef.


6. I do remember that you like Alfa Romeo(s). See, don't always say that I am not paying attention to you when you are talking, I do, okay, its just that my attention span is very limited. I also remember that in that awfully expensive wish-list that you left behind in my Form 5 diary, there was the word Alfa Romeo listed somewhere. Since both you and I know, what with the economy crisis going on, the dream car will indefinitely remain a 'dream' car for a very, very, very long time:



The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

HAHHAHA! Or I can get you this model car! Not expensive, within my budget!







7. He has a passion for photography and all things related to design. May you always have the karma to meet those who can share their skill and experience with you and guide you to greater heights. I really believe that when one is passionate about something and pours one's heart into doing it, the end result is always breathtaking.


8. I do believe I owe you easy pie recipes. For someone who kind of excels at everything he tries to do, cooking is so not his forte. Hahaha, pardon me saying that having not tasted your often boasted about pineapple curry chicken. Who ask you fly off to Singapore without letting us sample your improved cooking skills? So, yes, please do kindly remind me to pass you Aunty Tracy's easy pie recipes once you're back in Miri. If you fail these... I do not know how you managed to survive for one year in Tasmania.


9. I do think I'm running out of things to say. BAH. Its only No. 9! Hmmm...Anyway, I think I would like to thank you for being such a great friend to me. No matter the occasion or the subject matter at hand, you've always been there without a grumble. I sincerely wish you all the best in life, and although this sounds so tacky and kiddy-like, friendship forever! Pfft, now I gotta get you a friendship bracelet, huh?


10. A little quote for you: ' A fool always thinks he's right, but a wise man listens to advice.'


11. He can be 'quite' lame at times. Hmmm... never mind the quite, he is very lame at times. But one can't always be serious or stout at all times...so his lame-ness provides much laughter and sunshine during impromptu gatherings. May you never lose your unique sense of funny but you could really do less with the word 'kuku'.


12. For some odd reason, he really loves donuts. Methinks its because you just pop them into your mouth. So buy a box of donuts on me, seriously, go get yourself one box...but do share one with Nathan!




13. He has great taste, from his dressing to his room deco and his knapsack. So fear not when you have a wardrobe dilemma or am just in need of a second opinion about a new watch- you can trust his taste! This is the guy who told me to throw away my wallet 'cause it was very 'aunty-like' okay... So please do not lose touch with me because who will give me timely and trusted fashion advice when I am in dire need of it?


14. May you find your soul mate! Just because everyone, I believe, has a soul mate. Its just the matter of meeting/ finding/ discovering your other half!


15. This is a note of warning for everyone's health: Plastic Polystyrene or Polycarbonate bottles are not safe for health (Source: News Strait Times). One can identify these bottles by the '6' or '7' sign on the bottom of the bottles. Therefore, BUY TUPPERWARE!


16. Sometimes, he scares people. I remember how he made this poor junior cry just by looking at her. He glares at the salesgirls selling shampoo in supermarkets and I pray that you have a good luck charm if you meet him on his bad mood days. A friend used to say "OMG. Watch out, evil Jenabi is appearing. Run for your lives!" Still, there is a heart of Gold under that exterior. Just that people might be too intimidated to stay around much longer to discover that...sometimes.

Thus, one learns that one must never ever judge a book by its cover but sometimes, even the nicest books have a torn page or two withing its folds. That's the way the world works!


17. For someone who cherishes his home and family as much as he enjoys his donuts:

A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it.”

-George Moore

18. One birthday HUG for you!


19. Everyone thinks so highly of him. I wonder how it must feel like to him...overwhelmed? humbled? or just a very blessed feeling of being appreciated? Or might you want to say 'Please just stop and let me fulfill my own future in my own terms?' I can relate to that. So while it does get rather ...overwhelming... at times, I hope you have the wisdom to bear it with a grin, because all they want is the best for you. May you also have a clear mind and the strength to succeed and realize your goals in life!


20. He has utmost self-confidence. You are talking to a guy who goes around saying 'I'm so handsome' to everyone he meets. Or 'I'm sexy.' =___= A wish for you to never lose that unwavering harga diri! Proof of his tag line:




21. Finally, may you always be blessed with joy and happiness, coupled with laughter and cheer. May your future undertakings be smooth sailing and may you find the courage to persevere through hardships...Lastly, since your officially an adult, let me share with you the 'Seven Blunders' which, I hope, will provide a guide throughout life, for you:

Never be without-

Wealth without work,
Pleasure without conscience,
Knowledge without character,
Commerce without morality,
Science without humanity,
Worship without sacrifice,
Politics without principles.

-Gandhi


Happy Birthday.

Credits:
Pictures from
jenabi87.blogspot.com
Google Image Search