have a break

I love holidays even those that I have absolutely no plans for.

I welcomed the Hari Raya break with much gusto and anticipation although it was only a 'slightly' extended weekend of an additional day but nonetheless I was like a kid in a candy store or when I surprised my husband with the new Man U jersey. Beaming.

Today while most of us a back at work sans the usual traffic, I look forward for the next few days when the 'high' is still very much in me.

take 'n eat

This week has been really hectic with alot of running around whilst trying to skirt the pre-raya traffic. So much so that i have not cooked since last week due to the lack of fresh ingredients from my non-grocery outing last weekend. So yesterday being almost traffic free , my gf and I decided to stock up for the long weekend and have dinner at the same time.

Ok so let me digress a little. For me and many claustrophobic individuals, going to a shopping mall prior to a festive celebration is just wrong. Imagine the legions of people doing their last minute shopping (a well-known characteristic of Malaysians); those celebrating will be stocking up on canned drinks and cookies as well as fresh produce while those not celebrating will be buying gifts for those celebrating and of course stocking up for the holidays. Therefore, the malls WILL BE CROWDED.

Now back to the main story. We ended up at Ikano for 2 very simple reasons; 1stly coz it was close to where both of us work and 2ndly it is the least crowded mall in the vicinity.

This time having to decide where to eat was quite a non-event for us. We wanted to have a quick meal coz it was getting late and also coz a few minutes later could mean no tables as it was dinner time and for the Muslims, time for them to break their fast. So where can we literally take n' eat? Sushi King lor.

It has been a while since I have had Sushi King. The last time was probably a year ago but we made a good choice dining there as it was cheap and taste wise, not bad. Then again my expectations were not high and did not have anything that involved fish so ...

I had the potato salad sushi (RM3), californian roll (RM4), egg mayo sushi (RM2), edamame beans (RM4) and miso soup (RM4). See what I mean when I said there were no fish involved. My gf had the fried bento set that came with the usual plus a yakult which was a nice gesture.

All in all it went well and am quite glad to have gone back to the road less travelled.

balik kerja

It is Thursday and I can't wait for the weekend to start as it is an extended one due to the Raya holidays but at the sight of my desk, the situation does not permit me to 'lepak' yet; may even have to take some work home. Oh by the way, if you were wondering whose pair of lips are those, they belong to a model for an ad. And yes, I do leave my wallet exposed like that...

THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY, soon.

benetton ad

Remember these old Benetton ads...

This is my version :

Cool isn't it...

snack time

In the midst of getting reports done and the menial but time consuming filling, we were all relieved to be treated to some goodies today.

We had LAYS which was kindly sponsored by our colleague and ice cream potong (CENDOL) courtesy of our supplier -- long story.

Anyway, it was a great way to rejuvenate and recharge for the next few hours before we pack up and leave. Hopefully some kind soul you do the same tomorrow but then again anticipation is never fun; surprise is.

believe it or not

Not long ago, my husband and I headed to Ipoh for a gathering at his grandparents house. There were more than 50 of us from all parts of the world including Germany, France and Sri Lanka. I met many of my extended family and was enamoured by how close they all are.

Since his uncle occupied the house next to his grandparents, they had a total of 8 rooms of which were made available but my husband and I opted to put up at a hotel to made way for other families. His grandparent's house also came with a garage that now houses a cendol man. This is where he stays and where he makes his cendol to sell. Oh and yes, this is where he stores his cendol cart as well.

Now the beauty of this set-up is that he sells the cendol right outside of the house which is a skip and a hop away from well, where he lives.

He has been living in the house for many years now and have become somewhat a part of the house--like an extension.

So every now and then, when the craving kicks in for cendol, we don't need to travel too far for a real, HOME MADE treat.

priceless

Rushing from the office to an appointment in the late afternoon yesterday was quite a struggle with the traffic building up and the sudden rain. Where I was headed to was not necessary the easiest place to park (strangely they don't allow visitors to park in the building-- go figure) but managed to get a spot at the open car park adjacent to the building.

I, for all those who know me, find inconvenience (aka using the umbrella) inconvenient. Hence I was debating whether to get wet or use the cumbersome rain shield. I gave in to the latter as it was raining harder by the second.

As I had to juggle between holding on to the gi-normous golf umbrella (courtesy of YTL) whilst rummaging my bag to pay for parking, I saw a pretty decent looking guy dashing out of his car to pay for his parking sans an umbrella.

Ok, lets pause for a moment-- what would a NICE, DECENT, WELL-BROUGHT UP INDIVIDUAL do in a similar scenario ... let's read on to find out.

As soon as I paid my parking and pretended to meddle with my phone, I offered the guy to share the umbrella if he was headed the same direction. The look on his face was PRICELESS. He was somewhat shy and a little apprehensive like he didn't know how to respond. When he finally came to his senses he jumped at the chance and before long we were sharing the umbrella.

What started off with a strange vibe was immediately broken by the customary questions about where we were going, blah, blah... midway, he decided to take over the reins and hold the umbrella instead... hey who said chivalry was DEAD!

Soon after we arrived at our destination and parted ways. I was happy to have done this very small deed to someone in need and I suppose he was sincere with his words of gratitude.

Moral of the story :

1) Small deeds make the world a much better place

His facial expression just said it all... People are just not friendly or helpful anymore. We have become selfish and totally ignorant. Sad reality.

2) Rihana's UMBRELLA rocks!!!

Pay it forward.