This post was meant for Monday but was put on hold due to the traffic update thingy.

Last Friday, we visited a friend, P, and celebrated her birthday ( I am not going to reveal her name neither will I post her picture here for privacy purposes and for those readers who knows who I'm talking about, please help to keep it private)

I have known her for almost 15 years. She is not just an ordinary girl. She's pretty, cheerful and has been bedridden for almost 20 years....No, she was not born that way.. in fact, she was a very healthy and active girl until she collapsed on her way to school one day and was in a coma. The family prayed so hard for her recovery and God answered their prayer....She has her life back, a restricted life but never a day will you hear her complaining or blaming God about her condition. In fact, she has been very diligent in saying her daily and night prayers and one can spot a whole stack of prayer books and rosary next to her bedside.

During our last visit, she shared with me about a movie that she watched. It's about a girl who was paralysed and was blaming God for her misfortune...and the girl's mother consoled her by asking her to think about what she has instead of what she don't have...Anyway, P concluded her story by telling me that despite her condition now, she's thankful to God that she can see the beauty of God's creation, she can hear the beautiful sound of nature and las tly, she can talk about the beauty of God's love for her....

How many of us can think that way? Honestly, I don't think I can!

I survived the ordeal!!!!!!!

I survived!! I survived!! *singing Celine Dion's song I'm alive, followed by drum beat*

I've made to realised that whatever obstacles in life can be overcame with a bit of change...For once, I decided to sleep early last night so that I can leave the house slightly early to avoid all the traffic jam....

My initial mission:
1) Play with Della from 8pm-10pm
2) Bathe and change to my baju tidur at 10.15pm
3) Read a bit of Archie comics until 10.30pm
4) Cuddle NN to sleep by 11.00pm
5) Alarm clock to wake me up at 6.45am
6) Leave the house at 7.00am

My Achievement:
1) Day nightdreaming from 8pm-8.30pm
2) Do a bit of cards from 8.30pm-9.00pm
3) Went out to pump petrol from 9.00pm-9.20pm (borak a bit with the plump pump attendant at Jalan Keretapi Shell)
4) Play with Della from 9.30pm-10.30pm
5) Day nightdreaming from 10.30pm-11.00pm
6) Bathe and change to my baju tidur at 11.15pm
7) Hit the sack and read Archie comics until 11.45pm
8) Alarm Clock went off at 6.45am but I did not get up until 7.00am
9) Left home at 7.15am
10) Reached office 7.50am

Not bad eh??? So proud........Oh, this post is not complete if I did not extend my thanks to the following persons for their concern (So like grammy awards like dat):
1) Redsponge - Thank you lah for concern tho I know u can easily fall into the option 3 of my proposed alternative...

2) Anonymous - U also can easily offer me Option 3.....I have u in my mind when I typed Option 3

3) Ayam Kicik - Ok lah, ok lah, u did offer me the jalan alternative lor...As a reward, I shall not berpantun for the next 2 days (Btw, I took a totally different route this morning and yes, I did passed thru some of the routes that u proposed....)

4) Malau - Thanks but no thanks for offering Option 4.......I have to spend money to belanja u pulak...

Of all Jam and Butter

Initially, I intend to write something very inspiring and a touching post but what happened this morning has dampen my mood in writing anything good....Anyway, guess how long it took me to reach the office this morning, using the same old route that normally guarantees my arrival in 15 mins???? 1 hr?? Guess again....not even close.....

IT TOOK ME 2.5 FUCKING HOURS!!! (disclaimer: Sorry folks, the F word just came out from my mouth before I realised that I have young readers in my blog)

I was stucked at flyover, basically on a stand still without moving a single millimetre for almost 2 hours....Called the Police Station but no reply!!! After 2 hours of torture and frustration, the traffic finally move but not for long when a car decided to call it a day after the ordeal and stopped itself in the middle of the road.....Thanks to some considerate mototists on the other lane who decided to be courteous for once and give way to us...

Why the jam, I wonder?? I heard about the road closure over at the city centre as rehearsals are ongoing for the merdeka parade but why is it affecting 3rd mile, which is at least 3 miles away from the city centre??? Anyway, the reason why the traffic is smooth flowing after 2 hours is because several traffic police teams were send to ease the traffic.

While stucked in the traffic....I envy several people who doesn't have to go through this ordeal with me, namely Pinkcotton who is on leave because it's her birthday.......A because he's flying off somewhere less congested, Junoesque, malau and many other people who doesn't live around the 3rd mile and works far away from the city centre....

Well, another hell tomorrow.....I have done a good thinking about 2 moro and this is what I might be doing:

either

1) I leave the house super early tomorrow to arrive at office super early (before they close the road at 5.30am). I'll come to office in my pajamas and NN (don't ask what is this) and continue sleeping until 8am; or

2) I don't go home at all tonight and check in to a hotel near my office....better still if it comes with complimentary breakfast and free laundry so that I can send my officewear for cleaning tonight and wear them again tomorrow; or

3) Somebody kind staying around my work place to offer me a free bed & breakfast.....Somebody's hostel just came into my mind...:-) or

4) Take a half day leave and sleep...Save money on petrol and my energy!

So, readers, which one should I opt??

No one is above suspicion

I'm suffering from writer's block today.....having a terrible headache too (probable cause the fried seaweed popiah) Instead of just keeping quiet until I have found inspiration, let me share with you this cute pix sent to me by somebody....So cute I'm turning it into my desktop pix as well as my msn pix



Cute dogs, aren't they??? I 'met' an ever nicer Custom Dept's dog in Melbourne International Airport the last time I was there....They were using a cocker spaniel to sniff and check your baggages for prohibited food.....Was told that you are not supposed to touch it or even coax it....

Only Professionals are wanted in Malaysia

Was reading the Star newspaper of today and this article has brought me to realise what kind of country Malaysia is.

Apparantely, the Government is urging Malaysians who have made a name for themselves elsewhere to come back and contribute to the nation. And I tell you, the Government is prepared to pay fortune in order to get them back....So, my question now is this, "What about the non-professionals?"

I'm sure we have lots of Malaysians in Singapore and other neighbouring countries who doesn't hold any high profile jobs. Why is there no appeal in inviting them home? Or perhaps they are not encouraged to come home merely because of their status???

By counter-offering them higher pays and incentives, will that improve our nation's economy??? I doubt...

Anyway, this is just my personal point of view. I have pasted the article here. Read on...

THE STAR 22 AUGUST 2006 Malaysia wants the Jimmy Choos to come home

KUALA LUMPUR: Come home – that is message the Government wants to send out to those who have ventured abroad and made names for themselves

internationally in designing, modelling, singing and acting.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Dr Fong Chan Onn said there were many such Malaysians.

“There are many with the experience in Broadway. We have Malaysians who are top models in New York and London. We have people with the experience in fashion designing,” he said.

He noted that these people were experts in their fields and that the country would benefit by having them back.

“We should attract them back because they bring a good name to Malaysia,” he said yesterday at the 11th Civil Service Conference.

Dr Fong said that under a programme to bring experts back to the country, the word “expert” had been defined a little too rigidly in the past to mean professionals and those with tertiary educational qualifications, like scientists, doctors, accountants and bankers.

“But we want to attract not only the scientists and medical experts. If we want to attract people like (internationally-acclaimed shoe designer Datuk) Jimmy Choo, how do we do it?” he added.

Hence the Government had decided to be more flexible and would try to attract these talented people to come back, he said.

“They are innovators, the benchmarkers. They are the ones who inspire others,” he noted.

Dr Fong said Malaysia had hoped to attract thousands of experts back to the country when it introduced the programme in 2001 but only 300 experts had came back so far, mostly those in medicine and financial services.

He said the poor response was due to the difference between salaries offered here and overseas.

“We can only offer incentives but the major change that we want to put in place is beyond us. The salary level is dependent on the employers,” he added.

Dr Fong also noted that a number of electronics firms that had relocated operations to China were slowly coming back to Malaysia because it had the infrastructure for best practices in the sector.

“We want this to be transmitted to all other sectors,” he said.

Announcement

I am pleased to announced the arrival of little baby Della who was delivered to me on 18 August 2006 at 4.30pm.....She weighs just merely over 2 kg and she is a a very healthy and pretty baby and I can never get enough of her from the moment I lay my eyes on her.......For your information, she is not delieverd to me on normal circumstance, thus, I have to actually order her and I paid a hefty sum of money just to have her and I can tell you, it's worth every penny and effort....Like any normal parent, the first night was such a tiring night.....I did not really sleep until the wee hours of the morning...getting to know her, preparing her place, panic at the tiniest blunder and so forth....

Anyway, these are the 2 photos that I took on her 1st day.....I'm sure u would all agree that she is a cutie and adorable

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...Thought I heard Junoesque scolding me OCHIPALA in the background??

Before u guys started to scold and curse me in my comment box, bear in mind that I never say Della is a human being lei.....Gotcha!

ok, back to work, people!!!

Cats and Dogs

Found this joke in today's Eastern Times and thot I should share with you all:

The top 10 differences between Cats & Dogs
10. Dogs come when you call them. Cats take a message and get back to you when they are good and ready
9. Dos will let you give them a bath without taking out a contract on your life.
8. Dogs will bark to wake you up if the house is on fire. Cats will quietly sneak out the back door. 7. Dogs will bring you your slippers or the evening newspaper. Cats might bring you a dead mouse.
6. Dogs will play frisbee with you all afternoon. Cats will take a three-hour nap.
5. Dogs will sit on the car next to you. Cats have to have their own private box or they will not go at all.
4. Dogs will greet you and lick your face when you come home from work. Cats will be mad that you went to work at all.
3. Dogs will sit, lie down and heel on command. Cats will smirk and walk away.
2. Dogs will tilt their heads and listen whenever you talk. Cats will yawn and close their eyes.
1. Dogs will give you unconditional love forever. Cats will make you pay for every mistakes you've made since the day you were born.

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A man takes his dog to the vet. "My dog is cross-eyed, is there anything you can do for him?" "Well", says the vet, "let's take a look at him." So he picks the dog up and examines his eyes, then checks his teeth. Finally, he says "I'm going to have to put him down." "What? Because he is cross-eyed?" The man asked of which the vet replied, "No, because he is really heavy."
-----------------------------------------

The Rain....ahhhhhhhhh

It came unexpectedly,

It's gentle touch, it's gentle sound,

ahhhhhhhhhhhhh

How I miss the smell of its pre-arrival

No word can describe how much I have longed for it to come

The Rain!

Finally, after endless nights of dry spell, hazy weather, Redsponge's frogs false alarm croaks, the rain is finally HERE!!! Be it natural rain or result of the cloud seeding, I don't give a damn, at least the rain is here, no matter how little.....at least it helps to clear the sky a bit...

I love Friday, and I love today!!!!

*I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain, la la la la la* (Redsponge & Pinkcotton are too young to know how to sing this song)

Series of Sad Stories

I was sad yesterday and even sadder today....

As some of you may have noticed, I have re-instated my blogging name to Papercrazy (where I was initially known) for reason only me know but can't share lor......So, if you noticed a Papercrazy posting comments in your blog, do not get excited about a new visitor, it's just merely me, the simple MNG...

Also, I have decided to shut down my other blog for good after it has been discovered by an unwanted guest...No, I'm not a criminal neither am I running away from one......:-)

Haze
I'm getting frustrated with the weather condition each day.......I can still bear the hot spell but haze??? Please note that it is our right as a citizen/human being to be given fresh air to breath and we have been deprived from all these.....The API reading as at last night was 115 and Kuching has been labelled as one of the unhealthiest area....

To make matter worst, no effort has been made in cancelling all outdoor activities.....Drive thru Padang Merdeka and Waterfront and u will know what I meant.....Construction of stages and platforms for the upcoming Merdeka Parade is underway and looking at how extensive the works, I doubt they are going to stop the parade.....As I am writing this blog, they are conducting the parade rehearsal at Petra Jaya.......

Last Saturday was the official opening of the Kuching Fest.....Is the authority aware that fireworks contributes to air pollution too??? For once, please do not blame our neighbouring countries on the haze issue, instead, please look at ourselves, our surroundings....sad to note but we are the biggest culprit ourselves!!! Despite the Gov't's directive to stop open burning, I still notice several houses doing that!!!

The weather too has caused people to illusionised......Imagine mistaken the sun and moon for MARS????

365 days ago

15 August 2005

It's the day we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption

(Mother Mary ascending to heaven body and soul)

It's the day I believed in reconciliation

It's the day I believed our life on earth is just temporary

It's the day that proof that God is always there with me

It's the day I've been granted a 2nd chance in life

15th August - It's a day I'll remember for the rest of my life

Read this blog for those who has just recently joined my blog's reading list. It is exactly 365 days ago when I was strucked with the biggest blow which changed my life drastically.

I don't read chinese so I don't know what was written. All I know is that 50% of the write-up is bull....To start, it stated that I was driving a Honda!

Only God knows how I live my days shortly after the accident and only my closest ones would know how much I suffer, both physically & mentally. Trauma? Yes, I got over it within 2 weeks, after a good long cry and lamentation (in private, of course! I'm a very proud person in nature yunno....;-). A friend found that I got over things too fast...Even the doctor that treated me thought so....But I believed in life goes on....thus, there!.....I started driving again 2 days later!

What have I learnt from this incident? I learnt to appreciate life more and I believed that nothing is permanent in this life, so, live life to the fullest.

We don't really get to live our lives normally until recently. My car was finally released free-of-defects in March after a much tug-of-war event between us and UMW. So, imagine, I've only managed to sleep peacefully and get on with my life after 8 months. But above all things, God has been very kind to me and I have never once blame or question God for all these...

Nevertheless, as a friend used to say, I'm in good hands! Indeed, I am!

Peace!

Dreams

I've always believed that whatever u do during the day will influence your dreams...

Have not been sleeping very well the last few nights (since Friday to be precised). A, being a 'dear' house husband during his leave, changed my 5-year-old contour pillow to a newly bought hotel-standard cotton fluffy pillow (and so proudly showed them to me when I returned from work on Friday)...The pillow is so huge for my little head that I basically slipped down everytime I lay my head on it...Anyway, I've no choice but to learn to get used to it cos he has chucked away my comfy saliva-stained pillow up in the cupboard beyond my reach.

Anyway, back to my initial post. I was just reading the comments in my blog from Yo on her dislike of dory and chips and a the same time, Pinkcotton and A were laughing talking about the spongebob cartoons. So, last night, I dreamt about having dinner with Yo and a few other friends including Anonymous and Laksamana Ayam Kecik (don't ask me who is this cos I m not going to reveal)...We ordered fish and chips and the chips tasted just like sponge...Since I like chips, I finished them but Yo gave them away to the next table comprises of several young chirpy girls (I'm sure it's Pinkcotton and Redsponge) and boy, were they happy!!!!!!!!!! LOL

That's all folks.




Oh, another thing.....I'm still frantically looking for a hairdresser. Have not been having a hair cut since...since....since 4 months ago??? However, I have scaled down my list of potential hairdresser to the following of which I would appreciate if you could give me a recommendation ( be it a new recommendation or an endorsement from the list below):
1) Rigi @ RH Plaza
2) Hair Do @Sarawak Plaza
3) Alan Inspiration @ Parkson (I don't really fancy a supermarket-chained-like saloons unless it is so good)
4) The-what-name- shop at Travillion

Of This and Of That

Helloooooooooooooooooo People!

I'm back in action...Thanks for waiting...Had a very fun and enjoyable trip to KL except for a few bad encounters.

OF AIR ASIA

Thumbs down for AirAsia....But then again, I must say the airline is really cool and it was indeed a no-frill flight except for an hour delay both going and coming back. Problem is not really with the airline but more of the passengers....Flew to KL on the new airbus (and was really comfy and smoth flying) but we returned using an old and haggard boeing 737 which seats that can be removed and nasi lemak that was over-re-heated (Thanks to Pinkcotton who kept on convincing us to try out the nasi lemak..yucks!)

Aside the service, we encountered several uncivilised, uneducated people who prefers to practise the law of the jungle....On our flight to KL, 2 ah lians doesn't understand the meaning of queuing..For them, Queue means Kill (which literally means they have to kill in order to board the plane)...these assholes just barged in as we began to move in line and to my dissapointment, the airasia crew still smiled at them and wished them a good journey!!!

Coming back lei.....Even worse...Queue for the check-ins were like snakes......U'll find people with trolleys at every nook and corner trying their way to cut queues....Standing there in line reminds me of the TV programme Supermarket Sweep....

Check-in done, bags labelled and thrown into the dustbin cargo conveyor done, boarding pass obtained, and off we go to the immigration checkpoint....Queue was not long but somehow or rather, people are just so used in cutting queues that I was cut by a stupid man (I shall not mentioned the race for fear of being labelled a racist) but it's definitely the most common race in KL...He just ignored me when I told him off and pretended nothing has happened. Again, what dissapoint me was the attitude of the officers....They should have stop him (for me, anyone who rushed through the immigration checkpoint has every reason to be questioned)

So, Junoesque - good luck on your forthcoming trip in December!!!

Ok, Ok, I shall not go further on the airline cos I have more interesting stories to share

OF KL

Changed a lot since the last time I was there which is just a year ago....Haze was so bad we couldn't even see the KL tower from our hotel room.


Within 1 day, we met 3 taxi drivers, the cuckoo, the senile and the devil....
LCCT-Hotel: The cuckoo - As we were lining up for taxi, I spotted a driver wearing a mickey mouse hat (with the ears and what not) and prayed silently I wud not get him.....A said my prayer was answered when the cuckoo came to our "rescue"...Throughout the journey he kept on asking us to call him for airport transfer blah blah blah....

KL Sentral-The Curve: The Senile - We boarded a cab and the driver (at least in his 70s)doesn't even know where the Curve is...Even after A explained to him, he was still blur blur until I cudn't stand it and asked him whether he knows or not, else we changed to other taxi (I know, I know, very mean of me, but hey, we are paying to be driven there, not the other way round). The moment I said that, he quickly started his car and still mumble mumble on how to get there....and A has to tell him the direction all the way there...and he nearly rammed into a Vios (phew.....)

KL Sentral-hotel: That was after we have been 'cheated' by the train.....waited for the 10.15pm train back and was then delayed to 11.15pm...we took the cab and finally, we experienced the real KL taxi driver....He drove like mad and we were home within 10mins........ahhhhhhh

OF FOOD AND FOOD

Warning: Pls do not drool on my website

For our 1st nite dinner, we went to Manhattan Fish Market... The food there was glorious and value for money.....They serves mostly seafood, not just any seafood, but fresh and juicy ones...A and I ordered the fried seafood platter consisted of prawns, mussels, calamari, fish fillet and rice....yummy...To some people, U might find the presentation slightly LC (serves in big pan with the handle and what not) but heck, we are here for the food!!

As usual, I made a point to visit my ever favourite eatery, Secret Recipe...Tried something different this time (Cordon Bleu) and as usual, it never dissapoint me.....The food was so good that we just don't have the heart to walked off when the waiter gave us the wrong bill (at least 50% cheaper than our actual price) Was he ever grateful when we told him....he covered his mouth, shaked his bum bum a bit and said in a very apologetic feminine voice "Oh..I'm so sorry!"...(Note: It's a He)

A's cheese macaroni

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Doesn't look good??
Wait till u see the inside

Shucks!! I'm hungry now and it's only 5.40pm

List of other eateries that I have tried/bought/went in and came out empty handed/went back over and over again during my stay:
1) Esquire Kitchen
2) Chopstick Noodles
3) The Chicken Rice Shop
4) Bread Talk
5) Japanese Sushi from Jusco
6) Bee Cheng Hiang
7) Baskin Robins
8) etc etc etc etc

Enuf saying....photos please...........


OF SHOPPING AND OF WHAT NOT

Sale quite dissapointed....Even then, I spent almost a month's salary (after deducting car installment and petrol) on clothes and food....To my suprise, I did not buy a single shoe this time round.

Oh, being a good catholic girl, I fulfilled my sunday obligation before going for a shopping spree...Went to St John's Cathedral early Sunday morning for mass at 10.30am...As usual, u'll get people selling all sorts of things along the entrance and beggars begging....Pinkcotton was amused but I've told her it was even merrier previosuly...U even get barbers doing business there!! Hmmm....funny site

To conclude - I enjoyed the food so much that's the only thing that I missed when I came back....

Chiak Hong

Last blog before I pack my bag/clean up my workstation again/withdraw $$ from the bank and go chiak hong/eat wind/makan angin/cherk fung/makai angin on my maiden no-frills airline

Cleaned up my workstation yesterday evening....but today it's back to square one....Can never have a tidy and well-organised workstation....Read somewhere that how your workstation look like can determine your characteristic....(like that, mine sure very not good wan)...wait till u see my bedroom too

This is how my cleaned-up table looked like:

Nice room eh?? Wait till u see the view from the window...even nicer

Don't you think this is a nice pendant? It's a opal dolphin bought from Australia...Apparantely, it claimed that the stone has some reflexology effects......Something to calm you.....(No wonder I am so calm today...to the extent of blur blur and promised somebody a live frog from KL)

My inner child got the best of me again (after the McD spree) and looked what I had for my afternoon snack yesterday:

I still prefer the 2-flower Mee with a picture of a boy and a girl looking at each other...what an advert eh??

Call me a hoarder or whatever but look what I've found while ransacking organising my bedside drawer.....

It was drawn by my one and only mei mei some years ago for reason only her herself knows....She even put my name and my year of birth underneath the pix....as if it's my tombstone....Why am I cat? I dunno. What happened to my front tooth?? I dunno too

Alrighty people, that's all for today.....See you again in a week's time...

Ciao

Mindless Post

Howdy People

Attended a One-day seminar on property tax yesterday at Hilton and I nearly fell off my chair from boredom...However, one of the speaker revived me from boredom with his funny pronounciation of words....He boasted that he is a graduate in Accountancy but nothing was mentioned about where he had his english lesson.....As usual, all 'sh' and "t" pronounciation were made silent but I was ok with that...What amused me most was how he constantly pronounced the word EXEMPT - Thot I heard him pronounced EPSON....Nvr mind...He might be promoting the Epson printer.

People, do u feel like doing charity but don't know where to start or who to look for?? Look no further, MNG is here to help you...

St Theresa Church in Serian is having their Annual Parish Fair from 29.09.2006 to 01.10.2006 and tickets are on sale at RM10.00 per booklet.....Am helping a priest friend to promote...Please let me know if you are interested in buying (Note: U all better make sure that u r interested, otherwise no more interesting blogs for you all to read liaw)

MNG's offer - Buy 1 booklet, free RM1 ticket.... This offer is only valid if u buy from MNG....

3 more days to go...KL Here I come...Might not be updating my blog lor unless I can find a net near where I stay, and also provided that I have the time to write.....My agenda has been drawn up and Boy, am I going to be a very busy bee