Reads ...

Purchased these books a month ago and I have yet to finish any one of it. Am currently on Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert but reading got stalled due to the immense workload from the new job. Hence, by the end of the day, I am left severely drained and exhausted. The only thing that I look forward every week is for the weekend to arrive so that I can recuperate and get some sleep. However, on the brighter side of things, I managed to hit my first month's target and $$$ will be coming in by end of the month. Whoopee doo!! 

Anyways, am vowed to finish these two soon (hopefully!!!). All I can say about my new job is that it's full of drama, stress and drama .. *lol* .. I hate dramas but wth, I just try to do my own thing and ignore the rest. Can't wait for November to arrive because I have to undergo another dreadful product training for the whole of next week. Argghhhh!!! Dreading the fact that I have to be cooped up in the office studying and going through exams and validations the whole damn week!! 

Oh! I managed to watch Eat Pray Love, the movie on Sunday. Finally!! I love it .. How I wish I could spend a whole year travelling without having to worry financially. Oh well! That's what movies are made for - imagination!!

X

Why Men Don't Have a Clue & Women Always Need More Shoes ...

I must say, this book by Barbara and Allan Pease (also author of Why Men Want Sex & Women Want Love) is a such bore !! Why Men Don't Have A Clue & Women Always Need More Shoes (Totally agree on this!! We DO need more shoes *evil smile*) is more on understanding the behavior of the opposite sex. Boring!!! Actually, I was speed reading (in other words, flipping) through the whole book.

Anyways, the few points I'd like to share from the book : -

(Quotes from the book)

• The more the nagger nags, the more isolated she becomes.  <---- Never become like your parents !!!

- The only real outcome from nagging is the destruction of the relationship between the nagger and the victim.

• The only way to live a life of complete freedom is to live alone on a desert island where there are no rules. Being in a relationship is like getting a driver's license. If you want to be a motorist, you must learn the road rules and follow them - otherwise you'll always be a pedestrian. A relationship is simply a negotiation with rules -- If your want love, friendship, sex and a person who will nurture you, you must offer something in return!!! You can't have your cake and eat it too. What women expect in return is love, devotion and loyalty. The last thing on their minds is taking away a man's freedom!!! 

Last but not least, a joke ... ^.^

"It's good to be a man because you don't have to leave the room to adjust your private parts."

Are you living your Dream? Or just living your life? ...

Borrowed this from W .. The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson. A compelling modern-day parable about the story of Ordinary, Dream Giver, Land of Familiar, Nobodies, Comfort Zone, Border Bullies, WasteLand, Sanctuary, Champion Buddy, Giants and Land of Promise.

Basically, it's all about the journey one goes through to pursue the big dream. Whether you stay in the course or not, it all depends on you. Learning to overcome fears and comfort zone, having courage and learning to have faith. Truly enlightening and inspiring.

*** I quote from the book, Ordinary Meets Bullies in the BorderLand : -

Ordinary was speechless and bewildered. He'd heard a rumour about Border Bullies. But he supposed that it were true, Bullies would be Nobodies he didn't know. He never imagined they'd be sme of the Nobodies who knew him best (his Mother, Uncle and Best Friend).

In his journal he wrote that night, "I met Bullies at the BorderLand - they were Nobodies I knew! When I left Familiar, it upset the Comfort Zone of those close to me. They felt like they were losing something important. Eventhough my Bullies tried to stop me, some of their concerns will help me. I couldn't sway all my Bullies. In the end, I had to decide who I would please. I chose to please the Dream Giver."

The 'Dream Giver' in this case is actually your dreams. It dawned upon me that it is very true because whenever you do something out of the ordinary, many will comment and criticize (Border Bullies). They try to change your minds by feeding you negativity. Only few will support your decision and these are called 'Champion Buddies' (according to the book).  And you would be surprise that the 'Border Bullies' are those close to you, parents, relatives, best friend.. So whether you continue to pursue your dreams, it all relies deeply on your courage, faith and wisdom. 

Never ever let anyone step in the way of achieving your dreams!!!

This is by far, one of my most inspiring reads!!

Interesting read ...

Some of my favourite quotes from this book:-

"Love is only the dirty trick played on us to achieve the continuation of the species." 

(W. Somerset Maugham)

"God gave men a penis and a brain but only enough blood to run one at a time."

(Robin Williams)

"You have two choices in life: You can stay single and be miserable or get married and wish you were dead." 

(Bob Hope)

Interesting BUT true facts to share:-

• It's rare that a man will leave a relationship simply because he's unhappy. He will stay in a relationship simply because he hasn't got a better offer. One night stands can turn into romantic love or long term attachment if he decides that the new woman is worth the agony of leaving his current relationship.

• Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that affects pleasure and motivation and is often called the "happiness hormone".

• Brain scans show how being "madly in love" activates the same areas in the brain as addiction to cocaine.

• Women is to enjoy the fun ride he's offering but don't always believe his stories. (SO TRUE!!!)

• Men don't think about relationships. Men just want to be fed, loved, played with, or left alone.

• Men rated women's need for commitment from them as highly undesirable in a casual partner but rated it as very important in a long-term or marriage partner. Even a casual mate who was married rated higher than a single one because the married woman was less likely to want a commitment from him. (Sad fact!!)

• Regardless of culture, having an unattractive partner decreases a man's social status BUT the opposite situation has little to no impact on a woman's status. (Now you know why when you come across an attractive female with a chubby, fat/ugly partner *winks*) 

• Men see sex as sex, whereas women see sex as an expression of love.

• Common Myths about Cheating: Myth No. 5 - You'll get it right second time around.

• Every relationship you have is a learning exercise and a stepping-stone to the ideal partner for you.

• Couples who last have the same or similar core values and beliefs.

• You will need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince or princess. 

I must admit, it dawned upon me that 'men' can be so void of emotions at times unlike women. Whatever it is, enjoying life to the fullest is the biggest compensation of all .. be it you have or don't have a life companion. 


Joke of the day, " A three-year-old was examining his testicles while taking a bath. 'Mom,' he asked, 'are these my brains?' She replied, 'Not yet,'."  ... *lmao*


Enlightening, don't you think?..Ok! Back to my reading ... 


>.<

If you could see me now ...

One of my recent reads, Cecilia Ahern's If You Could See Me Now (author of PS, I Love You), is about a girl with a bad history in life - mum left her when she was 12, disengaged dad, wacko sister, and being a reluctant mother to her sister's young son. She meets someone (who is not in this world, not a ghost but a fairy of some sort - invisible friend) who helps her change her perception in life and whom she fell in love with. Touching story with a liberal sprinkling of magic. A good read, I reckon!

I guess in 'real' life, sometimes we wish that things are like the tales we read but sad to say, it never is. In the real life, things are far more complicated though at times, it can be simple if we wish to. But being humans, simple is always never enough. Cruel reality!!!

^ Pratha Sunday ..

Waking up on a Sunday morning with period cramps isn't the best thing one looks forward to. After popping two doses of painkiller followed by a good rest, and a hot bath, I felt much better by tea time. Nothing can deter me from making my 'roti pratha' and red curry chicken *grins* . Yeap!! So, it's Indian for dinner..woot~

Btw, the curry was Thai-inspired though because I've been dying to try out the red curry paste, which I previously purchased in Bangkok. Ooo...the paste is just authentic.. Smoking hot!! I love it!! Will definitely be a "must-get" on my next Bangkok trip!! Both me and frennies were sniffing throughout dinner. (Trust me! Really hot!!)

* Red curry chicken *

The 'roti' was actually a ready made pack bought from the supermarket. Quite easy to handle, out from the freezer and into a pre-heated pan for 1 or 2 mins till its nicely done and crispy on the sides. Voila!!

* Roti pratha *

After dinner, Mr. Cramps hit me again (*Why do women have to bear all the pain????@#$%%*). So, I decided to curl up on my bed and finish my recent self-improvement reads, B2B Means Back to Basics by Bill Quain. Pretty insightful, I reckon! No long-winded, boring, granny-ish theories. Pretty direct and straight to the point. I even manage to get a few ideas for my up-coming 'Project'.

* Snitched from my bro's bookshelf ..lolz *

P/S: - Am watching Alice in Wonderland in 3D tomorrow afternoon.. Whoopeee dooo!! *jumps with joy*

Care for a Bobalicious?

I came across this delectable smoothie kiosk, Bobalicious Smoothies (1st Floor, Tropicana City Mall) on my way to catch the movie - Percy Jackson, The Lightening Thief (modernized version movie based on ancient Greek mythology) at GSC cinema. Since we had time on hand, we decided to give it a try.

* CNY Special *

As we were queueing up, I noticed a promotional sign indicating a collaboration with GSC. GSC movie tickets holders are entitled to purchase either a smoothie at a promotional price of RM6 or 2 for RM 10. Not bad, ey? The original price was RM 7 or 8 for a standard flavour Bobalicious. Initial choice was to try out the Tiger special but it was not applicable for the current promotion (Promotion period til 18th March if not mistaken). Hence, I had the Soursop de Guava while ex-coll, Mr J, had Mango Passionfruit.

* Mango Passionfruit *

* Soursop de Guava *

A healthy indulgence, I reckon! You can have the choice of low fat milk or fresh milk, with/ without cream, boba (black pearls) or Nate de Coco. Basically, it's like the ever popular Taiwanese black pearl tea in smoothie form. Thumbs up!!

Btw, managed to grab some books from Borders - Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman and Julie & Julia by Julie Powell (can't wait to watch the movie).

* Buy 1 get 2nd book at 50%*

Made some pasta for dinner - Black Pepper Spaghetti. Stayed in for the night to catch up on my reading. So, that's how I spent my 1st official day of freedom..Whoopee doo!! Feeling - ecstatic and undeniably relaxed. Am kissing goodbye to the daunting tasks of reporting, sales targets, pigeon-brained managements and whacko dr's. Yippeee.... *does the jiggle*..

Pan mee @ changkat

* The place *

My housemate has been telling me numerous times about this "pan-mee" (egg noodles) that is super smooth at Changkat. So being a "pan mee" fanatic, I decided to meet up with my hometown frennie's for lunch since I was working around that area on Tuesday. Basically, it's located right behind HSBC bank at Jalan Beremi.

Hmm...my first disappointment was, the traditional type of "pan mee" whereby, which comprises of small pieces of dough, was not available. Fact is that I noticed that it is not entirely common here in KL. They prefer to serve the machine rolled thick/thin noodle type of "pan mee" here. Secondly, the broth/ soup-base was utterly bland. Thirdly and most importantly for a chilli-addict, the belacan served was not as hot as it seems. No doubt the texture of the noodles were super smooth but it was definitely a let-down. My vote still strongly goes to the "pan mee" shop, Restaurant Tai Siew in Kuchai Lama. My all-time-favourite "pan mee" place.

* The soup-based thick noodle "pan mee" *

* The dry thin-noodles "pan mee" *

* Pork-balls - additional costs incurred *

Despite some disappointments in the food department, I was pretty delighted with my purchase at the thrift shop next door. I bought 4 books for RM20 only, 2nd hand books. And the icing on the top was that all the proceedings goes to charity. Well, well!! I get my reads and I get to do some good deeds. Not bad at all!! A double whammy, I reckon!

* The KLBC thrift shop *

* 2nd- handed books: 4 for RM20 - cheap, huh? *

* My recent purchases from Borders *

* Hommie's books *

Nothing better than curling up on the couch or your bed, having a good read!! That's what I like best.. Perfect way to chill!! Can barely wait for my breakie, then I can do this full time!!!

Lethargic & Lazy!

Grrrr...Hate the constant coughing and itchiness of my throat...and all the medications, cough mixture especially are making me lethargic the whole day and draining me of my energy. Don't feel like doing anything at all, except lying on my bed listening to Lenka and Secondhand Serenade playing from my iTunes. I've finished all the medications given by Doc previously, helped a tad bit only.

Went back home yesterday and stayed a night. Couz K flew back to Perth last night. Felt a bit nostalgic about my childhood times in the midst of chatting with mum. The whole gang of cousinz running around creating chaos in Nee Yan Garden. Fun times, i would say! I missed dearly the old times, back when the grandma's were always shouting and chasing us with 'rotans' when we were kids. Now that everyone has grown up and are based all over the continent, it gets a bit lonely sometimes when i'm at home. Can't wait for everyone to be back..*sigh*..That's life i guess!

Had a second round of birds nest this morning. Totally didn't feel like coming back to KL at all if it weren't for my expenses claims which was due this week. Last night, mum forced me to consume some chinese herbal medications as usual. Yes! Mum is a strong and avid believer in chinese medicine. Since young, i've been trained to consume various types of herbal medicines mainly because i was quite weak and fell sick quite often then. The worst one i've had so far would be the sea-horse boiled with other herbal stuffs. *Blurgghhhhh*...both the taste and smell of it is beyond horrible. I still remember my mum forcing me to chug down the whole bowl of horror and the next second i puked everything out. Aww..man! It was awful!!! Funny experience though.

As usual, i will bring back loads of stuff from home each time i go back. Papa bought some dishes for me to reheat. Was nagged by Mum for buying all my favorite dishes, which is everything spicy and hot. *LOL* That's my dad! Mum was nagging ' Why are you still buying all this heaty food..bla!bla!bla! She's coughing badly and you still buy curry chicken?? Nag!Nag!Nag!" Thanks papa! Enjoyed the stuff you bought.... =)

Brought back these as well (was actually forced to by Mum =P):-

* Funny labels on the herbal pills *

* Vinegar (for detox) *

* Check out the directions *

Thought i'll throw in pic of my dinner (cooked the soup; the 2 dishes was brought back from home-courtesy of my dad):-

After watching Gossip Girl on TV later, I am determined to dig in to this book (my fellow hommie's) and finish chapter 1 tonight. Hopefully i won't fall asleep half-way through.. *fingers crossed* ..Haha!!!

* How to Stop Worrying and Start Living - Dale Carnegie *

I am an avid reader, particularly novels, magazines, but philosophical books like this tends to make me sleepy. Boo!! However, in attempt to improve my perception in life and broaden my views, i must finish chapter 1 tonight before i go to sleep. Must do it!! Off to watch Gossip Girl now..starting any minute now..Yeehaa!!