Turning 23 (Part 1)

Today at around 6.30pm, I turned 23 years old. To me, this can be considered a milestone in my life. You may ask, why the odd number and not 25? Well, 25 is of coz a bigger milestone, but I will treat this as a milestone for a few reasons. Firstly, I am no longer a student, after 20 (?) years of studying, I am now in the first 6 months of working life. At the same time, this is my first birthday away from home and on 'my own' in a sense. I have closed one major chapter of my life and am moving on to a new one. Therefore, it's pretty true to set my 23rd birthday as a significant point in my life.

So I shall take this opportunity to look forward to the next big milestone in my life - turning 25 years old. Wow, that's a quarter of a century! That's a big number, especially for those of us who still remember just turning 18 not too long ago. Lol. Yeah, I guess it is a big number. Anyway, instead of worrying about getting old, I shall take it as a measuring stick for achieving my goals. What do I mean by this? When I turned 21, I was upset with myself for not being who I thought I would be by that age. I used to think that by the age of 21, I would be someone self-assured, accomplished and capable (those from Swinburne, think someone who carries herself like Corina). So I was gloomy for that birthday till someone pointed out that it was unrealistic to measure myself like that. I should just measure myself against what I have accomplished over the years. My consolation now is that by the age of 22 and 3/4 years old, I have more or less become what I wanted to be by 21 years old. So it's only a delay of 1 and 3/4 years, ahah!

Anyway, I shall now set some more measurable goals for myself to achieve or things I want to do by the age of 25. Even though it's good to have goals, I think it's better to set a specific period or date for them since it gives me more motivation to work harder. I estimate that 2 years should be enough time for these. If I can't accomplish all by then, at least I'd have tried my best. That's what's important. I guess I may have been inspired from watching Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" on "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams". Though some of these goals might seem easy, they're still goals that some of us may keep putting off and never get around to doing.

Goals to achieve by the age of 25 (in no particular order):
- Promoted to 2 grades higher at work
- Check out the view from the Skybridge of KLCC
- Visit Bangkok/Phuket/Taipei/Bali/Kota Kinabalu/Pulau Tioman
- Visit all states of Malaysia (for work or play)
- Try an 'extreme' sport of some sort: parasailing, rock climbing, bungee jumping, skydiving
- Lose enough weight and exercise to become more fit/healthy
- Upgrade to a better camera (mayb semi-pro!) with more skills gained

Other long-term goals include:
- Take MBA
- Visit the other Disneylands in the world (except Disneyland in California)
- Visit Japan/Hong Kong/Australia/Florida

As you can see, some of the goals do overlap each other. And of coz, when I think of more, I'll add them to the list. Then in the next post, I'll look back on the highlights and significant points of my 23 years on Earth, and how I spent this birthday. But first, thank you to everyone who remembered my birthday and wished me a happy birthday. I felt touched with everyone's msgs, comments, posts etc. Even if some ppl were 'reminded' by certain things. Lol. Thanks anyway :) *hugz n kisses*

CNY 2008

And once again, I am updating about something that happened so many months ago. What can I say, I really tend to put things off a lot. Even in work. >.< must change this bad habit of mine, coz it makes me delay things till the last minute and then I'd have to rush, and yea, makes me late quite frequently. But i know a lot of ppl are like tat, yet this doesn't make it ok.

Anyway, back to the update on hand. This year's CNY marked the first time that I am going home for CNY. Every year, I'm already at home to celebrate it, or maybe going away some place to get away from it (against my will mostly). But this time, I have become one of the many ppl working outside of their hometown and have to take leave to go back home. Kinda strange feeling to me. Thing is, I'd only been working for about 1 mth (1 mth on 1st day of CNY to be exact), so technically I was only allowed to take 1 day's leave. So that's y I took that one day on CNY eve itself and flew back to Kch that morning. Among all of us who are working out of Kch, I was the last to arrive back. Burger was back the earliest by a few days (lucky guy!) followed by the Capt who reached just a few hours before me.

The very 1st thing i wanted to do was hunt down a bowl of yummy Sarawak LAKSA! Sadly, since it was CNY eve, they were all closed :( So i settled for my fave dumplings from Jade Pot instead. The twist was, Jade Pot was also closed for CNY, but my parents went there the day b4 and bought the uncooked ones n learned how to cook/heat them up. Not quite the same, but hey, beggars can't be choosers la, esp since I haven't had them since I left for KL. Having recharged my 'battery' (or satisfied 1 of my cravings), it was off to Eric Hair Salon! Lol i always joke about having my own hair stylist and I guess it's kinda true since I only get my hair done by Eric, who's my cousin on my dad's side. Affordable, yet with quality and friendliness :) And surprise surprise, the Captain was also getting his hair done, being the vainpot that he is. DIdn't get to talk much since we were seated on opposite sides of the salon but we did try to arrange for one of our much-missed MAHJONG sessions for the next few days. As for my hair, I just got a relaxing wash and trim, plus they set it in curls for me. *blissfully pampered*

There were just a few hours left till the family reunion dinner, so I just lazed around watching tv, sneaking some CNY tidbits and playing with the fat cat. Of coz I did try to help out, but there wasn't much I could do as well. It was kind of strange though, though I was back for CNY, my grandma and auntie had gone to spend it in KL -_-|| but she did prepare her infamous dark-sauced duck (infamous not for the taste, but for the events related), ngo hiang (meat rolls in beancurd skin), ingredients for the soup and more. The thing about the women on my mum's side, they tend to prepare food in large amounts. They're always worried about us getting hungry, hence the reason y I became chubbier once i stopped all-day school. My Uncle Jeffrey and cousin were there to help finish the food, but there were still many leftovers, which we would try to finish over the next few days. After dinner, we just sat around, catching up and playing blackjack. For once, I joined in the betting, but only RM1 per bet, which was the lowest among the rest. Hehe and I ended up winning the most, about RM20. But it was just for CNY, so yea, no long-term betting for me! My brother then took off for his REAL gambling session while I watched more TV, which wasn't much in terms of CNY entertainment this year :P till it was time for the great CNY countdown! It's pretty much tradition that all of us are back home for it, so my brother rushed back with my uncle for it. And every year my mum just tries to sleep through it -_-||

As most Kuchingites might know, though we have a firecracker/fireworks ban in Malaysia, it doesn't really seem to affect us for festive seasons. However, from what I hear, they've been harder to find this year. Of course, being ever resourceful, my family managed to source some out and though I enjoy them, I always have to comment 'WHy buy so much? You're just burning money!' But everyone else in the neighbourhood was probably as kiasu, if not more. Well, just the regular families anyway. The number of ppl doing the CNY countdown has gone down over the years. Anyway, it was still pretty much the same - loud, smoky and somewhat dangerous. You never know when a cracker will explode and send things flying over to the next house/neighbour or an empty firework shell might land in your roof gutter and keep burning and so on. This year, the alpha males of my family had finally bought some BIG fireworks, the ones that are packed like individual 'grenades' and produce only 1 big 'flower'. Each 'grenade' has to be loaded into a metal launcher with the fuse trailing out and it will then shoot up into the sky to explode. Of course, there's always the risk of it getting stuck in the launcher and blasting it to smithereens and so forth. *shrugs*

The first attempt is always the riskiest, since we all weren't very sure of the success rate. Usually 1 of them will light it and then run back to where we're all standing, quite a distance away. We watched the lighted fuse disappear into the launcher with bated breath. *POOOOFF* The grenade launched itself up and out and exploded barely over the roofs of the houses in our road. Resulting in all of us ducking and swearing simultaneously, as bits of the packaging and whatnot came raining down on us. -_-|| Our conclusion was that our area was a bit too low to get the full effect of the firework. Since I was attempting to photograph the fireworks, I resorted to crouching between a neighbour's car and his dustbin, to avoid getting hit by any exploding bits and to get the full 'flower'. This worked out pretty ok, but it was still pretty awkward. Lol. After the end of countdown, we were all smelling of smoke, slightly dusty from gunpowder and coughing slightly as usual. But yea, i wouldn't want to miss this part of CNY :) My brother of coz went back to his friends' place and I was back online and watching tv. Oh, and comforting the poor fatty who was frightened by all the noise and cowered in the corner for once. I think he actually went up to join my mum, being the manja cat he is.

The best shot I could come up with

Anyway, on the 1st day of CNY as usual, we started the visiting by visiting the houses of both sides' grandparents. At my dad's parents' house, I got to meet my new 'nephew'. My oldest cousin on that side of the family had given birth to Zyan a few months ago, and this was our first time seeing him in person. He was chubby, cute and big-eyed, awww. He reminded me of my brother when he was young, since he was kind of big for his age and fair too, with a little cheeky grin. Haha. After that, we went to a few relatives' houses, friends of my parents and so forth. Oh, and at one of my dad's friends' place, I got to have my laksa!! Yea, imagine, they serve laksa at their open house, which they made themselves. It was pretty good too, since their father used to set up a coffeeshop. YUM :)

CNY Family Photo 2008

My mum with Zyan in matching outfits

Later that afternoon, I went with Captain and August to go visit Dr. Dennis at his parents' house. We talked about our jobs, what we'd done so far and etc. And I got mistaken by his grandma as their relative -_-||. Since it was a hot day, we went to McD's for ice-cream then back to my house for MAHJONG! As there were only 3 of us, my dad joined in as the 4th person. Kinda strange for me since I've never played with my dad and he also doesn't play by the rules that we follow or know the combos that we do. A lot of adjusting on all our parts, especially for those of us who like to set up big combos. All thru the day, Captain and I were bickering/bantering/discussing (as usual!) and August just shook his head since he's used to it, Dr. Dennis was bemused and i think my dad was probably thinking "hmm..wat's wrong with the 2 of them"

After dinner and more visiting, we had our OFFICIAL mahjong session, this time complete with playing for money. My dad had decided since the 3 of us were now working, we could afford to play with money, which we'd never done. So he explained the rules and said we probably won't lose more than RM50 at most. To which we all exchanged looks that said 'HA? RM50 ar?!' but since he said though we might lose a round, we still can win some money, we were like ok, just try. As the most 'kiamsiap' person at the table (probably coz i'm the only girl), I was the most worried but strangely, I ended up leading for the first few rounds. Till I made this comment "Hey, I haven't had to pay you yet" to the Captain and almost immediately, I had to. -_-|| So the superstition they say about this type of comments IS true. Anyway, after 1 full round of the 4 winds, the end result was the Captain and I winning most of the money with my dad and August losing about RM10 plus each. So yea, had some luck at gambling this year, which is mayb due to me being the only girl.

My family usually has 'open house' on the 2nd day of CNY but on a small-scale, as in no dishes like curries or what served, just cookies, tidbits and so on. There wasn't exactly a rush of ppl unlike my younger years but still quite a steady flow. In between I was of course online, refilling containers, preparing drinks and the usual. Later that afternoon, I went to visit Dr. Chua with CY and we had a good time talking about Swinburne and our jobs. His little boy Eason was so cute, helping to serve us food. And after serving us, he'd quickly cover the containers like he didn't want us to eat anymore. His mum asked him to give us one of everything, so yea a lot of eating. But sometimes he'd only serve CY instead of both of us, so it was funny. We joked to Dr. Chua, now you know what type of girl he'll go for huh? LOL.

Then, that night was MY open house as per the previous years. Most of my Swinburne friends from the E&CS ppl who were in Kch, Serena n the debaters turned up at different times. So we had mahjong, lots of catching up and gossip, just like what we used to do. Really missed it, though I'd been away for just one month. The Mecha gang of Yi Chan, Thong Wei, Stephen all turned up on the 3rd day and of course, more updates on jobs/training, gossip/reminiscing about the good old days when some of us fell down, got into love triangles and so on. Lol. CY and KC came over that night too and talked about the E&CS gang, who would be the first to get married etc etc. The usual. My summary was that everytime when u meet with ur friends that you might not have seen for awhile, the topics tend to change over the years. When you're in high school, you complain about studies, tuition, guys etc. When in uni, you still complain about studies, guys and lack of time/lousy lecturers/crazy assignment deadlines. Then once you leave uni, you talk/complain about work, supervisors, salaries, number of days for leave and so on. Basically, it just makes u feel old n you'll miss the previous stage of your life. But yea, I really enjoyed catching up with everyone.

The 1 thing that maybe annoyed/bemused me during the whole trip was that I kept having to update everyone about my job. Some ppl who totally didn't know would ask if I was still in high sch/uni and those who knew would ask about Sony. Basically I had to explain about the situation or about what I did at Philips many many times. My parents did summarize for them but when they ask in detail, that's me. Sometimes i just wished I had a big card in front that said it all, or a voice recorder, but ah well that's life. And it just means they care about what's going on with you, though they'll probably forget it and ask again next year.

My trip back came to an end all too soon for me and I was really down at the airport. My parents were there and yea, I was kinda distracted with the lighting. But once I got through the IC check and was by myself, it really hit me that I was leaving Kuching again. Leaving my family, friends and all that was familiar, and going back to 'cold', busy and dusty KL. I admit to shedding a few tears but managed to pull myself together. After all, I made the choice myself and it's for my own good. I'm strong enough to accept this new challenge, I must stick with it so I can gain more for the future! Yep, that's what I told myself, but I of course still missed everyone :P Before coming back to Kch, I made lots of plans to meet everyone, to do lots of things (eat laksa, dumplings, go to Spring, play mahjong). I'm glad to say, I managed to do everything and spent quality (not quantity, sadly) with everyone dear to me. Basically, the trip was all I'd hoped for and more. THanks to everyone who played a part. I miss u guys...and I miss those that I didn't get to see (away for holidays or overseas). Till the next time! *hugz*

Leo Ku Magic Moments Concert 2007

I know that this is a very late post, but u know how I am, procrastinator supreme and all that. Better late than never right? Anyway, I was in KL in December, around Christmas since I had a few job interviews before and after Christmas. It just happened that Leo Ku (古巨基) was in KL for his Magic Moments Concert on the 23rd of December. I'm not really a big fan of his, since I rarely listen to Cantonese songs, but I do like a few of them, especially his 'Golden Melody' (勁歌.金曲) song, since it's a compilation of many nice K-songs. Maxis was one of the major sponsors of the concert and since my uncle works there, he'd gotten 2 free tickets and asked if I wanted them.

Since I had nothing better to do, and I've never actually been to a BIG concert, I thought ok, don't waste the free tickets. Yi Chan, Chiet them were all in KL and I msged them to ask if anyone wanted the extra ticket, but apparently no1 did, so I just went alone. My relatives dropped me off at Stadium Merdeka after church and dinner and I was kinda apprehensive since I'm new to the whole thing but it was fairly easy as it was already close to the starting time. I got my bottle of water confiscated at the entrance but other than that, it was pretty easy to find my seat. Did i mention what seats they were? No? Get ready for this, they were VVIP seats! The very FIRST row and CENTER, baby! Talk about a good start for my 1st concert huh? The VVIP area was even closer to the stage than the most expensive tickets being sold at RM360. The only people closer to the stage were the press and the organizers. And I'm not even a huge fan. Lol.

But knowing that Leo Ku is known as one of the New Heavenly Kings in Hong Kong, and he's a good singer, I thought it should be a pretty entertaining and good concert. The stage was very nicely decorated as a sort of fake forest, with a sort of fantasy/fairytale theme, hence the name 'Magic Moments'. Heck, Leo Ku came out suspended under this huge mechanical bird thing for his entrance. Throughout the whole show, you could see many fantasy elements, such as dragons, sleeping princesses, clocks running around ala Alice in Wonderland and such.

See what I mean? Fancy silvery butterfly wings and all

For me, the highlight was probably when he sang 'Golden Melody' and actually walked down the stage to walk around the VVIP area, shaking hands with both the VVIP area guests and the guests in the RM360 ticket area. I got to shake his hand twice, which is pretty cool even though I'm not a huge fan. But it was a nice thing for him to do, and he could still sing the heck out of the song while walking. C'mon, its a 10 minute song, with several difficult parts, that's pretty amazing.

He also did an Aaron Kwok song, not sure of the title, but it's that fast one with the famous dance moves and he did pretty ok, though its totally not like his good boy/balladeer image. When he went down for a change of clothes, Justin (側田) came up and sang. Then, they had this beatboxer, with Justin, Leo and 2 other guys to form this sort of boyband thing which was pretty interesting and different from what I expected. All in all, it was a good concert, for my 1st one anyway, and yes, Leo Ku definitely can sing. Justin too, even though he had only 1 solo song. I was busy taking photos throughout the whole thing, so I might have missed out some happenings, but yes, definitely a good experience. Thanks Uncle A for the GREAT seats! And free too..hehe... ;)

Typical boyband pose huH?

I wonder how those guys can see anything at all

Leo Ku wasn't the only one with a fantasy theme. Most of the shopping centers were using the whole Fantasy/Fairyland theme for their Christmas decor as well. These pics are of Mid Valley, which I think had the prettiest Christmas decor for this year. They even had story telling sessions with fairy story tellers and the kids participating could dress up as fairies too. Kids nowadays really have everything huh?

新不了情 (Xing Bu Liao Ching / Endless Love) by Wan Fang

I was getting bored of listening to the same songs on my laptop this morning, so was searching for this classic Mandarin song but it turned out that it was on the computer at my uncle's place instead. So, went to download it again and well...reminded me of the MTV. I only really watched the MTV when we went for karaoke last year (before New Year's Eve)..and it's mostly about the movie of the same title. I don't remember watching the movie, but from the song lyrics and the MTV, I can tell that it's one of those sad love stories.

Anyway, this song 1st caught my attention recently bcoz Aska Yang (杨宗纬) and Jam Hsiao (萧敬腾) PK'ed it on One Million Star Season 1. Jam sang a more jazzy/bluesy version and got 23 marks out of 25 while Aska sang the more conventional version with a few incredible runs that got the audience cheering like mad. He got 24 marks out of 25! You can watch this on Youtube, as well as Gary Cao Ge's live versions. All 3 sang the heck out of it. So yes, definitely a classic hit. It's pretty much a MUST watch if you like good Chinese music, or if you're an Aska or Gary fan.

万芳-新不了情 (Xing Bu Liao Ching / Endless Love)

心若倦了 (xin ruo juan le)
If your heart is weary
泪也乾了 (lei ye gan le)
And your tears are all dried up
这份心情 (zhe fen xin qing)
This feeling
难舍难了 (nan she nan liao)
Is hard to relinquish or forget.

曾经拥有 (ceng jing yong you)
I once used to have
天荒地老 (tian huang di lao)
All the time in the world
已不见你 (yi bu jian ni)
But I haven't seen you
暮暮与朝朝 (mu mu yu chao chao)
For many nights and many days.

这一份情 (zhe yi fen qing)
This love,
永远难了 (yong yuen nan liao)
Is forever difficult to resolve.
愿来生还能 (yuan lai sheng hai neng)
I hope in our afterlife
再度拥抱 (zai du yong bao)
We can embrace again.

爱一个人 (ai yi ge ren)
Loving someone,
如何斯守到老 (ru he si shou dao lao)
How do you remain faithful till you're old?
怎样面对一切 (zen yang mian dui yi qie)
How do you face everything
我不知道 (wo bu zhi dao)
I do not know.

回忆过去 (hui yi guo qu)
Reviewing the past,
痛苦的相思忘不了 (tong ku de si xiang wang bu liao)
The painful memories are unforgettable.
为何你还来 (wei he ni hai lao)
Why do you come then
拨动我心跳 (bo dong wo xin tiao)
To make my heart race.
爱你怎么能了 (ai ni zen me neng liao)
How is it possible to stop loving you?
今夜的你应该明了 (jin ye de ni ying gai ming liao)
Tonight, you should understand
缘难了情难了 (yuan nan liao qing nan liao)
It is difficult to escape fate, just as it is difficult to dissolve love.

Taken from: Chinese Music Forum

原來你什麼都不想要 (Yuan Lai Ni She Me Dou Bu Xiang Yao / Actually You Didn't Want Anything From Me) by Ah Mei

I was listening to Leo Ku's new medley of love songs...and this was one of the songs in it. And I just felt like downloading the whole song and reading the lyrics. I guess it suits me at the moment. Most of the time I'd say I'm a very logical person. BUt as with most ppl, it is when you really want something...or anything to do with feelings, your heart will overrule your brain. We're only human after all.

I've been busy over the past few weeks since my last update, but I'll blog on that later. Here's the lyrics to this Ah Mei classic.

張惠妹-原來你什麼都不想要 (Yuan Lai Ni She Me Dou Bu Xiang Yao / Actually You Didn't Want Anything From Me)

Verse:
我知道這樣不好 (wo zhi dao zhe yang bu hao)
I know this is not good
也知道你的愛只能那麼少 (ye zhi dao ni de ai zhi neng ne me shao)
And I know your love is only this little
我只有不停的要 (wo zhi you bu ting de yao)
I just can't stop
要到你想逃 (yao dao ni xiang tao)
Want till you want to run away
淚濕的枕頭晒乾就好 (lei shi de zhen tou shai gan jiu hao)
(If) the pillow is wet from tears, just dry it and it'll be good
眼淚在你的心裡只是無理取鬧 (yan lei zai ni de xin li zhi shi wu li qu nao)
Tears are irrationally disturbing your heart
以為在你身後 (yin wei zai ni shen hou)
Because being by your side
是我一輩子的驕傲 (shi wo yi bei zi de jiao ao)
is the honour in my life
原來你什麼都不想要 (yuan lai ni shen me dou bu xiang yao)
You actually didn't want anything from me

Chorus:
我不要你的呵護 (wo bu yao ni de a hu)
I don't need your concern
你的玫瑰 (ni de mei gui)
Or your rose
只要你好好久久愛我一遍 (zhi yao ni hao hao jiu jiu ai wo yi bian)
Only want you to love me good and long just once
就算虛榮也好 (jiu suan xu rong ye hao)
Even if(your) vain, that's fine
貪心也好 (tan xin ye hao)
It's also ok if you're greedy
哪個女人對愛不自私不奢望 (na ge niu ren dui ai bu zi si bu she wang)
Which woman isn't selfish or hopeful in love
我不要你的承諾 (wo bu yao ni de cheng nuo)
I don't want your promise
不要你的永遠 (bu yao ni de yong yuan)
Don't want you forever
只要你真真切切愛我一遍 (zhi yao ni zhen zhen qie qie ai wo yi bian)
Only want you to truly and absolutely love me just once
就算虛榮也好 (jiu suan xu rong ye hao)
Even if(you're) vain, that's fine
貪心也好 (tan xin ye hao)
It's ok if you're greedy
最怕你把沉默 (zui pa ni ba chen mo)
I'm only scared you'll use your silence
當做對我的回答 (dang zuo dui wo de hui da)
as your response to me

Verse

Chorus X 2

原來你什麼都不想要 (yuan lai ni shen me dou bu xiang yao)
You actually didn't want anything from me

Taken from: Life in China Forums: Chinese Music

I Wish The Best For You and other songs

Over the last few days, I have been downloading English songs by the dozen...compared to recently when I would download complete Chinese albums. Most of these English songs are the clubby type but a few of them are really meaningful too. Currently one of my faves is 'I Wish the Best for you' by Emerson Hart, someone who I've never heard of b4. BUt yea, this song is nice.

Emerson Hart - I Wish The Best For You

How long can we wait here
To say goodbye?
The words once they're spoken
Are words that we can't take
Back to where we were, before
Things got in the way
Life gets so confusing
When you know what you're losing

Chorus:
You, Me
Why can't we see that there's
More to love than we'll ever know
Sometimes you're closer when you're
Letting go
I wish the best for you
I wish the best for you

We'll both regret the hurting
That we will do
You'll learn to forget me
And I'll try
I'll try to forget...

Chorus

If you ever need a place that you can run to
I'll be here, I'll be here

Chorus

Lyrics from Top 10 MP3 Download


Other songs that I really like are:
1. Teardrops on my Guitar - Taylor Swift
2. Kukatakan Dengan Indah - Peterpan
3. I Remember - Keyshia Cole
4. Feels Like Tonight - Daughtry
5. Fallin Down - Duran Duran Ft. Justin Timberlake
6. Taking Chances - Celine Dion
7. Before He Cheats - Carrie Underwood
8. The Way That I Love You - Ashanti
9. Stripper Friends - Tila Tequila
10. Leavin' - Jesse McCartney
11. Built to Last - Melee
12. 4 Minutes - Madonna Ft. Justin Timberlake

Quite an eclectic mix huh? Couldn't imagine that Duran Duran would be on the list too. Haha! BUt anyway, you can get most of these songs and lyrics from Top 10 MP3 Download

I will forgive and try to forget the pain and hurt that may have been caused, and remember the good times. I sure hope you do too. I really do wish all of you, the very best. Just know that I will be here for you :)

Bored Again, Therefore I Tag

I'm busy at work now, but felt kinda bored, so just thought I'd do a quick tag for a change of pace.

1. Real name => Andrea Chan SY
2. Nickname => And, Drea, Ah Girl, Lao Pan Niang, Aunty/Grandma (BLEK!)
3. Married => Mrs. Luo Zhi Xiang..I wish!..BUt I would get controlled :P
4. Male or Female => Female..but too much guy influence already
5. Highschool => SMB St. Teresa
6. College => Swinburne University of Technology (Sarawak Campus)
7. Short or long hair => Long, around shoulders
8. Are you a health freak => Trying to be more healthy in terms of eating and exercise
9.Height => 152cm +
10. Do you have a crush on someone => Yes..Xiao Zhu!..Hehehe.
11. Do you like yourself => 85% of the time..there are times when I dislike myself for what I've done etc...so u can say i'm no narcissist
12. Piercings => one in each ear
13. Righty or Lefty => Right-handed lo

FIRST'S
14. First surgery => To stitch up my wounds from a bad fall. Other than that..only if necessary. If plastic, then only to fix my flat nose bridge
15. First piercing(s) => for my ears, around 8 yrs old i think!
16. First person you see in the morning => myself..in the mirror
17. First award => milk drinking competition against my lil bro..ahaha
18. First sport you joined => er...running in kindy gua....or else swimming
19. First pet => rabbit i think
20. First vacation => KL i think!
21. First concert => Leo Ku in KL, 23rd Dec 2007 (if u don't count sch concerts to perform in and etc...)
22. First crush => in kindy..most of the class girls had a crush on him but he was my line-up partner (due to height) so we had to hold hands etc..eheheh...ah...kids

CURRENTLY
23. Eating => Half a biscuit earlier
24. Drinking => Milo
25. I'm about to => continue on my lighting designs..the list of projects to do seems to keep growing :(

YOUR FUTURE
26. Want kids => Max 3, but 1 boy 1 girl is good enuff
27. Want to get married => yea...sure..but..not anytime soon lo
28. Careers in mind => Something not so technical, like my current job..but i want to move up lo

WHICH ONE IS BETTER
29. Lips or eyes => I'd notice eyes first, but sometimes lips can really stand out. For example, Angelina Jolie..so it depends. But mostly eyes lo. Window to the soul ma..ahah
30. Hugs or kisses => Most girls would prefer hugs coz of the secure feeling they get. But kisses are good too...just different feeling. Both mean that you're loved :)
31. Shorter or taller => Since I'm considered short..of coz prefer taller la
32. Romantic or spontaneous => A good mix of both...i prefer to plan my stuff out, but its good if can be spontaneous at times...romantic enough..not too mushy laaa..
33. Sensitive or loud => Loud when need to liven things up, but sensitive when i'm moody gua...
34. Trouble maker or hesitant => Every1 who knows me knows that i prefer bad boys..as in..get up to more crazy stuff..as long not criminal stuff..or fights etc...cannot be too hesitant..esp in making decisions

HAVE YOU EVER
35. Kissed a stranger => err..nope...kissed by acquaintance..then yes la
36. Drank bubbles => u mean champagne?...nope
37. Lost glasses/contacts => i don't have..therefore no
38. Ran away from home => Thought of it, started packing for it, but didn't
39. Liked someone younger => Yea...i think twice, but not too serious
40. Liked someone older => i mostly like older guys..so yes
41. Broken someone's heart => Er...quite often..sad to say...but not always that serious i think (i hope!)
42. Been arrested => No and don't plan to be
43. Cried when someone died => Definitely..it's only human
44. Liked a friend => OMG..this happens all the time..coz i don't really go for the 'love at 1st sight' thing...n guys don't fall for me like tat too. Seriously it's hard for guys n girls to be friends without some feelings developing

DO YOU BELIEVE IN
45. Yourself => 90% of the time
46. Miracles => Its good to do so
47. Heaven => Yea...something to aim for in life...
48. Santa claus => Nope, but its a nice idea
49. Angels => WHy not, I think I have them physically by my side and also the invisible ones

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY ~*
50. Is there one person you want to be with right now => I have feelings for ppl, but I don't think I'm ready for anything now. If it's Xiao Zhu, ok, sign me up!..ahah coz he won't be here all the time
51. Do you believe in God => Yes
52. Tag 5 people => Serena, Mike, Linda, Mark, Vicky

Busy Month of Work and FOOD

I JUST had to update today, after all, this day only comes once every 4 years right? Hehe, guess if u always check my blog, u must b surprised at the rate i'm updating this month. It always seems that the more busy I am, the more I blog. Must be how I release stress or something. Or that I just had to blog about how I'm feeling etc. But I'm really backlogged with posts, I have a list of things to blog about and I'm forcing myself to post based on the time sequence instead of jumbling everything up. Call me perfectionist but yea, I think it'll b less confusing for me when i come back and read my old posts.

Anyway, this will just be a quick update on what I've been busy with this whole month so far. It's been pretty hectic, since it's such a short month and then you include CNY into it. So let's see, I went back to Kuching on the 6th till the 10th for CNY which I really enjoyed. It was all that I was expecting and a little bit more. I'll blog on that later. Then went back to work on the 11th :( but most ppl in the office were still on leave, so it was pretty quiet too. There were also fewer cars on the road, guess a lot of ppl in KL basically took longer leave since CNY was close to a weekend. Oh and Valentine's Day here was pretty quiet. I think I saw that only the receptionist received roses. This year, I treated myself to some books and dinner at Chili's. Hehe...which was pretty ok too. Of coz, I did all this on the 15th of Feb, instead of the day itself, so as not to get ripped off by the exorbitant prices. :)

The company organized a CNY lunch with the customers of lighting department on the 18th of Feb, at Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33. Each table cost about RM1000 and had some pretty good stuff. Shark's fin soup (where u could see actual PIECES of fin), cod fish, yee sang (total of 4 for me this year, hopefully it will pay off!), suckling pig, roast chicken and more. I must say, most of us went back to the office around 3 something feeling rather full and sleepy :P. And that night, there was a testing and commissioning of a project in KL, near Sogo. Basically we had to adjust the angle of the lights to get the required effect on the facade of the building. So I got to learn how the changing of the angles appear in real life, as well as the colour difference of the lamps. We reached the place around 7 something and finished at around 9, which is considered early..a lot of times they tend to finish at around 12 -_-.

I had to go for the Project Dealer's training from the 19th to 20th at Boulevard Hotel, Mid Valley. 1st day was mostly about the lighting products, including the newly acquired LED lights and I admit, I kept falling asleep! This is actually pretty common for me, I tend to feel drowsy during this type of trainings/meetings, unless we have to do some practical work. I must make sure I sleep earlier on the nights before any meetings/trainings. It's not good to continue this!! But the next day, I didn't have any time to sleep as I had to help my supervisor with the training. The project dealers, as well as our own sales engineers were taught how to use the software we use to do lighting calculations. They had to try out some simple examples and the other 3 of us designers were assigned a group to take care of. So yeah, I had to answer their questions and I did feel worried if I was up to it. Luckily, it went pretty ok.

In the afternoon, they were divided into smaller groups to try designing the lighting for a cafe and presenting it to everyone about the concept, lighting fixtures used and calculations. Since I wasn't in a group, I just thought I'd give it a try and see how I would do. I ended up having to present last as my supervisor thought it'll be good to show them what I did, since I'm considered to be more experienced than most of the other participants. After presenting, there was this silence in the room, till my supervisor asked them to ask me questions. To which they asked me to demonstrate how I did cove lighting, explain about the lighting etc. -_-|| Luckily i could answer! But the main thing was that we were very well fed over the 2 days of training. Breakfast and 2 tea breaks were quite ok, but the lunches *phew*. 1st day was buffet lunch where I really did try to eat more veg...and 2nd day was set lunch where there was salmon and lamb!...wow..I think I grew fatter in that week alone.

Main Course of Set Lunch: Salmon & Lamb (L-R)

I think I gained even more in the next week as a few of us were assigned to do a lighting audit at a 5-star hotel in KL for 2 days. 14 of us were divided into groups to audit the different areas, which was pretty interesting. My group got to go to the pastry kitchen where we saw them baking, decorating cookies and cakes, and making chocolate!! Oh the temptation...but we didn't get to try anything though. There was even a sausage making room, ehhe. But we also had to audit the rubbish compacting room :( Overall, I think our group was pretty lucky since we didn't have too hard areas. Other groups ended up with the huge basement car parks. Since my task was to count the lamps according to type, i would have really suffered in the car park, since there are so many! On the 1st day we started late as they were discussing the methods to audit, so I had late breakfast with 2 of the male sales engineers, which was on the senior one (Thx D!). I had a HUGE chocolate croissant, which they doubted I could finish, but I did! Heh.

And not long later, we had lunch...which was buffet! This is considered 1 of the best buffets in KL and it costs about RM100 per pax. OMG...I was like in heaven when I saw the spread. The buffet was divided into different areas by type of food. There was loads of fresh seafood like oysters, mussels, crabs, prawns, sashimi and sushi in the front. Then, there was the Chinese area complete with dimsum, porridge and get this..duck's tongue..EWWW. The Indian/Malay food area, Western roasts area and so on. But the area which I really really went weak for was the dessert area! My eyes literally brightened and I started noting down mentally which desserts I wanted.

Here's my only plate of mains, the meat was too tough tho :P

Though the food was pretty good, I made sure I saved up space for those yummy desserts. There was this counter with a see-thru panel where spoons were stuck through, and these spoons were holding little fruit pastries. I took like 2 of them and I wasn't sure if I had to take the spoon together with the pastries, but I think I did. Hehe. There were lots of yummy-looking cakes and also their own ice-cream, but I stuck with just the choc/fruit/cheese cakes. They also had quite a big selection of their handmade chocolates and even a chocolate pizza...WHOAAA. And finally, I went for the ultimate...the chocolate fountain! After all, it was my 1st time actually dealing with a chocolate fountain on my own. So I chose some fruits and marshmallows to dip under the glistening waterfall (imagine a mini version of the choc waterfall in Charlie & THe Choc Factory). After they were thoroughly covered with melted chocolate, I sprinkled them alternately with chopped nuts, raisins and sprinkles. Surprisingly it wasn't too sweet, but just nice. Later I found out that they use dark chocolate, which is my fave! THat was seriously the best buffet I've ever had, pretty much worth the RM100. I would go just for the desserts ok! So, I think I will go back just for their hi-tea, which I'm sure will have EVEN MORE DESSERTS! Did I make anyone drool yet?

Yummy Chocolates! (taken from sheryl0202.blogspot.com)

Chocolate Fountain! *drool* (taken from sheryl0202.blogspot.com)

The next day, we had lunch at the chinese restaurant there, where they ordered lots of interesting stuff. One of which to note was duck with kiwi instead of the usual orange duck etc. It was slightly sour and tart, when I expected it to be sweet. This went down really well with the guys at my table who ordered another plate. But my fave was the scallops dish! They sort of made nuggets out of whole scallops with eggs, water chestnut (i think) and stir-fried with a sauce. Those scallops were really really sweet and fresh and I had 2. There was a platter of mixed roast pork, a plate of mostly roast chicken skin and so on. I was the only girl at my table and they kinda treated and called me a princess *blush*. I felt so paiseh, coz they always made me take 1st. BUt yeah, I could keep up with their appetites..eheheh. It was an incredibly expensive lunch..2 tables of 14 ppl...the bill came up to over RM1000 -_-. Turns out the scallops dish was one of the more exp ones..eheh..but hey..they ordered it..i just eat ;)

We also had this meeting/training for our new lighting concept on the 28th, where I had to give a presentation about some project examples. My 1st time presenting at the company so I was kinda worried but yea, it turned out ok. And they ordered Domino's Pizza and KFC for lunch! Good grief, talk about fattening me up huh? Well, it was my first time trying Domino's which is pretty good, I think better than Pizza Hut, but not as good as Romeo's at Centrepoint. I think I had like 2 slices of pizza, 2 chicken wing parts and 1 KFC piece, not sure what part it was. The next day, I went with some female colleagues to this restaurant at Bangsar. Our company is organizing a function there in April, so they had to coordinate on the food details while I was there to do measurements of the features we planned to light up with our new products. What they didn't tell me was that they planned to have lunch there 1st. So yes, more fattening up with pasta and worse..they ordered dessert, which was much nicer than the pasta. Warm chocolate cake with a molten center and some pancakes with fruits, ice-cream (strangely, with sweet olives!). It was also my 1st time going around measuring things with a measuring tape and I nearly fell backwards down the stairs while measuring how high they were -_-.

In addition to all this, my brother was in KL from the 19th to the 27th and of coz, we brought him to all the good food places like Pangkor Seafood for our fave lala, Jake's for the steaks, Rakuzen for Japanese and so on. So yes, I think I definitely gained weight and I can feel that my pants have gotten a bit tighter. Even though we did work after eating..but still. Damm..after all that effort to eat healthy and maintain my weight! I was so happy when I found that my pants were looser just b4 CNY.....!! So in March onwards, I must control my food intake!....BUt it will be hard when I have cupboards with my stash of CNY food -_-......Pls don't tempt me too much ok?....Esp with desserts..they're my weakness :P

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

This is kinda a continuation of my previous post on my strange feelings about one of my best friends changing jobs/moving. In the days following that post, I've been thinking a lot about it. And I've come to think that, though we may be in the same city, it doesn't necessarily mean that we are free to meet up too and all tat. Like CY and Hui, they're both still in Kuching, but bcoz they're both busy with work and new colleagues/friends, they rarely meet up too. What more to say the rest of us who are scattered over West Malaysia, or the rest of the world? But of coz, I know that when we do meet up, we're still the same as ever.

I've also started thinking about certain friends and how they seem to treat me. Like u know sometimes, u'd get phone calls from ppl who want something like assignments, projects, books, answers etc? And other times, you don't hear from them at all? That kinda happened to me few days ago. Normally, I'd be more than happy to help out my friends, especially this friend who I've always helped out. But I guess bcoz I was always willing to help out, this friend kinda took it for granted. So there was no 'Please' or 'Thanks', but more of 'commands'. And I felt a bit pissed, but I did tell this friend in the end, to which they kinda joked it off by way of explanation/apology. Somehow, I know this friend is kinda like this, as in tend to 'use' ppl but I also know that we are still friends, just that maybe the tone of their 'command' sms sounds too much like commands.

Thinking it through, I guess this is actually normal for people to 'use' each other. I mean, how often do u call some1 up just to talk about nth at all? There is always a reason to call up ur friend, whether to ask them out, ask for something/help/advice etc. I think a major reason for this is that we're all so busy with our own lives (or it seems so anyway!), that we don't have the time to just call up our friends to chat aimlessly. There is always something we want out of it, not that it's always for materialistic stuff. It can be for support, advice and etc. So yeah, I guess it's normal for this friend to call me up and ask me for help with documents. I've always gotten requests for help with documentation...they say it's due to my English? I should feel honored that there's something for ppl to refer to me....after all, I always feel so lousy in other stuff. Oh, and also event management...lol..

In a way, if someone calls u up for some purpose, there's one good thing. At least they think highly of u in that aspect...and in some cases, at least they're thinking of u! For me, if I don't think highly of them or feel that they're not up to 'standard', I definitely won't even think of calling them for anything. Unless i absolutely have to! And another thing that I kinda came to a conclusion about is....that it doesn't really matter what ppl do to u. The most important thing is how we feel about ourselves. It is up to us what makes us happy and what doesn't. And I think it's really pointless to care about what others say, bcoz u can never please every1. So, I am trying to think in this way. As long as I've done my part as a friend, I won't think too much about how my friend treats me/returns the favour. My conscience will at least be clean. My happiness should not have to depend on any 1 person or people. I should be able to make myself happy first.

But I'm definitely not denying the power of friendship. My caring for friends is kinda what led to me to think about all this stuff. If I didn't care so much about them leaving/moving or the way they treat me, I wouldn't analyse this into detail. You know, ever since I watched Friends, the series...I've always wished that I could have that. One day, live with a bunch of friends and going through the best part of our lives together. But I also realise that it's fairly impossible. People come and go all the time, off to uni/work/married. Old friends drift apart, you meet new ones and so on. And like in the series, they themselves change too. Relationships change over time, from friends, to being a couple...then back to friends. I can honestly say, it is really RARE for a guy and girl to just be friends. Most of the time, feelings will develop, mayb on 1 side, or both, and it can go 4 ways.

1. They don't end up together, but their friendship becomes stronger.
2. They don't end up together, but things bcome weird between them and there goes the friendship.
3. They can be togheter, but if they breakup, things might be weird.
4. They can be together, and after breaking up, they're still good friends.

Trust me, I've been through all 4 of them, lol. But I have a lot of good friends so far, so I'm really glad to have met all of them. There are a few groups of them, like the 1st batch would be the Lodgians (all you Point 3's!) and of coz the Gathering Gals! Then, we have G4 (stands for Gay 4, ahah!) from Swinburne....I am the only girl, so yea, I think that's where the whole Princess thing came about. But they rarely treat me like a Princess....they bully me! And of coz, I've learnt to bully them back. Then there's JAMS, where MIchael is the only guy and was our brother. Last but not least, it's the Mahjong/Monopoly/clubbing kakis! Though I only got to know them better for the last 1 year, they were the ones that I really wished to have the FRIENDS experience with.

Part of the Gathering Gals and Point 3 ppl :)

The incomplete G4: Chiet, me, Yi Chan, Stephen (Thong Wei's missing)

JAMS: Jenny, Mike, me and Serena

Mahjong/Monopoly/clubbing kakis: CY, Henry and Siaw Hui

Though I know that most likely, i will not be able to have the FRIENDS thing with any of these groups, because we're all in different places/jobs/situations....I still adore and miss all of you. Though we may drift apart, and stop keeping in touch so frequently (this ALWAYS happens...coz we're busy/lazy/forgetful etc)...I know that when we do keep in touch, or meet up...we will still have that camaderie, all the crazy teasings and fun/silly stuff we always get up to.

So yes, I am feeling better about myself, and the position I'm in. I can now say, I'm proud of my friends, what they've achieved. And I wish everyone the very best in their future undertakings. You'll always have a supporter in me. I do hope you guys feel the same way about me too :) But if you don't, that's ok. I'll still support myself! After all, its better to love someone without any expectations of them loving you back....it's the most painful, but sincerest type of love. Hmm..somehow this isn't coming out the way I'm thinking. Must b too tired....hehe..Muakz

擦肩而過 (Ca Jian Er Guo / A Brief Encounter) by Sam Lee Shen Jie

Currently, I'm really addicted to this song by Lee Shen Jie. It's a sad song but yeah, don't know why. GUess I miss karaoke? And maybe it kinda suits me now. Hmm.

李圣杰 - 擦肩而過 (Ca Jian Er Guo / A Brief Encounter)

我愛著誰　愛到我有點醉 (wo ai zhe shei, ai dao wo you dian zhui)
I've loved someone, loved until I was a little drunk
告訴我你是誰　能夠把我讓我變不對 (gao su wo ni shi shei, neng gou ba wo rang wo bian bu dui)
Tell me who you are, to be able to make me become so unusual
你不會累　但我卻愛你愛到好累 (ni bu hui lei, dan wo que ai ni ai dao hao lei)
You're not tired, yet I've loved you to the point of exhaustion
從沒有為了誰　不顧安危付出一切 (cong mei you wei le shei, bu gu an wei fu chu yi qie)
I've never risked my own safety and sacrificed my all for anybody
站在這平衡點　我還是覺得有點危險 (zhan zai zhe ping heng dian, wo hai shi jue de you dian wei xian)
I'm standing at the equilibrium point, but I still feel it's a little dangerous
或許是看不見　只能夠靠感覺 (huo xu shi kan bu jian, zhi neng gou kao gan jue)
Maybe it's because I can't see and can only use my intuition/feelings

CHORUS:
他不會是個好男人　也不會是個好情人 (ta bu hui shi ge hao nan ren, ye bu hui shi ge hao qing ren)
He's not a good man, and is not a good lover either
你對我說　我們只是擦肩而過 (ni dui wo shuo, wo men zhi shi ca jian er guo)
To me, we are just two people who had a brief encounter
好的男人有那麼多　少了他的日子也能過 (hao de nan ren you na me duo, shao le ta de ri zi ye neng guo)
There are so many good men out there; without him, life will still go on
我不會再讓你寂寞　也不會讓你更難過 (wo bu hui zai rang ni ji mo, ye bu hui rang ni geng nan guo)
I will no longer make you feel lonely, and I won't let you feel more hurt
你聽我說　要好好學著去生活 (ni ting wo shuo, yao hao hao xue zhe qu sheng huo)
Listen to me, you must learn how to live well
就算未來有多少錯　至少還有我的問候　我的溫柔陪你渡過 (jiu suan wei lai you duo shao cuo, zhi shao hai you wo de wen hou, wo de wen rou pei ni du guo)
Even if the future has many wrongs, at least you'll have my greeting and my warmth, accompanying you through the days

你聽我說　你不要這麼做 (ni ting wo shuo, ni bu yao zhe me zuo)
Listen to me, you shouldn't do this
你不要看著我　說你已經知道怎麼做 (ni bu yao kan zhe wo shuo ni yi jing zhi dao zen me zuo)
Don't look at me and say you already know what you should do
你很難受　我願意陪你一起承受 (ni hen nan shou, wo yuan yi pei ni yi qi cheng shou)
You feel pain, and I'm willing to bear the pain with you
只要你不怕痛　再多坎坷我都陪你走 (zhi yao ni bu pa tong zai duo kan ke wo dou pei ni zou)
As long as you're not afraid to get hurt, I'll walk with you no matter how many bumpy roads there are
站在這平衡點　我還是覺得有點危險 (zhan zai zhe ping heng dian wo hai shi jue de you dian wei xian)
I'm standing at the equilibrium point, but I still feel it's a little dangerous
或許是看不見　只能夠靠感覺 (huo xu shi kan bu jian, zhi neng gou kao gan jue)
Maybe it's because I can't see and can only use my intuition/feelings

CHORUS x 2

Taken from: http://www.jay-chou.net/forums/archive/index.php/t-276663.html

This Strange Feeling

I'm feeling kinda weird now. I just got an sms from 1 of my best friends...that they finally got their dream job. Normally, I'd be very happy to hear of a friend's success/happy event but this time.....Like just the other day, I received VERY BIG news from 2 of my friends about something happy. And I got all excited for them, maybe even more excited than they were. I was just so happy then. But now maybe, it's bcoz it's been so set in my mind that they're already settled in this particular job, this location, that things won't change already. Like, it's confirmed in my mind that these friends are in Kuching, these friends are in KL, and these others are in other parts of Malaysia and the world. Or maybe it's bcoz it's one of my closer friends who I just got to know much better in the past year and I really care a lot about every 1 of them. That they're getting further and further from me. At first, it wasn't that far away, but now it seems that the distance has grown even more. Physical distance of course, emotional distance is still ok. We're all still in touch and talking on the phone/MSN..

I think I'm kinda in shock now. There I was, just checking my company email then I hear this familiar ringtone (I set specific ringtones for each of my closest friends), which I havent heard in awhile. Reading their SMS..i could feel my mood drastically change from quietly contented but tired to quietly contemplative and slightly sad. I actually can feel my heart sinking and my brain getting muddled as I'm trying to sort out my feelings here. Maybe I'm not as adaptive to change as I thought I was. Coz this change kinda affects me in a sense. Our original plans were that we could meet up for holidays every once in awhile, you know 'Cuti-Cuti Malaysia' and all that. But with this move, there would be one kaki short. It may not seem like a big deal, but for us, each of us contributes a different factor to the whole group. And if one is missing, it's different. Some of these friends are more influential than others too, as in the amount of craziness/fun/ideas/capability they contribute.

I know, I really should be happy for them. But it's kinda hard now. I'm gonna miss them. After my trip back to Kch for CNY, I felt really happy to have been able to meet up with everyone. I could feel myself smiling widely everyday while in Kuching, bcoz you guys just made my day. But once I went into the airport, I was like..oh crap, I'm gonna leave again. KL has lots of things to do, but I enjoy spending time with my friends more. Even if we just sit around watching tv together, or chatting about nth in particular, that's more fun to me. And it means a lot more. I guess the bad part about going back, is that once I got back to KL, I missed everyone even more. It seems like such a long time till April. And I wonder when I would be able to see some of you, especially the ones not in Kuching, since it's not like CNY where we all come back. Now I really want that year-end trip even more. Even if it's 9 mths away, at least if it's confirmed, it's something for me to look forward to. Quality time with quality ppl.

I miss you guys. And I'll miss you till I see you. But I'll miss you even more after I see you. Haiz.

Anyway, Happy Chap Goh Mei!

Anticipated Movies of 2008

It's been ages since I last blogged about movies, but since this year promises to have loads of cool movies, I thought it would be appropriate. So here's the list of movies in 2008 that I'm looking forward to, and why, in the order of their release dates.

1. Kung Fu Dunk: Now Showing
Starring Jay Chou, Chen Bo-Lin, Charlene Choi and Eric Tsang, this is one of the 2 big CNY movies for this year. Originally supposed to be based on the manga 'Slam Dunk', it got changed to be a mix of basketball and kung-fu. Apparently Jay makes a breakthrough and is a more comical type of character in this movie, so I'm kinda looking forward to checking it out. Some reviews I've read are that it's better than the other CNY movie, Stephen Chow's CJ7, so I'd definitely want to compare them. But I'm not loving Jay's hairstyle in this movie though, luckily it's just a wig!

Jay and Charlene with their silly hairstyles

2. CJ7: Now Showing
THis is probably the other Chinese blockbuster movie of the year, as it's been awhile since Stephen Chow's last movie. It opened the same day as Kung Fu Dunk and was No.1 at the box office in Malaysia. However on my last check, the ratings were slightly lower than that of Kung Fu Dunk. THis is probably bcoz it's not exactly in the vein of Stephen's famous 'mo lei tau' brand of comedy. It's a more family oriented type of movie and he aims to make the viewers cry. And I bet most ppl didn't know that the little boy is actually a girl, who is now Stephen's god-daughter. Lucky girl huh? Lol, heard from a friend that his bro-in-law fell asleep during this movie, so wonder how it is. Will probably catch this one on DVD.

The 3 main characters of CJ7

3. Jumper: Now Showing
Supposedly the 1st of a trilogy, this stars Hayden Christensen (young Darth Vader), Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson and Samuel L. Jackson. It's about this guy who has the ability to jump/teleport himself from place to place on will. He kinda abuses his power as he helps himself to money from vaults, relaxes on top of the Sphinx etc. But as in the vein of all superhero type movies, with great power comes great responsibility, so there's actually this group of paladins who hunt down jumpers like him. Why? Because this power is too great for normal humans to have. Read some bad reviews of it, so will catch this on DVD or online, simply because it sounds interesting. The stunts and effects are supposedly good though.

Doesn't this pic make u wanna travel the world?

4. L: Change the World: Release date - 21st Feb
This is a spin-off for L from the Death Note manga/movies. I guess bcoz it was so successful, they wanted to milk more from it, and L is pretty much the mysterious character with not much background revealed in the manga/movie, compared to Light/Kira. Apparently, it's about his final 23 days after he wrote his name in the Death Note and he has to save ppl from some virus. Initial reviews weren't that good but at least it's still the same actor portraying him. I actually didn't know about this movie till I saw the poster in a magazine.

The characters of L: Change the World

5. 27 Dresses: Release date - 28th Feb
This is pretty much a romantic comedy, so mostly for girls. It stars Katharine Heigl (of Grey's Anatomy fame) and James Marsden (Cyclops of X-Men). Katharine plays this girl who has been a bridesmaid 27 times. U know the saying, '3 times a bridesmaid, never a bride'? Well, this is an extreme version. The reason is probably that she's too involved in other ppl's love life that she doesn't really do anything about herself. SOunds interesting and yea, I kinda want to see how James Marsden is in this movie, compared to how his character fared in Enchanted. Well, I am a sucker for rom-coms too.

James Marsden and Katherine Heigl having a candid moment

6. The Spiderwick Chronicles: Release date - 14th Feb (in US)
Yet another movie adapted from a book/series of books. This one is from the 1st of a series of 5 books and is pretty similar to that of Narnia/Harry Potter in the sense that it involves children getting into a fantastical world. Freddie Highmore plays twins in this movie and starts off as pretty much a brat who doesn't follow the rules in this book he finds. Thus, he gets hunted by the creatures i think. I havent read the books yet, coz they're pretty pricey. But it looks good so far and I heard the ending is good. Apparently better than Golden Compass but not up to LOTR standard.

Freddie Highmore and a faerie

7. Speed Racer: Release date - 9th May
The big screen adaptation of our childhood cartoon, this stars Emile Hirsch as the main character, and includes Christina Ricci as his gf, Susan Sarandon and John Goodman as his parents and Matthew Fox (of Lost fame) as Racer X. So some pretty heavy starpower! Most of it was shot against green screen, so it should look pretty cool, especially since the directors, the Wachowski brothers (directed the Matrix trilogy) wanted a real-life anime feeling to it.

Here's the actor playing Speed Racer

8. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Release date - 15th May
This is actually the 2nd book in the series but story-wise, it comes after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The 4 Penvensie children from the 1st movie return to Narnia to find that it's been 1000 years since they left (time passes much faster there u see). THey now need to help Prince Caspian (played by Ben Barnes, pretty much a newcomer but hot) to reclaim the throne from his evil uncle. Kinda familiar story huh? But yea, the trailer looks pretty cool and c'mon, it's a big fantasy movie. Just the type I like though I did complain that the battles weren't realistic coz there was no bloodshed at all. What to do, it's a kid's movie.



9. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Release date: 22nd May
I just saw the trailer and it brings back nostalgic memories. They intentionally filmed it in the style of the previous 3 movies and used very little CGI so that it would seem more realistic. Even Indy himself admits that he's getting old and makes mistakes, which makes him more human. It's supposed to b 19 yrs since his last adventure and he now has a new sidekick, Mutt (played by Shia LeBeouf, who's now hot property after Transformers). Cate BLanchett plays a baddie, so at least they've added some new blood, which helpfully are currently hot. BUt with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas involved, it should be a huge movie this summer! Check out the trailer.



10. The Incredible Hulk: Release date - 13th June
Edward Norton is the new Hulk and he wasn't exactly the type I'd imagine, but yea Dr. Bruce Banner was pretty shy looking type right? And I guess guys would look forward to the movie just to ogle at Liv Tyler too. I wasn't a big Hulk fan, but I do usually want to check out the big blockbusters.

Teaser poster for The Incredible Hulk

11. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army: Release date - 10th July
Hellboy returns, with his gf, the blue-fire starting Liz, and Abe Sapien. There's lots more monsters and less of the old historical baddies from the 1st movie. The original's director returns, so it should be pretty consistent with the 1st, which wasn't all that bad. So yea, yet another summer blockbuster to look forward to. C'mon...more monster ass to kick..that should be good, right?

First look at the good guys

12. The Dark Knight: Release date - 15th July
Christian Bale returns as Batman and Maggie Gyllenhaal (sister of that Jake of Brokeback Mountain fame) replaces Katie Holmes as the love interest. There are 2 confirmed baddies, namely the Joker and Harvey Dent, who eventually turns into 2-Face. Another returning baddie from Batman Returns, the Sandman also appears. Plus there's also a cameo by Edison Chen (now infamous for his sex pics with MANY HK actresses/singers) as a yet unknown baddie. Wow, so many baddies and just one superhero? Awesome! But the 2 main baddies kinda reminds me of Batman Forever, coz they were in it too. HOwever, the main pull to this movie is that it was pretty much the final complete role of Heath Ledger (Rest in Peace!), who plays the diabolical Joker. From the trailer, you can see just how demented and evil he is, compared to the Joker as played by Jack Nicholson who seemed more jolly. So it'll be kinda ironic for audiences to watch the movie, as they'll sort of associate the role with what actually happened.



13. The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Release date - 24th July
Brendan Fraser returns as Rick O'Connell to help save the world from a new mummy, an ancient Chinese wizard, accidentally awakened by Rick's now teenaged son. Jet Li stars as the new baddie and our very own Datuk Michelle Yeoh's in it too. Rachel Weisz doesn't return as Evie so that kinda sucks coz I tot they were a hot couple. I don't know about this movie, coz the 1st 2 were obviously B-grade movies on purpose, but somehow this doesn't really appeal to me as much as before. But yea, I'd still like to see how they incorporate the whole Chinese element in and change it up from the Egyptian style. But at least it'll still be funny, one way or another...I hope!

Jet Li kicking butt (as usual) as a Chinese mummy (doesn't look like it)

14. Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince: Release date - 20th November
The 6th in the series and gets even darker than the 5th movie. Harry gets a hold of this old Potions book and with its tips, begins to do well in his potions class. Lucky for him, Snape no longer teaches potions but Defense against the Dark Arts. But Lord Voldemort's strength is growing and he's recruiting more and more members so things are getting worse in the magical world. Harry's also learning more about how Lord Voldemort changed from a boy till his evil 'reign'. If you've read the book, you'll know how it ends, so I'm really curious as to how they'll show the ending. It's a really big deal so they better do it well.

The now all-grown up cast of Harry Potter

15. X-Men Origins: Wolverine : Release date - TBA
It's currently filming in New Zealand and is expected to set place in Japan and Canada, as per the comic's origins. They will explain more about Wolverine's past and will apparently show him fighting ninjas and more. Wolverine will be even more of a badass than ever and Sabretooth, among others will show up. SOunds damm cool and yes, more of Hugh Jackman pls!

Whoa, check out the muscles!

So yea, this looks like a great year for movies, just like the previous 2 years. See you at the movies!

Note: Info and pics of the above movies have been taken from Cinema Online magazine, Rotten Tomatoes website, Wikipedia and various blogs and sites.