A battery indicator...finally

After playing the guessing game with my last 2 cars, I finally got one which has a battery level indicator. Phew, no more fears about the car not being able to start in the mornings coz of batt problems. It`s got a lot more indicators actually. Anyhow, I`ve the reliable AAM to settle most of my car problem worries for me.

Giving you an EVIL eye.....

Here`s 3 actually for your viewing pleasure. I like the big round one best. The funny longish one is also nice to hold. All are made of glass & from Turkey. Gifts from friends. I think I`m getting addicted to them. You know laa what they say, once you have 2, it becomes a collection & you`ll yearn for more. Eh...how can like that wan. If you see any for sale in KL, lemme know...more more more.

It`s that smell again.....

Since my parents kept knocking over the vanilla car perfume in my old Kembara, I had given up on using any for it. But the RAV4 has a better neater aircon valve for me to hook the car air freshener on, so I`ve started putting it in my car once again. I feel so at home now. Thx Putri for recommending this months ago, wasn`t able to use it then but it was the FIRST thing I bought for the brand new 2nd hand car...s-e-r-i-o-u-s.

My new toy is here.....

I finally got me grubby hands on my Toyota RAV4. Here are some photos to share....it`s a imported new 1997 model. 2 litre engine. Full time 4 x 4. Slide/ tilt glass sunroof. I`m in lurve.....

I`m so vain.....

Went on a semi-crazy shopping spree yesterday. Got myself a lot of toiletries & vanity items. Sigh, Guardian & Watson`s sure knows how to reel me in. But it was a good deal. Paid rm158 for the Cellnique items, all 3! Usually the sebum gel alone retails for rm139. It`s only available at Watson`s until stocks last. Part of Mother`s Day promo. Erm.... I wonder if I really need all this super hi-tech stuff for my face ? Last time guna bedak sejok aje. Haha...

Imported stuff better than local made ?

I bought this shirt from S`pore some time ago mainly coz the label read `Fabric from USA`. Now when I look at it, the fabric looks more like kain guni beras or gunny sack material. E. I`ve worn the shirt less than 5 times in 2 years coz it wrinkles up very easily & is difficult to iron. Nowadays I go for whatever stuff as long as it`s got quality but I still have a soft spot for things from my alleged motherland...UK. heh heh. I also like `Fruit of Loom` t-shirts from USA which my cousins send over to KL every now & then. Love the cotton coz it`s the breathable type & the tshirts are also seamless....

When nite falls.....

I love the quietness of nite time when everyone is mostly asleep. The garden has become a suitable place for me to entertain friends & even just for me to hang out & enjoy a drink or read a book on my own. I`ll probably look for a nice garden lounge set for me to get comfy in. If it wasn`t for the mozzies, I`ll probably try to sleep in the porch area of the garden. It`s so cool outside....Thank God my neighbours are all educated people who are considerate. No unneccessary noise to irritate.

Awesome......

Watched Xmen3: The Last Stand on Friday nite & it was awesome. Loved the storyline & characters, both old & new. It`s more stylish than the first 2 & I loved the special effects. Hopefully, there`ll be a fourth installment ? I``m still not sure if I should watch Da Vinci Code......duh....a lot of not-so-good reviews have come in from friends....

What I did today....25.5.2006 Thursday

Took the day off.

Wanted to accomplish a couple of things....

(a).. Go for a swim coz it`s been ages since I went to the nearby public pool
(b). Get my dog licence from MPSJ
(c). Look & find & buy my 2nd hand RAV4
(d). Get movie tickets for Xmen3
(e). Make some banana muffins
(f) Go shopping & look for some i-dunno-whats..haha, never mind.
(g) Go pay my speeding ticket fine at MRR2 at Jln Tun HSLee police station & appeal for a reduction
(h) Send a plant to a friend`s sister`s place in Kota Kemuning

In the end I only managed to do b, c, d, e & h......

Getting the dog licence was easier than I had imagined. It didn`t need any photos, rubber stamp from the vet or any other nonsense my neighbour had mis-informed me about. I got it in 20 mins flat. MPSJ doesn`t stand so Major Pain Silly Jerk anymore. You have redeemed yourself.

A friend recommended I take a look at this Toyota RAV4 at this shop near Brickfields. It was an imported new 1997 company owned car. When I saw it , my heart actually skipped a beat. My heart hasn`t been skipping beats for a long time, just for your info. It was a gorgeous piece of work. Haha. I brought it over to Puspakom for some checks & after they confirmed it wasn`t a kereta potong etc, I decided to get it. Photos coming up soon. I`m getting the car on Monday. One impressive thing. The moonroof auto tilts upwards or glides to open fully. Just like my mouth when I first saw the car. Heh heh.

Xmen opens today !!!! But I`m watching it tmrw lah. My good vibes have kicked in for this movie. I`m pretty certain it`ll live it to my expectations.

Banana muffins...made 18.

Got lost on the way to Kota Kemuning. Sheesh. Found it after a while.....speeding around helps. Haha.

More garden photos....

Cutie pie.....

The current winner for cutie pie category in our house belongs to......drumroll plse.....Debra Gan ! My parents currently babysit this lil` toddler.

I`ve finally done it....

My new car is coming soon....a Toyota RAV4. It being a coincidence, the local MPSJ also paid us a visit last week to ask us ( the whole neighbourhood actually ) to tidy up the garden. I don`t give 2 hoots or beeps about MPSJ but my neighbours think that I`m clearing the garden for them. Nope, it`s to make way for my car laa.....That`s Chico my killer guard dog doing its duty ( that is to look cute & pretend to guard the house ). The garden is finally neat! Yay.

Yam seng....and the bride

I didn`t bring my tripod stand & my unsteady hands couldn`t take a good photo. But anyways, this is the jolly bunch of folks who went on stage to toast themselves. Bride, Bridegroom, parents, parents-in-law, parents-outlaws, makciks etc. The other photo is the friend of mine who had officially changed her single status that night. Congratulations & have a good time in Langkawi. Muah Muah Muah.

a QUAINT small town wedding

I feel privileged and honoured to be invited to a good friend`s wedding in Taiping. She`s no spring chicken but she`s taken good care of herself lately by going to the gym and careful dietary plans. Weddings in small towns are so different from big cities. People here are more casual & so friendly. During the whole wedding, there was `live` singing, all courtesy of the parent`s friends and volunteers. The food was top notch, provided by Meridien, which according to a friend, has been in Taiping for a long long time. It started just an hour late ( in KL, it can be delayed for 90 minutes or more ) and finished about an hour later. I guess everyone in Taiping went thome that night satisfied from the experience of good food, singing & socialising. We swung by the bride`s house after dinner & chatted for a while. Unbeknownst to me, Taiping is actually quite a hot place to be in during the daytime, worse than KL. I thought taiping had the highest rainfall in all of M`sia & that should`ve brought down the temperature. Anyways, Taiping is a lovely town.

don`t fall asleep like this....

This is a good friend`s kid counting the zzzzzz`s while we were on the way to Taiping. She`s ok, just likes to sleep in funny positions. Sweetest dreams....

A funeral.....

After struggling for about a month in the hospital, my uncle finally succumbed to the liver cancer & liver damage he was sufferring from. I`m gonna have a busy weekend assisting my aunt with the funeral proceedings etc. Last nite was the 1st service. My cousin who gave the eulogy couldn`t hold back his tears as he was with his Dad when he passed away. My uncle wasn`t the most pleasant person during the last 10 years of his life. He had become bitter, short tempered & a very grumpy person. But he was still loved by his family despite it all. We didn`t see many friends of his attending the funeral last night. Mebbe they`ll come tonite ? I think it`s important to pay our last respects no matter how busy we are. It`s to show the family & the dearly departed that we appreciated him in his life & also to validate his existence. I`m off to the funeral parlour now to assist. Bye.

Mission Impossible 3

On Wednesday a friend managed to get tickets to the show. It was either this or Fragile which stars Calista Flockhart. Mebbe we should have gone for Fragile. MI3 was just so-so, it`s become a love story of sorts now to me. Tom Cruise still looks good at 43, just what is that chap using / eating ? Jealousss ! Just as the show started, a young family came in to sit next to me, they brought in a 3 year old boy. I thought to myself, `Odear, sure kena kacau by that kid punya`....I was proven wrong ! He only said 2 sentences throughout the whole show : 1. ` It`s cold Mummy, can I have my sweater plse ? ` 2. `I`m sleepy, can I sleep here ? `. Kudos to the parents for the very well-behaved kid.

Strawberry jam...home made.

Finally.....the mini strawberry shrub I have is producing enough fruit for me to make some strawberry jam ! Haha. Usually it gets attacked by birds even before I can appreciate the fruits but this time due to the unfriendly weather, the fruits have been left untouched thus far. It is an easy to grow plant which is actually happier on the ground but be warned, it`s quite capable of taking over a patch of land and declaring it conquered. Which means it spreads very fast. Want a cutting ? Just lemme know...

Hearts.....

....I know it ain`t Vanlentine`s Day or anything but don`t you think this plant would be a cool gift ? In the pitcher plant world, this is the only variety which has got this heart-shaped leaves. It`s actual name is Nepenthes Truncata, mainly coz it`s leaves looks like it`s been truncated or shortened. I bought this from Kuching about a year ago & since it is very slow growing, it`s still only about 6 inches in length right now. It`s quite capable of reaching a foot in length when matured.

100 Spices.....

It`s just a small cafe` but apparently lotsa people even from far-away KL know about it. Some friends who came over to Puchong actually requested to eat there ! I myself know of the existence coz I stay in Puchong but i`ve not tried the food there, anyway I`m game for all sorts of food especially lovely malay food. So we went. It was nice, simple environment ( ada aircon laa ! ) and the selection was quite expansive, lotsa choices. We just went for the simple nasi lemak....next time when I`m back, I`ll try the nasi dagang set, macam sedap aje.....

Yummeee yoghurt....

Richard B......this is what`s available in KL.....for 500ml, we pay rm6.50. It`s got really generous helping of strawberries or blueberries or mix fruits. Tak ada kerr at your place ? Try it......

New addiction

It started innocently enough. I went to my fav petrol station to fill my weekly hit of petrol. Then I saw an advert that they were running a new contest. For every rm30 worth of petrol, we get a sticker. Collect enough stickers & you can redeem them for umbrellas, a bag etc. Stoopid I thot. Another trick to fool simple minded people. I filled up my petrol & was given a contest form & 2 stickers. You know what they say. Once you start having any 2 items of anything, it becomes a collection. Equals semi-addiction. I started aiming for the colourful brolly even though we`ve got about 40 umbrellas of all shapes & sizes at home. 18 stickers is all it takes. I only realised how much I was into it when I misplaced a sticker & hunted like crazy for it. I finally found it in my walletafter an hour of thinking & searching. Sigh. whatever anyone says, I`m getting that brolly.

Car park blues.....

I kinda knew it was gonna happen. My comfortable sheltered rm126 per month carpark has now been taken over by a new company & we have to re-register as new customers. I have to pay rm50 for deposit & another rm126 for monthly charges while my deposit for the last company which ran the carpark has not been refunded. It being the first working day of the week I was reluctant to do much. Yawn. Most probably I`ll be out on the streets tomorrow. My poor Kembara will be subjected to harsh weather conditions. Its poor owner ( me !) will also be subjected to the same complexities. We might be moving office to Bangi soon so I don`t really want to start all over with the deposit nonsense. I wish I could curl up in bed & have my afternoon siesta now......Zzzzzz....

Wake up.....

I used to be the first to answer the home telephone when it rang. When I got my handphone, most of my friends reached me there so I stopped doing the `Hello, Hello` stuff. It`s quite ironical but the home phone has a knack of ringing everytime my poor Dad takes a nap. People call at 3 in the afternoon on a sunday. Don`t these people have afternoon siestas ? Some jokers ( my bother`s loser friends ) even call at midnite & hold on for 20 rings or more. Sometimes I answer just to tell them off. It`s fun. I enjoy telling inconsiderate lame brain people off. Just don`t get enough opportunities. Haha.

Tick tock.....

I woke up early on Sunday morning as I was to visit a friend at Sunway hospital. My car was used by my parents so someone had offered a lift and the agreed time was 10 a..m. I hurried to finish some chores, shower, feed my dog, have breakfast & was ready by 9:50 a.m. I waited. And waited. And waited some more. At 10:40 a.m. she finally sms-ed saying that she`d be a lil` late. Eh ? From experience, most of my appointments with women ( 9/10 ) always end up with lotsa waiting about for me. 10 a.m. might just as well mean noon. A friend who used to be always on time has to swallow his emotions nowadays as his wife needs to brush her hair 100 times before leaving the house. He is always late now. I am horrendously punctual & abhor mixing around with folks who have no respect for other people`s time. As a result of her being 1 hour late un-announced, I was already sweating & sleepy when she arrived. The sun was blazing by then. If I had known that she`ll arrive so late, I would have just taken the cab or had a nice sleep. I just sighed to myself. People won`t change. We`ll just have to mix less with them....