What Have I Gotta Say...

2010-01-06T20:45:00.001+08:00

Surrogates
sur⋅ro⋅gate [sur-uh-geyt]
–noun
1. a person appointed to act for another; deputy.
2. (in some states) a judicial officer having jurisdiction over the probate of wills, the administration of estates, etc.
3. the deputy of an ecclesiastical judge, esp. of a bishop or a bishop's chancellor.
4. a substitute.
5. a surrogate mother.

I was reading the news online the other day and came across is article which talked about surrogates and how countries like India is offering hopes to childless couples a chance at parenthood.

The concept is pretty simple. You and your partner long to have a child (or two) but due to reasons you will never know, you can't have one. And for some, the absence of pitter-patter of little feet running around at home absolutely kills you. What more, some may even have to deal with the constant lectures from nosy relatives and friends who feel that you should "try harder" to have a child. Some may even suggest there could be "something wrong" with you. "Your biological clock is not gonna wait forever you know...", "You're getting older already, faster pop one out...", "I'm already having my third kid, when's yours coming?"

P/S: Don't you just want to tape their mouths up? :PpPpP

If you really want a kid, adoption is one of the many options available. But alas, some would feel that adopting a child that does not carry their mix of genes might prove to be too much for them. And then there's the question of what if the adopted child starts asking question about why does he/she look a little different from their parents. Or what if the child's biological parent/s suddenly decides to come back from some god forsaken place and demands for custody of the child.

Hence enter the surrogates. They are basically women, renting out their wombs to couples who want children, but can't have them. What caught my interest was how far some people would really go to, just to have kids. It seems countries like India, is fast becoming the land of surrogates. People from countries like USA, UK, Japan, Singapore, and even Malaysia, are flocking to India to look for willing surrogates.

... “fertility tourism” industry is offering hope to hordes of foreign childless couples due to its cheap treatments, lax regulations and willing surrogates...

It may be a relatively cheaper option for some, but it's really big money for these willing surrogates. In a way, it's actually helps people who can’t conceive or carry a pregnancy to term. You find a willing surrogate, an IVF is performed and the surrogate will carry the baby to full term. 9 months later, you have a baby in your arms.

If you ask me, I have mixed feeling about this. On one hand, yes the concept does help couples that really really want to extend their brood. On the other hand, what about the surrogates? True, they are willing to rent their wombs for a fee, but they're really doing it for the money. And even though they may not be carrying their own baby, I'm sure somehow or rather, they will develop some form of emotional attachment to the baby, right? And these willing surrogates in India, most of them are from really really poor backgrounds and this service is actually providing them an opportunity to make money. And since money is the drawing factor, does it still count as they were "willing" to provide such service in the first place? I guess in the end, it's a win-win situation for both... kua...

Maybe I'm questioning too much, heh! If you ask me whether or not I would opt for this surrogacy option, if ever I want a child... Right now my answer would be no. One, I don't exactly want a baby so badly until I would seek for such a service. Two, if it's fate we can't have a baby, then that's our fate and we accept that. Three, not having a baby is not going to kill nor render us useless in society. Four, a baby is just one of many things in life, we should not be so hung up about it and forget that life is also about so many other beautiful things.

Here are the links to read about the articles from The Star Online. Maybe you can also share with me your thoughts about the topic :)

India’s wombs for hire

Surrogate way to survive the hard times

2009-12-31T18:50:00.001+08:00

Happy 2010
Another year has yet again passed us by. As we look back to the year 2009, the trials and tribulations we have all gone through over the past 12 months, we now look forward to a brand new year with much anticipation.

2009 has been quite a good year for me so far. Despite some setbacks here and there, I think overall it's been a good year for me and hubby :) 2009 was also a year for me to do quite a bit of private thinking and focusing. I think I've grown a little wiser (hopefully! LOL) and have also learnt to better deal with people. I've also been given the chance to step into a new role in my job prospect, and it's something I hope to be able to prove to myself that I can be better.

The relationship between hubby and I is also growing stronger by the day, and I'm very very, extremely grateful and happy to have met and married a man which has been my core support in my life. The one man that I can truly count on and depend on. Probably the only man that can also tahan my mood swings, ROTFL!

Here's saying goodbye to 2009, and Hello 2010!

2009-12-29T19:13:00.002+08:00

Tortilla Pizza

I used tortilla wraps to make a pizza LOL! Wholemeal tortilla wraps to be exact. Put some cheddar cheese in between 2 tortilla pieces, sprinkle all your toppings and don't forget the mozzarella cheese :D Bake for approximately 20 mins and your meal is done! Your very own cheesey double crust pizza! Okay so maybe it's not exactly like the real thing from Domino's but hey, sometimes in cooking you gotta be inventive wot~

Here's to a Happy New Year and may the calorie count begin!..... NOT! ROTFL :P

2009-12-25T21:07:00.003+08:00

WIP @ Bangsar Shopping Complex
The company had its annual year-end dinner at WIP (Whipped Into Place, fka Work-In-Progress), Bangsar Shopping Complex.

1) Forgettable food.
2) Chaotic service.
3) Dessert rip-offs.

With that said, it is a suitable drinking hole for those who are looking for a place to hang out and have after dinner drinks. Oh, we also spotted the WTF 1 Nissan GTR there that night, hehe!

2009-12-23T18:17:00.000+08:00

Bak Kut Teh Halal
In the news today, JAKIM said that the term bak kut teh halal is inappropriate and cannot be deemed halal because it still carried an “illegal name” under Islamic law. Which means, even if the chef uses ingredients like chicken and vegetables, that dish still won't be recognised as a halal dish and won't be certified as halal. I'm guessing that the people in JAKIM is associating the words bak kut teh with our dear friend, the little piggy. After all, the origins of this famous dish did start with Mr Oinkers.

So, all the chefs in big name hotels wishing to introduce halal BKT, you guys cannot use the words "BKT Halal", because JAKIM says it's not halal and it is an illegal name. BKT is an illegal name. Illegal, geddit? Tak boleh guna perkataan "BKT halal". Even if your version of BKT is ayam, kambing, lembu or sayur. Tak boleh guna "BKT halal". Illegal, faham? Must use other names. Maybe call it "Sup Herba Daging"....

BAK-KUT-TEH = MEAT-BONE-TEA (direct translation). Me laiks my BKT~ Yumz

2009-12-21T10:50:00.003+08:00

A Brand New Day
Behind that smile, my heart skips a beat.
A sudden aching feeling descends.
Memories come flushing in.
And I'm reminded of their non-existent birthdays.

I try not to think of it.
Try to push it out of my mind and think of other things.
Flipping through the newspapers and watching the idiot box.
Hoping that the emo feeling will go away and leave me alone.

As I lay me down to sleep, I shed a tear and two.
The mind went off wondering, of things which were not meant to be.
I quickly pull the covers and bury my emotions deep.
And tell myself that all things happen for a reason.

My sensitivity is my weakness.
I want to take control. I am in control.
As I close my eyes to sleep, I force my brains to push all aside.
And wake up to a brand new day :)

Life has been good to us :)

2009-12-17T19:31:00.002+08:00

Betty's Midwest Kitchen @ Aman Suria, PJ
A new pork player in town, Betty's Midwest Kitchen. Serving you good pork at reasonable prices, this is one place to bring your family and friends and have a good meal :) Located in Aman Suria (the same row as 7-11, next to a hair salon called Sanfu. If you know where Kayu is, Betty's is at the other far end of the shop lot).

Can you feel the American here?

This picture caught my eye a lot :P

Prices are pretty reasonable here, and you have a pretty good variety of pork dishes to satisfy your palate. Pork ribs... Mmmmm...~~~~

Pork balls~

I tried one of the specialty, pork meat balls with mash potatoes and coleslaw. As everything is home-made, you can expect a certain level of food quality to be pretty alright. I liked the pork meat balls, they were flavourful with a tinge of coriander in the filling (I like!). The mash potatoes can with home-made mushroom sauce too. The meat balls were about the size of Ikea meat balls, and each serving has 10 meat balls. Probably enough for most ladies, but the men might find the serving a little bit small, particularly if you're a big eater. At RM 18.50, I thought the pricing for meat balls a tad on the high side.

Classical meatloaf.

The Classical meatloaf was something that had received pretty good reviews from some food blog I had checked out prior to eating at Betty's. Some of my colleagues ordered it, and I got to take a bite. The meatloaf was moist, and had bits of vege in it. Flavour was just nice too, although I preferred the meat balls more, heh! At RM 15, I think the pricing was quite ok for this one.

Dog food!

This is Dog Food. Really. That's the name of this dish LOL! The plate is really like a dog dish! It's basically fries baked with gravy and cheese. Guarantee you sure jelak after eating this :P

Pork chop in apple sauce.

If you're looking for a healthy pork option, perhaps this one would suit your taste buds. Pork chop with apple sauce. The pork is on the lean side, but don't underestimate the taste too, as the sauce is pretty "apple-ish" haha! I think this dish was about RM 20?

Boston butt (can't recall the full name LOL!)

This is another pork dish another colleague had. 2 slabs of meat drizzled in zangy sauce. This is pretty good too (I still like my meat balls HAHA!).

Apple crumble, fit for two!

Desserts vary from week to week I think. And this week's featured dessert was apple crumble. Pretty generous portion we might admit. 2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream over the apple crumble (betul-betul crumble). I was too full to eat this, hence I only had one little scoop of it. The overall taste was not bad, although a colleague said maybe they had used too much flour?

There was a burger dish as well, but I didn't take a picture of it, sorry! Overall the dining experience was pretty good, and everyone enjoyed the food a lot. We'll definitely be back to Betty's again. P/S: it's very hard to stay awake after such a heavy pork lunch LOL!

Betty's also has a Facebook page here. Give them a shot, they might just surprise you :)

2009-12-11T20:44:00.002+08:00

Keep The Faith

Life is almost always about faith. What is faith really? Is there good and bad faith? Or is faith merely something we humans conjure up to keep ourselves happy and sane?

Hubby and I have been through many experiences together. Many first times together. And this is another first time for the both of us yet again. We have faith in each other. Faith that will continue to hold us together and keep us together. And so when we embark on this new chapter together, it is faith that will be walking with us on this journey. There is no right or wrong. Just faith.

2009-12-10T15:44:00.002+08:00

KFC Opening in Centrepoint, Bdr Utama
We just got wind that KFC is opening an outlet right here in Centrepoint, Bdr Utama. Yes, that very same Kentucky Fried Chicken which you and I both love. The very same deep fried chicken with 11 herbs and spices. The good people at KFC have decided that Centrepoint is in dire lack of some good ol' fried chicken. And so that the good people working in Centrepoint won't be deprived of good fried chicken, they gave it some thoughts and said "Hey! Let's open an outlet right there!"

And so, the people working right here in Centrepoint, be prepared to welcome a new outlet (where the previous Dragon-i was located, at the new wing). I know Mr.Cheong is delirious with joy now that KFC is opening right downstairs :P It's practically his dream come true!

2009-12-06T20:28:00.002+08:00

Home Cooking~

Nothing beats home cooked food~~~ On a cold rainy season like the month of December, a nice piping hot ABC soup (mixed vegetable soup) warms the body and soul.

And if that's not enough, how about some salt baked chicken? The aromatic herbal gravy, coupled with a tinge of Chinese rice wine, absolutely teasing the taste buds.

And after a nice meal, what better way to spend the rest of the weekend than to chill out on the cosy sofa, cuddling your loved ones :)

2009-11-30T20:20:00.002+08:00

Random Updates
1) Just got wind that Kuala Pilah experienced 4 earthquakes today. Wahliao!

2) Been seeing the same old boring news about our colourful politicians. Bodoh.

3) Been busy with work late, working on some major jobs, some of which just irks me to the bone.

4) Catching up on some TV series which hubby downloaded to watch, harhar!

5) Looking forward to the short working weeks in December, w00t!

6) FIL will be in town some time this week for a short visit. Going to spend some time with the old man together with hubby, and bring him to eat some REAL TASTY BKT (unlike the ones served in Sg Petani LOL!)

7) Gonna miss some colleagues of mine :( Great people to be with. All the best to you guys!

8) Playing the GA/Mortal game in office. Some GAs have proven to be really really generous (oi, dun lah set so high standards!)

9) The year-end-sale is here! Time to do some shopping! Actually we did do some shopping recently, heh!

10) Need to break into my new heels, make the leather a little softer.

11) It's been raining so often, my clothes are taking longer to dry.

12) ... bla bla bla...

2009-11-21T20:02:00.000+08:00

Surprises On November 17th
Surprise #1 - Sunflowers

I was in the office on a usual Tuesday morning, when my colleague called my name aloud and pointed to the main door of the office. I turned to look and saw a nice aunty holding a bouquet of sunflowers. Turns out, hubby had arranged to have that lovely bouquet sent to my office :P I was very surprised of course. And moved as well, as he's usually not the type to give flowers because he thinks they're not of much value, harhar!

Surprise #2 - Phiten band

It was a Tuesday and I was preparing to go for my usual yoga class (yes, I went for yoga on my birthday LOL!). I was in the kitchen grabbing a quick snack when hubby surprised me with a small wrapped gift. I had to unwrap a few layers of papers to get to the gift. It was a Phiten X50 neck band, one which I had been thinking of getting :P

Surprise #3 - Birthday cake

Later that night, after my shower, I walked out to a dark hallway and hubby was standing in the hall with a cake and candle. As he sung the 'Happy Birthday' song, he accidentally blew out the candle ROTFLMAO!!! I laughed so hard..... :PpPpPpP "Wait wait, don't move! I go light the candle again!!!!" as hubby ran into the kitchen to light the candle again. We had cake for supper yumz!

Indeed a very memorable birthday~ Thank you dear, love you lots! *muacks* (ok, go puke your silly heads off now)

2009-11-19T22:09:00.002+08:00

Random Conversations
Via the mobile phone...

*ring ring*...

Oli: *stares at the unknown number*... "Hello?"

Guy: "Er hello! You ade order pizza ka?!"

Oli:... *blur*..."Takde order la..."

Guy: ... "Takde order ka? Errr.. okok..." *click*

Few minutes later... *ring ring*...

Oli: "Hello?"

APS: "Eh, it's me... Did the pizza guy called you just now?"

Oli: ... "How did you know?!"

APS: "Oh shit! I ordered pizza but forgot my own number. So I gave them your number. Shit now I have to call them back! Ok bye!"... *click*

Oli: .... OMGWTFBBQ!!!

Few minutes later... *ring ring*...

Oli: *stares at the unknown number*... "Hello?"

Guy: "Er hello! You ade order pizza ka?!"

Oli: -___________-"

2009-11-19T11:04:00.003+08:00

Tak Tau Malu
I discovered last night that a blogger had plagiarized one of my recent blog posting, the one on Ninja Joe. I also discovered that not only did she copied my blog, she also copied a whole paragraph from another blog here.

Tsk~ Betul-betul tak tau malu...

I promptly left a comment on her blog posting last night, and guess what? This morning when I checked, my comment was not approved. And she also edited her blog posting so that the sentence structure didn't resemble that of my blog post. MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Tau malu ye! Padan muka!

Girl, if you want to take content from another post, at least leave a credit somewhere. Did you think you can actually get away with a copy-paste job? Plus, anyone reading your blog can tell that part of the post is not written by you. Why do I say so? Two reasons:

1) I can recognise my own sentence structures.
2) When it comes to sentences written by you, it's full of grammatical errors, which clearly proves that you did a copy-paste job.

Your blog name suits you well, betul-betul bo-bo.

2009-11-18T10:21:00.004+08:00

R.I.P Veronica Ho

The late Veronica Ho.

Joint Managing Director & Dean of Studies, The One Academy. I got wind on Monday, from Facebook, that our Dean passed away on Sunday due to a battle with cancer (I'm still not able to ascertain what cancer just yet). You will be missed, Veronica. I remember hearing you speak to us many years ago. Full of spirit and gungho. It's sad that you had to leave us so soon. Rest in peace.

Namo amithaba~

2009-11-15T11:14:00.000+08:00

2012
Spoilers ahead, you have been warned.

According to the Mayan calendar, the world will come to an end on December 21st, 2012 (which happens to be the start of winter solstice as well). And in the movie, it's catastrophic apocalypse on a major scale. The earth will open up and swallow everything whole. The waves will pound the land and flood all the valleys. There's plenty of earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsumanis to follow. Everything gets topsy-turvy and everything you've learnt previously from Geography is no longer valid.

Go watch the movie, and decide for yourself whether or not the world will truly come to end in 2012.

2009-11-13T16:19:00.002+08:00

Ninja Joe @ Tropicana City Mall, PJ
Are you in the mood for some pork burgers? Look no further, for the pork burgers are now in your neighbourhood! Ninja Joe, the latest food joint to join the neighbourhood mall, is operated by my colleague and friend, TJ (and also his wife) and they offer pork burgers! We made a trip there today to give our friend some support and also checked out the place.

Gundam ♥ Ninja Joe.

Ninja Joe, as the name aptly says, is a small neighbourhood pork burger joint with a simple anime theme (hence the name, ninja). Located on the lower ground floor of the mall (the same floor Carrefour is located), opposite Focus Point, you can't possibly miss this wallpaper at Ninja Joe, it's Gundam! And how can anything get better than pork burgers, right? OM NOM NOM NOM~~~

Ninja Joe counter. It's cheaper if you buy 6 ninjas (burgers) as opposed to buying 1 ninja.

Welcome to Ninja Joe!

The happy taukeh and taukehsoh!

Ninja Joe logo. I like!

Ninja Joe offers burgers in 6 different flavours: Original, Oriental, Sweet & Sour, Teriyaki, Black Pepper and Spicy. We tried all the flavours, and every flavour is just nice :D Some of my colleagues preferred the black pepper and sweet & sour flavour more. The oriental and teriyaki is a little similar, as both sauces are sweet. The original flavour is, well, original (with no sauce), so you get the pure taste of the pork patty. I personally like the sweet & sour, black pepper and oriental flavours.

Teriyaki ninja.

The burgers are not very big, I can actually eat 2 burgers :P I believe most men can have 3 or 4 burgers in one sitting, no joke! The pork patty is moist and tasty, and the bun is not your regular Mcdonalds type of burger bun. It actually goes really well with the pork patty (good job, Teej!).

Shurikens! (RM 4.95)

For finger food, Ninja Joe offers Shurikens, which are basically pork nuggets with mashed potatoes. If you're wondering why the name "shuriken", it's because that's the weapon ninjas use to attack their enemies, hehehehehehe!!!

Mango & green tea ice-cream (RM 3.95).

For desserts, you have a choice of mango or green tea ice-cream, which are homemade. Don't under estimate the ice-cream, it may come in a small little tub, but it's actually quite filling. If you think 4 burgers can't fill your stomach, have an ice-cream and you'll be full after that.

Do check out the place and try their burgers. Oh, and if your name (in your NRIC) is Joe (or Josephine), you get RM 1.00 off the ninja meal ;)

P/S: No, I'm not getting commission for this post, this is really my personal opinion, harhar!

2009-11-12T18:55:00.001+08:00

Pizza Eating Competition

Flyer designed by our intern.

An internal competition at my workplace, LOL! The competition came about during one of the many lunches we had outside the office. Some of them started questioning how much they can really eat, and after a full circle, some decided "Hey, let's have a pizza eating contest!" Lo and behold, the idea has finally being realised... wOOt!

4 contenders. Plenty of double crust pizzas with beef pepperoni and cheese. Using the gold card, the orders were placed and so began the competition. Within the first 15 minutes, there was already a clear lead from one of the contenders. Slow and steady, he munched on his pizza, savouring every bite of it (or at least I think he savoured it!). One was pacing about while holding on to his share of pizza (possibly his strategy was to "exercise" while eating?), one was seated and steadily eating, and another was the underdog (macam arnab dan ~~penyu~~ kura-kura story).

In the end, the winner ate 11 slices of pizza in one sitting. His prize? Free leftover pizzas for the day! The other 3 losers split the cost of the many pizzas purchased for the competition.

Now they're thinking of having a KFC eating competition.... -_-"

2009-11-10T18:00:00.000+08:00

Guardian Liars
This stupid pharmacy is currently having a redemption for a soft toy, whereby for every RM 15 purchase, you're given a stamp. Collect 40 stamps and you can redeem a soft toy from the current range of Big Headz™.

I've been collecting the stamps myself when I make purchases from them, and some of my colleagues have also been giving me stamps. Now in the T&C, it only says "stamps". It doesn't specify the colour of the stamps. And I found out that certain outlets outlets issue different colour stamps (i.e: Solaris outlet issues green stamps).

So I went to the outlet which I normally patronize at work, which is just 2 floors down. I told the salesgirl I want to redeem my stamps for one of the soft toys. She took a look at the stamps and said the orange and green ones are not valid, because they're not the "Guardian" stamps. I took one look at her and said "Your T&C never stated the stamps have to be a specific colour". Obviously she couldn't handle me, and called her supervisor.

Again the jackass of a supervisor tried to argue with me, insisting that the green and orange stamps are not "their" stamps, hence they cannot be accepted. "Can't you see, the Guardian colour is blue?" pointing to the little blue icon on the card. I argued back:

1) Your T&C did not, I repeat, DID NOT specify the stamps have to be of a specific colour.
2) Your other outlets issued the stamps, which means they are valid.
3) You do not fucking pull a con job on ME.
4) You do not try to fucking lie to ME.

The jackass kena tiu-ed from me, and he fucking deserved it. And I hope the other customers there were in Guardian today heard the whole thing and realised that these bunch of fellas got caught with their pants down and still tried to get away with it.

Don't fucking mess with me.

2009-11-08T17:16:00.002+08:00

Unethical Travel Agent in SS 2 - Wins Vacation Services Sdn Bhd
My parents and a few of their friends had recently decided to take a tour package to Chiang Mai. being senior citizens, tour packages are always a better option for them as they don't exactly like to do research and plan their journey, harhar!

So one of the ladies walked into a travel agent in SS 2, Wins Vacation Services Sdn Bhd, and got some package details to share with the rest of the group. The group decided and paid a deposit first.

My dad MSNed me one fine day, telling me they had made arrangements to go to Chiang Mai for a holiday at the end of the month, and even told me their flight would depart at around 10am. Which was good for them cos that would mean they wouldn't have to wake up in the wee hours of the morning and rush to the airport. Couple of days later, my mum informed me that the travel agent had conned them, and now their flight was departing at 7.20am instead... Which means the group has to be at the airport at 5.20am. WTF?!

This was the scope I got from my parents: My parents had gone to the travel agent to pay the remaining sum of the tour package. Before making the payment, my mum clarified with the sales girl/clerk/whoever that was there attending to her, to ascertain the flight details once again. "So the flight is at 10am+, right?" to which the girl said yes.

The moment money was handed across the counter, the girl reached out and took another itinerary from under the desk, and informed my parents that the flight has now been changed to 7.20am, instead of the "agreed" 10am. My parents were of course, taken aback and questioned the girl. The girl insisted that the flight will now depart at 7.20am, and not at 10am.

Talk about a fast con job. Fucking agents pulled a really fast on here, and I'm pissed.

My parents are now going around telling all their friends about unethical travel agent. I also did some research and found out this agent is a member of MATTA. I advised my parents to lodge a formal complaint, we shouldn't let such unscrupulous agents get away with such ease.

Stay away from this travel agent. Here are their MATTA details:

COMPANY INFO
Member No. : MA2404
Status : Active
Address : No 41M, Jalan SS2/64, 47300 Petaling Jaya Malaysia
General Telephone Line : Not available
Telephone No. : (603) 7875 4168 / 6168 / 9168
Fax No : (603) 7875 5168
Company Email : winsvac@hotmail.com
Website : http://www.winstravel.com.my/

Contact Person : Mr. Lim Chan Hong (Director)
Email :Not available
HP No. : Not available
Official Representative : Not available
Alternate Representative : Not available

MATTA INFO
MOCAT KKKP No : 4563
Nature of Business : Inbound, Outbound, Ticketing
Bumi Status : Non-Bumiputera

2009-11-05T21:50:00.003+08:00

Emo-ness
It's been a little over a year since the 2nd time. Yet on days like this I still feel the pain. I feel hurt. It's as though I've been treated unfairly for reasons I will never know. I don't like it at all.

They say time will heal all wounds. I still need more time. I failed to see the beauty it in already. Or maybe I just don't want to see it altogether. Not right now. I don't place importance on things that don't exist. It was never in the equation in the first place. In the modern age now, it's not a mandatory requirement anyway. Just an optional check-box in my books.

I hate days when I feel emo. Bleh~

2009-11-02T19:53:00.000+08:00

Sudah Potong?
The recent P1 Wimax "Potong" ad has caused a little furore in some womens' group. The groups have voiced out against the ad, saying it's rude, distasteful, degrading and contains sexual innuendos. Some also added that the very word "potong", which means "cut" in English, is bad for all ladies to listen.

If you haven't already seen the ad, watch the YouTube video links below to get the better idea of the ad:

Cantonese version

BM version

This is my take on the ad: When I first saw it, I LOLed. Really. I knew what the key message was. P1 is asking consumers to "cut" their existing contract with their ISP, and switch over to them. The message was delivered in a different way. Rather that be straight upfront, as in, just tell consumers to switch ISP, the dialogue was written in a different manner. It probably made people "think" that "potong/to cut" = "circumsize".

Now, I want to pose this question to those that are against this ad. What are you guys actually so mad at? The very words "potong" and "cut"? We use these 2 words a lot in our daily conversations bah. Also, there's ice-cream "potong". So does that mean we have to ban this ice-cream now? What about the Quickcut hair salon service, which offers a quick 15-minute hair cut? Should we ban them too? And what about Streamyx's counter-attack on the very same P1 WImax radio ad? A whole lot of "potong" and "cut" there too. Maybe we should ban them as well.

The ad did a good job in delivering its message. It can't be held responsible should you choose to think "senget".

2009-11-01T16:40:00.000+08:00

Obnoxious-ness
If you're familiar with Ikano, there's a shoe and luggage repair shop at the lower ground floor. Hubby and I made our way there this morning, because one of the handles on our luggage bag needed repair, and one of my favourite pair of heels is also in need of repair. Mind you, this pair of heels has been with me for a good 3-4 years and have seen better days, but I love it because it's so easy to pair it with any outfit and it's comfortable :)

As we walked into the shop, we noticed a stack of luggage bags in front already, all tied up. I also noticed several boxes of Salvatore Ferragamo shoe boxes all piled up just behind the counter. On the right were some more shoe boxes, mostly couture labels. The aunty who was manning the counter was busy talking to one of her staff, noticed us waiting to speak with her and gave us a clear nod to approach her.

I took out my heels from the shoe box and showed it to her, and asked if they can repair it (one of the heel straps had come off from the underside). "Can repair..." she said in Cantonese. "But first I wanna ask you... How do you wear your shoe har?! Why wear until here faded wan?!? Why does the tip have dents on it?!"

... I was clearly in shocked and didn't know how to reply her. Like, all I asked was if they can repair the shoe. And she started questioning me how I wear my shoes! She was lecturing me like a mother would lecture her son for not scoring straight As in his examination. My shoes were freaking 3 years old wei! Any good fabric would fade in colour over time, and sometimes you will knock into steps and pebbles bah. You don't expect a shoe to still be in tip top shape after constant usage, do you?!?

She proceeded to hard-sell (and I really mean HARD-SELL) the anti-slip fabrics. Telling me and hubby that they're the only ones that use gwailo (imported) materials, while others use cheap stuff. She even took out all the various anti-slips just to "educate" us about it. She even grabbed one of the shoe boxes (which so happen, was a pair of Moschino heels) and told us "See? This client wants to put anti-slip, and we will pair it with the leather anti-slip, cos she wants more expensive material.."

She went on and on and on (I seriously detest aunties like this, damn annoying giler) lecturing and hard-selling even more when hubby showed her our luggage bag. "Oh, you see this frame ah, it's wood! That's why so tahan! Nowadays luggage bags all cheap plastic! All spoil easily! Yours still good cos the frame is wood!"

In the end, we "thanked" her for her "consultancy" and said we'll think about her quotation to repair both the bag and heels. MCH, all we wanted to know was:

1) Do you do such repair?
2) How much?

If she had spoke to use nicely, perhaps I would've considered getting my heels repaired there. But fuck! I certainly didn't expect to get a full blown lecture. Moreover, the cost to repair both the items were even MORE than the actual cost of the bag and shoes! Ya lah, you go repair all your Fei-Lat-Gai-Mou (Ferragamo in China-beng slang) and Gucci lah!

2009-10-29T18:51:00.000+08:00

Of Credit Cards & Even More Taxes
Recently during the announcement of the Budget 2010, the gomen announced that for every credit card the rakyat owns, they now have to pay the gomen tax for it.

Yes. Tax. For each of the credit card you own.

Their reasoning was to promote more prudent spending among the rakyat, which in return will result in less bad debts. So, in order to protect the rakyat from going bankrupt because of credit card debts, better the rakyat give some of it to the gomen too, hor? After all, the rakyat is already paying income tax every year, paying to use the highway everyday, paying excise duties for the cars they buy, paying gomen tax for the food they eat etc. What's a little more tax, right?

So for each principle card you own, your tax is RM 50. For each supplementary card you own, your tax is RM 25.

I'll bet you, lotsa people are gonna start canceling their credit cards, especially those that hold multiple cards. Imagine someone holding 8 principle credit cards. He/she will have to pay RM 450 annually to the gomen.

Hubby and I own cards from 2 banks. We normally use just one bank, the other acts as a back-up. With this recent announcement, we're looking to cancel one of the cards liao. We're so not gonna fucking pay the gomen extra tax. Cis bedebah!

2009-10-27T18:55:00.000+08:00

Alexis @ The Gardens, MidValley (sucketh)
The boss took the whole department for lunch recently, and the location was Alexis @ The Gardens, MidValley. Here's a snippet of some of the food we ordered and what we experienced...

From left (clockwise): Alexis menu, Interior, Chicken-sumthing, tiramisu with cognac, nasi lemak, fish & chips, baked seafood pasta & wagyu beef cheeks.

I won't go back to Alexis, at least not The Gardens outlet. Here's why:

1) Upon entering the premise, my colleague and I informed the waiter standing outside that we had reservations under the company name. He casually waved his hand to the wall, just to indicate our table was somewhere there.

2) The waiter that was serving our table had a face as though he hasn't been getting any bedroom action in months.

3) That same waiter acted really lansi (snobbish) to my colleague when my colleague pointed that he got his order wrong... "You ordered ice coffee, I gave you ice coffee..." WTF!

4) A colleague who arrived late was patiently waiting for her food, just to see it go to another colleague who had already eaten. The waiter with the stone face was not smart enough to see all the empty plates and bowls on the table in front of us.

5) My boss spotted some weird fabric in his glass just as he gulped down his coffee. He informed the waiter with a stone face, to which he apologized and offered to replace the drink, but my boss decided that he had enough.

6) Food was ok only lah. I thought my wagyu was a tad too salty. And the attitude of the waiters were as though they fucking own that shit hole and everyone patronizing the restaurant owed them the freaking universe.

7) Alexis @ The Gardens, your waiters sucketh.