The Year 2013 is like a Rollercoaster!

Year 2013 whizzed past like a gust of wind and before I knew it, I'm now in 2014 which also indicates that I am turning 30 in a month's time. Gosh... how come the year passed by so quickly? The moment the first digit of your age turns to the next digit, it's pretty scary. It feels like a decade is a short time and I have finally leave my twenties behind and moving on to being a 30-year-old lady... more precisely a married woman.

I remembered when I was a teenager, I told my friends that the right age to get married is when one turns 28 years old. Well, there is no right age actually but the right one. So when I turned 28, I thought to myself "Maybe I ain't getting married after all!". That's when I bought a house so close to my parents' house that it is just merely 2 doors away thinking that I could still depend on my mom to clean and wash my clothes and cook my meals.

Things got better in 2013 and unexpectedly, I met a guy whom I never thought I would end up falling in love and now married to him! I never thought I would meet a guy who shared so many of my interests and we could talk and talk for ages. That whole dating, quitting my job, moving to another country and getting married process happened all in 12 months. It was indeed a rollercoaster of emotions and more importantly very crucial decisions made that changed my life. We met for the very first time in Singapore at a whisky tasting and then we started dating in London in January, we embarked on a romantic trip to Maldives in April, I quit my job and left for Belgium, we got engaged and then we got married last month on the 28th December 2013!!! How time flies when one is having fun!!!

A week in Naladhu, Maldives

But life is not a bed of roses. When you are single, you start to worry about not finding the other half that you can share your life with. Now that I found my soul mate, there are much bigger problems to deal with. I made the biggest decision to leave my job and declining a great job offer that pays me double of what I used to earn which I knew that it will lead me to lack of financial freedom. I also had to leave my new home behind, my family and my friends. I had to move to a country so far away that I barely understand the language. And finally I have to learn to live with my new family. All of that in the name of love. Some might think I am silly to do that but I believe if fate hands you a lemon, you can always make it into a lemonade. If I am capable, I can survive anywhere. And yes, I am surviving and leading a happy life. That is the reason I have been so lazy to blog... Only 55 posts in 2013. Shame on me!

We did so much in 2013. Ok, we didn't have to clock in to work but we do work on our own leisure. Luc traveled quite a bit with me last year not only for holidays but also for his whisky business. We did two of his "Glenfarclas 1968 My Tribute dinner" in Singapore and Taiwan which was really fun as I get to taste really fine whisky from Glenfarclas and we also went to Abu Dhabi, Maldives, Paris, London and Marbella in Spain for holiday. There is also the annual Lindores Whiskyfest at Hotel Bero in Oostende that is tiring but really fun to do and we took part in the Aston Martin rally in Belgium where I had to be Luc's co-driver. We had such an eventful year!

I'm now slowly but surely learning the trades of whisky. Whisky is after all an interest close to my heart and because of whisky, I found the love of my life. Recently I have taken the responsibility to help Luc to bring the Tomintoul 1968 Thosop Handwritten Label (previous post here) into the Malaysian whisky scene so that more people can be aware of the existence of independent bottlers. I will continue to introduce more independent whisky bottling into the country so that we can also enjoy some of the finest whisky casks like our European counterparts and our friends across the straits. 2014 will be a challenging year as I am about to introduce my own bottling into my country...

I'm all prepared for 2014 and I guess I will have to stop being lazy and start working on my project asap. But then again, reflecting the year 2013...

What a year!

A little obsessed with shoes perhaps?

I don't know why women love shoes but I know I am one of them! Long before I could afford better shoes for my discerning feet, I've always been fascinated with heels. I think my first pair of "heels" was a pair of platform shoes (those that are 4 inches in height and looked like an iron) but it was a rave when I was a teenager. It's like an insight to preparing yourself for heels!

 My first pair of expensive heels and then more...

When I first started working, earning a miserable salary doesn't help when you've got so many bills to pay. I can't even think of buying a pair of expensive heels. All I could afford was probably in a range of RM50 a pair. Then, in 2009 that's when I bought my first pair of branded heels. It was a pair of Nine West grey 3&1/2 inch-heel-sandal which I got for a steal at under RM200. After that, it was no looking back.

But I've also been wasting money buying ridiculous shoes like the 4-inch-heeled black pumps from Aldo which had a wooden heel that can probably kill a snatch thief if I were to throw this at him. It's nice to oggle at but it's killing my feet. Actually there are reasons why I splurged so much on pretty shoes.

1. It's a serious MOOD-BOOSTER. You feel good when your feet looks good! Did you know that when the neurotransmitter dopamine is released while trying these pretty shoes, it provides a feel-good high, similar to taking a drug! "The dopamine increases until you swipe your credit card." Tadaa... and for me, I just ignore the guilt that crept in after that. 

2. HEIGHT = POWER "Like most animals, we're wired to associate height with power," says Helen Fisher, PhD, professor of anthropology at Rutgers University. "High heels can literally raise your status because you're taller when you wear them." Hmm... I think it's a half-truth because people are intimidated by people who are taller but that doesn't mean I have better status.  

3. SEXY Why does women look more sexy in stilettos? Don't you feel that feet are always associated with sex and it's more erotic if someone turns up in really sexy stilettoes? Well, when a woman wears high-heels, it lifts her butts and arches her back. That contributes to a sexy poise.

Actually, I do envy people who are not-so-tall (politically correct) because they can wear 4-inch-heels and they don't look like giants. But when I wear a pair of 3-inch-heels, I am very tall and to make matters worse, my girlfriends would not want to stand beside me! And therefore, I have always been buying so many shoes but I rarely wear them. I was clearing my shoe cabinet today and I found that I have some shoes to give away and about 10 pairs to throw due to peeling and spoilt heels.

 

All these shoes are size 38(EU) or 7(US). Some of them I've worn a few times and some only once and the problem I had with these shoes is that it's a tad too small for my feet. One lesson learnt while buying shoes at cold temperatures - your feet tend to be a little smaller. I plan to give these all away and it ached my heart to part with them. And so if anyone who is interested to have them, you can always let me know and we'll see if we can find the right time to meet so that you can have these. 

See, I'm such a sucker for shoes! And I'm such a spendrift too for buying these shoes and not be able to fully utilise them. I think at this moment, I have 30 pairs? Probably one pair for each day of the month? Hehe... I am still longing for the day I own a pair of Louboutins!

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Orange, orange!

This is my new acquisition. In fact it's my first football jersey. I love the colours, and I also love Robin Van Persie. The funny thing is, the sizes in Europe are all so big and I need to buy it from kid's sizes. If you want to know how much is this jersey, it's actually 70 Euros. Oh well, there's always a first. And you'll know which team I support for Euro 2012.

Holland - het winnende team!! Robin Van Persie... Ik vind je leuk!!

Recently, I've also discovered how difficult it is to run on sand. Training at the beach is no easy feat as the sand adds to the friction when running. But it does feel better running at 10°C compared to running at 30°C on a beach in the morning. After almost 5km, I felt like I've lost my legs and my hands were freezing. It is an experience.

This year, I've signed up for a few runs. Coming up, I'll still be running 10km for Standard Chartered KL Marathon and Adidas King of The Road. Then I'll run 7km for NTV Feel Good Run and the ultimate is the debut 21km run in Nov for Penang Bridge Run. Therefore, I really need to run more during these few months to prepare myself. If I can overcome that, I'll run the Standard Chartered Singapore Half Marathon as well.

Wish me luck!

Rudeness

I know I've been rude not to update my blog for almost 2 weeks. It's not like I've gone into a hiatus but I was really busy flying around. And when I fly, I'll be lazy to blog. Last week, I was away for the whole 7 days and then this week I have Monday at home and then the rest of the week I'll be globe trotting.

There's another story I would love to share on rudeness.

Last week, I was in Singapore (again... I know...) and on the way to the airport to catch my flight back to KL, my gf and I got into this white Mercedes cab. My gf and I were happily chatting in the car about her attending her ex-bf's wedding dinner. She was just sharing about her experience attending that dinner and how weird and awkward it is when the parents of the guy doesn't recognise her anymore after she spotted a short haircut.

Then suddenly, this Uncle just interupted us (in Cantonese, because we were conversing in Cantonese thinking he wouldn't understand) and said "soh chu, soh chu" (literally translated as "stupid piggy"). We were stunned and then without permission, he continued his story and his "wise" advice to us. He told us that if we were to get a wedding invitation for any of our "ex-es" weddings, we should attend and dress to kill. "Make him regret that he dumped you or even if you dumped him". You should look at our reaction at that moment.

He went on telling us that he used to go after so many girls, even all the way to Perak. And we were like - "who cares?!!" Can you just shut up and don't interupt our conversation?

This is the thing about nosy cab drivers. I don't mind him joining the conversation but shouldn't he apologize for interupting? And what's with calling my gf a "soh chu?!!" That's so uncalled for and moreover his Cantonese is not very good but he told us he used to date a girl from Hong Kong. So?!!

That's the most irritating can driver I met in Singapore. But he was very helpful with my super heavy luggage. Sigh...

Celebrating Internation Women's Day 2012

I was waiting in queue to board flight MH 1447 departing from Langkawi. After having traveled hundred thousand of miles, I have formed my own traveling routine and it starts from the point I take a taxi to the airport. My usual practice is to try to be one of the very first passengers to board the plane, not being "kiasu" but for a reason. You know how limited English newspapers are on every flight and in order to secure a copy, I need to board early. This helps when you're a frequent flyer.

On some days, only NST are available but on that flight the very same day, I was delighted to find a stack of The Star on the newspaper tray. And it was through reading the paper, I got to know it was International Women's Day on March 8th. For that one hour flight, I managed to read about women and their inspiring stories and it tempted me to make my own list too. These 5 questions sound easy enough to answer but when you actually try to pen down your thoughts, it's actually quite tough.

• What makes you happy?

A piece of handcrafted chocolate made with 70% cocoa from Valrhona will make me happy. But what makes me really happy is being able to eat, live, work and be merry everyday.

• What is most important to you now?

Being independent. I realised that in this new age, there are still women out there being abused by their family or spouse. It's time for women to know their rights, realise their full potential, and to stand on their own two feet. Knowing that, what's most important to me now is to stay healthy, happy and work towards my goals in life.

• What was most important to you 10 years ago?

10 years ago, I think for almost every budding teenager in the part of the world I'm living now including myself is to get good grades. Not getting good grades means not getting into a good college and it'll be end of the world! I'm not exaggerating, it's true!!!

• What is on top of your bucket (wish) list?

Right now, I have 3 things on my mind - travel, travel & travel. If I have to kick the bucket tomorrow, I will want to fly to Maldives right now! It's one thing I couldn't get off my mind when I heard about their islands and saw the breathtaking pictures.

• I want...

to be able to realise my dreams (maybe winning a lottery helps), have a happy family and to work towards a better and greener Malaysia!

I will be sending this list to Star2 because for the next 10 days, they will be giving women readers a chance to say what makes them happy, what are their priorities and what they want. It's not a contest but if you're lucky, they will send you some goodies to make you happy. And I need something to make me happy now so I'm sending this over. Wish me luck!

The Water Dragon Year

It's been a year of ups and downs and finally the Rabbit hops off and here come the Water Dragon. I hope it'll be a wonderful year and not to mention the 3 vital things which are truly important in chinese culture - health, wealth and success. Therefore, to start the year with a bang, I've bought myself some lottery tickets, hoping to strike a pot of gold someday this year. LOL... (so far, I haven't even strike a dime but I will not give up!)

Dad was home for CNY from Qatar and we all missed him so dearly. It's a tradition at home that we had to serve him and mommy tea in order to get the ang pows. At the same time, we have to recite some meaningful Chinese New Year greetings and it's really a challenge. So sometimes, we ended up with crap messages like may the share market be bullish and may mommy never scold us so much this year. Heheh...

It's also a time of togetherness. We went to Pavilion KL on the 1st day of CNY because Dad has a biz appointment in the city. At the same time I went to the YTL Open House at JW Marriott and Dad's friend gave me the biggest ang pow ever - RM50. How often do you get so much from a stranger?

It's really disappointing to see the value of ang pows nowadays. 20 years ago, I get RM10 from relatives and then 20 years later, I am still getting the same amount. What happened to the cost of inflation? Even friends gave me RM10 nowadays which is a big increase from RM2 and RM5 you get from strangers a decade ago. And I can predict that the ang pow will be capped at RM10 for a long long time.

In financial point of view, house visiting for singles is a nett loss activity. You bring a gift that costs more than RM30 and you get a RM10 ang pow in return. Where's the ROI?!! The only way to get your ROI is to eat all the cookies and drink all the beer! I'm kidding. Afterall, CNY is all about giving and celebrating. Thus the ROI is not applicable. But you can always gamble and make back the money!

It's also a time to meet your childhood friends! I've been back in Ipoh for a few days and I managed to visit my dearest friend Jasmin whom I know since we were in MGS and then David who came to the restaurant on surprise and poked my shoulder. It's so good to meet up at least once a year to know that you've not been forgotten! Lol..



It's also the time of the year to put on some kilos! Gosh, I've been eating non stop from the 1st day of CNY to this day. There's so much to eat and I think I easily finish the whole tin of Kuih Kapit at my relatives' house. I think the amount of 100Plus I drank for these few days is more than what I drank in a year! Before we make our way back to KL, we had to stop by at Funny Mountain to taste the best Tau Fu Fa in the world! It's so yummy!!!

And that includes waking up at 8am to go to your parents' friend's house to see 3 dragons and 8 lions danced around the house.

The Lim family wishes you a very Happy Dragon Year!

NYE 2011: A time for reflection

It's the time of the year again, the very last day of 2011. And here I am sitting in front of my desktop at home, reflecting the things that had happened for the past 364 days. This very last day of the year, I woke up early to go to the wet market to get some meat and vegetables, had chee cheong fun for breakfast, washed all the clothes and bedsheets and now sending out New Year messages.

Yes, it does not sound very much like a happening person. I guess when one gets older (yes I'm another 1 year older in another month's time), the less one would party. If you were to count the days I went partying or clubbing, I could safely declare that the amount of our public holidays is more. Nowadays, I like to stay at home, have a good rest and keep up with the house chores especially when mom goes traveling. And since I travel almost 50% of the time, it's good to fully utilise the house whenever possible.

I can't believe 1 year passes by so quickly. The work life has been a mixture of good and difficult times but I'm sure I can handle the obstacles. It only makes me wiser and more determined to do better in 2012. My job has brought me places and new experiences which I could never imagined and I am truly blessed. What I've learnt this year - resilient & determination.

Traveling was abundance. This year alone, I've went globe trotting from asia to europe - Singapore, Bangkok, Manila, Sri Lanka, Brussels and Paris. On domestic holidays, I went to Langkawi, Cherating, Penang & Malacca. I've also started running this June and from there, I've participated 3 different runs of 10km - Standard Chartered KL, Putrajaya Night Run & Penang Bridge Run and my personal best record is 74mins. Next year, I plan to do at least 5 runs and hopefully I'll be able to move on from 10km to maybe a 14-16km run.

The essence of 2011 would be the friends I know. I've got a bunch of cool colleagues and I love their company. We work together, we do runs and trips together, and we play our favourite lunch time game of foosball together! Love life is improving. Sometimes things happened for a reason and it's when you least expect it. I do see a journey laden with road blocks but no one knows what will happen if you take the path less taken. I hope one day, I would be able to recite Robert Frost in confidence that I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

And to that, we'll end the year with no less than a glass in hand.

1 shot of Balbair,
1 mug of Beer,
Let's all Cheer,
To a Happy New Year.

The video with such a catchy tune that should end the year.

Happy 54th Birthday Malaysia!

As we celebrate today's 54th National Day, have we reflected upon what we have done right in the past that led us to achieving an independence, what we would have done now for a brighter future or what we can do in the near future to sustain the growing nation? I guess these questions do not seemed to important at all these days because all we cared was - wohoo.. It's a Public Holiday!



Oh well, we might be proud of our independence but did we really achieve an independence in terms of thoughts and actions? Look what happened today, look at the f*cking mainstream media, do you think we really achieve an independence? We were so dependant on the government to plan for the nation, we rely so much on subsidies and we believe so much lies. What's the truth? Anyone dared to speak a word?



We have no independence on thoughts. We were suppressed by the people whom are supposed to serve the nation and it's citizens, not realising that the slaves are actually us! The "People should not be afraid of their governments. The Government should be afraid of their people." - from the movie "V for Vendetta". The phrase remains as a dream...



So as we dreamt of a good holiday this week, think about the real meaning of independence.



Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Decoding your destiny

Many people do not know that I have an interest in metaphysics and knowing your destiny. Surprisingly, I have been religiously attending classes on decoding one's destiny for the past 2 months and have finally graduated from the course. The 1st reaction I got from people would be "wtf are you doing in that class?!!"

Well, I was very happy that I learnt something. Something about myself and more about people around me. All you need is interest and the birth date! Easy peasy...

This is more on studying the science of numerology. By applying only the birth date as the basic data, you can determine one's destiny and some significant information one one's personality, character abd future directions. It is the study if the symbolism of numbers which is attached to each person that determines his or her character, strengths and weaknesses. This science of numerology has its roots in the Chinese book called I-Ching dated 4000 years ago and it explores the sources of cosmic, eart and human energies. As we all know, destiny is fixed the day we are born but through knowing your own destiny, you'll be able to manipulate it to the way you want it to be!

And this course is taught by Master TP Wong who has been practicing Feng Shui for more than 20 years. I had fun attending the course as we have done many case studies on different birthdates where there is some calculation involved in the process and then one would need to study some basics on the Feng Shui to understand how it can help in enhancing our luck or strengths.

This study helps you to decode the symbolism of the numbers of your birthdate. From the day number to the year, and then it is read against the future years and you will know what to anticipate for each coming years. It helps me to understand myself better and best of all, I know who to avoid as Master Wong is able to show you a few birthdate combinations of a con man! For girls, it's really helpful.... haha...

The interesting part is that with the numbers, it can even decode what structures are at the vicinity of the place I stayed, what type of sickness that I'll be proned to and what capabilities I'm lacking to be successful. I did some calculation for my family members and they are all quite pleased with the results!

Destiny - can be manipulated, strenghtened and improved!

If you're really interested in the study of numerology and decoding your destiny, you can ask for more info at the following as they conduct weekend classes in English and Chinese. It's not going to be cheap but if you can afford and is interested, you can even make money in the future by helping others to understand their destiny.

Dynamic Destiny Group Sdn Bhd
No. E-5-22, 5th Floor, IOI Boulevard,
Jalan Kenari 5,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47170, Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: +603-80716068
email: enquiry@worldofdestiny.org

Down the Rabbit Hole in the Rabbit Year

I'm not much of a planner when it comes to writing and I usually do not plan what to write about in my blog like a magazine. People always ask me how the hell did I come up with a few posts a week and all I gave them was a "smile". On some days, ideas just flowed like a smooth stream but some days like today, the tap was dry! I did have in mind a couple of posts but I kinda feel that today is not the day to write about food nor alcohol. Probably I had too much to drink for the past few days and now I am a little phobic looking at the bottles. I shall leave them for another day.

Life is a like a messy bookshelf...
you might never get to read the same book twice.

-eiling-

Life had been pretty much chaotic in so many ways. Workload was getting heavy - the usual increase in targets and expectation every year is no surprise. This also translates to more traveling to have a closer monitoring of outlets to avoid out of stock situations. The chaos is some of these travels has to jive with my boss's schedule and if he had not given me his itinerary, I'll still be running like a headless chicken. By the time he confirm his plans, I might have to travel 3-4 countries back to back! No complains though as I still love to fly.

Have not been making much progress on the love life. I think it pretty much doesn't exist now with my new job. How am I going to start a relationship if I don't have time to meet new friends, spend time with each other, or dislike having to go through the hassle to inform the bf that I have to fly here today and there the next day?!! And just as when you think you could fall in love again, hope is taken away and dreams are washed away. Arrghhh... too chaotic already! Friends are embarking on a "Find-Eiling-a-Bf Campaign" and hopefully they can find me some dates!

My other chaos also includes financial concerns where you're trying your best not to spend above your means but the major problem now is that one of the new spending is to serve that house loan. It's going to start very soon and you might just see me eating the free crackers and drinking the free beverages from the office for lunch! Ok lah, this is very sarcastic already but I guess I do need to cut down on some expenses.

Aiyah so young already got so many problems. I wonder whether would life get any better than this?!! Actually I'm not pessimistic because with the "wonderful" government that we have, I'm sure days won't get any brighter than yesterday.

Wow... The tap is dry but managed to churn out 5 paragraphs of crap and a cool quote - not bad huh?!!

27th Birthday in Colombo

Can't remember if this is my first time celebrating my birthday in a foreign land but hell sure this is my first time having a birthday and Chinese New Year Eve reunion dinner away from home. The funniest thing is - I am in Colombo, a place that I wouldn't imagine I would be going in my life. There's a always a first for everything and surely being the fairest of them all here is an experience.

The people here are quite nice in general when it comes to the hotel staff and taxi/tuk-tuk drivers. The hotel staff are ever so helpful and always asking if I need them to help me snap some pictures. This is just awesome.

Before dinner, I went to check out the shopping scene in Colombo. Ok, for a start the only shopping centre here worth checking out is called Odel. It is dubbed as Sri Lanka's top fashion retailer and the one I went to was located at Alexandra Road. The shopping complex is actually a colonial residence turned into a retail shop and it certainly didn't take me more than an hour to finish browsing the store. It was very small and if I were to compare, it would probably take up the space of one floor of Isetan in KLCC? They sell some souvenirs from T-Shirts, magnets and keychains which are reasonably priced. So, you can cross out shopping as one of the activities in Colombo.

Tintagel Hotel

For my birthday/reunion dinner, I was brought to this place called Tintagel. It's a former residence of influential politicians and then the Lady President of Sri Lanka but now it's a private hotel with 10 rooms.

It's a very unique and tasteful hotel. I shall blog more about this place and the food in my coming posts. Right now I am going to have my lunch and head out to explore other places. It's funny to be celebrating CNY in a land where there is no Chinatown. haha...



On the 1st day of Chinese New Year, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy Chinese New Year. Wishing you lots of happiness, health and success in this year ahead. I am also looking forward to visiting the beach at Negombo tomorrow. What I missed this year is the "extortion of double ang pows" since my birthday also falls on the 1st day of CNY in the lunar calendar!

My Birthday wishlist...

Since my birthday is coming, I intend to sent out the most shameless wish list so that my family and friends would get the hints! However, some of my friends had already gave me some pressies earlier and they have escaped the list I'm posting today! How unfortunate...

I received a bottle of 27 year-old Single Malt whisky as my friends tend to get me a bottle of whisky that indicates my age every year! And then I also received a bottle of a 100-pointer Dom Perignon 1996 - woot! It was just ecstatic. I think my friends think I'm really an alcoholic! My girlfriends got me a manicure and pedicure which I have not been before. Can you imagine I have not had my nails done by a professional before?!!

see how happy I am....

Dad gave me a Samsung Galaxy S - bye bye Blackberry Curve. I'll need to explore the new Android phone and I will definitely miss the BBMs... actually I am tempted to keep the BB but I can't afford to have two lines with data plans! Mom gave me my favourite bottle of Christian Lacroix Cest la Vie perfume!

As for my sisters... hmm I have the perfect present suggestion - why don't you guys get me the Nike+ running sensors for my Nike+ shoes and this Nike+ band to track my running?!! I am trying to walk and jog for at least 3 times a week considering the much weight gain in these recent years. Yeah it took me 3 years to realise I'm fat!

Nike+ Sportband

Then I would also love to have some SK-II miracle water please because my stocks are finishing soon! Perhaps I should change to another brand since I am now very broke after the house purchase. Actually there is even a longer list but I should not go overboard and be thankful for everything that is given to me. The best present would of course still be the messages and birthday wishes I receive on my birthday. Who says the best things aren't free?!!

The ultimate birthday dream...

Ok... I'm really dreaming...

Don't worry, you still have 5 more days to fulfill my wish!
P/S: The most shameless post ever!

101 Whiskies to Try Before I Die

New Year resolutions are always meant to be broken. I've made so many and I couldn't even remember if I did manage to keep track of the developments. It's easy to make but it ain't easy to keep!

Therefore, this year I've decided that to hell with resolutions and just be the way I am. I just have to like myself for who I am and accept all weaknesses and strengths I possess. Sounds like a good idea right?




And one thing I could definitely try sticking to or die trying is to follow the 101 Whiskies to Try Before I Die book by Ian Buxton. This is a very practical book as it contains different expressions and bottles of whiskies that one should try for the taste-experience and price wise - it's something that mortals like us could afford. The book carries a number of single malts from Highland, Lowland, Speyside and Islay, blended whiskies, Japanese whiskies and also bourbon. It's indeed a fine mix of whiskies which would keep me busy for at least 3 years to come?



I have started drinking whisky about 3 years ago and I've obviously made a mark with a post-it note on each whisky on the book that I have tried. Till this date, I'm actually on my 47th bottle from the list. Not bad huh for a beginner like me? Assuming that I try 1 bottle a month, it would take me at least 4.5 years to complete the whole list and probably by then, some connoisseur would come up with a list of 199 whiskies to drink before you die of liver failure!

In just 2 months, starting from Dec 2010 up to yesterday, I have actually had my 41st, 42nd, 43rd, 44th, 45th, 46th & 47th bottle already. So that's 7 different bottles in 2 months! What a feat! The problem is, about half the list has whiskies that could not be bought here. You might have to make use of the network you have to get these bottles overseas.

Have some fun and drink moderately in 2011...

Or you could choose to live a healthy boring life by drinking orange juice...

Change is inevitable...

As time passes, I realised that things as well as human beings do change. Nothing is certain and not even your favourite chocolate muffin with melt in the mouth chocolate chips is permanent. It just cannot be done in the same consistency and quality you fell in love with at first bite and the muffin will never have the same amount of chocolate chips you have during the previous visit (that is if you bother to count them).

As superficial as it may seem, the person you fell in love with years ago may probably now be out of mind and out of sight today, well at least from my real experience. If you ask me, I would never have thought that this day would come but it sure did.

Just as when you think that there is a glimmer of hope that some things would never change, and that’s when you’re taken by surprise. That includes purchasing a bottle of your favourite Bovril because of the beef extract except that now it doesn’t have any beef in it. What if one day, someone told you that Bovril's makers have taken the beef out of the world's most famous beef drink?

Where have the beef gone?

The truth to be told is that the Bovril that you’re consuming now is not the same beef extract that you had in your porridge or toast years ago. The Bovril with the red signature bottle cap that you are buying today is actually made of yeast extract. Did you realise that?

It all started when there was a spread of Mad Cow disease in Britain. The prions (infectious agent composed of protein in a misfolded form) can't be destroyed even by exposing to high heat through cooking or boiling and thus the British Bovril is banned in other countries. And so Bovril has been vegetable based since 2004. Therefore, Bovril has turned out to be a Marmite!

When they switched to the new formula, Unilever says that extensive taste tests were conducted before they introduced it - 50% of people preferred the taste of the meat-free version, with 10% being unable to tell the difference. That means that 40% can tell the difference. I must admit that initially I didn't taste the difference, probably I'm not eating it often enough but recently I found the precious bottle of BEEF Bovril in Paris and I bought it.

It has to be the best purchase from Paris!

I tasted the two bottles side by side - 1 yeast-extract version and the other 1 a beef version. It does taste different. The one with beef has a slightly more salty and a strong robust taste of beef. I bought 3 bottles of this and I do hope I will not run out of it before I find where else I could get the beef version.

But then, in 2006, Unilever announced that the beef be put back into Bovril. However, the beef version is not available in Malaysia due to the strict restrictions by the government on non-halal meat products, and Malaysia is one of the biggest consumers of Bovril. Initially I bought Bovril because of the beef extract but knowing that it's an yeast-extract now, it doesn't matter if it's Marmite or Bovril. Afterall, there's no distinction between the two except for the branding that one favours. In this case, I think Marmite has won the battle.

So are you a Bovril or Marmite fan?

The year that was 2010...

Oh well, it's time for the obligatory post that reflect on the year that was 2010. Reading my past post on the year that was 2009, I felt that I've accomplished more than the year before, socially, emotionally and financially.

LOVE

I think whatever that happened a year ago made me a stronger person today. This year is really an eventful year for me. Although I was quite disturbed by the fact that I regretted making a decision to part with the one and only one I've loved for the past 5 years, it's been more than a year now and I think that I made the right choice. It's a decision that I would not look back again. It's true what they say, a poor quality wine will never be good even how long you try to age it. After all, I am ready to move on with my life and enjoying every bit of single dome.

So far this year I haven't been lucky enough to be under the cupid's arrow but I think good things would come my way soon. Love find you when you least expect it. However, I am kind of sceptical getting into a relationship again. Probably the past relationship made me wiser, it made me think with rationality rather than emotionally. I wouldn't want to waste time and energy in a relationship but rather to spend more time building my career so that I can submerge in my indulgences. If the right one comes along, it'll be good but if he doesn't, life still goes on. I think mom is quite worried about that...

WORK

Talking about the career, this year has indeed ended on a good note for me. I resigned from Fidani middle of this year without having to think of where I would want to go next. Who knows that the opportunity to work with one of the biggest chocolate brands in the world came knocking on my door. The best part was - it was an international travel retail position, which is something that I wanted to enter into. I was willing to sacrifice for the job because I was told that I had to be based in Singapore initially and the salary wasn't that attractive. However, in the end, I was allowed to stay back in the country and the salary was better than the previous company. Nothing beats doing a job everyday that is enjoying and satisfying.

DEBT

This is definitely a good debt. For the first time in my life, I actually signed a Sales & Purchase agreement for the biggest purchase ever in my life - a house. I am now officially a member of the property owners association. haha.... It's also the begining of a debt that I have to live with for the next 25 years once I start servicing the loan unless I hit a lottery jackpot. The funniest thing is that this house is just one door away from where I am living now so Mom can take care of my house also! For next year, I plan to be further in debt because I need to change my car... *sigh* I need an accountant to manage my finances! It looked like I'm living in budget deficit.

TRAVEL

There have been lots of traveling done this year. Early this year, I went to Siem Reap with my ex bf, surprisingly even after we have broken up in 2009. I've been going to Langkawi, Bangkok and Singapore on a routine. Recently, I have also just came back from a global meeting in London, then a visit to the office in Veghel, and spent some time in Amsterdam and also Paris. It was an experience to travel during winter with all the snow and blizzard that caused so much travel disruptions. Even the year has not ended, I have just confirmed my travel plans for Jan & Feb 2011. I know it's going to be a crazy year ahead!

COUNTRY

I am really getting tired of a year full of continuous petty politics by our politicians. The last GE has been 3 years ago but there were just too many bi-elections which results in the never ending campaigning. I think Malaysians are also tired from the perpetual political one-upmanship where politicians are mostly about individual agendas and petty partisan politics. This made me sick! So what if we are given a day of public holiday for winning a football match? What we want is stability and the continuous prosperity the country enjoys to ensure a better future for all citizens.

Well, I could go on and on until it's new year but I guess I would just stop right here because I need to get some house chores done before partying tonight. I will party from dusk till dawn and this is how I celebrate the year that was 2010.

Let's clank our glasses for 2011.
Cheers and Happy New Year!

A series of unfortunate events...

Scroll down for PART II


First it was news about my uncle (my father's brother in-law) demise due to being knocked over by a lorry while he was having an evening walk. At the same time, my aunt was having a surgery and wasn't told about her husband's death until 2 days later after she got out of the hospital. It's really a very pitiful situation.

Then, my mom and I made a trip back to Ipoh for the wake. As I was about to get into the car in front of my grandma's house, two guys on a motorbike ride towards my car and snatched my mom's handbag. Lucky she only suffered minor bruises and some trauma. I was lucky that they didn't go round the other side and rob me as well. It was already 8.40pm and there goes her bankcards and the money for the funeral which was close to RM900.

Immediately I called and stopped all the ATM and credit cards and then took her to a police station to make a report. This is where the nightmare begins. We walked into the police station and told the policeman on duty that night about the incident and he typed a report using a computer. He asked me to check the report and I found so many spelling and grammar mistakes in Malay but he said it was okay as it was just a draft. After that, he passed the report to his colleague and she wrote it out on a form with a template. She was so careless to leave out some of the items which I managed to point it out.

After that, he told me that I had to go to another police station to be interviewed by an inspector due to the fact that the case was involved in another zone and the online system is not working! Huh?!! I know that there is no way we can recover the bag because we failed to see the face and the number plate of the snatch thieves but I recognise the T-shirts they were wearing. He then told me if you don't want us to investigate, then all you need is to come and collect the report on Monday and you can go now. Oh well, being a Malaysian, we know this is the best choice as there is no way to catch these thieves, so I told him I'll just need a report and I know the investigation will go nowhere. The police officer told me that we could get the report printed in any police station by just giving the reference number.




So, today, I went to the police station in my area in Shah Alma and they said it cannot be printed because they do not have the computer system. And later, my mom went to the one in USJ8 and they showed her a blank screen. According to them, there is no record of her report! OMG how could this happen? She needed the report to apply for a new Identity Card and driving license. Then they attached her draft report with another police report and asked a receptionist there to sign. They told her that there will be no inspector signature on her report!

Honestly, I was shocked by this answer. How could the millions and billions spent on our police force resulted in so much of incompetencies and inconveniences that victims like my mom have to go through? It's bad enough to be a victim of snatch thieves and now the police are giving these victims a nightmare by just getting a report. We didn't even insist them to investigate on this case! Mom was shocked too and very disappointed.

If I were them, I could have asked the patrol cars to look out for two men on a motorbike wearing the t-shirts that I described to them earlier. However, he didn't make an effort to do anything! I was very angry with their lackadasical attitude towards combating crime. It seemed that the thieves are here to stay and we as citizens, have to accept the fact that we have to live in fear everyday and night until change has taken place.

It's time to exercise your voice and vote.


PART II

My mom told me this morning about her experience at a HUGE police station in USJ when she went there to collect her report. At the guard house, she has to register and the guard, took more than 5 minutes to write down the details and she said that he seemed to quite illiterate. She couldn't understand what took them so long to register a visitor to a police station?!!

And in the police station, she has to take a number to get her report. There were 2 police officers but only one was working. During intervals, they took the chance to walk out, go to toilet and chit chat. It took her a long time just to get her report although there's only a few there to be served. She was appalled by the quality of service and the efficiency of our police force. I told her this is nothing new!

My mom is a MALE?!!

The worst thing - she showed me her report today and it was stated that she is a MALE! OMG, how could they make such a mistake? She was there with me to make a report and how could the police officer think that any one of us could be a male?!! What a joke! Helooooo.... someone needs a knock in the head here or probably an eye surgery?!!

I think they like us victims going to the police station a few times just to get things right. Not only we lost our money, went through the trauma, now we have to suffer the lost of time and inconvenience. Just hearing what she told me has got me boiling. But what can we do as citizens? We are at their mercy and looking at the trend, nothing much is going to change!

Mom is back!

Mom is finally back from the land of football, bangers & mash and Big Ben. It's been quite a few months and I was forced into playing the role of mom while she is away. That includes paying bills (which my sisters and I took turns every month to pay), washing, cleaning, cooking and grocery shopping. It however also includes changing of light bulbs and also trying to fix the window that couldn't close.

Initially we wanted to hire a weekend cleaner to clean the house but eventually we decided to share the house chores ourselves. The cooking is usually done by me except when it comes to eating instant noodles! I must say that it's sometimes a headache thinking what to cook. And when you've decided what to cook, you found that you lacked a certain ingredient and thus have to go out to get it. What a bummer!

I managed pretty well. Have cooked a variety of dishes during this 6 months. However, I have a few favourites and I will cook them quite often like the ABC soup and the long beans omelette. hehe... Then, one weekend I decided to prepare a hot pot meal where I boiled the soup and prepare various seafood and also the pork slices for lunch. I can say that I like to cook and although I am no chef, the food is still edible and so far no sister has suffered diarrhea or severe stomach ache.

The morning where mom is coming back, I practically scrub the whole kitchen and the stoves. Now they are sparkly clean and mom is impressed! *wink* So happy she's back and now the daughter can take a rest! I'm passing back the house chores to her except one that is non-negotiable which is the toilet-washing. I could live with that.

Siu Ann turns 26!

I've been out of the partying scene for too long a time. Can't remember the last time I went to any clubs or bars in KL. Maybe old age starts kicking in early at 26 or I haven't been hanging out with the party animals! Can someone start my party engine running?

Anyways, it was indeed a surprise to get a call from Siu Ann to party (last seen on my blog here in Albion). She's my high school class mate from Ipoh. Together with 2 other mates, we formed the L sisters club (cos all our surnames start with a L) hehe... The occasion - her 26th birthday! Yeah I turned 26 months way ahead of her. Well it was surprising because people whom are attached seldom have friends celebrating their birthday with them on the day itself. Agree? Guess what? She's unattached now! Who wants her phone number, please apply through here.

The birthday ice cream sundae I got her...

And so she suggested we go to Luna Bar but unfortunately that night it was drizzling and all we did was to hang out at the Mezzanine floor. She came with 2 guys - so lucky! And they bought a bottle of Absolut Vodka. After I had my white wine (which I paid RM50 for it as cover charge), I had some of the vodka too. I was having it on the rocks and I think vodka itself was rather tasteless. But never mind, we were playing the "chai mui" and I had to drink quite a lot because I kept loosing! I'm really bad at it simply because it was my first time playing! My mind works rather slow...

And you know what, I wasn't drunk but the next day, I woke up with headache and feverish symptoms. I even had a sore throat to go with that. I suspected that the vodka is not exactly what I think it is... *you know what I mean* Next time, I'll prefer to stick to other vodkas like Grey Goose, 42Below and Wyborowa.

It spoils my day when I have a hangover!

Happy Burfday gal!
Self-professed hot Ipoh chicas...

Crocs Convert

Remember my previous post on my new Crocs? I love those sandals as they are really comfortable because I brought the Hanalei up to Langkawi for work and it lives up to the occasion! My job involves a lot of walking and sometimes I need to rearrange the stocks on the shelves and thus I would need to kneel down. With the wedges I just bought, they proved to be very useful and I don't need to sacrifice style for comfort.



Actually when I asked around, I found that there were quite a number of Crocs fan and even my girlfriends love the shoes. I was so fortunate that one day a friend asked me if I would like to attend the Grand Opening of a new Crocs boutique at Pavilion and I agreed without any hesitation. I even wore one of my new Crocs there!




Stephanie Chai was the MC of the day and she was spotted wearing a pair of new arrival Crocs! I also brought along Hoong and Gee as both of them love Crocs as well. Everyone was given a good look at the new arrivals and then starting with a speech from the MD of Crocs and followed by some photo taking session and fashion show.

We were asked to pose for the camera!

Then, it was time for trying out the shoes. Hoong was so undecided as to which pair to acquire and after hundreds of tries, she finally decided to get both. Good choice cos both designs looked great and she even wore the white one on the spot! Gee got a skin coloured wedge which is quite similar to my white pair of Havana.

See, I'm a keeper of goodie bags!

After that we adjourn to some shopping and I got myself a new pair of pants and 5 new lacey La Senza panties.. Then, we influenced Gee to switch her skincare to SKII and she ended up purchasing the starter kit which is just RM99. At around 1.30pm, we went to the Starbucks area for the Crocs event where you take a picture of the models and then show it to the staff at the Crocs boutique for a lucky draw. Well, we did! *kiasuness*

Then we returned to the Crocs boutique. We didn't manage to win a pair of Crocs but we did win some nice Crocs mugs and a RM30 voucher. In that goodie bag, there's some nice Crocs premiums such as keychain, umbrella, bag and vouchers.

I'm going to get this when it's available. This is the new collection.


I'm a Crocs convert. Anyone want the RM30 voucher?

What makes us proud...

I've been reading quite a number of posts about our Independence Day on 31st and I can't help but to be sarcastic about it. To me, Merdeka is just another Public Holiday (I nearly wrote pubic) and I'm not trying to be rude. After we have gained independence, what have we achieved today? Look at the government - what a mess! How about the people, the citizens, whose ancestors have worked so hard to achieve independence? We are moving backwards, poverty still looming and standards of living have not really improved. No wonder Singapore had to fight for their independence from us!

But you know, I do have some proud phrases to praise our country.

1. There's still places with FREE parking!
2. You get discounts for paying/not paying summons!
3. The government taxes you for owning credit cards!

See, we are indeed an unique country! Oh well, I'm not all that mean either. Actually on the eve of Merdeka, I was at a friend's house for a countdown party where we pop champagnes, drink wine and grilled some Kobe beef while waiting for the clock to strike midnight. When the time comes, we did a remake of Tunku Abdul Rahman shouting the word "Merdeka" with on high spirits (pun intended).

Everyone went home sober and safe.
*the Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial that I brought along was a big letdown :(*