The unfortunate events of Sandra’s life…

I was supposed to blog about this last week itself, but as usual i got bitten by the lazy bug and couldn’t care less…

Here goes…

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Last week was proved to be one of my craziest, most tiring, and most special week in my life (well not the whole week actually but just in between)…

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On monday, after work i went to Ikea with my sis and bro in law.. All of a sudden, Charlie called and asked if i wanted to meet this year’s Dutch Ambassadors. Thinking that i couldn’t make it, i declined his invitation.

Then i got home, changed to my singlet and shorts and started to do yoga. Charlie called again to check if i wanted to join them to Laundry. I agreed and quickly took my shower. I was then introduced to Robin and Guido (ehem ehem…). Outgoing Dutch lads, i must say. Very much different from Daan and Sake.

Talking bout which Sake was supposed to reach Malaysia by then. Guido called Sake and we found out that he’s on the way from LCCT to KL Sentral. We made him take a detour and meet us up at Laundry. It was good to meet Sake again after 9 months, i think.

He didn’t change much, still the same ol same ol… First thing he did was to give me this wonderful architectural & design book of Amsterdam with a message

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"Dear Hui Ping, A little book to motivate you to make it happen and come to Europe. Amsterdam is a wonderful city and I would gladly tour you along all these architectural places. SEE YOU IN AMSTERDAM"

Gosh i couldn’t wait!! Should really start saving NOW@!!#! haha…

On tuesday, I did not spend time with the boys as they needed their Dutch quality time together… Boys~~

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Wednesday, I took one day off a week earlier just to spend it with Sake. He told me to meet him up at KL Sentral and i was thinking bout the last time we were together, we went to those touristy places and decided to wear very VERY casually.

When we met he said "I think you might need to change later for our next itinerary. I never thought you will dress so casually as you’re always so elegent" yea right elegent.

We went into a cab and he directed the cab driver to a place with his taxi coupon. It’s a surprise, he told me. I was very excited as i did not have any surprises in my life… AT ALL…

We reached our destination TRADERS HOTEL. Ok… What are we supposed to do here, i was feeling very VERY underdressed already. We went into the lift and he pressed 36th floor ‘SPA and massage thingie’. I looked at him and said "OH MY GOD… NO…" I still couldn’t believe it…

To the reception we went and he made reservations one day earlier… THIS IS WAYYYY BEYOND MY WILDEST IMAGINATION!!! For the first time in my life i felt soooo pampered, so spoiled and so expat.. haha.. I love this indulgence thingie… ahh… I nearly cried… Overjoyed…

After the massage we went for brunch at the cafe. I was flipping through the menu and he told me not to eat too much as our next itinerary involves alot of food.. hmm… ok.. so i ordered a salad.. haha typical…

We took a cab and went back to my place for me to change. He chose a dress for me, and off we go… On the cab… Again… He directed to cab driver to CARCOSE SERI NEGARA.

Once again i  was speechless.. Carcosa Seri Negara for hi-tea… arghh~~~ i felt so Datin-ish for once.. haha…

Everything is SO proper and so british colonial style… I loved the food, the tea, the ambiance, the setting, the everything… I couldn’t thank Sake more for giving me this opportunity to experience somthing so different… We took a tour, both Carcosa and Seri Negara and decided to walk to KL Sentral, which was only 10 minutes away anyways…

We sat at Secret Recipe for a drink and then Robin and Guido decided to join us. We had our dinner there till KL sentral shuts down. Everyone wanted to watch a movie, except Sake for he was too tired to get involved in anything. We went to cineleisure to try our luck. If we couldn’t get tix, then we’ll just have drinks at Laundry.

We were in luck, got tickets for Disturbia which was quite an ok movie. Nothing great, just another typical American thriller. Ended the night at 3am and had to wake up early for work tomorrow. Lovely!!

On thursday, once again made arrangement to meet Sake before he leaves Malaysia for who knows how long. I met him up at 1utama after work and had dinner at Fridays. We had long talks about our lives, dirty secrets and it seems that we can share everything between us now, him telling me things that not everyone knows and vice versa.

I was glad that i told him ‘things’ and him being quite supportive. We had a long farewell all hugging and stuff (even though he didn’t really believed in goodbyes) and believed that we’ll meet soon…

It was a tuesday… Nothing really significant about this day…

Not that i hated this day, and not to say that i like it…

It’s just an ordinary day…

It was 10 past six and i needed to hurry to the bus stop, or else i’ll end up reaching home late…

Packed my stuff and ready to go then my colleagues stopped me to "join" them for a smoke…

I tell you this 2nd hand smoker thingie will kill me sooner than i thought… sigh~

Anyhow, it’s weird that after knowing i’ve a blackbelt they try very hard to provoke me wishing that i’ll show some actions etc…

Well, they gotta try harder for that…

Anyways, back to the story… They asked me to join them for a drink (it always ended up more than just a drink… haha~)

We went to what some of my colleagues called that place sanctuary… For me, it’s an old place full with uncles… SIGH~~~

Then, one of them decided to ask a senior manager of the company to tag along… (seriously i don’t really fancy her)

Well, after couple of drinks she seems really nice…

And we found out something about her..

She can tell things by just looking at your palm ( not really palm reading, not the lines stuff)…

It came to my turn and she started:

"You’ve alot of admirers… So, enjoy them!!"

She took both my hands and continued:

"You’ll be getting married after the age 32. And once you’re married, he’s the one"…

"You worry too much about everything. And you’re fickle minded, always cannot make up your mind".

My oh my… And i told my mom i’m not getting married…

Is this a good news or a bad one?

Hmmmm…

I truly agrees when she told me that i worried too much…

I worry about anything at all, and even not getting good sleep out of it… Why oh why~~~

And I AM fickle minded… That’s for sure…

The night ended quite early, and my colleague took me home…

During the ride home, he told me things about me….

Which is quite true, he’s been observing things about me…

The amazing part was how he told me about how i responded to guys, particularly getting interested and then giving the cold shoulders…

He even told me he honestly thinks that i’m gullible… What’s the real meaning behind it? I’m not quite sure…

hmmm….

There’s alot of thing going in and out of my head…

There’s more and more problems coming my way…

Guess that i’m running out of luck…

A wise man once said, the journey of learning or education is a neverending process, until the day we take our last breath.

Personally, i strongly agree with this. I’ve just went through my convocation, now, an official graduate, obtain my Honors Degree and now in the working force. I thought i’m done with college, tutorials, lectures, and not forgetting EXAMS…

I was so wrong when reality hit me that the real lecture/tutorial/exams are in the working world… There’s no pass or fail, distinction or whatsoever…

There’s only mistakes and how you make full use of it…

Mistakes, one thing that i cannot escape from… But i’m glad that i made SOME of them (well not practically proud) as they made me more efficient, effective, be a better employee and made me see more clearly of how things work out… More importantly, how i learn from them and how not to repeat it "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" (well not really sure if this can be applied here)…

Looking back, tutorials, lectures and exams are far more easier than what i’m facing everyday… But, i ain’t complaining as i’ve just passed my probation period, my boss decided to confirm my employment… He threw quite a number of compliments, some of it i knew that it was my strong points and not forgetting my minor weaknesses…

Well, what can i say?? I can foresee a bright future ahead~~

"Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education," Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s this time of the year.. again…

Chinese New Year..

What does it really mean or indicate…

Lots and lots of food? or maybe the thought of taking money without working?

1 week in hometown for Chinese New Year really made a big damage to myself…

I gained a few pounds… gosh how am I supposed to shed them off now… arghh…

Food’s everywhere… I think the pictures speaks louder than words… See for yourselves…

Of course there were more but… let’s not scare anyone..

It’s time to shed off the CNY fats!! argghhhhh~~~

As usual, I made my way to the office today…

Nothing special going on… Just that the workload and the papers on my desk is increasing…

Hmm.. Really need to clear up my desk…

I was on the computer typing, typing, and typing…

And suddenly my phone rang….

It was my collegemate…

I answered the phone and she told me… THE RESULT’S OUT!!!

OMG… I started to freak out.. I can’t stop thinking what would actually happen if I failed…

I started to think back the minor efforts that i’ve made and the so called preparations I had for the finals just more than a month ago…

Oh gosh.. I could’ve sworn that I was starting to sweat….

I tried clicking the Internet Explorer icon on the computer…

But nothing came up… Damn…. NOw i’ve to wait till i get home to check my results…

I somehow managed to let my work occupy my mind instead of keep thinking of THE RESULT…

After work, I went out for yamcha session with my colleagues and my boss…

And after that, my boss decided that he wanted to go to Digital Mall to hunt for a new phone.. Hmm…

Well, I just tagged along.. No harm done.. And i’ve wanted to see what digital mall is all about..

Well… Nothing special bout digital mall… And… No new phone for my boss… At least at that time… He was being too choosy…. Sigh~

When we were busy hunting for phones, Joanna called me… And shared her good news with me… She’s managed to pass the finals.. And i was like… GODDAMNIT im the only one left without knowing my results…

After digital mall i went out for dinner with my sis and brother in law…

And when i got home… I quickly turn on the pc… ANd… Internet explorer, here i come…

I typed http://mypride.help.edu.my …

Keyed in my ID and password…

Ok… It says that I’ve completed every subject.. But was it a pass or fail…

I click on the Subject Grade icon…

Loading… Loading… Loading… Loading..

ANddddddddddddddddddd……

It’s a PASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can’t stop myself from jumping, screaming, do whateverthing that’s possible at that time..

At that time, my colleagues ask me out for a drink… And i was too happy to reject… TIME TO CELEBRATE… YEAH!!!!

I reached for my phone… Telling anyone that i can possibly reach… To share this news…

I’M OFFICIALLY A DEGREE HOLDER!!!!!!

A word to the people still studying out there…

ENJOY WHILE YOU GUYS STILL CAN…. IT’S SOOOOOO MUCH EASIER BEING A STUDENT THAN TO WORK… trust me…

Well there’s this charity night last week called The Boogie Night organizes by Niro, attended by their workers, customers, distributors, dealers, etc. etc…

It was held at Soda Club, Hartamas.

At first it was all boring because everyone just stood there having drinks, mingle around with people that they know, yada yada yada…

But when the party started, boy was it an awesome one… My big bosses started dancing on the stage (well, by popular demand, of course…) and the people in NIRO are such sport!

There were lucky draws (well NIRO people are not entitled for those.. damn… i could’ve gotten a DVD player…)

Well there’s something in store for the NIRO-ians… 3 bottles of Black Label to be won…

The first bottle was won by a guy after answering 3 SIMPLE questions…

The second bottle… Oh gosh should i or should i not type this out… Ok… I’ll just briefly talk about it….

The condition to win the 2nd bottle is.. The first girl to get her bra/g-string to the DJ wins it…

Well, I won the 2nd bottle… And i shall not elaborate about it here… kinda embarassing when people start calling my name and the worse part was they had the spotlight on me… DAMN…

The 3rd bottle won by guy who can dance the sexiest…

Well… The group that i was in won 2 bottles… YAY!!!

It was worth it… Every single drop of the whisky…

The crowd got more and more happening… More and more fun… and we danced the night away….

It was THE place to be that night (although we had to work the next day… who gives a damn??)

10th January 2007

Today, i officially turned ** (censored by the censorship board… dunno why)…

I started receiving sms-es and call at 12am sharp… It kinda amazed and surprised me how so many people actually remembered…

I started the day with going for my thesis presentation at college… Everyone started wishing me etc etc… I was quite nervous because i did not do any preparation, except for the powerpoint slides.. When it’s my turn, I stumbled here and there, mumbled, went speechless and the list goes on… When it’s the turn of my supervisors to talk he told me somthing that really made my day… "It’s not even a matter for you to pass.. I’m not supposed to tell this, yet, but… You passed"… YAY!!! Then we started our little talk while i shutdown my friend’s laptop..

Celine, Joanna and I decided to go somewhere for lunch to sort of celebrate my birthday.. They suggested Mid Valley and I followed and I suggested that we have lunch at Finnegans…The food was great, the atmosphere even better and the price… priceless (not free, but worth it..)

After lunch, we went back home and to rest till we go out again at night… According to Salwa, Nescafe kickstart’s hosting a dance party at Plaza Damas (well being me, I just couldn’t resist the dance party thingie)…

So, Joanna and I left around 740 and reached there around 8..  When we finally reached there… Hmmm… It’s nothing that I expected… This is a sort of professional dance party thingie… Salsa, Rhumba, Chacha, etc etc… We get to see performances and I got interviewed (Nescafe kickstart starts airing on 3rd Feb every saturday, 7pm.. hahha)…

Celine, Joanna and I were so hungry (we haven’t had anything since lunch…) and decided to have dinner around Plaza Damas… The restaurant’s called Makansutra.. Food was not bad, a bit pricy… After dinner (the workers there started to clean the place up.. nak halau tapi tak boleh.. paham paham aje lah…) we then called it a night… went back home… I then went out yamcha with a friend… chit chat chit chat… Then too, have to go back home to get some rest… Have a long day tomorrow… sigh~

7th January 2007

My sister called me up and told me that we’re going out for lunch at a Japanese BBQ restaurant in Hartamas…

As usual, my mom, my 3 elder sisters, my brother in law, my future brother in law and not forgetting my cheeky naughty nephew were there… (too bad my dad, my younger brother and sister wasn’t there..)

My eldest sister was asking me to go to the nearest bakery with her to choose a cake and i was wondering what for… She told me it was for my early birthday celebration… Ahhhh… After soooooooooo many years of not celebrating… Finally… Being able to celebrate my birthday seems like a privelage to me… Sigh~

I ate and ate and ate and ate… I love the food there (as always, i LOVE to eat…) and i get to make a wish and eat my mango cake!!!!!!!! yeahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! The workers there started to sing birthday song and they gave me balloons (now i feel like i’m celebrating my 12th birthday… hmmm).. It was truly a perfect early birthday celebration for me.. and maybe the perfect way to start 2007…

I’m now stuffed… and somehow when i got back to my room, it’s as if reality hits me and i need to think of what more i can dispose and where am i going to live?

6th January 2007

I was all hyped up and excited about the Samsons concert that i was going to attend…

I kept on bugging my friend to not be late and told him to meet me at kl sentral around 7 (i told him the concert’s starting at 7.30 which was supposed to be 8.00… he just loved to be late for any occasion at all…)

We met at 7.00 walked around kl sentral till 7.30 then decided to go to the concert area…

The crowd was not too massive (which i’m grateful for) and people started to make their way there too…

About 8.05, the emcees started talking… and they presented the opening acts for the concert that night…

Opening act 1 : So fast

I don’t know who they were and i think they suck big time.. the lead singer was basically shouting instead of really singing… and the worse part is.. they get to perform 5 songs.. yes.. FIVE!!!

I was hoping that they’ll just buzz off and get on to the 2nd opening act.. but no… they just had to keep singing… bummer~~

Opening Act 2 : Gerhana Ska Cinta

Well i kind of like this band  (and i think their drummer is kinda cute too.. ahha)… i like the genre and the lead singer’s not bad… and the trumpet and saxophone… i just love ‘em…

They performed 3 songs but by popular demand, they had to perform 1 extra…

Opening Act 3 : OAG

Hmmm.. OAG’s lead singer’s a weirdo… Why? He just kept spinning and spinning and spinning while singing (maybe that’s how it helped him singing.. i dunno…) and he just drops to the floor and trying to do peace sign with his legs and saying "OAG used to stand for Only Asians are Genius but now it stands for Only Allah is God" (hmmm… i don’t think i should elaborate more on that…)

About 9.40, Samsons appeared and start singing…

I can really see the difference between Malaysian and Indonesian singers….

Malaysian singers tend to shout… To use force with their voices, but Indonesian singer… How should i put it in words… They sang softly, but their voice is so powerful and so graceful… I love Samsons more after watching them live…

I forgot what time it was when my friend and i hurried to the monorail station to get to Titiwangsa to watch the launching of Visit Malaysia 2007.. When we reached Titiwangsa station, we had to walk for approximately 20 minutes to get to Titiwangsa Lake, where the fun’s and where the world’s biggest ferris wheel’s showcased (it was truly breathtaking…)…

While making our ways to the lake, the fireworks display started… Although it was not my first time to see it right above my head… It still made me speechless and gave me a feeling that i can’t describe in words… The fireworks went on for approximately 15 minutes… Amazing, i shall say…

When we finally reached there, the crowd was massive… It seems like everyone in KL’s there… Malaysians can be so patriotic and supportive (or maybe it’s because of the free concert by the local singers, i dunno…)

It was truly a tiring but fun and exciting for me… So,

Go jalan jalan and cuti cuti Malaysia!!!!!

2007 did not really started that well for me…

A lot of misunfortunate events really did occured.. (why oh why….) and i was starting to believe that this is totally not a good year for me…

4th January 2007

I was basically starting to pack my stuffs (need to move out, but firstly have to find a room to rent first…)…

I grew frustrated knowing that i need to throw most of my things away and i have to leave this lovely room that i’m having.. The room that i painted oh-so-nicely and the room that i decorated so perfectly…

I turned on fly.fm and hey… They’re having the Samsons (an indonesian band which is one of my favourite..) thingie on.. The lucky caller number 5 will win 2 tickets to their concert this coming saturday…

Well i took my phone and tried my luck (i’ve tried calling the big bang breakfast show for months but failed miserably…)…

But this time… someone picked up my call…. hmmmm…

Me : "hello, flyfm?"

Dj (sorry i couldn’t remember who cos i was too excited) : hello… who’s this laaa…

Me : erm.. Sandra?

Dj : well hello Sandra… u called for the Samsons tickets right? so, if u’re the 5th caller through, u win 2 tickets to watch Samsons live in KL sentral this saturday…

Me : oh cooooooooool….

Dj : ok now…. you’re not caller no 1, not 2, not 3, and certainly not 6….

Me : pls tell me i’m caller no 5 (sekadar melayan si Dj suaranya best jugak…)

Dj : you’re caller no. fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffIVE!!!!

as usual i’ll shout like a mad cow (ok.. i don’t actually know if mad cows shout.. wth…)

wooohooooo!!! at last.. i won something from the radio.. hmm.. interesting….

what’s more is.. I GET TO SEE SAMSONS!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!

i’m soooooooo looking forward to tomorrow!!!

KENANGAN TERINDAH BERSAMA SAMSONS

06/01/2007

8.00PM

KL SENTRAL (Kawasan Lapangan)

p.s.: i do hope that this is the turning of my luck this year..