From Indonesia with love - Day 1, Part 1

Continuation from Night 1 here.



Since we were too tired to do anything last night we just went to sleep (except the lone wanderer from the previous post) with promises of an early start the next morning. I got woken up around 4.00am by the sound of the call to prayers from a nearby mosque - we discovered the next morning that we were actually staying next to the Mesjid Raya! (Btw, the walls were so thin that we could conduct a conversation with our tripmates whilst in our respective rooms in pretty normal tones! I dunwanna think about *other* types of noises, thankfully we didn't hear any. LOL.) Oh, and there's a small graveyard right next to the masjid. I guess it was quite provident that we didn't see it when we arrived in the middle of the night. Haha.



Looking out the corridor window (we were on the 3rd floor) gives you this view of Medan town. Looks a bit like our new village areas (think Kampung Baru), does it not? If my memory serves me right, the taller pink building in the distance is the Yuki Shopping Mall, which reminds me of your friendly neighborhood mall like, say, Pearl Point Shopping Mall in Old Klang Road. In the early morning (and also probably because it was a public holiday - Awal Muharram) Medan is quiet and cool. People wake up later and are not out and about, so you are spared the incessant honking of passing traffic and the dust. We were hungry for breakfast, so we wandered out in search of food and ended up eating at this uniquely named place...



Can you read the banner? It's called NASTY Cafe. LOLOL! I wonder if the owners know the meaning of the word nasty? Yup, we ate here. Didn't really have any other option since no one else was open at that hour - 7.30am. And we did walk quite a fair bit along the road along the way...



My Ifo Mie Goreng breakfast. Basically it's just mee goreng la. Not bad, but a tad too spicy for my tastebuds that early in the morning. Actually, we ate a lot of nasi and mee goreng throughout the entire trip - breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not too adventurous people, eh? Too afraid of getting tummy upsets. Haha. I found it interesting that they were showing Japanese cartoons dubbed into Bahasa Indonesia on the local channels, just like our local channels back home.



This is the outside of the so-called "hotel" we stayed at. The Residence Hotel. It's part of a row of shophouses, so there are no windows on the side, only at the front and at the back. Outside appearances are deceiving... haha.



As is the hotel lobby with chandelier... We spent way too much time here. Tried to arrange for private transport to Parapat (a town on the shores of Lake Toba) and got given the shuffle-around. Wait, promise coming soon, wait some more, still no transport, complain, promise coming soon, wait some more... you get the drift. Eventually we found another tour agency that gave us a guaranteed vehicle departing at 12.30pm. See the Toyota Unser parked outside the hotel in the picture below? It seems to be a favorite vehicle of choice for Indonesians. I think over 40% of private vehicles were Unsers!



Walked over to Yuki Shopping Mall and hung out there for a bit (comparing grocery prices. LOL) then went wandering around Medan town looking for other shopping malls but I think we were in the wrong part of town. We later found out on our return trip on Saturday / Sunday that the malls were on the other side of town - the newer part. There was this cute road full of tailors' shops but alas! I didn't dare to whip out my camera for a shot of that street, so you'll just have to imagine it. Heh.



As we meandered along, we came across this railway track smack in the middle of the road in between shophouses. So quaint and picturesque! (Excuse the bits of rubbish at the bottom of the picture please. *grin*) Even saw a train packed with human bodies rumble past, but I was too lazy slow to take out my cam for a pic. Lawl. Also didn't want to get branded / marked as a tourist la.



This is my nasi dengan sayur dan ayam lunch. I actually thought that it was going to be 'goreng-ed' but I was mistaken. Haha. It was not as nice as breakfast, but I was hungry by then so I didn't mind.



Oh, and this place where we had our lunch cheated us. If you're ever in Medan, don't patronize them. They got our order wrong, then told us we should take it because "sudah buka" i.e. it's already opened. And then they charged us more for it! Bleh.

That's it for Day 1, Part 1. I'll be doing Day 1, Part 2 next!

Those looking for more private photos *ahem* (like those with my face in it) should go to my Facebook. There are lots there. LOL.

From Indonesia with love - Night 1

I know a long long time ago (like over 1 month back) I promised pictures from my holiday in Medan & Lake Toba so here they are! (The more interesting sights, that is, together with personalized story snippets. Heh.) There were a lot of photos to look at and sort out (I alone snapped like 800+ pix plus my tripmates pix = over 2,000 pix!) and these are the ones that made the cut. Hmm... I think I'll do a Misha and post many parts of my travel trip. *grin*

Onward ho!



Asian Food Court (AFC) in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT). Compared to Medan's Polonia Airport, I kinda prefer the LCCT. It was much more spacious and well-lit. And rather clean too! LOL. But still not enough space for the hordes of people swarming all over.



My nasi ayam dinner. Not very nice ohhhh. I think I got suckered by the nice looking photos into ordering it. Ahahaha. Plus I waited for over five minutes for the slow kitchen to dish it out. And, uh, I saw houseflies buzzing about. Yeah. *grin*



Inside the waiting hall. I like the fact that the LCCT has free WiFi service which helped me while away the waiting time. (The AirAsia flight got delayed. Grrrrrrr.) In hindsight, it wasn't such a smart thing to use up the battery juice of my N80 because I later found out that Indonesia power points are different from Malaysia so my charger did not work! (More about that in a later post.) See the television in the picture on the right? One thing I didn't like was why did the televisions there have to be tuned on to our national channels? I'm not a big fan of TV1, TV2 and TV3 (nothing good to watch. LOL). Give me NTV7, 8TV and Channel 9 anyday.



Raindrops on the plane's window. It was drizzling as we took off. I dunno why but some people I showed the pictures to thought I took a picture of the toilet bowl! -_-" It was my first night flight (actually, first flight ever anywhere) and also first time experiencing some air turbulence. Very exciting. LOL. I dunno how some people slept through it. (Or maybe they were experienced travelers so no more feel? *grin*)



Hello Medan Immigration! Compared to LCCT it seems very uh, backwards small. But it didn't take us long to pass thru. Right after we exited Immigration and out into the open, we were surrounded with dozens of taxi drivers all competing for our business. A bit scary considering the fact that it was close to midnight and there were no outdoor lights! (Airport management want to cut costs ah?) Luckily, we found a nice taxi driver uncle who showed us the official taxi booth, which had a nicely displayed price list to all the hotels / guesthouses in Medan. So we didn't feel suckered into paying more than the local rates. Yay!



After a long flight, all you want is to get to your hotel and put your feet up. Uhm, this is what greeted us. Yaloh, who ask us to be so kiamsiap and not want to pay more than backpacker rates? (If you really must know, we only paid RM 14.00 per room, per night - which worked out to RM 7 per person, twin-sharing basis. LOL) I'd show you the toilet, but that would scare you even more. *evil grin* We all didn't dare to say it then, but we were quite depressed at the sight of the so-called hotel room and I'm sure we had second (and also third, and fourth, and fifth) thoughts about the whole trip!

Since we arrived close to midnight (no thanks to the flight delay), we were in no mood to do anything more and turned in for the night. Except for one of my tripmates who went a gallivanting in the streets at 2.00am looking for cable television because Man Utd were playing a match that morning. (He failed to locate a television with international coverage. Haha.)

Next up, Day 1!

Those looking for more private photos *ahem* (like those with my face in it) should go to my Facebook. There are lots there. LOL.

The Forbidden Kingdom

Yup, checked off the list of movies I intend to watch this year. Yeah!

You should watch The Forbidden Kingdom if :
a) You are a Jet Li fan;
b) You are a Jackie Chan fan;
c) You like kungfu movies (in particular American ones); or
d) You can name all the different kungfu styles when you see them.

I fall into three categories out of the four above. Go guess which one I'm not. LOL.

Image credits

I went into the cinema hall with no expectations, preferring instead to be surprised and surprised I was! It's not your typical kungfu kungfu movie, it's more like a mixture of epic movie feel meets silly kungfu slapstick meets American style B grade cult movie. Before you start rolling your eyes and thinking that it's a bad combo, rest assured it's not. Otherwise how could it be a top grossing movie in the US? Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon it definitely is not. Maybe more Kung Pow. Hahaha.

Image credits

Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say that there's quite a bit of fighting going on. Jet Li vs baddie. Jackie Chan vs baddies. Jackie Chan vs Jet Li. The best part was when they started "showing off" their different kungfu styles... I just wish the one on one fight scenes lasted longer. I really need to get me the DVD when it comes out so that I can replay the fight scenes in slow-mo. Heh.

Image credits

I must say that China has this never-ending supply of pretty young actresses. *grin* Liu Yifei has this sweet, unassuming innocence and it's no wonder why she was chosen to be Xiaolongnu in a China version of the Condor Heroes. I can only wish I looked like her! Now I wonder if I can find a bootleg copy of this series from Uncle Ho?

Anyway, the verdict on The Forbidden Kingdom is two thumbs up from me and you should go watch it! You'll get a good laugh out of it. Just don't go with any preconceived notions about what the movie is about.

Other must see movies :
~ The Other Boleyn Girl
~ Definitely Maybe
~ Dance of the Dragon

Chiling Falls Expedition

It was a dark (and rainy) Saturday morning when rinnah popped out of bed for her long awaited trip to Chiling Falls. (Call me unimaginative if you must, but I was greatly taken with the idea of this trip since reading about it here. Heh. The persuasive powers of bloggers, yea?) Somehow or other, it must always be a rainy day whenever I plan any outdoor activities. (My paintball session also had a rainy Saturday morning.) Anyway, I wasn't going to let a little drizzle cheat me out of this trip, which had been planned for even before I went to Medan & Lake Toba last month (of which pictures are soon to follow! There are just too many of them to sort and photoshop - over 2,000+ pix *faint*) so I forged ahead, cheerfully preparing and leaving the house to reach the meeting point - Rawang KTM station - by 8.00am. (My earlier rant-y post refers.) Anyway, on with the trip notes.


Spy the yellow brick road bridge?

Chiling Falls is located in the vicinity of Kuala Kubu Baru, roughly 45km from Rawang town. To get there, just follow the trunk road signs heading to Ipoh / Kuala Kubu Baru, then take the road leading to Fraser's Hill (a turning to the right) once you've reached Kuala Kubu Baru. You will pass by the Selangor Dam along the way, offering scenic views and also a place to stop for photograpy (which we couldn't do that day as the group I was with are no photo lovers). The entrance to the Chiling Falls trail is just after you cross a small yellow bridge (refer pic above), there is an open space for parking vehicles about 50m further up on your left. I believe that it's quite safe to park your vehicles there (there isn't any "official" parking space) because there was a number of cars parked besides our convoy of 5 cars.


Entrance to Chiling Falls trail


Operating hours and guidelines


The start of the trail

Take the trail inside and an easy short walk of about 5 - 10 minutes will bring you to a clearing where there is a ranger station and public facilities built. Apparently, these buildings are new and there is also a camping facility there. If you intend to camp out there, please call ahead and speak to the park ranger.


Map of the Chiling Falls trail


The suspension bridge built to replace the first river crossing


View of the river from the suspension bridge

If you're an experienced trekker, then this trail should pose no problem to you and is actually deemed an easy walk in the park outing. If you're a novice at trekking, it would be advisable to hire a knowledgable guide (more info on guides at the end of the post). My group were a motley crew of extreme newbies (like moi!) and those who trek for pleasure to act as our guides.


View of the rushing river further along the trail

The trail itself takes about 90 minutes to complete (or faster if you're an experienced trekker) and is fairly straightforward in that you won't get lost. For most parts, you are never far from the river and the first half of the trail is mostly jungle undergrowth that makes for a narrow trail. There are five river crossings in total and oh boy! this was the fun-nest part for me. Be prepared to get wet as you wade across.


Some strangers crossing the river

If you have weaker members with you, it would be better to bring along ropes for safety. The river current is quite strong, but it won't sweep an adult off their feet. However, it is quite deep in parts, rising up to hip level for a male of average height (5'9" thereabouts) so some of the smaller sized females in my party had a bit of difficulty. We were there during the current rainy season, so I believe that the river was at its fullest / highest. It was also a tad muddy.


The waterfall that awaits you at the end

Ah! The falls! This is the highlight of the trip. According to other websites, the falls are about 8 storeys high. The water pours into a wide pool that is big enough for wading and swimming. The whole area is cool from the spray from the falls and the water is cool and refreshing! Perfect for a dip. Heh. There are plenty of scattered boulders to sit on and the area can accomodate groups easily.


Strangers on the giant boulder

All in all, Chiling Falls is a good choice for a day trip, especially if you incorporate a makan session or two before and after the trek. There are good places to eat in Kuala Kubu Baru and Rawang town. Or if you're feeling like extending your stay, you could always drive up to Frasers' Hill for a night. I definitely want to go back to Chiling again (didn't take enough photos this time around to satisfy myself) and if anyone plans to go... call me!

If you would like to have a guide to accompany you on this trip, most websites on Chiling recommend Mr. Happy Yen. You may access his website here. So far, I have heard nothing but good comments from satisfied clients and while I personally have not used Yen's services, I may do so in the future for other outings to different falls. :o)

Also read about Chiling Falls at these websites :
Happy Yen - Guide
Waterfalls of Malaysia
Go2Malaysia
Suanie
KY
Ulutopian
Tilo

Being punctual is not a fault!

I am extremely upset with certain people. Pray tell me, how can this lateness factor be simply laughed away? (For a better understanding of why I rant, please read the post at the link above before continuing.)

Just now at 9.20am in the midst of conversation about Saturday's trip, VW said this to me...

"You know ah, next time, you shouldn't be so early one. When you're going out with my friends, you must understand that they're older and not likely to be on time. We have this understanding that the meeting time is not fixed in stone and you should just find a nearby coffeeshop or something, have a teh tarik and chill out while waiting. Don't wait at the specified meeting point. That way you won't get so agitated while waiting or if there's a delay. And there's always a delay, knowing them. Some more it's a weekend kind of expedition, no need to be so on time one. We should take it easy and enjoy la."

Note: All the bolded emphasis is mine.

What the (@&#*&%#&^&@*#@) on earth is this kind of attitude? Aitelyu, I have just lost all my respect for VW and her friends as people (over this issue and also see the food issue below). And then on the other hand, there's XY's driver, SS. Do you know what SS said? (SS was standing next to me when VW said all the above.)

*patting me consolingly on the arm like I've been a small kid who's throwing a temper tantrum* "Aiyah, we would have gone to a nearby coffeeshop to wait if not for this girl. You're upset because you have to wait alone, izzit?"

Now you've really got my goat. So I am in the wrong for being punctual and being irritated with others who are late? This makes me really want to throw my shoes at their heads, except that today, I'm wearing my new shoes and it would be such a waste since they still wouldn't get the idea that being late is NOT socially acceptable. Duh.

So when VW heard SS' comment, VW said this.

"Next time why don't you just car pool with someone else? Saves you time and stress because you'll have to wait for others anyway. You know, my friends (the ones who arrived at 8.55am) were late because they car-pooled - some came from Klang, others from Tmn Desa so of course they will be late! And you can't expect them to be on time for an early morning appointment la. If it's a mid-morning or afternoon appointment then they might be on time. Anyway, it's not like we were rushing anywhere."

Wtf? (Sorry, I'm swearing again. It's bad, I know, but I can't help myself in the face of such... logic!) Sure, we may not have been in a hurry but it is still impolite to tell people to meet at 8.00am and then turn up 1 hour late! Might as well not put a time to meet or at least, suggest a later time if you think you won't be able to make it. I said as much to VW, who then said this...

"Aiyo, don't be so rigid la. Do you know I had a tough time with my friends because you were early? They all blamed me for not telling you that it's our practice to go yum cha first while waiting. So stressful you know? Some more I don't dare to answer your phone call..."

If I were sitting in a chair, I would have fallen off. So it's my fault that you're all stressed out and got blamed by your friends for their lateness? This is certainly something I've never heard of before! And then you can blatantly admit to me that you didn't dare to pick up my phone call because you were afraid of what I might say because you is late? I told VW outright then and there that I was sitting next to XY's Passenger - JP - when she took her call and not mine and VW looked a bit shamefaced. But still insisted:

"Next time don't be so early la. Just come later la! Save yourself all the trouble and then you won't get agitated."

I had heard enough at this point in time and bluntly said that thanks but no thanks, I didn't think there'll be a next time going out with VW and her friends. At which point in time, SS (who had been listening quietly) quickly piped up to me:

SS : "I'm definitely confirmed for our next outing on 03 May!"
Me : *shooting SS a look from the corner of my eye* "Are you sure you'll be on time and you'll call me if you're going to be late?"
SS : "Yeah, I'm not XY and besides, XY's not coming."
Me : "Huh."

And that's the lateness issue. Let me also rant about the food issue.

Out of the 12 people who went on Saturday, all of us are Chinese and there is one Malay. Naturally, you should not be so insensitive as to go to a non-halal place to eat even though the Malay is in the minority, right? We live in a multi-racial country after all. I am always looking out for the Malay because I don't like people who simply forget or ignore what others can or cannot do. This is what VW said to me.

"It was a good thing you went off for lunch with the Malay that day leh. My friends don't like Malay food and they won't eat it or go to a halal place when there's Chinese food around so the Malay would have had to sit and watch us eat or find her own food. Next time you all just split off from the rest of the group and find your own food la."

Just because you are in the majority you can ignore the minority? And it's not just a Chinese / Malay issue. Some Buddhists / Hindus don't eat beef so it is also very impolite to go and order beef dishes when you are dining with them. Come on la, it won't kill you to have to accomodate others for just one meal. But you should not ostracize people for their religious beliefs. I don't impose my dietary restrictions (mine's for health purposes) on others. Even though I can't eat certain foods, I won't say that you can't eat it in front of me. But for a Malay, the halal/non-halal issue can be quite sensitive. So it is very insensitive to me for us to go out in a group and basically go, you can't eat with us because you're a minority. And they didn't even phrase it kindly or tactfully!

I don't think I'm judging them harshly. In fact, I have tried my level best to put their words here verbatim and the incidents as they happened. I may be a bit emotionally moved right now, but my faculty of logic is not moved one iota.

I'm a quiz-aholic!

Somebody stop me! *ala Jim Carrey in the Mask*

I clicked on the Blogthings link from angeles' blog (I shall not link to her since she announced that she's retiring from active blogging) and omgawsh, I can't stop taking quizzes! Tsk. Such a timewaster, this is. But, how to stop? I lurve quizzes... so, I can't resist sharing a few *interesting* results below. Heh.

**********

Your Seduction Style: The Coquette

You are a pro at playing the age old game of hard to get. Your flirting style runs hot and cold, giving just enough to keep them chasing you. Independent and self-sufficient, you don't need any one person to make you complete. And that independence is exactly what makes people pursue you.

What Is Your Seduction Style?

*bats eyelashes experimentally* Yau mou kom qua cheong ah? I don't think so lor... (not that I would know it anyway!) but I think this independent streak of mine is what drives guys away rather than make them pursue me. Even my mom says I'm too outspoken and independent. :o(

**********

You are a Romantic Realist

Okay, so you fall in the middle. You know that love isn't like a greeting card... Yet you can always find a greeting card to describe your feelings. You are the best of both worlds. Girly yet independent, dreamy yet serious. Almost any guy can find balance with you.

Are You a Romantic or Realistic Girl?

Tsk tsk tsk. Independent again wor. Might as well put there - stubborn female. Will not listen to male opinion unless securely backed by unfallible logic. *grin*

**********

You Go For Brains!

You want a guy with a big... brain. And of course it would be nice if he were a total hottie, but you're not counting on it. What's on the inside is what counts for you. (Besides, you can always change the outside later!)

Do You Go For A Guy's Brains or Body?

Ah, that must be the reason for this post here. The brains does it, everytime. Independent opinion mah. LOL.

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Your Love Type: INTJ

The Scientist In love, you tend to be very private and withdrawn - even when things are going well. For you, sex is important in a happy relationship. Less important when things aren't going well. Overall, you are confident, intelligent, and serious about commitment. However, you tend to hold back and not show your emotions. Best matches: ENFP and ENTP

What's Your Love Type?

Lagi worse still! I approach love like a scientist? Wah-lau! I dun wan to conduct experiments with my heart leh...

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You Are a Total Brainiac

You're amazingly brilliant. Some would even say genius. You're curious, thoughtful, analytical, and confident. You take on difficult subjects because you want to... not because you have to. No field of knowledge is too complicated or intimidating for you. You've got the brains to do anything you want. It's possible you end up doing everything you want.

Are You a Brainiac?

Okay, okay. I give up. Evidently all the test results are skewed towards over intelligence and independence. Might as well declare defeat and acknowledge the results to be semi-true. (At least, as much as you can trust these Internet quizzes. ROTFL.)

**********

The end result of taking the tests above and many more? My brain is evidently overworked and needs a break from all that thinking. :P Oh. But it's a working day tomorrow. Looks like there will be no chance of that happening until next Friday night!

Is the lateness concept acceptable to you?

We live in Malaysia, the country that invented the concept of "rubber time". Tell a Malaysian that a meeting / appointment / wedding will begin at xx:xx time and they will invariably show up after the stipulated time.

Today, I was supposed to meet up with a group of people (note that I use the term "group of people", they comprise of my colleagues, acquaintances and strangers) for an outdoors expedition. We were supposed to meet at 8.00am in Rawang town, a time and place set by our so-called "guide". Since I stay far away from Rawang, I make the extra effort to be on time and arrive at the appointed meeting point at 7.54am. (Yes, I am *that* precise.) Look around, no one's here yet. I call XY to see where they are. And this is what XY tells me :

XY : "Yeah, we're here already. In fact, I can see your car! We're finding a place to park."
Me : "Okay, see you in a bit then."

Okay, fine. I call VW to see where they are. This is what VW says to me :

VW : "Aiyo, why are you so punctual one? I'm just leaving my place, on the highway now. Should arrive in 15 minutes time. Why don't you take breakfast first while waiting?"
Me : "I've already taken my breakfast. Just waiting for you and the others to arrive."

Okay, it's still fine. I consider whether or not to call Z, but surmise that they should be coming anytime soon. How wrong was I!

20 minutes pass. It's now 8.15am. No sign of either XY's car or VW's car. I get concerned, so I call XY again. Maybe they're parked somewhere else where I can't see them. Or maybe they've gone off to have breakfast. The phone rings for nearly 6 rings before XY picks up. (Note: XY was not driving, someone else was. XY was a passenger in the car.)

Me : "XY, where are you guys? Did you get lost parking?"
XY : "Actually we're still on the way la. We should be reaching soon."

Wtf? (Sorry, I don't normally swear in real-life or on my blog but this was beyond me.) Why can't you tell me that you were on the way earlier? Why do you have to lie? I HATE LIARS. Period. Doesn't matter if it's big lie or little lie. A lie is a lie is a lie. Don't tell me it was a joke and try to laugh it off. (Which, by the way, XY did not say. Neither did he apologize. It was just a matter-of-fact thing to him, to tell an untruth without blinking.)

At this point of time, there are supposed to be 12 people for the outing, and none of them have arrived yet.

The time now is 8.19am. Finally a car I recognize. It's Z's car. Z comes over to say hi.

Z : "Eh, what happened to the rest? Where are they?"
Me : "Well, as you can see, they're all not here yet. XY and VW are on their way. I don't know about VW's friends."
Z : "Haiyoh, and I thought I was going to be late. Must really scold them..."
Me : *looks at Z* "It's definitely not 8.00am now. Then can I scold you first?"

Z is a bit embarassed now.

Z : "Actually hor, I was on time, but just that on the way here, on the highway, I needed to pangsai* so I had to stop!" *pangsai = sh*t

By this time, my reaction is like, whatever. Evidently these people have no sense of responsibility. Some minutes pass. The time now is 8.26am. XY's car arrives. The 3 of them inside are all laughing through the windows AT me as they park next to my car. Not a word of "Sorry we're late" or anything else. Bah. Right now, if it weren't for the outing that I so looked forward to, I couldn't give a damn about all of them. They could all go to perdition right there and I wouldn't blink an eye.

Me : "It's about time you guys got here. What happened to finding a parking space, huh?"
XY's Driver : "It's XY's idea la. He thought it would be funny to pull your leg."
Me : "Actually, I don't find it funny. To me, that's a lie."
XY's Driver : *laughs* "But he does it so well and convincingly!"
Me : "In fact, I hate liars. So please don't ever lie to me again." *with the firmest tone and grim face I can muster, leaving the unspoken consequences hanging in the air between us*
XY's Driver : *quickly adds* "Oh yes, I hate liars too!"

So the XY's Driver hates liars lying to her but it's okay for them to lie to someone else, right? Humbug. All this while, XY doesn't even come over to say a word to me but walks around the parking lot aimlessly.

XY's Passenger : "Hey, I just spoke to VW on the phone. They're lost, somewhere near... *names the landmark*"

I know where that landmark is, so I use my handphone to call VW's handphone. It rings to the end; VW does not pick up. XY's Passenger tries with her handphone, and VW immediately picks up the call. Wtf? Oh okay, I get it. You feel guilty that you're late so you won't answer my call. But you'll answer someone else's call, not knowing that that person is actually sitting next to me. Coward.

Finally, at 8.45am, VW's car arrives. Like XY, VW doesn't come anywhere within 4 ft of me (probably because I radiate disapproval like the sun's heat rays) until it's time to give out directions for the next leg of the journey. And then, this is what VW says:

VW : "Oh, we were delayed because of the rain!" (Like hello? What rain are you referring to? The barely there light drizzle?)
Me : "Mmmm."
VW : "Anyway, we shouldn't let this spoil the rest of the trip. We should enjoy it!"
Me : "Huh." *stifling the urge to roll my eyes*

It's not like they all don't know that the meeting time is 8.00am. We were all reminding each other about it the day before. In person and via emails. But yet, look at the times that they arrived! And all the *wonderful* excuses they made for themselves.

The best part? We sit around in the parking lot for another ten odd minutes waiting for the so-called "guide". Remember, the one who said we should meet at 8.00am? Yes, that one. Who only arrived close to 8.55am. A full 55 minutes late! Talk about extreme lateness. If it were a restaurant that was so slow in serving your meal, I'm sure you would have kicked up a hue and cry already by then. Because you expect more and because you're paying for it. Well, I expect more because I've more than paid for it with my time!

By the time we finally left on the next leg of our journey, it was 9.02am. And I had been waiting for over an hour because I was punctual. Really (@)Q(*#$&%*($&*(@#($!!!!!!

The delay incident was not the only thing that happened during the outing. There were other little incidents, words flippantly said and actions that spoke louder than words. All in all, today solidified the feelings I had in this post here and made up my mind. You know what? From today onwards, I'll never want to voluntarily organize anything else for this bunch of people. Association with them - as minimal as possible. (If not for the fact that right now they are the only group of people I can do activities with, I wouldn't even bother trying in the first place.) I don't think it's too much to ask for if I expect at least a modicum of reciprocation and effort on your part? And it is a matter of character that shows in how you approach these trivial matters.

I'm not saying I didn't enjoy myself today. I did, immensely. The outing itself was wonderful. Just that, the people I went with, are not.

p.s. There'll be two camps of people on this post. Those who think like me and those who think like XY, VW and the rest. I only ask one thing if you're going to comment. Please, be truthful about your two cents worth of opinion. Thank you.

Eye am so blur!

I oh-so-brilliantly tried to take out my eyeball this morning.

No kidding! (This is so going into the annals of rinnah's dumb blonde moments. Heh.) I blame it on the fog of sleep that normally renders me a bit zombified immediately upon waking until about one hour later (or when I intake food, whichever comes first).

See, I was putting on my contacts this morning and somehow or other, managed not to notice that I'd dropped one side (how it happened beats me! I really thought it was in my eye...). As I was putting on my makeup, I thought that something was a bit "off" since I couldn't see clearly out of one eye, and wrongly assumed that I had put in the lens "terbalik" (or reverse side, for those who don't understand Malay). Why on earth I would think that is beyond my comprehension - told you I can't think straight first thing in the morning.

So there I was, attempting to take out a lens that wasn't even in my eye! -_-" Luckily I didn't do anything sillier to my eye before I realized that I was trying to take out my eyeball. Bleh.

Anyways, I located the errant lens on the floor once I figured out what I was doing wrong, and if you wanna know, my eye is perfectly fine. Not even red at all, for which I'm eternally grateful as I have sensitive peepers that can't stand prolonged use of lenses on a normal basis.

Really, I should do less challenging things in the morning!

Too tired to try

It's one of those days again.

Tired of...

The environment I'm in.
Dealing with people I dislike.
Having to settle for what I have.
Having to be upbeat all the time.
Having to babysit incompetent people.
Shouldering responsibilities that are not mine.
Not being able to tell someone how I truly feel.
Having to lower my standards and preferences to fit in.
Not having any intellectual stimulation in conversations.
Communicating with people who are as dense as brick walls.
Trying to fit in where I clearly stand out like a sore thumb.
Trying to find some commonality with people I have no affinity for.
People misconstruing my tiredness and non-communication for being in a bad mood.
Being ridiculed because of others' insecurity (so that they feel better about themselves).

All this tiredness is giving me a headache. Bah.

I miss my friends. The ones who know where I'm coming from. People I can really talk to. We share the same interests, likes and dislikes. Folks who are cut from the same cloth, from the same mold, etc etc etc. It's horribly lonely to be surrounded by people who are different from you.

On endless repeat

The latest editions to my favorite-st song list - the ones that are running on endless repeat on my laptop.

==========

I Wish I Knew by Mariah Carey

(Excuse the scantily clad Mariah, please. I couldn't find a better MTV version of this song.)

~ Favorite bit of lyrics ~
Honestly, I know it's silly of me
To want you so badly
But keep it concealed
See my inferiority complex kicks in
And the words escape me
And I'm paralyzed...

And how I wish you only knew
What I feel inside for you
You probably haven't got a clue
But I wish you knew
How I love you, baby


==========

So She Dances by Josh Groban


~ Favorite bit of lyrics ~
So she dances
In and out of the crowd like a glance
This romance is
From afar calling me silently

I can't keep on watching forever
And I'm givin' up this view just to tell her


==========

I love the lyrics and melody for both songs. Gives me the goosebumps (ala Paula Abdul) every time. Heh.

The weirdest thing is, I've had both these albums for ages but never really listened to them. And for these songs to pop up now, when they are probably most relevant, is so weird it isn't even funny anymore. Now excuse me while I go into emo mode...

Why I'm happy to be a Maxis customer

When I owned my first mobile phone, I started off with that other service provider - Celcom. (You know, their latest promotional gimmick is "A Great Sale". I don't understand the concept of a telephone service provider having a sale. It's like, what's there to have sales about?) Coverage was so-so but the bills were really costly every month for a single user.

That's when the family decided to consolidate all lines under a single service provider. Not only would it be cheaper, it would also be logistically easier - Dad was on Maxis, Mom was on DiGi and I was on Celcom. We also liked the idea of "free" calls between family lines la.

Since my mobile phone got stolen recently, I had to go and get myself a replacement SIM card. Since the line was registered under Dad, I couldn't do it on my own but needed to have a letter of authorization plus a copy of his NRIC. Armed with the necessary documents, I went to the Maxis Centre in Taman Tun Dr. Ismail (TTDI). Why TTDI when I don't stay in the area? I was already there mah. *wink*

Firstly I was stunned at the number of people there at 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. It was like our gah-men office... that many people and some small overflow outside as people went in and people left. I mentally prepared myself for a long wait and stepped inside. Did ya know that Maxis has these nice customer service people to open the doors for you and greet you? Well, now you do. And it was a nice feeling, I tell ya. It could've been a bit better if they actually directed n00bs like me to the right counter, but can't blame them for that.

Stopped by the customer service counter and explained to the staff there that I wanted to get a replacement SIM card. He gave me a number - there were three in line ahead of me. Hardly had I put down my laptop, took out my camera and snapped this quick pic (that's like only 1/5 of the people milling around), they called my number! Within the space of 2 minutes! I was impressed. Of course, it also helps that they had like 10 counters open at the same time, helping to move the people along quickly, like factory processing.

Went to my assigned counter, produced my documents to the lady there. She only asked for my NRIC to verify that I was the sub-line owner specified in my dad's letter of authorization, click here click there then she gave me my new replacement SIM card, telling me that it would be activated in 2 hours time. So efficient and fast!

Earlier before I went to the Maxis Centre, I had called the Maxis Hotline to verify the type of documents I needed to ask for the replacement SIM card, and the customer service personnel there had mentioned a replacement fee of RM25 for the SIM card. So when I got the new SIM card, I asked the lady if I needed to pay for it. Her reply:

"No need to pay one. We normally issue replacement SIM card for free."

You say nice or not? :o) I was very happy to hear that and even happier that the whole trip to Maxis Centre took me less than 10 minutes total in and out. So, I'm very happy to remain as a Maxis customer!

(End-note: This blogpost is taken from my other blog - Rinnah's Marketplace.)

Superhero me!

Picked up this uber-cool meme from a blog I was visiting, daphnemaia. Since I have NBTB (Nothing Better To Blog), why not try out this meme? *grin*

1. Superhero power I want :
Tele-kinesis. Just like Professor X and Jean Grey from X-Men.

2. Why? :
It's so cool to be able to manipulate weaker minded beings objects just using my mind. It would make mind-blogging so much faster too! Plus, I can fly. LOL. That's the only reason I went with tele-kinesis instead of opting for the Force, even though lightsabers are a pretty cool weapon.

3. Downside of this power :
Can't do it too often or else I'll blow my cover. That and having friends and family be suspicious if I'm just being me or secretly manipulating them. Oh, and there's also the risk of turning into the Dark Phoenix. Lawl.

4. My superhero nickname :
I can't think of a cool superhero nick. Anyone want to help me out here?

5. My motto :
Object matters not.

6. Sworn enemy :
People who wanna make me do things I don't wanna do. Malaysian road builders who keep on changing the lanes in the road and build never-ending highways. Ahahaha.

7. Official vehicle :
Supersonic jet so I don't have to fight traffic?

8. Day job:
Behavioural therapist. So that I blend in with all the kooks and weirdos and don't stand out.

Come on, I wanna know if these people will join the superhero or supervillian team...

L B (My favorite taggee! Can't wait to see his interpretation of this tag.)
Giddy Tigress (I'm her favorite taggee! So I tag her back lor. Hehe.)
Misha (She'd make the cutest superheroine evah!)
Ehon (Hmm, I wonder if he'd be really really good or really really bad?)
Ah Boy (I want to know if canines have superhero / supervillian aspirations...)

Dance of the Dragon

Lookit what I found! Okay, I didn't actually *find* it, but rather became aware of the existence of this movie through an email sent to me.

This movie is definitely going onto my list of must watch movies... it's called Dance of the Dragon. Actually hor, show me any movie that has to do with dance (in all forms and styles) and I'll *almost* guarantee you I'm sold on watching it. *happy grin* Summore it's ballroom dance leh. *double happies* See Fann Wong below? This looks promising...

Oh, it's not just about dance. It's also a love story! Wheeee! With love triangle to boot about martial arts, since it stars Jason Scott Lee (who looks very bad-@$$ in the promo pics and a bit like a distant relative of Ken Watanabe) whom some might remember from Dragon, The Bruce Lee Story. Note the irony? Dragon & dragon. LOL.

I checked out the movie trailer on the official site and I have to say that it's my kind of art direction, movie feel and score. Based on the trailer alone, it would be THE movie for me. Ahahaha.

Hope it arrives on Malaysian shores or else I might have to resort to Uncle Ho or Joe...

Other shortlisted movies I'm looking forward to... The Other Boleyn Girl (loved the book by Philippa Gregory!) and Feast of Love. See you at the movies?

Mistaken identity

I was driving home from work just now when I received an SMS. The sender's number wasn't found in my address book, but that wasn't strange seeing as how I'd just lost my mobile phone to thieves last week. The message went like this:

"We are going to A famosa this weekend. Do you want join? - Rachael"

I didn't know any Rachael, so this message evidently wasn't for me. I replied:

"Sorry, think you have sent your sms to wrong number. I don't know a Rachel. Cheers."

Moments later, my phone beeped, indicating another sms. This one read:

"You are eunice right..we all goin to a famosa tis weekend leh..jus ask u go wif us..im travis"

I thought it was pretty funny, so I replied to this travis guy la. Didn't want him to think that "eunice" purposely did not reply his invitation. I said:

"Nope, there's no person named Eunice here. You have a wrong number."

I figured that would get the message across... but boy was I wrong! Another sms came... this time:

"We are going to A famosa this weekend. Hope that you can join us."

At this point in time, I gave up replying. Evidently this travis guy or whoever was sending the sms has no sense whatsoever to check the number that he's sending sms to. Or maybe he thinks "eunice" was playing a belated April Fool's joke on him.

Anyway, I am not going to waste any more money sending "You have a wrong number" sms to him. Heh.

Wish I

Driving to work this morning, I heard Jem's "Wish I" on the radio and it struck me as the perfect song for a personal pet project of mine. I would be utterly grateful to anyone who can send me the mp3 (or link to the mp3) for that song and the following (if you happen to have it la)...

Anita Baker - You're My Everything
Fei Xiang - The love song in many languages? (I don't know what the title is but it used to be played on radio)
Jem - Wish I
Trueheart - The Road
?unknown artist? - Hallelujah (used on misc soundtracks)

Btw, I survived another April Fool's Day without getting duped! (I'm not including Ehon's post. Nope. Not admitting to that one!) Ahahahaha. Why does that make me so happy? Cos I is favorite target of my friends to pull a fast one on. Bleh.