2007: A Year Of Pictures

You didn't think I was going to just leave the post before this one as the last post of 2007 did you?

So, 2007 was a year filled with highs, lows and everything in between. I had a 6-month break after my days at Inti College, Then I enrolled into Taylor's College for a course in Architecture, which made me open up my eyes, stop and observe at buildings, places and cultures and then soak it all in. That journey is just beginning. Then I had a family trip to China and many many other occasions and events. I got to acquire new friends this year as well as new experiances.

So before I bid farewell to 2007, let me recap some of the pictures I took this year. By far, the type of pictures that I have taken the most this year, hands down, has to be.....the Jumping Pictures.

So, when the hell did it all began?

-Well, here's the very first jumping shot taken at KLPac...by Sophia. I started jumping for some unearthly reason and she took a picture!

- And then, Jon wanted one too!

- Followed by Sophia with her cool side ways leap.

Then I returned to Penang for my semester break and Sandra and Mei Zhi were all like "I want one too, I want one too!" Ergo:

- Mei Zhi's jumping picture at Penang Hill. "Look at me fly!"

-Sandra's armpit-showing jumping shot.

Later, more friends saw them, liked them and wanted them and the frenzy started.

-Ivan Teh's Kung Fu inspired jump.

-Ivan Lee's Buddha-landing jump at a temple.

- And here's some crotch-kicking action...*ouch*

- Pamie leaps off a clock tower!

- Kar Weng follows suit with his crazy high jump.

-We also got group jumping pictures.

- Jon, me and Sophia jumps into the air...Pamie strikes a pose.

- Even my sister did an awesome looking jump in Beijing.

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-My mum did one on the Great Wall of China!

I had a good time in 2007, I hope you did too. And I definitely wish you guys a rockin' new year ahead!

HAPPY 2008!

The Wedding + My Christmas

So, onto my cousin, Melissa's wedding. It was a great occasion. Weddings are gateways to family reunions and rediscovering your roots, and I find that rather interesting. So the celebrations were spreaded out over a two-day period which included ancestor worship, pre-marital night? (i'm not sure what lau thia meh is in English), tea drinking ceremony and the wedding night dinner feast.

The only thing I did not attend was the ancestral worship coz I was out, so I don't know what happened there. The lau thia meh was okay. We had catered food at my uncle's house and chit chatted into the night reminiscing and retracing roots and meeting up with other relatives whom I have not met before.

The tea ceremony was held on the next morning and tradition comes into play here with the younger generation serving tea to the elder. My cousin and her husband served tea to my parents, grandma, and other older relatives. Me, being the youngest in my generation, had to serve them tea instead... and got red packets in return :)

- My cousin and her husband serving tea to my grandma.

- Tea being served to my parents.


The dinner commenced in the night at Maple Gold. Dinner was good. And the atmosphere is what you can find in any typical Chinese wedding dinners. Loud music, out-of-pitch karaoke singers, multiple conversations but most importantly, a sense of camaraderie in the air. I even discovered new cousins!

- Random picture.

- The bride and groom with me.

- Alex, apparently a cousin I never knew I had, and me.

So, to Melissa, congratulations!

+ My Christmas

My Christmas celebrations were okay. Nothing interesting. It kicked off in the morning with me watching two movies with Zhi Xiang at Gurney Plaza. The first one was a French movie entitled 'Le Petit Lieutenant'. It was um...interesting. Never really watched a French movie before. The plot was rather slow with some unexpected twists and scenes. But the thing that gets me is the fact that there was absolutely no background music or any form of audio effects usually used to create moods. But at least now i've exposed myself to foreign films.

The second movie was National Treasure: The Book of Secrets. Great movie. But I think it's comparable to the prequel. If only they did things more differently this time around. The plot was rather predictable but it's still a good flick. They managed to use back the original cast, which was good, and they even threw in Academy Award winning actress, Helen Mirren, to the mix!

We didn't stay on for the Christmas countdown as I had dinner arrangements with my parent's friends. The dinner was held at Deluxious. The food was good. But the pricing is expensive. We dined the night away awaiting the Christmas countdown in good company, but I have to admit I was bored to death. Imagine being with old uncles who smoke and drink ALOT. As the night progressed, so did the merriment and by merriment, I mean rowdiness. But I guess it's better to eat and be...rowdy than to be all alone at home watching reruns of E!'s Most Starlicious Makeovers.

Glutinous Goodness

Today's tang chek which is the Winter Solstice and tis' was the time to maketh tong yuen again. Well, actually we made it yesterday night as everyone else does and ate it today. We usually don't observe this festive season much. It's more of an on again, off again practice. We make it when we feel like it. But in the past few years i've been drawn more and more into celebrating these festive occasions that make the Chinese culture unique. Maybe it's this innate quality I possess that urges me to practice old traditions that are now being pushed into oblivion and to research and find out more about my own culture. Am I babbling? I think i'm babbling...

Here's the tong yuen I made with my aunt:

- the balled up spheres of glutinous rice flour

- the finished product: glossy looking balls with varying colours in a sweet pandan leaf flavoured syrup

For detailed instructions on the making of tong yuen, check out Ivan.

*COMING UP

Pictures from my cousin's wedding!

Just an Update

I've been watching a few movies over the past week, three to be precise. And have been going out A LOT. I went to both Queensbay Mall and Gurney Plaza like back to back. They are like the ONLY malls here worthy of going. If only there were more. I miss KL...malls.

But ever since I've been back in Penang, I've totally stopped shopping. Haven't bought a single item back here. Not as many choices and brands here I guess. Even the sales here are just mediocre. The last time I shopped was like two weeks ago back in KL when I was staying at the Concorde hotel and KLCC and Pavilion were just around the corner. But i'm happy now that i've stopped shopping, seeing as I've attained my Chinese New Year outfits.

-At Sandra's...after American Idol-ing and KOF-ing


- Zhi Xiang and me...and Jeff (who's camera shy) at Queensbay.

I've been told I look thinner since coming back from KL. I'm kinda bummed on that. But nevertheless this gives me the opportunity to eat more FOOD...*drool*. I've got curry mee, char koay teow, hokkien mee, char siew fan, chicken rice, mee goreng, and a few others down. But i'm far from completing the list of things I wanna eat here. Phew.


MOVIE REVIEWS


+The Heartbreak Kid



The Heartbreak Kid starring Ben Stiller was kind of a let down in my opinion. quite typical. A few laughs here and there which was okay and also Ben Stiller's signature skits throughout the show. Overall, I didn't really enjoy the movie. But DO check out the Eva Longoria cameo at the end!!! Her appearance saved the movie from giving me a bitter aftertaste.


+ The Golden Compass



My friends say this movie was a disaster. But I have to disagree. Infact, people are already comparing this movie to the LOTR trilogy. I've never read the book before but I did enjoy the movie somewhat even though i'm not a fan of fantasy. Nicole Kidman's performance was fantastic! She totaly made her character seem cold and cunning. I wished she appeared more in the movie. Daniel Craig had only a small appearance and Dakota Blue Richards was pretty good displaying her cheekyness, curiosity and courage throughout the movie. And the scenary and filming locations were breathtaking. Overall, I think this movie was satisfying.


+ I Am Legend



This movie was shot around the time when I was in the states last year!!! AND it's shot in New York! That's why I absolutely HAD to watch it. I went into the cinema expecting to watch the last man on earth (Will Smith) frolicking around the earth looking for a way to reproduce his own species...seriously. But little did I know it was going to be a bloodbath filled with foul zombified human beings wreaking gruelling havoc...oh the gore...It's the kinda movie which makes my eyelids fly up when the thrilling scenes unravel. Will Smith portrays his character well, displaying an array of emotions some bordering on insanity (who could blame his character?). It's a good watch. It's thrilling, horrifying but is also injected with a few laughs and sadness. Between the three movies, I would recommend this one.

Shopping Plans

God, it's been like foreeeever since I went online let alone post up anything. My bad. But i'm not gonna hand out empty promisses saying i'll update more often coz' I don't know how buzy or lazy i'm gonna get. It also depends on my mood. I've been so darn preoccupied with events and outings and travelling of late. I've been back and forth KL, Seremban and Penang very much in the past month. But that's going to end soon when I return to Penang on Saturday and spend the rest of my time there until my next semester at Taylor's commences.

Okay, so i've already started shopping for my Chinese New Year clothes and i'm actually nearly done. Just have a few more things to purchase. I've already gotten all the tops and the clothings left I need to get are bottoms and shoes...but the shoes are optional. I'm considering whether I should show you guys what I bought...maybe i'll just wait until Chinese New Year and only take pictures then.

I think i'm gonna buy jeans for my bottoms. Currently I have a stong liking for dark indigo and black coloured denim. Those unwashed unfaded types with a slim, straight or slight boot cut. Not really into the slouchy baggy jeans but I do have a pair of those. The reason i'm not getting the distressed faded denim it's coz I wanna wear them in myself and let them mould and shape to my err...legs...you know, when you wear your jeans without washing then for like a month and they begin to feel perfectly fitted to you.

So, as I was saying, dark denim. Yup, that's what I plan to get. And they make your legs look longer too! These are just some examples:

- Straight cut dark-coloured denim by DKNY


- Slim-cut dark indigo denim by Guess

Another thing I plan to get for CNY are waistcoats! Yes. I've been seeing a lot of them at the Topman shops and they really look good. I wonder whether I look good in them though. But i'm so gonna get one of them for the New Year!

- Charcoal grey waistcoat by Topman. Topman has the best crap!

And about the shoes, well i'm not planning to get them unless I find one at a really good deal. I'm not the average person who'd pay like 300 ringgit for a pair of Nikes...well actually I hate nikes...but the point is that I'd only buy shoes when my old ones are nearly worn out. But I anticipate i'll be needing more dressier shoes next year for upcoming class presentations. So I might end up with formal dress shoes for CNY.

- If anyone wants to get me these shoes and I mean ANYONE...by all means, go ahead! These are the most darn good-looking shoes i've seen in a while. Even the bag looks fantastic!

But i'm definitely NOT getting these shoes which I swear to god were created in HELL!

This guy says it all:

* WARNING: Vulgarity is present in the following video.

And also, it's a good idea to lower the volume down a little coz he starts shouting at the beginning of the video in the Chris Crocker parody scene.