Category: Uncategorized

very bz la dis week!

on monday, was asked by the webmaster to build a website for the psychology conference.
deadline : tomorrow

every now and then, hv to help my colleague on the ums website project.

tomorrow evening : mandarin test (ni hao! ni hao! zhaoshang hao! zhaoshang hao! dui bu qi! mei guanxi! xiexie! bu keqi! zaijian! zaijian!)

saturday : database class, data structure class

sunday : world literature (test), algorithm analysis (test), accounting (test)

WARGHHHHHH!!!!!

1. Your newborn stares into your eyes — he’s actually working hard to memorize your face. He doesn’t understand anything else about the world, but he knows you’re important.

2. Your baby thinks about you even when you’re not around. Between 8 and 12 months old, he’ll start to scrunch his face and look around when you leave the room — and he’ll smile when you return.

3. Your toddler throws wicked tantrums. Nope, those screaming fits don’t mean he’s stopped loving you. He wouldn’t be so hurt and angry if he didn’t trust you so deeply.

4. Your toddler runs to you for comfort when he falls down or feels sad. Kids this age may not truly understand the meaning of “I love you,” but their actions speak louder than words.

5. Your preschooler gives you a flower picked from the garden, a finger-painted heart, a sparkly rock, or another gift.

6. Your preschooler wants your approval. He’ll start to be more cooperative around the house, and he’ll look for chances to impress. “Look at me!” will become a catchphrase.

7. Your grade-schooler trusts you with secrets, like his first crush or his most embarrassing moment. You’re his confidante, even if he shies away from your hugs in public.

source : Babycenter

my dad likes buying novels and i vaguely remember him reading Memoirs of a Geisha quite some time ago. of course back then, the cover of the novel was so dull, not like the ones sold now. and the novel was quite thick i wasnt even interested to even look at it. i thought that the story must be really boring…

but then again, when i finally heard that they’ll be doing a movie based on that novel, i was curious… plus, steven spielberg is directing, there must be something about that story. tried to look for my dad’s novel but couldnt seem to find it.

this semester, i’m taking world literature and our lecturer suggested us to go and watch the movie. she was saying that it’s good to understand the life of a geisha as we will be studying a novel by Yasunari Kawabata – Snow Country – which also happens to be a story about geishas.

so, last saturday, my two classmates and i went to watch Memoirs of a Giesha

believe me, this is one movie you wouldnt want to miss. i think it is a GREAT movie. very very very very very very syiok!!! syok ooo… syiiiooooookkkkkk betullllll!!!! naa.. kan… dengan penuh perasaan sia nih…

i’m not good at writing reviews so, u guys should go and see it yourself. yesterday i bought the dvd and watched it last night. i’m planning on watching it again soon. i’m also planning on buying the book.

i’ve found a very good review on this book written by h*elenmayclark

now, before i copy and paste the review here, u must fully understand that a geisha IS NOT a prostitute. A geisha is a woman highly trained in the arts of music, dance and entertaining. Geisha is Japanese for “person of art.” She spends many years learning to play various musical instruments, sing, dance and be the perfect hostess in a party of men. A geisha, when she is working, is just that: the illusion of female perfection. click here if you’d like to learn more about geishas.

Review on Memoirs of a Geisha by h*elenmayclark
‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ by Arthur Golden is an enchanting story which follows the life of a beautiful, young Japanese girl named Chiyo in her quest to become a geisha. The story begins in 1929 in Chiyo’s birth town of Yoroido, a small fishing village on the Sea of Japan. Chiyo lives here until the age of nine, with her mother, father and sister Satsu in a little ‘tipsy house’ on the cliffs. Everything is normal is Chiyo’s life, until one day she and her sister are bought by Mr Tanaka and taken by train to Kyoto. Once in Kyoto, Chiyo is sold to a renowned geisha house in Gion and is separated from her sister, who is later to be found working as a prostitute.

To begin with Chiyo hates the idea of becoming a geisha and is tormented by Hatsumomo, the other geisha in the house. Chiyo rebels and tries to escape Gion with her sister but is unsuccessful, and as punishment she is told she can never be a geisha and must work as a maid instead. During this time she is constantly humiliated by Hatsumomo and looses touch with her only friend Pumpkin and her sister, as well as finding out that her parents are dead. Alone in the world and feeling as though she cannot carry on, Chiyo meets a kind man by the banks of the river who restores her faith in humanity and love. Spurred on by this man’s warmth, Chiyo vows she will become a successful geisha and find this man again to repay him for his kindness.

The story continues with Chiyo’s mission to become a geisha, following her life through her training and apprenticeship, the auctioning of her virginity for a record price, the lavish parties she attends, and to her search for a ‘Danna’, a rich patron who will pay for her geisha lessons and her daily upkeep. Throughout this time Chiyo is searching for the man she was comforted by on the banks of the river and dreams of telling him how much he means to her. One day she finally meets the man again, but can she tell him how she feels when she finds out it is his best friend who finds her attractive and that the man she wants to be with doesn’t even seem to notice her.

The story is told through the eyes of Chiyo, who later becomes known as Sayuri when she becomes a geisha. Through her vivid descriptions and explanations of her life in Gion, the reader is transported to a faraway world and we learn about living the life of a geisha and the rigorous training and customs they must follow. There are many rules and procedures that must be followed in order to become a successful geisha, and the competition is fierce between the geisha. Just as Sayuri is settling into her new life as a geisha the Second World War strikes Japan and Sayuri finds she must reinvent herself once again.

waaahh… no updates for 2 weeks?

i was so malas bah lately. no interesting stories to tell – Yes, my life is boring!

we hv three days holiday this week for chinese new year + awal muharram, i took another 2 days leave, today + tomorrow. so here i am, doing nothing… hmmm boringnya kehidupan si mimi!

i used to love chinese new year… but now, celebrating cny is not as fun as it used to be. same goes with xmases… i finally figured out why it’s not fun anymore… bcos now, it’s our turn to give out presents and angpows!

*to be continued* i want to go masak 1st!

ok, i’m back..

i just prepared chicken soup for lunch. dunno how it’ll turn out, you all know laa… i’m a very good cook kan soup also pandai hangus ooo… that’s how good i am!

oklah… where were we just now? oya, now it’s our turn to give presents and angpows! you know, people said “tangan yang memberi lebih baik dari yang menerima” but believe me, they said it wrong. it should be the other way round… now that doesnt mean i’m not sincere in giving those presents and angpows aaa… yess… this is my second year giving angpows! i know some ppl will go like “eh, u celebrate meh???” yes we do. my husband is a quarter chinese (chinese + kadazan + British + Malay) maa…

these are only for the close relatives… blm campur lagi yg for the kids visiting our open hse. even today, my mother-in-law is having another open hse for her colleagues but she’s having it at her new hse (at Kg Hungab). i so malas wan go…

while the adults are playing kua and mahjong, the kids also hve their own activities ketam-ketam! some of the kids left oredi coz angpow finish liao…

and this is my niece Cherry… grown up oredi kan? it’s her 1st day of play-school today. she was very excited this morning. cant wait for her to come back and tell us all about her day.

and now, the real reason for this entry…

my ellone is 1 year old today…

My precious Ellone,

i asked God for a flower,
He gave me a bouquet,
i asked God for a minute,
He gave me a day,
i asked God for true love,
He gave me that too,
i asked God for an angel…
… and He gave me you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLONE!!!

but the celebration will only be held nx mth, together with cherry. most prob on 4th March since cherry’s birthday is on 20th March. so, a belated bday party for ellone and an advance bday party for cherry.

i think that’s all for now and here are some of ellone’s photos… some of which u may hv already seen.. time flies so fast…

this was my first photo of ellone. i was 5 months pregnant and the doctor had just 99% confirmed that i’m carrying a baby girl…

actually i was a bit scared of this photo. i tot she looked like a little monster here… i think she was yawning bah tu…

i think she was only 4 days old when this pic was taken. just look at her, sleeping so peacefully…

she was 1 month old. i dont mean to brag but i think she has a pair of beautiful dimples

two months old

three months old

four months old. i think she’s the chubbiest at this age. even mrB said ” pipi dia macam trying to run away from the face.. “

five months old. on the way to the nursery…

six months old. giving her “little buddha” pose…

seven months old.

eight months old with her pink topi komunis

nine months old. one of her 1st passport photos…

ten months old. 1st time at the playground…

eleven months old. she looked a lot like a baby boy in this photo…

1 year old. this one was taken just a few mins ago. laaagi mcm baby boy oooo…

ok u guys! i’m going shopping… bye…

wah… 3 blog entries in one day?

i wasnt planning on adding more entries for today but rick has The Best Blonde Joke Ever!

this morning, while i was tying my hair, getting ready to work, my little ellone walked to me and gave my knees me a hug. i looked at her through the reflection in the mirror and asked…

me : why ellone dis??? ellone sayang mummy???
ellone : mmmm…
me : u give mummy big hug?
ellone : mmmm…

awww!!!!

see… i miss her orediiii….

since i have nothing else better to do Chinese New Year is just around the corner, i’d like to share a wonderful folk legend on how the twelve animals of the Chinese Calendar were chosen.

image courtesy of newsfinder.org

ACT I – A Demand for Respect

One day the Four Celestial Generals came to see Emperor Sakra (the King of Heavens in Buddhism, some Chinese called him Jade Emperor) and reported, “Your Majesty, there is a group of animals protesting outside the Heavenly Gate demanding respect.”

“What is going on?” asked Emperor Sakra. “Bring their representatives in. I like to hear what they say.”

“Yes, your Majesty” replied the Celestial Generals and soon they returned with a mouse, an ox and a monkey.”

“Your Majesty.” said the animal representatives. “We demand respect from human beings.”

“Why?”

“Because we animals provide human beings with food, milk, clothing, transportation, work and recreation. We plow their fields, pull their carts, watch their houses, sing to them and give them companionship. Therefore, we demand recognition and respect from human beings.”

“OK. Your request is granted” said the King of Heavens. “The Lord Buddha is the teacher of all sentient beings in the Universe. Now he is sick and you should all visit Him. I now give the decree that the first ten animals that go to see Him on the coming New Year Day will be named the animals of the consecutive years. Now, you go to tell everyone in the Animal Kingdom.”

So off they went. The mouse would inform all the household animals, the ox, all the farm animals and the monkey, all the animals in the wild, that the Lord Buddha was sick and everyone would visit Him to pay tribute, right on midnight of the coming New Year Eve.

ACT II – The Mouse Cheated the Cat

Time had come on New Year Eve. The cat came home from a big New Year Eve party and was very tired. He asked the mouse, “I am very tired. I like to sleep for a while before I go to see the Lord Buddha. Can I trust you to wake me up so that we can go together?”

“Sure” said the mouse. “Trust me. Otherwise, I would not tell you of this big occasion at all.”

Then the cat went to his bed and soon was sound asleep. It was now a few moments away from midnight and the mouse thought, “If I go by myself, I will have one less competitor.” So off he went without bothering waking up the cat.

ACT III – At the Temple

As everybody was waiting outside the Temple, the Celestial Generals arrived to make sure everything was in order and to act as referees. They would report back to Emperor Sakra the result of this competition. Buddha’s senior student Ananda was responsible for recording the winning animals. When everybody was ready, one of the Celestial Generals shouted out the order in military fashion, “ARE YOU READY? NOW!! GO!!”

Off everybody went in the race. The ox was a very strong animal because he used to plow the land for human beings, so he was leading all the way. “How can I win the race? I am no match for the ox. I have to do some trick.” thought the mouse. And he jumped onto the ox and climbed all the way to the horn. When the ox arrived, the mouse jumped down and immediately paid tribute to the Buddha. Ananda had no choice but to give the mouse a first, followed by the ox. Soon, all the other eight animals arrived in the following order: tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey and rooster. And Ananda wrote down all the ten animals in his report.

“STOP!!” shouted the Celestial Generals ” We have ten animals already!”

But Ananda wrote in such a hurry and excitement that he put down DOG instead of STOP in his hand writing.

“We have enough animals! Would you stop writing PLEASE?!” shouted the Celestial Generals. But, in an excitement, Ananda put down PIG instead of PLEASE. Seeing this, the Celestial Generals rushed over to Ananda and took the report from him.

When daylight arrived, the Celestial Generals took the report and returned to the Heavenly Palace. “Oh Well” said Emperor Sakra, on reading the report. “Since there are twelve animals paying tribute to the Lord Buddha. I will decree that all of them will be named animals of each year from now onwards.” And from then onward, each of the the twelve animals is designated for each year in the Buddhist calendar.

ACT IV – The Mouse Deserves Punishment for his Cheating

Back home the cat asked the mouse, “When are we going to see the Lord Buddha?”

“You slept like a log.” replied the mouse. “Everyone went, and I am the winner!”

On hearing this, the cat was furious. “You cheater!” He jumped upon the mouse and killed him. From then onwards, all the cats in the world will try to catch and kill the mouse whenever possible.

special thanks to Buddhist Writings, Stories and Celebrities for this enlightening story…

today is another one of those proudest days of my life.

my ellone is finally walking all by herself. not one or two or three steps, but she’s actually walking tried to get her on tape but the minute she saw me with my handycam, she’ll freeze, not moving at all… just standing there parhaps wondering what her silly mommy’s doing.

it’s a wonderful feeling, really…

and to think that she was once inside my belly…

it’s just a beautiful feeling! i feel like i want to cry pula gosh… my baby is growing up oredi…

jnr said she was even running just now!

actually i’m ill today… this morning i had flu kan, apparently it has gotten worse. os, terpaksa juga makan tu antibiotic ooo… exactly at 4 o’clock, i began to feel feverish and i was actually shivering!

after some rest and after taking some panadol, i felt much better.

oklah… c jnr balik2 sudah tanya sia mo makan ka tidak…

i go makan 1st la

this is ridiculous *syroot*

i went to the doctor just now and i thought i look half-dead but unfortunately, the doctor doesnt “thought” so… good old doctor thought i’m still “fit to work” and no MC for me.. huhuuu… *cough-cough* *syroot*

so here i am… with throbbing headache and runny nose *syroot* and *cough-cough*

i should be home now!

actually i wanted to blog about my weekend but guess that’ll have to wait until… until i feel up to it lah!

oklah u guys… *syroot*

’til then, bubbye!

*syroooooooootttttttttt*

huh!