Christmas 2006

I don't usually celebrate Christmas so I don't really expect gifts from friends but I got one this year!! Georgi gave me some chockies!! YUM YUM YUM!! She gave me 3 bars of Godiva chocolates and 1 lollipop... or what I thought was a lollipop. After closer inspection, it is actually SOAP!! She didn't tell me it was soap and was hoping that I would eat it unwittingly but Jenny was too softhearted and decided to hint to me that perhaps I should have a closer look at the "lollipop".

Ok, I know I mentioned that I received 3 bars of Godiva but since I am going through this eating spree in San Fran, one bar miraculously disappeared into my tummy in record time. I managed to get a quick picture of it before it disappear for good. Ahhh... my fav... almonds!

Las Vegas, Nevada

I realised that I have been neglecting my blog over here for quite a while and have only been updating my Multiply blog. I thought I better start posting more stuff here before the end of December... otherwise I wouldn't have any entries for the month of December at all. I really can't believe that 2006 is ending in just another week!! Around mid-December, my company organised a company meeting/trip to Las Vegas in Nevada. There were loads of excitement about it when it was first announced and everyone was predicting that it would be one weekend to be remembered. I have to say that it was phenomenal and there is just no other city like it in the world.
After all, how often can you say that you have visited New York, Paris, Rome, Venice, Egypt etc in ONE weekend???

Even though I don't gamble, I have to say that there are loads of stuff to keep you entertained while you are here. I signed up for the balloon ride on Saturday but it was cancelled but luckily I managed to go for the helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon on Sunday and that was lovely!

Besides outdoor activities like biking, hiking, tours, etc, Las Vegas also have fabulous shows. They have so many lovely Cirque Du Soleil shows here and some of them are extremely grand and they don't have it anywhere else because the stage is so difficult to set up. I wanted to catch one of it but unfortunately, on the free day that I had, they didn't have any shows available during that time.
However, this is one show I regret to catching when I was in Vegas - "Australia's Thunder from Down Under".


OMG! I think it was really unforgivable for me to miss this one... Sigh... I'll just have to have my hen's night in Vegas next time...

Interested to earn some money?

When Jenny, Maxine, Chee Onn and myself were walking around the Yale campus in New Haven, we walked into one of the colleges and saw loads of advertisements being posted up to subject yourself to certain experimentation and get MONEY for it as well. I guess if you are too lazy to work to help support your studies, you can just submit yourself to one of these things:

Look at this! Even if you are depressed, you can get money for it! Let's say the session lasts for 1 hour, after an hour, you are $30 richer. Cheaper than going to a psychiatrist but not sure whether this will actually help you or drive you to commit suicide.

Hmmm... as if I need some more things to feed my hypochondraic tendencies. If I get a brain scan, I will most probably start seeing tumours everywhere in the scan. It looks like they only want people who are having problems "eating and sleeping". I think I am qualified. Sometimes I have a problem controlling what I eat at night and then I cannot sleep because I am too full. Kakakakaka!!

You can even make money on past traumatic experiences... I wonder how they decide on the amount to give you.

1. Got your handbag snatched - $40?

2. Husband smacked you around a bit - $100?

3. Step-father raped you - $200?

How do you put a figure on it?

Ohhh!! This is the highest! With this, I'll have enough to pay for my apartment rent, cable, high-speed internet and my lovely TiVo!! Woo hoo!!

Hahaha! Female smokers earn more than male smokers. I guess this is economics of scale for you - demand and supply. More supply, value goes down... More demand, value goes up.

Ok... no money for this but... ASIAN IDOL!! WOO HOO! I would LOVE to see the auditions for this...

Car gadgets

I forgot to include this in my last blog when I was raving about the car I rented. This must be the coolest rear-view mirror ever created! What's cool about it?
1. The mirror is tinted so at night, there won't be any glare from other cars.
2. It is a miniature compass. It will tell you which direction you are driving to.
3. The first button is to switch on and off the compass.
4. If you press the second button, you will hear a voice booming in the car... "Welcome to Onstar... blah blah blah" followed by instructions on how to make a call from your car using only your voice. OMG!! So James Bond-like!! Wheee!
5. The third button will take you to Onstar help and you can get assistance if you have difficulty making a call.
6. The fourth button is the Emergency Hotline. I didn't know what it was so I just pressed it and suddenly it said it was dialing the Emergency Hotline. I hung up immediately but they called me back!! I pressed the second button to pick the up the call but I panicked and quickly hung up again. Then they called again "Hi ma'am, is there an emergency in the vehicle?" I told them that my kid was messing around with all the buttons. Hahahaha! Luckily they fell for it!! Phew!

Anyway, I've already returned this car and got something similar. No more cool buttons in the car though... well... it was fun while it lasted... kekekeke!!

Sexy cars and sexy girls...

Ahhh... occasionally I manage to get a really nice car. This car is so cool!! I was in love with the Pontiac Grand Prix before this but this one, the Pontiac G6, is a cool, cool, cool alternative as well. It is perfect for winter. I can start the car when I am still in the apartment so that it will heat it up nicely while I saunter down slowly and enter a lovely warm car. Oh... if it is still too cold, I can turn on the seat warmers on the buttery soft leather seats... Ohhhhh... such a good feeling especially if you have a backache or if it that time of the month!!

I managed to get the upgraded version with all the extra trimmings - auto start, heated seats, auto seat adjuster (up, down, front, back) and car phone. It also came in this funky blue colour that makes it look so sporty and so damn cool.

I'm going to Toronto on Thursday and I will have to return this car... Boo hoo hoo! My heart is already breaking!!

Hair colour anyone?

For those of you who knows me, you would know that I have been colouring my hair for the past 7 years. I guess with short hair, it just looks a bit better if you have a bit of colour in your hair to add some texture into it. Red, green, blonde, lowlights, highlights, headlights (???), I have done it all. Just recently I made my usual pilgrimage to the hairdressers to get my hair cut and coloured since I was back in Malaysia. Got a brownish base with platinum blonde highlights. Unlike some of my friends who colour their hair and try to make it look like they didn't colour it at all, I can carry off really obvious colours.

I thought my hair colour was pretty obvious but when I stepped into Midvalley Megamall, I was accosted by a sales lady from Guardian pharmacy who shoved some hair colour from L'oreal into my face - "Eskew me miss... hair colour... velly easy to use!!". Bloody hell... Do I look like I still need more hair colour??? I had enough foils in my hair to operate a satellite dish! Do these sales people actually look at the people they are trying to sell their products to and what are they thinking? Do they think to themselves:
1. Oh!! She has coloured her hair! I think she will want more hair colour!
or
2. Just keep shouting to everyone and hopefully someone will bite on the bait?

I reckon its the latter...

Watching paint dry...

Argh!!! The internet connection back home is so slow... I have been trying to upload some photos and to update my blog but it is taking forever! I find myself playing spider solitaire while waiting for something to load up. I can only upload one or two photos at a time on my multiply site and I can't even upload a full size photo on blogger. I miss my high speed internet!!!
Looks like when I am back for good, I will have to update my blog in the office. Hahaha!! Don't really have much of a choice. Oh well...

Keeping warm...

With winter coming soon, it is a good idea to wrap yourself up like a "bak chang" so that you won't catch a chill. I don't mind wrapping up but I have ridiculously short fingers and I hate wearing gloves. Whenever I wear gloves, I feel extremely clumsy because half of the finger tips will be filled with air as my fingers are just not long enough to fit nicely into a pair of gloves. Sigh... anyway, why waste money on gloves when there is an easier way to warm your hands... just sit on it and the heat from your butt will warm it up nicely... hahaha!

Overburdened

I don't know why but when I walk from my car up to my apartment, I don't like making a couple of trips to carry all my packages up. Instead, I pile everything on my arms, my back, my hips, etc and try to bring it all up at the same time. I observed what I bring in to work everyday - my Crumpler laptop bag (with my laptop), my handbag, my sports shoes (packed in a Terget plastic bag) and occasionally my packed lunch. OMG! So auntie!! Just the other day, I was carrying all this plus 2 extra packages that was delivered from Amazon. I know it looks really bad but I am just so lazy to make 2 trips down so I end up carrying everything up all at once.

New Year resolution:
Try to be a bit more patient and take things easy.

The cliffside scenic drive...

Newport in Rhode Island has a reputation for glamour and beauty. It boasts fantastically opulent mansions (usually used as summer homes for the extremely rich families). It is just a pleasure to walk around the cliffs and admire the seaside.

Homo erectus

I was at the Museum of Natural History in Washington DC and I saw this. Somehow it just reminded me of Friends - the episode where they were all in Bahamas listening to Ross's speech about dinasaurs and Joey kept giggling everytime Ross said "Homo erectus". Heh heh heh...

The World according to America

I got this from Sammy... hahaha! Its hilarious... thanks Sam!

Darth Bear

I was just going through some of my old photos and I came across this photo with Darth Bear... HOW COOL IS THAT?? The moment I saw him... I knew... KODAK MOMENT! Woo hoo! Being one of the rabid fans of Star Wars, little things like this excites me... heh heh heh!
What do you think Darth Bear would say???

3. "And now your highness, we will discuss the location of your hidden rebel beehive"

2. "Hmmm... the Force is strong with this bee..."

1. "Pooh... I AM YOUR FATHER!!

Kill thy neighbour

Urgh... my neighbour has a really bad habit! We share a common wall - in the bedroom. He sets his alarm clock to just before 5 am and then when it rings at 4.55 am, he hits snooze and it will keep beeping every 5-10 minutes and he will keep on snoozing it until around 6 am!!! ARGHHHH!!!! The worse thing is that I wake up when it beeps all the time!! Why can't that idiot just set his alarm for 6 am?????

It has annoyed me for a while but I have been so tired this week that I am at the brink of going crazy!!

How to hook bait

I just went deep sea fishing today... first time fishing in my entire life!! I thought that fish would eat worms but it turns out that fish eats... FISH! Hmmm... not sure whether I wanted to participate in encouraging fish cannibalism but what the heck... I'm here for the experience...


1. Take the little hook and unhook it and then poke the fish in one eye and pull it out on the other eye.

Note: There will be a squishy sound when you jab the fish eye. Ewwww... I was grossed out at first but after that, it was kinda amusing and I kept poking my bait's eye.

Note2: If you don't insert in the hook on the top part of the eye, you might just poke the entire eye out and your poor bait will be "eye-less".

2. Take the bigger hook and measure it down the fish and see where the point touches. Then, turn the hook sideways and shove the hook into one side of the body and out the other side of the body and turn it so that the chain remains flat on the fish.

Note: This was not as gross as poking the fish eye. At first, we didn't really want to touch the bait but after a while... squish squich squish... poke poke poke... muahahaha!


Taddah!! Yummy bait all ready on the line!!

Extreme weather - urgh

A warning has been issued by the weatherman:

"AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT WEDNESDAY.

TEMPERATURES SOARED WELL INTO THE 90S THIS AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND HUMIDITY RESULTED IN HEAT INDICES AROUND 105 DEGREES... WITH HEAT INDICES AS HIGH AS 110 DEGREES IN HARTFORD COUNTY CT.
WEDNESDAY WILL BE THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE WEEK...AS HIGH TEMPERATURES APPROACH 100 DEGREES OVER MOST OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. HEAT INDICES ARE LIKELY TO REACH AROUND 110 DEGREES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH ISOLATED VALUES NEAR 115 DEGREES POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE WHO REMEMBER THE BEGINNING OF AUGUST 1975 WILL FIND SIMILARITIES TO THIS SPELL OF HOT WEATHER. THIS WILL BE AN EXTREME EVENT FOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE HEAT WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE A SERIOUS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN...ESPECIALLY FOR THE ELDERLY...CHILDREN...AND THOSE WHO WORK OUTSIDE BETWEEN 11 AM AND 6 PM EACH DAY.

PEOPLE IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND SHOULD PLAN ON ALTERING THEIR DAILY ROUTINE... IN ORDER TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HEAT EXHAUSTION...OR WORSE...BEING A CASUALTY OF LIFE THREATENING HEAT STROKE.

AVOID STRENUOUS OUTDOOR ACTIVITY... ESPECIALLY FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH THE EVENING...AND SPEND TIME IN AIR CONDITIONING IF POSSIBLE.

MAKE SURE ROOMS REMAIN PROPERLY VENTILATED IF AIR CONDITIONING IS NOT AVAILABLE...BY OPENING WINDOWS AND USING FANS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT FOR THOSE IN THE URBAN CENTERS.

NO PERSON OR PET SHOULD EVER STAY IN AN ENCLOSED VEHICLE EVEN FOR THE SHORTEST AMOUNT OF TIME. TEMPERATURES QUICKLY RISE TO LIFE THREATENING LEVELS...EVEN IF THE WINDOWS ARE PARTIALLY OPENED.

AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN HIGH HUMIDITIES ARE EXPECTED TO COMBINE WITH HOT TEMPERATURES RESULTING IN HEAT INDICES OF 105 DEGREES OR GREATER. AVOID PROLONGED WORK IN THE SUN OR POORLY VENTILATED AREAS. ALSO...DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND TRY TO STAY IN AN AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENT."

It is too hot here. I don't like summer. Bad summer! Bad summer!

Workaholic tendencies

I am definitely a freaky workaholic. I complain about how much work I have but even when I am officially on holiday, I am checking my email and fixing stuff for work. I guess it is my sense of responsibility... *saint*

10 signs that Hsiu Pin is a WORKAHOLIC:
10. Gives boss my mobile number.
9. Answer calls from boss even when I am on vacation.
8. Answer work emails even when I am on vacation.
7. Carries work documents in my carry-on instead of a spare change of clothes.
6. Send detailed instructions to my replacement but end up doing the work instead.
5. Bought an anti-social device so that I can use it at work.
4. Remembers all object codes by heart.
3. Goes online and IM work colleagues about work!!
2. Leaves the office and head off to the airport and immediately check work email AND continue working until I board the flight... *I am so sad*
1. Applies for vacation and END UP WORKING WHILE ON VACATION... *I am sadder than sad*

Ok... how much is it to buy a life?

Comments are working now...

Dear Gentle Readers,

I was recently informed that comments on my blog were not appearing. It was obviously due to my own itchy fingers. I saw an option that said Moderate Comments and I thought, wow... what a great idea! Unfortunately, I don't get an email saying that someone posted a comment on my blog and is waiting for my approval. So I opened it up again. Can't be bothered moderating the comments... I want lots and lots and lots of comments! Keep them all coming...

Love,
Me

ASD

Yay! Guess what? I finally own my very own ASD (anti-social device)!! Yes, being anti-social is just so "in" right now...
Basically I usually condemn the use of ASD. I just don't like it when people use it at work (although I have now decided to be anti-social at work and use it). After all, it gives the message "Do not talk to me, I do not want to talk to you"...
However, being in America has finally taken its toll on me and has transformed me into an anti-social ball. I never thought I would buy an iPod but with the long flights, I just want to avoid making conversations with people on the plane so I just plug it in and voila... the message comes across to people. Woo hoo!!

Yes, 7 months in America and Hsiu Pin = Anti-social Person (ASP).

Not so indie and other things...

Got this from Jigsaw is an indie chick. Decided to post up my results as well then...

You Are 45% Indie

You're pretty indie, but you don't make a fuss letting everyone know. You just do what you like. You enjoy many types of things - from trendy to bizarre.

How Indie Are You?

Your Dosha is Pitta

You have a quick mind, a gift for persuasion, and a sharp sense of humor. You have both the drive and people skills to be a very successful leader. Argumentative and a bit stubborn, you have been known to be a little too set in your ways. But while you may be biased toward your own point of view, you are always honest, fair, and ethical. With friends: You are outgoing and open to anyone who might want to talk to you In love: You are picky but passionate To achieve more balance: Be less judgmental of those around you, and take cool walks in the moonlight.

What's Your Dosha?