Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008

Time flies. I have written this sentence more than twice since I started this blog beginning of 2007. It's the time of the year where we talk about new year resolutions again.

2007 has been a year of multiple jobs for me. I was working on GE project, then Tesco, then US Roll support and now a permanent job at IR. It is also the year where I spent the least on air ticket back to KL and yet, I went back for 3 times this year. Two out of the three trips were free of charge. Hehe.

2007 is also a year of traveling for me. Apart from traveling to KL and SG, I have also set foot in Korea, Italy, France, US and soon, Hong Kong for the countdown.

So, what are my goals next year? I don't remember setting any goals for 2007. Perhaps I should not disclose my 2008 goals here as well, not that I have any, but if I do set some goals for next year, it will be personal and I better keep the list to myself.

This will probably be the last post of the year. I feel sad that 2007 is ending. It has been a great year.

Here's wishing everyone:

Happy New Year 2008!!!

May 2008 bring you lotsa joy, happiness, wealth, good health, and great sex!!

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Saloon manager earns RMB46,700 per mth!!!

My friend Nicholas sent me this piece of news today. Below is an excerpt of the article:


SHANGHAI Portman Ritz Carlton has been ordered to pay 356,000 yuan (US$48,108) compensation to its former beauty salon manager, sacked this year for allegedly stealing 750 yuan.

The Jing'an District People's Court today announced the verdict for the compensation, and said evidence the hotel showed to the court was invalid.

The hotel asked an overseas investigation company to look into the manager, identified as Li Shengshi by the court, after it suspected Li of stealing.

Li, 43, began to work for the hotel as a stylist in August 1997 and became vice manager of the beauty salon in 1999. He was promoted to manager of the salon in 2002 with an average monthly salary of 46,700 yuan.


An average monthly salary of 46,700 yuan??? That's RM23,000 per mth!!! WTF??!!!! If the saloon managers in KL knows about this, all will be flocking to China! I am really, really underpaid now! I should consider changing jobs.
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Another Sad Goodbye

As I write this, Eric is already on board flight China Eastern heading back to Kuala Lumpur. Unless he is coming here again for business trip, I don't think I will have another chance to sing with him in Shanghai. So far, I have lost 2 good friends who went back to home country. Danish and Eileen, and now, Eric. It's a terrible feeling and I still dread year end of 2009 where Elizebeth DL is going to leave as well.

Eric, although I don't know you for a very long time, but it feels like old friendship to me. I realised it's not the quantity, but most importantly, the quality of friendship. What we have shared for the past few months in SH is truly an amazing experience; The laugther, the joy, the sadness that we felt when anyone of us got into trouble or feeling unhappy. I am sure I am not the only one who felt this way.

All I can say to you now Eric, is that although I am sad that you have left, I also felt happy for you to have made a decision which you know it's best for yourself. I really, truly wish you a wonderful journey ahead in KL.

Friends come and go, but they will always remain in our hearts. See you again in KL, Eric!

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Early X'mas Celebration

China does not have any official holiday for Xmas. So, we had an early Xmas celebration at my house yesterday, 22nd Dec. A whole bunch of Malaysians gathered at my apartment for makan-makan and gift exchange. We have Elizebeth DL and her Hubby, Eric, Winston, Yee Ning, Teresa, Dr. Tze, Lion King, me and my Hubby and special appearance of Shopaholicfern and her best friend, all the way from KL!!

The alcohol.

Our main motive is to actually knock out Eric that night. This occasion is also to have the last celebration in Shanghai for Eric. Eric is going back to KL for good. Eric, we will miss you lots!

The food.

We ordered some Thai, Japanese, Egg Tarts, KFC, Papa John's Pizza and some fried rice. Initially, I was quite worried that the food might not be enough. But it ended up more than enough. Guess this whole bunch are just small eaters.

The gifts.

I realised that guys don't wrap their gifts. So I have to quickly take some cellotape and seal the paper bags. Also, some don't even bother to wrap and just bought chocolates! Hahaha... these must be really last minute gift purchase.

Shopaholicfern is so sweet to bring me and Elizebeth DL a special gift. We really appreciate it. I have not seen Fern for 10 years! Yes... 10 fucking years!!! Fern told me the last time we met was back in 1997 when we double dated at the Kuala Selangor Fireflies Park. OMG!!! 10 fucking years!!!! I never thought I would see her in Shanghai! It was really good to be meeting an old friend in such a memorable occasion.

After makan, we started our gift exchange session. And because Eric is the organizer for this special occasion, he came up with a very complicated gift exchange idea. Don't want to explain it.. too complicated. But I wasn't satisfied because I didn't get to steal the gift that Winston picked. Hmmphh!!!

I got the most gifts that night. I have 3 exclusive gifts apart from the gift exchange ones. I got one Forever Friends teddy from Hubby, Elizebeth DL also me a candle holder, and Fern bought me a perfume. Sweet! I'm so happy!

After gift exchange, we played a game that is very common among the cheenas，The Murderer, 杀手。 I realised if we observe closely in this game, can really see some true, hidden behaviour of a person. Kinda scary if it doesn't turn out to be a good one.

We ended early to continue the next round of singing session. We went to Party World again for our karaoke madness. Again, we didn't get to finish the alcohol. Seems like no one drinks except me and Winston. Eric only took a little. Lousy la! Cannot kock him out!

We ate the last piece of dessert from the party, a Xmas cake brought by Dr. Tze. Only those who went singing gets to enjoy this cake. There are so many accessories on this cake and we felt it was such a waste to eat something so beautifully decorated.

Singing session ended at 2am. Too early for what was initially planned as an all-night-long event. Too bad. I think we were all tired as well. But it was a fun night indeed. Everyone was happy. Most importantly, Eric was happy. Right Eric? We will all miss you!

Again, MERRY X'MAS!!!
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2008 Countdown in Hong Kong

YAY! YAY!!!! I will be spending my 2008 countdown in HK!!!

Elizebeth DL always say that I am sua-ku coz the only place I have ever been to in HK is the Chek Lap Kok airport for transfer. Hahaha.... so earlier this week I told Dear Hubby that I want to go HK for countdown. He says ok and I fast fast went to book hotel and air tickets yesterday.

So Elizebeth DL... you don't say I sua-ku anymore ah... coz I'm gonna countdown in HK while you still in this cold, cold Shanghai with the cheenas... Muahahahaha! (I 'suan' you).

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Humidifier needs distilled water?

Almost all of the girls in my office has this thingy on their table (except me). Because winter in SH causes dryness, this thingy is suppose to increase the level of humidity and thus, supposedly good for the skin. So the girls have this thingy all pointing to their face!

I went to pantry this morning and realised that the girls are all hogging the water dispensers. There are 3 water dispensers in the pantry.

So I asked them: Why need to put the distilled water for this machine?

One of the girls answered: Shanghai water is not good. So if we point this thingy on our face, must use the distilled water.

Ohhh..... because you point this thing at your face, you have to use distilled water. Hmmm... I was just wondering... You don't use distilled water to wash your face or brush your teeth, right? So what difference does that make? Bodoh!

No wonder when I was at GE office last year, there was a notice that prohibits the use of the drinking water for the humidifier. I think my office should come up with this policy as well. Such a waste!

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Tis the season to be Jolly...

Fa la la la la, la la la la....



I am feeling Festive right now. This week has been a makan week for me. I have a dept lunch today, another company group dinner tomorrow, and another dept dinner on Friday, and another Xmas party dinner on Saturday, and another dinner on Sunday... phew!!! Getting fat!

I would like to wish all my friends and fellow bloggers:

MERRY X'MAS!!!!!

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When this happens, what next?

You were married for a couple of years and being termed by friends as 'lou-fu-lou-cai' (old couple / long-time couple; something like that). Both of you have good career and you really seldom see each other during weekdays. But you guys are happy and have a good relationship.

One day, you felt tired and decided to head home early. When you reached home, you heard some sound coming from your locked bedroom. Your worst nightmare has happened. Your spouse is inside your bedroom with another partner! You stood there, stunned, not knowing what to do or how to react. You decided to just sit at the living room and wait.

Ok... not going into detail of what happened next as I also cannot imagine. The thing is, when this happens, what's next?

This is a common scenario that I see among some of my friends. Most of the cases does not even involved catching your other half with another man or woman. It can simply be... no longer communicating, cannot get along well, different opinion, etc etc. Thousands of reasons for a couple to act cold towards one another. Sad but true.

If, there are no children in this scenario, the chances are - divorce. Simple, clean, easy... you go your way, I go mine.

But, if kids are involved, many couples tend to still stay on together just for the sake of the kids. But are they happy? I really do not know how a person can pretend to be happy with one another in front of the kids and some even hide this fact from their family members or friends. Isn't it awkward when a relative or friend started to ask you about your other half, and you have to answer it like nothing bad happened between the both of you?

I don't know if this will happen to me in the future, but I hope not. But if it really does happen, at this time, I don't know what I will do.

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I am a Vampire Jedi!

Facebook-ing, Biting Chumps, Eating my friends, Fighting other vampires... this is totally insane. Initially, I thought this was just a waste of time and didn't bother. But as I played on and get promoted to a higher level of vampire, I get the kind of excitement. It feels like gambling... and winning!

Geezzz... I think I'm going crazy. I am totally hooked to this silly game on Facebook that doesn't mean anything at all. And now, I need another 1682 points to reach the next level : Black Widow Vampire! I'm gonna start my blood sucking action again. Muahahaha!

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I need a new love

Last Thursday, I went to Dollar Shop for Fabian's farewell dinner. Dollar Shop is a hotpot shop, and I love this place. We also discovered that it serves the best Roti Pisang and Roti Pineapple in Shanghai. Yes... roti pisang and pineapple as in Roti Canai type of roti. Sangat sedap oh!!!

I need a new phone. Elizebeth DL bought a new phone. I realised I needed one too. Mine is the Nokia La'Mour series and it took lousy pictures. I have been using it for 2 years liao. Take a look; bad, bad quality.


This is Ash in the Dollar Shop apron. Now they make us wear the apron while dining in there. Crazy. We look like waiter and waitress. Anyway, I didn't wear mine. Looked stupid.

Anyway, bottom line is... I need a new phone! But so far, I did not see any which capture my heart yet. Hmmm... time to look for a new love.

OMG!!

Today, we have a monthly department meeting. Something changed in this meeting today as most of us fell asleep each time we have this meeting running for 3 hours. My boss has decided to time each presenter a max 10 mins to update on the job and also to add on the fun, we need to present something funny. Each person will then cast a vote on who they think is the best presenter.

I did an interesting slide and my presentation won the best presentation. The reward was RMB150 cash. But that is not my main story. I wanted to blog about the topic from one of my colleague which I think is the best and which left me jaw-drop!

Last week, my colleague, Jason, went to a bank to perform fund transfer via ATM. This bank is one of China’s largest bank. As he inserted his bankcard into the ATM, something happened on that machine and his card was stuck inside. Inside the ATM vestibule was a phone. He picked up the phone and lodged a complaint. Here is the conversation, in mandarin:

Jason: The ATM ate my card. It’s not functioning.
Customer Service: Can you try to switch the ATM machine off, then on again.

At this point, I was like: WTF??? Switch the ATM Off and On????

(Jason looked at the back of the ATM and didn’t see any switches)

Jason: There is no switch.
Customer Service: Then no choice. You come back tomorrow when the bank is open to get your card.

Upon hanging up, Jason was thinking whether the switch was hidden behind and decided to push the ATM aside. Yes… he pushed the machine aside! Voila!!!! The on/off switch was indeed behind. He did exactly what he was told and switches the machine off, and on.

When the machine was turned on, on the screen, he could see MS Windows start up and some application appeared. Jason, being an IT guy, played with the application using the arrow keys available on the ATM keypad. My jaw dropped as I continue hearing what he has to say.

Without password or whatsoever, he could access the last transaction, the transaction history on the machine etc etc. WTF????? This is bloody lousy bank security! He continued to click on the last transaction and saw his own card number appeared. Guess what he did next? He clicked on the ‘Cancel last transaction’ button. Once he did that… pops!!! VOILA AGAIN!!! His bankcard was ejected from the machine!!!! Then, he exits and the click on something which made the screen switched to the normal ATM screen which we see. He inserted his bankcard and successfully did the fund transfer.

He presented this for discussion. I was shocked!!! I cannot believe that the customer service actually asked him to switch the machine off and on!

OMG!!!!!! OMG!!!!!

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High or Hai

Last night, I took 4 glasses of red wine while downloading songs from internet. I got so happy to have found those songs that I love so much... now I can save them all in my iPod and listen to them anytime, anywhere.

I got sooo happy. I guess it's not only the songs that I downloaded which made me feel that way. The wine effect had me going crazily happy. At the same time, Dear Hubby was crazily watching season 1 of Boston Legal. He was laughing mad at that show. God knows how many episodes he watched yesterday. Did not even wait for me.

It was 11.30pm. I told Hubby time to go into the room and I asked him to continue watching in the room. He asked me what songs have I downloaded. I gave him my iPod while I go brush my teeth and prepare to go to bed.

When I went into the room, Hubby was happily listening to those songs and he gave me the thumbs up sign saying 'good song'! I went to grab the iPod from him and said: Aiyah... you go watch your legal battle la. I wanna listen to my songs. I think Hubby got shocked that I grab it this way.

My Hubby says (in Cantonese): 你醉了。
Me: 醉你的头！
Hubby: High了。讲high话。
Me: Of course 讲 hai 话了。Cannot be 讲 lan 话，right?
Hubby: Hahah! Really high liao. 讲 hai 话。

I think I really a bit high la... was basically talking hai language... Kekeke.

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Huangshan 黄山

Eric went to Huangshan (黄山）during the weekends. I received an SMS from him early yesterday morning and it woke me up from my sleep. Usually, I will curse but since I know Eric's style of sending sms at odd hours, I did not curse.

This is what he said in the text: "Greetings from the peak of Huangshan! The most magnificent sunrise ever seen in my life!"

Today, Eric sent me some photos. He took this with his 2 year old Canon Ixus 4.0 digital camera. Really... it was a magnificent sunrise.

Eric, I thought it wouldn't be nice to just post the pics of the sunrise and blog this on your behalf without you in the picture. So I have decided to post this handsome pic of yours up.


Eric is gonna charge me for this post. Copyright fee. Eh Eric... give discount la. I am promoting for you actually!
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X'mas Mood

X'mas mood is in town! Am in X'mas mood now. Just bought a xmas tree and finished decorating it. This month will be busy buying gifts for my upcoming X'mas gathering gift exchange pot luck party. Yay! Can't wait.

Not much of X'mas mood in Shanghai city, but I believe we can set the mood by having fun and enjoying ourselves with friends on this day. Starting to plan for things now. Hopefully, this will be a memorable day for all my friends in Shanghai.

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Life is like a Vagina

Life... is like a vagina.

You don't know what's inside until you explore. But then, there's only so little you could see. The rest... are unreachable.

created by me, because I am too mou-liu.

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