I have a younger brother who's 4 years younger than I am and needless to say, he's still a student. Anyway, as I was surfing in my room, he plopped his huge ass on my bed and said this:

Bro: Jie, got money?
Me: Why?
Bro: Gimme 200 bucks...
Me: Why?
Bro: I wanna buy a wireless router... then you can go online with your laptop anywhere in the house including the toilet!!!
Me: Not interested...
Us: Hehehahahahihihohohohohooo...

Our conversations can be so stupid at times I tell you...
I supposed that's the fun part of having a younger brother :)

Caution: Crude posting ahead...

Shit man!

The most frustrating thing happened in the office just now...

It was close to 10pm... and I was alone in the office (on my floor at least)...

I had the urge to pee but tried to finish up the email I was typing...

Finally "beh-tahan"... I ran to the loo...

Then as expected, nearly every cubicle has no toilet papers left...

Except one...

Thinking that I was lucky, I walked in straight ONLY to stumble upon this fucking ugly sight:

I mean... this is so damn shitty ya!

And yes, to the WOMAN who did that (whoever she may be):

You dunno how to pee is it?

Or were you trying to be adventurous and did your peeing standing up??

What the fuck is wrong with you???

Can't you like clean up the fucking seat before you leave????

Macipet your cheebye must be BLIND or something!!!

You're such a disgrace I tell you!

BITCH!

The first time I visited the show unit for the launch of Phase 1, I fell in lurve with the place.

Open Concept
I've always liked to have the kitchen, dining and living room in one space separated by an island. The perfect place to spend time preparing ingredients for dishes just like Jamie Oliver you know... with friends and family surrounding him at the island.

Plus hor... I don't like to do household chores, so the concept is even more appealing to me... Heck, if I have to do the dishes, you jolly well sit near me to accompany me ya...

Size-able Yard
Although it is an open concept, there is still a yard at the side of the kitchen which would be the perfect place to cook and to store the washing machine... So ok la...

Right Size
Although the place is not huge. Only 935 sq ft, it comes with 3 bedrooms so I'm fine. But I think I'd likely turn the kids room into a study room instead...

Walk-in Wardrobe
The best thing bout the layout is that I can have a walk-in wardrobe in the master bedroom (area marked in green):

Flooring

What's good is also the fact that they will be using large tiles for the living, dining and kitchen and laminated wood flooring for all 3 bedrooms...

PLUS hor, the house comes with following:
[Top Left] Bathroom upgrade to full high wall tiles (instead of 1/2 or 3/4)

[Top Right] Wooden skirting around the entire house

[Bottom Left] Nice, fancy switches + free air-cond switches in all 3 bedrooms

[Bottom Right] Free water heater x 2 units

+ free shower screens in both bathrooms

+ free grille for front door and balcony

+ free legal fees for both loan and S&P

Decision Point

Though I liked the place, I wasn't very comfortable with the fact that there'll be 16 units on 1 floor... cos that's like DOUBLE the occupancy of normal condos... So, when they re-launch phase 2, I went back to have another look... This time round, it has lesser units; 12 per floor... but when we scrutinized further, the facing directions were not in my favour and so we were ready to walk away...

Sensing interests, the salesperson was quick to tell us about Phase III (Kuchai Avenue II):
- Only 8 units per floor (just like the one I'm staying in now)
- Facing North i.e. Kuala Lumpur (one of my best directions)
- Every unit's a corner unit (at this point, my parents & I were already sold!)

Unit Selected

We selected the following unit because of its' facing (outwards):

• Cos if it faces inwards, noise level could be higher
• Plus face outwards would also mean nicer view (cos facing KL instead of other people's balcony) but then again, if you like the view of chicks in undies from your balcony, then maybe you should opt for those facing inwards (hehe)
• Not located next to the lift
• Facing North - one of my good directions la...
• No. 7 - my lucky number, cos I was born in July...

Final Step
The last phase was finally launched on 11 April 2007.
So last week (15 April 2007), I placed the actual booking of RM2,000 and brought along the necessary documentations for a loan application:
- Latest 3 months salary slips
- Latest EPF statement
- Latest bank account statement

I got a call from EON Bank yesterday (the panel bank) informing me that my loan's approved.

This Sunday, I'll be going over to sign the following documentations:
- Loan Offer Letter
- Loan Agreement
- Sales & Purchase Agreement (S&P)

As well as to pay the 10% down payment of RM16,750 (RM18,750 – RM2,000 paid for deposit). And although the purchase would mean a huge debt for the next 15 years, I am still ecstatically happy! Hooohooo...

I bought my first property! Since it’s my first, I will try to document everything and anything about it… So please bear with me k!

Project Name
First thing first, the development is called Kuchai Avenue.

Location
The condo is located in Jalan Kuchai Lama, a very established and matured neighbourhood on the outskirts of the city. It has always been seen as a connecting part of Old Klang Road, Happy Garden, and Sungai Besi. Plus, it is also very near to Sri Petaling, KESAS, National Stadium and TPM from there on. And heck, I studied in Kuchai Lama so I practically grew up in that area ler!
Given the strategic location, Kuchai Avenue is also easily accessible via the main highways (North-South Highway, LDP, KESAS, NPE) as well as from the neighbouring city and suburbs (Bangsar, PJ, Subang Jaya, Mid-Valley). But most importantly, it is a walking distance from my parents’ house.

Land Type & Development Size
Kuchai Avenue is set on a massive 5 acre plot of previously vacant land. On the plot beside it, the developers are currently building a medium size commercial area with shop lots (Kuchai Business Park). Actually, this would mean more jam to an already congested area but I’m pretty bad with roads and have only now familiarized myself with a few roads thus the fact that this is near where I’m currently staying will be a plus point to me.

Description
Kuchai Avenue will itself be a commercial development. There will be shops on the ground floor of the entire area. The parking for the commercial area is located on a basement floor. Above the shops are a few levels of parking for the condo, followed by the condo units. Was rather worried that there will be shops beneath the condo but was informed by the salesperson that the shops were restricted to F&B outlets and since I don’t know how to cook, should be OK gua. And oh, it's freehold (but my friend mentioned that free or lease also, it's not really relevant cos either way, we we won't live up till 99 years to witness the day... hehe)

No. of Units & Price
Kuchai Avenue comes with 3 different blocks (with a total of 612 units)
Phase 1: Kuchai Avenue I (272 units, with 17 floors and 16 units per floor)
Phase 2: Kuchai Avenue III (204 units with 17 floors and 12 units per floor)
Phase 3: Kuchai Avenue II (136 units with 17 floors and 8 units per floor)
Ya, terbalik one… last phase was KA II instead of III...

Since there were 3 different launches, there were also 3 different prices. But the price below doesn’t include the parking bay which is mandatory at RM20,000 per bay (restricted to 2 bays per owner). 2nd bay can purchased at a discounted rate of RM15,000:
Phase 1: from RM146,500
Phase 2: from RM151,500 (increased RM5K)
Phase 3: from RM161,500 (increased RM10K)

I bought Phase 3 for RM167,500 and with the additional RM20,000 for parking, the price comes up to RM187,500. Although the price is steep, Kuchai Avenue II comes with the least number of units per floor; 8 units vs. the KAI with 16 units and KAIII with 12 units.

Unit Size
Kuchai Avenue comes in only 1 size: 935 sq ft. I know it’s not very big and kinda steep for the price above but since it’s my first property, I think it’s sufficient la:

Amenities The condo comes with what I would term the basic amenities but having stayed in a condo for so long... I've only used the pool once so these will not be the judging criteria when it comes to buying a place (for me la). And with that, the maintenance fee is set at 13sen psf which is equivalent to RM121 per unit for each units.

Other Info

• Completion date: Estimated mid 2009...
• Developer: Akisama Properties & Construction Sdn. Bhd. (the same developer that developed Continental Heights in Happy Garden and Dynasty Garden in Kuchai Enterpreneurs Park)

:) More on this later...

I attended a colleague's wedding on Saturday... actually, both of them are my colleagues and the fact that both husband and wife works in the same company would indirectly mean that 3/4 of the guests will be people from the company. And true enough, it was like an alumni dinner... half the people there were my seniors whom has left the company like yonks ago... The feeling? Kinda weird actually... :)

Here... pict of me and my favourite colleagues:

And here... my youngest colleague:

She's 25 and is forever telling the rest of us that we're OLD :P. Anyway, it's funny cos when I joined the company at the age of 21, I was the youngest and was always called: the baby of the department, vegemite, the young one etc etc... Back then, I hated it... and after 4 years, came another junior who was younger than me... I was rather happy to hand over the "baby" title to her then...

Now... I'm turning 28 this year and boy oh boy... I'd be ecstatic if anyone calls me the baby of the department these days...

Funny isn't it...

• When ppl thinks you're young... you wanna be "matured"
• When you're finally matured... you wanna be "youthful"
• When you have straight hair... you prefer curly hair
• When you have curly hair... you envy those with straight hair

Moral of the story: Be thankful for what we have and be contended. Life is short so enjoy every moment and every day of our lives.

One of our partners from another company; Justin will be undergoing a big operation today to remove a tumour from his brain. He's only 28 years old this year. As the tumour was located in his brain, the surgery could potentially be a life threatening one.

Justin is one of those who will always forward us meaningful emails on why we should cherish our own lives and be thankful to God. We used to think that it was because he's a strong Christian devout but never did we realise that he's encouraging everyone around him to live their lives to the fullest although he himself was sick. So please... let us pray for his wellness and that the surgery be free of complications... Good luck Justin!

Shit man! I think there's something seriously wrong with me.
Came to work this morning and felt like crying.
You know... the kind of anxiety that you feel when you were younger...
Like how after a long school holiday, you suddenly have to drag your ass to school...
Yes, that kind of feeling.
I've worked through half a day and yet the feeling was still there...

And you know something...
I also realised that if I die today, my family will be the one who will miss me the most!
Company...? They can always re-hire.
No one is indispensable!

I feel so sad!!! Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

P.S. And no... not PMS. I've been feeling this way for a while now... Sigh...

You know, I don't quite understand how clinics and hospitals operate here in KL. I mean... the experienced doctors and specialists are only on duty on weekdays... Come weekends, the trainees or "keh leh feh" doctors will then be in charged...

But harlow... what happens if there's an emergency??? I know... the "keh leh feh" docs would then quickly call the experienced doctors to come back la right... But pity the poor patients man... You mean they are expected to wait in pain or worst still go home without medication and come back on a weekday for detailed checks??? WTF???!!!

My parents had been sick for the past 2 days with non-stop fever, cough and flu. But my mom's condition was more serious. Yesterday she experienced numbness on her face (couldn't feel her own lips even). So today we went to Pantai Medical in Bangsar to get her checked. Doc mentioned that the numbness could be a symptom of stroke thus she was asked to immediately take a series of scans and tests. Meanwhile, the specialist was so called on the way.

But once the brain scan showed no signs of stroke, the doc was quick to say, come back tomorrow for a detailed check by another specialist. And in the meantime, my mom was asked to stop taking the antibiotic prescribed by another "keh leh feh" doctor... and yet, she wasn't given any medication for tonight!

So can you imagine our frustration??? We were all worried like hell but the docs can't seemed to be bothered to take any serious actions. Just a casual: Come back tomorrow...

Really, I think there is something very wrong with that attitude. In Chinese, there is a saying that goes "Yee Ceh Fu Mou Sum" which is loosely translated as doctors are like parents - I mean when you're sick, your parents would be the one who would be the most worried about you and would do anything and everything that they can to ensure that you get well... But doctors today??? Sigh...

So I guess the moral of the story is really...
IF YOU WANNA GET SICK - MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE TO FALL SICK ON A WEEKDAY!

You may then ask:
Who wants to get sick in the first place...
And how in the world can one choose to fall sick on a weekday???
My point precisely!

Perhaps someone should tell that to the Health Ministry.

Hmmm... it wasn't my intention to write about what I wear so often... But so happens, the day I chose to wear a dress to work (which is like once in a million years), my colleague wore a near identical one. And the best thing is... this is also the first dress she wore to work:

Everyone who saw us together would go:

• Wahhh... like sisters....
• Woahhh... got hot date ar???
• Hmmm, uniform of the day???
• You gals look the same!!!

Initially, our answers were: No la, different motifs... look clearly!

But after the entire day of answering the same thing we grew tired. So now when asked, we say:

• Ya, we got hot kinky date tonight! Wanna join?

Pui!

Never had I been so conscious of what I wear before...
Today, I opted to wear the "baju kurung" that I've only worn once before...
But this "baju kurung" is different from the normal sort...
The skirt is the type that you'll need to wrap around and tie (like a beach "sarung")...

And as usual there were many meetings to attend...
But when I stood up to leave one of the meetings, I felt uneasy...
Not sure why but I looked at my skirt and to my horror...
I discovered that one part of the skirt slipped and a small portion of my thigh was exposed!
It was a damn good thing that the "baju" was long enough!
Else god knows what else will be exposed!

But lucky thing I was on my way out, so I casually held on to my skirt and hurried to the loo...
For the rest of the afternoon, I had to like check on my skirt every 10min or so...
Until I found someone with a safety pin...

Anyway, I'm soooooooooooooo not gonna wear that stupid skirt again...
Either that or I'd stock up a truckload of safety pins!

Today someone mentioned something bout the importance of having a dream... no not the dream that you experience during sleep... the dream here refers to a goal, an objective... something that you want to achieve someday and sometime (and hopefully in this lifetime).

For the lucky ones, dreams do come true but for others, a dream may remain just a dream forever and eventually be forgotten. Some may see it as an act of building castle in the air... but really, everything starts from a dream. With a dream, there is an intention and with an intention, hopefully there is a conscious action in making it happen. It requires strict focus, long term diligence and effort. That's how dreams come true (of course with the right dose of luck, right timing, right resources, right knowledge and other necessary ingredients to the mix too)!

Then I asked myself... What is my dream? And the most ridiculous thought came to my mind instantly... I wanna be a rich tai-tai (and I've always wanted to be one for as long as I could remember)! Call me shallow, call me whatever but yup that's my dream! Will I ever achieve my dream? Chances are... NAH! Why? It's simple really... There has been no action from my part in making it happen. Rather than going places where rich fellas hangout like corporate luncheons / dinners / galas / whatever la, I'd rather leave it to fate i.e. if it happens, it happens...

So hmmm... that's obviously really just a "dream" that will likely not come true. So I prompted myself to think a bit deeper as to what I really wanna have / do (in my lifetime)...
Then, traveling came to mind. I wanna travel around the world! I want to be able to visit as many countries as possible. To experience as many different types of cultures, try as many different types of cuisine / delicacies, meet as many "nice" people around the globe, have the time of my life shopping at different continents in the world etc etc...

And again... WTF??? How the hell am I supposed to achieve that when I barely have the time for myself or enough to spend every month???

Maybe that too doesn't really qualify as a dream... Although it is the ultimate goal / lifestyle that I want but what's lacking is the bridge in between (the short term goals)... what the fuck am I supposed to do in order to have those.... what is it that I really like to do and at the same time will get me to the "final destination" that I have in mind?

So again... I asked myself... (knock knock... think harder!) what is my dream?
Try as I might... I couldn't think of any...

Some of my friends have really clear dreams and step by step short term goals to achieve it... take this one for instance:
- Start up a restaurant but start it small
- Eventually when it's big enough / profitable enough, quit day time job to run it full time
- When the brand name's established, begin having chains nationwide
- The finally franchising... like Coffee Bean etc
- End game: Moolah... ka ching!

Then it struck me that all these while... I had been living one day at a time... get good grades in school (cos that's expected), get a good job (and accumulate material gains)... then eventually, get a good husband and work towards building a future for our family (including education funds for our children, bigger house, bigger car, fatter paycheck) then plan for our retirement, grow old and D-I-E!

WTF man!!! That's just so fucking B-I-T-T-E-R!!!

All along, I've forgotten to even stop and ask myself what I really want to do! I have been sacrificing my personal interests that till now I don't even know what my interests are anymore! No wonder I'm always moody... I'm like a fucking ship lost in the middle of a wide ocean with no direction what-so-ever! Now is this fucked up or is this fucked up...?!?!

Sigh... So anyway, while I think about my dream, care to share yours? What is your dream and what are your plans to achieve them?

Vanity comes with a price.

Went to the salon on Sat and Sun...

Sat to straighten and Sun to colour...

And on both days, I went home dead tired...

Try sitting for hoursss at the salon...

Afterall awhile, even their nice coffee tastes bland...

And magazines bore the shit out of you...

Then there will be nothing to do but to snap your own photo:

The result?

OK but it didn't lift my mood as I expected it to...

Sigh and it's only Monday!

This week, I've been experimenting with a different routine at work.

Typically... this is how I spend my time at work:

• 09am - 12pm: Official working hours
• 12pm - 02pm: Skip lunch to continue working
• 02pm - 06pm: Official working hours
• 06pm - xxpm/am: Work
• Dinner's usually at about 10pm

But this week, it was slightly different:

• 09am - 12pm: Official working hours
• 12pm - 02pm: Skip lunch to continue working
• 02pm - 06pm: Official working hours
• 06pm - 09pm: Happy hours (but coffee ni...)
• Dinner also at about 10pm
• 10pm - xxpm/am: Work

As you can see, the only change to the routine was the "happy hour" sessions that I have with my colleagues... Why the sudden change? I guess it was because of the following reasons:

• I'm slowly turning into a psycho bitch (count the number of hours I spend at work... think I spend more time with my laptop than anyone else in the world)
• I'm under-nourished (altho coffee doesn't count as anything nutritious, it was better than munching secretary's biscuits at odd hours)
• I needed human interactions (apart from work-related topics) but am too lazy to drive all the way out to meet friends
• I needed to unwind (have been feeling sibeh down lately)

I must admit that it was fun to have regular "talk cock" sessions with colleagues. But the only drawback to this is that, I have to resume working at 11pm or so till wee hours in the morning. And I think this whole week, I looked like shit... (think: eye bags, dark circles, messy hair...). So much so that when my boss jokingly introduced me to a new colleague, he said this:

• This is "maemee". She used to be pretty. But now hor, she's very "cincai" di... hair is always messy... see... today just one clip to tie her hair back. Eyes are always swollen... sometimes she looks like a panda :)

Needless to say, when I started talking to my new colleague, the conversation steered from work related to something more personal... i.e. how old am I... I told him to take a guess and boy oh boy was I embarrassed...

• He said: E-A-R-L-Y T-H-I-R-T-I-E-S ???

Think I nearly died on the spot!

So anyway, do let me know how you spend your weekdays? I need to know if I'm "normal" and if not... how to be one again!

I was talking to my colleague about nothing in particular over a cuppa coffee. Then we started talking about the need to settle down given the fact that we're slowly but surely aging. Then it strike me that many a times, we find ourselves either doubting our other half (if we're attached) or longing to play the field in search for someone "perfect" (if we're still single).

If you find that the description above describes your state now, perhaps it's good to go through this story from the net about love and marriage:

What is Love?

• A student asked a teacher: "What is love?"
• The teacher said: "In order to answer your question, go to the padi field and come back with the biggest padi. But the rule is: You can go through them only once and cannot turn back to pick"
• The student went to the padi field, while going through the first row he saw one big padi but he wonders... that maybe there is a bigger one later on
• Then as he continued walking, he saw another big one... but again, he kept thinking that there would probably be an even bigger one waiting for him at the end of field
• Later, when he has finished more than half of the padi field, he realised that the padi there were not as big as the ones he saw before... and deep in his heart, he knew he has missed the biggest one and boy... how he regretted!
• So in the end, he went back to the teacher empty handed
• The teacher then told him: "This is love. You keep looking for a better one only to realise later that you've already missed THE ONE"

What is Marriage?

• "What is marriage then?" the student asked
• The teacher said: "In order to answer your question, go to the corn field and come back with the biggest corn. But the rule is: You can only go through them once and you cannot turn back to pick"
• The student went to the corn field but this time, he is careful not to repeat the previous mistake
• When he reached the middle of the field, he has picked a medium corn that he is satisfied with and proceeded back to the teacher
• The teacher told him: "This time, you brought back a corn. You look for one that is just nice, one that you have faith and believe in... and one that you think is the best you can get... this is marriage"

My views:

More often that not, we find ourselves doubting if the man we're dating is indeed 'THE ONE'. But is there really a definite answer of really knowing? To me, I think there are a few ways of looking at both the stories stated above. Consider the following alternatives:

• Find a padi that is BIG and carry it with you while you search for an even BIGGER padi (the rule did not specify that you cannot carry a padi while looking for the other one). Thus if this is interpreted in our modern world, it generally means, play the field and be "Attached but Available" while searching for Mr. Perfect... OR
• Cheat. Walk through the entire padi field and although it was stated that you cannot go through it twice, do it anyway but do it discreetly (consider crawling on your belly so that others can't see you?)

Well, you may think the above options are despicable but really, look around you and you'd soon realise that a lot of people are doing all sorts of nonsensical stuff in what they call their pursuits of true love.

• As for me... dunno la... maybe be 'kiasu' and hang on to the first corn in sight and hang on to it until it rots? (Then there's a perfect reason to go through the field again... )

You know the saying that goes: "Once bitten, twice shy"... well, the 2nd time the guy went back (this time to a corn field), he wasn't as greedy as before. And though he came back with a corn this time - ponder... upon this:

• If you follow his approach, does it mean that you'd rather go back with a corn in hand (no matter what size) than not to have any corn at all?
• If yes, does that mean that whatever corn you picked, you'll trick and convince yourself that that's the best corn you can get?
• If this is really the case, then is there really a need to ponder if he is the right one for afterall, you've convinced yourself that this is the best you can get and have even selected / agreed to be selected...

So really, just like what my girl friend said... it's all in the mind... your own mind. Only you can decide if the guy is truly worthwhile (BIGGEST corn around) and there won't be any teacher around who can guide you... but your own heart and instincts. It's ultimately you who decides what you want and also you who decides if your other half truly lives up to your expectations.
Sigh... easier said than done... I know...

Just got back from the hospital after visiting Ah Ong's grandmother.
I wasn't very close to her, but everytime I see her, she'll go into a story telling about her life...
And tho my Hokkien was half baked, I could understand her...

When she was younger, she was sold into a wealthy household...
Both as a bride to the young "master" and a maid...
Eventually, she managed to escape from the "prison"...
Met Ah Ong's grandfather and fell in love...
They then "migrated" to Malaysia...
But her happiness was short-lived for Ah Ong's grandfather passed away early...
She had to look after her children... think 4 girls and 1 boy... and raise them single-handedly...

Ah Ong's grandmother used to be a very chatty old lady...
She will hold on to your hand and go into her story telling...
But today, when I visited her at the hospital, she could barely recognise me...
Lying there, she looked sooooooooo thin and frail...
Doctor said she only has about 2 more months to live...
Which is why, everyday there is somebody at the hospital to accompany her...

After visiting her, I was choked with emotions...
From a chatty old lady, she's now all bones and barely has any energy to talk...

Live is short.
You never know what will happen today let alone tomorrow...
So work smart, but play even harder...
And while you're in the pursuit of material gains, do not forget the people around you...
Remember to cherish them and let them know how important they are to you...
Don't take them for granted... for you'll live to regret it later on...
It doesn't take too much to say or to show them you care...
You'll be surprised what small tiny gestures of appreciation means to them...

So ya... tonight, I'll be taking my parents to Victoria for a nice family dinner...
Remember to cherish those who matters to you!