Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast

"♪...Slow down everyone you're moving too fast...♪"

Was listening to Jack Johnson's Inaudible Memories (I only play Jack's songs in the morning), when I heard this phrase. And it reminded me of an article my brother posted on his blog a few months ago. Supposed to be something from my other brother's girlfriend. The moment I read it I wanted to share it here, but I just never found the time.

Maybe it's time I slow down a bit too.

Win or lose?

"Sometimes you win, but you really lose. Sometimes you lose, but you really win."

Quoted from the movie 'White men can't jump'. If you haven't seen the movie before, check it out! One of the few movies that I watched when I was little and still remembers it. :)

Below, quoted from a primary schoolmate's blog. Found it worth sharing.

1. You backstab a friend to gain advantage ground for yourself. You win, but you reallly lose. You lose trust.

2. You retaliate to your enemies by constantly trying to hurt/embarass/harm them. You win, but you really lose. You lose respect.

3. You break a promise because you did think the person you promised to was worth your effort. You win spare time to yourself, but you really lose. You lose credibility.

4. You bribe a person of authority to get a favour. You win the favour, but you really lose. You lose honour.

5. You ignore your friends because you feel you need time to yourself. You win alone-time, but you really lose. You lose your friend's confidence in you.

The list goes on and on......

Try it. Before you make every decision, ask yourself.

"Do I really win?"

Have you smiled today?

Laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people

The Zahir

Since I am already signed in, just thought I should share this.

For those who are up for some reading, try this one out. The Zahir, by Paulo Coelho.

I find it a very good book. Giving a whole new perception of the idea about love. Not just man-woman love. But love as a whole. Teaching us the importance of really following the heart.

If you have the time, by all means, read this.

Lost

I am glad I finally am sick. Giving me the more reasons to sit down and type. It has been way way way too long since I had the time to do this.

Sorry to those who used to follow my blog. Sorry for the long break. I was lost and still am. I do not know what to write here.

Photoblog? Foodblog? Travelblog? I really have no idea. Maybe, I should just stop writing. But I find it too difficult to just give up this blog, just like this.

So, for the moment now, I am just going to write about whatever I like and whenever I feel like it. Please bear with me.

scallops! scallops scallops scallops!!!

Pan fried butter-soy sauce scallops

+
sweet chilli mayo sauce!
ll
yummy!

Overdue post no. 2? Time for love!

My long overdue post no. 2 was supposed to be about something I cooked weeks ago, something that I no longer remember now and something that definitely has nothing to do with what I am going to say starting from now.

It took me long enough to finally realise that it's not because of how little time I have nowadays that is keeping me away from blogging, but the fact that blogging isn't really at the top of my priority list. I am sure if I loved blogging enough, I wouldn't be chatting away on msn nor would I be spending hours after hours watching SATC on my 17in monitor, and not spending even a minute to sit down and type. But, it proved too, that I really haven't had any time to just sit down, rest and think for the past few weeks.

There were definitely the 'oh, that's too bad..'s when I told people my ski/snowboard trip was cancelled and there's pretty much no more plans left in my 2 weeks winter holiday. But honestly, I was kinda relieved in a way. And it brings me to wonder, maybe it is time to slow down, take a breath, and look around? Afterall, it's the holiday season! Time for family and friends. Time for love!

overdue post no. 1 - fishie fishie?

I rarely cook fish. This was one of the exceptions since the fish was fresh and cheap and definitely yummy to steam. So I microwave-steamed it! If you've never microwave-steamed fish before, you really should try it out!

Just use plastic wrap to wrap up the plate and slide it into the microwave. Timing differs according to the sizes of the fish. So I just used the reheating button, and it came out fine :)

For the sauce, mix hot water with soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, some 料理酒, sliced onions and some dried cut up chilis! Oh, and not forgetting to squeeze in some lemon!! And tada!! A less than 10 minutes dish! Great for those busy days when you don't even have time to blog! :p

Jingle jingle

Still a month to go before Christmas, but I could hear the jingles already. In the housing area I stay in, it's pretty much like what you see in the movie The Grinch.

Christmas illuminations is a BIG THING here. I have no idea whether it's just purely those I-don't-wanna-lose-to-you kinda neighbourhood thing or whether they are very much in the festive mood. But whatever it is, I cannot deny the fact that it surely does give the whole neighbourhood a romantic, christmas-ty feel, warming up everyone's heart in the bitterly cold season.

Glad to be here. :)

Little treats for the tired soul

It's been (what?!) almost a month now since my last entry. Yups, I have been that busy. Just like any other university student, it's all about rushing for deadlines, deadlines, and deadlines after deadlines. DEADLINES!!! *faint*

*declaration: I am not complaining here. Just the usual ramblings of a greedy piggy who wants to be successful, yet wanting things to be easy. So, yes, you can ignore me.

Anyway, it's just another one of those not-so-up days in life. And thus, I decided to skip class, come home, and give myself some treats. Flan, custard, pudding...whatever. Who really cares for the name as long as it soothes the tired soul? Baking really does take your mind off a lot of things. *big satisfied smile*

*ps: mr. ed, remember we used to bake this together when we were kids? the good old days.. :)

One of those good ones, again.

It's one of those good ones at Oon Yeoh's again. Rich dad, poor dad. Familiar as it may sound, but it's not the book. Go check it out! The joke was a good one. :)

Being a frequent reader of Oon Yeoh's (and not a very podcast person), it's quite sad to hear that he has decided to leave the blogosphere to concentrate on KLStream. But well, at least it had been quite some fun reading the previous ones. Thanks for the well written articles!! :)

*just a short entry before I leave for Tokyo. Hope it's gonna be a nice weekend for everyone! TGIF!!

Backpacking Netherlands III

I wanted to upload this windmill picture ever since I started blogging about Netherlands. But it just didn not fit into the Amsterdam nor the Rotterdam category. So here it is. Windmills of Netherlands. :P

Netherlands used to give me images of clogs and windmills. Of course it still does now, but the smell of marijuana in the air, fluorescent bikini girls in neon lighted compartments and the modern architecture is definitely here to stay too.

I find Netherlands a land filled of surprises. The three places that I went to, they were all just so different. One was quiet, one was funny, one was so full of life. It felt as if it was a country built up of independent little unique countries. And that gave us the more reasons to explore. I shall not elaborate more here and spoil the fun of those who plan to visit Netherlands in near future.

One hint (advice?) though, go 'window shopping' not only at night but during daytime too!! It's quite different, not only in terms of the crowd but in terms of quality too! ;)

Backpacking Netherlands II - Amsterdam

In Amsterdam, you find...

kroket@croquette@コロッケ
*which I thought was originally Japanese! (o_o)*

tulips!
*in every colour you want!*

sex museum
*not much is needed to be said here*

clogs!
*I wonder whether anyone really wears them. hmm.*

waterways

and waterways
*you can get lost if you try to use them as landmarks*

and of course, window shopping!!
*of course here I mean shopping for ladies wearing fluorescent bikinis in neon lighted compartments*

Backpacking Netherlands I - Rotterdam

Streetlights

Pencil and Cubes

Funny windows

The pictures says it all.

Rotterdam is a place of modern architecture. I didn't really understand why, but I understand now. Fancy staying in a slanting cube? Go to Rotterdam! :)

*Special thanks to my friend whom I stole all these photos from. I couldn't gather any energy at all to take photos in Rotterdam due to food poisoning. *sob*

Backpacking Luxembourg

Look into the map, and you shall see Luxembourg tucked between France, Belgium and Germany. A small, yet beautiful country.

It particularly caught my attention when I came to know about the fact that the whole city was listed as a world heritage site. A certain building, or a certain spot, yes. But, the whole city?!

So, yes. Been there. Seen it. It certainly earned it to be added into the UNESCO list. The scenery of the valley from the fortress was near to perfect. And the casemates, interesting! Sometimes a little scary though. Given the fact that we were the only few visitors then, it can be a little scary venturing into the dark, unknown path.

Too bad we couldn't make it to the countryside which I heard is really beautiful if you like nature. But well, that gives me another reason to visit Luxembourg again, doesn't it? *wink*

Backpacking Belgium III

Streets of Gent

The Graslei, Gent

Brugge, Venice of the North

One of Brugge's waterways

Oostende at night

Yup, I'm finally back posting again about the way overdued europe trip. (^^;) Anyway anyway...

Instead of spending another day looking at touristy stuffs in Brussels, we decided it would be better off taking a one day trip to small towns around Brussels, going from Gent to Brugge and then to Oostende. And it was definitely worth the trip. Sceneries by the railways were superb. A much more peaceful and calm Europe that you do not see elsewhere.

As for Gent, Brugge and Oostende, they were great! One thing for sure, there were less tourists!! Streets were not packed, and things were definitely not as commercialised as in the big cities. And it was good to be able to just wander around, looking at the daily lives of the locals, and buy BIG, CHEAP strawberries! *big grin*

The people were VERY VERY VERY helpful and friendly. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I just left Paris where I met the rude lady who practically looks down at everyone at the bus counter. But where else can you find people who offers you help even when you never ask for it?

Anyway, in short, the small towns were nice. The people, nicer.

BACK!

Yes, I'm finally back!!! back in my own 'room-sweet-room', with my 30Mbps connection, happily stalking blogs that I've abandoned for 2 months now. And, I found this! Pretty funny piece if you follow the Malaysian politics. I like following Oon Yeoh's blog. Interesting, yet informative. Just drop by when you have the time, and you will know what I mean. :)

signing off now,
dreading that uni's starting tomorrow Sue

Frustrated Photo-less entry

As you can see from the title, I AM FRUSTRATED.

One of my aims during my trip back in Malaysia this summer, was to finish blogging on Europe and Phuket before I continue on to Australia, which I don't see is possible at all with the stupid internet connection at home. I do not know whether it is just the internet connection in my house, or is it so for the whole Malaysia, but I definitely know Telekom's monopoly has something to do with it. And obviously, I AM UPSET with it.

Come on, 2 months photoless blogging = B.O.R.I.N.G. *sigh*

So people, please please please bear with my boring photoless blog till October. I promise, I will be photoblogging like mad when I am back in Osaka, with my oh-so-trustworthy internet connection.

Signing off,
sitting, waiting, wishing for a better internet connection Sue..

Another lil green thing

Summer's when all bugs come out and play

How well can you handle stress?

Check it out!

Never knew these optical illusion things can actually test one's ability of handling stress. No idea how true it is, but an interesting link for a break off studies or work. So now people, back to work! work work work!