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I hate being controlled. I dislike feeling that I'm being constrained. Regardless of whether its intentional or not.

So I advise you to back off.

 Back off. Give me some space.

Before I lose my temper and say something that we will both regret.

I tried to abstain... I really did. After a certain experience, I thought I would never come back.

But here I am again. The urge returned, and in the words of Jordan (from Scrubs): "What the hell."

It's my blog, and I will blog whenever I wish to. And that's that.

=)

Watch out, world! A new chapter in the chronicles of thestitchlover begins.

Note: This incident did happen, in a coffee shop (also known as kopitiam in Malaysia). Me, my cousin, and my brother were having a drink. Somehow, the conversation shifted to Mathematics:

Bro: I quite enjoyed trigonometry, but I hated algebra.
Cousin: I loved all of them, but my favourite was definitely calculus.

                  (I had keeping silent all this while, because there was nothing in Math I actually liked.)

Me: *finally pleased to have something to say* I know Calculus! Newton invented Calculus and used it to prove his theory of relativity, right?

                   (I received horrified stares all around. Before they burst into hysterical laughter.)

LOL. I can't believe i got Einstein and Newton mixed up. My brother commented dryly after my blunder: "This is exactly why you can't do science."

And you know what? I think he's right. For once. =)

Well, first things first. A few birthday wishes are in order:

Firstly, to my cousin, who is turning 18 (I think?) today. Even though she won't be reading this, it just feels good to write it out here. Next on the list, is Malaysia, who turns 51 today. May the following 1 year be a year of change for the better. =)

I'm currently in the town of Melaka, visiting my grandparents. It's good to see them again. We're not doing much outdoorsy stuff, but basically just hanging around at home. And that itself is the most memorable experience ever. Young people today sometimes forget about the importance of family. I definitely don't want to be like that. So here's to family.

We had to send Yang for boarding, and that itself was a painful experience (for me at least). I was thinking like a mum!! Thoughts like "will they feed him properly" "will they torture him" "will he miss us" were running through my head. Handing him over almost broke my heart, because he looked so sad and mournful. I was so caught up in his stare, I ended up reversing into the shop's gate.

Yeps folks. There is a new addition to my car's growing collection of dents and scratches. Here's the best part: it's orange! And my car is white. You do the math.

I'm glad to be here. But I miss Yang. Sigh. I'm torn between two conflicting emotions.

Wishing every Malaysian a Happy National Day!

=)

Sometimes, the spelling of some English words justs dumbfounds me.

Take today for instance. I was updating a report for Jane, and inadvertently typed out ‘Fifthieh’. (Note: the correct spelling should have been ‘fiftieh’).

Something struck me as not right but I could not figure out what it was.

Until I checked an online dictionary.  

The other day, while I was writing checks and I made a similar mistake. Imagine, I actually spelled ‘Fourty’ instead of ‘Forty’. Catherine had to point it out to me, and I had to rewrite the checks again.

It was quite embarassing, to say the least.

But the point I am trying to make here is why there are such odd spellings for some words. Even now, ‘Fiftieh’ still strikes me as odd, even though it’s technically the ‘correct’ spelling.

Ah well. That’s the English language for you, I suppose. The day I understand it fully will be the day I gain enlightenment (i.e. not in this life).

Update: a kind soul has helpfully informed me that 'fiftieth' is the "correcter correct spelling" (his exact words). You see? This is exactly my point. The English language is weird. And I still have a lot to learn. LOL. Thanks for pointing out my mistake!

=P

I have two younger cousins - Daniel and Chloe, and guess what? They happen to be fraternal twins. Which is very cool when you've never had twins in the family before.

Anyway, Uncle Lay Soon and Aunty Maggie dropped them off at around 6, as they had to attend a church service/gathering (not really sure what it was). As mum was busy with housework, the duty of minding the kids fell on my shoulders.

And surprisingly, I found lots of joy and satisfaction in the task. Perhaps I do have a way with kids.

As most 5 year olds are, Daniel and Chloe are full of questions, that range from the seemingly obvious to the weird. And typically, as soon as they saw Yang Yang, they fell in love. Muahaha, what can I say? He's irresistible. But after observing them interact with Yang, I have safely come to one conclusion:

They are too young to have a dog. Although it will be unintentional, they might kill the dog in their attempts to play with it. Imagine a boy playing war with some army truck. Yang Yang was that army truck. They pulled at his fur and his tail, and did not let him get any rest. Believe it or not, Chloe almost strangled the poor fella (she didn't know the right way to hold a dog). Towards the end, he looked haggard and exhausted, and glad to finally have some peace. But when they grow older, I do hope Uncle Lay Soon gets them a dog. A dog is a bringer of much joy and laughter, especially in an environment with dog lovers around. =) Just like Yang Yang.

One of the many many funny moments:
Scene - Me trying to press to them the importance of not scratching any mosquito bites by showing them the scars on my leg.

Me: ..... so you see, you cannot scratch, or else will become like my leg here. (points to leg)
Daniel and Chloe: *looking suitably impressed* Oh...
Me: *feeling pompous and important* Now you both understand?
Daniel: ChehCheh ('sister' in Hokkien), why your whole face also full of mosquito bites? You also cannot scratch, ok?
Me: *speechless with shock, and then laughter*
(They were pimples!!!)

Seriously. I almost died laughing. After I shared this story with his parents, they almost died laughing as well. Kids do say the darnest things. And its a double dose of hilarity because every word and action was unintentionally funny.

Perhaps I should look to babysitting when I get back to the UK. I really do enjoy children. Their innocence is a breath of fresh air in this cynical life of ours. They experience joy in the simplest things, such as a hand-drawn picture, or the dog licking their hand. We can just be ourselves around them, because there is no need to pretend.

But I'm getting unnecessarily emotional here.

The crux of the matter is, I had a great time with them. My only regret. I forgot to take pictures!!! I was too busy watching cartoons with them. But no worries, its another month before I leave. Plenty of opportunites yet for photos.

=)

Bangkok is also called Krung Thep, which means the City of Angels. 

[A random fact before I proceed. It's full name is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Yuthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udomratchaniwet Mahasathan Amon Piman Awatan Sathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukam Prasit which according to the Guiness Book of Records as the 'world's longest place name'. Who would have thought, eh?]

It has approximately 10 million in population, and is considered one of the biggest cities in the world.

Personally, I wonder why it has such a name. I've been to Bangkok twice, and my impression definitely had NOTHING to do with angels whatsoever. A great place to shop, a really huge city, really humid and sunny weather. That was about it. 

Anyway, I used some of my free time in the office to do some research on Bangkok. I'm really looking forward to our upcoming trip there, since the last time I stepped foot there was when I was 16.

As you may all well know, a person's perception changes with age. At 16, I was no doubt the quintessential teenager. I was angsty, I had baby fat, and I thought the world was against me (think 'Welcome To My Life' by Simple Plan). In fact, it's embarrassing that I was wearing a frown in every photo taken during that particular trip. Four years down the road, I definitely think I turned out ok. I'd rather smile than frown, and I hate negative thoughts because they give me a headache. Therefore, in one sense, I'm am using the Bangkok trip to conduct a social experiment. How will my view of Bangkok be affected?

Ok. Back to the main topic. Places to go to. I would prefer places where we can haggle with prices. That often makes shopping all the more sweeter because of that sense of accomplishment we get when we successfully get a bargain. It doesn't matter whether it's something we really need. The most important thing here is the process!! I'm not really being a wise consumer here, but heck, which shopaholic is. Right? (I dare you to disagree)

Therefore, there is this is the one place I definitely, MUST MUST MUST go. The renowned Jatuchak Weekend Market. My research online has showed me that it has a very very huge pet section, selling animals that range from the exotic to the ordinary. Just look at the pictures of pets being sold!! In fact, that Shih Tzu there looks like Yang Yang's long lost twin brother.@__@"

Dogs, dogs, and MORE dogs!!

If all goes as planned, I will be able to buy loads of toys, accessories and gadgets for my darling poopie. And pretty, cheap clothes.Stuff to decorate my new room in Manchester. And Japanese CDs, which according to a friend, are extremely cheap as well. Among my list of possible targets are ayaka, Utada Hikaru, w-inds, Ketsumeishi.

*rubs hands in anticipation*

I also can't wait to see my uncle, aunt and cousins again. Its really fun hanging out with them, they're a very cool family. And I enjoy the random and weird conversations I always have with Ning Ning (nope, not another Shih Tzu, but my COUSIN).

Anyway, back to the topic of pets and Jatuchak. What do you think are the chances of me successfully smuggling another puppy or a pair of hamsters back home to Penang?

=)

I brought Yang Yang for his 2nd vaccination today after work. Honestly, I so felt like a mother bringing her child to see the doctor. So this is what motherhood is like.

You should have seen me oohing and aahing over him. My baby sister (who accompanied me there) said I looked like a lovesick dork.

"So what?" I retorted.

And thats exactly how I feel. I love my dog to bits, and unlike some people, I'm not afraid to show it. It's not like I have a reputation to begin with. LOL

The poor fella. The vet warned that within the first few days after the jab he would be tired and inactive, and just like he said, the first thing he did when we got home was snuggle up in a corner and sleep.

Not fair. Now I cannot torture play with him as much as I want. Now especially, his soulful gray eyes have a way of making you like the lowest being on the planet (if you have any bad intentions).

Hurry up and get active again, boy!!

Then you'll be fair game.

*wicked laugh*

I was blog-hopping, and came across this really meaningful quote:

"Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery, and Today is a Gift (that's why its called Present)"

Like it? Apparently, its from the movie Kung Fu Panda, which I haven't watched yet, so note to self: pester daddy to buy DVD so I get to watch.  The blogger's interpretation of this quote is to learn from the past and live every day to the fullest because we never know what is gonna happen tommorow.

Some food for thought. And here I was wallowing in a bit of self-pity because of some reasons unnamed. But anyway, I digress. I made a trip down to KL this weekend to meet up with two of my closest friends, Cannie and Dolly. It's their respective birthdays this and next week, and since we haven't celebrated any birthdays together since A-Levels ended, we decided to make it a reunion/birthday celebration.

And boy, was it fun. I'm not rambling, nor am I bragging, but this reunion made me realise blessed I am to have friends like them. We can talk non-stop about ANYTHING. And I mean ANYTHING underneath the sun. Maybe even in the universe. We had random conversations about dogs, cats, rabid fans, presents etc. And I'm not only speaking for myself when I say this, but we definitely had the time of our lives.

Cannie's family was gracious enough to bring us to eat Klang's famous Bah Kut Teh (dun play play. apparently, its ranked in the top 10 best bah kut tehs in Malaysia). And as expected, it was delicious. We had fun redboxing, we had fun shopping. We had fun just sitting around in Cannie's room in the middle of night catching up on each other's lives.

In a world that is constantly changing, where friends walk in and out of our lives, its reassuring to know that there are some friendships that can and will stay constant. In fact, fast forward 10 years, we'll most probably be sitting around gossiping about our lives? Haha, think Sex In The City (Malaysian version).

I also enjoyed listening to my younger sister's orchestra performance. For a group of children from the ages 6 to 15, they did a fantastic job. How many youth orchestras can play Bizet's Farandole almost perfectly? Most of all, their enthusiasm was infectious and refreshing. I know how much sacrifice they put into attending practices weekly, and that (for me) made the music they played even more beautiful.

Behold. The pictures I took with my Sony (henceforth known as Ole Red, because it just sounds more catchy):

The 3 Muskettes reunited!

Thank u for making the time to meet us!!

All looking happy =)

Cannie also brought us to a place that brought back so much fond memories. Those were the good old days. Having lunch at the same table with our college gang. Packing dinner every evening so I could go back and savor my meal while reading comics. Thank you Cannie!! (I won't forget my promise to write an essay about the differences of fans in different countries, and why some people think Stitch is ugly, which I personally find weird, because Stitch is unquestionably the epitome of C.U.T.E and adorable-ness)

I end this post with an amusing picture I've been meaning to post up for sometime. It's a masterpiece, if I do say so myself. *sounding very pleased*

showdown! Stitch vs Yang Yang.

Guess who won? Nope, I'm not telling. I'm leaving it to your imagination.

=)

So William asked me to get the checkbook for a particular company we're managing from 'the safe' in the office's storage room.

Note: I had never done this before. Previously, my contact with 'the safe' was always through Catherine (who has left, by the way)

So anyway, I thought it would be a breeze. Just opening the safe with keys, getting some stuff out, closing it. Easy-peasey right?

Wrong. It was like a 2 round boxing match - thestitchlover vs 'the safe'.

Round 1: Winner - 'the safe'

After fiddling around with the keyhole for a few minutes, I finally managed to open it. Feeling so proud of myself, I proceeded to take out what I needed, and attempted to close it. Here's where the real struggle began. No matter how I twisted and turned, I could not lock the darn thing. I was close to tears (ok, maybe this is an exaggeration but I was really frustrated) when I left the storeroom, planning to go grab someone to help me. Just so happened Sze Huey was walking by. After explaining to her my predicament, she burst into hilarious laughter.

Strangely enough, it took her only a few seconds to conquer 'the safe'. Not fair at all.

Round 2: Winner - 'the safe' (AGAIN!!!)

Imagine my dismay when William informed me that I had taken the wrong checkbook. So, Round 2 began. Again, it 'just so happened' that Sze Huey was there when I was walking through the store-room, in full battle mode. Again, I struggled with it, when she peeked inside to see how I was doing.

In hindsight, I believe she was waiting eagerly for me to ruin 'the safe'. In all good faith, she came inside intending to help me. The key was stuck in the lock. She fiddled around with it, looked at me and said drolly, 'but its already locked, dear.' I was dumbfounded.

Tricked! By an inanimate object. In the words of Gaston in 'Beauty and the Beast', "why... its more than I can bear."

Round 3: finally, victory

Third time. Jane asked me to go inside to get a company's common seal. This time, I was prepared. Armed with a good dose of common sense and my cellphone (just in case something went wrong), I went in. And guess what? After a few minutes of struggle, I successfully gained the upper hand! Yes folks, u guessed it right. I managed to open AND close the darn thing, without getting the key stuck. *very very pleased with myself*

Stupid safe. I hope it collapses or disintegrates because of the rust its accumulated. Maybe aliens will come down to take it away for examination. Its not every safe that can reach that level of disrepair and age.