Clovers & Roses

This post is really an impromptu post. I did not plan on writing anything at all today but a certain something happened which now compelled me to write a new blog entry.

About 15 minutes ago, I received a call from mum. She's in Malacca now and I am here in KL. The first thing she asked me was if I still carry a handbag or my purse when I go out. I said that I don't and only do when I need to go to campus. She then proceeds to drop a bombshell on me.

"MY PURSE GOT SNATCHED THIS MORNING"

The first few seconds I didn't register that my mum was talking about herself. When I asked her again then she confirmed that it is her purse. I went into are-you-okay-is-everything-alright-how-are-you-feeling mode. You can't blame me for worrying because she is my mother and someone just snatched her purse from her and she could have gotten seriously hurt but thank God she was not. 

Now for the angry part. 

I am seriously sick and tired of the abysmal safety levels of this country. Seriously, my mum is living in MALACCA which is a small state and not as developed as KL or Selangor is. At least for now. I get it that crime rates are typically higher in big cities so in KL and Selangor I cannot really say much. But Malacca? Like honestly? That state receives bus loads of tourists EVERY DAMN DAY and this is the kind of safety that the state has? It was in the morning and already people can get away with literal daylight robbery.

Supposedly there are more police lately to so-called combat the rising crime rates. So the biggest question would be where the hell were they when this kind of crime happens? Are there not police officers assigned to patrol the streets in order to stop or at least reduce crimes like snatch theft? Sure, you will say the police wasn't patrolling that particular area when it happened so they couldn't do anything right? I just wished they were more reliable. I'm not saying that this happened because of their absence but their presence would certainly have helped a little.

I tend to think that people who would commit such crimes are most probably financially troubled. Maybe they were desperate for money so they chose to get money the easy way, by stealing other people's money. In this shit economy, our whole country is probably going down the shit hole in terms of finances. I have never felt the pinch of the bad economy this hard until recently. Everything is expensive and these days a piece of RM 50 is gone in a matter of one or two days and that's even when wise spending is practiced. 

What makes me really angry is these people who commit these crimes. Why can't they choose to get an extra job to earn the money that they need? Why is it that they need to resort to stealing? Why must they take what is not theirs? Why would they do that to another human being when they themselves are also humans? I do not know what kind of a person snatched my mum's purse but I am inclined to think that if they were smart (in some sick twisted way) enough to think about committing such crimes they should be smart enough to think of other alternatives to earn money. 

My mum has worked so hard to provide for her family. There were plenty of times when money was short but did she resort to stealing?  HELL NO. All she did was spend less and work hard to earn money because she had to support our family. She never gave up because her job was tough nor did she find the easy way out when she didn't have enough money. 

*cooling down a notch or two*

The difference between people who committed these crimes and people who don't are basically principle and religion. A person with strong principles in life as well as a good faith in whichever religion they are will know that committing crime is never the way. You cannot deny that every religion teaches its respective believers to do good things in life. It doesn't matter which religion because we are taught the same few things in every religion. Number 1 on the list is always DO GOOD THINGS.

So I don't know what kind of principles these people have nor the kind of religion that they follow. I don't know what reasons they had for doing such things. It could be desperation or it could be just because they wanted that new gadget on the market or it could be because they just wanted to do it. I'm am angry that this country I call my home has ceased to feel like a home to me, in the sense that I no longer have the sense of security as a home should have when I walk out the doors of my house. 

Mum's left unharmed

So I am really really thankful for that

Thank You, Lord

Those who took the money

I am angry but I have to forgive you somehow

Maybe one day you will see the light

Not much of a long post or rant tonight. 

I just happened to come across some quotes which somehow seemed relevant and it made me think.

Who am I kidding?

My mind is always thinking about one thing or another.

Here's to a sleepless night

With tear stained cheeks

Being back home is really great because there is never a place that is the same as home. I'm grateful that home is always just a two hours long bus ride. It means I am always able to see and speak to my family in person whenever I want to. I admit that a part of me is envious of those who have the opportunity to study overseas. People always say studying abroad is an experience like no other and I suppose I am green with envy because I was denied that option. Nowadays, I don't feel that way any longer. I've learn to accept my situation as it is and make the best out of it. 

Anyway, before I sway further from my topic, I am actually going to blog about yesterday's dinner treat from my dearest mum. I took the bus back from KL and arrived just in time for dinner. Mum suggested we have Japanese for dinner so we headed to this Japanese place in Melaka Raya. I didn't even know where the restaurant actually is until the car was parked. Apparently while I am studying in KL, my mum has been trying out many new places to eat. My lucky brother gets to eat Korean and Japanese food pretty often. 

The place is called Senju Tei. Probably known to many already but yesterday was my first time trying this place. 

I have to borrow this picture from a website because my mum was staring at me like I've gone completely mad when I wanted to take a picture from across the street. 

First impression when entering the restaurant is I like the ambiance a lot. It's not overly Japanese with the decor and the furnishings but you can still detect the Japanese theme in a subtle way. There were no tatami mats and we didn't need to kneel or sit on the floor like most Japanese restaurants. We picked a seat at the back of the restaurant and placed our orders. When it comes to Japanese cuisine, I am bad at it. I do not really know much about sushi or most of the food served in Japanese cuisine and I rarely eat them. If I do order, I always ended ordering something that is not really as Japanese sounding. Example, I would order something like fried chicken served with rice over raw salmon on rice. Needless to day I am not the biggest fan of Japanese food. 

Sushi bar with sushi masters working hard to make sushi.

Here's what mum ordered:

Don't they all just look so mouthwatering-ly yummy? :D

Now a close up of sorts to each dish:

Look at that shiny fish roe. *drools*

 
This plate of sushi was super good. I personally loved this out of all the other sushi and dishes. It's called Ebi Tempura Maki (I think) and it's basically fried prawns in batter which are then wrapped in the rice with some cucumbers and coated with melted cheese, mayonnaise and fish roe on top. Delish with every bite!

Mushrooms

Okay, this looks pretty disgusting on the plate I know but it's actually mushrooms with butter. I think the chef made it in a rush so the plating is not as presentable as what it should be. This dish is kind of unique to me because I've never eaten mushrooms cooked with butter in this manner. It was nice but somehow had a bitter taste in some of my bites.

Grilled mackerel.

Of all the grilled fishes that I've eaten, regardless of the cuisine style, this has got to be one of the freshest fillet of fish that I've ever eaten. There isn't much seasoning on the fish to be honest. It's served with a slice of lemon to be squeezed over the fish and a little dollop of radish mash which is that white mush you see in the picture. Albeit the lack of seasoning, the fish is simply scrumptious. Every bite of the flesh is just so good. All I can taste is the sweetness of the fish as well as the tangy sour lemon. Perfection indeed.

Soft Shelled Crab Maki

8 pieces of huge sushi in a plate.

Close up.

This is the last dish and also one of my favorite dishes. The Soft Shelled Crab Maki. It's the same concept as the earlier Ebi but just using soft shelled crab instead of prawns. This sushi somehow reminds me of Hawaii when I bite into it. The combination of the vegetables with the crunch of the fried crab is amazing. I think there's cucumber, pineapples and maybe some diced apples in the sushi as well. It sounds weird to have apples in the sushi but this works so well with the crab. I could probably eat a whole plate of this by myself. Lol

To top off this superb dinner, we were given dessert on the house. Yay us! :)

Green tea ice cream.

I don't usually go for green tea flavored desserts of any kind but this is a Japanese restaurant and they were giving it on the house. I think this is the only flavor they offer which is good because green tea flavored ice cream suits the entire meal better than vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

For a first timer at Senju Tei I am definitely impressed with their service and of course their food. I only tried a small selection from their menu but if all their other dishes are as good as the ones that I tried then I am definitely going back again if I feel a craving for Japanese in the future.


For those who want to try this place out but do not know where it is:

If you know where the Malacca Club building is in Melaka Raya, Senju Tei is opposite that building.

I'm back again with another update about the movies I have watched. I'm really on a roll these days when it comes to movies. I've been watching almost all the movies that are showing now in the cinemas (the English ones of course LOL). This time around I watched one of the most hyped and anticipated movie as well as something that is not conventional for me.

MOVIE #1:

Despicable Me 2

I have to tell you that this movie is really good. Especially if you're like me, a young adult but still a kid at heart. I fully admit that I love my huge Disney/Pixar collection of movies. They are my entire childhood I kid you not. The Despicable Me series is not under Disney or Pixar but it is still one amazing animated movie that even adults enjoy. 

What's most popular about this movie is of course the super adorbs petite yellow helpers in the movie:

The Minions! 

I believe this movie is made popular because of the minions. If you walked down the street and asked someone what is Despicable Me, 9 out of 10 would probably answer you the minions. That's how popular they are. I do love those minions but my fave character is definitely Agnes. She is beyond cute in the movie! :D

(DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Copyright goes to the respective parties who own the movie)

The above clip is from the first movie. Isn't she just super cute and adorbs? :) 

The famous "Unicorn Song":

(DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Copyright goes to the respective parties who own the movie)

If the second clip didn't make you smile, I don't know what else would. Lol

 If you're having doubts about Despicable Me 2, here's the trailer which might convince you to watch it:

(DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Copyright goes to the respective parties who own the movie)

And another one to tickle your funny bones :P

(DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything. Copyright goes to the respective parties who own the movie)

MOVIE #2:

Badges of Fury

This is my non-conventional choice of movie. I do not usually watch Cantonese movies but this time I did. I actually did not have the slightest clue what the movie was about until I actually watched it. There was a lot of fighting in it and to be honest, this movie is bad. There is humor in the movie but the whole thing is just ridiculous. Story line wise it's not that bad since it's a crime/cop kind of genre. What I really found annoying was the fighting scenes that really just seemed out of place from the era the movie actually took place in. Also, there were so many (I'm not sure what to call it) stunts that looked so fake. Like, who would believe that someone can be suspended in the air at 180 degrees? 

I have watched plenty of Cantonese movies shown on TV like those acted by Jackie Chan and the one striking difference between this movie and the movies acted by Jackie Chan is the unrealistic nature of this movie. The fighting scenes were just too fake for me. Honestly, nothing like Jackie Chan's fighting scenes or even the famous Ip Man movie. So this movie is a let down. Harsh but true.

That's the end of my movie mania for now. Might end up watching more movies in the weeks to come or maybe not at all.

Enjoying the comforts of home

Shall update with another post tomorrow

Time to relax for now

It's Sunday night and I am supposed to be prepping for bed time since I have a full day of work tomorrow but I just felt like writing another post. The words were just going off in my head at warp speed so here I am typing away.

I just came back from the fourth movie of the week. Yes, I've watched that many movies in less than 7 days. Too much free time and frankly speaking, 2013 has so many good movies to watch. I cannot recall a year where I wanted to watch nearly all the movies that will be shown or are showing now or had be shown months back. It's a little confusing but the point is there are so many good movies this year. 

This week I started out by watching World War Z. I've actually watched the trailer for this movie several times and I couldn't understand what it was all about. All I saw was humans everywhere and they were running like their butts were on fire but I have no idea what were they running from. I found out that it was about zombies from my 14 year old brother who has not watched the movie. Leave it to the boys to know what this kind of movie it's all about. 

I have only a few words to describe the movie:

INTENSE
THRILLING
NERVE WRECKING
AWESOME

First of all, I'm not a fan of zombies. Not now and not ever. The only kind of living dead that I like are the Salvatore brothers from Vampire Diaries. There's just this gruesome nature of zombies that give me the heebie jeebies. So you can imagine how creep-ed out I was during the entire movie. My heart was racing and I had to peek from between my fingers at certain scene because it was just too much for me. That's not even the most embarrassing part. I bought a pack of pretzel pieces before heading for the movie and within the first 20-30 minutes of the movie, I freaked out and got a shock that I spilled a quarter of my pretzel pieces. This happened twice.

However, I have to say that it was a great movie. Even with all the gross and scary bits. Watching this movie is like going for a two hour long roller coaster ride where the adrenaline rush is so high. I know it's pretty odd for me to use a roller coaster ride analogy but it felt that way to me. The unexpected scenes and the overall thrilling nature of the movie really sets your pulse on overdrive. Definitely a must watch. For those who somehow have not watched the trailer, click below :)


(DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Copyright to respective parties who own the movies.)


Second movie on the same day was The Heat. This one was the total opposite of World War Z. This movie is rated 18 for a very good reason and it is a comedy. It's not all the time funny but it had it's moments. Sometimes, the puns and the jokes are not quite as easy to catch unless you're really listening to the dialogue. There were moments where I was the only one who would burst out in laughter in the entire cinema. I think it's because I was the only one who found the particular joke funny. Overall, it's more of an okay kind of comedy. It's watch-able but not on my definite must watch list. Again, if you have no clue what movie this is click below to find out :)


(DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Copyright to respective parties who own the movies.)



The next movie I watched was White House Down. This movie was totally impromptu. On that day, I sent my laptop for maintenance and it ended up taking longer than I expected. So while waiting, I decided to kill time by watching a movie. Hence, White House Down. I heard that this movie was pretty good so I gave it a try. Now, whoever said that this movie is pretty good probably is understating a fact. This movie was AMAZING.

It had just the right balance of adrenaline of an action movie and humor of a comedy. This movie centralized around the US Government in D.C. and how a bunch of traitors took over the White House and wanted to capture the President. When I summarize it in that way, everyone will think it's almost the same as every other patriotic themed movie but it isn't. It's has other aspects in there as well like the love of a father. I won't elaborate so much here as that would be deemed as spoilers. This movie is on my definite must watch list. Click below to watch the trailer if you haven't watched it :)


 My last movie of the week is The Lone Ranger. This is another Disney movie. It's like the Wild Wild West for kids. I mean which kid doesn't like cowboys and red Indians. Because it's made for mainly the children audience, there's a lot of comedy in it as well as action. Cowboys and Indians definitely have some kind of action going on especially down south in the state of Texas. Lots of guns and shooting and of course horses. With Johnny Depp acting in one of the lead roles, there is a definite level of laughter that this movie will bring out from it's audience. I would say that it is a good movie if you prefer something with little or no adult content. The upside to this movie is the humor and again, action. Not going to elaborate further but do watch the trailer and see if you like it :)


So that's the movies I have watched so far for this week. I have a few more that I would love to catch this couple of weeks and if I do I'll update it here :)

Rankings for these 4 movies:
(top meaning must watch)
First: White House Down
Second: World War Z
Third: The Lone Ranger
Fourth: The Heat

It has been awhile since I stayed back in Subang for the weekends and this week I decided to stay back because I had some cramming to do. For the past couple of weeks, I've been working like I've mentioned in my previous post. On Friday I tried working a whole 8 hours just like how a full time worker would and I have to admit it is really really not as easy as it looks. 

Although my job scope only covers mundane things like keying in data, sitting down in the same position for 8 hours is painful. I mean that literally. By the end of the day my neck muscles were sore from the same state of staring at the computer screen. Not to mention my really tired eyes. I can already see my optometrist shocked at my next eye check up.

After all the hours in the office, I really looked forward to relaxing this weekend. For the first time, I actually understood how it feels when a weekend comes for the working class. I admit I only worked full time for a day so who am I to comment right? The thing is, after working full time for a day I already feel that tired so kudos to them who do it 5 days a week. I even had to get two rounds of coffee just to stay awake and alert which is bad because I broke my caffeine rule. 

Needless to say I pig-ed out the whole of today. Slept in and stayed in the whole day. I didn't even walk out the door to get food. That's how much I relaxed today. I even had McDelivery for dinner and McDonald's is only like 5 doors away from my place (it was actually past 8 and I didn't dare to risk walking out alone that late).

I discovered another new drama series to watch. That's me, a drama fanatic. I have lost count the amount of series that I've chased since the first ever drama I watched aka The O.C. Still hands down one of the best series ever. 

Anyway, I am officially following The Client List shown on Lifetime. A first time not watching a drama series from ABC Studios or CWTV Network. If you have any clue at all, the title of the show probably gave it away on what kind of show it is. In any case, this show mainly focuses on the life of a masseuse in a place called Sugar Land in Texas. Like all dramas, there's lots of twists and turns. Of course there's always a love connection. You cannot deny that love is what makes most dramas what they are.

What I like about this series is it shows the other end of the table. I don't know how many are aware but there are lots of bogus massage bars. Yes, the term is massage bars. These bogus ones do offer massages of all kinds but then word on the street is they do give "extra" stuff as well. Of course I have no idea the truth behind these words since I've never been into one before. I have however seen massage bars open at 3 AM. What kind of massage bars remain open at 3 AM? That's something for you to ponder about.

This show basically shows the main character, Riley, who is a trained masseuse and starts working with a massage bar and ends up having clients on The Client List. Hence, the name of the series. This series shows the reasons why she did it and everything else. After watching this show, I feel a little less judgmental on the people who do work in this kind of bars doing "extras". I am in no way supporting these kind of activities but who am I to judge. People have their own reasons for doing certain things. Especially when the economy is bad and money comes by in such small amounts. 

Here's the trailer of Season 1. 

It is pretty risque and PG rated. But nothing like True Blood which I think I'm probably the only one who follows. Click to watch! :)

Today is the second day I am missing work. Not because I am being a lazy employee but because I am sick. I've been sick since Sunday and I'm finally starting to get better so that is a huge relief :D

What actually happened was I had a bad case of food poisoning. Thanks to the bowl of yellow noodles that I had for brunch on Sunday. If you don't know what yellow noodles are, they're basically noodles made from flour (obviously haha) but are soaked (I think) with some kind of chemical which gives it its distinguished yellow appearance. I know it's kind of ridiculous to be eating noodles that are yellow but it's supposed to be fine if the chemicals are properly washed off in the process of manufacturing these noodles and of course cooked properly. I believe I got food poisoning because the bowl of noodles I had were not cooked properly. It tasted disgustingly sticky and left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Thinking back, I was rather stupid to have continued eating the noodles after noticing the funky taste and texture. 

For those who do not know how yellow noodles look like:

For most people, getting food poisoning usually means an upset tummy which leads to vomiting or diarrhea. Sometimes other symptoms may also arise but those two are the most common. Now for my case, I get the worse end of the deal. I always end up with vomiting AND diarrhea whenever I have food poisoning. I am not kidding because I've had three cases of food poisoning and all three ended up with me having both vomiting and diarrhea. Making things even more complicated, I cannot eat or drink much when I have food poisoning. It all goes out awhile after it goes in which leaves me with gastric. 

Doctors always say that rehydration is crucial when having diarrhea or vomiting. Imagine if you can't rehydrate properly. How torturing is that? I even had a case of heading to the ER for an IV of glucose solution because I couldn't eat or drink after the food poisoning. And two years back, I had to take an injection to stop the diarrhea. 

I have no clue why is it that my body reacts so violently (so to speak) to food poisoning. The past couple of days was torture because I kept vomiting everything that goes into my system including the medications. The ironic part is that I took antiemetics which supposedly acts to stop nausea. 

The really good part throughout this torturing ordeal is that I had the care and love from lots of people. My sister who called me the moment I reached my place in Subang and asked how was I doing. My mum who called me several times in the day to check up on me. And of course the one person who stayed by my side even after I projectiled vomit more than 5 times. I am not even kidding about this. 

The funny side to this is that I can officially cross something out from my bucket list now.

Vomiting in a taxi and destroying the taxi driver's seat.
I got away with it.

(Okay, I admit that is not something to be proud of but how many can say that they've done that before. Lol)

In my defense, I did not throw up on purpose. I tried my best to hold it in because I knew I was reaching my place in like 10 minutes time. But it happened and I will not divulge the nasty details here hahaha.

 Thank God the driver didn't question us further with what happened. I paid him extra for the fare and told him I was sorry for the whole thing. He nodded okay and drove off. I hope he never hunts me down once he realizes what actually happened. Lol

Super grateful that I'm getting better

And that I've had so much care showered upon me

I'm such a lucky lucky girl

Thank You, Lord