Last Day of the year

31 December 2010, last day of the year, some people party, some people ponder, some people don't bother, I would be flipping through  my schedule diary. I like to look at what activities I've done for the year, ponder on my achievements, maybe set some goals, plans and resolution for the coming year.

My 2010 was quite ordinary, many common things happened such as friends getting engaged, getting married, and many of my friends went to Taiwan. It's funny that I have seen more than 10 friends having pictures of their Taiwan trip, it must be the trend now. I myself only traveled to Singapore twice this year to visit my grandparents, my uncle & family, at the same time do some shopping there. I found a good place for cheap stuff, if I'm low on clothes I'll definitely go there again. 

I have also evaluated myself and here is a list of achievements:

• Traveled oversea (just crossing a bridge from Msia to SG)
• Finished Professor Layton game without FAQ/Walkthroughs ( I love testing my sense of logic thinking)
• Finished reading 15 books
• Finished some DS games 
• Learnt makeup online and learnt to take better care of my skin
• Avoided conflicts (talking about pissing ppl off or get pissed at ppl)

I know these achievements are lousy but to me it meant something.

Things that I failed to achieve:

• Still haven't completed Zelda , 365/2 days game
• Still haven't gain any weight
• Failed to learn all the katakana and hiragana words
• Failed to learn simple japanese
• Still have tons of self help books sitting in my cupboard

Overall I think it was a not bad year, it wasn't great but I'm satisfied although there could be more that I should have done, so I'll leave it to next year. So long 2010 and welcome 2011 where I hope that I will do great things and achieve what I didn't this year.

PS: Went to Singapore at 15th December, will update on that once I sort the pictures.

Mid Valley Parking System is crap

The purpose of this post to increase awareness on this horrendous parking system. Firstly the management decided to increase the parking rate yet again, it has become the worst type, the money sucking type as it has no maximum charge at all.It used to be max RM 7 for weekdays and RM 9 for weekends and public holidays. With this new rate if you work there from 9-6 you'll be paying RM 9. We should see changes in maintenance of the parking but it did not improve.It is always so packed and people always park illegally. Below is the picture for the new rate:

I was okay with this parking rate until I was charge unreasonably. It was last Friday when I went for a midnight movie, I arrived at 11:30 ish and left after because the Harry Potter movie was quite long.The receipt is below:

As you can see the timing of in and out is clearly printed. I always know how much to pay for carpark because I do keep track of time, I prepared RM 3 because it was 4 hrs, so RM 2 for 1st 3 hrs and RM 1 for the subsequent hr. I was shocked when the machine asked to pay RM 5 and I could not make any complain as there wasn't anyone personnel working at that hour. I payed and collected my receipt and I found the mistake that made it charge me more. The machine calculated that I was there for 6hrs and 1 minute which was absolutely wrong. If you do the equation it would be

                                                        26:48 (02:48 adding 24hrs system)

                                                      - 23:33

                                                      = 3:16

So I was there for 3 hrs and 16 minutes and rounding the charge would be 4hrs. Last time when I went for midnight movies like this I only pay RM 2 for having been there for 4 hrs and now an extra RM 3. I believe that after they changed the system the programmers screwed up the algorithm in calculation. Another thing that got me angry was tonight when I went there for dinner the machine still make the same mistake in calculation.

If you look at the bottom it calculated 4 hrs but actually it's only 3hrs and 1 min. Even passing 1 minute they charge an extra ringgit. Stupid parking system is just like a blood sucker which can't even fit in a proper algorithm. Can't they not charge people who just exceed 1-5 minutes, since they give people 20 minute grace period to leave. you should also not charge the person extra for exceeding a mere minute. What's so hard to code it?? Just add an extra IF logic to check whether the exceeding minute is > 5 or not then BAM! you got it. I have come across a parking system which is Bangsar Village, once I exceeded by a minute but there was no next hr charged.

Tomorrow I will write an e-mail to their management and make my complaint formally. I hope they will provide me a proper explanation. I hope my friends and readers who visit there take note of the charges, let's not feed these systems blindly as RM 1 a person is a lot in a day for them.

Out of date....

I haven't been blogging for two months, eek so lazy of me. I have been reading but quite slowly, like a book in 2 months time. There are some books that I've completed but I didn't find any time to do it, soon I guess. If you ask me what have I been up to these time? Nothing exciting, just read when I can, play Sims 3 Ambitions (taken a lot of my time) and the thing that I do everyday is watching all those dramas and TV series from USA. Everything just started again since end of September, I have at least one series to catch a day. 

Another thing that I've been obsessing was my skin, I haven't been taking care of it consistently and lately I notice that the laziness is showing. Spend most weekends out with my sister looking at skin care brands. I have yet to find anything that shows me results that I'm satisfied with.  At this century many women depend on make up and I've seen many China girls who look almost like men and with loads of make up they are transformed into someone pretty. I know make up can hide flaws but I feel that I would invest in skin care to retain natural beauty, that way I don't need make up at all.

One month till the last month of the year and I bet many people are planning their holidays, Christmas parties and new year's party, time really flies. As for me I don't have anything planned, but before xmas I'll be visiting Singapore as my grandparents are there. Let's hope it will be a fun trip because my cousins are on holiday we get to do plan some activities then. 

Overwhelmed....

Sometimes I have so much in my head that I don't know how to tell someone, to share and get comforted. In this world that I kinda lost some hope on it, I just choose to keep quiet and ignore. But it's just too overwhelming that at some point I feel like giving up on mankind, on humanity. I guess writing it out like this is considered sharing with the world instead of talking to a person face to face which I sometimes are not that brave to do.

A few weeks ago I was at a point where I felt that this world needed an apocalypse, a major disaster to wake everyone up. Something to shake the world up and let them have a feeling that they themselves are not the world, they are not everything and I hoped that those arrogant people will feel useless and helpless instead of strutting around acting like King. People these days are very selfish and all they think about are themselves, benefits for them and more power. Some even use other people as excuses for doing what they're doing.

That day when I felt that way, a few things happened. I was on my way driving to a place and I needed to pass by a shopping mall area. There was 5 lanes and the furthest 2 right lanes are for other drivers to head to a different location. As usual at a place like this there were minor traffic jams and these are caused by people who drive at the right lanes and cut into the left lanes. I am an ethical driver and I know where I am headed so I always queue from the start before the lanes diverged. There are many who cut in on purpose because they don't want to queue at the long line, if however a person really took the wrong lane in the first place have the courtesy to put a signal light and say thank you or sorry at the driver you squeeze in, but no, nobody did that. That pissed me off because when I cut in because I had no choice I will apologise I don't drive like a ruffian and just squeeze people. This act is just so selfish, what have the world become of. I know I sound naive but since they are doing this kind of act I am sure they have done worse, it just shows what kind of a person you are even though it's just driving.

Another thing that happened on that weekend was my family and I went to dinner at a food court. For a weekend it was packed like hell and so we took quite some time to find a table. After finding a table we had to find a worker to clean the table, and so I courteously ask a person who was pushing a cart, " Please can you  help clean this table". That person just continued to push his cart and nearly hit me with it. What kind of an attitude to portray when you are in this service line, I was mad and I wanted to complain to the manager for his attitude. I wasn't even demanding rudely to have him clean my table. This made me feel that sometimes some people don't deserve gratitude because they don't even serve you with gratitude. I have always say thank you to waiters who serve food, to people who just doing a bit because it's gratitude that I want to give from the bottom of  my heart. I don't say it for the sake of saying it because I meant every word.

I get so piss and tired thinking about this world, figuring people out on their intentions. I agree some people have good intentions but this just seems to be getting less and less. Everyday I see this and I feel overwhelmed because there's nothing I can do about it, people don't act on inspiration or influence anymore, they all act based on selfishness.  If only someone could prove me wrong but we all know this is so what's happening in this world. One day when all hell breaks loose, people will be "Every man for himself" and it's just not I want to see in the future.

Twenties Girl

We are now living in the twentieth century therefore us girls can be called the twenties girl, another person who could be called that way would be someone who was living in the 1920s. That person would be old now with the age of 90 and above. Girls living in the 1920s adore dresses and for this century we adore jeans, shirts, short dresses, short skirts and many more.

Lara Lington quit her job to be a headhunter just like her best friend but she was caught in a bad position as her friend decided to quit and spend her time with another person in a foreign land. Lara herself have no experience in head hunting and was struggling to meet the demands of her clients. Other than that she just broken up with Josh who she can't get over with and thinks that there is still a chance with him. 

There was a funeral for her great aunt Sadie and her family attended along with her uncle and family. Her uncle Bill Lington is a celebrity for he made millions starting with two cents. Bill owns a big chain of coffee shops and made a name for himself. He also published a book on his path to success and gave seminars to teach people that they can do the same as him. Bill and family live a lavish life and his daughter is a spoiled brat. All of them did not give much thought to the funeral and just wanted to get it over with. 

During the funeral, Lara keeps hearing a person talking and it was asking where her necklace could be. Lara was annoyed and answer loudly but there was no one else in the funeral but her family. This girl who was dressed in the 1920s keep yelling at Lara to stop the funeral and find her necklace. Lara couldn't stand it and stopped the funeral by saying she suspected that her great aunt Sadie was murdered. Lara had to go to the police station to report her statement and why she suspected the murder. She was scared that she will be caught in an offense for making a false report but that was the only way to stall the body being buried. The girl ghost who kept haunting Lara was actually Sadie and she wanted her dragonfly necklace buried with her. It was a special gift that was given from Sadie's parents for her 21st birthday.

Day and night Sadie would pester Lara to find her necklace and on the way they met a wonderful chap called Ed. Sadie really liked his type of looks and so she forced Lara to ask him out on a date and soon they became friends. It was odd but somehow Sadie could convince people to do things by yelling at their ears continuously until they give in. Sadie's lost necklace leads to a mystery and a lie being discovered. The past of Sadie was also unraveled eventually.

This book is full of laughs and I dare say it's now my favourite work from Sophie Kinsella. I have never read so much humour in a book that seems like a ghost story but turns out to be funny. The funny parts are what Sadie manage to convince other people to do and also Lara herself. It was also interesting to read on more about how the Lara try to find a necklace that she have not seen before. The relationship between Lara and Ed was odd at first and it turned out to be something good. But the main thing of this story is the relationship that was built between Lara and her ghostly great aunt Sadie, how they found out where the necklace went to.   I really enjoyed this book but I wished the ending could somehow different on how things ended for Sadie an Lara. I recommend to those who wants a good laugh from a chic lit genre.

House of many ways

Ever gotten lost in a house? You will be if you went to live in a wizard's house that has many ways. Charmain loves to read and hopes to enjoy her summer reading more and more books. She also wrote a letter to the King to offer her help to sort out his library. She was expecting to have a fun summer but her Aunt Sempronia signed her up for a small task which is to look after Great Uncle William's house while he is away. The reason for him being away was he is sick and the elves took him away to heal him up. Great Uncle William is the Royal Wizard Norland and what's special about his house is that it bends space and time. One door can lead to different rooms.

As Charmain got there she wasn't given any instructions and she arrived just to see Uncle William getting carried away by the elves. Luckily the wizard prepared for a stay and there is a voice who answers to her questions such as How to get food, where is the bedroom and such. Uncle William's voice will be there to answer her questions to help guide her around. Certainly when she got lost in the house she would just ask and get the directions. In the house lives a magical dog and which became attached to her and along came a young boy Peter who was suppose to be the apprentice of the Royal Wizard. 

It seems like a disaster where they had many troubles in the house. Charmain also manage to get an offer from the King to help sort out the library. At the same time, the princess of Norland seeks Sophie's help in searching for the missing gold of the royal family. Sorting the documents, letters and books in the library helps the King find a clue in the missing gold. Uncle William also left a bag for Charmain which contains directions and instructions on moving around in the House. 

Somehow or rather Charmain is involved in helping to find the missing gold along with Sophie and family's help. The truth about the gold and the relatives of the Royal family is also revealed. Howl has also transformed himself to hide his true self for the investigation.

House of many ways by Diana Wynne Jones sure has many ways just to get to the bedroom in a small little house. This sequel to Howl's moving castle isn't as exciting as Castle in the Air where there was many roadblocks for Abdullah. This book had more of what happened inside the house and a bit on Sophie's family involving in searching for the missing gold and resulted to an ending that you can quite expect it to be. Throughout the book you read up on Charmain and Peter on how they manage in the house. How they did things and how they discover routes in the house which connects them to certain places. I think this story is just fine in the adventure department because not everything that happens is exciting. But when it comes to the last few chapters it gets a bit more interesting. Definitely not her finest work but good enough for me to finish the book as I wanted to know how Howl and Sophie is involved. I really hoped the writer would have sequel on the couple itself as they both have interesting personalities and also magical abilities. My favourite is still Howl's moving castle.

Castle in the Air

Living at a place where mostly you see is sand, it's hard to avoid dreaming away in the daylight. Abdullah lived in a country where when you walk out of the city it's the desert in front of you. He is just a carpet merchant and considered as a failure from the eyes of his relatives. Abdullah himself is happy with his business which was was some money left from his late father for him. He manage to get a booth at the Bazaar which is quite nicely situated where it is not too far from the rich people's house. Once in a while he manage to buy carpets from young merchants and sells it as his booth earning a little bit of profit. Most of the day Abdullah can happily daydream away where he is a prince and he marries a princess. Sometimes his father's first wife's relatives would come and complain about how he is a failure but that didn't bother him a bit.

One day Abdullah bought a carpet that was claim to be magical. The owner demonstrated that it could fly and needed to sell because he needed money quickly. Abdullah was suspicious but still the carpet was quite good quality. Abdullah was not able to summon the carpet to even float, he was upset and fell asleep trying. His dreams became wonderful where he went to a beautiful garden. At that garden was a beautiful girl and she thought that Abdullah was a girl because of the sleeping robe he was wearing. Everything felt real to him the next morning he woke up and he realised that the carpet had moved him there while he was sleeping.

Determine to see the girl again Abdullah tried all he could to summon the carpet to fly. That night itself Abdullah went to that garden again and the girl said that her father would marry her to a prince but he aged quite old. He decided to show her all kinds of man around in the world and so he bought every picture of different kind of looking man available. The people in the Bazaar thought he has changed his business into art itself. Abdullah carried all the pictures onto the carpet and went to sleep and after he woke up he showed her all the pictures and she was shocked and accepted that he is indeed a man.

The girl told him that she had a prophecy when she was born and that she was to marry the first man she sees excluding her father. That is the reason why she was only let to be out at night. The girl decided that she would marry Abdullah since he was the first other man that she saw, and so they decided to elope the next night.  In preparation Abdullah sold all his carpets to get as much money as he could and he went to buy something nicer to wear. He also got a haircut. Before he left his relative came and told him that they will reveal his prophecy that was given when he was born.

Abdullah went with him and read the prophecy which was he will be raised above others in this land. And so his relatives know that a great future will come to him and tried to set him up to marry one of the relative's cousins. Those two ladies were fat and ugly and he had to politely reject for he was going for the princess. That night he flew there happily and just about he was going land, he saw with his very own eyes that the princess was kidnapped by a djinn. He was powerless and was captured by the Sultan's guards. The sultan demanded to know where his daughter was and after they found they will fulfill the prophecy and kill him afterwards.

Abdullah manage to run away with the carpet's help and many trial and tribulations came for Abdullah to save the princess. In his journey  he met with interesting characters and met with Sophie and family unexpectedly. Abdullah will find a castle in the air and save his princess for sure.

This book is the sequel to Howl's moving castle (the one that Studio Ghibli made into a major motion picture) written by Diana Wynne Jones. Though Sophie, Howl and their baby only have a few chapters of involvement but it was fun to read how their lives had changed since then. I really like how the author inserted Howl and Sophie as they were from different lands. I really enjoyed this book as there were many trials faced by Abdullah and it was overcame unexpectedly. Although the ending can be easily predicted but how it got there was just interesting and fun. I dare say it's the second best story after Howl's moving castle.

LeSportSac Spring & Summer 2010

As we enter the summer season many fashion industry will introduce their new designs to suite the season. When it comes to summer, it's a season of vibrant colours, thin materials in clothing to suit the hot weather, slippers and shoes that doesn't cover the whole feet.

I'm not a big fan of LeSportSac as the money you pay for those bags can be used to buy a nice leather bag too. But I do like the designs they offer, it's cute, colorful and you don't get those kinds of design patterns printed on leather, it just spoils the leather. Last month while I was browsing around in Kinokuniya I came across the catalog for the Spring & Summer designs. I couldn't browse because it was wrapped up and reason being that it has a free gift if you purchase it. The free gift was a pouch and a strap is given to change it into a small sling bag.

It had a wonderful design therefore I bought it plus there was a 20% discount on it when I purchase another item. It's a win-win for me as I have other books and that magazine with the free gift only cost RM 50++ after discount. After purchasing it, I went to Isetan as they were having a sale and went to look for that pouch. That pouch cost RM 210 and Isetan was giving 50% discount resulting it to RM 105 but still I got mine half of the price after discount. It was one of my best buy that I have ever made. Eventually my sister saw how nice and she bought the magazine too but with a different design pouch. This is the first time that I bought a LeSportSac and at a cheap price too.

It was my good luck day as I flip through the magazine the design pattern that I chose for my pouch is a design that can only be found in Japan. In Malaysia you won't be able to get the design I have unless you fly to Japan and bought it there. What a wonderful day it was.

My pouch design

My sister's pouch design