In Our Hearts

Veronica Ho
RIP : 15th November 2009

In Our Hearts
We thought of you with love today.
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday.
And days before that too.
We think of you in silence.
We often speak your name.
Now all we have is memories.
And your picture in a frame.
Your memory is our keepsake.
With which we'll never part.
God has you in his keeping.
We have you in our heart.

Dear Veronica, i never did have the chance to say Thank You for every lesson, opportunity, words of encouragement and friendship you have so generously extended to me along the years of my service at TOA. I hope you can still get this heartfelt message from me wherever you are. I will forever be grateful to have met such an inspiring and humble person such as you. You will forever be missed... rest in peace.

Wasted my money on a 'Rich Pappa'

My post oral surgery is recovering well but slower than i expected. I'm officially off the antibiotics hook today *thank god* for that as it's been making me really sick in the stomach for the past 6 days due to the common side effects. Even my mouth taste bland and metallic as if i've licked some iron pole or something, so no food no matter how delicious excites me now (feeling nauseous as i am typing this!) *green faced*

Anyways, speaking of vomit and food... i just got back from Pappa Rich @ Kota Damansara. Hubba and i would usually hang out there for Sunday morning brunch because i love their Hainanese Cham. It's been awhile since we went back there because we can feel their service and quality dropping just over a year after their opening. Since i haven't a very good tummy lately we thought i'd just have a simple dinner there with a little hope they have improved things.

Not only are we're dead wrong but their service couldn't have sucked more. If there's an award for poor customer service for kopitiams who charged freaking RM9.90 for a terrible tasting Chicken Hor Fun, they are the winner.

What ticked me off big fat time was how we walked in, sat down and ALL the waiters literally ignored us because of something amusing the supervisor did behind the counter. Then other patrons walked in and sat next to us and was actually given the menu while i am still waiving my arm frantically for attention! And when my chicken hor fun came it was so overcooked and hard, just like those you take out from the boiling soup! Absolutely HORRIBLE! I was so super pissed that i just wanted to get out there immediately and therefor didn't bother taking photo of the crap they served.

And since this Pappa is already so Rich, I'll put my money on food and services that deserves it. No more next time *period*

A Long Winded Post

So what's me been up to during the month long disappearance?! I've been busy catching up with all the good & glorious things in life that coincidentally begins with the letter "F" - Friends, Family & FOOOOD!!! Will share some of my little discoveries with you and since i'm not some pro food blogger, forgive the personal, direct and point blank reviews!

Secret Recipe's
Apple Cheese Cake
*** Stars
Verdict: definitely going back for more!

Some Thai Restaurant @ Kepong
Thai Dishes
**** Stars
Verdict: Amazing Thai dishes & environment, just like eating @ Thailand!

Gasoline @ Look Out Point
Western Dishes
No Stars
Verdict: Most F***ed Up Food and Service in my entire lifetime! No more next time *tatas*

*Nice view though*

Bubba Gump @ the Curve
Western dishes and everything shrimp!
** Stars
Verdict: Would have been crappy if i haven't tasted Gasoline's crap before. Edible but nothing to shout about, service is messy but they really try! No more next time *tatas*

Kampar Claypot Rice @ D'sara Jaya
Famous for claypot rice
**** Stars
Verdict: Never been a fan of claypot but after tasting this i went back for the 2nd round the very next day only to be disappointed because they close on Weds!

Tony Roma's @ E-Curve
Ribs, Seafood & Steaks
***** Stars
Verdict: SUPER BIG ASS THUMBS UP!!! I'm so totally INLOVE with the Shitake Mushroom Beef Burger!!! It was huge and i actually finished the WHOLE thing myself because it was seriously YUMMY! Hubba ordered their ribs and was still mumbling on how great it tasted when we were going to sleep!

Yup, that's about it! Besides that, i finally got my other wisdom tooth extracted along with RM600 from my wallet *bleeding gums & pocket* I finally decided that i've been procrastinating long enough and that i'm gonna get this over and done with. Shockingly, the last i've checked, my first surgery was exactly a year ago!??! OMG... and i thought i only did it like a couple of months ago!? Anyways, this extraction is so unlike my first, everything about it spells P A I N !!! From the injection to the whole ordeal of drilling, sewing and post surgical pain. After 3 days now my right jaw is still sore as heck and the 5 course antibiotics is making me sick to the core! :(( Even my tooth is fugly that i couldn't show anyone without making anyone cringe and gag. Ah well... *switches to happy thoughts*

Over lunch last weekend a colleague asked if i've heard about this Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition in KL. I was like; *HUR* you sure?! How come there's no promotion whatsover?! Funny part was, someone actually asked if he got it wrong for the VINCCI shoe instead! So i googled it and to my surprise it was really true!

Being skeptical of the limited promotion on the event and having to actually pay for it, i googled a little about some people's feedback and most of them actually commented that it's worth visiting despite the overall science centres poor maintainence and un-scientific-ness! Without any high expectation hubba along with some friends decided to go check it out last Sunday irregardless.

So off we went... and upon arrival at the entrance of the Science Centre we immediately felt like we have traveled back into the 80's in a time machine. There was this squeaking robotic penyu amongst the dusty fake jungle as you enter and every single thing in there was extremely LOW TECH and OLD! I mean, where can you still find poster colored exhibits being used these days?!


Anyways, there is this one very important thing i thought i should share with you and that is the ticket charges of the exhibition. Being Malaysian, i am always suspicious of the charges implied especially when it's locally organised. I don't know why but i always have this gut feeling that they are there waiting to cheat my money! And despite doing all the findings and research about the ticket charges this time, we're still in a way - cheated!

Yes, i dare use the word CHEAT because i feel the organisers deliberately hid the special rates information from the public just so we would all stupidly pay a flat RM25 each. A lady even mentioned in her blog that she was charged RM90 for her entire family when she could have just paid RM70 for the family package for 2 adults and 2 kids. At the counter i asked the guy in charge about their "Group Purchase" and he shove me the card that was hidden behind the counter (click to enlarge)


We were like "WTF?!" Astro and TM subscribers gets to BUY 1 FREE 1?! Why the heck did they not say so in their website?! By that time we already bought our tickets and could only stare stupidly at each other. So we sucked it up and cursed our way in anyways. So people, BRING your Astro and TM Bills there if you intend to visit the exhibition!

We had to take a little walk to see Da Vinci's great work but along the way our appetite were pretty much ruined by the ticket purchasing experience and the whole poorly maintained so called science centre. We try to console each other that we still get to buy SOME of their merchandise for 50% off. And this is what you can find amongst their range of items.

Yeah, pretty lame. They have some kinda contest to win some money if you purchase and take a lame photo of yourself with the ruler of Mona Lisa's seductive stare. But you gotta pay RM3 to get your photo taken on top of the RM? you need to pay for this plastic ruler. Again, beware of that 50% discount deal, not everything is entitled the discount, only RED MARK items aite!

Okay, back to the main focus of the visit; to see Leonardo's great inventions and work of art. I must say that eventhough the featured work are all replica's it was still worth it. It's amazing to have the opportunity to take a peek into the mind of an inventor, artist, scientist, engineer, sculptor, anatomist, biologist, musician, architect, philosopher; all in one Rennaisance Man!

My favourite part of the exhibition was definitely the Mona Lisa section. There was SO MANY hidden secrets and details in the painting and even the back of the painting holds a whole lot of history! Yup, you will also get to see the replica of Mona Lisa there - front and back with at least 90% similarity to the actual one i was told.


Spent a good 2 hours in there marveling at Da Vinci's masterpieces and also pondering on his great quotes and state of mind through all the amazing things he has done. All in all it was an exhibition truly worth visiting! *Unlimited Stars*

“People can't do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can't do it. You want something? Go get it.”

Almost too often, i find people telling me just that. I guess i wasn't wrong to not believe in these negative remarks. As i am learning the art of providing positive and constructive criticisms, i am also learning to art of rejecting negative downers which comes with nothing but bashing critiques of a personal view. And these personal views are often associated to one's lack of believe, not just in others but also in themselves. The quote from the movie "The Pursuit of Happyness" couldn't have been more spot on.

I learnt a whole lot today by just observing the high and positive team spirit in my students and colleagues. I like the scene a whole lot better than the four walls settings. The highlights for me was probably seeing what everyone's capable of without having to measure their assignments standards; no pressure and no comparisons made. It definitely changed my view about so many of them and they have a voice in my head now.

The Pursuit of Happyness is a film about the value of resilience. While playing basketball with his son, Chris Gardner (as played by Will Smith) tells his son to forget basketball and do something useful. Realizing the mistake of what he just said, Chris tells his son, “Don't ever let someone tell you, you can't do something. Not even me.” He wants his son to know what he knows, that a persistent pursuit of your own dreams is the best way to bring a sense of happiness to your life.

Resilience is the ability to keep going when things get difficult. It is the ability to ‘bounce back’ when faced with life’s difficulties. Resilient people persist when others pack it in. It is the key skill to success – good old grunt work. You differentiate yourself when you’re tough and committed to whatever you have set out to accomplish. You’re the last person standing. The majority hope to achieve independence by purchasing lottery tickets. Resilient people create their own freedom.

Will Smith portrays resilience without glamorizing it. His character isn’t perfect; he struggles with his continuous failures. But he is mentally tough. He gets up every morning and starts again. The most powerful metaphor for his resilience is his dogged commitment to selling a bunch of high priced scanners that he has pre-purchased with his life savings. Faced with selling a Cadillac product into a VW market, Gardner persists in a sea of rejection until he finds a buyer for every one of the machines. This is the cold truth that grain-fed people don’t want to hear – in most cases, financial and emotional success is earned one hard day at a time.

Every one of us has been told by someone that our dreams were unattainable, inappropriate, or just plain silly. Some of us believed those people and went another way. Others were more committed to their personal goals. Gardner’s advice to his son is something we all ought to remember, “You got a dream, you got to protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it.”

You cannot know if your dream life can be attained. You have to pursue it to find out. It is the resilient pursuit of a meaningful dream that sets the table for those moments of great “happy-ness” when they arrive. A resilient approach to life is something everyone can do. It just takes a deeper need to succeed. Is it in you?

Source from: http://www.reellifewisdom.com

Sole & Soul Searching

I woke up to a beautiful Sunday morning with a mission to alter the start of each new day; begin with a prayer for wisdom and stability with the plans that are laid before me. I felt a breeze of love. Like the light weight wind that touches your face after the heavy rain or storm; calm, gentle and soothing.

"Do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble"
Matthew 6:34

God always has His way to get His message across. We only need to ask. I am feeling tonnes lighter emotionally and spiritually today. And i know it because my love for craft is coming back to me effortlessly. It's been awhile since i have been feeling passionate about something personal - making art with love and now it's all coming back, slowly but steadily...

Plain FAB shoes

Not so plain FAB shoes (in progress)

Completed version coming soon - i promise :)

Plain Ecstasy

I've been feeling down in the dumps today until i came upon an ubber inspiring blog which instantaneously reminded me why life can still be damn excitingly fabulous without spending your savings away. Anyways, i won't yada on as i'm all hyped to do some DIYs again since the Anemone story, make sure you check out the links below! :D

Maegan's DIY version of Christian Louboutin with step by step instructions!

Also do check out the rest of her other amazing work!!!