Nicole Chocoa Heaven

Ivanka Trump Shoes

2012-01-28T09:42:00.002+08:00

Finally, an interview that went well.

Will try to post some photos from the studio when I get them up from my phone.

Though Wendy told me that I look shit on TV, which I agree.

Something about the lighting making my face as flat as kansas plain.

Anyway my latest sin is a pair of Ivanka Trump shoes from the US. It came in the mail along with my other buys but because it was in a huge box and came via the EMS, I got taxed RM92 for my own clothing purchase. WTF?

Then again, it's such a gorgeous pair, it's totally worth it.

It's definitely meant for red carpet moment only, since the entire bottom are made of suede and will destroy instantly if worn on tar road, or cobble road; anything that's not completely flat and carpetry.

Talk about impracticality. Still~

Anyone want to invite me to a red carpet function anytime soon? :p

Going on NTV7, again.

2012-01-26T00:29:00.000+08:00

Just a quick update here.

Flew back from a wondrous CNY trip in Langkawi. Max family time.

Had a lot of good food and visited couple of amazing places. Went to the Perdana Gallery and dined at Bon Ton, lovely place, so many purry furry cats! Almost tempted to sneak one of them back in my luggage.

Oh, and did a 3-hour jet ski tour which was SUPER FUN AND AMAZING! Had stupendest time on the sea riding like a maniac. Well, a controlled maniac.

Exhausted from the flight and the ride back home. Always find it so 'mafan' that one has to put up with flight time PLUS driving/ride time from the airport; as if travelling from one country to another isn't tiring enough.

So erm... Tomorrow I'm going to be on NTV7, again.
Wow. Didn't know I could say that, and so soon too.

Twice appearance on national tv within the month. This has got to be somesort of record.

Tomorrow 11am sharp, live broadcast from the studio.
Topic: something to do with paintings.

I'm going to be bringing one of my latest pieces to the studio, let's hope they'll show it on TV. :D

Catch it if you can. I'm going to try not to sit too far to the side of the TV this time (if I can help it :S) so I don't look fat on TV. Urgh~

The Geek in Me

2012-01-22T00:56:00.000+08:00

It was New Year's Day and I stumbled into Uniqlo by chance, friend wanted to get something.

I was browsing through the racks of clothes, looking through rows of clothes which I have already bought last year. Then I got to the accessories section, tried on a pair of frames and a hat, and I was hooked.

Paid RM80+ for both items and proceeded to wear them for the rest of the day.

As you can see, the frames themselves don't quite go well with the whole look without the hat. So I had to buy both.

no hat

hat

tried to take photo of myself in F21 but got warned not to take pics. wtf. I'm not even taking pics of their store. Rude. *hmph*

Frames are so useful on days when you don't feel like putting on make up but still want to look chic; it conceal all faults and accentuates your eyes.

Photo of me with frames (no power) before bedtime, no make up.

Had miss sixty heels on but didn't manage to take any pic with me in them.

Crop top: Topshop UK
Black shirt dress: Taiwan Shilin Street
Black tights pants: UNIQLO
Hat and Frames: UNIQLO
Hoop Earrings: KL

Charity Dinner - Auction & Art

2012-01-17T03:47:00.002+08:00

Miss Thailand 2007 with a Lawless dinner bag for auction

The charity dinner held a week ago was a success, albeit the minor hiccups here and there.

Two Miss Thailands (of 2004 & 2007) flew in to attend the private event at Mikan in KL.

The dinner cost RM500 per pax (since it was a charity event) where most proceeds went to aid the flood victims in Thailand.

I was seated next to the two very hot (and tall) beauty queens together with my bestie whom I invited along.

that's me looking at photos on my phone with Wendy

Both the Miss Thailands were super friendly. I took quite a bit of photos of them and with them.

pretty or not

They even let me played with their crowns. Or tiaras. Whichever.

And they were massively HEAVY! They told they were getting a headache from wearing them for too long. @_@

heavy stuff

Miss Thailand 2007's head was so small, the crown wouldn't fit onto my head. T_T #Igotbighead

had to hold onto the crown to take this pic, damn hard to balance phone and crown at the same time

Wendy also had a go, lol. Actually I forced the crown on her to take this pic. :p

Then I posted on instagram asking people to indentify the fakes with this photo. lolol

I amuse myself sometimes.

Dinner that night was an impressive Japanese fine cuisine. With top ingredients like foie gras, wagyu and monk fish liver.

freshest sashimi

head chef Machi working his charm on those delicious wagyu

noms

wagyu fried rice for the still-hungrys

The auction started when dinner was finished (because we have to move to another area in order for everyone to gather into the same space). Raj being the emcee of the night. Looking good in a suit.

Two batik pieces were the first to go up, which needed a bit probbing to get it up to RM1000 bid.
But then the winner of the bid later threw another piece out to re-auction for the purpose of raising more funds. Such noble act.

It's a bit sad that few datuks and couple of tan sris've left the scene by the time the auction started, they could have contributed during the auction which would helped raise more funds.

My little piece of art went out too. Managed to call for RM800.

Well, can't ask for much; it is a little small.

By now it was a little apparent that the crowd was of the more reserved batch. Because the bags, batiks and artsy stuff didn't go out well, but the champagne managed to fetch a RM1500 for what was retailing in store at RM500 -.-.

By the time the lions got out, they were in thousands. =___=

There were also very supportive bidders who bid for the sake of charity. Two all-inclusive 3d2n Koh Samui trips were let go at RM2000++ each!

My grand piece came last because I requested the reserve to start at RM3000; the highest of all auction items.

But seeing the response of the crowd (or there lack of), the organisers decided to lower the calling price.

The piece finally went out at RM2100.

Thanks mr. kind man (orange shirt) for bidding for my art. #grateful

Though both of my art bidders did a trade in the end so the person who got this piece, named 'Crazy Art', was not the person in this photo. After the event, he then secretly told me this was the cheapest piece of art he has ever owned.

Damnit should have priced it higher. :p jk I'm happy with the result.

Live on Bella NTV7

2012-01-15T01:42:00.002+08:00

So erm... I'm going to be on air today at 1:30pm on NTV7, the Bella programme.

Live.

*gulp*

Let's hope no one's watching.

Talking about travel stuff. Not too sure where they're heading with the topic but has something to do with travels and how one should travel safe and can travel cheap etc. I'm not the only guest *phew*.

So yep...

Can't sleep.

As usual.

Shit.

Gonna have dark circles tomorrow.

@_@

New Year's Eve's Look

2012-01-13T02:55:00.000+08:00

Delayed post of New Year's Eve.

Had NYE dinner with two families (none of which are mine, such a bad daugther :/ ) in a Japanese restaurant.

Didn't take as many photos since it wasn't wild or anything like that.

Just simple sit downs and welcoming the new year. And seeing a bunch of new acquaitances got drunk before, during and after count down in a dodgy bar in a dodgy hotel, surrounded by old patrons of the hotels. LOL.

In fact, the ending of 2011 was a bit of a bummer (ok fine, it was a mega bummer).
Got cheated off RM15k from a scoundrel named Johnny Wong (I hope your kids grew up abadoning you), who used to own a travel agency in Bangsar but then shut down and whole family ran away with everyone's money (estimated to be in millions, since there's more than a hundred cases and my single case is already RM15k!); surprised that it wasn't even in the newspaper; makes you wonder what on earth are our police force doing with our tax money. Drinking lots of teh tarik, no doubt.

Anyway, cried for two days yada yada, lost a two-week year-end trip to Japan which included a ski resort holiday in Hokkaido, etc etc. Not going to drag this out, got over it so let's move on.

My look for New Year's Eve was a simple little black dress I got from Victoria's Secret online. ^^

Dress: Victoria's Secret
Heels: Miss Sixty (ps: most exp pair of heels ever own, 4 digits)
Butterfly Ring: Bangkok
Pearl Diamante Earrings: Somewhere, can't remember.

Outcome of Charity Dinner & Instagram Photos

2012-01-10T03:37:00.002+08:00

Update: painting is 18x24 inch, NOT 16x20. Wrote wrongly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

So the charity dinner went great.

Well, not really.

But it was not too bad on my part. I guess.

In the end two of my paintings were sold. One you see here in this post: the first one. Due to competition between many other bidding items and lack of audiences response (bad crowd?), decided to auction two of the paintings out instead of three.

So I took back my favourite colorful 'Universe' piece (which has never been put to auction), and will be put on sale here. :)

"Universe" 18x24 inch
Acrylic on Canvas

Do email me nicootan@gmail.com for the enquiry of the painting. Thanks.

Will be blogging about the charity dinner soon, together with the two pieces of art I've sold in the auction. One of which fetched a four digits. ^^ (thanks to two special guest who did the bids)

Do follow me on instagram under the username nicootan. It's an addictive app and I will be uploading lots of my photos from there.

Trying out instagram on my phone

Loving the special effects that made all photos so nice~

Spend some time in Singapore last Christmas and had some lovely meals, didn't do much shopping as I already most of mine a month before, mainly online from overseas sites such as Victoria Secret, Coach and Juicy Couture. *love*

Saw these art elephants that were scattered around town. So cute. Reminded me of the art elephants in London.

Dined at Trattoria Lafiendra (neart art gallery in Singapore). Had some really really yummy parma-ham (jamon) with buffalo mozzarella.

Got this super awesome white truffle oil from Ben's supermarket @ Publika. It's super lovely with scramble eggs. Of course I would love to have fresh truffle, but it's hard to find them here so truffle oil would suffice for now. And it's cheaper, too.

Trying out Ding Tea from Fahrenheit. Had strawberry yogurt, not bad. Wouldn't order it again.

Sleepy face before bedtime (before I went to wash my face).

Speaking of sleepy.

It's been an exhausting night. Had a great conversation with someone who shared so many similar interests as me, lots of wine, good food, camwhored with two Miss Thailands, held bestie's hand through the bidding of my painting, survived through a sorta semi-successful auction :S, and was offered a trip to Bangkok absolutely for free (I wonder).

Not too shabby for one night.

Time for bed.

Nitez all.

xoxo

New Paintings: All Odds & Universe

2012-01-09T08:00:00.001+08:00

As promised, I got new paintings!

They're bigger in sizes this time, as some of customers kept complaining they want bigger pieces.

But then I had to start from small before taking the leap into the bigger pieces.

My latest work in progress is a massive piece of 30x40inch which I will be putting up for auction tomorrow night. Will blog about it.

Right now, here're the pieces.
They're very different pieces that gives different moods. So please don't judge or compare them together, but appreaciate them individually.

"All Odds" 16x20 inch
Acrylic on Canvas

The second one is very bold and has very rich strokes of various colors.

"Universe" 18x24 inch
Acrylic on Canvas

I didn't put a price before these two pieces will be in auction tomorrow as well. But they're both below 1k each if they were put on sale here. Do write in to enquire.

If you like them and want similar (mood) painting, feel free to email me nicootan@gmail.com about it.

You can commission a painting with me; I can't guarantee the exact same painting (as all paintings have individuality), but I can guarantee you my style. :)

Louis Vuitton: The Soul's Journey (India)

2012-01-07T11:51:00.003+08:00

I've been overwhelmed by the idea of travelling to India lately.

It came to me as a thought last year December, just a thought. But then as the year was coming to an end and I reflected upon myself of how I have stopped doing some of my most epic trip for so long now; the last epic trip I did was two years ago, I thought to myself if my life was coming to a stand-still.

Then the idea dwelled and grew and expanded in me, and by January 2012, I bought myself a guidebook to India. Yes folks. I'm going to India.

Was it a coincident as well that Louis Vuitton's latest Travelogue is about India? (Someone up there is telling me something)

The Soul's Journey

I love the travel stories done by Louis Vuitton, they always have manigficient photos of these exotic places where they feature these over the top models with their LV bags and travel luggages in the most bizarre of places. The combination was always the same: hauntingly beautiful.

These are some of the photos I just simply adore.

*heart*

10 year-old Model Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000+08:00

Stars, singers, celebrities and models are getting younger and younger these days.

But how young is young?

Move over 90's born child, coz the new millenium babies are thriving in.

This is old news but something worth bringing up again.

Born in 2001 *gasp*, Thylane Blondeau, a 10 year old model, was on the cover of French Vogue last year and the photos struck a massive controversy.

Styled in adult form shoes and clothings, with full make up and lipsticks, the 10 year-old model appeared in the magazine in a much provocative manner.

Vogue Paris Dec/Jan 2011 edition

Sensual if you're 25, but 10? Definitely crossing the provocative line.
See and judge for yourself.

Some say these images promotes pedophilia, other says it's high fashion.
What you do think?

Here's a compilation of her other shots,
Yes she's popular.

Sources: dailymail uk, huffington post, abc news.

New iPhone 4 Bunny Cover

2012-01-04T03:27:00.000+08:00

This is a bit old, but I saw it in Johor during Xmas time and it was selling at RM15 per cover. Cheap!

And since I didn't have a cover for my phone~

Even had the wallpaper to complement it. :D

Adorable!

Who could resist a furry bunny tail. ^^

Year 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:00

Cheng Cheng Cheng...

Happy New Year!!

Prepare to 'dong dong chiang... dong dong chiang...'

This year Chinese New Year is coming super early.

23rd Jan.

Happy New Year whole world!
Happy Chinese New Year... er... whole world too!

Hee hee.

Millesime @ Solaris Dutamas

2011-12-29T08:00:00.003+08:00

Surprise surprise another food post. I'm just lazy and food seems to be easier to blog atm.

This time friend and I had wine pairing lunch at Millesime. Just right below Kencana building all the way to the very end.

I used be in Solaris Dutamas everyday and never knew this place existed. :S

Same friend (view post of Mikan) brought over four bottles of wine, between the TWO OF US to a lunch that already has wine. @_@

Sometimes I think he overestimated my capabilities. -_-

Millesime changes their wine pairing lunches a lot. You can go to their site (at the bottom of this post) to look for more lunch or dinner set promotion, mostly with wines.

Our four-course meal with wine cost RM260++ each.

First course. Can't remember the name of this dish. But it was some potato thing at the bottom. It was ok. Nothing fabulous. The corn on top was unnecessary.

Solefish with cherry tomatoes and avocados came second.

This was, by my description, bla...

The tiny fillet was fried to blantness. Cherry tomatoes were pleasant though.

This and main course was Beef Cheek and French Fries drizzled with Cheese.

Now this was an interesting dish. The beef cheek was tender enough, albeit a bit chewy but that didn't bother me. What struck me was the sauce and cheese that was cooked with the home-made french fries; it was strangely pleasant, despite the 'cheap'-style attempt. I enjoyed this dish the most out of all.

The dessert was some sort of fried dough with vanila ice cream with fruits and caramel sauce.
Never liked my dessert savoury, but the ice cream was just mediocre.

Overall the dining experience was pleasant, much thanks to good company and even better wines, lots of it.

But if I were to dine sober, I wouldn't think RM260++ was worth the meal. Four tiny courses were satisfying as a light lunch with lots of wine, not as mere lunch though.

One plus point, they do serve good whites - Hugel Gewurztraminer. Fresh, light, fruity and a tinge of sweet lychee. Really lovely to start the meal with.

Millesime
G1-01-3, Ground Floor,Menara Kencana Petroleum,
Solaris Dutamas, 1, Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Opening Hours
Mon – Sat:
12:00pm - 3:00pm : Lunch
5.00pm - 7.00pm : Sandwich Hour
7.00pm - 12.00am: Dinner
Sundays: Closed
Website: http://millesime.my

Mikan @ Maju Junction - Wine Pairing

2011-12-27T08:00:00.004+08:00

It was one of those gastronomy adventurous lunch.

I've seemed to have find more time for wine lunch now than dinner. Has nothing to do with road blocks on the way home.

I do find it helpful that it's easier to see in the daylight; and also easier to get a ride around. Hee hee.

Friend brought over seven bottles of wine to try out between few people. Adventurous? Me likey.

Choice of dining, a quiet and unusual restaurant tucked underneath the Maju Junction Mall - Mikan. Head Chef Machi decided to go wild in the kitchen.

It was a seven-course lunch (heavy lunch you say? Whatever do you mean?).
Seven dishes with seven bottles. Challenge accepted.

First up was one of the oddest dish I've had in a long time.

Crispy Baby Sardines.

I have never, in my life, seen so many eyes staring up at me as I take a bite.
It's eerie.

Good. Never been a salty snack fan; but everyone around LOVED it. o~kay.

Next up.. another, rather wild, dish.

Monk Fish Liver.

Even seen one of those fishes before? Ugly as Fudge.

Really soft liver though. Tantalising.

It's fabulous with our slightly sweetish German Riesling - Schloss Lieser appertiser wine.

By now I was too tipsy to care about photography but we had some awesome food.

Third course, still appertiser.

Kampachi a.k.a. Yellowtail (or Japanese Amberjack)

Now this was sublime. Not so much the sauce, but the fish was supreme. According to the chef, it had just freshly arrived that afternoon itself. The tingling natural sweetness of the sashimi was playing with my tongue (that could be the wine, too). I thought it was superb with, or without the sauce. But I like my caramelised balsamic vinegar, so I wasn't complaning.

By now I was too tipsy to care about taking more photos. Wine was flowing and food just kept coming.

Some of the dishes were unforgettable.

Sashimi plate was really fresh; tuna, salmon, and oh.. specially for us, oyster.
Japanese-style Wagyu for one; divine. Especially when paired with our dry red.
Japanese imported Mochi. Love it. This was dessert.

Oh yes, how could I forget.
Japanese style foie gras.
LOVELY.

Never had Japanese style foie gras before, but I had, this had to be it.
Sorry didn't have photo of this though. :( Such a waste.

Now they're serving this wine pairing seven course during dinner for RM168. A steal if you tell me. But maybe with less types of wines. You still get your seven tasting glasses though.

A steal if you tell me.

Mikan Japanese Cuisine
G11 Maju Junction Mall,
1001 Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Lunch (Mon-Sat): 11.30am-3pm
Dinner (Mon-Sat): 6pm-12am
Closed on Sundays
Website: http://mikan.com.my/

Something Sparkly this Christmas

2011-12-25T08:00:00.002+08:00

It's Christmas! OMG it's Christmas!
So Merry Christmas Everyone!

What's your resolution in the new year?

Mine's to be an artist! (full-time, not full-time, who knows)
Yes, just one reso.

Dinner one night

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000+08:00

I try to eat at home as much as possible.

What with the better and healthier lifestyle and whatnot. Though sometimes I do find it hard living in Malaysia where good food is just the next short drive away for take-aways.

So homecook food has to be good.

This is dinner one particular evening.

300g steak. yum
perfectly done, medium to medium rare; just how I like it.

grouper fish with special homemade sauce

Too much, you say?

Never.

Jorge Lorenzo – MotoGP 2010 Champion

2011-12-22T20:19:00.000+08:00

You’ve seen the first episode of the great ELBOWZ, Ben Spies.

Now the second episode is out, featuring the 2010 Champion of MotoGP – Jorge Lorenzo.

He looks like the Scottish boy I met recently. Tee hee~

This week, motorsports@PETRONAS brings us to Barcelona, Spain (hola!) to get up close with the Yamaha Factory Team rider.

Not to mention the beautiful Julia Woon (from Blogger Boy) is the host here. See her in my favourite city in Europe!

New Painting - Waves

2011-12-21T08:00:00.001+08:00

I know I should be posting more paintings when I have them. But I've been so busy, what projects and playing sims social.

I only have one painting to show in this post. Another one is in the works, it's bigger than my usual paintings so it's taking longer to finish.

Again, you may email me at nicootan@gmail.com for enquiry of the painting; payment via bank-in.

"Waves" 12x16 inch
Acrylic on Canvas
RM400

Here's a close up.

Rich strokes of various blues on canvas

My previous paintings are here if you like to see them. I've already sold four of them and the other two are still for sale. :)

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol @ IMAX TGV Cinemas

2011-12-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

"Popcorn Royale is so nice!"

"Popcorn Royale is nicer than Garrett Popcorn!"

"Popcorn Royale is cheaper than Garrett!"

These are the three thoughts that popped in my mind, in that order, the first time I tipped one of the awfully sinful caramelised popcorn into my mouth.

It was the launch of the IMAX at TGV Cinemas in Sunway Pyramid and I was there to watch the latest blockbuster movie: Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol.

Oh god. Tom Cruise. *drool* (we'll get to that later)

There were so many things to look forward to.

First, IMAX is here. And is staying for good. The last time and first time I ever visited an IMAX was in Times Square like eons back and I wasn't really impressed, mainly because they were showing some short film documentary that didn't really bring out what was supposed to be an impressive experience.

But everything changed that day in TGV. Oh yes. It was so bloody amazing.
We'll get to that later, too, soon, very soon.

Now I've always been a little bit crazy of fully caramelised popcorn which was impossible to find in the olden days cinema in Malaysia. But then I discovered Garrett Popcorn in a Dubai mall. It's like rediscovering your favourite candy all over again, I was estastic. And then the stores kept popping up over all Singapore. So I had only had to travel 300kms to get them instead of flying across the globe. Then they were in Malaysia. Yay!

Now I'm not paid to write this. Just want to share my own point of view. I was always a little let down by the sugar burnt aftertaste that Garrett Popcorn has, not sure if it's because Malaysia version tasted different or I forgot how my first Garrett tasted like (back in Dubai). I kinda stopped liking it for a moment.

And then TGV Cinemas introduced Popcorn Royale and it's all HEAVEN again! *sing song*

Even better, I can bring it in to a cinema to enjoy! YAY! Oh no, I'm gonna get so fat. :(

Now back to the main topic, IMAX.

God heavens the movie was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD in IMAX. So good I was BLOWN away in my seat the moment *spoiler alert* Dubai and the Burj Khalifa (Tallest building in the world) came into view on the screen.

I was flying over Dubai!

Wee~~~

And have I mentioned I have the hots for Tom Cruise, like all over again! I used to have a major crush on the said actor when I was younger, then I stopped with the whole idolizing stars phenomena for quite a number of years (it's all growing up).

Till this movie. Oh god I'm so in love with Mr. Cruise.
Hotness x1000000000 e99. ❤❤❤
His age made him all the more delectable.

What's up with my something with older guys? -.-
Maybe this is why.

Why was IMAX so good? Well this is my own deciphering, you can google if you want the more accurate explanation. Mine might not be entirely true but then I'm not bothered to google right now (there, I said it).

(quoated from my own fb) It's a technology where it uses digital projector instead of the usual film projector we're used to watch. Means it's crystal clear on cinema screen (like HD) and the screen is in a dome-like shape which means more 3D-effect, the screen is also way bigger to capture you into the movie, even in 2D movies. I can only assume it would be so much more amazing in 3D.

Which is why I'm going back for the 3D version once it's up. :D

The seats were comfortable. But I want to try their Beanie Plex where you get to sit on a beanie seat and watch movie, with your favourite popcorn. ^^

❤

Armani Exchange Blinged Heart Top

2011-12-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

Another sinful indulgence when I already swore off shopping for the rest of this year.

It's only this month left. How hard was it?

@_@

Walked passed Armani Exchange store in Pavilion and saw plenty of customers inside. Couldn't resist walking in.

The rest was history.

"It was on 50% discount!"

"It's only one piece!"

I argued in my head.

Le sigh. I need to strengthen my will power.

W could resist a blinged heart?! @_@ T_T #I_fail

Also, adore the little pockets at the bottoms. ^^

Ok. No more... serious.

I need to save for Tokyo.

Going the Distance

2011-12-17T02:32:00.000+08:00

Art, actually, per se.

Challenge Accepted.

Ben Spies @ Elbowz in MotoGP

2011-12-15T03:42:00.001+08:00

If you’re a petrol head and you love cars and racings, then you’re in luck.

Because motorsports@PETRONAS program is now available on Youtube. Each week they feature a racer/rider on their youtube channel for three episodes.

This week, it’s Ben Spies, a.k.a. Elbowz.

Ben Spies won the Superbike World Championships in 2009 and is now racing in MotoGP.

You will be able to see exclusive interview with Michael Schumacher. Just stay tune.
Check out Petronas Motorsport Youtube Channel.

Victoria's Secret Haul - My Panties Resolution

2011-12-14T08:00:00.001+08:00

I made a resolution halfway through this year that I would own 100 pairs of underwear one day very soon in the future.

I know, what an odd resolution.

It started with my best friend making a comment on her undies she owned at home. She, very proudly, declared that she owned enough panties to last her through every day of the month without changing (Yes, we share very intimate and pointless conversation, that's what girls do. Shuddup).

And oddly, to which I found impressive. And amidst the laugther, which followed, I declare back that I had a new resolution which is to own 100 pairs to allow me to last through one third of the year without changing (not that I would actually do that).

The thought, at that point, of owning enough undies to never need to worry about running out of panties to wear, ever again, was profoundly satisfying (at least to me).

So... when Victoria's Secret had a promotion on their amazing collection of panties. I flipped.

No, I flung myself to my desktop and stayed there for the next two days choosing over the collection, reading up on US sizes, types of panties (from hiphuggers to boyshorts) and hovering over hundreds of panties picking and deselecting the ones I was going to check out of the e-shopping bag with.

Two weeks ago, my parcel arrived.

It was like the first day of Christmas and I just open my presents (which I paid for myself).

I was super estastic!

Here's my haul.

It's not 100 pairs...

Yet. ^^

What's your quirky resolution?

Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Men 2011

2011-12-12T08:00:00.005+08:00

They say guys are easy to get. And even easier to buy presents for.

Well I beg to differ, hear me out.

Just a photo of me, in case you miss me. ^^ :p

Guys, they get what they want. Unlike girls, guys don't want a lot of things; but when they're into something, they get it when they can.

Like for example, almost all guys like gadgets.
But then again gadget is a dangerous ground (as presents).

If he can afford it, he probably had it already; if he doesn't have it, he doesn't want it.
If he wants it and can't afford it, you probably can't either.

It's not the latest, he won't be pleased. It's not what he likes, he'll leave it to collect dust.

And please don't get him some odd sweatshirt you think it'll look nice on him. He'll probably wear it once to show you and then shove it down the deepest darkest corner of the closet till it reaches Narnia. Unless, of course, he loves you enough to endure each and every agony moment of wearing it.
Or, in rare occasion, he trust your taste and let you dress him up however you want. Like Victoria on David Beckham.

You're not Victoria, he's not Beckham. Let's move on shall we?

Cut to the chase. Here's one simple rule when getting a present for a guy.

Get something he wants but doesn't need.

Admit it. Guys love things that are utterly pointless, useless and meaningless; but then fun and great to have. Like a lava lamp (or so a guy once told me). So don't get him what he needs, leave the practical things to himself (to buy), this Christmas, get him a real toy.

Waterproof MP3 player

He loves swimming and he gets bored doing it; never fear, waterproof music player is here. Speedo sells them at RM400-600 plus with the underwater earplugs.

Or get a wireless UBanana ucan waterproof mp3 player.

NU dolphin touch

Home Soda Maker

Now he can create his own soda maker. *pops the champagne*

Honestly, which wine-loving-beer-drinking-soda-addicting guy wouldn't love to add another fluid toy to their list.

Add Ribena and some vodka and voila! You have a fizzy cocktail!
Yea I know you can just buy soda water. But why buy when you can make your own?!
Don't get guys? Yea, me neither.

Wine Instant Chiller

Sophistication is your man's language. Well there's no reason to not let him be instant romantic with an instant chilling machine. Glass for two, pronto!

hand-helf version, perhaps?

Why use instant chiller when you just need to freeze it for 10 mins?
"Because we can" they'll say.

Unnecessary, but fun.

Stainless steel/Stone Whisky Chillers

Some call it stone ice cubes, or cubes drink chillers.

Done with the nuissance of diluting your whisky by adding ice cubes to it. Now you can chill your spirit the 'swag' way.

Whisky/Liquor Flask

Doesn't have to be for drinkers. The great outdoor guys would love to get their hands on one of these to fill in some water from the upstream river to drink (given the fact that these rugged-looking outdoor-loving guys understand the better things in life). Again, unnecessary, but nice to have.

Amazon Kindle

Your man likes to read? Then this would be perfect for him.

If he already has an iPad, forget about this one, unless he always complains about reading on iPads. The electronic ink is a delight to read than staring into the bright screen of smart pads all day long.

Lego set

There's nothing wrong to get a real real toy for a grown man. Let him relive his childhood for his sake.

Yes, there are guys who like building things, even when they're all grown up. What's better? Sit down with him and start assembling the whole city together, like we used to when we were five.

What do you mean you've never played Lego before? Liar.

Cufflinks

For the metrosexual, if he looks good in a suit; by all means, buy him cufflinks.

One of those menswear piece than men usually overlooks and can never have enough.

There you have it. The best Christmas gift ideas for him this year. Now hurry out to finish up your spree before Xmas arrives.

Merry Christmas all!

Also read on Best Christmas Gift Ideas for the Ladies.

Best Christmas Present/Gift Ideas for Her 2011

2011-12-10T08:00:00.004+08:00

Inspired by a friend's post so thought I'd do a post of some of what I thought to be the best gift ideas for her this Christmas.

Gifting is a skill. Each year it gets more and more difficult to please woman of our days. So presents got more complicated, difficult and hard to be out of the box. Here are some of the unique presents I'd think she might find interesting and actually like.

Bangles

Charms and bracelets are last season's top gifts, 2011 Xmas, we're bringing bangles in as the new charm (pun intended).

But of course that's rethorical. You can go for bracelets, watches, necklaces, or any form jewellery really. If ring is a taboo to you, there're plenty of other options for you out there. Don't be fend off by the idea of getting something sparkly for that special girl.

Bedding Set

You'll be surprised how amazing clean linen and comforter feel; don't believe me? Wash your beddings the next time you feel down, when it's dried and back on your bed, you'll never want to leave your bed again.

New bedding does the same, only better. It's the same feeling that made you want to leap on a fresh bed everytime your check-in to your 5-star hotel room. The new and foreign but comfortng and extremely calming feel can be unrelenting.

Does she like silk? Muslin? Or Egyptian cotton (meow~) 1500 thread count (double meow~)?

Throw in a whole PJ set, slippers and all, and you would have a very snug girlfriend at night.

Fragrances

This is a bit old fashion but I cannot stress on this type of present enough.

This, more often than not, can go very wrong. I'm a fragrance a.k.a. perfume lover, and I have over 20 (or has it grown to 30 now?) 100ml bottles of fragrances from Marc Jacobs to Juicy Couture at home; most of which I adore, both bottle designs and scents. Few I've grown out of and few... well.. bad presents.

Guys always think it's foolproof to buy a bottle of fragrance as a present. This is true to a certain level i.e. you know the girl well or she's your girlfriend and you know what brand or type of fragrance she'd normally go for; in rare cases, you're an expert and you can score the type of fragrance that'll suit her even when it's not the usual scent she'd go for (but then you're not this type of guy, so deal with it).

Don't let me start with the number of bottles of perfumes I've received as gifts were left untouched from eons ago till this very day. Heck, the bottles weren't even nice to look at!

So yes, if you're keen on buying a perfume/fragrance; at least have the decency to get a pretty bottle to look at, just in case.

Few suggested bottles:

Clockwise from top left: Daisy Eau So Fresh (Marc Jacobs), Purr (Katy Perry), Lovestruck (Vera Wang), Viva La Juicy (Juicy Couture), Curious (Britney Spears)

Gift Cards

Get her a gift card from her favourite store/outlet/brand.

It doesn't have to be a local store. Why not let her go wild online on Victoria Secret with a $150 gift card (yes US dollar). Or if she's a fan of iPhone apps, some apple store gift cards then; she could download all the game apps and music and movies she wants, guilt-free.

Other brands like Bodyshop if she's into bodycare, Amazon.com for book-lovers, Starbucks if you're cheap (jk!), or if you're feeling generous, a pre-loaded mastercard or visa (oh yes baby).

Warning: Anything below $50 (according to the currency of your country) might piss her off.

Trips

What can be more exciting and romantic to spend the holiday in a foreign/exotic place, just the two of you. The surprise element is more than one can bear.

Depending on how 'far' your wallet can stretch, places of interest ranges from 3d2n in Thailand (if you're from SEA) or Paris (if you're in Europe) to a week long vacation in the alps in Switzerland or Disneyland in Tokyo.

DIY

Fine. So you're really tight on budget end of this year. Don't let that deter you from giving your love one what she deserves this festive season.

Breakfast in bed to start off and hand her a 7-day voucher stating that you would do anything for her, be her house slave for the day, clean up for her, figuratively and literally. You do the imaginating.

Just an idea.

Not that hardcore? Plan a picnic, you can even go as far as faking those take-aways sandwiches as your own, who doesn't like the idea of home-cooked meals?

Also read on Best Christmas Gift Ideas for Him.

RM1000 off your next Ultrabook - Acer Aspire S3

2011-12-09T01:15:00.001+08:00

Want to buy a laptop to reward yourself this Christmas?

Want to get up close to a new form of sexiness in bed?

Want to be swag like Cookie working on his brand new ultra thin ultrabook?

Then be the first 80 people to land their hands on the latest Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook at The Buolevard in Berjaya Times Square, 11am on 17th Dec 2011 (next Saturday) and get RM1000 off its retail price!

Powered by 2nd Generation Intel Core i7 processor with SSD.

I copied that line down from the page cause I know nothing about computers, despite studying about it in uni before #maxmail. I do know that I only have the i5 which is less powerful than the i7. :(

So instead of paying for the full retail price RM3999, you can bring home an ultrabook for only RM2999. That's a steal! More info here.

You can also GET a pair of Lee Hom concert tickets on 3rd March next year. Only one unit and pair for each customer so be sure to bring families along if you want to buy more! :p

Check out their FB page. Or you can read up on my blog posts about my experience with the Aspire S3 here.

Just some camwhore pics

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000+08:00

iPhone cam rocks ^^

Here are some of my pics I've edited on some of my iPhone photo apps. Super addicted to it. *heart*

end.

Victoria's Secret Pink Tote for Sale

2011-12-05T17:27:00.002+08:00

*SOLD*

Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2011 is over and now everyone is raving after their pink tote on the runway.

It's similar, minus the bling.

Here's a video of the fashion show where the bag appears.

on 3.19 when the model walks out with a blinged tote bag.

It's the same size and type as the tote in the video. Just different fonts.

You can no longer find either of the totes online anymore but good news is, I'm selling this pink tote!!
Original and straight from the USA Victoria's Secret.

a black version on a model

It's really classy and massive which can act as the perfect holiday tote or beach bag. Just chuck everything inside.

I only have one to sell. So faster grab it while you still can!

Measurement: 22"L x 1.75"W x 18"H
Selling Price: RM150
SOLD

Email me at nicootan@gmail.com to buy this gorgeous tote!

On top of that, I'm giving away ONE Victoria's Secret Reward Card with USD10 inside. Real cash! Valid until 21st December.

If you do not use the gift card, it's still a good souvenier.

Wine Dinner with Rolland Collection

2011-12-03T02:41:00.001+08:00

I had the privilege to dine at The Club Saujana Resort couple of weeks back to experience their special wine pairing dinner hosted by Michel Rolland of the Rolland Collection of fine wines.

Looking plenty sober prior dinner

It was a seven course meal and six difference wines, with a middle course as a palate refresher.

It was obviously going to be a happy night. :D

Dinner started wtih a Home-Dried Rock Melon with Smoked Mozzarella drizzled with 24 years Aged Balsamic, paired with Ayala Zero Dosage NV (sort of a champagne, or sparkling wine technically).

I was looking forward to the said Balsamic. I've tasted many balsamic before, from caramelized to aged and during my travels I have come across some pretty high quality balsamic. It's the same with good quality olive oil. I once heard a friend of mine who had the opportunity to taste a 120 euro per bottle olive oil in France and according to him, the taste was divine. *gulp*

Though oppose to olive oil, I'm a major fan of cameralized balsamic vineger.

Intially I couldn't really see the rock melon and was wondering what the ball of yellow-ish goop on top of my appertizer was, it turned out to be mozzarella; and to my very pleasant surprise, I could smell the aroma of the balsamic. It was really good.

One bite and I immediately asked for a second portion which the host kindly asked specially for me. ^^ I haven't tasted good balsamic for two years ago and I have to say this stood up to par.

The second course quickly followed with Expressions of Salmon with Beetroot and Horseradish, paired with Chateau La Grande Clotte Blanc, France 2007.

The name didn't serve it justice as the dish deserve more credit for its preparation. Salmon (both slices and tartare) was fresh but I adore the bite-size beetroots which was refreshing as a condiment to the fish.

Didn't really enjoyed the crispy roll though so I gave it to someone else who enjoyed it better.
Whereas the white wine was a tad dry for my liking but that's just my personal preferance.

Next came the Pan-Seared Duck Breast with Pot Roasted White Cabbage & Confit Duck Leg.

Kudos to the Chef, this dish threw me off guard despite all the ingredient that I disliked or found unimpressive. If there's a dish that would make meat-lover turn vegetarian, it would be this. The white cabbage was surpringly a sweet soft savoury delight; sauce was fabulous with the tender juicy duck breast; unfortunately the duck confit puff was a disappointment to this dish. Increase the cabbage and omit the puff and this would have been a perfect dish.

By now we have moved to Mariflor Pinot Noir, Argentina 2007. Urgh... red. nuff said.
But then again it is pinot noir and it's really not too bad nor heavy, again, just my preference.

Refreshing our palates with Blueberry Granita.

I loved this sorbet so much I had TWO! Its sweetish sourish flavour certainly woke me up from my slightly drunken state.

Now came the main courses.

Main Course 1: Olive and Herb Poached Saddle of Lamb with Creamy Polenta and Sauteed Peppers.

I have high expectation for this dish as I favor lamb over any red meat.
The chef's creation met my ridiculosuly high expectation and provided more.

Polenta is a sort of hummus-like dish made of boiled cornmeal. I've never had the actual thing before but this was really soft, creamy and slightly on the tamer side of flavour, my friend loved it he swore to return to the restaurant just to specially order this. I enjoyed it, but I didn't think it was worth driving all the way down here just for this. The sauteed peppers were brilliant though, friend never liked peppers but he finished every single slice (not that there were many to begin with, all the portions were of tasting size, a.k.a. tiny).

Oh, the little ball made of lamb mince behind the lamb, forgettable.

This was paired wtih Campo Alegre, Toro, Spain 2008. By now I was too drunk to remember if this was good or bad; though apparently my ignorance to taste only applied to red wines at this stage.

Main Course 2:
Red Wine Braised Beef Cheek (Milk Fed Beef) with Truffle Potato Blini and Moussline, paired with Chateau Fontenil, Fronsac, France 2006. (This wine was too heavy too dry for me to even 'try' to enjoy)

Another highly expected dish, I never had milk fed beef was delighted at the sight of truffle; but this dish came short in delivering 'omph'.

Beef cheek was tough and dry. It didn't look over-cooked so I assumed it must be frozen instead of chilled, a process that destroyed a meat's freshness. Truffle Potato Blini was way better than the beef.
The Moussline (mash potato) was magnifique. Soft as baby food, and if not mistaken, I'm pretty sure it's truffle scented too. *love*

Finally the last course, dessert: Extension of Chocolate - Chocolate Passion Fruit Cake, Dark Chocolate Mousse and White Chocoalte Ice Cream.

This dish was a disapointment (not utter, but almost).

The whole dish obviously came out from a freezer. The cake was too hard to cut, the passion fruit topping was too sourish and the chocolate ball at the side was too hard to bite. The saving grace of this dish was the chocolate mousse and the home-made white chocolate ice cream, which melted a bit too fast.

Served with a glass of Domaine Crazes Muscat de Riversaltes 2005, the dish was poorly paired either, as admitted by the chef, there wasn't much of a dessert wine choice from the Rolland's Collection so they had to make use of what they have. Which I excused at this point.

Overall, The Club Saujana Resort came up with an impressive dinner with their young Austrian chef. First four dishes have been exceptional save for the last two; which was a pity.

At RM260++ for a seven-course dinner. It was well worth the price considering you're paying similar price in restaurant like Cilantro for less courses minus the wines. If I have to compare, I'd say food quality par with Sage for their dinners (not lunches).

You may call to reserve for this wine dinner at the club.

*hic*

look, free fan ^^

The Club Saujana Resort
Jalan Lapangan Terbang SAAS 40150 Shah Alam
Selangor Darul Ehsan
Malaysia
Contact: (603) 7843 1234

Dinner Look

2011-12-01T20:22:00.000+08:00

Post on look of the night.

I always have trouble deciding on a hairstyle with a dress. With a heavy long lock, there isn't a lot of choice other than curly, straight, and bun.

With this weight and length, I can't even tie a Japanese style high bun and have it stay. More often than not, it looks too heavy on top of my head instead of the casual puffy messy bun most girls with medium hair length have.

During one dinner, I decided to try something different and tie up my mane into a ponytail. Instead of the sleek ponytail most red carpet would go for, I ended up curling my hair end and went for a younger style.

With no bangs, first I separated some hair out front before tying the rest up in a high ponytail.

Then using a curling iron thong, I curled the hair while in its ponytail form (it's a short-cut, less hassle to curl and quicker). Then I proceeded to curl the front long fringe so it won't look dead and out of place.

Someone once complimented that it's more attactive when I show my temples whenever I tied up my hair. *blush*

Dress robe: H&M
Clutch: Gucci
Bracelets: Juicy Couture

Try it for yourself. :)

Toshiba New Ultrabook Protege z830

2011-11-30T03:28:00.000+08:00

Toshiba has launched its first Ultrabook - Protege Z830 on the 24th November 2011, calling it the thinnest and lightest 13.3inch Ultrabook (1.12kg & 15.9mm thick).

It did look suspiciously like a macbook air, keypads and all.

But it has rather impressive specs.

- Intel Core i5 & i7 processor
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB SSD disk space
- VGA & HDMI video input
- 1.3 mp webcam
- SD card reader
- 1x USB 3.0
- 2x USB 2.0
-fingerprint reader

And spill resistant keyboard is interesting.

The cost comes a bit steep priced at RM3999 for the Intel Core i5 and RM4799 for Intel Core i7.

Worth it? What say you?

Coach ♥

2011-11-25T03:58:00.001+08:00

Made my week. ^^

Port Wine Cellars in Porto

2011-11-23T15:29:00.000+08:00

or called Oporto.

Unsurprisingly the second largest city in the country, inspite of the size of the country with an even humbler population (~ 10 mil).

With a averagely pleasant weather throughout the year, Portugal never exceed 35 degree celcius in the summer nor drop below 0 degree celcius during the coldest winter, usually averaging at 10-15 degree celcius; after visits to the much colder counterparts in the region, Portugal climate was a delight.

Instead of spending the rest of the day visiting more of the old part of the town and this historical spots, I crossed the bridge over River Douro and over to the other side of the town to pay a visit to couple of Porto's prides.

Where there's Porto, there's port; and where there's port, there're wine cellars. :D

On the other side

I got a little bit lost in the windy narrow stony grey houses in the area, climbing the stairs down and down close to the river level, stumbling across some chubby street cats and floor-sweeping old man; going up the driveway but turned around and took a left into an alley after realizing I could probably be on the wrong road.

Rushing against the closing hour of the cellar, I hasten my steps. Till I finally came to a wall with this sign on it.

Yes! I was on the right track.

The road up to Taylor's was a hilly road, as one of the oldest of the founding Port houses, dated back to 1692 (that's over three centuries ago!), the journey to the cellar felt nostalgic, a walk down memory lane back to the 1700's of Portugal.

I arrived at the cellar door just in time for a tour. As tourists gathered around tasting some port in the majestic lobby while waiting for the guide to show up, I rested my aching feet on a stool with my very own sweet white port, staring at the decorative Christmas tree that was set up for festive season already.

Then I wandered around to look around the cellar door, stopping myself in front of a case of port wine bottles design over the years; some of the bottles were ancient.

Then a character from Happy Potter popped up and guided us out of the cellar door. "To Hogwarts?" mind-joked I.

Fancy uniform you got there.

And so the tour began with, of course, the history.

And then the cellar

Jesus these port wine barrels were MASSIVE! I didn't think I've ever seen a barrel that big, other than a distillery, but then again that's a whole different thing.

Instead of cracking open the barrel like how you would do with most wine, Taylor's mega barrel has a tap attached to the front where you can just tap out the port into bottles before being kept away.

As you would have seen it, the barrels were so big human could climb into them.

And that was how the barrels were cleaned, with a human into scraping away the to layer coated around the inside of the barrel. With a barrel that size, I could be calling it a man-cave.

process process process

the mother of all port wine barrel, Mother of God.

The wine remains at the winery in these barrels to settle until the following year when spring comes and then it was taken to other lodges to mature, be blend and bottled.

The oldest wineries are in Douro Valley close to the river because in the olden days, barrels of port wines were transported in wooden boats down the Douro River, the only means of transportations for port wines back then.

and she flipped her robe to reveal the traditional method to make port by Portugese. lol

The perfect gift, deemed by the Portugese, is a bottle of Vintage Port, which can be kept and which value can appreaciate over the years.

Taylor's wine cellar has a beautiful restaurant next to the cellar with access to the view of Douro Valley and river.

Given the chance, I would take my time to sit down and wine and dine my evening away, it would be the perfect evening to end my Portugal trip.

But then I still have time so I rushed to another winery nearby for another tour before the day ends.

This time, Croft.

oh yes, more port please.

bring them on

Croft has a smaller and more cozy bar-themed cellar door, where everyone sit around to enjoy a glass of port by the fireplace, perfect to just laze on a cold winter.

Familiar? Hehe

They also have a smaller cellar compared to Taylor's

The sun set by the time I got out from Croft, a little tipsy and fluttery; happily filled with sweet port, I walked and skipped and danced back to my guesthouse. Back up the hill and onto the bridge crossing to the my side of the town.

And then... whilst on the bridge, and slightly dazed... I saw this.

"God, Porto, you are so beautiful" I cooed.

It's Porto!

2011-11-21T03:45:00.001+08:00

Some of you guessed it! Answer to the previous post: Porto, Portugal!

Oh god Portugal is amazingly beautiful, and Porto even more so.

It was the last thing I was expecting when I stepped foot on the land.

But Portugal took my heart on the first day till the very last. It's the perfect country to run away for a year's of relaxation and rejuvenation, learn a language and sip wine.

If you're wondering if Porto sounds somewhat familiar, that's because it's where Ports were born.

Tawny sweet peasant-wine port. Yummilicious port.

But we'll get to that soon.

First I had to get my mouth on one of Portugal's most famously known for.

In Asian countries, we refer them to portugese egg tart, in Portugal, they're just egg custard.

Jumbo version.

This was my dinner on my first night there.

I took a stroll around town on my first day in Porto and was pleasantly lost in some very-wonderland part of the city.

I started at one of the national monument in the centre and climbed up to see the city from the top.

I have seen so many city and town views from atop a tall building so many times and I've lost thoughts and opinions to most of those views I've seen. So I'll leave you with the comments here.

As I left the monument building, I found myself walking through some neighbourhood, the type that you find laundry hanging on the third floor and eatery nearby on the ground floor by the street, where on the front hung a nostalgic medieval-style sign.

And then I found myself in a museum, of Porto!

the map of portugal?

olden days transportation in Porto; where they used to carry barrels of Ports on these boats down the river Douro.

You probably can't see it in this photo but the figure of that outfit was TINY!

Men in those days were really short! They couldn't be taller 5 feet.

antique reading glass

odd art

"Yes, please, just a tiny glass. This port had just the right kick. *hick*"

As I moved up and down the hill, gliding through the historical sites, residential neighbourhood, some commercial area, I found myself finally coming down to the river level and face to face to the blazing noon sun.

I love how the road was built just by/on the river side

And then I started climbing some stone stairs, passing some houses beneath me I went up, and up, and up.

Until I found myself surrounded by odd roads, with odd tunnels, odd uphills and downhills, and odd houses.

'twas was the entrance to a house, such a tiny entrance to a front garden?

I didn't know where I was, or what the place was. An abandoned area? No, some of the houses were resided, but then again, some were not; and I did not spot a single soul during my journey there.

Was I in some kind of realm?

I moved along wherever my instinct was telling me to.

On some parts, I saw the outer world of Porto that was hustling and bustling, and that felt like it was in another world, seperated by a space of vacuum, it was not related to me. Porto and its river were just a pretty picture from where I was standing.

I could see the evidence of human presence, drawn graffiti on stone wall, an abandon doll on an empty cliff; but still I heard and saw no sights of human.

There was this red door, locked, but it has a broken wood panel where the lock should be. I peered inside, and saw a story waiting to be told.

Who was here before? Was there a house? What happened to the house? What happend to the kids whose those toys belonged to? Where did the family move, or if something has happened to them? Garbage and beer bottles that indicated it was newly abandoned, but bricks and grown grass shown long-term ignorance.

What's more important, it has such a beautiful location, on a cliff to a view many would pay premium for.

I wondered to myself how much this place would cost, and then allowed my imagination to wander to the possibility of moving here, to this beautiful country.

I moved along.

On and on I went. Till I finally decided to whip out my guide book to locate myself.

15 minutes of walking, I was out of the wonderland and came to a closed restaurant with a untrimmed garden.

Sighing to myself at the regret of missing an opportunity to dine at a place like this, I directed myself out and away from the far end of the town and back into the neighbourhood I came by earlier that day, fueled by hunger.

I picked the first restaurant that took my liking and entered, without acknowledging the genre of their food.

No one spoke English, I could speak no Portugese.

So I sat, smiled at the waiter, who gestured the supervisor over to help but failed. So I strummed my finger along the menu, and made a sign language, with mild amusement, that I would take anything delicious.

They laughed, among themselves, scratching their heads if they understood what I meant. They did.

They brought food.

some odd fried bun appertiser, which I didn't like but ate a few anyway

three packs of butter and one odd looking one to go with my bread

my main course, steak. Yummy.

I was a happy woman.

Yes, please. Herpes first aid to go.

2011-11-17T13:20:00.000+08:00

I don't know which is more worrying. The fact that herpes is that common, or the fact that herpes isn't that big of a deal anymore.

"Yes, daugther, you contracted herpes. Now go to the drugstore and get yourself one of those sticky thing. That'll solve everything."

And for chocolate lovers out there, fear not, 'loving' has come in a more convenient packet.

Now you can taste better too during those intimate moments. Just pop these chocolate flavours condoms on for those chocolate additions you have.

And this is the fanciest Mcdonald I've ever seen.

McDonald fonts in gold. Really?

This was spotted in the city I wanted you to guess.

Have you guessed where I was in the previous post yet?

Well I shall reveal it in my next post if you haven't already. It's not that hard to get, considering I've leaked out some info elsewhere by now.

Guess where?

2011-11-14T13:10:00.000+08:00

Evening glass in front of the fireplace.

Can you guess where I was in this pic?

Hint's on the glass

New Hair Color

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000+08:00

I took the plunge and went for something darker, finally.

I've always wanted to go fairer, blonder, as some would say it, fun-er? It's something to do with the first time I dyed my hair 10 years ago, fresh out of high school and into college, and immediately my lock of hair brought me identity I've never had in senior years.

I was different, the odd of the group, the unique one, and I liked the attention.

It's not to say I've never went back to black mane, in fact I did go back to black around seven years ago and didn't quite like it.

This time, I consulted a few friends on what color should I opt for. Blonder or darker.

Surprisingly, of the five guys I've asked, all asked me to go BLACK. No darker, but completely coal pitch black.

So I walked into a saloon few days ago, and asked the stylist to give me something, not black black, cause I've tried that and didn't like it, but some alternative to our usual asian black hair.

Here's the result.

The exact name of the color is 'Ash'.

Kinda liking it.

Burberry Blue Label Fall Collection 2011

2011-11-09T14:43:00.001+08:00

So apparently I 'might' be going to Japan end of the year. I say 'might' because there's always the element of surprise in my life where things don't go my way, aka, trip cancelled due to unforseen circumstances.

Friends ask me how do I tolerate constant change of plan despite having built enormous expectation and excitement for something to happen; well, that's my life I have to deal with. I'm learning to live with it (though I hope not forever, lol).

Anyway let's look on the brigther side of things.

I've tweeted online asking my followers if there's anything that's a must buy in Japan, something that you can't get anywhere else or something that Japan is famously cheap for.

A little bird came back to me with an answer "Burberry Blue Label".

It's part of the Burberry London franchise only it's Japan exclusive, the brand was created for the younger crowd in Japan, thus it's trendier and, in my point of view, more suited for the young modern fashionable crowd.

I had a look at the official website and fell instantly in love with the fall collection this year.

Here are some of my favourite selections.

favourite piece! This coat cost RM3,350. Same price as a Coach coat.

yellow tartan skirt is *heart*

Not the top, the bag. I love the black-white tartan bag.

Here's a photo of the bag.

RM1770 in Japan.

Another bag I like in this year's fall colletion is this red lovely.

RM1055

I like the jacket in this, especially the flare at the bottom of the coat.

Here's the same coat in black with attached fur collar.

You can see why I like it so much.

sweater knit dress can never be classier in this design.

I just love the scarf here. Red classic tartan. ^^

Have you just fallen in love?

In Memory of Kory and Princess

2011-11-07T16:36:00.000+08:00

It's been hard to swallow since last Friday when I received news that my beloved Kory has passed.

Her death was unknown but most probably due to sickness that didn't even seem the slightest bit severe. It was sudden, but it was shocking to me.

Every night since that day I have been thinking and dreaming of her, of how I made a lot of promises to myself that I would walk her more often, bring her to places, bring her go swimming.

I told her two weeks ago, right after a short walk in foreign neighbourhood, that the next time I see her I would bring her out on a walk again. She seemed so eager and happy back then, with eyes full of hope, I was sure, a grin, that only Kory could do. Now I had to live with that regret, and that promise; which was meant to be fulfilled a day after her passing. I meant to head back on Saturday, I should have gone back sooner; and then on Friday, she was gone.

My maid cried the hardest. She was her best friend, she brought her everywhere, to pasar malam, out for a walk or even just watching the evening sky went by. It took her two whole hours to recover before she could phone my mom to announce to her Kory's death. We couldn't say if she went away peacefully, she didn't seem to go through a lot of suffering, two coughs, some difficulties breathing, and she went, on the cold floor in our dining hall.

I remembered the day when Kory came to five years ago. She was introduced via some mutual friends, her previous family, for some reasons, had to give her away, so she was with a foster family for two weeks before she came to me.

And by god she was the loveliest little darling I've ever set my eyes on, despite being two years old (by estimate) then and after transferred between two families, she was obedient, loyal and very loving; obviously very well trained before. She was love at first sight for me, and I have never fell so hard for a dog since I was seven.

I brought her straight back to my family home, where Princess was waiting, a fiesty independent Persian whom we suspected had been ill-treated by her previous family before she wound up in the shelter, she was given to me, and I brought her back to my family.

Princess was a handful, but we loved her none-the-less, with immense patience, much thanks to my family whose acceptance was most unpredictable; you see, my parents didn't really like cats, but they gave Princess a lot of attention, over the years, she has grown more tame, more susceptible to us, she wouldn't bite and scratch that much, albeit for fun which could make us cry and laugh at the same time, with a lot of attitude and temper, she became very loyal; the most loyal a cat could ever been.

Princess would go for morning walks with my mom and Kory, without a lease! Have you ever heard of a cat going for a morning walk with her master without lease?! I never, it was the first. My mom was smitten. I'd like to believe that Princess was one of the major reasons my mom got healthier; from all those pleasant morning walks, which she (mom) doesn't do too often anymore since she went. :(

The odd duo made me laugh a lot. Like the time they made me so proud when Princess caught a poisonous snake, brought back and invited Kory to play with her. Poor snake was mangled to death by a dog and a cat. Or the time they fight for attention when one comes to you when you call out the name of the other.

Two weeks before Princess' passing, while I was still far away on a long travel, she sat on top one of the pillars holding the front gate everyday, according to my mom, waiting for my return, and then she went.

We suspected she was poisoned by nearby kids; but she behaviour prior to her death said otherwise. It was as if she knew.

Kory lost appetite for half a month following that; they were very attached to each other, and became very reserved ever since, even towards another new pet that came to the family a year after.

Now two odd years has passed since Princess went, Kory followed. Both of them went around the age of seven, too young for pets to go, too soon for me to accept.

It's still kind of hard to learn that I will no longer go back a house of Kory or/and Princess. And tears will shed when I curl up at night in bed thinking back of the good times.

You existence might not mean anything to anyone, but to me, you will always be remembered; and you will always be special.

Thank you for all the times you have given me, the laughters you have brought me and all the scratches and bite marks that you (Princess) have incurred on me.

In memory of my beloved Kory and Princess, this post is dedicated to both of you, so you will always be remembered.

Kory

Kory's signature handshake

Princess

I love you Kory.
I love you Princess.

RIP.

My New Toy

2011-11-04T15:20:00.001+08:00

Acer recently launched its first thinnest Ultrabook that promise to give its user an instant on instant connect experience.

For most of you who don't know, I lost my laptop lately due to theft, thanks to the many contractors and their minions who walked in and out of my house weeks ago. That laptop was barely a year old and it's still practically brand new, considering I only use it whenever I travel these days, and it cost a small fortune. :(

*emo*

lookie, I got an Acer bag

The Launch was the Acer Aspire S3, the talk of the town, with the thinnest ultrabook resembling exactly like the Macbook Air. It's also said to be come on from sleep mode in just two seconds.

Retailing at RM2599, it's pretty affordable.

Behold~

He he he~ Who could resist a sexy like that.

Alfama - The Wonderland of Portugal

2011-11-01T17:32:00.001+08:00

I love places like this.

Winding, mysterious, historical, high risk of getting lost, but then you'll find your way out eventually, narrow streets, quaint cafes, etc.

As quoated in wikitravel: "This neighborhood still bears signs of the Moorish presence in the city, with the buildings very close to each other, and very irregular streets. It's very atmospheric and a great spot in which to wander around."

Alfama - one of the places you must visit in Lisbon.

You can spend up to half a day wandering through the neighbourhood. It's really quite fun to explore, with lots of photography opportunities, if you're into artsy fartsy sort of pictures, that is.

I love how the narrow houses are so close to each other, and a walk to the grocery is just your next door neighbour.

How cars can manage to squeeze themselves along the slope on this already tiny place.

or how we found a uber rad fine dining restaurant amidst all these was the ultimate icing.

Looking for a restaurant in my trusty lonely planet.

left or right?

love the super old school western sign board.

Found the restaurant!

can never get tired of salmon fettucini

mmm.... my poached pear in red wine.
right. never gonna order this again.

Here are the rest of my artsy-ish photos in Alfama.

love this best

That's it for Lisbon.

As I was leaving Lisbon, I thought to myself, if I ever do return to this place, I'm going to find myself a nice guesthouse in Alfama and fully experience the olden days Moorish culture. :)

Why So Serious?

2011-10-31T01:21:00.000+08:00

Infamous Joker make-up

Hope your Halloween was a great one.

Mine was "meh~".

But had fun doing up this look.

Surprisingly it's pretty easy to do, and surprisingly there aren't a lot of spooks out there celebrating in KL this year. I see more nurses than I see ghosts and zombies.

Will definitely bring my Halloween spirit to Singapore next year, far away from Bangsar, the further the better (don't ask).

ps// Have you seen Heidi Klum's Halloween make-up this year? it's crazeeeee~

Have a Good Halloween Weekend

2011-10-28T15:55:00.002+08:00

It's the weekend!

How was your Deepavali?

I spent mine with friend and home cooked bak kut teh dinner, with wine. ^^

Looking forward to partying Halloween style tomorrow night. *heart*

Enjoy your weekend!

Pink Coach Tote

2011-10-26T10:00:00.000+08:00

I just rewarded myself with a brand new pink coach tote this year, just for being to go through whatever I went through this year, and the last.

It's not a big reward, just a little something to remind myself that I'm worth it.

The Coach Signature Stripe Tote in pink.

I wanted something of a convenient size, easy to just grab and head out for a short erran run or house visit. Big bags can be pretty heavy at times, this was just perfect. I bought it from a friend who living in the states, she runs a site selling different designer bags she got her hands on.

This could fit couple of magazines, phone and wallet and some other stuff. It's pretty spacious for a small tote.

What's your latest buy? :)

Boyfriend Shirt

2011-10-25T15:40:00.001+08:00

Look of the day post!

I once read that it's never alright to wear leggings or tights alone without shorts, with the exception of a boyfriend shirt.

I've worn this quite several times with shorts but never just with tights, so I thought I had a little bit of fun today.

It's all about accessories.

The white chain necklace will soften the masculinity of the chunky wooden necklace as well as the long shirt.

Pair it with a hobo belt and done.

Boyfriend shirt & Belt: Taiwan
Tights: Myer, Adelaide
Necklaces: Bangkok
Bangle: Penang Airport

Lisbon Begging Chihuahua

2011-10-23T10:00:00.001+08:00

It's the cutest thing I saw in Lisbon, a little chihuahua wearing winter clothes holding bucket of, most often than not, one coin begging for money in front of its performing owner.

The Lisbon begging Chihuahua.

It's more famous than you think. Just google "lisbon begging chihuahua".

Here are some of the photos I found online.

grabbed off flickr

grabbed off canstockphoto

grabbed off google

grabbed off Featurepics

and whole lot of youtube videos...

Uber cuteeeee............ @_@ ^^ *heart*

Pleasant Lisbon - Dream Beings

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000+08:00

I spent only three days in Lisbon and it was a whirlwind of a trip. Food, sights, walk, laughs; it was a pleasant place, with pleasant people that gave you pleasant feeling.

Yes, the whole 3D2N in Lisbon was very pleasant; nothing more, nothing less. And that's how I liked it to be. Pleasant, lovely, adorable Lisbon.

would have gotten on if my zodiac wasn't the most boring one

Spotted a lazy cat sitting at the ruin we were visiting.

Must be the weather, it didn't even want to move when my camera went so close up to its face.

bluish sunset

After sunset, we walked up to a hilly place filled with restaurants and decided to enjoy the rest of the evening looking in the surprisingly comfortable chilly night.

There was wine, of course. There always has to have wine.

For me, it's always a glass of chilled sweet moscato. :)

And then I floated through the rest of the city at night.

pretty glass lift in the city

The next day we visited quite a number of monumental sites around Lisbon.

Like the Lisboa Jeronimos.

And lots of camwhore pics.

andrew in prison lol

nicole in prison

crazy print art I loved

very nice ceiling, I said to myself.

somebody's resting place

another beautiful cathedral

Spotted a dessert shop, couldn't resist walking in.

Came out with a cup of uber thick chocolate drink, tasted like chocolate pudding. #WIN!

tore and licked clean ^^

Went to the seaside.

so many boats and yachts.

Monument to the Discoveries

I liked this monument because it told a story.

Henry the Navigator crossed the Pacific in 1520 and the 50m tall monument/tower showed Henry and many heroes of the time exploring a new world.

You could see the statue of Henry at the tip holding a small caravel.

In front of the monument was a ground map of the world at the time.

They spelt Malacca wrongly. -.-

We took a lift up the monument had a breathtaking view of the harbour.

And then ended the day in a sweet note.

nom.

the end.

Breakfast in Bed

2011-10-20T15:32:00.002+08:00

It's the simplicity in life that makes us feel wrapped with fuzziness.

Like homemade egg benedict and NZ sausages served in bed during breakfast.
(which I moved to the dining table after)

Drizzling warm hollandaise sauce.

It can't get any better than this.

Shrooms~

2011-10-17T11:06:00.000+08:00

Back from Koh Phangan.

Fully Moon Party. :)

Buckets. :)

KP tattoos. :)

Shrooms. :)))

*Silly giggles*

Love is in the Air

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

Spring is here!

Or at least for all those down under.

Enjoy your perfect weather before the deadly heat hits you kiwis and ozzies this Christmas.

Roller Coaster Tram

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000+08:00

This would be one of the weirdest tourist attaction I've ever encountered.

Seen it. Took a ride on it.

In Lisbon, Portugal, Tram 28 is a popular public transport that promises its passenger a ride that does not disappoint.

Built on the natural slopes and hills that forms the city, the ride gives you a quick sight tour on all the major attractions of the city: monuments, churches, gardens, etc and in some ways, as the Lonely Planet guidebook suggested, does feel like roller coaster ride.

going down, down, down~

Joining me on this ride was a friend from London who flew down for a 3d2n to see the city with me.

andrew and i

What's absurd, is that you don't need to pay exceptional fee for a tourist tram, Tram 28 is a local public transport that has been running since the late 80s and is still winding through the old city of Lisbon; a ride will only cost you €2.85. Hah!

Let the ride begins!

downhill

uphill

Tram driver whom I couldn't understand.

At the top of the hill, we had the most magnificient view of the harbour city of Lisbon.

saw some people chilling on a rooftop bar on another building. NICE!

is this the famous Alfama street?

Don't forget to take the roller coaster Tram 28 whenever you visit Lisbon in Portugal. ;)

Ice Skating Queen - Katy Perry adidas Collection

2011-10-11T10:10:00.000+08:00

Finally it has been a month since I started the ice skating challenge, to celebrate my final lesson, I went to Pavilion and bought myself a set of adidas performance apparels. ^^

yes I even had the receipts to prove it for this set, only this set. :p

There was so many to choose from, I spent more than two hours in the changing alone conducting a fashion show of my own before settling for a set.

BEHOLD! MY BRAND NEW ADIDAS SPORTS APPARELS!
(This is by far my best buy yet!)

The sports bra can be worn on its own too.

Never seen myself that sporty in a long time.

I also got a white jacket,to go with the outfit, which can be worn with just the sports bra and tights alone.

*heart* max the white jacket design.

That's not all.

I finally got my hands on the famous pair of trainers from Katy Perry collection, the exact one she wore in her ad for adidas!

I wanted to the rest of the outfit she wore but they didn't have stock for it. However the sports bra was also from the Katy Perry collection, so happens.

Super nice right?!!

ceh~ like posing for ad :p

I bought it as a set actually, but I wore them in two different ways.

Here are some photos from the lesson day itself.

woohoo~ I can skate straight~!

coach: ok now you can learn to spin like this
me: are you effing with me :S (just barely managed to skate straight)

no no... you spin with your feet like this *push in*

like this?

Here's the concluding video of my progress so far.

Started as a noobie with no balance at all, I'd say I've done pretty well.

Hey, I can finally skate!

What do you think? Not bad? Still need a little bit of improvement though.

But verdict~

"Nicolekiss is all in" challenge COMPLETED!

Will I continue to skate after this?

Hell yea, till I perfect my moves (definitely), and conquer the spin (maybe).

Have you given yourself a challenge lately?

Read here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 of my ice skating challenge.

Moon Ring

2011-10-10T01:00:00.001+08:00

There's a moon ring outside tonight.

For those who can't see it, here's a photo of it I took earlier.

It's not as clear as the one in wiki page, since I took it with my humble digital compact.

The actual moon ring is way bigger than it shows here in the photo, what with wide angle lens shrinking everything into a photo frame. But you get the idea.

Can you roughly see the very faint ring light around the very exposed moon?

Here's an exposed edited photo just to aid your visual (and imagination).

Have a lovely evening everyone.

Wishlist of the Month - Katy Perry Purr

2011-10-09T22:46:00.000+08:00

Katy Perry fragrance - Purr.

This is definitely made for me.

I fell in love with the bottle at first sight in a magazine and I am putting it on the top of my wish list this month (who cares how it smells like, look at the bottle!).

Me-ow~

opps.... I spilt ma milk~ purr...

The Missing Bag

2011-10-06T18:29:00.001+08:00

It’s another MNG contest again!

This time the winner will get a trip for two to Barcelona, Spain. A city of history, culture, graffiti and shopping!

Some say it’s a city of robbery.

I kid.

What’s the missing bag about?
http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
It’s about this bag that MNG lost which has a lot of Polaroid photos in it, photos of friends having fun in MANGO store camwhoring; you can find the missing bag here: www.facebook.com/mango.com?sk=app_255469604491330

‘Like’ the MNG page, register, and start sharing these ‘missing’ Polaroid photos with your facebook friends.

Like so.

And hopefully by doing so, the photos you share with ‘help’ the owner find the Missing Bag! Because inside the Missing Bag is the trip for two to Barcelona!

That’s the concept.
If you friend agree to the photo you sent, you get points; if you agree to the photos your friend sent, you get points; you register, you get points.

The more you share, the more points you get. And the one with the most points, WIN!

No self-camwhore photos needed for this contest, I’m just putting up mine for fun. :p

This reminds me, time to head down to another MNG store for a camwhore session; it’s fun!! ^^

Paintings Looking for New Owners!

2011-10-04T16:39:00.003+08:00

For those of you who follow my Twitter will know that I've started painting a couple of months ago.

As promised, here are some of my current paintings which I've done.
Not a lot considering the amount of time I have since I started, but they'll be coming in waves. So do keep a look out on this space.

O, btw, they're looking for new owners who are interested to have them. ^^
You may bank in the payment to me. Email me for any enquiry at nicootan@gmail.com

"Fish" 12x12 inch
Oil on Canvas
Details: thick vibrant brush strokes creating 3D effect on canvas
RM220
SOLD

"Fireworks" 12x12 inch
Acrylic on Canvas
RM200
SOLD

"Happiness" 12x16 inch
Acrylic on Canvas
RM400
SOLD

"Mood" 12x16 inch
Acrylic on Canvas
RM400
SOLD

"Life" 12x16 inch
Acrylic on Canvas
RM400
SOLD

Latest creation:

"Muse" 12x16 inch (with flash)

"Muse" 12x16 inch (without flash)
Acrylic on Canvas
Details: beautiful gold flakes lined with strokes on canvas; shimmering effect when exposed to sunlight
RM400
SOLD

Art has always been a passion of mine.

Exactly ten years ago, I made the decision to pursue a degree that is non-relevant to my interest, influenced by opinions of family and friends; so instead of fine art, I went with the hyped subject of the time - software engineering.

I didn't regret what I've chosen, but if I could only do it one time in this lifetime, it would have to be fine art.

But no one says it has to be just one time.

So here's a big dream of mine this year.

To generate enough income, partly from the sales of my paintings, to buy me a ticket to a one year course of fine arts in a noted university (i.e. Sydney).

Thus~~ if you're interested to make a late twenties girl's dream come true, and if you fancy my art pieces, don't hestitate to email me at nicootan@gmail.com to order one of my fabulous paintings (ceh~ shameless :p hahaha).

Thank you for your support. :)

ps// I accept international orders. Shipping fee applies. :)

Progress on my Ice Skating Challenge (with video!)

2011-09-29T17:47:00.000+08:00

Wondering how my progress went with my Nicolekiss is all in adidas challenge?

Well I've recorded a video!! (read on)

Before that, here's a recap of the outfit I've picked out for my second day of ice skating lessons.

Or click on the link above to go to the post with all my camwhore photos of the outfit

And I know it's pointless (since I'm ice skating) but I just have to show off my brand new adidas pink and black sports shoe; I have another exact pair but silver in base color.

You would be able to see it if you follow my Twitter account. I used it to climb Mount Cook!!

Back to learning to ice skate.

Can you spot me in the photo?! I'm so colorful it's impossible not to. I love colorful clothing. ^^

This is my coach, Carmen.

She's really nice and am really patient with me even though when I'm obviously the worst 20s something student she ever had. I have like the worst balance for any form of sports. T_T

Btw do you realize she's wearing an adidas jacket?

Do you know that all ice skating coaches wear adidas jackets by default, because it's sponsored. OMG JELES! What a coincidence too! I swear I did not know this when I was signing up for the lessons.

There I go sidetracking again. @_@

Anyway I learnt a lot of moves and tricks to ice skating, not that one needs if one is already good at ice skating. It's just really useful for late learners like me to pick up the sport.

the kid was mocking me with her lightning speed. T_T

One thing after all these, I never knew ice skating could be so tiring. @_@

And the thing is, the moment my feet gets tired, I can't, even with all my might, skate properly. I will be tipping over at every glide/turn/slide, because it's using muscles I don't normally use when I walk, sleep and eat.

"Do I really need to skate more? I'm so so so so so so exhausted." Pleading at carmen the coach.

Here's a video on my progress, I also edited out the tricks and tips so that it becomes a tutorial for those who wish to pick up ice skating, take up an adidas challenge like I do.

I know I know. I'm still pretty shit. Will I really be able to finish my challenge? It's almost a month now and my aim was to achieve "passable" within a month! o.O

Am I setting myself too high a challenge? OMG kill me.

Still got one more week left. Will be TRYING MY BEST!

Duck or Eagle

2011-09-26T08:00:00.000+08:00

Today I received an email with the most phenomenal story. I just had to share it.

I don't normally blog about forwarded email, but something in the story struck me as me and I thought it could change a little in me today, maybe it could change a little to those who I can share it too.

So enjoy.

It was titled:
Make your choice today - Duck or Eagle.......

No one can make you serve customers well.
That's because great service is a choice.

Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, Harvey read the card.

It said: Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.

Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It .
Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck.

Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally.

'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it.

You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I
was suggesting.

Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

I've been feeling like a duck for the longest time, a year? no, maybe more.
The story really changed my view, today and hopefully longer than just 'a while'. I hope it has changed yours too and made your day as it did mine. :)

Let's all be eagles. :)

My new adidas outfit!

2011-09-23T08:12:00.001+08:00

So yesterday I gathered up my courage and went for my second lesson with my coach.

It's pretty scary considering I only had one practice on my own between the first and this second lesson. And it's essential to practise a lot after a lesson because during your session with the coach, you picked up all the skills and then you execute them on your own during your practices.

But before I get to that, I want to show you the new outfit I got!!

In order to practise in conjunction with adidas new campaign "adidas is all in", I came up with my very own challenge called "Nicolekiss is all in" lol shameless :p

I got a pink top AND a blue training jacket. It's so colorful! MAD LOVE.

I don't know about you, but I think adidas has some really neat designs this season. They're all so colorful, funky, modern, chic, futuristic and everything wonderful I never thought sportswear was possible to achieve.

And check out my new shoes!

Happy face.

Few more poses.

Check out the back.

sexy back ^^

With the blue jacket.

Nice or not?

I bet you want to get hold of these brand new collection of adidas apparel right now. :p
Poison you. kekeke

And this was me right before my battle.

Hair tied and ready to skate~!

Bring it.

Odd Ball

2011-09-21T23:45:00.004+08:00

I do consider myself an odd ball.

I have very different ways of thinkings compared to most peers. Not sure of the actual reason for this behaviour, but it must've been triggered since a long time ago.

I'm not saying I'm different. I'm just saying I'm odd.

And I am very odd.

When I looked at this photo it cracked me up. LOL

Like when I am doing something/looking at something/or just thinking, I tend to block out all disturbances around me: noise, people, colors, cars, even the conversation I'm in. Hence for those we know me very very very well (actually, only one person so far knows me that well), I zone out very easily.

You could be carrying a conversation with me and halfway through I would enter this zone out phase and shoot out my own questions before realising I was actually having a conversation with you.

It's annoying to a lot of people. And unfortunately, I find it really hard to control this zone-out habit of mine.

I suppose it's harmless, however it has, in its past, offended a few people, like severely. :S

But that's just one of the many characteristic of being odd.

To some, you could be even call me an introvert. I know, it's almost unbelievable since I meet so many people all the time during my travels and I have never had a problem striking a conversation with a random stranger.

But most friends of mine don't realise was that I find it hard to CARRY a conversation, too.
It's like my way of thinking and opinions are vastly different to how most people's minds operate. Different wavelength you might call it.

And I only realise how often this has happened, in the past or present, in recent years.

I'm like a modern day geek. Only I don't look the part.

I have my own little dark humour and jokes that most people don't get.
And my own aloofness that most people find ignorant.
Or my own seriousness that people normally would find intimidating.
My own sense of justice that some people find unreasonable.
My own definition of adventure that people find ridiculous/stupid/torturous.
My impulses/spontaneousness that almost all people find pointless.
Sometimes, my own polite-ness that people find rude. :SSS

It's hard trying to fit in growing up. And in some ways, I'm still doing so.

However, I have already come to accept me as me and my baheviour as part of me.
Learning to cope with my odd common sense in this seemingly odd world to yours.

Living Lounge Hostel - Lisbon, Portugal

2011-09-20T08:00:00.000+08:00

So this was my journey thus far (written).

Leaving Spain behind, after Madrid and Seville, I ventured into Portugal.

I knew nothing about the country except that I onced almost dated a portugese mix, ate portugese egg tart and drank port.

So it was a delight that I landed myself in one of the most pleasant hostels I've ever stayed in.

This was my room, called "White Dream". Perfectly suited for me since I'm a pieces, dreamer at birth. LOL

love the writings on the wall... enticing~

Met up with a friend who flew from London and this was his room. Super love as well! Though I still prefer mine. :p

It's so neat, clean and pretty that it didn't feel like an ordinary hostels, more like a boutique hotel, with the advantage of a cozy living area and kitchen where people actually USE.

I could walk into the kitchen and make myself some free toasts with jam and some milk tea. Felt exactly like home, in a foreign land, with a foreign weather. lol

I also loved this odd barber's chair sitting at the corner seemingly so out of place.

In most evenings, there would be one guest picking up the guitar and started strumming in the leisure room, and everyone would sit and hum or sing along.

It's such a surreal feeling staying there, in winter in a foreign country that I knew nothing of and speaked none of its language. But yet it was perfectly alright, and perfectly at ease.

Living Lounge Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal.

However, on a whole different note, I do know one thing about Portugal.

You know all those authentic portugese egg tarts most Malaysians have been claiming they've eaten in Macau?

Honey, it ain't authentic if it ain't from Portugal.

It's called PORTUGESE eggtart, d'oh.

Originated from Lisbon, Portugal in fact.

Where I was at. Where I ate one.

Now that's... one good tart.

Tea Pairing Dinner

2011-09-19T03:30:00.001+08:00

I was invited to Twinings tea pairing dinner by a friend of mine.

How could I say no? I love teas, and I love Twinings. I love most things English. Some people like Japanese culture, some people follow Korean Pop culture... Well, I'm a tea-drinking English girl at heart.

There was a workshop talking about making the perfect cup of tea, which was REALLY enlightening. Maybe I'll talk about it in the next post - on how to make a perfect cuppa.

Stephen Twinings was there too, yes you guessed it, he's related to the founder of Twinings - Thomas Twinings, back in the 1706 when the first Twinings tea room was first open in London.

Stephen Twinings is the 10th Generation of the Twinings empire.

It's amazing to meet someone from such a land standing legacy.

He talked a lot about tea, drank a lot of tea too.

One of the most strikening news was that Earl Grey tea is only legit for Twinings, since Early Grey tea was commissioned to Twinings by an EARL, named Charles Grey, and the tea was so welcomed it was named after the Earl. *surprised!*

I never knew tea pairs well with certain food, like wine, but it didn't surprise me that it could. Afterall, certain tea does taste better with certain variety of food.

Like black teas are good with scones, tiramisu and quiche of the sort.

My guess is that they're better with savory or slight savory desserts: some also say it's good with veal, chocolate macaroons and cheese.

Or like the green tea is best served with light food, like finger sandwich, seafood and salad, etc.

Now you know your tea, enjoy a cuppa.

Yum.

Find a cozy/scenic place, your tea will taste even better.

haha I actually got dragged out here to pose for cameras. wtf so random.

Anyway, thanks to the event, now I have enough tea to last me for the rest of the year.

Unless of course I drink it everyday then it would only last me for four months.

Dinner was held at Saujana hotel - Senja restaurant where we had tea, and wine ^^, during our evening meals. YUM.

my favourite dessert of all time!!! for now.

My favourite drink that night was the Strawberry and Mango Infusion, it's by Twinings and not exactly a tea. But really yummy when prepared with sugar.

I had like five glasses that night.

OD-ed T_T

Skating in adidas

2011-09-16T08:00:00.003+08:00

Yay it's my first day of Student Practise Credit day.

Which means I get to skate five times on my own after the coaching lessons so I can pick up all the skills she has taught me.

In case you're wondering, this is my ALL IN challenge to myself, following the adidas is all in campaign. (Read about my first day of lesson here)

I really want the pink jacket Katy Perry is wearing in her ad campaign. It's so CHIO~!

Here I'll show you a picture.

Nice right?

I love her super pink adidas pants, sports bra and shoes too.

Everything about the outfit is LOVE!

I might get that soon, or something similar, who knows. ;)

But anyway, as promised (to myself), I have tied my hair for my second try out on the big icy field.

Ta-da~!

And to suit the challenge mood, I've put on my own version of 'Nicolekiss is all' in challenge jacket.

Ta-da~

And for my walking shoes to the pyramid ice...

adidas pumps~

To recap, here's my first day of lesson at the pyramid ice with my coach Carmen.

Yes, now you know how bad I am at ice skating.

I can't balance least to say skate a straight line. T_T

And coaching alone isn't going to make me a pro skater overnight.

Which is why I need to practise, practise, practise, hence the Student Practice classes (basically you go there under skating student title to practise your new found skills).

This time, without a coach... and her hand which I could hold onto, I fell flat on my bottom. T_________T

It's like the most embarrassing moment ever! Thank god it was a Monday and there wasn't as many people as there was on a weekend as my dress flipped itself skyward and.... and... eh hem...

resting with my bum hurting...

Note to self: never wear a dress/skirt without safety pants when ice skating.

Once fallen, forever SCARRREEEEDD!!!

clinging on for dear life...

It's so scary to know that I might fall again the second time around. My feet hurted and ego bruised.. I went back out again and...

OMG! I can skate!

Just kidding. Where got so fast.

But after what seemed like two hours of blind practise, I could manage gliding forward without tipping backward, or sides, or forward.

Just barely managed.

Jesus I'm old already ok! Cut me some slacks!

So my second week has proven... erm... not as satisfying but improving. Will be meeting my coach again in the next lesson. I hope she's not disappointed with my 'improvements'. T_T

cats and insomia

2011-09-15T04:21:00.000+08:00

The title has no capital letters because I feel it doesn't carry enough importance to bear them. LOL wtf.

It's just that I have been unable to sleep at night these days, and my sleeping pattern is getting worse by the day.

Yesterday I went ice skating and got back dead tired, but still I ended up staying up till 6AM! Unable to sleep the whole night. :(

I don't know what's up with my body. Le sigh~

Oh I visited bestie today to play with her cat. It's mating season and he is SO HORNY OMFG! He just kept meow-ing the WHOLE time I was there. I loveeeee cats but it's just SOOOOO annoying.

And funny at the same time.

There was like a mommy cat outside with her four kittens living near the lifts area and she followed me to bestie's door, wanting me to feed her and her little kittens. LOL. SUCH A SMART CAT!

So I got some cat food from bestie's house and 'delivered' them to her kittens, and she ate while fending for her kittens cause there was a male cat nearby eye-ing their food. So ke-lian~ (pitiful). So I gave him some food too, after the mommy cat attacked him for coming too near to her kittens. I laughed and finger-pointed at the male cat telling him (yes quite literally) he totally deserved it LOL who ask him to come so close to mommy's babies.

Then she brought me up to visit an old friend of ours who was living in the same building and saw like the BIGGEST pregnant cat EVER!

She was SOOOOO gorgeous, her fur was SUPER fine and super white! And she's girnormous! In all my cat bearing years I have NEVER seen a cat THAT pregnant before. It's as if she has stuffed like 12 babies in her! Or 5 very big kittens. We couldn't stop laughing when she walked cause it's the funniest sight ever.

Imagine a pedigree posh cat carrying a football around her belly as she walked. Swinging left, right, left, right. LOLOL.

Meow.

That's all.

I think I shall go shower now and watch some online anime until I get tired, which would be around 6-7am. :S

Ciao!

Juicy Couture Haul: Crown Charm & Heart Bracelet

2011-09-13T23:31:00.000+08:00

This is my first Juicy Couture purchase in my life.

I've never bought anything from Juicy before because I found their clothing line and bag collection a little... well... too kiddish for me. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but then it's not exactly me.

I tried dressing up pink and all cutesy, you know, like Paris Hilton, but it all came out wrong. I looked wrong. I strongly believed that cutesy and pink stuff always suit petite frames better, or people who are skinny (if they're tall); but I'm neither. So when I dress up, I looked like an old woman trying too hard to be cute.

Urgh. Not a good sight.

But then no one says anything about charms and bracelets.

:D

I love accessories, so I finally got around to get myself a set of bracelet and an extra charm from my friend who lives in the states (lucky her).

First is the Juicy Starter Charm Bracelet, 14k yellow gold plated; with Banner Heart and "J" Charms.

I LOVE the fact that, unlike Thomas Sabo bracelets, the Juicy bracelet is bigger, bolder and shinnier. ^^

Hence you require less charms on a bracelet.

I think they're selling this for RM260+ in Juicy Couture Malaysia? Pretty affordable.

I also got the super CHIO Juicy Couture Crown Charm (it's around the same price as the bracelet) to add on to my starter colletion.

NICE RIGHT?!

MAD LOVE IT.

Other photos.

I've set my eyes on one more charm in the Juicy Couture outlet in Pavilion. Will show you guys when I get that.

Third's the charm, right? ;)

(haha. I just made a pun)

Bullfight in Spain

2011-09-12T20:42:00.000+08:00

Bullfighting - the most popular, spectacular and utterly cruel 'sport' in Spain.

The Spanish see bull fight as a form of entertainment, and bullfighters as glorious heroes; in their eyes, the sport was a scene of such:

pure magnificence

In my eyes, it was something like this.

And this.

one of the most famous bullfighters receiving a severe groin injury

Are you squeling?

So am I.

I don't get the sport. Other than the cruelty of of animals, the sport itself is outrageously dangerous, and more often than not, fatal. And yet there are hundreds of thousands of people in Spain, Portugal, Southern France and Mexico cheer for this sport every year; despite of tens of thousands of people protesting against it every year.

But nevertheless, I respect tradition, so in this visit to Spain, I visited an actual bullring-turned-museum in Seville to understand more of the crazy sport.

remember that horse?

Here we go.

Entering the bullring.

the interior around the bullring

VVVVIP seats?

the not so VIP seats

super third grade seats, jk.

the bullring!

Is this where they kept the bulls? no?

Inside one of the halls inside the arena was where they set up a museum to showcase the history and culture of bullfighting in Seville.

one of the heroic bullfigther's costume

people who died running from bulls?

The guide also showed us how to kill a bull with one strike.

aim for the point above the head, and it will kill it instantly.

one of the legendary bullfighters

look how small the costume was, imagine how tiny people used to be back in those days

And this was the legendary bull of all time.

Can't remember its name but according to the guide, it was increadibly massive and has defeated many bullfighters of its time. Unlike many of the bulls, it used to march and charge with its HUGE head held high hence made it difficult for bullfighters to spear its weak point.

I bet the bullfighter who finally defeated it must've gained massive amount of fame after.

That's about it for my bullfighting experience. Pretty shallow. LOL.

Anyway here are the rest of the photos for the rest of my trip in Seville.

Visited the Plaza de España and its Botanical Garden.

don't know what to call this vehicle...

I love how their trees are so tall and skinny

line of trees

rainbow!

Traveller friend lent me his polaroid film to take this photo, did you notice how nice the sky looked?

Plaza de España! Built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929.

I want to take one of those! We used to have plenty of those in Melaka in the 90s; come to think of it, they're more of cow carriages.

Ended the day at a cozy tapas restaurant for some authentic local food before I sign out of Spain completely.

Moi traveller friend with his glass of sangria

some salami and jamon

cheesy beef burger, looking a bit sad.

bread, d'oh

And then we parted, as usual, and I went on my journey, leaving beautiful Spain behind, and into happy Portugal.

Learning to Ice Skate

2011-09-09T03:43:00.003+08:00

It's one of those crazy challenges I give myself because I have nothing better to do. Like travel across Australia with budget of AUD1500 for 5 weeks (which was pretty insane come to think of it, I even managed to snowboard twice!)

I decided to learn to ice skate.

Random reader: What? You don't know how to ice skate yet?

Sadly, yes. :(

And as one ages, it seems harder to pick it up.

The inspiration of this came from a campaign ad I spotted in a cinema lately.
One of my favourite idols (omg I have one!) have got herself involved in a campaign: adidas - is all in.

It's KATY PERRY! God I love her.

I shall copy cat.

Nicolekiss is all in

So gearing up, I called up the Pyramid Ice and signed myself up for a 5-lesson course with a personal coach.

I can't skate. I can't balance. And at my age, it's really really really hard to pick up something and be good at it. I'm not blaming my age, but something to do with the learning ability that comes with age, and habitual behaviour in action, speech, everything; people tend to find it much harder to adapt to change.

And ice skating for me is a huge change for me. I don't know how to glide, my body reacts that movement to falling down. Hence I jerk, I slow down and then I became this handicap skater.

scary looking blade

Talking about blades, I always have this fear that in case I fell down from ice skating, someone might accidentally skate over my hands and slice them apart. *GRUESOME THOUGHT OMG KILL ME IT'S GIVING ME CHILLS*

the big scary wild ice rink

When I first joined, I thought maybe I could learn to skate like pro within a month, or at least fakely looking like a pro.

The coach whom I told this aim to laughed at me; she said it took her six months to even do a twirl. And that's going for coach lessons like three times a week.

"strech your arms"

"that's right, take your first step"

Ok. Re-plan my aim.

Let's go for just able to skate. And not falling on my ass. Maybe do a proper glide, like a champion.

geez, even a kid is skating like a million times better than I.

pretending to be in very cold weather

I'll keep you updated on how my next lesson would be.

Maybe in the mean time, you can find yourself a challenge, achieve something great! For those who dare. ;)

xoxo - Nicolekiss

note to self: I'm tying my hair to my next lesson

Just Seville - Free Flamenco & Funny Horse Face

2011-09-06T04:01:00.001+08:00

Seville was where I visited a lot of sights: palace, plaza, cathedral, museums, etc.

It was where I did most of my historical and cultural soak-ups.

taken during another day, the Seville Cathedral.

also taken during a different day, from another angle.

It wasn't a city as impressive as Barcelona or as vibrant as Madrid, but I do remember the city as the perfect last leg of my journey in Spain - relaxing, clean and easy.

Yes, that's it. It was easy. The city wasn't complicated, and I didn't need to worry about robbers or thieves, or the tourists and peak hours. Food was easy, there wasn't a million choices that gave you headaches, but enough to make you happy. Walking was easy, visiting places was easy.

me fooling around

And I also remembered seeing a lot of horses in Seville.

It was one of those rare chances where I could get up close to a horse and camwhore their faces out.

Most of them taken in different locations.

I have a killer photo of this horse face at the end of this post, so keep on reading.

not this kind of horse power.

Anyway, I met a traveller friend at the guesthouse I was staying, whose name was Clinton, I think, and we visited most of Seville together. I should really look him up on facebook and see where he's at in the world right now. You never where to expect with these crazy travellers.

He's the one on the left. The guy on the right with the curly hair was our host at the guesthouse.

Who was also kind enough to bring us out to witness true local flamenco dance at a local joint; free of charge. The only thing you had to pay was a drink.

again we walked through the Seville Cathedral on our way to the joint which was located in the most complicated maze of little alleys. I wouldn't know how to get there again even if you offer to pay for my house.

I had to pass by this Cathedral everyday on my way to just about anywhere. Hence the gazillion photos from all different angles of the gothic church.

Looked beautiful at night. Didn't feel so gothic.

The Flamenco dance here was very different compared to the one I saw in Madrid. Other than being much less formal, it was more intense, almost to the extend of fierce.

flamenco singing was INtense!

I was pretty much fierced out by this lady dancer.

bow to my armpit wtf

now to both of them fml

I guess it must've been a popular joint, the place was crowded on a weekday! Or was it a weekend? I can't remember.

moi! in the audience.

my cake, which I've eaten somewhere sometime, I'm assuming that night, since the photo appeared right after the dance, fml my gold fish memory.

Remember the funny horse face I promised to show you at the begining of the post?

Here it is.

Tada! Funny or not?! LOLOL

Eh-hem, this photo was taken in front of a bullring arena.
Oh yea baby, that's where I'm bringing you next in this blog.

It's bullfighting time!!!

Almost Over. :(

2011-09-03T16:17:00.001+08:00

And the long hiatus is over.

Well, at least by tomorrow it will be.

:(

Why can't we always stay in this drunken state of bliss, of doing nothing at all.

the things you see when you travel. LOL

Spotted: Seville City, Spain.

ps// Will be resuming blogging tomorrow.

Nobody's Online Nobody's Online

2011-08-30T09:22:00.002+08:00

Sing it~ "Nobody's Online Nobody's Online"

Which is most probably true. Unless there's someone who's not celebrating Raya holidays that's reading this blog.

Here's to those of you.

Moi enjoying my 1.5 litres of Sangria in France, alone.

Let the celebration begins!

Real Alcazar de Sevilla - Seville Royal Palace

2011-08-27T05:44:00.003+08:00

Short Note: Selamat Hari Raya to all my muslim friends around the world. Enjoy your holidays and celebrations. I'm still sick at this point, it's been more than a week and it isn't fun :(.

Sorry if I haven't had the health or mood to blog as much lately, while I'm recovering, let me show you a wonderful palace I visited in Seville that was adorned with the most magnificient garden. It would be a perfect fit for the Raya since Mudéjar architecture was influenced by muslims of those times (of Al-Alandus).

or called the "Royal Alcazars of Seville".

You guessed it, it's the royal palace in Seville which architecture style was heavily Arabic influence - also referred to as the mudéjar architecture.

Unlike most palaces, the Real Alcazar has a rather humbling entrance as compared to its more superior interior.

The grander part.

the secret passage for the king to escape during an invasion

where the passage leads to

Some of the most intricate designs had been dedicated to its ceiling and wall. One could stare at how extravagant each ceiling or room, the amount of time and effort spent on carving them out. Each space a different design.

wall, pillars, right up to the ceilings were covered in detailed carvings

drinking station?

ballroom

Here's a floorplan of the palace:

What struck me the most about the Alcazar was the magnificence of a courtyard and an even more impressive garden at the back. History aside, the place was a wonderful tourist or local spot for a day walk, either in its maze garden, the orange trees garden, or the luscious green garden filled with wandering peacocks and fountains.

the maze

tall trees lined in the maze

a secret garden?

ducks in pond

I find this duck a bit eerie, looking at me like that. :S

smiley orange!

This put a smile on a face. If only all fruits come with a smiley face, the world would have been a better place.

beautiful orange in the orange trees garden

Spotted a dungeon looking area with water-filled tunnel. Looked it up online and found that it was called the Baths of Lady María de Padilla, who was supposed to be the mistress of the Peter the Cruel. The other story was that she was known for her purity for defending against the advances of the king, hence the bath.

What's CREEPY about this place, after looking at the photo lately, while resizing it, I realised I had a similar dream about a place exactly like this, a dungeon filled with water and I was swimming under water towards a very deep space within, which was supposed to open up to a darker cave that held treasures and other mysteries I was trying to unfold.

And I totally forgot about this place and this photo until I wanted to blog about it. And the dream happened like a couple of months back. But now that I'm looking at this, it bears an uncanny resemblence to that dream of mine, only that the water dungeon was much bigger, and darker, and deeper.

:S

found myself in some tower bridge that splitted across two gardens. I wondered what it was for. Perhaps for princesses and the king to overlook the garden without getting out of the palace?

There were a lot of artists in the greender side of the garden painting and sketching.

Made the place filled with artistic vibe.

cut and paste?

Why don't I see artistic people in our park? :(
It's such a great feeing.

Oh, and I stalked a peacock. :D

So pwweetty~

I waited half an hour for them to fan out their tails but they didn't. :(

Sick Hiatus

2011-08-24T17:33:00.000+08:00

look of health!

I think I am going to die.

I've been so ill and drowning in dry coughs since last Thursday and it never seems to heal.

You know the feeling of drowning in dry coughs right? It's like you coughed so much and so vigorously that you couldn't breathe anymore and you though you were going to cough to your death.

That's how I felt last night, the whole night.

And now I have two eye infections, fml, instead of one since three days ago.

I can't seem to do anything, or even sleep. I tried switching the aircond off but then even the fan was killing me.

In fact, it has gotten to a point where even the still air was killing me.

Had many types of meds thus far, just had a stronger med prescribe to me today. Hope that works to just help me SLEEEEEEP tonight.

Girls' Generation - Uncle Version

2011-08-22T08:00:00.001+08:00

Bands in Korea and Japan are just getting bigger and bigger.

It's no longer four or five in a group. Those are so yester-year.

Which is why Girls Generation is the new fad now.

Have you seen their most popular song 'Gee'? There are two popular video versions.

Here is the dance version.

Now have you seen the uncle version?

It's so funny can die.

The scary thing is, it's actually pretty good. :O

Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean girl group (can't be called band when it's that big, lol) formed by S.M. Entertainment.

The group started in 2007 and suddenly shot to fame in 2009 with the first single 'Gee' that year topping all digital music charts breaking a record for nine consecutive wins on Music Bank, among other many tops and achievements.

first single

the teaser poster that went crazy in Seoul in 2008

World's Largest Gothic Cathedral - Seville

2011-08-20T01:30:00.003+08:00

Ahh Seville...

Surprisingly to most of you, the only reason I visited Seville was to visit, and see it with my own eyes, the largest gothic cathedral in the world.

Also the third largest church building in the world, right after St. Peter's Basilica (Vantican City) and Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Brazil (boy, that's a mouthful!).

It's Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, more commonly known as Seville Cathedral.

I see...

Why was it so famous? Well, other than being the third largest cathedral at the moment, it was once THE largest cathedral in the world for over a thousand years! Right after its completion in the 16th century and also famously known at the burial site for Christopher Columbus!

a glimpse

Seville was the cultural, artistic, and financial capital of Spain.

The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See was merely a project to portay the wealth of the city in the 1200s. And it took them 700 years to complete what was the current Seville Cathedral today.

entrance

this baby jesus statue somehow weirded me out max

Baptismal font

Pierre Dancart's masterpiece, considered one of the finest altarpieces in the world *quote from Wiki*

tomb of christopher columbus

treasure room

gold relic

golden crown

From the top

can you see the gargoyle at the top on the left side?

beautiful seville

church bells

Finally, a photo of me.

I looked kinda freaky here. Maybe it was the super exhausting climb up.

Last view of the Gothic Cathedral before I headed out.

Gorgeous garden lined with orange trees.

That's all now. Let's see what Seville has got to offer next, shall we?

Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow - the latest youtube senstion

2011-08-16T21:43:00.000+08:00

Move over My Sweet Sixteen because there's a bigger and grander birthday party in town.

One that would make you go... Holy Moly~!

It's the 45th Anniversary of Public Bank and suddenly it seemed that the world is cheering on for Tan Sri Teh Hong Piow - Chairman of Public Bank Berhad in Malaysia.

Or to be more exact, hundreds/thousands? of employees, performers in costumes and singers all lined up and sang for the 'almighty' Tan Sri Teh, yes, a song dedicated to him.

Believe me, you don't want to miss this.

One of Malaysia's top three richest man with a net worth RM13 billion, Tan Sri Teh founded Public Bank 45 years ago in 1966.

45 years in the industry and a new Freemason 'cult' has been formed. :S

Artistic Madrid Day and Night

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000+08:00

My trip in Madrid was brief but fun, with lots of silly posy photos.

It was nearing Christmas so the spirit was up in the air as I checked into my cozy guesthouse.

Unfortunately, I landed in the city during a long weekend holiday and everywhere in the city was packed with tourists from other cities and neigbouring countries.

There were plentiful of art galleries in Madrid, as it turned out, for visits. And though I've had enough of museums, I thought it wouldn't hurt to visit one to check out the buzz.

Turned out even that was impossible to do.

This queue is as long as it seems and even longer. The queue bent of both ends of the four blocks of buildings.

Here's a large photo of it in 1000 pixels.

Why was there such a long queue?

Folks, this was just a typical long weekend holiday in Madrid. Yes, those are tourists. And no there isn't an iPhone sale going on.

In fact it's a queue into the art gallery at the corner.

Which I wanted to visit but decided against it for obvious reason. o.O

Here are two photos taken while I was standing in the middle of the queue, taken from both sides.

On left,

On right,

I never knew the Spanish people were so big on arts till... this!

So I went to visit the palace instead.

me on my audio guide (which I rented)

funny korean guy and I

insistent on listening to my audio guide, absorbing history knowledge

cathedral next to the palace

eerie photo of Jesus with a stab wound

the service hasn't started yet so I went to stand in the middle and took this photo
applaud for my bravery and shamelessness. :p

Went to have Mcdonald for lunch. Spanish Mcdonald!

I had this version of the burger that has bacon bits sprinkled on the bun. It's super yummy!

Went to the park,

my jump

funny korean guy's jump

I took a better photo. :p

fountain with no water

romantic canal-ing?

duck!

romantic shot of me under a tree wtf

happy spanish couple

the art of walking backward

the art of posing backward fml

'ngeh' look in the park

A very artistic wall made of grass arstically grown vertically.

haha

On to Madrid at night. Spanish night?

statue!! must take photo of statue!

saw a shop with lots of aprons.

The lady at the shop sew my name on a piece of paper as a souvenier.

my name!

She was smiling before this but because she didn't understand when I asked her to pose with my sewn name while I take a photo, she got a bit tense. I made her tense. :(

very pretty night shot of a building in between street

I saw these candle holders that were SOOOOO pretty.

I wanted to buy them but I might break them on my travels. :S :(

And then I left Madrid and went on to visit the biggest Gothic Cathedral in the world.

That's all for Madrid!

Happy Thoughts

2011-08-12T18:09:00.001+08:00

Happy thought.

Once it pops, it's gone.

Why can't happy thoughts stay, and float away.

Spotted in Plaza, Madrid.