Recalling 2010

Saw a lot other similar blogs recalling back their 2010, thought i'll do a recap on what i did in 2010. But, kinda lazy and my blog didn't reflect much that happened, so i used this template below. Hah, what a (lazy) way to start a new year. Anyway, here goes.

2010: The Beginning
Where did you go on New Year?: At home, i think.
Who were you with?: Family, my dear, and some of eu's friends 
Did you kiss anyone at midnight?: Moments after midnight =) 
Did you make any resolutions?: To have a better year ahead. Get good results.

2010: Your Love Life
Did you break up with anyone?: Nope.
Were you broken up with?: Nope.
Did you get anything for Valentine's day?: .... Don't remember (>_< sorry dear!)
Did you meet anyone special?: If every person in this world is special, then yes i met some new friends. 
Did you fall in love?: Am in love.

2010: Friends and Enemies
Did you meet any new friends this year?: Several.
Did you dislike anyone?: Yes, but i try to revert that thinking. It's just that i have not known that person well.
Did you make any new enemies?: Hopefully no.
Did you resolve any fight?: Just arguments.
Who was your closest friend?: My dear.
Did you grow apart from anyone?: Much of my friends.

2010: Your BIRTHDAY!
Did you have a cake?: Don't remember.. (poor memory.... sign of ageing T__T)
What did you do for your birthday?: Probably spent with my dear, nice dinner and all.
Did you have a party?: Nope.
Did you get any presents?: Yup, something that i can't remember at this moment.. T__T
If so what was the best thing you got?: I swear i treasure all of them! Oh, i suddenly remember. My beloved eu send me a mug all the way from NZ. =D Thanks eu! 

2010: All about YOU
Did you change at all this year?: Yup, definitely. For the better, i hope.
Did you dye your hair?: Nope, but planning to do so this year (2011)
Did you have a job?: Nope. Not a productive year (2nd half) i might say.
Did you drive?: Yup, to do some errands and once to a job interview in TPM (which might be my future workplace)
Did you own a car?: Nope. Hopefully will have one to drive soon.
Did you move at all?: Nope.
Did you leave the country at all?: Yup, to Shanghai for the expo.
Would you change anything about yourself now?: Appearance-wise, contact lenses instead of glasses. Personality-wise... my temper. 

2010: Wrap Up
Was 2010 a good year?: So-so. Could be more productive.
Did 2010 bring any new insights?: Definitely. 
Do you think 2011 will top 2010?: Surely.
If you could relive any moment which would you chose?: None. Better for them to stay as memories.

I confess that in 2010 I…
( ) stayed single for the whole year
( ) made out in/on a car
( ) kissed in the snow
( ) celebrated Halloween
( ) kissed in the rain
( ) had your heart broken
( ) broke someone else's heart
( ) had a stalker
( ) mooned someone
(x) went over the minutes on your cell phone
(x) had a good relationship with someone.
( ) someone questioned your sexual orientation
( ) came out of the closet
( ) gotten pregnant
( ) had an abortion
( ) had/have a relationship with someone you'll never forget
(x) done something you've regretted
( ) kissed under mistletoe

OTHER
(x) painted a picture
( ) wrote a poem
( ) ran a mile
( ) shopped at Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch
( ) listened to music you couldn't stand
(x) went to a sleepover
( ) went camping
( ) threw a surprise party
(x) laughed till you cried
(x) visited a foreign country
( ) cut in a line of waiting people LOL!
(x) told someone you were busy when you weren't
( ) partied to celebrate the new year
( ) cooked a disastrous meal
( ) lost something/someone important to you
( ) lied about how old you were
( ) prank called someone

In 2010 I…
[x] broke a promise
[ ] fallen out of love
[x] lied
[ ] cried over a broken heart
[x] disappointed someone close
[x] hid a secret
[x] pretended to be happy
[ ] slept under the stars
[ ] kept your new years resolution
[x] forgot your new years resolution
[x] met someone who changed your life
[ ] met one of your idols
[x] changed your outlook on life
[x] sat home all day doing nothing
[ ] pretended to be sick
[ ] left the country
[ ] given up on something/someone important to you
[ ] lost something expensive
[x] learned something new about yourself
[x] tried something you normally wouldn't try and liked it
[x] made a change in your life
[ ] found out who your true friends were
[x] met great people
[x] stayed up til sunrise
[x] cried over the silliest thing
[x] was never home on weekends
[ ] got into a car accident
[x] had friends who were drifting away from you
[ ] had someone close to you die
[ ] had a high cell phone bill
[x] spent most of your money on food
[ ] had a fist fight
[ ] went to the beach with your best friend
[ ] saw a celebrity 
[x] gotten sick
[ ] liked more than 5 people at the same time
[ ] became closer with a lot of people

With 2010 over…
1. Did you have any relationships this year? Yup.
2. Did you host a party? Nope.
3. Kissed two people in the same night?: Nope.
4. Pulled an all nighter? Nope.
5. Puked at all? Nope.
7. Went Camping? Nope.
8. Bought something expensive? Yup.
9. Met someone who changed you? Yup.
10. Been out of the country? Yup. 
12. What are you thinking about? To get a job!
——
1. Hugged someone? Yup.
2. Slept in someone elses bed? Yup.
3. Got a job? Nope...
4. Loaned out money? Nope.
5. Gotten in a car accident? Nope.
6. Gone over your mobile phone bill? Nope.
7. Been called a slut? Not that i'm aware of.
8. Done something you regret? Yes. 

How was 2010? It was a good year, but nothing significant except that i graduated.
Do you have any new years resolutions for 2011? Hope to change others' perception of me, be more approachable. Be more confident. Get a job. 

ps: Well, not particularly useful template but i guess i can't complain. Hopefully this year will be a more exciting, productive and meaningful year!

Happy New Year to you guys out there too! If there is any... *black crow flies across the screen*

What Else Series - Food and more food

Let's see, what's next in my pictures folder.. ooh i see yummy food. Bring it on!

 Ohh, my favourite place to go for japanese fusion food. Pasta Zanmai! Particularly like their monthly special where they offer a combination of pasta/rice/pizza/rolls in one set, so i could sample bit of everything. Pictured above if not mistaken, is chicken with onsen (hot spring) egg pizza, which tasted so wonderfully delicious with the runny egg yolk and creamy sauce. Wuu saliva inducing~

 The pizza comes with this seafood pasta which is also yummy because the squid is not too chewy (unlike some like chewing rubber), fresh big prawns, and best of all it's spicy! And it's got mushrooms! Tons of it! And one thing i like pasta zanmai is their pasta is always cooked to perfection. Not overcooked or raw.

 I feel like i'm advertising for them, but no, just that i really like their food. Pictured above is the yummiest, creamiest, most heavenly taste thing that we stumbled across some time ago. It's called cream croquette! It's crispy on the outside, and once you bite into it (caution: hot!) you will find a very tasty creamy corn filling which is verrrry satisfying. Especially when you are starving and cold from the blasting aircon. Having it "currified" with rice is just icing on the cake.

  

Oh, che cheong fun~ One of my favourite dish too. This is from Cravings, they serve non-halal home cooked food. This one was yummy; smooth skin, juicy char siew filling with fried har mai (shrimp) on top. Don't forget the sambal~ Jan intro this to us during lunch, heard it is a fast-selling item so have to go early if you want to order this.

 Pork with tofu that we ordered together with the che cheong fun. It was okay, meat a bit dry to my liking.

 A cup of tea from dim sum session~ 

 This teochew restaurant just began their business not long ago in TTDI, only operating at night. It's a corner shop among a long row of shop lots near the police station. Serves quite yummy and very "gao mei" （够味）dishes. The chicken was not bad, the fu chuk is nice, and the ham choi lived up to its name, very ham (salty). Great to eat together with rice.

 My cousin came over to kl for a visit and we went to Pavillion to have lunch together. She wanted to try Japanese cuisine (yay!) so we went to Ichiban Boshi which is just opposite the food court and near to Dragon-i. I think they are famous for their handmade soba noodles cause they have this chef in a room making the noodles from scratch. He has really good skills and i have to salute to him because he could keep his smile on his face all the while working on the noodles. There's even a mill to grind the buckwheat grains into flour beside him. Btw i didn't ate the noodles. Had wonderful udon noodles with sushi (the one wrapped with rice) and sashimi. Salmon belly was AWESOME! Melts in the mouth. =D

   

 After a really stomach-bulging lunch, excuse me, we went for desserts at a Taiwanese dessert shop called Snowflake. Pictured above is soya-flavored shaved ice with gula melaka topped with cincau, sago jelly, and glutinous sweet potato cubes. It was something new for me, quite yummy, except for the sago jelly which tasted like gummy worms to me. But the shaved ice was wonderful eaten together with gula melaka.

My cousins ordered the green tea glutinous rice cubes with red bean toppings. Was okay, but the shaved ice is a bit plain without gula melaka. 

 Another one of my favourite place to go when i don't feel like eating rice nor noodles is Paddington House of Pancakes (PHOP)! Yea, i have a love for bread-like meals. Pictured here is kinno's new favourite drink, Flat White. Strong and smooth coffee. 

One choice of my breakfast would be American pancakes with beef bacon, sunny-side eggs with runny yolk, sausages, beans (my mind can't remember what are those called!!), mashed potatoes, with salad at the side and yummy steak sauce to go together with it. I usually order the blueberry pancakes with sour cream, mushrooms and scrambled eggs, but i was particularly hungry that morning. Hehe. 

Wow, i feel like a food blogger already. LOL. Kidding. Just wanna share with you guys some of the yummy food i've been nom-ing lately.

To end this post i quote myself (lol),

"because the most interesting, is knowing the story behind the picture.

without a story, a picture can only speak a thousand words

and not more - Fiona W."

Wuhoo i feel like a poet already. 

What Else Series - Flowers and Fly-grass

What Else Series is something that i came up with (nothing better to do) where I'll be featuring events taken by my kinno's trustworthy SonyE camera phone. Taken by me. Not him. Lalala~

Yea, just wanted to waste time. And also feel like my pictures are wasted not showcased to the world.

Flowers blooming around the neighborhood. Mom highlighted to me how lovely the flowers are on the left, and i found this orange flower with a lost petal among his peers. 

Look! See if you are lucky enough to spot a four-leaf clover. We used to have tons of these in our garden back in KK, which grew at enormous speeds. Grandma called them fly-grass（苍蝇草）and she was always pulling them out. Who knows, I myself might have pulled out dozens of four-leafed ones. 

Emotion of 25/8/10

Of one which does nothing but munches on leaves all day

Resist the urge to skim the surface of your life. Search for substance, even if it only results in a paragraph or a few sentences.

Remember that your life is more than a series of actions and motions. Blur the edges. Sketch the mood. Use emotion instead of fact. 

 Excerpt from thoughts on writing courageously by marisa on all things new

Mind-blowing, overwhelming 7-minute experience

This is Japan! from Eric Testroete on Vimeo.


Now i wish even more to go; to retrace the person (Eric Testroete)'s footsteps in all the places he went to, and make my own version of a kaleidoscopic Japan video.

Of books and gadgets

After an uninteresting walk through the halls of the convention center where Femme City was held, we decided to head into Kinokuniya while waiting for the boys to finish their movie session. It was such a long time since i've been to Kino that i'm re-amazed (if there's such word) at the variety of books they have there! The price of the books was a turnoff, but it was fun nevertheless to flip through them, albeit not much choice to choose from since most of them were wrapped up in plastic. (Still an ultimate dream for me to have all the books in Kinokuniya for my own reading pleasure.)

I came across this section in Kino where they sell magazines and books all in Japanese, and i saw this shelf where they sell magazines from branded names such as Bathing Ape, LeSportsac, etc. And together with this magazine, they include a free gift, like a canvas/ shopping/ pouch/ wallet bag from that particular brand. (Ahh should have taken a picture to show you.)

Was thinking to myself, " For the price of around rm70 and you can get a branded bag (magazine became secondary subject), seems not bad a deal.", and suddenly out of the corner of my eye i saw... a lomography magazine. Which includes a lomo cam. *Eyes lit up* * Sparkles*

SuperHeadz White Slim Angel Camera

 Some features of the camera after i did a Google search on it.
- shoots standard 35mm film
- shoot dynamic, wide pictures with 22m wide angle lens
- surprisingly vivid colors
- vignetting effect
- plastic, light, portable

I know most of the effects can be achieved using Photoshop, but it is still a great toy to play with because of the surprise element of the outcome of the photo. Like this guy here, Martin Wilson, he creates these art pieces from 35mm film, each frame painstakingly choreographed to form the final picture.

This is one of my favorite. You can check out the others at his site.

Titled "Look Both Ways"

Amazed at what people can come up with using simple tools at hand. For now i'll just place the lomo cam in my wish list. Doesn't mean that i have to get it, but if i have a bit to splurge, i would consider it. Yeap, would rather get one of these instead of a Koach/VL/Cucci bag.

To end, i quote my mum, "Wishing for something doesn't mean i want to buy it."

Don't give a damn of the world

One of the entries from Canon BFF contest at Femme City.

Hilarious at first. The longer i looked at it, the more i feel... just how many couples would do that anymore when they get older? How many of us are able to scrap off that thick mask we wear everyday and just do something that we want to?

The more i look at it the more i want to say this out loud,

"I don't fucking care what others think of me as long as i'm with you."