Travel, Siem Reap

During our (hubby, Vanessa & I) last visit to my in-laws, MIL and SIL was happily sharing their experiences and photos of their July trip to Bandung and Jakarta. Even in the midst of the A(H1N1) scare, they decided to proceed with their planned trip. I thought they were going to cancel the trip, but I thought wrong. Fortunately, they came home A-ok. They went there in a group of 12, including 2 kids. Am I being envious? No. Okay, fine, maybe I am a little envious. *wink*

Hmm, all their stories made me wonder “When can I go travel out of the country?” Been asking myself this same old question for 3 years now. When I went to do my passport 3 years back, I was thinking to go to Bali. Sort of like honeymoon trip la bah konon. But, obviously, that didn’t happen. *sigh* 2 more years to go, my passport will expires without being used once. *Face palms* Ahh...how pathetic.

Hopefully, this A(H1N1) flu pandemic will be over next year. Ya, ya…I think I’ll better rasmi my passport before baby #2 comes along. LOL. Let’s see. I have ditched the thought of going to Bali. I have a new destination in mind. *smile* Cambodia. Yup,I would very much like to visit this Indo-Chinese country to witness in awe the magnificent temple ruins at Angkor. Established as a UNESCO Heritage Site in 1992. One of man’s greatest architectural achievement! Enjoy boat-cruising on Tonle Sap (Great Lake), one of the world largest freshwater lakes.

Sigh...Since it is not safe to travel abroad now, I’ll start with daydreaming about this future trip first. LOL.

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Alternative to Astro?

Last night, Vanessa dozed-off as early as 8.00pm. I thought, ‘Now, I can watch some movie on on the movie channel.’ Normally, she would stay-up until 10.30pm. By that time, me myself is sleepy already. Unfortunately, none of the movies shown really interest me. *sigh* I flipped through the Astro Guide to see what Astro have to offer to their valuable customers this month.

Now, wait a minute. Not that movie again? That movie = Georgia Rule. Don’t get me wrong. It’s a nice movie, really. But watching it all over again?? I don’t think so. I’m very sure that it was shown in HBO a few months back.

When you’re in this situation, you can’t help but wish that we have another choice of satellite TV besides Astro. Direct TV, perhaps. Yeah, that would be nice. Direct TV offers 6 awesome packages to suit everyone’s need – Premier, Plus HD DVR, Plus DVR, Choice Xtra, Choice and Family Package. The number of channel included in these package ranges from 45 to 265 channels. Hmm…since we are unlikely to get it here in Malaysia, then we can just day-dream of about it. *smile*

If I happen to live in the States, I would definitely ditch the cable TV and go for Direct TV instead. As consumers, we want more value for our money, optimal satisfaction on every dime that we spent. In other words, more channel to choose with crystal-clear, 100% digital quality picture and sounds. *smile*

Unlike cable, Direct Satellite TV guaranties the line to be clear 24/7. Even if a tree fell on a utility pole, we can still watch our favourite shows without interruption. Well, except for the cable-subscriber next door that may come knocking at your door, begging you to let him watch the not-to-be-missed game on your amazing digital Direct TV satellite…*smile*

Okay, if you are always on the go because of work commitment that you always miss your favourite shows, then the Plus DVR package is what you need. With DVR service, you can pause, rewind live TV shows, and even record a season of your favourite shows with only a press on a button and save a lot of time in programming. No discs or tapes needed! Yup, just as simple as that and you are able to enjoy the best of television at your convenient.

Poof! End of day-dream; back to reality. *sigh* We, in Malaysia just have to accept the fact that no matter how annoying the signal interruption when it rains; no matter how it sucks that we need to fork out extra bucks of our hard-earned money to bear the increasing subscription fee for our favourite channel, Astro is still numero uno. Why? Because it is the one and only satellite TV provider available in the country. Unless, of course, if you are willing to go back to the ‘Dark Age’ where our options were limited to TV1, TV2, TV3 and NTV7…then it’ll save you a lot of money. Somehow, I doubt that if anybody wants to take that step. LOL.

Seriously, with the money Astro has made over the years, I’m sure they have more than enough fund to hire some experts to find the solution on how to improve the signal reception during rainy days. I think that’s the least they can do to make their thousands of loyal customers happy. On second thought, may be it’s time for a transformation. Perhaps, the government should open the market for other satellite TV providers . Now, that would give Astro a run for their money. *evil grin*

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I won £500,000.000…automatically !!!

I opened my Inbox and this e-mail from one Administrator caught my attention. Here, how it goes:-

[ fromAdministrator
reply-tomrg.benfield01@msn.com

to
dateThu, Aug 13, 2009 at 8:59 PM
subjectGoogle Online Promotions

hide details 8:59 PM (11 hours ago) Reply


Dear e-mail user,

Your e-mail has emerged as a winner of £500,000.00 GBP (Five hundred
thousand British Pounds) in our on-going Google Promotion. Your Winning
details are as follows: Computer Generated Profile Numbers
(CGPN):7-22-71-00-66-12, Ticket number: 00869575733664, Serial
numbers:/BTD/8070447706/06, Lucky numbers: 12-12-23-35-40-41(12).
Contact Mr Graham Benfield, for more details through the contact below:

Mr Graham Benfield,
Email: promo.online.winners@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Mrs. Sherry William. ]

For a moment there, I thought, ‘Wow! £500,000.00 GBP, that’s a lot of money, man.” But somehow, things that is too-good- to-be-true like this is always a scam. Nope, I didn’t bother to contact Mr Graham Benfield. Instead, I googled to find out if there really is a “Google Online Promotions” going on.

Ah-ha! Just as I thought, A SCAM! I came across other google e-mail users who had received the same e-mail. Well, not 100% similar. The ‘reply-to’ , the ‘contact person’ and the undersigned are different. But the Winning Details, from the CGPN to the Lucky Numbers are all similar.I sure hope that none of us would fall for this scam!

Hmm, I’m a bit frustrated though that Google didn’t send-out any warning of this bogus promotion or is it possible that nobody in Google knows about this??? Or, is it only me who's unaware of the warning???

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21/37

Got this tag from Nick and Nessa weeks ago. Only today that I decided to bayar hutang…hehe…As usual, a tag won’t be one without rules. So yeah here are the rules - List down 21 blogger friends in random order and answer the following 37 questions.

For those who had your name listed here, feel free to do this tag. But if you don’t feel like it, it’s okay, I won’t bite!

The lucky 21 :-

1. KaDusMama
2. Just
3. Nora
4. Nadia
5. Mummy Zuan
6. Miss Sab
7. Memeljoan
8. Ornest
9. ChocMintGirl
10. Maslight
11. Reanaclaire
12. Annie Ming
13. MJ
14. Mouren
15. CJ
16. HoneyBuzzin
17. Mimi
18. Carmelliny
19. Kengkaru Kong
20. LonTugi
21. Mell_f

1. How did you meet 7 ? Memeljoan
Met Memeljoan in college. We were coursemate during matriculation year.

2. What would you do if you and 15 had never met? CJ
I have never met CJ.
3. What would you do if 20 and 1 dated? LonTugi and KaDusMama
Mission impossible! Both are straight, besides KaDusMama is happily married while LonTugi is getting married soon.

4. Have you seen 17 cry? Mimi
Nope

5. Would 4 and 16 make a good couple? Nadia and HoneyBuzzin
Another mission impossible. Both are straight.

6. Do you think 11 is attractive? Reanaclaire
Yes, I do think so. ;)

7. What is 2's favorite colour? Memeljoan
Oopps..i have no idea at all. But my best guess is blue. Ya ka Mel? hehe..

8. When was the last time you talked to 9? Choc Mint Girl
I have never talked to Choc Mint Girl personally. Only exchange comments on each other’s blog…hehe…

9. What language does 8 speaks? Ornest
Kadazan, English and BM… any other language you can speak Ornest? :)

10. Who is 13 going out with? MJ
Who else but her hubby?

11. Would you ever date 17 ? Mimi
Sure, only if she wants to…for a normal lunch date, of course!

12. Where does 18 live? Carmelliny
Keningau,Sabah

13. What is the best thing about 4? Nadia
She’s a pretty and cute teacher. I bet all the kids love her.

14. What would you like to tell 10 right now? Maslight
Happy birthday,Massy! Semoga panjang umur… :)

15. What is the best thing about 20? LonTugi
She’s one physically fit girl. If not, how can she finish the 11.5km Shape Run?

16. Have you ever kissed 2? Just
No way…that’s not going to happen! :)

17. What is the best memory you have of 5? Mummy Zuan
She’s a good housemate. Fun to be with. :)

18. When's the next time you're going to see 1? KaDusMama
When she come back to Sabah again…Bila la tu Ty?

19. How is 7 different from 6 ? Mimi and Miss Sab
Their profession. Miss Sab is a teacher, while Mimi is a, a….not a teacher.

20. Is 2 pretty? Just
yes, she’s a pretty mama!

21. What was your 1st impression of 15? CJ
Hmm..never met her personally. But I guess she must be a nice person.

22. How did you meet 3? Nora
Thru blogging…

23. Is 5 your best friend? Mummy Zuan
Friend, yes, but not yet best friend.

24. Do you hate 12? Annie Ming
Absolutely no!

25. Have you seen 18 in the last month? Carmelliny
No, I have never met her although I do visit Keningau at least once a month.

26. When was the last time you saw 16? HoneyBUZZin
I have not seen her yet.

27. Have you been to 5's house? Mummy Zuan
No
28. When's the next time you'll see 10? Maslight
Hmm..i’m not sure.

29. Are you close to 11? Reanaclaire
We only met through blog…never personally. Maybe when I visit Ipoh one day, I’ll get the chance to meet her in person..can ah Claire?

30. Have you been to the movies with 4? Nadia
Nope

31. Have you gotten in trouble with 8? Ornest
Nope

32. Would you give 19 a hug?
Hahaha…I don’t think so. Hubby will kill me if I do that…LOL

33. When have you lied to 3? Nora
Never lied to her..no reason to do so.

34. Is 1 good at socializing? KaDusMama
Yup,I think so...

35. Do you know a secret about 8? Ornest
Hmmm... nope!

36. Describe the relationship between 12 and 18? Annie Ming and Carmelliny
Let’s see…they both live in Keningau. So, there’s a chance that they know each other.

37. What's the best thing about your friendship with 9? Choc Mint Girl
We're blog buddies... :)

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Mind your language

When I came home from work, I was greeted cheerfully by my little girl at the door. She even offered to carry my bag…hehe..Secara automatic, hilang trus segala penat selepas seharian bekerja…

After I had my bath and dinner, like usual, watch the news, Buletin Utama. All of a sudden, my little girl started to chant, “Anak Mia! Anak Mia! (Mia - yours truly’s, daughter)” over and over again. OMG. I looked at her wide-eyed, speechless…Since my attempt to stop her was fruitless; I tried to change the sentence to “Anak Mummy! (Mummy’s girl)”, but also in vain. So, I ignored her chant and pretended not to hear it, eventually she got bored and stopped on her own…because tida kena layan. :)

When I asked Mom about it, she said my helper took her for a morning walk and they met an aunty who asked my helper’s the question, “Anak si Mia ka ni? (Is this Mia’s girl?)” Somehow, Vanessa find it amusing that she quickly pick up the key words, and started chanting away. Not that my helper and Mom didn’t try to stop her. She would repeat them whenever she feels like it….*sigh* This morning, I didn’t hear her chanting. I sure hope that she had forgotten them. Keeping my fingers crossed…hehe…

At this age, kids are very sensitive to audio-visual experience. They are sure to copy anything they hear or see, be it something good or the opposite. Therefore, all at home are trying our best to filter our language. No swear words or bad words are permitted in the little girl’s presence. But the tricky part is to get my neighbour’s kids to comply with it. Every now and then, I heard them saying lines like, “Buduh bah kau! (You’re stupid!); Kau gila! (You’re crazy!) I know, they don’t really mean those words but, how do you like it if your kids say those line to your face? Or worse, says those words to other ppl in public?! *slap forehead* Other ppl may not be that understanding, they might get offended by it.

I remembered an ex-colleague's son's remark on another colleague's bald head. The kid just walk up to the guy and cheerfully said, "Hey Uncle, how come you have no hairs on your head like evrybody else?" The Uncle, smiled and politely said, "Why don't you go ask your dad about that?" When the kid left, the Uncle confessed that he feels like strangling the boy right there! LOL. Oh, the boy never came back to the Uncle, so we never knew what his dad told him. The parents must have scolded him about his offensive remark.LOL.

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13 going on 30

This post has nothing to do with Jennifer Garner’s movie. I was looking for a nice title to put and this was the only thing that came across my mind. It’s a nice one, so yeah, why not use it? *smile* Well, there is something in it that suits me..the number 30. Yup, yours truly, was officially 30 years old on August,04… :)

There was no extra ordinary celebration. Since hubby was going to Brunei on my birthday, we celebrated it 2 days earlier. We (just the two of us..hehe..) went to watch the 08:45pm show of Harry Potter: The Half Blood Prince at 1 Borneo and after grabbing Zinger Burgers from the KFC outlet. The theater was almost deserted…only 10 ppl max was in it. Haha..I know, almost all the ppl in town had already watch the movie. Kami adalah golongan yang ketinggalan…hahaha…I’ve read the book some time last year but I can’t really remember the storyline properly. I even thought that the Half Blood Prince was Tom Riddle aka Voldemort, only to find out that the Half Blood Prince was actually Severus Snape. Anyway, I enjoyed the movie. Am looking forward for the next sequel. :)

Unlike last year’s birthday, this year there was no cake and no flower bouquet from hubby. But I did receive a gift from him. Well, it’s no surprise because I had expected to get a new handbag..hehe..However, the colour choice was a complete surprise. All these years, I never had a white-coloured handbag. So, it was a refreshing change from the usual black. Thank you,Dear! *smile*

Okay, on my birthday itself, a friend (who happens to be an August baby herself) and I was supposed to eat out at Upperstar Café & Bar, Damai right after work. Due to the traffic jam, we changed the venue to a nearer and more convenient place..Where else? KFC Donggongon la! I know what you’re thinking, “What?? KFC again?!” .LOL. It’s the only air-conditioned place in Donggongon that is comfy enough to chit-chat with friends. Now, I’m so sick of KFC already.I don't think I'm going to have another KFC meal through out this month.

Hehe..it was my first visit there after the humiliating incident. To avoid the unwanted company of our buzzing ‘friends’, we headed to the 1st floor. I was traumatized by the previous incident. This time, as I was climbing up the stairs, I watch every step that I take. Don’t want to miss any step like last time…LOL!! Eventually, everything was fine. No embarrassing moment. But the air-cond was soo cold that by the time we finished our meal, I thought I’m going to freeze to death. Luckily, no such thing happened…hehe..So like that la my birthday celebration…SIMPLE.

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