Wednesday, 31 May 2006

Chosen!

Finally made my choice after much contemplation (and sleeping on it). Gonna take papers 3.2 Advanced Taxation and 3.3 Performance Management. Ok, so I've decided to "stress" myself. No coursework this time around (learnt about that just yesterday. hey, I learnt something new about my course! *clap*). But that's unlikely to make life any easier. But I'm not gonna back out on my choices. Like Lei Ye said, "Made decision, don't change anymore!" Good advice! 'Cos the more I think about it, the crazier I might get (I'd probably start talking to myself in public). Ok. So that's settled. No regrets, I hope. I'd better not make any statements about this or else the opposite might just come true.

Generate Your Own Glitter Graphics @ GlitterYourWay.com Generate Your Own Glitter Graphics @ GlitterYourWay.com
Found this website on the signature of a member of one of the many forums I visit. Looks cool, no?
http://www2.glitteryourway.com/


Tuesday, 30 May 2006

Typical lah

So my cousin just called to ask about tax. Was wondering why she's doing it so late. I forgot that there's a thing called e-Filing (no thanks to lack of exposure to it). And the deadline is tomorrow, 31 May 2006. Tsk tsk. Lucky thing she's a tax resident in Malaysia. A typical Malaysian? I think so.

Monday, 29 May 2006

Crappy lecturer

Woke up at 5.45 a.m. to attend BIM lecture which started at 8 a.m. I believe I wasted my whole 2½ hours for the lecture, 2¼ hours of my sleeping time and another 25 minutes coming back (actually going to MidValley). So in total I lost 5 hours and 10 minutes of my time feeling miserable, bored and sleepy. The man is crap, I tell you! I'm contemplating whether to take this subject with a lecturer like that.

Choices choices choices. Gotta make a choice on which subjects I wanna take this semester by
this Friday. I don't want that feeling of regret when I eventually fail both the papers I take. Have been thinking today. Have been coming up with pros and cons to taking a particular subject. Each time I come up with a reason to take a subject, a disadvantage will somehow creep into my mind. Am lost now. Am dying for advice. Searched the Internet for clues on how one should choose which paper to take for ACCA. Found this pdf file which was for December 2003 but I believe it still is useful for my year. One of the pages gives a rough outline of each optional ACCA paper. Am still pondering, though.Source: http://www.bpp.com/admin/gfx/busedweb/......../acca/acca_complete.pdf

Thanks to my brother for sharing this:
Someone
Can
Always
Manipulate

Sunday, 28 May 2006

It's starting.........

I have to wake up in about 6 hours time and I am still lying in front of the computer. 'Tis still too early to sleep! My mother asked me what time I'm coming home tomorrow. My reply: "Err....after I finish my class I guess." And I got responses from both my mum & sister: "STUPID (this word was extra long) answer!" Haha. Entertainment, man!

So, what subjects do I intend to take? I was thinking Advanced Taxation (Paper 3.2) and Business Information Management (Paper 3.4) . Then again, Performance Management (Paper 3.3) sounds useful. But I don't think I wanna stress myself out too much. Will attend the lectures to see which I'll dislike the most. Definitely NO Audit for me.
Darn! We're to take Moral. I guess the subject's not that bad but it just has to be in Bahasa Malaysia. Man, my BM has gone down the drain since I left secondary school. Moral....brings back memories of the Moral subject in primary school and secondary school days. I used to score quite high for the subject in primary school. That's 'cos it was easy. Drawing flags and stuff. Not so in secondary school. I was looking at my secondary school report card yesterday. Form 4 year-end exam: Moral - 47 (D7); Form 5 mid-year exam: Moral - 49 (D7). Uh-oh. Orang tak bermoral (Person with no morals). But I managed to "bluff" my way through for SPM. Just wrote as many nilais as possible to score marks. Eventually I got an A2! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that grade on my SPM results slip. Same went for History.

Bored?

For the extremely bored. Cheers!

Bakin' Boys

Well, my sister was reading the newspaper and came across this article on Bakin' Boys. Visited their website and practically drooled while looking at their cookies (well, actually reading about them). Sounds so so soooooooo yummy! And they have this Power Promo for people who go there on their birthdays. I'm definitely gonna try heading there on my birthday!

Saturday, 27 May 2006

Cleared room (partially)

Was clearing my room the whole day today. Didn't know it'd take me more than 5 hours to get part of my room cleared. But like my mum said, it'll probably be back to its normal messy state once college starts. While I was clearing, I found some interesting articles (I had a few newspapers & magazines lying around). So before I dispose of the papers thought I'd post some "useful" stuff here, just in case.

From Malaysian Today (May 26-29, 2006)
10 Tips To Boost Your Metabolism
  • Build lean body mass
  • Get moving (exercise 3 times a week)
  • Eat healthily
  • Ditch the sugar
  • Don't skip breakfast <--- Will try not to from now on
  • Include spicy food <--- Yeah!
  • Drink green tea
  • Don't forget to drink lots of water
  • Avoid stress
  • Sleep well
From adsVantage (Nov 2005 issue, Vol. 66)
Some facts for knowledge:
  • Most people blink about 25 times a minute
  • Your blood has the same amount of salt in it as the ocean does
  • Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself
  • Your ears and nose continue to grow throughout your life
  • Your lungs are the only organs in your body that float
  • You use an average of 43 muscles for a frown. You use an average of 17 muscles for a smile
  • Every two thousand frowns create one wrinkle
  • You are taller in the morning than you are at night
  • A sneeze zooms out of your mouth at over 160km/h
  • When you eat meat and drink milk in the same meal, your body does not absorb any of the milk's calcium. It is best to have 2 hours between the milk and meat intake
  • Babies are born with 300 bones - adults have 206
  • Only humans and horses have hymens
  • Every person has a unique tongue print
  • The tooth is the only part of the human body that can't repair itself
  • Bones are 4 times stronger than concrete
  • Your fingernails grow four times as fast as your toenails
  • Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart
  • You make about 500ml of saliva each day
  • The largest muscle in your body is the one you are sitting on
Oh, and reading in dim lighting won't cause blindness, only eye fatigue.
Apparently some highways in Germany do not have speed limits.

Friday, 26 May 2006

Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

College starts on Monday and I have a lecture at 8 a.m. at DK ABD which is like on the other end of the world! What in the world is wrong with the people who set the timetable, huh? Well, the timetable says "Only for 1st week" so I'm trying to keep my hopes up that the revised one will be a little better. *fingers crossed*

Decided to watch Over The Hedge instead of The Da Vinci Code though I'd still like to watch the latter.

Body Shop was having a sale and the place was like a mad house! The shop in Mid Valley is not that big so imagine about 50 people squashed inside (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little). Stingy me shared with my bro to buy eau de toilette for my sis as a be-LATE-d birthday present.
Like it chi? Don't try all the combinations in one go, k?
The collection of fragrance we bought is called Invent Your Scent fragrances. There are a few different fragrances and when any two are mixed together (actually sprayed after one another), they create a different scent. Oh, found some useful tips (from The Body Shop Website) on what to do with
them, chi.
  • Start the day wearing one fragrance, then spray another one on top before going out in the evening.
  • All nine Invent Your Scent fragrances combine with each other so you can never make a mistake.
  • Combining more than two Invent Your Scent fragrances is not recommended.
Aztique
  • To create a mischievous fragrance, wear Aztique with sweet and irresistible Amorito.
  • To create a charismatic fragrance, wear Aztique with musky and sexy Chymara.
  • To create a wild fragrance, wear Aztique with spicy and chic Zinzibar.
  • To create an amorous fragrance, wear Aztique with oriental and passionate Altaro.
BeLeaf
  • To create a demure fragrance, wear BeLeaf with musky and sexy Chymara.
  • To create an innocent fragrance, wear BeLeaf with energetic, citrus Citrella.
  • To create an enchanting fragrance, wear BeLeaf with floral and romantic Velique.
Chymara
  • To create a demure fragrance, wear Chymara with light and graceful Beleaf.
  • To create a charismatic fragrance, wear Chymara with fruity and flirty Aztique.
  • To create a sassy fragrance, wear Chymara with energetic, citrus Citrella.
  • To create a mysterious fragrance, wear Chymara with floral and romantic Velique
Zinzibar
  • To create a fiery fragrance, wear Zinzibar with oriental and passionate Altaro.
  • To create an innocent fragrance, wear Zinzibar with fresh and delicate Minteva.
  • To create a zesty fragrance, wear Zinzibar with energetic, citrus Citrella.
  • To create a wild fragrance, wear Zinzibar with fruity and flirty Aztique.
Velique
  • To create a vivacious fragrance, wear Velique with energetic, citrus Citrella
  • To create an enchanting fragrance, wear Velique with light and graceful BeLeaf.
  • To create a mysterious fragrance, wear Velique with musky and sexy Chymara.
Minteva
  • To create an innocent fragrance, wear Minteva with spicy and chic Zinzibar.
  • To create a free-spirited fragrance, wear Minteva with energetic, citrus Citrella.
Citrella

Altaro
  • To create a fiery fragrance, wear Altaro with spicy, chic Zinzibar.
  • To create a seductive fragrance, wear Altaro with citrus, energetic Citrella.
  • To create an amorous fragrance, wear Altaro with fruity, flirty Aztique.
Amorito
  • To create a mischievous fragrance, wear Amorito with fruity, flirty Aztique.
I have sesat friends. Friends who thought today was my birthday. Haha. My birthday is 25/6 not 26/5, Lei Ye.

Amazement

I amaze myself sometimes. What in the world am I doing in a course I currently dislike and one which I don't know anything about? I keep being asked how many papers I have to take in ACCA and I can never give a number. All I can ever say is "I dunno". Honestly, I never found out anything about my course. Maybe I did but I never understood the exam system so I'm just "going with the flow". All I know is that I should pass all the subjects in the first seating so that I won't have to pay extra to resit them papers. Well, too bad it was only my second not-on-my-list choice. Eh, Chan Sze, if you LURVE ACCA so much, wanna sit my papers for me? Haha.....if only that was ever possible.
Silly me is still dying to do actuarial science which is way too costly and a goal I'll probably never be able to reach since I suddenly hate studying. Why was I not born with super photographic memory?
I miss Add Maths!

Was told that next semester's timetable can be viewed on the college's website. Tried accessing it just now (at 12 am) there was a problem loading the page. Complained to my sister and she said, "Maybe they're updating the website right now." That was hard to believe as it was 12 MIDNIGHT! Nobody in their right mind would want to update the college website so late in the night unless they couldn't sleep. I doubt any of the staff has insomnia. Then again, maybe some of them do have insomnia since some of the staff are quite moody all day long. I am mean. Haha. Will try accessing it again when I wake up.

Am finally gonna watch a movie in the cinema after probably half a year (?). Am torn between watching The Da Vinci Code and Over The Hedge. The Da Vinci Code seems more worth it since it's an hour longer than Over The Hedge. But Over The Hedge looks like a fun movie. *ponders* I hope I am able to wake up at 9 am. Seems impossible or is it?

Right, I'm off to pursue my dreams in my dreams. Nighty! Wait, need a dose of Sudoku first.

Thursday, 25 May 2006

No more sinking sidebars

Yes! Finally the sidebar of my blog is not below the posts anymore when viewed using Internet Explorer. Thanks to Peter's Blogger Tips and Tricks blog. Apparently it was due to the weather sticker that was too long for the sidebar.

Having a temporary memory loss at the mo'. Can't remember what I wanted to blog about.

Friendster changed the homepage layout again and now the daily horoscopes are gone, or am I just blind?

Wednesday, 24 May 2006

The Mayonnaise Jar And Coffee

A forwarded e-mail from a friend.

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in
a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the coffee...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things- your God, family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play
another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Just came across another website full of games: Reflexive Arcade. Games galore! Wohoo! And the best part is that I get to play the games without limitation thanks to people who share (if you know what I mean). Haha.

Today's horoscope: "Work on your ability to tell the good from the bad. Discernment will save the day."
Polish up your vision today -- having a good eye will be invaluable. A dear friend needs your advice on a confusing situation. They're too close and your nonsense detector is more accurate than theirs. Tell them the difference between the good and the bad. At work, there is a steady build up of cons that are starting to outweigh the pros in a long-term situation. You may need to schedule a chat with a higher-up soon. Make sure you get what you want.
Eh?

Tuesday, 23 May 2006

Okay, so I'm terrible

I finished a whole family-size bar of chocolate today. Yeah, call me terrible. But it was really delicious. The blame should not entirely be on me. I didn't want to buy it but my mum insisted on buying it some 3 or 4 years ago. So the bars (there were 2, one was finished yesterday...haha) of chocolate were sitting in the fridge for a good 3 or 4 years. They have since expired. Well, luckily they were in the fridge or they would've gone to waste. As there was no more good junk around at home, it was my only option of junk food for the day. Cadbury's Black Forest is the best!


Horoscope: "Today could be a major turning point -- keep your eyes open for unusual overtures."
Despite a fairly calm and quiet beginning, today could end up being a massive turning point for you. It all depends on who you are around today -- romantic prospects or current partners can influence your receptiveness, so try to keep all correspondence high-level and upbeat. The less distracted you are, the more likely it is that you'll be able to recognize an unusual invitation or proposal. A door is opening, so get ready to stick your foot in to keep it from slamming shut again.
I'm still waiting for that unusual invitation/proposal. Where's my big opportunity?! Haha. I guess it's not here yet. I've been sitting at home the whole day bumming in front of the computer. But hey, I woke up at 12 pm today! 5 hours earlier than I planned to wake up! An achievement (to be proud
of)!

Sign the ONE Declaration. Click on the picture below to read about the declaration & to sign.
The ONE Declaration

Monday, 22 May 2006

Being bored

As I'm currently in my bored mood (a.k.a. the holiday mood), I'm waking up at 5 pm everyday for the week and searching for things to watch. I'm now searching for my childhood movies & shows, i.e. movies and TV shows I used to watch as a child. I now have the urge to watch The Pink Panther cartoons. I used to love watching them but I've already forgotten how entertaining they are. If only I can get my hands on them. I'm also searching for movies like The Maid & Three Men and A Baby. I used to catch TV shows like Saved By The Bell & Three's Company every week with my sister. Those were some pretty good comedies.

My colleague happened to share some songs with me while I was still working but I only got a chance to listen to them last night while teman-ing my sister while she studied for her upcoming exam (heck, I didn't do much except sit down with my headphones while playing Sudoku which I downloaded from GameHouse). The singer's name is Justin Lo and I have to say that his songs are quite good. Though I can't understand the lyrics, except for the English songs, I love the music 'cos of the instruments used. They're quite soothing to the ears, not that the songs made me sleep.
Thanks for sharing them, Chan Sze. And yes, good taste! Haha.
One of the songs I like listening to is 命硬 Meng Ngang. It has a nice melody to it. Since I can't find a good host to host the audio, just have a listen to it while watching the MV.


Horoscope for the day: "Recent changes have given you more responsibility. Don't be worried -- be flattered!" I have no comment.

And my blog still looks distorted on Internet Explorer.

Sunday, 21 May 2006

Malaysian Food

My sis and I were thinking of what to eat for dinner as my mum has gone out with my uncle to watch Grease The Musical at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. So, I was searching the Internet and came across this website, MalaysianFood.net. I found it quite informative. It had a little history on Malaysia (well, for people who think that Malaysians still live on trees, do try to read the homepage of this site) and most importantly information on Malaysian food. They have a food glossary which is mostly in Malay and the "translation/meanings" of the food. Too bad I didn't find any food outlets on the website though. Oh well, my sis & bro have decided to have Domino's Pizza. I'll probably be rummaging the fridge for chocolate, that's what I've been craving for for the whole day.

Pics...finally

Some photos taken using my friend's (May Syn) camera on our last day as vacation trainees at E&Y.

All the VTs. This was taken in MidValley.

At Souled Out

May Syn & Irene (a Manager)

Me & Amanda Long.
The person who was sitting next to me in office and who had to listen to most of my complaints. Sorry, Amanda!

More pics here.

The regret of not taking a photo with my senior is sinking in. But on the bright side, I've got her contact number. So I guess it's not that bad.

Today's horoscope: "As things slow down, it's time to conserve, hibernate and get ready for next time." Things are definitley slowing down and I've got another week to conserve, hibernate & get ready for college. So, I'm going to hibernate now. Good night!

Saturday, 20 May 2006

Freedom...for a day

My parents are in Genting and my siblings and I have the whole house to ourselves. Wahaha. My mum won tickets from The Sun to go see Connie Francis's concert.

















I guess I would have followed them to Genting if not for the fact that I woke up at 4 p.m. and if my sister was going too. But since my sister is going to another one of her unending birthday parties (that's what my gor-ee said), I didn't go as I didn't want to be wondering around Genting by myself. So I'm at home lazing around.

A few pics:

My sis doing what she does best

Me, about to go to sleep

Firendster horoscope for the day: "Step back today and let the crowds pass you by. You need some more time on your own." I already too much time to myself.

Friday, 19 May 2006

Last day

My last day at Ernst & Young Tax Consultants Sdn Bhd. Boy, was it a hectic day! It's a lucky thing I did most of my filing already except for the one company's expatriates. Most of them didn't have files and I, being the super forgetful person I am, forgot to create files for them. Sorry, SSW. I got to do my last Schedule of Days-In-Days-Out (DIDO) before leaving!!! Whoppee!!!! The one thing that I really hated doing last time but have since come to liking it, just when I'm about to leave.

Had a blurry start to the day. I don't know how this happened, but I put on my contacts on the wrong side of each eye (i.e. the left one was on my right eyeball and the right one was on my left). On the way to office and in the office, all that I could see were a blur. I thought that there was something wrong with my contacts and that they were not put on properly so I went to take them out and wash them. When I put them back on, everything was still blurry. I went back to the office and thought of any reasons as to why I couldn't see properly. Then it struck me that I could have put them on on the wrong side. So I went and changed them, and, yay, I could see clearly again. Blur me. I believe that I might have put the wrong cap on the container after I finished washing my contacts.

Kinda sad that I've left E&Y. I'm happy that I'll be able to get my much needed sleep (finally!) but I'm definitely gonna miss the work & the people there, especially those that I've worked with there. I only got to see my senior for awhile after lunch before she had to leave for a client meeting which she never came back from (she obviously went back home after that). I feel bad for hardly saying bye to people but we were already running late. But hey, I managed to get a hug from my senior before she left for the meeting and from Chan Sze who was super busy. Well, everybody have been asking us VTs whether we'd come back to work in E&Y, particularly in Human Capital. My answer was maybe and someone replied that a maybe is better than a no. The day before, my senior asked me the percentage of the chances of me going back to E&Y after graduating. Well, I said 50-50. I'd like to keep my options open. Then she told a manager that if I were to go back, she'd chup (book) me first. She said that my portfolio will all be under her, CLC. Haha.

Had lunch at Souled Out at Desa Sri Hartamas. Some of the seniors, staff and a senior manager bought us lunch. I had Claypot Loh Shee Fun. It was really nice but unfortunately I couldn't finish it. But it was really nice of them to give us a treat. ^_^
For dinner, we VTs treated ourselves to a nice meal together as it would be our "last time" together before college starts again. We ate at Madam Kwan's.

My horoscope on Friendster reads "You should feel proud of what you did! Don't let the jealousy of others get to you.
" Jealousy? What jealousy? I am proud of what I did. I managed to do my exit clearance from E&Y without much problems. Ha!

Sunday, 14 May 2006

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day. Ah, the day when all mothers in the world should get pampered. Hehe. However, I doubt that's what's happening in this world. I doubt that EACH and EVERY mother is being given special treatment on this day. That's kinda depressing. So, to celebrate Mummy's Day, my siblings and I bought my mum lunch at Chili's at One Utama. My mum, sister & me shared the Country-Fried Chicken & some fajita thingy (I forgot the name). My dad ate the Lamb Shoulder and my brother had Citrus Fire Chicken and Shrimp. It wasn't too bad. For desert, we had Hi and Mighty Pie. The most delicious pie around!!!!! The base of the pie is made out of Oreo and the top is ice cream. Then on the "pie" and around the plate was chocolate and caramel sauce. Heavenly! I practically finished the whole plate because everybody else were too full (hey, less men more share=p).Thanks to Uncle Chin Kee for recommending it the night before. =D
Oh, and dessert was on the house!

Me enjoying Dessert! (my sis took these with her handphone which explains why they're kinda small)


Another week of work and 10 more days thereafter till college starts again. I wish that I didn't have to study anymore. Studying is the worst thing ever. Too bad knowledge doesn't come with our soul when we're born. I know I'm known as a studious type but to be honest, I'm actually not. I only study when it's nearing exams and that's when I try to cram everything into my brains for just a few weeks will the exams are over. I only head to the library everyday because of how slow I am, especially in doing tutorials. I'm just a bad bad student.

Saturday, 13 May 2006

Donated blood

Went to Tung Shin Hospital to donate blood. Was helping out my mum's friend whose mother needs 2 pints (=1.136 522 5 litres) of blood. And so I found out that my haemoglobin level is 12.5, which is at the borderline. And with this known fact, I got lecturing! So much for helping. Hmph! Just Yahoo!-ed "haemoglobin level". According to the National Blood Service of England & North Wales, there are 3 (main) reasons why one has a low haemoglobin level:
  • Some people tend to have a 'low-ish' level. This is not due to any health problem, just that some of us normally have a lower level of haemoglobin than others.
  • The haemoglobin level may vary with the weather. Some people tend to get a slightly lower reading when it gets hot.
  • A shortage of iron. We need to make haemoglobin. If the body is short of iron the haemoglobin may fall below normal.





So there. It's not because I'm unhealthy (please disregard the last reason in considering the level of my haemoglobin ) that my haemoglobin level is heading towards the low side.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dearest senior, MICHELLE LIEW CHEE CHIN!!!!!!!!!

Friday, 12 May 2006

So, today's a public holiday, Wesak Day! Got to sleep in till 12pm. Went to The Curve and Tesco. Had lunch at Lan Kwai Fong at The Curve. Frankly, I didn't enjoy it. Then went to the flea market. Didn't find anything interesting there as majority of the stalls were selling clothes and jewellery which I did not fancy. I found out the price range of the bracelet: RM100+ to RM200+. Yikes! I never expected them to but such an expensive gift!
My mum went and irritated this Chinese lady who was selling stuff at the Tesco parking lot. My mum was looking at this set of bowls (which came with spoons). The lady said that the price is RM35 (she said it in Chinese first and then in English. When she said it in English it sounded like "certify"). My mum, who was not even gonna buy it, bargained and said RM20. The lady said, no. The lowest she was willing to give was RM30. My mum stuck to her price of RM20. Then the lady said in Chinese to add a little more to that price. My mum went and lowered it to RM15. The lady said RM30 again. Then my mum said no. The lady got so irritated that she said, in a very loud voice, " Bu yao, jiu suan le!" (Don't want, done!). I don't get it. Why irritate someone so much when you're weren't even gonna buy the thing in the first place? I don't understand people, like my mum, sometimes. Weird!

Wednesday, 10 May 2006

Golly!

Got a surprise at the office today. My senior, Michelle together with 2 of my colleagues, Chan Sze and Rachel Teh bought me a gift. And I'm pretty sure it ain't cheap. It's from Diamond & Platinum Sdn Bhd Diamond & Platinum. I am so terharu.


They gave it to me after lunch. Michelle & Rachel went for a client meetin earlier at Tesco. I guess they bought it from somewhere near there. If I'm not wrong, they bought it at The Curve. When they came back, it was still lunch time and I was in the office doing something while Chan Sze was out for lunch. When Chan Sze came back they asked me to go to the photocopier area where there's a table (usually used for meetings). My senior then started by saying that there was a client who is very disappointed in the work I've done and that the client was making a lot of complaints. It sounded quite real but Rachel was almost trying to not burst out laughing so I knew that this was not true. My senior continued and said, "But we're very appreciative of the work you've done," and gave me this long box. I was like "Huh?" Then she asked me to open it. So I did and inside was a bracelet. An extremely nice bracelet (and not to mention pricey). Then she said, "You must wear it now." Man, I feel so pai seh (as how some of the other VTs put it) now.

Oh, I got to meet my 1st client today 'cos Chan Sze didn't want to go meet him alone as there were some issues regarding his tax clearance. So I went with her. It wasn't too bad.

Had a post compliance meeting today. It was about the "what went right" & "what went wrong" during compliance. Pretty boring if you asked me. I was trying not to yawn as my Partner was standing in front talking.

Thursday, 4 May 2006

Who would've thought.....

Who would've thought that thinking of what one likes to eat could be so hard. Well, that's me! I've never really thought about what I liked to eat best, apart from junk (big time junk food junkie here). For someone who's never thought about it, it's kinda hard to say. When my senior & colleague asked me what I want to eat (as they are planning on belanja-ing me), I couldn't tell. And to make it worse, my colleague didn't want to give me some letters which I needed to finish my work.

An intersting thing, in case you didn't notice. This morning my friend messaged me (while I was sleeping) and said that at 1 hr 2 min 3 seconds in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03, 04-05-06 (well, apparently it won't ever happen again in this lifetime). Interesting? Well, on the 7th of August 2009, at 12 hrs 34 min 56 seconds, the time and date will be 12:34:56, 07-08-09. Cool, eh?

The rubber bands on my braces, which are supposed to be grey, look like they have changed to green colour. Must've been something I ate.

Sunday, 30 April 2006

'Tis over

Today is the last day for filing tax returns but fortunately we have finished what we had to do yesterday. Phew! I hope that the next 2 weeks won't be so boring now that the peak season is over. I'm happy that it's finally over but if it means being bored.......

I caught up on my sleep! Slept for over half a day! Back to my old sleeping habits! Haha.

Friday, 28 April 2006

Wanted to post something but my I'm too tired to think of how to put it in words. Har har. Maybe tomorrow. So I will just drop a note (to those who frequent my blog) to say that I'm still alive. ^_^

Oh yeah, my teeth (only the lower set) just got fitted with braces.

Sunday, 23 April 2006

To the side

I keep bumping into things in the office. 1st (this happened last week), my sandals scrapped the side of a table and it was real loud and everybody in the office thought I banged my leg into the table. They were like, are you ok? Are you hurt? And I said, no. Haha.
Then today, I accidentally kicked the metal piece at the side of the wall. Loud as well. That was a laugh. Then a colleague asked me whether I can drive. Then she said, better be careful, don't drive into the divider. Hah! FUNNY!

Another week, and compliance will be over. This week is gonna be ****! Can't wait for it to be over but also don't want it to be over. Once it's over, I'm sure I'll be dead bored (or I might be wrong, considering my senior who gives me work almost everytime she walks past my table, which is actually a good thing!)

If you're stressed, like me (and also tired, but can't sleep), watch these (they're real funny & cute):
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi01.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi02.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi03.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi04.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi05.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi06.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi07.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi08.html
http://www.boombastick.net/boomepi09.html

The expander in my mouth collapsed the other day, well, one side of it did. Apparently my bone was too "strong" and it couldn't expand as fast as I was turning the screw. The results are the expander collapsing and an aching tooth which felt like it was about to "collapse" too! All's well now, I hope.

Saturday, 15 April 2006

Uh oh!

I angered my mum yesterday. Reason: for not coming back early from work. She called me and then slammed the phone! Argh! I believe she's still angry at me, knowing her. She said it's not worth it to work so late and that I don't get paid! Wt*?! I do get paid for overtime! What in the world is she talking about? Sheesh! I believe it to be very worth it. The experience and knowledge I'm gaining is totally priceless. 2 more weeks and it'll all be over. What I'm actually waiting for is the nagging to stop, not for compliance to be over. I like to remind myself that my mum was one of those who told me to work in Ernst & Young as I previously didn't want to do my internship there. So, don't blame me!!!!!

Here's what my horoscope on Friendster reads:
You may finally start seeing some results on all the hard work you've been doing. Ah! I'm keeping my hopes up. But does the results refer to my mum getting angry at me? I wonder.

Sunday, 9 April 2006

Expander

Before I wear braces, I have to expand my upper jaw, which, apparently is too narrow. This is what the expander looks like (Warning: It may look a little gruesome; Not for the faint of heart. I meant my mouth. Haha).
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It feels kinda uncomfortable wearing it. Now when I talk, I kinda lisp. I sound like I have a speech disorder, especially when it come to pronouncing words that start with 'S'. My colleagues have been real nice though. When they ask me things they try to not make me answer with words starting with 'S'. I also have trouble trying to eat and not get food stuck in between the metal piece and the top of my mouth. It's pretty difficult.

For sudoku lovers, or for the bored: click here

Sunday, 2 April 2006

2 teeth.......GONE!

So, I've decided to get braces. Looks like it's gonna be a painful experience. Before the braces even go onto my teeth, I'm already suffering. On Friday, the orthodontist "forced" some rubber bands in between my teeth and now I can hardly bite. And yesterday, I got 2 teeth extracted. Now I'm trying to figure out how to eat without hurting my upper teeth and also without getting food stuck in the holes which my extracted teeth left. I feel miserable. I took two hours just to finish a bowl of noodles just now. And no more chewing gum for the "braces" duration.

No, Rhea. I've not been watching one of my favourite dramas. The last episode I watched was either 18 or 19 and I fell asleep halfway. I was too tired. Will try to catch up on it when the 2nd filing deadline is over which is in another month's time. Oh no! I didn't finish my WBL. Uh oh! Hopefully your clients will stop harassing you.

Wednesday, 29 March 2006

2 weeks!!

So, I finally get to come online after 1+ weeks. Not too bad of an achievement for someone who used to have to come online EVERYDAY! Haha! Well, the result of not coming online for such a long time: 51 new e-mails, most of which are forwarded junk(!) and 32 spam mails. Compliance (i.e. peak season for tax) is not over yet. But the Form E filing deadline is only 2 days away. Yay! I got to come online today because I got to come back early. The whole building had no electricity after lunch and we were told that the power supply would only be back after 3-4 hours. So, no point hanging around in the almost-completely-in-darkness office. Walking down 22 floors in heels is a killer! I wish I didn't listen to my mum about not getting new shoes. I should have bought a pair that were heel-less even though my mum would have had a black cloud over her head for days (make that weeks!). Sigh! Oh well. At least I was walking down, not up (that would have been worse).

So, I finally got my grades for the last semester. Was expecting all Ds. Surprise surprise. I got 3 As, 2 Bs and 1 C. The C was for my least favourite paper. And if you knew me, you'd have known that it's audit.

Came back on Monday and was dead tired. Didn't want to do anything except sleep. My mum forced me to drink essence of chicken. Yucky stuff that is. Bleh!

Ooh! Someone finally signed my guestbook which has been on this blog for ages with only a message from Bravenet.

Off to do my EY web-based learning (deadline is end of March, I'm doomed!) and continue reading junk mails (I wonder why I do this).

Oh, I'm still enjoying work (though I get the occasional guilty feeling when I do something wrong, which is very often). So different from studying.

Monday, 13 March 2006

PHEW!

A HUGE sigh of relief! The pass/fail results for my first year advanced diploma is finally out and I am GLAD that I passed!!! Super tough papers, especially FMC & audit!

Have been OT-ing since last week. My eyes are practically drooping while I'm typing this. I'm tired. However, I'm enjoying my vacation training. You're right, Rhea, working in E&Y is quite fun. I'm learning so many things. I'm glad I took yours & my family's advice to do my vacationtraining there.

Sunday, 5 March 2006

Slaughtered!

I went on my first trip to IRB Petaling Jaya on Friday. It was a bad one. It took me quite sometime to get a taxi from office. Most of the taxi drivers did not know where the place was as almost all of them were KL taxi drivers. So finally this taxi driver said he knows where Kelana Jaya is, that's where the IRB is. But when we were on the highway, it didn't seem like he knew where it was. He said he had to take the old airport road. I, having a bad sense of direction, didn't know how to get there either. Took us quite some time to finally get there after stopping at a petrol station to ask a guy how to get there. Well, he slaughtered me with the taxi fare, he said it's what he charges when he takes the old airport road. I am not gonna disclose how much I paid, though. It was a lucky thing I still had money to pay for my ride back, which wasn't as much as what I had paid for my ride to the IRB. I'm kinda afraid that I'll be unable to claim my fare back from the office as the amount seems really unreasonable!!!! *curses the taxi driver* Sshhhh....don't tell my mum or she'll probably kill me. How am I supposed to know how to take a taxi when the last time I took one was 9-10 years ago and that was in Singapore. Argh!!!!

Was telling my mum today that if I don't call at a certain time tomorrow, it meant that I'll be coming back a little later. Then she asked me what time would that be. I told I wouldn't know as it depends on how much work I have to do. I told her that some people work till 10 pm. Then she said "No, you can't come back that late. You're only a vacation trainee, you don't have to work till so late." When she said this, I was thinking, "That's as good as telling me that I'm only a vacation trainee so I don't have to take my work that seriously." That's total rubbish!

Wednesday, 1 March 2006

More people!

So, had orientation today. Another one more day of orientation tomorrow. Pretty boring. Anyway, more vacation trainees are joining the group I'm in - Tax (Human Capital). Yay! But I hope that doesn't mean that I'll be getting less work to do. It's a torture to sit through an hour plus with nothing to do (Monday was a pretty boring day). I'd rather have work to do than sit down and do nothing! I nearly had to sit through another torturous hour yesterday. Luckily I asked someone for work. *phew*

It is best NOT to tailgate a car in front of you. My father nearly banged the car in front of us yesterday when that car's driver suddenly hit the brakes (I could even hear the screeching sound). But I couldn't really tell whether my dad was tailgating 'cos from where I was sitting, I couldn't see. But just to be on the safe side, NEVER EVER TAILGATE!!!!!

Tuesday, 21 February 2006

So "duh!"

Really! Some people don't have the sense to not send me forwarded e-mails which are purely in Chinese when they know that I CANNOT read Chinese. Is it really that hard to filter out my e-mail address when forwarding? Sheesh!

Had a whole day of training today. Pretty boring, but found out loads of stuff I can/cannot do. After today's training, I found out that I've done so many things incorrectly already. Whoops! *guilt*

Friday, 17 February 2006

New crime in Malaysia

This is just terrible.
Got this from an e-mail from a friend.

by Geh Cheng Lok & Co, Advocates & Solicitors

"I just heard a few days ago that a new type of crime has surfaced in town. It goes something like this:- Somebody slips a handphone into your pocket. sometimes it could be just a wallet with an identity card and a few ringgits. A few minutes later, the 'owner' comes up and confronts you, the 'thief'.
He makes a big commotion that you stole his stuff. You, caught unaware, are then pulled aside by the 'owner' for a settlement you are intimidated and threatened that if you do not pay up the police will be brought in. If you pay up, this 'owner' lets you go. If not, the police are brought in.

Another strange thing is that there always seems to be a 'witness' to the your 'theft'. I am told this often happens to foreigners at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or even at LRT trains. Given that you're 'guilty until proven innocent' as far as the Malaysian police are concerned, I understand some poor people are in jail for these 'offences'.

At the KLIA, the 'owner' throws his handphone and wallet with the few ringgit notes into the luggage trolley of a just arrived passenger. The drama unfolds a few minutes later. The real culprit has easily convinced our Malaysian police to arrest the real victim (if he has not paid up the
'settlement' demand). This is a very serious matter. This is another form of extortionists operating in broad daylight. They are disgusting criminals who will do anything to rob and steal. The sickening part of the whole scenario is that unless you pay the "settlement" money, they will put you in real trouble by calling the police. The real culprit gets back his handphone and wallet but the real victim ( i.e. could be any one of us) is thrown into the police lock up and charged in court.

So do be very careful, otherwise you may end up as a "thief" as you have no way to prove your innocence."

So, I finally got some work to do today. I'm appreciating it as I'm no longer bored at work anymore, though I still don't know how to do loads of things. I learnt how to use the printer! Whoppee!!!! It took me almost half an hour to figure out how to print. LOL.

Thursday, 16 February 2006

80's babies

Another forwarded e-mail from a friend. I found most of these quite true. Only applicable to Malaysians. Man, those were the good 'ol days.

80's babies (1981..1982..1983..1984......1989)
Signs that you are a 80s' baby

You grew up watching G-Force, He-man, Transformers, Thundercats, Silver Hawk, Woody Woodpecker, Chipmunks and Mickey Mouse. Not to forget Ninja Turtles, Mask, Smurfs and Voltron too.

Girls watched Japanese cartoon like My Little Pony, "Xiao Tian Tian", "Hua Xian Zi" etc.

You grew up brushing your teeth with a mug in primary school after recess time.

You squatted by a drain with all your classmates beside you, and brushed your teeth with a colourful mug.

Remember the days when the school nurse, comes with a list for the dentist appointment, the sound of the drilling when your friend has a fill in his tooth.

You remember the packets of milk we get in primary school to encourage us to drink more milk. (It is only cost 30 cent per pack).

In secondary school, girls go to the library to borrow their favourite romance storybook.

In secondary school, girls altered their school skirt to shorten it and guys will go to the school appointed school uniform tailor shop to tailor make their school trousers to the then fashionable "baggy pants"!

During primary school days, the teacher will punish you using a ruler to hit your palm.

A bowl of noodles soup cost only 30 cents in primary school days.

When you were in primary school, girls like to go to the bookshop to buy cute stuff such as animal erasers, various shape sharpeners, colourful notebook etc.

Hankyu Jaya, Yaohan departmental stores used to be a favourite hangout for families during weekends.

In secondary school days, you buy the Bata BM Turbo or Pallas Jazz school shoes.
Some guys like to wear those china made ankle high shoes.
Some even like to wear those very thick socks with their school shoes.

Internet? E-mail? What the h*** is that?

So you thought a decade or more ago, your friends don't have pagers or handphones in school.

CDs? What's that? Cassette tapes were the norm. Movie tickets used to cost less than $5 last time.

The goodies from Mama shop used to be Chickerdis, Mamee , Kum Kum, UFO, O-Ya, Ding Dang chocolate balls with toys in the box, colourful hard "egg", "cigerette" bubble gum, KIKI Bubble Gum, pink bottle of bubbles c/w a small tubes with yellow sticks to blow "more lasting" bubbles that you can pop more air in or slam it on.

You never forget 'Ti Kam'.
When exams are over, the board games (e.g Monopoly, Donkey, Transportation Comparison Card) & handheld video games will be all over the class room.

Your favourite sound is the bell!
For it's the homemade ice cream man. The cream that tops Haagan Dazs!

And the other peddler you love is the old lady who sells juicy Muah Chee and thick olden syrup rolled in a balloon the tip of a chopstick stick.

Another bell is the recess bell, a time to get away from school work and to eat.

Another time when there is no bell but all guys will anxiously wait for it...The PJ (Pendidikan Jasmani), PE time.

Your favourite childhood games were playing "guli"(marbles), five stones, five bottle cover, zero-point, catching, "Pepsi-Cola one two three" and/or "Police & Sentry"!

The best thirst quencher of all times is the yummy colourful ice tubes you can buy from provision shops for only 10 cent. To eat them, break the tab and suck while holding the freezing tube!

All gals have a girl doll/strawberry shortcake/my little pony/pound puppy, while all boys have a soldiers figurine (combat) or a rubber band catapult that shoots folded paper!

Once was the era whereby ice-cream sticks were valueable items, then came the paper aircrafts, chalk fights.

Some boys made their own guns from wood, and used 'Bacali' as the bullets.

Some even used matches to shoot and burn kids'lanterns during MoonCake Festival.

And your favourite holiday was Lunar New Year! New clothes, Ang Pows, shopping, junk food and family outings!

Let's see, the majority of students in universities today were born in 1987 / 88.... They are called "youth".
For them, they have never heard of the song "We are the World, we are the Children..." And the "Uptown Girl" they know is by 'Westlife' but not 'Billy Joel'.
For them, there have always been only one Germany and only one Vietnam.
AIDS exists since they were born.
CD exists since they were born.
Michael Jackson is already whitened.
John Travolta is always round in shape and they can't imagine how this fat guy could be a god of dance.
They believe that Spiderman and Incredible Hulk are just new films.
They can never imagine a black and white screen for a computer.
They never know what is Atari or 'Game & Watch'.
They can't believe a black and white television ever existed and they don't even know how to switch on a TV without a remote control.
And they never understand how we can go out without a mobile phone when we were in university...

Wednesday, 15 February 2006

My first day

So, my first day at work. How was it? OK lah. Half the day was spent on briefing. The other half, my fellow trainees and me spent reading the stuff we were given (rather boring). Was supposed to have orientation today but we were told that orientation is usually held once a month and is usually at the beginning of each month. So, we'll be having ours on March. So, yeah, that was my first day at work, in brief.
Met the people I'll be working with, those on the same floor. We were introduced to everyone but I can't remember names. The only names I can remember are my department's tax partner (Tan Lay Keng), the person in charge of me (Christopher) & a girl who came to say hello while I was at my work station (Chan Sze). There's about 20 people in that offfice, I think.

Sunday, 12 February 2006

Like or Love?

My friend sent me this forwarded e-mail. Seemed meaningful enough to post.

The difference between "Somebody you love" & "Somebody you like"
In front of the person you love, your heart beats faster.

But in front of the person you like, you get happy.

In front of the person you love, winter seems like spring.

But in front of the person you like, winter is just beautiful winter.

If you look into the eyes of the one you love, you blush.

But if you look into the eyes of the one you like, you smile.

In front of the person you love, you can't say everything on your mind.

But in front of the person you like, you can.

In front of the person you love, you tend to get shy.

But in front of the person you like, you can show your own self.

You can't look straight into the eyes of the one you love.

But you can always smile into the eyes of the one you like.

When the one you love is crying, you cry with them.

But when the one you like is crying, you end up comforting.

The feeling of love starts from the eye.

But the feeling of like starts from the ear.

So if you stop liking a person you used to like, all you need to do is cover your ears.
But

If you try to close your eyes, love turns into a drop of tear and remains in your heart forever.

Friday, 10 February 2006

Auntie!

This morning, I went to the SS2 market with my mum. Was supposed to look for nice cheap clothes but didn't get anything.
Just as we were about to go home, my mum decided to buy garlic, onions, potatoes and ginger. I was standing by the side minding my own business when the girl at the stall suddenly asked me, "Oi mat yeh ah, auntie?" (Auntie, what do you want?). I was like, what? She called me an 아줌마!!!! How can? Do I look like an auntie?

Food and all

Went to collect my contact lenses last night then went for dinner at "William's" (the place actually doesn't have a name as it's only a stall, the owner's name in William). Not bad, the food, I was told. It's sort of like a mamak stall but has Italian food and also Chinese. It opens from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. It's located near the old Lim Kok Wing University building (I have no idea what the area is called). I ate garlic cheese naan, which I thought after the 4th piece was too jelak-y. My sis ate nasi lemak ayam with killer hot sambal and my mum ate cantonese yee mee, which wasn't too good. But it's the first time I've been there so I can't really judge the food yet.
The owner said I look like a Japanese (he's not the only one, I was once told that too by a tuition friend). C'mon, I look CHINESE!

I left my notebook on for the night as I was burning something for a friend. And when my idiotic brother woke up, he just had to off my power supply. And my battery had been running low. By the time I woke up, the battery had run out and my notebook had shut down. Lucky thing my disc had finished burning. PC, if you ever do that again, 넌 이제 죽었어 (you are dead meat)!

Went to collect my offer letter just now from E & Y. I've gotta go shopping for more working clothes. But there's no sale now!!!
Oh, I finally got my hair cut.

Tuesday, 7 February 2006

I got two calls!!!!

Went to KL today with my aunt, mum & sis. Went to the Immigration Office at Maju Junction. Man, that place is so convenient. you just have to park your car on the 6th floor and the office is just right there, in the car park. Then we headed off to the Dutch Embassy at Ampwalk to get something done for my cousin, who's in Holland. Had lunch at the Yellow Hat Cafe, a kopitiam style place. After that, my aunt bought a crystal lamp. Then we went to Lot 10 for some "shopping". Didn't really do much shopping at Lot 10. More of window shopping.

I had a call when I was in Isetan, Lot 10 at about 3.45 p.m.. It was from a lady (I'm sorry, I couldn't catch your name) at Ernst & Young. She asked me whether I still wanted to work at E & Y and I said yes. Then she asked me some questions: "Tell me about your education", "What curricular activities did you take in school & college?", "Which line woul
d you rather work in?". I answered her questions and when I said I preferred doing tax than audit, she was like, "OK. Many of your friends also prefer that line." I was like, OK. Then she said she'll pass my application to her colleague. At about 5 p.m. I got a nother call from somebody named Christine, from the HR department at E & Y. She said that I can start my vacation training on the 15th of Feb. Then she asked till when I can work, and when I start my next semester. So I said that I start on the 29th of May and she said that's the end of May (that's weird...tell that to my college!). She asked whether I can work till the 19th of May. Of course I can. So, I'm to pick up my offer letter on Friday. No interview? I guess the 1st phone call was the "interview". How nice!!! Hehe.... Well, I hope I'll have a good vacation training. Wish me luck!

Don't they just look lovely together? Goong!

Monday, 6 February 2006

Waste of time

I wasted two hours of my time yesterday, watching Himalaya Singh. It is one of the STUPIDEST movies I've seen. Not recommended to watch.

A random thought:
My sis currently likes Chinese music.
I'm currently into Korean music.
And my bro is into Japanese music.

Sunday, 5 February 2006

Learning

It's 5 a.m. and I'm sitting in front of my notebook, not wanting to sleep yet. Reason: This terrible person woke up at 5 p.m. yesterday.
But, staying up so late, I get to learn so many things.
For example, I managed to get a flash file from a website and convert it to avi. The file had no music and I just added music to it. It turned out well.
In other words, I'm trying to learn how to be not so tech challenged. I'm trying to be more tach savvy. Hopefully I'm getting nearer to that goal.

A drama recommendation. 궁 Goong (Princess Hours)

Friday, 3 February 2006

KL - Cheap city?

I only just discovered this when I saw it in the News Straits Times at my aunt's house.
Kuala Lumpur, one of the cheapest cities? Really? Could this really be true? Such a shame.


O$LO: No. 1; KL: No. 95
KL one of the world's cheapest cities

Despite the flurry of price increases last year, Malaysia remains one of the cheapest places in the world to live in.

In the latest cost-of-living survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Kuala Lumpur was ranked 95th among 128 cities in the world, up three places from the year before.

The most expensive city in the world was Oslo in Norway, knocking Tokyo from the perch for the first time in 14 years.

In that Scandinavian city, the price of a compact disc is US$24.07 (RM90). For that price, you can purchase two CDs in Kuala Lumpur.

Perhaps the starkest difference between living in Oslo and living in Kuala Lumpur is in the cost of owning a vehicle.

It costs a Norwegian US$57,230 to buy a family sedan, US$443 to register the vehicle, US$2,619 for insurance and US$1.98 for a litre of unleaded petrol.

In contrast, those living here have to fork out US$41,409 to buy a 2,499cc car, pay US$65.24 to register the vehicle, US$585.11 for insurance and US$0.42 for a litre of unleaded petrol.

The survey, which compares the cost of goods and services in dollar terms across 128 cities, noted that eight of the 10 most expensive cities in the survey are in Europe.

Five of the seven lowest-priced cities surveyed are in Asia, including Manila, while the cheapest city is Teheran.

In many Asian cities, economic growth has pushed up the cost of living, the report said.

Seoul, at No 13, overtook Hong Kong (14th) as the most expensive city in the region after Tokyo and Osaka.

However, despite the appreciation of the yuan since it freed itself from a peg to the US dollar in July, Chinese cities have experienced a relative fall in the rankings as increased investment opens up pricing competition and lowers tariffs on branded goods in larger urban centres.

Shanghai, the most expensive Chinese city on the list, is still only at No 51, up five places from last year.

Closer to home, Singapore remained the most expensive city in the region. But its overall ranking improved from 19 to 24.

Jakarta, Hanoi, Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangkok and Manila are cheaper places to live in than Kuala Lumpur.

And if last year was any indication, it is likely that the cost of living in Kuala Lumpur will continue to climb.

Last year, Malaysians were hit hard in the pocket with petrol prices going up twice. This triggered an across- the-board spike in prices of goods and services.

There is likely to be another petrol price hike soon.

Also, Malaysians can expect to pay more for electricity.

This could set off another round of price increases for everything from a glass of teh tarik to a bag of flour.

Source: Click here

Hmm....I just realised that I've got 4 months off from college (not 3 months). Great! Now my brains will be goiing through some serious rotting.

Wednesday, 1 February 2006

Today's forecast

Here's what my horoscope forecast says today (taken from Friendster). Haha.
"With all the activity in your life, daydreaming provides an easy, harmless vacation."