Every year without fail I have always looked forward to the Petronas TV commercials shown during every major celebration...Hari Raya, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Hari Kemerdekaan. So it was with much sadness that I read about the passing of Yasmin Ahmad who directed these short clips. Her commercials never fail to make me chuckle or go teary-eyed because they are so heart-warming. I have watched the movie Sepet and loved it. The late Yasmin Ahmad was truly a one-in-a million talent and it's sad that we will not be able to enjoy more of her works of art.
Here are some of my favourites:
This one is shown in Singapore, get some tissues ready...
And this one is really sweet:
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Evolution of Dance
This is one of the very popular videos on YouTube. I remember when I was young my brother, cousin and I were really crazy over Saturday Night Fever and Grease. We had the soundtrack and would try to learn the dance steps together.
Those of us who are middle aged would probably recognise most, if not all, of the songs and dances in this video...there's even a tribute to Michael Jackson somewhere around 1:50....enjoy!
Those of us who are middle aged would probably recognise most, if not all, of the songs and dances in this video...there's even a tribute to Michael Jackson somewhere around 1:50....enjoy!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Some Kid Hates School
Was driving home from a friend's house when I saw this...a pair of school shoes tied together by shoe laces, hanging from a telephone cable high up in the air. Too bad I couldn't get a closer shot as there were people around and it would seem rude to go stand in front of a stranger's house to snap photos, so I took these photos from across the street in my car.
Some kid really didn't want to go to school....!
Some kid really didn't want to go to school....!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Trying Out New Recipes
She lent me the book and today I thought I'd try the apple cake recipe, but since my cake pans were too large for such a small quantity of batter I turned it into apple cupcakes instead.
Tried icing them too, but looks like I added a wee bit too much colouring...it's supposed to be pink...err, anyone for red cupcakes...?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Anyone For A Date?
A friend of mine came back to KL with her 6 year old daughter for a short holiday. She has been living in Dubai for the past year as her husband had been posted there. Every time she comes back she would bring back yummy chocolate covered dates...no,no, not the human variety...although that would really be unique!
Thought I would take a picture of it before I gobble it up :D
Thought I would take a picture of it before I gobble it up :D
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Dealing With Stress
Got this inspiring story from a friend through email a few days ago...
Stress
A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
'How heavy is this glass of water?'
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'
He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on. '
'As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.
' So, my friend,
Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, And some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, Just in case you have to eat them.
* Drive carefully.. It's not only cars that can be "Recalled" by their maker....
*If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, It was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, You're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live..
* You may be only one person in the world, But you may also be the world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box. (I like this one!)
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Stress
A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience,
Raised a glass of water and asked
'How heavy is this glass of water?'
Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.
The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'
He continued, 'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
As the burden becomes increasingly heavy,
We won't be able to carry on. '
'As with the glass of water,
You have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again.
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.'
'So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down.
Don't carry it home.
You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now,
Let them down for a moment if you can.
' So, my friend,
Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now.
Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:
* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, And some days you're the statue.
* Always keep your words soft and sweet, Just in case you have to eat them.
* Drive carefully.. It's not only cars that can be "Recalled" by their maker....
*If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, It was probably worth it.
* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to be kind to others.
* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, Because then you won't have a leg to stand on.
* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.. Just get up and dance.
* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.
* The second mouse gets the cheese.
* When everything's coming your way, You're in the wrong lane.
* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live..
* You may be only one person in the world, But you may also be the world to one person.
* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.
* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box. (I like this one!)
*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Ladies' Day Out
Characters: 1 owner of a newly opened music school
1 tai-tai with 4 sons
1 tai-tai with 4 sons
4 piano teachers living in KL/Selangor
1 piano teacher living in Dubai
Venue: Mid Valley Megamall
Scene 1: Lunch at Little Penang Cafe at 1 pm.
7 ex-colleagues meeting up because the piano teacher in Dubai is back in Malaysia with her family for a short holiday. Lots of excited chatter about anything and everything under the sun as they haven't seen each other in quite a while. The restaurant is packed but the food is just average.
The ladies eat and chit chat until 2.45 pm when all the other customers have left and the waiter is wondering when these ladies will leave so that he can clear the table.
Finally, one of the ladies ask for the bill and quickly pays with her credit card. The others insist on paying for their share and everyone starts taking out Ringgit notes from their handbags. The one who paid with the credit card refuses to accept the cash from the others and a game of passing the money (something like 'passing the parcel') begins and nobody wants to be the one holding the money. They then decide to adjourn to Tony Roma's for tea and coffee and spend all the cash there.
Scene 2: Tea time at Tony Roma's
Hot beverage (tea, coffee and hot chocolate) is priced at 50sen after 3 pm (it's true!), so the ladies get a table at Tony Roma's at 2.50pm and wait until 3 pm before ordering (talk about being kiasu!) They also order a few side dishes - a salad, onion rings and shrimp pasta. The portions are HUGE but all the non-stop chatter burns lots of calories and makes them hungry... and thirsty. A few of them will really be wide awake tonight, having consumed a few cups of tea each.
2 of the ladies go out to the nearby kuih stall to get some more food. The writer of this script has to leave early to teach a class so she presumes that after consuming more food and drinks, the rest of the ladies also depart for home...having had a REALLY fun day meeting up with old friends...burp!! oops,excuse me
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Road With 2 Names
Saw this at an intersection as I was going to visit a friend today...a road with 2 names! Now how did that come about???
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Chili Chocolate
My sis-in-law gave us this bar of chocolate which she bought from one of her trip overseas. My son loves chocolate but he wasn't going to try chili flavoured chocolate while I, on the other hand, was always game to try something new. Hubby and daughter don't like chocolates so guess who had the whole bar to herself! XD.
I couldn't really taste the chili...but I supppose for the European market this was spicy enough. I think the Malaysian version should be like this...
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Cute Beary Stuff
I notice that I seem to have quite a number of teddy bear decoration items around my house. Most of these are gifts from friends, except for the tissue box cover which I bought from Sungei Wang. I suppose there's nothing like a cute, cuddly teddy bear to chase the blues away.
Teddy bear items on my display shelf...gifts from friends
Teddy bear hook where I hang my bunch of....bananas!
The teddy bear tissue box cover I bought to match all the other teddy bear items
This one is my favourite, a Christmas present from one of my students, and he sits on my piano :)
Speaking of cute stuff, have a look at these videos of a little girl singing "The Lord's Prayer" and "Amazing Grace". For a 2 year old, she certainly sings with a lot of passion!
Teddy bear items on my display shelf...gifts from friends
Teddy bear hook where I hang my bunch of....bananas!
The teddy bear tissue box cover I bought to match all the other teddy bear items
This one is my favourite, a Christmas present from one of my students, and he sits on my piano :)
Speaking of cute stuff, have a look at these videos of a little girl singing "The Lord's Prayer" and "Amazing Grace". For a 2 year old, she certainly sings with a lot of passion!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Hit n Run
The weather was terribly hot today... Miss PreTeen and I decided to go to the nearby shops and buy some ice-cream. There was no parking space available so I had to circle the block, and when I came round again I spotted a place to park, hurray!
So we went into the shop, bought the ice-cream, and as I was walking back to the car I noticed something.....
One of my tail lights was broken....nooooooo!!
A HIT AND RUN...couldn't have happened today because of the position I had parked...probably happened yesterday (ya ya, it takes me that long to realise I have a broken tail light!) When I fetch my daughter from school I usually park quite a distance away to escape getting stuck in the daily traffic jam on the road leading out from the school. Then I would walk to the school gate and wait for PreTeen to come out and then walk back to the car. I remember my car alarm ringing when I returned to the car with my daughter, but I thought that maybe I had accidently pressed the wrong button on the remote control as I approached the car.
Hubby says it looks like damage from the handle of a motorbike. These motorcyclists and moms travel about quite recklessly when their kids are late for school!
In the meantime my poor baby has a patch of laminating tape stuck to it to prevent water from getting into the lights....at least temporarily :(
So we went into the shop, bought the ice-cream, and as I was walking back to the car I noticed something.....
One of my tail lights was broken....nooooooo!!
A HIT AND RUN...couldn't have happened today because of the position I had parked...probably happened yesterday (ya ya, it takes me that long to realise I have a broken tail light!) When I fetch my daughter from school I usually park quite a distance away to escape getting stuck in the daily traffic jam on the road leading out from the school. Then I would walk to the school gate and wait for PreTeen to come out and then walk back to the car. I remember my car alarm ringing when I returned to the car with my daughter, but I thought that maybe I had accidently pressed the wrong button on the remote control as I approached the car.
Hubby says it looks like damage from the handle of a motorbike. These motorcyclists and moms travel about quite recklessly when their kids are late for school!
In the meantime my poor baby has a patch of laminating tape stuck to it to prevent water from getting into the lights....at least temporarily :(
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
A Street IN Our House
Remember I mentioned that my house has a lot of blue? My lunch-buddy MK, whose daughter remembers me as the aunty with the blue house, gave me something (so nice of her!) to complement the blueness...decorative blue wallpaper with a scene from downtown Manhattan which she bought from IKEA.
As we sat on the sofa, hubby and I couldn't decide on where to place it. We looked around our living room and then we had a [brilliant] idea! So hubby got out the measuring tape and we measured the wall...the height and width came VERY close to the measurements of the wallpaper...wow, a perfect fit!
Putting up the wallpaper wasn't as easy as we thought it would be (after hubby read the instructions) because the picture came in 4 very large sheets, about 3 feet x 4.5 feet. After applying the glue we had difficulty getting rid of the air bubbles as we pasted it onto the wall. Then we had to match the pieces together, very much like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle. After pasting 3 pieces and carefully matching the edges together, the 4th piece didn't fit well...and there were some heart-pounding moments when we thought that we had done it all wrong!
"I can't get the edges to match!" I told hubby as he held the wallpaper up while I tried to position it in place.
"Hurry up! My arms can't hold it up much longer!" hubby said, standing on the ladder.
"I'm trying! I'm trying! Just cut off the extra bits lor," I suggested, as the picture started to look a little tilted to the left.
In the end the 4th piece didn't match perfectly, but you couldn't tell if you looked at it from afar (which is how we intend for our guests to view it so that they don't notice the litle mistakes here and there!)
Now we have a street scene in our house and we joke about being careful not to get run over by cars that zoom by. Guess where we placed the wallpaper?
As we sat on the sofa, hubby and I couldn't decide on where to place it. We looked around our living room and then we had a [brilliant] idea! So hubby got out the measuring tape and we measured the wall...the height and width came VERY close to the measurements of the wallpaper...wow, a perfect fit!
Putting up the wallpaper wasn't as easy as we thought it would be (after hubby read the instructions) because the picture came in 4 very large sheets, about 3 feet x 4.5 feet. After applying the glue we had difficulty getting rid of the air bubbles as we pasted it onto the wall. Then we had to match the pieces together, very much like doing a giant jigsaw puzzle. After pasting 3 pieces and carefully matching the edges together, the 4th piece didn't fit well...and there were some heart-pounding moments when we thought that we had done it all wrong!
"I can't get the edges to match!" I told hubby as he held the wallpaper up while I tried to position it in place.
"Hurry up! My arms can't hold it up much longer!" hubby said, standing on the ladder.
"I'm trying! I'm trying! Just cut off the extra bits lor," I suggested, as the picture started to look a little tilted to the left.
In the end the 4th piece didn't match perfectly, but you couldn't tell if you looked at it from afar (which is how we intend for our guests to view it so that they don't notice the litle mistakes here and there!)
Now we have a street scene in our house and we joke about being careful not to get run over by cars that zoom by. Guess where we placed the wallpaper?
Answer: On the wall at the staircase landing
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