Diary Entry: Doing What

Taking a bus once in a while seems like a luxury! No need to battle (i.e. drive) through stressful street conditions to get to LRT station today.

Those days, I used to dread taking the feeder bus. Neither because of discomfort nor meeting up with my dear busmate, but it's the inconsistent schedule that upset me. If the bus had been more efficient, I wouldn't have bothered looking at car.

The main outcome of such inconsistency was arriving later than required at work. Not that I wasn't late today when I took the bus and didn't drive. Autumn leaves are falling down anyway, so it's perfectly ok if I'm late today, which is only once in a blue moon.

Reason for not using "my" car today is because I'm travelling today. Yes, I am... this evening. Though not going anywhere new, still, I'm delighted that I'm having a few days off. And if everything goes well, I shall travel a little further weeks later. Not anywhere far, but somewhere so near and yet so far. It's domestic travel (I'm taking KTM... I booked 1st class for greater comfort - 6 hours journey. Reason being, I've worked hard (arguably so, it's subjective), and saved enough, so it's ok to self-treat a little now).

Many friends have asked whether I drive my car outside the city. Well, seldom. So far, only to Ipoh once, Melaka once, and Putrajaya once. But I've always felt it to be a challenge to drive a small k-car on the highway. The car feels very lightweight and 'floaty', esp when coming across huge vehicles around or the speed goes above 100 km/h. So, I have decided to sit back and relax in a train than to drive. Btw, train is much more comfortable compared to bus.

I got some extra sleep from yesterday night. Confession of the day - I woke up a 7 am today. This is how I missed the 7 am bus, but still fortunate enough to come across the 7.40 bus when I didn't expect to see the bus around. As usual, the LRT is more packed than ever, since it's 8.05 when I arrived there. More people rushing to work at that time.

Work-wise, I'm beginning to get more work. However, they came a little too late when I'm in the midst of phasing out. Goodbye my dear colleagues...

Acer x960

So far so good. With Windows Mobile, GPS and other functions of a smartphone (e.g. Microsoft Office Mobile, IE, Messenger, organiser, etc), this model is sold at a reasonable price. It's pretty sleek and comes with touchscreen and stylus (no keyboard).

Its touchscreen is good and sensitive to touch. In this respect, it's better than Samsung Omnia, where a number of Omnia users alleged that the touchscreen is not sensitive enough towards touches.

Camera-wise, the one on x960 is 3.2 megapixel. The pictures are clear. However, the camera may not be user-friendly for beginners. This is because the photo is not immediately captured when the snap button is pressed. Instead, we need to press the button once, then hold it still and wait for photo to be captured a few seconds later.

The GPS in this phone is a good news for whoever in need of guide to go around unfamiliar places. At least the risk of getting lost can now be mitigated or removed altogether.

In conclusion, this is a smartphone packed with what it ought to have, sold at a reasonable price. Of course, HTC still remains one of the best in market, function as well as design-wise. One thing though, this is just a layperson's opinion.

Down Memory Lane & Shoes

Here's a diary entry for the day...

June 20...
How not to remember the day? Things would only roll around when one least expects them to come. My summer holiday in 2005... Call me silly for thinking only if we can turn back time... Now that I'm supposedly independent, my future lies in my own hands, although the ultimate fate lies with god.

Shoes, oh shoes!
I sent my dazzling-stoned sandal for minor repair just now. Relieved that there's a cobbler nearby (I didn't know earlier, just fortunate that I've kept that sandal in the car, and when I came across the cobbler, I immediately took my sandal from the car for fixes). As usual, my rough usage of sandal is always the culprit behind such damages, regardless of what quality or brand. The only reason why I bothered repairing this sandal is because it's still new.

While waiting for the sandal to be fixed, I walked into Atria next door. I felt bored in Atria though, nothing to my interest. I guess the place is only nice for families or more elderly people, who want to dine and shop more relaxingly, and sans heavy traffic compared to going to One Utama or those at Mutiara Damansara.

I also bought a new pair of sandal. I simply went to Bata shop. I choose Bata today because I thought of buying something cheap, but reasonably nice and comfortable. Vincci is pretty and cheap, but it's not meant for me. Not because I frown upon it; in fact, I wished I could wear Vincci so that I don't have to pay so much for sandals. But I've tried a few times years ago and my feet could never tolerate them.

I don't have faith in how well I keep my shoes, so a spare should be ideal. Contrary to belief that girls have many pairs of shoes, I don't. Right now, I have 1 pair of leather shoe, 2 pairs of perfect-conditioned sandals, and another 2 pairs of reasonable-looking-but-wearing-out sandals. Also 1 pair that's going to rip off anytime, so I only wear it at home. And of course, a pair of sneakers that I hardly wear nowadays; thinking of how my dad used to tell me I should wear girly-shoes more.

But I'm always very scared to wear genuine leather sandals! It's dangerous to wet them, and obviously unwise to wear the same pair everyday without eventually wearing out your confidence in wearing it, out on a date for instance.

Here are a few comments about 2 brands that I found pretty nice:

Scholl - Perfectly comfortable, all made of genuine leather. Reasonably contemporary. Best for pregnant moms and whoever wanting comfort and good grip. It's not slippery, which makes it cool for someone like me who's clumsy at times. The shoes/sandals are lasting; they may sometimes look worn out, but nonetheless still last for another 1 or 2 years. Price ranges around 2xx.

Hush Puppies - Genuine leather, pretty, and has reasonably good grip. Generally comfortable, but not as lasting as Scholl. In order to extend its lifespan, the sandal should best be worn on alternate days. About the same price as Scholl.

What's Love

I wonder if love is perhaps.....

The Good
Free from discrimination... Only personality matters, not looks... Able to accept each other as who he/she is... Unconditional... Everlasting... Being there for each other... Free from materialism, but only love...

Myth or fact (M.O.F)?

The Bad
That love is blind (only marriage is eye-opener)... No?

I also wonder, M.O.F?

Conclusion
Yet to experience and yet to know. There's nothing wrong with me now; I'm not in love yet. After all, 26 is still young. Just that sometimes I wonder what's love really all about. It's frequently talked about, but no one really knows the definition of love.

The Birthday Bear

The cute bear is from Veronica (thanks!!). On my desk... helps me relax whenever I see and cuddle it. And yes, there's a bottle of wine behind, which has been on the desk for the past 5 years. :)

Korean House, SS2

Despite being a foodie who loves eating, I hardly write anything about food, together with pictures. Thanks to my beloved Casio Exilim, I'm able to have a few pictures here. ;) I'm a camera novice who still has a long way to learn, so the pictures may be imperfect. :)

It's the 2nd time I had Korean food in my whole life. The first time was in Japan a few years ago (weird huh, having Korean food in Japan), had Korean-style barbequed meat. So yesterday, I went to one in SS2 for hot pot with my roommate and housemate.

Since I've not been to Korea, I don't have a clear idea of how Korean food is. As long as the taste is good, I'll be more than happy to eat! By the way, the restaurant is Korean-owned.

1st preview:




The appetizers...



A little of everything in small plates.

Next, comes the main course. It's a small-sized hot pot with seafood and vegetables. The broth tasted nice, a little hot and spicy.



At Korean House, free refills are given for tea. It's kind of cool that we're given complimentary dishes as well, as below:



This egg serving reminds me of chawan mushi served at Japanese restaurants. But this one tastes different of course.

Next, we're also served with a chilled drink. I don't know the name of the drink, but one of its main ingredients is ginger. It tastes gingery and sweet. Very nice, makes the body feel warm upon drinking.



Overall, we had a good time dining at Korean House. The staff were very polite and the service was very good. It was around 11 pm when we're done with dinner, and it was a great delight that we're given a little discount. Will defintely consider returning one day. Meanwhile, I also wonder if there's any chance to go to Hartamas for more Korean food there, and maybe even the country itself?

Farewell

In the midst of grieving that I've probably failed in something for the 1st time ever coz I've not heard any news for a long time, I was amazed and surprised by a little twist in event. I got it! I got it!

Excitement laced with a punch of sadness. This is where I've been for the past 2 years. From this, I managed to support myself and a few of my personal items. This is where I met some folks who've impacted my life.

But I musn't hesitate to change when I'm required to. I know that. When something (or even someone) no longer "loves" (not necessarily in the literal sense) you enough to have any future, it's time to leave. It's a difficult and painful decision to make, but it's all part of the game, also in name of life.

With a heavy heart, I've made a decision. Moving forward to where I'm allowed to be what, and who I am.

I'm not being ingrate when I made this hardcore decision. In fact, it's my conscience that moved me to decide this way.

Pray for the best...... goodbye darling.