Rocket

As I've mentioned, I would put up the lyrics for Rocket.. So here it is..

Remove the covers of the morning
And I don't see the new day dawning
Just can't cope
Cold shadows hide me as I go through the day
No one at all seeming to say
The feelings they long to convey
But could it be I am the one who has lost my way?

Why can't I see my future clearly?
Is there a chance that I can break free?
Please help me
This maze has complicated day into night
Repetitive hours I see
My spirit is ready to flee
Then suddenly you came to me and everything's alright

* You've given me reason to live
You've given me reason to try
You've given me reason to stand
Don't let life pass me by
Whenever I feel hopelessness
Whenever I feel I could cry
You rocket me up to the sky
Give me wings and then I can fly

Together soaring to the sunrise
I feel the passion comes from your eyes
And I know
Strength cast away the fear and faith made the soul sing clear
And love is the music we can all hear

Repeat *

Whoa... I can fly
Whoa... Fly away with you forever
Fly away till end of never

Repeat *

~~ Ten Tenors - Rocket ~~

Love these kind of songs - inspirational like. I'm a sucker for harmonized music, what's more this one is by 10 people, hence the name Ten Tenors. The other groups I love are The Maranatha Singers and *NSync. Yeah, I know, the latter is a boy band, but have you tried listening to them especially the slower ones? They're even better when they sing in acapella. *sighz*

Chinese Mid Autumn Celebration

It's the time of the year where the Chinese get to munch on mooncakes and play lanterns! I shall not launch into how this celebration came about, so, go Google it lar. ;)

When I was young, 'Zhong Chiu Jie' (as it's known in Mandarin) was always fun to celebrate at night. We would all meet up at my Grandmother's for dinner. For dessert, it would be mooncakes, pomelos and some other sweet stuffs. Few of them are this white, sugary, round 'cake' and a kind of nut with thick, black skin in the shape of a Batman. The younger generation would play with lanterns and light candles all over the car porch and the main gate. Hehe.. Daddy would fish out his binoculars and let us take turns to look at the bright, round moon through them, to see if there was really a lady in the moon. :Þ

Over the years, mooncakes have been sold earlier and earlier (this year, they were sold at least 2 months ahead) and they have evolved. From the traditional red bean and lotus pastes, now they have durian, chocolate and green tea mooncakes! Even the packaging is getting nicer!

Anyway, we had our yearly lantern session with Stan, Helen, Sean and Jennifer. This time, it was near Help's Library, where the orangey poles are. We lighted candles on top of each poles, hung lanterns wherever possible, and even played fireworks. I saved them up since CNY! *lol* It was fun while it lasted.. I felt like a kid all over again (since when do I NOT act like a kid??). I don't care if people think that it's childish to still play with lanterns when we're all working adults now. I don't see anything wrong in that. We can still have fun, can't we?

Oh well, I managed to snap some pics of the mooncakes and boxes we got at home. Sayang bought this Corporate Box from Tai Thong for Mummy over the weekend. It's lovely!

Back row (L-R) : Tai Thong Corporate Box (I love the golden butterflies!), and Purple Cane mini lantern box

Middle row (L-R) : Mooncakes - Tai Thong Golden Custard with Pure Red Bean, Tai Thong Snow Skin Yam Paste Single Yolk(snow skin is also known as 'ping pei'), Lian Bee Chocolate Single Yolk, and Purple Cane Assorted Nuts Green Tea

Front row (L-R) : 'Zhu zhai beng' (pig biscuits?) - Crab, Fish, and Koala Bear shaped

(L-R) : Mooncake packagings by Oversea Restaurant, and Lian Bee

Too bad, Mummy didn't manage to get those Batman nuts and we've almost finished up the white, sugary 'cake'. Perhaps I'll try to get some next year, and snap some pics on them and lanterns. Oh well... Double yolk mooncake, anyone?

She Will Be Loved

Hhm.. Am deciding which lyrics should I put in today.. Between Maroon 5's or Ten Tenors'.. Maroon 5 wins today! You know, I'm thinking of putting up a Lyrics Blog or something.. I'll see how that goes later.. Here are the lyrics to She Will Be Loved...

Beauty queen of only eighteen
She had some trouble with herself
He was always there to help her
She always belonged to someone else

I drove for miles and miles and wound up at your door
I've had you so many times but somehow I want more

* I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved, and she will be loved

Tap on my window, knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful
I know I tend to get so insecure
It doesn't matter anymore

It's not always rainbows and butterflies
It's compromise that moves us along
My heart is full and my door's always open
You can come anytime you want

Repeat *

And she will be loved, and she will be loved

I know where you hide alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
I know that goodbye means nothing at all
Comes back and begs me to catch her everytime she falls

Tap on my window, knock on my door
I want to make you feel beautiful

Repeat *

And she will be loved, and she will be loved

Please don't try so hard to say goodbye
Please don't try so hard to say goodbye

I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain

Please don't try so hard to say goodbye

~~ Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved ~~

This song got me bopping my head the whole time. Love this song, but the MTV's a bit uhm.. Not so suitable for the lyrics, I don't know.. But yeah, I still love it. Next up, Ten Tenors'!

Tai Ee Long

Came across this article from TV Smith's site.. Hehee... Hilarious, I must say.. I think it's a pretty good idea he thought of that. Maybe those Tai Ee Longs really should use it. ;)

For Those Who Are Home Alone.. Please Take Note

Something for you to know and be aware of. I'm pretty sure you've received chains of e-mails stating that so-and-so was stopped by strangers, or so-and-so was 'hypnotized' into giving in their valuable stuffs to unsuspecting strangers. It actually happened to my mum. Well... Almost, that is. Thank God...

It happened this morning. Mum was home alone as usual, when the doorbell rang. She walked upstairs towards the main door. As we have a grilled door right after that, she opened the main door to take a peek at who was by the wooden gate. She couldn't see anyone, so she opened the grilled door. Then she saw a Punjabi guy, very smartly dressed. He didn't speak, but she could clearly see his fingers are moving, like how monks move their fingers when they pray. Mum sensed a very strong headache, and she instantly locked the grilled door and the main door. As she tried to walk downstairs to the living room, she felt a 'pull', like, telling her to go back up and open the doors. Thank God that she listened to her inner voice, that told her to keep walking downstairs, and tried to get herself distracted by doing some washing. The headache was still there, but she kept washing until it stopped, which was almost an hour later.

Now, it's not often that headaches would appear just like that, and it's not that she was being overly sensitive about it. But, it's just so suspicious about that guy. What was he doing? Why wasn't he speaking? If he was doing door-to-door sales or doing surveys, he would have instantly said something when Mum opened the door. But why was he silent, and moving his fingers? Recalling all those e-mails about people 'hypnotizing' someone else, and unconsciously they open the doors, then gave them their money, jewellery and stuffs like that, it's really scary. I mean, Mum's alone at home. What if she didn't listen to her inner voice? It's really frightening. I really thank God for keeping Mum safe. There's been too many people ringing our doorbells, especially when Mum's home alone. I told her not to open any doors to anyone at all, not even the postman. Even if it's someone we know, they'll surely call us first, right.

It's really scary.. People have resort to these methods to lure innocent people... I just hope that you take this things seriously, and take precautions, especially if your parents are home alone..

Slippers and Appeton

Had a great weekend actually. Went for gym last afternoon and Laine came shortly after that. Was quite amused at her squirming and giving me some kind of look when one of the trainers was flirting at her. Hehehe... There weren't too many people at the gym, so I had some fun fooling around with the machines, trying to build muscle as much as I could and lifting dumbbells. 2 kgs only laa.... Very 'malu'.. But then again, quite 'syok' when the bulge appeared on my arms.. Woo hoo... I feel like a mini female version of The Rock. I got muscles.... Which will only last for 1-2 days.. *grin*

Oh well... My family went to Malacca for a day's trip, and guess what Bel bought for me? A new pair of bedroom slippers... And it's a piggy!! You'd probably think I'm childish but hey, no harm feeling young again, right. ;) Oohh.. You got to see the pic below...

Don't you think they're cute? ;)

The left pair is mine. They even had the ribbon placed right and left respectively, so that I know which is left, which is right. Haha.. The right pair is Bel's. Hers is very cute too, I love the nose and the leafy 'hat'. Hehhehe... They're very new, so they actually squeak! Quite hilarious whenever both of us walk around the house, walk up and down the stairs, like babies with those squeaky shoes. *lol*

Oh by the way, remember I wrote about building muscle just now? I bought a tin of Appeton Weight Gain for Bel and myself. This is already the state for desperate measures! We're supposed to drink it 3 times a day, and if we do follow the instructions, we should finish the tin within 6 days. If we keep on drinking it, we should be able to see the effect within 2-3 months. But we're gonna drink it once a day, after dinner. Do you think it will work? I just want 5 kgsssssssss..... My precious 5 kgssss....

I like the stickmen images on the tin. ;D

As I'm typing this entry out, I'm in the midst of munching a bar of Snickers. This is so depressing.... But then again, my piggy slippers are looking up on me.. I'm all smily and childish again! ;)

MS TechEd Malaysia 2004

The TechEd has finally ended! *Phew* A straight, 4 days of presentation sessions one after another, ranging from Developer tracks to Database Management, Security, etc. Seriously information overload!

The only sessions that I enjoyed most were the "DatagridView Control" by Brian Noyes and "Windows Passwords: Everything You Need to Know" by Jesper Johannson. The former session concentrated on ways to make use of the new control which is included in the coming Visual Studio 2005, how database details can be reported in grid format, how the columns can be hidden and rearranged in real-time. Definitely something that I will use in all my applications, that is if Elid is willing to dish out $$ for VS 2005. The latter session was pretty interesting and entertaining, besides the fact that it was held in the Audittorium, where the seats look like the ones in the cinemas, it was oh so comfy! The session focused on how people can easily hack into account passwords, how he managed to hack into a company's accounts while sipping coffee in Starbucks, and that everyone should put in more effort in choosing passwords (using passphrase, like, "I am very beautiful"). Hhm... I think I shall have to think of new passwords for my accounts now!

Venue wise, it was held in Palace of the Golden Horses, unlike the usual PWTC. The setting was lovely. The only problem was that going from a track venue to another was a bit of a hassle. It felt like as if we were going through a maze! Perhaps that's why when we were given a free TechEd bag each, there was a compass attached to one of the handles... For us to find our way around! *grin* Buffet lunches were better than the ones in PWTC, but the slack part was that this time, breakfast and snacks were not provided at all. All they served was just coffee, tea and water. *Sighz* I was so hungry the first day that I had to resort to buying a Snickers bar from the Golden Stable (souvenir shop), which cost me RM 3.90 than the usual RM 2.20 outside! *Damn* Learnt my lesson that for the next few days, I was well prepared with more Snickers bars, few rolls of Mentos grape and Sugus, all in 1 tiny plastic bag, carrying it everywhere I go. Hehehe.. I looked like an 'ah sam' lar. ;)

Apart from all that, I had the pleasure of meeting Kah Fui and his friend, Walter. Got to know Kah Fui through the MIND forums, when I posted a question on VB .Net, in which he replied and even sent me a sample code. It was from then that the friendship was created through MSN and it was great to finally meet him personally. He's basically my VB .Net mentor, always 'layan-ed' me whenever I threw him dumb questions about certain controls and coding and asked him what Stored Procedures and SOA are. He probably must be thinking what lousy this Software Engineer is, everything also don't know! Hehe.. He's pretty much influential in MIND, so I got some freebies from him, including a Microsoft Community glitter-tattoo sticker, which is now stuck onto the glass partition between me and Wilson. ;) Oh, apparently he might speak for next year's TechEd, so I'm looking forward to that!

As for events management, I heard it was very 'kelam-kabut' especially on the first day. Was quite suprised initially that they didn't use Crystal Edge's service this time, but Roots, Shoots and Froots's instead. I just wonder why MS don't get Techmex or Sirius (correct spelling?) since they've always handled MS' Event Partners Nights and other various MS events. I know this coz sayang used to work part-time for Techmex and Sirius.

Ah well.. Now that it has all ended (and I'm still grumbling why we couldn't get our TechNet attendee cards stamped like on every other TechEd events), it's gonna be back to work like usual...

Internet Withdrawal Symptoms

Oh gosh... Being internet-less was so depressing. Can't believe that I'm soooo addicted to the Net after, what 8 years! My office's Streamyx line went down since last morning - Couldn't ICQ, couldn't MSN, couldn't check webmails, couldn't read or write blogs, couldn't surf the net, couldn't play online games. Aiyoyooo.... Really suffering from Internet withdrawal symptoms. Sheeeesh... All we managed to have was just the DNS mails (that also through dial-up modem) and MS-DOS' Net Send. Urgh...

After 1 and 1/2 days of being soooo isolated, we finally got the Webbit package. Hhehehe... I don't care what, as long as the Internet is back. Not only me, kay, my colleagues also grumbled. Even my boss himself (Okay, he's actually worse than us) had to walk around the R&D room, find something to do to keep him distracted from the symptoms! Hehe..

Is this common to most of you?

Venting My Frustration...

Am currently listening to some worship songs as I'm coding away. The past few days had been mind exhausting, and I had often nearly been close to tears here at work. I don't know, I may not be a Christian, but somehow worship songs soothe me and I feel calm again.

I shall not dwell too much on the event, but I'll just summarize it. The issue was about getting a property and we were just so eager to get it there and then. We were so close to placing the booking fees for it. Then comes in the issues on the parents regarding the choice of property, the financial part and the commitment of being tied down to it for almost 30 years. Frustration and anger just kept building up, opinions flew left and right, and we were just so torn into making a decision that satisfies everyone and hopefully not one that we would regret in the future. In the end, we did not get it...

It's frustrating when the things you really want but you can't afford, you have to rely on your parents and their decision becomes your decision. *Sighz* Looks like we shall have to wait until it's the right time to get a property then.

On the other hand, I think my frustration was obviously displayed on my face while at work. I heard from a colleague that another colleague was concerned, and he prayed for me. It suddenly dawned on me that there are people who care for me and actually took the time to ask God to be there for me, despite being clueless about what I was going through. I feel blessed.

To my colleagues, thank you very much for your thoughts and prayers. :)

My Strengths & Weaknesses

My ex-colleague, Hui Lam found this website for me. All you need is to key in a nickname, your date of birth and the time range that you were born at. Then it will tell you what are your strength and weaknesses. Oh by the way, it's all in Chinese characters. If you do not understand Chinese, get someone who do to help you out.

Here's mine...

Explanation:
First line - Strengths...
Loves and respect yourself, Has leadership, Dare to do and admit was what done, Willing to execute and not merely all talk.
Second line - Weaknesses...
Over confident and stubborn, Like to command people, Egoistic, Won't give in easily.

Hhm... I'd say probably 70-80% true, especially the part about being stubborn headed. But what do you think? Would love to hear your honest opinion about me. Treat it as helping me to understand myself better, to know how I am in the eyes of others. :)

Sunflowerians' Double Celebration

The day started off with me sending an e-mail to the Sunflowerians - to wish our dear Tai Sou a very Happy Birthday. I'm sure this birthday is a very special one for her, with little Gerald really celebrating his Mummy's birthday for the first time. Last year don't really count, coz he was only 1 month old then. ;) And not forgetting Tai Lou suprising her by sending a bouquet of flowers to her office. *Aaawwww*

As the mails poured in with more birthday greetings and catching-up from everyone, Chin Haw announced that he and Wendy have already set their wedding date on the 8th January 2005. The last time we all met for lunch, that was in May, he announced that he has already proposed to Wendy and they would tie the knot sometime next year. Today, the date has officially been set. We knew this day would come, but it is now only starting to sink in. Ooohhh... Chien's gonna fly in from Bintulu few days before the occasion. We're all definitely gonna rope in and help Chin Haw make this a very memorable day. He's the 2nd person to tie the knot (after Tai Lou).. And this leaves us all wondering who's gonna be next - Aneh, Hochai, Chien or me. Oh wow... Oohhh.. I'm gonna be sentimental now...

If you happen to know us, PRETEND you heard nothing of the wedding. Chin Haw will officially announce it to you guyz later as well as hand you the red card. Shhhhh....... But remember, yah. 8th January 2005, it's a Saturday. Woo hoo... Can't wait for their big day!