It's been a few days since I've arrived in KL. The haze is horrible and I get even more horrified when I see people wearing masks. sigh.

On Thursday I reached Hang Tuah station on the afternoon and met up with Weiyong to go collect our robes and do the registration stuff together in MMU Cyberjaya. We reached there at about half pass two, and got everything done by three. Lucky us for there's no queue required at all. Then the trip back to KL took around 2 hours due to the long wait for bus and KLIA transit. That's why I hate traveling in KL. It takes longer to travel than doing the thing you want to.

On Friday, I finished up the translating task, ate lunch then went to Sungai Wang to meet up with Loomun, June and William. They were buying presents for Suj and Cyc in Pavilion after lunch there, so I walked to join them too. well, again traveling took 1 hour before I get to see them. After browsing around and getting the right present, we went off to see G.I. Joe. It was really packed with CG actions but with kinda cheesy dramatic plot. But I'm really awed by the would be technology in the movie. 3D interactive hologram, the accelerator and even the cool spectacle Ana wore really got me high. As for real world progress, we have touchable holography now in Tokyo seriously, where there are ultrasonic waves shoots out to create pressure sensation on you when you touch the hologram. Here's the video from pink tentacle.


So after the movie, we had dinner with suj in the foodcourt, where i had this spicy mini beef steamboat from the little taiwan store. It's really good with meatballs, lean beef, corns, some greens and Cellophane noodles or called 冬粉(dong fen). Loo Mun ate Vietnam vege-salad-ish kind of dish, which is totally not her kind of choice at all usually. She was afraid of getting sick, that's why she sacrificed the tomyam she wanted for the greens lol.

Then we went to Lowyat to scout for digicam and prices. Nothing much except everyone got what they wanted there. Then we parted and I went back on monorail, and took bus to return to my aunt's house after one hour plus.

Saturday = lazying around waiting for parents day. I was so free that I typed several emails to my friends in Japan, one usually takes up an hour or so due to my poor japanese grammar. and by the way, I got my TOEFL results from the online website today. Well although I didn't get full marks, it's more than enough to qualify for the entrance requirement for Tsukuba University haha. So who wants the TOEFL guide book to score I bought earlier? It's as good as new and moreover it really helped to score! *wink wink*

Now there's only one day left to convo! Some how I dread the draggy event and can't wait for it to be over soon enough. I'm only interested in taking pictures with friends and family so why can't we skip right to that part instead? lol.

Anyway, I hope to see you all if you manage to be there!

Many great people had passed away, like the king of pop, Michael Jackson, the first female president of Philippines (in fact, first in Asia), Corazon Aquino, and also our great local commercial/movie director, Yasmin Ahmad. All these people will be greatly missed, as 80's babies practically grew up listening to MJ's songs and watching the moonwalk dance. Meanwhile Aquino made a huge impact by having an amazingly peaceful transition to democracy in her country from years of authoritarian ruling, after which her husband, the opposition leader was assassinated. But then it was Yasmin Ahmad's death that sank my heart the most. I have seen all the commercials she made for Petronas and others, most focusing on the diversity of our society in Malaysia, and how it doesn't really matter as long as we understand and make peace with one another.

From what I saw on tv, she was said to have been educated in a Chinese primary school before, thus the more she is able to relate on living with different races, and integrated that in her commercials and most of her movies like sepet, gubra and other later movies. It can be said that her life is just like her movies, as she was married with a Chinese too.

Some rumors has been going on saying that Yasmin Ahmad is a trans-gender, or an intersexual (IS). Well I was wary that someone out there just wanted to defame her, but then there seem to be some facts behind the gossip if you google around for pictures. Anyhow, Yasmin Ahmad is a really respectful director for portraying the values and virtues that we Malaysians should treasure and so, the surface doesn't matter at all as long as what we see within her touches our hearts. Moreover, her spoken English was perfect! I was very impressed indeed when I see the 'Yasmin's Muallaf Q&A Session at Picturehouse, Singapore' on youtube, which the link was found in Kristine's blog.

In conclusion, I should really start watching all her movies and re-watch all the commercials on youtube. She would have done more amazing things with her pending movies, but then it's fated that we wouldn't see anymore of her new movies then... May she rest in peace and we will miss her very much, especially for the CNY and other festive commercials.

I've just updated the last post with more pictures after coming back from the clinic in town. My back has been having this annoying bruising pain since I came back from MMU at the end of May. I've been doing stretching, jogging and a little thigh exercise to hopefully shake off some weight, but instead I guess I've strained my back spine/muscle. Nice move, Lisa. Sigh.

My Godmother had tried to massage the pain off my back but to no avail. So I went to the doc's this morning to get a number, return in the afternoon, waited again for about 40 minutes for my turn (the most popular doctor in town) and got out after 5 minutes of diagnosis. Bought with RM25, these are the colorful candies I have to eat 3 times a day for 2 weeks to hopefully cure the ache.


And here's Hiro feeling as dead as I do, cos my Godmother had went to KL without him.

In this post I'm going to have a show-and-tell on my backyard sowed and plodded by my uncle. Tada!

It is actually a stretch of land covered with weeds, which the government owns but have nothing better to do with it than letting it rot. Far behind it would be the vast jungle with a really nice waterfall recreation area called Burmese Pool.

When I was little, my grandfather had a tool shed built out of zinc roof and wooden planks there. then around the shed were a lot of Durian trees. Our family used to eat durians from our backyard during its season, but then the municipal ppl came and chopped off and demolished everything there to make way for a so called new housing area but end up suspended instead.



So when my uncle and godmother come and live with us, he started clearing the weeds and make a small vege haven there, planting chilies, pandan leaves, xiu pak choi, bayam, long beans, lady's finger and others.

Let's start off and see the cute chilies plants!


And there's purple ones too which are super hot!


Here's my uncle watering the plants. Every evening after work he would dedicate his time to his babies in the backyard. On the left is long beans plants, the right is my fave, peanut plants!


The long bean plant. creeping plant it is~


I like peanuts.. but no peanuts growing yet. Even if there's peanut it'd be underground :p


Then we will move on to the hairy plant! who would have thought this is the plant that produces smooth crunchy timun?


Timun (Cucumber) is also a type of creeping plant. The spiral tendrils are clinging on the strings hanging from above.


There's a special guest in our backyard, ladybug on timun flower! I've actually made this into my wallie lol.


And the Timun Finale, Baby Cucumber~

I've been searching high and low for this baby timun but I never knew that it looked so spiky in the first place?! so in the end uncle have to point it out for me. btw cucumber is scientifically considered a fruit! woot!

Planted near the cucumber plants is this, called Mali leaves in Hokkien. the leaves are served along with the famous egg-noodle called Ban Mee or Mee Hun Kuey in Chinese.


Walking towards the right, there's this bunch of wild blue flowers and wines hanging on the fence of my backyard. This is used to make the blue food dye for the nyonya kuih (a kind of dessert).


Further then, I've seen something in the garden for the first time in my life...
Aloe Vera flower blossom!!


You'd think What? does aloe vera even have flowers? got tipu me or not...
So here's the whole pic, with the flower stemming from the aloe vera plant


See? It's real! here's a close up on the aloe vera flower.


Nature is amazing right? Well I've found so many little wonders in my own backyard, let alone the whole world! And that's all for now. Go explore your own backyard today! XD

*edit* I've missed out the papaya cos it's technically not in my backyard, but anyway for those who are curious, here's the mighty green papaya trees!


And here's the close-up. they take ages to get ripen, but will quicken when there's more rain. Still it's quite long until this batch shows any sign of mellowing.


That all for now! :D