I Can Read It, Can You?

Hubby forwarded this email to me yesterday........

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. 
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe can. 

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it. 

ONLY FORWARD IF YOU CAN READ THIS

Tsunami Swept Through My Home Today

After postponing Blackie's bath for three days due to my not feeling well, I felt sufficiently recovered today  to embark on a cat-howling adventure. Blackie hates baths with a vengeance and to bathe him is akin to bathing a growling, snapping tiger.

He will run round and round you, hissing, growling, snapping and before you know it, you are entangled in the shower cable. 

But the worst is that today, he learned how to pry open my shower screen doors. He ran out dripping water all over my bathroom floor, and I had to run out and grabbed him back inside the shower cubicle. This went on until I clutched him to my body and rinsed him and me as well.

It would take an extremely sharp eye to tell who was giving whom a bath. Both Blackie and I were as drenched as each other. The end result was, my bathroom and master bedroom looked like a tsunami had just swept through it. *smacking my forehead in disbelief at what both of us had achieved when a tsunami couldn't*

Next time I might just as well take my shower at the same time. Saves water that way....lols...!!!

MPH Warehouse Sales

On Sunday afternoon, after a short nap, hubby and I went to Section 13 in PJ where the MPH Warehouse Sales was held. Despite my not feeling well, I dragged myself to the sales hoping to get some good buys. Books are expensive here, and it's not everyday that MPH holds a sale.

It was difficult to find a parking space, and we ended up parking about 500m away. The sun was blazing hot, and hubby suffered sunburnt on his thighs. We knew it was going to be hot and stuffy inside the warehouse, so we had dressed light - shorts and T-shirts.

There was a large crowd by the time we arrived at the warehouse. At one glance, it looks promising, with so many books around. But on closer look, most of the books are old and I've read them before. Also, this time round, there were more children's and teenagers' books than books for adults. 

I finally bought three books: The Accident Man by Tom Cain, True Evil by Greg Iles and Someone To Watch Over Me by Judith McNaught. Quite disappointing as I was hoping to be able to buy at least 6 months' supply before the next sale. I'm quite a voracious reader and can finish a 500+ pages novel in just a few days.

I guess this time I have to ration myself and read only a chapter a day.  :D

Light At The End of The Tunnel.....?

After having slept nearly the whole day and night....(err, not due to laziness but I was not well, had fever and bad flu plus sore throat)....I woke up this morning still feeling lousy and groggy as a result of those prescriptions the doctor gave me. 

But like any normal day, the first thing I did on waking up was to read the news.

And.....I felt much better right away. Instead of the usual political crap, the government is actually doing something to help ease the burden of the public. Petrol prices will be reduced by 15 cents, and hypermarket chains like Tesco, Carrefour, Giant and Mydin will reduce prices of canned and fresh food, including instant noodles by as early as next week.

This is good news indeed. I had braced myself for more price increases, but instead, prices are heading south. 

However, that said, looking at the percentage of the price reduction (15% - 30%), prices of those goods will just be back to what they were 6 months ago. We will not be seeing prices of last year. 

Oh well, at least it's better than prices continually sprillaling up through the roof. 

Yay! Now I can afford to buy more books at the MPH Warehouse Sale later today. But first, I have to go back to bed as the medicine I took just now is making me drowsy again. *nodding off*

Jennifer Hudson's Mother & Brother Killed

The mother and brother of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, was found shot dead at the family's home in Chicago. Police said the murders appeared to be a result of domestic dispute. Jennifer is reported to be flying home to Chicago from Florida. 

Read more here.

Poor Jennifer. Hers is a tight-knit family. In American Idol, she attributed her being there to her mother. She said that had it not been for her mother, she would not have joined the American Idol.

My deepest condolence to Jennifer on her bereavement. 

Spaghetti Chilli Con Carne

The last time I cooked spaghetti chilli con carne was when I lived in England. Yes, that long ago. So, for some reason, last night I suddenly decided to cook chilli con carne for dinner. 

My hubby's comment was, "Are you sure you know how to cook Chilli Con Carne?" You see, despite our having been married for five years, I've never cooked the dish for him before.

Now, let me jot down the ingredients before I forget....yeah, hubby and mummy loved it, so I have to cook this again in the future.

Ingredients:

1 canned tomato, (cube the tomatoes) 

1 canned Tesco chilli beans (red kidney beans)

MInced beef

1 yellow onion, minced

3 or 4 cloves or garlic, minced

4 fresh tomatoes, cubed

1 red capsicum, or red pepper

Seasonings:

2 teaspoons Cajun Spice 

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chilli flakes 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon sherry (or chinese rice wine if you don't have sherry)

2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

salt to taste

Chilli con carne goes well with spaghetti or rice. We ate it with spaghetti last night, and today, I ate the leftovers with plain, white rice. Yum-yum... :)~~~

My Cat Talks..!!!

Last Sunday, I was watching a news program in BBCNews when the host got me sitting up straight on the sofa....talking pets. Yes, your pets can talk, you just need to know how.

Don't believe me? Click here and see Blackie talk! Then, come back here and tell me what you think.....hope you understand him, though.....LOLs..!!!!

Is Hollywood Running Out of Ideas?

Has anyone noticed that Hollywood's motto is Waste Not, Want Not? It has been recycling ideas for their movies.

Well, it has been doing that for a long time, under the guise of "movie adaptation from a book/comic", remaking old movies or remaking Asian movies into Western movies. But these days, it has gone a step further. It is going into the video/computer games arena, too.

Just look at some of the movies that have graced our silver screen.....Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, House of The Dead, etc., etc. And now, the lastest one to be shown on our local cinemas this weekend ---- Max Payne.

Well, maybe Hollywood thinks Max Payne fans did not have enough of Max Payne I, II and III on the computer, and would like to see the character on the big screen? Hmmm... I'll have to ask my hubby as he likes to play Max Payne.

Although, to be honest, I must say I would not mind having a Resident Evil 5.....I just love Alice, the protagonist.  Maybe Hollywood is just delivering what the movie audience wants after all?

We Are Optimistically Pessimistic...

Today I learned a new oxymoron phrase from MySinChew....."optimistically pessimistic". I love oxymoron words and phrases, by the way.  

The article is a rehash of what most of us already know....that our government is in denial, insisting that our economy is strong enough to weather the storm.

Since I've already spoken my mind in the previous post titled "Will the Global Financial Tsunami Hit Us", I won't touch on it anymore.

I only want to add that while the public is optimistically pessimistic, the government is rhetorically optimistic and taking a rather cavalier attitude towards the whole issue. Ok, enough said. I rest my case.

Will the Global Financial Tsunami Hit Us?

I was so glad to see in today's Star Online that someone, other than me, has noticed that our government has not made any mention of how it is going to handle this worldwide economic meltdown.

As Steve Oh from Kajang puts it succintly in his letter, there is no mention in any of our local newspapers of the steps our government is taking to address this issue. Oh yes, I forgot, a few days ago our Mr. Najib and one analyst said we won't be affected. 

Really? Let's look at some of the "facts" they used.

One, "our economy is domestically driven. Therefore, we're not exposed to world economy." While this is true, don't forget that MORE THAN 40% of our income is derived from exports. These exports are now affected, and there will be a ripple effect at best. 

And, if nothing is done to turn the world around, then the ripple effect might become a tsunami, too, affecting all other businesses which are domestically driven. 

Second, by our Mr. Najib, "our exports are diversified. We export mostly to China, not US, so we are not affected." Hello, Mr. Najib. China's biggest customer is US....and if you can't connect the dots, then I am extremly fearful for our country's financial future.

If our govenment does not stop distracting itself with who should be the next PM and DPM soon, and take an interest in our economy, we might one day wake up to find our country back to poverty status.

At least, Dr M took preemptive measures a decade ago and saved our economy from spiralling downwards.....did any of you remember that our economy recovered faster than our neighours, including Singapore's, due to Dr M's brilliance? I remember that Lee Kuan Yew and others laughed at Dr M's unorthodox measures, but at the end, we had the last laugh. 

And I Got Tagged By CazzyCazz......

Yes, Cazz tagged me, but was kind enough to email me the whole set of questions so I can copy and paste without having to flip between her blog and mine to retrieve the questions. 

Thanks for pampering my laziness, Cazz!  :)  *hugz*

So, without further ado, let's proceed to the Q&A.

Name: Charlene

Sisters: 0

Brothers: 0

Shoe Size: 4....my feet are too small for my height, so I tend to tumble and fall like Humpty Dumpty down the wall.....

Height: 165.1 cm  

Where do you live: Kepong

Favourite drinks: Non-alchoholic would be coffee (any type), tea (Earl Grey), jasmine green tea, fruit-flavoured tea and Campbell's tomato juice. Alchoholic would be white wine, whisky, malibu, rum, ale and lager.

Favourite breakfast: Huh? What's that? Never had that before.....

Have you ever

Been on a plane: Yes....hate it, though. Airsick throughout the flight each time. Once, I used up all the airsick bags in an AirCanada flight and the stewardess asked me to reuse the one I had just puked into....yukk!!

Swam in the ocean: No, fearful of being swept away

Fallen asleep at school: Yes, and with eyes remaining opened so teacher couldn't tell....

Fell off your chair: Yes, at a friend's home dinner party.....what a laugh they got

Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: Yes, those were the days when you like someone and hope they will call.

Saved emails: Err, I don't delete emails...gmail has more than enough storage space.

What is your room like: A mess

What is right beside you: **turning to look** Err, a mouse?

What is the last thing you ate: Tofu and eggs

Ever had

Chicken pox: Yes, in my teens. What a horrible experience. 

Sore throat: Sometimes

Stitches: Yes, seven stitches when I was 26 --- was fooling around on the beach at S'pore when I caught my thigh on a potruding nail from a tree. I made the mistake of pulling free and a chunk of my flesh was ripped out. It looked like water melon flesh dangling there....

Broken nose: No, too flat to be broken.....

Do you

Believe in love at first sight: No.

Like picnics: Yes!

Who was, were

The last person you danced with: Hubby and Blackie the Cat

Last person who made you smile: Hubby

You last yelled at: Err, I haven't yelled for a long time leh.....

Today did you

Talk to someone you like: Not yet, woke up not long ago

Kissed anyone: Blackie the Cat, gave him such a big, wet kiss that he had to wipe it off with his tongue.....

Get sick: No

Miss someone: My cousin in US

Eat: Tofu and eggs for dinner last night, and today, will be frying beehoon for lunch later.

Best Feeling in the World: Haven't experienced it yet, but it would be to be a rich bum without a care in the world.

Do you sleep with stuffed animals: Yes, hubby......oops, sorry, but he's stuffed wtih food and is the size of a big teddy bear......

What's under your bed: Dust

Who do you really hate: People who are cruel towards animals

What time is it now?: 11.45am

Random:

Is there a person who is on your mind now: No lah, am thinking of my next meal.... :D

Do you have any siblings: No

Do you want any children: Not really, too much responsibility. I'm still a child.... :D

Do you smile often: Yes, like a silly clown

Do you like your hand-writing: No, it looks like chicken scrawl

Are your toe nails painted: Sometimes

Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in: No one's

What color shirt are you wearing now: White Snoopy pajamas shirt

What were you doing at 7:00pm yesterday: Cooking dinner

When did you last cry: December last year when my grandma passed away

Are you a friendly person: Yes, but can be quite shy with new people or large crowd

Do you have any pets: Yes, a cute tabby called Blackie 

Where is the person you have feelings for right now?: At work

Did the last person you held hands with mean anything to you now: Still holding hands with him la....

Do you sleep with the TV on?: No, can't sleep with it on

Have you ever crawled through a window?: Twice. Once in England, when I forgot to take my keys, and once in my old place, Le Chateau, to put the plants inside the planter boxes that were built inconveniently outside the window.

Can you handle the truth?: Huh? What truth? Isn't one person's truth another person's lies?

Are you too forgiving?: Hmm....I forgive and forget, but too forgiving? Is there a difference?

Are you closer to your mother or father?: Mother

Who was the last person you cried in front of?: Err, those who came for my grandma's funeral

How many person can you say you've really loved?: Hmm....too many to count

Do you eat healthy?:  I try to, especially if I'm cooking at home....

Do you still have pictures of you and your ex?: No, I moved so many times I have lost quite a number of things along the way

Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you?: Yes

If you're having a bad day, who are you most likely to go to?: Hubby & cousin

Are you loud or quiet most of the time?: Both!!

Are you confident?: Huh? A mixed-up, confused housewife who's having an identity crisis??

3 things I was doing 10 years ago: Worked for a lousy boss, got stressed and traumatized, and developed insomnia that has not gone away even now

snacks I enjoy: potato crisps and nuts

3 of my bad habits: I like to procrastinate, I get distracted easily, and I leave the dirty dishes in the basin for someone else to wash them

3 places I have lived in: Err, 4 leh....Penang, KL, Singapore and UK, not in that order, or course

4 people I tag: Lupie, Zee, Imann, Joyce

*Gals, take note....you've been tagged!!

** Lupie, this is the 2nd time you're tagged,  Cazz tagged you, too, but since you didn't do anything about it, I'm retagging you.....lols.....!!!

VEE The Kitten With The Education Fund

Vee is the beloved kitten of a friend of mine, DM. She is about six to seven months old. She has this fascination for picking up dead leaves, or rambutan skins and bringing it into DM's home. Her favourite is the potpourri that DM has in his home, at the bottom of the stairs.

Look at her trying to pick up this huge leaf that's almost as big as her!

VEE running to her hiding place with a piece of rambutan skin in her mouth!

But lately, since the Raya holidays, Vee has come to realize the value of money ---- she is now "stealing" DM's wife's money. Look at her running away with the RM1 note in her mouth!

Trying to shove a RM10 note into her nest of stolen notes.

While our Muslim friends gave and received Duit Raya, VEE got a total of RM13 as Duit Raya. Not bad, for a young kitten. Hope she knows how to manage her funds wisely and put it aside for her education fund.  :D 

Credit: All photos courtesy of Mr. DM --- you know who you are.... :D

Useless Me

It is confirmed that I am totally inutile. I have an account approved for link ads nearly a month ago, and I am still unable to publish them.

Their support team have written to me, and yet, I am still unable to produce the code that would enable the ads to be published. For the past two days, I have done nothing but worked on the code, but to no avail. The worst part is, I don't even know what's wrong, so their support team can't help me out. 

I am just a nincompoop. **sigh** I guess I finally have to admit that my cousin is the only bright one in the family....huhuhu.  :'(

The City Never Sleeps...

After spending so much money over the Raya holidays, hubby and I thought we'll go on a spartan lifestyle. So off we went to Taman Wahyu at Jalan Kuching for a cheap meal, the famous Fried Hokkien Mee.

Halfway through the meal, our friend TC called. It appeared that another friend, RL, wanted to buy us a drink at Little Havana, a Cuban-style restaurant and Latin pub located at Changkat Bukit Bintang. 

Incidentally, RL offered to buy me a cigar, but I had to decline because hubby thought cigars are for men, not ladies. Too bad, or I would have posted a picture of me puffing away like a chimney...LOLs. 

So, what was Little Havana like last night? There were more men than women, and almost all of them are Mat Sallehs. There was one Sarung Party Girl making her rounds, trying to pick up the Mat Sallehs there. 

What surprised me though, was that the quiet, unassuming Cangkat Bukit Bintang has usurped Bangsar and is now the happening place. When we left at 2:45am, the area was still very much awake and vibrant, with people milling around on the street, and cars going the wrong direction.

I guess traffic road system does not apply at graveyard hours. Either that, or insomniac vampires are above the law!! :D

Muffin The Toy Gorila

Guess what I've been up to these past few days? Creating another blog!!! Hubby says I'm so self-indulgent....hahaha.

The blog was inspired by a toy gorila that my cousin owns. She sent me a picture of it, and it kept me wondering what it would be like to see the world through the eyes of a toy gorila, if it were alive. 

Cuz, this blog is specially dedicated to you.

http://muffinthetoygorila.blogspot.com

Eating From Toilet Bowls

On Monday, it rained all day and night. Unable to hang out at the beach or Gurney Drive, we decided to check out Queensbay Mall, the biggest shopping mall in Penang. 

It is located at Bayan Lepas and is as big as MidValley MegaMall. The design is a bit similar, too, with the North Court, Centre Court and South Court. The anchor tenant is none other than the ubiquitious Jusco, while the usual big names that you find in KL make up the rest of the tenants.

But tucked away in a corner on the third floor, is a novel restaurant that you don't find in KL. Its T-Bowl, the "T" representing "Toilet". No, I'm not joking. This is the restaurant where you can poo right where you sit without having to go to the bathroom. 

The seats are real toilet bowls, and the tables are wash basins and bath tubs, albeit covered with a piece of glass. The proprietors even installed shower heads and shower curtains, to give you the ambience of eating inside a bathroom! And....the food is served in toilet bowls!!!

Patrons sitting on the toilet bowls eating from toilet bowls

The toilet bowl with the pink cover has a picture of a pile of poop

I opened two of the seats to check the cleanliness of the toilet. 

Note the shower heads on the wall.

And the food served in toilet bowls......

Hubby ordered baked cheese rice with fish fillet (RM13.90) while I ordered baked cheese rice with curry seafood (RM14.90). And the verdict? Yummy......(slurpppp)

GoodHope Inn, Penang

Good morning, everyone (yawn!). Well, not exactly morning, since it's 11:47am now. But hey, I just woke up an hour ago, so I'm entitled to my morning. My noon begins at 3pm and evening begins at 12am if you're interested (hubby says he has to teach me how to tell time la)....LOLs.

We stayed at GoodHope Inn, a place we've never tried before....I like to try different hotels just as I like trying different food all the time.

GoodHope is located at Jalan Kelawei, next to Evergreen Laurel Hotel. It is a modest 3 storey inn, modified from an apartment. 

What I like about it:

- It's clean and well maintained.

- Central and convenient location to Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus and town, where all the wonderful food is.

- Reasonable rate, at RM85 nett per night 

What I don't like about it:

- Parking is inconvenient. 

There's limited parking space......only ten cars can park inside the premises. The staff at the reception told us that we could park at the hotel next door, from 9pm to 10am the next morning, for RM2. He said they will reimburse us the parking fee when we check out.

On the surface, the parking deal looks ok. But being on holiday, we discovered that we do not wake up before 10am. We woke up at 10:40am the  next morning, and hubby dashed out to remove his car without combing his hair or changing. 

The next night we wanted to park outside the hotel at the city council parking bays, but were told that it's not safe to do so. Apparently, the chances of having our car's window smashed and broken into are very high. 

On the whole, we felt very inconvenienced. I guess it didn't help that it was raining cats and dogs and we had our shoes soaked wet in two inches of water walking from the car to the hotel.

What We Saw and Bought in Penang

Did any of you know that James Bond has a restaurant and pub in Penang? Well, I saw this pub and restaurant at Jalan Burma, just before the police station at Pulau Tikus. 

No, I didn't buy the restaurant, nor did I eat there. It was just after noon, and we wanted some of the great local food at Pulau Tikus.

But the night before, we had a chance to visit the night bazaar at Batu Feringghi and I bought a pair of cute slippers for wearing inside the home. 

It's only RM8 a pair, though I think the design was in 2006. But, who cares? I like cats, and there aren't any more up-to-date cat designs.

We're back!!

Mr & Mrs Potato are back!! And we just missed being stranded in Penang....heard it reported on telly just now that Penang is immersed in 1 meter high flood waters. I'm not suprised. 

It had been raining day and night on Monday, and by night time, some parts of Penang were already flooded (about 3 inches of water).  In fact, we were rather apprehensive that we might be stranded there and unable to make it home to KL today.

Well, more reports on my trip later.....got to go to bed now. **Yawn!**