生病过新年

过年前，我一直期待这个牛年会带给我什么样的惊喜。结果是我大病一场，这算是惊喜吗？

我其实很少在过新年期间生病，几乎是没有这种记录。就偏偏在今年，还是在大年初一就开始生病。起初以为只是小病一场，没有什么好大惊小怪，结果我在连续3天赶场之后，初三晚上全面性瘫痪在床上，初四早上宣告失声。

我以为我已经很照顾自己了，去拜年只喝白开水，凡是煎炸的食物或是我觉得会让人发热气的东西都坚持一概不入口，strepsils不离口，结果还是逃不过强悍细菌的攻击。

这是我家摆在桌上的年货，不要问我哪一样好吃，除了蛋糕，我几乎都没有吃过其他的，吃过的也是食之无味。我的心愿是快快好起来，我想啃这些看起来好好吃的零食哦！

已经是初六了，我还没有吃过肉干，还没有咬到开心果，鱿鱼丝也还没有碰到，这像话吗？

Happy牛Year

Mooo...Moo...新的一年，这里有我满满的祝福。愿大家牛转乾坤庆团圆。

我的家人：谢谢爸爸妈妈养育了这样的一个我。在这特殊的日子里, 所有的祝福都带着我们的爱，愿这爱弥漫我们家的每一个角落，感染每一个人。我一直都知道，不管发生什么事，家永远是我最想靠岸的避风港。祝福我的家人一切安好。

我的朋友：感谢你们陪我一同笑过、哭过、疯过、精彩过。。。 但愿新的一年大家都活得更精彩。

我的同事：经济不好的状况，我们还能在同一艘船共同进退，很难得。愿大家新的一年更上一层楼。一起加油！

我爱的人和爱我的人：大家新年蒙福蒙恩。今年过得比往年好。

我的以撒：你什么时候才出现？如果你已经在我身边，可不可以和我说一声：新年快乐...？

Online Shopping

No matter my shopping purpose is for CNY, to reward myself for working hard all the while or just because of I cannot resist the great sales. I certainly agree that I am a typical gal who loves shopping very much. After the first phase, second phase, third phase till “N” phase of shopping, I found that the shopping satisfaction is just like infinity, no brake to stop it.

My shopping wave was sustained from common shopping in shopping complex to online shopping and I have had my first experience to purchase apparels through website last week. This is utterly a spanking new experience for me and I was astonished that I have done it. Apart from purchasing Air Asia ticket and hotel booking through website, I have never keen to make any other online purchase which is popular lately particularly among the young generation. Yeah, you can category me as an old-fashioned gal, I don’t mind.

Once I want to purchase something, it would be the greatest if I can see the actual thing, touch it, feel it, and try it… to ensure it’s really fitted me. Hence, I truly cannot accept any web love such as to start a relationship with a man whom I never seen and feel the actual of him.

But, but & but… this initial regulation of mine was void when I have completed my first online purchase and bought 2 blouses which you can view in the pictures below.
Left picture is from seller and the right one is the actual apparel I received. These 2 items cost me RM53 + RM4 of delivery fee by Pos Express. Online shopping is always cheaper than the real market, provided you can take the risk of likelihood to get a product which is not appropriate in size & quality or somewhat different from what you have examined in the pictures.

I know it won’t be the last and the only online barter I made yet more to come. I found it is cool, fun and enjoyable. One very significant thing to clarify, it is only valid for product and not for man.

中原小馆

好久没有诉说我的馋嘴日记，其实原因很简单，很多时候就是只顾着吃，忙着吃，而忘了拍照。
有几次要去坐落在Premier 101，靠近Choice Daily Supermarket的‘中原小馆’，可是每次都遇不到对的时间而一拖再拖。终于在昨天中午时间跟Teresa和Wenny去了。

计划好去吃简单的Brunch，结果来到这里因为没有Ala Carte Menu, 演变成我们吃了一顿比想象中丰富很多的Brunch。本来有意要离开此地到别处找吃，可是我们实在好饿，就决定点菜吃好了。

1。中原抄牌炒饭——RM6。去到新的地方，不知道要点什么饭类或面类，看见有‘招牌’字眼的很大可能性是好吃的。我点！没有失望。饭粒好吃就是上等的炒饭了，这里我最先评估的，再来就是配料够味。
2。Maimite鸡（去骨）——RM13。Chef's special, 所以就想试试。也是不错吃，有点像宫保鸡丁，淋上不知道什么名堂的酱，不辣。

3。Wenny点的双菇拼盘——RM12。我是mushroom lover, 简直是合我口味。里面还有我很爱的莲藕。
4。中原招牌奶油虾（去壳）——RM18。虾很新鲜，弹性十足，过瘾哦！不要看见好像小小一份，是有10条虾，算是蛮大条的虾，只是因为去壳，看起来很小份。

5。鲜果汁——RM5/杯。

食物口味中规中矩、价钱中规中矩、地点中规中矩。。。想和中规中矩的朋友中规中矩地吃一餐，可以考虑来这里。我个人觉得还不赖的，会不会是饿的关系？

营业时间：11:00am-2:30pm, 5:00pm-10:00pm.

Season of Ang Pao

Dong dong qiang… Chinese New Year is approaching. Everyday when I switch on the radio, I listen to the CNY’s songs; when I drove along the road, I saw a lot of red tang-lungs hanging here and there; when I dropped by in any Supermarket to buy something, I saw tones of mandarin oranges and loads of other CNY’s goods. Yup, I am not staying in jungle therefore I cannot isolate myself from these CNY’s atmospheres. Honestly, it has effectively accelerated my mood to look forward this CNY.

During the Christmas season, I mentioned that the second I anticipate the most is the feeling of unwrapping the gift and find out what is enclosed. Towards the Chinese New Year, should I say the thing I foresee the most is the feeling of opening the angpao and discover how much money contained?… Wahaha! Frankly, it was undoubtedly the moment I awaited for during my childhood time and it was my most vital objective to celebrate Chinese New Year.

Nevertheless, when I started to work, this mood has gradually reduced as I happened to receive less than 10 ang-paos per CNY. So pity of me! If I am not mistaken; I got 6 last year… yeah! Only 6! ! I cannot or to be more precise is I don’t want to visualize how is the condition this year since everybody is tighten up their stomachs due to the decisive economy crisis.

Basically, the way of giving out angpao in West Malaysia and East Malaysia is fairly different. I noticed this dissimilarity when I was studying in KL.

In West Malaysia, as long as you are still single & unmarried, you indeed have a right to get an angpao, and you can accept it without any awkwardness. In East Malaysia like Kuching, some families set their specs such as to give angpao only to the children under 12 years old, some with higher tolerance, their target will be below 21 or if you are still a student. Hence, a people like me, more than 21, worked for few years… the probability of getting angpao is approximately equal to zero.

More to the point, in West Malaysia, you are not only entitled to receive an angpao if you are still unmarried, and additionally you can get angpao from any of the married couples if you visit their houses during CNY. Huhhh…how marvelous & amazing! Sorry for my sakai-ness, it might be an ordinary practice in West Malaysia, but it is tremendously exotic in my place. I was told by my coursemate in few years back, if he is sooo good luck to go for visiting during CNY, e.g. from 1st day till 5th day or more, maintain 10 houses per day, he definitely can gain a handsome angpao’s wealth.

In East Malaysia, if you are more than 12 years old, you barely get any angpao from the people who are not your close relatives or not a very close friend of your parents. In West Malaysia, even you are 21, you still can get angpao from your classmate’s mom, from your friend’s mom, from your friend’s friend’s mom, from your friend’s neighbour, from your neighbour’s relative etc… or anybody you might dunno them but he/she is married and you just unintentionally follow your friend’s friend to visit them. All you need to do is just wish them Gong Xi Fa Cai with your biggest grin.

Good or bad? I believe this culture is only advantageous to unmarried populace; it would be a burden to those married couples. Yet it sounds fascinating to me, perhaps I should consider celebrating CNY in West Malaysia once before I get married.

汪洋一片的古晋

终于是雨过天晴了。好想念阳光的味道。

一连几日的大雨，阔别了四年之久的大水灾再次来到古晋。多个低洼的地区经不起大雨的洗礼，形成一片汪洋。灾黎们仿佛有了之前的大水灾经验而变得比较镇定，少了昔日的恐慌。然而，苦不堪言的表情仍然写在脸上。

在市区方面，水灾最严重的区域是石角，那是我老爸生于斯、长于斯的土地。由于老爸工作的关系，30多年前就搬离到另外一区，我们从小就没有住在那一区而不曾体验过水灾时的实况。（怎么说到我好像很想亲身体验？）

今天的情况已经有好转了，希望灾黎们可以赶快回到他们的家园。农历新年就快到了，希望上天能给古晋一个阳光灿烂的新年。

石角区的水灾情况。通往老爸老家的大路完全没有办法行走。
看见这样的情景，是不是欲哭无泪？有家归不得。

p/s 1: 谢谢来自西马半岛的朋友来电关心问候，虽然你们打来都是问我有没有被大水淹没。。。我很好，还没有被淹没。哈哈！

p/s 2: Photos from Edwin Lee

“裁员”滚滚来

美国在去年陷入经济风暴，牵动了全世界。‘裁员’这两个字仿佛成为了IT、金融和电子业不可忽略的重要词汇。就像噩梦一样恐怖，也像计时炸弹般危险。根据资料显示，美国现在去年有大约260万人在失业，也是自1945年以来最严重的一次失业率。如此动荡不安的经济环境，如同海啸般无情地蔓延至世界各地。好像没有一个人能不受影响，分别只有影响的程度到哪里？

最近和朋友聊工作时，已经不是像以前那样问：“你最近的工作顺利吗？”，取而代之的standard问题是：“你的公司有裁员吗？”真的，金融风暴的情况下，经济衰退已经是一个事实，造成裁员风也越来越激烈，老板们只能挥大刀“斩人”以节省开支。

在很多人因为这次突然侵袭的金融风暴而失业，我真的要由衷献上感恩。我庆幸我的公司没有受到太大的影响，很多公司裁员，我们偏偏还聘请人。我们的薪水照样加，我们的Bonus照样拿。我想，我要感恩自己在食品公司（面粉厂）上班，庆幸自己是Food Technologist，只要还有人吃面包、吃面、吃饼干。。。我们就不会倒。 可是我想不应该高兴得太早，很多事其实就很难去预料。

衷心为被裁员而陷入困境的每一个人祷告，要相信不管是什么样的逆境，只要抱着希望，一定会有明天。

还是要很流行的问一下：‘你的公司有裁员吗？’

我想说话而已

每一次来到新的一年，多多少少就会开始缅怀过去。回忆的东西不一定是美好的，也不竟然是遗憾的。

其实我最爱回忆的往事是学生时代的青涉岁月，无忧无虑，好多欢笑。学生时代好像都没有什么好后悔的事，除了我选择念理科之外。其实，都不是我选的，马来西亚的教育制度怎么那么怪，拿很多个A就非要选读理科不可吗？我觉得我没有很适合念理科，因为我现在希望自己是一位Accountant远远多于自己是埋在实验室里苦干的Food Technologist。可是我觉得自己又很矛盾，从Form 4开始念理科一直到Form 6，再到大学。。。我才有机会结识到所谓‘怪胎’的同学朋友，陪我一起走到今天。严格来讲，我好像又没有很后悔念理科。

我有很多同学因为我一时Digi，一时Celcom，一时Maxis而和我失去联络。从我有手机开始，我已经换了6次的电话号码，我不知道这样算多吗？不过怎样说都好，我也是超过三年没有更换号码了，因为学乖了。只要现在你的手机里面存的号码是D公司的号码，最后四粒号码是5919，没错！不要怀疑，是我的号码。我有一位同学很好笑，每一次我换手机号码都会sms通知她，她从来就没有把我以前用过的号码删除掉，只是换了不同的名字来记录。比如最早用Rebecca，然后用Becky，再来就是Becca等等，很多是她自己发明的。到最后她根本不知道到底我最新的号码是哪一个了，就干脆不联络我算了。这样的事如果让法官来判，是谁的错？因为她说是我的错。真的啦！之前的号码已经没有一个可以找得到我了，如果你不小心也有像她这样的习惯，拜托可以全部删除掉。

我发现在佳节的公假去古晋有大减价的购物商场走走很有益处。因为我在25/12/08和1/1/09这两天公假就无意中捡回好几个失去联络的同学。古晋很小，真的可以不妨一试。自从古晋有了TheSpring和Boulevard这两个大型商场，在非常公假的公假，很多本来是没有机会交错的平行线就因此遇上了。别说是我，连我妈也是在那两天和几个她N年没有见面的朋友见到面。

我发现我还不习惯活在2009年，我是慢热的，给我一点时间好吗？

跟2009年说：Hello

告别了充满感叹号的2008年，小心翼翼踏入2009年。2008年已经落幕，属于我的故事却没有因此而落幕，进入全新的2009年，我期待看见自己更精彩的乐章，为我的生命烙印更多不一样的故事。

2009年，我希望：

1. 我的家人朋友，身边的人包括我自己，身体健康，快乐多一点，伤心少一点。
2. 我在事业上尝试不一样的东西，希望自己的technical知识能提升。
3. 继续背包旅行，继续流浪到不同的国度。
4. 脸上的青春痘不要再长出来了。
5. 胆固醇指数可以下降到正常的水平。（不要怀疑，我真是是高胆固一族！）
6. 自己不会上瘾玩facebook, 我刚刚加入成为FB的大家庭（是有点落伍 ^_^），恐怖看见到那么多火热分子。
7. 油价不要上升，物价一定要降低，世界的经济可以赶快复苏。
8. 开始做运动（去年的愿望），我给自己一年的藉口了。
9. 利百佳可以预见她的以撒。
10. 自己是合神心意的孩子，继续进步、继续变得更好，一辈子都要荣耀神。

祝大家新年快乐... a very blessed year ahead.