My blog achievement

Oh boy! What a nice surprise it had been, and I'm referring to my personal achievement in blogging.

Firstly: Yesterday, was the first time anyone had officially read my blog and left a note in my Chatterbox Shoutouts! I neverthought anyone would actually read them, but someone did anyway! :-) Thanks to bluekoala (whomever you are) for being my first official guest. I'm so flattered.. hehe.. (*Hmmmm..* Maybe I should start installing one of those Site Meter thingy to check how many people actually checked my blog page!)

Secondly: Today, after so much fiddling with the HTML thingy in my template, and of course a bit of help from a kind stranger JP something to do with the command/tagging (whatever you people call it) write-up, I've finally succeed in re-positioning my pics posted here in the blog, and also made the text wrapped/filled around it. :-P I know to some people, it must be like a small matter, but to this such hopeless clueless soul, being able to to do that, and made it work too is ONE helluvabloodyfreakin' achievement, I tell you!

Boy it certainly feels good!!

say cheese..!

More of me.. (this one gonna be my actual profile pic, I guess)
;-)

my new profile pic

:-)

I've finally decided to do a comic image of myself, and pasted it in the profile sidebar section. I tried my best and I think it's the closest I could draw so it actually resembles myself, rather than turning out to look like some horrible disfigured face. LOL

I'm so proud of myself today! (A pat on my back) Hehehe..

The Vikings' Invasion

Hehehe.. That's what IKEA in Kuala Lumpur normally announced everytime they are having their annual sale. I wonder whether they still use the same theme in their print ad.

Anyway, getting to my point.

Yup, it's THAT time of the year again. IKEA here in Perth is having its sale too. *woohoo!* The sale has been going on for at least a week, but we've decided to NOT even think of going there, considering the possibilities of getting squashed in between the crowds who would also be there hoping to get some great bargains.

Not until last night anyway.

Hubby saw an IKEA ad in the day's paper featuring some table lamp we've been eyeing but just couldn't quite decide. So, we headed there and we were so lucky to actually GET a parking spot! After all, it was Thursday night late trading there (and don't even think of getting here on Saturday mornings.. it's a nightmare!)

We stood infront of the particular lamp, for a while but still weren't sure whether it would suit the guest bedroom. Good price but not quite the colour. And we nearly gave up, and started moving to leave the aisle when lo and behold, we saw another one called: Stalaktit!

One look and we BOTH agreed it was the one. The good thing about it was that it was NOT made of plastic at all. REAL steel base, post and semi-spherical shade, with REAL glass cover for the light globe. At AUD$19.90 we couldn't be happier.. and we got TWO of them! Haha..

Since the guest bedroom's done, we could now just concentrate on the Dining and Family area. Now, where can we find a decent looking modern design dining table..?! *hmmmm..* :-/

sad news

Received a txt message from my Sis yesterday saying there was a death in the family. It was my Mom's brother in-law who was involved in a nasty accident, involving a head-on collision with a bus from the opposite direction.

Talking to Sis (and also to my Mom) over the phone later that night, she said that they are all getting ready to go for his funeral early tomorrow morning.

I can't even imagine how dreadful the situation could have been at the scene of the accident. It would be such a horrible news to his dear family.

It's amazing how some news like this just made you sit up and ponder about our own mortality. Life's SO short and death could just creep up to any of us at any time.

At least it made me realised how lucky I am just to LIVE at this very minute, and also appreaciate more of the life that I have. Even the simplest thing in life seems to be so special in its own way.

Later last night as we were watching the late night news on TV, I looked at Neil as he was sipping his Horlick drink before bedtime (to help him sleep better), and it just made me smile. I know how lucky I am just to be able to have that special quiet moment together, just as special as any other days in our lives.

My sincere heartfelt condolences to my Aunt and the rest of her family..

The shortest day

Yup, THAT was the exact response I gave when I found out that last Sunday, was the shortest day of the year!

And I missed it! *D'oh!*

Not that it would make the day any different anyway. Obviously, on THAT Sunday, the weather had been rather OK, NOT wet, but not too unpleasant. And I was probably too busy getting on doing the usual stuff like I normally do on any regular Sundays: mostly NOTHING!

BUT, we did go out for lunch that day, having our English Breakfast meal (I know.. disgustingly unhealthy! Hehehe..), at Monte Fiore in Mt Lawley, before heading out to Karrinyup Shopping Centre window shopping (although we DID end up buying a duvet cover and 2 pillow cases at bargain price.. Hehe.. :-P How could we resist it?!)

Now, THAT explain why the day went by so fast without me even realising it.

The good thing is, winter is half way through, and just can't wait for summer. YAY!!
*mmmm.. summmmerrr..*

One huge book

We went to a book launch at Boffin Bookstore in Hay Street, earlier tonight. It started at 6pm, and was for the launch of the book: The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture (Comprehensive Edition).
This is obviously no ordinary book, I'd tell you.

It's bloody freakin' HUGE!

It's almost as big as the other book G.O.A.T (which actually stands for Greatest Of All Time), a special tribute to the all time super hero boxer Muhammad Ali.

So, I'll say this book (the one I went for its launch) is the equivalent of that, or shall I say it's the boxing book of architecture..?!

Not only it amazes me in its size (and sheer weight - watch out your back! LOL), it also so FULL of information (photos, plans, elevations, etc) of recent architectural work that has been completed. (Have a sample of how the book look inside in the image above.) What I like about it is the fact that every project is also listed in a location/key plan, which would give you a rough idea of where the particular building is located, thus giving you some sense of site context for better understanding. If only the publisher could squeeze ALL technical information too (all plans, elevations, sections, etc.. I know I'm being extra greedy here! LOL), then this book would be perfecto!

[And now that they've started with THIS edition (projects circa 1998 till 2004), they might want to consider releasing a prequel volumes showcasing other earlier architectural showcases (Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rohe, every single ones!).. all in similar format. THEN, I'll definitely be very tempted to start collecting them ALL (haha.. I am one helluva horder freak!)But then, I'd NEED to win some Lotto BIGTIME, first! :-)]

To quote a famous architect Zaha Hadid (which was featured in the leaflet promoting the book): "Now we need to reinforce the shelving!" Yup, it was THAT big. At 450x310mm (17.5 x 12.2 inches), and 812 pages, it ends up weighing 6.6kg (that's 14.5 lbs)!

NOT something you'd make an effort to lug around in your shoulder bag all day long, eh?! Hehehe.. :-P

I'd sure LOVE to lay hands on one of those though, but at the price it's offered: AUD$275 (UK£100)! *Sheesh!* Where am I gonna get such money like that?!

Anyway, browsing on the net, I also found out that thru Amazon UK, the same book can be obtained at UK£60! Now, THAT's a bargain I'd say.

Just need to find out whether they'll do delivery to Australia at no extra charge! ;-)

Happy birthday Rolf!

It's Rolf's birthday today. We both talked to him over the phone earlier tonight (and we even BOTH sang him a birthday tune! Hehe..), and glad to know he was slowly resting and taking good care of himself. He had a small birthday gathering the night before, with some 20-odd close friends and few bottles of wine, yet still claimed he pretty much behaved himself too! :-P

We both certainly missed him, and hopely we'd be able to see him the next time we visit Sydney.. soon..

Happy Birthday.. Rolf!

Love always,
A+N
xxxx

I'm so happy!

*wheeee!*

Hehe.. finally I figured out how to post a picture to my profile and made it appear on my blog. (Just gotta republish the whole thing, silly!)

Well, it's NOT my pic obviously, but still made me feel good after all the effort I've made.. ;-)

Beautiful day!

Finally, after been drenched and soaked wet for the past few days continuously, with the occasional thunderstorms and squalls, it's back to clear blue-sky and sunny day today! YAY!! :-)

But the cold days are far from over..

More strong cold fronts are expected further this week.. which means more rain and thunderstorm too. At least it'll be good for the garden. Luckily I got my very own HornyBear to cuddle me close and keep me warm in bed.. Hehehe..

*sigh..* That's heaven!

Shrek me, anytime

Watched the movie Shrek again, for the second time in my life after a long while, on TV tonight.

The first time was in TGV in KLCC, in 2001 with hubby, in one of his trips up to KL (this during our dating phase.. Hehehe..) And we enjoyed the movie too!

Surprisingly, the jokes still works, even after nearly 3 years since the last time we've seen it. Now, we're looking forward to re-live history, by catching the movie sequel, Shrek 2, when we're up in KL for our short holiday on July..

Isn't that romantic?! ;-)

Angels In America

From 8th-10th June 2004, the hit TV mini-series Angels In America was shown on ABC.

Oh boy.. what a ride it was. Amazing camerawork, great directing, superb performance from the all-star cast, and of course.. beautifully-written screenplay and musical score too. What more can you possibly ask for a TV show these days?!

I certainly had a blast time watching!

Too bad Neil missed the final episode since he was away for a work trip. Just can't wait to lay my hands on the soon-to-be-released DVD (and maybe the OST CD too!)

A real gem to keep!

What a life

Finally! I got Madonna's "American Life" CD.. And I thought I'd never buy it, since it wasn't quite UP to her normal musical standard.

But then, the offer at JB-HiFi in Hay Street Mall was just too impossible to ignore. At $12.99, hey.. that's the best price (el chepo! Hehehe) I've seen on that album so far.. so why not?! :-)

Had a few full run through of the whole album, and it was an overall a GOOD album, yet not quite on the par like "Like a Prayer", "Ray of Light", or even "Music". It's a tad bit too folksy, probably due to Madonna's new fascination in playing guitar. And, of course, there's the lack of a great dancy tunes in the album too -- or she's probably relying on some future remixes of those songs to cater for that.

And what made the album more disappointing was the fact when she decided to be politically correct, and cancelled the release of the music video to the first single "American Life", and replaced it with some LAME subtitute. HELLO!? Since when does OUR Madonna suddenly concern about how her political contents in her music, videos, etc might affect others?

THAT's when I think Madonna jumped the shark.

She should have stayed true to her original ideas and belief, rather than worrying about the possible impact of THAT (original)video might have on the possible WAR situation at that time..

Suddenly, Madonna 'the sophisticated', become Madonna the ol' fuddy duddy.. I wonder whether motherhood and her Kaballah's belief had anything to do with this current disappointing creativity output?

*sigh*.. I miss her old stronger self image, and I still haven't lost my faith in her. At least NOT YET!! Let's just hope she will get back to her senses, and concentrate to ONE thing that really made her big in the first place: great music!

I'll definitely be waiting for her next studio album, and am crossing my fingers too... VERY tightly.

Bunker Night

It was the first Friday of the month last night, and also the first time I (with my SO) went to the West Oz Leather's Bunker Night at The Bunker (Bar) in Mt Lawley.

We reached there right after I finished watching the movie on TV, and it was drizzling too.

Unfortunately, the place wasn't connected to the sauna like they would normally do, thus there wasn't much place to move around!

I think it's about time Perth getting more decent venues for gay men to visit and meet/mix with other guys. Where's the EXCITEMENT?!!

Oh, and we weren't even there for long. We left less than one hour after we arrived.. Hopefully it'd be better the next time around, in their other event.

Movie-craved me

Tonite I watched the movie, Evolution (starring David Duchovny) on the TV.

It was made in 2001, and I've always wanted to watch it before, but never got to do it. Until tonite..

And then, it just made me realized how I've been preventing myself from the joy of movie-watching that I used to LOVE and ENJOY so much back in Kuala Lumpur.

It's been nearly 2 1/2 years since I first arrived here in Australia (in January 2002), and I just realized how MANY movies I had missed!

Matrix Revolution. Yup, missed that.
Lord of the Ring 2 and 3. Hmmm, missed them both.
Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2.. Them too.
The Punisher. Same there..
Van Helsing. Ditto.
Do I need to go on here? :-/

And those are only the Blockbuster list. I haven't even get into the Independent/Art movies list that I missed!

Not that I have much choice anyway. The price of one movie ticket here is so damn expensive I could possibly watch 2 or 3 movies back in KL. I know I could never enjoy life here if I keep on doing the currency exchange thingy (it has been 2 1/2 years GODDAMNIT!!)

Otherwise, I do have the options of catching the movies when they are shown at a cheaper (half price? About AUD$5) rate in Piccadilly cinema in Hay Street Mall, but by the time any of the movies reaches there, I've already lost my interest.

And to watch on DVD's, I even had to wait longer! And we do NOT have any plasma screen TV at home, anyway (excuse me, THAT IS essential element in home movie-watching anyway.. right?!)

Maybe I should get a part-time job in a cinema..
*sigh*

Friends forever?!

I guess not.

And I'm referring to F.R.I.E.N.D.S. The TV show, of course.

Channel 10 showed an episode of Oprah last Monday nite (May 31st 2001, 8:30pm) where she interviewed the cast of FRIENDS (the first for their farewell final TV show).

The Americans had already been lucky enough to be able to watch the final episode, unlike the Australians who are still made to wait.. till whenever.

I know Channel 9's going to drag the schedule for the final episode as long as they can, and filling the current TV timeslot with endless reruns of the show.

There's nothing wrong with THAT of course, but what are they waiting for anyway? Until all the hype is gone, will they THEN decide to screen it? THAT'S so LAME!! (TV programmers are the worst of its kind in the whole world.. They'll always stuffed it up! *Damn!*)

So, it'll be a few more weeks (if I'm lucky) till I'd be able to see my dearest FRIENDS say their goodbyes. In the meantime, I'll just have to be happy with the reruns on telly.

On that note, come to think of it, FRIENDS do ended up being forever after all.. in syndication reruns! ;-)

To blog or not to blog..

It certainly feel strange reading your very own online journal for the first time.

What made it even stranger is the thought of other people reading your written thoughts, and probably made a quick judgement about the person who wrote them.

I still remember one time in the past (haha.. I'm THAT old!) when all written diary/journal are considered private and confidential (call me oldfashion! Hehe..), and ETERNAL DOOM bestows anyone who even dare laying a finger on those sacred thoughts, let alone reading and scrutinizing them..

Man, I feel OLD!

These days, it seems fashionable to actually HAVE people reading your journal. And these people are not even friends or family members to say the least. They are absolutely strangers! People you've never known, never seen, and probably will never meet either.. And you are supposed to get a 'kick' out of the whole process too..

Gosh.. I'm definitely SO lagging behind on this blogging trend.. :-/ Better catch up quickly!

Dear journal..

This will be my first posting in this journal. It certainly feel so strange after not writing a private journal for such a LONG time.

I mean, I'm not talking 1 or 2 years here..

When was the last time I wrote a diary anyway? *hmmm..* Probably in 1996! OMG.. 8 bloodyfreakin' years! Has it been THAT long?! And then, between 1999 and 2001, I started to use one of those 'monthly planner' diary format, just to have a quick note for schedules AND recorded moments in my life..

And finally here I am back in journal writing again.. this time online!

I hope I can keep up with this..