Usage of the word "microwave"

A short snippet of the conversation which took place between myself and Val during lunchtime today:

Wern: 
I feel like going jalan-jalan la .. should I just drop by Giant?

Val:
YA! I feel like going jalan-jalan too!!! We're on the same microwave!!!

Wern:
What MICROWAVE!? Wavelength is it ?!?! I was thinking microwave oven !!

Val:
Microwave ... wavelength ... same la !!

*raises eyebrow*

Can someone please tell me .... who actually uses the word "microwave" liddat?
xx

Pick N' Brew

Early in morning it was, when I spontaneously smsed Debb the following: "Pick N' Brew?", and received an ecstatic single word reply ... "Yayyyyyyyyy !!!!!". Tried playing the devil's advocate by persuading Val into joining us as well but to no avail ... *duh ... what was I thinking by even bothering to ask*  Haha ......

As it was only noon when we met up, I brought Debb over to my hairstylist to dye her hair, which turned out really nice! Not too lalaa-ish, just the way I like it.

Whilst waiting for her, my itchy-backsideness took over ...... and now I have bangs! To-date, I've received various reactions ranging from "Very Niceeee!" to "Ugleeee!" to "Coconut Shell!" to "What! RM5 only to change ur hairstyle!?!!"   *s.w.e.a.t.* 

After "lepaking" at the hair saloon for 3 hours, we finally headed off to Pick N' Brew located in Glenmarie, Shah Alam. Despite it being our first time around that area, we managed to "stumble" into the shop, thanks to Debb's chun-ted sense of direction.

Myself (with bangs) n' Debb (with dyed hair)

Cafe Latte

Cafe Mocha

Opera

(slightly sweet but not overpowering - suitable for sharing)

Seafood Chowder

(tasted very good but slightly too thick for my liking)

We were regular customers of the One Utama branch before it closed down sometime last year. Trust me when I say that we whined for months everytime we were in One U looking for a chill out coffee place. Ai Lin, its all your fault !!

*Inside joke, we brought Ai Lin to Pick N' Brew one day and she fell in love with it immediately. Upon loudly announcing that she MUST bring her future boyfriend there to "pak toh", Pick N' Brew closed down a week later! If that was not enough, she started dating very shortly after that! So yeah, from then on, we were all convinced that Ai Lin had jinxed it and was the cause of the closure.*

Anyway, the trip was definitely worth putting in the effort for. The layout of the cafe was very comfortable and puts its customers at ease. As for the coffee, both the composition of the mocha and cafe latte were just right, giving it the perfect blend and taste each individual coffee was supposed to have, unlike other cafes which may even serve you burnt-tasting coffee.

Debb and I ended up chit-chatting and bumming on the comfy couch to read our books for the rest of the afternoon whilst sipping our coffee. It was great to spend this time alone with Debb again, something I've missed during the days we used to be apartment-mates back in Melbourne.

I hope we get to do this again sometime soon !!

Dum-dumness .....

Dum-dumness is really something not curable lorrr!!  I am living proof of that statement !! 

So, I've been trying out various recipes lately. Got my hands on this oven baked chicken wings recipe recently, and invited Ming over yesterday to be my guinea pig.

There it was, marinaded chicken (since the night before to ensure that the taste is infused into the chicken), brocolli and cauliflower with cheese, onions and mushrooms to be baked together ... all set nicely on the table. I walked over to the oven switch and "click"... "click" ... "CLICKKKKK .." ... and I was dumbfounded. THE OVEN IS NOT WORKING!!!! ArghhHhhHHH ..... *pulls hair*

Looked at Ming apologetically, and we headed out to ta-pau Bak Kut Teh. 

*Bawlssss ... Wern Ching, you are such a dum-dum.*

Nerdies ramblings

If anyone thinks for one second that I'm even a teensy weensy bit nerd-like, the below conversation (enhanced with a lil' touch of my own expression) is part of the reason why I am the way I am !

A humid Monday afternoon it was, when everyone was supposed to be W.O.R.K.I.N.G ........

Wern:

Eh, Val says its okay for us to shower at her house, provided she's allowed to charge us "bath tax".

Debb:

Bath tax? Tax only? What about the principal? Who's sponsoring that?

*raises eyebrow*

Joanna:

Hahah ok ... but she supplies shampoo + conditioner + facial + comb + body shampoo .......

Wern:

Her parents will sponsor the principal larh ...... parents paying the electricity and water bill wurt .....

Debb:

Val is such a tax nerd.

Joanna:

Mine is accounting standards.  She should set a standard for tax rates.

*Val joins in the conversation*

Val:

Eh ... I merely stated that cause in Japan, when you stay in hotels and inns, they will charge u bath tax! You all too much lor ... Bath house closed!!
I will go home and fry my own pancakes !!

*We're supposed to shower at Val's house after badminton n' adjourn to Paddington House of Pancakes*

Joanna:

BUT BUT BUT ... we're not Japanese! I am Hainanese!

Debb:

Bath house ... like Spirited Away? I'm a turnip?
Turnip's a funny word ... Wahahahaha ......

Joanna:

How is turnip funny? Isn't turnip a type of flower?

Debb:

No ! Turnip's a root / underground stem / rhizome thingy !

*trust Debb to come up with scientific-ish stuff liddat ...... *

Val:

Turnip is a legume !

*nerd alert .. beep ... nerd alert ... beep beep ... *

Debb:

I forgot about legumes. I think french beans are legumes. Lemme Google!

*Omg she's actually gonna bother Googling it ?!?!?!! *

Joanna:

Oei oei .. continue to talk liddat ... I will be very the slow ...
Cause I have to check the dictionary.
If its roots, just tell me plant roots. That I understand. 
What legume legume ... sounds like perfume for the leg !!

*WTH ... !!*

Val:

HAHAHAH ... I laughed so hard, I kicked my leg against the drawer !!!

Joanna:

Sorry my brain works that way.

*Jo, you're not the only one!! I'm lost too!!*

Debb:

Legumes are peas in a pod. Are you sure turnip is legume?

Joanna:

Oh turnip sounds like tulip .. No wonder I was confused.

*smacks own head*

Val:

Ohhhhh ... then I don't think turnip is a legume .....

Debb:

Turnip is a taproot. But I've never heard about taproot before.

Joanna:

Tap + Root = Tap ? Water ?

*thinks to self ... why do I have friends like this .... *

Val:

TAPROOT !! Never mind larh ... I know its food then can di .... most importantly it can be nom nom-ed ... though I don't like turnip.

And so, the conversation on turnips end here. Now, nerdy as I may sound here, for sole educational purposes:-

Rhizome:
In botany, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes may also be referred to as creeping rootstalks, or rootstocks. Example: Ginger.

Legume:
In botanical writing, it is a plant in the family Fabaceae, or a fruit of these specific plants. A legume fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a pod, although "pod" is also applied to other fruit types. Well-known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, peanuts etc.

 Taproot:
A taproot is an enlarged somewhat straight to tapering plant root that grows vertically downward. It forms a center from which other roots sprout laterally. Example: Dandelions.

And the nerdy conversation continues ...............................

Debb:

Eh by the way, I thought about the rain hitting the ground thingy ... only thing I can think of is radiation ..? Sublimation ... ?

*why suddenly got sublimation .. *

Joanna:

What topic are we in now?

Val:

I am eating bread. *nom nom nom*

*WTH totally off topic lor ......... *

Wern:

We were talking about something we studied back in high school.
During the day, the ground absorbs the heat.
So when it rains in the evening, it is humid because the heat "goes up".

Debb:

Evaporation lar !

Joanna:

It doesn't matter lor ... hot then on air-cond. 

*  S.W.E.A.T. ..... *

Val:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/evaporation

Yes Debb, it is correct !

Debb:

Literally, I am like the happiest person on earth now !!

You want me to draw a picture !??!!

And the conversation ends with the following nerdy fact of the day, courtesy of Val:

Can openers were invented 48 years after cans.

Cans were opened with a hammer and chisel
before the invention of can openers.

Reading through the above conversation again ... I am having second thoughts as to how smart ... or how dumb we are ......

Oh well, all is good. Now we all know whats rhizome n' taproot n' ..... ZzZzzzzzzzZzzZzzZ ............

.

How To Train Your Dragon

No, this is not a blog post for dummies who wants to learn how to literally train a dragon.

In reality, it is an animation recently released by Dreamworks which revolves around two main characters, Hiccup, a Viking teenager who lives on the island of Berk, and a dragon named Toothless.

*Picture courtesy of Dreamworks*

After all the buzz and hoo-haaaa about how great and fantabulous this show was, I couldn't resist dragging a few friends to accompany me to the movies @ Tropicana City. However, based on my own personal opinion (and it is possible because I am not one who is into animations), I didn't find the movie worthy of all the hype it has created. Don't misunderstand me. It is nice. Simple funny jokes with cute characters. But with a typical predictable storyline. For me, Wall-E trumps this movie any time any day.

Before the movie, a few of us met up earlier for a healthy lunch at Subway. After satisfying our tummies with sandwiches, the few of us actually split up to perform our respective "chores":-

1.  Nicholas and Ee Lin: Off to Carrefour to purchase beverages

2.  Teik Ooi, Yoke Mei and Dao: Off to purchase Ninja burgers

3.  Myself and Ming: Off to purchase smoothies from Bobalicious

And we all met up again at 3.15, along with KC and Foo, before entering the cinema.

Now, point of me bringing up the above scenario is because I do believe that in the past, had one person suggested to head off somewhere, the rest of the "group" would've just tagged along. It does go to show that as time passes by, peer pressure is no longer as significant in our lives. That people do change and start taking control of their own lives, making their own decisions and paving their own path through their journey of life as they deem wise.

And who is to say, which of the above 3 options, is better than the other?

Snowflakes

Situated in the strategic location of SS15, Subang Jaya (opposite Asia Cafe), Snowflakes is a dessert house jam packed with students every night. Ashamed as I am to admit this (considering the fact that I do stay like what ... 5 minutes away?!!), I was informed that Snowflakes has been around for a few years now, and its existence has only been brought to my attention like ...... a few months ago? *digs hole and buries head in the sand*

Since then, I have started patronizing this shop quite frequently to make up for lost time. So it was no surprise yesterday, when I received a phone call from Teik Ooi asking to meet up at Asia Cafe for dinner, to be followed by dessert at Snowflakes. Needless to say, my answer was an immediate "of courseeee ... noo problemmmmm..... " whilst smiling gleefully.

Happily trudging off to Asia Cafe at 9, my parking God blessed me with a parking space right in front of Snowflakes again! *wooo hooooo !!! 3rd time in a row k!!!* There, Ming and I met up with Teik Ooi, Yoke Mei, Foo, Aik, Sean, Nicholas and Ee Lin.

Snowflake's specialty - Taro n' sweet potato balls

Snowflake's second specialty ... super duper smooth grass jelly ......

A beeping UFO! When your orders are ready, the device will fly to the collection table and bring back your desserts for you on a tray !!! *lame attempt fails*

Basically, the device will light up and vibrate, alerting you that the desserts are ready for collection. Want to eat, exercise first la......

Look at the amount of people! Its crazy lorrr ... for dessert only lorrr ....
Thanks Loi for lining up! Although you got my order wrong ... *tee hee ... *

Below are a variation of desserts I've tried to date.

Grass Jelly series (cold) with taro, pearls and black sesame

Grass Jelly series (cold) with barley, pearls and sweet potato *two thumbs up*

Snowflake Bestseller (hot and cold) consisting of taro and sweet potato balls, grass jelly, pearls and ....... go find out yourself larh ... make sure I'm invited too k  (^_^)

Sea Amber Jelly - THIS IS DA BOMBB ... !! My ultimate favourite ....

Tohua series with black sesame seed. It is actually really REALLY super duper smooth.
The picture is cheating one ...
cause I'd already eaten half of it before remembering to capture a picture ... =_='''

Snowflake's latest addition, Ocha Balls. Don't try. Unless you wanna kena conned.com.

It doesn't have the slightest hint of green tea taste at all!!  :(

Game of the night:
Hangman! Aik, Ming, myself, Nicholas and Ee Lin totally owned!! Rematch anytime soon? *grinz*

Topic of the night:
Why are there 5 out of 9 of us unemployed!?! BAHH ... you lazy bum bums .. I wanna study tooooo .... :(

Happy, satisfied faces of the night

Korean House

Three something in the afternoon it was, when I received the standard 2 words sms from Ai Lin. "Korean tonight?". A simple sms, which brought a smile to my face. 

And so I instantly arranged for Valerie, Debbie and Ming to join us both at Korean House @ SS2, PJ (the row of shophouses behind the police station), at 8.30 for dinner. Yes, late it was, but only reasonably so as Ai Lin was coming from K.L. whilst I was headed down to PJ from Puchong.

Didn't take a picture of the shop, so this will have to do!

Considering the fact that the few of us were regular customers, we've never seen the shop quite so packed before. Thankfully, we managed to grab the last available table, plonked our butts on the seats comfortably and placed our orders quickly *hungry girls alert!*

The huge variety of side dishes provided, with the absence of the must-have Kimchi.

Managed to get it after Ai Lin's persistent requests.

Ming's herbal chicken soup thingy. It has one whole mini chicken inside lor !!

Kimchi soup - a must have in this shop.

Note: the soup is refillable!  (^_^)

BBQ pork and chicken - love it ~

The final side dish - steamed egg

I look forward to this EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

My makan buddies (Debb n' Val)

Just look at their happy faces awaiting the food's arrival.

Great food. Great company. What more can one ask for?

And so ..... the rambling starts again ....

The first entry on my "supposed-to-start-months-ago-blog"! I finally stopped procrastinating! WoOoOOo HoOoOO! *applauds self*

For those who already know me, you'd know that I used to share a blog with someone I perceive to be special in my life on www.tabulas.com/~Ming_ back in the days when I was studying in the University of Melbourne, feeling oh-so-young-and-free. When I finally returned to Malaysia, like any other fresh graduate, I was thrown into the environment of the harsh working world, and made a tough decision to stop blogging (yes, you may find it unbelievable).

As time passed by, my emotions were engulfed by the ups and downs which life presented. I guess, in all fairness, it is a normal phase every teenager would have to encounter through their journey of life, albeit on a different path perhaps.
 

And so, on a gloomy weekday morning a few months back, something lured me to start looking through my blog entries a few years ago. I was brought to the shocking realisation of how much I'd forgotten about my past and how much I'd changed throughout the years. But what stunned me the most, were the questions I had raised in the blog a few years back, and eventually answered in the subsequent years.

Yes, emotional I was then. With tears rolling down my cheeks, I vowed to start blogging again. To capture my memories and thoughts at a certain point in time, to be reflected upon sometime in the future. May it be sadness or happiness, it is a life I had led, and want to reminisce upon.

And so ..... the rambling starts again ....