A Quiet Day At The Office ...

Anyone knows of a good patch of grass? I'm probably going to have to live off it for the rest of the month cos I just saw the bill for my car! Darn, just what in heavens name did he change? At that price I at least expect the car looking like a Ferrari F30 or something.

Well, the car is fixed, for now anyway. I expect it to be behaving itself for a long while at least cos this time if it gives me any more grief I'm going to sell it to the scrap yard! I've had enough of spending my hard earned money on it and denying myself the simple pleasures in life like that nice cool sleek Xbox 360 I've had my eye on for ages ... hehehe ...

Well, my mood is so much better today even though it's been a hectic and busy day for me. We still haven't sorted out our staffing issues yet and I hope it gets sorted out real soon. I've got loads of work to complete.

'So, what are you doing blogging then?'

Hey, didn't you hear me say my mood is sooooo much better today? So, could you kindly butt out and go lie on a train track or something! Like I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, we still haven't sorted out the staffing issues just yet. And right now, my boss and me are alternating as receptionist, clerk and customer service all rolled into one, with her taking the morning session and me in the afternoon.


And boy, I am not liking it one bit. I hope we can get some new staff pretty soon or my work is going to be piled up so high, I'll need a ladder just to get to it. I never realized the amount of phone calls and inquiries, not forgetting suppliers who chase for their payments that we get in a day. I always took it for granted that someone else would answer the incoming calls. It's tough work answering all those calls and handling customer service and stuff like that over the phone. I must remember not to take anyone here for granted anymore ... LOL!

On top of that, I have no idea how the admin, or should I say previous admin people did their work here cos I have no idea where all their files and stuff are. But one thing I've realized is that the previous people were darn messy in what they did. Their tables and surrounding areas are such a mess and I hate messy places! It took me almost half the day just cleaning up their tables.

I am by nature a cleanliness freak. I can't stand a place being dirty and even in my own room in the office I tend to keep it neat and tidy. No matter how busy I am, the moment I finish whatever it is I was doing, I'd always put everything back in its original place. My table is always totally neat that sometimes people think I don't actually do any work ... LOL!

Even at home, I'm perpetually cleaning and sweeping the room, dusting the bed and the kids know better than to jump on it after I just made the bed. Even wifey is the same, she can't stand an untidy place especially when it comes to our room. We always keep it neat and tidy. There are times that I've been known to wash the bathroom at 11.00 or 12.00 midnight just cos it looks dirty to me. I just can't wait till morning.

I've always been a cleanliness freak since I was young. Out of all my cousins, I had the cleanest and tidiest part if the room (we used to share rooms when we were little). And sometimes they'd dirty their side so awfully that I'd go and clean up their side too cos it just hurts my eyes looking at their mess. After awhile I think those pesky rascals just purposely kept their side dirty cos they'd know eventually I'd clean it up for them. I knew I was being suckered but I couldn't live in a pigsty and that's just what the room would be if I left it dirty for too long.

And that trait has stuck with me till this very day. Even with my car, I used to wash it every other day and cleaned out the carpets inside every morning. I couldn't stand to see fingerprints on the windows and if I had just washed and waxed my car, I would make everyone dust their feet before even thinking of stepping foot inside. And wifey and the kids would be warned not to touch the windows ... LOL!

Well, that was quite a while ago. I must shamefully admit that of late, I've been neglecting the cleanliness of my car, I guess that's why it breaks down on me so much. Maybe it's craving for attention ... LOL! OK, baby, I'll start taking good care of you again. I'll wash and wax you every weekend and I'll scold anyone who touches your windows, okay baby? Wait a minute, didn't I just say my car was a guy car? Ewwww, what am I saying? LOL!

Anyway, it's my turn at being receptionist, clerk and customer service at the office now and I'm all alone here but I must say it is kind nice and quiet. I just might start getting used to this ... LOL! And since I'm all alone here, no one is going to disturb me while I work on this colon cleanse assignment that I have, well unless of course the darn phones start ringing again!
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The Jack Of All Trades

The week is turning into one crazy and weird one and it's only Wednesday. What did I do to deserve such a fate? Why me? Haven't I been a good little boy so far? I haven't done anything evil or mischievous for months, well, lets not count dumping that booger into my clients drink last week ... hehehe ...

Actually I'm not the only one whose week is turning out bad. My boss is also having a pretty lousy week so far. Practically everyone (which wasn't much to begin with) has decided to quit working here! Yes, quit for no apparent reasons and some with some pretty strange reasons even. We're not a huge company, just enough people to make the operations run smoothly and when even one takes off, it cogs the system some.

Right now, including my boss, her driver and me, there is only one other staff left and that is going to be a huge problem for us right now. I have absolutely no idea why the heck they all decided to up and leave and neither does my boss. I've just got a new project from my banking client and with no staff, that is going to be a great big problem for me. Darn, I must have done something really bad in my previous life.

Ok, before you all go saying that maybe the staff are not happy working here, the pay is lousy (well, in a way it is), the boss is fierce (only when you screw up, but then so is every boss), the planet mars is not in conjunction with Venus or something, the working environment here is pretty flexible and not really that stressful so it's come as a total shock to me for this to happen. As long as you do and complete your work, you can do pretty much anything at all and the boss is okay with it, even blog ... hehehe ...

There was no sign of any of this happening at all. When work started on Monday, one of the girls didn't turn up for work, but that was not something unusual cos she tends to do that quite a bit. As usual, she doesn't answer her cell, which is also nothing new. We're used to her ways. So we let that be. But until today she has not returned to work!

Then, a little later in the afternoon, another 2 guys who just came back from some appointments, decided to leave all their office stuff on the reception table and walk out. No reasons given, no explanations, nothing. They leave just like that. Things are beginning to start looking weird.

Then yesterday, another girl decides not to come in saying she needed to settle some accident matters that she had a few weeks back with the police. She was supposed to come back to work in the afternoon but she never turned up (which wasn't all that surprising with the way the police department works over here). But calling her cell to find out turned out to be useless cos she never answered.

Ok, guess she's not going to come back for the day. Never mind. Then today, she texts my boss saying that her husband has restricted her from working and has confiscated her car keys, house keys and everything. WTF? That has to be the weirdest story I've ever heard in my lifetime and I've pulled some gems before.

I'm already suffering as it is. There is practically no one in the office except for my other colleague and he has stuff to do outside. So I'm stuck in the office today playing the parts of a clerk and receptionist on top of my own load of work which has now just quadrupled. This is crazy, really crazy. I'm still in utter shock that everyone just decides to leave at the same time.

And on top of that, my car repair bills is just sky rocketing. The car still isn't fixed yet and the mechanic says he needs to change this and that and also that, oh and not forgetting this too, and it looks like the cost is going to sky rocket from its initial quote. I'm probably going to be eating grass next month. Wait a minute, I am already eating grass!

Maybe I should seriously look into getting a new credit card or something. I'm sure there are a lot of balance transfer cards that I could look for out there, something that will give me a better deal with an even better credit limit with reasonable interest rates to help out in times like these. And I know just where to look to compare credit cards online. None other than Better-Credit.com! They have loads of data on credit cards that you can run a comparison on just which one would suit your needs perfectly. I'm definitely going to check them out.

What a week it's turning out to be. I'm hoping nothing more serious happens anytime soon cos I don't think I could take anymore crap like this. I'm on the verge of exploding and screaming my lungs out but I suppose that wouldn't really do much good would it? I'm going to post this now, go outside and take some long deep breaths and then come back in and continue whatever work I have that's piling up already. I hope you guys are having a much better week than I am.
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The Road Trip ...

What can I say? Mondays are evil and should be banished to eternal damnation for all eternity. I swear Monday's just come snickering around waiting to pounce on me every single darn week! Please, bear with me while I scream my lungs out here in the blogsphere:

'ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'

There, that felt much better. Not that it's going to improve my mood for today one bit, but it felt better! And part of the culprit for ruining my Monday, in fact my whole week even is my wonderful car! Yes, that bum again. My car is a guy so I can call him a bum!

It's started giving me it's usual mechanical headaches again. You know, sometimes I don't know whether that car hates me or likes me? I can't really tell the difference anymore. For one thing, he tends to run just fine when I'm short of cash, but the moment I get my hands on some extra cash, the bum can instantly smell it and would start acting up.

That's why I really can't tell if he likes me or not. I mean, he will almost never break down when I'm short of funds and would only act up the moment I have extra cash with me. It never fails, not ever! Now, you could read that as my car being nice and considerate to me. It doesn't want me to suffer by breaking down when I'm broke and so it waits till I have money and then it breaks down. Or you could look at it as having a dementedly mean streak and just love seeing me spend whatever extra money I have on him.

What do you think? You think my car likes me or hates me? Which is it? Come on, speak up already ... LOL! I'm confused. I'm leaning more towards the part that he hates me, he has this sick demented perversion of seeing me part with my hard earned money on him. It just can't let me spend my money on more important and practical things like a Sony PS3, an Xbox or something. What? Those are practical stuff, ok :D

Anyways, the darn demented evil thing is at the mechanics at the moment being fixed for something really expensive and I'm carless for the whole day or maybe even two. I hate not having my own transport. As silly as this may sound, I seriously have no idea how to take a taxi or even a bus over here! Yes, it's true.

Ever since the day I bought my first ever car, I've almost never taken a taxi or a bus. If I had to send my car for repairs back then, I'd always borrow a car from a friend or even the mechanic for the duration of the repairs unfortunately this time there was no spare car available. If the car isn't fixed by today, I'm going to have some major difficulties getting home. I should have brought my running shoes and just run home after work ... LOL!

I'll probably try and borrow the office van just to get home and back to work the next day seeing as how the van isn't used by anyone after office hours and is just parked here outside my office anyway. It would sure beat having to figure out how to get a taxi or even a bus ... hahaha ... I told you I was really serious when I said I didn't know how to use public transport.


Maybe after it's fixed I may take a nice sabbatical from work, grab the family and go on a road trip driving around in Germany or something, you know, maybe visit a few of the more famous cities like Berlin, Frankfurt, Köln or even Munich. It sure would be a great thrill to take my junk of a car and cruise along that famous Autobahn they have. Though I doubt if they'll let a car as slow as a turtle on that high speed motorway ... hehehe ...

Well, if they don't allow me on their Autobahn's, then there's always the other federal roads like the Bundesstraßen that I could mosey along and tour the country. I'm sure they'll let me on those roads. Accommodations shouldn't be too much of a problem cos there are loads of Berlin Hotels, Köln Hotels, Frankfurt Hotels and even Munich Hotels that are conveniently located for last minute travelers by road. And I would really be tempted to actually go on a road trip if I wasn't afraid my car would fall apart on me the moment I drive out of my driveway! LOL!
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You're Simply The Best!

Before I start with my long winded postings, I'd like to wish all Mommies out there a beautiful Mother's Day. And to you, my beautiful wife and mother of two hyper active boys, I'd especially like to wish you an even more beautiful and memorable Mother's Day. Me and the boys would like you to sit back, kick up your feet and just rest on this wonderful Sunday while we do all the work for you. Tomorrow you can clean up our mess ... LOL!

Wifey and me didn't really celebrate the occasion today. We just went to church, headed to Carrefour and then came home. No fancy lunch was planned and no romantic dinner in the pipeline for later. Don't worry, I'm not being a cheapskate like always am ... hehehe ... We're both on a diet remember and it's exactly 14 days since we've been on it and we don't want to ruin it just yet. Besides, it's not easy finding places to eat when you're on a diet.

But that doesn't mean she didn't get anything. Well, she thought she wasn't going to get anything cos the whole week leading to Mother's day, I gave this totally unconcerned and uninterested attitude towards the occasion. When all the while, I had my scheming mind working on what to get her. No way was I going to get her flowers cos as much as it may seem romantic and all, the darn things die and besides, I wanted the gift to be a surprise from the boys as well.

Actually the boys didn't even know I was planning to get a gift for her from them. I had to keep it that way cos my younger boy cannot and I mean absolutely cannot keep secrets. Which is a good thing cos if he does anything bad or mischievous, no matter how hard he tries to hide it, he'll always blurt it out eventually. So I just had to keep this a secret from them as well. Now, the hard part was figuring out something practical that wifey would like.

Wifey, thank the good Lord, is not the jewelry loving or the expensive gift kind of person (well, maybe she knows what a cheapskate she has for a husband ... LOL!). She's the kind who would appreciate a more practical gift. I finally thought of the perfect present for her. You see, wifey loves reading too, just like me. And one of her favourite authors is Sophie Kinsella. So I thought why not go and buy her one. Not the worlds most expensive or romantic gift, I know, but I'm sure she'll enjoy it.

On Friday, after lunch, I told wifey I was going out to the mechanic to have my car looked at (it's giving me some major grief right now, but that's a post for another time) when in true fact I went to search for her gift. I had to tell her this little white lie cos normally if I say I'm heading back to the office, I'll always log on to my yahoo messenger the moment I reach the office and chat with her (I just can't get enough of her ... ok, you guys can stop rolling your eyes now ... LOL!) and she'd be suspicious if I didn't log on, seeing as how it would only take me 5 minutes to reach the office.

So, there I was at the bookstore comparing Sophie Kinsella books, there were a few titles and I didn't know which to choose, when suddenly I see some of the other customers giving me this weird look. They look at me, then look at the books I have in my hand and look at me again. Oh my god, I suddenly realized. There I was, dressed in jeans and tee shirt trying to look as manly and macho as possible checking out a host of girly Sophie Kinsella novels! Geez, I could imagine what was running through their minds! I quickly make up my mind, decide on a title, pay for it and head the hell out of there in a flash. There goes my manly macho image ... LOL!

Anyway, after that pretty embarrassing incident, I head to the office and make a card for her. I never buy cards if I can help it. What's the use of working in an advertising agency and having to buy cards when I have the resources to make my own right? Ok, ok, I'm a cheapskate, I know! So, the next morning, yes, I actually thought Mother's day was on Saturday (I told you I'm not a very bright person) I called my younger boy upstairs and gave him the gift and told him to go give it to mommy and wish her a happy Mother's day. He looks at me a little puzzled (probably wondering why I'm giving wifey a mother's day gift a day early), shrugs and heads to the kitchen and gives the gift to wifey. I love the look of surprise on her face and she liked the gift so much that she finished reading the book in one day! LOL! Oh and she never realized that I thought Mother's day was on Saturday ... hahaha ...

And she admitted later that she wasn't expecting anything for Mother's day. And that she was really surprised and happy when she did get something. Guess my being uninterested about the whole occasion worked like a charm :D Maybe I should take up acting or something ... hehehe ... I just love doing something she totally doesn't expect. It makes the surprise all the more nicer, don't ya think?

And honey, before I end this post, let me tell you that the boys and I appreciate everything you do for us all year round. For taking care of us 3 kids ... hehehe ... for the love you shower upon us and for the times you shout at us for messing up the place and behaving like little children ... hehehe ... we just want to say that we LOVE you very much. You're simply the best! And maybe next year I'll surprise you with some religious jewelry instead! Now, that would be a real surprise ... LOL!
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Oh Happy Day ...

Saturday. I've always loved Saturday's and today is no exception. I slept in a little, well as late as it was possible before my younger boy pounces in the room and starts demanding for his breakfast, that is. It's become such a weekly Saturday occurrence that I'm used to it.

As usual, the first things that wifey and me would do is head to the PC and check on our blogs, emails, and see if we have any assignments in our inbox. Well, I do have quite a few, so that's good news, more money to be made for me. So, while wifey was having her turn at the PC, I looked out the room window from upstairs and saw this moving lorry downstairs at my old hag neighbours house.

Ok, most of you who read my silly postings here would know of my ongoing predicament with both my neighbours, the Neanderthal on the left and the old hag on the right. While the Neanderthal has become a much nicer neighbour in the months that he's been here, the old hag has gotten from bad to worse. And there are many a times I prayed for the earth to open up and swallow her whole.

Anyways, back to the lorry downstairs. The van reverses and parks itself in the neighbours driveway and I see them start uploading furniture into it. I let out a squeal of delight.

'They're moving, honey, they're moving!'

I excitedly tell wifey. You could see the delight in her face too. What a glorious Saturday this is turning out to be and it's only 11.00am :D This may not be nearly as good as the earth opening up and swallowing them but it almost as good. They've been, well the old hag really, giving us loads of grief for the past year or so with her selfish and irrational actions that I've felt like strangling her many times over.

I'm going to enjoy the day standing at my porch and patiently watch the mover upload everything in the lorry. I think I'm going to make myself a nice tall glass of orange juice, grab a book and sit outside my porch and watch the moving process and when that moving lorry finally leaves, I'm going to stand up and give it a big round of applause. Good riddance I would say. There really is a god that looks out for silly old grouches like me ... hehehe ...

The only thing that frightens me is that maybe the new people who move in here are worse off than them. Ok, you god that looks out for silly old grouches like me, please, oh please make my new neighbours someone decent. Not someone who was just released from drug rehab or something. And if it wouldn't be too much trouble god, please make my new neighbour Jennifer Garner ... hahaha ...

Wifey: 'Honey, you're hallucinating again, it's time for your medicine already!'
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Me & My Headaches ...

I know I shouldn't be blogging right now. In fact I shouldn't even be staring at the PC at all. I've got this horrendous throbbing headache since early this afternoon. But I couldn't help myself. I'm kinda free right now and I just couldn't sit here in my office not doing anything at all, especially not touch my PC and check my blog, right?

That would be blasphemous wouldn't it? Having free time and not blogging! And using something like a headache as an excuse! Shame on me if I did ... LOL! So, here I am, with this pounding at the back of my head that feels like I have Gloria the Hippo from Madagascar and those pesky Lemurs (is that what they were?) doing a jig on my head and going :

'She likes to move it, move it,
We like to move it, move it,
You like to move it, move it ...'

I actually knew I was going to have a headache later in the day the moment I woke up from sleep this morning. I can sense stuff like this. The instant I woke up, I felt a little heavy in the head and that to me is normally a sign of a headache later in the day. And I was not proven wrong (as much as I wish I had been) cos somewhere around 10am or so, I started to feel the first tiny throbbing of the beginnings of a major headache.

Since young I've always been able to tell when I would get a headache, it's like a little talent that I have (albeit a really stupid one) and normally I'd pop a few painkillers to keep them in check before they hit. But I've taken so many of them in the past that I've grown immune to them. Bad, I know, but it's too late already.

Back then, whenever I had a headache I would only need one or maybe 2 tablets to suppress the pain, now even 4 at one go is not effective and I've just given up taking them, unless the pain is totally unbearable. These days I just get wifey to give me a nice massage and most of the time it works so much better than any painkiller I know. Unfortunately this time it didn't work.

She did give me a nice massage this afternoon when I was home for lunch and the pain subsided a little but it's back with a vengeance. I guess I'm going to pester her again for another massage when I get back in the evening ... hehehe ... I'm glad I don't get this headaches too often. Most of the time it happens when I sleep too long or I don't get enough sleep at nights, which is really seldom for a sleepy head like me.

But back when I was a kid, I used to suffer from head splitting migraines. It it used to occur quite often that I'd even miss school, which wasn't a good things cos I'd be laid up in bed in total darkness (well, as much darkness as could be achieved in the afternoon, that is) with all the curtains drawn and suffering in pain. And I was only about 9-10 years old at that time.

My mom took me to the hospital to actually get me checked out cos she was afraid it was something more serious, which thank the good Lord, it wasn't. And in time the migraine totally vanished and I was glad that it did. It really gave me such a horrendous time. I could remember all my cousins would be playing happily or watching TV and I could not join them cos every move I made sent loads of hammer like pain shooting through my brains (what little I had anyway). I wonder if my mom had taken out any medical insurance for me back then?

The worse thing about a headache is actually getting one and you're not able to do anything about it cos you're in the midst of work and have no access to painkillers or in my case, wifey's magic massages. I remember about 2 or so years ago. We were in the midst of preparing a parade float for the the national day celebrations for one of my government clients.

On the eve of the event, we had to transport the almost completed float all the way from Petaling Jaya to Putrajaya. As the float was a darn big and slow moving vehicle, we left like 12.00am in the morning when traffic was light. It took us almost 6 hours to travel from point to point which would normally take no more that an hour tops with a car.

I didn't get enough rest, enough sleep, enough food for the entire time I was there (3 whole days) and we were like in the middle of Putrajaya, our administrative capital where the parade was going to be held and that godforsaken place is famous for not having anything at all and that was when this huge and I mean really HUGE headache decided to keep me company for the duration of the three sleepless days I was there.

I didn't know where to find a pharmacy to buy any painkillers. None of my colleagues and production crew had any and on top of that the client was there to oversea the final preparations and she was a BITCH with a capital B! I was in pain throughout. I could feel my head throbbing. It really felt like it was going to explode and I thought I was going blow a blood vessel in my head and collapse right there .

That was the worst headache that I had to endure for 3 whole days and nights that I can hardly remember how I drove home safely after the whole thing was over. All I know is I reached home and slept for an entire day and a half without waking up at all. From that day onwards, it thought me a lesson that I needed to always have some painkillers in my car at all times.

In fact I think I'd better go check if I still have some cos my headache just picked up a few notches already. And I seriously better step away from this PC as well or the glare is just going to make things even worse for me. Honey, you'd better have those magic fingers of yours all ready for me when I get home cos I'm sure going to badly need that massage of yours!
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Monsters Are Made Of These!

I was not intending to post anything at all today. But then I was blog hopping a little earlier and came across this very sick post that made me seethe in anger that I wrote about it in my other blog, Spiff. And I just couldn't not write about it here too. I'm still in rage and I need to let it out and also send a warning to every parent out there with little girls.

What I'm talking about is something I read on The Obnoxious 5xmom's blog about this pedophile named Albert and here is what she had to say:

Moms with young daughters, watch that you do not have this stalker name

Albert

who may use some other extensions like the year 1951

and carries some hotmail account like

alvertxu2007may

and suspiciously comes from |219.95.3.179

lurking in your blog.

Take this as a serious warning because this pedo is keeping a very repulsive, sick, perverted blog which contains pedo matters and adult contents.

The blog is here : albertxuling2007.blogspot.com/

I went to this so called blog and what I saw and read in there was so repulsive that I was glad I didn't have breakfast or I would have puked it out all over my keyboard! I don't recommend that you go visit his site but if you do, please be forewarned that what you see in there is very sick!

It's no wonder that the world is what it is today with people like this living among us. He claims that it's only a fantasy of his to be with young girls. WTF! He claims he wasn't serious and it's only a joke. Yeah, right! I think if given an ounce of a chance, he'd fulfill every one of his sick fantasies in a flash!

I sincerely hope the authorities arrest this monster (apparently he's local cos his IP address is a fixed streamyx address) and lock him up for good. Throw away the key even! I have no tolerance for people like this. Children are sacred and no one has the right to violate them, fantasy or no fantasy.

Please people, take heed of this message and keep an eye on your kids. The world is no longer a safe place with monsters like this living among us!
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The Diet. Part II.

It's been close to ten days since I've been on my diet and I'm happy to say that I'm still alive ... LOL! I never thought I'd actually go through with it for this long cos in the past I've tried to go on diets before and they never last for more than 3 days tops! So nine whole days is a big achievement for me.

(*pats self on the back*)

And the amazing thing is, for a rice bucket (or a 'fan thong', as Cindy puts it) like me, I never thought I'd be able to give up my rice meals. But I have and for the past nine days, I've not touched a single grain of rice! Woohoo, I am so happy. In fact I think I've lost a few centimeters off my waist line already cos my jeans fit all that much more comfortably now and I had to buckle up my belt an extra notch!

(*doing the happy jig on my desk*)

When I first started this silly (back then it was) notion to join wifey with her diet programme, I didn't think I'd be able to give up a lot of my vices like my rice, my junk food, my greasy burgers, my fizzy drinks, etc, etc. It was REALLY hard initially. I kept craving for rice. I've never gone without rice for more than a day in my entire life so you can imagine the withdrawal symptoms I was going through.

It was hell coping the first few days. I already put my foot in my mouth and told wifey that I'll stick with her on the diet through thick and thin and with a promise like that I'd look like a loser if I gave up. So suffer I did the initial few days. We ate nothing but salads the first 3 days and I was practically hungry most of the time. The fact that I had images of steaming hot chicken rice and deliciously mouth watering nasi lemak (rice steamed in coconut milk) didn't help all that much.

I was screaming for my chicken curry, my beef rendang, my fried eggs, my greasy burgers, my junk food. I thought I'd lose my mind. I was craving for all these rich and fattening food that I would have even eaten ostrich feathers if it was offered to me. Slowly but steadily my system started getting used to my change in eating habits. I started to lose my cravings for rice. I stopped thinking about all that glorious food I was missing and actually started enjoying my new found healthy meals.

Soon, wifey and me started preparing different menus, we alternated between the salads and started making chicken sandwiches with wholemeal bread (I used to actually hate wholemeal bread!). We'd boil the chicken and then shred the meat, well wifey anyway cos I'd put the whole chunk of chicken meat in there, add our lettuce and stuff and we'd have that for dinner. Oh and I'd also have chicken soup from the chicken we boiled. And that alone filled us up considerably. And without having a single grain of rice at all :D

And you know what? I actually feel so much more perkier these days. I don't feel bloated after meals anymore and I don't feel as lethargic as I was before. So I guess the dieting and change in the way I'm eating has helped a lot. And the best part is I don't crave for rice or junk food anymore. That was by far the hardest thing for me to achieve in this diet programme I'm on. But I'm glad I stuck it out.

The only drawback with this whole diet thingy is finding places out there that caters to what wifey and me eat these days. Almost everywhere you look, there isn't really any restaurants selling healthy meals out there. And I don't blame them, people wanna eat good food, not some salad or things that don't taste good, right? Take for instance last Saturday, we went to Sunway Pyramid (I kinda love the place after the built the new wing, makes it feel like Mid Valley) and when it came for lunch, we couldn't find anything that would cater for us as a family.

We had the boys with us and we couldn't like force them to go some place and eat salads, they'd cause a riot. Those two are the chicken, burgers and fries kinda kids and fast food was definitely a no-no for wifey and me, well, not at this stage anyway when we're just getting into a nice pattern with our meals. So, there I was, walking around the entire food wings of Sunway Pyramid looking for something that would please all of us.

And with the boys complaining of hunger and threatening to start a picket, we finally settled for Kenny Rogers Roaster cos that was the only place I knew where the kids would get what they want and we could get our salads. And to be honest, I wasn't really happy about it cos the salads were way too sour and the soup we ordered were way too lumpy though the boys happily gobbled up their meals. And the price was pretty steep as well. It cost us close to RM100 for the 4 of us. And to think Kenny Rogers Roasters started out as a fast food joint!

But what I really like about this whole diet thing is the fact that wifey and me will prepare our meals together. She'd prepare the boys dinner earlier in the day and wait for me to get home and only then we'd both prepare our own dinners together. I just love helping her out in the kitchen and it so much more fun dieting this way with the two of us prompting and supporting each other. And we're going to start running together pretty soon too, she just needs to get a new pair of running shoes, come to think of it I need a new pair too. Isn't it great being healthy and having someone to share that passion and drive with? :D
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I Want To Be A Superhero!

When I first heard all those months ago that they were in the midst of making Iron Man, the movie, I was overjoyed. I couldn't wait for it to be released. I stopped whatever it was I was doing for LifeInsurance.com and immersed myself in countless trailers or snippets of the movie I could find out there. I searched for any information I could find about it. I'm a huge comic book fan and seeing your child hood comic book heroes come to life is a dream come true.

When Spiderman first came out I was overcome with emotion when I went to watch it, and watch it I did for so many times that I can even recite Tobey Maguire's lines from start to end ... LOL! I still can't get enough of that show, so you can imagine my joy when they made X-Men, the not so good Daredevil, the hopelessly woeful Incredible Hulk, followed by Fantastic Four and now Iron Man! I could almost faint! Maybe I should check out those insurance policies they have at LifeInsurance.com after all ...

I wasn't too pleased that Robert Downy Jr was selected for the lead character of Tony Stark but I'm never one to judge a person until I see them act. And so the day finally came when they released Iron Man last Thursday. I had to go and catch the movie. I'd normally wait till the excitement of a movie has died down before going but this time, I wanted to be one of the first few to go see it. So, come Friday I called wifey from work and told her I wanted to catch the midnight show of Iron Man.

She agreed and I called to book the tickets. After the lengthy phone booking session, I was allocated seats that were like 6 rows away from the screen. I didn't mind, I was willing to suffer a neck strain for the movie but wifey wasn't too keen on that idea. So, I tried again, and got about the same seating positions. Wifey said maybe we should go next week when the fever for it has died down a little. I was crushed, well, not really crushed la ... hehehe ... but I was disappointed. I so wanted to see the show that day itself.

I wasn't put off though, I was determined to see the midnight show no matter what. So, after lunch with wifey, I decided I'd bum off work for a bit and actually drove to the cinema itself to go try and get better seating. And thankfully, I did find excellent seating. Middle section, back row, just the way I love it and I'm sure I won't hear any complains from wifey about neck strains :D

And after that I just couldn't wait for the time to pass. All afternoon in the office I kept thinking of nothing else but Iron Man, Iron Man and more Iron Man. I was like a kid all excited and couldn't wait for the show to start. I mean, you can't blame me right, like I said, I grew up on these stuff. I spent my childhood imagining what it would be like to be a superhero with powers, flying around saving the world time and time again. I've still got tons of my childhood comics which I've read and re-read a gazillion times. I've even threatened to disown my mom once when she wanted to get rid of my comics ... hehehe ...

And I must say that after watching the movie I came away impressed. My mouth was open in awe throughout the entire movie. As far as I was concerned it was an excellent movie though they did change his origins quite a bit from the comic book. Wifey and the boys also enjoyed the movie though they were a little lost with a lot of things in the movie and I don't blame them. You've got to actually have lived off the comic book to truly understand and enjoy every aspect of the little details in the movie. I could hardly keep my butt on the seat when the action started. And I must say that Robert Downy Jr played the part of Tony Stark to absolute perfection!

Even wifey, who knows how much I love comics and superheroes was a little amazed at my enthusiasm for the movie. Even after we came home, which was like close to 2.00am in the morning, I couldn't stop talking about it and explaining every single aspect of Iron Man to her. She was like way sleepy by then but I was mumbling non-stop in bed about the whole movie and only stopped when she told me to be quiet and go to bed ... LOL! Sorry honey, I couldn't help myself. I never thought I'd live to see the day the comic books I read as child turn into reality in the movies.

Back then when I was a kid, they did make a few movies of comic book characters like Batman, Superman, Spiderman and even Captain America but they were all pathetically done that I never had much enthusiasm for them like I do today. The costumes were tacky. The effects, well, lets not even go there. But with the advent of CGI these days, it has made superhero characters spring into reality and all the more believable. I'm sure you guys have seen Spiderman, Superman Returns, The X-Men trilogy, Fantastic Four, Transformers, etc and know what I'm talking about right? They get so real at times you hardly can tell what is real or fake anymore.

Even writing this post is making me so excited. You should see the silly smile I have on my face right now. If wifey wasn't already asleep, she'd think I was probably going loony or something. I'll bet you she would probably check out if there were any policies at LifeInsurance.com that covered nut cases like me ... LOL! Anyway, I'm looking forward to the year ahead cos I know for a fact there's going to be more superhero movies coming out with titles and characters such as the Hulk, a better version I hope, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, I'm salivating just waiting for this one, A sequel to Batman called the Dark Knight with the late Heath Ledger as the Joker and not forgetting the new Star Trek movie next year! What a year it's going to be for a 'kid' like me ... hehehe ...
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A Dream Vacation ...

I love holidays that fall on Thursdays cos then you only have one day to work before it's the weekend. How I wish we had holidays like these every other week or so. That would be the life ... LOL! Speaking of holidays, I've been harping since way before Christmas last year that I need a good vacation but then one thing led to another and I never did end up taking one.

But I seriously do need a nice long vacation. The thing is I don't know where to go. I could travel around Malaysia, but then I've been to quite a few places already and to be honest it is not cheap traveling in our own country. Looking at some of the promotions and offers they have for places here, it's sometimes more justifiable traveling abroad.

I mean, seriously, a trip to Langkawi or Club Med could almost be as much as a trip to Bali or even Phuket. And I'm not making this up. I've actually done some real research on this. And with options like that, traveling abroad would be a better choice with price comparisons like that. I hope the people in the Tourism Ministry actually look into making it much more attractive to holidaying in our own country.

But there are a few places abroad that I've always wanted to visit but have so far only visited them in my dreams. Places like UK and France with great cities like Paris, Manchester, London, Birmingham and their rich cultures have always been number one on my list. I've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees with my own eyes. Though I've seen it a dozen times in pictures, nothing beats seeing it with your own eyes.


Then there's the London Bridge, wouldn't it be great if I could actually walk upon that bridge who's song about the bridge falling down I know so well ... LOL! Then of course, I'd love to at least before I leave this world visit the Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal, my favourite all time football club. I'm sure wifey would want to visit Old Trafford seeing as how she's a huge fan of Manchester United. Siggghhh ... now if only I could actually afford actually going there.

I suppose I could probably do some intensive searching online and with the amount of information I can get about Hotels in Paris, Hotels in London, Hotels in Manchester and Hotels in Birmingham I'd probably be able to get something affordable that I could take the whole family along without putting too much of a strain on my already strained budget. I must remember to check with my mom if I do have any really ailing rich uncle or aunt who's included my name in their wills ... LOL! I know, I know, I'm cruel to even think that.

p.s. - I'll bet you guys are glad this is such a short post! LOL! Anyway, happy weekend folks :D
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