Jolly Christmas

I come from a family who doesn't celebrate Christmas so this would be my first time truly celebrating Christmas.

This year is special because I get to celebrate it with my Bao Bao. I haven't seen him in a week (he was on holiday and was in his hometown house) and gosh I missed him! I was so psyched to finally see his car outside my house on Christmas Eve and to finally kiss his sweet lips in greeting.

To get the feel of the season, we decided to go to Pavilion. What could be better than beautiful decorations to get you in the mood? Thanks to Rory's GPS we got there no problem and lo and behold, wonderful decorations! Don't ask me what the stacked bowls fountain has to do with Christmas because I have no idea!

If anything it has so many Christmas elements around like reindeers, Christmas trees and mistletoes.

I saw the Pavilion GSC Cinema and was surprised to see the structure of it, how it was separated from the main building and was partially outdoors. The way into the cinema rooms was blocked off so it's not possible to enter and the whole isolation is there. It is weird though that the gents and ladies (bathroom) are far apart unlike normal ones next to each other in shopping malls.

There was also a Christmas performance which was cute and interesting and Bao Bao and I took a few pictures with the performers.

We watched Bodyguards and Assassins. It was a very historical show that reminded people of sacrifice and pride of your people, putting the good of the country before their own.

At night just before he sends me home, Bao Bao springs a surprise from the trunk of his car and wham, a giant package wrapped up in cute wrappings with cartoons on it. I felt touched that he would think of buying me something and make it a surprise at that. Now this cute rabbit accompanies me in bed every night and reminds me of the one I love whom I will see after every night's sleep.

We chose matching Reindeer Santa hats that we wore together on Christmas Day. We spent the day in Midvalley Megamall and watched three movies almost back to back. Movie marathon, that's definitely our favourite activity together (besides the obvious kissing and hugging right? XD) Alvin and the Chipmunks the Squeekal, The Vampire Assistant and last but not least, Sherlock Holmes!

For breakfast, we had Oyster noodles and for lunch/dinner, we had sushi at yo-sushi! Ah~ There's no one else I'd love to share a bite of salmon with but my Bao Bao. I seem to get the best with him around. It all feels like the best also because he is with me, sharing it with me.

That night, I encountered truth and guilt and I gave love and forgiveness as well. I'm hoping things will blow over soon and I would be able to be myself again, just comfortable and free.

:) Anyhows thanks Bao Bao for an unforgettable first Christmas together. I hope we will spend all our special and normal days together.

Light in A Dark Box

I never understood the appeal of being in a dark room, screaming on top of your lungs at a screen. Much like a room of interrogation, it has tables and chairs except these were substituted by relatively comfortable tables and sofa. Same as the interrogation room that has but one sole light shinning on you, this room too has one light, and it comes from the screen that you will have to look at till you decide to leave.

Of course, in this room, instead of being subjected to torture from the fellow inspectors, you get tortured by the very people you call friends whom you have invited along with you. The equipment they provide seem to be tuned for this very purpose.

There are no bars on the windows for the room lacked windows at all. There is no bolt and lock on the door and no officer that prevents you from leaving yet while you are subjected to this horror, you lack the will and desire to leave.

Such is the terror of the karaoke room.

Yes, I know it's very late in my life but for the first time, I actually went for karaoke. All this while, some way or other, by cruel fate or otherwise, I have not been able to go for karaoke sessions and finally, I did.

It was unexpected but Bao Bao suddenly says that he and his friends were going for karaoke at Mines and asked if I would like to come along. The student rates were suppose to be cheap so I happily tagged along, eager to find out the mystery behind the dark box.

The Red Box there was fairly cheap. At RM 9, we get 2 drinks and a room. Bao Bao has not yet gotten his student card so his charge is RM 24 but with drink and food. :) I've always been happy to share cost with my dearly beloved so it was ok for the experience.

Our room was 35, and it wasn't very interesting. It had wallpapers of what looked like wooden crates; 2 black sofa and 2 tables. There was a wide screen and we had to divide 3 microphones between 4 of us.

I ordered a lemon tea and a lychee aloe vera. I wouldn't recommend it as lemon tea was very drying for the throat and the lychee aloe vera was SOO sweet. :) The garlic and chicken pasta that Bao Bao ordered was ok.

At first I was embarrassed but Bao Bao and his 2 friends, Wei and Liew soon put me at ease. Wei and Liew had quite an amazing voice although Wei preferred some more emotional songs (yes, we sang a lot of linkin park and other sad songs).

Bao Bao was in his own arena for he loved to sing (on his own or to a radio) and confidently added or subtracted sound effects (like echoes and what not).

The three of them had an awesome time remodeling the songs to their liking with additional words, fast rapping, and colorful languages (:D need I say more?) It was totally hilarious!

I myself rediscovered my love for songs that I used to listen to when I was younger, namely Backstreet Boys and Brian McKnight (etc etc).

:) All in all it was wonderful and we sang for 4 hours. The way the mics turned our voice into something awful was bad plus some of the MVs had no lyrics but it was still wonderful!

So here, I would like to extend my thanks to my Bao Bao, who shared with me my first experience of karaok-ing, and to Liew and Wei who luckily survived my awful tone deaf singing for 4 hours.

Mission: Successful. Enjoyment 100% and casualties 0. :D

PS: Karaoke rooms might be haunted after all because the pictures I took had weird spectrums of purple around. I leave it to your imagination and believes. Hehehe....

The Ugly Truth

The Ugly Truth is one of the very few movies that brings audiences through a flourish of emotions ranging from outrageous dismay to heartfelt sympathy and then shared happiness.

What happens when strict, always prepared, control freak Abby (Katherine Heigl) who can't seem to manage her love life; meets perverted, easy-going, male chauvinist Mike (Gerard Butler)?

The answer is a humorous, food-for-thought romantic comedy that leaves you questioning the true motive of women and men while wanting more.

The story's main characters are a classic example of stereotypes where Abby believes in true love and is looking for her prince charming while Mike is a gruff and tough man who can't seem to conjure thoughts above his waist.

The two clash when their principles and believes rub each other raw and the tension is unbearable when Mike was signed on as a talent that Abby had to produce on her TV show, "The Ugly Truth" which features relationship-expert Mike disillusioning women on what men really want and what they should do to be attractive to men.

Just the beginning of the movie leaves a profound impact on audiences as women cinema-wide displayed expressions of wide disbelief while men seem to be amazingly amused.

The Ugly Truth is surely a movie not to be missed and is surely Gerard Butler's best movie yet.

Rating: 5/5

Words or Action

There's a popular saying, "Action speaks louder than words", but really, which is important?

In the normal circumstances, when you say you will do something but you don't do it, someone will get offended or sad. For example, you promise your girlfriend you would try to change. After you say it, you don't do it. You keep putting it off to tomorrow and then tomorrow. Guess what, tomorrow never ends. There's always going to be a tomorrow after tomorrow. The next tomorrow can be the tomorrow you were saying. Please shape up and do it. Don't make excuses.

The other thing is the word "try". People don't realize it but it is actually a negative word. Why? Because if will absolve your responsibility by saying it. When you say "I try" you're neither saying you will nor you won't. Using the word "try" for your promises is convenient for you but it hurts your partner more. Use the word "I will". Doing something starts from your self determination to do it. Don't make promises you can't keep.

In scenario 2, you've been going out with your girlfriend, or rather, someone you say is your girlfriend for a while. You guys do all the stuff couples do. You hold hands and go out together. You make corny jokes and pamper one another. Both of you do all sorts of stuff together but you don't tell her you love her. You believe your action speaks louder than words. You believe what you do has already told her you're serious with her.

Well dude, a news flash just for you. IT DOESN'T. Your girl will always be lost in between the parts of confusion and insecurity. You would ask, why will she? Because she doesn't know for sure that you're serious about her. She can't officially tell people you're her boyfriend because she doesn't know for sure. She's afraid that you're going to turn around and leave all of a sudden and say that there really was nothing between you, that you were just "benefits without responsibilities" friends. It's not about trust. Trust is the only thing that keeps her from leaving you. IF you say you love her and you mean it, it will reassure her and your relationship bond will be stronger. There's really no reason you shouldn't say it. After all, she's with you because she's serious about you.

From both situations, i can conclude that BOTH word and action are equally important. After you say something and then you do it, it will give people the feeling that you're credible and believable. That you're a man of your words. Words and action goes hand in hand. One can't go without the other.

People are complicated and insecure creatures, and even more so in this time and age. Sometimes, clarification is needed. Other times, action from your behalf is necessary. You lose nothing by offering and it could be good for you and people around you. Think about it.

Return of the Day of Birth

The night before my special day, Bao Bao presented me with a little gift. It was a chocolate mousse cake. It tasted great with the dark chocolate practically making up the whole slice of cake. "I thought you might like it. As a little surprise", he smiled. Gah, I haven't had cake in ages. He didn't like cakes much but he bought it for me because I like it. :) I adore surprises but more than that, I feel touched by the sincerity in making a surprise for me.

I messaged Bao Bao before I got out of bed the next day and got up and washed up. I had a short chat with my sister and mum before going out to meet my Prince in his maroon car.

He was wearing a torn blue shirt that says "save the world" with bermuda pants. I was wearing a jeans dress. XD Honestly I was a bit disappointed in his way of dressing on such a day but what he said after that made up for it. "Happy Birthday, Bie", he said. :) I smiled because the person I loved remembered my birthday and wished me with a loving crinkle in his eyes.

I suddenly miss the taste of KFC and Domino's and had trouble deciding on which to go. So we tried to go KFC first and there was no parking. No fate so we went to Domino's, drove a whole round then found a parking a mile away.

Have you ever seen those romance movies where couples share an umbrella under the pouring rain? The exact same scenario happened. Just the 2 of us squeezing under 1 tiny (smaller than usual) sized umbrella, walking a mile squeezed closely together. The weather was cold and harsh but under that umbrella, it was warm and comfortable.

We ordered some new type of fries with cheese bites and a large pizza. Another thing I appreciate about Bao Bao is that he shares the love of food with me (besides vegetables and fruits since he hates them).

We reached home and had a little party of our own and celebrated it over a Steven Chow movie. After that we took a nap together as the weather was cooling and Bao Bao hinted there was much to do at night.

7pm arrived and we got ready. I know he won't tell me but I still had to ask, "Where are we going, Bao Bao?" Again, he had that mysterious smile and said "You'll know when we get there". He made me play guessing games as to where he was taking me but provided no real answers.

At last, he said "Here we are" and parked the car. Where were we? He brought me to a restaurant with the cutest logo of a rabbit and a moon. It was Tomoe Japanese Restaurant. "I know you love Japanese food", he commented.

It was kind of high class, with Japanese sliding door as its main door. There were Japanese language newspapers and magazines on a table near that door. All the workers would greet us welcome in Japanese and tend to us most politely.

"I made a reservation", Bao Bao said and I felt happy, that he thought so far ahead for me. We were directed across the floor to an elevator and went up a floor and shown to our seats.

It was a corner table where you could see outside through the glass windows. The lights were yellow and mellow and had a romantic mood to it. The table was set with chopsticks, among other things, not all of which we knew how to use.

"What do we do with this?", Bao Bao asked me. "How should I know? I've never been to high class Japanese restaurants before!" I answered.

We had fun guessing and trying out the Japanese custom while we were there. I opened the menu and my draw dropped. People, if you don't have at least RM 100 please don't come to this restaurant. You'd embarrass yourself.

I had trouble deciding what to order because I haven't seen many of the food types plus the prices were glaring. I kind of felt bad that Bao Bao had to pay so much.

Finally I decided on a mix fish with rice dish which cost about RM 38. The fish were very very fresh. It feels like the for the first time, I'm really tasting the salmon and the tuna. There were octopus slices, salmon, tuna, some fish eggs and some other fish that I'm not sure what they were. My rating? 9/10. It was DELICIOUS!

Bao Bao ordered a Ten Don. It's a mix of fried foods with rice. He'd love that dish as he loves fried food. We shared everything we ordered so we had a chance to taste more stuff.

Between us, we shared a Dragon Roll. It's a beautiful sushi dish, with salmon and avocado plus lobster in between. It was tasty. It made me think "Ah, so THIS is sushi".

The food is awesome! I don't think there's anywhere else you can find such fresh Japanese food that looks good and taste good.

At first I felt a bit out of place because everyone else present at the restaurant was either Japanese or a business man. The whole place reeked of 2 things, "expensive" and "high class". Eventually I started to enjoy the place and food because Bao Bao was there to enjoy it with me.

When we finished eating, he asked me, "Are you happy? Do you like it here?" and I said "Yes" because I was. Bao Bao wasn't very rich but he saved and he was willing to spend so much on me. Plus he told me he was driving around here looking for the restaurant before. It was SO much effort. I was truly touched.

Then, a waitress approached with a beautiful little cake with candles and all, put it before me, and sang me a birthday song. The cake had a chocolate plate that said "Jamien's 22". :) An original besides "Happy Birthday" was nice. He kissed me and we shared a blueberry cheese cake.

After that, he sent me home. I was really happy. I feel so loved. I have such a wonderful person who plans such a wonderful birthday surprise for me. I am glad and happy he would do this for me. Bad experience has taught me that it is not a must that people celebrate your birthday but it is a privilege that only those truly loved will get.

He also made a sort of private book for me. "To stick our photos in it", he says. It's not finished yet but it's wonderful because he made it with his hands.He lost sleep over it.

I feel so privileged to be entitled to his love and efforts. I feel glad he remembered my birthday. I feel happy he planned and worked so hard to make me happy. I feel touched that I mean so much to him. Above all. I'm glad we found each other, that we met, and we fell in love. :)

Bao Bao, I'm glad to call you mine. :) And thanks you for the best birthday, ever.

P/S: Thanks Pio Pio and Hawkies for all the help you gave to my Bao Bao.

Appreciation

Everyone knows that love can easily go sour. Often times, we find angry wives and tired husbands. Why? Why do all these happen? I witnessed a wife complaining about her husband, saying angry words but her eyes showed not anger, but hurt and sadness.

I've come to the conclusion, that after being with someone after some time, people just tend to overlook things they should appreciate. For example, after marriage, you come home to your wife cooking. You'd appreciate the fact that you have someone special and only belongs with you. You'd also appreciate that she wants a warm meal for you to come home to. But after a few years, you neglect that fact. Cooking becomes her JOB. In fact, you'd be pissed to arrive home and the meals aren't cooked.

Dude, she married you and is your wife. She gave a part of her life to you, to be with you. She didn't give it to you just so she can be your slave and cook, wash and clean. Wives are NOT free servants. Don't treat them like one. There is no rule written in the marriage contract that she has to cook and clean and give birth to your kids.

Everything she does at home, she does it for you. So don't cease to appreciate her little actions as love and care for you. Don't start thinking it's her duty, because it's not. She washes your clothes because she wants you to have clean clothes to wear. She cooks for you so you can have good food to eat and not starve. She gifts you with her children because she gives you the privilege of being the father of her children. She nags you about everything, because she worries about your safety and health, etc. She doesn't have to give a damn about you.

Same for wives. Your husband is out working very hard so he can make sure to provide you with ingredients to cook, with a home, to indulge in your fantasies, etc. He goes out with you shopping no matter how he dislikes it because YOU like it.

As for children, your parents work very hard, and has been doing so, probably even before you were conceived. They nag, they worry and they fret about you, because you are their special and important child and they want you to have the best in life, and not to make mistakes you can never recover from.

As for siblings, yeah, you fight. Sometimes you feel you hate each other. But hey, you guys are special to one another. Only you guys are blood related, grew up together. No one can be THAT intimately close as do you all. Appreciate it. The closest friends fight. Siblings are closer still.

Friends, sometimes you will say hurtful things to each other because it is true. You can't hate each other for that. Who's going to seriously tell you that your dress sucks or you have a bad behavior that would make you and people around you unhappy? Only the closest and dearest friends will do so because they want what's best for you.

Everyone has reasons for what they do. Sometimes, take a step back and put yourself in that person's shoe. Why would that person do that to you? Any hidden motives? Think of why the person does what he does before you snap. More than anything, appreciate the little things they do for you. They do it out of love. No matter how often they do it for you, it deserves to be appreciated. Simply put, people do many things and don't expect material things in return. What they do want, is acknowledgment that you recognized their efforts and appreciate it.

Bad Luck

What happens when bad luck befalls you? The day started nice and interesting. Jane was supposed to meet Zhong Wei nicely at 1 Utama and buy tickets for the movie "He's Just Not That Into You" and Zhai Zhai and I will meet them later when he finishes work. It all worked out fine and we reached 1 Utama and found a parking space just that close to 7pm, the time our movie was supposed to start.

I took a step out of the car and *PLAK*. The straps of my sandal conveniently broke off. In haste and embarrassment, took off my sandals and waltz the whole 1 Utama BAREFOOT. The sensation was weird but not many people actually noticed it. The feeling of the tiled floors or the escalators on your bare feet are interesting. It's definitely not a good idea to go barefoot into the cinema. You'd feel like your toes were getting frostbites on them.

Before we took our meal, we all rushed into a Bata shop to get me a pair pf shoes. The look on the sales person's face when buying a pair of shoes barefoot was weird. Hahahaha. But hey, i have shoes when i walk into the restaurant for food! Yes!

I don't recommend anyone to ever go barefoot in 1 utama. It's cold and the floor's dusty. :P maybe I should have made Zhai Zhai go barefoot while I wore his shoes.