Fieran Abhorsen

Moving On

2010-06-17T07:07:00.001+10:00

I'm currently working on a new blog since this blog is reaching 400 posts...I figured it's time for a change.

Here's a sneak peek.

Wanderlust

2010-06-11T20:38:00.002+10:00

I never thought I'd love traveling so much - but I really do.

I used to be really attached to home - my bed, my pillow, my towels, my chair, etc. - but I really enjoy traveling.

Here's a list of where I'd like to go:

1. Athens, Greece.
I read The Island by Victoria Hislop. It's a really sad story about the island of Spinalonga, off the coast of Crete which used to be leper colony ages ago. I'd really like to see Greece and its many islands, but not during Summer. I'm not a big fan of the sun and getting sunburnt despite coming from a sunny country.

2. San Francisco, USA.
My boyfriend goes to San Francisco at least once a year for work. He avoids talking about the good stuff there because he doesn't want to make me feel sad.. but sometimes he drops subtle hints about how much fun it is to be in SF and I'd really like to see it myself. The nice thing about USA is the variety I think. There are so many options - for everything. That's one thing I wish there was more in Oslo - more choices for restaurants, shops, entertainment, etc. It will get there, I'm sure. Someday :)

3. New York, USA.
I probably won't be able to shop in New York as I cannot justify splurging on branded goods. Blame it on my bargain shopper genes :) But, I'd love to walk around Manhattan and see Central Park, eat some good food, and enjoy the Big Apple. I'd like to see Autumn in New York too!

4. Spain
I read a lot of blog posts on people's trips to Spain and I am green with envy :) I'd really like to go to Spain and gorge on tapas, churros, but no Sangria. I don't drink, so Sangria is wasted on me. I hear shopping in Barcelona is really fun too.

5. Paris
I have never been to France. My mom and younger sister went there without me and I was quite bummed out about it...so I really want to go to Paris. Just 1 photograph with the Eiffel Tower and I will feel better I think.

What about you? Where'd you like to go? :)

Life Changes...

2010-06-11T20:18:00.003+10:00

..and sometimes not exactly how you'd like it to be, I guess.

This is a work related post, sorry if it's boring :/

I'm a bit dumbfounded how to get along with people at work.

I used to work at a really cool software firm where people were mostly my age or just at a similar stage of life as I was - single, free, still figuring out a lot of things about life, etc. It was really easy to talk to these colleagues as I just knew what to say. We talked about movies, music, we had dinner together, made gender-based jokes :) I used to think I was fun and cool at that point - and it helps with the self esteem when people want to hang out with you. You get invites to their parties, to see their new homes, etc.

Now I work with a lot of people who are married or in serious relationships, with kids and such so I have less to talk to them about. What makes it worse is that I don't speak Norwegian - or enough Norwegian for day to day conversations. I only know enough to order food and do online banking with.

It really gets to me some days. Because I'm not really good friends with my former colleagues either - as we have less in common now - I don't work with them anymore and they're mostly guys who aren't really all that big in keeping in touch.

So yeah, I'm a bit down about this... I feel like I'm starting again - except this time I have a boyfriend who still works where I used to work.

It's amazing how a job and company can define your life - and it's even more amazing how when that is gone - you find yourself lost, confused, and trying to stay afloat.

I'll never let a job define my life like that again...once bitten, twice shy.

Please Let It Happen

2010-06-09T18:22:00.002+10:00

I'm really hoping to travel this November in exchange for a laidback, lazy summer in Norway. I might go to Bergen - this beautiful city in Norway. I haven't been there yet despite living in Norway for awhile... it's actually pretty embarrassing :) The boyfriend's parents will be visiting in July, so they'll be going there. Me? I'm not sure as it might result in having to take unpaid vacation. My current workload is quite scary and I'm trying really hard not to get stressed otherwise my skin is going to go haywire :/ Taking days off during busy periods might not be a good idea.

I also have to go on a business trip in September. I did try to worm out of it because it involves having to present stuff about the company's products - and I really don't think that's what I want to do but on the bright side, it is good for the CV - so might have to grin and bear it ;)

This blog is getting dry and boring, no? I should take more photographs and write more structured posts rather than my usual brain-dumps :) I can't help it. I have so many thoughts that my mind is so noisy sometimes.

I hope you guys are having a good week...

I'm so looking forward to the weekend. Going to go to the gym, and also try to cook a new dish. Haven't decided on what yet.

P/s - Cas! My Mom sent me the cucur pisang mix as well as a huge packet of gula melaka. Thanks for the tip on the pisang mix ;)

Losing Friends and Going Grey

2010-06-03T17:53:00.002+10:00

This time next week, I would have lost 4 friends - two couple friends to be exact. It sucks big time and I know they have very different reasons... but it still feels like you're being dumped. It's nothing personal whatsoever and the mind knows that, but the heart refuses to listen.

Sigh. I'm lousy at being friends with girls. Most my friends used to be guys but since I started working in a very male dominated field, I actually yearn for female friends. It's just way more fun to discuss fashion, movies, and hair :)

Oh well, friends come and go I guess.

On a more sad note, I have grey hair. Found two strands in the span of two months. Time to contemplate hair dye :/

It's Just Food...

2010-06-01T18:10:00.003+10:00

That's what I tell myself every time I crave Malaysian food. Having lived away from home for the past 5 years or so.. I would be lying if I said I didn't crave Malaysian food. My mother is a housewife and she cooks wonderful dishes such that friends and family usually cater from her for small functions, etc.

The food that I cook is not even 1/10th near what she makes. Ironically I always wanted McDonald's, Ramlee burger, Black pepper fried rice, chappatis with lentil curry, etc. when I lived at home. I was not keen to eat home food. Now that I live away from home, I dream of the dishes she cooks. For example, there's this lamb parcel she used to make (little pieces of lamb cooked in a curry and then baked in small foil packets). In Oslo, supermarkets don't sell lamb. The only way to get it is to go to a butcher - something I don't really prioritize because they close at 6pm weekdays, but I probably should.

Sigh, butter prawns, fish curry (my fish curry is not as thick as the one my mom makes), fried beehoon (only managed to make that recently, and it's edible but doesn't taste like my mom's at all), etc. I'm such a foodie. In fact, that's how I started hanging out with the boyfriend. We used to cook together because he likes Indian food (way more than me) and you can't get South Indian food here easily.

You know, the wonderful part about living in Malaysia is that you can get food anywhere, anytime, any type ... you just take it for granted. Recently I was thinking about soup noodles - you know that Japanese type? My Mom doesn't make Japanese food, but my point is that it is so easy to get it in Malaysia right? Any Japanese restaurant would have like 5 different kinds of soups with udon noodles or soba noodles. But guess what? I haven't found any Japanese restaurant in Oslo with dishes like these.

So, I thought 'How hard can it be? I'll make it!'

I found a wonderful recipe here. This is what my dish looked like:

It's actually really easy to make this dish. Once you marinate the chicken and put it into the oven, the rest is really quick. I made extra chicken and refrigerated it.. then boiled new soup + noodles the next day for a second meal.

I should probably go to the _one_ Japanese grocery shop in Oslo to stock up on Japanese cooking stuff.

I Want More..

2010-05-31T20:44:00.003+10:00

from Tamil movies.

I've been watching Indian (Tamil + Hindi) movies for decades now and I have to say, Tamil movies lately are a bit disappointing. No, not all of them, there are still some good ones that I have watched - but some of them really leave you feeling a bit silly for having watched the movie.

There's this formula that they have for some Tamil movies these days:

1. Hero is either a cop or a one man army.
2. Hero comes across baddie when he least expects it and gets into baddie's bad books.
3. The war begins with baddie and hero trying to outdo each other.
4. [Insert parallel romance storyline here]
5. Hero wins baddie and they live happily ever after.

Now this formula has been going on for at least 20 movies so far - and I am so tired of this. I wish people will make better movies and stop using this formula. I'm sure there are a lot of filmmakers out there with better ideas, right?

Disclaimer: This is just my personal opinion. I'm no movie critic, but I do watch a lot of movies :)

Chili Prawn Linguine

2010-05-21T18:10:00.003+10:00

No, this blog is definitely not turning into a food blog - otherwise I'm going to be eating way too much :)

I just figured I'll share what I cook more often since I keep taking recipes from other people - time to give back.

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This is a really quick recipe, I got it from the Internet a long time ago. Can't really remember which site now. Serves 2 very hungry people ;)

Ingredients:

Prawns, approximately 500 grams
About 200 grams of linguine (I usually estimate half a packet)
Zest of half a lemon (according to taste)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 red chillies sliced (according to taste)
Salt, pepper, and parsley (according to taste)
Garnish with grated Parmesan (optional)

Method:

Boil linguine according to instructions on the packet.
In a separate frying pan, heat olive oil and fry garlic.
When the garlic is fragrant, add in prawns.
As the prawns start to go opaque and curl in, stir in chili slices for a minute or two. (Prawns cook very quickly so you'll have to watch closely.)
Once the prawns are done, switch off the stove.
Stir in the lemon rind.
Toss with linguine.
Season with salt, pepper, and parsley.
Top with grated Parmesan.

A Recurring Dish in my Kitchen

2010-05-14T07:43:00.004+10:00

Somedays I am in a hurry after work to eat as quickly (but healthy) as possible, rest for a good 40-60 minutes and then head out to the gym. On these days I try to cook something that has some amount of good carbs but is not too heavy.

Recurring dishes are channa masala with wholewheat tortillas, pita bread with ham, tzatziki, cucumber slices and hummus, brown pasta with prawns, chili and lemon zest, etc.

The most recurring dish is actually Sushi Bowl.

Sushi bowl is effectively all sushi-like ingredients tossed in a bowl. The overall taste is similar to a sushi but you just don't have to wrap it. I've tried making sushi and not only is it time consuming, it is one of the most difficult to estimate recipes ever ;) It can be quite fun when done among friends though.

The original recipe is from Heidi Swanson, who never fails to amaze me with her wonderful recipes. Thank you very much for the recipe Heidi :)

I make a quick and lazy version (photo) and here's the recipe for two hungry people:

200 grams of smoked salmon - sliced into strips
1 large avocado - cubed
1 cup of rice - cooked
1 bunch of scallions - chopped
A handful of sesame seeds
2-3 sheets of seaweed - sliced into strips

For the sauce:
2 oranges
1 lemon
1-2 tablespoons of Japanese soya sauce
1-2 tablespoons of Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 tablespoon of sugar

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Method:

1. Cook rice your usual way. (You can use sushi rice or normal white rice. I use brown rice as I feel it does not go mushy when you pour the sauce on it.)

2. Boil juice of 2 oranges and 1 lemon with some orange and lemon zest. When the juice starts to bubble, add in soya sauce, rice vinegar and sugar. Stir quickly and switch off the stove. (The amount of soya sauce, rice vinegar and sugar is up to you. The mixture should be a slight brownish/orangish colour.)

3. Serve rice with a little bit of everything. Drizzle the sauce on the rice and sprinkle sesame seeds and seaweed strips.
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This dish is quite versatile in the sense that you can add a lot of other ingredients like cooked prawns, crab sticks, or fried tofu.

I Was Once Mistaken For a Boy

2010-05-11T18:19:00.002+10:00

Today on Facebook I came across a friend being a tad miffed that a barista in a cafe called her "Madam" instead of "Miss". I realised that it was not so bad.

I've been mistaken for a boy so many times when I was a kid because I always had the Mushroom haircut :) It also didn't help that I was a bit of a tom boy. Okay maybe not "a bit"..it's "very much". I never liked girly stuff and definitely hated the colour pink. I never liked sleeveless T-shirts (still don't), skirts, dresses, etc.

Actually, I haven't worn a dress since I was 10 years old or something. That's 16 years ago..wow.

But I digress. My point is that I started to realize that maybe I should bother to look like a girl when I was 19 and in a small restaurant near my college, a waiter told me "Intha Thambi" and handed me my food.

That means "Here, little boy (or younger brother)". I kind of freaked out because I was 19 and I definitely looked like a girl. Let's just say my sisters and I will never need silicone enhancements ;)

A few people in the restaurant were smirking and chuckling in my direction. I was a little mortified.

That's when I decided - it is time to grow my hair. I never looked back since then .. though my hair is a lot shorter now than it used to be when I was a poor student in Australia who could not afford a hair cut - but that's for another day.

Saturday Breakfast

2010-05-08T17:22:00.002+10:00

On Saturdays and Sundays, I sometimes crave warm breakfast - pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast, oatmeal porridge, etc.

Yesterday I saw this recipe Banana Almond Oatmeal Pancakes and decided to make it today.

It's quite a nice breakfast. I added the yoghurt and strawberries on top as I already had some in the fridge.

Have a nice weekend, everyone :)

Never Refuse an Expectant Mom

2010-05-05T18:01:00.003+10:00

I bumped into a really cool person via blog hopping recently. Her name is Cas and she's demanded to see a photograph of my mediocre sago pudding I made last weekend.

I'm told never to refuse an expectant mom, so here you go Cas ;)

What a week it has been

2010-05-03T06:38:00.003+10:00

It's been a tough week. There's been just so much to do that I had to bail out of cooking dinner for my Portuguese friends and attending a farewell dinner for my British friend.

I feel bad about it..but then again I always feel bad for everything :)

Work has picked up a lot with some events coming closer and requirements arising. I have so much of work to do - but it isn't really writing, a lot of it is mucking around with Illustrator and InDesign, attempting to make something useful.

I've started researching on language courses. If everything falls into place, I'll be taking another Norsk course this Summer. I hope it goes well. Time to grit my teeth and get to it I guess.

I'd rather go on a vacation ;) Hahaha, ironically the price of the course is equivalent to a trip to Greece...or Dublin...or Barcelona. Decisions, decisions :/

I made sago pudding on Friday night. It was yummy. It could have tasted better had I had some patience and let the sago chill longer in the fridge. But patience was never my middle name :) Impatience is.

Well, I hope this week goes better than last week...

The Damage

2010-04-23T05:42:00.002+10:00

The eagle has landed...more like the boyfriend but here's the damage:

Feeling a wee bit guilty now. Probably shouldn't have sent two e-mails with lists.

Oh well :)

There's No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk

2010-04-19T17:34:00.007+10:00

...but it is a little difficult trying to reconcile your expectations with reality.

I was supposed to have one of the most awesome weekends ever - in the end it turned into my bumming on the couch trying not to think about how much fun I could have had.

Well it wasn't as bad as I thought it was, but you kind of get this really strange feeling because you don't want to be upset (as there are people out there who have it worse than you... I mean seriously, people living near the volcano have to be evacuated, that is definitely worse than canceled travel plans...) but you just feel off. Like something is wrong and there is no way you can fix it because it is not even in your control.

I was supposed to go to Stockholm, but on Thursday morning a very "nice person" told me that there is not going to be any flights out of Oslo. I was kind of annoyed that first thing in the morning, somebody is raining on my parade, but "nice person" probably wanted to be helpful. True enough, the Oslo airspace started shutting down, canceling strings of flights and I was getting very anxious (my flight was on Friday).

A quick text to my travel companions resulted in the collective decision to wait until Friday and see if anything happens.

Friday morning we decided to cancel our hostel reservations. This was supposed to be my first trip where I stayed in a hostel to learn to not live in luxury. I mean I love hotels, to me it's part of the fun of traveling, but sometimes it would be good for the soul to see something different - good for the pocket too as hostels are like half the price!

Today is Monday and I am yet to call the airlines to find out how we can obtain the refunds for our tickets. I spent Saturday bumming around as well as hanging out with the nice couple whom I was supposed to travel with. We did a bit of walking around shops and had nice coffee/tea. I also learned how to knit, but I think I'm lousy at it.

Sunday, I stayed at home in pyjamas, reading, watching two movies back to back - Paiyaa and Pink Panther 2 - and cooking simple yet scrumptious Veggie Nachos as well as Pasta with Bacon and Red Pesto. It was a nice Sunday. I forced myself to skip the gym from Friday to Sunday as I figured I should rest and cheer myself up.

The other disappointing part is that the boyfriend is traveling. He was supposed to come to Stockholm and meet us there (myself + nice couple friends). He's still in San Francisco, hoping to get a flight out middle of this week. I hope that happens. He is normally the eternal optimist, but he does seem a little bothered as he's been away for more than a week now - the original plan was 6 days.

It's nobody's fault, so you can't really get angry either.

Oh well, this too shall pass. Things will get better and one of these days I'll go to Stockholm and write "I WAZ ERE" a la high school on some sand and then I'll feel better :)

Ah Venice :)

2010-04-08T20:43:00.004+10:00

Venice was beautiful. Here's a link to the photographs I took.

I shall write more about it soon :)

#Update
Well, I'd better write my memories now, before they disappear in the daily grind.

So we went to Venice from March 31st till April 4th. It was beautiful. We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Dorsoduro, so you kind of got the feeling that you were far away from the noisy touristy area, that is San Marco, Canareggio, San Polo, etc.

I have to say, the most frequently used word in Venice is "Marco". You hear it and you see it EVERYWHERE.

We went to the Doge's Palace which was very nice. It's amazing how luxurious and classy it looks on the outside, but on the inside it is actually split in two. You have the modest, practical looking floors where the middle class used to work. And then you have the opulent parts where the Nobels are. We did the Secret Itinerariestour and our tour guide was so enthusiastic, she verbally transported us to the 16th century. It was so much fun :) The tour of Cassanova's cell and her recounting of his "great escape" kind of makes me want to watch the movie "Cassanova". Not sure how good that movie is though.

The buildings in Venice are old. I get really spooked by old buildings - I don't know why. They have character and charm, definitely, but for some reason I keep thinking of ghosts and how they probably haunt these buildings. Overactive imagination, huh.

Now, although these buildings are old, I am in awe of how well they have been built - most of them are still standing after 6 or 7 centuries! Can't say that about buildings nowadays, can you?

When San Marco is empty, there's a certain sense of calm and tranquility about it. Since we were there on a Wednesday, it was quite relaxed and not very busy. Of course there were still tourists, but you could walk in the streets without bumping into anybody. The boyfriend and I strolled through the streets, me drooling at leather bags that I did not buy because they weren't exactly cheap, and I just didn't feel like spending money. I don't know why, the whole time I was there, I was quite thrifty - so unlike me :) We had the best gelato ever, at 1.50 Euro a scoop. Sometimes we paid a bit more, like 2 Euros.

(I don't mean to sound like a spoiled brat, but I always compare my expenses with Norwegian prices when I travel. See Norwegian prices are not bad, because you can earn enough to survive in Norway and you get used to how much Ringgit the things cost. But when you travel, you feel like everything is a lot cheaper..)

Apart from the main sistieres, we also went to Murano, Burano, and Torcello. These are three very cute islands in Veneto. We didn't spend much time in Murano apart from visiting a glass factory, but in Burano and Torcello we managed to take a quick walk around the island and get a feel for it. If I do get to go to Venice again (fat hopes, but hey, a girl can dream :)), I want to check out Lido island.

I'm a Magazine Addict

2010-03-29T05:59:00.003+10:00

I love magazines. I don't know why but the idea of sitting in a cafe sipping coffee/tea while reading a magazine is just divine in my mind. I don't do it often, but as you can see, I did get the magazines this time... but just didn't get around to sitting in a cafe and devouring them.

Sigh, this is this month's pile of not-completely-read magazines. I hope to catch up.

So many things to do, so little time. I spent most of my weekend catching up on laundry, playing around with my Nikon 35mm lens (love it!), cooking, and watching heaps of Fringe episodes. The colours are beautiful with the lens. Now I just need to re-read parts of this book on the Nikon D40 and I will be a little bit more aware of what my camera can/cannot do. Photography is a lot of fun but I really wish I spent more time on it sometimes. I'm not good with the technical aspect, I'm more of the "fiddle around, take 5 shots and pick the best later" type of photographer. I'm a hobbyist after all.

Started packing for Venice. I'm a bit worried because I've been thinking about sweaters, singlets, jeans, tights, coats, scarves for the past 6 months. After my KL trip last October, I have been dressing up purely in winter clothing that warmer weather is a little 'too good to be true' in my head - hence I'm worried I'm not going to pack proper stuff for the trip.

Oh well, there's always the possibility of buying something there, wearing it and looking 100% tourist. Argh.

I apologize if my blog posts are less and less structured these days. They reflect my mind ;) I'm kind of "everywhere" sometimes..not sure why.

3rd Anniversary :)

2010-03-23T23:18:00.003+10:00

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of my living in Oslo :) I am quite happy - but life has its ways of showing me that there is always more to achieve.

I'd really like to learn Norwegian.

There. I have said it. Learning this language has been pretty tough for me because I am a technical writer. I spend a good 8 hours a day reading and writing and trying to convince engineers to read my work and provide me with some feedback. It's a job that is definitely a lot easier than Medicine, Law, Firefighting, and so on. But it has its challenges - like how it gets difficult to read normal novels because you always start analyzing sentences. What's also tough for me is to learn Norwegian. The Norwegian language is actually quite cute. If I learned it, I could be so much more comfortable living in Scandinavia.

But two things stop me from learning it:

1. The cost - the courses are not cheap. They are approximately 2000+ Ringgit each course and you need a good 5 courses to be able to sit for the govt test. I could skip the test, of course, and just focus on reading, writing, and being able to converse.

2. Irrational fear - I am afraid that if I learn another language, I will lose command on one existing language. I am a firm believer in balance. I'm afraid I will lose my command of Malay (or what little there is left after not using it for the past 5 years). Even worse, I could lose my command of Tamil. God forbid, I hope that never happens. Already my Tamil is so rough and choppy. I can barely understand pure Tamil anymore (Aayirathil Oruvan proved that :()

I am really hoping that I will just throw #2 and save up (for #1) and just... get it done. Take at least 1 course this year and start speaking Norwegian.

Actually I did take the introductory course in 2007 and it was not useless at all. Instead, it is what helps me understand my tax papers, banking, and of course all the shop signs ;) I can order food and stuff in Norsk, but its not enough to converse. I usually know the gist of other people's conversation but I blink blankly when they try to speak to me in Norsk.

See I never thought that I would turn out to be so stubborn about learning a new language. In some ways I am disappointed in myself for not putting in enough effort to learn Norsk. I always thought that I wanted to learn a new language - I really did believe that - until I realised how difficult it was (in 2007) to go to work and read + write technical papers, then go for classes after work and attempt to concentrate for a good 2 hours. Gosh, it was not easy.

I shall find a way to fix that this year.

I have to...

Success

2010-03-16T19:18:00.003+10:00

So I actually manage to wake up early enough this morning to fit in a 30 minute cardio workout in the gym. Phew.

I'm kind of glad, because I still managed to get to work at 9.25am... but we'll see how active I actually am today.

14 days to Venice..time to book the tour to the Doge's palace!

Little Miss Greedy

2010-03-10T00:15:00.003+10:00

Greed. I really feel greedy. I seem to want everything I see, everything around me.

Before even setting foot in Venice, I have already booked my next vacation - Stockholm. I've been living in Oslo for almost 3 years now and have not yet been to Stockholm which is only 1 hour by flight.

My friend P and her husband are leaving Oslo soon, so I suggested we go somewhere before they leave. We narrowed down the options to Stockholm. Leaving on April 17th, back on April 19th.

Strangely my horoscope for this year did mention that I will travel a lot. I usually scoff at horoscopes, but this time, just this once - it may be true.

I should probably start taking more photographs - or at least uploading them - but then I will lose my anonymity (or what's left of it). Tough call :)

Striking the right balance

2010-03-03T19:42:00.002+10:00

Everytime I travel, I come home in vacation mode - buy anything I like, eat anything I want, waste as much time possible. Then it takes a good two weeks to get back into the swing of things - gym, eating healthy again, and practicing some self-control.

Contrary to the popular belief (among my friends): I am not a shopaholic :) I'm more of a bargain shopper who almost never buys anything on full price. Of course this involves a lot of window shopping (painful!). However, post Malaysia, my goal for this month is 0 shopping till March 31st (that's when I leave for Venice ;)... though I don't think there's much to buy in Venice. Now if I was going to Milan, then it's a whole different story!

But, I digress. My point is that I am a tad upset that I have not gotten back into my routine. I'm actually dreaming (because a lot of people + articles I read keep saying the same thing) of going to the gym every morning for 4-5 times a week before work. This will actually be a great routine for Spring + Summer. I'm not sure if I can do it - but I should probably try. I have tried to wake up at 6 am but I never get around to getting into my gym clothes and leaving the apartment. I always make some silly excuse and not do what I should do. It seems if you exercise in the morning before breakfast, you can tap into your fat stores (in this case, my belly :().

So, let's see if I actually manage to get out of bed Friday morning and hit the gym before going to work.

*Fingers crossed*

A quick trip to KL

2010-02-27T15:04:00.002+10:00

Last year, when I was in KL, my sisters and I were thinking of giving my parents a ticket to India for my Dad's 60th birthday. However, my Dad is not much of a traveler - he would rather sit on the couch and read the newspapers :) Though his new found best friend is actually his grand daughter - my cute little niece - and I think he'd rather play with her than go anywhere else. She has my Dad wrapped around her little finger so much so that sometimes when we are chatting on MSN he will say something like "The small one wants to go outside, chat with you later". That really steamrolled my ego ;)

Since the India trip was off, I figured I'd go back to KL for a week and spend some time with Dad.

Gosh, traveling for about 20 hours on the way there and 23 hours on the way back in just 8 days really takes its toll on your body. I was pretty jet lagged back there and I could tell that I was not completely _there_. It was this strange feeling where your tummy doesn't know if it should be hungry or not, and you really feel very off because of the change in weather (it was a snowy -9 C when I left Oslo last Wednesday) and surrounding. I did something really strange on my Oslo-Frankfurt flight - I left the novel I was reading on the seat and totally forgot about it. That is so unlike me... I've been traveling via flight since the age of 19 and I have never left anything on the flight :(

Also, I didn't really feel like shopping. Now that makes me worry because I am always up for shopping especially in KL because everything is half the price, compared to Oslo.

I did shop a little bit - a few pairs of shoes, 2 cardigans, a jacket for Spring, some makeup, etc. I also got a winter coat and Elizabeth Arden's Mediterranean perfume from Mom as a gift and some nice jewelry from my sisters.

We threw Dad a small birthday high-tea at a nice, simple hotel. It seemed like he had a good time :)

Overall the trip was definitely worth it. Now I just have to get back to saving money mode...and try to save to go back to KL again, maybe end of this year. Though I am not 100% sure if it will be possible as I am working in a new job now and my number of paid days off is rather small. But, there's always room for surprises. Who knows? I might just be able to visit KL again this year.

I Bully My Friends

2010-02-06T20:49:00.002+10:00

It's kind of true. Whenever I have friends traveling, etc, I sometimes bully them and ask them to buy me stuff.

This is actually due to the fact that the variety here isn't too good. Then again, it's not fair to expect too much from a country with approximately 5 million people. I like living here, but I wish I had more variety sometimes. Also the prices here are quite expensive because of people's buying power. For example, 20 USD is 120 NOK. 120 NOK is kind of like how much you'd pay for a meal at McDonald's :)

But, in the USA, 20 USD will actually give you a huge bottle of Philosophy Chocolate Fudge Cake shower gel (and 4 USD change). Ahh, Philosophy - another brand that is not available here.

So, whenever some of my friends travel, I kind of make small requests like KitKat chocolate (was not available in Oslo until six months ago), Clinique Deep Comfort Body Butter (it's so much cheaper in London/Germany/USA duty free) etc. At this point, I should probably say that Clinique's body butter keeps my skin alive in the harsh Norwegian winters. It really really helps to prevent dry skin. The sad part about winter is that it really does a number on your body if you are not used to it. It takes awhile to get used to it as well. Then just when you think you are a bit more comfortable, walking in the cold swathed in a thick scarf and winter boots, not to mention beyond recognition in your huge jacket - the temperature drops even more and you are back to feeling cold and stiff again. But, I digress.

Yesterday, S came back from the USA with a big bag from Sephora for me :) I asked him to get:

1. Philosophy Chocolate Fudge Cake shower gel
2. Philosophy Birthday Vanilla Cake shower gel
3. Rosebud's Three Lavish Layers of Lip Balm (a tin containing all three flavours - the original rosebud, minted rose lip balm and strawberry lipbalm)
4. Sephora by O.P.I. Nail polish (O.P.I is another brand you can't get here, and it was just 50 NOKs a colour, so I had to ask for them). Which colours you ask? Nonfat Soy Half Caff, Call Your Mother, What's a Tire Jack?, and Ocean Love Potion

So that was the haul. I've never been a person who actually painted my fingernails often let alone used any hand cream, etc... but lately I feel like doing that. I feel like being a bit more particular and putting in a bit more effort into taking care of my hands because as a Technical Writer people tend to see your hands often and it would be nice to have properly trimmed fingernails and soft, smooth hands - I'm getting vain :)

Skin Care Update

So it's been about 8 days since I started using Clinique's skin care range. I have skin Type 2 it seems. Honestly I am not 100% sure if it is working because I am still getting pimples, but they seem to be healing a bit better and overall my skin looks slightly smoother, less oily (but with dry spots on my nose - this could be winter related) but definitely not irritated. I've been asked to try it out for 4 weeks. If it does not work, your skin will get red and itchy. So far, no redness or itchiness - fingers crossed - so I'll keep using it to see what happens. I haven't bought any full sized bottles actually, just the small starter pack. Let's see what happens in my quest for better skin.

* Pictures borrowed from Sephora

Focus

2010-02-03T19:29:00.003+10:00

I'm feeling all over the place today - yet I'm getting things done. It's a very weird mood/feeling. I've got the latest Bollywood music blasting on my earphones and I'm feeling quite optimistic and happy. At the same time, I can't seem to focus on finishing up my project for work. I'm standing in front of my screen at work, admiring my image manipulation skills instead of moving on to finish the other parts of the document.

I guess, sometimes, we do have to stop and smell the roses...even if it's just a small drawing.

(I know, since when was _I_ that optimistic? Must have something to do with a friend bringing a bag of goodies from Sephora on his way back from Boston this Friday.)

Turning old in Style

2010-02-01T19:47:00.002+10:00

Last year, I came up with this idea of traveling for my birthday. I figured it would be a fun thing to do to help ease the "pain" of growing older.

For this year...it was a tough decision. I suddenly have this itch to travel more and had to choose between Reykjyavik, Paris, Barcelona, Venice, Dublin, Scotland and Stockholm.

Venice won and I just booked my flight tickets yesterday. Looking forward to it... only 57 days to go :)

P/s - I'd love to revamp my blog a little but I'm not sure how much effort + time it will require...

Oh The Drama

2010-01-29T19:52:00.002+10:00

So I've been having to deal with a bit of drama lately - from my skin. Ah, the "joys" of being female. See, I used to have averagely okay skin back when I was a teenager. I barely made much of an effort with some supermarket bought skincare solutions. It kind of worked fine. Lately, in the past 4-5 years or so, my skin has been getting worse.

The pimples are bigger, the scars are around for longer..

I don't want to grow old :( Turning 26 this year is also starting to get me a bit annoyed because it means I am 4 years away from 30 which means that my goal to buy an apartment is looming ahead and I have to start saving up and looking for places.

But, I digress. I know there is no one perfect solution to fixing my skin, but I do know that I have to keep trying to find a proper product. So, after trying tons of supermarket/pharmacy/mid-range solutions. I caved. I went to a Clinique counter and got some advise for my skin and some samples. I'm hoping it works well so I can start buying their products and have better skin. I don't mind a pimple every month or something, but I'd like it to go away with minimal scarring, etc.

I'd like to not have to wear makeup everyday just to fake good skin, you know?

Let's see what happens.

I'm sorry for not blogging much lately..just seem to have less and less to say. Looking forward to booking flight tickets for a trip for my birthday in April. Can't decide between Venice or Paris.

I also noticed lately, that I am "Detoxing" from devices. I don't feel like sitting in front of my computer after office hours (I spend a lot of time staring at the screen from 9-5 pm) and I really don't feel like blog-surfing, reading twitter, etc these days either. I do it from time to time when I'm on the bus or something, but otherwise, I'm quite happy to lounge on the couch and read a good book. I think I'm just getting older :)

P/s - Today is my grandmother's 79th birthday. Last year I baked a cake and took it to work and fed some sugar craving geeks ;) This year, I'm going to eat some good Thai food and just think happy thoughts of her.

2010 Feels The Same

2010-01-05T01:24:00.002+10:00

Hm, although the new year has already begun, it feels strangely the same. Nothing different, so far - apart from the changed year on my computer's calendar.

What have I planned for this year? Lots :) Some travel, tons of exercise, lots of healthy cooking, more Norwegian lessons.. hopefully less shopping and more saving.

I hope all of you have a good new year ahead.

I shall write more soon ;)

Smallville...again

2009-12-27T07:22:00.002+10:00

I used to watch Smallville for a good 7 years on and off. Now I started watching Season 8.... its awesome. Especially episode 19 where The Red Blue Blur calls Lois Lane for the first time. It's awesome. It brings back so many memories of The Adventures of Lois and Clark! The scene was shot so beautifully. I watched The Adventures of Lois and Clark too...for so many years.

*SIGH* :) Yet another TV series I'm hooked on to I guess..

Watching the snow

2009-12-25T08:45:00.003+10:00

So it's Christmas technically. Europeans seem to celebrate on the evening of the 24th. I'm spending my Christmas in my apartment, all alone - intentionally actually. I received two invitations - one to spend Christmas in Germany with S's family (his family is just so nice); another invitation was to spend Christmas in London. Honestly, it was very difficult to turn down both invitations because I love traveling and I like Christmas - its celebrated so grandly yet not grandly. If that makes any sense!

The thing is, where I grew up, among my friends who do celebrate Christmas - the gifts were always big. I know my friends saved up their allowances for weeks or even months to buy Christmas gifts. The strange thing is, among my friends here, they don't give very big gifts. A box of gourmet tea, a hand knitted beanie, a huge box of marzipan chocolate - these are the kinds of gifts I notice people exchange. Maybe big gifts are more for kids? I really don't know, but I am intrigued by the difference. It's very traditional here - spending quality time with family. Unlike how my family spends Diwali - with a good 100 people visiting, then we visiting other people. Sometimes I do wish we spent Diwali in a nice and quiet manner, just the family. Would be so different. For once my mom would be out of the kitchen. A family trip for Diwali would be nice. Incidentally my family is going to Singapore for Christmas so that my younger sister can burn a hole in her pocket at Boxing Day sale :) I'd love to follow, but Norway and Malaysia are not neighbouring countries :)

I'm a little regretful over not traveling for Christmas this year because the past two years I never stayed in Oslo. But its kind of a bittersweet regret as its the right thing to do - staying home, bumming around, catching up on laundry, watching heaps of movies, burrowing under the blanket and sipping tea, eating a little bit of lebkuchen (this stuff is addictive), putting away clean laundry, vacuuming, cooking healthy dishes... all that stuff. I'm just having some quiet, me time. Hopefully when 2010 starts, I will be fully recharged to go back to battle.

Honestly 2009 was very challenging, but I did learn a lot about myself, about people, about life in general. The big lesson was: life goes on. Sometimes we think something is just impossible like getting used to change or just accepting it. The very idea of waking up the next day seems not possible at all. But, the next thing you know, its 3 months later and you don't feel so bad at all. Life does go on. Time on the other hand does not really heal... it just makes you forget. But when you do remember, you can still feel those feelings, however dull they are.

I hope all of you have a good Christmas and New Year (2010). I'm looking forward to a lot of things but I don't want to jinx them by writing them down ;) If only wishes were horses..

Shining Sun

2009-12-16T20:45:00.002+10:00

DSC_0969, originally uploaded by kavindra_d.

I haven't blogged in awhile.. and then I stumbled upon this photograph in my Flickr photostream.

I hope all of you are doing well and eager for Christmas. I'm looking forward to resting and relaxing - not to mention cleaning and catching up on movies.

Happy Holidays!

Getting back to my routine

2009-11-21T22:19:00.002+10:00

Being away for a month is a lot of fun - but at the same time you break all routines and habits - the jet lag, messy apartment, and piled up things-to-do do not help either. I've been so busy, tired, and just thinking constantly that I have not had the time to step into the gym.

It's been a week since I got back. I still have had no time to upload the 1000 odd photographs I took, let alone unpack properly. I finally stowed away my luggage last night. It was near empty, but it was still lying on the floor.

I can't seem to find the receipt (with the tracking number) for my parcel which I shipped two weeks ago, so I can't track where it is. I do hope that the parcel arrives, as it is full of nice Indian cooking spices, instant coffee and tea that I cannot possibly get here and dodol (Malayasian coconut candy) that I have not had in years.

The jet lag is officially gone :) *PHEW* I've had to meet up with some friends to catch up and spend time with them. This is a lot of fun but sometimes it involves rushing off after work and not spending enough time in my apartment.

I'm still trying to learn how to find that balance - where you can have a social life, go to the gym, yet still keep a nice, clean, neat apartment. Someday I'll find it. Until then I'll keep trying.

Desperately trying not to shop and succeeding so far. My goal is to not buy any piece of clothing for the next 2 months :) I don't need anymore, but wanting more is another story :)

Back from Vacation

2009-11-14T15:36:00.002+10:00

So I'm back from Malaysia. It was a good vacation. Had lots of fun with my family. My niece is a cutie pie...she's definitely got her grandparents wrapped around her little fingers :) I just have to slowly teach her how to talk on the phone.. right now she's not sure how to do that.

I did a bit of shopping, some sightseeing, tried out a lot of nice restaurants. I also managed to squeeze in a 3 day trip to Singapore to meet some old friends. It was awesome. Singapore is so clean and organized...not to mention that it is still worth it to shop in Singapore thanks to the Norwegian Currency :)

I have a bit of jet lag - woke up at 5.45am this morning (hence, blogging). I hope it'll get fixed over the next couple of days. I went to work yesterday (woke up at 7am). It's quite quiet actually. I'm hoping that things pick up a bit and I get lots of work done :)

Have a good weekend guys!

Neither Here Nor There

2009-10-30T02:07:00.003+10:00

That's how I've been feeling lately. There's just way too many things to do back in KL. I feel like I haven't really rested. My mind is everywhere. Although my family have moved to this place for more than 2 years, I still don't really feel like its home. I'm not sure of the routes to get here - in fact, I got lost when I tried to show the taxi driver how to get to our house from MidValley. It was quite embarrassing. I guess I'm not quite used to this part of the city at all.

I seem to feel tired all the time. I think I haven't had proper rest or any 'down time' for that matter. It also doesn't help that I don't have any gym membership here, so I can't really exercise. Everywhere I go, I end up eating more than I should and end up feeling annoyed with myself later.

Don't get me wrong - its actually fun to be back and play with my adorable niece and stuff, but the tiredness is just there..doesn't seem to go away..

Shopping has been awesome though. My favourite jeans brand has been having up to 70% discount so I indulged a little ;)

Kids these days..

2009-10-09T18:19:00.002+10:00

It amazes me to what extent teenagers will go to just sound cool. Making jokes about Hitler and his killings is just not funny. When will these kids realise it? I saw a comment on my young cousin's Facebook about how they should break the law once (I think my cousin was referencing some song lyrics) and his friend wrote about how they should kill some Js. How is that cool? Or even funny? Don't children learn respect for others in school anymore?

Indeed, I am offended. When you go to Germany often, you see a lot of sad war-related memorials. Photographs of the Berlin wall; the Holocaust memorial. It's such sad stuff that you just cannot understand how human beings can kill just out of dislike. There was no reason at all for the things that happened there. So I get really offended by people who make such jokes. I know young kids don't know better, but they should. They should make an effort to learn about all these things (I remember learning about them in History class) and respect it. Not make jokes about it...because it was such a terrible thing to do.

/rant

Live and Learn

2009-10-05T23:06:00.003+10:00

Things are starting to get better lately. The apartment is cleaner, the job is causing less emotional trauma, life is going by as expected - so I can't complain.

After surviving an acidic job situation, I can safely say I am alive. However, the phrase "once bitten twice shy" is indeed true as I am a little paranoid and I have my eyes wide open this time around.

Leaving for Malaysia this coming Sunday, 1 month of vacation with my family. Hopefully everything goes as planned.

Meet...then Part

2009-09-28T05:17:00.002+10:00

I hate it when friends leave. Being an expatriate, it is very common to make nice foreign friends and then have to watch them leave when they take on different opportunities. Logically, it is understandable, but emotionally you just feel so sad. It doesn't help when some of them live so near you and both of you are busy with your own daily lives, then you find out they are leaving and you feel a bit sad that you didn't spend enough time with them. You know what I mean?

Two of my former colleagues and their spouses (whom I am well acquainted with) are leaving this month. They had a small party at their place yesterday and it was bittersweet. Life works in mysterious ways I guess :)

My new job is alright. It's more of a 'job' rather than a passion, if that makes any sense. I always thought you have to love your job to do it, but now I think its possible to just like your job and not love it - yet still be happy with your career. I just look forward to nice productive days, good dinner in the evenings (sometimes with special people) and gym or movie nights.

My employer is moving to a new office, like less than 1km away next weekend and I will get my own office. Now that is the type of progress I like :) Being a technical writer means you need a lot of quiet surroundings to write...nothing helps more than having an office to yourself!

Anyway, I have to sign off now, attempting to review some work for a writer friend.

Wish me luck!

Change and More Change

2009-09-10T05:12:00.002+10:00

If you had told me a year ago that towards the end of 2009, I would have a new job, in a totally different part of Norway, in an entirely different industry, I would have scoffed at you.

Now, I am not so sure anymore. The amount of new/good/bad things that have happened since 2009 started is just amazing. I no longer work for a small Norwegian software company where every summer the freezer was stocked with ice-cream, neither do I work for a large phone manufacturer. I now work in the broadcasting industry - me, the person who is more than happy to sit at a desk and write documentation with no care for the world (except for fashion).

It is not easy to switch jobs with nothing but a three day weekend in between to attempt to clear your mind. I find it difficult to commute a good 40-50 minutes every morning and evening to and from work. But one thing I realise now is that it is quite similar to what I would have done in Malaysia, and what I did in Berlin for three weeks last September.

Sometimes there is just so many things happening that I wish I could stop time for a little while. I find it difficult to juggle so many things. I feel like I have no time to rest, bum on the couch, read, listen to music, watch movies....where do people find the time to balance all this in their lives? If there is a secret, please tell me :)

I am struggling to balance gym in my week. Desperately need to keep going to the gym. I've gone down a size in clothing, so it is helping with the motivation. Hopefully six months from now, I will look better.

I'm off to a nice European city this weekend, for work. It is going to be tiring. I hope I survive :)

Battle Weary, Travel Worn ... The Same Thing

2009-09-06T09:56:00.001+10:00

Everyday you wake up and put on your battle uniform to go out of the door and face the world..

Everyday it is a new battle, or the same battle...

I am tired... when will all this end?

Never Satisfied

2009-08-18T20:41:00.004+10:00

Sometimes, I amuse myself by my inability to be satisfied. The other times, I am irritated with myself.

On my good hair days, I yearn for perfect skin.

When I am paying for my purchases at a clothing store, my mind is already on the pair of shoes I so need to get to match the clothing I have bought.

If I do buy a good pair of shoes, I think "I need a new jacket to go with this."

When I do have a good jacket, I think, "All my scarves don't match it, time for new scarves!"

When I buy a book, I always fall for the "3 for 2" offer...but end up only reading that one book that I really wanted to buy. I should have just bought that one book.

When I buy a good hand bag, I think "This will be perfect for 6 months!" But...2-3 months later, I am already scouting for the next bag.

Don't get me wrong. I don't even buy half the things I see, as I have this "bargain shopper" gene in me that doesn't let me spend money on something unless it is worth it. So, everyday, I am at odds with my greedy heart. Argh! Why am I never satisfied?

No Such Thing as Good or Bad

2009-08-13T18:38:00.002+10:00

Sometimes life is just confusing. No, I am not depressed, but I have been trying really hard to avoid being sad and upset over the same things repeatedly. In an effort to break that thought cycle, I have realised that life is confusing. I mean nobody is all good and nobody is all bad. It is hard to dislike people, at the same time, it is difficult to like them if there are certain characteristics that bother you, right? But then again, we always want people to accept us for who we are. For us to have that type of acceptance, we have to accept people for who they are. I am confused over this. It's difficult to overlook, yet difficult to accept.

Sigh. Way too much thinking :)

So what have I been up to? Some cooking...attempted to make sweet potato soup. It was quite good. I also bought this red pesto powder to cook with because bottled pesto does not last very long. I normally end up throwing away half a bottle every 10 days or so because its just not fresh after refrigerated for so long. I tried out the pesto powder yesterday for a bacon-onion-chives-pasta recipe and it was very good. Tasted just like fresh pesto, a bit less oily too as you add the oil yourself.

I notice that I have this strange habit of getting hungry two hours after dinner and I am trying to kick that habit by not eating anything, or at most drinking some soya/rice milk or water. It is working.

I'm still trying to lose weight at the gym. I have lost some, and toned up a bit, but its still not enough. Need to up the cardio at the gym. On the up side, I can bike/run quite a bit so I am happy. Will try not to treat myself with food though I wonder if shopping is better than eating a slice of cake? Hehe :)

In an effort to be more "cultured", I got tickets to watch a jazz concert this Friday. I'm looking forward to it.

** Picture borrowed from http://www.nomu.co.za

Weekend at Copenhagen

2009-08-04T18:04:00.005+10:00

My friends and I have always discussed traveling together but never got around to it. Last weekend, we finally traveled to Copenhagen together. It was so much fun. The city is just amazing. It's a lot bigger than Oslo (felt like that) and has so much more variety - clothes, food, sights and sounds. We went up the Round Tower, ate Japanese and French fusion food at Umami Restaurant, shopped and drank lots of iced coffee, and finally did a city tour on the Segway. The weather was really nice and warm, unlike rainy Oslo. All in all we had great fun. It would be nice to discover another city with them again in future *hint* :)

A Good Weekend

2009-07-20T19:48:00.004+10:00

I spent my Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and evening setting up an IKEA wardrobe with a friend, for my apartment.

My current apartment is really nice but it lacks storage space. In a way I have a lot more stuff than my landlord who used to live there. I cook a lot more and I own way more clothing :) So I managed to convince my landlord to let me switch the wardrobe with a nice, new, space-efficient IKEA one. I gotta say, I love it. The challenge with setting up a new wardrobe is to remove the old one (which we did on Thursday night, leaving all the clothing on the carpet and on the 2nd couch...so it was quite a "sight"), as well as filling up the new one.

I spent my whole Sunday filling it up and sorting out what clothing I wanted to keep, and which ones go to charity. I have a lot of old stuff like jeans from my university days (that is a tad too loose and worn out), shirts from my teenage days, etc. I am really setting my mind to getting rid of all that this time. Previously I got rid of some but kept the rest for sentimental reasons. I am a sentimental pack rat :( This time, I am making sure I get rid of those pieces.

I am 3/4 done. There is 1/4 of clothing left on the floor/couch. The good news is I can now see the carpet so it is not that bad.

The other project I was going to do (which is 1/2 way done now) is to use one half of the old wardrobe and install it at the entrance of the apartment. So I can hang coats and put my winter boots (knee high fluffy Timberlands) in them. I want to clean up the small store room I have near the entrance so that it is a bit neater. The wardrobe has been set up, but the doors/shelves have to be put in. I'll try to do that by the end of this week.

I also bought a shelf made out of wire baskets stacked up for the bathroom. The current bathroom shelf is just beyond help and I have to get rid of it. The difficult part about switching out furniture is finding a way to throw the old one out. Most probably I will have to rent a car and get my friend to drive it, and then throw out the old furniture at this collection post they have, out of the city (about 30 minutes drive).

Phew, I so don't have "furniture" on my mind anymore :) I don't think I am going to change anything in the next 2-3 years...this attempt was enough of a challenge.

It Took 7 Months...

2009-07-13T18:22:00.003+10:00

I'm starting to look a tad better in the mirror. I guess the 7 months of slogging it out in the gym is starting to help. I didn't think it would take 7 months of gym workouts to get there...I was hoping in 3 months I would be happier with my appearance.

The thing about living in Norway is that Norwegian women are gorgeous. They are very long-limbed and most of them are very sporty so they look very nice. Not many of them look like me - belly, lovehandles, etc ;) So I set out on this journey - to start toning up - when I was really depressed over work-related stuff early this year. I guess I am almost halfway there...maybe in another 7 months I will stop subconsciously buying clothing that hides my belly.

So how was your weekend? On Saturday I hung out with my friend from Romania, I*. Took her to get her hair restyled. See I* is in an acidic relationship. Her boyfriend has ruined her self esteem. I think she once was this really confident, happy person...some days I get a glimpse of the real her. Other days she is so sad, and has almost no self-esteem - at all. The girl wears Extra Small clothing, but tells me she is fat. It seems her boyfriend calls her a whale...but she's tiny! She barely eats anything but junkfood. Strangely, I watched her wolf down pasta on Saturday, simple pasta (though the chef was Italian) with tomato and basil sauce. She said her boyfriend doesn't eat pasta, so she doesn't cook it, but she likes pasta. It's scary how picking the wrong guy can lead to a person losing so much of their individuality.

It's her birthday next week but her boyfriend doesn't want to take her anywhere. I offered to take her to a movie and dinner with wine as she loves wine. She said "But you don't drink..." and I said "We'll get you wine, and we'll get me coffee." That seemed to make her happy. Her boyfriend does not let her shop, or do anything to make herself feel better. He's against her dying her hair (she has some grey strands) so she won't do it. He doesn't like the colour black so she won't wear anything black. He doesn't like her to buy shoes or bags so she doesn't buy shoes or bags. She sneaks around and shops, asking sales assistants to cover the price tag of clothing she has purchased. Imagine that! It's so weird. If I give her cheesecake, she gives it all to him saying "He likes cheesecake." I thought it was always she who liked cheesecake, because she used to say "We like cheesecake". Looks like he = we, and there is no "I" in her vocabulary anymore. He won't eat out because he believes food made outside of their home is "dirty". He won't watch movies in the cinema. He doesn't like to hang out with her friends (not that I want to meet him, I might end up hurting him).

I have watched my parents for so many years...they have a very nice relationship. My Mom won't make Dad do anything he doesn't want to do, she always gives him the option to say no. Likewise, my Dad won't make Mom do anything she doesn't want to do. My Dad only wears clothing that he likes, and my Mom the same. But it doesn't stop there - my mother dyes her grey streaks, my father wears his proudly. They have a really nice relationship, having managed to retain their individuality despite being married for almost 30 years. No matter how angry my Dad gets when my Mom knocks the car (it's one of the few things he really gets annoyed about), my Mom will still tell him the truth and accept his anger. She won't lie, at all. She shops as she likes, with money that he gives her because she's a housewife. My Mom is very good at managing money though :) But my point is that she doesn't have to sneak around and buy things. She just tells the truth and it works out fine.

So coming from a background like this, you can imagine my shock at I*'s relationship. I feel so bad for her, but I don't know how to help her. I have told her many times that when I am away on vacation, or even when I am around, she can come stay with me - if she wants to clear her head or decide on the course of her future (and hopefully dump that guy!). Unfortunately you can only lead a horse to the stream, you can't make it drink the water. Hence, she has to make her decision. Till then she can always count on having a fun time when we hang out.

Saturday evening I watched a Hindi movie with my friend N*. She's a human rights lawyer who is relocating for a year to pursue other opportunities. I'm going to miss her. When you talk to N*, you will get the most practical, no-nonsense suggestions and answers. That is just how she is - black and white. She actually feels guilty for working in an air-conditioned office as she feels that's not a real job for a human rights lawyer. She wants to be in troubled countries and help fix the problems there. You can imagine my surprise when she told me she enjoyed watching Bollywood movies - especially the ones with the most singing and dancing. Hehehe, people are amusing :)

On Sunday, I went to the gym and cooked Navrattan pulao. It was very yummy. Simple vegetarian dish with some paneer, cashew nuts and raisins.

Yin and Yang

2009-07-09T08:17:00.002+10:00

There's jealousy, envy. There's dissatisfaction, unhappiness. When I sit in that room. How do I get rid of all this negative feelings? Will it ever get better? Staring out the window, I remember those buildings I longed to live in. I remember the Ballerina biscuits. So much sweetness yet so much pain. Oh, the unfairness of it all.

/rant

...and then it is July.

2009-07-01T20:43:00.003+10:00

Wow, this year is passing so fast. I really wish there was some time to stop and smell the roses. Alas, there is so much to do. Everything is moving at lightning speed. In less than 2 months, I will be starting work some place else. About a month after that, I have my vacation in Malaysia. Then its back to Norway and then its Christmas. No time to breathe :/

In three weeks, I have to replace the wardrobe in my apartment. The current one is not bad, but the shelves are falling in and the beam on which you hang stuff on - its falling out. I wandered around IKEA a few weeks ago and saw a nice one that is a bit more reinforced. Much more robust. So I figured I'll switch it out.

I would also like to have a small wardrobe at the entrance of the apartment so that I can hang all my winter coats, etc there. Those seem to take up a lot of space sometimes. Hmm, maybe later, when I can justify the expense.

Somewhere between all this I have to psych myself up for my new job and for my trip home. The trip home involves a lot of challenges, to be honest. I'm extremely sensitive, and sometimes, offhand remarks/comments can hurt me a lot. Just people nagging about when I'm going to get married (it is difficult to be a hot 25 year old expatriate, the family tradition does not let you be unmarried because people assume you must be miserable and unhappy). Someday, I would like to take all my relatives, sit them down, and explain how much fun it is to not be married. To make your own decisions, to arrange stuff in your apartment the way YOU like it. To not have to pick up the phone and report you are.

Don't get me wrong. There's nothing bad about marriage - but I haven't reached that point yet, you know? I'm really happy being on my own, having lots of friends, bumming around, traveling, reading, watching lots of movies. When I reach that point in life, then it will be different. For now, I am content. But I really hate being nagged about when I'm going to get married. It is extremely frustrating :/ ..as though grooms can be found in the supermarket for 5 ringgit each or something :)

The other tough question is "when are you coming back for good?" I know people don't mean harm when they ask these questions, but I wish they wouldn't. The thing is, even I don't know. I don't want to live a boring life. I don't mind living far away from home. It's not that bad, at all. I have a good relationship with my family, but at the same time, I want to explore all sorts of possibilities. I love my lifestyle here in Norway. Norway is a very nice place to live in. Very peaceful and calm. I have learned the art of patience here :) ... and picked up minor coffee addiction, but that's another story! I wish people asked different types of questions, rather than questions that are uncomfortable. It gets even more awkward when they try to suggest things like "Why can't you work in Singapore?" "You should start looking for a job closer to home." ... its just weird. These types of questions make me eye the nearest exit....and airport.

Sometimes we don't pick our destiny. I never thought I'd be in Norway trudging through snow for 3 months a year. I really didn't think so. I'd like to enjoy it while I am here. I have no problems working in Singapore, in fact I applied for a job there but did not get it. Jobs don't come easy, especially niche jobs like Technical Writing. I just wish people understood...rather than ask insensitive questions. Time to psych myself up for all this :) Maybe I should get ear plugs...

My New Found Love: Orange Marmalade

2009-06-28T17:41:00.003+10:00

In an effort to reduce the amount of milk I am drinking (the Milk in Europe/Scandinavia is way too rich for me, making me feel slightly lactose intolerant), I've switched over from cereal for breakfast to bread with marmalade or rice cakes with marmalade. Yum! Lately simple food like bread, marmalade, salad, baked potato, tomato soup, etc., taste so much better. I guess I am starting to appreciate food better :)

** Image borrowed from stdalfour

I Take My Health For Granted...

2009-06-27T03:26:00.003+10:00

then I get upset when I am sick.

I mean I do take care of myself, but sometimes you think its easy to adjust to living in a country at the other end of Malaysia - but it is not.

My latest health problem is - allergies. On 1st June (I remember the date as it was a public holiday) I hurt my back in the gym. Now that its getting much better and the discomfort is barely there despite going back to the gym...my allergies have kicked in. At least that's what the doctor said today.

I can't see very clearly lately. My eyes feel really tired, a little itchy, get reddish and then I start to see blurred letters. I can see people, but not far away. If you are standing about 3 meters away from me, I can't recognize your features. It was very scary. The worst part was sensitivity to light. It's summer here - nice and sunny, but my eyes are so irritated by the light. So, after about 2 weeks of trying to leave it alone, I went to a doctor this morning (thank you health insurance!). Turns out I might have an allergy. I have special eye drops to use every 8 hours. Let's hope it works and all is well.

To be on the safe side, I also have an appointment with an optometrist tomorrow. Hopefully I don't need new glasses as they are way too expensive. Sigh, please let me be healthy again :( There are so many things I want to do in summer!

Just Usual Days

2009-06-19T18:02:00.002+10:00

I haven't done anything special lately. I attended a beautiful wedding last weekend in a small town in UK. Unfortunately I can't tell anybody at work that I actually attended this wedding because the couple is worried that people might get offended. Only 5 people were invited to the wedding as the couple is British, hence the wedding was in UK. Altogether they only had 80+ guests. I felt so privileged to be invited.

A European wedding is so different from a Malaysian wedding. Mainly in terms of the number of people. For my elder sister's wedding in January 2007, my parents invited almost 1000 people. This was my family's guests and my brother-in-law's family's guests. The reception was half of the people at the wedding - approximately 500 people. So you can imagine my surprise at attending a wedding with 80 odd people. It was so different. You could actually mingle with guests and remember who was who. It was a lot of fun.

They had a classic English wedding - the kind you see in the movies, but it was so natural and not forced. Like you could tell they enjoyed going through the procedure and did not feel it was a burden. The wedding was in a huge mansion, known as Fanham's Hall. It is now a convention centre-type of place, but previously it was a mansion. Imagine how rich the owners must have been, to live in such a huge house. I kept joking with my friends that it must be haunted ;)

Phew, after traveling to UK twice within the span of 3 months, and attending another wedding in Germany in May, I need a break. I need to sit home and read/clean or just go to the gym. The bottom line is I need to start lining my pocket again with savings. It's amazing how many expenses there are some times.

*Tries to be optimistic about saving*

Seven Minutes to Midnight

2009-06-18T07:53:00.003+10:00

It's almost midnight now. As I write this blog post, I heave a sigh of relieve. Just paid rent for my apartment and did my 'daughter' responsibilities :)

Ah, the relief. There are always two ways to look at having to pay bills: "The poor just got poorer" or "One less thing to worry about". In my effort to be an optimist, I shall pick the latter.

I went to the gym today. Starting slow, again. I took about 12 days break, altogether, as I hurt my back on the 1st of June in the gym. I don't know how I hurt it, I was just using a machine I had been using for more than 4 months. Strange huh :/ I just felt excruciating pain and had to go straight home, lie on the floor with my head and knees elevated. The next day I felt better, but its taking awhile to get to the "good as new" stage. I would love to go to the gym 5 days a week or something. I did reach 4 days a week before I hurt my back. I guess I have to keep repeating the word "Moderation" to myself and not overdo it. *SIGH*

Goodnight world!

25 Random Things About Moi

2009-06-07T06:21:00.002+10:00

This has been going around on Facebook for awhile. However, I am more comfortable writing stuff about myself on my blog, than I am on Facebook ;) Way too many work-related people on there. Not to mention family :)

So, here goes:

1. I am a middle child. I have two sisters - one older, one younger.

2. My newfound passion is for shopping. I never liked shopping as a teenager, but lately, I love buying new clothes, shoes, bags, accessories. Somebody please stop me!

3. I love apple juice. I can drink it all the time. It used to be my on-flight choice of drink. Lately, due to my insisting on eating less sugar, I have switched to tomato juice.

4. I love pants. My younger sister always complained about my shopping habits, back when I used to live at home: "You're always buying pants. Stop buying pants. Buy some tops instead." Gosh, she was so right. I do have an obsession for pants. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling when I see well-fitted pants - even on someone else ;)

5. I have a health-freak mode. Some weeks, I am very particular about what I eat. Other times, I just eat everything I see. *sigh* I need to learn to balance it.

6. I have body issues. I hate my flabby tummy and am desperate to get rid of it. I really shouldn't obsess about it though.

7. I enjoy ironing clothing...to a certain extent. If its a steam iron and I am ironing shirts, I really don't mind ironing. Keep those creased pants away from me. Those are a pain.

8. I listen to a lot of Indian music. My iPod is full of it. It's one of the ways I keep homesickness at bay. You see, at home, the TV or the radio is always on, with Tamil or Hindi music. To keep some semblance of that atmosphere, I always have Indian music on my iPod.

9. I don't drink alcohol. Never did, never will :) It's by choice, out of principle.

10. I enjoy cooking. I find it very therapeutic.

11. I like cleaning, but I need to be in the mood for it.

12. I hand wash 50% of my clothing because I want them to look new. It's ironic because in a way, I am actually sabotaging my chances to buy more new clothing. If your clothes wear out fast, you would need to buy new clothes sooner right? Still can't convince myself to throw everything into the washing machine though.

13. I love jeans. I own way too many pairs of them.

14. I dream of being able to wear high heels and walk comfortably in them. I don't think it will ever happen :)

15. I like reading fashion magazines. It's a newfound interest. I call it research. Since I am a kind of writer, the vocabulary used in fashion magazines is like a yardstick for words that I can use when I write as most people will understand them ;) That's the semi-truth. The real truth is I dream of being thin and being able to wear everything i like.

16. I wanted to be a journalist but one fine day, when I casually mentioned it to my mom, she thought it was a difficult choice of career. Later I became addicted to the computer and chose Computer Engineering instead. Strangely I am a technical writer now. Talk about twisted fate...

17. I'm pampered. My parents, despite being middle class, always gave me everything I wanted. When you are an adult, living far away from home, your parents' sacrifice and achievements become very clear to you. I also noticed that once I was surrounded by other parents (my colleagues who have children) I have come to appreciate what my parents gave me even more.

18. I like computer games but I refuse to be addicted to them. So I try to refrain from playing them.

19. My favourite ice-cream flavour is cookies and cream.

20. I used to be a tomboy. I never thought I would wear tight jeans and T-shirts let alone skirts. My shirts as a teenager were bigger than my Dad's shirts :)

21. I enjoy traveling though I never thought I would get to travel as much as I do in the past 3 years. I was going to settle for working in a bank, and living an inconspicuous life. Alas, the opposite happened.

22. I don't miss university life. People always say that work life is more difficult than university. My university life was pretty tough. I don't think I want to go back to that mode.

23. I am somewhat lactose-intolerant. I think it has something to do with growing up in Malaysia, drinking powdered milk for many years. There's only so much milk I can drink in a day. Otherwise I get an upset tummy.

24. I dream of owning an apartment within the next 5 years.

25. I have a driver's license (in Malaysia) but I have never driven other than while learning driving with my instructor.

Shopping is Evil

2009-06-05T21:03:00.001+10:00

Don't you just hate it when you try to stop shopping - just for a few days ... and then you notice a sale pamphlet in your mailbox. Esprit is having 20% storewide sale for members. *SIGH* They also sent me a small voucher. MUST...NOT...SHOP....

Feeling Overwhelmed

2009-06-03T07:14:00.002+10:00

There's so much to do..so little time.

So many things have happened but there's so little time to react. I had like 4 days to decide between accepting or declining a chance of a lifetime.

I know I am lucky. But at the same time I want to mourn the loss of my dream. If possible, I'd dress in completely black clothing for a few weeks :( It hurts so bad to be told that you are the best they have, only after you have one leg out the door.

I hope this never happens to me again. I pray that I can foresee something like this in the future.

For now, I am going to just be...

Got a wedding to attend next weekend. A party to attend this Thursday. Another party the coming Friday. *Sigh* Just way too many things to do. If only life would stand still for awhile, for me to catch up. Just once.

Hilarious VIdeo

2009-05-28T06:58:00.000+10:00

I love this video, really cheers me up.

Looking for More

2009-05-25T19:05:00.001+10:00

I resigned my job today. Wow, what a relief. It's amazing how much lighter (emotionally, not physcially) I feel. Here's to new beginnings!

Water

2009-05-21T00:39:00.000+10:00

Searching for Peace

2009-05-13T08:25:00.002+10:00

Maybe this photograph will help. I took this photo during Christmas 2008 at Lake Zurich. Even I am surprised by the result :)

What do you do...

2009-05-12T00:40:00.000+10:00

when your dream turns into a nightmare?

People are Strange

2009-05-10T07:12:00.002+10:00

Somedays I feel like I should just give up on people. It feels terrible when you care about somebody and you genuinely respect them. You hope that they will help fix your situation or at least understand it enough to not make you feel worse. But no, not only do they insult you, they pass judgements on your character as if you are a terrible person. They make you believe you are a bad person just because you hold passion for what you are doing. You work so hard, but receive nothing in return - just insults, judgements, and misery. Where's the justice in that?

At a Crossroads

2009-05-05T05:54:00.002+10:00

Do I take the right path? Do I take the left path?

It's unfortunate that I have to pick a path, but then again, such is life...

I'm not sure which path to pick. Part of me is upset that I have to make this choice in the first place. This is such a big decision. *Sigh* It only gets worse...

A Peaceful Weekend

2009-04-27T07:08:00.003+10:00

It's past 11pm here. I should get ready to go to bed soon..back to work tomorrow. It's been a really nice weekend - I did some bargain shopping (2 for 1 cropped 3/4 sleeved cardigans in leaf green and turquoise, perfect for Spring and a pair of bronze leather Clarks Originals flats at almost 80% discount), hung out at a cafe with a good friend, hunted unsuccessfully for a top for a wedding (might have to buy it online), ate some really good food at TGI Friday's (I've never eaten there before, ever...), did some free sightseeing around Oslo in one of those "Be a Tourist in Your Own City" campaigns.

It was good.

Just heard from a good friend that his grandfather passed away. That must be difficult. It's also kind of hard for him to get a flight to go back for the funeral (prices are insane). Looks like he might not go. He is already going back in 2 weeks' time to visit his family. *sigh* It's not easy being an expatriate. The carefree, yuppy lifestyle does come with its share of setbacks.

Irritated, Annoyed, and the list goes on...

2009-04-24T18:49:00.002+10:00

I'm filled with so many negative feelings lately. The strange part is I can rationalize that these feelings are wrong, and I should not feel that way, but all it takes is for something bad to happen and I am feeling totally down in the dumps.

I did my responsibility as a child and sent my parents some money as a way to get some peace of mind. Hopefully that works.

In difficult times, not being in your own comfort zone, even if you don't realize it, takes a toll on the mind and body.

Jealousy

2009-04-23T00:41:00.000+10:00

Have you ever felt jealous of other people's success? I used to think I was successful, but lately I am not so sure. There's only so much you can be happy about, after awhile you get restless and itch to do more. What do you do then? How do you get out of your comfort zone but still make sure you don't fall flat on your face? Life is tricky like that.

You Know You're a Shoppaholic When...

2009-04-18T06:21:00.001+10:00

you receive a Platinum Membership Card from your favourite clothing store.

To my defense - I bought all my stuff there on sale. Really! :)

Ushering 25 in Style

2009-04-14T05:33:00.007+10:00

I wanted to do something different for my 25th birthday this year. My previous birthdays were spent splurging on books (23rd), working on assignments (21st and 22nd), having dinner with friends (24th), etc. So this birthday, I went to London. On the morning of my birthday, I went to the temple in East Ham, then wandered around Oxford Street, had scrumptious lunch at Wagamama and finally dinner at Nobu.

The sheer thrill of walking around Oxford and Regent Street on your birthday is wonderful. Of course, earning Norwegian currency also helps ;) Yes, I did a bit of shopping. I have two weddings to attend this year and being a non-dress person (I'm just not the girly type, someday I hope to have enough confidence to wear a dress, but just not now...) I bought a pair of slim fit "cigarette style" slacks from Topshop. I was going to buy a pink/fuschia-ish loose blouse to tuck into the slacks but I was running late for dinner...so I thought it would be alright to not buy the blouse because I have something similar in aubergine purple (unworn, thanks to the cold weather that came way too early, end of Sept 2008). I bought a bronze quilted clutch from French Connection, and patent black heels from Clark's to go with the look.

Back in Oslo I realized that my aubergine purple top had not gold but silver beads on them. So, the clutch is going to clash :| Now I might have to buy the blouse online, have it shipped to Germany (half the online stores do not ship to Norway, I don't know why :() and then pick it up when I go there to attend the wedding. Tedious? Definitely, but I do this type of thing quite often to be honest because when you live where I do, there is very little variety in shopping and dressing up so I tend to shop a lot when I am away/traveling or buy it online, ship it to a friend's place, etc.

I bought a reasonably-priced pair of Kurt Geiger flats:

*** Photograph borrowed from KurtGeiger.com

Yes, whoever thought I would wear pink shoes ;) Oh well, time for some fashion experiments, right?

I bought a few scarves, lots of stuff from my favourite skin care boutique, Lush, some accessories from Dorothy Perkins, and some clothing from Marks and Spencer. I was craving a leather jacket, but unfortunately none of them were within my price range. I tried to convince myself that a leather jacket is one of those timeless pieces that go with everything..but buying a leather jacket and having to starve afterwards did not bode well :)

So what else did I do in London? I stumbled upon this restaurant known as Masala Zone and had two meals there (on two separate days). I also went on a guided tour of the Tower of London. It was beautiful to see a building so old and full of history in the middle of London, surrounded by new buildings. It was very strange to hear about all sorts of things that took place, who was buried where and so on. Cobbled stones well trodden by horse-drawn carriages...were the same cobbled stones that I was walking on. Catapults that were used to throw ancient weapons of destruction at enemies now had water balloons in them :)

I also visited a few other places like Madame Tussauds, London Eye, etc. I watched "Wicked!" the musical. It was excellent. The sheer amount of hard work that must have gone in to make the props, costumes and so on was visible. Watching stage actors sing and dance in their own voice kind of makes Indian movies less special as the actors have playback singers ;)

I think the reason I like London so much is because of the variety and the language. When you live in a country with little knowledge of the native language, you pine for a surrounding where you understand almost everything you see/hear around you. London is that place for me. It's the place where I do not feel like a foreigner because there are so many people around me with Indian or Sri Lankan heritage. Fortunately, there is still so much left to see in London, warranting another visit in future ;)

I probably should upload photographs from my camera to Flickr at some point :)

Have a great week ahead!

March Ends and April Begins

2009-03-31T01:25:00.002+10:00

I am looking forward to many things ;)

* Spring
* Birthday in London
* Two friends' weddings
* Lots of new movies
* More books
* Taking it easy at work
* Photography and Lomo
* Cooking
* BBQ in Spring
* A bit of shopping
* Lots of self pampering

Tired

2009-03-11T07:48:00.003+10:00

As the title says, I'm tired. There's too much to do and too little time. I wish the days will slow down a little bit. Just a little bit. I wish 2009 passed a bit slower too. Alas, time keeps ticking away...

Getting The Perfect Coverage

2009-03-03T19:22:00.004+10:00

Makeup has always been magic to me. I have no idea about it so I read tons of reviews, lust after other people's makeup (and appearance) and then finally convince myself to splurge. Then repeat the whole process again :)

I am lazy. I don't like to take care of myself. I'd rather read a book or watch TV episodes than wash my face and go to the gym. But lately I have realized that there is no short cut to looking good and ultimately you just have to incorporate all the little bits and pieces of discipline and routine into your lifestyle to look good. So I signed up for gym two months ago. I lost about 1.5 kg. That's about it. But I'm still going to the gym - not giving up just yet.

Back to makeup. I've been using the MAC Studio Fix powder for 2 years now and its quite good but sometimes it feels kind of cakey and it just looks obvious that I am wearing maekup.

My recent fixation for Lush products drove me to buy the Angels on Bare Skin facial cleanser. I have to say - it really works. My skin looks and feels so much better. I hope I have the discipline to keep using it. However, once my skin started to look better, I figured I could use less coverage. So I bought the new MAC Mineralize SPF 15 Foundation:

and the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural:

and my skin is starting to look a tad better. Less cakey, less oily, and more natural. Now if only Spring will come...

P/s - Photographs borrowed from their official sites.

The Pain of Sock-Matching

2009-03-01T23:55:00.002+10:00

When you live in a country with four seasons, you start to collect such different clothing -- cotton tops for summer, long-sleeved tops and sweaters for spring, cotton/acrylic/wool jumpers for autumn and winter -- the list goes on and on. I seem to have collected a lot of socks: short socks, long socks, tights, foot socks. It's crazy. I tried to clean up my sock box today. It was a lot of work - tiring and time consuming. It was worth it though, now everything well organized. My engineer self is extremely proud when I organize and arrange stuff properly. If I can just start rearranging my cupboard. *Sigh* Its hard to have four times the amount of clothing just for some variety for each season...

All in The Family

2009-02-17T02:06:00.001+10:00

This urge to cook and bake and make EVIL (in a good way) food, runs in my family. My younger sister is following our mother's footsteps to make desserts for order. You can visit her website here. There shall be more photographs soon!

...of Mundane Weekend Activities

2009-02-08T09:37:00.003+10:00

I have days when I feel like my life is boring. I contemplate what it would be like to lead a more interesting life. My friend tells me that your life is as interesting as you want it to be - and other people's lives always seem more colorful because its not yours.

I agree, but it still feels like my life is boring.

I've taken up reading a lot more lately - I have to maintain my vocabulary as I do write for a living. Never thought I'd have the word "Writer" in my job title. I am trying to be more frugal and spend less due to the economy. I have to get a flight ticket for my trip home in a few months. I don't plan to buy the ticket 9 months before the trip this year (like I did last year). Maybe I'll buy my ticket 2-3 months before the actual trip this time. The economy is scary. So much news about people losing their jobs. Yet here I sit, moping over something as petty as not having an "interesting" life. Hehe.

When I was a kid and used to ask Dad for new things, he used to say "I complained I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet." True, Dad is always right. The mind is convinced, but the heart never is...

Snowy Saturday

2009-02-08T01:02:00.001+10:00

It's snowing outside. I only went out once today - to take out the trash and get some groceries. Lunch was pita bread with hummus. I'm trying to eat healthy lately. Still hoping I'll lose some weight. I've lost about 1.5 kg from going to the gym so its not too bad. I have to go to the gym again tomorrow.

I made biscotti yesterday so I'm having one with a mug of tea now. Planning to read and relax today.

I got a hair cut yesterday. It is shoulder length (my hair was 1 inch short of waist length yesterday). Feels weird to have so little hair all of a sudden but my head feels lighter...if that makes any sense.

Have a nice weekend guys :)

The Memory Remains

2009-01-30T20:16:00.002+10:00

It was my grandmother's birthday yesterday. When she was alive, my sisters and I would call her and wish her. In the evening or over the weekend, my mother and her siblings will usually throw a small party for her with cake and some nice food. It's been 4 years since she passed away and though I don't like to think about it, I can still remember how I cried at her funeral. I never realized how much I appreciated having her around until she got bed-ridden and was hospitalized for a few months. Watching your grandmother waste away in a hospital bed is one of the most difficult things you have to do. I am actually glad that she passed away because I don't even want to think of the sheer amount of pain she was going through. I don't wish that kind of suffering on anybody.

I still miss her though. I have quite a few memories of her making coffee for me, reading the newspapers, watching the news in Tamil, laughing at some joke, etc. It would have been nice to call her and wish her for her birthday. She would have been 78 years old if she was alive. Strangely that does not sound like old at all - I have friends who have grandmothers living till 90. How come my grandmother did not get that chance? Life's unfair sometimes huh.

So, just to celebrate her birthday, I made a simple butter cake (recipe from here) and shared it with my many nice colleagues at work. The butter cake turned out pretty good, and it only took 20 minutes to put together and 25 minutes to bake.

Fixing The Self Image

2009-01-26T20:06:00.004+10:00

I have always dreamed of being thin. I am not obese but I do have a belly that I have hated for the past 5 years or so. I am glad to be able to buy clothes off the rack and living in almost-Europe, the clothing sizes here definitely soothe my pride. Nevertheless, I still wish I looked a little less out of shape.

Recently, I signed up for gym. I've been going there for the past 2 weeks. No change yet, but hopefully there will be some change in the next 4 months or so. I have a 6 months membership. I didn't want to take a year's membership in case I fell off the wagon. Hopefully I will lose some weight I guess.

Strangely, I don't eat much junk food but I think I don't really move around much either because I am a computer geek who just sits down all day. The cold winter makes it difficult to take long walks (fresh snow is beautiful, old snow == slush, is not beautiful).

Perhaps someday I will be happy with the way I look. I have read that once you reach 30, you start to accept yourself more. So there's 5 whole years to improve!

Things Are Looking Up Again

2009-01-22T20:17:00.003+10:00

After a lot of hiccups, the year is starting to look a bit better again. I wanted to title the post as "a little bit of sunshine" but the weather today is not sunny..AT ALL. It's pure sleet outside (like rain but little pieces of it, or maybe "wet snow" makes more sense?). It's not fun walking in that weather. I had to walk to the bus stop this morning and it was pretty cold.

*Googles for today's temperature* Hmm, about -2 to 0C. Not fun. I don't mind the cold, I wear woollen tights inside my jeans. It's like my weapon against the cold. But getting wet is not fun. I wear a beanie, scarf, etc., but it is still wet.

But, I digress.

As I was saying, things are looking up a bit. Work is tough though - sometimes you really have to fight for what you believe in. You'd think it is common sense to most people, but you'd be surprised how little common sense some people have :)

Oh well.

Italian Tomato Soup

2009-01-17T03:30:00.004+10:00

As I write this post, I am halfway through cooking Italian Tomato Soup.

As a child, I never liked cooking. I was always afraid of the stove as in Malaysia its a real flame stove and I just found it dangerous. I could not understand how my mother could stand in front of that stove and fry chicken with the oil splashing everywhere. I used to be really really nervous about hot oil and the cooking flame. The most I did in the kitchen was make instant Roti Pratha and microwave Maggi Mee or Campbell's soup.

It was in Australia that I discovered the joys of cooking. In the beginning it was just to see what it was like to make myself a meal because food was provided in the residential college that I lived in. Later I moved to the block where food was not provided and had to share a kitchen with 3 other people. That's where I used to cook daily. Usually the simplest meals were the tastiest - pasta, stirfried noodles, fried rice, fried fish fillet with rice and japanese rice seasonings, instant noodles - the staple food of the average student. Slowly, I started to make more difficult dishes like chicken curry (I made fish curry once and it was a disaster. Took me 2.5 years to attempt to cook it again and now I can safely say it is tasty, but not as good as my mother's fish curry.) and fried beehoon.

Now, in Oslo, I cook a lot. I try to eat in at least 5 days a week because the cost of living in Oslo is expensive, hence, eating out is expensive too. Lately my favourite dishes are Tomato Soup, Veggie Nachos, Pasta with Chicken Tikka Masala (don't knock it unless you've tried it ;)), Chicken Curry and Mint Rice, Chilli Prawn Linguini, etc.

Here's the recipe I use for the Italian Tomato Soup:

----------------

1 can chopped tomatoes (approx 400 grams)
2 tablespoons olive oil
100 grams of mascarpone
1 onion (medium sized)
2 cloves garlic
500 ml of tomato juice
3 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 teaspoon of Italian herbs (I use a combined version containing basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, etc.)
Salt and pepper to taste
A little bit of basil pesto (for garnishing)

--- Serves 3

Chop onion and garlic.
Heat oil in cooking pot. Fry onion and garlic until fragrant and soft.
Add in tomato puree. Stir until the onion and garlic bits are coated in the puree.
Add in chopped tomatoes and herbs. Reduce the heat, let it cook well, till the oil comes out.
Add half the tomato juice. Simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
Add in mascarpone.
Use the remaining tomato juice to adjust the consistency according to your liking.
Add salt and pepper.
Stir and simmer for 2 minutes.
Blend the soup mixture in a blender.
Garnish with pesto and serve.

Things I Learned Lately

2009-01-09T22:37:00.006+10:00

When I was at university, people always told me that working life is more difficult than student life. I didn't believe them, until now. Here are some of the things I have learned in the past few years:

Chocolate always helps.

Sitting on my couch, huddled under a blanket while eating chocolate always makes me feel better.

There will always be things about people you dislike.

I have a lot of friends, but from time to time I find myself getting a little frustrated by their behavior. It's not that I am perfect but some days it gets hard to be friends with some people. I guess at some point, you have to accept that nobody is perfect and making do with your friends' quirks and eccentricities is part of friendship.

Always save for a rainy day.

I picked this one up from my Dad. His favourite line when we discuss money (over MSN - my Dad's cool like that) is "Save for rainy days". In Malay we say "Sediakan payung sebelum hujan" meaning that you should prepare an umbrella before it rains. I try to save money every month - I do have months when I don't save a cent, but most of the time, there is some transaction going into the savings account. I do try not to obsess about it though - I'm not sure about my bank's interest rates - seems to fluctuate quite a bit, so I don't worry about it. As long as I am saving, I'm fine. Hopefully I'll get to buy an apartment by the time I am 30. *fingers crossed*

Plan your finances.

I don't have the spreadsheet with my daily expenses - I tried and failed miserably many times. However, I have successfully managed to plan my meagre salary enough to avoid the "N days to salary countdown". One of my fears is living from paycheck to paycheck.

Be careful what you wish for.

Sometimes, when you get what you wished for, you start to feel that you were better off before you got your wish.

No matter how bad things get, life goes on.

I have days where I am totally down in the dumps. Yet somehow, someway, I find myself still being able to do work, go shopping, walk in the park. I keep thinking I can't do it, I can't move on from the crap that is surrounding me, yet I still manage to do it. So there has to be some form of magic left in life that lets you move on with the next day despite today being such a bad day. You ask yourself "can it get any worse?" and it does get worse, but then a few days later... you are back in form, doing things as if nothing happened a few days ago. That is the beauty of life - it keeps on going. Either that or I have really short term memory.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T19:01:00.004+10:00

This post is slightly belated as I spent my new year's eve baking a cheesecake for the New Year's Eve party at a friend's place. I also went on a cleaning spree - doing lots of laundry post vacation and slowly but surely reorganizing things in the apartment. I spent the 1st of January slightly bumming around, watching some old Tamil movies and cleaning even more.

So..how was 2008? I'd say it was a rollercoaster. I had days when I was exuberant, jubilant, and very happy; I also had days when I was really depressed and contemplating lots of problems with very few solutions. All in all, it was a good year, though. Here's a quick recap:

2008 Events Unordered

Got a new employer

Developed my writing skills

Got a small promotion

Visited Germany (Konstanz and Ueberlingen) for Easter
Spent 40 minutes in Kreuzlingen, a small town in Switzerland

Actually visited Zurich

Moved to a beautiful new apartment

Visited Berlin for work - 3 full weeks of being an expatriate and shopping a lot

Vacationed in Malaysia for 3 weeks

The birth of my extremely cute niece

My younger sister graduating and becoming a real lawyer - not that she needed any training ;)

Bought a MacBook with my own earnings - my previous laptop was a gift from my Dad

Saw real snow

Got back to reading

Learned to make delicious tomato soup

Bought a macro lens

There are tons of things I want to do in 2009. I hope to achieve at least half of them.

So, here's to 2009 *clinks glass with apple juice*!

Note: Those of you who know me well will know where I work but my employer will not be mentioned here as I like maintaining a barrier between who I am and where I work. I do not want to be searched one fine day just to have my personal blog appear in relation to my employer.

A Vacation With Many Firsts - Part 2

2008-12-30T19:37:00.003+10:00

I fell asleep at around 2am, in the same clothing I had put on at 6.45am that morning, albeit for a borrowed T-shirt. I felt so uncomfortable and dirty. I did buy a toothbrush and toothpaste but there was no luxury of facial cleanser, toner, or moisturiser. I woke up at around 8am the next day. Washed up and had breakfast - still in the dirty clothes unfortunately. It felt really really weird to not have *any* luggage. I know most people carry a change of clothing and toiletries in their hand luggage - but I was trying to travel light so I had no hand luggage except for a sling bag with my camera, extra lens, travel documents and the Twilight novel. I guess I will never travel without a hand luggage from now on :)

I made a few phone calls to the Airline and to the travel insurance company. I was allowed to buy clothing, toiletries, etc and be reimbursed. Of course the private travel insurance provided more coverage than the Airline.

So, I went shopping. It was difficult to shop and buy literally everything enough for 1-2 days in the span of an hour or so. I got a pair of jeans, a sweater, a t-shirt, and lots of undies (hey, it was free clothes!). I also bought a lot of toiletries - especially 2 bottles of my favourite Neutrogena Norwegian formula moisturiser. . The irony is that I cannot get this moisturiser in Norway :) It works wonderfully - especially for autumn and winter when my skin becomes really dry.

After shopping, I headed back and fell asleep for approximately 2 hours. Then my friend and I decided to go to the airport to place a formal incident report, so that the private insurance will approve our claims. On the way to the airport, at about 5pm, we received a phone call telling us that our luggage had arrived. We were so relieved :) I had McDonald's for dinner that night, after picking up the luggage. McDonald's in Germany is quite tasty.

The next day, I went to Zurich. It was beautiful. Granted, the Swiss are really really rich - you see Louis Vuitton, Prada, Ferragamo, Gucci, all along the streets. For a moment, I felt like I was in New York (someday, I shall go there). The Louis Vuitton store's window display was just one handbag. I remember my friend asking why the display was only of _a_ bag. I mentioned that our one month's salary is not enough to pay for one of those bags, then he got the picture. Breakfast at Zurich was in a quaint cafe with croissants, bread, strong Swiss coffee and orange juice. Lunch was at Wagamama. I heard of this place from a friend but never got to try it. Fortunately, Zurich has all the nice stores you can imagine. I bought some scarves in the Christmas market at Zurich; I also got some skin care products from Lush. I love Lush's products - they are really nice. I learned how to use their Mask of Magnanimity from my sister while she was in UK.

The following day was spent in Konstanz. My friend was getting iPod shuffles (three of them in blue, green, and pink) for his nieces and nephew. I got an external hard drive (640GB) and some clothing from Esprit. Esprit was having a storewide 20% sale for members. I happen to have a membership card so I got some pieces of clothing at a steal :) I was never a fan of Esprit in KL but in Oslo, I have to be, because its one of the lesser worn brands. I don't like buying clothing that I will see on somebody else. It's a small luxury I allow myself. Since there are only 2 Esprit stores in Oslo, I have some false sense of security that nobody will wear what I am wearing :) Lunch in Konstanz was a sandwich and a slice of German cheesecake from Vogelhaus. Dinner was at a Turkish restaurant known as "Radischen", with a mutual friend and his Turkish fiancee.

A Vacation With Many Firsts - Part 1

2008-12-28T18:54:00.004+10:00

I am what you call a "Lucky" traveler. I never miss flights, I never have flights canceled on me, I never lose my baggage. My worse travel woe is excess baggage - the physical type; not emotional. This vacation, I experienced everything.

My friend (with whom I was traveling with) and I had the Oslo-Frankfurt-SmallCity connection. We missed our SmallCity connection. Up till now, I'm not sure how that happened. We were at the airport, at what I believe was the correct gate, but we missed the flight. It felt so strange to miss a flight. I always thought I was the emotional type because I am close to tears when my bag is overweight. I have no heart to throw stuff out of my suitcase. Strangely I was calm about missing the flight. We were happily given new boarding passes for next flight in 5 hours (maybe the flight was overbooked?) and a 10Euro meal voucher each for dinner (they were feeling bad for us?).

After waiting for approximately 4 hours (eating McDonald's for dinner and cashing in the dinner vouchers at Starbucks for enough cake slices for 6 people) we found out that our flight was canceled. So missing a flight and having a canceled flight all in the same day. We were told that there was a train going to SmallCity in exactly 20 minutes. Fight or flight? When you are told your flight is canceled (after you missed the same flight half a day ago), surely you feel like fighting - or just arguing enough to vent out some steam. At least, I thought that was the kind of person I was. I never give in when I am faced with bad service. Strangely (again), I found myself telling my friend to take the train connection and hurry out. Just before we rushed off from the airport, I heard myself asking "Bags?" and then we were given a phone number to call and ask for our bags to be sent to us. It was a 2 hour train and I spent the first 30 minutes in surprise at the day's events. Could it get worse? Fortunately, my friend, a native German speaker, was already on the phone - enquiring about a taxi from the airport where our train will arrive to SmallCity. We blew 60 Euros on the taxi and reached our destination at approximately 1.30am.

Pouring Water onto Paint

2008-12-11T07:58:00.002+10:00

Documentation is art. It may just be purely technical communication - but the act of stringing words together, making them mean something; drawing diagrams; taking screenshots - its purely a subjective task. Hence, it is art. Today, somebody took my baby - a small bit of code that I wrote as an example - and spilt "water" onto it. It looks horrible now.. and the pain is unbearable. I don't know how to describe it but the pain is similar to:

* Having your favourite blouse ruined.
* Having a really bad hairstyle that you will have to endure till your hair grows out.
* Having somebody break your favourite toy.

I see red. The sheer anger is painful. I don't know how it is going to be solved. But, I DO know that I have lost all respect, like, and kindness toward that person who messed it up. I can't curse him, but I can't wish him well either. Someday, Karma will get him for it...

Let It Snow...

2008-12-03T20:03:00.002+10:00

It's snowing today in Oslo. I've been working heaps and cleaning up my apartment. I have this bad habit where I don't put things back where I take them from. It's getting on my nerves lately how messy my place is getting. So last weekend, I kind of dropped everything and just focused on putting everything back into its proper place. Also made two trips to the basement and rearranged my shoes (or should I say shoe collection?). Then I vacuumed the whole place and washed the bathroom. Felt much better afterwards.

I'm going to Germany for Christmas. Got an offer to spend Christmas there so I figured I'll take it. The other option would be to spend a few days in quiet Oslo, with nobody around. I've gotten used to having people around me here that I don't crave solitude as much as I used to when I was in KL and Brisbane.

Now if I can just lose 5, maybe 4 kgs, my life will be perfect!
...maybe a black leather handbag would make my life perfect too..
...and a telephoto lens...
...and a nice pair of boots (shoe fetish I think, totally incurable)...
...maybe 4-5 sweaters to survive winter...
...be able to wear a shirt with a sweater on top (looks hideous on me for some reason)...

*SIGH* I'm never satisfied :)

Looking Forward To a Good Weekend

2008-11-29T00:30:00.002+10:00

There's so much going on lately - work wise, outside of work as well. I had Matthew, my old friend back from my IRC days, visit last weekend. I didn't even have much time to clean up the apartment. I hope he enjoyed his stay as much as I enjoyed having him around. It's so nice to see a familiar face sometimes.

My younger sister turned 21 yesterday but I was rushing from one place to another around the office and then attending a team-building session that I didn't call her for her birthday. Yeah, I am guilty. Called her this evening (her time) but she wasn't home from work yet. I guess that's the price you pay when you live in a different timezone. I'll have to make it up to her somehow :)

I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend - blasting some music and reading. I have to draft a work article, maybe I'll do that on Sunday, in a quiet cafe. Not buying anything other than food for the past 2 weeks has helped my pocket a little bit ;) I go through phases where I am extremely stingy and then I start to buy everything I like, then I feel guilty and start stinging again. It is difficult to find a balance - but I am getting there. I did throw "caution" in the wind while I was on vacation, buying everything I liked. In my last week in KL, I had to refrain from buying anything because my luggage was already reaching the allowed baggage weight. That was difficult because I saw so many things I liked.

Well, I should probably sign off now and finish more work for this week.

Have a nice weekend, and enjoy your time away from work ;)

Under The Radar

2008-11-26T18:25:00.005+10:00

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging much.

There you have it! The apology. Hehehe :) It's just that I was traveling to KL, then I came back and work crashed on me. The deadlines and the "while you were away...we did this and that". It was not as bad as I expected (probably because I was already syncing and filtering e-mails in KL...I know, workaholic sometimes, can't help it), but it was still odd to come back to work after 3 weeks, I had not forgotten what work felt like, but I had forgotten that I did indeed have a job and was somewhat of a success if that makes any sense.

See, I have two lives - my Norway life and my Malaysia life. When I went back, it was like I had gone back to my Malaysia personality 100%. In Norway I am independent, I make all my own decisions with very little influence (I am really stubborn), and I do everything myself. In Malaysia, I am this slighly pampered kid whose mom does almost everything for her - coffee, breakfast, laundry - and its like you automatically slip into that old shoes that you left behind. Life just continues where it left off. Granted so much of things have happened in Kuala Lumpur while I was away, in some ways, it felt like I had never left.

It was strange, the kind of comments I received. For a moment, there, I was disappointed with what people had to say. I think I kind of expected to hear things like "We are happy for you" or "It's good that you have a job in this bad economic situation" or something vaguely supportive rather than "When are you coming back for good?" "Why would you buy a place in Oslo if you don't have permanent plans of living there?" "Why can't you find a job in Singapore? It is so much nearer." "Why aren't you getting married yet?" "See, if you have time to make red bean buns in Norway, it means you have too much time in your hands." ... it was quite confusing, and very disappointing. Sometimes, you wish more people watched the cartoon Bambi, and took heart the advice "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Something nice would have been soothing, calming, and made me think "Ah, there is a reason to come back to Malaysia more frequently." .. but when people say such discouraging sentences to you, you just want to run away and never look back. Too bad they don't know that their advice has an adverse effect.

But I am over it, now that I am back in my comfort zone. In a strange way, I have made a simple life here. I like my life in Oslo and it has nothing to do with the fact that my family is far away. It's just that my job here is nice, after all said and done. I like being independent, standing on my own two feet, etc. Being an adult is fun in its own way.

I won't even compare Malaysia to Norway because they are two different countries. Each country has its own plus and minus points that its not fair to compare them. I have not decided where I would like to live in future, but I do know, that right at this moment, I just want to "Be". I have a great apartment (that I wish I owned), I have great friends, I have annoying colleagues, I have nice colleagues, I have a strange boss, I have temporary but awesome photography skills (been that way the past few days, I hope to keep the lucky streak I am having), I cook alright food, I have too many black tops, and I have some nice acquaintances. I like things as they are right now. Not every 24 year old needs to be married and having kids just yet. Not everyone wants to be married at 24 years old and worry about house mortgages and child education insurance policies.

But, everyone wants to be listened to at some point - to be given a chance to do what makes them happy, because life is too short to not live it your way, with your own rules and your own mind. It's just not right to tell people how to live their lives. Someday, I hope to cure THAT disease. For now, I will just.. Be.

It's That Time Again...

2008-11-11T05:21:00.001+10:00

...the weighing of the luggage and dreading excess baggage weight time. I hate throwing things out of the bag...things I really really want to take. I feel incomplete when I reach my destination if I had to throw things out of the luggage just to get there.

*Huge sigh*

It is very easy to judge people...

2008-11-09T02:44:00.002+10:00

but it is very difficult to judge yourself. I've been in KL for the past 2 weeks or so and I must say that I am very surprised with the reaction of some people. They immediately expect you to put on some kind of signboard around your neck saying "I am back"...or maybe they expected me to advertise in the newspapers that I came back for 3 weeks.

If you don't tell them that you came back, you get angry phone calls and worse - you get ignored when they see you in person. You would think absence makes the heart grow fonder, considering these are people who knew me as a baby, but no, that is just not the case.

Oh well, you live and learn.

It's Amazing How Time Flies

2008-10-17T20:34:00.002+10:00

Time flies really fast. I remember just purchasing my flight ticket home in January and thinking "October is a long way more." Now, its October already and I leave next Friday.

Excited? I'm not sure. I haven't been home in awhile. It's amazing how your mind adjusts to your current surroundings so easily that life before you got here feels like a blur. My family has moved from where they used to live. So there'll be lots of change to get accustomed to.

Of course, it will be a nice vacation - a chance to see familiar things again. I guess we'll see what happens. I should probably start packing huh :)

*Lugs out luggage from the "Kabuff^"*

^German word for a small store room... my landlord speaks a lot of German.

Back in Oslo

2008-10-05T00:20:00.001+10:00

Home sweet home. After three weeks of wandering in Berlin, on top of working on a project, I am back in Oslo. Finally! It's amazing how comfortable you can get in a place that the moment you are away from it - you feel so lost. That's how I felt in Berlin my first week. Things got much better after that... but I don't think I will move from Oslo for a few years :)

Perhaps I will move when wanderlust hits me again.

For now I am content exactly where I am :)

Have a great weekend ahead!

One of The Best Books I have Ever Read

2008-09-30T00:53:00.004+10:00

On Saturday, I had a good Latte and a Blueberry Muffin at Starbucks for breakfast. Before that, I was in a huge bookstore in a mall on Alexandarplatz. There, I picked up this beautiful book by late author Melissa Nathan. This is her fifth book. I was very impressed with her earlier book Persuading Annie, that I went around Oslo bookstores looking for other books by her but to no avail. Surprisingly, I found it at the bookstore here. It was such a good book. I was hooked on it - I finished it after dinner on Sunday.

Apart from reading, I watched Wall-E with some colleagues and did some more shopping. I am a bit guilty for shopping a bit in Berlin but I can't help it. The range and the prices are way too tempting.

Sunday was spent reading, doing laundry and chatting with my friends online.

*** Image borrowed from FantasticFiction.co.uk

There Still Are Good People Left

2008-09-29T16:53:00.004+10:00

You know when you live in a big city - you get jaded. You stop offering to help strangers because you read about all the bad things that befall innocent, helpful people. However, from time to time, you still see some good people giving their subway seat to an elderly person (I try to do this :)) or helping a sight-impaired individual cross the street.

This morning, on my way to work, I saw a guy help a mother lift her child's stroller down the stairs. Strangely this subway station nearby has no elevator (I will suffer through that with my luggage on Thursday... but I won't think about it just yet), so the poor mother was lifting her child's stroller and climbing down some stairs. Suddenly a guy in front of her just helped her lift it. It was so nice of him.

I guess there are still some good people out there...

Feeling A Tad Bit More Relaxed

2008-09-25T21:40:00.002+10:00

Things are falling into place now. The coming week is going to be the culmination point for one of my projects - I hope everything will go fine. Work is fine but there's still tons left to do. I just have to console myself and accept the fact that I cannot fix everything.

Been shopping and sightseeing around Berlin quite a bit - okay maybe more shopping than sightseeing... but I've always been that person. Malls make my day; especially malls where I can afford stuff in them :)

I'm getting myself prepared to Autumn in Oslo. I bought a pair of boots and a pair of jeans. Hoping to buy some nice sweaters and an autumn jacket before I leave back for Oslo next week.

Have a nice weekend guys :)

How Embarrassing

2008-09-19T18:23:00.004+10:00

It is so embarrassing to read this article:

http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1682892

In Berlin

2008-09-19T18:23:00.002+10:00

Every morning I take a 40 minute subway to my office. I live in the city area as it was the only apartment available - but the office is in an industrial area. It does not feel like a long trip - but it means waking up at 6.45am every day.

To be honest, I am tired. I've been working a lot prior to leaving Oslo because I had a lot of pending tasks to take care of. Now it is this sitting and grinding out documentation that is wearing me out. I hope to be recharged this weekend after some nice sightseeing, but we'll see :)

Berlin is a nice place - very different from Oslo, akin to London. There are tons of people around, and the weather is not bad. I must admit that food is so cheap here, compared to Oslo, so it doesn't hurt to eat out.

You Know You Are Spoiled ....

2008-09-15T06:36:00.001+10:00

When no bed is good enough than the bed in your place. No bathroom is clean enough. No pillow is soft enough.

*Sigh* Oslo has spoiled me :(

Halfway Packed

2008-09-11T18:22:00.005+10:00

So I am going on a business trip to Germany this weekend. I will be there for awhile. I won't have much Internet access so I don't think I will be updating this blog much. I am definitely excited about the business trip as I have never had to travel for work before. However, I am very sure that the workload there will be "interesting" :)

I still have a bit of packing to do. It is difficult to tell how much clothing I will require. I have been bitten by the shopping bug lately... but I do hope I don't shop too much. Post-shopping-guilt is difficult to deal with ;)

Till my next post, have a great weekend guys.

Frustration

2008-09-03T19:07:00.002+10:00

Sometimes, getting people to see things from your perspective is just so difficult. It sucks to have a job based on subjectivity. If only the world was black and white.

Just Fine

2008-09-02T18:58:00.003+10:00

I know I haven't blogged much. I can't help it - my work load is increasing these days. So many deadlines to meet. I'm quite tired when I reach home. I have so many things I want to do:

-- Read
-- Bake biscotti
-- Clean the apartment
-- Rest
-- Cook new dishes, etc.

But I really don't have the time. I have a business trip mid September for 3 weeks, then I will be back in Oslo for a couple of weeks before leaving for my long awaited vacation in Malaysia. So technically, I am booked till mid November. I am wondering what to do for my Christmas vacation.

Work is looking up a little... I am learning to draw lines and not let a lot of things affect me. I'll manage just fine :)

I have a cabin trip with colleagues this weekend so I won't be blogging. I'll be back on Sunday evening - hopefully with some nice photographs as my trusty D40 will be coming along with me (my flickr account could use some good photos).

So, until next week, have a great week/weekend ahead!

Movie Review

2008-08-20T16:30:00.002+10:00

So I watched this movie last night. It was quite interesting actually. I am not going to put any warning about spoilers because most of the people who frequent my blog aren't really Hindi movie buffs, I *think*.

So what's it about? The year is 1996, Boy is 18 - meets Girl A on a trip to Switzerland, treats her like your typical 18 year old jerk, and goes back to India as if nothing happened. The scene where she finds out that he took her for a ride makes you slightly skeptical about his character.

Then, they flash forward, the year is 2002. Boy is 24 - has a live in relationship with Girl B who wants to be an actress. They don't really show you much about their relationship except for they're in this very comfortable stage. She doesn't even like his friend. Boy is a game programmer and gets an offer to go to Sydney. He jumps at the opportunity and his friend asks him - what about Girl B? Boy goes on and on about how she is modern and she doesn't want marriage anyway, etc. Guess what? She wants marriage. Boy has no guts (typical! hahaha) and tries to wind his way out with his friend's plans. Nothing works out - he leaves her at the altar. Well, in this case on the steps of the temple in her wedding clothing. He took an earlier flight and flew to Australia. He leaves her with a ring I think, and like no note nothing. You'd think he'd have poured his heart out into a letter - oh but that takes guts too. At this scene, I kind of sat up and thought "What kind of a guy is he? That is such a horrible thing to do."

The year is 2007, Boy is 29 - meets Girl C, a taxi driver who also works in a supermarket and is studying. She's totally not the type of girl he is used to. This time he falls hard. She says she doesn't believe in the institution of marriage (actually this scene was missing from my movie, don't ask why ;)) and then his past 2 girlfriends flash in his mind. He gets guilty. Starts to realise how painful it is to be rejected/dumped. He goes on this mission to find these girls and apologize to them. That's the gist of it anyway. Again, parts of it were missing from my version. *sigh* :)

But yeah, it was not a bad movie, but this is like one of the few times where the lead character is not exactly all black and white but more gray. I like this style of portraying a character - its more westernized. Watch it if you like - there are DVDs out there with English subtitles ;)

The Scent of Days Gone By

2008-08-13T19:36:00.003+10:00

When I first started working at the age of 17+, post my government exams, I dreamed of buying expensive perfumes. Of course these days, as a working adult, it is pretty easy to afford this luxury (granted I do give up eating out when I reach my budget). However, back then, it was indeed a luxury. The first perfume I bought was Clinique Happy. I loved the smell. I remember going to MidValley Megamall to buy it from a perfume counter inside Jusco. I remember the excitement of being able to buy something so cool with my own hard-earned money. It has been 7 years now. I recently got a bottle of this perfume and just one whiff of it is enough to bring back memories of working at the bookstore, being in university, and all that. It is amazing how much fragrance plays a part in stimulating memories. *Wistful sigh* Life was so much easier back then! :)

Image borrowed from: http://noncents.wordpress.com/

Missing USB Cable

2008-08-10T18:36:00.005+10:00

So I searched high and low when I suddenly realised last weekend that my camera's USB cable was missing. Kind of panicked because I thought _maybe_ it was still in the old apartment. Two days ago, I finally found it - in one of the boxes. PHEW.

Here are some photos :)

The cupcakes I made end of July.

That is last weekend's biscotti that turned out to be my dinner for Saturday and Sunday :) They were too good to be true.

A Lazy Weekend

2008-08-03T18:49:00.002+10:00

I have had just way too much to do lately. The new apartment, cleaning up the old apartment, electricity (water is free in Norway) and Internet access to settle, the constant increase in workload, the change of manager, the prospects of traveling for work - everything is happening NOW.

So i insisted on taking this weekend "off". Doing nothing much but some cleaning, some baking, some cooking - but lots of lying on the couch daydreaming :)

It has worked out fine. I made some chocolate chip almond biscotti and it tasted awesome. I'm going to make more today and take some to the office tomorrow :)