NKOTB Reunion!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!! *hyperventilating* Is this true? Is it true?! AAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! You might not this, but I was... no I AM proudly a New Kids on the Block die-hard fan! I still have not met them real life in person *garrrrhhhh* the closest I got to meeting Joey Mcintyre was when he was supposed to come to Malaysia to promote 'Stay the Same' and I won the "meet Joey Mcintyre" press conf pass through Hitz.fm and my ex-housemate was also so excited for me (think I was freshman in UPM).... but in the end his tour to Malaysia was cancelled abruptly on the last minute!! But he was in Spore!! And my icq buddy Stew (a guy who doesn't know much abt Joey Mac) actually went to see him!!! Urrrgghhhhh... And that also because I was soooo hyped up abt his visit to S.E.A that Stew went to see Joey Mcintyre in the flesh!!! Oh boy... Stew said "he has so intensed eyes" ...you said it right.

2008 Reunion
On April 3, 2008, Donnie Wahlberg told CNN that the band had reunited, and were recording an album of new material, and was planning to tour.[5] The producer RedOne previewed several tracks for a Boston Globe interviewer later that month; some of the song titles on the new album include "Click Click Click" featuring Nasri (who is the producer, along with Hakim AbdulSamad and Adam Messinger, of the original and the NKOTB rendition), "Close to You", "Looking Like Danger", "Big Boy/Big Girl" featuring Lady GaGa, and "Summertime".[6] They're also working on a song for the new album called "Full Service" which will feature New Edition. [1] Some other song titles "Two in The Morning", "Single" and "Dirty Dancing". [1]

"Summertime" (2008)
In May 2008, the group released "Summertime", as a downloadable single on various online digital music services. They also posted the tune on their MySpace page. The new album, according to Billboard magazine, was not expected until the fall.[7] The song immediately turned up on several radio stations, including WXKS-FM (Kiss 108) in their home city of Boston, Massachusetts. It received 114 spins across two formats (CHR/Pop and Hot AC) in its first day.[8][9] A music video for "Summertime" was shot on May 9, 2008. [10]
The group had their first reunited performance at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California on May 13, 2008. A video of the performance was released and stated that people who attended the performance are the "first to witness".
The group performed a medley of their hits and their new song "Summertime" live on Today on May 16, 2008. The performance attracted one of the biggest crowds, some 4,000 people, in the show's concert series history. [11][12] They also appeared on May 17 and 18 at two annual showcases put on by local radio stations in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut and Boston markets. (They shared the stage at both shows with The Jonas Brothers.) [13] [14]
On Sunday, June 15, 2008, the group performed live on the 2008 MuchMusic Video Awards, filmed on outdoor stages in downtown Toronto, ON.[15]
According to the band's web site, the reunion tour will kick off at Toronto's Air Canada Centre on September 18, 2008. [16] UK singer Natasha Bedingfield has recently signed on to become the opening act on the tour across the country.

Ada ke Takda

I wanted to blog my observation of being single vs being attached with somebody. As I discover further, there's alot of Pro vs Con that can be found in many circumstances, eg. living with parents vs living outside.

Without a boyfriend, a girl can be independent, not only having the freedom or the choice to be independent but also to have the strength & ability to be independent. Eg. knowing where you park your car at the basement of the mall, like she's totally alert, mindful and streetwise. But with a boyfriend, you tend to lose track of where you are, the mind wondering off holding hands like you don't know how to cross the road.

Without a boyfriend, you get to hang out alot with other friends, and plan for outings with different gang or anything that goes. With a boyfriend, you tend to spend less of your time with other friends esp gal friends whom you'll usually go watch movies with.

Without a boyfriend, you can talk loudly, burp, fart, walk freely and basically do anything as you wish... but being with your boyfriend you gotta mind your manners, and esp with your with future-i-l, you gotta behave yourself & give face :) .

But why am I sharing all these? Not that I'm not thankful and happy to have my heaven-sent boyfriend... but I'm trying to justify to myself (& hopefully to girls who think this might make sense) that it is perfectly ALRIGHT to be single and free!

I embrace and admire freedom just as much.

The subject of living with parents is somewhat a similar story. Now that I'm planning to move out to live in my own property (with my name on it!) will I miss living with my parents?

As you can see, I salute freedom. I get excited over how I want my house to be, what picture to put up the wall, which room I get to choose, how I want to place the furnitures etc. If you're living in your parents home, you don't exactly have all the freedom.

But I truly appreciate the fact that my ancestor house is so complete. I don't have to worry much. I get to eat mom's home-cooked food everyday. *paiseh* I don't have to do much housework :P Hey there's astro on t.v!

When I have my own house, no money don't grow on trees, so I won't have astro, no cleaning lady. Not sure if I'll have cable connection, not knowing if I'll have the time to do all the housework, not sure if my dad will be so bored without me around.

There's always both sides to a coin. So I'm not going to compare which is better but I'll remind myself to count my blessings wether ada ke takda.

Random crapping...

OK so when you broadcast that you're going to buy a house, and looking for a housing loan, there will be people who'll approach you.

We've not decided yet which house loan to take, and we just found out our fella Buddhist buddy is also selling housing loan on top of insurance.

Today as I received my paycheck (with my miserable 0.7 month bonus), my teammate say "consider buy the lady-plan insurance to protect your future ah!"

Aisey... my own teammate has started his P insurance venture, I wish him all the best, he seems more into it than me into selling C ut. He's even considering to quit IT and sell insurance full time. Hmm.. that's the spirit! It's very hard to juggle between office work and another side business (for me), lagi if I also devote another part of my life into non-profit work.

*random crapping sets in*

I don't see myself being really ambitious in my system-support career, its like the other weird complacent ppl who remained stucked in this C company. This know-it-all server guy, who was offered 5figure salary from H company, didn't grab it and stayed on with C company. I think I'm like getting too complacent / autopilot, just like these people... like the IT phrase "if there's no problem in the system, don't fix it!" or "our job is to maintain the operation, and make sure no problem happen".

So I'm like seeing the trend between IT-system-operation-support with my life, if there's no problem just live with it!

*is it true no problem = no life?*

I'm going by the day, by the week, by the month... planning / working / checklisting the tasks to be done. I'm thankful and count my blessings for having no problem. When I couldn't physically be there, I just assign the task / job to someone else to kautim. At work, every problem that I couldn't solve, just "escalate & follow up". *escalation process not taichi :P*

Is this how I want to live my life? So complacent and not complicated? Get a job, get paid, save a little, go enjoy, get married, get a family, get things done. Itu aje... habis cerita.

Apalu mau lagi? Go resign from your job, get working holiday visa? Go start your own business? Go become a politician?

Ahhh... now i recalled my conversation with Gandalf long long time ago, when Gandalf was trying to define me and the choices that I make in life. "You are very straight, you don't make a turn, you just walk the straight path."

WHY?!! Master Oogway say "there is no accident" and that means my conscious / subconscious decisions to walk the straightline is no accident...(??!!?!)

If you know what I'm yakking about...

What's most important thing to buy for a new house?

Say your new house will be completely empty. Just like playing a virtual reality game of trying to fit in the furnitures in your new empty space you call your future home. What are you going to get to fill in the spaces?

I know for one, am not having extra cash to buy nice fancy furniture like those show-houses, such nice lamp, cosy sofa, nice carpet, good wooden cabinet by the wall, fancy vase on the dining table, customized lightings... you name it, I can visualize it. I can even think of what 'theme' you want the house to be, wether the house will have a bali-nese wooden feel or a modern contemporary artsy-fartsy style, or very downright chinesey with grand altar and red colour all over.

So there... say I don't have the money to materialize what's inside my imagination... what do if I just could afford the MOST important things I must get an empty new house?

Here's a list, I think in order from most important.

1. Fridge - everyday after work, I go home open the fridge look for chocolate or anything to bite. And its the place to store eggs and vege / meat if I plan to cook. COOK?! Did I say I plan to cook? Well yeah... if I have my own freedom without my mom nagging me on how I dunno how to cook, fuiyo then I can experiment the whole kitchen like its my kitchen and I'll "play" with the vege and cook up some meal for myself without my mom having to pick on me. Ahhhh... bliss. When she heard me saying "next time when I stay alone, I wanna make salad to eat" and she started her nag "why only next time? why now you cannot make salad? why must wait until when you're staying outside?" With that.... I purposely will not make salad in the house just because I like to. Dohh...

2. Cooking Pan - yahh... when trying to learn how to cook, must have a real cooking pan or pot to learn your cooking on right?! Basically my cooking skill is limited to spaghetti, fried rice, maggie mee, fry egg, omelette, fry vege, steam fish, fry lucheon meat, stir-fry sausages... and make salad!

3. Which means need gas & stove. Hmm with that I think, can host my friends over for makan already, wakkakaka. Withtout tables and chairs, you guys can still sit comfortably on the floor to makan ala-Malaysian right. Ok atleast need cups and plates to serve the food eh. I also know how to make fruitpunch / mocktail for party :D

4. So the house is still virtually empty, I need to sleep at night... I guess its ok to want to invest in a good bed. I've not own a really thick mattress before, you know the Slumberland mattress? When I was small, I slept on doubledecker bed with a thin mattress. When I got older, I inherited my aunty's old bed (when she moved house) that I'm still using until now. So you know the thick Slumberland bed that I can jump on it and its still springy?! :P Ahh... ok ok I don't really need the whole 'rangka' of the bed, I just want the springy Slumberland mattress to sleep on.

5. Ok maybe I need a table somewhere to atleast sit down to place the laptop to work. Could be a dining-cum-work table? Could be an office table inside the room? Table is functional. Table can be where people come dine together. Table can be where I can put things :P *ok stop there, if not sayang will clear up all my things that I'm not supposed to simply put the table*

....I wanted to put in water heater shower in the list but without that, I can still take my bath right?!

...without washing machine still can hand wash!

...without sofa set can sit on cushion sit on the floor.

...without shelves or cabinet can still put things lying inside the box :P hahaha.

What a doh house *in my imagination* :)

...not for you to read, for my own record.

Here I would like to list down the price of my trip to Jogja-Borobudor. For my own record la, since I don't remember things easily. The figure roundup.

MAS (bought with MAS fare price) :: RM550
BMC Travel Package (include hotel & food) :: RM955
Generous Tips for Tourguide / Driver :: RM110
Travel Insurance :: RM43
Airport Tax :: RM36
Meals ::
~RM23 for nice fancy aircon dinner (me & mom)
~RM6 for a KFC set without rice but fries
~RM5 for 1/4 dozen of J.Co
~RM17 for a roadside meal (me, mom & junie)
~RM5 for 2 drinks inside the mall
Shopping ::
CreditCard
~ RM60 for a goggle, dress, sarong, scarf, windchime, postcards.
Cash
~ RM18 for a batik dress
~ RM48 for 3 batik men shirt + 1 batik blouse
~ RM3.6 for 12 cheap keychains
~ RM15 for 1 batik skirt + 1 pant
~ RM25 for a kimono
~ RM24 for 6 souvenir tshirts
~ RM7 for 1 batik flipflop
~ RM3.6 for becak ride
~ RM4.4 for ginger sweets
~ RM10 for bakpia

Misc for my mom i think, can't remember, my mom don't hold any Rupiah with her...

So grand total ~ RM1970++ just for me alone.

Then I covered for my mom's airport tax, travel insurance... so spent ~ RM2050!

For splurging on this amount, I need about consistent saving for atleast 4-5 months. Haiya... when can I save up for the Speedlite and another HongKong/Macau trip?

Yeah... I booked return flight to Macau to join sayang to HK for 31Aug-4Sep. Maybe I can try to check if HK do sell the Canon accessory cheaper? :P Anticipate another RM2k gone for HK + Speedlite.

The house?! Fuiyo.... mo gan tai.

My pilgrimage to Borobudor & nice Jogja Trip

This is my immediate post about my trip to Yogyakarta and Borobudor in Central Java, Indonesia. Pictures should be posted at facebook sooner or later, somehow I took toooo many shots, I don't know how to concise it into an hour of picture slideshow at BGF full moon / new moon puja night. What more there's bro Allan and Wfah's camera...

Like a massive photography spree for me, I've set the size to 'steps-medium' mode to fit in as many pictures I could for the 6days travel. The main agenda of the trip was the pilgrimage to Candi Borobudor, which started off from Candi Mendut, followed by Candi Pawat. Even during annual Wesak celebration in Borobudor, devotees will follow through a procession from these 3 Candi aligned in straight path.

Some said that if compared to Angkor Wat, although Angkor Kingdom is huge and more magnificent, but the 'energy' there at Borobudor is better :) Well I didn't agree to it until, I watched the breathtaking sunrise on the morning of 19June at 5.30am, from atop of the Borobudor grand stupa, with such a peaceful mind and heart full of aspiration! It was blissful.

Then as I potong-mega-metta-steam, by clicking my DLSR away... *its annoying you know to fellow meditators around* I think I had to choose between sitting down mindfully with eyes closed or open my eyes and snap pictures endlessly. Guess which I chose? Even after when its all over, they had to circumambulate the main stupa 7 times, mindfully obviously... guess what was I doing? Trying to make my mom pose like superman standing atop of volcano mountain over looking the stupas :P yeah yeah... so I though it wouldn't be complete if I didn't follow exactly what they did... when they were almost finishing they slow walk, I quickly dash around the stupa 7 times, using my fingers to help counting, momentarily stopped to shoot when I saw any amusing sight.

Also note worthy was on the Saga-dawa day of pilgrimage, which was 18June (Tibetan Vesak Day), we chanted and meditated at the East gate of Candi Borobudor with so many Indon visitors on-lookers. It was reallllllly uneasy for me, for people to keep walking infront of us and looking at us. We even made offerings placed on portable table. Yet, everybody just peacefully chanted and infact, I too sat quietly to meditate with eyes closed for that 5-10 mins! Like totally unmoved... *they say the energy there make it easy for you to meditate ah..*

So anyway, what I'm quite impressed is the many muslim visitors hiking up the Buddhist momument, some of them wearing the tudong. It was school holiday for Indonesia, so the kids were all brought to visit this world heritage Buddhist pilgrimage site! Ermm... so sad in Malaysia we won't see Muslim coming to visit temples for the sake of visiting. Infact they even tried to touch the 'lucky' Buddha... obviously for luck. They call it the lucky-Buddha because it was not destroyed when the terrorist put bomb at the 11 stupa at Borobudor. Actually Borobudor was not destroyed during the 2006 earthquake. But I know the logic is that because the foundation of the structure is strong, even more so after UN-backed-million-dollar-restoration effort.

Too bad Candi Prabanam did not get the funding from UN. It was quite hugely destroyed during the earthquake, so much so, we could not enter the candi to visit the interior, but only can view it from outside, that also only the rebuilt of the 6 main candi of the massively destroyed Prambanam temple complex. *imagine Angkor Wat*

I like it, the fact that the Javanese people follow a mix culture of Hinduism-Buddhism-Islam. Even in their Sultan palace showed elements of mix Hindu, Buddhist & Islamic design. *I wasn't paying much attention to what the palace guide was proudly explaining about her culture but I remembered what I liked to hear :P*

Batik! This one I must confess, ok nothing seriously, I love their Jogja geomatrical-flowery Batik floor-tiles-pattern design! So besides snapping pictures of nice floor tiles with pattern, it was impossible to snap pictures of all the pattern on the balik clothes. From shirt, skirt, pyjama, kimono, sandles, pants...etc.

And the price?! VERY CHEAP!!! Imagine coming out from a shop with 4 pieces of nice formal clothing at under RM45. If only I had more money, like Junie said, have to come back to buy their batik kebaya set! Sis. SiewEng did just that, the whole set she bought cost about RM180+, it's classic chic maroonish red made of silk cloth. So authentic. *admire*

Other than Batik, the J.Co doughnut was not cheap, maybe I didn't know the price of it in KL, eating 1/2 dozen J.CO can buy you a nice men batik shirt.

I sat on the 'becak' back to the hotel alone at the last day, at the end of my 'shopping-therapy'. It's like the Penang beca la, except this is more 'teruk', with the old man peddling looking so 'old' and me feeling 'paiseh' that pakcik have to peddle me back to the grand hotel that I stayed. I gave him 10,000 Rupiah for that 1km journey.

The hotel.... for MJ's life record, the most wonderful, nicest, yau-yeng hotel I've ever stayed before... what more for 4 nights -- the Grand Mercure Hotel. Too bad didn't try their buffet dinner at Rp150,000++ its not too expensive la! The hotel rates there are cheaper than the ones in the KL, but you really get 5-star service. I hope they maintain the excellent, friendly and warm service even if Jogja gets more commercialized.

From the bellboy, to the receptionist, to the waiter, to the swimming pool towel boy, housekeeping boy... they all smiled and greeted you with palms put together. I'm really not used to receiving such hospitality. Do they have such nice warm and friendly service in Malaysia?!! I really wonder....

Even the cashier lady said thankyou with such humility, I don't know where to knock my head after nodding my head so many times in the exchange of thankyou. Is it the whole Indonesian culture? Or is it the Javanese culture? Or is it because I really looked like a tourist being fairer than all the locals?

The hotel was so nice, the breakfast was nice, the toilet was nice, the room was cozy, the view outside my balcony was the Gunung Merapi (really with smoke coming out!)... probably the only sad thing was the bbcnews on tv that I tuned in to daily, with news of China flooding filling the air. I don't know what happened in Malaysia. There's no English newspaper to browse. Didn't catch any football matches.

Wait... I noticed MTV Asia Awards coming to "M" Malaysia? HELLO!?! When did that happened? Ok its coming soon in August? Sponsored by Tourism Malaysia? MALAYSIA?!?! I wanna go! I wanna go! *make aspiration*

The one thing I did or I took home from this amazing travel, was 'making aspiration' and be thankful for the people I have whom I love and love me. Sis. Julie said "if you dont make aspiration, you won't be able to make it!" *we were indulging in our 5-star-hotel morning breakfast as we contemplate on people couldn't be with us on this trip & how we managed to visit Europe at the certain age that you wanted to*

What you want to be, where you want to go... make aspiration. Well... for this 'pilgrimage trip', it was easy to make spiritual aspiration too.. like want to attain the state of "Enlightened Mind". *fuiyoh... since when I last aspired to want to reach Nirvana?!*

But I really did chanted the englishy mantra.... something something attain "Enlightened Mind"... as I read it, I really tried to mean it... like whoaah.... imagine if I attained the "Enlightened Mind".

That's all for now... you'll know where to see my pictures ;)

The underground INCOVAR Culture

Was b***hing with a few of them last night... and the part when we came up with ideas for the 'sketch'... SIOW!! It was so funny... have not been laughing so hard with the bunch of elderly INCOVARians.

I hope when the 'actors' were recruited from the younger people for the SS sketch, they too may relate to the SS-ness of the whole idea! Don't even need Uncle VJ for that.

Then KNS with his KNS theory said "you know Syiok-Sendiri should be inside the INCOVAR culture!"

Totally agree... can we amend the LUSA / VMGO documentation to include this declaration? Also, from KNS theory "if there's no communication between people, how to Syiok Sendiri?"

So comittees should have inter & intra portfolio communication, and then this SS-ness can just pop out like that!

Brace yourself for the sassiest wry humourous sketch on 6th September! On the "Amigos Para Siempre" INCOVAR Dinner & Dance.

:)

My busy weekend

Out of my whole weekend which includes a yoga, a revelation meeting, 1 fellowship dinner, 1 bday dinner, 1 poolside party, 1 movie outing, 1 sunday school, 2 lunches...

Yes, I am rather sleepy now. I couldn't even wakeup biologically this morning.

What's coming up next? 1 post-mortem meeting, 1 rtm meeting, settle the volunteers for WIFF (under BGF), settle the signage for WIFF for Sat morning, think of when to replace 3 yoga lessions, settle the sunsch newsletter articles... all before I fly off to Borobudor next Tuesday? (I haven't even mention about my work stuff).

Notably, the poolside party looked fun esp for the SS guys who dunked themselves into the pool shirtless. I cannot imagine myself being flung into the pool by people... almost got 'carried' by my UPM guy-coursemates at Redang.. but I surely would not allow that to happen. It's so not me. Oh not because I can't swim, I must wear swimsuit and springboard jump into the pool by myself - thank you.



Bday party -- for Tym at Good Evening Bangkok -- the food was soooooo spicy I could gulp the whole swimming pool of icy cold water! But that won't help... I forgot abt 'sugar', all I could do was just leave my jaws open and taaahaaannnnnn..... I "chewed" pedas green cili-padi thinking it's chopped green leaf. Although I still like Thai food, very unique. *reminiscence of Ayuthaya laksa*

(so terrible picture, how to forgive the waiter?!)

(atleast somebody know how to hold the camera properly)


"Kungfu Panda" was nice & so Dhamma :) you could almost repeat after master Oogway "the past is history, the future is a mystery, the present is a gift - that's why its called the present." Alot of Dhamma about 'hunger' and 'desire'... being happy with yourself. Definitely my Sunday Dhamma school can use this cartoon video in the library to teach the kids.

Out of all the happenings for me over the weekend, what I loved most, or what I really felt 'at peace' most was the outcome of the revelation meeting accompanied by sayang. Not to be shared here.

What I could share here though was the solution for the Sban twin's problematic friend, I took the liberty to get the girl's pat-ji to seek help on Sban twin's behalf (they're very caring towards their friend). What I found out is that, the problem girl couldn't help herself, she needs the warmth guidance from her friends *yeah me included although I really wish I'm not involved* to lead her back to the worldly path filled with love. The girl's mind is now very deluded, even medication might not help her fully. I thought : why do I have to help her? Is it our karma? The answer : it is not your karma, it is your opportunity to help a friend in need.

Ok finish crapping. Must focus my mind at work, focus to complete all the task in my mind. Not get agitated by s****d people.

which is worse?

*imagine your mom waiting frantically for hours, kept calling you & yet failing to get hold of the driver* Which is worse?
"Oops! I forgot to pick up your mom!" or
"....she didn't say have to pick her up?!"

~ aspire to inspire ~

It's now office hour and I'm trying to blog about the camp that's just over about 24hours ago. At about this time yesterday, CO announced something infront of everyone that made my tears roll. Geee... that was unexpected and as blur as I am, it didn't occur to me that those pink stick-ons were meant for me, yeah I saw participants doing it.

Anyway, the camp was not about me. It's about change. I can relate to it superficially and subconsciously. Being a stubborn white-hat person that I am, its quite pointless to me sometimes when you ask me about the whole camp objectives. But that's not for me to argue, its for the programmers to choose and decide.

As pathetically neutral as I am, the ixp was irrelevant to me. I am neither here nor there. I have to admit it, I didn't do a good job in ixp faci-ing, although it was mind-blowing to my mentee who really didn't know how the get the ball rolling to make the participants talk. It was very tough job for this ixp because the prompting questions were so wuliow that even I could not answer it. If I was the participant being asked those questions, I would outrightly d'oh-ed the faci on the spot.

What was the thing in the past that I wish I could change?
If given a second chance, what would I do differently?
What's the effect of the change?

Like so doh... (this is solely my opinion, as I am who I am pls don't take offend). I would answer the same way as one of the participant in my group -- I never look back and regret the decisions made in the past. I would not intentionally hurt people. I never try to hurt myself. What is there in my past that I would change?!

The trigger was not strong enough to make me feel regret or strike me that I should have been nicer to my mom. This was my sharing when I was a participant before during the ixp. Will I change to become even nicer to my mom now? Err... you come become my mom's only daughter la.

So with regards to my present life now, and what this camp means to me, on a selfish note, it means the end of me being chairperson. I really wish to move on from IDC which doesn't mean moving away. It's just letting the younger people run the show entirely on their own without needing me to push people.

To accept change, to truly understand change, I must allow change.

On a financial note, I must change my spending style if I were to commit to a property. I cannot see how Buddha's financial theory can ever be applied in my life. 1/4 to spend, 1/4 to save, 2/4 for investment. Should insurance be considered saving or investment? Is buying own-home a saving or investment?

Anyway.. that's about it for now. Really not much to say about the camp. Somebody approached me and say "congrats mj, its a really nice camp!" Hmmm... well I thought nice is not good enough (for me).

How do I measure success of idc? When all committees are not bickering about each other, when all committees can see eye to eye and love each other truly, when everyone can eat / sleep / dream the incovar culture ~ then would I say the camp has truly met my aspiration.

~we aspire to inspire the aspiration for inspiration to aspire to inspire~