Food price increases

Hmmm...I'm really not surprised with the raised prices of food that we
have rite now. What I'm surprised at are those people that claimed that
they are surprised that the food prices have increased.

Come on lar, where had you lived in? A cave?

Since a few years ago......even if you live in a cave, surely you had
noticed that the world's global climate had changed a lot.

The heatwaves that had killed off thousands in Europe and China, the
tsunami, the earthquakes, the sudden downpour and its resultant floods,
the droughts. All these are featured in the news. With these kind of
weather, how do you expect the grain crops to be ok? Rice, which is the
main staple grain in South East Asia can only be harvested in sunny
season. With the rains and flood coming in at unknown time, of course most
of the grains are lost.

Then, don't let me start about the biofuel. We planted these supposedly to
offset the petroleum's increased prices. But since it is more highly
prized than the common food grains, a lot of farmers had switched to these
biofuel plants. Now, we might have biofuel to run cars, but is it ok when
the rest of the poor people of the world died of hunger?

Since hurricane Katrina, the price of oil had started to increase. Now, it
is on the highest price ever set for per barrel. Since oil price is high,
commonsense said that the price of the rest of the items had to increase
too. The reason? All the transportation of items, inclusive of food items
depends on oil. What, you want the chickens to march across the road to
the slaughterhouse? A friend said, not to worry...we have fish to eat. Do
you know that most of the seas had been fished to near extinction? Bet you
don't know that...

Uh, don't forget that the human population is still on an exponential
rise. Of course, a person in a lifetime eats more that it supposed too. We
live to eat, not eat to live. Just see your friends plate, after they
finished their meal, they(most people) always left a bit of rice....which
they said for prosperity. whatever...

I really thank my God, that our family now has a higher income. At least,
we are able to still buy some rice for our meals and eat those with some
proteins.

So, when you are having your meal, at least do spare a thought to the
unfortunate people. Eat what you can only, do not waste food. Remember, a
lot more people are hungry than those well fed.

 
¶ 12:08 PM
1 comments

  Books and more books

Got me 6 books.

1 Dean Coontz, 2 StarWars, 1 Dune, 2 Sci-fi.

Me happy.

Started by reading the Dean Coontz, titled The Taking. And last night, I
slept with the lights on.

Deng!

One of his scariest book, it is a mix between The Fog by Stephen King and
The War of the Worlds by H.G Wells. Yeah, The Fog creeps me too. Want to
know more? Get the book la. But, I would say, very nice storyline and very
hard to put down. So, I will finish the book by t'row. Surely. :)

For me, Dean Koontz stories are creepy coz he can portray Fear in its most
primal form. Most of his monsters are either paranormal related or aliens.

Stephen King are more people oriented. Read The Stand, and you will
understand what I mean. The story is nice, but he tried to make make each
characters as human as possible and really takes the trouble to fleshed
them out. Sometimes too much.

Am very excited, next week start new project. Arghh!! baru teringat, my
project XCute (my nickname to it anyhow) tak start lagik. Sori aaaa...tak
sempat nak lug my laptop to Starbucks.

Anyway, to all...have a nice weekend.

Jangan nakal-nakal.

 
¶ 5:27 PM
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Am wearing my Tiffany bracelet for morale booster. Don't know why, maybe because I'm going into some new projects (both work wise and personal wise)

Too many things to do, too little time.....literally. People say work smart...well, I really tried too.

Very excited. And somehow a little intimidated.

As many knows, I am one of those girls that do not like changes in my life. Altho, usually someone need to hold my reins when I wanna try something new. Contradictory? Deng.

So, anyone wanna go parasailing?


Hehehe..seriously, I'm going to the BookXcess tonite. Hope I found some books there, since I have another month of active reading to do.

Cheers, 
¶ 5:15 PM
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  Earth Day and World's Book Day

Happy Earth's Day to all.

Our dear Gaia is already in dire trouble and it is us, the humble
offsprings that need to clean up our acts to save ourselves.

Starting today (actually I started last new year), I would try my to :
1) Switch off my hp charger when not using it.
2) Wait until left 2 or 3 bars of powers before start charging my hp.
3) Switch off my Astro and tv when going off to work and before sleeping.
4) Recycle more than last year. (Me and my Boocheeboo will try to find the
nearest recycle place and send all the newspapers and what's not used)

So, what about you??

I found out about this new group, http://www.freecycle.org/. Will try to
check whether they have members in Malaysia. You can check out The Sun
today for more info on the group.

Also, The Inconvenient Truth documentary is going to be aired tonite on
HBO. Since I don't have movie access, well...catch it if you can.

Btw, for book lovers, tomorrow is World's Book Day. Bookxcess is having a
sale. Go to http://www.bookxcess.com for the discounts and location. I
will try to be there tomorrow nite.

 
¶ 8:42 AM
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An article taken from iVillage.

http://love.ivillage.com/lnsproblems/lnscheating/0,,traceycox_cw1sx7k7,00.h
tml

Myth #10: If there's no sex involved, it's not an affair.

Emotional infidelity—deep, passionate connections between people who often
aren't even aware they've crossed the line from platonic friendship to
romantic love—is the biggest threat a marriage can face. More than 80
percent of unfaithful people have affairs with someone who'd started out
as "just a friend," very often a workmate. In fact, one study showed that
50 percent of unfaithful women and 62 percent of unfaithful men were
involved with someone at work. Intense but invisible, erotic but
unconsumed, emotional infidelity is dangerous, addictive and way too easy
to get away with. If you're often pretending you're single when you're
not; if you send secret texts or emails; if you share intimate details of
your life with people you fancy and lie to your partner about seeing them,
you're an emotional cheater.

Hmmm...interesting...Emotional Cheater. I can easily named 5 names within
10 seconds.

Many people did not even know that they are cheating, while others simply
don't care. Their reason? I did not have intercourse with the man/woman, so
I'm not cheating!

Anyway, most of the guys do not consider their wife/gf is cheating if the
lady went out having and all out fun with other guys. They only consider
it cheating if they found the lady in flagrante delicto with the guy.

But most ladies consider Emotional Cheating as very important, some even
put it much more disastrous than Physical Cheating. Just imagine, your
husband in 'true love' with some lady. Then, even tho he claims never
sleeps with the lady...physically, but you would wonder whether he
envisions her when he is with you. Scary tak?

Yes, guys can be in love with multiple ladies at one time. But since
relationships can only thrive in loyalty, why is it so hard for a guy to
marry a lady and be loyal to her? Ladies had been doing that for countless
years.

Based on this harebrained idea, I would fight for our(ladies) equality in
all area. Why only they(guys) can have their Emotional Cheating and
leaving us as nervous wrecks, tip-toeng around the house, trying to
identify what we did that caused him to fall in love with some other lady?

We want our own guy-friends too....the ones that we can go out to have
free extravagant dinner and do not have to sleep with afterwards. we also
want to have 'platonic' relationships where we can flirt with the guy and
having the guy flirt back. We also want some guys to listen to us
sympathetically and do not blame us when we do some error (Bfs and
husbands really sucks in this, they tend to say padan muka to our long
face). We want a simply 'friends' relationship where the guy would always
say,"Wow! You look good in that" and really mean it (Where the bfs and
husbands would not even realize that we put on a new dress).

We want what they are having!!

 
¶ 10:39 AM
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For those that want to go to Bandung/Jakarta...I would highly recommend Kak Mawar's tour.

You can check her website below, tho it is not yet fully completed. So, bear with it for a while. (Ahem,ahem....cepat update Abang Man...;D )

http://www.shopntour.com/



Or, you can email her at the address below :

mawar@shopntour.com



Or, you call her at.....aiyak, if u already have her hp number, just call la. If not, can even ask me. :)




Bukan apa, with her being so cute, tak pasal2 kang kena phone spam....mati gue kena kejor with her hunk of a husband. (Kaki Abang Man panjang....tak sempat nak larik, telinga gue dah kena tarik....aaAAAaaaAAAA) 
¶ 11:43 AM
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Me, my mum and Hanum was on the ground level. Hanim was somewhere in an underground complex not far from us.....trying to get to us. We had already got the tsunami alert and everyone were trying to decide where to go for safety. I was trying endlessly to get Hanim on the phone to direct her to our place. Of course the line was jammed and only sometimes I can get her update.

The wave is coming and everyone were panicking. We had delayed our ascend to higher levels, waiting for Hanim. I was on the phone, shouting to give her an update on where to found us.

Me, "Hanim, kitorang kat flat yang sebelah tpt K anim penah pegi makan tuh" (Hanim, we are on the flat beside the place that you had previously gone to eat).

She was confirming where she was (on some stairs, fighting against some people that were trying to go to the ground level too)...when the phone went ominously silent. I tried to call her but to no avail.

Meanwhile, mum and Hanum had managed to get into the flat beside us. I was still wandering beside the building, trying to call Hanim and crying while doing it.

Then, mum said, "Hanim dah mati, dengan sakit dia..." (Hanim is dead, with her her conditions...)

I do understand. It is a miracle that she was still fighting to come to us. She had asthma, quite bad and with all these people around her, it is a miracle that she was still fighting to come to us. I could not move, my finders automatically dialing her phone....suddenly, I got a ring tone and someone answers her phone. But the sound is so small, I did not hear anything.

I shouted, giving her directions on where we are going. Wishing, hoping that it is her. That she is well.

Hanum shouted to me that we need to go up. I started to move towards my mum and Hanum.

Suddenly, I recognized the flat as the one that we lived in. I know the location of the stairs.

Our aim is to get to the highest level...then, we might be safe. We have to abandon Hanim, to save mum and Hanum. But, with the last transmission, I hope she can follow us....to safety. We had some time left.

Everyone is panicking, and the wave is coming...







Then, I woke up. Trembling. I could not sleep again until this morning.

Ok, no more Discovery channel. I was watching The Super Comet last night before going to sleep. I remembered having this kind of nightmares before. But, none are as vivid as this one.

I'm still shaking. My mood would be affected for at least a few days. All the pain of the decision to leave, and not knowing.


Dear God, if these calamity to befall humans, let it be not in my lifetime.

Amiiinnn. 
¶ 8:55 AM
4 comments

 

For a lot of my friends that planning/going to go to Bandung and Jakarta.

Listed below are the places that I went to during my stay in Jakarta and
Bandung.Some places, I plumb forgot, so sorry for the omission.

Since the tour was strictly for shopping, so the Tourist's Attraction
portion are basically upon hearsays and what my other friends experiences.

Shopping.

Jakarta
1) Blok M aka Mangga Besar - Some of my guy frens like it. Not so much for
me, may be because I got lost and frantically searching for exit. Have a
lot of t-shirts, jeans, shoes(even got BATA). Not branded items but common
stuffs. Divided into the top level (beside the road portion) and the under-
ground complex. Be careful of pick-pockets.

2) Grande - I love the Ace Hardware in Basement 2. The rest, the usual
shopping complex type of stuffs. Tho if you go to the food court (at LG),
try the Mini-melts...the ice cream that are made in small drops. Cute and
yummy.

3) Mangga 2 (ITC) - Something like Penang's Chowrasta or Petaling Street.
Only waaaayyyyy bigger. The place to buy bags, t-shirts, etc. I bought my
Kipling bag here. Andy is sooooo cute.

4) Glodok - A place for guys to check out antenna's for their radios,
hardware and software for PCs, CDs, etc.

5) Metro Tanah Abang - A wholesale kind of pasar. Many telekungs, t-
shirts, baju sulam, jeans, ladies suits, guy's batik shirts. But minimum
number, you need to buy 3 pieces of anything. For ladies, there is a shop
that sell full body, long sleeve boned kind of corsets.

Bandung - too many places, tho a few are stuck in my mind.

1) Heritage-Cascade - a whole road with factory outlets kind of houses.
Famous for branded items - jeans/shirts/t-shirts/shoes.

2) A bit further down the road from Heritage is Kedai Barbe. It is a shop
that sells new and used items. Got my Northface backpack here for around
rm30. If you dig deep enough, you will find treasures. Like my Garfield
comic book. Yey!!

3) Happening - A factory outlet that caters more to the branded jeans,
shirts, etc. My size, is considered S at this place...hehehe. Can perasan
la.

4) Rumah Diaz - Heaven for bags...wallets, handbags, tote to travelling
bags. Branded, leather, macam-macam ada lah.

5) Rumah Mode/Mode Plus - Branded t-shirts, shirts and jeans. Also for
lovers of lingeries, they have Victoria Secret here. Yey!!

6) Pasar Baru - for tudung, telekong, baju kebaya sulam, kain batik, kain
batik sutera, kain satin....etc la. Recommended half day kat sini saja.

Spa

Jakarta - Family Spa. Recommended by Hendry, our tourist guide. Got lulur
and massage. Surpisingly, don't have mani and pedi.

Food.

Jakarta.

1) Salero Jumbo - Padang Restaurant. The tendon curry is very nice, but
for the uninitiated, like something out of the Fear Factor.

2) Riung Sari - Kalau tak silap aku, Sundanese food. Yang pasti, sambal
belacan dia aku bantai sensorang...sedap siut. Me and my partner, tambah
nasik 2 kali...hehehe...diet on hold sepanjang holiday nih.

Bandung.

1) Dapur Sangkuriang.

2) Kembang Pare - Sundanese food.

3) Restoran Sederhana Masakan Padang.

4) Kartika Sari - for the yummy kuih. Don't forget to buy some Brownies
Kukus, very nice la.

5) Kat area Pasar Baru - try carik kedai jual Kacang Bandung. The
verrryyyy nice peanut.

6) Also try the ice cream with durian and pulut. Available everywhere.

7) Don't forget to drink Avocado juice, here they call it Apokat juice.
Some restaurants put in honey or chocolate. Quite cheap and very nice.

Tourist's Attraction.

Bandung

1) Tangkuban Perahu - Volcano. Quite cold, very high but very picturisque
with the caldera and molted lava.

2) Strawberry Farm - on the way to Tangkuban Perahu. Of course, it is a
strawberry farm, what else?

3) Punchak - Taman Safari. Got loads of animals in a safary kind of
setting.

Cons.

1) For full bodied ladies like me, sakit hati masa pilih jeans. Most of
the jeans are skinny, small sized and short. My friends jumpa jeans dia
kat Rumah Mode.

2) Guys with XL and above sized body, most of the shirts are for smaller
sized guys. So, beware...you might be disappointed.

3) People that are on diet, careful since the food here are very tempting
and taste really nice.

4) People in their relationship, don't bring your gf/bf here. The arrays
of beautiful guys and girls are endless.

P/S: For people that want to go in a group, I would greatly urge to book a
tour guide instead of going gallivanting around. If not, you would miss
out on great shopping places, various tips on histories of places and what
to buy at a certain place (very important!!).

Of course, this is my first
tour guided...well...tour. But, I'm mightily impressed by K Mawar's and
Hendry's professionalism and their knowledge of the places.

Bravo for Hendry, Bambang and Nandang. Brava for K Mawar.

For some of the pix, click here.
http://kraziie.fotopages.com/

 
¶ 8:56 AM
5 comments

 

Tend to agree with this blogger...we should not boicott the products made in/imported from Dutch. Tho, I would agree to have the Geert Wilders to be shot in the head. Hehehe. Just kidding...

Personally, I think he actively provoking the Muslims just to confirm that he is right. He assumes (incorrectly) that Islam promote violence. And he is doing all his might to poke us on the nose so that we jump and proves that he is right.

So, what should we do?

Shows that he is wrong, of course. Don't jump and act irrationally, instead think and act to show him and all the people that think like him, that Islam IS a peaceful religion.

Jihad is when you have no other option. Even our Prophet prefers to negotiate and discuss instead of jumping and howling at a tiniest provocation.

So, my brothers and sisters, could we show Mr Wilders that he is wrong?

http://saifulislam.com/?p=1678#more-1678



Other than that, me not feeling well today. A bit of stomachache. Tho, my emotions are buoyed up when I got an email from my love. Ok la, will have to 'meet up' sometime later. Esok ada pilot episode Terminator, lusa la kot.

Hmmm....lalalala. 
¶ 10:29 AM
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  Very moody.

Lately, the weather has become quite extreme.

We get very hot and fiery mid days, and then stormy afternoons and nights.

And yet, people are still burning carbons and all manner of wastes. Do
people care that we are poisoning our world?

A full resounding NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

Hmmmm...

Somehow the stormy weather suits my current mood. Very moody with the
ability to snarl and bite anyone near me. Thank God that I met a number of
handsome guys this week...so the snarling kena tempered down skets.

Blame it on Shadow Moon...still could not get the Shadow Star. Though dah
baca Shadow Dawn.

The Shadow War chronicles nih, ok laaaa. Tho could not imagine it being
translated to movies. With Chris Claremont (of the X-men fame) style of
writing, A LOT need to be done to adapt it to the big screen. Description
panjang berjela...with the magick, dragons, moving thru stones, the
Deceiver, etc...a lot of the events need to be CGIed.

Not a total bore when reading it, but remember Star Wars...the original
episode 4,5 and 6? It made you start to think about messianic icons...and
what can go wrong. How after watching it, you became more hyperactive? The
same with the book. Uhmm....forgot to tell, the books ARE a collaboration
between George Lucas and Chris. *grins*

Malas aaa today....Dah la Heroes dah abis. Semalam tertido masa nak tgk
CSI. Not a good week, personally. But at least, good for my work. A lot
are achieved...except today. Malasnyer nak buat kejaaaaaaaaaaa............

 
¶ 2:04 PM
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