Quistine's chronicles

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2 years ago, i had the opportunity to really explore KL as a tourist with a bunch of my most favourite people =)

armed with just a map that shows the LRT route and a notebook with pieces of info i had searched from the internet, we toured JB, Malacca and Kuala Lumpur in the most touristy way you can imagine.

we arrived at Pudu at almost midnight and checked into a backpackers hostel that is tucked behind the bustling streets of Bukit Bintang. it was a surprisingly clean place and the staff are really friendly. my expectations was much lower as it was really cheap. that night itself, we sit around the living room, surrounded by brochures and got down to some serious planning. being the only malaysian from the group, i had googled pertinent facts such as places to visit, how to get there, the admission charges beforehand.

we got up really early to queue up for  the highly coveted tickets for the skybridge visit at KLCC, the world’s tallest twin towers. the tickets are free but only 800 tickets are available daily. the guided tour of the suspended bridge on the 41th floor that connects the twin towers offers a panoramic view.

although the queue was pretty long, it was definitely worth it!

during the queue, we got bored and started camwhoring with pretty backdrop

although i had been to the KLCC shopping complexes soo many times, i had never went up to the skybridge before. it was an awesome experience.

before we were brought to the skybridge, there was a briefing.  we were shown a short video that explained how the magnificent twin towers was built, its structure and stuff. although i know of a lot of people(not the people that i travelled with) who felt that the video was boring and pointless, i was intrigued.during the video, i cant help but felt a rush of pride for being a malaysian citizen. somehow, the short stint as an exchange student in singapore brought out the patriotism in me.  i had found myself in situations that i was fiercely defending malaysians and feeling dismayed by the fact that some malaysians are so negative about their own country. sigh.

the skybridge!!

the view from the skybridge is spectacular! even the elevators that we ride to reach skybridge was cool =)

view from the skybridge. check out the cars that looked like miniature models

the brightly lit twin towers at night

we went to the Menara Kuala Lumpur too. from the lrt station, we had to walked past a “hutan simpan” in the city.

lush greeneries right in the heart of a bustling city

Menara Kuala Lumpur is perched upon Bukit Nanas and stands at 421metres tall. it offers the highest view of the city. there is an admission fees of RM8 for adult and RM3 for children.

a breezy picture of us with the malaysia flag outside the Menara Kuala Lumpur

although the view from the Menara Kuala Lumpur was nothing short of panoromic too, i still prefer the skybridge visit.

Petaling street =)

i brought the girls to Petaling Street. as most of my friends are foreigners, they are simply thrilled about chinatown. its interesting how some stuff that are so common to us that we took it for granted are so intriguing to other people. the girls loved the food there. all of them especially liked the famous “lo han guo” drink. there’s nothing like enjoying chilled lo han guo to quench your thirst on a hot day.

we took a time out at mcdees while waiting for the rest that are still bargaining away in petaling street

and of course we shopped like a shopaholic at bukit bintang. us, being girlie gals,with our backpackers hostel just a walking distance away, its hard to resist the temptations. all of us bought quite a bit of stuff and had trouble stuffing them into our backpack on our last day.

the bustling streets of Bukit Bintang that brings back fond memories

although the trip was 2 years back and i had been to KL a lot of times with different company, being at Bukit Bintang always reminds me so much of the girls and what an awesome time we had. how we held each other hands when crossing the busy roads as some of them are actually terrified by KL traffic. the tired but satiated walk back to our hostel as we passed by the brightly lit shops. how i would smile as my friends was squealing with excitement at some stuff that we are so used to having that we took it for granted. =)

i slipped, skidded on my butt for quite a distance and hurt my elbows.  -_-’ i caused quite a din and my entire family stopped whatever they were doing and came over to take a look. even though it actually hurt, i couldnt stop laughing. the first thing my bro said to me right after that was , “wow, u skidded all the way from here!!” -_-’

one of the best things about being at home is i get fussed about over the smallest things when i am hurt or unwell. my parents keep asking me where did it hurt and is it serious. they were contemplating taking me to get an “urut”. when i refused, they actually wanted to get me to take an X-ray!!haha..i was so alarmed.

ok. it did hurt and it STILL hurts now. i cant really move my arms much. but i am pretty sure my bones are still intact. it would have been excruciatingly painful if i break my bones right?i am just worried it might be dislocated. i am praying like mad and telling my elbow that its gonna be all right by tomorrow and i will be able to go to work like usual.

today was a good day at work. i was late but got away as my boss wasnt in office =) one of my colleagues watched time traveller’s wife already and we discussed about it shortly. now, i cant wait to watch it. initially, after reading the book, i still wanted to watch the movie but was not so keen as it was soo sad.=((

later, i spent quite a bit of time reminiscing with my other colleagues what were the first tasks assigned to us when we first started out, what was the best parts about auditing and what were the parts that we dread most. its interesting as everyone is so different. we were all getting a little nostalgic as one of my colleagues are leaving and it will be her last day come this friday. i am gonna miss her. her laughter, sense of humour and how she always reassures me and coaches me patiently, how we will start singing together and burst out laughing as before that, both of us were so silently concentrating on our work but just burst into a song at the same point.but well, i guess  goodbyes are part and parcel of life. i still have not really learn how to deal with that gracefully. i still whine and pout like a small schoolchild when its time to bade farewells.

guess what, while i am writing this post that is titled dumbo the elephant had a fall, a friend actually called me dumbo. ok, i had always loved random coincidence. but not particularly of this nature though.

its 12.53am now. way beyond my usual bedtime hours but i still feel wide awake.yet i dont feel like doing what i am supposed to do. found myself doing something i used to do during my student days. i get weird dreams easily. more often than not, i found myself dreaming about formulas i had been studying or my write-ups. so i used to have a ritual of listening to a few of my favourite songs to relax my brain before going to bed. and i m doing that right now. =)

its such a conducive time to blog now. the weather is nice and i am feeling all melancholic. i had realised that its easier to blog when i am either feeling extremely bubbly or extremely melancholic. no wonder i had been getting mental  block ever since i started working. life seems to be much more stale and pale in comparison. there’s less stuff to be excited about. the upside is, there’s less stuff that i feel indignant about too. its always just work, work and more work, feeling stressed and meeting deadlines. i guess i need to allocate more time to doing stuff i loved. these days, the only ritual that i manage to maintain is reading post secrets and bedtime reading=)

almost done with time traveller’s wife. but its so sad i cried reading it. its beautiful but excruciatingly sad. why do love have to be intensified by absence?

my head throbs and i feel like sticking a tube through my temple to drain out whatever that’s causing me such discomfort. shopping for clothes in air conditioned spaces did not help to ease the discomfort much. now that i stay all cooped up in air conditioned rooms all day, i am highly sensitive to heat. it gives me terrible headaches. even my book cant stand the heat. its a little out of shape from the heat as i left it in the car when i went shopping =(

i hate mondays.

my recent disappearance is attributed to the fact that i had joined the workforce!!not exactly one of the happiest phases in life but hey, we all have to move on some time or other and for me its now. for the past month or so, i had been struggling with the transition. i was prepared for the long working hours, lack of social life and time to do stuff that we had all taken for granted but what caught me off guard was the fact that work has actually stripped off some of my bubbly and vivacious personality and i am jaded now. how i detest that word. but lucky for me, i am still my good old self come weekends. with the help of time, i am now trying to achieve a balance between my jaded self and the vivacious old me. i had been making a conscious effort to allocate time to do stuff that i used to had great passion for to keep my sanity and to vivify my life such as blogging and reading. really, i should be applauded for the fact that i managed to publish a post tonight =)

i had the chance to meet various people during my course of work and like life in general, there are pleasant ones and not so pleasant ones. some of our clients viewed us as law enforcers for are trying to make life difficult for them with our unreasonable requests. and no matter how unpleasant they can be, i had to wear a smile, grit my teeth and patiently explain that, no, we arent trying to be difficult and these are standard procedures. and no, we cant just assume everything is in order, we need physical evidence to prove it.

but then again, i had also met really really nice people that go out of their way to make lives easier for us even though they arent obliged to do that. like today, i woke up to a terrible sore throat and minor headache. so, during stocktake (it was my first one) i brought along my gigantic water bottle. trust me, it was no small feat trying to juggle that with a writing pad, pencil, calculator AND to count the inventory. the staff that assisted me during the stocktake actually volunteered and offered to help me carry my water bottle. i was too shy to accept the offer but he insisted so i accepted the offer. i know it was a simple gesture but it made my day. not in a big way but its comforting to know that in this selfish era, they are people who are kind too.

edit: despite everything, its nice to be back at home. that day when my dad heard me complaining about my sore throat, he “tapaoed” some bitter but effective herbal tea for me on his way back from work =)

i am overwhelmed, burnt out and sick. i felt as if an avalanche had just rolled off a mountain and landed on me and i am buried deep beneath. wait, literally, an avalanche of tasks to be done has landed on me.

i dont feel my usual self at all. in fact, the current me is like a total stranger. i felt alienated. its as though i am just an empty shell living each day, completing the task thats required of me, fulfilling my role. i miss the old bubbly me that gets excited at all the simple things in life, the me that welcomes tomorrow with a smile no matter how crappy today had been.

in less than 3 weeks, i have a trip and finals examination that marked the end of my student days. these days, i am so nostalgic its getting depressing. i seem to dread the future so much that i had lost track of the time line. and staring at the calendar didnt help. i am just stucked in a time warp i had enclosed myself in subconsciously. i cant sleep properly. each morning, i wake up to bizarre nightmares and feeling as though i had just lay in bed all the time without getting a wink of sleep.

i want to just sleep and not wake up.

i was random, impulsive and reckless. recently i did something that is very uncharacteristic of me. luckily so far, there had been no negative ramnifications from that yet.

i need a hug and rainbows

a day after valentine’s day, my dad called to ask did i get any gifts for valentine. when i said no, he went like, aiyah, why are you so lousy wan?i burst out laughing. i cant help but think my dad is getting cooler with each day.

although i am already 24 this year, i still go to the movies very frequently with my parents. and thats cos my parents is willing to watch silly romantic movies such as the recent “look for a star”. i actually ran into an old friend from my primary school days. and when he asked, “so you are here with your friends?” i just mumbled a no, i am here with my family in embarrassment. later when i related the event to a close friend, she was like “what are you so embarrassed about?you have the coolest parents ever!my parents will never even step foot in city square!!”

i was shopping with my family and we were in lovely lace as my mum wanted to get the teddy’s dream essence oil. i love that scent. it reminds me of my room. while in the store, short bro showed me a really adorable puppy soft toy and asked if i like it. i was like, yeah, its cute. without skipping a beat or showing any change of expression, he went on to say, “ok, i will get that for you as your graduation gift.” being the usual greedy me, i started protesting and said thats way far too small and gestured to a giant size bear on the topmost shelf. his reply to me totally stunned me, judging on how its coming from a 13 year old kid. he was like, “you know what, i cant afford something of that size. on the other hand, this puppy is something i can actually afford. plus its adorable and you love it.”at that moment, i felt so loved. times like this made me feel like i am the younger sister.

tall brother goes back home much more frequently compared to me. and when he’s nicely back at home, he will call me just to inform me that he’s eating my favourite food, especially goreng pisang.aargh.

mum used to call me rather frequently. but not really anymore. recently, she caught me at a bad time. i was so grouchy and so not in the mood as she caught me in my crucial crunch time. i had a paper the following day. and when she knew i had a paper the following day, she totally ended the conversation. “aiyah, why you didnt tell me earlier you have a paper tomorrow. just call me after you have come to a decision and you still have time so you can afford to only think about it after your paper”

talk about documentaries always reminded me of short bro. he’s one of the coolest kid ever. since his kindergarten years, he has shown a liking towards documentaries. in fact, he was the one that influenced me to start watching documentaries and getting addicted. i miss the mondays, at 8pm where we’ll sit together on the couch and watch the most dangerous creatures alive in silence. occasionally, other people will join us and start to either gape or be disgusted. we’ll then smile to each other, knowing that we shared something that most people do not.

before moving out of hostel, i have heard a fair share of housemates stories which range from both ends of the spectrum, from housemates nightmare terror to housemates that turn out to be their soulmates. hence, as much as i would like to be all optimistic about my future housemates, i was very very apprehensive too. i first met all my housemates for the first time in tekun canteen. everyone was really shy and quiet including myself. honestly, i didnt have a great first impression of them, except perhaps for lee na as she was the most friendly looking one. at that time, i remember feeling, uh-oh, there goes my hope for having super cool housemates. my first impression of all of them is they are too shy and quiet for my preference as i am a rather crazy person myself. so yeah, i kinda felt that they are totally from a different planet from me. haha. boy, was i proven wrong. up till now, we had only lived together for less than a year but there’s so much memories together of doing crazy stuff that it felt that we had lived together for at least a few years. these days, i cant help but smile when i reminisce those awesome memories that we had shared. in fact, the phrase i am beginning to miss all these so much is fast becoming my tag line these days. sigh. the comforting part is that they keep saying this too.=) even though, its after they playfully jab at my fats around the waist, after i protest when they keep laughing at my blonde moments, it still never fails to warm my heart.

i just came back from my girls day out with them. i couldnt recall the last time i had such joy shopping when i didnt really came home with a lot of purchases. in fact, even the movie we watched today sucks. but i guess, they were right when they say, at times, its the company that matters the most. i will always miss the lotsa giggles, the honest facial expression that implied, uhm, that look really hideous on you, the almost eager look on their faces that meant, yes, you must definitely get this, the bored and impatient looks as they waited while pier swan and i decided whether we wanna buy a packet of tea.haha

so, after the first meeting, we did ran into each other a couple of times around the hostel. it was pretty awkward. we kinda stared hard at each other to realise that, oh, not only is this person familiar, but she’s staring back too and that probably confirms the suspicion that this is someone i knew. and when the realization hits us together that we are each other future housemates, we waved awkwardly not because we really wanted to but more out of courtesy. what a vast difference with our reaction now when we see each other, luckily. these days, we practically shout at each other if we are miles apart just so the other person will notice us and wave back.haha

lee na is probably the most low profile leo i had ever met. not only does she not fight to be in the limelight, i think she tries her best to steer clear out of it. i really like the way she acts when she’s exhausted or in a bad mood. most people will be really angsty and hot-tempered. but she just morph into this passively aggressive girl who is silent and wouldnt give you much reaction to anything you may say or do. actually, the normal lee na is a very expressive person. just her expression alone can speak volumes. to people who are not close friends, she may seem like a very docile and mild person but actually, when you get to know her, you will find the fiery passion and playfulness beneath the cool exterior. she actually do break into giggles unexpectedly and is capable of delivering very punching retorts.

i think being around me brings out the protective nature in her. honestly, i have no idea how will i have been able to survive my last semester as i had to take quite a few classes with juniors who are two generations younger. in other word, a an entire batch of intimidating strangers. not only did she was my groupmate for group projects, she saves me a seat in class and help me to blend into her gang. although her friends dont exactly warm up to me, she has never ever left me out in anything. she helped me to photocopy notes, shared stuff that she got from her friends with me, warned me of uncovered drains lest i fall into them, holds my wrist to guide me across the roads when i couldnt cross roads in my lack of sleep mode, patiently tell me that its raining now and i should use my umbrella when i din realise it was raining even though, its actually pouring cats and dogs. calls me repeatedly to wake me up to study for my exams. even though, all these are really very small gestures, i was very touched already. the two other gestures that top the list was when she called me to wake me up so that i could go to the 11am class even though she wasnt even at home herself and i actually had a 9am class before that. she just knew that i had probably skipped my 9am class. isnt she considerate, attentive and psychic? another gesture that totally stunned me for a few seconds was when we were working on our tax project together. she decided to make tea for herself and i told her to make a cup for me as well. the next thing i know, my cup of tea was sitting on her table on top of my own coaster. i stared at it for a while and asked her how did my coaster end up on her table? she was like “i went to your room and get it la”

i think the first time we actually chatted and bonded was during our first bus ride from penang back to jb together. (jo-han, if you are reading this, that was the time when my hp died out on me. see, i wasnt even exhausting its battery with my texting. i had real company that day, didnt have to rely on text messages.)

the most amazing thing about lee na is even though, between the both of us, i am the older one, she’s always the one thats looking out for me. but even so, i could feel that she respected me. and this is not just from the way she always compliments me on my english or my writing or my msn personal message. i could just really feel her respect for me and how she takes me seriously. i will never forget how there was this time, she was asking for some fashion advice and she not only took what i said seriously, she immediately translated that into action without any hesitation or another opinion. at that moment, i just feel so validated. right there and then. and i love offering advice to her about anything regardless of whether its academic or not. actually, all my life, i had always have issues with people asking for my advice. all my life, the only people that respected me and took my advice seriously, at times without even considering a second opinion are my family. other people just asked me out of courtesy or cos i am there even though they obviously dont give a damn on whats my opinion. this is why when people tells me i am smart, i always find it hard to believe. if they really think i am smart, how come they never ever took my words seriously or at least believed in me?

i am easily reminded of people when i listen to some particular songs. the songs that will always make me think of her are oldies. any chinese or english oldies. especially chinese songs by beyond and all out of love by air supply. all of us always laugh at her on her obsession on old songs. right now, i am thinking about that dinner at bali where there’s just the two of us quietly listening to the old chinese songs they were playing.

yes, i know its inevitable that we will all move on and probably grow apart and perhaps will not even be in each other’s lives anymore. i just wanna say a big thank you for everything you have done for me, regardless whether its a big or small gesture. voluntarily or forced. thank you for loving me despite my numerous imperfections and being so patient and understanding. lets at least try to keep in touch in future =)

i woke up at eightish in the morning, walked 15 minutes to class just to find out that it has been cancelled. but its all right, i am going to be optimistic and view it as a blessing in disguise. although my internet connection is still crappy and i still cant attach the files to send my application for internship, at the very least, i have some time to blog now.

i celebrated new year eve with a bunch of friends that i met about a year ago. although, we have only been friends for years, it always felt as if i have known them for a really long time. its good to see them physically again. real conversation win over any conversation we had over the internet hands down and it feels so different. all of us had been anticipating our reunion for ages and i wasnt disappointed. it feels good to hang out with them again. in fact, i think i like myself better when i am around them. with them, i feel comfortable to be myself. there’s nothing to hide and they wouldnt judge. yes, they did reprimand me for always being late and commented on my attire. but hey, at least they told me face to face and didnt gossip behind my back. honestly, it took some time for me to adjust. i had forgotten what its like to have such frank conversations.=)

they came all the way to bugis to pick me up as i was worried that i would be lost. haha. honestly, i was a little apprehensive and worried that they might have change. people change all the time. and i m always the one thats left behind. the one that stood still at crossroads. the one that believe that by standing still and not progressing any further, i might still be able to go back to lost time. in the end, even at the point that i had realized that i am the only one that has not moved on, i will still try to savour the remnants of what we have before finally moving on like everyone else. yes, thats how pathetic i can be at times.

but my worries was unfounded. it was good to see them again and realize that no matter whatever it is, some things just never change. we are still able to dive in to real conversations straight without going through the transition of awkwardness.

we spent the afternoon just hanging out in calvin’s place after the guys did a little shopping in bugis. we exchanged xmas pressies. lennon got me a really cute lion. he said thats the closest resemblance to a cat stuff that he can find –_-‘ but its ok cause the lion is really cute and everyone keep wanted to wax its mane.haha. actually, when he gave me the gift, it was like so out of a sudden that he gave me a shock. when i looked at the lion in his hand, i was act thinking, is this lion really a gift or is this some kinda prank again?haha. and lennon as usual is so attentive to people’s expression. he whined and went whats wrong? you dont like my gift?haha. kellie had a really nice surprise for me!she brought not only xmas pressie for me but also my belated birthday gift from the gals=) it came with a card and 3 sheets of A4 size cardboard paper with messages from all three of them, kara, sarah and kellie.

dinner was at a chinese restaurant with a spectacular view that serves the best chilli crabs i had ever tasted. i think my favourite part of the night was those relaxing moments after the partying. we climbed on top of those high walls and sat down to chill out. actually, i din really climb up there myself as i was in a short skirt. calvin practically hoisted me up by the arms.haha. he kept complaining how heavy i was after that.=( we just sat there together and watch people walking around and listening to lennon making racist remarks about them and fearing that we will be whacked.haha. we headed back shortly after that.

i spent the first few hours of 2009 crouched in the dark room of calvin’s having stimulating intellectual conversation about who we think is going to rule the world in our lifetime, politics, which path are we going to take in the future. i miss having stimulating conversation of this kind.=)

although i have a midterm paper tomorrow and i still have to cover 2 more chapters, i have this sudden inexplicable urgency to blog. i act purposely came into my room and switched on my laptop just for this. i was actually mugging in the living room earlier.

during dinner, my housemates and i were casually joking about the fact that we only have two months left together. omg. i felt as thought someone has just dropped a time bomb on me. even though i know i m going to have to step into the working world very very soon, i had no idea its in less than 2 months.

i do realize that i waste a lot of time sleeping. a part of me wanted to drastically decrease my sleeping time so i have much more time to do other stuff that i know i will not have a chance to do anymore. read more books, watch a zillion shows, sing k and watch as much movies in cinemas when i still have the time and can enjoy the student rate, spend more time with my housies, blog about the million things that i had planned. hmm maybe i should write the checklist on what i want to blog about here. but but at the same time, this is like the only chance i can sleep as much as i want!! i am pretty sure i wouldnt be able to sleep in till late afternoon when i start working next time. i guess my best bet will be trying to achieve a balance between these two.

blog checklist :

how i met calvin and gang and the special memories i share with each of them; the quiet but relaxing nights alone in my room in pgp when i eat takeaways from megabytes and watch princess hours; my awesome housies, memories with each and every one of them, how have we became so close from those initial awkward moments; and our casual get togethers, random late night trips to 7-11 for cup noodles as supper to keep us awake during study week, dinners, wake up calls to study during study week, faithfully watching tv shows together, cooking sessions, pillow talks, eating new year cookies together at our coffee table.its really no small feat that we not only get along but can live together as well. how many good friends can actually say for certain that they will be able to live together without much conflicts.

ok..back to strategic management textbook.