Holiday!

Yay! Two days off from work! Now, what should I do? What should I do? Ahh... yes! SLEEP!!!

Oh well, nothing to blog about as I have yet to upload a couple of pictures I took from this morning's wet and pretty wild day. I saw a very swollen river, a couple of motorboats (on land!!) waiting to get into the waist-deep waters, flooded roads at almost every corner I took. Talk about frantic situations.

I feel bad for the residents who have to endure these floods at every monsoon season. Sigh...

Wax On, Wax Off

That's what Mr. Miyagi said to Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid.

And so, that was what I did on an off day I had today - getting my car washed and its first polish & wax. It took me three hours to get it done. I almost wanted to give up because it was so tiring and my arms were basically flailing away due to over use.

Also, I realized that perfectionism and car washing do not go well together. It's as simple as that. Otherwise, it might take me a day to get the car really, really clean and really, really shiny.

I think I'll just go back to my regular RM10 car wash and vacuum services and consider getting someone else to do the waxing and polishing. I know it was not that easy but I did not expect it to be so tough.

For now, I am going to wax off and rest my arms.

Lelong*... Original Microsoft Software For Sale!

Yes, I am trying to sell off the software I just received a few days ago. I won it during one of those "So You Think You Can Spell" contests held by MixFM. I personally think I could spell. Either that or the other person was just a slightly not-so-good speller. He actually fumbled, and that was a no-no for that game. Rules, you know...

So, anyway, here I am, blessed (or in my words, stuck) with this RM2499 (retail price at that time) software that I have no use for, at least, not when my computer system is not up to it. Why use something your computer cannot support, right?

Anyone interested in purchasing this very original, authentic, unused, mint condition, licensed Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 software? Price is negotiable.

Am I even allowed to sell on blogger? Hmm...

Here are some pictures I took and the specs needed to run the software (fun!):

The front... very nicely packaged, I'd have to say!

One side of it...

The back, it tells you what programmes it carries...

The nitty-gritty! System Requirements...

System Requirements... continued...

System Requirements... the end!

*p.s. "Lelong" means "auction" in Malay

Céline Dion - Taking Chances Live in Shanghai

Day 2 in Shanghai started relatively late. We slept in because we had no plans for the day except to get to the Shanghai Stadium on time.

We woke up early for breakfast and then went back to bed shortly after. Too lazy, I guess.

Then, we decided to hunt for the famous Shanghai "Xiao Long Bao", which, to me, translates to "Little Dragon Bao". We had earlier asked some of the staff serving breakfast on where to find this elusive yet famous bao. They came to a conclusion that we had to go to a famous temple nearby to sample the bao. We weren't really keen on that.

So, we decided to try our luck by venturing out and asking the local taxi guy who was waiting at the hotel porch. He told us that the bao at the temple is not all that great. If we wanted something authentic, we would have to travel over one hour away. He said he could take us there and back for a fee. We haggled for a lower fee and clinched the deal. So, off we went to this 'shop' to sample the "Xiao Long Bao". Yum!

The entrance

'Xiao Long Bao' - the one on the right is with the normal meat filling, the one on the left is with meat & prawn filling

Close-up look

A burst of soup in each bite

After the 'Xiao Long Bao' adventure, we headed back to the heart of town, to the Shanghai Stadium to get ready for the concert.

Oh hey! Ikea!

The place was still rather empty when we got to the stadium. Some of the workers were already setting up posts at the different entrances, especially for special ticket pick-up counters.

Approaching the stadium!

The stadium itself...

We were pretty early, like a couple of hours early, maybe. So, we waited and waited. Then, the crowds slowly grew bit-by-bit. There were peddlers selling everything from glowsticks to binoculars to resized posters to CDs and much more. I settled for a pair of cheap binoculars. Again, I haggled like nobody's business. Got it for a steal... Or maybe they ended up "stealing" from me for a pair of binoculars that is not your really good, top class one. Either way, I still thought it was a great bargain!

The gates finally opened and we rushed in, well, actually, we didn't. We just walked to our designated stadium gate and saw them opening up a mini stall for merchandise. I got myself the tourbook for slightly cheaper than the regular US price. This did not involve any haggling, the price was already set relatively lower, RMB200. (Retail US price was around USD20 - 25). We were on the second floor (or was it third?), on the right side of the stadium. We were FAR away. (Far is an understatement here!)

Up and up we went!

See? Far, eh?

We chatted up with a couple of Malaysians (imagine that!) working in Shanghai. They were very nice. Then, the show started. Oh, forgot to mention the weather: FREEZING! Well, it wasn't very cold, but the strong winds didn't help us much since it was still spring time there. I could barely feel my fingers, but I held on to my camera, taking pictures and videos as the concert went along.

The screen was a big help...

She drove all night, all right... Yeah!

So far away...

Au revoir, ma cherie! Till we meet again in Kuala Lumpur, Malaisie!

The concert went on for about an hour and 15 minutes, and then, it was all over. Sigh... If it wasn't for the cold weather, I thought we were just getting started! After leaving the stadium, we tried out some meat-on-a-stick food by a roadside peddler. Interesting was the word. Mom and I ventured out to catch a taxi and we did not get one until about an hour later. Talk about a LONG day. We got back to the hotel around 11+pm, exhausted but a little bit happy, at least, for me.

And so, that was Day 2 in Shanghai.

Dinged! - Part 2

No, I did not get into another 'accident'... Just a short update on the previous post.

The grandma (or Ah Mah) is still on the road!! On her motorbike, newly fixed, I might add. I just spotted her yesterday after coming home from church, as I left the BHP station after I pumped my tyres. I don't know if she recognized me because she looked at my direction for a bit but I sure did recognize her! AHH! She's still on the road! She's alive and well, praise God, but still, she is still riding her motorbike after that incident. Ishk!

Gotta stay away from that Ah Mah on that PCK bike. Yes, licence plate says PCK. Not going to spill the numbers, even though I can remember it. Wished I had taken a picture, though. Would have been funny.

AHH! Grandma on the prowl again. Eek!

OK, I'm done rambling.

Dinged!

Nope, it's not the sound of someone ringing the doorbell.

Imagine this - a working day like every other working day, driving the same route, nothing out of the ordinary to note until suddenly - wham! A grandma on a motorbike rams onto the back end of your 7-month-old car. How would that feel? It hurt. It hurt real bad. Heart and pocket. Sigh... Victim of an innocent minor 'crash'...

Let the pictures do the talking:

Looked like someone 'signed' on the bumper

Another look at the scratch

"Unseen" damage... cracked bumper

Bent steel rod holding the bumper

A scratch when the car was 5 days old - Thought I'd put that in for 'fun'

In the end, the bumper was fixed... RM200 flew right out of the pocket and as much as the car looks like it used to, it does not really feel the same. It squeaks now and then. Sigh...