Before I leave

I got 2 days left to prepare for everything after I came back from damansara. Shopping for toiletries was a must since here you can get the brands you're familiar with and might be cheaper. Thurs I've gotten what I need and Fri just visited a clinic for a tiny toe problem. Guess what, a 5 mins consultation, with 2 hours long wait, cost me a BOMB! It's the Lim Skin Specialist at Abu Siti Lane, some cream and 2 packs of tablets were RM245! I was utterly shocked! Didn't know it can go till so expensive. =(

While waiting, I just went to a random saloon nearby to have a hair cut, it was also very expensive, 30, sighs. And the hairdresser just cut and cut and cut, it became much shorter, while he said he would only cut like 2-3cm. Sheeeesh!

After all this, met up with xiting for only like 2 hours? Since I can't go back too late. Kinda rush. But we managed to grab a quick snack at TGI. I bumped into yeivern as well.

Yeivern's leaving to queensland on the same day as me


chicken fingers and mini desserts :D


mocha, vanilla top with strawberry and snickers treat, they run out of the oreo ones =[

Bye penang, not sure when I'm coming back though, might be end of the year, dec, jan?

On the day when I'm leaving, andrew just flew back from india after a year in the morning, but made the effort to meet up in the airport for like 5 mins before I board. Thanks! :)

Meals n' Places in KL/PJ etc.

1 month by myself means exploring time! But also thanks to a few friends who stay nearby that brought me to places and drive me around. :)

1. Taman Connaught, Cheras - Longest pasar malam
I had a few snacks, the RM1 icecream you see below, taiwan pancake, dragon beard candy (long sou tong), chinese hamburger, yums. And bought a few stuff for a bargain price too!

2. Pappa rich, Bangsar Village/Jalan telawi

After sourcing for apparels and accesories, I decided to try pappa rich coz' I see it everywhere. The price is something like old town but slightly more expensive. Tried the dry kuay teow with fuchok, RM9.50. It was good apparently with the smooth texture of the thin kuay teow with soft chicken slices. For beverage, I like the hainan cham drink here.

3. Honkee Porridge, Damansara Uptown

Read the reviews on food blogs that praise the porridge here. I walk to this place after work. Had ordered a mix one, fish slices and century egg porridge top with eu cha kuey. As the good reviews said, the porridge in big portion and has a smooth texture with fresh thinly sliced fish. Doesn't need soy sauce to taste better! RM5.50 or RM5.70, can't remember the exact price.

4. Sg. Wang, Times Square
Been there twice each, once with Zhiling and once meet up with a vietnam friend, Scarlett, had my first ever sushi king there too, lol.

scarlett

5. Kenny Uptown restaurant - Damansara Utama

Mince pork noodle, it was really yummy, RM7.50

6. Wondermilk cafe, Damansara Utama

the interior

my irish cream milk and wan nee's macadamia milk - RM6 each

7. Medan Selera Uptown

Dinner, Nasi Ayam - RM5.50, worth the long wait, since it's quite nice

8. PitStop Cafe, Section 17, PJ

Rice set which is yum and reasonable - RM10.90

Comes with free board games too! :D

I lost the reversi to wan nee and won the snake and ladder, lol
reminscence of childhood games

9. Kajang Satay @ Restoran Malaysia

Travelled far and long for this satay ( 7 public transport to and fro, lol), but worth it too, the duck satay was the yummiest satay I've tried so far. Met up with yoke cheng and yingyun for the lunch here.

We tried beef, fish, chicken, duck, mutton satay and the ketupats.

After satay we went to a nearby plaza and discovered the long extinct sundae twist/mix! Choc and vanila icecream, I love it!

10. Lameeya Restaurant - Damansara Utama

Noodle and soya drink set @ rm8.20, tasty as well

11. Batu caves

Climbed up the numerous stairs and had a view in the caves and the Indian God statue.

12. Places that I remembered including

- Sushi Zanmai, always have a long queue, but I do not find it specially delicious, just so-so
- Tutti frutti, expensive but savouring once a while is acceptable =]
- Juice works, refreshing
- Damansara Jaya Pork ball noodle, kinda good
- Section 17 pan mee, nice! But the dessert soup quite diluted but always packed with people
- Chocolate Lounge Dark chocolate drink, sinfully good but expensive
- Tropicana City mall, watched green hornet there
- Sunway giza steamboat
- Village Park Restaurant in Damansara Uptown, tried its nasi dagang and nasi lemak, packed with people during peak hours
- Annie 1 cafe , signature dish is wanton mee, affordable and good
- Beard papa durian puff, *slurpss*

The rest forgotten the cafe names, eating out every day is bad and weight gaining, I don't dare to weigh myself now, lol.

Time Is Up! Adios Cleo.

22nd 6pm marked my last working day in Cleo magazine, yays, I survived. I am now free of researching and writing on fashion trends and celebrities styles yada yada, which I am not good at. But it's been a different environment and I would not regret working here too. Now I know how it is like, and at least something interesting before I embark a business-y-corporate-job next time.

the table I've been working at


view from my cubicle @ 8th floor, the crowded Damansara Uptown


Merchandise loans that I need to source and return almost every day

Went to malls literally every day, but usually the same ones, namely Midvalley, Gardens, 1U, Pavilion, Bangsar Village 2, Jalan Telawi boutiques. Been to studios quite a few times, m8 studio, songs studio and 360 studio. One is in kepong while the other 2 are in kota damansara. Cabs expenses are crazy, I spent 100 to 200 every week on cabs only, it made me super broke since I do not get back the claims that fast. Having cab almost every day also allow me to meet different types of drivers, some friendly, some really harsh, but mostly had a nice chat with them.

I had also been questioned many times here by cab drivers and make up artist on my nationality. They thought I'm vietnamese or thai, nooooooo way! I am pureeeee chinese.

Oh and liasing with different brands or suppliers can be a pain, as you have to send emails and later call them if they do not reply you, some they would pass you on and on to the correct personnel, some just kept delaying. Forever 21 in 1 U, that's the worse, she delayed since CNY till now, and always tell me next week this, next week that.

However, I got a nice superior, she's really nice compared to others that I heard from other interns, guess I'm quite lucky in a way.

Fun part: the beauty editor asked me to do a makeover shoot, so yea a second free hairdo and make up session :) but they really took a ugly before photo of mine, when I'm still sleepy, haha, ohwells, they need the effects.

i like the hair, high up bun =D

cynthia and rachel, they are both working under Malaysia women's weekly magazine and are mass comm students, still have florence, bazaar intern and carisse, marketing intern, whom I didn't manage to snap a pic with them

There, a summary of my 1 month internship.

Frustrated at first, interesting at the end

Yesterday night at last i switched to a smoke-free air room, coz' I really can't breathe properly and always have a hard time to sleeep, i hate smokeeee! The lady beside even brought a guy back and don't know what they were doing, laughed so cynically. At least now I can sleep with peace.

This morning wasn't feeling that well, wanted to visit the clinic but canceled the plan. Late 10mins to work and had to go pavilion to source attire in billabong and return some stuff in parkson. Slow employeees, very low efficiency, geram sangat. Cab drivers today were harsh, one con me RM3 for putting the clothes in the boot, one scolded me, 'you tak tau diam diam la!'. Whoa thought I don't know my place , helooooo, I work here, I will know the office area quite well now.

After that, money crisis. But managed to find my way to raja chulan and search for that specific bank. If not, I'll be stranded in bukit bintang and won't be able to resume my work in 1utama. Met up sabrina the superior in 1u and loan clothings again, then to m8 studio.

It started like this, around mon or tues, she asked if I'm interested to be her talent for that column, so I was thinking why not eh? It sounds interesting. Oooh, little did I know I can be pampered with nice make up and hairdo, you just sit there and everything was done for you, how nice, first time on all these. They used natural colour eyeshadow, grey brownish. And plaits for my hair, hehe, I kinda like it. :P The theme was beach casual style, since most of the clothes are from billabong.Necklaces from accesorize, i like them tooo, and the red hot handbag I wantttt, but it's too expensive.

Managed to sneakily take a few when they asked me to change coz' impossible could take while all the people were there.

my very black panda eye is gone! make up wonders :) and the hair behind

After taking off the eyelashes, ahhh, comfortable
I don't like fake eyelashes, like there's a weight sticking on your eye

So yea, my a lot of first times, interesting and tiring 2nd week of work.

CNY coming, woooohoooo!

Cleo Day # 1

The day before the first day of work, I couldn't sleep, I planned to sleep at 10 11pm but ended 1+ 2am only slept, what more, I kept waking at 4am, then 6am, then 7 thinking it's time to prepare already. Part of the reason was also cause my room has the smoky smell which makes me even harder to sleep. Previous tenant a smoker =(.

Anyways, woke up super early at 7am, the office is just 5 to 6 mins walk away, I got ample time to prepare. I reached the office at 840 and waiting like a fool till 920am before they at last told me which place to sit.

Mean time, I secretly snapped the front desk and entrance before the receptionist arrived.

Tadaa, this is where I work, ACP Magazines.

The firm has various division like women's weekly, bazaar, cosmopolitan, etc. And I'm under the Cleo division. Different division has different partition colours, for cleo, it's pink. I'm under Sabrina, the fashion stylist in Cleo, she has 14 columns in the mag so imagine how much work she has to do, she's only 29!

Her time at the office is limited as she is always on the go, outside sourcing clothes, photoshooting bla bla. She said if she's not in, I may use her computer. If she's in, I can only sit at a tiny place with a stool, pathetic much. Anyways, I do not know what to do so I just asked the people around if they need any help. This step has caused me disaster. The lady, Deborah, 26 told me be careful what you wish for. Indeed, the assignment is a tough one since I'm no writer. She's from the editorial team, has 5 columns in the mag on lifestyle. Banggg, she asked me to research on new ideas on what to write in each of the 5 columns, give her at least 5 ideas for each, meaning 25 ideas.

Around 11am, Sabrina came and asked me to follow her to 1Utama. There she asked me to return the accesories, clothes to the shops that she loaned from. Later, have to sourced from pdi, eclipse and quicksilver. She asked me to pick the watches and blouse from those outlets. My first time to 1Utama, don't even know which shop is at what floor, have to keep asking people around. She told me at 250pm had to meet her in a studio for a photoshoot and sms-ed the address to me.

This is the studio.

Waiting for the model to come and shoot.

Back scene, me doing the job of hanging all the clothes sourced on the rack, placing the accesories nicely at the table. After the shoot, have to keep them all again. They were heavy, soooo many clothes.

The model is only 16! My goodness, she certainly look at least 20s, but she's so pretty and talllllll, russian girl. That day, she wore 4 sets of attire for the shoot, one set needed to pose at least 20+ times or even 30. Therefore, after all the make up, styling of hair, the photoshoot started at 4+ till 7pm.

Dinner-ed with a friend at a malay restaurant, in sunway giza I think.

Interesting 1st day.

Finally Employed

2011! I must make it a promising year. I have many plans so procrastination, please shoo away and don't overtake meee.

After slacking for 1 month and 3 weeks, finally I opened the word document and make the last amendment in my letter and send to various companies. I did not hope for anything as my duration of employment gonna be so shooooort.

Internship has become a must these days, it's like a prerequisite prior to graduation, not just one, but probably more than one, two perhaps. Therefore students like us have to look out for it to keep up with others.

And I just had so much joy when I received that call, even if they don't pay me, I am super willing to work, i just made a call to accept that offer but forgotten to ask if they give any allowance, I'm too shy to call back again. =X Probably I can email.

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

Yesterday I was so worried that I literally searched every website with rental properties in damansara as the room that i found previously might not be that good. I googled high and low, but most of the results are disappointing. Part of the reason coz I need to move in immediately, like this week, that is why it increases my anxiety.

Anyhoooos, I found 2 rooms that are nearby to damansara uptown tower, around 20mins walk, that would be fine since I always walk to the business school in 20 to 25 mins. One is a shoplot but they make it into rooms and rent them out, one is in a double storey terrace. The shoplot one might be cheaper, 550 for 5 weeks including utilities and the person seems friendly as oppose to the landlady at the terrace.

'For no word from God will ever fail.' - Luke 1:37

Ahh, God never fails to help us you see, just like what the pastor said yesterday, Wheeehooo!

CLEO, I am coming!! :D I kept imagine that I would follow the boss around to look for new attire to publish for the next month, ohwells, let's see. I'll definitely write about the experience there.

Wish me luck!

Caversham Wildlife Park

Last day in Perth yet I still went out, spent the time to the fullest. The night before I was packing the whole room like crazy so I could go to caversham with joey and her bf. ;)

After 1.5 years here, at last, to caversham, it is around 45mins to 50mins away from perth. It was not reachable by bus, luckily joey has a car. Student entrance fee is $15.

Koala on touch duty. They are adorable!


owl


guinea pigs; joey feeding the donkey

Feeding the donkey was fun, you just throw the food and it would open its mouth wideee.

baa baa black sheep! goats and sheep

geese

joey


kangaroos!

can you see the pouch on the kangaroo mummy?

There's other animals that I did not take pictures, different kind of birds, wallabies, snakes, quokka, wild boar, wombat etc.

Back in the evening and they helped me shift my luggage and boxes to the storage room, really thankful! If not, I can't imagine myself carrying one by one to the store room, so heavyyy.

Bye bye perth, see you 27th february.