February 29 ...

“February 29 is a date that occurs only every four years, and is called leap day. This day is added to the calendar in leap years as a corrective measure, because the earth does not orbit around the sun in precisely 365.000 days.”

PrettySweetBoy

I can’t help myself…

This was THE MOST AMAZING AMERICAN IDOL PERFORMANCE that I have ever seen!!!!!!!!!
David really IS destined for greatness!
Best of luck kiddo. You rock!!

PrettySweetBoy

Say what you need to say ...

Sometimes you have nothing to say; like the saying, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it at all. But sometimes you need to say something but you can't find the words. Other times you just want to avoid conflict so you leave everything be. Regardless of the plan, sometimes it doesn't matter what you say, it is what you don't say that matters. When I was younger, I use to put myself in the middle of people who surrounded themselves with drama and pot stirring. It seemed like the right thing to do during that time in my life. But as I started adding on year, I realized that I needed to breakout of those situations and either go solo or find some new friends. With this struggle came a growing opportunity. In the beginning I would confess what was in my mind and heart, but fighting, anger and fear all came about too quickly for me to wrap my head around. So a new approach was formed; it is what I refer to as stop, drop and run. You can use these same steps with fire prevention, but I think its roll instead of run. I stopped communicating, I dropped these friends and I ran away from the issues. Yes, I know this isn't mature, but in the few cases when I tried to stick around and makes things better - it backfired and made everything ten times worse. Like eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, I try to forget anything ever happened. But that isn't always the case when memories haunt your mind from time to time. You try and remember all the good stuff and the like a flood, you remember that things are not as they seem. I have even caught myself thinking - why am I not friends with that person anymore? As the years pass, it seems to get easier - but that doesn't mean you just forget. Time does heal situations, but it doesn't completely wipe your head clear. The only offering is to try and learn from the situation and attempt to never repeat it.

PrettySweetBoy

Dua Dunia Satu Cinta ...

2008 Dream Wedding

PrettySweetBoy

Time for the red carpet ...

Finally it's the time of the year again!You can't even believe how much I'm looking forward to Oscar night.

The Oscars are on tonight. I have watched this show as far back as I can remember. I love to see the red carpet and all the hoopla. I really don't know why I like it so much, I am not one who is big on getting all dressed up. And I have only watched one of the movies nominated for best picture. So I guess I will be cheering for Juno and munching on some M & M chocolates tonight.

OK, to-nite is the big night so here are my Oscar predictions in the "Big 8″ categories. For each I will give you who I think will win followed by who I think should win in each category.

Best Picture: will win: "No Country for Old Men;" should win: "Juno"

Best Actor: will win: Daniel Day-Lewis for "There Will Be Blood;" should win: Tommy Lee Jones for "In the Valley of Elah"

Best Actress: will win: Julie Christie for "Away From Her;" should win: Christie

Best Supporting Actor: will win: Javier Bardem for "No Country for Old Men;" should win: Tom Wilkinson for "Michael Clayton."

Best Supporting Actress: will win: Tilda Swinton for "Michael Clayton;" should win: Swinton

Best Director: will win: Joel & Ethan Coen for "No Country for Old Men;" should win: Tony Gilroy for "Michael Clayton"

Best Original Screenplay: will win: Diablo Cody for "Juno;" should win: Cody

Best Adapted Screenplay: will win: Joel & Ethan Coen for "No Country for Old Men;" should win: Sarah Polley for "Away From Her."

Yes, I am partial toward three movies on this list: "Juno," "Michael Clayton" and "Away From Her" but they truly were three of the best films of 2007 and I'd love to see them rewarded. We'll see. Anyway, that's my two cents.

PrettySweetBoy

Moments ...

Our life is compose of a series of moments, not the bigger picture, not the drama, not the search for total bliss nor the happily ever after. Oftentimes we want to stay in a certain situation forever that we wish it to never end but as there is beginning so there must be an ending. Why can’t we stay in a particular situation forever, why must it have to move on and change because for me the beauty of life is not the bigger picture or happily after. The beauty lies in the moments. Sometimes we forget to savour the moment we rush so fast to things that needs to be done, to goals that needs to be achieve, to problems need to be fix and so on and so forth but we forget to just sit and relax and see and enjoy that moment for once its gone you can never really go back to it.

There are moments that I savor so much that I keep them close to my heart and I thank all those people who share those moments with me for without them it wouldn’t be as memorable. I have my moments of joy, moments of tears, moments of triump, moments of englighten, moments of great friendship, moments of love, moments of letting go, moments of surprise, moments of lost, moments of betrayal, moments of being special that I thank God everyday of my life for the moments that made my day beautifully bless. It might not be much to some, I might not be as successful nor as achiever as other people but I’m grateful for the friends I’ve met along the way who share special moments with me and for the men who share a bit of their lives I also thank you for that moment when you’ve also been a part of my life.

PrettySweetBoy

Dirty Moon ...

The GTA experienced a total eclipse of the moon on Feb. 20, 2008.

Photo by AARON LYNETT/TORONTO STAR, ADRIAN WYLD/THE CANADIAN PRESS

I just came back from work with my "DMG" where I observed the first half of the total lunar eclipse event. I’ve never really taken the time to observe eclipses like this where the Moon travels completely into the Earth’s umbra or shadow like I did tonight and in doing so, several thoughts crossed my mind.

Standing and watching this event occur was like watching paint dry, but with way more educational value :) The sky was so clear tonight, I took the time to also watch the rest of the night sky. The shadow that the Earth was casting, suddenly made the moon look dirty in my eyes… Did you watch the eclipse?

PrettySweetBoy

" Happiness " ...

Decide to be happy/happier. The super simple strategy:

* identify what makes you happy - do these more often
* identify what makes you unhappy - do these less often or not at all

A slightly more involved strategy (but still simple):

A. Assert self-control

Accept that you can only control your own thoughts, words, and deeds. The influence these exert on your circumstances is considerable. This is your power.

B. Develop your ability to set and achieve goals

This is a science and an art. The criteria for a goal is: challenging and achievable. Too easy and you won’t be excited by the possibilities. Too difficult and you won’t act because you’ll be intimidated. This is a skill that can be developed. What is challenging to a child is routine to an adult. Challenging to a beginner is mundane to a professional. It is an individual issue (i.e. the challenge is a self-challenge).

C. Adapt to reality

When life happens as you are acting on your plans you have three useful options:

utilize life’s events to your advantage (this is the ideal solution),
work around it, through it, over it, deal with it somehow (the second best option), or
adapt your goal in light of the new circumstances (the bend but don’t break option).
Do not become despondent and give up. Focus on controlling what you can control, yourself. Everything else is out of your hands.

D. Choose to be around happy, positive people

Why would you choose to be around people who take the joy out of your life? Remember also that you influence others through your own behavior. So be happy and positive yourself. Chances are the miserable ones won’t want anything to do with you. But if they do stick around you may rub off on them.

E. Strive for continual improvement

Do not think about maintaining your current level of happiness or your current quality of life. You’re either getting better or you’re getting worse. Nothing is just maintained. Every day do something to get better, to improve. Even small advances that are continual add up to big advances. Begin and then keep moving forward. Constantly move forward.

PrettySweetBoy

Eastern Tradition Meets Western Groove

Buddha Bar

For those with an interest in Buddha Bar music, The nature of the singing is traditionally aramaic, but the distinctive chanting styles have a backdrop of electronic instruments using the same phrases and cadences that are played on traditional instruments. Their nature is 'eastern', the dressing is 'western'. Artists include Oliver Shanti, Blue Tribe, Sina Vadjani and many others. I love the music coz it is very very soothing and relaxing...

PrettySweetBoy

Welcome to Spring Rolls !!!

I've got a special dinner last night with DMG at the pan-Asian restaurant ,Spring Rolls. It’s very rare to find a restaurant where price and quality fuse into a sweet melody of satisfaction.

I had “Ho Fun” in Black Bean Sauce with scallops, calamari and tiger shrimps ( thick rice noodles in an aromatic black bean sauce) and DMG had General Tao Chicken ( lightly breaded chicken, broccoli, peppers and asparagus in Chef Hai’s unique General Tao sauce ) The pan-Asian restaurant ,Spring Rolls offering frugal prices that don’t compromise quality or charismatic décor. With abundant dinner selections on the menu, there’s something for everyone, even for the most finicky of eaters.

Check out their website http://www.springrolls.ca/

PrettySweetBoy

LOLA's Book Club

for one more day by Mitch Albom

What would it be like to have one more day with someone you loved that has died?
" for one more day " written by one of my favourite writers , Mitch Albom. Causes us to look at, and reflect on, family, parenting, blame, difficulty, alcoholism, divorce, and so much more. It is, unfortunately, a reflection on real life. I am not a very fast reader though and yet it took me just more than a day to finish.

I'll tell you guys a little bit about the story :

Well the story is about a boy who grows up in the 50's and 60's kind of worshiping his dad who tells him he has to be a "daddy's boy" or a "mommy's boy" but he can't be both so he picks to be a "daddy's boy and then he sees his father disappear when he is 11 years old and he never comes back. His mother is sort of left to raise him and he never really appreciates her because he's always chasing after his father. Even when he is an adult he becomes a baseball player for a period of time to try and get his father back into his life. After that, when he is in his 40's he goes chasing after his father one last time and the weekend after he does that his mother dies and he's not there. He begins to regret all of the time he didn't spend with her and his life starts to go downhill, he becomes an alcoholic, he looses his job, and his family. He actually decides he wants to kill himself because he doesn't want to live anymore. He goes back in the middle of the night to the little town he grew up in. He goes to his abandoned old house and he pushes in through the door planning to kill himself and he hears his mother's voice calling him from upstairs as if she was still alive and had never died. She comes downstairs and she is right in front of him as if she had never died. All of a sudden he begins this one last day that he gets back with her where he doesn't know if she is dead or alive or if he's dead or alive or whatever. She spends the day with him and kind of walks him through his life and shows him all of these things he didn't understand about it, and him, his father, and all the rest. He finds out that a lot of things he should of done while she was alive he gets the chance to do on this one last day with her.

Pheww…what can I say. The non-fiction and ghost-like story touches me and brought me tears…I can only say this is the best book ever I have read this year so far. To me, it's very moving and it definitely is a worth reading book. However, the warning is if you don't like venturing into emotional story, may be this is not your book.

PrettySweetBoy

Masak With Chef LOLA !!!

Daging Masak Itam

This is my favourite dish , Daging Masak Itam , I can consider this is my family nye favourites recipe ... So I teringin sangat nak makan my favourite dish , so I pung gi beli all the bahan-bahan. I'm so lucky that I have all the main ingredients at home so I just need to buy few things at the Asian supermarket. Ever since I'm here in Toronto , I've no problem in finding all the ingredients that I need for cooking.

So sampai rumah je I terus gi blend all the basic things and I marinate the red meat for 30 mins. to 1 hour , depends with uoolllss , lagi lama marinate lagi bagus .... lagi rasa all the ingredients in the meat. It took me one hour to masak till the meat tender gitu... Enjoy !!!!!

Ps : Boo , nanti I balik Malaysia , I masak for you OK !!! Janji :) :P

PrettySweetBoy

LOVE is ...

Happy Love and Friendship Day everybody!

I like that name so much better than "Valentine's Day", very cool. :)



PrettySweetBoy

Valentine's Day !!!

Gift from "DMG" to me

My gift to " DMG "

Today is a day loved by florists, greeting card stores and chocolate makers ...
I got 3 beautiful roses, one big mug of M&M chocolates, a lovely card … and we decided to go for our Valentine's Day dinner tomorrow as today I'm coming back from work very late. All in all, it has been a wonderful Valentine's Day.It is great to have a special someone to share the day with….but in reality Valentine's Day is a Hallmark holiday.In either case....Happy Valentine's Day...whether you are single or coupled...feel the love today!

Ps : I balik umah very the late semalam lepas keje... pasal nak belikan DMG nye gift. Yang best nye the mall penuh with Valentine's nye decor and everyone's sibuk last minute shopping for Valentine's nye gift... meriah uoooolllsss ...



PrettySweetBoy

My Thoughts " Grammys "

I just finished watching tonight's Grammy Awards. This is the 50th Grammy's which was supposed to be a special one, they wanted to make sure it was a good show, and it was. I was actually impressed with the Grammy's this year. I wasn't bored and didn't sleep through it one bit. The winners were worth it and most of the live performances were just oustanding and amazing!

My thoughts on my favorite performances that actually "blew me away":

Tina Turner and Beyonce - Woah, I never thought I'd see Tina Turner tonight, that was surprising and un-expecting. She performed the songs "What's Love Got to Do With It" and "Proud Mary". Tina has to be at least 70 years old by now and man, she's looking fine and sexy for her age. I was amazed and knocked out cold by Tina's performance tonight, she was unbelievable! Tina Turner hasn't made a new album in years, and I think that performance there calls for a comeback to music full time!!!

Amy Winehouse sattelite performance - This was a mind blowing performance too and you can immediately tell she didn't lip synch it. Come on Amy! You just won 4 awards tonight. Don't fuck your career up 'cause you got a good career ahead of you. Please do not become a trainwreck like Britney Spears. Everybody loves Amy. Stay healthy, get your life together and come back to music! I'm glad she did the songs "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab".

Nice job on the Grammys. I'm impressed. :)

PrettySweetBoy

My Review of "Rambo"

Watching “Rambo” yesterday night in a packed theater was one of the best experiences I have had at the movies.

A great action movie. Stallone proves once again that he is a talented actor/writer/director. Not as good as Rocky Balboa, but one of the best in the Rambo franchise. A must-see for fans and better than most of the action movie garbage out recently.

FOR ALL THE FEMALES!! Women, if you dont like lots of blood, guts, flying body parts, death, rape then I advise you to rethink seeing the movie. However it was a very good movie, as long as you can handle seeing all of the above it's a good movie. Just a pre-warning, because I wasn't expecting all that.

Loved it. Too short. Very real. Makes one think, if a movie stirs you in any way, then it did its job, regardless of what those emotions are. This did the job. Great job Stallone, but it could of been greater still. Rocky Balboa was a better effort, that deserved a 10, this, a 9. So when's Rambo 5 comin' out?

PrettySweetBoy

Xin Nian Kuai Le ( Happy Chinese New Year )

First of all..I would like to wish everyone a very happy chinese new year!! May the new year brings you prosperity.

PrettySweetBoy

Another Birthday ... Happy Belated Birthday Big Brother !!!

Growing up we would play together and we would also fight like cats and dogs.

I know this is terribly late in coming. But at least it arrived, right? I hope it was worth it.

I hope he has a good day. I think I’ll give him a call tonight.

Happy Belated Birthday, Bro.

PrettySweetBoy

Happy Birthday My BIG SISTER !!!

To My big(gest) sister ...

She celebrated her birthday today , Tuesday, February 5th. So here goes. (God I know my other sister (”handle” is IJ) is going to read this and be all, I can’t wait for mine?!?!?!?). Rest assured neither one of your posts will say…”you are the best sister evah”…I may be the youngest but I am NOT stupid like that!

Dear Sofia J ,

Where do I start? Happy Birthday !!! (that was a good start, no?) We’ve shared many many moments being a part of our family together. You’ve been there for me through it all. We’ve had our share of close moments I must say. I think reflecting on growing up with you would be a wonderful opportunity at this time. We’ve had our good times and not so good times.
I can’t possibly forget how you were like a second mom to me always looking out for me.I remember our holiday trip. I also remember you calling me on my birthday. I remember your first car, the pearl white Proton. I remember the day you told me you were pregnant with Shafiq and I remember the day Shafiq was born and how fast (Yeah rite) you delivered!!! I remember it all. Believe me when I tell you this post has been locked up tight in my handheld email device waiting for me to post it. Happy Birthday big sister.

Love,

Your Little (not so little) Brother ...

PrettySweetBoy

SUPERBOWL!!!

It is that time of year again, and everyone is gearing up for the big game. On February 3, Super Bowl XLII will reach one billion people worldwide. Weather people sit down and watch the game,halftime show or to watch the awesome commercials shown during the game.The day of superbowl people spend time with there family and friends having a BBQ,drinking,betting on a team to win for money,etc.kinda like a holiday lol.
GO PATRIOTS!

2008 New England Patriots vs New York Giants

Happy Super Bowl Sunday...

Ps : I and Mama Bear bet yang menang Partriots .... OMG !!! I didn't know that you were into football! Well im into it too ...

PrettySweetBoy

"SPECIAL NOTE: Get Well Soon Mama Bear ..."

Our thoughts and prayers will be to you Mama Bear @ Rosie.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery; hopefully things go well !!!

PrettySweetBoy

Family Guy

The popular animated T.V. series Family Guy... I love it so muccchhhhh !!!

PrettySweetBoy

Groundhog DAY ...

I sure hope we don’t get 6 more weeks of this crazy weather. I WANT SPRING..AND I WANT IT NOW!!! .BUT.. I know because of how crazy it has been just anything can happen.
Below -0C one day and the next raining on top of the snow. I don’t think I will ever get used to that.

Do we really believe the old myth or saying that they can predict anything? I think the weathermen can do all the predicting they want to and still be wrong. Back when my late grandma was young they used to use nature to predict things more than anything.
She could look at the sky and tell you if and when a storm was coming by the way the animals acted. There was NO big predictions from the TV weathermen back then. We have come a long way, but there is still a long way to go.

Groundhog Day started in Europe, but it wasn’t called Groundhog Day then. The holiday was
Candlemas, a Christian holiday. The legend about the animal and its shadow was part of candlemas, but the animal in question was the hedgehog.The Pilgrims brought the tradition to America but couldn’t find a hedgehog here, so they seized upon the next best thing as the groundhog and the hedgehog are related. Groundhogs rarely come out of hibernation on February 2. If it’s cold, they might not come out until March. We’ve seen them popping out of the ground on TV, but News crews (shockingly!) have been known to wake up a groundhog and drag it out for its photo opportunity. Supposidly if the groundhog sees his shadow we have 6 more weeks of winter.. if he doesn’t SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER! This is one time I want CLOUDS…just to be on the safe side of things!!!

Hope you all will have a great day no matter what the day brings!!

PrettySweetBoy

A Winter Wonderland !!!

It's a ferocious start to February. A storm packing high winds, snow, freezing rain and ice pellets is pounding .It is… very very white outside. It’s my 2nd day shoveling our driveway and sidewalk. Luckily this morning, the snowfall was so much that hubby come out to help me. By the time he got out though, I was mostly done with my side of the drive anyway - so I left him to fend for his car/side.

I have to admit, it is beautiful outside and it is the kind of snow that is peaceful and serene when it falls. But I’m a little exhausted of the constant shoveling as it is starting to take a toll on my back. We’ve discussed hiring someone to handle our snow, but it seems silly... But I can’t explain to you just how much snow we truly get, and how a lot of the snow from the street and the parking lot ends up on our lawn . At this point, a few more inches and we’re actually going to have a space problem as far as where to put the snow. But we’ll manage, I know it got worse then this last year!

PrettySweetBoy