Welcoming 2010 and a brand new decade

It's the last day of 2009 today. What have we achieved in the last 365 days? What is good and what is bad? Were there more good days or bad days? What did we learn from it? What is to be improved, changed and what's to keep and take away? So many questions to ask, so many things to ponder.....

BUT keep it all for tomorrow! Just party hard today and get drunk. After all, all of us deserves it after a year of hard work and more of the same shit ahead of us. If there's a good day to get drunk, this is the day. What other day has a better excuse than today? Moreover, we're "celebrating" the end of one decade today. Another decade....man...how many have I gone through???? Urgh....scary.....not that many but enough to be scary.

We're supposed to drive down to a town in Tanzania tomorrow but just realised that there are something called the logbook which is locked with the company. We only have the copy and we must have the original to get pass the border of Kenya into Tanzania. And the keys to the cupboard is with the guy who has been on leave since 2 weeks ago :( Now gotta find out if a friend of ours is willing to "contribute" the use of his car instead of ours. He usually doesn't like taking his car on long trips coz its his own while ours belong to the company. If no trip, guess it's gonna be mahjong all weekend again. BORING!

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! And I hope 2010 is going to be a good year coz 2009 SUCKED BIG TIME ('cept grandma's birthday)!!!!!!

I'm a Mrs for 1 year!

On the 28th of Dec we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. Amidst the all the "turbulence" in the marriage, we have managed to survive one year. Time seem to fly but in actual fact, it's a long journey towards this day. It hasn't been smooth as I'd imagined it to be.

Hubby came home from work early - he left home in the morning without any hint that he remembered what day it was. He arrived home way too early - around 2pm and stayed home sleeping till 6pm. It was only when I said I'm gonna go make dinner did he say he's taking me out for dinner.

Say hellow to MBP

:) I'm now blogging to you from my brand new MBP. Well, ok, not that new anymore since I've had it since Christmas day and have only managed to find time to start blogging now. Mostly, it's been used by hubby - he's been playing with it since and I have not have had a proper chance to explore it till today. Nothing much to explore I guess - it's pretty basic since I have not upgraded/added any extras.  I will have to sit down and compare my old computer to this one though and point out which applications I need to install and which ones are redundant.

This newbie is a breath of fresh air from my old laptop. Man......this is so much faster! Each click performs its task so quickly! Hubby's also used to my old laptop and when he started using MBP with the Internet, he said to me "we've been complaining about how slow the internet connection is but I think the problem lies with the computer, not the connection. It's so fast here!" :s

Anyway just to announce the arrival of my baby! :)

New Scam Method by Nigerians Part IV

So my last post was analyzing the whole "paypal" email. This post, I'll show you how you can determine from the email itself if it is from the true sender. It's back to basics without all the fancy stuff I just went through.


All the TOs, FROMs, who the address is registered to, his/her country of origin etc can be faked. But one thing is for sure - the codes embedded in the email itself, the message the emails takes with it so that it can communicate with the servers in the WWW can NEVER be faked. So if you're suspicious about any emails, open up the message header. There are a lot of information inside but there are only 1 or 2 which you should know. 


This is how an email message header looks like (I'm going to comment in RED what to look out for):

Delivered-To: 
Received: by 10.204.99.70 with SMTP id t6cs85196bkn;
        Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:11:06 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.224.63.219 with SMTP id c27mr5354621qai.168.1261584665242;
        Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:11:05 -0800 (PST)
Return-Path:  Return path means reply-to. So the owner of this fake onlinetrackpost@in.com is a Linda Cox
Received: from snt0-omc1-s24.snt0.hotmail.com (snt0-omc1-s24.snt0.hotmail.com [65.55.90.35]) This email was received from Hotmail's server.....what is paypal doing with a Hotmail server??
        by mx.google.com with ESMTP id 8si12162417qyk.56.2009.12.23.08.11.04;
        Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:11:05 -0800 (PST)
Received-SPF: pass (google.com: domain of lindacox1957@hotmail.com designates 65.55.90.35 as permitted sender) client-ip=65.55.90.35; 
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=pass (google.com: domain of lindacox1957@hotmail.com designates 65.55.90.35 as permitted sender) smtp.mail=lindacox1957@hotmail.com
Received: from SNT105-W47 ([65.55.90.8]) by snt0-omc1-s24.snt0.hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC(6.0.3790.3959);
  Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:10:48 -0800
Message-ID: 
Return-Path: lindacox1957@hotmail.com
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
 boundary="_a85adced-9f6e-43a3-bea7-96852d6a2f6a_"
X-Originating-IP: [82.128.68.207] Finally to know where this fella is sending his emails from, search for an IP tracker online and put in these numbers. I use www.trustedsource.org and this fella is actually sending me emails from Lagos, Nigeria. Hmmm...such a coincidence - just where the parcel is supposed to go! 
From: payPal Service 
Sender: 
To: 
Subject: =?windows-1256?Q?******Noti?= =?windows-1256?Q?fication_O?=
 =?windows-1256?Q?f_An_Insta?= =?windows-1256?Q?nt_Payment?=
 =?windows-1256?Q?_From_Loga?= =?windows-1256?Q?n_Smith_(l?=
 =?windows-1256?Q?ogansmith@?= =?windows-1256?Q?operamail.?=
 =?windows-1256?Q?com)=FE=FE=FE?=
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:10:47 +0000
Importance: Normal
MIME-Version: 1.0
X-OriginalArrivalTime: 23 Dec 2009 16:10:48.0126 (UTC) FILETIME=[7D4CEDE0:01CA83EA]

--_a85adced-9f6e-43a3-bea7-96852d6a2f6a_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1256"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

The last few email correspondences between myself and Mr Smith:

okay..thanks ..i mailed paypal and they said your account will be credited in 7-8 day beacuse they are verifying the tracking number.. i have been scammed like this before i don't want to be scammed so i need to be careful..okay get back to me if thats is okay
Thanks

----- Original Message -----
From: Ann
To: "logan smith"
Subject: Re: very very urgent
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:38:53 +0300

Isn't UPS better and more secure? It is a courier company as is DHL. USPS once arrive in Nigeria will be in the care of local post office. I don't want it to go missing and then the trouble later. Mails to Nigeria do go missing you know.

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 23, 2009, at 10:04 PM, "logan smith" <logansmith@operamail.com> wrote:

thanks for the mail... but i said USPS EXPRESS MAIL...why didnt you send it there let me know

----- Original Message -----
From: Ann
To: "logan smith"
Subject: Re: urgent
Date: Thu, 24 Dec 2009 00:23:44 +0800

yes, it is insured and i have mention item as gift. however i need to ensure the money is in my paypal account before i will release the tracking number. i hope you'll understand.

thanks

Ann

On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 12:17 AM, logan smith<logansmith@operamail.com> wrote:

thanks but did you insure the item and please get back to me with the tracking number..
thanks

I actually did a check on logansmith@operamail.com - it is registered in California. This could again be either fake or maybe the real Logan Smith's email account has just been hacked. I do not know Opera so I can't say.


So people, be safe! There are too many of them out there! I just receive ANOTHER email today from a Mr Philip Chu (philipchu63@yahoo.com). Exactly the same message I received in my Facebook inbox BUT this time - it's damn funny. It's Christmas eve today and Mr Chu is looking for a Christmas gift for his step brother in Africa! Too many step brothers in Africa man. 

Hi, was guessing for a gift to buy for  stept brother of mine who is based in Africa i wiill like to buy a chrismas gift for him , and while browsing , i saw what you have for sale and found it quite nice as a Christmas Gift. Would like to know if its till for sale... hope to hear from you soon.. thanks Can you tell the similarities between Mr Chu and Mr Smith's email?? The subject of Mr Chu's email is electronics. He did not mention where he was browsing and what electronics. And I believe, after seeing this email, that Mr Smith and Mr Chu's email account has been compromised. That's all folks! Merry Christmas again! PS: I'm finally gonna see my MBP tomorrow! :)

New Scam Method by Nigerians Part III

So my last post ended with my telling Mr Smith that he should cancel his payment immediately. 


I told hubby everything and he told me to make it even more fun - tell him that I know how urgent and important it is to him that this gift will get to his brother on time. Tell him I have sent the laptop already. I did exactly that before getting his reply to my email about him cancelling his payment. Anyway, I received his reply:


thanks but did you insure the item and please get back to me with the tracking number..
thanks

And guess what came with his reply? 2 more emails from "paypal". I don't believe there's someone who can be soooo stupid! I have already told you the first time that I believe that the PayPal notification is a fake and yet you send me the SAME notification, only this time with words and paypal logo. I lost one because I reported it as phishing to Gmail and they deleted the email from my inbox. But anyway the one I'm going to attach is the baby. 


Ladies and gentlemen, I reveal to you the new generation of "paypal" LOL:

This is part one of the mail - too long gotta shorten into parts also :p So I'll point out the signs by pictures.
1) Same sender, same header - we've already discussed this in Part II so I will not repeat it here oh but I have to add that email address from PayPal will ALWAYS be paypal.com


2) This time with logo - Fuiyoh so real ah - but thing is, emails from PayPal will not have any logo unless it's advertisement or marketing emails. *Tsk tsk* 


3) Free money!! I'm $30 richer!! Where got people give free money one??? Our deal was for $800 and this payment is for $830! Christmas present for me? Extra bonus for me because I wrote him a lovely mail?? DUH!

What is wrong with this one then?
1) No purchased from


2) This payment notification looks more like an invoice! All these are wrong! Paypal's email is plain simple text. No fancy fancy stuff. This an HTML email. 


3) How the hell would PayPal know how I'm going to ship to the receiver? This is payment notification - not an invoice. And unless this is an invoice from MY business, there will not be Shipping Insurance printed. How the hell would PayPal know what this payment is for? So how the hell would PayPal know what to add??

1) The important note part is the biggest giveaway of all. There will not be such thing in ANY PayPal's emails. 


2) See onlinetrackpost@in.com? Why would PayPal need a 3rd party to do their job when they are covered globally? Too much money to spend is it?


3) Anybody has sent money/paid for any purchases using PayPal before? Is there any way you can control when the money is paid to seller?? Answer is NO! The best you can do is, pay, wait and if you don't receive your purchase, report seller to PayPal. They will then start their investigation. There is NO WAY you can buy something without paying. Fuck the "to secure buyer and seller" clause. By using PayPal, both parties are already secured.


4) PayPal never refer to themselves as the PayPal Team. Yea yea yea.....and they DO NOT  publish any sort of Registration Number. 


5) PayPal will never lighten the last part of the footer by that much. 


6) Address status confirmed. What status? Confirm what??


This is what a authentic PayPal footer will look like:

See the difference? 


It's pretty real right?? The fake one even has a PayPal Email ID!!! I forwarded both emails to PayPal and they have confirm that these are fakes.


Finally:

1) Again, we see hotmail here


2) There are too much space between the footer and this hotmail message. This will never happen in PayPal's emails. This could be intentional by the sender - it is really a long way down before you see this Hotmail message. You might not scroll all the way down from the end of the email - I guess if this is intentional, that is what they hope for that you know you've reached the end of the email so why continue scrolling and if you don't you won't see Hotmail at the end. 


I guess part IV will be the final part.....I'll show you what else he said and how else - if all else fails - you can trace if the email is what it says it is.

New Scam Method by Nigerians Part II

My last post ended with me replying to him with my PayPal ID. 


This might be the last part, maybe not - depending on how long this post is going to be. But with this post, I'll be showing you some of the tips & tricks that will point out a shammer (I bet most of you already know these stuff anyway)


I received a reply - very fast response - with the subject Payment Made. 


hello, how are you?
just want to inform you that i have send the money for the item into your paypal account so i will like you to ship out the item today and get back to me with the tracking number so this is where you are sending the item to.......
Name......... Ohai Gabriel
Address.......8,Ajana Street IjeshaTedo
City...........Surulere
Receivers Number....+2348038537546
State.....Lagos
Country........Nigeria
Zipcode......... 23401 so ship out the item and one more thing want you to write on the item as gift on the mail slip because i dont want the customs to place their attention on the item so post out the item out via USPS Express mail(EMS)..and make sure you place insurance on the item..
thanks get back to me with the tracking number..

Still very authentic right?? I know! But that is before you see the next attachment. When you pay via PayPal, both receiver and sender will receive a notification email from PayPal. I did too. Take a look and see if you can point out what is wrong with this:

OK can you find anything wrong with the email yet? No? Look again - very carefully this time. Yes? No? Fine, let me tell you what is wrong with this email.


1) Look at 'from'. It says payPal Service. Paypal is 2 capital Ps it should be PayPal. So that is the first thing I noticed when I saw this mail in my inbox.


2) Have you ever noticed that PayPal only has 1 email address for all their notifications? For non-US I mean. It is ALWAYS service@intl.paypal.comand they do not have a name. What do I mean? For example in the 'from' field you might have Will Smith . For PayPal, it is ALWAYS service@intl.paypal.com . Notice this email has payPal Service? 2nd sign.



3) There will NOT be **** before the start of the subject (I'm sorry I cannot remember the exact words PayPal will use). 


4) The body of the email is empty. 


5) At the bottom - the footer - the big giveaway. Hotmail???? WTH???? This is one HUGE giveaway which the shammer cannot change because it is imbedded in all hotmail's emails. You cannot change it from your email or your account. It's a way Hotmail advertises their services. 


6) I'm not sure if other mail providers have this option (I'm loyal to Gmail) but you see there's a mailed-by below the subject?? It says hotmail.com. Again WTH???


Getting exciting huh? So what did I do??? I replied - I played along. Immediately I knew this was not authentic. Of course I checked my PayPal account. But with the email body empty,  didn't have enough to contact PayPal to report a fraud. 


So replied to our friend Mr Smith saying that:
Hi Logan,

I have received a payPal Payment Notification. However, I can confirm that this notification is not authentic and I have not received any money in my PayPal account - there are tell-tale signs of it being a fake and have checked with PayPal also. I suggest that you cancel your payment immediately. 

I have sent you a payment request. You will just have to follow the link enclosed in the email to make payment. 

I will send out the laptop once the payment is received in my PayPal account.

I just wanted to play along and see what this guy has up his sleeves you know. And maybe, you can say, I was gathering evidence so that I can write a post like this on my blog. But then again, as I'm writing this post, do you think I have just educated these people?? Let me know!!! If most of you think I have made things worst by educating them where the loopholes are, I'll be more than happy to take the posts down.


Time to move on to Part III - oh yes, this ain't the end. It's only the start and it's getting more fun!

New Scam Method by Nigerians Part I

First of all, a very Merry Christmas to everybody out there!!


I'm going to break this post into several smaller posts for easy reading. This is going to be a loooooooong one. So bear with me but read it - it's a good to know and keep you on alert if you come across such scam. I'll be attaching all original emails from sender and myself.


Yeap, I'm a "victim" of a scam (in PayPal's terms spoof). Why "victim"? Coz I'm alert enough to see through the scam after only the 2nd mail I received from the sender. I am lucky enough to be a heavy user of PayPal due to my business needs and hence am able to tell the difference between an authentic PayPal email from a fake at first glance.


And yes, Nigerians AGAIN. Why why why? Why does it always have to be them? Don't they know that they have an extremely bad reputation for being cheats already? 


You might say I brought this unto myself - I published an advert to sell my laptop on Facebook's marketplace. After weeks of silence, I received a PM in my Facebook inbox from this guy name Logan Smith. Below is the message, word for word, which came into my inbox:


Hello, was guessing for a gift to buy step brother of mine who is based in Africa on his birthday next month, and while browsing facebook, i saw what you have for sale and found it quite nice as a birthday gift. Would like to know if its till for sale. I am willing to offer $800 for it, including shipping cost via Usps express mail. I will be paying through paypal, because its the safest means of online payment. Hope to hear from you as soon as possible. reply me at (logansmith@operamail.com)
thanks


You can imagine how happy I was when I saw the message right? I mean hell, RM2500 for my used laptop? Of course yours truly replied to his email. How the hell would I know he's a fake? But Nigeria - yeah....oh well. I was thinking man this is a good deal cause I'm in Africa already! If I'm living in USA or any other continent, this might not be that good a deal coz see, he says USD800 INCLUDING shipping. I told him that the laptop is still available and I need to know where his brother is exactly because he only mentioned Africa right. 


He came back with this:

how are you?thanks for the kind and lovely mail...
this is where you are sending the item to.......
Name.........  .Ohai Gabriel
Address.........8,Ajana  Street IjeshaTedo
City...........Surulere
Receivers Number...+2348038537546
State..Lagos
Country.......Nigeria
Zipcode......... 23401 so get back to me with your PayPal email ID so i can make the payment..
thanks

And I can promise you there was nothing lovely about my email. It was in fact very stone cold. I did not even commit to selling him. I just wanted to know where his brother is. Although I thought this is too good to be true, I believed him. So I replied with my PayPal ID. The next part of this saga is as shocking as it can be........to be continued........

AWA

What does that mean? It means Africa Wins Again.

Kenya's International Airport, JKIA, has been suspended indefinitely
because of faulty runway lights (should be night flights only I
guess). We started hearing faulty runway lights 2 weeks ago but this
announcement came last night.

I wonder how will be friend be going back to Singapore this weekend.

Sent from my iPhone

WTF?

Calling all the Malaysians who are overstaying in Britain - GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE IF YOU DON'T HAVE PROPER DOCUMENTS TO ALLOW YOU TO WORK/LIVE THERE! You're causing a lot of trouble and problems for us, normal Malaysians. Because of you, we're running the risk of having to pay RM1,200 non-refundable visa processing fees from 2011! Yeah RM1,200 you heard right. Which other country charges that much??? Over a RM1000 for visa alone???? Plus air ticket? Forget about going there - I guess that is their aim by charging such exorbitant visa fees! And I thought US charges high fees......*roll eyes*

But then again, you can't blame it 100% on these people who overstay can you? I mean if where they come from has good administration, treats everybody equally, abundant of opportunities, etc - in short, good enough for them to stay back, why would they want to leave their family and friends behind and go somewhere to become an illegal? There are consequences that come with being illegal. Terrible consequences in fact - they might never be able to go home to their friends and family for a loooooooonnnnnngggggg time...I mean if they do, they run the risk of never be able to get into their host country anymore. I doubt after going through so much, they would want to risk that.

Then, the host country has also issues of their own. I mean you could easily extract entry information and compare with exit information right? It's not that difficult - it's just plain programming. The computer can do that for you. Oh yeah that's right, UK does NOT have an exit system do they? When you exit UK, there is nobody who looks at your passport, scans them, stamp on them and say OK you're out. Why? You have your own system to blame! I love the UK, don't get me wrong - it's one of the countries I really wanna go and make it my home (of course, I won't do it illegally) but since the first time I stepped onto UK soil, I have always wondered, how can they not have an exit system? Yeah I know you don't care who goes out of your country because that's what you want - people to go home so you don't want to control. But how can you then control who STAYS back and not leave? They cannot be caught unless shit happens - random checks on the streets etc.

Although US doesn't have the normal stamping-your-passport procedure also BUT they have at least some form of control. They are very smart - they "borrow" the ground staff to do this exiting work when you check-in. You don't show the immigration card, you don't get to check in. And if I remember correctly, there's some kind of bar code on the immigration card as well. In UK, none - I remember there's entrance immigration card but I don't remember any exit immigration card.

British government says illegals are taking over the jobs in UK so much so that their own people are unemployed. But wait a minute - think - why is that so? Maybe because these illegals are willing to work for a lower salary or they are willing to work in "non glamarous" jobs like cleaning the plates etc. Will the British be willing to do all these "dirty work" if not for the illegals/migrants? Don't forget, being an illegal, these people has no government's support. They cannot live a day without a job without jeopardizing themselves. No government will give them a minimal monthly allowance.

SO yeah, anyway, now I'm just worried about the EU following suit because someone did mention that if UK really implements visa requirements on Malaysians, EU will as well. I mean that's one bloody big continent! Where then is the glory of holding on to a Malaysian passport anymore? The old saying that one shouldn't give up their Malaysian citizenship because it is very hard to get and it's so convenient - you can go most places without visa. It was considered a prestige to be holding a Malaysian passport. Now - go to hell. What prestige is there? There's only shame with all these and the on-goings in our administration. It's really a shame being a Malaysian. To demonstrate - I met a Kenyan lawyer a week or 2 ago. The first thing he asked me when I told him I'm a Malaysian was "Oh how's Mahathir and the guy who sodomises people?" :s I mean, hellow???? Is that all you heard about Malaysia?? I mean do you really know if THAT guy sodomised anybody at all????

Whatever it is, I can't change where I was born some 20+ years ago now. If given a chance - I think I would jump at it even if it's just being a Singaporean. Ah well - after all is said and done, I'll be having dinner with the new Malaysian High Commissioner to Kenya tonight! He's just arrived. Let's see who and how he is!

Get's get into the Christmas mood

Time to get into a little Christmas mood :)

Light at the end of the tunner

Whoa - I can see light at the end of the tunnel for me and my MBP to be reunited :p

Apparently our friend's dad spoke to her and managed to make sure she brings. Great - which means I'll see it, latest, in a week! Now I'm gonna make some changes to my schedule. Was planning to take this week off to work on my website but if my laptop is coming in a week, I think I'll just take my break next week and start studying this week. Weird but no choice.

Miss A who is supposed to help carry my laptop SMS-ed my mum on Saturday and asked when is she sending the laptop to her coz mum told her Saturday and it was already Saturday evening. So mum said we're just waiting for her to SMS her address. She said - "oh I thought I did already" YEAH RIGHT!!! She didn't even apologize! I mean, so fake right? Just said oh yeah I'm sorry, I forgot. Sounds much more sincere than Oh I thought I did already.

Anyway, just pray that she will not "forget" and leave it at home!

NEED A NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!

NO! I'm not pregnant.....! I need a name for my new children apparel line of business! I have tried so many names from Hansel & Gretel to Kids in Style and none are available. Of course they are but the .coms are not. Urgh.....

I have specifically put this week away to do up my website for this new biz line but without a name, I will not be able to start. So please please, anybody reading this have any suggestions, please just comment.

Thanks!!!!

It's here!!!!

Edited: 10 Dec 2009
My MacBook has arrived!!


Ohhh I can't wait for it to touch Kenyan soil next Saturday. One more week - a good 10 days to wait!!!

Oh yeah, it has arrived alright but looks like it's not gonna touch the Kenyan soil after all :( The girl who is supposed to help me bring my laptop to me, hubby's boss's daughter, doesn't seem very willing to help. My mama has contacted her twice for the address to send the laptop to and twice she said she'll text mum with her address but she never did. I even contacted her dad to ask if he's really spoken to her about. He said he'll call her again - if he did, she's not helping. If he didn't then both are not helping. Poor MBP - guess I'll have to wait till March/April to see you :( UNLESS somebody is coming this way (or vice versa) and willing to bring it for me. But whatever it is, I will not see it next Saturday.

Time, now's the time for you to fly!! Quick

4 down, 1 to go

I PASSED!!! I took my exams today and I passed with 86%! Phew....and I thought if I'm ever gonna fail any paper (the final showdown excluded), this will be the one. To think that I scored higher than my previous paper - I'm terribly proud of meself :)

I'm taking a week's break - well deserved break before I start on my final subject before the final showdown in November. What am I going to do this week? I am considering if I should work on Nelanz or if I should take a break from Nelanz as well. If I should work on children's wear or take a break from that as well?? I have not decided but I am inclined to take a break from books and Nelanz, but work on the children's wear collection and website. I'll decide later.....today is a break from EVERYTHING! :)

From Singapore to KL to come to Johor???

I was tracking my laptop this morning and I found that it has left the facility in Singapore and has arrived in KL. I mean hello??? DHL has not van or something to just send the laptop across the Causeway?? Why does it have to be sent up to KL which is North of Johor and then back South to Johor again when Singapore is only 2 hours by car from Johor?

KL is 3 hours from Johor and 5 hours from Singapore. It's so duh right??? URGH

A Malaysian tragedy in Africa

Edited: 11 Dec 2009
I have just heard that the girl's family has pulled the plug yesterday. The girl has passed away peacefully. May she rest in peace. There are a lot more red tapes and things her family will have to do before she'll back on Malaysian soil.

I did not get the chance to publish this yesterday coz I came back late but this happened yesterday afternoon.

We came to know of a Malaysian tragedy on Sunday night from the Deputy High Commissioner of Malaysia to Kenya. A Malaysian, educated and working in USA, came to Africa alone for a holiday a week or more ago. Last weekend, tragically, she was involved in a head-on car accident in Tanzania, a small town called Moshi.

She was sent to the local hospital which according to her father is hopeless. They do not have a CT scan machine and X-ray machine was not functioning! She was there from Sunday to Friday. Her father arrived on Friday and after seeing the condition of the hospital, evacuated her to Nairobi Hospital. We don't exactly know what happened, we only know she came without telling her family in Malaysia and that during the first couple of day after the accident, she was in and out of consciousness. But when her father arrived on Friday, she has already gone into a coma.

We visited her at the hospital yesterday. Her father was there. Despite being a well traveled person, she hasn't got any travel insurance. Her head was shaved, her features altered from the accident and has tubes all over. She suffered head injuries and only head injuries. When she arrived at Nairobi Hospital, they did a CT Scan on her immediately to know how severe her injuries are. They found out that she has developed a 2nd hemorrhage and there is nothing else they can do. If she lives, she'll be bed-ridden and will have to be on support for the rest of her life, basically a vegetable. Right now, she's only alive because of the life support. Her father has mentioned that he's decided to pull the plug but he's waiting for his son to arrive (later today) - I guess so that his son can see his sister for the last time and also for support.

It's very sad to see how her father is struggling to be strong. It's not easy especially when you're all alone here. No family, no friends in a country/continent which is so different from the rest. Her father told us, his daughter was actually due to be back in Malaysia during the Christmas holidays and he was planning to bring his family to their ancestral village in China. Now, no chance of it happening ever.

Hubby will be going to the airport this afternoon to pick his son from the airport. I'm not sure when the decision will be taken, when they will leave. But right now, all we can is to help the living. There's nothing we or the doctors can do for his daughter anymore.

1 Malaysia - The Truth

A good article on how Malaysia's history and how the Malaysian government "wins" again!

A small pieceof History for our future generation..Why Kota Gelanggi (lost city) touted as earliest civilization in MalayPeninsula news were banned as they were Buddhist. The Johor  find of 2005 which was quietly dropped was none other than Kota Gelanggi lost city reflecting Srivijaya and its Buddhist splendour.

But they deliberately disregarded it because that would have sidelined Malacca Empire and Islam which was smaller and came some 500 years later. I met Dr Lee Kam Hing, a former History prof at MU in Singapore recently at a seminar.Dr Lee, who is now Star research director, told me he was trying his best to highlight Kota Gelanggi, but that the govt killed it off. This is clearly another case to cover up the real history of Malaya and fool the younger generations into believing that our history only began from Malacca 1400.. Not only that, they try to show Parameswara as Malay and Muslim, but actually he was Hindu! If one were to condemn these UMNO scumbags on how they distort history, it will never end....the condemnations will more than cover 10 PhD thesis!

A small piece of  History for our future generation Hitler'spublic relations manager, Goebbels, once  said, 'If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes  the truth.'

 Once again our government wiped out any references to a famous Melaka prince as being Hindu and belonging to the powerful Hindu empire Sri Vijaya.

So all of a sudden our museums, school text-books etc. all referto Parameswara as a Malay prince. What race ruled or did not rule is beside the point. What is important is not butchering history to create your own truths.

You cannot change your race even if you convert - Parameswara could have been responsible for Umno's  proud heritage of 'Ketuanan Melayu'.

If this is what it is based on, there is no 'Ketuanan Melayu' .The lineage of Melaka Sultans are Indians, not Malays. It is no secret that Parameswara was an Indian and a Hindu prince.

It is clear from records that Parameswara never converted to Islam.  He was an Indian Hindu who fled Palembang in Sumatra to eventually  found Melaka circa 1400 AD. It was Sri Maharaja who converted himself and the court of Melaka to Islam, and as result took on the name of Sultan Muhammad Shah sometime after1435.

The most famous of Indian Hindu Kings were Raja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola who invaded SouthernThailand, Kedah, Perak, Johor and Sumatra about 1000 AD.

This is Raja-raja Chola - the Indian/Hindu kings and not Raja Chulan - a Malay king. But what is really sad is that our children are taught as though Malaysian history suddenly began in 1400 with an Islamic Melaka.

We are led to believe that the Indians and Chinese first arrived on the shores of Malaysia in about 1850 as desperate indentured labourers, farmers and miners.. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The cultural influences of India in particular, and China, in South East Asia span over 2,000 years, starting with the arrival from India of the Brahmanical prince/scholar - Aji Saka in Java inAD78, through to Vietnam, Cambodia (Indo China), Thailand,Burma, Indonesia, Bali, Borneo, Brunei and beyond.

The findings at Bujang Valley speak of an ancient Indian/Hindu presence  Kedah. There were Chinese settlements in Pahang and Kelantan around the 13th- 14th  century and in 12th century in Singapore The early Brunei Sultanate had a Chinese Queen.

One need not ponder at length the implications of Angkor Wat and Borobudur or that 40%-50% of Bahasa Malaysia comprises Sanskrit/Tamil words. To illustrate, some of these word are : bumi = boomi putra   putran raja = rajah desa = thesam syakti = sakthi kolam = kulam bahaya = abahya jaya = jeya maha = maha aneka = aneha nadi = naadi kedai = kadai mahligai = maaligai mantra = manthrum tandas = sandas (This list can go on) An extremely important archeological find that pointed to one of the greatest empires in history - the Raja Cholan empire that ruled from the Maldives through India, Sri Lanka and right down to South East Asia found deep in the jungles of Johor a few years ago and made headlines in the mainstream newspapers in 2005, suddenly disappeared from the news…..

The time has arrived for us to record our history as the facts tell us and not as we would like to  wish it.

        The truth will never hurt anyone. Lies, always will .

Prepared for shipment

Yay!!! I just checked my order status on Apple Store and my order has
been updated as Prepared For Shipment. I hope they'll send it out
tomorrow if it's to arrive as promised.

There's a light at the end of the tunnel after all!! :p

Sent from my iPhone

A reply from Apple Store

I have finally finally receive a favourable reply from Apply Store! They told me that my laptop should be delivered on 10th December. You think?? Are they reliable enough? If they do hold up to what they say, then I'm not worried and can just sit back enjoying my little wait till my new lappy arrive :)

This is what they said in their email:
Quote
Dear Customer
Thank you for your email. We are processing your order. We will be able to deliver the laptop to you by 10th of December.
Please drop us a mail if you wish to cancel the order due to delivery not as per your timeline.

Kind Regards
GV
Payment Team
Unquote


They said we WILL be able to deliver - is that a yes or a maybe??? So stress!!! 

When is my MacBook gonna be sent out???

My sister's MacBook has finally arrived after what, 2 weeks? Will mine take as long? No. Why? Because I have given Apple the ultimatum that if they do not send it out by tomorrow, they can cancel my order. I'll have to ask June to buy it from the Apple Store in Singapore and then payment will be a problem. Where the hell am I gonna find so much cash to pay her??! Might have to talk to John - he pays her and we'll transfer the money into his account or her account. 


I'll know my "fate" tomorrow...please let it be sent out......

:)

I have finally bought a Mac!!! Wheee!!!:)) I put in my order last night for a MacbookPro, which by the way, have totally no idea what is the status of my order. Of course I checked the status online but nothing was updated - it just says not yet shipped. It's quite disappointing actually. I mean you'll at least expect an email from customer service saying that your order has been received and it's being processed or something. Otherwise why is it called Order Status??? Even at Nelanz, we do send out such notifications - a short messsage saying that your order & payment has been received and will be shipped within 24 hours.

If it arrives in BP as they say it will between 02 Dec to 07 Dec, then I will have my MacBook in Nairobi by 19th Dec! Yes!! And on top of that, I have received an offer for my Twinhead. Double whammy! The offer she gave is RM250 short of what I'm asking for but I guess it's a good price and I should let it go if I do not find another buyer between now and January (this girl will only be able to pay for it in Jan). She's offered me RM300 on top of what my mum says her friend quoted her.

Gosh - I just can't wait for Apple Malaysia to SAY SOMETHING!!!! IF YOU AIN'T ACCEPTING MY BUSINESS, MY FRIEND IS GONNA GET IT FOR ME FROM SINGAPORE! SO SAY SOMETHING!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy thanksgiving people!!! I heard it's today :p

I have been invited to write my own column on fashion! My very own column, imagine that. It's for a review blog, a very popular Kenyan review blog that reviews anything and everything. And they are interested to have me start the fashion column.

Should I go for it?? They will like to start it off with 1 review a week. I'm interested but one a week?? What the hell will I write about??

Ideas people???

The great Malaysian Government

Did anybody read about the baby killer being back in Malaysia and nobody knows where she is now?? If she's a murderer, she should be in the database so why was she allowed in to the country in the first place? Why wasn't there a trigger when she was scanning her passport? Whose fault is this incompetence - machine or workers? Either way, if the government cannot make the most of out the multi million dollar system, which Malaysia boasts to be the first to adopt (micro-chipped passport), then save it! Why spend so much of tax-payer's money???

Like everything else, we as a country do not carry what we set out to do to the very end. We start and we forget about it, move on to the next. And you wonder why is the country on reverse gear???

Take a look at Namewee's latest on TNB. Granted it's stupid video and he clearly does not understand what breakdown means but the employees on TNB didn't do such a good job explaining either! Asked who is in charge - nobody could give a proper reply. Don't they even know who is their boss??? Even then, somebody told him go to KL - the fella sitting there is the boss. Now be real! Who the hell will ask for somebody sitting in KL when the power cut is in Muar??? Idiots. I didn't finish the video because I got annoyed with Namewee not able to understand what the word "breakdown" means but he pointed out something very interesting: why is it that the whole of Muar town was in darkness and the only place lighted was TNB building??? Think about it....

Good sale today :)

Huh tired after standing all day but it was a good sale. We had our trunk FULL. I'm not kidding and full cannot be overstated. We drive a Nissan X-trail and we had to put all backseats down, flat and we had it filled up to the top and till we only manage to shut the trunk! That's how much junk we have. I couldn't see the rear at all while driving. Dangerous, yes...ah well. It took both of us 30minutes to load them into the trunk.

Not everything sold but what should, did. Came back with half full trunk. But it was a tough day - we had tough customers who just seem to love bargaining!!! Urgh!! They even tried to bargain for a top from USD2 to USD0.70!!! YES!!! They did!!! I mean this is worse than daylight robbery!! Of course I didn't give in. Why would I?? Everything!!! The moment they are quoted a price, their first instinct is slash it by 50%. I don't think they even listen or look at the product in front of them to know if what they say is realistic. Urgh.

Anyway, mahjong night later. I haven't slept a wink since we got back. Only slept 5 hours, woke up at 5am. Sigh...lucky hubby. Slepping like a baby. Good luck to me tonight!

Coffe Mona Lisa

Apparently this was in Sydney, Australia. Different tones due to different amounts of milk.

Amazing huh??? And my uncle actually asked where was it held so that he can drop by for a free cup of coffee!!! ;s

Flea Market tomorrow!

We're going to a flea market/garage sale tomorrow! We're going as sellers! There is just too much junk in our home that we will have to get rid off and tomorrow's the best time! So much to pack and do! I have been procrastinating so far till now, last minute. I have to just work a little harder to get my ass off the chair and start moving.

I hope it will be a good sale tomorrow. I hope we'll be able to get rid of most things tomorrow. If we do,hehehe......and MOST IMPORTANTLY DON'T RAIN TOMORROW! It's been raining everyday this week! Urgh.....

Celebrity chat!!

Literally ok. I was chatting with a Singaporean celebrity last night on my Gmail chat. She's more famous for being the sister of one of the most famous actress in Singapore although she's a bona fide actress herself. She's actually very nice and easy to talk to. I got to know her through a friend and although I will not consider her a friend, but she's my acquaintance.

She was my stand-in Aunt Agha for the night - needed a listening ear and she was online plus she's a stranger so easier to talk to. And I realise after talking to her that she's actually very easy-going and very easy to talk to. Very fun too! We started with my problems to dogs to houses to business plans! I told her some of the ideas I have which I wanna carry out when I return to SG and she actually was willing to start the ball rolling. BUT provided she starts the ball rolling when I'm there. If she starts it without me then it's just plain stealing my ideas! Hmph!!

But let's see......

Someting to ponder

Before I begin my busy day (time of the week again to upload new products on to the website), I suddenly have this urge to sit down and write. How will you feel if you separate from your partner of 11 years after finding out that he/she cannot be committed to you after so many chances which you have given him??

I find that thought very sad be it a spouse or just someone you've dated for this long. You have spent 11 years of your life with this person and how many 11 years does one have especially the ladies? How many 11 years of youth does a lady have? And only to find that this person has broken your heart again and again. Will you give this person another chance if they do come back to you begging for ANOTHER chance?? I doubt I would. Enough is enough.

How strong will you be to face it if you were to be put in such situation? How strong will you be if you found out about the change of heart when both of you are on a holiday? Not because he told you but you just know. I don't know how many of us can take such a hit but I have the honour of knowing one person, someone very dear and close to me, of handling and standing up to it like an iron lady. I heard her story, felt sad for her coz her youth was all spent in this relationship. But I admire her courage and how she talked about it. How she handled the situation when she found out - she just knew. Kudos to her for that.

I just hope and pray that this won't happen to anyone reading this. I hope she'll find someone who will cherish and love her for who she is. She deserves it.

What a day! (Yesterday)

Yesterday was damn fun and exciting! I woke up and started my day at 9.30am or so. Was just sitting in front of my laptop going through my daily online routine when I got this exciting message from someone I know and close to me. It involves another person who is even closer to me! Nope, am not gonna tell you what it is but whatever it is, it's so super exciting that I just couldn't stop myself from shaking!! I wish I could shout it out but I know both parties will kill me!

It's gonna be sooooo fun to look back on this day way into the future. Imagine what I will tell my kids with this close close person next to me with her kids! Heheheh....my life is soooo exciting although I must say not as exciting as the main characters of the story! Woo hoo!!!

After 2 very long and busy weeks....

Finally finally!!! Nelanz Store now has a new look and new features. So not all features are obvious to everybody but so what? I set out with a list of things that I need to do to improve Nelanz Store (front page & back-end operations) and I'm proud to say that 80% of them have been ticked off! I'm even more damn proud of myself for doing most of the programming myself! Did I mention previously that I have asked for quotes and it came to between RM6-7K for what I wanted to add to my website??? Now, it's FOC!

I have got a shocking pink color now as theme (my sister asked why pink?? Errr.....hehe fashion what) I have a newsdesk which I have been wanting for sooooo long. Now you can check latest happenings there. I have special pricing functionalities - I will group the customers as how I want them to be grouped and prices that appear when they log in are these special prices (unless your group is retail by default :p) I am able to offer more products to my clients under Pre-Orders without having to stock them up at home (another sister is complaining how much space I'm taking up in her room so much so that she's been "kicked" out of her own room by my stocks :p)

I think I deserve a pat on my back even if it's not perfect. It definitely doesn't look fancy or done by a professional but hey, I have been spending more than 8 hours a day, everyday for the past 2 weeks, working on it! Not forgetting I have to take time off to update products and also to study. I'm an iron woman! Hehehe....nope, not on drugs just glad because I managed to do everything everyday, even play overnight mahjong. Uh huh....yup, and cook, clean, marketing, etc, the usual stuff not forgotten, maybe just a little neglected.

My hubby was definitely neglected during the past 2 weeks. Sorry darling!!! Tried not to be too obvious but can't be helped. Am glad that he decided to stay back at work till 8pm (instead of the usual 6pm) for 3 days a week. That gives me more time to concentrate on what I'm doing and spend more time with him when he returns (he'll get back by 8.30pm and I should get off the laptop by then, else not healthy).

Anyway do check it out - the new look, new functionalities and new products!

A little request: my programming isn't tip top really. Had only a few lessons in Uni. So if you find errors along the way, please please PLEASE let me know. I have tested the main functions and they work but not all. Thanks!!!! Arigato!!!! Spasiba!!! Grazie!!! Xie xie!!!! Assante sanna!!! :)))

A Travel Agent's Website Project - DONE!

Check it out: www.jambojack.com

This is the first real commercial website designing project which I undertook. Not bad huh?? By the way, if you're interested to come for a holiday in Africa, approach them! I know these people and I book my holidays with them too!

A looooonnnngggg week

I have not had a chance to get a good night's rest all week! I have been sleeping everyday at midnight and waking up by 7am, at my workdesk by 8.30am! I will be working till late - say 6.30pm then will make dinner, watch a little TV (if only CSI is on) then back to work on my lappie. What have I been doing?? Upgrading/Improving wwww.nelanz.com mostly, improving the features and adding others. Then I have all the weekly releases to put up - used to do it in PDF format to be sent to my wholesalers only but now I can put them up on www.nelanz.com and allow everybody to enjoy them too! It's more work really but I hope it's gonna be worth it. It gives my shop more variety without having to stock up.

Because of all the work that I'm doing and the time I'm putting into my business, I have been seriously neglecting my studies. Able to study only after 10pm.....how much can one cover?? How much information can one absorb by that time after 10 hours of non-stop working??? I wonder.....I guess I'll be taking it a little slower with this module and the one after. Anyway, am not rushing for the July paper anymore so why bother?

Honestly, check out www.nelanz.com - the new and improved version. I'm pretty proud of it really. I asked a friend to quote, giving her a list of items I wish to change/add and the price? RM7.5k!!! WHAT???!!!???? So I decided to DIM (do-it-myself). OK to be fair, I haven't ticked all on my list but hey, it's a great improvement and I have ticked at least 50% *proud*

Tell me what you think of the new website!

Visa application rejected

Hubby's US visa application was rejected this morning. So sad....so
frustrated....damn! It was for the silliest reason (although makes
absolute sense but very unreasonable) I sent in my application for
Green Card Lottery via an agent & hubby is listed as spouse. So for
that the guy who interviewed hubby said that proves he has the
intention to stay in US, so he doesn't qualify for a visa this time.
Weird thing is he mentioned hubby as the primary applicant....but I'm
the primary unless the agent is soooo nice to send one aplication each.

But whatever it is, how can they, base on that and reject a tourist
visa application? Waste of time, energy and money. Mind you the
application fee is $131, non-refundable and we had to be there by 7am
which means we woke up at 5.30am this morning. PLUS this is the 2nd
trip. The first time he was turned back because he missed filling up
one form which by the way was not mentioned anywhere on the website.
This form is applicable to male applicants ONLY. I wonder how many
male applicants have to return for 2nd time.

I wonder for how many more years will he not be allowed to apply for a
visa. He got rejected for an application made in 2008. A person who
wants to tour the States will most likely not be allowed to do so if
he/she has applied for Green Card Lottery.

Moral of the story: DO NOT apply for Green Card Lottery if you do not
yet have any US visa but wish to apply. Apply first!!

Well done, hubby!!

All night mahjong again yesterday. We started with board game at the
Malaysian Trade Commissioner to East Africa's house at 5pm. 4 of us
left for dinner at 7pm and by 9.30pm, 3 of us were back in our house,
seated and all ready to start our game. Trade Commissioner didn't join
us.

Within a short span of 4 hours, Johnny declared "bankrupt" twice!!!! A
record!!!! (we only limit our capital to RM150 each play so when you
lose all of that, you're bankrupt) Johnny is usually the big winner
among us and it's very tough to "kill" him but hubby managed to kill
him 2.5 times!!! Good eh??? Why 0.5? Because Johnny decided to leave
the game with only RM20, so not exactly "dead" yet. And that was
8.30am this morning :)) How many hours did we play? You do the math ;))

I lost too - my nett profit is only RM5 :s but our total nett earnings
from 12hours is RM300!! Not bad huh? That's like a week's expenditure
already! Extremely tiring though especially for an insomniac like me -
I only slept 3 hours!!

I need to study but no electricity - urgh!!!! >:( and I'm running out
of things to write.......

Start of a new month - saying hello to 2010 real soon!!!

Wow it's November already????? Man...time flies!! Now before I forget
let me reflect what this year means to me.....quite a bit really but
the most important thing is I realized that maybe I'm not that suited
to be a mrs or maybe I just got hitched to quickly. Otherwise, life's
been pretty boring and static all year. Significant events:

1) started studying again
2) expanding www.nelanz.com and now we have a couple of dealer/
representatives in East Africa and USA. Hope to be able to continue
expanding :)
3) more quarrels, arguments, fights and divorce being mentioned
4) a great trip back to Malaysia (compared to last Dec, fantastic trip
this time)
5) decided to leave kenya - will leave here latest in April 2010

I'll do a re-cap in Dec IF I remember :)

Hate my life

This post has been removed due to potential hazard to writer :pI so hate my life and myself right now. So so regret not taking the
job in Jordan and plunge myself here to be married. Hate
hate hate!!!!

A divorce looks inevitable, just waiting for when it'll be the last
straw. Mind you, I've even gone to the extend of booking my one way
ticket back for 2nd Nov. I have not mentioned but I'm still deciding.

A new week, a new hope

Just saw my sister's tweet - another death. It's the 3rd death of the
week. That is a lot of deaths around the people around us.

A friend passed away yesterday (Friday) - I don't know him personally
or maybe I do but I don't remember but he's the youngest son of a very
close family friend. He's only 30!! What a waste - he's so young!!!

I don't exactly know how he died except for the fact that he was
stabbed from the back by the accomplice of dome snatch thieves who got
hold of his laptop. I've heard 2 versions thus far but since the 1st
ain't very detail, I think I'm taking the 2nd version as the right one
for now.

This friend, a male, was stabbed (sources said he wad slashed by a
parang at his neck so bad that his neck was almost severed!) when he
tried to chase after the snatch thieves who got his laptop. A second
motorbike came from behind him and slashed his neck. A life snuffed
out just like that!!!! No news about the thieves and no reports in The
Star either!!!! This happened outside McDonald's, Centrepoint in
Bandar Utama. We have no idea who these people are, what race or how
old. I only know that it is extremely sad and I feel for hid family,
especially his parents and his girlfriend. I cannot even imagine how
the thieves feel, what's in their - so sick and perverted bastards!!!
A life!!! A young life!!!

I hope the government will do something about security of the country.
Mind you the incident happened early in the morning, at a time when
people are on their way to work, outside a busy place and yet these
bastards are so daring as to steal and then kill!!! Safety in Malaysia
is getting from bad to worse everyday! How can a country progress if
thugs roam around like that? No wonder we're still a 3rd world country
after so many years.

Waiting for Steo's funeral

Such a long and slow wait. Skynews mentioned they'll be showing
funeral live from GMT 1000 couple of days ago but they have just
changed it to GMT 1200. I guess it's because cameras are not allowed
inside the church.

I have been sitting in front if the tv since GMT 0730 and been
watching updates of the funeral. An hour and a half to go before the
service will start. Boring....nothing good on tv and just occured to
me why didn't I think of making the trip to send him off on his last
journey. Then again, waste of money ain't it?? Hubby will faint if I
decide to do that. But I've been a fan since 1993!!! Sigh...just have
to settle with a "box" seat in front of the tv, in my living room.

Weather today is extremely gloomy. I guess even the heavens are sad
and getting ready to "welcome" Steo into the kingdom of God. Such
weather definitely ain't normal at this time of year in Nairobi. It's
summer for God's sakes. Anyway.....continuing my wait.....

Sent from my iPhone

This Is It.....

Check out Michael Jackson's new song - This Is It

The song's OK, not fantastic but catchy. I love the video though.

Not a news to wake up to....

Couldn't sleep again till almost 5am last night (this morning, rather). Woke up as usual at 8am to make breakfast for hubby but just no way of getting back to bed. So what do I do?? What else - my usual morning routine - make breakfast and sit in front of the laptop.

Chatted with Joyce, thanking her for the payment for her top. Then she told me the news which had me stun for a while - a friend from Batu Pahat, a year my senior from High School was stabbed to death early this morning. Incident happened at McD Centrepoint. He was apparently trying to grab his laptop back from the snatch thieves when one of the accomplice stabbed him from the back and that was it.

A life of mere 31 years of age snuffed out just like that. He even posted a something on Facebook last night! Just merely 7 hours before the mishap!!! Who would have expected that that will be his last post? I'm sure he never expected he'll never again post another note on Facebook. His parents are distraught and on their way on to KL to collect the body. From his status on his Facebook, he's apparently married.

Cherish the people around you starting RIGHT NOW!

My condolences to his family. Rest in Peace Martin........

Before anything else.....

I passed my exams! My 3rd Module....Tax Planning. Phew.....it's just a pass this time, nothing fancy like the two previous exams but I'm glad and satisfied. Why?? Because I was actually afraid that I might really fail this time around! Taxation is just soooo confusing and tough, especially for someone like me who has no background in economics or finance.

2 Weeks of well deserved break then all the studying, revising and exam will start all over again. This time, Retirement Planning. Sounds easier - I bet anything that is coming up next will be easier than Tax Planning. Ahhh....

Have so much to post but Internet ain't cooperating - both the landline and the USB Modem. It didn't cooperate very well when I was taking my exams either! It took me 3 hours to finish! It got so bad until I had to finish 2nd half of my exams on my iPhone. Imagine that....I was so worried that I might not be able to finish on time. Not sure if it's the Internet or the Test site. I tried surfing while I was taking my exams and they loaded just fine. Anyway...it's all over now.

I'm Back!!!

I'm finally back in Nairobi again after 3 weeks. It was, yet again, a very tiring trip with an average of 5 hours sleep a day. This trip is definitely much better than the last and not much happened - nothing big anyway. Except maybe the last 2 days of our stay in Malaysia where I got pissed off with hubby.

As planned, we stayed away from each other for 3 days - he went back to JB while I stayed back in BP and I must say it did us well! It's the first time we've stayed away from each other since....er since.....end of June last year! Wow...it's been more than a year since we had our "me time" BUT towards the end of the trip, he took this a little too far by going out with his friends and leaving me at home. I have said many times before that I DO NOT WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE AT HOME IN JB!!! He did that TWICE and back to back! I mean, that's the whole point about me staying in BP and he going back to JB - make use of those times to meet friends he wants to without having me around! After that - not supposed to have anymore of such "luxury"

Our flights were all great - of course they have to be right? That's what business class are for! And during our flight back from Dubai to Nairobi, we were actually in the same flight as Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher!! Uh huh - the real deal! I have no idea what they are doing here but my best guess - vacationing. I was very tempted to walk right up to them and ask for a picture but then I thought if I was in their shoes, I wouldn't like to have people disturbing my vacation. They are human after all. They are entitled to have their own time just like all of us. It doesn't have to change just because they are celebraties. I took a couple of pictures - 3 to be exact - but they turned out a little blur. What to do? Iphone doesn't have the anti-shock function.

Hehehe....yeah you read right - I have a new Iphone now! Hubby got Sam to get one from Australia - IPhone 3G(s). It's my belated birthday present and why Australia? Because apparently, it is one of the 3 countries in the whole world that is licensed to sell unlocked Iphone - in Apple Store.

I will post the pics later - connection is extremely slow today (yeah, when has it ever been fast huh?) and I'll blog about grandma's 90th in another post.

Back in Malaysia

Finally on Malaysian soil. Arrived on Sunday and only managed to get online today. Have not gone back to my family yet - still at my in law's. Hubby has left me alone in the house with his mum while he's having fun with his childhood friends in a snooker centre somewhere since 4 hours ago (hopefully that's really where he is). His nephew is out with his girlfriend hence the free computer :)

I can't wait to get back to BP and can't wait to see everyone again! The party's started arriving as early as 5th September but the real numbers are arriving on 10th, we're one of them. It's gonna be really fun - I can already feel it. Just pray hard that some people don't spoil it. I have a number of ideas in my head to make it even more fun like poker games, Karaoke or even mahjong! Emmm... even thinking of it makes me wish that the time fast forward just a little faster till Thursday. It's gonna be a crowd. Fun crowd.

I always thought that this trip will be a relaxing trip but so far, it hasn't been so except the past couple of hours. We're still not getting enough sleep, we're still sleeping as late as the previous trip and waking as early. We have less activities but somehow the sleep just doesn't tally. For example, last night we only managed 1.5 hours of sleep. Since Friday, the night before I left Nairobi, I have had an average of 3 hours of sleep per day!!!

Last night was scary. We came back after meeting up with a friend at around 2am. When we got home, we noticed one side of the auto-gate was opened. We got worried coz break-ins are notorious in JB but we were damn sure we shut it when we left the house a couple of hours earlier. Anyway, my mother-in-law would have noticed it opened when she was getting ready for bed and the fact that she didn't only means that we did shut it after all. The other side of the gate refused to open so we had to manage with only one gate open. We realised afterwards that the 2nd gate refused to budge and after hubby pushed it open, both gates refused to shut. They kept opening and shutting on their own as if they have their own mind! There was no way the control in our hand is able to control its movements anymore.

When it finally did settle down for awhile, hubby secured both gates with a pad-lock. It settled until an hour later when it finally decided it will revolt. Both gates started trying with all their might with break the padlock away, opening and closing thus making extremely loud banging noises. It was almost 4am by this time. Hubby tried to fix it but there is just no way to hold it down. It was alive! It was a scary sight especially when we're in the 7th month of the lunar calendar which is also more widely known as the Ghost Festival, where hungry ghost are let out to roam the earth for 1 month. Hubby, a Buddhist, tied a talisman to the padlock and although the banging still continued but with much much less force than before and a lot less noisy. We finally called it a day and went to bed at 5.30am while the alarm is set for 7am.

The gate has been real good all of today. Nothing has gone wrong yet. I still choose to believe it's a fault of the electric wiring, nothing more. We'll see if it comes back tonight....... :s

In about 23 hours....

That is how close I am to getting on the plane for my 3 weeks holiday in Malaysia. It was 3 days to go on Wednesday and now, it's only 23 hours to go! Hubby has even checked us in! The feeling of dread is getting stronger as the clock ticks closer to departure time. If it's already so strong now, I have no idea and do not want to imagine how it will be when I get to Singapore/JB. Hubby is displaying, not sure if on purpose, more and more signs of idolising his mother. It's like he's trying to tell me "bitch, my mum is the most important person in my whole life. stand aside. you're no where near, not even close. you're not even comparable to the rest of my family" Honestly, he's been doing and saying stuff which are not that subtle to hint to me that fact! Man, this trip is gonna be agonising! Time in JB WILL pass very very slllloooowwwwllllyyyy indeed....

Now I really can truly grasp the meaning of "once beaten twice shy" It was just ONE bad trip in December last year and I believe it has scarred me for life. At least I know I am right now! What if we really do have to move back to Malaysia? Wow....I can't imgaine. I'll end up living in fear every other weekend when we return to JB, IF we're not based in JB. Otherwise, it's a daily nightmare! I have decided to stay back in BP after grandma's birthday till 17th or 18th (have not decided) while hubby returns to JB to meet whoever he wants and do whatever he needs to do. I think it's better that way - the number of days between 14th and 18th is the longest in JB if I were to follow him back. So it's better to avoid problems and issues to the already delicate marriage than to add more reason to end the union to it. I wanna just come back to Nairobi happy. I only want happy memories to this trip instead of spoiling it like the last. Bad memories over shadowed our wedding. How bad is that???

I also have to learn to trust hubby more by letting him go off alone. So I guess by staying back in BP will be a good training. It'll also be a good opportunity to gain back some of "me" time which I have lost for so long. It's been more than a year now since I last had any "me" time - time for me without hubby. I'm sure he'll welcome this break too. Marriage doesn't mean you have to be with each other ALL the time. And by not wanting to be in each other's presence all the time doesn't mean there's a crack in the relationship. In fact, it's healthier that way. Too much time with each other and too much stickiness will actually kill the relationship.

Oh well, wish me luck!!! It's only 3 weeks right??? It's a short time, time will fly right? Before I know it, it's time to hop on the plane again right? Right......patience, tolerance....patience, tolerance........man this is soooo hard!!!! Will write again real soon - I'll try but don't expect much!!! Most likely my next post will be when I return to Nairobi.

3 more days to go!

Time flies time flies!! Only 3 days to go before we fly off to Malaysia for 3 weeks! I'm sure 3 weeks will fly too except for THOSE times. I have been dreading THOSE times since 2 weeks ago! You know how, sometimes, you wish time will fly but it just lingers and refuse to budge? Those. Hate them!

I have actually written a long post BUT I have no idea how it happened, I managed to delete all of them! Damn!! I have no wish to write them all over and I can't remember much anyway. So I'm leaving you with one of my hubby's favourite - Portuguese egg tarts.