The Chaos

THE poem ‘The Chaos’ was written by Dr Gerard Nolst Trenité (1870-1946), a Dutchman who was a writer and traveller. He presumably dedicated it to one of his students, named Suzy, to illustrate how impossible English is to pronounce.

He studied classics, then law, then political science at the University of Utrecht, but without graduating (his Doctorate came later, in 1901). From 1894 he was for a while a private teacher in California, where he taught the sons of the Netherlands Consul-General. From 1901 to 1918 he worked as a schoolteacher in Haarlem, and published several schoolbooks in English and French, as well as a study of the Dutch constitution.

We reproduce here a part of ‘The Chaos’. Try reading it aloud to have a first-hand experience of the difficulties of the language.

The Chaos

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Mini tarts

I have heard so much about these mini tarts from my friends, so i finally went and bought some today. Located at Taman Muda, Ampang, this little shop sells a variety of mini tarts such as mini egg tart, mini pineapple tart, mini tuna tart and mini kaya biscuit.

1. Mini egg tart/pineapple tart/kaya biscuit - 10 pieces for RM5 (well, this is a marketing trick. Subconsciously, u will buy 10 pieces when you heard it, but actually it costs 50 cents each, and u can buy any number of pieces that you want)
2. Mini tuna tart - 90 cents each

I personally like the egg tarts very much. The outer layer is very very crispy. But some of my frens said it was much better last time. But i still enjoy it. *yum*yum*

The tuna tart is not so nice though. In order to cover the tuna paste inside, they put another layer of flour on top, which makes the whole tart too much flour, and too little tuna. The pineapple tart is ok.

I am not feeling that well today, so i guess i gotta sleep early. Tomoro is another long day to go.. alot of things to do *check list*

Mini Egg Tart
Tel : 012-6604616

Flood everywhere

I had the worst journey home last nite. It was raining very heavily, and so were the few nights before. There were flash floods everywhere around the KL area, hence the bumper to bumper crawl all the way back to Ampang.

Jalan Tun Razak was flooded. Yes, i used that road. -__-"
The road in front of Ampang Point was flooded as well, up to the knee level. O_o
I have no choice but to make a very big turn using another available alternative roads, just to avoid it. Great!

Can u imagine KL, supposedly to be the most happening and convenient place in Malaysia ended up having flash flood whenever there is any heavy rain? And the SMART project (Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel) which is supposed to solve this problem will not be ready until year 2008. How long can we wait? Further more, the construction has already caused us inconvenience cos alot of the roads have to be closed down to allow them to work on it.

Anyway, to end this frustrated post, i have posted some of the pictures i took during our lunch today. This is the first time i've been here, it is located at the same row as the Ah Sang Bak Kut Teh. The restaurant is an extension from a corner house and they served local home made dishes, which is really good. Worth trying!

	l-r, top - bottom: Curry fish head, claypot bean curd, black stout pork rib, vege and salty chicken.

Not too expensive. But limited selections cos the dishes depend on the availability of the raw ingredients.

Not just weird, but scary

Recently, i have a fren talking about getting weird dreams. I dunno why, somehow it influenced me and i got a very weird dreams myself a few nights back.

I was in my house, happily talking to my mom about something that i couldnt recall. If u all didnt know, I have this habit of stroking my hair every now and then. All of a sudden, i felt a few strands of my hair fell off on my palm. Then, more and more hair fell off as if it was autumn when the leaves are falling down from the trees.

I became panic.
I was scared.
I screamed.


I remembered how shaky my voice was when i told my mom about my condition (in my dream). I watched all the hair in my hand as if it was a dead baby that i was holding. Really scary, i tell u.

I woke up abruptly. But i felt glad that it was just a dream cos i dont wanna lose my hair... i cant imagine myself being bald, NO!!!!!

I wonder what does that means. Does it portray a sense of insecurity in me, or will i be losing something important or love, or is it trying to tell me to pay more attention to my outlook personality in the future? I dont seem to be able to decipher the code.

Anyhow, i am really grateful and thankful of what i am having and owning right now. Do not take things for granted.

"Live the life u love, love the life u live!"

Happy Big-day Marvin!

I know u guys might be getting sick of these birthday posts every now and then. But it is only like once in a year when i could really wish them a happy birthday. Bear with me ok?

Marvin is one of the nice people who willingly drove us to class during my uni days. At that time, we just moved out from the uni's hostel and rented a house in a residential area nearby. None of us had any transport then, so Marvin and another coursemate, Lok offered to help.

We had a great time chatting in the car, teasing each other, a great friendship blossomed i would say. We are very happy to have known u, and skipped through the tough uni days. I will never forget all the funny and good memories that all of us have cherished together, especially your magnificient car, ABU! :)

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO U!

Hope that we can see each other very very soon. I think we have not meet up for more than 3 years... :P

Happy Birthday YC!

I have not called u for a very long time, but i have never forgotten your birthday each year. Today is your big day, but no one is celebrating with u, poor thing. It was funny hearing u complained that ur new colleagues did not remember ur birthday, maybe they are planning for a surprise for u after work. Who knows..

Well, but u had an early celebration with your loved one last weekend, so i guess that is good enuff. Bila mau kahwin ni?

Here, i would like to wish u a great future in ur career and stay happy always. It is not easy to get to know the goal in life, but u are an example of some one who is really clear of what u wanna do.

I am happy for u. Keep in touch buddy!

p/s: YC is the guy.. just in case u are wondering. :)

Belated birthday present

I was out the whole day yesterday, and today too.

A few of my aunts and cousins came down from Ipoh during the weekends, so mom wanted to meet them up and spend some time together. Yesterday was purely family time, woke up early to fetch my mom to my cousin's house in Taman Aman Puri, Kepong.

Whenever the aunties are gathered, u can really expect a great amount of voices in the air. They just wouldnt stop chatting! Even when we went shopping at 1U, they could still talked to each other while walking in a group. Meanwhile, i was trailing behind them together with the younger kids. -_-

I havent really went to shop in this mega sales, and now that it is ending, i tot i could have the chance to grab something cheap. Mana tau...

Vincci sales ended yesterday and so are alot of other shops, and i missed all of them :(

Today, after being out for the whole day (again), i received a lil belated gift from Eddy. It is a poem he penned down for me.

From far you could hear her aloud,
Her voice is acute and loud,
That makes her stands out,
Among the crowds that bow out,

A famous and constant blogger,
Asian Hottest 2nd runner-up winner,
Her words and writings are her strength,
Which will take her far beyond length,

Someone who can be a friend and listener,
Always there to be the noise maker,
To embolden us and makes our lives plentiful,
Sometimes you wonder what makes her so joyful,

Nothing can trouble her as she is a fast learner,
Challenges and efforts will only make her stronger,
Building upon her personality and character,
To ride herself and be her own charter!

Thanx!

Belated wishes

I know i am a bit late, but at least it is better than never, rite?

I havent had the time to post anything for the past few days. Work has been eating up most of my time in the office i.e. no lazying around to do my personal stuff. At night, i was either having classes or was too tired after the long day at work.

My mind was totally exhausted. O_o
Ok, enuff excuses.

Happy Birthday Lee Yan!


Give u a big hug! *hugz*

How was the celebration in Aussie? Seems that u were pretty busy.. with assignments or job hunting? :)

Im missing u, when are u going to the Great Barrier Reef? Remember to take lotsa pics!!! I need to save some money to visit u again, if i have the chance!

Simple yet memorable

I just came back from a simple dinner with my mom and aunts @ Wong Kok Char Chan Teng, opened for business not too long ago in Ampang Waterfront. My mom wanted to cook at first, but since today is my birthday, we decided to go out.

Coffee sauce pork ribs in Shanghai style with vege, Korean hot & spicy noodle soup with shrimp, XO sauce fried cheong fun and fried "hor fun" with fish and ginger.

A lot of people thought that i will be having a massive celebration with my colls today since all of us are not working. But the outing plan somehow failed, so i made some plans for myself when i was told the outing was cancelled.

Last Sat, my group of frens celebrated my birthday at Luna Bar, located at the rooftop of Pacific Regency Hotel. That place was awesome! It is not like the normal pub/disco, where u could see a lot of ppl dancing in a crowded area. This is more like a elegant hang out place, where u will be seated at a very cozy environment, by the pool side and surrounded by the great view of KLCC Twin Tower and KL Tower.


This is gonna take ur breath away.


Chee Yee, Ji Ric, Sok Yee, Jane and Lai Yeen.


My birthday cake.

And so coincidentally, 2 of my colleagues were there celebrating their fren's birthday. So they dropped by and join in my celebration as well. Thanks, i really appreciate that!

Bali Day Four - Last day

This is the most relax day of our trip. We, the girls booked a 2.5 hours spa at Febri's Spa, to make up to the hectic and tired schedule we had. We took the Febri's Ultimate package, which includes :

Foot Bath with Peppermint
Balinese Massage
Body Scrub
Body Mask
Refreshing Facial


Febri's Spa.


Cookies and herbal tea.

The rest of the day, we just walked around the Kuta area, and did some last minute shopping.


Monument of the Bali bombing incident on year 2002.

I am satisfied.

Bali Day Three

My feet was really aching cos the night before, my slipper decided to give me a hard time. It was going to torn anytime, so i was like practically dragging my feet on the street of Kuta. It was like having massage, the base of the slipper was running away so i have to keep the pieces together by using my toes. I really dont need any foot reflexotology now, just enuff of torture to my poor feet. -_-

We were supposed to go to Pura Taman Ayun, according to the initial plan. But somehow after some small discussions with Ari, we decided to skip it and head to Pura Ulun Danu Bratan instead. The place is very cold, i felt like being at Cameron Highlands. Vern just couldnt stand it, so she wrapped herself with her huge white shawl. Haha, poor thing, but i tot she sleeps in an air conditioned room every night? How could she be scared of the low temperature?


Sok Yee, Ji Ric, Jane, Ow, Vern and Chiew Yean.

The solemn temple is surrounded by the Bratan Lake which made it so unique. I wonder how the people there go to the temple? Gotta wait until the water subsides?


Amazing view.

Pura Ulun Danu Bratan
Entrance fee : Rp 10,000

After that, we spent the next 2 hours sitting in the car and travelled all the way to Uluwatu. Most of us fell asleep in the car, except for Sok Yee. She could not shut her eyes at all cos she sat in the middle seat and judging from the speedo driving skill our dear driver has, she was thrown from side to side whenever he is making any turn. *grab seat*

Pura Luhur Ulu Watu, located at the end of the Bukit Peninsula, is a cliff-side temple overlooking the ocean. It has a split-gate entrance imitates the curving wings of a garuda (an eagle-like creature) and leads to the outer courtyard, where a second gate is framed by statues of Ganesha (the elephant-headed god and son of Shiva) and topped by a fearsome guardian.


Remarkable?

The scariest thing about this Ulu Watu temple is, it is some sort of a monkey's forest. And they are not the good and tame ones, mind u. We were already pre-warned about the aggressiveness of these creatures. All the tourists are advised not to wear any ear rings, shades, or take out any dangling, shiny, metal stuffs which is totally visible to the monkeys.

One of the mat salleh ignored these warnings and got his face scratched when one of the monkeys tried to snatch the shades he is wearing. That was the shocker of the day as we were just standing nearby. And we heard a lot of girls shouting whenever any monkeys were in view. O_o


The waves hitting on the rocks, remind me of The Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

But it is worth while going there. This is a must go place for all the tourists. The view is gonna sweep u away!


Here is a photo of us wearing sarong (just for u, SA!)

Pura Luhur Ulu Watu
Entrance fee : Rp 3,000

Before heading to Jimbaran for seafood dinner, we dropped by Nusa Dua to have a look at all the expensive hotels and resorts, where each of them comes with a private beach. U should see the amount of people sweeping the street at that area! What a difference huh...


Seafood dinner on the beach @ Aroma Bumbu Bali, Jimbaran.


Great view, while having our early dinner.

Bali Day Two

Ok, here is more.

Second day is the busiest day of all. Ji Ric had actually laid out our itinerary, sourced from a few budget traveller's book from the bookstore and he printed out a copy for each of us. We even had the maps of Bali island and the road map of the Kuta area (where we stayed during our trip). It is always good to have someone free to do all these, i guess he was unemployed at the correct timing :P

We got another tour guide and driver this time around, cos we all thought that the one we had on the first day wasnt good enuff. Ari, a young man (but he is actually in his thirties, though he doesnt look like one) who is very suggestive and well versed in English. We had no problems communicating with him, but he is a "F1 driver". U dont wanna see how he overtook the cars and lorries on a super narrow street or how he sped on a long winding road. Our heart almost dropped in fear of falling off the cliff or banging on ppl's hse.

Nevertheless, it was fun having him around. I cant imagine whether we could finish our list of places to visit if we were to hire the previous driver. He drove damn slow..

Firstly, we went for the Barong Dance performance in Ngurah Rai. The play is about an eternal fight between good and evil spirit. Barong, a mythological animal represents a good spirit and Rangda, a mythological monster represents an evil one. The show is quite costly, for an hour show but for experience sakes, we just gotta sacrifice abit.

Sari Wisata Budaya - Barong Dance
Ticket : Rp 50,000


The Barong Dance.

Next, we dropped by to Batubulan which is famous for its Batik processing. We had a lot of batik shops here in M'sia already so we dont even bother to take a second look at them. Celuk on the other hand is the center of gold and silver production. We made a brief tour inside their shop before heading to Mas to check out the wood carving shop.

Then, we were drove to Goa Gajah (Elephant Cave) in Ubud to visit the solemn temple there. We were asked to wear a sarong to respect the temple, and so we obliged. Never say no when it comes to prayers and stuffs, i tell u.

It was just a short stop, so there is nothing much to write about.

Goa Gajah
Entrance fee : Rp 6,000






Goa Gajah.

Gunung Kawi is a peaceful place, surrounded by rushing water and local farmers harvesting terraced rice paddies. It is also famous for its ancient monuments carved during the old days. But one thing, u have to go thru a long stair case. Be prepared, for those weak knees folk.

Gunung Kawi
Entrance fee : Rp 6,000


Terraced rice paddies.


Walking to the waterfall.

Finally we headed to Gunung Batur (Mount Batur) before going back to Kuta. Located at Kintamani, it is a famous double crater volcano (still active, and we were told that it was last exploded last year) with Lake Batur just next to it. We were only able to snap photos from a viewing area, so im not sure if that is counted as a visited place...

Gunung Batur
Entrance fee : Rp 25,000 per car (we have 6 person)


Mount Batur.


Lake Batur.

On our way back, we specially requested Ari to drop us to eat Babi Guling, a popular local Balinese roast pork. It tasted erm.. ok. Very strong pig's odour, not bad, but i am not going to have that for the second time, if i were given a choice. Not my type of food.


The famous Babi Guling @ Ubud Palace.

We wanted to include Pura Besakih, Bali's Mother Temple into the itinerary, but Ari told us it is at a different route. We have to spend another day just to go there, looking at the strict schedule that we have on hand. Sigh, what to do, gotta scrap the idea once and for all.

Bali Day One

Sorry for taking up this long to post on my Bali trip. I was erm.. busy?

Ok, let's start this before i have some other stuff coming up later. We took the earliest flight to Denpasar (Bali) thru Air Asia and it was my first time leaving from the newly opened LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal). The place is rather small as to compared to KLIA of cos but what do u expect from a "low cost" terminal?

As soon as we reached the Wina Hotel, we hurriedly checked in because we were running late for our first destination of the day, Pura Tanah Lot. We picked up a driver at the entrance of the hotel, as we didnt want to waste the time to look for a "good" driver cum tour guide at that point of time. We got the sunset to catch!


Pura Tanah Lot.

That place is really beautiful. I was totally bedazzled! There was one time when I was so busy snapping photos, that i didnt realized my frens were walking way upfront to the crowd. Nah, why bothers.. :P

It was a cloudy evening, so we didnt really get a chance to see the "egg yolk" of the sun setting down. Kinda wasted, but i still enjoyed the stay there.


Reflections in the water.


The sun is hiding behind the clouds.

We bought a few stuff at the stalls here. I had a few frens came to Bali before, and they told me that the prices offered by the sellers are very high. Therefore, we should practice our bargaining skills and slash the prices to 50-70% off. I cant believe it at first, but we really managed to apply the rules here! Oh man, that was really some sort of shopping satisfaction.

Im loving it!

Pura Tanah Lot
Entrance fee : Rp 10,000
Parking : Rp 5,000
Tanah Lot temple : Rp 5,400

Crazy weekends and more coming..

After hearing so much about The Loft, finally i got to taste a bit of the latest hype. Last nite's clubbing session was a last minute decision. I was getting ready to change into my pyjamas after a heavy farewell dinner @ Steven's Corner, Pandan Indah for my aunt's maid (she took a flight back to Indonesia this morning) when Derrick called me out to go for a drink. Dancing is a good way to burn all those calories that i have consumed. ^_^

Located at the Asian Heritage Row, this place is really much much better than alot of pubs that i have been to. First, it wasnt as crowded which means u can still dance without brushing ur skin with any strangers. The selection of songs by the DJ are great as well, just the perfect clubbing environment.

Today, we celebrated Danny's belated birthday @ Neway Karaoke, Cheras Plaza. Everyone was enjoying themselves, and i managed to catch up with some of my frens whom i havent been seeing for almost 4 years. Time flies man, it was as if yesterday when we were still some naive and innocent students, enjoying a carefree life.


The group.


The girls; Jane, Cherrie, Evonne, Stepanie, Lai Yeen and Sok Yee (in front).


The guys; Vincent, Chee Yee, Ji Ric, Soon Kuan and the birthday boy Danny (in front).

After the karaoke session, some of us went to the newly opened Wong Kok Char Chan Teng @ Ampang Waterfront for yumcha. That place is still very new, and there was another half of the restaurant still under renovation. So it looked a bit messy and low class. Hopefully they can get everything done before i come here again for another visit.

Gosh, I need some rest now.

Happy Bird-day SK2!

I bet u are still enjoying ur diving vacation in Tioman island now. Celebrating your birthday on a cruise ship, that was really unusual and exciting. Maybe i should do that some time.

Anyway, Happy Birthday again. I think this is the n time i said this to you today... haha. Miss ya!
Here is a virtual cake for u :)

Jazz & Rhythm Fest 2006

Stuff your MP3s

Get Life. Get Live.

Last nite was a good nite out. Several of my colleagues and I went to the Sunrise Jazz & Rhythm Fest 2006 at Plaza Mont' Kiara after work to catch the most sought after (according to the guys -_-) Belly Dancing performance.

We purposely went there a bit earlier to get a nice table with the best view of the stage, but alas, there was this security guard standing right in front of the stage, nicely blocking our supposedly amazing view. We had to rely on the 2 big screens at the side of the stage, most of the times. O_o

But i managed to win something during the Q&A session while the performers are having their short break. Will Quah was walking over to my direction when he asked who wanted some prizes, and so spontaneously, i raised up my hand.

He caught me. *gulp*
And everyone's attention was on me. *double gulps*
Spotlights and video cam. *triple gulps*

Gosh.. a bit embarrassed if i dont know how to answer rite... BUT luckily, i am observant enuff to know the answer :)


My lil gift from Sunrise.

After he went off, all my colls said i wasnt like the usual me when i was answering his question. Like very shy, and soft spoken. Darn.. meaning i am not all these while lar... -___-

But who wouldnt be swept away by his charms? Good looks, great humor and flawless english. Just the perfect package... keke.

Welcome to Bali!

Actually, it wasnt a very good timing.

Everything was ok and i was pretty excited until the tsunami strikes the Java island a week before our trip. The numbers of dead people found aftermath was splashed in the front page of every local tabloid. Some concerns were then raised by my frens and family.

Should we or should we not go?

"hey, u scared or not?"
"erm.. a bit. but should be no problem rite? bali is not located in Java, so the tsunami cannot reach so far."
"hope so.. or else we dont go to the beach lor.."
"but i thought we are staying next to the beach?"
"....."

We have booked the free and easy package to Bali thru AirAsia few months earlier, and there was no sign of any threats. I have always wanted to go to Bali, but no one wanted to risk their life after the high profile bombing incident of one of the pubs in the Kuta area. So after a long calm period, we thought this was the best time to pay a visit. U just never know...

In the end, we decided to go with the initial plan and here we are now, back home safe and sound. Nothing much to be worried about after all. Hehe, easier to say after we have come back from the trip :)

Anyway, the vacation was great. I got tanned a bit, as usual. I think i am wasting my money with all my whitening skincare products, cos everytime i am getting fairer after consistently putting on the moisturizer and stuff, i tend to go somewhere for a break and got my skin tanned again. Sigh.

Happy Big-day Danny!

Some of my frens said August is a birthday season, cos alot of us were born on this particular month, including me.

First up on the 1st day of the month was the birthday of Handsome Chew. There was a story behind the reason why we called him that, but i'll leave that for another time.

Today is Danny's birthday. He is one my closest frens since secondary school. It is not easy to befriend a person and still maintaining it for 12 years, u know. We practically know each other so well, until his mom also knew about us. And same goes to my mom as well.

There was a time, we hardly meet each other cos all of us were pretty busy with studies in uni. I am glad everything turned out fine, and we are the best of frens again.

Here, i wanna wish u a very happy birthday! When are u gonna get married with Ah Loo ar? U guys dated for 9 years dy, it is time to move to the next level. ^_^