Sound of Music

While I was going thru my movie collections yesterday wondering what movie to watch with my 2 little princesses, I finally decided to watch the evergreen classical movie of all time - The Sound Of Music. I watched this movie when I was little, can't remember how old but I think i'm about 10 or younger. There are few songs that I like but 2 songs that runs in my mind those days were Do-Re-Mi and Sixteen going on Seventeen. I'd sing the chorus and hum (can't sing the whole song ma!) the rest of the song happily but softly while playing with my friends.

I thought that since I, the rascal, likes the movie, my 2 little princesses would like them too. However, I was expecting them to watch the movie while playing with their "cooking" toys but it turned out that they watch the movie straight on and enjoyed them very much ... well technically, we stop twice ... VCD ma.... it took 3 VCDs to store the whole movie. So, we stop and do our stuffs before we continue to watch the next disk. Hmm... that reminds me that I should look for a DVD version.

When Julie Andrews and the kids sang Do-Re-Mi, my younger daughter were amazed, looked at me and say (with her twinkling smile) that her Kindergarten school also plays that song. I can see that she was humming along silently.

Here's my favourite chorus ...
Doe (Do) a deer, a female deer
Ray (Re)a drop of golden sun
Me (Mi) a name I call myself
Far (Fa) a long long way to run
Sew (So) a needle pulling thread
La (La) a note to follow So
Tea (Ti) a drink with bread and jam ...
that will bring us back to Doe, oh oh oh

Now, let's sing along




After the movie, my elder daughter, just like me when I was younger, also likes the Sixteen Going on Seventeen song, especially the chorus part - "I'm sixteen going on seventeen ... ". The word "sixteen going on seventeen" and the dance in the glass house was a very lovely encounter of 2 opposing sex. I guess all children like to be in that scene and can't wait to grow up. Either you want to meet the pretty girl or the handsome guy .... and of course the ever "curious" first kiss! Agree?



Sweet huh! I'll try to find a proper snippets of this part from YouTube. I actually found one but the owner dubbed it with his lousy singing voice. I'll replace this once I found it.

Anyway, this movie is definitely one of my favourite "collectible" musical movies.

On another note, I would love to hear "arrggh, S#@t, da#@, OMG, or some swear words" on the golf course. It's probably the better "Sound of Music". Why? That's the sound when someone hit a really bad shot! That's when I'll say ... music to my ears! :-) Khakakaka.

Here are the rest of the songs that I like from the Sound of Music.

So Long, Farewell

Edelweiss

My favourite things

I'm going to look for Julie Andrew's Marry Poppins. I don't really have a good and lasting impression about this movie but I remembered that my Sis love them.

Greatest storyteller - Yasmin Ahmad

I would like to share with you one of my favourite storyteller and film director of all time .... the late Yasmin Ahmad (July 1, 1958 - July 25, 2009). Her films has touched many people and it certainly has touched mine. With sincerest sympathy and may she rest in peace.

I'm compiling her works (short stories) in this blog as I find it hard and cumbersome to search each and every one of them in the Youtube. So, whenever I want to view them, especially when I want to uplift my spirit, have a good laugh and to remind myself of things that are dear to me i.e. my family and friends, I can now easily click them here.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Oh, if none of the stories touch your heart, I'll buy you breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next 365 days!

These are my all time favorites ...

Here's a short Bio of her.

Yasmin Ahmad (July 1, 1958 - July 25, 2009) was a critically-acclaimed multi-award winning film director, writer and scriptwriter. Her television commercials and films are well-known in Malaysia for their humour, heart and love that crosses cross-cultural barriers, in particular her ads for Petronas, the national oil and gas company. Her works have won multiple awards both within Malaysia and internationally.

Economy crisis?

I went to Mid Valley Mega Mall today and I was amazed with the vibrant activities in the shopping mall. Initially, I was a bit frustrated and skeptical as to why the parking signboard in 2 of the entrances said "Full" in bright Red light. I thought they were trying to usher us to another parking entrance / areas but when I manage to get down to the parking area, whoa .... it was really packed! I circled a few rounds to find a parking spot and that too I manage to find it at the other side of the building - The Gardens.

The shopping mall was full of people from all walks of life. Young, old, adults, children, aunties, uncles, etc. Don't these people have to work? or are they like me, trying to kill time -window shopping in a "free" air con environment! Hehe!

If you look at the activities in the mall, you could be deceived that our economy is still very vibrant and we have already got ourselves out of the financial crisis! People are spending money as if they are not affected by the slowdown!!! The expensive "lepak" places (where you want to see and to be seen) like The Coffee Bean, Starbucks and other exclusive renovated restaurants/cafe are quite pack with people.

There are promotional events strategically located at the entrance, lobby, center of the mall, etc. Most of the promotional products are targeted at ladies i.e. skin care products, perfumes, beauty care (make-up), except for one, Philips. They are promoting their latest LCD TV (3000 and 5000 series), DVD players, home teather systems and other gadgets. Of course I "kepoh" and investigate the gadgets.

Hmmm ... who says we are experiencing economic downturn??! Not these uncles, aunties!

Btw, our GDP growth rate in FY09Q1 shows that we are experiencing a negative 6.2% (source from our Statistic Dept of Malaysia).

Doctor's advise

I'm reproducing a very funny article from my fav blogger - RPK! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it. Don't waste it on exercise.

Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer. That's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster.

Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn!

And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken.

Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable).

And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine. That means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Anyway, 1% of traffic accidents are caused by drunk drivers. So people who don’t drink are very dangerous because they cause 99% of traffic accidents.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one.

If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain ... Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! .... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil.

In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger.

You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO … Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!!

It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

And remember: 'Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand, chocolate in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, 'WOO HOO, what a Ride!'

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

1. Eat and drink what you like.

2. Speaking American English is apparently what kills you.

3. 'Today’ is a gift. That is why it is called ‘The Present’.

My PMS?

I have not been feeling right recently, somewhat - something is missing. I am not depressed nor sad but yet felt miserable. I tried to motivate myself but my negative chi beat the hell out of me. Everything I do doesn't seems satisfied!

Tried to do many different things to change my "negativity" state but nothing seems to work permanently. I tried to watch movie, which is one of my favorite past time, and I bought "Night at the Museum 2". Although I had a good laugh and felt better but it was just temporary, I fell back to my negative state the next day.

I played golf and I was hoping that doing something I like would help to pick myself up but ended up making a fool out of myself and not to mention poorer me (got whack left, right & center!). I can't tee off, my short game sucks, and worst is that I took an average of 3 putting shots! Oh btw, in almost every hole, I had my shots either in the bunker, drain or OB!

I tried to jog but only manage to run for about 50meters and i fell flat. Cant' run at all. Tried the self motivational thingie but doesn't work. The only consolation is that I manage to walk about 2-3 miles. Felt a little bit better after the walk. Tried to blog but words, ideas and my thoughts doesn't seems to come out right - very messy.

However, I felt better since last weekend. I think spending time with "her majesty" and the 2 princesses helped me tremendously. I've completely forgotten and lost track about the "miserable" feeling. Going thru their homework, played tic-tac-toe, snake and ladder, watch my elder ride bicycle with her cousin, tried to teach my younger one to ride was quite joyful and delighted.

This is definetly one of the medicine I needed most but unfortunately, its Monday today! They have to go to school and work! Meantime, I'm still not 100% cured yet! I wish everyday is a weekday ... ;)

I need to find something else to help turn things around permanently leh. I need to discard this lousy state of mine. It's not healthy and certainly not productive being in this state for so long! I need something to stimulate and invoke my "long term" positive energies.

Anyway, things that I haven't tried but I think that can "pick" me up are the followings:-

1. To sit in a motivation session to get myself pump up. But Anthony Robbins not in town!

2. To hire a witch (if there is one in M'sia). Maybe they can put some positive spellcast on me?

3. To watch a stand up comedy show. Maybe they could cheer me up. They say laughter is the best medicine right? But I'm not sure if there is such a show in KL. Ada meh?

4. To get a good aromatherapy massage. hmmm - this option is more promising and easier to do as we have a few in Sg. Long. woo hoo... i'm already felt better!!!!

5. Eat durians? Tried. It worked but I cannot be eating it everyday right?

Any suggestions?

Oh, I wanna share this song with you ... listen to this little girl sing! It's definitely my favorite.

Durian Season

Yay, the durian season is here. While we drove back from Sungai Tekala last week end, we spotted many durian trees along the way. We managed find a place to stop by to take a few pictures ... tried to look for one too.... but unfortunately there wasn't any. If you are wondering why I said "look" instead of "plug", that's because only the ripe one will drop off from the branch by itself.

Now, imagine if Newton were to sit under the durian tree and not the apple tree .... hahaha. We wouldn't be learning about Newton's law of gravitation today and probably Einstein wouldn't be able to formulate his EM=C2 equation!

Anyway, many Malaysians can easily spot a durian fruit but behold and betold .... embarrasingly, many Malaysians still doesn't know how a durian tree looks like. Don't believe me ... do a simple survey and ask your close friends. My guess is that 4 out of 10 cannot point out a durian tree especially when there is no fruit on it. Let me know if I'm wrong.

Weekend retreat ... part 2

Sungai Tekala

This is a much better place for a family get together and if anyone wants to be with nature. Great tropical forest with waterfall too. Entrance fee is only a mere RM1 (USD 1.00 = RM3.60). It’s about 20 mins drive from Semenyih town going toward Nirvana Memorial Park. The place is about 500m further away from Nirvana.

The best thing I like about this place is the waterfall. Though it’s a small waterfall but the gushing water is thrilling enough to get your heart pump affectionately! It’s a real great fun and exciting!

For the city kids, at first they might not like to play in the water as it looks “dirty” with the fallenleaves and branches as compare to a swimming pool, but believe you me, they will not get enough of it once they dip into the water and stand on the stream of gushing water running through their body.

See the water surging/rushing onto my niece and nephew. It takes guts to stand below the gushing water.

I was told that you can discharge all your negative energy whilst absorbing the positive energy from the surrounding, especially if you walk bare foot and it is even more effective if you stand "under" the waterfall.

You can see many people enjoying themselves; Malay, Chinese, Indian or Sikh …no racism crap. We all share and play at the same place…. this is what I would think the “ 1Malaysia” slogan which our PM professed, should be. Look at the picture … everyone is enjoy themselves!

Ah, you can see also interesting people with different distinct culture/mentality. They would bring all sorts of household things. I mean, I understand if they brought their camping, or picnic stuffs but baby crib, rocking chair???! And I saw a lady washing her hair with shampoo and a boy applying soap on his body …. on that water!?? What on earth are they thinking, man??

Anyway, one thing I’m proud of is that all Malaysians shared and play at the same place harmoniously. Wouldn’t this be nice if our politicians leaves out the racial issues and focus our nation building! Sometimes, I really piss of with these politician bozos!

Here are additional pictures.

It’s a superb place to be for a short weekend getaway especially for the Klang Valley folks and if you are lucky, you'll be greeted with the wild monkeys. Btw, there are little fish and prawn too.

KLCC - Petronas Twin Tower

Ah… our proud monumental icon. One of the best structural designs in the world. This building always amazes and fascinates me. It looks magnificent day or night, near or far.

We (especially the ladies) likes to go to KLCC as they have everything under the same building, retail shops, more shops, bigger shops, playground (biggest in KL), restaurant, cinema, convention center, free air-con, etc.

If I have foreign guest, this is definitely a place I would take them to and I’d drive them to a great spot to take picture.

Ah, I sometimes wonder if they got inspiration from our favorite “jagung” (corn). Here are some picture I took with my Canon IXUS digital camera. The pictures were a bit shaky as I took it without using a tripod.

The only complain I have is when I leave the building … that's when you find out the parking fees! It’s damn overly priced! Paid about RM13.00 for 3 ½ hours! What a reap off ... not so free air-con afterall!