Rowie's Scribbles

I keep track of my budget and so far, I'm doing pretty okay. When I see the greens, I start thinking about what I would love to spend my money on...so here's my wishlist of stuff I'd like to indulge in! 1) Xbox Ever since I realized that my Dell laptop (bless it) is not able to play Tomb Raider Underworld, I've considered getting a game console so I can enjoy myself playing my favorite video game of all time. The Xbox is appealing because it's not too expensive and I've tried playing it at the local game store; the feel is great! The games are also cheaper compared to the PS3 games. This is a more affordable choice and at RM1500 therabouts, this comes at no 1 on my wish list!  2) Foot massage I've sprained both ankles, twice each. The injury doesn't hamper me much; I can still move about, I play badminton regularly, and sometimes I go jogging on my hilly residential area - but there are days where I wish I can just lie back and have someone mas...

Recently on Valentine's Day, me and my colleagues went to Pavilion for dinner at Michelangelo's and it was great - good food, good company and the lovely ambiance added to the happy, lovey V-day mood. Then it was off to watch the latest rom-com This Means War.  Plot Tuck and Frank are best friends and work as a team for the CIA. They attempted to capture the villain Heinrich but ended up killing his brother, which stirred up a lot of publicity. They were grounded to "desk work", and Heinrich vows to avenge his brother's death. Tuck joins a dating site online and contacts Lauren, a pretty blonde. Lauren's profile was created by her friend, Trish, but Lauren agrees to meet Tuck after seeing his oh-so-dashing photo online.  Tuck informed Frank of his impending date, and Frank offered to be in the video store nearby to "offer support", since Tuck has been out of the dating world for a long time. Tuck and Lauren's 1st date was a success, and La...

As some of you may know, I've registered for the ABRSM Grade 5 exam for violin. The exam is in August, the exact date and venue will be announced soon. Initially when I took up the violin, I did not plan to take exams: I wanted to focus on learning the instrument without the stress of preparing for the exam. However, I am more confident now and my teacher has encouraged me to try the Grade 5 exam. She's tried me out on previous exam pieces for Grade 4 and Grade 5, then we've tried pieces from my book Schirmer's Library of Musical Classics: Violin Classics, Vol 2079, Intermediate to Advanced Level.  My exam pieces are: [A1] - Corrente, 2nd Movement from Sonata in D minor, Op. 5 No. 7 by Arcangelo Corelli. [B2] - Pastorale, Op. 23 No. 1 by Oskar Rieding [C1] - For Latin Lovers by Brian Chapple I like the differences in my pieces: Corrente is a typical Baroque piece; I've to learn how to play semi-detached notes. Just yesterday we focused on the 1st page of ...

The last time I saw a film with the word "wire" in the title and a female lead was several years ago; that was Barbwire and the lead was none other than former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson. It was the perfect film for B-grade entertainment; a heroine executing action without her impressive cargo getting in the way and tossing amusing one-liners to anyone who stands in her way. I had reservations about the new film Haywire, but it's WAY different.  Plot The movie opens with Mallory Kane entering a diner. She expected to meet former boss Kenneth but her friend Aaron shows up. Aaron tries to force her to leave the diner with him but she refuses: 1st fight scene in the film - ouch! One of the customers helps her to escape and as they flee the scene, she tells him the incidents leading up to the diner scene:   1) Barcelona Kenneth is engaged by Rodrigo to rescue a journalist, Jiang from a "safehouse" in Barcelona. Kenneth assigns Mallory and Aaron to this m...

We're constantly reminded to do good, and of the plight of those less fortunate than us. Celebrities use their star power to influence the public to lend a helping hand. The rich makes anonymous donations to charity.  But how many of us actually go the extra mile to do good and help the needy?   I find that I often question myself if I could be more generous, or more caring towards others. I donated blood for the first time last year and it was a good experience; donating blood is a simple gesture that takes very little to save a lot of lives. According to the NST , only 3% of Malaysians donated blood in 2 yrs. You may refer to the National Blood Bank on how you can help.  Organ donation is another pledge I've yet to make; personally I've no qualms about donating my organs to others, the only thing holding me back is that there may be other stakeholders, ie my future husband, children etc. It's still something I'm pondering ever since the National Transplant...

TV series are abound and plentiful; with different premises on show, there's something for even the most discerning of viewers. Castle is an ABC production that I enjoy watching every week. The series revolves around Rick Castle, a successful mystery novelist who works with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett to solve murder crimes. Starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, the chemistry between the 2 leads is sizzling and the humor presented is refreshing and highly entertaining.  I love the show because it tends to experiments different styles; upcoming Blue Butterfly transports viewers to the 1940s and has received positive reviews! Supporting cast like Tamala Jones (she plays Lanie, the resident coroner), Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever (the sidekicks Esposito and Kevin Ryan are always fun to watch), Susan Sullivan and Molly Quinn (they play Rick's mom and daughter respectively) do a great job bringing wit and fun to the show. Also the show covers murder in unique and unexpected...

For the first few hours in the morning, I was just having an ordinary Sunday breakfast with family. Upon arriving home, my sister broke the news that Whitney Houston had passed away.  I won't write much, this will be a short entry: 1) Everyone's buzzing about the details surrounding her death. 2) We all know that drugs had her career spiraling downwards. 3) Tonight's Grammy's awards will be overshadowed by her death. We've lost a star, again to that seemingly unstoppable shadow of drugs. Add Whitney Houston, a once vibrant singer with amazing talent and charisma, to the list of artistes who died because of drugs. RIP Whitney Houston. You will always be remembered. 

Yes I like listening to Lana Del Rey's music while I'm ironing clothes lol!  It is through my sister that I first heard Born to Die; the American singer/songwriter has the internet abuzz about her vocal talent (critics slammed her performance on SNL), and there were calls from some quarters saying that her pouty lips are fake.  Seems like Lana's saying "WHATEVER". I personally felt she redeemed herself with a lovely rendition of Videogames on The David Letterman show, and her lips, real or not, goes well with her gilded, old-Hollywood charm.  Her music blends soaring strings with a strong pop beat; I find it amazing that even the song Videogames which is basically about how she loves spending time with her boyfriend can sound like (as an online friend put it) "an audio fairytale".  With a no2 debut on the American Billboard charts, Lana Del Rey can be considered a rising pop star. She's a unique addition to the group of new star...

Recently a forum friend of mine (Saki) from Australia dropped by KL for a  visit.  I suppose one's knowledge of KL's attractions will be tested when a foreign friend who's eager to have a cultural experience comes to town! Saki arrived on a Friday afternoon and checked into a hostel ( Sunshine Bedz ) on Jalan Bukit Bintang. Saki's review of the hostel was that it's clean, and strategically located near the Bukit Bintang monorail station; plus McDonald's is just around the corner! :D We met up for dinner with Faizal, another forum friend (a Malaysian) at Grandmama's, Pavilion, then browsed Tokyo Street before heading home.  On Saturday morning, we headed out to Gombak and met up with Faizal and 2 of my colleagues for breakfast. Breakfast was at a family warung and we'd nasi lemak + rendang + chicken curry.  Breakfast! Batu Caves was next on the agenda - you can't miss the iconic 42.7m tall statue of Lord Murugan. There are 2 temples on the g...

It's the year of the Water Dragon, and according to Chinese astrology, it's gonna be a tough year for Tigers like me! So far, so good.  I'm in a job that I enjoy; just finished a challenging project, now I'm focusing on heat exchangers so its a new area of learning for me! So many new people joining the company - more friends woo hoo! :) Also I've registered for the ABRSM Grade 5 exam for violin; I practice daily - I'm glad that I enjoy my pieces very much! The exam's in August, so hopefully I'll be able to master the bowing and the dynamics by then!  One of my favorite things to do on the weekend is to have breakfast/lunch with the family at new eating spots. I've taken them to Jalan Imbi and Pudu for yummeh hawker fare - Dad's interested to try new stuff, so that's a plus for all of us.  No interesting movies for now, looking forward to the Avengers - beefcakes nom nom! :D  I'm gonna attend a concert featuring Nigel...

Last year I went to Singapore with my sisters for a year-end break. It was my 2nd time to the Lion City; the 1st being the department trip to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) and a bus tour around the city center, all in 2 days!  Highlights: 1) Wicked - The Musical The hit Broadway musical based on the novel by Gregory Maguire came to my attention via a friend who watched it in London and Glee (the cast performed a cover of the song Defying Gravity). The musical depicts the unlikely friendship between 2 young girls of opposing personalities who grew up in Oz. I'm not gonna say much about the story (which is AWESOME), the music penned by Stephen Schwartz is beautiful; we were crying in between scenes. The show was played in the Sands Theater by an Australian cast; fantastic set and great performance! It was mindblowing, and has got me hooked on musicals! Check out the show while it lasts! 2) Singapore Zoo Adopting an upclose interaction with the zoo residents, the Singap...