Petrol Prices Lower...

The move made by the Malaysian Government to hike up fuel prices by 40% in June 2008 was badly received by the public. Not only did it mean extra expenses on petrol for the public, but also additional costs to everyday living in general as food prices rised and other related (both directly and indirectly) services introduced higher charges subsequently.

A mere 6 months later, fuel prices that had once soared in the USD150 per barrel range had dwindled to less than USD50 per barrel. Was the absurdly high price of oil at the time cause for such drastic action? Personally I feel that it was a rather hasty decision. From the flabbergasting price of RM2.70 per litre for unleaded petrol, prices have been lowered via at least 7 revisions since to the current RM1.80 per litre price that we all enjoy. My once RM90+ per full tank expenses for my 1.3cc car is now down to a mere RM50+ these days. (Thank goodness!!)

Unfortunately, although during the price hike everything else seemed to be influenced by the domino effect, these so-called petrol influenced businesses/services are still maintaining their post petrol increased prices despite the new low oil rates at present. For instance, many food operators imposed an increment in their menus due to higher transportation costs previously and have sinced maintained the new pricings. I suppose this is due to the fact that transportation costs affected previously by the hike have decided to not decrease their fees accordingly.

It's human nature to succumb to greed I suppose. Those with the sole intent to make profit will see only dollar (or in our case ringgit) signs and pounce at the opportunity to manipulate and make use of every shred of money generating possibilities out there simply because there is always a constant demand in the market (if not a growth in demand) regardless of the price tag they put on the products and/or services. On this note, I strongly feel that the oil prices should not have been escalated to an all time high 6 months back. They should've had some fore-sight in this matter to predict the fall in prices not long after. This was clearly a disappointing decision as price regression is practically non-existent today (at RM1.80 per litre).

At this point the whole RM625 reimbursement sounds like a joke. However, the government have no choice but to follow through for at least 1 year to be fair to all eligible car owners considering a little more than half of those eligible have already claimed their part (myself not included).

If the government were serious on cutting back and saving the nation's wealth, than they could start with a substantial cut in maintenance expenses of the PM and DPM's residences which is said to total up to RM10mil. Their (as well as other ministers) entertainment allowances are also an exhorbitant sum. I don't think anyone voted for these people during the elections so that they (candidates) can live a life of luxury. In true democratic nature, people vote for their representatives to be their voices (read: represent the people) in the administration (i.e. government). Where is the democracy?

over the weekend...

last weekend was another one of the few long weekends for the working community thanks to the celebration of hari raya haji (a.k.a. hari raya aidiladha) on monday. a whole lot of events were held last weekend and unfortunately i couldn't make it to all of them.

the pikom pc fair kick started on friday (5/12) at the sabah trade centre all through to sunday (7/12) from 11am to 9pm. excited as i was to go, i was personally disappointed at the reseller turn out and the overall size of the fair floor space. this was by far the smallest and least interesting of all the pc fairs that i've been to here. i can't believe that even the earlier organized fairs back in the days it was held at palm square's 5th floor at centre point was better than what i'd experience last weekend. the fact that there was another fair of similar nature held by the government at the likas sports complex might have affected the one held by pikom. unfortunately i was in kl during the earlier fair. nevertheless, i managed to get the things i'd set out to get sans an external 3.5" hdd casing. so i can strike off the hp pc (hp pavilion a6650d) and printer (hp deskjet f4280) from my wish list now. yay! this 19" lcd really needs some getting used to. picked up the pc package yesterday from the reseller at karamunsing complex and excitedly set it up in place of the old pc (which i might work on as a side project - pimp my pc - hehe).

of course there's the raya celebrations the night before (7/12) and on the day itself (8/12). we had dinner at my aunt's place then lunch at another aunt's house the next day. it's always fun to have these little family gatherings. sorry but i've soo underutilized my camera these days.

i considered heading down to kolombong for the sebor warehouse sale too but there really wasn't anything there that i'd really like to buy. i barely use make up so the loreal/maybelline part of the warehouse sale didn't quite interest me. what else is there? paint? household detergents/soaps, car cleaning aerosols/liquids?!?!?!? nah. so i'm skipped it this time around.

then there was the hobbycon event at kompleks asia city for cosplayers (i really don't even know what that is). i've seen pictures from the event and it looks fun. quite a bunch of people dressed up as their chosen characters and that's always fun to see. this unfortunately was another one of the events that was on last weekend that i couldn't go to (sorry fara!!).

i finished another one of my sewing projects too. yay me! hehe. my mum bought a piece of kain batik (sarong) and lining to make a skirt for my grandma. it was a success and i was so tired i didn't take pictures of the finished product. my mum cut the fabric and i helped piece it together with our trusty singer sewing machine (too bad this awesome version has been discontinued) and serger/overlock machine. this skirt sewing frenzy is the aftermath of me sewing my mum's skirt a few days prior to this. lol!

my very first successful project was a simple v-neck maxi dress i made for my company annual dinner end of last month completed over a 2 night period (last minute!) which was supposed to be inspired by the 70s maxi dress era. the dinner was themed the rolling 60s & 70s so i thought it was apt. i'd upload the photos here but it's in my laptop so ir you wanna have a looksee, just click on the respective links in the text above. *smile*

Bit3Lips!!! garage sale in town...

if you're staying in kota kinabalu, and you're looking to update *wink* your wardrobe, drop by the Bit3Lips garage sale this 29th and 30th november, 10am-10pm, for great bargains!!!!

click for larger image

click for larger image

eveyrthing from RM5 onwards in multiples of RM5 (i.e. RM5, RM10, RM15... you get the idea). spread the words people!! Visit their official site here.

3 weeks down.. 6 more months to go...

wouldn't you know it?!?! i've only been on herbalife for 3 weeks to date. and i thougt it was longer. anyways, my sponsor and i were discussing a more cost effective way to make purchases and making some part time income. it's gonna take a bit of investing and although i am deeply considering it, where am i going to get the funds? as does any form of business, capital is always a factor.

anyways, the great news is i've lost 3kg for the 3 weeks i've been on the product. yay!! that's an average of 1kg per week which is still within healthy levels.

did you know that it's actually against company rules to sell the products to non-members at the discounted prices? the products are only supposed to be sold to non-members at retails prices. the problem is as i've said before, a lot of people are just out there to make profits (i.e. cash) instead of being the support system and guide the consumer needs and deserves. and that's the sad part.

6 more months to go to my goals. huhu.

Broadband Opportunities - A Series of Talks...

Last week there was a series of talk held over a 2-day period at Le Meridien, Kota Kinabalu organized by SKMM (a.k.a. Malaysian Commission of Multimedia and Commnications) entitled Broadband Opportunities. Unfortunately I was too engrossed in the talk that I totally forgot to capture the event with my handy phone camera. I was there of course on behalf of the company (a.k.a representing my employer/company) with a colleague of mine. Don't get me wrong, I was interested in attending the event anyways but am extremely fortunate that it is in a way part of my job to go.


Talk 1 by Sabah Computer Association representative, Mr Taitim Tulas, discussed the pros and cons of the Internet. Needless to say that at the end of his talk, we find that the pros far outweigh the cons. With the Internet, we have a vast knowledge pool which is accessible by everyone with a connection. Everyone's getting digitized and being part of this huge global community. Then there's the rapidly growing blogging population following the freedom of expression granted via the Net. Who can leave out social networking? Everywhere you go the words Facebook, Friendster, Myspace, etc will pop up. We have a steadily expanding e-commerce following with auction sites such as eBay and Lelong, online boutiques and online stores. People are even taking sewing and baking orders online these days. In our excitement over the advantages and opportunities that come with the presence of the Net, there's always a dark side to it. Net addition, inappropriate contents, viruses and a host of other downsides which warrants precautionary measures on our part as a responsible Net user, sibling, parent, etc.

Talk 2 was initially slotted for the State Library but there seemed to have been a slight change on the day as SKMM proceeded to elaborate on the development of ICT in Sabah. As usual there was the brief introduction to MyICMS 886 which is a government 5 year strategy (i.e. technology roadmap) comprising of 8 services, 8 infrastructure and 6 fields of development in the ICT arena. In addition to that, we were shown several slides illustrating the communication network currently available in the State and country in general as well as various promotions by local service providers. For those in rural areas, SKMM has been working hard to create ICT awareness and provide assistance and facilities to help bridge the technology gap such as the USP (Universal Service Provision), bringing telephony and broadband services to less urban areas, cooperation with local telcos (i.e. Maxis, Digi, Celcom, Time, TM, etc.) to expand coverage.

Next up was Mr Bruno Vun from SITC (Sabah IT Council) who spoke more on broadband opporunities driven by the community. First off he briefly introduced their vision and development model which included the e-Gov and K-society focuses. Moving on we were shown the various on-going programmes organized for the community namely Edu.Net, eMas, Desanet (Mobile Internet), e-Desa (Community Centres), ICT Fiesta, Hi-T Talk, ICT Camps and more. I reckon all these information would be online once SITC's website is out of renovation.

Talk 4 was conducted by Mr Sahrimin bin Mohd Iman, the Account Manager for TM Sabah on TM Leverage in Broadband. In other words, this was more of an explaination of the broadband technology for the non-technical audience. TMnet being the most widely used internet provider here did not let go of the opportunity to promote their products (i.e. 1515, 1315, 1525, Streamyx, SME options, VSAT) and current promotions (i.e. Streamyx Combo).

Talk 5 welcomed newcomer RedTone promoting upcoming WiMax facilities and services. Since this was a rather non-technical audience, a layman's version of the technology briefing was given with ample illustrations and examples. Can you imagine using WiMax technology for your car, fridge and who knows what else? We'll have to wait and see how this new technology develops here and how the market picks it up.

Day 2 brought about another 4 talk sessions (more like 4 1/2 with a late entry by Time dot com before lunch). Starting off the day with Talk 7 (Talk 6 on Day 1 was supposed to be from Astro who was unfortunately AWOL but did deliver those limited Astro Sports figurines at the end of Day 2) was MDeC representative, Mr Vernon Fernandez. Based on trends in the market, they've identified the 4 key verticals in the digital creative content area to be animation, games, mobile content and visual effects. And to fully support and develop Malaysian talents, many might not be aware of the M-CMCI or MSC Malaysia Creative Multimedia Content Initiative which was launched on April 10 two years back. The M-CMCI is involved in IP (intellectual property) funding, engaging strategic alliances, facilitating market access, encouraging skills development (especially in IHLs) and promoting digital media zones. Props to the Saladin team (hooked up with Al-Jazeera kids), Inspidea (Drop Dead was selected to be commissioned by Cartoon Network Asia, Mustang Mama was featured in Yahoo!, Johan, The Young Scientist on Johan.TV) and Red Turtle Animation (Tin Boys has won several awards and was shortlisted for the 2008 Delta Film Award (Manchester) Jury). In the spirit of encouragement, if you (or/and your team) are in this line of studies, grab this opportunity to showcase your talent!!

Now if I hadn't attended this particular talk series, I would probably never have known that SKMM apart from being a regulatory body affecting the work I do(*wink*), they are also handing out the Network Content Development Grant a.k.a. NCDG which is a fudn established to render financial assistance to talented, creative and well deserving aspiring Malaysians in the creative content arena. The NCDG focuses on 4 areas namely Information Based Content, Entertainment, E-commerce and Education. The grant is eligible to all Malaysian individuals/registered SME company in-line with the NCDG focus areas who have yet to be given grants and are not blacklisted or have records of failure in past project implementation upon receiving similar grants from other Government agencies. The grant covers up to a maximum 70% of the total project cost whereby the procurement of infrastructure is allowed up to 20 % of the approved grants. Only one grant can be extended to one applicant at any one time but subsequent grants are allowable up to 3 times. Detailed information on the grant can be found here.

Where does the line between Freedom of Speech and The Law fade? Ms Eneng Faridah Iskandar of SKMM gave us an insight on how it works in Malaysia. At the moment there isn't any one defining Act to refer to and is more the regulatory jurisdiction is still very limited. In some cases, articles of the Law tend to contrdict each other and there are a lot of grey areas to this matter. However, a rule of thumb is to avoid publishing content that is defamatory, obscene, of perjury, hateful, infringe copyrights, classified information, seditious and considered treason. Taking into account that the Internet domain is not confined to any one country or region, we still face difficulties in enforcing cyberlaws. Certain matters may be acceptable in one country but not in another. These conflicting views makes controlling the Internet a very difficult task. To summarize her talk, she urged that consumers/users take precautionary measures especially when it involves children having access to the www. The best way to go about it is to promote self regulation amongst Netizens and to simply be internet-savvy. I suppose Celcom's tagline describes it best, "It's in your hands".

Last but not least, the final talk session was by ASP Hazizi A Samad from PDRM's Multimedia and Cyber Crime Investigation Division in Bukit Aman relating the enforcers take on the Cyber Crime Trend in the country. Cyber crimes range from illegal cash transfers, service theft, information theft, fraud, viruses, cyber vandalism, cyber trespassing and so much more. Of course there are a lot of smart people out there, geniuses even, or just talented hackers if you may. Encodings, encryptions and lack of resources, expertise and information has been known to thwart police efforts in enforcing the law when it comes to cyber crimes. Those peeps on TV makes it look incredibly easy but as it is in reality, investigation in this field takes time and spreads even beyond the legal jurisdiction of our fellow enforcers. So everybody please beware of phishing websites, false threats, key-loggers and the likes. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Well, the best part about participating in events such as these is the hotel food. And Le Meridien sure doesn't disappoint. I suggest that if you have the opportunity to attend please do. You'll learn new things, gain more information on the latest developments in the ICT industry, meet new people, expand your network and more often than not go home with freebies, ahem, memorabilia apart from the parade of food (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea).

a wedding, herbalife, and exams...

apparently it's wedding season. the first from the gang just tied the knot with her beau (who just happens to be one of my classmates in matrix) yesterday. nana and i attended on behalf of the rest of the group to share this happy occasion with mrs aggy morosco (not her actual name but i just like to call her that). the reception was held at the tun fuad stephens community hall in penampang. unfortunately for me, i had the camera in ISO mode which delivered totally HORRIBLE watercolour-like photos. silly me.

*****

anyhoo... it looks like my herbalife journey is still a long way to go. i've barely finished my first month and so far although i haven't lost much weight but my mum noticed i'm not so 'round' anymore. yay!! that's good news in my books. LOL!!

but my sponsor did say that i'll need at least 6 months to get back in shape internally as well as externally i suppose. no matter. at least at the end of it all i'll be healthier too. although i've been meeting with some herbalife fanatics too. people who can live off a diet of the protein shakes and choc peanut protein bars. i don't know if in the future i'd ever fall into their category but it is a scary thought when you come to think about it. of course i'm not condemning anyone here. i mean, to each his/her own right?

then there are those peeps who are out there just to make the extra buck. don't really supply prospective customers with the proper information to get started on the products. obviously anyone new to ANY product especially in the slimming/health arena would be clueless on how to consume it and the possible aftereffects of said products. i urge everyone out there planning on getting on to whatever program out there to be better informed and do your homework. if there's an mlm element involved, make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. always give yourself a benefit of a doubt and don't be afraid to practice even a teeny bit of scepticsm. nothing wrong with being cautious. *smile* more often than not, we get either a price-less brochure or simply a list of products with the retail and discounted prices for our *ahem* perusal. personally, i'd like someone to explain or at least brief me a bit on the product to give some insight to what i'm jumping into. fortunately for me, my sponsor has been very good at keeping me informed. she's been supplying me with information since day 1 and i thank her for that. it's always nice to have someone guide you through the process and inform you what to expect during that period as well.

*****

i'm sooo happy and proud of my little bro. although he didn't excel in his recent upsr exams, i'm just so excited that he didn't fail!! i know it sounds like i've been setting the standard a bit low for him. but some (i use the word some very loosely here) boys are like him. all caught up in the gaming world or DOTA and the likes. LOL!! hopefully, he'll buckle up for secondary school life sooner rather than later and give the overrated education a second chance. *crossing fingers*

the journey has begun...

in my previous post i've shared some of my opinion on the various weight loss aids and slimming products that i've tried personally prior through out my struggle with my own weight. obviously not all the products were taken simultaneously. some had even been taken several years back bearing no significant improvement.

now in the few years, i've come across a bunch of people suggesting i try out herbalife. i've heard through these sources that they personally know people who've successfully lost the excess weight (i.e. fat) through herbalife. but at the time i was still reluctant. uninterested if you may.

so anyways, recently i met up with a friend - whom i got to know through work - who has just resigned and joined the herbalife family as a staff. although there was no visible reduction in her size, but i suppose i was already in the "ready" state of mind to finally give it a shot. mind you, my stepdad had already tried the products a couple of years back but did not achieve the desired results (mainly because he wasn't properly briefed on the appropriate intake). he offered the balance product for me to try but like i said, i was just not interested at the time.

anyhoo... i set up an appointment to meet up with my friend at her office and she introduced me to one of the available sponsors/coaches there to give me an insight and consultation. initially i thought of reviving my mum's membership (the one my stepdad had set up before) but seeing how complicated it would've been considering the membership had been deleted due to inactivity (plus her sponsors were deleted as well), i ended up joining myself. the upside of things is i have my sponsor to guide me and keep me on track.

my sponsor, sonia, is really nice. she explained what the product does and how my recommended intake in a way so simple that i didn't have that much to ask. she showed me pictures of herself and how much she'd lost through the programme. of course she was diligent and disciplined in her regime. it was motivating. first off, she did an overall assessment of my current body condition (via the tanita weighing device) and took note of my bmr (base metabolic rate), fat %, muscle mass, body water %, built, body age, etc. then she went through each item one by one and explained what it meant and at what level i should target for. most of which of course i'd already had a general idea of. after recording all that, she asked several questions about my general health and took my body measurements. of course there's the before pictures as well.

i've come to realize that regardless of age, we should always pay attention to our health. there's a common misconception that when you're young you can eat just about everything and only when you're old you have to put restraints on your eating habits. in actuality, we need to look after ourselves every single day irrespective of how old we are.

although my sponsor did not suggest an exercise plan to complement the herbalife programme she had recommended for me, one of my doctors suggested i simply wake up early every other morning to do a 20 mins brisk walk before work. there goes my "i don't have time" excuse out the window. *lol* i'm still recovering from my fever-flu-cough-vertigo at the moment so i haven't utilized the treadmill at home. haha...

anyways, wish me luck in my herbalife journey!! i'll be sure to put up before and after shots if everything goes as planned. :)

weight loss and supplements...

i've been dealing with weight problems for the longest time. i used to be this scrawny girl who could eat practically as much as i like and not gain weight. those were the days. once i hit puberty my weight began it's glorious increase up til form 5. fortunately by mid-form 5 i was beginning to lose weight somehow (i took dance classes for 2 months) and returned to my slimmer sillouhette by year end. it stayed that way for about 3 years - well, kinda. i did gain during my uni semester breaks - until that unfortunate gastric attack during the end of my 2nd year's 2nd semester. who knows whatever meds the doctors injected into me while i was laying in the university's health centre emergency ward (thanks to the help of my buddies, muax babes!). all i kno is from then on weight loss was no longer a breeze. my weight escalated and all efforts to slim down was somewhat hampered. *sigh*

here i sit now at my highest weight to date still trying almost everything under the sun to reach the ideal and healthy weight for my height and frame. days gone by and my target still eludes me. i enlisted in the then new gym in town - y fitness - which recently went "kaput"! i did manage to squeeze some good out of the membership so not much regrets there for not going as regularly as i'd hoped. anyways, the reason for this blog entry is this. sharing my experiences with slimming products currently in the market. *smile*

this is a product i absolutely love at the moment. oriyen's corn fibre plus chewables. it contains corn fibre (duh!!) to bind and flush oil out of the body, green tea to prevent digestion and absorption of oil and fat and garcinia fruit which prevents fat synthesis and increases metabolism. you can take it before, during or at most 30 mins after taking a heavy or highly fatty/oily meal. gotta love that flexibility. seriously, you can literally see the oil in your stools!!! i kid you not. it's yummy too (orange flavour). there's absolutely no discomfort for me or frequent motion passing. it really helps alleviate the guilt of eating your fave foods!!

nn's apple juice drink with l-carnitine is delish! since l-carnitine is highly found in red meat (which you shouldn't be taking a lot of), this is a great alternative. i drink 15ml mixed with 1/2 glass of water twice a day. what it does is converts your fat deposits into energy which is great cos it helps make me feel less fatigued hehe. as far as weight loss results, i can't vouch for its efficacy yet. omg! yes, i do have a cellulite problem and i'm not proud of it. anyhow, since it's already there, i might as well find some way of improving its appearances right? enter nn celluease caps. that's 1 cap twice a day (as recommended on the box). i've ony just started on this so i can't really say it's working because i'm also doing some kneading with l'oreal's pro-massager (i'll talk about it in a bit). this is gonna sound so cliche but because cellulite is a result of poor circulation, it's recommended to consume at least 2 litres of plain water (about 8 8oz glasses that is). but mind you, this really varies on the individual though. some people might need more than 2 litres daily depending on your own body water composition. you can check with a nutritionist on this. i was watching dr. mehmet oz on oprah last night and he mentioned the importance of fibre in our diet. so here's what i've started taking recently: nn fibre plus (main component: psyllium husks). it's sugar-free and absolutely yummy (orange flavoured again). of course we all know fibre helps for those who experience constipation and anyone with high cholesterol problems. this product is said to have a higher fibre potency than oats. so if you're not really into the whole oatmeal thing, here's a nice alternative to look into. just 1 heaped scoop (scoop included in can) with 1/2 or 1 glass of water. if you take this in between meals, it helps to fill you up to curb cravings too! but i take it for it's fibre benefits. *wink* no, you won't be rushing to the bathroom with this one.
as a breakfast meal replacement (on most days), i take nn thermo trim drink either in vanilla or choc flavours. the easiest way to prepare this drink is mixing 1 glass of water (i use room temp water) with 1 tbsp nestle nesvita non-fat milk powder and 1 sachet of thermo trim - all in a shaker. i like it simply because it doesn't taste like a meal replacement. it's like having milo or milk for breakfast. anyways, i'm pretty filled up in the morning after a glass of this, the apple juice and fibre drink. i don't recommend drinking the choc version sans milk though. i personally didn't quite like the taste. if you don't have nesvita non-fat, use any low-fat or skim milks instead. plus, you can get creative with the preps - make smoothies and fruity shakes. alternatively, you can take this between meals or replace breakfast and dinner. *smile*
i may be a bit biased (i love l'oreal) but this is a wonderful product. unlike any other slimming or firming lotions out there, this one has it's own massage head. and it only takes 1 to 2 strokes on the intended areas! first massage, then use the post-massage lotion on the other end. simple and not messy. no intense massage sessions required. i definitely saw improvement with my gigantic thighs. the cellulite is less visible and skin texture is smoother. i actually tried this before buying the celluease. hehe. and to think i'm only on my first bottle!
now here's a product i'm still waiting to try but am still waiting for my iou's to arrive. oriyen's mixed vinegar tabs i said to contain the beneficial acetic acid content of a whole lemon. contrary to popular belief that lemons are bad for you if you have gastric problems (like me), it's actually recommended to stabilize the acidity in the stomach (as per my mum's doctor's advise). ok, so i'm not just interested to try this supplement because of it's neutralizing properties but also because of its many other benefits (read: apple cider vinegar) including promoting weight loss. did you know that if your body is acidic, it holds on to more fat to protect your internal organs?!?!?

ok. for what didn't quite cut it for me: nh detoxlim and nh detoxlim plus. i know the package says no side effects and all natural ingredients and all, but unfortunately these aren't the products for me. i had acute stomachaches and at times it became so bad i could barely walk about and end up resting on the bed. i tried both versions on two separate occasions but with the same results. in fact i got similar effects with putri binari's pijut perut xlim (previously known as susut perut).another -xlim family is beauxlim. i know the ads are very inviting. it enticed me. lol! but i really didn't see any results whatsoever with this product. i bought the 2+1 value pack (2 in fact) for a 2 month programme. no stomach pain with this one though (thank goodness!!). nothing extraordinary with this experience. it's pretty much as described on the box except maybe the part where they say at one stage your body no longer absorbs fat or something like that.

here's a product that has garnered rave reviews but i'm thinking it's probably only meant for those not so big peeps out there. maybe for someone who needs to lose the extra buldge (a small buldge i presume). plus the massaging part is such a chore!! but then again, if you're really interested in this, there's always the watson lotion massager unit to the rescue. just fill up the cylinder with the wonder shaper and squirt squirt, you can start the battery-operated massager. *smile*

all this talk about products and meal replacements and what not, don't lose sight of making sure your body gets the proper nutrients. the best and easiest way to get your daily dose of vitamins and minerals is an all-in-one (pretty much) tablet. after scouting around for the best brand to provide this need for me, i've settled with gnc's women's ultra mega multivitamins. if you're a member (i think it's rm30 - don't quote me on this cos i'm not too sure) you could get it at a discounted price. but if you're lucky, and you tell the salesgirl you'd like to try out the product first before considering membership, she might be able to give you the member's discount as well. *wink* for better value, get the bigger bottle (90 tabs) which should last you about 3 months. the best thing about this particular multivit is you only have to take it once a day (i.e. at breakfast) and the vits are time-released so you don't have to break it in half (as recommended by dr. oz on oprah) to make sure you don't waste the benefits. for a detailed look at the vits and minerals list click here. so far after much comparison, i have yet to find a rival to the list of goodies packed in this one.

hhmm. calcium is also important. we don't want to have to go through osteoperosis in our golden years now do we? my one-a-day tab only provides half the recommended dosage (but our bodies can take up more) which is why i've added the nesvita non-fat milk powder to my thermo trim (apart from improving the taste of the choc flavoured version). according to the nestle website, 2 glasses of the milk product accounts for 100% of the recommended dose. so there you go. there's also magnesium and d3 vitamin in the multivit and those are important for calcium absorption as well as making sure your stools aren't too loose/hard.

if you're lactose intolerant or you just plain don't like milk, try citrex cal-mag-d3 then. these are choc flavoured chewables and best part is unlike most other brands, it contains not only calcium but both magnesium and d3!! and because these are chewables, it's just so convenient.

i wasn't at all interested in taking supplements before this. especially not on a daily basis. but end of the day i came to a realization that it isn't easy to fulfill our recommended dietary dosage of vits and minerals. and more often than not, in this day and age, there's just way too much processed foods and food lacking in nutrient which makes it even harder to stay healthy proper. i'm also taking bio-life's 1000mg epo 1 vege cap a day. epo helps balance out hormones and if you experience pms (i.e. cramps, mood swings, etc) this is a great help.

The Melamine Scare...

Now that petrol prices are more or less stabilizing and the government is slowly reducing petrol prices (1st: 15 sen; 2nd: 10 sen), here comes another outbreak from China (list- bird flu, HMD, dangerous dye-cast iron toy cars, JE, etc.), The Melamine Scare!!!!

I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that I've been literally fed melamine via the famous (now infamous) white rabbit candy:



But seriously, by only taking the example of white rabbit alone, I'm betting that's a lot of children and parents (*ahem* during their childhood) to have eaten these toxic candies. I wonder how much melamine is in our bodies now especially with the knowledge that a host of other products are also contaminated.


Now when the word melamine is heard, the first thing that comes to my mind is obviously plates and the likes. Only a few months back my grandma was making such a fuss about using melamine-ware for dining. She's been insisting that we serve food in ceramic or glass plates and bowls instead. Looks like she's more far-sighted than the rest of us. Though it's not like she bans the use of melamine-ware completely. Her main concern is when serving hot food in fear that the heat might result in a teeny bit of melamine to be mixed into the food. Now with all this bad publicity on melamine, her words bear more weight.


Thank goodness my Nestle Nesvita Non-Fat Milk is off the hook with the assurance from Nestle Malaysia:

As a precautionary measure, Malaysians or those visiting Malaysia can check on the list of milk-related products affected at the Ministry of Health website.


Now this begs the question, why China?!?!?! Apart from the fact that a whole lot of things are "Made in China" these days due to cheap labour there that is. I wonder if these Chinese perpetrators are cutting corners just to save costs and woo in investors. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to blame anyone or suggest anything here. But let's ponder the notion for a moment. Has anyone forgotten the case of the dye-cast iron toy cars?!?!? I mean c'mon. My little brothers play with those things (and not to mention a gazillion other kids). Younger children would even put those toys in their mouths and what not.


Worst still, even vegetable produce is affected by this adversity. How is it possible that with so much advancements in the field of technology, we're becoming more and more destructive to ourselves (and the world we live in)? It is to my understanding the the fundamental of pursuing these advancements is to alleviate our pains and ease our tasks. Or am I still in a primitive state of mind here?


The movie Wall.E is actually an amazing example of how technology really spoils us. In the movie, the human race can't even walk!! After tumbling down from the moving seats, the guy didn't even know how to get up! As lazy as I am, I do hope we never get to that stage though. But I loved the part where the captain of the ship got so obssessed with learning about the civilization and simple life the human race had left behind. Of course that part and the cute little romance thingy going on between Wall.E and Eva. Hehehe.


Back to the main topic here, let's all hope that China beefs up it's health guidelines and policies for the benefit of us all. By us I'm referring to the entire global population. Profits can only take you so far.

bitten by the sewing bug...

yeap. i've been bitten by the sewing bug. ok so technically i've always liked sewing somehow. when i was in primary school i got excited with hand stitching. a whole lot of trials and errors during the learning process (from a home ecs book no less). then of course there was the cross stitching phase which after awhile i kinda got tired of. heheh. it's such tedious work but i'm happy to know that i know how to do it. LOL!!! oooo and i did learn a lil bit of crocheting from my late grandma and great grandma. i've never actually completed a project on that though. just basics. hehehe. i've got sweaty palms so it didn't really work for me.

when we did home ecs in form 1 through 3, i loved the sewing parts. not that i was any good at the time but it was just something i found interesting to do. there was the skirt project, the kitchen hand towel project and of course the pmr box cover project. that involved a bit of quilting (well, kinda).

my mum had gone for sewing lessons before at her work place. so she knows a thing or two about sewing. so we have a sewing machine at home because of it. that was almost 20 years ago!!!! but i totally love the machine she has cos you don't even have to take the bobbin out of the arm to wind it. hehehe. this particular model/line winds the bobbin in the arm itself. hehehe. anyways, the machine has done a lot of good for us. my mum and i usually do the curtains for our home. in fact we've just finished the dining and kitchen curtains during ramadhan. now we're planning on the huge front door panels' curtains. thank goodness kamdar is finally here!!!! i heart kamdar for all the beautiful fabric they have. LOL!!!! but seriously, the sewing machine is mainly used for clothes repair and pants hemming. hehehe.

after realizing how enormous i've ballooned (i can't fit into ANY of my baju kurungs' skirts), i got the idea of sewing my baju kurungs myself. with a superb online tutorial from myGFL. unfortunately it didn't come out as i'd like mainly due to my overambitious nature (no clothes sewing experience and i had to choose a difficult and slippery fabric to work with). good thing i managed to salvage my raya wardrobe panic with a couple shopping expeditions a few days before we left for my grandma's house. LOL!!!!! to think i'd wanted to help sew my lil bro's raya costume as well. hehehe.

anyways, from then on everything built up. my passion for sewing that is. hehehe. i found an absolutely awesome site that has downloadable and adjustable patterns.my next project is to sew a pair of pants and a simple basic pencil skirt for work... i've already printed the patterns (seam allowances included) but haven't patched them up yet. hehehe. this should be fun. weeeee!!!!!!

another sewing project i've been addicted to somewhat is t-shirt surgery. my mum borrowed a book for me from the library a few months back cos she thought i'd like it (and i LOVE it by the way) called Generation T. this is a fantastic book i'm telling ya.. this book has a gazillion (more like 108) ways of transforming the average tee. it's truly inspiring and from the rave reviews i've been reading about it, it's one of the best out there!!

then there's a community site on LJ dedicated to t-shirt surgery (here). now there used to be a member there that makes the most gorgeous pieces called ninjatoshiba but somehow she's been wiped off from cyberspace all of a sudden. her site/blog on piczo is non-existent too. i wonder what happened to her?!?!?

another reason for my sudden obssession for sewing is because although i'm not exactly super duper double whammy incredibly huge in size or anything, mot stores, boutiques and outlets don't have stuff that fits me and a lot of which don't have the kinda designs that i like. i'm a very simple person and i play around with a lot of basic pieces when it comes to my sense of style. the fashion scene where i live is dominated by hong kong, korean and japanese fashion cultures which unfortunately cater to more boney frames. dresses are mostly in free size (or as they call it in indonesia "all size") that generally fits sizes xs to m. t-shirts are littered with nonesense sentences and spelling errors that i'd be too embarrassed to wear in public. just the other day i was looking for some new pair of work pants. and guess what?!?!? the store only had up to size L. how pathetic is that?!?!?! although they insisted that they have a size xl but it comes as a blazer-pants set and needless to say, i don't need a blazer. this is why i do a lot of my shopping at fos. nichii's pretty good too for basic stuff. me likey!!!

anyways, some clothes are cheaper sewn than bought. heheh. at least i've got a hobby again. :) yay!!!!

packing the pounds is easier than trimming down...

after a month of fasting, syawal has arrived bringing the ever-anticipated aidilfitri celebrations. of course we went back to my grandmother's house for the annual family get together to mark the end of ramadhan. hari raya is i think more of a celebration of feasting than anything else. of course there are the sad sentiments woven into the picture. reminiscence of those who've passed and are not able to share the joy and laughter of today. the young collecting green packets filled with cash.

ooo.. the food!!! apart from the scrumptious selection of cakes and delicious food (i.e. mutton & chicken curry, beef rendang, mixed vege, soto, etc.), then there's the indian twist (mostly because my stepdad's indian blood) with chapati and dhal. yum yum... delicioso!!

you would expect one to actually lose weight or slim down a bit during fasting month. well, i failed miserably in that area despite having lesser food intake. my body's not working as it should.

well, all of a sudden i'm on this health spree or something. i've acknowledged that i need supplements (finally!) am currently trying out gnc women's ultra mega multivits and am taking it with epo. then i've just started on cellu-ease tablets to reduce cellulite appearance. to aid my weight loss efforts, i'm also taking nn l-carnitine apple juice (delish!!) twice daily and oriyen corn fibre whenever i'm consuming oily or fat-rich foods. soon i'll have to start on my yoga poses. the last time i did yoga it helped increase my body muscle mass. the difference is this time i'm taking it slow. i've been trying to lose weight too fast for my own good and it backfired. i ended up becoming even lazier (and bigger) than before i started. call me crazy but i'm taking meal replacements for breakfast. at the moment i'm trying out nn thermo drink (vanilla & choc). hehe. i'm obssessed with cosway products now and can't wait for next month's promos.

selamat tinggal bandung..

the whole bandung trip was as a whole a huge jumble of emotions and experiences. we had to stay overnight in kl and my mum's friend had a membership with leisure holidays so we managed to get free board at jln ipoh. the condition of the premises was less to be desired of but who am i to complain? we had to move to another apartment suite because the one we were initially given had a disfunctioning toilet and the a/c was out. the new suite wasn't that much of a change though. we still had to manually switch on the a/c and i'd to tweak the toilet contraption for it to be able to flush.

after settling in, everyone moved on to do some warm up shopping at sogo which wasn't too far away. my mum and i didn't actually do any shopping considering we weren't too keen on shopping in kl and carrying all the new stuff to bandung and drag it all the way back again. we did however buy a couple of books (small ones) which my mum had been looking for. we'd normally eat at insaf at jln tar but the rest of the group were more interested in the sogo food court. at least i got to get my mum to sample the yong tau foo there. hehehe. after some more roaming around in semua house, we were back in sogo to have a little snack at secret recipe where i must say the service is not that up to par.

after rounding up the gang, we headed back to our humble (temporary) residence. rested for a bit before deciding to go down and look for food (a.k.a. dinner). i watched on as my mum had some nasi lemak with fried chicken. was waiting for my bff to come by pick me up. since i didn't really want to go far for fear of being locked out, we both decided to have dinner at the nearby dominos. a quick stop to the atm where we bumped into some suspiciously scary duo. had a nice time catching up over our large double crust aloha chicken pizza and parmesan breadstix before my mum signalled to get my a** back. lol!!

the flight to bandung took about 2 hours. omg!! indonesia airasia is such a drag! not to be mean or anything but the plane condition needs improvement and the flight was rather shaky. had the flight been longer, we'd all prolly be throwing up like nobody's business!! hehe. it was my first time to bandung and the airport was really small. after being cleared by immigrations, we had to make a u-turn and get our carry on bags scanned. the same scanner was used to scan all our incoming luggage (from cargo) as well. so everyone was kinda crammed at the edge of the scanner looking for their checked in baggage. it was such a mess!!

our guide/driver was already waiting for us outside the airport (indo: bandara/bandar udara). we all hopped into the van and went to get some padang food for lunch. then the drive to rumah ebo didn't take that long. it was a quiant place. narrow from the front but the length of the overall house was pretty long and it had a pretty little garden in the middle of the house surrounded by a koi pond. as soon as we've settled in, the shopping spree began. we immediately headed for rumah mode, mode plus and natural. honestly, i didn't buy much. the pants i wanted wasn't in my size. the fact that maybe my shopaholic instincts hadn't kicked in yet prolly contributed to it as well. so i obediently tagged along to my mum. dinner was interesting. we had gurame fish soup, fried and grilled gurame fish, fried tofu and tempe with belacan (shrimp paste) and some vege too.

although in general, i felt at peace in bandung, that first night after my mum had fallen asleep, i was just about to join her in slumber when i heard someone slightly knocking on the door. i thought it was my mum's friend who wanted to return the nail clipper she'd borrowed from us but i figured she could always give it back the next morning. after ignoring the knock, i started hearing sounds of wood being scratched. i ignored it and forced myself to sleep. when my mum casually asked her friend if she'd come by last night, her friend thought she was referring to her earlier visit. hhmmm...

day 2 of the shopping expedition, we headed for rich & famous (a.k.a. happening factory outlet) and a couple of other shops at jln dago. had lunch at ibu suharti's fried chicken where they say even the chicken bones are edible and was back at jl. dago to resume the shopping frenzy. the whole stretch was littered with factory outlets which actually more or less sold similar items but there are those different pieces you might not find in the other outlets. our guesthouse was just a stone's throw away from jln dago. so if anyone was thinking of some last minute shopping could just walk up to grande for instance. hehehe.

during day 3, we were brought to pasar bharu. it's pretty much like manila's divisoria mall. approximately 5000 stalls were housed in pasar bharu so you can imagine how confusing it must've been like to roam around. imagine being lost inside with no sense of direction. i bought myself a telekung set (prayer costume) and clothes. if i was of a smaller size, i'd prolly had bought a whole lot more stuff considering the choices they had there. of course i bought some batik perkalongan dasters for myself and one for my bff. i bought this gorgeous dress there too. heheheh. my mum bought 2 sets of gorgeous material for a kurung or kebaya set.

the outlets in jln riau weren't as impressive. although heritage had a good selection of clothes and bags albeit slightly pricier. bought a few stuff at the stamp which was opposite heritage. cascade bore a higher price tag as well. the new outlet, the secret, had a nice mysterious kinda look to it and the clothes were nicely placed. i was actually more interested in the photo frames near the back exit to the garden. hehe. terminal tas was filled with low quality bag imitations which was such a turn off for me. i had high hopes of getting a carry bag (should've bought one at greenhills, manila when i was there in may). fortunately i did grab a lesportsac imi at rumah tas the day before at Rp.135,000.

sunday was all about relaxation. the guide/driver brought us to tengkuban prahu to see the volcano crater (seriously not my thing) after a brief shopping experience at the morning sunday market. while waiting for a couple of the group members who were searching for our missing trooper, we had a quick morning snack at a restaurant (indo : resto) nearby. after the crate we had lunch (at 4pm!!!!!) at kampung daun. the place was cozy and nice. we picked a hut next to the mini waterfall next to the stream. straight from lunch, we went down to the roger's salon, spa and clinic for some pampering. we were lucky enough to be able to stretch our 3pm appointment to our 6pm arrival. lol!! i took this opportunity to do a hair spa, foot spa and ear candling. all that for only Rp.443,500 (~RM160). the foot spa worked wonders for me. my feet were overworked from all the walking and shopping. i jumped at the chance to do the hair spa. it was l'oreal after all. that alone was Rp.150,000 (~RM54) which was cheap by malaysian standards.

unfortunately my mum fell ill that night from food poisoning. we suspected it to be from lunch at kampung daun. i've never seen my mum sick like that before. she was shivering!!! her teeth were chattering and her whole body was shaking. she couldn't even hold a glass of water steadily. i rubbed some vicks vapour rub on her feet and put on her socks to help keep her warm. the next day i told her i'll just go to one store and then go find food so i could stay with her at the guesthouse the rest of the day. i let her rest and sleep while i joined the rest of the group to diaz (a.k.a. bag heaven). the whole time there i felt really bad (and sad) my mum wasn't there cos she was really looking forward to go to this particular store. so i ended up not buying anything and after dropping off the group at jln cihampelas (previously known as jeans street) to indulge in more factory outlets like paris van java and others, i went to get some water, buns and lunch for me and resumed my part as the doted daughter. at the same time i was really thankful that i'd come along to accompany my mum. i can't imagine how she'd be if she'd gone alone.

Moments of Loneliness...

You know those times when you're surrounded by a whole bunch of people but yet feel so hollow and lonely inside? Then you start thinking that you're kinda selfish for feeling that way. Sort of being unappreciative of what you have. Well, despite always having put a cheery front practically my whole life, it might be eating me up inside.

I don't like to show the people I love how miserable I feel inside. Of course I don't feel that way all the time. But there are moments when it gets to me. Probably just my own insecurities messing with me. Faking confidence is real easy. At the end of the day it becomes a way of life. Like the air you breathe. But it all boils down to the same thing. It's made up.

Honestly I feel selfish, like I'm letting the people I love down if I join them in their sorrow. Take for example my mum. When she was going through a tough time being diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago I couldn't let myself cry with her. I felt like I had an obligation to be stronger. I just had to. If I'd cry I was afraid that would make my mum even more sad and added to the pain that she was already going through. When I get frustrated with my brother for acting up (for years) I couldn't vent out and I could only cry inside.

I'm just afraid that one of these days I'll blow up. When I've reached my limit. Sometimes in darkness of my room at night, I'd let a few tears slip. I don't like feeling sorry for myself. I've had it good. But lately it's been getting worse what with me struggling with my weight and having my brothers test my patience day in and day out. Sometimes I'd snap at my mum unintentionally when she pushes me incessantly. Then I'd feel bad about it. All this and I haven't even started my own family yet.

Don't get me started on relationships. I don't even know how to start one. I barely go out now. After work, it's home and then the next day I'd wake up and head off to work again. The last time I fell for someone, he figured it was best to just be friends. My 20 year old brother is constantly making fun of me about the prospects of me not having a partner. Sometimes I do wish I had that someone to call up and go out with. Company.

There you go. My moments of loneliness.

Another Manic Reaction...

There seems to be another manic reaction to the issue that is petrol. Today word was out that tomorrow (25/06) all petrol stations were going to be on strike and won't be selling ANY petrol to the public. This of course caused such a crazy repurcussion. Every single petrol station (and roads leading to them) to be jam packed with cars. The lines were so insane that it spanned a couple of kilometres or more!!

My brother who was instructed to pump some petrol for my mum's car was stuck in all the insanity for 3 hours. I, on the other hand had grown fed up with the whole hulabaloo after realizing that I was only 1/4 of the line to the stations and made a U-turn to head for home. I don't care if there won't be any petrol transaction tomorrow but I figured it just wasn't worth wasting what little fuel I had left queueing up. The fact that I was driving alone and imagining it getting dark, and I'm who knows where, and I run out of fuel before I reach the station. How the heck am I suppose to push my car? And how far would I have to do so?

Even the political scene is getting really chaotic. I don't care whose fault it is, just fix the problem already. I don't think at this point in time we can afford to bicker about why this person or party is placing a no-confidence vote towards the Premier or to question certain quarters motives. Please just take some rectification action that makes sense and alleviates the burden and pain caused by the people. Shut up and get to work. All this power war is tiresome and honestly, useless. The people are getting restless. I feel it's useless telling the public not to cause a riot, to change their lifestyle, to be sensible, etc. Hel-lo!! With the limited time that we have, make a move that's unconventional, think out of the box and find a way to ease the rising concerns.

For example, the whole Yong Teck Lee issue. Isn't there anything better to do than to prove to the people that he's got skeletons hiding in his closet by exposing past wrong doings and portraying him as a greedy and power crazed? What about looking into the issues that he's brought up like the illegal immigrant problem that has since worsened? Or the Sabah oil royalty issue? Stop nit-picking on people's faults when there are bigger issues at hand. There are a heap of things to focus on that need immediate attention. Who cares about launching this and that? Who cares about officiating events? A government should be able to serve the people and not the other way around.

Does not saying "yes" to the government's decisions mean that we are supporting the opposition? I hope not. Because if that is the case, then what point is there to vote? What point is there to speak up? I don't believe in "blind support". Yes, we should support the good things, things that will fruit benefits. But there are times that we have to tell the government serving us that what they are doing is wrong. It makes no sense at all to simply be OK 100% with their decisions. The democratic power is held by the people and not the leaders. That is the basic fundamental of democracy. I'm not saying leaders should be slaves to the people's word but it's important that they listen and give it considerable thought. Stop pushing us away. The people will acknowledge and react accordingly if and when they feel cared for by the government governing them.

Lately it seems that the element of trust is slowly losing its grip. And believe me, trust is one of the most important elements that should be embodied by the people-government relationship. Or any relationship for that matter.

Are we being duped?!?!??! Another step towards inflation...

The rising prices of oil in the international market seems to really be having an adverse effect here in Malaysia (despite us having oil on our shores ourselves). The buzz was on yesterday afternoon with rumours circulating the price of petrol will be rising by more than 40% to RM2.70 per litre by midnight. As the working hours ended, the queue at all petrol kiosks began all the way through to midnight I presume.

What political and economical repurcussions are to follow by this sudden hike? One can only predict the dissatisfaction of the people on the government's move to such a drastic increase. According to the Domestic Trade Minister (Shahrir Samad), vehicle owners i.e. below 2000cc and motorcycle owners i.e. below 250cc will be compensated with rebates or RM625/year and RM150/year upon road tax renewal. Other alternatives have also been outlined for vehicles that don't fall into those categories. Is this 'cushion' sufficient to calm the impending uproar amongst the public? They're not even sure they'll be subsidizing for long either.

Tuesday's news (3/6/08) reported the new oil subsidy scheme to be implemented supposedly in August (supposedly yet to be decided). Now the press is reporting a somewhat different tune (just two days later). Not only is the price of petrol and diesel increased, it's also on a monthly review basis?

"Malaysian still pay lower than market price as far as
petrol is concerned."

- Pak Lah's comment reflecting the 30sen per
litre subsidy 'enjoyed' by Malaysians

Maybe Toyota should think about expanding it's Prius sales to this region. Maybe a hybrid car can help alleviate the pressure of this absurd price escalation (plus it's environmentally friendly too - talk about killing two birds with one stone). I don't quite get Pak Lah's comment though. It is to be expected that we're paying petrol prices lower than market price considering we mine petroluem.

Consequent to today's development, it seems that we should be bracing ourselves for the inevitable ripple effect. Consumer products (i.e. everything involving logistics) will also be experiencing an increase with many backing their price hike with the fuel price. With the government's intent to have prices reflect global ascend, it's not impossible that we'll be seeing petrol stations showcasing their price of the day as per done in many countries these days. I remember in the States (back in the days when I was holidaying there), the prices varied amongst petrol companies, as if saying 'may the best man win'. I wonder how long before we'll be witnessing that scenario here. Is it possible to pass subsidy duties from the government to the respective companies (i.e. Petronas, Shell, Esso-Mobil, Caltex, BHP, ProJet, etc.) and let them fight it out? How much are they willing to sacrifice for the consumers?

What are the government's plan to eradicate poverty in the country amidst the increasing cost of living? Is the anti-corruption efforts actually paying off? Without doubt, there are still a considerable number of irresponsible individuals out there in high places taking advantage of their position and ranks to aid their personal agenda and wealth. Where will the savings from the fuel subsidy be reallocated to? More unnecessary 'development' projects? Uncalled for 'leisure' benefits? Will the plans be shared with the public as per the government's vouch on transparency? Who prepares the year end report to gauge the government's performance and efficiency in distributing wealth to the nation and its people? How will we be able to review the heads we've dutifully elected to serve us? The current vibe is bad. A lot of people aren't happy with where the country's heading post-election. Buckle up people. The people's trust is not worth losing.

Would it hurt to at least have made public transportation more efficient, reliable and safe before having forced us to bear the weight of such a move? They're only addressing the matter now? Take KL for example. Bus services are unreliable and sparse. LRT stations are often jam-packed with people hoping to squeeze into already sardined trains. Don't even get me started on Komuter services. I've been amongst those unlucky enough to have to have waited for a Komuter which not only did not arrive as scheduled but was unacceptably an hour or so late. If I were to have to attend a meeting and the Komuter was the only mode of transportation I had the luxury of taking, rest assured my schedule would've been topsy turvy. While waiting for the Komuter just recently, I heard they'll be increasing the frequency to every 20 minutes. I'm not much of a sceptic but on this, I have my doubts. It doesn't help that most LRT/Komuter stations are oddly located. Some so isolated, I dare not jump off for fear of my safety. I'm not sure who does the transportation infrastructure but somebody had better fix it up. The best experience of public transportation that I've had the pleasure of experiencing so far is in Singapore. Can't we stop critisizing them and actually learn from what works for them?

Looks like like everyone else, I, a humble consumer and rakyat have to review my budget and see what other little luxuries I can still afford. *sigh*