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Open wide and S-M-I-L-E! November 22, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags, Thoughts & Scribblings , 12comments

Does it scare you to visit the dentist? For me, it sure does. I confronted my fears dead on today when I had my dental checkup. I tell you, the wait itself was excruciating enough. As I flipped through one of the magazines they had in the waiting room, I could hear the sound of drilling coming from behind the door. It doesn’t help that the walls are not sound-proof, you know. Then the anticipation of “When will they call my name?” sets in. Flip flip flip.. wait wait wait… and finally it was my turn.

Thanks goodness my dentist flashed a very sweet smile and she greeted me in the nicest way possible. Certainly made sitting in that chair easier. I had my teeth scaled and polished, and I was relieved when she told me that my teeth were in good shape. Phew! That’s what I like to hear: no cavities, no gingivitis, minimal plague. Made some small talk with her and asked her a few questions and that was it. Less than 30 minutes and I was outta there. Sparkling clean teeth and a bright smile :)

So if you haven’t yet visited your dentist in the past six months or more, perhaps it is time you did so. Your teeth will thank you for it.

And now, with a big smile, I shall complete the (supposedly) long tag from Ehon, who, by the way, takes some pretty amazing pictures. I no kid you, see?

LIST OUT THE TOP 5 PRESENTS YOU WISH FOR

  1. 5 more presents!
  2. Diamond jewelry and accessories
  3. Lingerie
  4. Gorgeous dresses
  5. Massages

THE PERSON WHO TAGG-ED YOU IS
Hodging, podging Ehon

LIST OUT 5 IMPRESSIONS OF HIM/HER

  1. Funny
  2. Articulate
  3. A person who values friendship
  4. A person with a big heart
  5. Knows how to appreciate life to its fullest

MOST MEMORABLE THINGS HE/SHE HAS DONE FOR YOU
Errmmm….he put me on his blogroll?

THE MOST MEMORABLE WORDS HE/SHE HAS SAID TO YOU

Ehon wrote this really funny “Do you know…?” post sometime back. Read through it and you’ll know why he thinks I am a Giddy Tiger.

IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , YOU WILL
freak out!!! Wei… I’m happily married liao la…

IF HE/SHE BECOMES YOUR LOVER , THEY HAVE TO IMPROVE ON
…eh, didn’t you read my previous response?

IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , YOU WILL
be startled, because I have YET to meet him. How to become enemy? Besides, I make friends NOT foes.

IF HE/SHE BECOME YOUR ENEMY , THE REASON WILL BE
not applicable based on my reason above.

PASS THIS QUIZ TO 1O PEOPLE THAT YOU WISH TO KNOW HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT YOU
10??!!! I’ll follow Ehon’s cue and tag five instead.

  1. Simple American
  2. LB
  3. Adino
  4. Narrowband
  5. Paris

Shiraz, Merlot, Zinfandel November 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 4comments

I’ve come to realize that my refrigerator is getting a little too small for the bottles of wine I am storing there. When we bought our fridge, it looked like a really huge one, we were sure we would not run out of space. With our growing collection of wine, we really need one of those classy wine racks I have seen on display everywhere, especially in home decorating books. My hubby and I love appreciating wine and we have more than a few bottles of red and white wine from when we visited Napa Valley years ago. I remember I was practically in wine heaven when we were in Wine County, although I was rather disappointed that some of the vineyards charged us by the glass for tasting! Anyway, that’s behind us now, and I have hardly indulged in wine for the past couple of years, mainly due to pregnancy and then breastfeeding. We have been telling ourselves that we would uncork that bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Robert Mondavi to celebrate a special occasion, but that has not occurred as yet. Coupled with the fact that my aunt, who loves wine too, gives me a bottle of Australian merlot every time she visits. So now, we have a collection.

I would certainly love to display my bottles of wine in a beautiful wine rack like this one:

Besides being an attention-grabber, it sure will serve as an excellent ice-breaker for a conversation. The black wrought iron curves resemble the creepy-crawly grapevines and would look absolutely stunning on my marble table. I can imagine how it would set off each bottle in splendor.

 

While I am at it, I am also thinking of getting wine glass holders. We currently have an array of wine and liquor glasses at home: glasses for red wine, white wine, whisky, brandy and champagne. Yeah, we have the entire collection. Would be awesome to get a grapevine wine glass holder to match the wine rack.

Or perhaps, in the spirit of Christmas, I might opt for an adorable moose-inspired design instead. Maybe Santa and his reindeer might want to join us for a drink too! Hehe…

Wait, there’s more. I also know that there is a secret WROUGHT IRON GARDEN GATE backdoor that would get me fantastic discounts for these items! Like a sleuth, I searched the site to open this secret door, and finally found it when I went to the main door of the site, scrolled down to where it says: “Our Store now has over 1,300 home & garden items for you to choose from!”, and clicked on the comma in that sentence! Oooh, I simply love the mystery and suspense…bye, I’m off to do some wine-rack shopping!

I scream, now you scream November 19, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags , 10comments

 
Photo Credits

My favorite kind of movie genre is the feelgood kind.  Something that gives me a lump in my throat at the end of the show, and well…maybe shed a tear or two.  It has been some time since I watched a movie.  All I have been watching lately are YATTAAAA-fying episodes of Heroes!  In a way, Heroes is kind of feelgood what… saving the world and all.  But anyway, some weeks ago, Her Royal Highness the Hijack Queen asked me to list down some movies which had me scared stiff.  But it isn’t entirely fair, because she herself is not a scary movie buff.  So how?  I am also not one to watch scary movies, but I’ll try to remember what I can okay?  In fact, the last horror movie I watched in the cinema was The Eye II.  It was a last-minute decision, and I cannot remember now why hubby and I ended up watching that, but all I could remember was that scene when a ghostly figure, long hair and all, suddenly appeared in the taxicab.  But instead of screaming out of fear, I laughed!  I don’t even know why… but it was a good excuse to have delicious GSC popcorn nonetheless.

Here’s my list of horror movies:

Orang Minyak
This Malaysian production was a pretty scary show to me when I was a little girl.  I remember being terrified of entering the toilet on my own for days on end.  Images of a man covered entirely in black oil, going around the kampungs raping virgins was enough to scare me.

The Omen
I remember the crows, the dogs and I remember I was really horrified of it all.

Psycho
Are you kidding me?  This show had me scared everytime I stayed in a hotel and pulled the shower curtain to take a shower.  I think I still am.  Thank goodness for shower stalls with glass doors now…

It
I’m still terrified of clowns to this day.

The Sixth Sense
Not your typical run-of-the-mill horror movie, but that scene in the school gym and that scene in the toy tent at home made me scream!  Now if I were to watch it again, I know when to close my eyes.

The Others
Okay, this was pretty scary for me, because I kept telling myself something was gonna happen next….

Poltergeist
Watched it as a little girl, and remembered how scared I was after that.  Never gonna watch it again.

Nightmare on Elm Street
Freddy Kreuger!  Aaarrrrgggghhhhh!!! *runs away screaming*

Who wants to scream with me?  Hold my hand?  Rinnah, May, Paris?

Unsigned & undiscovered November 19, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 1 comment so far

The new season of American Idol will be upon us soon.  I cannot wait to find out who makes the cut this time.  Will it be someone who sings primarily rock numbers or a crooner who is soulful and jazzy at the same time?  Will it be a guy or a girl winning it this time?  I wonder if any one of these independent artists will pass the scrutiny of Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, because some of these singers from these independent bands are really really good!  In my humble opinion, some of them are better than some American Idol audition hopefuls who only want publicity for themselves!

One of my favorite genres of all time is jazz.  In fact I specifically requested for jazz music to be played during my wedding reception.  However, not everyone can appreciate true jazz, so we had to mix it up a little with some contemporary tunes.  I also like to check out Christian artists and their work.  It is very interesting to see how gospel music has evolved through the years, while maintaining its essential ingredient.  Hmmm… perhaps my brother would be interested to register himself as an artist in this site…

Never too Patt to be Fatt November 15, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags , 17comments

One more day to go before we hit Friday, and then it’s the weekend!!! The past week has been horrific. Because of earlier meetings almost every day, hubby and I have been forced to kiss our pillows goodbye so much more earlier in the mornings, make like zombies and drag ourselves to work. Yesterday we celebrated Hump Day (Wednesday la), because after that point in the work week, it’s wheeeeee………. all the way down to the weekend. Okay, we’re weird that way.

But anyway, I am so looking forward to the weekend. It beckons with so many promises and unknowns. Will the giddy tigress cook again? Will I have enough sleep? Where to go shopping? Where to eat? Will I be able to get myself a chup or two? Hehe….

On the blogging front, I have a few tags on my to-do list, so I might as well do one now. How can I NOT do a tag on the FATT number eight? Angeleyes was *patt* enough to tag me on this *fatt* meme, and in true EFNTD blogging fashion, I shall oblige.

8 THINGS I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT:

  1. Being a good Christian
  2. Being the best Mommy I can be
  3. Working towards becoming an SAHM
  4. Improving my digital scrapbooking skills
  5. Advocating breastfeeding
  6. Shopping for the best bargains
  7. Blogging to keep my readers interested in what I have to write about
  8. Staying true to myself, and what I believe in, never compromising my integrity in whatever circumstance.

8 THINGS I WANT TO DO BEFORE I DIE:

  1. Be a SAHM
  2. Go to Anfield, Liverpool
  3. Get highlights for my hair
  4. Buy a house of my own
  5. Have a piano in my house
  6. Play with my grandkids
  7. Visit Europe
  8. Own a doggie. A golden, a lab or a beagle would be awesome!

8 THINGS I SAY OFTEN:

  1. Aiyo
  2. Why ah?
  3. Cheh…
  4. Woohooo!!!!
  5. Goodnight!
  6. Hello boy…. (to Ethan)
  7. I need to go to the loo
  8. Hi!

8 BOOKS I’VE RECENTLY READ:

  1. The Testament (John Grisham)
  2. The Innocent Man (John Grisham) ~ work in progress

… and I’m afraid that’s it. I hardly find time to read nowadays. But I have been reading The Malaysian’s Women’s Weekly magazine…and blogs!!  Do those count?

8 SONGS THAT I COULD LISTEN TO OVER AND OVER:

  1. Besame Mucho (Andrea Bocelli)
  2. The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
  3. Canon in D (Pachelbel)
  4. Livin’ on a Prayer (Bon Jovi)
  5. All I Ask of You (from the Phantom of the Opera)
  6. You’ll Never Walk Alone
  7. Amazing Grace
  8. The Voice Within (Christina Aguilera)

8 THINGS THAT ATTRACT ME TO MY BEST FRIENDS:

  1. Honesty
  2. Sense of humor
  3. They cook well :)
  4. Humility
  5. They are straightforward
  6. We have stuff in common
  7. We never run out of things to talk about
  8. We are close despite being far away from each other.

8 THINGS I’VE LEARNED THIS PAST YEAR:

  1. How to create digital scrapbooks
  2. Owning and maintaining a blog is not easy
  3. I can play Scrabble and RPS online with people who are living MILES away from me!
  4. Being a working mother is tougher than it looks
  5. Sometimes you just have to say, “Enough is enough!”
  6. How to make time when you simply have “no time” (and yet, I still don’t have enough time)
  7. Not to be too ambitious when setting New Year resolutions.
  8. To not be *afraid* of baby pee, baby poo and baby vomit.

8 PEOPLE I THINK SHOULD DO THIS CRAZY EIGHT MEME:

  1. ParisB
  2. Adino
  3. Hooi Ling
  4. Shooi
  5. Susan
  6. Irene
  7. Ehon
  8. Rinnah

Only a rocket quiz away! November 15, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 2comments


If there’s one thing I absolutely like to do, it’s taking online quizzes.  I used to relish taking those multiple choice quizzes in Cosmopolitan, ticking away my answers in reckless abandonment and then eagerly checking my score to see “How Sexy Am I?” or “What is your bedroom personality?” or other similarly crazy topics.  Now, I don’t even have to purchase a magazine to do these quizzes.  I am so glad that the internet has brought these quizzes to our very homes, just with the click of a mouse!  See, now I can find out “Who am I?” (duh!),  “How much of a dumb blonde am I?” or take a completely out of the ordinary are you goth test.   Now no one will EVER leave the PC!!!

Laksa Queen strikes again November 13, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking, Memes & Tags , 25comments

It is already November now, just about one and a half months to go before we usher in the New Year. And last weekend, I was proud to pat myself on the back for a job well done because I managed to add one more checkmark on one of the New Year resolutions I made at the beginning of the year, i.e. to cook more often.

Yes, I made Sarawak Laksa for dinner last Saturday night. My Mom and Dad were in Penang for a visit, so I took the opportunity to make use of one of the Sarawak Laksa sambal packets I had in the refrigerator. A friend of mine had bought me two packets of the sambal from Sarawak a couple of months ago, so I thought it was the perfect chance to put it to good use.  Besides, it has been years since I last cooked Sarawak Laksa.  The thing about Sarawak Laksa is that we need to boil the sambal in water and then filter it. I don’t really like the filtering part because this would mean I need to wash an extra set of pots.  After filtering, I added the chicken stock (this I made from steaming the chicken meat, not from the *buy-off-the-shelves* stock, mind you!) and some water from boiling the prawns. Coconut milk helped to seal in the taste, and of course, some salt to taste for good measure.

Oh, by the way does anyone know the shortcut to break off the tails from the bean sprouts (taugeh)? I did it the manual way and boy was it excruciating! Luckily for me, I was only cooking for four!  I would say that the person who manages to create a machine to de-tail taugehs will make millions, I am sure! Anyway, all other ingredients like chicken and fried eggs were sliced thinly, and the laksa was garnished with coriander, mint leaves and the juice from half a calamansi lime.  I ought to learn the art of how to make the eggs thin and fluffy from Mom though, because mine still isn’t quite there yet.   The authentic Sarawak Laksa is made using vermicelli or beehoon, but I like the regular thick assam laksa noodle, so I used that instead. We each had two bowls each and were so full we could hardly move!  Well, that was dinner for last Saturday.  Does my Sarawak Laksa look anything like Laksa Shack’s? :D

Oh, by the way, it’s not very healthy to eat till cannot move every day you know. But a little bit of everything is certainly acceptable and does wonders for the body. And having good food is definitely healthy, right? This from someone who absolutely adores food. Heh.  So Healy, my healthy tip is to eat everything in moderation. The key point is not to deprive yourself of enjoyment. We only live once, after all.  And yes, I am once again disguising this as a meme…

*****

Copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.) Share one of your own health tips (tip on how to be more healthy) with others. Try to make your tip short but informative. Tag at least 2 persons.

1. Be happy - Everyday health and beauty
2. Everything in moderation - Giddy Tigers

Happy people to tag:

LB
Rinnah

Custom writing for peeps November 13, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Thoughts & Scribblings , 2comments

College and university undergraduates certainly have it easy these days. I remember when I was doing my research and writing my undergraduate thesis, I spent so many hours on the computer. Not only did I have to code an entire risk profile management program that works, I also had to properly document it in the form of a thesis. Fortunately for me though, there weren’t many essay writing assignments for the course I undertook, but I had friends who had to burn midnight oil just to get that essay out by a dateline.

Now, I am thoroughly shocked to find out that people can in fact order a custom-written essay, thesis or even resume! Anybody can have a custom-written piece of document in his own writing style! Won’t this give rise to more lazy people? Won’t this result in people graduating without having the faintest ideas what they studied? What has the world become today?

Sort me here, sort me there November 13, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags , 9comments

Some years ago, I won two free tickets to watch a Harry Potter movie. I think it was the Prisoner of Azkaban. Both my hubby and I were not Harry Potter fans, and it was going to be the first Harry Potter movie for both of us. I remember it was also on a weeknight and the movie was to be shown in the GSC cineplex in Gurney Plaza, which was a good 30-minute drive away.

So anyway, off we both went, got our popcorns and drinks and waited outside for the usher to allow us in. There was a quite a large crowd there already, apparently everyone also got free tickets! The free movie was a contest held by a movie magazine (I forgot the name of the magazine) and there was a journalist present. She was talking to a few people, and then as luck would have it, she zoomed in on my hubby and I.

She asked my hubby, “So, who is your favorite Harry Potter character?”
Hubby replied, “Errr… which one if Harry Potter?”

Hehe…. Anyway, pun aside, I was reminded of that date hubby and I had when I discovered Healy had invited me take a Harry Potter-related sorting quiz. Call me ignorant, but I simply have no idea what different Hogwarts houses there are (Hog what??? hehehe) , but all the better because I will have an unbiased view of this test. So I took the quiz, and here’s the house I got sorted into:

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

After taking the quiz, a feeling of déjà vu swept over me because I remember quite distinctly that I had taken it a while back before… and whaddya know? Some sleuthing around revealed that I had indeed taken it a few months ago, when I read about Paris’s results. Oddly enough, back then, I got sorted into the Hufflepuff house. Have I changed that much in 4 months? Am I suddenly more brave, chivalrous and courageous?

*** start copy paste this invitation***

I know what you’re all thinking, “Not -another- sorting quiz!”, but before you get bored and leave, let me say a few things about it. This is not the ordinary sorting quiz that you’re used to. Unlike all those other quizzes infesting the Internet, this quiz actually sorts you for who you are as a person, not because your favorite animal is a lion.

I made this quiz as a reaction to all the bad sorting quizzes. The problem with most of the existing quizzes, is that the questions rarely have anything to do with which house you would actually be sorted into. Your favorite color doesn’t effect which house you belong to. Not every Gryffindor likes defense against the dark arts, not every Slytherin likes potions. Just look at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Each is in Gryffindor, but each has a completely different disposition. Harry’s father was often a bully and a thief, yet he was still in Gryffindor.

This quiz will actually ask you psychological questions with a variety of answers that can’t easily be determined as to which house they fit into. This was meant to be more like what the Sorting Hat does. Just remember though that you must answer these questions truthfully in order to get an accurate answer.

Also these questions are written to take place in our world, not the world of Harry Potter. I didn’t give a Harry Potter theme to the quiz because the answers are more accurate this way. As Muggles, we don’t have any idea what it’s like to be faced with a troll or a bogart and we’ve never played quiddich. Our answers may be skewed as to how our favorite characters would act instead of ourselves. However, we all know what it’s like to live in the Muggle world because we do it every day.

Please take the test and copy paste this *master list* after you are sorted and don’t forget to tag your friends! Let’s see which tower has the most members!

Gryffindor: Karen Adrian Eric Speedcat Giddy Tiger
Slytherin:
Ravenclaw: Mr. Fong Jojo kasper794, Wen
Hufflepuff: Trinity Amel Jo-N Anggie, Everyday Healy

***end copy paste***

Okay, I have a confession to make. This tag was just an excuse for me to narrate that Harry Potter story up there, so I’m not gonna tag anyone today. Besides, I’m so tired now. SIGH. It’s a five-day week and it’s only Tuesday!!!!

Diamonds & precious stones November 12, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers , 8comments

As a little girl, I encountered many weird yet funny moments. But one of the weirdest and funniest experiences was during the tea ceremony at a Chinese wedding. Make that *certain* tea ceremonies at *certain* weddings. Following Chinese tradition, the newlyweds will pour and serve tea to their elders, including their parents, parents-in-law and other relatives and next of kin. In order to qualify to be served tea, one has to be older than the newlyweds. It does not matter if you are married, single, widowed or divorced. However, if you are younger than the newlyweds and you are married, you get to claim a red packet or angpow from the newlyweds. So anyway, after partaking of the sweet, sweet tea (usually boiled with longans and red dates), a token of reciprocity will be given to the newlyweds. Some choose to give a simple angpow containing cash, but the traditional folks will present the newlyweds with a piece of jewelery.

So coming back to my weird experience…some newlyweds choose to employ a lady called a “sang-keh-mm” (in Hokkien) to assist during the tea ceremony. And assist she does. She doesn’t just pour the tea, mind you! I have witnessed these ladies offering their assistance of sorts during the entire ceremony. Her face will light up when she sees a token of appreciation in the form of a piece of jewelery. She would then open up the box and hold up the bracelet, earrings or pendant for all to see. At the same time, the “sang-keh-mm” is someone who is never short for words. She has plenty of sayings and poems up her sleeve, and she will be chanting all these whilst displaying the jewelery. Well, some even go as far as displaying how much cash the angpow carries! Then, the bride would be *forced* to wear the jewelery. To the “sang-keh-mm”, it is certainly not sufficient that the bride is already adorned with her Wedding and Engagement Rings, all other rings received must adorn her every finger too, better yet if they are all Diamond rings! If at all possible, every piece of jewelery received will have to be worn on the spot! I have seen brides with so many chains and Diamond Pendants around their neck, so much so that it looked as if they were weighing her head down! Normally, the groom will receive chains or rings, and believe me, he is not spared from being a jewelery model either!

Those who give expensive diamond jewelery will beam with pride. To them, it is a sign that they have *made it*. Yes, shallow but true. Unfortunately for those who give meager gifts, woe betide them for this exercise could be quite a mockery.

I have seen gifts made with so many different types of precious stones: Emeralds, Rubies, Topaz and of course Sapphire Rings. But come to think of it, I’ve never seen people giving Black Diamond rings before though. Could it be that it is because the traditional Chinese view black as a no-no color for weddings?

Well, I didn’t have a “sang-keh-mm” during my wedding. I wasn’t going to be modeling jewelry on my special day, that’s for sure! All the gifts I received were promptly taken by my maid of honor for safekeeping. However, that didn’t stop one of my guests from helping herself to the *tradition* by putting on a gold bracelet on my wrist! Hahaha!