Mental Desert

It hit 41 degrees in KL last week. Really not a good time to be living in a small apartment, overlooking the sun, with no AC. That day, i sat in a pool of my own sweat, physically and mentally unable to do anything, but the vision of myself in Dubai came storming back, just like a big, bad sandstorm.

Try as i did, i could not shake the image of myself running outside the hotel lobby (where it was 52 degrees celcius), hailing a cab, and running back in when the cab didn't stop. That was all i could handle in the Dubai heat.

But then, even at 52 degrees, you don't sweat in the hot and dry weather. When it's 41 degrees in the hot and humid KL, you sweat, and perspire, and end up drenched in smelly, sticky, salty sweat. Not an experience anyone would miss!!!

As hot as i may be right now, i haven't forgotten my manners.

Thank You Anne!

Arigato Gozaimas!

My baby sister Wokanna went to Japan a few years back, and got my ma some of these cute magnets. Of course, i pulled the old-fashioned doe-eyed, weepy-faced trick on her, and poached some!!!

I got her to give me this pretty Kimono,

This delicious (not to mention realistic) looking Sushi,

this map of Japan,

and this Japanese scenery - complete with the Fuji mountain, some pretty Cherry Blossoms, and a Japanese house.

Rockin Pins!

I am a compulsive person. If i open a pack of biscuits, i have to eat them all. If i buy a book from an author i like, i have to buy them all. If i see magnets in a store somewhere, i somehow rationalize to myself that i need to buy them all.

So when i find myself attracted to these pins from Hard Rock Cafe, i decided from the moment i laid my eyes on them that i had to turn them into fridge magnets. I mean, my pockets are dry enough with my magnets obsession, i really don't need to burn another hole in already shallow pockets for pins.

Sigh........ My heart leaps!

Nostalgia

My parents bought an old Mercedes when we were living in the UK. We travelled all around the UK in that car. There was the time we went to Wales and saw the Lake District, all the way North to Scotland to see the Loch Ness lake and it's legendary Nessie, it even took us to Land's End, way down south, where it broke down, and we had to ride 2 different AAA trucks to get back to Birmingham in the middle of a very cold, windy, autumn night.

When i got married, the Mercedes was a neglected car. My Abah then decided that since the car had brought us so many happy memories, he didn't want to sell it. So he gave it to my Hubby, who happily accepted it. But since the car is almost 25 years old, a lot had to be replaced. When he changed the steering wheel, the sentimental little girl in me decided to take the logo in the middle of the steering wheel, and turned it into a fridge magnet.

Everytime i look at it, i will remember all the nice time my family and i had spent in it, and all the places we've gone to. :)

Fitting In

Ok, it's not a secret that i am a magnet freak. So much so that i have managed to find ways to turn everything i find cute or pretty into fridge magnets. In my defense, i have to say, that way, i know where they are - rather than misplace them 2 seconds after i get them.

So far, i have turned this cute little Walter P99 pin i got from my Hubby's friend

This Keris keychain i bought in Malacca (kept trying to find a metal Keris magnet, but could not find one so far

And this Al-Jazeera coaster my friend Kak Linda gave me.

I can assure you that if you turn the pieces around, the hindsight is not so pretty. No matter, all that i care about is that they stick to the fridge!

Fragile Bride

I bought this Korean Bride porcelain plate magnet while i was in Korea last month. So i came home, took off the wrapping, and BAM!!!

The plate fell onto the CARPET. The CARPET. NOT the floor.

I hastily picked it up, and the plate was chipped. A small tumble, and it chipped. The broken pieces were dusts on the carpet, and i could not glue them back together.

Sigh....... Nevertheless - the bride is still pretty. But i can't help but wish that it was not so D**N fragile!

One for the Teachers

It's Teacher's Day today. So i just wanted to give a shoutout to all the teachers out there, and salute you for doing this noble, tough, yet minimal paying job.

My favourite teacher?

It's Mr Joseph Gonzales, hands down. Many feared him, but i for one loved the guy. He was strict, diciplined, yet extremely dedicated to his students' welfare. He inspired me to be a great teacher.

Thank you sir. I shall take everything you taught me with me, and pass the baton on to my students. May you rest in peace.

Thank You TEACHERS!!!!!!!

DIY English Plates

My good friend Anne went to the UK, and brought me some cute display plates as souvenirs - in addition to some magnets from London. So i displayed them proudly on my tv cabinet, and pray to God they don't get knocked over.

Then my Ma called me, and said she'd lost all her tiny plate stands, and asked if i have any to spare. I said no, but i suppose i could do something about it.

So i prepared all these items and set to work. I bought the magnet from this super stationery store near my house. I usually buy the round magnets, but they were sold out, so i guess this magnet will do.

So i cut the magnet into tiny pieces

put some glue on the plate and stick the magnets on!

The reason i used 2 pieces of magnets instead of 1 is that the plates are heavy, and since thse strip magnets are not as strong, it's better for us to be safe than sorry, right?

OK, they don't look pretty, but who cares!!! As long as they stick right??????

So now i have three matching plate magnets from London!

Thank you Anne!

Balls and Jerseys

Ok. Badminton's over. So now, it's time to leave the feathered shuttles and move on to balls.

Er, NO.... not those balls.

Closer, but maybe not that particular ball.

THIS ONE!!!!

Saw these while waiting in line at Giant just now, and i almost dropped the bag of 5kg rice i was carrying (what? i was just afraid someone else was gonna grab them all!). There was a rack, dedicated to the coming World Cup. So i thought i would take this one, you know, cause World Cup in S. Africa doesn't happen every day.

And i thought i'd grab these two jerseys, each representing me and my hubby's favourite teams.

And the voice in my head started speaking.

That should do it. These things are not cheap.

Right.

Hug your packet of rice and move along Ozzie.

Ok. But then, there are only 7 designs in total!

But you don't support the other teams Ozzie!

But then, what if somebody else buys them?

How is that your problem? Move on! You've already bought 4!

ok....... moving on.

Good Girl. Er... where do you think you're going?

SCREW THE VOICES IN MY HEAD. I'M GETTING THEM ALL!!!!!!

Now i can sleep easy tonight! :)

Hola!

My good friend Anne went on a whirlwind holiday with her family to Spain, and got me these HRC magnets from Barcelona and Madrid.

Thank You Anne!!! Me really likey!

All the Way from Bahrain

Got another HRC magnet - this time from Bahrain.

I Like!!!

How Do I Shoes?

My FBMC friend Kak Nor told me of this Korean shoes that she got - these cute, colourful pair of shoes. So i kept my eyes out for them. I found them, of course, but i also found another type of Korean shoes - smaller, but precious all the same.

So how do i choose?

Screw it. I bought them both!

Namdaemun Rush

I was on my way back to the tour bus after my Ma's brooch shopping trip in Namdaemun market in Seoul - when i saw these in an underground shop, right below the busy streets.

So naturally, i got them! Didn't even ask for the price!

Mr and Mrs Emperor

Most of the cute doll magnets in Korea were sold in pairs. But these were not. They were sold individually. For reasons that i absolutely can't seem to fathom, i only bought a pair, and one extra for the empires dress - i mean, i got friends from my FBMC (Facebook Magnets Circle - a term i came up with just so we don't sound too nerdy - LOL) asking for them. Man! Why la so blur Ozzie?????

I don't blame my friends for asking me about them magnets though. They are cool!

I just hope there will be a next time for me and Korea, just so that i can buy some more!

Two of a Kind

Two of a kind... for your information, we're two of a kind.....

I have no idea who sang that song, but it's kinda stuck in my head now.

Korea was fun, but the magnets choice were not that varied - you basically run into the same items at all souvenir shops.

What they did have in plenty were these cute, paired up dolls - too cute to pass.

I bought these cause their matching outfits were too adorable

And i bought these cause, well, how could i not? Look at them!

Awwww.............

If You Wish Upon a Star

During my flight tranfer from Korea, i went all over the Hong Kong International Airport, looking for a magnet from Hong Kong to add to my collection. I found some, but not enough to tempt me.

But then, i heard a news along the grapevine.

Rumour has it that Disneyland Hong Kong has a souvenir shop, right there, somewhere in the airport.

I went round and round. Dragging my poor Ma along with me, along with our little trolley with the 2 small carry-ons we had with us.

Who knew it'd be so challenging to find a souvenir store in an airport?

But i found it.

Got myself this colourful magnets from Disneyland.

And this uber-cool metal magnet with Mickey, Pluto, Donald and Minnie spinning around it.

Now i officially have magnets from Disneyland, Hong Kong. '

So what if i've never actually been there, right???

;p

Ready, Set, Fly!

When I saw the castles and traditional buildings in Korea, I thought, "Huh, they look just like the ones we might see in China or Japan".

But then, Bill, my tour guide explained the significance of the roof.

Just like a the wings of a bird - all spread out and preparing to fly.

It's unique. It's positive. It's ambitious.

Nobody's Business

I went on a trip to beautiful Korea recently. Gorgeous country. Totally love it. Would really like to go again someday.

So i went with a tour group, and had a great time.

As usual, everyone had this mysterious, magical thing happen to them. Their luggage magically doubled, and in some cases, TRIPLED! I mean, they arrived in Korea with one bag, and went home with 3!!!

Well, i came home with the same amount of bags. Only they are stuffed with fridge magnets. One thing bothered me though.... when the people in my tour group saw how much magnets i bought, they shook their heads, and said:

"WHAT A WASTE OF MONEY!!"

Er.... hello??? Did i ask you to pay for the magnets?????

I didn't judge them buying brooches by the cases (as if there are no brooches to be found in Malaysia), so they shouldn't judge me about my nice magnets!

RIGHT?????
Hmph!

At Last....

The first time i saw this magnet was on an ad online. It was rather pricey, and i didn't know the seller. I reluctantly let it go.

The second time i tried to buy this magnet was on Mudah.my. 'Twas no longer available. I had no choice but to let it go.

Then my cousin in the UK was coming home, and i asked dher to buy one for me, IF she happened to pass by the area.... wouldn't want to trouble her with my obsession. She didn't pass through - not that i blame her. 'Twas indeed quite a distance from her place. I smiled and let it go.

My sister's colleague went to London for work. She ordered some from him. He came back with ONE magnet. Naturally, she gave it to my Ma. I willingly let it go.

My friend Anne planned a trip to the UK this month, and i ordered one from her. I was happy, knowing that i would finally get one from her. I waited.

2 weeks before Anne even boarded the plane to the UK, my good friend Ana called - her brother who's living in Munich was on one of his tours across Europe. He bought me one.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH ANA!!!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!

'Twas clearly meant to be wasn't it????

FINALLY!

See the Difference?????

These are bottle openers. Picture Credit Here

There are a few bottle openers in my house.

This is a pair of Multipurpose Kitchen Scissors.

It also functions as a bottle opener.

In fact, there are a few bottle openers on this scissors alone.

This is also a bottle opener.

When you want to open a bottle, you simply choose one of the many bottle openers available in your house, and pop the bottlecap off!

BUT

there are some bottle openers which, despite its name, it has to be understood that under NO circumstances are they to be used to open a bottle, EVER!!!!!!

Use them as bottle openers, and you will lose a finger!

CONSIDER YOURSELVES WARNED!!!

A Cool Case

I've had guitar heads, i've had whole guitars, i've had cocktail glasses, i've had guitar picks.

So now i have a guitar case as well. Me happy. :)

Achtung!

Gutten Tag. Mein name is Ozzie. Ich bin Zwei und Dreizig jahre alt.

I am so getting sued by those who calls Deutch their mothertongue. Sorry guys. My Deutch is super rusty.

I had Deutch classes when i was living in the UK. They had this fieldtrip to Germany during the summer, but i didn't have the chance to go. So we actually spent 3 months learning how to ask for directions, how to ask for the loo (enschuldigang sie bitte, wo is de toiletten bitte??) how to ask for hotels with double rooms, and how to order food and drinks at restaurants.

Well, i forgot how to order, but i had no problems ordering these cool beer mugs from the Deutchland!!!!!!!!

Danke Schoen!