It was so great to be able to meet Mr Brown and Mr Miyagi at last. Have been reading their blogs and listening to their podcasts. They are one of the most creative and funniest people I have known in this world! (Russell Peter is one of them, too – Somebody gonna get hurt real bad…somebody )

It was a podcast workshop hosted by Mr Brown and Mr Miyagi at iShop, Cineleisure. I mean, com’on, how many times do you get to learn podcasting from these geniuses? I was indeed very happy to be there. (Ohh.. the finger food was fantastic!)

The workshop was from 1.30-5pm. My colleagues and I went after lunch break. Mr Brown and Mr Miyagi started by introducing themselves and played some of their podcasts and WTF previews. They were entertaining! (as usual) They showed us how easy it was to do a podcast by recording a live podcast with the audiences. You can download the podcast here. (I participated in this podcast, too. At the very end when we all said bye. *grin*) When they flashed the power point slide that said they will ‘sabo’ an audience to do a live interview, we were all frozen for awhile. I can literally feel people holding their breathes and avoid eye contacts with Mr B & M’s. Hahahaa…

At the end, a staff from ITE was ‘arrowed’ to be interviewed because he was caught taking too many pictures during the workshop. And he was also the luckiest person at the workshop because he won an iPod for lucky draw!!

There was also a quiz session. Mr Brown and Miyagi asked a few questions about their shows and themselves. There were 10 legendary bak chor mee T-shirts to give away for those who answered the questions right. One of the questions from Mr Brown was:"What does WTF stand for in WTFshow?" I almost yelled out "What the *censored*" but I took a split second to filter it. And I have won the T Shirt! I am so going to wear it to work on Friday! All my colleagues won T-shirts, too. (Even though it is S size but it is still too big for me) By the way, WTF stands for Wah! That’s fierce.

If you still haven’t heard of the legendary "bak chor mee" podcast, download it here. Another two-thumbs-up podcast is no more bird, a spoof of visa advertisement by Richard Gere. Must download!

Took a picture with Mr Brown and Miyagi. To be frank, I was very nervous (for what-so-ever reasons).

And the legendary Tur Kwa (pork liver) T-shirt. Limited edition. So far only we have them!

I never eat tur kwa though…:(

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Or I should rephrase to..When WILL I go home. You see, I haven’t really been staying with my parents for at least 5 years and I really miss that! I go home for holiday…not for…you know ..going home. Whenever I walk amid db flats across my house, I could smell laundries with different softeners from house to house when the wind blows. Sometimes I could smell home cooking food – indian curry, chinese stir-fry. The mixing domestic smell makes me feel even more homesick than ever.

Whenever I am home and look at my own bed room, it gives me a sense of familiarity and yet, strange. I don’t feel that it is the room that I sleep in every night after work. It is only just being…my room as it should be.

Suddenly I just feel so sad. After all, I want to feel as it is my comfort zone, my ultimate shelter. There are always minor changes in my room as my mom adds/removes some of the stuff from my room, rearranges the furniture and etc. The only thing that I can still recognise is the bed frame. Over the years, mom has bought bed sheets that I can no longer recognise, changed my bolster and pillows. Whenever I hug my bolster when I am home, it just feels different. It doesn’t feel and smell as I remembered or expected. It is exactly like using the bolster and pillow in the hotel which do not belong to you.

I know I shouldn’t complain because after all, it is my choice to be away from home. Since I was 6, I told my parents that I wanted to study in another state because the local schools were not good enough. (We were not staying in Penang at that time yet) And being a smart ass, I told my mom that I preferred schools in Penang because they had cleaner toilets! 0_0 So my parents put me to stay with my grandmother even though they did not want it that way. I guess the reason why they did not stop me from going was because they knew that I was determined and believed in my choice so much. (Why can’t I just be a ‘normal’ 6 years old like everybody else)

As I was walking home this afternoon, a question suddenly struck me so hard that it made me to replan my future. "When will I go home?" I want to have breaky with my grandparents and parents when they are still around. I want to share my stories in work with them every day. I want to be there for their birthdays. I miss family day on Sunday. Now as I am writing this blog, my heart aches so much that I wish I can dump everything behind, catch a plane and go. But I know that I will change my mind again once I settled down in Penang. The next thing I know, I will be looking for jobs in Japan or elsewhere….Man I am pathetic!

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I have been "trying" to go to gym everyday after work. I am so inspired and motivated by my buddy because he works out everyday at the gym. He is also my "personal trainer". I have learned how to use the treadmill. Yeah..I used to be very skeptical about working out at gym. It was pretty hard to operate at first but my buddy gave me a "crash course" on how to operate the treadmill. One thing I am still finding hard to cope is the speed. I just can’t get the speed right. Sometimes I run faster than the treadmill and when I try to slow down, the treadmill goes too fast for me. I just can’t pace myself with the bloody treadmill!

Writing a new syllabus for a new subject which I love and am familiar with. The students’ future is in my hand..Hohoho…*just kidding*

More people are sick because of staying up late at night for World Cup, which distracted me from giving lecture when you have people coughing here and there like symphony. Such as The Blue Danube, da da da da da *cough cough, cough cough*

I have been learning tap dancing from home, too. I’ve never thought that learning from dvd works! May be I am talented. *grin* By the way, I have completed the beginner course in 3 days.

Also, I have been going to church which is very near to my house. It is fantastic. No big hoo-ha, no shouting and screaming, no jamming. It is nice, peaceful, quiet and conventional – just the way I like it to be..

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For your information, Mil = mother in law and Dil = daughter in law. Since the day when Singapore national news broadcast the "discussion" between the ministers and Mahathir, I can’t stop thinking about the argument that they had. The scene and plot seemed so familiar. Then, I discovered that both of them were fighting like mil and dil.

Mahathir has stepped down in 2003 and yet, he is still playing a significant role in the politics. He has launched several criticism notably accusing Abdullah Badawi for dismantling many of his projects and policies. First was the bridge (causeway and singapore), then Proton. When I saw them "fought" at the national tv, I wanted to laugh so badly.

It was exactly like how Mil fought with her Dil over how they should cook the soup, how to do the laundry, how to take care of his son (and husband) and etc. The Malaysians (the son in law) can’t do and say anything except watching them fight.

I am sure both parties want the best for Malaysia\. But wouldn’t it better to discuss it in a more..er…adult way? Instead of "firing" each other in front of the whole world of how to "take care" of Malaysia, I am sure there are many better ways to deal with these issues. I am not good at politics at all but I do know that seeing 2 highly respected figures fighting over how to cook the best soup is absurd.

I have stopped reading Malaysia news long ago until recently when I was on the flight to Singapore. Passengers are always given a choice of taking Malaysia or Singapore newspaper. I usually take the Singapore one but that day, I decided to take both. The first cover page was about Mahathir launching yet another criticism towards Abdullah. The immediate reaction that I had was:"Sigh..Not again and why am I not surprised." There are always negative news about Malaysia politics and economics (such as MAS lost lum sum of money because of mismanagement). It is heart-breaking to see such a beautiful and potential country fell like this. It has beautiful natural reserve and colourful multiracial cultures. But it is always mismanaged by certain groups of people and hinder its growth over the years.

Don’t get me wrong. I do care about Malaysia. I am disappointed because I care.

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