my apple

ok, so i'm a tortoise when it comes to catching up with technology, but i still am proud to say i'm finally an apple user! 

finally got my 4S (32GB that is, due to unavailability of the 16GB type) for RM 799 plus ...(wait, there's more), + RM 80 (dealer made me pay extra for an original casing and screen protector). can't say i didn't feel slightly rip-offed, but hey, beggars can't be choosers i guess. i was made to believe that this was the last of the last available phone in the whole klang valley to be entitled for the maxis i-value-2 promo package! and that was enough to bring out the kiasu-ness in me. tee~hee. now i'm stuck with a RM 155 monthly bill for 2 years. *whistling*

 Pretty sleek casing ain't for the butterfingers though...it's metal! and it's pretty darn slippery! 

oh, except for the jagged edges...but, still too early to change d damn thing - cost me RM 60 wei!

 Anyway, was checking out the back of my casing and can't help but wonder about those weird ancient-like symbols at the bottom. Found a website that explained its meaning .....

"So let’s explore the dark backside of your iPhone!

The first symbol we run into is a logo used by the FCC to indicate that this device was FCC approved. If you look closely, you’ll see it’s an F with a C attached and a C within the C. The FCC is the US Federal Communications Commission. The FCC is involved in everything domestic having to do with electronic communication as well as some international communications. The iPhone is of course not only a phone, but also uses WIFI and Bluetooth, as well as GPS. All those protocols are governed, inside the US at least by the FCC and this is why the iPhone has to be approved by them in order to allow Apple to sell them on US soil.

When a device has been approved it receives a code which can be checked in the FCC database online. The actual FCC ID is on the back of your device as well, right above the symbols! 

Next to the FCC logo is a thrash can with a cross through it; this is meant for the batteries in the iPhone. You are not supposed to throw the device or it’s batteries into the regular garbage, but you need to go to a special disposal unit. We’ll see in 10 years if people actually listened to this!

The CE symbol is called the CE mark. The letters CE have no meaning (anymore), but the CE mark stands for consumer safety within the European Union. Industrial goods must contain this marking which indicates that it is complying with EU rules for health & safety set out for consumers. The number behind the CE marking indicates the class of product the mark is on. In the case of your iPhone, this will be 0682 which means it’s a communication device and corresponds with the regulations set out for selling such a device within the EU.  The circle with the exclamation point belongs to the mark as well and is called the CE alert mark, again indicating this device can be safely used by EU citizens."

There you go, now you're slightly more educated about the iPhone!

Now if you'll excuse me, my Tiny Tower needs restocking.......

Only 45 stories high and still growing..............!!

Never thought i'd enjoy an apple this much. ^^

olympic dress up day

My company had an 'Olympic-Themed' Dress-up Day yesterday where we had to dress in the colors of the country that we support in the 2012 Olympics. Usually, nobody bats an eyelid on something like this, but for some reason, this time around, Choy Phyll suddenly had the urge to participate, starting by making everyone in the department wear a white top. Including the boss.    

so busy meh, boss?

So, everyone's top gets a blue cross - simple but i really like the striking shade of the blue ribbons. As my departmental colleagues waited around for their photo to be taken, i'm sure you can guess the country we're supporting here.

 Yup, the name of this country has an 'N' in it.

 Forget about supporting the favourites China, US or Russia, let's focus on country no 44 on the medals tally for the 2008 Olympic Games......

moon and danny - comrade-in-arms

...F-I-N-L-A-N-D!

If you're scratching your head going 'whhhyy?', let's just say, at least they've performed better than our own country. lol.
Here are more photos we took.....

  Finland's where Kimi comes from, so i'm perfectly fine with that! 

Did i mention my top was a checkered blouse (aka 'tablecloth-lookalike') because i couldn't find any plain white top in my entire cupboard!

Dear Judge Peggie, in view of our strong team spirit , i hope we get a little something for our effort... (wink)

Then we went crazy....

Departmental Photo!   (err, minus one who was on leave.....)

esprit de corps!

GO GO in the SpiRit of LonDon OYLMPICS 2012!!

dave's 1-yr old party

It was on a lazy Saturday morning that darren was all strapped in his car seat, looking like a tauke besar, ready to hit the highway.  

 We were heading back to my house in Malacca to attend the birthday party of my lil nephew, dave.

 The parents had arrived early from Singapore in preparation of their precious one's one-year-old party. A huge inflatable Mickey (which i learned is dave's fave cartoon character), welcomes the guests into the house. Yes, bow to Mickey if you want to pass the doorway.

The air of festivity loomed all around the house and there were balloons everywhere that darren can't help but grab one for himself. Now if only he learned to wipe that guilt look off his face.

 We're talking about serious balloon business just by looking at the size of that helium balloon pump.

sis busily pumping away lil' rabbit balloons

Food was laid out, relatives and close friends came and it was time to parthayyy! We actually catered from this small-scaled Nyonya restaurant right outside our neighbourhood known as Family Heritage Cafe. 

 Sorry i did not managed to take photos of the individual dishes served, as it got TOO RED under the tent. Things became a bit too red to look at after a while. Lesson learned - never choose a red tent for a mini outdoor event. Even your plain water looked like you were drinking syrup water.

 It was also a great time for aunties, uncles and cousins to meet up and find out who's gotten taller or fatter or richer or whatever. Also a whole lot of unfamiliar faces for timid darren to gawk at.
So, here's what happened when darren met my cousin Alicia...

 Alicia became the camera-shy one instead and took the disguise of Spiderman. By the way, that Spiderman mask was my brother's primary school project. The paint on it was still in good condition after more than 30 years!

 When darren meets his second cousin, Jarrett who's just a couple months younger. Second cousin coz his mum's my cousin so that puts them both on a different branch of the family tree. Confusing? Wait till you hear what's a third cousin.

Ready?

Ok, from Wikipedia....

Term	Definition	Example
First cousin	The children of two siblings.	Bill and Sally are first cousins because their fathers were brothers.
Second cousin	The children of two first cousins.	Bob and Sarah are second cousins because Bob's father, Bill, and Sarah's mother, Sally, are first cousins
Third cousin	The children of two second cousins.	Brian and Stephanie are third cousins because Brian's father, Bob, and Stephanie's mother, Sarah, are second cousins.
First cousin once removed	Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is one generation removed.	Bob and his father's first cousin, Sally, are first cousins once removed to each other. They are one generation removed from the common generational relationship between Bob's father (Bill) and Sally.
First cousin twice removed	Two people for whom a first cousin relationship is two generations removed.	Brian and his grandfather's first cousin, Sally, are first cousins twice removed. They are two generations removed from the common generational relationship between Brian's grandfather (Bill), and Sally.
Second cousin once removed	Two people for whom a second cousin relationship is one generation removed.	Brian and his father's second cousin, Sarah, are second cousins once removed. They are one generation removed from the common second cousin relationship between Brian's father (Bob) and Sarah.

Are you as lost as i am?



Finally it was time for cake-cutting. I could only guess it was a green tea cake, but i do know that it was self decorated by my bro and sis-in-law themselves. Yup, they bought all the decorative items from Singapore. Those tiny tiny colored 'stones' you see are fully edible. And they taste real nice too.

 Birthday boy Dave with his proud parents.

 Dave's constantly giving us the 'watshappening' look. Wish he'd flash his million-dollar smile more often. =D
Rare smile because i'm guessing you gotta pay a million dollars to see it.

 Only one year old....here's to an entire lifetime ahead of you, boy! :D

 dave with his new bunny-cycle.. (because he was born in the year of the wabbit). That's as good a grin that i got from him that day. *grin*

 ..And then darren decided to take Mr Wabbit for a spin too.
Umm, legs are not yet pedal-reachable at this point of time.

Looking at this photo taken with his gong-gong, reminds me of my nickname for darren......"BULAT" ....coz  everything's just so ROUND when i look at him. 

 My mum is very much tickled at the fact that every time she puts her face very close to darren like this, he lets out a soft purrrr.

 Then we had darren's take of 'smiling under duress'....

And finally, just want to show everyone another major highlight of my weekend in Malacca.........!!

Yet another thorny surprise cooked up by dad! yummmm.

uncle richard's birthday ~ 18/7/12

We recently bought Uncle Richard a Secret Recipe Carrot Cake for his birthday. As an active member of the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), his environmentalist work must be what's keeping him fit and strong. For someone who's already 60+, seriously, he doesn't look a day over 45!

 What else can i say about an uncle who never fails to send birthday greeting sms-es to his nieces and nephews every year?

He's the FUN uncle. hehe.

passing of ah~kong

Dearest ah~kong left us on the early morning of 14th July. 

On paper, the cause of death was 'Senility without mention of psychosis' - a scientific term that simply means 'old age', 'frailty', ....It was indeed the most peaceful way to pass on, as ah~kong died in his sleep. 

I remember we would call upon handyman ah~kong each time something in the house needs fixing, be it a broken shower head, leaking tap or a nonfunctional radio. 

He would gladly run his daily errands riding his trusty old motorbike, which was then replaced with a small car when we all feared for his (and others') safety. As his eyesight became poorer day by day, he resorted to spending most of his time in the comfort of his own home, in the company of grandma and astro's wah lai toi.

A great man of a few words, he was the best soul mate for my much more talkative po~po.

Now, we are all just happy that ah~kong is together again with po~po. 

As you look down upon us from the heavens above, just know that you're forever loved and shall always remain in our hearts... ^^

yet another dragon bb...

Mark is an UNCLE now! A REAL uncle by definition. 

Congrats on the arrival of your bundle of joy, love and smiles... Nee and Ravin.

 And to Tristan, welcome welcome!!!

Lotsa hugs n kisses from
'ahntee' siuV, 'angke' mark + 'cas-zen' darren  ^^

dad's 71st bday in kampong

All of us recently went back for Dad's birthday celebration. 

 Good 'ol daddy turned 71 years old. Out of nowhere, Jade (younger sister of my sis' husband) whipped up a durian cake for dad. *jeles .. I wished i was the one with the honor of baking dad's cake. hehe.

Dad looking on happily, or was he in the middle of making his birthday wish?
I always wonder why is it no one likes to stand near the birthday boy/ girl...Dad looks so lonely here. haha

 aah, we must have then called upon mum to stand by dad's side. Sis still watching from afar...

 Look, lotsa "Angry Bird" cupcakes...courtesy of Jade too. Two missing from the box - they were in my tummy. 

 My favourite nephew (i only have one ok!)  Dave and his cool coooooool look. Loved his hair so nicely swept to the side.

 Meet Ian and Ryan - the first pair of twins to ever step into our house. These tiny tots are the kids of Jade.

 Their Daddy and maid (how nice got maid!) with one very excited twin who was clapping away like crazy as we sang the birthday song. LOL.

That's a lot of mee sua!

Darren celebrates with his grand-papa!

tee~hee...

Even got the chance to go out makan-makan the next day - dad's treat.
So sorry i couldnt recall the shop's name though....would add it here when it hits me ya.

my favourite dishes were the silky smooth chicken, char-siew and fried prawn wantan.

..and others...

Dessert was Irene's treat afterwards.
If the cakes below look familiar, that must be because you've tasted them before!
Presenting just some of the variety of 'Mille Crepe' (a thousand layers cake) from Nadeje in Melaka.

It was quite a large group of us, so we decided to divide the cakes to smaller portions.

The cake was too soft, it fell apart at the slice of a fork.

Hmm, not a good idea....nobody felt like touching this plate for a long time. haha.

The best part about this Melaka trip - 2 cousins discovering the existence of each other.

Darren's 'oh-so-round' head looks like a bowling ball compared to Dave's.

When Darren first met Dave, they were both as shy as a schoolboy.

Then very quickly, they were 'forced' to be best friends. lol!

Can't wait till they grow up and play some football together! =D