SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 5 and Day 6

This will be the final post on SuperStar Virgo.

My previous posts on SuperStar Virgo:
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 1
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 2 and Day 3
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 4


Laguna Redang Resort

Day 5
Because I had too much to drink the night before, I woke up late and we didn't have our breakfast. We only made it for our time slot to get off the ship to Redang. So, we had our brunch in Redang.

Apparently, our ship stopped in the middle of the sea and we had to take a boat from the ship to the island. Traveling on a boat with an empty stomach = BAD IDEA. I was feeling queasy and as soon as we reached Redang, I went to the toilet to puke and I felt so much better after that.


The view of SuperStar Virgo from the beach at Laguna Redang Resort (Picture taken from my iPhone)

The boat took us to Laguna Redang Resort. After so many days with limited or no access to internet at all, Ryan and myself spent a lot of time with our iPhone once we got our 3G. Both of us actually just sat there minding our own business not talking to each other which was really funny.


Busy updating myself with the world after lunch

We then proceeded to the resort bar for drinks. I realized that I had everything in red that day. My dress was red, my bag was red and my cocktail was red. I just had to ask Ryan to take a picture.


Me in my red dress, red bag and my Bloody Mary

We got back to the ship at 5pm and chilled out at the pool deck. We didn't go to the inclusive restaurant for dinner. Ryan was getting bored of going to the same restaurant and so he suggested Japanese at Samurai.


Day 6
Woke up in the morning. Got ready. Packed our stuff and left our luggage outside our cabin for baggage collection. We then went for our breakfast at Bella Vista.

The final round of the progressive trivia was quite tough. We got second place. So, no medal for us. :(

We then went to collect our passports from the reception counter. As there was nothing much to do, most of the passengers were outside enjoying the view as we sailed into Singapore.


Arriving Singapore

Balcony class passengers had a different disembarkation venue. The disembarkation process was easy. As we got priority, we didn't have to wait long for our baggage as well.

I really enjoyed the cruise.

***All photos are photographed by Ryan Chew unless stated otherwise.

SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 4

Breakfast at Bella Vista

Previous posts on SuperStar Virgo:
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 1
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 2 and Day 3

Day 4
Again, we were stuck on the ship at high sea for the day.


Loiter around

We registered ourselves for the Behind-the-Scene-Tour. The technical and backstage guys brought a small group of us to the reality on how shows are made. He briefed us on the sound and lighting, the stage, and he also brought us to the backstage area. Towards the end of the tour, one of the entertainment crew came to join us on stage and told us to stand behind her facing the back of the stage. When the song YMCA started playing, she started dancing and we had to follow her steps. The stage was revolving while we danced. Nice!


The smoke effect


This is what the performers see on stage. They can't see the audience at all so it's like they are dancing/performing in the studio and this will actually give them more confidence. That is why flash photography is not allowed during shows because it will distract them.

We went for the progressive trivia (round 3). It was okay but we didn't get the highest score this time but we were still leading if I'm not mistaken.

So, since we had a lot of time to kill, we had a photography session. Obviously, Ryan's the photographer and I'm the model. Some of my favorite shots below.


At Taverna, a snack bar at Deck 13


At the sunbathing deck at Deck 13


That's me getting ready for the gala dinner


We had our gala dinner at Bella Vista

That's Ryan with his glass of wine (photographed by me)


There was a ballroom dance performance at the Grand Piazza


Us camwhoring

After our dinner, we went for a show called Gala Showtime: Reflections of Russia. The show was pretty interesting. A lot of acrobatic and stunts.

After the show, we tried our luck at the casino again thinking that we might hit another jackpot but the house was so strong that we ran away as fast as we could. LOL. We ended up having beers at Taverna and there was a live band playing. I met a few new people - 2 Australian couples and a Japanese couple. Everyone was dancing and having a great time. I actually got drunk.


That's Matt from Melbourne and Yuko-san dancing behind


Ryan dancing with Jill

Happy times.

SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 2 and Day 3

Previous post on SuperStar Virgo:
**SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 1

Day 2 - At Sea
The ship was still on its way to Ho Chi Minh and we were stuck on the ship at high sea for the day.

We had breakfast at Bella Vista (Western). Come to think of it, we actually had our breakfast at Bella Vista everyday on the cruise. The breakfast menu for Pavilion Room (Chinese) was not very appealing to me. So, American breakfast FTW! I had cheese omelette, baked beans, chicken sausage, turkey ham, hash brown and grilled tomatoes. So yummy!

After breakfast, we walked around and explored the ship. We checked out the casino and there were a few "Learn to Play" tables. So I learned a few games namely, Texas Holdem, 3 Cards Poker (not sure if I got the name correct) and Pontoon.

After much loitering around the ship, we went for lunch at Pavilion Room (Chinese). We then proceeded to Win, Lose or Draw activity. There were 4 teams competing. Ryan and myself was a team and there were another 3 Australian couples. Well, we lost by one point. I couldn't guess what Ryan drew. :(

We also had a Progressive Trivia Challenge. They held this trivia challenge everyday until the last day of our cruise and the team with the highest accumulated score will win.........a medal. Lol! We had Pat from Australia to join our team. We did pretty well for this first challenge. We actually got the highest score this round. Ryan was pretty good at this (that's when I realize my boyfriend is actually quite smart :P baby don't kill me). He contributed a lot. Out of 20 questions, I only contributed to 1 question and that question was, "What is the number if you add up all the numbers from 1 to 100?" The answer is 5050. I know not because I'm good in mathematics. It's because back in high school, I used to play with my calculator by punching 1+2+3+4 'til 100. Lol.

After the trivia, Ryan went to the internet room to check his emails. As for me, I went for manicure at the saloon. We then chilled out at the pool bar for a bit before dinner.

We went to Pavilion Room for dinner. I think Ryan was getting bored of the place already but they don't serve the same food everyday which was still alright.

We tried our luck at the casino. I lost a little but Ryan was really lucky. He hit a minor jackpot at the Caribbean Stud Poker. He got 4 of a kind - 4 kings. Both of us became famous at the table because of that. Lol.

Next, we went for a magic show which was pretty good. We also went for the Hot Strip Off Party. It's actually a similar party that I went to the one in SuperStar Libra last year. The host for this party was a cross-dressed guy and he was really funny.


The view from our balcony at night


Day 3 - Ho Chi Minh City
We had breakfast at Bella Vista and then to the round 2 of the Progressive Trivia Challenge. The trivia challenge was pretty tough this time. We only got 6 correct answers out of 20.


On the way to HCMC port

We bought Exploration of Ho Chi Minh tour for SGD62 per person. We visited the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Municipal Post Office, Museum of National History and Ben Thanh Market.


Reunification Palace


Notre Dame Cathedral


Municipal Post Office


That's me at a souvenir shop in the Municipal Post Office

Ben Thanh Market was crowded but it was not as bad as Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. The prices were inflated by 50% at least. You just have to haggle haggle haggle! After all the haggling, I still feel that we got ripped off for the souvenirs we bought there.

There was this nail parlor at the market, half the size of a shop lot, and it was really packed. See picture below. I was amused.


Nail parlor at Ben Thanh Market

I had a so-called street food at the market where you sit on a little stool and hold the bowl with one hand and you eat with the other hand. The noodle I had wasn't too bad but I don't think it's worth 40,000 Dong (RM6). It was a ripoff.


The so-called street food I had at Ben Thanh Market

***All photos are photographed by Ryan Chew.

SuperStar Virgo 6D5N - Day 1

It's been ages since I last went for a long holiday. By the way, my definition of a "long holiday" has to be at least one week. The boyfriend and I went for a 6 days 5 nights Singapore-Ho Chi Minh City-Redang-Singapore cruise on SuperStar Virgo. We also spent one night in Singapore before and after the cruise. So that totaled up to 8 days 7 nights away from home. I will blog about Singapore later.

This trip was a spontaneous one. We didn't plan for any more trips for the year but we came across a really good deal from MyDeal here. We upgraded our cabin to Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony (Deck 11).

We did not regret the upgrade at all because there were a few privileges for the balcony class passengers. You just have to read on to find out what are the privileges.


SuperStar Virgo

Day 1
Checking in and boarding the ship was a breeze. Well, that's because there was a special lane for the balcony class passengers. As we entered the ship, we were greeted with a special welcome cocktail (free flow) exclusive only for Admiral and Balcony Class guests at the Grand Piazza (located on Deck 7, Midship Lobby). I was a little tipsy after 2 glasses or so of champagne.


Grand Piazza

We were also informed that we had a special dining credit of SGD300 that we can use for food and beverages at any of the bars and restaurants. This is on top of the six sumptuous meals they’ll serve us every day. Awesome-ness!

We bought one bottle of red wine and one bottle of white wine to be consumed on the ship. We also bought our HCMC day tour.

We had to book our table for the Wednesday Gala Dinner as well on Day 1. Again, we had priority booking and we had 4 restaurants to choose from whereas the normal class only had 2 choices.


Our cabin


The toilet - Shower on the left; Toilet on the right

When the ship departed at 6pm, we went up to Deck 12 to chill at the jacuzzi and at the poolside with our Heineken. Ahhhhhhh, blissful!


Parthenon Pool

For our inclusive meals, we had 3 restaurants to choose from namely, Pavilion Room (Chinese), Bella Vista (Western) and Mediterranean (Buffet - Halal). So, our usual routine for our meal is that, we will check out the menu for both Pavilion and Bella Vista before we decide where to eat.

"Why can't they place both the menu at one place so that we don't have to walk to two different locations?" I find myself asking this question all the time and Ryan answered, "They have to make it hard for us or else we will be bored." Lol.

So after all the walking, we had our dinner at Pavilion Room (Chinese) and the food was good. In my honest opinion, I think the food provided by all the Star Cruise was alright except for the buffet. I went on SuperStar Libra last year and didn't think the buffet was good. The buffet on SuperStar Virgo was not very inviting as well. However, I remember the buffet was superb 15 years ago on Star Pisces and SuperStar Gemini. Well, they probably changed their concept.

After our dinner, we went for the Welcome Aboard Show at The Lido. I found out that balcony class passengers get to enjoy the option of exclusive balcony class seats but this is on a first come first served basis. The seats are very limited. Anyway, no big deal.

I will blog about Day 2 and Day 3 on my next post.

***All photos are photographed by Ryan Chew.

It's Joyce, not Jocy or Joy C

"Hello Ms. Jocy, this is to confirm your reservation for tomorrow night at 8PM..."

"Thank you, Ms. Jocy..."

Joyce is such a common name now and I don't get why some people still can't pronounce it right.

This is how you should pronounce Joyce. Click here.

Can we sell fixed asset and recognize the sale as revenue?

A recent engagement sparked my curiosity to find out whether a sale of fixed asset can be recognized as revenue.

I sort of achieved what I was looking for from this article. Refer Figure 1.

Figure 1
A motor dealer is in the business of selling new and used vehicles. It has a fleet of demonstration vehicles which it allows customers to test drive before they decide to purchase. The dealer adopts a policy of using the demonstration vehicles for one year and then selling the vehicles on. The question is does the sale of one of the used vehicles constitute revenue or is it a fixed asset disposal?

As the motor dealer is in the business of selling new and used vehicles then the sale of one of the demonstration vehicles would constitute turnover.

Now, I'm curious of what will be the accounting treatment for the above. Do I record the sale amount as turnover and the net book value of the vehicle as cost of goods sold?

“Never call an accountant a credit to his profession; a good accountant is a debit to his profession.” - Sir Charles Lyell

Jarrod & Rawlins Fried Breakfast

I woke up really late one day because of excessive partying the night before during the holidays last week. I was craving for a hearty "breakfast" and so Ryan and I went to Sri Hartamas to hunt for food. We were thinking of Japanese or Korean but, by the time we got there around 2.30PM, all the restaurants were closed.

So we ended up in Jarrod & Rawlins. I think they're awesome because they serve breakfast all day long so you don't have to drag your ass out of bed early in the morning. Well, obviously I ordered their fried breakfast set.

J&R's fried breakfast consists of two eggs, one sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, hash brown, toast bread, orange juice and coffee or tea. I just love it! I always love American breakfast and now I know where to have a good one whenever I'm lazy to cook one.


Jarrod & Rawlins Fried Breakfast - RM28

Can you spot something funny in this picture?

Positivity

All of us will go through bad situations in life. I must say that I'm not perfect, but I try to live my life from the point of view that we all fall down and get hurt. I guess the only way to get through it all is to look at what you can gain from it. Think positive and your life will be much easier.

This is my all time favourite quote from Mother Teresa.

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

Shirley passed me her wedding invitation to me the other day. Davinder was not around so she asked me to pass it to him when he gets back.

The next morning at work, I handed him the red envelope.

The look on his face - PRICELESS! He was like "What? So fast?"

He thought it came from me.

LOL!

Raya Merdeka

It was a quiet Merdeka this year because of Hari Raya. No fireworks and no road closure. The traffic to the city was a breeze. I like!

Jess wanted to do something so, a bunch of us went to The View Rooftop Bar at G Tower to chill. There were eight of us. I brought Ryan and my cousin, Edmund. Ryan asked his friend, Alvin, to join us as well. Jess came with Sean and her two ex-colleagues, Pei Yuen and Fiona.

We bought a Merdeka package at RM688++. The package includes 12 test tube punch, 1 bottle of Mumm Champagne, 1 bottle of Absolute Vodka Blue and 4 tapas snack. We didn't have enough so we bought another 2 more bottles of JD Whiskey. We did not finish the last one because everyone was so high towards the end of the night. We had loads of fun nevertheless. Happy times!

Time Out KL Mixology Workshop @ The View Rooftop Bar, G Tower

I have won a cocktail workshop for 2 from @TimeOutKL. It was held at The View Rooftop Bar at G Tower. So, I brought Ryan along and we had a great time. The venue was awesome. It's definitely a nice place to chill.


Waiting for the workshop to start

The workshop started at 3pm. As we walked in, there was a strong smell of alcohol in the room. For those who can't take alcohol, I can assure you he/she will definitely faint from breathing in those fumes. =D

This workshop taught us how to make 4 kinds of cocktail with tequila. It's fantastic because I like tequila. The tequila that we used is 1800 Anejo which was aged in French Oak barrels for 3 years. 1800 Tequila is a brand of tequila owned by the Beckmann Family, who also own the Jose Cuervo brand. 1800 Tequila is a 100% Blue Agave Tequila and bottled in Jalisco, Mexico.


Our working area


Squeeze the lime


Ben, the one who conducted the workshop


Margarita


El Diablo - This won us a prize for being the best tasting


Mexican Julep


Sangrita - We did not make this but the recipe was given to us
If you like Bloody Mary, you'll love this


Our prizes

As you know, this was a cocktail workshop, definitely there was a lot of drinking during the process. I think most of us came out tipsy after the workshop. Haha! Well, I had fun.

100th Day

Ryan sent me flowers for our 1 month anniversary.

I did the same for our 100th day. I got the flowers sent to his office. This probably surprised him. Lol!


Photographed by Ryan Chew

My mother used to call my mobile if I am not home by a certain hour. She hasn't done that for some time now. So, I asked her one day.

"Hey Ma, how come you don't call me anymore?"

And her reply:

"I can check my Facebook to see where you are."

LOL! So clever! Well, I usually post pictures on facebook from Instagram.

Salty tap water in Bali

Now that explains why the tap water in Hard Rock Hotel Bali is salty. I just came across this news article here.

Denpasar, south Bali to face water shortages
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 08/20/2011 9:26 AM

A scientist says Denpasar and parts of south Bali will suffer from clean water shortages in 2015.

"Aggressive" clean water use would exacerbate the shortages, which might top 2,500 liters a second by 2015, according to a 2009 Japan International Cooperation Agency study, KG Dharma Putra, the director of the Sustainable Development Studies Center at Udayana University, said on Saturday in Denpasar.

There were signs that Bali's southern areas were currently suffering water shortages, he said.

“Hotels in the area have been using underground water because of the limited supply from [local tap water utility] PDAM. So do about 10,000 new homes there, which also suffer from water shortages,” Dharma said as quoted by Antara.

“Latest observations on the condition of underground water in Sanur, Kuta, Benoa and Nusa Dua coasts show that the water already tastes salty. It indicates the intrusion of sea water,” he added.

Dharma called on the local administration act quickly.

How did I overcome my hormonal acne

Hormonal acne is a pain in the ass. How did I deal with it? Read on.

In 2007, I had a horrible breakout. It was so bad even my mother could not recognized me. I was given a nickname, "Pizza Face" by the ex-boyfriend. My ex-boss asked me if I had measles. My ex-colleagues pitied me. Yes, it was that serious.

My gynecologist told me that my hormones wasn't balanced. He prescribed me Diane 35 and my acne cleared up. I was on it until 2009. As you know, Diane 35 is actually a contraceptive pill. So, I figured I couldn't take the pill for long-term and I wanted to regulate my hormone naturally.

6 months after I stopped the pill, my acne came back but it wasn't as bad as before.

I tried so many products to counter that problem. One day, I just gave up trying. I actually used my body shower for my face. Of course, the body shower that I used is so gentle that I can use it for the face as well. It is called Cetaphil! It is pricey but highly recommended. Come to think of it now, I actually don't have to buy a facial cleanser. So much money saved there!


Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser

So besides Cetaphil, I used Nizoral Anti-Dandruff shampoo on my face daily. The active ingredient which is Ketacanozole is actually an anti-androgen; and androgen is the culprit that cause these pimples. Well, I was using it for 4 weeks and my face was less oily and my pimples started to clear up and dry up. There weren't many new ones either. I only had to go for facial to extract all the oil seeds.


Nizoral Anti-Dandruff Shampoo

Ok, so how do you use Nizoral? Initially, just lather on affected area once a day. Leave it on for 5 minutes and then rinse off. When condition gets better, just use it once or twice a week. I'm still using it now for maintenance. It works for body acne as well such as chest and back acne. Oh, please avoid the eye area. It hurts like hell when it gets into the eyes.

So, it's only Cetaphil and Nizoral? No, that's not only it. I also applied fresh aloe vera on my face every night before bed. It's good for inflamed skin and acne scars. So how do you do this? Watch the video below.



I actually store the unused aloe in the refrigerator. That is because I think the weather in Malaysia is so hot and humid and therefore, it is not suitable to store the aloe in room temperature. So, where do you get these fresh aloe? You can get them from any nursery that sells aloe vera plant. I have a plant in my garden now just in case. You'll never know!

Again, that's not all! I also went for acupuncture. I read some success stories from people with the same condition who went for acupuncture. So, I did my research, went to this place in Taman Mayang and told him my problem. He took my pulse and he inserted a few needles here and there and I just laid there for 30 minutes. He also prescribed me some Chinese medicine. I think the acupuncture did help with the acne. It balanced up the yin and yang in my body. I went at least twice a week for 2-3 weeks in a row. I also did cupping once and that was it.

As for my diet, I tried to avoid seafood as much as I can. I tried not to eat processed food. Most importantly, I ate a lot of vegetables and fruits. The results were amazing. I was healing so fast.

I went for IPL for the acne scars. My face is clear for a few months now that no one believed that I actually went through such horrible breakout before. Well, I do get blemishes every now and then especially when I'm nearing the time of the month. It sounded like I went through a lot to overcome this but I'm glad it's over. At least I now know how and what to do if I do get such outbreak again. See, now you know my secret but I'm happy to share. :)

I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-deep.
That's deep enough. What do you want--an adorable pancreas?
- Jean Kerr -

The Art of Natural Navigation

This is a really cool tip and article from Lonely Planet. Click here to read the article.

These tips are written from a northern hemisphere perspective – many directions can be reversed for the southern hemisphere – eg, when the sun is at its highest in the southern hemisphere sky it’s due north. These tips are just for interest. Please navigate responsibly!

Sun
When the sun is at its highest in the sky, it is due south – in simple terms, the sun is south at lunchtime. Yet it doesn’t rise and set in the same place throughout the year. It rises in the northeast in midsummer and the southeast in midwinter. That’s a huge difference. It’s amazing how few people know that. It’s due to the north pole being tilted towards the sun in summer and away from it in winter.

Rocks
Even on a completely overcast day, the sun’s light and heat still reach us. As the sun comes from the south in the middle of the day, it will heat up one side of a large rock much more than the other. So even if you can’t tell where the sun is in the sky, you can deduce it by feeling a rock. The warmer side is likely to be the southern side.

Puddles
In nature, things get wet, then dry again, all the time. Yet not in an even way. In the middle of the day – when most of the drying is happening, remember – the sun is in the south. Anything on the northern side of something that casts a shadow – like a hedge – will stay wet longer. So, puddles will be left along the northern side of a raised east-west path, while drying out on the southern side.

Trees
Wind direction is not random: there are patterns. In Britain, the prevailing wind comes from the southwest. So, the extremities of trees appear ‘combed’ from the southwest to the northeast. You can see it clearest on trees at the top of hills in the countryside.

Satellite dishes
These point to geostationary satellites which stay over the same point on the Earth’s surface. In Britain, we have a dominant broadcasting company, so nearly all our dishes are pointing in the same direction. Depending on where you are, it will be between southeast and south-southeast.

Moon
When the moon is reasonably high in the sky, and it’s a crescent moon, if you join the two horns of the moon together and extend the line down to the horizon, you’ll be looking roughly south. It takes two seconds and, while it’s not as accurate as referring to the north star, if you’re really disorientated it is a big help.

4 Course Dinner for 2 @ Hadramawt Arabic Restaurant for 65% Off

I bought this dinner voucher here.

I called the restaurant to reserve a table for last Saturday, 4 pax at 8.30pm. When we got there, the guy at the counter took our vouchers. We then proceeded to the first floor. They didn't actually reserve a table for us. We just went up and picked our seat. Although the waiter was polite but I think they were quite understaffed that night. We were seated for quite a while until someone came to take our order. If it was not because of MyDeal voucher, we could have walked off already. Service was very slow. They served our main dish after 45 minutes of waiting.

For a start, we had Arabic Salad.


Arabic Salad

You know what? I just realised that they didn't serve us the starter, Mixed Vegetable Platter as mentioned on MyDeal. Geez.

As for our main dish, we had a choice of Chicken Kabsa or Lamb Kabsa. Again, I just realised that they didn't tell us about BBQ Shish Tawab Chicken or Lamb Kebab as mentioned on MyDeal. Ugh.


Lamb Kabsa

Ryan chose Chicken Kabsa for his main. Unfortunately, the chicken was cold and there was a big chunk of feather on the skin. Such a turn off. Well, I think the Lamb Kabsa was quite good actually.

As for dessert, we got Baklava. Again, we weren't told that we have a choice of Baklava or Basbousa as mentioned on MyDeal. Fail.

For drinks, I had Vimto and Ryan had Iced Lemon Tea. I don't like Vimto. It's too sweet for my taste.

Overall dining experience in Hadramawt, I'll give it a 2/5 rating.

Egg rice

Something my mother used to make for my brother and myself when we were kids.

...

1. Beat eggs with soy sauce and pepper.
2. Pour the mixture over steamed or cooked rice and mix thoroughly before serving.

Should eat this while it is still hot.

Wendy said it is yummy if you add a few drops of sesame oil in the eggs.

A simple dish for dinner

My crock pot beef stew turned out alright but I think I should cut down on the flour because I like it a little more watery.

...

1. Marinade the beef with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Cut carrots, potatoes and onions.
3. Place all of the above ingredients in the crock pot.
4. Pour a can of baked beans in tomato sauce over them in the crock pot.
5. Pour half a can of beef broth into the crock pot and mix.
6. Turn on the crock pot at low for 6-10 hours.

Google Adsense

Geez! Google Adsense had to make it so hard for me.

I used to have a Google Adsense account long ago somewhere in 2006 when I had my online store. I registered under a hotmail account. I didn't care much about it anyway until recently. I logged into my Adsense account and I was asked to use a Google account. So I transferred my hotmail account to my google account X. It went well but I found out the payee name is not my full name. From all the googling and readings, I found out that I am not allowed to edit my payee name because my account was registered under Malaysia. The only way is to close the account and register a new one.

Closing Adsense account is also a hassle. I had to answer two security questions which is what is the first day/date of my page impressions and how many numbers of page impressions. So after all the googling and readings, I got my date and the number. So glad I got it and I thought I have successfully closed the account but noooooooo. They emailed me saying that I have a balance in my account which was still on hold. They gave me another link to close the account if I am willing to forgo the balance. So, I did and it was successful! Bear in mind, once you close an account, you are not allowed to use the same google account (in my case, which is google account X) to register.

So, to register a new account, I used google account Y. I just received an email from Google Adsense as follow:

Thank you for your interest in Google AdSense. Unfortunately, after reviewing your application, we're unable to accept you into Google AdSense at this time.

We did not approve your application for the reasons listed below.

Issues:

- Page Type

---------------------

Further detail:

Page type: Your website is a type of website that we do not currently accept into our programme. Such websites include, but are not limited to, chat sites, sites that drive traffic through cybersquatting, and sites that use excessive keywords in the content or code of their pages.

---------------------

For a complete list of AdSense criteria, please visit:

https://www.google.com/adsense/policies?hl=en_GB

https://www.google.com/adsense/localized-terms?rc=MY&ce=1&hl=en_GB

To update and resubmit your application, please visit https://www.google.com/adsense?hl=en_GB and sign in using the email address and password that you submitted with your application. Our specialists will review your account for compliance with our programme policies, so please make sure to resolve all the issues listed above before resubmitting.

Yours sincerely,

The Google AdSense Team

Bugger! Okay Google Adsense, I give up on you. :(

New Look

I revamped my blog!

I realised that I was way behind and I wasn't making full use of the new blogger template designer which is so much more cooler and user-friendlier. I have been using the HTML editor for way too long. I felt like one of those old people who sticks to the old ways and refuse to accept new changes and ideas. This is actually a crime for me as a software consultant because in my line of work, I have to constantly keep myself up to date with the latest versions and what's new. So, I should keep myself updated as well in my personal life.

I just love my twitter and instagram feeds on my sidebar now.

Oh, I'm no longer blogging anonymously as well. So, it's back to the way it was as before. No point hiding anyway. My blog still appears in the google search result for "Joyce Tan" even if I change it and I don't know why. Lol!

I just made myself a light dinner

Ochazuke with Salmon Flakes - Ok, I know this is cheating because the ocha and salmon is pre-packed but hey, I steamed the rice and I boiled water! ;) It's DELICIOUS!

...

Today, I cooked steam triple egg (三黄蛋), busy day chicken and stir-fry lil' Bok Choy with oyster sauce.

Steam Triple egg (三黄蛋) - Serves 2
My late grandmother taught me how to cook this many years ago. It was perfect the first time I cooked it. Then, I tried to cook this last week and I failed. Since I couldn't refer to my grandmother anymore, I have to refresh my memory by googling around and I found my mistake. Well, it turned out okay this time except that I think I over-steamed it.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 century egg white cut into small pieces
1 salted egg yolk cut into small pieces

1. Beat the 3 eggs in a bowl. Add in water in a ratio 2:1 (water:egg). I usually use the egg shells as the measurement for the water for more accuracy. Beat the eggs with the water. Leave it for a few minutes for the bubbles to settle.
2. Place the century egg white and the salted egg yolk evenly on an empty deep edge plate.
3. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty deep edge plate. Add a bit of oil.
4. Steam the egg on low fire.

Busy Day Chicken
This is a recipe I found on my phone's recipe app with barbecue sauce but I changed it. It turned out super salty. I'm actually still at the trial and error stage to get the ingredients measurement right.

1. Marinade the chicken with salt, some soy sauce and few drops of sesame oil.
2. Place chicken in the slow cooker. Throw in some dried red dates, gouji, dong quai and some shaoxing wine.
3. Cook the chicken in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.

I marinade the chicken the night before and place it in the refrigerator. The next morning, I just throw everything into the slow cooker before I go to work. When I get home from work, it is ready to be eaten. That is why it is called Busy Day Chicken. Genius, huh?

Stir-fry lil' Bok Choy with Oyster Sauce
1. Heat oil in a wok.
2. Throw in the minced garlic.
3. When garlic turns brown, throw in the bok choy.
4. Stir-fry with oyster sauce and some salt.

Dad and I was exchanging SMSes.

Dad: Leaving Paris for London now. Everything ok?

Me: Yes ok. Garden water fountain not flowing out from the hole but it's flowing behind it. Is that ok?

Dad: The pump is clogged. Do a simple backwash. First switch off the pump. Then dislodge PVC pipe that connects the upflow. Then use garden hose to backwash the pump. Reconnect the pipe and run the pump.

So, I did as per his instructions. A few minutes later, I text him.

Me: It is working. I feel so smart now.

Dad: Good and that's because you got my genes. Haha.

I always get this warm and fuzzy feeling inside each time I see a man with his baby girl. Whether he is carrying her, feeding her, holding her hands or changing her diaper. I don't know why but it gives me the "awwwwwww" effect.

It is also amusing to see the expressions on their face. The funniest one is the "I am seriously clueless and I don't know what I'm doing but I'm trying my best to take care of my baby girl" look. Lol!

I was in Midvalley earlier and there was this man who was walking in front of me. Well, he actually cut into my path to get on the escalator. I was annoyed at first but when he turned back and reached his hands to his daughter who was behind me and led her to his side, I was like "awwwww". That got me thinking of my dad and I miss him now. :)

P/S: Ok, Colin, now you know why I miss daddy. :)


Awwww

I was listening to the radio on the way to work this morning. The radio announcer asked the caller who called from his college if there is any girl around him at that moment. He replied, "No, just the rubbish auntie". Lol! Bad choice of word there. If I'm the janitor, I do not want people to call me the "rubbish girl". I'm not a rubbish! Lol!

I think most of you will agree with me that certain songs can bring out certain emotions in you and remind you of certain people.

Just wanted to blog that out.

I know, that is so random. =D

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I love this song. I just heard it from "So You Think You Can Dance" and I immediately searched for it.

Woodbury Common is coming. It will be in Kulai and it is called Johor Premium Outlet. This is a joint venture between Genting Plantations Bhd and Premium Outlets (a division of the US-based Simon Property Group). I'm really excited but will it be the same as the one in New York?

I remember my parents took me to Woodbury when I visited them in New York 9 years ago and I had a grrrrreat time there (Wow! 9? How time flies! It seems like yesterday.). But seriously, I love love love love that place! I'm so going to check out this one in Kulai. Of course, I shall not have any high expectations. Things might be different here. We'll see!

My weekend in Bali

I spent my last weekend in Bali with the boyfriend and his business associates. We stayed in Hard Rock Hotel. The trip was AWESOME although it took us 1 hour to get through the immigration and I felt a little shortchanged from the seafood dinner we had provided by the tour in Jimbaran and there was some glitch when we checked in at Hard Rock Hotel! Bugger told us no more rooms when we paid for it way earlier and it's Premium Deluxe room ok! Not some standard room. Idiot. They wanted to "so-called" upgrade us to a luxury suite that comes in 2 rooms and a living room and they expected the 6 of us to share 1 suite?! No way! Crazy, did they expect some of us to sleep in the living room? LOL! Anyway, we ended up getting a room as originally planned but we had to check out the next day and then check-in to another room. Weird.

Apart from that, the trip - the only regret is...I didn't get to do my surfing because I couldn't wake up for it. We booked the 8am class. Set our alarm at 6am and when the alarm rang, I just didn't feel like waking up and I gave myself a whole lot of excuses like "I surfed in Bali before and I can miss this one", "since we haven't pay, we can miss this", "the boyfriend can't swim so it's dangerous", etc. I felt a pang of guilt when Lisa called at 8:30am asking where were we because I was the one who persuaded and pushed her to join us for the surfing the night before. When we joined her at the pool, she told us that she did go for the surfing and that she had a great time. I know that she definitely will have a good time like I did before. So jealous. Haha! Anyway, she did tell me that she really wanted to try surfing but never had the chance to do it. Now she did and thanks to me for pushing her to do it. LOL. Trying to make myself feel better here.

The highlight of the trip so far is...the boyfriend and I rented a motorcycle and we biked around from Kuta to Seminyak. We stopped by some shops along the way to shop a little. It was really fun! I never rode a bike before and I was a little scared. However, I trust the boyfriend because he can ride a motorcycle like his mode of transport. So basically, he is very experienced. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Oh one more thing. I'm not sure if it's only Hard Rock Hotel or for all the hotels along Kuta beach, the tap water is actually salty. Hmmmmm... I don't remember salty tap water from the hotel I stayed last year. Strange.



Updated
The boyfriend made a video. You can view it from his blog here, or below.