I Left My Heart in China.

I have found a piece of heaven on earth - the middle kingdom.

i had an absolutely great time there! the FOOD, the FUN, and most importantly the FELLOWSHIP. it was an extremely blissful trip. one which made me dread the day that i had to board the plane back to Malaysia.

perhaps one of the reasons why i enjoyed the trip so much was because i could communicate with the people there with the very rusty Mandarin i speak. i even had the opportunity to haggle with the locals there. we left every souvenir shop with the shopkeeper almost reduced to tears from not being able to con these malaysians into buying their overpriced products. :)

and thats how your 'made in China' souvenirs came to be, my dear friends.

here are the few facts i've observed and picked up throughout my trip to shanghai,

-the weather was a steady 24 degrees celsius and even colder in during the nights.

UV rays are pretty strong during the day although the day may seem breezy and you do not feel the scorching heat.

-the means of transportation there was a mixture of motors and bicycles. lots of big cars, for the rich and bicycles with 'motors' for the middle classes. the taxis there were all volkswagens and yellow in colour. their roads system is the opposite of our system and vehicles there drive on the right side of the road. all steering wheels are on the left too.

-the population of shanghai is 19 million citizens.

-almost every where you turn your head in china, has historical value.

-rm1=1.9renminbi

-there are very few stray dogs on chinese streets. (you do the math)

-chinese people are pretty daring when it comes to stylish dressing. knee length boots and stockings dominated the pavement.

-there is no access to facebook in china because of tight censorship. :(

-chinese signboards are very amusing.

-chinese food gets even better in china. malaysia has 3 largest ethnic groups but china recognises 56 other nationalities, hence, an array of different culture and cuisine.

-chinese people can eat almost anything and everything. perhaps thats the reason why we couldn't find dragons dominating the sky, nor lochness monsters in the lakes. they all became exotic chinese dishes. :)

-out off all the chinese people we've came across in china, only 5 were overweight.

-basketball and not girls is the fantasy of young chinese boys with yao ming is their ultimate idol.

-most chinese people don't understand a single hoot of english nor are they impressed by anyone who speaks the language. if you speak english in china, especially infront of a salesman, thats it. the price shoots up and stays there.

-the bund is the most romantic place you can bring your chinese girl friend for a midnight stroll.

-they sell McPork at McD outlets there.

-Shang Hai nightlife is full of zest with plenty of nightclubs for your pick, beautifully decorated streets and sky scrapers.

-it is not chinese culture to throw their toilet paper into the bowl after use (something which is like second nature to us Malaysians) because their 'indah water' system isn't build to support such rubbish. instead, they throw it in the bin next to the bowl.

-because of heavy competition, companies fight to outdo each other by constantly improving their products through means of packaging, presenting, advertising and so on so forth. hence, for chinese shoppers, they can get the best of a product, provided they have the money to pay for it.

-the chinese adore zhang ziyi. nothing new there.

anyway, i was just browsing through the pictures we took throughout the trip and the more i looked, the richer the memories that flood my mind. i hear the water lapping sound of the indoor swimming pool at fuchun resort calling out to me, the way Uncle Chia cracks the funniest jokes at the weirdest of moments, the way Aunty Siew Yen laughs, the way Aunty Wendy hints for Daniel to eat more pancakes.. memories of everybody eating together, laughing together, and just plain being with one another and enjoying each other's company.
memories like these would not fade with time.

i believe that they are carved too deeply in my heart to fade with passing time.

i really admire the fact that the friendship between my dad and his gang of childhood friends are still going strong after all these years. its really becomes what we young people would exclaim as 'COOL'. Everyone knows that in this modern day and time, true friends are so hard to come by. True, unselfish and genuine friendship is are like the rarest of gems; so precious and so hard to find. now, those days, group names were the 'in' thing so the 7 of them went by the group name - the Mights. (i think its much better than calling themselves 'the gay lads' WHICH WAS A GROUP NAME THAT WAS QUITE POPULAR THOSE DAYS) And to think that the Mights are still so close knitted even through the harsh winds of time, i take my hat off to God for preserving their friendship. As my Aunty Margaret had put it in words very nicely, even the wives of the Mights have found good friends in each other. With the same logic, if the children of the 'Mights' had more time to spend with each other, i believe that strong friendships are bound to form, which is something that i'm counting on very much, you know what i mean, girls ;) ehhehehee.

Ultimately, the way i see it, every Might is a blessing to one another. Also, i believe thatevery Might is a blood brother that God forgot to give each Might, so He let them become best friends instead. Hence, i am proud, to have so many loving and caring uncles and aunties.

so for those who were so nice to ask me how was my trip to Shang Hai and witness me switch to dream mode, you know what i mean. it wasn't the food, lodging, sight seeing that made this trip special to me; though they did play their respective roles in making this trip so enjoyable.

but in my opinion, what made this trip unlike any other was the fact that i spent this trip with the people whom my dad had grew up with. it was special company and indescribable fellowship that made this trip a holiday to remember, for me.

Datuk Air-Con Man.

this morning, a guy came to service my brother's room's air conditioner. i must admit he isn't the most attractive thing on planet earth. but he kinda has one of those faces that only a mother can love.

Air-Con Man.

yes. air-con man was so funny at our house today he should be awarded datukship.

it all started when he kept bending down to reach for stuff. and its not like my siblings and i like to check out people's buttocks but he was an EXCEPTION! and woohoo. air-con man has buttcwacks deeper than the klang valley.

i was fortunate enough to not bear witness of the 'klang valley'. but the survivors barely made it out alive. daniel and joshua fled their room like lightning to LOL in the garden. and they couldn't stand being in the same room as him ever since.

unfortunately, one cannot have it all as air-con man doesn't have very good stamina. he was panting and moaning while trying to pull himself onto joshua's study desk and was grunting very loudly in dire attempts to yank the air-con off the wall.

air-con man, thanks for making our day.

you are forever welcomed in our house. just remember to wear underwear next time. :)

Michie Mouse.

MICHELLE CHOONG TURNS 16 today!

also, today, a bunch of us friends suffered a near death experience by attempting to finish the signature volcanic pancake dish from Paddington's House of Pancakes. i think we all left the place with a new found phobia. moral of the story? never eat dessert for lunch. main course is main course.

Back to Michelle.

i've known michelle for about 10 months now. well, i mean known KNOWN. we've grew closer ever since we became classmates. :)
of course i knew who she was before, i mean who wouldn't notice this rosy faced girl with that trademark wide smile that never goes away? am i right or am i right?

Michelle is absolutely made up of sugar. she's extremely sweet. so sweet that willy wonka should name a candy after her, preferably something extremely corny like Michie Mouse Delight.

Yes. she is THAT sweet that she's forced to have a man in her life to ward off the ants.
ahem ahem.

here are a couple of facts about our SWEETIE MICHIE.

she's the kind of friend who would tolerate your lameness, no matter how much you over-do it. eg, "hey mich, whats the biggest city in our country?" "heheh, i dunnoe, kl?" "nooo, city nurhaliza." "HAHAHA! GOOD ONE ELENA!" *on a personal note, that was a very funny lame joke.

she'll set aside her homework (almost gladly actually) to listen about her friend's day.

she's the kind of person who would agree to go to toilet with you although she's been to the toilet alone 5 times today.

she never gets offended. no matter how harsh and brutal wai kee's apek slang may be. eg, "eh stupid girl, pass me my book can onnot?"

she's able to manage a sincere smile when teacher calls her up to recite physics formulas. formulas of which, she knows nuts about!

she's cool enough to give a name to a baby plant in school. what was it again? OH YEAH! EVERGREEN! :)

but evergreen die because of a guy's acidic pee. :(

michelle is one of those girls who is beautiful without even lifting a finger.
she's never a vain pot.

MATTER OF FACT : i really REALLY appreciate her as a friend. kind and gentle as she is, i have one last praise for her.

we all know how girls often have a certain body part they're absolutely proud of?
the typical answers would be hips, lips, nose, boobs, tongue, ankle etc.

but in my opinion, michelle's most attractive body part is her ear.

why? because she's a very good listener. and sometimes, what we really need is a person who's willing to hear you out.

so thanks michelle, for being such a blessing to us. know it or not, you've made a difference in many people's lives.

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Father Lord in Heaven, for 16 years You've watched over Your little gem, michelle. 16 years and counting, never once have You left her side, in fact, You have always been there for her every step of the way. So Lord, i pray as we celebrate her birthday that we would come to understand that we are celebrating a miracle of Yours. and Lord, i pray as she continues to blossom into the wonderful woman of God she's destined to be, that You'll keep her safe and sound. Give her Your wisdom so that others wouldn't take advantage of her sincerity. Surround her with Your love, that she would never feel lonely, even on the darkest of days. May you be the source of her inspiration, the source of her strength, her determination.

May she be a living testimony proclaiming the goodness of the living God.

In Jesus' precious name, Amen.

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Blessed Sweet Sixteen, Michelle!

Have a great one. :) and seriously, LAY OFF THE PANCAKES.

michelle: " i feel so loved!"

elena: " you'd better. we spent rm73 on that cake."

:)

Prefects Hi-Tea 2009

there's this bunch of salmon pink roses that i happily took home from Royale Bintang last saturday. my mum had them all propped up in a clear vase by my bed.
So every morning i would wake up to smell each and every of the pretty things. but what stands out the most to me is not that sweet fragrance, but how they seem to wither more and more with each passing day.
i guess that's a symbolic reminder to me that hi-tea is over, and all that's left of it is sweet memories and, of course facebook pictures.

playtimes' over.

let's get down to business.

Pmr starts this week. to be honest, i feel the heat even more than my brother. i know he'll do his best. and his best is enough for me, no matter the outcome. same to all those pmr takers this year. if you've put in your share of hard work, it will pay off.

Our lessons comes from the journey, not the destination.

so i pray that as my dear brother (and his peers of course) lays his head to rest tonight, and the butterflies start to flutter in his belly, i pray, not for them to vanish completely, but for them to be bearable enough for him to have a good night's rest.

all of us at home have faith in you, daniel!
so have faith in yourself.
but most importantly, have faith in Jesus.

Elena Ong Cho Chang.

i see you recoiling from the computer.
i don't blame you, i almost choked on my red bean potong stick when i saw that.

so if that really is my uncle, and the rumours are true.. could it be..
I'm the rightful cho chang?


YESH! :D
wooyeahdoobiedooyeah!


ps, don't "-.-" me i'm entitled to dream okay.

My Generation?

Just took my hands off the book 'Shopaholic & Sister' lent to me by my dear friend Jun Ning and now its resting peacefully between two of my biggest encyclopedias.
hehe, if you're reading this, i've really enjoyed it and i hope you're enjoying my 'Capten Underpants' and 'The Poltergoose' in return. ;)
i admit that i was a little prejudice towards that book in the beginning. MAINLY BECAUSE of its bimbo tone of narrating. with becky bloomwood pulling nonsensical stunts like marching up the mountain in the pouring rain with diamante kitten heels, a mini skirt and a designer handbag.
but the book turned out to be quite a pleasant read. all thanks to the twists in the stories. and you would think that the story lines of such books would be totally predictable.

but what tugged at me the most was the message embodied between the pages.
ultimately, everyone is obsessed with something. it may be your work, fashion, rocks, popularity, housework, knowledge, God(birth place of extremists), FOOD, sleep, love(you become a very possessive lover which is a big no-no in any relationship) and so on, so forth.

i, personally find that there's nothing more therapeutic than sleeping.
i need at least 9 hours of sleep per day in order to not feel sluggish the next day. no, i'm not ready for caffeine.
its a very bad habit i think. my folks tell me that its not very good. but after that they sheepishly admit that this may be a genetical trait so it may not be entirely my fault. HAHAHEHE, YESH.

Confessions of a Sleepaholic. -Eleanor Ophelia.
whaatt? i need a grand, author-like name. (to protect my real identity) ingenius eh?

too much sleep makes people lethargic. what more people who don't exercise very often like ME.
gotta change gotta change gotta change. maybe i'll give coffee a try. but then the people around me would suffer from my caffeine repercussions. like seriously, would you really like to see a very hyper elena? do you need to step on dog droppings to know that your mum would kill you? no, i think i'll lay off the caffeine for now.

its not nice to be lethargic. its almost being labeled as lazy.
thats not very nice. :(

i need to change. its all part of the bigger plan.

behold! the inspiration of my week.

I am part of a Lost Generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world.
I realize this may be a shock, but
“Happiness comes from within”
is a lie and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family.
I tell you this,
once upon a time
families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era.
This is a quick fix society.
Experts tell me
30 years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce.
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making.
In the future,
environmental destruction will be the norm.
No longer can it be said that
my peers and I care about this Earth.
It will be evident that
my generation is apathetic and lethargic.
It is foolish to presume that
there is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.
Now read backwards line by line.

-Jonathan Reed-

Are we part of a lost generation? i refuse to believe that this is our sealed fate.

and i'm gonna do something to change it. with God by my side anything is possible.

now, are you with me?

We Made it Official.

saw a couple of teens with slothish hangover symptoms on monday morning?
yes, it was us. but we didn't need alcohol to get high.
just lots of coke an awesome candle light dinner under the stars, and each other for company.

it all started of with a dream, actually.
a dream where a bunch of lazy kids could gather for food, fun and fellowship.
and the excuse was.. JOHN LEE's OFFICIAL FAREWELL.

"..people, how can you lie to me like that arh, the one year of me taking time off from watching true blood to come help you doesn't mean anything anymore isit..nyienyienyie.." John merajuk.

okay okay, the truth be told. it was a farewell party for our beloved coach and friend, John Lee. who had to leave us for India because he was betrothed to an indian girl since birth HAD TO LEAVE US TO PURSUE HIS STUDIES.

this was it. He's leaving us. all because he HAD to put his future before our future. he's such a fishmonger la. but then again. wouldn't we all be fishmongers too if we wanted him to stay here with us till the next coming of Christ?

so we sucked up all our emotions and planned an OFFICIAL FAREWELL.
this was the final outing we're gonna have with john so it had to be special.


place? elena's house. on the balcony.
food and drinks? grilled lamb, black pepper spaghetti, BROWNIES, cheesecake, potato salad, pizza, fruits, assorted junk food, 24cans of coke and a bottle of sparkling juice.
theme? the Ritz hotel. why? because he insisted so.


everyone came realllly early, and the girls went around the neighbourhood with a funny looking kong-kong to pick flowers for the occasion while the guys went to burn fats by playing basketball.
we ourselves were flowers. syok sendiri moment.

nooo.. marc, why you use your physics textbook to block my shot??

the ball flew sou high arh!!

soph : eh those pink flowers are poisonous you know? the sap go in your eye can go blind wan.
siew : EL DON'T PLUCK THOSE JASMIN FLOWERS!
el : why? we need white flowers la.
siew : *drifts off into some weird superstition story*
everyone abandons the plucked flowers on the tree and hurries away.

siew you banyak jahat punya.

time flew by so fast and we realised that we were very behind schedule when we heard the mass bells from john's church. :o
so we hurried to the park to get the guys and went back to HQ to prepare for 'the ambush'.

well, we left the fun part to the guys as we had to rush up to the balcony to set up our Ritz.

we were lighting candles and setting flowers, arranging the food and drinks. we were literally the no-pay maids of the evening.

THE NEXT THING WE KNEW, john appeared at the gate.
so we, being the friendly souls we were, went down to greet him..

or more like baptised him with water.

POI? john?

be very thankful we had the lamb ready for without it, you would have meant dinner to us. :)



what came next was totally dream like.



now THAT can make the managers at the ritz cry.

it was so breathtakingly beautiful.
i'm so surprised that john himself didn't tear!
i mean, i don't even do such stuff for my parents okay. speaking of which, maybe i should start doing stuff like that for my parents. :)



abhi?!! constipated? GO EAT LEANNZA'S GUAVA! to john and his indian wife!


and we danced the night away. we were jumping so much i was so afraid the balcony might have collapsed. SERIOUSLY.

soph can dance and thats because she takes dance lessons,
SIEW however, dances like she's been taking pole dancing lessons! which she does not! she takes accounts tuition. :P


and then we proceeded to the hall to play hearty games of 'fish'. :)


so much laughs, so many racist remarks, so much fun.
it was great fellowship amongst friends, and with john. :)

as our dear indian friend once said,
we have evolved from just friends we debate with,
to best friends.

such are the memories i would treasure forever. :)
thank you guys, for adding spice into my life.
thank you john, for being a great friend/big brother/excellent coach embodied into one flesh.
you will be missed.