Purging out the house

Amazing-ness of amazing-ness. I actually spent all of yesterday (until dinner) and all of today (except brunch) in my house! Yes, even though I am a homebody there was another reason alltogether for this.

For those of you that know me, you will be well aware of the fact that I suffer from a little OCD-ness. My clothes are arranged by type (casual vs. work), sleeve/ pant/ skirt length as well as color. My shoe boxes are arranged by type (again casual vs. work), brand, and color. I find it sadly thereaputic to go through my closet most weekend, re-folding and arranging my clothes and taking stock of what I have. I typically then separate the clothes that I think wont make it anymore.

As a result I have accumulated a corner filled with things I no longer want or need. I thought about selling it off at a flea market, but found the thought of packing it up, moving things, setting up shop and selling to be a bit tedious. As luck had it, my company decided to run a donation drive!

We decided to donate to http://recyclecharity.org/en/ They are focused more on going green and recycling, but will also use the donations to support those in need, and what is nice is that they are pretty transparent about where and how they use the funds collected.

So... I decided to not only clear out my closet, but to clear out the entire house. I went through my shoe cabinet again, cleared out rows of handbags, and went through my old jewellery. I dug through my bathroom cabinets for make-up I would never use and through my messy stash of electronics to see what else I wont need.



I ended up with ~15 bags ready for donation, and a house only filled with essential items. It took me an additional 1.5 hours to move everything to my car, drive it to the office and stash it in the donation boxes... but it was well worth it.

It sounds anal, and boring, and really who really enjoys cleaning out the house? but its fun to find small things that you had forgotten about, cards from loved ones. That diamond ring you had completely forgotten about, the necklace that you had been hunting around for. Shopping your closet, rearranging your library, and to remember to be grateful for everything that you have.

As for me, its also a reminder to not live in excess, to really fully utilize the things that I do have and to try and appreciate it as much as possible... and if all else fails, I now have more space to buy new things!!!

IM KIDDING! - week 2 without a mall visit and counting!

The Last Five Years

*** Blurb from KLPac***

The Last Five Years is an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about a young couple who fall in and out of love over the course of five years. The show chronicles their relationship in a rather unconventional way; her story starts at the end of their relationship; his begins on the day they meet.

***

I went and watched it tonight, and if you're looking for a nice way to spend your evening then I would recommend watching it. If you're a tough guy who isnt so into emotions being displayed on your sleeve then maybe this isnt so much for you. =)

I thought it was realistic in its portrayal. Essentially each character sings in solo throughout the entire musical with the exception of when they meet in the middle, because lets face it, no matter what relationship you are in, you are essentially on your own. Solo, with the other person at best as your mirror.

The actor and actress was quite good, though at time you have to focus on the words as some pronounciations gets swallowed a little bit. But all in all there is a rawness in the breakdown and moments in the show that I think any of us in a relationship can identify with.

Having watched Jon Chew in a few shows now (Adam The Musical, Cock) I find him deff improving with time. Though in all honesty I found his character in Cock to probably be his best.

That being said, I would say if you have some spare time and want to be left in a state of melancholy then you should go watch it. After all its not showing for that much longer, just one more week to go. You can check it out at KLPac.

Music that reminds me of this show : Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts, Adele's Someone like you

Coming back

Im back! After almost 8 weeks away I have finally returned home. Cool, wet weather welcomed me back along with great food, friends and family. After the whirlwind trip I had in Singapore, what with the partying every weekend, shopping, museums, plays, food... its nice to come home and slowly try to settle back into the sedentary life I (will) have.

To those of you who may not know me very well, I used to be quite a party person. That being said, I got it out of my system when I was in my early 20's. Heading out every weekend and coming back late late in the wee hours of the morning. Now with a few more years past, I have slowed down this side of life and prefer to enjoy a more chilled out pace at home. Not that I dont enjoy going out once in a while, more like I prefer that to be the exception rather than the norm.

So its nice, to be back, having gotten my partying quota for the year used up within the first quarter of the year. I am looking forward to more fun around Malaysia this year, and some adventures outside as well. Just two more weekends before I head off to Japan for the cherry blossoms.... and who knows where Ill head to after that.

March : BBQ party on a rooftop
April : Energizer night run <--- sign up if you havent. Night runs are fun, but can be more humid then running during the day
May : No idea yet...
June : The dreaded half marathon challenge thrown at me by my personal trainer
July : Rainforest Music Festival!!! tickets are already being sold - you can find them http://www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com/web/en/about_rwmf.htm <-- here. As for this weekend, probably will take it a bit slow. Might even check out the new musical at KLPac - The Last Five Years

Hiatus

(Climbing all the way to the top on the auto belayer)

Sorry Ive been on hiatus for a little bit. Truth be told I got sent off to Singapore for a few weeks (Re: ~8 weeks) project. I am able to come back on weekends if I choose to do so, but in all honesty sometimes its tiring. Especially if you're flying in on a Friday night and flying out on a Sunday evening. You might as well stay put in Singapore and head back once every few weeks or so.

I was in the vicinity a few weekends ago. Headed out to Camp 5 for rock climbing with my German friend. For those of you who havent been rock climbing in a while. I would recommend you go for the full course (~4hrs) to teach you how to belayer. For those of you who have done rock climbing before but dont really know/ want to do the course, I recommend you READ all the information on the form before submitting it lest you end up like my friend

Receptionist/ experienced climber : So, you've led an expedition?? (awed)
German friend : What? No
R/EC : But you wrote here that you've led an expedition before....

So yes, note to self. Please read... CAREFULLY

Or alternatively, you can just climb on the auto belayer (don't need someone to spot you and therefore no need for a course)


(Climbing to the top!)


(Slowly coming down on the auto belayer)


(They also have a free climbing zone. This is FAR harder than climbing up the wall since it comes with curves and hanging upside down and all)


(You can rent shoes and harnesses at Camp 5)

As for me, well Im heading back this week for my father's birthday, but will most likely stay back in Singapore for the next 2-3 weekends. See you after!

http://www.camp5.com/

Celebrating CNY

If you're walking around trying to figure out where all that drumming and clanging of cymbals is coming from, fear not! for its the return of Chinese New Year! I couldnt give you a good historical background about it even if I tried (I probably would end up making things up which is never good) so needless to say I shall focus on the fun aspects of Chinese New Year



1) The lion dancing. If you're lucky enough to hear those drums and cymbals and all, hunt it down right to the source and chances are you will see a troup of lion dancers. Essentially 2 guys dressed up with lion legs and controlling a large lion head with a tail. The lion head doesnt exactly look like a lion, but go figure. Their dancing immitates the movements of a lion and may even include aerobatics of leaping from poles. Typically done to also provide a blessing on businesses/ establishments for the new year you will see it ending with the lion 'eating' oranges or an angpau which is prepared by the proprieter. Turns out, this may have originated from China, but isn't as popular there as it is in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia nowadays. And if you're unlucky and unable to hunt down a lion dancing troupe, Genting also holds an annual world lion dancing championship (that yes, Ive been trying to go to but have not been able to in a while)

2) Food. Like Hari Raya, Deepavali and Christmas time in Malaysia, Chinese New Year is also all about the food. If you're receieved an invite to head over to your friends place to celebrate, be prepared to eat, drink and be merry. And if you're lucky, catch a game of mahjong as well. And don't forget to bring a present for your host! Drinks, fruits, desserts, cookies being quite common gifts

3) The infamous Ang Pau packets. You may be lucky enough to receive one of these babies as you go visiting. Typically given by married couples to singles, you may receive amounts ranging from RM5 upwards (which Im guessing is directly correlated with your kinship with the person giving it) of course a word of warning as you may not necessarily receive this.. especially if you're >20 years old =P

4) No.traffic.in.the.city. One of the perks of living in the heart of town, CNY is when KL typically gets very quiet, and shops close on the first day. Traffic generally gets diverted outwards as the Chinese families head back to Melaka, Penang, Ipoh and Taiping. Try not to head out as the city is the best place to be at this time... malls too, since not so many people remain in town

and so it is... to enjoy my few days off, will be heading out for rock climbing at Camp 5 followed by a gastronomic feast at my Chinese friends house.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!