When it is no longer safe to learn

Posted by Fishy Ash
Photo courtesy of TheStar Online.

Close to the end of April 2010, a piece of news shocked the whole nation. Almost everyone was wondering how could a girl possibly have been raped repeatedly in the school.

School, which is supposed to be the safest place, for us to learn.
School, is supposed to be a place filled with laughters.
School, is a place that fosters love, not fear.

The school has now become a ground that provides nothing but threats and troubles, not just to the students but to the surrounding community and residents. Even the teachers and parents are helpless and live in fear too. How could one learn and gain knowledge in such environment?

It is a shame that it happens here in our country. What a shame for the supposedly-studying-and-innocent students to go astray and got themselves involved in gangster-ism. Worst, to become a rapist at such a young age. Their future, is torn apart by their own hands the moment they committed such crime. The victims, may have to undergo all sorts of therapies and treatments to be able to face the world again.

The only question in my head is, why has it always had to come this far for us to realise something is awfully wrong? There has got to be some signs or indications before it has come to this stage. Things must have been going on for some time for it to go all sour. Well...... Now isn't the time to find fault or put the blame on someone or something. This, gives us the opportunity to re-look into our disciplinary system in schools. For the parents, it is time to really take note of your children's behavior in the school and also their whereabouts after school.

For all the related news:
School Gangs Make It Hell for All
The Powerless Teachers
The Public Can't Take It No More
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Courtyard Garden Restaurant, Damansara Heights

Posted by Fishy Ash
Last week Andrew has already told me that his friend was planning a birthday surprise for her boyfriend, Shaq. Shaq, is actually Andrew's school mate. We got to know Jennifer, Shaq's girlfriend since last year. Why is his name Shaq? Hahaha. It's his nickname since school because he played good basketball, is tall and big, like the NBA basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. :)

The birthday dinner supposed to be on Friday, but Shaq's family was here in town, gotta postpone the dinner to Saturday. Here we were, at Courtyard Garden Restaurant in Damansara Heights.

My jaw dropped open so big when I saw the prices in the menu. We already expected it to be expensive, since Andrew has promised Jennifer to go, we had to keep to that promise. For a Wanton noodles it costs RM20! A clay-pot assam noodles needs RM28. I told Andrew to better order something which is more worthy than a plate of noodles! LOL! They offer fusion menu, Asian delights and western. All of us went for western! Hahaha.

I ordered an asparagus soup, RM9, and Black Olive Crustecean with scallops and tiger prawns, RM35. Andrew got himself Butter Fish (cajun fish), RM45. Most of us ordered pasta! The pasta is nice I must say, but I couldn't finish mine as it was too oily (although it's olive oil) and it was a lot. Andrew's butter fish wasn't exactly what I like, there was this fishy smell and it was too dry. Overall, we enjoyed the dinner. For us who ordered pastas, we were happy. :) Worth the price or not? Hmm...... You could actually get the similar thing from TGIF. You go figure. :)

If you would like to go for a try, do not get stunned by the prices, I warn you first. :) Will I go again? Hmm...... I don't think so. :P Unless you're the one who pick up the tab. Hehehe.

While having my pasta, I had a flashback of our times in Taipei, having our lovely lunch in Mr. J's restaurant. I'd still prefer the pasta in Mr. J's restaurant. Gosh....... I miss Taipei so much.

Please pardon my photos quality, taken by my miserable 2MP iPhone 3G. It is still better than none.

Geez... O.P. Ribs, RM220 per kg!!! What is that??!!!

My asparagus soup, not bad. Not thick enough though, pretty watery.

The Black Olive Crustacean! It is nice, they're not stingy in the ingredients. Pretty healthy with all the greens, olive oil and tomatoes.

Andrew's Butter (cajun) Fish. Love the greens, but the fish is a bit too dry.

The birthday boy! And we had Baskin Robbins ice-cream cake for desserts. :D

Shaq got a box of Marlboro as birthday gift, and he gave us one to keep. :) No, Andrew and I don't smoke. This is purely for collection.
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Have You Facebook-ed Lately?

Posted by Fishy Ash
I am addicted to Facebook, I guess most of you know that. Games, updating status, commenting...... In fact Facebook is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family.

But I am overdosed with Facebook. Everyday, I spend at least 4 hours on Facebook. Weekends, if I did not go out, I'd be hooked on Facebook for 6 or 8 hours. Scary, isn't it?

Lately, I finally have enough of Facebook. The games are getting boring, and the comments I received from friends in Facebook over my status, photos or whatever I posted, is overwhelming. I realised, I've lost my privacy and freedom to share. I have always hold on to one belief, if you have nothing good to say, please don't say it. However, it is not everyone who could do just that. I've received some comments that weren't so pleasant to read. Sometimes I just needed to share my frustration and it attracted unwanted remarks that could make me feel so bad about myself. Many a times people try to be smart to teach or advise me on what to do best but they forgot all I need is just some listening ears (or I should say reading eyes). Usually all I shared was a statement yet they misunderstood it was a question and they started throwing me tonnes of answers and better still, questioning.

Anyway, I can't just start blaming everybody since I was the one who would like to share in the first place. So, to give myself a break from all the unwanted comments, I've decided it is time for me to take a break from Facebook. Took me more than a year to realise excessive sharing of my personal life in Facebook isn't a good thing, at all.

Guess you will be seeing more of me here in the blogosphere. Blogging or writing is still the best way to share compare to those "status updates" in Facebook. Perhaps, I shall be more careful in what I share in the future.

I think most of you out there would start saying "who asked you to share/write so much in Facebook, you brought it upon yourself". Well, maybe. Fortunately I still have my sense to put a stop to it. :)

It is time to get back on the normal track of my life. Start reading and picking up things that I left behind for so long that I couldn't even remember.

Now, let's see some funny clips from South Park. I was laughing so hard and kept nodding my head to see how true they are. :)

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Random Thoughts

Posted by Fishy Ash
No, I'm not sad. I am pissed. Not angry, but pissed and annoyed.

People, before you start asking question, please think twice. The question you throw at others could be something that person is avoiding or struggling for a right answer to tell you.

If you do not want to have a child, please do not ask others "why are you not pregnant" too. Or, "when are you going to have a baby". That person might not want a child too. Respect their decisions and choices.

If you have difficulties in having a child, please do not ask others the same questions as above over and over again too. That person may have his/her own difficulties too. Respect their difficulties and privacy.

If you have children and a happy family, please bear in mind that there are individuals or married couples out there who enjoy the happiness of solitary or being with their partners only. Respect their beliefs that may differ from yours.

The same goes to married people who always ask why the singles aren't married, the singles ask why the married got married and/or those in the relationship are getting question why they're not married yet.

It could be the first time you ask the question, but it could be the 100th times the other person heard it. If at all you just have to ask, try asking it in another way. There are so many ways to ask a question without hurting the other person, why not get creative and ask in a discreet way? Or put yourselves in their shoes for 5 seconds, then only ask the question. Trust me, you'll see it in a whole new way and ask a more appropriate question.

Life is already tough enough and we all are doing our very best to make it a happy and an enjoyable journey.

I may or may not have fertility issues. But I have made a choice of not having a child for the time being, please respect my decision. Perhaps, I have no problem at all, but I may just choose to adopt a child rather than having one, there are so many lovely orphans out there. Please respect that too. I too, have chosen to marry my husband. Do you see it? It is all about making decisions and choices. When you expect others to respect yours, you have got to respect others' too.

If you tell me it is all out of concern, then please do it the right way. There are so many things in life that you could ask about, why must limit them to only reproductive and marriage issues?

I say I have no appetite to eat, instead of asking me "are you pregnant", you could have just asked "are you ok". I say I am craving for some food, instead of asking "pregnant makes you craving", you could have just suggested me where to get some nice food. See, it is so simple and yet people always try to make it so complicated.

If you do not like what I wrote here, there's no need for you to get all upset and angry. Just close the browser and maybe curse a little. After all, this is MY blog. Like it or not, Ashley is still Ashley.
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Baby TALK

Posted by Fishy Ash
Whenever I saw someone else's baby, the urge to have one that I could call my own was so strong. Babies are cute, fun, lovable, adorable, innocent...... When they smile, the whole world melts away. Their smiles could always chase away my sorrow. The smell of baby is such a pure bliss. When they are bigger and sometimes say the sweetest thing in the world, it makes you the happiest person ever in the world. I too, love babies and children. I too, have taken care of my niece and nephews when they were babies.

After reading the first paragraph, I guess most of you would want to shout out to me to give me some encouragement. "Go for it, Ashley......  What are you waiting for, have one baby of your own now...... You'll be happy with your own baby...... It's time for you to have one...... You're not young anymore......" LOL! I could hear them already. :)

I am both an idealist and a realist. If I ever had the slightest feeling of uncomfortable, I will not do it. I know more than anyone else in this world, that I am NOT ready. I am not ready to take on that responsibility just yet. Well, I may or may not have my own children in the future, but for the time being, I am not prepared for it. I know exactly having a child entails great responsibility. And great responsibility means commitment. That commitment is one that I have yet to learn to pick up.

There's another reason too. Last night I was talking to Andrew about having a child. I told him honestly that I would not be able to handle it if I have a baby without anyone there to help me. I am very sure I'll have postpartum depression if I were to take care of the baby all alone. The postpartum depression runs in my family history, though not serious, the possibility of me having it is very big. Fortunately, Andrew agrees with me! LOL! He agrees that I would just lose it if the baby cries. Hahaha. It's either I'll just throw the baby away or I'll burst out crying together with the baby. I have seen my sisters in that kind of situation, I certainly do not wish to see myself in the same situation too.

Financially, it is not a good time too with the house coming. Also, both of us have been enjoying the freedom of no-strings-attached.

Perhaps when everything settles down next year, we will start thinking and planning about it. I know, I know. It may not come when actually you want it. I truly understand. I am lucky enough to find a man that shares the same opinion and vision. :)

Right now, we are loving the way life is. We are not rich, we are in debts, but we are happy. Sometimes you just have to make the best out of it.

For the moment, I am simply enjoying taking care of and having fun with my niece and nephews. It's wonderful to see them growing from small babies to BIG kids now.
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Am I A Crazy Shopper?

Posted by Fishy Ash
In my previous post, if you've read, I've bought a blue dress for RM167. Andrew was a bit surprised with the price, but he is always very sweet to say "as long as you like it, it's ok, and by the way, it is pretty". He has never tried to stop me from buying anything, he would only ask if I needed it.

I'd buy cheaper clothes too, if they're nice. I've even tried online-shopping. My last online-shopping experience wasn't a good one. I was so disappointed. I've bought 9 pieces of tops and dresses altogether, amounting to RM261. Guess what, only 3 of them are wearable! That is sad, isn't it? RM261 for 9 pieces is VERY cheap. But when you could only wear 3 of them, you do the maths. Out of that 3 pieces, one T-shirt, one off-shoulder blouse and one cotton dress. The rest of them, bad quality, poor workmanship, way too different from the photos on the web, sizes are not consistent with what mentioned on the web too. Shall post the photos of them when I have the courage to look at them again. Now whenever I see them, I feel sad. Can't wear them nor give them away. They are so bad I wouldn't want another person to feel that I'm giving them unwanted bad stuff. I may sound a little exaggerating, but one thing could prove that they're really bad. Tried all of them on and showcased to Andrew, he has never said a word except smiling. Oh well, perhaps one word he did say when I asked if it looked nice, "OK" was his only answer.

So now, you tell me, would you rather spend RM261 for 3 casual simple clothes? With that RM261, I could get a pretty dress from Miss Selfridge and a nice top from Dorothy Perkins which I could wear to work. Most importantly, I know I am going to wear them!

Okay, I am finding excuses to justify my shopping spree. LOL!
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Shopping Spree Continues

Posted by Fishy Ash
Had a date with my fellow 'sistas', Jenny, Yee and Wan Yi. Wan Yi told me last night that she could join us. Jenny is at her 3rd trimester, so good that I could finally feel and touch her big tummy. :D

We had our lunches in Din Tai Fung in The Gardens Mall. The Xiao Long Bao (steamed dumpling) is so nice! Juicy and tender. I had a bowl of beef noodles too, thumbs up! Reminded me of all the beef noodles I had in Taiwan. Oh, I miss Taiwan so much.

After a satisfying lunch, gotta do some exercise instead of sit and chat and let the fats accumulated around our waists. LOL! Got myself a Le Sportsac handbag, my first Le Sportsac! Hahaha. Wan Yi got one too. Around 3pm, we all went separate ways. Me, while waiting for Andrew who was on his way, went to Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge to hunt for my "perfect" top. I managed to grab a few of them! Oh my gosh, it's been a while since I last splurged on clothes! Not even when I was in Taiwan! Geez...... Enough of spending, Ashley. Please don't go back to your old shopaholic self.

From Miss Selfridge, RM167 after discount.

From Dorothy Perkins, RM80.10 each, after discount. They don't look nice and attractive right? Well, look perfectly beautiful when you put them on! I was surprised they suit me well. :)

Le Sportsac handbag, RM95 after 50% discount."

Few hundreds gone. :(
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Shop Till You Drop

Posted by Fishy Ash
Isetan is having anniversary sale this month, 3-day members special starting yesterday. The crowd was crazy, we didn't even get the chance to go into the car park, the traffic at the KLCC entrance was so bad! I told Andrew even if we got in, the chance to get an empty car park within 10 minutes would be very dim too. Seeing that we too were rushing to go home to watch the Thomas Cup, I decided to go home and do the shopping today.

Got there around 11 this morning, hoping the crowd would not be big. Luckily, no crowd at all. Went to TGV KLCC to see if we could grab any movie later. Well, earliest show for The Bounty Hunter is 4.20pm. Bummer! That is too late. No other good movie, full concentration on my shopping then. LOL!

Went straight to Clinique, I was the only customer. :D Geez...... There were so many things I needed to replenish! Looked at the amount, oh Lord! I could feel my heart ached so much and Andrew was like "whoa, that is a lot! But well, if you really need them, that is ok though." Aww...... That was so sweet of him to comfort me. I have no idea why my skincare all finished at the same time! Usually they did not, I used to replenish one at a time. The money involved was too scary, I dropped a few items in the hope that the existing ones could still last me another month.

If it was ME 2 years ago, I wouldn't even blink an eye to buy all of them. I am proud to say that I am a more careful consumer now. :) Thanks to Wan Yi and Melissa. They are constantly telling me "do not buy what you do not need".

Roaming around in KLCC whilst waiting for my ex-colleagues to come, also looking for a gorgeous top for my upcoming photography session, hopefully! Hahahaha. Argh, couldn't find one that caught my eyes. Finally my ex-colleagues reached, passed me a bottle of super healthy fish oil that promise could improve health dramatically. So nice of my ex-colleagues to come all the way from PJ to give me the fish oil. Couldn't thank them enough. I am truly blessed with many little angels. :)

Tomorrow meeting with another 2 angels. Hope I could grab some really yummy-looking top then.

Bought 5 pieces from Clinique, and one from Origins.

Something to share about this Origins Youthtopia eye cream. Using Rhodiola as one of the ingredients, it claims it is able to reduce fine lines, puffiness, dark circles and helps firm the skin. I have been using it for more than a year, this is the 3rd bottle. What I love about it is that it is made from all natural ingredients, no chemicals. Hence, it is not oily at all even though it is pretty creamy. It feels oily and heavy on your fingertips, but when you dab it around your eyes, you will only feel that it is creamy but definitely not oily. I can't use oily products on the skin around my eyes, otherwise I'll get oil seeds and that would be nasty. The skin around my eyes used to be very dry. I've tried a lot of eye products that claimed to work wonders and magic. None of them really worked. Some of them were so oily and caused oil seeds to grow and I have gone through a tough time removing them. I gave up on my eyes for some time, only using the hydration eye gel from Clinique to prevent it from dehydration. It was by chance I stumbled upon this Youthtopia. Tried it for the first time, didn't like it. Since I've bought it, I gotta use it. 1 month later, I noticed my skin around the eyes was improved! It is still dry, but I no longer have fine lines! Also, the skin has more elasticity now, it is no longer sagging. I am absolutely loving it. No worries about applying too much of it. RM160 for 15ml, which can last 6 months if you use it day and night.

I've been a loyal customer of Clinique. I can't remember for how long, 5 or 6 years perhaps. Their products are less expensive compared with others. They do not have celebrity as their spokesperson, guess that's why they managed to keep their prices reasonable. Also, their products are milder and gentler on the skin.

Lancome, Estee Lauder, Shu Uemura, L'Oreal, Kose, Shiseido, Clarins...... I've tried them all. Most of the times, 6 months of usage, either they were too oily for me, or they lost their effects on me. Clinique is the only brand that balances everything out on my face. There are people telling me some of Clinique products contained alcohol which is harmful to our facial skin. Well, after years of usage, I would say my face is still looking good, if not best. :)

Love Clinique's Airbrush Concealer and Derma White concealer stick. They are so easy to apply, do not cause dryness, do not flake, and not oily! Their Derma White liquid foundation is very light too, but I've stopped using it for quite some time since I now prefer BB cream and the mousse foundation I got from Taiwan.

Okay, enough of Clinique. :) More photos.

6 pieces of free gifts plus few other which the lovely sales assistant always smuggled into the bag for regular customers. :)

Andrew insisted on buying me this since the one I have now cracked at its end although it is still usable. He said now I could have one at home and one at work. :) Thank you my dearest.
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On The Other Side

Posted by Fishy Ash
I love to take photos, I love photography, that is a known fact. But do you know that I love to be photographed too? I finally get to be on the other side of the camera, "full-time". :D

Owner of the sweet Canon 450D for 1 and a half years, Andrew has never offered to photograph me except when we were traveling. I would have to tell him "take here, I want this... I want to see this...... right right, left left......" LOL! Bossy? Hahaha. Perhaps. I have lots of photos, but never a proper portraits kind.

I did not expect it to be a total photo-shooting session with Wan Yi and Melissa! We started off with a 3 hours of karaoke in Redbox The Gardens, singing our hearts and lungs out. Although I was late, I had a wonderful time still. The Backstreet Boys' Everybody is still echoing in my little head. Haha.

After the karaoke, the unbelievable photo-shooting session began! And I, have become their model, officially. Or I shall say "guinea pig"? LOL! They wanted a BIG "moving" subject to practice, and I was happy to be that subject. Hahaha. Who to blame?! I never had a GOOD photo-shooting session of my own.

Here, let's see what we have now. I am so, so, so happy with all the photos. I am happy as a clam! :D

(These are from Wan Yi. For photos from Melissa, click HERE.)







A great day has come to an end, in a great way. :)

Went dinner with Wan Yi and Kong, fish head noodles, in Kuchai Lama. Pretty good. Had my first sip of the soup, thought the one in Desa Petaling that Phoebe brought me to was nicer. Towards the end, found that this one was better. The milk isn't too much and that makes the soup whole lot better. I almost finished the soup!
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Old Regs. New Way.

Posted by Fishy Ash

When the sitcom Friends was still a hit on the TV....... When I just stepped into the ever-so-strange college...... When I first explored the everything-is-possible world of internet...... When the Yahoo! Chat was such an IN thing to do...... When Yahoo! Messenger was nothing but the hippest to have...... When others were crazy about ICQ, Hotmail and mIRC, I was hooked on Yahoo! Chat.


Yahoo! used to have plenty of chat-rooms that ran on Java. I was addicted to it, especially with this particular group of people in Friends chat-room! They are all from different countries, different ethnic groups, backgrounds and ages. But we all had one common interest - Friends - the hottest TV sitcom back then.


How long was I hooked on it? I would say during my 4 years of college, I spent pretty much of my free time chatting with them. Everyone knew everyone back then. We never ran out of things to talk. Anything under the sun could be our topic of the day. The time difference was never an issue to us. The group grew and grew, to a point that we became the old regulars of that particular chat-room.


We never met each other in real life. Some of them yes, but not me. I remember there was a girl from Penang, but seeing that I was restricted by the "resources" I had back then, 2 of us didn't have the chance to meet too. What's more where most of them are overseas.


Thanks to those virtual friends, I had the chance to polish my English. I learned their slangs, the way they wrote and typed. Now, I guess I have forgotten most of them. LOL!


When I finished college, the chat-room was kind of dying. It was empty most of the time, the old regs weren't there anymore. Everyone had just moved on with their life. A new group of people took over. We hardly get in touch after that, only a handful of them that I still spoke to. And the next moment before I knew it, Yahoo! Chat is gone.


Now, now...... Some old reg has made some effort, created a group in Facebook, inviting all the old regs!!! Good grief, most of them are back! I was so excited to see all of them! All those familiar humorous user ID...... Geez...... They bring back so much memories. We are now all on Facebook! Time really flies. Some I haven't even talked to for more than a decade! Gosh......


I guess you must be wondering why on earth I go all gaga over a bunch of virtual people who I have never met. Hmm...... I have no idea. Perhaps, they are proof that I was once silly and young and I did have a great time at some point of my life. Most importantly, they are part of my SWEET memories that I would definitely like to keep.


It's a blessing to be able to keep in touch with them once again. You can never say you have too many friends. Be it virtual or real. :)


I love you, Perkapalooza! (Okay, don't ask me what that means, I don't know either! LOL! Someone came up with it few years back and now it became the name of the group in Facebook. :P )



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