1. Chynna, Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Was invited to sample Chynna, Hilton Kuala Lumpur’s March promotion of freshwater fish, caught from the rivers of Pahang, Perak and Sarawak. We were presented with 3 styles of cooking – Steamed Pineapple Fish, Yellow Curry Patin King and Spicy and Sour Patin King. Had a jolly good time entertained by Chef Lam who was most gregarious. Eric blogged about it here.

2. MAS CNY dinner @ Crocodile Farm Seafood Village Restaurant

I was reminded by the MAS team that the last time I saw them was last year’s CNY. Heh, so I told them that I’d definitely make it for their CNY dinner next year, if invited :P

Just a relaxed, casual dinner where we caught up with some friends. I’m sure you can name them in the photos below.

3. CNY reunion dinner at home in Batu Pahat

Mom cooked up a storm and I was very happy, because she hardly cooks for us these days. Something about enjoying life and so on, bah!

4. 1st day of CNY breakfast

As per our Foo Chow tradition, we have mee suah in rice wine and chicken to mark important celebrations. Birthdays, etc. Definitely one of my favourite things to eat, and I’m glad that my sister learnt how to cook it so I don’t have to.

Most OBC recruits would agree with me that ‘Bring A Friend Days’ (BAF) stand as one of their favourite sessions. BAF is usually at the end of the third week of the month, and recruits can bring non-recruits to participate in the session for free. You know, to get a taste and feel of what Original BootCamp Malaysia is like.

It is safe to say that most OBC recruits are addicted to the programme like a healthy drug. Outside of OBC their passion for the programme often spills over and they would try to spread the word, so to speak. Family and friends who are out of the loop would wonder what the heck this whole OBC business is about, and may be forced persuaded to sign up for BAF. I suspect it is also to shut their overenthusiastic loved ones up :P

Come BAF days, there would be a line of non-recruits in their athletic gear, some looking forward to the session and some looking just miserable. After the first 30 grunts, their misery would increase ten-fold and some would be cursing their recruit friends for making them wake up so early in the morning for this.

So we were at the mamak last Saturday after our BAF session. My partner, a fit-looking guy ‘fessed up and told me that initially he had his doubts about the intensity of the programme. You know, because a lot of existing recruits do not look fit at all. We do come in various shapes, ages and sizes. But that BAF session proved him wrong.

Hahaha. Of course we were happy lah. If he would join OBC regularly, I have no doubt that his fitness level and stamina would increase and he’d eventually be a Delta within a month or two.

But for that BAF session, it was a boost to our egos so let us have our moments.

… to you, you, you and you :) And Happy Valentine’s Day too, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Will be going home in a few hours, coming back next week.

Be well, stay safe. Let me know if you have too many ang pows and too few receivers.

Today I had an epiphany. Or something to that effect, because I spent all of 10 seconds thinking about it before reaching out for my toothbrush. It dawned upon my great self that my great life would have been lalaland perfect (as in ‘I’m lucky to be alive with all limbs attached’ perfect, not ‘I’m a multi-millionaire and I live in a great mansion and I am a celebrity ala insert-famous-celebrity-name-here’ perfect) IF ONLY I had the following three things:

1) Great screw-you looks. Forget the ‘you are beautiful in your own way’ looks. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, some can be beautiful if you look really hard. That wasn’t nice, you say? Oh sorry, please put your hands together for reality. If I had the option when being reincarnated to choose what kind of looks I’d like to have in my next life, believe you me that I would have ticked the ‘perfectly symmetrical facial features, drop dead gorgeous’ field.

Fact: Pleasant looking people usually get a jump start in life. Dirt poor growing up? You’d be the first one to be married off, to the neighbouring village’s equivalent of a tycoon. Born with a diamond-encrusted silver spoon? And you are complaining because… ? I don’t understand the utter misery of being rich and beautiful but lonely? Please, come over here and I’ll gladly switch places with you. No charge.

2) Great mathematical knowledge and skills. If there was one thing I regretted most in high school, it was not paying attention to algebra in Form 1. Little did I know that it would be the beginning of my poor understanding of math and a lifetime of blank looks when people talk about trigonometry. Until today I do not know how to get ‘x’ from the weird combining, deducting, multiplying or dividing of ‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, ‘d’, ‘e’, ‘f’ etc. I suck so bad, it’s not funny.

3) Great hair that I do not need to dye every now and then. Actually this was the point of my blog post — as Chinese New Year is coming soon, I went to buy a couple boxes of hair dye because I was not blessed with a head of natural dark brown hair. They started turning white in my late teens and because I’m vain like that, I have my hair dyed.

So they have this range of colours that says: Iced Latte, Cafe Latte, Praline, Butterscotch, Black Cherry, Terracotta, Golden Honey… you know, shades that go beyond light/dark brown, lighter/darker brown and lightest/darkest brown. I suppose in a couple of days I’ll have Chocolate-coloured hair. It’s quite stupid lah, but so is this blog post. Damn anti-climax right?