Clau's birthday...

"Oh Bonnie, you're awesome!! You're simply amazing..." Claudia howled as she was stradling on me from the back. Tathiana could only look back at us, as she was hurrying up as well.

Coming to the spot at the same time, i put Clau down...breathing heavily after such a rigorous workout in the wee hours of the morning, perspiring profusely...i said in one breathe,

"Next time i am not gonna carry you on my back whenever you're drunk and we're chasing the bus!"

That was the first time we actually had a long chat, after both agreeing that the music in the club which Eva held her farewell party played 50's and 60's music...wow...i sooo can groove to that beat i tell you!

But anyways...that was about a month back...this entry is about the coolest party so far that i've attended (read: trainee friends that we're all close with). Too bad Sandra couldnt make it cuz her stomach couldnt 'stomach' Ding Dong a day earlier (she even missed work). I mean i didnt know chinese food was that dangerous...wait till they go to Murni's or any mamak, roaches FLYING and CRAWLING around, rats bigger than cats, cats and dogs scraping for left overs...!

Anyways...this is merely the teaser. Get over to my spanking new baby, bonniearthur.blinklife.com to check out the party, pics and more sardonic wits!


Was Portuguese-tart really drunk that night??? Click on bonniearthur.blinklife.com to find out!

*****************************************************

Wonders of "quittung"

On a separate note, i was finally introduced to the Regional Coordinator colleague of mine which is based in Miami, Florida. I actually wanted to go for this position, but the idea of being in Miami, surrounded by majority of hot chicks who only wears thongs, wild night scenes, crazy heat, beautiful beaches, did i mention hot chicks...well it didnt really suit me (who am i kidding...!)
As for the coordinator fellow, he is from Brazil and has the coolest accent (he sings as he speaks)! He kinda gets irritated if we teased him about it...although in a good natured way. But anyways i got pretty connected with him...and the fact that he is here on a 'business trip', whereby any expenses would be reimbursed, as long as he produces a receipt (quittung in German)! So what some more, i parasite him la, telling him this really expensive and sedap, i mean really nice and good food place called Tacos. As it was just before Clau's party, we decided to eat first before we just go there and got nothing to eat.

While in Tacos, besides having a super hot waitress taking our orders (for food, not other orders), we ordered a dish called THE BIG STARTERS PLATE. This was how it looked...



Huge rib, quesadillas (mexican poh piah, sedap habis!), buffalo wings, salad, nachos, country potatoes, potatoes...



Ok now head to bonniearthur.blinklife.com!

Recruitment ad....

I am big on looking at recruitment ads (especially during those buah anggur/menganggur/jobless days), and am always bored to the death with all the ones i see in newspapers and classifieds. If i were given the task of doing a recruitment ad, i ll take all those ads i see in the newspapers/classifieds, tear it up and burn it down...to come up with something eye catching, creative and definitely FUNNY!

I just have to post this (as i am not in the mood to post anything else) as i find it as one of the most creative and innovative recruitment placements i've seen. It totally reminds me of the gem the people at Google did for their niche recruitment ad(http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2004/07/warning-we-brake-for-number-theory.html).

The ad is by Mind Valley Labs (continuing from the previous post raving about them!). Quite a gem too!

MindValley Labs
Web Application Developers for American Startup Developing New Web TechnologiesWe don't care if you already have a job, have made your first million or happen to be several time zones out of KL - if you're the type of programmer that truly considers yourself brilliant and one-of-a-kind - Let's Talk.
MindValley has set up MindValley Labs, an MSC status development center in KL and over the next year will be launching 2 new web applications, a book and several million-dollar ecommerce sites. We're one of the most innovative and creative startups in Malaysia and are seeking bright minds from around the world to join our team.If you're a top knotch programmer, web developer, ecommerce expert or content developer, we'd like to meet you, show you what we're working on, and give you the option to quit your current job and work on some of the most exciting internet projects coming out of Malaysia.We're launching 3 New Products this Year and Need More Brilliant People on Board our team.With MindValley you'll work in a tight team of marketers, product developers, and innovators. You'll work on exciting new products that aspire to be tomorrow's talked about Internet applicationsDo You...Consider PHP your "mother-tongue"?
Get so addicted to a programming project that you went 2 days without sleeping?
Consider people "un-datable" if they don't know HTML?
Get complaints from your family that you spend way too much time on the Internet?
Let relational databases get in the way of real-life relationships?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above - we'd love to meet you.
Why MindValley Labs?
We're a fully profitable MSC Status startup, originally founded in the USA and now setting up in Malaysia.You'll be working under Michael Reining, the former Head of New Venture Strategy for eBay and one of the brightest mind from Silicon Valley. Michael was strategic advisor to Meg Whitman and the person who got eBay to move into the classifieds market with it's investment in Craigslist.org and into the communications market with it's acquisition of Skype for $4.2 Billion.You'll also be working with Vishen Lakhiani, one of Malaysia's top ecommerce consultants whose book "The MindValley Way: 40 Tactic to Boost Your Site Conversion" will go on sale on Mar 24.At MindValley we invent and spin-off cool, new web applications. We pride ourselves in being a self-funded, Edison-style laboratory fueled by bright minds. Our creativity and business style allows us to attract talented people from around the world. Our company is 30% Malaysian, 30% American and the rest includes people from Finland, Holland, Estonia, Poland and other countries.We're a small team with some pretty big goals and even bigger ambitions.
Requirements:At our lab you'll be responsible for working on our "Blink" suite of Web 2.0 applications. We're experimenting with inventing entirely new applications and re-inventing old products into shiny new cutting edge tools. Our sites include BlinkList.com and BlinkLife.com. The latter is a new take on personal communication, and seeks to replace email as the personal communication tool of choice for millions of people.Our weapons of choice are PHP, MySQL and Ajax and we apply a lot of code re-use and best practices from the Web 2.0 community.
The ideal candidate will have strong PHP skills, Solid Object Oriented Programming Experience and strong programming fundamentals.Everyting else can be learned.Skills Preferred - If you have these you are a great match.Object Oriented PHP, MySQL, HTML, XML, Web Design, Advanced Database Design, Advanced SQL Knowledge, Object Oriented Javascript
Optional Skills - these will improve your odds of being accepted.Javascript, UI Design, Perl, Knowledge of Google and Amazon.com APIs, Advanced CSS Skills, Knowledge of Testing Methodology, Framework Development and Improvement
Are You a Match for MindValley?
The ideal candidate has a combination of these five personality traits:
1. Intense Drive and Ambition.
2. High Creativity and the Mind of an Inventor.
3. A Solid Interest in Technology
4. Strong Skills in Programming and/or Database Design
5. The Ability to Create Beautiful, Elegant User Experiences.
You gain bonus points if any of the following describes you:
1. You've written your own internet or desktop apps and shared this on the Web with the General Public.
2. You have made money through your website, through selling your own internet apps or through your own IT related consulting business.
3. You constantly check out new internet startups, mashups, and blogs to learn about the latest Ajax, CSS, API releases and JavaScript hacks.
4. You were considered one of the brightest kids in High School/University
.5. You speak fluent English.
6. You look at websites and think "this sucks, I could re-design this site to make it more elegant, friendly and easier to use".
7. You love challenging authority, are not afraid to question your boss and look down on average programmers.
We don't care about your field of study, grades, age or work experience as long as you're a brilliant coder, hyper creative and a team player. (although we have found a strong positive correlation between grades and coding ability).You must speak English - fluently. No other languages necessary. Although we're based in Malaysia our market is strictly North American, Europe, and East Asia.You can be from anywhere in the world. We recruit bright people from universities worldwide and bring them to KL. Our company 70% international, and 30% Malaysian.
You must be in love with the Internet. No we don't mean, reading the news online daily. We mean you must be excited and up to speed with the latest emerging trends in Web 2.0, Ajax, PHP, RSS, OPML and other new buzzwords making their way through the Net.Bonus points if you're an avid user of eBay, Craigslist, BlinkList, Del.icio.us, Digg, or are an active Blogger. Major bonus points if you like hanging out at Mamak's, debating User Interface over pints of Beer, going on team bonding trips to Redang and have a wicked sense of humor.
You can see some profiles of people who work for MindValley on our site here:<"http://www.mindvalley.com/about/">
Your Perks
If you make our team, we'll provide you a high-end laptop you can take home, a dedicated server, all the sugary, caffeinated beverages you need, a docking bay for your iPod and a beautiful office. You'll work in a Silicon Valley style environment with amazing people from around the world, and help us build the next great Internet business.We'll also pay you competitively plus grant you stock options.This is the job software engineers dream about.
Upgrade Your Life and Join MindValley.Interview invitations and status updates may be sent via email so pleasecheck your email regularly.
Need More Reasons to Quit Your Current Job and Work for Us?
Here's Top 10 Reasons to Be Part of MindValley.
1. Freedom: We understand that brilliant people hate rules and shackles and desire the freedom to do their work, in their way. We let you create your own work hours as long as they are fine with your team mates.
2. Thinking BIG!: We're not aiming to create an email software, we're aiming to create the biggest revolution in email since Gmail. We're not content with creating blogging tools, we aim to create the World's first "intelligent" blog. When we build an e-commerce site, we aim to put it in the top 1% of sites for performance rates. We aim to be as influential in improving people's lives through technology as Yahoo, Google or Apple. We love Big, Scary, Audacious Goals. Many people say we're nuts. We consider this a compliment.
3. Profitability: We're fully profitable, and continue to see our profits grow by at least 100% year-to-year.
4. Great People: We hire only the best. For a typical position we shift through 100 resumes and interview at least 10 people. Make it in, and you'll be working with some of the best minds in the business. We understand that "A" people attract "A" people.
5. Treats: We treat our employees well. This includes occasional concert tickets, Starbucks coffee, dinners and drinks and parties. In the last quarter we've tossed company parties in Luna Bar, taken our whole team to first Tioman then Redang and rewarded employees with trips to Bali. Our founders have worked at Microsoft and eBay and believe in the Silicon Valley model of treating Great People (see #4) in Great Ways.
6. Creativity: We let you spend 15% of your time each week working on your own projects or inventions. If your project is successful, we'll help you launch it. We've modeled this after Google and 3M's style of nurturing creativity within the organization.
7. Stability: We've never taken a drop of investment and so have no investors to pull the plug on us. Our business also spans multiple industries such as internet marketing, product development, publishing and coding. This protects us from short term market trends in any one industry.
8. Fun: We put the "Fun" in "Business Fundamentals". Don't get us wrong - we're a disciplined, well-oiled engine of growth. But we believe that business should be fun and people should look forward to going to work each day.
9.Idealism: 100% of our employees have spent significant time volunteering or working for non-profits. We started this business to change the world. As a result, we will devote our time and attention to causes that may not bring in short term profits, but may result in positive social change.
10. Entrepreneurship: We understand that great people dream of starting their own companies. We help you attain this dream. We provide training and mentorship to help you grow. We do not require any employees to sign a bonding contract (we find this practice ridiculous). Simply, put, you're free to learn from us and then move on when you're ready and start your own business - with our blessings. We respect entrepreneurship.
Care to Know What People are Saying About Us?
Okay, if you've read this far we know you're interested. Do some reading on us and then send us your resume. (See HOW TO APPLY section below).
On working for MindValley:One of our former employees from the USA blogs about the fun she had working for us in KL. Read her blog post here:http://adelle.nomadlife.org/2005/09/mindvalley-team-island-escape-kl-city.aspx
Product Reviews: Visit this link for a Review of our First Product, BlinkList:http://blendededu.com/2005/07/blinklist-learning-in-blink-of-eye.htmlOr click here for dozens more reviews from theBlogosphere here:http://www.blinklist.com/tag/blinklist%20reviews/
A MindValley Owned Ecommerce Site that is now pulling $2.5 million ringgit a year in revenue and relies on just one employee to run.
This is our speciality - high performance online stores that run on autopilot.
We're releasing a book on this in March. http://www.SilvaUltraMindSystem.comBlinkLife -
A New Way to Communicate with Friends and Family This product is designed to change the way the world communicates. It relies on the idea of using RSS to replace SMTP as a method of email delivery.Read about it here:http://www.blinklife.com/Vic_Code_Ver1.0/welcome.phpFinally, check out our site for more details: www.MindValley.com
How to Apply To apply, submit your resume and cover letter via JobStreet.com.
To improve your odds of being accepted, answer the following in your cover letter.
1. Why do you think MindValley is a Good Match for You.
2. Why do you consider yourself a Brilliant Coder. (don't be modest now).
Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.
We look forward to receiving applications from qualified Candidates.
Vishen M Lakhiani Co-Founder and Director www.MindValley.com
PS - if you find this ad funny, interesting or unusual, please help us spread the word by posting this on your blog or website and emailing your friends about this position. We'll love you to bits and you just might help someone find a dream job.Email to Friends Company Profile View All Jobs Save This Job Close

Portuguese Tart is back!!

Ok before anyone decide to think that i am one of those "hot like chicken shit" (hangat hangat tahi ayam) type when it comes to bloggin and decide to not check my site anymore, hold on to your mouse! Was really busy heading towards the end of June as i had to organize a major event. It was the Networking Event between the MBA Interns (of which i am coordinator for the program), managers and HR which was also a matter of do or die mission for me (i really thought i would be the first trainee fired if the event sucks). And because of this i also wasnt able to really experience the little football competition which ironically is organized here in Germany (ok i sound like i dont know nuts bout football).

Anyways more about the event and also the World Cup later, but i have a pretty cool entry about my trip to Berlin, with heaps of pics in it as well in a new link. This new site is simply awesome, especially the ease of putting up pics, videos (i ve got to learn that though) and acts more than just a blogging site. Importantly, this one is developed by brilliant people in MALAYSIA!!! Now thats reasons to screaming "Malaysia Boleh!!!" rather than doing it when people start making the longest poh piah, biggest roti canai etc...

Developed by the innovative minds at MindValley Labs, its BlinkLife (www.blinklife.com) and its a super cool way of keeping in touch! Like what the website boasts, its gonna be the next generation of Emails! Its capacity humbles even Google mail (think its over 100gigs), spam free plus you re able to send pics and videos simply by uploading it to your own site, without attaching anything! This reason alone is why i shift major posts (which has heaps of pics and videos) to this site. So check it out at http://bonniearthur.blinklife.com/

And additional info about this company, which is AIESEC related...is that they have definitely set the benchmark in terms of being a QUALITY customer of the AIESEC Internship program! Set up by a former LCP in the States, they are dedicated in bringing in top quality interns from all over the world, provides them with top notch working conditions and really treats the interns as part of their small family! Definitely a pleasure knowing many people there, and no....i am not expecting any cheque from the MindValley Labs Finance dept for this mini promotion. *winks* Its the least i could do... ;)

But stay tuned here...think blogspot will serve as my primary blogging tool for the time being.

The Most Beautiful Love Story...

"One Danish Viking, one Chinese Girl.....one unforgetable love story...."

Now this isnt anything about mine at all, too bad...! But it is as loud as the title screams...and its sooo big i have to post this first rather than my unforgetable trip to Berlin last weekend! The question here is, what do you get when a land of fairytales combines with 'Boleh'(can)Land?

The Most Beautiful Love Story....


"....dear close ones, here is a little story about my so-called-life in the land of fairy tales and hotdogs...

It was a nice Thursday afternoon when me and my teammates went to a big park call Dyrehaven - literally animal-park - 15km away from Copenhagen city center and where animals (duh) like deers roam freely. We were there that afternoon, on June 1st, because we had been planning to have some activities around integration, especially since we are having internationals in a Danish team (me lah).

The weather was fairly good (in Denmark we always refer to the weather) and we had some nice walks and discussion around stereotypes, cultures, and so on. We were there from 2pm and agreed to leave the park around 5-6pm because some of us have other appointments during the evening. Such as me for example. Me and Rolf were going to have our 2nd anniversary in a nice expensive seafood boat-restaurant, which we had booked a table for 7pm. So yeah, it was urgent for people like me to finish on time.

Before that little voice in your head starts going " why the heck is she telling us this?", just read along and trust that I never do things without a reason.

As we were starting our last game at around 6pm, I was getting a bit nervy. We still had to play a game of trust - really simple and basic one, where a person is blindfolded and led by another. So I was one of the blindfolded ones as one of the girls in my team started leading me around the park. After walking for awhile, we reached a spot where I was told to be quiet and wait, as something will be happening within a few seconds. Being the mischevious and impatient one I, naturally, started singing out loud and even outdoing Cartmen's (Southpark) rendition of O'Holy Night. Suddenly, I felt a pair of hands holding my shoulders and slowly turning me around. The hands continue to untie my blindfold as I nonchalantly thought out loud that it's about time. Just then, I realised that the person standing in front of my was wayyyyy out of context. Totally. I mean, this person was not suppose to be in this context, in the park, in the game.

It was Rolf.

For some reasons that I couldn't comprehend at that point of time, Rolf was actually standing in front of me, in this park 15km away from home, during my office hour, while I'm still having activities with my team mates. So for a minute there, I was a bit thrown aback as to how in the world did he get there. I mean, it wasn't a "hey, I was just passing by and wanted to say hi" situation. But the weirdest thing has yet to hit me.

Rolf started talking. At first he started talking about how we first met and his impressions of me as time went along. How we became a couple and the time that we have been together. You know, those stuff. And then there was this strange voice in me that suddenly started going: wait a minute....wait a minute...wait a minute. Yeah, you get the point. This voice went on and on for the next few minutes as Rolf continue accounting our relationship in chronological order (yes, I'm a very pragmatic person and I think in logic). Then as if by enligtenment, it suddenly hit me.

Well of course, how wonderfully romantic my boyfriend is! He decided to make a surprise for me on our 2nd anniversary by coming all the way out here to this park. That was really nice. What was not so nice was that I didn't realised that the real "surprise" has yet to come. And boy...what a surprise it was.

As much as I thought things were really nice and romantic, but somehow in my intuitive mind, I knew that something was not that right. As in, I wasn't getting the whole context of things yet. There was something else that I didn't know. All these were the thoughts running through my head then in miliseconds as things happened really fast - yet slow at the same time - you know that feeling?

Time seems to roll a bit slower as I saw in slow motion how Rolf went down onto one of his knee. And in some strange way - I felt like I needed a reality check...real bad. I need to check for sure that it was Rolf; my boyfriend who is suppose to be at home waiting for me to come back and get ready for our dinner, who was really here. I needed to double check again that it was really Rolf and that it was really him who was kneeling in front of me and saying the words that I've never heard spoken to me in my life.

Will you marry me, question mark.

Rolf continues to produce what looks like a ring box...

me: Wait a minute....wait minute....(thinking: Is that a ring? Shit! It is a ring...no, TWO rings! oh man...)

(Rolf looking even more determine)

(Me sounding exasperated) What is this?! What are you doing here? I'm suppose to meet you home in around 30mins! What are you doing here? Wait a minute...(thinks for a very long time)...do I have to answer this now?

(Rolf probably thinking "duh"...) Yes.

me: maybe we should go back to the others. They're probably waiting for us (looking around exasperately).

Rolf: don't worry, they know we're here.

me: what?! they know?! who knows?! how many people know???

Rolf: only the twins (the girls in my team). They were the one who helped me set up this whole thing.

me: how long have you been planning this?

.......5 minutes later.....

me: ok, wait a minute (note: most over-used phrase of the day), it's not like we have to get married now right? Wait a minute, when do you suppose we are going to get married anyway?

rolf: in one years time maybe (seeing the look on my face)...maybe two. Doesn't really matter now, but yeah.

me: yeah that's right. It's just an engagement right...(thoughts flashes through my mind)...oh no, then I'm going to so old. I will be in another category. I will become old. I'm not old yet...geez, I haven't even reach my 1/4 century yet.

............2minutes later.....

me: (quietly) Yes, of course.

Rolf: yes what?

me:(smiles) yes of course lah, I will marry you. This is so surreal. I need a reality check. Umm...do I have to wear this ring now?

Rolf: (smiles) of course lah. (Gently slipping the ring onto my finger)

So, after a very surreal discussion and agreement with Rolf, we finally head back to join my team mates. They were already waiting with their cameras and cheering when they saw us. One even mentioned that they were getting a bit worried when it took so long. Rolf had actually also prepared a picnic basket full of grapes, strawberries, and cherries, and of course, a bottle of champagne - the sweetest one so that I can tolerate some. As we sat there celebrating with my team mates (6 of us) on top of the hill in the park for the next 20mins or so, I still couldn't believe what has just happened and was desperately asking for some sort of reality check in the form of a movie like X-men or something....

But lo and behold...that was just the beginning. Suddenly Rolf said it was time. Time for what, I thought. Then he slowly led me down the hill and there I saw - waiting for us was a horse carriage pulled by a magnificent White Horse. It just had to be white to complete the whole fairy tale. Me and Rolf were going to take a ride around the whole park in the carriage. So, there I was, with a ring on my finger, in a carriage pulled by a white horse, next to my newly engaged fiance.

Ha-ha. Whoa. Somebody, give me a reality check please. I'm not really old yet...am I?

If you're wondering, we did went for the seafood dinner. Despite being 1 hour behind schedule, the dinner was still divine and above expectations - including cost. But it was such a wonderful dinner. Being on a boat, we could see along the harbour and how buidling lights lit up the both the evening sky and the creases of the water below us. It was nearly 11pm when we finally left, but as summer was approaching, we were still able to catch a bit of a sunset. It was one of my most beautiful sunset...."


Maybe it was because i was damn tired, or because of the accumulative stress for the day...but i was crying right in the middle of the mail! Or maybe its because i saw this very relationship developed right before my very eyes! After reading the mail, i composed myself (so that i dont sound like a sissy!) and called the both of them immediately to congratulate them!

RenBin gave me the green light for me to credit the existence of this relationship...nah, i merely 'facilitated' it...hahaha, seeing that i was the chairing a little conference which the both of them were facilitators!

Sigh....

Dari Leuven ke Bonn, kisah dua sahabat dari Malaysia

Long entry...


And so finally, the time arrived for two of Malaysia's hensem AIESEC members to meet. The date was May26th, and it has been confirmed wayyy before the Tart had left for Bonn! And this bugger has a knack for doing things which involved me, but not telling me in advance but instead to everyone else! Besides this Bonn trip, which i got to know from others, he sent like a reply to our community that he just returned from Bonn, and Bon will blog bout it! Niama...how convenient!

As Amit was Liv's agenda master in Bonn, so was I for this fellow. Of course Lovely Mon (am still trying to put nick names for all...), who knows Bonn like how a Klang-ite would know KL, played a major role!Oh and all the while i have been promoting his arrival wayyy before, especially since people were asking if i was Chinese (how could they tell!?). "Oh wait till you see Eric, my BEST FRIEND from Malaysia...HE IS CHINESE" was my typical answer! And BEST FRIEND only while we re in Europe k...otherwise we re just GOOD BUDDIES back at home...hahaha! Just needed to emphasise on our relationship, just so people would think "awww, thats nice...two Malaysian best friends meeting up while on a traineeship in Europe"! Well...i am good at hyping things up...questionable on delivering though! Too bad Amit missed him (how bout Amazing Amit?), would have loved to pair these buggers up and see the chaos Amit will create with Eric. Oh by the way...both of them has like the BIGGEST EYE BALLS ever...seriously i mean it would be picture perfect...just 4 eyes bulging out!

So, time was planned for 1015pm, Friday night to meet him at the Hauptbahnhouf (just call it Hop-ban-hof, rhymes with David Hasselholf). We've been excited bout this since the weeks before, more so when the week arrived. Flurry of e mails detailing the plans, the chicks that are not too many for me to introduce, the CCCC (Chauhai-ly Cheap Chinese Cookery) which i promised him, Lovely Mon's availability and Amazing Amit's non availability...all while at work!Very productive i say our week was...in terms of planning for the weekend!

Alas, while waiting for him, he called to say his train got delayed. His first intro to German efficiency, if its not on time...dont come at all! So his arrival had to be postponed for an hour latest. I proceeded to join the trainee gang in Bonn's famous brewery, most notably for its glass shaped like a dildo...err i mean its moulded in a way that your fingers are comfortably around the thin dildo....i mean glass. As it was a brewery, i had no choice but to taste it. Unknown to many, i have finally broken my 2 week vow to NOT taste beer. But still i havent ordered anything! Just waiting for the boy thats working in the largest brewery in the world to arrive, think thats the best 'liquor' i could get.

1115pm;
Had to leave the group, exclaimed that i got to pick my 'boyfriend' up. And i swore there was silence...the attention seeker in me...i knew it would work! Just left as it is, assumed that my colleague Eva (plus two Belgian National Committee members who knew Eric) would clarify...i doubt they did!

1125pm;
After a phone call to make sure where he was, i saw him by the phone booth. I was practising all day what chinese words i should say to my chinese friend...
Tart: Eh cibai kia...!!
Eric: Hey....
(we hugged, very unbrokeback like)
Eric: Dude...you FAT already la!

KNN...after nearly 3 weeks of not eating proper food, 5km runs and jogs, more than 10kms of hiking up mountains...all he could say was "Dude...you FAT already la"!

Tart: WTF...where got!? (wasnt so sure myself...)
Eric: Your face la...damn round la!
Tart: Farker...its been round since i left home la! Cibai!

That was our intro...wasnt expecting to use a lot of chinese words...but i just had too.

Very briefly, brought him back to the brewery, lots of weird looks on the guys faces ("so this is your FRIEND huh..."), Eric ordered one, complained that it sucked (brand loyalty konon! I nearly more wanted to snap his pic of him drinking and post it to his company...conflict of interest case study), we left the place with Eva and the Belgian tourists, headed to McDs...shreaks of amazement as they couldnt believe 1 euro for a burger, ate there...then left for home...my "room-partment"(room which is also my apartment).

230am;
I just cant wait to go online once i reached home with Erics laptop, was waiting for this more
than him to be honest! Once we arrived, he was noticing how big the room appeared on pictures...ok so my roompartment no like your double storey room la! Nah beh! Then the quote of the week..."eh you got cable ah?" OHMYGAWD...wasnt sure if i didnt know what language to curse or which words to use that caused my speechlessness...i mean i have said like a million times that when you come here, bring your laptop cuz i got free internet, since i dont have a laptop. Gosh...next time, advice to any Malaysians (in fact to everyone) working abroad soon...DONT FORGET YOUR CABLE!

So...there we go, change of plans. We ll stick with our plans to watch porn...err movies for that night (think girly pajama parties). So after our baths (individually), we were in our pajamas, i mean sleeping attire and arrange so we would both sit on the bed with the laptop infront of the table. Movie options...KingKong (saw), 40 Days 40 Nights (saw)...and Brokeback Mountain! That bugger was really prepared! Before that, as we heard music for the first time in my roompartment, Lonely was playing! We were looking at ourselves then, not just thinking of WeiHan...but sadly...OURSELVES!!!!

Anyways decided against movies...so we looked at each other pics in Leuven and Bonn. I also showed him the many pics of the biggest sending off for a trainee in KLIA and my 30++ farewell parties (ok so it was about 14). And best was the pic he saw of our MC Team 04/05 in the airport...obviously without him! His comments..."cibai" and "farker" and "bloody Thomas"! Muahahahaha!!

Oh we were also looking through our National Team "pic-tory" (picture history), from National Conferences, excursions to Penang for Career Fair (sleepovers of 8 in a room for 1), Transition in Cameron (Fellowship of the MC Hikes and WeiHan Goes Topless), our facilitating trip to Bangladesh and also home made videos; "MCs caught gambling in office", "Amazing Race" in Ipoh...gosh it was sooo fun! We really had a blast, laughing our asses off till 4am! Man, was so bloody nostalgic, we nearly hugged. And the tears...we just brushed it off as yawn tears...but our eyes were really watery! Such was the time we had in the National Team...will do an ode bout it soon! Best times of our lives...working for free but with important sounding titles!



This was the first pic we took together. It was time to leave for the House of German History, cool name for a museum! Cool thing bout the museums here that its mostly FREE (hear that Muzium Negara)! Was an extensive and thorough view of Germany post WW2, and the part which really astounded me was the Reunification site. I ve always had this feel of awe and amazement for the joy witnessed through old history programs, with scenes of youths breaking down the Berlin Wall, people from the East going to the West (and vise versa) on that VERY DAY, the fire works, celebration...ever since my first trip to Berlin in 2004 (going there again this weekend!). Oh, btw the museum was all in German! Too bad...we lost 75% of the info which we could gain from there.

Adjacent to the entry, was also an exhibition on ROCK AND ROLL History in Germany! Now if there was one person which would have flewn over just for this (if he had the money), it would be none other than Peter Ooi! He would have loved it as much as i did...the exhibition covered from the Swinging 60s to the hippy 70's, went to breakdance and punk culture of the 80's...right to the pop and rocking 90's! Beatles, Elvis, Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, U2, black MJ, Nirvana...damn!! It was really cool...! Funny though there was no mention of Queen...i suspect they would have a museum just for them! That rock Museum really ROCKED!

Next trip...
a visit to Bonn's famous landmark (yeah right), the Haribo Store!! There we were joined by Lovely Monika and Arthur (her boyfriend...not me!), well Eric was happy at least he managed to catch Mon! Hahaha! More happier than being in Haribo....although seriously he was like a kid entering a candy shop! "Wahhh...so cheap!!!" "Damm man...so many colors!!"


Eric, Bon and Mon in Haribo

Then we left for lunch...nothing special. Warned Eric not to eat too much....save some for CCCC!
After lunch, we headed for the city centre (we were always near there, thats how small Bonn is) to shop. We were introduced to Tchibo (pronounced CI-BO...you can imagine we were both laughing at this already!), the brand that does not only coffee chains, but apparels and household items too!! And its freaking cheap...i mean i have to get there sometime too! Eric bought a denim jacket for 20plus euros! DAMM!!! And shirts with lines (ones me and WeiHan likes) are just 8euros! Nah beh...shoes...15euros!! WAAAA!!!!

After oogling at those nice cheap stuffs...thats it, you can sense the moment! Its Chauhai-ly Cheap Chinese Cookery aka Chinese Food time!


I just love it...and so did Eric and the Belgian tourists! It definitely was the highlight of Bonn for them...it just cost us 4,50€ for a big plate which we can stuff it as much as we like with chinese grubs; ie. rice/noodles, sweet sour fish, pork, lots of vege, fried chicken wings, fried pohpiah...heaps more!! 2 things i didnt like of the restaurant, the name is DING DONG (so bloody racist, i dont knw why but it just screams discrimination!) and the idiot waitress who is Chinese, but when i said hen hau che, xie xie (thanks), she said 'bitte' (means you re welcome or something!) Celaka...thought can connect a bit mah...both also chinese abroad...i suspect she thinks i look Turkish (many here in Bonn), with an appetite for pork and little manderin! Well she was wrong on the turkish part for sure!

As i have spent more than 45 mins on this blog...i think i would like to end shortly.

So basically we just did drinks later that night, went home to watch 40Days and 40 Nights, slept, woke up for brunch in another eat all you can place, went for a visit to the tower (it has an observatory deck...how cool! Better view than Menara Telekom, cuz we dont see Federal Highway, but really good scenic pics), then sent him off in the Hauptbahnhof! Not a tearful farewell...but good enough to promise another return somewhere in June...

Ascend to Drakenfelds

So it was Ascension Day, and it was ironic i chose to join a plan by another couple (Mexican cham Czech) and their colleagues (1 German girl and 1 French girl) to ASCEND to Drakenfelds, one of the 7 peaks in Bonn. Figured i would try some nature thing while i still was in the "explore Bonn" mode.

And what with the stupid Köln episode 6 hours before i got up...body wants to sleep but desire and enthusiasm won the day! So still in the state of blurness, caught up with the gang and headed up right away. Now the last time i hiked was the Penang Hill random hike with the MC Gang plus Vkin...and it was awesome! The second last hike was at Cameron Highlands also with the MC Gang...which was also awesome!! And why not make the next one as awesome too! Thing bout hikes is that there always is a reward at the end...no matter how hard or high the journey was...and the reward is the VIEW! This time i have to take a picture of Bonn from a peak! And that was my main motivation why i so semangat!

At the beginning...the hike was already tiring! Blame it on the still sleeping body, but with an angle above 45°, it didnt help either! Shit...and the weather which was already cold...became colder! 40 mins later...we were nearly there! Ah...so fast!? Ok...time to cam whore as there was a picturesque spot!

The hikers

Drakenfelds Castle

And nun jauh di sana...is the Drakenfelds Castle! To my dismay...it was under construction still! Whats better than seeing castles? Why...castles with construction cranes of course! Shit...so the view wasnt fantastic...but Gerardo (Mexican boyfriend) suggested to go elsewhere, to another peak where this absolutely luxurious hotel (which hosted Bill Clinton once) called Petersburg is situated. Game! So of we headed to the peak they call...Petersberg! But before that, took more pics of Bonn town!



This were pics of Bonn town, divided by the River Rheine. Its not like the River Klang, cuz its big, clean and has heaps of boats that it can cuz boat jams! Pics on top row has my office tower in it!



Ok...so i was motivated by enthusiasm now. But mannn....after 2 hours of hiking...my legs and body were feeling it! And mind you, it was still at above 45° angle hikes...damn la, like that how wanna conquer Mount Kinabalu!? Can you imagine our breaks were walking on flat lands! Mind you these hikers were tired too...but they seem to go on and on and on. I think its because they were well prepared, as while on our break they had sandwiches and fruits and other food...whereas me, just plain water. Nah beh... offer pun takde!

So off we hiked again...and the weather was sooooo cold plus it didnt help that it was raining...my fingers were so cold and i think mucus froze out of my nose! Despite all this, fingers werent too numb to click on cam! And the surrounding was gorgeous...my first European forest!

The distance i was always at...


The path up...to add to my misery, is natures own "stone walk", the ones you see old Chinese man and ladies walking on in parks, BAREFOOTED!

I could feel each pebble and rock siall!!

Wahlau...and unbelievably, we hiked for over 10 kms!!! From one of the peaks, we could see the view of Drakenfelds from a different point! And i was soooo hungry!!

The same castle...different point of view

My legs could just break...never felt such pain and tiredness before...and its cold, was whinning all the way...!


And then finally...in all its majestic glory...
PETERSBERG Hotel!



Looking at the cars and the people arriving, we memang felt like hikers masuk kampung yang posh! The people pulak look at us one kind...too cheap to be there issit!? KNN! So i am not Clinton, but am sure we re on the same train of thoughts ("oral sex is not sex...").

But my mind was already thinking if can get kakao or not in the restaurant...despite several weird stares we decided to head to the restaurant nevertheless. Bugger...one drink cost more than 8 euros!There goes the drink! At least it was warm enough to pee...

After some cam whoring...the gang decided to leave. So after more than 4 hours of hiking, 2 different peaks and over 10 kms to go up this luxurious hotel...we went there jus to pee!

At least it was a fun outing...with me and my cam!

Theres Little Red Riding Hood too...


Was it my hunger pang...or did the house looked really nice to eat!

Ascending into Ascension Day...

Last Thursday (25th/5), the whole of Europe was on holiday, to commemorate Jesus's ascension into heaven (see, i still know my Sunday school stuffs). So on Wednesday night i was invited by Jenny Lee, a super cool Phillipina trainee for a homemade dinner with some of us. Now i dont know about you, but most seem to agree that the Phillipinas/nos i know are really cool! Think Liv, JM, Amy, my cousins maid...Jenny Lee was just waiting in line to be the next cool person from the country for me to know! And here is a cool fact...Amy (yes that Amy who was LC USM's only trainee at one time, and who still is i think??) is Jenny Lee's best friend! Ahh! Again i see the small circles of AIESEC connected again! Oh btw her dinner was absolutely superb...chinese dishes, one was a meaty, mushroomy salty delight, one more was broccoli dish and some other vege...and the carbo dish we Asians lurrvee...RICE! Wahh...syiok man! I didnt want to show that i was hungry, but i could have eaten sooo much more! But must maintain pose...

Jenny Lee: Bonnie, have some more...i know you can eat more!
Portuguese-Tart: (shit how she know!?)...Its ok, i am full! (shit...why i lied!?)

And Jenny Lee is part Chinese too, and speaks the crassiest language in the world, HOKKIEN! Nah beh...ani kuan si beh hor liao! It only dawned to me when i mentioned 'bolster', she said back home they call it 'poh chim'!! I feel sooo at home!

Ok, nuff bout the dinner...although it was awesome! So since most of them had their own plans, i was left again to decide if i should go to Köln (Cologne to non Germans, and for me should be the gay capital of the world...for obvious reasons!) which was a 40 min tram ride away. Its a much bigger city (one of Germany's biggest) and has really cool clubs. Another gang of the trainee community were already heading there, and i only decided to leave Bonn at 1130pm. So i guess i ll make my super famous Bon's Late Entry Show again...the attention is obviously better!

And so i head off for a 20 min walk to the main station, only to miss the train, so i have to wait till 12.20am. Still adament to make my Late Entry Show, i waited. A young couple asked me what time was the next tram to Köln, and from there we started a nice conversation. So the whole "i am from a cool, small town near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a diverse country, i am not Malay" conversation took place. And i must say they were really interested and engaged with the country they knew off as a Muslim country with the Twin Towers. Oh well...such is what Malaysia is to others...

The whole journey was all about Malaysia and the couple. Mario (very Italian sounding German name) and forgot the girls name. They were practising law and so we were exchanging some ideas about laws in both our democratic countries, as Germany practised the same legal system as Bolehland, parliamentary with federal and state laws (i did sounded a bit intelligent...). And I know this sounded strange for two straight good looking man, but we actually exchanged phone numbers!! Wow...that must have been a first for him too! So yeah...i think he is cool, handsome and smart. Hahahah!!

As we said our good byes, i swore he said "hope to keep in touch"!

After two stops, i dropped off at one of the stations in Köln, met by a Hongkie trainee that lived that, Kenneth. It was there that i found out the Hongkie couple of which i am also close with, Sam and Sean, wasnt allowed in the club, due to the fact none of them had their passports or driving licence or ID card. Dam...i mah freaked out lor...for i just took out my passport and driving license the previous night!

So we tried...nevertheless, me and Kenneth to get in. After a long wait in the long line...i showed the big bald bouncer my super famous, only in Bolehland smart ID!

Big,bald bouncer: Where izz your bird date?
Portuguese-tart: Its over there...the first 6 digits!
Big,bald bouncer: (after screening thorughly) But it cud be ANY number! Show me your drivers licence...!
Portuguese-tart: But this identity card is soo smart, it also has my drivers licence. See...(i showed the microchip). In MALAYSIA we can put our drivers license, atm account...
Big,bald bouncer: Where izz your passport?
Portuguese-tart: Errr...who the hell brings the passport around??
Big,bald bouncer: Then you cant go in!

Niamachauhai...!! So its reject Asian Day huh...!? Basteech!

So i went off with Sam and Sean...they were amused i could curse in Cantonese! Time was 1:20am! That was my first trip to Köln...and what a happy trip it was!