Beijing 2008 Olympics Games

I thought I should have a short break from all my Germany entries and talk about something a little more intellectual.

This year brings us the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games. China has gone a long way to host such a prestigious event and they strike to excel in the Olympics competition.

I personally think China will finish the top this time around. The Chinese are prepared to show the world what they are made off and they will be collecting their rightful gold medals. Take Lui Xiang as an example, he made a breakthrough by breaking the world's record in men's hurdle. We will definitely see more of these in August!

Not forgetting my favorite Yao Ming who has made an international presence in his basketball performance. I sure hope China's basketball team improve this time around. I am crossing my fingers for a bronze finish.

My support goes to China and I hope they will find victory in their mother land.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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First Attempt to cook

I woke up early this morning to prepare my lunch. This is the first time that I am actually cooking and therefore I decided to cook something simple.

Menu:
Luncheon meat sandwich with friend egg and cheese (sound easy enough doesn't it)

It started with opening the can of luncheon meat. This is where everything went wrong. I successfully opened the can but I was struggling to get the meat out. I was shaking and shaking and the meat pate refused to come out. At the end of the struggle, the meat came out in pieces.

Afterwhich, I opted for a healthy option to grill the mean in the oven, because the meat was in pieces it was difficult to handle. There was some burn bits but it was still edible (thank god).

Next off was the eggs, the plan was to top off my sandwich with a nice sunny side up egg. It SOooo didn't happen. I just break the yolk and fried the whole thing. So much easier.

The last thing was the cheese. Since I didn't have a proper cheese slicer, I had to cut my cheese with an ordinary kitchen knife. I was not able to cut in in slices but rather in pieces which is not a problem since I am going to toast it to melt it on my bread. The part of cooking went on smoothly and I finally essembled my sandwich.

Cleaning up was a hassle. Cooking something so simple still requires quite a number of cleaning up. But I am proud to say I can do the dishes very well =D.

The taste of the sandwich was not THAT bad. But it didn't look pretty. There is no picture of my sandwich because I am too embarass to show it. I will attempt to cook again and hopefully this time it ends up better.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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First Weekend in Hamburg

This morning, I woke up to see a clear sky (ie no rain) which is not very common ever since I arrived. As it was my first weekend in Hamburg, I decided to take a tour to the city. I was so proud of myself when I managed to get to my destination without getting lost. Usually, I am quite adventurous but I am more careful this time due to the language barriers.

Being like a typical tourist, I carried a map and a camera. When I arrived at my destination, I begin taking picture. Below is a picture of Rathaus which is the town house of Hamburg.

As I was wondering around the city, I walked into a shop called “Pimkie”. I was surprised to see that the prices of the sweaters were very affordable. I spent 14.50 euros for 2 items, which is about the price that we pay in Malaysia, even cheaper some may say.

I thought my shopping will just end there, but I was wrong. The next stop was Tack which is a store that specialized in shoes. I saw this nice brown boots that suit my need. I couldn’t resist and brought the boots to the cash counter and purchased it. The original price of the boots was 99.99 euro. I got it for 35 euro. What a bargain!

Do you know what? I was so excited about my boots that I immediately changed into it. =D

The attractive price is due to the winter sale where most stores mark down the prices. I can’t wait for the summer sale as the apparel will suit Malaysia weather better.

Besides shopping, I tried this snack called "schmalzkulchen". It is like our donuts in Kuala Lumpur. It is served with icing sugar and it is nice soft. So so yummy. Another must try in Hamburg.

So much for saving for my house fund. Enough of shopping already!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Deutsch Pork & Beer!

Yesterday the bunch of Malaysian went to a traditional German restaurant called "Groninger" to enjoy a traditional Deutsch dinner. As we enter the restaurant, it feels as if we were going through a tunnel. The place is lightly lit with yellow lights and candles which gives a cosy feeling. However, if you suffer from clusterphobic, you may be a little uneasy as there wasn't any windows.

When we were escorted to our table, we passed by barrels of BEER! All of you should see the smile on my face. This restaurant brew their own beer.




What we ordered:

• A mixed plattter of pork consisting of sausages, ham, siew yok and sauerkraut. (I love the sauerkraut here. It goes so well with pork)




• Pork Knuckle (While I was enjoying my pork knuckle, I was thinking of my brother who loved this dish- I promise to bring you there when you are here.)




• A barrel of beer (10 liters)

How to get there:

• Take the underground to Rapphaus and it is within a walking distance.

Quick Tips:

• "Prost" is cheers in German. It is very important that you look into the eyes of the person you raise your glass with, else you will experience bad sex for 7 years!!!!!!!

I highly recommend this place to tourists. So, for those who plan to visit me, I will definately bring you there. The bill comes up to approxmately 20 euros per person which is pretty fair considering the amount of beer we had.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Quickie

I have 10 minutes before heading off to a meeting but I thought I should give a short update on my blog post.

My suitcase arrived as promised and I have already settled in my apartment. I still have to sort out my Internet. It is my life and entertainment. Without it, I will suffer from withdrawal symptom.

You may notice that I have not been publishing much pictures, I promise later. I realised that I didn't bring my card reader with me. Thank god one of my colleague has one. Else it will be quite disappointing for all of you rite?

By the way, I had the chance to try the sausages here. Boy, was it "damn' good! I am going for more. Yum yum!

Ok, I need to head off for my meeting.

***

Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Arrived safely in Hamburg

After a long flight, I have touched down in Hamburg in once piece. However, my suitcase didn't experience the same luck. It is stuck in Amsterdam. This is mainly due to the delay in Malaysia which shortened my transit time in Amsterdam. My made it to the flight but luggage didn’t!

The airport has assured me that my suitcase will be delivered to me by this evening, leaving me with no option but to wait for their delivery. Cross my fingers that it arrived soon. All of my necessities are in that suitcase! I would love to take a shower now but I can't as I don't even have a proper change of clothes =(.

My manager was kind enough to give me a day off to venture in Hamburg and also settled some of my errands (i.e getting myself a German sim card, monthly transport pass etc). The weather here is approximately 6-8 degrees. It is not that cold but it is raining a lot which sucks! I hate it when it is all wet.

On my short venture in Hamburg City, I realized that picking up German is essential. Everyone here speaks little English. I must pick up some basic German to survive here.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Leaving on the Jet Plane

It has been an hectic week indeed due to the little time had before I leave. Here's some update of what has happened:

The office goodbyes:

I sucessfully cleared my table which was an interesting experience. The amount of rubbish that I discovered in my padestal was amazing. Below are some of items on my table & in my pedestals:

• My thorphy - My well earned foosball trophy
• Pictures - It was decorated around my table
  
• Candies - All the chocolates and sweets that was given by colleagues who traveled.
  
• Extension cable & mobile phone charger.
  

* In case you are curious, I used DHL's jumbo box junior to carry my stuff home*

Besides clearning my table, I did some house keeping on my laptop by uninstalling some applications that belongs to the MARCOM. Adobe Creative Suite is an applicaton that I will specifically miss.

I also took the opportunity to say my goodbyes in the office. It is always nice to receive the support from your managers and peers. Thanks Y'all.

The farewell party:

My team (MARCOM) throwed me a farewell on Friday (18 January 2008) in Scarlet (a club located in Cineleisure). We started of the night with dinner in Ying Ker restaurant for some Hakka cuisine. I highly recommend the sea cucumber dish. There after we headed to the club.

It is my first time in this club and I understand it is an up and coming club. The place was not too bad, they play good music until 12am, afterwhich they started playing techno which was not my cup of tea. As for the drinks, the mixers given was terribly diluted, therefore opt for the can mixers.

Okay, as for how the party went, I was surrounded with some of my close colleagues who aimed at getting me wasted. If I recall correctly, 7 bottles were opened that night (Madness!). There were plently of "BOTTOMS UP" moments and dancing. Everyone had their fair share of dancing.

The night ended with a "yam char" session in Kayu, Tesco where everyone bid their final goodbyes. It was a fun and crazy night indeed (Yes, I still can remember the night despite my alcohol level).

Sadly, I can't share any pictures as it was all taken in Benny Ong's camera. Visit his blog to see 2 out of 250 pictures - we had our beloved paparazzi to snaps pictures.

The packing:

Packing for this trip was quite stressful as it was last minute. Shopping was only done yesterday to buy my winter apparel, suitcase, laptop bag, toiletries etc, Also, due to my late night on Friday, I was not in the best condition to do last minute shopping. To make the matter worst, I wore the wrong pair of shoes. My feet was killing me throughout shopping =(.

Anyways, I am 80% there. The bigger suit case allowed me to stuff most of my necessities. Since my flight is at 11.45pm today, I have a full day to do my final packing.

***

Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Germany, Here I Come!

My work visa is finally ready! I am flying to Hamburg on Sunday (20 January 2008!).

Boy, will I be overdose with sausages and beer. Do not be surprised if I look 5 months pregnant! I will be pregnant with beer and sausages!

I will keep you guys posted!

***
Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Benny Ong in the Spotlight

I noticed that Benny has been lacking of attention lately (you can tell from his various comments). It is necessary to have a formal introduction of him in SongYia.com. This blog entry is specially dedicated to him and hopefully he have enough of the attentions he needs =P

Quick Facts:

Name: Benny Ong aka Royal Self Worshiper
Occupation : Serial Website Entrepreneur (That is what he calls himself)
Hometown : Penang Island (A land of "culture", he claims. *roll eyes*)
Favourites : Asian Desserts (Ice Kacang, Cendol, Mango Loh and the list goes on)

What's Great about Bennyong.com:

• Good online tips - He shares his Internet knowledge.
• Free Applications - He creates and shares most of his applications.
• Reviews - He does reviews quite often, worth a read.
  
• I am featured in a few of his blog entries =D
  

*Should you would like to know more about Benny, drop me a comment and I will try to answer you question. But do not be surprised if he answers it on my behalf*

***
Through the eyes of Song Yia

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What's Hot In 2008?

It looks like the 50's fashion has a comeback this year. The first thing that strikes my mind about the 50's is Grease which leads me to picture tonnes of Pink Ladies & T-Birds on the streets.

Check out Gucci runway 2008 cruise collection. Looks like the flare skirts are back!



On another note, I can see myself in the sexy black outfit that Olivia Newtown John wore in the end of the movie. However, in order too look good in that, I need to shred off some kilos.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Good Old Friends

It was great meeting my friends from university. I enjoyed the moment where we able to "talk cock sing song" like in our studying days. Thinking about studying days leads me to miss the times where we had to struggle for assignments and exams. The long semester break was something that I truly miss.

Kim also mentioned that we have been acquainted for 6 years now. Wow! I didn't realised it until the number is mentioned. Doesn't time just flies so quickly?

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Visit my CITY!

I was introduced to this game by Benny Ong. It just takes 2 clicks to create your own e-city which I think it is pretty cool (Boy am I turning into an IT geek!). Just visit myminicity.com.

Currently, my city is just an empty piece of land. In order for me to develop my city, I need inhabitants. Meaning, I need my city's population to GROW! This can only be achieve by you visiting my city! Everyone is welcome! Start Clicking Away!

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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FAQ

As of late, I have been receiving a number of FAQ on my job posting (looks like you guys are reading my blog afterall). So I decided to answer all the questions as below:

Q:Where are you headed?

A: Hamburg, Germany.

Q: How long will you be there?

A: 1 year.

Q: Are you still with BAT?

A: Yes I am still with BAT, but I am taking on a new role.

Q: When are you leaving?

A: I am not sure. There are a number of papers that I need to be in place before I go. Also, I am still waiting for the German embassy to contact me on my work permit.

Q: How often will you return?

A: I will be returning in March but do not know when is my next return.

I hope this has addressed most of your questions =)

***

Through the eyes of Song Yia

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The beauty of high waist pants/skirts

The 70's glam of high waist is back in the Fall of 2007 and I am so loving this look. I have been hunting for high waist pants and skirt since October but I only see it in shops around December ( I think I might be shopping at the wrong places). It is sad that Malaysian fashions tend to lag.

High waist pants or skirts go so well with a wide belts. Match it with a pair of killer heels and you are all set to go! I am so happy that I manage to purchase this outfit. I am so going to hunt for more!

Top: From SS2 night market (pasar malam)
Skirt : Lence London (Sunway Pyramid)
Belt : Lence London (Sunway Pyramid)





Benefits of high waist:

• It requires constant sucking in of the stomach (a good habit to pick up).
• Prevents over eating as the belt constraint your stomach for expanding (good diet tip).
• You feel sexy and in control in the outfit (great when you are having a big presentation).
• Gives an illusion of long legs and hence some extra height.

***

Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Need for Speed

I participated in my company's Go-Kart competition this weekend which was held in City Karting circuit in Shah Alam Stadium. Compared to my previous Go-Karting experience in Extreme Park, City Karting's track fabulous. I understand that it was one of the best Go-Kart tracks in Malaysia and the Amazing Race Asia 1 was filmed there. Quite impressive actually.

Anyways, I noticed that my driving skills has improved tremendously compared to my last Go-Karting where I had absolute no control of the vehicle. Though I skited and spanned numerous times, I managed to qualify and proceed to the finals. However, I lost out in the finals as my kart was giving me issues and I had to change a new kart. How unfortunate, I believe I could had a podium finish if my vehicle was fine (overly confident =P)

Interesting fact:

• Some Alpha male were intimidated that some female clocked in a faster time. Woohoo, I am so pround of you ladies.

• At the end of the event, I looked like I was in a mud wrestling rather than a Go-Kart competition. I was soaked in mud as I had a little accident where I took the corner too quickly. Oh well, it was all plain fun. I can't wait to do this again.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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I miss my hair

This picture was taken 2 years back. I miss my long curly hair!

Enough said.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Silver Jubilee

Today marks a very special day for my parents. On this day exact day 25 years ago, they exchanged their vows. EEeerrr, not really-lar. Since they had a typical chinese wedding, they "Yam Seng" more like it.

They officially tied the knot on 2 January 1983. Happy Silver Jubilee MeEeee & PaaAAAa....

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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Goodbye 2007, Hello 2008.

Oh my freaking gawd its already 2008. Boy does time flies. Graduating from highschool is still fresh in my head.

Anyways, I welcomed my New Year in Taman Titiwangsa. Most of you must be guessing that I was on the Malaysia Eye when the clock strike 12. You will never guess that I was on a hot air balloon.

The whole idea sounds pretty amazing since I thought I will be able to greet the new year with the beautiful night view of Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately the organisers -SkyEvents- was very inexperience and ruined the whole evening. First and foremost, the could not get it up (literally). Once it was up, it pre-maturely deflated. They delayed the whole event for an hour. As soon as they got the damn thing up, it started raining. As a consequence, I was only up there for 5 pathetic minutes. What a waste of waiting time and money.

Ok, enough of my whinning. Looking at the bright side, the new year celebration was not all bad. I had close friends around me which made the whole evening memorable. Also, only 2 groups were able to go up the air balloon due to the bad weather. Despite counting down under the rain, everything was good.

As for new year resolutions, I have none. Never believe in them cause I can never keep to it.

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Through the eyes of Song Yia

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