Oh... how I miss this ramen...

minuet is pronounced as: me-new-at

I've always thought of minuet as sad song... but I was wrong.

I had my flute lesson today and had to play this minuet piece, I played the tune sadly and heavily, and was corrected by my flute teacher that minuet is a 3/4 dance... light and joyous! Like dragon flies touching the waters...

So I took out my classical collection, copied all the minuets and will be listening to minuets only for this week! :)

Here's a demonstration of flute on Bach's Minuet played by 500 flutist!
What a scene!

Can't say I wasn't a bit disappointed...

It was my first real orchestra experience and I expect to be moved. But there I was, sitting in front of an orchestra comprising of about 70-80 musicians... and yet it felt no difference from listening to a CD recorded!

The performance by the JPO was no doubt superb, but the sound effect of the hall is really a big let down!

Kota Kinabalu in need of a real philharmonic hall!

Showgirl and men’s magazine model Raffella Fico, 20, told an Italian magazine: “I can’t wait to see who’s going to pull out the money to have me.”

Miss Fico, who appeared in the Italian version of Big Brother earlier this year, said she would use the cash to buy a house in Rome and pay for acting classes.

“I don’t know what it’s like to have sex,” she told the magazine, Chi, adding that if the man who bought her virginity was ugly then she would quickly get over it.

“If I don’t like him I’ll just have a glass of wine and forget about it,” said the aspiring actress from Naples - hometown of screen siren Sophia Loren.

Her family insisted that despite her good looks and sexy image, she remained a virgin.

“She’s never had a boyfriend. I swear on my mother’s grave. She’s a devout Catholic and prays to Padre Pio every night,” her brother told the magazine.

She is the not the first woman to auction her virginity for a large sum. An 18-year-old US student in San Diego, Natalie Dylan, recently told the Howard Stern show she would have sex for the first time for $1 million to pay her college fees.

In 2005 a Peruvian model, also 18, put herself up for sale to help pay her family’s medical bills but ended up having second thoughts and turning down $1.5 million.

Italian model Raffella Fico takes the mainstreaming of sex + business one step further as she prepares to sell her virginity for nearly $1.5 million.

Raffella Fico told Italian celebrity magazine Chi that she is willing to have sex for the first time with a man willing to pay approximately $1,419,595.

“I can’t wait to see who’s going to pull out the money to have me,” Fico said. “I don’t know what it’s like to have sex.”

According to Raffella Fico’s brother, “She’s never had a boyfriend. I swear on my mother’s grave. She’s a devout Catholic and prays to Padre Pio every night.”

I have only one respond to this news:
Would a real "devout catholic" sell her virginity!

I was give two free tickets to this concert... RM50 tickets!!

The following work will be performed:

Full Orchestra:
Soundtrack Highlights from-
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,
A.I (Artificial Intelligence) and
The Patriot

String Orchestra:
Soundtrack Highlights from-
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Prince of Egypt

Orchestra with Piano:
JS Bach piece, Concerto for two harpsichords, strings and continuous bass in C minor.

Piano pieces:
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring by Bach
Adios Nonino by Astro Piazzolla

The last part of the concert, performed by the Full Orchestra, is the massive and majestic Beethoven’s Symphony No.5 in C Minor.

WOW!!!!

I'm so thrilled that I would finally get a chance to see a real orchestra...
but also sad because I can't a single friend that would share my thrills!
No one is interested to go to the concert with me!

Sigh... looks like I'd have to go alone...

Well... I thought I'd never go 1borneo but dad has been persistently asking us to bring him (ya, just like a kid)... so we went!

There's really nothing "surprising" there...
all the usual shops you'd expect to see... and most depressing of all: it's Giant AGAIN (as if there're not enough Giant around already!)

So, we didn't bother to window shop even...

Just lead my parents to Tune Department Store (as that's kinda new in town)... and ey? How can I see familiar merchandise from Ikea... took a closer look, hey! even the Ikea sticker is still intact!

This my my grandmother... on her 99th Year Old Birthday celebration.

During the dinner, the cousins shared fond memories about her on stage...
wrote nice things and wishes for her in a special booklet...
and even performed on stage and sang her favorite songs...

As I sat down there, looking at the crowd...
I thought why was I there?

I really envy the other cousins who have had good memories with grandma...
I just couldn't remember any (if there was indeed any...)
If I were to write anything, it will be a question mark.

I really didn't understand what I did wrong that grandma never been close to us...
I know as a kid, grandma doesn't like my dad... WHY? I always ask... but no answer was ever given to me until one day one aunt revealed to me that my dad "wasn't particularly bright" when he was a boy... what?! And for that, my dad was singled out... including his wife and kids? What kind of a loving woman was that?

As I read the sharing written by other cousins, how a God loving woman my grandma was (she makes them coffee and biscuits), how she always tell them to be filial sons and daughters, to study hard, to read the bible, to go to church... I just can't get rid of the things that she did and said to our family...

Now you know why I felt so out of place... is this the same grandma we have?

Grandma is old and frail now, it would be almost cruel for me to hold any grudges against her...
and seriously, I don't... not anymore. I just feel so sad that I couldn't share any of the loving kindness my other cousins had with her!

I so wish I could say some nice things about her....
she is, the only grandma I had (as my mother's mother passed away before mom got married)...
and I am still trying to remember if ever, there were a point in time, when we had good time together...

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Once upon a time...
I worked as an editor... like this!

This morning was my first open appearance for a divorce case.

Although is was a clean break joint petition...

I was glue-less as to what I need to do in court!

When I got the file from the partner, he said:
"F, I need you to go to a divorce case for me tomorrow morning..."

...

"You read the papers and see what you can do lar..."

...

Next morning, there I was, in the open court with two "born in the 80s" petitioners for divorce and their two beautiful kids, in court... waiting for the case to be called.

In my mind I was planning that since my case is number 3 on the list, I could at least see what other lawyers do before I stand up to do my "speech"...

"Mana lar tau"... my case was the first joint petition case called...
I was so nervous that I can't speak clearly and the judge went:

"girl, you are speaking too soft, I can't hear you if you don't speak up"

Judge CS called me a "girl"... Oh, am I flattered!

After making sure that the petitioners intend to proceed with the divorce, judge looked at the petition papers and asked why weren't there any provision for the maintenance of the children by the husband. The wife is already not asking for any maintenance but she will have sole custody of the two children, whey weren't the husband paying anything... uh oh... truth is I don't have the slightest idea... the petitioning husband on the other hand quickly told the interpreter that he intends to give maintenance to the children... and for that reason, I gave a very bad impression to judge who surely thought what an incompetent lawyer I was when the husband wanted to give provision but I didn't pray for the matter in the petition.

Sigh, no one in the court knows that I was there not for my own case...

After the matter, I went back to the office only to find out that actually it was the petitioning wife who has refused to take the money from the husband and therefore maintenance for the children was not prayed for...

Nevertheless, all and all, today's was a good experience for me...
I've finally actually seen how family court in session!

I think I'd like doing family cases although, I might not approve of divorce so lightly!

The petitioners I represented this morning for example are merely in the early twenties... they could have so much more years together... and the kids are still so young... sigh...

Tiara has been breaking down every other day since I returned to work after the KL Shopping spree.

Last Tuesday, the radiator burst out with steam and a small "kaaboom"... before I reach the Inanam roundabout.

Tiara was in ICU and given a MC (Mechanic Certified unfit to work) during the long Merdeka Holidays...

I had to drive dad's car to work on Tuesday.

Yesterday, I drove Tiara to work and on the way back from work, it broke down in steam again...
due to the long jam at the Inanam roundabout, AGAIN... so frustrating!

Today, I drove dad's car again...

Tomorrow I will be driving Tiara... Please don't let me down again ya?

Mom dad already making noise about having the go get me whenever Tiara broke down and asked me to just get a new car... problem is "a new car" is definitely not in my "BAJET 2008"...

I had a relook at my finances and found out that I don't even have anything to sacrifice for the extra money for a car instalment... how sad? Sigh!

And I refuse to have another Proton... no way NO NO NO NO NO!

(anyway, I can't even afford a proton)

Wait till I can afford a beetle, hee hee hee