My Walk of Life

Language Barrier

2011-04-11T22:07:00.003+08:00

Something I noticed for a long while, but being in Malaysia, I gave it a brush. But it really hit on me the other day when I witnessed the similar annoying scene at the airport. What I am referring to was the lack of sensitivity of those in the service industry in communicating with their customers.

Yes, we are in Malaysia and most of us would understand our National language, Bahasa Malaysia (BM). Even if we may not master it that well, we will still be able to comprehend the basic of it.

However, I find it most disturbing having seen, the other day, at the airport where a crew were communication in BM to a foreignor - to be precise, a Vietnamese. As I was in queue waiting for my bags to be scanned, a Vietnamese visitor who does not comprehend how the scanning system works, walk pass with her mobile phone. The airport crew asked her to go back in queue and place her mobile - talking to her in BM. I find it most humiliating as not only one but few of the crew continues to make fun of her in BM. In short - they have no respect for foreignors, - speaking BM to a Vietnamese??

Likewise for the crew in the service industry, particularly fast food outlets. Each time you go to the counter, they speak to you in BM. If anything at all, they should be speaking the International language, especially so if the outlets are located in the vicinity of the airport. I may look Chinese, but what if I am not a Malaysian Chinese? With my darker skin, I can even be mistaken for a Thai girl. How can they assume that every customer that walks in, is a Malaysian? If anything at all, they should speak in English - afterall, it is indeed an International Language. As much as I have respect for our National Language, I find it to be redundant when I travel to other destination - Mongolia, Vietnam, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Macau and many many more - our National Language is really of no use - no offence. Especially so, when we are promoting Malaysia as a destination to be, we must first of all change our attitude and mentality to be more more sensitive towards those that we serve - particularly those in the service industry.

Reality

2011-03-29T23:28:00.002+08:00

Another wonderful article sent through email by a friend. I have read this similar article many years ago. It somehow slipped my mind but reading it again, somehow reminds me of how much we have taken the life we have for granted. This is for sharing!

A friend of mine opened his wife's underwear drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:

'This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package.'

He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

'She got this the first time we went to New York , 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on , was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is it.

He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died.

He turned to me and said:

'Never save something for a special occasion.

Every day in your life is a special occasion'.

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.

I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

spend more time with the ones You Love, and less at work.

I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.

I no longer keep anything.

I use crystal glasses every day...

I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if I feel like it.

I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.

T he words 'Someday.....' and ' One Day...' are fading away from my dictionary.
;
If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now....

I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell.

I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends. She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.

I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food.

It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come..

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no-one..

Prayer

2011-03-28T01:02:00.002+08:00

I am not a Christian, but this is a wonderful prayer to share. Please have it in your heart to send your prayers and well wishers to the people in Japan.

Lord, I just want to say THANK YOU,

Because this morning I woke up and knew where my children were.

Because this morning my home was still standing,

Because this morning I am not crying

Because my spouse, my child, my brother or sister, my parent does not need to be buried or to be pulled out from underneath a pile of concrete,

Because this morning I was able to drink a glass of water,

Because this morning I was able to turn on the light,

Because this morning I was able to take a shower,

Because this morning I was not planning a funeral,

But most of all I thank you this morning because I still have life and a voice to cry out for the people of Japan .

Lord I cry out to you, the One that makes the impossible, possible,

The One that turns darkness into light,

I cry out that You give those mothers strength,

That You give them peace that surpasses all understanding,

That You may open the streets so that help can come,

That You may provide doctors, nurses, food, water, and all that they need in a blink of an eye.

For all those that have lost family members, give them peace, give them hope, give them courage to continue to go on!

Protect the children and shield them with your power.

I pray all this in the name of Jesus!!!

Weekends

2011-03-18T20:25:00.003+08:00

I bumped into my colleague at the lift. He look tired and weary and upon query, he said he has relationship problem. He says he dreads weekend during moments like this. I come to conclude that weekends are only for couples. When you are single, you dread weekends. Simply because, you will be all ALONE. That is the reality of it. Weekends seemed to drag longer when you are alone and fly too fast when you get to spend it with the ones you love.

I guess when you are used to spend your time with the someone and suddenly the someone is no longer there, you will feel a sense of emptiness. You do not know what to do with the weekends or holidays that you have. Your work becomes your passion and before you know it, you are a workaholic.

When you get to spend your weekends with the ones you love, your working days become a dread. You look forward to Thursday, Friday and yea! is Friday night and that is the best night towards weekend. Saturday is a bliss, Sunday comes too fast and heck is Monday already! So it goes on and on. Then you start to ramble through the calender for holidays and plan the perfect holidays with your someone.

Well, to the singles, it can be tough sometimes, but with the time that you have, perhaps is time to do the things you always wanted - go to gym, help out in the orphanage homes, have a blast with your Xbox, learn up photoshop, take up physchology course, watch Astro 24 hours, blast your Harmon Kardon speakers.... and the list goes on and on. But yet again, nothing is more fulfilling than do this with the special someone.

Happy or Not??

2011-01-26T21:41:00.003+08:00

Yea! Congratulations! You have got a good increment! Actually, I do not know whether to laugh or cry. With our tax system, an increment is hardly seen as increment at all, especially so when you are being taxed so heavily by the *&%$#@& government. Sigh sigh sigh. A big chunk of my bonus is given to them! &^%$#%$!

Truly, honestly, I do not know whether to be happy or not... Jialat!

Life is Uncertain - Death is.

2011-01-01T15:48:00.001+08:00

Is 4.56am on the 1st January 2011. It is the start of a new year. Just hours ago, I was doing my countdown and moments after that I learned about the passing away of a friend. It comes as a big shock. While many are gallavanting celebrating the new year, a friend passed away on the last day of 2010. He did not even have the chance to hop into the new year.

Just about a month ago, I wrote about the passing away of an acquitance. This time round, it is more of an acquitance.

Again, news like this takes a while to sink in. The impact of such news hits you so hard that you find it hard to believe. Especially so when the death is so sudden and tragic.

It is of course a disturbing news. Life has to go on for the family members. Question is, how do you cope with situation like this. When I hear such news, I often wonder how my family will feel if life takes a turn for me. What bothers me more, I realised is whether I have live my life the way I want, if I have love them the way I should and if I have put things in order ie insurance and will? I know that when that has been done, whenever life takes a sudden twist, perhaps then we will be prepared to go. Death is always a hush hush word. Something that many would not like to discuss. The reality is, in life only one thing is of certain - and that is death. Of course, everyone wants long fulfilling life. But there is a certain truth when they say we should live everyday as if is the last day. Perhaps in that way, we will be more kinder, less angry and happier.

Rest in peace, Brother James Pang - life was unexpectedly taken away from you but I know you have left a significant mark in the lives of others.

Rest in peace

2010-11-21T11:49:00.003+08:00

I just learned of a death of an acquaintance through facebook. I only met him in one of the wedding shoots where he was one of the bride's closest friend. Even though I hardly know him, his image stays clear in my mind for he is one of the warm and friendly personality. So when I found out about his sudden death due to illness and when I read all the messages that his friends put out in facebook, it touches me. When you can put a name to a face and when the person, eventhough he is not close to you, dies, it does still somehow have that profound effect.

Now I see facebook as not only a platform of socialising but it is indeed a platform for consolation and sharing of despair, thoughts and emotions. With the many words of encouragement and love from his friends when he was hospitalised till the day that he passes, it shows how much people cares. It is known that he is not alone and that he has a lot of friends who cares. Rest in peace dear acquaintance.

To say or not to say

2010-10-20T22:16:00.000+08:00

Not many people take too kindly of what you say. And while you think that your intention is good, others take your action as being nosy, sabotaging or that you are being judgemental. This I have learned. I for one, am not a person who simply say things or say much, unless I am being asked to and unless I care. I always believed that you cannot change a person but every person deserved to be given a chance. Thus, I thought that by telling them the truth, they will hopefully be able to see the perspective of a third party so that they can improve... or so you think that they need improvement.

Well, I was in the situation where I stood in-between the promotion of a subordinate. As her superior, I know that it is only fair that I tell her the reasons for my objection so as she would be prepared to take up the challenge when the right time comes. Instead of taking my gesture positively, she goes round telling others that I stopped her promotion. I am not offended by what she says for I know that my intention is sincere. So I also realised that they may not think that they are at fault. That they have reasons to react in a certain way or that we have stepped on their boundaries for telling them your thoughts.

So I am not blaming them for thinking that way. I cannot stop them from thinking that way. But I do know that when one becomes defensive, that is when you stop learning. When you think highly of yourself, you stop learning. Sometimes when things does not go your way, do stop and think what is it that you have done. And it is not about who is right or who is wrong, or whether one is being fair or unfair but rather if your “actions” is respectable to not only others but most importantly to yourself. And when someone tells you of your shortcomings (no one is without), be glad that they did – for that would mean that they care.

Ever wonder why we are here?

2010-10-07T22:09:00.002+08:00

A friend posted a question the other day, "Ever wondered to yourselves why we are here?" The truth is, this questions is one that oftens come to mind when I was young. That was the time where I search for answers to life and the time where I made a lot of mistakes, do the things that I know I shouldn't and the time that I rebel the most. And all these just to know my limits and how far I can go. Now that I am at my mid age... I have stopped wondering. I guess I have found my peace.

And I use to be very ambitious. I have a career goal in mind and I focused on what I want to achieve and move towards it. Today, I am where I am. At the level where I have worked very hard to be at. I know that if I want to, I will continue to go up. But somehow, as I grow older, my perspectives in life changed. I am no longer ambitious.

All I want is just to have a peaceful balance life and achieving high positions in career path is no longer in my agenda. And yet again, as fate has it, I was being head hunted for a GM position. I have declined the proposal, 3 months ago - now the offer is up again. It is not the fear of not performing but somehow, I don't think is the time yet... but then again, considering the many things that are happening right now, perhaps the time is right? Here I go.. back to wondering again..

Dress smart?

2010-09-23T23:12:00.003+08:00

What is the appropriate attire for wedding dinners? My philosophy is to dress proper for I believe that dressing up properly shows respect to host. I have attended many wedding dinners but I only started taking notice of what people were wearing when I started photographing guests during my wedding assignments. It disturbs me to see some who does not dress up neatly for the function.

I am against wearing t-shirts and jeans for weddings (unless is worn over a coat). However, one particular guest I met during one of my wedding assignment - has left a significant sad impression on me till today. This guest attended the wedding in a motorcycle (from the fact that he has in his hand an old helmet). He was dressed shabbily - an old collared tee with a pants that was above his ankle. His half hanging pants was really out of place but what was even more disturbing was that he was wearing a pair of shoes where the "mouth" was wide opened. It is indeed a sad sight for I see much poverty in the dressing. He walked with much difficulty as the damage shoes were in the way. If I have a pair of shoes in my car, I would have given to him there and then.

So while I am going through a series of photos that I have taken recently where the dinner was held in a very kampung traditional style, I see a lot of casual guests and I am reminded of the old uncle with the torn shoes.

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

2010-08-30T20:09:00.001+08:00

This is a very good article. Those who are still single may learn something from here...
Those who are already married may take it as a guideline to improve your marriage & relationship ...

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, 'How do I know if I married the right person?' I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, 'It depends. Is that your husband?' In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer.
EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse/partner. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies (unconventional behavior/habit).

Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called 'falling' in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, 'I was swept off my feet.' Think about the imagery of that __expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria (excitement) of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.

And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVERjust happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the __expression 'the labor of love.' Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable... you can 'make' love.

Love in marriage is indeed a 'decision'... Not just a feeling.

Remember always this:

'God determines who walks into your life.It is up to you to decide who you let to walk away,who you let to stay, and who you refuse to let go.

Rose

2010-08-23T23:51:00.000+08:00

Received this from a friend through email. Beautiful piece to share:-

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being..

She said, 'Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?'

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, 'Of course you may!' and she gave me a giant squeeze..

'Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?' I asked.

She jokingly replied, 'I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids...'

'No seriously,' I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

'I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!' she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this 'time machine' as she shared her wisdom and experience with me..

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she revelled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.

At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.

Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, 'I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know.'

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, ' We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humour every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.

We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it!

There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up.

If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.

Anybody! Can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets.

The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets..'

She concluded her speech by courageously singing 'The Rose.'

She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives. At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those months ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they'll really enjoy it!

These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.

REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS OPTIONAL. We make a Living by what we get. We make a Life by what we give.

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

'Good friends are like stars..... ....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.'

Health is wealth

2010-08-21T14:51:00.003+08:00

There is nothing like the feeling of being healthy - especially so when you have been terribly sick for the past few days where all you do is sleep and sleep and despite all the sleep you still feel tired. And there is nothing like feeling light headed - with the stupid pain all gone. So this Saturday afternoon really is most pleasant when most of the virus, pain are washed away. Thank GOD! Please stay that way.

Beautiful poem

2010-08-07T22:26:00.001+08:00

Received this via email. Beautiful piece indeed.

BEST POEM IN THE WORLD

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp--
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbor
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus, 'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why is everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said, 'they're all in shock.
No one thought they'd be seeing you.'

JUDGE NOT!!

Remember...Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car mechanic.

Every saint has a PAST...
Every sinner has a FUTURE!

Old and weary

2010-08-07T21:22:00.002+08:00

I was at McD, almost finishing the last few bites of my chicken when an old lady entered the restaurant. She moved to the first table nearest to the door, trying to sell something. I was at the second table. She move to my table after being refused by the first. She push her product towards me. I did not have a chance to look at what it was. I dare not ask how much it was. I gathered that it would be too expensive. I politely turn her down.

After which, I totally lose my appetite. Yea.. I am that sort of a person. I lose my appetite for I felt terribly sorry for the old lady. Each time I see an old person begging or working hard, I would immediately feel upset. Ever seen an old lady, all bent and carrying a heavy load on her shoulders? That scene breaks my heart. So if I am a billionaire, I would give shelter to these old man and woman - for now - I can only pray that they find their own comfort in whichever way they can.

Too late....

2010-08-06T01:28:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you are so into your life, so into yourself and you think that everything is all about you. When things does not go your way, you blame everything else but yourself. Sometimes when things does not happen your way, no matter how hard you tried, perhaps it is a sign that you should just give in. I said give in - not give up! So do not be mistaken.

It takes the death of a person to make another realised that life is short and for that, there is really no time to make more enemies. So I accepted the apology. Infact, I wasn't expecting any apology despite being accused of something that I did not do. Is not a big deal. I can let it pass.

However, I was dejected last week. Especially so when I can't help feeling that I was being discriminated. Contribution were left unnoticed and not being acknowledged. Well, it is not that I want credits but when everyone else is being acknowledged except yourself, you can't help but to wonder why. Especially so when everyone else were there just because they hold a certain position - which does not necessarily means they contribute anything. But well, like I say I was dejected and so I tell myself that enough is enough. Is time to prioritise. Is time to move forward. And to do so, you need to let go of certain things. For once today, I made a decision to be elsewhere instead of being at the meet-up - where I know that if I were there - I would be taken for granted again. So no more! No more from me. Is too late to make amends...

George O'Malley

2010-07-18T02:06:00.002+08:00

I have been watching the series Grey's Anatomy since its 1st season. So you kinda get involved with the character and one of them dies after the 5th season, it makes me all sad. I was surprised of my emotions for I was practically crying my eyes out watching the death of George O'Malley.

What disturbs me is not about the fact that he died, it is the way that he died. Every season, the scene of anambulance driving in the hallway with trauma patient coming in, is a common sight. So at the 5th season, when the ambulance drove in a disfigured man, who was hit by a bus while trying to save a girl, it was just a common scene. None of them know it was actually George. So imagine how shocking it is when eventually Meredith found out that it was George.... my.. that shocks me as well.

Sigh.. I know that George would eventually leave the show and I have read the synopsis that he will die but I did not know that he will die this way. So it was really really shocking and sad. When you watch a movie and especially a series where you have followed the character for so long, you kinda get "emotional" about the character. So.. I am still feeling sad about all this. Yea.. is just a movie, I tell myself... Anyway, George, goodbye and I am going to miss you!

Conversation with doc

2010-06-30T22:59:00.001+08:00

Doc: What's wrong with you?
Me: Insomnia doc. I can't sleep last night. Now I got dizzy spell.
Doc: Why? You got a lot of stress ar?
Me: I don't know. (Do I?) Can I have some sleeping pills? I get this insomnia spell every now and then doc.
Doc: Sleeping pill? Why? You want to kill yourself ar?
Me: Of course not!
Doc: Ok. I give you only 5 tablets. Promise me you do not kill yourself.
Me: Don't be silly doc! I won't.
Doc: But if you do and if you are dead, make sure you come back and see me and give me 4D!
Me: ??????

What now?

2010-06-30T04:38:00.002+08:00

My blog. My remedy. Have been away for so long. I forgot why I wrote my last entry. A disturbing entry. And now, is 4.40am and I could not sleep. What do I do? Tossing and turning is no use. I just have to pen down my emotions. Few more hours to work. I am not sure if I can make it for work.

The fan in the room is spinning. Everything else in the room is silent. This is the kind of peace that I need. Silent. Unfeeling. Still.

Arggh...

2010-03-20T01:16:00.002+08:00

Ah! Sometimes I just want to be a nobody. The weight of life, the cycle that I go through, sometimes I wonder where it leads. I just want to hide in a place, far away.. from everybody else. I just want to hide in a place where I am a total stranger to everyone. Is just so tiring. I just want to rest. Leave me alone!

San Diego - About the Place

2009-11-23T21:58:00.004+08:00

4 hours flight to Hong Kong, 12 hours to LA and 45 minutes later, I was in San Diego. A beautiful place. Is my first time to the States and yes I was excited. Other than the dreaded long journey, it was a desired destination.

What surprised me most about San Diego was the people. They are extremely polite and friendly. I have heard of people saying that Americans are rude but it is hardly the case in San Diego. Everywhere I go, there are people who smiles and greets you. Even when you enter a simple convenience store, the workers greet you with "How are you". And as soon as you leave, they bid you a good day.

The roads are wide and clean and everyone abides to traffic rules. Police are on regular patrols and you will often hear police sirens. I was in this place call Downtown. At night the streets came to life with pubs and live bands. The ambience is most soothing which is unlike the jam packed scene you normally would see in our discos and pubs. It is a must to produce your identity card before entering the pub. Infact it is a must for you to produce your identity card whenever you use your credit cards to make purchase.

It is surprising to know that things are quite cheap here. You can have a fairly good meal with just $4 dollars. Branded stuffs are cheap, for example a Levi's 501 is sold at only $39.90 to $49.90. If you really look at dollar to dollar comparison, it is really cheap. For the Levi's jeans, even after conversion, it is still cheaper in the States. In the supermarkets you can get a Van Heusen shirt at just only $16.90 and it comes with a tie! But what I like most is the layout and setup of the whole town where the roads are wide, peaceful traffic and the buildings are quite scattered. Even in the city, it is peaceful. Despite the tall buildings being built in the city the development is such that it does not seem congested.

During my visit, I have had the opportunity to visit 2 prominent shopping area - Fashion Valley and Mission Valley. Fashion Valley is about 30 minutes drive from Downtown. As you travel towards Fashion Valley, you will notice more housing developments. Fashion Valley caters more for the high end market, thus the whole set up has the rich and classy feel. During this time of the year, the mall is already decorated with Christmas decor. Just like the movies, you can see little kids sitting on Santa's lap taking photos and yes the bogus Santa really look like Santa - he is all old with wrinkles and has the most gentle eyes. Makes me want to sit on his lap!

In Mission Valley, it caters more for the medium market. A lot of youngsters are seen hanging out in Mission Valley as there is a cinema in the locale. Here there is an amazing shop that sells Rock T-shirts with classic Rock groups such as Nirvana, Metallica, Sepultura etc. The shop also sell shirts that carries movies titles. It is a great affordable place to shop.

All in all, San Diego is really the place to be. I really do not mind staying there for a long time. :)

Gurney Hotel

2009-11-20T22:43:00.001+08:00

I am back in Penang. This time in Penang is like a holiday - well it feels like a holiday even though I am back here this time for work. Reason being is that I am staying in a hotel and not at my parents home - so it feels like a holiday. Of course it lacks my mom's home cooked food and the warm feel of family.

Gurney Hotel is not a new hotel but is comfortable and surprisingly spacious. What I was impress with was the courtesy call that they made to ask if the room was ok. As one of the aircon unit was not working in the room, they promised to send the maintenance guy to check.

I was out of the room before they reached and when I got back, I found the room with the air-cond repaired and switched on. Soon after, there was a message left in the room to inform that they have had the aircond repaired.

Well, the service that was rendered was impressive. I guess it does make up for the rather old carpet and curtains. Anyway, no complains.. is still comfortable here.

Emm...

2009-11-01T09:23:00.002+08:00

What can I say, my 11-year old niece now has an account with facebook. In my situation where I live more than 300 km away from my one and only niece, fb is a consolation - since at least I have a share of knowing her grown up moments, her likes and dislikes, the games she plays and most important is keeping the contacts and communication intact. Of course it is not the same as being there physically during her growing up years - I miss that terribly and realised how much different it is now. But well.. at least something is better than nothing. I guess it will be before long she start blogging?

And when my nephew do start facebook - I will know that I am getting older..emm...

McD

2009-10-14T21:58:00.003+08:00

I just ordered McD delivery for dinner at the office. The order took 45 minutes even though the nearest McD outlet is just across the road. The fries came in all soggy and my chicken all cold.

McD is not what it used to be. Those days, my friends used to work at McD part time while waiting for their exam results. The mentioning of working in McD is just glamourous as it was not easy to get in. The skills that you need to have to join them would include good communication skills and pleasant personality. Nowadays, the standard of staffs employment is no longer the same. The standard has definately dropped significantly.

McD used to have this fastest service where any serving that takes more than 60 seconds will be compensated by maybe free fries or something. Nowadays, you queue up and after taking the order, they asked you to stand aside while your orders are packed. While you are still waiting for your order, the cashier takes the next order and the guy standing behind you is now next to you. Your order gets mixed up sometimes as the cashier is faster than the packer and while all this happen, the queue went all messy.

Just the other day, we made a drive through order and the order was more than a hundred ringgit. My friend politely asked for a free chocolate sundae since we have placed a big order. The girl ignored our request and after countless time asking by my persistent friend, the girl responded that they only give if we have the McD car sticker. After all the packing, she finally gave us a free sundae, without smiling nor saying anything - she has this high mighty look as if she has done us a GREAT favour by giving us the ice-cream.

I believe if another Mc-something were to come up and are able to serve good fries and just provide the tiny weeny bit better service than McD, I will be the first to switch. But then again, perhaps is better to just stop eating McD?

Mental Ordeal

2009-10-10T11:01:00.004+08:00

I especially love Friday nights. Is the start of a weekend - which means - no work! This Friday night feels liberating especially when the weight of responsibility I have been carrying the whole of the day were suddenly being lifted off.

Imagine being asked to do something that you dread doing - that you basically have fear of and you are not sure if you are able to execute it. So as soon as you heard the news, you suddenly feel like you are carrying a one tonne weight - not only does the heavy feeling weigh on you physically, it does emotionally as well. So you started to think and pray that something will turn up and that you may not have to do it and then at the same time, you tell yourself "heck" let us get this over and done with.

So you are faced with the task and as the time approaches where you have to face the challenge, the many mental notes that you put in your mind were cut off by a sudden unexpected question. You fumbled and just do not know what to say... at that moment. The answers somehow came much later - after you have blurted some senseless answer. Ah well... it finally just passes and that is the end of your mental ordeal.

Spooked

2009-10-05T22:43:00.002+08:00

The weirdest thing just happened just now. For about a year plus, hubby's PDA went missing for no reason. We were staying at the same house then except that we were renting the back room. We searched everywhere for the PDA but it could not be found. This missing incident happened just after my camera also "mysteriously" went missing.

So we put it behind us as the search were futile. We then shifted to the front room of the house as our main tenant moved out. So we have been staying at this front room for a about a year now. Just about just now, hubby was lamenting about not having a place to put his magazine. I suggested him to put it above our pile of files which I arranged in standing order. These files were orderly arranged in a shelving cabinet. I suggested that he slot his magazine above the files and bent down to show him the place. Just then, I noticed a familiar thing. It was hubby's PDA! Is a shock! How can the PDA suddenly appear out of nowhere? I am spooked! We have basically emptied the shelf when we moved from the back room to the front room. We have been assessing these files and there is no way that the PDA could be just lying on top of it without us noticing it. Is the weirdest thing to happen.

So I was browsing through the PDA and in the notepad section, I saw 3 drawings which I am very sure was not drawn by me or hubby. First one looks like a ring or maybe a watch. The other 2 I cannot make it out. Is so odd... so so odd.... Now I am waiting for my missing camera to re-surface.. possible? Damn! I will be spooked!

Mooncake?

2009-10-03T23:12:00.003+08:00

Today is lantern festival. Many will go back to their families to have dinner and to celebrate the occasion. I really do not know the significance of it. Tonight, is just dinner with hubby.

I am sitting here alone now in my room, writing my blog. At this same very moment, I am sure there are families having celebration, lighting up their gardens with lantern. Some families celebrate by having bbq with friends and families. Kids running around and carrying lantern while singing the lantern song (I wonder if the kids nowadays still do that?) Somewhere out there, there will be couples sitting on bench watching the moon together or there may be this guy choosing to pop the question on this auspicious night.

While all this is going on, I am sure there are also instances where the singles will be home alone and wishing that they have someone, there will be the married guy who instead wished that he is single and out there partying, there will be couples going through break-ups and there will be this guy cheating on her girl or this girl two-timing her guy. Many people out there, doing many different things, heck there may be someone out there just like me, sitting in the comfort of the room, writing about other people!

What's my point really? Well.. life goes on and while you think sometimes that you have it bad, others have had worse and while life is good for you... be happy that there are others who has it as well.

Blissful communion

2009-09-27T14:04:00.002+08:00

September - a month of celebration. First I witnessed the communion of two good friends which also falls on the same day as my neice's birthday. It is indeed an honour and privilege to be asked as a witness especially so when it is the most important day of their life. While in the registration room, it brought back memories of my own registration 5 years ago. I have been there after that as a photographer but this time round hubby and me were seated down in the witness seat. As I was signing the certificate, my hand actually trembled.

5 years ago, the registration process was slightly different. I remembered being called to repeat some words but this time round, the registration process takes less than 5 minutes with the person reading the oath and the couple agreeing to it simply by saying "I do".

My registration will always be a funny event - imagine being asked whether we would take each other to be the lawful wedded couple in - BAHASA MALAYSIA! Imagine saying "I do" with "ya!" only to be corrected that we should instead say "Setuju". Well, we actually giggled so hard throughout the ceremony as the lady reading the oath read it so fast that we do not know what she was babbling about - and especially when it sounded as if we are undergoing some military camp. This time round, I make it a point to tell my friends to specifically ask for the right language before entering.

Just yesterday, we got home real late after a wedding event in Nilai. We woke up as early as 5.30am. We were hired as the official photographer. It is a beautiful wedding, beautiful couple. I find it most fullfilling as when I captured these moments, it occurs to me that it is actually the most beautiful moment in not only the couple's life but the entire family itself. So my job is not just to be a photographer but actually to be the eyes of many special moments to keep.

To my friends - for the blissful communion - wishing you many many happy moments, wishing you the patience to see through each other's fault and the ability to accept each other the way that you are.

Seniors

2009-09-20T18:29:00.002+08:00

I was having my dinner the other day and I noticed this old man at the restaurant, cleaning tables and picking up the dishes. I lost my appetite there and then. The thing about me is that I got a soft spot for old people and especially the really old ones who walks with a bent and with heavy wrinkles on their faces. I felt that old people should not be put into this situation where they need to do heavy chores. My heart sank each time I witnessed such scene.

I am being reminded of the scene in Section 17 where one particular old lady mends a stall on her own. The sight of her hunched body and her state of difficulty is an image I remembered each time I go there. So I am never really keen on going there to eat, simply because it saddens me greatly to be seeing her struggling in keeping her stall in order. Unlike other stalls who have frequent orders, business is usually slow on her side.

Well, that is just me - a weakness I would say for I would always end up buying items that I do not need, or giving away money to old beggers. There is only this little that I could do - I wish I could have done more.

Choices in life

2009-08-25T23:30:00.004+08:00

It is as if I am watching a movie. Except that this time, it is not a movie. It is real life experience. Just when you thought that you have had your life finally paved out, a sudden turn of events hits you right in your face and you just have to re-shape your course of life again.

You do not want to be caught in a situation where you have to make a choice and especially when the choices laid in front of you seems to be a losing end either way. What would you do? I was asked this question - "what would you have done if you were me". Well, I can only imagine being in the situation but I cannot feel for sure how the situation is like - since physically and emotional - I am not in the situation. So it is not right to tell what I would do for sure.

I can only say that there is no right choice nor wrong choice. It is just a choice that one has to make - you gotta do what you gotta do. In a situation like this, you have to think of yourself sometimes, what makes you happy. To me, the most important thing in life is to be happy. And happiness is the choice of your mind. It may be most difficult to comprehend when you are in a state of depression - that you can actually determine your own happiness just by changing the way you think.

It is easier said than done. I, for sure knows that it takes a great strength to pick yourself up after a great fall, but I do know that if you can raise above all life's adversity, you will be the one who can one day proudly says that you have live life to the fullest!

Pain

2009-08-06T23:04:00.004+08:00

When you are in pain, it is only normal for you to want to inflict pain on the person who has pained you. So I can totally understand her actions. Pain causes her to react in a manner that is so irrational, which is probably so not her. But her heart feels like a million razor cutting, slicing and stabbing at her. So she lost her rational sense.

I am a woman and I understand her pain. I cannot feel her pain, I can only imagine it from past experiences. It is the kind of feeling that none of us would want to go through. For something dear to her is no longer there and to a certain extent, has turned against her. Of course there is no such thing as one person's fault - in fact, sometimes is nobody's fault - it is sometimes just a situation that changes in time and soon enough, you realised too late that the feeling and emotion is gone.

When I see happy couple, it makes me happy. I think that if one is able to find their mate it is indeed happiness and even more so if the mate turns out to be the soul mate. To me there is no perfection - where human is concern, there is no such thing as perfection. But perfection is something that we perceived to be. If we choose to see only the virtue of a person, then there is perfection.

My tribute to Michael Jackson

2009-08-02T01:34:00.002+08:00

MJ has passed on for a quite a while now. I have refused to watch his memorial video. Yes, I have been in denial and I gathered that if I did not watch then I would not feel his lost. Finding some time, I watched it on You Tube and it got me in tears. It hit me that the world has lost a great figure, a legend.

I have been a fan of MJ since his Beat It days. What captures my heart about him was his talent especially his dance moves. I remembered during the 80's, me and my schoolmates were so into him that we learned his moves and danced in school concerts. Of course we are only able to do a somewhat simple moves.

I still remembered when Michael acted in the movie Smooth Criminal. All the while, we only get to see him dance and sing but in that movie, it was the first time we saw him talked and laughed. He got the most charming and as what Brooke Shield says during the memorial tribute - the purest laughter.

I can't help but to feel that the world has lost a great person. I know that I will remember him as a legend for a long time. RIP Michael.

Phuket

2009-07-30T21:38:00.004+08:00

Phuket - the land of boozes and boobs.. oppss.... truly really - this is a paradise for men. I just got back from a 5 days trip from Phuket. It is indeed a beautiful place, especially the beaches.

We stayed in Patong - a place where party begins from 10pm. The whole street of Soi Bangla is closed for only street walkers. Pubs, discos occupies the whole street with girls, ladyman parading and walking around looking for customers. Agents pesters you to see shows - lots of weird, exotic and I would say erotic shows.

A few pointers for those who have not been to Phuket. It is a must to bargain for everything, from trips to prices at pubs to shopping. You can actually bargain for 50% or more for the price quoted, especially if you have the numbers. If you like night life, parties and music, Patong is the place to be. Hang out as late as you can and unless you want to catch sunrise, it is pointless to get up early for the shops only operates from 11am (Thailand time) - which is 12pm Malaysian time.

If you like a more quiet place, Kata would be a nice place. The hotels and ambience is more upscale. Do not bother to stay in Phuket town, there is nothing much there except for Robinson but then again, is nothing glamorous. But if you stay in Patong and you would like to visit town, you can consider renting a car. A sedan car would cost about THB1,000. As for us, we rented a small jeep which costs us only THB500 (after negotiation). If you only wish to move around in Patong, you can walk or you can opt to rent motorbike which only costs THB200 per day. If there are a few of you, do nego on the price.

From Patong, we actually took the bike to Kamala and Surin beach. It is really a beautiful journey especially when you drive past the blue sea, but if you are not a good bike rider, is best to avoid the road as it can be quite hilly and steep but otherwise it is really fun.

We make it a point to cover as many places as possible - which we did. We took a jeep and travelled from Patong to Phuket town after which we drove to Chalong where the Big Buddha was. It was really really high on the hill. We decided not to attempt driving up and instead visited Wat Chalong - a very beautiful temple. From Chalong, we head on to Promtep Cape - I would say this is a must see place. There is a view point to see sunset and I would say that the view is simply fantastic.

From Promtep Cape we continued driving where we reached Karon beach and Kata beach after which we reached back to Patong. So the journey is all connected. As you drive past Karon, you can see elephants by the side. I think is simply a beautiful sight.

A few must see things in Phuket would be Simon Cabaret and Fantasea (we did not manage to catch this though). You should also make it a point to visit the island - Phi Phi island. I am not much of a swimmer nor a diver and definately not a fan of speedboat. I was getting all seasick but I still think that it is a must to go to these island when you are in Phuket. The sea is just simply beautiful.

Well, I would say that it has been really a good holiday and a totally different break - it is as if you are in a land where party never stops. Most ideal for singles.

View photos at http://evershots.multiply.com

CNBC - Pleasant surprise!

2009-07-18T23:52:00.003+08:00

I just got back from Singapore last night. I would say that it has been a good trip, other than the fact that I do not like to take plane. It is not so much about fear of flying, but the uncomfortable seat, the tight space and the sometimes air sick that I encounter. Well, comfort would be there if you were to take the business class but of course, that would cost a bomb.

Anyway, back to Singapore, I was there with my bosses to receive the CNBC award. The most pleasant thing is that we won 5 star which makes us the Best Residential development in Malaysia 2009. What is even more pleasant is when during the night dinner, we were announced as not only the best in Malaysis but we were the best in Asia Pacific. By winning this title, we actually compete with the world's best in the international level. Wow! and double Wow!

The satisfying thing is actually the fact that the award submission was an effort put in by both my GM and myself. And because we put in so much effort, the winning makes it all worthwhile and satisfying. We did not expect to win but we pray and hope that we won. When we were informed via email that we are one of the winners, we were already happy. On the award presentation day when we were announced as a 5 star winner, we were just pleasantly surprise but when the announcement came in that were were also the winner in Asia Pacific, we were just stunned!

We would know by November 13 if were are the winner of the world's best. Well, we still do not expect it but we just pray and hope that we do!

Letting go

2009-07-17T23:51:00.000+08:00

What would you do if you found out that the man you have been with for the past 8 years does not love you anymore? That the differences between both of you are no longer tolerable. And to make it worst, you found out that he is in love with another. So you force your way through and insisted that he does not leave you. So the guy being a responsible person, still stick around but each time he is there, you know that his heart is no longer there. What would you do?

The most logical thing to do is to go separate ways. But of course, it is easier for me to say as I am just seeing this in a third party perspective. My friend is in this situation of which her emotions takes over and she just find it hard to let go. She knows that the most logical thing to do is to let go but her emotional attachment makes it so much harder. At the same time, being dependent for so long, it makes it even harder for her to stand on her own now.

I can only say that it would be best for both of them to go their separate ways for there is truly no love and tolerance anymore from one side. And a one-sided love cannot work. I believe that if she were to let go, she would find peace. Of course the pain, fear would be there but given time, it will heal. So to this friend of mine, I pray that you find courage and that you will find the wisdom to do what you should do.

Why?

2009-06-25T00:48:00.003+08:00

How can you be with one person but yet your heart is with another? And how can you be with this person even after knowing that his heart is not with you? Sigh.. love is so blind, so so blind that one is even willing to be in relationship - a not happy relationship just so as they do not have to go through the process of break-ups or being alone.

I really would not know how I will react if I were in this situation. But logically now, I would say that if is me, I would leave. Even if it means that the breakup will be shattering, or that I would be alone, I would rather be alone than being in a relationship and not being happy. I think, the most important thing in life is to be happy. Even if you have to be alone to be happy, so be it.

Sometimes the fear of heartaches, of loneliness, forces a person to dwell in a situation which they know is rather hopeless. But yet, they are in this loop where they can't see the way out. They sometimes go in circles and telling themselves that they will improve, they will change and they will be better. But yet, they are still in the same loop.

The loop never change. It is just a question of how you walk the journey in this loop. Perhaps, in the past, you have been walking around the loop, perhaps now is time to not just walk, but jump? run? crawl? But yet again, the loop is still the same.

It takes great courage to let go. Sometimes when you start to let go, you will perhaps see things in a better and clearer perspective.. and possibly a happier perspective.

MOS - What a waste

2009-06-25T00:43:00.004+08:00

I just came back from Euphoria, MOS - Ministry of Sound. I felt like I just wasted my night. An event which was suppose to be something related to cars, turned out to be just a normal clubbing event. But well, it also get me thinking that, I am really too old for this shit. Sigh....

Music just does not go well with me and I really do not comprehend the kind of music they played. And yes, a lot of these youngsters are into this jump and hop kinda dance step. Is kinda cool actually but well, like I say, I am way off that era. But hey! I am not that old! Haha!

Anyway, I do not like this Euphoria place. Is too dark, music is too loud with gigantic speakers. Now there is this deafness in my ears. Making a conversation in these kinda of places is almost impossible. So this is not really suitable if you want to make friends or mingle around. Like I say, I felt like I just wasted my night and not to mention the money that hubby have to spend on the drink.

Confrontation

2009-06-21T11:28:00.002+08:00

Confrontation? I don't really like them. But it is something that has to be done so as the other party would understand (you hope). It may not necessary ends well nor bad. It could create resentment but there is also a possibility of a better understanding.

I find myself asking, is there a need for the confrontation. Would it make a difference? Would it solve the problem? I really do not know...

For the both of them

2009-06-20T21:40:00.002+08:00

It was said that first love is the most meaningful. I do not quite agree with this statement. To me, every love is different and it does not necessarily means first love is the best. A friend who have had problem with his partner felt that the past years that they were together has been meaningless. It is actually not so. Past relationships is an experience where mistakes are learnt, sweet memories are kept and not so fond memories pushes us to be strong.

I always believe that there is a reason for things to happen and a break up or a separation may not necessary be bad. I believe that there is reconciliation to separation and there is the possibility of a new beginning to an end. I believe that the decision we take determines our life journey.

I do understand how painful it must be for this friend of mine right now. The pain is still intense, so much so that it is difficult to think rationally. In the midst of the pain she can only see an end. There is actually a new beginning. I pray she will be able to see that and I pray that her prayers to what she wants and seek will come true. I pray for not only her happiness but also for his happiness.

Web of ??

2009-06-18T20:25:00.003+08:00

How do you untangle a tangled web? Almost impossible? The irony is sometimes we get so tangled in a situation, we just do not realised it. Only when we are trapped, we start to look for answers. Most of the time, in the mess that we are in, we just want to give up. It is just too complicated.

So how do you untangle a tangled web? You just need to get to the root of it all. To the root of where it begins....

Ego & Friendship

2009-06-16T23:02:00.002+08:00

Ego the biggest word that kills most things in life. It kills friendship, it forsake relationships. I have seen so many people with ego bigger than their heads. Yes, is normal to have an ego for to a certain extent, ego pushes you forward, to excel. However, ego that is not controlled is destructive.

Because of ego, painful words are uttered. Because of ego, one acts foolishly and stupidly. Because of ego, one forsake friendship. I have always believed that it is better to have few good friends than having lots of foolish egoistic friends. Thus, I do not trust people that easily. I also believe that friends are a passing phase. They come and go and only true friends will stay true to the heart.

Good riddance to egoistic foolish so call "friends". Thou shall just remain as a passing acquaintance.

Emptiness

2009-06-06T01:56:00.003+08:00

Mom and Dad has been here for holidays for a week now. I have been enjoying mom's good home cook food. I can't help but feeling that I will be missing them terribly when they go back on Monday. Now that I am not staying with mom and dad, I appreciate them more than I used to. Is a blessing to have them around. So there is this sadness thinking that they will be going back in 2 days time.. sigh...

Changes

2009-05-25T17:46:00.002+08:00

Changes in life is inevitable. Life IS a constant change. A normal reaction of most people is always to resist change. But if the change is good, we should embrace it.

I for one, do not believe in changing people nor allowing others to change me. Having said that, it does not mean that I would not change myself for betterment. I simply believe that changes can only happen if you allow it to happen - it has to be one's free will. We cannot force a person to be the person that we want. I for one, do not think is right for us to dictate how one should and should not behave. We can voice but we cannot impose.

I believe if everyone would accept the way that the person is, then only would change comes in voluntarily.

Singapore

2009-05-23T00:58:00.005+08:00

Is been ages since I last went to Singapore. I would say almost 20 years ago. My last trip there was for a medical examination where I passed the interview of becoming a nurse in Singapore GH. I came back without taking up the position.

Yesterday I made a day trip to Singapore for business. It was well... disappointing. When I arrived at Changi airport, I got into queue among with other visitors. Somehow, there were a lot of Indian nationality in queue. An officer went round to check on the imigration card - to affirm if the guests have fill up the form. A group of Indian visitors who did not were immediately asked to leave the queue. Another officer checked one visitor who have partially filled the form. With such rudeness, the officer raised his voice and scolded the poor visitor. It was downright rude and I was surprised. This happen in the airport, the very first place that I touched down. Pure practice of racism can be seen for they were just targetting the Indian nationality.

Even as I was boarding a taxi from Orchard Road to the airport later in the afternoon, I was carrying a big bag on wheels. What surprised me was the taxi driver did not even open the boot or come out of his taxi to help. When I boarded a taxi back here in KLIA, our taxi driver actually popped up the boot open, came out and carried my heavy bag.

I will be making another trip to Singapore in July and I hope it would not be as dissappointing as this trip. The place failed to impress me. I found our shopping centres surpassed the ones they have in Orchard Road. Infact, I think our own Bukit Bintang is more interesting than Orchard Road. Not mentioning our glorified KLIA is way more impressive. Of course, Changi airport is old but coupled with rude staffs.. now that is a major turn off for the visitors.

Penang Trip

2009-05-17T21:30:00.005+08:00

Normally penang trip would just be a trip back home to see my families. This time round, it is really a sightseeing trip. On the 1st of May, we went back to Penang with our SS brothers and sisters. What I trip I would say. Reminds me of the Rotaract days when we were the host and took our guests for sightseeing.

Fort Cornwallis

Khoo Kongsi

Penang Hill

Is been years since I went up to Penang hill, Kek Lok Si or visited Fort Cornwallis. I hardly make it a point to savour Penang food when I went back since mom's food would be what I crave for. But this time round, there were loads of Penang hawker food. Is most enjoyable to be spending time with my newly found brothers and sisters. Looking forward for more trips!

Pondering...

2009-05-14T21:24:00.002+08:00

Life is short, time passes fast, we get old each day and we can never get back our youth. The question is, have you live your life to the fullest? Sometimes, I feel like I started slow in life, especially when I feel like I have so much to do, to accomplish. But the truth is, there are different moments at different point in our life, we just need to embrace it, treasure it and learn from every life experience.

Time is precious - somehow, this makes so much more sense now than I was younger. Well, I guess age is catching up, too much thinking... :)

Susan Boyle

2009-04-18T21:39:00.002+08:00

I am bowled over by Susan Boyle. It is amazing to see such talent. Looking at her, she is just like an ordinary lady age 47, from a small town in Scotland. When she walked on the stage, saying that she is trying to be a famous singer, everyone - the audience and the judges - sneered at her. That is what I am ashamed of. The irony that most of us do judge people around us. Most of us think that we are good enough and that anyone else is not as good.

When the music started, some audience closed their mouth - the reaction of embarrasement, as if Susan will make a fool of herself. Susan started to sing and everyone jaw dropped. She just got the most amazing voice. Even Simon Cowell has a disbelief face on him.

Yes, Susan got a standing ovation from the crowd, including the judges. At the end 0f her song, she has the most thunderous applause ever. I like what one of the judges said, Amanda, "I am so thrilled cos i know that everybody was against you. I honestly think we were all being cynical and that is the biggest wake up call ever. And I just want to say is a complete privilege to listen to you".

Susan Boyle BGT Audition

Leeches

2009-04-17T00:52:00.002+08:00

I "accidently" went jungle trekking last Sunday. It was supposed to be a casual relaxing trip in Bukit Cherakah with some photo sessions. However, Scott suggested to trek in to where there was supposedly a beautiful dam. The trekking was supposed to be 15 minutes. - but it took us about an hour to reach.

What I was afraid of was the leeches. I have never been bitten by a leech. I have never really seen a leech. As we were progressing along the trip, Jaymee spotted some leech on her jeans. Looking at the leech, it was just a small little worm-like thing. I does not scare me.

So as we trek along, it was raining. All of us were drench, the path were block by branches here and there and at some point, we have to climb up and climb down some slopes. Walking along, I even hit a tree branch full of thorns (which I later found a 5mm thorn embedded in my head - it was removed with a tweezer).

Anyway, as we reached I decided to check my legs for leeches. That is where I got the biggest shock - I have never scream this loud. I found the fattest leech - obviously full after sucking my blood. I screamed on top of my lungs. My dear friends helped me to removed 4 leeches from my leg as I continued screaming. Gosh - it really freaked me out.

Well - is an experience I would say - and one that would leave me cautious everytime I jungle trek. The bleeding took hours to stop. There are 4 marks on my leg now and I hope it heal fast.

Intoxicated Coffee

2009-04-04T11:00:00.000+08:00

That's it! I am totally going to stay away from coffee. I can't believe I got drunk drinking coffee.

Well I was a coffee drinker. Infact, I love black coffee during my younger days (yea.. getting older now). My aunty used to call me names "Or Nya" which means "black girl", simply because I like to drink black coffee.. just like my dad.

Just about 2 years ago, I had palpitations which was caused by continuous night of drinking coffee at Old Town Kopitiam. After the experience, I stopped drinking for a long long time. I had my glass of coffee last night at Wong Kok. Just about an hour later, I started to have funny feeling of giddiness and nausea. I came back feeling sick. I had a sleepless night as a sick feeling overwhelmed me. Is like my blood is filled up with caffeine and is driving me nuts!

Anyway - no more coffee for me - I will just stick to chocolate drinks or plain water...

Doggie the stray

2009-04-04T01:22:00.002+08:00

I was this close to owning a dog, a shitzu the other day. Someone had to give up his dog after meeting his new girlfriend who somewhat is not into dog. So the situation arises where he has to choose between the dog or the girl. He opt for the girl. I was this close to adopting the dog. But I did not. I gathered that I will not be able to spend so much time with the dog and it would be.. injustice.

Just now, as I was stepping out of the car heading to a mamak stall, I saw a stray dog, kneeling in front of a table where 3 girls were sitting. Doggie was hungry but what broke my heart was seeing doggie crippled. The poor thing lost one of its leg. I think the injury is quite recent for the wound still shows. I feel so sad.

There and then, I wish I had a stronger determination to bring doggie home, to nurse it, feed it and care for it. This is my heart's desire but I do not have the determination to do it. I am angry at myself. I felt that I could have make a difference to doggie but I did not do it.

I can see that doggie is afraid of human but yet, he sat there afar, quietly begging for food. I can still see its eyes in my mind. After a while, my friends, Sue, Caryss and Winnie did the most blessed thing - they went to buy dog food for doggie. Bless them for at least doggie can sleep well tonight.

I pray doggie will find its happiness.

Upside down

2009-03-04T02:06:00.002+08:00

My sleeping hours are upside down. Have difficulty waking up in the morning. Tired. At night I sleep late. I got back from work just now and took a nap. I was dead tired. Now is 2am and I am wide awake. Tomorrow I will have difficulty waking up again. Sigh....

Tomorrow will be better

2009-02-25T00:45:00.003+08:00

She is like a walking zombie. Her soul are torn apart. The problem lies in her. She has to wake up and realise the situation. She needs to get out and see the whole situation in a different perspective. Now, she is just blinded.. blinded into depression. She sees the whole situation as an end. Her doors are closed but in actual fact, she only need to realise that there is a bright path waiting for her. All she need to do is make a decision. Nobody else can make that decision for her. She has to be strong and she need to pull through this situation.

Know that tomorrow will come and tomorrow will be a better day. Whatever difficult situation you may be right now, know that it will end. Just as how people say, good things will come to an end, do know that so will bad things. We just need to be positive and see things in a different perspective.

I pray that she gets out of this.

Lucky or unlucky?

2009-02-09T01:39:00.002+08:00

I started my year oddly this year. Just 4 days before CNY, I twisted my neck. The oddest thing is I twisted it while walking in the office. Weird. A sudden twist had me in pain and in less than few hours, my head was tilted to one side. I went to the hospital for a jab - right at my ass. Powerful jab I would say as it healed quite fast. I was determined to get well before CNY.

On the 5th day of CNY, I fell like a "cempedak" in Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan. It all happened as I mistook a step for a slope. As I was admiring the beach, I fell, much to an agony of pain. My ankle swelled almost immediately for I sat on the same spot I fell for more than half and hour. Hubby could not save me for I "dropped" almost without a sound. The only sound that came out was cries of pain.

This time, I was not that lucky for the swell was quite bad. I visited the hospital again for an x-ray. No broken bones - thank god. I had to rest for a week at home as doctor advise against walking too much. After a week's rest, my ankle healed almost immediately. Now is blue black, but at least I am not limping anymore.

So much has happen. Some said it could be worst. I guess they are right. Perhaps is the nature's way of saying that I should learn to take things slowly and to look before I leap.

Meow Mi the cat

2009-01-18T00:12:00.003+08:00

If I had a pet, it would starve to death.. well, I would not do it deliberately of course but I would probably be too busy and would forgot to feed the poor thing...

Recently, I accidently adopted a cat which belongs to my main tenant's maid. When my main tenant moved out, 3 cats belonging to the maid was adopted by another family, except for one poor cat who has been sick. This cat, which I have since named her as "Meow Mi" has been sick for quite a while. She is thinner than normal and is fussy with food. She would not eat the ready cat biscuits. The maid used to boil some fishes for Meow Mi and it seems that she would sometimes eat and sometimes not.

So, the other night, when I opened the back door, Meow Mi came in and brushed against my leg. I was surprised to find her there as I was told that Meow Mi actually belonged to the neighbour's maid. But Meow Mi still hangs around at the backyard and at the porch. So Meow Mi came rushing in, obviously hungry. Hubby went to buy a fish. All hubby could find was a fried fish from "mamak tong". Is my first time feeding Meow Mi and was worried when she just savour a bit of the fish.

Last night, when I got back from work, I found Meow Mi at the porch. There was a chicken leg, which she perhaps got from the nearby restaurant. I gathered that Meow Mi must be really hungry to have mistaken the chicken leg for a fish. Again, she came to me and brush against my leg. And so, I went to buy, this time, pure fish meat for Meow Mi. Unlike the night before, this time round, she almost finished her food.

Today, I forgot about Meow Mi. I went out in the morning and got back home late. Then I remembered Meow Mi. I could not find her anywhere. Sigh... I know I would be guilty if Meow Mi starved to death.. but how can I feed her when I do not know where she goes....

Now I am trying to sleep.. I would probably dream about Meow Mi tonight.. cos I can't help but to wonder if she is ok...

Why Worry?

2009-01-12T22:47:00.002+08:00

Read this in Dr. Wong's clinic in SS2. Found it funny.

There is only 2 things to worry in life. Whether you are healthy or whether you are sick. If you are healthy,then there is nothing to worry about. But if you are sick then there are 2 things to worry about. Whether you are going to get well or whether you are going to die. If you are going to get well, then there is nothing to worry about, but if you are going to die, then there are 2 things to worry about. Whether you will go to heaven or whether you are going to hell. If you are going to heaven, then you have nothing to worry about, but if you are going to hell, you will be busy shaking hands with your friends, that you will have not time to worry! So why worry??!

Macau 1st day

2009-01-03T16:12:00.016+08:00

Is has been a year since hubby and me visited Macau. An indeed a beautiful and romantic place. We took advantage of the cheap Air Asia flights and started a ten days journey covering Macau, Hong Kong & Shenzhen.

Looking out from the plane

We arrived Macau in the morning. Upon reaching the airport, we took a cab to the pier. We were told that we should stop at the pier to get hold of Macau map (we later learnt that we can get those from the hotel).It was the holiday season and the pier were packed with people. This would be the place to take the ferry across to Hong Kong. From the pier, you could take free shuttle buses to the hotels. Most of the buses were offered by 5 star hotels such as Venetian and Wynn.

Free shuttle buses offered by hotels

We took a bus to Hotel Metropole located near the famous San Se nando Square. It was quite a challenge for us as we were not quite sure on where to stop. We chose to stop at the busiest street and what looked like San Senando Square from the pictures we have seen. We were right. We reached a busy streets, all lined up with jewellery shops, food and banks. Finding the hotel was quite a challenge as the map were all in Portugese. We took quite a lot of unnecessary walk with our heavy bags until we finally reach our hotel. Metropole Hotel, though not so big, is cosy and is actually quite near to San Senando Square.

Our hotel room in Metropole Hotel

Sightseeing is easy as we can easily walk across streets following the map. Our first stop was actually San Senando Square itself. The centre of San Senando Square was decorated with a big christmas tree and a stage for musical performance. The street were packed with people. Most of them, we gathered, were tourist from Hong Kong and China.

Busy street of San Senando Square

Our first stop was a restaurant. We had late lunch. I savoured the fried rice, which comes in quite a big portion. Food is costly in Macau. For light eaters, you can order a bowl and share with your partner.

Fried rice

After lunch, we had a leisure walk and chanced upon St Dominic's Church. A sense of peace and tranquility enveloped the prayer hall as we entered. There is a bell tower at the back of the building. It has been modified into a small museum of Sacred Art, exhibiting a collection of around 300 artifacts.

Artifacts displayed in St Dominic's Church

We continued with the walk in San Senando Square heading towards St Paul's Ruin. There were a lot of shops, adorn with latest fashion wears. We spotted a lot of young stylish girls with their high cut boots and thick furry coats. Weather was no doubt cool, but bearable alike an aircond room. Hubby and me could not help wondering why the need for such thick clothes as we were only dressed in t-shirts (we later realised that fashion supercedes praticality).

The road slope upwards as we walk towards St. Paul's Ruin. Being the holiday season, the place was really packed with tourist. Nevertheless, St. Paul's Ruin stood magnificently at the edge of the slope. History has it that the church caught fire three times and was rebuilt after each fire but the last fire in 1835 was the most serious one, where the most valuable part, the front wall remained.

St Paul's Ruin

We continued to venture into the whole street surrounding San Senando Square. The area was hyped up with a lot of shops selling array of clothes and handbags, and of course the famous Portugese tart. We paid about HKD10 for 2 pieces of Portugese tart. Is a must try for tart lovers despite the price being costly.

One of the shops selling souvenirs, portugese tarts & almond cookies

We decided to walk the streets and unexpectedly chanced upon an old mansion situated amongst the shops. It is the Lou Kau Mansion. The mansion was believed to be built in 1889. It is the home of a chinese merchant who owns many properties in the City. It is a 2 storey building and some of the rooms were decorated with chinese furniture. Entrance is free and you can easily walk in and out of the place.

Lou Kau Mansion

Walking in Macau are quite easy. You will find lanes to be small and even the backlanes have small little shops such as bakery shops. There were christmas ambience, the streets are clean and as the weather is cool, walking is quite pleasant. The place is rich with churches, we passed another church, The Cathedral as we continued our walk. By then, it was evening.

In front of The Cathedral

We continued our journey on foot and headed towards the city. As we walked, we passed by the Grand Lisboa Hotel, Wynn and MGM. The lights which adorned the buildings are magnificent to watch.

Hotel Grand Lisbao

MGM Grand

We continue to head on to an area where the pubs were. As we reached early, there was not much crowd. Just opposite the rows of pubs, stood the Goddess of Mercy statue which is 20 metres tall and made of special bronze. It was night by then and the Goddess of Mercy shone in the dark.

The Goddess of Mercy

We continued our walk and chanced upon a beautiful park. We were very much impressed with the size of the park and walkway. It is spacious but what fascinates us the most is the serenity of the park. We gathered that it is a safe place to be as girls can be seen sitting on the benches, relaxing.

We did a lot of walking in Macau, which was tiring. Nevertheless we were glad that the weather is cool which helps us to relax. We retire to bed later at night and prepared for the next day itinerary.

(More pics at Evershots)

1 January 2009

2009-01-01T23:35:00.004+08:00

It is 11.35pm now and is raining cats and dogs. Today is 1 January 2009. The beginning of a new year. It is a year of uncertainties as many people have predicted. I just got back from One U and despite the market slowdown as what many people said, One U is crowded with shoppers. Coming out of carpark takes more than 20 minutes.

Last night, new year 's eve, hubby and me were invited by a friend to attend a dinner and dance party. It was held in PJ Hilton. That is where we celebrated our new year's eve. Hubby was down with fever and was sitting shivering throughout the night. Nevertheless, we have a fabulous time. Thanks Capt for the invitation.

Today I woke up feeling tired. Last night was a "sleep and wake" night as hubby were down with fever. So I had him covered in blanket. After sweating it out, hubby recovered in the morning. Evening sets in and hubby is back with fever again. Sigh... I will force him to see a doctor tomorrow.

Anyway, to the new year ahead.... many people will asked about resolution. I never really made any resolution. I only constantly try to remind myself to live each day as if is my last. Sometimes I forget of course, and take things for granted, but whenever I can, I strive for happiness in life. To me happiness in life is not about money. It is about contentment and about having people who cares about you around. Happiness is a gathering among good friends, it is about giving without expecting. Happiness to me is the ability to share my prosperity with my family, to love unconditionally. I have had my share of happiness thus far and I constantly thanked my blessings.

May happiness be spread among all beings in this world. Happy New 2009 to all!

Be Honest Always Tell The Truth

2009-01-01T11:36:00.008+08:00

For sharing - a beautiful life lesson received via email:-

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, 'It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO.

I have decided to choose one of you. 'The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. 'I am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO.'

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. 'My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,' said the CEO. 'Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!'

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room withhis empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, 'The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!'

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, 'Behold your next Chief Executive Officer! His name is Jim!'

Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

'How could he be the new CEO?' the others said.

Then the CEO said, 'One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.

All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!'

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

'Whatever You Give To Life, Life Gives You Back'

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

2009-01-01T11:24:00.004+08:00

An email received on some good pointers in life.. read on:-

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said,'How do I know if I married the right person?'

I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, 'It depends. Is that your husband?' In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'

Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer.

EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse / partner . You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies (unconventional behavior/habit).

Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called 'falling' in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in love sometimes say, 'I was swept of my feet.' Think about the imagery of that __expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria (excitement) of love fades..

It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work, a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.

But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.

And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the __expression 'the labor of love.' Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage..

Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable... you can 'make love'.

Love in marriage is indeed a 'decision'... Not just a feeling.

Remember this always:

'GOD determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay and who you refuse to let go'.

Confused state

2008-12-28T00:38:00.004+08:00

"Hung has a girlfriend, Yee of more than 10 years. They came from the same town where both family knew each other. His girlfriend isn't really his ideal kind of girl. Yee is dependent on him, does not stick to her job long and is thus jobless now.

Elize met Hung at her job place where Hung was a supplier to the company. Elize took a liking for Hung. She admires his maturity, his humanity and his genorasity. Despite knowing that Hung has a girlfriend, both still occasionally goes out for dinner and outings. Elize has known Hung for years and despite that, Hung has never uttered a word of liking towards Elize. Hung has a strong sense of obligation towards Yee. Despite the fact that he may have liking towards Elize and the fact that he spends more time with Elize, he is still very much bounded to Yee. Occasionally Hung will offer gifts and money to Elize. However, Hung supports Yee's living on a monthly basis.

Elize joins a new company soon after and that is where she met Jay. Jay took a liking towards Elize and the feelings grew day by day. Both Elize and Jay get along very well. People mistaken their relationship as a couple relationship but in actual fact, Elize treats Jay as a buddy friend. Her heart is still for Hung. Even after one year, Jay's feeling is still the same. Hurtful Jay sometimes gets confuse for Elize treats him well, she bought him gifts, shares her food with Jay and occasionally flirts with him. Jay confesses his feelings to Elize but Elize maintained that she can only treat him as a friend. After a lapse of one year, Elize still does not recipocrate Jay's feeling and Jay decided that he should move on. In order to do so, Jay started to lessen contacts and communication with Elize.

However, Elize treasures Jay's friendship too much to lose it. She tried all ways and means to communicate to Jay. Jay maintained his distant in his attempt to forget her. When all things failed, she decided to give in to Jay. She agreed to be his girlfriend. In actual fact Elize is confuse. She realises that the man she really loves could not promise her a future and on the other hand, there is Jay whom she adores but does not love, who is ever ready to shower her with love and attention.

Elize decision to become Jay's girlfriend is like a disaster waiting to happen. She gave her best but in her heart she still thinks about Hung. She still goes out with Hung occasionally. Elize told Hung about her going out with Jay and Hung supports her decision. In actual fact, Hung is not able to promise a future to Elize. Many of Elize friends does not know about her new boyfriend. She is not even able to bring Jay back home to her mom. "

I think human emotions are the most difficult thing to handle. A third party like myself would be able to see things clearly and decipher what should be done. However, everyone has their own life to live and have their own path to choose. Whatever path choosen, they will have to bear the consequences. My prayers goes out to both Elize and Jay. May they find the true path one day.

Facebook

2008-12-04T03:40:00.000+08:00

Ah! The beauty of Facebook. I found some of my old friends through facebook. These are the friends whom I have not met for like more than 15 years. Yea.. all of us getting old at the same time but has different destiny. Emm... let me re-cap some memories of old buddies in school...

Tammy - By heart, she is a dancer. She would be the one who search the dance moves, cheorograph the steps and mixed the songs. In school we join dance performances together. To think that we actually copied Michael Jackson dance moves! Of course there is the classic Patrick Swayze moves in "I had the time of my life". Found Tammy on Facebook. She is the first old friend I found in Facebook. From the pictures she posted, I believe Tammy is doing what she enjoys - dancing.

Andora - She has always been a good friend. My best of friend where we practically did everything together in school. Andora used to have birthday celebration every year and I never fail to attend her parties. She has a loving family, the friendliest parents. She is like family to me. Have recently asked her to join to get in touch with old buddies.

Chai Peng - That is the name we called her. She is now known as Jocelyn. She has a certain kind of mixed look, not too chinese. We were in the same class .. I think in Form 1? She recently found me in Facebook and started posting old photos. Through her, I found some other friends too. She is married now, as I know with a daughter .. and is happily residing in US. The power of Facebook, regardless of distance, you can still be found!

Kathryn - Hyper active girl who talks at the speed of a bullet. There are no full stops to her sentences. That is my recollection of her. I wonder is she still talks that way? We were "schoolbus mate". Also happily married.

Suzanne - Never really did know her that well when we were in school but we bonded after SPM while working part time cashier in Super Komtar. A very down to earth person and a good friend.

Ah.. long list of friends if I try to recall of them. Would be nice to have a gathering of old buddies. So much has changed. The different journey that each of us took. I bet it would be one hell of a gathering sharing the life we have been through the past 18 years since we left school... wow!

Datuk

2008-11-24T19:21:00.003+08:00

Until today they are still haggling about Shah Rukh Khan coming to receive his datukship. WTF! I think is stupid and absurd to even be haggling about this. In all honesty, I really have no idea to the real reason how one is awarded this title. I am sure there is some guidelines to it but then, well this is Malaysia and Malaysia Boleh, so whatever guidelines imposed can be disposed. I am getting bored with Malaysia news... a lot of the issues being harped on are just pure nonsense, of no importance or relevance. Pure stupidity is the word for all those senseless people creating senseless news. Emm.. I still wonder how Shah Rukh Khan pronounce the word "Datuk"??? Will he ever use it in his own country?? And whatever for???

Puchong

2008-11-23T02:14:00.005+08:00

How much Puchong has changed. When I first settled in to KL, Puchong was the first place I stayed - only at that time, I did not really comprehend the difference between KL and Selangor. Geography is not really my favourite subject. Now I know that Puchong is in Selangor and that there is a difference between KL and Selangor.

Back then, 5 years ago, in Puchong, there was IOI, Puchong Jaya and my township, Pusat Bandar Puchong. Bandar Puteri was still under construction then. Of course there is the "Puchong Dalam Dalam" as my friends called it, which is where Puchong Perdana is. Now, coming to Puchong, you can see such vast development.

Puchong Jaya has expanded its commercial shops to additional rows with lots of new hip cafes, with the latest one called Old Taste. And smacked in the middle of Puchong Jaya is a business centre called IOI Boulevard. On top of that, IOI Mall has expanded additional new wings and next to it is another commercial development comprises of office blocks. Not to mention few years ago, YTL made its mark with Lake Edge. They have again recently opened some new phases for sale.

Driving just a few km before the food court is another commercial centre called Puchong One (I think). Until now, I have no idea who the developer is. Just a block away is a major township called Pusat Bandar Puchong (my place). This is a beautiful township developed by SP Setia. The landscaped and the serenity of the place 5 years ago is the reason why I choose to stay here. Now Setia is venturing into a mix development called Setia Walk. It comprises of mixed development with office, shops and service apartment. I believe this would be a phenomenal development.

Of course, there is this massive and impressive development by IOI - Bandar Puteri. 5 years ago, this place is nothing but empty land. Today, you see a well developed township, with Giant, major banks such as Citibank, AMBank, Al-Rajhi flooding the area. They are currently constructing an office block which I believe would be an iconic tall structure in Puchong. Puchong is no doubt a place that is good to stay with amenities that is so readily available. It is unfortunate though there is the imposition of the LDP toll. I believe that without the toll, residential properties in Puchong would be on par with PJ.

I have a year ago, moved to SS2, PJ just so to be nearer to my work place. My home in Puchong is still there and I go back as frequent as I can during the weekends. It is somewhat like a weekend home now. Shifting to PJ is another whole different experience... which I will share in time to come..

Lesson to learn

2008-10-24T12:57:00.002+08:00

Neereehs passed away on Sunday at the age of 53 - brain tumour. It was about a year plus since she was diagnosed. She did not have a chance to recover. I only know her briefly in my few months in the company. After the diagnosis, she was hospitalised, getting in and out of hospital.
She was in coma for a while before she passess away. She left behind her husband and 3 young teen sons.

There is a lesson to learn from Neereehs passing away. She is a career woman. Someone who prioritised her job, she basically loves her job. She goes back late most of the nights. It does seem that her time is mostly spent at the office than with the family. It seems that her example can be used as a lesson for many of us who does the same. We sometimes get stressed up at work, we slough for the company, we sacrifice our weekends sometimes for the company. We worked till 7pm or 8pm every weekdays. When we reached home, little time is spent with the family - we usually are tired. Sometimes, when we are back home, we even bring our work home. It is in the mind - thinking of work etc.

So I had a conversation with Nyri, a friend this morning when she found out that I had to go on medical leave for migraine. She is in her forties and she gave me a good advise on not to stressed myself up. At the end of the day, no matter how much we worked, the company will not really know for sure of our efforts. Everything that we do, we must have a balance. We must learn to de-stressed.

It all seems true. 2 days ago was Neerahs funeral. After the funeral, everyone is back to work, back to their own life. In time to come, Neerahs will just be a friend to miss. Occasionally her name will cropped up in between conversations but I guess that is about all. I can't help but to think that it will likely be the same if I passes away. The ones that would always cherish us would be our family. They are the ones who will find it difficult to let go. So, question is, have we been spending enough time with our family or is work the utmost important in our lifes? If your answer is the latter, then is time to review your priorities. I know that I will.

Migraine

2008-10-13T20:16:00.003+08:00

I have been missing. Been away from writing. Nowadays, most of the time, I am busy doing photography. Yesterday, my migraine started and till now, I am still having it. When I see the doctor, I try to refrain from using the word migraine. I learned to my surprise that some doctors do not like this word. They claimed that it is not a migraine - it is a headache. I once tried explaining to a doctor that I have been having this migraine attacks quite often to know that it is definately migraine. The doctor ridiculed my claim - that was my first and last visit to her clinic.

I guess there is no cure for migraine, you can only take pain killers to stop the pain for several hours. If you are lucky, then the pain will stop and not come back until the next episode. It is really difficult to know the cause of migraine. There could be several causes - lack of sleep, too much thinking, food etc. I suppose that is the reason why the doctors do not like it when i use the word migraine - the fact that they could not really determine the cause of it and there is no definate medication to it. Some painkillers work on some people, some don't. So when I have this attacks, I will sleep, sleep and sleep zzzzzzzzz.........

Joey Yap Congress - Day 1

2008-09-14T00:07:00.003+08:00

Today was the 1st day of Joey Yap's congress which was held in KL Convention Centre. Is amazing how many people are interested in Joey. He does have a series of fans lining up to have their books signed. I have known of Joey through a commercial TV program that he did for a property developer many years ago. I think that was years back and he started to bloom and become popular ever since then. Mom and bro has always been a fengshui fanatic. They were really into Lillian Too then but all that changed eversince I brought mom to Joey's National Congress last year. No offence to Lillian but I think Joey's practice is more real and practical.

Knowing Joey was incidental. I thought that he would be good for our company and suggested to my boss to engage his service in an attempt to boost the sales for one of our projects. I was surprised that the suggestion actually went through and ever since then, Joey has been seek to do few consultancy for the company. I would say that what is impressive about Joey is the fact that he is very knowledgeable and is truly good in his field. His ability to communicate and charm his audience is very apparent. He is truly good on the stage and he is probably the only reason why people grouped to the congress. Tomorrow would be another day. Hoped to load some interesting pictures of the congress.

Street Party @ 06/09/08

2008-09-12T00:29:00.000+08:00

The sky has been clear the past one week. Yea, it frustrates me in a way, simply because it rained the whole day on the day of my Street Party.

The party started at 6.30pm but at about 5 pm, there were already some guests strolling in to the site. The rain stopped for a while then but it started again at approximately 7pm plus. It was a challenge to organise an event under the rain. As the theme was a Street Party, we only had canopies to protect the food areas.

Visitors coming in to the show unit

Despite the rain, the turnout was quite amazing. Many came to savour the food and of course to take the door gift. It was a celebration for the residence in celebrating the change of name of Damansara Indah Resort Home to Tropicana Indah Resort Homes. We also celebrated two occasions - the "Buka Puasa" for our Muslims purchasers and Mooncake Festival.

We have actually lined up a few interesting programme and performances and the event went on despite the rain, except for the lantern parade and the fire-eaters which actually have to end their show earlier.

Fire eaters

Mooncake Fairy and one of it's suitor

Chinese orchestra

The street was lined up with stalls of food that varies from mee mamak, nasi lemak, chendol, rojak, sushi, satay whereas at a private area, a sumptuous "buka puasa" meal was served.

As the rain progress throughout the night, many of the visitors walkabout in their umbrellas. Some were wet as despite the rain, they still queue for the food. The spirit were high as the the visitors continued to wait on for the lucky draw. All of them thronged to the show unit at the porch area.

The night ended with many happy lucky winners taking home electrical goods. The main prize was a 32" LCD TV which was won by one happy purchaser.

Who do you think you are?

2008-09-07T19:41:00.002+08:00

One day, you will learn your lesson. You will learn that money does not make you greater. You will learn that money does not give you the right to insult. You will learn that the one thing that you think is cheap will be the thing that you will be deprived of. You will learn that we do not question or fight God's will and that all this will be shown to you. You will reap what you have sown and every harsh word and insults that you put onto others will reflect upon yourself. You will know that when you die, you will be nothing and all the money that you think makes you powerful is just going to be ashes. When you break, the people that you looked down on, will be the people that you will come begging for help. And these people who are poor to you and whom you have insulted will still pitied you and because this poor people has a gold of heart and they will still bestow you with kindness. But all that you have condemn, all that you have insulted, you will still be judged when the time is right!

6 September 2008

2008-08-30T22:01:00.002+08:00

It would be the day for the street party. We have been so busy organising this event. Invitations to our guest went out yesterday. Some of the guest have already received the invitation. I am amazed at the speed of our post Malaysia. The secret is, to send urgent mails to the main post office in Daya Bumi. The mails apparently will be delivered the day after. I am impressed.

It has been a really tired week and next week will be another tired week. So much to do, to plan, to buy, to execute. I have been doing so much thinking the past few days. I woke up with a splitting headache yesterday and the pain still last till now. Today was a shopping day - work shopping day - where I buy stuff for the event. Glad that my good colleagues are there to help. I would have enjoyed my day better if not for the splitting headache.

Anyway, we were at The Curve and tonight there will be a street concert. All the stage has been set up. It was almost 9pm when we were at The Curve but to our surprise, we noticed the lack of crowd. it seems to be less enthusiasm in celebrating "Merdeka Day". I hope the crowd will turn up much later at night though.

It has been a long day today. I am glad tomorrow I get to rest, for I am making a trip to Bukit Tinggi for some photography session. Ah! That is a nice thought!

Too much to do

2008-08-20T21:12:00.004+08:00

Dead tired. Been coming home late most of the nights. Simply too much to do at work. I am to pull off an event on 6 September. A street party with lantern night theme and Buka Puasa event. Time is so short. So much to think, so much to plan. Love the challenge.. but I need a break now.

7th month

2008-08-15T00:29:00.005+08:00

This month is the chinese 7th month. It is the month of the hungry ghost. Today apparently is the "real day". I never really did know there is such thing as the real day until few years ago. No incident to make me know about it but rather my acquaintance with a friend with a gifted third eye lead me to this information. It seems that today, the gates of hell have opened fully and all the underworld being is free to roam the place. So while we are sitting at the coffee shop or the cafes or while we were at public toilets, these beings could be there, except that we cannot see them. If we have been sensitive, we may be able to sense them, that is when we have goosebumps I guess.

So, today, at 6pm sharp, most of my colleagues left the office. They have asked that I leave early too. So I went home at about 7 plus and deliberately cook myself and hubby dinner so that we would not have to go out anymore. With the warnings and all, one have just got to be careful. Despite all that, me and hubby still did went out to the nearby 7-Eleven at 10 plus to buy some supplies.. maybe we have walked among them but my thought is, if I do them no harm, then they shall do me no harm.

Power Failure

2008-08-12T23:50:00.000+08:00

Last night was a hot night, not hot in the "exotic hot" kind of way but rather it was a really hot, without air and wind night, simply because there was a power failure in my housing area.

This happen in SS2 near the fire brigade. Just next to the fire brigade, there is a TNB substation and just sitting near the fence, a feeder pillar. A Mercedes Benz driver has carelessly rammed into the feeder pillar causing the blackout. I can only guess that the driver must have either drove too fast, too drunk or maybe just too sleepy.

The accident happened at about 11 at night but the power failure only came about around 1am in the morning. Sleep was just impossible. The heat became so uncomfortable. I only came to realise how important electricity is and how important air conditioning is then. It dawned on me that I never did know who invented air-conditioning.

I googled and found the name Willis Haviland Carrier. Is this somehow related to the famous "The Carrier Man Can" advertisement? Now I am beginning to see the connection. My searched in Wikipedia found that Willis Haviland Carrier was an engineer and inventor and is known as the man who invented the modern air-conditioning in 1902. My further search on the History of Electricity in Wikipedia leads me to a long list of names and history. Geez, I am not even going to talk about it as history is really not my thing. It just makes me sleepy.... Yes, I should catch up on my lost sleep last night... zzzzz....

Assessment

2008-08-09T22:17:00.004+08:00

Today, after 5 years of purchasing my property, I went to MPSJ to check my assessment dues. It came up to RM1466.40, interest included (ouch!). My appeal to waive the interest despite me telling them I have never receive any assessment bills (bills were sent to previous owner address) fell on deaf ears. "Memang tak boleh kurang". I knew all along that I am to pay the assessment but somewhat, somehow, it just "slipped" my mind and since I never did receive any bills, I simply have forgotten about it.

So if you buy a subsale property, be aware that you are to inform the council of the change of name within 3 months from the purchase, so that you will receive the notice of assessment in your name. All along I knew that has to be done, except that I did not know that I have to make that change within 3 months from purchase.

So what will happen if you fail to comply the 3 months rule? It states clearly in the transfer form that - "You will be charged with a fine of RM2,000 or jailed 3 months or both". I panic somewhat and asked the counter girl if they do really carry out this rules. She "dengan selamba" said "actually sepatutnyalah... tapi.... taklah.. "

80 feet high

2008-07-01T21:08:00.019+08:00

Today I went up on a crane, 80 feet above ground. It was a photo shoot of a building conducted by my company's photographer. As I was on the crane at a height that is despairingly high, it brought back memories of my old 17 storey flat in Penang.

I used to live in a one room flat on the 8th floor. It is a highly densed flats with about 20 over units per floor, multiply that with 17 floors and you will have more than 300 units per block. In the areas where I used to lived, there are about 10 blocks of flats, multiply that with 300 units and you will have more than 3,000 units and multiply that with approximately 5 person per household, you will have..... well... more than 15,000 people.

Rifle Range Flats in Penang

My flat has a balcony (yes despite it being a one room flat) it does have a balcony. My block is apparently the best as it faces directly to campsite of "FRU" (Federal Reserve Unit). I used to run to the balcony each time the sirens goes off and loads and loads of police trucks would drive out. During the evening, I would sit at the balcony and watch the men playing "sepak takraw" and football at the open field. Yes, it is amazing to know that lots of activities can be seen from my little balcony.

The place is practically so convenient, you can find food anywhere and anytime.. ahh.. I still remember "Ah Teik Char Koay Teow", "curry mee" and the economical Fried Bihun Mee... not forgetting "Koay Kak" and on the wheel "fried chicken"... yummy!

The evening market along the main road

Famous "Kek Lok Si" Temple

Beyond the yonder, there are the hills where you can see the famous Pagoda and the beautiful "Goddess of Mercy". It is exceptionally beautiful during chinese new year when the Pagoda is all lighted up.

Well, coming back to being on top of the crane, I have not been up so high for a long time and it does give me the goose bumps when I was up there. I do not have fear of course as I am quite used to height but somehow, today, I still felt a faint quiver when I was 80 feet above ground.. I guess age is catching up on me.

Mixed emotions

2008-07-01T21:04:00.003+08:00

I have not been sleeping well the past few days. There is a lot of mixed feeling inside me. If everything goes well, I may be leaving the country. Everything is still in discussion but here I am, thinking of many many things. I do feel excited and yet at the same time wary of my decision. There is really a lot to think and a lot to do if I ever leave the country. Until things are being finalised, I am still in a "in-between" feeling.

Bird Tongchai McIntyre

2008-06-29T14:58:00.004+08:00

I am not a Thai song fanatic but my recent exposure to a thai song by a friend lead me to being very interested... especially to one particular singer famously known as "Bird Tongchai McIntyre".

Geez, one song I heard on "You Tube" got me hooked for hours searching all his songs. I am just amazed not only at the number of fans he has but also the fact that young and old alike are simply crazy about him. To add to the fact that he is quite charming on stage. My search on his biodata revealed that he is actually 50 years old and yet he looks so young and good.

Even though you have never heard thai song in your life and do not understand a single thai word, you should still check out the following link:

Bird - 2007

Bird - Medley

Beautiful creature

2008-06-23T23:30:00.002+08:00

Beautiful creatures live amongst us. I was praying the other day, in my house and I chanced upon this grasshopper right on top of my Buddha statue, as if silently meditating.

You Raise Me Up

2008-06-22T02:18:00.004+08:00

This is a beautiful song dedicated to papa and mama...

You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

There is no life - no life without its hunger;
Each restless heart beats so imperfectly;
But when you come and I am filled with wonder,
Sometimes, I think I glimpse eternity.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.

The Wooden Bowl

2008-06-08T22:31:00.005+08:00

I received this beautiful piece through email and thought it would be nice to share and remember. Message from the sender - "I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now...

The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year old grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.
When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. 'We must do something about father,' said the son. 'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up'. The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things: a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that, regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life..'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back .

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you but, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

Accident and the after that

2008-06-04T23:34:00.003+08:00

If you ever are involved in an accident, the last thing you want to do is to go to the police station. Yes, you would hope that you can settled the matter with the parties involved without having to report police. However, two days ago, hubby met with an accident and as the damage was quite bad, we had to make insurance claim and make a police report.

It was a motorbike accident and hubby was knocked down by two cars. Yes, horrible. Imagine my shock when I got a call from him. But thank God, he is fine and the injury was just minor. The night itself after the accident, we head our way to the police station. In case you are not familiar with the procedure of making an accident report, here is how it works.

1st step - you fill up a form listing your name, vehicle number etc.

2nd step - you pass the form to an officer and wait to be called.

3rd step - when you are being called, you will have to enter your details in the computer system. The details involved would be your name, address, ic, vehicle number, driving license number etc.

4th step - you will proceed to type your own report on how the accident happened. A sample report is paste on the side panel of desk and provides you a guide on how to use it. After finished typing the report, you are to save it and print it out.

5th step - the officer will take your report and assigned you to meet a sergeant in charge. He will tell you to go to a particular so and so floor at so and so counter.

6th step - the sergeant will ask you questions and interrogate you on how the accident happened. They will proceed to write their own report to deduce who is wrong and who is not.

7th step - the sergeant will then follow you to your vehicle to take a photograph of your vehicle.

8th step - you go back home and will have to come back the next day to buy the report.

Now, that is the last step. Not too hard really. Except that a few questions popped into my mind. Now, what happens if I am illiterate and what if I do not know how to type? Would the officer helped me? Why the impression? Cos, I do not find the officers to be friendly. I saw a poor guy slowly typing, struggling to find the letters on the keyboard.

When we were assigned to the sergeant, we have to wait more than 1 hour as he was away for his late supper break. Question - why would we be assigned to someone who is on a break? Unless he is not suppose to go for the break? or they don't really care do they?

During the meet up with the sergeant, we realised that we did not mentioned a certain details in the report. So after meeting up with the sergeant, we went back to the counter to make changes to the report. Well, what you need to know is - changes to the report can only be made within 1 hour after filing the report! We waited for the sergeant for more than 1 hour and we were not able to make any changes after that!

Well, the ordeal of an accident is bad enough and it does not get better when you have to go through such lengthy procedure at the police station. Sigh..

I just want to run away...

2008-05-25T11:10:00.004+08:00

Sigh... if you believe in fengshui, I would say this month is a quarrelsome month. I am just so tired. Just this one month alone, I have met from rude people to arrogant, self-centred, bossy, sarcastic, immature, destructive .... the list is endless. As I write this, a few faces comes to mind.. 1,2,3,4,5,6,....

The world is really not that big. Life is short. Why the need for such attitude. Well i believe in repercussion, that you will reap what you have sown. I pray that these people will see it soon enough so that they make amends. People like this, makes you lose hope in the society sometimes, people like this can demoralised you and shun your beliefs that there are good people out there.

I have been feeling down the past 2 days. I have encountered the most unpleasant personality of a particular person. I make a resolute decision to let go and forgive. I woke up this morning and unhappiness sets in. It seems that the episode still plays in my mind and I am trying to forget. Ya, moments like this comes and goes.. one moment you are ok and you decide to move on, let go and forgive, other days, you remembered and it gets you down, it makes me angry and sad. So I only have to remind myself there are still good people out there... there are still good people out there...

A lesson learnt

2008-05-24T22:55:00.001+08:00

He is born in a rich family. Anything that he wants, he gets. He is always instructing and never gets instructed. He does not have to work hard for money, he never has to work for his Ferrari and yet he condemns those who drives a Proton with their hard earned money. He is a boss without having to work his way up and yet he belittled those who have. Just because he is rich, he automatically becomes smart, wiser and obviously powerful. With money, he threatens, he provokes, he criticized, he condemns those who have not.

What do I feel when I meet someone like him? I feel sorry for him. For he will walk alone and he will never have the liberty to know who his true friends are. I pitied him for he will not understand love, humanity, laughter and joy. I pitied him for despite having seen the world with his richness, he has such small heart. I pitied him for his piercing words on others will one day find its way back to stab him.

What have I learnt when I meet someone like him? I learnt that there are people like that everywhere and that I have to learn to face them. I have learnt that even though I am not born with a silver spoon, but yet I am so lucky is so many ways for I have been born in a family that is rich with love and humanity. I have learnt that everywhere I go, I am surrounded with people who loves and cares for me and most important thing, I have learnt that I never have to walk alone.

This caption from my heart, is dedicated to my husband and my true friends (you know who you are).

The world is full ??

2008-05-12T19:30:00.004+08:00

What is happening to the people around? They are so arrogant, rude, self centred and close minded. I really feel sorry for them, for the way that they are. Yes, they are rich, but being rich does not give you the right to be rude and arrogant. I have been meeting this people for the past few days and here is what I want to say to them:

Mr Y - Do not think that money can buy you power and that it can buy you respect. You do not have a single respect from me. Despite your so-called richness, I am surprised that you continue to demand for free lunch and free things. Are you not ashamed? Stop flaunting your so-called generosity - you have nothing but greed and arrogance. You knowing "this person" or "that person" has got nothing to do with me and I am not bothered by it. Do not think that with money you can make people listen to you or that people will respect you. I pray that you will not fall one day, for if you do, is going to be a hard one.

Ms L - You have such narrow mind and immature heart. You talked about things that are not of relevance to you and you have such red eyes over things that other people has. Grow up! Goodness! You are a mother of 2 and yet you act worst than a child of 5! I have no words to describe your behaviour but do hope that one day you will wake up and realised what a fool you have been.

Ms Bitchy - I only have a few moments with you and seeing you, I am just ashamed that someone like you exist in our world. You stormed in the office, speaking rudely to us. You are so impatient and plain rude talking to us. You think that you have a rich husband, that entitles you to treat everyone else as if they are not worth a dime? I can see within the fairness of your face, that you have a tortured soul. Your eyes are full of hatred and anger and I feel very sorry for you. I know that one day, you will realised what a bitch you have been but I guess it will be too late then.

Sigh... now I feel so much better!

Yes, just quit

2008-04-18T21:53:00.006+08:00

I do not know why but some people uses the short cut way to end things. Face with small problem and they just chooses to quit. This tells much about the life that they lived in. Things can be resolved easily if only they would let go of their ego. Sometimes, we know we are wrong but we are too egoistic to admit it. Where does that get us to? We keep grudges and revenge in our hearts and we have only ourselves to hurt.

Certain point in our life, we will realised that things are not what we use to think it is. As for me, I think things are easier if you let go. And the most important thing is to let go your ego. Some people mistaken ego for self respect. So they chooses to be stubborn. This is what I

Geez.. what am I talking about? I am talking about the many egoistic people I have met, about people who chooses to quit rather than to persevere. I am talking about people who thinks the are right, they are right and that they are still right. I am talking about obstinate people who stick to their guns even though they know they are carrying the wrong one. I am talking about this people who makes the world a ugly place to live in.

Drained...

2008-04-18T21:43:00.002+08:00

Is been really busy the past few weeks. Most of the nights, I come back late feeling tired and drained. Yes I do enjoy what I do but sometimes I just get tired.

Next week we have a night launch and because we organised this without the help of a event organiser, we had to spend considerable amount of time to plan. Every angle must be thought of so that we do not miss anything important. Basically, we are the event organiser. It is really not difficult when you have set your planning right. Infact, I just love the challenge. It is just that, I wish I have more time....

Birthday

2008-04-17T23:34:00.006+08:00

This year birthday is indeed a pleasant one. It is rather unexpected for me as I wanted to just quietly celebrate with hubby. Instead, my birthday turned into a series of celebrations:

1- Dinner with Khor, Lisa, Yin and Hubby at Apartment on Friday night. Is my first visit to the Apartment at the Curve. The seat was not that comfortable. Ambience is so-so but I would say the food is really good. My birthday cake was a delicious chocolate cake bought by Lisa from Chocolate World. Yes, I love chocolates.

2 - Dinner with father, brother, Hui Yin and hubby at TGI Friday's on Sunday night. I still love to go Friday's despite being there few times. I only go to Friday's on birthdays.. whether is mine, hubby's or with friends.

It was the first time for father and brother and I wanted them to have a taste of good western food. We went to Friday's at One Utama. I was very disappointed with the service. I expected the service to be good as I have experience the same with Friday's at the Curve but this was different.

A young indian girl took our order, without greeting nor smile at us. I find it rude that she did not acknowledge that she have heard me. I was even more surprise that she did not even repeat my order to make sure that she has got it right. Later our food arrived. We were left waiting without utensils. I find it odd that they were so unprepared and unfriendly. My brother wanted to get the staffs to sing a birthday song for me but looking at the staffs forlorn face, I asked him to abort the idea. Despite all that, I am still glad that my family still enjoyed the food.

3. Monday morning was a pleasant surprise. My colleagues gave me a surprise gift - an extremely beautiful bouquet of roses and a delicious cake. I later treated them KFC and pizza for lunch.

4. Tuesday night - is my real day. After much celebration, I went for a quiet dinner with hubby at One Utama. We decided to settle for a simple Japanese dinner.

5. Thursday night - another dinner with my ex-colleagues, Pauline, Tok, Sharon & Ema. It is another pleasant surprise as I do not expect them to gather for my birthday. It was Pauline's thoughtfulness.

So.. here I am, eating all the way from Friday to Thursday.. Is time to exercise and go on diet!

Accident

2008-04-05T00:03:00.003+08:00

Hours ago, I had an accident...

Where: coming out from Tropicana heading to Sprint highway somewhere the front of old Sony office
Who: 4 cars (including mine)
How: A van hit an Iswara where the Iswara hit onto a BMW and the BMW banged my poor honda city.
Why: All disobey the rule of leaving a one car gap in front of the other - except for me of course as, Thank God! I was far away from the car in front of me.

To share something funny though, minutes before I felt the bump behind my poor honda city, the car in front of me actually hit the other car in front. So while I was witnessing an accident in front of me, I was being hit from behind. So is a good thing that I was not too close to the car in front, otherwise, it would be a 6 vehicle accident with mine being the 3rd car.

My "banger" decided to settle out of court. I would say that I was lucky that I was "banged" by a rich guy who is also a pure gentlemen... from my 1st impression... I will be checking the extent of my damage and will be forwarding my claim to my "banger" - which I hope he will "gentlemanly" pay.

Looking at all this, it just looks as if this episode is meant to be.. well.. I specifically chooses to drive today after not driving for weeks, and I offered to fetch my bosses where usually I would be the one hopping into their car, and I chooses to make a stop over at another office before heading back to office.. . So if I did not choose to make the stop over, I would not appear at that point of time and if I had chosen to hop in my bosses's car, my car would be safe at home and if I had allowed my husband to drive me to work, I would not be having this accident.

So, my thoughts are.. maybe, it is a destiny for me to meet my "bangers" - afterall, they really are very nice and very gentlemen (all the 3 other drivers were male). So who is the terrible driver now?

How do you cope?

2008-03-22T00:30:00.002+08:00

My ex-colleague's wife passed away yesterday. I believe she was only in her 30's. Cancer took her away. She left behind 2 young boys. It is difficult to imagine .. the sorrow of losing someone dear and close to you.

My friend made a remark - "husband and wife" are meant to be together. Being married, is fate that brings them together and to think that yet, there are so many couple out there going through divorces.

Few years ago, my close friend lost her husband in a car accident. He left behind 3 girls, the youngest was just months old. It is tragic to lose someone you love this way... and I do not think is easy to cope with such losses... My prayers goes out to these two friends of mine who lost someone dear to them..

Hyderabad as I see it

2008-03-20T22:31:00.011+08:00

This is my 3rd visit to Hyderabad. This time around, the weather is hot, about 38 to 40 degrees. Yes, Hyderabad actually has 4 season and it is summer right now.

Walking on the streets of Hyderabad is very different than here in Malaysia. There are scores of people everywhere, literally packed with thousands of people walking on the street. The poor are very poor and when you sit in your car, being a foreigner, you would find poor children, ladies with their babies, old man and women knocking on your window screen begging for money. As you travel along the outskirts of Hyderabad, you will find rows of tents made of torn fabrics by the roadside. Yes, that is where the poor lived. Cows, chicken, goats can be seen loitering at the roadside. It is a common sight in Hyderabad.

Another sight that is common is the habit of the people peeing by the roadside. Within a 1km stretch, you will sight at least 10 people or more peeing everywhere and anywhere. Most of them are men but I was told that the woman does the same but I have yet to witness it.

Driving in Hyderabad is almost impossible. It is a norm for the drivers to honk ... infact is a must to honk if you want to reach your destination fast. You must be bold and be prepared to have your car scratched or knocked when you drive in Hyderabad. So forget about driving luxurious car. Not only do you have to watch out for the millions of motorist on the road, you will also have to watch out for the countless pedestrians among the crowd of cars, busses and lorries. Traffic light are very much useless but you will find that the police force controlling the traffic does command respect from the motorist.

I like the people in Hyderabad. Being a chinese girl, most of the time, I do get pleasant stares from the people. Makes me feel like a superstar! They would be very happy when you take their photo and would willingly smile and give their best post. However, it would be a disadvantage to visit street markets. There was this one time where I was being "mobbed" by the local traders trying to sell me their products. This was after I made a big purchase at one of the stores. So, shopping is almost impossible at the street markets...

Streets at Charminar - the place I was "mobbed"

One of the things to learn in Hyderabad is the terms of communication. Certain words are used differently there. Example, cars and motorbikes are called 4 wheelers and 2 wheelers. The taxi is actually a 3 wheeler vehicle. Bungalow is termed as independent house and the word square feet is just called SFT. I have still a lot to learn.

As for food, I have not mustered the courage to eat the food by the roadside coffee shops. Most of the time, I frequent good restaurants and cafes. However, if one were to work in Hyderabad, restaurants and cafes would be too much of a luxury. It is advisable to be careful with the water that you drink. So I either drink from a sealed bottle of water or fresh coconut water which is abundantly sold by the roadside. It is extremely cheap to drink coconut in Hyderabad and in the hot weather, it can be very refreshing.

Refreshing coconut

There is one restaurant in Hyderabad which serves Malaysian food. The staffs, chefs are from Malaysia and it is a ritual that I visit this restaurant, Awana, before I take my flight home to Malaysia. The food is simply delicious and is a good place to be when you misses home. It has a touch of old good feeling you get when tasting your mummy's food.

Delicious local Malaysian food served at Awana Hyderabad

Being here in Malaysia, a place so different than Hyderabad, I would say that I am very fortunate to be living in Malaysia. I would say that anyone who has been there would find our homeland to be the best place to stay...

Hubby's Birthday

2008-03-15T00:01:00.000+08:00

Hubby's birthday was celebrated earlier this year as I had to be away to India on his real day.

So. on Saturday night, we went to the Curve for a sumptous dinner at Itallianies with Khor, Lisa, brother and Hui Yin. It is packed as usual at most of the restaurants at the Curve and we have to wait for 15 minutes to get a place. It is the first time for us at Itallianies. The ambience is just right for the occasion, lively and yet cosy. Staffs were pleasant, friendly and helpful. We ordered few different servings. I find the chicken lasagna to be good.

The staffs sang a birthday song for hubby of which hubby was then asked to say a thank you speech to all of us. I would say that hubby is always a good sport in these kind of gesture. A delicious chocolate cake and the company of good people makes the night a pleasant one.

The year of progress

2008-01-13T07:08:00.001+08:00

Ahh.. time flies yet again and again. Each year passing and what have I achieved? I would say that 2007 has been a good year for me. A year full of changes and a good recovery from 2006. I know that I am always blessed and somehow deep inside me, I know that the almighty above is somewhat watching and taking care of me. I am all thankful for that.

2008 is going to be a year of progress for me. That is the thoughts I have instilled in me. A progress in my career and in my family circle i pray... So if all comes in together, it will definately be a whole lot of new experience again. So what do I ask for in the new year of 2008 - the strength and courage to do and carry out duties that have naturally been bestowed to me!

I just got back

2008-01-05T21:48:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a 10 days trip from Macau, HongKong and Shenzhen. Went there from 26/12/07 to 04/01/08. Came back with a sore leg and amazingly a lot of photos. I hope to write about it and show some pics.. now all I need is to find time to do it..

Dilemma

2007-12-15T23:49:00.000+08:00

What you do if you are in this situation? You have been with a girl for more than 10 years. You have trust and sense of responsibility towards her. But somehow, you lost that magic. It is not as magical as before. Passion is somehow lost. But the love you have for her is unconditional.

Then came along a girl in your life. She is all you wanted. The magic and the passion. The compability is just perfect. But she is someone new and you are not sure if it will last. Trust is yet to be established. Security is uncertain.

In this case, who would you choose? Well, that is the dilemma one of my friends are into. So what would you do if is you?

Keeping diaries

2007-11-27T21:10:00.001+08:00

I started keeping diaries ever since I was 19. Back then, blogs were never heard of and there is hardly the luxury of owning a computer. Every thoughts, feelings were penned down in words, in a book or a dairy. Now, with blogs and the accessibility of computers, all thoughts are posted and viewed by the public. Back then, our diaries were very much a secret.

How things change! I am in my thirties and here I am feeling the significant changes in today and yesteryears. I find writing in blogs to be fast and easy. Thoughts flow easily and mistakes are wiped off easily. We can change our mind about what to write and what not to write. However, this makes writing to be not so true and we are afraid that it may be read by the wrong person. Few times when I have the urge to write, I find that I do not have the luxury of a computer. Hence, I understand why sometimes the old conventional way of writing diary is still the best.

They bitched and they talked

2007-11-26T03:47:00.001+08:00

Sigh.. this is happening everywhere. Office politics. A group of girls come together and talk about everything that is not related to them. They talked about why, what, how, should have, would have and what not... and all these are not about them but about the people they supposedly called friends.

The irony is, there is so much to do at work, so many datelines to meet and yet other people businesses seems to be their priority. These are not young girls, some are mothers and wife and approaching 30's and yet they behave like a immature girl. Sad to say, this is happening everywhere.

How should one face it? Ignore them? Confront them? To hell with them?

All I can say is - "Do not do unto others what you do not want others to do unto you". For every action there is a reaction and a repercussion. :)

Missing Misha

2007-11-14T04:23:00.000+08:00

Misha went missing two days ago. Attempts to locate her failed. Is odd. One would have thought that losing a dog means nothing, after all, it is just a dog. It is not even my dog. But I have grown fond of Misha the past 5 months that I have been staying here. Misha hardly barks but she would wag her tail vigorously when seeing familiar faces. Few times when my landlord is out and Misha is left alone, she would come "knocking" on my door. She would quietly sit next to me while I was busy working on my computer.

Now that Misha is gone, I can't help feeling sad. Hubby and me went round the neighbourhood hoping to find her. She is no where to be found. I pray that she can find her way back home or whoever is keeping her, would take good care of her. Is the first dog I ever loved!

My heart goes out to her

2007-09-21T04:30:00.001+08:00

I am grieving. Grieving to have read the news about Nurin. How could someone do this to such a sweet young girl? I do not know her but I feel the pain and the loss of her parents. Most of all, I felt the pain knowing that she has suffered before dying. My rage goes out to the beast who have done this. My fear goes out to all the children. Is no longer safe out there. Who are we to blame? The parents for allowing her to walk out alone? The police for the lack of security? The beast with a demon within?

I prayed for the safety of all the children, my niece, my nephews. I prayed that Nurin finds her peace and I prayed that the parents finds their consolation.

Been a long time

2007-08-06T00:00:00.001+08:00

Been so busy and just can't find time to write. Shoulder aching, a sign of using too much computer.. for work of course, not so much as surfing..

Come to think of it, computer is such a common thing.. or rather, it is more than a common thing, it has become a thing of great attachment. The first thing I do when I reached my office desk is to switch on my computer, click my email messages, go to star online to check out the news and then start my work.

When I reached back home, I will do the same, switched on my computer, checked mails, surf a bit, watch video, switch on my messenger and chat with my niece and with my friends.

So recently, I shifted to my "weekdays home" where I do not have internet access during weekdays. It was odd at first, something missing, not having a computer. But then, it is really a good thing. I find myself sleeping earlier and getting more rest. Then I realised how health hazard computer can be, other than blurring your vision.

So, I gathered that I can sort of live without computer but.. not sure if I can live without my handphone.... :)

A message

2007-02-26T23:59:00.000+08:00

Mic's mom passed away on the 1st day of chinese new year. It was shocked to me. Even though I fondly call her as Aunty, she was like a mom to me. She regarded me as her god daughter whom she proudly introduces to her relatives.

Just two days before she died, hubby mentioned to visit her during the chinese new year. I guess it was too late. I was told that she died at the point where all of her children and grandchildren was with her. Somehow, it is as though she chooses the moment to leave.

Something odd happen recently, well, at least I never thought it was odd until I relate it to Mic. It is exactly the seventh day after. I had a dream that night. I dream of Aunty sitting looking at a bowl of Hokkien mee. Next to her was Mic's father eating hokkien mee. The place was like a eatery place, packed with people. I did not find it odd at first as I tend to dream very easily.

The dream kept locked in my mind. The vision so clear. I finally sms Mic to enquire if her mom likes Hokkien mee. Mic called me immediately as she found my question odd. I related my dream to Mic and it was then that Mic said that they did served Hokkien mee to Aunty on the 1st day of the funeral. Infact, the whole family also ate Hokkien mee on that day. Emm.... I am speechless...

Is so fast

2007-01-27T23:59:00.001+08:00

I am in Cheras, sitting in Old Town Kopitiam. Lots of people here, from young to old. I guess is the lifestyle now, sitting at a cafe, hanging out with friends and a few of them are like me, with their laptops either surfing or typing.

It is interesting when I looked back on how things were like before. I remember in my teens, when I met this boyfriend of mine from Johor, we had to correspond through snail mail. At that time then, pen pal was an in-thing. Now.. everything is so fast and easy. With just a click, you can chat with anyone anywhere in the world. And now you can even see each other face to face through computers. How things have moved and advanced. I wonder how things will be like 5 years, 10 years, 15 years from now...

So here I am sitting at a cafe, typing my thoughts in my laptop when years ago, I would have to write it down in my diaries or in a piece of paper. Now my thoughts can be posted to the world to read when years ago, it would just have been a private thoughts tucked in my secret compartment.

With the changes, when everything moves so fast... we have to be fast too...