Just feeling down...

After being stuck in jams for 3 hours before arriving at the office, I have second thoughts about going back to work.

I was working from home the week before as my baby sitters were away on holiday, and my boss was kind enough to allow me to work from home for the 4 days.
Matter of fact is, eventhough I was taking care of 2 kids, and the household chores, I was not as tired as waking up early to go work, jam to work, jam coming home, have dinner, play with kids and off to bed...

And my thinking of quitting the corporate got that bit stronger... but really dunno what to do, where to start... and it is depressing when we can never see eye to eye pertaining to important things, so things are always just left where they are... until they become important enough for us to do something about it.

I don't miss the jams, the traffic, I miss taking my son out to breakfast and picking my daughter up from school, and putting them to bed in the afternoon. I enjoy spending time with them...

I am very down the entire day today, so very unproductive that I feel guilty for being so unproductive but I just cannot pick myself up today.

Is it time to kiss the corporate world goodbye?

Burnt out at work, I guess...

I have been feeling really tired, lethargic and drained of energy lately.
I just feel very tired, and nothing that I ever do, at home or at work is good enough. 


I have the same boss at home and at work, never satisfied with things.


I want to apply for leave, to put down all my roles, and just be myself. I want to recuperate and just put all issues behind and just be myself, go and pamper myself, eat whatever I like, do things I like, dress the way I want, and be single, free...etc


Too tired of always trying to be the role of a good mother, good wife, good daughter in law, good daughter, good manager, good employee, good colleague, good everything... sometimes being good is still not enough.


Rest, I need...

Headache。。。

今早已经开始头痛，经他这麽一闹，现在更加头痛了。

不想回家。如果你回家只是做家务和睡觉，没人和你谈天谈心，跟你说话就是骂你的，你还想回吗？

做多错多，不做也错，少做也错，总而言之好人难做就是了。

just want to share photos of my babies with you loyal fans of mine...

那些年。。。

那些年，那些快乐的时候，到哪去了?

就为了当年的坚持，而换来今天的下场吗？

Don't mess with me, cabbie!

Yesterday, I sent my car for routine servicing, and went off to do stock take. When my car was ready, I tried to hail a cab from Jusco Cheras Selatan to my service centre.

There were a bunch of taxis lining up outside the main road of this mall, and I went to the first in line and told them where I want to go. These taxi drivers were all hanging around outside and chatting with each other. When I told them I wanted to go Balakong, he asked for RM6, i.e. did not want to use the metre. "What? RM6, it is so near!", no choice because had to cover for their round trip back to this point to pick up other customers, explains the cabbie. Why should I pay for round trip transport to go to a destination less than 5 minutes away, and I am paying cab fare what! So I countered offer RM4, but he would not accept it.

I decided not to be blackmailed nor threatened, so I walked off and continue walking, half thinking that if really in the event no cab will take me I will probably have to walk all the way, under the hot sun... I walked along the highway, and tries to hail for another cab, thank God another cabbie came along when I stretch out my hand, and this honest cabbie was willing to use the metre. In the end, how much did I pay for the cab fare? RM3.30.

Really, it is no wonder I don't like to take cabs these days, they are operating like transport gangsters, demanding for fixed cab fare, and forcing customers to give in to their overrated cab fare!

Feeling faintish...

I am still trying to recover from my thumping headache last night...

It started right after our 1 hour outdoor photography session with the kids... think must be the sun, heat stroke perhaps.... but really felt it when I went to bed last night, when I woke up in the middle of the night with a thumping headache, that continued till this morning.

Went to work this morning, popped 02 panadols, but headache is not getting any better. The thumping has stopped, but I am feeling a bit floaty, and faintish. If I really stay very still, I can almost feel as if my surroundings are moving a little. Don't know why this is so, and why this is happening, usually Panadol will do its job, but not today.

A colleague of mine commented "Don't tell me you are pregnant?" I was on alert immediately and said, "In both my 02 previous pregnancies I only get morning sickness that make me throw up, and not feel faintish...", and NO, I am not pregnant in case you are wondering.

Maybe I should go lie down, or take a 15 minutes nap and see if it helps.

Bidding farewell to a huggable teddy bear..

Today at around noon, the entire first floor of MAS Complex A, Admin building 1 gathered around the waiting area outside MD's office, to wait for and to bid farewell of Tengku Azmil. There was no grand send off, nor was there goodbye dinners that MAS is famous for... he had a quiet send off, with only us few walking him down the stairs.

It was a very sad moment for all of us, we had enjoyed our times working with him, and truth be told, he is a good boss. We are very sad that he is departing, although we know he is probably relieved at having this burden finally lifted off him.

News of the share swap literally demoralised the entire company, we are all quite demotivated and discouraged, like a group of army that has lost their leader, and not knowing what to do. We do not know what is going to happen, what the new structure is going to be, what happens to TMO... there are lots of uncertainty, alot of things that are still in the dark, alot of unknown and alot of blur areas still to be figured out.

People outside of MAS, and outside of TMO may not feel the same kind of sadness that we felt, but we did. We were once his army, and we battled alongside him, and it is just sad that his departure was so sudden. He deserves a standing ovation for having to manage a challenging company in tough times. A lot of people are very good at saying what could have, should have and what they would have done had they been in his shoes. They can boast about what they would do, but mind you, you are not in the tough situation that he was in, so you don't know what kind of obstacles he has to go through. I would like to see you run a company of this size, and with this kind of environment and make it better.

Don't just talk big, everyone can do that.

McD don't give change now?

This morning I was at the Connaught McD drive thru, and my breakfast set meal came up to RM8.95, I gave the cashier RM10.00, and she only returned RM1.00 to me without any explanation.

So McD does not give RM0.05 change anymore is it? The cashier did not even bother explaining that they are out of RM0.05 or why is she not returning my RM0.05 change. Don't get me wrong, I am not particular about the RM0.05, it is a matter of principle that I am after here.

Why ah?

In a happy mood!

Somehow I am just in a really happy mood today.

This morning traffic was exceptionally good, 50 cents toll have been abolished...
My morning meeting went well, got to have lunch with hubby and meet mum during lunch...
Got refund from income tax (woohoo....!)

Only thing is I hope Evonne is not having fever, she had slight fever last night and hopefully it had gone away by now. I think she is teething again... but she wasn't really making a big fuss last night so it was ok.

My son is now 3 months old... he is adorable, his eyes big and has an infectious smile... he is cute and handsome...! And he is very well behaved for a 3 month old, at least where sleeping at night is concern.. He typically only wakes up for milk around 4 or 5am now, just once so we do get a good few hours of sleep at one go...

This happy day will continue.... I just know it!
:-)

Almost 38 weeks!

Ok, time to let the cat out of the bag.......

For those of you who do not know, we are expecting our second baby... I am now 37+ weeks pregnant, so technically I can pop anytime now... sooo.........

We are as excited about welcoming this new bundle of joy to our family... with his arrival, I feel that our family is now complete, and I can breathe a sigh of relief as having completed my duty as a daughter in law, wife and mother.. haha... (hubby if you are reading this, it means I am ready to close production now... hehe)

Due date for the baby is actually during the 6th day of CNY, which is 08 Feb, but I have a feeling that this baby is eager to come out, so will probably be earlier than 08 Feb. This CNY, I have not purchased any new clothes, shoes nor anything new for myself.. Why not? Well, like I was telling my colleagues during lunch today, it would be futile buying CNY clothes now as I do not know if I get to wear them, and also depressing if I have to wear maternity clothes during CNY.. so might as well not buy and live with what I have, afterall it will be a short period before I pop anyway..

You will probably hear from me next after my delivery... so..... update you then!

感慨。。。

新的一年， 新希望？

我不敢期望太高， 只希望快乐无忧和平安的过就好了。

有些事情闷在心里真不好受， 虽然已渐渐成为一种习惯， 可是还是盼望可以有倾诉的对象。
只想说， 能忍就忍吧。。。忍得多久就多久。。 当真的忍不到时，就随心所欲吧！你已尝试去包容和了解， 真的不能就别再勉强了。。。 何苦要折磨自己呢？这是不值得的。

做最后的一次努力和尝试吧！加油！

Happy Cotton Anniversary!

I logged onto facebook today, and saw this anniversary message by hubby to me:

"Wishing My Dear Wife A Wonderful Wedding Anniversary;
A very special thank to her to be a wonderful wife;
Sharing my Joy with a more enchanting ways;
There are thousands of anniversary gifts available;
And I believe & I have had the most valuable gift I ever had"

I am so touched... that is such a sweet message, and he wants to take me out for dinner tonight too! That shows effort on his part, doesn't matter where he wants to bring me for dinner, it is the thought and effort that counts..

Here is wishing hubby a Happy Cotton Anniversary, and many more to come... and to my daughter's daddy, for being such a wonderful father.. love you always dear...!

Evonne's Almost 1!

Evonne is officially turning 1 tomorrow, but we have had 02 rounds of birthday celebrations for her over the last 2 weekends.

The previous weekend was at our house where we celebrated her Lunar birthday, and the weekend that just passed was to celebrate with my side of relatives at my mum's place. All in all, both parties were a blast and we had a good time.. just that preparation for party is tiring, and how much food to cater is always a headache... we do not want to over cater and have alot of leftovers, neither do we want to under cater and starve our guests...

Anyway... just want to share with you her birthday cake. It is jelly cake, and it is in the shape of a cow because she was born in the year of the Ox!

Erm.. I can't rotate the picture... don't know what is wrong with Blogger, or maybe I am the one not knowing how to rotate it... but until I figured this out, you tilt your head to see the picture ok?

Ta!

Evonne is turning one soon....!

My baby daughter, Evonne will be turning one very very soon... Her western birthdate is on the 27th Oct, but according to the Lunar Calendar, this Sunday would be her birthday.

My daughter's 1st birthday! Can't believe she is one already.. hahaha... she certainly does not behave like other 1 year olds... Other one year olds I know probably know how to walk, and will at least have grown a tooth or two... she has er.... none so far... but I am not too worried about that as that is not stopping her from eating all sorts of food.. just wish that her teeth grows faster so that I can introduce more food to her.. and it would be really nice to finally be able to hold her hand and guide her while she walks..

We are planning a small party, with immediate family members, to celebrate her birthday. The food menu kept changing, from the initial just KFC to now a variety of food.... including sausages, satay, noodles and all...

I am looking forward to celebrating her birthday!

Happy Birthday Darling Evonne!

*muacks* hugs and kisses from mummy...

夫妻相处之道 - 君子与小人

翻来翻去的，睡不着觉的只有我一人吗？

君子与小人第一回合， 小人输了。。。可是我后来才发觉原来两人都输了。。。两人原来这么的没共识，没默契。。。如果赌注是一断婚姻，两人不是都输了吗？

真难怪我姨丈在我阿姨病间脾气暴燥，我现在才了解。。。我们难道表现的比他好吗？在如此小件的事情上，我们都不能好好的解决，不能有共识的解决问题，只会各自发脾气， 各自蛮以为有方法去解决，完全忽略了对方存在的重要和需要。难道我们不需要对方吗？有问题我们各自解决吗？这一问，我倒也想到了，我们大多自己解决问题，因为无数次的吵架就因不能有共识和认同而发生，而演变了今天的这个局面。这发现恨很的敲在了我认为满意的婚姻上。。。现在已如此，将来若路更难走，我们走的过去吗？我真的很难过，很伤心。。。眼泪也不听话的一直掉， 一直掉。。。

当回到同一床上时，才发觉床原来这么的大，中间早已隔了一个大空间，无论有无女儿的存在，我们间也隔了许多许多。。。为啥睡在隔壁的人好像很陌生？从何时开始呢。。。？

My thoughts today...

Random thoughts for the day...

最近比较烦， 比较烦，比较烦。。。

没有过不去的事情， 只有过不去的心情。。。

哑子吃黄莲，有苦说不出。。。

辛福不是必然的。。。

会有苦尽干来的一天吗？

Monday Blues

Hmmmm I wonder why the copy and paste function does not work on Blogger? I just typed a short blog on thought of copying it over, but now it is all gone, and I have to retype it all over again...

Oh well... I was saying that I don't feel like coming to work today.. too many things on my mind.. or perhaps it has to do with something happening at work? Oh I don't know.. maybe cos today is Monday?

Let's take things one step at a time... and try to kick the Monday Blues away...!

Feeling under the wind

I don't feel so well.... feeling kinda ill...

I keep sneezing, and starting to have phlegm too... I hope I am not falling sick, if I am sick then I will have to stay away from Evonne... that sucks!

It does not help that most of my colleagues are sick, either down with cough or flu... sigh... vitamins do your job!

Overpriced water

I was at lunch with colleags several days ago at this cafe in a clubhouse near office.

I had fried glass noodle and a glass of warm water. When we finished and went to pay, the boss told me that my total bill was MYR8.00. I distinctly remember that my fried glass noodle was only MYR6.00, and my water cannot be MYR2.00, so maybe the boss got the price of my glass noodle wrong.

So I asked him, "Boss, how much is the glass noodle?" "MYR6.00" was his reply.

Now I was really puzzled, and decided to probbed somemore, "Then how much is the glass of warm water?" "MYR2.00" was the answer.

What?? MYR2.00 for a glass of water? I had to ask him how much was a glass of iced tea. It was only MYR0.50! And a glass of herbal drink is also priced at MYR2.00! So how can my glass of plain water be MYR2.00?????

Felt so cheated, so I told the boss, "Boss, your glass of water very expensive ah?" And he had the cheek to reply "Yeah, a bit expensive...." There is no way I am going to order plain water ever from that cafe again. Actually, if I can, I would try to avoid going to that cafe, since the pricing is so inconsistent and totally off....

Still can't get over the fact that his glass of plain water costs MYR2.00... Issshhhhhh!!!

Good tasting and lovely looking birthday cake

This is my uncle's birthday cake this year.

It looks great don't you think?

And it taste great too... It is sponge based, but in the flavour of spinach and pumpkin.

Just thought I'd share this with you...

Intermitten internet transmission

The internet connectivity at my office has been crap of late... well it was not the best to begin with, but at least we knew ways around it and could function with the speed.

For the past week, it has just been bad. We could not even launch IE, it will just hang and all we get is white screen. So we could not do any work if we wanted to check on the internet, or go home and use our own internet to check.

I think this has to do with us cutting over to another IT provider... but the transition period is causing inconvenience to us users! AArrrggghhhh we cannot surf, cannot research, cannot pull data, cannot check on news... nothing... sigh...

Yeah I know what you are thinking, if that is the case how come I can still post this post right now? Well, that's a secret... cannot tell... shhhhhh.....
:-)

Have a nice weekend ahead...!

Really really annoyed

I have blogged about this before, but it is still happening...
There is this particular post that always attracts spam comments, from offering sexual services to dog health screening.. I have to go in once in a while to delete all the spam comments...

It is really annoying me, how can I prevent someone from posting spam comments? I am even contemplating disallowing comments on my blog...

Sigh...

Barbie Doll Jelly Skirt

I have been meaning to make this for a long long time now... and have been scouting the internet for recipes and methods on how to make barbie doll skirt jelly. I found some pictures but were not able to find ways on how to make it.

Finally I found it, in one of my mum's old recipe book.. and thought I'd give it a try... Mum said she had alot of colourings available so I was looking forward to a colourful jelly skirt, unfortunately we discovered that most of the colourings expired so we had to make do with the one purple colouring which I bought.... and this was the end result! What do you think?

I do apologise for the "nude top" because the barbie

doll which I bought came like that, and I mean to "dress her up" the next time I attempt this. This was just a first trial so cut me some slack kay....?

My Poor Pair of Heels

This happened sometime before Chinese New Year... I did not download my camera photos yet so I could not post this story... thought I'd share this story with you today.

I have this pair of heels, and I have not been wearing it for 1 year (due to my pregnancy). So after delivery and maternity leave, I thought I'd wear it to work one day. Well, that was the last that this pair of shoe saw sunlight...

In the office itself, one side of the sole decided to detach itself, to salvage it I took rubberbands and fastened it together. I managed to pull that off, but then the other side also decided to play the same trick.... never mind, also fastened with rubberband.

We had a department CNY makan at a club that day, and all of us made our way to the restaurant. Half way walking from the carpark to the restaurant, the strap holding my feet together decided to break too... so basically, only the rubberband was holding my feet and my shoe together. I could barely walk in that state... colleagues tried to help me but no one had extra pair of shoe so in the end I slowly dragged myself to the restaurant, and asked for more rubberbands at the restaurant.

Now, I am at the restaurant now. I need to walk back to the carpark, get into the car, and when I arrive at the office, walk from the carpark to the office lobby and take the lift to my office floor. I was seriously worried about how I was going to walk because the shoes had basicaly fallen apart, and there was no way to salvage it anymore.... After lunch, I very slowly dragged myself step by step to the carpark. Luckily a colleague drove towards me and picked me up and dropped me off at the office lobby, so I only needed to walk to the office lobby and take the lift up. Back at the office, a colleague had an additional pair of shoe to lend me so I was safe for the day. But I threw this pair of shoe right away, for causing me all the anxiety and humiliation... hahaha....

If you could not imagine how bad the state of the shoe was, fear not.. I have photos of it... hold and behold the pair of heels that made it to my blog today.....

Noticed the rubberbands holding the shoe together?

My pair of heels that fell apart

今天的感触

“没有过不去的事情，只有过不去的心情“，我觉得这句话说的太好了， 也让我有很大的感触。

唉，如果多点人会这样想就好了。。。

在忙着，迟点再会！

2 blogs....

Trying to maintain 2 blogs is almost a full time job! Never thought it could be so tiring... you have to remember events and update them on the correct sites, and try to spice up the blogs..

Sigh... am almost regretting starting a new site for Evonne... but then again it is really worth it as I get to share all her stuff there, and it is a site dedicated to her.. oh no... if I do have another baby does that mean I have to maintain 3 blog sites then? oh well, will cross the brige when I come to that stage... maybe I won't be into blogging by then...

Now, how do I let those who are interested to know more about Evonne know about her site? Besides physically telling all of you, and sending emails to some of my friends and relatives... how else?

A new chapter...

I have decided to start a new blog for Evonne, so any updates pertaining to my little princess will all be updated there.

This is so that my blog can still remain as my personal blog, dedicated to anything that I want to express, while Evonne's growing up journey deserve a blog by itself.

Just that I will have even lesser time trying to update both blogs.. well.. I try...

Oh yes, if you want to follow Evonne's journey, feel free to drop by...

www.evonne-lam.blogspot.com

A search for the lost me...

Through recent conversations with some close friends, I have slowly discovered that, in trying to please everyone, and in trying hard to fit it, I have done no one good. I have lost myself, I don't know who I am anymore, and I am definitely not happy. Not like anyone is happy, for that matter..

I have learnt to harbour things, and to keep quiet.. because there was no point bringing things up, it had always made matters worse... The aggressive and loudspoken me that once was, is now no longer in sight... A friend remarked that I am so different from school days, and she knew that I would have left all behind if the same thing happened back then.

Yes, I am no longer the old me, and I do not like the new me. If I have to, I would rather be the old me. Yes, I know I can choose to become the old me again, because life is short and I should try to live it and be happy while I am still here. Trying to please everyone is as sure as pleasing no one, that is so true but I cannot bring myself not to try and please them, and I often forget this saying too..

Yeah, I hardly have any social life anymore.. In fact, I do not remember when was the last time hubby and I went out for a nice dinner. My days are so routine now that I don't even get to go out... So bored of my current lifestyle... bored, and tired, and sian... and irritated, frustrated and unhappy... feel like leaving everything behind.. because there seems to be no way out of this but to end it. Maybe being cruel for once will be good for everyone..

Right, you have a lot of work to do..

I am in a bad mood today, bad working day.. because someone, or rather someone in a particular department at work pissed me off.

Summary of story, I did a presentation last week to stakeholders of my project, and one of them indicated that my calculation is wrong, and she will work out the calculation and let me know. So I chased her for it this week, and she got her boss and her boss' boss involved in this. In their email, all they have to say is that they are very busy, they have other things to do, and ask me to get off their back, and let them do their things. I should do the calculation on my own, and pass my calculations to them. The simple enquiry of when we can meet, and when can she pass me the calculation became a long series of emails asking me to get off their back, cc-ing everyone's boss.

Right, your department is very busy, and only your department has alot of initiatves, the rest of us are just walking around, shaking legs and waiting for our pay at the end of every month. That would be nice...

SPAM comments

For quite awhile now, I have had to manually delete some of the SPAM comments that are appearing on my blog. It is always the same few piece that will attract the SPAM comments, I don't know why...

This is getting annoying because I have to go in and manually delete the comments everytime they appear. Can blogger.com do something about this?

解脱

爱是不夜城
回忆像星辰
热泪越沸腾
我却感觉有点冷
。
。
。
。
。
想若结局一样
又何苦再想
想若让人成长
我为什么帕分手的伤

解脱，是肯承认这是个错
我不应该还不放手
你有自由走我有自由好好过

解脱， 是懂擦干泪看以后
找个新方向往前走
这世界辽阔
我总会实现一个梦

心里有一种渴望勇敢的念头
不要爱我的人再担心我

I love this song, not only because of the lyrics, but also because it holds special meaning to me.

More photo editing..

Haha... addicted with photo editing for the moment, this is another photo that I really like...

Experimenting with photo editing software

Right... now, how do I do this? Never mind, let's try it out. I have been playing around with photo editing software of late.. like all mothers, am trying to create nice collage of my baby princess.. unfortunately I discovered that using my normal digital camera, there's quite alot of noise in most of my photographs so I don't really have a prize piece to share. But I am making the most of what I have right now.. this is one of the photos that I have edited with effects, and decided to blog it, and share her photo with you.

I am quite tempted to buy a DSLR now... sigh... but will it be cumbersome to learn DSLR and to carry around? Er.. will we have too many cameras in the house? Do we need it? But if I have any intention of getting one, I should get it soon because my baby girl is growing up so fast, and her features and face is changing constantly, I really do not want to miss moments of her growing up.. would like to capture all of it if possible. I only knew how much she has grown when I looked back at her birth pictures..

Baby Evonne..., mummy loves you!

Offbeat stories that tickled us pink

I read with amusement over some of the following when I read today's Star newspaper. i tried looking for the link but couldn't find it online, so I am copying some of it and reproducing it here:

>> Anti-corruption officials in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu found a way to literally stop airport workers from pocketing bribes. They issued them with pocketless trousers. :-)

>> A Norwegian man landed himself in hot water when police caught him having sex with his girlfriend as he raced at over 130km an hour through a 100kph zone on a highway near Oslo. ;-)

>> Old technology came to the aid of the new in a Brazilian prison, when guards found that inmates were getting mobile phones flown in to them strapped to carrier pigeons. :-D

>> An 11-month old boy accidentally dialled an emergency number while playing with a house telephone in the Canadian province of Brither Columbia. When police arrived, they arredted his father, who was growing marijuana plants in his home. :-p

>> Farmers who pay individual attention to their cows, notably by giving them names, are rewarded with higher milk production, a team in Newscastle University in England said, quoting the results of a poll. :-o

>> Tired of seeing his parishioners give weird and wonderful names to their offspring, a Catholic priest in Croatia offered monetary rewards worth around EUR135 (MYR667) to anyone who chose good old fashioned monikers such as Lana, Petra, Luka or Karlo. :-D

Well... I hope you had a good laugh after reading this blog.. :-)

Verdict of Success & Happiness Day 1

Ok, yesterday I said I was gonna follow what Andre Matthews said about Success and Happiness, which is to look for GOOD things in every situation for 24 hours.

Well, sad to say, I failed. I distinctly remember failing on at least 3 occassions, and I only realised my mistake after I became annoyed and agitated. Bad habits are hard to change, sigh.. should I try another day?

When I tried to follow the 24 hour strategy, I came across numerous situation where I contemplated what to do and feel... for example does looking for good things in every situation equal to giving in in all situations? Does it mean I have to swallow every incident that happens and take everything as it comes? Or am I allowed to have my normal feelings and reaction but try to look at the positive side of things, i.e. eventhough I am unhappy with the situation, try to look for the silver lining in each situation?

Day 2 lesson is sitting in my inbox but I have not read it yet. I think I should continue with the 24 hour challenge until I succeed. If one can always look at things from a positive angle, one should most definitely feel happier, isn't it?

Success & Happiness

I have always liked books by Andrew Matthews, in fact I think I have almost all his books, and have at least read them twice.

I like how it is easy to read and understand, and of course I believe what he says make perfect sense.. I went in search for his website today, and noticed that he has this Free 7 days to Greater Happiness email course and signed up for it. Not because I am unhappy, but because I want to be happier. For those who have ever been unhapppy, or are depressed right now, do sign up for it, or better still go buy his books and read them, I am sure you will feel and think differently after that.

Well, anyway, I have just received the Day 1 newsletter, and it is to "Look for GOOD things", and my mission for the next 24 hours is to look for GOOD things in every situation that I am in. No negative comments, only look for good and positive things in all the situation that I am in.

Sounds interesting, and I always like a good challenge.. so yes I am ON for the challenge! Will let you know how it goes tomorrow, and whether I feel any different by thinking GOOD...

Watch this space....!

My Precious

Time flies, in a blink of an eye, my baby is already 6 weeks old...

You can literally see her "grow" vertically, she is longer now and heavier too, though I don't see her putting on much weight.

It is a joy to see her smile, I even like it when she cries... hehe.. guess every mum feels the same way. I eagerly awaits the day when she is able to call me "mummy".. hmm.. when will that day come?

鸡和鸭讲

公说公有理，婆说婆有理，但是起码婆肯听公的道理， 公却从不听婆的理由， 还强词夺理， 但你却拿他没办法因为你说不赢他。所有的不开心唯有闷在心里。闷闷不乐的心情又有谁懂？

别认为我说的是孩子话或开玩笑， 当忍无可忍的时候，我就不会再忍了。到时才来觉悟， 已经后悔莫及了。

Conspiracy Theory related to Confinement

I just thought of a theory, and am beginning to be more convinced about it the more I think of it..

Confinement period is a conspiracy thought up by someone or some group (must be by a male because they don't have to go through this, either that or some lunatic woman) to help/ force/ aid her in losing off all the pregnancy weight. If you are going " what......?" hahaha read on first..

Theory & Hypothesis: Confinement rituals make you feel miserable, and when you feel miserable you eat less, or have less appetite to eat other food, you lose weight.

Evidences:
1. Making you eat the same food everyday, it becomes mundane and you do not look forward to meal times. Also, you will chew slowly, and food becomes more easily digested and absorbed by your body, hence less burden on your stomach.
2. Prohibiting personal hygiene routine such as washing of hair and shower so that one feels miserable and depressed. You are so busy scratching your itchy hair that you forget about hunger.
3. Loads of herbs and dark colour looking medicine and soups to ward off your appetite..
4. Prevent you from going out of the house so that you are not tempted by variety of food available in the outside world.

Kekeke.. I am thinking: those who are not going through confinement right now must be laughing at this theory, and thinking that I have gone nuts.. true, I might be going nuts because of the rules I have to follow during confinement. But nevertheless, this is my theory.. at least until my confinement period is over... (it doesn't feel like it is going to be over right now)...

Back from hospital and.... a mummy now

Actually this post is a little late because I am back home since 3 days ago, and have started my confinement.

My happiest moment is of course when doctor declared that although my baby princess has a tinge of jaundice, she is allowed to come home with us, but she has to go back to the paeds for check up tomorrow morning, but I can't go with her because I am supposed to stay at home during confinement.. sigh..

I can just watch my baby princess fall sleep for hours, and wish that I can always hold her in my hand and just watch her every movement. I know I sound like any other typical parent, but yeah you have to be a parent to know the feeling..

Well, for those who wants to know how the c-sec went... mmm... there is nothing much to tell actually. I did have some jitter moments before they came to my ward to wheel me out to the OT. I was a little uneasy when they told me to wave bye bye to my hubby outside the OT, because from then onwards I was all alone... then the anaesthecian came to give me the jabs. I must say, thanks to him I was calmer, and of course the spinal jab took effect almost immediately and I was numbed from waist downwards. My blanket was folded to cover my vision of the surgery, and I didn't know when my doctor walked in and when he started operating on me. I only felt a tight pull mid way through the surgery, didn't feel anything when the doctor stitch me back too. Oh, doctor also cut away some fibroids while he was in there, and I had no idea all this was going on. I was in quite a good mood after I heard baby's cry and saw her for the first time, and the 5 minutes or so that they put her on my chest, I totally forgot about everything, well, not that I felt anything else anyway.

And before I knew it, true to the doctor's words, I was wheeled out of OT in 1 hour, and half hour after that I was back in my ward. I was in good spirit the whole day, and had quite a handful of visitors who came and visit me. Thank you to those who made the effort to come see me and baby.

I had to stay in bed for the next 1.5 days or so, and was eagerly waiting for them to unplug all the drips and other stuff from me so that I can walk to the nursery to see my baby. Walking to the nursery to see her was my biggest motivation to get out of bed, although I was just operated on 24 hours before!

Oh well... to sum up my c-sec experience, it was really not as scary as people put it to be, and definitely not as painful as what they claim. True, post natal recovery takes a longer time, and I can still feel the wound and slight pain surrounding it, but then again, natural birth will also have post delivery pain as well?

Baby princess is now safely back home, watching her every movement is a pleasure. She feels so tiny and helpless that you just feel that you want to protect her from all harm, and give her everything that she needs. Hahaha... guess I sound like every other mum in this world.

Alrighty... tired now... night night...

Fishy Dinner

Oh, I almost forgot to blog about this funny tale which happened yesterday.

Hubby sent me an email yesterday, showing me what dinner mum was going to prepare for yesterday night. It was a picture of a fish, which he has also measured, and it was about 40cm long, including the head and tail. He also told me not to eat too full after 3pm, and save some stomach space for dinner, in anticipation of the huge fish, and 6-8 prawns that were lying beneath the fish..

I laughed so hard when I read that email, because it sounded hilarious, and then when I realised how big the fish actually is (I tried estimating 40cm), then I wasn't laughing as loudly anymore.. I shared hubby's concern, and was wondering how mum was going to cook the fish. If it was swarmed with lemongrass you can be sure that I will not eat it at all.. Somehow I just don't fancy the taste of lemongrass..

Anyway, in the end, to our relief, mum only fried half of the fish, even then we couldn't finish it.. mum was keeping the second half for another dinner session. Erm... I hope she don't keep it too long..

Are you curious about the size of fish, and what photo hubby sent me? Of course I won't let you down, it is attached right below...

The Big Fish...

Feeling bored at work..

Oh well, I wanted to share a joke with all today, but for some reason I can't cut and paste the joke so can't share the joke with you..

Last Friday when I was with Pyramid with my colleagues, 2 Chinese girls (students from either China or Taiwan) approached us and told us that they are doing a project. They are supposed to give a present to a stranger, and record the receiver's reactions, and asked if we were willing to accept the gift. My first impression was that I shouldn't because I was wary of the authenticity of their intention. So we actually rejected their offer, I felt a little bad about it but I would still reject the offer if I have to choose again.

Big day next week... today is officially my last working day before I go off, and start on my maternity leave.. time flies huh...?

Watch out for photos of my baby next week...!

Looks like C-sec it is..

Ha.. are you one of those who came to my blog recently to follow up on whether I am going for c-sec?

Well, went to the gynae on Saturday, and the verdict is: Baby has not turned... so looks like we have to accept the fact that I will be going for C-sec. Date: the week of 19th October. Doctor will see me one more time on 19th Oct to determine the exact date that he wants to perform the surgery.

Although we have almost resigned ourselves to the fate of c-sec, we are going for second opinoin next week. Just to be sure...

Things is certainly not turning out the way we imagined it to be..

Watch this space...

C-sec verdict to be out soon...

2 days... 2 days is all my baby have to turn.. otherwise doctor will discuss with me the procedure of having a C-sec this Saturday..

After learning a bit more about c-sec, I am even more determined not to go for c-sec, cos of the post natal recovery and also because of the epidural which will be inserted for the surgery.

So, turn baby turn....!

Sleepless Nights

3 consecutive sleepless nights can make anyone depress and cranky.. what more when you are already depressed to start with.. plus, my sorethroat is killing me. It has been getting worse since 2-3 days ago, and I think I developed an ulcer too. I guess lacking of sleep does do great harm to your body.. but what to do? Body is willing to sleep, but mind is not..

I just realised that since tomorrow is mid autumn festival, today is my lunar birthday. Been so depressed that I don't even remember that anymore.. and it is no longer special and as important. Not like anyone will remember.. a week ago things were different, and now... sigh..

Happy Birthday to me...!

Sad Day...

I am just in a lousy mood today, no mood for work and anything else. Things are definitely looking down right now, and I can see no light at end of tunnel..

Lord help me get through this please...

Cute "bajus" for lil' one...

One of my looong time friend gave me some baby outfits for my new born, and boy are they cute! She has so many cute outfits that I had trouble choosing them, in the end I only took those for new born... will go back for more next time... haha...

Cute pink rompers

Thank you Aunty GCCC!!

亲情与家庭

亲情与家庭

如果两者之间你必须选一，你会选那一样？

你可能觉得这问题很无聊，也可能觉得你两者都掌握得很好；所以这不会发生在你身上。你可有想过， 其实你每天的动作， 反应， 谈吐，以及种种已显示出你的选择了？你的另一半永远都不会是你生命中最重要的人物。每当有情形发生时，她的处境， 感受都不在你考虑的范围中，其他人的想法都比较重要。你会豪不考虑的为他人着想， 可不会为她花多一点点心思。。。

试想，她怎样不会感到心淡呢？她也觉得自己不属于这个家， 没有她的存在可能必较好。真的，有她存在的必要吗？不。。。他依然会生存的很好， 也不必为她的事而烦恼。所以，离开是适当的选择。。。？

:-((((((((((((

Veal Varding... ( what?)

If the title make no sense to you, and you are left wondering "what & who" is Veal Varding.. fear not.. Veal Varding is not someone/ something famous that one should automatically know.

Veal Varding is the name of someone/ something that I dream about 2 nights ago.. the name kept repeating itself, so much so that I remembered it after I woke up.

The first thing that I did after I woke up was to Google for it, but apparently there is no one by the name of Veal Varding.. so I just left it as that. But still, I felt that I should blog this down, in case this name does repeat itself in future, in whatever way...

Oh, another thing that I think should be blogged about is: My mum went to the night market last night, and she bought 60 oranges, 10 pears and 10 apples. 60 oranges!!! There are only 3 of us eating the fruits, and she bought 60 oranges? How on earth does she expect us to finish the oranges? Sigh... mum will never listen..

Update after recent doctor's visit

2 weeks ago, my doctor warned that my amniotic fluid level is borderline low, and if it dropped further he would have to curtail my activities, i.e. confine to bed. Needless to say, I was worried sick over the last 2 weeks, and was googling for ways to increase amniotic fluid level. Unfortunately, there is nothing much that I can do, since at this stage, the production of amniotic fluid is entirely my baby's effort.

So last Saturday, we went for the checkup, and was so relieved when doctor said that my amniotic fluid level has increased slightly. Although it is still lower than what he would like it to be, but at least it is an improvement.. We are hoping for this improvement to continue and soon, the amniotic fluid level to rise to normal level..

Keeping our fingers crossed......

Water Retention

Well, if it's not one thing, then it's another.. I seem to have all the symptoms a pregnant lady can have... from morning sickness to cramps to water retention, you name it, I've had it. Well... still having the water retention. I just started getting it 2 days ago!

My legs were so swollen that it felt tense when I touch them, and it is slightly painful to actually walk or squat. So at night when I sleep I need to put a pillow at my feet to elevate them. It is supposed to help reduce the water retention effect. I've tried it for 2 nights, it works.. in the morning my calves are not as swollen anymore, but during the course of the day, it will slowly build up and by evening it will be swollen again... sigh...

But my husband has been very sweet and supportive... Knowing that I do not get enough sleep every night now, he has tried to be very quiet around me when I fall asleep at night. He will be careful not to move me or disturb me, less I wake up and can't go back to sleep again. Last night, he even resorted to sleeping on the floow so that he does not wake me up.. I was so touched by that... It is true that husband's support is very important during one's pregnancy.. and I can testify to it.. Having my husband's support has certainly helped..

Thank you Lou Gong... lova ya!

Backache.... and sleepless nights....!

I don't know what was it I ate, but I went to toilet 3 times yesterday, everytime after stomach upset. I was drained of energy by bed time..

Anyway, my streaks of sleepless nights continued, with me waking up 5 times last night, 1am, 3am, 4am, 6am, & 7am. It is just quite tiring waking up so many times at night, just to go toilet and toss around in bed. I don't know how long this will continue, and I have respect for pregnant ladies.. being pregnant for 9 months is certainly no easy feat.

I suffer from backache constantly now.. at work I fidget and change position every so often because my back hurts from sitting in one position too long. At home, even lying in bed, I feel that my pillows are not providing enough support for my back. When watching tv at the sofa, I can't sit for long without being restless and fidgety too... sigh... the joys of motherhood...

Random updates

Hi hi... I know I have been absence for a long long time...
Truth is, I don't know what to update... There are lotsa stuff to update but as I procrastinate, I don't know which one I should update.. alright, enough of explanation. Let's update!

a) I am now 7 months pregnant, in case you don't know... yes... I am seven months pregnant already. Just the last trimester left. Motherhood is not easy man.. the happiest thing about being pregnant is when I feel my baby kick, and I can't wait to see my baby when she comes to this world. I have not bought all the essential items needed yet, but getting there.. baby stuff are just so cute you can't resist getting them.. but at the same time, they are also very expensive! My hubby and I have already spent a bomb on baby stuff, before the arrival of baby, and that is with a lot of hand me downs! I remember I once said that one should never do 3 things together (or a combination of them), which are get married, change job or buy a house. I should add having a baby to the list because it is also an expensive experience haha.. but one that I would not trade..

b) In anticipation of the arrival of baby, I have sold off my car, and traded it in for a family car. Yes, those 7 seater car because we anticipate that we will need to bring the stroller, maid, in laws and others and a normal sedan car just would not fit the requirement. So I bought the Nissan Grand Livina 1.8cc. I like my car, just that I find that the first passenger row at the back is not very spacious so if 3 people sit there it would be quite cramp for them. Well, what is bought is bought... just started paying the installment, and it's another long 7 years of loan to go..

c) We are going to hire a maid, also because of the baby... We have decided on Indon maid, because my in laws will be able to communicate with her better. Trouble is, we have not found the right maid. We are not fussy people, we just want one maid who can take care of the baby and do some household chores. We actually interviewed and hired one, but we sent her back after 2 days because she took too long to do the housechores (2 hours to mop the floor, and 20 minutes to iron one shirt), and fell sick after one day of working. So now we are still waiting for the next batch of maid to come for interview and selection.

Alright, I will just update the above only, gotta go have lunch now.. more later ok?

Yee Sang or Lou Sang

Traditionally Chinese will have the Yee Sang or Lou Sang during CNY, for my hubby's family they will make their own Lou Sang on the 7th day of CNY. Yes, they make their own Lou Sang from scratch! It is not easy feat as all the raw materials have to be fresh and prepared on the very morning itself.

I will not show you the entire process, will only show you the final product. For first timer, it may not be tantalising to taste bud, one may not even like it, but make no mistake you will look for it again once you get the hang of it. In fact, you will definitely crave for it!

Wihout further ado, let me introduce you to the very delicious Lou Sang:

The almost finished yee sang

After adding plum source, alcohol, sesame seed and peanuts

The taste? Wonderfully tasty!

Ooo... See what I found underneath this car?

I was out meeting some friends the other night for a drink, and we saw these "creatures" crawling about daringly nibbling on plastic bags, and decided to take photos to show you how big these creatures are.

Best part is, no one moved nor screamed, most of us just observed the rats cooly while sipping our drinks, and conitnue chatting..

The pics are a bit dark, not sure if you can see them clearly, there are two of them in the second pic. Oh by the way this is at one of the mamak in Damansara Utama, near Wisma Atria.

Cheong Ko Meen (Hakka Noodles)

If the title is confusing you in anyway, don't fret.. it's cantonese pronunciation of a certain noodle shop that we patronise on weekends. My husband's family is very loyal to this shop because they have started eating this noodle since young from Kuala Lipis. When they found out that this noodle owner has moved to KL and is operating from Cheras area, they have been heading there for breakfast on most Sundays.

If you ask me, I am ok with the noodles. I mean, I won't die not eating the noodles for a couple of months.. But what I like about the noodle is that eventhough the dish is simple, no fancy curry or dark sauces, the taste is still there. Not too salty, not too oily, just nice. I don't have a photograph of the store front, nor the address (apologies.. will try to snap it the next time I am there).

I couldn't get the image to be tilted or rotated.. but never mind lah.. I am sure you can tell how good the noodle taste just by looking at the above photos..

Guess where I am heading next?

You will never believe where I am heading next... Taj Mahal!

The last time I was in Delhi for work, I didn't have time to roam around, plus I didn't have anyone to roam around with... but this time I am heading off to Delhi with a colleague, and we are heading to Agra after our work assignment to visit Taj Mahal! I am excited about this trip.. Will take loads of photos and share k?

Erm... not everything that is sweet is nice

I was trying to cook roast chicken on Christmas eve, and in trying to baste the chicken, I thought I should just brush some honey on the chicken so that it will taste more tasty.

But horror to my horror, I discovered that mum's bottle of honey is filled with ants, and none of us knew! If I didn't notice it, we would all be eating honey filled with vitamin "A" for ants!

The black dots are actually ants so yes, I know how grossed out you are right now..

Merry Christmas!

I just received my first Christmas present this year... so it feels extra special cause it came from my cousin sister, whom I regard as my own sister.

I don't know what to say, but I felt really touched inside.. so I want to say thank you, for giving me the presents.. It has given me the warm and fuzzy feeling inside, just when I needed it.

Thanks!

Ice Kacang (ABC)

We went to this mamak in Balakong the other day, and my hubby ordered ABC.

We were kinda "surprised when the bill came and the ABC was the most expensive drink which we ordered. It was priced at MYR4.00!

Yes, I agree that the ABC is big, but hubby couldn't finish it. So why would anyone want to pay MYR4.00 for something which we cannot finish? Doesn't it make more sense to make the serving size smaller, and charge less? I guess it's the mamak's strategy for more profit..

Mood: Too lazy to go to work..

5 days later...

Are you wondering about how my fruit enzyme juice is turning out?

Well, wonder no more... as I am going to post the progress photo up here.

The kiwi enzyme seems to be doing well, with the "juice"/ "essence" turning brownish, and lots of activities happening, i.e. lots of active bubbles are floating up.

The apple enzyme, on the other hand seems a little... well... erm... slow. Initially it was just as if it was still day 1, with no activities nor changes to the juice. But I shooked it 2 days ago, and things seem to be improving, with some bubbles floating up.

See the pic and you tell me ok? I sure hope this is how it's supposed to be reacting..

Apple Enzyme

Kiwi Enzyme

I made a second batch of fruit enzyme

I really do not whether my apple enzyme last night will turn out, since it was not really according to the recipe.. hopefully it turns out.

So today we went to pasar malam to buy dragon fruits to make fruit enzyme but unfortunately it is not in season anymore so we had to change it to kiwi enzyme juice in the end.

The end product so far, ta-da....:

eh.. cannot upload the photos one? something wrong with the laptop... aarrrggghhhh...! the virus, spyware and adware please disappear from my laptop, files and folders!

Apple enzyme

Kiwi enzyme

p/s: finally managed to upload the photos... yeah..!

DIY Fruit Enzyme

Have you ever heard of fruit enzyme before?

I was introduced to it about a month ago by my cousin. I just bought some red apples, lemon and brown cane sugar to try it out today. Only thing is I didn't measure so I have no idea whether it will turn out the way it should be.

Guess I will have to wait 2 weeks to find out. If it turns out I will post the photo here, and let you know how it taste.

If first you don't succeed, try again.. hehe..

It's my handphone charger this time

Argghhh....!

Someone stole my handphone charger from my cubicle!

Must this happen to me everytime? The last time it was my chair, and the time before it was my dustbin and now my handphone charger.

This is a rotten way to start a working day, and I am upset!

I am going to label everything I have on my desk, and warning people not to touch nor REMOVE my stuff!

Is There Anything I Can Do For You?

Does that sentence sound familiar?

This is what I often hear when I call for service, be it telecommunications, IT helpdesk, banks etc..

I have no issue with that statement, but I find it insulting when it is used as a standard text or closing statement with your customers. More often than not, my problem would not be solved before they happily ask me " Is there anything else, Miss?" I really want to tell them "No, don't offer to help on other issues, please fix my current issue FIRST."

How can companies train their employees to say this line when they have obviously not helped to customers' current problem? What makes them think that they can solve my next problem if they cannot solve my first problem? I give up... this was the conversation that took place this morning.

"Hello, how can I help you?"

After explaining the problem with my laptop, this was the reply: "Oh, it appears that this can be a problem with your laptop configuration. You need to call back the SAME number and press 1 instead of 2".

Alright, I didn't want to argue and said "OK."

Then it came " Is there anything else I can help you with, Miss?"

Feeling naughty, I said this: "Yes, can you transfer the line?"
"No I cannot, you need to call back the same number and press 1"

Duh......... if you cannot help then don't ask to help. Such standard text should be used sparringly, and used only in the right context, not as a acceptable closing statement!

Sigh, don't they ever learn?

As promised..

As promised.. I went to scout for items to snap in my office, and I saw my collection of souvenirs/ food from my colleagues which I have found too cute to be eaten..


So I snap photos of them and will post them here!

Mickey Mouse cookie, courtesy of Bryan

Maple syrup candy, courtesy of Geraldine

Pepper sweet, courtesy of Ee Laine

Guess now that I have the photos, I can start to eat them.. haha..

Presenting... my new camera!

Tada.......!!

This is my camera... yeh yeh! I don't have to share camera with others anymore.. I can carry it wherever I go and snap all the photos I like. I even got a 4GB memory card so I can snap more than 2,000 photos before having to delete any!

Let's see.. must find something to snap today... ok, will snap interesting things in my office and post it later. For now, just admire my camera... hehe..

Erm...

Got this from somewhere, and really like what it says!

Oh yes, I got my own camera finally! It's courtesy of hubby, as my birthday present..! Thank you, *muach*!

I got the same camera as hubby.. haha.. maybe because I am too used to his camera and its features. It's of the same colour too! So we's have to tag our cameras to differentiate them.

But funnily though, I haven't had the urge to take photos like I used to (when I hogged his camera)..

Spoilt for choices

Over the weekend, I went to MATTA fair, twice.

My other half went everyday of MATTA fair, all because: we couldn't decide where to go.

My initial destination of choice were either Hokkaido or Athens. While at MATTA fair, destinations like Australia, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Turkey swayed my path. The more brochures I took, the more confused I got; the more travel agencies I talk to, the less decided I became of my destination.

I thought we were doing fantastic when we finalised Eastern Europe, Turkey and South Africa as our top 3 finalist, and even better when we decided on South Africa as our destination. We had all the costing and questions worked out for final visit to MATTA, when something someone said during the fair made me changed my mind.

All of a sudden, we were without a destination anymore! I was almost in panic, and totally confused how a task as easy as finding a holiday destination could end up so complicated.

To cut the long story short, we have finally decided on Turkey. Phew....!

Unbelievable..

My mum was on board an airplane last night on her way back from Newark to Kuala Lumpur.

She said the aircraft was a little noisy thus she requested for ear plugs. This is the funny part, the stewardess told her that the airline does not carry the item anymore, and gave her 02 cotton balls instead. I am not joking, and this is both amusing and unbelivable as well as shocking!

This is the cotton ball..

Giotto and Hanuta

I am sitting in my office now, and enjoying Giotto and Hanuta.



In case you do not know, Giotto is sphere shaped, with chocolate filling inside and hazelnuts rolled over each sphere on the outside while Hanuta is better known as Hazelnut Sandwich. A thick layer of rich, luscious hazelnut chocolate with bits of hazelnut throughout, sandwiched between two crisp, chocolate wafers.



My colleague says Giotto taste a little like Ferrero Rocher, but I disagree. I think Giotto taste so much better, maybe because it is not available in Malaysia hence I treasure it more.

Anyway, I must really thank Hayashi for buying this back and sharing it. She is a real angel. Thanks!

My LAN cable is missing... again!

In my current cubicle at the workplace, I am always missing something.

Due to the nature of my job, I am not always in my sitting area. And almost everytime when I return after being away for a week, something goes missing.

The first time it was the LAN cable, which we recovered. Next time it was my dustbin, and thereafter it was my chair!

So much so that I have labeled my dustbin although it belongs to the company.. think I will have to do the same with my chair and my LAN cable now. A colleague suggested that I should keep my LAN cable whenever I am away from my desk for more than a day or two.. but it is annoying to do this..

The people who normally take these things are the ones who want to use the meeting room or conference room. I don't mind them borrowing my stuff (since I sit closest to the conference room), but PLEASE RETURN the items after you use it. It is frustrating chasing and hunting for basic work items everytime you step into the office.

So, please be considerate, whoever you are.

Flexible Employment Program

Hmm... this flexible employment program has just been launched, and I am considering taking it.

Previously I didn't think I would have much difficulty deciding which option I want to take, but now I am in a dilemma all over again.

I know I want a validity of 3 months, whether it's the voluntary leave program (VLP) or part time leave. But knowing that I am project based, I will never be able to commit to the part time program. I will be at the losing end unless I put my foot down and said I can't do certain things as I am on leave. But then again it is not as easy when you are project based, you are bound to have ad hoc meetings, last minute changes.. the entire strucutre of project management is very fluid to begin with!

The other problem is there is no 3 months VLP program, I am just trying my luck to ask for it. The normal VLP offered is for 6 months or 12 months. If I am away from my job for 6 months I probably wouldn't want to come back after that.. so that option is out. Assuming that I am able to sustain financially for 3 months AND I get the green light for 3 months VLP, there is still another obstacle. I was just made to understand that the you can either choose the travel benefits or the medical benefits.. sigh.. how to choose?

Hot Hot Hot

Weather for the past few days has been dreadful, with temperature easily rising above the normal 32C.

It is so hot that I can't feel my air con even after turning it on for an hour. Am if I attempt to walk out to the living room, I will sweat within minutes. It is simply too hot. Good time for an ice cream.. hmm..the ice cream parlours/ chains/ sellers must be doing well this week.

Help help, we need rain to cool the temperature down..

Durian Feast.. Oh too much of it..

I have simply been indulging in too much of durian eating of late.

It's all mum's fault. She "dragged" us to eat durians. First it was her friend who recommended her some durians and she brought us to her friend's durian stall in Taman Danau Desa, we ate there and tapau some home.

Then she "tumpang" her friend to buy 10 more durians from a durian orchard in some kampung. We had durian phobia after that, and we told mum that we do not want to eat durians anymore this season. That was a little more than a week ago.

Tonight, she asked us if we want to go seksyen 17 pasar malam to eat durian, I couldn't resist the temptation and said yes (the mind is weak...). So we ended up in seksyen 17 night market, and ate some durians (this was right after our dinner mind you, so you can imagine how full we were before, and after we ate the durians). Discovered something funny though, that abi is not used to eating durians by the "roadside". I am not the least bit concerned about eating durians by the roadside because I'm kinda used to it. Haha.. at least this is one thing he is new to, now he cannot laugh at me for being ulu and not knowing about eating durians and rice as meals during dinner.

Batman vs Hellboy

I went to watch 2 superhero movies back to back last night, Batman (The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2).

We watched Hellboy first, and thought it was pretty entertaining, nothing too complicated, just simple storyline that keeps the spirits high after watching the movie. Then we watched The Dark Knight, and it is kinda depressing.

Almost the entire movie is based on the dark scenes so you have to really concentrate to know what is going on. And there is just too much of fighting, and irritating that the Joker is always gaining the upper hand. Makes Batman look really bad and weak. Then there is Harvey Dent, the supposedly "White Light of Gotham" who turned into "Two Faced" eventually. The message sent across is really wrong because it's saying that the bad will always win, and the good superheroes have to make sacrifices, and they cannot have loved ones and families.

I don't think people will walk out of the cinema feeling "happy". I didn't, neither did my companion. So tell me did you enjoy the movie? And if you watched both The Dark Knight and Hellboy, let me know which one you prefer.

Making the soup based for steamboat

We are going to have steamboat for dinner tonight, and because we wanted to avoid using clear water as soup based for the steamboat, so we bought some chicken "shell" (??) to brew the soup based.

All along, I just assume that you can just throw everything in the cookpot and let it brew for 1-2 hours and voila, your soup will be ready. Little did I know that there are procedures to be followed even for this seemingly easy step.

You have to fry the anchovies first with some oil, cook it a little to get rid of the "sengit" smell, then add water, put to boil, THEN only add the chicken in. Sigh... so much effort for the soup. Then we left it to boil for 1.5 hours. Abi's mum also added corn and carrot to further add taste to the soup.

I am guessing that the soup will be tasty because it smelled great.
But I was ridiculed for not knowing how to do this, not knowing the proper "procedure".. blah blah blah... sigh.. what to do?

Next time, I will leave it to all to him to cook lah, or choose clear water soup as based. Choose!

The restaurant that just wasn't to be

Went to this restaurant called Restaurant Hee Lai Ton in Kajang to have dinner tonight, but it is also the last time. Not coming back ever again.

We ordered a set dinner, all the dishes were ok except for this fish dish. It was overcooked, and tasted really rough. It felt like the fish was not defrosted properly and cooked for a tee wee bit too long. So the texture was not fresh, and tasted lousy. We all took one bite and left the rest untouched.

We complained to the captain, she took a sample of the fish and went to talk to the chef, BUT she never came back. We asked for the bill, and noted that the fish was still counted in the bill. So we called the captain again and ask her about her follow up to the fish dish.

Know what her answer was? The chef said that this 7 Star Fish from Sabah is supposed to be cooked this way and the texture is just as it was supposed to be. We could not believe it! These people are taking us for a ride! It's as if they think that we have not eaten this type of this fish before, this is such an insult to our intelligence!But wait, this is not the best part, then she made the excuse that she was waiting to check with her lady boss how and where did she buy the fish blah blah blah.. and that was why she did not come back to us. The lady boss so happened to have gone out couple of minutes ago and that is why she was waiting for the lady boss to come back in 5 minutes. Sigh.. such lame excuse.

When we try to reason it out with her, she was still trying to use the same lame excuses on us. The captain still did not understand where she went wrong.. she continued with her defense that we are not allowing her time to solve the problem, that she was waiting for her lady boss to come back, that the fish was supposed to cook that way.. We ultimately left without arguing further, but we have emphasised that we will not be returning to this restaurant ever again.

But I plan to go one step further and publish it on my blog so that more people can read about this "wonderful" experience which we encountered today.

Oh, and to make sure that you don't mistaken this outlet with the rest, I have taken a photo of it to ensure no mistaken identity.. Remember, it's the one at Wisma Metro Kajang, Kajang.

After effects of gym... muscle cramp...

Remember I went to gym over the weekend?
Well, I was very gung ho and I went for Body Pump class. Anyone who has ever been to Body Pump class would know that it is a combination of weights with repeated movements to target your major muscle groups. Good stuff if you want to tone up quick, terrible stuff to suffer the after effect of this class.

Which is what I am feeling, right now.

My entire leg is painful, and I cannot sleep properly at night. My leg muscles are tensed and it pains me to walk up and down the stairs especially.

And you know the best part? I am supposed to have a meeting today, at the office which is at 2nd floor, with no lifts. How wonderful is that experience going to be..............? sigh...

Gym again...

After giving up gy,m for almost a year, I decided to go back to it, after a series of heavy eating for the past few months.

I was there around 4pm the other day, and was surprised at the amount of people at the gym, and most of them are all guys! I secretly thought that perhaps half of them are gay, otherwise why would they be at the gym at 4pm on a weekday?

Ah well... I don't know the answer to that, but I do know mybody is still aching from the gym exercise... Ouch ouch ouch...!

Battle of the Digital Cameras

I have been eyeing the following cameras, Canon Ixus 860IS, Fujifilm f100d and f47. I feel that they are all good cameras but I am still deliberating if I should purchase a new one.

If you have been following my blog, you would know that I normally like to include photos of what I take on a daily basis, to add some zest to my blog. I have not been able to do so after my other half took back the camera. So I have sorta decided that I should get one on my own, but then he asked if having this camera is really necessary, which made me have second thoughts..

Sigh... which one should I choose? Should I buy at all?

Canon Ixus 860IS

Fujifilm f100d

Fujifilm f47

Craving for Donuts

Argghhh.. I cannot get images of donuts out of my mind...

It all started with my colleague Geraldine who asked if I like donuts and we discussed about the different brands of donuts available in Malaysia currently. Apparently Krispy Kreme is about to make an appearance at 1Utama soon. Ooooo... can't wait for that one.

All that talk about donut made me think of donuts and their assorted flavours..

To make matters worse, another colleague Phillip just came back from Australis and we were teasing him about not buying us Krispy Kreme. He gave excuses of why he didn't buy e.g. not enough time and all.. but later admitted that he did have enough time if he wanted to buy..

But all that talking really made me want to eat a donut. I am seriously thinking of heading down to Subang Parade for lunch and buy meself a couple of donuts for lunch... mmmmm...

Should I.......?

Gosh.. I shouldn't have tried to search for pics of donuts to include on my blog, cos it only made me want to have donuts more than before..

So sleepy..

Gosh.. I am so sleepy today, don't know why.. but couldn't get up in the morning.

Last night I fell asleep on the bed with the laptop still on my lap. I must have been drained of my energy when I went on leave 2 days ago. When people go on leave these days, they end up being more tired and drained than if they have not taken leave at all. Weird how annual leave has transform into something that will actually drain more of your energy than working huh..?

Alright, gotta go..

p/s: am still deliberating whether I should get the Fujifilm f100d camera.. argghhh.. it's driving me crazy not having a camera in hand..

Napkin creativeness..

The candle looking napkin was taught to me by my brother during dinner today. Elegant and fairly easy to make. The other one is supposedly an "airplane", made by my other half..





:-)

Crazy Week

Ohhh.... this week is a hectic week, with many important meetings scheduled, and many other report deadlines due.

Aside from work, I also have important appointments, hence, have not been sleeping nor resting enough. Am tired.....! My throat is starting to itch, and have sore throat too.

I am kinda pissed off with one of my colleague actually. I feel that he is always trying to "delegate" paperwork to others when it has been delegated to him in the first place. He is great at talking, and I am just amazed at how convincing he can be whereas I am not half the man he is when is comes to talking and presentations.

Sigh.. I am sleepy now.. good night..
I still need to buy that camera.. met up with a few gal friends today but were not able to take photos as I didn't have the camera with me.

Buffet Dinner at Grand Millenium, KL

We just came back from having buffet dinner at Grand Millenium Kuala Lumpur, and I must say that I am very full now..

Food spread is alright, although we thought that the spread was skewed towards Northern Indian style. I loved the sushi spread as the sushis and sashimis were fresh, coupled with the oysters, scallops and crayfish.. yum..!

Then I moved on to try other food e.g. pasta, grilled fish, salmon and prawns. Next up was the Indian spread.

I couldn't stomach anything else after that and decided to move on to desserts. I couldn't decide between the strawberry and lemon mousse, but chose the strawberry mousse in the end. Nice...! And also tried the in house ice cream which I thought was a little too sweet. And no dessert round is complete without a dip in the chocolate fountain. I went for a total of 3 rounds, dipping my marshmallows, strawberries and grapes into the chocolate fountain. Have always loved playing with the chocolate fountain...

Then I ended the buffet session with sweet Sarawak pineapples and a cup of tea. That was quite a meal, but mum said that I didn't eat too much, and probably didn't get my money's worth.

But.. 3 hours after my buffet dinner, I am still feeling the fullness of my food. In fact, none of it seems like it has been digested. I feel so full, to the point of feeling sick actually... This feeling is no fun.. I feel kinda ill.. and I can't sleep because I feel so bloated.

I will try to remember to keep to my stomach's limit the next time I go for buffet dinner. Hopefully I will feel better in half an hour or so...

Good night..

Will I be so tired that I give up trying?

Have you ever had the feeling of knowing that you cannot communicate with someone?


No matter how you try, what angle you pursue, what tactics, what method of communications they still don't work. Whatever you are trying to get at just does not get through. Period.

I am not sure if it was because of the way things were said, or was it selective hearing from the other party, but before I could even get to my point, I will often be forced to fend off defensive remarks and protect my "story". The conversation then takes a 180 degree turn, instead of me making my point, the other party will make his point, and I will often be left speechless.

Speechless to the point not knowing what to say in my defense. Although valid points and arguments crosses my mind but I am unable to put my thoughts into strong points and throw it back. Am I that useless? Or am I just tired of saying what I want to say, knowing that nothing I say will be taken seriously. When somebody starts a conversation with self denial and defense mechanism barriers up, is there room for new lights to shine through? Will the person listen, and admits that there is a possibility of new light to things?


The real question is: Will I get tired of trying to talk and explain things and just give up altogether, shutting down whenever I encounter resistance? Rather than trying to explain my stand and view points, I choose to remain silent instead?


It's already happening.. do you know..?

Mood: Do not feel like talking.. Pondering the "what-ifs" and wondering if my decision was ever justified.