Just Betty

Here in Calgary

2010-11-20T16:13:00.001+08:00

So I’m blogging from here in Calgary, Canada! My first post here from Calgary! Wooohoooo!!!

And yeah, those mid-year resolutions I made? Probably not gonna happen. =(

Well, things and situations changed pretty quickly the moment we got our visas, and we were rushing and preparing for so many things, and the moment we got here, we just had more to do! With finding a place to live in, getting our health cards and other important documents, signing up for classes, getting a job, buying winter clothes and everything else!

I haven’t had the time to cook! Much less cook vegetarian! =( Sad to say, we’ve been eating a lot more meat now than we did in Malaysia. Partly because it’s easier to cook, partly because I seem to be craving for more fats and oils, to keep warm, coz it’s really cold here!

It’s –18 degrees C now, and it’d been snowing the last couple of days! Which is really fun and exciting, except I wish we could have the snow without the cold! LOL!

There are a lot of other things going on, in terms of settling into our lives here, that’s made it pretty difficult for me to work on the other stuff I wanted to do, like NaNoWriMo and exercising.

I must say now, looking back at the last few months, I was quite naive, thinking that we could settle in as quickly as I thought we would. It’s 3 months we’ve been here, and I think from what we’ve experienced so far, it’s going to be at least a year or two before we actually really settle! It’s been a really HUGE change! And it’ll take a while for us to get used to the weather and being on our own and the lifestyle and culture here… Also finding out where to buy the things that we need and other stuff like that.

We’re obviously not going to be 80% vegetarian as long as we need to eat the meat for warmth! There *are* people who are 100% vegetarians thriving in winter though, so I know there is a way, but until it’ll take some time for us to educate ourselves about these info, and in the meantime, we’ll just have to eat what we can get. And like I mentioned before, because we’ve been so busy with work and studies and other necessary things, sometimes we don’t even have the time to cook, and we need to eat whatever we can find when we’re in a rush.

It will take a while.

But I am optimistic and loving every lesson I’m learning!

Things *are* settling, slowly but surely, and eventually one day, we’ll just suddenly realize that we’ve got everything finally, settled! I hope! LOL!

had thought that we’d be able to document everything from the time we got our visas until we get settled in, but obviously, we were so busy we didn’t get the chance to document as much as we wanted. But I’ll post and update as much as I can, when I can!

Loving every day! =D

Mid-Year Resolutions

2010-07-27T02:54:00.001+08:00

It’s been a while since I last did this, but I really felt like doing this, and I’m of the opinion that we shouldn’t wait until the new year to get started on resolutions and improvement…

…so I made a list of the things I wanted to achieve before the end of this year:

Wake up by 6am everyday.
Get into the habit of writing everyday.
“Win” NaNoWriMo this year.
Exercise at least 20 minutes, six days a week.
Be 80% vegetarian.

There’s probably more, but this is all I’m thinking of right now. I’ll add more later if I can think of more. I’ll add the details later too. Obviously, most of these goals are more habit than one-time achievements, and it will take some time to get into them, but I’ll be fine as long as I follow my game-plan.

Of course, I’ll have to make a game-plan first. =D

Well, it’s a great start!

On the Brink of Adventure!

2010-07-22T15:33:00.001+08:00

I finally had some time for myself and I thought I’d blog a little. I’ve been so out of the habit that it seems weird now, blogging about my thoughts, but since I’m here, I’ve got to say something anyway, right?

Truth is, there haven’t been much blogging lately because I haven’t had much to say. Every day was the same old story; we’re just waiting, waiting, waiting on the world to change. =P

Seriously though, there’s not much to say now, because what’s so interesting about telling people what we’ve decided to bring with us or give/throw away, or how I’ve spent hours pouring over the same books over and over again, wondering if I should keep them or throw them, or planning what we’re going to wear and what we’ll need to buy…

Obviously, there’s a lot on my mind now, but there’s also so much of it that I can’t express. I’m anxious and I’m excited too. There’s so many things to look forward to and then there’s the fear of the unknown.

Ok, truth is, I’m not *that* scared, because I believe that we’ll be able to handle anything, but of course, any normal human being will feel just a little nervous about moving to a completely new place where they don’t know anyone, wouldn’t they?

Anyway, we’re still in the midst of preparations, and there’s still a lot to be done, but I think we’re pretty much ready for everything. =)

I can’t wait until we’ve got so much more to share with everyone. Every day will be a brand new adventure, and I’m definitely going to tell you all about it! =)

Ouch!

2010-06-27T09:16:00.001+08:00

Love to Criticize

2010-06-27T01:03:00.001+08:00

Top 10 signs you’re about to be dumped:

7. She stops criticizing you. This one may sound counterintuitive, but, as Py Kim Conant says, “if she stops complaining about you leaving the toilet seat up, it may mean that she’s given up on the relationship and has no energy to put into further criticism of you. In fact, she may not even notice the toilet seat any longer, since her focus is no longer on perfecting you.”

I was reading this article online, and this jumped out at me, because out of the list of 10 things, #7 is the *for-sure* sign that I’m about to dump you.

I like improvement. I like improving. I don’t expect perfection and I don’t expect overnight improvement, but if you’re not moving forwards, you’re moving backwards, and to me, that’s a relationship deal-breaker.

I feel a little sorry for Lone that he has to put up with my constant ‘criticizing’ on his minor flaws (I don’t really criticize, I just remind him to improve a little every day), but the really wonderful thing is that he realizes that when I ‘criticize’ him, it means I love him, and he always knows that it’s for both our benefits for both of us to improve every day.

The interesting thing is that for a couple of my exes before Lone, the tell-tale sign that the relationship was over was when I stopped criticizing them. I spent months nagging and nagging, and in some cases crying, screaming and throwing things (ok, not really, but it sounds satisfyingly dramatic, doesn’t it?), and sometimes things will improve for a while, and then they’d go back to doing what they’ve always done before.

Then one day I'd just had enough. You think I like to keep on nagging and screaming at you, hey? I don’t enjoy having to do it any more than you enjoy me doing it.

So I stopped doing it, because I realized that they were never going to improve anyway, and I was just wasting my breath. And the moment you realize that nothing’s ever going to improve in your relationship, that’s the moment that you know the relationship is doomed.

So I’m glad Lone appreciates it from me, he really does! He tells me constantly that he appreciates me helping him improve (and vice versa from me to him as well), and that his ultimate goal is to be such an amazing husband that I’d have nothing to criticize about him. ;-)

How did I ever get so lucky? =)

Disclaimer: I don’t really like using the word ‘criticize’ here, because I believe the word ‘nag’ would be a lot more accurate. For the sake of keeping to the article though, I’ve used ‘criticize’ but I really mean ‘nag’. =P

Mixed Up-dates

2010-05-16T06:50:00.001+08:00

The internet has been really slow the last couple of days. It’s so frustrating! Why aren’t the people at the internet company doing something about it?

Grrr….

Well, at least this morning it’s looking better…

Anyway, I still haven’t gotten pix of my new haircut. Lone hasn’t bothered to take pix… I guess he doesn’t like my hair. =( =P

On to more important things; was the match between South Korea and China for the Uber Cup yesterday exciting or what!!

I’m really glad Korea won. China has been hogging the cup for the last 6 rounds, and I think Korea played really well and deserved to win. I felt so moved when they won in the end and everyone was so happy and celebrating, and especially when I saw one of their coaches cry! It’s a good win.

Congratulations, Korea!!

I can’t wait for the Thomas Cup match today!!

Cutting it Off

2010-05-07T07:54:00.001+08:00

In an impulse (as usual), I chopped off my long hair yesterday!

I’d had really long hair for many years now, maybe 3-4 years or so, and I’ve gotten really bored of it.

I did think of cutting it earlier this year, but felt lazy and was thinking that I should try growing it to waist length first, since I’d gotten so far already.

The truth is, it took ages for my hair to grow. Although I’d had long hair for years, it never really grew that much longer because I had to keep cutting the split ends.

My hair was dry and damaged, and frankly, I’m too lazy to maintain it everyday.

I thought recently, when I saw so many split ends, of trimming the ends again, but then I thought also, it’s never going to end (pun intended), so I just decided to cut it all off.

It’s now *really* short. And I mean, *really* short.

Maybe I’ll post a pic soon, if Lone would get his camera out. =P

Bright Shiny New

2010-05-02T07:41:00.001+08:00

Firstly, as you can see, I changed my look! =) I mean on the blog!

This looks really good and I’m really loving it, but let me tell you it wasn’t easy choosing this! There were so many great templates to choose from!

I guess I could always change it again later if I want to, Blogger.com has made it a lot easier now that they allow you to keep your widgets when you change templates. It used to be a lot more tedious, having to manually move all your widgets to the new template.

Now that it’s easier, I might change my template more often. =) Or not.

Anywayyyy…

I took up Yoga classes!! =)

And Lone took them up with me!! =)

I’m so happy that Lone decided to join me, and we’re having lots of fun together, and learning so much together, and the good thing is that having him with me in class pushes me harder.

As most people know, since it’s so very obvious, I’m really out of shape. I wanted some sort of exercise that could help with my various physical problems, and I don’t mean just regular exercises like badminton or jogging that makes you sweat, but something that would *really* benefit the energy of the body.

My first choice was tai chi, actually, but it wasn’t easy finding a good teacher and convenient classes.

After months of looking and not finding, I guess yoga started seeming like the better choice.

And I’m really loving it!!

Lone and I signed up for 3 months of unlimited classes, and we’re going 3 times a week for now, because we need to condition the body first, so we need to rest in between classes. Once we’re used to it, we might perhaps go 5 or 6 times a week, depending. =)

So far we’ve had 2 classes, and I can already see improvements on my body. Not huge improvements or anything, but I can see a little, and obviously, being out of shape, there’s a lot more improvements to be seen!

I can’t wait for the next class!

I Hear You

2010-04-21T09:37:00.001+08:00

You know, I used to keep a diary.

A private, physical one, where I handwrote all my thoughts and my secrets in.

Sometimes I wonder why I blog instead of write in my diary. The thing is, I can write more details in my diary, and say as many bad things about as many a**holes as I want, and fully disclose their names as well.

So why do I choose to blog where I have to censor certain details, instead of letting it all out in a diary.

Heck, why does anyone do it?

In the hopes of getting heard, I think.

Many times, even while I was writing in my private diary, I always thought, wouldn’t my great-grandchildren get a kick out of reading their great-grandmother’s diary? ;-)

I want them to see how I was, that their boring old great-grandmother had a life, had feelings, had thoughts…

We all want to be heard. We want people to know who we are, to understand us, to feel like we’re not alone.

Blogging gives us that.

We may have many readers, or just a few, we may have a lot of feedback via comments or none at all, but putting it all out there on a blog at least let us think that maybe, just maybe, someone is listening to us.

Credit Card, Anyone?

2010-04-15T23:20:00.001+08:00

So recently I was offered a credit card from a bank.

Ok, not really “offered”, but the representative asked me to sign up for it since it was free, blah blah blah, the usual sales pitch they do to get you to sign up for credit cards…

I already had one, so I didn’t need another one, but I thought, oh well, why not. So I signed up for it,

The representative said it would take a little while for them to do the basic required background check on me to see if I was eligible for the credit card.

I understood, of course, they’d want to see if I was earning enough money, or if I had any unpaid debts, or etc.

I was very confident that their background check would be very favorable for me, because I earn reasonably well, and I’d *never* owed money to my other credit card provider.

*Ever*.

And I do mean ever. I’d had that card for at least a couple of years, and I’d always paid back every single cent every single month. Not the minimum amount, but the full amount. Every month. Never fail.

I seldom use my credit card, you see, and I put small amounts of credit on it, and I never spend money that I don’t have.

So I was kinda proud of myself, I felt as if I was like a model citizen, always paying back anything I owe. I was so sure that this second credit card company would definitely approve my application.

Imagine my surprise when they told me my application was declined!

I wondered what skeletons in my closet did they dig up while doing the background check that they would decline my application… I really was confused!

Then it hit me!

The exact reason why I thought they’d surely approve me, is the exact reason why they declined me!

They can’t make any money out of me!

Because I pay back every single cent I owe, rather than just the minimum amount, and allowing the rest of it to be subjected to the interest, they can’t make money out of giving me a credit card!

And in fact, I think they might even lose money because they wouldn’t even be charging me for the service! (Because the representative said no charge for first year, etc.)

Those banks are real crooks, I tell you. Not giving me a credit card coz they can’t make money out of me… *sheesh*

But then again, they probably figured I really didn’t need one anyway, and they’re right. LOL!

But they’re still crooks! Think of the amount of interest they charge us when we take loans from them, and then think about the amount of interest they give us when we put our hard earned money in their banks, for their use!

Crooks!

Hmmppphh…

Living a Full Life!

2010-04-04T20:58:00.001+08:00

I’ve been really busy the last couple of days getting things done that I should’ve gotten done a long time ago.

It feels good to finally get some of them out of the way, but the more I work, the more work I realize I have!

And as with everything, I need to make a choice. I know I have a lot to do, and not enough time to do them all. I’m not superwoman, that I can do things in superspeed and with super efficiency, or Hiro, that I can manipulate time.

So sometimes I wonder if I should continue blogging, because I realize that I blog mostly for my own indulgence. At the same time though, I think my blogging is important, because it’s an outlet for me.

Then I think again, that I have so many blogs, and surely I could give some of them up? But then again, no, because this blog is important for expressing my thoughts, and my book blog is important not just for expressing my thoughts on books but also because I’ve made so many new friends from it!

Every blog I have, I have for a reason, and I don’t want to give them up. They are worth maintaining for various reasons.

So I think about my studies; obviously, I can’t give up my degree program in Holistic Nutrition, because this is the ‘official’ course I’m taking. I’m also ‘un-officially’ studying religion and spirituality, crochet and knitting crafts, various computer skills, and so many other stuff I’m interested in.

I’ve given up on some of them, *for now*, but even so I still have a lot on my plate, and am not willing to cut down on some of them.

I live for learning, and I live for growth, and I’m loving learning something new everyday!

Do I even need to mention the other stuff I need to get done everyday? My music practice, freelance work, cleaning house, correspondence, etc…

So yes, I do have a lot on my plate, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life is fun!

Betty’s Back!

2010-03-21T00:54:00.001+08:00

More than a year since I moved to BettyNLone, I decided to move back here.

I weighed my options about moving back here, and I think it’s for the best.

Recently, I re-read some of my old post here at Just Betty, and I miss having and writing those thoughtful (I think) posts. I enjoyed reading back what I wrote and giving myself food for thought that I’d forgotten. I realized that I didn’t really post much over at BettyNLone, and that a lot of the posts were superficial.

The reason for that is because I don’t feel good about ranting on a blog that Lone and I share, because I feel like that blog is supposed to be about *us*, not about *me*, and when I rant, or post stuff unrelated to him, I feel like I’m stealing the limelight away from *us*.

So it ends up being superficial (not a bad thing, just that I miss having an outlet for other stuff), as in we only post about where we’ve gone, what we’ve done, etc. Obviously, we don’t post about our arguments because we mostly settle them as fast as we have them, and we’re not going to share intimate details as those are personal. Watch your Korean drama if you want drama! =P

Anyway, since then Lone and I have gotten married, and we’ve again moved to another blog, The Lone Family, because in the future it’s not going to be only me and him anymore. And no, before you ask, I’m not pregnant, and I’m not planning to be for a while. We just like to think ahead.

The Lone Family blog would also, obviously, be a blog about us and our family, so I won’t be posting my own personal stuff there either.

I thought about posting my personal thoughts over at Betty’s Books instead, but I felt uncomfortable about that too, because it’s where I share my thoughts about the books I read, and I think it would be weird if I also posted negative stuff about the people I know in real life!

Oh, trust me, I’m no saint. I love bad-mouthing some of the people I know in real life! =P

Ok, not really. I don’t really “bad-mouth” them as much as I just tell truths that they don’t wanna face, but even so, I wouldn’t “bad-mouth” them here if I could do it to their face, and trust me, I *have* tried doing it to their faces, but they always shout me down, coz they’re too afraid to see the truth, and I just get tired of getting nowhere.

So I want to write it on my blog, to get it out, but the other blogs weren’t the right place to do it, so I’m back here again. =P

All jokes aside though, I’m really happy to be back! I realize that it’s important, while being part of a couple and of a family, that I hold on to my individuality as well, because that’s what makes me, me.

So I’m back now, and as before, it’s Just Betty here. =)

Moving!

2008-09-01T01:36:00.003+08:00

Hey everyone! Lone and I have decided to move in together!

To a new blog address! (ahem...=P)

Here's the new url: http://bettynlone.blogspot.com

It'll probably take me a little while to move my stuff there, (all my links and stuff on the sidebar....) and I've been exhaustingly busy the last couple of days, but we'll get settled in soon. =)

I've realized that I don't always update here regularly, and pix are posted up very slowly because the camera is always with Lone. So we decided that if we shared a blog, he could post up the pix, and I could write whatever I wanted. LOL! And it would be a whole lot easier to maintain one blog together than two.

So yeah, head on to our new blog: http://bettynlone.blogspot.com and update your links! See you there!

Time After Time (Cover) by Space Blaze

2008-08-24T13:12:00.004+08:00

Remember the 'secret' I told you about?

We finally finished it! Wooo hooo!!

Listen to it and tell me what you think! =D And if you like it, spread it around and tell your friends to tell us what they think! Ok, even if you didn't like it, please tell us too, so we can improve.

Like I said before, it's not really a secret, it's just that we wanted to surprise everyone with what we've learned about making our own recording, and of course, *ahem*, our musical skills as well. LOL!

I know the sound isn't really that great, but honestly we did the best we could with the equipment we had. We used a cheap, non-condenser mic, a simple recording software, without even a sound card, which I think we're gonna have to get after this...

So anyway, we did the best we could with the sound and the mixing, but I think the actual music itself is really, really good! =) I'm proud of us, because I really like our arrangement. And I'm especially proud of Lone, coz he did all the music himself, the drums, the bass, the many guitar layers, and he did the mixing really well considering the equipment we have. And trust me, of all the things we had to do, the mixing was the hardest! And part of the reason why we took so much time to do this one song too, because we kept having to re-do some parts becoz of the way the sounds turned out.

I, on the other hand, did all the vocals, the main and a few layers of backup vocals. And *ahem*... if I didn't sound good, I blame it on the mic! LOL!

Ok ok! The truth is, I'm surprised at how different it is singing on a recording and singing live, and how much harder in fact. And as I've said before, I'm no Christina or Mariah, so please do forgive my not-so-good singing, but seriously, the mic does play an important part in the vocal sound quality!

But hey, this is just for now anyway, and it's not like we're recording a CD or anything, this is just to get our music 'on tape', and maybe later when we can afford all the ridiculously expensive but extremely high-quality equipment, we'll record it again. And hopefully by then, I will have improve a lot more on my singing, and then *everything* will sound really good. =D

So tell me what you think!

P.S. Btw, if you're wondering how we got the name Space Blaze, Lone and I decided that we would each think of one word and combine them. We each have personal attachments to our words, and they sorta go together well, don't you think, with their rhyming sounds. =D

Redemption and Weddings

2008-08-14T12:57:00.003+08:00

I haven't blogged in a while, but there's a perfectly good reason for that. =)

Redemption is BACK!

And BETTER than EVER!

And um... we've been spending a lot of time with them. =) Which means really late nights and sleeping at dawn and waking up after noon.

Not healthy for me, I know, but we don't do it *that* often.... sort of.

Anywayyyy..... Redemption is back! And better than ever! Seriously! They have really improved since the last time we saw them perform, which was more than a year ago.

So if anyone is interested in listening to really good live music and having lots of fun, make sure you head over to Hard Rock Cafe this August. Ok?? We'll probably be there more often than not. =D

We've gotten lots of pictures, but as usual, they're with Lone, so you'll have to wait for them. We also celebrated Charmin's birthday last Saturday in Hard Rock, so you'll see those pictures too. And Ee Won and Jeremy's marriage registration was on Monday, so you'll see those pictures as well!

Did I mention that I'm so thrilled for the both of them?! They make a really great couple and are so soooo sweet. Ee Won has one of the most charming personalities I know! And Jeremy is great fun and really good to her. *Envy*

Ok, not really, coz Lone is really great to me too. =)

Actually, I feel that us girls have been really lucky, because we've got great guys who are really, really wonderful to us, care about us, love us a lot, and give us everything we want and need... We hardly ever complain about them, or if we do it's just for fun, and the best thing is, there's no DRAMA! =P No screaming matches, no third parties, no crying all night, no drama!

But there's so much excitement! Wedding plans, and fun nights out, places to go, and people to meet, wonderful and interesting conversation, games and laughter. So much fun! And no drama!

This is the life! And I am so extremely happy and grateful that Lone loves me. =D

Anyway, EW and Jeremy's wedding is this October. So thrilled, so thrilled!

Raising the Bar

2008-08-02T14:39:00.003+08:00

I was just reading a book about PR, and there was a section about raising the bar; improving yourself and becoming better and better as you go.

People who've talked to me about this before knows what I always say. It doesn't matter if you're 'not as good' as your competitor or your peers or whoever when you start off, as long as you have the attitude of improvement.

What I mean is, you could be the last in your class, and everyone could be well ahead of you, but if they stay where they are, while you keep on moving forward, pretty soon, you'd be well ahead of them!

Life isn't stagnant, it keeps moving, everything in life is progressing, and when it comes to technology and science and those kinda things, we all know it because it can be so clearly seen. But it also applies to personal development, and the problem with most people is that they don't realize this.

How many people you know never grow personally, even as a child to an adult? You see the difference in them as they become less childish and more serious, but that doesn't mean they've grown up. In fact, it probably means they're more immature than ever.

There's a difference between being childish and immature, by the way. You can be childish and yet very mature, and being serious doesn't make you a mature person. I personally, will never stop being childish, because OMG, life is fun! As it should be. =D

Anyway, I digress again.

As I was saying: personal progress, raising the bar, being better than you were before...

Nobody's perfect, and nobody could ever be perfect, and if that's the case, then that means that we can always improve. Everyday, all the time. I've said this before also, that my own personal goal is to be better today than I was yesterday, and be better tomorrow than I am today. It doesn't matter how little I improve, or in whatever department or aspect of my life, as long as I am better than before.

And with this attitude, even if I compare myself with millionaires my age, I know eventually I'll catch up to them, unless of course, they improve too. =)

As I've said, I don't really compare much, just sometimes it's necessary to compare to know where you are, but I never let it get me down if I think I'm not doing as well as others, because I know for a fact, that I will get better.

Some people reach a certain level and they believe they're so good that it's not necessary to improve anymore, some people don't even know it's possible to improve. So they stagnate, and fall behind when others move ahead, but they still believe they're the best because they've fostered their beliefs for so long and it's hard to accept anything else.

I know a couple of people like that. People whom I used to respect, and whom I learned so much from because they *were* the best. Years ago, they were my teachers, my masters, my gurus, my sifus. But I've continued growing, and they've stopped, and as a result they've actually moved backward. So the student has become better than the teacher. But the problem with the teacher is that they are no longer teachers but they can't accept the fact because they've been the teachers for so long, it's hard not to teach anymore.

My problem with them is that I wouldn't mind them continuing to teach, if they had something new to teach, but they don't, and they don't want to improve either, while the world around them is improving.

Imagine that you're using the latest, newest, highest technology computer, and the manual you got with it is for those old computers we used to use 10 years ago. Imagine if the technician insisted that you learn to use your new computer with the old manual.

Things change, the world is moving forward, you need to change and move forward with it, or else you're going to be left behind.

So... raise the bar, keep on growing, keep learning, keep improving yourself, it's a never-ending lifelong quest.

Wedding Venue

2008-08-02T13:37:00.003+08:00

It's not easy trying to keep up with everything, and yet I still insist on doing so.

I could make life easier for myself by giving up on certain things, but I won't, because some things I'm just not willing to give up on.

Of course, sometimes things get backed up, and right now at the moment I have so many things in the pipeline just waiting to be done, and all I can do is take one thing at a time and finish one task at a time.

I think I'm doing pretty well, in fact. As well as can be, considering everything. =)

Lone and I have decided on next year December for our wedding, but we haven't found a venue yet. We don't want hotels or Chinese restaurants. Anyone has any suggestions for us?

Money-N-You seminar last weekend

2008-07-29T15:10:00.002+08:00

Lone and I went for MNY again last weekend. The best thing about it is that once you've participated once, it's free for you to go to again and again, for life, and in anywhere in the world whenever they hold MNY seminars.

As the name says, very literally, it's all about money, and you. It's a three and a half day (full days! which can be tiring but really rewarding in the end) course, where they help you learn more about money and you. Key here being that they *help* YOU learn. They don't teach you, they don't tell you, they just put you in situations and let you figure it out for yourself. And then, they review what you've learned with you.

I think it's a great way to help people learn, because the truth is people remember and understand better when they're involved in their own learning process, instead of just listening to the teacher and accepting (or rejecting) what the teacher says.

So anyway they teach you about money, how to smart with money and business, yada, yada, yada... and I learned some really, really, good lessons from there. And every time I go back for review, I get more distinctions, and also it's a great reminder to me to check if I'm going on the right track.

But I believe, and what everyone else is saying, the most impacting thing you learn in MNY, is all about YOU. As in, you, yourself, your thoughts, your beliefs, your attitude, your behavior....etc.

We all know that we all aren't perfect human beings, and the sad thing is, we know, and we ignore that fact. We don't bother spending time thinking about ourselves, improving ourselves, nourishing ourselves, helping ourselves grow.... and instead, most of us spend a LOT of our time thinking about our career, how to improve our income, growing our business. Or we think about anything as long as we don't have to face the ugly truth about ourselves.

Well, admit it, a lot of us don't know anything about ourselves. And a lot of us don't want to.

This is why I enjoy going to MNY, I meet people there who are not afraid to be honest about themselves, I meet people there who know who they are, who understand themselves, who love themselves, and in extension, they love and understand others.

Ok, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that *everyone* who goes for MNY is like that, because for every 'good' person you meet, there is someone else who is only there to prospect, or to impose, or who are too stubborn or too afraid to learn. Not that there's anything wrong with prospecting or whatever, that's half the reason people attend MNY after all. But there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. We have all met pushy salespeople who don't see us as people but only as dollar signs, who recite all their information at us as if we know what the heck their talking about, and who don't even care that we're not interested.

However, out of every 100 people there, you do get to meet a few really, really, great people. The key is quality, not quantity. Of course, you could introduce yourself to everyone and try to talk to everyone, but you don't build relationships that way. In most social settings where you get to know people for the first time, you make many acquaintances, but only a few actually become friends.

That's how it's like in MNY. The setting there is in such a way that although you've only met that one particular person that day, you're talking as if you've been friends since childhood.

I like making friends. Because friends allow you to go deeper. Friends talk about everything, friends are not afraid of opening up and being vulnerable, friends are not afraid of you judging them or vice versa, friends like you for who you are and not who they want you to be. I love friends.

Acquaintances, on the other hand... Well, I'm incapable of small talk. I don't care about the weather, I don't know anything about the latest fashions, or celebrity gossip, I don't particularly like talking about politics (although it does concern me), and I don't know much about sports.

Of course, I'm generalizing here, because although I don't know anything about any of these topics, some really good friends of mine love talking about them. But as long as they do all the talking and allow me to just listen and don't expect me to come up with an intelligent reply when it comes to these topics, I'm fine. And they're fine too, because they know me, and they allow me to talk about things that they know nothing about either.

But you see, our friendship wasn't built on these topics, it was built on much more solid ground, fed with much love and care. I liken it to building a cozy home, a solid house on a solid foundation, with quality building materials. And when the house is built, you can add all sorts of furniture and decorations in it, even when all the furniture don't match and the deco is all last season. It becomes a warm place, with a lot of of uniqueness and character, and that's what friendship is.

Now, if you tried throwing all sorts of different furniture and deco out in the middle of nowhere, exposed in the sun, wind, and rain, with no home to put them in and no warmth to hold them. Well, that's not a friendship, that's just a lot of furniture out in the dust.

You know what I mean.

Just wait a little longer

2008-07-23T18:27:00.004+08:00

Actually, I guess I couldn't tell you what I've been busy doing the last week even if I hadn't been exhausted.

I want to, I really, really, want to. But I won't. =P

Because we've been working on that 'secret' project that I've talked about. =)

Ok, again, it's not really a secret but I'd just like it to be a surprise when we finally present it. And it's not like it's a really big thing or anything either, it's just a special project Lone and I have been working on, and it's such a small thing that you'd all probably wonder why it's taking us so long to finish it, but it's really much harder than it looks!

I'm really anxious and excited to show all of you, but we're not going to rush it just because we're over-eager to show it off. It's important for us to make it perfect, and when it is, then, and only then, will I present it here.

I gotta be patient and so must everyone else. =)

BZ days....

2008-07-22T02:33:00.002+08:00

I've been reeeeaaaallly busy these last couple of days, and I would tell you about it, except I'm really too exhausted at the moment, so I'll tell you later k. =P

Sleepy, tired.....zzzzzZZZzzzz

Redemption in Hard Rock, KL this August

2008-07-16T14:35:00.004+08:00

Not many comments on my last post, I guess it was kinda long and confusing to read, but I was hoping for more feedback about it.

Anyway, nothing much happening lately, except that Lone and I are working on a *secret* project. =) Ok, it's not really secret, and I'll definitely share once we're done, but I'd like it to be a surprise. We're working on it! I promise to share as soon as we're done!

Another exciting thing happening soon, Redemption is going to be back in Hard Rock, KL, in August! That's next month! How fast time flies! I can't wait to see Bien, and Raul, and Alex again! Too bad Paula and Teody aren't with them anymore, and I'm not sure about Cris either...

Well, anyway, this means that we'll be spending most of August and September in Hard Rock, I can so see money on wings flying away from me now. LOL!

So if anyone wants to join us, and maybe volunteer to let their money do the flying for us instead, let me know. =)

Culture differences and confusion

2008-07-13T00:42:00.005+08:00

One of the things I love about Lone is that we can have so many great conversations together.

Yesterday, we went to visit one of Lone's students, a Swedish man, and we started talking about the differences in Malaysian culture (and sub-cultures of the different races/religions/etc) and Swedish culture.

This man has been working here in Malaysia for the past couple of years, before his company will be sending him to yet another country to work for a while. He holds one of the top managerial positions in the company now in Malaysia, and he mentioned how flummoxed he was when he first started managing Malaysians.

In Swedish culture, it's common and even encouraged, that the employees give honest and sometimes negative feedback to their bosses. The people are more willing to share their opinions, which as Hans (the Swede) says, is a good thing, because you get honest feedback and that's one of the best ways to improve.

Part of it is because of the 'lifestyle' there; there is a very, very strong job security in place in Sweden. Employers cannot, by law, fire any employees there,(there may be some caveats which we didn't go into details about...) and the only time they can fire anyone is if they can prove that they are doing it to downsize the company. And if they are doing it to downsize the company, they can't even choose who they want to fire. The person who gets fired, is always the newest employee. It doesn't matter if you're more skilled or hardworking or whatever, if you're the newest one, you get fired.

The good thing, of course, is that it breeds a company loyalty, in that the longer you stay with a company, the more protected you are. In fact, personally, I believe this is a great policy all around, for many reasons. But at the same time, I also know it will not work for us.

It works for them, because of the details in their upbringing and their culture and all the little things that make them who they are as a culture, which makes them not take advantage or abuse a system like this.

It will not work for us, because our culture and the many little details of our own upbringing and societal conditioning, has made us into a different type of people. One that learns that it's better to be kiasu. And I believe, a system like that will not work because it will definitely be misused by us.

Anyway, it got me thinking further, you know. And later, when Lone and I went for supper, we started discussing about cultural differences and how interesting it was.

We started pin-pointing on the Malaysian culture, and the Chinese sub-culture in particular.

I said that one of the biggest problems with some of the Malaysian Chinese in our generation is that they are majorly confused. Majorly, inescapably, extremely, confused.

Why?

Because we are conditioned by our parents, by our friends, the people around us, that we have to be a certain way.

And then we are taught, in our colleges, in the books we read and the movies we watch, that we have to be a different way.

More specifically, our Chinese backgrounds and culture which is so deeply ingrained into us, have us living in total contradiction with the Western teachings that we consciously think is a 'better' way to live.

An example is that in Chinese culture, we are brought up to be humble and 'put ourselves down', it is a very, very old culture that most of us don't do anymore in its original form, but which we still do in a watered-down form.

If someone compliments you and say, "You have a very intelligent son." It is polite and expected of you to say, "No, my son is very stupid." Of course, now we don't do that anymore, but it is so deeply ingrained into our subconscious, that we still sometimes find ourselves unable to just completely accept the compliment with grace and pride. We have to say something like, "No la, your son is smarter," or "No la, my son still need to improve more."

It's also partly our fear of the 'compliment-er's' perception. If we did in fact, replied with something like, "Yes, of course my son is smart, we are so proud of him," we worry that the person may think we are showing off, that we are prideful, or whatever they want to think.

Personally, I'm one of those people who don't really have much of a humble bone in my body, not necessarily a good thing, and I would think nothing of accepting a compliment with a simple "Thank you" and a very big smile. Which, by the way, is what most of us are consciously taught that we should do, but which most of us seldom actually do. But I understand the reason that we mostly don't do it too, because the reaction we get is quite negative.

Perhaps the best example I can give, and the reason I gave up on studying Psychology in college, is this...

Ok, picture this, when you're a child and in school, maybe you have some brothers or sisters, maybe you have some other friends. Your parents are always telling you to study hard, study hard, study hard. They want you to have good results, but they are *always* comparing! Always!

How come your results are not as good as your brother's? How come your friend got 9A's and you only have 5? How come your math is so poor when your sister is a genius at math? And on and on and on....

So we learn to always compare ourselves with others. And of course, you *never* win when you do, because there will always be someone better than you in something! Not everyone will be better than you in everything, of course. It's just one particular person will be better than you in this, and another will be better than you in that, and that's perfectly normal, coz you would be better than them in certain things too.

But our parents have ingrained this comparing thing into us so badly that we always feel insecure and a lack of confidence.

So we go to college, and we(I) study Psychology, and the lecturer tells us that we must be confident, confident, confident! We must believe in ourselves! We must trust ourselves! We must whatever! The point is, they tell us to be confident.

Frankly, I've never lacked confidence. My parents never did that comparing thing with me, so I never really got the concept of comparing yourself against others.

That's not to say that I'm like, completely egotistical or whatever. I do have my own insecurities sometimes, and every once in a while, I do compare, but I always do it with a certain perspective.

I mean, I *know* perfectly well, that I'm definitely not the best in everything I do, and there are always people better than me, but that doesn't mean I'm a good-for-nothing either, coz I do what I do best, with all the things that I have!

For example, I love singing and I think I'm pretty decent, but I will never be a Mariah Carey or an Alicia Keys, but that sure doesn't mean I should stop singing.

And I think I'm pretty good-looking, I mean, I'm not horrible looking, but I'm also one of those people who don't really spend a lot of time on maintaining her looks. I'm chubby in certain places, I have really dry skin, I can't be bothered to shave my legs or tweeze my eyebrows, I don't even like shopping for clothes that might make me look better, and I'm too lazy to spend even 5 minutes putting lotion for my dry skin. So yeah, I do sometimes feel insecure when I stand next to a barbie doll, but I also know I'm good at certain things that she probably wouldn't have a clue at.

So you see, I believe in myself. I have confidence in myself. I don't really compare, much. I just do what I do, and try to improve myself the best that I can. I have never had the mindset of 'being better than the other person', but I always try to live by 'being better than what I used to be'.

So anyway, when I went to college, and the Psychology lecturer/counselor was preaching to the students with low confidence to be confident, I thought, "Great! Teaching people to be confident is a great, great, thing!"

Until I had my one-to-one sessions with the counselor and realize how hypocritical it all was.

Students are encouraged to go to the counselor every once in a while, to 'ground' themselves, or to get support or when they're feeling down, or whatever.

So I went for mine, and I guess he might have been really used to low confident students going to him, and replying with 'Be confident! Believe in yourself!" because when he started talking about confidence, and I said, "Oh, I have no problem with confidence...." intending to talk about other areas where I wanted his help instead, he snapped at me and said, "Then why are you here for?"

Inside I was shocked! But outside I smoothed it over by ignoring his snappish tone and going ahead to talk about the other issues.

I was really disappointed though. Up until then, he had seem like a really great counselor who was always patient with students' problems and I always agreed with the things he taught us, consciously. Even after that incident, when I talked about other problems other than with confidence, he would very patiently help me. I still think he was a great counselor, but I just feel like, our conscious learning, and our subconscious conditioning, are so totally at odds with each other.

Everybody loves preaching to people about how they should be confident. But what do they do when they meet someone who is actually confident? They think he's egotistic!

I know there's a line somewhere, between being confident and being egotistic, and perhaps it's to do with our individual interpretations as well.

I think confidence is purely a 'self' thing; believing in yourself, knowing your own abilities, how good you are and where you can improve, etc. I think egotism is an 'other' thing; how much better you are than the other person, what you can do vs what they can do, etc.

By this definition, I'm confident and not egotistic, coz frankly, I don't much care what other people can or can't do. I'm too busy improving myself.

Anyway, the point here is, (after zigzagging through all my musings) the problem with people nowadays is that they are confused because they are trying to fuse their Chinese upbringing, with their Western education, and they end up contradicting themselves and being hypocritical.

I don't care if you want to follow the Chinese culture, coz I think culture is a great thing, and whatever that may have worked for a people for so many centuries definitely has its place. And I don't care either, if you choose to follow your Western influences and teachings, because they have their own greatness.

But when you try to do both, which contradicts each other... consciously, you say you value confidence, subconsciously, you put down anyone who even shows a little hint of confidence in themselves... that's just plain confusing to everyone! And it makes it really hard for our next generation to learn, because they don't know if they should be confident or humble or what the hell!

Anyway, I'm done. Sorry for the really long post, and I think, a rather confusing one. LOL! It is a confusing subject, so what do you expect?! =P Feel free to tell me your opinions, I always love a good discussion.

Beauty and the Beast: The Musical

2008-07-04T02:22:00.004+08:00

Tuesday night, Lone and I went for the Beauty and the Beast musical at the KL Convention Center. We bought the tickets way back in April and believe me, I have waited with so much anticipation until it was finally July!

The musical both exceeded my expectations and disappointed me at the same time, though I know how contradictory that sounds. But let me explain.

It exceeded my expectations because the performances were really good, they added a lot of new songs, the performers sang and acted really well and with so much enthusiasm, and it was really entertaining and fun.

It disappointed me because I thought the direction wasn't all that good... I didn't know what they were trying to achieve with the show, were they trying to amuse us and make us laugh, or move us and make us cry, or shock us, or what? Because sometimes during the sad scenes or the supposedly serious scenes, they ended up selling us short in the emotional department. The only thing they really achieved was making us laugh.

The other thing is, so many children attended the show, which is of course expected, since it's supposedly a children's show, and would explain a lot of the serious scenes which they turned funny and their over-exaggeration of the characters' caricatures. And yet, I wouldn't call the show kid-friendly... In fact, certain scenes were downright vulgar! Most notably, the scene in which Gaston humps Belle, and the many other scenes where he humps the air. =P

So after the show was over, I walked away feeling confused... Was I supposed to be amused? Or moved? Was this a family-friendly show? Or an 18SX one? What message were they trying to send? What were they trying to achieve?

It all seemed like there wasn't really a point to the show at all... And I definitely didn't walk away feeling fulfilled like I did with the Phantom of the Opera in Singapore, or even with the local production, Drunk Before Dawn.

Beauty and the Beast was just... whatever!

I mean, I enjoyed it, I think. But there's really nothing I can take away from it. =(

Oh well...

Anyway, I got pictures! =) Although we weren't supposed to take any, but everyone else was doing it! =P And with flash too, those terrible people in the audience! At least we didn't use the flash, which would've have totally distracted the performers.

We didn't take a lot, because we had to be really sneaky, but we managed some near the end. Here they are!

In the beginning...
We had to take a picture of the library backdrop, of course! I salivate just thinking about getting a library like this.
Ballroom dancing after the Beast has turned back into the prince. =)
And taking the bows at the end of the show!

That's all, folks! Thanks for watching.

Betty and Veronica

2008-06-28T22:19:00.002+08:00

A couple of days ago, Lone and I had a conversation that tickled me to the bone, because I'm a big fan of the Archie comics. *grin*

So you see, Lone and I were talking about names, and I said I loved female names that could be shortened into masculine names, ei. Joe for Josephine, Sam for Samantha, and etc.

Then Lone mentioned his sister-in-law, as in his brother's wife, who went by the name of Ron, short for Veronica.

And since my name is Betty and I love the Archie comics, I always look for connections between myself and girls named Veronica.

I went, how nice, Betty and Veronica ends up marrying brothers (Lone and his brother). And then I said, if only your names were Archie.

And then, I stopped. And Lone looked at me, and I started laughing like a madwoman! Because I realized that their surname was Chu, as in Ah Chu (Archie)!!!!!

So Betty and Veronica both married Archie!!!! LOLOLOLOL!!!!!

The best part is, I've always wanted a resolution in the age-old question of who Archie marries in the end, and it is *never* ever answered! And now that *both* Betty and Veronica marries Archie, I guess God just doesn't want to give us the answer. LOLOLOL!!!!

I'm so lame.

New bookblog look

2008-06-28T03:56:00.002+08:00

I just spent almost 4 hours trying to fix my book blog!

It's been acting up the last couple of days... taking a long time to load and etc, so I've been troubleshooting trying to figure out what's wrong with it, fixing things here and there. Apparently, it's the template server, so I changed the template.

I wasn't happy with it though, coz it was too *white*, so I added a gray background. But it's still really *white*, and I wanted to change the sidebar's color. It seems the original sidebar design has the sections in gray boxes, but it doesn't turn up here.... I'm still wondering how to fix it.

Sigh... I wish I was smarter with html coding. I only just barely know the basics.

And I'm really, really tired now, so I'll try again tomorrow. Maybe.

Good night!

Zen-ness

2008-06-24T21:59:00.003+08:00

After my tirade yesterday, I tired myself out with all the stressing and worrying, so I decided no more negative thoughts!

I will block all negative thoughts and people from my life.

And become Zen-like....

And boring...

LOL!

Ok, not really. I will definitely not become Zen-like, but I will try to be as positive and exciting as I can. I mean, who says that positive people can't be interesting? =P

Imagine my new-found positivity causing me to win a lottery of 10 million dollars!! Woo hoo!! I bet I won't be boring anymore! LOL!

Especially since I don't buy lottery tickets, so winning a 10 million dollar lottery would definitely be interesting.

Anyway...I digress, as usual.

What I want to do today, is list up 10 things that I'm grateful for. So here they are:

I am grateful for the most wonderful-est, special-est, talented-est, loving-est, romantic-est, fiance in the whole wide world!
I am grateful for a family that love me and only want the best for me.
I am grateful that I have a brilliant brain that enables me to learn more and improve everyday of my life.
I am grateful for all the wealth and opportunities that come my way everyday.
I am grateful for the growth and progress of our business that we love and enjoy.
I am grateful for having the best friends a girl could have.
I am grateful for all the books I've read that have contributed in making me who I am today.
I am grateful for having the opportunity to meet such inspiring people and wonderful new friends.
I am grateful for the two wonderful puppies that constantly brighten up my days.
I am grateful for my skills and talents, and the ability to be able to realize their potentials.

Well, actually I have a lot more to be grateful for, but some of them are too detailed.

Bottom line is, I have a wonderful, wonderful life, filled to the brim with wonderful things. And even though sometimes it seems that they may overflow, I love everything I have, everyday I live. And I honestly feel so lucky, so amazed, that all my dreams are coming true.

(in zen pose)*bliss*

=)

Enough already!

2008-06-24T00:29:00.003+08:00

Every time I start to relax, I'm reminded that I have too many things to do.

My father has been pressuring me about my health studies, asking me why am I doing it so slow, and yet at the same time acknowledging that I'm doing it part-time...

He really confuses me sometimes...

I told him I have a *lot* of things to do, not just study. I'm working with Lone to build up our business, and I'm working constantly on several side businesses as well, not to mention working on making my dreams come true (which involve a lot of foundation work that doesn't show immediate results).

Not to mention a lot of personal stuff that I need to get done as well... My library still needs to be organized, I get sent on household errands a lot (just because I work at home! Arrghh!), and Lone and I are just only starting to organize for our big day next year.

Oh, yes, we're getting married, by the way. =)

Anyway, more on that later, nothing much to say about it now, since we're only just planning about the planning.

So yeah, apparently I'm too slow in my *part-time* studies, and I need to prioritize. Um...I *do* prioritize.

I love studying health and I'm really into my course, but building up our business is much more important now, since we need to earn more money for our wedding and our future, which of course, means that building up my other side businesses is also more important.

That doesn't mean that I'm not studying!

It will kill me if I have to do this, but I may have to put aside my dreams! (because I have nobody to answer to except myself when it comes to my own personal dreams, but they *should* be at the highest priority, shouldn't they?) so that I can spend more time with our businesses and with my studies.

I'm not slow! I'm just not fast. =P

And I'm unwilling to give anything up! I want it all!

Yes, I want to have my cake and eat it too, and I want to be able to do all the things I want to do, because they are all important to me!

I just need everyone to stop with the pressure! I'm doing the best I can!

I love studying, and if I wasn't doing my course now, I will eventually take it up again in the future. But we've already paid, and I'm committed to it, and I'm enjoying it! I just need to be able to go my own pace!

Because truth be told, out of everything I'm doing now, studying is the least important. And if I really *have* to give up something, I would prefer that studying be it.

But it is still important, and I am still committed, and I want to do it! But I want to do it MY WAY! Even my college isn't pressuring me about my pace! It's a self-paced course and I have 5 years to finish it, and they recognize that we're doing it part-time.

I try to allow myself to relax, because I'm so busy and feel so guilty if I'm not doing something productive 24 hours a day that sometimes I'm afraid I may go crazy.

And I hate it that my work goes unrecognized by everyone except Lone, just because I work *mostly* at home.

WORKING AT HOME MEANS I *WORK* AT HOME, IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT I SIT IN FRONT OF THE TV WITH NOTHING TO DO EXCEPT WAIT FOR YOU TO GIVE ME SOME CHORE!

*HIGH-PITCHED FRUSTRATED SCREAM!*

I need a holiday...=(

Dallas & Melina Wedding 14 June 2008

2008-06-18T16:20:00.004+08:00

Here are the pix you've all been waiting for!! (If you haven't already seen them in facebook, that is...)

This is my favorite pre-wedding pic of theirs, don't you think they look great?

I love her smile here.

The beautiful Bufori!

The family toast! Mel's parents, the happy couple, my parents, and me.

My beautiful parents

Grace and me

My wonderful, wonderful friends and me

My dearest and me

Click on the pictures if you want to enlarge them. I'm sorry I don't have more, but Lone was busy with Heng Tai duties that night and only managed to take a few pix here and there, the official pix from the hired photographer aren't out yet, so I'll post again when they are. =)

Lurve the new look!

2008-06-18T15:37:00.002+08:00

I've been meaning to change my layout for a while now, but I've been too lazy to.

Well, I finally did it! In the theme of LOVE, because my brother's newly married and LOVE is in the air!

I thought it would be good to post up pictures of my brother's wedding on my blog with this new theme, so now that it's done, the pix are coming up next!

Stay tuned! =)

Nothing yet

2008-06-18T03:11:00.003+08:00

I haven't recovered yet!

I'm still too tired out to post about my brother's wedding, though I'm well enough to say that it was wonderful and really, really, touching. =)

I don't really have the any of the pix anyway, coz Lone still has my camera. =P Ok, he's actually posted up the pix in facebook, but I'm too lazy to link to them now, and anyway, it's more fun posting them up here. But I'm too tired now. =P

Soooooo......... be patient.

On another note, I loved the hairdo that the hairstylist did for me for my brother's wedding so much that I went to perm my hair Sunday after the wedding!

I'm impulsive like that. Though not really.

I spend months and months playing with the idea of cutting/dyeing/perming/whatever-ing my hair, and then one day when I decide that I should, I do it immediately.

Gives my boring life the illusion of being exciting.

Ok, that's it for now.

Too lazy to say much more. =P

Saturday's event

2008-06-11T23:54:00.002+08:00

So my brother's wedding is this Saturday, how fast time flies... =)

Everything is mostly done, there's just a couple of last minute stuff I have to get done in the next couple of days. And then, on Friday night/Saturday, it's just going with the flow (probably a really heavy current) all the way.

We're all going to be exhausted, but I'm pretty sure we're all going to be really glad to have gotten it all over with, and then life can get back to normal. LOL!

Well...until it starts all over again.

Anyway... my own personal pledge to myself, after Saturday's over, I'm going to take one full day off, no studies, no working, no business, nothing! Except just laying in bed and reading fairy-tales. No non-fiction! =P

The Incredible Lightness of Being

2008-06-07T02:29:00.005+08:00

Ok, ok... I know! I haven't blogged much lately, and what I have blogged about are either so boring that you read them as bedtime stories, or so meaningless that you wonder why I even bother.

Sigh... =(

SORRY!!

Truth is, it's not that I don't have anything to say... I have a LOT to say, but most of them can't be said here. Because it is a public blog and I have no idea who's reading it (yes, I have a lot of bitchy things to say about *you* if you're reading my blog! You know who you are!) (Ok, that was a joke, I have better things to do that to complain about people I don't care about in my blog =P), and because the things I have to say will probably be confusing (and more than a little off-putting) to the people who don't know the backstory about me/my life/my beliefs/my experiences.

So that's why I don't say them here, and have been saying them instead in another private blog I have. (Did I ever mention before that I have....at least eight(!) different blogs?)

Muahhahahha! You guys have only been reading what I've wanted you to read!

Oh, nevermind, ignore that last sentence... obviously, I have not taken my medicine today. =P

Anyway, being serious now, the last couple of days have been *intensely* introspective for me. Not as intense as it could still go, because I've taken some breaks, but it's as intense as I've ever been. I've been doing some releasing from past problems, letting myself feel the residual anger/sadness/bad feelings, letting go of them, analyzing the way I felt, who I was and why I acted the ways I did, and what I learned from the past, how I can improve myself now...etc.

I'm definitely not done yet. I am a *very* analytical person, and trust me, I get hooked on one single scenario, and I analyze it to death in a hundred different ways! I'm still stuck on one topic in all the last couple of days I've been doing it. It's fun! (And scary!) But I also gotta be careful that I don't neglect the other issues that I haven't covered yet and not stick to one too long.

It's too soon to tell if it is actually helping me, but I'm eager to continue ahead and see.

On the same note, but a slightly different angle, I've also been doing some 'future' stuff too (as opposed to releasing past problems, this is more of a 'how do I know I'm on the right path' thing).
I'm amazed by how much insight I gain from these sessions!

One thing I have to admit, I am more of a 'thinker' than a 'doer'. I plan, and talk, and discuss, and analyze, and strategize about how I can achieve a certain thing, when I should've just gone ahead and get it done instead. It is one of my biggest weakness, and the one that keeps me from moving ahead.

At the same time, I have also read a lot of books on wisdom, from wise gurus and such, about how we are a people who are so focus on 'doing', 'doing', 'doing', that we never just let ourselves 'BE', and that sometimes we should stop doing so much for a change and just BE. So like every other student of wisdom, I misinterpreted the above to mean what I wanted it to mean. I became passive and introspective and quiet and (inhales deep knowing breaths) just 'BE'd'.

Well, it didn't work too well for me, and I completely didn't realize that this was what I was doing. Not until yesterday when I had a meditative session with my higher self, and she told me how naive and wrong and unwise I was (ok, not in those words exactly...LOL!).

So anyway, what she said that really made me realized how wrong I was, and I'm just paraphrasing here, was that "Before you can 'be', you first have to 'do'!"

And she was right!

I was so focused on be-ing a more enlightened 'BE-ing', that I have forgotten I need to DO! I was so intent on getting to the 100th floor, that I forgot that I first have to go through floors 1 through 99! I had no idea that I had incorporated this false teaching of 'Being' into my daily life and that it was impeding my progress.

Elaborating further, as an example; if I wanted to 'be' a singer, first I must 'do' the singing, then *maybe* I can 'be' a singer, because you don't automatically become a singer just because you 'do' the singing, as many karaoke singers know well =P, but you definitely for sure can't BE a singer, if you're not willing to DO the singing.

So if I want to be successful, I've got to DO the things that will make me BE successful, not just 'think positive and you will be successful'. If I want to be wealthy, I've got to DO the things that help me achieve wealth. And etc.

Perhaps to most of you 'doers' this must seem painfully obvious and you probably think I must be really quite unsmart to not know this in the first place.

Please, in my defence, remember that I am a 'thinker' more than a 'doer' first and foremost because I am a lazy, procrastinating, pig, and any excuse I can think of to not DO what I need to DO, especially if it's in the name of higher 'wisdom', I will use shamelessly.

I am quite content to spend my whole life as a thinker and never bother to do anything ever! If it wasn't for the fact that this attitude is unhealthy and incredibly limiting, and extremely hazardous to my progress in life!

Improvement is important to me. Progress is important to me. Achieving my dreams is important to me. BEING the highest form of BEING I can be is so terribly important to me. And to achieve all these, first I have to get off my butt, and DO the things I need to DO, so that I can BE what I want to BE.

So laugh at me if you want, just because I may have been a little bit slow in getting this. But just remember one thing, you may have starting DOING long before I did, but ask yourself, are the things you are DOing going to make you the person that you really want to BE? Or are you just merely mindlessly doing them, and BEcoming someone you never intended to BE and forgetting the person you originally wanted to BE?

There! I've said a lot! This blog post should last you weeks! (It really should! Coz you should really be thinking about that last question! =P)

Money Manager

2008-05-23T03:04:00.001+08:00

The money manager test

I took this Quiz- The money manager test

My Result Was:
You are a good money manager. You will save your money and grow it over the years.

Take this quiz- The money manager test

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

Exciting Life

2008-05-23T02:53:00.001+08:00

How excited are you about life?

I took this Quiz- How excited are you about life?

My Result Was:
You have the penchant to live and enjoy life. You try to extract the best out of everything and have fun. Carry on, and you shall surely have a great career and life.

Take this quiz- How excited are you about life?

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

I love books!

2008-05-23T02:50:00.001+08:00

Is reading novels your passion or an obsession?

I took this Quiz- Is reading novels your passion or an obsession?

My Result Was:
You are totally crazy about reading novels. It is more than a passion for you. Reading novels is an obsession for you.

Take this quiz- Is reading novels your passion or an obsession?

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

Criticize me!

2008-05-23T02:48:00.001+08:00

How well do you handle criticism?

I took this Quiz- How well do you handle criticism?

My Result Was:
You handle criticism with maturity. You don't lose your temper easily and try to take criticism in your stride. But take care, that you don't take wrong blames on your head.

Take this quiz- How well do you handle criticism?

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

People Skills

2008-05-23T02:45:00.001+08:00

Test your people skills

I took this Quiz- Test your people skills

My Result Was:
You possess good inter-personal or people skills. Your outgoing personality helps you in the same. Good luck.

Take this quiz- Test your people skills

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

Music Personality

2008-05-23T02:33:00.001+08:00

Which music suits your personality?

I took this Quiz- Which music suits your personality?

My Result Was:
The music genre which suits your personality is pop.

Take this quiz- Which music suits your personality?

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

Beautiful life

2008-05-23T02:31:00.001+08:00

Are you living a beautiful life?

I took this Quiz- Are you living a beautiful life?

My Result Was:
Wow, you are living a beautiful life.

Take this quiz- Are you living a beautiful life?

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

My Challenging Style

2008-05-23T02:30:00.001+08:00

Know your challenging style

I took this Quiz- Know your challenging style

My Result Was:
You are a level-headed person. You put a good amount of thought before getting into any situation. You try your best to sort out a matter with peace and mutual agreement. People in distress may count on your for help and advice. You strike a great balance between aggression and right action.

Take this quiz- Know your challenging style

More Quizzes on lots of topics.

Lots of useless quizzes to come!

2008-05-23T01:56:00.002+08:00

Yikes! I haven't blogged in almost a month!! It's so hard to do all the things I want to do and be good at managing my time for them all. But I'm unwilling to give them up, I may be slow, but at least I'm doing them!

Anyway, I'll leave the serious talk for next time. This post is all about useless, meaningless, time-wasting quizzes! Just coz I deserve them. =P

Mind, Body, Heart and Soul

2008-04-28T03:24:00.004+08:00

It's been awhile since I last blogged about my thoughts and feelings...

It's been awhile since I had the time to really think about how I feel...

I've been so busy lately, with so many things to plan, work, and do, that I haven't really allocated any time for self-reflection or meditation, or just a simple and relaxing me-time.

Mentally, I've been busy like nobody's business. My brain has been working non-stop for the last couple of months. Trying to think up ideas, plans, and modes of execution, for projects at work, for my college projects, for my writing projects, for the band, and for the business. It's exhausting, but it's a good kind of exhausting because I feel so accomplished. I also know though, that I need to let my brain rest and not think of solving problems all the time.

Physically, other than the exercise I get when I sing and dance during our band sessions, I have not had the time (or the energy) to exercise at all lately, and I've put on some weight(!). Especially since now I'm mostly sitting and working at the office, I can't even use the exercise bike and read my textbooks like I used to. Not happy with the results here.

Emotionally, I've been really happy, but just a tiny bit hassled because of all the work I have to do. The bf and I spend a lot of time together, but a lot of it is spent discussing work. Still I would say that we're both very, very, healthy emotionally. I'm happy almost every minute of the days, with minimal complaints. The great thing about our relationship is that although we're both busy doing the work that we need to do, we still find little pockets of time in between, special moments where we still giggle and laugh like a new couple, and tell each other how much we love and appreciate one another (and still mean it!). No complaints here, but of course, you can never have too much love and happiness. =) (Let's continue to increase these everyday, dear!)

Spiritually, unfortunately...I've been neglecting. Other than the 'you are my heart and soul' part of spirituality, I haven't done anything at all for a long time, to feed my spiritual needs. I haven't really prayed, or meditated, or done any of the rituals I used to do, or developed any part of myself spiritually at all. Those who know me intimately know that spirituality is one of the most important aspects of who I really am, and to have neglected this part of myself is very frustrating and dissapointing to me. I have no excuse to give, nor am I trying to guilt myself. It is simply a fact. I have been neglecting this part of myself, and I am seriously disappointed in myself. That's it. Will I do something about it? Do I have the time? These questions are irrelevant, because you will always find the time to do the things you really want to. It merely depends on what you choose your priorities to be.

If I decide that I have more important priorities at the moment, I will continue to neglect spirituality, and I will be disappointed, but I will accept it. That goes for everything else. I have had to give up certain things I wanted to do, because there are other things that are more important at the moment. It's a choice, and I'm completely in control, so there's no reason to beat myself up over it. If I decide, however, that I do not want to ignore this aspect of my life, I will spend more time on it, and I will accept the other consequences I have to face. And I will accept that choice as well.

Anyway, I feel like I'm becoming too serious for my own good. I think for my next few posts, I'm going to have to take those cutesy and fun online personality quizes and post them up here just to lighten things up a bit.

Maybe I'll even write a funny short story or something...

Break Out

2008-04-24T14:54:00.003+08:00

Linda Wisdom, the author of 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, guest blogged on my bookblog on Monday. It was a very inspiring post, especially for writers, but I believe that the advice can be applied to anyone in any aspect of their lives.

Click here to read her post.

As for me, I have to admit that I have certain comfort zones that I may be too afraid to get out of, but at the same time I know that if I don't come out of my comfort zone, I won't achieve anything of value.

I have big dreams, I have big ideas, and none of them will come true if I stay in my comfort zone. I am not content to just dream about them, I will not be satisfied with a life half-lived. So it's time for me to be brave, and live the life I was born to live.

Glory, Fame, and Fortune! Here I come!

Author Linda Wisdom Guest Blogs on Monday

2008-04-19T16:17:00.000+08:00

Linda Wisdom, the author of the new paranormal romance, 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, will be guest blogging in my bookblog about her deliciously entertaining book this Monday, the 21st of April, so make sure you visit my bookblog to see what she has to say.

50 Ways to Hex Your Lover features sassy witch Jazz Tremaine, her on-again, off-again sexy vampire lover, Nikolai Gregorivich, and of course, her always-hungry bunny slippers, Fluff and Puff, who are seriously adorable but dangerously quick to chomp on anything within the grasp of their sharp teeth.

The chemistry between Jazz and Nikolai sizzles throughout the book as they are forced to work together to stop a diabolical psycho who uses his powerful dark magick to steal vampires' and other magickal creatures' life forces.

Linda will blog more about the book on Monday, but I just want to say that it was one of the best and most entertaining paranormal romances I have ever read. All the characters are interesting and truly memorable, especially the annoying ghost Irma, Jazz's greedy employer Dweezil, and the truly foul Tyge Foulshadow. Nikolai is one vampire whose fangs I'd like to get on me, except that Jazz would kill me if I touched him, and I honestly wouldn't want her on my bad side.

Linda Wisdom's 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover is a real treat for witch and vampire lovers and it is full of fun and excitement on every single page. Read more about it this Monday when Linda guest blogs here.

Busy as a bee

2008-04-17T00:56:00.003+08:00

These last couple of weeks have been really tiring!

I'm the most disorganized person I know, and it always seems like everytime I finally get organized, something comes along which makes me have to reorganize again.... I'm not good at this!!! I need a personal assistant! LOL!

Anyway, these couple of weeks after the Money N You seminar was really busy, because our band, SideWalk Bandits are now practising twice a week, so I'm going every Wednesday and Sunday, and it's til late. I just got back from a jam session, in fact, and I'm all tired out.

I'm also giving a talk at my dad's office tomorrow(Thursday), about anti-aging, how to live long and stay young and healthy, and I've been spending the last week preparing for it. Do come if you're interested, it's at 8.30 pm at Kuchai Entreprenuer's Park, call me for details, or call 03-79873151.

Yesterday there was a Money N You completion and reunion night as well, and I accompanied Lone there. Busy, busy, as a bee. Monday was another busy day.... we went on a day trip, and then Lone got sick....

Lotsa things happening... I'll be glad when I get the chance to breathe!

I haven't even had the chance to study this week. It seems that now my studies need to take a backseat as I'm concentrating more on my 'jobs'.

It's actually ok because it's meant to be a self-study course for working adults, and we get 5 years to complete it, but I really wanted to finish it fast, I wanted to finish it in one year. Which meant that I was actually going to study full-time, and work part-time. But now that I'm working full-time (actually, many jobs part-time), I guess I may have to settle for finishing the course in two years? Or maybe even three?

No...3 years is too long, at the most, I'd take 2 and a half years...

Priorities, priorities....

The fact is, there are a lot of changes happening, and which will continue to happen. And if we continue working towards our goals, it seems likely that my priorities will keep changing, and I may not even have the time to study anymore.

I'm taking everyday one at a time and see where it leads me. I'm not worried though, because I'll be happy with whatever happens. I've got lotsa choices. =)

Job Vacancies

2008-04-09T13:15:00.003+08:00

Last weekend I was at a 3 and a half day seminar with Lone. I went to it before and it was *EXHAUSTING*, and now as a graduate, I get to go again for free. So I went to review it and keep Lone company.

It would've been ok if I just went like for a couple of hours each day, but I stayed throughout the whole thing, and it was really tiring. I didn't get enough sleep, so now I have a huge pimple on my nose!!! Ugghhh!

Anyway.... more updates later, right now I just wanted to ask if anyone is looking for a job? Or has a friend who's looking for a job?

My dad's company is looking for:

1> Account Executive, with LCCI and above, minimum of 2 years
experience, and is able to handle full-set accounts.

2> Marketing Executive, with a diploma or higher qualification, who is
able to travel when required.

3> General Clerk, with SPM qualifications and above, and has PC
knowledge.

You can call 03-79873151 if you're interested or if you have a friend who is interested.

Please do pass the word around. Thanks so much! =)

Sara Tancredi is ALIVE!

2008-03-28T10:18:00.003+08:00

Prison Break is bringing Sara back!

I knew it all along!! Hah!!! *smug*

Ok...that's all I wanted to say. Gloating over. =D

I haven't finish watching the 3rd season of Prison Break though... Time to start again!

Chicken Talk

2008-03-24T14:53:00.003+08:00

I eat meat quite often, but usually in small portions and always with more vegetable dishes. As long as I keep the portions small, I don't have a problem. It's only once in a while, when it just so happens that I eat out almost everyday that particular week, or when it isn't easy to get vegetable dishes, or whatever, that I 'overdose' on my quota of meat.

When I do 'overdose' I can always expect to get sick not long after that. Coughing, sore throat, excess phelgm... It's my body's way of getting rid of the excess acidity that eating meat causes.

It's really not fun getting sick at all, especially since I can't sing with sore throat and coughs, so I try my best never to exceed my limits when it comes to eating meat, or when I do, I make sure I go through a detox program before I get too sick.

However, it never occurred to me that it might not be just about eating too much meat, but that it might also be about *what kind* of meat I eat.

Most of the time when we eat meat, and I'm pretty sure I can speak for almost everyone, it's usually chicken, because chicken is the cheapest and the most accessible (and it's halal to everyone). Pretty much 70% of the time I eat meat, it's usually chicken. The other 20% is fish, and 10% is a various assortment of pork, beef, lamb, etc (I don't like seafood though, seriously).

So everytime I 'overdose' on my quota of meat, it's mostly chicken that I ate. And then I get sick. *Everytime.*

But very recently, on one particular week, I had a few 'celebration' dinners with bf and various friends. So on that week, I had lamb one night, beef another, fish and pork another.... It was a *lot* of meat, and it just so happened I didn't eat any chicken. There weren't much vegetables on the menu either, by the way.

I completely expected to get sick, and was preparing to go through the detox programs, but I never did. I waited, and waited, and waited, and I didn't get sick. No sore throat, no coughing, no excess phelgm.

I wondered why.

Hmm....maybe my immune system has become stronger, I thought to myself. Or did I drink more water than usual this week? What did I do right?

I got my answer a few days later. My dad told me about one of his friends who stopped eating chicken, just chicken, and then started feeling healthier and not getting sick all the time. She was still eating other kinds of meat, but just eliminating chicken from her diet made her feel so much better already. My father wanted to try not eating chicken at all for a while, and see if we find any similar results.

Then it hit me that I didn't eat chicken at all that week when I ate a lot of meat. I told him there might be something to this theory, and we should definitely try it out.

So we tried it out, and our friends and clients did too, everyone of us boycotting chicken.

It isn't easy to do because sometimes the only thing on the menu has chicken in it, but when we have a choice, we never choose the chicken. So it seems so far that everyone has noticed some improvement on their general health, but it's still too soon to tell the long-term effects of cutting off chicken from our diets.

I believe that it isn't the chicken meat itself that causes problems, since white meat is supposed to be much healthier than red meat like lamb or beef. The problem with chicken is that they are *cultivated* by the millions to feed all of us.

It is the most widely eaten meat, and let's face it, most people eat more meat than vegetables, so there is a very *high* demand for chicken meat. Hence, the millions of chickens needed to feed us everyday, and the need for them to grow fast, or whatever. I honestly don't know what they do to the chickens, or how they do it, but I do know that whatever they are doing isn't good for us.

It's known that whatever chemicals are in our food gets into our system too when we eat them, and it goes for everything that goes into our mouths. Vegetables sprayed with pesticides are harmful if we don't wash them well before cooking and eating them, animals killed in slaughterhouses give us doses of agression because we're eating their chemical adrenaline when we eat their meat too, cows infected with mad cow disease and pigs infected with JE infect us too if we eat them...

So it should be common sense that chickens injected with steriods/hormones/whatever, would affect our general health as well, and we all know that the chickens that we eat are no where near completely natural. Not even some of the so-called 'kampung chicken' are really completely natural.

Anyway, the bottom line is, if you suffer from coughs, flus, sore throats, weak lungs or whatever, stay away from chicken for a few weeks, and see if that doesn't make you feel better. It's definitely easier and cheaper to try, than going to the doctor every few weeks, and you'd feel much better too at the end of it.

Choices

2008-03-19T23:51:00.002+08:00

All work and no play makes Betty a dull girl indeed.

It seems like everything I ever do is work, work, and more work.

It doesn't feel that way initially, because everything I do is different: I write, I study, I work at my dad's office, I work with bf's biz, I sing (for performances)...

So yeah, there's a real variety and they're all really fun to do. I should feel lucky, because essentially it means I have FIVE 'jobs' which I really enjoy! While others have one which they may not even like.

But it also means I have not much time left for just kicking back and relaxing sometimes. I always feel like I must be doing something. I must always have a book in my hand, or practicing my songs, or talking with bf about the biz, or whatever, and I instantly feel guilty when I'm not doing anything 'productive'.

And when sometimes I just decide to shush the guilt complex and let the work wait, someone will eventually come along and say something like, "So, how's your study going on?" or "Did you practise the songs we're performing next week?" or "Did you get back to the client about (fill in the blank)?" And back I go to work again.

It's not just guilt about work either. I love my friends and I love hanging out, but sometimes I really do just want to spend some time alone and work on some of my *hobbies*. I want to read a book for fun! Not just for reviews or studies or learning something new about business. I want to relearn palmistry, so I can have fun reading people's palms (and also so I can teach Raul *wink*). I want to have time to crochet so I can give people better, personalized gifts. I want more free time for myself.

But instead, I spend my precious free time with my friends going out having dinner or watching a movie or whatever. Hey guys, don't get me wrong, I love spending time with you guys, and having fun with you guys is what keeps me sane sometimes from all the work that I have.

I like nothing more than to have a nice casual dinner together, chatting about everything we chat about and just letting it all hang out, but I keep thinking about the things I'm not getting done, the things I need to do, the things I *want* to do, and it keeps me from fully enjoying being out with my friends.

Perhaps what I'm suffering from is a severe case of bad time management. On the other hand, perhaps I'm just simply taking on too many things and need to cut down.

But that's the whole problem. I'm not willing to cut down on anything! And the ones that I do want to cut... I can't because I'm needed there. My dad needs me at the office, and my bf needs me for the business. So you see, I help my parents and my bf with their businesses, and there's no one left to help me with what *I* want to do. There's not even much time for *myself* to work on what I want to do.

It's such a dilemma, because even if my parents or bf tell me, "go ahead and do your stuff, we can find someone else to help us", I still wouldn't let go. I want to help my parents because I feel I can bring something new to their business, and besides, it's the only thing that gives me a regular salary (all my other 'jobs' pay on a project by project basis), and I want to help my bf because the business is new, and he's going to need my help before the biz takes off and stabilizes, and runs on automatic.

So if I do cut something out, it will be something that belongs to me.

It is much easier to cut what I want to do out, because I can do them anytime and they'll always be there for me when I decide to take them up again (except for my studies, which I have to do now on an ongoing basis), but I don't want to keep putting them off and ending up 80 years old and still deluding myself that I will achieve my dreams.... one day.

Right now, I don't know what I should do. I've always felt that life isn't worth living if you don't live for your dreams... But it seems that I may have to sacrifice some dreams if I want to achieve the others. And I don't know how to choose.

I don't know if I have the strength to choose.

I guess I'm not making much sense if you don't know exactly what's going on through my mind and the choices that I'm facing...

Bottom line is, I'm at a crossroads, and until I choose which path I need to take, I'm stuck standing here, looking down both paths... not knowing what each have in store for me, and being afraid that I'll miss out on something. I don't want to live to regret my choices.

That Little Voice Inside

2008-03-11T01:08:00.002+08:00

Today was a tiring day. But oh so satisfying. =)

I got a lot of things done. Of course, there's always more to do, but today's progress was really good. I felt like I made the most of my time today, instead of always slacking off or procrastinating and ending up working late into the night.

Tonight I feel like I can relax after working hard the whole day today. There are still certain things that I haven't gotten done, but sometimes I think that's just my neurotic side talking. You know, that little annoying voice in my head that always think I don't do enough, or that I didn't do as well as I could have.

Sometimes she's right, though, and she's really, really, hard to ignore, but I try. =P

But seriously, although I'd like to be able to relax when I've deserved it, it's this little voice that keeps me going everyday. She makes me want to be the best I can be, because I *know* I can always do better. She makes me want to be a smarter, more knowledgable, more effective, more efficient, healthier, brighter, more beautiful, and a generally better person.

So it's a good thing because I'd probably be a useless slob without her. It's just that sometimes I wish that she wouldn't drive me so hard. (She's actually not as bad as some other people, I know, but I wish she was even *more* 'not as bad'! I *like* being a lazy ass sometimes!)

For tonight though, I am going to ignore her. I'm going to read a trashy, mindless, romance novel, and I'm going to enjoy it! =P

Until she starts nagging at me again in the morning...

Ok then...

Etc...

2008-03-08T01:46:00.000+08:00

Yes, I know I know! A whole MONTH since I last updated!!

Sorry.... Really... Damn... I can't come up with any good excuse... =P But you'll still have to forgive me anyway... =D Love ya!

Ok, so updates! Nothing much happened during CNY... honestly, it was the most boring one I ever had. They seemed like just any other day to me. I'm starting to become a boring person, ain't I? =(

Gotta spice things up a lil bit, maybe find a really hot chick to cheat on my bf with, or go bungee jumping in Rome, steal Brad Pitt from Angelina Jolie....

What?! You think I can't do it?! LOL!

Anywayyyy....

The last week was kinda interesting though, and very very happy for me, in fact, =D because Redemption came back!!

Ok, it was only Bien, Raul, and Alex, and it was only for one day... but it was so great to see them again! They were just stopping over for a day because they had to meet their manager(?) here, and then they had to go back to Indonesia again to perform there.

As always, we had loads of fun, talking, drinking, eating...especially the eating part, I think, for them. Lone made a collage of the pix, which I don't have on my computer, but which he uploaded on youtube, so yayy! You get to see them. =)

Ok, that was on Sunday, and it was great fun except for the last part when a couple of police pulled us over and thought they could bully us into giving them some bribes, but they didn't get anything from us, so too bad.

I was pretty pissed off at the time though, because I know my rights and they were clearly just trying to bully us. But don't get me started on it because I have a lot of things to say about them, and none of it is good. =P

Let's hope things really change for the better after the election, no matter who wins.

Back to Redemption... I missed them sooooo much! Chris, Paula, and Teody are no longer with the band, personal reasons, and Redemption wouldn't be the same without them, but I'm sure they'd still sound good of course! Just with different sounds and dynamics, and most importantly, chemistry. They had one of the best chemistries ever!

I haven't heard them perform with their new line up, but I am sure they'll sound great and I can't wait to listen to them when they come back here in August!

Got that, guys?! They're gonna be back in Hard Rock in August!!! Check your calendars, make sure you're free during the weekends and I'll probably see you there.

Oh, speaking of great chemistries, another *really* great band that I *really* love is Asia Reforms from Indonesia! We went to Planet Hollywood last Thursday night, and they're playing there now up until the end of April. They are seriously, seriously....talented. Extremely... OMG! Words can't describe. You just *really* have to go and watch them yourselves.

And seriously, the bassist? OH.... MY.... GOD....

GO watch them!! GO!!!! And ask them to play Hump De Bump by RHCP, and maybe you'll be able to see exactly just how good the bassist, Zackey, is.

Everyone else is really talented too, don't get me wrong. I think the lead vocalist and the female vocalist are two of the most talented performers I've ever met.

Oh, did I mention that earlier this same night we went to Planet Hollywood and Dina from the first Malaysian Idol was performing there live too? The program was broadcast to 8TV if I'm not mistaken, but I got to hear her live and for the first time since she won second place in Malaysian Idol about three? years ago.

And you know what? She's improved sooooo much! She really blew me away with her rendition of Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man! You should hear her high notes! And yayyy, I got to take a picture with her too!

So that's about it for updates for now... I'll blog more when I have more to say and when I don't feel so lazy.

Happy Voting tomorrow, everyone!

I would have written a whole intelligent and sophisticated post about the election but I don't feel up to being too intelligent or sophisticated right now, so just make the right choice, people!

This is our country, and we do want a better country, we want improvements, so please vote for the right party. Listen to everything, but believe nothing until you've done your research.

Alright then... until next time! =) I have MUCH to catch up on!

Happy Chinese New Year 2008!

2008-02-08T11:59:00.000+08:00

Happy Chinese New Year 2008 to all my friends!

Wishing you all the joy, happiness, wealth, health, love, and prosperity!

May this year of the rat bring you the best in everything!

GONG XI FA CAI!

This week and the week ahead

2008-02-03T11:34:00.000+08:00

Just a quick note to say hi.

I've been really busy with Chinese New Year coming next week, and fact is, I'm behind on a lot of assignments! *sweats*

I have a review deadline I haven't met yet, I was supposed to finished a section of my studies before the week was out, I have to re-organize my stuff and clean up before CNY starts, I need to finish a crochet project before Tuesday, and I'm taking part in an event next week!

So many deadlines! OMG!

The good thing is that I finally finished furnishing my room and the library! Yayyyy!! The big stuff, furniture and all, are done! It's just I have reorganize and tidy up the rooms, now that the furnishing is all done. What's left is the little decorative stuff, which I will do much later, probably only after CNY is over.

Another thing I'm really, *really* proud of...

A lot of the furnishings I bought are from IKEA, and you know they are all DIY stuff, right? Well...usually, I leave the bf to settle them for me. I love DIY-ing, so I do help out, but he does the tough work.

So I bought some other stuff on Friday night, and he was busy up until yesterday and today too, and I knew if I waited for him, I would not have my stuff fixed up until tomorrow.

So, I did it all myself!

I fixed up *everything*! With hammers, screws, and all!

Well, some weren't hard to do, but there was a particular table drawer thing that was a real challenge, and I fixed it up, completely by myself! I am so proud!

Suddenly I feel like buying more stuff from IKEA just so I can fix them up. Hmm... or maybe I can hire myself out to fix up IKEA stuff for people. LOL! Like they'll want my services.

Ok, ok...enough with that. I know I'm done furnishing, and I'm not going to buy useless stuff just to fix them up, so that's that. =)

I'm still really, really, proud.... even though I'm also kinda worried about the tasks I need to complete before the week is out.

Alright then, back to work. Bye!

Miserable Drama Queens

2008-01-24T02:24:00.001+08:00

Do you ever get the feeling that some people just like to be miserable?

No, I mean it. These people are always miserable and depressed, and some bad thing or other is always happening to them, and they are always complaining or moaning or crying or whatever. And I mean *always*!

These people also never listen to advice, never learn from mistakes, and in fact always make the *same* mistakes over and over and over again. And they know it too! Their excuse is "I couldn't help it..."

At first you really feel sorry for them, it really does seem like they've got it bad... but then later it just gets really tiresome and boring, and honestly, it seems like they're just fishing for attention and sympathy.

Or... it could just be that they're addicted to drama.

It's true, you know, happy people are boring people, that's why I'm so boring, but I'd had more than my share of drama and excitement, and I decided that it was enough, and that I now want to be happy and boring.

And so I am!

Happiness is a choice, and I choose to be happy. I choose to keep all the drama in my life confined to movies and books. But hey, don't get the wrong idea, I've got an extremely interesting life, just not a dramatic one. =)

The best thing about it is that people don't gossip about you either, since you're so 'boring'. They'd rather talk about the girl whose boyfriend two-timed her with her best friend, or the guy whose girlfriend left him for another guy but not before milking him for all his money's worth, or the friend whose having an affair with her boss, or whatever... You get the picture.

And as for these people, well... I'm sure they love being gossiped about. You know the old adage, "There's no such thing as bad publicity."

These dramas put them in the spotlight, make them the center of attention, and allow them to rant and rave and bitch and cry, and yet still have their friends console and comfort them.

The only thing these people *ever* talk about is how terrible they feel, how shitty their situation is, why these things always happen to them, etc... And when you try to change the subject to something cheerful to help get their mind off the problem, they change it right back! Because, well, it wouldn't do to talk about a subject in which they're not the main characters, you know.

GET OFF OF IT ALREADY!!! STOP BEING SUCH A BABY AND A DRAMA QUEEN!!!!

If you really want to stop being miserable all the time and find a guy who really loves you and appreciate you, then decide to be so and stop letting guys walk all over you!!

It is *your* decision, and yes, it *is* that simple! And I know, because I've done it!

Everything that happens to you in your life is because of the choices you make. So start making different choices already! Don't expect to find the right guy when you keep on going off with the bad guys.

For goodness' sake! For you to be making these same mistakes over and over and over again, you are either very very *very* stupid, or you just enjoy being miserable. Either way, it's getting really boring, and I'm sure the last thing you want is to be boring. LOL!

Whatever.

Lucky Baby

2008-01-19T01:01:00.000+08:00

Sorry for being MIA for almost two weeks, guys! I was allergic to the stoopid sunblock lotion that I put on when I went fishing, and was down with rashes for the last couple of weeks, too miserable to blog.

Seriously, if you could have seen my rashes, you'd shudder in disgust, coz my skin looked exactly like a lizards'!

Thankfully, I'm much much better now, no more lizard skin! =) But my skin has begun to peel from the sunburn (yeah, I still got burned...!).

Anyway, anyway, let's get on to better topics. Like, *squeals* the little cutie puppy boy boy, Lucky!!

I've (finally) got pix!!! Look look look!

*emits series of high pitched squeals*

Isn't he adorable?! Awww.....

I also have a few pictures of Baby, it's really not easy getting pictures of her because she's afraid of the camera (coz of the flash), but I got some of her while she was out in the garden playing with Lucky, though they're not really clear...

I really wish Baby isn't so camera-shy. I have so few pictures of her, much less good ones. =(

Baby's afraid of flashes because she's terrified of thunder and flashes of lightning associates with thunder. Does anyone know how to cure your dog of a phobia of thunderstorms?

Dallas' & Mel's ROM and Fishing pix!

2008-01-06T15:08:00.000+08:00

As promised, new pix!

My brother and Mel recently got registered as husband and wife. =) Here are the pix:

Preparing the documents for signing

Aww...so sweet.

The newly wedded and the in-laws.

The wedding ceremony's in June... My brother and his new wife are preparing all the details before then, and I guess they're almost done with all the preparations. But me... it's not my wedding, but I still feel kinda unprepared for it. LOL!

Anyway...

Last Friday we went fishing with some friends at Semenyih. Look at the scenery!

Lush and green...sigh...

Almost like a Thomas Kinkade painting. Ok, not really...but, still... =)

The little 'isle' we camped on.

Camwhoring while waiting for the fish to bite

More camwhoring...

Reeling in the fishes...

The fishes we caught:

Big one!

My first catch of the day!

My brother's

Lone's

Ceaser's

Kelvin's

And yes, they are all different fishes! LOL!

This is a ruhu(sp?)

This is a catfish. And the others we caught were mostly pacu(sp?).

It was great great fun, and we've converted Kelvin to a fisherman too, I think. It's his first time fishing and he caught 6 altogether, Lone caught 6 too, my brother caught 4, mostly coz he was busy taking pix for us, and Ceaser caught 3. My dad caught about 4-5?

And *ahem*, as for me... I caught 7! LOL! I was the fisherman of the day! Yayyy!

*does a little skip* =)

I love fishing!

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-05T22:06:00.000+08:00

I know I'm a little belated with the wishes...but it's still a Happy New Year! =)

This year's going to be great, of course, because I choose it to be so. And there are many more things I'm going to accomplish this year, some of which I have an idea of already.

I mean, of course I do, that's why we *plan* our future, isn't it. LOL! But what I meant is that I have an idea of what I want to accomplish this year as opposed to next year or the year after that, etc. And also of course, what I consciously want to accomplish, as opposed to what I inadvertantly accomplish on the way to accomplishing my accomplishments. Did you get that? LOL!

Anyway....I'll get back to you on those, coz I'm still 'hungover' from yesterday's fishing 'expedition', I've got a sunburn and I feel a need to just laze around today without using my brain overmuch.

Pictures were taken with my bro's camera though, so I can't upload them now. I've asked him to transfer the pix to me and as soon as we're done being lazy asses, I'll post them up. =)

The Year 2007

2007-12-27T01:27:00.001+08:00

Lone and I were discussing our year in 2007 yesterday. Instead of simply thinking about our new year resolutions for 2008, I thought I should reflect on the current year. Now that 2007 is ending, I ask myself, what am I happy to have achieved this year?

Here are the answers:

Performing a song that Lone and I was asked to write for our company's D&D this year.
Finishing my Certificate course in Holistic Nutrition with flying colors.
Becoming a contributing writer for an online magazine.
Moving to a new home.
Starting a new music-related company with Lone.
Starting a new band with Lone and friends.
Meeting a lot of new people who taught me a lot of various things.
Taking the initiative to learn Chinese (although I haven't achieved *learning* it all yet).
Taking the first steps to allowing myself to grow spiritually.
Learning a lot of new things I never knew about before.
Becoming more of a doer instead of just a thinker.

Actually, I'd say there are a lot of things I'm happy to have achieved this year, it's just that some are quite intangible and difficult to express. And though some are more notable than others, I'm happy for all of them, and I aim to do better next year.

However, it's obvious that it's been a great year, and next year and all the years ahead are just going to get better!

As I've probably said before, I believe in improving myself day to day. As long as I'm better today than I was yesterday, and better tomorrow than I am today, no matter how slow the pace, I'm doing alright.

Here's to more improvements in the year 2008 and all the years ahead!

Merry Christmas to all!

2007-12-25T22:56:00.000+08:00

Awesome Graphics at pYzam.com

More Comments at pYzam.com

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I bought me some happiness!

2007-12-19T23:52:00.000+08:00

I'm happy again! =)

Guess why?!

Can't guess? Come on, I know you know!

You know it!!

I'll give you a hint:
What do I love most in the world?!

Come on, you know the answer!

What is it?!

Come on....

Alright, I'll tell you...

Books!!!!

And guess what I bought myself from Amazon?!!

Books!!!!

And guess what?!!

They've arrived!!

Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! *skippity-skip* =D

Joy to the World! etc!

I got my books, don't need nothing else, lalalala......

A little down

2007-12-16T03:09:00.000+08:00

I have had a very stressful week this week. I won't go into details, but generally, it's because of two reasons:

I'm having some trouble understanding some new knowledge and information.
I've been having some communication problems with certain people who seem to insist on misunderstanding me.

Usually, in the first case, I'd ask for clarifications so that I may understand better, but it seems that the more questions I ask, the more confused I get because I keep getting different answers from different sources. I'm feeling quite frustrated and very, very, confused. =(

In the second case, I normally just ignore people who deliberately misunderstand me on purpose just so they'd have a reason to fight, but in this case I can't, because I don't want to offend the *other* people who are friends of these people.

So yeah, I've been having a really hard week, and I haven't been sleeping well because of worrying about these problems and how to solve them.

I've always been a solitary, independent thinker. I'm not so independent when it comes to physical stuff, for example, traveling alone or getting official biz done, but when it comes to ideas/opinions/learning/planning...etc, *thinking* stuff, I like being solitary.

This is why I enjoy online studying so much, I'm completely in control, can choose how, when, and what I study, how long to focus on particular topics, etc.

This is also why I prefer to learn Chinese on my own rather than have a teacher teach me. And also why I stopped having piano lessons and bought books and went online to find guides that can help me learn on my own instead.

Bottom line is: I don't like people telling me what to do.

That may not be the best thing to be, but nevertheless, it is quite true. That's not to say that I don't listen to advice or guidance especially when I recognize the good in them, but giving me advice is one thing, ordering me around is another.

I'm just really upset now, I need to take a break and relax a little.

Learning new words

2007-12-13T22:54:00.001+08:00

Last week my dad gave me a book for learning Chinese. It's about the history and meaning of Chinese characters, and it's really interesting. It's a great way to learn Chinese too, because you learn by associating the words and the meanings.

For example, I learned that 田 (tian) means field, because it looked like paddy fields. And (si) (I can't find the Chinese symbol for it on my Chinese program) means silk. And 累 (lei) which means tired, is a combination of these two symbols because in the olden days, the men mostly worked in the fields and the women mostly worked with silk. So putting the two symbols together meant 'everybody's work' which makes them 'tired'.

The Chinese fonts are ridiculously small, so I'll enlarge them to get a better look:

累 = 田 + (si)

There! Much better. The top part is field, and the bottom, which I don't have on my program, I don't know why, is silk. =)

There are a lot more other interesting characters, but I've only just started studying the book, so I've barely scratched the surface.

But this is so fun... I love stories! And what better way for me to learn Chinese than with stories! =)

Happy Birthday, Lone!

2007-12-09T04:10:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday, LONE!!!

Have a wonderful birthday, and a even more wonderful year ahead filled with love, laughter, health, and wealth!!

Love you lots!!

HuGs and KisSes!!

Comment Graphics at pYzam.com

Worthy or Not

2007-12-03T01:25:00.000+08:00

Here's a thought:

Say you and a person you love deeply are placed in separate rooms with a button next to each of you. You know that you will both be killed unless one of you presses your button before 60 minutes pass; furthermore, the first to press the button will save the other person, but will immediately be killed. What do you think you would do?

Would you press the button and kill yourself so your loved one could live, or would you hope that your loved one will kill themselves so you can live. Do you feel that they deserve to live more than you do? Do you think that your life might be worth more than your loved one's life, that maybe you could do more to change the world than they could? Or vice versa? What would influence your decision in either killing yourself or waiting for your loved one to kill themselves.

But what if both you and your loved one are unwilling to sacrifice for the other? If no one presses the button, BOTH of you will die in 60 minutes.

This isn't about risking your life to save your loved one, like if they were drowning and you had to swim into a storm to save them, because while that would be dangerous too, there's always a chance that you would both survive. We're talking about certain death here. You *will* die if you decide to save your loved one.

So?

Do you feel that your life is unworthy and that your loved one could do better things if they stayed alive?

Or do you feel that your life is worth much more than your loved one's and you should be the one to live?

In my own case, I really do wonder. My dearest knows that I'm the one who has all the big plans and ideas to change the world and all that, but I'm too lazy to bring them all into fruition. On the other hand, my dearest is the most hardworking person you could ever meet, whatever he says he'll do, he'll do it, but he's not much of a big planner.

So if I let me live, I'll have a lot of big plans but I may not actually act on them. If I let my bf live, he'll get things done, but nothing significant may come out of them.

But then again, if my bf gave his life so that I could have my life, you can be damned sure I won't waste my life, so obviously I'd stop being lazy and start being hardworking so he wouldn't have sacrificed his life in vain. And if I gave my life for his, he'll probably do the same and start having big plans and ideas.

But then there's the other angle. Are we putting a value on our lives judging from what we can contribute to the world or judging on who we are?

I've got a temper, and I am a little bit prickly and I can be unfriendly sometimes. Dearest has got his temper too, but he's the most generous person and he loves making new friends and making people laugh.

I sometimes get over defensive and depressed easily, and I'm very self-centered, not bothering about other people's problems when I can't even take care of my own. Dearest cares about everyone else, and he's the one who always puts a smile on my face.

When I'm with him, I'm just not as big a bitch as I am when he's not around.

So I'm just thinking...

Whether or not either of us ever make big plans to make the world a better place or go through with the plans at all isn't the point...

The point is, my dearest, just by being himself, can bring smiles to people's faces, and make their day better and brighter and happier, while I would only be a bigger bitch without him...

I'll let him live. =)

Say Cheese!

2007-11-29T00:31:00.000+08:00

I love this new skin! =)

I feel so cute and girly...like I normally am not. LOL! Ok, actually I am girly at heart, I'm just also very lazy. Too lazy to be girly.

What? It takes a lot of work! Ask those girly girls! They know!

Anyway, I know I haven't posted up any pictures for a while now, although I've promised to.... (Sorry, Rob!)

I was supposed to post up pix of my new cute little puppy, Lucky the Pomeranian, and I wanted to post up pix of my birthday and my presents too, but my birthday was weeks and weeks ago already and I still haven't gotten those pix up.

It's not my fault! Really!

Oh ok, it is a little bit my fault, but only a little!

As we have already established, I am lazy.

The other thing is, since my birthday, Lone had been borrowing my camera off and on. Mostly on, so I seldom had my camera, and when I did, I was....lazy.

Now the camera's back with me. =) Yayy!

So forget the old pix, there wasn't much to see. I'll take a whole lot of new pix and post them up for you! Ok?!

New Puppies Layout!

2007-11-27T00:41:00.000+08:00

Apparently, my last blog template was giving people a lot of problems with downloading the contents and all, so I finally decided to change the layout. The thing is, it's really really not easy to find a layout that works the way I want it to, and still look the way I want it to.

I used to design my own templates, but I don't have the time to do that anymore, so I just use whatever I can find.

So anyway, I ended up switching to the new blogger layout design, which isn't all that bad once you get used to it.

It's the initial learning part that gives you the headache, but after that, it's all very easy to handle.

And it's easier still to change designs now if I want to, because I used to have to cut and paste almost everything on my sidebars from the old layout to the new, but now all I have to change is the template. =)

So....

Do you like my new puppies? =)

Shopping and Neil Gaiman

2007-11-20T22:15:00.001+08:00

As you all know, I've been spending a lot of time at home; studying, working, reading, and basically just being really dull. So I decided to go to 1 Utama yesterday to treat myself a little, watch a movie, buy some stuff, eat some delicious food...

I even made a list:

Watch Stardust
Eat the delicious lamb shoulder at Chili's
Buy 2 new tops and 1 skirt
Buy toothpaste
Buy pillows to match the sofa in my library
Buy wall clocks for my bedroom and library
Buy shoes

Here's what I did:

Watch Stardust
Eat at B.B.Q Plaza
Buy 3 Chinese children's books for study
Buy 1 Stephen King novel
Buy 2 chick lit novels
Buy 2 coloring books...

Well... I managed to accomplish one task on the list at least. Here are my ~~excuses~~...reasons: =P

Chili's chose yesterday of all days, to close for their company party. For goodness' sake, why?! I hadn't had lamb shoulder in months! Why couldn't they have chosen another day? Why yesterday? What do they have against me?! Arrghh!! Well, obviously, Chili's lamb shoulder was one of the main reasons for going to 1U in the first place, and it wasn't even open. Sigh...
Once I got there, I totally didn't feel like shopping for clothes or shoes. If you know me, you so wouldn't be surprised. I planned to shop for clothes and shoes because I know I desperately need new clothes, and shoes, but it wasn't like I wanted to shop. Everyone knows I hate shopping. So I didn't.
I totally forgot about the toothpaste, dammit!
I did look for the pillows for my library, but when I found the one I really liked, there was only one of it. Who would buy just one? I wanted a pair! And there weren't any others I liked, so being the *ahem* patient person I am, I decided that if I couldn't find a pair of pillows I liked, I would just wait til I did.
I looked for the wall clocks as well, but I didn't find any I like for my rooms. I wanted nice cutesy, sweet ones that matched the decors of the rooms. And since I couldn't find any I liked, as per above, I would just wait til I did.
Buying the 3 novels, do you really need a reason?
Buying the 3 Chinese children's books, well... the ones I had were way above my level, so I decided to get some that were in my league. I am doing so so so well! =) *proud*
About the coloring books... What?!! I couldn't resist! I used to love coloring books when I was younger, and these two had such beautiful pictures. Anyway, it's a great way to relax and unwind. Seriously! While your fingers are doing the coloring, your mind wanders and think of all sorts of wonderful things. It's like a sort of meditation. Really! That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

As for Stardust, it was wonderful!!! Beautiful!! Amazing!!! Spectacular!!! Breathtaking!!! Enchanting!!!

Oh wow!

I'm a great fan of Neil Gaiman's and I would buy everything he writes without even caring what the book's about, he's that good! And he does graphic novels too, (the Sandman books are amazing!) and even screenplays adaptations. By the way, Beowulf, which is showing now in the cinemas too, is Neil Gaiman's adaptation.

So I read Stardust a couple of years ago... ok, more like maybe 3-4 years ago, and I loved it! And when I found out it was going to be made into a movie, I was thrilled. Of course, by then I had already forgotten most of the details of the book, as I am wont to do, but I remembered I loved it, and I know I love all Neil Gaiman's stuff, so obviously it would be the one thing on the list I managed to do. LOL!

Neil Gaiman worked on the movie too, which is why it's so amazing, and I so admire him. Unlike so many other authors who sell movie rights of their books away and then watch helplessly as the producers/directors/actors/whoever else mercilessly mutilate the story, Neil Gaiman gets involved in the process himself.

Is there anything the man can't do?!

I love him!!!

I think I want to marry him... *swoon*

John Travolta is Bootylicious!

2007-11-18T15:11:00.001+08:00

If you haven't seen Hairspray, go out and get it now! It's great! But even if the show sucked big time, it's worth it just to see John Travolta shake his booty!

He acts as a fat dancing momma; fat suit, high heels, and all, and even in his fat suit and heels, he shakes better than Shakira! I'm serious! I'm not even exaggerating a little bit!

Anyway, Shakira doesn't know how to shake her booty, what she does is... I don't know, wiggle?

Ok, back to Travolta.

Hairspray is a musical, with all the big names attached to the cast; Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, James Marsden, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron... just to name a few... and there's a whole lot of dancing and singing in the show. So maybe it isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it's worth watching just for Travolta's booty shakin'! Me no tell lie!

Travolta is by far not the best singer on the show, but he certainly is the best dancer and booty shaker!

I'm not forgetting that he used to act in Saturday Night Fever and he's a great dancer by right, but in high heels and a fat suit?! R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!

And he never shook his booty like this in Saturday Night Fever! He does it better than any girl ever shook her ass!

OMG!!! I am so in awe of John Travolta! If I tried shaking my booty like he did... I can't even imagine it! People might think I was having a seizure or something!

Watch it! Watch it! Watch it!!!

The Pros and Cons of Working at Home

2007-11-13T11:34:00.000+08:00

Pros:	Cons:
You are in control of your own time and pace.	People think that they can call on you whenever they want, because you can always work later.
You can work in your pjs, or even naked if you really want to.	You start to not care about how you look, coz no one is there to look at you.
You can take as many breaks as you like, as long as you like.	You sometimes end up going the whole day without doing anything productive.
You don't have to deal with difficult colleagues, bosses, classmates, etc.	You don't get to meet a lot of great people either.
You don't have to deal with the traffic jams, and you save a lot on petrol.	Hmm...no con here, this is all good.
You don't get interrupted in the middle of some important project by colleagues asking you to go for a drink.	It gets really lonely sometimes.
You get a lot of quality work done and sometimes you can finish two days' work in one day.	You don't know when to quit and go on a much needed break.

Well, there's pros and cons in everything. Right now, working at home suits me, and I really enjoy my independence. It's just sometimes when the cons rear their ugly heads that I feel just a little down.

I just need to get myself some social activities and I'll be fine. I'm just trying to think what those activities should be.

I'm hesitating a little also because I have so many activities already, at home, and if I add some social activity, it may take up too much of my time that I'm not willing to give. This is what I mean about not knowing when to take a break. I'm really pushing myself to achieve as much as I can in as little time as I can when it comes to my work.

Head knows I should take a break. Heart thinks I already take too many breaks. =P

The Right to be Weird

2007-11-12T15:23:00.001+08:00

LOL! I love it!

I just took a facebook quiz thingy, about how normal I am in comparison to everyone else.

The results: Congratulations! You are 21% normal. Everyone has a right to be weird, you just abuse the privilege!

How very true! I enjoy being weird/different/special/unique! Just semantics, baby!

For Books I Will

2007-11-11T15:54:00.000+08:00

It's a testament of how much books mean to me when I remember any little detail I ever learnt that has to do with books.

Lone was testing my Chinese knowledge a few days ago, asking me about the 'penjodoh bilangan', you know, like, a loaf of bread, a pack of wolves, and etc.

So he asked me, what 'penjodoh bilangan' do you use for a person?

一 (blank) 人?

I said I didn't know. He asked me to guess. I couldn't, coz it wasn't something I studied recently, he asked just to see how much I knew.

He ended up telling me, 一个人, yi ge ren.

What about for fish? 一 (blank) 鱼?

I didn't know. He answered, 一条鱼， yi tiao yu.

So far so good, I'm learning new words.

Then he asked. What about books?

And I surprised both of us by jumping up and saying, "I know, I know!!"

"一本书！！" yi ben shu!

I replied so fast that I startled the both of us, and he laughed at me because he found it hilarious that I knew the answer to this particular one.

What does that say about me? That I don't remember the 'penjodoh bilangan' for everything else, but I remember the one for books!

In fact, the main reason I'm even trying to learn Chinese now, after all these years, is just so I can read Chinese history books in their original language! I didn't want to read the English translations of Chinese history because too many things get lost in translation, and there are many imbedded meanings in the Chinese language that can be stories in and of itself.

And god help me if I don't love stories.

The things I do for my books...

Reminiscing

2007-11-10T01:38:00.000+08:00

Lately I've been thinking about a lot of things... you know, life and stuff.

I'm happier now than I've ever been. I'm content and peaceful and all that, and this is what I wanted. But it feels a little boring...

Ok, not boring exactly, but we all need a little excitement in our lives once in a while.

I was just thinking, earlier today, contemplating and reminiscing about my youth (as if I'm really so old now) back when I was fresh out of high school, and all the mishaps and drama I got myself into.

You know those soap operas that most of us drama queens love to watch? Well, I lived them.

Not all of them of course, but I had more than my fair share of drama. And you know what the funny thing is? While there were many tears and fears and love and hate and many things in between, and it really really hurt while I was going through many of those dramas, I can't help but look back now on all those amazing experiences I had, and say to myself, "That was fun, wasn't it?"

If I had to do it all over again, I would, and I'd do much more of it too!

I guess the saying is really true, you don't regret the things you did, you only regret the things you didn't do. And you know what I regret? I regret that I didn't do more of what I did. LOL!

But I'm content with leaving it all in the past. That's the good thing about being really wild and childish and free when you're young, you don't bring your childhood with you into adulthood.

I'm an adult now, and while I still enjoy being childish (as opposed to immature) and having fun, I know my limits, and I don't go wild the way a teenager would. I did all that as a teenager, and I'm ready to grow up now.

I still wish I was a little more carefree and wild, but I'm ready to grow up.

I know some people who didn't have enough fun or freedom when they were young, and they spend their adult lives trying to live their childhood. It's sad coz they never really live their lives, they just spend it trying to capture the feeling of being alive.

And then there's the other kinds of people, who have had so much fun and freedom and yet they don't know how to grow up. It's like they're stuck doing the only things they know how to do, and can't move to another level. These people are so afraid of not being able to live their lives to the fullest, that they spend it in fear of growing up, and live so recklessly that they may just get their wish of never growing up.

But then again, who am I to judge? Maybe these people got it right. Maybe we are just meant to live hedonistically. Or maybe we are all meant to live it the way we want our lives to be. That's what makes everyone different after all.

Contradicting what I said earlier about wishing I had done more of what I did when I was younger, I feel sometimes that I had a little too much drama in my life. Too much pain, anger, tears, betrayal... whatever. And I'm not the kind of person who handles all these stresses well. That's the reason I decided that I didn't want anymore drama in my life.

I don't want stormy relationships where I scream and fight with my bf every other day, and then make up with sweet words and kisses on the other days. I don't want to stab my best friend in the back because I'm in love with the guy she's with, or have her stab my back when she's telling all my secrets to our other friends. I don't want to be the other woman who ends up becoming friends with his girlfriend and feeling bad that we're fooling around behind her back. I don't want ten guys, all of whom are friends, fighting over me and then hating me and each other when I favor one or the other. I don't want anyone attempting suicide or threatening suicide coz I dumped them or I stole their bfs.

Not that any of the above actually happened, but you know what I'm getting at.

It's all really dramatic and great to watch on tv, and probably fun to imagine too, but really... I just want a nice, normal, simple life.

Which I have. Now.

Which is kind of... uneventful. (Read: boring.)

You know, I'm glad I don't have anymore drama in my life, but that doesn't mean I don't want some excitement or adventure.

I'll still take boring over drama anytime, but I really gotta get myself some adventures.

Know where I can find some?

43 Things

2007-11-05T23:47:00.000+08:00

As you can see from the previous test post, I'm doing 43 things. I used it a couple of years ago, but then priorities changed and etc, so I ended up slacking on it.

I've continued planning my goals and all in my daily planner, but I remembered 43 things, and I thought it might be a good idea to use it again. Right now everything I have there is outdated and obsolete. But I'll update as soon as I get everything organized.

It's a really great way to keep yourself on track. It's not just that it's organized, but there are also many people there who may have the same goals as you do, and they help motivate and inspire you to follow through with everything. And it also motivates you when you keep track of how you're progressing with your goals, it helps you see where you are, and how much further you have to go, and how far you've already gone.

I can't wait to see how far I'm gonna go. =)

Test post

2007-11-05T01:54:00.001+08:00

I am doing 43 things.

Updates

2007-10-29T14:07:00.001+08:00

I haven't blogged in weeks!

I don't know what's wrong with me, I'm a little out of it... Just started the next phase of my studies. I'm doing a double degree in Holistic Nutrition and Natural Health now. Whew!

The problem with me is I tend to do things to the extreme. I'm so excited about starting this new phase that for the last couple of weeks, I've neglected *everything* except my studies. The good news is that I'm well ahead of schedule on my studies, and doing very very well. (All in a matter of two weeks!)

The not so good news is that I'm behind on my reviews and my other assignments unrelated to studies. And I've also neglected my blog, my piano lessons, my Chinese lessons... =(

I need to find a balance.

The good news is, I'm trying to get back on track with everything else and hoping that it won't mean slowing down on my studies. I've started another blog where I can practise and learn Mandarin...

It's Lone's idea, coz he's doing it too, to learn his Japanese. As for my Chinese blog, it's pretty boring and embarrassing. I won't be writing anything profound there, it's just for little, simple sentences, and Lone (my Chinese teacher!) will correct any mistakes I make.

我会加油！
wo hui jia you!
I will work hard!
(Literal translation: "I will add gas!" LOL!)

Happy Birthday to ME!

2007-10-14T17:58:00.000+08:00

I'm 25 years old today!!

Half a century old! OMG! (Edited: Dammit!! I meant to say QUARTER of a century old! You were right, zza! Took me two weeks to see this, I *am* getting old!)

But still young as ever in heart, I hope! LOL! I sometimes feel that I'm still young in mind though... I can still be a little immature sometimes.

Not that I'm proud of it, but as long as I keep on improving each day.

I have a 'motto' that I live by... I don't like to compare myself with others, because that's never a fair or practical comparison either way, but I do like to compare myself with what I was before...

So my motto is that I need to improve each and every day, be a better person, more mature, more intelligent, wiser, kinder, nicer, more patient, more motivated, successful....whatever. The point is that I need to be a better me everyday that passes.

And I am! I'm not the best that I can be, of course, how could I ever be? That would mean that I couldn't improve anymore, and if there's no room for growth then it's time to die.

But I'm only a quarter of a century old, I have 3 more of these to go. I'm only at 25% of my full potential, I have a long long wayyyyy to go... and it's fun...growing, learning, making mistakes and learning from them, becoming a better me, a happier me...

Everyday I see some kind of progress in whichever area of my life, and I'm happy because this is the life! This *is* the life!

I know the changes I want to make, the improvements I want to make... and I see them manifest, everyday of my life.

Even though sometimes I'm not doing the things I think I should do, or wasting time on things I think I shouldn't do, but I make more and more choices that brings me towards the things I want, and away from the things I don't want.

I have more to improve on, and it's fun. It's like working on a lifelong project, in which you add something beautiful and new everyday, and it only gets better and better. And the thing is, the project is you!

I am so loving every minute of my life.

I don't want to waste a minute having bad thoughts or bad feelings, or making bad choices. Why should I, when I can have great thoughts and happy feelings and wonderful experiences?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

I've come a long way. =)

Prison Break killed Sara Tancredi... Damn!

2007-10-10T00:41:00.000+08:00

I can't believe that they killed Sara Tancredi off the show!!!

And by decapitation!

This just sucks...

They said they had to kill her because they needed to give Michael some motivation to make the show more interesting, and Sara Wayne Callies (who plays Sara Tancredi) is pregnant and didn't want to do the show. I guess they had to do it...

But then again, it could just be an elaborate hoax, which I admit could just be wishful thinking on my part, but you never know. Wait til you hear the theory though...

So let's see, they need Michael to be motivated, and Sara Wayne Callies is pregnant. So they pretend to kill Sara Tancredi, to give Michael his motivation, and SWC the time she needs for her family. Then they make a big deal out of it, and release news reports and all that about how Sara needed to be killed, and SWC didn't want to act...blah blah blah.

And then much later, we'll find out... Sara Tancredi isn't really dead!!! Yayy!

She comes back towards the end of the season, or maybe she comes back next season, and we find out that it wasn't really her head in the box. It was another dead woman's head that they operated on to look like Sara Tancredi (they're good with plastic surgery, remember the bitch Senator's brother?). The evil Susan didn't really have Sara Tancredi in her hands to kill, so she sent someone else's head as Sara's to motivate Michael to do as they want.

The show goes on, Michael is motivated, Sara Wayne Callies gets her time with her family and gets to come back later, publicity/ratings for the show soars, and the fans are happy! It's win-win-win-win-win for all!

I only wish it was true...

Well, time will tell, though I'm pretty sure it's just wishful thinking. But you never know... there's always the possibility.

Inspiring Secret

2007-10-08T02:13:00.001+08:00

This postcard from Postsecret touched me so much that I just had to post it up here. It's so beautiful.

I hope one day I can do something like this.

Critiquing the Bible

2007-10-01T16:44:00.000+08:00

I recently reviewed a book, A Secret of the Universe by Stephen L. Gibson, which made me curious about the Bible.

I'm not a Christian, and I've never actually read the Bible, but I do know about the stories of the Bible. You know, like Noah's ark, Adam and Eve, Moses' 10 Commandments, etc. And I enjoy those stories, it's just that I've never read the Bible to see what the Bible actually says.

I've known for a while that the Bible contradicts itself many times. What else can you expect from a book which was written by dozens of different people and translated from dozens of different languages? Something was bound to get lost in translation somewhere.

I meant to read the Bible for myself one day, so I could read the stories, and the contradictions, for myself (better to argue theology when you know about the other's points), but I wasn't interested enough to do it.

Stephen L. Gibson's novel A Secret of the Universe has made me so interested that I have now started reading a chapter of the Bible a day, starting from the book of Genesis.

Already I've found something which many Christians conveniently ignore;

If Adam and Eve were the first people, and they gave birth to Cain, Abel, and Seth, then who was it that Cain took as a wife? Where did she come from? And why was he so afraid that other men might judge him for killing his brother? Where did those other men come from?

It's just the first in a long long list of questionable statements in the Bible. This is why, though I enjoy the Bible stories, I would never really believe them. I take them the way I would take any other fantasy story.

Even with fictional books, readers question certain things that don't make sense in the story, why should we do any less with the Bible? Especially with the Bible, in fact. If it doesn't make sense, I'll pick at it. It's fun! =P

But it's really interesting too, you know.

I should be so Lucky

2007-09-21T01:44:00.000+08:00

OMG! I haven't blogged in two weeks?!

I didn't even realize!

So sorry! But I've been really busy (yeah I always say that). I spent the week before finishing up the final assignments in my course, and this week I'm busy with a new member of my family.

We got a new puppy! He's a Pomeranian, born on 7/7/07! We had to do the obvious; we named him Lucky. =)

Sorry I haven't got any pix right now. They're all on my brother's camera and I haven't had time to upload them just yet. He's the cutest little puppy you could ever imagine, though taking care of him has been taking up a LOT of my time this week. I hardly had time to do anything else, except play with him, train him, feed him, hold him, clean him...etc.

Poor Baby is so jealous, she hasn't been herself lately. She's been really morose and anxious that we don't care about her anymore. But of course we do! Baby's the best! It's just that you can't pick her up and carry her around coz she's so big and heavy, but we still give her the same amount of attention we normally do. In fact, we give her more, because we're worried that she's getting so sad.

Hmm... maybe she's just acting sad so that we'll give her more attention. Smart dog, that Baby...

Well, anyway, I'm so glad I finished all my assignments before we got Lucky, else I probably wouldn't have the time at all to do anything! I haven't done anything productive at all this week!

I need a puppysitter! Who wants to volunteer?!

Sad Lonely Life

2007-09-06T19:41:00.001+08:00

It's always obvious when I haven't had a life...

My blog posts consists of mostly opinions or quizes or whatnot, instead of pictures of the places I've been and the people I've met.

Sighz...

It's not fair! I wanna be happening too! *wails*

Oh, whatever, I actually don't really care if I'm not as happening as others because I really do enjoy my work and studies and hobbies, but honestly...sometimes I just need to go out and stretch my legs, you know.

All the things I do, like studying, or writing for the web, or reading, requires that I sit at home at the computer. I'm taking an online course, so there's no college to go to. I'm freelance, so there's no office. Reading is a hobby, so obviously I read at home too.

I enjoy it all, but I'm seeing the same scenery all the time. If I had a college or an office, my days would be spent in first in college, then in the office, then I could go back home. But now it's just, home, home, home. And no people!!!!

I don't have classmates or colleagues!

Well, actually I do, but none that I can actually see or go out for drinks with...

It's a sad, sad, lonely life. =~(

But I'm enjoying every minute of it! LOL! =)

Communication

2007-09-03T12:29:00.000+08:00

I was having a conversation with Lone about communication and the roles of body language, tone, and words in communication. I don't know the exact figures, but I think it's something like 70% of your communication is your body language, 20% your tone of voice, and only 10% your words. I believe most of us have heard that, though I'm quite sure my figures are wrong.

So anyway, we were talking about that, and the fact that with internet chats, text messaging, and emails, 80% of our communication (body language and tone of voice) are effectively lost. Smiley faces help somewhat to communicate that in real life, we're smiling when we say what we say, which might have been construed as something negative if there wasn't any smiles on our faces. But take away the smiley faces, and you'll have to be very careful of what you write and the way you put your words together.

For most professional writers who write articles or reviews for newsletters and magazines, or bloggers who write for company blogs, the only form of communication they are able to use is words. No smiley faces allowed, no "=)", "=P", "=(" or stuff like *grin*, *LOL*, *smirk*, and etc. All they have are their words.

Some people say that personal interaction is best, so you can read other people better. You can understand them better because you can see their body language, hear their tone of voice, and the words they say.

Well, of course that's true. But there's something special about being able to communicate using only words too. I kind of likened it to a handicap that makes your other senses stronger, like the blind man whose sense of hearing is extra-sensitive (DareDevil comes to mind...).

When you are 'handicapped' to only be able to communicate with words, you do tend to develop sharper skills with forming your words and sentences carefully to communicate what you really want to say. Of course, it's not a real handicap, coz you can go back to using the rest of your 'senses' anytime, but while you are communicating via writing only, your sharper 'sense' of words turn on, and you use different words and sentences from what you might use if you were talking to someone face to face.

It is a skill, and now that more and more communication are going digital, we should all develop this skill, and make ourselves better understood with only words to help us.

I'm No Superman

2007-08-30T02:04:00.000+08:00

Are you kidding me?!

Who Wants to be a Superhero?!!!!

What the heck will they come up with next!

Ohh...my head! I have a headache! I may never be cured until all these reality shows are stopped!

Oh wait...

That might be never.

Sigh...nevermind.

It's Only Words

2007-08-29T00:34:00.001+08:00

I've been staring at words a LOT the last couple of weeks. If it isn't writing some reviews, or my assignments, it's researching and reading books and textbooks. Not to mention my various blogs...

My brain is tired.

Yet it still seems like I'm not getting things done fast enough. Maybe it's because everything I do is so...similar? Reading, writing, studying, reviewing, blogging...

It's really not a lot, but because it's all WORDs, sometimes I just need a break. And most times I tend to break quite often and for quite a while. =P

So you know what? This isn't gonna be a long post. I'm out of words, for today. =)

Groove Junction

2007-08-26T15:24:00.000+08:00

Last Friday, Lone and I went to Groove Junction in Hartamas to watch his friend and my piano teacher, Wilson, perform.

Lone introduced me to Wilson, and he invited both of us to watch him perform with his band, they played a fusion of jazz and pop and they were really good, actually. But it was a one time thing only, so we won't be going back there anytime soon. They have a cover charge, and when we asked them to take a picture for us, they had to make sure that the name of the place was in the picture. Hah.

Well, it was fun anyway, and the ambiance wasn't bad, but it's not a place I'll go back to unless the band is really, really good.

Me and Lone

The band, Wilson is the one on the keyboard, duh.

The deco was really nice

The bar looks nice too

Lone, Wilson, and me, and the bar's name behind us.

My Favourite Things

2007-08-21T10:03:00.000+08:00

*bursts into song and twirls around with arms outstretched*

The Hills are aliiiive with the sound of muuuuusicccccccccc
With sooongggs they have suuunngg for a thousand yeeeaaarrrssss
The Hills fill my heeaarrttt with the sound of muusiccc.......

*notices people looking at her funny*

Oops! *blushes*

Sorry people, I couldn't help it! I watched The Sound of Music yesterday on Star Movies and now all the songs are stuck in my head.

(Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens)

I was actually quite delighted (Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens) that it was showing, because I was just talking to Lone about the movie the day before yesterday. (Brown paper packages tied up with strings) Coincidence? =)

I haven't watched it in a long long looooooongggg time, (These are a few of my favourite things) but it was soooooooo fun watching it again... *geeky grin* I'm a geek!!

Oh, and now that I'm older, (When the dog bites) I understand the Nazi/Hitler/political part of it better. (When the bee stings) Coz I never got that part about why they had to run when I was younger. (When I'm feeling sad) I always thought it was sad that Leisl and Rolf never had a happy ending... =(

Oh and guess what?! It's actually based on a true story! (I simply remember my favourite things) I never knew that!! I guess watching the Sound of Music at a too young age, you only focus on the songs, but now that I watched it again and did some research... I was so surprised to find out it was a true story! (And then I don't feeeeeeeelll soooo saaaaaaaaaaaaaad)

I'm gonna be doing more research on them. I'm so intrigued!

New Music

2007-08-16T18:54:00.000+08:00

I did a little shopping yesterdayyyyyy!! *in singsong voice*

Yeap! I actually went shopping!!

But then again, I didn't shop for clothes...

I did BETTER! =D

I bought CDs!!! =)

I don't even remember the last time I bought a CD... I used to buy them by the dozen, but since I moved, my radio hasn't been set up yet, so I can only play CDs on my computer. But yesterday I bought three 'new' CDs! Yayyy!

Wanna know? Wanna?

Well, I'm gonna tell you anyway. =P

Avril Lavigne's The Best Damn Thing

Her new album is definitely different from her last two, more poppy and um...chirpy. But there are a couple of songs I really like still, so I just thought I'd give it a try. Besides, I have the other two albums, and I just couldn't resist 'collecting'.

The Corrs' Home

I'm a big fan of their regular music, and I love Irish music. They've gone more traditional rather than pop with this album, that's probably why I haven't heard any singles from this album on the radios. But even though their style here is very different from their usual, I love any kind of music, and they know music.

Norah Jones' Not Too Late

What can I say? I love her, I love her voice, I love her style, I love her music... She's just getting better and better, and I forsee my CD cupboard filled with more of her albums in the future to come.

I'm listening to them now...(one at a time, of course) and I'm enjoying them to bits! Will be back with more later maybe.

Wheeee!! =)

Wanted: Badminton Kaki

2007-08-14T23:00:00.000+08:00

I'm looking for badminton players who are interested in committing to a badminton session at least once a week, every week.

I don't care if you're a good or a bad player, but you must be a serious one. I don't want girls (or guys for that matter) who giggle everytime the shuttlecock drops in front of you and you don't take the shot coz you're too lazy to move. And I don't want guys who fob me off to play with those girls who do nothing but giggle. If your girlfriends aren't serious about playing, DON'T bring them! If you want to bring them, MAKE them PLAY PROPERLY! If they don't, DON'T let them play!

I know I'm not as good a player as most of you guys, but I'm serious about improving, and I can never improve when you always make me play with girls who aren't serious! I wanna play, dammit!!

And don't just let me play one game and then make me sit on the bench for two hours!! I came to play! NOT to SIT ON THE BENCH!

And don't say I'm not entitled to more court time because I'm not paying for it! I wanted to pay for it! I INSIST on paying for it! You don't let me pay coz I'm a girl, but I wanna pay coz I want SERIOUS COURT TIME!

ArrrggghhHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actually...I did find a group that was almost perfect, but they had too many people, and only one court, so most times everyone else didn't have enough court time either. I decided there wasn't any point going coz sometimes all I get to do is warm up for about 5-10 mins, and then my ass gets to warm the bench for the next two hours. It is soooo frustrating!

I really want to play! And it isn't easy finding a group you like....=~(

Seriously, I'm kinda desperate. Does anyone wanna play badminton with me?

Pleeeeaaaasseeee???

With sugar on top?

Music Review: Saving Jane - One Girl Revolution

2007-08-14T00:24:00.000+08:00

I can totally relate to Marti Dodson’s chagrin about the music industry’s tendency to treat girls in the industry like sex symbols rather than musicians. Almost everywhere I look, female singers and musicians are shaking their booties and showing off their cleavages. I admire Dodson, Saving Jane’s lead singer, for starting a One Girl Revolution to show the world that girls are more than just sex symbols. There is so much more to us than that.

Saving Jane’s new album, One Girl Revolution, is all about keeping it real. The lyrics are straightforward and outspoken, reflecting Dodson’s strong opinions. Dodson has a talent for writing heart wrenching and ass kicking lyrics that people can relate to. The title track, "One Girl Revolution," is Dodson’s way of fighting back against the stereotype of girls as sex symbols in the music business. She's more than just a pretty face, though it's a very pretty face. She's got brains, and she's not afraid to use them.

Saving Jane's new album covers almost every issue that young people are facing. "From the Sky" is also a song with 'fight-back' lyrics, but not as aggresively sung as "One Girl Revolution" is. "What I Didn't Say" and "Let Me Down Easy" are songs of lost love, and "Say Please" is about wanting him to beg you for forgiveness. "Grace" is about faith, "Far From Home" is about leaving home for the first time, and "Better Day" is about picking yourself up after a fall. Dodson also covers more serious issues like smoking and alcohol addiction with "Nicotine" and "Writing On the Wall."

"Loser" is about a loser ex-boyfriend you're so glad you broke up with, and it's my particular favourite. I think the lyrics are hilarious and the melody is really catchy. And I know what you're thinking, but no, I did not just break up with a loser boyfriend. I broke up with him more than a year ago.

The bonus track, "Ohio" is about, well, Ohio, and Dodson's love for her homeland. It's more country than rock, but it sounds good, and Dodson's voice sounds good singing country. Overall, One Girl Revolution makes for good listening, with catchy melodies, compelling lyrics, energetic music, and enthusiastic singing. While I prefer their previous album, Girl Next Door, I think One Girl Revolution will speak to the heart of many Saving Jane's fans, and is definitely worth a listen to.

Friends and Photos

2007-08-12T14:15:00.000+08:00

So after procrastinating for so long about uploading pictures of the last couple of weeks... finally, here they are! Yayyy! =P

Yeah, so on Friday a couple of weeks ago, 27th July, there was a sort of reunion thing going on with the guys at CK's new bar, Hana. Bob invited me to go, and since I hadn't seen many of them for a looooooooong time, I decided to go. And of course, I was curious about Ck's bar. =)

Here are the pics:

Me, Chen Wei, Cheen Png

Hein Yong, me, Andrew

Eng Kok, Shijin, Png, Shien Choy

Andrew, Bob, Me, Chen Wei, Png

EK, Bryan, Chau Hau, Jason, Bob, Andrew, Chen Wei, Nick

Then on Saturday, 28th July, we went to Hard Rock on last final time before the Redemptions went off to Jakarta to perform there. I miss them soooooo much already. =~( Life really feels so silent and empty without their music.

Us before the show started, John brought his brother along.

Five very handsome guys...

Transformed into five very ugly guys...LOL!

All of us!

At the Redemption's place, with the farewell cake. (Yes I know I look fat...watever. =P)

Then on the 4th of August, we all went to Rahsia in KL, for a joint birthday dinner for Charmin and Elaine. It was great getting all the girls together again. This is a month for reunions and farewells....

Ee Won, Charmin, me

Jeremy, Eewon, Charmin, John, Lone, Me

Everyone! Um...cept me, Jeremy and Lone

The girls!
Top: Joanne, Me, Charmin, Sewei, Angeline
Bottom: Eewon, Elaine, Margaret

There you go! Sorry it took so long for me to post up these few pix, but as the saying goes, 'A lazy person is a lazy person...who is waaaayyyy to lazy to look up an actual proverb about lazy persons so this will have to do.' =) Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Charmin!!

2007-08-11T02:08:00.000+08:00

Happy Birthday, dearest Charmin!!

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate your friendship, and I'm very glad that you are a part of my life. Everything is so much more fun and exciting when you're around! Love you lots, babe!

Have a great birthday! And many many more happy birthdays! May every new day be a better day for you, and may you grow more and more beautiful each day, inside and out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

New Look!

2007-08-11T00:30:00.000+08:00

As you have already seen, I've changed my blogskin.

You probably also know that I haven't been blogging much lately. Mostly because I've been busy with a lot of writing assignments, so at the end of the day I'm just too lazy to blog anymore.

Or maybe I was just bored with my blog's look. =P

Which shouldn't be a problem now that it's got a whole new look! =)

I hope you like it, guys! It's simple and peaceful, and just what I need right now.

Lazy Blogger

2007-08-08T20:29:00.001+08:00

I've been really lazy the last couple of days.

Busy, and lazy.

Busy because I had to review a number of books and CDs, and also finish a few of my assignments.

Lazy because I've been writing so much that I just didn't feel like writing anymore, or blogging, or uploading pictures, or anything.

I'm still lazy.

*plops down on bed to read trashy romance novel*

I'll blog later.

Book Review: Taj: The Woman and the Wonder by Sandra Wilson

2007-08-03T09:11:00.000+08:00

Taj: The Woman and the Wonder is the fictional account of the very true story behind the building of one of the Seven Wonders, the Taj Mahal. Although it's fiction, Sandra Wilson keeps the facts real, and all I can say is, if all my history textbooks read like this, I would've aced all my exams.

We all know about the Taj Mahal as one of the most famous monuments in history. It is beautiful, enchanting, and ever changing. Just like a woman. I've never had the opportunity to see the Taj Mahal in person, but those who are lucky enough to have seen it and be enchanted by it, will be just as enchanted by Wilson's Taj.

Wilson brings history to life with her book Taj. The descriptions are so vivid and colourful, I felt as if I traveled back in time and was actually there. When Shah Jahan was betrayed by his scheming stepmother and lost his father's favour, I was so frustrated I wished I could've beheaded his stepmother or at least tell his father that it was all a misunderstanding so that he would behead her. When Shah Jahan's beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, passed away and he was so heartbroken and distraught, I felt my heart break too for the loss of such a wonderful woman. Wilson's portrayal of Shah Jahan and his wife were brilliantly written, and it showed how true the saying was, that 'behind every great man there is a great woman.'

Mumtaz Mahal stood by her husband through everything, even when he was forced to go to war with his father, because her aunt, Shah Jahan's stepmother, was power-hungry and wanted to rule the empire. Her devotion to her husband never wavered, although she was forced to be on opposing sides with her own father, who was brother to Shah Jahan's stepmother.

There is so much to the story behind the Taj Mahal. Before I read Taj, all I knew about the Taj Mahal is that it is one of the Seven Wonders, and that it was built by an emperor for his wife whom he loved very much. A touching story in itself.

Now that I've read the book, I see that there's so much more to it than that. The Taj Mahal is a testament of an emperor's love for his wife, yes, but it is also the testament of her devotion to him, his struggle to regain what was rightfully his against all odds, and the power of a love that transcends time and death. I understand more clearly now this love between an ordinary man who was emperor, and his exceptional wife who was completely devoted to him and stood by him through all the best and the worst of times, that led to the building of one of the Seven Wonders of the world.

Kudos to Sandra Wilson, for writing such a compelling story about Taj; the woman, and the wonder.

Taking Piano Lessons Again

2007-08-02T21:47:00.000+08:00

So guess what?

I had my first piano lesson today after many(about 4?) years of not playing the piano at all... and I'm too ashamed to say I'd forgotten everything I ever learnt.

Not to mention that it was kinda embarrassing when the notes keep coming out, out of tune. I hadn't tuned it in 4 years either. And um...the keyboard was really dusty too.

*hides face in shame*

I don't think I can ever face my piano teacher again.

Or at least until our next class. =P

Anyway, I've been kinda busy lately, with assignments and writing and reviewing, so I'm sorry if I haven't updated anything substancial lately.

On a really sad note, the Redemptions are gone. =~(

They've gone to Jakarta, and after that they'll be in Bali. But we're still here....*sobs*

But we'll see each other again. =) And we'll keep in touch. =) Don't you just love the wonders of the internet? The world is much much smaller now, and in fact, I talk more with some of my oversea friends than I do with some of my friends here.

Like I said, I've been busy though, doing a lot of reading and writing. Reading textbooks, story books, self-improvement books, non-fiction books.... and writing assignments, reviews, blogs...a new movie screenplay.... =P

And now, learning piano.

I hope I improve soon.

My Review for The Alchemist posted up at Paulo Coelho's blog!

2007-07-31T18:19:00.000+08:00

Hey guys!

My review for Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist was posted up on his blog!

Check it out here!

This is sooooo cool! =)

Bad Effects of Coffee

2007-07-26T15:41:00.000+08:00

I was doing some research for my assignments and I came across this article about coffee.

Stop drinking coffee! It's bad for you, people!

It's as bad as, or worse, than nicotine and alcohol. It causes heartburn, excess gas, bloating ulcers, and it is terrible for your digestion.

Drinking coffee increases your risk of getting ulcers by 72%! That's a lot!

If you drink a lot of coffee, and you have digestion problems, stomach pains, or heartburn... Well, what are you waiting for! Stop already!

The Greatest Love of All

2007-07-25T20:16:00.000+08:00

It's actually very simple to me.

If you cause me pain, I let you go.

Simple.

Why do so many people keep sticking to bad relationships that cause them so much heartache and pain just because they've been together so long and it's so hard to let go and they love each other so much...blah blah blah...

I don't care if you love each other. If it hurts you to be together, and if you really loved each other, you'll let each other go so that you can be happy.

Yes, I'm a very selfish person. I care about myself very much. I care about my happiness. I care about my well-being. I care about my life. I love myself very much.

If everyone was as selfish as me, the world would be a better place.

We wouldn't have matyrs who 'sacrifice' their own happiness to do things for others to make others like them more. And then resent the people who 'made' them give up their own happiness. And then start arguing and fighting and making the world a less peaceful place.

If everyone would only put themselves first, and make sure they have everything they need before helping anyone else, the world would be a better place. If everyone loved themselves more than they want others to love them, the world would be a better place. Trust me.

Seriously, how many people do you know do things to make other people like them more, rather than do things to make themselves happy? It always ends up badly. I learned that the hard way.

Because I used to be one of those people who did everything so that other people would like me more.

Now I don't give a damn if someone doesn't like me. Why should I? As long as I'm happy.

I'll say it again, the world would be a much better place if everyone loved themselves more than they want others to love them.

Anyway, back to my point.

I love just as easily as the next person. More easily, in fact. I get attached easily, and I like people easily. But if it turns out that you only want to cause me trouble, pain, heartache or general bad feelings, then I let you go just as easily.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a heartless person. It will hurt me to let you go, it will hurt me to lose the good things and the good times. But if there are more bad than good, and if it hurts me to be with you. Then guess what? I'm gone with the wind.

Self-preservation.

I don't care if you're my best friend, my boyfriend, my father, my mother, my brother, my husband, even if you're my own child.

If you are bad for me, I'm gone.

Easily.

Just like that.

*Poof*

Like I said, my well-being is very important to me. And I love myself very much.

More than I will ever love anyone else, even my own child.

Don't deliberately miscontrue what I'm saying, by the way... You need to love yourself more than you love anyone else, I really believe that. Anyone who says they love someone else more than they love themselves, is either lying, or insecure, or otherwise psychologically impaired. And of course I'm not going to abandon my own child because I wanna have fun or whatever selfish meaning you wanted to read into my statement above.

I meant that even the strongest blood relationships will not be as strong as my own love for myself. I will still sever my relationship with my imaginary children, if in the future they chose to exploit me for the money I can give them.

And obviously, I'll have no problem cutting them out of my will, if they try to hurry me to my grave. LOL!

Anyway, the moral of this story is...

'Learning to love yourself, this is the greatest love of all.'

Harry Potter and the Overhyped Media

2007-07-24T13:51:00.000+08:00

I don't get it.

I really don't get it.

How on earth did Harry Potter get so overhyped?

It's a great book, no doubt. It's creative and imaginative and exciting and interesting and fun, and all of that.

But so are a whole damn lot of other books!

And many of which that are much much much better than Harry Potter.

So what is it about Harry Potter which warrants the long queues and midnight camping and overpricing?

I mean, seriously, the book isn't that good. I can think of a few thousand other books which are much better, and none of them even got as much hype as this one.

Why?

I really, really just don't get it!

I liked the first three books, but I didn't love them. And from the fourth book onwards I thought that Rowling was starting to overdo things a little, but I still enjoyed the books.

I didn't buy the books, by the way, I didn't like them enough to spend money on them, not even on the first three books, which hadn't had their prices jacked up yet. My brother bought them, and I just borrowed them to read when I had nothing else better to read. My brother was way more into them than I was.

And yet he stopped buying them. He didn't buy the sixth book(I don't remember the suffixes, was it Harry Potter and the...oh, whatever) and the Deathly Hallows isn't on the shopping list either.

The prices are just ridiculous! Like I said, it's not that great of a book, and even if it is, why does it warrant a RM100 ++ price tag? It can't be because of the paper or the cost of printing, because I know the price of books, and since these books are in such demand, printing more of them should have brought the cost of printing down!

So the price must have been jacked up for Rowling's sheer genius in writing them, except, seriously... they aren't that great!

I'm really shaking my head in disbelief at this.

I'm glad for the hype of Harry Potter causing so many non-readers to start reading, and I'm glad at least, that it's one about wizards and witches and dragons.

Sighz...

I guess I'm kinda glad for the hype, but for the life of me, I just can't understand it.

Dream Ramblings

2007-07-20T01:04:00.000+08:00

Music is a universal language.

I believe it was the first language.

Music has been around ever since humans have been around. Without getting all technical, I'd say that cavemen had music too, however primitive their music may have been compared to ours.

Point being, there's something magical about music.

There's something about music that speaks to all of us. We use it as a form of expression, to show our feelings, our inspirations, our dreams... There are things inside us that can't be described with words. So we use music.

Everybody loves music. There may be a hundred different genres of music now, and perhaps not everyone likes the same kind of music, but we all love music. And we all need music. I don't think mankind could survive if we didn't have music. We wouldn't be human without music.

How much more respect do you have for the people who create music?

I have plenty.

Music is a part of everyone's lives, we've pretty much established that.

But for the people to whom music is their lives...

These people are different. These people are special. These people live in a world different from us. An alternate universe parellel but completely distinct from ours.

I wish I could go into that world.

I've seen glimpses of it in my dreams, and during my few moments of creativity. It's a beautiful world, a magickal world. It's a place where dreams come true and everything is possible. It's a place where you're always happy and nothing bad ever happens. Everyday is a sunny day and every place a playground for your inner child.

At least, that's how it was for me. I lived there for a while and I loved it there.

But reality crashed into my world like a bad car accident, and now I'm just as real, jaded, and cynical, as any other person.

Sometimes I wish I could go back into that world... but other times I think, I'm in the real world now, and I need to be real to survive here.

My question is... why is the real world so full of ugliness and pain? Why do we allow bad things to happen to the real world? Why can't everyone live in a beautiful, bright, happy world? Why can't I live in my dream world without bad people from the real world forcing me to see all the ugliness in their world?

These are all hypothetical questions, so don't bother answering.

I can live in reality just as well as in my dream world. But sometimes when I see glimpses of my dreams, it reminds me of what I gave up and what I gave it up for, and sometimes I really wonder why.

Reality is a poor substitute for dreams.