goodbye 2008

she's fly effortlessly...

for conversation's sake

As it turns out, it is no more. It is staring at me.

Last Sunday I unfortunately had to come back from a great break in the sun. Had a brilliant time doing holiday things and all things Siam (in my book, anyway) in lovely Koh Samui. Fortunately, my luck at Gin has turned and I can even kick ass despite being inebriated :)

to err is human, to forgive is divine...

...but what qualifies as an "err" is a very relevant consideration.

Recently there was a gentle reminder for me that you can almost always only count on yourself. Disappointment follows directly the extent of the intent. Nothing to create drama over, though. I accept that we are all only human, we make mistakes and we have our moments.

Don’t you love it when we each make the time? To finally catch up with friends, see how we’ve each grown and reflect on the common bond we share. Despite the years, the differences, the imperfections, the growth, the misunderstandings, everything and anything that could be viewed as a hindrance. To rise above them -- how far we have come…

I love you peeps!

fight or flee

Finally. Some space to breathe and not attend to things due 5 minutes ago and its siblings and little cousins.

No, I will not delete my blog, thank you very much. It has been a while that yesterday I even wrote an email perhaps passable as poetry. In retrospect I cringe. I need to blog.

My feline love is in the hospital. Poor fat baby. Have been visiting him every night for the past 3 nights. He’s on the drip and have had a cathether placed in his wee wee organ, which was only removed yesterday. Though he looked better yesterday, it was akin to visiting a highly drugged up being. He would fall back asleep every 3 seconds -- but at least he looked comfortable, considering. They are currently monitoring his bladder thus his belly fur has been shaved to facilitate the x-ray and ultrasound. Sob sob. My little lamb. Hopefully he gets better fast. I miss him terribly.

I also turned a year older recently. It was a nice cosy celebration which was also a surprise one for one of my bestest boo (yay!), chocolate cheesecake (yum!), candles (*blow*), supercute turquoise and brown cupcakes (loves!), superthin candles (*blow*). No bubbly though. Only love, affection and friendship. And somehow the topics hovered around puberty and sex and black curtains. My utmost terima kasih for your time and effort and gifts.

Talking about turquoise cupcakes and shades of blue, my most jawdropping pressie was from PO. She sent me home (this is rare..) and handed me the small paperbag which contained my gift. One sight of it and I was transported to shallow-ville in an instant. The idea that she might want to spend 8k for the diamond horseshoe I have been eyeing for years did cross my mind, but logic had to come back into the picture. I held the babyblue box tied with a white ribbon and just stared at it and her. The whole unwrapping was an experience. I discovered then that a surprise tiffany is a more wholesome experience compared to one that you are at liberty to choose :) She got me a gorgeous Elsa Peretti round pendant necklace -- the one I looked at a little too long when we went for our mad window shopping outing. And she noticed. Aaaw.

This birthday I gave myself a gentle reminder that one should never say never, as it may bite you in the arse. I am grateful for all the love I am surrounded with, happy with my own person -- who I am, in the midst of becoming and aspire to be, and hopeful that I continue having the patience and resilience to overcome glitches.

And always fight. But when you are absolutely certain it is not worth it, flee.

the golden boy and the rocket

I am transported back to my undergrad years right this moment.

Home, lazing about, watching Hendry-O'Sullivan play snooker at the Crucibles on telly.

*smiles*

Instead of having lectures tomorrow, I have a meeting.

Oh how we've grown?

hello you

Ever set eyes on someone whose face just makes you smile?

Nice isn’t it?

I can’t remember, for the love of God, when I last experienced that.

Until this morning.

What a pleasant surprise.

The One

It will be easier to climb steps now. Apparently.

There I go again, attempting to brainwash myself. I am in no mood to feed a non-existent curiosity.

The days fluctuate – sometimes smooth sailing, the others, minor shrug-offs are involved. But today. Today involves a very strong urge to light up. To the extent I was visually playing in my head what brand (Dunhill) and why (coz I hate it), who I am going to ask from (HJ), where I am going to light up (8th floor stairwell A) and what I am going to do while I smoke (look at the passing cars).

I have yet to.

They say it’s hard to stay a non-smoker once you have that one cig. The One that will make you turn around and metamorphose into a smoker, yet again. I’d be lying if I say that I don’t miss it, because being something so accessible for me for yonks, it qualifies as an almost actual company.

Pathetic? Realistic, really. Weak willpower? No question about that.

And what do I choose to do? I'm indulging my imagination by getting a post up about it. Not good.

Times like these put your “How Badly Do I Want To Quit” to the test.

*sigh*

Apparently exercise helps get your mind off it.

Siemens Run? Still no, babe.

err... a what? how? why?

Yikes.

Friday left me feeling disappointed with myself. What was a super simple document now seems like a complicated one, when approached from another standpoint. Everything just seemed so foreign and it will be a 3-pronged uphill battle.

All in good time, hopefully.

remember me?

Was that a hiatus? I think that is equivalent to a sabbatical :)

A lot has taken place since my last posting. Some I wish not to have materialised the way it did and some is more than what I anticipated.

What I recently discovered:
1. I can eat 15 cuppacakes mini within an hour.
2. Career-wise, loyalty doesn’t usually take you where you want to go.
3. It’s a small world.
4. Switching areas takes a lot of gumption. Being positive helps.
5. My fatty of a cat actually secretly adores me and misses me when I’m not around.
6. Bombing money on yet another handbag that costs an arm isn’t going to curb your desires for other arm-costing handbags. You just lose your arm, or arms (pick the option applicable). But of course you gain a handbag.
7. [In relation to item # 6] However, you’re still going to lust for other handbags. This is actually quite healthy because this is “The Secret” i.e. the laws of attraction. You are attracting the other handbags into your life by lusting for and imagining having them. Whether or not you will realise your intent of owning the handbags is of course dependent on how strong you are attracting them in your mind :)
8. [In relation to item # 7] Are you convinced?
9. David Cook is starting to somehow ooze hotness but I am still loyal to Michael Johns!!!

I am about to wrap up my first week at my new work place. It has been great so far. Obviously it offers prospects distinct from that of the previous one. The required change of perspective feels a bit strange, on top of that it is a whole new “language” out here. A lot of homework to be carried out, but I am set on making the best out of this opportunity.

let's hit the gym

RM1.2m find in gym locker
By LOURDES CHARLES

PETALING JAYA: How much money would you have on you when going to the gym or fitness centre for a workout?
Only sufficient for drinks or a meal after a hectic workout, right?
Wrong! Someone apparently had other plans when he or she went to a gym in Subang Jaya last Friday.
A supervisor at a well known fitness centre there found RM1.2mil in a bag in one of the lockers when closing for the day. The centre closes for business around midnight.
Scared and dumbfounded the supervisor contacted his manager who then called the police. Police were equally shocked to find such a huge amount of cash in the locker.
Initial investigations centred on the April 9 KL International Airport heist, where two moneychangers were robbed of RM3.5mil after being shot by six armed robbers.
However, police ruled out that possibility as the money in the bag was in Malaysian currency and British pounds. The KLIA heist was in Singapore dollars.
Selangor police have questioned several suspects in connection with the KLIA heist but have made no arrests.
However, for the gym find they have yet to ascertain where the RM1.2mil came from or who was assigned the locker that day.
Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm II Mazlan Mansor would only confirm that police were investigating, and declined to elaborate.

source: http://thestar.com.my/

“*&#”^@%*$%# you fat ugly bitch!!"

I hear HK cussing out loud after hanging up her phone and immediately know who it is directed at. She was just telling me about it during lunchbreak. It has nothing to do with the recipient of that outburst being fat, ugly or reminiscent of a female dog. At work, it is a valuable skill to keep cool when faced with difficult/obnoxious/petty/vile/impossible/senile/beyond stubborn (take your pick) individuals who think you should worship the ground they walk on simply because their employer pays your employer.

The past 2 ½ weeks went by in an eyeblink but it involved making choices I’ve never open myself to. There’s a first time for everything.

I am told that I’m now walking around looking like I’m not at all stressed as if I just came back from holiday -- which is a good thing (for me) and annoying (for them). The Boss is currently asking probing questions and wondering whether there is a possibility of returning since I’m switching sides altogether (reasons being it is something new, unfamiliar, different/ Like duh..). Let me consult my crystal ball… NOT. Just let me be. My mind is made up.

As I prepare a list of portfolio for ease of handover, I can literally visualise the burden off my back being lifted bit by bit. Drama or what? Anyhow, happy is me. That's all that matters.

you got me begging you for mercy!

Roma, mi manchi!

Buongiorno!

I’m back from my holiday. Dammit! This back-at-work feeling is wretched. I still haven’t gotten over the exhaustion of jumping on a plane for a 2-hour ride and rushing to another airport to jump into another plane for another 13-hour journey. Eeeps.

Reality bites.

But I had the most fabulous time! Change of weather and scene was what I needed. I finally had the opportunity to visit the Colosseum -- one of the places I’ve been wanting to visit all my life. I enjoyed good food, vino (!) and better insights of the people I was with. It’s lovely getting surrounded by super good looking people (it changed my perspective on Italians now.. hehe) and not giving a toss about my clients. Thoroughly loved the shops, the coffee, the shopping. You know you’re having a bloody jolly time when all you had to crack your head about (not even!) was how to get from point A to point B. Pisa is exquisite when you see it with your own eyes.

Though Paris weather was a bit mad, it was a good jog down memory lane, especially at the Notre Dame. I had to dismiss my idea to bike around the city due to mad weather. For reasons still unknown to me, we walked all the way to Place de la Concorde at about 8 p.m. in the rain at 2ºC with the wind going at us and back to where we were staying. The apartment I don’t think I can ever afford in this lifetime at the current rate I’m going in my career. It is stupendous. It’s large, smack right in the middle of the 8th arrondisement, and 2 corners away on foot there's the full view of Eiffel Tower staring at you.

Speaking of which, my legs hurt from all the walking but I am not complaining. I’m still reeling despite my lethargy.

Thanks BB, HC and ES ever so much.

Loves!!!

fingers crossed

Due to my lack of experience, I had to call her back to review the same. It was a do-or-die situation -- I just have to bulldoze away. Not to my initial proposal, but somewhere in between.

When I first told her my intent, she just kept quiet. “Oh no you’re keeping quiet”. When I elaborated to justify it, she continued to keep quiet. “Oh no you’re keeping quiet again”. The remarks somehow managed to lighten things. When I finished, she justified her point of view and said “apple to apple” a lot that I was mentally picturing apples and slowly detesting them.

In the end, she was going to try anyway.

I am grateful.

Fingers crossed.

Toes.

Arms.

And whatever else that can be crossed.

On another note…

5 DAY FORECAST
Wednesday: Heavy showers 13°C/5°C
Thursday: Heavy showers 12°C/6°C
Friday: Heavy rain 8°C/4°C
Saturday: Sunny 14°C/2°C
Sunday: Light showers 13°C/9°C

I hope the weather betters soon!

fatty in monochrome

i love strategically positioned PH

That's Public Holiday to you.

I don’t know about you lot but I truly enjoyed the recent long PH break. Managed to spread my weekend errands/interests over a more laid back schedule. Caught up with friends, helped the Wood Dragon at home, had dimsum at my favourite place, went for my walks, celebrated Mr Jetset’s birthday, watched Atonement (isn't Keira's green dress simply gorgeous?), caught up with the family, enjoyed panoramic view of KL whilst having coffee, indulged myself with a new interest, finished a fiction, did a little bit of browsing, ran errands, slept. And didn’t touch even a bit of work. Achievement! Pure bliss.

I wish weekends were a 4-day affair instead of 2. Vote me for Prime Minister, anyone?

A pleasant revelation also took place last Wednesday night. I smile thinking I’m not as all-over-the-place as I thought I was. Currently that’s good enough for me to know.

Back at work the weather is crappy; coupled with unnecessary and totally avoidable stress. What is the whole point of your gadgets and your techiness then?? Baaah...

Oh! On an amusing note, a scary looking red-eyed drag queen in cheongsam decided to dryhump me early Sunday morning. Hilarious as it was, I cringe thinking about it. I’m still trying to flush the mental picture out of my head - perhaps I should slap her with a prohibitory injunction order.

Not.

the long overdue mini beach break

kofi you kofi me

I have just received an email from Kofi Annan asking me how my family and I are doing.

Yup, apparently he is THE Kofi Annan.

He then proceeds to tell me that he has a cheque for USD 500,000 in my name for some project halted due to whatever problems caused by the Government.

I am to furnish my details to his representative in Nigeria who will take care of the transfer.

SERIOUSLY.. How does anyone fall for this?

honesty is a coy nymph

Things I learnt this week:

(1) Everybody thinks the problem/s they encounter is a major predicament -- Always get different perspective and take a step back to see how it all fits in the bigger picture. You'd probably feel foolish. Unless you're just plain dim to begin with.

(2) Honesty is a coy nymph who lives deep in the dark belly of the Malaysian tropical jungle -- It's probably related to Bigfoot, and just as fabled. Perhaps one sighting over a few years. Or an imaginary 5-second appearance then off it vanishes. What I heard is it ran off with its pixie little cousin, earnest.

(3) Sometimes all you need to do is listen. Sometimes all you need is to listen -- My heart goes out to your daughter; my prayers that all will be well, God willing.

(4) Answer the phone, despite being from numbers you dont know! -- You never know what's behind that phonecall.

but i love scrabulous...

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Popular social networking site Facebook has been asked to remove the Scrabulous game from its Web site by the makers of Scrabble, agencies have reported.

Hasbro and Mattel jointly wrote to the site's U.S. headquarters, calling for the game to be pulled, citing copyright issues, the UK's Press Association has said.

Mattel released a statement saying: "Letters have been sent to Facebook in the U.S. regarding the Scrabulous application.

"Mattel values its intellectual property and actively protects its brands and trademarks. As Mattel owns the rights to the Scrabble trademark outside the U.S. and Canada we are currently reviewing our position regarding other countries."

Hasbro owns the rights to the game in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Mattel's UK office, the online version of the popular board game was created by a third-party organization based in India.

Facebook surpassed MySpace and Bebo as the UK's most popular social networking site just last year with more than half a million daily users.

The official Scrabble Web site says that more than 100 million sets of the game have been sold in 29 different languages in 121 countries worldwide since its launch in 1948.

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/01/16/facebook.scrabulous/index.html

the titled untitled

It has been a long day today. Woke up at a God-forsaken hour after a 4 hour sleep to drive in the dark wrapped with a light blanket. At one point I actually considered whether I can drive with my eyes closed.

Considering the (prolonged and STILL not ready 4 months after the expected date) construction, I inadvertently drove in the wrong lane.

I then almost hit a stationary steamroller, but for the love of God, can you people be bothered to get the humongous thing off the highway before you decide to call it a day? I better stop before I start blasting the highway people and their concept of “timely completion”.

On my drive back my foot decided to have its once-in-a-blue-moon cramp which of course gave me a slight fright.

Eventful day – adventure-wise; work-wise; enjoyed a great conversation. Amongst other things.

Let me get back to sleep.

2 peas in a pod may also be poles apart

This or that?
Confront or compromise?

Today so far is an eye opener in many levels. Finally came head-on with a certain issue and took the first step to deal with it. Also finally accepted that certain recent changes are here to stay.

There are 2 sides to a coin; and many many ways to look at one thing.

So how?

Decisions, decisions...