I was away for 3 days last week, stuck in a resort that's up a "mountain" above 900 meters, for my organisation's yearly planning meeting. I was really reluctant to go on this trip as past experiences of having meetings that last more than 12 hrs kept haunting me. But I must admit, this year wasn't that bad. In fact, I had a good time. The very people whom I was reluctant to spend 3 days with, turned out to be fun; and the meetings actually ended early!! Gunung Jerai is as secluded as it can be. Not recommended for family holidays as there is really nothing to do up there. It'll probably suit honeymooners who intend to spend all their time indoors. :S
Anyway...my return back to Penang was not good. I returned on Friday night and even before the night was over, I was already in a bad mood. This mood continued to the next day and the next. People who know me, know that I am a very patient person. I rarely lose my temper and it takes quite a lot to make me lose my temper. But I guess there's a limit to accumulated and pent-up emotions, before it all blows up. I didn't blow up. But my voice level rose, my voice cracked and I had to take deep breaths to calm down. I'm hardly speaking to the person I'm angry at. It's better this way as any conversation we have is bound to end in a shouting match. It's so hard trying to be civil but I know I can do it. *breathe*
I hate it when I lose my temper. It's sooo not me. But like I said, there is a limit to my patience and sooner or later, I'm going to really blow. In fact, I honestly attribute my thinness to me keeping in my emotions. It's probably eating me inside.
Thank God I've got an outlet where I can just vent out. But then again, I prefer keeping most of it to myself. Why bother others?
I just hope this bad mood phase ends soon. I don't like what I'm feeling. I don't like what I project (ppl can actually tell when I am in a bad mood). I just don't like it all.
Sighs.
February 6, 2012
January 23, 2012
New Craze
So every year...well almost every year I have a new craze. One year it's Korean dramas. The next year it's Hindi movies. The next year it's Twilight. And now...in 2012 it's dance! When I say dance, I don't actually mean me dancing my shoes off! I wish I COULD dance! But sadly...I have two left feet. And being tall and skinny isn't exactly an ideal combination for grace. In fact, I look like a gangly kid, full of arms and legs. Imagine Goofy dancing.
Although I did not watch it from the beginning, I got hooked on the last few episodes! One is of course because of the dancing. I can never imagine myself all dressed up in teeny-weeny dresses, dancing ballroom in heels!! The professionals who accompany the stars are of course the added bonus! I love Max's tall, toned body! :p and I don't know why but I think Derek Hough (pic below) is a cutie! He too has a hot body!! Lol...I sound like some awestruck teen!
I started watching Dancing with the Stars recently, the first season ever to be shown on Astro.
Although I did not watch it from the beginning, I got hooked on the last few episodes! One is of course because of the dancing. I can never imagine myself all dressed up in teeny-weeny dresses, dancing ballroom in heels!! The professionals who accompany the stars are of course the added bonus! I love Max's tall, toned body! :p and I don't know why but I think Derek Hough (pic below) is a cutie! He too has a hot body!! Lol...I sound like some awestruck teen! 
My mum and sis are good dancers. Sadly...I take after my dad who really can't dance! So I live vicariously through these kind of shows. So You Think You Can Dance is another dance show that I love watching. One reason is that I feel comforted knowing and seeing that I am not the only one who can't dance well. There are some that are just soooooo awful, I wonder how they can even think of auditioning!
Of course...American Idol has started and that's another show that I watch if not to laugh at the horrible singers, but to also know that while I may not be the best singer, I am also not the worst! Just yesterday mum said that she thinks if I sang, I'd be the Norah Jones type. LOL!!! I don't even have 1/4 of her talent! Mum must really think highly of me!
Anyway....it look's like I shall be living vicarously through these shows. I may carry a tune but I definitely can't dance. If they had a Dancing with Non-celebrities show, I'd be the hardest contestant to teach and the first to be voted out! LOL!
January 1, 2012
Welcome 2012
MY FIRST ENTRY OF THE YEAR:
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
HERE'S WISHING
EVERYONE THE VERY VERY BEST
AND GOD BLESS
ALWAYS!
December 31, 2011
The year that was...2011
Another year has come to an end, and what a year it has been.
The year started with me changing positions at work and getting a raise. From being a programme assistant, I became and still am a research and personal assistant to the Executive Director. In addition, I continued being part of the PPT team, which would later achieve judicial success in India. I'm proud to say that my background in law really helped! I've questioned my qualification and the path that I've taken since graduation. Am I wrong in not wanting to practice law? Should I have gone on the expected path instead of taking the road less taken? My work and achievement so far have somewhat quelled my doubts.
April was a really tough month. Bad news plagued my family and I was in a quandary. I questioned my decision in continuing to work in an NGO. While I am quite happy with my job (of course there's the occasional unhappiness), there are times when I wished for a better paying job. Do I give in to being materialistic or do I settle for what some people would say is my "safe" world? Finding something new is not easy. Working in an NGO apparently doesn't count as experience but rather it's just character building. Nevertheless, I thought it through, made adjustments to my budgets, stuck with my job and in the end, managed to survive and still save $$.
Back to my quandary, a family talk was held. Emotions were high; there were tears, shouts, silence...sighs. After much discussion, a solution was reached. But still, I could not breathe a sigh of relief. There was still much to be solved.
June came and I turned 27. I had a new hairstyle and the day was spent with family and close friends.
August saw Vay turning 21. There was no big celebration but a small gathering was held at the shop. "Small" soon turned into quite a crowd. Vay had her first HIGH moment from drinking wine, and Kiran experienced the camaderie at the shop for the first time.
September saw Kiran, Vay and me registering to be voters. Up til now, we have yet to check the status of our registration. Hmmm....
October was Deepavali month. This year, Vay and I decided to make murukus on our own, without any help from our mum and grandmas. We bought all the ingredients, borrowed the "machinery" and enlisted help in the form of Kiran and Trish. It was a great success! We all had fun and the murukus turned out better than we expected. My grandmas even said it was better than theirs and bosated this to my uncles!
November was busy busy busy! I was to go to India for two weeks and I had just three weeks to prepare. So much preparation and I don't mean packing my clothes etc. It was work! It would be my first time in Bangalore.
The first 12 days of December saw me galavanting around Bangalore and Kerala. I had decided to take a short trip after my event in India. I returned to Malaysia on the 12th, got sick for about a week, went back to work for a few days and then went on leave. The office shut down on Dec 24th and will only re-open on January 3rd 2012.
Looking back, I feel like I've been through a lot. Stuff that made me grow up, mature and made me look at things from a different perspective. I've had to take charge even when I didn't want to; I've had to be firm and be "the parent" at certain times. I've had to make difficult decisions and be the "cruel" one for some people's best interest. I've also resumed/begun concentrating on the positive.
This way of thinking, which I attribute to The Secret, had in ways impacted my life. I find it easier to think rationally in times of hardship and somehow...in the end, things always turn out right. Coincidence or not, I don't know but I am not going to spend time analyzing.
Two really wonderful things that I simply must highlight for this year:
1. Mum's health
Got a shock when we found out that her pacemaker battery had died and that she needed to replace it, an operation that would cost at least 20K. The happy news: went for a 2nd opinion and was told that she did not even need the 1st operation. Mum can live without a pacemaker, at least for the next 10-15 years. She's healthy and she's fine!
2. Dad's book
After writing his book for about a year, and after much quarrels and delays, things are finally in motion! The first edited draft is ready, meeting with sponsors are on-going (one has already agreed)...I see light at the end of the tunnel.
So...as the New Year begins in less than 12 hours, I look forward to greater things happening. A raise in my salary, maybe. A new job, who knows? A boyfriend...HAHA! Well...to great things in 2012....
The year started with me changing positions at work and getting a raise. From being a programme assistant, I became and still am a research and personal assistant to the Executive Director. In addition, I continued being part of the PPT team, which would later achieve judicial success in India. I'm proud to say that my background in law really helped! I've questioned my qualification and the path that I've taken since graduation. Am I wrong in not wanting to practice law? Should I have gone on the expected path instead of taking the road less taken? My work and achievement so far have somewhat quelled my doubts.
April was a really tough month. Bad news plagued my family and I was in a quandary. I questioned my decision in continuing to work in an NGO. While I am quite happy with my job (of course there's the occasional unhappiness), there are times when I wished for a better paying job. Do I give in to being materialistic or do I settle for what some people would say is my "safe" world? Finding something new is not easy. Working in an NGO apparently doesn't count as experience but rather it's just character building. Nevertheless, I thought it through, made adjustments to my budgets, stuck with my job and in the end, managed to survive and still save $$.
Back to my quandary, a family talk was held. Emotions were high; there were tears, shouts, silence...sighs. After much discussion, a solution was reached. But still, I could not breathe a sigh of relief. There was still much to be solved.
June came and I turned 27. I had a new hairstyle and the day was spent with family and close friends.
August saw Vay turning 21. There was no big celebration but a small gathering was held at the shop. "Small" soon turned into quite a crowd. Vay had her first HIGH moment from drinking wine, and Kiran experienced the camaderie at the shop for the first time.
September saw Kiran, Vay and me registering to be voters. Up til now, we have yet to check the status of our registration. Hmmm....
October was Deepavali month. This year, Vay and I decided to make murukus on our own, without any help from our mum and grandmas. We bought all the ingredients, borrowed the "machinery" and enlisted help in the form of Kiran and Trish. It was a great success! We all had fun and the murukus turned out better than we expected. My grandmas even said it was better than theirs and bosated this to my uncles!
November was busy busy busy! I was to go to India for two weeks and I had just three weeks to prepare. So much preparation and I don't mean packing my clothes etc. It was work! It would be my first time in Bangalore.
The first 12 days of December saw me galavanting around Bangalore and Kerala. I had decided to take a short trip after my event in India. I returned to Malaysia on the 12th, got sick for about a week, went back to work for a few days and then went on leave. The office shut down on Dec 24th and will only re-open on January 3rd 2012.
Looking back, I feel like I've been through a lot. Stuff that made me grow up, mature and made me look at things from a different perspective. I've had to take charge even when I didn't want to; I've had to be firm and be "the parent" at certain times. I've had to make difficult decisions and be the "cruel" one for some people's best interest. I've also resumed/begun concentrating on the positive.
This way of thinking, which I attribute to The Secret, had in ways impacted my life. I find it easier to think rationally in times of hardship and somehow...in the end, things always turn out right. Coincidence or not, I don't know but I am not going to spend time analyzing.
Two really wonderful things that I simply must highlight for this year:
1. Mum's health
Got a shock when we found out that her pacemaker battery had died and that she needed to replace it, an operation that would cost at least 20K. The happy news: went for a 2nd opinion and was told that she did not even need the 1st operation. Mum can live without a pacemaker, at least for the next 10-15 years. She's healthy and she's fine!
2. Dad's book
After writing his book for about a year, and after much quarrels and delays, things are finally in motion! The first edited draft is ready, meeting with sponsors are on-going (one has already agreed)...I see light at the end of the tunnel.
So...as the New Year begins in less than 12 hours, I look forward to greater things happening. A raise in my salary, maybe. A new job, who knows? A boyfriend...HAHA! Well...to great things in 2012....
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 30, 2011
Last day in Bangalore
So on our last day in Bangalore, Rosmah and I wanted to make the most of it. We had yet to get our fill of shopping. Plus...we had a bit more work to do.
Having reached Banaglore at about 7am that day, we headed back to our hostel, washed up, had breakfast and then we were out.
We first headed to the money changer, then off to Commercial Street we went! There were lanes and lanes of shops, so much so that we got confused! I think we walked around the whole area at least 3 times. We managed to do some shopping but of course, we were not satisfied but we had to settle with what we had as time was running out. I shopped till I had almost no Rupess left! We walked so much, I felt as though I spent so much and yet...when I look at my purchases, it didn't seem like much! :-(
Anyway...we returned back to our hostel at around 4-ish and settled whatever work we had left. After that, it was time to wash up, check our packing and off to the airport, where we had dinner. It was a bitter sweet time for me as I felt that, just as I got used to living in Bangalore, it was time to return home.
I can truly say that I enjoyed myself there eventhough the first week was stressful and hectic. Though I was really dreading the trip, I now admit that it was worth it. :-)
Having reached Banaglore at about 7am that day, we headed back to our hostel, washed up, had breakfast and then we were out.
We first headed to the money changer, then off to Commercial Street we went! There were lanes and lanes of shops, so much so that we got confused! I think we walked around the whole area at least 3 times. We managed to do some shopping but of course, we were not satisfied but we had to settle with what we had as time was running out. I shopped till I had almost no Rupess left! We walked so much, I felt as though I spent so much and yet...when I look at my purchases, it didn't seem like much! :-(
Anyway...we returned back to our hostel at around 4-ish and settled whatever work we had left. After that, it was time to wash up, check our packing and off to the airport, where we had dinner. It was a bitter sweet time for me as I felt that, just as I got used to living in Bangalore, it was time to return home.I can truly say that I enjoyed myself there eventhough the first week was stressful and hectic. Though I was really dreading the trip, I now admit that it was worth it. :-)
Visiting Family Friends
Like on all trips, I had to make the customary visit to family friends. This time, it was KAru sitepa's ex-colleague, Narasimhan Uncle, who is originally from Chennai but happened to be living in Bangalore at this time. He was working with my uncle for the past few years and had only returned to Bangalore on Oct 2nd. He had resigned from the company as he apparently couldn't stand the work ethics of the Chinese people here.
My uncle had given me his contact information, asking me to call Nara Uncle should I face any problems. But prior to my trip, my uncle had already emailed him, informking him of my arrival. So how could I NOT at least call him and say hello?
They even wanted to accompany me on my trip to Mysore and Kerala, but I managed to talk them out of it, using the excuse that I was travelling with colleagues and we had plans of our own. This was not true as we had yet to make any plans but still....! :-)
My uncle had given me his contact information, asking me to call Nara Uncle should I face any problems. But prior to my trip, my uncle had already emailed him, informking him of my arrival. So how could I NOT at least call him and say hello?
So I called him either on December 4th or 5th which was like 10 days after I first arrived. I apologised for not calling earlier etc and he said that if I couldn't meet them, he and his wife would come to the hostel to meet me. No way!!! So I compromised and said that, I'd call him once all my events are over and I'm free.
That day happened to be December 7th. I called him and we made arrangements to have dinner that night. He came in an Auto with his wife at around 6.30pm. We went to his house straight, where we had tea and chitchatted for a bit. We then met up with his daughter at a restaurant for dinner. After that, he saw off his wife and daughter, and then together we took an Auto back to the hostel. Customary visit all over and done with! *phew*
They even wanted to accompany me on my trip to Mysore and Kerala, but I managed to talk them out of it, using the excuse that I was travelling with colleagues and we had plans of our own. This was not true as we had yet to make any plans but still....! :-)
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