It's one more month to the end of 2008 and we'll be starting a whole new year. A whole new year of promise, resolutions, decisions...etc. One thing that has been on my mind (besides work and thinking about furthering my studies) is marriage. Not that I am eager or desperate to tie the knot! I'm still young!!
It's just that...since I left high school, most of my friends (mostly the Muslim, no offense) have gotten married and even have kids!! Just this year, my ex-classmate gave birth to a baby girl and I was like, "What?!" haha...I was also shocked when I found out 2 years ago that she had married!
I'd thought that the average age of women getting married nowadays had risen. We're now career-minded. We have to be successful before jumping into lifetime commitments. We have no time for guys. Hahaha....But I guess when you're in love and the time is right, marriage seems to be the next right thing to do.
On the other hand, I have friends and cousins (all my grown up cousins in fact) who are very much single and enjoying life. And I fall into this category. Just this year, my aunt asked me if I had a bf and when she got the negative reply, she said it's time to look for a "nice" guy. Hahaha...as though I am consciously going to look for "bad" guys!!
Well...2009 is a new year. So we'll see what happens. Who knows? 2009 might be the year I find Mr.Right. Or...it could be the year I win a beauty pageant!! Haha!!
November 22, 2008
November 21, 2008
Fridays....
It's Friday again!! Yay! I've always loved Fridays. From high school to college to work. And why? Simply because it marks the beginning of the weekend and the end of the week!! That means, two days of doing absolutely nothing!! Not that "nothing" means sleeping the whole day and waking up only to eat!! Haha...!! It's just that..the weekend means not having to think, stress or worry about anything work-related; getting to sleep in late; being able to wear my pajamas the whole day and so on and so forth.
Now, I may sound like I am lazy, I hate my job and that I only think of weekends, holidays, off days..etc. The truth? I am lazy (in certain things). I don't HATE my job, but at the same time, I am not married to my job (get what I mean?). And yes....I do think of weekends, holidays and off days. It's one of the pleasures that I look forward to after working hard, trying to make other people's lives better. It's what I deserve!
Anyway....like I said in the beginning...IT'S FRIDAY....!! I'm definitely planning on sleeping in late tomorrow. But that depends entirely on whether my mother wakes me up so that I can "help" carry her marketing!!
Now, I may sound like I am lazy, I hate my job and that I only think of weekends, holidays, off days..etc. The truth? I am lazy (in certain things). I don't HATE my job, but at the same time, I am not married to my job (get what I mean?). And yes....I do think of weekends, holidays and off days. It's one of the pleasures that I look forward to after working hard, trying to make other people's lives better. It's what I deserve!
Anyway....like I said in the beginning...IT'S FRIDAY....!! I'm definitely planning on sleeping in late tomorrow. But that depends entirely on whether my mother wakes me up so that I can "help" carry her marketing!!
November 15, 2008
8 months after India
It's been 8 months since I've returned from India and I have yet to complete my "journal" on my experience in India. I sent out three rounds of my writings to friends and family and that has been it. I'm putting it here so that I'll remember to finish off by year end.
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Hi guys,
As you all know, I'm finally back from India after one month of eating tosai, idli, capatis and riding around in Autos. So...what can I say about my experience there?? Was it fulfilling?? Was it like the Tamil movies we watch?? It was all that and more.
So I arrived in Chennai on Feb 13 at 9.15pm and my first impression of the airport was: Disappointment. It didn't look like what I expected it to be but then again, I may have expected too much. After all, it's India!!!
Pass the immigration and having collected my luggages, the next thing I saw was a sea of men. I didn't expect to see so many men and so few women. It later hit me that this was due to the female infanticide that is so rampant in India.
Back to my "first" impression(s)...the next thing I was introduced to in India was the Indian Horn and the Indian-Way-Of-Driving. I was literally hanging on to my seat as the driver of the Jeep swerved left and right through the traffic. It didn't help that there were roadworks going on and a fly-over being built out of nowhere. And to top it all, my vehicle had no air-con and so we travelled for 2.5hrs with the windows down, breathing in dust.
I came to India thinking that I was going to stay in the city but when I arrived, I was told (to my chagrin) that we're heading straight for the village.
So after a dusty and "rocky" 2.5hr drive from the airport, we finally arrived at Arakkonam (the small village where I stayed). The driveway was so dark, the only thing I saw was BLACK. Though there was a single light bulb that was lit, it was not enough. But since we were so tired and were ready to drop our bags and just sleep, we did not bother about our surroundings. We did not even bathe!!
I got up at about 8am the next morning and my first thought was COLD!!! My feet were frozen and the MAS blanket that I "took" did not provide sufficient protection.
Anyway, I got a pleasant surprise when I went to take my bath. The bathroom actually had a heater. They call it a BOILER and if you want hot water, you'll have to switch it on a few minutes before you have your bath. Nevertheless, I was glad to have hot water coz I came to India thinking I was going back to the basic of basics.
Once cleaned and dressed, I stepped out of the room and oh my God...the blackness that greeted me the night before was replaced by a beautiful view. There were trees all around, a playground, a well and even a hut that is used as a day-care center. As I was taking in the view, a lady came and informed me that "Tiffen" was ready. Not knowing what she meant, I said ok and smiled and she walked off. An hour later, the lady came back and told me that breakfast was ready; and as my supervisor and I started on our breakfast of idli and dhal, the lady informed us that "Tiffen" meant food or meal!!!! Breakfast had been ready an hour earlier and because of the language barrier, there were already misunderstandings!! HAHA!!
Anyway, after breakfast, my supervisor (Marjo) and I decided to get down to work. Much to our dismay, the laptop that we brought with us malfunctioned. It could be switched on but there was no image on the monitor!!! After desperate and expensive calls back to Malaysia, we found out that it was a recurring problem and that, in order for it to be functional, we just had to let it "rest"!! Marjo had her laptop but every local Internet connection was incompatible with her laptop, as it was an APPLE MAC. And so…there we were, in a remote village in India, with just one laptop and no internet connection. To make matters worse, the electricity went off during the day (much to our chagrin, the electricity went off daily!!) so that left us with nothing to do on our first day in India!!
So I spent my first day in India not working. Instead, I spent the whole day getting used to the time difference by watching the entire new season of Grey's Anatomy (thank God Marjo had it in her laptop)! There were about 12 episodes and I watched it all in one day!!! I only stopped to eat and take a break by walking around the compound area.
Besides not having the Internet, I also did not have the local Indian handphone SIM card. I'd thought we were going to stay in the city and that I'd get it by afternoon the next day. So you can imagine my dismay and disappointment when I couldn't call my family. Actually, I could have called my family using my Malaysian line but it would have cost a bomb!! I couldn't SMS as well, as it was expensive. I did, however SMS my mother to let her know that I arrived safely and was in one piece.
And so...day 1 was spent doing nothing but getting used to the time difference and getting over the culture shock.
.........the next time I update this, it will be a long post on my experience in India for the entire month; rather than writing on a daily basis!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi guys,
As you all know, I'm finally back from India after one month of eating tosai, idli, capatis and riding around in Autos. So...what can I say about my experience there?? Was it fulfilling?? Was it like the Tamil movies we watch?? It was all that and more.
So I arrived in Chennai on Feb 13 at 9.15pm and my first impression of the airport was: Disappointment. It didn't look like what I expected it to be but then again, I may have expected too much. After all, it's India!!!
Pass the immigration and having collected my luggages, the next thing I saw was a sea of men. I didn't expect to see so many men and so few women. It later hit me that this was due to the female infanticide that is so rampant in India.
Back to my "first" impression(s)...the next thing I was introduced to in India was the Indian Horn and the Indian-Way-Of-Driving. I was literally hanging on to my seat as the driver of the Jeep swerved left and right through the traffic. It didn't help that there were roadworks going on and a fly-over being built out of nowhere. And to top it all, my vehicle had no air-con and so we travelled for 2.5hrs with the windows down, breathing in dust.
I came to India thinking that I was going to stay in the city but when I arrived, I was told (to my chagrin) that we're heading straight for the village.
So after a dusty and "rocky" 2.5hr drive from the airport, we finally arrived at Arakkonam (the small village where I stayed). The driveway was so dark, the only thing I saw was BLACK. Though there was a single light bulb that was lit, it was not enough. But since we were so tired and were ready to drop our bags and just sleep, we did not bother about our surroundings. We did not even bathe!!
I got up at about 8am the next morning and my first thought was COLD!!! My feet were frozen and the MAS blanket that I "took" did not provide sufficient protection.
Anyway, I got a pleasant surprise when I went to take my bath. The bathroom actually had a heater. They call it a BOILER and if you want hot water, you'll have to switch it on a few minutes before you have your bath. Nevertheless, I was glad to have hot water coz I came to India thinking I was going back to the basic of basics.
Once cleaned and dressed, I stepped out of the room and oh my God...the blackness that greeted me the night before was replaced by a beautiful view. There were trees all around, a playground, a well and even a hut that is used as a day-care center. As I was taking in the view, a lady came and informed me that "Tiffen" was ready. Not knowing what she meant, I said ok and smiled and she walked off. An hour later, the lady came back and told me that breakfast was ready; and as my supervisor and I started on our breakfast of idli and dhal, the lady informed us that "Tiffen" meant food or meal!!!! Breakfast had been ready an hour earlier and because of the language barrier, there were already misunderstandings!! HAHA!!
Anyway, after breakfast, my supervisor (Marjo) and I decided to get down to work. Much to our dismay, the laptop that we brought with us malfunctioned. It could be switched on but there was no image on the monitor!!! After desperate and expensive calls back to Malaysia, we found out that it was a recurring problem and that, in order for it to be functional, we just had to let it "rest"!! Marjo had her laptop but every local Internet connection was incompatible with her laptop, as it was an APPLE MAC. And so…there we were, in a remote village in India, with just one laptop and no internet connection. To make matters worse, the electricity went off during the day (much to our chagrin, the electricity went off daily!!) so that left us with nothing to do on our first day in India!!
So I spent my first day in India not working. Instead, I spent the whole day getting used to the time difference by watching the entire new season of Grey's Anatomy (thank God Marjo had it in her laptop)! There were about 12 episodes and I watched it all in one day!!! I only stopped to eat and take a break by walking around the compound area.
Besides not having the Internet, I also did not have the local Indian handphone SIM card. I'd thought we were going to stay in the city and that I'd get it by afternoon the next day. So you can imagine my dismay and disappointment when I couldn't call my family. Actually, I could have called my family using my Malaysian line but it would have cost a bomb!! I couldn't SMS as well, as it was expensive. I did, however SMS my mother to let her know that I arrived safely and was in one piece.
And so...day 1 was spent doing nothing but getting used to the time difference and getting over the culture shock.
.........the next time I update this, it will be a long post on my experience in India for the entire month; rather than writing on a daily basis!
November 10, 2008
No time
My last post was about Deepavali. And since then, I've not had the time to update my blog! Spending approximately 7.5 hours in front of the computer during work, the last thing I need/want to do when I go home is to sit in front of the computer again!! Even on weekends, I'd rather watch tv or read, rather than go online.
So...for future updates on my life....people will just have to wait. :-)
So...for future updates on my life....people will just have to wait. :-)
November 1, 2008
Deepavali Is Over!!!
sighs....Deepavali is over and along with it, all the festivities, murukus and angpows!! I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed myself this year, both on the eve and Deepavali day itself (not that I don't enjoy myself every year. This year was just different)The eve was of course the best as the whole family was present. This was the one day when everyone would meet yearly without fail. All the uncles, aunties and cousins from Penang, KL and those travelling will make sure that they are present on the eve and that's when I really have the 'big family' feeling.
Deepavali day itself is another story. Though not every single member of the family will be at my grandparents' house, most of them would be there. The highlight of the day would be wearing our new outfits, complete with matching bangles and bindis, new shoes (this is optional) and of course, celebrating the day itself!! Arriving at the house and greeting everyone, having a hearty brunch (of putu mayam, chicken curry, tosai...) and then just hanging out with my cousins made my day. Later that night, we returned to my granny's house and we cousins decided to break the law. We played with firecrackers and though I am no longer a kid, I felt like one!! :-) This was the first year (hopefully not the last) that we cousins actually met up on Deepavali night and played with firecrackers.
On the other hand, I am sad that this is the last year that the whole family is celebrating Deepavali in Penang. Everyone seems to be moving away from this beautiful island, either to KL or Perak; and only God knows where our Deepavali will be next year. Nevertheless, I am very very happy to say that Deepavali 2008 for Shakun was great!! I enjoyed myself, I bonded with my cousins and I'm proud to say that the Festival of Lights this year, did indeed brighten my life!!
Deepavali day itself is another story. Though not every single member of the family will be at my grandparents' house, most of them would be there. The highlight of the day would be wearing our new outfits, complete with matching bangles and bindis, new shoes (this is optional) and of course, celebrating the day itself!! Arriving at the house and greeting everyone, having a hearty brunch (of putu mayam, chicken curry, tosai...) and then just hanging out with my cousins made my day. Later that night, we returned to my granny's house and we cousins decided to break the law. We played with firecrackers and though I am no longer a kid, I felt like one!! :-) This was the first year (hopefully not the last) that we cousins actually met up on Deepavali night and played with firecrackers.
On the other hand, I am sad that this is the last year that the whole family is celebrating Deepavali in Penang. Everyone seems to be moving away from this beautiful island, either to KL or Perak; and only God knows where our Deepavali will be next year. Nevertheless, I am very very happy to say that Deepavali 2008 for Shakun was great!! I enjoyed myself, I bonded with my cousins and I'm proud to say that the Festival of Lights this year, did indeed brighten my life!!
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