2010 sum up

So I always write a recap of what has happened in the year that is ending. Although it's like an unspoken rule that almost everyone with a blog has to do this, I actually got this idea of a recap waaayyy before blogging started. You see, my aunt (you know who you are *wink*) used to write, or should I say type, about her year; the ups and downs; the experiences etc. I was on the receiving end of this "recaps" and back then, I received printed copies in the mail. I remember reading them and thinking..."Wow! What a great idea!". Of course, I was still in school back then and I had nothing much/interesting to write about.

But as I grew older, gained a wee bit more experience and then started blogging, it was high time I started a "recap". So here's my 2010 sum-up:

1st quarter:

I can't really remember much about what happened in January, but in February, my car got broken into and my spoilt radio got stolen! I had to drive home from the office with the passenger side window broken and glass all over the inside.

And then in March...I made the much and long awaited trip back to Singapore!! After more than 10 years, my trip back to Singapore was fruitful! I met Uncle Stephen's mum, I met Uncle Rufi and his family for the first time and I met Uncle Maurice. Sightseeing and visiting the Night Safari made up the trip! What a time I had and I can't wait to return!

Grandma also had her knee operation and now...I reckon she can run faster than my mum!! Lol!!

2nd quarter:

So this year, I had more trips to KL than I ever did over the past years. I also celebrated my 26th birthday in June and got a nice present from my family: a HP!

This quarter also marked MJ's 1st death anniversary. Sighs.

3rd quarter:

I was supposed to spend a month in Philippines from July - August; but due to safety concerns, the trip was cancelled.

My sister turned 20 in August, marking the end of her teenage years. :-)

4th quarter:

The last 3 months of the year proved to be the most exciting. First, we got a new sofa!! And then it was Deepavali which is always nice! Family, friends, food, laughter, pictures. You get the picture!

After Deepavali, both my sister and I got the dreaded chicken pox!! I don't know how I contracted it but I was out of action for 3 weeks!! Thankfully....my spots were not the itchy type but rather it was painful! My sister was luckier as hers only lasted for about a week!

Then Xmas came along and it was time for decorations and presents! And also wine!! hehe...

Xmas passed really quickly and now...as I sit here writing this, tomorrow is New Year's eve!! I decided I wanted a change for the new year and so instead of cutting my hair, I had it dyed. The colour: Medium Auburn, which turned out to look more coppery. There hasn't been much sun lately and so I don't really know the full "force" of the colour. I hope I don't faint when I finally see it in full blast!!

So that's it....my 2010 sum-up! I hope I have another fruitful year next year, with more to experience and more to write!

Signing off for the year 2010!!

See you next year!! HAPPY NEW YEAR AND GOD BLESS!

Xmas is over...

Xmas is finally over. After spending so much time just THINKING about what I should get for my sister, I finally finished my Xmas shopping on Friday!! If I wasn't on leave on Friday, my shopping would have been left unfinished!

So Friday night was spent at the shop as there was sort of a gathering. We feasted on roasted chicken, prawns, KFC mash potato and coleslaw, beer and wine. It wasn't exactly a party but rather...just a way to usher in Xmas and spend time with family friends. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken as we were all hungry and by the time we remembered that we had our cameras with us...almost everyone had gone home.

Xmas morning was spent at home. We opened our presents, watched TV and had a very light afternoon meal as we had a dinner to attend to. Mum got me a perfume and bath gel (although the gel was a mistake as she had wanted to buy me a moisturiser. This is the second year she's made that mistake). Sis got me a bag and the book, THE LOST SYMBOL!! Yay!! :-)

Dinner that night was at my dad's friend's house. There we had crabs, prawns (yay!), chicken, mutton, beer, stout and wine! We had planned to only stay for a couple of hours and leave before midnight. But as usual...once the drinking begun and conversation started to flow....we ended up leaving at nearly 3am!

Thank God I still have the next week off. I've got a few things to do before the new year; like fixing my "new" pc, getting my hair done (I'd wanted to cut it but then mum disapproves. So I compromised and said I'd get it dyed), doing nothing...lol.

I can't believe it'll be a new year in a few days' time!

Xmas preparation

I returned to work after a 3-week "break" and boy was I looking forward to it.......NOT!! But thankfully, I only had another 3 weeks to work then the office was closed for the year! Yippee! I also found out that Dec 24th was declared a holiday!

To me, December is the month for presents and Xmas trees. It also marks the end of the current year! Usually, my Xmas tree would be up by the second week of December [I'd wanted to go down to KL or S'pore this year since I have a long break but then my sis has no holiday so it's Xmas in Penang this year]. This year...laziness took over. Considering that I was still on "break" in the first week of December, I could very well have set up the tree. But alas....that did not happen. My sis and mum started asking when the tree would be up and I suddenly realised that almost every year, I'M the one who sets up the tree!! But then again...I can't or rather shouldn't complain as I'm the fussy one when it comes to decorating the tree. The OCD in me comes out like a charging bull; the lights are not evenly put, the shiny balls and boxes are not evenly placed etc! And so...I guess after years of complaining...I guess my mum and sis has decided to leave it to me. Nevertheless, my sis helped me this year; AFTER I had assembled the tree and placed the lights. It took us about an hour to get it done.

After the tree...comes presents and this is ALWAYS a problem! What presents can I get for mum, sis and dad, while sticking to a limited budget? For the past few years, I've gotten the same gifts for my mum and dad. Thankfully, the presents are useful and will always be used. But then again....there goes the surprise element. So far, I've already bought presents for my mum and dad. Deciding to choose what to buy for my sis is proving to be a real problem. She gave me a list of things she wants (from books to clothes) to make it easier for me, but still...I find myself looking at the list over and over again not knowing what to get her.

Xmas is only 3 days away, so I'd better hurry up and finish my shopping. Sighs!

Out for 3 weeks

I've been on leave, or rather Medical Leave for the past 3 weeks. The cause: CHICKEN POX!! It's really weird that I got it just suddenly, out of the blue. One day I was working at a hotel with my team; the next day, I felt sick and had 2-3 blisters on my neck. A trip to the doctor confirmed my mum's suspicion. Of course...the moment it was confirmed, mum and sis alienated me as they both had yet to contract chicken pox. Only dad was brave enough to come near me. But then, he too was cautious despite already having chicken pox when he was young.

I had to carry down my matress and pillows to sleep in the hall. My clothes were kept isolated from the rest of the laundry; I was confined to my "side of the house". All in all, I was "cordoned" off to one side of the house.

Surprisingly, I did not feel itchy. My body temperature was haywire, I had no appetite (which is sooo not good as I am already thin!!), and all I did for the first week and a half was sleep almost the whole day long!! I only got up to eat (or rather nibble on some food and keep myself hydrated) and have neem soap baths. I also had my body painted with blended neem leaves with a bit of kunyit added into the blend. This practice may sound weird as usually, we just use the neem leaves to rub over ourselves to easy the itch and also sleep on the leaves to help cool our body. But when my brother got chicken pox and according to my aunt, his spots were like 'mutant pox'...she decided to blend the leaves and paint him with it. The result? The blisters dried quickly and there were no scars!! He now has beautiful skin.

Naturally, with me being vain and worried about having scars especially since my face seemed to bear the brunt of the disease, I followed and am still following the neem bath practice. I'm happy to say, the spots on my face dried rather quickly, fell off and now...although I can see faint scars, I'm fairly certain it'll all disappear as besides the neem baths, I'm also applying pure, concentrated vitamin E. As for the spots on the rest of my body, I'm hoping that the combination of neem soap baths and application of Franch Oil will help reduce the marks.

Contracting chicken pox when in adulthood only doubles the symptoms. Meaning, more spots, longer recovery period etc. My spots took about two weeks to appear fully and only in the 3rd week did it start drying and dropping off. I return to work on Monday and after being on leave for so long...I'm kinda dreading it.

But then...once I go back to work, it's only 3 weeks to the last week of December when once again I'll be off as the office is close for Xmas and New Year. So I can't really complain!!

And so...as I move on from my chicken pox experience, I'm looking forward to shopping for Xmas! Yippee!