Turkiye: Day 1

I'm back!!!
Was on vacation in Turkey with my family. 21 of us :)
I loveee Turkey!!! Will definitely recommend it and I will definitely visit Istanbul again if I can.
So here is a super brief day by day recap sorta like a travel journal! Hope that it can somewhat act as a guide if you do plan to visit Turkey (or maybe inspire you to go :)

Day 1: ISTANBUL
Historically also known as Byzantium and Constantinapole.
Istanbul has a population of 15 million.
Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world that is situated on 2 continents - Asia (Anatolia) and Europe.

1. 'Fresh' from the plane at 7am, we went sightseeing...
2. But first we stopped by for breakfast at Saray cafe situated in front of the New Mosque. Had cheese bread and meat bread (The kids attacked the dishes so I never had chance for pictures). Had my first taste of Turkish coffee...small but strong!
3. Visited Topkapi palace.
It was built in the 15th century with Asian influence architecture and design and has so many lovely courtyards. The palace was transformed into a museum at the end of the Ottoman empire. It displays many treasuries and relics of the Ottoman empire and Islamic collections including swords of the caliphs and prophet Muhammad. Some of the swords were hugeeeee. Hehe you can only imagine how strong they were ;)

At one of the lovely courtyards

View from the palace

5. It was extremely cold and we took 'refuge' in hot corns and chestnuts sold by the roadside. Oooh also tried fresh pomegranate juice. Yummmy (Plus point: Taste nutritious)6. Attempted to visit the Blue Mosque nearby. It was prayer time so visitors had no access. Below is the wudhu' place just underneath the mosque (Wudhu' is the cleansing ritual of oneself before prayers)7. Checked in at about 3pm and retired to a nice warm bubble bath...what a life :)

8. Walked about the main shopping street on the new side of Istanbul...very crowded with ppl (but then again it was Saturday evening). People in Istanbul are on average good looking - guys and girls!
9. Tried Turkish wine just before dinner. Quite yummy (too bad didnt remember the name of the bottle as we suffered from some bad wines later on).
10. Later on in the night we had seafood by the fish market and had our first taste of Turkish ice-cream....was as chewy as the 'rabbit' candy!^8 Cee

December, month of festivities

It has finally dawned upon me that:

1) End of year is finally here,

2) I am taking days off work for the first time,

and what seriously occurred to me two minutes ago was that I am very excited....

3) 6 days countdown before I am in this land right here.Please click image. You have to see it enlarged!

Cee gets to travel again!

Love
^8 Cee

Hey RS

Introducing another smart, young capable lady....AND ALSO another super good friend of mine, *Rozzle Dozzle*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

We've been friends back from our boarding school days where things were all dazed, crazy, young and sweet -> to uni days where she's been there to chill out, live it up and party up!! -> to travelling days (Gold Coast and Europe :)) to experience and became a definite add-on to the adventures! From nature walk tours to bungee jumps and sooo much more ;)
Babes, I'm so thankful for you...for someone to count on and enjoy with :)

xxx

Its Shu Bear

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a smart, young capable lady.


But best of all Happy Birthday to a lovely *Shu Bear*.
The super good friend who has lovely morning walks, chit chatty coffee breaks in winter, extended study sessions in the libraries, shopping sprees, random pillow talks...and not forgetting checking out the eye candy at Castro's ;)
plus many more simple LOL moments. hehe.

And as much as I wont admit it, I do miss Melbourne with you and how we used to be an sms away :(

xxxLion

In health and sickness

When I was a kid, I used to watch my parents sleep. I used to watch their chest go up and down. I remember how I used to wait for it to move and how slow time passes by. I did all this because someone once told me that people die in their sleep.

But I dont do that anymore.

Do I not have time anymore. Am I too busy with life to worry of death. Or do I simply take things forgranted.

It took sickness to make me remember...To remind me that my parents are humans and that they can be weak. Its frightening and unnerving to see them weak but I guess its life reminding us of the important things we take forgranted. And for that, perhaps sickness is just as important as health.

^8 Cee

Better World

A friend of mine believes that not only does the world around us shape us, but that we too shape the world. So if you've ever dreamed and envisioned for a better world, why not start to shape it into a better world!

You can make a difference. You dont have to be rich or it doesnt have to take up most of your time. Start small, make it sustainable!

My friend is starting with a conscious kind-act-a-day. Follow it at his blog here!
Its a simple concept. He starts it with himself - do a kind act a day to another. And lets say another 2 friends joins him on this idea, then you've got 3 people contributing a kind act each. And if these 2 new friends get another 2 new friends each, then you've got 7 people contributing a kind act each everyday...and it goes on and on and on....and hopefully it becomes a movement. Globally, you've got a whole new generation of people consciously choosing to do a kind act each day. Imagine that!

I stress on the word conscious because I believe that a better world should start with a change in mentality. By consciously choosing to do a kind act a day, you consciously realise the need for change and the importance of kindness and human relation. So why not start now?

Do a-kind-act-a-day and change the world to a better place. TRY IT! And at the very least support him, support the guy that is willing to change if you're not. Support him by reading his blog and encouraging and spreading the news (hehe like me!). But best of all, support him by joining in with his idea... Start a blog to keep a kindness diary for yourself and for others - you're not only helping yourself, but you're helping the entire world.

You start small and you dream big!
A small act of kindness collectively CAN change the world.


Credits to my 13 y.o. brother who co-wrote this post
P.s.: a short conversation btwn my bro and I
Me: You wanna say your age or not?
Him: Yea.
Me: How old?
Him: 13......single"
Me: -_-" (Ignoring him)
Him: Write single.
Me: -_-" -_-" -_-"
----and just when you think its over----
Him: Put exclamation mark. Single!


^8 Cee

I heard just about the smartest thing on hospitality today...

On my way to work, I listen to BFM 89.9
BFM is great coz it plays random songs that you dont hear elsewhere.
And from 8-8.20am its the breakfast grill!
Its where they interview key ppl on their respective industries.
(Perfect for people like me who are just clueless about industry insights)

Anyway back to the subject matter, the smartest quote on hospitality introduced by a speaker from a PR background is that.....
Pubs dont sell beer.
Hehe well that definitely caught my attention.

You know why???


Its because.........
lets say there is a row of pubs, the row of pubs all serve the same beer at roughly the same price. But you dont just walk into any 1st, 2nd, or 3rd pub. Instead, you choose to walk a little bit more and walk into the 4th one. Why?
If all the beers are the same, why the 4th and not the 1st, 2nd, 3rd?

You walk that extra distance and choose the pub based on their service and the experience you get from it. Essentially, whats being sold is not beer but service.

^8

2 months of hols

Yaaaaayyyyyy.
School holiday is here.

Ho Ho Ho. I'm no school kid.
I'm just someone who appreciates the less jammed up road in the morning.

Hello Beauty Sleep ;)

^8 Cee

Lalink

I spoke to my bestie.
And she laughed at my blog -_-"

Hehe I know you love me.
I love you too :)


^8 Cee

Freaky Coincidence

True story.

My granduncle passed away at the age of 67 at about 1.30pm due to heart attack. May his soul rest in peace.
The very next day, at 1.30 pm, the driver that drove my granduncle's body to the graveyard, who is coincidentally 67 years old, also passed away because of heart attack.

Freaky Coincidence? YEP.


Life oh life...


^8

A death has happened

The burial took place at night.
Everything went smoothly. It felt so peaceful and it was rather *beautiful* having a gathering of people around the graveyard under a clear nightsky to bid farewell and celebrate another person's life.

But imagine, 67 years of living and all it takes is hours to return back to soil...and only moments of celebrating the end. But hey, maybe I'm missing the point. Maybe life is a lifelong celebration and/or 'the end' is not necessarily the end after all ;)

Whatever it is, lets remember to live and remember that all things material eventually disappears (and perhaps all things non material for that matter).


Lastly,
Don't fear death just because you fear the unknown


^8 Cee

Sweet Child O' Mine

Sometimes that one song can transport you back to time regardless of where you are and what you're doing. That one song can stop you on your tracks and memories and emotions simply rush through. And its that feeling where you're just THERE...i dont know where...but just THERE >>> lost in time and space

And no matter what you're going through, you simply smile


:)


^8 Cee

Moscow

I may be biased because I *love* Vodianova

But I MUST MUST MUST go to Moscow

I wanna gooooooo :(




ps: check out the Metro station :)
ps: check out part 2 as well on Youtube.

^8 Cee

#21: Zorbing

Yay I can cross #21 off my list of things to do!

Zorbing
What is it: The activity of rolling down the hill in a bubble ball
Location: Tasik Titiwangsa.
Occasion: Birthday treat from AP. Thank you!!

Step 1: Choose. You can opt for the
1) dry roll, or
2) wet roll.
We opted for #2

Step 2: Get strapped in the bubble ball

Step 3: Roll down the hill.
Its like being in a washing machine!!!!!

FUNNNNN!!!



Whats next?

^8

I dont know what I want

I don't know what I want.

Actually, no.
I am convinced that I want what society wants out of me.
Or maybe I am a coward for not daring to want otherwise.

Maybe I am not a coward. Maybe I am just being practical.
I have always been practical...except when I act on impulse.
Or on the rare occasions where I jump and go against my own reasoning. Because sometimes things don't make sense logically but you just know that they somehow do.

I guess you just live. And live with no regrets.
Ignorance may be bliss but living consciously is pretty awesome too coz you cant possibly regret when you consciously choose.

Greaaaat...A monologue.
Ok go distract myself.


^8 Cee

Or maaaybe....

Or maybe I want to travel.
Yep, do plenty of it. Become a world resident.
Or do something else. Anything! Take the path less traveled.

But I cant. I NEED to have a stable forward looking job.
For now, I am a slave to money.

Actually, no. To be more truthful, I am a slave to society.
I am a sucker for society's blessings.

Don't get me wrong. I am not miserable.
On the contrary... I am happy, I am grateful and I am positive about life.
But why am I conditioned to happiness in such a way?


^8

M.A.D.

Make . a . difference

I want to make a difference.
But I don't know how.
Or maybe I don't actually care enough.
Or maybe I dont believe that I'll make any difference.
Whichever...

I want to make a difference.
To go M.A.D.



^8

Courage

Inspirational!!

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are all powerful beyond our measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?"
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God, your playing small does not serve the world, there is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are meant to shine as children do.
We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us, its in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
-Marianne Williamson


How many times have we doubted ourselves - that we're not smart enough, interesting enough, good enough. How many times have we decided not to stand out - To keep quiet when you know the answer, to dress down to blend in, to do nothing when presented with opportunities. Why do we do it. Why not take the courage to do something outstanding, to shine, to fulfill our destiny.


^8 Cee

Perak

I was browsing through the newspaper this morning and I am now convinced that I MUST find a way to Perak's Kinta Valley and Gunung Rapat.


As if you wont feel and think the same after looking at these pictures. Its like a land and time forgotten.

Pictures are credited to source page. Click the pictures to be redirected to source page.

^8 Cee

Latest Raya Accessories:

Babies!!


We were co-hosting...so at one stage my mum, my sister and I babysat so that the mothers could relax and enjoy the yummy raya dishes. Picture this:

This could very well be reality for my family a couple years down the road.Scary?! Yes!!! :s (even my grandma's confused!) But so exciting!

^8 Cee

Updates from my end

Time for an update coz 2 weeks of no-blogging is a looooong time. Update is gonna be mostly work related coz honestly thats all I've been up to. Some of your sms-es during the week made me smile. Good to know that I still have friends even without the time :) So *cough* *cough* sms me moreeee.

Ok. Updates from my end:

Update 1: Puasa and Raya
Fasting month is over. Hardly felt like it was fasting month. Hardly had any proper buka puasa as I was mostly in the office. Sahur was probably the only quality family time I had.
Raya will be here and I look like shit. Plenty of eyebags. But cant wait for it anyhow :) Since I'm a working girl this yr, I'll be giving out duit raya. Hehe dunno why but that'll be quite exciting too. Its like another phase of life

Update 2: Exams
4 down.
1 fail as you know but have since passed the other 3. Yaaay!
If only you guys knew how feverish I felt for my Treasury exams.
One final exam coming up after Raya.

Update 3: Corporate Finance week just ended.
We had to do sales pitch, debates and host EGMs.
Loved, as in LOVEEEEEEEED the week.
We learnt and did case studies on IPO, secondary offerings, and mergers and acquisition (M&A).
To me, M&A is the best bit of em all. Its the best sort of arts and science I've seen. The workings to a marriage that statistic shows to be 10% successful.Lol.
We camped overnight at work for two nights (my darling parents even sent me pillows and change of clothes at 4am in the morning), spent our lunches stocking up on sleep and used the work gym to shower in the mornings. Lol. Plenty of invaluable memories with my batchmates.
Oh well the week is over. Relieved to have my sleep back but am actually quite sad its over. Withdrawal symptom!



All in all, its been quite a crazy week. I'm not complaining coz I have really enjoyed it.

Selamat Hari Raya to all and Maaf Zahir Batin

Sincerely yours, Cee

^8

500 days of summer

Cant wait to watch this :) :)

DONT BE LAZY! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS TRAILER




----------updated 23rd Oct 2009
Identified with it.
Loved it <3.

^8

Lady Rouge

Hi.
Love her.
Love Dior.
Love this ad.

^8

Kick that habit

Took my bros out to buka puasa (break fast) and do some shoe shopping for myself.

In the car on the way back they saw a guy flicking his cigarette out the window onto the road.

My bros rolled down their windows and started saying some stuff to that guy in the car parallel to us....Oh My God I was like damn SHOCKED!!!!
And then the car went behind us and I was like "Eh!!! What if they're samsengs (bullies)???!!"

to which my bros replied, "We'll throw your heels at them!!"

Hahahahahahaaha ok imagine heels flying across the road. lol.




But seriously please...if you do smoke, dont flick em out of the window.
Even 13 and 14 year olds know its wrong!

^8

Sunset

Sunset was perfectly surreal today.
Wish I had a camera to capture it and forever keep with me.
Suddenly its like anything and everything in life made sense.
I didnt want it to leave me. I didnt want to live a day without it. I didnt want to forget.


Thats so typical us isnt it?
Why cant we love freely without owning?


^8

Heads in

On Tuesday we were given a project.
RM 100 M to trade. Winning team is the one that makes the most money in a month.


All of us were completely clueless. Super clueless.
Like errr which industry should we look at....which company....when to buy....how to value....
Sooo we called some ppl, read some stuff, threw darts and chose our stocks.


Thats how we started! Whewww what a gamble it has been!
But as days passed, we became more aware of news surrounding us, on industries and companies, and we're sorta learning how to make our own interpretations on candlesticks and charts and volatilities. Right or wrong we dont know, and I guess its the sort of thing you gotta learn and pick up over time.

And being forced to trade has made me realise that trading is actually not THAT scary. I guess sometimes you just gotta take that plunge to rid yourself of the fear and to stop thinking and just do it! Theres still so much to be learnt...But at least I've ridden myself of my biggest barrier- the self-imposed barrier of entry.
So my advice for those wanting to start to trade is to start with a portfolio simulation. Then you'll start picking up stuff and you'll realise that you actually dont suck that bad and voila you ought to have the guts to start for real soon enough.


Its an exciting world out there!

^8

My first fail

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(
(ok you get the picture)



On a slightly Brighter note...
1) No one in THIS and MOST previous batches passed.
2) Passing mark is 70, I got 64.5 (sooo low but not THAT far la).
3) I got 2nd highest for this batch (wah lucky lucky!)
3) Over 4 years and 200 students, the highest mark to date for exam 1 is 77.


Lol, things I tell myself to sleep better at night.
Coz whatever it is, its still a FAIL!!!


4 more papers. I hope I pass at least one.
Hmmmm listen to me now... 2 weeks ago the idea of aiming just to pass would have been foreign. Haha let alone aiming to pass 1 out 5.

I dont know which is better - to never know failure or to know it and be resilient.


^8

Yesterday I went to Damas...

and passed by your sister's area...and I miss you already!

Bimbo, please come back soon! I know I've been busy lately but its so weird knowing that you're so so FAR away again.

Hahah but we'll be fine like always...after all, we've done long distance for 7 years now.
make me proud...be a great doc so that you can take care of your future godchildren F.O.C. hehe :)

love you till the end....when we'll be sitting on the reclining chair watching movies like old times.

^8

Quick whine

I'm suppose to be doing work but I'm so FRUSTRATED coz my computer screen looks like this: susah nah baca!

I've been meaning to get it fixed but
a) I dont have the time
b) Its so expensive. RM 700. So painful to pay for unexpected expenses (which isnt due to my doing in the first place) :(

I'm sorry I haven't had time to update. Things are temporarily hectic. I'm either:
a) thinking about work
b) thinking about needing to think about work
c) accidentally sleeping


But dont worry, I'm still well and happy :)

^8

2 Younger Brothers

My brothers just finished their school holidays last Thursday.
They spent their holidays playing loads and loads of computer and console games.

Computer games are barred during school term.
They're starting to show some withdrawal symptoms.

Like today...they were complaining about their life and their misery at family lunch.
They want to get out of the house...run away and be free from my parents' watchful eyes.

Bro: We (him and the other bro) have no life here. We should just leave and run away.
Me: Ya but what kind of life will you have?
Bro: We'll be orphans.
Me: But you still cant play computer game. Beats the point right.
Bro: (In all seriousness) We'll be orphans and we'll be adopted by Madonna.

L.O.L

Seriously addicted and delusional brothers I've got right now.


^8

Please please please

There is going to be a World Capital Markets Symposium this coming 10-11 August.

First time I saw it was in the newspapers and below is the list of the key note speakers:

I got pretty excited coz I just bought a Paul Krugman book and I've come across his name so many times in the newspapers...so you can only imagine how exciting it'll be to be able to meet the man in person! But I am also quite curious of Dr. Laura D'Andrea Tyson (economic adviser to Barack Obama and Bill Clinton) and Dr. Mark Mobius (considered to be one of the global leaders in the emerging market industry)...and I'm sure it goes without saying that all the others would be pretty damn amazing too. (You can click on the image if you want a more detailed description on the other speakers)



But then what a bummer coz it says:
Pssccht...that completely EXCLUDES me!






BUT today I just spoke to a friend and found out that she has a role in all of this. And so here is where the blog title comes to play....To that friend (her name shan't be stated just in case there are any other enthusiast out there who would ruin my chance at getting it), I'm blogging to show you how serious I am about it...(heheh maybe you didnt even need the convincing) ... I know its very highly unlikely to get one but please please please try and get an invitation =) =)
Heh Love you long time with or without the invitation xx


^8

Age, relatively

"The oldest rocks which have been found so far on Earth date to about 3.8 to 3.9 billion years ago" (Source). So I take it that the Earth must at least be 3.8 billion years old.

Thats all some fancy schmancy number unimaginable to us. But when you put a lil maths twist to it, the number becomes rather extraordinary. I wont bore you. I swear! Its only simple maths.

"DNA and fossil evidence indicates that modern humans originated in east Africa about 200,000 years ago" (Source).

Sooo if you put it together.....us modern humans have ONLY lived about 1/10,000 or 0.0001 of Earth's life. Thats like saying for the time of Earth's life, there could have be 1 x 10,000 of what we know of human history so far. TEN THOUSAND times of our whole human history!

2 things come to mind
1) We've got a long long way to go because our existence has been relatively short; or
2) Us humans are plain ol insignificant

And you know what else is fascinating? That the earliest fossil suggesting animals walked on legs date back to 570 million years ago (Source). We're a relatively new species.

And to think that we're so proud.
You know whats playing in my head right now...thoughts of high school and thoughts of seniors thinking pfft these juniors know nothing of whats install for them. Like 'yea thats right...you think you got life figured out? wait a couple hundred thousand years'



^8

Hey RS,

I miss slushies on a perfect afternoon.

Merchants of Bollywood

The play is shorter than a Bollywood movie and its filled with dance dance dance. LOVED it!! Their rhythm, passion and energy for dancing is Electrifying. Its craaaazy FUN! some.....no no, a lot of people got up to dance at the end. lol serious! aaaand the dancers' physique---->

Imagine this times 10 of em. It'd make a an army of '300'

Anyway, this play is a must watch if you are a Bollywood fanatic or Dance fanatic or Frkn Adrenaline fanatic or ALL of the above! Watch watch watch! Playing till the 26th of July. For more details click!


p.s: dont expect a great storyline

Wham Bam

Salary comes in end of the month -> You net off with the expenses of the month -> You feel happy, 'oh wow I can save'...'oh wow at this rate I can travel here here here'....'oh wow i can put in a fixed deposit and get a loan of this much this much this much'....................................

BUT THEN, wham bam you get served with your credit card bill. Oh the agony...The pain...The shocking horror! Aduii it hurts paying for your own bill (Kinda like obvious right? But wait till you get your first bill...then you'll know!).


A rich cousin once said, 'Success is when you are richer working than when you were studying'. Haih.


And in my 'defense', Aristotle Onassis once said, "If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning". lol.

^8

Find you.Love you.Marry you.

The movie plays so beautifully... The sequence, the setting, the story.

.
.
.
.
.
.

Dearest Cecilia, the story can resume. The one I had been planning on that evening walk. I can become again the man who once crossed the surrey park at dusk, in my best suit, swaggering on the promise of life. The man who, with the clarity of passion, made love to you in the library. The story can resume. I will return. Find you, love you, marry you and live without shame.


And on a some what related note:
Oh how I hate wars... So many lives, so many dreams, so many promises goes unfulfilled...and all because of the greed of a few.

^8

Hollywood 'trash'

I (like many others in the world) think Megan Fox is outrageously gorgeous.....so gorgeous coz she oozes so much confidence.

But putting the obvious aside, I think Shia has definitely got potential. In Transformers 1, I loved his adorably-funny-awkward-geek-with-a-super-cool-secret character. In Transformers 2, he still is that adorably funny geek, but dudeeeee he macho-ed up ;) Heheh I like. I mean seriously.... look at the picture below....this guy has got Potential!

^8

White Picket Fence

In movies, the happy lovely ladies (of Stepford. lol) always pine for houses with white picket fences.

Oh how the feminist side in me sneers. In contrast, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to live in a spacious high rise penthouse with a 360 degree view of the city... Oooh La la Oui!





...But then I discovered a childhood picture of when we first moved into our house in 1993... A place far away from the city up on top of the hill overlooking stretches of greenery and towns. A place with queer lamps and white picket fence. The kind of place a young couple would dream to buy to start their happy little family.

The kind of place I too would like to buy someday perhaps (hehe PLUS the penthouse of course! )

1993

^8

Walk-a-thon

My dad bought vouchers for the family for a walk-for-charity event that happened this morning. Naturally, I dragged two of my friends in ;)

Whilst walking (more like whilst dillay-dallying),
AL: I almost didnt want to come today. But I came for you.
FZ: Ya me too....I was gonna sleep in but AL called me up and I'll feel bad if I didnt come.
Me: Haha well my whole family didnt wanna come and I told them I had to go coz I've dragged you guys into this. And so my whole family came anyway because of you guys!

Its so funny and sweet how we all didnt wanna go this morning but went anyway just because we didnt want to let each other down... Awwww lol.

Anyway its nice catching up over a walk...5km feels like a breeze! And despite our dillay-dallying and chit-chatting we still got medals!!! 3o ppl from each category qualifies for it (we were the last 3 to get medals in our category :p)

Oh chop chop let me upload the picture...Hehe pardon the proud-ness, but I've been like so lazy when it comes to exercising that this becomes quite an achievement. Hahaha loser I know.

-----updated 7th July 2009

I.H. called me up to say that the three of us appeared on T.V. for this! Oh what can I say... cameras loves us ;p But you wanna hear the funny bit? They ran a video of us and then straight after ran a video of the champion walker.....Pfffft What a joke =s

^8

Indulgence

Some people have asked me if work is stressful because I seem to have lost weight. Work is not stressful but I've stopped caring about my weight. LIES!! haha we all know that deep down I always freak out when I put on weight. But what I'm trying to say is that I'm less obsessed with it now... I'm just enjoying the "love-thy-body phase"? Haha ok bullshit! I'm only writing this part about having 'lost' weight just so I dont feel so guilty about what is to follow...

...Coz I'm actually gonna blog about durian...feasting on Durian. oh yummy yummy durian :D :D Dudeee I dont know how much I ate....but I cant resist durian!!!! Weakness!! I was about to watch a play in a room full of reputable ppl and what did I eat just before the play? Swiss Roll Durian! Of course my aunts made me took plentiful of Hacks after....and oh my seat number was D24 (fyi thats like code name for durian)! And today I just had to stuff my face silly with plenty more of it. I love how durians are all like macho on the outside but soft in the inside. Ooooh I love the texture and how it sort of melts in your mouth... Oh it was so yummmmy :) :)

And to be fair, its not fully my fault that I love it so much. My mum was on a durian craving when she was pregnant with me and maybe she didnt know that it was heaty and probably not advisable coz she went ahead and indulged herself... So yeaaaa its in my system! Best excuse ever ;)


^8

Life happens when you're too busy making plans...

So much to do
So much to see
So much to feel

And yet I sit here wasting life away...

Last Friday my company had a seminar for their Mgmt Trainees on Learning to Learn. In one of the session, we did a quiz to identify our learning behaviour. There are 4 different ways to learn - action, thinking, feeling, accessing.
i) Action: these people belief the best way to learn is by direct experience. Eg: if you want to learn piano, you just play and learn from there.
ii) Thinking: these people learn by reflecting on the past and imagining possible outcomes for the future. Eg: if you want to play tennis, you buy a book on it, then observe a whole season of Wimbledon, then imagine yourself on the court without actually yet being on the court, then finally playing it.
iii) Feeling: these people learn to recognise their emotions or psychology and use this to manage themselves. Eg: if you are nervous about giving a speech, you confront your feelings on why you feel nervous and use this analysis of yourself to overcome or manage it.
iv) Accessing: These people access others by seeking advice, instructions or experiences from others who may have been in a similar situation. Eg: if you want to learn how to play guitar, you get a guitar teacher to teach you.

The quiz says that I am low on action, ok on thinking and ok on feeling, and high on accessing.
I say thats pretty spot on.


So yeaaaaaa.... I gotta start making things happen!


But its not as simple as doing an impromptu trip....sure its a lot of action when I do that... but thats just cheating because no, I dont want to just drift along.

My CEO knew he wanted to be CEO by his mid-20s. But hey I'm only 21 and only 2 months into working so its still ok if i dont know what to do right? Wrong! I'm too easy on myself sometimes. Too easy on myself that I've even convinced myself to think that its ok to not know which department to want to rotate into next.

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....ok gotta figure things out...figure out what I want to make happen.
but hehe there I go again - life happens as I make plans. Its a vicious cycle.

^8

Michael Jackson

Twitter recorded its busiest day and I'm sure my post would be 1 like a billion others out there.
But duh its Michael Jackson!!!You will forever live on in our hearts xxx

^8

Rise and Shine!

I woke up this morning and guess what I saw right outside my bedroom window...Look closer...I saw monkeys jumping trees! Heh

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P.S. I Love You

Omg omg omg. I found the dvd!

Honestly, this was/is the reason why I want to go to Ireland one day!
1. Countryside Ireland looks so beautiful :) :)
2. Irish accent
3. Gerard Butler (he's Scottish, but close enough!)
4. Irish pubs

Two favorite scenes:
1. (at the start of the movie)
Gerry: I did something bad
Gerry: Or is it something maybe you think I did
Holly: *rolls eyes and stares*
Gerry: No I did it. I did it. Its a bad bad thing I did.
Gerry: I'm sorry, you have to let me in on this
Gerry: Are you going to wait till we get into the apartment to talk to me?
Holly: *furiously nodded*
Gerry: Are you going to make me sleep in the bathtub again?

2. (reminiscing the first time they met)
I'm gonna be greeedy coz I love the whole scene!!! from the walking scene, to the dog scene, to the kiss, to the bet.
Gerry: where you going?
Holly: no stay. stay
Gerry: you have my jacket
Holly. i know. i'm keeping it unless we meet again
Gerry: i bet we do
Holly: thats a bet you're gonna have to win because if we do, if we do meet again, then it'd be the end of it you know.
Gerry: the end of what?
Holly: life as we know it

So, I'm gonna rewatch it like NOW!
Zombie mode tmrw. But its ok, its orientation day tmrw.





p.s: ;)

^8

#64: Learn Mandarin

In my previous blog, I had a list.
#64: Learn Mandarin.

Last year, I bought a book: Chinese for Dummies!
I must be dumber than dummies coz my Chinese friends had to ask me what I was saying first before repeating it back with the right pronunciation :s

Fast forward half a year, today I had my first Mandarin class!
Its so much easier learning from someone. Pfft not that its easy at all....Ok ok, Think positive!


Yay here is to The List.

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The Good Body

Last Thursday my aunt declared ladies night. She got tickets for all us ladies to the play 'The Good Body'. Its a play written by Eve Ensler and is staged for the first time here in Malaysia.The preface:
In the midst of a war in Iraq, in a time of escalating global terrorism, when civil liberties are disappearing as fast as the ozone layer, when one out of three women in the world will be beaten or raped in her life time, why write a play about my stomach?

Maybe because my stomach is one thing I feel I have control over, or maybe because I have hoped that my stomach is something I could get control over. Maybe because I see how my stomach has cometo occupy my attention, I see how other women’s stomachs or butts or thighs or hair or skin have cometo occupy their attention, so that we have very little left for the war in Iraq—or much else, for that matter.

I sat right up after that. Hey, sometimes a breakout on the face does seem like the biggest problem in the world... and now that its being compared to a war in Iraq, I am rather shameful of it. But then the play goes on and on about how obsessed some women get and I suppose it must relate to most women in the audience because they were truly moved by it (It didnt help that I was pretty much possibly the only woman there from my generation). But I shouldnt think it too silly too soon... two decades down the road and with gravity working its magic, I may as well think ahead.

The play goes on for about 90 minutes making a point of women's obsession. It forces us to look at ourselves who may be in denial....Alas, exhausted by all the self-body hatred I was left to draw only one conclusion: love the imperfections of yourself and only then will it be hidden; either that or take those imperfections as those things that defines you.

At the end of the play, there were some short monologues of women who actually loved their body as it is. They were not the 'ideal' beauty but their self-loving ways and their confidence and optimism made them very beautiful. So you see, anyone with the right mindset and attitude can be beautiful. Very beautiful indeed ;)

The play runs till the 28th of June. Click for info.

^8

This time around last year...

I would have been studying my ass off in Baillieu (lib).



Typically,
10.30am: wake up, shower, get dressed, cross the street, battle for my spot in the lib (2nd floor to the left...ouh cyeaaah)
before lunch: you see the same library faces slowly coming in. its a weird feeling. its like an acknowledged silent bond btwn strangers.
noon: long lunch with whichever other friends that are also nerding it out :)
3. 30pm:coffee break. time to talk talk talk about everything and nothing.
7pm: go home, dinner, shower, watch 2+1/2 men
9pm: head back towards library. one of the best feeling in the world is to walk across the dimly litted uni lawn on a winter day heading towards the brightly litted building at the end. you know, if you picture it, it'll seem like you're walking towards the light at the end of the tunnel. please dont quote that to me ever again. but truth be told, without fail, everytime i make this journey, a huge rush of emotions flood in. its happy and sad. happy coz i feel proud to be part of this larger dream of education, academics, and the future. sad coz I know that I'll move on... away from an ideal.
before midnight: sleepily attempt to work. procastinate by browisng through any random books on the shelves and get hooked on to it. promise self that after exams i'll come by and borrow (never happens).
midnight: everyone starts leaving. my pace of studying picks up to meet my target of the day. i need time pressure to work.
2am: done.

point of story? hmmm none... except that i miss Baillieu, i miss the company, i miss studying and arguing over solutions, i miss procastinating over coffee breaks....aaand i miss everything else in btwn.

Good luck to everyone else :)

^8

Clark Little

• Its so pure. I'm in love.
  
• Outrageously mad skills in capturing G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S pictures of the waves
• If I had all the money in the world I'll pack up and fly to Hawaii now...even if for a bit :)
• Think sustainable living!
• Wishlist: 'The Shorebreak Art of Clark Little'

^8