A-ONE-MENT

A memorable week for The Reds :)

Dirk Kuyt struck a dramatic 88th minute winner to give Liverpool a 2 - 1 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup on Saturday and a place in the last 16.

as above, so below

When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
Well there's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up

And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find

'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up

I don't wanna be someone who walks away so easily
I'm here to stay and make the difference that I can make
Our differences, they do a lot to teach us how to use the tools and gifts
We got yeah we got a lot at stake
And in the end
You're still my friend, at least we didn't tend
For us to work we didn't break, we didn't burn
We had to learn, how to bend without the world caving in
I had to learn what I got, and what I'm not
And who I am

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
I'm still looking up

I won't give up on us
God knows I'm tough, he knows
We got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it

I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up...

-Jason Mraz: I won’t give up-

This song for sure will be given a lot of radio airplay, leading up all the way to Valentine’s Day.

It’s not that I dislike the notion of Valentine’s Day, I’m just not a fan of all the commercial crap that comes along with it. As you walked down on any street on that special day, I’m shocked by the number of people who bought badly packaged roses at ridiculously inflated prices for their loved ones, don’t they realize we’re in a recession? Not only that, but you embarrass them further by forcing them to carry it around town with one hand, a teddy bear in the other.
Then again, I’m sure it would be a different story if a bunch of sunflowers were to appear in front of me :)

People say don’t go looking for it, it will just happen. Well I haven’t been looking. Maybe I should turn to the Laws of attraction, if you want something really bad, it will happen right? :)

The Treasure Hunter

There were many good movies being aired on the local TV during this Chinese New Year. My favorite was this ‘Bodyguards & Assassins’.

The story line goes like this - In 1905, Dr. Sun Yat Sen or Sun Wen intends to go abroad to Hong Kong; a British Colony, to discuss his plans with his fellow ‘Tongmenghui’ members to overthrow China's corrupt and crumbling Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Cixi sends a group of assassins, led by The Assassin Yan Xiaoguo, to kill Sun. The Revolutionary Chen Shaobai arrives in Hong Kong a few days before Sun's arrival, to meet The Tycoon Li Yutang, a businessman who provides financial aid for the revolutionaries. As Sun Wen's arrival day draws near, trouble begins brewing in Hong Kong as Chen Shaobai's acquaintances are murdered and Chen himself is kidnapped by the assassins during a raid. Li Yutang decides to officially declare his support for the revolutionaries after the newspaper agency is closed down by the British authorities, who do not want to interfere in China's political situation. Li rallies a group of men, including rickshaw pullers, hawkers and a beggar, to serve as Bodyguards for Sun Wen when he arrives. Li's son The Heir Li Chongguang is chosen to act as a decoy for Sun Wen to divert the assassins away while Sun attends the meeting and leaves Hong Kong safely.

The story's journey begins 5 days before Sun’s arrival till the final hour where everybody eventually dies. Lots of famous & big stars (Tony Leung, Donnie Yen, Eric, Tsang, Nicholas Tse, Leon Lai, Fan Bing Bing) in this movie which further strengthen the movie. The story plot was absolutely fantastic. The actions choreography was amazing & breathtaking. It was non-stop actions from when Dr. Sun landed at the Port to leaving Hong Kong. 5 blocks altogether. This is where the Asians; particularly reign supreme compare to the West. The Americans or the Europeans only know how to use bombs, explosives, guns, cars…to deliver their action scenes, but lately Hong Kong & Mainland China Wu Xia movies portray these actions as art. Graceful, yet lethal. It was such a good watch :)

Predictably, everyone dies in the end of the movie. After all this is a war cum revolution movie. Sad & teary. Young lives are wasted. Families come crushing down. Chaotic. People are always the pawns and they have to be sacrifice. Again the question is – to save China, is it worth it?

Enter The Panda

Kung Fu Panda 2 – cute. I love adorable & round creatures. They are nice to hug :)

I still prefer the first installment though…there were more discoveries & explorations of each of the new characters coming together, the innocence & wittiness of Po…the second one was a bit lame, it’s no longer that funny…but the compensation was that the set-up of the actions is actually bigger & more extravagant than the first. I was really impressed with the drawings & the CGI effects.

Bringing Art to Life, Life to Art

This is the first toy that I bought for myself for this year :) It’s going to be my faithful companion during my weekly jogging session now. I’ve stored all of my favorite music in it…and one of the key attractions when I bought this Philips MP3 player is that it also have the FM radio function…with the music playing…seriously; it’s like having a rhythm that pushes you to run longer and a good distraction for the mind; telling the body to go further than it actually could. I agree when people always say you should have loud thumping music when you run, you know, keeps you pumpin' and the adrenalin going. I love the rush, the speed, the cardio workout, the muscle toning and the satisfying feeling after a long run!

All in all, I’m loving this activity! :) I’m trying to improve my fitness…and it seems to be working thus far. I also try to incorporate some muscle workouts and stretches too. It makes me decided to make an effort to dedicate some “Me Time” during the week. Admittedly, I prefer to exercise on my own. I like to be focused on what I’m doing, and enjoy the feeling of exercising. I also like the quiet time that it gives me.

The Red Tent

Yes, I’m already back from Penang. It was such a long journey going up…the bus left the bus station at 9.45am…there were heavy traffic jams from Rawang all the way to Tanjung Malim…then there were minor jams along the way…in the end, we reach Penang at 5.30pm…the whole day was spent in the bus. Again, coming back home on Tuesday, because we left the island late in the morning, we also reached KL late in the evening. Because it was CNY, many Chinese hawkers only open their stalls on Tuesday or Wednesday, thus I missed out on my favorite food; Assam Laksa. It was not the kind of holiday that I imagined that it will be - spending the weekend visiting relatives, eating lots of Chinese cookies, collecting red packets, eating Chinese hawker food, going to the beach etc. It was kind of flat :) Nonetheless, what’s important is having my close family members around me during this time of the year. There are still many cookies around the house…I think I ate a lot and I’m about to burst anytime soon :)

On another hand, this year Chinese New Year for my family has been on a more solemn mood. My Grandma had suffered a stroke late last year which limits her mobility and currently she is being placed in a nursing home in Penang. My Pa is currently shouldering the burden or the heavy weight in looking after her, since all of my uncle & aunts have been shying away from their responsibilities. I guess in a way he is also afraid or conscious on how the outside people will judge him by the decisions that he have made for his mom. I think my Pa have done a good job…we didn’t abandon our Grandma on the roadside like what some families will do when we read in the newspaper. We did our part. We take up our responsibilities. We do what we can do, with what we have. We placed our Grandma in a nice, clean & safe nursing home. Some relatives or family friends are busybody people, they only know how to talk, I am sure if I ask them if they would like to take care of an old lay, I am sure all of them will run away too. Come on, my parents are already in their 60s…they themselves are not capable of looking after a stroke patient. In the nursing home, there are people who know how to handle stroke patients expertly, meals & medication are given on time, there are therapies & massages, everything is provided under 1 roof. Let’s debunk the old myth that old people that are being placed in nursing homes are unwanted, no they are not. The younger people have to go out to work, to earn money, who will be at home to look after them, to feed them to wash them…taking care of a senior citizen is like taking care of a baby. It’s a 24-hour job. I hope and I pray that everyone will be a pillar of support to my Pa…continue to encourage & motivate him...giving him the necessary resources (monetary or non-monetary)...to those who continue to harass him, please give my Pa the courage to ignore them...I am actually very surprise that I can talk to him and explain to him in such a manner because we never have this kind of conversation before, I actually reached out to him and encourage him to go to church as well :)

Everything happens for a reason – when things happen; Good or Bad - they're AMAZINGLY God sent! :)

On Her Majesty Secret Service

Happy Australia Day :)

I love Perth, I love Fremantle, I love South Street. Every year, when Australia Day is being celebrated down under, I will surely remember my study & growing up time in Perth. Perth is well known for not having any famous buildings, and for being a bit quiet. But you see, that’s how all Perth people like it. People who appreciate Perth, love it for its relatively slow pace, big blue skies, huge open spaces, and freedom of access to literally hundreds of kilometers of simply spectacular ocean and riverside. Perth’s founding fathers were very careful to preserve free access to the Swan River, which dominates Perth, wandering slowly from the hills to the ocean, giving Perth an amazingly generous ratio of people to water aspects and parks. Thus why having a hat, sunglasses, and plenty of sun screen is very essential there.
In Perth, every day is different. Every day is a new adventure :)

I hope that the first lady Prime Minister of Australia; Julia Gillard will continue to steer the country to greater heights. It must have been quite an experience for her when she together with the leader of the opposition party; Tony Abbott, had to be rescued from a horde of angry protesters who briefly trapped them inside a restaurant in the capital of Canberra. Gillard reportedly looked disheveled during the ordeal and even lost a shoe. The protesters support something called the Aboriginal Tent Embassy – a semi-permanent settlement that exists on the lawn of the Old Parliament in Canberra. Established in 1972, it fancies itself an “embassy” for Australia’s aboriginals and demands various land rights and concessions for these peoples. Apparently, Abbott angered the group by declaring that the camp should be dismantled.

Semerah Naga

We are going to the Finals :)
Liverpool advanced to the English League Cup Final with a 2 - 2 tie against Manchester City on Wednesday night with a 3 - 2 aggregate win.
Liverpool will play Cardiff in the final at Wembley on Febuary 26th.

The Red Rush

Chinese New Year is 2 days away! Yay! This year CNY is way earlier compare to last year. So, everything & everyone is rushing & hurrying by rapidly. We have just finished Back To School, Christmas, 2012 New Year…and then the weeks have been flying by and it finally arrive to celebrate this auspicious Dragon Year. Tomorrow, I am going up to Penang (by bus)…so Gong Xi Fa Cai everyone :) I am looking forward to the holidays, have a good rest for the first 4 days, do some work later on and then it’s time to face some key battles again.

Big Smile, No Teeth

It is only the first month of the year and we already have someone leaving the team…so sad...we said our goodbye to Miss Melissa Liu :( We had our farewell lunch at Sakae Sushi which was awesome. Melissa’s duration with us have been a very short stint; less than 2 months. I assume that she could not adapt to our - either the business model, working & industry culture or the processes. Or perhaps it could have been for any other reasons as well. I got further de-motivated when I heard that Snow Petrol have also tendered as well. Someone who is make of such strong character who also decides to leave is not a good sign as well.

I’m into this job for more than 3 years now, and all of my other peers have moved on. Only left Stewart & myself. Actually, I am very disappointed today. Up until now, I still haven’t received my official letter from Juan Carlos yet. I reminded Juan Carlos altogether four times now. Juan Carlos says that the HR Department is working on it and I may have to wait until April for the increment due to my Performance Appraisal have to be conducted first and then the increment will be backdated and given back to me. Which I think it is not fair because this is a promotion after all. When Juan Carlos promoted me to Trainee Division Manager last year, we didn’t even have to wait for the performance appraisal season. So, why this time around is different? I somehow find it to be not fair and not justified. It's not that I don't trust Juan Carlos or the company...so many things have happen, which explains why I am so skeptical. Anything can happen between now, leading to April. If the rumors are confirmed to be true, then I will surely be at a disadvantage in the end. They should not have given me such high hopes in the first place. If I have to wait for my increment in April…might as well I stick to my Furniture portfolio until April. Why transfer me so fast to D33? Now, I have to handle & manage the whole division. The department's situation is not that bright looking as well. I have worked so hard this month, move my game a gear up, getting myself into solving all of the problems & embrace all of the unnecessary stress that comes with it and I ended up with nothing. The title kononya is Division Manager, but I’m only a tin kosong. I feel so foolish now. It got me thinking…perhaps I should have answer the Japanese opportunity…but working on Saturday is also not my cup of tea. I regret that now. Should’ve replied earlier. Now, I have a muted wage growth. Never mind, I believe that my mighty GOD will provide for me eventually.

modest redemption

I have just started my Spanish lessons yesterday, I hope that I can keep the momentum going until the end of the year, I definitely want to learn more than 49 new words this year :) I don’t know why I have chosen the language but I have always like Spanish, the country, the culture, football clubs like Barcelona & Real Madrid, the food. So, since last year; I’ve been learning Spanish all by myself. From scratch. With the help from the internet. And this year, I hope that I can learn more and have that tiny opportunity to converse in that language.

I have also started going for my jogging session again since last week, and I vow to do it every week. Crossing fingers. I hope that I can run in a marathon or two, this year too :) Well, I’ve been on a health kick lately – trying to eat better, exercise hard, tone up, live healthy and enjoying the process :)

Bang & Zelo

Hmm…lately, I just tend to love planning & organizing events. I surely don’t know where is all this leading to…well, it first started out on the first week of this year where Mel Jag & myself organize a lunch cum gathering for our close M13buddies and then last week I organized Stewart’s birthday lunch single-handedly at Ben & Nick’s. The invited guests were Celtic, Stephanie, the Stationary Buyer and James.

I love to hang out at the Ben & Nick's. I've been there many times. It is also Stewart & myself favorite eating place. The restaurant is small but do not judge them from the size of the place. The place can comfortably seat around 50 customers at the most. The place is designed like an English tavern, with most of the tables & chairs placed outside for the alfresco experience. The interior decoration is what attracts me the most. Overall the lunch was alright. I have their famous Cajun Chicken Pasta. There's hit and misses here and there but it is still a very good place to have a nice, quiet, decent lunch. The place is cozy in the afternoon so you can have a nice chat with your friends and with the decorations; you can really feel that you are in an English tavern. Prices isn't that expensive since the portions are really generous and all.

Given the fabulous day that we’ve just had, I think we are off to a good start :)

extremely loud & incredibly close

La Bodega Team Lunch - this event was awhile back, but I’d like to document it for the sake of my failing memory :) Both of the Baz & Tex team did very well for the BTS set-up event during the end of November. Thus, Juan Carlos decides to bring us out, to treat us and to celebrate the opening of the event together. However, towards the end of the race, the downside was that the sales for the BTS event did not pick up to our level of expectation. There is definitely a strong sense of sadness, finality and mixed feelings in the air among the team members. But that’s retail. That’s life. Ups & downs. The market is slow, rivalry have been intense, execution at the merchandise & the store level have been poor…but it’s something that we will take note and to fine-tune for this year BTS. We have to see & realize our own strengths and weaknesses to know why we succeed and why we fail. We can always make things better :)

I love La Bodega’s paella - of all the elaborate dishes on the menu, I was craving for the seafood paella. It arrived: fragrant & sticky rice beautifully cooked with saffron, tossed with fresh tomatoes, seafood (clams, mussels & prawns), and a mixture of basil, pepper…oh it was so divine. It was moist and brimming with the taste of seafood. Not harsh or greasy. But light, fragrant, delicate and smooth. Plus, it looks gorgeous too. And they have nice tapas as well. Their tapas’ menu is actually very extensive and quite impressive. The Berenjenas con salsa de pimientos (eggplants braised in olive oil, chili and herbs) is really highly recommended. The sauces are great in taste, and were fun for dipping. I loved how soft and flavorful the eggplants were. This is really good. I don't really like eggplants because I have never been a fan of slimy vegetables :)

It was a very casual & relaxed lunch – a perfect place for everybody to catch up with everyone and to reward ourselves because it is the year end :)

Swirl By Swirl

Stewart, Celtic & myself attended Mrs. Simon’s baby full moon buffet dinner last month. I actually have a very packed social calendar in December last year but I just didn’t have the time to write them down until now :)

Mrs. Simon is in high spirits after the birth of her first child but like she has commented, she still has to work very hard on bringing her weight down :) This must be one of the major concerns for all first-time-mothers. I know that there are some new mummies out there who can really get back their body into post-baby-shape very fast. Must be in their DNA structure. And Mrs. Simon is also looking forward to coming back to work as soon as possible. Taking care of a baby is no easy job. Even though, she’s already undergone her 1 month confinement period, she is still practicing the ritual. The Asians have a very strict formal procedure compare to the Westerners which I find very unique & amusing at the same time. When a Chinese woman has given birth, she is expected to observe a month of confinement where she has to stay at home with no air-con & to use the fan minimally, eat certain foods, stay warm, restrain from getting her hands wet, cannot wash her hair (i think that they’re more flexible on the hair washing these days), cannot carry anything heavy and loads of other stuffs. Some of the popular confinement foods are chicken in brandy sauce, chicken with sesame and ginger, pig trotters in vinegar, boiled red dates, ginger this, ginger that. Uuggh, definitely not for me :) Because I hate ginger & vinegar very much.

Little Benjamin is looking better by the day, chubbier all over. But not at a Michelin or sumo status yet :) Cute boy.

Codes & Keys

(Scream: Russssellll…) I think UP is 2011 best animation ever. I love that kid. He is awesome & adorable. His actions are spontaneous & cute. How he gets animated when talking about things. Whenever he appears on the screen, there is always something funny that he will say or behave. His cheeky smile with his upbeat enthusiasm and determination is absolutely divine. His clumsiness is also delectable. The best scene for me is surely when Rusell first introduce himself as the Wilderness Explorer, losing his GPS, setting-up his tent and riding a leaf-blower to rescue Kevin. And I really love the way they tell the love story & the marriage life of Mr. & Mrs. Fredricksen. It was sweet.

don't be bitter, GLITTER!

Thank You GOD, Praise To The Lord, Bless You GOD – my New Year have started off quite well. So far so good; for now. I begin to feel GOD’s presence in my life more and more these days. Which is really a good thing. I really needed the strength & the courage in the every step that I am taking in my life right now...more so this year.

I remembered that back in November, I was so depressed, I was grieving and GOD was there…well, of course, GOD was not physically there…I know that GOD is there through how certain events has unfold by itself…it was like GOD was telling me “Hey, don’t panic kiddo, just calm down will ya, I’m right here by your side, I got your back ok”. The Japanese offer…as I have mention, it was not so much about the offer itself, it is not about me changing to a new job…but is about GOD reassuring me that he is there. During my Hanoi trip, there were rain & thunderstorm that was being forecasted for the last 2 days of my tour (which I know will spoil the entire trip because we will not be able to get to enjoy the outdoors), again GOD blessed me with wonderful & beautiful weather throughout the entire trip. When I came back, I was feeling a little bit under the weather, where I know I will fall sick and I will not be able to celebrate the New Year, again GOD blessed me with fast recovery. My D31 Furniture sales was already spiraling down before I went for my holidays, and then when I came back, the sales figures was back in momentum again and I was even more motivated to fight, to push for the sales again. And I get to close my MTD positive with a buffer of RM51K :) My YTD was not that bad at all, (-RM704K or -2.4%). And finally, even though I have yet to receive the official letter…but in my Performance Appraisal document, my job title has already been changed. So, I know that GOD is by my side in the every step that I am taking.

My first week in D33 was not that bad as well. I cannot believe that I have manage to finish analyzing the whole Luggage Category and now in my second week, I have already met 90% of the Luggage suppliers and also manage to finish analyzing the whole Toys Category. Some of the Luggage suppliers are tough and some have been nice. There is going to be a lot of networking work that needs to be done to get back their confidence & trust. My Admin Assistant is not on board yet, but I have already interviewed 2 candidates and another 1 more candidate to go. Henry too is not on board yet, but at least the proper documentation is already in place, now only awaiting for the official signature. At least, I am seeing some progress is being made.

I will pray. Regularly. Passionately. Continually. I want to be continually being blessed and have amazing breakthroughs in my life. I want to be a better person. I want to lead a better life. I want to manage my relationships better. I want GOD to continue to guide me in my everyday choices in my life, to show me the way, to lead me, to continue to work in me. I also hope that the choices I’ll make this year are in sync with GOD’s master plans for me. Since I begin to attend the morning service and going to church, I’ve witnessed how GOD had been so merciful and graceful to my family & myself. And I really, truly, believe that GOD will again show his faithfulness, mercy and grace to my family & myself this year. May the year 2012 be another blessed journey for me :)

my heart is as big as ham

The whole month of December last year, I was really busy clearing off all of my pending holiday leaves because the French’s employees are no longer allowed to carried forward any of their leaves anymore :( Besides that, I was also in a hurry to do my handover of my D31 Furniture Portfolio to John Doe.

Yup, I have decided to take up the challenge of going back to D33, returning to the department that I have started out in 2008, to the department that I have grown up…and this time around, I am returning back to D33 as the new Division Manager, replacing Rufus & Aurora. The department is in a very critical situation, is in a big pile of mess, the suppliers feel that they have been cheated, conned one way or the other, some of them even decide to terminate the business with us & decide to pursue legal actions, the store team is feeling demotivated, the selling floor space have shrunk a lot, and many many more urgent issues. This, I will documented later on as I make progress or no progress along the way. I want to do the re-consturction at my own pace, even though I know that the time is not on my side. Now that the underdog has risen to the top, I have a feeling that everyone also wants to see me tumbling down as well. Everyone’s trying to tug at me and take my spot. Like Floyd Mayweather, he’s the best boxer in the world right now. Now, he is a champion. Every time he goes to a fight now, people are like, 'He’s going to lose this time'. When Juan Carlos make the official announcement, I didn’t even get an applause :( Sigh, they really hates me. It was so different compare to the time when Snow Petrol announced that I was being promoted to Senior Category Manager, taking over the Furniture Portfolio, I remembered that everyone around the table gave me a big clap. Now…its either that they are in shock, surprise or envy. I am not coming back here to be a hero or to prove anything. I am just coming back to help the department, to help the team, to help Juan Carlos and to grow myself further professionally & personally. People have to understand that. I think I can publish a book on this in the future :)

And yes, I finally get to meet John Doe in person – the English's Furniture buyer...now ex-buyer...my one time nemesis in the furniture retail-hyper-market. And now, we are in the same team after Juan Carlos has hired him. I think Juan Carlos still have the perception that Furniture is best handle by a man instead of a woman. I figured that John Doe is way smarter than he looks. A young man who believed in doing real work. Had a great persona about him. Very honest, wonderful, most considerate, personal and straight-forward individual. Reminds me a lot of Patrick, because the both of them are so skinny. Nonetheless, with John Doe’s extensive knowledge, his experience and his mature age…I think my baby is in safe hands :)

the moon bearing the sun

Captain Gerrard to the rescue :) Liverpool beat Manchester City 1-0 in the first leg of their League Cup Semi-Final.

A woman with the world at her feet

Forever can never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now, we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way

Marry me today and every day
Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will, say you will

Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love you
And you're beautiful

Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way

Marry me today and every day
Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will, say you will

Promise me you'll always be happy by my side
I promise to sing to you when all the music dies

And marry me today and everyday
Marry me if I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will, say you will marry me

-Marry Me: Train-

I Love this song :) I'm melting now. Awww...

The Towering Effect

I spent my second day of the New Year by having a very good lunch at Chili's and then desserts at Coffee Bean, Empire Subang with some of my best buddies – Miss Klein, Damian, Torres, Mel Jag, Drew, Ping, Seth & Celtic. I love going out with this group of people because it’s always a happy occasion, no dramas, good times, good friends. I had a great time reconnecting with these old friends. I enjoy their friendships, the warmth, the laughter, the happy tears…and the midday celebration just because...

I’ve been blessed with friendship all of my life. Of course, occasionally…I’ve met a heap of cool, inspiring, weird and colorful people along the way as well. I don’t get a lot of it but when I do, it’s from mighty special people. I’ve had the good fortune to meet lots of wonderful people. To all my lovely friends…the ones who’ve made me laugh…the ones who’ve been there for me…the ones I’ve always been able to trust…thank you for being in my life...I love you all!

"A true Friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a Friend unchangeably".
- William Penn (1644-1718)

the adventure is OUT there

Happy New Year! HAPPY NEW YEAR because we are WELCOMING a new and better year filled with lots of love, peace, happyness and joyous moments ahead! I'm looking forward to just having a really good 2012 and soaking in all the lessons that I have learned in 2011. Time passes way way too quickly. I wish I could replay the entire year to have a clearer picture of everything that has happened to me and all of the things that I have done. I hate to admit that I probably would have done a lot differently in certain events though. But there is no point on holding on to the past, let's move forward. Don't let my past steal my future :)

My first New Year day starts with a family lunch in Menjalara, Kepong where my fifth aunty decide to have an official house warming meal together. Because the Chinese New Year is just around the corner, we started our lunch with Lo Hei – which is a celebration where everyone gathers around a special raw fish salad called Yu Shang. Everyone stands up, grabs a pair of chopsticks & uses their chopsticks to help toss the salad mixture together, lifting up the ingredients as high as possible, as a symbol of great prosperity in the New Year. With each toss, we each say some words of blessings and good luck. Like good health for everyone, a prosperous year ahead or achievements with every step…all spoken in Mandarin or Cantonese, of course. It’s very fun and meaningful. And the end result is delicious! Just like a good crunchy salad. If we are lucky, most of the mixture stays within the plate at the end of this ritual, but sometimes the tossing can get a little too high and too messy and most of it would end up on the table instead. Hahaa...

Grower & Shower

A very belated post, for a wedding back in November, but needs to be documented :)

It was a very beautiful wedding. S has the most gorgeous gowns & shoes & jewelries. The prettiest hair extensions, make-up and nails. S holds the most beautiful flowers with the sharpest photographer who clicks his camera away non-stop for the whole night. Stunning Indian dance performances. Awesome & bright colors everywhere. Food was not that bad but not that great either, but S’s house was the perfect location for an intimate wedding dinner with close families & friends gathering around to celebrate & party all night long. It was cool to celebrate S's big day with Jananee. A very HAPPY ocassion indeed :)

Gossip Cop

Only when I was walking pass by this outlet during lunch the other day – that I remembered that I have forgotten to blog about the dinner that I have with Liam in November last year :) Yes, I am a orang tua :) I get to know Liam…somewhere between 2008 & 2009…I used to send my car for service at the Proton Glenmarie Center and Liam was station at that hub during that time. We did started a friendship of sorts…and then Liam left, and I began to switch to another service center in 2010…and then the acquaintance connection just broke off. Not until in November last year, Liam called me up for a dinner unexpectedly. Haha, it was like seeing an old friend. Liam may have different ideas though :) Pity, the little boy.

I can tell you what love is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into the room and smile at you :)

Wilderness Explorer

I love creating list - Gratitude Lists, Things-To-Do Lists, Dreams Lists, Inspiration Lists, and even Prayer Lists. Yes, I’m a listoholic :) And, there are all sorts of lists to break out from the rut. Creating such lists sometimes gives me enough reason to move, or to hope, or to feel more excited. In 2011 – I have list down 8 things that I wanted to accomplish. The problem with me is that I leave them in the middle and I didn’t follow it till the very end :)

(1) Participate in a Marathon – in the end, I only ended up doing one Towerthon.
(2) Buy a new digital camera – done.
(3) Buy a new bicycle – failed.
(4) Learn Spanish – I only succeed to learn 49 new words :)
(5) To attend a course (which is outside of my undergraduate course) for knowledge & skills enhancement – failed.
(6) Travel to Universal Studio in Singapore – failed. Instead, I went to Bangkok.
(7) Travel to Hong Kong or Macau – failed. However, I manage to visit Yiwu & Guangzhou in China.
(8) Travel to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam – I manage to squeeze in a very last minute visit to Hanoi last month.

As a conclusion, I know that I didn’t stick to my to-do-list very well last year…sure, I’ve been lazy & procrastinating…thus for this year, again; I have listed down the things that I want to do…and hopefully, this time around I will be more determined and to CREATE TIME. No more excuses! So – priority must focus! :)