Of pre-wedding makeovers and photoshoots: A cautionary tale.

Lifted from my own Fb post. Wanted to share this with anyone googling for tips about pre-wedding shoots at any of those
KL / PJ Bridal houses. Hope this helps you somewhat.

This has been bothering me for some time now and I just need to get it out for (hopefully) some relief.

Feeling a little depressed that the makeover I got at my pre-wedding photo session turned out so horrible in photos. Perhaps it's a combination of bad angling and feeling of uneasiness during the entire session. But whatever it was, it really showed up in the pictures.

My biggest regret was to not have said something stronger while the makeover was being done. But being an idiotic introvert, I found it difficult to voice my objections assertively on the spot. And in person, it didn't look so bad, at least that's what I told myself. I did question the makeup and hairstyles, as there were a couple I particularly had issues with. The MUA convinced me that it'll look better in pictures and that I just wasn't used to it. It didn't help that we have no chemistry from the start and that she hardly spoke any English. I mean these people were professionals right? They should know what they are doing right? Wrong.

And I think it affected how I felt during the entire shooting session - I felt unnatural, which led to the pictures turning out forced. I guess it didn't help that I left the entire direction of the shoot purely to the photographer too (bad idea).

What prompted me to write this post was when I tried to share my thoughts with the photographer and the fella was not sympathetic. She even said that if I was unhappy I should've voiced it out on that day itself (I did and they told me to trust them because they know what they are doing). Okay...

I don't think any amount of post edits will fix it. Oh well. There goes rm3.5k down the drain.

:/

Anyway. This is a cautionary tale. If you're ever gonna get a makeover and shoot done by those bridal houses, just make sure you know what you want and be very assertive about it. Don't leave it to a stranger to "tell" you what's "best" for you because they don't know you. Also, they might just be too lazy to start all over again so convincing you that it'll be fine is just much easier for them.

Hello 2015

As usual, some resolutions to start the year off.

1. Put phone away when driving - only thing on is waze, on speaker. Put phone away when with others. The only exception when the phone can be out is to take pictures (when I'm NOT driving).
Year in year out it's a similar resolution. Have not done too well in the previous years... but I will try harder in 2015.

2. Work towards find a way to make additional RM1-2k side income monthly. 
I have no clue how to start on this but RM1-2k would make me more than comfortable with my personal expenses.... and help me towards being able to afford my own home.

3. Do one memorable or new thing each month. 
Because..... life is all about living.

4. Find one thing to be thankful or positive about each day - keep a journal.
Because... happiness is the essence of life.

5. Commit to one blogpost on angeltini.com per week. 
Because booze is something I know more off than anything else in my life .. and it's not even enough yet. There's so much more to learn and to share with others about it.

6. Do more crafts - inspired by a friend, Mel. 
I've always enjoyed working with my hands since I was young. It's very therapeutic and gratifying. Why am I  not picking it up again? This would be much better than slumping on the couch all weekend just watching tv series and movies isn't it? More, productive.

Langkawi October 2014 Trip Report

This blog is not as defunct as you would like to think. On and off I will check-in, with content which I hope would be helpful towards your Google search result; like this topic that I'm about to embark on - my recent Langkawi trip.

As a local, my business with Langkawi was with one thing and one thing only - duty free shopping.

Forget about the food, forget about the beaches, forget about the "local attractions". If anyone tells you that you should go to Langkawi for these 3 things, they are lying. If you had planned your trip around how much you will be enjoying all these 3 things,  you will be severely disappointed. If you happened to have stopped by this blog in search of where to go for a good beach, eating or sight-seeing holiday in Langkawi, please, let me implore you to try these alternatives:

For food - How about Penang or Ipoh instead? Even KL has better food and more variety.
For beaches - Try Pangkor.
For sight-seeing - Why not Melaka, or Penang (food and sight-seeing! co-co-co-combo!)

Okay, so in spite of my earlier warning, you still want to proceed to Langkawi. Well, here is my experience which I hope could be of some use to you, dear single random reader.

Airlines

We flew to Langkawi with MAS. Sometimes they offer you really good deals - even cheaper than the budget airline, without additional hidden costs. The fare always includes check-in luggage and refreshments. So if at any time MAS is cheaper, MAS will always be my first choice. Yes, despite the couple of bad incidences. As a Malaysian, I am proud and will always be proud of MAS. IMHO, the upper management team needs to be thrown into the ocean to drown, but the working level troops are one of the best in the business and nothing will convince me to lose faith in MAS.

#staystrong #flyhigh 

Mode of Transport Around the Island

Upon arriving at the Langkawi airport, we rented a car at the airport exit. Honestly, I don't know which one is the best but in Malaysia, usually a decent gauge is to check out the counter with the longest queue. But if you have the balls, like us, try the ones with no queue at all. They may be willing to rent you a car at a better price. Just remember a few very important things:

1. Haggle. Haggle. Haggle. We paid about RM80 per day for a manual rickety old Perodua Viva without haggling which I regret. You can do better.
2. Do not leave your original passport with them, you do NOT have to do that.
3. Get their contact number and make sure the number works.
4. If they force you to pay a deposit, do not pay more than RM100. As a gauge, we paid only RM50 deposit for our Perodua Viva for 2 days.
5. Most of these cars will not carry the specific license for leasing. There is also highly likely that the cars that are leased are actually stolen cars, or privately owned cars. If you are icky about this, I would suggest that you get around the island in a taxi.

We were very happy with our car and used it to the maximum as we went to the city a lot. The distance from the resort to the city centre was about 20-30 minutes on a leisurely drive. I shudder at the thought of how much the cab fare would cost.

Accommodation

Our party stayed in Berjaya Resort. It was fanta-bulous. But it comes with a not-so-cheap price tag. I believe if you are not Malaysian, it'll be even more expensive for you but with the RM so weak, it's going to be peanuts for you anyway so it doesn't matter.

The resort is a collection of chalets which overlooks the sea. There are 2 types - one by the beach (more expensive), one by the hills (less expensive). Both offers you incredible views and a lovely feeling of being one with nature. It's one place you'd just want to keep staying-in, in. You do not need to go anywhere else to enjoy the island. Just stay put. Even when it rained everyday, it didn't dampened our spirits because it was just so beautiful.

But don't take my word for it. Here are some horribly taken pictures using a handphone.

A freaking large fountain will greet you at the reception.

Hello, fountain. You look happy to see me.

After you check-in, a buggy will take you to your chalet. Though, it does take forever to come especially when the queue is long. We got the forest chalet. If it is near enough for you to walk, I would suggest walking. It is a lovely walk.

Walking is good for you. And you get the enjoy sceneries like this one.

You'd want to walk everywhere in this place. The air is fresh and clean. The view is so green and pretty. Sigh, I want to go back.

Doesn't this look like a hobbit trail to you?

The bedrooms are decent. The designs are kind of old school. Lots of dark wood and dim lighting, but very comfortable with plush giant pillows. Yes, rainfall shower head and bathtub are included. TV channels not too great, but has enough to keep you entertained throughout your booze-fuelled nights.

Sleep on me. Sleep on me NOW.

Each chalet has its own balcony for you to chill in. Or do yoga in. Or contemplate the meaning of your existence in. YMMV.

Our freaking balcony overlooks the forest. And the air is sooo fresh.

Good/bad news is that at night, you will be accompanied by the chirping of jungle insects. This may turn you on/off. We were very fine with that as it adds to the whole nature/jungle-y experience. (Un)luckily for us, it happened to also be the rainy season so it was cool enough leave the air conditioning off.

The chalets by the sea. Aren't they lovely?

Do take a stroll along the beach. But I wouldn't recommend you to jump into it, though. I personally would never jump into any water that doesn't allow me to see my feet. Who knows what may be lurking underneath.

Nah. One token picture of the resort's beach. Edited to high hell.

Oh yes, bring along your swimswear. While you may not want to jump into the icky brown/green sea, you may enjoy the resort's lovely swimming pool.

View of the pool, facing the sea. Taken while it was drizzling. Still pretty inviting innit?

They even have a tiny outdoor jacuzzi, if you're so inclined.

View from the view, facing away the sea. It was so photogenic, I didn't even have to edit it.

What I thought was a nice touch was the resort's little mangrove walk by the resort's beach. The trail is made out of some bright plastick-y blue material. While it looks cool, be careful as it will be slippery when wet.

The resort's mini swamp trail into a ... swamp.

Places of Interest

If it is your first time in Langkawi, I would suggest for you to try the cable car ride. From my memory, it gives you a beautiful view of the island and sea on the way up. But please, please please please, go before the line starts. Throughout the day, the queues are insane and doubly so during school holidays. Again, there are preferential rates. If you are Malaysian, prepare your IC for a cheaper rate. If you are a foreigner, it doesn't matter how much it costs as it'll be too cheap for you anyway (really). The best part about reaching the top is the sky bridge with its view of the entire island and beyond.... HOWEVER I've been made to understand that it is now closed indefinitely due to structural issues. I thank my lucky stars everyday that the bridge didn't collapsed at my last trip.

There's a news article about it which claims that it'll be re-opened in December 2014. But this is Malaysia, where promises made by the powers that be are never kept. So don't hold your breath ya?

If you rented a car, roll down the windscreen and take a slow drive along the coast and through the paddy fields. Those are beautiful to look at. Forget the tomb, forget the burnt rice fields, forget all the animal farms or whatever touristy trap places. Just take a long slow drive. Stop every so often to take a picture or two.

Picture perfect paddy fields. Don't need to see any burnt rice field coz as a Chinese, I don't like to see burnt, wasted rice.

If you must make one stop for a pee break, why not check out the Warm Water Spring (Kolam Air Hangat). While this place has absolutely no maintenance, it's quite a little surprise to suddenly find, among all the ridiculously overdone stone architecture that surrounds it, a little well which is constantly warm. Forget about how gross the water is, or how germ infested it may be. Just deep your feet in there and enjoy the warmth, and leave. No entrance fee anyway, so what is there to complain, right?

Trying not to think about the bacteria infesting in there.

Head towards Kuah town, specifically, Jalan Pandak Mayah. The bulk of all the duty free shops are there. You'll find kitchenware, crockery, tobacco, booze, and chocolates selling for cheap here. This is the place that puts Langkawi on the tourist map. Note the following:

1. If you are buying a lot from a shop, try asking for a discount. Be extremely polite and put on a huge smile and ask "auntie/uncle - got discount ah?" (if it's a chinese at the cashier) or "bang/cik - ada diskaun tak? (if Malay). Higher chances of getting discount if you pay by cash.
2. There is a chance that half of these stuff are fake. Especially liquour. The prices can be too good to be true. If you did buy a fake, well, too bad loh. So cheap what!
3. Becareful of pickpockets
4. If you're going to go crazy with buying stuff, bring along an empty suitcase to lug your stuff from shop to shop. Trust me, you will not stop at only one shop. And you shouldn't just stop at one.
5. This is a decent guide for which shops you should visit at Kuah.

Horribly botched up panaromic view of the Duty Free haven.

The first thing we did after checking-in was to head straight to the duty free town. We spent a good full day at Kuah town just shopping for duty free stuff. Best shopping trip EVER.

If you are thoroughly bored at night and have absolutely nothing to do, you could drive towards Cenang Beach. There, you'll find lots of street-side stalls to see and get conned by. Do try the coconut jelly drink. It is surprisingly GOOD.

'

YOU WILL REGRET IT IF YOU DON'T GET A COCONUT SHAKE.

Eating

The resort provided us with a very average breakfast buffet. But it's food and it's provided for so we're usually set for the morning till late afternoon. Actually, our group consumes so much cheap beer during the trip we never really felt too hungry anyway.  But one must eat eventually.

Firstly, don't bother with all that TripAdvisor recommendations. Langkawi is not known for fantastically good food. Try however, to Google for "Langkawi food review"... and you'll find a lot of reviews to be in Malay. That's because the better food choices in Langkawi ARE local Malay food.

Secondly, specialty seafood restaurants? Nope. It's not the cheapest, not the freshest. It's just a bunch of tourist trap and most often than not, will disappoint.

However, there is a silver lining. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough - Veena Thai Seafood Restaurant.

If there is just one place you must eat in Langkawi, make it this place.

It is great. We ordered a small bowl of tomyam (RM6), thai style (sourish) steam fish (RM29) and fried belacan kangkung (RM5). Including 2 bowls of rice and 2 water - the grand total of this huge meal for just 2 came up to RM45.40. It was delicious and stupid cheap.

Waze can take you there. The shop next to it is supposedly good too. Should be as affordable as well.

Googling also brought us to this other supposedly famous place to eat - Fat Mum restaurant. It's a family-owned restaurant I suspect. The cook is this flustered little chubby auntie, hence the name?

Flamed noodles (GET IT) , teochew steamed fish (skip), fried taofoo (skip), steam prawn (ok)

The noodles were something special, as it was served in flames - I would suggest you to just order that and your dinner is sorted. If you must, maybe just one additional vege. The seafood was fresh but not outstanding, and skip the signature fried taufoo. The other saving grace is that a bottle of ice cold Sapporo beer was only RM5 (it's usually anywhere between RM15 and above). Then again, we ARE in Langkawi afterall.

We ordered 4 dishes which costed us about RM150++. It's not cheap, about average city pricing, with average food. While it was not as mind blowing as some reviews claim it to be - it was a satisfactory experience.

I will still recommend you to eat there, mostly because auntie seems like an honest hardworking lady and I like rooting for honest hardworking aunties.

Sekian sahaja laporan cuti-cuti Malaysia saya kali ini. Semoga saudari dan saudara sentiasa dalam keadaan sihat walafiat.

Gong Xi Fa Chai

If I'm not careful, this might just turn into a monthly blog. :)

Happy new year of the wooden horse! Though I'm not sure If the Trojan's would consider it a good greeting, hehe.

January 2014 went by in a blink of an eye.... though some days were hard to pass. Some days went by too quickly.

Still getting used to the new job. At this point though, it is easy to say how much I enjoy the flexibility, and how NOT a tyrant my bosses are. Oh yes, my supervisor's quite a gem. Patient, friendly, calm and very logical. Everything I've always wanted in a boss. Am quite overwhelmed by how much I need to pick up, but I'm pretty sure given another 4 months, I'll be brisk walking in no time. There are l moments but hey, such is life. Gotta take the good with the bad kan? And the jams.... let's not go there. I do hope that the $$ will exponentially improve in a shorter time. Coz I really need that cash.

I seem to be always in need of cash eversince I agreed to take up a portion of the house loan. Ya that really put a huge dent in my bank account, seeing that I havent shrunk back on my lifestyle, which I should. I must. :( At least until I get a source of pocket money. Dont forget that trip to Europe. Boo and Yeay. I haven't even mention the current cost of living and also the future cost of living. This is keeping me awake at night more than it should.

It's less Chinese New Yearsy this year for some reason. Maybe it's because I havent been out much to see the deco, or watch the tv or even read the hardcopy newspaper. Not much deco to see, or ads. No sea of reds. Neverthless, CNY is my favourite time of the year. Mostly because it's a great excuse to visit friends and family, and to be surrounded by familiarity, warmth and love. And to wear red everything. Red's my favourite colour, afterall. :)

Baby sister Is going to graduate in June. BABY SISTER. IS 22 THIS YEAR WHAT. WHAT. Excited but WHAT mind cannot compute that she is about to start WORKING. THIS IS BABY SISTER. WHAT. Also Scotland visit, yeay! but shitty RM, BOO.

Okay, I meant to blog about booze, don't know how I ended up here pulak. :)

2014 Resolutions

Happy new year!

We usually kid about how resolutions are made to be broken but really, the whole point of resolutions are to generally make us better human beings, right?

Well before I go on making NEW ones for 2014, probably best to quickly review how my 2013 ones went. Afterall, if we go through a yearly review at our workplace, why shouldn't we do one for our own life? :)

Met
Be positive - Yeay me!
Get a new job - Yeay me!

Sort-of Met
Not using the phone while driving & at social activities - Better this year, but can be improved.
Not to mix drinks and or get plastered - It still happens, but I like to believe that it happened LESS
Be punctual - Consciously making an effort to do so. Usually efforts are thwarted by the jam.

Failed
Update my blogs twice a week - HahahahHAHAhahaha... Got lah on the average of once in 2 months.
Read a book a month - I've attempted to start reading many books. But have yet to finish most of it. I will strive to make a more concious to finish what I've started. There's a long list!

These are not one-offs and I strive to continuing making my old resolutions into a habit. :) Now onward with the new!

1. Exercise twice a week.
At least 30 mins per session. Metabolism dropping, pants are tight now and one flight of stairs makes me pant. Woe.

2. Learn to deal with difficult people and situations amicably.
What usually happens is that I shut down and cower into a shell, ignoring that it happened. Doesn't exactly resolve the situation does it? And then I internalise it, take it personal and it festers and festers... even long after the person or incident has long passed. No. I will learn to handle it on the spot, or not let it bother me. This definitely needs a lot of zen. Where can I get a book on this?

3. Get my finances in the black
Clear the credit cards before the end of the year
Utilise those card points!
Get a second income stream from SOMEwhere - writing? investment? bartending gigs? If I want it hard enough, something will come along.
Save enough money to pay a downpayment for a landed property with enough money to pay for at least 6 months of house loans without a job
Save, save, save - Do I really NEED to buy that skincare? That cosmetic? That thingamajig in Daiso? No.

4. Print more photos
Either for the sake of keeping memories, start a scrap book (like I've always wanted to) or as giftaways. I'm pretty sure people still like physical photos too. In fact it's probably more personal than a store bought thank you card, right?

5. Spend more time with myself 
I should learn not to feel guilty if I wanted to decline an invite for an outing - even from loved ones. I need to spend more time getting my own life in order and to do ME stuff - chores, filing, organising, blogging, home facials, veg out in front of the tv, read a book.... I did not spend enough time with myself in 2013, and I'm feeling stretched a little too thin. Like butter over too much bread. :)

6. Enjoy my job and appreciate the fact that I HAVE a job.
Because it pays the bills, and I AM learning something new.

Let's have an excellent and productive 2014, eh?

2013 in review

For my own reference. 

January 2013

Left previous job and a start to my 2.5 months of sabbatical.  Spent a lot of time spending it with family and friends. It was NICE. :)

Got my first PAID  bartending gig by fluke, through a very good friend who was ADAMANT I should give it a go lol. It was one helluva awesome experience. The prep was no joke, and the actual bartending session was insane. If only I could do this once a month - my side income issue is SORTED. haha.

Made a trip to Penang - eat sleep drink repeat. I don't recall if I was sober much lol.

February 2013

Part time gig as bartending in WIP - so much physical hard work but so much FUN. Shit money though. :(

Made a trip to Danang just before AirAsia cancelled the flight. A lot of walking and sightseeing. I learnt that the vietnamese horn to INFORM other motorists of their presence on the road, ALL THE TIME.

March 2013

Experienced working  at a rave for shit money of course but the experience cannot buy one mah. This one was at the  FMFA. I quit after a day because of the horrible management - no electricity at our tent, and food wasnt even prepared for us. Nor water. Even the so-called "supervisor" was never around. But given another better opportunity, would do it again for the fuck of it.

Got that job as brand manager at the liquour company - thus begins my consistent FREE drinking for nearly the rest of the year, hehe.

April 2013

LEARNT TO CYCLE - LEVEL UP IN LIFE. Seriously life changing - I CAN DO ANYTHING NOW! 

May 2013

Dyed finger blue - voted. Glad that made a difference. :x

June 2013

KidSis all grown up and went to Scotland. Sniff.

First time at Cafe Cafe for dinner to celebrate a birthday - oh the ambience was just so dreamy.

Went KK for the FIRST TIME - for work,though. But at least I can now say I've been to EM. :)

July 2013

Observed a triathlon in PD - those guys are dedicated and fit I can tell you tat. And I decided I wouldnt ever partícipate in one. haha

August 2013

Turned 33 years young - awesome surprise kilkenny party and birthday dinner at cilantros - great times with loved ones!

Babysitted twins for 3 days - OMG now I know how it feels like to be a parent of a pair of hyperactive twins URGH PULLS HAIR. This is when I actually questioned whether I was ready or even wanted to have children.

September 2013

Hiked Perling falls - nice nice NICE. The track was quite challenging and the waterfall was lovely. Of course it was all made better with friends. Mum did so well, even better than some of us, haha. We should do this more often.

Mooncake gathering with the gang at my house - always good to have friends over to eat and drink.

October 2013

Bangkok trip - I daresay I've never walked as as much I have walked in this trip. Super gruelling trip, not quite the relaxing chilling trip I had in mind, haha. 

Yachting - Tried my hand at being part of the crew and got so brown and ached for a week. It was one of the best first time experience ever!

Caught a whodunnit play! Mouse trap.

November 2013

Went for white water rafting! Finally got over my phobia of drowning and water. We stayed in a jungle sort of retreat place and it was lovely. The white water rafting was AWESOME. Our guide was a cheeky one and capsized out boat several times during the ride. Aweseome awesome awesome!

Watched Mezzoforte @ Philharmonic - have not watched many live concerts in my lifetime. This is probably the second time in my LIFE I've been to Philharmonic. Yes, there is a whole lot of different watching a concert live vs listening to a CD. Sigh.

December 2013

Back to a REAL job. :) This would officially be my first job in the heart of KL. Let's hope it works out!

Finally made a trip to Singapore after 2 years!... and took a picture with the infamous half naked male model at A&F!! Tee hee.

Received a most surprising and memorable - Asus Transformer. How is the giver ever going to top that I don't know, haha. BUT Christmas is about spending time with loved ones ya - anything more than that is an added bonus. :)

Many firsts in 2013. All in all a great year and looking forward to 2014 with family, friends and loads of love.

Baggage

Everytime I come across that MAS ad, that one with tonnes of people walking around with luggage, I'm always reminded of baggage, the metaphorical one, eventhough I'm certain that's not exactly what MAS wanted the viewers to be reminded of whenever they see that ad (which probably costs over a million bucks, took tonnes of brainstorming sessions,  endless market surveys and went through thousands of revisions to capture that one singular all encompassing message that mas had always wanted to convey -  get a better luggage bag.....  Er no? Hehe).

Big small leather canvas pvc oyster case knapsack with wheels carry ons brown black white blue red green zips buckles straps.

Macam macam pun ada.

Our baggage is like that isn't it? All different.

Sometimes it's easy to forget that everyone else is human too, like me. We all have some sort of baggage, whether we like it or not. It makes us different,  and shapes most of us to what we are today.

I need to remember this. And respect our differences.

If i can't help a fellow human to lighten his/her load, the least I could I could do is not to unload mine on him/her... (Unless otherwise welcomed to. Even then, don't la take advantage of other people's kindness right?) I will strive to make a conscious effort to put this into practice.

But until I have mastered the art of not flinging my baggage about, sorry if I ter-forget and slip. Feel free to knock me on my head (softly please) and hand me back my baggage.

(Afterall, one should never accept other people baggage when travelling -  at least that's what airport security always say right? Hehe what nonsense la me.)

Likes - it's all about me.

You remember those autograph books you had to fill up when you were in Std 6? Where you write down your likes and dislikes and really bad poems or confess something. Well, I'm gonna do a longer version here today. I seem to have quite forgotten what I like or don't like. This page will serve as a self reminder. And yes, it's going to be quite self indulgent, so feel free to move along. :)

Food (go-to's and comfort food)

mum's soups and fried bawal fish, home made pan mee,  red wine mee sua.
korean BBQ and most of its yummy side dishes.
japanese FOOD! Ramen. Sushi. SASHIMI!
penang asam laksa & char kuay teow
steak STEAK!
CRAB CRAB CRAB - steamed crab. black pepper crab. no creamy stuff. chilli crab okay la.
SIEW YOKE
bak kut teh
hokkien char
Vanilla ice cream

movies/tv (examples as what i can remember now, not an exhaustive list)
action - Pacific Rim, Avengers, Fight Club, The Rock, Gladiator, Braveheart, Kick Ass
clever comedy - Priceless, Team America, Dogma, Hot Fuzz
any beautiful looking movies - Avatar. LOTR. Big Fish. 300. the last samurai, Pride & Prejudice

Cartoons - Pixar, Disney, Some of dreamworks stuff like Guardian, Spirited Away, Animes (eg; 7 samurai)
TV - funny, clever script. Gilmore girls, Community, Suits, Sherlock Holmes BBC, Boston Legal, dirty jobs with Mike Rowe, the early editions of Myth Busters, Modern Family's not bad.

music
pop - top 40s
oldies - what my parents used to listen to. and usually found on Light.fm,
dance - simon & alvin type. Electro.

hobbies
reading - fiction, selected biographies. Sci-fi is boring. absolutely no chick lit. very selected non-fiction. Classics.
writing - well, if you consider blogging as writing.
making drinks - learning to make popular drinks, classic cocktails.
handicraft  - havent done anything on this since secondary school but I still have a soft spot for it.
DANCE. I FREAKING LOVE TO DANCE.

colours
Red red red red red any kinds of red or... warm orange.
Deep pink.
Bright sky blue or navy blue
Apple green
no bright pink/yellow/orange. or olive/raya green. generally no purple No fluorescent anything.. Unless for post it note or highlighter.

To wear
comfortable
Simple
functional
fuss-free
jeans jeans jeans
shorts
sneakers
comfy sandals
Rockish
Hip hopish
No cute lacy overly girly stuff.
And onesies are for babies.
No rings.
Metal watch
Simple stud earrings
Simple Necklace
No gold... but white gold is okay.
Hair - long. Never permed.

Travel
Europe - London, Scotland, Belgium, Paris, Spain, Italy, Holland
japan - Tokyo, Kyoto, Hirohisma, Osaka, one rural area.
US of A Central & south - NY, Miami, LA, Brazil, Hawaii
Visit Sydney once for old times sakes.
Singapore - frequent!
Island holidays with clean, clear blue water and white sandy beaches to chill out.

Reading
clever interesting writing and plot.
fun stuff/educational/know hows/how tos/comics
Fight Club, The Game, Some of Terry Pratchett's.....erm. ya. need to work on this.

Others
Sucker for stationery stuff & bar-related tools and equipment.
Bookshops
Flowers -  specifically happy, bright ones.
Must do yearly traditions: Lantern lighting on moon cake festivals, tang yuen making for winter solstice, getting together with family on the 9th of cny.

I get illogical over skin care and makeup products.

When I die:
I want my body cremated.
Beer and booze and Siew yoke at my funeral
No scary loud taoist prayers.
No christian sermons hijacking my burial. 

I want people to remember me as:
Someone who spent her life living loving, learning. A great daughter, sister, partner and friend. Someone who made a difference in other people's lives. 

At Least I did One Thing Right

Spent nearly 3 hours with an ex-junior last night. Said she needed someone to confide in and she could only think of me to do so. Awww. Aww. Bangga. Bangga. Bangga.

She told me the most beautiful thing ever - that she was inspired by me, that I motivated her, and that she learnt a lot from me.

I nearly cried man. So touched.

One of those things money just can't buy - Knowing that you somehow made a difference in someone's life.

For that one year I was in that company, it felt like I did nothing substantial. Felt like I made no difference. Felt like i was putting water into the sea.

Who knew. little ol' me. An inspiration to someone. Who knew.

We started off rocky, she and I. For a few months we pretty much got into each other's nerves or just couldn't get along. But we managed to somehow see past our differences and found the synergy to work with each other. It was good while it lasted.

I got a lot of insights from talking with her:
- everyone wants to be validated. NEEDS to be validated. A kind word from anyone at all really makes people go a mile.
- People love to hear about their strengths. Find a strength, and bring it up often. Especially when you have to engage with them about improving their weaknesses.
- it is not impossible to work with anyone - all you need is time, patience, and a whole load of empathy to understand how you can work with them. There will always be synergies. I will always lack something you have - and vice versa. So it is damn important to know your strengths and weaknesses first.
- make time to catch up and communicate with your juniors or co-workers. We need to build the trust and understand each other better. I mean, we're spending most of our daytime with them - that makes them pretty much our second family. Love them all as much as you can.
- I cannot stress how keeping clear and open lines of communication is with your colleagues or junior. Always talk. even if just for 5 minutes.
- if you're not happy with them, let them know, and explain why. If you feel like they are not happy with you, ASK THEM WHY. nicely. And listen. And if its valid, do something about it.
- be honest & sincere. be yourself. People can tell when you're a fake.
- when giving instructions for peers or juniors to do something, always take the time to explain WHY it needs to be done and HOw you feel is the best way to do. Give them time to refute or query you about it. Who knows, maybe THEY have a better idea/angle/solution.

Well, at least that's what I did, anyway. Takes a whole lot of effort and patience for sure - more than just ordering and bullying people to do stuff. But it's really freaking worth it. I'm not sure if it's the right way. But i sure as hell know what is the wrong way.

Suddenly realising that I've learnt a whole load of stuff while working in that place. Suddenly happy. At least I didn't waste my time there. :)

If I were to die tomorrow, I can die happy knowing that I've at least meant something to at least one person on this planet. She'd probably come to my funeral too. :)

A New Found Respect for Parents & Mum

took care of my twin nieces for about 36 hours with my mum.

man, it was brutal.

there is a constant need to be doing something for them or with them, from the moment you're up to the point where you're in bed. and even when you're IN bed there's still their  nightmares you need to comfort them out of.

It's insane. No wonder my bro and SIL always seemed so stoned. Apart from having their crazy doctor hours in the day time.. to come back to their bundle of loud joys.

Just 3 days with them and I'm drained. I still adore them, and think that they are the cutest things ever, but man I couldn't wait to get off duty.

makes me wonder what sort of a parent would I be.

makes me wonder if i even want to have kids. lol. i've always assumed that I would. Maybe one at a time. And I would probably want to be a stay at a home mum for at least 5-6 years. With perhaps a part time job....... as a  blogger. HAHAHAHAHA.

My mum was a trooper man. Damn steady. This 60++ year old woman still can wake up early and layan the kids and she never once complained. AND she has 4 more mornings to go with them. Sometimes I wonder how in the world does she do it.

And then the answer hit me. it was so simple.

My mum's superwoman. Just like her mum was.

My grandma passed away recently, and the things that people repeatedly say about her was that she was a fighter, very strong, very patient. She brought up 8 kids on her own with a salary of a rubber tapper. can you imagine yourself doing now? even with today's salary?

and my mum? She inherited that spirit from grandma. she fought to stay in school, to continue her studies (because they were so poor, and the girls, who were all older, had to help their mum with chores), studied hard to be the top girl in school. how she relentlessly kept her job and was still an awesome mum who kept a roof over our heads, food in our bellies.

and me? well. my superwoman blood is diluted with erm. super lazy blood. tee hee.

But the point of this post was basically to take my hat off to good parents everywhere and my supermum.

<3