A Short Update

It's been a stressful couple of weeks, especially with the change in working hours. Thank God, the working-in-shifts order's been lifted, and I'm back on normal working hours.

I've been so tired lately, what with the tight working schedule, wedding preparations, and Australian visa applications. All to be done simultaneously in three months.

Just want to thank all of you who wrote in, either here or on my Facebook; I really appreciate it. Things are getting done, slowly but surely.

A dear friend of mine had a Bible verse in mind when she was in labour, and it was the verse which kept her going. I know what I'm going through now is nothing compared to childbirth, but right now, it's one of the very few things keeping me going.

God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" Psalm 73:26

Bloody Broadband, Bloody Shifts, Bloody Insensitive Bastards

My Internet connection's been really bad all weekend.

I don't know if anyone else is experiencing problems with their Streamyx, but then again, when have you NEVER had problems with that stupid broadband provider, huh? Their customer service is severely lacking; in fact, all of their services are questionable. It's just sad that we have too little broadband providers fighting for the top spot. I mean, if our broadband providers are as competitive as our mobile telcos, why, we consumers would have a ball!

Sigh.

Anyways.

It's been a stay-at-home weekend for me, which is great, because I really needed the rest from all the early mornings I had during the week. Guess what, I'll be on afternoon shift next week; my working hours will be from 2.30pm to 10.30pm. Can you see me jumping for joy here? Woo. Bloody. Hoo.

Sorry folks. I'm currently just too bloody uptight to be nice.

PS: Oh, and to those who bitched about the Nurin case, blaming the parents for neglecting their child in the first place? If you don't have children, SHUT UP. Even if you do, imagine losing them. How's that for a laugh, huh? Leave the parents be. They've already lost their flesh and blood. Geez.

I'm Sorry, Mum

I posted this as a comment on Zewt's, and I thought, I'd write it out here as well. Because all I feel, right now, is utter shame.

I've been having fights after fights, screaming matches, etc with my mum for weeks now over my wedding. I came to the point where I was absolutely sick and fed up, that I just wanted to do away with the wedding and get the hell out of the house for good because I just couldn't stand her anymore.

Until I read this.

Then suddenly, the biggest feeling of shame washed over me, and now, all I can think of is give my mum a big hug when I see her, when I still can, and tell her I'm so sorry for giving her so much grief, so much pain, because I've been such an incredibly selfish daughter.

Thank you.

The Choices We Make When We Blog

(A serious entry and a tag, all in one. It's gotta be a first, eh?)

Paris tagged me on what I originally thought was my advice on blogging, until I started reading on what she also wrote on the choices we make, and I was like, huh?? Her sis, Pink Elle, talked about choices too, so I thought, okay, what the heck, I'll talk about that too. But something a little different. This time, I'll talk about choices you make when it comes to blogging.

I won't say that I'm a seasoned blogger (far from it; a little over two years is nothing compared to the big guns out there, earning gazillions of dollars), but I've read a lot of blogs during the last two years, and in between, encountered a lot of different people with a whole lotta views. Views about life, the environment, the government, etc. That's a good thing, for what is a blog if not a place to express their views?

But what happens when you cross the line with what you've written? Words that hurt. I don't mean trivial negative comments, e.g. disagreement with what you've written, etc (everyone gets that from time to time), but the ones who really drive a stake to the heart. The ones that disrupts harmony. The fanatics.

I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate it when one swears at another involving the other's mother. ("Your mother" is still all right with me, but when it involves their genitals, that's the one I cannot tahan). Yeah, it's (sadly) common, and a lot of people think it's no big deal, but really, have you ever thought about the person's mother? What if she's deceased? Not so much fun desecrating one's dead mother now, is it?

You have a choice of what you write on your blog. You have a choice to inspire, or disparage. Of course, you'll say we also have a choice to read or leave. Fair enough. But if you want to keep your readers (what's a blog without readers?), why force them to leave?

Remember the saying, "If you don't have something good to say, then don't say it at all"? It's true, y'know.

Anyways.

That's it about choices, and now, onto the tag (yeah, I know, a very sudden change in tone, but heck, it's apparently supposed to be like this!).

~ Start Copy ~

It’s very simple. When this is passed on to you, copy the whole thing, skim the list and put a * star beside those that you like. (Check out especially the * starred ones.)

Write your own blogging tip for other bloggers.Try to make your tip general.

01. Look, read, and learn. http://www.neonscent.com/

02. Be EXCELLENT to each other. http://www.bushmackel.com/

03. Don’t let money change ya! http://therandomforest.info/ ******

04. Always reply to your comments. http://chattiekat.com/ ******

05. Blog about what you know & love. http://sugar-queens-dream.blogspot.com *

06. Don’t use filthy language-buy a dictionary. http://shinade.blogspot.com/

07. Blog about something educational http://climateofourfuture.org/

08. Be yourself; others will follow http://sfgirl-thealiennextdoor.blogspot.com/ *

09. Don’t have too many blogs that will become a chore to maintain http://cubicledenizen.blogspot.com/

10. Keep it simple, user-friendly, interesting and organised! http://erishaling.blogspot.com/ *

11. Keep the blog simple and sweet!! http://www.leslieho.com/

12. Share with others your thoughts and don’t be shy! http://groovy-olives.com/blog

13. Never ask for link exchange. Blog hop to increase traffic. http://www.jessieling.com/ *

14. Blog about something uniquely you. Or post some unique pictures. http://bernardchan.net/ *

15. Avoid too lengthy posts e.g. less than 200 words if you can help it. http://www.mylongkang.com/

16. Avoid Doing Tags. http://clementwongpy.blogspot.com/

17. Remember to go to the toilet when nature calls, don’t just sit glued to the computer or you’ll shit in your pants! http://wuching.blogspot.com/

18. Blog hopping is fun. You’ll never know what gem you’ll find in the blogsphere. http://che-cheh.com/

19. Do. Not. Plagiarize. http://narrowband.org/

20. Don’t put pressure on yourself to blog. Blogging should be FUN! http://rinnah.blogspot.com/ **

21. Love yourself, love your blog, love your readers, and keep sharing your love through your blog. http://yeehon.blogspot.com/ *

22. If you hug them, they will come. http://littlemissmay.com/ *

23. Don’t clutter your blog with too many ads. http://www.parisbeaverbanks.com/

24. Do not read too many SEO, money-making blogs if you've never blogged before but want to give it a go. The information overload will freak you out, and it'll take away the fun in blogging. http://www.sweetcontemplation.com

~ End Copy ~

My peeps to tag for today:

Beetrice - just because :p
Kleio - haven't seen you in while
Little Comma - give you a break from lil' Ivan :p

Go on, have your say. *

Money Money Money, Must Be Funny

*Take a deep breath*

Okay.

I know I've been ranting and complaining and moaning a lot lately just about everything. And to stick to my guns that I will not post more three emo posts in a row, I found something which made me smile today.

Ooooooh lookie lookie, I made US$66.15 on my beauty blog in two months!!

Okay I know this amount is probably piss to those who make like a gazillion dollars online, but it's a lot to me. Plus, it's a good start. It's definitely an encouraging motive for me to put more effort into the blog. Everytime I get an email from Paypal informing me that I have new funds, it gives me a big grin on my face.

So, what am I going to do with the money? For now, I'm leaving it untouched (Paypal experts - will the money expire if I do not add a bank account or something?).

Sikit sikit, lama lama menjadi bukit :p

Tee hee hee!

Panic Attack

I woke up with a start at 4 in the morning, and suddenly thoughts of wedding details still not done came rushing to me like a burst dam, and I started having a panic attack. Only about four months left to the wedding, and there are SO much stuff still not confirmed, still not done.

Really doesn't help with my suddenly-tight work schedule and having to go to work at 6am every morning. Doesn't help when my own parents don't even understand what sort of stress I'm under.

I'm so tired :(

I'm So Enjoying The Rain, Aren't You?

I'm writing this whilst looking out the window, watching the soft patter of rain. Mmmm ...

It's been another uneventful weekend. Time spent with the family is now more and more precious and treasured as the time draws nearer to the wedding, which ultimately means my leaving for Australia. As much as I've *ahem* complained about having no other person to go out with during the weekends but Mum, I really do appreciate the company, and our bonding sessions.

My working hours will be from 6.30am to 2.30pm for all of next week, due to some reshuffling of work resources. I can hear all the gasps of horror from those of you out there who find it a real feat waking up in the morning (*cough* Tim *cough*). It really is no biggie for me as I tend to wake up pretty early anyway, and it just means that I'll leave for the office an hour earlier than my usual time. The great part's leaving at 2.30pm, when I'll be able to miss the rush hour traffic. Woo hoo!!

I've been spending quite a lot of time on my beauty blog for the past couple of weeks, and have been rather neglecting this one. This is what happens when the other one starts churning money for me, thus having to pay more attention to it. Sigh. Anyways, I've got two pillar articles coming up for this one (freakin' long ones, with RESEARCH. Ooooh :p), so do stay tuned.

Have a great remaining Sunday. I'm enjoying the rain :)

S: Okay, for those of you whom I'm playing Scrabulous on Facebook with, have mercy! I just can't keep losing like this!!

I Am Tired

I am tired.

I am tired of my work load right now, which seemed to triple ever since I came back from KL. Things aren't getting any easier with a new addition to the team whom I'm not at all keen on and do not like. What makes it worse is that I'm beginning to be sidelined as a group leader, just because word has leaked out that I shall be leaving soon. I do not mind surrendering the position to someone else, someone more capable, more assertive, more responsible, if the management has had the courtesy to let me know first. I do not enjoy being kept in the dark.

At the moment, no one's saying anything, and I don't think I'm being paranoid. I could jolly well throw in the towel and say "To hell with you guys, I don't care anymore. Why should I? I won't even be here for long". But I can't. I have a responsibility as a leader to see things through, and I will tie all loose ends before I leave. If only they let me. I'm operating on a very tight wire right now. It's only a matter of time before I snap.

Despite all this, I know that the worst is yet to come.

I am tired.

I am tired of putting up a front at the workplace, that everything's peaches and cream, that I'm happy at how things are going, when in fact, they're not. The working environment has changed so severely ever since I got back. I know what's going on, but I do not understand why they are. Who was it that said "why can't everyone just get along?" This goes to show that the workplace is just like one big kindergarten, where people are behaving like sulky children.

I am tired.

I am tired of pretending that I'm not married in the workplace. That nothing has changed. Due to certain reasons (which I will reveal when the time comes), I cannot disclose the fact that I'm married, except to a few close friends. Thus, I cannot openly plan my wedding with my girlfriends, without worrying who's looking over my shoulder. It really takes away the joy in the planning process.

I am tired.

I am tired of the fact that even though I AM married, it doesn't feel that I am, because Tim's so far away. I miss him terribly, and it really hurts that we're so far apart (bad enough that we only spent a day together as husband and wife, and even then, I was down with a flu), especially during this trying period. I'm so glad for the Internet, that I'm able to see him every night, but us not being physically together doesn't make it any better. I know, I know, we'll be together in no time. Well, they don't call it a rant for nothing, eh?

Still, I'm real grateful that both our parents understand the predicament that we're in, and are being as supportive as they can. It's not going to be easy for my parents when I do leave for Australia next year (Mum kept saying that she feels as though she's losing her daughter). It isn't going to be easy for me either.


Lord, I pray that You'll be with me throughout this trying period. I pray for strength to carry on. I ask for Your forgiveness that I only come to You in times of trouble, but I really need You now. I need to be in Your peace. Amen.

Stupid Pins And Needles

Can't imagine how I slept last night, but I woke up to tremendous pins and needles on both legs and feet, which lasted quite long. They hurt so bad, I had to wake up and massage the calves for a bit, before I can sleep again.

And now my calves are real sore. What gives?! :(

*grumble*

PS: Sorry guys, writer's block again. Grrr.

My Very Rugi Weekend

Man, it's been such a "rugi" weekend. See, my grandma's staying with us for a couple of months, and to keep her from being totally bored out of her mind (she does call our house her "jail", cos she doesn't get to go out much. Shucks), my dad bought a mahjong set for her to fill her time with.

So, for the whole of Saturday and Sunday (and most likely for the rest of her visit here) were filled with mahjong sessions. All of us went on "shifts" to play with her :p

Unfortunately, I am a very lousy mahjong player. I mean REALLY bad. First of all, I had to memorise what the characters meant (what to do, I'm a 'banana' through and through), and I had to remember which "wind" position I was in. I'd have really great tiles, and yet I'd lose. Really, wearing red underwear and all that wouldn't even help (apparently, it changes your luck or something); I'm THAT bad.

In this game, I lost RM10 in 45 minutes. I lost most of it to my dad. Siong ah.

As for this one, I lost RM1.30 in 1.5 hours (good tiles, right? I lost). We had to lower the stakes, 'cos I was losing so badly.

Still, I reckon with the mahjong set in the house, we should be able to practise more for our annual mahjong sessions with the extended family during Chinese New Year. Hopefully, I'll stop sucking, plus this time, I'll win me back some moolah.

*Mali mali hom* Money, money, come to me! MUAHAHAHA ...

Good Things Come In Threes

Haven't been doing tags for a while now. Not because no one tagged me, but because I either didn't have the time to do it, or I totally forgot about it. A thousand apologies, folks.

By the way, I think memes (well, the good ones) are great post-fillers when you are having writer's block. They normally come in lists, which makes it really easy to read, AND it gives the readers a better picture of what you are like. Just a tip :)

Okay, onto the tag.

Paris tagged on a three-on-three a couple of weeks ago; I have to give three answers to each question. Ahh shouldn't be difficult. At least it's not another 100 Things About Me :p (oh, and I owe you two more tags, Paris. Will get to that as soon as I can).

Three things that scare me are
1. Flying cockroaches - they're the most disgusting living thing ever to have the privilege to live in this planet.
2. Dying alone
3. Gory pictures/movies - these images stay in my head for ages, and, for some reason, make me very nervous

Three people who make me laugh
1. My hubby :p
2. Blackadder
3. My dad (we can joke just about anything. And I mean ANYTHING)

Three things I love
1. Bags - I agree with Paris; I'm a bag lady too!
2. Mobile phones - I change a new one almost every year (yeah, I'm weird like that. Although with my current Nokia N80, I might have to wait a while before getting a new one, 'cos that one cost me a bomb).
3. Blogs - what can I say, I'm addicted to you people ;)

Three things I hate
1. Cockroaches (all sorts. Despicable!)
2. Baked beans
3. Split ends

Three things I don't understand
1. The stock market (OMG, Paris, could we be anymore alike??)
2. Finance, marketing, accounting mumbo-jumbo.
3. Why there are so many stupid people around.

Three things on my desk
1. Mug
2. Fan which I brought back from Japan (this follows me everywhere; it's quite big, but I lug it around to meetings and such. Hey, the Japs do it too, plus it keeps me awake during meetings)
3. Stationery holder (a proper holder, and a yogurt cup which holds my 2B pencils and highlighter pens)

Three things I am doing right now
1. Not working (how else would I be doing this meme?)
2. Playing Scrabulous on Facebook.
3. Chatting with Tim on Skype.

Three things I want to do before I die
1. Visit Paris (the city and the person *grin*)
2. Do something I really enjoy AND get paid for it.
3. Go for my 50th school reunion, if we still have one :p

Three things I can do
1. Play the piano and sing at the same time.
2. Raise an eyebrow (so far, I do not know anyone else who can do this)
3. Mimic people (my family and colleagues are very amused by my antics)

Three things I can't do
1. Lose weight *sob sob*
2. Shape my own brows (I tend to muck it up; best to leave it to the pros)
3. Sleep too long (I get cranky if I've slept too much)

Three things I think you should listen to
1. Your inner voice (unless you're schizophrenic, of course)
2. Sound of falling rain. Very therapeutic.
3. Your mother.

Three things you should never listen to
1. Gossip (but isn't that just so hard NOT to?)
2. Pushy salespeople
3. Fanatics on the Internet (bloody attention seekers)

Three shows I watched as a kid
1. The Electric Company - BEST! Much better than Sesame Street (boo Elmo!). Poor kids these days have to be subjected to Barney and Teletubbies *shudder*
2. Jem (my favourite cartoon - the big hair and cute songs got me hooked)
3. Growing Pains - Had quite a crush on Kirk Cameron then (early bloomer, hehe)

Now to tag three people:
1. Adino
2. Pelf
3. Zewt

Work Woes

Okay guys, I get the hint. I've already posted the ROM photos at the wedding blog, which you can check out here. See, I'm so nice :)

Anyhoos.

I'm getting real swamped at work, personally and professionally. It's funny how things can go a 180 degrees turn in just the one week I was away. It's only been three days back, and I'm already ready to scream.

There is sudden tension everywhere, and the somewhat-comfortable environment of work that I was used to is now some kind of mental war zone. Suddenly, never-before politics have managed to seep into the group. Everyone's watching their backs so carefully in case they get stabbed. It's making me pretty nervous, and quite frankly, bloody annoyed.

Lord, give me strength to persevere during this "storm". Otherwise I'll go nuts.

A Second Look At The Creation

A colleague sent this to me via email today, and I thought, oh my, what a way to describe the Creation. Oh, and it's meant to be a joke. It's a slow Tuesday, so let's lighten up a little, eh?


In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.


So, who do you reckon's the bad guy here? Enjoy first, suffer later? Or suffer first, enjoy later?

Your call.

One Crazy Week, And Back To Reality

Finally back from my week-long break. It was such an exciting and eventful week, that I don't even know where to start.

It was so good seeing Tim once again, after being away from each other for over two months. I guess that's the best thing about being in a long-distanced relationship; you get to fall in love with each other over and over again. Of course, we pray that this will also remain when we're finally living together in Melbourne next year.

It wasn't so much of a break for us to have romantic getaways as such when he got back last week than a trip to settle a lot of registration of marriage logistics here and there. I mean, really, how things get done in Malaysia is beyond me. I mean, people are simply so slow, so inefficient! Tsk tsk tsk. Anyways, praise God, all the near-misses of the registration of marriage were ironed out.

I spent the first weekend with Tim's family, and he spent the week with mine. I had quite a good time, in fact, getting to know his family better. Had meals with them, went to church service with them, etc.

The bridal photography session on the 29th was hilarious. The photographer and assistants were really nice; the ice was broken almost immediately, and they made it a very pleasant experience for us. I should think that Tim would be the one who'd laugh at the styles of posing for the camera, as a lot of them were really cheesy. Unfortunately, I was the one who just couldn't stop collapsing in giggles when we had to put our faces very close together for the fake "romantic" shots. Tim was like, "Oi, be serious lah" all the time, because I just couldn't stop laughing. In my defense, when your face is THAT close with your man, you either kiss him, or ... wait, there's nothing else! Gazing into each others eyes dreamily? You've GOT to be kidding me. I'd sooner go cross-eyed (psst, and you wonder where the romance has gone, eh? Tee hee hee!).

Anyways, it was a great experience, and I arranged to view and select the photos the very next day, as Tim had very limited time in Malaysia. And maaaaannn, not to *ahem* blow my own horn or anything, but *ahem* ... I looked GORGEOUS! I mean, WE looked GORGEOUS!! :p

The photos were very well taken, and the cheesy shots really captured us perfectly. I selected a few cheesy shots (it's a must lah), and so did Tim. My favourite photos were the ones taken outdoors.

We went to Batu Ferringhi for our outdoor shots, and I must say, I felt really weird, all dolled up in 6 inches of makeup, hairsprayed-till-it's-hard-as-a-rock hairdo, wedding gown and veil, amidst the sand and lalang. There were a few shots taken where I had to sit on the lalang, and I had crickets jumping all over me. Euuuwww. The ones at the beach were also quite nice, until it came to the part where Tim had to carry me on piggyback, for the photographer to capture. You can hear Tim's voice "Oi, hurry up and take lah, she's very heavy!!" from a mile away. Still, you didn't think he'd get away with that without a thumping or two from me now, do you? ;)

Anyhoos, the photo selection process was really difficult; every photo was so well taken. We ended up forking a LOT of money to order another extra 17 photos. And that, my friends, is already pushing it, because it really was heart-breaking marking the photos we could not afford anymore to have with a black-ink marker. They're a mean lot, those bridal-house people, making us mar our lovely photos. Sigh.

The Registration of Marriage was a surprisingly short affair. Bea joined us as well, which was great. My mum requested her to get me flowers as well, and they were lovely (girl, you SO know my taste :p). Tim got me flowers too, which had two "married" bears on the bouquet, a few pieces of heart-shaped chocs, and very beautiful red roses. The whole affair (including the swearing in, the signing of the marriage certificates and exchange of rings) lasted a good FIVE minutes. We spent a lot of time just taking photos.

Speaking of which, I know I've been yakking a lot here with no photos to show. I'll post the photos on the wedding blog, as I reckon it's more appropriate to be placed there. Oh, and I'll also post a few shots taken during the bridal photography session as well. That ought to be fun, eh?

The most difficult part of the wonderful week I had was saying goodbye to Tim ONE DAY after we got married. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it really just got worse. We're really praying hard that he'll be able to come back to Malaysia at least once before the wedding. Keep your fingers (and toes, and whatever appendages you can spare) crossed too, ya? :)

So now, it's back to work, and back to reality for us. Tim will be returning to Melbourne tomorrow (*sob sob*), and I managed to contract a cold from all the excitement of the week. Work has started to pile too. Gah. Don't ask me what married life is like though. I've only had him for a day.

Still, to end this on a brighter note,
I'd like to thank all of you who sent well wishes here, and for those who specially emailed and/or texted me to congratulate us. I'm so touched at all your wishes, and really really appreciate them *hugs*.

Status Change

I'm now a Mrs Someone.

Golly :)