Friday, May 29, 2009

A bucket of cold water

At times I can be a surprise to myself. I am not the type who ticks others off but when one is left with no choice but to fend herself, I just had to do it. Not willing to be tackled down by those office jesters, especially since I am paying their salaries i.e. I am the fee earner and they are the cost centre, I ticked them off.

There aren’t many women, or to be précised, mothers, in my line of work. Many choose to leave after a child or two and with the recession, it makes senses for one to take the break and spend their time with the kids (a nanny costs a hole in the purse).

Thus, I remain undeterred by the new office politics and I am sure many are not happy with the situation. Yet, we remain hopeful that things will turn around and our knights aka the old bosses will make a comeback and save us all (sounds like the scenes in LOTR).

Oh well, at least there have been a few good happenings. Barcelona won and my Spanish friends and probably the rest of non-MU fans were delighted by the results. *grins* The books have arrived and the young lady was very pleased. A director who is also a friend saw them and said that my home must be full of books, and probably bags too.

Indeed she saw the new arm candy. I have been eyeing if for quite a while but never bothered to get as I already have a rare one which I mentioned in the Magic Word post. Yet, how could one resist when it was the runway collection, on seriously damn good sale and the only one left? It was probably equivalent to some people 'langkah kanan' moments. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I walked into the store.

I know, lame excuse. Can someone please splash a bucket of iced cold water on me?

*Ms B had overdosed herself with day and night at the museum. She hopes Mini B would not come up with an idea to visit the biggest place of history collection, no matter how tempting it may sound.*

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Manscaping -defined

“They don’t mean gardening,” she said. “They mean, um, ‘gardening’.”
“Say again?”

“Tending to the garden, Chris.”

“Like, flowers and stuff?”

“No. ‘Down there’.”

“Women notice these things. It makes it a whole lot easier to like a man if he likes himself. You won’t believe what people get waxed. Men have this thing, it’s called ‘visual enhancement’. When you trim, it looks bigger.” He raised his eyebrows. “Sure, you can buy a trimmer. But you can’t always reach, can you?”
Bloody hell, I wondered, what had I done? Suffer? I literally bled. From every follicle. I drew a line, however, at anything below the belt. No crack, thank you. And absolutely no sack.

As it is, I think I’ll save any future waxings for my car, and leave the sessions at the torture chamber to those who qualify as the tougher sex these days — the girls.

*************************

You can continue reading here. Hope you enjoy the article as much as I did. *LOL* I wonder how many of you (men) out there who are up to the challenge. *grins*

Thursday, May 21, 2009

The award

n.i. was kind enough to give me this award:


Thank you! The award comes with a set of rules:

State 5 interesting facts about the person who gave you this award:
1. She takes great length to make sure her loved ones get healthy meals i.e. she makes her own nuggets (I just have to mention this dear).
2. She's a shopaholic (aren’t we all honey?).
3. Apparently she's also creative, judging from her effort to make the bag for her friend.
4. Her ability to express her emotions without holding anything back amazes me, as I for one lack of it.
5. She's been a regular for quite some time now but I only found out that she was related to a favorite blogger of mine way much later. Indeed I can be that clueless.

Each blogger must mention 10 facts about themselves or their hobbies before choosing the next recipients:
1. I drink mocha every morning, to the extent that the barista at the cafe near work confirms my order even before I utter a word.
2. I love reading but barely have time for it.
3. My favorite meal is nasi lemak kerang.
4. In the old days, I used to have 3-4 meals of rice daily i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner and occasional tea time if I had to work late.
5. My lunch now consists of soup, salad or jacket potato. *dismal*
6. After my third attempt of the brain game, I was told that my brain was equivalent to a calculator. *rolling eyes*
7. Recently I purchased 4 collections or 25 books in total for the young lady. She’s pretty excited and I hope they arrive before the term breaks.
8. Cooking is therapeutic for me.
9. During summer, we spend our days at the park, equipping ourselves with enough snacks, a book each and her favourite toys.
10. I just realized that I have purchased 6 pairs of shoes since the beginning of the year, probably twice as many as I did last year. *smacking her head*

You have to choose 10 recipients of this award and describe them:
1.
D – I think she can be the next Jamie Oliver or Mr Ramsay.
2.
Momster – she always makes me touched whenever she speaks of her little one.
3.
CG - Whatever she writes, from music to food, it turns out brilliant.
4.
Darlene- She has wicked sense of humour.
5.
Naz - This lady who resides in Norway always cracks me with her postings, especially on those old malay movies.
6.
Jumper - He loves to run. Oh, he also writes really well and shares his life lessons which are worth pondering.
7.
Danial - Obviously this guy loves to travel and snaps pictures everywhere.
8.
The Biker - I think he loves bikes more than women, or maybe equally.
9.
NJ - She's a jet-setting corporate lady but somehow I feel she's better off spending her days at the beach and writing a book, than attending those board meetings. If you are reading this, when are you going to update?
10.
Kak Teh - I just love her writing. Hooked.

Alas, not forgetting to the one who gave me this award, n.i. Hmm, was I supposed to answer this in Malay? *curious look*

Monday, May 18, 2009

The other (or dark) side of networking

While checking my inbox this morning, I was surprised by the influx from an unknown sender. It seems that I am a part of a group (corporate related) back home. Today was the first time that I heard of such society, so you could imagine my surprise upon knowing that I am part of it. There is nothing bad about it. In fact, from what I gathered, it is beneficial for those who are interested.

Put it this way, even if I knew about it, my friends know me too well that there is no way that I would sign myself to join them. There are things in life that, no matter tempting or good it may sound, I am just not into it.

As I scrolled down the emails, I finally saw a familiar name in one of them. I have this feeling that this person added my name to the list. I am sure he meant well as he has been trying to get me to share my experience and knowledge for as long as I can remember. However, as I mentioned before, I have certain rules when it comes to email. In fact, since one email address of mine has been used for forwarded emails or discussions among certain people which have nothing to do with me, I had to create another personal email which only a handful of friends know its existence. Thus, when I realised my office email was used for something similar, I got a bit annoyed. *sigh*

I do see the benefits of networking. In fact, I apply this approach all the time. Yet, when people misuse or unable to draw the line, it creates inconvenience to others, or at some occasions, to us.

Take FB for example. I know some colleagues are into it but as far as I know, they are online whenever they are free which by the way is not frequent enough. They are not the type who updates their status every hour. Even my PA who probably has the most time online couldn’t be bothered to do so.

A friend once complained that she has too many FB “friends” and it is pretty difficult for her to decline as she is considered a celebrity in her country, which I only found out how big she was when I chatted with a girl from the same place. Another friend created a bogus FB profile because of similar reason and makes sure his current circle consists of people he considers genuine.

Most importantly, it can be quite scary when we spend more time online than the physical act of meeting people itself, as highlighted in this article:


“People can use the sites to make new acquaintances outside their departments and groups, and users can extend their networks beyond the traditional workplace. But people can use the sites too much and as a consequence give less time to meeting with co-workers in person.

You need to be careful to make sure that social networking sites aren't encroaching on your office time. More than an hour a day is excessive. Worse, spending too much time on the sites can disrupt your balance between work and private time. It can also take you out of your family time.”


I like to keep myself updated through the old-fashioned way; phone calls, lengthy emails or coffee time, either with friends or my so-called corporate networks. In some ways, I am still old school. As the article concluded, "If they aren't people you would talk to in "real life," you probably are wasting time."

You can continue reading
here.

*Ms B had an awesome time spending the day with a friend over the weekend at their favourite hangout, tho she is unsure if her purse agrees. In her defense, she feels the bargain was worth it.*

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Candy boy

Zack: I haven't actually literally done it before you know?
Sweets: Had sex?
Zack: Ended someone's life ... why doesn't anyone ever believe I've had sex?

The other day I was talking to a friend and how my presumptions on the subject matter did not make sense to him. It appeared that my theory led to the candy boy situation i.e. the lady's beau is much younger. I told him that it is fairly common these days to have a candy boy in our arms, which I think goes well with the candy bag. John finally bought the idea and agreed that the likelihood of his friend to be in a company of a young man was high.

Then, he popped out a statement, "I am surprised that no one (re younger man) has asked you out. Some find it very appealing to go out with matured ladies."

Dude, just because I don’t say much about my social life, it does not mean that I'm lacking of it. Well perhaps I am, especially for the past few weeks with a deadline to meet and when it was finally delivered, the only thing I want to do with my spare time is to cook for the young lady or to lounge myself on the sofa playing the brain game with her.

More often than not, I find people who talk much about it tend to have less, especially men. Some simply love to boast of their conquest, which I find it hard to digest. It has nothing to do with their physical appearance, but rather on their personality and relationship status. I’m sure you get the picture. I suppose it comes with this mid-life crisis theory, that there is a need for a person to prove how worthy one is in their desired area. It seems they feel the need to test the market and whether they still have the mojo to attract members of the opposite sex.

Anyway, don’t they ever heard the saying 'good girls are better liars'? *grins* Please don’t underestimate the geeks and the nerds. I'm sure you've watched American Pie. *winks*

On another note, I’d like to wish someone happy birthday. As much as I would like to send Alex Karev to your doorstep, I think we could settle with a picture of a candy boy, Lucas:


Picture from cwtv.com

Have a good weekend friends!

*Ms B is counting the days to see Mr Hanks with her not-so-imaginary candy boy. She thinks Mr Hanks will give the excitement she needs, tho perhaps the candy boy might have a trick or two under his sleeves.*

Monday, May 11, 2009

Life's a climb

but the view up there is great.

Each day I feel I learn more from her, instead of the other way around. From the things she wants to do to her curiosity, I learn to see, hear and think from her perspective.

Sometimes I feel she gives better advice than some people I know, even on things that should be the least of her expertise. It even surprises me when she comes out with a brilliant remark while watching a favourite show of mine e.g. "he should make up his mind. He likes two girls!”

At times I can be hard on her. Often after those moments, she'd say, "I know why mummy. You just want me to be a better person."

These days, our bedtime chat no longer consists of only fairy tales or how her day at school went. We talk about my past, with snippets from my childhood experience, the dreams and fears that went along with it.

There was a moment that we shared over the weekend which triggered some past events. I was reminded the challenges I faced and each time, she was there in the picture. Her presence alone was enough to tell that I should keep on climbing and to overcome the hurdles in life.

As we walked to school this morning, once again she shared her wisdom. "I must believe I can do this. If I don’t, I won’t do well." She was referring to a certain event at school.

I end this post by dedicating the song to the lovely people out there. You know who you are. *winks* (please mute the mixpod before playing the clip)




I can almost see it
That dream I’m dreaming but
There’s a voice inside my head sayin,
You’ll never reach it,
Every step I’m taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
Got to keep trying
Got to keep my head held high

The struggles I’m facing,
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes they might knock me down but
No I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I’m going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on, cause

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Sometimes I'm going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

There’s always going to be another mountain
I’m always going to want to make it move
Always going to be an uphill battle,
Somebody you're going to have to lose,
Ain’t about how fast I get there,
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Home is where.....

the heart is, or is that so?

Some people feel that a place defines us, or more importantly, our happiness. Perhaps the vibes and the atmosphere of a location shape our personality and to a certain extent, affect our emotions.
Yet I wonder, does it really matter where we live as long as we have our loved ones by our side? Surely it does not, unless of course we are referring to places which are out of the equation for good reasons. If that’s the case, then it makes sense that we just go there on our own and leave our loved ones behind.

Before I came here, I never knew whether I could make it. Despite I had visited this country before and everyone kept saying how great the city was, it didn’t stop me from worrying as I knew the situation, or more precisely, the challenges I would be facing.

Yet somehow, I knew things will be alright as I had her.

As I told someone today, home is where the heart is. It doesn’t matter where our journey takes me and her as long as we have each other, although I think it will certainly add topping to the ice cream if the place has anything related to Hannah Montanna. No, I have to rephrase. Hannah Montanna items are definitely part of the requirements.

I believe if we have our loved ones by our side, things will work out better than we’d imagine. I have seen many friends triumphed their way through when they lived in a foreign place, even if it wasn’t accommodating to their needs.

If somehow it is better and practical to live apart (as I know some of my MDs have to leave their family behind as the kids are facing their exams), I’m sure we look forward to the trip to spend time with them. The long haul journey feels smooth, the wooden house with only a bathroom to be shared by all looks fun, the cold freezing weather (or the opposite!) is welcomed with open arms, etc.

It is when we contemplate to the journey to meet our “loved ones” that we should ask ourselves, where does our heart belong
..

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Moving on

As much as I missed writing, I just didn’t have the mood to do so. My mind has been wandering afar and it didn’t help much when I had additional travel time over the past few weeks, leaving me lost further in my own thoughts. The scenery usually leads me to day dream, a habit which I find it hard to shake off even at this age. I suppose it doesn’t help when your child shares similar interest. Well, she’s a kid. Thus she’s expected to day dream as often as she wants. I wonder my excuse for doing so.

I wish it could settle down, but I guess it requires some peace and quiet, which I’m lacking of these days.

Among the many thoughts that have been playing in my head is moving on. Perhaps the uniqueness of our circumstance leads to an easier way to cope with any change to our life. I suppose the nature of our situation makes us to not be emotionally attached to anyone. I mean, we do but when there is a tendency for people to come and go, especially when you are surrounded by people in the same boat i.e. a traveller themselves, we tend to move on quicker than others. We make new friends or form new alliances (applicable at work in my case). After a while we realise life works just fine without those people who used to be in the picture.

Not long after we realise we no longer miss those people. They would probably be in our thoughts but that’s as far as it goes. Chances are there will be more gaps in the relationship, especially when things have changed a lot in our life.

Unless of course they happen to be people close to your heart. I’m sure if the lil one decides to further her studies away from mummy, we would probably invest much of our time in maintaining the bond.

At least that’s what I’m wishing and hoping for (and of course, day dreaming of).