Unexpected Public Holiday

OMG!!! OMG!!! Tomorrow is declared as a holiday for Malaysians! All because the Malaysian Tigers have won the AFF Suzuki Cup to Indonesians. Yes, just over a FOOTBALL match. My colleagues rocked the office with this news. Everyone is just so happy and excited that we don't need to work tomorrow.

I was really happy and excited when I received the message from Guardian Angel last night. Hahahahaha... A new year long weekend! I have plans all set up for tomorrow night to welcome the New Year.

Actions speak louder than words

I had a simple & nice night with Guardian Angel last night. We met up after not seeing each other for 2 days as he had to travel for work.

We met up for dinner. The night started to rain heavily while we were dining. We didn't stay out till too late as I bet he was tired from the travelling. Despite the stormy night, he accompanied me home as usual. I just love his care.

Sometimes little actions means a million and it definitely speaks louder than words.

That's what Friends are For

To all my friends out there: This is for you.

New Lappie Excitement

Ha, I've finally gotten my new company's lappie. It is based on my requirements and everything is also done setup. The previous one was old and super heavy. It's like carrying a bag of rice walking around. Now, I am just waiting for the external DVD drive.

I think I am expected to work harder now since I have a new lappie. Eeeekk!

Gone through the Darkness and Now Angels Searching

Oh my, oh my....I am feeling so lazy to work, especially it is a Monday after the Christmas celebration. I am alone in my room after having a simple packed lunch, and now feeling so lonely (with the music playing on the radio).

I was chatting with my best friend last night over MSN. We were chatting and updating each other on the happenings and our lives. I was told that I seemed happier and have changed a lot (to be better, of course) over 10 years (sounds like I am ancient, right?). At first, I didn't quite get the context she was referring to (she has seen my ups and downs over the years). I got it later.

Yes, I have to say I have changed quite a fair bit over the years; after all the different experiences and encounters along the way. I used to be timid, quiet and less receptive. Now being wiser, I am no longer the mentioned. I am proud to say I am a stronger person (mentally), more open and chatty nowadays. The way I do things and look at is no longer the same as well.

I am really grateful that I've been through the happenings; and thanks to everyone who supported me back then or elseI would not know what hell is like and to look for the angels now (as I quote from my bestie).

Sunday afternoon at Fahrenheit 88

Fahrenheit 88- that was the place I was at since 12noon till 4pm yesterday. I was invited for Davin's store opening.

It was my first time visiting this newly revamped shopping mall. The shops in this mall are catered to the younger crowd. I find it quite confusing, especially the lower ground floors where the smaller shops are.

This is Davin. He is a Fashion Guru. It was a happy event for him as he had Datuks and many celebrities at his store opening ceremony. Of course, being Chinese, he had lion dance arranged as well, from the main entrance to his store. We were sitted at the VIP area and I really felt uncomfortable sitting there as majority of the sitted guests were celebrities and real VIPs.

He invited several local celebrities to catwalk his creations. Basically, he designs any type of clothings -from casual wear, working attires to dresses. The best thing is, his retail prices are affordable!

Of course, his collections are suitable for men too.

Towards the end of the show, the Malaysian top model - Amber Chia paraded a white dress. I am really amazed how can she slim down so fast, right after giving birth to her little boy? How I envy her. :)

A group shot with all the Datuks and celebrities. I felt really awkward left sitting there when all Datuks and celebrities were asked to have a photo together.

After the catwalk on the red carpet, the lions went into his store for a traditional Chinese blessing. Both lions had to peel 8 mandarin oranges and made a word out of it.

About after 10 minutes of peeling, finally it was done. I wonder what if the oranges weren't enough to make up an auspicious word?

I went shopping after the opening ceremony. And guess what?? I bought a black jacket and a top with the Christmas ang pow I received! Yay!!!!

Our First...

.......Christmas together. There will be more happy,joyful and cheery events to come for us!

[I love this photo very much]

Christmas with Loved Ones

It was Christmas morning. I went to church for mass with my parents despite the fact that I only had 3 hours of sleep. There were a lot of people as it was a big celebration of the year, after all.

After mass, we headed for papa's favourite chicken rice as lunch. We went home after that as I needed to sleep. I was sleepy. Managed to sleep for 3 hours before waking up to prep myself for the family dinner.

Guardian Angel came over to my house. He was early, unexpectedly. I told him to come by at 7.30pm, but he was at my door step at 7.15pm. I heard my 'real-life door bark (bell)', Gabby, barking at the gate. Went downstairs to open the door for him and saw him holding a bottle of Moet. :)

Christmas is the time to get-together. We headed to our family restaurant. Our table was reserved for 8pm. Bro Marky Mark came later as he had another appointment prior to dinner. Almost everyone ordered their food and I was the last; I didn't know what to have.

The Moet & Chandon that Guardian Angel brought was really good. I loved it! My dad enjoyed it too! [Thank you, dear]

A Christmas toast to everyone!

As our family's tradition, it was pressies opening time after dinner. We were eager to find out what would our pressies be......

Guardian Angel opening his pressie. I am really happy that he is part of my life; part of my family. The love that we share and receive, is just speechless and priceless. :)



Since I pre-received my Christmas pressie from Guardian Angel, so there were lesser pressie to open. Mama and Papa gave me 'ang pow' as we didn't have enough time to look for my pressie. Bro Marky Mark gave me a set of personal care products.

This was me, red like a steamed lobster. Thanks to the Moet!

Christmas Eve at Home

My Christmas holiday mood started on Friday - Christmas Eve. I didn't have much interest in working, but there were still some work which I had to complete. The best way to keep me awake and not sway away was to look my boss up for a discussion. I discussed the promotions planned with my boss from 4pm onwards, and by the time we were done, it was 6pm! Perfect timing to pack up and leave!

Both Guardian Angel and I knew everywhere would be packed - the traffic and the restaurants. So, we packed dinner back home instead. We bought Pizza Uno - Romeo Pizza. Yum...it was awesome, with the extra additional chicken ham and melted cheese....OOohhh.....Mouth watering.

We lepakked at home till about 11pm before we headed to a friend's house to lepak and countdown. It was our friend's birthday too when the clock stroke 12. What a double celebration. We continued lepaking after wishing each other Merry Christmas! I went to bed at 5am that morning and I had to go for morning mass which starts at 10am!

Yup, I was a panda that morning.

Thursday Night Meet Up

It was a night filled with laughter and silly jokes (after I got stuck in the carpark for 30 minutes standstill traffic and finally getting a parking lot). I met up with my sisters last night in Sunway Pyramid while Guardian Angel and friends gave Stevie a surprise birthday dinner.

We decided to dine at Dragon- I. The restaurant was filled with patrons and the waiters and waitresses were busy running around. We ordered our food and started to get updates on MoneyMagnetBabe's wedding preparation and not forgetting- exchanging Christmas pressies! We were only allowed to open them on Christmas Day!

We waited for our food to be served. One came after another with a long interval in between. When everyone was almost done, mine still wasn't served. It was already 35 minutes!!!! I gave up and we walked over to the counter to pay up. We didn't want to wait anymore. The manager passed us the bill without being apologetic at all. BEN LEE - his name.

I've blacklisted this restaurant from my makan-makan list in Sunway Pyramid for the bad service and ego-ness.

We then went to TGIF for dessert. We all shared the Chocolate Brownie with ice cream. We continued with our chats and soon it headed to me being interviewed on the recent happening in Penang. It started to get eerie and we changed topic.

Around 11pm, we settled the bill, wished everyone Merry Christmas and went on our separate ways.

Happy Dong Zhi, Everyone!

Happy Winter Solstice Festival, everyone!

After a rough day yesterday, today I felt it was a nice and happy start of the day when I saw the slight sunlight shinning through the clouds on the sky.

Today is Winter Solstice Festival (also known as “Dong Zhi” or “Ko Dong”) among the Chinese society. It is regarded as the second most important festivals of China. It is found that the Winter Solstice was the shortest day in a year, after which the sun begins its slow return to the North. The lunar Chinese new year will only be one month and a half away from the Winter Solstice.

“Dong Zhi” is also meant for a happy get-together. People would put on their best clothes, visit friends and celebrate it late into the longest night. Food plays an important part in the festivities. And the best part of the food part is, having “tang yuan” (in Mandarin) or “tong yuen” (in Cantonese). “Tang yuan”, a kind of stuffed dumpling made of glutinous rice and served in soup; and normally it is soaked in sweetened ginger soup. Sometimes the "tang yuan" can be colorful too!

Mum warned me not to be a crow today (I love wearing black or dark colors). So, I took out my grey slacks, white shirt and a PINK singlet with sequins. That is my dressing for the day. Came to office, my colleagues were ‘blinded’ with the shinny sequins. Hahaha, so funny! Well, at least I feel all cheery with the pink today. :)

I will be going for an important dinner tonight…..and I am looking forward to it. Till then, let me get back to my work. I have lots of planning to do and also a seminar going on later at 11am.

Tata!

It was shared that....

A GOOD relationship demands attention, love, understanding, caring, forgiveness, selflessness and maturity.

SOME OF us might believe that a fat bank account will bring us happiness, but that's so wrong! Happy people are happy rich or poor, unhappy people are unhappy rich or poor. Money simply masks our real being by giving us activities to occupy our minds. Don't fool ourselves, the happiness we gain from money is just superficial, our true wealth comes from the depth of our heart.

A WISE friend once said: "Nothing you love is lost. Things, people ... they'll come and go, sooner or later. You can't hold them, any more that you can hold water. The only thing you ever really have are the ones that you hold inside your heart. If they've touched you, if they're still inside your thoughts, then they're still yours".

YOU CAN be an echo of your past or the glory of your future. Past is connected to future through the present. At this very moment, are you choosing to carry on the past with all its troubles on your shoulders? Or are you willing to let it go and see the bright future pulling you forward?

Choose wisely.

Is this you?

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow.
You are light hearted and accepting.
You don't get worked up easily.Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is.
You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone.
You work hard not to rock the boat.
Your easy going attitude brings people together.
At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.
You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something.
You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you.
You're very intense.You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.
You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life.
You are solid and dependable.
You are loyal, and people can count on you.
At times, you can be a bit too serious.
You tend to put too much pressure on yourself.
You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in.You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising.
You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

Sunshine Finally

The sky has been gloomy since this morning and finally, there is sunshine seeping in through the glass window in my room. My hands feel warmer now. I feel warmer now.

Really a LAST minute Xmas Shopping

I headed to KLCC yesterday mid morning. I was there to get the last item on my Christmas pressies list. I needed to get the item or else I won’t have any time to make a trip there before Christmas (and yes, so far this is the only place that I know has this item).

Christmas is this weekend, eeekk!!!

I fed myself with my favourite light breaded calamari as breakie first. Then, I moved on to the outlet. It wasn’t really easy picking the right choice, but I think I did after looking around and asking tonnes of question to the salesgirl :)

I hope they will like it.

Feeling happy with the pressie, I walked to get my car. There were really many stalls at the concourse area. Many many promotions were going on and quite a few brands were involved – the high end SK II, Evelyn & Crabtree and etc…. People were just shopping like money dropped down from the sky. I guess it is the year -end sales (YES) and also the special promotions PLUS the festive season, that’s why people are purchasing like there is no tomorrow.

I didn’t hang around too long in KLCC as I had to bathe Gabby and to run some other errands.

Wonder Ponder 2011

The year is ending. I wonder what is in store for me next year?

Come to think of it, I am feeling a little uneasy. With just a blink of an eye, the year is coming to an end and I wonder what is the direction for next year? What is MY direction? A year has passed really fast without counting the days.

I wished I could take a peek of 2011.

Fooling Men Mentally

When we were having dinner that night, he showed this to me. It was given to him by his business associate in China. He thought our local packaging was ugly enough to scare the smokers, but this.....really played a mental game on men.

When it started...

......to get dark and the storm stirring in....it got scary

Breathtaking Sight

Isn't it beautiful? This was before the storm started.

Saturday's Movie Experience

I was feeling disappointed last Thursday when I found out that I had to have dinner with my customer at night. We bought this customer dinner at Tai Thong, Cheras.

I actually intended to catch Tron with Guardian Angel that night and also to spend time together since I was away for 3 days last week. But, thanks to the dinner. It didn't happen.

Guardian Angel told me that he will book tickets and watch it with me on Saturday! Yay! I was so happy as I really wanted to watch it. Maybe because I was attracted to the trailer shown. That news gave me something to look forward to Saturday afternoon.

We went to Berjaya Times Square at about 2.30pm and reached there within 20 minutes (thanks to some minor traffic jam). We were still filled from lunch, so he went to check with his regular salon if he can have a hair cut. A lucky day! He got a slot. So, I went to Starbucks for a drink while waiting for him.

We met up outside of the cinema. This was my very first time watching a movie at the IMAX cinema. It’s the largest hall. So, I felt like a sua-ku and also a very excited little girl walking in and looking for our seats. :)

Tron was rather a long movie – 2 hours. We caught the 3D version. The movie is interesting and I love the outfit and the graphics. Quite cool. I won’t tell you the storyline, watch it if you want. :P

The movie ended at about 6.45pm and we left the hall. We headed for dinner! Yum….. We left thereafter and dropped by Giant to grab some snacks and then some dessert at this newly opened dessert shop at Bandar Puteri. With all the necessities in hand, we adjourned to a friend’s house to lepak till midnight………..

Preparation

Christmas is nearing and I am starting to get myself into the mood. So, this was what I did when I went for my pedicure session this afternoon.

A snowman on one toe

And a snow flake on the other

Sleepless

Something is bothering me. I hope I will be able to get over it when I wake up in the morning.

I can’t sleep; maybe partly is also because I took an hour nap at Guardian Angel’s house just now.

Will just blog for a little while then hit the sack and try to fall asleep.

Off to Penang for Work – Day 2

So, I was up at 8.30am and got ready for the day – a long day. As you know, I didn’t get to sleep at all the night before, but I was still feeling a-okay.

We started the day with good breakie at the hawker stalls with the local Penang specialties. It was great to feed myself with good, yummy Penang food and a cool ice coffee that morning. We headed to the venue, QEII, at 10am and started our preparation. The venue is damn nice. It is one of the nightspots in Penang, and this one is by the sea!

The Education team arrived later to prep up the models, while we, the marketing team, were there to set up the venue with the necessities. The production house was also there with their technical expertise.

Yup, the newly launched Clairol Professional is one of P&G’s brand under the professional business. I am sure you know the retail brand, Clairol Herbal Essence. Well, this professional line is different as the range has colorants which to be only used in hair salons and the care range are sold in salons only.

Guests started to arrive at 6.30pm. We handled the registration and later I had to 'kau-tim' the press conference. A special one with our invited guest artist, Ken Zhou and team, all the way from Guangzhou, to present their collection for the year, incorporating with our new brand, Clairol Professional.

There were dancers who performed on stage to entertain the guests and later a live band. The night was just filled with people, chatting, looking, admiring, drinking and of course us, busy running around.

Here are some photos to tell the story of the day:

Prep of the models' hair

Production house working on the set up

Press conference

Some inspirations for you

Me with the Area Manager. [ The flowers were not for me but for the guest artist]

Me and my colleague, KW. Behind at the background was the Star Cruise ship.

How about this hairstyle?

And this?

...or this?

Hard work by my Education team

The Guangzhou team & my MD

The food served

Finale

The incomplete team

By the time we got back to the hotel after stuffing ourselves with supper, we were all dead tired. I know I was. I called the house keeping technician to fix our hairdryer (yup, it was burnt somehow!!) and later another one to remove the extra bed from our room. I plopped myself on the 2 joined single bed (1/3 of the bed) and got totally knocked out.

I slept through till the next morning. That was all I wanted that night.