Snapshots of Life!

Nickelback - Savin' Me

2007-09-25T17:53:00.000+08:00

D-2 days to Edinburgh. 2 more days of/to freedom (depends on how you look at it).
My all time favorite music video...

My Chemical Romance - I don't love you

2007-09-24T19:49:00.000+08:00

When you go,

Would you even turn to say

"I don't love you like I did yesterday."

Moving to Edinburgh

2007-09-18T17:39:00.001+08:00

So, in my earlier posts, I had mentioned that I was in edinburgh for an interview. Well, part 2 to the story is that I got an offer and will be moving to Scotland end of this month. >.< More updates about the job will come when I actually start work!

Not quite sure how to put this to my friends, it seems every time I send an update out about life...I'm in some new place doing something different. In the last few months, I've been constantly doing research on new places to live in - Qatar, Oman, London and now Edinburgh. I guess I should be nervous since I'll be in Edinburgh for the next 6-12 months...more like 12 months actually, and this is one city where I don't know anyone (for real). This makes me miss my babes in the States even more. >.<

Anyway, am doing the all important room hunt right now. Edinburgh is something like a cross between Ann Arbor and Chicago (great student population but expensive rent!). And while I like winters, I don't enjoy the idea of walking home in the cold months (not without my snow boots which are in storage in IL at the moment). Apartment hunting isn't very exciting...things are pretty standard on an ad posting. Or so I thought...

It wasn't until I came across this particular ad by a singer from Texas (she's pretty) with a room to let in the city.

I am a professional musician working in Glasgow but living in Edinburgh. I have a really wonderful two-bedroom flat that I have been living in by myself for 6 months. I have been using it for friends and family to stay in but am now looking for a flatmate for the next 6 months, as my family is in America and won't be coming again for a while.

That being said, I am primarily looking for someone I get along with. Preferably a female or gay male (i need a new gay boyfriend!) Who likes to have fun out but also likes to chill out at home.

You must find things like my blow-up doll, Roger, who has become the flat-mascot, funny. You must enjoy making fun of horrible movies. You must be okay with the fact that I can not cook and will keep my own room messy... although the rest of the flat will stay clean. Since I am a musician you will have to put up with me practicing... sometimes at 3 in the morning, quietly. I am a night-owl. And occasionally I like to play my X-Box.

There is wireless internet and virgin media along with an X-Box and playstation 2. I love electronics. You will also have your own bathroom. Your room is a double bedroom with a double bed. It is within a gated complex in Haymarket, 2 minutes away walking distance from the Haymarket station.

I do not smoke, and can not live with a smoker as I sing for a living... although I am fine with it as long as you do it out the window.

I've omitted her personal information for privacy reasons but the link to the ad is here.

Honestly, this is one of the best ads I've seen so far! She sounds like the perfect room-mate, and has a great sense of humor. I wonder if she'll mind the fact that I "talk to cats". Hmm....

p/s: if you don't know where Edinburgh is, that's okay. I had to google it myself too!

Birthday party/ Clubbing

2007-09-18T16:47:00.000+08:00

It was my second sister's birthday over the weekend, and she had a party at The Loop near Oxford Circus. It was a pretty cool restaurant/bar/lounge/club all rolled into one...well more like 3 floors. I was super psyched that there would be a club in the basement, especially since I've been on my best behavior ever since I got to London (no late nights).

My sisters - Leng, myself, Rachel

Josin and Brian came to the party as well, and it was good to have familiar faces around. Josin's getting his Masters at LSE and in the first few days he's been here with his dad, they've made friends with EVERYBODY. Random people on the streets, the people in the hallways, people on the bus all become friends. It's quite amazing how people just spill their life stories out in a matter of minutes to them, and go the extra mile to help them out. I was a first hand witness to this when we met the dormitory officer at LSE. :)

Josin and I

He demonstrates the Robot-dance-move. I fail miserably in my attempt to copy those moves.

The clubbers! Actually, I only know one person from the whole group (through my best guy buddy)...the rest are his friends. No need for friendster or facebook, this is social networking in action. :)

Cwrw and Cyw....

2007-08-30T00:13:00.000+08:00

Over the recent Bank holiday, we headed out to Snowdonia National Park in Wales for a little bit of adventure sports. It felt like a bit of a bootcamp when the entire household got up at 3:30AM (?!) to make the 6 hour drive.

This was my first visit to Wales, and I was delighted to hear people speak the Welsh language. They've got a different alphabetical system from English, and it's fascinating to know that "cyw" (say "khee-ooo") and "cwrw" (say "khoo-roo") are real words that exist! By the way, they mean "chicken" and "beer" respectively.

And I was thrilled to know that dragons weren't some mystical creature found in books or movies and existed in real world as seen on the Welsh flag.

Here's an image I borrowed from Cardiff University. The red dragon brings me back to the days of knights and wizards.

The fun part of the trip was the adrenalin run - Canyoning, where we hiked through the woods to a natural waterfall and started off our run by leaping into a pool of water. The jump was fun but the moment of contact with ice-cold water was a jolt to the system, and nearly knocked my breathe out. Our instructor (looked like he could fit into California with his blonde dreadlocks) led us sliding over rocks, swimming and jumping into more pools of water before we got to the HIGH point of the day - a 15m drop over the waterfalls!

The idea was to go flying-fox style over the waterfall but since the rope was pretty slack...it really meant a 5m drop before the rope would be taut for a gradual descent into the natural pool below. Scary!

The next day, we headed out to the nearby rapids for some serious white water rafting action. Needless to say, as a first-timer...I was mighty nervous about the whole thing. We weren't quite sure how things worked at the Rafting Center, and had stripped down to our swim wear and waited in line to collect our wet-suits. It was only much later that we realized you were supposed to get your wet-suits first and change in the bathrooms. Now I understand the weird looks we were getting from others in the line.

Our instructor kept saying he enjoyed taking us down the course because our boat was really light! Yay to skinny Asians!

After getting over the initial fear of not knowing what to expect, we quickly got into the groove of things and did a few runs of the rapids. A heart stopping moment occurred when my second sister - Rachel fell into the water (light-weight!) and had to be rescued by the instructor (the lucky girl).

All in all, a fantastic weekend...I can't wait to do this again!

My blog needs serious updating...

2007-08-17T18:37:00.000+08:00

Ohkay...so I've disappeared from blogging for 3 months now. It's weird but I had several draft posts and for some reason just never got down to publishing them. Anyway, I deleted all those drafts because they don't make much sense to me now. So some updates are in order...

Firstly, Jo has gotten her own blog! I'm so proud of her!! And it's highly entertaining too, so I've linked us up! Woohoo! Virtual fun-ness! The only problem is that she goes by 2 names - Keira and Joann, which created a bit of a problem when I was trying to list her blog.

Also, I'm so excited to say that now I know a friend who owns a BAR! Yup, Jo is lady boss at Hyacinth. That's a photo of us at her "beta bar launch". Sneak peek preview for close friends of the bar owners. :D It's given me hope that I can start my own social enterprise in the next 12 months too! I just need to write up my business plan...

Secondly, I've relocated to the UK. London rocks! I love this city and especially love it that I'm living near the water (it's a tad bit dirty, okay very dirty water) and can admire the yachts and morning crew rowers. I was here for the Starting Bloc conference and am currently doing my job search. It's slow but it's coming along. I've got a potential interview in Edinburgh lined up! Woot...only thing is I hear it rains A LOT in Scotland, at least that's how it's portrayed in Little Britain. Oh dear...

So it's summer in London now, though it never gets as warm as it does in the equatorial region. It was raining quite a bit, and some low lying areas around London was submerged. So 3 weeks back, my sisters and I escaped the rains and headed to France for some fun in the Gorges.

Kayaking - Gorges Du Tarn

High Point, overlooking the Gorge

The most beautiful village in France...literally

It's been awhile since I've lived with my sisters (we all left for different places when I was 16 so it's been quite a riot to stay with them again. :D My eldest sister is doing a great job fattening me up too. I'm very happy that I've got some sort of a butt now. woohoo!

Sabbatical Part I - Closure

2007-06-06T13:14:00.000+08:00

Professors take sabbaticals to the most random places. I'm not sure why they do it but the idea of being able to disappear for 6 months to a new place "for a break" sounds excellent to me. And so that is what I did... I went on a "sabbatical" from life.

So after ending my time with Mindvalley (in May), I embarked on a trip to the states...something which I had been planning since Feb this year. It might not have been the most rational decision given that I was making MYR (ringgits) and spending in USD, but for some reason...I don't think I really got to "say good-bye" to the place where I spent a good number of years as a young adult. Perhaps it was driven by several unfulfilled desires - my attempt to address my regrets and areas where I felt like I had failed in.

In retrospect, I'm glad I did it (despite the financial constraints). In the 6 days that I was in Singapore before heading to the States, I was feeling very out of place. I missed my friends in Malaysia, and has dreams about being back at Mindvalley. The heat seemed more oppressive in Singapore even though it was only 4.5 hours away by car from KL. Thankfully the disconnect didn't last too long and I got to LA relieved and excited all at once.

The weirdest thing about the whole experience was that I actually felt like "I was home"...or rather back to where things were familiar once again. The space, the cool weather, the ease of banter with random people on Amtrak and at the airport, getting answers when you asked, and the usual neurosis that's come to define America.

And I partied...like there was no tomorrow. I'm not sure if it was to make up for all those months in Malaysia...but my friend, Jo made sure I was out every night at a different club. We even battled a nasty 3 hr traffic snarl and crawled into LA to visit some warehouse club. Later on, I told my girlfriends that I had been to clubbing bootcamp and back. It made getting over my 12 hour jet-lag a wee bit easier. I don't remember having had so much fun the last time I was in California...that was when I was 19, and got a lovely citation from some cop in Santa Barbara to remember my West coast experience. :T

The company makes all the difference no matter where you are. :)

Anyway, the later leg of my trip took me to the Mid West and East Coast where I got to catch up with more friends. Of course, there were folks I didn't get to see and if you're reading this --> I'm sorry!...once again, I was reminded that budget travel meant sacrificing several luxuries and I don't think i would have made it very far if not for my closest friends who let me crash in their apartments!

The cool part of this trip was that I had plenty of quiet time to think about where I was in life and where I wanted to be. As I write this 2.5 months after the trip, now I know that things didn't work out the way I wanted it to be. At that point, I was seriously contemplating life in the Middle East and working to make things happen. But a series of disagreements with the organization in the last few weeks meant that life in the Middle East will have to wait...for now.

Looking back, the trip was one of many firsts.... Most importantly, it allowed me to achieve closure on certain chapters in my life, as well as create new memories to replace the past. By the time I left, I felt like I had released the ghosts within and was finally at peace.

My true goals...

2007-04-26T22:45:00.000+08:00

*wrote this in an email to a friend but have adapted it for this post

I also had a pretty deep conversation with my boss today. We were doing an exit interview...and I asked him for feedback on areas I can improve upon. He gave me really good feedback and one of it was that I lacked a big vision in life. He's not the first person to say that because an interviewer from Cad Schwepps said the same thing. That I didn't seem to have my own agenda. Ouch! heh...It was a good wake up call because I wasn't always like that.

Or at least not until now. I've always known what I want and gone for it. Didn't matter what other people said...I literally did my own thing. But at this moment, I feel torn..not really sure of what to do....what I really want VS what others want from me. And sometimes, a nagging feeling that I might just make the wrong decision out of desperation to make everyone happy.

All of a sudden it hit me that I often let what others think influence my expectations of myself. For example, my mom loves me a lot....however, she just wants me to be an average girl...stay in singapore, maybe find a guy, get married, get an okay job...lead a stable and decent life. (I have a deja vu feeling like I've told you this before in another email?) and so I compromised on my goals. Like getting a double major - one to satisfy my dad's expectations while the other was really for myself. And it actually shows in my grades...I did average on the former while I excelled in the latter. And there are many other examples... it's just crazy I'm only realizing this now.

"I'm one person trying to have 2 different lives at the same time. So that I can be happy and keep others happy. Always going in 2 directions."

And what I really want to do is change the world and make it a better place to live in. I still remember I wanted to get a PhD in the business school, wanted to research and find answers to the questions I had about human behavior, wanted to teach undergrads and MBAs how to think and internalize social responsibility so that they could then go onto impact the world as future leaders. And I made myself give it up because I thought that the people around me didn't think I could make it or didn't want me to do it.

I mean, I still remember telling people that I was giving my PhD dream up and those closest to me seemed relieved. I think now I know why I was telling people about it, maybe it wasn't to confirm and seal it in stone, maybe it was in the hopes that someone would tell me I was being stupid in wanting to give it up. Though that begets another question of why I am seeking social approval. Hmm...

Essentially, I saw myself through the eyes of other people and that image was an average person doing the stable routine. While I'm still unsure of what my true goals are at this moment, I'm realizing that I've sabotaged my own potential. And yes, I'm kicking myself right now.

That said, I don't regret the things I've done. Every point has taught me something about myself and given me a sense of who I can become.

It's not often I get to acknowledge my weakness....but I'm so glad I've learned this because now I can actually do something about it. As they say, Thought = Desire = Energy = Action. I'm going to do some deep thinking now....hopefully I'll get to talk about true Li'er Goals very soon. :)

Qing Ming in Taishan, China

2007-04-23T16:51:00.000+08:00

Every society honors its dead in someway. In Latin America it's Dia El Muerto, for the Chinese, it's called Qing Ming.

Yeah, we're a highly superstitious bunch who believe in ghosts and supernatural beings. Well sort of, that's evident during the Hungry Ghosts Festival. Qing Ming is an important period which literally means "Clean Grave" or "Tomb Sweeping" as it's more commonly translated.

It's a time for people to remember their ancestors and more importantly, their roots. In a more practical sense, you're expected to clean and make offerings once a year which also ensures that the tombs are well kept and not over grown with weeds.

My Qing Ming trip this March took me to Guangzhou, China where my ancestors originated from. I'm a 3rd generation Singaporean (grandparents had migrated from China) so I've never met the folks from China. You can imagine my excitement when my dad offered to take me along with him on this trip back home.

The first thing that hit me when I landed in Guangzhou was how hazy it was. Then I realized that there wasn't a forest fire so this was actually air pollution - smog from the region. It was so thick it blocked out the blue skies and you couldn't see beyond 10 km (maybe less). In the airport, they had beagles patrolling the luggage pickup area trying to sniff out illegal items. These dogs could sniff out anything from fruits to snacks. A lot of people got busted while we were waiting to pick up our luggage.

The traffic in Guangzhou was really heavy. And I think it takes a lot of skill to actually maneuver through the cars so good luck if you're taking to the roads for the first time. I couldn't help noticing that many of the cars were mostly European models - Audi, Volkswagen, Buick, Mercedes Benz and the occasional Toyota. Unfortunately, the cars were so dirty...later I found out that this was because when it rains in Guangzhou, the rain water is dirty and leaves dirt streaks on your car.

We finally got to the village...my grandfather's side. Here's a photo of a huge firecracker which was set off in front of the Wong community hall. I've never seen firecrackers go off "live"...it's always been on TV! These things are LOUD...so i had a tough time taking photos and plugging my ears at the same time.

Sidenote: In Chinese society, the male typically dominates so when a woman marries, she drops her family name and takes on her husband's family name. Therefore, we associate ourselves more closely to the paternal side (male).

In essence, if you only had girls and no male descendent in the family, your family name dies out. So mother-in-laws in the past used to make things really difficult for their daughter-in-laws if they couldn't bear a boy. Some will either force you to keep bearing kids till you get a boy OR worse yet, advocate for their sons to remarry and get another woman who can "do the job". Thankfully, times have changed somewhat and so has the mentality. A big part of this is due to China's one-child policy where some couples only have girls. So no matter how restrictive the child-bearing policy...it has brought about a gradual change in local Chinese attitudes where kids are valued equally no matter their gender. It also leads to equal treatment in society when it comes to education and jobs given the desperate need for talent in China.

Back to the trip... it was dark by the time we got to the village. We had a scrumptious dinner cooked by the best chefs in the village who were all men. It seems like the men in my family cook better than the women!

I was given my own room! And it had a thick padded silk mattress and blanket, plus a huge mosquito netting. The air was fresher in the country side and most of the land was used for padi farming. I slept really well despite being in a strange land...and actually got up late at 8am the next day. Everyone in the village was up at 4am when the rooster crowed.

We began the rituals which started with a roasted pig covered with red paper and burning of paper money with many zeros (ie. 1000000000000) and they were all in American dollars! Either the currency depreciates when you're in the netherworld or these people can only shop to pass their time when dead.

Is this the right one?

The pig's Journey to the West...

Then the real fun part began, where we had to hike up mountains to search for our ancestral tombs which I might add were all unmarked! Dead from a long long time ago...I'm not even sure how people remember who is buried underneath these plots. The pig got transported from tomb to tomb.

After an entire day of mountain hiking, paper burning, chopping of trees and weeding...my favorite activity of Qing Ming was here. EATING! You see, everything that is offered gets eaten or divided among the living. Woohoo! I was eyeing that roasted pig all morning and I couldn't wait to get my chopsticks on it. hee! Alright, so chopping it up on the ground wasn't the most hygienic but the human digestion system is a tough one. I would rather have gotten diarrhea than to miss out on the best part of the day. :D

Here's the groupie shot...we're all related somehow. In China, there is a saying, "3000 years ago, we shared the same ancestors." That's one BIG family :)

To view more photos from China, check out my facebook album here >>

Happy Earth Day

2007-04-17T19:15:00.000+08:00

This morning, I opened up my Firefox browser and noticed Google had created a frosty looking logo...that was kinda submerged in water. Made me think of an iceberg in the Northpole... which made me wonder why Google was using "an iceberg effect" on its logo? Later I found reddit.com had one too...with a penguin too. See below....

Out of curiosity, I did a bit of nosing around and realized that April 22nd was Earth Day! Hmm...why the frosty images though? Global warming? I would have expected trees and greenery. Here's some random trivia, Earth Day was originally held on March 21st, which means the April date is probably some commercial one that was cooked up for gimmicky purposes. Read more about it here

Oh well, the Chinese have 2 birthdays. I guess it's only fair that Mother Earth gets to celebrate her's twice too. :)

MindValley gets on Malaysian Reality TV Show

2007-04-12T16:27:00.000+08:00

Featuring Mike, Vishen and Jiangti!

In-Digg-Nation

2007-04-06T17:02:00.000+08:00

Don't mean to keep blogging crap. But since we're on the topic of bathrooms and all things nice....a colleague sent this to me. Couldn't resist. :D

It's not the story, read the comments left by Digg readers. Nuggets of gold there.

My favorite ones are here:

cwo655321
"I guess most people would probably be thinking 'oh shit!' on their way down anyways"

GREGHUNT
"As somebody who has experienced the full horrors of Chinese toilets, I bet she wish she had hit hard concrete instead.

Imagine a row of holes in the floor of a conrete building, were shit collects underneath, no running water, and it's never cleaned out. The whole place is covered with shit and piss. Now leave that to ferment for several years.

I've been unable to even go inside some of the places, going for a piss is a speed race as you try to hold your breath and ignore your senses. Smokers have an advantage as they smoke a 20mg chinese cigarette before going in, so that they can't smell anything, though they probably risk an explosion from the toxic air."

haha!

Traumatized by a Peeping Cockroach!

2007-04-06T16:34:00.000+08:00

This post is kinda graphic and might be disturbing..so don't read it if you're eating.

Damn, as if dealing with peeping Toms in public bathrooms weren't bad enough.
I just returned from the Potty room in our office building, and had to deal with a peeping cockroach!!!

I was minding my own business (a big one too), when suddenly I spied the hugest cockroach crawling into my cubicle under the partitioning. Now, I REALLY HATE COCKROACHES. When I meet one, it either ends up dead or you'll see me fleeing the scene. It's usually the latter. And even in the former, that's because I send my cats in since they seem to like swatting and pouncing on all things that move. :P

Anyway, I was stuck...this was the worst time to see a cockroach! My pants were down around my legs and there was no way I could run or scream for help. I briefly contemplated killing it but thought if I mis-aimed, it would climb up my jeans and you can be sure I'll be screaming blue murder (probably destroy a few bathroom doors or partitions as well). >.<

So I quickly raised my legs, which is a really uncomfortable position to be in as the toilet seat was broken too. Thank god for my ab sessions in the gym. So I started blowing on the cockroach in the hopes that it would scurry out of my cubicle.

I could see its feelers move rapidly...another blow...and it did a U turn and out of the toilet. Phew!

Yes I still fled the scene! But not after washing my hands. I guess I was able to cut a lot of time down by not admiring myself in the mirror. heh!

p/s: no animals/insects were harmed in this episode

Friday writer's block

2007-03-30T17:16:00.000+08:00

It's Friday! Past 5pm and I'm supposed to have churned out a lesson for a site that we're running by day end. I'm suffering from writer's block though...a really bad one because my thoughts have drifted all over the place from an mysterious itch on my arm to my imagined hunger, uncompleted tasks, the lousy movie I watched last night (hint: about a Dragon Flyer) and the works... Blah! It's floating everywhere but the actual task on hand. :(

So I've decided to take 5 minutes to blog something and get all the random stuff out of my system before I focus on my writing. So here's something random... one of my favorite photos taken on a recent trip to China (which my 5 min post will not do justice to)

I'm not sure why but looking at this photo evokes a myriad of emotions for me. Maybe it's the childlike innocence of the old man on the tractor. The fact that he's one of the last ones still living in the village and all the young ones have left for the city. And I'm not sure if I'll still see him the next time I visit the village. The old tractor cart that runs on a generator, which one can easily outwalk if he/she wanted to. The roasted pig that looks slightly ridiculous with red paper wrapped around its ears and tail.

Ahh...home.

Back blogging

2007-03-14T16:11:00.000+08:00

I've finally had a chance to relax and do some reflecting...I've been meaning to write more everytime I stick a photo up in a new post but never get round to doing it. Just this evening, I checked my blog and realized I had 3 drafts sitting in my account...my lousy half baked attempts at keeping people updated on my life. :(

So here goes (I hope I last long enough to make this a good post).

Social Life
I've only 5 weeks (35 days!) left in Malaysia...and with a mental clock ticking in my head...suddenly, I've realized that there's a whole lot of things that I want to do in Malaysia and I've so little time left. For a moment, I was paralyzed. I didn't know what to do first and how to do everything without over-doing it. So I sat down and created a small list.

1. Catch a Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Performance
2. Sepang F1 Circuit Race
3. Host a dinner for the trainees
4. Take my remaining golf lessons - I have 3 left.
5. Visit Sungei Wang to suss out local designers.
6. Check out Zouk KL (a franchised club originally in Singapore)
7. Meet up with Founder of Genesis Initiative in KL
8. Attend Project Bazooka's Thursday gigs at Laundry Bar

For starters, I've gotten the first 3 on the list taken care of. At least I know which weekends I'll do them. The others are just floating out there...especially my golf lessons. I'm usually too tired at night to cook dinner for myself, much less head to the driving range to whack golf balls. Oh well, has to be done though...I blew a lot of money on those lessons. That said, I'm really excited about the Orchestra Performance and the F1 circuit race! I hope to get some photos up. Am sorely tempted to get myself a Ferrari t-shirt! Crossing fingers!

Work
Things are really picking up at MindValley. The project we've taken up recently has gained so much momentum in just 2 weeks! It's exhausting though. I don't think we realized that the project would completely takeover our time at MindValley, and I do feel for Caroline (AIESEC trainee) who is working her hardest to handle the flood of customer requests.

I've been doing more writing than I ever imagined. It's actually getting easier now since I've gotten familiar with the eCommerce stuff at MindValley. Plus I've always enjoyed writing anyway. So I've started transitioning my work to 2 trainees (Katalina who just joined the team and Nika from Poland). I wasn't going to do documentation because I've come to realize that all those things don't really get read if the new person taking over doesn't get it.

My other task right now is to get more people into MindValley since we really need smart people on board to take on our projects. I love the variety but I won't lie...life in MindValley moves fast and you could get overwhelmed if you don't keep up. Was just telling a colleague today to take an active role in managing his projects not let the deadlines dictate what he's going to do or he'll get swamped one day.

My Next Steps
I love writing because it helps me to think. And my mind has been on an over-drive in the last few weeks thinking about the future. I know what I wish to achieve in my life but sometimes, the path is not as straight as I hoped it would be. I know I want to be involved in CSR or the social sector. I know I want to work with companies and nonprofits to bridge the communication gap. I know that I thrive on working with people and building relationships. And I would love to embark on another adventure in a place where I've never been before.

It's scary though. Everyone knows that change is always happening but when you do it at a level which takes you out of your comfort zone...there's always a voice saying "turn back! don't take the painful path!" And yet, the uncomfortable path is the one I seek, because I love to push myself to the breaking point, go beyond my comfort zone and then let myself react. I can't quite put it but the lessons and things I've learnt about myself and human nature...nothing short of AMAZING.

Perhaps it's an insatiable appetite to challenge myself to be a better person. Or self discovery, it's the kind of "high" I seek.

So why am I saying all this? Well, I've been seriously considering an opportunity in the Middle East. It's an AIESEC Expansion team in Bahrain, Qatar or Oman. Will I get it? I don't know...I'm sure that there are many very strong candidates who will apply. I have to say though, the entire application process (and I'm only half way through it) has already opened my eyes in many ways.

Before this I didn't know much about the Gulf, save the media reports about the ongoing conflict. And well, from my childhood memory of the Gulf war when Kuwait was under Iraqi attack (was it over oil?). I had no sense of the ground realities, was pretty ignorant of the societal perceptions of gender groups, was wondering if people really hated foreigners, confused about the fighting that seemed to dominate any news in the Middle East.

I mean, I've lived in Malaysia for almost a year and still don't know much about Islam. I do live in a bubble in Malaysia since I have other AIESEC trainees around for support which I appreciate but I wished I had made an effort to reach out to the locals. It shouldn't have been difficult especially since I look like the people in Malaysia!

Anyway, I digress...point is, just asking myself why I want to do this has been a powerful journey of self discovery for me. I'm still nervous because it does get harder to make real friends if you're on the move all the time. And I still don't know what it'll really be like as a woman living in the Mid East. Are Asians common there and how are they perceived? So many questions running through my head.

But as they say "if you're not living on the edge, you're taking too much space".

So there...better to try than to live and regret my inaction.

Tiggi! My cat...

2007-03-13T00:35:00.000+08:00

I want to go...

2007-02-21T22:52:00.000+08:00

Is there anyone who'll be in Oxford this March? Check this out!

I want to go...

Something funny! - Exam Answers

2007-02-12T23:43:00.000+08:00

Got this in an email from a friend. Here are my favorites...

Addiction to life...

2007-02-11T10:59:00.000+08:00

Hmmm...am having serious writer's block syndrome at the moment...it's like I've lost my vocabulary and lost the motivation to blog about my everyday life. Maybe because everyday life is not very exciting at the moment, and I don't really know how to make it entertaining. I guess it's because everyday life has fallen into a comfortable routine. No crazy stories of wild parties... it's just normal.

Feels like a serious case of an "addiction to life"...where you need higher and stronger hits to feel an emotion. Kinda like being on drugs (I think?) when you crave for stronger doses of a drug to get the same high.

Anyhow, I've got a song stuck in my head "The Freshmen" by Verve Pipe. I must have played it a thousand times in the past week. I have a habit of putting a song on repeat mode if it gets me in a zone - thank god for headphones or my colleagues and roommates would have gone nuts.

Here's something fun that I discovered over the weekend. I got 2 tickets (thank you MindValley!!) to watch a Japanese mime-comedy called Gamarjobat. The best seats in the house - front row! (MindValley rocks!) I won't be able to go into the details of the performance (it's a mime comedy so you'll need to watch it) except that it was funny!! I invited Flic along given her appreciation for Japanese culture and because she's cool...heh! We both bought posters at the end of the show and even got them autographed! I never even knew there was an Actor's Studio like this in KL - for all the island trips and clubbing, I wish I had discovered this earlier.

Anyway, with 3 months to go...I'm planning to attend a dance performance this March and catch the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra before I leave KL.

Back to my lazy Sunday...

My first Wedding Ever!

2007-02-03T16:14:00.000+08:00

I've just returned from a lovely weekend in Bali, where I got to spend much needed time with my best friend (Veronica) from high school (aka secondary school days at St. Nicholas Girls' School) as well as attend her brother's wedding! Here are some photos of the entire trip.

The lovely hotel - Conrad Bali - really luxurious! It's been awhile since I've been spoiled by facilities in a hotel! They even had down pillows which would swallow your head when you lie on them. Bad for sleeping though.

Hotel was done Balinese style so we had a huge patio that faced the sea to catch the breeze. I love the view!

Us! Taken in the changing room while the mothers were getting dolled up. We were up since 5:30am for the morning preparation! Anyway, we got bored waiting and started taking silly photos of ourselves posing by the window and around the room. Hehe!

The chapel decorated in blue. It faces the sea...very idyllic. People sometimes get emotional at weddings, I'm not sure why...maybe it's the perceived "giving away" of a daughter or watching someone you've known as a kid suddenly become all grown up because he's now getting married. Funny thing is that the parents were really calm and composed. Anyway, this auntie (must be a relative) sitting behind me in the chapel starting weeping in the middle of the ceremony. Even the bestman shed tears. Hmm...human emotions are weird. Perhaps I'll get it someday.

Eulin and Shaun! Veronic's neighbors in Perth. Man, they were little kids the last time I saw them in Aussie. Eulin was only 12 and Shaun was showing me his Michael Jackson moves! Look how big they've grown!

Dave, Roy and Lisa. I met Dave 4 years ago in Las Vegas (when the guys decided to play golf in the sweltering heat and nearly suffered a heat stroke)...thankfully he still looks the same. Later that night, Lisa (Dave's girl) caught the flowers during the bouquet tossing ceremony. Woohoo! Another wedding on the horizon.

Bride and Groom. Obviously a very hot day, not to mention tiring for the couple as they had to stand and serve tea to the elders for 2 hours! Then pose for photos the entire day, and this is just the morning ceremony.

We rushed back to the hotel for a quick shower and then round 2 of makeup for the dinner ceremony. Here's a more glamorous outfit!

The wedding tent. Woah! They constructed this by the beach...it was kinda overwhelming having to find a seat and I was on my own looking for a place to sit in the sea of older people or people who were related somehow. After getting turned away from one of the tables, I spot Dave and Lisa on the opposite end of the tent. Thank god! And thus, the table of unmarried people was formed at this party. :)

No, it's not the National Day Parade or Independence Day. Yes, there were fireworks at this wedding! My favorite! And no, it's not a common Chinese practice to make things explode at a wedding although it is a common practice to outdo all those that have come before you with the grandest display of whatever you have.

Popping the Champagne bottle. This is the MOTHER of all Champagne bottles! Kidding, well they couldn't quite uncork it...because the cork broke. Anyway, after a few tries, it kinda fizzled out which wasn't quite what everyone was hoping. Still, the fireworks display more than made up for it.
p/s: We got a glass of the champagne much later in the night...it was yummy!

Performances by Balinese dancers...they were dancing in their bikinis tossing firesticks and twirling them around their hips. But, these dancers have been training for months and years to do these stunts. Don't try this at home. Guys, consider yourselves warned.

Belly dancing too?! And a little girl who shows promise in this art. :P

She's so cute!

An amazing song!

2007-01-21T02:36:00.000+08:00

I've finally found the name to this song! Po was humming this tune during the trip to KL (annoyed Sze, Coral and I). We even called up my colleague - Hannu, and Po hummed the tune to him over the phone in an attempt to get the name.

Now I've found it! "World Hold On" by Bob Sinclair... It's an amazing song! :)

Massage + Foot Reflexology

2007-01-20T18:36:00.000+08:00

If there ever is anything I am addicted to (beside chocolate) ...that would be a good massage! I've gotten one done in almost every place I've traveled to. Some have been fantastic while others were pure torture. The ones in Weizhou (a little town not far from Shenzhen) were fabulous; I still remember the place - Dong Hai Tang. The lady actually thought I was applying for a job. Hah!

Borderline torture had to be the one in S. Korea's international airport where I got whacked with a big wooden spatula and came out all red. Now you wonder why Koreans are "violent"...

So I finally got my massage in Kuala Lumpur today! Flic and I got up early this morning and headed to the massage parlor in Brickfields. What's interesting about this place is that it's run by the visually impaired (blind) so you don't see any of the sleaziness that goes on in "health spas" designed only for men.

It was a simple set up when we got to the place. The stairway was dark and for a moment, I wasn't sure if we were at the right place. After a few unsuccessful attempts at pushing the door, we realized it was locked and you had to press a bell for someone to let you in. It didn't quite connect in my head, until I realized that it could also be a precautionary measure against unwanted visitors (like robbers) if the door was kept open.

After communicating what we wanted, the guy made the call for 2 therapists and instructed us to sit in the room to wait for them. Moments later, a little Chinese lady came in....it was pretty clever how they had the room set up because she was able to move around without problems.

The entire experience was good and I will probably head back for more in the future. Otherwise, I could always date a guy who is willing to be my pseudo therapist.

Most of the kneading and pressing was comfortable. There were moments when I wasn't too sure what was going on such as when she was jabbing at my butt. Maybe there are some pressure points there that I wasn't aware of. For a tiny Asian woman (I mean, she was really small) - she was really strong! But I guess that is good when it comes to massages because she really tried to work out the knots in my neck and shoulders. It also hurt when she started yanking my toes - I should have taken that as an indication of the foot reflexology session that was to come.

Foot Reflexology

If you've never had foot reflexology, I urge you to try it. It's probably the closest experience to child birth (although sources tell me child birth is incomparable). The cool thing about foot reflexology is that different parts of your feet are indicators of your body system. ie. your big toe on the right foot indicated the brain. So if he were pressing it, and you cry "murder" - that probably means you're a twit.... Kidding, that just means you often get headaches or problems linked to the head.

The reflexologist was able to diagnose my health problems based on the pain levels I was experiencing. Some of it was expected....but there were parts linked to digestion, sight and my spine which HURT REALLY BAD! I've actually had my eyes corrected by Lasik, unfortunately, that didn't cure the problem internally because he told me I had astigmatism (which I already know I do). The best part was that he even accurately diagnosed that I had sleep problems!

I was yelling in pain at some points and at the end of it all, I couldn't decide if it was the best or worse half hour in my life.

Foot massage anyone?

Not even half way through!

2007-01-18T21:15:00.000+08:00

Woohoo! There's still so much left to see in the world! :D

To get your own map, click here

Goals that mature a person...hmm

2007-01-18T18:11:00.000+08:00

Few people set really long term goals and these are the ones that truly
mature a person. As a matter of fact, the further ahead we set a goal
the more mature we become in all other matters. To understand that
you must understand what maturity is. To understand maturity look
to the opposite or immaturity. The most immature people of course
are the young, children, and infants. When an infant, the most
immature, wants something they want it now, immediately. An
immature person needs instant gratification.

Check it out and you will find the truly mature set up goals for
things that gratify them and the further in the future they set things
up the more their attitudes tend to manifest on the positive plane.
Set goals for far into the future. This gives your life direction,
stimulates expectation, helps to set a stronger belief in yourself,
strengthens your ego, and builds the desire that is necessary to
motivate you to action. Actions to forward the ultimate manifestation
of your goals.

12 Days into the New Year

2007-01-12T20:26:00.000+08:00

Wowee! 12 Days into 2007!

I've finally come up with my New Year Resolutions! Actually, they're more like annual checkpoints to get me to the bigger goal in life which is to "Make the World a Better Place". Step-by-step :)

*****

Work
- Start a Career that I love - where I'll make a difference in something I believe in. Ashoka Foundation!
- Be financially secure. The figure is in my head.

Relationships
- Fall in Madly in Love! :D
- Reconnect with old friends, and keep those who are dear close to my heart

Education
- Seek intellectual stimulation and knowledge on a new subject matter. Read a new book every month.
- Learn a new sport - Golf
- A new language - Spanish

Experience
- Live in South America

Life
- Smile every morning when I see the sun rise and be thankful about life when it sets.

******

I just read Juanita's post (check out blog here) about Cameroon, and was inspired into blogging action even though I've been at a computer since 7am this morning without a break. It's incredible how much she's grown as a person since we met in India in June 2005. She's currently in Cameroon on an AIESEC MC and kicking ass as VP of People Development.

And yes, we've both come a long way since then and I'm really glad we've kept in close contact even though it's been 15 months since we last saw each other. I hope I get to see her soon...

So what's new in Malaysia?

I spent last Saturday dancing with a few friends till 5am. Learning how to salsa and merengue from Pilli, Andrea, Rafha and Evo. I'll try to get pictures of them in action.

Early in the week, I had a few friends (Victoria Junior College mates) from Singapore who came up to Kuala Lumpur for a short visit. It definitely made life in KL a lot more exciting even with the lack of sleep. These people never fail to make me laugh. Here's a list of interesting things I realized over the weekend:

1. My guy buddy (Poming) cross-dressed and looks really hot as a girl.
2. Cititel - Hotel at Mid Valley Mega Mall has a shady "Health Spa" on the 3rd floor which only serves men.
3. Grilled fish at Jln Alor is Yummy!
4. "Sexy Back" By Justin Timberlake won't sound the same after being butchered by Po's china-man version.
5. Sze is violent in bed.
6. Coral and Po might actually have a future together at 40.
7. Squishing with 3 other people in a Queen bed is fun!
8. I love Brickfields even though it's mucho ghetto. :)

Work wise? This has been a pretty intense week of creating PPC campaigns with Google Adwords. I won't lie...it's a pretty painful process since this is my first time at it and I'm spending too much time thinking up Google Ads. It makes me miss copywriting somewhat... I've also noticed a nasty habit I've picked from work...I can't help capitalizing headlines in my emails and blog posts. I had to consciously stop myself from doing it in this one.

Anyway, I'm gonna relax a little this weekend although I'm still trying to finish the project. :x

p/s: i am in serious need of a massage.