Cheat Work Thursday

These past few weeks were exam result weeks. One of my nieces received her PMR's, and another UPSR's. Both got all As except for one B. We are ok with that. I think. But getting a lot of (if not straight) As has always been our family's growing up... priority (?) At least it feels that way because it's in the conversation a lot. Some won't admit it, but I think that's how it goes in many homes as well, especially these days. I don't think it's a bad goal at all. When I was younger, more As meant an opportunity for a better future and to change our lives. To me, getting straight As could also mean that you are focused and hardworking and smart about your priority. It could be a proof of your I-can-do-anything attitude. I've always believed that formal education is important. Going to school and getting a degree are important. If you can afford it and have the opportunity, go get them. They are part of life's learning process. What you do with ...

chal·lenge n . 4. A test of one's abilities or resources in a demanding but stimulating undertaking. ~ Thefreedictionary . Lately, I've developed a new talent. No, not the talent to use past tense and present tense correctly (not yet), but the talent to think that things will turn out worse than they actually are. (Thank God,) usually, these things that I put so much worry on don't turn out to be even bad in the end. Example: I found a nice pair of shoes. They were on 10% sale. Ten. Full. Percent. Nice, cheap shoes just warm my heart. But they didn't have my size anymore at the store. My hands turned cold waiting for the sales rep to check for my size in their other outlets*. God I didn't smile at my neighbour this morning. That was bad. There's no way the shop is going to have my size now. Oh dear God, I am so sorry. Please make them have my size. Please, please... Oh no, the person on the other line is taking way too long to check just a pair of s...

I spent Saturday helping my sister shop. We took 11 hours and went to four malls. I rarely go shopping on weekends. It was a good sisters-bonding time but standing in long queues, pushing getting pushed by the crowd and touching shoulders with the commoners, ugh... _____ Every time I bump into a shopper lugging four Gucci and ten MANGO shopping bags, wearing a 300-year-old cutoff denim shorts with half of midriff spilling out, I cry a little inside. No, I'm not saying she can't wear that. I have no right to deny her the happiness she felt by wearing the shorts. Especially when clearly extra effort has been made to create that look (to cut those jeans). I'm just thinking how I could rock all her MANGOs better (looking at the cutoff jeans, I'm veeery sure of this), sell all her Guccis (I don't need them), then buy and rock some more MANGOs. (Unless... there are more cutoff shorts in those bags! *shudders*)

Photo by Jose Alonso on Unsplash , altered. When I'm either done or bored solving my own problems, I like to think about others', especially when I'm a little sick like today, which means I have more time to do just that. _____ I was busy all day Friday. I'd already thought about sitting at my desk, going on the internet for many useless things that night, since 10 in the morning. I reached home that evening, kicked off my bag and shoes with the hugest satisfaction, showered and went to scan Twitter. That was when I, and probably millions others around the world, learned about what was happening in S**dy Hook. I turned on the news and watched as the horrible event unfolded (a tiny detail each time, the rest was either a repeat / an assumption / a question: typical CNN). The news named a suspect, and people hunted for his Facebook and Twitter accounts. (OMG common sense, people! It's just possible that more than one person has the same name.) It turned out to...

If it's up to me, I have no need to go to Pavilion ever. It has exactly the same list of shops as KLCC, and it's easier to access the latter. Suria KLCC has a good size and layout too -- you can see almost every shop (that you don't need and/or can't afford) by just standing in the middle of the concourse. But the love I have for my friends. I'm meeting Jones this evening at Pavilion ie I'll be walking from KLCC to do that. I welcome walking these days. It's an exercise. In a pair of heels, however, it is not. I think I'll wear a selipar , with my heels in my handbag that I'll change into once I reach Pavilion. I also love my feet. _____ Update, 10PM: Ok, lesson learned. KLCC to Pavilion is far. The bridge looked short from the street. When did they build the other 30km of this? It wasn't there yesterday. But because I'm such an overachiever, I ran in selipar with heels in hand and managed to get to the movie before it started...

@ Molly_Kats Since it's safe to conclude that I pretty much have nothing to write these days, let's check things that I just found this week -- via internet, of course, because where else do we find new things these days? Libraries? Space conferences? Deep and meaningful discussions with friends? Whenever I need a quick laugh, I'd often go to Ellen's YouTube. From funny monologues, auto-correct blunders and Twitter roundups to kids' videos and hilarious interviews -- they are all handy to suck us into an internet (almost guaranteed, downward) spiral. From Ellen's kids' videos, I'd go to Jimmy Kimmel's (because who stops at just 20?). Then I found Kimmel's White House Correspondents' Dinner monologue, which led me to Seth Meyers' . OMG I love Seth Meyers! Unfortunately, there are not that many videos of his on YouTube except for a number of his SNL work and ESPY monologues: here's 2010 and 2011 . I do think the Trump joke wa...

@ vinnawinna I almost don't want to sleep on weekend nights (I've mentioned this, of course, it's just important that I tell it often). I feel like there are so many things I can do or complete on those nights. Or ideas I can develop. I usually can't specify what those are exactly... but just the thought of it, 'having ideas to develop', expands my lungs. So, weekend nights' insomnia is good. Being up after midnight is often making me hungry, though. So I made a bowl of cucur bawang + ikan bilis tonight and just discovered that having it with Thousand Island makes it an even more delicious snack. Forget that cucur absorbs oil like a sponge and Thousand Island carries 400 over calories per 100g; I lost 15% of weight in the past one year. I hope it's because I eat a lil' better this year. I really need to rethink about what I just wrote in this paragraph. Speaking of food and hunger, I think one of the most horrible things a person could do i...

Hi, all (three of you), It's 2AM here on my bed. I'm in the midst of writing a six-paragraph e-mail for my sister, which she needs tomorrow (today!). Thought I should blog something, reporting what depressing movie I watched this week 🎉🎊. But before that, let's talk about the internet. Last year, I read a lot of travel blogs. They were all exhilarating, making your pulse race reading each page. And this year, I've been reading a lot of art and creative blogs. They are very inspiring* and very kind to the soul too. (*As in it makes me believe that I can be at least half that creative but does not necessarily make me do the actual creating-thing, you know, because that requires effort.) A must-read is oliviaraejames.com. Wherever Charleston is, I want to live there too. I've listed a few of the blogs on my sidebar, but it's not fully updated yet, as there are so many great blogs out there and I'm still exploring. For every one art blog you find, you...

Do I hear a collective sigh from adults around the world, now it's time of the week again? Lucky you people in LA, it's still 9AM Sunday at your place... Wait, there are people out there who would love to have our jobs, or any job actually. We are the lucky ones here. (But seriously, why are we doing this to ourselves?) It's 1AM. I wish my Sunday nights were filled with laughter that makes me roll on the floor. Sometimes they are; other times like tonight -- not really. Because Sunday nights also mean watching Homeland and The Walking Dead. Really, why is the latter getting more gory by each episode? (Also, give these guys a break please, they need a shower.) And Homeland is just being Homeland: depressing, no character to root for, gives you breath-holding suspense, superb acting and, worst, is addictive. I can't wait to watch Argo. I feel fresh now, though. I think I've recovered all the lost sleep from my reading bootcamp . So I'm currently thinking ...

I woke up this morning with the biggest gratitude that it was still weekend. I spent the whole of Friday night to early Sunday morning with a total of six hours of sleep in between, speed-reading and trying to finish a material. No one forced me to squeeze in that much reading, but I had to do it and finish it quickly. Even if it meant sleep reading for a few seconds here and there. A few times, I looked at a sentence three times, still not understanding what was going on with it, and I had to mentally whip my brain to just get up and get it done. I finished the last ones this morning. My body aches, but it was satisfying. Right now, I'm closing all the windows and drawing half of the curtains, staying away from noise and harsh lights, and allowing only kind music playing in the background. (Ok, I don't know if 'kind' is the best word to describe Cough Syrup by Young the Giant. In fact, it's actually kind of dark and sad. But at least no one screams or abuse...

@ 9to5Life In real life, if a political campaign staffer meets with a staffer from the other camp, could he/she get fired for that? Yes, I just saw The Ides of March . So seriously, could someone get fired for that? Sure, they are meeting about the possibility of jumping ship, but doesn't that sound like a case of being oversensitive to you? Or is this just happening in a movie? In which case I've been meaning to remind myself to start learning all my life skills from outside of a movie. Speaking of politics, it recently hit me that probably... probably I'm fascinated with the US presidential election the same way I'm fascinated with American Idol. You'd like anything if you hear about it often enough. I'm so easy to figure out. So, Obama is going to win the reelection tomorrow, right? Although, they now say "It's a deadlocked race", and there were a few times in the past few weeks when I thought Romney had a good case with the econ...

I was shocked when I heard the "S*icide is for M*slims" line on True Blood a while ago. So I went on the internet for reviews and recaps. Many viewers were shocked and found it offensive too. Then I came across this post on Tumblr. I think the author is right, I was missing a point earlier. Quoting a paragraph: "The writers did not write their own sentiments in this line. They wrote their characters. We are meant to be disgusted, just as we were meant to be disgusted at their actions in Iraq. Every moment where two different groups fail to coexist in this show, we are meant to be disgusted." _____ When I was mad with Mad Men in this post , I was taking the show too seriously too. I forgot that sexism and sexual harassment were not challenged and punished 50 years ago the same way they are today, not that they are already two archaic issues by now. I actually continued watching more episodes but was restless the whole time. My blood boiled watching the sce...

I made it through the week ok, I guess. I only almost got caught lying once and only sent one text to the wrong person. You know when you want to text A about B, and your brain is thinking about B, so you send the text to B instead? No? Never happened to you? But I can tell you what I did right this week: Completing a short e-learning class (it's super short), and I can proudly say I even understood some of the content. (Now I know what it really means when people say they study via e-learning / distance learning. *wink*wink* Your secret is safe with me.) Exercising for a total of four hours this week. That probably makes almost 15 hours this year alone! I checked my weight on the scale every 30 reps I did. Replying e-mails and clearing out my mailbox. I'd do alright if I never had to e-mail anything ever again. I started the week with a list of 30 works to follow up. I've crossed off 14 as at today. (I've probably reached my peak, so I'm just going to igno...

I don't know which one is more wrong: buying the roadside egg, cheese and dripping mayonnaise hotdog, or buying it in a nightdress and cardigan. But I just did both. However, instead of focusing on what's wrong with me, I'd rather we focus on what's wrong with the society or the world. I was flipping through an old newspaper and found this section publishing letters from readers, and it annoyed me. These readers were appalled by the standard of English usage in Malaysia. The letters sounded like this: "The standard of English is appalling..." "The decline of English proficiency is a serious issue..." " We are heading into a dark age... " ..... The language privilege. I read all the letters twice. None of them suggested a solution. If you think the state of English usage is worrying, tell the readers what they can do to improve it, so it will be up to your standard: Urge the government to continue teaching Maths and Scien...

Tomorrow is going to be the first day of a few busy weeks for me. In some lines of work, busy is good. It could mean you are doing things right. Right? I think. Maybe. I don't know. And the first step is to achieve the next two weeks' goals. As expected, I'm insomniac tonight. I wish I had finally found a way to control my nerves already and get a good night's sleep. So I'm trying to psych myself up right now. I have to go into tomorrow (today) with a clear mind. What would I do in the next two weeks if I could not fail? What if I get all the good things that I want? What if everything goes smoothly? What if I get one thing done after another with ease? And without embarrassing incidents too? That would be perfect, thank You. I spent all afternoon today with the preparation, and I'm going to wake up early tomorrow and kick-start my day with Tracy Anderson series. I hope. It just sounds like a good plan. So I was hungry an hour ago. There were crackers...

While I do keep travel souvenirs (and old perfume bottles, which I feel so not cool admitting), I'm not a hoarder. Especially in these past few years, I throw away useless things all the time. It makes my life simpler (imagine when it's not). Last night I took out my document and work folders and tore up my old payslips, among others. There's no way I'll ever need them again. I feel sorry for the trees that were sacrificed to print this stuff. And what perfect timing. I went down to buy breakfast lunch this afternoon and found a letter in the mailbox. It's from the LHDN. This is supposed to be embarrassing and not the kind of thing people announce on the internet, but since I've admitted other embarrassing things on this blog... So apparently, I still owe the government some money. This is so ironic in so many ways. The amount is manageable -- I think, wish me luck -- but I need the documents that I've shredded with the highest satisfaction just ...

Finally! Someone smart made my day. I can look in the mirror again (just focus on the haircut) without bursting into tears . And it only cost RM10! Images: dailyglow.com, glamour.com, haironthebrain.com

We choose our own poison and get haunted by our own demons, addiction and bad habits. Some of us drown ourselves in stress and depression. Some choose drugs or alcohol or three boxes of chocolate. Some have affairs. We wish quitting were easy (although it's a mystery how I can quit running in just 10 seconds). Before judging an addict, think of our own habits first: how difficult it is to quit the simplest things like biting nails, or to start new good habits like recycling or praying diligently. While it's none of my business if others choose to cheat, it still cannot be right. And because I'm probably cold, my main worry is not about betraying my partner, it's about what kind of values I want to live with. A married-with-kids friend told me she's having an affair with another married-with-kids man. She's now haunted with guilt but finds it difficult to get out of the relationship. The first thing that came to my mind was, "Why do you have to have ...

I hate guns and cigarettes. And I'm annoyed with Betty Draper most of the time. But this is one of my favourite Mad Men scenes. I watched Mad Men some time ago. What an excruciating several episodes, a lineup of work DBs that I don't get why haven't been charged with sexual harassment already, cheaters and annoying housewives. There's not even a single character to root for. Watching them just makes me mad, not entertained. Fine, if they succeed in making viewers like me annoyed with the characters, they are probably doing a good job with the show. Still, I want to slap the characters in their sleep. An example of the obnoxiousness of Pete (17 minutes into episode 1, speaking to the new hire Peggy): "Who's your little friend here? ... Where you from, honey? Are you Amish or something? Well, you are in the city now. Wouldn't be a sin for us to see your legs. And if you pull your waist in a little bit, you might look like a woman." What an a**hole...

I promise you I still have a full time job (and probably a few friends), but I have so much free time after work these days, and what is more fun and better at conserving calories than being glued to the screen. I also prefer to call it as doing research. One drawback of staying at home a lot, however, it alters your brain reception. I got emotional watching below: - The Help - The Vow - The Client List, the movie - and reading a blog post of this young lady who just had a baby, describing the day her husband was sworn in and left to join the Air Force. Man, their stories are all moving and sad! I might or might not have teared up a bit. Oh, the emotional whirlwind... The Help is not even supposed to be sad. It's a movie about triumph and inspiration. The Vow is, wow, sooo satisfyingly cheesy, at times I had to pause because I was giggling. But it still has the sad parts too. The saddest one probably is the fact that this lady has to mull over staying with Channing Tatum ...

I was at a bookstore the other day, saw the book and flipped through the pages. Ok, pop culture, let's find out once and for all if I like it. Something must be right with the book if it has been staying at the top of The New York Times Best Seller list for months now... And OMG. Is this really the book that's sold by the millions now? This is weird, but I'm not a fan of the book. And this is me, I get hooked to all sorts of useless things on regular basis. It's not difficult to catch up with the book. A few flips are all you need before you feel like something is killing your sanity bit by bit. Good news is, I'm relieved now. Sometimes my reading or movie list gets made fun of, so it's payback time! (Even if you are not the same person.) So, fans of F*fty Sh*des of Gr*y, line up. I want to torture your soul. You too, fans of Star Wars.

If you haven't seen these two, go find them. One to make you laugh, and the other to make you freeze under the blanket in your seat, or in my case watch it alone with tremendous bravery and sound muted. Veep (HBO) OMG Veep is too funny, and you know you should believe me because I raaarely say 'OMG' unless it's really important. The show centres on Selina Meyer, the VPOTUS, and her equally dysfunctional team who keep shooting themselves in the foot. VPs have fake power, we've heard that, and this particular team spends 40% of their time finding a cause to pass the time with, 10% fighting for what they believe in and 50% doing damage control. You have to watch this. Their luck and the show's writing will make you rotfl. I always imagine Joe Biden having the same office. The River (FOX) The River is a horror/action series that follows a search team to find Emmet Cole, an adventure show host who went missing in the Amazon. The expedition is led by his wife...

I went to The Bench the other day. Sat on my usual spot and looked around. It was not much different from my last visit, a room full of crowd, also the loneliest. That is if you compare the two visits within the past month. If you compare it to my visit five years ago, this place has definitely changed. The crowd and the benches are pretty much the same, but the setting is prettier and the meals are more delicious today. My bench is now moved a bit further off the stage. The plus side is, it takes a lot of pressure off as well. While a new one begins, it's the end of an era.

Baju kurung -- moden, pesak or kebaya -- is an expensive social responsibility: paid at a ridiculous amount, worn once, then would be practically useless for the rest of the year. Nice tops, on the other hand, can be bought for just RM50 and worn tens of times. So this came to me recently. From now on, I'm going to make (and find fabric for) baju kurung moden that can be turned into a dress or top after I wear them to whatever event. Most of mine are in dark colours or plain or stripes anyway. Why didn't I think of this earlier? I wouldn't be whining so much about baju kurung prices then.

What is it about red carpet dresses that we love so much? It's an illogical interest. A small* part of my brain questions my reason every time I watch these parades, wide-eyed waiting for the dresses and the whole look to pop up on my TV and giving opinions in my head about them. (*The rest reminds me to watch the next ones, or at least scan the pictures on the internet, and repeat the whole process.) Red carpet events are advertisements, and thinking about it, who doesn't want to watch a two-hour-long commercial? Dresses that I like this year: - January Jones', black, Zac Posen, Emmys. - Michelle Williams', orange, Louis Vuitton, Oscars. I just wish the top back of the dress was not made of a different material, though. - Sofia Vergara's, blue, Vera Wang, Golden Globes. This is a bit toned-down compared to her usual red carpet look. How to walk in it, I'll never know. - Victoria Beckham's, from her own line, Oscar after parties (plus the one tha...

Man, did I sound like I was an abuse victim in below post, with my insomnia and all? I promise you I come from a happy home. I've never been abused by anyone except by my bank and PE teacher. My parents went out almost all day Monday, came home at 3, and the first question they asked with worried faces was, "Dah makan?" They were so worried their fully grown child didn't know how to open the fridge. Fine, I've been known to opt for biscuit crumbs and a lot of praying so the hunger would go away in the past if my parents were out the whole day. But that was last year, I was younger and defenseless last year. This year, last month to be exact, I know what daun kunyit is. For the record, I cooked vegetables and telur dadar that day. By choice. I could have made kari daging if I wanted to... Also, felt like I'd found a chest of gold when I saw the leftover sambal tumis ikan bilis under the tudung saji. (Breakfast was mango and tea and a piece of almos...

I miss my parents all the time. Sometimes I miss them so much I can't bring myself to call them because I'm afraid I might choke or cry or something, and that would worry them. What I've never really told anyone, however, I can't stay at their place for long. I have trouble sleeping when I'm there. The room and bed are ok. Omg they are more than ok ! I don't deserve them. I just don't feel... like I'm home (please don't throw things at me). Secretly, the visits feel like going through the motions, a checkbox in my calendar, something that I do on autopilot. This makes me feel guilty. Aren't you supposed to love your parents' place, you don't want to leave? A two-night stay drains my energy, a longer break like raya is torturous, and I'd be counting days and hours in silence. I do try below to help: 1) bring my own pillow, sheet and blanket. 2) tire myself out during the day. 3) and if there are not many people around, sl...

I am a dresses girl. (Or woman? Lady? At what age again should we stop referring ourselves as a 'girl'?) My favourites are usually the short/cap sleeves, knee-length, pencil-cut, with pretty and minimal details, and definition at the waist. From time to time, I'd think about dressing years in advance. Living in Malaysia, as a Malay, I realize it probably means I'll have to let go of my dresses eventually. I used to think, haha, this should be interesting. I'm mostly not used to conforming to other people's expectations. How am I going to handle that when the time comes? Will I wail? OMG I have to move out of the country! I started to look around and study why some 30 or 40-year-olds can still carry a certain style off, and some cannot. Is it because of their background? Their body shape? The way they carry themselves? This is still an ongoing discussion. Kate Middleton is in Asia this week. I love her Singapore Raoul dress. The fashion world says people...

(This post is inspired by one of my favourite blogs, yesandyes.org.) 1. "Don't allow outside sources to determine your self-esteem." ~ Sarah Von Bargen, yesandyes. 2. Treat kids with respect. Treat others with respect without first thinking, "Is this person important?" 3. Probably you should wait for the sale. Do you really want these shoes and have been looking for them for a long time? If yes, get them now. If they're just something that you like , and they won't make you lose any sleep if they're sold out, wait for the sale. Don't worry about them being sold out, anyway. There will always be new designs that you'll love in the future. 4. But if you find a top or cardigan that you really, really like -- buy three. 5. Be consistent. Be consistently good. Do it every day. Do it every week: building skills for your work or hobbies, maintaining good relationships with your loved ones, taking care of your health, building wealth. ...

I had short hair a few times in my adult years, and I really liked two of them. Any attempt to cut my hair short again in the recent years usually ends up with something that is not as short as I want it to be or something that I don't really understand . But I can't be a diva in hair salons and restaurants. And I don't want to be that lady who brings a Victoria Beckham picture and frowns at the stylist with "Why don't I look like this?" "Err, do you really want to know the answer?" If I don't get the cut that I want, I'll either 1) wait a few days for my hair to 'adjust' to its new shape... or for me to accept my fate. 2) use styling products. 3) suck it up and let it grow again. I'll never ask the hairstylist to redo my hair. I'm scared of them. Plus, if I've already shown them a picture but the cut turns out different than what I expected, I take it that's the best they could do -- either my hair typ...

For weeks, I've been trying to find out who sings this song. So it's Both of Us by Taylor Swift. Ok, it's featuring Taylor Swift... I can't sleep right now, which is not good because I need to wake up early tomorrow morning to beat the open house traffic madness. There's something about a quiet (quiet er -- I live next to a highway) 3 o'clock on a weekend morning that makes me not want to go to sleep. I feel like I'm missing out on something if I do (like... tired skin?). It feels like I need to use the time to do some work, or invent a magic product, or re-think the century's great idea, or something. Magic products, how do I create you?

Every time I go to the supermarket near my house, I never fail to get its egg tart and cream cheese danish. I especially need them today because tomorrow is Monday... You clearly have a lot of self-interrogating to do if you dread Mondays. The bigger joke is, I work on my own. This is a path that I chose for myself, one that I weirdly got into despite studying and starting off in a different field. There's nothing stopping me from doing what I want and love. Or is there? "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." Yeah, easy for you to say, Confucius.

It's two days to September. 2012. I need to update you on my seven-day challenge and Twilight. The seven-day challenge — This may surprise you greatly, but I failed in the first month. I've forgotten now how many days I managed the arm series etc, but it was the cardio... I almost fainted on the first day. That wasn't the first time I did the workout, but I was probably pushing myself extra hard that day. You know, it was kind of the-first-day-of-the-rest-of-my-life thing. And after five minutes... I was seeing spots and immediately panicked. Ok, what's happening to me? God, am I going to pass out? But I'll be ok after that, right? So I kept walking for the longest two* minutes of my life, trying to remember advice I heard from primary school about what to do after a long run. I'm sure we are not allowed to sit or something?** *Included the one minute after I opened the front door and kept walking in circles near my shoe rack, hoping if I passed out, a st...

Bargain hunting was Gene 's and my favourite sport in uni. When I started working, I visited Sg Wang etc less and less. I don't hate them. I've just lost the touch braving the crowd. Plus, I wanted to look for better quality clothes too. About one year ago, I discovered two new places to shop for clothes, which had you introduced them to me a few years earlier, I might have had a hard time believing I could find anything that I like there. I expected the prices to be ok, but I didn't think they'd have anything... pretty ? So the two places are AEON and _____! Yes. _____. That place you buy fish. The catch is you can't expect to find 10 pieces of clothing items that you like in one visit. Sometimes you may not find anything at all, but I like my finds so far to a point that I didn't want to blog it. I didn't want people to rush there and push the price up! Then I realized, three people reading the blog don't rush... One drawback, though, c...

On my way home today, I saw a homeless old man changing his clothes by the roadside, and he was with all of his belongings: a bicycle and two half-broken umbrellas tied to a school fence, a few bags and boxes, and a pile of empty plastic bottles. I assumed he was homeless and that was all he owned. I don't think he's a beggar. I think he gets money from collecting stuff to be recycled. In many parts of this country right now, people are buying a thousand-dollar baju raya and squealing how cheap it is because "It's on sale !" while in some other corners, people are sleeping by the roadside. What do you think, rich people? Are they too stupid and too lazy to have a better life? Did these people make too many bad decisions in the past, so now they just get what they deserve? Did they practice the law of attraction wrong? On the other hand, you've been working hard and smart all your life, you deserve to reward yourself with this million-dollar house and tho...

I don't know about others, but when I say, "Pointed shoes are not painful at all," I lie. And I have small feet! Aren't pointed shoes kinder to small feet? Ok maybe it's because I took a pair of half size smaller as they no longer had my size (but it's usually ok with other shoes...?) Luckily, I'm a very determined person.

Belle's friend: Halloooo... Belle: Uhm, helloo... Belle's friend: How are you? Belle: Good. How are you? Belle's friend: I'm per-fect. Hey, are you busy? Are you in the middle of something? Belle: Yeah, I'm in the middle of a discussion, but I have to take this call... Belle's friend: ... Belle: ... because it's very rare.

Early this week, Jones and I made a plan to meet up. We'd been postponing it one day after another due to work because, you know, we are very busy and important people. Jones is now a VP at a bank and I'm, of course, the CEO of my company, employer of no one. Friday came and I was home early, already lying down on my bed, thinking of what TV to watch by 5. Then Jones called, finally with a tiny chance to leave early, and I just... couldn't get up. With a valid excuse: "I think I'm too lazy to go out now..." *groggily*. Once I put the phone down, I realized "lazy" is quite sad. I called Jones immediately, said goodbye to warmth and comfort, and got ready. Then it started to rain. It was pouring! I waited for a while and finally got in my car when the rain started to just drizzle. But the traffic was amazing. Amazingly congested. KL and rain and the after-work hour. Even getting out of the housing area took me 10 minutes. Traffic to KL ...

Yay me, I've done 58% of the requirement -- in just three weeks! Or rather, I did 42 and got waived for 16. What a relief, the other 42% that's still due does not sound so scary now. The latest I heard, completing the second membership's requirement will only exempt me from the first membership's in the year I complete the second membership. I'm everything about avoiding unnecessary extra work, so I'm saving the second membership's tasks for next year as I'm already halfway through with the first membership for this year. The three courses / seminars that I went to so far were not so bad. I was early for the first class, held in the morning. Have not been attending these classes for ages. The class was surprisingly pleasant, which I only realized during the morning tea break. Everyone was nice and friendly; I didn't feel like going back to the classroom. See, I told ya, the morning tea break is always exciting! The second course was with ...

Have you ever had water from a jug as an adult? ..... Clearly you have never climbed into bed in a cold weather, all warm and wrapped under the blanket, laptop strategically placed on the bed, then reached for the water on your bedside table only to realize the glass was not there. While I spend most of my waking hours thinking of the best way to be a real adult, life is easier if you don't constrain yourself with so many rules. I've been reading about loss and grieving recently, or rather just seven minutes ago, from the internet. Had no idea they have stages. A while ago, I did lose... no, not people, everyone's alive, it's more like a thing . Apparently, the process of grieving starts with denial and isolation, followed by anger, bargaining and depression, and ends with acceptance. Denial, isolation, anger... ........... Uhm, I'm deeefinitely at the beginning of acceptance stage right now. The only thing is, I can't remember ever going throug...

I lost my mobile phones (thank God, only the phones) to snatch thieves a couple of times before. And since there is was this side of me that had to win against evil forces, I'd buy the same model the next day just to show the thieves that they can never break me *proud*. I don't own many books, only a few that I really love -- mostly those I've blogged about, the thought-provoking pieces, like Twilight and more Twilight. I either rent or borrow the rest. While I love my clothes and shoes more, I still love these books. I think everyone has a special relationship with  connection to their books. Their favourite books, I mean. Not their Advanced Financial Accounting. I put my bookcases under the windows, which are never closed except whenever I leave town. And my books have foxing on them now. If I'm being stubborn here, I'll throw away all the books and buy a new set. And I'll get a new bookcase, too, and  not  place it under the windows this time. ...

How I Met Your Mother New York, dating mishaps and adventures, five friends, one married couple, one womanizer, and one favourite coffee place / bar -- sounds familiar, sounds like Friends. Friend-dates-a-friend-then-dates-another-and-those-friends-still-hang-out-together-after-breakups formula works on TV. (Out of aallll... the many TVs that I watch) I only discovered HIMYM early this year after its constant reruns on Star World and Josh Radnor's Happythankyoumoreplease. I spent a few weekends (and many weeknights) after that catching up on the show. The show made me grin and laugh so hard I swear my skin was glowing the next day. Gossip Girl I've never really followed Gossip Girl because I can't stand Chuck Bass and his bow tie and the way he speaks as if he has to spell every word. And while I looovve the pretty clothes, I can't tolerate the drama either. Yes, I'm shocked too . But I need TV series to exercise -- at first. After a few episo...

Movies from the awards season (+more) that I want to see. Will update when watched. ~ 27 Feb. Didn't manage to watch more. Still hope to find Beginners, Extremely Loud..., We Need to Talk About Kevin, My Week With Marilyn, A Better Life and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. ~ Dec. The Tree of Life Watching the trailer, I'd kind of expected what this movie was going to be like, but watching the movie makes it real . Twenty minutes into it, I officially got even more judgey: this must be a movie made by a group of people who rarely shave and dress sloppily, and whose conversations are only understood by one another. They must have actually come up with a good story -- of a complex relationship between a son and his father -- but decided to throw in some randomly shot (but beautiful!) nature images that they've already had in their cameras as well. You know, who cares if they look like out of place. The cinematography for the actual movie, the parts where there are a...

The thing about membership and certification, besides making you sound just a liiiittle legit, they make you pay and sit in their courses for hours -- every year! I don't drink alcohol, but these courses often make me want to. I often fantasize about being high or having some magical powers every time I attend these courses. I have two memberships to retain. The first one is actually very important; I have to have it. (So I do feel embarrassed every time I whine about it.) What could be a brilliant strategy, procrastinating, does not make the requirements go away. The trickier part is, the rule for this year has changed, and they want you to do more. Or actually the jury is still out on this. I can still question or state my case to get away with half of the requirements. But since I can't risk losing this membership, I have to follow the new rules for the time being and work more. Not harder, just more, because this is actually not hard at all. But who in their right ...

A year ago, I wrote that my happiness level was only at 49% . Today, I believe it has increased to at least 60%. I can't wait to find out how 120% feels like. I used to think I knew how being 100 % happy feels like: It must be during that time I travelled to City A, or went on shopping sprees that I was able to pay for myself*, or watched a nice play, or had a spa day, or had a smh-at-the-price meal or haircut -- for example. (Because I'm sure some of you are about to shriek, "What about the time spent with family and friends?!") (*It helps that I think Vincci and MANGO are already great, and I don't include a car or a house or a private jet in my typical shopping list.) I've started to realize that those don't really feel true now. I hope I don't sound ungrateful. I'm sure I was happy during that trip. And nice dresses and haircuts are really good mood boosters, I tell you. It's just the trip to City A, B or C was with Person D, E and...

"I demand a good day." *waves magic wand*

I love this book because it comes with pictures, its font is huge, and it has flow . It provides me with some pieces of the event that I missed before. Even if you don't like flow or pictures, you'll love the huge fonts. A few points from the book: - It starts with how the plot was conceived and developed. Apparently, one of the meetings had by the hijackers was held in KL and didn't go unnoticed. According to the book, they were even photographed by the Malaysian intelligence. Ha. Just like Steve Jobs said, you can only connect the dots backwards. - Also surprising, this group known as the Hamburg cell was formed in Hamburg, Germany (you thought they'd only hold their summit somewhere closer to their backyard), and they were able to live and meet in the open because the German government was reluctant to target radical mosques, fearing accusations of religious persecution due to its Nazi past. - The book continues with the responses following the attack, f...