Cheryl's Circle of Influence

It's August 2009

2009-08-11T23:28:00.005+08:00

Gosh, it has been more than a year since I have written an entry for my blog. How have I been? Good and could only get better. I would love to share photos of my Alma Mater taken on 4th August 2009 - Back2BBGS event at Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.

Once a BBGSian , always will be and proud of it.

It's July already

2008-07-06T21:32:00.002+08:00

Gosh ... two whole months slipped by and I didn't have a chance to post anything. Firstly, I have been extremely busy and stressed out coordinating the department ... moving from one building to another a street or two away. No complaints, now ... at the very least, from my cubicle, there's finally a view. It's certainly more comfortable as I have requested for loads of storage space for all to share i.e. for once, no more cluttered tables and files beneath my workstation. :)

Another reason why ... July is a month filled with hope for me. This is the month or maybe the next, is the time when I'll hear the results of the 'thing' that occupied my time since one and a half years ago. I am very excited and ever hopeful that our 'wish' will come true real soon. Ta ta ... will write soon :)

April musings

2008-04-30T09:47:00.038+08:00

It's now or never for me to post an entry for April 2008 so here goes. I've been pretty busy in April with work, finalising the last bit required for an application, celebrated some birthdays and getting to know/mingle with hubby's friends from SJI at Lookout Point, Selangor. Sigh - needed some getting used to coz you will tend to hear some not so delicate words although some in abbreviation such as SKY (don't ask me - I've forgotten what it stands for)... maybe this is the way the conversation goes between males and entirely different from what I'm used to. I love photos in duotones - I have all the photos taken in both colour and black and white.

My weekend's still the same - pretty much multitasking on Saturdays with Scabulousing (in Facebook), washing and drying clothes in between reading a novel (by the way, read 4 novels this month). Hubby and I bought Takuya Kimura's "The Wealthy Family" and we practically finished the show in 4-5 sittings. As usual, cried my eyes out ... other than that we saw the "Bucket List" and "Ah Long Private Limited" (just to add, I cried while watching Bucket List too). I've been wanting to watch Bucket List for some time now ... hubby only agreed to purchase after one of his friend commented it's worth watching ...

Let's see what else I have - yup, major pimple outbreak coz there's this one red pimple on my nose ... going for another facial to get rid of it coz it's annoying and no amount of make up can conceal it. For the past two months went for a couple of Yoga and Pilate classes (bought some coupons and need to finished them by October). There are lots of things to look forward to in the coming months in terms of movies to watch ... yippee ... especially Pixar's WALL.E (hubby's betting that I'll be shedding a tear or two). Ta ta for now :)

BBGS Centenary song - "Within These Walls"

2008-03-11T09:57:00.000+08:00

Feeling a tad nostalgic this morning and would like to share the centenary song below. Lyrics and music by Raja Ismahan and Nik Serena - winners of the BBGS Centenary Song Competition, 1993. Believe it or not, when we sang this song back in 1993 - we're all moved to tears. Wonder if anyone have pictures of the centenary celebration - especially the ones taken of the chinese dance :)

Within These Wall

If through these walls, we can hear the stories long ago
Those BBGS dreams their hopes and more
If through these walls, we can see the days before
We'll see the joy, the rise and growth
Every smile that greets hello

Names may change and faces pass
But the tune's the same we'll make it last
We'll learn these words before they come to pass
BBGS in my heart, ten decades we've grown to love
Add a hundred more, my heart will still belong
Within these cherished walls

Here on these walls, I found meanings of love
To conquer fears to wipe the sorrow tears
Here I learnt of friends, learnt to give a helping hand
And when I'm lost, they'll guide my way with God's will till the end...

Names may change and faces pass
But the tune's the same we'll make it last
We'll learn these words before they come to pass
Within these walls we've built our lives
For a hundred years it stayed with us
Let us keep it standing strong...

Feb 29th, 2008

2008-02-29T15:39:00.004+08:00

Basically today is indeed a special day - sigh, it's proven that my hubby's command of the english language is much stronger than mine. Thirteen years ago, his 1119 result's better and 13 years later, he scored better than me in yet another official language certification. Am I a tad upset? Yes, but nonetheless I am glad that the ordeal of preparing for and sitting for examination's over. I can now go back to enjoying a novel or two during weekends and endless Facebooking.

Cheers everyone & Happy Leap Year! :)

My thoughts ....

2008-02-06T08:35:00.000+08:00

This morning, a myriad of things went through my mind such as will 2008 be a year of fulfilment of wishes and plans of previous years? The one thing that tops my list, all I can do is to sit and wait because it is totally out of our hands. If and when this wish comes true, it will impact our lives and there are much promises of better things to come our way.

As I sit in front of my PC this morning, are there things I will do differently? I do believe, where I am right now follows a path and hopefully it's the path that's laid out for me by God. Many times my heart desires something that may not be good for me; I am given a chance to have a sneak peek but am always kept away. I have come to a realisation some time back that we should take life and live life to the fullest. We need to take the first step and make the first move for things that we want, even if opportunities presents itself right before your eyes, what good would it be if it just passes you by as you sit and wait?

There are people who will pass through your life and leave positive and wonderful impact and there are those who will cause you great dislike. I am still learning to 'not be affected' by the negative lot but can't help wondering why would they want to live this way? Why to slander and pretend? Don't they get tired keeping up appearances? Yup, this year is the year of the rat but I am hoping I've had enough encounters with rodents and will instinctively know one when it appears from miles away.

Yet another year

2007-11-09T08:40:00.000+08:00

When I was years younger, every November I will be extremely excited as I would be a year older - that excitement have since dissipated after passing the 25th birthday. Used to reply that I will XX age soon and now when asked, the reply would be 28++++++ ... when asked prior to my upcoming birthday.

Let me share with you some write ups that I have googled or some friends may have shared at certain point of time :-

What your Birth month means

NOVEMBER * Has a lot of ideas* Difficult to fathom* Thinks forward* Unique and brilliant* Extraodinary ideas* Sharp thinking* Fine and strong clairvoyance* Can become good doctors* Careful and cautious* Dynamic in personality* Secretive* Inquisitive* Knows how to dig secrets* Always thinking* Less talkative but amiable* Brave and generous* Patient* Stubborn and hard-hearted* If there is a will, there is a way* Determined* Never give up* Hardly become angry unless provoked* Loves to be alone* Thinks differently from others* Sharp-minded* Motivates oneself* Does not appreciates praises* High-spirited* Well-built and tough* Deep love and emotions* Romantic* Uncertain in relationships* Homely* Hardworking* High abilities* Trustworhty* Honest and keeps secrets* Not able to control emotions* Unpredictable

November Birth Flower
The chrysanthemum is the November birthflower. The chrysanthemum means compassion, friendship and secret love. This flower can be red, white or yellow. Chrysanthemums have been grown by the Chinese for over 2,000 years. This flower is also a symbol of the sun. Chrysanthemum was named after the Greek word which means gold flower.
The chrysanthemum blooms in late summer and fall. These flowers are native to Asia and Europe. There are over 30 species of the chyrsanthemum. It is the national flower of Japan and symbolizes the Japanese Emperor. In Europe the chrysanthemum is a symbol of death and is used for funerals or on graves. The chrysanthemum flower is actually a powerful antiseptic and antibiotic! It is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat high blood pressure and angina. It is a perennial flower that will come back year after year. Obtained from the following website :-http://www.birthflowersguide.com/november-birth-flower.html

Your Birth Month is November

Tolerant and inspirational, you are wise beyond your years.
You are universally sympathetic and a great humanitarian.

Your soul reflects: Compassion, friendship, and secret love

Your gemstone: Citrine

Your flower: Chrysanthemum

Your colors: Dark blue, red, and yellow

What Does Your Birth Month Mean?

If you are born in other months, click on the above link to check for yourself ;)

Phuket (2007)

2007-11-04T15:31:00.000+08:00

I was away for a short trip from 25-27th of October 2007 to Phuket. Instead of writing, thought of sharing in form of pictures some memories captured on camera.

Above pictures - cute baby elephant

The pictures below captured on the first night, Phuket's famous show ;)

My verdict - the prettiest of them all is the "she" in the picture below.

Guess it's pretty colourful and I have loads more but can't possibly load them all in this blog.

Anniversary - A simple celebration

2007-10-08T07:51:00.000+08:00

We had a simple celebration yesterday, dinner at Marche and shopping @ The Curve. Guess, I am certainly not made for buffet of any kind, very quickly I am already full ;p Didn't manage to take much photos as well, just wanted to post one which will serve to "capture" the date - 7th October 2007.

Counting the days to my 1st anniversary

2007-10-04T10:02:00.000+08:00

Now, I am counting the days to my 1st Wedding Anniversary and this time, will take the opportunity to take photographs ;p Hee hee, get to kill two birds with one stone, celebrate with hubby and snap snap away with my newly acquired digital camera and get familiarised before my Phuket trip end of the month.

Will post the pictures as soon as I can ... most likely as early as next week ;)

My first Digicam

2007-10-02T13:32:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday, went with Ann to purchase my very own digital camera. The model I bought is Cyber-shot® DSC - H7/B and it fulfilled my criteria of clear indoor pictures without using flash (i.e. for places that prohibits the use of camera flash) & able to edit and add effects, 15X optical zoom etc ... Will post pictures taken with this new "baby" as soon as I can ;) Stay tuned to see possible 'work of art' from this amateur photographer!

Imagini - visual profile

2007-09-27T12:28:00.001+08:00

Received the link from someone - try it for yourself ;)

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Backup photographer for Bro-in-law's ROM

2007-09-22T16:08:00.001+08:00

Just thought of sharing a few photos taken on Thurs,20-Sept-07 - Wei Yong & Annie's ROM. These are the best shots taken with a borrowed Canon Powershot A410 3.2 megapixel camera.

Far left :- Bro-in-law taking photo of his bride
Above: Pa-in-law in action

Left : My hubby and his younger bro

Anime Craze Part 2

2007-09-18T18:01:00.000+08:00

Remembered blogging about Byousoku 5CM a few months back and I have recently watched the entire movie. My verdict - absolutely love it ... but from a man's point of view, a bit slow moving though overall he admitted the graphic's very good.

Now, the Naruto series getting interesting ;) - Sakura have grown tremendously in terms of strength and medic skills, so much so, Sand shinobis (Chiyobaa-sama) ackowledged her to be strong and has potential to surpass Tsunade.

If you are following the manga closely, you will find out a surprising fact i.e. Naruto's Yondaime's child(maybe not so surprising i.e. since my hubby and I have been speculating this possibility for ages) ;p

Any avid Kakasaku fan fiction readers out there? If you are, drop by this link (loads of Kakashi and Sakura stories - amongst my favourites are those written by leafygirl ).

Happy day

2007-09-16T16:06:00.000+08:00

Today will be a happy day, hubby will be home by tonight after being away for 2 weeks on business ;) Yesterday, I spent the whole day lazing around, chatting and watching "Lady First" ( a taiwanese talk show on Youtube) and basically had a relaxing day. Today, had to buck up and complete all the tasks & chores pilled up (I love the feel of squeaky clean floor - anyone have the same clean floor syndrome?) and now I'm finally free again to blog and surf the web ;p

Guess I will go back to watching more of the taiwanese talk show - it's great if you understand mandarin, the topics ranges from tips for hair care/styling, facial care/make up, dressing, shoes and all that you need to know to look beautiful ... a warning though, you may end up as addicted as I am lol ...

Lifelong learning

2007-09-09T10:55:00.001+08:00

Last Fri & Sat, I've attended another 2-days training as I am someone who believes in learning more about self and continuously learn new skills. After spending the 2-days, unfortunately, personally I do not see much take away value. The principles were really simple and it is something common i.e. in which all of us may already know. One of it is to have a positive mindset - if there are things that you dislike, fear, dread, visualise a happy moment and use it to dispel the earlier instance of dislike, fear, dread etc. Well, let me put it this way, even if I do that little excercise constantly, it would not be take away/negate my fear - let's say fear of heights. Still not able to picture myself abscaling nor bungee jumping off anytime in the future. Another point in which I disagree would be - be realistic & do not aim too high. Well, here you are telling us to have positive thinking and our lives are our own to direct, if movie directors do not aim high - I do not think we'll be able to witness the brilliance in which all time favourites like LOTR when it was brought to audiences on the silver screen. Of course, I do agree that we have to have some degree of realism - like, I am not going to be the one building the next highest building in the world. Firstly, I am not an engineer by training and this will not work out as I do not know anything about constuction. But hey on the otherhand, if I do make it big next time, I may be the one funding such a project - dreams though but they're mine to keep.

It is inevitable, in life there are rollercoaster rides - with turns, uphill climb, some good trainings in which I believe in and some that will just register as part of my training hours. And the above is not the main purpose of the training, sigh, personally, the techniques taught for the actual topic will be a challenge to apply in real life situations.

PPP - I signed up for PPP

2007-09-06T15:14:00.000+08:00

I am feeling ecstatic today, finally approved by PPP and I am now a qualified blogger/postie. First heard of PPP from my school pals Jazzmint, MomofCairo & Cheryl and have read other fellow bloggers/posties write endlessly about PPP. I am encouraged by their many postings and earnings from PPP (to the extend they can afford to travel with their PPP earnings). ;)

What I have picked up from reading fellow bloggers postings on PPP - be tenacious and one day I may emerge in "Blog of the day". blog reviews What will I do with my PPP earnings?
Slowly I am building my nest egg (as well as retirement fund). Although I am relatively young, with the cost of living, medical, education costs on the climb, I will need to be resourceful. I am also looking forward to travel to places that I have not yet visited - Paris, Prague, Venice (basically Europe), America (so far I've been to Arizona & LA - want to see more), Japan et cetera (in no particular order).

I am still a budding blogger/postie and will one day bloom ;) I have varied interests and some recently cultivated – my hubby influenced me to keep up to date with technology and gadgets, other than that I am an avid reader and big fan of anime namely Naruto.

My new phone

2007-09-06T10:59:00.000+08:00

Hubby bought me a new phone - it's the Motorola Razr V8 ;) Although initially quite doubtful - now I am totally bowled over by the beauty and functionality.

Read more and see for yourself at this link.

Two weekends

2007-08-26T09:40:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday after dinner, hubby and I went to watch Jay Chou's Secret (2007) or in Chinese 不能說的秘密 (Bu Neng Shuo De Mi Mi). Hubby's reward for me as I have been a responsible & good girl staying at home to complete office assignments. I would have mentioned somewhere in my blog that I am a fan of Jay Chou, his music and in this movie to witness his prowess - playing the piano in numerous scenes.

This is a love story with a twist ;)

Yesterday, finally went for a pampering session with my best buddy Ann. Enjoyed two full hours of massage and after that Ann & I signed up for YTL's Platinum Plus membership. The most interesting perks amongst all those listed will be the member's price and priority booking for Pangkor Laut (the picture above - a glimspe of the resort from the website) . I've been wanting to go, with the member's price I may be able to convince hubby to go next year after all.

Another week going by

2007-08-17T06:46:00.000+08:00

It is amazingly frightening how fast each week come and goes. Is the earth orbiting the sun much quicker than before? Ok, ok ... maybe I've been busy and there weren't enough time for me to spend some "me" time. I am basically quite adept at multitasking and at times I may fail to empathize with those who do not have the knack. Hubby just showed me a Dilbert cartoon clip two days ago and I did not realise that they had those on top on the comic strips. I love Scott Adams' Dilbert comics - again, it is funny when you read them because it is really happening around you. Yeah - the characters like Asok, Alice etc. may be embodied by people around you, right now where you work but I am no Catbert ok eventhough same profession ;p

I read the book, "Way of the Weasel" a few years ago and am shocked and at the same time comforted when I realise that it is the same both sides of the world. If you are a fan of Dilbert, take the chance to read the book - do not pick up the bad habits of weasels (pretending to be busy bee and overwhelmed all the time etc.) but it is good to realise that there are such people around and mayhap safeguard yourself if need be to avoid the pitfalls or should I say fall for the weasel traps.

If you can't have enough of Dilbert - do click on the icon below to visit the site.

Tag : I'm Infected With Blogivitis

2007-08-05T10:00:00.000+08:00

I have not been diligently reading blogs thus nearly missed out this tag from Cheryl. In my opinion, I have yet to be termed as infected, maybe had a touch and go sorta situation. As you can see, my recent postings were fewer and far between - been unwell, been busy and getting busier nearing year end.

Other reasonings - I would admit that I'm infected when the degree of my addiction comes close to Harry Potter or Naruto (a japanese anime). So there, I am not yet infected but am getting there - once I am will do one special 'bling bling' posting announcing my Blogivitis.

Hee hee, no one else to tag, as far as I know, WJ & Jazz already infected ;)

Newly acquired IBM Desktop PC

2007-07-29T17:12:00.000+08:00

Hubby came home from work yesterday, very excited becoz he placed the highest bid for an IBM Desktop computer and it's downstairs in the car & I just need to help him carry it up to our home (his company is shifting to a new venue, so certain items sold to staff via bidding). Since last night he has been tinkering on and off, *LOL*, and he again was awed by his wife, getting "geekier" by the day. Hubby set up the computer in our study room, what's missing is an additional air conditioning - with that in place, it'll be perfect ... I can't wait to get my hands on computer games again - used to love playing RPG type of games namely Diablo etc years ago prior to marriage. It's a good form/method of reducing stress - just strike down all those bad guys *yeah*.

Other than RPG type of games, I love arcade games such as puzzle bubble, pinball etc and I am very good with tetris. On the other hand, I am hopeless with games that requires me to jump around and collect stuff i.e. Sonic , Tomb Raider ...

MidValley - our fav shopping venue

2007-07-29T14:52:00.000+08:00

I love to see and be surprised every time my hubby goes for his haircut @ Shunji - Midvalley. Today's style is a bit short and it's easy to manage & for me to recreate/style with some hair styling products. Both hubby and I go for the same international stylist ;) While he goes for his haircut, I went round window shopping @ Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, Miss S, Zara & MNG - yes, I covered all these shops in 45 mins, didn't make any purchases. Was a bit let down by the selection available @ Dorothy Perkins this time round - nothing caught my interest although was tempted sorely by a cute t-shirt over @ Zara's.

Then I went over to Shins to get my haircare products since they have discounts up to 70% - Schwarzkopf BC series & Lakme finishing balm to style my hair for the perfect curly locks and OSiS fibre gum by Schwarzkopf as well for hubby. The next stop is Body Shop where I purchased my favourite grapefruit body wash, a pumice brush/scrub and aromatherapy oil Ylang Ylang. Came home, gave hubby a relaxing massage followed by hot soapy foot soak & scrub and even filed/buffed his nails *sigh* truly a pampering treat for him. And come to think of it, I have to go and pay for these services/pampering whilst he gets them for free @ home :p Maybe I should start charging him & maybe just maybe it'll help cover my expenditure for my own pampering ... muahaha

Under siege

2007-07-27T10:56:00.000+08:00

Last Sunday's dinner at my parents-in-law's - I was under siege ... a baby, a toddler & a kid. *Sigh* I am getting hints all around - worsened when friends, relatives and colleagues who got married last year is already sharing their new born's photos this year. *Sigh* I shall be strong and not succumb to pressure until I am ready for a miniature of me & hubby.

On our way, over the radio a cantonese song sung by Kelly Chen was aired - something about children (on and off you'll hear a kid's voice) ... hubby was quick to add/clarify that it's not his doing ;P

Finished reading - Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-22T16:25:00.000+08:00

I woke up at 6.15a.m. on the morning of July 21st and my hubby and I were up and about and reached MidValley at 7a.m. Upon reaching MPH's entrance, a queue is already visible. Patiently waited in line and collected the book and left for my parents' home - reached at about 7.40a.m. After a hearty breakfast of coffee and nasi lemak, I started reading book 7 and finished the book yesterday itself. Hubby kept pestering me on and off via sms and when he came home to let him know who died etc. but he doesn't want to read the book himself *sigh*

Today, I am reading the book for the 2nd time, a more leisurely pace than yesterday - the speed yesterday is to read as fast as possible to know what happened. Now I can really enjoy the details depicted on each page ;-) Yes, the plot came as a shock to me - Albus Dumbledore, not at all as most of us would have pictured him and this to me was the biggest surprise.

The Movie - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix

2007-07-15T17:10:00.001+08:00

Just came back from watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at Cineleisure. How was the movie? I am probably the last person that you should ask - I am totally biased when it comes to all things Harry Potter. I just love 'em - I love the books & I love the movies too. Basically, from the book, I know that Dolores Umbridge is a total monster & I would say the actress who played her role - did that perfectly, totally irritating character (the way she giggles - aargh - serves her right to be carried away by the centaurs. I could almost feel the pain when Umbridge forced Harry to write lines "I must not tell lies" with her so called special quill. The dementors looks different this time compared to earlier movies, maybe it's because they're not covered by a hood this time round. All the actors and actresses have grown up - Dudley aka Dudders is not as pudgy as the 1st movie where Hagrid gave him a pig tail and Uncle Vernon looks way way older now too.

Grawp (Hagrid's half brother looks much cuter than I had imagined/pictured in my mind when I read the book). The book itself describes everything in more detail than the movie can ever portray, the scenes from the books were played out/pictured in my mind as I read each book. The movie serves as a visual feast where my visual senses perceive and the mind processes the information - all different and yet the same.
Luna Lovegood managed to be portrayed as described in the book and of course, Lord Voldermot has got more screen time this time round. Bellatrix Lestrange played by the actress whom I recalled played the mother to Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I seem to be rambling in no particular sequence and this whole entry today a collection of my thoughts as it flows.

Ok, I can't wait to collect my book 7 next Saturday and I hope I am amongst the first 5000 who pre-ordered where I may get to receive a special edition bag and mug ;-)

The D.U.R.I.A.N

2007-07-12T07:04:00.000+08:00

First of all, apologise for not writing any entries for the past 4 days - I have been down with fever, cough etc & do not have the energy /the sufficient mental energy to spare to blog. This morning I had to wake up at 5.30a.m. to go to work. Why? It's because hubby has a conference call at 7a.m. - imagine, you are still in the process of recovery and you do not have sufficient rest? The lack of sleep/rest got me feeling all feverish again
:( My sharing of learning points from the Medici training will have to wait till I am feeling stronger.

Let me do something light today or not (hee hee), anyone of you a big fan of the king of fruits, "the Durian"? I am - last night father-in-law bought lots of yummy meaty durians - the aromas filled and awaken all my senses (my keen sense of smell dulled by blocked nose etc for the past few days). Now picture this, every bite you take will fill your mouth cavity with soft, moist golden flesh of the fruit ... mmmm.... take a minute to savour the wonderful texture, let the fragrance of the durian linger and then swallow ... it will satisfy just about anyone.
(picture above left - this is how the durian fruit looks like, for those of you who may not be familiar ;-) )

Hee hee, you would have thought I was the one enjoying a tasty and fulfilling meal - feasting on durians but Nooooooooo ... I am still not feeling well so no durians for me
:( This is so frustrating ... can smell, can see, can reach out for it but cannot consume.

Transformers - More than meets the eye

2007-07-07T12:17:00.000+08:00

We reached Cineleisure at about 6.45 p.m. and basically trying our luck to see whether we may be able to purchase tickets for the Transformers movie starting at 6.50 p.m.(online booking indicated that it's fully booked). We were lining up and at the same time constantly monitoring the screen i.e. Transformers @ 6.50 p.m. selling fast (blinking, blinking and if it turns red i.e. sold out, we may as well leave and watch it another day). We reached the counter at about 7.05 p.m., enquired how long has passed since the show started? Only 5 minutes? Ok, we'll take two tickets - 2nd row from the front.

I am only accompanying hubby to watch this and who would expect, I was squealing and ooh aahings at the fabulous graphics - whenever the AUTOBOTS transform. Very quickly the movie ended and at the end of the movie, only two things bothering my mind i.e. if they really take to long to transform - a bit unconvincing coz the DECEPTECONS can shoot and kill first before AUTOBOTS even fully transform & if Megatron wants the cube so much, I am sure he will be immune to it but it killed him in the end. Why? It's because Sam held it too near his chest? But even if Megatron got hold of the cube, he himself may also most likely grip the cube with his arms at it'll also be somewhere chest level. Anyway, questions aside, as I was so captivated by the way the robots transforms, am thinking now to get one Optimus Prime (pretty sure in future will be a collector's item) also a great visual for hubby and my future sons (if any). Now I wonder, whether they'll have a movie made out of the Beastwars series ;-)

Pre-view to A world of Medici & Transformers

2007-07-06T23:14:00.000+08:00

Just came back from a fun and exciting training (Medici) today at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara followed by a short shopping excursion (to pick up the dress that I have been eyeing and miraculously found the size I needed & that is why you need to bring a shopping buddy other than your spouse :-P) and ended with watching hubby's to watch list movie i.e. "The Transformers" (famous tag line - more than meets the eye). I am just so excited that I just want to give a very short preview here. I will blog about these 2 experiences separately as I wish to do both a justice, as such I shan't make a shoddy job tonight - so tomorrow then, after a night's rest :-)

Have I changed a lot???

2007-07-05T10:28:00.000+08:00

What tickles me is when I received a message or two via friendster recently - they took a long time to figure out who I am thus taking so long to add me as a friend. There's this two guys from SJI that I interact often (Librarian Board and Christian Fellowship) when I was in Form 6 and yet they cannot recognise me :-p The picture on my profile is one of my favourite (taken during my pre-wedding photo shoot ) - I'm in the front smiling at the camera and my hubby is in the background. Why did I choose this particular photo? At least if and when friends cannot recognise me under the make-up, they can recognise my forever youthful looking & handsome hubby ;-)

A day gone awry- ever had one?

2007-07-03T21:56:00.000+08:00

Today is one of those days that I would call an unproductive day and all efforts and hours spent over the weekend analysing some data gone to waste. At about 5p.m., found out that it can be done with relative ease and if I had help last Friday (IT assistance), I would have been able to enjoy my weekend. The last straw, when I got home found out that I have misplaced something important. Sure felt like a loser today
:( and very much an Going to bed soon and hope tomorrow all things will be right as rain again.

In the pink of health

2007-07-02T18:37:00.000+08:00

Today, I went for my first full medical check up since my last pre-employment (4 years ago), the Doctor certified me to be in the pink of health except because of family history, I will need to watch my cholesterol level. No more Bak Kut Teh (BKT), nasi lemak, KFCs (without the skin - should be fine says Dr), shellfish (I only take prawns, crabs etc). *Sigh* when hubby craves for his BKT he'll have to eat on his own while I order other types of food. This signifies the end of my favourite foods i.e. fast food of any kinds and must start on oats, cereals that will help reduce the bad cholesterols. My fainting spell was caused by low blood pressure - nothing serious. The Doc has a great sense of humour i.e. fainting/dizzy spells won't kill me but the fall would - so in future, if I feel dizzy, squat down or lie down (no matter where I am) ... people will laugh but never mind because they will also laugh if I faint right out. Since he has good sense of humour, when I go for my next check up - will ask for him also. ;-) Just checked the hospital's website, he's a cardiologist - hee hee, better heed his advice then but won't be asking for him ... touch wood :-p

Today was also my first encounter with a gynaecologist, insisted on a female gynaecologist for my pap smear (yup, guilty coz was supposed to do first pap smear last year). My verdict, I will be utterly embarrassed if it was a male gynaecologist, a bit uncomfortable coz prodded here and there, need getting used to - do not know the results yet until next week. Just wondering aloud, how often should a pap smear be done, every two years, three? Searching the web now ... found this link (if you would like to read more) - it should be done every year if you are sexually active.

Tag : SAHM or FTWM

2007-07-01T21:15:00.000+08:00

Since I am tagged by Cheryl on this topic i.e. to be a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) or a FTWM (Full Time Working Mother) let me put down my thoughts down below and weigh the positive and negative of each. I have not really gave this much thought before this.

1) In one of my earlier entries, I have written my thoughts on motherhood, at our current income level, we may not be able to give our child a head start, thus I will choose to be FTWM.

2) In Malaysia, the price of child care and option to employ a maid are affordable options, my choice will still be FTWM.

3) I also grew up with my mom being a SAHM but there are limitations here namely financial freedom, choice is still FTWM.

4) A SAHM will of course have the luxury of seeing the changes in our children on a constant basis, but if a FTWM have the luxury of having her parents of parents-in-law care for their child, it would also be a favourable arrangement. And FTWM can invest in technology i.e. web cam, 3G handphones or what not to monitor and keep in touch with her treasure :-)

5) It is only fair, for a woman to contribute to improving the economic status of family (own, parents etc.) and country. So FTWM again.

6) If I am living elsewhere i.e. where childcare costs vis-à-vis my income and doing the math will be more expensive, I will be a SAHM. But if that is not the case, it'll be FTWM.

7) A FTWM can also exert positive influence on her children if she is able to manage/balance a career and be an attentive mother. It is not how much time spent per se but the perception of your child, how involved you are in their life, studies etc. (hee hee, my thesis was something along this line i.e. perception of maternal parenting behaviour, academic achievement etc.)

8) Although once in a while, I will tell hubby I want to be SAHM but I am not 100% sure I can stand being idle. I am not saying that being a SAHM is any less challenging, I guess, I would like to have a meaningful career and when I have reached the stage that I feel that I have achieved something in life, I may opt then to be SAHM.

*****Instructions*****
i) If you are given a choice, SAHM or FTWM? Give at least 3 reasons.

ii) Include your name in the thread below

iii) Tag 3 person

List:
Immomsdaughter prefers to be a SAHM
Miche prefers to be a SAHM.
Msau prefers to be a PTWM.
Everydayhealy prefers to be a SAHM.
Jazzmint prefers FTWM.
Cheryl prefers to be a FTWM but will consider SAHM.

Just Cheryl prefers to be FTWM

3 persons to tag:

Woan Jiun - no one else to tag leh (u can fulfil 3 tags with one post) ;-)
MomofHayward - thanks for reading my blog ;-)

Tutiger - thanks for reading my blog ;-)

Countdown to the Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2

2007-07-01T11:34:00.000+08:00

Someone read somewhere on the web that there's a leak on the story line and told me that the 2 persons that will perish in book 7 will be Hxxxxx and Hxxxxxxx - please let it not be true ... It's only 20 days more to the book's release. If that is true I should be going home straight to my own home to read the book, else my parents will be wondering why in the world their daughter is crying while reading :-P

My nephews and nieces are still too young to appreciate HP books ... but come to think of it, I have been devouring stories of Nancy Drew, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Malory Towers, St. Claire’s and all titles of Enid Blyton's books when I am at their age ... must be the lure of the playstations, pokemons ... for these younger generations.

Stay at home weekends and a little shopping yesterday

2007-06-30T13:55:00.000+08:00

My favourite pastime on a Saturday is to stay at home and curl up with a good book or two. Today I am reading Susan Elizabeth Phillips' Marry Me If You Can (only half done as of now - will finish in an hour or two). I sort of like speed read books as long as they are light readings and do not require a lot of thinking, digesting and rationalising. Since I read quite fast, I tend to borrow 3-5 books every time I visit this shop in central market. I will ask my colleague to go thereabouts for lunch and drop by to pick and rent some books. The last batch I read, I liked it so much so that it has passed the 1 month only rental period. These books by Lisa Kleypas held my attention. Other than her, I love Jane Feather, Virginia Henley, Susan Elizabeth Phillips and many more or I should say any romantic novels. The books that I do purchase would be Harry Potter series, Roald Dahl - can share with my nephews and nieces and my future babies ;-) .Do not be judging me just by my reading materials :-p , I am no light head ... just that when I pick up a book to read for relaxation, I would prefer something that does not use/require much brain power so I can have some down time ....

Yesterday had a great time after work - shopping with a colleague. I was supposed to go to pick up some Harry Potter movie tickets but I was too early ... mixed up the dates, it'll only start next week. Never mind, I bought one gorgeous black evening dress, tube type with tiny straps (if I want to use them) with flair flouncy skirt and a cute bow in the middle. I loved it so much and thank goodness they had my size, other than that 2 nice tops and another dress suitable for work. When I got home and in the midst of sorting and putting away the goodies in the wardrode, hubby couldn't help but commented that I went on a spending spree. Once in a while honey, I need to add some new ones to my working attire - else it'll be a bore already (to others and myself included).

I love buying evening dresses, my motto - buy one when I see something I like and suits me. It is a much better tactic then tearing my hair to look for one when an occasion to dress up crops up and I just have to settle for something that's only so so (may be overpriced too if there's no discounts/ or sales going on) and I cannot wear one that I have worn before when it involves the same crowd. It's different for a man; same black pants with a different shirt will do the trick.
This is a dress I bought yesterday - gorgeous isn't it? :-)

Of Handphones & gadgets

2007-06-29T08:07:00.000+08:00

I am amazed and puzzled (more puzzled than amazed) how my hubby can spend long hours researching on the web the latest handphones or gadgets that he is considering to buy ... ok, maybe I do understand just a wee bit, I spent hours pouring through the Malaysiabrides forum and countless websites for more info on wedding gowns, bridal studio etc. but it is only a phase and it has an end date/period. For hubby, it is sort of ongoing ... Apple's iPhone (he has been diligently following the latest updates on the said phone even before its release), Motorola's latest model etc.

For me, when it comes to purchasing such gadgets - most likely I will visit the store and look through the models and make a purchase :-P Maybe, just maybe this is not the right method to buy gadgets. I bought my Sony mp3 player just end of last year, last week or two weeks ago when I went window shopping - they came out with a new model - so much nicer and they have them in pink as well. I am in a dilemma now, should I or should I not buy a new one? The one that I am having, the armband (when I go to gym) is loose now and they do not have any stock left. I may be contemplating now - then one day, voila, some inspiration gets me going (or some stress/pressure) and I may just drop by Sony Style and just get myself one. They have another new one that plays videos as well ... (picture above left)

On top of that, I am thinking also to buy my very own digital camera - so many things, so little $$. Well, maybe I should do more research first and prioritise which one is more critical to purchase in the order of need. To top it all, my handphone is giving me some signs of malfunction *sigh*

Of Birthdays ..presents and gifts...

2007-06-28T17:18:00.000+08:00

Today, I would like to wish all my friends whose birthdays falls between end of June and July a very Happy Birthday :-)

Get free graphics at BlingyBlob.com!

January and July are the two busiest months for me. Let me tell you why ....

January - small nephew's birthday, hubby's birthday, eldest brother's birthday, 3rd brother's birthday and a few close pal(s)

July - nephew's birthday, 2nd brother's birthday and a few close pal(s)

In my opinion, the worst month for me in terms of expenditure for presents etc. would be January because Christmas is a month before and Valentines (definitely) and Chinese Lunar New Year (most likely) falls the month after in February. Nowadays I have picked up a habit of buying presents for Christmas/birthdays early i.e. whenever there are good bargains.

For this coming Christmas, I have already purchased the presents for my 5 adorable nephews and nieces as early as last month (great bargains/discounts @ Toys R Us -Avenue K). *wink* ;-) hee hee, talk about kiasu-ism ...

Tagged - Eight (8) random facts about myself

2007-06-27T21:59:00.000+08:00

Just found out got tagged by Woan Jiun and this being my maiden tag, not exactly sure what to do but I will try my best ;-) After reading WJ's post, sort of figured out how to go about, so here goes. First I will state the rules of the game/tag as follows:-

i) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

ii) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

iii) At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.

iv) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

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

Eight facts about me are as listed below in no particular order:-

Ichi (1) - I dislike my chinese name since young after countless merciless teasing. In mandarin and hokkien (my mother tongue) it sounds like curry (not to say I dislike curry one bit). There were other nicknames that I do care to repeat again. I prefer to introduce myself as Cheryl & thank goodness my daddy had the sense to put it in my birth cert thus giving me a legitimate choice to insist to be called Cheryl.

Ni (2) - I did not instantly fall in love with my hubby when we were classmates - in fact, dread the fact that I was getting attracted to him because there was this other girl (my classmate as well) who were gaga over him and her close buddies also gave me a hard time

San (3) - I became a librarian in school for the privileged use of the locker. The added perk(s) - hubby was the Head Librarian. But as listed in (2) above, I became one not because of him :-p

She (4) - I have a driving license but I cannot drive or rather do not dare to drive in KL. I keep dreaming that I will crash into the traffic lights.

Go (5) - I can't believe that I am with my current organisation coming to 4 years now

Roku (6) - I have been told I am not good at disguising my feelings/emotions (can read me like a book). Recently improved coz when my mentor told me something, I did not show any emotion and he was like, you know already? Nope, I didn't know beforehand.

Shichi (7) - I hate washing dishes and ironing clothes. So I bring my clothes home to my mummy's maid to iron and as for the dishes, take turns with hubby to wash them when I do cook.

Hachi (8) - The things that I used to want to own (Swatch watch, Baby-G's by Casio), now that I can afford it (years ago)- it no longer matters. Or in other words, requirements change as I grow older.

There, first "tagged" done and I am passing this on to

Vivian, Sze & Naomi (a fellow forum member and chat mate from Malaysiabrides forum)
Ann - The unexpressed (pal from school)

This is a clothes tag removed from my one and only Paul Frank garment & I'm falling in love with Julius and his friends (so kawaii). Saw some button badges at Avenue K with this cute monkey and bought 8 of them.

My take on music

2007-06-27T10:11:00.000+08:00

I am probably one of the few human ignorant of the latest happenings in all things related to music. Any new music that I catch on will be either through the radio - about an hour (accumulative in a day) or when hubby plays songs from his ThinkPad at night. Not often though that song he plays will be easy on my ears - I am partial to loud music unless I have acquired a liking to a particular song/singer. Remembered the first album that he let me listen to years ago - Oasis, I have trouble getting past the 3rd song of that album; either I will fall asleep or abort further attempts. My choice of easy listening music is something that would not leave me with a mind numbing or throbbing headache and I listen to Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, English songs as well as instrumental/classical music.

The ones that I do not have trouble understand the lyrics in its entirety would be songs in the English language. I am one of those that people will call a "banana", yellow skinned but far more westernised on the inside i.e. beliefs/culture. Yup, I do watch Japanese animes/ Korean dramas and such but with English subtitles and even Chinese movies (I read the English subtitles once in a while). I can comprehend quite an extensive array of mandarin (my Cantonese and hokkien far better), but when the need arises I will feign ignorance of the mandarin language especially when I receive phone calls and the first thing I am asked is whether I understand mandarin - I will reply that I can't in English. *Sigh* one time I got caught coz I replied in mandarin that I do not understand, got caught by the lady on the other line, you just replied my question in mandarin right? My smart comeback was - yes, but that's only a few words - so what is this all about? (that being said with a fake put on accent).

Let me list down my favourite singers (in no particular order):
i) Jay Chou 周杰倫
ii) Eason Chan 陳奕迅
iii) Hirai Ken
iv) Michael Buble
v) Chyi Yu
vi) Ronan Keating
vii) Takeshi Kaneshiro 金城武
viii) Ray Boltz (gospel singer)
ix) Others - certain songs only such as Jolin Tsai 蔡依林, Lee Hom Wang 王力宏, Robbie Williams etc.

You may find a resemblance in all the above singers that I favour - all of them have soothing voices. Before I forget, I am also a big fan of oldies i.e. songs by Carpenters, Beatles :-)

When you're gone

2007-06-26T10:59:00.000+08:00

Yesterday evening, saw the music video of Avril Lavigne's When You're Gone - the lyrics plus the graphics made my eyes glistened with tears - hubby saw the tell tale sign and warned me not to cry :-p Why? That's because I am in the living room of my parents-in-law's home. Well, we have broached this topic before and I forbid him to precede me in this matter. I am making sure in all ways possible to make sure he is well supplemented with vitamins and all kinds of fruits that he fancies.

Maybe, this is one of the reasons he forbids me to have pets of any kind coz I'll cry my eyes and heart out. Nevermind, hubby you can always buy me pets in electronic form - better still if it is like our adopted panda here on this very blog (On On will not perish even if we do not feed her).

Take a look at the lyrics below, Avril sings it beautifully & plus the video (absolutely heart wrenching). Just asked hubby for more of her songs this very morning.

Avril Lavigne's When You're Gone Lyrics

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I'm alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side
When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]
When you're gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you're gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you're gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day and make it ok
I miss you

I've never felt this way before
Everything that I do reminds me of you
And the clothes you left, they lie on the floor
And they smell just like you, I love the things that you do
When you walk away I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now

[Chorus]

We were made for each other
Out here foreverI know we were, yeah
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I'd do, I'd give my heart and soul
I can hardly breathe I need to feel you here with me, yeah

[Chorus]

Obtained the above lyrics from Wikipedia.

A feast at Jogoya

2007-06-25T16:33:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday, finally met up with 3 school mates including one that I have not seen since 10 years ago and she has same first name as me - Cheryl. We arranged to meet at Jogoya, Starhill - my choice because Ann likes it there, Cheryl is ok with the venue as well and it'll be Huey Yin's 1st time @ Jogoya.

Ann picked me up from my humble abode and we reached Starhill at about 5.45p.m., since it was still early, we stopped by Kanebo to enquire about their opening hours - Kanebo will be the venue for my pampering outing with Ann in July. We strolled the galleries on the top floor and went down to the Relish floor soon after - we were eagerly waiting for Cheryl to appear - since we have not seen her for ages, not sure whether we'll be able to recognise her. Well, she didn't have any problem at all & recognised us at sight (that means both Ann and myself did not change that much :-) ) and to us, she looks fabulous and radiant well in her 7th month of pregnancy. Wow, I do hope that I will look like that when I am expecting.

We started the buffet first and Huey Yin joined us about an hour later - in between savouring the delectable offerings/spread they have there - we enquired about each others current affairs. What I rediscovered, both Cheryl's have quite similar likes and dislikes when it comes to food except she loves fish and I am only in the tolerable state when it comes to fish dishes (steamed, cooked or raw). We do not particularly favour oysters, escargots, octopus etc. and we left it to Ann and Huey Yin to eat our shares worth while we sampled the cheesecakes and sweet delights. The thing that piques our curiosity is the fact that they cook the soup right at our table in a container, shaped to hold the liquid & its goodies and it is made of paper/paper-like material. At the very end, we could not resist and tried tearing a small piece just to see the layers of the said paper.

The picture's with Ann and I will post the picture here once I get from her.

All in all, it’s a great night out and we should be planning another at year end. By then, we will get to meet Cheryl's baby boy ;-)

Anime craze - part 1

2007-06-24T01:16:00.000+08:00

My anime addiction started in year 2005 after moving in to our own home. Prior to that whenever my hubby watches his favourite anime - either Bleach or Naruto, I'll be surfing the web, playing pinball on his computer or just lazing around at his parents home. The first Japanese anime series that I am exposed to is Naruto - it was still the season of fillers before the current Naruto Shippuuden. Prior to that, I do watch animes by Hayao Miyazaki such as Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away etc. Since that day, the day I sat down and for once completed the whole episode, I am a certified anime fan from then onwards.

My favourite anime by far is still Naruto - I'm intrigued by the life of a shinobi. Naruto the main character is a special person - anyone who comes into contact with him becomes his friend no matter how brief the contact/manner of contact. It may be his grit and determination to help someone and see things through. Naruto was born in Konoha village during the time of turmoil i.e. when the kyuubi attacked Konoha. The Hokage at the point of time was Yondaime (i.e. Yon means number 4 in japanese thus Yondaime means the fourth hokage). Yondaime managed to defeat the kyuubi (a monster with 9 tails - the more the number of tails the more powerful it is) and sealed the kyuubi in a baby - more specifically baby Naruto. Yondaime died soon after that and the previous hokage i.e. came out of retirement and resumed the Hokage position. Sandaime (Sarutobi) gave a directive that no one is to mention that Naruto has the kyuubi sealed in him. Albeit the directive, parents of other children shunned Naruto and their children without knowing the reason followed. It was a trying and lonely time for Naruto growing up alone - he is an orphan, in the process of growing up suffered being shunned by society. Slowly through his hardwork and determination, he wins them over one by one. One important point on Naruto, the boy's ambition is to become a Hokage when he grows up and he trains very hard to get stronger (also to save his best friend Sasuke from evil Sannin, Orochimaru).

When Naruto enters the Shinobi school, he is placed in the same team as Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. Their sensei is the Copy ninja of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi. Kakashi by far is my favourite anime character of all - he is described as a genious, a ninja of a thousand jutsus. He spots an ever present face mask that covers the lower half of his face thus remains a mystery of how he actually looks like without the mask (use your imagination).

Other than watching the anime, I am also an avid fanfiction reader of kakashi & sakura (picture on the left) pairing ;-)

The other animes that I am watching now with hubby would be Bleach - the main character being Kurosaki Ichigo. The ones that we have completed would be Full Metal Alchemist and Mushishi. Hubby watched the Samurai Champloo alone because it was too gory for my taste. Lastly, there is one anime that I am waiting to purchase once it is available in KL - Makoto Shinkai's Byousoku 5 cm. I saw the preview and it being an anime with a romantic theme, it should be worth the wait, at least for me. Click here for the link to preview ;-)

Try it out on your own photos

2007-06-22T18:13:00.000+08:00

Came across this cute option, go on & try it out ;-) (click here)

Turn your photo into a jigsaw puzzle

As a display at galleries to be admired

My favourite yet - distort photos & turning them into wonderful artistic spheres

Distortion of buildings - Sydney opera house, lighhouse in Victoria & Sydney downtown buildings

Distortion of nature - tree, sunrise and polar bears

An embarrassing moment

2007-06-21T11:23:00.000+08:00

Yesterday the most embarrassing thing happened - I was attending a health talk (in the office premises) and I blacked out, fell off the chair and bumped my head on the wall. I left the talk and my colleague had to assist me since I’m wobbly on my feet. As I neared my office, nearly blacked out again - a gentleman came to help as well, but I don’t know who (since I was not attuned to my surroundings then). *Sigh* so embarrassing - although I am not a public figure, I do conduct training once in a while and attend meetings with staff from other departments. I do hope things will be soon forgotten (& very quickly too - I hope). Through this incident, found out that a lot of people do care for me :-) - a caring colleague from the next department came to me with ointments etc. I guess I gave them all a fright, I was told I looked frightfully pale even under all the foundation and blusher. The last I experienced the same was during the orientation week @ university years ago.

A bevy of movies

2007-06-20T07:17:00.000+08:00

Feeling very excited this morning - just heard over the radio, premier of the Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix will be on 10th July. Even, if I am unable to obtain tickets - it'll only be matters of days/week(s) before I get to catch the movie :-) . Other movies that we have been looking forward to: Transformers, The Simpsons and Pixar's Ratatouille. Just checked the Cinema Online - Ratatouille will only be shown in August, we are betting on it to be a bone tickler (our funny bones).

In our to watch list:
end June/ early July - Transformers (click here for the link to watch the Transformers trailer)
mid-July - Harry Potter & the Order of Phoenix (click here for the link to watch the HP trailer)
end-July - The Simpsons (I love them - duh ... click here for the link to watch the Simpsons trailer)
August - Ratatouille (click here for the link to watch the Ratatouille trailer)

Our preference's quite diverse except I do not and will not and shall not watch scary movies. When everyone is raving on one particular movie - I borrowed from someone and watched it - fast forwarding all "scary" parts just to know the gist of the story :-p

Good ol' schooldays

2007-06-19T08:38:00.000+08:00

How much is the doggy in the window? The one with the waggily tail … and so the song goes. Me and my pals - when we were in lower secondary, we’d be extremely happy/excited whenever the main events for assembly wraps up quickly and we get to sings songs such as the above (led by beloved Mrs Abraham). Amongst other songs that we used to sing will be a song about

spaghettis and meatballs, a song about a farmer in a dell (can’t remember exactly) but the tempo gets faster and faster as the song progresses – it was all great fun.

Now I recall, the song goes:
The farmer’s in the dell
The farmer’s in the dell
High ho O merry O the farmer’s in the dell

Yikes, that’s all that I can manage to jog from my memory (a good 14/15 years ago

;-P). Today’s entry is to capture this happy memory … before I forget even more as time goes by.

Hang on for ten minutes

2007-06-18T20:23:00.000+08:00

Today is one of those days in which I will ask myself this question - whether I should be holding my tongue? Well, a lot of times depending on situations - not learning to hold your tongue in check may land you in hot soup. I am usually not argumentative but when situations calls for my assertive side to be more pronounced - I will do just that. We read the following from a book called "Drop The Pink Elephant" a gift from my brother one X'mas. Roughly one portion says, when you are in a situation where you are about to reply an e-mail in anger, hold on for a while (lets say 10 minutes) i.e. hang on and do not click on the send button to shoot the e-mail that you have been furiously typing away!!! . It is something that hubby and I try to apply in our e-mail writing/replies as well as prior to voicing out our thoughts because in the heat of the moment, actions taken by you may unwittingly land yourself in bigger problems than when you first receive e-mails/hear of remarks/statements that does little to complement you or far from the truth.

So, remember to practise take 10, have the facts ready/ recollect your wits prior to taking the next step and especially do not react when your emotions' in turmoil.

Coffee 1,2,3

2007-06-17T21:43:00.000+08:00

A coffee connoisseur I am not but I do consume quite a fair bit of coffee everyday. Let's see, I start my day in the office with a cup of Aik Cheong black coffee. If I am having breakfast with colleagues, depending on the venue - if it is the cafeteria I will have my usual cup of "Nescafe see" or Nescafe with a little bit of sugar and evaporated milk - once in a while we will indulge in coffee and toast at O’Briens. Second cup of coffee will be consumed during lunch time (if I have my food at certain kopitiam near my office, I'll most likely be having white coffee). If I don't, I may have my second cup at about 4 or 5 p.m. (Aik Cheong again) when I need a little pick me up else it'll be Nescafe or O'Briens during evening 'yum cha' with colleagues after work. Last cup of coffee for the day will be a nice hot mug of Nescafe gold - introduced hubby to this and now he doesn't quite care for the normal Nescafe anymore.
On weekends, we may indulge in a nice cuppa coffee made with the coffee maker - since this is an indulgence, I'll prepare on weekends only accompanied by pancakes and half boiled eggs (hubby's favourite breakfast combination).

Today, we picked up a packet of Coffee Bean's Colombia Narino from KLCC after our shopping. Quite a fruitful day - our first stop was Corus Hotel for the Clarks warehouse sale - today is the last day, a lot of designs that we favour - our shoe sizes no longer available. We went on to KLCC next, and I am very pleased with myself. Why you may ask? Finally managed to convince hubby to buy a new pair of shoes - something comfy at 50% off. As for me, the first shirt I pulled out from the stack is just so adorable (Nike baby tee) - I just have to purchase it. My other stop was La Senza - they are having a promotion 3 pairs of brassiere for RM129. I like La Senza quite a fair bit coz it's comfy :-)

Now a brief write up on the newly purchased coffee, the Colombia Narino is cultivated in the state of Narino, the premier growing region of Colombia, this coffee is hand-picked by workers at privately owned family farms who take great pride in their production, preparation and grading of each coffee.
This particular one (pictured above) is described as having a full, creamy body with well-balanced flavour and full, rich aroma. The aroma is so inviting but as it is quite late now I shall resist the temptation and have my usual gold – Nescafe Gold; else I may be counting sheep while my hubby's in dreamland ;-P

Quiet Reflection

2007-06-16T14:34:00.000+08:00

I have been blogging for more than half a month - how am I holding up? Quite well except when I look into the number of page views - it's only an average of 46 page views per day over the past 7 days. *Sigh* I guess I may have to abandon hopes of ever qualifying for getting paid for blogging. ;-P

I have much to write about but what would readers be interested in - not fictitious in origin (that's quite certain). I have the intention that this blog will be a place where my friends can find out the latest of my whereabouts and well-being in general; and when and if they have their own -to share as well - it'll be a form of communication albeit not direct in nature. I have recently done my MBTI profiling after a long interval - can't be certain whether it is still similar with the first in all 4 aspects, the only facet that I remember and still stand true to the recent one - I am definitely an introvert. Many times introversion is viewed with or comes with a negative connotation and it shouldn't. I love the way my colleague paraphrase it i.e. extroverts is flashy in ways of sharing all aspects of himself/herself & very quickly and in no time will be stark naked whilst the introverts will take time to reveal himself/herself to you (more mysterious too). You can click on this link to read more about the characteristics most frequently associated with the 16 MBTI types/profile. My closer friends will attest to this too :-) . I keep a smaller circle of friends with whom I am more transparent to and meaningful friendship is formed (they know I deeply care for them in my quiet and unobtrusive ways).

In this respect my hubby will be the one that I am most transparent to (but he still finds difficulties - being a man, not as attuned to ways in which ladies react in certain situations). We strive to have an open and honest communication at all times and I tend to be brutally honest with him at times too. To him - I am certainly not quiet and in almost any topics (except programming languages, latest electronic gadgets and music) - I am otherwise quite informed and am able to challenge him intellectually. I am comforted with the knowledge that I can keep up with hubby and follow his witty jokes and remarks - it is something that we both enjoy although sometimes when his teasing becomes too much - I may be upset & pout a little.

I feel that it is always beneficial to know more about one's own self - what are your psychological workings etc. . I have a great interest in all things related to this matter be it scientific & non-scientific (Chinese astrophysics) etc. Whenever, I learn of new tools for profiling from work - I will share them with hubby too and the reasoning given to him - if you know yourself better, you will know the pattern in which you react to certain external stimuli/situation thus can be in more control of situations when it occurs or keep one's self in check before re-acting in ways that may bear less than favourable consequences. Yup, I am also cross referencing with 7 Habits - you yourself will choose whether you want to be pro-active or re-active to environmental stimulus/situations. There will be things you can change and then there are things you cannot alter i.e. outside of your circle of influence. This is the reason I chose to name my blog Cheryl's Circle of Influence - it is within my control what I fancy to write. If you have not had the chance to come across 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I would hereby like to encourage you to pick it up from the nearest bookstore, library etc.

In due time I will post more graphics and learn scrapbooking to create a more lively blog - pictures do tell a thousand words (my nephew will regret the moment that I managed to snap a photo of him in his Batman suit, although he loves it now coz he was 5 yrs old at that point of time, he may not be as keen in future for the photo to be shown). At the time being, the most convenient camera is my trusted Sony Ericsson handphone ... will invest in one handy and high resolution camera soon.

Weddings - flowers, corsages, car decorations

2007-06-14T22:30:00.000+08:00

Besides the big items to prepare for your wedding - car decoration, hand bouquet and corsages (groom & family members) are just as important. Standard packages bundled with wedding portraits usually come with ribbons only without flowers or cute cuddly bears. Since we agreed to use our own car and to do without the usual bridal car for rentals, hubby agreed to splurge just a little on car deco, hand bouquet and corsages (corsages may be small but they do wonders for photos - adding colours and a breath of freshness). We bought ours from Wishing Tree. Again, the most important tip - communication. Let the florist know what you have in mind - what type of flowers, the do's and don'ts in terms of colour combinations and budget ;-)

Above left (hand bouquet for wedding day); centre (cute teddy bears from Memory Lane) & above right (hand bouquet for pre-wedding potrait)

Above (bridal car decorated with flowers, teddy bears & lots of beautiful organzas)

KG (if you ever happen to read this post) - THANKS (谢谢) for taking the above pictures (except above right). I would say both you and my best chum Ann did a much better job than the hired photographer (Important note:- This is not the same photographer that I have been praising in earlier posts).

Gym - A matter of discipline

2007-06-14T07:57:00.000+08:00

Just wondering, how many people out there faces similar 'challenges' when it comes to one's discipline of going to the gym regularly? Last year, signed up with a gym prior to my wedding ceremony, however, I am finding it difficult to be going diligently on a weekly basis. Doing the math - it'll be "monies worth" if I go at least 3 times or more in a week. Is that even possible? As it is, I am already feeling tired and lethargic after a day's work - yup, although I do feel somewhat refreshed after a work out but the very next day my muscles will cause me much discomfort (depending on how far I push myself @ the gym).

It would be ideal if there is a gym buddy that serves as a support i.e. drag me along especially when I am supplying myself with 'why nots'. I have yet to be at the gym in time when the 'Body Balance' class is on - the branch that I go to, the timing's just not right - be it too early or late at night. Before joining the gym, used to attend yoga class near my parents’ home - got dismissed from class because half the time I had to skip class due to work commitments.

Other attempts at exercising - doing household chores (the only one I can keep to) :-) there's also an exercise equipment at home courtesy of my dad (yeah, yeah - got the hint, both my mom and dad sings the same tune) ... just thinking aloud, would it help if I have a puppy to bring for walks every evening? I have to sell this idea to my hubby and my parents - then maybe, just maybe I can own a dog again. I am totally nuts bout dogs; you can see my face instantly beaming when I see puppies/ dogs.

A matter concerning school bags

2007-06-13T07:45:00.000+08:00

Since last Sunday, I have been visiting various shopping complexes just to find a suitable and durable school bag for my dear nephew whose bag is in tatters after just one school term. The specifications would be trolley bags with sturdy handle and wheels, material that can withstand rough handling, cartoon characters suitable for boys et cetera. First of all, we had no idea 'how expensive' school bags can be (we'll be able to relate if it is for a Samsonite laptop bag etc.) and so we went to Parkson followed by Mines Shopping Fair on Sunday hoping we can chance upon a reasonably priced one. The choices available were Mickey Mouse, Barney, Doraemon, Winnie the Pooh, Swan brand bags (in which I have an aversion to - I may tell the story later) - price ranges from RM30 (Swan) to the most expensive of RM99. The best that we have seen that day would the Doraemon bag (sturdy handle and wheels, material looks hardy plus I called to check with my nephew - he likes the blue cat). Since we wanted to check out whether we can find bags with Thomas the Train or Bob the Builder, we did not make a purchase that day.

Yesterday after work, we went to MidValley - visited Jusco, Toys R Us and Metrojaya and choices available were Bob the Builder (last one), Mickey Mouse, Tom & Jerry, Barney, Sponge Bob Squarepants (Metro - last one as well), lots of Spiderman 3 bags - price ranges from RM79.99 to the most expensive of RM159 (Spidey) – wow that much for a school bag? Is it really worth the amount? Will it last a term, two mayhap 3? In the end, we went back to Parkson to pick up the Doraemon bag - best in terms it meets all requirements for now, I will update at a later date on the durability ;-) .

My Thoughts On Motherhood

2007-06-12T07:36:00.000+08:00

I have been an aunt for about 7 years now (when my eldest nephew turns 7 next month) - I would like to think I am a wonderful aunt to my cute nieces and nephews - fun, loving and a "Santa Claus" every now and then; but I am just not as sure of myself when it comes to my own brood in the future. When I am just an aunt, I do discipline my nieces and nephews (5 of 'em) whenever I come across behaviours that requires gentle reprimand but when I do become a mother, I am not sure whether I would be entirely too strict for my child's comfort and growth.

There are a lot of things that I worry about when the thought of child bearing and rearing comes to mind - how will I fair as a mother? Motherhood requires a lot of commitment - both monetary and otherwise. My hubby and I would like to provide our children with a head start or at least the means/basics to compete with the rest of generation Y (not sure whether it'll still be gen-Y, else it'll be gen-Z by then). Cost of living and education is increasing in leaps and bounds - would our level of income be able to warrant them a head start? This question keeps revolving in my mind - my gut feel is no however I cannot afford to put off motherhood that much longer as I'll be pushing 30 soon. *Sigh* When I do share pictures of "mini me and hubby" in the future; you can then say that I have found an answer - else it'll be the worse case scenario, I have to because I have crossed the 3rd decade mark of my life thus cannot delay any further.

I am very proud of my friends who are mothers now and when the time comes - I can be proud of myself too.

Sea World (how I wish I am one of the trainers there)

2007-06-11T22:15:00.000+08:00

Photos taken at Sea Worlds (Australia and United States). You will see dolphins at both Sea Worlds but the Orca only in San Diego (I have yet to visit others to be entirely sure and I'll definitely share more pictures when I do).
;-)

May 2007 - Sea World, Gold Coast, Australia

December 2004 - Sea World, San Diego, Unites States

* An Orca/Killer Whale gave birth to a baby Orca named Kalia on Dec 21st, 2004

Sunrise in Australia

2007-06-10T22:44:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to share pictures of beautiful sunrise captured from the balcony of our hotel room at Courtyard Surfers Paradise Resort on 2 different occasions but both equally mesmerising. Just arm me with a camera and I may be a shutterbug in the making ;-)

Sharing our experience - pre-wedding potrait

2007-06-09T15:46:00.000+08:00

Since there were good feedbacks on the photos that I have shared from my pre-wedding portrait - I am happy to impart a few tips. First of all,you will have to do research - I have been googling photos, wedding gowns, hairstyles that I prefer on the web. By the time I am actually scouting for bridal studios and make up artistes I would already have an idea what I am looking for. The most important is still "Listen to your heart" coz you would know better what style you would like - it is only logical as you and your hubby would most likely be the ones who will look at the pictures most.

We started off by visiting the bridal fair held in 1 Utama. We saw a few bridal studios there and paid our bookings for one of them - coz it was almost impossible for us to get away without doing just that. The next step was to pay the said bridal studio a visit, we went unannounced i.e. the sales person who sold us the package were caught unawares. I didn't have a good experience - the gowns weren't really to my specifications i.e. simple, elegant and nice (and I do know I am no longer petite - there were just not enough cloth on the gowns to fit snugly). The package also includes 5-6 gowns(wedding gowns, evening gowns, QunKua etc. ) but the designs just do not meet my only requirement which is simple and nice. Sigh, so it was a total disaster and me and hubby started looking for others - basically I have in mind two others but was at first afraid to show hubby coz the cost and items included weren't as many as the conventional ones. We went to one (the link posted somewhere in this blog) and I fell in love instantly with the gowns and the photography style - simple, nice, elegant and I was just so happy.

There were occasions where we hear comments as to why we chose that particular one without much i.e. no multiple gowns, no costumes etc. but me being my natural self - I have listed down my reasons and shared with hubby so both of us is on the same page.

Then came the phase where we have to choose wedding gown for the pre-wedding photo shoot and meet up with the photographer - Nic. I shared with him my requirements - natural, candid, artistic and buildings as backgrounds, black and white/sephia tones - where would the suitable places to take in KL etc. We were considering Lake gardens, somewhere in TTDI, SJI building (my choice- sigh I am more patriotic to the school that I went for form 6, it may be spooky and the school is still on etc. thus not a suitable venue unless I want young boys to be in the background) - the photographer sort of got the gist of my requirements and explored with us going down to Port Dickson. I agreed almost immediately as I have always dreamed of walking along the beach in a wedding gown - picture perfect in my opinion. But of course last year, year 2006 - it just rains and rains all the time and if we were so unfortunate to be caught in rain - PD do not provide many alternatives. Nic then suggested Malacca coz if it does rain, we can take photos in buildings etc. Wow - eagerly agreed and made the necessary arrangements i.e. hotel, transport etc. The day of our photo shoot soon arrived, lady luck is on our side - we had a bright day and not too hot for a fully dressed and dolled up couple to be walking around Malacca. I also had the most wonderful make up artist - again my requirement was natural youthful make up and she did just that. I came prepared with photos of hairstyle that I particularly like and she recreated them with aplomb - thanks Remy.

To summarise - number 1. do go with your heart's desire, number 2. do not be discouraged my other's remarks/opinions, number 3. do research beforehand and let the photographer/make up artist know what you have in mind. Hubby and I had great fun during the photo shoot, photographer makes us laugh a lot coz Nic showed us some shots taken on and off - I look best when he makes us laugh uninhibited. To this day, I will still look at the photos now and then and am still as satisfied as ever. Let me share with you another unconventional choice of mine i.e. the large portrait that you get from wedding potrait packages - mine's showing not one but 8 pictures all in all (7 smaller pictures layered onto a large one). Those of you who were at my wedding banquet would know ;-).

June 8th is Best Friends Day!

2007-06-09T13:36:00.000+08:00

I tried posting the e-card link as part of the space for the blog but was unsuccessful. Thus posted it as part of the page element, had to remove it as today is already June 9th.

As part and parcel of growing up comes life's responsibilities - work, family and whatever time we have left to be divided between self, friends & colleagues. I resort sometimes to send mass sms-es with the same content or e-mails in which the contents I find useful or meaningful.

Pals and chums - know that I think of you often even when I seem to disappear for long bouts.

A coincidence

2007-06-07T22:16:00.000+08:00

Let me share with you a coincidence - 3 of my colleagues and 1 ex-colleague are fellow BBGSians but of course much much older than me (that makes 10% of us in the department) but company wide there's a lot more. Way to go BBGSians!!!

Practise makes perfect - part 1

2007-06-06T22:21:00.000+08:00

Today, I conducted training again - as training is not my forte, I had a fretful day yesterday going through the materials over and over again. Alas, today I have discovered that I should have tried out all equipments and lights switches - which one's to dim the lights etc and as I was not familiar with the switches etc. in the said training room and as a result had a little mishap or two. Other than that, I am quite satisfied as I had remained calm when thrown questions by participants and my diction and volume were consistent throughout.

And today, I have finally managed to single out the lipstick's that giving me puffy slightly swollen red lips as it caused some form of "allergy reactions" (XXX plushglass) - I had a couple of lipsticks in the office and seldom uses them except when occasions requires stained lips; I would usually use only lip balm. Practise makes perfect no 2. where my make up skill's concerned - I have improved tremendously after attending a session with Clarins' international make up artist. He gave me a few tips on how to accentuate my slightly small oriental eyes and colours that suits me that I would not have dreamed to try out - green. Now every other day, I'll be going green ... and quite happily too.

Count down to Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows

2007-06-05T09:21:00.001+08:00

I have been counting down to the day when I can collect my Harry Potter book on 21st July 2007. The last two books - I have been pre-ordering from MPH and Borders respectively and will pick up the books at the earliest time possible i.e. when the doors to these bookstores open. My poor darling hubby had to send me there, accompany me while I wait for the stores to open and send me back to my parents' home where I can read in comfort - and I will sit and read the book from cover to cover (usually takes me 5 hours or so to finish HP books). Then I will read and re-read the book a couple of times. Thank goodness 21st July is a Saturday and I won't have to apply annual leave :-) . Let us guess what will happen shall we? There are a few questions lingering in my mind since the last book, they're listed below in no particular order: -
a) Is Dumbledore really dead? The greatest wizard of all that even Lord Voldermort fears?
b) Is Snape good or bad? Is he a spy for Dumbledore at Voldermort's or a spy for the Dark Lord at Hogwarts?
c) Will Hermione fall in love with Ron or will she be swept away by Viktor Krum?
d) Harry and Voldermort will both die in the grand fight as the finale?
e) Who will be the next headmaster at Hogwarts?
I will re-visit my blog on Harry Potter when the time draws nearer ... or when I next get bitten by the Potter bug. My love for Harry Potter books and movies is akin to those of my hubby's for his Stephen Chau/Chow movies - he knows the lines and scenes almost by heart.
I may write on my take on Chow's movie later on - one of my hubby's quirks. "Ni sie jui hau te - ni jie tau ma"or translated as “do you know that you are the greatest" (please pardon my hanyu pinyin - may not be using the right ones; luckily my mandarin teacher do not know of my blog *phew*)

The past two day's a Takuya Kimura craze

2007-06-04T09:24:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I were supposed to hang out at the Curve - catch a movie and visit my favourite store IKEA. Unfortunately hubby didn't feel too well and we had to stay home and we watched a couple of VCD's i.e. Jack Neo's movie Just Follow Law starring Gurmit Singh aka Phua Chu Kang and Fann Wong. It is hilarious - but most of the jokes you have to be SG or MY citizen to understand. We had a laughing fit coz a lot of the scenes reminded us of encounters in our lives though not as drastic. For me, it's the scene where Gurmit Singh crosses the road while the pedestrian light is still red whereas his daughter refuses to and insists on waiting for it to turn green. Just keep thinking along that line of thought and you will know what I am getting at - what do we do if it is after a bout of heavy rain ... tsk tsk ... will you be Gurmit or the daughter?
Later in the evening, out of boredom - we turned on the TV and kept it on as we were interested to watch and see what's the Japanese serial Engine all about. At first we were thinking what kind of Japanese drama goes by that title? We were hooked after half an hour and spent the rest of the Saturday as well as Sunday - watching the rest of the show. And me being a romantic and sensitive being - cried a bucketful (in exaggeration). We managed to watch the last episode in the wee hours on Monday morning, was a bit let down by the ending though - maybe we were expecting an ending with more pizzazz i.e. Takuya continue to race for Team Ichinose and marries Tomomi sensei plus adopts Shunta-kun. It is better than watching it on the TV channel where we have to endure the countless adverts etc.

Lessons Learned from Various Training

2007-06-01T21:29:00.000+08:00

Been fortunate to have been able to attend various world class training these few years. My favourites in no particular order:-
a) 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
b) Career Best
c) Personal Change Mastery
d) Crucial Conversations
e) Quality based on Quality without tears
f) Edward de Bono's Mind Mapping (conducted by local trainer - not the man himself)
g) Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats

I will most likely blog on the little lessons that I have personally experienced in due time. To start off, I have learned from 7 Habits - Begin with the end in mind. Why do I blog? First of all, it is a place for me to document my thoughts and feelings, 2ndly I have always been intrigued with the notion that by blogging - you may actually benefit in monetary terms (I have yet to try out - will share my experiences when that happens).

Taking the first step

2007-05-31T13:10:00.000+08:00

There is great truth in this - wise ones of long ago, taking the first step is always the most difficult. I feel like a gawky teenager all over again - not sure how to proceed or rather hoping that what I pen down will not seem silly when I review at a later time.
I have been putting off starting my very own blog for a while now - the earlier blog that I have created documenting the journey in which I found my one true love and our marriage ceremony never took off (never got published). I should think I will do well blogging as I have been known to type proper sentences even in smses (gradually improving i.e. cutting down on the number of words per sms; those of you my friends who is at the receiving end of my sms can most certainly vouch for this).
I am hoping this blog will be a canvas for me to paint the various experiences that I will garner and when I am an aged old lady - I can spend my idle days reading and reflecting on the past - those sweet experiences of my youth.