A need for excitement

I was watching an advertisement for an insurance company last night, can the theme was 'to do something different every weekend'. Sure, 54 different activities might not be that difficult to find. But have we got the time, the people and the money to arrange all of those? 

Ok! So it might be bungee jumping! Great fun with adventure and perhaps a cardiac arrest. But do we need to really go through all the pain to only blow a few thousands and get traumatized in life and only satisfy 1 weekend of activity? We often crack our head to think of things to do ... a picnic, a trek in the forest, a big cook out and the list goes on .... but these things require effort to plan. Don't get me wrong, these are great ideas and we should do it one day. What is puzzling me is, how about the cheap thrills in life? Or the simple pleasures of living. 

(oh .. I can hear my ex- boss saying ..'One of the simple pleasures of life is having a nice poop in the morning'. Nice description)

What got me thinking is that I was walking along the corridor of UM last week. It was a boring gloomy day of class. And there was this little girl, about 3 or 4 years old. And she was having the time of her life. She spread her arms and ran around like an aeroplane, just screaming away and having the time of her life. How could something so simple, entertain her? And why can't we as adults just find simple enjoyments of life?

I still remember when I was very little, there used to be this foyer, like a catchment area in my grandma's house. It will fill up and become a pool when it rains. So we will quickly block the drainage area and make paper sail boats. We will make hundreds of paper boats only to have my grandma run after us for wasting paper. But the sight of those boats, bobbing up and down the water was just so entertaining to us! Oh how I miss those days of simple pleasures and pure excitement. And yes, I did make a paper boat last week for this little 'pool' in UM last week. 

So I think its time we learn how to 'un-complicate' ourselves. We do not need a flashy car, or tons of cash or a high-tec gadget in order to have fun in life. Go on, enjoy the things you do everyday ... find novelty when you chop your veggies up during dinner or do a dance when you mop your floor. Learn to observe the thing around you when you go for your jog and you'll realize how everyday is a different adventure!! 

Birthday wishes!

Yup, its another year older for me .. perhaps getting some cob webs around my legs or some rust up in my head. I guess you could have seen the signs .. .. .. I am aging and soon you may start to call me aunty. Well, its a sign when you can't recall and of your kindergarten friends or when you got your first Barbie doll .... Sheesh!! That was eons ago, how time flies. And soon, it will come a time when I can't even remember whether or not I had my lunch.

But my birthday last Tuesday was great. Had many friends who wished me happiness and so many wonderful things. It was so good to even heard from long lost or far away friends. Its so good to know how true friendships were built over the years and how memories remain. It was really so sweet to receive those calls and to read those SMSes. Its feels so  warm to know that so many people around you care for you.

Last Sunday, I had a birthday party with 2 other August babies. Karen who shared the same day as me and Jen, who was 2 days earlier. My closest mates were there and it was so good to meet up, catch up and take whacky pictures. Thank you all for being there and I loved all your presents!! We went to Cave in SS 2. Well, food was good, ambience was cosy .... but I had an eerie feeling of that place. Sort of claustrophobic. 3 levels of restaurant and only 1 entrance? Not even windows ... nowwww... imagine if there was a fire ... 

Then on Tuesday, the office celebrated for me. Got an Oreo cheese cake & I shared it with our intern, Patrick who is an August baby too. Leo's rock! Haha ...... imagine. 6 people and 1 whole Secret Recipe cheese cake? We stuffed our selves to the max. But all those calories burnt up well .. there was baseball, arm wrestling, fighting and so many other physical activities. I guess we just got a little high on sugar.

So I ended the day with a nice dinner with my parents. Seafood!! Yum yum... We had Kam Heong crabs and some kind of sweet & sour prawns. They were so fresh and all finger licking good. I could be full just picking and eating the crumbs of the dishes. But part of the fun of eating seafood is getting your hands dirty and digging in between the crustacean shells. hehe, I know I am a very slow eater, but its been a long long time since I've sat down and had dinner for more than 2 hours. hmm .. a very satisfying birthday!

Adventure in Pahang

Pretty out of the ordinary outing. Yes .. we are getting more and more adventurous. No more boring movies or girly shopping trips ... time to get all physical, sweaty and adventurous. And there is no better time than now to get this rolling .... the local fruits season! Cert 5 Outing 4 ...Durian plantation in Tras, Pahang.

So off we went, set of at 9.30 am and thanks to Jared's van, we had a joy ride along the Karak. Making noise along the way, laughing non stop and poking fun at each other. Soon we reached Bentong .. and we needed a stretch, so what other better way to enjoy a pit stop other than food? We had Bentong's famous Wan Ton Mee, and some Chinese style Indian rojak with chili padi. Not to forget the drinks. It was delicious ... Lemon Lime juice, imported from China! Cool and refreshing ....

Back to the road ... so we hit the long and winding road. And thanks to a skillful driver, we reached safely. And thats where the adventure began .. into the plantation. So we had a trek along the muddy tracks, along the stream flowing parallel and through the lalangs and under the trees. It was like walking into ...'your favorite place of relaxation'. 

Thanks to the crazy bunch, Jared, Teng Loo, Kenny and Patrick ... our fst activity was to climb trees. I thought I couldn't, but I could! And the feeling was great! It feels different when you are above ground level. You seriously feel so good up there .... even if the journey up wasn't that pleasant.... like being laundered on the tree as if you were a carpet. Then soon, after much struggling, all 5 of us managed to sit on the tree ... then suddenly " Ah joy .... lok lei ar .. lau leen teet lok lei ar". In other words, my aunt scolded us as what we climbed was a durian tree, bearing fruits. hehe and if it drops on any of us ...... 

Then thats where the work started. We climbed the hills to hunt for durians, walked along the sides to search ... it was great. And the durians were heavy. I really salute those gatherers who manage to collect so many and bring it down at the same time. Durian runtuh man!! Then back at the hut, my uncle taught us to identify the different types of durians. D2, D24, Chuk Kiok, Lai Yau etc ... and how we had to 'groom' the durians. An enlightening educational trip. 

Only 1 part done.... then we went laici plucking, and rambutans too. While plucking, we ate, and while eating, we threw stuff at each other.  hahaha.... the poor tree ... and the poor immature kids. haha, I bet my aunt and uncle gave up hope on us. 

And then came mangoesteen plucking and picking. That was tiring. We had our professional plucker, Mr Jared ... and many professional gatherers. ooh ... the harvest was great. We had bucket and buckets of it. And while collecting, we had tons of freshly picked mangoesteen. Yum yum! The Japanese breed was the nicest. Sweet and crunchy! It was so fun .... climbing under the tree, hiding inside and climbing up the branches. All was great ... until the leeches attacked! haha, and we were like mosquitoes to repellent, staying away from the trees. A very memorable way to end our plantation adventure.

So back to the house, where we opened durians and had loads of it! Ah, fresh, tasty and finger licking good. I never had so many at one go! Yum Yum ....haha, we ate until we went high. Laughing non stop and eating even more. Soon it was time to go, and my uncle gave us all our collections. Lucky we had a van, so we loaded in durians, mangoesteens, rambutans, laicis and chempedaks..... oh! and my special 'fake D24'. All mine wahaha ... I pity the trees.

Our next stop, the ever famous Kow Po ice cream. Had my peanut & choc ice cream. Ahh, my trip was more than worth it. I didn't recommend wrongly did I? So after a stuffed stomach, we were searching for more stuff to stuff it with! Wild meat!! 

Went into the village for the hunt. Not the hunt of the game, but the hunt of the shack that serves it. And it was worth the hunt. Well, I am not a big fan of meat, but its fun to be adventurous once in a while. had frog, civet cat (with bullets still in it) and wild boar. hmm, something different and memorable of course. Great way to end the night! 

And the post effects may not be the nicest. A foul smelling car or fridge, a bloated tummy and sore muscles from excessive tree climbing. 

Unity among the MAs

I need to check the alignments of the sun, moon, dates and everything. Why are so many things happening lately? I don't know if this is good or bad ... but I just had a feeling. It was like nostalgia for me ... 

Received a piece of news from my UOB MA group. History repeated itself. We were united as the Management Associates of 2007 and damn proud of it. I thought I had achieved my dream. But as the months went past, I decided to be the hero and break free from the group. Marking the first in UOB history ... hehe... though I made up my mind it was difficult to leave. On one hand, I felt that I needed the change and to respect myself and do the things that I really wanted to do. On the other hand, I couldn't let go of the identity and the sense of belonging. I must admit that there was some sort of withdrawal symptoms. 

I felt lost at the time I was in the bank. I gave up so many things and made loads of sacrifices. I wasn't the ME I used to be and my friends said that the bank kidnapped my soul. Come to think of it, I was foolish in that period of my eyes. But of course, something clouded my vision then. No one deserves to live like a puppet ... so I left ... and another misery clouded me for sometime. Perhaps I am not that good at adapting. But it took me some time, and with the help of the wonderful people, I bounced back .. at least I think so, until now. The feelings are back ... and I hope it won't be the same for her. 

It was a difficult period, watching the group from the outside. Though you might be with them, there will be a divide. Though you know the ins-and-outs, it feels like you're watching the drama on TV.  I know they always say, 'Once an MA, always an MA'. I hope that stays. 

Proud of it

My first article out in the press ...... though not cover story, I am sure proud that it got out. Yup, and after all the hard word, many many calls, hours of shifting through photos, editing and stress , I finally get to see the fruit of the labor.

Go check out the New Straits Times on Monday 11th August 2008. Only thing is, I want my name there in the future. hehe ...

Might be a virus

Depends on how you see it, it might be a virus that has hit me, or so my friend says. But not to worry, though it might be contagious, its not a disease ..... its an idea or a spurt of awareness. What ever it is, it leaves me curious, confused yet inspired. And I am not too sure where this 'virus' will lead me to. 

Recently I started exploring Oracle cards. And it seems magical. Its healing with the angels anyway. For whatever card you draw ... the guide is only limited for you. Thus, it depends on how you interpret it, or how you feel it relates to your questions. What you see might be different from what others see. Subjective right? But it boils down to YOU. What you feel, how you see it and 'you think it, you do it'. And I love it! I don't want to be fed with an answer. I want to ponder and explore for my answer. When I referred to my Oracle cards for the question playing in my mind ... it seemed to read me. It helped me see something that I was distracted by. It helped to pull me back down to earth (though I am a very realistic person myself). 

So many things have been happening lately. And I can say that it all affected me. Back to back activities, both at work and in life, interpersonal relationships, life responsibilities and all. I used to be able to juggle myself well ... but now, more balls have been added to my circle. I've got to learn to be swifter, more efficient ....... or perhaps let go of the older balls? I'm not sure yet.

Don't bug me, I bite!

Not often people get to tick me off so easily. Especially since I was in a good mood for the past few days. But this makes me mad .... how ridiculous could it be? Please realize that you are not the only person who feels stress, you are not the only one who has work to do and you're definitely not the only one who wants the best of things.

Wanting the best is alright, but please look at the scenarios around you. Don't push, when the cup is already over spilling. You wouldn't want it to burst. Don't force your way through as things get get tighter along the way.

But what really ticked me off is that you should never assume that others can read your mind or others know what you want. If you want things done your way, TELL .... don't assume. Don't go shooting other people because they didn't do what you thought of doing. Don't tell the begining of the story and expect others to know what the ending is.

Imagine me thinking of eating spaghetti carbonara for dinner tonight. Thats the only thing I can eat because I feel like eating creamy stuff. And when I go home, I don't see carbonara on the table, I start biting people. Who's to blame? Are those at home supposed to know what you want or what you feel? Aren't you responsible for letting other's know what you want? Well, I am the chef today ... being bitten for not knowing I should cook carbonara.

Why does this have to happen How utterly timely. I predicted something would happen today, and it did. The the effect of the 'day before' .... and it sucks. Sigh ... I can predict more days like this to come. Got to start marking my calender.