Last day of the decade..goodbye 2009!

Taking a moment to say Goodbye to 2009, it was good whilst it lasted but all good things must come to an end...what matters most is that one has made the most of the time in the year that has past. So what did I spend my time on in 2009...let's see...

1) The inaugural WGA BB celebration at Ritz Carlton. Our first attempt to make a WGA memoribilia - A towel, a very nice one, I must say..

2) CNY - the usual MJ, Texas, Wii and more food!

3) The all-gals trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. I fell so sick at the beginning of the trip, did not bring my phone charger, slept on trains..it was all fun, and it was the first ever trip that we went on where there was only the 3 of us. I particularly enjoyed the 2D1N cruise on Halong Bay. It was really interesting how we can make friends so quickly..and I got to know people from all walks of life, from Montreal, Ho Chih Min, Sweden, Australia, and even Russia!

4) Then we had WGA Q2 BBB, which was on the same day as my company's 50th Anniversary Gala Dinner. I had great fun at both events!

5) Shortly after, the G8 went to Europe. This was never really planned but I am so glad we went as a result of the H1N1 situation. I loved switzerland and enjoyed Mt Titlis most. A close second would be the shopping in Milan and Rome. Paris is in a class of its own and will always have a special place in my heart.

6) Q3 WGA celebration at Orchard Parade Hotel was slightly disappointing and if there is one lesson to learn that will be how things fail when you do not plan for it, period.

7) CM and I also took some time out to visit Ben & Xinyi in Sydney but not before we went on a drive on the Great Ocean Road in Melbourne. I feel in love with Apollo Bay, the view of the waves crashing on the sandy beach where a family was having a picnic will also stay in my head. The cycling tour with Bonza Bikes was such a unique experience, no regrets but I won't do it again unless I have trained adequately for the ride.

8) Year end was quieter than usual but Enko's wedding sort of spiced things up a little. We had fun making a fool out of the boys but the day turned out to be extra tiring with Peiling's wedding on the very same day.

So here I am, the last few hours in office before I go home for a BBQ at my in-law's place...life in 2009 has not been particularly exciting but was packed with little surprises here and there..

I have this feeling that 2010 will have more in store although I think we will be thoroughly exhausted by the end of 2010...C'est la vie...

Quotes on Knowledge

"One thing that seperates those who hang in is their commitment to continuous learning. What fails some people is their commitment to learn, not their ability."

~Ray Stata

"Knowledge has become the key economics resource and the dominant, if not the only, source of comparative advantage."

~ Peter drucker

And of course...

'Knowledge is Power."

~ Francis Bacon

What I signed up for...

In sickness and in health...for richer or poorer..why do people always forget that when they sign on the dotted line, they did not sign up for a bed of roses henceforth? I am but human and I do forget that at times. I feel sorry for thinking of negative thoughts when the the going gets tough. And I probably play victim far too often. I guess it is time to hold that mirror and take a good look and ask myself what more can I do to help CM deal with the issues that I cannot reconcile...

Goodbye 2009, Hello 2010

I am usually quite nostalgic when the year comes to an end. There are probably many different reasons why I feel that way. Here are some just off the top of my head:

1) Cause the old year was so good, I just didn't want it to end
2) Cause I wonder if the new year will be worse than the old one
3) Cause the year-end festivities are over and it is time to slog again
4) Cause I become older and am reminded again of the under achievement
5)Cause I have one less of a year to live for whatever God has allocated to my existence on earth

Ok, so the bleak and pessimistic stuff but this year, I kinda look forward to the new year. And I think I know why...cause there are things to look forward to in the new year!! Quite a bit in fact. I get bored easily so having new things to do in the new year definitely perk me up! so what are these things, here's a snapshot:

1)Reno for Jeff's parents place
- Bigger place to host friends
- Bringing Pope over so he has bigger space to run around
- Having a bigger place for kids when we have them
- Giving in-laws something to enjoy in old age
- Having parents look after our kids when we have them
- Having home cook food
- Saying goodbye to house chores
- Achieving one of the targets in the end state that we had projected

2) We have 2 confirmed hols with air tixs booked..one where there is just the 2 of us and the other with my BFF and their hubbies..

3) An active year
- Continuing with our weekly jogs
- picking up golf since CM has taken up a gold membership
- I might just go get that bicycle so i can join HZ & Merv for cycle sessions
- And if those blades still work, i should probably take them out for a 'spin'

4) Last but not least...hopefully this is the year we have the luck of being bestowed with a child. I honestly do not know if I'll managed but I know it is the right thing to do and time is not exactly on our side so fingers crossed!!

I guessed that is probably quite enough for a year huh....wow, I can't wait!!

How our life is a mystery to ourselves...

Like the many years before, Christmas was coming, came and past...this year, I wasn't particularly excited about it like the years before. We had out gifts thought of, decided and bought way ahead of schedule so we avoided the last minute rush and the crowd as well. Hmm...ok, I think that is probably why we don't feel the atmosphere..we totally avoided the one place where it screams Christmas everywhere...but I am not bothered really...there isn't much that gets me particularly excited these days. The only thing that I can think of is holidays. Those are the things that I look forward to the most...maybe it is also because it is not easily and readily available. You need to work for it in many ways, you need to save for the holiday, plan the holiday and also have sufficient leave and get the approval to take the leave before you can officially go on the holiday. Conclusion: It is human to crave and lust for something that is not so reachable.....other insight: Women should not readily avail themselves to men, cause men desire what they cannot attain.

Oh well...one of those things...

So what did I do for Christams? I must say it is a fairly well-balanced Christmas. I spent time with the key group of friends and with family as well. The celebration started on 20 Dec, I had lunch with my family at Vivo. It was the usual, food was good and we ended up popping by to visit little Kaen.

CM & I spent the remaining week wrapping pressies and buying other gifts for colleagues etc. And soon it was Christmas Eve..CM was working and my friends came by for a get-together. We did the usual feasting on KFC, not exactly the turkey but close enough. I got a Visor from Alan at the gift exchange.

Christmas day was spent going to CM's colleague's baby shower followed by dinner at his gramp's. We had a good chat with the aunts and uncles...the younger ones brought their gfs and bfs..making us feel old instantly!! Then Rayvan asked us out for drinks and we ended up at KPO (Killiney Post Office) for drinks. It is quite a nice place and when we were there, it wasn't really crowded and the deejay spins good music too..

And finally on Boxing Day, we spent most of the day recovering from the busy-ness of the days before before we made our way to the BBQ organised months before at ben's place. Food was really really good, we especially love Bernard's rib eye!! The Otah we bought from Molly's is good too..we ended the night playing MJ although CM & I just stuck to the Wii..since there were too many players. Maybe the session I had with my friends on X'mas eve scared the wits outta me..haha..

The Sunday after X'mas went full circle with CM back at work, leaving me all along again. I had facial in the afternoon so I spent some time shopping and went home with a decent bounty.

So all in all, I think it was a fairly good long weekend...so much so it is hard to focus on working today...alright..time to move!

That time of the year...

And so, the bells are ringing and the credit cards are being swiped. It is that time of the year to rush to make that last minute purchase for gift exchanging. Seriously why do people do gift exchange, more for the sake of doing it or maybe you just get more utility getting a gift from someone else as compared to buying it yourself. But the chances are, not many of your friends are good gifters so I hope you are prepared for disappointed. CM and I are quite particular about our choice of gufts, especially if you are someone who matters. If you have the luck of receiving a gift that is not run of the mill sort, congrats, you are in our circle of trust...although I must say there are that few exceptions when we bought someone something off the shelf cause we know they wanted something specific.

Anyway, so much about gifts...this entry was supposed to be about looking back on the year that has passed...so..2009...

In 2009, CM & I celebrated 2 years of marriage...it wasn't always a bed of roses but i think there was a lot of learning and accepting. I thank God that when I look at CM everyday, I fall in love with him all over again..the feeling is magical and this is why people get married...you know that question about how you know this is the person you want to be married to? Yup, it is exactly for this reason..how else do you expect to face the same person for 50 years or more.

In 2009, I also stop hanging out with 'frens', never thought I would but I actually did..and I feel a million bucks to do it. I hope my friends can also stop seeking out 'frens' in 2010.

In 2009, I picked up my books again and finally got down to pursuing a Diploma in the area of PR & Comms. It always bothered me to not have been trained in this area. My knowledge came from OJT but getting a professional certificate in the area was just a box that I needed to tick.

In 2009, CM & I also did a fair bit of travelling. Tying in with our family plans, we wanted to visit places that would be hard to visit when we have a family..and so starting from 2008, we visited US, Europe (some parts of it) and more recently, we were in Australia. Travelling is something that I really enjoy, from when we start planning for it to when we are actually on the trip. I like seeing new things, experiencing a different climate..or quite simply, the feeling of leaving the world that I live in behind momentarily. So next year, we already have plans for Taiwan (yes, for the 3rd time) and Bali. London and precinct are also on the plate but pending some confirmation from CM. Exciting...

In 2009, more friends continue to get hitch so CM & I attended quite a few weddings. It is fun to share friends' joy, especially closer ones. Hopefully they will stay together forever! and have more kids to come along the way...and soon it will be kids gathering..haha..

In 2009, my friends from high school also formed the WGA. Am not sure how the namesake came about but no prize for guessing that it had pretty much to do with our penchant for gambling..But since this year is the year that we all turn 30, we had organised quarterly celebrations. It was all really fun, I must say..there was the fair share of heartache to plan so much as I had fun at the parties, I am also quite relieved that we are not doing it next year...phew...

So yeah, pretty sums up 2009, not a bad year but hopefully 2010 will be better...a lot to look forward to!

Not motivated..so self-motivate!

Do you get that feeling sometimes after you have a chat with your boss..and you just can't see eye to eye with him, feel misunderstood, feel their biasness etc...and then you come out form their office feeling deflated...and...lost?

It used to take longer for me to get out of that rut and I also remind myself how things used to be a lot worse etc etc. But there is this question that seems to be on a repeat mode recently. So where do I go from here? Maybe I just get bored with things really quickly..and that reminds me how when I was younger, toys never lasts with me..I like new things and am fascinated with new and better things...Anyway, the point is, ithink I am starting to get a bit bored with my job now...think i need new challenges or maybe a change in working environment..I actually hope to stay with the company now but am wondering if there are opportunities for me to move to a role in a different business unit. My boss obviously don't care a shit since I am a 'foster kid' in the department..

here's the rough plan, subject to approval by Him =)
- Rough it out with ease and grace...pay no attention to throw-away comments
- Take things in my stride and be receptive towards criticism.
- Do not, Do not, Do not..defend too hard..just say thank you for your feedback
- Study hard, at the halfway mark now...the Dip is within reach
- Be a pregger..not wise to be preggers at a new place, so better starting working hard now
- Buy Saturday's papers and scan it thoroughly for hints to the yellow brick road

How's that for a plan?? Not too bad if you ask me...just have to remind myself to focus on what is important and what is not...and once you start taking things in your stride and knowing what is your true priority in life, everything becomes clearer all of a sudden...

Just a thought, who knows..one day I may just be a writter, a blog book writer...hmm..that is an interesting idea...you know, the way that lady in Julia and Julie...how that Julie lady does it..one entry a day..whilst she writes on her connection with Julia Child by working on one recipe a day...I can....erm.....what can I write on under a theme...on a daily basis...craps...writer's blog...ahahaha....it will come to me...till then...Cheers to a beautiful friday , a beautiful life (cause I am still alive and the last I check, I am still healthy..fingers crossed for the health screening next week)...and a beautiful future that is currently unknown but promises to be exciting once i put on my 3D glasses for it!!

Day 1 & 2 in Mebourne - Nov 2009

and so..I was nolonger able to make entries on my MSN My Space if I am using my office laptop, yes..even when I am at home...fark! Oh well, the last I checked, humans were still in charge and so this is my alternative avenue. To be fair, Istarted this blog much earier than when I made entries to My Space, so I guess we have gone full circle.

As a result of the above-mentioned, I was not able to make entries that capture the after thoughts of my recent trip to Aussieland.. Anyway, I am not known to be someone who gives up easily...well, maybe only when it comes to dieting and exercise...so here I am..again..getting a go at it again..ngiak ngiak..

Here it goes...

Remember how CM and his gang of friends + partners were supposed to go visit a friend in Sydney, and how it did not work out cause of the Swine flu and then how we had some cash credits locked up in domestic tics and hotel accommodation? Anyway, so willing to lose out on the credits and also to give ourselves the perfect reason to go for a holiday. CM & I bought tickets that were on offer (almost SGD300 cheaper as compared to what we had purchased before!) and headed to Aussieland earlier this month.

The fact that the experience is tucked further away in my memory than I would like it to be when I record it down means that I will probably have to only focus on the highlights instead of a detail day-to-day account. So here's roughly what I can remember:

Day 1
- Arrive Melbourne, collect car from Hertz
- Started on Great Ocean Road drive starting from Torquay, stopping by lorne for lunch
- Lunch was at this little diner that had loads of huge flies harassing us but the Mad Cow burger we had was fabulous
- Checked into Lighthouse Innkeepers, deco was damn old school but room was huge but had a tiny balcony
- CM took a power nap from all that driver and then we were out again
- We found the 12 apostles, which was simply magnificent...
- Also saw wild koalas, one attempted to pee from the tree (Discover: Koalas make grunting noise, I thought they were wild dogs)
- On the way back to the Apollo Bay, we were hit by a thunderstorm..imagine this..rain that came with lightining that strikes every 10 seconds 100 metres from where our car was. No cars on the road except us. I had not once stayed so awake on a drive and had my eyes glued to the GPS which told us how close we were to safety.
- Coming out of the storm safely meant a rewarding dinner at Apollo Bay Deli (Discover: That servings were huge and from then onwards, CM & I started sharing at meals, very good choice indeed)
- Dinner was a huge plate of salad and yummy Risotto.

Recap: It was a very good Day 1 on the whole. The GPS worked beautifully and we did not get lost for one second. Seeing wild Koalas was definitely a bonus! And I especially liked the closeness to CM when we sat by the road, watching the road and enjoying the cool climate (for a change) whilst we enjoy a good dinner. I just cannot imagine doing this with anyone else in the world.

Day Two: Apollo Bay back to Melbourne City
- After the thunderstorm the night before, we woke up to a very very cold morning at Apollo Bay. It was nice though, I always liked cooler climate. We also chanced upon a weekend farmer's market. I really liked this sorta market. I can't quite explain but it just feels very natural and friendly. I bought some home made jams and some lotions. One of the bottle of lotions had a photo of the 12 Apostles on it! Cute!

- We bought some pies and sandwich and stopped by a clearing just in front of the Ocean for our breakfast. It was kinda cold, but the sea breeze and the hot coffee made the breakfast extra palatable. There was a family having a day out at the beach. It was so heart warming to see such a scene. Hopefully some day CM & I will bring our little mices here..

- Quite honestly, the drive along the coastline was nice but was pretty much the same for 300 over kilometres.

- We took a slightly different route, an inland drive to get back to Melbourne City, which I am glad we did. This was a slightly different drive that had more interesting sights.

- We saw tall trees with sunlight peeking through the leaves; cows brown, black and all grazing freely in the fields, and there were sunflowers blooming and just vast land that goes on and on. Nothing busy is happening, no one is in a rush to go anywhere..well, maybe except for us since we will need to check in and return the car by 5pm that day.

- Bidding the suburbs a fond farewell, we are offically onto on Melbourne City tour.

- With the car, we thought it'd be wise to cover places that are a bit further to go via public transport and so we headed to St Kilda and the beach front

- We went in search of the colourful beach huts at Brighton Beach, they were not easy to find but the experience of finding it led us to different sights so it was worth it

- We end up parking the car near Luna Park and grabbing lunch around the area..it was one busy day and we decided on having a Seafood basket, I could resist a non-bake cheesecake that was waving at me from the pastry shop next door and I succumb. It remains the only disappointing food purchase so far.

- We checked into Best Western Atlantis and was out again to return the car. We decided to take a short walk back to the hotel which was about 4 blocks away.

- I decided that we should look for a park to enjoy our lunch and it was almost like God was listening and round the corner was FlagStaff park. We enjoyed just sitting down there with our cold seafood basket and people watching in the park

Recap:
It becomes obvious why people liked Melbourne and how it is so liveable. There are nice parks every couple of blocks away and you are free to do almost anything u like and you won't be getting weird stares. Trying doing that at Bishan Park. But I think climate has a big part to play..you don't mind just hanging out because it is nice and cool.

.......to be continued...

Different way of looking at things...

Make Your Nightmares Productive

Resistance to change is a common feeling, especially when dealing with a change forced on you. Many management experts will tell you to battle your resistance and work on being open to change. But that resistance could be a powerful source of energy. Instead of trying to take a positive approach, indulge the dread. Get in touch with the negative feelings. Think about all the things that could happen. Then, make those nightmares your advantage. Since you know all the things that could go wrong,
you can plan the change in order to avoid them. Harness the power of your negative thinking and use your confidence and know-how to overcome even your worst nightmares.

Hurt..

I could have just gone to bed like every day so far but yesterday was one of those days where I just felt that I needed answers. Stupid! It came as no surprise that I was not going to get anything out of you. It didn't even seem like you were aware of the issue. But how could you when I have mentioned it in passing every now and then? This time it is just not quite the same as before. I think I will need some time to get over it. There are just too much questions left unanswered but more importantly, I am just tired of being in this relationship with myself. Writing emails that gets no answers, being the one who seems to be begging for some affection..I feel that I am losing myself. I see changes that I do not like. I hate it that I am getting calculative in loving you, I hate it that I am getting lazy to love..I am so afraid that I'll forget what it is like to love someone unconditionally. I can't even remember when was the last time I sent you an sms on the shuttle bus to work, telling you how I miss you and look forward to seeing you soon. I am so afraid that I will stop sending you emails to tell you how I love you and thank you for coming into my life. Why is it that we have forgotten what it is like to love each other? Maybe you haven't but I think I have. I have forgotten that to love is to accept your other half unconditionally for whatever issues they are facing. I need some time to come to terms that this is the way that things are going to be and that this is really who you are. I need some time to condition myself and not feel bitter towards you. The wound will take some time to heal and not hurt. This time I really hope that I can have some closure...dear, why is it that I feel you do not understand me anymore, can't you see how I am hurting...

It's the FINAL Countdown!!!

Alrighty, so this is it..Ok, maybe I should not use MJ's words...Anyway, all that I am trying to say is that I can't contain the excitement in me for much longer..haha...work is finishing in the next couple of hours. I think I have pretty much have everything taken care of by now. Just some final touches and I will be a free women, free to soak in paris, Rome and wll...free to let the mind rest and enjoy some alone time...time to have loads of those Chardonnay and Merlot and whatever...LV, Gucci, Loewe, wait for me..mama's coming...

I can't remember when I last felt so elateed that I am going for a holiday. I am not sure I even felt this way when we took off for 3 weeks to US. I figured that it had a lot to do with the fact that I had been really stretched before this holiday. The past few months saw me finishing up quite a few important projects that are going to make all the difference on my score sheet at the end of the year..Although I know it is going to be a 3 again..but at least I know I have accomplished so mcuh more than what the 3 entail and have learnt so much more.

Knock off...dinner with the guys..pack my bags...last min shopping for whatever that is missing...check thorough stuff...clean up the house...finish up the to-do list and we'll be off to the airport.

Living an ironic life...

Life is such an irony..mine especially, i think...

When you are in school, you think how nice it is if we are working with all the financial freedom...

Now that we are working, you crave for the freedom not shackled to the desk for 8 hours a day and having to calculate your leave before u plan that coveted holiday. Even then, you can only go for holidays that are as long as the number of days of leave that you have..pathetic..

This Sunday, I am going for this holiday that was planned way in advance. The holiday is another irony in itself..holidays are supposed to be relaxing etc etc...the whole bunch of cliche correlation. But this holiday was a little stressful at different stages in planning it. That leads me to the other point on the irony of planning. You can never plan for stuff like H1N1, so you wonder if there is any point in even planning. Why not just apply for leave, pack your bags and go tot he airport and buy air tics to wherever that the next available air ticket brings you to?? Hmm....take guts man...

Besides the stress we had to live with to manage expectations and differences, the last couple of days at work before you leave everything in office behind tends to be the worse ever. It is worse than before you go on leave. Well, by that, I would like to explain that this only applies to individuals who have a greater sense of responsibility...haha..there are some who will just drop everything...if you don't really care what nasty things are being said behind your back, it really is OK cause the company will not collapse overnight just because you have not handed over a piece of work properly. Oh well..

And so, as I am typing this blog entry, I am almost certain that I have to work on Saturday..not for a very long time but nonetheless, i am gonna be working...to colour proof the newsletter that I am rushing to get to homes whilst I am in Amsterdam or Germany...fingers super duper cross that everything goes well.

I suddenly had a though, I think I can stay in touch with office via FB, cause a few colleagues are on it. I can probably find out from them if everything has gone well...should I? what if there are bad news? I can't do anything if I am overseas and bad news will only bog down my mind...hmm...we'll see...

Anyway, its down to tomorrow and Saturday and I am going for the much anticipated holiday of 2009!! It will be THE holiday for 2009!

Oh God, please please let it be GOOD!!

My Roman Holiday...

When we starting talks about starting a family, CM and I agreed that to prevent me from complaining about travel restrictions because of children..we should try to go to places that we had always wanted to go within these 1-2 years.

We tried our best to execute the plan and managed to clock that US trip last November when we celebrated our first wedding anniversary. The other area that we were hoping to visit was Europe but it then seemed like a difficult plan to execute as we had already made plans to go to Australia to visit a friend studying there in July. My leave was scarce and CM did not have the luxury of taking leave as and when he feels like it...so it was initially going to be HK/Macau in November for our 2nd Wedding Anniversary.

Alas, a mysterious bolt of flu took the world by surprise and travel restriction for some of the travel mates led us to cancel this trip to the land down-under. We were dissapointed for a bit but were not ready to throw in the towel for the holiday that we had all been working hard for. It was our pillar of strength, and kept us going when the going gets tough.All of a sudden, we were back to the drawing block, many ideas were thrown out and many more got shor down. After many futile discussions, one area remained on the board..Europe. And like they said, the rest is history..

This coming Sunday, the 8 of us will be heading for this holiday that took us almost half a year to plan...Its too painful to dwell on the process that we have gone through before we got here to the final lap but what matters most was the outcome. CM & I are going for a holidat..not just that, with treasured friends..and best of all, to a place that we had wanted to before we have kids! God answers prayers in the most 'Godly' ways..I kinda choose to think that this was a message from our Father that I should not have anymore reasons to put off have children. After all, they are Gifts from Him. All those concerns that I have, and still have from time to time, I know I should have Faith and He will carry me along.