2008 Flashback, 2009 Here I Come

In 2008, I ...

• finally took up the mandarin lessons I have been planning to take for so long :)


• learnt to live intuitively and in a more care free way


• lived to the way I wanted rather than trying too hard to conform to other's expectations


• explored many new restaurants and food :)


• bought loads of new clothes & skin care & haircare products to pamper myself


• went for a haircut by Korean hairstylist

In 2009, I will

• attend a meditation retreat


• attend a project management and planning course


• improve my workout schedule & be more flexibile to the class & instructors available


• pamper and treat myself better


• include more nurtritious food / drinks into my intake


• continue being a free spirit! *muaks*

Proverb of the Day

Instead of complaining that the rosebush is full of thorns, be happy that the thornbush has roses.-- German Proverb

Shopping Spree

Burned a HUGE hole in my purse....

Total Items purhased this year end of 2009...

• Haircut by Min @ Shunji Matsuo
• Hair Mask
• Hair Serum
• Dense Bristled Comb
• 1 medium weight facial moisturiser
• 1 light weight oil free facial moisturiser
• 1 facial moisturise with sunblock
• 1 gentle facial cleanser
• 1 deep facial cleanser
• 1 lipbalm
• 1 mascara (dont know why i bought this - i dont even use it once a year)
• 1 silver blue eye liner (also dont know why i bought this - i dont even use eye liner :S)
• Eyeshadow applicator sponge
• 1 foundation
• 1 casual bag
• 2 office wear blouses
• 2 trenchcoat styled tops
• 1 dinner dress
• 1 office wear dress
• 1 3/4 length brown pants
• 2 casual wear ballet flats shoes -1 open toe, 1 closed toe
• 1 3/4 jeans pants
• 1 knee length black pants
• Renewed facial package

........ so broke that i have to restrain myself from going shopping again today although it is my offday...... :P

Bankrupt-ed

Just bought close to Rm200 worth of hair care products... Bankrupted.

Painted

Yesterday night after dinner, there was no nice programs on the TV.

Decided to paint my nails instead

I used my newly bought coral coloured nail polish.

It looked slightly wierd after I was done - since I am used to pinkish colours more.

Fortunately when I looked at it again this morning, I quite like it.

On a different note, I feel really frazzled lately - endless working non stop for the entire week including Sat and Sun - whole day conducting training and also user testing - has taken its toll on me. When I look into the mirror, I look as FRAZZLED as I feel.

The severity level is like this - from tired --> very tired --> lethargic --> slightly frazzled ---> overwhelmed --> now = FRAZZLED....

I just feel that I wish I can just sleep non stop for 12 hours to compensate back my lack of sleep and rest.....OMGGGGGGG

Eeewww

Yucky lunch @ canteen.
Had lunch at canteen today as I have to work full day on a Saturday and sadly tomorrow, Sunday again.
It was a gross lunch to say the least - fried noodles, curry chicken and fried egg, washed down with milk tea...Eeww.

Will eat brunch tomorrow at home before I come to work and bring along some light snacks - fruits, to snack on in the afternoon.

Of all days....

Of all days - this morning I went to work with freshly washed hair in the morning(I usually wash it at night). As a result, my hair looks really dry and frizzy like grass (refer to pic)

And of all days, today I met up with some new friends for lunch.... haha OMG....

Next time I should not be lazy and just put in some Aquafix in my hair before I go to work.

Just that I didnt want to 'pollute' my freshly washed hair with any styling products = a decision which proved to be unwise.

Everytime I look into the mirror today - i see a tired and sleep deprived person with super puffy hair. Ick.

A day of indulgence - I did it!!!! Haircut@ Shunji Matsuo by Min

Yesterday, I finally did what I have been thinking of doing for so long.
Went for haircut at Shunji Matsuo by its international director - Min.
He was so likeable even at the first sight. And he was very pleasant and honest with the haircuts that he thinks is suitable for me.

He explained to me that my hair is currently damaged (due to the bad rebonding job done at another saloon one month ago) and that is why it is frizzy. (that moment I decided in my head never to go back to my old saloon for rebonding - which causes my hair to look like...rumput)

I also asked him for some insights on suggested future hairstyles. He suggested that I grow my hair longer about 5 more inches and then he will revamp my hairstyle for me.
For the moment, he said that my hair is too short to have a drastic change of hairstyle so he just trimmed it.

At first I was disappointed upon hearing that. But i went ahead and asked for a trim anyway. To my pleasant surprise, after his trim, my hair looks lovely.
The end results is a korean-like hairstyle - with blunt cuts framing my face.
Although it looks quite normal, the hair movement feels lovely for me.
I so love his work!
I will definitely visit him again the next time.

Before the haircut i actually went for a simple hydrating facial treatment, followed by light lunch of Caterpillar roll at Sushi Zanmai. I used to dislike sushi but I really love that particular sushi in Sushi Zanmai. Not sure if the other sushis there or at other shops taste as good?

After the haircut, went to the bookshop to browse for magazines while waiting for Elaine for dinner.
Indulged in nice dinner at Pasta Zanmai with Elaine - I ordered pasta with soft shell crab, and she ordered unagi with eggs pasta. We then shared a dish of teriyaki chicken, followed by dessert (a scoop of green tea, choc and black sesame ice cream each)

YUMMY>>> indulgent day for me....
Ok, talk to you later. Need to shower and get ready for gym - Body attack class.
After which I will come home, continue spring cleaning my wardrobe....

Proverb of the Day

If you weep for the fallen leaves of autumn, the tears in your eyes may make you miss the beauty of the blossoming flowers.~JadeBell

OMG

OMG!

Today I must have woken up at the wrong side of the bed. The incidents below happenned to me today:

1. Woke up later than planned, although still in time for work. . The alarm clock malfunctioned. In the end I had to rush through shower and skipped breakfast.

2.When I was halfway through my journey to office, I realised I have forgotted to bring my working shoes. So I had to drive home to get them

3. Bought breakfast at canteen. Got a bun and ordered a cup of coffee. When I went back to my cubicle, I realised that the guy had mixed up my order. He accidentally gave me milk tea, added with some coffee powder. Hmm..

4. The main reason I came to work early today was to do testing. But the test environment was acting up. But the entire day - even till end of the workng day. The system was still acting up. Unable to do a single testing. Totally defeats my purpose of waking up super early today and come to work bleary eyed.

5. Low productivity due to unavailability of system - leads to waste of time. And looks like I need to stay back late again to do the work which could have been done during the day if the system had been ok.

GRRR

中秋节快乐

中秋节快乐

Met up with primary school friends yesterday night for dinner. Some of them - I have not seen for the past 10 years! Haha, how people have not changed much.

The talkative ones are still talkative.

The peaceful and pleasant ones are still that pleasant. :)

It's funny how although we have not seen each other for so long, but once we meet again, we warm up to each other so quickly.

Perhaps it is the bond that we shared - the memories of the 6 years together in primary school. We were talking about funny incidents back in primary school. Ahh, what a feeling.

Hope to be able to do more of this in future! :)

Perhaps...也许

也许。。。Perhaps...

Perhaps happiness is being able to do the things you want to do, and to NOT do the things you don't want to do.

简单的道理，坦很多时侯被望。

Yup, that's probably me

I suddenly realised how silly I have been - overthinking and being anxious about things which - in fact are not even as bad as I imagined it to be.

Tsk tsk..silly me.

Well, lesson learnt.

Switched Hairstylist

Decided to switch hairstylist after having the same hairstylist for years.
My childhood friend recently opened a saloon with his friends. Went for my first haircut with him today.
Patrick asked what hairstyle i have in mind. I just told him to recommend anything to me.
Told him that I dont mind if he needs to chop off 2 inches of my hair or so.
So he went on to work his magic.
Result - 1-2 inches shorter hair, with a bit of layers, more movement. Quite like it. It feels very natural and comfy.
Will visit him again in future for haircuts! :)

Ramblings~The Simple Life ~ Dance Inspired

Coming back from a laid back weekend trip to Lumut, it was refreshing to be back at home at last.

Today, being on leave, I just went with the flow with no concrete plans of to-do's today.

I just let the ideas come naturally. Most of the time today was spent spring cleaning my room, unpacking, having long, leisurely breakfast - reading my book while eating my dim sum & egg tart breakfast while sipping my favourite milk tea. Nice.....

After brunch, came home, went online. Willvhead to the dentist for a routine check up and head to gym. It's granny's birthday tonight but she insisted on eating at home. Uncle will be cooking some noodles and we'll have a simple family dinner at home tonight.

I was just having light lunch/tea with my brother (who was also on leave today) and was describing to him the importance of having a good dance mentor/instructor. Recently the 'So You Think You Can Dance' competition has just ended, and Hong was both of our favourites.

We were discussing his performance during the finals. I felt that he danced with all his life and soul. Each movement was very sharp and full of emotions. I felt that he genuinely appreciated and felt the song he was dancing to.

Similarly, I felt very much "in the song" whenever I am in my Jam classes. Especially when the instructor is good at bringing up the mood AND pointing out helpful pointers for us to dance better and make our movements sharper, yet smoother.

Very few things in life can beat the feeling of Dancing with All your Heart and Soul.

You feel that you are soaring - just as when you are living with all your heart and soul. :)

Quote of the Week :)

"To fall in love with yourself is the first secret to happiness." - Robert Morely

"So Best" --> Copyright Reserved

I hereby inform that the term "So Best" is my copyright expression :)

WOWWWW

I had an amazing weekend!!!

Friday night - fav class by fav instructor.... followed by my fav food for dinner, then met up with friend for coffee.... (of course, i drank hot choc instead of coffee/tea...knowing well that caffeine keeps me awake). It was really nice chatting to my new found friend... we chatted non stop for almost 2 hours...

Sat- Bleary eyed, sleep deprived Gym Hopping day. Sleep deprived due to some disruptions in my sleep quality/hours for the past one week... Still went to gym nevertheless. Body and mind was half awake when I attended Body Attack. Nevertheless, I still managed to be my crazy gung-ho self in the class - since it was taught by fun people :)

Immediately after the class, I RUSHED to change and waited for my friend to hitch a ride from him to the next gym. Time for BodyJam! While we were in the car, we chatted about the usual stuffs. He asked me for comments on his classes and is always open to suggestions for improvements. No wonder he is such a good instructor - he actually bothers to improve himself continuously, despite already being the one of the (if not, the) best instructor. While chatting with him, I felt a sense of deja vu. Yeah, one year ago, I went gym hopping as well - one of the Saturdays. We talked about the same topic too - his classes.

Somehow, I realised that in this one year, many things have happenned to our group of friends. Some friends have distanced themselves due to misunderstandings. Some friendships fell apart due to one of the party having found his other half. Somebody came back from overseas and thus filled the void which used to be there, and somebody got dropped out of the circle due to the lack of void now. So many things happenned in the past one year. The future is really hard to predict.....OKOK, back to my weekend story.

Sun - too sore to workout. Went shopping instead. Bought some casual wear and......gym wear [*smiles sheepishly*].

Quote of the Day

Our real blessings often appear to us in the shape of pains, losses, and disappointments; but let us have patience, and we soon shall see them in their proper figures.
Joseph Addison (1672-1719)Essayist and poet

Double Tea

Lunch at canteen. Verdict

Cheese Naan - allright

Mutton rendang - not recommended - tough and too spicy & rich ...

Milk Tea - good to wash down the spiciness

.....Second Cup of Milk Tea - SUPER YUMMY! :)

I Found the SONG finally!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XehSqSB5T1g


Jide 记得

shei hai jide shi shei xian shuo yongyuan de ai wo
谁还记得是谁先说 永远地爱我

yiqian de yi ju hua shi women yihou de shangkou
以前的一句话是我们 以后的伤口

guo le tai jiu mei ren jide dangchu naxie wenrou
过了太久没人记得 当初那些温柔

wo he ni shouqianshou shuo yao yiqi zoudao zuihou
我和你手牵手说要一起 走到最后

women dou wangle, zhe tiao lu zou le duojiu
我们都忘了 这条路走了多久

xinzhong shi qingchu de you yi tian, you yi tian dou hui ting de
心中是清楚的有一天 有一天都会停的

rang shijian shuo zhenhua, suiran wo ye haipa
让时间说真话 虽然我也害怕

zai tianhei le yihou, women dou buzhidao, hui bu hui you yihou
在天黑了以后 我们都不知道 会不会有以后

women dou lei le, que mei banfa wang hui zou
我们都累了 却没办法往回走

liang ke xin dou mihuo zenme shuo, zenme shuo dou meiyou jiu
两颗心都迷惑怎么说 怎么说都没有救

qin'ai de weishenme, yexu ni ye bu dong
亲爱的为什么 也许你也不懂

liang ge xiang'ai de ren, dengzhe duifang xian shuo, xiang fenkai de liyou
两个相爱的人 等着对方先说 想分开的理由

shei hai jide aiqing kaishi bianhua de shihou
谁还记得爱情开始 变化的时候

wo he ni de yanzhong kanjian le butong de tiankong
我和你的眼中看见了 不同的天空

zou de tai yuan zhongyu zoudao fencha lu de lukou
走的太远终于走到 分岔路的路口

shibushi ni he wo yaoyou liang ge xiangfan de meng
是不是你和我要有两个 相反的梦

wo he ni shouqianshou shuo yao yiqi zoudao zuihou
我和你手牵手说要一起 走到最后

想回到过去

Have you ever stared into the rain
Thought the clouds would never disappear?
Have you ever screamed out in the dark
Thinking no one else could hear?

I was leaving footprints tainted by my past
On this winding road to you
I'd lost my faith in love
Tonight I believe again
My heart was a broken place
And now I feel whole againAnd you bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in
And I believe, I believe again

Have you ever spun out of control
Like you never saw the road ahead?
Have you ever just kept looking back
Ever closer to the edge?
I was praying for the light
I see in your eyes
I had all but given up
I'd lost my faith in love

Tonight I believe again
My heart was a broken place
And now I feel whole again
And you bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in

And I believe, I believe again
I believe the impossible
Is possible to overcome
I believe in the miracles
Born from love in everyone

I believe the impossible
Is possible to overcome
I believe in the miracles
Born from love in everyone
I believe the impossible
Is possible to overcome

I believe in the miracles
Born from love in everyone
I believe the impossible
Is possible to overcome
I believe in the miracles
Born from love in everyone
I'd lost my faith in love
Tonight I believe again
My heart was a broken placeA
nd now I feel whole againA
nd you bring me honesty
And that's worth believing in
And I believeAnd I believe,

I believe again

Honey

I watched an old movie - Honey starring Jessica Alba.

I really liked the part when she said "Dancing is not what they do, it is what they Are".

Wow, I feel like I can really relate to the statement. Sometimes, when you are doing some things that you are very passionate about, it feels like it is not just something you do, but it is part of who you are.

Isn't it Great?

Isn't it great when you know exactly what you want to do, and you went ahead to do it? The feeling's great!

Back. Stronger. Better

I am back! Stronger, Better, Happier than ever.

Everyday of my life is a second chance to do things better, to live life my way.

Weekend Ramblings

This weekend was a rather peculiar weekend for me, as I did not go to gym at all.
On Saturday, went to the mall for window shopping and hanging out at the bookstore. Met up with a friend after that for dinner and catched Kung Panda. The movie was good, but not as good as Shrek 1.

On Sunday, went for fish head noodle brunch with Mum, then accompanied her for grocery shopping. She was contemplating which saloon to go to for haircut. So we went saloon scouting - various locations. In the end, we went to the saloon opened by my childhood friend and got her hair cut by him.

I am curious - if I ever go to him for a hair cut, what hair style will he recommend? I might give it a try the next time I am due for a haircut...

You Never Know

"Stop rationalizing, stop stewing. Get up out of your chair and start doing." -- Denis Waitley

"It’s a strange thing, you have said it thousands of times I am sure… you will never know what you can do until you try. However the sad truth is, that most people never try anything until they know they can do it." -- Bob Proctor

"For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been'." -- John Greenleaf Whittier

Miracle 2008 Memories

My ChillOut Weekend

Yesterday I had so much fun at the Miracle 2008- Did attack and jam. During attack, i experienced once again the liberating rush of adrenalin, of giving your all to the workout. All of the regular members were shouting in response to the instructor's inspiring cues. There was so much energy on and off stage...
Was so tempted to do the 8pm Blood-Sweat-Tears as well, but I was rather tired and ended up watching it instead....Joined Elaine & gang for dinner in uptown instead. It was my first time there - the lamb chop and soya bean with grass jelly tasted pretty good.

Today I went to the mall hoping to catch Kungfu panda - wow, the ticketing line was super long. And all the tickets were sold out. Went to the bookshop instead- finished reading the book Peony In Love. It has been so long since I last read fiction; but this one is really really good.

As I was turning the pages, the words formed images so vivid in my mind that it felt as though I was watching a movie. Finished 300+ pages of it finally...hahaha

The next time I am going on leave, I will pick up another book to read - hmm - haven't decided whether it will be a fiction or non fiction one - will just randomly pick up one which suits my fancy :). Till then, Cheers!

Summer Leap

"In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer."
-- Albert Camus

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.
-- Agnes de Mille (1905-1993)Dancer and choreographer

His Last Day

Over the past few days that Godfather's coffin was placed at his home, every night I went to see him and speak to him. Sometimes it was as brief as me telling him my name and that I have come to visit him. Last night, it was a longer conversation.
Last night, I went over to visit him as usual. I recalled & told him the little moments that we used to share together- how much I cherished them. Told him that those moments mean a lot to me, and I do remember them vividly.I told him that I might have never told him verbally how much I love him while he was alive. Told him "But tonight, I want to tell you ..Daddy, I love you".
Today I attended my godfather's funeral.
After seeking approval from Godmum, I took part in the procession as part of the family.
Before the coffin was closed, I hugged Godmum, and went to see him for the last time, together. I told him to rest in peace and promised I will live my life well....
As were were performing the rituals for him, it was drizzling. It was as if the sky is mourning his loss, together with us too.
Holding the joss stick, listening to the nun reciting the mantras, my eyes alternated between the amber of my joss stick and on godfather's photo. As the ambers fell down in ashes onto the floor, I was reminded how fragile life is. My mind went back in time to how we used to be when he was around.
When I was a small girl, he used to wake me up from sleep over the weekends when I have sleepovers at his house. He would be singing songs with glee, indicating that it is time for me to wake up and head to the market with him and godmum for breakfas. I can still see clearly his joy and anticipation as he sings " To market, to market, to buy a fat pig..." He was one of the few people who always find joy in little little things in life.
And he liked to pat my head with affection, (even when I have grown up to be a teenager), singing with Rhyme - Ling Ting Ting... (as my name is Ling...and he came up with the words Ting Ting to make it rhyme..). I guess in Daddy's eyes, I am always his little girl. I was always known as "Lai(4th intonation) Lui" (youngest daughter) rather than "Lai(2nd Intonation) Lui)- babysitted daughter?.
Godmum used to like to make fun of me - whenever she introduced me to friends in the market that I am their Lai(2) Lui, I will proudly and adamantly correct her and said that I am their Lai(4) Lui. And she never fails to laugh with glee to the fact that I insist on being part of their family.
Ah... and whenever I talk about my favourite singers or actors, he will always guess that it is Aaron Kwok, even if I have told him that it is not....And how godmum ALWAYS gently chided him and 'reprimanded' him for not having the correct information.
He was a gentle, patient, and true to his character type of person. Hard to find in today's society...
When my own dad was scolding me for misbehaving, godfather next door will be pacing restlessly and feeling sorry for me...
Godmum related this story to me too- once he was at the coffeeshop having brunch with his usual gang, when my other neighbour were telling the others on the table that her niece has obtained 5A's for SPM. Upon hearing that, he literally jumped out from his seat and went to tell the whole table that HIS Chooi Ling got 10A1s, and reiterated the fact numerous times that it is not just 10A's but it was 10A1's. I can imagine him showing 10 of his fingers animatedly with his eyes wide open, totally oblivious to the fact that his neighbour was probably upset with him having stolen the spotlight of the conversation.
My mind snapped back to the present as I feel the burning heat from the ambers of the jossstick that fell on my hand.
Staring at his picture, it was as though I see him telling me that he loves me so dearly with all his heart and that I should love myself and my life as much and unconditionally as he does too.I heard him asking me -"If I can love you this much, why cant you love yourself this much". I whispered under my breath, "Daddy, I will.
As I was flooded with these thoughts in my mind, tears started rolling down my cheeks again.
It was a windy day today. As the wind blew against my hair, the warm breeze felt as though it was Daddy's hand carressing my hair, patting my head once more.
In my mind, I see godfather telling me, as he plugged away the tubes that has perforated his body ever since he was unwell - he said "Look, now I dont have to use these anymore. I am free and healthy again. I can do the things I love to do!"
And I see mental images of a healthy and happy him doing his favourite things:-Painting the vases and chairs that he can find around his house, somehow always in green paint, in the middle of the day under the hot sun. He has always loved to do this so much. Godmum used to say that he will only pain on hot days, under the hot sun.And he would just laugh and shrugg off the comments.
I see him going to market wearing a red polo shirt with khaki pants. Then somehow he laughed and said it looks old fashioned, and he was dressed in red polo shirt and blue jeans instead. He was going to market for brunch.
I see him dipping bread into his afternoon cup of tea/coffee...and smiling back at me...
For one moment, I felt that although he is no longer here with us in this world, he is free from his sufferrings and pain and will enjoy a healthy and lively life in the Heaven, where he is fit and healthy to do all the things that he loves so dearly. And he will rest in peace. And he is in fact with us, in our hearts always.

珍惜生命~Let's Appreciate Life

Today after work, I went home straight for dinner. After dinner, Mum broke the news gently to me.

My godfather has passed away. Immediately at the kitchen counter, I burst out in tears.

Mental images of him raced through my mind, as teardrops pour down my cheeks.

I remember his kindness, his patience, and his love.

He has been sufferring from cancer and secondary infections for some time. Slowly he got thinner and thinner as his appetite for food decrease. Most of the time, he was in pain.

But he never complained at all.

He just took everything in stride and accepted it.

I saw with my own eyes, the love and kindness that his family showered upon him. Everybody was gentle and caring towards the fragile him.

Last Saturday midnight, after coming back from supper with Mum, I saw that Godfather's house was unusually full with relatives. I went over and found him resting on a reclining chair. He didnt look too good - I can almost feel his sufferring and he was semi conscious. At that moment, I was afraid that anything bad may happen to him. He looked like he was having difficulty breathing.

That night, he was sent to the hospital.

He passed away this evening. I am sad that he has left. But on another hand, I feel that it may be best for him, as he has been sufferring far , far too long. His never ending battle with his illness was taking a toil on him.

Tonight also reminds me how often we take the people around us for granted.

Please do not take our own lives for granted. Do not complain about this and that, and forget to be grateful for what we have.

Everyday we wake up with the ability to move, to speak , to hear the birds chirping, to smell the scents of coffee.. all these are the blessings of life which some of us have begun to take for granted.

Lets not wait until it is too late to love the people around us. Express our love today, show that you care. For if you dont, one day it may be just too late.

In retrospect, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to have seen him again last Saturday night. I wish that he may rest in peace, free from pain and sufferrings, ever after.

Daddy, remember that we all love you so, always.

Blog relocated

Decided to move my blog from the original location- tchling.multiply.com to here instead.

Lately the pages at my original blog location seems to take so long to load.

Looking forward to a better experience here!