My life is like a TV drama

Did you watch yesterday's episode of Ugly Betty on StarWorld?  Betty told Daniel (her boss) that she could arrange a business appointment between him and Matt's (her bf) famed billionnaire dad, Calvin.  Of course, when she asked Matt later, his answer was "No".

There are a few pointers to be made here:
1)  Betty should have the courtesy to ask Matt first before convincingly telling Daniel that she could do it.
2)  Calvin is Matt's dad, not hers.  She can't decide on his behalf just bcoz they are dating.
3)  Betty could have suggested a meeting with Calvin's rep first, instead of the famed billionaire himself, who is an extremely busy man.

Why is this bugging me?  Well, something similar happened to us very recently, and due to its sensitivity, I can only voice my opinion discreetly. ;p

Destiny - Fixed or Variable?

My friend just paid over $600 (already discounted) for her fortune to be read, again.  It's not the first time she goes to a fortune teller, and they all tell her almost the same story.  Well, she could have just paid us half the cost, and we would have repeated her fortune to her again.

According to the fortune-teller(s), there are some setbacks in certain aspects of her life.  What I don't understand is why know what lies ahead of you now when there is no remedy to it?  Would that have made you more prepared for it?  Or would you just expect it to happen without doing a single thing about it, surrendering yourself to your destiny as told by a stranger who makes a living out of telling fortunes?  Or after knowing, would it be that simple to just let go & focus on the present?  Would what you know in the future impact your decisions now?  Wouldn't that be a pity to miss out on all the wonderful things in life that could happen?

Like many fengshui practitioners believe, how our lives turn out to be depend on 3 things:
- 33.3% on destiny the moment you were born
- 33.3% on fengshui elements
- 33.3% on your actions

What I'm trying to tell you, my friend, is that there is still hope that your life may turn out differently, based on the actions you make.  Fortune-tellers can only tell you your destiny, they can't predict your actions.  Hence, do not succumb to your destiny just as it is.  Enjoy the present, make the right actions for your future.  And, if there are certain setbacks in life, pick up & move one, knowing it's just a part of your history.

P/S: I hope you'll have a wonderful life and family ahead.

Love Doesn't Hurt

Today is International Women's Day.  I just completed watching Oprah's talkshow about women being abused by their partners/boyfriends.  According to her, every 1 out of 3 girls are being abused.  There was talk about Chris & Rihanna's relationship, 2 girls killed by their abusive partner, and 1 pregnant with his child but he's in prison for being abusive.

It's sad to hear these stories.  It reminded me of a story my friend (Z) once told me.  Z was an outgoing person with lots of friends.  Soon after she 'paktoh' with this guy (W), she had to eliminate her guys friends, 'coz he doesn't like her talking to them.  Throughout their relationship, they constantly argued, 'coz she was a strong-willed person and she doesn't like to be controlled.  W got jealous easily and would do stupid things like running off to his ex-gf or threatening to slit his wrist with a knife or verbally abuse her till she had low self respect.  Z had tried breaking-off with W, but as in most relationships, the girl would always forgive the guy & get back together.  Z was stuck in the relationship for 1.5 years before she finally decided to call it quits for good, but he stalked her thereafter.  She told me about this story years later.  She didn't have the guts to tell anyone at that time 'coz she was ashamed.  None of her friends knew about her situation coz W looked like the perfect boyfriend.  After it was over, she realised that she wasn't even in love with him.  She was young, and he happens to be attractive and interesting.  Anyway, I'm glad Z got out and there was no physical abuse involved.

There was another friend (K) who was physically abused by her husband.  He was the perfect gentleman when they were dating.  Everything changed after they got married.  I don't know much about her story, but I knew there was once when he threw her against the wall.  K is a pretty and sweet person.  I'm glad that phase of her life is over now and she is happily married to her current husband who adores her.

But to those who are in an abusive relationship, here are some warning signs (extracted from loveisnotabuse.com).

• calls you names and puts you down in front of others
• acts extremely jealous
• controls your behaviour, checking up constantly, & demanding to know who you've been with
• abusive for not answering his phone / replying his SMS on time

Like Oprah says, "Love Does NOT Hurt".

Blogger's Block

It's been 2 weeks since I last blogged.  Besides being away & busy for CNY, I've been facing blogger's block (as in writer's block), especially since I discovered my brother's blog.  My only 'kor' has a new blog (in fact 3 blogs & a website) which I'm totally unaware of.  In fact, it's not "NEW" anymore, since the blog was established since 2006.  Silly me has been following the old blog which he has stopped since he came back from his hitch-hiking 'round-the-world' trip.  He said I should have known since it's listed in his profile on FB.  Hhmphh!  As though there's a need for me to check his profile!  I mean, he's my only 'kor', so I should know everything about him hence there's no need for me to check, right? .... or maybe I should, to see if he's in a relationship with any japanese girl.  SHE CANNOT BE CUTER THAN ME!

Oh! Back to my blogger's block, well, I must say Kor's a pretty good writer, in my opinion anyway, 'coz I find it funny & interesting.  That, has made me realise I've a long way to catch up.  But not to be despaired, I will continue to improve, as I noted some readers (I don't know who you are) have been checking on my blog continuously & this is good encouragement.  (My hubby said it's him but I don't think so!)  I've a total of 68 new visitors with 132 visits thus far (not sure this is good or poor), but I will post the stats on my blog once I've reached the 100 mark.

You're welcome to read my kor's blogs, but pls make sure you stay tune to mine too.  He's an avid traveller & a tour-guide in Sabah, so his blogs are mostly about his passion of travelling & his free-like-a-bird lifestyle.
Lost Travels
Lost Borneo

Borneo2Leaf (Japanese)

I got this picture from one of his blogs, but I'm sure 'kor' won't sue me. ;p

CNY Reunion

Chinese New Year is a very special occasion to me.  It's the only time when my family has a chance to be together.  With my brother in KK, my parents in Ipoh & myself in PJ, it's not very often that we can spend quality time together.  There's also joyous celebrations with our relatives from far & near, as we take turns to host 'open house' on Chor Ee, Chor Sam etc.  Oh, the "C" family is a really fun & noisy bunch, and yes, we tend to dominate, even though most have been married 'out' (in Chinese, 'kah chut huey').

This year, I'm extremely excited & happy, because I get to go back for reunion dinner with my family on the eve of CNY.  Reason: my hubby's grandma passed away last year, and hence no celebration for 365 days.  For the past 3 years, I only travel back to Ipoh for CNY on 'Chor Ee'.  Well, that's the downside of being a married woman. ;p

Nevertheless, my hubby did mention that we can do this again in future, bcoz his family performs prayers in the afternoon, & hence we can have reunion lunch with his family in PJ, and reunion dinner with my family in Ipoh.  This is what I call gender equality. :)  But I don't think we should do this every year... you know, just in case feelings are unintentionally hurt.

My Achievements

Only 1 month into 2010, and I must say I've accomplished quite a bit.  I'm so so proud of myself.  *beaming*

I finally completed my beaded lamp, personally designed & handmade by me.  I have dedicated more time for my artwork.  I've started baking, and for a beginner, I must say I'm pretty good.  ;p  I've experimented with many new delicious dishes (home-cooked meals daily), and I now know how to make "mee hun ker" (pan mee) from scratch!  Also, not forgetting that I've started my own blog.

These stuff may seem pretty simple, but if you know me, you wouldn't believe it.  Who would believe that a girl who barely passed her Art subject in school can now be artistic?  Who would think that a girl who doesn't even help her mom in the kitchen now cooks out of love & likes to share her succesful experiments?  This proves I can do anything I put my mind to.

Well, my house has been spring-cleaned, the CNY deco is up, I'm all prepared to welcome the Year of the Golden Tiger.  It's gonna be a fantastic year!  woo hoo!

You may also like:
New Year...New Beginning...New Hopes

Evidence at the Park

My boyfriend & I, we were taking our dog for a walk at the park. He found a spot, started digging & found a bone – no, not the dog, my boyfriend. Anyway, he gave the bone to the dog, and continued digging. To our surprise, buried in the ground was a pair of sneakers & an empty condom packaging. WTF! Guessing it was evidence to some rape cases, my boyfriend decided to take the sneakers with him.
Suddenly, we saw some gangsters approaching. I told him to bury the shoes & run, but in a calm manner, he walked to a row of shelves at the park & placed the sneakers at one of the top open shelves (apparently to hide it!). The gangsters saw us & came running after us. We ran back to the hostel where we stayed. One of the bad guys caught up with us, but with the help of this HK actor (Power Chan Kwok Bong) who stayed in the same hostel as us (???!!!), we managed to capture the bad guy. Just as in all movies, the gangsters then held one of our people (Power’s momma) as hostage too. Damn!
Just as I was deciding whether or not to break the priceless antique vase to use as a weapon, when suddenly….. RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then I woke up. This was my dream in the wee hours this morning. They say dreams have hidden meanings, but I won’t bother interpreting this, just like the many other silly dreams I occasionally have.  Why dream of Power?  Don't ask me, I'd rather have Cheng Ka Wing in my dreams anytime.

    Power Chan & Cheng Ka Wing (Image source: www.spcnet.tv)

p/s: Did I tell you my boyfriend had superpowers? He could do things in lighting speed, but nooo….. in this case, he chose to walk instead! Hhmph! That’s why we couldn’t escape. ... Who's my boyfriend? It's Someone, of coz!

Spanish Restaurante @ Bangsar

I was at Cava again yesterday night.  I was just there last Friday for lunch.  It seems a favourite hangout place for some of my banker friends.  For those who are not aware, Cava Restaurant & Bar is a cozy little Spanish restaurant located in Jln Bangkung, Bangsar.

Paella is a must-have here, hence we ordered Paella Valencia, a rice dish with mixed seafood & chicken.  We also had a variety of tapas, salad, pasta & dessert.  Most importantly, if you have a passion for sweet stuff, don't forget to indulge in the Chocolate Dream, a warm moist chocolate cake served with lime custard sauce.  It is delightfully sinful!  A few of my favourites from my previous visits include the mushroom soup & baked cod.  Well, pictures say a thousand words, so here you go!

Alas!  If you noticed, there's no photo of the desserts, which I have totally forgotten to capture, as everyone, including myself, dug their spoons into it the moment it was placed on the table.
Overall, Cava is a nice place to have good food & hangout with friends.

This photo below is dedicated to my beautiful friends, who insisted I capture their photo, instead of just the delicious food!

Foolish Actions

The issue on the use of the word "Allah" has been in the news over the past week or so.  I never bothered getting more details as I thought it would be over in the blink of an eye.  Not until today.  I was having lunch with my friends in Bangsar when I heard that 1 church was burnt, a few others attacked, and a car windscreen smashed.  I was horrified!  My Malay good friend explained the whole hoo-hah to me.

I am not a Christian, in fact, I consider myself a so called free-thinker, and I respect all religions.  Hence in this issue, I'm not favouring any side.  I'm not in the position to give any views regarding the usage of the word "Allah", what I'm more concerned are the foolish actions of some people.  Are these not the actions of uncivilized people?!  What happened to 1Malaysia?!  What happened to racial unity, which we as Malaysians, are so proud of?!  Aren't religious teachings about peacefulness & goodness as a person?!  Am I so innocent to think that no Malaysians will act like hooligans when it comes to racial disagreements, which is a thing of the past?!  I guess I was wrong.  Don't they know, which any civilized & level-headed person can tell you, that violence is only making it worse?  Don't they believe in peaceful resolution?  I do hope that all other Malaysians understand that these are acts of only a few foolish people, and they do NOT represent the entire community.

Today, I understood the meaning of "Assalamualaikum" from an article I read.  It means 'peace be upon you'.  It is really meaningful.  I hope the next time these people utter this word, they really mean it & walk-the-talk.

Whatever faith you believe in, let's pray that this will be ending peacefully soon.

Related articles:
What Are You Fighting For?
Have Faith

Chinese Taboos

Went for my class today and met some new friends.  In the 3 hours we spent together, all our conversation topics seem to involve food.  Be it pregnancy, travelling, festivals, weddings, deaths or gifts, food was somehow part of it.  Why?  You guessed it... 4 out of 5 in the group were Chinese.

Talking about Chinese, we seem to be the race with the most superstitions, some of which are even new to me.  Not sure whether you believe, but for me, better be paranoid than sorry.  These are some of the superstitions I learned today:

• Do not sweep the house or wash your hair on the 1st day of CNY.
• Do not give clocks and books (during CNY) as gifts.
• Do not buy shoes for your other half, as it means they will run away with another man/woman.
• Do not meet your husband/wife-to-be on the eve of the wedding day.
• Do not place anything sharp (scissors, blades, knives) on the bed if you're pregnant.
• Do not renovate the house when you're pregnant.
• Do not watch someone using the hammer if you're pregnant.
• Do not praise a newborn, or the baby will turn out to be the opposite of the praise.
• Do not open umbrellas inside the house, as the spirit (which stays in the umbrella) will be freed and wandering in your house.
• If (touch wood) you ever meet a ghost, you can either pray or scold foul words to make them go away.  errmmm..... not sure whether it works only with Chinese ghosts.
• Do not cut your fingernails at night, or you will see spirits.
• Do not point at the moon, or your ears may fall off!

In view that CNY is just around the corner, you may want to learn more to ensure the good luck keeps coming & the bad luck keeps away.  Attached are some links which may be useful.
CNY superstitions
CNY taboos

Remember, no harm saying #*$&@%! sometimes. ;p

The Enchanted World

I watched Avatar yesterday, and needless to say, I was mesmerized, so much so that I wanted to be one of the Na'vi.....  Lo & behold, this is my own Avatar!  The scar across my left eye was a due to a catfight between Neytiri and I, fighting over Jake.  Meowww!

 

This movie brought me back to the long forgotten enchanted world I used to know as a kid.  The fairies, goblins, elves, gnomes - I knew they existed, in a far far away untouched forest.  I just never imagined it to be so breathtaking.  Thanks, James Cameron, for giving me an insight into their world.  And when you're filming Avatar 2, do consider Mermie, the Avatar shown above.  She may be petite, but she's a real cili padi!

I see you.
http://www.avatarmovie.com/

P/S: You can have your own Avatar too.  Just click here.

New Year... New Beginning... New Hopes

2010 - I believe it's a great beginning... for me, anyway.  After weeks of planning, I finally started a blog, on the 1st day of the year.  Something so simple, and yet.....
There has been many changes in my life in preparation for this year.  So drastic the change, that 1 month into it, and friends are still asking the same question.  Sometimes I give different answers to different groups of friends, as I find it difficult to make them comprehend the reasons.  Don't get me wrong, it's not because of different IQ level or anything, it's just that not everyone had been through what I had, hence they won't understand.  And to some others, moolah plays a bigger role in their lives.

I've been given a 2nd chance in life, and this is what I have to do, for 2010.  It's a new beginning, bringing it new hopes...