On life, love and everything in between...

27 Beginnings

2009-09-07T02:50:00.001-07:00

I will be starting a new blog at http://inmyquietreverie.blogspot.com.

Thus this blog will be discontinued.

Many thanks to all who have come and read my ramblings all these years. Feel free to drop in in my new place! ;)

Thankful for You

2008-12-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

Let's be thankful for the bitch(es) in office, because it means I still have the ability to be pissed off, and therefore it means that today I am ALIVE.

And as much as I have the ability to hate and be irritated, I also have the ability to love and be loved in return.

And for that I am thankful :)

* May the souls of those who perished in the Mumbai Tragedy Rest in Peace *

To Ji

2008-11-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

To Ji,

You don't owe him anything.

Whatever "debt" you may have owed him, emotionally or otherwise, all have been forfeited the moment he decided to marry another.

Love, is.

Love does not keep scores. Its existence is not dependant on the past or the future, it just is.

The past is only there to remind you how lucky you are to have it, and the future is only there for you to hope for.

But love, is.

To Ji, who deserves all the love in the world, you deserve so much better than him.

For The Record

2008-10-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

Birthday message galore...
L'Occitane Cherry Blossom shower gel
5 birthday cards - all starring animals!!! (A dog, a cat, a sheep, a cute piggy...and a couple of chimpanzees=p)
A discount coupon on alicewonders.com
Two phonecalls from overseas
A Viet version of "Love Me Tender"...... :)

* Birthday Bliss *

Cheerleader Vs Goth

2008-09-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

I wonder how much heartbreak can the human heart sustain before losing faith? Uhm....I suppose that probably depends on the person, and the amount of faith they had to begin with.

I have been in two serious relationships, with wonderful, genuinely good guys, but unfortunately both didn't work out. The Cheerleader Jess in me (ponytails, short skirt, poms poms and all) constantly chirps at the side :"It's ok dear! You'll do just fine! Tomorrow's a great day!!! :)" but once in awhile the Depressed Jess (the one with the Goth make up and dark clothes) whispers "Dude, there must be something seriously wrong with you that you can't work things out with even the nicest guy..."

Anyway, the other day a friend told me that his friend, who has been to Sarawak before, said that the Iban people are "nice". When I asked him to elaborate on "nice" he said "Nice as in pretty, and nice nice..."

In a stroke of self-deprecating genius I said :"Oh no wonder I'm not marriet yet,I'm only half-Iban, not so nice..." (as opposed to my 100% Iban cousin who just got married recently >_<), to which my friend laughed...

Still...these are just thoughts for tonight, I'm sure it will come to pass, as all things do in the end.

Besides, I never like Goth make up anyway ;p.

Confessions

2008-09-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

You know how, supposedly, when women reach a certain age they start hearing the so-called biological clock ticking and they start to want to have babies?

I wonder if there is such a thing called the marital clock? =p

I know, I know this will sound awfully desperate of me :( but...sigh...there's just something in me that has been wanting to settle down lately >_<. Maybe it's all the weddings and marriage registrations that I have been to lately, maybe it's just wishing to have someone to spend the coming birthday with, maybe....I just...like the idea of settling down I guess =p

When "us" didn't work out, I remember at one point of the conversation, I started heaving these great big sobs (the kind where it' s kind of soundless but then you feel you can hardly breathe because you're crying so hard), and when he asked me, ever so kindly, what was making me so sad, I said :"I'm crying because now I'll never marry...."

Sigh...I just, like the idea of having...as Susan Sarandon's character says it so aptly in the movie "Shall We Dance", having "a witness to our lives". I cannot recall the exact words, but the gist of what she said was that, we marry to have a witness to our lives. That when we marry someone we are saying to that person that, no matter how small or how insignificant you may appear to the world, I will be here as the witness to your life, and in so doing it (your life) will be and is significant to me. I will be the witness to your life, as you will be mine.

For me, it would be absolutely lovely to have someone there for all the little things...like reading that new book and having someone to share it with, or getting that pair of killer heels and having someone to wear it for, or just going to the supermarket and getting that packet of Oreos just because "It's his favourite and the house has ran out of it". =p Granted I can do all this for myself, on my own perfectly well, but...once in a while it does get lonely. Just a little bit.

Of course, I'm sure these are all rose-coloured visions of the unitiated and any number of married people will chide me for my naivete and tell me all the horror stories of marriage ("It's not that easy....you have more responsibilities now....so many more things to consider when making decisions etc etc etc...")...=p

Anyways, looking at blog entry "Aku Nak Kahwin" posted in April 2006, I suppose the feeling has been around for quite some time though =p

Still...feelings are feelings, we'll manage, and we'll move on, as we always do :)

Things That I Lost

2008-08-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Things that I lost on the trip:

1) My luggage lock's keys
2) US$20 and 10 Euros
3) My white hairband
4) My handsfree set
5) Us

Sabbatical

2008-07-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

Been away.

Still undecided whether I will continue writing...everything is still the same, but much has changed.

The Great Escape

2007-11-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

"Throw it away, forget yesterday, we'll make the Great Escape....."

This song from Boys Like Girls is a current favourite of mine at the moment, probably because I'm having an especially busy and frustrating period at work with the Mid Year Performance Review (MYPR). Granted, I don't really work late nights like last year, but of late I feel that I've been going to work in a semi permanent PMS-kind-of mood. The funny thing is, the job that's inducing this PMS in me is, ironically, called PMS ie Performance Management System (of which the MYPR is part of). Aiyaiyai...whoever came up with the name and acronym of the thing surely got that right....=p

Anyways, despite the busy schedule, or probably because of it - stress does make you do things you normally wouldn't I guess=p., I was lucky enough to enjoy my own weekend Great Escape on the other side of Malaysia ;) Juney got married (the first of the Bears to do so =D), and even though I told her I wasn't going to make it due to work, I went to see her for the weekend anyway =D My Sayang, who lives in the neighbouring state of Penang was not able to make it as he was holidaying in Cambodia with his colleagues, so I missed the chance to see him this time around =(....Still, despite his absence, it was a weekend full of love for me =)...

Love These Moments :

Woonie humming June's Totoro ringtone in the backseat
Alan's warm hug the moment I stepped down from the bus
Cruising down the highway in "Ah Beh chia" while listening to "Vindicated" on my iPod together with Own Chai
June screaming when I stood in front of her on the front porch
Girl talk in June's room with Juney, Woonie and Flo
Chee Sheng and Kok Hin simultaneously filling my plate with dim sum from both sides - left and right. And you wonder why I'm getting fatter....=p
Having steamboat at June's and later having Kueh Tiaw Basah for supper - there's just something amazingly warm about eating together around the same table just like we used to do ;)
Just listening to the noise and laughter and jokes being thrown around...

Love These Bears =D

Love Juney

My constant email buddy, my matchmaker and therefore Khoon's biggest defender, fellow foodie and shopping buddy (If we saw each other on a regular basis I will be constantly broke!=p) More than anyone else, you prove to me that geographical distance is never a boundary to true friendship as long as you take the time to care and say "How's things today?" ;) Congratulations on your registration dear....I'm so happy for you =)

Love Chee Sheng For leaving some space on your shoulder for my head, no questions asked. For being the oxymoron that you are, rough on the outside but softie inside :)

Love Woonie

For always inspiring me to dream big and in so doing, helped me go all those wonderful places that I have only literally dreamt of going ;) For alway seeing things in a different way, for loving and sharing good music, movies and books with me...

Love Alan

For being my regular Agony Uncle =p. I'm always your favourite joke subject to be sure,but you're always always there for me when I need you.

Love Florence

For being both a hot chick and a really cool person at the same time :) And listening to all my grouches being in the HR field...=p

Love Kok Hin

For always being laid back and cool about everything...and for being such a big part of my memories as part of the Osirians =)

Love Own Chai

They ask why are we not going out together when we are and have been so close all this while...I ask why should I change anything about a relationship that is already perfect as it is?

Sigh....10th to 11th November 2007....will definitely be somewhere up there in the list of Top Weekends of my Life ;)...

Quarter Century

2007-10-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Quarter Century old, and I'm the poster girl for "frazzled". Talk about visible signs of aging=p

Been wanting to jot down some thoughts in this blog for the past couple of weeks but I always end up not doing so, partly because I'm too tired to look at the computer screen at the end of the day, and partly because some things are felt too much to really be able to give it any justice with words alone.

October saw me turning a quarter century old... There was not much fanfare, but I was lucky to get the day off since the company gave us 2 replacement off days for the Raya holis which fell during the weekend...any day away from the office is a good day in my books ;) Wishes came in from the Bears and a few close hometown friends, and also my induction mates. I received a birthday cheese cake from my insurance agent (talk about customer service!=p), but the best pressie of all was Sayang's company! :) He came to visit me for a week and we spent the Raya weekend in KK, where, bless his heart, he totally indulged me by accompanying me to shop for the whole weekend =D I know, I know KK has lots of other more worthwhile sights and scenes to savour aside from the shopping, but I figured that can wait until I have the luxury of having a 1 week holiday, which will give me ample time to explore its hidden jewels. For the weekend I was just content with pampering myself to some good ol' retail therapy ;) The saddest thing about the whole things is just the saying goodbye part when he had to go back....leaving me in a melancholic state which I'm not really sure I have fully recovered from :( Sigh.....it's funny how being in this long distance relationship is both the easiest and hardest thing to do at the same time...

On another sombre note, granduncle passed away yesterday. Mom and Dad and Grandma are in Skrang already for the funeral and all that, while Sis and I are left behind at home. The news did not come unexpectedly, but just a bit lost in terms of what to feel. Skrang is a good 8-hours drive away so I haven't seen much of Granduncle in the last few years (except for Christmas last year where our family had what I would call the great Sarawakian Road Trip, all the way from Miri to Kuching;)), so most of my memories of him are the distant, childhood ones...

So yeah, October's been kind of cloudy, save for the few precious rays of sunshine that shone through once in a while. Here's hoping the new month will see more sunny days, or even better, , rainbows after the rain ;)

Temper

2007-10-08T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today I had an engineer call me up, shout at me in a string of expletives ranging from F*** to Ci*** to Pu****, then slam the phone down.

Tsk tsk tsk...such extreme behaviour, in the Holy month of Ramadhan no less.

Granted, I understand his frustration at the system, and I am probably nothing more than an easy target of a bashing board (after all, what are your HRians for if not for getting scolded eh? *said with a wry smile*), but the whole thing still shocked me.

Sigh...and I thought I've left this kind of shenanigans far behind me when I quit my Customer Service Officer job 2 years ago.

Ah well, I suppose everyone has their bad days. And if scolding me will make you feel better...........

Candid Camera

2007-10-07T07:17:00.001-07:00

Just recently found several "incriminating" shots in my digicam=p Unbeknownst to me, Woonie took them while I was indulging myself in our dessert- the heavenly scrumptious Stawberry Parfait ~Yum!!!~ =) That was a nice girls' only night out....maybe it was the ambience of the place (The Loft at the Curve - really cool hang out place), maybe it was the good food, but most probably it was just because of the GREAT company ;) Miss you Woonie!!!!

All Things 5

2007-10-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Imran:

5 Things In My Bag
Handphone, purse, lip balm, Staff ID, foundation.

5 Things in My Head
i) Mid Year Performance Review
ii) How pissed off I am with him whom I call my BF
iii) How I'm gonna miss my Broadband access when I moved to our new house (the area is new and does not have any telephone lines up yet).
iv) Raya holis.....I need a break ;(
v) Which gold bracelet should I get?

5 Words That I Frequently Use
Shit, kek sei, 丢鞋他/她 (diu xie ta meaning throw shoe at him/ her in Mandarin), Oi... (in reply whenever someone calls my name), oh ok.

5 Recent SMSes Received
益荣, June, Khoon, Fabien, Zeid.

5 Recent Things I Just Did
i) Had my dinner
ii) Bathed
iii) Finished a Julia Quinn novel (LOVED it!!)
iv) Talked to Khoon
v) Cut my toenails

5 Things In My Wardrobe
Baju kurung, a cap, pantiliners, shorts, t-shirts

5 Things I Just Ate
Rice, bean curd, mushroom, ice cream, roti kaya.

5 people to tag
Nah...not into tagging others =p

Male Bonding

2007-09-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

Am craving for some uncomplicated male companionship, just a few hours of relaxed chit-chat and occasional verbal sparring, as well as random "lean on your shoulder" moments and a nice goodbye bear hug.

Why the specific gender selection? Don't know, sometimes a girl just need her male buddies kot...

Tagged =)

2007-09-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Jillyn =) Fair enough, after all it gives me a reason to blog in these uninspired months =p

The rules of the tag are as follows:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

Okie. So here goes, 8 random (but quite long-ly elaborated=) facts about me :)

1) I have never gotten around to learning how to actually add links to one's blog=p Hence, apart from listing 8 random facts about myself, I will break all the other rules of this tag =p

2) I'm a bookaholic! Other girls may not be able to resist getting shoes/clothes/ bags/ make up etc, but for me its BOOKS! =) I can never resist a "3 For 2", "20% off for Members" or "20%-25% off with purchase of any other product in the same receipt" offer from any of the major bookstores ;) Kinokuniya will always be a stop for me whenever I go to KL for work, and with it being in the same building as the HQ....well, that just makes it all the more accesible doesnt it?;)

3) One of the coolest moments during my induction programme a few months ago was when I found a fellow John Mayer fan! =) Our conversation went something like this :

Him : So what kind of music do you listen to?
Me : All sorts, whatever's playing on the radio...
Him : Any favourite bands, singers ke...
Me : John Mayer
* For a brief second he's surprised*
Him : Ye? Continuum?! I have the WHOLE album on my phone!

Zeid, you rock! Miss ya dude! =)

4) I am currently working in the Oil and Gas industry and in a few weeks' time, I will mark my 1 year anniversary of working in my job =p

5) I like wearing Baju Kurung =) It hides one's lack of a svelte figure, you'll have no fear of being inapproriately dressed for whatever office functions, and by virtue of you being a Non-Malay, you'll always get extra compliments like "Jess cantik-lah pakai baju kurung....."=p

6) I'll be moving to a new house soon.

7) I like dark chocolate better than milk chocolate.

8) I wish they still had those wasabi flavoured potato chips available in the market=p

Island Life

2007-08-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Though it has been 2 months since my retreat to Pulau Redang, some of the pictures we took during the trip are too pretty to not be shared ;p So here they are, Redang Picture Picks =)

First sight of Redang (picture taken from the boat! ;p)

Just swinging ;)

Smiling under the sun =)

Coral?

Cuti-cuti Malaysia shot =p

Shadow play

Still Life

Footprints in the Sand

Tie me to the Anchor

More More Tea on a Cloudy Day

Tanned Duo

Solitary

Love, Candid

Dusk

Windchime

Open Space

Sight for Sore Eyes =)

Strolling

Beach Babe

Rocky Shores

Boats

Sweetheart

Leaving

Rhyming Ramblings

2007-08-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

Wrote this for my Induction mates on Monday =p Not exactly Hallmark material, and it didn't elicit much response from its target audience, but I figured it's a pretty good attempt on my part anyway =p

Dearies, picture this if you will,
I sit here in my cube not entirely out of my own will,
Not a peep from the PIPErs, all is still,
It’s strange, I sure hope no one’s ill.

On my speakers, The Bangles sing “Just another Manic Monday…”
Not exactly the song to cure the blues away,
But still it helps to pass the 8 hours working day
Without your emails, it feels like an extremely long day.

So here’s my little “Hello”, which I’m sending your way
Not meant to intrude in any way
Just thought I’d brighten up your day,
By telling you that you’re thought of, though you’re far away ;)

Serenity In An Open Space

2007-07-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

*Thoughts that ran through my head while outdoors at PERMATA during Mega Challenge, 4th July 2007*

They stand in a row before me, mere shadows in the twilight hour before night falls , their backs facing me, their faces turned towards qiblat.

At times they stand, arms crossed before them. At times they kneel, foreheads touching their prayer mats.

A moment shared in faith, but yet still a private moment with God.

A full moon in the blue-black sky completes the picture before me.

We may be of different faith, but the feeling of peace and serenity one gets from prayer (even if one is just a mere observer) crosses all boundaries.

Unpacking

2007-07-18T06:27:00.000-07:00

I always take the longest time unpacking.

Normally my suitcase of clothes and stuff will lie in my room for days, maybe even a week before I unpack everything.

Maybe it's just my way to keep that moment last longer, who knows?

Missing The Noise

2007-07-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Entry scribbled in my ROTI BALDEP notebook in Room 309, Paka Residence Resort, 11th July 2007.

In a few days' time, it will be time to say goodbye.

3 weeks...3 weeks.

Remember when we were in AIESEC , and a 3 days' conference like LLDS will create such a strong bond among us that at the end of LLDS saying goodbye could be a positively tears'-inducing event?

Well, imagine if you were to spend not 3 days, but 3 weeks with each other...?

I will miss...

I wll miss talking to you before I sleep...

I will miss having you look for my shoulder to lean on when you're tired...

I will miss looking up from my notes and finding you looking at me with that loopy smile on your face...

I will miss subconsciously knowing that you are looking at me, but being too shy to actually avert my gaze to meet your eyes...

I will miss linking my arms through yours...

I will miss you calling me "sayang" and "ba-by"....

But most of all...

I will miss the noise you make.

The noise that greets me during mealtimes, before, during and after classes, on the bus...

...the noise that tells me that I am not alone, the noise that tells me I am among friends, the noise that tells me I belong.

"Guess I miss you beautiful, these three words just say it all...."

- "I Miss You", Darren Hayes

*Image taken while I was in Redang , June 07*

Love Letter

2007-07-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

Entry scribbled on my ROTI BALDEP notebook while standing in the control room of the Kerteh Onshore Gas Terminal, 12th July 2007...

"Someone you don't even know exists in this world loves you with all their heart..."

I've always thought of this quote as a sweet, if somewhat wistful thought, but today, I was hit HARD by the realization that, yes, it seems that it has happened to me.

I am Loved =).

*Jess still can't decide whether to laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all, or to cry at the irony ...funny how life's little quirks always come at the most unexpected of moments, and from the people you least expect it from...but I suppose that's what makes it memorable ;).....*

Thank you YOU, for being such a dear.......=)

Hours Before The Blues

2007-07-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm home.

After being away from home and office for 3 whole weeks for my Induction Programme (nope I have NOT switched jobs...it just took me awhile to get releasability to join the programme that's all =p), I am home.

It's late, and I should be getting some sleep since I'm working tomorrow, but just thought I'd get get some offline entries up online, and who knows, perhaps subconsciously I'm just trying to stretch this moment, the end of the last 3 weeks last as long as possible....

...because I'm sure, the moment I open my eyes from slumber in a few hours' time, I will be suffering from one of the worst case of Monday blues ever =o/........

"Why do all good things come to an end, come to an end...?"
- "All Good Things", Nelly Furtado

From The Hammock

2007-06-19T06:25:00.000-07:00

An offline entry during my trip to Redang Island the week before last. It wasn't really written from the hammock per se =p, but I certainly spent quite some time lazing there with my book, and the image conjured up by a swinging hammock by the beach kind of fit the lazy mood I was in...=p

View from the hammock ;)

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From my list of things to do in life :

30) Visit any if the famous Malaysian islands (Redang, Pangkor, Tioman, Langkawi etc...)

44) Go snorkelling.

You figured that the above would come hand in hand should I ever get the chance to visit one of the east coast islands.

Well, that's what I thought too.

Until my monthly friend decided to give me a visit THE day that I step onto the white sands of Redang Island.

Bloody (pardon the pun) good timing.

*Jess still in za dao mode*

So here I am stuck on shore while my Sayang goes cavorting with corals, sea turtles, fishes and other colourful underwater creatures......

Still, the view is beautiful, just like a postcard ;) and I have always made it a point to bring a book with me whenever I go travelling, so I guess instead of Sun, Sand & Sea, its Sun, Sand and Sisman (reading Robin Sisman's Weekend in Paris =p) for me this time around........

Makeover Madness

2007-05-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

Item#26 on my list of Things to do in Life:

26) Join a beauty pageant/ cover girl contest (any contest that involves beauty-lah:P)

I can cross it off today since I joined the Estee Lauder Model Search contest and got myself a makeover and other goodies at our local Parkson this afternoon ;) I doubt I'll be one of the selected semi-finalist, but still, it was fun to get all made up =D Besides, key word here is join, not go far hahaha...=p

Anyways, here's some titbits on my makeover experience:

The face experience :

- I got like 3 layers of foundation put on my face =p

- Gold+reddish colours for my eyes

- Fake eyelashes!

- Nice warm earthy colours for my lips, which I liked =)

The hair experience :

- For once I got complimented on my naturally wavy hair =D I say for once because whenever I go to get my hair trimmed, the hairstylists (regardless of which salon I go to) always recommend getting my hair Rebonded ie Straightened, so it's nice to hear that compliment instead of the usual comment =p

- The hairdresser decided not to do any drastic change to my hairstyle. With a few turns of the curling iron, I got a headful of soft waves.....I like =) (though the style does tend to make me look older I think =p)

The wardrobe experience:

- I got dressed up in a shiny red, knee length tube/sheath kinda dress. Felt very weird and even exposed in it cuz it was definitely not something that I was used to. Oh, and I was also worried that it might fall off as I don't believe I'm well-endowed enough to keep it up should the shark clip on my back that held it tight accidentally gave away =p (All the clothes available were of a looser size and most contestants got their outfits tightened and fitted by shark clips).

The posing experience :

- Arms there, body lean down a bit, chin up etc etc.......Felt very unnatural, very awkward, and again, very worried I might accidentally flash unknowing Mirians should my dress fall off in the midst of my posing=p

The photo touch-up experience:

- This was VERY cool ;) I sat beside the computer dude and watched as he erased all my blemishes and smoothed out my face, made my peepers slightly bigger, slimmed down my arms and face and made my skin positively glow with radiant fairness...all in the course of 3 minutes! =p I asked him whether this happens to ALL those gorgeous pictures you see in magazines, to which he answered :"Yeah, actually they (ie models) all also, not really beauty lah hahaha"

So what do you think, do I make the cut? ;)

From The Cube

2007-05-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

Unlike in my previous job, I can't access the Internet at work, which is a bit troublesome, especially when inspiration strikes (blog-wise) but I am unable to post the entry up....normally I type them offline and tell myself that I will go around posting them up sometime soon....which normally never happens =p So to make up for those times I am posting up not one, not two, but THREE random thoughts that went through my mind while at work....random no doubt, but still insistent enough to be written=p....

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3 Simple Rules

3 simple rules I try hard to live by, despite the hectic pace of life:

i) Take time to read.
ii) Take time to write (ie blog =p).
iii) Take time to keep in touch with those I love. =)

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What in the what the......?

At the receiving end of uncalled for sarcasm when you were trying to be helpful and efficient (you thought!!!) sucks.

Just another typical day in the life of a corporate lemming.

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Consequences

I should have known better.

And now we are locked in a gridlock, and any actions I take from now on will just seem selfish and fake.

It's a sad thing to not be able to express your true feelings, to have them reined in because its the right thing to do.

If I told you that I know how you feel, that I've been there before, will you believe me?

It's not just lip service you know. It's probably one reason why I like you so much, because I've been there, and I know how it feels.

I really should have known better.

*just an afterthought: shit, this is such an emo entry, I've been reading too much William Liew! ;p heheh no offence Will, for the record I DO enjoy reading your blog =)

Foodies Unite!

2007-05-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

By a stroke of luck, the venue for my 1 week meeting which was initially scheduled to be at Kota Kinabalu was changed to KL at the last minute...

So after a week's sojourn in Jesselton (though it being a business trip, it was definitely more hectic than the what the word 'sojourn' will imply=p, but that will be another blog entry ya;)), I spent another week away from office in KL... and with the long weekend looming thanks to the double whammy Public Holidays of Labour Day and Wesak Day, I took the chance to scoot up North to Penang to meet up with my Sayang and Juney bear...=)

Looking back at the few pictures that I took of last weekend, I realized that this trip was really all about the food....;)

With the sinful Mud Pie at TGI Friday's....the ultimate dessert for a chocolate lover like me;)

Juney & me with our Mango Snow Ice....Simply Mango-licious!!! =D

My Sayang's a foodie too ;)

Penang Char Kuay Teow - Hawker food at its best!

My Starbucks' caffeine fix, and not forgetting their Yummy Siren's Salad =)

And finally, just a nice steaming mug of tea....=)

What better way to spend a weekend than with good food and great company ya?;)

Adieu...

2007-05-03T06:19:00.000-07:00

Just a little entry to bid farewell to my favourite cream coloured jacket, which I accidentally left in my KK hotel room while I was there two weeks ago on a business trip =(

I bought the jacket just before leaving for Paris for the Brandstorm International Finals while Woonie and I were shopping for our team's uniform (probably the only time that shopping came close to torturous for us both=p) in Mid Valley...and its kept me warm on countless memorable occasions ever since, and I will always remember it very fondly...

Me & my jacket in Torino, Italy

On arrival in Cairo, Egypt

Who's that NLDS Faci in the Cream coloured jacket? ;)

Laughing with Woonie and Ngiammy at Ming Tian..in my favourite jacket ;)

One of my last trips with my faithful companion - At the Japanese Garden in Bukit Tinggi

Adieu adieu...

My Fair Lady

2007-04-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

I must have been emanating extra loveable vibes in the past two weeks to get the warm attention of not one, but two charming gentlemen.... =p

Though my Sayang is still my Sayang, a girl can't help but be FLATTERED by it all now, can she? ;)

*Jess wiggles her shoulders in girlish excitement*

To You, thank you so much for bringing a little bit of romance into my life =). You have a way of making a girl feel so special inside, and I am sorry that I can't be your happy ever after...

Regency Escapism

2007-04-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

Call me a sappy lovefool, but every reading of Julia Quinn's Regency romance novels (specifically the Bridgerton series, featuring the oh-so-lovable 8 Bridgerton Siblings) leaves me positively swooning with an idiotic "awwww that's so Romantic....." smile on my face=p

I know romance is not probably the type of reading one would choose as serious food for thought, but you can't say that they are not entertaining ;) And they definitely bring a smile on your face...the feeling is not unlike when I watched the following memorable (at least for me they are) movie scenes....

- When Drew Barrymore's character got kissed by that yummy-looking Literature Teacher at the baseball field in "Never Been Kissed"

- When Mr Darcy walked out of the misty moors towards Lizzie in "Pride and Prejudice" and uttered the words :"You have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love, I love...I love you." (now THERE'S a Regency romance line right if ever there was one ;))

- Whenever I watch "Love Actually", the whole movie's great and I can't single out a particular scene =)

Sigh....I'll have to admit it, I'm hooked, line and sinker ;) Call it escapism, call it pure indulgence on my part...I say just bring on the Bridgertons my way baby!=p

Blind Fury

2007-04-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

I never really understood the meaning of "shaking with rage" until today.

Backstabbing B***h.

Meeting Up

2007-03-26T07:19:00.000-07:00

Numbers, names, meetings, ratings. Numbers, names, meetings, ratings. Numbers, names, meetings, ratings............

Work was just CRAZY, going back to work after my CNY break. My daily 8 hours stretched to 12hours or more, my 5-days workweek became more like a 6-days workweek, and I spent weeks on end in the meeting room hearing Managers exchanging ideas/thoughts/justifications/ crap and the occasional BBS (big bulls***) with each other in order to unearthe the hidden germ, uhm, I mean, hidden Gem (a certain biggie in office pronounces "Gem" the baku way ie."Germ"so can't blame me for being confused=p) among our staff. Yup, it's the Year End Performance Review for the whole MNC, and the responsibility of coordinating and facilitating this whole exercise falls under the HR Development Section that yours truly is currently a part of;).

Still, despite the huge amount of work this month, it's not all bad, especially with it being a month of reunions of sorts for me since I got to meet up with some of the Bears,my best friend from hometown, and most importantly, my Sayang =D. Won't go into too much details, but just take a look at my pics and see the self-explanatory happy smiles =D....

Reunion #1 : Yik Yung & Jess

Met up with Yik Yung just before he left for Malacca where he is having his final sem in Uni... It's comforting to know that after all these years, we can still yak for hours and hours and not be bored of each other's company ;) This is the guy that I was so close to in High School that everyone, including our teachers thought we were an item=p We were in Brass Band together, acted in school plays together, organized Orientation Week together, joined Leo/ Prefects/ Christian camps together....I guess the memories of actually doing things together ends there, but the sharing of thoughts, anecdotes, jokes and random titbits from our own (separate) lives continues on ...

Reunion #2 : Own Chai, Woonie & Jess

(Picture was taken by Melvin, a surprise meet;) )

Went on my first ever Business Trip to our KL HQ in the 2nd week of March =) I went there to attend a Refresher Session/ Briefing with regards to the Year End Performance Review exercise...I call it the Lightning KL trip since it was a day trip, but despite the time limitation, it sure was fruitful one =)

Woonie took a half day off work so that we could have lunch and dinner together, while Own Chai braved the massive KL jam to do the same ;) So sweet of them...Own Chai even got me a McD Chocolate Sundae, bless him for remembering my favourite....Here's pics of us in KimGary having dinner....

Still think I'm the best when it comes to taking pics of Woonie ;p....

Reunion #3 : My Sayang =)

Went on my 2nd official trip, this time to Kerteh, Terengganu and later to KL for the national level meeting...work in Kerteh was even crazier than in Miri, if that's possible =o/ The night before the meeting started we stayed up til 330am preparing and making sure that all the presentation materials were sorted out....and it didn't help that the Kerteh office's computer network was having a virus attack....suffice to say all our thumb drives and laptops were infected...I was hoping that I'd get to see a bit of more of Kerteh since I heard so much bout the beauty of the East Coast from the Cycling Bears but the only scenery I saw those few days were of my hotel room and the office=p But again, looking at the bright side, it was a nice hotel=p with a very satisfactory breakfast spread (my motivation to wake up early in the mornings=p)....

...and of course the thought of meeting up with my Sayang at the end of the week was never far from my mind either...there was many a frustrated and stressful moment (my colleague did another of her missing acts while in KL=o/), but having something to look forward to at the end of the long haul made the whole thing worthwhile =) It was a good break for both of us since my Sayang's been busy with a project and been working his butt off as well , and we had a GREAT 4 days in KL and Colmar Tropicale =)

Travelling together as a couple is romantic, but the trouble is you normally only get pictures of each other instead of pictures together, OR your pictures together are mostly of the self-taken type ie the above=p

Colmar Tropicale is a quaint little French-themed resort tucked in hills of Bukit Tinggi, and we were there on a 2 days 1 night MATTA fair package which was inclusive of meals, accomodation and passes to all the tourist attractions (which was actually not much, so 2 days was very sufficient to go to all of them =p). I have told Khoon that this trip does not and will not make up for any future trips to the real France=p, but we'll have Colmar Tropicale for now...=p

Stumbled upon an advertisement shooting while we were there...=p

We then spent Saturday night in KL where we stayed at the Heritage Hotel, which is actually located at the Old Railway Station ( I never knew that there was a hotel there!=p). The whole place had a very antique-y feel about it, especially the elevator which was of the rickety old kind (you have to open and close the door manually and maximum 4 persons!=P) so it was quite an experience...A bit freaky in a way because it is a very very OLD building (JC said : "Sure lots of those things..." yeah she had to remind me=p) but our night's stay was quite uneventful....

...Except for that time when our phone keep on ringing and ringing in the wee hours of the morning, only to stop when we answered it....and then it rang again....

....and when Khoon answered it, he heard...

...a voice...

....a male voice...

...asking....

.... for "Toilet paper please! Toilet paper please!" =P

Hrumph. Obviously he got the Front Office number confused with our room number.

Anyways yes we did meet up with Alan, JC & Florence on Saturday night, everyone's still looking good and doing well =) Which makes for Reunion #4 =) Didn't take any pics with them though, but here are some pictures of the Heritage Hotel =)

Last reunion of the week before I flew back home was of course with my fellow Osirians, Woonie & Kok Hin =) Here's a picture of us, 2 years (can't believe how time flies!=p) down the road after our heady Brandstorm days ;)

It's always a good feeling to see a picture of 3 us together =)...It's kind of like looking at a jigsaw puzzle and knowing that no other pieces can fit as well together as we 3 do =).....

*happy sigh*

Work will always remain hectic, and back home my most constant companion will always be myself....but happy smiles in a picture with those dear to me are always worth waiting for =).

CNY Break =)

2007-02-23T00:19:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday, which means that it is almost the end of my week-long CNY break =(

Still, the week has had its moments ;) Unlike previous week-long breaks where I go gallivanting off to the other half of Malaysia to see MY other half =p, this time around it's just me staying at at home and catching up with some old friends who are back in town for the festive season.

Highlights of the week:

1) Getting a RED blouse for Chinese New Year =) I haven't got myself anything RED for as long as I can remember....so this was a pleasant find for me...more so as I was doing my Chinese New Year's clothes shopping at the absolute last minute=p...

2) Meeting up with my high school friends. Ching, Yuk Mee and I have always kept in touch throughout the years, but this year we were able to "trace" and meet up with Hung Na and Choon Lee whom we haven't seen for almost 3 years....

3) Getting a new passport...Though the queing and waiting sucked, for once I am very happy with my passport picture =D Hehhe ok ok I probably cheated a little as the photo studio that I went to offered "touch-up" services at an extra charge=p Can't blame a girl for being just a little bit vain....=p

4) Renewing my driver's license (yes I drive!!! =D) The below picture is not much to look at, but that's Jess at the steering wheel for sure! =p

As compared to getting a new passport, renewing my license was a breeze...so thumbs up to the local post office for their fast & efficient service =)

5) Discovering Coffee Bean's Smoked Salmon Panini. Normally if I get a bite at Coffee Bean I will go for the Caesar's Salad, but I got the Smoked Salmon Panini instead since I wanted to get something different. And boy was I well rewarded! =) 3 fat and juicy rolled-up slices of smoked salmon along with some eggs and onion scrunched between two fluffy pieces of panini bread...yumm....now I know where to go for my salmon fix ;)

6) The opening of Biotherm Beauty Counter at the local Parkson =) Been a fan of the brand since it helped me with my pimples outbreak problem 2 years back...;)

7) A new book!!! Indulging myself in chick-lit this time with "Weekend In Paris" by Robyn Sisman. Heheh...nothing beats the feeling of book shopping =)

8) Stuffing myself with New Year goodies ;p

It's been a good break =) *sighs*

Yesterday No More

2007-02-03T06:04:00.000-08:00

Do you remember a time...when I can MSN you and ask you out for supper, and 5 minutes later you will be at my doorstep to pick me up?

Sigh...just missing you on a Saturday night...

Baptism by Fire

2007-02-03T04:56:00.000-08:00

Our company has an Emergency Team set up of different staff from various departments to handle any emergencies that may crop up in our company's daily operations. Duty of the Emergency Team works on rotational basis, meaning this week Staff A will be on duty, next week Staff B....and so on and so forth. The emergency may range from something small like an employee fainting in office or something major like a platform leak.

Guess WHO was on duty (on her first day no less!!!) when the above event happened???

It was a great learning experience (as my seniors keep reminding me), but I sure wish that this learning experience didn't have to cost a life....

Headcount

2007-01-20T06:13:00.000-08:00

Which Sunnybear has been to Miri so far?

June, May 2006

Alan, Jan 2007

Having them over was brilliant!!! =)

In fact I had so much fun with Alan I find myself now suffering from what I like to call the Post-Sunnybear-Visit-Miri Syndrome which is something like an acute case of the Monday Blues =p The last time I had this feeling was, well, after the 1-week visit of June in 2006, the first ever Sunnybear to step on Miri soil =D (not counting Joshua of course=p)....

Miss u all loads dearies...sudi-sudilah datang ya, jenguk-jenguklah Jess yang terperuk seorang diri kat Utara Sarawak ni....

The Year That Was......

2007-01-13T09:08:00.000-08:00

The year that was...

(The list compiled below is done in no particular order, nor it is an exhaustive list as I've most probably forgotten some things that probably should be in the list =p)

Sights:
1) The vast, rolling green hills of tea plantations in Cameron Highlands
2) The rich colour of maroon robes, and the myriad of rainbow coloured bouquets during UTM convocation 06.
3) The spread of yummy food (including my fav chocolate eclairs ;)) specially prepared for me and Rebecca at our farewell at Imperial Hotel
4) The Lincoln profile at Deer Cave, Mulu National Park.
5) Rambutan trees all RED with rambutans at Grand Uncle's farm at Lubok Antu.

Sounds:
1) John Mayer's Continuum - Soulful tunes paired with great, thought-provoking lyrics.
2) High School Musical - Beautiful duets, tunes so catchy with positive lyrics to match, you can't help but be buoyed by its 110% feel-good-factor.
3) Black-Eyed Peas - With songs like "Mas Que Nada" and "Gone", they never fail to surprise me with their new twists on their hip-hop sound.
4) Panic!At the Disco - Quirky, but catchy. Their videos are definitely attention grabbing too.
5) "Crazy" -Gnarls Barkley. Very low-key and understated. Very cool.
6)"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" sang by Katherine McPhee on American Idol. Her performance gave me goosebumps.
7)"You Give Me Something" & "Beautiful World" - James Morrison
I can't quite place my finger on it, but his songs definitely "gives me something" good ;)
8)"Put Your Records On" - Corrine Bailey Rae
- Breezy, laidback "relax-don't be so stressed out" music.

Stories To Remember:
1) The Lonely Planet Story - Tom & Maureen Wheeler
- Interesting read on the asal-usul (beginnings) of the Lonely Planet travel guides....did you know that the first official Lonely Planet guide was the guide to South-East Asia? This means that Malaysia (by virtue of it being part of South East Asia) actually played a big part in the beginnings of this very famous publisher....Georgetown is a quite a fav of Tom & Maureen Wheeler (the couple-founders of LP) too ;) ...

2) Julia Quinn's Regency-era historical romances.
- Funny, charming, at times scandalous..... =p

3) Three Weeks with my Brother - Nicholas & Micah Sparks
- Another Nicholas Sparks novel that left me teary-eyed...a travelling plus family memoir in one book...Did u know that Roasted Guinea Pigs are a delicacy in Peru? =p

4) Brand New Friend - Mike Gayle
- Interesting insights on the "can guys and girls ever be JUST best friends?" question

5) Q&A - Vikas Swarup
- Brilliant book, each chapter is like a mini story within itself that culminates in the powerful ending...I finished it in 3 days straight.

Reels:

1) High School Musical =)
2)Pride & Prejudice
- Two words : Mr Darcy!!! *Swoon*
3) Click
- I laughed hard, and cried even harder at this movie =p
4) Ice Age 2
- The pursuit of the elusive acorn continues....

On The Tube:
1) Grey's Anatomy - Quite possibly my new favourite show ;)
2) CSI - My weekend date with my sis

Memories to Savour:
1) That first bite of Starbucks' Sirens' Salad on my way to see Khoon at KL Sentral. Maybe I was just hungry, but it tasted heavenly....:)
2) Khoon singing "Happy Birthday" to me over the phone (and thanks to the US-Malaysia time difference we celebrated our birthdays on the same day!)
3) Singing Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" to myself on the motorboat ride back to our resort in Mulu. There was a light drizzle at that time, and at that moment of calm and happiness, I felt no other song lyrics were more appropriate than "feel the rain on your skin..." =)
4) Having Khoon, June & Yee Wei in Miri for 1 whole week! =)
5) Sunnybears Mini-Reunion in UTM Convocation 06 = )

Lingering (sad/bad) memories...
1) Ajang's passing...we were not particulary close but it is still hard to fathom someone so young is no longer here.
2) The loud bang and rocking motion when our car was knocked from behind by a lorry on the way back to Miri on Boxing Day.
3) Crying with disappointment when Khoon told me that he will be going to US for 2 months + and won't be ableto attend his convocation where we were supposed to meet up ( but in the end he DID came back so it's all good...=D)
4) Working late. REALLY late.
5) Our house cat is no more =(

Count my blessings:

Being steadily employed
My sister's come home...for good :)
I have a new room =p (due to point #2 above)
All the nice pressies/gifts/souvenirs/postcards that I got over the year
I'm home =)
I'm still happily in love with my Sayang
Though geographically far apart, I am definitely not short on GREAT friends =)

Things to look forward to in 2007 :
1) Trip to Bangkok!=)
2) Hanson's new album, "The Great Divide"
3) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
4) Graduating Bears : June, Wei Ling, Yi Ying
5) Getting confirmed on my job (and the increment that comes along with that +p)

Resolutions? I have never been one to make them, but perhaps one simple one will be sufficient...Here's hoping 2007 will see more beautiful moments such as this one...

The Stolen Picture

2006-12-04T02:40:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of me by the River Seine, taken as I was on my way to Eiffel Tower in July 2005.

I keep this picture (and several other pics of me and my Sayang, with the bears, my family) tacked on my workstation wall. It's been there since last week when I finally had the chance to decorate my workstation.

This morning I came into office and it was gone. Stolen.

I have an idea who the culprit might be. This psycho IT guy has been coming to say "Hi, how are you?" for the past few months. Initially I thought he was just being friendly and I would reply him back, then it just got annoying (the past few weeks have been hectic and yet this inconsiderate guy, despite seeing how busy I was rushing for dateline still stops at my workstation all the time to say "hi", and he actually stands there and expect me to engage him in a conversation despite seeing how furiously I was tapping on my keyboard!!!) and I have just been giving him the cold shoulder ever since.

Then today my picture is gone.

Of course, it might not be him. But still, whoever did it, I am just pissed. >=o(

It's not about the picture, I mean I can redevelop 10 more of the exact photo if I want, but it's the fact that it's plain disrespecful, it's invading my personal space, and it's just plain STEALING.

Do you know? I actually pasted that exact same pic on my workstation wall back at my old workplace, and despite my office being an "open" area due to the fact that the Hotel was open 24 hours, and any of our Hotel employees who were on shift could just saunter over to my cubicle and take any of my stuff, none of my personal stuff were stolen. Ever.

Even when I was hit on by the bellboy, the bartender, the banquet waiter....all of them just gave me a couple of those lame flirty lines, they never crossed the boundary of actually STEALING my stuff.

Arrrrgh!!! The nerve of some people.

Sooner or later I will really go crazy working at this place I tell you. Jiwa rasa tak tenang.

And YOU, whoever that's taken my photo, I hope that the cosmic/ karmic power that rules the universe will make sure you get exactly what you deserve, something that run along the line of a terrible curse that will plague you till your 7th generation. Or LONGER.

Bas Jahat Di Miri

2006-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later (at least that's what every driver told me before).

I got involved in a minor accident.

My Kancil's dented but none the worse for wear, and I'm fine too, just a bit shaken and "za dao" as the accident did not happen through any fault of mine.

Basically what happened was this, I wanted to turn right, already put on my signal, and was just inching the front of my Kancil to the right when suddenly a big huge bus "brushed" past me (on the right side of my car!!!) to overtake and get in front of me in his rush to go on the straight road =o/

Thank goodness my Kancil was on a 1st gear, turtle's pace and I just hit the brakes immediately, if not the bus would have rammed into me instead of just denting the front part of my Kancil. I was so freaked out that I drove straight home without stopping to confront the bus driver or take down his plate number or do whatever it is you're supposed to do after being nearly hit by a vehicle twice as big as yours.

*Shivers*

But I DID TURN ON MY SIGNAL LIGHT G******N it!!!! You blind bus driver you!!!

All of November

2006-11-18T21:32:00.000-08:00

All of November has been hectic with work.

My company's financial year runs from March to April of the next year, so around this time of the year we will be having the Staff Performance Mid Year Review which coincidentally falls under my HR section.

And we're talking about HUNDREDS of staff whose performance need evaluating.

Sheesh, talk about throwing a newbie into the deep end, they've practically dropped me into a whirlpool.

For the past few weeks I have been working late, compiling information, documents and reviews of all the executive staff. And since I have to match the information with the staff pictures, it is actually a good way of knowing people without actually meeting them:P. Nowadays I can stand with someone in the elevator and even though we're not talking, I'll probably have a rough idea of his/her name, department, job grade and performance rating:P

That quirky fact aside, the past few weeks has been tough. I've worked on weekends (last Sunday I only got back at 430am and had to crawl out of bed at 545am again to get to work in time as our office hours starts at 730am), and at my worst head spinning, legs-feel-like-jelly moment, I remember thinking the last time I ever felt so tired. The answer was....Youthopia in 2004 (and probably Brandstorm too now that I think of it). But then those were labour of love. This, this is just labour because people are paying you to do it:P

The past few weeks has also seen me getting frustrated with a particular colleague of mine for many different reasons. Probably her attitude and working style just irks me I guess, and I think that's saying a lot because I think I generally have a high tolerance of people and their behaviour. But, what to do? Grinning and bearing it as she is my section mate and like it or not, I foresee that I will work with her in many more projects to come....

On a more positive note, last week I joined probably my first corporate function :) It was actually a charity event cum Raya get together where underprivileged children from several orphanages were treated to a nice lunch and pressies from the company staff and all that. I was assigned to be a "volunteer" (as in paksarela-lah) in the event, and being assigned in the Gifts section, basically my task was to stand next to the stage, look pretty, and hand over and make sure all the kids got the right present during the prize giving ceremony:P It was a surprisingly pleasant experience for me and I got to talk to some of my fellow newbies (who were also dipaksarela to join as volunteers:P). Conversation was easy flowing, probably because of the festive atmosphere, and all turned out better than I expected :)

So yeah, that's all of November for me, can't wait for December, when my Sayang comes over and I can take a few days' leave........:) *gasp! can't believe it's gonna be New Year soon.....*

His Words

2006-10-24T06:34:00.000-07:00

Just some lyrics off John Mayer's new album that I really really appreciate (I'm one of those music listeners who place great value on song lyrics:P) :

We're never gonna win the world

We're never gonna stop the war

We're never gonna beat this

If belief is what we're fighting for

What puts a hundred thousand children in the sand?

Belief can.

What puts the folded flag inside his mother's hands?

Belief can.

- "Belief" - John Mayer

You know, it's nothing new

Bad news, never had good timing

But then, the circle of your friends

Will defend the silver lining

Pain throws you heart to the ground

Love turns the whole thing around

No it won't all go the way it should

But I know the heart of life is good

I know it's good.

- "The Heart Of Life" - John Mayer

Don't know how else to say it

I don't want to see my parents go

One generation's length away

From fighting life out on my own

So scared of getting older

I'm only good at being young....

- "Stop This Train" - John Mayer

It's not a silly little moment

It's not the storm before the calm

This is the deep and dying breath

Of this love that we've been working on

My dear, we're slow dancing in a burning room...

- "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" - John Mayer

Now I'm gonna dress myself for two,

Once for me and once for someone new

I'm gonna do some things you wouldn't let me do

I'm gonna find another you

- "I'm Gonna Find Another You" - John Mayer

They're great to read, but better to listen to....:)

*Jess slowly moving her head to the grooves...*

Turn The Lights Down...

2006-10-24T05:47:00.000-07:00

I. Love. This. Album.

Being no musical expert, I will not try to dissect each song on the album and say how bluesy Track 6 sounds or how great the guitar riffs on Track 8 are, but what I can say (or write :P) about this album is this...

...the feeling I get when listening to this album is like, you just want to turn down the lights and start slow dancing in the room...

...the songs are subtle, soulful, well-written and thoughtful... all sung in John's understated, dreamy vocals...

I'm a fan for life, can't you tell by now?;)

Ngiammy relents =D

2006-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jess-YES! I have The High School Musical Bug!!! says:
Ngiammy
Jess-YES! I have The High School Musical Bug!!! says:
Happy Belated Birthday hugs!!!
Jess-YES! I have The High School Musical Bug!!! says:
Ngiam..... says:
yeah... same to u

*Gasp!!!!!!!* =D I got birthday hugs from Ngiammy!!!!!!! =D

The Moment

2006-10-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

My mind is still on "High School Musical".

There is a scene that I cannot forget, and it leaves me feeling slightly melancholy.

At almost the end of the movie, the 2 lead characters, Troy & Gabriella were supposed to sing in front of practically the whole school for their high school musical audition.

As the opening bars of the piano starts, Gabriella freezes.

She turns to Troy, and says "I can't do this, Troy, not with all the these people staring at me."

And he grabs her hand before she leaves the stage and says quietly, "Hey hey hey, look at me...right at me, right at me. Like the first time we sang together, remember?

And then they sing...:)

Ok so I know that scene has been done before in a thousand different ways in other Disney movies:P but I still love it...it's something that I wish for really.

That you can look at me and know at a glance my insecurities, and know just what to say to make it all all right.

But life is not like a High School Musical is it?

The Musical Bug

2006-10-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

On the eve of my 24th birthday, I realize some things never change :P

Despite the predictablity of this show (and despite my 'past-the-teeny-bopper-stage age:P),

I'm still SMITTEN.

And I can bet you that if I was just a few years younger, I would be having the biggest crush on Zac Efron (who plays the lead Troy on the show) right now...

Well, yeah, to be completely honest, there IS a teeny weeny part of me that wishes that I was this brunette meeting my Prince Charming for the first time and singing about how this might be the "Start of Something New"...

* Jess sighs wistfully............*

Looking Back...

2006-09-30T06:21:00.000-07:00

It's the weekend!!!! :) Having used to work on Saturdays and the occasional Sunday / Saturday night as MOD on my previous job, I really really appreciate that I get both Saturday and Sundays off now :) Despite the tons of work-related reading materials that I have to go through before the weekend is over (as usual leaving them to the last minute), I am determined to update my blog :P So here goes..........

Update #1 : Making A Difference

(l-r) Loke, Jess & Ah Tiann

Ah Loke....I remember when we were in Uni together, you used to say that you envied me with all my activities and travels in AIESEC...you said you wish that you were brave enough to pursue something that you really wanted to do...and so you have! :) I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO proud of you for doing what you do, and I am so glad that your efforts as a voluntary teacher in Cambodia was highligted in the AEC show (Thanks Ah Tiann for SMSing and asking me to tune in;)) Just want to say I really enjoyed your narration of the show, and seeing the the simple ways you and your fellow colleagues lead your life, going on with nothing more than the firm belief in the importance of education, I only have this to say to you:

I am humbled, and I am inspired. Thank you, for TRULY making a difference. :)

Update #2 : Farewell to Imperial

What exactly is a "Lazy Susan"?

How does one apply for HRDF claiming after we have finished an in-house training?

Who are the behind-the-scenes people who make a wedding reception a success?

...are just some of the questions I got answered during my stint at Imperial Hotel :P Aside from these answers, I take away from the experience lots of smiles, memories of some wonderful tasting chocolate eclairs ;), the occasional not-so-good memories when faced with some blatant unfairness, and quite possibly, a bunch of lifelong friends :).......

This was how my old desk looked like :).....

With Mr Don, my sunny CEO :)

Imperial Hotel's HR Department - Jess & Rebecca Tie :)

Both of us leaving Imperial Hotel....Jess & Rebecca Hii (she was having a tough time to smile since it was her last day:P)

Office ladies : Jess, Sylvia, Ms Lee, Tracy, Rebecca and Rebecca

With another office lady :) Lorna was on vacation when I left Imperial....

Sweet sweet Tracy...taken by Jess ;)

Every morning I get greeted with a long-drawn "Leng Loiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" from this guy - Darren :) (picture courtesy of Darren @ http://wuichi.blogspot.com)

Miss you guys loads................:)

Update #3: My Sayang Over There...

Here's a picture of my Sayang in Yellowstone Park...He will be going to the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas this weekend along with his ex-housemate who is also in US on training... I have given him permission to go to any strip clubs should he wish to (as if he needs my permission:P), but I have told him that I will not stand for any getting married at some 24-hours-service chapel with an Elvis look-alike as the pastor:P.....sigh...really miss you a lot sayang...can't wait to see you again, which I hope will be soon soon...:)

Update #4: New Job

Don't feel like talking about it:P . Suffice to say that no tears were spared last week....ah well as they say, when you're down, the only way is UP yes?;)

Still Alive :P

2006-09-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Having a tough, TOUGH time adjusting to my new job, but Still Alive nevertheless.

Will update another day when I am more in the mood to.....:P For sure there are a lot of things to say and bubbling in my mind...but am putting them on hold for the moment for other priorities, example more Sleep :P

Signing off til another day....

In Pictures III :)

2006-09-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

The final installment of my pictorial on my convo weekend in UTM :) My picture picks of the nicest "posed" shots ;)

In Pictures II :)

2006-09-17T04:44:00.000-07:00

More picture picks from my convo weekend in UTM, this time around still life takes centrestage :)...

Ok so the last Lion picture was taken on my "rush hour" trip to Penang to meet up with Khoon before he flew to US, but he's SOooo adorable I can't help but post the picture up!:P

In Pictures :)

2006-09-07T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was brilliant! :)

Meeting up with my sayang, the mini Sunnybears Reunion, some great shopping and celebrating the graduation of several of my closest friends (and my sayang of course:P) really made it a weekend to remember! :)

I think that graduation day/weekend is one of those things that everyone should experience in their lives at least once, regardless of whether it's your own graduation or someone close to you. The happiness, the pride, the laughter, the poignancy...all these jumbled emotions mixed up with the vibrant colours of robes, flowers and soft toys makes for an atmosphere and almost carnival-like mood that reminds you of one thing :

that It's Good To be Alive :).

Here are some of my favourite shots from last weekend, starting with candid ones first :)

Red Nose Day

2006-09-06T00:52:00.000-07:00

I've been sneezing uncontrollably since morning and my nose is all red from all its "running".

My colleague says that I must be suffering from "lovesick"-ness as I just came back from my long weekend break in JB where I met up with my sayang and other loved ones :P

Now I just want to finish the afternoon, go back home and rest.

Just one more hour now.......

Mortality

2006-08-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

A colleague passed away today. He was taken by illness.

It's funny even now I can't really tell for sure what illness it was because he refused to tell us, he refused to make the matter a big deal, and I guess I refused to know too, I figured I'll just ask him when he gets well and come back.

He was my sister's age, 4 years older than me.

What does one do when faced with imminent mortality?

I don't even dare to cry because I didn't know him that well, so who am I to cry when his loved ones must be going through the darkest period of their lives right now, and all they have to show for their sorrows are tears as well?

Counting Down The Days

2006-08-28T03:10:00.000-07:00

"I wanna travel through time,

see your surprise,

hold you so tight,

I'm counting down the days tonight,

I just want to be

A million miles away from here..........."

Just a couple more days and I will finally get a break! Oh I am so so so so so so in an on leave mood now:P....Haha I know that my most recent leave was just a few weeks ago on that "rush hour" trip to Penang to see Khoon before he left for US, but that visit doesnt really count because out of the 4 days, I think I spent around 1 and half for travelling :(...

Like most of my breaks, there will be a certain amount of travelling involved in this break as well(that's what happens when you're living on my side of the world:P) so I guess it won't be a physically re-energizing kind of break (I hardly have one actually now that I think of it:P Every break I will be gallivanting "overseas" to see Khoon so...:P), but I sure hope its a visit that will enrich me emotionally...the kind that renews your faith and hope in people, in love, in life....:)

This time around, I plan to...

- Bask in the laughter, hugs & affection of my sayang and close friends and change my status of "Sendirian Berhad" to "Jess & Co" temporarily ( It's a lonely life here in Miri tis true....)

- Go ShoPpinG!!! (Missing my old haunts too :P)

- Satisfy my food cravings...every time I go to Peninsula Malaysia I will make a mental list of food I want to eat...right now I'm thinking sushi, Secret Recipe, Dunkin' Donuts, some good old mamak food (it will always be the food most reminiscent of my uni days and they are hard to come by in Miri), some spicy Tom Yam or Ikan Bakar (I love Singgah Selalu's), nasi lemak maybe, STARBUCKS!!! hahaa the list goes on and on...but most recently I acquired a craving for THIS, which I had as lunch in KL Sentral on my way to see Khoon a few weeks ago...

Starbucks' Sirens's Salad (heavenly music in the background:P)

It serves so much better as food you can actually eat, instead of being just a pretty picture heheh...and I think it's the first time that I am actually craving a higly concentrated amount of vegetables, so that can't be such a bad thing right?;)

Ahhh can't wait can't wait can't wait!!!:)

Blur King

2006-08-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

I stood speechless in my local Popular store as I saw the gift wrap hanging in front of me.

My sayang has been immortalized in, of all things, a gift wrap ! (see picture attached)

The Frog Prince + the "I'm Blur King!" statement + The Sleeping Pose (see left hand corner of the picture) = Ah Khoon!!!:P

Hahahhahahah so za dao:P

*Khoon asked me to buy ALL of the gift wraps from Popular to prevent others from getting their hands on it :P*

Idealist

2006-08-25T20:29:00.000-07:00

Any employer would be lucky to have me, because when a staff makes mistakes, I get angry, why?

BECAUSE I EXPECT THE BEST FROM PEOPLE.
BECAUSE EVERYDAY WITHOUT FAIL I FIGHT JADEDNESS THE BEST I CAN.
BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF WORDS USED TO DESCRIBE ME (NAIVE,IDEALIST, TOO HONEST), I STILL BELIEVE IN SINCERITY AND I EXPECT TO BE TREATED THE SAME WAY.
BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW OLD I GET, I PLAN AND HOPE TO ALWAYS RETAIN MY FAITH IN PEOPLE.

Am I too idealist? Naive? Honest?

Maybe, but I don't care.

Because when the world deals you with a blow you will think of people like me, and despite your initial disregard of me, you will find yourself wishing there were MORE people like me.

Rainy Days

2006-08-22T18:29:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to shake off this sadness in me for the past few days, and I don't know why...

Ephite.

I Blew It :(

2006-08-14T01:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.travelandlivingasia.com/5takes/casting/.

I really don't know whether I uploaded my video up or not last night. I kept trying and trying but everytime after the upload page finished loading the message "this page cannot be displayed" will appear. Haha blame me for doing it last minute...and after I went to the trouble of borrowing a video camera and all that too.....I mean yeah of course I keep telling and telling myself how slim my chances are because you never know how many gazillions of people are trying out for the show but then again I still can't help but be disappointed that my name's not there....

Sigh....it's just been a really really tiring day. Maybe its PMS but I just feel highly irritated right now...probably started last night when I couldn't upload my video, and then rushing for the all the paperwork involved in the process of accepting a new job offer....I really really hate rushing for things, especially for something as important as a career change, and as of now things are not settled yet so the scrambled mess in my mind is still there...

Gosh I so need a hug right now :'(

I miss talking to my sayang too..... :'( :'( :'(

*Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" keeps playing in my mind....*

Right at this moment, just wishing for....
...a warm hug from a close friend (family and colleagues just can't provide the same warmth)
...encouraging words somewhere along the lines of "That travel channel dunno what they are missing :P"
...an sms invite saying "Wanna yumcha tonight? I fetch you :) "

Sigh...and another sad news...our house cat passed away last week because of illness...during his last few days he was already refusing to eat...sigh...hope meow meow is happy in meow meow heaven....

Ngiammy & Me :)

2006-08-13T03:27:00.000-07:00

Me & Ngiammy at Restoran Talipon (serious that's the name!:P), Kelana Jaya - August 2006

Me & Ngiammy at Ming Tian, Subang - April 2006

See the similarities in both pictures? :P Haha even the yellow t-shirt is the same ;)

Sigh...Despite Ngiammy always being adamant about keeping his 2.5km distance from me every time we meet (and likewise my determination to ALWAYS sit beside him everytime I see him:P), it is still always a joy just to share a meal together and hear the usual Ngiammish banter :)...

Sayang you Ngiammy (hahah doesn't it just irk you that you cannot delete this entry?:P)

My New Backpack :)

2006-08-13T02:47:00.000-07:00

My new blue backpack =D. Nope, not travelling anywhere anytime soon, but it was on sale, and I figured (and hope) that there will come a time in the future when I will need it :) It is 75 litres, which is a little bit over than what I can actually carry but I'll just have to remind myself not to stuff it full the next time I use it then ahaha:P It was actually suppose to be a "Buy 1 Free 1" item, but as it was the last one left, the tauke just sold it at half price (which is the same price that you will get it for anyway if you bought it at the original price and got another free one:P). Sigh...and I was thinking that me & Khoon can get couple backpacks ahahah :P...sorry sayang no go, but it's a good excuse to go shopping together right?;)

Till I See You Again...

2006-08-12T08:18:00.000-07:00

My sayang leaves for US today on two months' training .....sigh...Aside from the South China Sea, now we have both the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean separating us:P...

Have a safe flight sayang...I'll miss you a lot and really hope can see you again soon...:)

Shit

2006-08-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

The previous post was all about some not-so-good things happening to me.

Maybe it's the law of karma, but I see signs of this month being a very very busy, but very very full of opportunities month for me.

I just hope that I won't get swept away in the upheaval of it all.

Not telling anything because I don't want to jinx it, but if any of you reading this cares, keep your fingers crossed on my behalf that my upcoming posts might bring good news of positive changes in my life:)

PS : Why is this blog titled "shit" by the way? Because that's my usual exclamation when something unbelievably good happens to me (like when we got into Brandstorm Finals ahahah:P) So here's hoping there will be more "shit" to come:P

Ephite

2006-07-28T23:53:00.000-07:00

I don't like to use the four-letter word.

But this week has proved itself to be more than worthy of such an occasion.

So here goes.

Ephite!!!! Ephite ephite ephite!!!! EPHITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (pronounced F-it:P)

Work-wise, it was both hectic and tiring, with 2 MODs, finalizing payroll (argh!!! I hate looking at all those numbers!!!), getting pissed off by some staff being absent, and doing all sorts of pre and post in-house training paperwork (another of my HRDF claims has been rejected! Argh!!! What the F??!!!)...

Relationship-wise, it has been totally sucky with a capital S. First that boy that is known as my BF (ughh...does he even deserve that title???) breaks my heart by telling me that he might not be able to go to his convo and meet me as his company has decided to send him to overseas training for 2 months NEXT WEEK!!!! And I have been SOOOOO looking forward to that trip (Ephite!). Right, maybe that offence is forgivable as it was not his decision, but surely his action after that is! After breaking that news to me he has the nerve to act MIA more than usual. Unaswered calls, unreplied smses....cannot tahan!!!

Friendship-wise, it's been sad as this weekend sees my best friend, Ah Ching, the ONLY non-family companion that I have in Miri leaving as she has been posted to Kuching to be a lecturer in a community college there...And now I am truly alone :(.

Physical-wise, I got a hair cut today. Not happy with it. NOT AT ALL

Driving-wise, gosh this is funny. Funny as in you want to laugh and cry at the same time because what just happened was a bit too freaky for you. I "underturned" the steering wheel while rounding on a U-Turn causing my car to lightly bump against the divider. Not really an accident because my car was moving ultra slow and no damages were done. BUT the freaky thing was that the U turn was in the middle of this crossroad. So imagine my panic as my little Kancil was stuck there against the divider and on my left there was all this vehicles just waiting to rush INTO me the minute the traffic light goes green. ARgh!!!! Thank goodness I managed to reverse and get back on the road in time, if not maybe there will be a squashed Kancil in the middle of the road in Miri :(......

Sigh...it's sad that all the ephites in the world cannot change the fact that I am alone.

Saturday's A Driving Day!

2006-07-21T23:40:00.000-07:00

You know that AIESEC roll call we used to do, the one where we scream "Monday's a Something Day! Is everybody happy??? You bet your A** we are!! Say la la la la la la la la...":P Well, I can never remember which day is for doing what, but right now for me, Saturday's a driving day :P

Yup, I drive now. Not regularly (mostly just on weekends when outside parking is free:P), but the equation "Jess on the wheel = Car not moving" does not apply anymore.

Heh ;D.

Siti Akan Kahwin Dengan Datuk K

2006-07-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's official. Local chanteuse Siti Nurhaliza has just announced her impending marriage to Datuk Khalid Mohamed Jiwa next month in a joint press conference held this afternoon.

Can't you just hear the sound of all the breaking hearts?:P

Anyways, I can't help but be a little, little bit disappointed. Of course who am I to say who say anything in the face of love, but then again, haven't we heard the story of "famous artiste marries Datuk" once too many times? Tiara Jacquelina, Sharifah Aini (so says my mom:P) and many other nameless artistes who kind of faded away after their marriages into Datin-ship, has all been there done that:P...I was hoping Siti would opt for the unexpected and marry some kampung boy or something:P...but then again, getting married to Datuk K is also unexpected in its own right too I guess...

Ah well, as long as she is happy :)...diharapkan mereka akan bahagia hingga ke anak cucu...

Time to strike up the "Selamat Pengantin Baru" song now...:P

Smiley Face = Unprofessional

2006-07-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

"Thank you and have a nice day! :)"

See anything wrong in this sentence?

I was asked to take away the smiley face from an internal memo by my colleague today. She claims its unprofessional and hinted that our General Manager would not be amused (she said it in the kindest way possible of course).

I hate to admit it, but even though I disagree about it being unprofessional, she's probably right about our GM not being amused though.

Sigh...

Can't blame me for not trying to bring a bit of sunshine into my working life huh?

Oh...to work in a place where people have a sense of humour....

PS : I'm posting up the following recruitment ad simply because
i) I'll be loved to bits (claims the company at the end of the recruitment ad:P)

ii) Hey, if I can't be in a company that has sense of humour, I sure as hell hope someone who
stumbles on my blog and read this can (wry smile).

Sigh...God bless the management of the world that can appreciate a smiley face...

...and God bless even more the teeny little fries who sit in their cubicle everyday battling the monster of jadedness, and despite all the rejections they've had continues to have faith and believe in the importance of smiley faces and being "too nice"....

MindValley Labs

Web Application Developers for American Startup Developing New Web Technologies
We don't care if you already have a job, have made your first million or happen to be several time zones out of KL - if you're the type of programmer that truly considers yourself brilliant and one-of-a-kind - Let's Talk.

MindValley has set up MindValley Labs, an MSC status development center in KL and over the next year will be launching 2 new web applications, a book and several million-dollar ecommerce sites. We're one of the most innovative and creative startups in Malaysia and are seeking bright minds from around the world to join our team.If you're a top knotch programmer, web developer, ecommerce expert or content developer, we'd like to meet you, show you what we're working on, and give you the option to quit your current job and work on some of the most exciting internet projects coming out of Malaysia.
We're launching 3 New Products this Year and Need More Brilliant People on Board our team.With MindValley you'll work in a tight team of marketers, product developers, and innovators. You'll work on exciting new products that aspire to be tomorrow's talked about Internet applications

Do You...Consider PHP your "mother-tongue"?
Get so addicted to a programming project that you went 2 days without sleeping?
Consider people "un-datable" if they don't know HTML?
Get complaints from your family that you spend way too much time on the Internet?
Let relational databases get in the way of real-life relationships?
If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above - we'd love to meet you.
Why MindValley Labs?
We're a fully profitable MSC Status startup, originally founded in the USA and now setting up in Malaysia.You'll be working under Michael Reining, the former Head of New Venture Strategy for eBay and one of the brightest mind from Silicon Valley. Michael was strategic advisor to Meg Whitman and the person who got eBay to move into the classifieds market with it's investment in Craigslist.org and into the communications market with it's acquisition of Skype for $4.2 Billion.You'll also be working with Vishen Lakhiani, one of Malaysia's top ecommerce consultants whose book "The MindValley Way: 40 Tactic to Boost Your Site Conversion" will go on sale on Mar 24.At MindValley we invent and spin-off cool, new web applications. We pride ourselves in being a self-funded, Edison-style laboratory fueled by bright minds. Our creativity and business style allows us to attract talented people from around the world. Our company is 30% Malaysian, 30% American and the rest includes people from Finland, Holland, Estonia, Poland and other countries.We're a small team with some pretty big goals and even bigger ambitions.

Requirements:At our lab you'll be responsible for working on our "Blink" suite of Web 2.0 applications. We're experimenting with inventing entirely new applications and re-inventing old products into shiny new cutting edge tools. Our sites include BlinkList.com and BlinkLife.com. The latter is a new take on personal communication, and seeks to replace email as the personal communication tool of choice for millions of people.Our weapons of choice are PHP, MySQL and Ajax and we apply a lot of code re-use and best practices from the Web 2.0 community.
The ideal candidate will have strong PHP skills, Solid Object Oriented Programming Experience and strong programming fundamentals.Everyting else can be learned.Skills Preferred - If you have these you are a great match.Object Oriented PHP, MySQL, HTML, XML, Web Design, Advanced Database Design, Advanced SQL Knowledge, Object Oriented Javascript

Optional Skills - these will improve your odds of being accepted.Javascript, UI Design, Perl, Knowledge of Google and Amazon.com APIs, Advanced CSS Skills, Knowledge of Testing Methodology, Framework Development and Improvement

Are You a Match for MindValley?
The ideal candidate has a combination of these five personality traits:
1. Intense Drive and Ambition.
2. High Creativity and the Mind of an Inventor.
3. A Solid Interest in Technology
4. Strong Skills in Programming and/or Database Design
5. The Ability to Create Beautiful, Elegant User Experiences.

You gain bonus points if any of the following describes you:
1. You've written your own internet or desktop apps and shared this on the Web with the General Public.
2. You have made money through your website, through selling your own internet apps or through your own IT related consulting business.
3. You constantly check out new internet startups, mashups, and blogs to learn about the latest Ajax, CSS, API releases and JavaScript hacks.
4. You were considered one of the brightest kids in High School/University
.5. You speak fluent English.
6. You look at websites and think "this sucks, I could re-design this site to make it more elegant, friendly and easier to use".
7. You love challenging authority, are not afraid to question your boss and look down on average programmers.
We don't care about your field of study, grades, age or work experience as long as you're a brilliant coder, hyper creative and a team player. (although we have found a strong positive correlation between grades and coding ability).You must speak English - fluently. No other languages necessary. Although we're based in Malaysia our market is strictly North American, Europe, and East Asia.You can be from anywhere in the world. We recruit bright people from universities worldwide and bring them to KL. Our company 70% international, and 30% Malaysian.
You must be in love with the Internet. No we don't mean, reading the news online daily. We mean you must be excited and up to speed with the latest emerging trends in Web 2.0, Ajax, PHP, RSS, OPML and other new buzzwords making their way through the Net.Bonus points if you're an avid user of eBay, Craigslist, BlinkList, Del.icio.us, Digg, or are an active Blogger. Major bonus points if you like hanging out at Mamak's, debating User Interface over pints of Beer, going on team bonding trips to Redang and have a wicked sense of humor.

You can see some profiles of people who work for MindValley on our site here:<"http://www.mindvalley.com/about/">
Your Perks
If you make our team, we'll provide you a high-end laptop you can take home, a dedicated server, all the sugary, caffeinated beverages you need, a docking bay for your iPod and a beautiful office. You'll work in a Silicon Valley style environment with amazing people from around the world, and help us build the next great Internet business.We'll also pay you competitively plus grant you stock options.This is the job software engineers dream about.
Upgrade Your Life and Join MindValley.
Interview invitations and status updates may be sent via email so pleasecheck your email regularly.
Need More Reasons to Quit Your Current Job and Work for Us?
Here's Top 10 Reasons to Be Part of MindValley.

1. Freedom: We understand that brilliant people hate rules and shackles and desire the freedom to do their work, in their way. We let you create your own work hours as long as they are fine with your team mates.

2. Thinking BIG!: We're not aiming to create an email software, we're aiming to create the biggest revolution in email since Gmail. We're not content with creating blogging tools, we aim to create the World's first "intelligent" blog. When we build an e-commerce site, we aim to put it in the top 1% of sites for performance rates. We aim to be as influential in improving people's lives through technology as Yahoo, Google or Apple. We love Big, Scary, Audacious Goals. Many people say we're nuts. We consider this a compliment.

3. Profitability: We're fully profitable, and continue to see our profits grow by at least 100% year-to-year.

4. Great People: We hire only the best. For a typical position we shift through 100 resumes and interview at least 10 people. Make it in, and you'll be working with some of the best minds in the business. We understand that "A" people attract "A" people.

5. Treats: We treat our employees well. This includes occasional concert tickets, Starbucks coffee, dinners and drinks and parties. In the last quarter we've tossed company parties in Luna Bar, taken our whole team to first Tioman then Redang and rewarded employees with trips to Bali. Our founders have worked at Microsoft and eBay and believe in the Silicon Valley model of treating Great People (see #4) in Great Ways.

6. Creativity: We let you spend 15% of your time each week working on your own projects or inventions. If your project is successful, we'll help you launch it. We've modeled this after Google and 3M's style of nurturing creativity within the organization.

7. Stability: We've never taken a drop of investment and so have no investors to pull the plug on us. Our business also spans multiple industries such as internet marketing, product development, publishing and coding. This protects us from short term market trends in any one industry.

8. Fun: We put the "Fun" in "Business Fundamentals". Don't get us wrong - we're a disciplined, well-oiled engine of growth. But we believe that business should be fun and people should look forward to going to work each day.

9.Idealism: 100% of our employees have spent significant time volunteering or working for non-profits. We started this business to change the world. As a result, we will devote our time and attention to causes that may not bring in short term profits, but may result in positive social change.

10. Entrepreneurship: We understand that great people dream of starting their own companies. We help you attain this dream. We provide training and mentorship to help you grow. We do not require any employees to sign a bonding contract (we find this practice ridiculous). Simply, put, you're free to learn from us and then move on when you're ready and start your own business - with our blessings. We respect entrepreneurship.

Care to Know What People are Saying About Us?

Okay, if you've read this far we know you're interested. Do some reading on us and then send us your resume. (See HOW TO APPLY section below).

On working for MindValley:One of our former employees from the USA blogs about the fun she had working for us in KL. Read her blog post here:http://adelle.nomadlife.org/2005/09/mindvalley-team-island-escape-kl-city.aspx

Product Reviews: Visit this link for a Review of our First Product, BlinkList:http://blendededu.com/2005/07/blinklist-learning-in-blink-of-eye.htmlOr click here for dozens more reviews from theBlogosphere here:http://www.blinklist.com/tag/blinklist%20reviews/

A MindValley Owned Ecommerce Site that is now pulling $2.5 million ringgit a year in revenue and relies on just one employee to run.

This is our speciality - high performance online stores that run on autopilot.

We're releasing a book on this in March. http://www.SilvaUltraMindSystem.comBlinkLife -
A New Way to Communicate with Friends and Family This product is designed to change the way the world communicates. It relies on the idea of using RSS to replace SMTP as a method of email delivery.Read about it here:http://www.blinklife.com/Vic_Code_Ver1.0/welcome.phpFinally, check out our site for more details: www.MindValley.com
How to Apply To apply, submit your resume and cover letter via JobStreet.com.

To improve your odds of being accepted, answer the following in your cover letter.
1. Why do you think MindValley is a Good Match for You.
2. Why do you consider yourself a Brilliant Coder. (don't be modest now).
Qualified candidates will be contacted for interview.
We look forward to receiving applications from qualified Candidates.
Vishen M Lakhiani Co-Founder and Director www.MindValley.com

PS - if you find this ad funny, interesting or unusual, please help us spread the word by posting this on your blog or website and emailing your friends about this position. We'll love you to bits and you just might help someone find a dream job.

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Soap Opera

2006-07-06T00:54:00.000-07:00

If my life was a soap opera, I think that it will have a ho-hum storyline...

Question is, am I satisfied with just daily little miracles, or do I want every episode to end with a cliffhanger?

No Day But Today

2006-07-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

Really, really enjoyed the songs in this movie :)

Would recommend "Rent" to anyone who likes musicals.

All together now: " No day but today....." :)

Boy Friends

2006-07-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

Being blessed to have several best boy friends, I always wondered what it is that made them always stay a boy friend, instead of turning into my boyfriend, as Ah Khoon did, an ex-boy friend who went on to become my sayang :) ...

I suppose this might be the answer :

"And I do love you, as a friend. It's not a second best kind of love. Or a consolation prize. It's the real thing but different. A different kind of love."

- "Brand New Friend", Mike Gayle

Small Achiever

2006-06-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

I think I'm too nice for MNCs:P.
Too honest and naive, not hard-nosed, tough, street-savvy enough.
...
The good guy finishes last...

Sheer Indulgence

2006-06-11T02:10:00.000-07:00

With Popular having a sale and then a Book Fair on two consecutive weekends, I went on a mini book shopping spree (being able to buy books is definitely one of the few perks of working:P). So here they are all laid out nicely, the pages just waiting to be discovered and savoured on a weekend such as this :)...And quite a varied lot it is too...There's :

- "The Decline and Fall of Practicall Everybody" by Will Cuppy, some non-fiction for a change (the writing is quite Ngiam-mish actually:P)
- "Three Weeks With My Brother" by Nicholas & Micah Sparks, for a good cry..
- " Brand New Friend" by Mike Gayle, for some British humour + "guy-lit" (it's written Bridget Jones for the men on the back cover:P)
- "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke, for a touch of magic and fantasy,
- "Playing House" by Patricia Pearson, for some warm, fuzzy romance :)

New books....nothing like it =D.

I gush over you...

2006-06-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Please go to the below link to see how i gush over you...;)

http://dotwrite.blogspot.com/

2-Days Workweek

2006-06-02T06:32:00.000-07:00

1 workday = 8 hours

3 workdays = 8 hours x 3 days
= 24 hours
= 1 day

5 and a half workdays = ( 8 hours x 5 days ) + 5 hours (1/2 day)
= 45 hours
= Less than 2 Days !!!

So even if you count staying back late in office and all that, we only work 2 days a week, the most 3 days (that's if you're an absolute workaholic :P). Aren't we all blessed to only have a 2-days workweek? ;)

* A theory I thought up of while suffering the Monday blues :P. Hey, whatever gets you through the day....:)

The Boss' Son

2006-05-26T06:54:00.000-07:00

Our hotel's restaurant normally closes at 10.30pm. But last Saturday, it closed at 12.30am...for who? The boss' son. He made a booking at the restaurant for 30 people at 1opm, when he knew well enough what time the restaurant closes.

And solely for the boss' son...
- The whole food and beverage crew who has been standing and serving for 8 hours..
- The chinese chef and kitchen helpers whose shift were supposed to end at 10pm...
- The driver who was supposed to send the staff back at 11pm...
- and one young HR Executive who was performing her MOD* that night and was supposed to knock off at 11pm...

...had to stay back...and wait for the boss son' and his friends..as they went through countless glasses of drinks and huge platter fulls of fried chili crabs...

No I am not angry for being forced to leave my office way past 12am, I'll leave the anger to the service staff, who unlike me, had to work again the next day...

...but I do wonder, what kind of privileged life and upbringing, that can make one feel so self-important? And he is not even THE boss, he is just the boss' son! (and if we're going to be picky, he's the youngest son, not the traditional-all-properties-to-be- inherited-by-him-eldest son:P)...

I do not hope that something bad will happen to him in order that he learns and mends his ways...but what I DO hope is that, someday, he will be faced with much greater power and wealth than he can ever imagine, and yet instead of being treated as a lesser being, he will find humility and be humbled by the experience...

Am I sounding too Zen-ish? Heheh...often times when I am here alone, I find that it is the best way to deal with feelings and emotions...just be a little detached from it all..so that it hurts less...

(*MOD - Manager On Duty. All executive level and above in my hotel take turn being the MOD where you stay back at the hotel from 7pm to 11pm to make sure that all operations run smoothly at night. So when there are special functions or guests like the above, the MOD has to stay back until the function ends..)

Aku nak kahwin...

2006-04-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

Before it alarms anyone, the title is a statement, NOT an announcement. :P

Uhm....I guess I just relate marriage with security and stability, which my life kind of lacks right now, probably because I am not sure where I am heading, or if I am heading anywhere particular for that matter (wrinkles forehead). At any rate, it will be great, absolutely great to go back home to my sayang after work every day....Sigh....:P

Part of the Family

2006-04-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Every year my sayang Ah Khoon and his housemates, along with a few close friends (and their other halves:P) will have a reunion dinner before Chinese New Year. I had the honour of joining them last year (though I was not together with Ah Khoon then...but looking back now I guess I was somewhat Ah Khoon's "date" for the evening ahah:P), but this year I didn't go since I was back in Sarawak. Of course this year's dinner was extra special as it was their final year and everyone might not be able to gather together in such a way in the future. And so to mark this special occasion, everyone received a nice souvenir and a tiny booklet which had everyone's contacts inside. On my recent trip to JB, I had a pleasant surprise when I saw my name inside the booklet next to Ah Khoon's name (*blushes* :) ). Despite not being present at the dinner, I guess I'm considred part of the family now =D

Scars

2006-04-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

The blisters on my feet are now gone, but how long will it take for the broken dreams to mend...?

Happiness is...making do with what you have at this moment in time...?

A Spark of Creativity

2006-04-16T06:30:00.000-07:00

He framed the 5 roses I gave him for our 1st year anniversary, and turned it into this wonderful handmade gift of love :) Sayang thank you-oh....I really really like it....Missing you very much now...sigh...:P

Wishful Thinking...

2006-03-23T05:49:00.000-08:00

...to be thought so beautiful that you will want to capture in picture my every move...
...to be though so eloquent that you never tire of my writings and ramblings...
...to be missed so deeply that you will cross oceans to reach me...
...to have a voice so adored you'll call just to hear me say 'hello'...
...to be considered so precious that you will want to have a future with me...

'This ain't no movie no, no fairy-tale conclusion y'all, it gets more confusing everyday..."
- "Ordinary People", John Legend

Terms of Endearment

2006-03-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

There's something wonderfully sweet about calling someone you love with a term of enderment or nickname...regardless of how true the nickname is (example: one might be called handsome but be anything but:P), it kind of reflects the warmth and love you feel for each other :)....

In case you're wondering, I'm not talking about my bf*(who just calls me by my name while slipping in a "sayang" once in a while:P), but about two SMSes that I received yesterday...One from Megat where he called me "babe", the other from Wei Ling which she started with a "Hey Sexy!" =D Ahhh...just puts a smile on my face & a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart...the feeling of being loved :)...

Hehehe suka suka...:)

*Early on in our relationship, I did ask Ah Khoon whether we should give each other pet names now that we were dating and all that. I started saying words like "Dear", "Honey", "Cutie Pie"....and then both of us shuddered together:P We decided then and there to stick with calling each other, just plain "Khoon" and "Jess":P.

Reading Material

2006-03-04T04:35:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I have always wanted to do is to be able to buy a brand new book for myself every month (No.23 on my wish list :P). Now that I have started working, it's actually possible, Yeah! :) After browsing through the selections available at the local Popular Branch today, I decided on...Tash Aw's "The Harmony Silk Factory". Chose the book for several reasons:

The writer's a Malaysian and the book is set in 30s-40s Malaya.
The book has had rave reviews, awards heaped on it and it's a bestseller.
Just felt like it :P.

Actually "The Harmony Silk Factory" is not the first book to "launch" my "1-book-a-month" campaign:P In January I got myself not one, but two books:P, one being "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" which totally blew me away, the other being "Q&A" by Vikas Swarup.

The latter is a really good read. It's a fictional story of this uneducated, penniless waiter in Mumbai who was arrested for winning 1 Billion Rupees in an Indian Game show similar to "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?". He was arrested on charges of cheating on the show as, supposedly, it is impossible for someone with no education be able to answer all the questions in the show. Each chapter of the book then highlights an event in his life (mostly tragic) that gave him all the answers he needed for the event that will change his whole life. The story goes back and forth in his life as a street kid in India, and it's really....rich in detail, and yet so sad at the same time:(. I can hardly fend for myself at this age and yet he has had to do that ever since he was as young as 11 or 12 years old....It's the kind of book that makes you think a bit after finishing it, and in my case, it's made me hope to go see India someday :P.

Here's hoping today's purchase will be another great read!:)

Torino, Italy

2006-02-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

The world has its eyes on Torino in Italy as it hosts the Winter Olympics this year. As for me, I will always remember it as a quaint town full of kindness :). Torino was our second stop after Milan during our backpacking trip last year, and during our 2 days stay there, we encountered such wonderful and warm treatment from the locals that really touched our hearts. Woonie calls them the "Good Samaritans" and writes a post about them in her Europe blog http://huiwooneurope05.blogspot.com/. But anyway, just to recap and remember them here:

1) A young lady told us how to get a bus to our camp destination when we alighted from the bus (I think the bus driver asked her to inform us as he can't really speak English and the young lady could, a bit:P). Anyway, the lady repeated to us twice just so we get it:P

2) Woonie wanted to get some stamps for her postcards but as they have run out and only had 1.40euros stamps left (which is more than we will need to send the postcard back to Malaysia), she decided not to buy them yet. An uncle who was in the shop while all these happened promptly bought the stamps FOR her :).

3) While we were busy looking at the city map at a bus stop, an uncle, who hardly spoke English:P, tried his best to give us directions (we found out that our campsite was across the River Po so we would have to get a bus headed that way) and as he had limited English, asked around the other locals at the bus stop to try and explain to us. He finally found a lady (who looks quite Asian ) who could speak English and as the lady was also taking the bus, we followed her when the bus came.

4) In the bus, the lady who spoke English deliberately missed her stop just so she can bring us to our destination. The bus didn't go straight to the campsite, so she hailed us a cab and instructed the cab driver where to go. On another interesting note, the lady almost got mugged in front of our eyes in the bus when a young man tried to snatch her handphone away from her =o/)

5) The next day, while me and Woonie were buying Gelati (yummy fresh Italian Ice Cream:)), the waiter patiently served us and gave us his opinions on which flavours go best with which (there was so much to choose from!!!:P) Even the two young men behind us (not sure whether they were locals or tourists though:P) waited patiently for us to make our gelati choices and they didn't rush us or anything:P When we had chosen and purchased our gelati, the waiter, seeing that we were tourists and all, took out 2 tiny Italian flags with flourish and "cucuk" it in our gelati:P

6) As me and Woonie were hiking uphill to our camp (yup its on top a hill overlooking Torino), we saw the abang who ran the campsite driving up in his pick-up. Sure enough, we got a lift back to camp:).

7) The family that ran the grocery store cum canteen at the campsite allowed me and Woonie to recharge her laptop and my digicam there. We bought a small bottle of Fanta from there since they were so nice (remember this was the ultimate budget trip so even a purchase of soft drink is not something to take lightly). The grocery uncle took the money, then took our small bottle of Fanta and exchanged it with the bigger bottle at no extra charge:)

Yup, Torino..it's all good. But then, what else can you expect from a place that gave us that heavenly delight called Ferrero Rocher?;) Hehe, here's hoping that I get to go again (with more money granted:P) so that I can indulge myself in the chocolates that Torino is famous for! :)

For more tourist information on Torino, surf over to:
http://www.turismotorino.org/index.php?id=531&navCmd=reset
(hmm...the ChocoPass sounds nice:))

Happy Valentine's Day :)

2006-02-14T04:47:00.000-08:00

Initially I wanted to get myself a limited edition couple's t-shirt for Valentine's Day, but the design that I liked didnt have the size that I wanted anymore :(. Ah well, I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that, after all these years, I am finally 'qualified' to get myself one of those couple t-shirts should I want to:P. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!:)

Frustrations

2006-02-08T06:36:00.000-08:00

"job satisfaction", "value your employees and people", "equal opportunity employer", "career development", "be yourself!"...are all just idealistic terms that do not exist in the real world.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2006-02-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

Every time i read a new Harry Potter book, it's like falling in love all over again :)...
I can't bear to think that the next installment will be the last, and yet at the same time I can't wait for it to come out, as Book 6 is nothing short of BRILLIANT. In this book, our boy Harry has undoubtedly crossed the line separating boy and MAN. :) Fantastic book! I absolutely love this JK Rowling woman! :) Now if only the movies will do the books justice...

For the record, I generally enjoy the HP movies, when taken at face value and seen as merely movies (love LOVE the actors =D), but if I am to judge the movies as adaptation films of the books, then yes, they are sadly lacking in the Oomph and impact and rich details that grips you when you read a Harry Potter book (regardless of how many times you have read it ;) ).

Roots

2006-02-03T09:04:00.000-08:00

For Ah Ching, Yuk Mee, Bao Shu, Yik Yung, Izan...you guys will always be part of my roots and I appreciate how our friendship still remain strong after all these years :)

Above is an excerpt from my final year thesis dedication page (Ah Ching says that it is the longest dedications she has ever seen ahah:P) Went house visiting with a few friends during Chinese New Year, and after half a day of long talks, laughs and good food, it made me realize, and fully appreciate again, the magic of shared memories, history and friendships :)

有你们真好：) 新的一年里，还是想要祝大家老套的一句话：
友谊永固。。。

Happy Birthday Own Chai! :)

2006-01-26T07:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Own Chai!!! My wonderful and adorable No.2 ;)

Hehehe...you might wonder why I put this picture in my blog instead of a portrait shot of you:P Well the thing is, these are the things that signify Own Chai to me...
When I see this picture I think of all the times I sit beside you in your blue Ford (BEH xxxx) or your purple Proton Saga Aeroback (WCP xxxx) as you bring me out for breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, shopping, to and from classes, or just to go 'dou dou' ;)...
I will see your yellow handphone on the dashboard, and sometimes when you are changing your gear during driving I will notice the watch and the ethnic looking bangle on your wrist:)..
Hehehe scary isn't it how I can remember the small details?:P No no, it doesn't mean I'm stalking you, it's just a testament of how close and comfortable our friendship has grown over the years :)....

You're probably the best thing I gained after my break-up:P Thanks for being you, and here's hoping that you will find your happiness soon...no matter what I will always sayang you and "hound" you no matter how unwilling you are to layan me hehhe:P

希望你可以早日找到你要的辛福:)

A Million Miles....

2006-01-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

Days go by easily enough, just like that...

But it's at night before I sleep, that I think of you the most,

And that's a fact......

"Counting Down The Days" - Natalie Imbruglia

You were right

And I don't wanna be here

If your gonna be there

Was that supposed to happen

I'll hold tight

I'll remember to smile

Though it has been a while

And without you does it matter

There's no room

No place to start

When our souls are apart

I wanna travel through time

See your surprise

Hold you so tight

I'm counting down the days tonight

I just wanna be a million miles away from here

I'm counting down the days

How've you been

It's just the usual here

And days are feeling like years

And every day's without you

Now I cry

Just a little too much

When I think of your touch

And everything about you

I feel cold

I'm in the dark

When our souls are apart

I wanna travel through time

See your surprise

Hold you so tight

I'm counting down the days tonight

I just wanna be a million miles away from here

I wanna travel through time

See your surprise

Hold you so tight

I'm counting down the days tonight

I just wanna be a million miles away from here

I'm counting down the days

I'm gonna be your surprise

I'm gonna hold you so tight

Yeah

I wanna travel through time

See your surprise

I'd hold you so tight

I'm counting down the days tonight

I just wanna be a million miles away from here

I wanna travel through time

See your surprise

I'd hold you so tight

I'm counting down the days tonight

I just wanna be a million miles away from here

A million miles away from here

6.1 Billion People...

2006-01-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

...is the number of the people in the planet according to Iskandar, and I think he's right. Yeah he knows his facts about this kind of thing:P

I was just googling for "8TV's Malaysia's Most Beautiful" which I managed to catch just now(oh don't get me started on that show and my unsatisfaction at the final 2 finalists:P, we'll see how the result goes and then maybe I'll blog about it:P), and I stumbled upon a few blogs where people wrote about their opinions towards the show...

...and looking through these random blogs...it just struck me...how MANY interesting people out there I have yet to meet and get to know:P I mean, for all you know the guy standing behind you in that McDonald's line can be really cool who has his own band and has adopted a child in Ethiopia or something:P

6.1 billion people.....cool:)

I Love Animaniacs! :)

2006-01-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Animaniacs is probably one of my favourite cartoon series ever :) The Animaniacs trio, consisting of the Warner Brothers (Yakko & Wakko) and the Warner sister Dot are cute, funny (sarcastically so), insane, sings wonderfully (show tunes style mind you:P), pokes fun at everybody and everything and just plain hilarious!:P During NLDS 2005, the Faci team used the Animaniacs' Geography Lesson of a song "Nations of The World" as a lame disguise for a Faci rollcall and it was just plain fun:)....

Anyways I have been trying to download other Animaniacs gems, and I found one of my favourites, "The Presidents of the United States of America". Below are the lyrics...of course when this song was sung Clinton was still in the White House so that explains why the song ends there...it's very very funny, but a pretty good history lesson! =D Haha...this is how education should be done! :P

THE PRESIDENTS SONG (Episode 75)
Lyrics by Randy Rogel.
Sung to the William Tell Overture by Gioacchino Rossini.

Heigh ho, do you know
The names of the U.S. residents
Who then became the presidents
And got a view from the White House loo
Of Pennsylvania Avenue?

George Washington was the first, you see
He once chopped down a cherry tree
President number two would be
John Adams and then number three

Tom Jefferson stayed up to write
The Constitution late at night
So he and his wife had a great big fight
And she made him sleep on the couch all night

James Madison never had a son
And he fought the War of 1812
James Monroe's colossal nose
Was bigger than Pinocchio's

John Quincy Adams was number six
And it's Andrew Jackson's butt he kicks
So Jackson learns to play politics
Next time he's the one that the country picks

Martin Van Buren, number eight
For a one-term shot as Chief of State
William Harrison, how do you praise?
That guy was dead in thirty days

John Tyler, he liked country folk
And after him came President Polk
Zachary Taylor liked to smoke
His breath killed friends whenever he spoke

Eighteen fifty, really nifty
Millard Fillmore's in
Young and fierce was Franklin Pierce
The man without a chin

Follows next a period spannin'
Four long years with James Buchanan
Then the South starts shootin' cannon
And we've got a civil war
A war, a war down south in Dixie

Up to bat comes old Abe Lincoln
There's a guy who's really thinkin
Kept the United States from shrinkin'
Saved the ship of state from sinkin'

Andrew Johnson's next
He had some slight defects
Congress each would impeach
And so the country now elects

Ulysses Simpson Grant
Who would scream and rave and rant
While drinking whiskey although risky
'Cause he'd spill it on his pants

It's eighteen seventy-seven
And the Democrats would gloat
But they're all amazed when Rutherford Hayes
Wins by just one vote

James Garfield, someone really hated '
Cause he was assassinated
Chester Arthur gets instated
Four years later, he was traded

For Grover Cleveland, really fat
Elected twice as a Democrat
Then Benjamin Harrison; after that
It's William McKinley up to bat

Teddy Roosevelt charged up San Juan Hill
And President Taft, he got the bill
In 1913 Woodrow Wil..son takes us into World War One

Warren Harding next in line
It's Calvin Coolidge; he does fine
And then in nineteen twenty-nine
The market crashes, and we find

t's Herbert Hoover's big debut
He gets the blame and loses to
Franklin Roosevelt, president who
Helped us win in World War Two

Harry Truman, weird little human
Serves two terms and when he's done
It's Eisenhower who's got the power
From fifty-three to sixty-one

John F. Kennedy, he gets shot
So Lyndon Johnson takes his spot
Richard Nixon, he gets caught
And Gerald Ford fell down a lot

Jimmy Carter liked campaign trips
And Ronald Reagan's speeches' scripts
All came from famous movie clips
And President Bush said "read my lips"

Now in Washington D.C.
There's Democrats and the G.O.P.
But the one in charge is plain to see
It's Clinton, first name Hillary

The next President to lead the way
Well, it just might be yourself one day
Then the press'll distort everything you say
So jump in your plane and fly away

Transcribed by Steve Kramer

Life Shots

2006-01-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

I have always loved taking pictures, be it behind or in front of the lenses :P Though my family's camera broke down ages ago, I was lucky enough to amass a pretty good collection of my pictures from other friends during secondary school in order for me to record those years in pictures :). In my university life it seemed that I was destined to do the same, until I was lucky enough to be allowed to keep the family's analog camera in my 2nd year :) Since then I have been steadily taking pictures of all the major happenings and events in my university life :)...

Early last year, just before Woonie, Kok Hin and I flew to Paris for the L'Oreal Brandstorm Finals, I got myself a digicam :) Well, what can I say, it is a love affair that continues till now :P... My pictures are far from professional, but they are reminders of places that I have been to, friends that I love, memorable experiences, milestones in my life...and for that, I think they're "picture-perfect" :)

Surf over to http://jesspicturepicks.blogspot.com for some of my favs :)....

Portraits of a Friend

2006-01-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

13th January, 2006

Happy Birthday Woonie!!! =D May the coming days be full of smiles, happiness and laughter...just like your portraits here, which positively radiates with joy! :) Love you lots and sending you all my hugs and kisses!:)

Click That Button!

2006-01-06T00:10:00.000-08:00

Note to self : Always, ALWAYS remember to click on that "Save Changes" button while blogging. Just wasted an afternoon's effort because of my tiny mistake :(

"Just Feel Better"

2006-01-03T05:14:00.000-08:00

"Just Feel Better" is the title of the recent musical collaboration between two rock legends- Santana and Steven Tyler.

In my opinion, an ordinary song, made extraordinary by Steven Tyler's rockingl vocals:) How old is he again? Whatever, I think he's Hot:P.

Koko and The Wonders of the World

2005-12-30T01:54:00.000-08:00

I have just finished playing this educational, interactive CD-ROM that comes free with every purchase of one box of Koko Krunch (you gotta love them cereals!;) )

It's called Koko and The Wonders of the World, and you as Koko need to travel to the 7 Wonders of the World and answer questions and complete challenges that tests your English, Maths and General Knowledge, in order to get 7 jewels that will help you built a Koko Krunch factory :D

I've successfully built my factory already and I must say it's really kinda fun, this interactive game thing :)...

Anyway, according to the CD-ROM, the 7 Wonders of the World are:

1) Statue of Liberty, USA
2) Taj Mahal, India
3) Great Wall of China, China
4) Eiffel Tower, France
5) Empire State Building, USA (because of the King Kong connections, perhaps :P?)
6) Leaning Tower of Pisa, Italy
7) The Great Pyramids, Egypt.

Though I don't think this is the definitive list of the Wonders of the World (I don't think there IS any definitive list :P), I am just...amazed that I have been to 3 of the places on the list in this past year alone.

I don't think I can ever top that in this lifetime, but just for the chance to say that I have done so...I am grateful :).

Revelations

2005-12-30T01:50:00.000-08:00

I went for a dinner cum gathering with some secondary school friends last night. After almost 5 years of not attending such gatherings (due to always being in some AIESEC conference or other :P), the elusive Jessica finally appears!

As I expected, I spent most of the night staying quiet :p.

I have never been part of this gang of "happening" people in school. Yesterday's dinner showed that time has not changed that and I still find myself having a hard time talking freely in front of everyone, preferring to have one-to-one conversations with my best friend Ah Ching (the person who convinced me to go), and Bao Shu, who was once my "Tuesday Night Dinner Date" back when I was in UTM :) . He went to Philippines during the holis and both of us were eager to share stories of our travels since I went to Egypt a few weeks ago.

Still, all is not lost. The night's gathering brings me two revelations about myself.

One, I am better and more comfortable when talking on a one-to-one basis. After dinner we were deciding what to do next and I had a chance to talk to Ming Fung, a classmate that I have never been particularly close to, but our conversation flowed easily as I asked him about his studies in Melbourne. Our conversation was cut short as we separated to different cars for our next destination (Karaoke, but I didn't sing much:P), but still, it was easy for me to find something to talk about when it was just between me and him.

Two, on the way home, cruising through the familiar streets of my hometown, I suddenly realized something. From as young as I can remember, I have always been aware that there is an outside world apart from Miri. Young as I was back then, and eager at the prospect of growing up and having a job, house, family of my own etc, I don't think my imagination of my future was ever restricted to within Miri only - to be born, live and die here. I was always, always aware that there are other places and destinations, just waiting to be discovered by me out there.

For some unknown reason, I find that heartening.

Perhaps, I am destined for bigger things after all :).

These faces...

2005-12-27T07:02:00.000-08:00

"Dec 1, 2005

一年一度的NLDS,never felt as meaningful as tonight...太多。。。去年回忆让自己好多感触。。。。。一年真的过了，生活上变了多少？。。。多好多。。。不过发觉到身旁的最好朋友还是。。。他们 :). What more can you ask for from 4 years of love and labour in an organization, than the knowledge that you have in return, something that might possibly...last?...陪着你一生的温暖。。。"

I wrote the above during Gala Dinner of NLDS 2005 in a moment of sudden...what's the word? I can't even describe it :P Granted my Chinese is terrible :P, but at that moment I just wrote it as I felt it...the moment reminded me so much of Youthopia, and it just made me realize that a year has really passed...

There was a feeling of fear, that time can pass by so fast, and after one year has gone by what have I to show for it?

There was also a feeling of warmth, because though there have been many changes in my life, I realized then that the ones that I held close and dear to my heart, are still the same people :)...

It's a reasurring thought, knowing that despite all the ups, downs, changes and being geographically apart from each other, I still loved, and am still loved by, the same faces...:)

And when NLDS ended, I felt that there are more of these faces that I can treasure, thanks to the friendships that I made, and some strengthened, in NLDS, particularly in the Faci team :)...

To the Sunnybears, I love you guys, you know it....:)

To the Faci Team, I had a brilliant week in NLDS...It was one of those rare conferences where I had no bad moods at all, tiredness and fatigue yes, but throughout the whole week I was so filled with warmth, energy and inspiration from you guys that it was honestly, a very emotionally fulfilling week :) Ohh, and fulfilling hugs-wise too :P (Thanks Faby & Sandy!:))

Two very different teams...

Two defining moments in my @ life...

All i can say is...

(at this point I am kind of speechless cuz the only words running through my mind now are some Chinese words, but then my command of the language is so sucky I don't think people will get me when I write it down :P)

Hmm...how to explain how much you guys mean to me?

Aww hell, sucky as this may sound I am gonna write this anyway :P

你们填满了我的心 :)

( Literally translated it means "You fill my heart :)", but then in the English language this will make you go "fill my heart with what?" :P. So, basically, just think of all the nice things that makes you smile and feel warm inside, and...that's what you guys fill my heart with :) )

牵着你的手。。。

2005-12-27T06:28:00.000-08:00

牵着你的手，是一种难得的辛福。。。

(Holding your hand is a rare piece of happiness...)

Love Long Distance

2005-11-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

Love, long distance, means...

...higher phone bills than usual..
...finding other people to go watch a movie with...
...figuring out what to do on the weekends by yourself...
...planning and dreaming of the next time you meet...
...dates are a rare privilege...
...anniversaries are spent apart...
...feeling a pang every time you go out and you see young couples having dates...
...not knowing how he looks like with the new haircut but just remembering how he looks like through your last picture together...
...trust, lots of it...

...love long distance, a conscious decision, a choice I made, because I think you, and us , are worth it :)...

In this life..

2005-11-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

I have alwasy had some idea of the things that I want to do in my life, so in these days of discovering oneself (ie bumming:P) I wrote some of them down :) Surf over to
http://jessdreamlist.blogspot.com to see what they are...if you see anything you want to do as well maybe we can work something out and do it together :D....

Gol & Gincu

2005-11-08T08:34:00.000-08:00

Raya holis means that all the TV stations (TV3, NTV7, 8TV, Astro Ria & RTM) are showing Malay movies, LOTS of them. During the holis I would always find myself sitting down to watch a local movie, and then half-way in the show I will find myself flipping the channels to watch another "can't-grab-my-attention" local movie which is being shown on the other channels.

It's sad to say this, but most of the time i just find that local movies:

1) Stereotypes their characters (Take Cinta Kolesterol. Guy doesn't like girl and the reason HAS to be that she is FAT. And she HAS to be fat because she has low self-esteem and eats a lot and only beleive she can be a better person if she slims down.) But after some incidents guy finally finds out her true inner beauty and they get together. What a typical Pendidikan Moral petikan about not judging a book for its cover yes?

2) The characters are so 2- dimensional. Good guys are good guys, bad guys are bad guys. There is no complexities of emotions, no layers of feelings. You don't understand why the bad guy is a bad guy and likes to pick on the good guy, but at the same time the good guy is so ho-hum boring that you don't feel any emotional attachment to him/her and you don't find yourself rooting for him/ her (hence not waiting for the movie to end before flipping channels).

3) Other useless side stories. There are always some other side stories so that we don't just focus on the main characters. Most of the time the side stories are supposed for gags (more often than not played by the cast of Senario) and add no impact or importance to the movie whatsoever. And most of the time, they're not funny. Now I actually love Saiful Apek and I enjoy Senario, but I just don't find them funny in the movies when they play the lesser characters.

4) Same old faces...Yusry, Erra, Nasha, Rosyam, Saiful Apek, (lately) Waheeda...

5) Same old, boring straight-forward way of telling stories, same camera shots...

..and lots more... I think people who are really into films probably have more to add...:P

Anyway the purpose of this blog is not to bitch. The purpose of this blog is to tell you guys how happy I am that I finally sat through a whole local Malay movie, and it left me with a smile on my face:)

The movie is called "Gol & Gincu".

It's a light romantic comedy, about a girly girl (siap with pink room, pink skirts, bedspread covered with hearts...thinkElle Woods in Legally Blonde:P) who takes up Futsal in order to win her ex-bf back . She puts together a motley crue team of players and they end up winning the Futsal tournament (winning against the other teams whose bitchy captain is the new gf of her ex-bf). In the meantime there are some credible, even considered heavy side stories (portrayed very nicely without giving a real answer, just like in real life), and very good acting from a cast of all new faces. Main role or supporting roles, they all do it very well and you just like them :).

I like the different camera angles, the way the director always films his actors from the mirror (ie shows their reflection in the mirror instead of the usual close-up), I like the way that some scenes don't have any dialogue and yet speaks so much in its silence, I like that the side stories contribute and link to the main story, giving it more impact, I like the appropriate choice of music for different scenes (use of English songs from local acts are cool), I like that the actors sound like they speak English on a regular basis instead of purposely trying to put English into the dialogue in an attempt to sound real but end up not being real, I like that the movie bitch is not such a bitch after all when she helps out the lead in an emergencey in one of the final scens of the movie, and I like the end of the movie with snapshots of the characters and what they do after... that's actually pretty normal, but it wraps up the movie in a nice way (unlike most local movies which probably end up in weddings or something:P)

Ahh...its just good, and I am just glad to see a movie which Malaysians can be proud of:).

P/s; Been trying to find a wallpaper or pic/ stills from the movie, the best free one that I can get is this little one :P.

Catnap

2005-11-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for the true meaning of happiness or 'xin fu', just look at the face of a contented cat napping...:)