Brain clean-up

I think i need mind training. Finding things cluttering yet not much of it retained or applied. Granted some knowledge are leisurely, trivial or prob just to know type but i realised that i don't actually am able to spew out info. Maybe its not too bad an idea to jot down what stuff interests me and work my way to learning more about them, no? Another thing about my learning style is i can't comprehend and absorb info on too many topics at once. I have a tendency to open so many tabs online about different topics and in the end, i have not much although i may look remotely intelligent doing that :P So, what interests me?

1. Gourmet..the works of the whole F&B world :) however am not inclined toward baking as the previous attempts of baking never turn out nicely, guess thats y i'm a firm believer that baking and cooking is a whole different realm. One chef cannot be a great in both. Its just a different set of skills. Yes, i do try to do both but i really quite fail in baking..:( therefore i'd stick to my own skill of cooking la.

2. Theatre..Am open to almost everything but sadly can't go for everything :/ Love satirical shows, musicals, comedic ones. Perhaps some literary infused ones too. Dance also don't mind, if i can understand what the dancers are trying to say with their bodies, have not been to a only dance performance. Guess they don't come by that easily, it is harder to master IMHO..

3. Music..Still harnessing my wish of having my own keyboard to tinker with but with the current budget situation of mine, i guess its gotta be on the backburner for now. Am enthralled by orchestra although i aint got any idea whom they are playing at times but i like being awed at Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra :D I like the idea of intimate settings of a lounge/bar/cafe where small bands play soothing type of music. Or a solo musician on an instrument. Ahh blissful la,sipping a coffee or post-dinner drink..Hmm, y don't i go to the many many performances in KL town? Pricey..can't just sit there and sip one (cheapest) drink whole nite long eh? Well, if kiam-siap enough, can geh. The time, starts late and if i don't have people to send me home, can forget about it.

4. Sports..Badminton is still a fave, (again, the racquet is lonely in the cupboard...) Like the cool wind blowing in my face cycling (yet another lonely fella at home in ipoh- the mountain bike) Stuff want to try out include rock climbing, hiking, some super lasak thingy at a Taman Cahaya at Shah Alam..etc etc. Oh, i like basketball too, if you don't take into consideration a headless chicken running around the court (as ppl can testify :P)

5. Words..I gotta like em, rite? I get paid to play with em. Never knew that words have such a heavy bearing especially when it comes to influencing ppl to act. hehe. Getting stuck with em is also a norm. Nevertheless, its a fun job, putting aside the at times repetitive, clients who don't know they are killing their stuff with words (as in, many like to over talk in their ad) stuff la. In relation to words and advertising, hence i like advertising too. Add to that the whole mass-media thingamajiggy. It is a rapidly moving industry which seems to be moving away from the traditional and to new styles..and it aint easy to keep up with the changes :/ the information overload!!

6. Traveling..Who doesn't huh? And i like to do the planning :P Admidst the oft' stress of many things to consider, the end result is "emm...emm...good" (pinjam Campbell soup, which btw, its a great tagline- u can imagine an expression like that when enjoying good food.only thing is u'd likely remember its Campbells) oh i digress. For this year, only domestic traveling can be afford-ed (i know, no such word) because all the money has gone to the kitty for someplace :P add to this la, organising stuff :)

7. A little bit of psychology/ human behavioural observations. A friend recommends me a Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) to read...erm, its crazily thick ok....haha..

Erm.. can't keep up with all the above!! The Photoshop tutorial is waiting, i see a HTML crash course book in the office, still many advertising/copywriting related books to read, continue to play the imaginary keyboard in my head...haiyo. Photography..fleeting interest..hehe..As in i do like to take pics but i;m not so into it as finding out about all the canggih-manggih devices..I think i shall end here before the purpose of de-cluttering works otherwise...

So, any suggestions on how to compartmentalise a brain?

The unseen friend- mr/mrs/ms/mdm/sir. Hope

HOPE is one thread we consciously or otherwise hold on to each day our of lives. In whatever situation unseen, we always will hope things turn out for the best. Even if we know it will turn out, knowing needs to begin with faith. And faith is a pre-cursor to hope and ultimately love; which i'm taking from a bibilical perspective. Why do we hope? It gives us a glimmer of how the unpredictable will turn out okay, it gives us strength for another day, in the knowledge that being able to wake up is another day waiting to be filled- whatever elements it may be. If we have no hope, we might as well be god, all knowing and then we could control our life. Obviously we aren't and the frailty of our own body and soul was intended so that we may (and choose) to cling on to one greater and the promises we are given.

Okay, religion aside. I think that people of all centuries have come to know and embrace this unseen essence of hope. And i'd say that it has never failed. It fails only when we CHoose not to want anything to do with it. The premise of hope may be far-fetched for some. They do not believe that humans should cling on to things that can't be seen ie Hope. That hope is just a word that people foolishly believe in to remove and be blinded by the pains of realities. I know of someone who has taken up a clause to be against hope and yet its not doing him any better. Yes, i may sound like i'm putting this word on such a pedestal but looking at him- who sees life as just a pain, choosing to shut out the flickers of beauty but preffering to wallow in pity and misery is rather disappointing. There was once where he believed but his disbelief lasts way longer than the former. If you watched House M.D you'd know how this someone is like. Sigh...

According to him, i am naive in choosing to believe in a greater unseen, choosing to believe in people but leaving myself so vulnerable. While his observations are pretty spot on, hope its not something i will let go in the present time. It has carried me through for as long as i'd remember. Hope (and faith) was all i had when i was sick, hospitalised. As if it wasn't depressing enough, why wouldn't i hope instead that i would recover? This premise (awful it may seem to some people) carried me through the turmoils in the family- there was nothing much i could do (save for helping out with chores) but hoping in each brand new day. I'm aware i possibly swallow this word too much for my own good and in the world's standards, i'm too easily trusting. Yet it's a feeling that i can't really describe- to be able to trust. I mean, if i'm comfortable and they don't mind me, i'd be quite open. That said, it opens to many possiblities of getting hurt and taken for granted for. I don't deny that i want to give the day a chance, give the people a chance for i'm not deserving of the chance of life  to begin with. It all started with LOVE. The love had FAITH that the people LOVED would in turn HOPE. 

If i have no hope in the heart, i wouldn't be bothered the abovementioned person's indifference and hated attitude to life. I still hope that things will turn around for him, although even if it does, it is still up to him whether to choose hope or continue being miserable..And i don't believe his mantra that he does like to be miserable because man is memang born to suffer. Well, true as it is...isn't life better if there are little sparks of happiness here and there? those sparks are always around, only if we choose to look carefully in the vast skies :) Although i'm weighing his predicament based on the grounds of history of depression, which does messes up the mind and emotions but i do think that he is capable of seeing things in different perspectives. Just that he DOESN'T want to, i believe. Correct me if i'm grossly misjudging (if any counselors happen to read this ^ ^) . After reading his anti-hope note, i seriously feel its miserable not to hope but believe in the human side of us- which to start with is already helpless. So feeling pain and looking to another painful perspective = doubles the misery? Or in pain, believe that the silver lining is somewhere yet to be found, may make waking up easier? 

Anyhows, while one could argue that hope is a gospel spoken too much, promising too much and is just another thing that we humans hold on to tide us over, but i truly digress. From my experiences, the unpredictables feels a little bit clearer with (the last time i'm saying it in this post) H.O.P.E 

 

Retreating in the city

And so it was last weekend. Thanks to Jasmine who graciously let us crash her brother's pad (where she lives) but the bro is not around most of the time...Situated at the other end from we lived, it brought a picture of a retreat, so to speak lar cos of the distance. Plus the cool air from the 12th floor, it was sheer bliss :) 

Thus on friday nite, 5 of us (inc car owner) bundled into a Kancil from Serdang and headed towards Kelana Jaya for a weekend of 'getting away from it all'   

                     

 Change of environment supposedly helps one to study :) The hall with the super comfy couch and humongous pillows- great for pillow fight! (no la, we didnt) 

 The opulent kitchen (it is to me) where there's everything...i always thought built in cabinets were pleasing :D  p/s: sue looks like she's texting the ingredients of the mineral water to someone ;p 

Part of my retreat includes cooking, which may be quite obvious to those who know me... with sue as the assistant while the other's went splashing in the pool, we whipped up these:

Dip for Pretzel. Mix together mayo, chopped parsley,onions, chilli with a dash of tarragon vinegar, salt, sugar n pepper. i wasnt' really thinking when doing, just made a dip cos the pretzel wasn't favourable on its own.. we had these for tea :P 

Appetizer for the nite. (Left) Chilled garlic chilli prawn on mango . Right- our entree of grilled chicken on mushroom risotto accompanied with vegetables. Far right- dessert of poached pears topped with ice-cream, cookie crumbles n choc chip. 

Zee people. Joe & Eunice were our guests :)

All our diet caution threw out the window as we gorged ourselves silly even till the midnight where maggi mee was eaten, coffee liquer was drunk (sheridans, though a bit too sweet compared to Baileys), junks, ice cream..went to bed with a full tummy. 

Woke up groggy at the crack of dawn to go for 7.30am service. Easter service at FGA KL feat Pearly Chua & the 2 tenors. She played mary magdalene- a monologue..ok lah her portrayal but prob not worth RM180 for her Emily of Emerald Hill act :D Soon after flew to FSCC for its first Easter service..so churchy eh?? 

And that was how the weekend was spent... with the people that mattered, doing things that did not feel like work and feeding the tummy with food :P 

work lunchboxes

Came across an article why bringing your own lunch to work may be damaging to one's career. Apparently it sort of shows that you're not earning enough to even have lunch outside, it brings down your reputation (esp if yr of high level position) and possibly the most difficult issue would be the social side of things, with the colleagues. Lunch hour is regarded a time to interact, a break from the hum-drum of the office and bringing your lunch sort of makes you the anti-socialist. Full article found here http://www.chow.com/stories/10673?tag=main_body;item-Story-10673

Quite possible that these people are talking about the topic in a Western context, and i've seen that westerners can sometimes be very stiff-ish about little things, a bit prudish perhaps. As i look upon this topic in my context, i wonder if i'm damaging myself as well :/ 

Okay, i bring my lunch almost everyday simply for the fact the food around where i work are expensive and not up to my standard. I would have to spend an average of RM8 a day for lunch (that is if they decide to go to the lower end places) and with my puny salary, i'd be left with nothing. I've already been branded the tapau queen and the day that i'd go out with them is surprising. I seriously wonder if my colleagues think i'm such an anti-social. The other thing is i'm not supposed to eat outside food so much because of its high sodium, msg,oil content.Too offset things, they do mention that they would be willing to pay me to prepare lunch for them as well. Haha, to which i wouldnt mind but i don't have a car to transport the food :(  

If you read the post from the link i posted, i would gather that people over there sort of think its a horrible thing to pack your own food. Heck, in the light of this economy, i couldn't care much as its already not easy saving from the salary i have. And seriously packing food has saved me a lot of money and unneccessary bad nutrients :P 

Anyway, the times i go out for lunch also the conversation pretty much evolves around complaining this person and that..which is i suppose not healthy for me as i have the tendency to join in because of the majority is talking about it. Although there are many times i missed out on stuff la, (i mean not related to the bitchings). Yet, i've gotten quite comfortable bringing my own food and starting to feel if i should cut it down..Hmm...Though i wouldn't say i don't get along with my colleagues, perhaps just not as much lar...

Ah well, social etiquettes n rules fail me at times 

for a beloved

Not long after the post on my grandparents, we were all shocked that God decided it was time to bring Ah Kong to paradise. Though we know death is a part of life, but it was greatly unexpected. Yea, 84 is a long life to be lived but we weren't prepared. If someone was old and sick, it would sort of give us the preparation that one will go anytime and also offer some kind of comfort that there's no more suffering. Ah Kong wasn't sick at all, he went about his usual Friday routine driving his queen to the saloon (at 83, she's more vain than i am at 23 -_-) and all. In the evening, after he showered he just mentioned rest a while cos chest pain, to which Ah Mah didnt think much about and continued with TV. Less than 5mins later she turned to ask him how he felt, by then he was already in heaven. Without a sound, without a last gasp...

I was stunned for any words when i got the news, why, i only met him the past week when he was down in KL to see his beloved baby grandson, he was hale and hearty. Guess that was why it was harder to let go for all of us. Not to mention, he was possibly the best dad and grandad one could ever have :) Yet, i thank GOd that he lived a good life, his way of life, character and attitudes ever so heart-warming and i always thought if the world had more people like Ah Kong, it would be a better place. 

Its gonna be two weeks tomorrow.. if urban legends were anything to go by, well then Friday the 13th (March 13) was one sad day. The tears have flowed and dried, i find myself smiling when i think of him, instead of dripping tears the first few days. As i talk about him, i'm grateful and glad for all the time i had with Ah Kong and that as Min quoted "assurance is a joy many can't have" for we know where he is and we will meet in time :) 

Lots of love to sweet pea...

Hold the showers!!!!

Oh man, hoping and praying that tomorrow night would be clear skies and cool breeze....

Its the Jason Mraz gig at Stadium Negara, which i believe its open air?! 

Yes God, please hold the waters for one night? Thank you in advance :) 

Random things

Got tagged on FB to do this random things about me but i don't think the facts are of any interest out there...But for fun, i'll do it here.

1. I crashed my car into a small palm tree, killing it because the poor thing was uprooted all the way. The owner lamented to my mum that her tree was just bearing fruit and has died. Oops.

2. Cooking the whole day is very satisfying. Having people eat it and not have tummy aches is better :)

3. I have a beef with John Keats, a poet. Used to struggle with his works way back in Form6. Tak faham dengan dia.

4. I travelled back to KL from Ipoh, only to realise i left my KL house keys in Ipoh. "-_-"

5. Tears rolled on my piano keys when i was made to practice. I subsequently quit at 11years old. Now i'm thinking of trying again :D

6. I celebrated Xmas 2008 by running from Pasar Seni LRT to PuduRaya to catch my bus to Singapore.

7. Performing onstage gives me shivers. I'd take of my specs so i wouldn't see anything. Audience participation probably don't work for me. Anyway i rarely perform.

8. During a tertiary students fellowship's Valentine's Day event, the MC dragged me out to dance. I got paired with a stranger. All the 'volunteered' pairs had to follow 2 pretty pro & practiced dancers steps. Needless to say, it was a messy affair. At least for my partner & I. Haha. My roomate had a good laugh after the event. -_- Me & my 2 left feet

9. People think i don't own skirts. i DO..just that no1 has seen it..in KL at least :) I would buy a dress if one of my friends get married and wear to her wedding.

10. I'm a coffee addict. I need 1 cup daily else my headache comes.

11. i can't really think of something i don't eat/ drink except powdered milk.

12. i can shower in 5minutes. That's why i always 'chup' 1st place to shower during camps :p

13. i'm a loser..of my stuffs. Possessions lost include handphones, camera, bagpack etc

14. Umbrellas are probably jinxed in my hands. Since 2005 till now, i've gone through more than 10 umbrellas which i use very little of :/

15. Long hair does not work really well on me. I straightened it once to less than favourable reviews.

16. Zoos are the last place i'd pay to visit. Don't like animals.

17. i assume i have an aunty look. Aunties like to ask me questions about things i'm buying. Example, "is the fish nice"? "how much is the fish?" "is this detergent good?" yada yada...sigh. Old before time.....

18. i'm still contemplating whether or not to go on G-Force: a reverse bungee ride. It cost RM50 and wondering if its worth scaring myself. 

19. Raced bicycle with a 7/8 year old kid when i was 12years old and i rode into the drain. Damn embarassing. I only learnt how to cycle at 12.

20. When i get bored with copywriting, i may find a job in a restaurant. Hehe

21. KLPAC is addictive!! ;p 

22. I ate at Jalan Alor for the first time on 03/Feb/2009. i've been in KL for more than 3 years and never been there. Sadly, we chose the wrong stall to eat...no good :(

23. Got lost while walking on a highway in Damansara. The distance from A-B looked walkable as i was riding in a cab. Therefore i decided to walk back- good exercise after eating. However, i got confused and ended up walking on the highway. It was freaky! Took a bus back in the end.

24. I wouldn't think of going for a Merdeka parade. I did catch the 50th one though, mainly because i was assigned to it as an intern reporter. My first and guess would be the last.

25. I tend to notice unimportant and unneccessary things and most probably overlook the important ones :/ 

26. I wanted to learn taekwando but i was too concious of being barefooted and i thought making the sounds when punching/kicking/etc was a bit weird. So i never learnt. 

27. Basketball is fun but i've never dribbled. All i do when i get the ball is throw to someone else. I do have the occasional scoring. The court is a bit of a danger zone for me. 

28. I was adamant in moving out of hostel after my first year. However, i ended up staying there each sem save for the sem of internship. I'd rather the hostel than the houses in Serdang. I'm quite afraid of the houses for some reason. Haha.

29. I played boy's toys when i was young, rough games etc. No barbie-dolls thank you very much.

30. Sarcasm is a great thing :D However, i think Lameness has over-rode the former.

That should do....Almost all facts are useless to know :p but the whole point is being RANDOM..