KotoBiaN TaDau KaamaTaN

To those who have never been exposed to this greeting..let me tell you what it means.."Happy Harvest Festival". Every year, on the 30th & 31st of May, the Kadazans & Dusuns from Sabah celebrate the harvest festival. This is when they harvest their hardwork over the whole year and celebrate.

Celebrations would include party all night long with "tapai" a kind of rice wine that is home made & quite strong. Apart from that, there's also the annual "Harvest Queen beauty pageant". It's called "Unduk Ngadau" in their language.

However, after working for 3 years here in West Malaysia, I still feel very strange and awkward that on Good Fridays and Harvest Festivals, I'll still have to work and there's no public holiday. Haha..

Well, actually another part of this blog that I want to mention is..I found another solution if I accumulated too much stress at work. I know now which is the 1st place I will visit for my "retail theraphy". I just found out yesterday that Lazo Diamond is opening a branch here in the City of Entertainment. Well, with the member privileges and everything, there's always an excuse to buy something...right? Hehehe..after all, 'DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER & ARE A WOMAN'S BEST FRIEND'. So how can I not look for my best friend when I'm upset?? *wink*wink*

TiReD eYes

Recently, I received heaps of comments on my tired-looking eyes like the below:

Comment 1 (from a colleague at work):
"Gosh, what happened to you? You look tired. Look at your under eyebags & dark circles! Get more sleep!"

Comment 2 (from my uni mate who have not seen me for quite a while):
"Hey, you look about the same. Have not changed much since the last we met except for the dark under eye circles!"

Comment 3 (from a beautician visit):
"Gosh, you dab quite alot of concealer to cover your dark circles, would you like to try our injection? Once you inject, it will gradually whiten the dark circles and make it less visible. Just RM300 per injection"

Gee..no thanks! I'm no celebrity who could spend huge amount of cash on all this! I'd rather look like a panda!

As I walked around yesterday, I remember one thing that has been constantly on my mind since the 1st time I saw its commercial on TV in Hong Kong. With one of my all-time favourite TVB actress Gigi Lai as its products' ambassador, guess what? It's none other than Bio-essence's 24K Bio-Gold!

Bio-esence 24K Bio-Gold Eye Care Twin Treasures (Anti-Dark Circles Essence + Eye Contour Lifting Serum)

Anti -Dark Circles Essence:

- Enhances metabolism and micro-circulation to disperse precipitated melanin cells

- Eliminates dark cirlces- Reduces fine lines

- Contains strong anti-oxidant properties to prevent free radical damage

- Nourishes and brightens eye contours- Accelerates cell regeneration to restore softness, elasticity & radiance

Eye Contour Lifting Serum:

- Reduces sagging eye bags

- Lifts droopy eye lids

- Firms eye contours

- Makes eyes look bigger

- Enhances metabolism and micro-circulation to burn of excess fats under the skin

- Contains strong anti-oxidant properties to prevent free radical damage

- Eliminates wrinkles and crow's feet

- Accelerates cell regeneration to restore softness, elasticity & radiance

Well, I decided to give it a go & test it out. It's not cheap though (for my standard as I don't usually spend loads on beauty, skin care or cosmetics), even with Watson on sales. The Anti-Dark Circles Essence costs approximately RM90 while the Eye Contour Lifting Serum is more expensive, some where around RM110. It's worth a try though, let's see the results after that.

However, to complement the whole thing, I have now set a target for myself: I MUST SLEEP EARLY EVERYNIGHT! By 12midnight. Should there be unexpected activities that will spoil my plan to be in bed by midnight, then the latest will be 1am. That's it! Maximum limit! I know, dada has been telling me..there's no use in buying the most expensive product in the market to make your eye bags & dark circles disappear if you don't pair it with SLEEPING EARLY!

Damn..he's got a good point there!

FuNNY SMS

Hmmm...somewhere in the middle of last week, just out of nowhere, I received an SMS from my cousin..who has my number all this while..but seldom sms each other besides the usual festive season's greetings. Here goes the few exchanges of SMSes throughout the night:

Him: Congrats to the both of you! Just got the news from Mum!

Me: HUH? U mabuk kah? COngrats on what? Don't tell me u think I'm getting married. The last time I checked, no diamond proposal ring on my finger yet. Who's ur source? Not reliable la...

Him: Bro said u're getting married..and he's reliable.:-p

Me: Naa..really no la..but we're planning..should be next year..

Him: See..so he proposed!

Me: Nolah..it's true! No proposal yet, I'm still waiting for my 18 carat diamond proposal ring.;p

Him: Don't worry..I'll teach him to make 18 CARROT rings for you..hahaha

Damn him! Hahaha..

GooDBYe Mr NiCe GuY

Tonight, there was a farewell party held for a very good looking, nice guy & gentleman, one of our AVPs. He's by far the BEST looking AVP who've appeared in the GG.

I wasn't lucky enough to work directly under him, however, Dada did. Almost everyday, he would have stories about this AVP. How helpful he was; how gentleman & nice he was; how he'd always cover up & protect his staff; how he would never put the blame on his subordinates & how he's always so calm to handle all sorts of situation; how high his EQ is & would never vent his anger on anyone; responsible & would never hesitate to assist & help out subordinates.

I encountered his kindness once, when I called informing him on a mistake done by someone else, that directly affected by project. He was calm & lent his support to me. He directed me the best way to settle this & later on ensured that everyone is clear & co-operates to minimise the damage done. He's not my direct superior or directly in my section, but was there first thing to help manage the situation. Much, much, much better than my superiors..who didn't even KNOW what was going on. Didn't lend their support & asked me back the same thing...only 2 weeks later. They didn't even bloody know what happened & how we have been trying to manage the situation all this while..demotivating??heartbreaking??heart fading??Exactly!

Well, for the farewell party, I didn't get the chance to be there & party all night long as I had HEAPS of stuff to do while waiting for Dada to finish work as well. However, as we both respect him, we stopped by on our way back to say goodbye. Dada have said his goodbye earlier. Hence, it's really ME who owes him a final goodbye.

So, off we went. Walked over to him & shook his hand, "Goodbye, best of luck. We'll be getting married next year..so make sure you come yeah.." He said " Sure, most definitely" I asked, "Will you be keeping this number?" He said, " No, but I'll leave u all my personal e-mail & contact number" "Oh, that'd be great! Take care..see ya" It was THEN that he let go of my hand..;) PERASAN..hahaha...He also waved & said goodbye to Dada before the door closed behind us...

Now, mind you..that's the trend here. The nice ones will leave as they can't stand the cunning ways, the politics & bitches & bastards working here. That's what I've been telling Dada..only those cunning, evil & bad ones will stay long in this company...so please, Dada...let's leave ASAP..before we both turn BAD as well...

ThouGHts ON ouR BIG DAY

Have been thinking alot about our BIG DAY recently. Actually, have been talking about it for months; as we're both serious in this relationship. From the day the ANGEL PACKAGE was bought, we have been discussing in depth on this subject.

We've made the move to get to know more about wedding rituals & customs, especially with regards to our difference in religion. Mum insisted on a church ceremony, hence we have signed up to a Catholic Pre-Marriage talk. Which means that we can walk down the aisle, without Dada having to go through Baptism & catholic classes after classes. Thank God! Or else we really won't have the chance to get married if we were to go through all that!

Then, there's the difference in geographical locations. We have settled on having 2 dinners separately on both sides. One in KK (1st leg) for all my friends & family there, then another one in KL (2nd leg) for our colleagues from City of Entertainment; my other half of the family here; my other group of friends working here after graduating as well as HIS side.

We have been looking at alot of other couple's wedding video clips & photographs. We know what to take note & remember, as well as which ones to ignore..:-p We're also constantly looking at colours that complement our skin tone, white shoes (for me); shirts with assorted colours (for him) that we find suitable for our photo shoot session as well as the big day.

We've also note down mentally on songs for our wedding video clips, backgrounds for the photo shoots, what colours I should pick for evening gowns, what wedding gown cutting best suits me, which theme to go for (beach?harbour?jungle?)...etc. I shall not reveal our plans here! Let's wait & see..

I think we have also run through countless times in our minds how the whole thing should be...imagine our future together..till we grow old..However, the missing piece now would be, we have no idea on choosing the best date for our big day. But then..good news is that, we'll soon find out! As City of Entertainment will host a bridal fair for the 1st time in history completed with a Feng Shui master to talk about how to choose auspicious dates and all. Cool...I can't wait to see what they have in store for me so that I could pick up another few tips to make my day..the PERFECT DAY!

Mum & dad gave their input as well on their expectations & the things that we should & shouldn't do. Dad made one comment, that since both mummy & him will be coming over to KL at the end of the year, it would then be PARENTS MEET PARENTS day.However, dad made it clear that he WILL NOT consider travelling ALL the way to Taiping to meet them. To be fair for all, mum & dad will travel to KL from KK, where as THEY will travel from Taiping to KL to meet up. Coz dad said, according to customs, it should be the GUY's family coming over to meet the GAL's family. OK..fair enough.

Not forgetting, there's another VIP in my life, that Dada & I love dearly..my little baobei gave her comment as well. She DOESN'T want us to get married...why??For the simple naive reason that she thinks if we were to get married & have our own kids, both Dada & I won't love her as much. Gosh..I'm not sure which way I should react to this..cry as it sounds so touching & heartbreaking? Or laugh as we all know it won't be the case at all? There's always a soft spot in me that only she hits whenever she MANJA me like that..:) *sniff*sniff*

NeW DReaM..

We went to have a look at the site during our days off last week. There was a showroom of the unit at the office. The salesman who served us was nice & we were quite satisfied with his service & explanation. He patiently answered all our queries & proposed the best according to our needs.

I'm quite satisfied with the the below layout. There are in total 3 different layouts with different sizes and of course, different prices. This is considered a medium density ranged condo with only 18 floors and limited units per floor. The one available now is the second block with the first block fully snapped up in a fairly short time. The 2nd block now lies at 50% available only. Hence, being the salesperson, he of course asked us to decide quick.

There are also several units with the best direction & unit number, such as 16-08 & 17-08 for the layout type that I like. This layout has got less units compared to the other 2 & is the most popular one as it has a better layout plus 2 car park spaces. Da...decide quick!

Zoo TaiPiNG OuTiNG

Welcome to Zoo Taiping

Of the 'n' times that I have been to Taiping (as it is Dada's hometown), I have not been to the famous Taiping Zoo until this time...Didn't actually plan to be there, just that one afternoon, after Dada got his haircut, we just felt like it..and went there.

Well, I have not been to a zoo for more than 10 years..seeing all the animals there..do not make me excite..as I'm no longer a kid. It actually made me scared..am I safe? Will the tiger or lion or crocodile rush out & chase me? Will the monkeys attack me (as they run around freely)? Gosh, I felt so stressed..haha..Dada kept on teasing me about the 'worried look' that I put on through out the walk around the huge area. However, we DID manage to snap some nice pics though..

At the entrance
Dada wants the giraffes to style his hair..
Little ostrich stretching out its head to be in the pic
Dada's hairstyle is the same as the zebra's!
Where to next?

Ok, obviously he wants me to pose for too long..hence the 'TL' face
This pula is a cute pic with the HONEY BEAR scratching itself
So hot..really feel like having a dip there..
My body is as huge as the elephant!

After covering the whole place, we went back after around 2 hours of being little kids at the zoo. Thanks, Da for an exciting day out.

a JouRNeY caLLeD LiFe

Weeks back, I have been absorbed with a TVB series that really touched my heart. The story plot was simple..so simple that you could really relate it to real life & the people around you. It's definitely one of the BEST TVB series that I have watched all my life. It had a mixture of ups & downs in life, greed, sex, family values, the cruel working world, social life...everything.

Towards the last few episodes, I cried like hell..it was soooo touching. How 2 people love other so much, but had to go through so much hardships to be together; how one tried so hard to turn over a new leaf, but is affected by previous mistakes done; how the guy tried so hard to be the best..best son, best husband, best brother..but still had to go through disappointments after disappointments in life.

The theme of this series..relating marathon as our journey in life..is really cool. Once you start this marathon race, you cannot let others influence & affect you (just as in life). There was a part, after Steven Ma lost his child & the many, many unhappy things that came bombarding him..he wanted to give up. Linda Chung as his wife, continued to support him.. and said, "No matter what, I'll walk beside you till the end of the road, I know you won't disappoint me, see you at the end of the race. I know you will catch up"..it's really touching! She continued on the race when he stopped & refused to go on..he sat by the side of the road..and suddenly a little girl came walking to him..like an angel sent down from heaven..the child he lost..coming to him to tell him not to give up..and said to him " Why did you stop? Are you tired? Drink some water, rest a while & continue on the race.." Gosh...blogging this now made tears flow down my cheeks..It's like telling him, no matter how tough it is, how frustrated you are in life, yes, you can stop & cry & mourn & everything...but then, after that, wipe all the tears, stand up & continue walking...

Life goes on no matter how tough it may be..once the bad, unhappy things are gone, the good times will come again. Meeting all these tough situations is just part of life to help us grow & be tougher. The most important thing is we should learn something out of it, to not give up and carry on in life. For those lucky ones who have loved ones by their side supporting them, should be thankful & recover faster, toughen up themselves and not make those beside them worry.

Gosh..this is sooooo good! It's a must watch for all! But then, whether you get the meaning of the story or not..is up to you..