Phoebe's World

Evolusi Cinta Monyet..

2012-01-29T12:38:00.000+08:00

Hello..
Kalo sy tengo sekarang ni cara budak2 sekolah bercintan cintun sangat banyak beza dengan zaman sy dulu *Chewah, ayat 'zaman sy dulu' tu membuatkan diri beta terasa amat tua sekali*. Jadi mari kita lihat evolusi cinta monyet dari tahun 90-an sehingga kini yer..

Cara Berkenalan
Tahun 90-an hingga 2002: Face to face/kirim salam melalui kawan la cara yang paling selalu digunakan. Ada juga yang kirim surat secara rahsia. Secret Admirer la bah tu kunun.
Tahun 2003-2006: Rata-rata orang sudah ada handphone masa ni walaupun sekadar modal Nokia 3310. Jadi bila mau berkenalan tu samada minta tolong kawan dapatkan nombor handphone si Gadis atau sendiri yang pergi minta.
Tahun 2007-Kini: Apa susah, Facebook kan ada.. Jangan cakap cewek lain sekolah atau lain daerah, cewek dari lain negara pun boleh kenal. Minta saja add sebagai kawan. Beres. Kalo request nda kena terima pun, eleh, bukannya sekampung. No harm done.

Cara Komunikasi
Tahun 90-an hingga 2002: Pakai telepon rumah jak. Pai parents pun heran napa bil telepon beganda2 dari besa. Si Gadis pula siap tarik telepon tu masuk bilik supaya ada privasi kunu. Parents yang sporting geleng kepala. Parents yang strict cabut pintu bilik. Haha.. Paling tidak pun guna public phone, sampai terbelit-belit bah tu wayar phone terlampau feeling. Kalo di sekolah, passing2 surat sinta guna posmen yang nda bertauliah. Kadang2 kena posmen nda amanah tu siap kena baca lagi tu surat. Cilanat betul punya kawan.
Tahun 2003-2006: Majoriti ada handphone jadi SMS la jadi pilihan komunikasi. Murah kan banding call. Boleh SMS anytime, sampai larut malam pun ndapa. Berusaha gigih lagi tu cari SMS yang lucu2. Semua demi membuat si Dia senyum. Kalo sudah abis kredit tu pandai la kenal dengan public phone. Lilit2 wayar telepon lagi.
Tahun 2007-Kini: Banyak pilihan sudah lor. Pakai handphone boleh, Facebook pun boleh. Siapa yg parents boleh sponsor iPhone atau Berry Hitam tu lagi la banyak pilihan. Dengan Pingchatnya, Linenya, Whatsappnya dan lain2.

Cara Komunikasi Hubungan Jarak Jauh
Tahun 90-an hingga 2002: Bila dua2 pasangan pergi sambung belajar surat la jadi pengubat rindu. Tulis pakai tangan okay. Siap ada tulisan yang kabur2 gara2 kembang bekas kena titisan air mata lagi. Tulisan dikasi cantik2, kertas pun yang wangi2. Kalo sampul comel berbunga2 tu confirm dari girlpren. Kalo salah satu jak pasangan tu yang pergi lanjutkan pelajaran ha, sanggup la beratur panjang2 untuk guna public phone dengan kocek penuh duit syiling *gigih tu kumpul duit syiling. kalah tokey kedai runcit*. Sampai seluar terlondeh sebelah gara2 duit syiling terlampau berat pun nda kisah. Bila ada duit lebih sikit tu benda pertama dibeli kad public phone. Ubat gigi belakang kira.
Tahun 2003-2006: Sama juga lah, biasanya SMS atau call. Siapa yang rajin pergi cc tu boleh la guna email. Friendster pun ada sudah. Kalau yang celik IT tu boleh video call. Tapi dalam tempoh ni video call masih jarang digunakan sebab dua2 pasangan perlu ada webcam.
Tahun 2007-Kini: Ndapayah cakap la kan. Email, video call, Skype, Facebook, SMS, MMS, telepon, etc. Belum campur apps yang ada dalam Berry Hitam/Android/iPhone. Terlampau banyak pilihan sampai kadang2 nda terasa pun rindu bila berjauhan. Rasa macam pasangan tu sentiasa dekat.

Gambar
Tahun 90-an hingga 2002: Uiii.. Susah tau mau dapat gambar pasangan zaman dulu2. Maklumlah, bukan suma orang ada kamera. Siapa yang tiada tu merayu ngan kawan yang ada kamera mintak gambar dia sorang. Kamera dulu2 lagi bukan boleh terus tengo hasilnya kan. Tunggu roll filem habis baru boleh pergi cuci gambar. Sebab tu orang dulu2 nda cerewet. Asal ada gambar yang okay untuk bagi pasangan da cukup. Kalo hubungan jarak jauh tu siap ada penerangan lagi ditulis di belakang gambar. Di sampul surat tu ditulis 'DO NOT BEND'. Takut gambar dia rosak.
Tahun 2003-2006: Zaman camera digital. Ni senang sikit, boleh terus tengo hasil gambarnya. Tapi sebab itu juga la ada sesetengah orang jadi cerewet tahap gaban. Rambut kena tiup salah angle sikit mo suruh amik gambar lagi sekali. Tangan salah position sikit minta amik gambar balik. Sensara si tukang amik gambar. Menyesal seribu kali volunteer. Mau bagi pasangan gambar tu pula antara pergi cuci gambar/burn dalam CD atau buat 'movie' dengan Windows Movie Maker baru burn di CD dan kirim. Pendrive sudah ada masa ni tapi mahal. 218MB pun mau RM100.
Tahun 2007-Kini: Sekarang zaman DSLR. Siap ada editing software yang canggih. Jerawat seribu boleh erase, mata merah macam zombie pun boleh kasi bagus, etc. Mau bagi gambar ngan pasangan nda susah sudah, transfer jak masuk pendrive. Kirim pendrive sekali pun ndapa. Besalah, sekarang ni pendrive sudah murah. 8GB pun puluh2 jak harganya. Paling nda pun upload pergi Facebook dan tag si Cinta.

Lagu
Tahun 90-an hingga 2002: Dulu kalo mau bagi lagu ngan pasangan sanggup dengar radio berjam2 untuk 'dub' lagu2 kegemaran pasangan/lagu jiwang dari band seperti Westlife, BSB, Hanson, The Moffatts, etc. Siap maki2 lagi tu DJ bila DJ tu masih bercakap bila lagu tu dah mula atau start bercakap sedangkan lagu belum habis. Sy ingat juga dulu bila ada perayaan di sekolah macam Hari Guru, senior2 sy selalu buat song request. Masa tu la pasangan amik kesempatan mau dedicate2 lagu. Ada juga Secret Admirer yang dedicate untuk si Dia yang diintai selama ni. Awww....
Tahun 2003-2006: Zaman ni adalah perantaraan dub lagu dengan kaset kosong dan burn lagu dalam CD. Yang mem'burn' lagu dalam CD pun tidak kurang payah walaupun mungkin tidak seteruk dub lagu dalam kaset. Mau cari lagu Mp3 tu yang susah. Terpaksa cari downloader yang bagus dan tunggu berpuluh minit untuk dowload lagu. Tapi semua itu nda penting, yang penting maksud lagu tu sampai ngan si Cinta.
Tahun 2007-Kini: Sekarang ni memang senang la mau kongsi apa2 lagu. Dari smartphone to smartphone pun boleh, guna jak Whatsapp. Share videoclip original dari Youtube di Facebook dan tag si Dia pun boleh. Mau senarai semua cara sampai bisuk nda abis.

Kesimpulannya, zaman sekarang ni memang banyak kemudahan yang boleh mengeratkan sesuatu hubungan tapi somehow, sy rasa zaman dulu2 lagi romantik. Walaupun setakat cinta monyet, pasangan perlu kerja lebih keras untuk mengekalkan hubungan mereka dan itu membuatkan mereka lebih sabar serta menghargai pasangan dan hubungan tersebut. Kan, kan, kan...

Itu jak la untuk kali ni. Wassalam.

Salam Sayang,
Phoebe

Do You Believe In Horoscopes?

2012-01-28T09:10:00.003+08:00

Hello peeps..
Yes, yes, long time no see. I'm so sorry *Sob sob* (TT). It's just that the Internet has been really slow lately and I've missed my weekly indulgence at the cc due to being unwell and lack of transport. Story of my life.

Anyway since the Year of the Water Dragon came around, there has been a kind of frenzy surrounding it. This year is said to be a good and prosperous one and it seems that wedding venues and hospitals are being booked to the max especially in China for weddings and childbirth. *Don't take my word for it though because I heard this from a friend*

All these predictions of good prosperity and health has made me think about horoscopes and how it can affect people (like in this year's case, prompting couples to work hard at making babies. The men are surely smiling from ear to ear from now until the month of March 2012).

Are you the type of person who religiously believes in it, pores over your Lilian Too Feng Shui handbook/English horoscope manual and let it dictate every move you make? *"Oh, sorry my love but I can't go on a date with you tonight. My Venus is tip-toeing over the Milky Way and it's bad luck for me to be around people for the next 12 hours"* Or are you a disbeliever who thinks that horoscopes are a waste of time and that anyone who believes in it is a fool and a half?

For me personally, I like to think myself as being in the middle. This is simply because I feel that there are uncanny truths about the characteristics of my sign (I'm a Cancer and Tiger by the way) and some predictions can be spot-on sometimes. I am guilty of reading my horoscope at the back portion of my magazines and there are still times when I compare my sign with my crush's *Oh, Horatio Caine!* or a significant other's. Juvenile, I know. *Stop giggling, you do it too and you know it* (^^)

I always take the good *"Yay, it says that money will come rolling starting in March!"* or the coincidences *"No wonder I'm in a bad mood the past few days, it's written in the stars!"* and reject the bad *"What, it says that I will lose money in an investment? Pish posh! This is cr*p"*. I don't let it control my life though. Or at least I try not to let it. Seriously.

I do feel that horoscopes can help give people hope in their lives, especially Chinese Horoscopes with it's yearly (instead of monthly) forecasts. It enables people to have something to look forward to. As long as it's not supposed to be your bad year that is.

So regardless of whether you are a hard-core believer of horoscopes, an equally hard-core disbeliever, or even a neutral person like yours truly *cough*, I wish you all Gong Xi Fa Chai and cheers to a prosperous year ahead. Wassalam.

Lots of Love,
Phoebe

Do You Believe In Horoscopes?

2012-01-28T09:07:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps..
Yes, yes, long time no see. I'm so sorry *Sob sob* (TT). It's just that the Internet has been really slow lately and I've missed my weekly indulgence at the cc due to being unwell and lack of transport. Story of my life.

Anyway since the Year of the Water Dragon came around, there has been a kind of frenzy surrounding it. This year is said to be a good and prosperous one and it seemed that wedding venues and hospitals are being booked to the max in China for weddings and childbirth. *Don't take my word for it though because I heard this from a friend*

All these predictions of good prosperity and health has made me think about horoscopes and how it can affect people *such as making couples working hard at making babies. The men are surely smiling from ear to ear from now until the month of March 2012*.

Are you the type of person who religiously believes in, pores over your Lilian Too Feng Shui handbook/English horoscope manual and let it dictate every move you make? *"Oh, sorry my love but I can't go on a date with you tonight. My Venus is tip-toeing over the Milky Way and it's bad luck for me to be around people for the next 12 hours"* Or are you a disbeliever who thinks that horoscopes are a waste of time and that anyone who believes in it is a fool and a half?

For me personally, I like to think myself as being in the middle. This is simply because I feel that there are uncanny truths about the characteristics of my sign (I'm a Cancer and Tiger by the way) and some predictions can be spot-on. I am guilty of reading my horoscope at the back portion of my magazines and there are still times when I compare my sign with my crush's *Oh, Horatio Caine!* or a significant other's. Juvenile, I know. *Stop giggling, you do it too and you know it* (^^)

I always take the good *"Yay, it says that money will come rolling starting in March!"* or the coincidences *"No wonder I'm in a bad mood the past few days, it's written in the stars!"* and reject the bad *"What, it says that I will lose money in an investment? Pish posh! This is cr*p"*. I don't let it control my life though. Or at least I try not to let it. Seriously.

I do feel that horoscopes can help give people hope in their lives, especially Chinese Horoscopes with it's yearly (instead of monthly) forecasts. It enables people to have something to look forward to. As long as it's not supposed to be your bad year that is.

So regardless of whether you are a hard-core believer of horoscopes, an equally hard-core disbeliever, or even a neutral person like yours truly *cough*, I wish you all Gong Xi Fa Chai and cheers to a prosperous year ahead. Wassalam.

Lots of Love,
Phoebe

Phy Penat Dan Kurang Pintar

2012-01-18T10:39:00.001+08:00

Hello..
Lama sy nda update blog oh kan. Minggu lepas sy sibuk betul dengan macam2 urusan. Minggu ni pula sy giat exercise mata dan jari dengan baca novel dan berusaha jadi jutawan coklat. Fuh jangan kamu, bersungguh2 sy berusaha ni. Empat sudah kilang sy, dua kedai dan aset berjuta2. Sila jangan jeles. Usaha tangga kejayaan. Hahaha..

Hari ni kan, sy rasa sedih la. Sedih sebab sy ni kurang pintar. Kenapa sy cakap sy kurang pintar? Sebab walaupun otak sy tau yg sy hanya mampu bawa seekor kuda ke sumber air tapi sy tidak mampu paksa kuda tu minum kalo dia ndamau, namun dalam hati sy *tanpa sy sedari* fikir yang sy boleh pujuk kuda tu untuk minum air tersebut. Yang penting sy banyak bersabar dan banyak bagi dorongan. Namun sayang seribu sayang, sangkaan hati sy itu meleset sama sekali.

*Kalo kamu rasa bingung dengan cerita kuda di atas, apa boleh buat lah ah.. Ndapa lah, sy sendiri faham..*

Sy juga rasa penat. Penat dengan beberapa keadaan, penat dengan sesetengah orang, penat dengan sikap2 dan amalan tertentu serta amat amat amat penat dengan harapan palsu dan janji2 yang tidak kesampaian. Tidak lupa juga penat dengan isu2 yang sering berbangkit tapi tiada penghujungnya walaupun sudah dinasihat, dimarah dan dipujuk 1982634546372882723536474 kali.

Hati dan perasaan sy rasa berat sangat. Nda mampu sy tahan air mata kesedihan dan kekecewaan mengalir. *Uiseh, iye keeerr* Hari2 lain, boleh pula sy pujuk diri sendiri. Tapi kali ni amat berbeza. I wonder why? Maybe sebab selama ni sy rasa macam masih ada harapan. Namun, kali ni sudah jelas dan nyata keadaan tidak akan berubah jadi tiada guna sy tipu diri sendiri lagi. There's nothing more for me to hold on to and my hopes are fading away..

Doi.. Sudah2 la tu kan.. Sedih2 pun tiada untung juga. Nangis sampai migrain pun tidak mengubah apa2.

Sy rasa sy mau buat kerja rumah banyak2 la. Supaya sy tiada masa fikir lagi benda ni semua. Supaya bila sy ampai kepala sy di bantal malam2, sy terus tertidur. Nda la sy sempat melayan blues sambil buang air mata. Kan? Musti mum sy buat Happy Feet penguin dance. Hehe..

Tu jak la untuk kali ni. Siow, berduka lara pula sy kali ni. Jangan silap, ini bukan post minta simpati tapi luahan semata2. Wassalam.

Salam sayang,
Phoebe

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do-Part 2

2012-01-12T11:29:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps..
I never intended to make a 2nd part to my previous post but there is one element to a breakup that has kept going around and around in my mind. It bothered me that I didn't highlight it previously so that is what I'll be going into detail in this post and that element is the ex's family.

If you had been going out with your partner for years, most probably you have met The Parents and gotten to know your partner's siblings and a few relatives. You might even be close to some members of your partner's family. When you break up with said partner, inevitably it will be as if you have broken up with the family too and there will be a double sense of loss for you.

Some say that the break up won't matter, that is between you and your ex, nothing to do with the family and that you can still carry on as usual and be close with them.

I beg to differ.

Although it is somewhat true that the breakup is primarily between you and your ex, it still has something to do with his/her family. Think about it, while you're still hurting badly from the split it will be the only thing that you can think and talk about. If you meet with your ex's cousin for example, would you be able to steer clear of the topic? I don't think so, and when you do talk about it *and surely you wouldn't be singing your ex praises*, you will be putting said cousin in a spot. To agree with you is to turn on his/her own family member. To disagree would be adding insult to your injury.

On the other hand if you manage *with superhuman effort* not to bring the subject of the breakup up, it would still be awkward because it would be like trying to ignore the huge bull elephant that's in the room. Conversation would be a pain and both of you would feel like running away in opposite directions.

So you see dear readers, it would not go down well.

So here are some Do's and Don'ts when it come to your ex's family:

Do
-If you run into them, be pleasant but also be brief. Get away ASAP before you start crying on their shoulder.
-If they bring the subject of your breakup, don't start insulting your ex. Just say that you're disappointed but it's over (politely of course), change the subject and/or make an excuse to leave.
-Stay away from the family during the 1st 6 months of your breakup.

Don't
-Discuss the breakup with them. Please.
-Discuss the breakup AND expect them to take your side. It is after all your ex's decision to break up with you, not theirs.
-Ask them to talk to your ex on your behalf.*This includes making the family member a 'postman' or 'postwoman' for letters to your ex* They won't make your ex's change his/her mind. It's also unfair for both the family member and your ex. Moreover, you might make them fight among themselves. .
-Attend your ex's family functions even if you are invited by the rest of the family. They might just invite you only out of courtesy but do not expect you to show up or they may 'mean well'. Whatever their reasons are, it's best to decline.

I hope you have found this useful especially for those who are going through a breakup. See you in the next post. Wassalam..

Lots of Love,
Phoebe

Bila Phy Mau Kahwin?

2012-01-10T12:38:00.001+08:00

Hello...
Musti ada yang baca entry ni ingat yang sy mau umumkan bila sy mau kahwin kan? Siow, sorry dan minta maaf ya kawan2. Sangkaan anda tu meleset sama sekali. Post ni sebenarnya is about why I'm not married yet actually. Haha..

Tahun lalu merupakan tahun di mana berpuluh2 lemon kawan beta mengikat tali pertunangan dan tidak kurang juga yang melafaz "I do" dan "Aku terima nikahnya Polan binti Polan.." Kalau sy cakap sy tidak kisah, tidak terasa walau sikit pun tipu la kan. Pinocchio pun sudah lama panjang hidung sampai pekan Keningau. Terasa seolah2 semua orang tengah berebut2 naik bot penyelamat, sy jak yang tertinggal atas kapal Titanic sebab nda cukup syarat *sob sob..* Sudah la begitu, banyak lagi yang tanya2,"Bila ko mau kahwin ni?" *Amboi... Mentang2 la ko sudah tunang/kahwin gatal mulut ko ha menanya. Sumbat dalam almari baru tau..*

Namun bila sy tolak ego ke tepi dan renung dalam2 sedalam laut paling dalam di dunia *berapa kali punya dalam daaaa..* dan tanya diri sy,"Kalo la sy dilamar hari ini, sy terima kah?" Jawabannya kawan2 adalah, "Tidaaaakkkk!!! Tidaaakkkk!!!"*Panjat pokok kayu, panic*. Ya, sy takut sebenarnya mau kahwin. Sebab kahwin ni adalah sesuatu yang sangat indah, sangat pahit, sangat mencabar, amat berat tanggungjawabnya dan memerlukan kesabaran yang tinggi.*Banyak lagi tapi kalo mau sebut suma tahun depan pun nda abis* Sy tidak pasti kalu sy mampu untuk memikul semua itu. *Chewah, rendah diri kunu*

Selain daripada takut diri belum mampu dari segi mental emosi untuk kahwin, sy juga takut sebab banyak sepupu sepapat dan sahabat handai yang telah melalui penceraian. Cerita2 diorang pula punya lah ngeri. Ada yang dipukul, ada yang dikhianati. Ada yang anak dibawa lari ke negara lain, bertahun2 baru dapat jumpa. Itu pun anak2 tu sudah kena brainwash oleh si ex husband untuk benci si isteri. Ada yang baru kahwin tapi sudah diduakan.

Dramanya nda ubah macam dari novel cintan cintun Melayu yang mampu buat student2 feeling lebih2 *student2 la yang selalu baca novel2 macam ni. Dua novel habis baru selak satu muka surat buku Ekonomi* sampai menangis teresak2 sambil makan Maggi. Pendek kata, sy takut dikhianati. Lelaki zaman sekarang nda sudah macam dulu. Kesetiaan tidak tetap, rasa sayang mudah beralih dan kurang sabarnya. Berjauhan sikit sudah cari lain, sudah kahwin pun masih bergaul tanpa batas dan sempadan dengan wanita lain. Sang wanita pun ada juga penyakit macam ni tapi tidak sebanyak lelaki.

Bila dengar semua ini, rasa macam terbantut pula hasrat mau kahwin. Tawar hati. Tapi ini mungkin sebab belum sampai lagi seru untuk sy kahwin. Who knows kan, soal jodoh di tangan Allah SWT. Kalo sudah sampai masa, sy lari sejauh mana pun, peluk tiang teriak2,"Ndamaaauuu!!! Ndamauuuuuuu!!!" pun kahwin juga jawabnya. Cuma sy harap bila sy kahwin nanti biarlah atas sebab yang baik, dengan cara yang baik dan dengan someone yang ikhlas dan boleh didik sy. Amin. Sila2 doakan ya.. Hehe...

Cheers and Wassalam..

Salam Sayang,
Phoebe

Lol, GBU Dan Pemendekkan Lain Yang Buat Phy Pening Kepala

2012-01-08T12:00:00.002+08:00

Hello,

Di zaman teknologi yang serba canggih ini pasti kita selalu berdepan dengan pelbagai pemendekkan kata2 dalam komunikasi elektronik seperti SMS, Chat, Im dan sebagainya. *Chewah, opening banyak punya skema tahap karangan BM* Banyak perkataan yang dipendekkan ni senang untuk kita faham tapi kan kali ni kawan kamu si Phy akan kongsi perkataan2 pendek atau bahasa Jawanya, abbreviation, yang pernah buat kepala otak sy pening untuk faham.

Lol
Setiap kali kawan ckp something funny, musti letak Lol di hujung. Kadang2 buat ayat nda lucu pun dia letak lol juga. Lol ni apa hah? Lollipop kah? Last2, sy nda tahan dengan ke'lol'an yang menghantui diri ini jadi sy pun tanya dia:

Me: Apa bah maksud lol sebenarnya?
Kawan: Lol ni maksudnya Laughing Out Loud lah. Itu pun ndatau kah? Lol.

Kurang asam punya kawan. Siap lol lg di hujung explaination dia. Macam hantu. Nasib dia jauh, kalo depan muka sy sumbat tu mulut ngan limau asam dan kasi masuk dia dalam lubang tandas.

GBU/MGBU
Ya ampuuunn... Ini lah yang paling bikin malu. Sumpah, bertahun2 sy ndatau apa maksud menatang ni sampai lah last year. Heran bah sy, asal wish apa2 musti end dengan GBU.

"Merry Christmas 2005. GBU.."

"Happy New Year 2006.. MGBU ya"

"Happy Birthday lalink. GBU"

Apa bah maksud GBU ni?!! *Stress lagi tu kunun tarik2 rambut* Gobuk (beruk) kah? Aih, tapi takkan lah lepas wish sy yang baik2, yang sweet2 terus hina sy gobuk pula kan? *Sampai ati.. Sob sob...* Walaupun hati ini terkinja2 ingin tau dan ingin tanya apa itu GBU, tapi ego kawan kamu si Phy ni meronta2 nda mau menanya. *Sanggup kan sesat jalan* Iya lah, sebab suma org pun ber"GBU"2 sesama sendiri, kalo sy tanya, ketara lah ndatau. Kena ketawa pula kan. Jadi dengan gigihnya sy tetap cuba fikir sendiri.

Last2 dapat juga sy figure out apa jadah GBU ni. Dapat enlightenment la katakan. Bila finally dapat tu kan umpama minda yang gelap ini tiba2 diterangi 25 lampu kalimantang. Rupanya GBU ni GOD BLESS YOU! Rasa macam mau naik bangunan paling tinggi dan terjun. Kenapa lah beta ni bengap sangat?

ROTFL
Hadoi, in lagi apa ni? Macam bunyi hanjing tersedak pun ada. Ha, ini jarang betul sy jumpa tapi bila kawan sy (yang malar Lol tu) guna abbreviation ni sy nda sudah mau tanya dia. Nda juga sy mau berpikir bertahun2 baru dapat enlightenment. Jadi sy pun meligat kan jari jemari beta ni untuk bertanya ngan Mr Google. Mau tau apa maksud dia? *Yang nda mau tau sila tutup mata rapat2 okeh* Maksudnya Rolling On The Floor Laughing. Eleh, lawak la kunun tu sampai dia ketawa berguling atas lantai. Kin panas.

TQVM
Rasanya ini nda ramai yang ndatau sebab 'tq' ni memang semua orang pun tau. Kalo nda tau pendek umur. *Dui, mentang2 tau kan, berani la cakap yang ndatau tu pendek umur* First time sy nampak ni perkataan sy diam skejap. Part 'tq' tu sy sdah tau, part 'vm' tu yang sy kurang arif. Mujur lah kali ni sy terpikir juga apa maksud dia. *Nda sampai bertahun okay, 1 minit jak* Maksudnya Thank You Very Much. Chewah, bangga ni. Kembang lobang hidung macam serobong asap.

Itu lah perkataan2 dipendekkan yang pernah membuat kepala hotak kawan kamu si Phy ni pening spinning suatu masa dulu. Hehe.. Tu belum campur lagi perkataan2 lain yang dipendekkan oleh mereka2 yang tidak bertauliah. Apa pun moga terhibur ngan post kali ni.

Cheers and wassalam..

Salam Sayang,
Phoebe

Goals for 2012

2012-01-06T13:48:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps..
To be honest, I find it quite embarrassing to write down resolutions simply because I am absolutely, most utterly useless when it comes to keeping them. Huhu... I hadn't been planning on making one but I guess I could try to give it another shot this year only, I'm going to use the term 'goals' instead of 'resolutions' *How on earth are they different I do not know but somehow I just feel that they are not the same. Hehe*

My first goal is to be more patient. I seriously have a problem with this which ends up with me doing rash things and saying things that I shouldn't. So I hope that I will be able to harness some of this patience stuff as I will definitely need it for the years to come

My second goal is to lose 2KGs a month starting in April 2012 until I reach my goal weight of 55KG.

Next, I would like to aim to gain more knowledge about Islam. Islam involves every aspect a Muslim's life so I have so, so much to learn. Recent events have made me realize just how long I have lapsed in expanding my knowledge about my Faith and I would like to start again this year.

My fourth goal is to get a job, most probably starting in June 2012. I'm not sure yet what field that I would like to get into. I might go into banking or hotel. We'll see. Really keeping my fingers crossed about this because I heard that we might face economic recession this year *or are we already facing it?* and we all know how the job market *or rather, lack of it* is during recessions.

Lastly, my goal is to be an active blogger. It won't be easy though. With no electricity and limited Internet connection, it's a huge challenge. However, I will try my very best. I also plan to re-activate my beauty blog which has gathered dust last year. By the way, I have recently made a page on Facebook (Phyllicia Robert). Would really appreciate the 'Like's and support.

So this is all for now peeps. Enjoy your weekend especially those who are working. Cheers and wassalam.

Lots

Protest Depan, Himpun Kanan, Picket Kiri...

2012-01-05T10:49:00.000+08:00

Hello...

Sejak kebelakangan ni bnyk betul sy dgr di Malaysia ni rakyat terlibat dgn kegiatan rally,tunjuk perasaan dan picketing. Puncanya? Atas sebab tidak puas ati. Bila tidak puas hati picket. Bila sakit hepar ngan kerajaan, rally.

Heran juga sy, kenapa baru2 ni banyak betul jadi benda mcm ni? Mungkin kah sebab PRU nda lama lagi jadi ini cara sesetengah rakyat Malaysia mau 'tunjuk taring'? ("Kalo kerajaan tidak selesaikan masalah ni, kami undi pembangkang!") Atau mungkin kah ini sudah menjadi hobi baru mereka?*Iya lah, bila tunjuk perasaan ni kuar tv kan? Femes skijap*

Ha, kalo banyak kaler kuning tu musti kamu tau rally apa kan?

Walaupun sy ni tidak sokong kegiatan2 mcm ni, sy sedar kadang2 extreme measures are needed to get attention. Tapi kan, cuba lah reserve it utk isu2 yang amat berat dan sangat2 penting. Baru ada impak. Ini tidak. Perkhidmatan bas tiada selama dua bulan pun mau picket. Weh, kampung kawan kamu si Phy ni bukan saja seumur-umur tiada perkhidmatan bas tau. Siap ndada elektrik, ndada air, jalan pun masih gravel nda berturap. Tiada la juga kami buat benda2 macam tu.

Mahasiswa dan mahasiswi pun nda mau ketinggalan...

Banyak keburukkan yang timbul bila buat keja2 protest ni. Pertamanya, ini akan memberi peluang kepada kuasa luar untuk cuba campur tangan dalam urusan negara terchenta kita. Alasannya nanti, Kerajaan Malaysia tidak mampu mentadbir negara sendiri. Ha, mau kah kamu negara yg perasan dirinya sebagai Polis Dunia menyibuk dalam urusan Malaysia? Percaya lah tuan2 dan puan2, mereka hanya menunggu masa saja untuk berbuat demikian.

Keduanya, aktiviti2 tidak sihat ni memburukkan image Malaysia. Fikirkan la, apakah yg memberi sumbangan terbesar kepada ekonomi negara ni? Industri perlancongan bukan? Kalo malar jak rally kanan picket kiri, bukankah ia memberi impresi bahawa negara kita ni tidak aman dan tidak selamat? Ha, apa yg akan terjadi kepada industri perlancongan, perlaburan perniagaan dari luar negara dan seterusnya ekonomi Malaysia? Pasti merosot dan guarantee impak buruk ini akan terkena pada hidung kita sendiri.

Last but not least, bila jadah picket, himpun, baring di jalan raya ini kerap dilakukan ia akan menjadi sebahagian daripada budaya di Malaysia. Jangan lupa ibu bapa/makcik pakcik/datuk nenek borek, anak2/anak2 buah/cucu cicit rintik. Nanti nda pasal2 kamu pulang rumah dari keja satu hari nanti anak2 kamu tengah picket di ruang tamu sebab nda puas hati ngan jumlah duit saku yg diberikan. Mau kah? Sy tidak mau oh.

Pendek katanya, jgn la kita buat keja2 nda berfaedah ini lebih2 lagi bila melibatkan perkara2 yang kurang significant. Banyak lagi cara untuk suara kita didengari. TV3 kan ada, kalo isu tu penting, nda payah picket pun diorang cover story punya. Hotline di ruang akhbar pun ada. Muka Buku PM kita pun ada. If all else fails, there's always PRU.*Wink*

Uiseh, terasa sedikit macam buat karangan waktu zaman sekolah menegah pula ni. Hahaha.. Ayat sikit punya skemah. Ah, biar lah. Yang penting messagenya sampai kan..

Ini saja lah post untuk kali ini. Wassalam..

P/S: Banyak lagi keburukkan ekoran dari kegiatan2 tunjuk perasaan ni, tapi sy tau kamu suma pandai2 belaka kan? Musti bulih pikir sendiri kan? Hehe..

Salam Sayang,
Phoebe

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

2012-01-04T12:01:00.003+08:00

Hello peeps..
A few friends of mine have recently gone through very rough breakups. Some have been together for years while one was engaged. It made me reminiscent on my own breakup that occurred over 2 years ago. Here are just a short list of what those in the throes of heartbreak would be experiencing:

-Pain in the chest.
-Inability to breathe, sleep, eat or function
-Short temper
-Unable to focus *stares into space*
-Has the sudden urge to cry at all times *even at the most inappropriate moments such as during an office meeting*
-Has the uncontrollable desire to stalk ex *think Facebook, Twitter, etc. May drive past ex's home several times a day*
-Calls ex hysterically begging for reconciliation/calling ex then hanging up when he or she answers *they would do this even if they have to use a public phone in a dingy part of town*
-Has an affinity to sad songs of love lost *or angry songs of love lost*
-Does not care about their appearance *stringy hair, oily face, draggy clothes and zero makeup*
-Vows revenge, either by attacking him/her physically or psychologically
-Vows to make him/her regret by losing weight/buffing up or having a new love interest of their own
-Displays unusual behavior *learns to smoke, drink and may even have a one night stand*
-Feel like jumping off a tall building *"I feel dead inside, I might as well die!"*

Yes ladies and gentlemen, heartbreak is always ugly especially during what I personally call 'The Crash And Burn Period' which is the initial 2 weeks after The Breakup. While nothing might seem to matter anymore, how you handle your grief is very important to speed up the healing process of your heart. Here are some Dos and Don'ts during your grieving period:

Do:
-Tell someone you trust about the breakup. Talk it through. It will take a few sessions *and hours long at a time* so before launching into your tirade, ask your friend's permission first as they might be in the middle of something important.
-Take care of your appearance. A bit of concealer, gloss and blush works wonders. Take care of your personal hygiene too.
-Cry. Pick your moments and limit it to 3 good bawling sessions a day.
-Keep a journal. Pour your heart and soul into it.
-Find relieve in a positive and safe manner. Go for movie marathons, sing your heart out at K-Boxes, go for a run *believe me, a run works wonders and will help you sleep better at night*
-Remove your ex from your Facebook friend list/Block him or her/deactivate your account.
-Delete his/her photos and the ones you took together. It's harsh but in this case it is best to go cold turkey.
-Pray. Seriously. Cry, and ask for comfort. Only God can really help lessen the pain.

Don't:
-Call your ex. Whether it's because you want him/her to consider reconciliation, to demand an explanation or just to hear his/her voice, it is never a good idea, period. This includes calling him/her then hanging up when the call is answered.
-Stalk your ex on any social network that he might be on or his home. Common, what would you gain? Nothing but heartache, especially if the reason for your relationship's demise is a third person. Do you seriously want to see their happy pics together? I don't think so.
-You may be tempted to talk about your breakup to all and sundry, from your local grocers lady to the security guard at your bank of choice but it's best not to. You will only look back and feel embarrassed.
-Listen to sad songs. It will make you feel worse.
-Display erratic behavior such as drinking or smoking especially if it's not something that you usually do. It won't get your ex's attention. Even if it does, it will only invoke disgust on his or her part.
-Engage one night stands. You only end up hurting yourself.

I am no expert on matters of the heart but experience did teach me a thing or two. I hope this post comes in handy for those out there who had just had their heart broken. Know that you are not alone and most importantly, YOU WILL GET THROUGH THIS, it WILL get better and you WILL find a better partner in the future. I promise with my pinky finger. ^^

Wassalam..

Lots of love,
Phoebe

Bila Phy Jadi Jakun

2012-01-01T10:56:00.000+08:00

Hello..
Pada hari terakhir 2011, sy dengan kawan sy buat OT untuk JKR dengan mengukur 1 Borneo Hypermall. Selepas kami selesai kerja ukur mengukur ni *Tugas khas: Ukur panggung GSC* kami nampak la kunun tu kerusi yang boleh mengurut. Sudah lama bah kerusi2 tu ada di 1B, tapi saya tidak pernah amik peduli.

Lebih kurang begini la kerusi urut tu, tolak remote dan tambah slot duit jak...

Oleh sebab kami rasa penat, kami pun ambil kesempatan la kunun ni mau cuba kerusi tu. Untuk pengetahuan kamu, kerusi urut ni ada di tiga bahagian 1B *Tidak silap sy di setiap tingkat pun ada*. Kawan sy tu bawa la pigi kerusi2 di bahagian yang terselindung sikit supaya ada privacy. Maklum la, dua2 pun jakun kan. Takkan mau tunjuk juga ke'clueless'an kami depan orang ramai yang lalu lalang kan?

Sy la kunun ni yang try dulu. Rate perkhidmatan kerusi urut ni RM1 untuk 3 minit, RM5 untuk 13 minit *yang seterusnya sy tidak ingat, sebab sy tiada niat untuk duduk lama2 di kerusi tu* , etc. Sy kasi masuk la kunun RM1 dalam tu slot *itu pun terkial2 ni mula2* lepas tu sy dapat rasa kerusi tu bergetar dan badan sy seolah2 makin tenggelam dalam kerusi tu.

Start la kunu tu kerusi mengurut. Walaupun sy tau itu kerusi urut kan, I didn't know what to expect gia. Jadi mula2 tu sy rasa macam tu kerusi kena sampuk ni. Macam ada nyawa sendiri atau ada hantu yang control tu kerusi kunu. Hahaha.. Betttuuulll... Entah dari mana tu pikiran sy datang.

Tapi kan, tapi kan bila sudah dapat adjust tu perasaan... Uiiinnnaaaa.. Punya sadap. Kena urut dari punggung sampai kepala dan turun lagi balik pigi area punggung. *Siap ken picit2 bontot dan peha lagi woooorr. Kalau ini machiam hari2 ah bontot wa boleh jadi fit macam bontot JLo wooorr* Yang sy rasa geli hati tu bila tu kerusi buat urutan macam menumbuk naik turun belakang sy. Kuat bah, sampai badan sy bergetar. Bida' betul la bah tu rupa.

Sy mau ketawa tapi oleh sebab sy saturang jak time tu *kawan sy pigi tandas* nda la sy berani. Nanti kena cakap, "Tukoi, kesiannya tu perempuan. Ketara betul kebaru-baruan cuba tu kerusi urut. Macam orang gila ni ketawa2 sendiri". Sy hanya mampu senyum2 kambing biri2 di sebalik tangan sy.

By the time my 3 minutes was up, I was hooked. Tiwas sy di tangan si kerusi urut. Sy tambah lagi RM3 jadi kiranya sy berurut 12 minit la. Bila mau pulang sudah tu terasa sebak. Kalo ikut hati, mau jak sy angkut salah satu kerusi urut tu pulang. Bukan sy jak tau. Kawan sy pun tertanya2 ni, berapa lah harga sebuah kerusi urut macam tu. Sampai begitu sekali penangannya.

Jadi kawan2 kalo kamu ada nampak khidmat kerusi urut di shopping complex, sila2 lah mencubanya. Sediakan wang kertas *duit syiling tidak diterima* dan yang kecil2 jak nilainya. Kalo kamu kasi masuk RM50 rasanya slot duit tu nda akan kasi balik duit baki kamu.

Ini jak la untuk kali ni. Cheers and wassalam... (^^) v

P/S: Kepada Bahagian Pengurusan 1 Borneo Hypermall, jika anda mendapati salah satu kerusi urut anda hilang, paham2 la ah..

Eyes Wide Shut

2012-01-01T00:26:00.001+08:00

Hello peeps,
I have been having a really bad time these past few days. Sadness, frustration and anger had managed to infiltrate my defenses and rendered me crippled on the verge of dementia. I was losing my temper constantly and all in all it was just not a pretty sight.

Yesterday I was due to go to a doctor's appointment and although it was my first time with this doctor, I've seen how packed the waiting area was before this. I knew that it was imperative for me to get to the clinic as early as possible.

Unfortunately, it rained heavily early on that morning. The road to our house is not sealed and with tar and gets slippery during heavy rain so to venture out would be fool hardy. I felt so angry and frustrated. I felt as if Allah was being 'mean' because he let it rain on the particular day that I needed it to be sunny. *Juvenile,I know*

So at 8.30am I grudgingly went to the clinic, expecting it to be fully packed and that it would be noon before it would be my turn. Imagine my shock, yes shock, when I arrived to find that the clinic area was almost deserted. In 10 minutes I was in the doctor's room and within 30 minutes of arriving I was done.

I was amazed and I wondered why there were not many patients on that morning. Then it dawned on me that when Allah sent down the rain that morning, it was because he knew how much I needed to get through my doctor's appointment ASAP.

ALLAH KNEW WHAT I NEEDED AND GAVE ME EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED BUT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

If it wasn't for the rain that made it a bit difficult for the other patients to come that morning, the clinic would have been packed and as early as I might have arrived, I might have still had to wait at least an hour before being attended to.

I felt thoroughly ashamed of myself then. I mean, it wasn't like I was totally lost or blind to the fact that Allah is never cruel, Allah gives difficulties in order to give something better in return, Qada' and Qadar, etc. However merely knowing, as opposed to truly believing, accepting and having real faith in Allah are vastly different as you can see by my shameful thoughts and reactions in the above.

I really felt that all these while my eyes were widely shut. Allah has given me so much and in so many ways yet I had been so busy moaning about what is lacking in my life that I failed time and time again to see it. I am so grateful that Allah opened my eyes this time around and made me realize all this and ashamed of my petty behavior.

I share this story because I believe I am not the only one that have felt like God was picking on me, that God didn't understand, that God was mean (Astaghfirullah'alazim..). I sincerely hope that this story might bring comfort to you. Amin.

Cheers and wassalam.

Summary Of The Year 2011

2011-12-31T08:59:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps..
It's the end of the year again *Lord knows how many blogs out there that are using that opening line or similar on this day. Hehehe...* and I would like this post to be a summary of what has happened in the year 2011. This year had been a wild roller-coaster ride for me. I never expected things to turn out the way they did. Anyway, on to the events of 2011...

January
I went to Guilin, China and experienced winter for the first *and hopefully, the last* time in my life. Money can buy you a lot but it can't buy you experience. I know for sure that I am a Tropical kind of gal now. Hahaha.. More on my trip here.

At the Elephant Trunk Hill, one of the prominent landmarks of Guilin..

June

I turned 25 on this month! I was so ridiculously happy because first of all, it is one of my favorite numbers. Secondly, I felt that it is the ultimate mark of me being in my prime *this is just my personal notion of course*. I couldn't help but feel that something exciting is going to happen in my life. If only I knew *secret smile to self*

By the way, I had my best birthday celebration to date on my 25th. I spend the time with friends and my Boo. Boo gave me a gift that made me do the 'ugly cry' *you know, the all out bawling kind of cry*.

Me, Vv and Bb

If you recognized her, yes, Vv was a finalist in the 2010 Unduk Ngadau competition.

*I just had to mention that didn't I? Hahaha...*

With Eva and my gift from Boo

*Both pics are courtesy of dear Eva's Oh-So-Awesome DSLR..

July

Discovered something that shook my world. An unexpected surprise, one that will change my life forever. Alhamdulillah, I never knew that I would be granted such a gift.

August

I FINALLY resigned from the Government. People said that I was going to regret my decision as others had before me. Maybe I would in the future, but so far, the only feeling that I have about it is relief and happiness. I didn't even blink when it was announced that there would be a raise for Government staff by January next year. Perhaps that is an indication that my decision was the right one? Time will tell I suppose.

November

My resignation was recognized an I am officially not a part of the Government staff any longer. *Cue Happy Feet penguin dance* Woot woot...

December

Received news about my health that made me reel back in horror. Keeping my fingers crossed that everything would be okay.

There's not a lot of pictures this time around I'm afraid. I just realized it when I started to work on this post. Haha.. Hope you guys still enjoyed reading it though.

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year 2012. May great and joyful things be in store for us all in the coming year. Thank you for following and reading this humble blog of mine. Your support has been and will always be invaluable.

Cheers and wassalam...

Wayang James Bond, Hindustan Dan Tamil

2011-12-29T11:48:00.000+08:00

Hello..
Sejak kebelakangan ni dad sy selalu tengo movie James Bond. Dari lah lakonan Sean Connery *Kiranya James Bond old school lah* sampai lah lakonan Pierce Bronsnan. It's on every night it seems, from 10PM to 12PM.

Sean Connery

Walaupun ada api besar di belakang, rambut tetap rapi. Guna gel rambut jenama apa tu Mr. 007?

Sy tidak tau la kalo kamu kan, mungkin kamu minat tengo cerita si 007 ni tapi terus terang, makin sy tingu, makin sy menyampah campur kelucuan campur kegelian. Aksi2 Mr. 007 ni bukan main lagi, kiranya ada fight la dengan wayang Hindustan. Bulih2 berlawan dengan musuh tapi rambut sikit pun tidak kusut?

Nda cukup begitu kaki pengurat numbur satu. Kalo ada 4 perempuan dalam movie tu, 4 perempuan tu juga lah dia urat dan, well, ahem.. *Tuuut* Perempuan2 yang dalam movie J.Bond ni pun musti suma dahi licin, suma sexy2. Apakah?

Suma perempuannya sexy mexy belaka..

Kalo wayang Hindustan pun nda kurang juga tembirangnya. Heronya musti lah yang paling handsome, paling popular, paling kuat, etc. Si Heroine pun musti yang paling cantik, paling sexy, paling popular. Mau cakap 'I love you'/'I hate you'/merajuk/memujuk/bawa pi makan musti lah menyanyi sekurang2nya 5 minit, tukar baju tidak kurang 5 kali dan wajib latar belakang merentas 5 benua dengan geng2 penari *yang entah muncul dari mana* tidak kurang 50 orang. Heraaannnn...

Wajib nyanyi ramai2. Quorum penari musti 50 orang ke atas...

"I love you"

Entah sesat pigi benua mana dah ni...

Kalau begitu lah kehidupan kita seharian hilang suara oh. Mulut pun cramp.

Itu belum lagi masuk adengan lawan dengan musuh. Girlfriend si Hero sudah kena bawa lari dengan kereta, si Hero bulih pula kejar dengan berlari jak. Siap overtake tu kereta lagi tu! Iron Man + Hussein Bolt la bah tu kan. Bila tumbuk musuh lagi, mesti ada sound effect "Dusyum... Dusyum.. Dusyum..." *ada echo sebab tu bunyi makin kecik*

Fuiyo.. Dasat worrr....

Tapi kan, tapi kan sy rasa kalo fight scenes ni muvie Tamil yg paling manang. 1 hero lawan 20 penjahat yang bersenjatakan M16. Sepa menang? Tatap juga si Hero walaupun dia punya senjata hanya lah tuala muka putih yang sentiasa tersidai di lehernya. Sekali libas terpelanting si penjahat2 sekalian sampai terkeluar dari tingkap rumah *cermin pecah wooorrr*/terhempap meja sampai patah. Libas lagi dua kali trus berjaya merampas M16 penjahat yang satu lagi. Pokok pangkalnya, Hero must win!

Berdarah kah, patah tangan kah, kena tembak kah, usah gusar kawan2. Hero musti menang..

Walaupun tidak masuk akal, kita tetap berebut2 pergi tengo kalo ada wayang diorang yang terbaru keluar di panggung kan? *Ah, sepa geleng kepala tu tipu* Ndapa lah, all in good fun juga. Tapi bila pergi tengo wayang2 macam ni, kena la keep an open mind. Kena ikut juga tidak logik. Kalo tidak, musti nda feel tu movie kan. Malar lah ketawa sampai rasa mau pecah perut. Marah nanti tu orang sebelah yang teresak2 nangis feel abis cerita tu nanti.

Ini jak la post sy untuk kali ni. Melaulut2 pula kan. Dari la wayang James Bond, pigi wayang Hindustan, pigi wayang Tamil. Hope you enjoyed it though. Cheers and wassalam.

Dreadlocks, Tattoos and Body Piercing-Looks Can Be Deceiving

2011-12-23T12:02:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps...
Experience has taught me not to judge people by how they look. I've met girls who were wild and loud at a glance yet have proven to be invaluable friends where it counts. I've also met people who look 'harmless' and 'innocent' yet eventually reveal characters that would make me rather embrace a Great White Shark then be anywhere near said person.

However, I think all of us are guilty of judging people by their physical appearance, even if we don't mean to, especially at a first glance. I never really gave much thought to this before until I met a former schoolmate of mine recently.

He had multiple facial piercings, tattoos all along his arms and he sported the dreaded Dreadlocks (no pun intended). I guess it shouldn't have been too surprised as I knew that he had inclinations towards body piercing even during our school years but it didn't prevent me from recoiling in shock when I first set eyes on him.

Imagine this minus the hot bod and face..

Well, I must say the first thing that ran through my mind was "I wonder what he's doing now? Is he working?" "How must his mother feel with him portraying such image?" and so on. I didn't dwell too long on it though and he was soon out of my mind. Until I saw him again yesterday.

I was going to the Tamu in my hometown with my parents when I saw him arriving with his mother. I bumped into them while circulating the Tamu and you know what? There he was with his mom following her wherever she went and carrying her purchases. Not once did I see him show impatience or any indication that he didn't want to be there.

Which made me stop and look around. There were NO other young men there who were tottering after their mothers like he was. NO ONE was being the gentleman that he was being. In fact, some of the husbands that came with their wives and children were walking with their hands free while leaving their wives to carry their child, handbags and purchases. Talk about being rude and inconsiderate!

Maybe Allah wanted to show me something that day and think because I found myself thinking really deeply. Is it wrong to include people like this in my social circle? Would I be ashamed if a relative of mine has that kind of image? Is it enough to be good on the inside but not conform to the social norms on the outside? If I met the man of my dreams but he has such image would I be able to accept him for who he is?

I find these questions hard to answer actually. What do you think? If you found the man/woman of your dreams but they don't have a clean-cut image, would you be able to accept them? If your son or daughter brought their girlfriend or boyfriend that sports dreadlocks and piercings would you give him/her a chance or chase him/her with a broom? I'm really curious to know what you think you would do.

"Mum, dad.. Meet my girlfriend"

This is all for now peeps. Cheers and wassalam.

Cinnamon Milk Tea

2011-12-20T10:06:00.000+08:00

Hi there,
I've always been obsessed with drinking milk tea whether it is bought from the shops or making it myself. Recently however I have been over the moon with a slight twist that I've made to my homemade milk tea. Yup, as the title states, I have been adding cinnamon to my milk tea. Since I like it so much I am going to share with you how to make it in the comfort of your own home!

Note: If you are allergic to ANY of the ingredients used please do not consume this beverage.

Ingredients:
1 sachet of Lipton's Gold Milk Tea
Sugar to taste (I use 1 sachet of Slim Up)
A small pinch of cinnamon
1 spoon of powdered milk
200ml hot water
A mug and a spoon (obviously)

Method:
1. Mix the milk tea, sugar, powdered milk and cinnamon well together in the mug.

Remember, a small pinch of cinnamon goes a long way..

Mix well together..

2. Pour hot water, stir and enjoy!

Yum-O!

Give it a try and tell me what you think. ^^

This is all for now. Cheers and wassalam.

Berkatut! Ep 2..

2011-12-18T07:50:00.004+08:00

Dei, dei, dei.. Menarik betul kah cerita katut a.k.a kotud a.k.a ketumbit ni sampai mau ada episod kedua lagi ni? Hahaha... Post ini bukan untuk sy komplen pasal sakit mata sy tapi petua menyembuhkan sakit kotud ni. Siap ada resipi lagi ni. Sangat mujarab, 2 hari jak sudah baik. Ha, kalo kamu ikut ni petua nda akan berani lagi kotud singgah di mata kamu.

*Disclaimer*
Use at your own risk. The author is in no way responsible for any unfortunate results that occur by following this natural remedy.

Bahan:
2 (saiz besar) - 3 (saiz kecil) helai daun sirih *Ini bahan wajib. Kalo tiada baik ndapayah buat*
Lesung yang bersih *Mesti bersih berabis tau. Tuang la air panas campur garam kah apakah, janji bersih. Jangan tuang kloroks sudah*
Sudu
2 Bekas kecil
Alat saringan
Air *Guna air yang selamat diminum nda kira lah air mineral kah, air filter kah. Janji bukan air mentah dari paip*

Air nda termasuk dalam gambar. Sepa suuh dia lambat mau bermakeup.

Last2 ketinggalan photoshoot. Kotoh..

Cara menyediakan: *cheh, ayat skema tu bah*:

1. Tumbuk *maksudnya lumatkan ah, bukan tumbuk betul2* helaian daun sirih dalam lesung

Begini jadinya daun sirih yang dilumatkan. Amatlah nda menarik rupanya but don't judge a remedy by their looks.

2. Letak daun sirih yang dilumatkan dalam bekas plastik pertama dan campur air

Note: Sepa berani sikit mati campur la sikit jak air dan kalo tidak berapa berani mati simpan banyak sikit air, dalam 150ml. Air daun sirih ni pedih.

3. Goncangkan campuran tersebut dan saringkan ke dalam bekas plastik kedua.

Macam main masak2 pula sy rasa.. Hihihi...

Hasilnya...

Cara menggunakan:

1. Celupkan kapas (ala, kapas muka tu) ke dalam air daun sirih dan titiskan ke dalam mata.

2. Tutup mata selama 20 saat. Ini mengurangkan rasa pedih dalam mata.

3. Amalkan 5 kali sehari. Bila mata nampak macam sudah sembuh, teruskan penggunaan 1 hari lagi. Jangan terus berhenti.

Note: Jangan celup kapas yang telah digunakan kembali ke dalam air daun sirih. Ini adalah untuk maintain hygene tuan2 dan puan2 sekalian.

Note 2: Jangan guna air daun sirih yang sama selepas 24 jam. Buat air daun sirih yang baru setiap hari. Hygene is key.

Haaaaa.. Selain menyembuhkan sakit katut, air daun sirih ni boleh juga digunakan untuk menyembuhkan sakit mata tau. *Ala yg buat mata jadi merah lagi menyala tu, sampai orang nda berani tengo mata kita tu* Kalo katut pula boleh ambil lebihan daun sirih yang dilumatkan dan tempek di bahagian yang bengkak. Pedih la rasa tapi no pain no gain kan.. Tahan jak la kalo mau baik. Hehe....

Ni jak la untuk kali ni. Selamat mencuba. Cheers and wassalam...

The Voice Of Conscience

2011-12-14T13:55:00.000+08:00

Calmness settled around me
"I will be fine," I said
"Everything will be alright"
A smile settles on my lips.

Then Conscience awakens
"My poor, poor child.."
"Your head is in the clouds.."
"You have yet to comprehend just what you have done"
"Wake up! Wake up! Before you fall from even greater heights"

I stood and screamed defiantly
"Silence! You know not of what you speak!"
"What's done is done, I cannot un-ring the bell"

Conscience looked at me with sad eyes
"You will rue the day you went against their wishes"
"You will rue the day you took the hard way"
"You will rue the day you followed your heart"

"I will NOT! The decision is mine and mine alone!"
"Whatever the outcome, at least it is by my own hands"
Tears well up in my eyes and formed a path down my cheeks.
"This is my life..," I whispered brokenly.

Conscience whirls around and says sharply
"That is the talk of fools!"
"The talk of babes whose wings have yet to spread fully"
"Cease this nonsense my child"
"Why chose such a hard road full of thorns and sharp stones
when a road of silk and sweet scented flowers welcomes you?"

I gave her a watery smile and say
"I choose sharp stones over silken roads,
and thorns over scented flowers because I believe"
"I believe, and that's all that matters"

Conscience shakes her head impatiently,
turns and walks away.
She pauses then turns around and say
"May God Help you then,"
"Ah,"said I. "He already has,"

Berkatut!

2011-12-11T09:50:00.000+08:00

Hello...
Sekarang ni kawan kamu si Phy tengah sakit mata. Bengkak, on the way mau jadi katut la katakan. Eh, eh, jangan sangka buruk tau. Sy teda pigi intai2 orang mandi atau tukar baju kah apa. Dosa tu, dosa tu.. Sy ni kan budak baik... *Dipersilakan muntah atau ketawa terbahak-bahak ya tuan2 dan puan2*

Al-kisahnya bermula begini, *bagi yang ingin mengetahui lah. Kalo nda mau tau sila ke perenggan seterusnya. Terima kasih* Dua malam lepas sy dengan hati dan tangan yang gatal pergi pakai gel eyeliner warna biru di mata. Test skill lah kunu. Manatau sudah lupa cara2 pakai eyeliner jenis ini kan. Okay lah juga, skill tu masih ada kunu. Bila bangun pagi kemarin (dalam bahasa West Malaysianya 'semalam'), sy rasa mata sy sakit. Bila belek2 muka yang tidak seberapa ini depan cermin baru nampak, rupanya bengkak.

Oleh kerana takut2 melarat jadi katut, sy pun mulalah ingat2 balik petua2 orang2 tua pasal mau kasi hilang katut ni. Ada yang cakap tekap bahagian yang bengkak dengan tuala panas, ada yang cakap letak serbuk kayu manis, letak madu liar/mentah dan ada yang cakap letak air daun sirih.

Serbuk kayu manis saja yang ada di rumah, jadi sy pun dengan 'condifen'nya letak serbuk tu di bahagian mata yang bengkak. Ya ampun, punya lah pedih + gatal + berasap! Rasa macam mau lumpat-lumpat *Tapi musti lah sy nda lumpat. Hilang lah ayu sy* Ke'enak'an sakit tu, sampai keluar air mata. Tapi oleh kerana mau baik punya pasal, setiap 2 jam sy letak kayu manis tu. *Iya, setiap 2 jam juga sy rasa mau lumpat2* Gigih kan?

Namun apakan daya, kegigihan kawan kamu ni si Phy nda ke mana. Sama juga tu mata bengkak. Actually, makin bengkak lagi sikit. Jadi sy tiada pilihan melainkan cuba petua seterusnya, iaitu tekap tuala panas di bahagian mata yang bengkak. Yang ini nda payah cakap la nikmatnya macam mana. Jangan bilang lumpat2, nafas pun jadi nafas naga. Aduih...

Pagi tadi minta kirim my mum beli daun sirih. Mau tumbuk dalam lesung campur air dan air tu titiskan di mata. Ini pun bikin mata pedih juga ni. Apa lah nasib kawan kamu si Phy ni? Tiada kah petua yang nda sakit, pedih dan sewaktu dengannya? Heraaaannnnn... Apa bulih buat lah, tahan jak la kan? Sanggup lagi tahan sakit dari tahan malu berkatut kunu.

Kalo kamu ada apa2 petua untuk hilangkan katut atau mengelakkan katut tu dari menjadi, sila2 lah kongsikan kio. Kalo petua tu nda menyakitkan lagi2 lah digalakkan berkonsi. Hehe..

Ini jak la cerita kawan kamu yang malang untuk kali ini. Cheers and wassalam.

Perangai Buruk Si Phy: Malar Jak Menukar Bah..

2011-12-09T11:00:00.001+08:00

Hello... Apa khabar, sihat kah?

Di sini sy mau cerita sikit tentang satu lagi perangai buruk *Ish, nda abis2 dengan perangai buruk kan?* sy iaitu suka tukar-tukar produk. Ni memang sy rasa macam satu penyakit, nda kira lah produk skincare kah, rambut kah, badan kah. Selalunya skincare lah. Sy ni suka mencuba dan suka membeli. Tapi kan tapi kan, kalo setakat tukar-tukar produk jak tiada juga bah masalah. Rasanya besa la tu kalo perempuan kan? *Kasi salah lagi tu jantina kunu, walhal memang nafsu serakah sendiri.. Huhu..*

Masalah sebenar ialah sy ni tukar produk sebelum produk tu habis. Sy cepat bosan guna satu produk bah. Baru separuh botol sudah sy boring. Beli lagi produk baru yang lain. Teruk kan, teruk kan? Ish... Jarang betul sy dapat jumpa something yang sy suka betul sampai sy guna habis. Kalo ada tu, maknanya memang sy suka kaw2 lah benda tu.

Sy betul2 tabik dengan orang yang boleh beli botol syampu atau shower gel yang sampai 5 Liter *Okay2 drama la pulak, maksud sy 1.5 Liter* dan guna sampai habis. Nda cukup begitu, bila sudah habis, diorang beli lagi dengan jenama dan haruman yang SAMA. OMGHHKP! Kalo sy kan, sy pengsan sudah tu gara2 terlampau keboringan. Rasa2nya orang2 macam ni jenis steady kan? Nda pun mungkin jenis yang setia. *Tup! Terkena hidung sendiri. Jadi maknanya sy bukan jenis setia lah ni? Huwaaaa...*

Oleh sebab sy takut kena soal di akhirat nanti sy sekarang mula sudah meng'adjust'kan diri. Kalo dulu beli produk full sized tapi sekarang beli produk saiz comel lagi kementot supaya belum sy sempat boring, sudah habis. Haaa... Rugi sikit la dari segi harga sebab makin besar saiz produk, makin jimat bila banding harga atas kandungan. Tapi rasanya lagi rugi kalo beli barang saiz besar lepas nda habis pakai kan? Dosa eh membazir.. Huhu...

Jadi sy mau tau kalo kamu pun ada sikap yang sama (cepat boring, atau belum habis guna sudah tukar)? Atau pun kamu ni jenis sebaliknya?

Tu jak la untuk kali ni. Cheers and wassalam..

Phy Is An Internet Junkie

2011-12-08T10:36:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps..

As much as it's a pain in my bootylicious tush to admit, I am an Internet junkie. I could spend hours on it watching YouTube, updating my blog, blog walking, following the tweets of celebs and friends on Twitter and updating my Facebook status 1586172653434217235 times a day.

E.g.:
Phoebe
is feeling happy today.. \(^o^)/

I get disgruntled when I get cut off from the Internet. It's not that I can't live without it, I just think that life becomes dull without it. Crappy Internet connection pisses me off while the opposite garners an impressed ''Oooohhh.. So faaaaasssttt.. I liiiikkkkkeee..." from me. When I am in the middle of my YouTube marathon, an interruption almost always makes me want to bite someone's head off. *I can imagine the Gods and Goddesses of Google, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube smiling indulgently down at me, while nodding their heads approvingly*

Now if any of my future employers happen to stumble upon this particular post of mine, do not fear. No, you don't need to hesitate in employing me and no, you don't have to limit the Internet connection line on my PC. I'm so into the Internet that the above only happens when I have hours and hours to kill. The few minutes of free time (which is to be used to take deep breaths and refocus) during work is just not worth going online for. You can take my word for it.

Are you ~~addicted~~ in love with Mr Internet?

That's all for now. Cheers peeps and wassalam..

Bangun Pagi Tebuk Jari...

2011-12-07T11:30:00.000+08:00

Hari ni terpaksa bgn awal pagi sebab mau pigi Klinik Kesihatan amik ujian darah berpuasa. Arrrghhh! Nda suka nda suka... Sudah la kwn kamu ni si Phy bukan penggemar bangun pagi. Urgh! Bukan malas bah but I'm not a morning type of person (Cheh! Buat alasan lagi. Kalo sudah malas tu mengaku jak la). Tapi betul, sy kalo bangun pagi mesti berlipat sana sini dulu baru bangun. Alasan stretching.*Tapi kalo ikut logik, adakah org yg stretching sampai 15 minit? Siap ada bunyi berdengkur lagi* Tiada lah sy buka mata jak trus duduk menggeliat dengan over sambil senyum dari telinga ke telinga.

Kalo berurusan dengan hospital kerajaan atau klinik kesihatan wajib datang awal. Biar staff menyampah tengo muka kita sebab beza orang yang datang awal dengan lambat ni yang awal tunggu 1 jam jak br kena layan tapi yg datang lambat ni 5 jam baru kena layan. Haaaaa... Sebab tu la beta gigihkan diri datang menghadap pintu Makmal jam 7.15am lagi walaupun dengan lamgkah yang lemah longlai dan mata berair (gara2 menguap lebih2).

Ganjarannya sy yang delwan kena check darah. Lepas lab assistant tu tebuk jari sy, dia suruh sy minum air gula satu gelas. Minum la kunu sy. Atukkkooooooiiii... Sudah lah panas tu air gula, manis barabis lagi. Macam terbakar kerongkong sy. Mau minum capat2 macam mau muntah la pula. Uih, uih, uih... Dasaaaaattt worrrr.. Sudah la tu, sambung puasa lagi 2 jam jadi ndalah bulih minum air. Seksa seksa...

Manisnya air gula tu bikin taubat mau makan benda2 manis lepas ni. Jangan bilang gula2, coklat pun ndakkan beta layan... Okay tipu *kedapatan lobang hidung kembang*.. Kalo coklat tu kawan kamu ni tatap layan juga la. Ala, cubit sikit2 jak la. Cubit2 manja la katakan.

Menunggu la kunun sy 2 jam berlalu. Punya boring... Sudah lah boring, haus lagi. Ini la part paling mencabar bila buat ujian darah berpuasa.15 minit terakhir tu lagi lah. Rasa macam mau lumpat2 jak.*Pedahal bukannya masa makin cepat bergerak pun kalo lumpat2. Bikin hilang ayu dan glamour jak* Nasiblah ada handphone pintar (yang dibeli ngan duit hutang-cari-nahas-sendiri) sebagai penghibur. Dapat la sy compose entry ini. Sekurang2nya nda juga terasa sgt seksa menunggu.

Tup tup masa untuk tebuk jari kali kedua pun tiba. Rupanya bad news.. Aduih... Sakitnya hati. Kacaunya jiwa. Macam hilang arah sekejap. Sedihnya hanya Allah jak lah yang tau. Salah sy kah? Bukan, salahkan hormon doktor bilang. *Betul ni doktor yang bilang, bukan sy mau unjuk jari suka suki* Jadi bermula lah hidup kawan kamu ni ulang alik pigi Hospital. Terus terang, rasa macam mau naik pigi puncak Hotel Juta lepas tu terjun. Kurang sungguh kesanggupan sy. Apa boleh buat la kan, pasrah jak lah...

Tu jak lah cerita sy untuk kali ni. Kurang cheers hari ni.. Huhu..

Merdeka! Dan Al-Kisah Banker Ala Detektif

2011-12-06T11:04:00.000+08:00

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

"Apa la mimpi kawan sy si Phy ni tiba2 laung merdeka ni? Hari merdeka Malaya dan Malaysia kan dua2 sudah limpas? Sot eh.." Bukan mimpi, bukan sot. Lali lagi lah bukan. Sebenarnya ada berita gumbira bah ni yang sy mau share kavagu. Last Friday pihak IPDT call sy dan maklumkan yang JPA sudah approve resignation sy. Jadi tiada sudah ikatan sy sama Kerajaan. Yay! *Uinah, amik masa 4 bulan juga lah mau selesai. Kalo ada ayam mengeram telur masa sy tender resignation sy hari tu, bujang dah anak dia kan? Silap2 jadi nenek sudah ayam tu.*

Sudah sy selesai tap dancing macam penguin Happy Feet sy pun tanya lah pasal gaji sy. Sy sebenarnya susah hati juga kalau2 gaji sy terus 'berjalan' selama 3 bulan ni sebab malas bah sy 'ada hutang' dengan Kerajaan. Banyak songeh. Kalo kurang di pihak diorang bukan main lagi macam Along minta bayar balik. Bila kurang di pihak kita macam kura2 mau bayar kita balik. Maaf kalau ada yang terasa. Ini bukan hasutan tau, tapi reality.

Eh, eh melarat pula. Balik pada cerita asal. Rupa2nya diorang sudah hentikan gaji sy 2 bulan lepas. One more Yay! Menari2 lagi sekejap sebelum sy sedar something yang buat sy rasa bagai dipanah petir. Oh no! Jadi komitmen sy dengan cik abang Bank Rakyat dan cik abang PTPTN 2 bulan sudah la tidak kena bayar? Oh tiddaaaaakkkk.... Terbayang2 yours truly kena masuk lokap sebab gagal bayar hutang2 yang diri sendiri minta puji pigi cari. *Cue lagu* Tiwas! Tiwas!Koooootttooohhh!!!

Walaupun rasa macam cacing kepanasan terpaksa juga tunggu hari Isnin untuk settle hal ni. Malangnya pagi Isnin tu juga la mimpi sy paling enak, sedap dan nyaman (Sy mimpi yang sy buat presentation yang penting dalam auditorium dan semua orang termasuk bos2 besar sy impressed barabis. Nah, ndakkah sedap, enak dan nyaman mimpi begitu tu?) Selepas melipatkan diri dalam posisi sujud dengan alasan mau stretching (pedahal mau curi beberapa saat lg ngorok) akhirnya bangun juga.

Sorry, I'm digressing again. Jadi jumpa la kunu orang yang berkaitan di Bank Rakyat cawangan Keningau. Bagus juga jantung dia, dia bagi sy nombor talipon di cawangan Likas. Call la lagi di sana. Lepas sudah minta sambung, cakap hello, kasitau nama tu suma begini la dialog kami:

Me: Sy mau maklumkan yang sy tidak bekerja lagi dengan Kerajaan jadi sy akan bayar secara tunai mulai dari sekarang.
Abang Bank Rakyat: Kenapa quit dari kerajaan? Susah tu mau dapat. Kerja kah sekarang?
Me: *Suka hati sy la bah mau quit kah inda* Sy berhenti atas kemahuan sendiri. Inda, sy nda bekerja sekarang ni.
Abang Bank Rakyat: Sudah kahwin?
Me: *Uh, apa kaitan? Blur...* Sudah. (Okay, belum bah. Tapi sepa suruh dia tanya soalan yang bukan2? Sy jawab juga lah yang bukan2.. Haha.. Kotoh kena terek..)
Abang Bank Rakyat: Kalo puan tidak bayar, puan boleh bankrupt ni. Boleh kena saman, masuk penjara.
Me: *Uih uih uih.. Men geratak ko ah. Rilek ko geng* Bayaran tu tiada masalah encik. Sy cuma mau tau macam mana caranya, kalau ada apa2 dokumentasi yang perlu follow up. (Chewah! Jawab macam kaya ala Donald Trump. Pedahal tercungap2 juga kalo bukan sudah prepare duit untuk bayar)
Abang Bank Rakyat: Blah.. Blah.. Blah (Bagi penerangan)

Kalo abang Bank Rakyat tu mau tukar profesyen jadi detektif pun ada bakat kan? Sy pun nda pasti soalan2 dia tu soalan standard kah atau atas dasar 'kepenyibukkan' (Wujud kah? Hehehe..) diri dia sendiri jak. Walaupun sy mau jawab dengan cara hampir memaki tapi sy tetap try jawab dengan berhemah soalan2 dia tu. Cool.. Cool.. Nda berbaloi sy rasa kedut2 usia singgah awal di muka sy gara2 layan sangat karenah abang banker yang perasan diri dia detektif. Hehe..

Jadi itu jak lah cerita sy untuk kali ni. Until the next time. Cheers!

Perangai Buruk Si Phy...

2011-12-06T09:03:00.000+08:00

Hello..
Sy ada satu (Satu jak? Tipuuuu.. Satu antara yang banyak la..) perangai buruk. Perangai ni sy rasa dari dulu ada tapi sekarang makin menjadi2 which is perangai malas mau makan. You may say "Biar betul, makan pun malas kah? Dasar pemalas!" Tapi serius! Sy betul2 rasa malas, bosan dan fed-up mau makan.

Bila kena tanya apa mau makan, sy rasa macam mau mengamuk. Tidak kira la d rumah kah, restoran kah, food court kah. Teruk kan? Setiap kali sy rasa begitu, sy rasa bersalah betul oh. Teringat wajah kanank2 yang kurang bernasib baik, yang makan pun ala kadar, makan untuk hidup.

"Abis tu kalo kesian, napa lg minta puji mau rasa bosan bila mau makan?" kamu tanya. Entah lah. To be honest, I wish I knew the answer and the cure to this nonsensical affliction. Terasa betul diri ini termasuk golongan orang yang tidak pandai bersyukur. Oh tidak.. Haishhh!!! Susah hati sy bila pikir ni.

Kalo kamurang ada apa2 idea macam mana mau cure perangai buruk kawan kamu yang malang ini (meaning yours truly) sila bagi cadangan kio. Tidak kira la apa pun. Doa kah, kismis doa kah, amalan di pagi hari kah, benda yang bikin sedap makanan hingga menjilat jari kah.. Jangan malu2 tau..

Ni jak la untuk kali ni. Till the next time. Cheers!

P/S: First time sy berblog majorly in Malay kan?

Venturing Into New Genres

2011-12-01T11:26:00.000+08:00

Hi there..
I had always been an avid reader since I was young. I mean, you can leave me anywhere as long as I have a good book. If I could live in Kinokuniya Bookstore, I would. My dream house would have a huge library in it. You get the picture.

I haven't been reading much lately because I used to read historical romances when I was growing up until my early twenties. Now, I feel that the cheesiness is unbearable. Although I also love other genres like mysteries, "chick lits" and a sprinkle of fantasy, I still felt a bit lost trying to figure out what new genre of books might appeal to me.

I was able to pick up a couple of books recently and they are definitely not the type that I would usually read. The first two books are from the House of Night series which is about teenage vampyres and the third book is Pillars of The Earth. Pillars of The Earth tells the story of the building of a magnificent cathedral during the turbulent times of twelfth-century England.

After Twilight came out a lot of TV shows and book series based on teenage vampyrism (is that even a word?). Now I'm sorry Twilight fans but I have never really liked Twilight, both the movie and the book. I feel that the movie is over-rated and the only reason why it was such a huge success was because Robert P looked good playing as Edward Cullen. The book was dark, hungry and depressing so much so that I didn't even bother to complete it. Because of all this, I never really took notice of any of the TV shows and books series of this genre.

I've seen the House of Night series (comprising of between 9 to 11 book I think) a few times when I went to bookstores but I never flipped through it. Then on one fine day I took the first book off the shelves and read a bit, only to find myself pleasantly surprised. Although it's not as fabulously awesome as Harry Potter (I'm a Harry Potter fan, can you tell? Hihihi...) but it's nowhere near as bad (in my opinion) as the Twilight series. It was interesting enough so I bought the first two books, Marked and Betrayed.

The Pillars of The Earth made it on Oprah's Book Club selection. Just as with the House of Night Series, I've seen it a few times in bookstores but never bothered to flip through it but not because I thought that it wouldn't be good but because I get intimidated when it comes to books that rely heavily on the history of England. Silly right?

In my defense England's history has never been a good one. Injustice, poverty, women being raped and treated like chattel, cruelty and incest among other things ran rampant during those times. It's not really something that I personally think would make an enjoyable and relaxing read.

However, Pillars of The Earth has been made into a mini TV series (Every Sunday at 10PM to 11.45PM) and I find it quite interesting. I've always been the type who would prefer to read the book before watching the motion picture that it's based on. So I gathered my courage and bought it.

I've read the first 100 pages of it and I regret that I remembered the one reason why I have always preferred to read books over watching motion pictures much too late. The reason is that books relate the exact feelings and thoughts of the characters. I could really feel the pain, frustration, fear and raw need of survival. I don't see this novel as the type that I would breeze through as usual. I find myself taking breaks and feeling conflicted of whether to go on reading or not.

I have pictures of the books I mentioned above but due to my "excellent" connection to the Internet I am unable to upload them. Sorry peeps. Anyway that's all for now. Have a great start to the month of December 2011! Cheers and wassalam.

Things That Phy Wish Are Invented

2011-11-20T11:12:00.001+08:00

Hello readers..
Here is a list of things that I wish are invented at this day and age. Enjoy.

Alarm Alert For Small Items
I don't know about you but I'm constantly misplacing/losing my things. It's either my hand phone, keys or wallet. Being the scatter brain that I can sometimes be, I would be wasting a lot of my time going around in circles to no avail.

When I am lucky I would find what I was looking for just as I was on the verge of tearing my hair out. Other times when I am not so lucky, I would still not be able to find it even when I've thrown a hissy fit and screamed myself into hysterical rage. Okay, maybe that's a bit dramatic but you get my drift.

So I've always wished that there is some kind of alarm device that would alert me to where my things are at the press of a button. You know, like the car lock/unlock devise attached to your car keys. Or maybe something that makes my wallet and keys make a sound when I clap my hands once.

A Six-In-One Machine
When I get home from a long day at work or from an event that ends late at night, all I want to do is flop on to bed and be dead to the world until daylight comes. Removing my makeup and bathing is something that I loathe to do but have to do anyway.

That's why I wish someone would in vent a machine that has six functions:

Undress me
Remove my makeup
Clean me (including my face, hair and body)
Dry me (ditto)
Dress me for bed
Deliver me directly to my bed

I know, I know.. It's a long shot but a girl can dream eh?

A Dual Interchangeable Vehicle
Don't you get envious of motorcyclists when you're in your car and stuck in a bad jam? I do. It grates on my nerves to see them ride to the front, right before the traffic light, and be the first ones to go when it turns green. Then again when it rains I would always look at them with sympathy as they brave through the pelting raindrops (to which I can attest feels more like pebbles. It hurts!) as I cruise by in a car, safe and dry.

With that being said, I wish that there is a vehicle that can be a car and a motorcycle interchangeably when the occasion calls for it. A motorcycle during a jam or when I'm feeling daring, and a car when it rains or passing through wet patches and dusty, unsealed roads.

Another marvelous variation would be a car the can make itself slim enough to go between cars, not unlike the Knight Bus from the Harry Potter series. Hehehe... Now if I could only find an inventor who is also a wizard...

So there you have it, just some of the things that I constantly daydream existed. Who knows, at the rate that technology is developing, we might see some of these items by the year 2020 (ah yes, the magic number). What are the things that YOU wish are invented?

Have a nice Sunday everyone. Cheers and Wassalam.

A Rant: Dumb And Dumber Government Clinic Style

2011-11-16T17:53:00.000+08:00

Hello there,

Yesterday I went to the government clinic in my district and registered as it was my 1st time going there. Everything was fine until I was asked what my race was. Here's how it went:

Dumb And Dumber Scene 1
Nurse: Apa bangsa ko? (What is your race?)
Me: Indian Kadazan.
Nurse: Jadi mana satu laitu? Mesti satu jak. Ikut bapa lah. Apa bangsa bapa ko? (So which one is it? There can only be one. Let's just follow your father's. What is your father's race?)
Me: Bapa saya la Indian Kadazan. (My father is Indian Kadazan)
Nurse: Bapa dia lagi? (What about his father?)
Me: Datuk saya orang India. (My grandfather is Indian)
Nurse: Nah, India la bangsa ko. (That makes you Indian)
Me:*Thinks* %^*&##

Two things dear readers. First of all, why must there only be one race? What about the Sino-Kadazans? Or Murut-Ibans? Or any combination that you can think of? Surely in the form there is the 'lain-lain'/'others' option for us exotic beings?

Secondly, while I understand that the nurse was trying to figure out what race I fit into, and that it is common to follow the father's or the father's father's race, can I really fit into the race of Indian? One look at me and even a 2 month old baby can see that I am far from being pure Indian. I am not being racist and wouldn't mind in the least of being called Indian if I was REALLY pure Indian. However since I am not of a single race it's not right to say that I am.

Dumb And Dumber Scene 2
Nurse: Jadi mana satu ko mau taruh ni, India kah Kadazan? (So which one do you want to put on the form, Indian or Kadazan?)
Me: *Thinks* $#@^%*&

She might as well have asked me to cut a vital vein/artery and drain out either the Indian or Kadazan blood coursing through it. Maybe I seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill but seriously, why on earth should I have to choose between the two? I am both. End of story. Dummy.

Dumb And Dumber Scene 3
Nurse: Apa bangsa ko dalam surat beranak? (What is the race stated in your birth certificate?)
Me: Tiada bangsa saya dalam surat beranak, bangsa mama sama bapa saya jak. (My race is not stated in my birth certificate, only the race of my mother and father)

She didn't believe me. She seems convinced that I didn't know what a birth certificate was and kept doing hand gestures of a small piece of paper. She also insisted that my race is stated on it. I know what a birth certificate is and how it looks like thank you very much.

To be honest with you dear readers I have pored over my birth certificate desperately numerous times to have a clear statement on what my race is because this is not the 1st time the question of what race I am has been raised.

The nurse in Hospital Tuaran has also given me a dirty look when I told her I was Indian Kadazan. There was also the time when I was registering into UiTM KK where this one lecturer said in a loud, pompous voice that he suspects that I might not be eligible to enroll into UiTM because of my father's race. In my father's face. He also demanded a copy of my father's surat Mahkamah Anak Negeri stating that my father is a Bumiputera. I still get pissed every time I remember that incident.

Dumb And Dumber Scene 4
Me: Dalam surat beranak saya bangsa bapa saya Indo-Kadazan. (In my birth certificate my father's race is Indo-Kadazan)
Nurse: Hah, Indo-Kadazan? Macam Indonesia pula. (Hah, Indo-Kadazan? Sounds like Indonesian)
My Mum: Dulu Indo tu istilah yang kena guna kalau peranakan India. Lagipun Indon baru Indonesia kan. (Last time Indo is the term used to represent Indian for those who were interracial. Anyway Indonesian is stated as Indon right)
Nurse: Eh, ada juga Indonesia yang guna Indo tau.. Jaga... *In a mean, superior tone of voice* (Hey, there are Indonesian who use the term Indo too you know. Be careful)

In the end she wrote Indo-Kadazan. After raising so many questions.. After upsetting my mum.. If she were to write it down as it is anyway why on earth did she have to be so argumentative in the 1st place? Pelik kan? Alien kali tu nurse tu..

Well, I guess that's all for now peeps. Cheers and wassalam.

P/S: Click here for proof that the word Indo is used to represent India when linked with another place or race.

Phy Is So Excited She's Jumping Off The Roof (Well, Almost)

2011-11-12T11:30:00.000+08:00

Hellooooooo.... Hellooooo... Helloooo....

Forgive me for my most jakun greeting ever. I've been away for soooooo loooonnnggg... All this while while I was at home at my parent's house being a parasite (sorry mum, dad) I've never been able to find a spot in the house where my HTC phone's wireless feature could function and now I've found iiiiitttt!!! Believe me when I say that I feel like I've found the Fountain Of Youth. Seriously!

For all that that excitement you'd think that I have exciting news but nothing really special has occurred really aside from the above. There are a few updates though, such as:

I've called JPA and they said that they have forwarded my resignation back to IPDT for further processing (turns out all the trouble went to get my resignation to JPA was just for their notification.. Cheh!). Good news is that on JPA's side there are no hiccups. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and no more idiots will be creating problems for me..

Second I have caught the Manga reading fever. Obviously I'm not the type to read about Naruto but I've read the romantic ones (duh!). So far I've read Monster Love and am currently reading Black Bird 36.So far so good. Now with the Internet line from my beloved HTC phone I would be able to continue my progress with Black Bird 36. Take my word for it, all of the stories that I've read so far are cheesy, corny and may insult your intelligence but hey, it's fun and oh so addictive.. Hehe..

That's all for now dear readers.. Have a nice weekend. Cheers! Wassalam..

October Update

2011-10-26T09:59:00.001+08:00

Hello all...
I've been staying at my parent's house in my hometown for the past month hence the long hiatus because there is no Internet connection there. Again, during my stay there I had so much to write about but now have forgotten. Can you tell that this is going to be one of those rambly posts of mine? Hehehe... So here are some brief updates:

I am still jobless. My resignation had a snag that has hopefully been cleared up. Last I checked it is already on it's way to JPA. IPK people are rude and I hope never to have anything to do with them in the future (I hope but I know that I will because I have to pay back about two months salary that they have given me post resignation).

I went back to my hometown to settle a very important business. It looks like it has been settled but unfortunately there seemed to be some disagreements on their side so I will just wait and see if there will be any changes. I'm not holding my breath though. I'm now assuming that what has been decided is already signed and sealed, only left to be delivered within the 1st week of next month.

I have been an emotional wreck and discovered that sometimes you can feel alone even when there are dozens of people around you everyday. I also found out that it is possible to be absolutely okay one second only to be a complete sobbing mess the next. Even existing can seem like a monumental task when you are in a hopeless void.

I am currently in KL to bring back all my stuff back to KK but I am so worried because I have zero energy and my hands can't seem to grip properly. How on earth am I going to lug all my things back? Looks like I'm going to have to leave quite a lot of things here or post it.

So this is all for now peeps. Happy Deepavali to those celebrating. Wassalam..

Phy The Rebel/Risk Taker/Could-Have-Been-Stunt-Woman..

2011-09-24T16:27:00.000+08:00

Hi there..
When we were kids my parents were really protective of us. There were not a lot of things that we were allowed to do. There was always an excuse behind every 'No'. For cycling it was "You might fall". For swimming it was "You might drown", etc. You get the picture. So I can't swim to save my life. Or ride a bicycle. Darn.

I have hence grown up to become very touchy AND unpredictable about trying something new. I would either not want to do it for fear of everything that could go wrong/that I'd look foolish or I would just wing it and jump right in with no thought of the danger or risk out of rebellion.

I might cringe at playing any sports because I don't want to risk injury and I don't want to look awkward and clueless. On the other hand I have climbed Mount Kinabalu, gone snorkeling despite not knowing how to swim, rode crazy rides even when I am petrified of heights and other crazy things at a drop of a hat. I can honestly say that while I did all that because I really wanted to, I must admit and maybe there is a hint of rebellion behind it.

Sometimes I wonder if my life would be different if my parents had not been over-protective of me and my siblings. Perhaps I would even be a female stunt-driver by now. Or a professional diver. Hehehe.. I know, I know. My parents did it out of love. Can't really blame them too much now can I? :)

Phy the Pre-School Teacher (Well, Not Anymore)

2011-09-22T00:05:00.000+08:00

Hi there,
During my time here in KL I had no idea how long I was going to stay so I decided to fill my free time with working as a pre-kindy which is only a lift ride away from my sister's apartment. It was kind of like a suicidal project because I never, and I mean NEVER had any experience in taking care of children. I am the youngest in my family and never took care of my younger cousins or anything like that.

During my 2 week stint I learned how to change a diaper, bring kids to the toilet (and clean them) when they want to 'shishi', coax kids into eating their veges and eating in the proper manner, bathe them (which believe me, is kind of like bathing a pet cat or dog. Meaning you end up bathing too... With your clothes on). I got to know the kids, their temperament and how to handle them as individuals. I also teach them, fill their time with activities, etc.

Sounds easy right? Wrong!

I can handle the first portion of the job. It's only a matter of practice after all. Teaching them and maintaining their interest while trying to sync with their individual personalities was a total FAIL for me. Some were very attentive and interested to learn, others were easily (read: understatement) distracted. Of course there were those who wouldn't listen and becomes a bad influence to others. Oh, did I mention that I had to keep my eye on a 1 year old baby at the same time too?

Communicating was also a problem because my kids were international. I had Koreans, Indonesians, Malays, Chinese kids in my class. Most of them don't understand the English language, let alone Malay.

Trying to get the pirate-ish kids to participate..

Believe me, reading to pre-kindy kids is never this serene.

Them being spoiled little rich kids didn't help either. It's hard to teach them something that their parents don't instill in them in the 1st place. Some of the parents or family members would also do the 'security rounds' as I personally call them. I'd see them peeking through our windows, looking to see if we were doing our job well and up to their expectation. Which means we have to be super careful when we scold the children which we can never avoid.

Eventually I let go of the job. Some people might call me flighty, or even a quitter. After all, I did resigned from two different jobs in the span of 6 weeks. I don't see it that way at all. Before I resigned I did all that I could to see if there was any way, any way at all that it could work out for me. When I didn't see any way that could happen, I decided to not waste my time. After all, life is short and it would be a shame not to use it to do something more productive.

So that's what happened and how my teaching career came to a halt. I was glad that I did it because now I wouldn't be like a deer caught in the headlights in the event that I would have to bathe, feed or change a toddler's diaper. I am also able to rule out pre-kindy teacher from my list of potential careers.

So this is all for now. Cheers and wassalam.

Let's Be Honest: Raining Gold And Stones.. The Story Of A Repentant Sabahan

2011-09-20T21:26:00.001+08:00

Hello there,
I remember when I was just turning 8 years old my eldest sister was offered a scholarship to study in one of the oldest universities in the country which was over the seas in West Malaysia. Towards the end of her study years she started to work part time and every time she came back she would bring presents that seemed too fantastic for words. Things that wasn't available in Sabah at that time. Since then, I was obsessed about going to Kuala Lumpur (KL).

The Dream City

I managed to go vacationing in KL a few times throughout the years. However it was only when I was offered a job in the Government after completing my uni years that I finally was able to actually work (and obviously, live) in/near KL, not just visit it. Oh, I was dazzled at first. My dream was finally coming true for the first time after all.

Although it wasn't my first time going to KL, I marveled at the tall buildings (new ones keep popping up), the high end shopping malls, the crazy roads that seemed to be one on top of the other, etc. The excitement of it all stayed with me for months and I never gave any thought to my homeland.

Then a funny thing happened. After a while I began to feel numb to the tall buildings, the 'multi-layered' roads, the shopping complexes and the glitz. I began to miss my home state. I miss the beaches, the greenery, the food and the word 'Bah' being said properly. The majestic buildings in Putrajaya felt 2D to me, as if I was living in a gigantic postcard. It had no dept at all.

My beloved Land Below The Wind

I started to listen to Kadazan songs with Clarice John Matha's 'Adaa' and 'Rumandawi' being the song of choice, even learning them by heart. I would be able to distinguish a Sabahan from miles away (okay, that's being too dramatic but I really could distinguish a Sabahan face in a crowd) and would shamelessly strike up a conversation with them just to be able to 'speak Sabahan'. Basically, I was homesick.

My loyal companion during bouts of homesickness

Nine months later I managed to get transferred back to Sabah in a district that was relatively close to Kota Kinabalu (KK). Yup, after achieving my 'lifelong' dream to live in KL I decided to come home. When I landed at KKIA T2, I felt like going on all fours and kissing the ground. From then on I never had even the remotest feeling of longing to live in KL again.

The motive of me telling this long-winded story? It's to say that I really believe in the Malay saying 'Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri. Lebih baik negeri sendiri' which loosely means 'no matter how much better other places (tidak kira lah kampung kah, negeri kah ataupun negara) seem to be, and no matter how unattractive our own place (ditto) might be, our own place is still the best one to live in'.

I am a Sabahan and I am PROUD to be a Sabahan. For me, KL is a nice and exciting place to visit but definitely not a place to stay. I'm content with Sabah and I accept it with warts and all including the crappy public transportation system that decades of Independence seem unable to fix. Ahem.

This is all for now peeps. Cheers and wassalam.

P/S: Don't ask me where all this patriotism came from. Haha..

P/P/S: All pictures from Google Search.

Things That I Never Knew Before: Birthing Options.

2011-09-18T11:42:00.000+08:00

Hi there,

2 days ago I watched a documentary on Youtube entitled The Business Of Being Born. It is a discussion about hospital births vs home births (with a midwife) and it really struck a chord in me because I learned about things that I never knew before and it really opened my eyes about the act of giving birth and all that comes with it.

Before this I thought (and I'm sure most of you though this too) that giving birth in a hospital, whether Government or private, is the only way to go. If I was asked if I wanted to give birth at home with a midwife as apposed to having a baby at the hospital I would have said,"No" because somehow it conjures an image in my head of an old lady using outdated methods on me.

The documentary is based on what is happening in the USA so I can't really say too much if it reflects fully on the birthing 'situation' in hospital here in Malaysia. However, based on some of the stories that I've heard from friends over the years about their birthing experience in hospitals, it is almost always a horror story anyway.

Now let me give a list on why (based on the documentary) hospital births are not favorable to women:

Too much intervention
Women who are admitted into the hospital for more than a few hours would be induced with Pitocin. Contractions from inducement hurt way worse than naturally occurring ones so Epidural is given to numb the pain. After that, another shot of Pitocin is given. Inducement can cause death in babies.

Doctors get knife happy
Doctors sometimes suggest C-section just to speed things along and not always out of necessity. C-section is a major surgery and carries high risk. Mothers sometimes die on the operating bed or from bacterial infection of the wound after the surgery. Again, this is a USA based documentary.

Wrong position
A woman lying down on her back with legs raised in stirrups is not the best position for birth as it makes the pelvis 'smaller' thus making it harder for baby to come out. In turn this hurts the mother more.

Impersonal attention
Most women said that the doctors are not with them most of the time because they have to attend to other patients too. A close friend of mine told me that during her experience, the baby's head had already come out before she was rushed into delivery and a doctor showed up and attended to her.

Now lets go on to the reasons why home births with midwives are favorable to women:

Personalized attention
When an expecting mother experiences contractions, the midwife would come to the patient's house even if it's in the middle of the night and she will stay as long as needed to see if it's a false alarm or the real deal. The midwife is also with the patient 100% along the way, guiding put never forceful.

No drugs
This might seem like a disadvantage but drugs actually hamper the birthing experience. When a woman gives birth, especially a natural vaginal birth, a cocktail of 'love hormones' are released in her body and makes the mother feel very, very protective and loving towards her baby.

Now it doesn't mean that those who were induced or had epidural in the hospital don't love their baby. It's just that drugs can dull the mother's senses for a bit and she may not be able to experience the full extend of the 'love hormones'.

Optimum position
Midwives favor a squatting position as it makes the pelvis wider and easier for the baby to come out. Water births are also an option that a midwife can provide for her patient.

Comfort zone
Obviously with home births you will be giving birth in your home in an environment that you are familiar with, more privacy and you can actually created the environment that you want. For example you can put on soothing music, control your lighting (some women prefer to have a dimmer atmosphere in the room they choose to give birth as it feels soothing for them). As for the mess, don't worry, the midwives would do the clean up after the birthing is over.

It's cheaper
In the USA hospitals charge up to USD12,000 per birth and for the birth alone. Mid wives only charge USD4,000-USD5,000 for everything including postnatal care. In Malaysia too, I'm sure a midwife would charge less than what it would cost if one were to go to a private hospital or medical center.

Note: Not to be prejudiced but Government hospitals do seem like the House of Horrors based on the stories of my friend who gave birth there. Most said that they would rather save up and go to private hospitals than go through the experience at a Government hospital again. So, jangan marah ha doctors and nurses.

Educated and Experienced
Contrary to popular beliefs, including mine, midwives are not just old ladies who are going to use medieval, barbaric methods on you. Far from it, they are actually educated with modern medicine and one has to be experienced before being able to be a certified midwife. So if complications do arise, they would have the knowledge to know if you need to be sent to the nearest hospital, etc.

Obviously there are pros to giving birth in a hospital such as having advanced medical equipment and doctors to attend to any medical complications. There are also downsides to doing home births. However, do keep in mind that when a certified midwife meets you for the first time, she would first do an assessment of your medical history and the condition of your pregnancy to determine if you are a good candidate for home birthing. Obviously if you are a high risk patient, the midwife would recommend you to give birth in a hospital.

In Malaysia I am not sure if there are still any midwives (also known as Bidan in Malay) out there let alone certified ones. If you are a considering a home birth, try referring to your elders in case they know someone who still practices midwifery. Also, silly as it might seem, try referring to Family Planning clinics if they know any midwives. I personally think it's worth a shot.

To watch the documentary, click here.

Yes, a very out of the ordinary topic for me but when I watched this documentary I just felt so much more empowered and I want to share it with other women out there.

This is all for now. Cheers and wassalam..

The Bane Of Having A Female Boss...

2011-09-16T09:07:00.002+08:00

Hi there
I've worked under a female boss trice now in my lifetime. Even though I am a woman myself, I have to say that I prefer to have a man as my boss. An alpha male that is. And no, it's not because I can use my feminine wiles on him. Honestly, as far as experience goes men are more straight forward.

They say what they mean and mean what they say. Women on the other hand have a common affliction which is saying one thing but wanting the other yet expecting people to fulfill what they want instead of what they said by reading their mind.

You know, the 'No it's okay' when what we actually mean is 'Are you demented? Of course it's not okay!!!!'. Ladies, admit it. We do it all the time. I would be the first to admit that I do it too. But when a lady boss does it, it is the biggest pain in the ar*e.

Another thing about female bosses is that they always ASSUME. If an employee comes in a dour mood, it's because she/he is not happy working where she/he is and not because they had a family problem. If the employee comes in late or leaves early it's because she/he is lazy or undisciplined and never because their child is sick/their car broke down/they are using unreliable public transport.

Woe betide you if you have ever dare to disagree with her. She-bosses never, ever brush disagreements aside. They seem to have it saved up in their mental hard drive where they can retrieve, replay and keep again to keep the feelings of hurt and anger alive. The worst part is? They take revenge. Disagree with her? No leave approval and give you hell for taking emergency leave.

I am sure a lot of you have experienced this. In fact, I am experiencing it now. Not fun. Not fun at all. Oh well. Will be flipping the papers for a new job. Hehe...

This is all for now dear readers. Cheers!

3rd International Artistic & Rythmic Gymnastics Friendship Competition.

2011-09-04T12:00:00.000+08:00

I went to have lunch at Sunway Giza with my elder sisters yesterday and we were pleasantly surprised when we found out that an International Artistic & Rythmic Gymnastics Friendship Competition was being held there at that time. Hungry as we were, we decided to stop for a while to watch. Here are some photos:

Team New Zealand warming up. How I wish that I could do a split like that..

Such flexibility....

From New Zealand doing her ball routine..

Spinning while holding this position is no small feat..

New Zealand doing her ribbon routine..

Trying to catch the ribbon while looking graceful. Not always a success..

Representing Hong Kong...

Lithe, petite and graceful...

My favorite participant, and not only because she represents Malaysia.

Malaysia with her ribbon routine. Although she did better with her ball routine (only one minor boo boo)

she almost never lost her smile even when she dropped her ribbon...

..or when she had to release a knot from her ribbon. She really was one of the best on the floor.

This is an amateur competition so of course there were a lot of apparatus dropping and hoops missing the mark. It was still enjoyable to watch as long as you don't expect a perfect performance like those in the Olympics. I still admire the courage, flexibility and strength that these girls displayed. Some of them were really quite good.

A common sight.. Opps! Hihi...

Makes me think about those who compete in the Olympics. I could only imagine the blood sweat and tears that went into their quest for the perfect performance. Phew!

When I have a child one day I would want my child to participate in gymnastics, InsyaAllah. Not to necessarily be a national champion but just to learn about balance, strength, teamwork, and sportsmanship. However, if he or she has the ability to go beyond and compete in a higher level (the Olympics perhaps? Hehe..), why not right?

This is all for now. Cheers! Wassalam...

Disappearing Act..

2011-09-02T18:02:00.000+08:00

Hi y'all..

It has been such a long time since I had updated my blog and there are a lot of reasons behind it. During the past 2 weeks me and my sisters have been going out shopping and sightseeing all day and returning home at 10.30pm EVERY NIGHT (I kid you not) with only (read: barely) enough energy to bathe and prepare for bed (wash ze face, brush ze teeth, etc). So I'm sure you can understand when I say that I have had no time or energy to do any updates.

I have been wanting to do a haul post on my other blog which is phoebe-loves-makeup.blogspot.com showing all the things that I got but again, I had no time. Sorry peeps.

However, I'm sure you have noticed that my lack of post had started from early August 2011. There are reasons for that too. I have had to make really hard decisions this month. I have never felt more pressured and helpless in my life. I had to make a decision about my career, I had to make a decision about my relationship and above all something happened in my personal life that just threw me out of balance.

In fact it is so HUGE that I would actually call it a crisis. Not just an argument-with-a-close-friend type of crisis either. Ah dear readers, I wish that I could tell you but I can't at the moment. Not until the people that matters the most know. Shopping and sightseeing as I may have been doing, I couldn't escape the thoughts that have made me unable to sleep at night. They run like a 1000m/h in my head (or so it seems).

In time I will tell you. Or maybe I might not announce it officially but will refer to it in passing. All I can say for now is that there is a lot riding on this and a lot of decision to be made within it. On top of it all whatever decision that I make will have an impact on the people around me. Sigh!

I'm off to have dinner with my sisters and we are going for Japanese food this time. Yay! The past few days have been noodles, pizzas and pastas all the way up to a point that I had to put my foot down and demanded for Japanese food (Yeah, the choice for tonight's type of food is my doing. Hehe...). Sepa tahan oh tiap2 hari makan Western. As much as I love cheese, I have found myself to gag at the sight of it as of now. Cheese overdose. Huhu...

Okay, so this is all for now peeps. More updates soon, InsyaAllah. Have a great weekend. Cheers!

A Merry Goose Chase...

2011-08-23T12:03:00.000+08:00

Hi all..
My leave got approved! I am in KL right now, completing my 30 day notice. Let me tell you though that I had to make a lot of phone calls and got kicked from one person to another like a football before finally being able to get any definitive answers (and sometimes, not even that).

They really tried to make it difficult for me and I think if I hadn't persevered I wouldn't have had my leave approved and I would have had to pay one month's worth of basic salary. The person at Records Department in IPK told me that I cannot apply for leave during my 30 day notice. I felt that it was weird because I don't remember reading about it in the rules and regulations of resignation.

So I called Bukit Aman and they said the same thing. They said that my remaining leave days are considered 'burned' and so are my 4 days of OT. It was only when I called JPA that I got a different answer. The lady from the Records department at JPA said that I was eligible to claim a reduced number of leave (as I wasn't working until the end of the year) as well as my 4 OT days as off days.

I called Bukit Aman again and the lady there sounded subdued when I countered what she said earlier to me with what the JPA lady said. She replied by saying that if that's what JPA said then it's fine for me to go ahead with applying my leave. Cis! Pedahal mula-mula bukan main lagi dia minta puji. Mesti hadir tugas tanpa gagal lah, apa lah.

In turn, I called IPK Record department again and told THEM about it but the lady there still insisted that I must work during the 30 day notice because my reason for leaving was for getting a new job in the private sector. She kind of was telling me that I should just do it and not complain. In other words, forget about taking the leave. As if I would go down without a fight. No sirree!

I called JPA again and JPA said that the reason for resignation is nobody's business. I could resign for whatever reason that I wanted and it shouldn't and in fact cannot affect my right to apply for leave during my notice. Imagine if I didn't try to find out from other sources and just relied on IPK or Bukit Aman. I would be wasting almost RM1K. Dosa besar diorang ni tau.. Ei...

Itu baru pasal cuti, belum masuk bab gaji lagi. The IPK lady said that I must pay back my pay for the month of August 2011 and give back the RM500 bonus. I called Bukit Aman in the Salary department and found out that I was eligible for it since anyone who has worked from the 1st of January 2011 to the 8th August 2011 is entitled to get it. Pekeliling JPA bil 8 2011 or something. I had only started my 30 day notice on the 11th of August 2011.

Moral of the story? Mesti mau tanya dari sumber-sumber yang berbeza sebelum berpuas hati dengan jawaban yang diberi. Sometimes the people that we ask are not really well-versed in rules and regulations as they'd like to think they are. Kalau boleh tanya di HQ. Jangan la mau tanya yang setakat di peringkat daerah atau negeri jak. Bukan mau pandang rendah but you can see for yourselves from my experiences right the merry goose chase that they sent me on?

Hopefully there will be no hiccups (although I have a niggling feeling that it would be otherwise). Anyway, I am so glad to be away from that dratted office and when I heard that OPS for road safety is going to start operating today I felt so relieved that I no longer play any part in it. When I look back at all the things that I went through in that small office, I'm surprised that I stayed on as long as I did.

Oh well.. What's most important to me now is that it is almost completely over now. Hopefully I will be able to get a better job with better pay in a better place among better people. Amin.. :)

This is all for now friends. Cheers!

Phy Is Finally Resigning..

2011-08-15T00:06:00.000+08:00

Assalamualaikum and hello peeps...
Yup, you read right.. I am finally, finally taking the big step of resigning from the Government. I don't deny that I feel somewhat scared and anxious about my future but at the same time I feel a sense of excitement about it as well.

I have made my decision known to my boss on Thursday afternoon and he didn't really stop me, although he did ask me to think about it carefully as a lot of people that he knew that resigned ended up regretting their decision. I told him that there is a chance that I may regret it in the future (we might never know), but I really think that it is the best course for me right now.

I have been saying that I wanted to resign since the month of May 2011. So you may ask, what finally pushed me over the edge? Well, a lot actually. Not that I would go specifically into each incident with too much details. Something that happened on Thursday morning was the straw that broke the camel's back..

It really wasn't too big of a deal if that was the only thing that happened. The week before saw me storming off as well from indecent policemen shouting in my face disrespectfully and the week before that my boss made my blood boil from giving me a warning for leaving 15 minutes early while letting others who went out 2 hours early Scott-free.

He even defended them saying that they do more work than I do, which made me wonder how did they have 2 hours more free time than I if that was really the case? Oh, and I never knew that discipline in terms of working hours are only for those who work at counters and not applicable for those in the administration offices. Thanks boss.

So yeah, I finally made my intention known and clear. I thought that I would just need to type up a resignation letter and submit. It turned out that there are forms to fill (download sendiri from the Internet), interrogation (which is totally unnecessary in my opinion. I want to leave cause, obviously, the place sucks), personal letter of resignation and letter of approval from the Big Boss (which again is unnecessary according to the Perintah Am).

Grr... Resigning from the Government is really like going through a messy divorce. I just can't wait to get it over with. I also requested to use up all my leave for the remaining month. Lets just hope it gets approved because I'll be going to KL on the 20th August 2011 and take time to settle my "divorce" from the Government after I come back. I guess it's really up to them whether we do it the easy way or the difficult way.

This is all for now folks. Cheers! Wassalam..

Ya Allah... Ku Mohon...

2011-08-09T13:23:00.000+08:00

Ya Allah,
Kumohon ampun atas segala dosa
dan kejahilanku selama ini.

Ya Allah,
Ku mohon kekuatan dariMu
agar aku dapat mengahadapi cabaran
yg Engkau izinkan atas diriku

Ya Allah,
Ku mohon redhaMu
Agar segala yg ku lakukan
adalah hanya untukMu

Ya Allah
Ku mohon perlindunganMu
Binalah benteng sekelilingku
agar dijauhkan aku dari musuh-musuhMu

Ya Allah,
Ku mohon bimbinganMu
Agar ku dapat menjalani hidupku
sesuai dengan kehendakMu..

Ya Allah,
Ku mohon semua ini
Moga-moga Engkau izinkan aku
untuk mendapat tempat bersamaMu di Syurga.

Amin....

The Most Annoying People During Ramadhan: According To Phy

2011-08-05T08:37:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps,
The month of Ramadhan is here again and before I start bashing I would like to express my gratitude to Allah SWT for allowing me to experience my 7th Ramadhan as a Muslim. May we all enjoy Allah's Blessings and reap the benefits of this month's "Pahala Bonanza" for our time in the after life.

Now let's get back to the topic on hand. I don't know about you, but as much as I love the month of Ramadhan for all its Barakah and all that comes with it, there are certain things that SOME people do that just irks me. Among them are:

The Resenters
I might get a lot of hate for this but hey, bring it on! Seriously, I find this the number one thing that annoys me. I've seen Muslims glaring and bad-mouthing those eating a few tables away. Some even reprimand their non-Muslim friends for eating in front of them.

Hey, I'm a Muslim too. I know how it feels like to fast. The last half an hour is the hardest part and to see people eating at that time when there is food ready in front of you is just pure torture. Do remember though that they have the right to eat wherever and whenever they choose. For me, if you can't resist then save the Diva attitude and go live in a cave.. Or cook at home AND eat at home for breaking fast.

The Judges
These kind of people would see a Muslimah buying food or eating food during the day and immediately judge her as a person who skipped fasting on purpose.

Sometimes I wonder if these people slept their way through Fardhu Ain classes all throughout their school years because if they should know anything, it is that women have "special privileges" when it comes to fasting. They might be having their menstruation, are pregnant or breast-feeding, all of which allows them to be exempt BUT are required to replace before the next Ramadhan comes again.

If it's just mere teasing then I understand but this is full-on judging, sometimes without words (They use 'The Stare' method). More than that (Surprise! Surprise!) other Muslimahs does it too. They throw sidelong weird glances at those who buy food in public. What is that about? You'd think that they are the ones who would have better sense and be more understanding. Sheesh!

The Self-Righteous
This is an extension of the above. I know a lot of people who act like it's their right to know why you are not fasting. Worse of all they can be very rude and intrusive too with their questions.

"Bocor kah adek? Ataupun buat2 bocor jak?"

Ladies, never feel that you need to give explanation to such people. Yeah, you don't want them to think badly of you but if they are nice people and worth the concern, they wouldn't and shouldn't be quick in assuming the worst about you anyways.

The Not-So-Bright Detectives
This is yet ANOTHER extension of the one previous to the above but with no serious malicious intent. "Uh, tak puasa kah adek?" they would ask when they see you carrying food or a bottle of water. Uh, sure I am fasting. I'm just using this water as a mouth wash you see, and the food for cleaning my teeth.

Like, are you for real?

Sometimes I feel like saying yes, I am fasting while immediately biting into my food just to see the look on their faces. Not that I've ever done it before. Just an idea.. A really tempting one. Sigh!

Seasonal OKUs
Ah, my fave kind of people. They would go around doing their thing 10 times slower, complain all the way and every time you ask them to do something they refuse because they are fasting. Suddenly they are disabled. Can't walk to the door to close it, can't go to the next room to get documents, etc.

"Penatlah!"

"Panas lah!"

"Mengantuk lah!"

"Ish, time2 puasa macam ni la mau suruh orang buat benda tu"

Sikap sedemikian sangat ditegah dan dilarang dalam Islam tau. Allah SWT tidak suka. We are to go about doing our usual activities without complaint. Only then will we be able to reap the full benefits of fasting.

The Exhibitionist
This one is almost the same as the above. The difference is that they don't complain too much but really, really show that they are fasting. They would have their long face on, talk about the good deeds that they do because of the month of Ramadhan and end almost every other sentence with "Ya lah, bulan Ramadhan kan. Jadi kena la buat baik,"

Habis, kalo bukan bulan puasa boleh jadi hantu balik la perangai tu? Heraaaaannnnn....

Actually there are more but maybe I'll save them for the next post. Haha... Cheers peeps..

A New Journey..

2011-07-29T09:25:00.000+08:00

Hi all..
I know I haven't been blogging much this month. The truth of the matter is something MAJOR has happened this month but unfortunately I think it's best for me not to talk about it at the moment. All I can say is that I am setting sail on a new unexpected journey filled with worry, anxiety, fear and hopefully, joy.

I really apologize for the lack of posts. I will try my best to do more next month. For those who are still reading and keeping up with my blog, thank you. Your support means a lot to me. Till the next post. Cheers!

Weight Loss Update (As At 13th July 2011)

2011-07-13T21:15:00.003+08:00

Hi there!
I totally forgot to update you guys on my weight loss journey and my experience with Herbalife. Yes, I am continuously taking Herbalife. I can't seem to go by without drinking it at least once a day now. Anyway, lets get to the weigh-in results first before anything else:

7th July 2011

Weight: 71.5KGs

% of fat: 39.9

% of water: 44.0

Muscle mass: 40.3KGs

Physical Level: 3

Metabolism: 1367

Biological age: 50

Bone mass: 2.6KG

Visceral fat: 7

My weight didn't budge compared to the weigh-in previous to that. My percentage of fat increased by 0.5%, percentage of water decreased by 0.4%, my muscle mass decreased by 0.4KG, my metabolic rate decreased by 10 and my bone mass decreased by 0.2KG. Crappy numbers, I know. The only great thing was that my visceral fat decreased from an 8 to a 7.

After my 7-day Herbalife program I decided to do the 10-day program which ended today. So my health coach decided to weigh me before starting my 30-day program tomorrow (which program you choose is up to you.You can keep doing the the 10-day or 7-day program for as long as you like. I just decided to take the 30-day one as it's more cost-effective in the long run). So here are my most recent results:

13th July 2011

Weight: 70.1KGs

% of fat: 38.5

% of water: 45.0

Muscle mass: 40.5KGs

Physical Level: 3

Metabolism: 1364

Biological age: 48

Bone mass: 2.6KG

Visceral fat: 7

I lost 1.4KG, lost 1.4% of fat, increased the water content in my body by 1% (it took hard work, dedication and tons of trips to the loo to achieve this I tell you!) and increased my muscle mass by 0.2KG. Best part of all, I decreased my biological age by 2 years! Yay!!! My metabolic rate decreased by 3 and my visceral fat didn't change. I'm not going to let that get me down though.

Here's what I noticed that I did differently as compared to the 7th July 2011 weigh-in that maybe helped me in some way to lose the weigh:

1. I started drinking the aloe vera and lemon hibiscus tea mix twice a day instead of once a day.

2. I regulated my eating pattern by taking lunch with lots of veggies, a bit of rice and a source of protein just like the picture of the plate in my previous post. (During the time that I lost my initial 1.2 KG, I hadn't started taking Herbalife yet but I was taking regular meals with lunch as the above).

3. I try as much as possible to reinforce 'treat day' every other day to limit yet still get my 'naughty food' fix.

Just a reminder, Herbalife is not a magic product that enables you to eat whatever junk you like, be a couch potato and still make you lose weight. If such product exist believe me, Oprah Winfrey would have found out about it and made it one of her favorite things to give away to her audience during Christmas eons ago.

So, yeah. That's my weigh loss update so far and I am really excited. Am really hoping to get down to the 60KG range by my next weigh-in. Chaiyo!

How Old Are You?

2011-07-07T21:37:00.000+08:00

Question
You will be turning 26 years old in 2012 and your birthday is in the month of June. If someone enquires your age in the month of March 2012, do you:

a) Tell them that you are 25 years old because you not your birthday yet.

b) Tell them that you are 26 years old because 2012 is the year that you would turn 26 anyway so why bother with dates and birthdays?

c) Say "I'll be turning 26 years old this June".

I know the "how old are you?" question is such a trivial thing to spend too much time thinking about but I always pause when I get asked this question by a nurse or by anyone where the age in my record would count. Do I need to be technical about it (a) or do I just generalize it (b)? Preferences aside, is there even an actual 'correct' way to answer?

I have a tween cousin who, when she was a kid, would answer that question with "3 bulan lagi mau 10 tahun" if it was for example, 3 months to her 10th birthday and so on. If she gets asked a few days before her birthday she would say,"Dekat sudah 10 tahun". Haha...

So how would you answer if you get asked this question? Do you answer (a), (b) or (c)?

P/S: I would choose (c).

I'm Married And Single..

2011-07-07T20:31:00.006+08:00

No, no, no, I hadn't just jumped on a plane to Thailand and gotten married. Sorry for the kind of misleading title. I'll be honest and say that this is a rant post concerning married (and single) men and the common way they think about wives and marriage. If you feel that this is not your cup of tea or that this might offend you, do click the 'Back' button and forever hold your peace. Thanks.

As a Government Servant I have witnessed this scenario happen countless times. Husband or wife both work in the Government, one gets transferred and the other tries to follow. Normally, the wife is the latter of course.

Last month someone I know's wife managed to transfer to the district of Tuaran and while us women reacted with "Dapat sudah dia pindah? Wah, syukur la. Mesti dia gembira kan?" upon hearing the good news, the guys reaction could not have been more different than ours. Among the comments were:

"Terhad la sudah pergerakan dia"

"Ha,claim sy sudah masuk. Boleh la keluar... Kalau tidak takut bini lah... Bahahaha..."

I don't know about other women but I kind of feel annoyed and offended at the guys' comments. Why do they always relate a wife who come to join her husband (up-rooting herself from a familiar environment. and plunging into a scary and unknown place) as a drag?

Sure, the guy will not be able to go out whenever he likes or do whatever he likes. Isn't that part and parcel of marriage? With marriage comes responsibility and also change. You can't expect to get married and enjoy the benefits while still adopting the single life. Otak letak mana, di lutut kah?

Sure, I am not married and may be the last person who is qualified to talk about the subject. I've heard from some friends that they wish that they are single again when life is free and easy with no worries. That's common and there's nothing really wrong with that. Having the day out with the girls, doing girly things and splurging on something completely useless and whimsical is accepted 'single' behavior and to be adopted occasionally as it is good for the soul.

However, coming home drunk after a wild night's bash is not okay. Text flirting and dating other men is not okay and neither is it 'harmless'. Same goes with the men. Going out with the guys to 'ngerteh' (have a drink, whatever choice of beverage that may be) occasionally is fine. Stumbling home drunk is not okay. Flirting and asking for other women's number is not okay.

Marriage is a sacred union and needs constant TLC and attention to blossom and grow. Even if you are a 'liberally-minded' married couple, there are boundaries that just cannot be crossed. It's true, how a couple manage their marriage is none of my concern. It pains me though to often (much too often, I'm afraid) see marriages go down the drain caused by practicing the 'single' life. Yes, event the liberal ones who do it together.

Back to what I was saying earlier, sometimes people (especially married men) tend to overly worship and covet the 'freedom' of single life that they over-look the bright side of marriage. It's not all ball and chains and electrocuting barbed fences. You get a companion to share your happy and not so happy moments, a person to snuggle up to at night and, well, do 'other things' with. You get a shared income, a ready pair of arms to hug you and a cheering squad of at least 1 when your down or working towards achieving something.

That bachelor best friend of yours that you are jealous of and love to hate? He drives haphazardly back to his studio apartment (the only thing he can afford with his single income) rip-roaring drunk and stumbles into his bed (single-sized, assuming that he has one), and wake up the next morning with a hangover that could reduce any jaded rock star to their knees with no one to help them out of bed to go pee.

Conclusion? Men, it's best to hold off from getting married if you're not as financially, emotionally, mentally or spiritually ready as you can possibly be. Granted no one can ever be 100% ready for such a huge and unpredictable undertaking, but keeping an open mind to the changes that may come and not being resentful of the doors that might be closed to you will help you to see the new doors that materializes once you get married, insyaAllah...

P/S: This also applies to married women who view their husbands as a 'burden' just because they can't do all that they used to be able to do when they were single. If you want to live the single life for ever and ever, just don't get married. Simple. Jangan gatal mau Fairytale Wedding baru mengada mau buat perangai yang tidak ketentuan lepas sudah kahwin.

Common Weight Loss Myths and Misconceptions

2011-07-06T01:32:00.002+08:00

Before I go any further, I would like to make a disclaimer. I picked up on these misconceptions through talking with the women that I met at the Nutrition Club and my intention is to clarify these myths, not to air anyone's dirty laundry to all and sundry.

Also, I am not a nutritionist nor am I an expert. Far from it, I am just a regular girl who has read a mini library worth of books on nutrition and weight-loss for the past 8 years on my life in an attempt to find ways to slim down. I myself had once believed in these myths and I'm sure that there are others out there who do too.

Last but not least, I explain in my own words and not using bombastic scientific terms so if you're a dietitian, a doctor or someone who studies sport science/nutrition and you stumble across this post, don't hang me for not using the 'correct' terms.

Now that I have put that out there, lets get on to some of the common misconceptions about losing weight:

Myth 1
Don't eat, you will lose weight faster
The truth is, when you don't eat you won't be able to lose weight! Think of the body's metabolism like a car. A car needs fuel to run right? Same goes with our body's metabolism. It needs food in order to burn energy (namely fat, which is excess energy) in our bodies or else it turns sluggish and slow down, burning less.

Without food, this is what our metabolism would look like...

Another thing to remember is that the body is very adaptable and, kind of have 'a mind of it's own'. When we don't eat, our bodies go into 'starvation mode' by slowing down its metabolism to preserve energy because it 'thinks' that we are stuck in a dessert somewhere with nothing to eat! By slowing down the usage of energy, our bodies will be able to survive longer without food until we get 'rescued' (or so it thinks). Pedahal orang mati2 nda makan supaya kurus. Hehe...

Myth 2
All that matters is what the scale shows (aka the scale is God)
This is not necessarily true. Undeniably as we lose the excess fat on our bodies we will lose weight. However, weight loss is very relative to a lot of factors. Fluctuation in water intake, hormone changes, stress, lack of sleep, muscle development or loss, etc can make it seem as if you're losing, gaining or maintaining your weight (walaupun sudah exercise macam mau mamp*s selama beberapa minggu).

For example you do strength training for two weeks and when you weigh yourself, the scale shows no reduction in numbers. It doesn't necessarily mean that you're not losing fat. The weight that you've lost in fat might have been replaced by increased muscle mass from strength training.

The best way to measure is using your clothes. If you're getting slimmer, your clothes will be looser. No need to obsess too much over the numbers on the scale.. :)

Myth 3
Must.Not.Eat.After.Dark.. *faint*
While this is not a total myth, there are mixed views regarding this. The majority agrees that not eating at night is key to weight loss. There are others though that think it's not so much of when you eat but what and how much you eat that matters.

Granted, at night we wind down and relax from our busy day, thus not exerting as much energy or needing much 'fuel' as during the day time. However, not eating at all at night will result in you feeling famished in the morning (making you wanting to eat everything in sight) or even worse, having the munchies in the middle of the night.

Having a serving of something light such as plain crackers or fruit at least 2 hours before bed time will prevent this from happening. If you are still Hell-bent on not eating anything after 7pm, know that it's a good idea to drink a glass of milk about an hour before going to bed to prevent midnight trips to the fridge.

Myth 4
Rice is the ENEMY! Die rice! Die!
There is so much animosity towards rice in the 'Dieting World' that you'd think that people would rather see the late Osama Bin Laden alive and kicking rather than eat a spoon-full of rice. Personally, I've always believed that everything that Allah SWT has created for us and has NOT commanded us not to consume (meaning any food that is Halal) is okay to eat but portion and balance is key.

Brown rice is a good option as it is a hi GI (Glycemic Index) type of carbohydrates (from henceforth will be called carbs)**. If you don't like the taste of brown rice or if it's hard to find, you can always eat white rice but keep the portion small. Eat using a smaller plate and fill 1/2 of it with vegetables (another type of hi GI carbs), 1/4 with a source of protein (preferably fish or chicken) and the remaining 1/4 with rice. Allow a small space for fats such as sauces or condiments.

**Confused? Basically hi GI type of carbs are the ones that contain lots of fiber, making it hard for our digestive system to breakdown. This releases energy slowly, making us feel full longer.

Low GI carbs are the opposite. They provide us with a spike of energy and drops our blood sugar level to an ultimate low, making us feel hungry all within a short span of time. Foods with low GI carbs includes anything that is high in sugar and low in fiber. So remember this formula peeps. Hi GI carbs , good. Low GI carbs, bad.

Myth 5
All low-fat/no sugar/zero calorie foods are God-sent for the waist
Wrong! In fact, most low fat/no sugar/ zero calories thingamajig contains sky high levels of sugar (yup even the 'no sugar' ones) or other forms of sweetener such as corn syrup (and no, it's still not good for you even if it's made out of corn) and chemicals to make up for the lack of taste after the fats have been removed.

More often than naught, we're better off eating the real thing (fats and all) rather than opting for the 'low-anything' ones. One way of knowing if the 'healthy' foods are bad for you? Take a look at the ingredients. If you can't pronounce more than one of them in the list, put it back on the grocery isle.

As for myself, I would pick butter or mayo over the light versions of both any day. The original ones have more flavor as compared to the light versions and thus a little is enough to satisfy the taste buds.. Another danger of using 'light' versions is that people tend to feel that because they are using the 'good' or 'holy' option, they can use more of it. Kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it?

So there you have it, some of the most common weight loss myths of all time (I think). I hope you guys find this useful. Cheers!

P/S: All photos are courtesy of Google search and www.elleandblair.com

Love,
Phoebe...

Herbalife- A Testimonial..

2011-07-01T21:10:00.001+08:00

First of all I would like to make a disclaimer that I am in no way affiliated with Herbalife. I am not getting paid to say this nor am I a member of Herbalife. This is just me sharing my experience about taking products under this brand.

I first tried Herbalife over 3 years ago and I did it to lose weight. I didn't feel like I was experiencing anything positive health-wise because I was so focused on the weight loss aspect of it. This time around however as I've mentioned in one of my previous posts I did it just to try it out and check my progress with their weigh in system.

My last day with the 7 day program was yesterday but I decided to continue taking Herbalife because I noticed some positive changes in just 11 days (I skipped 4 random days). As a couch potato, to say that I am a sedentary person is an understatement. I try to get in a bit of exercise at lunch time by going back to my house which is 10 minutes away from the station but that's about it.

First of all I started jogging around 2 weeks ago and expected to experience muscle soreness but I didn't. I drink a 'full course' after work (aloe, tea and shake) before I jog and on the first day that I did this I was afraid that I would experience weakness and extreme hunger either during or right after jogging. Again, my fears were unfounded. Instead it gave me energy that I didn't know I had.

I only get to jog about 2 times a week because of the weather and when it rained yesterday I decided to substitute jogging with stair climbing (20 times up 2 flights of stairs). I know, very ambitious right? Needless to say, I was ready to die by the time I completed my work out and my legs were on fire. Again, I expected to feel muscle pain today but I only experienced minor of minor discomfort that did not hinder me in any way.

The most noticeable change however is in my skin. I have a skin condition called eczema where it flakes and when I eat certain foods like eggs, beef or shrimp paste my skin would flare up. Lets just not get to the graphic details okay? I have been taking Ezede for my allergies and topical creams were my best friend.

I recently realized that my skin haven't been itching as much and that all the flared up areas are, well, no longer flared up. It's healing up nicely and I haven't used topical cream for ages since my last bug tube ran out. Yay! I feel so free. So yeah, despite the hefty price I think I am going to continue with taking Herbalife as much as my lack of funds allow me to.

Today I started to take it as my breakfast and Kak J who prepares it for me, Bless her generous soul, gave me a double dose of protein. Haha.. Thank you Kak J. I still experienced the munchies but when I eat I find that a little is enough to satisfy me so I feel that taking it for breakfast is probably much better in terms of weight loss. Haven't tried jogging with this new routine though so it might change.

If you're worried about spending the money, you can find a Herbalife Nutrition Club near you (there's one in Wisma Merdeka and also one in Inanam that I know of) and do what I did, try the 7 day program first. They also have a 10 day program and a 30 day one as well.

There's no need to get carried away with just the weight loss or the business part of Herbalife (I know some of the members can be a bit pushy when it comes to buying products). Just invest in your health according to your needs and priorities.

I hope this is helpful for you. Cheers!

Love,
Phoebe...

Be The Boss Of You.. Love Your Body!

2011-07-01T13:20:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was my 7th and final day of taking Herbalife shake with the Herbalife Nutrition Club. I was asked to weigh in and this is what my numbers showed:

Weight: 71.5KGs

% of fat: 39.4

% of water: 44.4

Muscle mass: 40.7KGs

Physical Level: 3

Metabolism: 1377

Biological age: 50

Bone mass: 2.8KG

Visceral fat: 8

The numbers were disappointing but then again not too surprising as I weighed in at the end of the day instead of early in the morning.. Silly me. However during those short moments of resentment I came to realize just how far I've deviated from my initial purpose and principles.

Yes, I want to lose weight but I also want to be fitter and slimmer. Losing weight doesn't necessarily mean that you're getting thinner and vice versa. I am gaining muscle mass and bone density so that could be the contributing factor of the less than desirable weight loss.

To all of you out there who have tried slimming products and failed, I understand how you feel. I too, have tried so many slimming products before including Herbalife and failed. It is only recently that I realized why I never succeed with any brand of slimming products. It is because I have too high and expectation for them.

I think of the products as miracle items that will help me not feel hunger for hours so that I won't have to eat. When I do feel hunger (which is only 1 hour after taking the product) I get angry and frustrated because I feel as if I have been spending my money for naught. What's the use of me buying them if I still feel hungry?

I kind of put myself in the position of a victim. As if I am helpless and have no self-control without this product and if it doesn't make me feel NOT hungry the product is going to MAKE me fail at losing weight. See how wrong my mind-set was?

I recently realized that I am the one in charge for what I put into my mouth. I am the one who is responsible for the workouts that I do. I am in control of when I give my body nutrition, not Herbalife, Sendayu Tinggi or any of those slimming products out there. I am the boss of ME and those products are simply assistants to help me.

We have the power to resist temptation and choose our moments and pleasures. For example, I give myself a treat every other day which is a 2-finger Kit Kat bar. Yesterday was not treat day but I was craving to have cheese baked rice. Instead of having it yesterday when the craving hit, I decided to have it today and forgo my Kit Kat bar.

See? I chose my moment of pleasure and I feel very proud of that small accomplishment because I have always thought that I am one of those people who can't resist anything. It's still something that I am working on and I believe that every effort counts no matter how small it might seem.

Also, remember that everyone is different and not all eating programs and fitness routine suits everyone. Some may be able to resist eating junk food at the blink of the eye and others might be able to not eat rice for months without too much effort. Know yourself and tailor your eating program and fitness routine to suit you. You too, can be the boss of YOU and make it happen.

I hope that this post is helpful for those out there who is struggling with their weight issues. Please, please don't torture your bodies by taking medications, starving, purposely giving yourself food poisoning and etc. Love your body because it is the only one we have and it's not even ours, it's a precious gift that Allah is lending to us during our time here on Earth.

Cheers everyone!

Love,

Phoebe..

Treat Day And Cravings..

2011-06-30T10:43:00.001+08:00

Today I am feeling much better from my cold. The medication that the doctor gave me worked magic but it makes me so sleepy. I normally don't take naps in the day time because I wouldn't be able to sleep at night but yesterday I had an 8-hour nap in the day time and still fell asleep at 10pm.

Yesterday was treat day and I decided to have RM1 worth of kuih pisang. It's been so long since I've had some so you can imagine how blissful I felt munching on them. Hihihi.. Today I am craving cheese baked rice from a new place in Tuaran, at the former Agrobank. I think it might be called J&C (or maybe just JC).

Ate there on last Sunday and their signature dish, the Portuguese Chicken is quite nice but the salad has sugar granules in it which was puzzling. Hmm.. Will need to ask them about that later. Ah, will have to wait until tomorrow to have my cheese baked rice.. Sabar Phy, sabar..

I had planned to participate in the Sutera Harbor Sunset 7K run but I don't know where to register and pay. It's being held at sunset too and I'm not sure if I could join since I don't have my own transport.. Huhu..
Hopefully I'll be able to figure things out and am still training for it.

Two Steps Forward And One Step Back...

2011-06-29T14:54:00.002+08:00

I wen to Herbalife again on Sunday,cringing at what the numbers might read. I have been exposed to 'naughty' foods since the eve of my birthday (cake), on the day itself and the day after as well. I didn't get to run on Wednesday because of technical problems and I didn't get to run on Friday as well during the week of my birthday. I tried my best to chose the healthier options and limit my portions (most of the time) and here are the numbers:

Weight: 71.6KGs

% of fat: 39.6

% of water: 44.2

Muscle mass: 40.7KGs

Physical Level: 3

Metabolism: 1376

Biological age: 50

Bone mass: 2.6KG

Visceral fat: 8

All in all it's not really that bad. It could have been worse if I had not controlled myself so I am quite at peace with it. I would be lying though if I say that I am completely unfazed. I did not want to go through the disappointment of losing and gaining weight again so I threw myself into my jogging that evening pushing myself further.

Yes, I must admit that seeing the numbers rise made me think about not wanting to eat another morsel but I try to get past those feelings because it's not good for my emotional health. Not eating will make my body go into starvation mode by holding on to my storage of fat, making it harder to lose weight which I don't want.

I was supposed to go jogging yesterday but it rained and today I came down with fever and flu. I read somewhere that one shouldn't exercise when sick because it exerts the body when the body is supposed to be resting to recover from illness. Argh, it's so frustrating!

This is all for now friends. My next weigh in will be on this Friday I think, insyaAllah... Wish me luck!

Unwrapping The Most Perfect Gift Ever...

2011-06-25T18:43:00.000+08:00

I must say, I had planned for my 25^th birthday to be special but I didn't expect things to turn out the way it did.. The plan was that boo and I would have a quiet dinner at a nice restaurant that he picked out. I was expecting somewhere like Upperstar (a favorite place of mine) and had already planned what I was going to order (grilled salmon).

We were on our way to (what I thought was) Upperstar when boo asked me to unwrap his present. It was a big, flat box in a rectangular shape. Heavy too.. I started to tear (yup, I'm un-ladylike that way) the pink wrapping paper. Boo was saying that it was a makeup set. Then he said it was a game.

I finally got to the box and... I saw the word 'Acer' and stopped totally dead. Shock and disbelief washed over me in waves and I turned to see boo smiling. Tears started to fall down my cheeks and I was quite speechless. Boo urged me to keep on ~~tearing~~ unwrapping the gift.

I continued, and the paper revealed the picture of a laptop. A notebook actually. I trembled even more, whimpered and started to bawl my eyes out. Boo was laughing and continued to urge me to open the box. “Who knows, it might be something else,” he said with twinkling eyes.

I opened the box to find pulled out a notebook, but not just any notebook. It was the Aspire One Happy notebook model in pink color! I nearly died then and there. I pulled it out and boo started telling me about the features but only half of it registered into my brain.

It is simply just beautiful, all shiny and new in all its glory. Naturally I was crying even harder. I just felt so touched by all the thought and effort he put into his gift. I had mentioned that I was planning to buy my own notebook so that I can blog (I have been borrowing boo's notebook and going to cc's all this while) anytime I wanted to.

I really didn't expect boo to fulfill my dream of owning a notebook. It is the most perfect present ever. Not only can I now blog from it, it's also so lightweight and thin so I can bring it with me wherever I go. On top of it all, it's pink!

Oh, but the surprise wasn't over yet. Boo turned the car into the Venetian at Penampang. Turned out he brought me to the Venetian's restaurant named the Tasty Wok for my birthday dinner instead of Upperstar as I expected. It looked so posh too and I was pretty impressed. And yeah, I cried some more.

The funny thing is boo told me that when I started crying he thought that I hated his present. Can you imagine? How on Allah's earth could I have loved something that I have been coveting to have for years now? I guess my incomprehensible blubbering didn't help either.

I know I wished for an iPad 2 but with such a presentation, who cares about the iPad 2 now? Certainly not me. I would pick boo's notebook over it and I really mean it.

By the way, the Tasty Wok was excellent. The food is really delicious, even a simple dish like sweet sawi cooked with garlic. The prawns (from the top 10 dishes at RM10) cooked with dried chillies and cashews was reminiscent of a dish I had eaten during my Guilin trip. The Seafood Cheese Omelet is to die for and the fried chicken (also from the top 10 dishes at RM10 list) was really nice.

Great tasting dishes with affordable prices and a beautiful ambience. What more can one ask for right?

After our dinner we were joined by boo's cousins and some of our other friends. We had a total blast! Like I said, I wanted my 25^th birthday to be special and it really was. The perfect gift, a delicious dinner and being surrounded with friends.. I have not felt this happy in a long, long time. I think I'll take this as a good omen for my future.

Winky the pinky notebook..

Thank you boo, for all the effort and thought that you put into my birthday celebration. You have gone above and beyond. I love you so much.

Phy Has A Report Card...

2011-06-20T23:55:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am (almost) 25 years old and I have a report card. A weight report card that is, for monitoring my weigh. I got mine courtesy of Herbalife. Now before going further, I just want to say that I am not promoting Herbalife, nor am I using it as a tool to lose weight. It's just that Herbalife is really big now at the police station and there's a Herbalife club in the nearby area.

I first discovered this club 5 days ago when a friend offered to 'buy me a drink' and brought me there. I have had experience with Herbalife before. I didn't like it because it comprises of drinking a lot of fluids and while that is generally a good thing, I feel that with Herbalife, there are just too much fluids to consume in a day.

I was weighed in on the 15th June 2011 and here's my result:

Weight: 72.3KGs
% of fat: 42.7
% of water: 41.9
Muscle mass: 39.0KGs
Physical Level: 3
Metabolism: 1338
Biological age: 50 (GASP! NOOOOOOO!!!!!)
Bone mass: 2.5KG
Visceral fat: 9

Today (20th June 2011) I went in for my 2nd weight in:

Weight: 71.1KGs (Yahoo!)

% of fat: 39.1 (Yay!)

% of water: 44.5

Muscle mass: 40.7KGs

Physical Level: 3

Metabolism: 1373

Biological age: 50 (Grrrrrrr!!!!)

Bone mass: 2.6KG

Visceral fat: 7 (Yay!)

While I do feel ecstatic, I'm afraid to feel too happy because I would usually reach 68KGs then gain the weight back again. I guess I'm just afraid to believe that it would stay off this time. However, that's not stopping me from patting myself on the back. I mean, I did work hard so why not right?

More than the weight loss however I feel that the best thing that I had accomplished so far is having something very upsetting happen today and managing to control myself from not going into a bakery and buying a sugar-laden pseudo cupcake and 3 bags of chips. Not easy but I managed to do it so yay!

I've signed up for the 1 week trial of Herbalife, not for weigh loss but only as a nutritional supplement. Today is the official start of that week and I went jogging after taking 1 full glass of Aloe drink (something new from the last time I tried Herbalife 3 years ago), 1 full glass of Hibiscus and Lemon tea, 1 full glass of shake and 1 full glass of water (told ya' there's too much fluids in the program).

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn't feel weak at all while jogging. Unfortunately I began to feel hungry after 2 hours of taking Herbalife. It was still better than the first time I drank it last week where I became hungry every hour from 3.30PM till 7.30PM. The horror! But the leader of the club said it was because my fat was being burned. Tidak tau la kan betul atau tidak..

Will keep you guys updated on my progress, insya-Allah. Cheers!

Phy Is A Quarter Of A Century..

2011-06-20T22:36:00.000+08:00

Hi all...

In case you don't know, I'll be turning 25 in a couple of days. I can't believe that I'd written this post a year ago. Yeah, I was kicking up a big fuss about turning 24 years old. However, this year I am quite happy turning 25. I say quite because 25 is one of my favorite number.

On the down side I feel that as a 25 year old I am in my prime and should have a good idea of what I want in life and going after it full force. Unfortunately, I do have an idea of what I want but the path to pursuing it is still a bit hazy. I'm on my way though and that's what matters....

So what are birthday posts for if not to put out a wish list right? Hehehe... Bagi sesiapa yang ingin membuat saya gumbira pada hari yang cukup bersejarah ini, check it out:

MAC Amber Lights Eyeshadow

MAC Club Eyeshadow

MAC Nylon Eyeshadow

MAC Paintpot in Blackground

MAC Paintpot in Painterly

Chatterbox

Creme Cup

Magically Cooling Powder in Truth and Light..

Okay the following is such a long shot but if any filthy-rich-multi-millionaire with generous souls out there are reading this, you know what to do... Call me.. No, just joking. Actually these are the luxury (at least, they're a luxury for me) items that I intend to own in the future:

Gambar siap ada price list lagi.. Hehehe... *hint* *wink*

Canon EOS 600D

So that's all for now peeps. Cheers!

French-fy Your Eating Habits- Bite 2 (Waddling Is No Fun).

2011-06-19T11:43:00.000+08:00

Hi,
If you've been reading my blog for a while now you would know that my job and ~~pet alien~~ colleague has been driving me up the wall. With that comes stress and when an emotional eater as myself starts to get stressed out, I eat. And eat. And eat. My vice? Anything sweet and potato chips taken a few times a day.

I know it's bad and I know it's wrong. I just felt helpless and stuck in my job and while the solution was staring at me in the face, I didn't have the courage to do what needs to be done. It wasn't until last month that I realized that I couldn't do it anymore and I need to get out.

When that realization hit me, I became anxious and ate some more. I started to make plans and just as I was putting things into motion I stumbled into a few blocks on the road, slowing down the implementation process of my plans. That made me frustrated and I continued my 'dosage' of chocolate and crisps 3 times a day.

It was only last Sunday when I was walking that I realized something funny (not in a haha sense either). It was a few more steps before I realized that I.Was.Waddling. Aaaaaarrrgghhh!!!! No longer am I walking with my signature walk (ahem) but I was waddling. Nooooooooo!!!!

Then there were some photos taken a few days earlier from my trip to Kudat that really enhanced my royal hugeness and I almost died with embarrassment. Okay, okay I know what you're thinking. All this while pun besar takkan baru hari ni sedar?

Here's the weird thing about being overweight. You know you're big but somehow you don't realize just how big. There had been pictures taken of me before but even though I looked at me in the pictures I didn't really SEE myself if that makes any sense.

Her Royal Hugeness..

Anyway, on that same Sunday I started to apply what I learned from the book French Women Don't get Fat. In my last post on this book it was about doing a food journal. Now the 2nd phase is to pin point which foods that we're having in excess and how to cut them down.

We need to ask ourselves questions such as do we really need that much bread for breakfast in the morning?Can I cut down potato chips completely? Do I need at least chocolate once a day or will every other day will suffice? From the food journal we will also be able to see what is lacking in our diet such as not drinking enough water or not eating enough veggies and fruits, etc.

For me I was not eating enough fruits and veggies, I didn't have variety in my diet and I was eating too much chocolate and crisps (surprise, surprise). So starting on Monday (13/06/2011) I started to make some changes. Here's what I did:

- I drink water first thing in the morning.
- I take a spoon of wild honey (from the Gombizau Honey Bee Farm in Kudat) everyday either in the morning or at night. It helps to improve digestion.
- I drink 2 glasses of milk daily (Calcium helps to reduce weight too).
- I eat a cup of steamed corn kernels every other day because the natural sweetness curbs my sweet tooth and its an excellent source of fiber.
- I make sure I eat rice for lunch. I fill 1/2 my plate with veggies, 1/4 with rice and 1/4 with chicken.
- I try to eat a piece of fruit a day.
- I cut out potato chips completely.
- I have chocolate every other day on the days when I don't eat corn kernels. I usually take the 2-finger Kit Kat instead of the 4-finger one.
- I try to walk more than 5000 steps a day (my cell has a build in pedometer)

I'm glad to say that so far I do not crave chocolate too much because of the corn. Passing motion is a breeze and every single day now. I feel more alert and don't feel sleepy in the middle of the day. It has only been 1 week and I am hoping that I will be able to keep up with it even on bad days.

For next week I aim to:
- Walk more than 6000 steps a day.
- Take muesli for breakfast at least every other day. If I could eat it everyday even better.
- Jog every other day.
- Eat dinner no later than 8pm. I know, I know people say eat before 7pm but I'm doing this one step at a time.

As you can see I'm making slow and gradual changes so that it would be permanent. Personal issues need to be addressed as well because that's what always makes me fall off the band wagon.

That's all for now. Cheers!

June Updates, Another First Experience And The Law of Attraction..

2011-06-18T09:50:00.000+08:00

Hi all...

Sorry for the long hiatus.. I hadn't been well for the 1st week of June. Me and boo came down with diarrhea for 4 days when we ate kerang bakar in Salut road side. We also drank kelapa bandung where the bandung drink is made with coconut water and served in a coconut shell with it's flesh intact. Both the kerang bakar and bandung kelapa were sooooo delicious. I would go there again, only maybe next time armed with Chi-Kit Teck Aun pills. Hehe..

The next day after our drive to Salut, we went to Kudat once again. This time it was planned and we took the time to check out the Gambizau Honey Farm and the Rungus Long House. Best!! The floor of the long house freaked me out though. I felt as if it was not strong enough to support my body weight and the gaps on them made me paranoid that I would accidentally poke my toes through one of the gaps and fall.

Admission is RM5 for local adults..

The honey bee 'houses'..

Our guide smoke the bees using dried coconut husks so that they won't ~~attack~~ sting us visitors..

Freaking out inside...

Unfortunately 'honey season' is in July and August so we weren't able to see how honey looks like in the comb.

Rungus Long House..

It's actually a lodge..

Steps...

A few of the Rungus ladies selling beaded handicrafts

Correct me if i have the name or spelling wrong but this is a traditional game called Tonduo Dazai wich when translated means 'figure it out yourself' or 'fikirlah sendiri'.. The objective is to free the string from the interlocked ratan..

The door to the individual rooms of the lodge..

Boo..

Aum... Bahahaha...

Inside the rooms..

The gaps on the floor had me walking gingerly across it to get to the other side of the house..

The common kitchen..

Our third destination was ~~of course~~ Simpang Mengayau. We were quite tired by this time and almost didn't go but decided to do so anyway because the first time we did it rained and to be honest, it was quite a miserable experienced. Boy am I glad that we went the second time around.

The weather was a total opposite from our first trip. I was soooooo hot? The blistering heat even prompted me to buy an ice cream Drumstick despite it being sold double the price. Despite all that, the scenery looked gorgeous. When the sun's rays reflect off the sea (something to be enjoyed only with a pair of sunglasses on), it looked like precious stones.

The agonizing walk to the 'tip' from the parking lot. Actually, it's the walk BACK to the parking lot that's extra painful because of the blistering heat.

The light house in the distance..

See how shimmery the water is?

Macam iklan pula tau...

Sy pun mau buat iklan juga..

Aisehmen.. Jangan marah haa...

I wore the wrong type of footwear to Simpang Mengayau lah.. If I had worn sturdier shoes I would have been able to go down right to the water's edge.. Huhu.. After Simpang Mengayau we went back home, exhausted but very satisfied. Thank you boo...

On the 9th I had my first experience of being run over by a car.. Okay, that was embellished. Actually, my left foot got run over by none other than Crystal, boo's car. Boo asked me to warm up his car. It wasn't the first time for me and I usually check to see if Crystal's gear is free before starting her up because I was paranoid of starting her and her gear wasn't free that she would suddenly start moving by herself.

On that particular day I didn't check the gear and simply started Crystal. Guess what? She DID started to move on her own. I screamed for boo as I ran alongside her trying to get to the keys but I was caught in a bush and fell. My left foot then got run over by Crystal's right back tyre.

Boo ran up to me and wanted to help me but I yelled as him to stop Crystal because she was moving towards a ditch. He caught up with her, dived in through the front passenger door My heart was truly in my mouth as I watched both of them moving closer and closer towards the ditch before Crystal mercifully stopped literally 2 feet from it.

It turned out that Crystal was in 1st gear and the handbrake wasn't pulled up. It never happened before and I guess boo was really tired or had his mind elsewhere when he switched off the engine. It really chilled me to think of what might have happened if boo hadn't managed to stop her in time not to mention the cost of repairing her.

As for my foot, it hurt like hell. I was lucky that none of the bones were broken even though my foot was in a slanted position when it got run over. I just had a limp for a few hours and after that could walk like normal. I only experienced a bit of swelling on the day of the incident. Although I must say, I still feel a bit of pain on my foot when I press the area that was injured now. Huhu...

So that's all for now. Stay tuned for more posts.. Cheers!

Skins and Facebook

2011-06-05T15:58:00.000+08:00

Hi,
So about 4 years ago Friendster was really big and one of the attractions is being able to customize one's profile page with various backgrounds and layouts. Then Facebook trumped Friendster and became a worldwide phenomenon.

Facebook, unlike Friendster, doesn't have all the customizable profile thing going on and to be honest this is kind of a relief for me because personally I feel really pressured in picking the 'right' layout that looks uber cool. My fears are not unfounded either. Your layout is an expression of who you are and if it ain't cool then you're not cool either.

With Facebook I feel like everyone is equal. You only get to see how cool people are if you actually go into their photo albums and see the exciting things they do and the awesome places they go to. Other than that, they're just like everyone else with their blue and white background. Until recently that is.

Last month when a girl sitting beside me in a bus whipped out her lappy and logged on her Facebook. That's when I saw a Facebook skin 'in action' for the first time and no joke, it left me paralyzed with horror for a few seconds. I went like, "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" inside.

Great. Now that Facebook has skins available it's just a matter of time before everyone jumps on the bandwagon and we get judged by our tastes again. When you're younger it's more forgivable to pick the 'wrong' and the ugly. It's so much more difficult now that I'm a working young woman.

Not only will I need to pick something that's in my favorite color, I would also need to pick something that reflects who I am without sending the wrong message or impressions to my future employers while at the same time look cool and hopefully unique. Talk about pressure.

Now I know what you're saying. If I feel so negatively about it then don't install it. Problem solved right? Wrong. As grown up as I am, I still have this need to conform to the norm around me. And I don't have anything against pimping my profile really, it's just the whole judgement on what I choose that makes me a wee bit anxious.

Nevertheless, I decided to check out one of the sites that provides Facebook skins and here are some of that caught my attention:

Okay, so being a girly girl, I immediately clicked on the Girly category and I feel a bit confused. Since when does girly equals soft porn?

Imagine if I pick this as my FB skin. Haha.. Kalah orang yang kerja di MAC Counter oh..

Now this is an expression of a side of me but unfortunately blue is not my color and it doesn't really look classy or sophisticated for the benefit of my future employers. Yeah, neurotic I know.

This is an example on how skins can give out the wrong message or impression. Talk about desperate. And when the husband sees this somebody's gonna have a lot of explaining to do.

In the end this is what I picked:

Perfect!

Phy Is Confused..

2011-05-31T17:30:00.001+08:00

Okay, so I have made my decision to resign from the Government. Now, my dilemma is the next step from here. Where do I go? What do I do? Boo suggested that I apply for banks here in KK. However to be honest, I am trying my best to branch away from Finance.

I graduated with a Diploma in Business Studies and I studied accounts and finance as much as I studied economics, PR, HR, Sales and Marketing. I'm a bit concerned that if I take up a position in Finance once again, I'll be stuck in that line forever when in actual fact, I am perfectly qualified to take on other line of work.

I attended a friend's elder sister's wedding at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort last Saturday with my sister and both of us worked there before. After the wedding we took a walk to the new building which was the Ocean Wing and were bowled away at the changes and beauty of it all.

Last week I also met a British young lady who happens to be an English teacher at Tamparuli. She came to the Traffic counter to pay for her parking fines and as we were chatting I felt so happy. I totally felt my hotelier side come out. Suddenly I remember how I used to meet such people everyday.

It made me really miss working in a hotel. Or rather, it made me miss working under Shangri-La at their resorts. It made me miss working in the front line, meeting new people and learning new things everyday. In case you didn't know, I was once a Guest Relations Officer Trainee and I was the happiest I've ever been during those times.

Bird's Eye View of Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort

How can you not be inspired with such beauty?

I got inspired everyday by the beauty of my then-workplace and I love being surrounded by luxury. I'm a shy person but I managed to break through and make small conversations with guest, show them around, making courtesy calls, etc. Those short two months really did have a deep impact in my life and how I conduct myself.

So, what's the prob? you may ask. If you love it so much just work in the front line of a resort then. Well, the downside to that is the pay. I'm not sure about other resorts but the basic pay for front liners are pretty crappy. And the evening and overnight shifts? I'd need a car, which I won't be able to afford with the measly pay that I would be getting.

I've also worked in the offices of another one of Sabah's local Shangri-La's resorts. The pay was slightly better but not by too far of a stretch. It's office hours though and I figured if I go into the Sales Department, it would be the best of both world's now wouldn't it? Then again, I would still need a car to meet potential customers...

Okay fine, just work in a company that pays handsomely. Yeah, well you see I don't do that well with 4-corner offices or jobs that requires me to be at the offices typing letters all day. Don't get me wrong, I love typing when I'm 'writing' but typing company letters? It makes me feel like my soul is slowly shriveling and dying. No offence to those who actually do this kind of job. Hats off to ya'.

This dilemma has been going around and around in my head. Don't even get me started on whether I should stay here in Sabah or move back to KL. Yeah, as in Kuala Lumpur and not Kampung Luagan. I love Sabah and I sincerely prefer being here in my 'planet' of familiar faces, way of speaking and food than there for all it's glory. I know that I would miss Sabah terribly if I move but unfortunately, the pay is higher there..

Can you imagine how nauseous I feel every time I try to figure things out? Yes, it does look like I am being a bit picky over my next job but I just have a better idea of what I am, what I like and prefer. I want my next job to be something that I won't regret to be a mistake in a few months time. Hardly something that could be guaranteed but still, no harm in trying right?

Gah! Help! I'm so confused. Deciding one's career path is seriously tiring stuff..

13 Personal Questions Tag...

2011-05-29T11:27:00.001+08:00

1. What do you order at Starbucks?
- My favorite is the Hazelnut Hot Chocolate. Yummy!

2. What's one thing in your closet that you cannot live without?
- My jeans.

3. What's one thing that most people probably wouldn't know about you?
- I am creeped out by small, furry creatures such as hamsters.

4. Name one thing that you want to do before you die
- Travel the world and live to write about it..

5. What's one food that you cannot live without?
- Chocolate!

6. What quote/phrase do you live your life by?
- It's pretty cliche, which is 'Everything happens for a reason'.

7. What do you like and dislike about yourself?
- I like the fact that I am very driven and determined when I badly want something.
- I dislike the fact that I am a procrastinator.

8. What's your number one favorite song of the moment?
- On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez.

9. What kind of style would you define yourself as having?
- Romantic. I love floaty fabrics, lace, soft pastel colors and flowy silhouettes.

10. Favorite number
- My favorite is number 5.

11. Two hobbies
- Reading and blogging

12. Two pet peeves
- People who are slow in actions and in comprehension.
- People eating smelly food in enclosed spaces.

13. Guilty Pleasure
- Singing in the shower.

I tag:
Amanda
Asrih
Sofia
AnnieMing
Khadizah

Wah, So Calerful One!

2011-05-26T03:06:00.001+08:00

I swear I have come down with Purchasinus Indecisivikus Syndroma, also known as the Curse of Indecisiveness. It seems to have started when my barely adequate pay was further reduced because of the increase in EPF contribution percentage a few months back. The lack of funds transformed me into a mass of nervous jelly, constantly over-thinking my decisions over my purchases.

Is this a need or a want?
Is this necessary?
I deserve this treat.. But then again, what if I fall sick and need to go to the clinic?
Is this worth the money spent?
Should I buy this over that?

All these questions run rampant on my mind constantly. They may seem like normal questions, smart even. Just what someone who's financially savvy would ask themselves in order to avoid making unnecessary purchases. Thing is, I doubt Suze Orman asks herself those questions when let's say, buying a pack of Strepsils (like I did).

My point is, because of all that stressing I can't seem to make any decisions off the bat. Not even simple ones such as what to eat, where to eat or even what to read. It's awful! This was especially evident to me today when I was asked by boo to pick a wallet. He wanted to treat me to one as my coin purse has been a poor substitute to a for the past 6 months.

Thanks for being my wallet all this while. Time for you to do what you do best.. Being a coin purse..

I would have taken longer to pick one up if my tummy wasn't insistently singing the Gardenia (bread) song. Another reason for me being relatively quick was that as kind and loving as boo is, he, like most men is 'allergic' to shopping. I ran back and forth between the 2 final 'candidates', frantically checking style, versatility and practicality with 1001 question and doubts running through my head.

In the end, I chose the one that I would have overlooked and dismissed as 'not my style' simply because I wanted a change. What's a change in the color choices of a wallet as compared to a change in career right? I must say.. I FREAKIN' LOVE IT! The more I look at it, the more I fall in love with it. I have gone even as far as to name it.

Without further ado I present to you the newest material love of my life, Lila!

Lila's front view.. Wah, so calerful one!

From the back..

So not my usual choice of color but I have no regrets. Lets just hope my next career choice will have the same outcome. Hehe.. Cheers!

The Last Straw..

2011-05-25T00:35:00.002+08:00

Today was surprisingly pay day for Government servants. Usually on pay days I would feel like I am given a new tank of oxygen and that I am able to breathe easy again even if it's only for a few days (yes, you read right. Days, not weeks). I would indulge in one meal at 'expensive' restaurants like Kenny Rogers, Michi Japanese Restaurant, etc. and buy either an outfit, a makeup item or a novel (not all three).

Recently my financial situation got to the point where I was literally living on RM50 for the final 2 weeks by eating 2 RM0.50 mee/meehoon for each meal. Which resulted in me coming down with fever, sore throat and cough at least 4 times in the past 6 weeks and getting infections at the drop of a hat. With no nutrition going into my body, I loathe to even think how low my immune level is.

Today I went to 1Borneo Hypermall intending to eat at New York, New York and buy a novel (it was either The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, I Heart Hollywood by Lindsey Kelk or The Prodigal Daughter by Jeffrey Archer). However the past 2 weeks experience has left me, well, traumatized so to speak.

I kept changing my mind on whether to go to New York New York to get a square meal and their Mud Pie for dessert, or going to Secret Recipe to have only their cake then finally reducing my choice to going to Starbucks for a mere Frappucino. I ended up doing none of them. Just as I ended up not buying a novel.

When I tried to decide on what I wanted to spend my money on, instead of feeling the pleasure and anticipation the only thing on my mind is the money I'm spending and it totally ruined everything. I knew if I tried to force my feelings aside and just spend the money, I would feel really awful and guilty.

Needles to say, I felt and still feel really gutted. To go through such hard times and not being able to get a break from the situation feels so frustrating to me. This is the last straw, I really have to move on out of the Government to better things. It's no longer a matter of self-actualization and mental health, it's now become a matter of surviving.

Those of you who have been reading my blog for the past year would know that this has not been on my mind only recently, but has been for a long time. Before I even moved back to Sabah actually. It hasn't been an easy decision either. Lord knows how much I've bawled my eyes out, feeling torn and confused. I'm now accepting of the situation though, So, yeah, will be looking for job vacancies starting tonight and beyond. Keeping my fingers crossed...

When Minikins Join The Rat Race..

2011-05-24T23:11:00.002+08:00

A friend of a friend's baby just turned a month old and I was invited to the Full Moon party in Penampang. Me and boo went with few others and when we arrived I was surprised to see so many women there who are new mothers. I don't know whether to salute them or shake my head in wonderment at their willingness to brave the heat with their poor little babies in tow. Anyway..

It is said that birds of a feather flock together so naturally women flock together and within those circles of women, the new mothers uh, flock even closer together. It all begins, of course, with one asking the other how old their baby is (soalan wajib tu). The conversation flowed freely and languidly between the new mothers and you can really see that they share a special bond.

(I couldn't really join in too much as I myself am not a mother and no matter how many new mothers I've interviewed, no matter how much I watched the Discovery Home and Health channel or tune in to Oprah about child-raising, nothing beats the real deal. The lack of bond and conversation however, enabled me to be an observer and keen listener.)

You know how it is. One would tell what she worries that her daughter isn't getting enough nutrients because she refuses to eat rice porridge and if the other responded with something along the lines of,"Oh, gosh! I know how you feel. My little minikin wouldn't touch that stuff either until I started blending it with fruits and honey. Why don't you try it? I'll give you the recipe" they would become friends for life.

However, it turns out new mums do collide, especially when they start talking about their babies achievements. Oh, it starts innocently enough. One would maybe ask,"Can your baby sit yet?" and the other might reply, "No, she just started to turn over by herself and crawl a bit" The first mum would then say,"Oh, but she's 6 moths old isn't she? That's quite slow. My little minikin could turn over when she was 4 months old." And so on it goes..

And here I thought competitions are only reserved for grown-ups on who has the biggest car/house or better job/higher pay. Turns out the wee little minikins are joining the uh, 'rat' race too (on who learns to flip over/crawls/sits/stands/walks/speak sooner) albeit via their mothers.

Phy Does A Jig..

2011-05-18T12:35:00.003+08:00

Hi there,
I was supremely happy that I was selected to got to a talk at Mes IPK this Friday. Unless you're new to my blog, you would know how much I loath my work and that I would be the first to sign up to go anywhere out of the office.

This morning however, Fate intervened. I was sitting at my CC's office and he was on the phone when he suddenly turned to me and said urgently "Can you replace 'N' to go for a course at the Imperial tomorrow?". What he meant by the Imperial is the Imperial International Hotel. Yup, the one I stayed at just last month.

Of course I jumped at the chance but I sincerely thought that it was a 1-day thing because he said 'tomorrow' and not 'starting tomorrow for 3 days' or something along those lines. I really was itching to break into a jig as that would mean I wouldn't have to be at the office for 2 days.

Turns out the course was held for 3 days just like the one before and my 'jig' slowed down a bit when it dawned on me that it would end on Saturday. My weekend has been cut short. Argh! Oh well, you get some and lose some I guess. And I couldn't say no either as I was the only one eligible to go since I'm a woman and they have already set the quota for male and female participants.

It wouldn't be so bad since I'm not doing much on a Saturday anyway (I mean, duh, isn't that what Saturday's all about?). I'll be staying in a spacious air-conditioned room with hopefully, a nice roommate if I get one and eating free, albeit crappy, food 6 times a day. So yeah, despite the Saturday thingy, I'm still doing a jig.

This course is organized by Bukit Aman and not KDN like all the previous overnight courses that I had ever attended so I'm not sure what to expect. Let's hope that they are not too strict with dress codes for our night classes. I also hope that the speakers make the course interesting and are not a stuffy lot. And lets just hope that classes finish early on Friday night. Hehe.. Fingers crossed.

May Updates.. Super Long Post..

2011-05-14T10:38:00.002+08:00

Gee.. I've taken another long hiatus haven't I? Between having a tug of war with boo over who gets to use the lappy and not having a lot of pictures of each event, I felt like I have a lot of events to cover but not a lot to say or show about each event so I wasn't sure if I wanted blog about it or not.

Then again, I miss blogging so much that I decided to write about each event briefly, kind of like a mini update. So here goes, with minimal (if any) pictures and all:

5th May 2011
I was selected to got to the Perhimpunan Khas Pegawai Awam PDRM. To be honest I didn't know what it was about until I got there. It turned out to be a pretty big event. 1st of it's kind actually and was done in grand style. 200 Police Administration Civilian Staff from West Malaysia were flown to Kota Kinabalu for it as Sabah is the host for this year's assembly.

Basically it was a gathering of said Administration Staff working under the Police Department. The TKPN was there instead of the KPN. The President of QUEPACS as well. They were kind of telling us that they have our interest at heart and PDRM is the best place to work because everyone is like family. Yeah right.

Notice the theme of the assembly? "Setia Bersama PDRM".. I'm guessing the fact that lots of civilian staff (from NKRA) applying for transfer and some even willing to quit from working in the Government rather than having to keep working for the Police has something to do with it.. Anyway, more pictures...

Farina and moi..

The Police Band.. We made the mistake of sitting too close to them..

Sabah Police Administrations Civilian Staff Union (SPACSU) Logo

7th May 2011

Our Majlis Perpisahan was held on this day at Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort here in Tuaran. As part of the entertainment there was supposed to be a Karaoke session. Turns out there wasn't much time due to mismanagement on the organizing committee's part but they did squeeze in 1 person to sing.. Me.

Being my first time ever singing in front of 200 people on top of a stage, I nearly peed in my pants. The only thing that saved me from THAT embarrassment was the fact that I had gone to the loo only minutes before. I wanted to sing Dan Sebenarnya by Yuna but they didn't have it (seriously? and that song is quite 'old') so I sang Lagenda by Sheila Majid instead.

So, yeah, as I'm sure my dear friend Amanda would say, I broke my Singing-In-Front-Of-200-People-On-The-Stage virginity with unfortunately zero entertainment aspects as my eyes were quite glued to the screen and did no actions in conjunction to the lyrics. If Ogy was in front of me she would definitely be screaming at me and demonstrating how I should have done it with her non-awe inspiring rendition. But I did lived to tell the tale so that's something.

Kak Diah and Kak B

Yours truly

The stage... And people doing the Poco-Poco on the floor in front of the stage..

13 May 2011

Okay, I'm kind of embarrassed to share this because it just occurred to me that there may be a lot of girls out there who are no stranger to doing this. Nevertheless I feel that I have achieved something that I never thought that I could, or rather, would have to do in my life and that is I managed to put on a chain bolt to my bedroom door all by myself! My mum has been pestering for me to do it for months as I am unfortunately renting with a man as one of my house mates.

Now, before you judge me you should know that in a small district like Tuaran you are left with not much choice for a place to rent especially when you don't have your own transport like in my case. I have to rent above shop lots and as most of the shops in Tuaran are pretty old, the rooms can be less than desirable. This one however, male house mate and expensive rent aside, is perfect in terms of location and it's on one of the newer shop lots.

Anyway, there hasn't been the need for me to put a bolt on the door before. The press lock was sufficient enough. Unfortunately something happened that made me pissed off at having my privacy invaded even if that person felt they had a valid reason to do what that person did. Thus, I decided to just bite the bullet and put up a bolt.

The outcome of my perseverance. I'm so proud of myself.. Haha..

I must say I almost gave up after 2 screws. My arm was screaming in agony and I was sweating profusely. The door was made of thick hardwood okay.. The only thing that kept me going was the rewards of feeling safe and having my privacy back. It became easier eventually. Who knows, I might be the next DIY Queen. Okay, so I'm getting ahead of myself. Whatever it is, I rock! Oh yeah!

First 2 Weeks of May 2011

I've been really been tuning to my 'bookwormness' and reading books like there's no tomorrow. I've completed 2 books so far.. I'm the type who can read several books at a time (I'm impatient that way) so in a previous post I had told you that I was reading the Ivy Chronicles by Karen Quinn which became quite interesting in the end. Before I completed it though, I laid off it for a while and started to read I Heart New York by Lindsey Kelk which is the first of the I Heart Series.

I must say that I heart "I Heart New York"! Pardon the pun.. Hehe.. It's a chick lit obviously and a very light and easy read. Nothing serious, deep or meaningful but it did kept me guessing till almost the end. I highly recommend it for those of you who are looking for a light and entertaining read.

Needless to say, I completed it in 2 days (would have been sooner if I didn't have to work). I am looking forward to buying the next 2 books in the series which is I Heart Hollywood and I Heart Paris. The main character, Angela, is a blogger (which I must admit is why I picked it up in the first place) by the way and if you go to the website here, you will be able to read her blog.

The site..

Angela's blog..

I'm currently reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love. As before she manages to reel me into her story with little effort and I find that it's one of those books that I can't put down. This time it's about her research on marriage including the history, the customs, the changes in the purpose of marriage throughout the century and the factors that change them.

There is a part that she touched in the book which is about infidelity that I think everyone should read especially married couples and those in a serious relationship. InsyaAllah I will be posting that excerpt in my future, if not next post.

Wow, for someone who doesn't have much to say, I certainly said a lot didn't I? Hehe.. Well, it has been a long time. What with blogger. com having problems the past few days, I'm just glad to be blogging again. Until the next post peeps. Cheers!

Let's Be Honest: Hotel Room Freebies..

2011-05-03T20:05:00.002+08:00

Now, lets be honest. When you stay at a hotel, do you take home all the free coffee 3-in-1's, tea, sugar, and toiletries? What about the drinking glasses ans towels?

The first thing that my mum would do when she goes into a hotel room is collect all the hotel complimentary thingys. She would even have 2 small plastic bags handy; one for the 3-in-1's and the other for the toiletries. I kid you not. Whenever she does that me and my elder sister would be like, "Oh God, mum's 'harvesting' again". Mum would always say,"What? It's not like I'm stealing or anything. It's free anyway and I want to get my money's worth".

As you guys know, I've had the opportunity to stay at the Imperial International Hotel recently. I notice that while I do not 'harvest' the freebies like my dear old mum does, I do have the tendency to try them out at least once. It's not bad though and I'm not OCD about it.

For example, I wouldn't make 3-in-1 Nescafe even though I'm not a coffee person just for the sake of getting my money's worth. Since I prefer tea I would make tea at least once in the room just so I feel like I'm actually a resident in the room. Sounds weird? Or does it sounds familiar?

I also know that some people who don't normally have nimble fingers would suddenly seem to magically acquire them when they are staying in a hotel. These people don't just take the freebies, they take things that they are not supposed to either, such as drinking glasses, ash trays, etc.

My elder sister who used to work at a 5 star resort here in Tuaran once told me a horror story where this one local family were not able to check out because the Housekeeping staff discovered that the pillows, sheets and towels were missing from the room.

When the Duty Manager (blushing furiously and delicately) told the family that he is unable to allow them to check out because they, ah, 'unwittingly' took a few items with them and do they want to purchase the items since they liked it so much?

Upon hearing that they opened their luggage, extracted the items and returned them. Just like that. No shame, no stuttering explanations, no blushing, no high-pitched nervous laughter. Cool as ice they were. In, fact, the DM blushed enough for all of them combined. Hm, me thinks that family are no virgins to pillow and towel harvesting.

Anyway, what do YOU usually do with the hotel's complimentary items when you're staying in one? Do you harvest it for another day? Do you finish everything within your stay? Do you try ~~everything~~ at least once? Or do you leave them untouched?

Very Important Note:
If you're the farmer type (harvesting = farmer, get it?) and you're travelling overseas, do NOT harvest until you have looked for a note in the room that says the items are complimentary or otherwise. It will save you a lot of awkwardness and embarrassment later, believe me. Most hotels overseas are not as generous as the ones in Malaysia so the toiletries are not complimentary. Neither are the laundry bags. Or the face towels. Or the ash trays. You get my drift.

Imperial International Hotel

2011-05-02T12:54:00.000+08:00

Hi all,
Last week I was given the opportunity to attend a work-related course which was held at the Imperial International Hotel for three days and two nights.

I'm not sure what type of room we were provided with but I find my room to be really spacious. You can practically dance and tumble without hitting the furniture and fixtures. The way the beds were arranged helped to make the room look that way I suppose. The overuse of mirrors too. Hehe.. Seriously, there were mirrors everywhere! I'll let the pics do the talking..

From the room door..

The tiny, doorless closet

The room has a safe, which is opposite the teeny tiny closet

Can you see me?

And another mirror.. Hello!

The doorless shower area..

I do like the shower despite it not having a door. Surprisingly, the water didn't really flood to the outside of the stall. At least, not too badly. The jet is strong and it has one huge shower head that's fixed over head (especially great for washing hair) and another small hand-held one with a unique design for when you don't want to get your hair wet.

The loo's mirrored sliding door.. Told ya there were lotsa mirrors..

The flat screen tv. Has 9 channels including the ~~mandatory~~ local channels, AXN, ESPN, etc.

A 360 on the room.. 1st corner: The beds..

2nd corner: The huge space, coffee table (which looks really lonely) and desk..

3rd corner.

4th corner

I have nothing to complain about the room except for 2 things. As I as walking to my room, some of the other rooms had the doors open and I saw that they had this really big, red, comfy lazy chair. When I entered my room I saw that my room didn't have it.

The 2nd thing is that each room doesn't have it's on iron and ironing board. We had to borrow it in turns which was really inconvenient. I noticed some of the course participants from Sarawak going into the conference rooms with creased baju kurungs. Imagine the impression that they would bring with them about hotels in Sabah (even though they only stayed at one hotel, the impression would effect their view in general).

That's about the room. Now let's talk about the food. I must say that the food was really crappy. I've never ever had such a bad experience with hotel food before. It as so low quality that it's embarrassing. The food is almost the same for lunch everyday and they have the tendency to mix the vegetable (which is most of the time, kangkung) with ikan bilis.

As a Sabahan, we all know that the smaller the ikan bilis, the higher the grade and the more expensive it is. The ikan bilis used at the Rooftop Restaurant at the Imperial Hotel were massive! I think it as the lowest grade possible. C'mon, even the poor mak ciks selling Nasi Lemak at the road side use medium sized ikan bilis. They also left the head on which shows laziness in my opinion. The desserts ere divine though, especially the puddings.

My most unpleasant meal was the last day's breakfast. Now, I must say that the breakfast is okay although a bit repetitive (no one wants to see sausages swimming, yes swimming, in tomato sauce every day no do they?) . I had made up my mind that I was going to try out the porridge. After putting on the condiments (sesame oil, peanuts, fried onions and black soy sauce) I tried it and I cannot stomach it. It was runny and tasteless despite the soy sauce. I ditched the porridge for cereal instead.

Big mistake because I had my first experience consuming fake ~~food~~ Koko Krunch. Yup, Koko Krunch 'palsu'. You know, the one with the humongous bag and a tiger in front of it instead of a cute koala. I felt like expiring on the spot. If you want to cut budget, isn't it better to provide fewer high quality options rather than have it all minus the quality? Needless to say, I passed that over too.

I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of the food but most of the participants were not the age group that would understand the reason of one's endless clicking pictures of one's food. Or blogs. Or the Internet.. Okay, only joking. About the Internet part that is.

Anyway, in a nutshell, I love the room and the positioning of the hotel which is near to the ~~Filipino Market~~ Handicraft Market, Warisan Square, Center Point and within walking distance to the Wawasan Plaza and the Wawasan Plaza Bus Terminal. The food? I'd rather eat somewhere else. There are a lot of good eating places around the area anyway.

That's all for now. Cheers!

Phy's Food Crave List: The Offside (Healthy Eating Down The Drain)

2011-04-29T12:36:00.002+08:00

If you know me you'd know by heart what I'd be craving when the time comes to be craving something. Sushi, Yoyo Milky Tea with small pearls, Cadbury Time Out, Sour Cream and Onions potato chips, Starbucks Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and Daily Fresh peanut butter + chocolate waffles. Those are the things that I would crave at any one time, NOT all at once (for which I am truly, truly grateful).

Yesterday for some reason I did a total turn around and had the urge to eat something that was not on my food 'Crave List' which was KFC Hot and Spicy chicken with Colonel Rice. Yup, I actually craved the oily, greasy combo. I tried to be good by getting the Jom Jimat set which is Colonel rice 1 pc chicken and soft drink. Should have been enough right?

Here's where it gets weird. When I crave something, it's very rare that I would want it again on the same day or even the next day. This time I wanted another set right after! I would have loved to tell you that I had gotten on my feet and walked away but I didn't. Instead I ordered Colonel Rice and 2 pc chicken to go. And ate it at 3.30PM.

If that wasn't bad enough, today I still wanted it! Argh!!!!!! So just now I got the same order as yesterday, only this time I added Cheezy Wedges.. Kamikaze! However, I am happy (albeit still shame-faced) to say that after having it 3 times in a span of 2 days, I am finally cured. I am not happy that I had to go through that amount but at least now I'm so sick of it I feel like throwing up everytime I see a picture of a chicken. Or rice. Or a certain old Colonel in the colors of red, white and black..

Into the mouth and straight to the hips they always say. Looks like I owe me a looooootttttt of walking for the next few days and a double, if not triple dose of prune consentrate to cleanse me up. Eww... Get it outta me! Get it outta me! I feel so sluggish (small wonder).

Such a crazy thing had never, ever happened to me before and I hope that I never, ever, ever, ever have to go throught that again. What about you dear readers, have you ever experienced crazy cravings like that before?

Post Hiatus: Travelling, Packing And Laundry

2011-04-29T07:34:00.002+08:00

Wow, it's been quite a while since I've posted a blog post and it's not due to a depression-induced hiatus or lack of topic. It's just that I haven't had the chance to sit down and write (or type, if you'd rather). First, I went back to Keningau last Friday to take advantage of the long weekend and came back on that Sunday.

On Monday I participated in a work-related course for 3 days and 2 nights (will blog about that soon!) at Imperial Hotel, Kota Kinabalu. Then yesterday morning I was told that I was selected to go to an Islamic-related course at PLI Kundasang..

Wow, I really feel like I am living in a luggage. The amount of laundry I've accumulated has grown into astronomic proportions. I've had to pack different clothes for the different reasons I'm traveling. For going back home obviously it's casual all round.

For my first course it's formal and 'stylish' semi formal (call me kampung but I still have this mind-set that I have to dress nicely when I go to KK. No track pants and t-shirts for me!) and for this trip to Kundasang formal and conservative casual.

I've already told my boss that I would prefer NOT to have to go to this Kundasang thingy simply because I'm not joking about my huge laundry. I don't have any clothes to wear! If it was spaced out to next week I would have accepted it immediately, if only just to get away from the office doldrums.. The place seemed nice thought..

PLI Kundasang.. Courtesy of Google..

Today will be the moment of truth, whether my boss will say I have to go or allow me to be excused from it. Keeping my fingers crossed.. Huhu..

Phy's Boys Are Back..

2011-04-21T16:34:00.001+08:00

I have been experiencing Empty Nest (or rather, Office) Syndrome for the past 3 weeks. All of my boys (that's what I call my Traffic Policemen) were send to Sarawak to aid the election during the duration of that time. We were shocked that all of them were sent but orders are orders so they had to follow.

Source

It was so quiet at the office without their laughter, teasing and lewd jokes. I never thought that I would actually miss them but I did. Yesterday they were finally back and I must say that I'm very happy. One of them actually bought me the famous Kek Lapis Sarawak. Thank you Mon Mon Cat (bukan nama sebenar. I repeat, bukan nama sebenar).

Courtesy of Mon Mon Cat..

'Touching' kunu kena beli kek. Sekali sy tanya (dengan mata berkaca no less) "Perisa apa kek yang ko beli sy ni Mon?". The response? "Antah, sy pun nda tau tu. Sy amik2 jak tu, jan la ko tanya sy." Hmft, typical male in uniform response. Baru sy mo terharu pun trus x jadi. Haha.. They may be gruff but they have a heart of gold, these guys.

Unfortunately 2 of them are being sent to Semporna again today, including Mon Mon Cat. When I found out sy pula lebih2 upset. Sy kesian anak bini diorang bah. They only get one day with their husband after 3 weeks of separation then they'll have to be alone again for another 3 days.

Bukan senang mau jadi bini polis ni, kena tabah, patient, understanding and very independent. That's why I don't want to marry a Policeman or anyone who works in uniform such as the Army, Fire Brigade, etc. I'm not sure if I would be able to handle their line of work.

Anyway, I'm digressing. Again, I'm very happy that my boys are back even if two of them will have to be out of my sight again so soon. I didn't even mind when they teased me mercilessly upon setting eyes on me, especially Bapak Mentua (again, bukan nama sebenar mahupun status sebenar). Who knows, it might be their way of expressing that they had missed me too (pedahal entah2 lepas gian. Ya lah, 3 minggu inda ijik sy kan.. Lol..)

Now I can resume my tasks with a smile. I won't have to be alone with Mr. Forever-Ada-Urusan-Penting-Jadi-Terpaksa-Setengah-Hari-Kerja or Mrs. I'm-Pregnant-So-I-Have-The-Right-To-Be-Nasty-And-Boss-People-Around. Lalala... Haha.. That's all for now peeps.. Cheers!

Phy Becomes A Goose

2011-04-20T11:09:00.004+08:00

No, I haven't grown feathers. Here's the story. On Monday last week I experienced sore throat and fever. Alhamdulillah, it became 'better' by itself the next day after I drank about 4 Litres of water (throughout the day obviously or else I would have turned into a water bed). Or so I thought.

Wednesday I was well and I thought I had managed to 'escape' unscathed. It was only after work on Thursday that I suddenly started to cough. It was really bad too, made me felt like my chest was on fire. Turns out that I hadn't escaped the clutches of the Terrible Trio (Sore Throat, Fever and Cough). By Friday I had lost my voice.

As someone who loves to gab and sing (with no talent whatsoever, mind you) you can imagine how this devastated me. I've lost my voice before but it only took a day or two for me to recover but this time it was already over 5 days and my voice was beyond sexy.

In fact, I sounded not unlike a goose. Whenever my voice terple'ot my throat would make kind of like a honking sound which was mortifying when I talk to OKSes. I could see them surreptitiously looking left and right from the corner of their eye. They were probably trying to locate where the goose was.

I iz one very cool gooze.. Source

Hi, my name is Phy and although I am not technically a goose but I do sound like one. Feel free to feed me bread (whole grain please, preferably with raisins too) and other nutritious things so that I might recover in time for next Saturday's Karaoke session. Thank you..

*Honk!* Opps, excuse me.

Phy A' Rantin': Money, Maggi and Mail

2011-04-20T09:16:00.001+08:00

This post has no purpose whatsoever. Just feeling disgruntled about a few things but don't have too much to say about each to warrant a full post.

Money
I swear, sometimes I feel like my savings account where my pay goes in to is like a Formula 1 stop-over station. Money comes in and stop for just a few minutes before being withdrawn to pay rent and bills. Having one's own money is sweet but it's bitter to see it go into the bill payment kiosks.

It's really frustrating how the price of groceries and fuel keeps rising but salaries are below the 'line of poverty'. As for rumors saying that there will be a rise in the Government servant's salary? Not that I wouldn't be grateful, but could they not announce it? Cause when they do, guarantee harga barang naik so sama juga pia' dia.

Maggi
Sigh! I had used to live on Maggi when I was studying. Now that I'm working I thought those years were behind me and I can enjoy proper food. It would be unfair to say that I don't eat properly AT ALL. I do, normally within the first week of pay day. After that it's Maggi for lunch or dinner as it's the only thing that's saving me from 'makan batu berulam rumput'.

I hope some big shot at Maggi is reading this post *keeping fingers crossed* so that they will appoint me as a spokesperson for the Maggi brand since I've been helping them achieving their sales target for yeatrs now..

Mail
The only mail I get is from are from pudgy, yellow men and from Bank Rakyat. How fun is that? Cuba lah surat cinta kah, kad kahwin kawan kah.. Sheesh! Service companies pun satu, bil pertama tu buat lah date end of the month. Ini, kalau 15hb orang apply servis tu, 14hb pula bil due for the next month. How are people supposed to pay? When we don't pay, cepat jak potong servis. Mau kasi sambung bukan main lagi lambat, macam siput tempang.

Looks like every time we want to apply for a service, we must plan strategically and apply only after the 25th of each month to avoid the annoyance of being called or SMSes 3 times a day reminding us to pay our bills. Macam mo jak sy balas 'Ko SMS 10 kali pun tida' guna, sama juga sy bayar selepas gaji'. If it's not for me knowing that it's auto generated, I think I would have.

Oh well...

25 Random Questions

2011-04-18T23:22:00.001+08:00

During the time when Friendster was famous, tag questions used to be soooo popular. I love doing them and was always on the lookout for new ones to do. I think that they are really fun and helps us get to know our friends better. Anyway, I've decided to do a 25 Random Questions post so let's get started.

1. Do you have any pets?
   Not at the moment.

2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you?
   Seventeen magazine, a bottle of water and my flu medication.

3. How is the weather right now?
   It's a bit humid here at the moment.

4. Do you drive? If so, have you crashed?
   I have a licence but I haven't drove for years. I've crashed into a tree once while I was practicing. Huhu..

5. What time did you wake up this morning?
   Around 6.30 am.

6. When was the last time you showered?
   About an hour ago.

7. What was the last movie that you saw?
   Rio.

8. What does your last text message say?
   Di mana?

9. What's your ringtone?
   Pocketful of Sunshine.

10. Have you been to a different country?
   Yes, I've been to Singapore when I was really young and I went to Guilin, China recently.

11. Do you love sushi?
   Yes! Yes! And yes! Especially Salmon sashimi..

12. Where do you buy groceries?
   Mostly at Gmart Tuaran because of the variety.

13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
   Nope. Unless you count Piriton but I only take it when I have the flu.

14. How many siblings do you have?
   I have 2 elder sisters.

15. Do you have a desktop or a laptop?
   Technically I don't own either at the moment but 'm currently borrowing my sister's laptop.

16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
   My next birthday will be this year in June *hint* so I'll be turning 25.

17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
   I wear contacts but occasionally I do go around wearing glasses.

18. Do you color your hair?
   I used to.

19. Tell me about something that you were planning to do today?
   Post this blog then sleep.

20. When was the last time you cried?
   I think it was last week while reading Mini Shopaholic. Luke Brandon was so sweet to Becky in the end!

21. What is your perfect pizza topping?
   I loooooovveeee tuna, pineapple and cheese.

22. Which one do you prefer, hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
   Cheese always win so I would prefer cheeseburgers.

23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
   Oh yes, when I was in matriculation. When I entered uni I never did it again.

24. What is your eye color?
   They are dark brown.

25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
   I think I can because I find Coke to be slightly sweeter than Pepsi.

I really enjoyed doing this post and you can do it too. Just copy the questions and change my answers into yours.. Cheers!

Phy: Bookworm Reinstated

2011-04-18T16:32:00.000+08:00

Hi all...

All of my life (well, at least ever since I could read) I had been known among friends and families as a Bookworm. All I do is read. All. Day. No joke. I would live in a library if I could.

However, the past few months I haven't been reading a lot of novels. I've been reading a lot of magazines instead. This week something compelled me to pick up a novel that I had been reading half way through which is Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.

It had been months since I've read it and I anticipated that I might be a bit lost when I start reading it again. Amazingly, I didn't! It just confirmed what I knew all along and that is Elizabeth Gilbert is a talented writer with the gift to pull you into her story. I felt as if I had only left my book for a few hours instead of a few months. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

The next book is also something that I read a little less than half-way through before having to put it down and it's Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. It's a very easy read but the main character in the book is doing such embarrassing things and getting herself in deeper and deeper trouble that I just had to put it down until I stopped cringing. It took me months to do that too.

I finished reading it on Thursday and was happy that I did because I liked how it worked out. I even shed a tear because I could completely relate to how the main character felt towards the end but it was made right again. I find that the Shopaholic Series have the same pattern in their stories.

The main character would embarrass herself and get into deep trouble, tell lies to cover up and get into more trouble because of it and spin MORE lies to cover that lie and wound trouble tighter and tighter around herself until it becomes unbearable and THEN comes the relief where everything would work itself out. I have a feeling that there would be at least another book in the future for this series.

I'm currently reading the Ivy Chronicles. I bought it at a book fair at 1 Borneo. It was quite a bargain at RM20. Oh, I bought the Mini Shopaholic at that same book fair too. So far I feel that the story is very loose and 'hoppy'.

When I say 'hoppy' I mean that the writer kind of hops over the details of what I would count as the important parts or phases in Ivy's life. It's getting more detailed as the story progresses though so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

What novel have you been reading recently? Do share. Happy Monday folks. Cheers!

Phy's Essential Items To Go Shopping

2011-04-17T14:39:00.004+08:00

Hi y'all,
In today's post I will be sharing with you the essentials that I bring with me when I go shopping. Now, I don't necessarily bring all of these items every time. It really depends on what I'm shopping for and whether I am shopping on a normal day or during crazy sale season. If you want to know what they are, keep on reading..

Spagetti Strap Tank Top
I'm not a fan of showing cleavage so I would bring /wear an SSTT in a basic color (beige, white, black) for when I try on tops that have an overly daring neckline. I find that not all tops with plunging necklines look nice with an SSTT underneath so it helps to have one handy so that I can actually see how it looks together.

The SSTT is also useful during crazy sale season. Just wear it under a cardi and you won't need to wait in line to try on tops in the changing room. You can just take off your cardi and try the top over your SSTT. Just make sure the SSTT is a form fitting one so it doesn't add bulk to your frame by bunching up in odd places under the top.

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Cardigan
I don't like sleeveless tops so if I wear one I would always wear a cardi over it. When I go shopping and see a sleeveless top that I really like, having a cardi on hand to try over it is very useful indeed. Like SSTT, not all tops look nice with a cardi over it, or at least, with the cardigan that I might have. It helps to see how it looks like together before deciding to buy the top.

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Leggings
Leggings are super comfortable and are form fitting. I highly recommend wearing them when you're shopping for jeans during crazy sales. Why? Just like the SSTT, wearing leggings enables you to try on jeans without going through the hassle of waiting in line to go into a changing room. Since leggings are naturally form fitting, it won't add bulk to your frame so you can try other types of 'bottoms' over it such as shorts, skirts and etc.

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Sling Bag
If you don't know what a sling bag is, it's just a bag with really long straps that can be slung across your body. I love using a sling bag while shopping because it free's up both my hands to browse through racks or sift (claw?) through the clothing bins that are forever unorganized.

The straps of the average handbag tends to slide down my arm at the most inconvenient moments and I find it really annoying. A sling bag also allows me to position my bag in front of my body so it's safer and reduces the risk of me being a victim of pick-pockets.

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Heels
A pair of black heels to be exact. I would only bring these with me when I shop for long dresses or 'bottoms' such as jeans and long skirts. The reason is that I would go shopping with flat sandals or ballerina pumps. If the length seems just right when I'm wearing flats, there is a chance that it would hang a bit awkwardly when worn with heels but not necessarily always. Having a a pair of heels on hand would help me to see how it works out.

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Camera
When I'm window shopping or am in the mood to experiment, I would try out a ton of clothes (and I mean a ton) with different shapes and silhouettes to see how they look on me. When I find a shape that I like, I would take a picture of me wearing it from different angles as reference. Don't do it openly though, most shops are a bit icky about people taking pictures of their merchandise. Come to think of it, I hope nobody working in retail, especially in Nichii, is reading this blog. Hehe..

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Snacks
This is definitely an essential when you're shopping during crazy sale season. Combing through the racks and going through the clothing bins is not a small feat and could take hours. A snack would helps to fuel me until lunch or even longer.

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Bring more nutritious snacks if you're planning on skipping lunch (not advisable, but it's your call). Unsalted nuts, crackers, etc are great snack options. Skip sweet snacks as from my personal experience, they tend to spike your blood sugar level for a limited time then plummet, make you feel more famished than before.

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Small Bottle of Water
Ditto as above, water is crucial during crazy sale season. I just sip throughout the day to avoid having to go to the loo every 5 minutes. Of course, it's best to drink lots of water and just bear with the frequent loo visits as it is better for your body but I personally hate having to go through that inconvenience so I opt for the former instead. It's just one day after all.

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So there you have it, my shopping essentials. The key for me is knowing what I was intending to shop for, where and when. My fave would be the SSTT, cardi and leggings ensemble. The cardi would have to be a long one though because of the legings. I don't think I need to say why.. Lol.

I hope you enjoyed this and found it useful. Don't forget to leave a comment below on what YOUR shopping essentials are. Cheers!

Should We Pursue Security Or Passion?

2011-04-12T22:35:00.000+08:00

Hi y'all..

This question has been playing on my mind for the past few months now and that is in terms of our career, should we pursue a job that is secure or pursue what we love to do?

For the sake of simplifying things a few factors will not be taken into account such as family circumstances, education level, family support, etc. This means that those who are limited in their choice of work because they are the sole bread winner of the family with younger siblings to support, lack education, or whose parents don't support their interest (you get the picture) are exempted.

The pros of those choosing a secure job is that they will not have to worry about being laid off at the blink of an eye and have a stable/fixed income. Ah, bliss... The cons however is that because those not doing something they love are more susceptible to the feelings of boredom, demotivation and unenthusiasm. This might effect the quality and effort they put into their work.

On the other side of the grid , the opposite might happen to those who pursue their passion. That love for what one does gives one the drive to do their best in their job and enthusiasm runs high even in the most difficult situations. As one's interest might be in the conventional line of work such as being a nurse, doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc, instability of income is not necessarily an issue of concern. However those who love what might considered to be 'unconventional' careers such as being a magician, painter, musician, etc would most definitely face this flip-side.

For me personally, I'd choose the latter. If what you love to do happen to be in the conventional line of work, then you are certainly very lucky. For the unconventional ones, it's still possible to pursue your career under one condition; be the best in your field. Wanna be a musician? Take classes, practice, gain experience by performing every chance you get and be open to constructive criticism. Basically, do whatever it takes to be the best of the best.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no career coach but one thing's for sure, I know what it feels like to be the former. Feeling your whole being drying out and dying a slow and painful death is not very pleasant. What do you think dear readers? Which would you choose?

Phy Is Back.. And More First Experiences...

2011-04-07T12:43:00.004+08:00

My, my, my... It's been such a long time since I've blogged. For some reason, everything just ceased to have meaning in my life for the past few weeks. Facebook felt boring, Twitter was 'aiso mo mo' (as my late great grandfather used to say when he insulted my then-10 year old mother's cooking), and I didn't have the energy to blog.

So what has been going on with my life? Here are some updates:

I've been under what can only be called a mild depression these past few months because I wasn't happy with where my life was headed. I've been toying with the idea of resigning but was afraid of making any rash decisions.

Lo and behold, a blessing came in a form of a local celebrity. I had the opportunity to chat with him over Teh C Special and he mentioned that he was once offered a music-related position in my sector. He did thought about it, took into account of all the benefits that he would get and everything as it was a lucrative offer but in the end he turned it down.

Now he and his business partner operates a business doing music classes for keyboard, guitar, drums, etc and he couldn't be happier. How's that for inspiration? It certainly gave me the courage to take other options into consideration.

So my second update is kind of in sync with my first one and that is I've applied for a position that is suitable for my qualifications at a major, MAJOR organization in Malaysia. Wish me luck! I'm keeping everything crossed at the moment and not only my fingers. Lol..

My third update is that two Sundays ago me and boo went to Tg Simpang Mengayau for the first time. We had wanted to go there for a long time but never had the time and on that particular Sunday it became an impromptu trip armed with nothing but my phone for a map.

When faced with conflicting signs like this, always go with the newer looking one..

It rained all the way and when we stopped over at Kota Marudu for lunch we contemplated on continuing with the journey but decided to push on anyway. It only rained harder and didn't stop even when we arrived at TSM. We took pictures in the rain, enjoyed the scenery, ate prawns fried in batter and mayo and drove back. to Tuaran. Crazy right?

Floating coconuts...

The relentless rain made the water rise in certain places, so much so that it was impossible to see the road. Coconuts floated along the road, even crossing it in places where the flood was particularly bad. Lesson learnt?

Ask those who have been to the intended destination for info such as gas stations, and stop-over places along the way.

Bring adequate food/snacks and drinks especially water.

Check the weather forecast.

Service the car if bringing own transport.

The view was still gorgeous in all it's stormy glory..

Hehehe... Going old school with the poses..

A second visit is a definite must...

Fourth update! I've tried wearing leggings for the first time. Bahahahaha... I know, I know.. Just goes to show how 'fashion forward' I am. The trend has been around for years but I just never got around to buying them. To be honest, I didn't gave them the time of day because I don't like them at all.

My first encounter with these stretchy thingies was borne out of desperation. I was going for a movie after work and I knew I wasn't going to make it to KK if I went back to my house an d change so I brought a change of clothes with me, only to realize half-way to KK on the bus that I had forgotten to bring a pair of jeans with me *hand on face*.

Thank goodness my top was a long one so I bought a pair of leggings from Soxworld as it was a much cheaper alternative to buying a pair of jeans. Needless to say I like it. I don't LOVE it but I like it.. It's lighter than jeans. I might wear them again with my dresses. We'll see..

So this is all for now. I might update this post with some pictures from our trip to Kudat. Cheers!

Phoebe-Loves-Makeup Is Back!

2011-03-23T00:25:00.000+08:00

Hi y'all!

Phoebe-Loves-Makeup is back in operation full throttle. It's better and will be including quick tips and tricks related to beauty and makeup in addition to hauls and reviews.

Follow to support and any feedback, comments and questions are appreciated. While you're at it, check out my new post on how to make your mineralized eyeshadow show up more vibrant here.

My First Experience Changing My Blog Design

2011-03-20T02:34:00.002+08:00

Hi y'all! How do you like my blog's new look? I'm liking it a lot! If you follow me on twitter or if you are my friend on Facebook, you'd most probably known that I was unsure of which design to pick. These were my options at the time:

Cosmetics Girl

I wanted this because it has cosmetics on it (I am after all, a makeup junkie) and it's pink! I wasn't in favor of the layout though because I'm used to my 3 equal column layout unlike this one.

Reading Books

I was thinking of getting this design because I am also a bookworm and this has a girl reading on it.. It's blue though so I didn't really feel like it reflects me for who I am and what I like.

Woman Talk

I wanted this one because it shows women having conversation (and we know when women come together, there are almost no off-limit topics even with those we just met!) and I do feel that my blog is about almost everything under the sun.

I was worried that something might go wrong so I experimented with my beauty blog that's been inactive since I've decided to do my beauty-related posts in this blog and it turned out okay. I then confidently tinkered with this blogs settings and guessed what? The templates kind of became awry.

For some reason I had 2 headers or 2 blog post body and I spent at least 3 hours trying to find a way to rectify the problem. The silver lining to the whole thing is that I have 'upgraded' from someone with zero knowledge with coded characters to someone who knows a little bit more than before.

On a side note I might start doing my beauty-related post in my other blog again. Last time I decided to just do it all in one blog. I've already changed the layout of that blog into the Cosmetic Girls' design which I think is very appropriate for what that blog is all about.

By the way, all the blog designs above are available here. However the one that I'm currently using now is by btemplates.com (search through Google please). I chose this because it's pink, it has a girl reading a book and the notebook page reflects how I am constantly writing on my notepad on any ideas that I may come up for this blog.

It's Sunday morning now and I'm getting sleepy so will see you in the next post. Cheers!

Phy Has A New Video...

2011-03-19T10:08:00.000+08:00

Hi y'all...
I have a new video up on Youtube. Just an simple update vlog. Excuse the bland (read: unattractive) background, it is a rented room after all. Oh, and look our for the naughty runaway piece of paper in the background. Lol..

Check it out here...

Falling Apart And Dreaming The Day Away... And An Itchy Heart Post

2011-03-18T23:51:00.000+08:00

It's been such a long time since I've blogged randomly. I've missed doing it but since the past two crazy weeks, I've been feeling tired. It's been a week now but I still feel it no matter how early I sleep. I feel exhausted all the same and I just can't bring myself to do much.

I'm guessing that this has something to do with my feelings of unfulfilled self-actualization. Feeling frustrated all the time, feeling slighted, looked down upon and misunderstood is not a place that I see myself being in. I am seriously asking myself this question: Should I stay or should I move on?

I don't want to make any big decisions rashly and prematurely. However, I'm not sure how long I can last feeling this dead inside. I feel so envious of those who get to follow their interest and dreams and make a successful career out of it.

I'm still searching what my calling is or my niche but I feel like I can't do that where I'm at. I'm always seem to be dreaming of the day when I achieve 'enlightenment' in my career and take off to where I'm supposed to go.

I know, I know.. I feel that this is like, the 100th post of me moaning about this subject. Talk about a broken record huh?

So enough of this depressing topic. Let's move on to the fun part of this post which is Itchy heart which is basically what I am looking forward to buy or at least which that I could buy.. So what has got me excited this time around?

MAC Surf Baby Summer Collection!

Surf Baby My Paradise Blush.. Gorgeous!

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Surf Baby Crushed Metallic Pigment Stacks.. I love the 1st one which is Summer Stash..

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Surf Baby Lipglass. I like the one on the far right which is Strange Potion which is a pink coral color

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Surf Baby Eyeshadow

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Surf Baby Lipstick.. Hibiscus, the second tube on the left looks beautiful...

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Surf Baby Eye Liner...

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Surf Baby Nail Lacquer.. These two nail colors really does make me imagine the sun, coconut trees and beaches. Truly Summer colors!

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I can't wait for this collection to come to Malaysia shores.I'll need to save up money in preparation to buy the ones I LOVE from this collection..

Anyways, have a great weekend everyone. Until the next post, cheers!

Belated Makeup Monday: The Body Shop Shimmer Waves (Blush) Review

2011-03-15T21:34:00.003+08:00

Another belated post. So sorry! I've been super tired the past week and exhaustion has been plaguing me until today. I just don't understand it. I'm determined to do a Makeup Monday post belated as it is.

So this post is going to be a review on The Body Shop's Shimmer Waves in 02 Blush. I had purchased this item last year but never really got around to really try it out. You see, prior to my makeup switch ups I have been the type to only use the things that I love.

The only time I'd use other products is at random, fall in love with them (or not) then start using those products instead. Now that I've had the chance to try this blush I am in love! Here's why:

I can run my blusher brush through the top part for a more prominent blush color or mix it all up for a more more subtle hue.

Each 'wave' can be used individually as an eyeshadow. Beautiful colors by the way.

The last portion at the bottom part makes a gorgeous highlighter.

It's a generous size.

The price of this baby of mine is either RM79.00 or RM89.00. I'm not absolutely sure because it's been a while but I'm kind of positive that it's the former.

I know it's a bit pricey but I personally think that's it's worth the investment because you're getting at least 3 products in one. It saves space in your makeup bag too and very appropriate for those who love a natural look as the colors are soft. It's generous size ensures a high mileage or usage over cost.

I hope this is informative and helps you in making your makeup purchases. Until the next post, cheers!

Love,

Phy